June 19 2024: US heat wave and weather news

Parts of Torrance County, New Mexico, are experiencing flash flooding after severe weather brought heavy rain, damaging winds and hail to the area, according to the National Weather Service.

Law enforcement is currently responding to reports of flooding on Highway 42, south of the Village of Willard, Torrance County Emergency Management said in a Facebook post. Authorities are also responding to reports of flooding near Highway 55 and Highway 542, approximately 85 miles southeast of Albuquerque. 

Torrance County Emergency Manager Samantha O’Dell told CNN that emergency services were not performing water rescues at this time. 

Torrance County is directly north of Lincoln County, where the South Fork and Salt Fires have torn through the village of Ruidoso and nearby areas since Tuesday. According to the National Weather Service Albuquerque office, water rescues are ongoing in the Ruidoso area. 

In 2012, the Ruidoso area of New Mexico suffered under an extraordinary wildfire season, which had lasting effects on the landscape. The burned areas or “burn scars” have created an environment that is very susceptible to flash flooding and debris flow, according to the National Weather Service.

Here’s what can happen: Burned soil can be as water repellant as pavement, NWS says. So rainfall that would normally be absorbed into the soil runs off extremely quickly after a wildfire. As a result, much less rainfall can produce a flash flood. Half an inch of rainfall in less than an hour is sufficient to cause flash flooding in a burn area, but it can vary based on factors like the extent of the burned area and the flatness of the terrain.

What to know about debris flow: As water runs downhill through burned areas it can create major erosion and pick up large amounts of ash, sand, silt, rocks and burned vegetation. The force of the rushing water and debris can damage or destroy culverts, bridges, roadways, and buildings even miles away from the burned area.

Water rescues are ongoing around Ruidoso, New Mexico, after rain drenched the area near the South Fork wildfire, according to the National Weather Service Albuquerque office.

A Wednesday afternoon thunderstorm dropped at least 3 inches of rain in the area of the Village of Ruidosom according to Andrew Mangham, Senior Service Hydrologist for NWS Albuquerque.

Mangham said their office spoke with the Village of Ruidoso and has been told water rescues are ongoing but did not have specifics. 

A flash flood emergency was issued for the areas of Ruidoso, Alto, Ruidoso Downs and Hollywood earlier Wednesday. The NWS says on its website that “half an inch of rainfall in less than an hour is sufficient to cause Flash Flooding in a burn area.”

Magham said the rain in the area has stopped but “there is a significant amount of flow coming down the hills,” adding that “roads are cut off. People are cut off.”

He noted that as this afternoon’s rain began, “this fire was still raging when the storm came.”

The National Weather Service Corpus Christi released a weather balloon today to better forecast Tropical Storm Alberto.

“We just launched a special 18Z balloon launch,” NWS Corpus Christi posted on X. “The data will help us better forecast Tropical Storm Alberto.”

Heat records were broken again Wednesday from the Ohio Valley to New England, with widespread temperatures in the 90s and some locations even reaching the upper 90s – more than 20 degrees above normal.

Boston reached 98 degrees Fahrenheit, breaking the record of 96 degrees for June 19 that had been in place since 1923.

Caribou, Maine, topped out at 96 degrees, tying not only the daily record (from 2020), but also matching the highest temperature ever recorded there. Caribou’s average high for June 19 is just 73 degrees. The city set a new record for their highest heat index ever recorded when it reached 103 degrees just before noon, according to the National Weather Service. (The heat index is a combination of air temperature and humidity, and it measures what the body actually feels.)

A few other daily records tied or broken Wednesday include:

What to expect on Thursday: Similar temperatures in the low to mid 90s, with a few spots reaching the upper 90s, are expected from the Midwest to the Northeast again on Thursday. Records are likely to fall again, especially in New England where Boston is expected to reach 95 degrees and Manchester, New Hampshire, is expected to reach 98 degrees for a second straight day.

A GoFundMe has been set up for one of the people killed in the New Mexico wildfires.

The daughter of Patrick Pearson, 60, set up the fundraiser, which has already raised more than $7,000, according to the website.

Pearson’s daughter, Hilarie Mallak, previously said her dad was living at the Swiss Chalet Inn and had trouble evacuating because of an injury.

The fires have been converging on the village of Ruidoso, forcing thousands of people to evacuate. Mallak said her father was a musician in Ruidoso and had seven grandchildren, according to the GoFundMe.

Mallak said in the GoFundMe that the money will be used for funeral costs.

A second person has died in the New Mexico fires, the New Mexico Department of Public Safety confirmed to CNN on Wednesday.

Authorities found the remains of a person in the driver’s seat of a burned vehicle Tuesday on Ranier Road in Ruidoso during the South Fork Fire.

The person has not been identified at this time due to the condition of the body, New Mexico State Police Public Information Officer Wilson Silver told CNN.

“No legible identification documents were located in the burned vehicle,” Silver said.

The first known victim of the fires was identified earlier today as 60-year-old Patrick Pearson.

A 66-year-old man returned to his vacation home today in Alto, New Mexico, to assess the damage after trying to quell the flames of the South Fork Fire for hours on Monday night. He evacuated in the early hours of Tuesday, as the water ran out.

The man, who did not want to be named, said he strung together 300-foot hoses to spray areas around his and his next-door neighbors’ homes and was able to keep them safe.

While he was fortunate, the surrounding area was hard-hit, he said.

Only the word “bar” from a ski shop sign in Alto was left hanging today atop singed poles, ash and rubble. He saw wisps of smoke rising from his friend’s house, which didn’t look like a home anymore in nearby Ruidoso.

Here are some of the scenes he captured:

Alto Ski Shop Bar is seen engulfed in flames in Alto, New Mexico, on June 18.

Alto Ski Shop Bar is seen after the wildfires passed through on Wednesday.

Wildfire damage is seen in Ruidoso, New Mexico, on Wednesday.

A destroyed house belonging to his friend is seen on Wednesday.

Extreme weather is stretching from coast to coast Wednesday, including a record-breaking heat wave in the East and destructive wildfires in the West.

A tropical storm also formed in the Gulf of Mexico — the first named storm of what’s likely to become a hyperactive Atlantic hurricane season.

Here’s where things stand:

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott issued a disaster declaration for 51 counties on Wednesday afternoon as Tropical Storm Alberto continues to impact the southern half of the state.

“Texas is working closely with local officials and emergency response personnel to swiftly deploy all necessary assistance as heavy rainfall, tropical storm force winds, and coastal flooding impact communities in South Texas and the Coastal Bend,” Abbott said in a news release from the governor’s office. “I urge Texans in at risk-areas to remain weather aware and heed the guidance of state and local officials to keep themselves and their families safe.”

The counties in the disaster declaration are: Aransas, Atascosa, Bandera, Bee, Bexar, Brazoria, Brooks, Calhoun, Cameron, Chambers, DeWitt, Dimmit, Duval, Edwards, Fort Bend, Frio, Galveston, Goliad, Gonzales, Harris, Hidalgo, Jackson, Jefferson, Jim Hogg, Jim Wells, Karnes, Kenedy, Kinney, Kleberg, La Salle, Lavaca, Live Oak, Matagorda, Maverick, McMullen, Medina, Nueces, Orange, Real, Refugio, San Patricio, Starr, Uvalde, Val Verde, Victoria, Webb, Wharton, Willacy, Wilson, Zapata and Zavala.

A thunderstorm has developed near Ruidoso, New Mexico, over the South Fork fire, prompting the National Weather Service to issue a flash flood emergency.

The flash flood emergency lasts until 5 p.m. local time and includes Ruidoso, Alto, Ruidoso Downs and Hollywood.

“At 2:22 pm MDT, doppler radar indicated thunderstorms producing heavy rain over the South Fork burn scar,” the weather service said.

Between a half inch and 1.5 inches of rain have fallen and additional rainfall of the same amount is possible in the area, the weather service said. “Flash flooding is ongoing or expected to begin shortly.”

The area is also under a severe thunderstorm warning until 3 p.m. MDT for hail up to 2 inches in diameter and 60 mph winds.

More context: The South Fork Fire is 0% contained and has burned more than 15,000 acres so far.

Air quality advisories are being issued across Midwest and Northeast cities due to a heat wave sweeping the region.

Here are some of the alerts:

Heat worsens ozone and other types of air pollution, deteriorating air quality on hot days.

The same abundant sunshine that heats the air to roasting levels during a heat wave also reacts with pollutants in the air near the Earth’s surface. Sunshine and pollutants — like those emitted by cars, power plants, other industrial practices and more — undergo a chemical reaction that creates ozone, which is typically what reduces air quality most on a hot day.

Ozone impacts the lungs and makes it hard to breathe when levels are elevated.

CNN’s Lauren Rapp contributed to this alert. 

More than 250 million people in the United States will experience temperatures of at least 90 degrees this week as a prolific June heat wave settles in.

But not if you live in a few areas of the Rockies.

Instead of trying to keep cool in blistering heat, people in parts of Montana, Idaho and Wyoming have been bundled up in their winter best since Sunday.

A helping of summer snow was served up in elevated areas of the Northwest to start the week as unseasonably cold conditions broke records.  

Snow isn’t unheard of this time of year, especially in the high elevation areas of the Rockies, but this week’s amounts were above and beyond the typically paltry amounts.

More than 6 inches of snow fell in parts of western Montana’s mountainous terrain earlier this week. One high elevation area near the state’s border with Wyoming picked up 14 inches of snow in just 36 hours, according to National Weather Service data. 

Flakes also flew Monday afternoon in parts of Bozeman, Montana, with light snow accumulations on the grass, a social media video showed. 

Plenty of snow is still piled up along the Montana-Canada border in Glacier National Park, area webcams show.  

Dozens of daily low temperature records also fell from the northern Rockies to northern Nevada and as far east as the Dakotas since Sunday. Temperatures plummeted into the 20s and 30s in some locations. 

Tropical Storm Alberto only just formed, but there are early signs another storm could develop in nearly an identical area of the southwestern Gulf of Mexico in the coming days.

The National Hurricane Center has earmarked an area that currently has a 30% chance of developing into a tropical cyclone over the next seven days. It’s the yellow blob Alberto appears to be swirling in on the graphic below.

The forecast models meteorologists use as a crystal ball to peer into the tropical future show a storm could form by the weekend and then potentially track into the same areas of South Texas and northeastern Mexico just hit by Alberto.

It’s still too early to say for sure that a storm will form, or how strong it would be, but any system would likely deliver another injection of rain to an area about to get doused by Alberto, raising the flood risk.

Patrick Pearson

A man who died in the New Mexico wildfires was identified Wednesday as 60-year-old Patrick Pearson. His identity was confirmed to CNN by New Mexico State Police.

Pearson’s daughter, Hilarie Mallak, posted to social media that he had been residing at the Swiss Chalet Inn, which was seriously damaged by the fire in the village of Ruidoso. “He was ready to evacuate but he recently broke his leg and doesn’t drive,” Mallak said on Facebook.

Winds could shift in New Mexico on Wednesday — which spells good news for one of the wildfires burning in the state, a CNN meteorologist said.

East winds could help push the South Fork Fire to the west, away from the village of Ruidoso, according to a forecast from Chad Myers. But it’s not such good news for the Salt Fire, which could edge closer to US-70.

Both fires are 0% contained, with the South Fork Fire having burned more than 15,000 acres so far.

The wildfires have been tearing across Lincoln County and the Mescalero Apache Reservation, converging on Ruidoso “like a pair of tongs” and prompting thousands of residents to evacuate, officials say.

The wind shift is a result of Tropical Storm Alberto, which is currently located in the Gulf of Mexico, Myers said. Alberto’s center is less than 200 miles east of Tampico, Mexico, but the storm itself has a massive, lopsided sprawl.

Showers and thunderstorms fueled by its tropical moisture are delivering wet weather to areas hundreds of miles from its center.

Conditions are expected to become more favorable for firefighters over the South Fork Fire as the chances of rain increase beginning Wednesday afternoon. More significant rainfall is expected on Thursday and Friday.

CNN’s Fabiana Chaparro, Jillian Sykes and Elizabeth Wolfe contributed reporting to this post.

Tropical Storm Alberto is spinning, and so are its waterspouts.

A waterspout was spotted off the coast of Jamaica Beach, Texas — located about 10 miles down the coast from Galveston — according to social media reports.  

Another waterspout was tornado-warned just east of Rockport, Texas, early this afternoon.

The storm could continue to produce multiple waterspouts along the Texas coast this afternoon as the storm’s rain bands move ashore in waves.

FYI: Waterspouts are just tornadoes that form over water. They often churn off the coast and dissipate but sometimes track inland and cause tornadic damage. When waterspouts move onto land, the National Weather Service issues warnings for them like any other tornado as they pack strong winds.  

Powerful winds, flooding rainfall and storm surge are the more commonly known impacts of tropical systems, but any storm could potentially produce waterspouts or traditional tornadoes.

 ##Tropical Storm##

Storm surge from Tropical Storm Alberto is inundating the coast of Louisiana, more than 500 miles away from the storm’s center.

The state’s police shared images on social media of what the scene is like:

Storm surge levels of 1 to 2 feet have been reported at spots along the Louisiana coast, NOAA data shows. Storm surge is when a body of water, in this case the Gulf of Mexico, is pushed ashore by a storm’s winds.

Tropical cyclones are capable of much more significant storm surge, but it’s still enough to flood Louisiana Highway 1 in Lafourche Parish, Louisiana, which snakes out into the low-lying delta.

Alberto is a large storm — its wind field essentially fills up the entirety of the Bay of Campeche in the western Gulf of Mexico — and that makes it particularly effective at generating storm surge because its winds are pushing on a larger surface area of water.

Extreme heat is by far the deadliest form of severe weather, killing on average twice as many people a year as tornadoes and hurricanes combined.

Two of the most common heat-related conditions are heatstroke and heat exhaustion.

With heatstroke, the body can’t cool itself. Its temperature rises quickly, and its natural cooling mechanism – sweat – fails. A person’s temperature can rise to a dangerous 106 degrees or higher within just 10 or 15 minutes. This can lead to disability or even death.

A person who has heatstroke may sweat profusely or not at all. They can become confused or pass out, and they could have a seizure.

Heat exhaustion happens when the body loses too much water or salt through excessive sweating. That can come with symptoms like nausea, dizziness, irritability, thirst, headache and elevated body temperature.

With both conditions, emergency help is needed quickly. While waiting for assistance, bystanders can try to cool the person by moving them to the shade and giving them water.

Fast-growing and deadly wildfires are still burning in New Mexico. The wildfires have been tearing across Lincoln County and the Mescalero Apache Reservation, converging on the village of Ruidoso “like a pair of tongs” and prompting thousands of residents to evacuate, officials say.

CNN’s Ed Lavandera took video of the aftermath. In the clip, a deer can be seen walking through scorched trees and ash is seen an area of Ruidoso where wildfires blazed through.

Watch the footage:

Video Ad Feedback

960c71e1-63f1-4fef-b09a-26b7e4235f76.mp4

01:56 - Source: cnn

After a number of devastating storms have already left a staggering price tag in the United States so far this year, forecasters are warning an extreme summer is still to come. From punishing heat waves to severe weather and hurricanes — the nation’s disaster relief agency is expected to run out of money before it’s even over.

The US has been thrashed with 11 extreme weather disasters with costs exceeding $1 billion so far this year, with a total price tag of $25.1 billion, according to an updated tally from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. It’s tied for the second-most such disasters on record and doesn’t even include the extreme weather in the second half of May, said Adam Smith, an applied climatologist with NOAA.

That is worrying news for the Federal Emergency Management Agency, whose major disaster relief fund could slip into the red by the end of summer — a more than $1.3 billion shortfall in August, according to a May report.

In a statement to CNN, a FEMA spokesperson didn’t address exactly how much funding it would need to get through hurricane season, but said the agency is continuing to work with Congress “to ensure sufficient funding is available.”

While the connection between hurricanes and climate change is strong, scientists are less sure whether there’s a link to stronger or more frequent tornadoes but are sure it is making heat waves more intense and frequent.

Northern Maine isn’t known as an epicenter for extreme heat, but this week’s intense heat wave has changed that. 

The heat index, which better describes how heat feels to the human body, soared to a never-before-seen value of 103 degrees late Wednesday morning in Caribou, Maine, according to the National Weather Service. The previous record heat index in the city was 100.7 degrees.

Heat index records aren’t uniformly or officially kept by the National Weather Service, but Caribou has records dating to 85 years ago.

The town is just 10 miles from the Canadian border and its high temperature at this time of the year typically tops out around 74 degrees. The city topped that number by about 18 degrees before noon. 

Air temperatures will climb higher throughout the afternoon and ultimately reach the mid-90s. The heat index could increase in tandem and further cement its place in history.

Heat index values are calculated using air temperatures and a measure of moisture in the air known as the dew point.

Flooding is seen in Surfside Beach, Texas, on June 19.

Parts of Surfside Beach, Texas, are under water after Tropical Storm Alberto caused flooding in the area on Wednesday.

According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, storm surge has topped 4 feet in the coastal town, which is approximately an hour’s drive south of Galveston.

Photos posted to the Surfside Beach EMS’ Facebook page shows floodwaters through the town, with water coming halfway up street signs.

Alberto has sustained winds of 40 mph and is located about 295 miles from Brownsville, Texas.

Flooding is seen in Surfside Beach, Texas, on June 19.

Strong thunderstorms mixed with dangerous heat could lead to prolonged power outages in some areas of the US this week.

Not having access to power can impact the ability to keep food and medications cold, see potential danger, maintain a comfortable temperature and stay connected to safety services.

The basics: It’s crucial to ensure electric appliances are disconnected to avoid any harm or damage from power surges, according to the Federal Emergency Management Agency. It also recommends keeping freezers and refrigerators closed to help maintain cooler temperatures for food preservation. For good measure, turn off the main power breaker in your house and do not use any devices that are wet.

Use flashlights instead of candles: Avoid using candles during a blackout if possible. If you must use them, keep them away from anything that could catch fire and do not leave them unattended, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says. Ensure a fire extinguisher is available and those around you know how to use it.

Check on neighbors and loved ones: When it’s safe, reach out to people around you to make sure they are doing well. Those who have medical equipment that require power, like respirators, should be taken to locations with generators or a friend’s or neighbor’s home that hasn’t been impacted. And remember: The elderly and young children are especially vulnerable to extreme weather.

Over 14,000 Pennsylvanians remain without power on Wednesday as a heat wave continues across the region, and it could be until Sunday until power is fully restored.

As of 11:30 a.m. ET, 14,095 Pennsylvania residents were without power following Monday night storms, according to PowerOutage.us. 

High temperatures will reach the 90s across much of southwestern Pennsylvania every afternoon through at least Saturday. Temperatures will ease slightly on Saturday, but highs in the upper 80s will be common. Overnight low temperatures will not fall past 70 degrees until next week.

Duquesne Light Co., one of the power companies serving the state, said the estimated time of restoration for all customers is 1 p.m. ET on Sunday, June 23 — “with many customers expected to be restored sooner.”

Tropical Storm Alberto formed in the Gulf of Mexico Wednesday morning and is already making waves.

Alberto’s center is located over the western Gulf of Mexico, less than 200 miles from Tampico, Mexico, but the storm itself has a massive, lopsided sprawl.

Showers and thunderstorms — seen in the satellite image below as bubbly, white clouds — fueled by its tropical moisture are delivering wet weather to areas hundreds of miles from its center. Alberto’s clouds stretch from southern Mexico and the Yucatan Peninsula to the US Gulf Coast.

Alberto appears somewhat messy in satellite imagery since the storm just became organized into a fully tropical system. Stronger, more compact storms typically exhibit a much clearer cloud swirling pattern and are often easier to spot on satellite imagery.

Debris from a destroyed house is seen after a landslide in Ahuachapan, El Salvador, on June 17.

More than a dozen people have died in Central America as a result of persistent rainfall, flooding and landslides over the past week.

The rain is from what’s now Tropical Storm Alberto and has also been fueled by robust tropical moisture swirling within the Central American gyre: A large, disorganized area of showers and thunderstorms that rotates over Central America and its surrounding waters.

In El Salvador, the intense rains have left at least 11 people dead – eight adults and three minors – the Director of Civil Protection Luis Alonso Amaya said in an interview with local media on Wednesday. Three of the deceased were killed by fallen trees, Amaya said.

The places most affected by flooding, river overflows and landslides have been the western region of Ahuachapán and the majority of the coastal area, Amaya added.

In Guatemala, at least eight people have died and five have been injured, the National Coordinator for Disaster Reduction of Guatemala (Conred) said Tuesday.

Since Monday, Conred has reported sinkholes and landslides that have affected homes and roads in multiple areas. Nearly 6,000 people have been evacuated so far. At least 214 homes are at risk and 295 already have severe damage.

In Honduras, the Alianza municipality has been under a 72-hour red alert since Monday because of high precipitation, gusty winds and electrical activity, according to the Secretariat of Risk and Contingency Management.

Several villages were cut off due to flooding after the Goascorán River overflowed, the agency said.

Tropical Storm Alberto is seen in the Gulf of Mexico on Wednesday, June 19.

Tropical Storm Alberto formed in the western Gulf of Mexico late Wednesday morning, according to the National Hurricane Center.

Alberto has sustained winds of 40 mph and is located about 295 miles from Brownsville, Texas.

Alberto is the first named storm of what’s likely to become a hyperactive Atlantic hurricane season. Alberto is basically right on schedule. On average, the first Atlantic tropical storm forms on June 20, according to the NHC.

Alberto is expected to track slowly to the west this afternoon and approach the northeastern Mexico coast overnight, but is already lashing the coast of Texas with tropical storm-force winds, bursts of heavy rain and storm surge.

Landfall is likely to occur in Mexico overnight in the dark, increasing the danger for anyone in the immediate area of impact. 

The storm will produce rainfall totals of 5 to 10 inches across northeast Mexico into South Texas, with maximum totals of 15 inches possible through Thursday. This rainfall will likely lead to flash and urban flooding along with new and renewed river flooding.

Mudslides are also possible in areas of higher terrain across northeast Mexico. Heavy rain will persist even as the storm’s circulation is shredded apart by Mexico’s mountainous terrain and it loses its tropical storm status by Thursday afternoon.

FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate speaks with CNN on Wednesday.

Former Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Administrator Craig Fugate says climate change is fuelling the current heat wave gripping the US, and causing flash droughts.

Speaking to CNN, Fugate said extremely high temperatures and low humidities were causing severe drought and wildfires in areas where they do not usually occur.

“It seems we’re just bouncing around in this country from one extreme weather disaster to another,” Fugate said.

The former emergency agency administrator added that climate change had a role to play in the heatwave, noting that the “climate has already changed.”

“So this is not something we’ve experienced before especially the frequency and the fact that we’re not getting many breaks between these events,” he said.

Some context: Flash drought is defined by the rapid onset or intensification of drought brought on by abnormally high temperatures, sunny conditions and wind, which together can dramatically alter the local climate in a matter of days. Flash droughts can quickly cause extensive damage to agriculture, economies and ecosystems, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Storm clouds are seen on the horizon as Potential Tropical Storm One causes rainfall and flooding in Cancun, Mexico, on June 18.

Potential Tropical Storm One is producing tropical storm-force winds even as it’s still trying to organize into Tropical Storm Alberto. These gusty winds extend hundreds of miles from its developing core and are blowing over parts of Texas and Mexico.

Winds around 40 mph have been rushing into coastal Texas from the Mexico border to the Corpus Christi area since Tuesday.

Strong winds will spread into even more of southern Texas and Mexico as the system pushes west today and Thursday.

Heat-related emergency room visits and calls increased in New York state at the start of the blistering and unusually long-lasting June heat wave.

Heat-related emergency room visits on Monday were 215% higher than an average June day in the state, according to state health department data shared with CNN. There were 41 heat-related ER visits compared to the average of 13. 

Heat-related emergency services calls have also increased in recent days, state health officials said.

The visit increases were most pronounced in central and western New York. The statistics do not include New York City, but city officials told CNN that they have also seen an increase in visits for heat-related illnesses from May to September in recent years.

Temperatures pushed into the 90s across the state on Monday — the coolest day of the week — with Syracuse setting a daily record high of 94 degrees.

The state’s 694 heat-related emergency room visits from May 1 to June 17 are 72% higher than the average of 403 for the same time period. The past month has been one of 10 warmest across the state, according to data from the Southeast Regional Climate Center.

Remember: The figures highlight how serious a health risk extreme heat is. In the US, heat kills more Americans than any other weather-related disaster, and it will only continue to worsen as the world heats up from burning fossil fuels.

Tens of millions of people in the US will experience temperatures of at least 90 degrees this afternoon, but for many these temperatures aren’t typical in summer.  

The color scale on the graphic below shows how high above normal today’s high temperatures will be across the Northeast and Midwest.

Brown, orange and red colors represent temperatures that are very abnormal and will likely feel very uncomfortable for people not used to prolonged heat.  

Maine sticks out like a sore thumb. Temperatures there will run more than 20 degrees above normal.

Dozens of high temperature records have been smashed this week in the US, primarily where the hottest air of the year so far is baking the Midwest and Northeast.

Even more records are on the chopping block as the heat in the East reaches its peak Wednesday and Thursday.

Dozens of cities have also experienced record-warm overnight low temperatures this week. Warm overnight conditions put further strain on the human body by not allowing adequate time to cool down.

Storm clouds are seen over Galveston, Texas, on June 19.

Water levels are rising on portions of the Texas coast as a result of Potential Tropical Cyclone One.

Two-and-a-half feet of storm surge is inundating some areas of Corpus Christi while almost 3 feet of storm surge is impacting Port O’Connor, located about 70 miles up the coast.  

More than 3 feet of storm surge is flooding some coastal areas in the Galveston area. Water levels in some locations rose more than 2 feet in less than five hours and were still climbing early Wednesday morning. 

The coastal flooding is happening because of storm surge, or when water is pushed onto dry land by strong winds from a powerful storm. These winds cause ocean water to inundate coastal areas, essentially turning what was once land into an extension of the ocean. 

Storm surge from Potential Tropical Cyclone One won’t approach record levels but poses a risk to coastal areas nonetheless.  

Eric Moro speaks with CNN on Tuesday.

Wearing a shirt donated to him from a local church, New Mexico resident Eric Moro fought back tears as he described the moments he was forced to evacuate his home as fires crept near.

Moro, who left with his 3-year-old child, newborn baby, and wife said he did not receive a warning and didn’t have time to take all their belongings, but he did pack his family’s passports, important documents and photo albums from his mother.

“I kept trying to reassure her that ‘we’ll come back, we’ll come back.’”

But, Moro said he did not know if they would be able to return to their home. As video played on CNN of a ski store that went alight, Moro said his home was nearby.

Human-caused climate change has already made heat waves around the world more frequent and intense.

Scientists who study the role of global warming on weather say that every heat wave today bears the fingerprints of the climate crisis.

Climate change, driven primarily by humans burning fossil fuels, is worsening global extreme weather in general, but much of that change is related to heat. Heat fuels other types of extreme weather by adding moisture to the atmosphere, making events like heavy rainfall and floods — as well as destructive storms — more intense. For every 1 degree Celsius that the planet warms, the amount of water vapor in the atmosphere increases by about 7%. 

Scientists are also able to estimate just how much climate change is playing a role in particular weather events. 

An analysis from the World Weather Attribution initiative found that extreme heat waves across parts of the United States and southern Europe in July last year would have been “virtually impossible” without climate change. China’s heat wave at the same time was made at least 50 times more likely because of global warming.

Extreme heat is the deadliest form of weather globally, and it impacts many aspects of life, exacerbating drought and drying up water reservoirs, making wildfires more likely and destructive, disrupting electricity systems, and causing agricultural losses. Experts warn that the impacts of heat will hit developing nations and poorer members of society more profoundly.

Potential Tropical Cyclone One churns in the Gulf of Mexico early Wednesday morning.

The outer bands of Potential Tropical Cyclone One are unloading rain and gusty winds on southern Texas early Wednesday and conditions will worsen throughout the day.

The system, which is expected to become Tropical Storm Alberto sometime today in the Gulf of Mexico, has already lashed the state with tropical storm-force wind gusts over 40 mph.

Tropical storm-force winds extend up to 415 miles from its developing core, which is about 315 miles southeast of Brownsville, Texas, and creeping west-northwest at 8 mph.

A tropical storm warning is in effect for the Texas coast from San Luis Pass, which is south of Houston, south to the mouth of the Rio Grande and the northeastern coast of Mexico south of the mouth of the Rio Grande to Puerto de Altamira.

Heavy rainfall is expected across southern Texas on Wednesday and will spread across southwestern Texas by Thursday.

Southern Texas could see widespread rainfall totals of 5 to 10 inches with a few locations potentially recording up to 15 inches. Some tropical rainfall will move into New Mexico, including the area devastated by two wildfires, on Thursday and will last until Friday. 

While you can take as many measures as you like to stay cool at home, what about when you go to work? What responsibilities does your employer have to prevent you from suffering a heat-related illness? And what can you do if you think those aren’t being met?

Under the federal law that created the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), employers always have a duty to keep your workplace free of known hazards. “This includes protecting workers from heat-related hazards,” OSHA notes on its website.

And it applies whether you work outdoors or indoors.

Here are some recommendations OSHA and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, which research the prevention of work-related illnesses and injury, provide to employers:

Read more about what to do as an employer here.

The first-ever excessive heat warning was issued by the National Weather Service in Caribou, Maine, for portions of their forecast area on Tuesday.

“Dangerously hot conditions with heat index values up to 106° expected” on Wednesday, the warning states.

The excessive heat warning will be in effect from 10 a.m. ET until 8 p.m. ET on Wednesday, for southern Piscataquis county, as well as central and southern Penobscot county.

Further north in Caribou, an all-time record high of 96 degrees could be reached Wednesday afternoon, and the heat index could reach around 104 degrees — eclipsing the previous highest heat index on record there of 101 degrees in 1977.

Climate change is making the high temperatures forecast in Maine on Wednesday at least two times more likely to occur, according to data from Climate Central.

Hot conditions will continue on Thursday until a cold front arrives to cool the region Thursday night.

Kay Bymark said she noticed a “huge, billowing gray cloud” above her country club’s pool on Monday.

Kay Bymark and her husband fled their home Monday as ash from the nearby South Fork Fire fell over Alto, New Mexico. Though they were able to spend the night in an evacuation shelter, sleep was hard to come by.

Alto is among several communities that have been ordered to evacuate as the South Fork Fire has ripped through nearly 14,000 acres and was 0% contained early Tuesday.

Bymark, 79, first noticed ash and charred twigs falling from the sky around midday Monday when she saw a “huge, billowing gray cloud” above her country club’s pool, she told CNN. The couple’s concern only grew as the hours passed.

Soon, the couple lost cell service and wifi. Cut off from the outside world, Bymark’s husband went to scope out their street, and found that they seemed to be the last people left in the neighborhood, which was “very very scary.” 

After winding through traffic to evacuate, they were turned away at three full hotels in the city of Roswell before finding a place to stay at an emergency shelter.

“Over the night, people just kept on streaming in,” said Bymark. “People had their animals. I mean, cats were meowing and dogs were barking and panting and whining. We really never slept.”

In the morning, the couple headed to Austin, Texas, to stay at their second home in the Texas capital.

A heatwave continues to impact parts of the Great Lakes, Midwest and Northeast, bringing temperatures well into the 90s.

Hartford, Connecticut reached 95 degrees on Tuesday, tying their old record set in 1957 and 1994. Their average for this time of the year is 81 degrees. Wheeling, West Virginia also reached 95 degrees, which tied their old record set in 1944. 

For Wednesday, Detroit could reach 95 degrees, which would tie their daily record set in 2012. Their average for this time of the year is 81 degrees. Buffalo could see a high of 92 degrees, which would break their daily record of 90 degrees set in 2001. Their average for this time of the year is 76 degrees.  

Philadelphia reached 90 degrees on Tuesday and is expected to stay above 90 degrees Wednesday and every day for the next 7 days. Their average for this time of the year is 84 degrees. 

Pittsburgh hit 94 degrees on Tuesday and is expected to stay above 94 every day until Saturday before dropping to 93 on Sunday. 

A burned car and building are seen in Cedar Creek, New Mexico, on June 18, after mass evacuations were issued due to the South Fork Fire burning near the village of Ruidoso.

Approximately 1,400 structures have been lost and about 8,000 people have evacuated due to the South Fork Fire burning near Ruidoso, New Mexico, local officials said in an update. 

This is an increase from the 500 damaged structures announced by Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham during a briefing Tuesday afternoon. 

The South Fork Fire is now estimated at 15,276 acres and is zero percent contained, according to a New Mexico Forestry update.

Tuesday’s “fire activity included crowning and long-range spotting, which increased the fire’s footprint,” said forestry officials. 

“Response crews were able to directly engage areas of the fire’s footprint when conditions allowed” Tuesday, the forestry update said.

People visit a park in Brooklyn, New York, as a heat wave affects the Northeast, on June 18.

Extreme weather stretches from coast to coast Wednesday, including an overbearing heat wave in the East, destructive wildfires in the West and a potential tropical cyclone that can be felt in Texas.

More than 80 million people are under heat alerts Wednesday as a prolonged heat wave bakes the Midwest and Northeast, according to the National Weather Service.

Meantime out West, wildfires in New Mexico and California have torn through buildings and prompted entire communities to evacuate with pets and valuables in tow.

Here’s what you missed overnight:

New Mexico wildfires turn deadly: At least one person has died as two wildfires have prompted thousands of people in southern New Mexico to evacuate, officials said. The blazes have consumed more than 20,000 acres combined.

Firefighting conditions improve: Firefighters battling blazes near Ruidoso, New Mexico, are expected to receive much-needed rain showers lasting from Wednesday afternoon through Friday. In California, where two significant active fires are burning, conditions could also improve as high winds settle down and humidity increases, an analyst said.

Record-breaking heat continues: Another day of dangerous heat is in store after high-temperature records were shattered in several US cities Tuesday. More than 20 daily records are expected to be broken Wednesday. High temperatures in the Midwest, Great Lakes and into the Northeast will remain largely in 90s through the end of the week – and into next week in some places. That’s 10 to 15 degrees warmer than usual for mid-June.

Texas feels impact of developing tropical storm: Tropical Storm Alberto is expected to form in the Gulf of Mexico on Wednesday and is set to unleash powerful winds, heavy rain and flood threats to South Texas, Mexico and Central America. Texas is already being battered by tropical storm-force winds from the system’s outer bands, which stretch more than 400 miles from its center.