Thunderstorms will bring the threat of flash flooding to the Southwest over the next two days, while the risk of severe weather and flooding moves into the mid-Atlantic on Wednesday and more breaking weather news.
Flash flooding threat for Southeast next 2 days
Thunderstorms are forecast over the next three days in the Southwest, with a risk of flash flooding over the next two days, according to a forecast by the National Weather Service (NWS).
On Tuesday, the NWS is warning of potential flash flooding over southeastern Arizona, most of New Mexico, and south-central Colorado.
The NWS has also issued a flood watch over nearly the entirety of New Mexico and into extreme western Texas for Tuesday.
On Wednesday, the flash flood risk extends from east-central Arizona into western and north-central New Mexico and south-central Colorado.
Strong thunderstorms for the upper Midwest, Great Lakes
Thunderstorms will stretch from the Southwest to the Great Lakes on Tuesday. The area where the strongest storms could occur, with a marginal risk of severe weather, is over portions of Kansas, Nebraska, Missouri, Iowa, Illinois, Wisconsin, and Michigan, according to the forecast from the Storm Prediction Center (SPC). The severe weather will move from the Plains into the Mid-Atlantic on Wednesday (see below), the Weather Channel reported.
Wildfires force astronomers to flee observatories in Arizona at #1 priority fire US
The Contreras Fire burning near Tucson, Arizona, has destroyed four buildings at an observatory complex, forcing astronomers to flee. The lightning-ignited fire started on June 11 on a remote ridge on the Tohono O’odham Indian Reservation about 8 miles southeast of Kitt Peak, AZ Family reported.
There are multiple observatories positioned atop the mountain. Fortunately, telescopes at the Kitt Peak observatories were not damaged but remains in the path of the fire, the Weather Channel reported. Astronomers may not be able to return for weeks. The fire has burned more than 20,000 acres, 12 News reported. The fire is so difficult to battle that it is currently rated the #1 priority in the country for wildland fires.
Risk of severe weather moves into the mid-Atlantic on Wednesday
On Wednesday, the risk of severe weather and flash flooding moves into the Atlantic. The Storm Prediction Center (SPC) has issued a Level 2 severe weather risk over portions of West Virginia, Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, Pennsylvania, and New York. Strong thunderstorms may also impact parts of the mid-South and Ohio Valley to include North Carolina, Kentucky, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, and New Jersey.
2022 Summer solstice arrives
The 2022 summer solstice arrived at 5:14 AM Eastern time on Tuesday, June 21, 2022. It marks the precise moment when the sun appears directly over the Tropic of Cancer — as far north as it appears in the sky all year, the Washington Post reported. It marks the longest hours of sunlight in the northern latitudes. The sun will be up for 16 hours in Seattle, Washington but only 13 hours and forty-five minutes in Miami. Washington, D.C. will seat nearly 15 hours of daylight.
