New Mexico wildfires investigation begins, heat advisory issued for parts of California, heat wave shifts to New York

CNN
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A dangerous heat wave scorching parts of the Midwest and Northeast will soon shift to New York and the I-95 corridor, while deadly wildfires that claimed at least two lives and destroyed over a thousand structures are still burning in New Mexico. Here’s the latest:

• Heat spreads south this weekend: Over 100 million Americans are under heat advisories, watches and warnings through the weekend across large swaths of the Northeast and Southwest, according to the National Weather Service. As the heat continues to increase and expand southward over the weekend, widespread upper 90s and even triple digits will be possible around Washington, DC. If the nation’s capital reaches the 100-degree mark, it will be the first time since August 2016. New York City could experience 90-degree temperatures or higher for seven days straight next week, which would be the longest stretch ever in June.

• Temperature records break: Manchester, New Hampshire, reached 99 degrees Thursday, setting a daily record and coming up just one degree shy of its June record. Hartford, Connecticut, reached 98 degrees, beating the old daily record of 97 degrees in 2012. In Maine, Augusta reached 97 degrees, Bangor reached 96 degrees and Portland reached 94 – breaking their daily records. Scranton, Pennsylvania, hit 95 degrees, which was a tie with the 1953 record. Northern New England will catch a break Friday as temperatures across much of northern New York, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine will top out in the 70s and low 80s. A few daily temperature records are expected in the Ohio Valley and Mid-Atlantic Friday, and temperatures will remain 10 to 15 degrees above normal, reaching the low to mid-90s.

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• California firefighters brace for 100-degree heat: California is heating up Friday, with triple-digit temperatures expected in some areas. A heat advisory has been issued for parts of central California through Saturday night, including in Colusa County, where firefighters are working to rein in the Sites Fire spanning over 19,100 acres. High temperatures between 100 and 106 are expected and could hinder firefighting efforts. The heat wave is expected to peak Saturday and continue through Tuesday, bringing a heightened threat of wildfires. California is seeing an early fire year, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. Since the start of the year, 89,784 acres have burned, compared to 5,747 acres during the same period last year.

• Fires in New Mexico kill at least two: In New Mexico, authorities reported that at least two people died, 1,400 structures were destroyed and and more than 8,000 residents were evacuated as a result of wildfires. The South Fork and Salt fires have together burned an estimated 23,406 acres and were still 0% contained as of Friday morning. Evacuations are still in effect for Village of Ruidoso and City of Ruidoso Downs residents and additional evacuation orders have been issued in at least seven more areas. New Mexico Rep. Gabe Vasquez has described the wildfires burning across the state as one of its “most devastating.”

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• FBI investigating origins of New Mexico fires: FBI special agents have joined the investigation into the cause of wildfires in New Mexico, the agency said Thursday. “I can confirm that the FBI is assisting our local, state, federal and tribal partners in the ongoing investigation of the fires in Ruidoso NM,” said a spokesperson with the bureau’s Albuquerque field office. President Joe Biden is “closely monitoring” wildfires in New Mexico, the White House said Thursday. The administration has also approved an expedited major disaster declaration from New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, “unlocking further federal support and FEMA assistance to the impacted communities.”

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• Storm surge from Alberto floods parts of Texas: Tropical Storm Alberto made landfall Thursday near Tampico, Mexico, and storm surge brought flooding along the Texas coast. Water surrounded rows of homes as the storm surge from Alberto flooded the coastal town of Surfside Beach in coastal Texas on Thursday and storm surge of 3.5 feet was reported in Corpus Christi. “There’s little fish swimming all around my yard. There’s water snakes all over the steps,” said coastal Texas resident Michael Kubecka. South Texas still faces a flooding threat Friday because of heavy rain from the past two days. Some Texas cities, including Rockport and Alice, saw nearly three times their June average for rainfall over 48 hours from Alberto. Coastal flood alerts are in effect through coastal Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi.

• Storm brews off the coast of Florida: The National Hurricane Center said Thursday night that a storm system in the Atlantic has a 50% chance of becoming at least a tropical depression in the following 48 hours. “The system is expected to approach the northeastern coast of Florida or the Georgia coast early on Friday, and interests there should monitor the progress of the system,” the center said.