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USA Today
3 hours ago
- Climate
- USA Today
Weekend forecast to bring more dangerous threats across the U.S.
Heavy rains, flash floods and more heat advisories are expected across the U.S. this weekend. Heavy rains and severe thunderstorms may bring more flooding to the East Coast on Aug. 1 after downpours struck parts of New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania. Flash and urban flooding are possible in the northern Mid-Atlantic and southern New England through the night before the storms move across the country this weekend. Showers and thunderstorms will then bring heavy rain to parts of the East Coast and the Southern Plains region through the morning of Aug. 2, creating "localized areas of flash flooding, with urban areas, roads, small streams, and low-lying areas being the most vulnerable," the National Weather Service said. Severe thunderstorms are also expected to strike parts of the Northern and Central High Plains regions, bringing frequent lightning, wind gusts, hail and occasional tornadoes. Storms are expected to dump heavy rainfall onto parts of the Central and Southern High Plains as well as the Southeast through the morning of Aug 3. Flash flooding drenches the Northeast Hard rain and flash flooding started arriving by early afternoon on July 31, with scattered reports of flooded roads and stranded cars in Pennsylvania, New Jersey and New York City. New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and New Jersey's Acting Gov. Tahesha Way both declared a state of emergency. Emergency management officials in New York City urged residents to avoid travel through Friday afternoon. Stormy weather appeared to be the cause of travel disruption across the region. At least 1,170 flights were cancelled and hundreds more were delayed at the eight major airports serving the region - Washington Dulles, Baltimore-Washington, Ronald Reagan Washington National, Philadelphia, Newark Liberty, LaGuardia, John F. Kennedy International and Boston Logan - according to online flight tracking service FlightAware. Amtrak suspended rail service between Philadelphia and Wilmington for about two hours after the severe storms flooded the tracks. "Residual delays" were expected as the water receded, Amtrak said on X. High heat, humidity in store for the Gulf Coast Though temperatures are expected to be 5 to 10 degrees below normal in the East by the weekend, heat advisories are being put in place for parts of the Gulf Coast and southeastern United States due to high temperatures and high humidity. The National Weather Service warned an extended period of extreme heat and with little relief overnight can cause heat stress. "As temperatures rise, plan to limit outdoor activities, stay hydrated, and ensure access to air conditioning and other cooling areas," the weather service said. "Additionally, be sure to check on vulnerable family members, friends, and neighbors." Contributing: Reuters; Dinah Voyles Pulver, USA TODAY
NBC News
19 hours ago
- Climate
- NBC News
Flash floods live updates: N.J., N.Y. under severe weather threat as storms bring heavy rain
What we know Nearly 50 million people in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast United States are under flood watches today as storms move through the areas. New York Gov. Kathy Hochul is set to declare a state of emergency for much of metropolitan New York City with heavy rains and flash floods expected. Travel this afternoon and evening is expected to be extremely difficult as major hubs from D.C. to Boston are expecting several rounds of heavy rain and thunderstorms
Newsweek
a day ago
- Business
- Newsweek
Washington, D.C. Housing Market Showing Mark Left By DOGE Cuts
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Months after thousands of federal workers were fired following investigations by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) under Elon Musk, the Washington, D.C. housing market is starting to show the impact of the mass layoffs. According to a new report by Redfin, the number of homes listed for sale in the nation's capital is growing at the same time as sales are dwindling, as federal workers try to off-load their properties to increasingly cautious buyers. Growing Inventory And Falling Sales While there was some movement in the Washington, D.C. housing market immediately after DOGE announced its mass layoffs, experts warned that it would have taken time for their impact on the city's housing market to become clear. The time, it seems, is now. The total number of homes for sale in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area surged by 22.7 percent in June compared to a year earlier—the third-biggest jump in records dating back to 2012, according to Redfin. The two other bigger increases were reported in the previous months, May (+25.5 percent) and April (+23.9 percent). This increase seems partially linked to the recent federal workforce layoffs. According to a recent survey conducted by Bright MLS, a Mid-Atlantic real estate marketplace, nearly 40 percent of real estate agents in the Washington, D.C. metro area said they have worked with a client whose decision to buy or sell was due to federal workforce layoffs and cuts in the last six months. The afternoon sun shines on residential and commercial buildings with the St. Elizabeth's water storage tower in the background on May 24, 2025, in Washington, D.C. The afternoon sun shines on residential and commercial buildings with the St. Elizabeth's water storage tower in the background on May 24, 2025, in Washington, are not exactly jumping on this additional inventory. In June, pending home sales were down 0.3 percent year-over-year. The homes that sold, on the other hand, took 10 days longer to get under contract (36 days against 26 days) than they did a year earlier. Partially, while inventory is now higher in Washington, D.C. listings which are not being picked up by buyers are piling up in the capital's market. Sellers are also increasingly being forced to offer discounts on their original asking prices to lure in buyers. Roughly one third of homes (35.7 percent) sold over asking price in June, down from nearly half (47.8 percent) a year earlier, according to Redfin. Despite these shifts, the median sale price of a home in the Washington, D.C. metro area remains high: in June, it was $608,000, up 2.1 percent from a year earlier. But on a month-to-month basis, prices of single-family homes in the nation's capital fell 1.8 percent in June from May—the second-biggest decline on record after that reported in May (-1.9 percent). A Reshaping Of The Washington, D.C. Housing Market For Redfin experts, the recent growth in inventory and stalling sales are a sign of the impact that DOGE's mass layoffs have had on the Washington, D.C. housing market. "The local market is recalibrating and the pace of sales is slowing, partly due to federal job cuts," said Marshall Park, Redfin's senior market manager in Washington, D.C. "For sellers, that means they have to be strategic about pricing, staging, and marketing—and they need to be realistic about what they're going to get for their home," he added. "But buyers have a window of opportunity: more inventory means they're able to be patient and picky, and they're sometimes able to negotiate prices down and get concessions from sellers." While DOGE's cuts have increased uncertainty in the Washington, D.C. market, it is worth remembering that a majority of residents in the metro area are not federal workers. In part, the current shift reflects what is going on in the rest of the U.S. housing market, where demand is cooling down as buyers struggle with rising costs and historically elevated mortgage rates, and inventory is growing. But in Washington, D.C, the total number of active listings is rising faster than nationally, according to Redfin, where there were 13.3 percent more homes for sale in June than there were a year earlier. Inventory is likely rising faster in Washington, D.C. than at the national level because the city's economy is so closely tied to the federal government, Redfin said. Washington, D.C. has no natural resources or major industries to fall back on if its federal workforce should drastically be reduced. If workers whose jobs are imperiled decide to leave the city en masse, its housing market could be in serious trouble. More layoffs in the future are likely to follow a recent decision by the Supreme Court to allow President Donald Trump to pursue mass layoffs and the downsizing of several federal agencies.
Business Times
5 days ago
- Climate
- Business Times
More than 132 million face wilting heat across eastern US
[BOSTON] More than 132 million people across the central and eastern US are facing blistering temperatures to start the week, with rising humidity making it feel even worse and putting a strain on the energy grid as air conditioners and fans get a workout. Heat advisories or excessive-heat warnings have been issued from Nebraska to Massachusetts and from North Dakota to Florida, covering all or part of 29 states and more than 38 per cent of the US population, according to the National Weather Service. Sweltering conditions will peak on Sunday (Jul 27) and Monday before gradually easing. The US South-east will be the last to get some relief, later in the week or next. The high temperatures, made worse by humidity, have set a smattering of records, particularly in the Southeast. Charlotte, North Carolina, hit a high of 101F (38 deg C) on Saturday. Sixty more records may be breached or tied in the coming days. In Chicago, the combination of temperatures reaching 91F and humidity will make it feel more like 102F on Monday. New York City is set to have readings peak on Tuesday at 96F in Central Park, but with humidity may feel closer to 105F, the weather service said. In Washington, DC, the high is forecast to reach 98F on Tuesday and 99F on Wednesday. 'It's miserable but the end is near,' said Brian Hurley, a senior branch forecaster at the US Weather Prediction Center. 'A couple of days to go, maybe more than a couple of days if you are in the Southeast.' Heat threatens human life, as well as stressing electric grids and transportation networks. From 1979 to 2022, more than 14,000 Americans died from heat-related causes, according to the US Environmental Protection Agency. A NEWSLETTER FOR YOU Friday, 12.30 pm ESG Insights An exclusive weekly report on the latest environmental, social and governance issues. Sign Up Sign Up Utilities are gearing up for continued high demand. PJM Interconnection, a grid operator that moves electricity across 13 states and the District of Columbia, issued hot weather alerts for its Mid-Atlantic and Southern regions on Sunday and for its entire operating area on Monday. It also called on power plants to be ready for service and that it may curtail exports to neighbouring grids if demand rises. A wide area of the US faces a moderate heat risk on Sunday, with as many as 88.4 million people under a major threat and 10.8 million enduring extreme conditions, mainly along the eastern seaboard from Washington to Florida, the weather service said. The heat will start to ease as a weather front pushes south, leaving lower temperatures and milder humidity in its wake, Hurley said. In a week, a large part of the central and eastern US will likely be cooler than normal for early August, according to the US Climate Prediction Center. In addition to the heat, ground-level ozone parts of New York and New Jersey may make breathing difficult for the young, the elderly and people with respiratory or heart conditions, the weather service said. Further north, across Upstate New York and New England, smoke from Canadian forest fires is also harming air quality. Much of that threat should start to diminish in the coming days, Hurley said. BLOOMBERG
Straits Times
5 days ago
- Climate
- Straits Times
More than 132 million face wilting heat across eastern US
WASHINGTON – More than 132 million people across the central and eastern US are facing blistering temperatures to start the week, with rising humidity making it feel even worse and putting a strain on the energy grid as air conditioners and fans get a workout. Heat advisories or excessive-heat warnings have been issued from Nebraska to Massachusetts and from North Dakota to Florida, covering all or part of 29 states and more than 38 per cent of the US population, according to the National Weather Service. Sweltering conditions will peak on July 27 and 28 before gradually easing. The US Southeast will be the last to get some relief, later in the week or next. The high temperatures, made worse by humidity, have set a smattering of records, particularly in the Southeast. Charlotte, North Carolina, hit a high of 101 deg F (38 deg C) on July 26. Sixty more records may be breached or tied in coming days. In Chicago the combination of temperatures reaching 91 deg F and humidity will make it feel more like 102 deg F on July 28. New York City is set to have readings peak on July 29 at 96 deg F in Central Park, but with humidity may feel closer to 105 deg F, the weather service said. In Washington, DC, the high is forecast to reach 98 deg F on July 29 and 99 deg F on July 30. 'It's miserable but the end is near,' said Mr Brian Hurley, a senior branch forecaster at the US Weather Prediction Center. 'A couple of days to go, maybe more than a couple of days if you are in the Southeast.' Heat threatens human life, as well as stressing electric grids and transportation networks. From 1979 to 2022 more than 14,000 Americans died from heat-related causes, according to the US Environmental Protection Agency. Utilities are gearing up for continued high demand. PJM Interconnection LLC, a grid operator that moves electricity across 13 states and the District of Columbia, issued hot weather alerts for its Mid-Atlantic and Southern regions on July 27 and for its entire operating area on July 28. It also called on power plants to be ready for service and that it may curtail exports to neighboring grids if demand rises. A wide area of the US faces a moderate heat risk on July 27, with as many as 88.4 million people under a major threat and 10.8 million enduring extreme conditions, mainly along the eastern seaboard from Washington to Florida, the weather service said. The heat will start to ease as a weather front pushes south, leaving lower temperatures and milder humidity in its wake, Mr Hurley said. In a week, a large part of the central and eastern US will likely be cooler than normal for early August, according to the US Climate Prediction Centre. In addition to the heat, ground-level ozone parts of New York and New Jersey may make breathing difficult for the young, the elderly and people with respiratory or heart conditions, the weather service said. Further north, across Upstate New York and New England, smoke from Canadian forest fires is also harming air quality. Much of that threat should start to diminish in the coming days, Mr Hurley said. Bloomberg
