These maps show how quickly Fourth of July fireworks diminish air quality
The impact fireworks can have on air quality can be quite striking and seemingly outsized given their relatively small explosive force. And there have been stark examples in recent years of poor air quality spiking after the Fourth of July. In 2019 in D.C., for one, the smoke got so bad that many couldn't actually see the fireworks, and crews filming the spectacle flipped back and forth to file footage.
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CBS News
15 minutes ago
- CBS News
Cloudy Fourth of July ahead in North Texas
Scattered showers possible in North Texas on July 4 Scattered showers possible in North Texas on July 4 Scattered showers possible in North Texas on July 4 Fourth of July morning started out grey with spotty showers and temperatures in the mid-70s. The clouds will stick around North Texas today, keeping temperatures below average again this afternoon, staying in the mid to upper 80s. No severe weather is expected, but a few afternoon thunderstorms with lightning and gusty winds are possible. CBS News Texas An isolated shower is possible during the fireworks displays, but the rain will be clearing out the closer it gets to sunset. CBS News Texas Temperatures look great in the upper 70s, but remember the bug repellent. Spotty showers will continue the rest of the holiday weekend, but more sunshine is expected Saturday and Sunday. Temperatures are expected to warm up heading into next week, with upper 90s returning by the middle of the week. CBS News Texas
CBS News
34 minutes ago
- CBS News
Fabulous 4th of July weekend weather across Maryland
A strong cold front crossed the area overnight and is bringing some of the nicest 4th of July weather to Maryland in recent memory. This nice weather should continue across the state through the entire holiday weekend. Heat, humidity, and drenching thunderstorms will return to the state next week. Exceptional 4th of July Weather Friday This will be one of the nicest Independence Day forecasts across Maryland in recent memory. The combination of sunshine, comfy temperatures will lead to superb outdoor weather for cookouts, celebrations, and of course fireworks. Friday will be a beauty with abundant sunshine, seasonably warm temperatures, and lower levels of humidity. High temperatures will range from the lower 80s across the mountains and beaches to the middle to upper 80s across central and western Maryland. The UV index will be a 10 today, so make sure to apply sunscreen generously and often. The fireworks forecast for this evening will be perfect this evening. Expect clear skies, light winds, and temperatures in the upper 70s to lower 80s. Fireworks viewing should be nearly perfect anywhere in the state. Sunny and hot holiday weekend High pressure will protect us through the upcoming weekend. Sunny and seasonably hot temperatures will be around for both Saturday and Sunday. While humidity levels will climb during the weekend, it will remain at tolerable levels. High temperatures Saturday and Sunday will reach close to 90°. Skies will stay partly to mostly sunny and we will be void of any afternoon thunderstorms. Heat, humidity, and storms return next week Typical Maryland summertime weather will return next week. As high pressure slides offshore, southwest winds will usher in your traditional levels of heat and humidity next week. Morning sunshine will give way to hit or miss thunderstorms during the afternoon hours Monday and Tuesday. High temperatures will reach around 90°. Thunderstorms may be a bit more widespread Wednesday and Thursday. Watching the tropics Our First Alert Weather Team will continue to monitor a developing area of low pressure off the southeastern coast of the United States. Currently the National Hurricane Center gives this a 60% of development. If this storm would be named, it would be called "Chantal". Right now it's too early to know where and when this storm will track. Our First Alert Weather Team will continue to update you on the situation as it evolves.
Yahoo
34 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Meltdown: Swiss glaciers hit annual tipping point weeks early
The snow and ice accumulated last winter by Switzerland's glaciers has already melted away, a monitoring service said, with Friday marking the alarming second-earliest arrival on record of the tipping point known as glacier loss day. All further melting between now and October will see the size of glaciers in the Swiss Alps shrink, according to Glacier Monitoring in Switzerland (GLAMOS). This century, the tipping point, on average, has been reached in mid-August -- itself already bad news for the nation's 1,400 glaciers, which are shrinking at a staggering rate. Its arrival several weeks earlier on July 4 is "another alarm call", GLAMOS chief Matthias Huss told AFP. "It's like the glaciers are shouting out: 'We're disappearing. Help us.'" Glaciers in the Swiss Alps began to retreat about 170 years ago. The retreat was initially modest but in recent decades, melting has accelerated significantly as the climate warms. The volume of Swiss glaciers shrank by 38 percent between 2000 and 2024. - Summer of destruction - "If we have a glacier loss day, it means that the glacier is losing mass," said Huss. "For a glacier that is healthy, the day would occur at the end of September, or in October -- or not at all". With no glacier loss day, the summer would simply melt away only the snow that accumulated over the previous winter. This would be "the ideal case -- a glacier in equilibrium with the climate", said Huss. Its arrival on July 4 means that "critically, we have the whole summer left to destroy the ice". "Moving this day forward by five to six weeks before the normal date over the last 20 years means we're just prolonging this mass loss season dramatically," he said. The assessment is made using 12 reference glaciers. Last winter saw low levels of snowfall, and June was the second warmest on record, contributing to the day's early arrival this year. In data going back to 2000, the only time that the tipping point arrived even earlier was in 2022, when it came on June 26. "That was really a game-changer for us glaciologists because it was the first year when we saw absolutely extreme melting. "Everything that we knew before about glacier melting changed," said Huss. Experts thought 2022 was a complete outlier and although a warming climate meant other such years would be coming down the line, they did not expect to see the next very early glacier loss day coming so soon afterwards. - Feedback effect - Huss noted that extreme melting produces an accelerating feedback effect, worsening the situation even further. Once the reflective white snow coverage from winter is gone from the top of the glacier, the darker, more absorbent grey surface of the bare ice is exposed. "With the same amount of solar radiation, we can now melt more ice," Huss said. With the European heatwave over the past week and the possibility of further heatwaves in July and August, "it is very like that again it is a very bad year for Swiss glaciers", he said. Melting glaciers threatens the long-term water security for millions of people downstream who rely on them for fresh water. Much of the water that flows into the Rhine and the Rhone, two of Europe's major rivers, comes from the Alpine glaciers. rjm/vog/gil
