What caused the blood red skies in Western Australia? A weather expert explains - The Conversation

“I’ll tell you what, we’re having an earthquake!”Veteran sports broadcaster Al Michaels was the first person to break that news to the world out of San Francisco’s Candlestick Park on Oct. 17, 1989. Before he could finish the sentence, the powerful magnitude 6.9 earthquake severed power and communications throughout California’s Bay Area. Loma Prieta, also known as the World Series earthquake, remains one of the most significant disasters to strike the region in modern history. RELATED: The Great Quake of 1906 nearly wiped San Francisco off the mapA rupture within the San Andreas Fault network occurred at 5:04 p.m. local time near the Loma Prieta Peak, unleashing a powerful earthquake centred about 90 km southeast of downtown San Francisco. Strong to severe shaking rattled the Bay Area for nearly 30 seconds. Numerous buildings collapsed, especially near the epicentre and on the soft ground of San Francisco’s Marina District. Content continues belowA pancake-style collapse occurred along a section of a double-decker highway in Oakland called the Cypress Street Viaduct, a tragedy which was responsible for most of the disaster’s 63 fatalities.

An October nor'easter is developing in the Atlantic, where it will bring high surf, rip currents, coastal flooding, winds and rain to parts of the East Coast for several days this week. The National Hurricane Center has it highlighted as an area to watch this week for potential subtropical development. However, regardless of development, this system will bring dangerous conditions to the East Coast this week. Fortunately, this system doesn't look to be as strong as the one in September. But the bad news? It could linger for much of the week, so impacts could have a longer duration than you would think. There are currently coastal flood alerts across parts of coastal North Carolina and Virginia, where anywhere from 1 to 4 feet of inundation is possible. Key takeawaysWe do not expect this storm to be as strong as the late September nor'easter. The area most likely impacted the longest appears to be from the Delmarva Peninsula to eastern North Carolina, with more models pointing to primarily eastern North Carolina.

Thousands evacuate Southern California as wind-fueled fires burn homesFire crews in Southern California gained ground Saturday on a wind-driven blaze that charred hills and damaged or destroyed at least six large coastal homes, allowing evacuation orders to be lifted and thousands of people to return home. The fast-moving Norte Fire sparked the previous day in San Clemente amid hot, strong Santa Ana winds that drove it into San Juan Capistrano, prompting the evacuation of about 16,000 residents. Firefighters work to douse a house fire during the Norte Fire on Friday, Oct. 16, 2026, in San Juan Capistrano, Calif.(AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)Hundreds of firefighters deployed to combat the blaze in the hills of Orange County. At one home engulfed in smoke and fire, photos showed them using hoses to try to douse the flames. Most of the evacuations were lifted Saturday evening, except for one street in San Clemente. The Norte Fire was one of several in the region hit by the Santa Anas, which blow from the interior and toward the coast.