Weather

A truck is driven through a flooded intersection of Salinas, Calif., on Tuesday. The first in a week of storms brought gusty winds, rain and snow to California on Tuesday, starting in the north and spreading southward.

National

What is an atmospheric river, responsible for the heavy rainfall on the West Coast?

4:36pm December 28, 2022

by Ashley Ahn

An atmospheric river is a relatively narrow channel of wind, hence the "river," that transports water vapor from the tropics to the West Coast, where it's producing rain and heavy winds.

Queue Listen Now

National Grid workers respond to a downed utility pole in Buffalo, N.Y., on Tuesday. The monster storm that killed dozens in the United States over the Christmas weekend continued to inflict misery on New York state and air travelers nationwide.

National

At least 34 have died in the Buffalo area as National Guard begins door-to-door checks

3:40pm December 28, 2022

by Ashley Ahn

The National Guard is conducting door-to-door wellness checks in neighborhoods that lost power as authorities search for more casualties.

TWU Local 556 president on Southwest's canceled flights

10:36am December 28, 2022

NPR's Ari Shapiro talks with Lyn Montgomery, the president of TWU Local 556, which represents Southwest flight attendants. Holiday travelers are stranded after the airline canceled flights.

Queue Listen Now

A weather system known as an atmospheric river hits the West Coast

5:05am December 28, 2022

National Weather Service senior forecaster Bob Oravec talks to NPR's A Martinez about a weather system that is pounding the West Coast with heavy rain, winds and snow.

Vehicles are seen abandoned in heavy snowfall in downtown Buffalo, New York, on Monday. Emergency crews counted the grim costs of a colossal winter storm that brought Christmas chaos to the U.S., especially in hard-hit western New York.

National

At least 31 people have died in Buffalo's Erie County due to destructive winter storm

8:31pm December 27, 2022

by Ashley Ahn

The city in western New York was among the hardest hit by snow and cold. At least 31 people in Erie County were killed because of the storm as of Tuesday evening, according to the health department.

More than two dozen people in Buffalo are dead after a massive winter storm

4:29pm December 27, 2022

by Dave Debo

Officials in the Buffalo, N.Y., area say more than two dozen people are dead after a massive winter storm. Warmer weather could bring flooding as the snow melts.

Southwest Airlines canceled at least 70% of its flights on Monday. In this file photo, travelers wait to check in at the Southwest ticketing counter at Baltimore Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport last year.

National

Southwest cancels more than 2,800 flights in a 'full-blown meltdown'

9:01pm December 26, 2022

by Ashley Ahn

The disruptions add to chaos that has left people stranded at airports across the country, many of them with little idea of when they can get home or where their bags are.

Kala Smith of Buffalo, N.Y., heads for a food store Monday on Main Street, not far from where she lives, after a massive snowstorm blanketed the city.

National

At least 50 people have died across the U.S. in 'once-in-a-generation storm'

2:45pm December 26, 2022

by Emily Olson

More than half the deaths occurred in western New York, which struggled with super-size snow drifts that snarled emergency vehicles. Buffalo's responders rescued hundreds trapped in cars.

National

Major storm causes multiple problems including many deaths in and around Buffalo

8:26am December 26, 2022

NPR's Steve Inskeep talks with Byron Brown, mayor of Buffalo, N.Y., about the blizzard that has paralyzed his city and caused many deaths. Power is out and there's no heat.

Queue Listen Now

Even the plows got stuck around the Buffalo area after a severe storm

5:13am December 26, 2022

NPR's Steve Inskeep talks to news anchor Ed Drantch of WKBW-TV about the impact of a deadly blizzard in Buffalo, N.Y.