Annapolis, MD
Weather
Canadian Wildfire Smoke Blankets Maryland As Code Red, Purple Air Quality Alerts Issued Canadian Wildfire Smoke Blankets Maryland As Code Red, Purple Air Quality Alerts Issued
Canadian Wildfire Smoke Blankets Maryland As Code Red, Purple Air Quality Alerts Issued Maryland residents didn't need an air quality monitor to know something was wrong Friday morning. The sky turned hazy. The sun glowed orange. The air smelled like a campfire. The culprit was hundreds of miles away. Smoke from massive Canadian wildfires drifted into the region overnight, prompting widespread Code Red and Code Purple air quality alerts across much of the area as officials urged residents to stay indoors, avoid strenuous outdoor activity, and keep their windows closed. A weak front dropping south this eve has turned the winds to the northwest pushing more Canadian wildfir…

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by Zak Failla
Hicksville, NY
Weather
Here's When LI's Air Will Improve And How To Check Your Town's Forecast Here's When LI's Air Will Improve And How To Check Your Town's Forecast
Here's When LI's Air Will Improve And How To Check Your Town's Forecast Long Islanders dealt with another day of nasty air quality due to Canadian wildfires on Thursday, July 16. While official air quality readings were in the “moderate” and “unhealthy for sensitive groups” range in the early afternoon, photos from across the region showed smoky skies and a bizarre, orange-colored sun. Additionally, the air quality was expected to get worse throughout the day Thursday, with PM2.5 readings predicted to hit 185 by the evening — well into the “unhealthy range,” according to the U.S. Air Quality Index. For at least the fourth straight summer, the nasty skies were …

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by Joe Wilkinson
White Plains, NY
Weather
Here's When The Hudson Valley's Air Will Improve — And How To Check Your Town's Forecast Here's When The Hudson Valley's Air Will Improve — And How To Check Your Town's Forecast
Here's When The Hudson Valley's Air Will Improve — And How To Check Your Town's Forecast No, it's not gone yet — smoke from Canadian wildfires is expected to push air quality across much of the Hudson Valley into unhealthy levels on Thursday, July 16.    The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation and Department of Health issued an updated Air Quality Health Advisory on Thursday from 10 a.m. until 11:59 p.m. because of elevated levels of fine particulate matter, known as PM2.5, carried into New York by wildfire smoke from Canada. The advisory forecasts unhealthy air quality for the Lower Hudson Valley, which includes Dutchess, Orange, Putnam, Sullivan,…

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by Ben Crnic
Fort Lee, NJ
Weather
Here's When NJ's Air Will Improve And How To Check Your Town's Forecast Here's When NJ's Air Will Improve And How To Check Your Town's Forecast
Here's When NJ's Air Will Improve And How To Check Your Town's Forecast It's another smoky day for the North East due to Canadian wildfires.  AirNow forecasts much of New Jersey will reach the "Unhealthy" category Thursday, July 16 meaning everyone, not just people with asthma or other respiratory conditions, could begin experiencing health effects. The worst air is expected in North Central New Jersey, the Northeast Urban region, and the Delaware Water Gap, where the Air Quality Index (AQI) is forecast to reach 200, according to AirNow. An AQI between 151 and 200 is considered "Unhealthy." Other areas are expected to see only slightly better conditions. …

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by Cecilia Levine
La Plata, MD
Weather
La Plata Commercial Building Fire Traced To Lithium-Ion Batteries (PHOTOS) La Plata Commercial Building Fire Traced To Lithium-Ion Batteries (PHOTOS)
La Plata Commercial Building Fire Traced To Lithium-Ion Batteries (Photos) The heat isn't the only thing making it miserable outside. As temperatures climb toward 100 degrees across Maryland and Virginia, smoke drifting hundreds of miles south from massive Canadian wildfires is turning skies hazy and degrading air quality just as the region settles into another dangerous stretch of summer heat. The National Weather Service says the smoke, carried into the region by northwest winds aloft, will continue creating hazy skies at times through at least Wednesday, while the Maryland Department of the Environment warns poor air quality could linger through Friday. The…

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by Zak Failla
Manassas, VA
Weather
Manassas Officer Saves Overheated Bearded Dragon Found 'Cooking' On Hot Asphalt Manassas Officer Saves Overheated Bearded Dragon Found 'Cooking' On Hot Asphalt
Manassas Officer Saves Overheated Bearded Dragon Found 'Cooking' On Hot Asphalt Someone was having a really bad day in the Virginia heat. A tiny bearded dragon narrowly avoided becoming roadkill after a Manassas police officer spotted the reptile "cooking" on scorching asphalt and rushed it to safety. The unusual rescue happened during the recent stretch of blistering temperatures in the region, where an officer with the Manassas City Police Department came across the lizard stranded on hot pavement. According to the department, the bearded dragon was so overheated that it immediately plunged its head into a bowl of cool water after arriving at the local animal shelte…

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by Zak Failla
Annapolis, MD
Weather
27K+ Maryland Residents Still Without Power Hours After Severe Storms 27K+ Maryland Residents Still Without Power Hours After Severe Storms
27K+ Maryland Residents Still Without Power Hours After Severe Storms A weekend of violent weather is still leaving thousands of Maryland families in the dark. More than 27,500 customers across Maryland remained without electricity as of 11:45 a.m. on Monday, July 6, hours after powerful thunderstorms swept through the state with damaging winds that toppled trees and power lines. The hardest-hit outages remained concentrated in central Maryland, where Baltimore Gas and Electric reported more than 25,300 customers without power. Harford County led the utility's service area with 5,670 customers still in the dark, followed by Carroll County (4,864) and Howard C…

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by Zak Failla
Annapolis, MD
Weather
112-Degree Heat To Slam DC, Maryland, Virginia Ahead Of Fourth Of July Weekend 112-Degree Heat To Slam DC, Maryland, Virginia Ahead Of Fourth Of July Weekend
112-Degree Heat To Slam DC, Maryland, Virginia Ahead Of Fourth Of July Weekend The DMV is about to feel like an oven. A dangerous stretch of heat and humidity is building across DC, Maryland, and Virginia, where the National Weather Service has issued a Heat Advisory for Wednesday, July 1, followed by an Extreme Heat Watch from Thursday morning through Friday evening. Forecasters say heat index values could climb as high as 106 degrees on Wednesday before turning even more oppressive Thursday and Friday, when “dangerously hot conditions” could make it feel like 112 degrees in parts of the region. The alerts cover DC, portions of central, north-central, northeast, nor…

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by Zak Failla
Burke, VA
Weather
Microburst Leaves Fairfax County Family With Nothing After Two Trees Smash Through Home Microburst Leaves Fairfax County Family With Nothing After Two Trees Smash Through Home
Microburst Leaves Fairfax County Family With Nothing After Two Trees Smash Through Home When the storm passed, Shanita Haynie's family wasn't thinking about replacing a roof. They were wondering what, if anything, was left. A powerful microburst ripped through the Chatham Towne neighborhood in Fairfax on Monday, sending two trees crashing into Haynie's home and leaving it uninhabitable. Now she's staying in a nearby motel while her 10-year-old daughter has moved in with a family friend. The family hasn't been allowed back inside the house.  According to a GoFundMe organized by friend Lydia Graham, they've been told to assume everything left inside was destroyed aft…

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by Zak Failla
Burke, VA
Weather
'Our Home Was Hit The Hardest': Burke Family Forced From Townhouse After Violent Storm 'Our Home Was Hit The Hardest': Burke Family Forced From Townhouse After Violent Storm
'Our Home Was Hit The Hardest': Burke Family Forced From Townhouse After Violent Storm One violent storm. One ripped-off chimney. Now, a Northern Virginia family is suddenly looking for somewhere else to sleep. As Northern Virginia residents cleaned up Tuesday from the severe storms that tore through the region the night before, the Toledo family in Burke was facing a much bigger problem: their home was no longer safe to live in. Powerful winds that swept through Fairfax County on Monday, June 22, ripped the chimney and fireplace from the family's townhouse, according to a GoFundMe campaign launched to help with recovery costs. The damage left by the storm that rolled…

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by Zak Failla
Annapolis, MD
Weather
More Than 8,000 Customers Still Without Power Across Maryland, Northern Virginia After Storms More Than 8,000 Customers Still Without Power Across Maryland, Northern Virginia After Storms
More Than 8,000 Customers Still Without Power Across Maryland, Northern Virginia After Storms The storms have moved on. For thousands of Maryland and Virginia residents, the blackout hasn't. More than 8,100 customers across major utilities in Maryland and Northern Virginia remained without power as of Tuesday afternoon, June 23, after severe storms swept through the region a day earlier. Anne Arundel County remained Maryland's hardest-hit area among Baltimore Gas and Electric customers, with 1,024 customers still without power Tuesday afternoon. BGE reported 1,220 total customers affected across its service territory, which serves more than 1.3 million customers. In Anne Arundel Co…

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by Zak Failla
Annapolis, MD
Weather
60 MPH Winds, Flash Flooding, Tornado Risk Threaten Maryland, Virginia During Evening Commute 60 MPH Winds, Flash Flooding, Tornado Risk Threaten Maryland, Virginia During Evening Commute
60 MPH Winds, Flash Flooding, Tornado Risk Threaten Maryland, Virginia During Evening Commute The sweltering heat overwhelming the region could be the calm before the storm. Forecasters are warning that strong to severe thunderstorms may develop across Maryland, DC, and Northern Virginia on Monday afternoon and evening, bringing the threat of damaging winds, flash flooding, and isolated tornadoes just as millions head home from work. Officials are highlighting the potential for severe weather across the region as temperatures climb into the upper 80s and low 90s. The National Weather Service Baltimore/Washington office says scattered severe thunderstorms capable of producing damagi…

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by Zak Failla