Why it matters: During times of high tension on Earth — like during Russia's annexation of Crimea in 2014 and today's ongoing war in Ukraine — space has often been one of the only open avenues of communication between the two nations.
The Biden administration launched Heat.gov on Tuesday, an interagency website that coordinates information on extreme heat.
Why it matters: Excessive heat events are the leading weather-related killer in the U.S. and disproportionately affect low-income communities. They are also expected to become more severe, frequent and longer-lasting as a result of climate change caused by greenhouse gas emissions.
Record rainfall caused flash flooding across St. Louis metropolitan area, prompting multiple rescues and closing several roads.
The latest: City fire officials reported at least one death after a vehicle was submerged in water around 10:30 a.m. Tuesday, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
Why it matters: The ISS has tied Russia and the U.S. together in space for decades, and the end of the space station program could mean the end of that relationship.
The massive wildfire near California's Yosemite National Park forced thousands more people to evacuate on Monday and had burned across more than 17,200 acres at 16% containment in the evening, per Cal Fire.
The big picture: The Oak Fire in Mariposa County, where a state of emergency has been declared, is now California's biggest blaze this wildfire season despite only igniting on Friday amid face hot, dry conditions.
The Greenland Ice Sheet saw a sharp spike in the rate and extent of melting last week, with 18 billion tons of water running into the North Atlantic in just three days. Satellite photos reveal melt ponds dotting the ice cover, particularly near the coasts.
Why it matters: Greenland's melting ice is the top annual contributor to global sea level rise. How much of and how quickly the ice sheet is lost will determine the fate of coastal cities from Hong Kong to Miami.
Hundreds of temperature records fell over the past week as an intense heat wave continues to blast the U.S.
The big picture: The deadly heat wave set or tied 359 daily high-temperature records over the last week, along with 709 records for the warmest overnight low temperature, according to NOAA's National Center for Environmental Information.
A wildfire near Yosemite National Park exploded in size over the weekend as hot and dry conditions hampered efforts to contain it, authorities said.
The latest: The Oak Fire in Northern California grew to more than 15,600 acres and was 0% contained as of Sunday night, per Cal Fire. After igniting on Friday, the wildfire underwent "explosive growth" Saturday, reaching 6,555 acres.
