SAN FRANCISCO — The western monarch butterfly population wintering along California's coast remains critically low for the second year in a row, a count by an environmental group released Thursday showed. The count of the orange-and-black insects by the Xerces Society, a nonprofit environmental organization that focuses on the conservation...
Latest Southern California Storm Fades, Gusty Winds Expected
LOS ANGELES — The center of Southern California’s latest winter storm was staying well out to sea Monday and forecasters greatly scaled back the amount of rain and snow it could produce. Only light snowfall or flurries were seen in the high mountain passes north and east of Los Angeles,...
Record Cold Follows Early Snowstorm Over Much of Eastern US
BUFFALO, N.Y. — Snow and cold records fell as an arctic airmass that started in Siberia spilled over a big chunk of the eastern half of the U.S., including the normally mild South, on Tuesday. The mid-autumn taste of winter brought record single-digit temperatures to Chicago and environs; set snowfall...
With No El Nino, How Does California's Winter Shape Up?
Back in August, blogger Nat Johnson declared the El Niño of 2019 "officially done." Johnson isn't just any blogger, either. His day job is with the NOAA Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory. Listen to this article: The question is, what will winter 2019-2020 look like in California? Will we have a...
With No El Nino, How Does California's Winter Shape Up?
Back in August, blogger Nat Johnson declared the El Niño of 2019 "officially done." Johnson isn't just any blogger, either. His day job is with the NOAA Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory. Listen to this article: The question is, what will winter 2019-2020 look like in California? Will we have a...
Four Mountain Climbers Rescued From Sierra Nevada Peak
LONE PINE — A California Highway Patrol helicopter crew rescued four climbers from a Sierra Nevada peak. The effort began Sunday when the Inyo County Sheriff's Office received an emergency satellite transmission requesting rescue. The office says the group went off course while descending Mount Russell and got stuck above...
Yosemite to Remain Open for Skiing 2 Weeks Longer
YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK — Yosemite National Park officials say parts of the park will remain open for skiing and snowshoeing two weeks longer than usual thanks to the abundance of snow. Park officials said Thursday the area surrounding Glacier Point Road will remain open for winter recreational use through April...
Rain Brings 2nd California Super Bloom in 2 Years
BORREGO SPRINGS — It started with the desert lilies in December. Since then a wave of wildflower blooms has been crescendoing across Southern California's Anza-Borrego desert in a burst of color so vivid it can be seen from mountain tops thousands of feet above. Two years after steady rains followed...
Jobs Report: Wages Up, Unemployment Dips to 3.8%
WASHINGTON — Hiring tumbled in February, with U.S. employers adding just 20,000 jobs, the smallest monthly gain in nearly a year and a half. The slowdown in hiring, though, might have been depressed by harsh winter weather and the partial shutdown of the government. Last month's weak gain came after...
US Just Sloshed Through the Wettest Winter on Record
WASHINGTON — Federal meteorologists say this winter was America’s wettest on record. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration says that from December to February, what it calls winter, the Lower 48 states got 9.01 inches of rain and snow, which is 2.22 inches more than the 20th century normal. It...