Weather

Oprah Winfrey is the talk of the town for all the wrong reasons after a new wall she constructed to save her home from flood water has her neighbors pissed.

Santa Barbara's Noozhawk reports there's been a boulder wall installed along the San Ysidro Creek to help prevent flooding and creek erosion on the billionaire's property.

However, folks in her Montecito neighborhood have reportedly raised concerns about the wall rerouting water onto their own properties during heavy storms.

Reports say a Carpinteria-based company called Jimenez Nursery used the media mogul's address when applying for a permit from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to build the wall ... but it's still unclear if Oprah signed off on the whole thing at all.

Regardless, the new installation doesn't seem to be sitting right with a ton of folks in the swanky neighborhood ... apparently, there are also concerns about whether or not the wall could withstand the next rain storm.

As we reported ... weather has been a huge issue for the celebs living in the area. You'll recall, Prince Harry, Meghan Markle, Ellen DeGeneres, Oprah and other residents were forced to evacuate due to the terrible January storm and mudslides.

Of course, Montecito has a dark history of weather devastation. Remember, 23 people were killed by a mudslide that also destroyed more than 100 homes back in 2018.

Raquel Leviss had an awkward first encounter with Tom Sandoval's mom, who knew all about their secret affair ... and we're told the meeting wasn't even supposed to go down.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... Raquel took another trip to St. Louis -- Tom's hometown -- in January, following her first outing the month before. They were at a bar with his friends when the place abruptly had to close due to an ice storm warning in the area.

The group decided to take shelter at Tom's mom's house, which was nearby ... making it the first time Raquel had ever met her -- and yes, his mom Terri knew all about their affair.

We're told Terri wasn't cool with their situation but was cordial during the quick exchange. Tom didn't introduce Raquel as his GF, despite the fact Terri already knew.

The group ended up spending the night ... and Tom and Raquel ended up in the same room.

TMZ broke the story, Raquel made her first St. Louis trek at the end of December, with Tom giving her a tour of the city ... but we were told his family had no interest in meeting her, especially knowing what was going on behind the scenes.

The L.A. "pothole" Arnold Schwarzenegger fixed was indeed a service trench for the gas company ... but TMZ has learned that service was done months ago, and that's why Arnold went all DIY on the ditch.

We got to the bottom of Arnold's roadwork adventure -- a story with more twists and turns than one of his action blockbusters.

ICYMI, Arnold rolled up his sleeves and went to work Tuesday ... using muscle, Quikrete and some tools to pave over what he saw as a "giant pothole." Frankly, he was fed up with the shoddy pavement that was wreaking havoc on tires for months in his Brentwood neighborhood.

Arnold posted his good deed on social media, and was mostly met with applause ... like the driver who stopped during the middle of his construction project to thank him.

But, the Los Angeles Department of Public Works came out and said the "giant pothole" was actually a service trench being used by SoCalGas to repair a pipeline. That's true, however, the gas co. work was wrapped up way back in January!

What's worse is the city had no plans to fill in the trench until May. That was way too long for Arnold and several other annoyed neighbors ... which is why he took matters into his own hands.

As Arnold explained ... "Today, after the whole neighborhood has been upset about this giant pothole that's been screwing up cars and bicycles for weeks, I went out with my team and fixed it. I always say, let's not complain, let's do something about it. Here you go."

The saga is not done yet ... the gas company reportedly sent crews Wednesday to level off the patch Arnold filled, in order to strengthen the paving mixture he used.

Kim Kardashian is back on a beach famously populated by celebrities, and last Friday she was the undisputed queen of the Bu.

Kim was on the sands of Malibu for another photo shoot ... it seems it's for SKIMS swim line.

The 42-year-old billionaire mogul is in INSANE shape ... thanks to two-hours of daily training. Her personal trainer, Senada Greca, needs only these pics to fill her client list.

It's a super sexy shoot ... btw, she went back to the scene of the crime, where she posed in the jaw-dropping pink bikini.

Now there are always naysayers ... yeah, she's rich, has the ability to set her own schedule, hire a trainer -- yada yada yada -- but it takes commitment and she's clearly doubled down on that.

A death metal concert became a calamity Friday night after a vicious storm ripped through an Illinois auditorium, killing one person and injuring 28 others.

The packed show at the Apollo Theater in Belvidere, IL, kicked off about 30 minutes before the massive storm rolled into town, causing the roof to collapse onto some of the more than 260 concertgoers.

Morbid Angel, Revocation, Crypta and Skeletal Remains were all scheduled to hit the stage, but the roof came crashing down and people got trapped underneath the wreckage.

Check out video that surfaced online ... showing the aftermath of the destruction during the mad rush to find victims under the debris.

Firefighters responded to a "mass casualty" incident around 7:30 PM.

Belvidere Fire Chief Shawn Schadle announced one person was killed and over two dozen were injured.

Five of the surviving victims were seriously hurt, five others suffered minor injuries, and 18 more sustained moderate injuries. All 28 were hospitalized.

Everyone who attended the performance was accounted for by 10:15 PM.

Billie Eilish isn't letting mother nature rain out her parade -- when a severe storm forced her to cancel a show in Mexico, Billie played on with an acoustic set for her drenched fans.

The singer hit the stage at the Foro Sol CDMX Wednesday night in Mexico City ... the latest stop on her Happier Than Ever Tour -- but instead of performing her usual concert, Billie announced she had to switch things up.

She told the crowd she'd be unable to perform due to the heavy rain ... and she'd been told everyone had to go home.

Clearly, though, Billie wasn't leaving that easily.

She told fans, "I thought it was stupid for me to leave without coming out saying thank you for being here, and standing in the f***ing pouring rain." Then she added she was still going to sing a few songs acoustically if the fans were down.

Of course, it wasn't the show anyone had planned ... but the mini-show seemed to go over well with fans as they cheered and sang along with Billie. She promised to make up the full concert at a later date. It's now been announced the rescheduled concert will be Thursday night.

Billie was joined onstage by her brother and music partner Finneas O'Connell ... who strummed an acoustic guitar as she sang her heart out.

A Mississippi meteorologist had a raw reaction to the deadly tornados that just tore through the state -- saying a prayer live on the air ... which has now gone viral.

WTVA 9 News' Matt Laubhan was bringing in weather updates Friday evening as word of massive storms touching down was starting to spread. He was explaining what the city of Amory -- in the northeast part of MS -- could expect to see when he took a pause.

Check it out ... it's pretty shocking to see how he reacts to an incoming tornado that clearly has him concerned. He even pauses and invokes Jesus' name -- asking him to help them.

Even before he said his prayer, Laubhan was getting into the weeds and being fully transparent with viewers -- telling them that while he might predict what's gonna happen, they have to be prepared for the worst. He also pulled up helpful interactive tools onscreen.

His whole broadcast was coming from the heart, and you can see how much he cared about the folks on the ground. It's a humanizing moment ... the Internet certainly appreciated it.

As for the aftermath ... upwards of 26 people are reported dead after tornados tore through much of Mississippi, causing massive destruction. The gusts these tornados came with were at their highest ... going as fast as 166 MPH to 200 MPH. So, a full-blown natural disaster.

You may be feeling drowsy from setting those clocks forward ... but no need to fear, because these skydiving stars will get your adrenaline pumpin' and encourage you to spring right out of bed!

Wake up to sky-high views from daring celebs like Logan Paul who put his best foot forward, and music stars Carrie Underwood and Ja Rule who are soaring and pointing toward more hours of daylight.

A Texas meteorologist used Snoop Dogg's lyrics to serve up a TV weather report ... and he won major props from the hip hop legend himself!

Adam Krueger accepted a challenge from one of his fans on TikTok to intertwine the words to Snoop's first solo single, "Who Am I?(What's My Name?)," in his forecast at CW39 in Houston.

Check out the vid -- as he assures viewers it's gonna be a nice day in the Houston area, he drops some bars from the Dogg -- "From the depths of the sea, to the back of the block."

BTW ... major coincidence. Snoop's lyrics are super similar to the first local anchor ever --Jerry Dunphy -- who opened his newscast with ... "From the desert to the sea, to all of Southern California, a good evening."

Back to Krueger -- he mixed it up a bit by voicing the title to a different Snoop song -- "Rat-Tat-Tat-Tat" -- which also featured Dr. Dre. "We’re gonna be warm and humid, with highs in the 80s, guess what, 'it’s like that, rat tat tat tat.'"

Snoop apparently watched the video and was so impressed that he reposted the clip on his Instagram page.

Others on social media also gave Krueger props. One person said, "Man I absolutely love this! As stressful as the world may be the weatherman is sneaking SNOOP lyrics into the forecast!!!!"

Actor Bryce Durfee has become a bit of a SoCal Superman ... because we've learned he's been rescuing families that would otherwise be stranded during the recent blizzard.

The "Hacks" and "9-1-1" actor and his wife Amber were just a couple of the many stuck in the Lake Arrowhead area as it got hit with a ton of snow this week. Amber and some of the neighbors tell us Bryce has been spending time saving others in the area.

We're told he's been removing the snow surrounding people's homes with just a shovel -- pretty impressive. He's done four rescue missions so far ... one of which was for a group of kids who got stuck in their house after it was completely buried.

On top of that, Bryce has been clearing the snow from gas lines and roofs to prevent fires and structures from collapsing.

Bryce has even been acting as the community's InstaCart shopper ... getting groceries for those who can't leave their homes. He did a huge run Thursday that fed five families, even getting dog food for his neighbors' pets.

As you know, SoCal was hit pretty hard with flooding and snow, causing quite a bit of destruction. Police and emergency rescue folks weren't able to help Bryce's community for a while because of a lack of access. The National Guard just showed up Thursday.

Mother Nature is adding some natural chill to wine made in Napa Valley -- some areas of California's most famous wine-growing region are covered in snow -- and the images coming out of Napa Valley are stunning.

Seriously, you've probably never seen Napa quite like this ... an unprecedented winter storm is making it snow at lower than normal elevations all across California, with some wineries in Napa Valley getting up to a foot of snow!!!

Three famous vineyards on Napa's famed Howell Mountain were blanketed in snow Friday morning ... including 10 to 12 inches at Neal Family Vineyards.

As you can see, the wineries have naturally transformed into a winter wonderland ... with Arkenstone and CADE Estate also getting tons of snow dumped from the heavens above. What's particularly crazy, Napa Valley's average elevation is just a few hundred feet above sea level ... making the snow that much more of a rarity.

Napa Valley wineries may get occasional dustings of snowfall or snow flurries every now and then ... but a foot of snow is super rare and almost unheard of around these parts.

Jim Harbaugh is already a beloved figure in Michigan ... but the Wolverines' head football coach just earned even more respect in the community after assisting a police officer with clearing the road during Wednesday's ice storm in Ann Arbor.

Harbaugh played good samaritan when he encountered a member of Ann Arbor's police force who was having difficulty moving a large tree that'd fallen in the middle of the road due to the inclement weather. Coach decided to lend the officer a helping hand.

The PD said while their officer was surprised to see it was the head coach/ex-NFL QB and coach who was helping, the officer gave Jim a pair of work gloves and the two of them got to work together!

Ann Arbor police tweeted about the incident Thursday, saying it took Harbaugh and Ofc. Cooper about ten minutes to clear the tree from the roadway, allowing traffic to finally pass through.

"We thank Coach Harbaugh for being a valued member of the Ann Arbor community and helping out Ofc Cooper," the department said.

The police department also shared the officer's body-worn camera footage where you hear Harbaugh introduce himself to the officer after they finished clearing the tree ... and the cop says, "you're a good man."

"Hey, feel free to spread the word on that," Harbaugh joked.

With winter and cold temperatures in full swing, celebrities are getting their real claim to flame by cozying up to the fire. And of course, they're putting their Hot Hollywood flare on each snap ... so gather around and see which stars are bringing the heat!

Kourtney Kardashian wore nothing but a furry blanket and curled up by her fireplace, while ex-housewife Lisa Rinna owned it like a true beauty in front of her fire, and Brooklyn Beckham posted up in front of the flame and enjoyed a glass of red wine ... looking fine!

The Golden Globes are back after some big changes ... and Mother Nature is raining on the award show's parade.

With a fierce storm dropping tons of rain on Beverly Hills, preparations for the Golden Globes featured lots of waterproofing ... everything's being covered with plastic until it's time for cameras to roll.

As you can see, crews are wearing ponchos as they set up the red carpet for the 80th Golden Globes, which are going down Tuesday night at The Beverly Hilton hotel.

Everything, and everyone, is under wraps ... and puddles are forming where celebs will soon be making their grand entrances.

The rainy weather for the Golden Globes is from the same winter storm causing havoc all over California ... the area where celebs like Oprah, Ellen DeGeneres, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle live is under an evacuation order.

The west coast is still gettin' hit HARD with flash floods ... and one Target store's roof isn't holding up well -- based on the look of dozens of leaks caught throughout the store!

Video obtained by TMZ shows the makeshift response to a seriously leaky roof at the big-box store location in Irvine, CA Monday night. Employees appear to have set up tons of strategically-placed plastic bags that take water directly into buckets below.

It's a pretty crazy sight to see ... especially as you notice just how big the store is, and the bags just keep goin' and goin'.

As we reported, this new year weather is no joke -- Montecito locals, including Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, Oprah, and Ellen DeGeneres, were ordered to evacuate after being hit with a TON of rainfall.

A snowboarder sprang into survival mode when an avalanche interrupted his run over the weekend ... and the scary incident was captured on video.

Boarder Blake Nielson was shredding at Big Cottonwood Canyon in Salt Lake City, Utah when an isolated wind slab broke loose above and below him ... which knocked him to the ground and "took me for a ride."

Nielson -- who says he tested the Kessler Peak area for instabilities before his run -- was able to stay above the surface as the snow shot him down the slope ... using swimming motions with his arms and kicking his board to keep from going under.

In the video, Nielson is heard yelling over the radio to his partner ... saying, "Logan, I'm sliding!! ... I'm staying on top, but I am sliding!!"

Nielson predicts he was swept about 300 feet before he was able to come to a complete stop ... and the slope slid around 1,300 feet.

In Nielson's report of the incident, he says it's imperative to respect the wind.

"Even a small 'manageable' wind pocket can break and carry you a long way in steep terrain with long runouts," Nielson told the Utah Avalanche Center.

He also learned cross-loading is something to look out for ... as he did not expect it to be that big of a problem.

Nielson also suggests making a ski cut ... saying had he done so, he could have decreased some hazards.