Tag Archives: weather

The BBC reports: Dozens of people have died in Canada amid an unprecedented heatwave that has smashed temperature records. Police in the Vancouver area have responded to more than 130 sudden deaths since Friday. Most were elderly or had underlying health conditions, with heat often a contributing factor. Canada broke its temperature record for a third straight day on Tuesday …

The Washington Post reports: The most severe heat wave in the history of the Pacific Northwest is near its climax. The National Weather Service had predicted it would be “historic, dangerous, prolonged and unprecedented,” and it is living up to its billing as it rewrites the record books. On Monday, Portland, Ore., soared to at least 113 degrees, the highest …

AccuWeather reports: To say it’s hot in the Northwest is an understatement. Temperatures have already soared to levels never been experienced in recorded history in this part of the United States — and AccuWeather meteorologists say the summer sizzle hasn’t even reached its peak. AccuWeather’s team of expert forecasters were describing the then upcoming heat wave as “unprecedented”, “life-threatening” and …

The Daily Dot reports: Power companies in Texas are remotely raising temperatures inside of some customers’ homes amid the state’s ongoing energy shortage. Residents with Google’s Nest thermostats received messages noting that their temperatures had been adjusted during an “Energy Rush Hour.” The issue comes shortly after the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT), the state’s power grid manager, called …

The Associate Press reports: Sunsets across Florida in the coming days could become even more spectacular, as clouds of dust from the Sahara desert sweep in across the Atlantic coast. The plume is expected to dampen storm activity but worsen air pollution, causing trouble for some people with allergies and other respiratory problems. Some health experts say symptoms could mimic …

AccuWeather reports: As an intense and record-breaking heat wave continues to roast the American West, AccuWeather forecasters are calling for the highest temperature to occur on Wednesday at the lowest point in North America: Death Valley. The forecast high temperature in Death Valley, California, on Wednesday is 126 degrees, with an AccuWeather RealFeel® Temperature of 129. Death Valley is the …

CBS News reports: A punishing mid-June heat wave is set to scorch much of the Southwest and West this week, with Las Vegas potentially eclipsing its highest temperature on record, which stands at 117°F. The heat will build in a region that is experiencing a record drought, leading to dangerous fire weather conditions, high power demands, and causing water supplies …

The Texas Tribune reports: Gov. Greg Abbott signed into law Tuesday two bills meant to improve the state’s main power grid and change the governance of the agency that operates it. Calls for sweeping changes to Texas’ power infrastructure have amplified since February, when a catastrophic winter storm left more than 4.8 million homes and businesses without power for days. …

The Texas Tribune reports: An approximately $2.5 billion plan to bail out Texas’ distressed electricity market from the financial crisis caused by Winter Storm Uri in February was approved by the Texas House Thursday. The legislation would impose a fee — likely for the next decade or longer — on electricity companies, which would then get passed on to residential …

The Texas Tribune reports: A plan to help finance what will likely become mandatory power plant upgrades to withstand more extreme weather in the wake of the February power crisis received preliminary approval in the Texas House on Monday. The failure of power plants to produce power during very cold temperatures was a major cause of the February power outages …

The Houston Chronicle reports: The Electric Reliability Council of Texas will argue that it has governmental immunity that protects it from the at least 35 lawsuits that have been filed against the operator after February’s disastrous winter storm which killed dozens of people and created millions of dollars of damages. “ERCOT has and will continue to assert that it is …

USA Today reports: After the most ferocious hurricane season on record in 2020, top hurricane forecasters on Thursday said we should expect another active, above-normal season again this year. For the season, which begins June 1, meteorologist Phil Klotzbach and other experts from Colorado State University – among the nation’s top seasonal hurricane forecasters – predict 17 named tropical storms …

The Associated Press reports: Texas officials on Thursday raised the death toll from February’s winter storm and blackouts to at least 111 people — nearly doubling the state’s initial tally following one of the worst power outages in U.S. history. The majority of the deaths are associated with hypothermia, according to the Texas Department of State Health Services. The number …

The Texas Tribune reports: Several bills responding to Texas’ February power outages — including one mandating that power plants prepare facilities for extreme weather and another reforming the Electric Reliability Council of Texas board — were advanced by the Texas House State Affairs Committee on Thursday. None addressed the price ERCOT set for wholesale electricity prices during the storm and …

CBS News reports: Griddy Energy, the Texas electricity provider accused of charging customers thousands of dollars during Winter Storm Uri, said today it has filed for bankruptcy. Griddy was a “thriving business with more than 29,000 customers” before the winter storm struck, CEO Michael Fallquist said in a statement. The storm with record-low temperatures sparked a weeklong freeze and left …

NOAA reports: The average temperature across the contiguous U.S. last month was 30.6 degrees F, 3.2 degrees below the 20th-century average, making it the 19th-coldest February in the 127-year record. It was also the coldest February since 1989. Below-average temperatures dominated much of the nation from the Northwest to the Great Lakes and south to the Gulf of Mexico. For …

Reuters reports: Top directors of Texas’s electric grid operator, who faced sharp criticism from a massive failure of the state power system that left millions last week without light, heat, and water, resigned on Tuesday. The board’s chairman, vice chairman, two directors and a board nominee of the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT), all of whom live outside of …

The Texas Tribune reports: President Joe Biden plans visit Texas on Friday in the wake of extensive winter storm damage in the state. The president and first lady Jill Biden will travel to Houston, according to a White House announcement. Biden has engaged from afar with state and local officials but stated a reluctance to come to Texas too soon …

The Dallas Morning News reports: Texas power retailer Griddy is the target of a class action lawsuit filed in Houston state district court Monday alleging the company participated in price gouging after winter storm Uri cut power to millions across the state. The lawsuit was filed by a Chambers County resident Lisa Khoury whose electricity bill from the week of …

Houston’s ABC News affiliate reports: The city of Houston lifted its boil water notice Sunday, but tens of thousands across the region remain without water due to winter storm damage or pipeline restrictions. Mayor Sylvester Turner confirmed the notice had been rescinded during a drive-thru water distribution event at Butler Stadium, where more than 18,000 units of water were handed …