Watch as storm chasers drive into the heart of a huge hailstorm
Watch as storm chasers drive into the heart of a massive hailstorm to learn more about the weather hazard that causes billions of dollars of damage every year.
Footage from the Associated Press shows a team of meteorologists setting up radar systems and cameras in the Great Plains in order to monitor the hail and 'make better forecasts'.
Victor Gensi, co-lead scientist of ICECHIP, the first US hail-focused field campaign in over 40 years, said: 'We want to know that a storm is going to produce baseballs and that storm is only going to produce golf balls. And if we can constrain those forecasts, the people receiving that information will be better served.'
Student meteorologist Katie Wargowsky said she has to ignore her 'natural instincts to hide' and 'know that you are changing the world one storm at a time'.
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Los Angeles Times
6 hours ago
- Los Angeles Times
Tornado sweeps through North Dakota town, leaving at least 3 dead
ENDERLIN, N.D. — Powerful winds — including a tornado — that swept across parts of the upper Midwest left three people dead and a regional airport heavily damaged, while nearly 150 million Americans were under a heat advisory or warning as the weekend warms up much of the U.S. A complex storm system wreaked havoc in parts of North Dakota, northern Minnesota and northern Wisconsin, with reported tornadic activity, large hail and strong wind gusts, according to Brian Hurley, meteorologist with the National Weather Service's Weather Prediction Center. Cass County Sheriff Jesse Jahner said at a news conference Saturday that two men and a woman were killed at two locations around the town of Enderlin, N.D., late Friday. Enderlin is about 57 miles southwest of Fargo. About 24,000 customers were without power in North Dakota. Hours earlier in a post on the social media site X, the National Weather Service in Grand Forks said two deaths were attributed to a tornado that hit a home. Timothy Lynch, lead forecaster with the National Weather Service office in Grand Forks, said that the storm had been confirmed as a tornado but that crews were still working to determine its strength and highest wind speeds. He said the storm affected the neighboring counties of Cass and Ransom. 'We still have people out investigating and gathering information on what happened. It was a pretty major event,' Lynch told the Associated Press on Saturday. Heavy winds also swept across localized areas of Minnesota. The weather service reported wind gusts of up to 106 mph at Bemidji Regional Airport overnight. 'I cannot ever recall hearing a rushing wind like that!' Bemidji Mayor Jorge Prince posted on Facebook in the early hours Saturday. 'Emerged from our basement to find our neighborhood with lots of trees down and several homes with severe damage.' Prince also said officials were responding to many downed power lines and several gas line leaks. Beltrami County Emergency Management said the damage to the Bemidji area is 'extensive.' Many Bemidji-area businesses posted on social media Saturday saying they were without power and closed for the day. Nearly 34,000 customers in Minnesota were without power, according to Hurley said that same storm is traversing across parts of Michigan but is weakened. It will cross over lower Ontario, Canada, and back into the United States to hit upstate New York on Saturday night into Sunday. 'Still wind and hail threat,' Hurley said of the enhanced risk to upstate New York. 'It doesn't look like it's going to be as robust perhaps as we saw last night.' Almost 59 million Americans were under an extreme heat warning Saturday, Hurley said, as the high temperatures combined with humidity push an above-average heat index for the Northern Plains and the Midwest. Parts of Nebraska, the Dakotas, Minnesota and Iowa could face temperatures 'easily 20 degrees above normal,' Hurley said, including some areas reaching the triple digits. It may be expected in July, he said, but it's rarer to see in June. 'A lot of these areas have been pretty cool with rain over the last month or so, so it's going to be a little bit of a shock,' Hurley said. Cooling centers were open in cities including Omaha and Minneapolis as officials warned the public of dangerously hot conditions. An additional 84 million people were under a heat advisory as forecasters expect the extreme weather to migrate eastward toward the Great Lakes, the mid-Atlantic and the Northeast, where the 'heat risk category is a 4 of 4' into early next week, Hurley said. Meanwhile, parts of the Great Basin and the Southwest may be hot but are seeing relief from below-normal temperatures.
Fox Sports
a day ago
- Fox Sports
Scheffler part of 3-way tie for lead at Travelers with Fleetwood and Thomas
Associated Press CROMWELL, Conn. (AP) — Scottie Scheffler provided hope with a late double bogey. Tommy Fleetwood charged through with two eagles in three holes, and so did Justin Thomas with five straight birdies. They wound up tied for the lead on a blustery Friday at the Travelers Championship. All it took was the fate of the wind, good or bad, to shape the leaderboard going into the weekend at the TPC River Highlands, with 12 players separated by four shots. Scheffler was comfortably in front when the left-to-right wind his tee shot had been riding laid down, sending his ball into the fairway bunker on the par-4 17th. He put the next one in the water, barely reached the green with his fourth shot and made double bogey. He wound up with a 1-under 69. Fleetwood felt the wind going right-to-left, then slightly hurting, then slightly helping on the par-5 13th. He had 240 yards to at least cover the water, 264 yards to the hole, and he felt his 9-wood would at least reach the green. So much depended on the fickle wind that fooled so many players. 'I just sort of caught the right moment,' said Fleetwood, who also chipped in for eagle on the reachable 15th and shot 65. "Came off perfect and then beautiful putt.' Thomas wished he could have hit the ball a little better off the tee, but he stayed out of trouble, stayed patient and cashed in on the back nine with his five straight birdies, two of them from the 25-foot range, that led to a 64. They were at 9-under 131, one shot ahead of Jason Day (66). Rory McIlroy was 3 over through four holes in gusts that topped 30 mph, at one point falling eight shots behind Scheffler, a daunting prospect. But he kept in the game, found hope when Scheffler dropped back to 9 under, and got a little luck on his own. His second shot from a bunker on the 17th was so think that he took one hand off the club and waited for the worse, mainly a splash. It founded the water at such a low trajectory that it skipped out onto the fairway. He failed to get up-and-down, taking bogey, but felt it could have been worse — the shot, and his position going into the weekend He batted for a 71, leaving him only four back. 'The conditions today definitely bunched the entire field together and should make for an exciting weekend," McIlroy said The conditions — mainly the wind strong that was blowing hats off of heads and sending unoccupied chairs tumbling away — was everything in the second round. The average score was 70.7, nearly two shots harder than the opening round. It was the highest scoring average for a single round at the Travelers since the second round in 2017. The toughest part for players was figuring out which way it was blowing. Scheffler experienced that on the 17th. 'The tee shot, I hit exactly the way I wanted to,' Scheffler said. "Somehow the wind either stops or goes back because the way my ball was flying it should have basically gotten to the middle of the fairway and I end up in the left bunker. 'Then I catch it a hair fat, and all of a sudden I'm dropping and hitting my fourth shot, and I hit the shot exactly the way we wanted to, and as the ball is flying, you get a gust into the wind, and all of a sudden the ball is not on the green,' he said. 'You can't get every one correct. You just do your best to manage your way around the golf course." Day had his own version of a hat trick on the front nine — three pars, three birdies, three bogeys — until hitting all the right shots for a 31 on the back to get in the hunt. Denny McCarthy (64) and Austin Eckroat (71) were at 7-under 133, followed by Ryder Cup captain Keegan Bradley 70) and Nick Taylor (68). Patrick Cantlay had a 68 with a double bogey on the par-5 13th and joined the large group at 135 that included McIlroy. If the wind wasn't bad enough, Luke Clanton showed remarkable patience in his second tournament as a pro. He had been playing with Jordan Spieth, who had to withdraw with soreness in his upper back on Thursday. Clanton was a single in the middle of the field, behind Scheffler and U.S. Open champion J.J. Spaun, in front of Andrew Novak and Jacob Bridgeman. He waited on every shot and did well to post a 72, leaving him in the middle of the pack. ___ AP golf: recommended
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
National Hurricane Center tracking 4 tropical waves. Dangerous heat expected in Florida
A day after surging to Category 4 status and then hitting Mexico on June 19 as a powerful Category 3 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 125 mph, Erick has dropped down to a low-pressure area in the Pacific, according to the National Hurricane Center. Erick made landfall between Acapulco and the resort town Puerto Escondido early Thursday morning, the Associated Press reported, leaving damaged roads, localized flooding, widespread power outages and at least one person dead, a 1-year-old child whose mother had attempted to cross a swollen river. In the Atlantic basin, the early days of the 2025 hurricane season remain quiet. The National Hurricane Center is monitoring four tropical waves, including one in the eastern Caribbean. The first named storm in the Atlantic basin will be Andrea. ➤ Track all active storms ➤ Weather alerts via text: Sign up to get updates about current storms and weather events by location Temperatures are expected to remain hot in Florida through the weekend, with the heat index reaching as high as 110 in some locations. Here's the latest advisory from the National Hurricane Center as of 7 a.m. June 20. Before striking Mexico, Erick doubled in strength in less than a day. Last year there were 34 incidents of rapid intensification — when a storm gains at least 35 mph in 24 hours — including the two storms that ravaged Florida. Hurricane Helene spun up from a tropical storm to a Category 4 monster in two days, and Hurricane Milton roared into a Category 5 from a tropical storm within just 24 hours. That's nearly twice as many as the average of the past 10 years, the NHC said. Such rapid changes make forecasting challenging and can leave residents unprepared. "Rapid intensification occurs when a tropical storm or hurricane encounters an extremely conducive environment," Colorado State University meteorologist Phil Klotzbach said in 2020. "Typically, this environment consists of very warm water, low vertical wind shear and high levels of mid-level moisture." The National Hurricane Center is monitoring four tropical waves in the Atlantic basin. Tropical wave 1: A far eastern Atlantic tropical wave has its axis near 21W from 4N to 15N. It is moving westward at 6 to 12 mph. Tropical wave 2: An eastern Atlantic tropical wave has its axis near 37W from 05N to 16N, moving westward at an estimated speed of 17 mph. Tropical wave 3: A central Atlantic tropical wave has its axis near 52W from 04N to 16N, moving westward at 12 to 17 mph. Tropical wave 4: A central Caribbean tropical wave has its axis near 74W south of 17N to inland Colombia. It is moving westward at around 17 mph. Isolated showers and thunderstorms are near the wave axis. "The average first named storm in the Atlantic is June 20, but development over the central and eastern basin looks unfavorable through June at this time," said Alex DaSilva, AccuWeather lead hurricane expert. "There is some dust moving through the Caribbean right now but most of it will stay south and west of Florida. Some will move into Texas and Louisiana late this week," DaSilva said. The next plume of dust that could impact South Florida may arrive around June 27 and could last a few days, DaSilva said via email. "The dust set to arrive in Florida in around 10 days could be comparable to the dust that went through Florida recently, however since it is still 10 days away and still over Africa, the dust concentration is still subject to change as it moves across the Atlantic." "Strong wind shear and an abundance of Saharan dust is helping to protect Florida," DaSilva said. There are "no concerns in the Atlantic for at least the next seven days. There is too much dry air and the wind shear is too high," DaSilva said. "If anything develops in June it would likely be in the Bay of Campeche or far western Caribbean, where the shear is a little lower." "The average first named storm in the Atlantic is June 20 and the average first hurricane is Aug. 11. It is not really that unusual for the start of the season to be quiet. Water temperatures and ocean heat content remain very high in the Gulf. "I think once we get more into the heart of the season, things could get very active. Expect a second-half loaded season. Dry air, including associated Saharan dust, along with wind shear, both prevent tropical systems from developing or strengthening, essentially cutting off the fuel storms need. Pensacola, western Panhandle: A 40% chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly after 4pm. Sunny, with a high near 90. Northwest wind around 5 mph becoming south in the afternoon. Tallahassee, central Panhandle:A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly after 4pm. Mostly sunny, with a high near 94. Heat index values as high as 102. Calm wind. Jacksonville, North/Northeast Florida: A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms after 2pm. Mostly sunny, with a high near 93. Heat index values as high as 103. West wind 6 to 10 mph becoming south in the afternoon. Daytona Beach to Stuart, East/Central Florida: A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly after 1pm. Mostly sunny, with a high near 88. Southwest wind 5 to 10 mph becoming east southeast in the afternoon. Orlando: A chance of showers and thunderstorms, then showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm after 5pm. Partly sunny, with a high near 91. Calm wind becoming south southwest around 5 mph in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New rainfall amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible. West Palm Beach to Naples, South/Southwest Florida: West Palm Beach: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly between 2pm and 4pm. Mostly sunny, with a high near 85. Light and variable wind becoming southeast 6 to 11 mph in the morning. Naples: Showers and thunderstorms likely, mainly after 2pm. Mostly sunny, with a high near 89. Heat index values as high as 100. Calm wind becoming west 5 to 7 mph in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 70%. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms. Fort Myers to Sarasota, West/Southwest Florida: Scattered showers, with thunderstorms also possible after 11am. Mostly sunny, with a high near 90. Heat index values as high as 98. Light and variable wind. Chance of precipitation is 50%. New rainfall amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible. High near 86, with heat index as high as 99 in Sarasota. Among the changes the National Hurricane Center announced for the 2025 hurricane season was the addition of a rip current risk map. ➤ National Hurricane Center lays out changes coming for 2025 season. See what to expect This new addition provided by the Hurricane Center will be provided for the current day, the next day, and as a composite showing the highest risk over both days for areas along the East and Gulf coasts of the United States, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the coast of southern California. ➤ Florida ranks in top 5 states where swimming is most dangerous. How to avoid summer tragedy The Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1 through Nov. 30. Ninety-seven percent of tropical cyclone activity occurs during this time period, NOAA said. The Atlantic basin includes the northern Atlantic Ocean, Caribbean Sea and Gulf of America, as the Gulf of Mexico is now known in the U.S. per an order from President Trump. NOAA and the National Hurricane Center are now using Gulf of America on its maps and in its advisories. The peak of the season is Sept. 10, with the most activity happening between mid-August and mid-October, according to the Hurricane Center. Hurricane season starts June 1 in the Atlantic basin. Systems currently being monitored by the National Hurricane Center include: Tropical cyclone is the generic term used by the National Weather Service, NOAA and the National Hurricane Center for any tropical system, even if it's in the tropical Atlantic basin. To be more precise, a tropical cyclone is a "rotating, organized system of clouds and thunderstorms that originates over tropical or subtropical waters and has closed, low-level circulation," NOAA sadi. Once maximum sustained winds reach 74 mph, what it is called is determined by where it originated: : for storms in the North Atlantic, central North Pacific, and eastern North Pacific. : for storms in the Northwest Pacific. : for storms in the South Pacific and Indian Ocean. We will update our tropical weather coverage daily. Download your local site's app to ensure you're always connected to the news. And look for our special subscription offers here. This story was updated to add new information. This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Florida heat wave here as NHC tracks 4 tropical waves. Erick fades
