The Daily Weather Update from FOX Weather: Deadly California storms take brief break but more are on the way
Start your day with the latest weather news – California will catch a brief break from the onslaught of storms, but more are headed for the Golden State this weekend and into next week.
All of California to be hit by another atmospheric river this weekend
Rain and a renewed flood threat will return to all of California on Saturday as yet another atmospheric river sends tropical moisture toward the state. This will be more vigorous than Friday's, but also quick-hitting.
Welcome to the Daily Weather Update from FOX Weather. It's Thursday, Jan. 12, 2023.
Start your day the right way with everything you need to know about today's weather. You can also get a quick briefing of national, regional and local weather whenever you like with the FOX Weather Update podcast.
California braces for more storms
Thursday is expected to be a mostly dry day across most of California, but rain is expected to return on Friday as the seemingly never-ending run of atmospheric river storms aims for the Golden State.
Heavy rain and flooding have plagued California all week, and while most of the state will get a break on Thursday, more storms are expected this weekend and into next week.
Heavy rain and a renewed flood threat will return as another atmospheric river storm sends tropical moisture toward the state on Saturday.
High winds will also return, and that will likely topple trees in the saturated soil.
More power outages are also likely during the quick-hitting storm.
Scattered showers will return on Sunday before another storm moves into the state Monday and Tuesday.
Things to know:
- What is an atmospheric river? The planet's largest freshwater rivers are in the sky
- California scenes show devastation from flooding, sinkholes amid barrage of atmospheric rivers
- Northern California redwoods still stand tall after historic storms
More storms are headed for California through the start of next week.
(FOX Weather)
Atlanta, Southeast face severe weather threat Thursday
The FOX Forecast Center is tracking a severe weather threat in the Southeast, including the Atlanta metro, on Thursday.
An initial round of severe storms is expected Thursday morning in parts of Kentucky and far southern Indiana, where damaging wind gusts and large hail are possible.
But according to the FOX Forecast Center, Thursday afternoon and evening will have the greatest risk of severe weather as a cold front sweeps eastward across the Southeast.
Central and eastern Alabama and central and northern Georgia, including the Atlanta metro area, will face the highest threat of severe thunderstorms. However, the risk of severe weather will also extend into other portions of the Southeast and Tennessee Valley.
Several damaging wind gusts are likely, though large hail and at least a few tornadoes are also possible.
Things to know:
- The SPC 5-point severe thunderstorm risk category scale explained
- Watch vs. Warning: Here are the differences between these weather terms that could save your life
- How you should prepare for a tornado
The severe weather threat on Thursday, Jan. 12, 2023.
(FOX Weather)
Flight delays from FAA system outage may continue due to severe weather in South
A major system outage at the Federal Aviation Administration on Wednesday led to a nationwide ground stop that delayed thousands of flights across the country.
The last time the FAA issued a nationwide ground stop was during the terror attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.
And while normal flight operations resumed around 9 a.m. EST, delays continued throughout the day.
These delays will likely have a ripple effect across the country into Thursday due to the risk of severe weather in the Southeast.
Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL), the world's busiest airport, is included in the severe weather risk on Thursday.
Weather, and other issues, can have a major effect on air travel. Because of the nation's geography, major cities such as Boston and Miami can have a beautiful sunny day, yet storms hundreds of miles away, like in Atlanta, can block air routes, keeping planes trapped as if they were on an island.
Things to know:
- How thunderstorms hundreds of miles away can wreak havoc on air travel
- Worst US airports for flight delays
- Here's what causes turbulence and why you shouldn't be afraid of it
An American Airlines Airbus A319 airplane takes off past the air traffic control tower at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in Arlington, Virginia, Jan. 11, 2023. The U.S. Federal Aviation Authority said Wednesday that normal flight operations "are resuming gradually" across the country following an overnight systems outage that grounded departures.
(SAUL LOEB / AFP / Getty Images)
Bonus Reads:
- Triple header: Falcon Heavy launch among busy week for SpaceX
- NASA scientists discover Earth-sized, 'habitable zone' world just 100 light years away
Need more weather? Check your local forecast plus 3D radar in the FOX Weather app. You can also watch FOX Weather wherever you go using the FOX Weather app, at foxweather.com/live or on your favorite streaming service.