In later stages of beech leaf disease, after the leaves have developed dark stripes, the leaves shrink and become dry and crinkly. (Ohio Department of Natural Resources Division of Forestry) At a Glance Beech leaf disease was first found in Ohio in 2012.Now it has spread to 11 Ohio counties, eight Pennsylvania counties and five counties in Ontario, Canada. The disease infects at least three species of beech trees: American, European and Oriental. Scientists are warning that a disease killing...

At a Glance Much of the critical preparation for storms — upgrades and improvements to forecasting models and training exercises — occurs during the off-season. Much of the NHC staff continues to work without pay.But workers with other agencies that work closely with the NHC to improve forecast models are furloughed. Hurricane preparedness is another victim of the government shutdown that is now in its third week. While hurricane season runs from June through November, much of the critical preparation...

At a Glance At least 26 deaths have been linked to the winter storms in Europe.A massive avalanche plowed into and damaged a German hotel.Areas in Austria have been evacuated over fears of a large avalanche. A massive avalanche plowed into a hotel in southern Germany Sunday as heavy snowfall continued to pound Central Europe, killing 26 people in this month alone. While the hotel itself was damaged, no injuries to the hotel's 100 guests were reported, according to the...

At a Glance A new study suggests Easter Island's iconic statues were strategically placed to mark where sources of fresh water could be found.Researchers mapped the island and found that where fresh water would emerge, statues were almost always nearby. The iconic heads of Easter Island have long been a mystery to researchers, but a new study suggests a team has cracked the case of the location of the colossal stone statues. Published in PLOS One, researchers found that the...

At a Glance At least 13 people have been killed in weather-related crashes.Governors of Virginia and North Carolina declare states of emergency.A plane slid off a runway Sunday morning at the airport in Cincinnati.Hundreds of people became stranded on Missouri roadways Friday night.Nearly 500 crashes, including 300 vehicles that slid off roadways, were reported Missouri. At least 13 people have been killed and over 70,000 remain without power Monday afternoon as mid-Atlantic states dig out from Winter Storm Gia's weekend...

At a Glance Air pollution has reached unhealthy levels in several Asian countries in recent days.Leaders have handed out face masks and are considering cloud seeding to bring much-needed rain.Weather patterns have kept the smog in place over these countries. Air quality has worsened to dangerous levels in several Asian countries in recent days, becoming so unhealthy in Thailand that leaders have handed out face masks and are likely to turn to cloud seeding in hopes that rain will clear...

At a Glance Seminole County, Florida, regained the top spot from Harrison County, Mississippi.Seminole had an average 17.3 lightning strikes per third of a square mile last year.Florida had 1.4 million lightning strikes last year.Texas had the most lightning strikes in 2018 with almost 2.5 million. Florida’s Seminole County has regained the title of the United States' lightning strike champion. Seminole County had , the Orlando Sentinel reported. Neighboring Orange County, which surrounds Orlando, was in second place with an...

Dan Little, husband of Oregon Gov. Kate Brown, takes a picture after cleaning restrooms in Mt. Hood National Forest. (Twitter/Gov. Kate Brown) At a Glance An Oregon man cleaned bathrooms in Mt. Hood National Forest and billed President Trump for his services.Dan Little, husband of Oregon Gov. Kate Brown, sent an invoice for $28 to the president.The partial government shutdown is the longest in U.S. history, nearing one month. We're just a few days from the one month mark of...

At a Glance Waves overwhelmed the California teen after he fell through the blowhole. The 2-day search for the teen was called off on Monday. An 18-year-old man is presumed dead after falling through a blowhole at a state beach south of Carmel-by-the-Sea, California. Braxton Cooper Stuntz of Carmel came across the blowhole Saturday morning while along a cliff at Garrapata State Beach, the Monterey County Sheriff's Office reported. Stuntz reportedly tried to take a closer look into the blowhole...

At a Glance A behemoth disk of spinning ice formed in Maine this week.The disk spans about 300 feet across and has been spinning in the same spot of the Presumpscot River.The City of Westbrook posted about the disk and has since seen it blow up on social media. In 2016, the town of Westbrook, Maine, became the source of internet fame when local police found a giant snake — who would go on to be called Wessie — eating...

At a Glance Hot weather has engulfed much of Australia since the weekend.All-time record highs have been set in some locations. Australia is in the midst of a scorching heat wave this week that has set all-time temperature records in what has been four of its most sweltering days in history. The Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) in Australia said Saturday, Sunday, Monday and Tuesday on record for the country as whole. Marble Bar in northwest Australia has experienced the hottest...

This drone photo released by the Utah Highway Patrol shows a restaurant that was hit by truck in Wellington, Utah, Wednesday, Jan. 16, 2019. Utah authorities say the tractor-trailer crashed into the restaurant, flattening the business and injuring three people. (Utah Highway Patrol via AP) At a Glance The restaurant owner, his wife and the truck driver all suffered minor injuries. Authorities closed U.S. 6 in both directions in the wake of the crash. A tractor-trailer slammed into a Utah...