At a Glance A developing El Niño could have some notable impacts in 2019.It might be one factor influencing the rest of winter, tornadoes this spring and the Atlantic hurricane season. 2018 was a year of disastrous tropical cyclones, flooding, heat, drought and winter storms. (2018 RECAPS: Top Weather, Climate EventsStrangest Things We Saw) Now that we've entered the new year, you might be wondering if there's anything we can say about 2019. While we can't forecast key details such...

In this picture taken on January 18, 2012, Afghan rescue workers walk in a line into a snowbound village in the mountainous northeastern Afghanistan province of Badakhshan. Heavy snow has again cut off 12 districts in the Badakhshan province from its capital city, Faizabad. (STR/AFP/Getty Images) At a Glance Dozens of people were looking for gold in a riverbed. A flash flood and landslide caught the villagers unaware.An official says the toll could rise. A flash flood and landslide in...

Water flows over the Nevada Fall near Liberty Cap as seen from the John Muir Trail in Yosemite National Park in California. The National Park Service says a man died after falling into a river at the park on Christmas Day. The park says an investigation into the death is taking longer than usual because of the partial government shutdown. (National Park Service via AP) At a Glance Most of Yosemite National Park's staff have been furloughed because of the...

Volunteer Alexandra Degen cleans a restroom at Joshua Tree National Park on Friday, January 4, 2019, in California. Volunteers with "Friends of Joshua Tree National Park" have been cleaning bathrooms and trash at the park as the park is drastically understaffed during the partial government shutdown. Campgrounds and some roads have been closed at the park because of safety concerns. (Mario Tama/Getty Images) At a Glance The acting Interior secretary allows parks to use money from entrance fees to pay...

At a Glance A weekend storm has brought heavy rain and high winds to the West Coast.At least two people have been killed as a result of the storm.The Pacific Coast Highway in Southern California has been shut down due to a mudslide.More than 290,000 lost power in the Pacific Northwest. Ice-slickened roads caused a deadly accident in Dundee, Oregon, Monday morning, closing the Newberg-Dundee Bypass for several hours as a storm system powered into the West Coast. Two people...

Astronauts André Kuipers, left, of The Netherlands and Luca Parmitano of Italy at the European Space Agency on October 24, 2012, in Noordwijk aan Zee, Netherlands. (Michel Porro/Getty Images) At a Glance Dutch astronaut André Kuipers was trying to call someone on Earth.He missed a zero and wound up dialing 911.That triggered an alert at the Johnson Space Center in Houston. Even aboard the International Space Station, you have to dial 9 to get an outside line. And Dutch astronaut...

The U.S. Embassy in Havana, Cuba. (Yander Zamora/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images) At a Glance In 2016, staff at the U.S. Embassy in Havana complained of noises causing headaches, nausea and hearing loss.Conspiracy theories suggested the embassy was targeted by a "sonic attack."A recent study found the pitch and frequency of the sound in recordings matched that of a Caribbean cricket. In 2016, exams on nearly two dozen diplomats at the United States Embassy in Havana showed confusionlike symptoms or similar brain...

At a Glance The creatures are turning up on Pensacola Beach and Navarre Beach.The Gulf currents push them toward shore in the winter.Officials say there aren't enough to worry about yet. Dozens of Portuguese man-of-war have washed up on Florida Panhandle beaches recently. Visitors to Pensacola and Navarre beaches said they saw the blue creatures about , the Pensacola News Journal reported. Officials said there weren't enough of them to fly warning flags. "It's normal to have creatures in the...

At a Glance Carbon dioxide emissions rose by 3.4 percent in the U.S. in 2018.Greater demand for electricity, trucking and air travel contributed to the spike.Transportation is the largest source of carbon dioxide emissions in the U.S. After three years of declines, carbon dioxide emissions in the United States spiked 3.4 percent in 2018 — the second largest increase in two decades. The spike came even as , according to preliminary estimates from the Rhodium Group, an independent energy and...

At a Glance Snow has trapped hundreds of tourists in alpine villages in Austria.At least 14 deaths have been linked to the storms.Areas in Austria have been evacuated over fears of a large avalanche.Communities are bracing for yet another winter storm. The threat of avalanches kept communities in the northern Alps on edge Tuesday after a series of storms pummeled Central, Eastern and Northern Europe with heavy snow, killing at least 14. The latest storm, referred to as Winter Storm...

At a Glance Experts discovered two more critically endangered southern resident orcas will likely die before summer.Currently, only 74 southern resident orcas remain.Lack of prey, disturbance from boat traffic and toxic contamination are key threats of the "extinction event." Experts have found that two more southern resident orcas are in poor health and will likely die before summer arrives, further dwindling the population of the critically endangered species. “,” the Center of Whale Research's founding director Ken Balcomb told the...

The snow covers some areas of the ancient Acropolis hill and Plaka the tourist district of Athens, Tuesday, Jan. 8, 2019. Schools in the Greek capital and many surrounding areas are to remain closed due to weather conditions after snowfall blanketed Athens, with temperatures in some areas of the country plunging well below freezing. (Eurokinissi via AP) Athens awoke to a wintry wonderland on Tuesday, as snow blanketed the typically temperate city's ancient ruins and shut down schools. Photos show...