Officials issue extreme heat watch for much of Southern California ahead of major warm-up
In preparation for the upcoming weather event, KCAL News has issued a Next Weather Alert to warn communities about the extreme heat and increased fire danger. The alert will be in effect from Wednesday through Saturday for the valleys, Inland Empire, mountains and deserts.
The National Weather Service has also issued several weather warnings ahead of the "multi-day heat event." Weather officials predict that many areas will experience record temperatures.
A red flag warning will go into effect at 9 a.m. Wednesday and remain until 9 p.m. Saturday for portions of the mountains and foothills of Los Angeles and Ventura counties. A fire weather watch will also go into effect Thursday morning through Saturday evening for portions of the mountains and foothills of Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo Counties.
The NWS says the "unseasonably hot and unstable air mass" is capable of producing "explosive fire behavior." Temperatures are expected to be between 95 and 105 degrees in most interior areas, with mountain and desert locations reaching up to 110 degrees.
An extreme heat watch has also been issued from Wednesday afternoon through Saturday evening for much of the Southern California region. Weather officials say the hot conditions will increase the risk of heat illness for everyone, especially vulnerable populations, including young children, the elderly and those without air conditioning.
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New York Post
an hour ago
- New York Post
Hurricane Erin forces Outer Banks vacationers to evacuate as monster storm nears North Carolina
Holly Andrzejewski hadn't yet welcomed her and her family's first guests to the Atlantic Inn on Hatteras Island when she had to start rescheduling them, as Hurricane Erin neared North Carolina's Outer Banks on Tuesday and threatened to whip up wild waves and tropical force winds. Although the monster storm is expected to stay offshore, evacuations were ordered on such barrier islands along the Carolina coast as Hatteras as authorities warned the storm could churn up dangerous rip currents and swamp roads with waves of 15 feet (4.6 meters). Andrzejewski and her husband purchased the bed-and-breakfast, known as the oldest inn on the island, less than a week ago. 5 Homes along the Atlantic Coast in Dare County, N.C., are seen on Aug. 18, 2025, ahead of expected impacts from Hurricane Erin. AP By Monday, they had brought in all the outdoor furniture and made sure their daughter and her boyfriend, who are the innkeepers, had generators, extra water, and flashlights as they stayed behind to keep an eye on the property. 'It's just one of those things where you know this is always a possibility, and it could happen, and you just make the best out of it. Otherwise, you wouldn't live at the beach,' said Andrzejewski, who will also remain on the island, at her home about a 15-minute drive away. Erin lashed part of the Caribbean with rain and wind on Monday. Forecasters are confident it will curl north and away from the eastern U.S., but tropical storm and surge watches were issued for much of the Outer Banks. Officials at Wrightsville Beach, near Wilmington, North Carolina, reported to the National Weather Service rescuing at least 60 swimmers from rip currents on Monday. By early Tuesday, Erin had lost some strength from previous days but was still a Category 3 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 110 mph (175 kph), the National Hurricane Center in Miami said. 5 Forecasters are confident that Hurricane Erin will curve north and away from the eastern U.S., but tropical storm and surge watches were issued for much of the Outer Banks. AP It was about 665 miles (1,070 kilometers) southwest of Bermuda and 720 miles (1,155 kilometers) south-southeast of Cape Hatteras and was moving northwest at a slower 7 mph (11 kph). A tropical storm warning remained in effect for the Turks and Caicos Islands, where government services were suspended, some ports were closed, and residents were ordered to stay home. On North Carolina's Outer Banks, coastal flooding was expected to begin Tuesday and continue through Thursday. The evacuations on Hatteras Island and Ocracoke came at the height of tourist season on the thin stretch of low-lying barrier islands that jut into the Atlantic Ocean and are increasingly vulnerable to storm surges. 5 Signs restricting beach access were posted in Dare County, North Carolina, ahead of Hurricane Erin's impacts. AP A year ago, Hurricane Ernesto stayed hundreds of miles offshore yet still produced high surf and swells that caused coastal damage. This time, there are concerns that several days of heavy surf, high winds, and waves could wash out parts of the main highway. Some routes could be impassable for days. This is the first evacuation for Ocracoke since Hurricane Dorian in 2019 caused the most damage in the island's recorded history. 5 This image provided by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration shows Hurricane Erin on Monday, Aug. 18, 2025. AP Tommy Hutcherson, who owns the community's only grocery store, said the island has mostly bounced back. He's optimistic this storm won't be as destructive. 'But you just never know. I felt the same way about Dorian, and we really got smacked,' he said. Scientists have linked the rapid intensification of hurricanes in the Atlantic to climate change. 5 The evacuations on Hatteras Island and Ocracoke (seen above) came at the height of tourist season, according to reports. AP Global warming is causing the atmosphere to hold more water vapor and is spiking ocean temperatures, and warmer waters give hurricanes fuel to unleash more rain and strengthen more quickly. Bermuda will experience the most severe threat Thursday evening, said Phil Rogers, director of the Bermuda Weather Service. By then, waters could swell up to 24 feet (7 meters). 'Surfers, swimmers, and boaters must resist the temptation to go out. The waters will be very dangerous and lives will be placed at risk,' acting Minister of National Security Jache Adams said.
Gizmodo
an hour ago
- Gizmodo
Forecasters Warn of 100-Foot Waves as Hurricane Erin Brushes the East Coast
The National Hurricane Center expects Hurricane Erin to grow in size as it creeps up the Eastern Seaboard this week, hammering coastal communities with potentially deadly storm surge and rip currents. Erin, one of the fastest rapidly intensifying Atlantic storms on record, is a Category 2 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 110 miles per hour (175 kilometers per hour) as of 8:00 a.m. ET on Tuesday, August 19, according to the NHC. Forecasters don't expect Erin to make landfall in the U.S., but hurricane-force winds from this sprawling cyclone currently extend 80 miles (130 km) out from its eye. The storm's far-reaching impact is primed to expand as it moves up the East Coast, prompting the NHC to issue widespread warnings. 'Erin is expected to produce life-threatening surf and rip currents along the beaches of the Bahamas, much of the east coast of the U.S., Bermuda, and Atlantic Canada during the next several days,' the agency stated Tuesday morning. Tropical storm conditions and coastal flooding could reach the Outer Banks of North Carolina late Wednesday, where watches are already in effect. Erin may also bring strong winds to coastal communities in the Mid-Atlantic, southern New England, and Bermuda on Thursday and Friday. Last week, Jean-Raymond Bidlot, a senior scientist in ocean modeling at the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF), told Newsweek that Erin could produce massive waves as it slides up the East Coast. 'The latest forecast does indeed indicate that the largest significant wave height could reach values in excess of 50 feet with an associated most likely largest wave of more than 100 feet,' he said. Budlot noted that such waves would be hundreds of feet long as opposed to a single wall of water. This type of wave is typical for intense hurricanes and should not be mistaken for rogue waves, defined by NOAA as large, unexpected swells that are more than twice the size of surrounding waves. 'While 100 feet can't be ruled out, I think they would only be possible if the storm [becomes] a Category 4 or 5 storm,' AccuWeather lead hurricane expert Alex DaSilva told Newsweek. 'I think waves near the center of 50-75 feet are much more realistic (assuming a Category 3 storm),' he added. On Tuesday morning, Erin's maximum sustained wind speed was just below the Category 3 threshold. The Outer Banks are bracing for the brunt of Erin's impact as authorities warn the storm could produce dangerous rip currents and storm surge up to 15 feet (4.6 meters), the Associated Press reports. Tropical storm and storm surge watches were already in effect Tuesday morning, with impacts expected late Wednesday, according to the NHC. On Monday, North Carolina's Department of Transportation said evacuation orders were in effect for all visitors to Ocracoke and Hatteras Islands, adding that the mandate will take effect for residents Tuesday morning. According to the Associated Press, officials at Wrightsville Beach near Wilmington, North Carolina, rescued at least 60 swimmers from rip currents on Monday. As Erin moves out of the Caribbean, the NHC is monitoring another disturbance following close behind. This tropical wave is currently producing a broad band of disorganized showers and thunderstorms, but there's a 60% chance it could gradually develop into a tropical depression over the next seven days, according to the agency. Forecasters expect this system to track west-northwestward and approach the Leeward Islands by Friday. It's too soon to tell whether it could become the second Atlantic hurricane of 2025, but all eyes will remain on the Basin as we enter the peak of hurricane season.
Indianapolis Star
an hour ago
- Indianapolis Star
What is Hurricane Erin projected path? NOAA storm tracker map, spaghetti models, weather radar
Beachgoing Indiana tourists should pay close attention to Hurricane Erin on Tuesday as large waves and rough surf are predicted to pound the Atlantic Coast from Central Florida to Canada. North Carolina is on high alert, as the popular vacation location of Dare County is under a state of emergency. The county's website reports a permanent population of about 37,000 — but the population balloons from June through August to about 225,000 to 300,000. Here's what you need to know from the NOAA's National Hurricane Center if you have East Coast travel plans: This forecast track shows the most likely path of the center of the storm. It does not illustrate the full width of the storm or its impacts, and the center of the storm is likely to travel outside the cone up to 33% of the time. Illustrations include an array of forecast tools and models, and not all are created equal. The hurricane center uses only the top four or five highest-performing models to help make its forecasts. Hurricane Erin live updates: Storm starts rough slog up US East Coast Dangerous conditions in the surf zone with large, breaking waves are forecast from East Central Florida to Canada's Atlantic Coast beginning Tuesday, National Hurricane Center Director Michael Brennan has warned. Brennan is pleading with U.S. residents to take Erin's potential coastal impacts seriously, even though the nation will be spared a direct landfall. Offshore wave heights could exceed 20 to 30 feet. High tides are also expected to bring higher-than-normal water levels further southward along the coast, the weather service has warned. "It's not going to be a safe environment to be in the ocean," Brennan said, adding that even when the weather may be pleasant on shore, dangerous and possibly life-threatening rip currents could be lurking in the water. Because of its slow movement, coastal areas of North Carolina are expected to feel the brunt of the ocean's impacts for several days, according to the weather service office in Newport/Morehead City. Mandatory evacuations were issued Aug. 18 for Hatteras Island and Ocracoke Island. At its closest point, Erin is forecast to be about 200 miles off Cape Hatteras. Erin's mean diameter at 11 p.m. on Aug. 18 was roughly 355 miles, but the storm was creating 10-foot seas across an area of the Atlantic Ocean roughly 645 miles in diameter, according to hurricane center data. Hurricane force winds extend outward up to 80 miles from the center, with the greatest distance on the eastern side of the storm. Further south along the North Carolina coast, emergency officials rescued at least 60 people caught in rip currents and heavy surf on Aug. 18 in Wrightsville Beach, prompting a "no swimming" advisory through Friday. Evacuations were underway along parts of North Carolina's Outer Banks, a big draw for vacationers every summer. With Hurricane Erin's expected storm surge and waves of over 10 feet, the National Weather Service was urging people to stay out of the ocean to avoid deadly surf conditions expected through at least Thursday. Officials in Dare County warned that roads, including the main exit route, could soon be overwhelmed by water. "Dare County remains under a State of Emergency and a Mandatory Evacuation order is in effect for Hatteras Island," the county posted on social media. "Please note that N.C. Hwy. 12 may be impassable by August 19 at 5 p.m." The hurricane center warned that storm surge could cause the water to rise 2 to 4 feet above dry ground along the Outer Banks as Erin pushes northward. In neighboring Hyde County, a mandatory evacuation order went into effect Tuesday for Ocracoke Island. In addition to Erin, the hurricane center said it is also keeping an eye on a tropical wave located over the eastern tropical Atlantic that is producing disorganized showers and thunderstorms. Following behind Erin is yet another tropical wave that's given a 60% chance of becoming a tropical storm over the next seven days, the hurricane center said. A third disturbance just moved off the West African coast, but it's expected to encounter hostile conditions that may limit its further development. Thunderstorms are possible at times across Central Indiana today and across southern portions of the area this evening, according to a NWS Hazardous Weather Outlook. Isolated severe storms with damaging winds are possible, mainly this afternoon. Hot and humid conditions continue this afternoon — especially over southern portions of Indiana, where heat indices will reach into the 100- to 105-degree range. Showers and thunderstorms are expected after 4 p.m. in Central Indiana with a high temperature near 91. The chance of precipitation is 60%. Later this evening, scattered showers and thunderstorms are expected before 8 p.m., with isolated showers between 8 and 9 p.m. Expect low temperatures near 69 this evening with a chance of precipitation at 30%. Delaying potentially lifesaving preparations could mean waiting until it's too late. "Get your disaster supplies while the shelves are still stocked, and get that insurance checkup early, as flood insurance requires a 30-day waiting period," the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration recommends.
