America's butterflies are disappearing because of insecticides, climate change and habitat loss, with the number of the winged beauties down 22% since 2000, a new study finds.

The first countrywide systematic analysis of butterfly abundance found that the number of butterflies in the Lower 48 states has been falling on average 1.3% a year since the turn of the century, with 114 species showing significant declines and only nine increasing, according to a study in Thursday's journal Science.

Five cities in southern Brazil suspended classes Thursday due to a heat wave, authorities said, as temperatures in some places rose as high as 36 degrees Celsius (97 degrees Fahrenheit).

Rio Grande, one of the five cities — all of which are in the southern state of Rio Grande do Sul — said its schools were not equipped to handle the extreme heat. Classes were expected to resume on Monday.

The U.S. government will stop sharing air quality data gathered from its embassies and consulates, worrying local scientists and experts who say the effort was vital to monitor global air quality and improve public health.

In response to an inquiry from The Associated Press, the State Department said Wednesday that its air quality monitoring program would no longer transmit air pollution data from embassies and consulates to the Environmental Protection Agency's AirNow app and other platforms, which allowed locals in various countries, along with scientists around the globe, to see and analyze air quality in cities around the world.

Three skiers are believed dead after an avalanche swept them away and buried them under a pile of snow nearly 10 stories deep in the Alaska backcountry.

Each winter about 25 people on average die in avalanches in the U.S., with most occurring in the wilderness, according to the National Avalanche Center. They are rare at ski resorts, which manage their slopes and trigger smaller slides on purpose when no visitors are around.

A man disappeared in floodwater, people were ordered to evacuate their flood-prone homes and tens of thousands of premises lost power Friday as part of the Australian east coast was lashed by wind and rain ahead of its first tropical cyclone in 51 years.

Tropical Cyclone Alfred was forecast to cross the coast of Queensland state north of downtown Brisbane, Australia's third-most populous city, early Saturday, Bureau of Meteorology manager Matt Collopy said.

Early wind and rain from a rare tropical cyclone began lashing part of eastern Australia on Thursday as schools were closed, public transport was stopped and desperate residents got around shortages of sandbags by buying potting mix.

Tropical Cyclone Alfred is forecast to cross the Queensland state coast somewhere between the Sunshine Coast region and the city of Gold Coast to the south early Saturday, Bureau of Meteorology manager Matt Collopy said.

The gentle waves off the coast of central Vietnam's Nha Trang obscure an open secret: The life-giving coral reefs below are dying. The waters are eerily devoid of fish. The bounty of the ocean is coming to an end.

This is why Binh Van — who fished in these waters for over two decades — now charters his boat to Vietnamese tourists wanting to experience the thrill of fishing in the deep waters of the South China Sea. But there is only squid, which is flourishing in oceans warmed by climate change, to catch. His passengers don't mind as the boat moves away from Nha Trang's twinkling beach resorts. But Van is pensive.

Residents were stacking sandbags to protect low-lying properties Wednesday ahead of a tropical cyclone forecast to become the first in 51 years to hit the Australian east coast near Brisbane, the nation's third-most populous city.

Tropical Cyclone Alfred is forecast to cross the coast between the Queensland state capital Brisbane and the tourist city of Gold Coast to the south late Thursday or early Friday, Bureau of Meteorology manager Matt Collopy said. Brisbane and Gold Coast are a continuous urban sprawl. Their centers are 80 kilometers (50 miles) apart.

Japan is fighting a forest fire that has damaged dozens of homes and forced hundreds of residents to evacuate in a northeastern coastal city.

The fire has burned about 2,100 hectares (5,190 acres) of forest in Ofunato since it started Wednesday, according to the Fire and Disaster Management Agency.

Crews battled wildfires in North and South Carolina on Sunday amid dry conditions and gusty winds as residents were forced to evacuate in some areas.

The National Weather Service warned of increased fire danger in the region due to a combination of critically dry fuels and very low relative humidity.