School Closings & Delays (2024)

(CNN) — Millions of people across the US are still trudging through a record-setting heat wave that is shifting to the mid-Atlantic, while many Americans – including those in areas of New Mexico, Iowa, Minnesota and South Dakota – contend with “catastrophic” flash flooding this weekend. Here…

The governor of Iowa is sending helicopters to a small town to evacuate people from flooded homes. Meanwhile, much of the United States is longing for relief from yet another round of extraordinary heat Saturday. Sirens blared after midnight in Rock Valley, Iowa. People in hundreds of homes were told to get out as the Rock River could no longer take rain that has slammed the region. Elsewhere in the U.S., the miserable grip of heat and humidity continues. The National Weather Service says roughly 15 million people are under a heat warning while another 90 million are under a heat advisory.

Tropical Storm Alberto, the season’s first named storm, moved inland over northeast Mexico, bringing heavy rains to the parched region and leaving at least three dead. The storm was expected to weaken rapidly over land, but carry several inches of desperately needed rain inland to Mexico’s Tamaulipas, Nuevo Leon and Coahuila states, as well as south Texas. Alberto had spurred tropical storm warnings covering most of the western Gulf of Mexico’s coastline from Texas to Veracruz. Schools were closed across Tamaulipas state where Alberto came ashore and would be through Friday. Shelters were prepared across the state to receive residents trying to escape high water.

Extreme heat alerts are in effect for tens of millions of people in the United States as cities including Chicago break heat records. States in the Midwest started to bake Monday in a dangerous heat wave that was expected to stretch from Iowa to Maine into at least Friday. The mid-Atlantic and New England are likely to see highs in the 90s as the week progresses. Excessive humidity will make it feel even more oppressive. The U.S. last year saw the most heat waves since 1936. Officials are warning people to take precautions such as drinking plenty of water and staying indoors.