ICYMI: Fans around the world weather tragic news after deadly helicopter crash

January wrapped up on a somber note as the sports world lost an NBA superstar, some promising young athletes and their supportive parents in what may have been a weather-related helicopter crash in California. Meanwhile, fears over the further spread of the Wuhan coronavirus continued to ramp up across the globe. With Groundhog Day just around the corner, AccuWeather experts beat Punxsutawney Phil to the punch on predicting which parts of the United States will see an early spring. Here’s a look back on the week in weather news.

Authorities continue investigating helicopter crash that killed Kobe Bryant, 8 others

The final week of January 2020 got off to a heartbreaking start on Sunday, as reports of a deadly helicopter crash in Calabasas, California, quickly circulated the news and social media. The doomed helicopter carried 41-year-old NBA legend Kobe Bryant, along with his 13-year-old daughter, Gianna, as well as seven other people.

Amid foggy conditions, the chopper slammed into a hillside and exploded into a fireball sometime after 9 a.m., killing everyone on board. Mourners showed a tremendous outpouring of support in the hours and days following the horrific and still-unexplained accident, which happened as the young athletes, their parents and the pilot were heading to a basketball game.

“We are completely devastated by the sudden loss of my adoring husband, Kobe – the amazing father of our children; and my beautiful, sweet Gianna – a loving, thoughtful, and wonderful daughter, and amazing sister to Natalia, Bianka, and Capri,” said Bryant’s widow, Vanessa, in a statement released this week, where she also expressed devastation at the loss of the other crash victims.

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Following the accident, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) authorities, with the help of footage, data and eyewitnesses, have begun trying to piece together exactly what caused the crash. Authorities have pointed at weather conditions as a potentially crucial contributing factor, and asked the public for any images they have of the crash site area to aid the investigation. “It’s never good to be flying in low visibility conditions in any aircraft,” aviation expert Dr. Michael Canders told AccuWeather.

Meanwhile, new details surfaced late in the week about the helicopter company that owned the aircraft that crashed, which has now suspended its operations in the wake of the tragedy. The NTSB, which has collaborated with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) on the probe, has said that it could take more than a year before the final crash investigation report and findings are released.

Experts say flu cases on the rise, but not for long

We often hear from experts that thoroughly washing one’s hands is an effective way to avoid the spread of germs and illnesses, particularly this time of year. With cases of influenza and coronavirus recently on the rise, experts have been pushing this advice more than ever. More flu cases have been reported in some parts of the U.S, as predicted. However, although most recent data from the past couple of weeks reflected an increase in about 38 states, experts believe it won’t be long-lasting.

“It’s a tough balance to strike, since the picture at the national level is really a combination of a lot of smaller stories playing out in the different states,” Dr. Bryan Lewis, a professor at the Biocomplexity Institute at the University of Virginia, told AccuWeather’s Bill Wadell. The flu activity increase in those 38 states is considered to be modest, and there’s good news – activity in many states continue to decrease, according to Biocomplexity Institute researchers.

At least 15 million flu cases have been reported this season so far, with 140,000 people hospitalized and 8,200 others having died, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Frightening Wuhan coronavirus emergency has world on edge

Meanwhile, the new strain of the coronavirus has prompted the World Health Organization (WHO) to declare a global health emergency amid an outbreak that has already killed more than 200 as of Friday, according to The Associated Press. Types of coronavirus, which comprise a broad family of viruses, include potentially deadly strains like MERS and SARS. The more serious cases have led to kidney failure and pneumonia. It’s spread similarly to the common cold – via close contact, coughing and sneezing.

The WHO said that nearly 10,000 people had been confirmed to be infected with the virus in China by Friday. A day earlier, the CDC confirmed the first human-to-human transmission of the coronavirus in the U.S. Stateside, there have been six confirmed cases so far. A Chicago woman who recently got back from China infected her husband, who had not traveled with her, officials said. It was the first human-to human transmission observed in the U.S.

This week, both the U.S. State Department and the CDC strongly discouraged Americans from traveling to China, with some airlines in Europe, North America and Asia canceling flights to the country as health concerns surrounding the virus mount. You’ll find everything you need to know about the coronavirus here.

Which regions will have an early spring this year? AccuWeather experts have the scoop

You need not wait for Punxsutawney Phil’s famed Groundhog Day prognostication on Feb. 2 – AccuWeather meteorologists have a good idea of which parts of the U.S. will experience six more weeks of winter and which spots will see spring a little early.

Our experts, who released the forecast on Wednesday, will have a complete spring forecast coming next week. In the meantime, click here to see the full scoop.

Heavy rain, flooding trigger disasters in several countries

Flooding rainfall posed major problems across the globe this week, including in Peru, Brazil, parts of Australia and Indonesia. Brazil’s state capital of Belo Horizonte experienced its highest rainfall total in over a century as downpours and landslides devastated the city, killing at least 53 people.

The Associated Press reported that at least 2,600 people fled their homes, with 19 missing after a landslide Saturday in Minas Gerais. AccuWeather Meteorologist Maura Kelly said the state saw more than 4 inches of rain on Jan. 23 and 24, while Floretal was drenched with 6.85 inches of rain.

“Belo Horizonte reported 6.06 inches from (last) Thursday into Friday, and 7.60 inches from Monday to Friday,” Kelly said, noting that normal January rainfall in this region is around 6-7 inches. The heavy flooding prompted Brazil’s state governor, Gustavo Zema, to declare a state of emergency in 47 cities.

Unfortunately, the nightmare isn’t yet over for Brazil, as AccuWeather meteorologists anticipate additional rain and flooding to impact the country’s southern portion, as well as parts of Bolivia, Argentina and Paraguay, in the coming week.

In Peru, people struggled to get around as heavy rainfall and flash floods rendered roads impassable across several cities on Jan. 28. Even emergency crews had a difficult time navigating the flooded streets, as this video shows.

Rainfall in northern Australia broke records on Jan. 29, as it drenched Cairns, Queensland, with more than 6 inches falling overnight. Flash flooding unleashed its wrath upon Indonesia, where nine people were killed as floodwaters swept through some areas of the country on Jan. 29. Residents had to wade through feet of water up to their chests through severely flooded streets in Central Tapanuli, which you can see here.