Gulf Coast bracing for rare winter storm with frigid temperatures and snow
Snow was falling in the Houston area Monday night, forecasters said, as more than 55 million people could be affected by a historic winter storm expected to bring rare snow and frigid temperatures throughout the Gulf Coast region until midweek. The storm was bringing snow, sleet and dire warnings about the dangers of icy roads in Houston on Monday night. In the New Orleans area, wind chill temperatures in the teens, as well as snow and a glaze of ice, were forecast for Tuesday morning.
Los Angeles under dangerous red flag warnings for extreme fire risk again this week
Santa Ana winds will hit the Los Angeles area yet again this week, bringing extreme risk of rapid fire spread as the region continues to tamp out deadly wildfires that ignited under similar conditions earlier this month. The highest red flag warning — a particularly dangerous situation alert — is in place Monday at noon local time (3 p.m. ET) to 10 a.m. (1 p.m. ET) Tuesday for a large portion of Ventura and Los Angeles counties.
Small businesses abruptly learn the limits of their insurance after natural disasters
From burned restaurants in Los Angeles to flooded shops in North Carolina, operators face the reality of policies that haven’t kept pace with climate-related risks.
Arctic blast brings widespread snow, frigid temperatures across U.S., with 175 million under cold weather alerts
Over 175 million people across the country are under some form of cold weather alert as the mid-Atlantic and Northeast ready for another round of rain and snow and southern states brace for frigid temperatures and rare snowfall. The cold comes on the tail of another system that brought scattered rain and snow to parts of the East Coast on Saturday.
California wildfires: What we know about L.A.-area fires, what caused them, who is affected and more
Fueled by powerful winds and dry conditions, a series of ferocious wildfires erupted the second week of January and roared across the Los Angeles area.€
What is the pink powder sprayed over the California wildfires?
As the wildfires in Southern California continue to burn, streaks of bright pink fire retardant have become a familiar sight. Fanned by strong Santa Ana winds, the fires have killed at least 27 people and burned more than 40,000 acres in the greater Los Angeles area. More than a week after it ignited, the area's largest blaze, the Palisades Fire, was 22% contained as of Thursday morning.
Startups race to build bigger, better drones to fight bigger, hotter wildfires
The finale of the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris featured a memorable televised “handover” to the next host city, Los Angeles. Billie Eilish and the Red Hot Chili Peppers performed in front of a quintessentially Californian backdrop: sandy beach, palm trees, blue ocean and crystal clear skies. But that blissful image has been ruptured in recent days as parts of Los Angeles were engulfed in flames, reducing homes and businesses across the sprawling metropolis to smoldering heaps of ash and rubble, most calamitously in the Pacific Palisades and the community of Altadena.
One of Los Angeles' two lesbian bars announces it will close due to wildfires
One of Los Angeles’ two lesbian bars announced that it would close permanently because of the effect of the wildfires that have devastated the city, while the queer community is rallying to support the remaining lesbian bar. The Ruby Fruit, a “Sapphically inclined” wine bar that opened on Sunset Boulevard in the city’s Silver Lake neighborhood in February 2023, announced Saturday that operating “is no longer possible due to financial impact from the current natural disaster.”
Wedding band found under rubble of Altadena home destroyed by the Eaton Fire
ALTADENA, Calif. — Among the rubble and debris that had overtaken the space where an Altadena home once stood, firefighters were able to find a tiny symbol of family and love that meant the world to the Desantis family. Firefighters discovered the wedding band that belongs to Victoria Desantis, whose home burned down in the Eaton Fire. Desantis, who lived in Altadena for the last 18 years, accidentally left her wedding ring and band behind during the evacuation order.
Mudslide risks continue in Southern California after heavy rain flooded roads and prompted evacuations
Southern California is bracing for another day of potential mudslides in areas burned by last month’s wildfires after a Thursday deluge prompted evacuation orders, whisked a fire department vehicle into Malibu waters, and covered parts of a coastal highway in multiple feet of muck. Thursday’s deluge caused significant flooding, mud and debris flows, but the National Weather Service office in Los Angeles warned “mud and rock slides can still happen well after the rain has ended.”