Author: WeatherPreppers

By Elizabeth Gardner, WRAL meteorologist The Triangle has 7 consecutive days of 60+ degree weather to look forward to this weekend and into next week. However, a potential for rain and even severe weather may dampen weekend plans. Friday is mild and cloudy, with a high around 65. Saturday and Sunday both break into the low to mid 70s. Saturday brings Raleigh close to the record high of 76 degrees, reached over 100 years ago…

SYDNEY, Austrialia — U.S. firefighters were met with spontaneous applause as they arrived at the Sydney International Airport in Australia this week to aid the country battling wildfires that have killed 25 people and destroyed 2,000 homes. Video shared on social media by NSW Rural Fire Service Commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons showed the latest group of firefighters arriving in battle the fires in Victoria. Bystanders welcomed the team with cheers and applause. “Coming through, all gathered…

As Australian wildfires endanger the lives of thousands of koalas, one dog is stepping up to save her fellow furry friends. Taylor, a four-year-old English Springer Spaniel, is trained to sniff out koala fur and droppings, said her owner and professional dog trainer Ryan Tate. To date, Taylor has rescued eight of the country’s iconic marsupials from wildfires, which have destroyed more than 2,000 homes, claimed at least 26 human lives and potentially killed thousands…

LEXINGTON, N.C. (WTVD) — Students at one North Carolina high school are stepping up to help Australia. Some of the worst wildfires in the country’s history have been burning out of control, killing dozens of people and millions of animals. Troubled by the tragedy, art students at Oak Grove High School in Davidson County came up with a unique fundraising idea. SEE ALSO: How you can help firefighters, victims, animals in Australia “If we take…

RALEIGH — The Hibernian Pub in Raleigh is holding a fundraiser to help firefighters battling wildfires in Australia. You can help! On Thursday, Jan. 16, 10 percent of all sales at the pub will be donated to firefighters’ efforts. The pub is at 311 Glenwood Avenue. SEE ALSO : 24 charged with deliberately setting fires in Austalia The wildfires have burned millions of acres, killing at least 25. Thousands of firefighters from all over the…

By ROD McGUIRK, Associated Press CANBERRA, Australia — Thunderstorms and showers brought some relief for firefighters battling deadly wildfires across Australia’s drought-parched east coast on Wednesday, but also raised concerns that lightning will spark more fires before dangerous hot and windy conditions return. Around 2,300 firefighters in New South Wales state were making the most of relatively benign conditions by frantically consolidating containment lines around more than 110 blazes and patrolling for lightning strikes, state…

RALEIGH (WTVD) — The Carolina Hurricanes have signed forward Justin Williams to a one-year contract for the rest of the 2020 season. The contract will pay Williams a base salary of $700,000, and he can earn an additional $1.3 million in potential bonuses based on individual and team play in the regular season and Stanley Cup Playoffs. Williams, 38, has recorded 786 points in 1,244 career NHL games with the Hurricanes, Flyers, Kings and Capitals….

By Edmy Ayala, Patricia Mazzei, Frances Robles and Sandra E. Garcia, New York Times PONCE, Puerto Rico — The auditorium where Lenda Torres Rodríguez and some of her neighbors sought refuge on Tuesday after the latest in a series of earthquakes convulsed Puerto Rico seemed almost as unreliable as the houses they had abandoned. Every time a new aftershock hit, the windows made ominous cracking sounds. So they huddled outside on beach chairs, or hunkered…

Anaheim, California, has re-upped its contract with Environmental Land Management in order to use goats year-round for wildfire prevention, NPR reported. There have been goats grazing in places including Deer … Click to Continue »

A disaster relief contractor working in North Carolina after Hurricane Florence stiffed employees out of about $185,000 in pay, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. The company, MLU Services … Click to Continue »

By NICK PERRY and KRISTEN GELINEAU, Associated Press SYDNEY — Australia’s government said Monday it was willing to pay “whatever it takes” to help communities recover from deadly wildfires that have ravaged the country. Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the government was committing an extra 2 billion Australian dollars ($1.4 billion) toward the recovery effort in addition to the tens of millions of dollars that have already been promised. “The fires are still burning. And…

Not even a brutal schedule is slowing the Tampa Bay Lightning. Steven Stamkos had a goal and an assist, Nikita Kucherov had two assists and Tampa Bay beat the Carolina … Click to Continue »

Two more people are missing in remote parts of New South Wales state as rain and cooler temperatures brought some measure of relief Monday to Australian communities battling wildfires. But … Click to Continue »

Just like Roy Williams had a premonition Saturday’s North Carolina basketball debacle was coming when he spoke to his already-listless team before the game, Rod Brind’Amour seemed to sense a … Click to Continue »

Actress Nicole Kidman and country singer Keith Urban are joining in on the list of celebrities to help firefighters battle the deadly wildfires in Australia. The couple took to Instagram saying that they will donate $500,000 to the rural fire services. “Our family’s support, thoughts and prayers are with everyone affected by the fires all over Australia,” both couples posted to Instagram. “We are donating $500,000 to the Rural Fire Services who are all doing…

By CNN Newsource The Irwin family is continuing Steve Irwin’s legacy of rescuing and saving wildlife in danger. Bindi Irwin, Steve’s daughter, and the rest of the Irwin family have rescued and treated over 90,000 animals, many of which were injured in Australia’s recent devastating wildfires. Ollie, an orphaned platypus, was patient number 90,000 at the Wildlife Hospital, Bindi’s brother, Robert Irwin, said on Instagram. “With so many devastating fires within Australia, my heart breaks…

By NICK PERRY, Associated Press SYDNEY — It has been described as Australia’s Galapagos Islands and has long been a refuge for some of the country’s most endangered creatures. But devastating wildfires over recent days have undone decades of careful conservation work on Kangaroo Island and have threatened to wipe out some of the island’s unique fauna altogether. Experts working on the island say the fires have killed thousands of koalas and kangaroos, and also…

Devastated by the deadly wildfires in Australia, American pop singer Pink says she is pledging a donation of $500,000 to battle the blaze. “I am totally devastated watching what is happening in Australia right now with the horrific bushfires,” the pop star tweeted Saturday. “I am pledging a donation of $500,000 directly to the local fire services that are battling so hard on the frontlines. My heart goes out to our friends and family in…

By NINIEK KARMINI, Associated Press JAKARTA, Indonesia — Landslides and floods triggered by torrential downpours have left at least 60 people dead in and around Indonesia’s capital, as rescuers struggled to search for people apparently buried under tons of mud, officials said Saturday. Monsoon rains and rising rivers submerged a dozen districts in the greater Jakarta area and caused landslides that buried at least a dozen people. National Disaster Mitigation Agency spokesman Agus Wibowo said…

It’s hard at the exact midpoint of the season to see the possibility of the playoffs somewhere down the line, so take full enjoyment from games like this, the manifestation … Click to Continue »

Tens of thousands of Indonesians were crammed in emergency shelters Saturday waiting for floodwaters to recede in and around the capital, Jakarta, as the death toll from massive New Year’s … Click to Continue »

Fire tornadoes formed Thursday as wildfires continue to rage in Australia, eyewitness video shows. Brenton Davis, who shot video of one of the tornadoes, said in a Facebook post that it had formed on the north coast of Kangaroo Island, which sits off the coast of south-central Australia. “We had a fair few [fire tornadoes] today and it wasn’t even a hot day,” Davis said. More than 200 fires were burning across the country, officials…

Lucas Wallmark once took English courses at school in Sweden, but the Carolina Hurricanes center was a little stumped by the word “unsung.” “I’ve heard of it but … unsung?” … Click to Continue »