More crews, more drones: Greece launches record-breaking fire operation, expects grueling summer
Greece is deploying a record number of firefighters and nearly doubling its drone fleet this summer to address growing wildfire risks driven by climate change, officials said Thursday. (AP Video: Lefteris Pitarakis)
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Yahoo
8 hours ago
- Yahoo
18 buildings destroyed as southern Utah blaze continues to burn amid windy conditions
PINE VALLEY, Washington County — A wildfire in southern Utah is continuing to spread, destroying more homes in its wake. The total of homes grew from 12 to 14 overnight Saturday, plus four other structures were destroyed. The blaze, dubbed the Forsyth Fire, started outside the Pine Valley community in Washington County Thursday night but has quickly grown to about 1,640 acres, according to Utah Fire Info. It remains 0% contained as of Saturday at 9 a.m., and the cause of the fire is 'natural,' Utah Fire Info said. 'I spent a good portion of the day in Pine Valley. I saw hundreds of first responders keeping the town safe. Unfortunately, the winds changed quickly,' Washington County Sheriff Nate Brooksby said. At least 150 firefighters have been dispatched to fight the blaze. Another round of gusty southwest winds is expected across some of southern Utah on Saturday, with gusts upward of 50 mph expected, the National Weather Service said. Combined with low humidity, critical fire weather conditions will continue throughout Saturday in the area. 'The firefighters were shocked. They had busted their butts for two days with, maybe two hours of sleep to protect the community. They lost structures. That is the worst of the worst in their world. I could see it in their eyes. They gave it all they had, and still lost to mother nature,' the sheriff said. Saturday morning, Rocky Mountain Power announced a public safety power shutoff is now in place for central and southern Utah due to wildfire danger. 'Community safety and reducing wildfire risk are our top priorities,' said Pete Singh, Rocky Mountain Power's incident commander. 'We take the decision to turn off power very seriously. Public safety power shutoffs will be targeted, precise and guided by real-time data from conditions on the ground.' About 400 to 500 people were evacuated from Pine Valley in the last two days, as well as the Pine Valley Campground, U.S. Forest Service spokeswoman Jenny Plecki said in an earlier update. She estimated that 450 homes were evacuated, half of which were occupied by full-time residents. The evacuation was ordered as flames started moving downslope toward the community, Chad Walker, incident commander for the U.S. Forest Service, told KSL-TV. Kelly Cannon, one of the residents forced to evacuate, said she saw the fire get very close to homes on her way out. 'I think the scariest thing was not knowing ... if it was going to come down on our street,' she said. 'We didn't know how far the fire had spread, but we could definitely see — I think the flames were like 3 feet high.'
Yahoo
8 hours ago
- Yahoo
Florida faces rising heat, soaking rains as summer kicks off
The Brief Florida is staring down a higher-than-normal chance of both above-average temperatures and above-average rainfall through July, August and September, which means more heat and rain are coming at the same time. As of June 19, nearly all of peninsular Florida is in some level of drought, except for the Orlando metro. The higher-than-normal chance of above-average rainfall could possibly lead to trouble in the tropics. FLORIDA - The long-anticipated three-month summer outlook was released this week by federal forecasters from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Climate Prediction Center, and let's just say it's about to get wetter and even warmer. Florida is staring down a higher-than-normal chance of both above-average temperatures and above-average rainfall through July, August and September, which means more heat and rain are coming at the same time. Local perspective As of June 19, nearly all of peninsular Florida is in some level of drought, except for the Orlando metro. The Panhandle region is also no longer in drought. The recent rains have helped a lot, but there's still much more to be done for most of our state. From the citrus groves of Polk County to the wetlands of Broward, soil moisture has been falling behind — fast. News of a rainy summer may interrupt pool and beach plans, but it isn't all bad. However, we are about to enter a pretty dry next week as the summer's first heat wave overtakes the eastern third of the U.S. Dig deeper The higher-than-normal chance of above-average rainfall could possibly lead to trouble in the tropics. Although NOAA doesn't make hurricane-specific forecasts in the graphic below, the above-normal precipitation forecast for Florida during the heart of hurricane season is definitely consistent with an active tropical pattern. Whether it's tropical storms or hurricanes, those downpours could be part of the reason rain chances are running higher. And with drought-parched ground, initial rains might run off rather than soak in, potentially boosting flash flooding risks. Then again, a few well-timed tropical systems — minus the damaging winds — could also help alleviate drought conditions across the state. In short, while the storm risk is real, there's also an opportunity for drought recovery — if the rain comes in manageable waves. Big picture view Nationwide, this summer is shaping up to be hot and dry in all the usual places — and then some. Above-normal temperatures are expected across much of the west, Southwest and Northeast, with a particularly high probability centered on the Intermountain West and Four Corners region, as well as New England. Meanwhile, the Upper Midwest and Plains will likely face a dryer-than-average season, which has big implications for corn and soybean crops — especially if early drought signals persist or expand. And don't forget the cities. With New York City, Boston and D.C. in line for above-average heat, expect urban heat risk and energy demand to spike. In places where air-conditioning access is limited, public health could be on the line — especially during multi-day heat waves. What you can do Seasonal outlooks show general trends, not specific forecasts. They don't tell us what will happen on any given day, whether highs or lows are driving the trend of temperatures being "above-normal" in this case, or give exact probabilities of it being warmer or cooler for your location. They also don't predict specific temperatures (highs or low), rainfall amounts, or even whether it'll be rain or snow. Rest assured, if we get snow in Florida this summer, there are bigger problems! What To Expect Florida's summer forecast is hot, humid and stormy, but also hopeful for beneficial rain (in the context of drought.) While the drought is real, so is the potential for a rebound. Just keep an eye on the tropics. We'll likely have higher energy bills with air conditioning working harder, but potentially lower water bills with less irrigation needed. As we say around here: When it rains, it really pours. Track live when storms move across your area using the FOX 35 Storm Tracker Radar below. You can also watch as heavy rain moves across Central Florida on our Live Weather Cameras' page here. Brevard County Flagler County Lake County Marion County Osceola County Orange County Polk County Seminole County Sumter County Volusia County U.S./National Radar STAY CONNECTED WITH FOX 35 ORLANDO: Download the FOX Local app for breaking news alerts, the latest news headlines Download the FOX 35 Storm Team Weather app for weather alerts & radar Sign up for FOX 35's daily newsletter for the latest morning headlines FOX Local:Stream FOX 35 newscasts, FOX 35 News+, Central Florida Eats on your smart TV The Source This story was written based on information shared by FOX 35 Storm Team Meteorologist Brooks Garner and gathered from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
Yahoo
9 hours ago
- Yahoo
Calgary sees lots of rain but no major flooding
A city official said 75 millimetres of rain fell on Calgary by Saturday afternoon. Environment and Climate Change Canada called for possibly up to 100 millimetres of rain by early Sunday.
