Milton remains a powerful and dangerous storm. Milton currently a category 4 storm but is expected to regain wind intensity back up to cat. 5 later this afternoon after undergoing an eyewall replacement cycle. As Milton makes a turn to the northeast, the outer rain bands coming ashore can produce tornadoes across much of the Florida Peninsula on Wednesday. Life threatening, record surge is expected in Tampa Bay, where there can be 10-15 ft of storm surge. Milton is forecast to make landfall as a cat. 3 major hurricane, but can potentially make landfall at cat. 4 strength since it is possible the shear to the west will not be as strong as previously thought.
Hurricane Leslie is slowly losing intensity in the open central Atlantic and is not expected to directly impact land. There are also two areas the NHC has highlighted for potential development, but neither will have any impacts to Texas.
October 7, 10:00 p.m.
Milton’s winds weakened to 165 mph but it’s still a category 5 storm. The weakening is due to an eyewall replacement cycle. It may very well stay a category 5 storm through Tuesday since it’ll be moving through a very warm eddy of water called the Loop Current. It’s expected to hit the west coast of Florida near Tampa Bay Wednesday night as at least a category 3 hurricane.
October 7, 4:00 p.m.
Category 5 Hurricane Milton is now tied with Hurricane Rita for the third strongest hurricane on record over the Gulf of Mexico with winds of 180 mph and gusts up to 220 mph. It is still expected to make landfall as a category 3 hurricane Wednesday night along Florida’s west coast with a storm surge up to 15 feet possible in Tampa Bay.
HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) — Houston’s largest airport is getting ready to open the doors on its highly-anticipated expansion project.
The Houston Airport System announced this week that the Terminal D-West Pier at Bush Intercontinental Airport will open on Oct. 22.
The 160,000-square-foot expansion will feature six new gates that can accommodate wide-body planes. IAH said the expansion will support increasing passenger demand while also enhancing the overall travel experience.
The terminal will also feature a children’s play area.
The Terminal D-West Pier expansion is the latest completed step in the airport’s $1.458 billion IAH Terminal Redevelopment Program. Next, IAH plans to open a new international processing area in two phases this upcoming winter and next summer.
With the expansion, IAH said the airport will add 250 newly-hired employees to work at 16 new shops and restaurants.
The construction to expand Terminal D began nearly five years ago in November 2019.
For many Houston-area travelers, traffic around IAH is top of mind. With the expansion announcement, the airport said it anticipates releasing more good news when it comes to improved traffic flow in November and December.
HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) — Brutal child abuse allegations said to have taken place over a four-day period landed a Houston couple behind bars.
The 5-month-old victim was allegedly brain dead when she was hospitalized on Sept. 29. The child ultimately succumbed to her injuries on Wednesday, according to investigators.
Glenn Wayne Smith and Jasmine Ellison were arrested for injury to a child and serious bodily injury.
The couple has no criminal history or past run-ins with child protective services, according to law enforcement.
What investigators find so disturbing about the allegations is that even if the injuries were inflicted accidentally, the couple is accused of watching the infant get worse and worse and waiting to bring her to the hospital.
The infant’s mother, Ellison, appeared in court for the part she allegedly played in the heart-sinking death of her baby girl, Ja’nae Smith.
“The abuse is said to have taken place over a four-day period, or the most recent abuse, in which the child was in the care of both this defendant and the child’s father,” prosecutors said.
The Harris County Sheriff’s Office described Ja’nae’s final days as a “horrific weekend that began on Sept. 26.”
During that time, it is alleged that Ja’nae’s father, identified in court records as Smith, was abusing the child, and Ellison failed to take action.
It all allegedly took place inside their north Harris County home on Plumwood Drive.
Investigators say Ja’nae was partially paralyzed and throwing up blood, yet Ellison and Smith waited until Sept. 29 to call 911.
“The child was found with multiple serious injuries including swelling and bleeding of the brain, no brain activity at the time of admission, blood coming out of her mouth, broken ribs, healed broken ribs,” prosecutors read in court.
The child was assessed at the Texas Medical Center, where she ultimately died from her injuries.
“Medical staff said the injuries were likely caused by aggressively shaking the child,” prosecutors said.
Ellison and Smith were questioned by detectives.
“Both ended up giving statements to police that were inconsistent with the injuries,” investigators said.
The attorney who represented Ellison in probable cause court claims the 23-year-old mom sought medical care for her daughter but didn’t specify when.
“And was told to bring her in if the child got worse, and it appears the child declined while my client was at work,” the attorney representing Ellison in probable cause court said.
Eyewitness News spoke briefly with Ja’nae’s grandmother, who investigators say often visited the couple’s home, but she declined to comment.
Smith was initially being held on a $1 million bond, but it was later reduced to $250,000. Ellison’s was set at $150,000.
Customers reported another Verizon outage on Monday morning, according to downdetector.com.
The initial spike of problems happened around 6:45 a.m. C.T., the website showed.
Verizon has not put out a statement on the cause for the reported outage.
The problems were mostly reported on mobile phones. Chicago, New York City, Philadelphia were among the cities with the highest outage reports on Monday.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
HARRIS COUNTY, Texas (KTRK) — Two men are dead after an apparent murder-suicide in north Harris County.
Sheriff’s investigators said the two men in their 20s are brothers.
The shooting happened shortly before 2 a.m. Monday at a townhome in the 15100 block of Ella Boulevard near West Airtex Boulevard, just west of the I-45 North Freeway.
When deputies arrived at the scene, they found both men dead with gunshot wounds.
Investigators said their mother was home during the shooting and was the one who called 911. She was taken to the hospital after an apparent panic attack.
The woman told deputies she heard some kind of disturbance in her son’s bedroom. She reportedly broke through the locked door and found both of her sons shot.
Investigators believe the 22-year-old brother shot his 24-year-old brother with autism and then turned the gun on himself. One pistol was found at the scene.
HCSO said deputies have responded to previous calls at the address regarding mental health issues and disturbances involving one of the sons.
“At this point, we don’t have a motive. We’re still trying to figure that out. But we did know medical history with one of the sons. At this point, that’s all we have in terms of what could possibly be the motive. But that hasn’t been confirmed yet,” Sgt. Sidney Miller said.
If you are struggling with thoughts of suicide, or worried about a friend or loved one, help is available. Call or text the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988 for free, confidential, emotional support 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Milton is now on the cusp of category 5 status with 155 mph winds. Category 5 begins at 157 mph. The hurricane is still projected to make landfall as a major category 3 storm along Florida’s west coast Wednesday evening. Due to the large storm surge predicted to go as high as 12 feet, evacuation orders are now underway in many coastal communities, and local residents are encouraged to heed the advice of their local emergency managers.
October 7, 9 a.m.
Milton rapidly intensified to a category 4 hurricane early Monday morning, sustained winds of 150 mph. Milton will continue to strengthen over the Gulf. As it approaches landfall, Milton will remain a major hurricane with winds closer to 125 mph. Tropical storm, hurricane and storm surge watches have been issued all along the Gulf coast of Florida, including inland counties. Rainfall forecasts between 5-10″ with isolated spots over 15″ will be possible. Storm surge forecast along Tampa Bay, 8-12′.
Meanwhile, deeper in the Atlantic, Leslie is slowly losing intensity as a category 1 hurricane in the open central Atlantic and is not expected to directly impact land. Hurricane Kirk is becoming less organized in the northern Atlantic and is anticipated to bring heavy rain and strong winds to western Europe later this week.
October 6, 4 p.m.
Milton continues to rapidly intensify and is now a Cat. 1 hurricane. Milton is expected to become a Cat. 4 hurricane by Tuesday as it moves east through the Gulf. The latest track has Milton making landfall in the western coast of Florida Wednesday as a major hurricane. No impacts to Texas.
October 6, 9 a.m.
Tropical Storm Milton is forecast to quickly intensify while it moves eastward in the western Gulf of Mexico this week. Unfortunately conditions look conducive for Milton to become a major hurricane by the time we get to Tuesday. It is expected to make landfall as a major hurricane Wednesday somewhere along the western coastline of Florida. No impacts to Texas.
Elsewhere in the Atlantic Basin we also have hurricane Hurricane Kirk and Hurricane Leslie, though neither are going to impact the US.
HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) — We have one more day with near record high temperatures before our next cool front moves in.
Temperatures Monday morning will start off in the upper 60s to low 70s. By the afternoon temps are forecast to rise into the low to mid 90s under mostly sunny skies. Our next cool front moves in overnight Monday into Tuesday bringing in slightly cooler and drier air for the rest of the week and even into next weekend.
When is our next cool front coming?
The next front should arrive late Monday after high temperatures spike into record territory Monday afternoon. This front looks to pass through dry late Monday, and it should deliver a more noticeable temperature drop with highs in the 80s and lows in the low 60s for most of this week. In fact, it’s possible some of us will enjoy lows in the upper 50s for a few mornings!
What are you tracking in the tropics?
We’re monitoring Hurricane Milton which is expected to intensify into a major hurricane in the next few days. Steering currents will push this system toward the Florida peninsula with direct impacts expected on Tuesday or Wednesday. Meanwhile, the deep tropics and Atlantic are very active right now with Kirk and Leslie over the open waters. No impacts expected here in Texas. Head to our daily Tropical Update page for the latest on what’s happening in the tropics.
HOUSTON, Texas — During training camp, the Houston Texans weren’t shy about their goals and aspirations.
Cornerback Derek Stingley Jr. said they were “playing to go all the way,” and wide receiver Nico Collins said the expectation was “Super Bowl.”
On Sunday, the Texans (3-1) get their first test against one of the AFC’s better teams, the Buffalo Bills (3-1). The Bills have 51 regular-season wins (second most) since 2020. They’ve won five playoff games, tied for the second most in the AFC with the Cincinnati Bengals.
Despite a 35-10 loss last week to the Baltimore Ravens, the Bills have been rolling and own the biggest point differential in the AFC (plus-39) heading into Week 5.
But inside NRG Stadium, the Texans say they are viewing this matchup as just another game. They won’t let the outside noise make Sunday in Houston bigger than what it is.
“The matchup really doesn’t matter to me,” Texans coach DeMeco Ryans said. “It’s ‘can we play our best versus our next opponent?’ All of the storylines on the contenders and all — we’re in Week 5. Let’s be the best team in Week 5, and that’s the only thing that matters and that’s where our focus is. If our focus gets off on anything else this week, then that won’t help us on Sunday.”
There will be a lot of focus on wide receiver Stefon Diggs, though. Diggs was traded from the Bills this offseason after a seemingly rocky breakup. Diggs was in Buffalo from 2020 to 2023. During that time, he was named a first team All-Pro (2020). He had the most receptions (445) and receiving yards (5,372) and was tied for the most receiving touchdowns (37) of any quarterback-receiver duo during that span.
But to Diggs, he says it’s just another game and that he has to “block out the noise.”
“A lot of other people are gonna feel away or have a lot to say about X, Y, Z and I don’t mind. I’m not mad at it,” Diggs said. “Just trying to go 1-0. Obviously, they’re a good team. They have a lot of guys that can fly around on the defense. But they’re a really good team. So I look forward to it.”
But even though this week is just another game, Ryans is “fired up about this matchup,” and Houston has a chance to win at least four games in the first five for the first time 2012.
“With where we are now, we’re just excited for the next one versus the Bills,” Ryans said. “Really good opponent is coming into our house, so we’re excited.”
The other element to this game is the quarterback matchup: C.J. Stroud vs. Josh Allen.
Stroud didn’t face the Bills in his rookie year, but after the Texans and Bills won their divisions last season, the matchup was set.
Allen has finished top-three in MVP voting twice — including last season — and coming into Week 5, he is leading the league in total QBR (82) and spearheading an offense that ranks second in scoring (30.5).
Stroud is coming off a successful rookie campaign and had a historic year where he was named to the Pro Bowl, and he won Offensive Rookie of the Year honors.
But when Stroud was asked if the quarterback matchup added excitement, he said “not really.”
“Allen is a heck of a football player, but, of course, yeah, my competitive nature is I want to win my one-on-one,” Stroud said. “But it’s not an added juice or anything. It’s just another week, trying to go 1-0 versus myself. I think whenever I get in my own way is when I play bad or when I don’t play as great as I can. But when I’m focusing on what I’ve got going on, then that’s when I do well.”
Coming into Week 5, the Bills are allowing 20 points per game (12th fewest), holding opposing quarterbacks to a passer rating of 78.1 (fifth lowest) and their 165.3 passing yards allowed per game is the the sixth lowest.
But against the Ravens, they allowed 271 rushing yards — led by running back Derrick Henry, who finished with 199 — and their 156 rushing yards allowed per game ranks 30th entering Week 5.
The Texans have struggled to consistently attack teams on the ground, though. They average 106 yards per game (19th) but only have 214 yards in the past three games, second fewest in the NFL. Running back Joe Mixon’s two-game absence contributed to those struggles (139 rushing yards), and it’s uncertain whether he’ll return this week.
The Texans will lean on their passing game to propel them if Mixon can’t go, and that’s been an effective formula. In the first four weeks, Stroud ranked fifth in passing yards (1,054) and Diggs ranked sixth in receptions (25). Collins became the first player since 1999 to lead the league in receiving yards by over 100 yards through the first four weeks of a season.
“I just let the game come to me,” Collins said. “Step between the lines and just have fun. At the end of the day, it’s just football. That’s the mindset I got to have, be the best one out there and beat the guy in front of me.”
The Supreme Court agreed on Friday to step into a fight over plans to store nuclear waste at sites in rural Texas and New Mexico.
The video above is from ABC13’s 24/7
The justices said they plan to review a ruling by the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals that found that the Nuclear Regulatory Commission exceeded its authority under federal law in granting a license to a private company to store spent nuclear fuel at a dump in West Texas for 40 years. The outcome of the case will affect plans for a similar facility in New Mexico.
Political leaders in both states oppose the facilities.
Republican Gov. Greg Abbott of Texas has said his state “will not become America’s nuclear waste dumping ground.”
The push for temporary storage sites is part of the complicated politics of the nation’s so-far futile quest for a permanent underground storage facility.
Roughly 100,000 tons (90,000 metric tons) of spent fuel, some of it dating from the 1980s, is piling up at current and former nuclear plant sites nationwide and growing by more than 2,000 tons a year. The waste was meant to be kept there temporarily before being deposited deep underground.
A plan to build a national storage facility northwest of Las Vegas at Yucca Mountain has been mothballed because of staunch opposition from most Nevada residents and officials.
The fight over storing nuclear waste is among 13 cases the justices added to their agenda for the term that begins Monday. Other notable cases include a plea by gun makers to end a lawsuit in which Mexico seeks to blame them for gun violence south of the border and an appeal from a death row inmate in Texas whose execution the high court halted at the last minute in July.
In the NRC case, there are two issues before the justices, which will be argued early next year.
The NRC contends that the states forfeited their right to object to the licensing decisions because they declined to join in the commission’s proceedings.
Two other federal appeals courts, in Denver and Washington, that weighed the same issue ruled for the agency. Only the 5th Circuit allowed the cases to proceed.
The second issue is whether federal law allows the commission to license temporary storage sites. Texas and environmental groups, unlikely allies, both relied on a 2022 Supreme Court decision that held that Congress must act with specificity when it wants to give an agency the authority to regulate an issue of major national significance.
In ruling for Texas, the 5th Circuit agreed that what to do with the nation’s nuclear waste is the sort of “major question” that Congress must speak to directly.
The Biden administration told the court that the commission has long-standing authority reaching back to the 1954 Atomic Energy Act to deal with nuclear waste.
The NRC granted the Texas license to Interim Storage Partners LLC for a facility that could take up to 5,000 metric tons of spent nuclear fuel rods from power plants and 231 million tons of other radioactive waste. The facility would be built next to an existing dump site in Andrews County for low-level waste such as protective clothing and other material that has been exposed to radioactivity. The Andrews County site is about 350 miles (563.27 kilometers) west of Dallas, near the Texas-New Mexico state line.
New Mexico officials, led by Democratic Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, are opposed to a license the commission granted to Holtec International for a similar temporary storage site in Lea County, in the southeastern part of the state near Carlsbad. The 5th Circuit also has blocked that license.
A decision is expected by the middle of next year.
