Extreme Weather

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Heavy rains over Texas have led to water rescues, school cancellations and evacuation orders

HOUSTON (AP) — Heavy storms slammed the Houston area again Friday, widening already dangerous flooding in Texas and leading to numerous high-water rescues, including some from the rooftops of flooded homes. Officials redoubled urgent instructions for residents in low-lying areas to evacuate, warning the worst was still to come.

https://apnews.com/article/flooding-texas-houston-rain-4ca8d5d9fbcc66c622114affac7b840e?

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As storms move across Texas, 1 child dies after being swept away in floodwaters

HOUSTON (AP) — Storms in Texas brought additional rain Sunday to the already saturated Houston area where hundreds of people have been rescued from flooded homes and roads, while to the north in the Fort Worth area, a child died after being swept away when the car he was traveling in got stuck in floodwaters.

https://apnews.com/article/flooding-texas-houston-rain-793f0bcb98c9ec87da0727517e7f1787?

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"Dangerous" storms with potentially "intense" tornadoes threaten Central U.S.

A significant severe storm outbreak threatening much of the Plains and Central U.S. unleashed tornadoes across several states — including a destructive one that ripped through two northeastern Oklahoma towns late Monday.

https://www.axios.com/2024/05/05/severe-storms-weather-tornado-oklahoma-kansas?

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Sierra Nevada records snowiest day of the season from brief but potent California storm

TRUCKEE, Calif. (AP) — A weekend spring storm that drenched the San Francisco Bay area and closed Northern California mountain highways also set a single-day snowfall record for the season on Sunday in the Sierra Nevada.

https://apnews.com/article/california-storm-sierra-nevada-snow-2ecf2790aa24e24d8eb3cd5b27b99373?

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Storm-battered South is again under threat. A boy swept into a drain fights for his life

COLUMBIA, Tenn. (AP) — Dangerous storms crashed over parts of the South on Thursday even as the region cleaned up from earlier severe weather that spawned tornadoes, killed at least three people, and gravely injured a boy who was swept into a storm drain as he played in a flooded street.

https://apnews.com/article/us-storms-tornadoes-a7c0feb2b60b4c568ca53f412d8eb605?

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Orlando heat wave should lose some sizzle with rain next week, forecasters say

It’s been a dry year in Central Florida with recent temperatures approaching record highs, but some rain relief is forecast for early next week.

https://www.orlandosentinel.com/2024/05/10/central-florida-heat-wave-should-ease-with-rain-next-week-forecasters-say/?

ps:In the 10 yrs I've lived here it has never been this hot or dry for that matter!! I'm surprised there haven't been any fires yet!!

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Some in Houston facing no power for weeks after storms cause widespread damage, killing at least 4

HOUSTON (AP) — Power outages could last weeks in parts of Houston, an official warned Friday, after thunderstorms with hurricane-force winds tore through the city, knocking out electricity to nearly 1 million homes and businesses in the region, blowing out windows on downtown high rises and flipping vehicles.

https://apnews.com/article/houston-texas-severe-weather-storms-d14447267de0a8900e1475a8ad7ed8ba?

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Death toll rises in Texas, Oklahoma and Arkansas after severe weather roars across region

Powerful storms killed at least nine people and left a wide trail of destruction Sunday across Texas, Oklahoma and Arkansas after obliterating homes and destroying a truck stop where drivers took shelter during the latest deadly weather to strike the central U.S. Read more.

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Texas storm among deadly outbreak over holiday

By Tasha Tsiaperas and Andrew Freedman

Illustration: Maura Losch/Axios

There were no working weather sirens in Valley View — a tiny town north of Denton — on Saturday night when an EF-2 tornado touched down. Why it matters: Seven people, including two children, are confirmed dead from the storm. Cooke County was put under a tornado warning less than 25 minutes before the twister crossed into the area, per the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Though people got alerts on their phones, no sirens sounded in the town. Zoom in: At least 100 people were injured in Cooke and Denton counties in the weekend's storms. More than 200 homes and buildings were destroyed. Threat level: This year is now the second-busiest tornado season to date, behind only 2011, with 989 tornado reports through May 26. The data is preliminary, as multiple reports of the same tornado may have been recorded. In Texas, 106 counties are under a disaster proclamation first issued after severe storms and flooding that started April 26. Collin, Cooke, Denton and Montague counties were added over the weekend. What they're saying: "The hopes and dreams of Texas families and small businesses have literally been crushed by storm after storm," Gov. Greg Abbott said during a briefing about the tornado damage. The big picture: At least 23 people across the country were killed over Memorial Day weekend in the tornado outbreak. Eight people died in storms in Arkansas, and five storm-related deaths were confirmed in Kentucky. Oklahoma officials confirmed two fatalities from the severe weather. Context: Sunday was the busiest severe weather day of this active season so far, according to reporting by the Storm Prediction Center. Widespread damage was reported across Kentucky, Ohio and the Tennessee Valley from Sunday's storms, which were caused by the same weather system that sparked Saturday's deadly tornadoes. The bottom line: Climate change affects the conditions in which thunderstorms form and may be leading to larger outbreaks.

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Severe storms

 

Hundreds of thousands of people in the southern and central US are now contending with widespread power outages after enduring an unrelenting series of storms. Around 500,000 utility customers in Texas were without electricity early today, including more than 240,000 in Dallas County. At least eight people have been killed in the state since Saturday as severe weather pummeled the region over Memorial Day weekend. After a brief reprieve today, another round of powerful storms will rumble back into the same area Thursday, the National Weather Service said. Forecasts show threats of large hail, damaging winds and localized flooding to the Dallas-Fort Worth area.

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🌪️ Speaking of wild weather...

A tornado near cars in Montgomery County. Photo: Montgomery County Fire & Rescue Service spokesperson Pete Piringer/X

A rare tornado swept Montgomery County last night, damaging some homes. Reaching a top speed of 110mph, it ran an unusually long distance, from Poolesville through Gaithersburg and eastward, NBC4 reported. Five people were rescued from a collapsed home, per Montgomery County Fire and Rescue. Click: See wild video of the storm ripping through traffic. Go deeper Severe weather   Storms with damaging tornadoes hit parts of Maryland on Wednesday, leaving at least one person seriously injured. Video from Gaithersburg, Maryland, showed a tornado crossing the highway while other footage on social media showed neighboring areas impacted by downed trees and debris. The Storm Prediction Center had 10 tornado reports from Maryland as of Wednesday night. Forecasts show the severe storm threat is shifting to the northeast, where they are expected to weaken. Meanwhile, a brutal heat dome is escalating in the Western US that will send some temperatures surging into the triple digits through the rest of the week.

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Severe weather

 

Storms with damaging tornadoes hit parts of Maryland on Wednesday, leaving at least one person seriously injured. Video from Gaithersburg, Maryland, showed a tornado crossing the highway while other footage on social media showed neighboring areas impacted by downed trees and debris. The Storm Prediction Center had 10 tornado reports from Maryland as of Wednesday night. Forecasts show the severe storm threat is shifting to the northeast, where they are expected to weaken. Meanwhile, a brutal heat dome is escalating in the Western US that will send some temperatures surging into the triple digits through the rest of the week.

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⚡️ Extreme weather leads to more outages

By Megan Stringer and Andrew Freedman

Data: Climate Central via U.S. Department of Energy. Note: Major power outages affect at least 50,000 customers or interrupt service of 300 megawatts or more. Chart: Kavya Beheraj/Axios Texas experienced a rising number of extreme weather-related power outages over the last two decades, a recent study shows. Why it matters: The state's electric grid is under increasing strain as climate change raises the frequency and severity of certain types of extreme weather events like heat waves and heavy rainstorms. The latest: More than 600,000 North Texas customers lost power after intense storms late last month. Storms last weekend caused more outages. Hundreds of homes are still without power. What they found: A study by nonprofit research group Climate Central shows that power outages are increasing. There were 15 heat-related major outages nationwide from 2000-2009. That number more than doubled to 32 from 2014-2023. State of play: Conservation notices probably aren't going away anytime soon, as Texas enters what's expected to be another very hot summer. The Electric Reliability Council of Texas, which oversees the state's electrical grid, asked residents to conserve electricity several times last summer — including nearly every day for one week in August — when operators expected record demand to exceed available electricity. By the numbers: Texas saw 210 weather-related outages from 2000-2023, more than any other state, per the Climate Central report. Of those, 65 outages took place from 2000-2012. The other 145 occurred from 2013-2023, with 41 tallied in 2021. Such outages are defined as affecting at least 50,000 homes or businesses or those cutting service of at least 300 megawatts. Reality check: People of color and those in low-income communities often experience a disproportionate share of power outages, for example in the February 2021 winter storm in Texas. Yes, but: Some of the load demand may be due to population growth rather than extreme weather trends.

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Florida floods

 

Millions are under flood watches in Florida as repeated bouts of torrential rain deluge the state. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has declared an emergency for Broward, Collier, Lee, Miami-Dade and Sarasota counties after dangerous flooding on Wednesday disrupted interstates, roadways, schools and airports. Fort Lauderdale, where the mayor also declared a local state of emergency, received more than a month's worth of rain Wednesday with 9.58 inches. Local officials have warned against driving through murky floodwaters and are urging storm-weary South Floridians to stay home. Notably, many South Florida residents had just finished repairing their homes after catastrophic flooding in April 2023, only to find water lapping at their doorsteps this week.

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Heavy rainfall that's caused unrelenting flooding in South Florida will continue for a fourth consecutive day before a reprieve is in sight for millions in the state. Since heavy rains started swamping the region Tuesday, the flooding has become waist-deep in some places. Hazardous conditions on streets and roadways have stranded drivers and made roads impassable — and they've forced some schools in hard-hit counties to shutter and hundreds of flights to be canceled or delayed. Flood watches remain in effect for over 7 million people across South Florida, including in Miami and Fort Lauderdale. On the other hand, high temperatures will expand across parts of the Plains to the East Coast. Today will be the hottest day of the year so far in Washington, DC, reaching the mid-90s, or about 10 degrees higher than normal.

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It’s summer solstice time It’s time for the start of summer — with a full moon to boot. Here’s what to know about the upcoming summer solstice in the Northern Hemisphere. Read more.

What to know: The summer solstice occurs for Earth’s upper half when the Northern Hemisphere is tilted most closely toward the sun. This also marks the longest day and shortest night of the year.   Around the same time, the Southern Hemisphere is at its most extreme tilt away from the sun, entering the winter solstice and its shortest day of the year.   This year’s summer solstice comes with a treat: the first full moon of the summer, coined the strawberry moon. Its name comes from several Indigenous tribes who noticed that its timing coincided with the strawberry harvest. On Friday evening, cast your eyes to the southeast to catch a glimpse of it.

RELATED COVERAGE ➤ Alberto, the season’s first named tropical storm, is here   Tips for staying cool and safe during a heat wave   WATCH: How the sun aligns on the summer solstice

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The season's first tropical storm has formed in the Gulf of Mexico and a dangerous heat wave and wildfires are impacting parts of the US. Alberto, the first named storm of the 2024 Atlantic hurricane season, is bringing gusty winds and storm surge to southern Texas. A level 3 of 4 risk of flooding is in place for parts of the state, including Corpus Christi. Meanwhile, a dangerous heat wave is scorching parts of the Midwest and Northeast, where record-breaking high temperatures are forecast across dozens of cities. And in New Mexico, around 1,400 structures have been lost and about 8,000 people have evacuated due to the South Fork Fire burning near the village of Ruidoso.

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For shrinking Mississippi River towns, frequent floods worsen fortunes Flooding has pushed people out of their homes near the Mississippi River at a roughly 30% higher rate than the U.S. as a whole, according to data provided exclusively to The Associated Press by the risk analysis firm First Street. Read more.

Why this matters: Devastating flooding, driven in part by climate change, is taking an especially damaging toll on communities that once thrived along the banks of America’s most storied river. Even in some growing communities, high flood risk constrained that growth.   In regions growing slower than many other parts of the country, where towns are struggling with job losses and fewer resources, flooding is accelerating the exodus. Some towns thriving a century ago now “are barely standing,” said Patrick Nunnally, a retired lecturer at the University of Minnesota and a Mississippi River expert.

RELATED COVERAGE ➤ Floodwaters inundate Minnesota towns while another storm transformed New Mexico village into a lake   A new airport could spark the economy in a rural part of Florida. Will the workforce be ready?

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As millions of Americans swelter under record-breaking temperatures, major flooding from heavy rains in the Midwest has strained a Minnesota dam to the brink of collapse. The Rapidan Dam located about 70 miles southwest of Minneapolis is in "imminent failure condition," the Blue Earth County government said. In a Monday evening update, the county said there are currently no plans for a "mass evacuation" while emergency crews actively monitor the situation. Severe flooding already wreaked havoc across the Midwest over the weekend, killing at least one person in South Dakota and prompting rescue efforts in multiple states.

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Swollen river claims house next to Minnesota dam as flooding and extreme weather grip the Midwest

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A house that was teetering on the edge of an eroding riverbank near a Minnesota dam collapsed into the river in the latest jarring example of extreme weather gripping the upper Midwest.

https://apnews.com/article/midwest-flooding-south-dakota-4b9fbfe8918e7a7e3c18178cb92b11a8?

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At least two people are dead after days of severe storms and catastrophic flooding in the Upper Midwest inundated homes and forced evacuations. The latest bout of intense rainfall put pressure on the Rapidan Dam near Mankato, Minnesota, prompting alerts about its "imminent" collapse. Assessment and response efforts are underway as the area has seen significant damage and loss of infrastructure and property. As a result of the partial failure and raging waters, the river has swallowed a home, a power substation and power poles, a steel shipping container, county equipment and more, said Blue Earth County Administrator Robert Meyer.

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Worsening floods and deterioration pose threats to US dam safety

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Early last week, floodwater in rural Minnesota pushed debris against a more than century-old dam and then carved a path around it, eroding so much of the riverbank that most of a house fell into the river. Several days later, intense rain damaged a dam that holds drinking water for Houston, forcing officials to issue a potential failure warning.

https://apnews.com/article/dam-failures-safety-repairs-1e40fa79a59b4e307d944beb258b91be?

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Floods

 

After water overtopped a reservoir dam and forced residents of a small Illinois city to evacuate Tuesday amid fears the structure could rupture, local officials now say the situation is under control. Officials said excessive rain spilled over the top of the dam and flooded downstream, forcing the evacuation of residents in Nashville, Illinois. Extreme rainfall events like these are becoming more common and illustrate the effects of climate change. This week alone, millions of people have been displaced by floods, landslides and heavy rains across South Asia, which is home to about a quarter of the world's population and among the most vulnerable to the impacts of the climate crisis.

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Storms flood the Ozarks and strand drivers in Toronto. New York community is devastated by tornado

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — Another wave of severe storms pummeled a wide swath of the United States and Canada, leading to flash floods and water rescues Wednesday in the Ozark Mountains, dropping a tornado that ravaged a community in upstate New York and stranding drivers in high water around Toronto.

https://apnews.com/article/severe-weather-flood-storms-7e42c3a1e418758313ea8e85800661ba?

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Flash floods

 

The governor of Connecticut declared a state of emergency on Monday after historic flooding left two dead and prompted hundreds of evacuations over the weekend. The two people were found dead in the town of Oxford, about 15 miles northwest of New Haven. Brenda Bergeron, deputy commissioner at the state's Division of Emergency Management and Homeland Security, described how the rain produced unprecedented flooding that has destroyed communities. "We are talking about rainfall in some areas in the 1,000-year level," Bergeron said, meaning it was so intense that on average it should only happen every 1,000 years. The rainfall also affected transit in New York, where hundreds of flights were canceled in recent days at JFK, Newark and LaGuardia airports due to poor weather.

 

Weeks after floods, Vermont businesses struggling to get visitors to return

BURKE, Vt. (AP) — Two bouts of flooding from storms in July has hampered businesses and destinations in an economically depressed section of northern Vermont, with some still closed as they continue to repair damage and others urging visitors, who were deterred by the weather, to make the trip.

https://apnews.com/article/vermont-flooding-businesses-trails-biking-burke-lyndonville-d5bd7cfa714c2ea192a96e9828431ac0?