4 Weather Stories You Missed Over the Thanksgiving Holiday
by Daphne Thompson, on Nov 26, 2018 2:33:19 PM
If you watched the Macy's Day Parade while preparing your Thanksgiving meal, you heard that the record-breaking low temperature in New York City dipped down to 19°F. Numerous record lows were broken or tied across the entire Mid-Atlantic. But this wasn't the only weather story in the news. Here are four more essential weather stories you may have missed.
1. Camp Fire Extinguished
The Camp Fire began on November 8 as a small fire, but strong winds caused it to spread rapidly. The town of Paradise was virtually wiped off the map. Over 153,000 acres burned, nearly 1,400 homes were destroyed, and there are 85 confirmed fatalities. There are still approximately 300 people missing, and 13,000 were left homeless. Rains over the holiday week and the hard work of hundreds of firefighters brought the fire under control. Officially the deadliest wildfire in California history, it is now 100% contained.
#CampFire [final] Pulga Road at Camp Creek Road near Jarbo Gap (Butte County) is now 100% contained at 153,336 acres. Unified Command: @CALFIRE_ButteCo, @ButteSheriff, Paradise Police Department, and the USFS.https://t.co/CJkryyPNVZ pic.twitter.com/TjMmiLrRQQ
— CAL FIRE (@CAL_FIRE) November 25, 2018
2. National Climate Assessment Issued
Released on Black Friday, the Fourth National Climate Assessment states that the US is already experiencing impacts caused by climate change. Without adapting efforts, climate change is expected to cause increasing damage to people, property, and ecosystems. Sea-levels rising, droughts affecting agriculture, infectious diseases, extreme weather events, and more destructive events are projected to occur. Economic losses are expected to reach hundreds of billions of dollars by century-end.
JUST IN: @USGCRP releases Fourth National Climate Assessment that highlights impacts, risks and adaptations to #climatechange in the US. #NCA4 https://t.co/ig3cNczSwC pic.twitter.com/SBeIYd8vmu
— NOAA (@NOAA) November 23, 2018
3. Snowstorm Across the Midwest
Those trying to get back home from the midwest after Thanksgiving encountered numerous travel issues due to a snowstorm. Whiteout conditions and blizzard warnings led to I-70 being shut down in multiple locations across Kansas on Sunday. Cars were abandoned on roads, others slid into ditches, and power was out for many as high winds brought down power lines. Nationwide, more than 1,600 flights were canceled on Sunday. Additional flights were delayed Monday.
Roads were shut down in Kansas, Nebraska and Missouri as the winter storm passed through. https://t.co/sk7dlTvCVZ
— HuffPost (@HuffPost) November 26, 2018
4. High Tide Floods Charleston
As the climate changes, seas levels are rising. High tides are already causing problems in coastal towns. While many were out shopping on Black Friday, those in Charleston were dealing with flooded roads. Three days of high tides, including the 6th highest on record, inundated roads and caused significant flooding downtown.
The observed high tide at the Charleston Harbor tide gauge peaked at 8.76 ft MLLW at 8:18 AM. The tide was the 6th highest in the history of the gauge, surpassing the historic October 2015 event. Flooding was observed from 6:18-10:24 AM. https://t.co/PITUeWZ6JM #chswx #scwx pic.twitter.com/TYLsGeviBJ
— NWS Charleston, SC (@NWSCharlestonSC) November 24, 2018
Winter weather conditions will continue across the Northeast. This same storm system is bringing high seas in the Gulf of Mexico and is causing thunderstorms in Florida. Keep an eye on our daily forecasts and blogs to stay up-to-date with future weather information.