cnn-weather/environment

By Jennifer Henderson and Jon Passantino, CNN The Calf Canyon/Hermits Peak Fire has become the largest fire in New Mexico history, burning 298,060 acres, officials said. The blaze, burning east of Santa Fe, is 27% contained with 2,015 personnel working to contain the fire, officials said Monday on a Facebook page providing updates on the

By Jennifer Gray, CNN meteorologist By this evening, damaging winds, large hail and even tornadoes will tear through the country’s most densely populated region and could raise havoc with the evening commute. One forecaster from the Washington, DC National Weather Service (NWS) office said on the phone this morning “As far as the coverage of

By Allison Chinchar, CNN meteorologist An early season heat wave will build across the southern tier of the United States, creating “unstable conditions” for wildfires and forcing some residents to conserve power usage. “We are expecting above normal temperatures and what that means for fires is generally unstable conditions,” Todd Shoemake, a meteorologist at the

By Sara Smart and Alaa Elassar, CNN An evacuation order is in place for a Canadian town in the Northwest Territories due to heavy flooding. Residents of Hay River, on the south side of Great Slave Lake, have been ordered to leave and find shelter, according to a Thursday news release from the town. Hay

By Allison Chinchar, CNN Meteorologist Record temperatures expected in the fire-ravaged Southwest will continue to worsen the deepening drought, as well as make for tough fire-fighting conditions, as an intense heat wave will be felt across most of the southern tier of the US this weekend. “We are expecting above normal temperatures and what that

By Elizabeth Wolfe, CNN When Keith Morey and his wife, Lynn, returned to their Laguna Niguel, California, home, they found little left in the ashes. Since its start on Wednesday, the Coastal Fire quickly ripped through mansions along hillside streets in Laguna Niguel, a city of about 65,000 with some of the state’s wealthiest neighborhoods.

By Angela Fritz, Chad Myers and Ella Nilsen, CNN Meteorologists in California told CNN on Thursday they were surprised at how fast Orange County’s devastating brush fire moved overnight, as it tore through the city of Laguna Niguel and destroyed at least 20 multimillion-dollar homes and mansions. “It’s way too early” for a fire like

By Taylor Romine, Christina Maxouris, Aya Elamroussi and Eric Levenson, CNN A rapidly moving brush fire destroyed at least 20 homes and forced the evacuation of nearly a thousand homes in Orange County, California, on Wednesday in a foreboding sign of the new normal for the region. The Coastal Fire began Wednesday afternoon at about

By Jennifer Gray, CNN Meteorologist Parts of eastern India are preparing for torrential rain and strong winds as a tropical cyclone warning is in effect for the Andhra Pradesh coast — as other portions of the country battle extreme heat. While the cyclone may bring some relief from the heat, it will be too far

By Jennifer Gray, CNN meteorologist In parts of Texas, smoke fills the sky. Wildfires are burning out of control; the brush is dry and all it takes is a single spark to create the next fire that could rage out of control. No home or neighborhood is safe from this reality in Amarillo. Extreme temperatures

By Rob Shackelford and Judson Jones, CNN An extremely critical, highest-level fire risk has been issued near the Calf Canyon/Hermits Peak Fire, as powerful winds, combined with exceptional drought conditions, threaten to fuel the largest wildfire now burning in the United States. Places facing a Level 3 of 3 fire risk include northeast New Mexico,