SAN FRANCISCO — California, which has endured its worst wildfire season in history, is bracing for the most dangerous winds of the year, a forecast that prompted the largest utility to announce plans to cut power Sunday to nearly 1 …
LOS ANGELES — One of California’s largest power companies announced Saturday it plans to temporarily shut off power to residents of 16 counties and a tribe to prevent wildfires sparked by electrical equipment. Pacific Gas & Electric Co. said it …
Californians are in their sixth month of sheltering in place because of a pandemic that’s killed more than 11,000 residents. Now a new crisis — hundreds of wildfires — is forcing people to prepare to flee their homes at a …
LOS ANGELES — California firefighters battled destructive wildfires Monday as a lengthening heat wave roasted the state. Thousands of homes were at risk and air quality deteriorated in areas affected by smoke. The National Weather Service blanketed the state in …
Australia’s indigenous people say the bushfire-ravaged country is paying the price for ignoring their expertise in managing the ecology of the world’s-driest inhabited continent. The fires have already burned more than 6 million acres — an area the size of …
Lightning may not seem as destructive as other natural disasters, yet a strike can cause serious damage to business equipment and electrical appliances, disrupt electrical service for long periods of time, and spark wildfires. In 2014, State Farm paid nearly …
A sudden jump in the number of lightning strikes inside a garden-variety thunderstorm might soon give forecasters a new tool for predicting severe weather and issuing timely warnings, according to research at The University of Alabama in Huntsville. The sudden …
Lightning struck Oregon more than 6,000 times Sunday and Monday, touching off small fires by the dozens. Such a barrage can be expected to cause numerous “sleeper” or holdover fires in coming days. Northwest fire spokeswoman Robin DeMario says lightning …
Florida is known for being the deadliest state in the country for lightning strikes – and 2014 has been no exception. Four people in Florida have been fatally struck so far this year, The Tampa Tribune reports. That’s the same …
A device developed at The University of Alabama in Huntsville has become a valuable tool in researchers’ quest to determine how lightning is spawned in clouds, to map strikes from beginning to end and to better predict severe weather. The …