Latest news with #DallasFire-RescueDepartment
USA Today
4 days ago
- Climate
- USA Today
Thunderstorms, tornado threats take aim at large portion of U.S.
Thunderstorms, tornado threats take aim at large portion of U.S. Show Caption Hide Caption Severe storm threat for southern US this weekend The weekend forecast includes severe weather for several Southern states. Rounds of potent thunderstorms are expected to wallop the central and eastern U.S. this weekend, unloading hail, high winds, flash floods and possible tornadoes over a vast swath of the country. The multi-day severe weather threat has already led to deadly flooding in Texas and damaging tornadoes in Illinois and Iowa. In the Dallas metro area, one man was pronounced dead this week after he was found trapped in his vehicle by rising floodwaters, according to the Dallas Fire-Rescue Department. On June 5, flood watches remained active across parts of Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, Texas and Arkansas, according to the National Weather Service. Officials in multiple states warned residents not to drive through flooded roads and to stay updated with the latest forecasts. Fueling the severe weather outlook is the clashing of warm air from the Gulf with cool air coming off the Rocky Mountains, according to AccuWeather. The storms' impact is likely to be felt from the Gulf Coast to the Great Lakes and parts of the Northeast, including Maine and New York. What states will see severe weather through the weekend? On June 5, an area from eastern New Mexico to western Texas and portions of southeastern Colorado is at risk of high, damaging wind gusts and possible tornadoes, forecasters said. According to the National Weather Service, storms brewing in the southern Plains, including parts Texas, Oklahoma and Arkansas, could drench areas in over 3 inches of rain by the weekend. Beginning on June 6, the storms will stretch to the Northeast, including Upstate New York, Pennsylvania and Maine, forecasters said, warning residents to prepare for heavy rain and powerful wind gusts. The weekend will see some of the strongest storms in Oklahoma, northern Texas, Arkansas, Tennessee and Missouri, according to AccuWeather. Severe weather could also bring dangerous weather conditions as far east as Georgia, the Carolinas and parts of Virginia. Parts of the central U.S. are still recovering from a major outbreak of tornadoes and powerful storms last month that killed at least 28 people and injured dozens more. 2 construction workers killed by falling crane as high winds lash Florida A giant crane collapsed at a construction site on Florida's Merritt Island on June 4, killing two people in what has been described as "a serious weather-related incident." At the time, a storm moving offshore led to peak wind gusts of 45-55 mph in the area. The National Weather Service office in Melbourne couldn't definitively say if the storms were the direct cause of the wind gusts, said meteorologist Timothy Sedlock. The Brevard County Sheriff's Office is leading an investigation into the death of the workers, who have not been identified. Contributing: Dinah Voyles Pulver, USA TODAY; Tyler Vazquez and Dave Berman, Florida Today
San Francisco Chronicle
5 days ago
- Climate
- San Francisco Chronicle
1 dead after severe weather tears through central US, including flooding in Texas and Kansas
DALLAS (AP) — One person has died after severe weather tore through parts of the central U.S., including heavy rain in Dallas, a tornado that touched down in the Kansas City area and flash flooding in Kansas that forced firefighters to rescue dozens of people, including stranded motorists. A Dallas man died Wednesday after his vehicle became stuck in high water, authorities said. He was in one of two cars submerged under a bridge on Interstate 635, the Dallas Fire-Rescue Department said. Dallas police said officers were able to rescue one driver, and the body of the other driver was recovered by Dallas-Fire Rescue. In and around Wichita in south-central Kansas, firefighters made about 70 water rescues after heavy rains caused flash flooding, Robb Lawson, a local National Weather Service meteorologist said. Sedgwick County's emergency management director, Julie Stimson, said at a briefing Tuesday night that the county had received anywhere from 1 1/2 inches to 7 inches (4 centimeters to 18 centimeters) of rain since Monday. She warned motorists who run into flooded areas not to drive around barricades or emergency vehicles, and to turn around instead. The Wichita Fire Department used boats to rescue several motorists trapped in their cars. While the water sometimes reached windshield height, some people still attempted to drive through it. 'We have to put ourselves in danger with our life jackets and our boats to get them into a life jacket and into a boat to get them out of the water,' Fire Capt. Lance Diffenbaugh told KSN-TV. 'So there's no sense in it if they can just turn around and wait 10 minutes for the water to go down.' About 30 miles (48 kilometers) east, the torrential rainfall caused the Walnut River to overflow, flooding several streets in El Dorado and sending people scrambling for safety. 'By the time we got most of the stuff out of there and were going to get the last few things, it was already up to our waist, and we were pretty much swimming to get out,' resident Michelle Yerge told KAKE-TV. Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly issued a disaster emergency declaration to enable state agencies to provide assistance. Severe storms slammed the Kansas City area on Tuesday, with high winds toppling a tractor-trailer on Interstate 435, overturning portable toilets and barriers at the complex where the Kansas City Chiefs and Royals have side-by-side stadiums, and downing trees. The weather service warned of a tornado and urged people to take cover as rain battered the area. No major damage was reported. Brad Temeyer, a weather service meteorologist, said a tornado touched down in Independence, Missouri, which is northeast of the Chiefs' and Royals' complex. He said a weather service survey team was working in the area Wednesday to determine whether that twister hit the sports complex first, or whether a tornado touched down there. Severe weather on Tuesday also disrupted the Indiana Pacers' travel plans to the NBA Finals in Oklahoma City, where heavy rain and wind interrupted airport arrivals and departures. The team's charter was first diverted to Tulsa, Oklahoma. The plane then took a scenic route around another band of weather before finally landing in Oklahoma City about 3 1/2 hours behind schedule. Wednesday's forecast for Kansas called for dry conditions, but more storms were forecast for Thursday. Officials warned that the soil in the area is saturated and even an inch or two of rainfall could lead to localized flooding. 'We're kind of staying in somewhat of a wet, kind of cool, pattern for the next several days,' Lawson said in an interview with AP Radio. ___ ___
