7 Thanksgiving Day table conversation starters from FOX Weather

Name: Giant bug found at an Arkansas Walmart identified as a Jurassic-era insect
Uploaded: 2023-03-01T22:25:31-05:00
Duration: 53 s
Description: The giant lacewing was commonly found in eastern North America but mysteriously disappeared in the 1950s. Scientists previously thought that the increase in light pollution and a decrease in raging forest fires in eastern North America potentially played of role in its disappearance.

Thanksgiving travel troubles are possible in several spots as holiday approaches

Multiple storm systems will sweep across the U.S. this week into Thanksgiving week presenting a variety of weather challenges to those travelling, including a budding coastal storm for the Northeast this weekend and dangerous flooding in South Florida.

Looking for something to talk about around the Thanksgiving Day table to keep the conversations from becoming a pre-tryptophan snoozer? FOX Weather has you covered! Every day, we go beyond the headlines to find the weird, the ugly and what everyone will be talking about in the weather world.

So, before you grab your first plate of stuffing or that slice of pumpkin pie, make sure you have the FOX Weather app open and ready to make small talk with the stories that could keep your relatives entertained well beyond dinner's first helping.

1. Record-breaking Colorado catch

The first story to read about comes from the Centennial State, where we learned there are record-breaking fish ready to be caught. Despite thrilling stories of reeling one of the catches in, there are strict requirements to become an official record holder: Click here.

Scott Enloe hold his likely record-breaking catch. The lake trout he reeled in weighed 73.29 lbs. (Scott Enloe)

2. ‘Doomsday Glacier’ is melting

Climate change can bring about disastrous consequences for the globe. Antarctica is one of the regions where many research efforts have been focused to determine impacts. But with more observations, scientists have observed some peculiar happenings: Click here.

3. Jurassic find in a Walmart

Usually, grocery stores aren’t where scientific discoveries are made or should be made, but the landscaping outside a store in Fayetteville, Arkansas, served as the ecosystem for one giant bug. Why an expert was able to trace the species back to the Jurassic era: Click here.

Giant bug found at an Arkansas Walmart identified as a Jurassic-era insect

The giant lacewing was commonly found in eastern North America but mysteriously disappeared in the 1950s. Scientists previously thought that the increase in light pollution and a decrease in raging forest fires in eastern North America potentially played of role in its disappearance.

4. Strange ‘noodly lines’ found near Alaskan waters

A NOAA expedition to map the ocean floor revealed ‘noodly lines’ off the coast of Alaska. The cracks were determined to be natural but still impressed scientists: Click here

5. Out-of-this-world find in Texas

Residents in South Texas were startled by a loud explosion, but NASA said the source of this boom was from space. In the days after the event in February, the American Meteor Society said a piece of meteorite had been found. See what the out-of-this-Earth material looked like: Click here.

A piece of the meteorite that entered the atmosphere over Texas last week has been recovered, according to the American Meteor Society. (Robert Ward - American Meteor Society/SCI+TECH/TMX)

6. Lightning too close to the camera

When thunder roars, go indoors! That is a slogan some emergency managers live by in thunderstorm country. Well, sometimes that is not possible, as one wildlife expert in South Florida found out. Watch the close encounter with a lightning strike: Click here.

7. Good weather comes at a cost

A new survey found that if you live in a mild and warm climate, it is likely an expensive place to live. Check out the commonalities among the list and see where your favorite community stacks up: Click here.

WHERE WEATHER COULD CAUSE PROBLEMS FOR THANKSGIVING TRAVEL THIS YEAR

Bonus topics

If the seven previous stories haven’t gotten you through the entire meal, FOX Weather has even more stories that we suggest you keep handy in case of a conversation emergency.

Here are seven more FOX Weather stories that’ll keep the dinner table talking:

If you are still looking for stories to avoid the gravy boat being thrown across the table, FOX Weather has entire sections devoted to keeping you the most informed person on Earth. Check out our Learn, Earth & Space and Lifestyle sections for more!