West braces for more storms bringing rain, wind, high surf and snow
ABC News
(NEW YORK) — Nine states are on alert for wind, snow, avalanches and high surf as new storms hit the west.
Parts of Oregon and Northern California could see 4 to 8 inches of rain over the next four days.
A high wind alert is in effect for the Pacific Northwest, where winds could gust near 70 mph.
A high surf warning was issued in Oregon, where waves could reach 35 feet, and a high surf advisory was issued as far south as Southern California, where waves could reach 15 feet.
Snow is also on the way.
A winter storm warning is in effect from Utah to Washington, where some areas could see up to 3 feet of snow. An avalanche warning was issued in Washington and Oregon.
These storms will continue to bring heavy rain and snow to the West Coast and the Rockies into the weekend. The West will get a break from the stormy weather early next week.
Meanwhile, in the South, a new storm system is bringing damaging winds, large hail and possibly tornadoes Thursday afternoon and evening.
The highest threat for severe weather will be in Texas, Louisiana and into Arkansas, including Dallas, Houston, Austin and Shreveport, Louisiana.
(LOS ANGELES, Calif.) — Two fast-moving brush fires erupted Tuesday in Los Angeles as dangerous wind conditions and unseasonably dry, warm weather sweep Southern California.
A currently 200-acre fire in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood was first reported before 11:00 a.m. local time and quickly prompted evacuations across the region and into Malibu.
The Los Angeles Fire Department issued a mandatory evacuation order for the area between Piedra Morada Drive and Pacific Coast Highway.
A separate brush fire is threatening the West Hollywood area, with crews working to contain the blaze on Sunset Boulevard between San Vicente and Crescent Heights.
The cause of both fires is currently under investigation, according to Cal Fire.
A “life-threatening” and “destructive” windstorm is also expected from Tuesday afternoon to Wednesday morning across much of Ventura and Los Angeles counties, according to the National Weather Service. Areas that are not typically windy will also be impacted, the agency said.
Much of Southern California is under red flag alerts for fire danger from Tuesday through Thursday as strong Santa Ana winds, low humidity and critically dry fuels jeopardize the region.
According to Cal Fire, residents in Greater Los Angeles County, San Gabriel and San Fernando valleys, San Diego and Riverside mountains, eastern San Diego valleys, Inland Orange County, Santa Ana Mountains, Inland Empire and San Bernardino Foothills should be prepared in case of an evacuation order.
“Stay vigilant, avoid activities that could spark fires and have an evacuation plan ready,” Cal Fire said in an update Tuesday on X.
On Monday evening, California Gov. Gavin Newsom directed state departments to position fire engines, handcrews, aircraft and additional support in areas that could be impacted.
“The state is taking early, proactive steps to coordinate with local partners to protect communities as dangerous weather enters our state. We are no strangers to winter-time wildfire threats, so I ask all Californians to pay attention to local authorities and be prepared to evacuate if told to go,” Newsom said in a statement.
In addition, drought conditions have returned to much of Southern California, according to an update from the U.S. Drought Monitor that was released last week.
Moderate drought now is currently in place from Los Angeles to San Diego, leaving very dry vegetation that can potentially fuel a spark and create a wildfire.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
(NASHVILLE, Tenn.) — An alleged portrait is beginning to emerge of the 17-year-old boy who opened fire at his Nashville high school on Wednesday, killing one student and wounding a second student, according to police.
Solomon Henderson, who was armed with a pistol, fired multiple shots in the cafeteria at Antioch High School around 11:09 a.m., Nashville police said.
Henderson confronted a 16-year-old girl, Josselin Corea Escalante, in the cafeteria and shot and killed her, Nashville Police Chief John Drake said at a news conference.
Another victim, a 17-year-old boy, was injured with a graze wound and has been treated and released from the hospital, Drake said.
The suspect died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head while he was in the cafeteria, police said.
Another student was transported to the hospital after suffering a facial injury from a fall, police said.
The suspect rode the bus to school Wednesday morning and later went to the bathroom to “retrieve his weapon,” Drake said.
A motive is not known, police said.
“There are some materials on the internet that we’re looking at,” Drake said.
According to a detailed analysis conducted by SITE Intelligence, the suspected shooter praised mass shooters and showed an affinity for extremist views.
Online material allegedly written by Henderson “detailed the individual’s apparent far-right politics, shaped by fringe online forums,” SITE reported.
“Henderson was highly in fringe online communities, including several known neo-Nazi venues. Across these sites and his writings, Henderson expressed admiration for far-right and incel mass shooters,” SITE reported.
According to the intelligence group, Henderson claimed online that the school shooter in the Abundance Life Christian School attack in December, Samantha Rupnow, followed him on his X accounts. Additionally, documents online allegedly written by Henderson “detail his admiration” of Christchurch, New Zealand shooter Brenton Tarrant, the suspect in the Slovakian gay bar shooting in 2022 and other mass shooters, according to SITE.
The intelligence group reported that Henderson also appeared to “post photos of himself in attire commonly associated with neo-Nazis.”
As the investigation into the school shooting continues, officials said Wednesday it’s not yet clear where the suspect obtained the gun. Police have reached a parent of the suspect, the police chief said.
Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee wrote on social media, “I’ve been briefed on the incident at Antioch High School and am grateful for law enforcement & first responders who responded quickly. … I join Tennesseans in praying for the victims, their families & the school community.”
The White House said it had been monitoring the shooting.
(MAYVILLE, N.Y.) — A jury has convicted a New Jersey man for attempted murder in the 2022 stabbing attack on author Salman Rushdie while the author was on stage at a speaking event in upstate New York.
Hadi Matar was found guilty of second-degree attempted murder and assault in connection with the attack at the Chautauqua Institution in southwestern New York.
The jury began deliberating around midday Friday before reaching their verdict within two hours.
Jurors heard starkly different accounts of the assault, which occurred on Aug. 12, 2022, while Rushdie was speaking before an audience at the education center.
District Attorney Jason Schmidt played slow-motion video showing Matar emerging from the audience, sprinting toward Rushdie, and launching a violent attack. Schmidt described the stabbing as a deliberate, targeted act, arguing that striking someone 10 to 15 times in the face and neck made death a foreseeable outcome. A trauma surgeon testified that Rushdie would have died without immediate medical intervention.
The defense, led by Andrew Brautigan, countered that prosecutors failed to prove Matar intended to kill Rushdie. The defense characterized the incident as a chaotic, noisy outburst rather than a calculated murder attempt. Public defender Nathaniel Barone argued that Matar was overcharged due to Rushdie’s celebrity, noting that he used knives rather than a gun or bomb and that Rushdie’s vital organs were not harmed.
Rushdie, 77, took the stand during the trial, vividly describing the attack that blinded him in one eye. He described his attacker’s eyes as “very ferocious” as he approached, before “hitting and slashing” him in his chest, torso, waist and eye as he struggled to get away, according to The Associated Press.
“It occurred to me that I was dying. That was my predominant thought,” Rushdie said, according to the AP.
Rushdie recounted the attack in his book, “Knife: Meditations After an Attempted Murder,” which was published last year.
Henry Reese, who was moderating the event and was wounded in the attack, also took the stand during the trial.
Reese told jurors he initially thought someone was running toward Rushdie as “a prank” but “at some point it became real, and I got up and tried to stop the attacker,” according to the AP.
The assailant was tackled by bystanders and pinned to the stage.
Matar did not testify and the defense called no witnesses during the two-week trial.
He rejected a plea deal ahead of the trial.
Matar still faces federal terrorism charges in connection with the attack. He was indicted by a grand jury on three counts, including attempting to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization and providing material support to terrorists. The indictment alleges that he “knowingly did attempt to provide material support and resources” to Hezbollah, a designated foreign terrorist organization, and “had engaged, and was engaging, in terrorism.”
Matar was also charged with an act of terrorism transcending national boundaries for the attack against Rushdie. The indictment alleges that he “did knowingly attempt to kill, and did knowingly maim, commit an assault resulting in serious bodily injury, and assault with a dangerous weapon.”
