derek van dam is here. what do you say about this?e images, you see particularly how dangerous they have become. you see what is called a firenado. those only occur when the fire is at its most extreme and most intense. it creates that fire vortex or fire tornado or firenado. the direct ramifications of these fires are the communities, the towns, the cities downwind from the burning fires. and, well, here is what sydney looks like on any given mid-december day. beautiful, right? people flock to this city because of its beaches, its coastal lifestyle. this is what it looks like within the past 24 hours. a thick, extremely dangerous and unhealthy smog has enveloped and encompassed this entire city. and guess what, folks? it's going to get worse before it gets better. look at the forecast as we head into monday and tuesday. very unhealthy air quality index expected. here is a satellite image of new south wales into queensland. this is stretching resources to its thinnest. and you can imagine the firefighters, as natalie as so promptly sa

derek van dam will have that with us. it's all this hour. welcome the our viewers in the u.s. and around the world. live to you from atlanta g.a. i'm gnnatalie. "newsroom" starts right now. >>> thank you for joining us. our top story, new developments and america's longest war. thousands of u.s. troops are expected to be withdrawn from afghanistan. that's coming to us from a senior trump administration official. the move has been in the works for quite some time and is being welcomed by the taliban as a good step. here's white house correspondent jeremy diamond with more about it. >> reporter: well, the trump administration is preparing to announce the withdrawal of about 4,000 troops from afghanistan. that would take the total number of u.s. troops, which is currently estimated to be between 12,000 and 13,000, to the range of 8,600. that is the number that the president himself floated back in august when he said that the u.s. was likely going to be drawing down the number of u.s. troops in afghanistan. so this is something that has been in the works for quite some time. now

derek van dam is here to tell us about it. >> got a video that highlights it perfectly. i cannot get enough of this. this bus sliding side ways through a major intersection. this is out of a suburb of minneapolis, minnesota, just southwest of the city. can you imagine having that fly by you? what is actually taking place here? that is clearly freezing rain that has taken place on the road. for freezing rain to occur, you need precipitation to fall in the form of rain. it falls through a bathroom layer of air. right at the surface of the air, there is a cold pool that forms. everything the rain touches freezes on contact. because that thin, shallow layer of air or atmosphere is below freezing. that's why freezing rain can be so dangerous. it has transitioned to all rain at the moment. look at the large cone of just snowfall taking place across the northern plains, upper midwest. that will continue through the rest of the weekend. we will focus on the northeast. a broader scale you can see from north to south. it is tapping into moisture from this region. on the warm side

here's meteorologist derek van dam. >> good morning.e storm system that caused all of the havoc across southern california. i want you to see the slew of colors that stretch from southern california, all the way through the northern great plains. this is thanks to the storm system's evolution. we have winter storm warnings and watches across the plains, in anticipation of this system moving eastward. and move east, it will. you can see how it will tap into gulf of mexico moisture. it will bring warm air ahead of it. that will bring rainfall on the eastern one-third of the country. in the back end of the system, we have a potential to see a foot of snowfall the northern plains and minnesota, as well. the snow accumulation over the next four days could really pile up in excess of 12 to 18 inches in some locations. look at the warm air building ahead of the system, will remain in the 50s for the weekend across chicago, all the way to new york city. back to you. >> thanks so much. >>> imagine being on the slopes when an avalanche bears down

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derek van dam will have that with us. it's all this hour. welcome the our viewers in the u.s.and around the world. live to you from atlanta

our meteorologist derek van dam is here to tell us how this firenado happens. >> it is so rarely capturedthey only last a couple of minutes. so we don't report on them too often. to see it with so much clarity is incredible. let's break it down for you. why do this strange phenomenon take place. i want you to take vote of the video behind me. you are seeing converging winds. there is a lot of heat. they can go 2,000 degrees in that chimney of fire, quite literally. what is taking place is the same physics behind a figure skater. when they bring in their arms, they rotate quick and quicker and quicker. when they release their arms, they slow down. that's why we are getting converging winds. it is allowing for the updraft to occur. it rotates into the column right into the air. the direct ramification of the fires, not only are they incredible visuals but what is happening down wind from the burning bushfires, the degraded air quality in sydney and other cities along the coastline. fresh videos from cnn to our reuters affiliate. the towering plumes of smoke causing the skies to turn orange

derek van dam. we will take a short break. iraq's prime minister has agreed to resign, but that has not stopped the unrest on the streets. why many iraqis say they will continue to demonstrate. >>> plus, u.s. democratic candidate joe biden is on the move in iowa as he looks to move up in the polls. a look at where he stands ahead of the iowa caucuses. and when they were done, chevy earned more j.d. power quality awards across cars, trucks and suvs than any other brand over the last four years. so on behalf of chevrolet, i want to say "thank you, real people." you're welcome. we're gonna need a bigger room. sleep number 360 smart bed. you can adjust youron the comfort on both sides your sleep number setting. can it help us fall asleep faster? yes, by gently warming your feet. but can it help keep us asleep? absolutely, it intelligently senses your movements and automatically adjusts to keep you both effortlessly comfortable. so you can really promise better sleep. not promise... prove. don't miss the final days to save 50% on t

let's go to our meteorologist derek van dam on where the storm might be headed next. >> not the place want to be, stranded on the side of a highway. that is particularly dangerous position to be in as well because you get the white out conditions or low visibility because of the heavy snowfall you see behind me and it didn't take long for other cars to pileup behind the cars stranded already on the roadways. it's very treacherous conditions across southern california. you can clearly see that in the video. the good news is that the storm system is going to slowly wind down with rain and snow in southern california. there's interstate 5 and that runs from the border of mexico all the way to canada. we're going to take this moisture and move it across the four corners region, and you can see the winter storm advisories and warnings in place across this region. but then winter storm watches across the great plains as well as the northwestern secks of the great lakes. that is in anticipation of the system gathering strength and bringing a swath of at least 18 inches of snowfall to that ar

our meteorologist derek van dam is on top of this story.n all times, when people are trying to get home from the holiday, this. happens. >> and i can't reiterate how dangerous it is to be on the side of the highway, in the situations where the cars can't move because the roads are too slick. it doesn't take much of low visibility for whiteout conditions to not see the cars and cause the pileups that we see on the news, which, of course, if people get out of their vehicle, that can be scary because they can be struck by oncoming cars that don't see them in time. here's a look at some of the bad road conditions taking place in southern california. and here's a look at the storm system. you talked about highway 5 being shut down. there it is. that's a major artery for the west coast. it traverses all the way from the border of the u.s./mexican border, all the way to canada, running north and south. this is the storm system on current radar. and lots of snow across the san bernadino mountains. over two feet of snow. we have winter storm warning

. >> and derek van dam, our meteorologist here, you see one example after the next after the next, after the next that indicate things are changing and not for the good. what you just saw there, particularly in australia, now what about a warming ocean and the impacts that that has on a maritime life, any kind of aquatic ecosystems. it has been brought to our attention, a maritime heat wave. you're looking at a map of the world, a sea surface temperature anomaly. it highlights the areas showing warmer than average temperatures. and we focus in just off the coast of eastern new zealand. and scientists have picked up on this deep, dark shade of red here. this is an indication that this area has been seen temperatures soar 9 degrees fahrenheit or 5 degrees celsius, warmer than the average for this time of year at that particulate attitude. what has astounded scientists is how large this particular blob of warm sea surface temperature is. it covers 4,000 square miles, roughly the size of texas. for our international viewers with that is about 1 million square kilometers. this thing is massiv

derek van dam is here to tell us about the conditions that are stoking these fires. >> you know, i'veal media as a fire conglomerate, coming together to make this major blaze as she called it. just incredible. >> i've never heard that term before. >> just incredible what california would do this burn season. this is what sydney would look like on a regular day. let's say it's the middle of december, people flocking to this beautiful coastal town, city, i should say, beaches and this is what it looks like at this hour. thick smog that's choking the beautiful city. people should be preparing for the holidays not for another fire outbreak that they're contending with. the air quality index is forecast to get worse before it gets better. look at the forecast as we head into tuesday. that is because a cold front is approaching. that means a spike in the winds. a spike in the temperature. and a lowering of the relative humidity so it's a recipe for disaster, before that cold front comes through. ultimately helping the conditions by wednesday. tuesday is our target day. look at the fires tha

with our derek van dam, our meteorologist.errek, from the looks of the satellite, it's not pretty. >> no, it's a nasty storm, and it's racing from the west coast to the east coast. you see thousand impacted southern california. let me show you how the storm system is creating foggy weather in texas and what our affiliates captured in lubbock. that's the moment a truck swerved in front of a semi truck and actually caught the jackknife of this truck on camera. just incredible moments. two people were injured. no one fortunately were killed within this accident. but, wow, just really scary moments for everybody involved there. now, let me get to the details of the storm system, where it's going. again it started in southern california. you saw the video of intestate 5 closed down. now, we saw the foggy conditions, as the storm taps into the moisture from the gulf of mexico and texas. and on the cold side of the system, it's going to produce a lot of snowfall, people. and the potential exists for over 18 inches of snowfall in some

here is meteorologist derek van dam with the forecast. >> great friday morning, dave and amara.means a wet weekend for the entire east coast of the country, from atlanta to new york. before we get to the details, this forecast brought to you by the ninja foodi pressure cooker. here's a broad look at the weather across the country. you can see how active it remains across the southeast. this moisture will start to overspread the entire east coast, as we head into the overnight period tonight. and for sure, into the day on saturday. be prepared for that, from boston to new york, philadelphia and d.c., as well as atlanta, charlotte and charleston. you can see the rainfall totals here. 1 to 3-inch amounts possible in the east coast. this will be a rainmaker for the coastal cities. some snowfall is expected across upstate new york, vermont and new hampshire. you can trail the snowfall westward with our next developing storm system. talking temperatures now. 42 for chicago. 48 near new york city. 45 in atlanta. the seven-day forecast for the big apple calls for a cooldown next week. >

more from meteorologist derek van dam. >> good morning, dave and amara.king into high gear today. first, this weather broadcast brought to you by the ninja foodi deluxe. here's what's taking place across the great lakes and the east coast. high pressure for the major east coast cities. generally a dry day. you can see the snowshowers being enhanced by a cold front that will sweep across the northern great lakes, causing some slick spots on the roadways from northern wisconsin into the upper peninsula of michigan. across the southeast, we have an abundant amount of moisture from the atlantic and the gulf of mexico that will overspread showers for places like atlanta, charleston, charlotte and the d.c. region, and moving into the east coast by later on the day friday. let's talk temperatures. 44 in chicago. 40 for the nation's capital. just a degree or two above the freezing mark for the big apple. we're expecting a high of 52 in atlanta. back to you. >> thanks, derek. >>> a small plane crash on phoenix caught on surveillance camera. look at the aircraft sl

our meteorologist derek van dam is here to tell us more about it. seems we have not gotten a break this holiday travel season at all. >> no. it will be very difficult for people across the plains and in the upper midwest today. i want to show you just how tricky it is on the roadways. let me take you to a suburb of minneapolis. this happened on friday. incredible to see what actually took place here. you are watching freezing ice and the dangers of that particular weather phenomenon. look at this bus sliding directly through the middle of the intersection. that's a four-way intersection, people, with traffic lights. and that pus is not stopping. can you imagine the momentum it takes to carry that thing through the intersection and the amount of the ice on the roads? very specific set of weather conditions need to take place in order for freezing rain to form. so, the precipitation falls through a warm layer of air. it falls as rain. but there's a cool, shallow layer of air right at the surface. that allows for objects like concrete and the roadways

vans even booed derek carr as he went off the field after some long passes, hail marys into the end zone that did not turn out right. some fans through bottles onto the field. several people were taken into custody. there are still some long time, diehard raider fans that are not giving up hope. >> i am hoping that will come back before i die. >> may be, but before that disappointing and, fans started lining up at 4 am ready to tailgate. raider fans of been known for loyalty, passion, and for some serious tailgating. we talked to one man who is stuck with the raiders for decades despite all of the chaos. >> the raiders team praises support of the fans. >> 27 years i have been here. and johnny, we are always first in line. >> it is not really the result today. it is result of the raiders over the years. it is the oakland raiders. it is the appreciation, loyalty that these fans have had i think, for the raiders. >> there is nothing like the raider fans, despite the disappointment. they swarm to say farewell. many of the players stopped to greet the fans after the loss, including derek carr