Thousands of residents in eastern Australia were ordered to evacuate, as Tropical Cyclone Alfred's heavy rains and powerful winds blast two states ahead of it's expected landfall near Brisbane, the country's third-largest city.
The big picture: It's already caused widespread power outages and triggered storm surge along the southern Queensland and northern New South Wales coasts. Those who haven't evacuated were urged to stay inside ahead of its expected hit as a Category 2 storm, per the Bureau of Meteorology.
Tesla is at risk of bleeding cash in the first quarter of 2025 amid growing signs that CEO Elon Musk's political endeavors are scaring off potential customers.
Why it matters: Tesla has seismic ambitions — including self-driving cars and humanoid robots — that may depend on its core business to generate funding.
Threat level: NOAA's aircraft have specialized equipment that the Air Force's Hurricane Hunters lack. Their flights during hurricane season are aimed at feeding data into computer models to improve forecast accuracy.
Venture Global LNG plans to expand its export facility in Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana with a roughly $18 billion investment, the company said.
Why it matters: This would raise the capacity of Plaquemines, which began initial shipments in December, by over 18 million tons annually to reach over 45 million, Venture said.
Los Angeles County is suing Southern California Edison over the Eaton Fire, which killed 17 people in January.
The big picture: The cause of the blaze that was one of California's most destructive wildfires on record remains under investigation, but LA County alleges in a lawsuit there's "clear evidence" from images and witness statements that SCE's equipment was responsible for it.
The planet had its third-warmest February on record, following a surprise record-hot January, new data shows.
Why it matters: This is the first month not to be the first or second-hottest on record since June 2023. It may indicate some slight cooling relative to the not fully explained, record-shattering heat of the past two years.
