Category Archives: US weather

Global heating: London to have climate similar to Barcelona by 2050

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Nearly 80% of cities to undergo dramatic and potentially disastrous changes, study finds

London will have a similar climate in three decades’ time to that of Barcelona today, according to research – but if that seems enticing, a warning: the change could be accompanied by severe drought.

Madrid will feel like present-day Marrakech by 2050, and Stockholm like Budapest, according to a report on the likely impacts of the climate crisis. Around the world, cities that are currently in temperate or cold zones in the northern hemisphere will resemble cities more than 600 miles (1,000km) closer to the equator, with damaging effects on health and infrastructure.

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One dead and six injured in Dallas crane collapse amid severe thunderstorms

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  • Witness: crane ‘fell straight through’ apartment building
  • Names of injured and woman who died not known

A woman has died and at least six people were injured when a crane collapsed on to an apartment building in Dallas amid severe thunderstorms early on Sunday afternoon.

Dallas Fire-Rescue spokesman Jason Evans told reporters first responders searching the Elan City Lights building found a woman inside an apartment who was later pronounced dead.

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Memorial Day: sweltering heat and storms follow tornadoes and flooding

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Sweltering heat, storms and possible twisters were expected to hit the southern plains and south-eastern states on Memorial Day, on the heels of deadly tornadoes and flooding.

Related: Are hurricanes getting stronger – and is the climate crisis to blame?

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California ‘Glory Hole’ drains reservoir after heavy rains – video

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The water level in the Lake Berryessa reservoir, 75 miles north of San Francisco, has risen so much that, unusually, water is pouring into its overflow pipe, as can be seen in footage published by The Vacaville Reporter. The overflow, known as the Morning Glory Spillway, or simply the Glory Hole, drains water once the reservoir is over capacity and shoots it into a creek below the Monticello Dam. 

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Las Vegas gets first significant snow for years after rare winter storm – video

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A winter storm brought rare snowfall to the Las Vegas Strip this week, with some suburban foothill areas getting several inches of snow. The snow snarled flights at the airport and traffic on highways.

The snow could reach 3in by Friday on western and southern outskirts of the city, but rain could reduce accumulation

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New York prisoners’ protest at no heating heard from outside – video

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Prisoners at the Metropolitan Detention Center in New York have been banging on the walls and windows of their cells to get attention from people on the street in protest against conditions inside. The facility has not had any heating in the last week despite the freezing temperatures

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Polar vortex: soap bubble freezes and breaks in Arctic Chicago cold – video

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One social media user filmed a video of a soap bubble freezing solid and then breaking in the dangerously cold weather that continued to shatter records across the midwest on Thursday, due to the polar vortex. 

Chicago broke all-time low temperatures on Thursday morning, earning it the nickname Chiberia. There, the mercury dropped to -29C (-21F).

Polar vortex: midwest to creep out of icy grip after record lows

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Feel the chill: icy examples of polar vortex in US – video

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Frozen winds have brought record-low temperatures to the US midwest as a blast of Arctic air, known as the polar vortex, unnerves residents accustomed to brutal winters... Wet clothes freeze after 10 minutes, ice arrives after a hot shower and ships break their way through the Chicago River

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Polar vortex: eight dead as Arctic air spreads across midwest

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Thousands of flights canceled, schools close, and post office halts deliveries as Chicago lows approach record

Frozen Arctic winds brought record-low temperatures across much of the US midwest on Wednesday, as a blast of Arctic air known as the polar vortex unnerved residents accustomed to brutal winters.

As of Wednesday evening, at least eight deaths were linked to the system, including an elderly Illinois man who was found several hours after he fell trying to get into his home and a University of Iowa student found behind an academic hall several hours before dawn. A man was struck by a snowplow in the Chicago area, a young couple’s SUV struck another on a snowy road in northern Indiana and a Milwaukee man froze to death in a garage, authorities said.

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Life at -58F: I went inside the frozen heart of America’s polar vortex

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In this little city of 6,000 people, people are carrying on as usual, using a few tricks they’ve learned from a lifetime of frigid temperatures

International Falls is known as the “Icebox of America” for good reason. The average high temperature in January is -9C, or 15F. In a typical year, the city will experience 109 days of subzero weather.

But this week the nickname seems particularly appropriate.

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Polar vortex: -46C temperatures turn Chicago River to ice – video report

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A blast of Arctic air from the polar vortex has caused temperatures to drop to as low as -46C (-50F) in Chicago. Cities in the midwest opened warming shelters as temperatures plummeted well below zero. The Illinois governor warned the weather 'poses a serious threat' to people's wellbeing. The polar vortex, a mass of freezing air, usually spins around the North Pole

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Polar vortex blasts US with life-threatening cold

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Warming shelters open in midwest as Chicago area sees temperatures drop to -50F (-46C), with snow possible in southern states

A blast of arctic-chilled air from the polar vortex brought dangerous, record-setting cold to a wide swath of the eastern US on Tuesday, stretching from the Dakotas through Maine, with snow expected as far south as Alabama and Georgia.

Cities in the midwest opened warming shelters as temperatures plummeted well below zero degrees Fahrenheit (-17.8C) . Regional governments closed hundreds of schools and airlines canceled more than 1,000 flights, including many to Atlanta days before the Super Bowl.

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Polar vortex: how cold will it be and what should the midwest expect?

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Though the region is familiar with bitter winters, record low temperatures may be threatening, forecasters warn

Record low temperatures are descending on the American midwest. The region is long familiar with bitter winters, but this is an exceptional cold snap that forecasters warn could be life-threatening. The extreme chill comes after a snowstorm that hit the area overnight on Monday.

Related: Americans’ climate change concerns surge to record levels, poll shows

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Snowstorm takes out power in US mid-Atlantic after five deaths in midwest

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A winter storm that contributed to at least five deaths in the US midwest pummeled the mid-Atlantic region for a second day on Sunday, bringing with it an icy mix that knocked out power, cancelled flights and contributed to hundreds of car accidents.

Virginia state police said the driver of a military surplus vehicle was killed late on Saturday after he lost control on Interstate 81 due to slick road conditions.

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