Record-breaking heat wave sending temperatures soaring across the US | CNN (2024)

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 damagedbythe firein the village of Ruidoso. “He was ready to evacuate but he recently broke his leg and doesn’t drive,” Mallaksaid 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 iscurrently locatedin the Gulf of Mexico, Myers said. Alberto’s center isless than 200 miles east ofTampico, 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 areexpected 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 andElizabeth 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 averagetwice as many peoplea year as tornadoes and hurricanes combined.

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

Withheatstroke, 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 deadlywildfiresare 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:

See Also

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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, saidAdam 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 of40mph and is located about295miles fromBrownsville, 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 tothe 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 toPowerOutage.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 of40mph and is located about295miles fromBrownsville, Texas.

Alberto is the first named storm of what’s likely to become ahyperactive Atlantic hurricane season. Alberto is basically right on schedule. On average, the first Atlantic tropical storm forms on June 20, accordingto 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 occurin Mexicoovernight 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 bouncingaround in this country from oneextreme weather disaster toanother,” 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 somethingwe’ve experienced beforeespecially the frequency andthe fact that we’re not gettingmany breaks between theseevents,” 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 visitsand callsincreasedinNew York stateat 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 incentralandwesternNew York.The statistics do not include New York City, butcity officials told CNN that they have also seen an increase in visits for heat-related illnesses from May to September in recent years.

Temperaturespushed 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: Thefigureshighlighthow serious a health risk extreme heatis. 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 causeocean water to inundate coastal areas, essentially turning what was once land into an extension of the ocean.

Storm surge from Potential Tropical Cyclone Onewon’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 likeheavy rainfall and floods — as well asdestructive storms — more intense. For every 1 degree Celsius that the planet warms, the amount of water vapor in the atmosphereincreases 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 heatwaves acrossparts of theUnited States and southern EuropeinJulylast yearwould 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 anddrying 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 ofPotential Tropical Cyclone Oneare 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 Albertosometime 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.

Atropical storm warningis 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,” OSHAnoteson its website.

And it applies whether you work outdoors or indoors.

Here are some recommendations OSHA and theNational 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 fromClimate Central.

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

KayBymarksaid 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 nearbySouth Fork Firefell over Alto, New Mexico. Though they were able to spend the night in an evacuation shelter, sleep was hard to come by.

Alto is amongseveral communitiesthat 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 SouthForkFire 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 Fireburning near Ruidoso, New Mexico, local officialssaid in anupdate.

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

The South Fork Fire is now estimated at 15,276 acres and is zero percent contained, according toa 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 than80 million peopleare under heat alerts Wednesday as a prolonged heat wave bakes the Midwest and Northeast, according to the National Weather Service.

Meantime out West, wildfires inNew MexicoandCaliforniahave torn through buildings and prompted entire communitiesto evacuatewith pets and valuables in tow.

Here’s what you missed overnight:

New Mexico wildfires turn deadly:At least one personhas diedas two wildfires have prompted thousands of people in southern New Mexico to evacuate, officials said. The blazes have consumedmore than 20,000 acrescombined.

Firefighting conditions improve:Firefighters battling blazes near Ruidoso, New Mexico, are expected to receive much-neededrain showerslasting from Wednesday afternoon through Friday. In California, where two significant active fires are burning,conditions could also improveas 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 inseveral US citiesTuesday. More than 20 daily records are expectedto be brokenWednesday. 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 Albertois 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 alreadybeing batteredby tropical storm-force winds from the system’s outer bands, which stretch more than 400 miles from its center.