Weather

Carole Baskin has no choice but to shelter in place as Hurricane Ian passes over her Florida sanctuary ... because places like hotels aren't down to take on 45 big cats onto their property.

Carole tells TMZ ... her 21 bobcats, 8 tigers, 6 servals, jaguar and leopard -- just to name a few -- are staying put and riding out this hurricane ... some of the other animals like chickens have been moved to a different sanctuary for the time being.

She's been working with her husband and volunteers this past week to protect them from the storm -- Carole says they've built structures, chopped down branches that could pose a threat, and loaded sandbags throughout her property.

People have donated equipment and chainsaws to help with the prep, and they've been able to collect generators and gas in case the power goes out. They also have a big propane tank just in case -- that'll help with the food prep for the cats.

Whoever said "necessity is the mother of invention" probably wasn't thinking about TV reporters putting condoms up to their mouths in the middle of a hurricane ... but, yeah, that's a thing now!

NBC's Kyla Galer is practicing safe reporting down in Florida as Hurricane Ian roars across the state -- proudly, and gently we're sure, rolling out latex protection for her microphones while out in the field.

As Kyla's pointing out to curious viewers ... "It is what you think it is. It's a condom. We can't get these mics wet ... so, we gotta do what we gotta do."

Translation: No glove, no love live shots from this reporter!

Just to wrap this up ... Kyla's getting pounded in the Naples area, just south of where Ian's eye came onshore Wednesday. She, and tons of other TV reporters, are out in the elements getting whipped by heavy wind and rain -- but a little prophylactic preparation goes a long way.

A Florida weatherman is feeling Twitter's wrath after posting a video of a struggling kitten in Hurricane Ian -- and not being able to bring it to safety -- as conditions in the area continue to worsen and pose life-threatening risks to anyone who dares to go out in the storm.

WINK-TV meteorologist Dylan Federico posted a short clip of the kitten outside the Fort Myers TV station clinging to a bench with water and wind thrashing all around it. Federico's caption read, "Storm surge is rising rapidly outside WINK News. A kitten is on the bench trying to escape the water. The doors are locked but we're trying to get the kitten inside."

More than an hour passed without an update on the kitten from Federico ... and his followers got PISSED.

One Twitter user wrote, "Less filming, more saving. If the water ain’t as high as a bench, you sure as heck can go out there and get that baby." Another said, "bro, save the cat! For the love of god!"

Dylan eventually deleted the post -- and the anger on social media continued. Another person wrote, "You may have deleted the video but none of us will ever forgive you. Cowardly, cruel and inhumane."

Finally, a couple hours after the video first went up, Federico Tweeted, "Right after the video was posted we attempted to get to the cat but it swam in a different direction out of view. I waited to post an update in hopes we could grab it. Please take your companions with you when you evacuate."

What's more, a source with direct knowledge tells us staffers were given strict instructions to stay inside the building as conditions continue to worsen and going outside could prove deadly.

On a better note ... one video showed a dog and a kitten rescued from a sailboat Wednesday while the storm hammered boats in a harbor.

Weather Channel reporter Mike Seidel looks like he deserves a raise -- he's working on the ground, in the winds of a category 4 hurricane ... and the videos are scary.

Mike threw on a rain jacket and trudged out into the thick of Hurricane Ian as the storm's eyewall made landfall Wednesday on Florida's Gulf coast ... and as you can see, the 84 MPH wind gusts are giving him a hard time.

With Ian's wind and rain bearing down on him and waves crashing at his feet, Mike admits live on the air he and his crew are getting hammered by the storm ... but the show goes on.

Mike's still out in this mess ... doing more live shots even as Hurricane Ian intensifies for folks in the Fort Myers area.

The wind is only going to pick up, and the water will continue to rise ... but so far, it looks like Mike can handle whatever comes his way.

These Florida men, who decided to go swimming off a pier in the area, also seem to think they can handle the storm. We're not as sure about their safety as we are Mike's.

Ernest Hemingway's famous home in Florida is a mess with debris after Hurricane Ian winds whipped it, but there's some really good news ... the 59 cats who live there are safe and sound.

Alexa, a rep for the Hemingway house in Key West, tells TMZ ... the estate is dealing with the hurricane aftermath, with staff cleaning up all the tree and leaf debris caused by the category 4 storm.

Fortunately, the structures from the 1930s home don't appear to be damaged ... and we're told the 59 cats who call the property home are all accounted for, and feline fine.

The Hemingway Home, where Ernest wrote roughly 70 percent of his published works, was well prepared for the hurricane ... we're told the cats were sheltered on the property before the storm hit, with some staff members staying on site to tend to the felines.

The cats are a famous part of the Hemingway house ... Ernest started the cat colony back in the day when a sailor gave him a six-toed cat, and some of the cats who live there now are direct descendants ... and all 59 cats are of the six-toed variety.

Hilaree Nelson -- a world-famous ski mountaineer -- has tragically been found dead after she fell from a mountain following an avalanche in Nepal this week.

She was 49 years old.

According to the New York Times, Nelson and her partner, Jim Morrison, were attempting to ski down Manaslu -- the eighth-highest mountain in the world -- on Monday when she was knocked off course by a massive snowslide and went missing.

Authorities say they immediately launched a search for her -- though bad weather hampered their efforts. Finally, on Wednesday, government officials said they located her body.

Sachindra Yadav, an expedition liaison officer, confirmed Nelson's death to the New York Times.

"Her body has been brought to Kathmandu for autopsy," Yadav said. "It's intact but covered with snow."

Nelson was a legend in the extreme skiing sport, The North Face -- one of her sponsors -- called her "the most prolific ski mountaineer of her generation."

Her bio on her personal website said her "expedition career has led her to many 'firsts' in the world of ski mountaineering including linking two 8000m peaks in one push, first ski descents in Baffin Island, a first American ascent and ski descent of Papsura peak in India and a first ski descent of the 4th highest peak in the world, Lhotse."

The mother of two was named National Geographic Adventurer of the Year in 2018.

It's not every day you can wakeboard in the street ... so when the weather from Hurricane Ian caused a huge flood, a Florida man was there with his board!

A bystander in Marathon, Florida caught the performance on video ... where a pickup truck,  submerged in water, pulled the wakeboarder through the flooded streets.

There were even spectators there ... cheering on the wakeboarder.

Even though it looks fun (heck, is fun), Hurricane Ian is no joke. The storm could bring 155 MPH winds when it slams into Florida on Wednesday, according to Weather.com.

Last week, Hurricane Ian struck the Cayman Islands and Cuba, leaving at least 2 people dead in Cuba and millions without power.

This is the second major hurricane of the 2022 season.

Several sporting events in Florida, and even South Carolina, have been postponed due to the severe weather, including UCF's game, originally scheduled for Saturday game, that's been moved to Sunday.

As of now, the Buccaneers-Chiefs game is still on for Sunday night at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, but an NFL spokesman said the league is "monitoring the storm and continuing to talk to both teams."

Seaside parties might not be the wave ... at least not in Hawaii right now, where crazy high tides completely destroyed a wedding reception.

It all went down over the weekend, on the west coast of Hawaii's Big Island at the Hulihe'e Palace in Kailua-Kona ... when a couple set out to have a beautiful beachside reception.  And, some guests caught the whole thing on camera.

As you can see, the waves were so fierce, they wrecked the entire wedding party in a matter of seconds ... toppling the nice set-up of tables and chairs.

According to local news reports, the waves were so big they were going over 2 story buildings!

At first, it appears the guests were unaware of just how big the waves were as they watched on. Eventually, they scramble ... unable to stop the waves from destroying everything.

Luckily though, no one got hurt and they were able to turn things around for the better. The wedding cake even weathered the storm!

You've heard the age-old advice of not going and chasing waterfalls, but avalanches might need to be added to the mix -- or at the very least, get out of their way if you can.

A British guy named Harry Shimmin posted this wild footage taken Friday out in Kyrgyzstan, where he says he was on a guided tour with 8 others through the Tian Shan Mountains ... at one point through which the group reached the highest point possible by hiking.

That's when an avalanche from a nearby peak started to unfold, barreling down on Harry -- who had separated from the group a bit to take photos on his own. As he looks on at the snow, which seems to be quite some distance away, he quickly realizes it's coming closer.

Soon, the reality sets in ... that he's about to be buried by this thing if he doesn't take cover. Acting as a bit of a daredevil, Shimmin waits 'til the very last second to do exactly that.

HS explains that he knew he'd be alright all along -- as he was right by a ridge where he could duck under when the snow came over him -- but admits ... it was risky business.

Halsey's fans didn't get a concert, but they certainly got wet ... all thanks to some serious rain that shut down the show before it even started.

The "Without Me" singer was set to perform at the Merriweather Post Pavilion in Maryland Wednesday night, but mother nature had other plans -- with a forecast that predicted some serious rains -- however, Haley's crew stayed optimistic that the show could still go on.

Videos of the rain and flooding from the venue look like something out of a movie, with rain pouring down and water rushing through the stands. The show's start time was delayed a couple hours before the whole thing was called off.

Halsey jumped onto an IG Live to explain and apologize to fans -- saying the weather experts they work with while on the road didn't expect the downpour to be as bad as it was.

Master P is joining the recovery effort in his hometown -- after a deadly tornado tore through New Orleans, he's put together a team to, literally in some cases, pick up the pieces for victims.

The rapper tells TMZ ... his "Team Hope" currently has 25 people in the area, and it's comprised of his friends, family and other community members. So far, they've helped more than 100 families in NOLA's 9th Ward by handing out essential supplies, and helping the elderly fill out damage claim forms.

Most importantly, the crew is already starting the rebuilding process by cleaning up the damage and salvaging what they can from wrecked homes.

The tornado cut through several parts of the city late Tuesday night, injuring multiple people and killing at least one person. As it passed through, it flipped cars and ripped roofs off of houses.

Sadly, the city and its residents aren't strangers to mother nature's wrath, but Master P tells us, "New Orleans is stronger together ... it's time to clean up and rebuild. We have done this so many times we have to be thankful for life."

P is feeling that gratitude because, as his own relatives narrowly dodged disaster this time around -- he says they live 7 blocks away from where the twister touched down.

Back when NOLA was reeling last year from Hurricane Ida ... Master P's provided much-needed relief, distributing clean drinking water through one of his companies.

Machine Gun Kelly's turning hotel bellmen into tour roadies and proving the ol' show biz adage is true ... even in the face of a deadly storm in South America.

Yeah, the show totally went on for MGK Tuesday night just outside the lobby of his hotel in Paraguay ... where the rocker set up giant speakers, cranked it up to 11 and grabbed a mic. Fans had swarmed the building after his scheduled concert venue was flooded out, forcing promoters to pull the plug on the show.

Megan Fox was right by her fiance's side when he came out to greet the fans, and then decided to give 'em a mini-concert.

Paraguay was rocked by a storm that tore roofs off buildings and had rivers overflowing their banks. Five people reportedly died and more than 80 were injured in the severe weather.

There is not a new 'Little Mermaid' ride at Disney World, but guests might feel like it as major flash flooding left parts of the theme park underwater.

Disney's Hollywood Studios -- one of the 4 Disney parks in Orlando -- was inundated Monday night, but the unprepared tourists seemed to take in stride ... albeit, very wet strides.

As "When You Wish Upon a Star" blared some people were pushing strollers through knee-deep (for little kids) water.

You can imagine ... the younger park-goers were eating this up, having an absolute blast playing, skipping or just flopping down in the flooding. Not ideal for parents, but hey -- ya came all that way, might as well soak up the Disney magic.

The National Weather Service says an estimated 4 to 5 inches of rain ended up falling in the area. Gotta love Florida, baby!!!

A volcano eruption off the island of Tonga has sent literal shockwaves around the world -- so much so, that now authorities have warned ... we here in the U.S. could be at risk.

The underwater explosion took place Friday, which was actually noticeable from satellites all the way up in space ... and the images captured of the moment the volcano blew are mind-blowing, giving you a true sense of how powerful this thing was -- and how devastating too.

The real-world effects were felt almost immediately ... not only did people hear and see the mighty boom, but soon -- there were massive waves crashing ashore on the island of Tongatapu. Several videos were posted of the early damage, and even then ... it was bad.

Check out some of these clips ... you can see water tearing through residential areas and ripping down gates and fences. Some areas seem to have been hit harder than others.

There's one video that looks like it's straight out of a movie (in a bad way), with massive waves bursting their way onto the city streets ... and cars having to do quick U-turns to get the hell out of there.

So far, there are no reports of injuries or deaths -- but at the same time, much of the island is without communication or internet at the moment ... that's how rocked they've been over the past 10 hours or so.

Now, the rest of the world (at least on the Pacific side) is starting to feel the ramifications from this ... including here in the States, where weather officials have issued tsunami warnings in Hawaii, Alaska, British Columbia and all up and down the west coast of the U.S.

There are reports of massive waves crashing against the shorelines in cities like Monterey and elsewhere ... and locals have been told to steer clear of the area for a while.

Tornados ripped through Kentucky, Illinois and other states last night ... and the death toll could reach 100 ... and it could even go higher.

The images are horrifying ... one tornado traveled 223 miles, ripping through county after county in Kentucky. Governor Andy Beshear said, "We have deaths in multiple counties. This is one of the toughest nights in Kentucky's history."

And, there was at least one death in Arkansas Friday night, when a tornado ravaged a nursing home, causing the building to collapse.

And, there's this ... workers inside a Kentucky candle factory posted Facebook audio ... showing the sheer terror of the weather event. The workers can be heard sobbing and begging for help ... "Please y'all, give us some help. We are at the candle factory in Mayfield. Please, please. Y'all! Please send us some help. Somebody, please send us some help, we are trapped."

She goes on ... "The wall is stuck on me. Nobody can get to us, y'all, we can't move."

Willard Scott -- the iconic "TODAY" show weatherman who preceded the Al Roker era -- has died.

Al himself confirmed the news this weekend, taking to IG with an honorary post for Willard and writing ... "We lost a beloved member of our @todayshow family this morning. Willard Scott passed peacefully at the age of 87 surrounded by family, including his daughters Sally and Mary and his lovely wife, Paris."

AR adds, "He was truly my second dad and am where I am today because of his generous spirit. Willard was a man of his times, the ultimate broadcaster. There will never be anyone quite like him."

Willard started at "TODAY" in 1980, and became famous for his jovial anchoring -- be it during a weather segment, or any other special event he ended up hosting for NBC thereafter. The dude's antics were hilarious -- he'd dress up in crazy costumes, joke around like crazy on the air (and during MOTS interviews) ... and was just an overall hoot of a personality.

He's also perhaps best remembered for wishing Americans a Happy 100th Birthday in an ongoing Smucker's segment ... in which he'd feature different centennials who hit the milestone. Willard also hosted some of America's most memorable celebratory moments -- covering presidential inaugurations, holiday parades and parties, expos and more.

He was pretty much the Al Roker of his day, and did indeed pass on the baton when he retired from anchoring in the mid-to-late '90s. Still, they remained great friends ... and Al credits him as his mentor.

BTW, Willard also had quite the history in clowning around -- literally. He played the very first incarnation of Ronald McDonald in TV ads during the '60s, and even had a turn at playing Bozo the Clown too. Dude was just an all-around joy-spreader -- from start to finish.

He's survived by his wife, Paris Keena, and his children. Willard was 87.