Millions at risk amid widespread heat wave
Why it matters: The event, which broke temperature records across the West and Alaska before shifting east, is bringing an especially dangerous combination of heat and humidity.
Much of the eastern U.S. is at "major" or "extreme" risk of heat-related impacts this week, per the National Weather Service's experimental HeatRisk index.
By the numbers: Nearly 370 daily high temperature records were tied or broken between last Monday and Saturday, according to NOAA data.
Boulder, Colorado and nearby Fort Collins broke 131-year and 130-year daily records, respectively, with highs of 98°F in both cities.
A 119-year daily record fell in Paradise, Arizona with a high of 100°F, while a 108-year daily record in Provo, Utah was toppled at 102°F.
Zoom in: The extreme conditions are being driven by a " heat dome," with high pressure trapping warm, humid air over vast areas.
Between the lines: Human-caused climate change is making heat waves both more likely and more intense, researchers say.
While daytime highs often make the headlines, average nighttime temperatures are also increasing nationwide — meaning evenings can offer less respite.
Threat level: People with underlying health conditions, outdoor workers and those without air conditioning are especially vulnerable to heat waves.
Heavy A/C use, meanwhile, may strain electric grids and cause blackouts.
Power outages were affecting thousands of people in Queens, New York as of Monday afternoon, per local station PIX11.
What they're saying: " Heat tends to have cumulative effects on the body, and we are currently forecasting three consecutive days of 95°F+ and 5-6 days of 90°F+ taking into account temperatures this past weekend," reads a Monday afternoon forecast discussion from the NWS' Mt. Holly, New Jersey office.
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Associated Press
23 minutes ago
- Associated Press
What to know about the flash floods in Texas that killed nearly 70 people
KERRVILLE, Texas (AP) — Flash floods in Texas killed dozens and left an unknown number of July Fourth visitors and campers missing, including many girls attending Camp Mystic. The devastation along the Guadalupe River, outside of San Antonio, has drawn a massive search effort as officials face questions over their preparedness and the speed of their initial actions. Here's what to know about the deadly flooding, the colossal weather system that drove it in and around Kerr County, Texas, and ongoing efforts to identify victims. Massive rain hit at just the wrong time, in a flood-prone place The floods grew to their worst at the midpoint of a long holiday weekend when many people were asleep. The Texas Hill Country in the central part of the state is naturally prone to flash flooding due to the dry dirt-packed areas where the soil lets rain skid along the surface of the landscape instead of soaking it up. Friday's flash floods started with a particularly bad storm that dropped most of its 12 inches (30 centimeters) of rain in the dark early morning hours. After a flood watch notice midday Thursday, the National Weather Service office issued an urgent warning around 4 a.m. that raised the potential of catastrophic damage and a severe threat to human life. By at least 5:20 a.m., some in the Kerrville City area say water levels were getting alarmingly high. The massive rain flowing down hills sent rushing water into the Guadalupe River, causing it to rise 26 feet (8 meters) in just 45 minutes. Death toll is expected to rise and the number of missing is uncertain At least 59 people in Kerr County, and eight elsewhere in central Texas were confirmed dead as of Sunday morning. In Kerr County, 38 of the victims dead were adults and 21 were children, including 16 girls recovered from Camp Mystic, a Christian summer camp along the river. Eleven more girls were still unaccounted for. For past campers, the tragedy turned happy memories into grief. Beyond the Camp Mystic campers unaccounted for, the number of missing from other nearby campgrounds and across the region had not been released. 'We don't even want to begin to estimate at this time,' Kerrville City Manager Dalton Rice said Saturday, citing the likely influx of visitors during the July Fourth holiday. Officials face scrutiny over flash flood warnings Survivors have described the floods as a 'pitch black wall of death' and said they received no emergency warnings. Kerr County Judge Rob Kelly, who lives along the Guadalupe River, said Saturday that ' nobody saw this coming.' Various officials have referred to it as a '100-year-flood,' meaning that the water levels were highly unlikely based on the historical record. And records behind those statistics don't always account for human-caused climate change. Though it's hard to connect specific storms to a warming planet so soon after they occur, meteorologists say that a warmer atmosphere can hold more moisture and allow severe storms to dump even more rain. Additionally, officials have come under scrutiny about why residents and youth summer camps along the river were not alerted sooner than 4 a.m. or told to evacuate. Officials noted that the public can grow weary from too many flooding alerts or forecasts that turn out to be minor. Kerr county officials said they had presented a proposal for a more robust flood warning system, similar to a tornado warning system, but that members of the public reeled at the cost. On Sunday, officials walked out of a news briefing after reporters asked them again about delays in alerts and evacuations. Monumental clearing and rebuilding effort The flash floods have erased campgrounds and torn homes from their foundations. 'It's going to be a long time before we're ever able to clean it up, much less rebuild it,' Kelly said Saturday after surveying the destruction from a helicopter. Other massive flooding events have driven residents and business owners to give up, including in areas struck last year by Hurricane Helene. AP photographers have captured the scale of the destruction, and one of Texas' largest rescue and recover efforts.
Forbes
38 minutes ago
- Forbes
Texas Flood Disaster - The Case For A Weather Radio Renaissance?
A member of the public looks out at flooding caused by a flash flood at the Guadalupe River in ... More Kerrville, Texas, on July 5, 2025. Rescuers were desperately searching for at least 20 girls missing from a riverside summer camp, officials said on July 5, after torrential rains caused a "catastrophic" flash flood that killed at least 24 people as it swept through south-central Texas. (Photo by RONALDO SCHEMIDT / AFP) (Photo by RONALDO SCHEMIDT/AFP via Getty Images) The catastrophic flooding in the hill country of Texas is the latest U.S. extreme weather event to cause significant disruption. At the time of writing, the death toll had surpassed 50, and many people are still missing. As this tragedy unfolds, every stone should be flipped to find ways to prevent such horrific loss of life. Some experts believe the Texas floods make the case for a weather radio renaissance. The Last Mile As I wrote in a companion piece this weekend, the National Weather Service issued guidance and warning information in the days to hours leading up to the massive flood event. However, questions exist about whether there were challenges getting the information across what my colleague Bob Henson calls the 'last mile' to the public via emergency management and communication channels. By the way, Henson and his colleague Jeff Masters wrote a great analysis on this flood catastrophe. Crews work to clear debris from the Cade Loop bridge along the Guadalupe River on Saturday, July 5, ... More 2025, in Ingram, Texas. (AP Photo/Rodolfo Gonzalez) Though weather forecasts were within expectations of sound verification, a couple of familiar challenges emerged. First, narratives that say the 'bullseye' in rainfall was off by 20 miles so the forecast was wrong are flawed. Decisions should be made based on current capabilities. If it rains in my subdivision, but not on my tomato garden, it is still a good forecast. We encounter significant challenges conveying to the public and decision-makers that pinpoint rainfall forecasts are an illusion so area-wide probabilistic forecasting has to be employed. Second, I have seen officials say things like, 'We are used to flooding in this region.' This is a classic case of 'normalcy bias.' I witnessed almost the exact narrative from some officials in Houston after Hurricane Harvey (2017). I co-authored a 2024 National Academy report on compound disasters. One finding was that people have benchmark storms from the past in their minds that may hindered preparation for current or future events that may be more intense, stronger or more frequent. 3 Day Rainfall Totals throught July 6, 2025. Some early reports point to NWS staff shortages hindering handoff to the EM community, but it may be too early draw these conclusions. Other analyses have questioned the warning or alert infrastructure in what is known as 'Flash Flood Alley.' Why isn't there a more extensive real-time warning or siren system present along those river regions populated by camps and RV parks? Is it time to reconsider the location of facilities along flood-prone rivers in the Texas Hill Country? After all, this will happen again. The region is situated in hilly terrain, receives a lot of Gulf moisture and remnant tropical systems, and climate change is, on average, boosting the intensity of rain falling from storms. I know, I know. This region had flood events naturally before climate change. It is also true that atmospheric and ocean warming makes more moisture available to storms and increasing rainfall rates. It is not "either/or." It is 'and.' Additionally, more paved surfaces increase runoff and flawed assumptions of stationarity in stormwater engineering amplify floods. But I digress. I spoke with former NWS meteorologist Bart Hagemeyer who spent 37 years in the nation's forecast agency. Hagemeyer, who retired as the Meteorologist-In-Charge at the NWS Melbourne office, reflected on nocturnal tornado disasters in central Florida that he had been involved with in 1998 and 2007, respectively. Combined, 63 people were killed in those two events. Speaking on the Texas flooding, he told me, 'The warnings and watches were timely and what would be considered state of the art, but many people died, and that's hard. It usually boils down to how or if people got the warnings at what time and what actions did they take if they had time.' Hagemeyer has been a long-time advocate of NOAA Weather Radio. He said, 'Historically the NWS has always stressed having a plan for your family, business or whatever entity needs protecting and having at least two different ways to get warning information at all times, but especially during the night and one of those is the NOAA Weather Radio.' So Why Weather Radios? The Texas Tribune reported, 'All NWS flash flood warnings, including the one issued after midnight on Friday, triggered Wireless Emergency Alerts, the emergency push notification sent through cellphone towers to all wireless phones in the emergency area. Bob Fogarty, a NWS meteorologist told reporter Paul Cobler, 'That warning was updated nine times throughout Friday, each of which triggered separate alerts through the Emergency Alert System and the Wireless Emergency Alerts." Did people receive these notices. It was nighttime, so many people likely did not have immediate access to their phones. Texas Hill Country is also complex terrain, which means there are likely pockets of spotty cellular coverage. Texas as viewed from space by a NASA MODIS instrument. NOAA weather radios have been a staple for decades to warn people about hazardous weather, particularly at night. Officially known as NOAA Weather Radio All Hazards, the NOAA website said, 'NWR is a nationwide network of radio stations broadcasting continuous weather information directly from the nearest National Weather Service office. NWR broadcasts official Weather Service warnings, watches, forecasts and other hazard information 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.' I have one in my house, but like many of you, I have grown more reliant on cellphone Wireless Emergence Alerts. The NOAA website went on to say, 'NWR is provided as a public service by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), part of the Department of Commerce…. NWR requires a special radio receiver or scanner capable of picking up the signal." NWR broadcasts on seven frequencies (162.40 to 162.55 MHz range) and up to 40 miles from the transmitter. The current listing of NOAA weather radio stations in Texas indicates that some are out of service, but the ones in Hill Country are active. Hagemyer told me, 'It sets off a loud alert when a warning is issued for your county and has battery backup so it works whether there is power or not….. We used to put out statements in the evening reminding people to have their weather radios on before they go to bed when we expected overnight tornadoes.' He noted that most of the discussion in the wake of the Texas flooding has focused on cellphone coverage rather than having a backup plan. Propagation maps for the NOAA Weather Radio transmitters in the Hill Country region. The Renaissance? NWR is specifically designed to send out an alert over the airwaves to inexpensive programmable radio receivers within seconds of the NWS meteorologist pushing the enter button on a critical warning. The map above shows the NWR propagation extent for Texas. It appears that affected regions were covered. Hagemeyer also said, "I thought of it immediately as a key tool for campground managers for backup warning receipt to implement their plans." He went on to say, 'I suspect NWR is not very sexy to talk about. When 42 people died overnight in the central Florida tornado disaster of 1998 I was on Good Morning America and CNN the next morning literally holding a NWR and touting its importance, nothing has changed to diminish its utility.' A NOAA Weather Radio Dave Jones is a meteorologist and CEO of Stormcenter Communications, Inc and agrees with the NWS veteran. He told me, 'I believe that every camp, camp ground, RV park and outdoor gathering place should have at least a working NOAA weather radio and a policy of passing on warnings to their guests.' He also thinks that procedures for communicating a clear evacuation plan are needed. He closed by saying, 'I've stayed in many campgrounds and they tend to have a speaker system where they make announcements. Why don't these exist everywhere? Safety first should mean SAFETY FIRST.' KERRVILLE, TEXAS - JULY 05: Flood waters left debris including vehicles and equipment scattered in ... More Louise Hays Park on July 5, 2025 in Kerrville, Texas. Heavy rainfall caused flooding along the Guadalupe River in central Texas with multiple fatalities reported. (Photo by)
Fox News
38 minutes ago
- Fox News
Trump spending cuts, his approach to climate change attacked as catalyst of catastrophic Texas flooding
Critics of President Donald Trump wasted no time blaming staffing cuts at the National Weather Service (NWS) for the widespread death and destruction caused by the floods in Texas, a reaction the White House called "shameful and disgusting." At least 59 people, including 21 children, have been confirmed dead from the flash floods along the Guadalupe River that began Friday. Eleven children and one counselor remain missing from a girls' summer camp near the river, which flooded due to the remnants of Tropical Storm Barry. That storm made landfall over Mexico, but triggered massive unexpected thunderstorms over parts of Texas. "It only took 9 days for Trump's cuts to the [National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration] to kill dozens of children in Texas when Tropical Storm Barry landed this week," Grant Stern, the executive editor of Occupy Democrats, wrote on X. "The people in Texas voted for government services controlled by Donald Trump and Greg Abbott," added Ron Filipkowski, former federal prosecutor and the editor-in-chief of MediasTouchNews. "That is exactly what they (sic) getting." "What has happened to the girls at Camp Mystic is EXACTLY what one of the country's best meteorologists, John Morales, warned would happen," added Rachel Bitecofer, assistant director at Christopher Newport University's Wason Center for Public Policy. "Trump's cuts to the NOAA & NWS have critically impacted storm prediction nationwide." Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem held a press conference Saturday, and acknowledged some of the criticisms regarding the nation's flood notification systems, which included concerns that weather forecasts underestimated the amount of rain that ultimately fell. Noem noted that the Trump administration is "currently upgrading" the nation's flood notification technology, which she described as "ancient." "When the [weather] system came over the area, it stalled," Noem said during the press conference. "It was much more water, much like [what] we experienced during [Hurricane] Harvey, with the same type of system that was unpredictable in the way that it reacted in the way that it stopped right here and dumped unprecedented amounts of rain that caused a flooding event like this." Tom Fahy, legislative director for the National Weather Service Employees Organization, told NBC News that weather forecasting offices were adequately staffed, and "they issued timely forecasts and warnings leading up to the storm," but he added that unfilled leadership positions were "clearly a concern." "The reason Trump defunded the National Weather Service leading to the deaths of all those girls in the Texas flood is because PROJECT 2025 THOUGHT WEATHER PREDICTION SCIENCE WAS TIED TO EVIDENCE OF CLIMATE CHANGE," musician Mikel Jollett wrote on X. Isaiah Martin, a Democratic candidate for Texas's 18th Congressional District, called for an immediate congressional investigation into "the Republican DOGE cuts to NOAA and the National Weather Service." "We saw the affects (sic) this weekend," Martin wrote on X. "Trump defunded these agencies and we DEMAND answers. There MUST be *swift* accountability!" Washington Democratic Gov. Jay Inslee did not directly blame Trump's approach to climate change for the deaths, but he suggested the president's efforts to peel back green energy funding are a contributing factor to increased catastrophic natural disasters, like this weekend's flood in Texas. "It is hard to make the Texas flood tragedy worse, except to know that on the same day Trump signed a bill cratering solar and wind energy that is vital in the battle against the climate change making these torrential rains more frequent," Inslee wrote on X this weekend. During an interview with CNN, Rep. Joaquin Castro, D-Texas, added that he didn't think it was helpful to have open leadership positions that, if filled, could "help prevent these strategies." "I don't think it's helpful to have missing key personnel from the National Weather Service not in place to help prevent these tragedies," Castro said, adding "we have to figure out in the future how we make sure that it doesn't happen again." White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson called it "shameful and disgusting" to see that in the wake of this tragedy people are politicizing what took place. "It's shameful and disgusting that in the wake of tragedy, the left's first instinct is to lie and politicize a disaster to target their political opponents. False claims about the NWS have been repeatedly debunked by meteorologists, experts, and other public reporting," Jackson said. "The NWS did their job, even issuing a flood watch more than 12 hours in advance. The Trump Administration is grateful to the first responders who sprung into action to save hundreds lives during this catastrophe, and will continue to help the great state of Texas in their recovery efforts."
