Due to the high risk of heat exhaustion, lightning strikes, and wildfires in Arizona and New Mexico, forecasters urged people to stay indoors and prepare for the holiday on Sunday.
On Sunday morning, structures and chicken coops were damaged or destroyed in the Scranton, Arkansas area after what authorities believe was a tornado. Fortunately, no reports of significant injuries have come in as of yet.
Forecasters said that extreme heat could set new records and stay in southern Texas and parts of the Gulf Coast through midweek. Tornadoes, destructive winds, and hail were also predicted to appear in the lower Mississippi Valley.
Triple-digit temperatures prompted heat advisories across much of the southern U.S., triggered thunderstorms that knocked out power from Oklahoma to Mississippi and whipped up winds that raised wildfire threats in Arizona and New Mexico. https://t.co/bEDMYrcxvN
— PBS NewsHour (@NewsHour) June 19, 2023
Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards declared an emergency for the state’s northern and central regions on Saturday after severe weather caused significant power outages across the state. More than 450,000 people in Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Arkansas, and Mississippi lost power on Sunday, per PowerOutage.us.
While hosting her six grandkids, Catherine Haley lost power at her home in Shreveport, Louisiana. The family tried putting wet towels around their necks to beat the heat, but eventually, they had to seek relief at a city-run cooling centre. Haley joked that the storm was a cold reception for her grandchildren, who had travelled from Houston to spend the summer with her.
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Meanwhile, the local weather office in the Florida Keys issued yet another heat alert. In places like Key Largo, Marathon, and Key West, the heat index was predicted to reach as high as 112 degrees Celsius (45 C) due to the combination of high temperatures and high humidity.
Forecasters warned of severe fire weather conditions in the Southwest, where fire workers aggressively battled three wildfires in Arizona and New Mexico. Phoenix, Arizona, is expected to see the warmest day of the year on Sunday, with temperatures reaching 110 degrees Fahrenheit (43.5 C). On Sunday, gusts of 30 to 40 mph (48 to 64 kph) were predicted along the Interstate 40 corridor east of Flagstaff, posing potentially catastrophic fire weather threats in northeastern New Mexico. On Monday, gusts of up to 50 mph (80 kph) were forecasted.
This past weekend, Arizona State Route 83 was closed temporarily due to a large brush fire south of Tucson. On Sunday, however, the route was reopened after officials determined there was no immediate threat to nearby residences.
During what is usually a busy Father’s Day weekend in an area known for its recreational lakes and reservoirs, the highway closure significantly impacted local businesses. Dena Proez, the proprietor of the Corner Scoop ice cream parlour in Sonoita, along the route, said her company mainly catered to a small number of motorists in search of fire information and fed firefighters.
This news story was prepared from scratch using data collected from a wide range of reliable sources and then thoroughly revised to eliminate any possibility of plagiarism.
