FOX Weather • November 24 2023

Why D.B. Cooper should have checked the weather before his infamous hijack heist

SEATTLE -- Friday marks 52 years since one of the most infamous cases and unsolved mysteries in the FBI's archives: The heist and legendary jump from a hijacked plane by the man simply known as "D.B. Cooper."To this day, the case remains unsolved, and many questions remain: Did Cooper survive the jump into the rugged terrain of southwestern Washington? Is he still alive today? Did he ultimately get away with it?But one thing is for sure: By planning his heist for late November, he couldn't have...

FOX Weather • November 8 2021

How a dog bite led to the only death during the infamous Tacoma Narrows Bridge collapse

TACOMA, Wash. -- It was 83 years ago Tuesday that a windstorm would first turn the months-old Tacoma Narrows Bridge into an extreme version of "Galloping Gertie," then lead to its spectacular demise as the bridge collapsed into Puget Sound below.Miraculously, no people died, but the bridge did claim a life: Tubby, a three-legged black Cocker Spaniel that remained trapped in his car as the bridge wobbled, then fell.Leonard Coatsworth, a news editor for the Tacoma News Tribune, was driving on the...

FOX Weather • December 7 2021

Pearl Harbor attack led to multi-year ban on public weather data as US entered World War II

These days, all the weather information you could ever want to process is available at the click of a button or flip of a channel.  But imagine a ban on any public weather information beyond 26 hours, and even then, only being told a range of possible temperatures, heavy rainfall and important warnings?It happened 82 years ago, in the days after the Dec. 7, 1941, attack on Pearl Harbor and the Americans' entry into World War II.That was long before satellite and radar technology would allow inst...

FOX Weather • November 22 2021

Chilling irony: How world heat champ Death Valley owes name, in part, to a snowstorm

DEATH VALLEY, Calif. -- It's one of the planet's most imposing places -- a combination of extreme heat, complex terrain and a shortage of water sources. It's the only place on Earth to have been reliably measured to reach at least 130 degrees, and getting lost out there can quickly spell doom.It even has an imposing name: Death Valley. But it's actually an incredible tale of survival that gave the valley its morbid moniker.The name came amid the famous California Gold Rush in the mid-1800s that...

KOMO • August 17 2017

Even astronomers viewing Seattle's 1860 eclipse complained about Northwest weather

Navy Lieutenant James M. Gilliss had just received orders to head from New York to Seattle to officially survey an upcoming total solar eclipse. Only he didn't just pack up a laptop and camera and book a flight out of JFK.No, it's the summer of 1860. His journey would take two weeks, heading into mischarted territory, all while lugging boxes 100 pounds each of observatory equipment in the hopes of documenting a rare eclipse in the United States.

KOMO • January 5 2018

Seattle's ultimate jinx: The 5-foot snowstorm that hit in January, 1880

SEATTLE -- The lesson of the day: Never taunt Mother Nature...In January of 1880, Washington Territory Governor Elisha Ferry made a bold statement during his "State of the Territory" report (remember, Washington would not become a state until nine years later) assuring the world that "ice and snow are almost unknown in Washington Territory," according to research done by local historian Paul Dorpat, as published in Historylink.org.

FOX Weather • August 3 2022

Farmers' Almanac declares parts of US 'hibernation zone' with predicted 'glacial, snow-filled' winter

LEWISTON, Maine -- Many Americans have been broiling through an above-average summer, but if the Farmers' Almanac winter forecast is right, some parts of the nation are heading for a polar opposite experience this winter.

FOX Weather • September 21 2021

Spring equinox myth busted: You can stand an egg on its end today – and any other day

Every time the first day of fall or spring rolls around, you might hear of the neat trick you can "only" do on the dates of the equinox: Stand an egg up on its end.It turns out it's true.

FOX Weather • April 5 2025

Catastrophic rain triggers Flood Emergencies, evacuations on fourth straight day of relentless storms Saturday

MEMPHIS, Tenn. – Life-threatening flooding and dangerous severe weather pummeled large swaths of the nation's heartland again Saturday for the fourth day in a row, leaving some areas with rainfall not seen in generations and triggering evacuations.

New York Post • March 15 2025

Hurricane-force winds blast Texas, Oklahoma as fast-spreading wildfires prompt evacuations

A dangerous combination of hurricane-force winds, dry land and cratering humidity levels are bringing sweeping dust storms and an “extremely critical” fire threat to millions across wide swaths of Texas, New Mexico and Oklahoma on Friday.

New York Post • March 9 2025

Mystery solved as ‘crazy gross rain’ dirties cars across miles in the Midwest

Residents from the Midwest into the Ohio Valley got an unpleasant surprise when they went outside after overnight rain showers Saturday morning to find instead of their cars being washed clean, they were now covered in a grimy film.

FOX Weather • November 20 2024

Bomb cyclone slams Seattle area with fierce winds leaving at least 2 dead, hundreds of thousands without power

SEATTLE – The effects of a rapidly developing bomb cyclone slammed the Seattle area on Tuesday night, killing at least two people and knocking out power to hundreds of thousands of utility customers as ferocious winds toppled trees and power lines across western Washington.

FOX Weather • May 17 2025

Monstrous tornado outbreak kills dozens across Kentucky, Missouri, spawns devastating damage

LONDON, Ky. - A tornado outbreak swept across the Ohio Valley on Friday night, leaving at least two dozen dead and rescue crews frantically searching neighborhoods left in ruins for any other survivors.

FOX Weather • May 28 2025

Alaska slammed by atmospheric river as summer cruise season revs up

KETCHIKAN, Alaska – Those heading up to Alaska for a late spring cruise this week got a heaping dose of weather reality as an atmospheric river brings several inches of rain to one of the most popular ports of call in the "Last Frontier."

FOX Weather • September 13 2024

Could La Nina arrive too late to have much influence on hurricane season?

COLLEGE PARK, Md. – La Niña is still running late, and when it does get here, it may not stick around very long. But while that might seem like it could help at least limit one factor that was expected to enhance this year’s hurricane season, the underlying data suggests La Niña may still have a say in giving the tropics a boost.

FOX Weather • June 29 2024

Rare Alaska severe thunderstorms bring over 75,000 lightning strikes near Arctic Circle

FAIRBANKS, Alaska — An intense warm and unstable weather pattern in the Arctic throes of Alaska brought a rare bout of strong, widespread thunderstorms that lit up the Last Frontier with an extreme number of lightning strikes Thursday.Lightning sensors employed by Vaisala Xweather recorded an electrifying 78,506 lightning events across about 260 square miles of the northern third of Alaska over 24 hours Thursday. A lightning event can be a cloud-to-cloud, cloud-to-air, or cloud-to-ground lightni...

FOX Weather • July 29 2025

Tsunami waves hit Hawaii, US West Coast after massive 8.8 quake strikes off Russia

HONOLULU – A Pacific-wide tsunami triggered by a historic underwater 8.8 earthquake off the eastern coast of Russia sent walls of water rushing toward the U.S. and impacted coastal communities in Hawaii and Alaska, as well as California, Washington and Oregon along the West Coast.

FOX Weather • March 9 2023

Deadly California atmospheric river triggers flood emergency, evacuations amid relentless rain

SANTA CRUZ, Calif. – Torrential rains and extreme mountain snows pummeled California at the hands of yet another potent atmospheric river, triggering an "extreme" risk of flash flooding for some regions. At the same time, new snowfall totals in the highest elevations could reach 100 inches, and ridgetop wind gusts have reached well over 100 mph.Torrential rains triggered a dire Flash Flood Emergency in the central California towns of Springville and Porterville Friday morning, where spotters rep...

FOX Weather • February 27 2023

1 dead, 15 hurt as tornadoes tear through Oklahoma City area, hurricane-force winds sweep across Plains

NORMAN, Okla. – A line of severe thunderstorms spanning hundreds of miles swept across the central and southern Plains Sunday evening, killing one, injuring more than a dozen others and bringing destruction at the hands of rare February tornadoes in Oklahoma.Tornado sirens wailed across the Oklahoma City metro area as multiple twisters were spotted while the severe storms raced through the region late Sunday evening.There were several reports of damage to homes, trees and power lines in nearby N...

FOX Weather • January 2 2023

2 dead as bomb cyclone, ‘Pineapple Express’ blasts California with life-threatening rain, flooding

SAN FRANCISCO – A powerful double whammy of an atmospheric river and bomb cyclone continues to drench California on Thursday, dropping several inches of rain on a region that has struggled to wring out from an onslaught of winter storms and creating a widespread risk of flooding, mudslides and power outages in what some forecasters are suggesting will become one of the most impactful storms to strike the state in years.The storm has been blamed for at least two deaths in the San Francisco Bay Ar...

FOX Weather • November 20 2024

Hurricanes Helene and Milton, like dozens of others, energized by climate change, report says

Hurricanes in the Atlantic Ocean Basin are running on average a category stronger on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale than they would be without climate change and its associated warming, according to a new study released Wednesday.

FOX Weather • September 14 2022

Climate change leads to massive jump in weather-related power outages during past 10 years, study finds

Weather-related power outages are fast becoming more common across the U.S. due to climate change, a new study found, leaving an increasing impact on local economies and residents' health.

FOX Weather • September 8 2022

Rising sea levels to flood nearly 650,000 oceanfront properties across US by 2050, study finds

Nearly 650,000 parcels of oceanfront property in the U.S. that currently sit on dry land will be at least partially submerged within 30 years due to rising sea levels from climate change, according to a sobering research study released Thursday by Climate Central.

FOX Weather • July 24 2024

Earth sweats to its hottest day on record Monday, breaking record set the day before

Monday was measured as the hottest day ever recorded on Earth as the planet’s temperature keeps rising in a world of climate change.

FOX Weather • September 24 2024

How Helene's tropical moisture ahead of landfall could bring significant flooding to Atlanta, Southeast

ATLANTA — A dangerous flash flooding threat looms on the eve of Hurricane Helene across a wide swath of the Southeast on Wednesday – including the Atlanta metro area – even though Helene will be hundreds of miles away.

New York Post • January 26 2025

Southern California braces for flooding, mudslides as intense rainfall expected among wildfire-ravaged areas

The first significant rainfall in several months will spread across Southern California on Sunday, giving a badly needed sip of water to an area parched by drought and devastated by multiple raging wildfires.

FOX Weather • March 1 2025

Powerful windstorm may threaten March atmospheric pressure records in Midwest

DES MOINES, Iowa – A powerful storm that is threatening a dangerous severe weather outbreak in the South Tuesday is expected to bring widespread impacts on its northern flank across the Midwest, with potentially damaging winds, soaking rain and areas of snow.

New York Post • September 21 2024

Brewing tropical threat to US could play out in four different ways

The next tropical threat to the U.S. is brewing in the Caribbean as there are increasing signs that the ingredients needed for a tropical storm or even a hurricane are coming together.

September 18 2024

New tropical disturbance threat looms in Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico as Central American Gyre stirs

As tropical activity in the Atlantic Ocean quiets down again, attention is shifting back to the Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico, where there are increasing signs of atmospheric conditions favorable for the development of possibly the next named storm sometime next week.

FOX Weather • July 19 2024

Florida to see 'dirty rain' as plume of Saharan dust layer arrives this weekend

ORLANDO, Fla. – Usually a good downpour can help wash the ground clean, but storms in Florida this weekend may leave things dirtier than before the rains began.A thick layer of Saharan dust that is among the massive plume covering much of the tropical Atlantic is moving across the Florida Peninsula this weekend.The dust usually moves through between 5,000 and 15,000 feet, but summer thunderstorms can stretch 20,000-40,000 feet tall in Florida. While the dust can work to dry out the atmosphere, s...

FOX Weather • July 19 2024

More than 30 million bake under heat alerts as dangerous triple-digit temps return to West

SPOKANE, Wash. — One of the hottest starts to summer on record across much of the West is ready to write its next chapter as yet another dangerous bout of heat is building.The worst of the heat wave this weekend will focus on two areas — the Inland Northwest and, farther south, the interior valleys of California, stretching into southern Nevada and western Arizona.Excessive Heat Warnings cover about 16 million people across seven states as temperatures soar to within shouting distance of all-tim...

FOX Weather • July 5 2024

Tropical Storm Warnings, Hurricane Watches issued for Texas coastline ahead of Beryl's impacts

As of Saturday at 5:00 P.M. EDT, Hurricane Warnings have been issued as Tropical Storm Beryl approaches Texas. Continuous coverage of Tropical Storm Beryl has moved here. CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Texas is now bracing for impact from what will likely be a direct strike from Hurricane Beryl, and the first warnings have been hoisted.Currently, Beryl remains a tropical storm, and a Tropical Storm Warning is now in effect from just south of Baffin Bay, Texas to the mouth of the Rio Grande River, meani...

FOX Weather • October 17 2024

Treasure Island has growing reminder of the daunting cleanup that awaits after dual hurricanes

TREASURE ISLAND, Fla. — Reminders are growing of the daunting cleanup efforts that remain after Florida’s beachfronts were slammed by not just Hurricane Helene but Milton.

FOX Weather • March 19 2025

As recovery continues, harrowing stories emerge from deadly tornado outbreak that ravaged 13 states

Stories of heartbreak and recovery were told across the Midwest and South as residents worked to pick up the pieces left behind after a weekend tornado outbreak spawned more than 90 tornadoes and caused dozens of deaths.

FOX Weather • October 5 2024

Rescue, recovery efforts continue in North Carolina as Helene's death toll exceeds 240 in Southeast

ASHEVILLE, N.C. – Recovery and resilience continue in the Southeast following Hurricane Helene after the historic storm killed at least 248 people with hundreds more still unaccounted for from the deadliest mainland U.S. hurricane since Katrina.

FOX Weather • May 30 2025

Mayfield takes emotional step toward tornado recovery with opening of historic park

MAYFIELD, Ky. – The town of Mayfield, Kentucky, devastated in December 2021 when an EF-4 tornado tore through their community, leaving 24 dead and much of the city in ruin, is taking another important step forward in their community rebuilding and healing process this week.

FOX Weather • December 24 2023

7 places where a white Christmas might seem impossible, but isn't

For those that live in the warmer climates of the southern U.S., "Dreaming of a white Christmas" each year is just that -- a dream.   A recent European oddsmaker put the probability of a snowy Christmas in Los Angeles and San Francisco at 1000-1. In a vast majority of years, even that would classify as a "sucker bet."But while you might assume seeing snow on Christmas in the likes of Los Angeles or Phoenix or parts of Florida would never happen, their history books have three words for you:"Neve...

FOX Weather • June 10 2023

We've found America's worst place to daydream

Welcome to our weekly feature, "Weekend Weather Wows," where we'll go back and find the most exciting tidbits of weather you might have missed over the past week, so you'll be ready to impress at the water cooler (or virtual water cooler) come Monday.

FOX Weather • November 19 2021

Among surest weather bet in America: Predict rain in this Hawaii town in July

You can never really guarantee 100% it'll rain on a specific date in the future, but in some cities, there are some dates where it's at least a pretty decent bet -- even in states not exactly known for rain.Washington is one of those states known for rain, and November 19 is that near-guarantee date for rain in Seattle. It has rained enough to measure at least 0.01 inches a whopping 92 times in the past 127 years on that date -- that's 72.4% of the time.Portland, Oregon has an even better bet on...

Photo by Josh Fields on Pexels

Seattle Post-Intelligencer • July 3 2025

How much summer have we had in Seattle? 78 minutes

Does it seem like you can measure the amount of summer weather we've had this year with a stopwatch? Turns out, you probably can. In fact, head to see the latest blockbuster at the theater and Seattle's accumulative summer would be over and done long before the credits rolled.

FOX Weather • March 29 2023

Which MLB team uses their retractable roof the most? It's backward weather logic

SEATTLE – You peek at the schedule and decide it's a great day to take yourself out to the ol' ball game. You snag the tickets, find that ball cap and make the trek to the baseball park, only to have the game go into a several-minutes-to-hours-long rain delay. Or worse, the game gets washed out. Day: ruined

FOX Weather • June 21 2022

Lightning safety: When thunder roars, even taking out the trash can turn deadly

A simple trip to take out the garbage, retrieve something left outside in the driveway, or a search for better cell service turned deadly for people who ventured outside during thunderstorms over the past several years.

FOX Weather • December 30 2023

The craziest weather records set or smashed in 2023

From record-cold wind chills to relentless heat waves and endless days of rain and sun, 2023 had its share of jaw-dropping weather events.We've gone back and compiled some of the more unusual weather records and events that occurred this past year to prove Mother Nature always seems to have some tricks up her sleeves.

FOX Weather • April 29 2022

1 strike, 'you're out': Study finds dangerous lightning close by in 1 of every 14 MLB games

LOUISVILLE, Colo. – The baseball adage is that it's "three strikes, you're out," but it would only take one strike of lightning to take someone out at the ol' ball game.

New York Post • June 1 2025

250 million bees unleashed upon northern Washington after truck overturns

LYNDEN, Wash. — Emergency officials have been busy as … well, you know, cleaning up after a commercial truck full of bee hives crashed in northern Washington, unleashing 250 million bees on first responders.

FOX Weather • March 14 2025

Four killed, multiple injured after dust storms wreak havoc in Texas, Oklahoma

Four people were killed and multiple people were injured in crashes across Oklahoma and Texas as a powerful dust storm fueled by 60-85 mph wind gusts dropped visibility to near zero along highways and interstates on Friday afternoon.

FOX Weather • June 24 2025

Lightning strikes group of 20, including children, at South Carolina beach park

LEXINGTON, S.C. -- A group of 20 people were struck by lightning while swimming at a South Carolina beach park Tuesday evening, emergency officials said.

FOX Weather • October 9 2024

Tampa, St. Petersburg lashed by 100-mph winds, catastrophic flash flooding from Hurricane Milton

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – Hurricane Milton slammed the Tampa-St. Petersburg area with over 100-mph wind gusts and torrential rain, knocking out power to well over a million in the metro area and damaging the home of the city's baseball team

KOMO • March 9 2016

9 firefighters hurt as blast levels building in Seattle's Greenwood neighborhood

SEATTLE -- A natural gas explosion rocked a Seattle neighborhood early Wednesday, sending nine firefighters to the hospital and reducing businesses to rubble.

KOMO • September 24 2015

4 killed, 51 injured as 'Duck' vehicle, bus collide on Aurora Bridge

SEATTLE - Four people were killed and 51 were injured -- 15 critically -- when a "Ride the Ducks" amphibious vehicle plowed into the side of a BellAir tour bus full of international college students Thursday on the Aurora Bridge, officials said.

KOMO • March 24 2015

What took so long? SPD explains 9-hour semi crash cleanup

SEATTLE - City and police officials say they'll review their response to a semi-truck crash that ended up shutting down the southbound lanes of SR-99 just south of the Alaskan Way Viaduct for nine hours Tuesday evening, leading to epic gridlock across the city.

KOMO • June 5 2014

1 dead, 3 wounded in shooting at Seattle Pacific University

SEATTLE - A gunman opened fire at Seattle Pacific University Thursday afternoon, killing one person and wounding two others before being pepper-sprayed and disarmed by students.

FOX Weather • June 6 2022

Why don't hurricanes strike California?

LONG BEACH, Calif. – Hurricane season is well underway along the East and Gulf coasts of the U.S., but it’s one of the few weather events that Californians can blissfully ignore despite their similar perch in a warm climate along an ocean shoreline.

FOX Weather • October 12 2021

How meteor smoke can turn into a dazzling display of glowing clouds at dusk

If you’ve ever been up early for the sunrise or stayed up late past sunset around the heart of summer, you might just be treated to a stunning display of bluish clouds that appear to have luminescence.These "Polar Mesospheric Clouds" — informally known as noctilucent clouds, or "night-shining" clouds, glow with a beautiful blue hue as the sun sits just below the horizon. But they are not the typical ones that portend rain; instead, they are in the highest reaches of the atmosphere."PMCs are wate...

FOX Weather • May 1 2024

Rare ‘backward-spinning’ tornado among twisters wreaking havoc in Oklahoma

LOVELAND, Okla. – There have been dozens of tornadoes sighted across the Plains and Midwest over the past week in a relentless severe weather pattern, but one tornado in particular has the meteorology community buzzing after Doppler radar indicated it was spinning "backward" from typical tornadoes.

FOX Weather • November 2 2022

Secrets of the SPC: How daily convective outlook graphics are made

NORMAN, Okla. -- Almost every day, meteorologists -- both professional and armchair -- flock to NOAA's Storm Prediction Center site to get the low-down on any expected severe weather in the nation.

FOX Weather • August 16 2021

What does ‘Z’ time mean on weather maps?

When the weather starts to get exciting or perhaps even dangerous, social media feeds fill with professional and armchair meteorologists giving their thoughts on the upcoming storms.

FOX Weather • June 16 2022

'Bogus' Fire? 'Dinosaur' Fire? 'Airline Fire'? Here's how wildfires get their names

Those in the West following the wildfire season this summer might be scratching their heads over some of the names scattered across the headlines:"Bogus" Fire? "Airline Fire"? "Dinosaur Fire"?

FOX Weather • August 16 2021

What is a Sun Dog?

It's a mostly sunny day out there, but as the sun glides behind some thin, wispy clouds, all of a sudden, the sun has company. Soon, a second ball of light begins to shine on one side of the sun, and maybe soon after, another bright spot forms on the opposite side. In the most brilliant displays, it's as if there are now three suns in the sky -- the main sun and two little siblings.These "side suns" are colloquially known as sun dogs, officially known as "parhelia," which is Greek for "next to t...

FOX Weather • September 20 2021

What's the difference between a tornado, waterspout, landspout and dust devil?

A vast majority of people could correctly identify a tornado if presented with a photo of one, but some funnels mimic tornadoes yet are formed by different processes.  Tornadoes are born from supercell thunderstorms containing descending currents of relatively cold, dense air, known as downdrafts. These downdrafts help a developing tornado maintain its rotation while also pushing it downward toward lower altitudes.THIS IS A LIFE CYCLE OF A TORNADOThe rotation can eventually become so concentrate...

Seattle Magazine • July 8 2022

Seattle Meteorologist Scott Sistek's Sunny Attitude

Scott Sistek is on a mission to make Seattle’s chilly weather cool. A Pacific Northwest native and University of Washington alum, Sistek has been forecasting the weather for more than a decade, including stints at the National Weather Service, NOAA and KOMO News. His insightful and dependably witty weather blog, Partly to Mostly Bloggin, celebrates weather trends and events unique to Seattle.

Photo by Eddie Ortiz on Pexels

The Seattle Times • July 19 2011

Report we’ve had ’78 minutes of summer’ hit a nerve

Scott Sistek is in the weather business. So around here that means he's also in the therapy business. And what is it that people in therapy want? "I think they're looking for some kind of recognition of their misery, some proof that they aren't crazy," Sistek says. "This time I guess I put a number...

KUOW Public Radio • October 24 2018

KUOW: Welcome to winter: You can do it!

The winter solstice was this morning at 8:28 a.m. – if you’re reading this, you’re through the darkest point of the year. But we know it may not feel like it. What to do to beat the winter blues in Seattle? Host Marcie Sillman spoke to some experts to help us answer that question.
Scott Sistek is a meteorologist at KOMO News and considers himself the spokesperson for Seattle’s rain fans. He told us what to expect this winter (if you like rain, you’re definitely in luck).

Photo by Chris on Pexels

Cascade of History Podcast • August 13 2023

FOX Weather's Scott Sistek on the 2021 Pacific NW Heatdome