In case you missed it: Wintry weather, snow visit New England, California; Natural phenomena around world take social media by storm
Winter made a comeback early during the week as a winterlike weather pattern moved over the northeastern United States.
On Monday, the all-time low high temperature for May 13 in New York City's Central Park reached 48 F, dropping below and breaking the record from 1914 by 1 degree.
While the cold and snow revisited areas of the northeast from Maine to New York and continued to break records of low temperatures, southern states such as Florida received record high temperatures. Key West, Florida, reached 94 F on Tuesday, shattering the 90 F record set in 1874 and reached again in 1878.
California has had about as much luck with snow as the northeastern part of the country. A major storm, more common of March, soaked the state and its neighbors from Wednesday into Thursday, dumping record-breaking amounts of precipitation.
According to Mammoth Mountain, about 12 inches of snow fell overnight, and Squaw Valley ski resort also reported about 7 inches of snow.
The average precipitation across the state for May is generally under 0.50 of an inch, but places like Venado, California, in Sonoma County, recorded 5.19 inches of rain by Thursday afternoon.
As the unusually rainy pattern continues across the nation, the continental U.S. just recorded its wettest 12-month period in recorded history. While the recent showers have eased drought conditions, only 2% of the U.S. experienced some level of drought, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). However, the rain has also contributed to the devastating floods across the country.
Water overruns the streets of New Orleans on Mother's Day morning.
Flooding claims an average of 95 lives per year, but there have already been 44 fatalities in the first five months of 2019. By this time last year, there had only been 19 flood-related deaths according to the National Weather Service.
Parts of the south-central U.S. are expected to continue to face long-term river flooding into June amid endless rounds of severe weather.
Watch the shocking moments a spillway gate failed at Dunlap Dam at Lake Dunlap, in Texas, on May 14. As the dam failed, water began to violently pour over the gate, lowering the lakes water level by a significant amount.
Thursday, severe thunderstorms began rolling into the central United States, bringing with them the potential for large hail and damaging winds. According to FlightAware, over 800 flights were canceled at Chicago O'Hare airport by Thursday evening as severe weather swept through states from South Dakota to Ohio.
Around 12 p.m. CDT, a confirmed tornado touched down in La Salle County, Illinois, according to the Storm Prediction Center (SPC).
The Thursday storms are a precursor to a several-day severe weather and tornado outbreak expected to unfold in the central U.S. through the weekend.
As Houston recovered from last week's severe weather, Houston-based rapper and philanthropist Trae Tha Truth and Dallas native DJ Mr. Rogers talked to AccuWeather about hundreds of rescues they performed amid flash flooding. The duo rolled out in a black monster truck to lend a helping hand. The two drove through the streets, transporting people, including individuals stuck in their car and dozens of students and teachers trapped at a school, to a safe location.
Meanwhile, people were making an exodus from Mexico City after at least 130 wildfires broke out between May 9 and 13, of which 66 were registered in the city. The government-issued alerts for poor air quality since last Friday due to the large ash particles in the air, which can cause respiratory problems and other diseases by inhalation.
Thursday, a high pressure system was preventing the dispersion of pollutants.
The sun sets amid smoke hovering over Mexico City, Sunday, May 12, 2019. Mexico City has warned residents to remain indoors as forest and brush fires carpet the metropolis in smoke. (AP Photo/Christian Palma)
According to a local fire department, about 600 people so far have evacuated from the rural area of Pinar de la Venta in Jalisco, Mexico, about 340 miles from the nation's capital. However, evacuation has proven difficult due to the high population density.
A heart-stopping moment occurred in Oklahoma City on Wednesday as the large basket that window washers were working in began to wildly swing around without warning. The two workers were rescued from the top of the 844-foot tower within the hour, but not without a few tense moments caught on video.
It is not yet known if winds played a role in the swaying of the basket. The Oklahoman reported that one of the workers may have suffered a minor shoulder injury.
In Wisconsin, a terrifying but harmless shelf cloud loomed over Madison on Thursday morning. Although people began to worry about the churning cloud formation that gave the appearance of a tornado forming, these clouds typically don't pose a threat of that kind.
Later on, a similarly ominous shelf cloud was captured in Cayuga, Indiana, on Thursday afternoon.
A shelf cloud on the leading edge of a severe thunderstorm near Cayuga, Indiana, on Thursday afternoon. (Twitter/Kyle Lockhart/@eas3964)
Another eye-catching cloud formation caught the attention of Argentinians on Wednesday. Amateur photographer Monica Aramayo snapped a photo of a Christ-like figure with a crown shining through the clouds in the city of San Salvador de Jujuy, Argentina.
An image photographed in Argentina earlier this week appears to be a Christ-like figure in the clouds. (Photo/The Florida Post)
The day before, a double rainbow appeared in the sky over Seattle after some light showers had moved through the area. Although double rainbows aren't rare, the event stunned people across social media.
A double rainbow over Elliott Bay in Seattle, Washington, on Tuesday evening. (Twitter photo/@josheanderson)
