Geography of the United States

Multiple tornadoes formed and swept through Mississippi on Sunday night, into Monday morning. The twisters left behind a trail of extensive property damage, and injuries for affected residents, the Associated Press reported.Meteorologists from the National Weather Service believe that a strong tornado, possibly one with wind speeds over 100 miles per hour, may have formed in Eastern Mississippi, local news 16ABC reported.Officials confirmed that multiple tornadoes formed around that timein both Rankin County and Jasper…

This story was originally published by Grist. Sign up for Grist’s weekly newsletter here.The Mississippi River is Drying Out | Extreme EarthAfter a year of intense negotiations, the states along the Colorado River have reached a deal to solve one of the most complex water crises in U.S. history. The solution to this byzantine conundrum is deceptive in its simplicity: pay farmers — who collectively use 80 percent of Colorado River deliveries — to give up their water.Representatives from Arizona, Nevada, and California…

A dead fish sits in shallow water on the banks of Lake Mead near the Lake Mead Marina on August 19, 2022 in Lake Mead National Recreation Area, Nevada. Photo: Justin Sullivan (Getty Images)Human remains unveiled in Lake Mead’s low water levels last year have finally been identified as a Las Vegas man who went missing years ago, local authorities said this week.Yet Another Storm in California | Extreme EarthThe Clark County coroner’s office identified Claude Russell Pensinger, who was 52 when he died. He went missing in…

The Levee Inn is partially submerged by the rising Mississippi River, Monday, April 24, 2023, Davenport, Iowa. Photo: Niko Frazer/Quad City Times (AP)The Mississippi River is overflowing and flooding riverbanks and roads in states across the Midwest, including Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Iowa.The Mississippi River is Drying Out | Extreme EarthOn Tuesday, the Iowa DOT confirmed that there are road closures along the Mississippi River due to the flooding. Some roads near the river are expected to flood later this week,too.…

Trucks and a resident on foot make their way through receding floodwaters in the Sailboat Bend neighborhood of Fort Lauderdale, Florida on April 13, 2023.Photo: Rebecca Blackwel (AP)Historic rainfall over Fort Lauderdale sparked intense flooding that shut down schools and businessesthis week. And the threat of flooding isn’t over just yet, an already waterlogged South Florida may see more rain this evening.“A few showers and storms are possible again along the east coast,” the National Weather Service Miami station…

It might be time to update our animal-related trivia. Scientists in Malaysia say they’re the first to document a species of snake that intentionally cartwheels. The behavior appears to be an evasive maneuver used against potential predators and may be common among other, similar species.The Mississippi River is Drying Out | Extreme EarthThe acrobatic reptile in question is known as the dwarf reed snake, or Pseudorabdion longiceps. It’s a small, nonvenomous, black to reddish snake found widely through parts of Southeast…

What may be a series of severe storms is predicted to hit states all over the U.S. Midwest, Central Plains, and the South beginning Friday. This includes the risk of thunderstorms and even tornadoes extending through the next couple weeks.Deadly Mississippi Tornado Kills More Than 2 Dozen | Extreme EarthThe National Weather Service’s Storm Prediction Center issued a marginal risk of severe weather for states across the Central Plains for supercells that could “produce large hail, damaging winds, and a tornado,” a NWS…

In an aerial view, piles of debris remain where homes once stood before Friday’s EF-4 tornado on March 26, 2023 in Rolling Fork, Mississippi.Photo: Scott Olson (Getty Images)A tornado swept over Western Mississippi on Friday night, felling trees, flinging roofs off of houses, and killing at least 25 people. At least one person died in nearby Alabama.The twister touched down in the small town of Rolling Fork. It stayed on the ground for about an hour and traveled about 170 miles, Mississippi meteorologist Nicholas Price…

Ten years after Hurricane Sandy flooded the emergency room at the old Coney Island Hospital in Brooklyn, a new, climate-resilient hospital has been erected in its place. Surrounded by scaffolding and construction equipment, the 11-story building that will be the Ruth Bader Ginsburg Hospital in the South Brooklyn Health campus is almost complete. The hospital is about a 20-minute walk from nearby Brighton Beach—an area badly hit by the 2012 superstorm—and it’s the first new public hospital in the city since 1982.In October…

After already having their pool sizes reduced in Las Vegas, Nevada residents may be facing some new water rules: getting their taps turned off if they use too much water. A new bill introduced in the state Assembly last month would allow the Southern Nevada Water Authority to limit how much water its customers in the Las Vegas metropolitan area can use in the event of the federal government deems the Colorado River too low.Assembly Bill 220, sponsored by Democrat Assemblyman Howard Watts, dictates that residents will only…