PORTLAND, Ore.—The National Weather Service has issued high surf warnings for much of the West Coast and parts of Hawaii, describing the waves and rip currents expected to hit certain coastlines as potentially dangerous and life-threatening. The warnings were in place Wednesday for parts of Oregon and Hawaii. The weather service warned that waves of […]
The governor of Arizona declared a state of emergency on Aug. 12 as extreme heat persisted in some parts of the state, which has resulted in nearly 60 heat-related deaths in Maricopa County this year. Gov. Katie Hobbs said the state of emergency was intended to support local heat relief efforts in Maricopa, Coconino, and […]
A heat wave and humidity smothered parts of the South and Midwest on Thursday. In Florida, where heat index levels of up to 112 degrees (44 Celsius) are forecast over the next several days, the Christian Service Center set up an “extreme heat cooling center” in Orlando for homeless people and others who don’t have […]
NEW YORK—Scientists have observed for the first time the faint ripples caused by the motion of black holes that are gently stretching and squeezing everything in the universe. They reported Wednesday that they were able to “hear” what are called low-frequency gravitational waves—changes in the fabric of the universe that are created by huge objects […]
When quakes rumbled on Mars and a meteorite smacked into the red planet during the past four years, NASA’s InSight lander collected soundwaves that helped reveal secrets of the Martian interior. During these events, InSight detected for the first time seismic waves traveling through the Martian core. Now, scientists have used the lander’s data to […]
CANBERRA, Australia—Millions of fish have washed up dead in southeastern Australia in a die-off that authorities and scientists say is caused by depleted oxygen levels in the river after recent floods and hot weather. Residents of the Outback town of Menindee in New South Wales state complained of a terrible smell from the dead fish. […]
COVID-19 has already ripped through much of China. But how big will the current virus wave get? Beijing said on Jan. 25 that infections have peaked and are starting to fall, with a daily death peak of over 4,000 on Jan. 4. Meanwhile, UK-based health data firm Airfinity added 11,000 deaths a day to its […]
BUENOS AIRES, Argentina—A U.S. woman was killed and four other passengers injured when a massive wave struck the Viking Polaris cruise ship while it was sailing toward the port of Ushuaia in southern Argentina on an Antarctic cruise, authorities said. The 62-year-old woman was hit by broken glass when the wave broke cabin windows late […]
President Joe Biden said Democrats did well in the midterm elections as the predicted red wave didn’t happen. “While we don’t know all the results yet—at least I don’t know them all yet—while the press and the pundits were predicting a giant red wave, it didn’t happen,” Biden told reporters in Washington on Nov. 9 […]
The waning pandemic is driving a recovery in leisure and travel, along with a rotation of investor interest away from shares in stay-at-home sector companies that saw a lockdown-driven boom. The so-called pandemic stock portfolio is seeing some churn, with investors pivoting away from companies like food-delivery firm Doordash, entertainment giant Netflix, video conferencing service […]
AUSTIN, Texas—State officials on Tuesday added 59 deaths to the toll wrought by the Feb. 14 cold wave and the ensuing collapse of the Texas electric power grid. The deaths newly tallied by the Texas Department of State Health Services boost the toll from 151 to 210 deaths, most from exposure to the sometimes-subzero temperatures. […]
Stifling heat is searing the U.S. West as the weekend approaches, with historic drought conditions worsening and fire danger escalating across much of the Northwest. Daytime high temperatures across the West will threaten records once again, soaring into the 90s and triple digits through the end of the week. The brunt of the heat will […]
Brazilian surfer Maya Gabeira has broken her own world record for the largest wave surfed by a woman. The 33-year-old rode a 73.5-foot wave in Praia do Norte, Portugal, on February 11, beating her previous record by 5.5 feet. She made history in 2018 after surfing a 68-foot-high wave in the same waters. “I never […]
Even on the water you’re not safe from fires. Motorboat engines can explode and go up in flames in an instant. Once a boat is on fire, an everyday fire extinguisher is way too small. You might need a lot of water, as in a LOT of water. If you have a spare boat around, […]
