Palm Beach County news: Spaghetti models explained, chef wins on Guy Fieri show; Python Challenge results
Hurricane season 2025: How to read the spaghetti models that are all over social media
Supercomputers gobble up tens of billions of clues to predict the path of a hurricane, everything from the smallest raindrop to the most raucous thunderstorm, temperatures from the sea's surface to the underbelly of space and the directions of light breezes to gale force winds.
The data is crunched and a 'spaghetti' model is produced.
A decade of over-achieving storms have made the models water cooler fodder; is the Euro better than the American? What's that one rogue line mean?
Hurricane experts say divining the spaghetti models is best left to the National Hurricane Center whose meteorologists are trained to know their biases, strengths and weaknesses.
Because each colorful squiggle can carry the weight of the forecast, or mean very little.
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Palm Beach County chef triumphs on Guy Fieri's 'Grocery Games.' Where to find her desserts
It was a Palm Beach County pastry pro showdown as Blackbird Modern Asian's Denise Elrod and Ganache Bakery-Café's Jamal Lake went whisk-to-whisk on Guy's Grocery Games Wednesday night, Aug. 13.
Elrod churned red wine vinegar into ice cream and turned teamwork into a $20,000 win on the national cooking show.
Forgetting a key acid for her dessert, she improvised with a pantry staple and the daring result sealed the victory.
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Florida Python Challenge winner nabbed 60 pythons and she's just 4'11"
More than 900 people participated in the 2025 Python Challenge, a 10-day hunt in the steamy South Florida heat that this year made history on two fronts with the first woman to win the grand prize and the most total snakes caught since the competition began in 2013.
The winners of the contest were announced Aug. 13, including Taylor Stanberry, who at 4-feet, 11-inches tall is taking home the grand prize of $10,000 for catching 60 snakes.
Stanberry, 29, is the first woman to win the grand prize in Florida's Python Challenge.
Overall, the catches were also monumental this year with 294 pythons captured — the most in the contest's history.
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Diamond Walker is a journalist at The Palm Beach Post, part of the USA TODAY Florida Network. You can reach her at dkwalker@gannett.com. Help support our journalism. Subscribe today
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Palm Beach County news: Spaghetti models; chef wins on Food Network
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CBS News
an hour ago
- CBS News
Cold Front Brings Showers to Maryland as Erin Stays Offshore
A cold front moving across Maryland today will bring showers and a few rumbles of thunder before pushing through tonight, setting the stage for cooler, breezier conditions as Hurricane Erin tracks well offshore. Low clouds and drizzle lingered across parts of Maryland this morning, while scattered showers developed in the mountains. As the front edges closer, additional showers and thunderstorms are expected this afternoon and evening. While a couple of storms could briefly turn stronger in western Maryland, widespread severe weather isn't expected. By tonight, showers will spread across much of the state with low clouds and patchy fog developing again. Overnight temperatures will dip into the mid-60s to low 70s, a bit cooler in the higher terrain. Thursday will feel noticeably different as Erin passes offshore. The storm won't make landfall in Maryland, but its wide circulation will send gusty north to northeast winds into the region. Along the Chesapeake Bay and especially at the beaches, gusts could reach 30 to 35 mph. A wind advisory is in effect for the Maryland coastline, where high waves, minor coastal flooding, beach erosion, and dangerous rip currents are expected. Temperatures will also take a step down Thursday, with highs mainly in the mid-70s to low 80s, cooler in the mountains. By Friday, conditions turn drier with more sunshine, lighter winds, and highs edging back toward the upper 70s and low 80s. Looking toward the weekend, high pressure briefly settles in before another cold front approaches. Saturday should stay seasonable and mostly dry, but scattered showers and storms could pop west of the Blue Ridge. Sunday brings the best chance for showers and thunderstorms as the next front arrives, with a few storms potentially turning strong. By early next week, the front clears the state, ushering in a stretch of lower humidity and plenty of sunshine. Highs will hold in the upper 70s to low 80s by Tuesday, but with refreshing dew points dropping into the 50s. For now, the biggest concern remains along the coast, where Hurricane Erin's offshore track will churn up the surf. Beachgoers should expect rough seas and avoid swimming as dangerous rip currents build through Thursday.
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Erin to bring 'classic' hurricane swell to South Florida surfers but danger to regular beachgoers
Hurricane Erin will miss South Florida, sparing the Sunshine State the worst of its bluster and bringing a rare gift to wave hungry surfers as its bloated wind field pushes a healthy pulse of energy to the coast. Already, an unpredictable slot swell funneled through the Providence Channel slipping under Grand Bahama to reach parts of Palm Beach County's summer-dulled coastline. And as the first hurricane of the 2025 season moves northeast of the limestone islands that otherwise block much of the Gold Coast from far off waves, more ideal surf conditions are forecast to filter in. 'This should be a proper swell,' said Brandon Andrews, supervisor for Palm Beach County Ocean Rescue North. "All indicators are pointing toward ideal conditions." Hurricane Erin brings ideal swells for surfing in Florida Erin is far enough away from Florida that its wind energy is pumped into the ocean like a hand pressing into a waterbed sending uniform lines of salty blue corduroy to the coast. Storms whose wind fields are closer to the state, or strafing over the state, tend to make more sloppy waves, with choppy whitecapped peaks slapping into the beach in unruly spasms. A forecast for offshore winds on Thursday into Friday — another function of Erin's northeasterly path — means a smoother ocean's surface just off the beach, turning waves into glassy lumps until they break into a white froth. More: What to know about dangerous Florida rip currents, how to escape if you're caught in one ▶Weather alerts via text: Sign up to get updates about current storms and weather events by location 'This is a great scenario for several days of a classic pumping hurricane swell all up and down the east coast,' said James Wieland, a surfer and meteorologist for WPTV Channel 5, in his surf forecast. 'Expect lots of closeouts, but there will be some gems rolling through at the right break.' A closeout is when a wave curls and crashes all at once — sending a surfer tumbling or shooting straight into the beach — instead of crumbling uniformly north or south like a coat being unzipped, keeping the face of the wave open and ridable. Wieland is predicting the swell will reach Martin County on Wednesday and push into northern Palm Beach County late Wednesday into Thursday. It should reach at least to central Palm Beach County late Thursday into Friday. 'It now looks like the swell will last through the weekend!' Wieland wrote. Regular beachgoers in Florida need to realize the dangers in the water due to swells, rip currents caused by Hurricane Erin But an ideal set up for surfing isn't great for the safety of regular beachgoers who see calm blue skies and rolling waves not realizing the dangers in the water. It can be especially troublesome this time of year when tourists whose schools don't start until after Labor Day are having their last summer hurrah. Hurricane Erin is forecast to be about 1,400 miles northeast of South Florida on Saturday, closer to Nova Scotia than the Sunshine State, but Palm Beach County could still be feeling the effects. The National Weather Service in Miami issued a high surf advisory through noon Saturday and extended the high risk of rip currents through Saturday night for county beaches reflecting Erin's far-reaching ripples that surfers crave but make lifeguards anxious. 'One of the biggest problems for us is trying to message a threat that's offshore and not readily seen,' said Sammy Hadi, an NWS meteorologist based in Miami. 'It's a beautiful day, it's hot, and it seems like it's great for a swim but under the water can be very deadly.' Already this week, about 60 people had to be rescued from rip currents at Wrightsville Beach in North Carolina as Hurricane Erin-driven waves reach the shore, according to the Wilmington Star-News. More: 2025 Hurricane Season Guide: Storm preparedness tips, supply list, evacuation zones Another person was rescued from rip currents at a South Carolina beach, and a dozen rip currents were reported at South Carolina and Georgia beaches Aug. 18, the National Weather Service in Charleston, South Carolina, said. This year, 61 people nationwide, including 13 in Florida, have died in rip currents or other ocean related incidents such as high surf, according to the National Weather Service. In April, two Palm Beach County teenagers drowned in different ocean incidents. Oliver Vasquez-Perez, 17, died in a rip current near the Lake Worth Beach pier. Jerry Hyppolite, 13, drowned in waters off Fort Lauderdale. Rip currents have become enough of a concern to the National Hurricane Center that it started producing its own rip current risk maps this year to highlight coastal risks produced by storms that can be hundreds of miles away. The closest the center of Hurricane Erin will be to Palm Beach County is about 450 miles. As of early Wednesday, Erin was 645 miles east-southeast of Cape Hatteras. Its hurricane-force winds extended outward 90 miles from its center with tropical storm-force winds extending a yawning 265 miles. That's twice as large as it was earlier this week, said WPLG-TV hurricane expert Michael Lowry in his Tuesday morning forecast. If Erin regains Category 3 strength — it was down to a 100 mph Cat 2 on Tuesday afternoon — Lowry said it would be the largest major hurricane since Fiona in September 2022. Erin is not just the first hurricane of the 2025 hurricane season, which runs June 1 through Nov. 30, it also is notable for its extreme rapid intensification, gaining 85 mph in 24 hours to briefly become a Category 5 storm. It was preceded by tropical storms Andrea, Barry, Chantal and Dexter. Forecasts this season mostly call for above average activity with Colorado State University expecting 11 more named storms after Erin. In Palm Beach County this week, breaking wave heights are forecast to reach up to eight feet with seas swelling to nine feet. In addition to the high surf advisory and rip current risk, there is also a small craft advisory in effect for Plam Bekach County through Thursday, but that could be extended. 'Swimming is not advised for the next couple of days,' Andrews said, emphasizing that swimmers should heed lifeguard warnings and stay out of the water when red and double red flags are flying. 'We do get people from all over the world, and they run right in because they are just excited to be here.' Behind Erin, the NHC is watching two tropical waves. One near the Leeward Islands has a 10% chance of formation over two days and a 60% chance over seven days. Another, which was designated Invest AL99, is about 100 miles south of the Cabo Verde Islands with a 40% chance of becoming something tropical over both two and seven days. Neither is a threat to the mainland U.S. at this point. The next names on the 2025 hurricane list are Fernand and Gabrielle. What is a rip current? Rip currents are powerful, concentrated channels of water flowing quickly away from shore, most often found at low spots or breaks in the sandbar and near structures such as jetties and piers. How do rip currents work? Rip currents form when incoming waves create an underwater sandbar. The waves push more water between the sandbar and the shore until it collapses and the water rushes back to the sea through a narrow gap, where it starts to spread out. How to spot rip currents? They can be difficult to see when you're in the water as the ocean over them can still be smooth. Rip currents often form during or after stormy weather but can form on bright, sunny days just as easily since the weather isn't really what's causing them. Rip currents can be found at any beach with waves, at any time. What should you do if you're caught in a rip current? By far the most important thing to do is to stay calm and float. They can be scary, but rip currents will only pull you along, they won't pull you under the water. The biggest danger is tiring yourself out. Don't panic or thrash about. Don't bother trying to fight the current. You may be able to get out of the current by swimming with it parallel to the shore (or just floating or treading water) until it fades or circulates back to shore, and then you can swim to the beach. You also can try swimming with the current toward breaking waves, where you may be able to swim for shore. If you can't reach the shore or you're being pulled farther out to sea, or you're getting tired, draw attention to yourself by waving or shouting for help. Palm Beach Post digital strategy editor Laura Lordi contributed to this report. Kimberly Miller is a journalist for The Palm Beach Post, part of the USA Today Network of Florida. She covers real estate, weather, and the environment. Subscribe to The Dirt for a weekly real estate roundup. If you have news tips, please send them to kmiller@ Help support our local journalism: Subscribe today. This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Hurricane Erin tracker: Ideal weather for surfing in South Florida
CBS News
3 hours ago
- CBS News
Heavy rain falls in parts of North Texas Wednesday morning ahead of another heat advisory
Amid the hottest stretch of weather of the 2025 so far, morning commutes in parts of North Texas were slowed by heavy rain. The rain started to the northwest of the Metroplex and moved south and east, from Wise County into Denton, Tarrant and Dallas Counties. Some highways slowed to a crawl. The rain will keep moving south throughout Wednesday morning. The threat of severe storms is low; areas south of the Metroplex are under a marginal threat, the National Weather Service's lowest level of concern. After the rain moves out, temperatures will increase throughout the day. For the third day in a row, much of North Texas is under a heat advisory until 7 p.m. Feels-like temperatures could reach as high as 109 in some areas.
