Weather

PRESTON, England — A ferocious storm battering Ireland and the United Kingdom turned deadly as wind gusts topped 80-90 mph. A man was killed in Preston when a tree fell across the A59 highway Saturday morning, smashing into his van, according to Lancashire Police. Wind gusts in the area were measured between 60-65 mph at times. The cyclone, named Storm Darragh, brought even stronger winds to Ireland and the western shores of England and Wales. Nearly 400,000 people were without power in Ireland Saturday morning, according to ESB Networks. Widespread gusts of 60-70 mph were reported across much of the nation. Gusts reached 70 mph in Dublin and 87 mph in Mace Head along the northwest coast. “The impact is nationwide and there has been extensive damage to electricity infrastructure so far,” ESB officials said in a news release Saturday. “From our experience of previous significant weather events, we anticipate restoration will take a number of days and it is likely that the areas worst affected will take longer.” Gusts were even stronger once Storm Darragh crossed the Irish Sea and reached the shores of Wales, where a rare “Red” Weather Warning was in effect. The UK’s Met Office reported peak gusts of 93 mph at Capel Curig and 92 mph in Aberdaron. Damaging winds carried through the heart of England with gusts reaching 40-50 mph with some spots nearing 60 mph.  Pilots battled gusts nearing 50 mph while trying to land at London’s Heathrow Airport, making for some white-knuckle moments. At least 170,000 people were without power in Wales and England, according to PowerOutage.com.  Photos from across England showed numerous trees toppled and fences blown over as strong gusts swept the country.  Weather conditions were gradually improving from west to east over the weekend. Today’s Weather News on Fox WeatherRead More

GRAND CANYON NATIONAL PARK, Ariz. — Water woes continue to plague Grand Canyon National Park, as its main water pipeline suffered another break this week. Water restrictions were already in effect due to other earlier pipeline breaks, but now a new break has occurred in the Transcanyon Waterline, national park officials said Friday, increasing water conservation efforts along the South Rim. “Until park staff repair the break and water in storage tanks reaches sustainable levels, the park will remain in conservation mode,” a national park spokesperson said in a statement Friday. Some camper services will shutter and campground water spigots turned off, park officials said.  Guests and campers may find additional water restrictions on arrival. Some ways residents and visitors can continue to help conserve water are to limit showers to five minutes or less, turn the faucet off while shaving or brushing teeth, selectively flush the toilet, wash laundry with full loads, and report leaks to appropriate offices. The most recent closure comes just a couple of weeks after another pipeline break along the North Rim triggered an initial round of water conservation mandates. Hotels had to close over the busy Labor Day Weekend when water levels reached critically low levels following a series of breaks in the Transcanyon Waterline. GRAND CANYON’S HOTELS CLOSE OVER LABOR DAY WEEKEND AFTER MAIN WATER SUPPLY FAILS The original Transcanyon Waterline was constructed in the 1960s and, according to the NPS, has long surpassed its expected lifespan.  Since 2010, there have been at least 85 major reported breaks that have disrupted water delivery to the National Park.  Extreme temperature swings in the rugged terrain strain the infrastructure. A multi-year, $200 million rehabilitation project is underway to overhaul the water system, with completion expected by 2027 at the earliest. Today’s Weather News on Fox WeatherRead More

ATLANTA — A rainy start to the week is triggering the potential for areas of flash flooding for millions across the South. A large area of high pressure that brought an arctic chill to much of the South and East this week is moving off Florida and now, ironically, in its wake is set to push a southerly fetch of tropical moisture from the Gulf of Mexico along into the Gulf Coast. That will bring rounds of heavy rain from Sunday into Sunday night across the Lower Mississippi Valley, with some showers bringing rainfall rates of 2 inches per hour in Southern Louisiana. A reinforcing shot of moisture arrives in the South on Monday and Tuesday from a storm currently soaking the Pacific Northwest on Saturday. Most of the rain will be beneficial amounts, but heavier and persistent showers could trigger flash flooding. NOAA’s Weather Prediction Center has given a Level 2 out of 4 flash flood risk for the central Gulf Coast on Monday, including New Orleans.  The risk spreads north and east on Tuesday into the Southeast and includes Atlanta and Montgomery, Alabama. Some of the heaviest rainfall totals could reach 2-5 inches along a stalling front Tuesday. Rain totals when all is said and done across Louisiana, Alabama and Georgia will add up to a widespread 3-5 inches with locally higher amounts of over 5 inches possible. Aside from the flooding threat, this rain will be beneficial for far southeastern Texas and central Alabama, which are still in severe to extreme drought.   Today’s Weather News on Fox WeatherRead More

The coldest start to December in decades across the U.S. has many wondering if the wintry conditions will last through the holiday season and create a picture-perfect winter wonderland, but Mother Nature will have the ultimate final say. During an average Christmas season, slightly more than a quarter of the country has snow on the ground, but whether temperatures are cold enough to allow for frozen precipitation depends on the larger patterns, which have become rather hit-and-miss during the last several years. Sometimes the country can get lucky, and moisture can meet up with arctic air to produce a winter wonderland, such as what happened in 2009 when an estimated 63% was covered by snowfall but in 2023 only 17% saw measurable snow, making it one of the barest holidays on record. Air mass patterns typically last from days to a few weeks, so expecting December to continue what the first week has already established is unrealistic as the country as a whole will likely experience several ups and downs before the holidays are here. WHAT ARE THE ODDS OF A WHITE CHRISTMAS? With just over two weeks before the arrival of holidays such as Christmas, Hanukkah and Kwanzaa, the forecast is looking rather complicated with at least one, if not more, pattern changes before the end of December. Climate models continue to advise that December will wind up overall warmer than average, meaning that the heat will be on during the second half of the month to make up for snowfall surpluses and temperature deficits accumulated during the month’s first days. For most, computer models such as the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) and Global Forecast System (GFS) show the arrival of the heat in earnest during the second half of the week of Dec. 9. The FOX Forecast Center says a stout ridge of high pressure is expected to establish itself along the eastern seaboard, allowing temperatures of 5-15 degrees above average to engulf most of the country. The warm temperatures will take some of the holiday crispness out of the air and lead to widespread snowmelt. Most of the country’s 21.5% snow cover will simply evaporate as temperatures more reminiscent of October take over, but the big question that remains is how long will the warm weather last.  Will the warm-up extend into the week of December 23, or will a sharp frontal boundary cause temperatures to plummet to seasonal norms? This is where longer-term tools related to the polar vortex and world oscillations come into play, providing forecasters with a sense of what to expect in the longer term. CHRISTMAS LAWN DECORATIONS ARE SOMETIMES NO MATCH FOR MOTHER NATURE The combination of a neutral or La Niña status for the ENSO, a lack of polar vortex disruption, an absence of widespread snow coverage and the general changing climate patterns all point to a Christmas that won’t vary much from the norms. Currently, there are no glaring signs that cities which typically don’t experience a white Christmas will see one this year, with the best chances remaining for those that usually have frozen precipitation. For instance, New York City’s last snowy Christmas was in 2009, a year that set a modern record for the snowiest holiday season and one that will not likely be repeated in 2024. Residents in Minneapolis or even Buffalo, who annually have the best chances of snow, will likely be better suited to see frozen precipitation, unlike more southern cities like Charlotte or Atlanta. Those looking to celebrate the holidays in shorts may want to head to Florida or the Southwest, where temperatures will not challenge record lows and may even have a better chance of reaching above-average rather than experiencing below-normal readings on Dec. 25. For those interested in more specific holiday weather impacts, keep an eye on forecasts issued by the FOX Forecast Center during the week of Dec. 16, when a team of FOX meteorologists will be able to pinpoint who might receive precipitation and what temperatures will be like for Christmas and beyond. Today’s Weather News on Fox WeatherRead More

Areas of the country recently impacted by an arctic blast will begin to see a warm-up starting this weekend, leading to temperatures reaching at or above average in the coming days. The warmer air is expected to start arriving on Sunday and become widespread by the early days of the upcoming workweek. Both Chicago and New York are expected to see temperatures rise into the 40s and 50s, and Buffalo is forecast to finally climb above freezing and stay there by the final day of the weekend. “We’re nearly flipping the script entirely at the start of the new week,” said FOX Weather Meteorologist Jane Minar. Instead of more than 200 million people experiencing below-average temperatures, as during the Arctic blast, more than 200 million will benefit from the warmer air. Before the warm air arrives, another clipper system will race through New York and New England Saturday, bringing minor snow accumulations around Buffalo, Syracuse and Boston, with potentially heavier amounts in the higher terrain. But milder temperatures coming in the wake of the system mean that any precipitation that falls will start to transition from snow to rain starting Saturday evening and last into the workweek. ‘THIS IS INSANE!’: THUNDERSNOW RUMBLES ACROSS MULTIPLE STATES DURING WINTER STORM While the warmer air will feel enjoyable to most, it could potentially lead to problems, especially in communities that are digging out from snow drifts. “Two days ago, I remember the 50 mph wind gusts and wind chills that were not only in the single digits but below zero. Now, Minneapolis will be in the mid-40s,” said FOX Weather Meteorologist Ian Oliver. The FOX Forecast Center warns the combination of warmer than average temperatures and rainfall during the late weekend and early week will lead to isolated areas of flooding, especially around the larger lake-effect snow drifts in Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania and New York. Meteorologists in those areas are already warning about the potential flooding threat, but at this time, the impacts are not considered widespread enough to warrant the issuance of Flood Watches ahead of the melting. There is also the question of how much staying power the warm air actually has, as forecast models show another arctic plunge starting mid- to late week. Similar to the most recent chill, warm water temperatures are expected to rejuvenate the lake-effect snow machine, especially for communities downwind of the Great Lakes. So, while the snow cover has a chance to melt, not all of it will likely be gone by the time heavy snowfall chances return to the forecast. According to a recent NOAA snowfall analysis, 21.5% of the country was covered in snow, which is expected to rapidly decrease over the coming days but not approach zero. This means some areas will likely have snow on the ground through most of the month, if not the season. The amount of snow cover is much greater than last year, when only 15.1% of the country had snow cover, and is on par with 2022, when 24.3% of the country was covered by frozen precipitation. HOW SCIENTISTS BELIEVE THE LOSS OF ARCTIC SEA ICE WILL IMPACT US WEATHER PATTERNS The melting of ice layers will likely occur across the Midwest, increasing the dangers for those who venture onto lakes. Already in 2024, several people have died in the northern tier of the country after venturing onto ice that was too thin. Experts annually advise the public never to venture onto ice of unknown thickness. At least 4 inches of ice is needed to support a human’s weight sufficiently, and at least 8 inches is recommended before attempting to drive a small-sized vehicle on it. Ice coverage tends to peak around mid-February but varies depending on the winter’s climate patterns. Today’s Weather News on Fox WeatherRead More