Texas governor says more than 160 people are still missing after deadly floods
KERRVILLE, Texas — More than 160 people are believed to be missing in Texas in the aftermath of the flash floods that killed more than 100 over the July Fourth weekend, Gov. Greg Abbott said Tuesday. Abbot said many of those who are not accounted for were staying in state’s...
Intense downpours like those in Texas are more frequent, but there’s no telling where they’ll happen
It’s not just Texas and North Carolina. Intense rain is falling more frequently in many areas of the U.S. — though where it occurs and whether it causes catastrophic flooding is largely a matter of chance, according to experts. More than 100 people died in Texas Hill Country over the...
Flooding from Chantal’s remnants forces dozens to flee homes in North Carolina
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — Floodwaters from the remnants of Tropical Storm Chantal swept a woman in her car from a rural road and forced dozens of people to flee their homes, officials in North Carolina said Monday. Parts of central North Carolina experienced hazardous conditions overnight including 3 to 8...
Death toll from Texas flooding over July Fourth weekend surpasses 100
KERRVILLE, Texas — The death toll from catastrophic flooding in Texas over the July Fourth weekend surpassed 100 on Monday as search-and-rescue teams continued to wade into swollen rivers and use heavy equipment to untangle trees as part of the massive search for missing people. Authorities overseeing the search for...
Chantal, now a tropical depression, raises concerns of flash flooding in North Carolina and Virginia
MIAMI — Tropical Storm Chantal was downgraded to a depression Sunday but raised concerns of possible flash flooding as it makes its way through central North Carolina toward south-central Virginia. Chantal made landfall near Litchfield Beach, South Carolina, at about 4 a.m. EDT Sunday, the National Hurricane Center in Miami...
Texas officials face scrutiny over response to catastrophic and deadly flooding
KERRVILLE, Texas — Before heading to bed before the Fourth of July holiday, Christopher Flowers checked the weather while staying at a friend’s house along the Guadalupe River. Nothing in the forecast alarmed him. Hours later, he was rushing to safety: He woke up in darkness to electrical sockets popping...
Risk of further floods in Texas during desperate search for missing as death toll hits 82
KERRVILLE, Texas — With more rain on the way, the risk of life-threatening flooding was still high in central Texas on Monday even as crews search urgently for the missing following a holiday weekend deluge that killed at least 82 people, including children at summer camps. Officials said the death...
Firefighters race to contain wildfires in Greece as thousands evacuated, 2 die in Turkey
ATHENS, Greece — Firefighters battled blazes Thursday near Athens and on the island of Crete, where thousands were forced to flee holiday resorts, while blazes in neighboring Turkey claimed at least two lives. More than 5,000 tourists, hotel workers and residents were evacuated from the Ierapetra area along Crete’s southern...
Hurricane Flossie weakens to Category 2 off Mexico’s Pacific coast
MEXICO CITY — Hurricane Flossie continued to weaken as a Category 2 hurricane off Mexico’s southwestern Pacific coast with maximum sustained wind of 100 mph, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said. Flossie became a powerful Category 3 hurricane late on Tuesday, but was slated to steadily weaken on Wednesday and...
Wildfire kills 2 people in Spain as parts of Europe bake in heat wave
BARCELONA, Spain — A European heat wave helped fuel a virulent wildfire in Spain that killed two farmers before hundreds of firefighters brought it under control thanks to a timely rainstorm, authorities said Wednesday. The blaze that broke out late on Tuesday in the rural province of Lleida created an...
Tropical Storm Flossie strengthens, hurricane warning issued for Mexico’s Pacific coast
MEXICO CITY — Tropical Storm Flossie continued to gain steam off Mexico’s southwestern Pacific coast on Monday afternoon and was projected to turn into a hurricane overnight. Meanwhile, the remnants of what was Tropical Storm Barry dumped rain on eastern Mexico. Flossie strengthened with maximum sustained winds of 65 mph....
Tropical Storms Barry, Flossie form off Mexico’s southeast and southwest coasts
MIAMI — Tropical Storm Barry formed Sunday near Mexico’s southeast coast and is expected to drench the region for several days. The storm’s center was located about 35 miles east-northeast of Tuxpan, Mexico, according to the U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami. It had maximum sustained winds of 45 mph...
Rising summer heat increases risk of child deaths in hot cars
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — A record heat wave that spread across the East Coast of the United States during the first week of summer has child advocates warning parents and caretakers about the risks of heatstroke to children left inside hot vehicles. So far this year, nine children have died...
Mudslide along West Virginia highway strands thousands for more than 8 hours
Thousands of motorists were stranded for more than eight hours along a section of rural interstate highway in southern West Virginia early Friday after a mudslide caused by heavy rains blocked a storm drain the previous night, flooding the northbound lanes. Traffic backed up for 12 miles along the West...
For Eastern U.S., temperatures swing high, then low. They’ll soon go back up
After days of blistering heat, the nation’s sweaty East Coast got to open windows, step outside and get temporary relief Friday as temperatures plummeted as much as 40 degrees and humidity dropped. At least 68 record highs were set and more than 20 places logged triple-digit heat from Sunday through...
Tips to avoid dehydration in Western Pa.’s extreme heat
As temperatures hover around the 90s, health experts are stressing the importance of staying hydrated and taking precautions against the summer heat. Dr. Brent Rau, medical director for Allegheny Health Network’s Department of Emergency Medicine, said there’s no set amount of water to drink that will stop someone from becoming...
Friends by chance, they’re steady fixtures at Sandcastle — even amid the heat wave
More than an hour before Sandcastle Water Park opens in West Homestead, a tight-knit group of friends can be found waiting to claim lawn chairs by the pool. Chuck George became friends with Roseanne Fowler and Roseann Hill more than eight years ago after meeting them at the water park....
One more sizzling hot day for the eastern U.S. before temperatures plunge 30 degrees
NEW YORK — A record-smashing heat wave broiled the U.S. East for another day Wednesday, even as thermometers were forecast to soon plunge by as many as 30 degrees in the same areas. The day’s heat wasn’t expected to be as intense as Tuesday, when at least 50 heat records...
With nowhere to hide, these workers are left with no choice but to endure sizzling temps
It was so hot Tuesday that Chris Kelly had to pull his roofing crew from their regularly scheduled job. “Once it hits about 85 or 90 degrees, we don’t even install because the shingles will heat up to the point that walking on them will scar them,” said Kelly, owner...
Tropical Storm Andrea, 1st of Atlantic hurricane season, has formed
MIAMI — Tropical Storm Andrea, the first tropical storm of the Atlantic hurricane season, has formed, the National Hurricane Center said Tuesday. Andrea was located 1,205 miles west of the Azores, forecasters said. Maximum sustained winds were at 40 mph and the cyclone was traveling east-northeast at 17 mph. The...
Residents seek relief as extreme heat prompts surge in hospital visits; cooling centers open
Hospitals throughout Western Pennsylvania are seeing a spike in patients with heat-related emergencies, officials said Monday as extreme heat blanketed the region. At UPMC, the region’s largest hospital network, the number of people with heat-affected illnesses has gone up “dramatically,” said Dr. Donald Yealy, chief medical officer. “Absolutely, there’s zero...
Eastern half of U.S. endures another long day of dangerous heat
MADISON, Wis. — Tens of millions of people across the Midwest and East endured another sweltering day of dangerously hot temperatures Sunday as a rare June heat wave continued to grip much of the U.S. Most of the northeastern quadrant of the country from Minnesota to Maine was under some...
Solstice sizzle: Western Pa. braces for a surge in summer heat
Grab your water bottles. Summer’s officially here, and a uncanny stretch of consecutive days with temperatures in the 90s will accompany the solstice. For the first time in June since 1994, the Pittsburgh region is expected to have five or more days of temperatures in the 90s. And they’re coming...
Sunshine abounds as the summer solstice arrives
Peak sunshine has arrived in the Northern Hemisphere — the summer solstice. Friday is the longest day of the year north of the equator, where the solstice marks the start of astronomical summer. It’s the opposite in the Southern Hemisphere, where it is the shortest day of the year and...
Erick makes landfall in southern Mexico as a Category 3 storm
ACAPULCO, Mexico — Powerful Hurricane Erick made landfall in Mexico’s southern state of Oaxaca early Thursday, the National Hurricane Center in Miami said, but there was no immediate report of injuries. The hurricane’s center was located about 20 miles east of Punta Maldonado. Its maximum sustained winds were clocked at...
