California's ever-growing population and the threat of a prolonged drought could kill the concept of the traditional lush lawn in the Golden State.

Government forecasters are predicting a warmer-than-average winter for the much of the nation's midsection and a dry one for the Southeast.

Two strong storms cut power to tens of thousands of homes and flooded streets along Australia's east coast Thursday, sweeping away one woman in her car amid the worst flooding in decades.

A man whose car slid off a snowy road and into a 12-foot-deep pond saved the two sons he had been driving home but could not save himself, police said.

It's beginning to look a lot like ski season. Thanks to a handful of early storms and legions of snowmaking guns, the ski scene is already picking up around the nation.

Many of the Californians displaced by the recent wildfires are bent on rebuilding even as the drought conditions of recent years have intensified the wildfire risk.