As New England sweated through a record heat wave, Montana got rare late-June snow. Firefighters are battling wildfires out West, while forecasters eye another possible tropical storm in the Atlantic.
“It has been a tough season,” said Marcus Carpenter, founder of an organization that supports greater racial and ethnic diversity in farming. “When you have farmers of color who have very little acreage to deal with in the beginning, having an entire washout can be detrimental for them, both economically … and from a community perspective.”
The St. Louis County Board has declared a local disaster in response to flooding and other damage resulting from recent torrential rain that swept across the region. In downtown Cook, homes and businesses are under several feet of water with flooding from the Little Fork River.
Crews continued working Thursday to repair dozens of roads and highways washed out across northeast Minnesota by runoff from torrential rain on Tuesday. Rivers also continue to rise across the state.
Scattered showers will develop Thursday for portions of central and southern Minnesota. Heavier rain and storms are possible Friday into Saturday. Drier weather develops next week.
The National Weather Service had issued heat advisories for parts of at least 15 states, including in several major cities such as Philadelphia, Columbus and Boston.
Torrential rains flooded streets and basements across the Iron Range and washed out some local roads. More than 6 inches of rain swelled the Baptism River along Lake Superior's North Shore, flooding trails and destroying a bridge at Tettegouche State Park.