Weekly wrap-up: Franklin slams Mexico as 1st Atlantic hurricane of 2017; Seattle shatters old record with rain-free streak
Three tornadoes around the Tulsa, Oklahoma, area injured dozens on Sunday.
An EF2 tornado triggered extensive damage around the area and was later followed by two EF1 tornadoes.
Roofs were damaged and trees were uprooted in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma. The tornadoes were part of a major storm system that also delivered flooding rain across Kansas City, Missouri. Up to 5 inches of rain fell in a matter of hours.
Interstate 35 was shut down in both directions due to high water. Numerous rescues were performed as vehicles became stranded in the rapidly rising waters.
Rising flood waters stranded vehicles in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo/Missouri Department of Transportation)
Heavy rain led to significant flooding in San Antonio and Houston, Texas, early this week as downpours erupted across the southern U.S.
Numerous water rescues were performed in both cities.
A woman in San Antonio may face charges after police said she attempted to drive through a flooded road and had to be rescued, putting emergency personnel in danger, according to local ABC13.
Hot and hazy conditions persisted in the northwestern United States this week. Smoke from wildfires sprawled across Canada and the Northwest has continued to drift, creating dusky scenes in Seattle.
Heat only exacerbated the issue, with temperatures rising up to 15 degrees above average in some areas. A large high pressure system trapped smoke near the ground in the region.
On Aug. 8, Seattle had yet to record any rain for 52 straight days, breaking a six-decade-old record. The last time the Rainy City went without more than a trace of precipitation for that long was in 1951 at 51 days.
Mexico was hit twice this week as Franklin made landfall first as a tropical storm, and then as a hurricane on Thursday.
A lifeguard tower toppled by hurricane winds lies damaged on a beach in the port city of Veracruz, Mexico, Thursday, Aug. 10, 2017. (AP Photo/Felix Marquez)
Franklin formed over the western Caribbean Sea on Sunday and made its first landfall near Pulticub, Mexico, with 60-mph (97-km/h) winds. The system made its second landfall as a Category 1 hurricane in the Mexican state of Veracruz early Thursday morning.
Franklin was the first hurricane of the 2017 Atlantic season.
Campeche, Mexico, received 6.26 inches (159 mm) of rain in a 24-hour period spanning Monday night to Tuesday night.
At least 20 people were killed and 431 others injured after a powerful 6.5-magnitude earthquake shook a mountainous region in southwestern China on Tuesday.
The shallow earthquake struck at a depth of 9 km (5.6 miles). The earthquake knocked out power and caused rocks to fall from steep mountainsides, blocking roads beneath, according to the Associated Press. More than 60,000 people were evacuated amid fears of aftershocks.
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