At least 39 tornadoes touched down in more than six states Friday into Saturday, as a powerful storm system moved across the Central and southern U.S., the National Weather Service has concluded. Those numbers will fluctuate, and are likely to increase, in coming days, the agency cautioned.
The big picture: The outbreak left at least 88 dead, dozens injured and caused billions in damage. NWS survey teams continue to assess damage to assign intensity ratings to individual tornadoes, and several have turned out to be on the high end of the Enhanced Fujita Scale.
Several U.S. states were under threat from more extreme weather overnight, as heavy rains in Southern California caused flooding and mudslides — triggering mandatory evacuation orders and sparking rescue operations Tuesday.
Threat level: A "rapidly strengthening storm system" was set to generate high winds from the Southwest to the Upper Midwest, with gusts "up to and in excess of 75 mph in some areas," per the National Weather Service. The Southern and Central Plains face "abnormally high temperatures" and the threat of wildfires, the NWS said.
The Kentucky Division of Occupational Safety and Health Compliance will investigate Mayfield Consumer Products after tornados ravaged Mayfield, Ky., and killed at least eight of its factory workers over the weekend, Gov. Andy Beshear (D) said Tuesday.
Why it matters: An investigation is launched whenever a worker dies on the job, but multiple employees have told news outlets they were warned they'd be fired if they left their shifts early as the tornado approached.
NASA is constantly tracking potentially dangerous asteroids in Earth's vicinity, and now a new tool allows anyone to explore their paths through the solar system.
Why it matters: There are about 28,000 near-Earth asteroids and comets tracked by astronomers to make sure they don't pose a risk to our planet.
A privately funded mission to Venus expected to launch in 2023 could kick off a series of launches that could help reveal whether Earth's "evil twin" once hosted — or still hosts — life.
Why it matters: A controversial study published in 2020 suggests there might be phosphine — a possible sign of microbial life — in the clouds of Venus, bolstering the case to return to the world.
The latest: President Biden on Monday night declared a major disaster in Tennessee and issued an emergency declaration in Illinois, along with orders for federal assistance to support recovery efforts in the states, one day after declaring a major disaster in Kentucky.
The space industry's tremendous yearof huge investments, major human launches and hundreds of satellites sent to space also laid bare just how far the sector has to go before it fully matures.
COVID-19 vaccine passports led to increased vaccination uptake in countries with lower coverage — particularly among younger people, according to a study published in The LancetMonday.
Why it matters: This is the first study to examine the impact of mandates that restrict access to venues such as restaurants and hair salons in response to the pandemic.
