Weather

A 4.6-magnitude earthquake just hit L.A. ... and disrupted the hectic TMZ newsroom -- and while some of our staffers knew just what to do, not everyone hit the deck immediately.

According to the CDC ... the first thing to do during an earthquake is to drop to the ground before it knocks you down and crawl underneath a sturdy desk or table to protect yourself from falling objects.

If no such structure is available, get near some low-lying furniture and cover your neck and head. Then, hold on to your makeshift shelter until the shaking stops ... and pray for dear life!

Our own Charlie Neff stood out as a model earthquake expert by the CDC's guidelines ... dropping to the floor and rolling under her desk as soon as the building started to shake.

Charlie, an L.A. native, credits dozens of elementary school earthquake drills for preparing her for exactly this moment.

Her deskmate, Brendon Geoffrion, could probably have used a few more of those drills himself ... 'cause he decided to start wandering around and investigate the ceiling. Pretty much the opposite of the suggested guidelines!

Charles Latibeaudiere didn't hit the ground ... but nearly hit the ceiling with how high he jumped when the quake started. The scary shake definitely gave him a startle --- though he quickly regained composure and checked on everyone to make sure they were OK.

Another camera angle will give you a pretty good idea of how badly the building was shaking ... and our man John Brix knew what was up. Check him out on the right side of the screen, brown beanie on. He disappeared under the desk about as quickly as he could.

The ordeal definitely gave the whole office a jolt ... but don't worry ... everybody's fine, and nothing major seems to have been broken. So all's well that ends well!

Remember ... earthquakes can feel differently to everyone. One of our staff members said she thought someone was shaking her chair while another could've sworn the earthquake was just a heavy gust of wind.

If you're not sure ... the best thing to do is drop, cover and hold -- better safe than sorry.

Daring rescue in the middle of a historic storm dumping tons of rain on Los Angeles ... firefighters used a helicopter to save a man who jumped in a raging river to grab his dog.

The emergency situation played out Monday afternoon in the middle of the flooding L.A. River ... with LAFD crews bringing in a chopper to pull out a man who was stranded in the flowing water.

The guy was trying to bit somewhat of a hero himself ... he was attempting to save his dog, who had been swept away in the rapids during a flash flood.

As you can see, a helicopter hovered over the river and lowered a firefighter who grabbed the guy and pulled him to safety.

The poor pooch was saved too ... with the dog swimming to dry land on its own.

LAFD says both man and dog suffered minor injuries ... the guy was transported to a local hospital and the pup was taken to an animal shelter.

Firefighters are happy to report the dog is "alive and eager to reunite with his human."

As we reported ... the big storm, a Pineapple Express, is wreaking havoc in Southern California ... causing flash flooding, catastrophic landslides, and damage from debris and downed trees.

It never rains in Southern California -- except when it does, it pours ... just like it's doing right now in the City of Angels, and it's causing a major headache, not to mention damage.

Los Angeles is currently on high alert for flash flooding and other extreme weather conditions that are hitting the West Coast -- and yes, that means a helluva lot of precipitation between now and Wednesday ... at least that's what meteorologists predict.

The forecast of heavy showers came true on Monday ... and lo and behold -- it's been wreaking some havoc on homeowners and Angelenos at large throughout the area.

Take a look at these shots of some of the wreckage that's been caused as a result of the storm -- depending on which part of L.A. you're in, you might have it worse than others ... and those that are located on mountainsides or near canyons and such certainly got it bad.

The fast-moving waters have given way to some catastrophic landslides ... sending large boulders and debris careening down the Hollywood Hills.

Many cars are buried in the water right now, while trees have struck down others -- leaving them completely totaled.

2 deaths have been reported up North -- one in Santa Cruz and another in Yuba County -- but thankfully everyone's still safe in L.A.

An oversized rodent was apparently comfortable taking a look at the outside world this week -- which, according to an East Coast legend, means ... winter's starting to wind down.

Indeed, it's Groundhog Day (again) -- and per usual, the good people of Punxsutawney, PA put on their top hats and old-timey clothing to trot out a literal groundhog -- otherwise known as Phil -- to see how skittish he is in early February.

It's a long-running tradition -- basically, if this animal sees its shadow and goes scurrying away to hide ... that means 6 more weeks of winter. If not, spring is fast approaching.

On Friday, the groundhog apparently was leaning toward the latter ... which means it predicts spring is coming sooner than later. Whether that's actually true or not is anyone's guess -- and if we're being honest, nobody takes the big gerbil's forecast seriously anyway.

With that said ... Phil guessing on an early spring is somewhat notable -- 'cause it's the first time he's landed on that for a while. 2020 was the last time it thought winter was ending soon ... since then, he's been "predicting" longer winters.

BTW, there are other critters around the country that are due to make these sorts of calls today -- in Ohio, they have "Buckeye Chuck" ... and in GA there's "General Beauregard Lee."

Un roedor de gran tamaño estaba aparentemente tranquilo de echar un vistazo al mundo exterior esta semana, lo que según una leyenda de la Costa Este significa que el invierno está empezando a terminar.

De hecho, es el Día de la Marmota (de nuevo), y como de costumbre, la buena gente de Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, se puso sus sombreros de copa y su ropa de antaño para hacer trotar a una verdadera marmota -también conocida como Phil- para ver cuán asustada estaba de salir al mundo a principios de febrero.

Es una larga tradición y básicamente cuenta que si este animal ve su sombra y sale corriendo a esconderse, significa que hay al menos 6 semanas más de invierno. Si no, significa que la primavera se acerca rápidamente.

El viernes, aparentemente, la marmota se inclinó por esta segunda opción, lo que significaría que la primavera llegará más pronto de lo que se pensaba. Si eso es realmente cierto o no es una suposición, y seamos honestos, nadie se toma en serio el pronóstico de la marmota.

Dicho esto, que Phil esté adivinando que la primavera llegará pronto es algo notable, porque es la primera vez que llega a esa conclusión en un tiempo. La última vez fue en 2020, pero desde entonces ha estado "prediciendo" inviernos más largos.

Por cierto, hay otras criaturas en el país que podrían hacer este tipo de pronósticos, en Ohio tienen a "Buckeye Chuck" y en Georgia está el "General Beauregard Lee".

Colorado Buffaloes cornerback Cormani McClain -- the highest-ranked recruit in Deion Sanders' 2023 CU class -- was issued a citation last week after he was involved in a car crash in Boulder.

TMZ Sports has learned ... the accident happened on Jan. 15 less than a mile away from CU's campus -- after cops say McClain's car "slid into another vehicle when trying to brake for a red light."

Fortunately, a spokesperson for the Boulder Police Department said there were no reported injuries ... and neither car suffered major damage.

We're told, however, McClain was issued a citation for "driving too fast for the weather conditions."

McClain came to Colorado with a ton of fanfare -- he flipped his commitment late in the '23 recruiting cycle from Miami to the Buffs ... and as the No. 1-ranked H.S. cornerback in the entire country, many expected him to thrive under Sanders.

But, his freshman year didn't go quite as planned ... he only totaled 13 tackles in 10 games -- and early in the season, Sanders actually called him out during a press conference.

Coach Prime told reporters he wanted to see McClain "study" and "prepare" more in order to get more playing time.

"Show up to the darn meetings," the coach added.

Un camión de bomberos gira sin control por una calle cubierta de hielo en un gélido barrio de Missouri y choca contra un carro estacionado.

La gente sacó sus teléfonos para capturar el aterrador momento en que el camión perdió el control en una calle residencial que parecía más una pista de patinaje.

No está claro si el camión de bomberos estaba respondiendo a una emergencia antes de que hiciera su aparición, pero los primeros en responder estaban claramente jugando con fuego al intentar avanzar por las calles heladas.

Finalmente, se detuvieron tras golpear un carro estacionado en la entrada de una casa. El camión también se salvó por poco de chocar contra una casa.

Here's an alarming sight coming down your block -- a fire truck spinning out of control down an ice-covered street in a frigid Missouri neighborhood, and smashing into a parked car.

Helpless locals in a St. Louis suburb whipped out their phones to capture the terrifying moment the truck lost all grip on a residential road that looked more like a skating rink.

It's unclear if the fire truck was responding to an emergency before it careened down the block -- but, the first responders were clearly playing with fire as they attempted to navigated the frozen streets.

They finally came to a stop after pummeling a car parked in someone's driveway, and rolling into a yard. The truck just narrowly missed slamming into a house, too!

The moment a monster wave hit an Army base in the Marshall Islands has been captured on camera ... playing out like a scene from a horror movie.

Check it out -- a 3-to-4-ft wave breaks down doors and crashes inside the Army's dining hall in Roi-Namur Saturday, an island at the northern end of Kwajalein Atoll ... knocking people off their feet and sweeping them away.

Some hold onto whatever they can find ... others climb on top of withholding furniture as the powerful stream of water continues surging in.

Then the power goes out ... plunging everyone into darkness as they continue scrambling for their safety before the clip cuts out.

Luckily, Erik D. Hanson says no one was seriously injured in the IG clip's caption ... which he only shared after confirming everyone was OK.

He adds a combination of wind, tides, and swell direction from an off-shore storm was behind the freak waves.

The U.S. Army added in a statement Sunday "a series of weather-induced waves hit Roi-Namur which caused significant flooding in the northern portions of the island" at approx 9 PM on Jan 20.

The damage resulted in the evacuation of all "non-mission personnel" from the island ... while flooding by the waves hit the two airports at Ailinglaplap Atoll ... likely keeping them closed for weeks.

El momento en que una ola monstruosa golpea una base militar en las Islas Marshall ha sido captado en video y es aterrador.

Compruébelo usted mismo, una ola de 3 a 4 pies rompe las puertas del comedor del Ejército en Roi-Namur el sábado —una isla en el extremo norte del atolón de Kwajalein— golpeando a la gente y arrastrándola lejos.

Algunos se aferran a lo que pueden encontrar, otros se suben encima de los muebles mientras la poderosa corriente de agua sigue atacando.

Entonces se va la luz, sumiendo a todos en la oscuridad mientras siguen luchando por sus vidas antes de que se corte el clip.

Afortunadamente, Erik D. Hanson dice que nadie resultó gravemente herido, dijo esto después de confirmar que todo el mundo estaba bien.

La combinación de viento, mareas, y la dirección del oleaje crearon una tormenta perfecta peligrosamente cerca de la costa.

El Ejército de EE.UU. emitió un comunicado el domingo "una serie de olas inducidas por el clima golpearon Roi-Namur, lo que causó inundaciones significativas en la parte norte de la isla" aproximadamente a las 9 PM el 20 de enero.

El daño resultó en la evacuación de todo el "personal que no estaba involucrado en la misión" de la isla, mientras que las inundaciones golpearon los dos aeropuertos en Ailinglaplap Atoll, probablemente tendrán que mantenerlos cerrados durante semanas.

These toasty stars are fired up for the chilly season -- getting cozy by the fire -- and let's face it, nothin' beats sittin' by a fresh fire and hearing that crackle-pop! Well, these flame-fueled photos from the stars have been comin' in HOT non-stop!

Sparkin' some major hotness ... Saweetie turned up with a nice glass of red in front of her marble-lit fireplace, Sam Asghari's washboard abs almost put the fire OUT in his neck of the woods, and leave it to Kourtney Kardashian to sip, sit and look fire-hot in Calabasas.

¡Estas estrellas están calentando la temporada de frío, pasando un acogedor momento frente al fuego, y seamos sinceros, nada mejor que escuchar los troncos crepitar! Pues bien, estas fotos están llenas de celebridades calentitas junto a las brasas.

Saweetie apareció con un buen vaso de vino tinto frente a su chimenea de mármol, Sam Asghari puso sus abdominales en exhibición para avivar las brasas, mientras que Kourtney Kardashian no se pudo resistir a sentarse y observar el fuego caliente en Calabasas.

A little bit of snow -- okay, a TON of snow -- wasn't gonna stop Bills and Steelers fans from making their way to the stadium for Monday's Wild Card game ... with diehard supporters trudging to their seats in time for kickoff.

The playoff matchup was originally slated to go down on Sunday ... but Mother Nature had other plans, as a snowstorm forced the N.Y. governor and NFL commish Roger Goodell to push it back a day.

The Bills pulled out all the stops in hopes of getting Highmark Stadium ready in time for the contest ... even offering folks $20 an hour to help clear out the snow.

Despite the efforts, there was plenty left over from the storm ... but judging by videos of spectators walking through knee-deep piles in order to get to their seats, they didn't care one bit.

In fact, when Buffalo tight end Dawson Knox caught the first touchdown of the game, Bills Mafia made use of the extra snow by throwing it up in the air to celebrate.

All things considered, the field looks damn good for the game ... with not one snowflake in sight.

These bodacious babes may be ice cold but they sure are keepin' things HOT in the snow -- shedding layers and strippin' down to pretty much nothin'! Put your celeb knowledge to the test and guess which chilly chick is on snow patrol!

Hollywood hotties like Kendall Jenner, Anitta and Kourtney Kardashian will send shivers down your spine with these sexy snow shoots as they drop trout in the dropping temps .... talk about a winter wonderland 😜!

Estas hermosas chicas pueden estar heladas, pero están seguras de mantener las cosas calientes en la nieve, quitándose capas y desnudándose hasta casi nada. Pon a prueba tus conocimientos sobre famosos y adivina qué chica está de patrulla en la nieve.

Hollywood Hotties como Kendall Jenner, Anitta y Kourtney Kardashian te darán escalofríos con estas sexys fotos en la nieve, ¡hablando de un País de las Maravillas Invernal 😜!

Taylor Swift will have to walk herself through a winter wonderland if she wants to watch Travis Kelce play on Saturday ... 'cause Arrowhead Stadium is already covered in snow -- and the forecast for the weekend isn't looking much warmer at all.

The Chiefs shared photos of their home field in Kansas City on Wednesday afternoon ... and as you can see, it's already looking awful chilly three days before their postseason kicks off.

And, according to meteorologists ... it's going to stay that way for the Dolphins game Saturday night, with temps expected to hover right around 8 degrees Fahrenheit.

There's been no official word yet if Swift will indeed make the trek through the snow to catch Kelce's playoff game ... but given that she's been to most of his tilts since September, it seems she'll find enough coats to stay warm while watching her man.

Kelce and the Chiefs, meanwhile, are 4.5-point favorites for now ... though considering the Dolphins play an up-tempo style of ball in weather that's normally closer to 70 degrees -- that number could certainly rise by the time the two squads clash.