cnn-weather/environment

By Allison Chinchar, CNN Meteorologist Thanks to multiple atmospheric river events, average snowpack in California has gone from 18% to 98% in just two weeks. “Increases in snowpack of this size are not common, but also not unprecedented,” Julie Kalansky, deputy director of operations for the Center for Western Weather and Water Extremes (CW3E), explained.

By Taylor Ward, CNN Meteorologist Typhoon Rai is rapidly strengthening east of the southern Philippines and may be on the verge of becoming a super typhoon. The storm is on track to slam the southern and central portions of the country Thursday. Rai currently has sustained winds of 215 kph (130 mph), making it the

By Steve Almasy, Brandon Miller, Amy Simonson and Amanda Watts, CNN An intense storm system moving from the Rockies into the Plains is producing severe weather, tornadoes and extreme fire danger while also bringing widespread damaging winds on Wednesday. In Minnesota, the National Weather Service office in the Twin Cities said there was a tornado

By Pedram Javaheri and Derek Van Dam, CNN Meteorologists The first tornado watch of the day has been issued for parts of the Midwest as record December heat surges and fuels severe weather across the central US on Wednesday, creating hurricane-force winds, potentially strong overnight tornadoes and an extreme fire threat. “Another historical weather day

By Taylor Ward, CNN Meteorologist Tropical Storm Rai is steadily strengthening east of the southern Philippines and is on the verge of becoming a typhoon. The storm is on track to reach the southern and central portions of the country Thursday. Rai currently has sustained winds of 110 kph (70 mph), putting it just shy

By Kelly McCleary, Holly Yan and Theresa Waldrop, CNN The destruction was instantaneous as many homes and businesses were tossed in the air in last weekend’s tornado outbreak across eight states — but those who survived, many of whom are left with only the clothes on their backs, now face a daunting path toward recovery.

By Judson Jones, CNN Meteorologist As people continue picking up the pieces from this weekend’s deadly tornado outbreak, a new storm system is intensifying. This one is out West. An atmospheric river — a plume of moisture, similar to a river, that streams in off the Pacific Ocean and brings extreme rains — is unleashing

By Brandon Miller, Judson Jones and Ralph Ellis Severe weather struck with a violent intensity this weekend, leaving a wide path of death and destruction across eight states. There were at least 50 reports of tornadoes during the outbreak from late Friday into Saturday in Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri, Ohio and Tennessee, according

By Kelly McCleary, Holly Yan, Elizabeth Joseph and Claudia Dominguez, CNN At least 74 people in Kentucky have died after a weekend tornado outbreak across eight states flattened homes and businesses in the Midwest and South. Gov. Andy Beshear told reporters the death toll figures come from emergency management officials and may differ from what