The Daily Weather Update from FOX Weather: Bomb cyclone, Pineapple Express combo threatens California
Start your day with the latest weather news – An atmospheric river combined with a powerful storm will hammer California with more heavy rain, snow and wind. The Southeast U.S. faces another day of severe storms.
Daily Weather Update | January 4, 2023
Start your day with the latest weather news from FOX Weather.
Welcome to the Daily Weather Update from FOX Weather. It’s Wednesday, Jan. 4, 2023. It's National Trivia Day, so here's some weather trivia for you. The lowest temperature ever recorded in the U.S. was minus 80 degrees in Prospect Creek, Alaska, north of Fairbanks, on Jan. 23, 1971.
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California braces for ‘brutal’ storm bringing even more rain
The FOX Forecast Center is monitoring a powerful storm system that aims to bring even more heavy rain, snow and wind to California. The storm is a combination of a bomb cyclone and a type of atmospheric river nicknamed a Pineapple Express. Officials in California have called it a "brutal" storm that could likely lead to a "loss of human life."
Why is it called a Pineapple Express?
There’s a specific atmospheric river setup where the jet stream will dip south into the tropical Pacific Ocean near Hawaii, pull in a bunch of warm, moist air and carry it to the north and east across the ocean. This is called a Pineapple Express due to the storm’s Hawaiian origins and the Aloha State’s penchant for pineapples.
This comes after multiple atmospheric rivers have already dumped copious amounts of rain and snow on the Golden State. That’s why flood alerts are up for a good chunk of Northern and Central California. Mountains and their foothills could see upwards of a foot of rain with this storm. Landslides, falling trees and power outages are all possible.
Things to know
Severe storms continue to march across South today
After two days of Tornado warnings across the South, the cold front responsible for them will move farther east today and renew a threat of severe thunderstorms. Today’s risk is slightly lower than in previous days and is focused on central and southwestern Georgia, southeastern Alabama and the Florida Panhandle. Tornadoes and damaging winds are possible with any severe storms that develop.
Things to know
Unseasonably warm weather dominates eastern US
Nearly 240 million Americans in the eastern U.S. will be seeing weather that’s more reminiscent of spring than winter. Places in the Northeast will be among the warmest in the country, with temperatures running nearly 20 degrees above average for some. Several record highs could be in jeopardy.
Bonus reads
- Snow, ice leads to difficult driving conditions as winter storm moves across the Plains, Upper Midwest
- Watch out for these astronomical events in 2023
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