National Weather Service

(Newser) - Thousands of lightning strikes over a wide swath of Northern California ignited more than 700 wildfires that have burned some 44,000 tinder-dry acres of grassland, brush and forest. Firefighters managed to protect most homes in almost all of the fires. The historically bad fire season has been spurred by...

(Newser) - Southern California is sweltering in a record-breaking heat wave that has killed at least one person, the Los Angeles Times reports. The 77-year-old woman died after wandering out of her car in 116-degree heat, and her husband is in critical condition. Forecasters warn the exceptionally high heat will continue through...

(Newser) - The death toll from a winter storm that pummeled the upper Midwest rose to 22 today, the AP reports. The worst of the storm is over for the region, but it left behind icy highways and downed power lines, especially in Wisconsin, Illinois, and upper Michigan. Remnants of the storm...