CNN-Weather/Environment

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

By Judson Jones, Monica Garrett, Steve Almasy and Amir Vera, CNN Dozens of residents at a nursing home in the Mississippi town of Brandon had to be evacuated on school buses Wednesday after a slow-moving system brought rain across the South Wednesday drenching central parts of the state. A total of 31 residents were evacuated

By Haley Brink, CNN meteorologist After heavy rain and flash floods in parts of the Southwest this weekend, more than 14 million people across the southern Plains were under flood watches and warnings Sunday, including the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex and Shreveport, Louisiana. About 3 to 5 inches of heavy rain had already fallen across the