by tyler | Jun 27, 2023 | CNN, weather
More than 55 million people from southern Arizona to the Florida coast are sweltering under a worsening heat wave that is expected to expand its reach this week, bringing more dangerous triple-digit temperatures.
Excessive heat warnings, the highest criteria of heat alerts, include Dallas, New Orleans and Baton Rouge, Louisiana, where the heat index will approach 120 degrees.
The scorching temperatures in the South are being brought on by a “heat dome,” which is created when a ridge of high pressure builds over an area, trapping air inside as temperatures warm – often to uncomfortable or even dangerous levels.
Temperatures from southeastern Arizona through southern New Mexico and into Texas will remain in the 100s Tuesday and spread northward into the Central Plains and Missouri Valley Wednesday, the National Weather Service’s Weather Prediction Center said.
“There may be more danger than a typical heat event, due to the longevity of near-record or record high nighttime lows and elevated heat index readings,” the prediction center said.
Compounding the dangerous effects of the heat wave will be abnormally warm overnight temperatures that will provide little to no relief from the heat, the prediction center said. Temperatures won’t fall below 80 degrees at night in many areas like Dallas, New Orleans and Shreveport.
The heat wave is expected to get worse before it gets better, with no relief in sight before early next week.
And the heat domes that drive record-setting temperatures are expected to become more frequent – and hotter – due to the climate crisis.
In the meantime, more than 90 record high temperatures could be broken this week from Texas to Missouri to Florida.
“Extreme heat and humidity will significantly increase the potential for heat related illnesses, particularly for those working or participating in outdoor activities,” the National Weather Service warned Monday.
Already, extreme heat in Texas has contributed to at least two deaths at the remote Big Bend National Park on Friday, where temperatures reached 119 degrees. The state has been experiencing the heat wave for more than two weeks.
The heat in Austin, Texas, has already put a strain on emergency services, city officials said in a Monday news conference. Austin EMS reported an uptick in heat-related emergencies with 118 calls for service in the last two weeks alone, said Assistant Chief Wesley Hopkins.
The Texas Department of State Health Services has been warning residents to take precautions to protect themselves from heat exhaustion and heat stroke.
“Stay cool, drink plenty of fluids, wear cool clothing and limit strenuous outdoor activities,” the health department said, adding that elderly residents, small children, people with chronic diseases and those without access to air conditioning are most at risk.
Dallas is expected to reach 104 degrees Tuesday, while New Orleans is forecast to hit 98 degrees. But extremely high humidity levels mean it’ll feel like 110 to 115 degrees across much of central, eastern and southern Texas as well as most of Louisiana and southern Mississippi.
The city of New Orleans has also warned residents that the high temperatures can be “life-threatening.”
“The combination of afternoon heat index readings above 110 degrees and morning lows remaining well above normal will provide little if any relief for the body to cool for those without access to air conditioning or cooling centers,” New Orleans officials said in a press release.
In New Mexico, critical fire weather conditions were expected Monday and Tuesday as warm temperatures mix with strong winds and low humidity, according to the National Weather Service in Albuquerque.
Warning that it takes “only one spark to start a wildfire,” the weather service asked residents to avoid activities with open flames, throwing cigarettes out of windows or parking on dry brush.
The intensifying heat wave has already brought record-breaking temperatures to Texas.
San Angelo saw a record-high daily temperature of 112 degrees on Monday, while Del Rio set a daily record with 111 degrees.
Monday marked the ninth consecutive day Del Rio set a record high daily temperature, according to the National Weather Service.
Both areas have also seen all-time record high temperatures during this heat wave, with Del Rio hitting 115 degrees on June 21 and San Angelo recording a temperature of 114 degrees on June 20 and 21.
Even as the heat spreads into nearby states, the dangerous heat is forecast continue across south-central Texas this week.
“Many areas outside south and south-central Texas (will) experience their most significant heat of the season thus far,” the prediction center said.
Along the northern side of the oppressive heat, strong to severe storms are expected to develop. Hot temperatures across the Central and Southern Plains, in conjunction with an approaching cold front, will set the stage for damaging winds, very large hail and isolated tornadoes.
A level 3 of 5 threat of severe weather is highlighted for parts of Kansas and Oklahoma, including Wichita and Tulsa.
A secondary level 2 of 5 threat of severe storms is located over South Dakota and Nebraska. Storms in this area will fire up late Tuesday afternoon and could produce very large hail and some damaging wind gusts. A tornado cannot be ruled out.
“Storms producing severe winds (possibly in excess of 75 mph) are most probable in a corridor from southwest Kansas and the Oklahoma Panhandle, and potentially into the Ozark Plateau,” the storm center said Tuesday. These storms will also have the potential to produce hail greater than two inches in diameter and possible tornadoes.
Scattered thunderstorms are expected for a second day in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast, bringing the potential for damaging wind gusts and heavy rain. Rain from these storms could produce isolated instances of flash flooding, particularly over parts of southeastern New York state, Delaware and Pennsylvania. Storms in this region Monday contributed to many flight delays and cancellations. A similar situation is possible again Tuesday.
by tyler | Jun 26, 2023 | CNN, weather
Parts of Texas have been roasting for more than two weeks and flirting with the state’s record high temperature, and now, temperatures could get even hotter and expand to other areas across the South.
“Many areas outside south and south-central Texas (will) experience their most significant heat of the season thus far,” the Weather Prediction Center said on Friday.
More than 90 record high temperatures could be broken this week from Texas to Missouri to Florida, with the majority of those occurring Wednesday through Friday.
Click here for your city’s forecast
Temperatures could top 100 degrees through the week in multiple cities across the South. That longevity will only add to the seriousness of this heat wave.
Texas heat last week was flirting with the state’s hottest temperature on record: 120 degrees.
Rio Grande Village actually hit 119 degrees on Friday, and it’s forecast to hit that again on Tuesday. All told, there have been more than a dozen all-time record highs broken so far this month.
Temperatures this week will top out in the triple digits and it could feel like 120 degrees in places like Midland and Corpus Christi. Houston is even expected to feel like 115.
“There’s no break,” said weather historian Christopher C. Burt. “Looking at the models, this heat dome over Texas looks like it’s going to be persistent, shifting a little bit to the east or to the west from day to day, but I imagine it’s going to be just blazing for the rest of the month.”
The Texas heat wave turned deadly when two people died while hiking in Big Bend National Park in southwest Texas.
Temperatures there reached a scorching 119 degrees Friday. The weather service is saying this heat wave may be even more dangerous than usual moving forward because it won’t get much cooler overnight, during the coolest part of the day.
“There may be more danger than a typical heat event, due to the longevity of near-record or record high nighttime lows and elevated heat index readings,” the weather prediction center said.
That sort of overnight heat has already been happening. On Sunday, the low temperature was 81 degrees in Midland, Texas, a new all-time record there.
Without temperatures cooling off much at night, heat stress continues to build in your body and can increase the risk of heat related illnesses or even death.
The power grid has held up so far and kept the AC on for millions of Texans, despite record demand for electricity and even higher forecast demand this week.
But ERCOT, the Texas state utility operator, issued another Weather Watch until June 30 to warn Texans of the higher electrical demand due to the forecast high temperatures.
While ERCOT said there was enough energy to meet the high demand, new records for electricity demand could be set for each day for the rest of the month, testing the reliability of the grid.
by tyler | Jun 22, 2023 | CNN, weather
All residents have been accounted for after a tornado ravaged a small town in northwest Texas, killing four people and injuring 10 Wednesday night, officials said.
The search, however, continues as crews look for possible visitors or drivers who were in the area when the tornado hit, Texas Department of Public Safety Sergeant Johnny Bures said Thursday.
The deadly tornado struck Matador, a town of a few hundred people roughly a 280-mile drive northwest of Dallas, Wednesday evening, the National Weather Service office in Lubbock said.
The twister came as powerful storms pummeled parts of the western and central US and at least 11 tornado reports were made across the western and central US, including six in Colorado, three in Texas, one in Wyoming and one in Nebraska, according to the Storm Prediction Center.
The fatalities included an elderly woman who died in her home, Mayor Pro Tempore Dvonna Grundy told CNN.
“The Town of Matador has experienced an unprecedented tornado bringing damaging winds to the town,” the Lubbock Fire Rescue post stated. “There are four confirmed fatalities & ten total injuries. Seven of which were transported by EMS and three by personal vehicle.”
The tornado destroyed Grundy’s home – leaving her without clothes or medicine – and scattered or killed much of the livestock she kept on her property, she said.
“It’s completely gone,” Grundy said, adding all of her chickens were gone and most of her cattle and horses were dead.
Rough weather continues Thursday, with more than 42 million people under at least a marginal risk of severe weather from Wyoming to Texas and in parts of Florida, Georgia and the Carolinas, the Storm Prediction Center said.
Crews and law enforcement from as far as Wichita Falls have responded to Matador to help with search efforts, Bures said. Lubbock Fire Rescue is assisting Matador and posted photos of the devastation on social media, including one of an American flag wrapped around debris.
Texas Governor Greg Abbott on Thursday updated the state’s disaster declaration following the Matador tornado.
“The disaster declaration will continue to support Texas’ response and recovery efforts to extensive damages in 21 Texas counties, including the following counties added today: Motley, Nolan, Fisher, Jones, Kent, and Stonewall counties,” an announcement from the governor’s office said.
People in Texas and Oklahoma are also battling extreme temperatures this week – above 100 degrees in some areas – even as hundreds of thousands are without power following devastating storms
Wednesday’s deadly tornado marked the second such disaster in Texas in less than a week. A tornado killed at least three people and injured dozens of others in the Texas Panhandle city of Perryton, about 180 miles north of Matador, on June 15, authorities said.
Nearly 100 people attending a concert Wednesday evening at the Red Rocks Amphitheatre near Denver were injured after being pelted with hail during severe storms that moved across the area, the West Metro Fire Department said.
At least seven people were taken to hospitals with non-life-threatening injuries, the fire department said in a tweet. Up to 90 people were treated on scene, the department said. Injuries included cuts and broken bones, the tweet said.
Wednesday’s storms battered parts of the western and central US with large hail and lashing winds, the prediction service said.
Tennis ball-sized hail – around 2.75 inches – was reported in several cities in Colorado and Texas on Wednesday, including in Matador. In Jayton, Texas, a 4-inch hailstone was reported.
Nearly 500,000 homes and businesses were without power overnight in Texas and Oklahoma, according to utility tracker PowerOutage.us. Power is not expected to be back until Friday or Saturday if “everything goes smoothly,” Bures said in a Thursday morning news conference.
“The substation was damaged, and that was a big part of why the power was out, too,” Bures said.
A donation center has been set up near the town’s school, Bures said.
Multiple agencies are working to ensure everyone is accounted for and assess the damage left behind by the tornado, and drones will be used to map the tornado’s path, he said.
Severe thunderstorm watches were in effect early Thursday for more than 15 million people in the region, including those in Houston, Texas, and Denver, Colorado.
Many Texans are grappling with a double whammy of destructive storms and record-breaking temperatures this week.
More than 20 million people are under heat alerts across Texas and New Mexico and record-breaking temperatures are expected to continue.
High temperatures in the low-90s are expected Thursday and Friday in Matador, with Saturday’s high set to surpass 100 degrees, according to the National Weather Service.
Without power, some residents will have to endure the heat without air conditioning, so a senior citizen center in Matador has been designated as a cooling place, Bures said.
Texas is among a handful of southern states that have seen triple-digit temperatures in recent days. On Wednesday, the southern Texas cities of Laredo and McAllen saw record highs of 114 and 107 degrees, respectively.
“Temperatures this afternoon will climb into the mid 90s to near 100 degrees across the eastern half of the area and top out between 100 and 108 across the western Concho Valley and northern Edwards Plateau,” the National Weather Service office in San Angelo said.
When you consider the actual temperature combined with the humidity levels, the heat index, or “feels like” temperature, will hover around 110 degrees.
Some heat alerts are set to expire as conditions slowly improve Thursday evening, providing a small reprieve.
The relief will be short-lived, however. Sweltering temperatures are expected to return Sunday and last into next week.
by tyler | Jun 22, 2023 | CNN, weather
Tropical Storm Bret is expected to roar across eastern Caribbean islands on Thursday, poised to pelt the region with stiff winds and heavy rain that could cause flooding and dangerous surf.
Bret, packing near-hurricane-force sustained winds of 70 mph, was centered in the Atlantic about 200 miles east of Barbados as of 5 a.m. ET Thursday, the National Hurricane Center said.
TRACK TROPICAL STORM BRET
At roughly that same strength, Bret is expected to move Thursday night across parts of the eastern Caribbean’s Lesser Antilles island group, which includes Dominica, St. Lucia and Barbados, and the French overseas region of Martinique, the hurricane center said.
Bret’s center could cross or come quite close to St. Lucia or Martinique on Thursday night, according to a forecast track the hurricane center released Thursday morning.
Tropical storm conditions – winds of at least 39 mph – are expected to begin in parts of the area by Thursday afternoon, the center said.
A hurricane watch has been issued in St. Lucia and tropical storm warnings are in effect for Martinique and Dominica. Tropical storm watches are also in effect for Barbados and St. Vincent and the Grenadines.
Through Saturday, the storm could bring 3 to 6 inches of rain to parts of the eastern Caribbean stretching from Guadeloupe to Barbados and St. Vincent and the Grenadines, the hurricane center said. Some areas could see as many as 10 inches of rain.
Downpours could trigger flash flooding, particularly in high-terrain areas and potentially in urban areas.
Bret also is likely to whip up dangerous coastal swells that may create life-threatening surf and rip currents in parts of the islands Thursday.
After passing the Lesser Antilles, Bret is expected to weaken and press west into the eastern and central Caribbean Sea, the hurricane center said.
“Weakening is anticipated to begin Thursday night or Friday after Bret passes the Lesser Antilles, and the system is likely to dissipate over the central Caribbean Sea by Saturday,” the center said Wednesday night.
Bret is the second named storm of the 2023 Atlantic hurricane season, which began on June 1 and will end November 30.
This year’s season is expected to bring a near-average number of storms: 12 to 17 named storms, five to nine hurricanes and up to four major hurricanes of Category 3 or higher, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has said.
An average Atlantic hurricane season has 14 named storms, seven hurricanes and three major hurricanes, according to the administration.
Tropical storm Arlene became the first named storm of the season when it formed in the Gulf of Mexico earlier this month.
by tyler | Jun 22, 2023 | CNN, weather
Nearly 100 people attending a planned concert Wednesday evening at the Red Rocks Amphitheatre near Denver were injured after being pelted with large hail during severe storms that moved across the area, the West Metro Fire Department said.
At least seven people were taken to hospitals with non-life-threatening injuries, the fire department said in a tweet. Up to 90 people were treated on scene, the department said. Injuries included cuts and broken bones, it said.
Bella Oliveira said she was almost trampled as she and others ran from the falling hail.
“I managed to hide where they were selling drinks and I used my backpack to protect myself and another girl,” she said, adding that she hurt her head and shoulder during the incident.
The National Weather Service office in Boulder first issued a severe thunderstorm warning around 9:04 p.m. Wednesday that included the amphitheater. The weather service warned the storm was capable of producing winds up to 50 mph and golf-ball-sized hail.
As the storm approached, the weather service office tweeted this alert, even tagging the amphitheater that dangerous weather was imminent.
Earlier in the day, the Boulder weather service office warned that “We are still in the ‘loaded gun’ scenario of having tremendous instability,” which could lead to severe weather throughout the evening.
The Storm Prediction Center warned of a level 2 out of 5 “slight risk” of severe weather for Red Rocks and a level 3 of 5 “enhanced risk” for the nearby Denver area.
The forecast said the area could experience damaging winds, large hail and tornadoes throughout the afternoon extending into the overnight hours. Six tornadoes were also reported across Colorado on Wednesday evening.
Musician Louis Tomlinson was scheduled to play at the Red Rocks concert.
“Devastated about the show tonight, hope everyone’s ok, I’ll be back!” the former One Direction star tweeted. “Even though we didn’t play the show I felt all of your passion! Sending you all love!”
The performance was postponed twice due to weather conditions, with the venue telling fans to take shelter in their cars before giving an “all clear” that brought fans back to the venue, only to finally postpone the show and tell fans to go home.
CNN has reached out to the city and county of Denver, which owns and operates Red Rocks Amphitheatre, for comment.
At least 11 tornado reports were made Wednesday across the western and central US, including the six in Colorado, three in Texas, one in Wyoming and one in Nebraska, according to the prediction center.
Four people were killed in a northwestern Texas town after a tornado struck it Wednesday, according to a social media post by Lubbock Fire Rescue, as storms pummeled parts of the western and central US.
The tornado struck Matador, a town of a few hundred people roughly a 280-mile drive northwest of Dallas, Wednesday evening, the National Weather Service office in Lubbock said.
by tyler | Jun 20, 2023 | CNN, weather
Tropical storm Bret could reach the Lesser Antilles islands in the Caribbean Sea by late Thursday as a rare June hurricane.
In an average year, the first hurricane typically doesn’t form until early to mid-August, according to the National Hurricane Center.
The storm currently carries winds of 40 mph and is moving quickly to the west at 17 mph. It is expected to reach hurricane strength Wednesday.
Track Bret here
“Bret is forecast to initially strengthen and then move across the Lesser Antilles near hurricane intensity on Thursday and Friday, bringing a risk of flooding from heavy rainfall, strong winds, and dangerous storm surge and waves,” the hurricane center warned.
While it’s still too early to know exactly where the greatest impacts will be felt because there is uncertainty in the forecast track, the hurricane center is urging residents of the Lesser Antilles, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands to monitor forecast updates and have their hurricane plan in place.
How to prepare for the hurricane
“Low (wind) shear and abnormally warm ocean waters” are providing Bret with the conditions conducive to strengthening over the next few days, the center said.
Atlantic water temperatures are off the charts right now, setting records for the month of May. The temperatures are more typical of what we would see much later in the summer, which is one ingredient helping to fuel Bret.
Once Bret crosses over the Lesser Antilles, the storm is forecast to weaken again.
“Drier mid-level air should begin to get entrained into the system,” the hurricane center said. “This will likely cause a weakening trend to commence after Bret moves into the Caribbean.”
It’s much too early to know what impact, if any, this will have on the US mainland.
The hurricane center first identified the storm as a tropical depression a little over 1,400 miles east of the Windward Islands in a Monday morning update.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is forecasting a near average season when it comes to the number of storms. It’s forecasting 12 to 17 named storms, five to nine hurricanes and up to four major hurricanes – which is a Category 3 storm or higher.
