Topic: National Weather Service

Pavlof Volcano ash cloud shows Alaska's threat to air travel (+video)

Ash billowing from Pavlof Volcano is not high enough to affect international air travel, but Pavlof is just one of a string of active Alaska volcanoes that sits beneath the flight corridor between the US and Asia.

After tornado, Texas town begins to pick up the pieces

Though devastation is widespread, residents of Granbury, Texas will be able to return to their homes and retrieve what may be left after a huge tornado struck the town on Wednesday.

USA Update Severe Texas tornadoes 'hopscotch' through rural communities, killing six

Severe storm system produced a cluster of tornadoes and grapefruit-size hail that ripped through north Texas rural communities, flattening homes and driving residents to shelter.

Texas tornadoes leave six dead, hundreds homeless (+video)

Texas tornadoes: Several tornadoes tore through three towns in Texas Wednesday night, leaving six dead and 14 missing. One of the Texas tornadoes was a mile wide.

Ice wave comes ashore in Minnesota

Ice wave comes ashore: High winds on a Minnesota lake have pushed a wave of ice right into people's front yards. 

California wildfire: 1,900 on the lines as firefighters labor to limit damage (+video)

Saturday's more favorable weather and the heroic work of 1,900 firefighters have limited damage from a fast-breaking California wildfire in Ventura County. State outlook is for an active fire season; elsewhere in the US conditions are less ominous.

How much water in that snowpack? Scientists seek a better gauge.

More accurate, more frequent measurements of mountain snowpacks will allow water managers to mete out reservoirs with greater confidence. Two watersheds in the western US are testing grounds for a new aerial approach.

USA Update Wildfire on California coast: On Day 2, more Santa Ana winds (+video)

Fire officials expect a southern California wildfire to spread Friday, fueled by continuing Santa Ana winds. They are resuming overflights to drop flame retardant, but urge area residents to be prepared to evacuate.

May snowstorm dumps nearly a foot on Wyo. and Colo.

Cheyenne received 10 inches by sunrise Wednesday with another 2 to 4 inches of snow predicted. Up to 14 inches was measured in areas west of Cheyenne where a winter storm warning was in effect.

Along the Mississippi, river views trump flood protection

Mississippi floods don't have the impact today that they had during the Great Flood of 1993, thanks to better flood walls and levees and thousands of flood-plain homes converted to green space. But in some river towns, flood protection is a non-starter.

How to join climate team

Chicago flooding closes airports and highways, opens sinkhole

Chicago flooding opened a sinkhole, shut down expressways, delayed commuter trains, flooded basements, and caused officials to close schools, cancel flights, and evacuate a hospital.

USA Update Powerful spring storm heads into the Carolinas and Virginia

A severe storm system, stretching from Texas to New York, caused flooding and tornadoes in Mississippi, Alabama, and Tennessee, and downed power lines in Minnesota and South Dakota with ice and heavy snow.

Spring storm brings ice and snow, sure, but why tornadoes?

A record-setting spring storm has killed three people, downed power lines, snapped large trees, and closed roads, schools, and businesses across the Midwest and Southeast.

USA Update Tornadoes, ice, and snow knock out power across the Midwest (+video)

Cleanup begins in Missouri and Arkansas, as a strong storm system heads for eastern Ohio and the mid-Atlantic. Meanwhile, Minnesota, the Dakotas, and Wisconsin face ice and snow.

Snowstorm hits Denver: why that might be a good thing

A snowstorm can push back the beginning of snowmelt runoff, which can help counter hot, dry conditions in the summer. The 'normal' snowfall accumulation for Denver in April is nine inches.

Why was March so cold? Blame Greenland.

You're not imagining it: March 2013 was chilly — the second-coldest March since 2000. The culprit is a stubborn mass of warm air over Greenland that blocked the jet stream.

Ohio prosecutor indicts 'Punxsutawney Phil' for meteorological fraud

An Ohio prosecutor indicted 'Punxsutawney Phil' today for felony misrepresentation of spring. The groundhog deliberately misled the public to think winter was on its way out, and now the Ohio prosecutor is calling for the rodent's death. 

Northeastern snowstorm sweeps 'conveyor belt' of snow into New England

The latest New England storm is bringing wind-whipped snow, rain, strong winds, big waves, and coastal flooding to the northeast.

1,000 flights canceled due to major Midwest snowstorm

1,000 flights canceled in midwestern US on Tuesday. Another major winter snowstorm has resulted in more than 1,000 flights canceled in Chicago and Minneapolis.

Blizzard buries Kansas snowfall records

The blizzard winding down in the Midwest blasted through Kansas's snowfall accumulation records.

Snowstorm snarls Kansas City airport, cuts power to 40,000

Another major snowstorm knocked out power from Texas to Missouri, and closed schools across the Midwest. The good news? It could alleviate drought conditions plaguing the region.

Family on sinking boat: Coast Guard increases overnight search

A family who radioed for help from their sinking boat have abandoned ship. As night falls, the Coast Guard has announced plans to expand their search.

Blizzard warnings: Cars stranded, power out in central US

Earlier, blizzard warnings extended from the Oklahoma and Texas panhandles into south-central Kansas. The blizzard warnings have been dropped for the far western panhandles.

Kansas braces (again) as blizzard roars across Texas Panhandle

Less than a week after a historic blizzard, Kansas is bracing for another. The storm, which brought strong winds to the Texas Panhandle, could leave more than a foot of snow.