At 220 PM PST, Doppler radar was tracking a strong thunderstorm over
Pismo Beach, moving east at 25 mph.

HAZARD…Wind gusts up to 40 mph. Brief weak tornado possible.

SOURCE…Radar indicated.

IMPACT…Gusty winds could knock down tree limbs and blow around
unsecured objects.

Locations impacted include…
Pismo Beach…
Arroyo Grande…
Nipomo…
Grover Beach…
Oceano…
and Lake Lopez.
If outdoors, consider seeking shelter inside a building.

The post Special Weather Statement issued February 17 at 2:20PM PST by NWS Los Angeles/Oxnard CA appeared first on News Channel 3-12.

By Kevin Liptak, CNN

(CNN) — After passing notes for three-and-a-half hours Tuesday, Iranian and American negotiators departed their indirect talks in Geneva with an agreement to keep talking. What they’re talking about, exactly, remains an open question.

It’s unclear if the two sides are focused just on Iran’s nuclear program or other issues like the country’s ballistic missiles. Iran’s top negotiator said only that they’d arrived at a “set of guiding principles.” An American official was more circumspect, acknowledging “there are still a lot of details to discuss.”

The readout hardly eased growing fears of an impending regional war. Some officials have started to wonder how long President Donald Trump will allow diplomatic efforts to proceed. Adding to the sense of malaise, Iran conducted military exercises with cruise missiles and boats as the talks were underway, briefly closing the Strait of Hormuz.

Trump “reserves the ability to say when he thinks that diplomacy has reached its natural end,” Vice President JD Vance said in a Fox News interview, hours after the talks concluded Tuesday. He added that the two sides “agreed to meet afterwards” but that the Iranians have not acknowledged certain “red lines.”

So far, Trump has authorized the incremental back-and-forth that often defines high-stakes international dealmaking, dispatching his envoys Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner to foreign compounds to exchange papers with Iranian diplomats through an Omani intermediary.

But Trump is also wary of being “tapped along” by an Iranian regime looking to play for time, according to people familiar with his thinking. His allies have warned him that could be Iran’s intent, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu emphasized that argument in an urgently scheduled meeting last week.

Trump is also acutely aware that every passing day without US military action is another day further from his initial promise — now nearly two months old — that he was coming to the assistance of Iranian protesters.

As the talks proceed, Trump has offered only loose deadlines.

“I guess over the next month, something like that,” he said when asked last Thursday if he envisioned a timeline. “Yeah, it shouldn’t take, I mean, it should happen quickly.”

Quickly, in diplomatic terms, can be relative. That is especially true when discussing the highly technical particulars of uranium enrichment, which in previous negotiations required the participation of nuclear physicists.

The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action — the Obama-era deal that Trump harshly criticized as too weak on Iran and ultimately withdrew from — took more than two years of painstaking negotiations to finalize. Trump’s own grinding negotiations with the Iranians early last year lasted months before eventually falling apart, resulting in US military strikes on Iran’s uranium enrichment sites over the summer.

Administration officials believe Iran is now more motivated to agree to a deal than in the past because of the dire state of its economy, strangled by western sanctions. The major US military buildup Trump has ordered around Iran is also intended to apply pressure.

Yet so far, the Iranians do not seem willing to immediately accede.

“This does not mean that we can reach an agreement quickly, but at least the path has begun,” Iran Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Tuesday after noting the two sides agreed in their indirect talks to “move toward drafting the text of a possible agreement.”

Araghchi, who led Iran’s delegation in Geneva, said that no date had been set for future conversations. The American official, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive negotiations, said the Iranians indicated they would “come back in the next two weeks with detailed proposals” to address the gaps in their negotiating positi

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT) — Non-profits here in Santa Barbara County will be getting an extra helping hand this year.

The Women’s Fund of Santa Barbara announced it will distribute $1,375,000 in grants this year to non-profit organizations serving women, children, and families across the southern County.

For over two decades the Fund has awarded nearly $13 million to 163 local non-profits, and continues to support the strength and generosity of community-focused women.

The 2026 grants will be unveiled during the Celebration of Grants event on May 13 at the Lobero Theatre. Members and community partners will be in attendance to highlight the work of recipients, continuing to make a difference in critical areas of need.

Each year, local agency proposals are reviewed by the Fund’s volunteer Research Committee for funding consideration.

Members then cast their votes to decide which initiatives will receive support — an approach the Fund says "embodies the organization’s democratic spirit and commitment to transparency."

“This year’s record funding pool reflects both the generosity of our 1,450 members and the power of collective giving,” said Women’s Fund Board Chair Carolyn Jabs. “When we pool our resources, every contribution—no matter the size—has a multiplier effect. Together, we’re able to create meaningful, lasting impact for vulnerable women and families in our community.”

To learn more about the Women’s Fund of Santa Barbara or to get involved, visit womensfundsb.org.

The Latest Breaking News, Weather Alerts, Sports and More Anytime On Our Mobile Apps. Keep Up With the Latest Articles by Signing Up for the News Channel 3-12 Newsletter.

The post Santa Barbara Women’s Fund Commits $1.3 Million to Strengthen Families appeared first on News Channel 3-12.

By Jordan D. Brown, CNN

Welcome to 5 Things PM! A Netflix docuseries has reopened the wounds of “America’s Next Top Model.” Tyra Banks, former contestants and other judges look back at the show’s legacy — one messier than we ever knew.

Here’s what else you might have missed during your busy day.

5 things

1⃣ Updated method

Scientists are rethinking how they track Pacific Ocean temperatures as global warming reshapes climate patterns. A simple yet effective math trick is helping them spot El Niño and La Niña more clearly.

2⃣ A booming business

Dr. Alice Chiao used to teach emergency medicine to students at Stanford University’s medical school. Now, she’s teaching artificial intelligence-powered chatbots to think, diagnose and prescribe like her.

3⃣ Another legal battle

A day after his murder conviction was overturned, Subramanyam “Subu” Vedam was detained by ICE on a decades-old deportation order. Vedam prepared to be a free man after spending over four decades in prison, but an immigration judge just denied his request for bond.

4⃣ Kids and vaccines

US federal health officials recently reduced the number of vaccines recommended for children — pointing to Denmark, where newborn babies leave the hospital without a single shot. Is that a model worth copying? Dr. Sanjay Gupta goes to Copenhagen to find out.

5⃣ Full circle

At the age of 31, Bruna Moura’s 74th and 99th place results at the Olympics tell a remarkable story. See how the Brazilian athlete represents the heart of the Games.

Watch this

Wrong way: An Amazon truck driver followed GPS instructions into dangerous mudflats. The path dates back 600 years and is often called the “deadliest footpath in Britain.”

Top headlines

• 4 dead in 30-vehicle pileup in Colorado as powerful winds slam Plains, raising extreme fire risk
• Colbert says CBS scrapped his James Talarico interview after Trump FCC’s threats
• Hillary Clinton accuses Trump administration of a ‘cover-up’ over Epstein documents

Check this out

Built for eternity: After centuries of collapse and restoration, this bubble-shaped dome in Sri Lanka is still standing and remains the largest brick structure by volume ever constructed. Take a closer look.

For CNN subscribers

Por Chris Dolce, CNN

Al menos cuatro personas murieron en un choque múltiple en Colorado y se han reportado varios incendios en las Llanuras debido a los fuertes vientos que afectan la región.

El accidente en la Interestatal 25, al sur de Pueblo, Colorado, involucró a más de 30 vehículos, mientras ráfagas de viento de hasta 98 km/h levantaban polvo y tierra, reduciendo la visibilidad y provocando condiciones de “brown out” (visibilidad casi nula por polvo).

Al menos 29 personas fueron trasladadas al hospital con lesiones, según la Patrulla Estatal de Colorado, que no proporcionó detalles sobre la gravedad de las heridas.

Un tramo de cinco kilómetros de la autopista permanece cerrado entre los marcadores de milla 91 y 94, sin una hora estimada de reapertura, informó el Departamento de Transporte de Colorado.

Se prevén los vientos más intensos este martes por la tarde en las zonas más afectadas de las Altas Llanuras.

Estos mismos vientos están generando condiciones críticas para incendios, lo que representa una “situación particularmente peligrosa” en la región.

Un incendio forestal que comenzó este martes por la mañana en el condado de Beaver, Oklahoma, cruzó rápidamente al suroeste de Kansas en pocas horas. Ha consumido unas 15.000 hectáreas hasta la tarde de este martes, de acuerdo con el Servicio Forestal de Oklahoma.

El fuego amenaza al menos a dos comunidades en Kansas. Se están realizando evacuaciones en Englewood y Ashland, según la afiliada de CNN KAKE. Al menos un centro de salud en Ashland, una localidad de unos 700 habitantes, informó en redes sociales que estaba evacuando.

Más al sur, las autoridades emitieron una advertencia de incendio este martes por la tarde en el Panhandle de Texas por un “incendio forestal peligroso” a unos seis kilómetros al este de Goodnight, Texas, que avanzaba hacia el noreste a entre 5 y 8 km/h.

Más de 750.000 personas en partes de cinco estados de las Llanuras enfrentan condiciones de nivel 3, el más alto en la escala de riesgo de incendios: ráfagas de viento de hasta 113 km/h, aire muy seco y abundante vegetación muerta y seca.

“Esta es una situación particularmente peligrosa”, dijo el Servicio Meteorológico Nacional (NWS, por sus siglas en inglés) en una advertencia de bandera roja. “Si se inician incendios, se propagarán rápidamente y serán extremadamente difíciles de controlar”.

Las ráfagas de viento ya están aumentando en la región y solo incrementarán durante la tarde. Burlington, Colorado, registró una ráfaga de 114 km/h y se han observado ráfagas de más de 96 km/h en el oeste de Kansas y el Panhandle de Oklahoma y Texas.

Incendios forestales pasados que iniciaron en condiciones similares han sido devastadores: el incendio Smokehouse Creek del 2024 en el Panhandle de Texas, el mayor incendio forestal del estado, arrasó con más de 500 estructuras.

Las primeras advertencias de incendio se emitieron a finales de la mañana de este martes y principios de la tarde en el Panhandle de Oklahoma por incendios que se propagaban rápidamente hacia el noreste con fuertes vientos.

El riesgo de incendios alcanzará su punto máximo esta tarde mientras los vientos llegan a su tope y los niveles de humedad descienden a su punto más bajo, entre 10 y 15 %. Las condiciones seguirán siendo peligrosas hasta las primeras horas de la noche, antes de aliviarse durante la madrugada.

Los fuertes vientos de este martes en las Llanuras también están generando algo más que condiciones peligrosas de incendio.

Vehículos de gran tamaño como camiones s