Millions face 1st deep freeze and snow of the season
Freeze Alerts – Latest Map (ABC News)
(NEW YORK) — Millions of Americans from the Midwest to the Northeast to the South are facing the first deep freeze and snow of the season.
Parts of Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin and Michigan saw more than 1 foot of lake effect snow on Monday, with the Indiana State Police saying it “responded to hundreds of calls for assistance.”
Flurries even fell in Nashville, Tennessee, and Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.
The snow moved east on Tuesday, hitting Buffalo and Syracuse in upstate New York, as well parts of Pennsylvania. Hydetown, Pennsylvania, recorded more than 12 inches of snow while Central Square, New York, near Syracuse, saw more than 11 inches.
New York City saw light snow on Tuesday, and local emergency officials warned of reduced visibility on Tuesday afternoon due to the combined gusty winds and snow showers.
The lake effect snow will continue across western New York and northern New England through Wednesday. A winter weather advisory is in effect in Buffalo for an additional 3 to 5 inches of snow through Wednesday morning.
The cold blast brought record low temperatures to dozens of Southern cities, from Knoxville, Tennessee, to the Florida Keys.
Wednesday will be another chilly morning for the South. The wind chill — how cold it feels — will drop to 34 degrees in Jacksonville, Florida; 36 degrees in Charleston, South Carolina; 30 in Atlanta; 35 in Nashville, Tennessee, and Montgomery, Alabama; and 29 in Charlotte, North Carolina.
The Northeast will also be feeling the freeze, with temperatures feeling like the 20s to low 30s.
Special Agent in Charge Kenny Cooper of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, center, speaks during a news conference along with announcing the arrest of 29-year-old Jonathan Rinderknecht, of Florida, a suspect in the Palisades fire after a nine-month investigation into the blaze that killed 12 people, at the United States Courthouse in downtown Los Angeles on Wednesday, October 8, 2025. Among the evidence that were collected from his digital devices were images he generated o
(LOS ANGELES) — Months after the Palisades Fire devastated parts of Los Angeles County and killed a dozen people, officials announced the arrest of a man they say “maliciously” lit a fire that grew into the monster blaze.
Jonathan Rinderknecht, 29, is accused of igniting a fire on Jan. 1 in the Pacific Palisades that ultimately erupted into the Palisades Fire, the Department of Justice said.
The New Year’s Day brush fire was suppressed by fire crews but continued to smolder underground before high winds caused it to surface and spread nearly a week later, “causing what became known as the Palisades Fire, one of the most destructive wildfires in Los Angeles city history,” acting U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli said during a press conference on Wednesday.
What became known as the Lachman Fire was detected at 12:12 a.m. on Jan. 1 on a hilltop in the Pacific Palisades, according to the DOJ.
Rinderknecht, who the DOJ said was working as an Uber driver at the time and once lived in the Pacific Palisades — had dropped a customer off in the Pacific Palisades and then drove to a trail in the area of the fire, according to the complaint. Two of his passengers that night allegedly told law enforcement later that he appeared “agitated and angry,” the complaint stated.
The complaint alleges Rinderknecht caused the fire by lighting a combustible material, such as vegetation or paper, with an open flame, likely a lighter.
He attempted to contact 911 several times to report the fire, before ultimately getting through once he had cell service, according to the complaint. He allegedly made a three-minute screen-recording of his iPhone while attempting to call 911 and asking ChatGPT, “Are you at fault if a fire is lift [sic] because of your cigarettes?” according to the complaint.
“Based on my training and experience and this investigation, this indicates that RINDERKNECHT wanted to preserve evidence of himself trying to assist in the suppression of the fire and he wanted to create evidence regarding a more innocent explanation for the cause of the fire,” a special agent with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives wrote in an affidavit in the complaint.
Essayli said the suspect left in his car but then returned and filmed firefighters responding to the blaze.
There is no indication that anyone else was in the area at the time the fire started, Essayli said.
Investigators interviewed Rinderknecht on Jan. 24, during which he allegedly lied about where he was when he saw the Lachman Fire, according to the DOJ.
“He claimed he was near the bottom of a hiking trail when he first saw the fire and called 911, but geolocation data from his iPhone carrier showed that he was standing in a clearing 30 feet from the fire as it rapidly grew,” the DOJ said in a press release.
Essayli said he didn’t want to discuss motive, though he pointed to digital evidence included in the complaint of an image Rinderknecht allegedly generated in July 2024 using ChatGPT, showing in part “a burning forest and a crowd fleeing from it.”
“You could see some of his thought process in the months leading up, where he was generating some really concerning images up on ChatGPT, which appears to show a dystopian city being burned down,” Essayli said.
Rinderknecht has been charged by criminal complaint with destruction of property by means of fire. He was arrested on Tuesday near his residence in Florida, officials said.
He was denied bail during a detention hearing in Orlando federal court on Thursday, with the judge concerned he is a flight risk, Orlando ABC affiliate WFTV reported.
A preliminary hearing in the case has been scheduled for Oct. 17 in Orlando. It is not yet clear when he will be extradited to California.
The charge is punishable by up to 20 years in federal prison if convicted, the DOJ said.
Essayli said the DOJ will make determinations on additional charges against Rinderknecht in the coming days.
The Palisades Fire erupted on Jan. 7, burning more than 23,000 acres over more than three weeks and destroying nearly 7,000 structures, decimating the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, according to California fire officials.
It ignited the same day as the Eaton Fire, which burned more than 14,000 acres in Los Angeles County, destroying more than 9,400 structures and killing 19 people, according to officials.
The fires started burning during strong Santa Ana winds, which, combined with dry conditions, helped their ability to spread quickly. This spread prompted mass evacuations.
Los Angeles Police Chief Jim McDonnell called the investigation into the Palisades Fire “extremely intensive and thorough.”
“I’m proud of the professionalism and dedication shown by our detectives and the team who work collaboratively with our federal, state and local partners,” he said during the press briefing. “That teamwork ultimately led to the arrest of the suspect responsible for this devastating crime.”
Over the past eight months, investigators pursued more than 200 leads, conducted hundreds of interviews and collected more than 13,000 pieces of evidence, including fire debris, digital data and DNA samples, as part of the probe, according to Kenny Cooper, special agent in charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives’ Los Angeles Field Division.
“We have a lot of different data that all concluded where this fire started, and the fire behavior from that origin, from that Lachman Fire, was clearly established in the Palisades Fire,” Cooper said at the press briefing.
Uber said it worked with the ATF to “help determine the driver’s whereabouts” the night of the fire.
“As soon as we learned of the driver’s suspected involvement we removed their access to the Uber platform and continued to work with the ATF on this nine-month investigation,” Uber said in a statement Wednesday.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass called the arrest a step toward “closure” and “justice” following the catastrophic fire.
Following the announcement of the arrest on Wednesday, the Los Angeles Fire Department released a 70-page report reviewing its response to the Palisades Fire. Among over 40 lessons and recommendations included in the report, the department said its daily fire weather forecast is “antiquated” by focusing on the entire city and should be updated to provide more localized information, it should immediately review its procedures for recalling firefighters during an emergency, and warning sirens should be considered to alert residents independent of cell service.
Some steps taken by the city in the wake of the fire are in line with the report’s recommendations, such as stronger recall protocols, the mayor’s office said.
“The Palisades Fire was one of the worst natural disasters in our city’s history. It is vital we learn from what was effective, like the relentless heroism of firefighters responding to the blaze, and the challenges we faced in order to build a stronger emergency response system to prepare for whatever may come our way,” Bass said in a statement on the report.
In this handout satellite image provided by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Hurricane Melissa churns through the Caribbean Sea, captured at 15:20Z on October 28, 2025. NOAA via Getty Images
(NEW YORK) — At first light on Wednesday, the coastal communities of southwestern Jamaica bore the devastation of being in the direct path of Hurricane Melissa, as images emerging from the area show numerous homes destroyed, vehicles overturned, power lines down and trees uprooted.
One of the hardest-hit areas appeared to be the town of Black River, where many homes and businesses were left in ruins by the powerful Category 5 hurricane that made landfall on Wednesday. Twisted sheets of metal and busted concrete lay in ruins in the streets of the village, as first responders were seen in the footage weaving through downed power lines in search of survivors.
Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness said his nation was “ravaged” by the hurricane’s 175 mph winds and torrential rain.
“I know many, especially those in the worst-affected parishes, are feeling disheartened,” Holness said in a social media post. “Your homes may have been damaged or destroyed, and your communities and towns no longer look the same.”
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
(NEW YORK) — At least four U.S. states are under a severe thunderstorm watch.
The National Weather Service Storm Prediction Center issued the watch for northwest Arkansas, southeast Kansas, southern Missouri and eastern Oklahoma until 6 p.m. CT. The storm is expected to bring hail and damaging winds.
Wind speeds could reach 75 miles per hour and hail might be as large as 1.5 inches in diameter, according to the forecast.
Most of these areas have seen growing drought conditions over the last two months, so one to two inches of rain expected across the area will be much needed and welcomed to these areas. However, some localized flash flooding will be possible.
The rain will reach from the Florida Panhandle up to the eastern Great Lakes Sunday by the afternoon.
While the severe threat is expected to be lower, some storms capable of producing strong winds and large hail are possible for the central Gulf Coast, as well as from northern North Carolina and eastern Kentucky up to western New York.
