Minnesota wildfires scorch Superior National Forest, expand

 

ELY, Minnesota – State and federal officials reported on Monday, July 20, 2026, that nearly 25 active wildfires are burning across Superior National Forest in northeastern Minnesota, scorching approximately 63,000 acres in the state and an additional 8,400 acres in neighboring Ontario, Canada. The fires, which surged over the weekend...

Idaho wildfire near Hailey triggers mandatory evacuations

 

A wildland fire known as the Ohio Fire has grown to about 2,000 acres northeast of Hailey, Idaho, prompting authorities to maintain Level 3 “Go Now” mandatory evacuation orders as of Monday, July 20, 2026. Ignited on Saturday afternoon off Ohio Gulch Road in Blaine County, the blaze is burning...

Oregon wildfires trigger evacuations near Prineville communities

 

Oregon’s wildfire emergency intensified after a major lightning storm ignited more than 140 new fires across drought-stricken areas, officials said Sunday, July 19, 2026. The Oregon Department of Forestry Complex Incident Management Team 3 and the Oregon State Fire Marshal Red Team assumed unified command of the Brewer and Box...

Texas Hill Country hit by catastrophic flooding

 

Central and South Texas experienced catastrophic flooding on July 18–19, 2026, when slow-moving storms dumped torrential rain across the Texas Hill Country and surrounding areas. The event occurred almost exactly one year after deadly July 2025 floods along the Guadalupe River that killed more than 100 people. In Kerrville, Town...

United States mulls tariffs over Canadian wildfire smoke

 

United States – U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday threatened to raise tariffs on Canadian imports to recoup what he described as the economic costs of wildfire smoke drifting south from Canada into the United States. Posting on Truth Social, Trump called the situation “Willful Negligence” and said the “cost...

Cincinnati flash floods kill one as storms intensify

 

Severe thunderstorms on Friday triggered deadly flash flooding in the Cincinnati area, where the Cincinnati Fire Department confirmed one fatality and three injuries, including two people hospitalized in Fairfax. Emergency officials fielded more than 200 calls and carried out at least 40 water rescues, activating the city’s Emergency Operations Center...

New Jersey storms trigger tornado watch, flash flooding

 

New Jersey is under a Tornado Watch for 16 counties as severe thunderstorms sweep the region, bringing wind gusts up to 70 mph and hail the size of ping-pong balls. The National Weather Service issued the watch until 9:00 p.m. Saturday, warning of favorable conditions for supercells and isolated tornadoes....

United States cities hit hazardous smoke from Canada

 

A vast plume of toxic smoke from hundreds of Canadian wildfires has spread across the U.S. Midwest, Mid-Atlantic, and Northeast, placing more than 109 million Americans under air quality alerts as of July 18, 2026. AirNow data showed Air Quality Index readings reaching a hazardous 361 in Chicago and Detroit...

Texas flash floods trigger massive emergency response operations

 

South-central Texas is facing catastrophic flash flooding after three consecutive days of record-breaking rainfall, with some locations receiving more than 27 inches since Tuesday, July 14, 2026. As of July 18, 2026, rivers including the Nueces are rising at extraordinary rates, overwhelming drainage systems and turning roads into dangerous waterways....

United States faces more deadly climate-driven flash floods

 

Climate scientists warn that climate change is driving increasingly frequent and intense heavy rainfall events across the United States, leading to deadly and damaging flash floods. Over the past month, states including Alaska, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, Ohio and Pennsylvania have recorded unusually high rainfall and flash flooding, about...