RODANTHE, N.C. — The National Park Service says two beach houses have fallen into the waves along North Carolina's coast. The homes, which were unoccupied when they fell into the ocean, were located along Ocean Drive in the Outer Banks community of Rodanthe.

The park service confirmed the collapses on Tuesday and has closed off the areas around the fallen structures. Debris from the first fallen house has spread widely. Officials from the Cape Hatteras National Seashore say they'll be working closely with the homeowner to coordinate cleanup activities. This is the third time a Rodanthe home has fallen into the surf this year.

“Unfortunately, there may be more houses that collapse onto Seashore beaches in the near future,” David Hallac, superintendent of National Parks of Eastern North Carolina, said in a statement obtained by the Associated Press. “We proactively reached out to homeowners along Ocean Drive in Rodanthe after the first house collapse and recommended that actions be taken to prevent collapse and impacts to Cape Hatteras National Seashore.”

The coast of North Carolina is almost entirely made up of narrow, low-lying barrier islands. Hatteras Island is part of what’s known as the Outer Banks.

Popular east coast grocer Wegmans has announced that it will end the self-checkout app it once tried citing a spike in shoplifting.

The app allowed customers to scan items while shopping and then bag and pay for the items, skipping a human cashier and bagger entirely.

The grocery store said in a statement, "Unfortunately, the losses we are experiencing prevent us from continuing to make it available in its current state."

The statement said, "We've made the decision to turn off the app until we can make improvements that will meet the needs of our customers and business."

Wegmans did not provide further details on the loss numbers or what changes the grocery store plans to make with the app.

Its "scan-and-go" app was made available to customers as online retail giant Amazon started to increase the prominence of its cashier-free Amazon Go stores in multiple locations.

The in-store shopping feature began to be adopted more by customers during the pandemic as shoppers looked for ways to have less contact with the public around them to reduce the spread of COVID-19.

The grocery store chain is found in select locations in the Washington, D.C.-area, New York, and in other areas on the eastern coast of the U.S.

It has what has been described as a cult-like following, with some high-profile names like U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer expressing their affinity for shopping there.

As smoke from Canadian wildfires drifts to the US, several states under air quality alerts

Drifting smoke, air quality concerns prompting beach closures, warnings about reduced visibility and calls to stay indoors.

Updated: 12:11 AM EDT Jun 28, 2023

Nouran Salahieh and Joe Sutton, CNN

Over 80 million people from the Midwest to the East Coast are under air quality alerts as smoke from the Canadian wildfires sweep across the U.S. border Tuesday, prompting beach closures, warnings about reduced visibility and calls to stay indoors.Canada is seeing its worst fire season on record with hundreds of wildfires raging across the country – more than 200 of them burning "out of control," according to the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre. The wildfires have led to the highest emissions on record for the country, according to a Tuesday report from Copernicus.Video above: The kind of air conditioner filter you need to filter smoke from your homeAs smoke crosses into the U.S., air quality alerts have been issued for the entire states of Iowa, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Delaware and Maryland as well are portions of Kansas, Missouri, Minnesota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York and Virginia, according to the National Weather Service. Residents are being advised to stay indoors with their air conditioning running or wear N95 masks if they have to be outside.Chicago had the worst air quality in the world Tuesday evening, according to IQAir. The city's Air Quality Index measured at 193 – a high reading designated as "unhealthy."The city has asked all residents – especially those with heart or lung disease, older adults, pregnant people and young children – to avoid outdoor activities and protect themselves from exposure. Chicago Public Schools and camps are also moving activities indoors, city officials said in a news release.Video below: Homemade air purifier can protect against wildfire smoke inside at homeAbout 11 miles away, Evanston, Illinois, is closing all swimming beaches and canceling a concert Tuesday due to the poor air quality, the city said on Facebook, asking residents to limit outdoor exposure through Wednesday. Across the state line in Michigan, the Mackinac Bridge stood covered with smoke Tuesday. Drivers were asked to drive slow and with caution due to the reduced visibility on the bridge. Detroit, Michigan, had the second worst air quality in the world Tuesday evening, with an "unhealthy" Air Quality Index is at 174, according to IQAir.High levels of fine particulate in the air in Michigan could become unhealthy or hazardous for all residents at some points – not just sensitive groups, the state's health department warned. "The most protective option when air is unhealthy for you is to stay indoors with air conditioning, reduce strenuous activities and limit outdoor activities. If you have to be outside, N95 masks offer enhanced protection when used according to product instructions," the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services said.Indianapolis drivers were also warned about reduced visibility, with the National Weather Service saying to "be prepared for haze that could suddenly reduce visibilities" in some areas Tuesday and Wednesday.Video below: Canada's provinces, territories sign on to national climate adaptation strategyNew York is also expected to see unhealthy levels of smoke return Wednesday and Thursday to some areas – about three weeks after New York City topped the list of the world's worst air pollution as smoke from the Canadian wildfires wafted south, turning skies orange. "New Yorkers should be prepared for elevated levels of fine particulate pollution caused by smoke on Wednesday and Thursday," Gov. Kathy Hochul said in a statement. "Current projections show the highest concentrations of smoke will slowly push east across the eastern half of New York State during the day Thursday, extending across much of the state."In Ohio, a spokesperson for the Cleveland's mayor's office said "what happened in NY a few weeks ago and Chicago today may happen here in Cleveland tomorrow."The Northeast Ohio Areawide Coordinating Agency issued an air quality advisory, forecasting fine particulate levels in the "Unhealthy" Air Quality Index range.Wildfire smoke carries particulate matter, or PM2.5 – a tiny but dangerous pollutant that, when inhaled, can travel deep into lung tissue and enter the bloodstream, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The particulate matter has been linked to a number of health problems including asthma, heart disease and other respiratory illnesses.

More than 3,700 flights in and out of the East Coast are already canceled Friday, ahead of the major winter storm expected Saturday.

The Weather Channel is forecasting Winter Storm Kenan will bring up to two feet of snow in some areas, including Boston.

As of Friday afternoon, FlightAware reported 94% of flights out of Boston Logan International were canceled.

Boston Logan is a hub for JetBlue and Delta.

Rhode Island T.F. Green International out of Providence, R.I. had the same number of cancelations.

LaGuardia Airport in New York followed close behind with 93% of flights canceled.

Delta, JetBlue and United Airlines have issued travel waivers to passengers affected by the East Coast storm.

They can rebook their flights without paying the fare difference.

Amtrak has also canceled several Saturday train service lines, including routes between Boston and New York, and Washington, D.C. and Boston.

Service between Boston and New York will be limited.

Amtrak said it will waive change and cancelation fees.

Snow is expected to taper off by Sunday morning in much of the Northeast, the Weather Channel reports.

Upstate New York is digging out from another round of lake-effect snow as the east coast prepares for a potential nor'easter this week.

Meteorologists have been warning residents to prepare because the system is taking shape and it's zeroing in on the Atlantic coast. The storm is expected to form off the coast in the Atlantic Ocean but, the jet stream will determine if any major cities, from Philadelphia to New York, will see snow.

If the upstream flow current is inland, the heaviest snow will hit New York City. However, if it slides closer to the coast, then the big snowfall will hit Boston.

The storm is expected to begin Friday and last through Saturday night.

This story was originally published by Scott Withers of Newsy.

Video above captured in North Carolina

Up and down the east coast people captured a dazzling light in the morning sky Sunday.

People weren't sure what the light streaking across the early morning sky was, capturing video and photos of the object around 6:10 a.m.

The bright light was most likely from a SpaceX launch.

According to SpaceX, it launched "60 Starlink satellites" at 6:01 a.m. Sunday from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

Video below is from Pennsylvania:

"This was the ninth launch and landing of this Falcon 9 first stage booster," SpaceX said on its website.