Wednesday, Sep 11th
Last update07:14:51 AM GMT
Environmental Glance
Francine became a hurricane on Tuesday evening as it barreled toward southern Louisiana, strengthening over extremely warm Gulf waters as those in possible harm’s way rushed to complete storm preparations, filling sandbags, buying gas and stocking up on necessities for an expected landfall in the coming day.
Residents, especially in south Louisiana, have a 24-hour window to “batten down all the hatches”, Louisiana governor Jeff Landry warned at midday while Francine was still a tropical storm.
Tropical Storm Francine, which formed in the Gulf of Mexico on Monday, is getting stronger and "quickly becoming better organized," the National Hurricane Center said.
It's expected to be a hurricane when it hits the Louisiana coast on Wednesday. Local officials expect it to be a Category 1 or possibly Category 2 hurricane and to make landfall between mid-afternoon and late night.
Jacques Thibodeaux, director of the Louisiana Governor’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness, said residents should prepare for heavy rain and localized flooding of 7-9 inches over 12 hours after the storm makes landfall. The biggest danger will be storm surge if Francine slows its speed, he said.
Tens of thousands of homes and buildings were threatened Sunday by an out-of-control wildfire burning in the foothills of a national forest east of Los Angeles, amid a days-long heatwave that pushed temperatures into the triple digits across the region.
State firefighters said three firefighters had been injured and more than 35,000 structures were threatened, including single and multi-family homes and commercial buildings, while authorities issued evacuation orders for several areas. Thunderstorms expected later in the day could make conditions even more challenging.
The so-called Line fire was burning along the edge of the San Bernardino national forest, about 65 miles (105km) east of LA. As of Sunday morning, the blaze had charred about 27 sq miles (70 sq km) of grass and chaparral, leaving a thick cloud of dark smoke blanketing the area.
An intense heatwave across the US west has brought unusually warm temperatures to the region – some of the highest of the season – and broken heat records.
Millions of Americans from Phoenix to Los Angeles to Seattle are under heat alerts. Even before this latest bout of extreme weather, which began on Wednesday and is expected to last through the weekend, summer 2024 was already considered the hottest summer on record.
In California, the desert city of Indio saw its hottest 5 September at 121F (49.4C), breaking a previous record of 120F from 2020, while Palm Springs tied its heat record for the day at 121F. Palm Springs recorded its all-time high of 124F in July.
The Los Angeles region has not yet broken any records – although Burbank, a few miles to the north of downtown Los Angeles, tied for its all-time high of 114F. But the area is bracing for a days-long stretch of triple-digit temperatures. The temperature in Los Angeles on Thursday reached 102F (38.9C), and Friday was expected to see similarly high temperatures in three figures.
Millions of people from southwestern Oregon through California, parts of Arizona and western Nevada will be under excessive heat warnings Tuesday through Friday.
The highest temperatures are expected in Furnace Creek in Death Valley National Park, where temperatures could reach 120 degrees this week. Meanwhile, in southern California's Palm Springs area and the Coachella Valley, afternoon highs could hit 118 degrees.
Federal forecasters said major cities including Los Angeles, Phoenix, Las Vegas and Portland, Oregon, were expected to surpass 100 degrees, according to the weather service. Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said that emergency personnel have begun preparing for the heat wave and that authorities are setting up cooling centers around the city.
More than one dozen park-goers have died in Grand Canyon national park this summer, with three perishing in just over one week in August, as weather extremes linked to climate change make for increasingly dangerous conditions.
With 14 deaths reported in the park this season, total fatalities have already almost reached the annual average of 15, the Hill reported.
One hiker who died, Chenoa Nickerson, was last seen on 22 August above the confluence of Havasu Creek and the Colorado River, National Park Service officials said. Nickerson was reported missing after a flash flood hit the Havasu canyon, and her body was found on 25 August.
The Havasupai tribe reported catastrophic flash floods, which damaged “the main trail to Supai Village, trails within the village, tribal member homes, public utility systems and the campgrounds,” on the day she went missing. An 80-year-old man died when his boat capsized on 25 August, plunging him into the Colorado River, per the Hill.
Families who built their small farms around riding their horses, raising cattle and holding family fish fries in rural Johnson County face an uncertain future because of what they’re finding in the pasture or stock tank: dead or deformed cattle, horses and fish.
The past two years have been a “nightmare” for the family farmers, and they point to “forever chemicals” found in fertilizer made from sewage as the reason.
The five farmers who live outside of Grandview — James Farmer, Robin Alessi, Patsy Schultz, and Karen and Tony Coleman — have been embroiled in a complex legal battle with the EPA and fertilizer manufacturer Synagro Technologies Inc. and its Texas subsidiary since February, when they filed a lawsuit against Synagro in Circuit Court of Baltimore County and one against the EPA in Washington.
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