Houston's mayor said at least four people died in a severe windstorm that caused widespread damage Thursday, as the National Weather Service warned of "dangerous and life-threatening flash flooding" in eastern Texas and western Louisiana.
The big picture: The NWS' Storm Prediction Center had warned of possible tornadoes and issued a high risk (Level 4 of 4) of excessive rainfall for portions of western Louisiana and eastern Texas as widespread thunderstorms struck the already-saturated region.
Smoldering combustion beneath northwest Canada's boreal forests has emerged onto the dry surface, re-igniting into fast-moving flames amid unusually warm, dry and windy conditions.
Why it matters: The fires that have emerged this month are a threat to homes and businesses and show how a wildfire season worsened by climate change can defy a clear end date.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) declared on X Wednesday that a bill he signed that removes climate change as a priority in state energy policy would restore "sanity" and reject "the agenda of the radical green zealots."
Why it matters: The bill that would also ban offshore wind turbines and bolster natural gas expansion after taking effect on July 1 comes as climate change's effects are already impacting Florida — notably a dangerous heat wave threatening the state's south this week that's already broken temperature records.
