CNN-weather/environment

By Maya Blackstone and Mary Gilbert, CNN (CNN) — It was Friday afternoon in a western suburb of Omaha, Nebraska, and Roger Slatten had just left for work when he got a phone call that would change his life. A tornado was spotted near his home in an Elkhorn neighborhood, and he needed to get

By Eric Zerkel and Paul P. Murphy, CNN (CNN) — A devastating, multi-day tornado outbreak leveled entire neighborhoods and businesses starting Friday, upending lives across several states in the American Heartland. Dozens of tornadoes, several EF2 or stronger, have already been confirmed by damage surveys in the areas. The storms have killed at least five

By Maya Blackstone and Zoe Sottile, CNN (CNN) — On Saturday, the morning of what was meant to be the best day of his life – his wedding day – Austin Bracker got an unwelcome phone call. The day before, a tornado had torn through Waterloo, Nebraska, just to the west of Omaha, where he

By Mary Gilbert, CNN Meteorologist (CNN) — It may be spring, but it’s not too soon to look ahead to summer weather, especially when El Niño – a player in last year’s especially brutal summer – is rapidly weakening and will all but vanish by the time the season kicks into gear. El Niño’s disappearing

By Nouran Salahieh and Robert Shackelford, CNN (CNN) — At least four people are dead, including an infant, after a tornado outbreak in Oklahoma overnight, as severe storms threaten more twisters, heavy rain and large hail from Missouri to Texas Sunday. Multiple large and extremely dangerous tornadoes were reported on the ground simultaneously overnight Saturday

By Aya Elamroussi, CNN (CNN) — One day after destructive tornadoes plowed through Nebraska and Iowa, millions of people in parts of Kansas, Missouri and Oklahoma were under tornado watches Saturday evening. One tornado watch area includes the Kansas City metropolitan area and 2.7 million people in southeastern Kansas and western and central Missouri, according

By Mary Gilbert, CNN Meteorologist (CNN) — Unprecedented, torrential rainfall plunged parts of the United Arab Emirates underwater last week, bringing life to a standstill in Dubai and elsewhere. The flooding that resulted from the UAE’s largest deluge on record was so intense that satellites were still able to see it from space days after

By Abbas Al Lawati, CNN Dubai, UAE (CNN) — The scenes from Dubai this week seemed apocalyptic to residents who are more used to the tranquil nature of the sunny metropolis in the desert. This city hadn’t witnessed a natural disaster of such magnitude since records began, and the destruction it left behind only became

By Mary Gilbert, CNN Meteorologist (CNN) — A torrent of rain on Tuesday flooded parts of Dubai, turned streets into rivers and shut down the world’s second-busiest airport for a time. The deluge of water triggered the question: Was this disaster caused by the United Arab Emirates’ cloud-seeding program? Officials at the country’s National Center

By Nadeen Ebrahim, Mary Gilbert and Brandon Miller, CNN Dubai, UAE (CNN) — Chaos ensued in the United Arab Emirates after the country witnessed the heaviest rainfall in 75 years, with some areas recording more than 250 mm (around 10 inches) of precipitation in fewer than 24 hours, the state’s media office said in a

By Mary Gilbert and Brandon Miller, CNN Meteorologists (CNN) — A year’s worth of rain unleashed immense flash flooding in Dubai Tuesday as roads turned into rivers and rushing water inundated homes and businesses. Shocking video showed the tarmac of Dubai International Airport – recently crowned the second-busiest airport in the world – underwater as

By Elizabeth Wolfe, Robert Shackelford and Mary Gilbert, CNN (CNN) — A powerful storm system is spinning up tornadoes, unloading hail and sending damaging wind gusts over parts of the Mississippi Valley and Midwest Tuesday. Tornado reports were made in at least 10 counties across Nebraska, Iowa, Missouri and Kansas on Tuesday, according to the

By Mary Gilbert, CNN Meteorologist (CNN) — Millions of people in the central US are facing severe thunderstorms early this week that will pack damaging wind gusts, large hail and tornadoes as a wide-reaching storm system strengthens and tracks across the country. Parts of Nebraska and Kansas are in a Level 3 of 5 risk

By Robert Shackelford and Elizabeth Wolfe, CNN (CNN) — A pair of storm systems threatens more than 40 million people across parts of the Central and Eastern US on Monday, both capable of producing large hail, damaging winds and a handful of tornadoes. The largest at-risk area stretches from central Texas to southern South Dakota,

By Mary Gilbert, CNN Meteorologist (CNN) — A widespread and significant severe thunderstorm threat could take shape in the central US early next week, putting millions at risk of destructive wind gusts, hail and tornadoes. Forecasts are still somewhat uncertain and will solidify through the weekend. But it’s already clear a large portion of the

By Elizabeth Wolfe, Robert Shackelford and Mary Gilbert, CNN (CNN) — Emergency crews in parts of West Virginia and Pennsylvania waded through murky floodwaters to rescue residents as storms unleashed downpours that blanketed streets and gushed into homes and businesses Thursday night, officials said. The storms were part of a sweeping weather system that plunged

By Robert Shackelford, Dalia Faheid and Mary Gilbert, CNN (CNN) — Severe storms are battering parts of the South with torrential rain and damaging winds, threatening tornadoes and creating “life-threatening” flooding. Crews were responding to “10 to 15 high-water rescues” in the eastern Texas city of Kirbyville early Wednesday, the Jasper County Sheriff’s Office said,

By Christina Maxouris, CNN (CNN) — Another round of severe weather is slamming parts of the South and Mississippi Valley Tuesday night, less than a week after a powerful storm system that swept through parts of the region killed at least three people. Heavy rain, strong winds and dangerous thunderstorms began Monday from Texas to