close
close

first Drop

Com TW NOw News 2024

    • Storms and heat waves can disrupt plans
    news

    Storms and heat waves can disrupt plans

    Vaseline Posted on

    play

    Thunderstorms and a heat wave could upend Labor Day weekend plans across the country as record numbers of people are expected to travel to officially end summer.

    From Friday through Monday, large parts of the country will experience downpours and possible flooding, particularly in the Midwest, Plains, Mid-Atlantic and Gulf Coast states. Meanwhile, parts of the Northwest are forecast to endure a scorching heat wave that will bring temperatures 10-20 degrees above average for this time of year.

    Outside the continental U.S., the remnants of former Tropical Storm Gilma are expected to bring heavy rain and wind to the Hawaiian Islands this weekend. Developing tropical disturbances in the Atlantic could bring showers and thunderstorms to the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico on Labor Day and early next week.

    Bad weather isn’t the only threat to a fun-filled holiday weekend. Bacteria, algae and other hazards have closed beaches across the country, including more than 60 in Massachusetts alone.

    More than 17 million people are expected to pass through airport security from Thursday, August 29, through Wednesday, September 4, according to the Transportation Security Administration, making it possibly the busiest Labor Day travel period ever.

    Here’s what you need to know about the weather forecast for the long weekend:

    Storm follower: National Hurricane Center monitors 2 disturbances in the Atlantic Ocean

    Storms kick off holiday weekend in central and eastern US

    According to AccuWeather, thunderstorms are possible Friday across much of the central and eastern U.S., from New Mexico, Texas and Louisiana to Michigan, western New York, central Pennsylvania and the Florida peninsula.

    The broad band spans 20 states, and while rain won’t fall consistently, there’s still a risk of “potentially severe conditions,” AccuWeather said. Storms expected to sweep across the lower Great Lakes, Mississippi Valley and southern Plains, for example, could produce “thunderstorms and locally heavy rainfall, with some isolated flash flooding possible,” the weather service said.

    A new trough could bring stronger wind gusts to the Great Lakes region, prompting the Storm Prediction Center to raise the risk level for damaging wind gusts to 2/5 in eastern Michigan.

    Occasional rainfall could cause parts of the northeast to experience flooding

    The threat of severe storms will extend into the Ohio Valley and the Northeast on Saturday and Sunday, with “areas of severe weather” expected to hit the Appalachians and Mid-Atlantic regions, the weather service said.

    According to the Storm Prediction Center, the largest cities at risk for stormy weather are Philadelphia, Baltimore, Washington DC, Pittsburgh and Arlington.

    “Damaging winds will again be the primary threat,” the weather service said. “In addition, isolated flash flooding remains possible, with the potential for a greater threat as the frontal advance slows.”

    A cold front moving through the Midwest and Plains is expected to provide relief from the intense heat that has battered parts of the Mid-Atlantic this week, including Washington, D.C., where the high reached 100 degrees on Wednesday afternoon, breaking the previous record of 100 degrees set in 1948, according to the Capital Weather Gang.

    Storms forecast for Gulf Coast states

    While some parts of the Southeast will see little rain through the weekend, the Gulf Coast and other parts of the region could experience flooding.

    Heavier rains are expected to flood parts of the western Louisiana and upper Texas Gulf Coasts over the weekend as a low pressure system lingers nearby. Higher rainfall and repeated storms increase the “potential for widespread flash flooding,” the weather service said. Daily thunderstorms are also in the forecast for the central and southern Florida peninsula.

    According to AccuWeather, heavy rain is expected on Labor Day from Texas to the Carolinas, Georgia and Florida, where localized flooding is possible.

    Dozens of Massachusetts beaches closed due to bacteria levels

    More than 60 beaches in Massachusetts are closed due to bacteria or other hazards, such as potentially harmful chemicals or currents.

    The Massachusetts Department of Public Health (MDPH) said in a statement that swimming in the waters of these closed beaches poses a risk of illness due to high bacteria levels. Symptoms can range from nausea and vomiting to sore throat and fever.

    The number of closed beaches this year is down significantly from a year ago, when more than 90 beaches along the state’s Atlantic coast were closed.

    In other regions, authorities warned beachgoers to avoid certain areas due to the presence of bacteria.

    In Michigan, authorities advised people to avoid five beaches because of “high bacteria levels from an unknown source.” In Wisconsin, four of the city’s beaches in Lake Geneva remained closed because of blue-green algae blooms, a bloom that can produce toxins that can sicken and, in some cases, kill people and animals.

    In Florida, the Duval County Health Department has issued a health warning for toxic blue-green algae in the St. Johns River, the state’s longest river. The cause of the bloom has been attributed to excess nutrients in the river, primarily nitrogen.

    Heat up the Northwest heat during the holiday weekend

    A late summer heat wave has prompted warnings across the Pacific Northwest, with weather experts expecting temperatures to soar well above seasonal averages through the weekend.

    Afternoon temperatures on Friday in the northern Great Basin and Pacific Northwest will top out in the mid-90s, according to AccuWeather. On Saturday, the heat will intensify as it spreads into the northern Rockies, causing temperatures to rise into the upper 90s.

    The weather service in Spokane, Washington, has issued a heat warning that will go into effect Saturday morning and expire Monday evening. Across central and northeastern Oregon, as well as southeastern Washington, weather officials said they were expecting “warm conditions with temperatures in the 95 to 100 degree range,” the weather service in Pendleton, Oregon, said.

    “Warnings have been issued for much of the northern Great Basin due to the increased risk of heat-related illness. Extra caution should be exercised to seek shade and stay hydrated during this long weekend,” the weather service warned.

    Contributor: Kathleen Wong, USA TODAY; Catherine Messier, The Patriot Ledger; Cheryl McCloud, USA Today Network-Florida; Claire Reid, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

    Vaseline
    View all posts

    You Might Also Like