CNN-weather/environment

By Pedram Javaheri After nearly a year without rain, a series of potent Pacific storms are directed at Northern California this week, potentially bringing as much as a foot of rainfall and up to three feet of snow in the Sierra Nevada. Supercharged by a classic atmospheric river pattern, the storms could lead to flash

By Aya Elamroussi, CNN After California saw its driest year on record in nearly 100 years, the entire state is now under a drought emergency, officials said Tuesday. Gov. Gavin Newsom issued a statewide drought emergency proclamation, expanding an existing one to add eight counties that were not previously included. “As the western US faces

By Aya Elamroussi and Cheri Mossburg, CNN Santa Barbara’s famed Reagan Ranch, known as the Western White House during the Reagan administration, narrowly escaped the flames of the Alisal Fire, which has charred nearly 17,000 acres since igniting last Monday. Firefighters appear to be gaining ground on the blaze, as containment of the fire jumped

By Allison Chinchar, CNN Meteorologist After the hottest and driest summer in California history, and a September that was Los Angeles County’s driest ever, concerns are high that Santa Ana wind season could significantly worsen what has already been a disastrous fire year. For the second time this week, Pacific Gas & Electric has had

By Brandon Miller and Judson Jones, CNN Winter weather, ongoing drought conditions and even the remainder of hurricane season will see impacts from a recent cooling of sea surface temperatures in the Pacific. La Niña conditions — the opposite phase of El Niño — have emerged in the tropical Pacific Ocean over the past month,

CNN Editorial Research Here’s a look at Hurricane Sandy, which was also called “Superstorm Sandy.” According to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Hurricane Sandy affected 24 states and all of the eastern seaboard. Causing an estimated $78.7 billion in damages, it was the fourth-costliest US storm behind Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and hurricanes Harvey

By Aya Elamroussi, CNN The heavy winds that have been fanning the Alisal Fire — which already closed part of Highway 101 and shuttered Amtrak railways in Santa Barbara County, California, are likely to continue, possibly hindering progress in battling the blaze — and triggering power outages. “When the winds are strong and they shift,

By Aya Elamroussi and Joe Sutton, CNN California firefighters are battling flames and strong winds as they tackle the Alisal Fire, which has shut down a section of the iconic Highway 101 and Amtrak lines in Santa Barbara County. The 15,400-acre fire, burning 20 miles northwest of Santa Barbara in Refugio Canyon, was 5% contained

By Judson Jones, CNN Meteorologist A clash between summer and winter across the central US is causing an autumn outbreak of snow where the air is colder and severe storms, along with tornadoes and flash flooding, where it’s warmer. There’s a “big temperature contrast across the country as a battle of the seasons commences,” said

By Jennifer Gray, CNN meteorologist Weather and climate disasters in the US have taken more than 500 lives and cost over $100 billion so far this year, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association. In the first nine months of 2021, the US has already faced 18 disasters that have cost more than a

By Jennifer Gray, CNN meteorologist The first significant snowstorm of the season is gearing up to impact portions of the Rockies this week. After a lackluster season in 2020, any precipitation is needed, but the system could also be a dangerous one. Portions of nearly every western state are under some sort of winter storm

By Drew Kann and Ella Nilsen, CNN As a massive investment to repair roads and adapt to climate change faces an uncertain fate in Congress, a new report finds much of the country’s infrastructure is already at risk of being shut down by flooding. And as the planet heats up, the threat is expected to