A storm that parked itself over Southern California for days, unleashing historic downpours that caused hundreds of landslides, is expected to move out of the region after one final drenching. But authorities say it leaves behind the threat of dangerous mudslides because the soaked soil cannot hold any more water.
Los Angeles officials says crews had responded to at least 475 mudslides and that seven buildings had been deemed uninhabitable since an atmospheric river-fueled storm moved into the region over the weekend.
A storm of historic proportions has unleashed record levels of rain over parts of Los Angeles. The weather is endangering the cityβs large homeless population, sending mud and boulders down hillsides dotted with multimillion-dollar homes and knocking out power for more than a million people in California.
Punxsutawney Phil has forecasted an early spring from the largest and best-known Groundhog Day celebration in the United States at an overcast Gobblerβs Knob in western Pennsylvania. The annual event was held shortly after sunrise on Friday.
Astronomers say an asteroid as big as a skyscraper will pass within 1.7 million miles of Earth on Friday. NASA estimates the space rock is between 690 feet and 1,575 feet across, which means the asteroid could be similar in size to New York City's Empire State Building.
Officials say scores of sea turtles stunned by cold temperatures along the North Carolina coast have died. The North Carolina State University Center for Marine Sciences and Technology says it took in 109 cold-stunned sea turtles from Cape Lookout on Sunday. Officials say the frigid temperatures leave the cold-blooded reptiles lethargic, leaving them vulnerable to being carried by wind to the shorelines.
Several school districts in the WCCB viewing area have canceled after-school activities, including athletic events, Friday due to the threat of severe weather.