U.S. hit by extreme weather: storms, floods and record heat
From devastating storms in the east to recorded heat in the south and a glacier calving in Alaska that has caused a river to swell and homes to be destroyed, the nation is dealing with an unprecedented series of weather challenges.
The National Weather Service (NWS) has warned that extreme conditions will continue throughout the week, with heavy rain in the northeast and excessively high temperatures in the South and Southeast.
While in the northwest, severe storms have caused the cancellation of flights on several airlines in New York and New Jersey.
In Alaska, the breakup of the Mendenhall Glacier caused the Mendenhall River to swell, sweeping homes away in its path. According to local media reports, two homes in the capital city of Juno were completely destroyed, and 15 others were uninhabitable because of unprecedented flooding in the Suicide Basin.
Meanwhile, in the eastern part of the country, according to the PowerOutage.us platform, more than 300, 000 homes and businesses are experiencing power outages due to storms. The affected areas included Pennsylvania, West Virginia, the District of Columbia, Virginia, Maryland, North Carolina, Tennessee, South Carolina, and Georgia.
The NWS has forecast calmer conditions for Tuesday, but winds of up to 30 mph are expected, which could result in smoke from Canadian wildfires.
“Excessive heat watches and warnings remain in effect across large portions of the southern portions of the country, where the heat index is expected to be between 41 and 46 degrees Celsius, and possibly higher at least through the middle of the week,” the NWS adds.
In the South, record heat continues, with temperatures ranging from 41 °C to 46 °C in Texas, the central Gulf Coast region, and Florida. The NWS issued excessive heat watches and warnings for these areas.
8/8 at 5am: A sweltering day is in store for South Florida as temperatures reach the mid to upper 90s across our area today. Stay hydrated and weather aware!
Scattered showers and storms will also be possible once again this afternoon mainly across inland areas of South Florida. pic.twitter.com/yAiBNWI8bH
— NWS Miami (@NWSMiami) August 8, 2023
With information from EFE
