Weather

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, Oprah, Ellen DeGeneres and everyone living in Montecito have been ordered to evacuate immediately, as a fierce winter storm has pounded the area ... and there is great cause for concern.

The Montecito Fire Dept. has 2 words for Montecito residents, as well as people living in some of the surrounding communities -- "LEAVE NOW!"

Montecito has been hit with more than 8 inches of rain in the last 12 hours, and more -- a lot more -- is on the way. Trees have toppled onto roadways, making it next to impossible to drive ... and that will clearly make the evacuation problematic.

This is also an ominous anniversary for Montecito ... five years ago today, 23 people were killed by a mudslide, that also destroyed more than 100 homes.

A gaggle of celebs live in the town located 90 miles from L.A., including Oprah, Rob Lowe, Harry and Meghan, Ellen, Adam Levine, Gwyneth Paltrow and George Lucas.

Evacuation centers have been set up, but again, getting there is a whole different thing.

California has been blasted by the storm, which has killed 12 people in the past 10 days.

Prince Harry looked intense as he walked his dog along a rain-soaked path near his Montecito estate ... as he was making headlines for unloading on his family in his new book.

Harry was bundled up as he and Pula, his black Labrador, traversed an area around a public beach, then put rover in his Range Rover for the ride home.

Although he looked serious, he was clearly not surprised by the news over his book. All of the scandals he revealed were carefully orchestrated for the rollout of "Spare." He's done interviews with 'GMA' and "60 Minutes," and both shows are promoting their "big get" like crazy.

As you know by now, Harry is in full military mode, accusing members of his family of violence, racism, betrayal and a host of other misdeeds.

New video shows Jeremy Renner's helicopter flight to a hospital shortly after his horrific snowplowing accident, and TMZ has learned new details about his injuries which caused him to lose a serious amount of blood.

The video, obtained by TMZ, starts right after the two-time Oscar nominee was loaded onto the chopper Sunday around 9:50 AM. Eyewitnesses tell us Jeremy was plowing the road about a quarter mile from his Tahoe home so his family could get out after a massive New Year's eve storm.

According to a neighbor, the plowing machine -- called a Snowcat -- accidentally ran over one of Jeremy's legs, and he was losing a lot of blood from the injury. We're told another neighbor, who's a doctor, was able to put a tourniquet on his leg until paramedics arrived.

We're told the area was treated like an active crime scene ... with police arriving at 8 PM to impound the Snowcat, which Jeremy's previously posted video of himself using on his property after snowstorms. The issue, we're told, is the machine has extensive safety features, and should not have rolled over Jeremy.

As we reported, Jeremy is in "critical but stable condition with injuries suffered after experiencing a weather-related accident while plowing snow" ... according to a rep.

According to dispatch audio, obtained by TMZ, first responders were initially concerned about the conditions to access the accident due to the storm.

A source close to Jeremy tells us his injuries are "extensive" -- along with his leg, other parts of his body have been injured.

Jeremy Renner was seriously injured during a snowplowing accident at a Nevada ski resort -- and had to be airlifted to a hospital.

The two-time Oscar-nominated actor was in "critical but stable condition with injuries suffered after experiencing a weather-related accident while plowing snow earlier [Sunday],” a rep told Deadline.

The rep says Jeremy's receiving excellent care, but would not disclose details about the accident or the injuries.

Renner has a house in the Mount Rose Ski Tahoe resort near Reno, which got slammed by a snowstorm on New Year's Eve. Thousands of homes in the area apparently lost power ... it's not clear if Jeremy's house was also impacted.

As you probably know, Renner was nominated for an Academy Award in 2010 for his performance in the film, "The Hurt Locker." The following year ... he got another Oscar nom for his role in "The Town." He has also starred in countless other movies, including "The Avengers" and "Captain America: Civil War."

A father from Alaska missed a lifesaving opportunity to receive a new heart after his Alaska Airlines flight was canceled due to the historic U.S. winter storm.

Patrick Holland, who is battling congestive heart failure, was contacted by the University of Washington Medical Center on Dec. 22 saying he was next in line for a heart transplant.

The 56-year-old was given an 8-hour window to fly to Seattle for the heart transplant -- rushing to the Fairbanks, AK airport for an overnight flight -- according to CNN.

However, when he got to the airport, it was announced his flight was canceled due to weather. Alaska Airlines' staff tried to get him on the next flight, but it had to be rerouted. Unfortunately for Holland, that meant he'd miss the 8-hour window ... and the heart was given to someone else.

Holland spoke with King 5, saying, "I think I cried more that day than I have in my life, and exerted every emotion that I've never had. To get out of that funk, I immediately said, 'Thank God, there's going to be a family that is saving someone's dad, saving someone's brother, saving someone's, someone's uncle, you know.'"

A student nurse got trapped in her car during upstate New York's massive snowstorm this week, prompting her to send a series of text messages to her family, chillingly detailing her final moments before she died.

Anndel Taylor was heading home from work on Christmas Eve when her vehicle got stuck in the historic blizzard that engulfed Buffalo. As she waited for crews to rescue her, Anndel started texting her 3 sisters, becoming increasingly frustrated over many hours.

In one message, she wrote, "stuck in the f***ing blizzard." One sister later texted back, "You still out there Pookie," referring to Anndel, who responded, "Unfortunately."

After recuse crews still hadn't arrived, Anndel texted her sisters again, saying, "Imma sleep here Idk how long this gas will last. I'm livid bro my door damn near covered." Things became so grim Anndel texted that city officials didn't "gaf" --short for give a f***-- about her being stuck.

Anndel apparently died later that night, but her body was not removed from the car until the next day, although it's not clear why. Her mom seems to think Anndel died of carbon monoxide poisoning from snow covering her exhaust pipe as she slept with the engine running.

Anndel's family has set up a GoFundMe to help with funeral costs.

She was 22.

A major avalanche in Austria has left at least two people unaccounted for ... this after a reported 10 were feared buried and missing.

The natural disaster went down Sunday near the Lech/Zuers ski resort in western Austria, tearing through slopes where skiers who were visiting apparently got caught in it when the avalanche hit around 3 PM local time ... triggering several search teams to be deployed.

There were helicopters sent out to search for people who were initially thought to be missing at first -- but after a few hours, only two people are still nowhere to be found.

Two other people who were reportedly hit by the avalanche were injured to varying degrees -- one needed to be flown out to a hospital, and another was able to free themselves and seek medical attention on their own. Others who appeared to be impacted were unharmed.

As nightfall crept in, upwards of 200 volunteers continued to look for the two missing people, using search dogs to help.

The Cincinnati Bengals learned a lesson about flying on XMAS eve ... it's all about the landing.

After beating the New England Patriots Saturday, the players jumped on the team plane in Rhode Island for a flight back home. At some point during the flight, an engine on the Delta jet conked out and 71 minutes after taking off ... the plane made an emergency landing at JFK in NYC.

One of the players called the incident "a little rough" ... given the weather on the east coast and the emergency, it had to be super scary,

The plane landed safely, the players switched planes and they returned to Cincinnati around midnight.

ICYMI ... the Bengals are on a roll, winning their 7th straight game by a score of 22-18.

More than a quarter million bats are suffering from the sub-freezing temps in Houston, and some kind folks have jumped in to provide them some warmth.

Houston is an ice box ... it's also home to 300,000 bats, which are going into hypothermic shock and falling from under a bridge to the pavement.

The Mexican free-tailed bats live near a bridge, and there's no buffer from the cold and the wind.

The Houston Humane Society's Wildlife Department is corralling the bats and placing them near heat sources. The Director of the org says her people are giving the bats fluids under their skin to provide hydration and then offering them food.

They've actually lined the ground below where the bats live with foam, to cushion the blow when they fall.

As for why all the fuss, well aside from the humane aspect, bats eat moths, mosquitoes and other pests, so it's all part of ecosystem balance.

The winter weather this year is no joke, and visibility is getting severely worse in places with extreme conditions ... which is exactly how this reporter seemingly appeared out of nowhere due to an insane whiteout.

CNN's Polo Sandoval performed his reappearing trick Friday in Buffalo, NY, as he showed viewers just how bad the conditions have gotten ... and if ya squint real hard, you might be able to spot him at the beginning of the clip.

Polo -- wearing all-black, mind you -- says he's seen a few cars on the road ... a big mistake, especially with a current driving ban on the area. He says the lack of visibility comes from high winds, because there isn't a ton of snow being created.

CNN's anchor, Kristin Fisher, admits she completely lost Polo at the beginning -- before he stepped through the rough storm.

It's supposed to be the most wonderful time of year -- but not if you've got to travel this holiday season -- 'cause extreme weather has rocked the U.S. and canceled thousands of flights in the process.

Parts of the country have experienced everything from hurricane-strength winds to blizzards and a bomb cyclone ... causing power outages in nearly 1.5 million homes.

The Midwest has been hit hard with freezing cold weather, and some of those temperatures are said to get even colder than temps on Mars!!!

The winter weather has caused nearly 2/3 of the U.S. to be placed under a winter weather alert.

Of course, this weather isn't ideal for folks trying to get home for the holidays ... more than 3,000 flights have been already been delayed or canceled around the country on Friday morning alone.

From NYC to Chicago the winter weather is wreaking havoc in the U.S. ... and the worst is supposedly still to come.

In Seattle, people were taking to the streets to ice skate during one of the worst ice storms the city has seen in years.

Dozens of people were injured during a Hawaiian Airlines flight that required medical transport of at least 20 individuals -- this after several passengers were rocked in the air.

The scary news was announced Sunday and confirmed by the airline themselves. They say HA Flight 35 -- which was flying from Phoenix to Honolulu this AM, with 288 people onboard total -- experienced major turbulence that reportedly sent people flying every which way, including upwards toward the ceiling.

There are photos and videos circulating online right now that show some of the upper luggage compartments crushed ... presumably due to bodies crashing into them.

All in all, 36 people suffered injuries ... and 20 needed to be taken to the hospital, with 11 of them being listed in serious condition. There's video of some of these passengers being attended to on the ground -- you can see them in neck braces, getting gurneyed away.

The turbulence is reported to have hit about 30 minutes before the plane landed -- it's unclear what exactly caused it. A mix of passengers and crew members are said to have been harmed -- and the youngest of the bunch is reported to have been just 14 months old.

The plane was obviously able to land in the end, and HA says they're keeping tabs on everyone affected. They add, "Medical care was provided to several guests & crewmembers at the airport for minor injuries while some were swiftly transported to local hospitals for further care. We are supporting all affected passengers & employees and are continuing to monitor the situation."

The injuries sound intense, especially for the 11 who were utterly thrashed. They're described as bruises, lacerations, head injuries and even loss of consciousness for some. EMS workers responded to the incident as a "mass casualty emergency" upon touchdown.

A terrifying ordeal on the water has left one cruise passenger dead and another 4 injured after a MASSIVE "rogue wave" smashed the side of the ship, busting out several windows.

Viking's Polaris cruise ship was heading towards Ushuaia, Argentina Tuesday night when the deadly wave hit the side of the boat during a storm. Viking says one guest -- who was reportedly a 62-year-old woman -- died because of the incident.

The company also says 4 other guests sustained non-life-threatening injuries and were treated by medical staff onboard.

One passenger on the ship during the huge wave crash told WRAL the massive blow felt like "we hit an iceberg." Several windows were left shattered, and Viking says the ship "sustained limited damage."

No, Drew Brees was not struck by lightning despite a scary video that appeared to show he was ... the NFL legend said Friday a bolt never touched him, and he's doing fine.

Brees relayed the message in a text to ESPN Saints reporter Katherine Terrell ... just hours after footage surfaced seemingly showing the ex-New Orleans quarterback in danger.

In the clip, which was apparently shot while Brees was filming a commercial for the sports gambling platform PointsBet in Catatumbo -- an area in Venezuela known for its consistent thunderstorm activity -- you can see a lightning bolt making a beeline for Brees' back.

The footage shows the bolt cracked onto the ground, sending the 43-year-old former football player and others scurrying away from the scene in a hurry.

It's unclear if it was all fake, staged or edited ... PointsBet refused to confirm or deny the situation in a statement released Friday morning.

"We are aware of the media coverage regarding PointsBet brand ambassador Drew Brees," the org. said.

"We are in communication with Brees' team and will continue to monitor events throughout the coming hours. At this stage we will not be making any further comment."

Brees, meanwhile, had tweeted earlier this week that he was "excited to be flying to a top-secret location later this week to shoot the new promotional video for @PointsBetUSA."

We've reached out to reps for Brees for comment, but so far, no word back yet.

Yeah, the NFL probably made the right call to move the Bills vs. Browns game out of Buffalo this weekend ...

Check out insane photos of Highmark Stadium taken on Friday morning -- showing the field, seats and just about everything else at the venue covered in several FEET of snow.

In the pics, you can't even get a glimpse of green grass -- let alone the chairs where Bills supporters were supposed to sit for Sunday afternoon's contest.

According to weather reports, Orchard Park has been hit with 36 inches of snow in the past few hours ... and it's expected to get pelted with a bunch more in the near future as a massive storm continues to pound the Western New York area.

Things have gotten so bad, the Bills had to cancel their Friday practice over it all.

Meanwhile, at star quarterback Josh Allen's home near the stadium -- his doggo and girlfriend are struggling with the effects of the storm too.

Brittany Williams posted pics of her falling in the powder while trying to get the couple's pup to go to the bathroom.

As for the game on Sunday, it's been moved to Detroit -- with the NFL saying Thursday the conditions just weren't safe enough for all involved to play.

The Bills and Browns won't be playing inside of a snowglobe this weekend after all ... TMZ Sports has confirmed the NFL is moving the game to Detroit to avoid the massive storm that's set to hit Buffalo this weekend.

The contest had been lined up to be played at Highmark Stadium at 1 p.m. ET on Sunday ... and it was slated to be must-see TV, considering the area is expected to get pelted by roughly six feet of snow in the next few days.

But, league sources tell us the NFL put the axe to that idea on Thursday -- clearly believing the weather wouldn't make it possible for fans, essential personnel and maybe even players to attend the contest safely.

Detroit's Ford Field is open for use on Sunday -- as the Lions are playing against the Giants for a road game in New Jersey. It'll be the first of two games the Bills play there this month -- as they're set to play the Lions in the Motor City on Thanksgiving.

Playing in copious amounts of snow is not unprecedented for the Bills -- back in Dec. 2017, they played in a blizzard against the Colts, and won, 13-7, in overtime.

But, seems like 4-6 feet is just too much to cope with this weekend.