CNN-Weather/Environment

By Allison Chinchar, CNN Meteorologist Labor Day weekend is usually the final goodbye to summer, but for roughly a third of the country, temperatures could reach record levels this holiday weekend. “September is kicking off with scorching temperatures throughout the western US, as highs are once again anticipated to threaten daily and even monthly records

By Aya Elamroussi, CNN The savage heat that has gripped several states in the West will persist through the holiday weekend — and for the third day in a row, Californians are being advised to curb their electric consumption to avoid power outages. More than 45 million people were under heat alerts across most of

By Elizabeth Wolfe, Aya Elamroussi and Alaa Elassar, CNN After a wildfire raging in Los Angeles County swelled to more than 5,200 acres in less than 48 hours, a top fire official warned the explosive growth should be a “wake-up call” to residents. The Route Fire began Wednesday around noon near Castaic Lake and grew

By Aya Elamroussi, CNN An intense heat wave will blanket much of the West this week, prompting officials in California to urge residents to slash their energy consumption for the second day in a row to avoid straining the electrical grid. The California Independent System Operator — which manages 80% of the state’s grid —

By Jennifer Gray, CNN meteorologist Some of the hottest temperatures of the year are on the way for the West Coast and possibly staying dangerously hot through Labor Day as a mega heat wave builds in for the long term. More than 55 million people are currently under heat alerts from Southern California through the

By Jennifer Gray, CNN meteorologist The National Hurricane Center is actively watching four areas right now for tropical development, and two have a decent shot of affecting the US on Labor Day weekend. We realize talking about your Labor Day forecast a week out might be a touch early, but with the tropics coming alive

By Nouran Salahieh, Dakin Andone and Kevin Conlon, CNN The residents of Jackson, Mississippi — already dealing with flooded streets — are now also faced with another problem: There isn’t enough water to flush toilets or fight fires due to issues at the main water treatment facility, according to Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves. Because of

By Nouran Salahieh and Paradise Afshar, CNN A day after warning residents of Jackson, Mississippi, to “get out now,” the mayor of the state’s biggest city is urging them to not take evacuation warnings lightly as record-setting rain threatens to flood streets and creep into homes within the next two days. “We want them to

By Jay Croft and Amanda Musa, CNN After record-setting rainfall this week, Jackson, Mississippi, is preparing for the Pearl River to reach 36 feet by Tuesday, leading to flooded streets. Marty Pope, a hydrologist with the National Weather Service said in a Friday news conference the Pearl River will likely reach 34-35 feet this weekend.

CNN Editorial Research Here’s a look at some statistics from Hurricane Katrina. August 29, 2005 Katrina makes landfall near Grand Isle, Louisiana as a Category 3 storm with winds near 127 mph.– Severe flooding damage to cities along the Gulf Coast, from New Orleans to Biloxi, Mississippi. – Numerous failures of levees around New Orleans