By Jason Hanna, Amir Vera, Elizabeth Wolfe, David Williams and Paradise Afshar, CNN While all entrances of Yellowstone National Park are temporarily closed because flooding has damaged roads and bridges, the park’s northern portion in particular may remain closed for “a substantial length of time,” park officials said Tuesday. “Many sections of road in (the
Continue ReadingBy Judson Jones, CNN Meteorologist Daily high temperature records were set across several cities Monday afternoon. Here are a few: — Columbia, South Carolina, reached an afternoon high of 103 degrees, breaking its old June 13 record of 102 degrees, set in 1958. — North Platte, Nebraska, hit 108 degrees, breaking its old record of
Continue ReadingBy Elizabeth Wolfe, CNN In a matter of hours Monday, the iconic landmarks of Yellowstone National Park were shuttered to the public and its roads left unpassable after a torrential downpour and rapid snowmelt contributed to unprecedented flooding at one of America’s most visited national parks. A helicopter flying overhead captured scenes of destruction —
Continue ReadingBy Joe Sutton, CNN As Arizona’s Pipeline Fire has scorched nearly 23,000 acres, officials are discussing the possibility of closing the Coconino National Forest to the public, citing concerns over the fire threat, current weather patterns and prolonged drought conditions, an incident management spokesperson says. The Pipeline Fire, which reportedly began burning about six miles
Continue ReadingBy Joe Sutton, CNN Arizona’s Pipeline Fire, about six miles from Flagstaff, has scorched more than 20,000 acres, about four times the area it was Monday afternoon, according to Coconino National Forest officials. Two smaller fires in the vicinity, the Haywire Fire and Double Fire, are now combined and called the Haywire Fire, and is
Continue ReadingBy Allison Chinchar, CNN Meteorologist More than 25 million people in over a dozen states are under heat alerts Saturday. From the northern Plains to the Southeast, temperatures will be in the upper 90s, with heat index levels well into the triple digits. The heat wave comes on the heels of another record-breaking heat wave
Continue ReadingBy Judson Jones, CNN Meteorologist This is exceptionally hot and humid for any time of year. Period. “We don’t change our criteria based on the time of year,” Matt Beitscher, a National Weather Service meteorologist in St. Louis, told CNN weather. A heat dome which began last week in the Southwest has shifted over the
Continue ReadingBy Elizabeth Wolfe, Joe Sutton, Ella Nilsen and Brandon Miller, CNN A wildfire burning just six miles north of Flagstaff, Arizona, has prompted evacuations for hundreds of people, and thousands more have been told by authorities to prepare for future evacuation, authorities said Sunday night. The Pipeline Fire was first reported by a fire lookout
Continue ReadingBy Joe Sutton and Susannah Cullinane, CNN Mandatory evacuations are in place after a wildfire expanded steadily in Southern California’s Angeles National Forest on Sunday. The Sheep Fire grew from 35 acres Sunday morning to 775 acres that afternoon, according to InciWeb. As of Monday, the fire has scorched 990 acres with around 27% containment,
Continue ReadingBy Joe Sutton and Susannah Cullinane, CNN Mandatory evacuations are in place after a wildfire expanded steadily in Southern California’s Angeles National Forest on Sunday. The Sheep Fire grew from 35 acres Sunday morning to 775 acres that afternoon, according to InciWeb. As of Monday, the fire has scorched 990 acres with around 27% containment,
Continue ReadingBy Haley Brink and Allison Chinchar, CNN Meteorologists More than 65 million people from California to Tennessee are under some type of heat alert Sunday, as dangerously high temperatures persist across the Southwest and the southern and central Plains. Among the heat alerts in places Sunday are heat advisories, excessive heat watches and excessive heat
Continue ReadingBy Haley Brink and Allison Chinchar, CNN The official start of summer is 10 days away but more than 60 million Americans are under heat alerts Saturday from California to Louisiana, with triple digit temperatures expected to melt away daily records across the Southwest. Temperatures across the Central Valley of California and Southwest will be
Continue ReadingBy Allison Chinchar, CNN Meteorologist Over 35 million people are under heat advisories or excessive heat warnings from California to Texas, as the high temperatures peak in the West and spreads eastward over the weekend. The alerts cover portions of more than half a dozen states as the mercury climbs over the 100 degree mark
Continue ReadingBy Stephanie Elam, CNN As the extended drought has left vegetation dry, brittle and ripe for burning, fire officials in Southern California are bracing for another challenging summer and fall of wildfires amid a shortage of firefighting crews and increased workloads. “We’re expecting a hotter, drier summer this year leading into the fall when we
Continue ReadingBy Pedram Javaheri and Allison Chinchar, CNN meteorologists The two largest fires in New Mexico history are happening simultaneously and are only expected to get bigger through the weekend. The wildfires —Â the Hermits Peak/Calf Canyon Fire just northeast of Santa Fe and the Black Fire in the Gila National Forest — continue to burn at
Continue ReadingBy Judson Jones, CNN Meteorologist A “dangerous and deadly heat wave” is on the way for the Southwest through the weekend, the Phoenix National Weather Service warns. More than 30 million people are under heat alerts, and more than 50 daily high-temperature records could be broken through the weekend — including in Death Valley, California,
Continue ReadingBy Judson Jones, CNN Meteorologist A “dangerous and deadly heat wave” is on the way for the Southwest through the weekend, the Phoenix National Weather Service warns. More than 30 million people are under heat alerts, and more than 50 daily high-temperature records could be broken through the weekend — including in Death Valley, California,
Continue ReadingBy Judson Jones, CNN Meteorologist Intense summer heat will build as the week rolls on, peaking with potentially deadly heat in the drought-stricken West this Friday. Temperatures will rise above 100 degrees, reaching or breaking records in many areas. Meteorologists like Chris Kuhlman, from the National Weather Service (NWS) office in Phoenix, recommend people stay
Continue ReadingBy Haley Brink, CNN meteorologist The central Plains could see severe weather Sunday, according to the National Weather Service’s Storm Prediction Center, including thunderstorms, damaging hurricane-force winds, very large hail and isolated tornadoes. More than 3.6 million people in parts of Nebraska, Kansas and Oklahoma — including cities like Oklahoma City, Tulsa, Oklahoma, and Wichita,
Continue ReadingBy Judson Jones, CNN Meteorologist Before hitting Florida on Saturday, a broad swath of showers and thunderstorms over the Yucatán Peninsula could turn into Tropical Storm Alex or a tropical depression, the National Hurricane Center said. Tropical storm warnings are in effect Friday for over 10 million people in the southern half of Florida, Cuba
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