Shocking video shows tractor-trailer plunge off bridge into frigid river

 The dramatic accident was caught on camera and happened after the temperature had bottomed out at 3 degrees overnight. To make matters worse, the truck's driver is unable to swim.

By Zachary Rosenthal, AccuWeather staff writer

Published Feb. 28, 2022 11:18 AM EST | Updated Feb. 28, 2022 11:18 AM EST

A tractor-trailer driver in Massachusetts was lucky to walk away unscathed after his vehicle skidded across two lanes of traffic and plunged off a bridge into the frigid Charles River in Weston, Massachusetts, on Saturday.

Video of the dramatic crash, which was released by the State Police Association of Massachusetts, shows the tractor-trailer driving off the edge of the bridge. As it falls and the trailer's cabin hits the water, the truck almost flips upside down before making a hard landing on its side.

The police association said that the driver managed to escape the frigid waters and climb on top of the tractor-trailer to wait for help. State Police, Weston Fire Department and other units responded to the scene of the accident to assist with the rescue. The driver, who could not swim, was taken to the hospital but was found to be unhurt, police said.

Weston is about 15 miles west of downtown Boston, and the entire New England area was hit hard by a snowstorm just a day before the accident occurred. Boston's official weather record site, Logan International Airport, measured 8.5 inches from the storm on Friday, and the surrounding areas to the west received anywhere from 5 to 10 inches of accumulation.

In addition to the fresh snowfall, a wave of cold air swept through southern New England in the immediate aftermath of the storm. Weston hit a low temperature of 3 degrees Saturday before moderating to a high of 31, which is 10 degrees below the average high temperature there at this time of year. The normal low in Weston at this time of year is 22 degrees.

According to Boston 25, a local TV station, the crash occurred at around noon, and at that point, the air temperature had reached 25 degrees in Weston.

“He was just saying he was really cold,” Weston's Deputy Fire Chief Justin Woodside told Boston 25 News. “By the time that the state police called us and we got to the call and responded to the call say seven, eight, nine-minute mark. So he had already been wet in what was probably the low 30-degree water.”

The truck was carrying mail and packages for the U.S. Postal Service in Brockton, many of which were rescued from the icy Charles River. Temperatures in the river were about 35 degrees Fahrenheit on Saturday morning.

According to NBC Boston, the truck split in half while it was in the water, sending some packages floating down the river. Postal inspectors responded to the crash scene on Saturday, and local officials said that the postal inspector would help take care of all the packages that rescuers were unable to grab from the river.

Law enforcement officials and other first responders in the region were kept busy the day before this crash as numerous accidents occurred during the snowstorm throughout New England.

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Quick-hitting snowfalls to precede larger winter storm in Midwest, Northeast

 By Renee Duff, AccuWeather meteorologist

Published Feb. 28, 2022 12:05 PM EST | Updated Feb. 28, 2022 3:33 PM EST

Mother Nature will be dishing out frequent doses of wintry weather from the northern Plains to the Great Lakes and Northeast during the first days of meteorological spring, which begins on Tuesday, March 1. AccuWeather meteorologists are tracking a pair of fast-moving Alberta clippers that will sweep through the region this week, preceding a potential larger winter storm that will arrive by the weekend.

The clipper duo will generally bring a light, nuisance snowfall for many, but forecasters are monitoring the potential for some heavier bursts of snow showers that could accompany the caboose in the parade of storms around the middle of the week.

Each clipper will produce a quick burst of snow along the storm track, according to AccuWeather Meteorologist Matt Benz.

Light snow was ongoing across the upper Great Lakes Monday morning as the first clipper system crossed the Canada-United States border. By midday Tuesday, snow showers and flurries are expected to reach upstate New York and New England as the system races eastward.

By the middle of the week, the next clipper in the parade will be racing southeastward across the northern Plains and Upper Midwest, spreading into the Northeast late Wednesday into Thursday morning.

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"As each storm treks across the northern tier of the country, a general coating to 2 or 3 inches of snow is expected. This is enough to cause slippery conditions on the roads as well as reduced visibility for motorists but is unlikely to create prolonged issues," AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Courtney Travis said.

The greatest risk to motorists may come with the second clipper of the week as it spreads snow through the eastern Great Lakes and Northeast Wednesday night into Thursday morning. AccuWeather forecasters are concerned for more intense bursts of snow, perhaps even a few snow squalls, accompanying gusty winds that can cause brief whiteout conditions on the roadway at times.

Portions of New York state and New England stand the best chance of an accumulation of snow with this event, generally on the order of 1-3 inches with pockets of higher amounts in the mountains of the interior.

Just on Sunday, this region was hit hard by snow squalls that produced intense snowfall rates and whiteout conditions.

"The weather pattern is expected to change late in the week, ending the parade of clippers across the Great Lakes and Northeast," Travis said.

However, forecasters will then be eyeing the next storm to take shape across the Central states, which is expected to bring spring weather hazards such as an enhanced fire risk, flooding and severe weather to parts of the South and winter weather dangers across the northern tier.

AccuWeather's long-range team is concerned that a narrow but impactful zone of icing will set up across the Great Lakes and extend into the Northeast late Friday into the weekend. Just to the north and west of the ice, accumulating snow, some of which can be heavy, is likely to fall.

The forecast will continue to be refined in the coming days as more details emerge, but at these early stages, experts warn that travel delays are likely to mount across portions of the Central and Eastern states heading into the first week of March.

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For the latest weather news, check back on AccuWeather.com. Watch the AccuWeather Network on DIRECTV, Frontier, Spectrum, fuboTV, Philo and Verizon Fios. AccuWeather Now is now available on your preferred streaming platform.

2 feet of rain leaves Australian city underwater

 By Renee Duff, AccuWeather meteorologist

Published Feb. 27, 2022 1:41 PM EST | Updated Feb. 28, 2022 11:55 AM EST

“It’s unrelenting. It’s just coming down in buckets."

That's how the Premier of Queensland, Annastacia Palaszczuk, described the rainfall that has pounded eastern portions of Australia in recent days. The persistent downpours have flooded thousands of properties, prompted evacuations and resulted in at least eight deaths, according to The Associated Press.

Brisbane, the capital of Queensland, has been particularly hard-hit, recording its wettest three-day period since weather data started being tracked in the city in 1840 -- an astonishing 24.1 inches (611.6 mm) of rain from Friday morning to Sunday evening, local time. The city's previous rain record for a three-day period was 23.6 inches (600.4 mm) in 1974.

The radar showing intense downpours near and just south of Brisbane, Australia, early Monday morning, local time. (AccuWeather)

The mind-boggling deluge left few areas untouched by floodwaters, with scenes of submerged vehicles common throughout the region. Reuters reported that more than 1,400 homes in Brisbane are at risk to experience flooding, while tens of thousands of power outages have been reported.

Images from the Queensland Fire and Emergency Services showed homes submerged up to their roofs while others from the AP show people kayaking through the inundated streets or wading through waist-deep water. Emergency crews made over 130 swift-water rescues in 24 hours, officials said.

Schools throughout the region were closed on Monday, and officials advised residents to work from home to limit the number of people on the roads, which, in some cases, are completely cut off by high water.

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(AP Photo/Mark Baker)

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The Sydney Harbour Bridge is seen through the windscreen of a car as rain pours on the city, Monday, Feb. 28, 2022. The state of New South Wales has seen more than 500 flood rescues and more than 900 requests for assistance in the past 24 hours as record rain continues to fall across the eastern states of Australia. (AP Photo/Mark Baker)

Local authorities had a firm message for those who do venture out amid the severe weather.

"Our message is clear: do not cross flooded roadways – if it’s flooded, forget it. The smartest and bravest thing you can do, is back it up and turn around," the Queensland Police Service said on Twitter.

Flooded scenes at Rocklea on Brisbane's Southside, Queensland, Australia, February 27, 2022. AAP Image/Jason O'Brien via REUTERS

The torrent of water swamped local rivers, sending dozens into major flood stage. The Brisbane River was projected to crest around 13 feet (4 meters) Monday morning, local time, which would be the highest level seen on that waterway since 2011, according to the Brisbane Times. The raging water sent debris into boardwalks and eateries that line the river, the news agency said.

By Monday morning, local time, the major flood levels peaked on the Brisbane River during high tide at 12.63 feet (3.85 meters), according to the Australian Government Bureau of Meteorology (BoM).

Rainfall for the last week in excess of 18 inches over eastern Australia is shown by NASA's GPM (Global Precipitation Measurement) product on Feb. 28, 2022. (NASA/GPM)

A frightening scene emerged on the river as raging floodwaters carried a houseboat and crashed it into a ferry terminal, causing it to sink immediately. A 70-year-old man on board was rescued and sustained no significant injuries, according to The Guardian.

This event has evoked memories of and comparisons to the January 2011 floods that caused widespread damage in Brisbane and killed more than 30 people. During that event, heavy rain was spread out over more than a week and the flooding largely ensued due to rivers swelling after the precipitation had ended, The Guardian reported.

This latest incident has featured significant rainfall over a much shorter period of time. Murrumba Downs, a northern suburb of Brisbane, recorded 2 inches (52 mm) of rain in a mere 30 minutes, while nearby Kippa-Ring was pounded with 5 inches (135 mm) in 90 minutes, the Brisbane Times reported.

Dangers are far from over, AccuWeather meteorologists warn, as the flooding downpours expand southward this week.

"Torrential downpours shifted southward to start the week and placed northeastern New South Wales in the direct center of a dire flooding situation," AccuWeather Meteorologist Mary Gilbert explained.

On Monday, the city of Lismore in New South Wales experienced unprecedented flooding as extremely heavy rainfall caused a levee, in place to protect the city from disastrous flooding, to overflow. Monday's flood level in Lismore is now considered the worst of all time after exceeding readings from the previous record flooding event in February of 1954, according to the BoM.

In downtown Lismore, streets became raging rivers as harrowing video taken in the area captured water levels approaching the second floor of local businesses.

As of Monday afternoon, emergency personnel had made nearly 550 rescues as more than 1,500 calls for assistance were placed, according to The Guardian. As darkness fell on Monday evening, local time, 400 people remained unaccounted for in the Lismore area as military and emergency services raced against the clock to save lives, according to 9News.

At least two other levees in northeastern New South Wales overflowed on Monday and at least one additional levee is in danger of being breached early Tuesday, according to the BoM.

By the middle part of the week, torrential downpours could reach the Sydney metro area and heighten the risk of flooding there. Early last week, heavy rain caused a fast-moving current to sweep through Dee Why Lagoon, just north of Sydney, nearly carrying one man out-to-sea were it not for a brave group of surfers that came to the rescue.

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For the latest weather news, check back on AccuWeather.com. Watch the AccuWeather Network on DIRECTV, Frontier, Spectrum, fuboTV, Philo and Verizon Fios. AccuWeather Now is now available on your preferred streaming platform.

Video shows tanker nearly swallowed up by monstrous waves in North Atlantic

 The frightening scene looked like one right out of the movie 'The Perfect Storm' -- and the sound captured in the footage only magnified the harrowing experience.

By Adam Douty, AccuWeather senior meteorologist

The North Atlantic is not a welcoming place for seafarers. The massive body of water is notorious for brutal weather that can create dangerous shipping conditions over hundreds if not thousands of miles.

AccuWeather meteorologists say this is thanks in part to intense areas of low pressure that form across the basin. These areas of low pressure can kick up potent winds that can stir up the seas and create enormous waves, often to the detriment of ships and their crewmembers on board.

On April 29, a tanker was caught up in extremely turbulent weather and one of the crew members recorded video of the frightening scene. As the ship was crossing the North Atlantic, it was struck by a series of large waves in what looked like a scene straight out of the 2000 film The Perfect Storm.

A chemical tanker ship seen navigating monstrous waves amid extremely rough seas in the North Atlantic during late April 2021. (Reuters via Newsflare)

(Reuters via Newsflare)

Footage captured by one of the sailors on board showed the ship bobbing up and down amid the angry ocean as ferocious waves pounded the ship repeatedly and gusty winds howled.

"As storm systems strengthen across the North Atlantic wind gusts can reach or even surpass hurricane-force (74 mph or 119 km/h), which work to kick up very large swells," said AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Tyler Roys.

Waves can build to more than 50 feet (15 meters) across the open expanse of ocean stretching from eastern Canada to western Europe.

"These swells can propagate away from the storm hundreds of miles," Roys added.

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Large waves are no stranger to the North Atlantic. On Feb. 4, 2013, a significant wave height of 62 feet (19 meters) was reported by a buoy across the North Atlantic located between Iceland and the United Kingdom, according to the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). That wave holds the record for the largest significant wave height measured by a buoy in the North Atlantic.

That wave, however, pales in comparison to a 76-foot (23.4-meter) wave measured by a buoy in 2014, according to a BBC report. The WMO noted that this wave was not measured using "significant wave height," which required certain measuring methods and observing periods.

The world record for highest significant wave height by ship observation is also from the North Atlantic. On Feb. 8, 2000, a wave of 60.7 feet (18.5 meters) was recorded.

Advanced technology has allowed scientists to get even closer to nature and capture never-before-seen video footage. In September 2021, a drone ship -- the Saildrone Explorer SD 1045 -- was able to capture, for the first time, footage from the eye of Hurricane Sam, a Category 4 storm in the Atlantic Ocean.

And in February 2022, oceanographers published a study detailing what they said could be the "most extreme" rogue wave ever observed. The rogue wave occurred in November 2020 in the waters offshore from British Columbia, Canada, and was recorded by a buoy. According to the scientists, the wave reached a height of 58 feet -- not the tallest wave ever observed, but proportionally more extreme than the nearby waves surrounding it. "The probability of such an event occurring is once in 1,300 years," the lead author of the study said about the rogue wave.

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For the latest weather news check back on AccuWeather.com. Watch the AccuWeather Network on DIRECTV, Frontier, Spectrum, fuboTV, Philo, and Verizon Fios. AccuWeather Now is now available on your preferred streaming platform.