In case you missed it: Storms send people ducking for cover in Northeast; Scientists make unusual find in Hawaii
From severe storms lashing the U.S East Coast to water discovered in the bottom of the Kilauea volcanic crater in Hawaii, here are the top stories of the week.
Residents in some of the most populated areas across the eastern United States were lashed with midweek severe weather that spawned at least one tornado and left behind flooding, hundreds of canceled or delayed flights, power outages, damaged property and a suspended Major League Baseball (MLB) game at Boston’s Fenway Park.
On Wednesday, multiple storms from Vermont and New Hampshire to Virginia and North Carolina produced powerful wind gusts, some of which exceeded 60 mph as they knocked over power lines and trees.
The only tornado reported during the storms briefly swept 70-mph winds across Springfield, New Jersey, on Wednesday afternoon, according to the National Weather Service, which rated it an EF0.
A meteorology student captured on camera the tornado’s formation over the city, as his Twitter video shows. Meanwhile, some nearby drivers dodged debris whipping through the air as they navigated Springfield amid strong winds. One alarmed woman’s video shows pieces of trees and other debris spinning up above on the other side of her windshield as she said, “I think I drove through a tornado.”
Lightning brightens the sky in State College, Pennsylvania. (Photo/AccuWeather Meteorologist Alan Reppert)
Emergency responders conducted several water rescues from cars as homes at risk of flooding were evacuated in locations including Newark, New Jersey, and Philadelphia, which was drenched with more than 3.5 inches of rain Wednesday night.
Multiple typhoons form over West Pacific
Several parts of Asia face a threat from twin typhoons — Lekima and Krosa — that were churning over the West Pacific Ocean as of Thursday. Both typhoons could threaten several areas with severe tropical impacts, according to AccuWeather meteorologists.
Lekima, which was a short-lived super typhoon at midweek, is expected to be the first of the two typhoons to make landfall in the approaching days.
Taiwan’s residents have started feeling the impacts as Lekima passes to the north, and China will either be the point of landfall or narrowly missed as the dangerous storm passes the coast over the weekend.
Krona, the third tropical cyclone to grow into a typhoon within the past week, was located in the Eastern Pacific and North Atlantic Ocean basins as of Thursday night.
On Tuesday morning, local time, Francisco made landfall in Japan as a potent typhoon after having formed over the West Pacific on Aug. 2.
Two people were reportedly hurt as strong winds and heavy rain hit some areas. Miyazaki experienced an August record-setting peak wind gust of 88.6 mph, while Nobeoka was doused with 3.76 inches of rain in a single hour during the height of the storm.
Scientists make ‘unusual’ find in Hawaii volcano
U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) researchers have confirmed the “unusual” discovery of water at the bottom of the summit crater of Hawaii’s KÄ«lauea volcano. This is the first time in recorded history that a pond of water has ever been observed at this location, according to scientists.
After USGS-Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO) scientists received an image of a green pool of water "about as large as a pickup truck” from a helicopter pilot who flew over the volcano, and following another helicopter’s passenger posting a photo of the abnormal sight on social media, researchers then flew over the summit themselves.
(Image/USGS)
They observed reflections from the green pond at the bottom of Halema‘uma‘u, which signified “the smoking gun for water,” according to HVO scientist emeritus Don Swanson.
Scientists are now considering the implications of water located in the crater and are aware that water and lava combined can produce explosive eruptions.
Triple-digit heat records slashed in Southwest
Scorching heat that toppled several longstanding high-temperature records overtook the West on Monday and Tuesday. The relentless warmth also presented a high fire danger as it stoked the potential for wildfires to spark and ignite.
Record temperatures, brought on by a northward bulge in the jet stream, were shattered in spots including Phoenix and Tucson, Arizona, and Palm Springs, California, where temperatures hit an all-time high of 121 degrees Fahrenheit on Monday, breaking the previous record by a degree.
Phoenix’s high of 115 F slashed the previous record of 114 F that day. The heat was so bad that three overheated Phoenix hikers had to be rescued Sunday from Camelback Mountain, according to azcentral.com.
The heat this month follows the two hottest months on record.
More than 30 dead after severe India flooding
In the midst of seasonal monsoon rain, heavy downpours and bloated rivers have resulted in the deaths of at least 33 people in India while 180,000 others were evacuated from their homes, Reuters reported. Officials announced that 25 people were killed in the western state of Maharashtra by Thursday, and eight people died in nearby Karnataka.
The rain caused rivers to burst their banks in some areas, and some dams had to be relieved of water following 26.4 inches of rain in one week.
Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa told the media that help from the central government has been requested to assist with rescuing those stranded by floodwaters.
Multiple AccuWeather staff writers contributed to this story.
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