Weekend Weather Update from FOX Weather: Potential tornado outbreak threat grows for final week of April
The danger of a widespread tornado outbreak is growing for Monday across the Upper Midwest and into the Southern Plains with threats of multiple, long-track strong tornadoes, extremely large hail and damaging wind gusts.
The daunting forecast comes as a potent spring storm collects all the ingredients needed for a volatile atmosphere, leading to an intense severe weather outlook that hasn't been seen in some regions in more than a decade.
Already, nearly 5 million people sit under a Level 4 out of 5 risk on NOAA's Storm Prediction Center severe weather scale, including the cities of St. Paul and Rochester in Minnesota, and Des Moines, Iowa. More than 11 million others sit inside a level 3 risk, including Minneapolis; Madison, Wisconsin; Omaha, Nebraska and Kansas City, Missouri.
The "Tree of Life" in Olympic National Park has become a symbol of resilience over the years, but recent photos show that this bastion of beating the odds may be coming to its end.
Located on the blustery Pacific coastline of Washington state, the Tree of Life earned its name from its ability to survive in a seemingly unsurvivable environment—and does so with an unintentional penchant for drama.
But perhaps most of the drama comes from below, as its roots are completely exposed. What are usually hidden in the soil to protect them and give nutrients, the roots are naked and desperately clinging to cliffsides that are slowly eroding beneath its tenuous grip.
Drone video from over South Florida shows thick globs of seaweed blanketing beaches from North Miami to South Beach, as a strong easterly current has intensified both the threat of rip currents and the presence of sargassum.
The large globs of seaweed that have washed ashore in recent days have surprised some experts and caught tourists off guard.
Typically, the seaweed season for the Sunshine State takes place during the summer and fall, but the early influx is raising questions about what may lie ahead during the coming months.
In the Mojave Desert, Joshua Tree National Park provides an arid landscape for vegetation, including the famous Joshua Trees, some of which have stood for centuries. The Joshua Tree is part of the Agave plant family and can live for about 300 years on average. FOX Weather's Robert Ray visited the park last year.
Here are a few more stories you might find interesting.
See it: 'Addie' the sea turtle released along Florida beach after months of rehab, tumor removals
Mars rover spotted cruising around the Red Planet
Watch: Deputies wrangle alligator outside a Florida high school
Need more weather? Check your local forecast plus 3D radar in the FOX Weather app. You can also watch FOX Weather wherever you go using the FOX Weather app, at foxweather.com/live or on your favorite streaming service.
It's easy to share your weather photos and videos with us. Email them to weather@fox.com or add the hashtag #FOXWeather to your post on your favorite social media platform.Original article source: Weekend Weather Update from FOX Weather: Potential tornado outbreak threat grows for final week of April
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Washington Post
2 hours ago
- Washington Post
Erin is strengthening in the Atlantic and will soon become a hurricane
Tropical Storm Erin is gradually strengthening, with winds of 50 mph as of Thursday morning — but the system remains on a track to probably avoid land. It is expected to become a hurricane by Friday and strengthen into a major Category 3 over the weekend. The storm has been moving out of Saharan dust and into warmer ocean waters, and avoiding harsh winds, which helps it generate thunderstorms.
Vox
3 hours ago
- Vox
Erin may be the first real test of America's hurricane readiness under Trump
is a correspondent at Vox writing about climate change, energy policy, and science. He is also a regular contributor to the radio program Science Friday. Prior to Vox, he was a reporter for ClimateWire at E&E News. The peak of the hurricane season is upon us and forecasters are still anticipating higher than normal levels of activity, despite a relatively calm season so far. As of Wednesday afternoon, Tropical Storm Erin is churning in the Atlantic Ocean and moving toward the Caribbean, likely to become the season's first hurricane, a storm with sustained winds above 74 miles per hour. The National Hurricane Center says it's too early to predict the storm's impacts but advises people on the East Coast of the US 'to ensure your preparedness plans are in place.' The hurricane season officially runs from June 1 until November 30 and typically has 14 storms strong enough to be named, meaning with wind speeds above 39 mph. This year is anticipated to be busier than usual, with forecasters expecting up to 18 named storms, and up to five that will turn into major hurricanes. That's due in part to the El Niño cycle, which is currently in its neutral phase, creating atmospheric conditions more favorable to tropical storms. The surface of the Atlantic Ocean remains at above-average temperatures, and since hurricanes are powered by hot water, Erin may become the first major hurricane of the year. 'As we enter the second half of the season, this updated hurricane outlook serves as a call to action to prepare now, in advance, rather than delay until a warning is issued,' acting NOAA Administrator Laura Grimm said in a news release. But a tropical storm doesn't have to reach hurricane strength to cause death and destruction. The remnants of Tropical Storm Barry last month stalled over Texas, where they converged with another weather system and caused a massive downpour that led to deadly flooding in the state's hill country. A key step to saving lives from tropical storms and hurricanes is to anticipate where they might go and get people out of the way. On this front, scientists have made tremendous strides in building longer lead times ahead of a storm's landfall, and new tools are continuing to extend that lead. But the Trump administration's recent cuts to departments that study and forecast weather are undermining this progress, while cuts to emergency agencies are slowing disaster responses. Erin could be a major test of the results of these actions. How hurricanes work, and how our decisions make them worse Meteorologists often describe hurricanes as heat engines, meaning that they use a temperature difference to generate wind and rain. But to start up, a hurricane needs sea surface temperatures to be around 80 degrees Fahrenheit or hotter. This is why the apex of hurricane activity tends to be in September, after the Atlantic Ocean has had all summer to heat up. Hurricane activity generally peaks in September. NOAA Generally, the hotter the water, the more powerful the resulting storm. 'For every degree centigrade that you raise the ocean temperature, the wind speed in the hurricane goes up between 5 and 7 percent,' Kerry Emanuel, an emeritus professor of atmospheric science at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, told Vox last year. With global average temperatures rising due to climate change, the potential for more powerful hurricanes is increasing. A warmer planet also means rising sea levels as ice caps melt, adding more liquid to the seas. The ocean itself also expands as it gets hotter. So when a hurricane occurs, its winds create a larger storm surge as it pushes water inland. Warmer air can also hold onto more moisture, increasing the rainfall during a hurricane. The combined effects of storm surge and more intense rainfall can lead to more flooding, often the deadliest and most destructive aspect of a hurricane. And as the floods in Texas this year showed, even areas that are far inland can suffer severely from hurricane storm systems. Since hurricanes spin counter-clockwise, these effects tend to be stronger on the right side of the storm — sometimes called the 'dirty side' — where the wind is blowing in the same direction as the storm is moving. On the other side of the equation, more people are living in the paths of hurricanes. In the US, about 40 percent of the population lives in a coastal county, and the numbers are growing. So when a hurricane makes landfall, it threatens more lives and takes a bigger bite out of the economy. The good news is that scientists have made huge strides in anticipating hurricanes and can now predict where they are going days in advance. A modern hurricane track forecast looking 72 hours ahead is better than a 24-hour forecast in the early 90s. Last year, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration deployed a new prediction model called the Hurricane Analysis and Forecast System. It proved to be better than previous models at predicting a storm's path and intensity. In recent years, a number of hurricanes have undergone rapid intensification, where they gain more than 35 miles per hour in wind speed in less than 24 hours. It makes storms harder to predict, and makes evacuating people in their path more hasty and chaotic, as hurricanes surge in strength. Scientists are still trying to tease out the mechanisms behind rapid intensification, but the new model was able to see the rapid intensification coming in Hurricanes Helene and Milton from their earliest advisories, days before landfall. The true scope of these vulnerabilities won't be revealed until after a major hurricane. Already, emergency responders in some parts of the country are getting the message that help from higher up in the government isn't coming, while homeowners are getting the sense that they're on their own when facing extreme weather. And even if the US dodges the worst of Erin, there are still more than two months left in the hurricane season, which has yet to reach its peak.
USA Today
16 hours ago
- USA Today
When does the first hurricane usually form? See charts
Tropical Storm Erin continues to travel west and is on track to become the first hurricane of the Atlantic season by the end of this week, the National Hurricane Center said. Typically, the first hurricane of the season forms in July or August, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Nearly 60 years of data shows that the average date of the first hurricane is Aug. 11. Colorado State University predicts 16 named storms and eight hurricanes to develop over the next three months – slightly above average for the season. Here's what you need to know about the Atlantic hurricane season and when it generally starts picking up. Tropical Storm Erin tracker: Storm to become major hurricane soon August is most common month for the first hurricane of the year The Atlantic hurricane season officially began on June 1 and will last through the end of November. Data from NOAA analyzed by shows that since 1966, the first Atlantic hurricane of the season formed in August in 24 of the past 59 years. NOAA began full satellite coverage of the Atlantic Basin in 1966. Two hurricanes have developed out of hurricanes season: 1970 had it's first hurricane on May 20, 1970, and in 2016, the first hurricane formed on Jan. 14. Hurricane season: Forecasters predict an above-average hurricane season as Atlantic waters heat up. How do hurricanes form? Hurricanes are born in the tropics, above warm water. Clusters of thunderstorms can develop over the ocean when water temperatures exceed 80 degrees Fahrenheit. If conditions are right, the clusters swirl into a storm known as a tropical wave or tropical depression. A tropical depression becomes a named tropical storm once its sustained wind speeds reaches 39 mph. When its winds reach 74 mph, the storm officially becomes a hurricane. The ramp-up to a busy hurricane season Aug. 6-19 typically marks the beginning of the ramp-up for Atlantic tropical cyclone activity. The primary formation area for major hurricanes in early to mid-August is in the tropical Atlantic, east of the Lesser Antilles. Generally, earlier-season hurricanes form in the western Atlantic, Gulf of Mexico or Caribbean Sea, matching the areas that are favorable for development in June or early July, The Weather Channel reported. How can you prepare for hurricane season? For more suggestions, visit NOAA's hurricane preparations page. Contributing: Doyle Rice, Gabe Hauari
