Rain from an atmospheric river was falling in parts of California early Monday, as a new storm began to test the state’s preparedness weeks after a deadly deluge caused power outages and destructive mudslides. Flood watches were in effect for millions of people, mostly in California, through Wednesday as the possibility of thunderstorms, strong winds […]
Read MoreTag: Landslides and Mudslides
In Los Angeles, a Growing Sense That ‘Historic’ Weather Is Becoming Normal
Californians have long joked that their state has three seasons: wildfire, earthquake and flood. But as an atmospheric river parked itself over Los Angeles this week, knocking out power and dumping record rainfall, there was a serious coming to terms. “The weather seems more extreme on every level,” Fred Rosen, a retired entertainment executive, said […]
Read MoreSouthern California Braces for Potential Mudslides Even as Rains Slow
A ferocious atmospheric river storm that has battered California for days began to taper off Tuesday, but officials warned that even small amounts of additional precipitation could set off landslides in rain-drenched Southern California. Between Sunday and Monday, the storm dumped record-breaking amounts of rain on the Los Angeles basin and prompted millions of residents […]
Read MoreThe Fingerprints on Chile’s Fires and California Floods: El Niño and Warming
Two places renowned for what one scientist described as “benign Mediterranean climates” are being put to the test this week as an overheated climate and an El Niño weather cycle collude to bring dangerous, record-breaking rains to California and deadly fires in Chile. Several counties in Central and Southern California were under a state of […]
Read MoreSouthern California Faces ‘High Risk’ of Excessive Rain and Flooding
Parts of Southwest California on Sunday braced for heavy rains — potentially as much as an inch an hour — that could lead to life-threatening floods, officials said, prompting evacuation orders in some places and at least one school district to cancel classes for Monday. The Weather Prediction Center issued a rare “high risk” prediction […]
Read MoreAtmospheric River Drenches California, With More Storms on the Way
A powerful storm known as an atmospheric river swept over California on Thursday, soaking the state with rain and leaving a trail of damage that has become familiar to residents in recent years: fallen trees, flooded roads and snarled travel. Though the storm was not expected to cause the kind of chaos that was sown […]
Read MoreChina Earthquake: In Bitter Cold, a Struggle to Help Survivors
Rescue workers strained to plow through eight-foot piles of frozen sludge, which blocked the entrances to destroyed villages. Emergency vehicles struggled to navigate icy, damaged mountain roads. Victims with serious injuries were rushed to hospitals in cities, as demand for medical care overwhelmed the villages’ limited capacities. In the wake of China’s deadliest earthquake in […]
Read MoreAfter 16 Days, Rescue Near for Workers Stuck in Tunnel, Officials Say
After a 16-day effort to free dozens of Indian construction workers trapped inside a Himalayan road tunnel, rescuers were finally preparing to pull the men out on Tuesday as diggers labored to clear a final stretch of debris by hand, the authorities said. The rescue operation had hit repeated roadblocks, with officials ultimately trying multiple […]
Read MoreTrapped in a Tunnel for 15 Days, With No End in Sight
Over the two weeks that dozens of Indian construction workers have been trapped in a Himalayan road tunnel, the authorities have reported meter-by-meter progress toward reaching them and offered hopeful timelines for their rescue. Each time a breakthrough has appeared imminent, politicians have rushed to the scene. Yet 15 days after disaster struck, the 41 […]
Read MoreWrangell, Alaska, Landslide Kills Three, With at Least Three Missing
Three people, including a girl, were killed and three others were missing after a landslide struck homes in southeast Alaska this week, the authorities said. The landslide took place at about 9 p.m. Monday local time in Wrangell, Alaska, where “the slide covered and effectively closed Zimovia Highway” at its 11th milepost, the Alaska Department […]
Read MoreAfter Days Trapped in a Tunnel, Workers Wait for a Rescue’s Plan B
Four days after 40 workers became trapped in a Himalayan road tunnel, the Indian authorities were still trying on Thursday to find a way through debris and rescue them, as anguished family members and colleagues protested outside to demand faster action. The workers became stranded on Sunday about 500 feet from the tunnel’s entrance after […]
Read MoreHurricane Otis Batters Mexico, Defying Forecasts
Hurricane Otis exploded onto the southwest coast of Mexico early Wednesday, shocking forecasters as it emerged as one of the more powerful Category 5 storms to batter the region and create what one expert called a “nightmare scenario” for a popular tourist coastline. Few meteorologists initially thought the tropical storm would make landfall as a […]
Read More