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The Independent
18-07-2025
- Climate
- The Independent
More than 30 million people at risk of flash flooding just weeks after deadly Texas floods
More than 30 million Americans are under the threat of dangerous flash flooding through the weekend and into next week. The forecast comes on the heels of heavy rain in Louisiana and Mississippi on Thursday, major and disruptive flooding that forced a state of emergency in New Jersey, and deadly flash floods in Texas that took the lives of at least 135 people, including children at a Christian girls' camp. 'This tropical rainstorm is not expected to strengthen and get an official name, but it will soak the Gulf Coast. This major rainmaker could trigger dangerous flash flooding from Louisiana and Mississippi all the way to the Ohio Valley and Appalachians through the weekend,' AccuWeather Lead Hurricane Expert Alex DaSilva explained. 'Areas south and west of New Orleans could see four to eight inches of rainfall. We're increasingly concerned about the risk of flooding through the weekend as the moisture from this tropical rainstorm surges northward,' he said. Residents of 11 states across the Midwest, Ohio Valley, and Appalachians will see moisture from the same tropical rainstorm that brought flooding impacts to the Gulf Coast from Saturday through Monday. AccuWeather meteorologists said two to four inches of rain is expected from Saturday through Monday from Iowa to the Appalachians, including in Chicago, Indianapolis, and Pittsburgh. 'The area of low pressure at center of tropical rainstorm is expected to dissipate Saturday over Arkansas or Missouri. However, the some of the remaining moisture-laden tropical air and atmospheric spin associated with the former rainstorm will be drawn farther north,' AccuWeather Vice President of Forecast Operations Dan DePodwin explained. 'This can enhance the risk for heavy rainfall and flash flooding into early next week across the Midwest and Ohio Valley.' Widespread flooding across the region is not expected, but pockets of significant flash flooding are possible from Iowa to the Appalachian mountains, with some areas seeing as many as 13 inches of rain. 'Don't let your guard down on this threat for flash flooding. People across parts of Iowa and Illinois to the Ohio Valley and Appalachians need to be prepared for the risk of flash flooding. Some of these areas already have saturated ground after rounds of downpours and storms in recent weeks,' said Porter. In areas where one to three inches of rain occur per hour, there may be additional rounds of life-threatening flash flooding into next week. The danger comes as several states across the country are recovering from the impacts of flooding rainfall events. In Central Texas, the search continued for people who went missing in and around Kerr County and 'Flash Flood Alley' earlier this month. The flood moved quickly in the middle of the night, dumping 10 or more inches in a matter of hours, due to the remnants of Tropical Storm Barry lingering over the Lone Star State, As the Earth's atmosphere warms, it has the ability to hold more moisture and produce conditions ripe for flooding rainfall. Human-caused climate change is increasing the frequency of 1,000-year flood events around the world, which have a 0.1 percent chance of occurring in any given year, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. Four happened in less than a week this month. 'This has been a tremendously impactful and dangerous year with flash flooding tragedies reported across the country,' Porter said. ' The number of flash flood reports this year to date has been a staggering 70 percent above the 10-year historical average.'
Yahoo
18-07-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Heavy rain threatens flash flooding for millions across much of the US
Tens of millions of people are at risk of dangerous flash floods in pockets of nearly every region of the contiguous United States Friday, as the nation's summer of flooding continues. As summer heat starts to peak, July has seen the exact conditions needed for flooding rain. An abundance of incredibly moist, humid air is fueling a majority of Friday's flood risk, giving storms the potential to dump very heavy, overwhelming rain in a short period of time. Here's what to expect in the main areas at risk. 'Worst-case scenario' flash flood potential in the East, slow-moving storms in the Midwest A stalled storm front draped across more than half a dozen states from Oklahoma to Virginia could dump multiple rounds of rain and touch off significant flash flooding Friday. A Level 3 of 4 flooding rain threat is in place for parts of northern Virginia and northeastern West Virginia, with Level 2 of 4 risks covering portions of the Mid-Atlantic, Ohio Valley and Midwest, according to the Weather Prediction Center. Many places in these risk areas could see an inch or two of rain – especially from the afternoon on – but some could record more, which is a concerning possibility given how wet the ground already is in some areas. The Mid-Atlantic and Ohio Valley have been hit by round after round of soaking rain this summer, leaving the soil less able to absorb additional rain and area waterways swollen. The West Virginia-Virginia border area has been hit particularly hard this summer and the National Weather Service is highlighting the potential for very heavy rain on Friday that could dump upwards of 5 inches there in a short time. If that happens, it would equate to a 1-in-100 year rainfall event. 'These extreme amounts won't be widespread and might not occur, but the potential is definitely there for worst-case scenario flash flooding,' the NWS warned. Petersburg, Virginia - just south of Richmond – has also been dealing with severe flooding in recent days and could get more soaking rain Friday. The city was under a flash flood emergency, the most severe flood warning, on Monday night as floodwater rose quickly. Slow-moving, heavy storms are also expected Friday afternoon in the Midwest before some severe thunderstorms potentially develop and keep storms from loitering around. Heavy rain broke daily rainfall records in parts of Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Kansas and Missouri on Thursday. Drenching storms dumped up to 9 inches of rain and prompted early morning flash flooding along the Kansas-Missouri border, including the Kansas City metro area, Thursday. A separate round of storms late Thursday night in Arkansas flooded roads and triggered multiple water rescues. Overwhelming rainfall is becoming more prevalent due to climate change, as rising global temperatures drive weather toward extremes. Hourly rainfall rates have grown heavier in nearly 90% of large US cities since 1970, according to a study from the nonprofit research group Climate Central. More soaking rain targets the Gulf Coast Storms have dropped several inches of rain in southern Louisiana since Wednesday night even as a would-be tropical threat wasn't able to get its act together. So far, the heaviest – up to 12 inches – has mainly fallen over wetlands in the south-central part of the state that are able to absorb excess rain. A Level 2 of 4 risk of flooding rain is place Friday from the Florida Panhandle to eastern Texas as the lingering area of stormy weather brings more rounds of rain during the day after a slight lull overnight. An additional 1 to 4 inches of rain is possible through Friday along the coast, with the NWS warning of isolated pockets of up to 8 inches in areas caught under multiple rounds of heavy storms. Flood-prone town under threat again Heavy storms could trigger flash flooding Friday across parts of the Southwest, Rockies and Nevada, especially over wildfire burn scars and flood-prone canyon or valley areas. The Chiricahua Mountains in Arizona and the flood-weary town of Ruidoso, New Mexico, are among the areas under a Level 2 of 4 risk of flooding rain. Ruidoso was the site of deadly flooding last week that killed three people, including two children. The town dealt with another round of dangerous flooding on Thursday after nearly an inch of rain fell during afternoon thunderstorms. Authorities conducted three swift water rescues Thursday: One of the people rescued was trapped in a trailer near Ruidoso, while another was taken to safety from nearby Ruidoso Downs, according to CNN affiliate KOAT. All three were unharmed. No deaths have been reported as of early Friday, CNN affiliate KFOX said. Any quick burst of rain Friday can almost instantly cause issues for the area given the recent rainfall and how damaged the ground still is after its 2024 wildfires. Burned ground cannot properly absorb water, which creates immediate runoff.
Daily Mail
17-07-2025
- Climate
- Daily Mail
BREAKING NEWS 30 million Americans at risk as monster storm shifts path in new spaghetti models
The major tropical rainmaker that has already drenched Florida and Louisiana is shifting course and threatens to flood out more than 30 million Americans. Meteorologists have warned that a surge in tropical moisture could set off dangerous flash floods all the way from the Gulf Coast to the Ohio Valley, impacting residents in parts of 11 states from now through this weekend. The latest spaghetti models of this storm, called Invest 93L, have shifted its path away from the East Coast, predicting that it will barrel through Louisiana and head north into Arkansas by Saturday. A spaghetti model shows the different possible paths a tropical storm or hurricane might take, based on predictions from multiple weather computer programs. Each line represents one model's guess about where the storm could go. If the lines are close together, it means most models agree on the path, and the prediction is more certain. Although this weather system has not strengthened to become a named storm, which would have been Dexter, forecasters from AccuWeather say the storm is now tracking towards Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, West Virginia, and Pennsylvania. AccuWeather's lead hurricane expert Alex DaSilva said: 'We're increasingly concerned about the risk of flooding through the weekend as the moisture from this tropical rainstorm surges northward.' Areas south and west of New Orleans are projected to be flooded with up to eight inches of rain before the storm moves into the heart of the country.
CBS News
14-07-2025
- Business
- CBS News
Trump and McCormick to announce $70 billion in AI and energy investments for Pennsylvania
The Pittsburgh region's assets will be on display for President Trump and the leaders of the country's largest energy and technology companies on Tuesday. Pennsylvania U.S. Senator Dave McCormick, organizer of the inaugural Pennsylvania Energy and Innovation Summit, is set to announce $70 billion in new investments in the state. One project is set to target Aliquippa, which was once the steelmaking center of the Ohio Valley until it fell on hard times with the closing of the mill. But Aliquippa is looking at a rebirth, with the possible transformation of that site to power the artificial intelligence economy. "That thing's been sitting empty for close to 50 years of my life," Aliquippa Mayor Dwan Walker said. Walker remembers his steelworker father walking out of the mill for the last time and sitting on the porch crying the day it closed. Today, the mayor hopes that a technological revolution can bring his city back. "Being that we were the center of steel, now we can be the center of AI," Walker said. "I don't think, I know it can happen. I know in this day and age, 2025, Aliquippa can be a new tech hub." Artificial intelligence requires massive amounts of energy and computing capacity, and a local partnership headed by real estate developer Chuck Betters hopes to transform the 89-acre site of the old mill into a massive, multi-billion dollar data processing center, creating thousands of construction jobs, hundreds of permanent ones and generating tens of millions of dollars in tax revenue. "Large job creation, large tax base, and the comeback of Beaver County from the steel mill days," Betters said. At Tuesday's summit, the Pittsburgh region will be on display for the heads of the country's largest tech companies, showcasing both the technological innovations being developed here as well as the massive energy resources available to power them. Data centers will help spawn companies like Pittsburgh's Gecko Robotics, which recently became a unicorn — a company worth more than $1 billion. Founder Jake Loosararian will demonstrate at the summit his AI-powered climbing robots and ask those tech leaders to invest here and help Pittsburgh take the next step. "We have the biggest leaders in the world in AI and energy coming to this city," Loosararian said. "We need to see investment from those companies into this region -- continue to do so. You'll start to see an ecosystem of companies like Gecko that begin to emerge." With energy in natural gas and nuclear, empty industrial sites ready for data center development, and a culture of innovation, leaders say the Pittsburgh region is uniquely positioned to be a world leader in AI. Walker believes that it can bring back Aliquippa's Franklin Avenue. "More businesses downtown, more strip malls, more access to revenue, that dollar flip two or three times in this community instead of leaving it," Walker said. If and when the site of the mill is developed, it will begin to merge the region's technological know-how with its vast energy resources, creating a new AI economy that leaders say will benefit everyone.
CBS News
05-07-2025
- Climate
- CBS News
Fireworks smoke and haze linger on Saturday morning in Pittsburgh as hot weather looms
Lingering fireworks smoke from Friday night has led to unhealthy air quality across most of Western Pennsylvania and the Ohio Valley/Great Lakes states early Saturday morning. WEATHER LINKS: Current Conditions | School Closings & Delays | Submit Your Weather Photos This smoke is trapped near the surface due to light winds and a temperature inversion, which prevents air near the surface from rising and mixing vertically. Air quality in western Pennsylvania early on Saturday morning KDKA Weather Center This smoke will continue to be an issue through mid-morning until the low levels heat up enough to mix some of it out, with lingering hazy skies expected the rest of the day. As high pressure moves east and winds shift to the southwest, we expect a warmer air mass to move in from the southwest today as well. Our region will be fixated within a ridge of high pressure and a potential tropical system moving ashore to the Carolinas Saturday into Sunday, which will amplify sinking air aloft, leaving us with mostly sunny to partly cloudy skies and overall dry conditions. Saturday high temperatures KDKA Weather Center Highs on Saturday and Sunday are expected to be in the upper 80s to near 90, with the most likely days to reach 90°F or higher being Sunday and Monday. Dew points will be elevated during the early morning hours, but drop in the afternoon thanks to drier air mixing aloft, which should help prevent heat indices from reaching hazardous levels. Individuals should still stay well hydrated while being outdoors, and those sensitive to the heat should take frequent breaks or avoid being outside during the hottest part of the day. Sunday's high temperatures KDKA Weather Center One more hot afternoon is expected Monday ahead of a weak trough moving in from the northwest by early evening. Some isolated to widely scattered storms appear likely to develop along this system's advancing front, but coverage doesn't look too great right now, mainly due to weak amounts of lift. Gusty outflow winds and locally heavy rain will be possible with any storm, but widespread severe weather is not expected. The system that brings the rain chance Monday evening should dissipate just south of our area Tuesday and Wednesday, with a remnant storm chance during peak heating both days. Rain chances over the next week KDKA Weather Center Another system with higher levels of moisture and better rain chances may approach by the end of next week. 7-day forecast: July 5, 2025 KDKA Weather Center Stay up to date with the KDKA Mobile App – which you can download here!
