Strong winds in Northeast to disrupt Thanksgiving holiday plans

The winds will whip around a storm that will first unleash snow and possibly severe weather over portions of the central United States on Tuesday and Tuesday night.

As the storm swings eastward on Wednesday, the busiest travel day of the year, the gusty weather will charge on as well.

"Winds are forecast to increase around the eastern Great Lakes during Tuesday night and become strong and gusty over much of the Northeast from Wednesday afternoon into Thanksgiving Day," AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Alex Sosnowski said. Winds are likely to reach 40-50 mph with locally higher gusts possible.

link: https://www.accuweather.com/en/severe-weather/gusty-winds-may-prove-very-disruptive-to-thanksgiving-travel-in-northeastern-us/633490

Old Man Winter to unleash 1-2 punch of snow, Arctic cold in northeastern US

Old Man Winter is a man ahead of his time as he's dealing another round of wintry weather to a huge portion of the country more than 40 days before his season officially begins.

Icy conditions and accumulating snow will spread across the northeastern United States early this week as a potent snowstorm pushes through the region.

The storm that brought snow to the Rockies and High Plains on Sunday will continue to sink south into the beginning of the week. This storm will bring some snow and Arctic cold to parts of the southern Plains.

After strengthening early on Monday, the storm shifted east and sent it snow from Missouri into the western Great Lakes.

Widespread snowfall totals of 1 to 3 inches are likely across the Ohio Valley and into the Northeast, with 3 to 6 inches of snow is expected from the Great Lakes into the interior New England.

Link: https://www.accuweather.com/en/weather-news/snow-arctic-cold-to-blast-the-northeast-us-in-the-coming-days/622226

Severe weather shifts boat stuck on Niagara Falls rocks for 101 years

A barge that has been stuck atop some rocks in Niagara Falls for more than 100 years has finally shifted as a result of severe weather. The Iron Scow, a flat-bottomed ship used to carry cargo in shallow waters in the 19th and 20th centuries, has been lodged in upper rapids of Niagara Falls -- about 600 meters from the brink Horseshoe Falls -- since August 1918, after it broke loose from its towing tug, according to the Niagara Parks Commission. Heavy wind and rain on Halloween shifted the scow, Jim Hill, Niagara Parks Commission senior manager of heritage, said in a video produced by the commission.

Link: https://abcnews.go.com/International/severe-weather-shifts-boat-stuck-niagara-falls-rocks/story?id=66723018

Disruptive snowstorm to eye the Northeast later this week

The cold and snow keep creeping farther south and east in the eastern United States, after weeks of being held up in Canada and the Rockies. While a fast-moving Alberta Clipper is expected to bring the first flakes of the season to parts of the interior Northeast during the middle of the week, a larger and more disruptive storm will eye much of the eastern U.S. to end the week.

"Residents throughout the Northeast, from Pittsburgh to Philadelphia to Binghamton, New York, and Bangor, Maine, will want to keep a close eye on this system for the potential for slippery, slushy roads and significant travel delays Thursday night and Friday," Tom Kines, AccuWeather senior meteorologist, said.

This next storm will first douse the southern Plains as it takes shape late Wednesday. Rain will quickly slide eastward through the Ohio and Tennessee Valley Wednesday night and Thursday.

As the rain continues to push into colder air enveloping areas farther north and east, it will change over to snow in portions of the western Ohio Valley, northern mid-Atlantic and New England.

link: https://www.accuweather.com/en/weather-news/disruptive-snowstorm-to-eye-the-northeast-later-this-week/613560

Your favorite beaches around the world could disappear because of the climate crisis, development

In many cases, this real estate that is coveted for its proximity to the beach is disrupting natural processes and in many places, increasing the rate of erosion.

Compounding the problem are the jetties, groins and other man-made structures built to keep sand from moving.

"Once you block the movement of sand, it may move to deeper areas offshore instead of replenishing the beach," said Kristina Hill, an associate professor at the University of California, Berkeley.

Combine this with rising seas and more intense storms caused by the climate crisis, and you have an existential threat to some of the best beaches around the world.

"As sea levels rise, that beach wants to be somewhere inland. And in order to try to get there, we expect that it will take away the beach much faster than it is right now," said Orrin Pilkey, director emeritus for the Program for the Study of Developed Shorelines."Sea level rise will spare nobody." 

8 popular beaches are: Waikiki Beach, Honolulu, Hawaii, South Beach, Miami Beach, Florida, Copacabana Beach, Rio de Janeiro, Surfers Paradise, Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia, Ocean City, Maryland, Santa Monica Beach, Los Angeles, Barceloneta Beach, Barcelona, and Ocean Beach, San Francisco

link: https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/popular-beaches-threatened-climate-change/index.html

Super Cyclonic Storm Kyarr tracks away from India as Diwali continues

Super Cyclonic Storm Kyarr, one of the strongest storms in recent memory in the Arabian Sea, lashed the Indian coastline over the weekend with fierce winds and drenching rain but avoided making a direct strike on the country.

The storm formed last week near the coast of western India on Friday, local time before it strengthened over the weekend to become a super cyclonic storm on Sunday while moving away from the western Indian coast.

The system is the first super cyclonic storm in the northern Indian Ocean and the first in the Arabian Sea since Gonu in 2007, according to AccuWeather Lead International Meteorologist Jason Nicholls.

Current maximum sustained winds are around 230 km/h (143 mph), making it the equivalent of a Category 4 hurricane in the Atlantic Ocean. Kyarr will bring dangerous seas and rough surf to coastal parts of Karnataka, Goa and Maharashtra. Boaters should use extra caution, even in areas well away from the center of the storm.

Link: https://www.accuweather.com/en/weather-news/tropical-cyclone-kyarr-to-strengthen-near-india-as-start-of-dawali-nears/607996

Halloween storm to dump 1st snow of season in parts of Midwest

First, a weak storm is forecast to produce a narrow swath of mainly light snow from northern Kansas to northern Michigan into Tuesday. he much larger and more disruptive storm will follow within 24 to 48 hours. "This is no joke, as a winterlike storm has the potential to put down a swath of heavy snow over a 750-mile long swath of the Heartland prior to the end of this week," AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Alex Sosnowski said. "By midweek, a powerful storm will erupt out of the South and track northeastward across the country," Issac Longley, AccuWeather meteorologist, said.

Link: https://www.accuweather.com/en/weather-news/halloween-storm-to-dump-1st-snow-of-season-in-parts-of-midwest/609439

Before temperatures plunge next week, drenching storms will soak the central US

Temperatures will tumble in the central United States behind a storm set to bring rain and locally severe thunderstorms from Sunday into Monday.

The chilly air plunging in behind the storm will even allow for some snow to fall, but a repeat of the winterlike storm from earlier in the month is not anticipated. With that storm, heavy snow fell from the Northwest to the Colorado Rockies and northern Plains amid a dramatic temperature plunge.

This upcoming storm, which will first target the Northwestern states with more rain and mountain snow, will trim highs by 10-20 degrees Fahrenheit from their peak this weekend to early next week.

Link: https://www.accuweather.com/en/weather-news/before-temperatures-plunge-next-week-drenching-storms-will-soak-the-central-us-this-weekend/604060

Record melting sees Swiss glaciers shrink 10% in five years

Glaciers in Switzerland have shrunk 10% in the past five years, a rate that has never been seen before in over a century of observations, according to new research published Tuesday.

The summer 2019 heatwave saw glacier melt rates break records, leading to huge losses in ice volume, reports the Cryospheric Commission (CC) of the Swiss Academy of Sciences.

Glaciers around the world are melting due to climate change, and this latest research shows the extent of the problem in Switzerland. Scientists from the CC took measurements from 20 glaciers in the nation and found that about 2% of Switzerland's total glacier volume was lost in the past year, according to a statement from the organization..

Initial signs for 2019 had been encouraging after glacier snow cover was measured at 20-40% higher than normal in April and May, according to the statement, following a very cold January with lots of precipitation. Melting was particularly severe in eastern Switzerland and the northern side of the Alps, according to the research, while the southern Gotthard region lost less glacier volume.

Link: https://www.cnn.com/2019/10/15/europe/switzerland-glacier-melting-scli-intl-scn/index.html

1st of 2 meteor showers this week to peak tonight

Two meteor showers will peak on consecutive nights this week, including one known for bringing incredibly bright meteors known as fireballs. The back-to-back meteor showers will give stargazers of all ages several chances to spot some shooting stars right from their backyard.

Draconid meteor shower
When: Tuesday, Oct. 8 into Wednesday, Oct. 9

October features the peak of three meteor showers, with the first reaching its climax on Tuesday evening.

“The Draconids meteor shower kicks off the fall meteor shower season,” Dave Samuhel, AccuWeather astronomy blogger and meteorologist, said.

The Draconids are considered a minor meteor shower with only around 10 meteors per hour but, on occasion, can fill the sky with hundreds of meteors. One such outburst happened in 2018 when observers in Europe counted over 140 meteors per hour, according to the International Meteor Organization.

An outburst like this is not expected in 2019. However, the Draconids are notorious for being unpredictable, so there is still a chance for a burst for an hour or two with much higher rates, Samuhel said.

Southern Taurid meteor shower
When: Wednesday, Oct. 9 into Thursday, Oct 10

Immediately following the Draconids will be the Southern Taurids, the second meteor shower to peak in as many nights. Similar to the Draconids, the Southern Taurids are a minor shower with fewer than 10 meteors per hour, but don’t let the slim numbers discourage you.

link: https://www.accuweather.com/en/weather-news/fireballs-may-flash-across-night-sky-as-2-meteor-showers-peak-next-week/595355

Denver bracing for wild temperature swings, 1st snowstorm of season

Snow, gusty winds and plummeting temperatures will accompany a new storm poised to blast a large area from the Rockies to the High Plains with winter like weather this week. As of Monday, more than two dozen winter storm watches and warnings were issued across parts of Montana, Idaho and Wyoming.

This latest storm is expected to unleash less snow when compared to the one that buried Montana with over 4 feet in late September. However, the upcoming snowstorm will have a much broader reach and pose a wide array of hazards.

Disruptions to travel and daily routines are likely.

Cold air plunging in with the storm will allow snow to accumulate and travel to become slippery, not only in the highest elevations but also in the valleys. Temperatures can plunge by 30-60 degrees Fahrenheit in the span of 12-24 hours as the cold air swiftly replaces preceding mild conditions.

link: https://www.accuweather.com/en/weather-news/snowstorm-rapid-freeze-up-to-create-dangerous-travel-over-rockies-and-high-plains-this-week/596373

Hot spell sizzling the South may seem never-ending, but new weather system is poised to bust its grip

For residents across the southern United States that are wondering when the seemingly endless stretch of record-challenging heat is going to end, there is finally some good news on the horizon.

A sprawling and nearly stationary area of high pressure has been to blame for the "extended summer" sizzling the Deep South and Southeast during September and into the start of October.

Dozens of cities from the Gulf Coast to the mid-Atlantic experienced their hottest October day on record on Wednesday with thermometers in several spots reaching the century mark.

This high pressure system will begin to weaken, shrink in size and get beaten down through the weekend as multiple storm systems force a push of cooler air progressively farther south.

However, relief is still a few days away as more hot and humid days are in store through the end of the week.

"Many cities will once again challenge record-high temperatures through Thursday, some of which have stood for over 100 years," AccuWeather Meteorologist Brandon Buckingham said.

Residents in Atlanta, Georgia, experienced the second-warmest September on record with an average monthly temperature of 82.4. The warmest September on record occurred in 1925, when the average monthly temperature was 83.0.

To put this statistic in perspective, the normal high temperature during the second half of September in Atlanta is never higher than 82, so the mean monthly temperature was higher than the average high during the second half of the month.

link: https://www.accuweather.com/en/weather-news/extended-summer-to-finally-come-to-an-end-across-southern-us-early-next-week/594190

Vast iceberg bigger than Los Angeles breaks off Antarctic shelf

A enormous iceberg bigger than Los Angeles or Greater London has separated from the Amery Ice Shelf in Antarctica, the largest to do so in more than half a century.

The table iceberg, named D-28 by scientists, broke off the shelf in east Antarctica on September 26. It measures 1,636 square kilometres (632 square miles) in area, is 210 meters (689 feet) thick and weighs a massive 315 billion tons.

The iceberg will now be tracked because it poses a potential hazard for shipping. Scientists from the Australian Antarctic Program, Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies and the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, San Diego have watched developments on the ice shelf for almost 20 years, after first spotting a rift developing in the early 2000s.

link: https://www.cnn.com/2019/10/01/world/vast-iceberg-leaves-antarctic-shelf-scli-intl/index.html

Montana is blanketed in record-breaking snow and it's not even October yet

Record amounts of snow have fallen in parts of Montana over the past few days -- and it's only September.

Great Falls, Montana, got 9.7 inches of snow Saturday, the highest one-day September snow amount for that city, followed by 9.6 inches Sunday, the second highest, the National Weather Service said.

But even higher amounts fell in other areas of Montana from Friday into Monday morning. Browning got a whopping 4 feet, according to the weather service. The Dupuyer area got 37 inches, and the Heart Butte area saw 34 inches.

"This has never happened, ever" in September, said Ray Greely with the weather service in Great Falls.

Great Falls' two-day accumulation of 19.3 inches of snow is the second highest recorded in that city for any time of the year, the weather service said, behind the 24.2 inches from April 27-28, 2009.

Temperatures in the Great Falls area are forecast to reach record or near-record lows Monday night, the weather service said.

"With an unprecedented winter storm throwing our state a surprise in September, state and local governments are working closely together to protect the health and safety of Montanans and our top priority is making sure that happens," Bullock said.

Link: https://www.cnn.com/2019/09/29/us/september-snow-rockies-sunday-wxc/index.html

1st blizzard of season to wallop northern US with up to 3 feet of snow

Parts of the Northwest and southern Canada are bracing for a potentially 'historic' snowstorm that will unleash heavy snow, fierce winds and record cold — and meteorologists say the timing of this storm will add to the dangers.

Hazardous travel conditions and power outages will result as blizzard conditions will unfold in some areas, according to AccuWeather meteorologists.

On Wednesday, the National Weather Service (NWS) in Missoula, Montana, warned that the storm has the potential to be "historic" due to its occurrence so early in the season. Life-threatening conditions in the backcountry and damaging winds were among the dangers the NWS office highlighted in a tweet.

AccuWeather spoke with Rebecca Connors, public information officer for the City of Helena Public Works, in anticipation of the early snowstorm.

"It’s Montana, and this is kind of the characteristic of Montana, freak snowstorms. Our seasons are short except for winter," Connors told AccuWeather.

Link: https://www.accuweather.com/en/weather-news/1st-blizzard-of-season-to-wallop-northern-us-with-up-to-3-feet-of-snow/571622

Tropical Storm Karen to unleash heavy rain, trigger flood risk from Puerto Rico to U.S. and British Virgin Islands

Tropical storm warnings were issued for Puerto Rico and the United States and British Virgin Islands Monday as Tropical Storm Karen moved northwest through the Caribbean Sea.

While Karen is forecast to remain weak through the middle of this week, the tropical storm is likely to cause heavy rain over part of the northern Caribbean islands. AccuWeather meteorologists expect Karen to take a northerly path that will bring the system well northeast of the Turks and Caicos and the Bahamas on Thursday, but not before passing through Puerto Rico and the U.S. and British Virgin Islands on Tuesday. 

A hurricane hunter aircraft was investigating the storm early Monday, according to the National Hurricane Center. As of 2 p.m. Monday, Karen was located about 210 miles south-southeast of the Puerto Rican capital of San Juan and had maximum sustained winds of 40 mph.

Link: https://www.accuweather.com/en/weather-news/tropical-storm-karen-to-unleash-heavy-rain-trigger-flood-risk-from-puerto-rico-to-u-s-and-british-virgin-islands/539217

Imelda makes landfall in Texas, Houston prepares for flooding

While Imelda has lost wind intensity as it continues to move inland, dangers are just beginning for the Houston area and other places in eastern Texas that can receive up to 18 inches of rain.

The rapidly developing system strengthened into Tropical Depression Eleven on Tuesday at Noon CDT and one hour later was dubbed Tropical Storm Imelda. However the storm ]downgraded to a tropical depression on Tuesday night.

The development of Imelda occurred just a few hours after Tropical Depression Ten formed over the central Atlantic.

Torrential rainfall will be unleashed as Imelda continues to move inland. Isolated tornadoes and waterspouts may be spawned.

Enough rain is forecast to fall to cause significant street, highway and low-lying area flooding from southern Louisiana to the middle of the Texas coast. This includes the cities of Lake Charles, Louisiana, to Beaumont, Houston, Galveston, Matagorda, Victoria and Corpus Christi, Texas, this week.

A general 6-12 inches of rain is likely to fall in this swath with an AccuWeather Local StormMax™ of 18 inches into Friday.

Turkey Creek in Humble Camp, Texas received more than 6 inches of rain on Tuesday within the span of 24 hours due to Imelda.

On Tuesday night, gauges on Chigger Creek at Windsong and Cowart's Creek at Cloverfield near Friendswood were nearing their banks and flooding was expected to begin shortly, according to the National Weather Service in Houston.

link: https://www.accuweather.com/en/weather-news/western-gulf-coast-of-us-remains-on-alert-despite-closing-window-for-tropical-development/534755

Storm-weary regions on alert again as tropical depression threatens to strengthen into Humberto

AccuWeather meteorologists are closely monitoring a mass of clouds, downpours and gusty thunderstorms moving northwestward over the Bahamas that evolved into Tropical Depression Nine on Friday afternoon and is forecast to become a tropical storm into this weekend.

As of 5 p.m. EDT Friday, Tropical Depression Nine was located about 140 miles east-southeast of the Dorian-battered Great Abaco Island and had maximum sustained winds of 30 mph. The National Hurricane Center said a hurricane hunter aircraft was investigating the disturbance and has found that the center is forming farther to the east than pondered earlier in the day.

This development is critical for the severity of impacts on the Bahamas and proximity of the track to the U.S. coast.

If the system strengthens into a tropical storm, it will be named Humberto, the eighth-named tropical system of the 2019 Atlantic season. The upgrade could occur at any time through Saturday.

"Warm water, weakening wind shear and also the dry air is going to be dissipating, which is conducive for development," AccuWeather Chief Broadcast Meteorologist Bernie Rayno said of the favorable conditions.

Water temperatures surrounding the Bahamas and Florida's Atlantic coast on Friday were in the low to mid-80s.

As the storm strengthens, forecasters project it will take a path that is somewhat similar to the one Dorian took, but farther out to sea since the center is forming farther east.

Link: 

https://www.accuweather.com/en/weather-news/storm-weary-regions-on-alert-again-as-tropical-system-threatens-to-strengthen-into-humberto/533291

Ontario: Humidex values could approach 40, heat warnings issued

TEMPERATURES SOAR WEDNESDAY, ANOTHER STORM RISK

The risk for more rain and thunderstorms returns to the region Wednesday night after soaring temperatures could top 30°C throughout the day. Heat warnings are currently in place for southwestern Ontario, where humidex values could approach 40 on both Tuesday and Wednesday as a hot and humid air mass from the southern U.S. surges into the region.

"We'll see a sharp temperature divide across the province on Wednesday," says Weather Network meteorologist Kelly Sonnenburg. "We've got temperatures climbing towards the high 20s and low 30s, especially across parts of southwestern Ontario, while it will be a struggle to even climb above 10°C for areas north of cottage country.

link: https://www.msn.com/en-ca/weather/topstories/ontario-humidex-values-could-approach-40-heat-warnings-issued/ar-AAH5sr2

Tropics stirring with activity as Atlantic hurricane season reaches its peak

With the peak of the Atlantic hurricane season upon us, there are currently a few tropical disturbances that are being monitored over the basin which could approach the Caribbean and North America over the next couple of weeks.

While conditions are relatively quiet over the Atlantic basin at the start of this week, it could be a different story late this week or next week.

During the middle of the tropical season, from late August through the middle of October, most tropical storms are born from tropical disturbances, called tropical waves, that move westward from Africa.

This is also known as the Cabo Verde season, which borrows its name from the Cabo Verde Islands, located just off the west coast of Africa where many of these tropical waves form.

The Cabo Verde season has been responsible for most of the monster hurricanes over the years, including the most recent Category 5 Hurricane Dorian.

Link: https://www.accuweather.com/en/weather-news/forcasters-keeping-watchful-eye-on-multiple-tropical-disturbances-roaming-across-atlantic/531386