Flooding risk continues for the Southeast and the Plains; Canada wildfire smoke affecting US air quality
An elevated flooding risk persists on Sunday for some parts of the Southeast as Alabama, Georgia and the Florida Panhandle brace for rainfall totals of between 3 to 5 inches.
Flood watches were issued Sunday for east-central Alabama, southern Georgia and parts of the Florida Panhandle. Some isolated areas of the Southeast could receive up to 8 inches of rain from the slow-moving downpours.
The showers and thunderstorms across the Southeast are expected to stretch into Sunday evening, with the heaviest downpours producing possible rainfall rates of 2 to 3 inches per hour.
The Great Plains could also see possible flooding from severe storms on Sunday. A flash flooding risk of a level 2 out of 4 has been issued for central Texas and south-central Oklahoma, with heaviest showers and thunderstorms forecast for Sunday evenings, including the Texas cities of Abilene, Wichita Falls and parts of Fort Worth.
Severe storms could also stretch into southeast Colorado and southwest Kansas, bringing damaging winds, large hail and the possibility of tornadoes.
Canadian smoke persisting
Lack of rain in Canada and dry vegetation continue to fuel wildfires and send smoke down to parts of the United States. Smoke is expected to blanket the Midwest into the new week, and air quality alerts are in effect on Sunday from Nebraska to Michigan -- including the cities of Des Moines, Minneapolis, Milwaukee, Chicago, Detroit, Kansas City, Missouri, and Fort Wayne, Indiana.
Most of the air quality alerts pertain to "sensitive groups," including people with heart or lung disease and asthma. However, air quality in parts of northern Minnesota, Wisconsin and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan is expected to be "unhealthy" for all individuals.
More than 700 wildfires in remote, hard-to-reach areas across Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Alberta and British Columbia have burned more than 2.5 million acres of wildland this year, according to Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre.
The smoke wafting down in the United States is not as severe as the smoke and reduction in air quality seen from the 2023 Canadian wildfire smoke that turned the skies over some major cities, including New York City, orange. Excessive dry conditions combined with record-setting wildfire activity in Canada during the 2023 wildfire season produced dense wildfire smoke that dropped the air quality in numerous cities to "very unhealthy” and “hazardous" levels, far worse than what is expected from this weekend’s wildfire smoke from Canada.
Much of the Midwest will continue to see smoky conditions improve on Sunday as the smoke begins to disperse and push east across the Great Lakes and interior Northeast. The Great Lakes and parts of the Northeast will potentially see hazy skies from the smoke into Monday.
Extreme heat in the West
Out West, hot and dry conditions continue into the new week with some areas dealing with extreme heat and others monitoring an elevated fire weather danger.
Meanwhile, an extreme heat warning is in effect on Sunday for Phoenix and Tucson, Arizona, on as well as other parts of the Desert Southwest region that typically see hot conditions this time of year.
Highs in Phoenix are expected to climb to as high as 118 through Friday, with highs in Tucson up to 116.
The warm, dry and windy conditions are bringing elevated critical fire weather to parts of the West. Fire weather alerts are in effect for portions of Utah and Colorado, as relative humidity is expected to fall to less than 10% and wind gusts increase to between 25 and 35 mph. These conditions are favorable to new fires to spark and spread quickly, as well as any existing fires.
A wildfire that started on Friday in Southern California grew more than 9,000 acres overnight and was just 5% contained on Sunday morning. The Gifford Fire in Santa Barbara County and San Luis Obispo counties has burned 39,676 acres as of Sunday morning, mostly in the Los Padres National Forest, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire).
At least three people have been injured in the Gifford Fire, including one civilian with moderate burn injuries who was taken by emergency helicopter to the Marian Regional Medical Center in Santa Maria, California, according to Cal Fire. The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
"The fire is producing active flame fronts in steep and rugged terrain, creating significant challenges for firefighting resources," Cal Fire said in a statement Saturday.
