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Major Tornado Outbreaks Throughout US Leave Many States At Risk For Extreme Flooding

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A major tornado outbreak across the US has led to a rare and widespread flooding threat throughout the midwest and South this week, according to weather forecasting experts. The experts are emphasizing just how “prolific” and “historic” these weather events are as a means of also highlighting the shortage of forecasting and disaster response efforts across the country. 

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Around 100 tornadoes impacted various parts of the US on Wednesday alone, and at least four people have died as a result of this extreme weather. 

The National Weather Service (NWS) stated that they were short-staffed while issuing a nearly record-breaking number of tornado warnings for one single day. They issued 284 tornado outbreaks for Wednesday. The only other major weather event to hit that level of intensity occurred in April 2011. 

The warnings stretched across nearly 1,000 miles from Arkansas to Michigan, according to reports. 

 The cold front that prompted the multitude of tornadoes this week will slow down over the next few days, however, as it slows the threat of thunderstorms near some of the US’s major rivers will create “life-threatening, catastrophic, and potentially historic flash flood event”, according to the NWS.

Memphis, Tennessee is specifically preparing to see flooding up to 12 inches over the next three days. “Communities in the region should prepare for possible long duration and severe disruptions to daily life,”  a NWS forecast bulletin said.  

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The flooding expected to occur across the US is in the same areas that were just impacted by the tornadoes, leaving many communities vulnerable more than once within the same week. At an NWS office in Kentucky, a tornado-producing thunderstorm severely damaged the property while they’re dealing with non-functioning restrooms. 

“They have worked multiple tornado events this spring already and their office doesn’t even have functioning toilets!” wrote a NWS employee.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency recently fired hundreds of its probationary staff after they were ordered too by President Donald Trump and the White House. 

Rural regions in states like Arkansas, Missouri, Tennessee, Kentucky, and Illinois are expected to struggle greatly after the storms pass due to staffing issues and a removal of resources. 

Additionally, the nationwide network of River Forecast Centers has stated that they’ve also been greatly affected by staffing cuts. These weakened agencies are doing everything they can to help the many Americans being impacted by extreme weather events, but their resources are dwindling.

canceled

Thousands of Flights Canceled as Storms Sweep Across the East Coast

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Thousands of flights were delayed or canceled in the wake of severe storms that pummeled the East Coast over the weekend. According to FlightAware, more than 330 flights were canceled, and another 1,400 were delayed as of Tuesday morning.

The figures reflect the ongoing travel disruptions caused by turbulent weather in the Eastern U.S. Midday on Monday, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) tweeted that they were working to avoid delays and cancellations.

“The FAA is re-routing aircraft around the storms heading to the East Coast as much as possible. Soon we will likely have to pause departures in and out of East Coast airports, including NYC, Philly, DC, Charlotte and Atlanta. Monitor http://fly.faa.gov. #FAAWeatherSad”

By the end of the day Monday, however, 8,200 flights were delayed, and 1,600 were canceled. On Tuesday, Delta Air Lines had to cancel 100 flights, consisting of around 3% of its total schedule, and another 226 were delayed. There were 20 flight cancellations and 22 flight delays at New York’s LaGuardia Airport. Atlanta, Newark Liberty, and Boston Logan are a few of the other major airports experiencing a moderate number of cancellations and delays.

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The recent storms left nearly 400,000 homes and businesses without power in large regions along the East Coast. Thunderstorms, tornadoes, and hail also led to the deaths of two people, damaged structures and homes, and left dozens of drivers stranded for hours.

People were trapped in their cars for up to five and a half hours in Westminster, Maryland. State police reported that severe weather on Monday caused power lines to fall onto vehicles. Crews worked for hours to de-energize the power lines so drivers could leave the scene.

On his way home from work, Jeffrey Campbell told CNN he was trapped for hours when a utility pole collapsed in front of his vehicle onto other cars, leaving exposed live wires on the ground on either side of his truck. A wire knocked his exterior mirror off the side of his car. “It’s just poles coming down one after the other,” Campbell said.

Authorities shared that no injuries were reported, but 33 adults and 14 children had to be rescued.

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Tom Tomovich, a resident of Hockessin, DE, told 6ABC-TV that the storms ripped the roof of his house off.

“We saw the clouds coming and could hear a rumbling in the distance. We went into the house, and we were on the first floor, and before we could blink an eye, the winds just came right through the back of our house.”

The size of hailstones from Monday night’s storms in Caroline County, VA, came close to breaking state records. One hailstone, measured at around 4.75 inches, is the third largest ever found in Virginia. The last time hail this size hit the state was in the 1960s.

The initial storms affecting Philadelphia to Atlanta on Monday have since calmed. However, in the Southeast and New England, millions of people may face severe weather on Tuesday.

In a Facebook live briefing, National Weather Service meteorologist Christ Strong said, “This does look to be one of the most impactful severe weather events across the mid-Atlantic that we have had in some time.”

As of Tuesday afternoon, more than 220,000 homes and businesses still do not have power in five states, with around 125,000 customers residing in Pennsylvania and North Carolina.

Heat Wave Temps

Heat Waves And Thunderstorms In California Spark Multiple Wildfires

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This past Sunday a rare summer thunderstorm in Los Angeles, California brought on an obscene amount of lightning that has now led to several small fires to break out in Northern California, and a huge wildfire that caused hundreds of individuals to evacuate their homes in northern Los Angeles. 

Firefighters are continuing to fight the fire in northern LA which is now burning towards the Angeles National Forest. The forest is known for being extremely dense, thick, and dry, which is the perfect condition for a wildfire to spread and expand to an unfathomable level. More than 4,500 buildings are also currently under threat of burning due to their close vicinity to the forest. 

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Reports claim firefighters are struggling to manage not only the steep, and rugged terrain of the hot forest, but also 15 mph winds and continued lightning, which is pushing the fire even further north. Fire spokesperson Jake Miller recently spoke with the press about what safety measures they currently have in place while they try to contain the fire further. 

“We set up a containment line at the top of the hills so the fire doesn’t spill over to the other side and cause it to spread, but it was obviously difficult given the erratic wind and some other conditions.” 

So far, The Lake Fire has been 12% contained as of Sunday, and has already burned through 28 square miles of dry brush and trees. 33 buildings, including at least a dozen homes, have been completely destroyed. Fire spokesman Tom Ewald claimed that temperatures reached more than 110 degrees Fahrenheit, creating an even more deadly environment for the wildfire to grow and spread. 

The thunderstorms and excessive heat wave only further fueled the now 4 square miles of fire in the foothills above LA. That particular fire was thought to be accidentally started by a homeless individual on Thursday, and is currently only 3% contained due to the environmental conditions in LA right now. 

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A majority of the state saw triple-digit temperatures this past weekend, which when combined with the heat and smoke of the fires created an atmosphere of increased ozone pollution; which has apparently now reached levels not seen in a decade for some areas. This also means that air quality may reach very unhealthy levels in many regions of Southern California specifically, where ozone pollution is already a major problem. 

The tropical storms in Northern California knocked out power for a majority of the San Francisco Bay Area with wind speeds up to 75 miles per hour, according to the National Weather Service. Daniel Swain, a climate scientist, claimed that the conditions have become extremely deadly in parts of California, creating an environment of complete natural destruction. 

“This is probably the most widespread and violent summer thunderstorm event in memory for the Bay Area, and it’s also one of the hottest nights in years.”

A massive fire cloud, scientifically known as a pyrocumulonimbus, formed over a fire that was started east of the town of Loyalton, near the California-Nevada border. This cloud collided with the intense winds of the storm to create a “tornado of fire,” which burned through 45 square miles of land and triggered evacuation orders all along State Route 395. 

None of the fires have been fully contained as of Monday morning, and strong winds and storm patterns continue to threaten firefighters’ efforts to stop the spread.

Halloween Costumes

Rescheduling Halloween? How Some U.S. Cities Are Coping With Spooky Weather Conditions

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Trick or treaters are going to have to plan accordingly for their candy collection this Halloween as the weather forecast is certainly looking ghoulish. The entirety of the East Coast is gearing up for scattered rain storms, drops in temperatures, and thunderstorms which are scheduled to begin later this evening. Different areas of the Midwest are projected to receive snowfall, and the West Coast is still concentrated with the devastating Kincade fires, making safety the number one concern country wide. The extreme variations in unwarranted weather is causing certain cities and states to consider a rescheduling of Halloween.

According to CNN, Spencer, Virginia made an official Facebook announcement today for the entire Spencer County saying that because of incoming storm conditions, trick or treating would be rescheduled for this Saturday, November 2nd. The announcement on Facebook was met with a lot of backlash from parents who purposely took off of work to take their kids out, however, the county is defending their decision by stating that even if they didn’t reschedule it would be impossible for anyone to be outside by the time the storm hits. The main concern of course is safety, cities in Indiana and Oklahoma are also rescheduling their Halloween affairs for tomorrow, stating in their official announcements that while it’s disappointing, we really need to be thinking of the children here. 

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“We understand that this is difficult for parents, but our priority is the safety of the children running around in wind and rain and snow who could possibly be hit by a car that cannot either see them because of the weather conditions or stop in time because of the slick conditions,” written on the official Munice, Indiana Facebook page.

CNN reports that the weather for this time of year is unfortunately not that out of the ordinary. There’s a massive cold front moving in from the west and sweeping across the Midwest creating snow, and bringing rain/thunderstorms over the East Coast. The cold front is predicted to move off shore by the end of the night, when the storms are projected to be their worst for the East Coast. This means that any areas of the US planning a Halloween do over should be all set to do so this weekend. 

This is not the first time October 31st has taken the night off, back in 2012 when Hurricane Sandy devastated the East Coast Halloween was rescheduled or all around cancelled. Connecticut postponed the holiday all the way to November 7th to coincide with the Election Day that year, however, the reality was a majority of the coast just cancelled the holiday all together to focus on what was important, family and restoration. 

Many areas in New Jersey participated in a “Trunk or Treat” celebration of the holiday back in 2012. This alternative way of candy collection basically involved parents putting whatever candy they had in their cars, and if the roads were clear enough families would gather and park their cars in large closed off parking lots. With a contained safe space for walking, kids would then go from car to car in the lots and collect their Halloween treats. As time progresses and November greets us all tomorrow, its expected that cities all across the country will be finding creative alternatives to make sure America’s kids have a memorable Halloween, regardless of some spooky rain.