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  • Silicon Valley is driving users to ditch keyboards and spend hours talking to their tech

    Gavin McNamara has abandoned his keyboard and spends all day talking rather than typing.

    He speaks for hours with his computer and phone, sending emails, writing presentations, posting on LinkedIn and even coding through conversations using an AI dictation app from San Francisco startup, Wispr Flow.

    The AI punctuates, formats and adapts his rambling into coherent copy. McNamara averages 125 words per minute, which is twice the average typing speed.

    “At this point, anything that could be done by typing, I do by speaking,” said the 32-year-old, founder of software agency Why Not Us. “I just talk.”

    Across 77 apps, he has dictated nearly 300,000 words in the past five months — that’s equivalent to writing three novels.

    California’s tech titans and startups are at the forefront of a movement to use AI and the large language models they are based on to push people to interact with technology using their voices rather than their fingers.

    “AI and LLMs have changed the dynamic,” said CJ Pais, the San Diego-based creator of free voice-to-text dictation app Handy. “Using your voice is much faster than typing.”

    A mix of independent developers and startups, including Handy, San Fransico’s Wispr Flow and Willow and others, have sprung up to offer accurate voice interaction with artificial intelligence.

    The biggest names in tech are also creating new ways for people to partner with AI. Meta’s latest smart glasses rely on voice. OpenAI and Meta have designed distinct personalities for their bots’ voice chats. Even Amazon’s Alexa and Apple’s Siri are undergoing AI upgrades, which the companies anticipate will have everyone talking to their tech much more.

    These free and paid methods for using spoken words with computers have attracted millions of users, including coders, executive assistants, lawyers, content creators, and medical practitioners. Some optimists think the keyboard could become obsolete.

    “I’m excited to announce that we’ve removed keyboards from the most prestigious television awards in the world,” Allan Guo, the founder of Willow, said in a post on LinkedIn, noting that the Emmy Awards team used Willow’s voice dictation for sending Slack messages and clearing inboxes faster in preparation for the 2026 awards.

    Over the years, big tech companies have adapted many of their products with voice-first features – for convenience. Today’s pivot away from voice as an accessibility feature to a productivity tool.

    In late 2022, the maker of ChatGPT started giving away unfettered acccess to its automatic speech recognition model called Whisper, trained on 680,000 hours of multilingual data. OpenAI shared the tech for accurate audio transcription, once a closely guarded big tech secret. Anyone could now download and run high-quality AI transcription for free on their laptop.

    The new wave of AI dictation apps uses Whisper as the foundation and builds on top to offer live dictation. While there are free alternatives, paid subscription costs between $8 and $12 a month.

    AI-powered dictation is now gaining a toehold among programmers and regular users – and getting people to talk to their laptops. Be it writing emails, sending SMS, designing a website, or giving AIs tasks, early adopters say dictation allow them to work faster, think more clearly, and be more productive.

    “The people who’ve adopted voice heavily aren’t going back. Once you’re talking 20 hours a week to your laptop, typing feels like friction,” said Naveen Naidu, the general manager of New York-based voice dictation app Monologue. “Where I think it’s heading: voice becomes the delegation layer. You speak your intent, and things happen.”

    These new AI dictation apps leverage Apple’s advanced chips on iPhones and Macs to run private on-device dictation.

    Geoffrey Huntley, an independent software developer, switched almost completely to voice for work in June.

    He often starts projects by opening a voice prompt and asking the AI to interview him about his concerns and project requirements before any code is generated.

    “I speak to it, like I’m riffing in a jazz band, backwards, forwards, backwards, forwards,” Huntley said. This vocal dance helps refine the specifications, then the AI takes the wheel, and builds software.

    Beyond coding, Huntley uses voice to “let it rip” when capturing blog post ideas or messaging, using apps like Superwhisper or Whisper Flow to get a “first dump” of thoughts before moving to a keyboard for final editing.

    A growing number of software developers in Silicon Valley are dictating coding instructions for hours at a time instead of typing. The combination of rapidly advancing AI agents that can code for hours, with voice inputs capturing thoughts faster than typing, has boosted their productivity.

    Self-described “vibe coder” McNamara built over 25 web apps in a few months, a speed of development that would be impossible without voice instructions.

    “I don’t think that [typing], by any means, would be even efficient or effective to get there as fast as I did with talking,” McNamara said.

    He used a meandering conversation and a few hours to get AI to build Sprout Gifts, a gifting registry for kids, and an app to appraise any items via photos.

    To be sure, AI can make mistakes, and its work needs to be checked.

    Meanwhile, wide adoption has brought new inconveniences, as even power users feel awkward talking to their laptops. Crowded open offices are not designed for many people to be conversing with their computers at the same time.

    “Love voice, but not in an office setting,” said one user on X. “I dislike talking around other people. I would do it in a closed-door office, or go work in my car.”

    McNamara uses headphones so people assume he is on a call.

    “It’s like the social hack that I have,” he said.

    While it is too early to call whether and when the Qwerty keyboard might follow the ticker-tape and fax machines into obsolescence, the velocity toward voice is accelerating, said Dylan Fox, founder of San Francisco-based Assembly AI, which offers audio models to companies.

    “We’re definitely in the beginning of what we think of as like this 10 to 100x increase in demand for voice, AI applications and interfaces,” he said.

    For the coder, McNamara, talking more to chatbots has made him a better buddy.

    He used to be bad at responding to texts. Now he gets back to friends right away.

    “I am so quick to respond, they are like ‘Who’s this guy?’” he said.

    Nilesh Christopher

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  • Stranded by winter weather? Here’s what airlines owe you

    Winter weather can upend even the best-laid travel plans, but one less thing to worry about is losing money if your flight is canceled: U.S. airlines are required to provide refunds.A major, dayslong winter storm is threatening to bring snow, sleet, ice and extensive power outages to about half the U.S. population. Thousands of weekend flights already have been canceled, and forecasters warn that catastrophic damage, especially in areas pounded by ice, could rival that of a hurricane.Here’s a guide for travelers as flight disruptions start stacking up: When airlines expect bad weather to create problems for flights, they often give travelers a chance to postpone their trips by a few days without having to pay a fee. Search online for your airline’s name and “travel alerts” or similar phrases to look for possible rescheduling offers.American Airlines, for example, said it is waiving change fees for passengers impacted by the storm, which brought freezing rain to parts of Texas on Friday. The Texas-based airline has canceled more than 1,200 flights scheduled to depart Saturday, according to aviation analytics firm Cirium.American also added extra flights to and from Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport through at least Sunday — totaling more than 3,200 additional seats. Use the airline’s app to make sure your flight is still on before heading to the airport. Cancellations can happen hours or even days before departure time. If you’re already at the airport, get in line to speak to a customer service representative. If you’re still at home or at your hotel, call or go online to connect to your airline’s reservations staff. Either way, it helps to also research alternate flights while you wait to talk to an agent.Most airlines will rebook you on a later flight for no additional charge, but it depends on the availability of open seats. You can, but airlines aren’t required to put you on another carrier’s flight. Some airlines, including most of the biggest carriers, say they can put you on a partner airline, but even then, it can be a hit or miss. If your flight was canceled and you no longer want to take the trip, or you’ve found another way to get to your destination, the airline is legally required to refund your money — even if you bought a non-refundable ticket. It doesn’t matter why the flight was canceled.The airline might offer you a travel credit, but you are entitled to a full refund. You are also entitled to a refund of any bag fees, seat upgrades or other extras that you didn’t get to use. If you paid with a credit card, a refund is due within seven business days after you decline an offer from the airline for another flight or a voucher, and within 20 calendar days if you paid for the ticket with a check or cash, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation. U.S. airlines aren’t required by the Transportation Department to compensate passengers for meals or lodging when an airline cancels or significantly delays a flight during an “uncontrollable” event like bad weather.Each airline, however, does have its own policies for assisting passengers who are stranded by a so-called “controllable” flight cancellation or long delay. These include disruptions caused by maintenance issues, crew shortages or computer outages that halt operations. The Transportation Department can hold airlines accountable for these commitments and maintains a website that lets travelers see what each airline promises if a major disruption is their fault. If the weather forecast is troubling, Kyle Potter, executive editor of Thrifty Traveler, suggests looking into booking a backup flight. Some airlines stand out as potential backups, Potter says, because they let customers get a full refund as long as they cancel within 24 hours of booking.The customer service phone lines will be slammed if flight cancellations and delays start stacking up during a bad storm. If you’re traveling with someone who has a higher frequent-flyer status, call the airline using their priority number. Another trick: Look up the airline’s international support number. Those agents can often rebook you just the same.

    Winter weather can upend even the best-laid travel plans, but one less thing to worry about is losing money if your flight is canceled: U.S. airlines are required to provide refunds.

    A major, dayslong winter storm is threatening to bring snow, sleet, ice and extensive power outages to about half the U.S. population. Thousands of weekend flights already have been canceled, and forecasters warn that catastrophic damage, especially in areas pounded by ice, could rival that of a hurricane.

    Here’s a guide for travelers as flight disruptions start stacking up:

    When airlines expect bad weather to create problems for flights, they often give travelers a chance to postpone their trips by a few days without having to pay a fee. Search online for your airline’s name and “travel alerts” or similar phrases to look for possible rescheduling offers.

    American Airlines, for example, said it is waiving change fees for passengers impacted by the storm, which brought freezing rain to parts of Texas on Friday. The Texas-based airline has canceled more than 1,200 flights scheduled to depart Saturday, according to aviation analytics firm Cirium.

    American also added extra flights to and from Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport through at least Sunday — totaling more than 3,200 additional seats.

    Use the airline’s app to make sure your flight is still on before heading to the airport. Cancellations can happen hours or even days before departure time.

    If you’re already at the airport, get in line to speak to a customer service representative. If you’re still at home or at your hotel, call or go online to connect to your airline’s reservations staff. Either way, it helps to also research alternate flights while you wait to talk to an agent.

    Most airlines will rebook you on a later flight for no additional charge, but it depends on the availability of open seats.

    You can, but airlines aren’t required to put you on another carrier’s flight. Some airlines, including most of the biggest carriers, say they can put you on a partner airline, but even then, it can be a hit or miss.

    If your flight was canceled and you no longer want to take the trip, or you’ve found another way to get to your destination, the airline is legally required to refund your money — even if you bought a non-refundable ticket. It doesn’t matter why the flight was canceled.

    The airline might offer you a travel credit, but you are entitled to a full refund. You are also entitled to a refund of any bag fees, seat upgrades or other extras that you didn’t get to use.

    If you paid with a credit card, a refund is due within seven business days after you decline an offer from the airline for another flight or a voucher, and within 20 calendar days if you paid for the ticket with a check or cash, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation.

    U.S. airlines aren’t required by the Transportation Department to compensate passengers for meals or lodging when an airline cancels or significantly delays a flight during an “uncontrollable” event like bad weather.

    Each airline, however, does have its own policies for assisting passengers who are stranded by a so-called “controllable” flight cancellation or long delay. These include disruptions caused by maintenance issues, crew shortages or computer outages that halt operations. The Transportation Department can hold airlines accountable for these commitments and maintains a website that lets travelers see what each airline promises if a major disruption is their fault.

    If the weather forecast is troubling, Kyle Potter, executive editor of Thrifty Traveler, suggests looking into booking a backup flight. Some airlines stand out as potential backups, Potter says, because they let customers get a full refund as long as they cancel within 24 hours of booking.

    The customer service phone lines will be slammed if flight cancellations and delays start stacking up during a bad storm. If you’re traveling with someone who has a higher frequent-flyer status, call the airline using their priority number. Another trick: Look up the airline’s international support number. Those agents can often rebook you just the same.

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  • Arctic blast brings freeze warnings, cold weather advisories to Central Florida

    Arctic blast brings freeze warnings, cold weather advisories to Central Florida

    JESSE PAGAN WESH TWO NEWS. THE SOUTHEASTER HITTING FLORIDA. YOU SAID THAT YOU WERE JEALOUS. MARQUISE. YOU TELL ME ALL THE TIME THAT YOU MOVED AWAY FROM THE NORTH TO GET, YOU KNOW, TO THIS NICE, WARM WEATHER. BUT HERE’S THE THING, RIGHT? THE SNOWFLAKES THAT JESSE WAS JUST SEEING, THEY MELTED BY THE TIME THE AFTERNOON ROLLED IN. RIGHT. SO NO SLUSH. EXACTLY. NOT STICKING AROUND AND TURNING BROWN AFTER DAYS. YOU DON’T HAVE TO SHOVEL IT. IT JUST TAKES CARE OF ITSELF. SO YOU GOT THE BENEFITS OF WINTER IN THE MORNING AND THEN. WELL, TEMPERATURES WERE STILL TRENDING COOL IN THE AFTERNOON. YOU JUST DIDN’T HAVE TO REALLY DEAL WITH THE SNOW. I WANT YOU TO TAKE A LOOK AT THIS. TODAY’S HIGHS, IT FEELS LIKE. OR IT LOOKS LIKE NEAPOLITAN ICE CREAM. RIGHT? BECAUSE WE PRETTY MUCH DIVIDE FLORIDA INTO DIFFERENT SECTIONS. WAY UP NORTH IN THE PANHANDLE. YOUR HIGH DID NOT REACH THE 50S IN PANAMA CITY BEACH. NOW, ALONG THE I-4 CORRIDOR, WE WERE BACK ANYWHERE BETWEEN THE 50S AND THE 70S. AND THEN WE SAID HELLO TO THE 80S. ONCE YOU MOVE FURTHER SOUTH ACROSS THE ATLANTIC COAST LINE, AND THE REASON FOR ALL OF THESE DIFFERENCES WAS DUE TO THE TIMING OF THE COLD FRONT THAT REALLY SHAPED OUR FORECAST TODAY. OF COURSE, IT STARTED OFF IN THE NORTH AND THE WEST, AND THEN IT SLOWLY MADE ITS WAY INTO CENTRAL FLORIDA, THEN SOUTHERN FLORIDA. BUT BY THE TIME IT GOT INTO CENTRAL FLORIDA, IT WAS ALREADY THE AFTERNOON. SO WE WELCOME THOSE AFTERNOON HIGHS THAT WE’RE FAMILIAR WITH. IN FACT, WE WERE ABOVE OUR SEASONAL AVERAGE TODAY IN ORLANDO, WHICH IS WHY WE SAW 79 DEGREE HIGH STEWART MIAMI. YOU GUYS WERE BACK IN THE 80S. EVEN PARTS OF BREVARD COUNTY WERE BACK IN THE 80S, LIKE MELBOURNE AND PALM BAY. BUT NOW WE’RE ALL TRENDING SIGNIFICANTLY COOLER THAN WE WERE JUST 24 HOURS AGO. THAT’S THE POWER OF THE COLD FRONT THAT MARCHED IN. AND BECAUSE OF THAT TIGHT TEMPERATURE GRADIENT, WE HAD A VERY STRONG BREEZE THIS AFTERNOON. WINDS WERE HOWLING BACK AND FORTH, ESPECIALLY RIGHT ALONG THE I-4 CORRIDOR WHERE WE HAD REGISTERED WINDS IN ORLANDO OF 52MPH. NOW THE COLD FRONTS WELL PAST US AND WE COULD FEEL ITS AFTERMATH AS WE DIVE DOWN INTO THE UPPER 30S IN OCALA, MID 40S IN DELAND, 30S IN PALM COAST, AND SOME OF US COULD BE STEPPING OUTDOORS TO THE 20S EARLY TOMORROW MORNING. THAT’S WHY WE HAVE IMPACT WEATHER FOR YOU GUYS, IN WHICH WE DO SEE THOSE WINTER BONE CHILLING TEMPERATURES BACK ON OUR FRONT DOORSTEP? BY 6 A.M., AS WE DROP DOWN TO 36 DEGREES IN ORLANDO, AND WE’LL HAVE A LOT OF SUNSHINE TOMORROW AS WE DRY OUT. WE JUST WON’T HAVE MUCH HEAT HERE IN CENTRAL FLORIDA. IN REGARD TO YOUR SEASONAL AVERAGE, BUT APOPKA, YOU’LL DROP DOWN TO 34 DEGREES. LAKE MARY, YOU’RE IN THE SAME BOAT. ORANGE CITY, 33 POINT SIENNA. YOU’RE DOWN BY THE FREEZING LEVEL AS WELL WITH HIGH OR LOW TEMPERATURES TO START OFF YOUR DAY IN THE LOWER 30S. BUT ONCE YOU CROSS OVER TOWARDS I-75, THIS IS WHERE YOUR FREEZING OR BELOW FREEZING TEMPERATURES ARE GOING TO BE. OCALA 27. THE VILLAGES 30. WILDWOOD 30 DEGREES AS WELL. AND THEN ONCE YOU FACTOR IN THE WINDCHILL, IT’S GOING TO FEEL MUCH WORSE, WHICH IS WHY WE HAVE A COLD WEATHER ADVISORY, ALL WIDESPREAD ACROSS CENTRAL FLORIDA, FROM I-75 TO I-95. AND THEN ON TOP OF THAT, WE ALSO HAVE FREEZE WARNINGS IN EFFECT. THE EXCEPTION BEING BREVARD COUNTY. HERE, YOU’RE JUST A TOUCH WARMER THAN THE REST OF OUR COMMUNITIES DUE TO THE FACT THAT YOU’RE FURTHER SOUTH AND YOU’RE BY THE WATER. AND THEN ON TUESDAY, WE STILL HAVE A FREEZE WATCH IN PLACE AS WE’LL HOLD ON TO THOSE WINTER TEMPERATURES ACROSS SUMTER AND ALSO MARION COUNTY, DOWN IN THE LOW 30S, WHERE THE UPPER 20S. SO DEFINITELY VERY COLD TO START OFF THE WORKWEEK ON MONDAY, WE’LL START TO WARM UP WITH A WEAK FRONTAL BOUNDARY PASSING US BY. HIGH PRESSURE SETTLES IN BY WEDNESDAY, AND THAT MAY JUST BE OUR FIRST DAY BACK IN THE 70S. SO IT’S GOING TO START TO FEEL MORE SEASONAL BY HUMP DAY. BUT HERE’S A LOOK AT YOUR FEEL-LIKE TEMPERATURES ON MONDAY. DROPPING DOWN INTO THE 20S. ONCE YOU FACTOR IN THE WIND CHILL IN ORLANDO CLERMONT 22 DEGREES FEEL-LIKE TEMPERATURES OFF IN OCALA. SO NO DOUBT ABOUT IT, WE HAVE IMPACT WEATHER SCHEDULED FOR YOU TOMORROW TUESDAY. NEARLY JUST AS COLD IN THE MORNING LOWER 40S. BUT AS I MENTIONED, SLOWLY AND SURELY WE’LL BE BACK IN THE 70S

    Arctic blast brings freeze warnings, cold weather advisories to Central Florida

    Updated: 11:04 PM EST Jan 18, 2026

    Editorial Standards ⓘ

    Rain showers were present as a strong cold front swept across Central Florida on Sunday, bringing damaging winds and a sharp temperature drop. According to WESH 2’s First Warning Meteorologist Marquise Meda, wind gusts as high as 52 miles per hour were recorded in Orlando as the front moved through.Behind the front, temperatures fell fast. Some areas dropped from the 70s into the 50s in under an hour. Freeze warnings and cold weather advisories are in effect late Sunday into early Monday, with lows in the 30s and wind chills in the 20s by morning.Cold weather advisories and freeze warnings Volusia CountyLake CountyOrange CountyOsceola CountySeminole CountyBrevard County Marion CountyFlagler CountyLooking aheadCold weather lingers through early week, with highs mainly in the 50s on Monday and another chilly start on Tuesday. Conditions stay dry through midweek, then scattered showers may return Thursday and Friday, followed by a warmer trend heading into the weekend.First Warning Weather Stay with WESH 2 online and on-air for the most accurate Central Florida weather forecast.RadarSevere Weather AlertsDownload the WESH 2 News app to get the most up-to-date weather alerts. The First Warning Weather team includes First Warning Chief Meteorologist Tony Mainolfi, Eric Burris, Marquise Meda and Cam Tran.

    Rain showers were present as a strong cold front swept across Central Florida on Sunday, bringing damaging winds and a sharp temperature drop.

    According to WESH 2’s First Warning Meteorologist Marquise Meda, wind gusts as high as 52 miles per hour were recorded in Orlando as the front moved through.

    Behind the front, temperatures fell fast. Some areas dropped from the 70s into the 50s in under an hour.

    Freeze warnings and cold weather advisories are in effect late Sunday into early Monday, with lows in the 30s and wind chills in the 20s by morning.

    Cold weather advisories and freeze warnings

      • Volusia County
      • Lake County
      • Orange County
      • Osceola County
      • Seminole County
      • Brevard County
      • Marion County
      • Flagler County

    feels like temps 1/19

    This content is imported from Facebook.
    You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.

    This content is imported from Facebook.
    You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.

    Looking ahead

    Cold weather lingers through early week, with highs mainly in the 50s on Monday and another chilly start on Tuesday.

    Conditions stay dry through midweek, then scattered showers may return Thursday and Friday, followed by a warmer trend heading into the weekend.

    First Warning Weather

    Stay with WESH 2 online and on-air for the most accurate Central Florida weather forecast.

    Download the WESH 2 News app to get the most up-to-date weather alerts.

    The First Warning Weather team includes First Warning Chief Meteorologist Tony Mainolfi, Eric Burris, Marquise Meda and Cam Tran.

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  • South Korea says North Korea has launched a ballistic missile into the sea

    North Korea launched multiple ballistic missiles toward the sea Sunday, its neighbors said, just hours before South Korea’s president leaves for China for talks expected to cover North Korea’s nuclear program.South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement it detected several ballistic missile launches from North Korea’s capital region around 7:50 a.m. It said the missiles flew about 900 kilometers (560 miles) and that South Korea and U.S. authorities were analyzing details of the launches.Video above: Wildfires in South Korea destroyed an ancient Buddhist templeThe Joint Chiefs of Staff said that South Korea maintains a readiness to repel any provocations by North Korea and is closely exchanging information with the U.S. and Japan on the North’s missile launches.Japanese Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi said that at least two missile launches by North Korea have been confirmed. “They are a serious problem, threatening the peace and security of our nation, the region and the world,” Koizumi told reporters.North Korea ramps up weapons display ahead of political meetThe launches were the latest weapons demonstration by North Korea in recent weeks. Experts say North Korea is aiming to show off or review its achievements in the defense sector ahead of its upcoming ruling party congress, the first of its kind in five years. Observers are watching the Workers Party congress to see whether North Korea will set a new policy on the U.S. and respond to its calls to resume long-stalled talks.North Korea has been focusing on testing activities to enlarge its nuclear arsenal since its leader Kim Jong Un’s summitry with U.S. President Donald Trump fell apart in 2019. Kim has also boosted his diplomatic credentials by aligning with Russia over its war in Ukraine and tightening relations with China. Observers say Kim would believe his leverage has sharply increased to wrest concessions from Trump if they sit down for talks again.North Korea hasn’t announced when it will hold the congress, but South Korea’s spy service said it will likely occur in January or February.Launches comes before South Korean leader’s trip to ChinaSunday’s launches also came hours before South Korean President Lee Jae Myung departs for China for a summit with President Xi Jinping. During the four-day trip, Lee’s office said he would request China, North Korea’s major ally and biggest trading partner, to take “a constructive role” in efforts to promote peace on the Korean Peninsula.South Korea and the U.S. have long asked China to exercise its influence on North Korea to persuade it to return to talks or give up its nuclear program. But there are questions on how big of a leverage China has on its socialist neighbor. China, together with Russia, has also repeatedly blocked the U.S. and others’ attempts to toughen economic sanctions on North Korea in recent years.Later Sunday, South Korea convened an emergency national security council meeting where officials urged North Korea to stop ballistic missile launches, which violate U.N. Security Council resolutions. The council reported details of the launches and unspecified South Korean steps to Lee, according to the presidential office.North Korea hasn’t commented on US operation in VenezuelaThe launches followed Saturday’s dramatic U.S. military operation that ousted Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro from power and brought him to the U.S. to face narco-terrorism conspiracy charges. It represented America’s most assertive action to achieve regime change in a country since the nation’s 2003 invasion of Iraq.“Kim Jong Un may feel vindicated about his efforts to build a nuclear deterrent, as he likely did after Trump’s strikes on Iran,” said Leif-Eric Easley, professor of international studies at Ewha Womans University in Seoul. “However, leaders of hostile regimes will probably live with greater paranoia after seeing how quickly Maduro was extracted from his country to stand trial in the United States.”North Korea’s state media hasn’t commented on the U.S. operation.The official Korean Central News Agency said Sunday Kim visited a weapons factory on Saturday to review multipurpose precision guided weapons produced there. KCNA cited Kim as ordering officials to expand the current production capacity by about 2.5 times.Last Sunday, North Korea test-fired what it called long-range strategic cruise missiles. On Dec. 25, North Korea released photos showing apparent progress in the construction of its first nuclear-powered submarine.Associated Press writer Yuri Kageyama in Tokyo contributed to this report.

    , Seoul —

    North Korea launched multiple ballistic missiles toward the sea Sunday, its neighbors said, just hours before South Korea’s president leaves for China for talks expected to cover North Korea’s nuclear program.

    South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement it detected several ballistic missile launches from North Korea’s capital region around 7:50 a.m. It said the missiles flew about 900 kilometers (560 miles) and that South Korea and U.S. authorities were analyzing details of the launches.

    Video above: Wildfires in South Korea destroyed an ancient Buddhist temple

    The Joint Chiefs of Staff said that South Korea maintains a readiness to repel any provocations by North Korea and is closely exchanging information with the U.S. and Japan on the North’s missile launches.

    Japanese Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi said that at least two missile launches by North Korea have been confirmed. “They are a serious problem, threatening the peace and security of our nation, the region and the world,” Koizumi told reporters.

    North Korea ramps up weapons display ahead of political meet

    The launches were the latest weapons demonstration by North Korea in recent weeks. Experts say North Korea is aiming to show off or review its achievements in the defense sector ahead of its upcoming ruling party congress, the first of its kind in five years. Observers are watching the Workers Party congress to see whether North Korea will set a new policy on the U.S. and respond to its calls to resume long-stalled talks.

    North Korea has been focusing on testing activities to enlarge its nuclear arsenal since its leader Kim Jong Un’s summitry with U.S. President Donald Trump fell apart in 2019. Kim has also boosted his diplomatic credentials by aligning with Russia over its war in Ukraine and tightening relations with China. Observers say Kim would believe his leverage has sharply increased to wrest concessions from Trump if they sit down for talks again.

    North Korea hasn’t announced when it will hold the congress, but South Korea’s spy service said it will likely occur in January or February.

    Launches comes before South Korean leader’s trip to China

    Sunday’s launches also came hours before South Korean President Lee Jae Myung departs for China for a summit with President Xi Jinping. During the four-day trip, Lee’s office said he would request China, North Korea’s major ally and biggest trading partner, to take “a constructive role” in efforts to promote peace on the Korean Peninsula.

    South Korea and the U.S. have long asked China to exercise its influence on North Korea to persuade it to return to talks or give up its nuclear program. But there are questions on how big of a leverage China has on its socialist neighbor. China, together with Russia, has also repeatedly blocked the U.S. and others’ attempts to toughen economic sanctions on North Korea in recent years.

    Later Sunday, South Korea convened an emergency national security council meeting where officials urged North Korea to stop ballistic missile launches, which violate U.N. Security Council resolutions. The council reported details of the launches and unspecified South Korean steps to Lee, according to the presidential office.

    North Korea hasn’t commented on US operation in Venezuela

    The launches followed Saturday’s dramatic U.S. military operation that ousted Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro from power and brought him to the U.S. to face narco-terrorism conspiracy charges. It represented America’s most assertive action to achieve regime change in a country since the nation’s 2003 invasion of Iraq.

    “Kim Jong Un may feel vindicated about his efforts to build a nuclear deterrent, as he likely did after Trump’s strikes on Iran,” said Leif-Eric Easley, professor of international studies at Ewha Womans University in Seoul. “However, leaders of hostile regimes will probably live with greater paranoia after seeing how quickly Maduro was extracted from his country to stand trial in the United States.”

    North Korea’s state media hasn’t commented on the U.S. operation.

    The official Korean Central News Agency said Sunday Kim visited a weapons factory on Saturday to review multipurpose precision guided weapons produced there. KCNA cited Kim as ordering officials to expand the current production capacity by about 2.5 times.

    Last Sunday, North Korea test-fired what it called long-range strategic cruise missiles. On Dec. 25, North Korea released photos showing apparent progress in the construction of its first nuclear-powered submarine.

    Associated Press writer Yuri Kageyama in Tokyo contributed to this report.

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  • VIDEO: Cities begin ringing in New Year

    Auckland rang in 2026 with a downtown fireworks display launched from New Zealand’s tallest structure, Sky Tower, making it the first major city to greet the new year at a celebration dampened by rain.South Pacific countries are the first to bid farewell to 2025. Clocks strike midnight in Auckland, a population of 1.7 million, 18 hours before the famous ball drops in New York’s Times Square.The five-minute display involved 3,500 fireworks launched from various floors of the 787-foot Sky Tower. Smaller community events were canceled across New Zealand’s North Island on Wednesday due to forecasts of rain and possible thunderstorms.Australia plans defiant celebration after country’s worst mass shootingAustralia’s east coast welcomes 2026 two hours after New Zealand, but in Sydney, the country’s largest city, celebrations will be held under the pall of Australia’s worst mass shooting in almost 30 years. Two gunmen targeted a Hanukkah celebration at Bondi Beach on Dec. 14, killing 15 and wounding 40.A heavy police presence monitored the thousands who thronged to the downtown waterfront on Wednesday to watch a fireworks show centered on the Sydney Harbor Bridge. Many officers openly carried rapid-fire rifles, in a first for the annual event.An hour before midnight, the massacre victims will be commemorated with one minute of silence while images of a menorah are projected on the bridge pylons. The crowd has been invited to show their solidarity with Australia’s Jewish community by shining their phone torches across the harbor.New South Wales Premier Chris Minns urged Sydney residents not to stay away through fear, saying extremists would interpret smaller crowds at New Year’s Eve festivities as a victory.“We can’t be in a situation where this horrible, criminal, terrorist event changes the way we live in our beautiful city,” Minns told reporters on Wednesday.“We have to show defiance in the face of this terrible crime and say that we’re not going to be cowered by this kind of terrorism,” he added.Indonesia and Hong Kong hold subdued eventsIn Indonesia, one of Australia’s nearest neighbors, cities scaled back New Year’s Eve festivities as a gesture of solidarity with communities devastated by catastrophic floods and landslides that struck parts of Sumatra island a month ago, claiming more than 1,100 lives.The capital, Jakarta, will not ring in 2026 with its usual fanfare, choosing instead subdued celebrations with a calm and reflective program centered on prayers for victims, city Gov. Pramono Anung said last week.Makassar Mayor Munafri Arifuddin urged residents of one of Indonesia’s largest cities to forgo parties altogether, calling for prayer and reflection instead. “Empathy and restraint are more meaningful than fireworks and crowds,” he said.Concerts and fireworks on Indonesia’s tourist island of Bali have been canceled and replaced with a cultural arts event featuring 65 groups performing traditional dances.Hong Kong, too, will ring in 2026 without the usual spectacular and colorful explosions in the sky over its iconic Victoria Harbor, after a massive fire in November killed at least 161 people.The city’s tourism board will instead host a music show featuring soft rock duo Air Supply and other singers in Central, a business district. The facades of eight landmarks will turn into giant countdown clocks presenting a three-minute light show at midnight.Many parts of Asia welcome the new year by observing age-old traditions.In Japan, crowds will gather at a Buddhist temple in Tokyo for a bell striking at midnight. In the South Korean capital Seoul, a bell tolling and countdown ceremony will be held at the Bosingak Pavilion.Berliners celebrate in snowTourists and Berliners alike marked the end of 2025 by enjoying snowfall, taking selfies and making snowmen in front of the German capital’s cathedral and the iconic Brandenburg Gate. The famous Berlin TV Tower was nearly invisible thanks to the falling flakes and fog.___Associated Press writers around the world contributed to this report.

    WELLINGTON, New Zealand —

    Auckland rang in 2026 with a downtown fireworks display launched from New Zealand’s tallest structure, Sky Tower, making it the first major city to greet the new year at a celebration dampened by rain.

    South Pacific countries are the first to bid farewell to 2025. Clocks strike midnight in Auckland, a population of 1.7 million, 18 hours before the famous ball drops in New York’s Times Square.

    The five-minute display involved 3,500 fireworks launched from various floors of the 787-foot Sky Tower. Smaller community events were canceled across New Zealand’s North Island on Wednesday due to forecasts of rain and possible thunderstorms.

    Australia plans defiant celebration after country’s worst mass shooting

    Australia’s east coast welcomes 2026 two hours after New Zealand, but in Sydney, the country’s largest city, celebrations will be held under the pall of Australia’s worst mass shooting in almost 30 years. Two gunmen targeted a Hanukkah celebration at Bondi Beach on Dec. 14, killing 15 and wounding 40.

    A heavy police presence monitored the thousands who thronged to the downtown waterfront on Wednesday to watch a fireworks show centered on the Sydney Harbor Bridge. Many officers openly carried rapid-fire rifles, in a first for the annual event.

    An hour before midnight, the massacre victims will be commemorated with one minute of silence while images of a menorah are projected on the bridge pylons. The crowd has been invited to show their solidarity with Australia’s Jewish community by shining their phone torches across the harbor.

    New South Wales Premier Chris Minns urged Sydney residents not to stay away through fear, saying extremists would interpret smaller crowds at New Year’s Eve festivities as a victory.

    “We can’t be in a situation where this horrible, criminal, terrorist event changes the way we live in our beautiful city,” Minns told reporters on Wednesday.

    “We have to show defiance in the face of this terrible crime and say that we’re not going to be cowered by this kind of terrorism,” he added.

    Indonesia and Hong Kong hold subdued events

    In Indonesia, one of Australia’s nearest neighbors, cities scaled back New Year’s Eve festivities as a gesture of solidarity with communities devastated by catastrophic floods and landslides that struck parts of Sumatra island a month ago, claiming more than 1,100 lives.

    The capital, Jakarta, will not ring in 2026 with its usual fanfare, choosing instead subdued celebrations with a calm and reflective program centered on prayers for victims, city Gov. Pramono Anung said last week.

    Makassar Mayor Munafri Arifuddin urged residents of one of Indonesia’s largest cities to forgo parties altogether, calling for prayer and reflection instead. “Empathy and restraint are more meaningful than fireworks and crowds,” he said.

    Concerts and fireworks on Indonesia’s tourist island of Bali have been canceled and replaced with a cultural arts event featuring 65 groups performing traditional dances.

    Hong Kong, too, will ring in 2026 without the usual spectacular and colorful explosions in the sky over its iconic Victoria Harbor, after a massive fire in November killed at least 161 people.

    The city’s tourism board will instead host a music show featuring soft rock duo Air Supply and other singers in Central, a business district. The facades of eight landmarks will turn into giant countdown clocks presenting a three-minute light show at midnight.

    Many parts of Asia welcome the new year by observing age-old traditions.

    In Japan, crowds will gather at a Buddhist temple in Tokyo for a bell striking at midnight. In the South Korean capital Seoul, a bell tolling and countdown ceremony will be held at the Bosingak Pavilion.

    Berliners celebrate in snow

    Tourists and Berliners alike marked the end of 2025 by enjoying snowfall, taking selfies and making snowmen in front of the German capital’s cathedral and the iconic Brandenburg Gate. The famous Berlin TV Tower was nearly invisible thanks to the falling flakes and fog.

    ___

    Associated Press writers around the world contributed to this report.

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  • Two Brown University students survived previous high school shootings

    Two Brown University students survived previous high school shootings

    PROVIDENCE FOR US WITH HOW STUDENTS THERE ARE FEELING TODAY, ALANNA. YEAH, THAT’S RIGHT. SEAN. STUDENTS WE SPOKE TO ARE PACKING UP AND LEAVING. LEAVING THE DORMS LIKE YOU SEE BEHIND ME, OUT OF CONCERN THAT THE SHOOTER IS STILL AT LARGE. AND AS YOU MENTIONED, WE DID LEARN THE NAMES OF TWO OF THE VICTIMS. ONE OF THOSE NAMES IS ELLA COOKE. THE OTHER IS MOHAMMAD AZIZ MERS-COV. IT WAS JUST AFTER 4:00 ON SATURDAY AFTERNOON WHEN THOSE TWO WERE KILLED AND NINE OTHERS INJURED, WHEN A GUNMAN ENTERED A BUILDING THAT HOUSES THE SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING AND OPENED FIRE WHILE EXAMS WERE UNDERWAY, AUTHORITIES ARE STILL WORKING TO IDENTIFY THE PERSON IN THIS SURVEILLANCE VIDEO, WHO THEY SAY WAS SPOTTED WALKING AWAY FROM THE SCENE. AUTHORITIES ANNOUNCING LAST NIGHT THAT THE PERSON OF INTEREST THEY INITIALLY FOUND IN A HOTEL ROOM IN COVENTRY, RHODE ISLAND, HAD BEEN RELEASED. WHEN THIS NEWS SPREAD THROUGHOUT THE CAMPUS, MANY STUDENTS BEGAN PACKING UP, CHANGING THEIR TRAINS AND FLIGHTS HOME TO LEAVE CAMPUS. EVEN EARLIER. THIS WAS VERY DYSTOPIAN, TO BE HONEST WITH YOU, THIS IS NOT I’M GOING ABROAD. ALL OF MY FRIENDS WERE GOING ABROAD AND FOR THIS TO BE ONE OF OUR LAST MEMORIES ON CAMPUS, AND ESPECIALLY ALL THE SENIORS THAT WE KNOW LIKE THIS IS IT’S TRULY HEARTBREAKING. THERE IS ALSO A WEBSITE AND TIP LINE FOR ANYONE WITH INFORMATION RELATED TO THE SHOOTING. THE WEBSITE IS FBA, FBI, DOT GOV SLASH BROWN UNIVERSITY SHOOTING AND THAT PHONE NUMBER YOU CAN SEE ON YOUR SCREEN. AND AGAIN AT THIS POINT NO ARRESTS HAVE BEEN MADE. LIVE IN PROVIDENCE RHODE ISLAND. ALANNA FLOOD WMUR NEWS NINE. ALANNA THANK YOU. LET’S TAKE A LOOK AT THE TIMELINE OF EVENTS OVER THE PAST WEEKEND. THIS ALL STARTED AROUND 420 SATURDAY AFTERNOON. BROWN UNIVERSITY POSTED AN ALERT OF AN ACTIVE SHOOTER ON CAMPUS ON ITS WEBSITE. STUDENTS WERE URGED TO RUN, HIDE OR FIGHT FOR THEIR LIVES IF NECESSARY. THEN, AROUND 630, OFFICIALS CONFIRMED TWO PEOPLE WERE KILLED AND EIGHT OTHERS WERE IN CRITICAL BUT STABLE CONDITION. LATER, THE MAYOR OF PROVIDENCE ANNOUNCED THAT A NINTH PERSON WAS ALSO HURT. AROUND 11:00 SATURDAY NIGHT. VIDEO OF THE SUSPECT WAS RELEASED. THIS VIDEO HERE AND EARLY YESTERDAY MORNING, A PERSON OF INTEREST WAS TAKEN INTO CUSTODY AND RIGHT BEFORE SIX. THE SHELTER IN PLACE ORDER WAS LIFTED. AND THEN LATE LAST NIGHT, STATE OFFICIALS HELD A LATE NIGHT PRESS CONFERENCE WHERE THEY ANNOUNCED THAT PERSON OF INTEREST WAS RELEASED. NOW, THE MAYOR OF PROVIDENCE, SPEAKING THIS MORNING ON THE THOUGHT PROCESS BEHIND THAT RELEASE. IT TAKES TIME TO RUN THIS EVIDENCE. IT TAKES TIME TO PROCESS INFORMATION THAT WAS COLLECTED AND HARD EVIDENCE THAT WAS COLLECTED. AND AND AS WE CONTINUE TO PROCESS THAT EVIDENCE, IT WAS DETERMINED THAT THIS PERSON OF INTEREST NEEDED TO BE RELEASED. AND AND WE CONTINUE WITH OUR INVESTIGATION. AND MAYOR SMILEY SAYS THAT SINCE TH

    Two Brown University students survived previous high school shootings

    Updated: 11:29 AM PST Dec 15, 2025

    Editorial Standards ⓘ

    Two Brown University students are speaking out after surviving a second school shooting. On Saturday, two people were killed and nine others injured when a gunman opened fire inside a classroom at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island. Police are continuing to search for the suspect after releasing a person of interest who was detained early Sunday morning. Mia Tretta survived a 2019 shooting at her high school in California, where she was shot in the stomach. She continues to experience physical problems years later. “Never in my mind would it occur there was actually a shooting until hundreds of texts started rolling in from everyone,” Tretta said. “When I was shot at my school, they knew exactly where the shooter was within the hour. I didn’t have to deal with this fear for hours on end of where this person is, could they be doing it again.”Zoe Weissman survived a 2018 shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Florida. She said she is frustrated to face a second shooting. “Right now, I’m just very angry,” Weissman said. “I think I’m angry that I’ve had to go through this more than once, that now my classmates and my friends also have this experience in common with me.”

    MANCHESTER, N.H. —

    Two Brown University students are speaking out after surviving a second school shooting.

    On Saturday, two people were killed and nine others injured when a gunman opened fire inside a classroom at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island.

    Police are continuing to search for the suspect after releasing a person of interest who was detained early Sunday morning.

    Mia Tretta survived a 2019 shooting at her high school in California, where she was shot in the stomach. She continues to experience physical problems years later.

    “Never in my mind would it occur there was actually a shooting until hundreds of texts started rolling in from everyone,” Tretta said. “When I was shot at my school, they knew exactly where the shooter was within the hour. I didn’t have to deal with this fear for hours on end of where this person is, could they be doing it again.”

    Zoe Weissman survived a 2018 shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Florida. She said she is frustrated to face a second shooting.

    “Right now, I’m just very angry,” Weissman said. “I think I’m angry that I’ve had to go through this more than once, that now my classmates and my friends also have this experience in common with me.”

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  • ‘Dying to Ask’ podcast: From burnout to world champion: Alysa Liu’s unlikely comeback

    THEIR CAREER LONGEVITY. SPEAKING OF DEFYING STEREOTYPES, AMERICA’S TOP FIGURE SKATER IS GOOD AT A LOT OF THINGS, BUT IT TURNS OUT RETIREMENT WASN’T ONE OF THEM. SHOULD SOUND FAMILIAR HERE. ALYSA LIU JOINS US ON OUR OLYMPIC PODCAST THIS WEEK. THE OAKLAND SKATER RETIRED AT THE AGE OF 16 AFTER THE 2022 BEIJING OLYMPICS. SHE WAS BURNED OUT. SHE JUST WANTED TO KNOW WHAT IT WAS LIKE TO BE A NORMAL TEENAGER, LIKE, LEFT THE SPORT COMPLETELY. LIKE I WOULDN’T EVEN STEP IN THE RINK. HONESTLY, I WAS LOW KEY, A LITTLE BIT TRAUMATIZED. TWO YEARS LATER, SHE STARTED TO GET THE ITCH TO SKATE AGAIN. NOW SHE’S A FAVORITE TO WIN GOLD IN MILAN-CORTINA ON THIS NIGHT, TO ASK THE ROAD TO MILAN CORTINA. THE POWER OF TAKING A BREAK, RETHINKING HOW WE LOOK AT THE ROLE AGE PLAYS IN SPORTS LIKE FIGURE SKATING. OR, AS LINDSEY VONN SHOWED US TODAY, SKIING. A VERY FRANK LOOK AT WHAT YOUNG TEEN ATHLETES GIVE UP TO BE THE VERY BEST IN THEIR SPORT AND THE IMPACT THAT COULD HAVE LONG TERM ON MENTAL HEALTH, AND WHY ALYSSA’S COACH THINKS SHE WAS ABLE TO PULL OFF A TWO YEAR GAP IN TRAINING AND EMERGE STRONGER THAN EVER. SCAN THE QR CODE TO WATCH. DYING TO ASK THE ROAD TO MILAN CORTINA ON YOUTUBE. YOU CAN ALSO DOWNLOAD IT ON APPLE OR SPOTIFY. WE PUT THE YOUTUBE EPISODE UP LATE LAST NIGHT. WOKE UP THIS MORNING. I ALWAYS CHECK TO SEE LIKE, HOW MANY PEOPLE ARE PEOPLE INTO IT OR NOT. IT IS BLOWING. IS IT GOOD? FIGURE SKATING IS JUST ONE OF THOSE THINGS LIKE IT IS. IT’S SO THERE’S SO MUCH DRAMA AND THERE’S SO MUCH BEAUTY TO IT AND SOME CONTROVERSY SOMETIMES. SO YEAH, I WOULD SAY DEFINITELY WATCH THE YOUTUBE VERSION OF THIS ONE. APPLE AND SPOTIFY IS GREAT TOO, BUT THERE’S SOMETHING FUN ABOUT WATCHING HER AND HER COACH AT THE RINK GET THAT. AND THEY SAID, LIKE THEY ANSWERED EVERY QUESTION, DID THEY? EVERYTHING. I’VE ALWAYS WANTED TO KNOW ABOUT FIGURE SKATI

    ‘Dying to Ask’ podcast: From burnout to world champion: Alysa Liu’s unlikely comeback

    Updated: 8:19 AM PST Dec 12, 2025

    Editorial Standards ⓘ

    Whoever said quitters never win, never met Olympic figure skater Alysa Liu.Liu quit figure skating after the 2022 Winter Olympics. At age 16, she was burned out and wanted to be a normal teenager. “I was done a year before I quit. I knew I wanted to be done way before I actually announced my retirement,” Liu said. For two years, Liu embraced life as a teenager, making up for lost time she’d spent on the ice. She got a driver’s license, drove her four siblings to school, stayed up late and hung out with friends. She traveled for fun instead of competitions and even hiked in the Himalayas. She enrolled at UCLA and even took up skiing, a sport she’d never had time to try as an elite figure skater. She loved the feel of the cold air on her face when she skied. It reminded her of skating and two years after retiring, Alysa went to a local rink with a friend. Alysa started skating for fun, and it wasn’t long before she got the itch to skate more seriously. She called a former coach, Phillip DiGuglielmo, and asked him what he thought about her coming out of retirement. At first, he wasn’t a fan. “I said, ‘Please don’t. I really did.’ I said, ‘Please don’t. Respect your legacy,’” DiGuglielmo said. “We had a Zoom call for two hours. The story is I had a lot of glasses of wine over those two hours. And she talked me into a comeback.”The two started training together, and seven months later, Liu won a world title in a sport she left as a child but returned to as an adult. In November, she won and claimed her first title at the 2025 Saatva Skate America.On this Dying to Ask, The Road to Milan-Cortina:The power of taking a breakRe-thinking how we look at the role age plays in sports like figure skating A frank look at what young teen athletes give up to be the best in their sport and the impact that can have long-term on mental healthAnd why Liu’s coach thinks she could pull off a two-year gap in training and emerge stronger than everOther places to listenCLICK HERE to listen on iTunesCLICK HERE to listen on StitcherCLICK HERE to listen on SpotifySee more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel

    SAN FRANCISCO —

    Whoever said quitters never win, never met Olympic figure skater Alysa Liu.

    Liu quit figure skating after the 2022 Winter Olympics. At age 16, she was burned out and wanted to be a normal teenager.

    “I was done a year before I quit. I knew I wanted to be done way before I actually announced my retirement,” Liu said.

    For two years, Liu embraced life as a teenager, making up for lost time she’d spent on the ice. She got a driver’s license, drove her four siblings to school, stayed up late and hung out with friends. She traveled for fun instead of competitions and even hiked in the Himalayas.

    She enrolled at UCLA and even took up skiing, a sport she’d never had time to try as an elite figure skater.

    She loved the feel of the cold air on her face when she skied. It reminded her of skating and two years after retiring, Alysa went to a local rink with a friend.

    Alysa started skating for fun, and it wasn’t long before she got the itch to skate more seriously. She called a former coach, Phillip DiGuglielmo, and asked him what he thought about her coming out of retirement. At first, he wasn’t a fan.

    “I said, ‘Please don’t. I really did.’ I said, ‘Please don’t. Respect your legacy,’” DiGuglielmo said. “We had a Zoom call for two hours. The story is I had a lot of glasses of wine over those two hours. And she talked me into a comeback.”

    The two started training together, and seven months later, Liu won a world title in a sport she left as a child but returned to as an adult. In November, she won and claimed her first title at the 2025 Saatva Skate America.

    On this Dying to Ask, The Road to Milan-Cortina:

    • The power of taking a break
    • Re-thinking how we look at the role age plays in sports like figure skating
    • A frank look at what young teen athletes give up to be the best in their sport and the impact that can have long-term on mental health
    • And why Liu’s coach thinks she could pull off a two-year gap in training and emerge stronger than ever

    Other places to listen

    CLICK HERE to listen on iTunes
    CLICK HERE to listen on Stitcher
    CLICK HERE to listen on Spotify

    See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel

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  • Federal judge issues order to prohibit immigration officials from detaining Kilmar Abrego Garcia

    A federal judge ordered Friday that U.S. immigration officials could not detain Kilmar Abrego Garcia, hours after his release from immigration detention.Abrego Garcia was appearing Friday morning for a scheduled appointment at an Immigration and Customs Enforcement field office, some 14 hours after he was released from detention on a judge’s orders. His lawyers asked the judge to block authorities from detaining him again.Officials cannot re-detain him until the court conducts a hearing on the motion for the temporary restraining order, U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis in Maryland said. She wrote that Abrego Garcia is likely to succeed on the merits of any further request for relief from ICE detention.“For the public to have any faith in the orderly administration of justice, the Court’s narrowly crafted remedy cannot be so quickly and easily upended without further briefing and consideration,” she wrote.Abrego Garcia became a flashpoint of the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown earlier this year when he was wrongly deported to a notorious prison in El Salvador. He was last taken into custody in August during a similar check-in.Abrego Garcia on Friday stopped at a news conference outside the building, escorted by a group of supporters chanting “We are all Kilmar!”“I stand before you a free man and I want you to remember me this way, with my head held up high,” Abrego Garcia said through a translator. “I come here today with so much hope and I thank God who has been with me since the start with my family.”He urged people to keep fighting.“I stand here today with my head held high and I will continue to fight and stand firm against all of the injustices this government has done upon me,” Abrego Garcia said. “Regardless of this administration, I believe this is a country of laws and I believe that this injustice will come to an end.”After Abrego Garcia spoke, he went through security at the field office, escorted by supporters.The agency freed him just before 5 p.m. on Thursday in response to a ruling from Xinis, who wrote federal authorities detained him after his return to the United States without any legal basis.Mistakenly deported and then returnedAbrego Garcia is a Salvadoran citizen with an American wife and child who has lived in Maryland for years. He immigrated to the U.S. illegally as a teenager to join his brother, who had become a U.S. citizen. In 2019, an immigration judge granted him protection from being deported back to his home country, where he faces danger from a gang that targeted his family.While he was allowed to live and work in the U.S. under ICE supervision, he was not given residency status. Earlier this year, he was mistakenly deported and held in a notoriously brutal Salvadoran prison despite having no criminal record.Facing mounting public pressure and a court order, Trump’s Republican administration brought him back to the U.S. in June, but only after issuing an arrest warrant on human smuggling charges in Tennessee. He has pleaded not guilty to those charges and asked a federal judge there to dismiss them.A lawsuit to block removal from the USThe 2019 settlement found he had a “well founded fear” of danger in El Salvador if he was deported there. So instead ICE has been seeking to deport him to a series of African countries. Abrego Garcia has sued, claiming the Trump administration is illegally using the removal process to punish him for the public embarrassment caused by his deportation.In her order releasing Abrego Garcia, Xinis wrote that federal authorities “did not just stonewall” the court, “They affirmatively misled the tribunal.” Xinis also rejected the government’s argument that she lacked jurisdiction to intervene on a final removal order for Abrego Garcia, because she found no final order had been filed.ICE freed Abrego Garcia from Moshannon Valley Processing Center, about 115 miles northeast of Pittsburgh, on Thursday just before the deadline Xinis gave the government to provide an update on Abrego Garcia’s release.He returned home to Maryland a few hours later.Immigration check-inCheck-ins are how ICE keeps track of some people who are released by the government to pursue asylum or other immigration cases as they make their way through a backlogged court system. The appointments were once routine but many people have been detained at their check-ins since the start of President Donald Trump’s second term.Abrego Garcia’s attorney, Simon Sandoval-Moshenberg, said he’s prepared to defend his client against further deportation efforts.“The government still has plenty of tools in their toolbox, plenty of tricks up their sleeve,” Sandoval-Moshenberg said, adding he fully expects the government to again take steps to deport his client. “We’re going to be there to fight to make sure there is a fair trial.”The Department of Homeland Security sharply criticized Xinis’ order and vowed to appeal, calling the ruling “naked judicial activism” by a judge appointed during the Obama administration.“This order lacks any valid legal basis, and we will continue to fight this tooth and nail in the courts,” said Tricia McLaughlin, the department’s assistant secretary.Sandoval-Moshenberg said the judge made it clear that the government can’t detain someone indefinitely without legal authority and that his client “has endured more than anyone should ever have to.”Abrego Garcia has also applied for asylum in the U.S. in immigration court.Charges in TennesseeAbrego Garcia was hit with human smuggling and conspiracy to commit human smuggling charges when the U.S. government brought him back from El Salvador. Prosecutors alleged he accepted money to transport within the United States people who were in the country illegally.The charges stem from a 2022 traffic stop in Tennessee for speeding. Body camera footage from a Tennessee Highway Patrol officer shows a calm exchange with Abrego Garcia. There were nine passengers in the car, and the officers discussed among themselves their suspicions of smuggling. However, Abrego Garcia was eventually allowed to continue driving with only a warning.A Department of Homeland Security agent testified at an earlier hearing that he did not begin investigating the traffic stop until after the U.S. Supreme Court said in April that the Trump administration must work to bring back Abrego Garcia.

    BALTIMORE —

    A federal judge ordered Friday that U.S. immigration officials could not detain Kilmar Abrego Garcia, hours after his release from immigration detention.

    Abrego Garcia was appearing Friday morning for a scheduled appointment at an Immigration and Customs Enforcement field office, some 14 hours after he was released from detention on a judge’s orders. His lawyers asked the judge to block authorities from detaining him again.

    Officials cannot re-detain him until the court conducts a hearing on the motion for the temporary restraining order, U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis in Maryland said. She wrote that Abrego Garcia is likely to succeed on the merits of any further request for relief from ICE detention.

    “For the public to have any faith in the orderly administration of justice, the Court’s narrowly crafted remedy cannot be so quickly and easily upended without further briefing and consideration,” she wrote.

    Abrego Garcia became a flashpoint of the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown earlier this year when he was wrongly deported to a notorious prison in El Salvador. He was last taken into custody in August during a similar check-in.

    Abrego Garcia on Friday stopped at a news conference outside the building, escorted by a group of supporters chanting “We are all Kilmar!”

    “I stand before you a free man and I want you to remember me this way, with my head held up high,” Abrego Garcia said through a translator. “I come here today with so much hope and I thank God who has been with me since the start with my family.”

    He urged people to keep fighting.

    “I stand here today with my head held high and I will continue to fight and stand firm against all of the injustices this government has done upon me,” Abrego Garcia said. “Regardless of this administration, I believe this is a country of laws and I believe that this injustice will come to an end.”

    After Abrego Garcia spoke, he went through security at the field office, escorted by supporters.

    The agency freed him just before 5 p.m. on Thursday in response to a ruling from Xinis, who wrote federal authorities detained him after his return to the United States without any legal basis.

    Mistakenly deported and then returned

    Abrego Garcia is a Salvadoran citizen with an American wife and child who has lived in Maryland for years. He immigrated to the U.S. illegally as a teenager to join his brother, who had become a U.S. citizen. In 2019, an immigration judge granted him protection from being deported back to his home country, where he faces danger from a gang that targeted his family.

    While he was allowed to live and work in the U.S. under ICE supervision, he was not given residency status. Earlier this year, he was mistakenly deported and held in a notoriously brutal Salvadoran prison despite having no criminal record.

    Facing mounting public pressure and a court order, Trump’s Republican administration brought him back to the U.S. in June, but only after issuing an arrest warrant on human smuggling charges in Tennessee. He has pleaded not guilty to those charges and asked a federal judge there to dismiss them.

    A lawsuit to block removal from the US

    The 2019 settlement found he had a “well founded fear” of danger in El Salvador if he was deported there. So instead ICE has been seeking to deport him to a series of African countries. Abrego Garcia has sued, claiming the Trump administration is illegally using the removal process to punish him for the public embarrassment caused by his deportation.

    In her order releasing Abrego Garcia, Xinis wrote that federal authorities “did not just stonewall” the court, “They affirmatively misled the tribunal.” Xinis also rejected the government’s argument that she lacked jurisdiction to intervene on a final removal order for Abrego Garcia, because she found no final order had been filed.

    ICE freed Abrego Garcia from Moshannon Valley Processing Center, about 115 miles northeast of Pittsburgh, on Thursday just before the deadline Xinis gave the government to provide an update on Abrego Garcia’s release.

    He returned home to Maryland a few hours later.

    Immigration check-in

    Check-ins are how ICE keeps track of some people who are released by the government to pursue asylum or other immigration cases as they make their way through a backlogged court system. The appointments were once routine but many people have been detained at their check-ins since the start of President Donald Trump’s second term.

    Abrego Garcia’s attorney, Simon Sandoval-Moshenberg, said he’s prepared to defend his client against further deportation efforts.

    “The government still has plenty of tools in their toolbox, plenty of tricks up their sleeve,” Sandoval-Moshenberg said, adding he fully expects the government to again take steps to deport his client. “We’re going to be there to fight to make sure there is a fair trial.”

    The Department of Homeland Security sharply criticized Xinis’ order and vowed to appeal, calling the ruling “naked judicial activism” by a judge appointed during the Obama administration.

    “This order lacks any valid legal basis, and we will continue to fight this tooth and nail in the courts,” said Tricia McLaughlin, the department’s assistant secretary.

    Sandoval-Moshenberg said the judge made it clear that the government can’t detain someone indefinitely without legal authority and that his client “has endured more than anyone should ever have to.”

    Abrego Garcia has also applied for asylum in the U.S. in immigration court.

    Charges in Tennessee

    Abrego Garcia was hit with human smuggling and conspiracy to commit human smuggling charges when the U.S. government brought him back from El Salvador. Prosecutors alleged he accepted money to transport within the United States people who were in the country illegally.

    The charges stem from a 2022 traffic stop in Tennessee for speeding. Body camera footage from a Tennessee Highway Patrol officer shows a calm exchange with Abrego Garcia. There were nine passengers in the car, and the officers discussed among themselves their suspicions of smuggling. However, Abrego Garcia was eventually allowed to continue driving with only a warning.

    A Department of Homeland Security agent testified at an earlier hearing that he did not begin investigating the traffic stop until after the U.S. Supreme Court said in April that the Trump administration must work to bring back Abrego Garcia.

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  • As Thanksgiving travel begins, here are tips for Sacramento residents

    As Thanksgiving travel begins, here are tips for Sacramento residents

    6 P.M. WE’RE STARTING THIS FRIDAY EVENING WITH A LIVE LOOK HERE AT THE ROADWAYS ACROSS OUR AREA. AND THIS IS HIGHWAY 50 IN RANCHO CORDOVA, I-5 IN SACRAMENTO, WHERE IT’S SLOWING THROUGH THAT S-CURVE RIGHT THERE THROUGH DOWNTOWN AND I-80 AND ROSEVILLE. WE HAVEN’T REACHED THE BIG THANKSGIVING TRAVEL RUSH JUST YET, BUT PEOPLE ARE ALREADY THINKING ABOUT GETTING OUT TO THEIR DESTINATION ALREADY. MILLIONS WILL BE DRIVING, FLYING, MAYBE TAKING A TRAIN SOMEWHERE AHEAD OF THE BIG HOLIDAY NEXT THURSDAY. THANKS FOR BEING WITH US TONIGHT AT SIX. I’M GULSTAN DART AND I’M EDIE LAMBERT, SO THE BUSIEST DAYS WILL BE NEXT TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY BEFORE THE HOLIDAY, AND THEN THE SUNDAY AFTER THANKSGIVING IS EXPECTED TO BE EVEN MORE CROWDED. FOR A LOOK AT THE AT THE ROADS RIGHT NOW, LET’S GO OUT LIVE TO KCRA 3’S MARICELA DE LA CRUZ SHE’S LIVE. TRACKER THREE. WHAT ARE YOU SEEING OUT THERE? EDIE? WE ARE DRIVING ALONG INTERSTATE 80 WESTBOUND AND YEAH, THIS. ISN’T THAT HOLIDAY TRAFFIC JUST YET, BUT IT IS EXPECTED THAT MORE THAN 11 MILLION CALIFORNIANS WILL BE TRAVELING. SO THIS IS SOMETHING OF WHAT WE MAY BE SEEING OVER THE NEXT FEW DAYS. THOSE PEOPLE TRAVELING ON THE ROAD FOR THANKSGIVING, BECAUSE MORE THAN 9 MILLION PEOPLE ARE EXPECTED TO HIT THE ROAD ACROSS THE STATE. NOW, IF YOU’RE LEAVING FROM THE SACRAMENTO AREA, TRIPLE A RECOMMENDS GIVING YOURSELF EXTRA TIME AND CHECKING YOUR ROUTE BEFORE YOU GO. THEY DID A STUDY FROM SAN FRANCISCO TO SANTA ROSA, AND THEY’RE EXPECTING THAT DRIVE TO TAKE MORE THAN TWO HOURS. SO IF YOU’RE PLANNING ON DRIVING ON INTERSTATE 80, JUST BE PREPARED FOR THAT. NOW, IF YOU’RE FLYING. GOOD NEWS. AIR TRAVEL IN THE STATE WILL BE MUCH LIGHTER AT AROUND 1.1 MILLION PASSENGERS AT THE SACRAMENTO INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT, A SPOKESPERSON TELLS US THEY’LL BE FULLY STAFFED NEXT WEEK. BUT WITH SO MANY PEOPLE HEADING OUT, THEY’RE ENCOURAGING TRAVELERS TO TAKE RIDESHARE TO THE AIRPORT. NOW, TODAY, WE HEARD FROM SOME OF THOSE TRAVELERS WHO DECIDED TO LEAVE TODAY BECAUSE THEY SAY TICKETS WERE A LITTLE CHEAPER AND THEY WERE ALSO TRYING TO AVOID THE CROWDS. I ALWAYS DO WHERE I CHECK EACH DAY, AND IT WAS A CHEAP DAY, SO THAT WAS PART OF IT. I JUST DIDN’T WANT TO TRAVEL THE WEEK OF. IT’S MORE EXPENSIVE. FRIDAY WAS MORE CHEAPER, AND THEN SATURDAY AND SUNDAY I FEEL LIKE IT WOULD BE MORE CROWDED. MY AUNT JUST DROPPED US OFF BECAUSE WE THOUGHT IT WOULD BE A LOT OF CARS AND STUFF LIKE THAT. AND AND IF YOU’RE STILL SET ON PARKING, JUST A HEADS UP, IT COULD TAKE UP TO AN HOUR. FROM THE MOMENT YOU PARK TO THE MOMENT YOU REACH YOUR TERMINAL. NOW, WE’RE TOLD BY A SPOKESPERSON AT THE SACRAMENTO INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT THAT THEY WILL BE PLANNING ON OPENING THE WEST ECONOMY LOT. IF IT DOES GET PRETTY PACKED OUT THERE, ADDING AN ADDITIONAL 3000 PARKING SPACES. FOR NOW, WE’RE LIVE IN LIVE. TRACKER MARICELA DE LA CRUZ KCRA THREE NEWS. ALL RIGHT, THANK YOU FOR THE UPDATE, MARICELA. WELL, IF YOU’RE DRIVING, YOU’LL HAVE TO PAY FOR GAS, OBVIOUSLY, UNLESS YOU’VE GOT AN EV. AND HERE’S A LOOK AT PRICES RIGHT NOW. YOU CAN ALSO SCAN THE QR CODE ON YOUR SCREEN. TRIPLE A SAYS THAT THE NATIONAL AVERAGE RIGHT NOW IS 309 A GALLON. THAT’S FOR REGULAR. THAT’S A FEW CENTS MORE THAN WHAT WE SAW LAST YEAR. WE’RE PAYING MORE HERE IN CALIFORNIA FOR 63

    As Thanksgiving travel begins, here are tips for Sacramento residents

    Updated: 6:52 PM PST Nov 21, 2025

    Editorial Standards ⓘ

    With Thanksgiving next week, some travelers are getting a jump start on their holiday journey on Friday. Travelers leaving from the Sacramento area for Thanksgiving are advised to plan ahead, as road trips are expected to be lengthy while air travel is anticipated to be lighter than usual.AAA conducted a study from San Francisco to Santa Rosa, expecting the drive to take more than two hours, so those planning to travel on Interstate 80 should be prepared.For those flying, air travel in California will be much lighter, with around 1.1 million passengers. At Sacramento International Airport, a spokesperson said they will be fully staffed next week and encouraged travelers to use rideshare services to reach the airport.”I just didn’t want to travel the weekend. It’s more expensive,” said Desiree Lee, explaining her travel strategy. The lower cost also appealed to Itzylay Saucedo. “Friday was cheaper and then Saturday and Sunday, I feel like it’d be more crowded. My aunt just dropped us off because we thought there would be a lot of cars and stuff like that,” Saucedo said. Travelers who plan to park at SMF should be aware that it could take up to an hour from the moment they park to the time they reach their terminal. The West Economy lot will be open if needed, adding an additional 3,000 spaces.See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel

    With Thanksgiving next week, some travelers are getting a jump start on their holiday journey on Friday.

    Travelers leaving from the Sacramento area for Thanksgiving are advised to plan ahead, as road trips are expected to be lengthy while air travel is anticipated to be lighter than usual.

    AAA conducted a study from San Francisco to Santa Rosa, expecting the drive to take more than two hours, so those planning to travel on Interstate 80 should be prepared.

    For those flying, air travel in California will be much lighter, with around 1.1 million passengers. At Sacramento International Airport, a spokesperson said they will be fully staffed next week and encouraged travelers to use rideshare services to reach the airport.

    “I just didn’t want to travel the weekend. It’s more expensive,” said Desiree Lee, explaining her travel strategy.

    The lower cost also appealed to Itzylay Saucedo.

    “Friday was cheaper and then Saturday and Sunday, I feel like it’d be more crowded. My aunt just dropped us off because we thought there would be a lot of cars and stuff like that,” Saucedo said.

    Travelers who plan to park at SMF should be aware that it could take up to an hour from the moment they park to the time they reach their terminal.

    The West Economy lot will be open if needed, adding an additional 3,000 spaces.

    See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel

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  • Marion County teen who faked his kidnapping sentenced to house arrest

    The Marion County teenager who faked his own kidnapping earlier this year — which led to an Amber Alert being issued — was sentenced to house arrest for the staged kidnapping.The state attorney’s office said the teen, who WESH 2 is not naming because he was not charged as an adult, will spend at least one year under house arrest with an ankle monitor. He is also required to complete 100 hours of community service, a firearms safety course and a counseling program, and he must pay back the Marion County Sheriff’s Office for resources wasted.The teen was sentenced after pleading no contest to his charges stemming from the staged kidnapping. He disappeared in late September after texting his mom that he had been attacked by several men.The teen went so far as to shoot himself in the leg before turning himself in.

    MARION COUNTY, Fla. —

    The Marion County teenager who faked his own kidnapping earlier this year — which led to an Amber Alert being issued — was sentenced to house arrest for the staged kidnapping.

    The state attorney’s office said the teen, who WESH 2 is not naming because he was not charged as an adult, will spend at least one year under house arrest with an ankle monitor.

    He is also required to complete 100 hours of community service, a firearms safety course and a counseling program, and he must pay back the Marion County Sheriff’s Office for resources wasted.

    The teen was sentenced after pleading no contest to his charges stemming from the staged kidnapping. He disappeared in late September after texting his mom that he had been attacked by several men.

    The teen went so far as to shoot himself in the leg before turning himself in.

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  • Southern California is in for a weekend of severe weather, forecasters say: What we know

    Southern California will be under a severe weather threat Saturday, with the most powerful wave of an incoming atmospheric river storm peaking over the weekend in Los Angeles County and bringing a risk of mudflows, debris flows and, possibly, a tornado.

    If rain falls as forecast, this storm could result in downtown Los Angeles seeing its wettest November since 1985. Heavy rain brings the possibility of damaging flooding and landslides, with fire-scarred hillsides from the Eaton and Palisades fires at risk of fast-moving flows of mud and debris.

    The severe weather threat is expected for much of Saturday, from midnight through 9 p.m. A flood watch will be in effect for a wide swath of Southern California from 4 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday. Evacuation warnings are in effect through 11 a.m. Sunday in areas near recent burn scars due to the risk of mud and debris flows. The warnings encompass areas near the Palisades, Eaton, Kenneth, Sunset and Hurst fires that burned in January.

    But it remained unclear as of late Thursday which areas would be hit hardest by the storm. Peak rainfall rates Saturday of 0.75 to 1.25 inches per hour are expected along a relatively narrow band of land — about the width of a Southern California county. That’s enough rain to trigger a landslide, which can occur when rain falls at a rate of half an inch or more per hour.

    Forecasters don’t yet know where that peak rain will be focused.

    “The problem is, we just don’t know exactly which county” will be most affected, said Ryan Kittell, meteorologist with the National Weather Service office in Oxnard. “If you look at all of our projections, some of them favor L.A., some of them favor Ventura, some of them favor Santa Barbara County. And so at this point, unfortunately, for that Saturday time period, we just can’t tell with certainty which county is kind of in the bull’s-eye.”

    If the band of most intense rain lines up over L.A. County, it can expect rainfall rates of about 1 inch per hour, Kittell said. If the band is concentrated elsewhere, L.A. could still see a rate of half an inch per hour, and landslides would still remain a possibility.

    The area with the most severe weather could see spinning thunderstorms that could produce damaging wind or a tornado or two, Kittell said.

    “While 99% of the area will not see such conditions, any portion of our area, especially in the coastal and valley areas, could see it,” Kittell said. “Consider changing any plans that you might have for Saturday. Stay home and indoors.”

    In case of lightning, he noted that it’s best to stay inside and away from windows. Those who must go out should never attempt to drive through a flooded roadway.

    There’s still a chance that Saturday’s storm could be less impressive than expected. It is being powered by a “cut-off low,” which is so notoriously difficult to forecast that it’s referred to as “weatherman’s woe.” Because the low-pressure system powering the storm is not pushed along by the jet stream, “it will just spin around like a top and go where it pleases — very difficult to predict,” Kittell said.

    Still, Kittell said, most of the more than 100 different computer forecast projections suggest moderate to heavy rain. In the most likely scenario, downtown L.A. will receive 2.62 inches of rain between late Thursday and Sunday, which would cause flooding on roadways and minor, shallow debris flows.

    (National Weather Service)

    Getting that 2.62 inches of rain through the weekend would vault this month into the category of wettest November since 1985, Kittell said. Downtown L.A. would need to exceed 2.43 inches of rain in November to break that 40-year-old record.

    There’s a 30% chance of a worst-case scenario where downtown L.A. receives 4.81 inches of rain, producing mudflows and debris flows. With debris flows, the fast-moving landslides pour down hillsides and pick up not just mud but other debris that can move cars and crash into homes with deadly force. A total of 4.81 inches of rain would be one-third of downtown’s annual rainfall.

    Both mudflows and debris flows can be triggered with rain falling at a rate as low as half an inch per hour. But it depends on the burn scar, Kittell said. It would take rain falling at twice that rate — an inch per hour — to trigger flows in some burn scars, he said.

    The National Weather Service office in Oxnard said that on Saturday there’s about a 70% chance that the Eaton and Palisades fire burn scars will see rain fall at a rate of 0.5 inches or more per hour. There’s a 38% chance of a rainfall rate of 1 inch or more per hour in those areas.

    Rain is expected to start falling by Friday morning in Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino and San Diego counties. Precipitation was forecast to begin Thursday in Ventura, Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties.

    The heaviest rain for Southern California is expected late Friday into Saturday.

    Document shows precipitation chances and timing

    (National Weather Service)

    Although tornadoes aren’t usually associated with California, they do happen. For the most part, “they’re weak, they’re brief, and usually don’t cause a whole lot of issues,” Kittell said. “But we do get quite a few of them.” Sometimes they form on land, or they begin as waterspouts — a tornado over the ocean — and move onto land.

    “They are not like the kind that you typically hear about in the Midwest that last for 15, 30 minutes, or even an hour or two, and are a mile or two wide and cause destructive damage,” Kittell said. “We just don’t have the environment for that,” yet they still pose a threat.

    A tornado lasting for five minutes touched down in Santa Cruz County last December, injuring three people, downing trees and power poles, stripping trees of branches, overturning vehicles and damaging street signs.

    This weekend’s atmospheric-river-powered storm created a long band of rainfall that on Thursday was stretching across the Pacific Ocean to San Francisco. It was set to move south and east as it headed to Southern California.

    The storm downed trees in the San Francisco Bay Area on Thursday and flooded low-lying streets. A tree split and fell in San Francisco’s Western Addition neighborhood, crashing onto a vehicle, local news outlets reported. A tree also fell on a fence in Santa Rosa. Rising waters inundated a section of roadway just west of the Charles M. Schulz-Sonoma County Airport, firefighters said.

    Solo vehicle crashes were reported on Highway 1 in Santa Cruz County, the California Highway Patrol said. A pickup truck overturned along Highway 152 between Watsonville and Gilroy, and all lanes of Highway 17 connecting Santa Cruz and San Jose were shut down for some time Thursday night following a crash involving a CHP cruiser; a CHP officer sustained minor injuries.

    Rainfall totals were impressive for the region, with San Francisco seeing 1.28 inches — that’s more than half the average monthly rainfall for November for the city. Napa received 1.45 inches; San Francisco International Airport, 1.5; and San Rafael, 2.3 inches.

    Through Sunday, Long Beach is expected to receive 2.38 inches of rain; Redondo Beach, 2.48; Oxnard, 2.49; Thousand Oaks, 2.63; Santa Clarita, 2.77; Covina, 2.89; and Santa Barbara, 4.21.

    San Diego could get 2 to 2.5 inches of rain; Riverside, San Bernardino, Escondido, and San Clemente, 2.5 to 3 inches; and Anaheim and Irvine, 3 to 4 inches, according to the weather service.

    Even the deserts could tally impressive rainfall. Palm Springs may get 1 to 1.5 inches of rain, and Joshua Tree National Park could receive 1.5 to 2 inches.

    This storm will not be much of a snow maker for Southern California’s mountains. Snow levels are expected to remain at around 10,000 feet for most of the storm’s duration, said Dave Munyan, a forecaster with the National Weather Service’s San Diego office. By Sunday morning, snow levels will fall to about 7,000 to 7,500 feet, but by then, there won’t be much more moisture left in the storm. Big Bear is forecast to receive around an inch of snow, and Idyllwild is expected to remain snow-free, Munyan said.

    “You’re going to get your accumulating snowfall — hefty accumulating snowfall — on the highest peaks of the mountains,” Munyan said.

    Winds from the southeast and east are expected to trigger delays at Los Angeles International Airport on Friday and Saturday.

    Looking to next week, a storm could return to Southern California on Monday and Tuesday, with another rolling in Thursday and Friday. Both storms are likely to have minor effects. But forecasters are closely watching the second of the two storms, which could develop into something more significant, Kittell said.

    Rong-Gong Lin II

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  • Sacramento plans to add more trees as it faces service-request backlog

    The “City of Trees” is facing a big backlog. Except in cases of an emergency, it could take crews one to two years to respond to concerns about trees on Sacramento property.Even as the city struggles to keep up, it is making plans to plant more trees in the years ahead, meaning the workload is only expected to grow.Sacramento’s identity is deeply rooted in its dense urban forest.”We pride ourselves on being the city with the most trees,” said East Sacramento resident Brett Davison.However, he and his neighbors say they have been dealing with a growing concern over the upkeep of all these city trees.”I have neighbors where it’s gotten under their roof tiles,” he said. “I just think of it as a safety issue.”A safety issue that has insurance companies taking notice.”Their insurance company flew a drone over their house,” Davison said of his neighbors.The issue comes as California is in the midst of an insurance crisis.”The insurance company had said, ‘You can’t. You’ve got to trim it back,’” he said.Davison heard the same thing from his insurance company.Since the trees are on public property maintained by the city, they say they have tried to report concerns to Sacramento over the last year or so. But the response had them stumped.”At that point, they were booked out for two and a half years for any sort of maintenance or thinning of trees in Sacramento,” Davison said. “I thought he was kidding.”KCRA 3 Investigates confirmed that, for requests the city deems non-emergencies, there is a backlog, often with a wait time of at least one year.”It’s been frustrating,” Davison said. Sacramento Media & Communications Specialist Gabby Miller, who handles inquiries involving the city’s Urban Forestry Division, declined an interview on the topic.Only by email would she say that the root cause of all this stems from staffing shortages and the 2023 storms that did unprecedented damage.Here is the prepared statement Miller provided:”The City of Sacramento maintains more than 100,000 trees in streets and parks across the city’s 100 square miles. Each tree is pruned on a proactive cycle that typically takes five to seven years to complete.”Residents who have concerns about City trees or would like to request pruning are encouraged to use the 311 Customer Service Center, either by dialing 311 or emailing 311@cityofsacramento.org. This system ensures requests are documented and tracked through to completion.”The City typically receives more than 500 service requests each month related to tree issues, with numbers increasing significantly during extreme weather. Emergency calls—such as when a tree or branch poses an immediate risk to public safety—are responded to within one hour, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Non-emergency requests usually receive an initial response within 48 hours. Crews prioritize work based on severity and efficiency, so that as many requests as possible are completed each month.”Severe storms in 2023 caused unprecedented damage to trees throughout Sacramento. Combined with staffing shortages in the Urban Forestry section, this created a backlog of non-emergency requests, with many taking a year or longer to address. Despite these challenges, the City has managed to keep up with emergency requests.”Substantial efforts have been made to improve the situation, including hiring more staff in Urban Forestry and directing additional resources to tree care service contracts. These steps have already accelerated pruning efforts and begun to reduce the backlog in recent months. While progress has been significant, the City recognizes there is still more work ahead before service levels fully meet public expectations.”One East Sacramento resident said he was finally able to get his concern taken care of after reaching out to Councilmember Pluckebaum.The councilmember told KCRA 3 Investigates that he usually gets a call a week about a limb falling on a car or a fence.However, on New Year’s Day in 2023, the calls to the city seemed endless.”That was a really big storm. It was significant and expensive,” Pluckebaum said.He said the city has a contract with West Coast Arborists, and the company had to bring in all its arborists from the West Coast to respond.”Fourteen hundred people to swarm the city and clear our streets, but it also cleared our budget,” Pluckebaum said.Nearly three years later, the city’s still feeling the fallout.”Our only answer is to figure out how to either reduce costs and/or raise revenue such to provide for that level of service that the folks expect,” he said.”Is there anything in the works to take any of those steps that you know of?” KCRA 3 Investigates’ Lysée Mitri asked.”No, unfortunately, it’s probably going to require yet another tax measure. We don’t have another strategy in the near term. We’re looking at budget cuts for the next three years,” Councilmember Pluckebaum said.Meanwhile, beyond three years, the job of maintaining trees is only expected to grow.In June, the city council voted unanimously to try to double the tree canopy by 2045, focusing on areas that currently lack tree cover. The plan will mean more trees on both public and private property.”Voting to increase the tree canopy is like, you know, voting for puppy dogs or apple pie, right? These are uncontroversial types of initiatives. Now, a discussion about how to pay for it is a whole other conversation,” Pluckebaum said.Currently, about 10% of trees in Sacramento are maintained by the city. It’s not clear if that would continue to be the case, but the newly adopted Sacramento Urban Forest Plan estimates that full implementation means the city would need an extra $12-13 million a year. “I’m all about more trees. Bring it on. I love, I love the trees, but you better have enough maintenance crews to handle what you’ve got going on first before you add any more,” Davison said.For many, the current financial landscape is sowing seeds of doubt.See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel

    SACRAMENTO, Calif. —

    The “City of Trees” is facing a big backlog. Except in cases of an emergency, it could take crews one to two years to respond to concerns about trees on Sacramento property.

    Even as the city struggles to keep up, it is making plans to plant more trees in the years ahead, meaning the workload is only expected to grow.

    Sacramento’s identity is deeply rooted in its dense urban forest.

    “We pride ourselves on being the city with the most trees,” said East Sacramento resident Brett Davison.

    However, he and his neighbors say they have been dealing with a growing concern over the upkeep of all these city trees.

    “I have neighbors where it’s gotten under their roof tiles,” he said. “I just think of it as a safety issue.”

    A safety issue that has insurance companies taking notice.

    “Their insurance company flew a drone over their house,” Davison said of his neighbors.

    The issue comes as California is in the midst of an insurance crisis.

    “The insurance company had said, ‘You can’t. You’ve got to trim it back,’” he said.

    Davison heard the same thing from his insurance company.

    Since the trees are on public property maintained by the city, they say they have tried to report concerns to Sacramento over the last year or so. But the response had them stumped.

    “At that point, they were booked out for two and a half years for any sort of maintenance or thinning of trees in Sacramento,” Davison said. “I thought he was kidding.”

    KCRA 3 Investigates confirmed that, for requests the city deems non-emergencies, there is a backlog, often with a wait time of at least one year.

    “It’s been frustrating,” Davison said.

    Sacramento Media & Communications Specialist Gabby Miller, who handles inquiries involving the city’s Urban Forestry Division, declined an interview on the topic.

    Only by email would she say that the root cause of all this stems from staffing shortages and the 2023 storms that did unprecedented damage.

    Here is the prepared statement Miller provided:

    “The City of Sacramento maintains more than 100,000 trees in streets and parks across the city’s 100 square miles. Each tree is pruned on a proactive cycle that typically takes five to seven years to complete.

    “Residents who have concerns about City trees or would like to request pruning are encouraged to use the 311 Customer Service Center, either by dialing 311 or emailing 311@cityofsacramento.org. This system ensures requests are documented and tracked through to completion.

    “The City typically receives more than 500 service requests each month related to tree issues, with numbers increasing significantly during extreme weather. Emergency calls—such as when a tree or branch poses an immediate risk to public safety—are responded to within one hour, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Non-emergency requests usually receive an initial response within 48 hours. Crews prioritize work based on severity and efficiency, so that as many requests as possible are completed each month.

    “Severe storms in 2023 caused unprecedented damage to trees throughout Sacramento. Combined with staffing shortages in the Urban Forestry section, this created a backlog of non-emergency requests, with many taking a year or longer to address. Despite these challenges, the City has managed to keep up with emergency requests.

    “Substantial efforts have been made to improve the situation, including hiring more staff in Urban Forestry and directing additional resources to tree care service contracts. These steps have already accelerated pruning efforts and begun to reduce the backlog in recent months. While progress has been significant, the City recognizes there is still more work ahead before service levels fully meet public expectations.”

    One East Sacramento resident said he was finally able to get his concern taken care of after reaching out to Councilmember Pluckebaum.

    The councilmember told KCRA 3 Investigates that he usually gets a call a week about a limb falling on a car or a fence.

    However, on New Year’s Day in 2023, the calls to the city seemed endless.

    “That was a really big storm. It was significant and expensive,” Pluckebaum said.

    He said the city has a contract with West Coast Arborists, and the company had to bring in all its arborists from the West Coast to respond.

    “Fourteen hundred people to swarm the city and clear our streets, but it also cleared our budget,” Pluckebaum said.

    Nearly three years later, the city’s still feeling the fallout.

    “Our only answer is to figure out how to either reduce costs and/or raise revenue such to provide for that level of service that the folks expect,” he said.

    “Is there anything in the works to take any of those steps that you know of?” KCRA 3 Investigates’ Lysée Mitri asked.

    “No, unfortunately, it’s probably going to require yet another tax measure. We don’t have another strategy in the near term. We’re looking at budget cuts for the next three years,” Councilmember Pluckebaum said.

    Meanwhile, beyond three years, the job of maintaining trees is only expected to grow.

    In June, the city council voted unanimously to try to double the tree canopy by 2045, focusing on areas that currently lack tree cover. The plan will mean more trees on both public and private property.

    “Voting to increase the tree canopy is like, you know, voting for puppy dogs or apple pie, right? These are uncontroversial types of initiatives. Now, a discussion about how to pay for it is a whole other conversation,” Pluckebaum said.

    Currently, about 10% of trees in Sacramento are maintained by the city. It’s not clear if that would continue to be the case, but the newly adopted Sacramento Urban Forest Plan estimates that full implementation means the city would need an extra $12-13 million a year.

    “I’m all about more trees. Bring it on. I love, I love the trees, but you better have enough maintenance crews to handle what you’ve got going on first before you add any more,” Davison said.

    For many, the current financial landscape is sowing seeds of doubt.

    See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel

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  • More than 100 firefighters battle hazardous blaze at General Motors in Pasadena

    More than 100 firefighters and a hazardous materials team were working Wednesday night to combat a fire involving lithium ion batteries and prototype cars at General Motors’ design studio in Pasadena, authorities said.

    At one point, a firefighter was trapped in the structure amid the ferocious blaze and sent out a mayday call.

    The Pasadena Fire Department responded to the fire in the 600 block of Sierra Madre Villa Avenue at 5:50 p.m., according to department spokesperson Lisa Derderian. The incident was declared a four-alarm fire — signifying a catastrophic blaze that requires the mobilization of significant fire department resources — due to the scale of the structure and the hazardous materials involved.

    A firefighter is among dozens battling a fire Wednesday at the General Motors design studio in Pasadena.

    (Hon Wing Chiu / For The Times)

    “This is one of the largest structure fires we’ve had in Pasadena in many, many years,” Derderian said.

    Preliminary reports indicated that lithium ion batteries and concept cars burned inside the building; however, the incident remained active Wednesday evening, and the cause of the fire is under investigation, she said. Some of the burned cars appeared to be gasoline-powered vehicles.

    It took firefighters more than an hour to track down the source of the blaze as thick smoke engulfed the 149,000-square-foot campus. General Motors invested more than $71 million in 2021 to build the three-building facility as a new base for its Advanced Design Center.

    The blaze is challenging to combat as crews cannot use water to extinguish lithium ion battery fires. Doing so can cause a destabilizing chemical reaction, leading more batteries to catch fire or explode.

    “Firefighters on scene have trained in scenarios like this, but it does put a different twist on extinguishing fires,” Derderian said.

    Large lithium ion battery fires can take several hours or even days to render safe.

    Firefighters are seen at the General Motors design studio after a fire on Wednesday

    The fire burned lithium ion batteries and concept cars at the General Motors facility, officials said.

    (Hon Wing Chiu / For The Times)

    When one battery cell overheats, it can trigger a chain reaction where nearby cells also overheat. This reaction releases heat and toxic gases and can continue deep inside the battery pack long after visible flames are put out.

    There was a mayday call when a firefighter became trapped inside the fire-engulfed building Wednesday evening. But fire crews were able to locate him and pull him out of the structure without injuries.

    “He did not wish to be transported [to a hospital], but it was a very scary few minutes there until they determined that he was OK,” Derderian said.

    Fire crews are searching the entire campus to ensure there is no one else trapped inside, she said. Crews will remain on scene overnight as they continue to deal with the hazardous materials involved in the blaze.

    Clara Harter

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  • California made it through another summer without a Flex Alert. Thank batteries, experts say

    For decades, rolling blackouts and urgent calls for energy conservation were part of life in California — a reluctant summer ritual almost as reliable as the heat waves that drove them. But the state has undergone a quiet shift in recent years, and the California Independent System Operator hasn’t issued a single one of those emergency pleas, known as Flex Alerts, since 2022.

    Experts and officials say the Golden State has reached a turning point, reflecting years of investment in making its electrical grid stronger, cleaner and more dependable. Much of that is new battery energy storage, which captures and stores electricity for later use.

    In fact, batteries have been transformative for California, state officials say. In late afternoon, when the sun stops hitting solar panels and people are home using electricity, batteries now push stored solar energy onto the grid.

    California has invested heavily in the technology, helping it mature and get cheaper in recent years. Battery storage in the state has grown more than 3,000% in six years — from 500 megawatts in 2020 to more than 15,700 megawatts today.

    “There is no question that the battery fleet that has grown rapidly since 2020, along with the state’s expanding portfolio of other supply and demand-side resources, has been a real game changer for reliability during summer periods of peak demand,” said Elliot Mainzer, CAISO’s president and chief executive.

    It was only five years ago that a record-shattering heat wave pushed the grid to its limit and plunged much of the state into darkness. In the wake of that event, California’s energy leaders vowed to take action to make the grid more resilient.

    Since then, CAISO has overseen a massive build-out of new energy and storage resources, including more than 26,000 megawatts of new capacity overall, which has also helped make the grid more stable, Mainzer said. The state hasn’t seen rolling blackouts since 2020.

    “Extreme weather events, wildfires and other emergencies can pose reliability challenges for any bulk electric system,” he said. “But the CAISO battery fleet, along with the additional capacity and close coordination with state and regional partners, have provided an indisputable benefit to reliability.”

    Batteries are now key to California’s climate goals, including its mandate of 100% carbon neutrality by 2045.

    The LADWP's biggest solar and battery storage plant, the Eland Solar and Storage Center in the Mojave Desert.

    Solar panels and battery storage units at the Eland Solar and Storage Center in the Mojave Desert of Kern County on Nov. 25, 2024.

    (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)

    Already, batteries have enabled the grid to operate with dramatic decreases in the use of planet-warming fossil fuels. Now they’re becoming a more cost-effective and reliable replacement for aging gas-fired power plants, according to Maia Leroy, founder of the California energy consulting firm Lumenergy LLC and co-author of a recent report on the rise of battery storage over gas generation in California.

    “Historically, Flex Alerts have always come through in summertime when it’s super hot and everyone is cranking their AC,” Leroy said. “But also in the summertime, we’re seeing that gas plants underperform because combustion doesn’t work well with ambient heat. So when we’re able to shift that need from having to use gas plants to something more stable, dispatchable and flexible like battery storage, then we’re able to meet that demand in the summer without having to rely on those underperforming gas plants.”

    Battery energy storage is not without challenges, however. Lithium-ion batteries — the most common type used for energy storage — typically have about four to six hours of capacity. It’s enough to support the grid during peak hours as the sun sets, but can still leave some gaps to be filled by natural gas.

    Nikhil Kumar, program director with the energy policy nonprofit GridLab, said the technology already exists for longer-duration batteries, including through different chemistries such as iron-air batteries, which release energy through oxidation, and flow batteries, which store energy in liquid chemicals that flow through a reactor.

    Those batteries are not yet as mature and can be more expensive and larger than their lithium-ion counterparts, Kumar said. But a recent GridLab report indicates that equation is changing, with the average cost of a new gas plant often on par with four-hour lithium-ion batteries and only slightly less expensive than longer-duration battery technologies.

    “Batteries are going to get cheaper,” Kumar said. “Gas isn’t.”

    The battery storage shift is occurring as the Trump administration takes steps to stifle solar and other forms of renewable energy in favor of fossil fuels such as oil, gas and coal. At the end of September, the administration announced that it would open 13 million acres of federal lands for coal mining and provide $625 million to recommission or modernize coal-fired powered plants, which officials said would help strengthen the economy, protect jobs and advance American energy.

    During an hourlong news conference on the initiative, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum described wind and solar energy as intermittent sources that are “literally dependent on the weather” — but neither he nor any other official mentioned the growth of battery storage that has made those sources more reliable and more promising.

    It’s not a partisan issue. ERCOT, which operates Texas’s electrical grid, has more than 14,000 megawatts of batteries online, a nearly threefold increase from early 2023. California and Texas are constantly trading places as the top state for battery storage.

    Battery storage units at the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power's biggest solar and battery storage plant.

    Battery storage units at the Eland Solar and Storage Center in the Mojave Desert of Kern County on Nov. 25, 2024.

    (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)

    But Trump has made moves to support the production of batteries in the U.S. Currently, about three-quarters of the world’s batteries are made in China, and Trump’s tariffs — including a proposed 100% tariff on China — have been good for at least one Sacramento-based battery manufacturer, Sparkz.

    “The administration wants critical material manufacturing to happen in the U.S.,” said Sanjiv Malhotra, founder and chief executive. “They basically are very much in favor of domestic manufacturing of batteries.”

    Sparkz is making lithium-iron batteries that don’t use nickel and cobalt — a composition that has long been an industry darling but that depends on imported metals. Instead, their lithium-iron-phosphate batteries have a supply chain that is entirely based in the U.S., which means they can take advantage of federal tax credits that favor the production of clean energy components made mostly of domestic parts, Malhotra said. The company’s clients include data centers and utilities.

    Malhotra added that California has done an excellent job “beefing up” the grid’s storage capacity in the last few years. He said batteries are a major reason why the state hasn’t seen a Flex Alert since 2022.

    “The numbers basically tell the story that it was all because of, essentially, energy storage,” he said.

    There is still work to do. While the state’s grid has seen improvements, it is more than a century old and was built primarily for gas plants. Experts and officials agree that it needs additional substantial upgrades and reforms to meet current energy demands and goals.

    Permitting is also a hurdle, as California typically requires lengthy environmental review for new projects. The state, sometimes controversially, is now speeding review, and recently approved a massive solar and battery storage farm, the Darden Clean Energy Project in Fresno County, through a new fast-track permitting program. It will make enough electricity to power 850,000 homes for four hours, according to the California Energy Commission.

    Safety remains a considerable concern. In January, a fire tore through one of the world’s largest battery storage facilities in Moss Landing, Monterey County. The facility housed around 100,000 lithium-ion batteries, which are exceptionally dangerous when ignited because they burn extremely hot and cannot be extinguished with water, which can trigger a violent chemical reaction. The blaze emitted dangerous levels of nickel, cobalt and manganese that were measured within miles of the site.

    “When you’re dealing with large technologies in general, there’s always going to be some kind of danger,” said Leroy, of Lumenergy. “This points to the big need for diversifying the technologies that we use.”

    Other forms of energy, such as oil and coal, also pose considerable health and safety risks including the emission of air pollution — soot, mercury, nitrogen dioxide and carbon dioxide contributing to climate change.

    California is in the process of eliminating coal power and expects to be completely coal-free by November. And while natural gas still makes up a large piece of the state’s portfolio, renewables represented nearly 60% of California’s in-state electricity generation in 2024, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.

    The numbers continue to trend upward. In the first six months of this year, CAISO’s grid was powered by 100% clean energy for an average of almost seven hours each day.

    “We have literally just demonstrated that California is able to run with super clean resources, with backups from natural gas,” said Kumar, of GridLab. “And it works. We don’t have Flex Alerts.”

    Hayley Smith

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  • Tropical Storm Lorenzo losing steam, forecast to dissipate, NHC says

    Tropical Storm Lorenzo is poorly organized over the Atlantic, according to the National Hurricane Center.The storm is located approximately 1,415 miles west-northwest of the Cabo Verde Islands. Lorenzo is moving toward the north at about 13 mph. A turn toward the northeast and a faster forward speed are expected later today, according to the NHC.The system has a minimum pressure of 1004 mb and a maximum sustained wind speed of 40 mph.The NHC said Lorenzo is forecast to dissipate by Thursday. There are no coastal watches or warnings currently in effect, according to the NHC. Areas to watchHurricane season 2025The Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1 through Nov. 30. Stay with WESH 2 online and on-air for the most accurate Central Florida weather forecast.>> More: 2025 Hurricane Survival GuideThe First Warning Weather team includes First Warning Chief Meteorologist Tony Mainolfi, Eric Burris, Marquise Meda and Cam Tran.>> 2025 hurricane season | WESH long-range forecast

    Tropical Storm Lorenzo is poorly organized over the Atlantic, according to the National Hurricane Center.

    The storm is located approximately 1,415 miles west-northwest of the Cabo Verde Islands.

    Lorenzo is moving toward the north at about 13 mph. A turn toward the northeast and a faster forward speed are expected later today, according to the NHC.

    The system has a minimum pressure of 1004 mb and a maximum sustained wind speed of 40 mph.

    The NHC said Lorenzo is forecast to dissipate by Thursday.

    There are no coastal watches or warnings currently in effect, according to the NHC.

    Areas to watch

    Hurricane season 2025

    The Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1 through Nov. 30. Stay with WESH 2 online and on-air for the most accurate Central Florida weather forecast.

    >> More: 2025 Hurricane Survival Guide

    The First Warning Weather team includes First Warning Chief Meteorologist Tony Mainolfi, Eric Burris, Marquise Meda and Cam Tran.

    >> 2025 hurricane season | WESH long-range forecast

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  • Tropical Storm Lorenzo poorly organized over Atlantic, NHC says

    Tropical Storm Lorenzo is poorly organized over the central tropical Atlantic, according to the National Hurricane Center.The storm is located approximately 1,430 miles west of the Cabo Verde Islands. Lorenzo is moving toward the northwest at about 12 mph. This motion is expected to continue today, followed by a turn to the north tonight. The system has a minimum pressure of 1005 mb and a maximum sustained wind speed of 40 mph.A northeastward motion is expected on Wednesday and Thursday, according to the NHC. Lorenzo is not expected to cause any threat to Florida. However, it is still something to monitor. There are no coastal watches or warnings currently in effect, according to the NHC. Spaghetti modelsHurricane season 2025The Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1 through Nov. 30. Stay with WESH 2 online and on-air for the most accurate Central Florida weather forecast.>> More: 2025 Hurricane Survival GuideThe First Warning Weather team includes First Warning Chief Meteorologist Tony Mainolfi, Eric Burris, Marquise Meda and Cam Tran.>> 2025 hurricane season | WESH long-range forecast

    Tropical Storm Lorenzo is poorly organized over the central tropical Atlantic, according to the National Hurricane Center.

    The storm is located approximately 1,430 miles west of the Cabo Verde Islands.

    Lorenzo is moving toward the northwest at about 12 mph. This motion is expected to continue today, followed by a turn to the north tonight.

    The system has a minimum pressure of 1005 mb and a maximum sustained wind speed of 40 mph.

    A northeastward motion is expected on Wednesday and Thursday, according to the NHC.

    Lorenzo is not expected to cause any threat to Florida. However, it is still something to monitor.

    There are no coastal watches or warnings currently in effect, according to the NHC.

    Spaghetti models

    Hurricane season 2025

    The Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1 through Nov. 30. Stay with WESH 2 online and on-air for the most accurate Central Florida weather forecast.

    >> More: 2025 Hurricane Survival Guide

    The First Warning Weather team includes First Warning Chief Meteorologist Tony Mainolfi, Eric Burris, Marquise Meda and Cam Tran.

    >> 2025 hurricane season | WESH long-range forecast

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  • Tropical Storm Lorenzo forms in Atlantic, NHC says

    Tropical Storm Lorenzo forms in Atlantic, NHC says

    AND FLOODING OUT INTO THE STREETS. THERE WERE POWER OUTAGES ON LONG ISLAND, TOO. THAT WAS PRETTY ROUGH UP THERE. TONY YEAH, SOUTH SIDE, SOUTH SHORE THERE. DID SOME PRETTY BIG, PRETTY BIG DAMAGE IN THE HAMPTONS I SAW THERE, TOO. HEY, LET ME TAKE YOU GUYS BACK OUTSIDE. I WANT TO SHOW YOU WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE IN DOWNTOWN ORLANDO RIGHT NOW. IT IS JUST A BEAUTIFUL, BEAUTIFUL EVENING HERE IN CENTRAL FLORIDA. HOPE YOU HAD THE CHANCE TO GET OUT THERE AFTER DINNER BEFORE IT GOT DARK THERE. AND ENJOY A NICE LITTLE COMFORTABLE WALK. FALL-LIKE TEMPERATURES SETTLING ON IN. IT IS 69 NOW IN DAYTONA BEACH. IT IS 68 HERE. BACK TOWARDS WILDWOOD, UP IN OCALA, COMING IN AT 66. SATELLITE. ENHANCE THE SET UP THERE SHOWS A COUPLE OF THUNDERSTORMS SOUTH AND EAST OF NASSAU IN THE BAHAMAS. ELSEWHERE, THINGS ARE PRETTY QUIET. THE ONE THING WE’RE WATCHING, EVEN THOUGH THE SURF HAS CALMED DOWN, THOSE LONG PERIOD SWELLS ARE CREATING THOSE DANGEROUS RIP CURRENTS THAT WILL CARRY ON OVER INTO THE DAY TOMORROW. LET’S TAKE A LOOK AT THE 12 HOUR MOST ACCURATE FORECAST HERE FOR THE CITY OF ORLANDO. 12 246 OUT THE DOOR IN THE MORNING. WE’RE DROPPING TO ABOUT 6566 DEGREES. THEN BY THE NOON HOUR THERE YOU CAN SEE APPROACHING THE 80 DEGREE MARK. NOW A LITTLE BIT COOLER UP TOWARDS CITRA OCALA DUNNELLON THE FARTHER SOUTH AND EAST YOU GO, THE TEMPERATURES WILL BE JUST A LITTLE BIT WARMER, RIGHT AROUND 65. IN ORLANDO, NORMAL LOW WOULD BE AT ABOUT 67. AND THAT’S WHERE WE’RE GOING TO BE. TITUSVILLE, PALM BAY AND MELBOURNE RIGHT AROUND 68 DEGREES. SO THE SETUP FOR TONIGHT INTO THE DAY TOMORROW COMFORTABLY COOL OUT THE DOOR IN THE MORNING, SUNNY AND PERFECT. AS WE GET YOU ON INTO THE AFTERNOON TUESDAY. GET OUT THERE AND ENJOY IT. A LOT OF YOU MAY BE TRYING TO MAKE IT A BEACH DAY. GO HAVE FUN, BUT JUST KNOW THAT THE RIP RISK IS STILL GOING TO BE ELEVATED THERE. HIGH TIDE, BY THE WAY, IS AT 3:00. LOW TIDE IS IN THE MORNING AT 830 FOR WATER. TEMPERATURES HAVE FALLEN BACK NOW INTO THE UPPER 70S. TEMPERATURES AT THE BEACHES TOMORROW. LOW 80S. YOU WORK YOUR WAY INLAND, AWAY FROM THE COAST. TEMPERATURES HERE RUNNING 83 TO ABOUT 86. AND IF THE ATTRACTIONS ARE YOUR THING, TOMORROW, YOU’RE GOING TO BE IN GREAT SHAPE. 70, 79, 83 DEGREES. ALL OF OUR BEAUTIFUL ATTRACTIONS ARE GOING TO BE SPLENDID TOMORROW, SO ENJOY! DON’T FORGET THE SUNBLOCK AND STAY HYDRATED. THERE’S WEDNESDAY, A LITTLE TROUGH OF LOW PRESSURE SNEAKING BY TO THE EAST, AND THEN A BACK DOOR FRONT KIND OF MOVES ON IN. FRESHENS UP THOSE GUSTY WINDS AND STIRS UP THE SEAS THERE. WE’LL WATCH THE RIP CURRENTS AND THE ELEVATED SURF THERE. THURSDAY ON INTO FRIDAY AS WE HEAD INTO THE WEEKEND. HIGH PRESSURE STILL NEARBY. SO ANOTHER GORGEOUS START TO THE WEEKEND. AND THEN LATE ON SUNDAY, MOISTURE STARTS TO CREEP BACK TO THE NORTH AND THE EAST. IF ANYBODY IS GOING TO HAVE RAIN, IT MIGHT BE POLK COUNTY, BUT I THINK THIS ONE WILL SETTLE ON IN OVERNIGHT SUNDAY AND THEN ON INTO MONDAY. SO FOR NOW, THE WEEKEND LOOKS GREAT. 84 AND 86 DEGREES RESPECTIVELY. NO MENTION OF ANY RAIN. AND AS WE HEAD INTO THE WEEKEND, THE MOUNTAINEERS ARE IN TOWN TO TAKE ON THE KNIGHTS. SUNNY. BREEZY. PLEASANT. AS WE GET YOU INTO THE AFTERNOON THERE ON SATURDAY. GAME TIME. KICKOFF TEMPERATURE COMING IN AT ABOUT 80. LORENZO. HERE’S THE UPDATED 11:00 ADVISORY WINDS NOW UP TO 60 MILES AN HOUR. A LITTLE BIT OF WIND SHEAR, BUT IT’S IT’S A FIGHTER. AND IT’S GOING TO GET AWFULLY CLOSE TO BECOMING A HURRICANE THEN MIGHT DO A LITTLE BIT OF A LOOP DE LOOP THERE. BUT WE’RE NOT TOO WORRIED ABOUT THAT. WHAT WE’RE GOING TO BE WATCHING, THOUGH, DOWN THE ROAD, IS ANOTHER DISTURBANCE HERE THAT WILL GET INTO THE CARIBBEAN. THE QUESTION IS, DOES IT GET PULLED TO THE NORTH OR DO THESE FRONTS KIND OF RIP IT APART? AND THAT’S WHY I WANT YOU TO KEEP CHECKING BACK IN. LAST WEEK OF OCTOBER, AT LEAST ONE MODEL ADVERTISING THE CHANCE FOR SOMETHING TO DEVELOP. MOST OF THEM, HOWEVER, ARE GOING DUE WEST. SO SEVEN DAY FORECAST THROUGH THE WEEKEND. DRY FOR THE MOST PART. MAYBE A QUICK SHOWER WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY W

    Tropical Storm Lorenzo formed out in the central tropical Atlantic on Monday, according to the National Hurricane Center. The storm is located approximately 1,180 miles west of the Cabo Verde Islands. Lorenzo is moving toward the northwest at about 13 mph, with a gradual slowdown expected through tonight, followed by a turn toward the north on Tuesday.The system has a minimum pressure of 999 mb and a maximum sustained wind speed of 60 mph. A gradual increase in intensity is possible by the middle of the week.Lorenzo is not expected to cause any threat to Florida. However, it is still something to monitor. There are no coastal watches or warnings currently in effect, according to the NHC. Spaghetti modelsHurricane season 2025The Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1 through Nov. 30. Stay with WESH 2 online and on-air for the most accurate Central Florida weather forecast.>> More: 2025 Hurricane Survival GuideThe First Warning Weather team includes First Warning Chief Meteorologist Tony Mainolfi, Eric Burris, Marquise Meda and Cam Tran.>> 2025 hurricane season | WESH long-range forecast

    Tropical Storm Lorenzo formed out in the central tropical Atlantic on Monday, according to the National Hurricane Center.

    The storm is located approximately 1,180 miles west of the Cabo Verde Islands.

    Lorenzo is moving toward the northwest at about 13 mph, with a gradual slowdown expected through tonight, followed by a turn toward the north on Tuesday.

    The system has a minimum pressure of 999 mb and a maximum sustained wind speed of 60 mph. A gradual increase in intensity is possible by the middle of the week.

    Lorenzo is not expected to cause any threat to Florida. However, it is still something to monitor.

    There are no coastal watches or warnings currently in effect, according to the NHC.

    Spaghetti models

    Hurricane season 2025

    The Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1 through Nov. 30. Stay with WESH 2 online and on-air for the most accurate Central Florida weather forecast.

    >> More: 2025 Hurricane Survival Guide

    The First Warning Weather team includes First Warning Chief Meteorologist Tony Mainolfi, Eric Burris, Marquise Meda and Cam Tran.

    >> 2025 hurricane season | WESH long-range forecast

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  • Development chances increase for Invest 97-L, NHC says

    Development chances increase for Invest 97-L, NHC says

    11 people were saved. Wow. Alright, let’s talk about what is going on. *** lot is happening on our coast. We’ve got *** launch out there. We know we’ve got very rough surf conditions out there. How is this weather going to impact that maybe? Well, as far as the launch taking off, we’re going to have *** 95% probability that we’re agreeing to go, right? So we’re past our wet weather days here in Central Florida, but the booster recovery is where we might run into some issues just due to the high wave heights out across the ocean. As we take you back inland though, perfect blue skies lie ahead of you tonight if you’re stepping outside in Orlando. This is probably the most sunshine I have seen in weeks, not even *** cloud in sight as temperatures are still sitting in the lower 80s. You’ll cool once again tonight, dropping down to the 60s, and that’s gonna be the general trend that we’ll carry over the next few days, but this morning in particular was the coolest that we had been. Since all the way back in the end of April, 165 days have passed since the last time we saw temperatures of 62 degrees or cooler, and that’s all due to this cold front that marched across Central Florida yesterday. Now we see the heavy rain showers swirling around. Area of low pressure or noreaster affecting the Carolinas, but for us in Central Florida it’s consistent dry and cool air that we’re filtering in and that’s gonna be the trend as we continue across the rest of the month of October and that’s typical for us here in Central Florida that we switch from our wet season. To our dry season as we’re midway through the fall season right now. So last year that transition was right on October 11th, so yesterday this time last year, and back in 2023, that transition was on October 14th. So we’re lining up with the climatology trends, but what we still have to be cognizant of are the rough surf conditions that exist across our coast. This is marineland in Flagler County where we see those elevated. Wave he’s still well after high tide and as we continue into the start of the work week, we’re gonna be watching out for the rough surf, the rip current threats, as well as any chance for any additional coastal flooding that coincides with those high tide times. As we head into the start of your work week though, notice this wave heights are going to be subsiding. We see those drops to 4 to 6 ft conditions on Tuesday, which is gonna be great news. Therefore, still tomorrow morning we’re gonna carry the threats of any. Coastal flooding. It’s *** coastal flooding advisory for Brevard, Volusia, and Flagler County as we enter your work week here back at home inland though, temperatures will crawl into the mid-60s overnight under these perfectly clear skies. Take *** moment to track the tropics. We’re still watching Invest 970, which was tagged in Invest by the National Hurricane Center yesterday. This could become our next tropical depression by the middle of the workweek as this. Cluster of showers and storms moving towards the north and the west at 22 MPH, still moving across warm Atlantic waters. What it’s going to do likely recurve towards the north courtesy of *** Bermuda high, remaining *** fish storm, but we’ll still keep our eyes on it as we can see that intensification ongoing. Weather impact for your golf round tomorrow? None whatsoever as we’ll have these perfectly clear skies to start off the work week. There may be *** stray chance for *** coastal. Hour on Tuesday heading into Wednesday, but ultimately it is going to be *** brilliant 7 day stretch just with cooler temperatures. Marion County will drop to the 50s. Lower 60s for Sumter as we head across the coast. It’ll be *** touch warmer tomorrow morning in the upper 60s, but ultimately there will be some very cool pockets of air across our north and westernmost communities here back in Orlando, pretty consistent sunshine all throughout your work week, and we’ll carry that into the weekend as well.

    The tropical wave in the Atlantic has upgraded to Invest 97-L on Saturday night, according to the National Hurricane Center. Tropical Wave Invest 97-LAs of 8 p.m. the wave is located 900 miles west-southwest of the Cabo Verde Islands. Showers and thunderstorms have increased.Environmental conditions are expected to become more favorable for further development in the next few days. A tropical depression is expected to form by the middle part of this week. The development is west-northwest then northwest at 15 to 20 mph across the central tropical Atlantic. Formation chance through 48 hours: 60%Formation chance through 7 days: 70%Hurricane season 2025The Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1 through Nov. 30. Stay with WESH 2 online and on-air for the most accurate Central Florida weather forecast.>> More: 2025 Hurricane Survival GuideThe First Warning Weather team includes First Warning Chief Meteorologist Tony Mainolfi, Eric Burris, Marquise Meda and Cam Tran.>> 2025 hurricane season | WESH long-range forecast

    CENTRAL FLORIDA, USA —

    The tropical wave in the Atlantic has upgraded to Invest 97-L on Saturday night, according to the National Hurricane Center.

    Tropical Wave Invest 97-L

    As of 8 p.m. the wave is located 900 miles west-southwest of the Cabo Verde Islands. Showers and thunderstorms have increased.

    Environmental conditions are expected to become more favorable for further development in the next few days.

    A tropical depression is expected to form by the middle part of this week.

    The development is west-northwest then northwest at 15 to 20 mph across the central tropical Atlantic.

    Formation chance through 48 hours: 60%

    Formation chance through 7 days: 70%

    This content is imported from Twitter.
    You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.

    Hurricane season 2025

    The Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1 through Nov. 30. Stay with WESH 2 online and on-air for the most accurate Central Florida weather forecast.

    >> More: 2025 Hurricane Survival Guide

    The First Warning Weather team includes First Warning Chief Meteorologist Tony Mainolfi, Eric Burris, Marquise Meda and Cam Tran.

    >> 2025 hurricane season | WESH long-range forecast

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  • Watches, warnings discontinued as Tropical Storm Jerry weakens

    Watches, warnings discontinued as Tropical Storm Jerry weakens

    CENTRAL FLORIDA IS AGAIN A HURRICANE HOTSPOT THIS YEAR. OH MY GOD. MAKE SURE THAT YOU’RE PREPARING FOR THE POTENTIAL THAT YOU MAY HAVE TO EVACUATE. WE’VE SEEN THE IMPACT OF CATASTROPHIC STORMS. EVERY LOT THAT’S EMPTY WAS SOMEBODY’S HOME FOR 100 YEAR FLOODS. FLOODS THAT AREN’T SUPPOSED TO HAPPEN FOR 100 YEARS HAVE HAPPENED FOUR TIMES IN THE LAST 6 TO 7 YEARS BEFORE, DURING AND AFTER A HURRICANE. THE WESH TWO FIRST WARNING WEATHER TEAM IS HERE TO HELP. WE’RE STICKING TO A BUDGET FOR YOUR HURRICANE KIT AND STAYING IN TOUCH WITH LOCAL LEADERS ABOUT THEIR PLANS TO KEEP YOU SAFE. WE’VE BEEN WORKING ON A PROCESS SINCE MILTON IN ORDER TO BETTER THE SERVICE THAT WE PROVIDE TO THE RESIDENTS. THE TIME TO PREPARE IS NOW. SURVIVING THE SEASON. THE 2020 HURRICANE SPECIAL. AS WE GET INTO THE THICK OF THE 2025 ATLANTIC HURRICANE SEASON, YOU SHOULD BE PREPARED TO TAKE ACTION IF AND WHEN A STORM HEADS OUR WAY. THANK YOU FOR JOINING US. I’M STEWART MOORE AND I’M MICHELLE IMPERATO. WE HAVE A LOT TO COVER WHEN IT COMES TO STORM PREPARATIONS AND WHERE TO GET HELP AFTER A HURRICANE. BUT FIRST, THIS SEASON COMES WITH A LOT OF UNKNOWNS. THE FEDERAL EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY, OR FEMA, STRUGGLED WITH BUDGET CUTS AND LAYOFFS THIS YEAR. THE FULL IMPACT REMAINS TO BE SEEN AS THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION WORKS TO OVERHAUL THE AGENCY. IN JANUARY, PRESIDENT TRUMP FLOATED THE IDEA OF GETTING RID OF FEMA AND SHIFTING FEMA’S RESPONSIBILITIES TO STATES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS. THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT ALSO CUT FUNDING FOR THE NATIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION, OR NOAA, WHICH PLAYS A BIG PART IN WEATHER FORECASTING. AND WHILE THE SITUATION WITH THE GOVERNMENT COULD CHANGE THE STEPS TO PREPARE FOR A HURRICANE ARE TRIED AND TRUE. SO THAT’S OUR FIRST WARNING. WEATHER TEAM IS FOCUSED RIGHT NOW, STARTING WITH CHIEF METEOROLOGIST TONY MAINOLFI. WITH THE 2025 HURRICANE SEASON OUTLOOK. AND HERE WE GO AGAIN. I TELL YOU WHAT, ONCE AGAIN, MICHELLE IT LOOKS ACTIVE. YOU TAKE A LOOK AT THE NUMBERS. NOW NOAA CAME OUT WITH THEIR OUTLOOK 13 TO 19 NAMED STORMS. COLORADO STATE RIGHT AROUND 17. YOU GO TO WESH 16 TO 20 AND THE NUMBER OF MAJOR HURRICANES. NOW GUYS RUNNING BETWEEN ABOUT 3 TO 6. AGAIN, THE NORMAL IS 14, NINE AND THREE. SO JUST ABOVE THE NORMAL THERE OVER THE LAST 20 YEARS, THAT’S SOMETHING WE’RE GOING TO BE WATCHING. THERE’S REALLY THREE MAIN FACTORS WHY WE THINK IT’S GOING TO BE ABOVE AVERAGE SEASON. YOU TAKE A LOOK AT THE WARMER THAN AVERAGE OCEAN WATER TEMPERATURES, ESPECIALLY IN THE GULF AND THE CARIBBEAN. THE FORECAST FOR WIND SHEAR LOOKS LOW. REMEMBER, THE STRONGER THE WINDS, THE GREATER THE SHEAR. THE WINDS DO APPEAR TO BE LOOKING LIGHT, AND THERE’S GOING TO BE MORE ACTION NOW FROM THE WEST AFRICAN MONSOON. THE MORE MOISTURE OFF THE WEST COAST, THE GREATER THE RISK THERE IS FOR THESE TROPICAL WAVES TO DEVELOP. SO WHAT I WANT TO SHOW YOU HERE IS THE NORMAL WATER TEMPERATURES VERSUS VERSUS WHERE WE ARE RIGHT NOW. AND WE ARE RUNNING ABOVE NORMAL IN THE GULF OF MEXICO AND IN THE CARIBBEAN. AND BEFORE JUNE. THIS IS THE AREA THAT WE LIKE TO WATCH. SO WE’LL BE WATCHING THAT INTENTLY, THOUGH FOR NOW WE ARE IN GOOD SHAPE. GUYS, BACK TO YOU. HURRICANE HELENE AND MILTON CAUSED WIDESPREAD DEVASTATION AFTER MAKING LANDFALL ON THE GULF COAST LAST YEAR. THIS DRONE VIDEO SHOWS THE DAMAGE ON ANNA MARIA ISLAND. THE STORMS ALSO PACKED A PUNCH FURTHER INLAND. METEOROLOGIST ERIC BURRIS REMINDS US HURRICANES ARE NOT JUST A CONCERN FOR THE COAST. LAST YEAR WAS A TOUGH LESSON FOR SO MANY THAT STORMS ARE CLEARLY NOT JUST COASTAL EVENTS. HELENE TRIGGERED LANDSLIDES AND FLOODING IN THE CAROLINAS, FAR FROM THE GULF COAST, WHERE IT MADE LANDFALL A FEW WEEKS LATER. DURING MILTON, FLAGLER COUNTY SUFFERED SOME OF THE GUSTIEST WINDS, EVEN THOUGH IT WAS FAR FROM THE CENTER OF THE STORM. THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE LOST POWER, AND ROUGH SURF ENTERED PEOPLE’S BACKYARDS. THERE CAN BE EFFECTS. HUNDREDS OF MILES OUTSIDE OF THAT CONE. FLAGLER COUNTY EMERGENCY MANAGER JONATHAN LORD SAYS MANY PEOPLE HAVE MOVED TO THE AREA IN RECENT MONTHS. HE WANTS NEWCOMERS TO KNOW IF A STORM HEADS ANYWHERE NEAR FLORIDA. THEY NEED TO BE READY. MOSTLY WITH PEOPLE MOVING IN FROM OUT OF STATE. WHO’VE NEVER EXPERIENCED A HURRICANE BEFORE. OR SOMETIMES I’M TOLD THEY HEAR FROM THE REALTORS THAT WE DON’T GET HURRICANES IN THIS PART OF THE STATE. DEFINITELY NOT TRUE. AS WE TRACK THE TROPICS THIS YEAR, THE NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER IS REMINDING EVERYONE THAT THE CONE, WHICH IS ONLY CONCERNED WITH THE CENTER OF THE STORM, IS JUST ONE PIECE OF THE PUZZLE. THE HAZARDS ARE INCREASINGLY FALLING OUTSIDE OF THE CONE. JAMIE RHOME, THE DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF THE NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER, SAYS THIS IS ACTUALLY FOR GOOD REASON. THE CONE HAS GOTTEN SMALLER AND SMALLER OVER TIME AS FORECAST ACCURACY HAS IMPROVED. LAST YEAR TO TRY AND BETTER COMMUNICATE IMPACTS COUNTY BY COUNTY. THE NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER ADDED ADVISORIES OVER TOP OF THE CONE TO INCLUDE THREATS OVER LAND, AS WELL AS COASTLINE. SO IMMEDIATELY WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE CONE, THE FIRST THING YOU SEE IS, IS ALL THIS COLOR AND HOW FAR INLAND IT GOES. SO WE THINK IT’S A BETTER WAY TO COMMUNICATE. YOUR BEST SHOT AT SURVIVING THE SEASON IS TO HAVE A HURRICANE KIT STOCKED AND READY TO GO. METEOROLOGIST KELLIANNE KLASS SHOWS US BEING PREPARED DOES NOT NEED TO BREAK THE BANK EVERY HURRICANE SEASON. WE ALWAYS TELL YOU TO HAVE A HURRICANE SUPPLY KIT, BUT LOCAL EMERGENCY MANAGERS ARE SAYING, LET’S GO AWAY WITH THE 72 HOUR SUPPLY KIT AND GO FOR A DISASTER SUPPLY KIT THAT CAN HAVE YOUR FAMILY BEING FED FOR UP TO FIVE DAYS OR EVEN LONGER. AND THAT CAN GET PRETTY HEAVY ON WALLETS. BUT TODAY WE’RE AT A LOCAL DOLLAR TREE AT 1792, IN FERN PARK TO SEE HOW MUCH WE CAN GET WITH $100, WE HAVE OUR LIST READY, AND NOW WE’RE GOING TO GO SEE HOW MUCH WE CAN GET. LET’S GO SHOPPING. OKAY, SO THE FIRST THING THAT WE’RE GOING TO DO IS STIR KNOWS THEY’RE IN THE PARTY SECTION. AND THESE ARE GOOD UP TO TWO HOURS. SO WE’RE GOING TO GET FIVE IN THIS AISLE WE HAVE TWO OPTIONS FOR LOSS OF POWER. THERE’S YOUR TRADITIONAL FLASHLIGHT. BUT YOU ALSO HAVE THE OPTION OF AN LED LANTERN. EXTRA BATTERIES SHOULD BE ON YOUR DISASTER KIT. AND THE DOLLAR STORE HAD PLENTY OF THEM. I DIDN’T HAVE THIS ON THE LIST, BUT YOU DO NEED A LIGHTER FOR THE STERNO, SO I’M GOING TO ADD THIS TO IT. AND IF YOU NEED CANDLES, THEY DO HAVE TEA, LIGHT CANDLES. IF YOU HAVE CHILDREN, MAKE SURE YOU HAVE ALL OF THEIR SUPPLIES STOCKED UP. WE GRABBED A FEW CHILDREN’S WIPES, WHICH COULD ALSO DOUBLE AS CLEANSING WIPES FOR ADULTS. THE DOLLAR STORE HAD DIAPERS IN STOCK, BUT FOR $6 PER PACKAGE, THE AMOUNT OF DIAPERS PER PACKAGE DEPENDS ON THE CHILDREN’S SIZE. BANDAGES ARE IMPORTANT TO HAVE IN ANY DISASTER KIT. WE PICKED UP SELF-ADHERING BANDAGE WRAP AND ADHESIVE BANDAGES. WE ALSO GRABBED ANTISEPTIC TO HELP CLEAN THE WOUNDS. IBUPROFEN IS GOING IN THE CART AS WELL. NOW WE’RE ON TO NONPERISHABLE FOOD. WE’RE IN THE SNACK AISLE AND NOW IS THE TIME TO GET SNACKS THAT YOU AND YOUR FAMILY MAY ENJOY. PEANUT BUTTER. NOW WE’RE ON TO SHELF STABLE ITEMS, SO THIS IS GOING TO BE YOUR CANNED MEATS, YOUR CANNED VEGETABLES, ANYTHING THAT CAN SIT ON A SHELF IN CASE YOU LOSE POWER. YOU MAY ALREADY HAVE ONE OF THESE A CAN OPENER, BUT THIS IS A REALLY CHEAP AND AFFORDABLE OPTION, AND WE’RE GOING TO BE OPENING A LOT OF CANS, DISPOSABLE PLATES. PLASTIC WARE AND PAPER TOWELS ARE GOOD TO STOCK UP ON TO. HELLO, HELLO. HOW ARE YOU? GOOD. YOU GOOD? TO ONE 1053. WE ENDED UP GOING ABOUT $10 OVER BUDGET, BUT I DID START OUR DISASTER KIT FROM SCRATCH. YOU PROBABLY ALREADY HAVE A LOT OF THESE ITEMS AT YOUR HOME ALREADY. AND I ALSO DID ADD A COUPLE OF ITEMS INTO MY BASKET THAT WERE NOT ON THE LIST. OVERALL, YOU SHOULD TAILOR YOUR DISASTER KIT TO YOU AND YOUR FAMILY’S NEEDS. ADD A GENERATOR TO YOUR SHOPPING LIST IF YOU NEED A BACKUP SOURCE FOR POWER, YOU MIGHT BE IN THE DARK FOR DAYS AFTER A BIG STORM. CHIEF METEOROLOGIST TONY MAINOLFI SHOWS US THE PROPER WAY TO USE A GENERATOR. HURRICANE SEASON IS HERE AND A LOT OF FOLKS ARE GOING TO START RUNNING THESE GENERATORS. WE WANT YOU TO KEEP THEM 20FT AWAY FROM YOUR HOUSE, NOT INSIDE YOUR GARAGE, TO PREVENT CARBON MONOXIDE POISONING. ALL RIGHT. THE NEXT THING IS GENERATOR MAINTENANCE. NUMBER ONE, YOU ALWAYS WANT TO RUN IT A COUPLE TIMES A YEAR TO MAKE SURE THERE’S NO LEFTOVER FUEL IN THERE. THAT’S NEVER GOOD FOR YOUR GENERATOR. AND WHEN YOU’RE DONE USING IT, YOU WANT TO MAKE SURE THERE IS NO FUEL IN THERE. OTHERWISE, YOUR GENERATOR MAY NOT START UP WHEN THE NEXT HURRICANE ARRIVES. AND FOLKS, PLEASE REMEMBER TO ALWAYS HAVE A CARBON MONOXIDE DETECTOR WHEN YOU’RE RUNNING YOUR GENERATOR. TIME AND TIME AGAIN. HURRICANES LEAD TO FLOODING HERE IN CENTRAL FLORIDA AFTER FLOODED AFTER IRMA IN 2017, THE ORLO VISTA COMMUNITY FLOODED DURING IAN IN 2022, AND RISING WATERS FROM MILTON FORCED PEOPLE OUT OF THEIR HOMES INTO LAND LAST YEAR. PROPERTY OWNERS DEALING WITH REPEAT FLOODING ARE READY TO GIVE UP THEIR LAND. METEOROLOGIST CAM TRAN LOOKED INTO A PROGRAM MANY COUNTIES OFFER WITH THE HELP OF FEDERAL DOLLARS, WHAT IS NOW A CORDONED OFF LOT IN SANFORD USED TO LOOK LIKE THIS A TWO STORY HOME BELONGING TO A LOCAL FAMILY. BUT AFTER YEARS OF SEEING THEIR HOME DAMAGED BY FLOODING, THE FAMILY SOLD THE PROPERTY TO SEMINOLE COUNTY. THIS PARTICULAR HOME BACK HERE WAS SEVERE REPETITIVE LOSS, WHICH MEANS THAT IT WAS SUSTAINING FLOOD DAMAGE OVER AND OVER AND OVER AGAIN. FEMA OFFERS GRANTS TO PROPERTY OWNERS WHO EXPERIENCE REPETITIVE DAMAGE FROM FLOODING. THE FUNDING IS DISTRIBUTED TO INDIVIDUAL COUNTIES, INCLUDING SEMINOLE COUNTY, SO THERE’S THREE PROGRAMS. THERE’S BUYBACK. SO WE BUY OUT AN ACQUISITION DEMOLISH. THERE’S ELEVATE. SO WE TAKE THE HOME AS IT IS AND ELEVATE. AND THEN THERE’S ELEVATE RECONSTRUCT. SO ELEVATE RECONSTRUCT WOULD BE A CONCRETE MASONRY BLOCK HOME. YOU CAN’T JUST PICK IT UP. SO IT WOULD REQUIRE US TO PICK IT UP. BUT WHILE WE’RE PICKING IT UP WE’RE CONSTRUCTING WE’RE DOING CONSTRUCTION THAT’S GOING TO COST MORE MONEY. ANY PROPERTY OWNER WHO WANTS TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THIS FEMA GRANT WILL NEED TO BE PATIENT. IT CAN TAKE MONTHS, EVEN YEARS, TO GET THAT FEDERAL FUNDING APPROVED. VOLUSIA COUNTY IS CONSIDERING A SIMILAR PROGRAM. IT WAS AWARDED $20 MILLION IN FEDERAL FUNDING TO BUY BACK FREQUENTLY FLOODED HOMES. WE CAN’T BUY THEM ALL, BUT THERE’S SOME THAT WOULD MAKE SENSE. DELAND ON TAYLOR AVENUE, THERE IS A HOME THAT’S ACTUALLY THE HOMEOWNERS COME TO US AND SAID, WOULD YOU WOULD YOU BUY US OUT? AND THEY SAY THAT WITH TEARS IN THEIR EYES. DONNA ROONEY HAD FOUR FEET OF WATER IN HER HOUSE AFTER HURRICANE MILTON. SHE HOPES TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THIS BUYBACK PROGRAM. THAT’S WHAT WE WANTED FROM THE BEGINNING. WE HAVE NO INTENTION OF REBUILDING OR REFURBISHING THIS HOME. HUD STILL NEEDS TO APPROVE THE PROGRAM BEFORE IT CAN TAKE EFFECT. NEXT, ON SURVIVING THE SEASON. OUR FIRST WARNING WEATHER TEAM SPENT MONTHS ANALYZING WEATHER PATTERNS AND PINPOINTING THE HOT SPOTS FOR A BIG STORM. PLUS, HOW TO IDENTIFY THE SAFEST PLACE TO HUNKER DOWN DURING A TORNADO AND THE FUNDING STILL AVAILABLE. IF YOUR HOME SUFFERED DAMAGE DURING HURRICANE IAN. NOT A LOT OF PEOPLE ARE ATTENDING THESE MEETINGS OR KNOW ABOUT THE PROGRAM, AND THAT’S A SHAME. ONE NEIGHBOR LOOKING TO REBUILD IS SPREADING THE WORD TO HELP OTHERS JUST LIKE HER. OVER THE PAST YEAR, OUR FIRST WARNING WEATHER TEAM HAS BEEN ANALYZING WEATHER PATTERNS TO PREDICT WHEN WE COULD GET A BIG STORM IN CENTRAL FLORIDA. METEOROLOGIST ERIC BURRIS WAS ABLE TO PREDICT WITH 85% ACCURACY LAST YEAR, WHERE BIG STORMS WENT AND WHEN THEY MADE LANDFALL. HE’S DOING IT AGAIN AND PRESENTS THIS YEAR’S LONG RANGE FORECAST. HEY, THAT’S RIGHT. THE OVERALL PATTERNS THIS YEAR CLEARLY SHOW THE GULF AS THE HOT SPOT FOR ACTIVITY YET AGAIN. BUT THE WAY MY LONG TERM FORECASTING WORKS IS LOOKING AT LONG TERM FORECASTING CYCLES. SO LET’S BREAK IT DOWN. THE FIRST PART OF THE PATTERN THAT WE WATCH IS THE NORTHERN GULF COAST, FOR WHAT SHOULD BE THE SLOW MOVING AREA OF LOW PRESSURE. EARLY JUNE, BUT IN PARTICULAR LATE JULY AND AROUND THE BEGINNING OF SEPTEMBER, THEN ALONG THE NORTHERN GULF COAST YET AGAIN, I’VE OBSERVED AN OVERALL WEATHER PATTERN SHOWING A STORM SYSTEM AGAIN MID JUNE, BUT MOREOVER, LATE JULY AND INTO EARLY SEPTEMBER. BUT TO BE HONEST WITH YOU, INTO THE PANHANDLE AND OUR WEST COAST, THE BIGGEST PART OF THE PATTERN I’M WATCHING FOR THREATS IN THIS AREA IS THIS ONE WITH AN AREA OF LOW PRESSURE THAT SEEMINGLY WANTS TO CROSS THE GULF AND WORK TOWARD OUR WEST COAST. SO WATCH THESE DATES VERY CLOSELY. LATE JUNE, EARLY AUGUST AND MID SEPTEMBER. AND LASTLY, OUT OF ALL THE DATA OVER THE MONTHS AND MONTHS OF GATHERING MY NUMBERS FOR THIS YEAR’S HURRICANE FORECAST, WHILE ABOVE AVERAGE, ARE NOT CALLING FOR A HYPERACTIVE SEASON. EITHER WAY, WE HAVE A CLEAR THREAT TO WATCH FOR, AND THUS WE’LL NEED TO KEEP OUR HEAD ON A SWIVEL. BUT KNOW THIS YOUR FIRST WARNING WEATHER TEAM WILL BE HERE WITH YOU EVERY STEP OF THE WAY. WHEN THERE’S A RISK FOR SEVERE WEATHER. THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ISSUES WATCHES AND WARNINGS. YOU’LL HEAR OUR FIRST WARNING WEATHER TEAM USE THESE TERMS A LOT. METEOROLOGIST MARQUISE MEDA EXPLAINS WHAT THEY MEAN. THINK OF IT LIKE COOKING PASTA. A WATCH IS WHEN YOU PUT A POT OF BOILING WATER ON THE STOVE. THE HEAT IS ON. CONDITIONS ARE FAVORABLE AND YOU’RE WAITING FOR SOMETHING TO HAPPEN. A WARNING MEANS THAT WATER IS BOILING AND IT’S TIME TO ADD THE PASTA. OR IN WEATHER TERMS, THE EVENT IS HAPPENING NOW AND YOU NEED TO TAKE ACTION IMMEDIATELY. JUST LIKE YOU DON’T WALK AWAY FROM A POT THAT’S HEATING UP, YOU SHOULD IGNORE A WATCH. CONDITIONS. THEY CAN CHANGE QUICKLY AND BEFORE YOU KNOW IT, THAT GENTLE SIMMER CAN TURN INTO A ROLLING BOIL. SO DURING A WATCH, STAY ALERT AND BE PREPARED. BUT IF IT’S A WARNING, BE PREPARED TO TAKE COVER. BECAUSE JUST LIKE A POT OF BOILING WATER, SEVERE WEATHER DOESN’T WAIT. BEFORE MILTON MADE LANDFALL IN FLORIDA LAST YEAR, THE STORM SPAWNED MANY TORNADOES, INCLUDING ONE IN BREVARD COUNTY. THIS VIDEO SHOWS SOME OF THE DAMAGE IT CAUSED. METEOROLOGIST CAM TRAN EXPLAINS WHERE YOU SHOULD TAKE COVER IN A TORNADO. THE SAFEST PLACE TO GO DURING A TORNADO WARNING IS TO THE LOWEST FLOOR OF YOUR HOUSE. MAKE SURE THAT AREA IS NOT CONNECTED TO ANY EXTERIOR WALLS OR WINDOWS. YOUR SAFE ROOM COULD BE A CLOSET, A BATHROOM, OR EVEN A HALLWAY LIKE THIS ONE. BUT IN THIS HOUSE, THE SAFEST ROOM TO BE IN IS ACTUALLY THIS INTERIOR BATHROOM. IT IS AWAY FROM ANY EXTERIOR WALLS OR WINDOW, AND IT’S THE MOST INTERIOR ROOM OF THIS HOUSE. IF YOU LIVE IN AN APARTMENT BUILDING OR YOU’RE WORKING AT AN OFFICE HIGHRISE, SIMILAR RULES APPLY. GO TO THE BOTTOM AND THE LOWEST FLOOR OF YOUR BUILDING. AND IF YOU CAN’T GO TO AN INTERIOR HALLWAY. AS WE PREPARE FOR THE NEXT BIG STORM, MANY HOMEOWNERS ARE STILL TRYING TO RECOVER FROM PAST DISASTERS. CHIEF METEOROLOGIST TONY MAINOLFI SHOWS US A PROGRAM RIGHT HERE IN ORANGE COUNTY THAT’S HELPING FOLKS GET BACK ON THEIR FEET. THE ORANGE COUNTY RECOVERS PROGRAM HAS SET ASIDE $59 MILLION TO HELP RESIDENTS OF ORANGE COUNTY AND ITS MUNICIPALITIES REPAIR, REBUILD AND REPLACE ELIGIBLE HOMES WITH REMAINING DAMAGE FROM HURRICANE IAN. IT IS A GRANT, SO THAT’S GOOD NEWS FOR EVERYBODY. IT’S NOT ALONE. FOLKS ARE ABLE TO APPLY FOR THESE FUNDS AND CAN DO SO UNTIL THE MONEY RUNS OUT. SHERI JILLIAN WITH THE DISASTER RECOVERY TEAM, EXPLAINS WHO’S ELIGIBLE. NUMBER ONE, YOU MUST HAVE OWNED THE PROPERTY AND RESIDED IN THE PROPERTY AS YOUR PRIMARY RESIDENCE, SO OWNED PRIOR TO IAN, AND STILL OCCUPY THE RESIDENCE AS YOUR PRIMARY RESIDENCE, YOU MUST BE A LOW TO MODERATE INCOME INDIVIDUAL, WHICH IS 80% AMI. YOU MUST HAVE A CURRENT MORTGAGE AND TAXES ON THE PROPERTY. ONCE ELIGIBILITY HAS BEEN APPROVED, THE DAMAGE ASSESSMENT WILL BE DETERMINED. FROM THERE, THE HOMEOWNER WILL THEN BE GIVEN SOME MONEY SO THAT THE REPAIRS CAN BE MADE ON THEIR HOME, AND THEY CAN HOPEFULLY GET THEIR LIVES BACK IN ORDER. DEBBY RYAN LIVES IN ORLO VISTA. IT WAS LIKE A RIVER AND IT WAS VERY FAST MOVING AND EVERYTHING. SHE GAVE US A TOUR OF HER HOME WHICH FLOODED DURING HURRICANE IAN IN 2022. THIS WAS ALL WATER. WATER WAS UP TO THAT SECOND STEP AND THAT WAS ON FRIDAY. SO I DON’T KNOW HOW HIGH IT WAS BEFORE THEN AND ALL THAT HIGH WATER DEVASTATED THE INSIDE OF MANY PEOPLE’S HOMES. FLOORING IS COMING APART, PLUMBING FOR LAUNDRY ROOMS IS DAMAGED. THERE’S MOLD INSIDE HOMES AND IN SOME CASES, MOBILE HOMES WERE DESTROYED AND HAD TO BE TAKEN AWAY. RYAN IS APPLYING FOR THE COUNTY’S PROGRAM AND WANTS TO MAKE SURE HER NEIGHBORS KNOW ABOUT IT, TOO. THERE’S 6000 PEOPLE THAT LIVE IN ORLO VISTA. YOU SAW HOW FEW PEOPLE WERE THERE. THEY’RE DOING EVERYTHING THEY CAN TO HELP PEOPLE. THE ONLY CONCERN I HAVE IS THAT NOT A LOT OF PEOPLE ARE ATTENDING THESE MEETINGS OR KNOW ABOUT THE PROGRAM, AND THAT’S A SHAME. THERE ARE TWO WAYS TO APPLY FOR FUNDING. WE POSTED THAT INFORMATION ON OUR WEBSITE, WESH.COM. UNDER THE HURRICANE TAB. TRIM THE TREES, CLEAR YOUR YARD, FILL YOUR GAS TANK. THESE ARE ALL STANDARD THINGS WE DO TO PREPARE FOR A HURRICANE. METEOROLOGIST KELLIANNE KLASS REMINDS US NOT TO FORGET ABOUT THE SMALLER TASKS THAT CAN MAKE LIFE A LOT LESS STRESSFUL. IF YOU LOSE POWER OR ACCESS TO CLEAN WATER. WASH YOUR DISHES AND DO YOUR LAUNDRY. FILL UP ANY PRESCRIPTIONS YOU MAY NEED. IF YOU HAVE A DOG, MAKE SURE TO GET SOME PEE PADS. IT COULD BE A WHILE BEFORE THEY CAN GET OUTSIDE AND MAKE SURE YOU HAVE ENOUGH FOOD, WATER, AND LITTER FOR YOUR PET. CHARGE ANY ELECTRONIC DEVICES AND CHARGE BANKS. WALK THROUGH YOUR HOME AND TAKE VIDEO OF EVERYTHING. IT WILL HELP YOU IF YOU NEED TO MAKE A CLAIM LATER. FILL PLASTIC BAGS WITH WATER AND FREEZE THEM BEFORE THE STORM. OH, AND DON’T FORGET TO COOLER. DON’T WAIT UNTIL A STORM IS COMING TO CHECK YOUR INSURANCE. UP NEXT, THE SPECIFIC PROTECTIONS YOU SHOULD LOOK FOR IN YOUR HOME INSURANCE POLICY. AND SANDBAGS CAN KEEP THE WATER OUT, BUT ONLY WHEN USED CORRECTLY. WE GET OUR HANDS DIRTY, SHOWING YOU THE FASTEST AND EASIEST WAY TO FILL. YOU MAY HAVE HEARD YOU SHOULD CHECK YOUR INSURANCE BEFORE A BIG STORM HITS. FIRST WARNING, METEOROLOGIST CAM TRAN EXPLAINS WHAT SHOULD BE IN THE FINE PRINT. REVIEW YOUR HOMEOWNER’S POLICY BY LOOKING AT THE DECLARATION PAGE. THAT’S WHERE YOU’LL FIND YOUR COVERAGE LIMITS AND DEDUCTIBLES. EXPERTS SAY THE COST OF CONSTRUCTION HAS GONE UP IN RECENT YEARS, SO YOU MAY HAVE A SHORTFALL IN COVERAGE IF YOU HAVEN’T UPDATED YOUR POLICY IN A WHILE. IT’S ALSO HIGHLY RECOMMENDED TO GET FLOOD INSURANCE, EVEN IF YOU DON’T LIVE IN A FLOOD ZONE. THIS IS NOT INCLUDED IN YOUR TRADITIONAL HOME POLICY. EXPERTS HIGHLY RECOMMEND FLOOD INSURANCE EVEN IN CENTRAL FLORIDA, ESPECIALLY AFTER WE SAW SIGNIFICANT FLOODING DURING HURRICANES IAN AND MILTON. YOU MAY ALSO WANT TO GET YOUR INSURANCE POLICIES IN PLACE AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. ONCE A WATCH OR WARNING HAS BEEN ISSUED, YOU CAN NO LONGER ADD OR CHANGE A HOMEOWNER’S POLICY FOR FLOOD INSURANCE POLICY. IT’S EVEN LONGER. IT TAKES 30 DAYS TO TAKE EFFECT. SANDBAGS ARE OFTEN THE FIRST LINE OF DEFENSE IN PROTECTING YOUR HOME FROM RISING WATERS, BUT MANY PEOPLE DON’T KNOW HOW TO FILL THEM UP OR LAY THEM DOWN PROPERLY. FIRST WARNING METEOROLOGIST MARQUISE MEDA SHOWS US THE MOST EFFICIENT WAY TO USE SANDBAGS. EVERY YEAR A STORM SEASON APPROACHES. WE COVER SANDBAG DISTRIBUTION SITES ACROSS THE REGION. HOMEOWNERS LINE UP EAGER TO FILL UP SANDBAGS TO PROTECT THEIR HOME FROM RISING WATERS. SO WE PROVIDE THE BAGS, WE PROVIDE THE SAND. WE PROVIDE THE MECHANISM. THE RESIDENTS HAVE TO PROVIDE THEIR THEIR ENERGY AND AND THEIR THEIR BODY STRENGTH TO DO THIS. I GOT HANDS ON TRAINING WITH THE ORANGE COUNTY PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT. WE ROLLED UP OUR SLEEVES AND GOT TO WORK. IT’S 3 OR 4 SHOVEL FULLS. YOU DO NOT WANT TO FILL THE BAGS ALL THE WAY TO THE TOP. YOU WANT TO LEAVE SOME SPACE IN ORDER TO TIE THEM OFF. SHOVELING INTO THE BAG CAN BE TRICKY. SO THE COUNTY MADE FUNNELS TO HELP OUT. SO THESE ARE OUR OLD SAFETY CONES THAT WE’VE HAD SITTING ON A SHELF. TURN THEM UPSIDE DOWN AND THEY MAKE A WONDERFUL FUNNEL. OFFICIALS SAY FUNNELING SAND TAKES LESS TIME THAN SHOVELING. SO THIS METHOD COULD GET THE LINE MOVING AND PEOPLE CAN GET HOME FASTER. TO MY SURPRISE, THE BAGS WEIGHED LESS THAN I EXPECTED BECAUSE THEY’RE NOT FILLED TO THE BRIM. THEY’RE MUCH EASIER TO PICK UP. THEY ARE ABOUT 10 TO 12 POUNDS EACH. IF YOU FILLED IT CORRECTLY, YOU’LL GET TEN SANDBAGS PER RESIDENT. TEN SANDBAGS CAN DO A LOT. THEY WILL TYPICALLY COVER THE AVERAGE SLIDING GLASS DOOR. THE FRONT OF A GARAGE DOOR. PLACEMENT IS KEY AND SO IS PROPER LAYERING. ONCE YOU PLACE THE SANDBAGS, YOU WANT TO STACK THEM IN 2 TO 3 LAYERS. MAKE SURE THAT NO WATER CAN SEEP THROUGH SO WE OFFSET THEM. WE GO STACK THEM OFFSET. SO YOU LAY YOUR FIRST FOUNDATION DOWN AND THEN YOU OFFSET ON TOP AND OVER ON TOP OF THE OTHER ONE. WHEN THE NEXT BIG STORM HEADS YOUR WAY, YOU CAN EXPECT FREE SANDBAG LOCATIONS TO OPEN IN JUST ABOUT EVERY CENTRAL FLORIDA COUNTY. WESH TWO IS COMMITTED TO HELPING YOU GET READY FOR WHATEVER COMES OUR WAY THIS HURRICANE SEASON. RIGHT NOW ON WESH.COM, YOU CAN FIND OUR 2025 HURRICANE SURVIVAL GUIDE. IT BREAKS DOWN IN DETAIL EVERYTHING YOU SHOULD DO BEFORE, DURING, AND AFTER A BIG STORM. AND IT’S FREE FROM THE WESH TWO NEWS AND FIRST WARNING WEATHER TEAM. THANKS FOR WATCHING. STAY SAFE THIS HURRICANE SEASON.

    Watches, warnings discontinued as Tropical Storm Jerry weakens

    Updated: 12:12 AM EDT Oct 11, 2025

    Editorial Standards ⓘ

    Tropical Storm Jerry is weakening in the Atlantic, according to the National Hurricane Center. >> Video above: A hurricane special from WESH 2All watches and warnings have been discontinued, the NHC said. Jerry was initially forecast to strengthen into a hurricane; however, the system is struggling and beginning to pull away from the Northern Leeward Islands. For parts of the northern Leeward Islands, the Virgin Islands, and eastern Puerto Rico, Jerry may result in an additional 1 to 2 inches of rain.This rainfall is not expected to cause any additional flash flooding concerns, NHC says. Maximum sustained winds: 60 mphMinimum central pressure: 1004 mb >> Subscribe to the WESH 2 YouTube channel Watches and Warnings All watches and warnings have been discontinued. Hurricane season 2025The Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1 through Nov. 30. Stay with WESH 2 online and on-air for the most accurate Central Florida weather forecast.>> More: 2025 Hurricane Survival GuideThe First Warning Weather team includes First Warning Chief Meteorologist Tony Mainolfi, Eric Burris, Marquise Meda and Cam Tran.>> 2025 hurricane season | WESH long-range forecast

    Tropical Storm Jerry is weakening in the Atlantic, according to the National Hurricane Center.

    >> Video above: A hurricane special from WESH 2

    All watches and warnings have been discontinued, the NHC said.

    Jerry was initially forecast to strengthen into a hurricane; however, the system is struggling and beginning to pull away from the Northern Leeward Islands.

    For parts of the northern Leeward Islands, the Virgin Islands, and eastern Puerto Rico, Jerry may result in an additional 1 to 2 inches of rain.

    This rainfall is not expected to cause any additional flash flooding concerns, NHC says.

    Maximum sustained winds: 60 mph

    Minimum central pressure: 1004 mb

    >> Subscribe to the WESH 2 YouTube channel

    Watches and Warnings

    All watches and warnings have been discontinued.

    Hurricane season 2025

    The Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1 through Nov. 30. Stay with WESH 2 online and on-air for the most accurate Central Florida weather forecast.

    >> More: 2025 Hurricane Survival Guide

    The First Warning Weather team includes First Warning Chief Meteorologist Tony Mainolfi, Eric Burris, Marquise Meda and Cam Tran.

    >> 2025 hurricane season | WESH long-range forecast

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  • Israeli military says ceasefire agreement in Gaza has taken effect

    A ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas for the Gaza Strip came into effect at noon local time, the Israeli military said Friday, adding that troops were withdrawing to agreed-upon deployment lines. The announcement came hours after Israel’s Cabinet approved President Donald Trump’s plan for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, the release of the remaining hostages and of Palestinian prisoners.Tens of thousands of people who had gathered in Wadi Gaza in central Gaza in the morning started walking north after the military’s announcement at noon local time. Beforehand, Palestinians reported heavy shelling in parts of Gaza throughout Friday morning.The Israeli Cabinet’s approval of Trump’s plan marks a key step toward ending a ruinous two-year war that has destabilized the Middle East.A brief statement from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office early Friday said the Cabinet approved the “outline” of a deal to release the hostages, without mentioning other aspects of the plan that are more controversial.An Israeli security official, speaking on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the withdrawal, said the military would control around 50% of Gaza in their new positions.Shelling continues through early hoursAfter the Cabinet approval, Gaza residents reported intensified shelling well into Friday morning.In central Gaza’s Nuseirat refugee camp, Mahmoud Sharkawy, one of the many people sheltering there after being displaced from Gaza City, said artillery shelling intensified in the early hours.“The shelling has significantly increased today,” said Sharkawy, adding that low flying military aircraft had been flying over central Gaza.In northern Gaza, two Gaza City residents told The Associated Press that bombing had been ongoing since the early hours, mostly artillery shelling.The managing director of Shifa hospital, Rami Mhanna, said the shelling in southern and northern Gaza City had not stopped following the Israeli Cabinet’s approval of the ceasefire plan.“It is confusing, we have been hearing shelling all night despite the ceasefire news,” said Heba Garoun, who fled her home in eastern Gaza City to another neighborhood in the city after her house was destroyed.Details of the dealA senior Hamas official and lead negotiator made a speech Thursday laying out what he said were the core elements of the ceasefire deal: Israel releasing around 2,000 Palestinian prisoners, opening the border crossing with Egypt, allowing aid to flow and Israeli forces withdrawing.Khalil al-Hayya said all women and children held in Israeli jails will also be freed. He did not offer details on the extent of the Israeli withdrawal from Gaza.Al-Hayya said the Trump administration and mediators had given assurances that the war is over, and that Hamas and other Palestinian factions will now focus on achieving self-determination and establishing a Palestinian state.“We declare today that we have reached an agreement to end the war and the aggression against our people,” Al-Hayya said in a televised speech Thursday evening.To help support and monitor the ceasefire deal, U.S. officials said they would send about 200 troops to Israel as part of a broader, international team. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss details not authorized for release.

    TEL AVIV, Israel —

    A ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas for the Gaza Strip came into effect at noon local time, the Israeli military said Friday, adding that troops were withdrawing to agreed-upon deployment lines. The announcement came hours after Israel’s Cabinet approved President Donald Trump’s plan for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, the release of the remaining hostages and of Palestinian prisoners.

    Tens of thousands of people who had gathered in Wadi Gaza in central Gaza in the morning started walking north after the military’s announcement at noon local time. Beforehand, Palestinians reported heavy shelling in parts of Gaza throughout Friday morning.

    The Israeli Cabinet’s approval of Trump’s plan marks a key step toward ending a ruinous two-year war that has destabilized the Middle East.

    A brief statement from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office early Friday said the Cabinet approved the “outline” of a deal to release the hostages, without mentioning other aspects of the plan that are more controversial.

    An Israeli security official, speaking on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the withdrawal, said the military would control around 50% of Gaza in their new positions.

    Shelling continues through early hours

    After the Cabinet approval, Gaza residents reported intensified shelling well into Friday morning.

    In central Gaza’s Nuseirat refugee camp, Mahmoud Sharkawy, one of the many people sheltering there after being displaced from Gaza City, said artillery shelling intensified in the early hours.

    “The shelling has significantly increased today,” said Sharkawy, adding that low flying military aircraft had been flying over central Gaza.

    In northern Gaza, two Gaza City residents told The Associated Press that bombing had been ongoing since the early hours, mostly artillery shelling.

    The managing director of Shifa hospital, Rami Mhanna, said the shelling in southern and northern Gaza City had not stopped following the Israeli Cabinet’s approval of the ceasefire plan.

    “It is confusing, we have been hearing shelling all night despite the ceasefire news,” said Heba Garoun, who fled her home in eastern Gaza City to another neighborhood in the city after her house was destroyed.

    Details of the deal

    A senior Hamas official and lead negotiator made a speech Thursday laying out what he said were the core elements of the ceasefire deal: Israel releasing around 2,000 Palestinian prisoners, opening the border crossing with Egypt, allowing aid to flow and Israeli forces withdrawing.

    Khalil al-Hayya said all women and children held in Israeli jails will also be freed. He did not offer details on the extent of the Israeli withdrawal from Gaza.

    Al-Hayya said the Trump administration and mediators had given assurances that the war is over, and that Hamas and other Palestinian factions will now focus on achieving self-determination and establishing a Palestinian state.

    “We declare today that we have reached an agreement to end the war and the aggression against our people,” Al-Hayya said in a televised speech Thursday evening.

    To help support and monitor the ceasefire deal, U.S. officials said they would send about 200 troops to Israel as part of a broader, international team. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss details not authorized for release.

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