More showers and storms in the forecast Monday and the chance will continue for Tuesday. See which day has the higher chance of rain and how the activity will play out in our weather update.
5 smart strategies to lower your air conditioning bill this summer
1) Optimize your thermostat settings.
Optimizing your thermostat settings can keep you cool without major changes to your comfort level. Experiment with setting your thermostat a few degrees higher than you normally would during the day. You might find you’re unnecessarily blasting the AC. Turning your thermostat down during cooler nighttime temperatures can also add up to major savings.
Aprogrammable smart thermostatcan also help you track your cooling costs, reduce unnecessary energy usage, and adjust your settings when you’re away from home.
2) Use natural ventilation.
Maximizing natural ventilation is an effective and eco-friendly way to cool your home. During cool morning and evening hours, open your windows to let in a fresh breeze. Then, once temperatures rise during the middle of the day, close windows and doors to keep the indoor temperature low. Ceiling andwindow fansalso use less energy than HVAC units while increasing air circulation to keep you cool and comfortable.
3) Maintain your HVAC system.
If you can’t remember the last time you had your HVAC system serviced, you’re probably paying more than you need to in cooling costs. To optimize your HVAC, clean and replace any filters every few months, and schedule a professional maintenance visit once a year. An HVAC specialist can ensure your system has proper airflow and check for issues that make your air conditioner less efficient.
4) Increase insulation to block outside heat.
Upgrading your home’s attic or wall insulation can be costly, but keeping the heat out could be as simple as installing energy-efficient window treatments. Adding blinds, blackout curtains, or reflective film will block out sunlight during the hottest parts of the day and keep your home’s internal temperature cooler.
5) Skip the mid-day chores and cooking.
Modifying your routine could help you reduce your cooling costs. Instead of cooking lunch in the oven, opt for sandwiches or salads while the sun is up. You can also line dry clothing or wait until the evening to use your dryer. A few simple changes to your habits could add up to some fun-money savings for your summer vacation.
Local Weather
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Severe thunderstorms are expected across the Great Plains on Thursday where a few tornadoes and very large hail are probable.
OMAHA, Neb. – Two days after devastating storms ravaged Nebraska and Iowa, causing widespread damage and flooding, another series of severe storms is poised to hit the same areas on Thursday.
These storms have the potential for tornadoes and unusually large hail, posing significant risks to the threatened regions.
HOW TO WATCH FOX WEATHER
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Three-hour radar loop. Warning boxes are color coded as: Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in yellow, Tornado Warnings in red, Tornado Warnings with a confirmed tornado in purple, Flash Flood Warnings in green and Flash Flood Emergencies in pink. (FOX Weather)
Within the Great Plains corridor, the FOX Forecast Center said an area of enhanced wind likelihood is most likely to develop across the Central Plains during Wednesday evening. Some of these gusts should be significant, reaching 75-85 mph before they move through the previously tornado-impacted areas overnight.
The best chance of severe storms will be from Nebraska into the Dakotas as a developing area of low pressure moves out into the Plains. While moisture may be limited, significant heating will result in a few storms across the western areas by late Thursday afternoon.
POWERFUL IMAGES CAPTURE DEADLY DEVASTATION FROM TORNADO’S AFTERMATH IN GREENFIELD, IOWA
NOAA’s Storm Prediction Center has placed a swath of eastern Nebraska and northern Kansas in a Level 3 out of 5 severe weather risk Wednesday with a much wider area covering over 20 million people across much of the Plains in a Level 2 out of 5 risk.
This graphic shows the severe weather threat on Thursday, May 23, 2024. (FOX Weather)
Elsewhere, severe storms will remain rather scattered across the southern Plains through the Mid-South but could become quite strong during the afternoon and evening hours, the FOX Forecast Center said.
Wichita, Kansas, Oklahoma City and Dallas are among the major cities that may encounter this significant weather event.
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A Level 1 severe weather threat also extends across the mid-Atlantic into the Interstate 95 corridor across New England on Thursday, including the major cities of New York City, Boston, Washington and Philadelphia.
Thunderstorms may bring large hail or damaging wind gusts here, but the tornado threat is minimal.
LINCOLN — Teen TikTok users and parents who signed them up for the social media app were misled by the company about the safeguards in place to protect younger users, Nebraska Attorney General Mike Hilgers said Wednesday.
Instead, Hilgers said, young people on the app are bombarded by addictive videos the algorithm recommends, including some that Hilgers said put young people’s mental health at risk, ranging from content encouraging body image issues to discussions about suicide.
The Attorney General’s Office filed a lawsuit Wednesday in Lancaster County District Court alleging that the popular social media app built its business on hooking teens and children on the feedback loop of social media engagement.
Hilgers on Wednesday said it’s no accident that what social media companies have been doing in recent years to grow and keep their audiences sounds similar to what tobacco companies did in trying to lure young smokers into becoming lifelong users.
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Hilgers says TikTok knew
A key driver of the lawsuit, Hilgers explained, is that TikTok knows it is distributing questionable videos to young people and knows that its business model relies on growing and holding its “golden audience.”
He said his investigators created accounts pretending to be 13-17 years old. The lawsuit alleges these investigators saw videos show up on their “For You” feeds that authorities deemed inappropriate. The app offered them without investigators searching for related topics.
“TikTok holds itself out as a safe platform,” Hilgers said. “It tells people that it is a family friendly platform. It tells people that it’s been appropriate for people over the age of 12. It tells people that its restricted mode is effective.
“It has all sorts of claims that it makes to the public, and none of those claims are true.”
Hilgers said the lawsuit stemmed from a two-year investigation started by his predecessor, Doug Peterson, whose office began looking into social media content. The investigation has thus far resulted in Nebraska suing TikTok and Facebook’s parent company, Meta.
TikTok says it has safety tools
California-based TikTok and its Chinese parent company, ByteDance, said Wednesday that the app has “industry-leading safeguards to support teens’ well-being.” Its statement pointed to age restrictions, parental controls, time limits and more.
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“We will continue working to address these industry-wide challenges,” the company spokesman said.
Hilgers said those promised protections are ineffective and confusing for teens and parents to use. He also said they don’t curb access to questionable material by teens and younger kids. He said his office also saw inappropriate sexual content.
The Nebraska consumer protection lawsuit is the latest risk facing TikTok. It also faces a new federal law seeking to force the separation of the company from its Chinese ownership by 2025 over data privacy and U.S. national security concerns.
Nebraska is one of more than 25 states that have banned the use of TikTok on phones, tablets and computers used by state government employees, citing security concerns. The federal government also restricts the use of the app on its devices.
Some states have discussed passing broader bans on the app, which is among one of the more popular ways young people get their news and information. Montana recently banned it, but a federal judge paused the ban, citing constitutional concerns.
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Civil fines possible
In Nebraska, TikTok and ByteDance face potential civil fines of up to $2,000 for each alleged violation of the state’s Consumer Protection Act and another $2,000 for each alleged violation of the Uniform Deceptive Trade Practices Act.
Hilgers, much like he did when suing Meta, said he hopes the company will change course and “tell the truth by saying exactly what their platform does.” He said they could change the material they show teens and younger users.
“At the end of the day, we want them to be honest,” he said.
The AG said he would have brought the lawsuit against TikTok with or without the passage last session of State Sen. Carolyn Bosn’s Legislative Bill 934, which demands jury trials in similar lawsuits.
But he said he was encouraged at the prospect of a Nebraska jury weighing allegations against TikTok and ByteDance. Bosn, a former prosecutor, has argued that requiring jury trials could encourage settlement talks with the companies involved.
Internal documents could be key
Hilgers said his office is asking a judge to publicly release or unseal internal documents obtained from TikTok during the investigation. He said they will help show what sort of content was shown to teens.
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Some glorified drug use. Others talked about sex. Still others focused on weight loss and were steered to young women already at risk of eating disorders.
Hilgers expressed skepticism that TikTok’s system of removing videos that are reported as in violation of its rules is the most effective way to police the site. He said TikTok’s algorithm is sophisticated enough to limit what it shares.
One of the biggest challenges for parents of children with TikTok accounts is knowing what they are named and how to access them. Many kids don’t tell parents they have access, so many parents don’t know their kids’ passwords and can’t check on them.
Hilgers said tens of thousands, if not more than a hundred thousand Nebraskans, have TikTok accounts. About 150 million Americans use the app daily. Half of its youngest users spend hours a day on the app. This hurts school performance, behaviors and mental health, he said.
The AG said he thinks he has all the tools he needs to enforce consumer protection law on TikTok. But he said he would address any shortcomings with state lawmakers. He said his office isn’t done investigating social media companies.