2 storms to bring some of the highest snow totals of season to major cities
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(NEW YORK) — Two major winter storms are bearing down on the U.S. this week and are expected to bring some of the highest snow totals of the season for cities including Chicago and Washington, D.C.
The first storm, which spans from Colorado to Delaware, will hit Tuesday morning through Wednesday morning.
By 7 a.m. ET Tuesday, heavy rain is expected from Dallas to Nashville, Tennessee, while snow will be falling from Louisville, Kentucky, to Richmond, Virginia.
The snow will arrive in D.C. by noon on Tuesday and may last for over 12 hours. Some light snow may make it as far north as Philadelphia.
Four to 6 inches of snow is possible for the D.C. and Baltimore region.
Meanwhile, the heavy rain in the South may cause flash flooding.
By the time that first storm leaves the East Coast, the second storm will have already started in the Midwest.
At 7 a.m. ET Wednesday, widespread snow is expected from Colorado to Iowa to Missouri, while heavy rain will be falling from Houston to Louisiana.
In Chicago, the snow will begin around 9 a.m. Wednesday and may last for over 12 hours. Five to 9 inches of snow is possible in the Windy City.
Then, in the East, a mix of rain and freezing rain expected in D.C. and Philadelphia beginning after 5 p.m. Wednesday and continuing overnight.
In New York City and Boston, the snow is forecast to start Wednesday night and then change to rain overnight.
Both storms combined will result in hefty snow totals in the Midwest and the Mid-Atlantic, and potentially flooding rain for a wide swath of the South.
Nancy Lane/MediaNews Group/Boston Herald via Getty Images
(NEW YORK) — Deviations from normal weather patterns are putting several regions in the U.S. at risk for an uptick of disease-spreading pests as winter turns to spring, according to a new analysis.
A surge in disease-spreading pests like ticks, mosquitoes, cockroaches and rodents is expected in regions that experienced especially warm or wet winters this season, according to the National Pest Management Association’s bi-annual Public Health Pest Index.
These pests can spread dangerous diseases such as Lyme disease, West Nile virus, Salmonella, plague, and hantavirus, said Jorge Parada, medical adviser for NPMA with a focus on infectious disease, in a statement. These types of pests can also trigger asthma and allergies, Parada said.
Warm winters typically allows more rats to survive, while unusual weather patterns — such as snow in New Orleans — can present a host of new pest problems, Jim Fredericks, senior vice president of public affairs for NPMA, told ABC News.
Ticks and mosquitoes survive better when it is moist, so regions that experienced especially wet winters will likely see those pests on the rise during the spring, Fredericks said.
“If the temperatures are above 50 degrees Fahrenheit, ticks will be active and in search of food,” Fredericks said.
Changes in climate — both in terms of warmer temperatures as well as the extreme weather events occurring as global temperatures rise — will have a greater impact on the threats these pests pose in the future, Fredericks said. The range for pests like ticks are also spreading due to warmer temperatures, Fredericks said.
The top U.S. cities named on the pest index include:
Boston:“Brutal” snowstorms and cold snaps pushed rodents indoors in search of warmth and food sources, according to the NPMA. In addition, a forecasted warmer start to spring could give ticks a jumpstart to the season.
Cleveland:“Mild, soggy conditions” during the winter could allow for pest populations like cockroaches and ticks to flourish as temperatures rise, the analysis found.
“The pathogens that they carry that could cause food-borne illness,” Fredericks said, adding that rodent dander and urine can also exacerbate asthma symptoms.
Denver: “A frigid and snow-packed” start to the season will likely drive house mice into homes and businesses, while white-footed mice activity inside structures could increase in rural areas, according to the NPMA.
“The white-footed mouse is actually one of the vectors for hantavirus,” Fredericks said.
Grand Rapids, Michigan: “Record-breaking” snowfall is expected to drive rats and mice indoors, and heavy rain forecasted for the area could lead to a rise in tick populations as temperatures rise, according to the NPMA.
Louisville, Kentucky: Rats and mice are expected to enter structures due to extreme cold and historic snowfall. Tick activity may also begin earlier than usual due to a warm spring.
New Orleans: Historic snowfall in the region sent rats and cockroaches into homes, and mosquitoes are expected to make a “fierce comeback” as temperatures climb, the analysis found.
Salt Lake City: Winter conditions could send house mice and white-footed mice indoors.
San Antonio: “Record-breaking warmth” during the winter allowed mosquitoes, cockroaches and ticks to stay active, and a “pest boom” is expected come spring — with a surge in bites, infestations and pest-related health concerns forecasted.
Seattle: A warm, dry start to winter could lead to an increase in rodent and cockroach activity indoors and an increase in tick populations could occur with the spring rains, according to the NPMA.
Washington, D.C.: A “rollercoaster” winter that started unusually warm and ended in heavy snowfall has made rodent activity climb significantly in the nation’s capital, the report states. Tick populations could surge if spring arrives early.
Florida: The group has issued a statewide warning for Florida, pointing to the Sunshine State’s humid climate that allows disease-carrying pests to thrive year-round, the report stated. Although the winter brought dry, cool conditions, a surge is expected this spring as rising temperatures and humidity create ideal breeding conditions.
“We have all of the mosquito species here,” Ryan Carney, an assistant professor at the University of South Florida’s Department of Integrative Biology, told ABC News. “There’s a huge diversity, over 90 species of mosquitoes. Fourteen of those are anopheles, which spread malaria.”
Mosquitoes are the deadliest animal on the planet, killing more than 1 million people per year from the diseases they carry, and Florida is no stranger to outbreaks of mosquito-borne illness. In 2023, nearly 200 people contracted dengue fever, and there were more than 1,500 cases of Zika in the state from 2016 to 2018, Carney said.
A citizen science project run by USF creates artificial intelligence algorithms to help identify and stop disease-carrying mosquitoes before they are able to infect humans and other large mammals.
“These citizen sciences, especially for mosquitoes, are a way that people can report these sightings of mosquitoes or mosquito bites, and that helps us scientists understand the biodiversity of mosquitoes in the area,” Carney said.
(NEW ORLEANS, LA) — The suspect in a deadly attack on New Year’s revelers in New Orleans has been identified as Shamsud-Din Jabbar, a 42-year-old U.S.-born citizen and U.S. Army veteran from Texas, according to the FBI.
At least 15 people were killed and over two dozen injured after a man drove a Ford pickup truck through a crowd on Bourbon Street at a high rate of speed early Wednesday, multiple law enforcement sources and Louisiana Rep. Troy Carter told ABC News.
Authorities are working to determine whether the deceased suspect had any affiliation with terrorist organizations after an ISIS flag was found tied to the truck’s trailer hitch, the FBI said.
After barreling through the crowd over a three-block stretch, the suspect allegedly got out of the truck wielding an assault rifle and opened fire on police officers, law enforcement officials briefed on the incident told ABC News. Officers returned fire, killing the suspect, police said. At least two police officers were shot and wounded, authorities said.
“This man was trying to run over as many people as he possibly could,” New Orleans Police Chief Anne Kirkpatrick said at a press briefing on Wednesday afternoon. “It was not a DUI situation. This is more complex and more serious.”
She said the driver was “hell-bent on creating the carnage and the damage that he did.”
Weapons and potential IEDs were located in the suspect’s vehicle and other potential IEDs were located in the French Quarter, according to the FBI, which is leading the investigation. As of now, two IEDs have been found and rendered safe, the FBI said. Investigators found homemade pipe bombs at the scene of the Bourbon Street attack, law enforcement sources told ABC News. The crude devices contained coils and nails, the sources said. Authorities also found a grenade, which is among the items tested for viability, sources said.
New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell described the horrific incident as a “terrorist attack” and the FBI said it was being investigated as an act of terror.
The suspect is not believed to be “solely responsible” for the attack, according to the FBI, which said it is pursuing leads to identify any of his associates.
New Orleans police have reviewed surveillance video that appears to show several people planting potential explosive devices in advance of the vehicle ramming, leading the FBI to conclude the driver of the pickup truck did not act alone in the attack, law enforcement sources told ABC News.
Investigators are urgently working to identify the individuals who were seen on camera and take them into custody, the sources said.
Jabbar is believed to have been discharged honorably from the Army, though investigators are still looking into his military record, the FBI said.
Carter told ABC News that the suspect appears to have “lived or spent some time” in the New Orleans area.
“My understanding is there may have been some identification that indicated that the suspect had a local residence and so that information is being tested,” he said.
The vehicle had a Texas license plate, according to Carter.
The truck used in the attack appeared to be a Ford F-150 Lightning, an electric vehicle. It appears the truck was rented through the Turo app — a carsharing company, according to Rodrigo Diaz, the owner of the truck.
Diaz told ABC News he rented the truck to an individual through the app and is currently talking to the FBI. He declined further comment.
Diaz’s wife, Dora Diaz, told ABC News that she and her husband are devastated by the incident.
“My husband rents cars through the Turo app. I can’t tell you anything else. I’m here with my kids, and this is devastating,” Dora Diaz said.
(RICHMOND, Va.) — The Metro Richmond Zoo in Virginia is welcoming a newborn pygmy hippo just before the holidays, the zoo announced in a press release on Dec 24.
The newborn arrived on Dec 9. after a seven-month gestation, the press release said. The pygmy hippo parents, Iris and Corwin, gave birth to a third little girl in the past 4.5 years.
“This is Iris and Corwin’s 3rd calf in 4.5 years (all females), and their 2nd calf to arrive right before the holidays,” the zoo said. “Most people don’t get a hippopotamus for Christmas at all, so we feel lucky to have received two over the years.”
This is the first time Iris gave birth in the water, the press release stated. Common hippos usually give birth underwater, while pygmy hippo calves can be born on land or in water.
The baby hippo arrived around 4:50 p.m., while Iris was laboring in the indoor pool, the press release said. The baby’s natural instincts kicked in and she started moving around in the water immediately.
Iris and the baby were later moved to a “cozy, hay-bedded enclosure exhibit,” the release stated.
“This gives mom and baby privacy while they bond. Within time, they will move back to the indoor pool area so guests can see the baby,” the press release said. “Iris is an experienced mother and very protective of her calf. The calf is nursing and growing quickly. The baby has yet to be named.”
At 5 days old, the newborn had a neonatal exam and she weighed 15 pounds. Fully grown pygmy hippos can weigh up to 600 pounds, the zoo said.
According to the zoo, the pygmy hippo is an endangered species native to the swamps and rivers of West Africa. Less than 2,500 mature individuals remain in the wild. Unlike common hippos, pygmy hippos do not live in groups and are usually solitary or in pairs.
“For this reason, once Iris’ two previous calves grew up, they were moved to other zoological facilities to live with future mates and continue contributing to the conservation of their species,” the zoo said.
The Metro Richmond Zoo is the only place in Virginia where people can see hippos, the press release said.
