Latest news with #SaraTonks
Yahoo
21-07-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Week-Long Exploration Of Sharks, From Their Forecasting Capabilities To Their Public Perception
Summer sends people flocking to the beaches, which means more opportunities to meet up with the ocean's most fearsome creatures — sharks! We're celebrating sharks with a week of discovery and exploration into the ocean's most feared predators, and maybe we'll be able to convince you not to be so afraid of them along the way. Here's what you can expect this week: A New Aquatic Competitor Enters The 'Best Forecast' Ring Sharks … as meteorologists? Say it isn't so! Sharks can in fact do a rudimentary form of forecasting, using a biological system that allows them to sense changes in pressure that often come before significant weather events like hurricanes. A Georgia Aquarium aquarist explains how this is possible. How To Keep 6.3 Million Gallons Of Water Shark-Safe UNLOCKS MONDAY, JULY 21 Fin Fact: 4 Things Shark Specialists Wish You Knew UNLOCKS TUESDAY, JULY 22 Climate Change: Warming Oceans And Warning Signs For Sharks UNLOCKS WEDNESDAY, JULY 23 Join Us On A Journey From Fear To Fascination UNLOCKS THURSDAY, JULY 24 Sara Tonks is a content meteorologist with and has a bachelor's and a master's degree from Georgia Tech in Earth and Atmospheric Sciences along with a master's degree from Unity Environmental University in Marine Science.
Yahoo
11-07-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Death Toll Rises To 81 In Tragic Texas Flooding
This is an earlier version of our coverage. For the latest on the Texas floods, click here. The catastrophic flooding came in the middle of the night, rushing into cabins and dragging mattresses off beds at Camp Mystic, a private Christian summer camp near Texas' Guadalupe River. As of early Monday, 81 people died across six counties. 68 died in Kerr County alone, 40 were adults and 21 were children. Authorities said about 850 people had been rescued or evacuated. There are still 10 Mystic Camp campers and one camp counselor missing. In Burnet County, at least three people are dead with three missing. Six people died in Travis County, two people died in Kendall County and one in Tom Green County. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has signed a disaster declaration for 21 counties. The state has also deployed more than 1,300 personnel to the area, including more than 900 vehicles and equipment to assist. (MORE: How The Deadly Texas Flood Happened) The Guadalupe River, fed by torrential rain, rose 26 feet in 45 minutes. The Weather Channel digital meteorologist Sara Tonks said, "The soil and the river were unable to keep up with the rain as over 7 inches of rain fell in only four and a half hours from 1 to 5:30 am." The Guadalupe River hit its second-highest height ever on record, reaching 29.45 feet, but Bob Fogarty, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service's Austin/San Antonio office believes it could be even higher. He told the Associated Press the gauge failed after recording a level of 29 and half feet, 'The gauge is completely underwater.' Flooding also inundated neighborhoods further north in San Angelo. Some areas got more than a foot of rain, trapping people inside their homes. The National Weather Service in San Angelo said it received multiple reports of flooded roads and homes across Tom Green County, calling the conditions life-threatening. Back in Kerr County, Erin Burgess woke to thunder and rain at her home in Ingram. Just 20 minutes later, she told the Associated Press, water was pouring into her home. She described an agonizing hour clinging to a tree with her teenage son. 'My son and I floated to a tree where we hung onto it, and my boyfriend and my dog floated away. He was lost for a while, but we found them,' Burgess said. Barry Adelman said water pushed everyone in his three-story house into the attic, including his 94-year-old grandmother and 9-year-old grandson. 'I was having to look at my grandson in the face and tell him everything was going to be OK, but inside I was scared to death,' Adelman told AP. Nim Kidd, chief of the Texas Department of Emergency Management, said at a news conference Saturday afternoon, 'The entire river is being searched from the northernmost impact all the way as we run down. You have assets in the air that are still doing searches. You have boats that are in the water doing searches. And you have ground crews doing searches. 'That process is going to keep going. We are not stopping until we find everyone that's missing.' At Camp Mystic on Saturday, helicopters flew overhead as people walked among the destruction. 'The camp was completely destroyed,' said Elinor Lester, 13, one of hundreds of campers. 'A helicopter landed and started taking people away. It was really scary.'
Yahoo
05-07-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Historic Rainfall Causes Catastrophic, Deadly Flash Floods In Central Texas
Water rescues and search and recovery efforts are underway in Central Texas after heavy rain caused devastating floods that started in the middle of the night Thursday. The National Weather Service declared flash flood emergencies in Kerr County and San Angelo early Friday morning, warning that a 'large and deadly flood wave' was moving down the Guadalupe River near Hunt, Texas. As of Saturday morning, at least 27 people have been killed by the floods. Among the dead are 18 adults and 9 children. In a press conference on Saturday, officials said that at least 850 people have been rescued from the area. In addition, 27 people remain missing from girls' summer camp at Camp Mystic, which sits alongside the river in Kerr County. Mobile homes, campers and other vehicles were swept away as the river surged. The river shot up more than 26 feet in just 45 minutes. Digital meteorologist Sara Tonks adds, "The soil and the river were unable to keep up with the rain as over 7 inches of rain fell in only 4 and a half hours from 1 to 5:30 am." The Guadalupe River hit its second-highest height ever on record, reaching 29.45 feet, but Bob Fogarty, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service's Austin/San Antonio office believes it could be even higher. He told the Associated Press the gauge failed after recording a level of 29 and half feet, 'The gauge is completely underwater.' Flooding also inundated neighborhoods further north in San Angelo. Some areas got more than a foot of rain, trapping people inside their homes. The National Weather Service in San Angelo said it received multiple reports of flooded roads and homes across Tom Green County, calling the conditions life-threatening. The NWS urged people to stay indoors and issued River Flood Warnings for parts of San Saba, Concho and Colorado rivers. An additional flash flood emergency was issued for parts of Burnet, Williamson and Travis counties northwest of Austin, Texas, Saturday morning. Up to 14 inches of new rain had fallen. Texas Hill Country and the greater Interstate-35 corridor in Texas are known as "Flash Flood Alley" because of the intersection of heavy rainfall that occurs there frequently, higher population, urban and rolling terrain, and the higher number of influential rivers, including the Guadalupe and Colorado rivers. Up to 10 additional inches of rainfall is possible through the holiday weekend.
Yahoo
07-06-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Belmont Stakes: Rain Clearing Out Of Northeast In Time For Race, But Muddy Track Conditions Could Remain
After a morning of rain and stormy skies, conditions will improve for Saratoga Springs, New York, ahead of the Belmont Stakes horse race Saturday evening. But while the skies may be dry, the track may not be. A weather station in Saratoga Springs recorded nearly 1.5 inches of rain since midnight at noon ahead of the race, which could contribute to muddy track conditions. While Saratoga Springs was not under any significant weather alerts on Saturday, there was a flash flood warning nearby in Albany, NY. The race day schedule has already been altered, with two races being moved off the turf to the main track. (MORE: How Weather Can Affect Horses At The Kentucky Derby) Glimpses of sunshine will become more frequent as the day progresses with temperatures warming into the low 70s by post time at 7:04 pm. (15-min details: For even more granular weather data tracking in your area, view your 15-minute details forecast in our Premium Pro experience.) Sara Tonks is a content meteorologist with and has a bachelor's and a master's degree from Georgia Tech in Earth and Atmospheric Sciences along with a master's degree from Unity Environmental University in Marine Science.
The Herald Scotland
30-05-2025
- Climate
- The Herald Scotland
Tropical Storm Alvin forms in the Pacific, an unusual first for 2025
Alvin's formation marks the end of an unusual drought of tropical activity in the Northern Hemisphere. In mid-May, forecasters noted that multiple storms, often in the western North Pacific, usually had formed by this point in the year. The oddity didn't stop the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration from predicting an above-average hurricane season in the Atlantic Ocean. More: See projected path, spaghetti models of Alvin (While all is quiet at the moment in the Atlantic, forecasters are keeping an eye on several weather systems ahead of the official start of the Atlantic hurricane season on June 1.) It is possible Alvin may strengthen further into a hurricane, AccuWeather said. The storm is expected to begin to lose wind intensity as it moves northward toward Mexico into the weekend and moves over cooler waters and an area of increased wind shear, which acts to tear storms apart. Alvin marks an early start to the eastern Pacific season. The average date for the first tropical storm of that season is June 10, according to the National Hurricane Center. Some rain, clouds may reach US southwest Alvin "may still wander far enough to the north along the west coast of Mexico to allow some moisture in the form of clouds and downpours to reach parts of Texas or New Mexico as early as this weekend," AccuWeather meteorologist Alex Sosnowski said. Eastern Pacific tropical storms and hurricanes seldom have any major impact on the U.S. "While many eastern Pacific tropical storms and hurricanes move west-northwest and eventually fizzle in the open ocean, some do strike land, as we saw in 2023 with the remnant of Hurricane Hilary in the Desert Southwest and with Category 5 Hurricane Otis in Acapulco, Mexico," noted meteorologist Sara Tonks in an online forecast. Map shows Alvin's projected storm path 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. Below-average season expected in eastern Pacific The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, in a seasonal hurricane forecast released May 22, said that a below-average eastern Pacific hurricane season is most likely. An average season sees 15 named storms. The Eastern Pacific hurricane season officially began on May 15, two weeks earlier than the Atlantic hurricane season.
