Weeks of rain have caused flooding in parts of Iowa and forced people to evacuate their homes, while most of the U.S. awaited relief from a return of extreme heat on Saturday.
Sirens rang out at 2 a.m. in Rock Valley, Iowa, population 4,200, and hundreds of homes were ordered to evacuate after the Rock River could no longer withstand the rains that pounded the area. The city is running out of tap water because its wells are not working.
Mayor Kevin Van Otterloo said a provincial helicopter was on its way to the rescue but was called off when the boat reached the stranded residents.
“It’s raining so much here,” he said. “Last night we got four inches of rain in an hour and a half. Our land just can’t take it anymore.”
Gov. Kim Reynolds declared a disaster for 21 northern Iowa counties, including Sioux County, which includes Rock Valley. Drone Video Images released by the local sheriff showed no roads, only roofs and tree tops sticking out above the water.
In South Dakota, Governor Kristi Noem declared a state of emergency after heavy rains fell in the southeastern part of the state, with 18 inches (45.72 centimeters) of rain falling in the town of Canton, 30 miles (48 kilometers) southeast of Sioux Falls.
Several highways were closed, including a major section of Interstate 29 south of Sioux Falls, which later reopened. More than 7 inches (17.7 centimeters) of rain fell in three days in Sioux Falls, the state’s largest city.
“The rain is tapering off, but we remain vigilant,” Noem said. “The most severe flooding along the river will occur Monday and Tuesday.”
Elsewhere in the U.S., the heat and humidity continued to be intense. About 15 million people were under the highest level of heat warnings, and another 90 million were under heat watches, according to the National Weather Service. Millions of people across the country were under heat alerts. Stretching disrupts your life Abnormally high temperatures.
Last year, the United States experienced its most intense heat wave since 1936, experts say. AP Analysis Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows that the heatwave killed more than 2,300 people, the most in 45 years of record.
Temperatures are expected to reach around 100 degrees Fahrenheit (37.8 degrees Celsius) in Washington, D.C. and Richmond, Virginia, while Philadelphia, Newark, New Jersey, Columbus, Ohio, and Detroit are expected to see temperatures in the high 90s.
In New York state, hospital visits for heatstroke recently increased by 500% compared to the average number of days in June, according to the Department of Health.
“We’re still seeing lingering heat waves in parts of the Ohio Valley and the Northeast,” said Weather Service meteorologist Mark Chenard. “At least the eastern and northeastern U.S. will see some relief by the start of this week, but overall we’re still seeing above-normal temperatures over much of the country into next week.”
DTE Energy in southeast Michigan said 7,400 customers were still without power as of Saturday afternoon due to outages caused by the storm, down from 75,000 earlier this week.
Despite temperatures reaching nearly 100 degrees Fahrenheit, Florida couple Judy and Bill Watson went to watch the Tigers play the White Sox at Comerica Park in Detroit. Their afternoon visit marked a milestone: Bill Watson has now seen a game in all 30 MLB stadiums.
“We’re from Florida, so maybe we’re the wrong people to interview about the heat,” the 71-year-old Bradenton resident said with a smile, “We drank water and beer every now and then. We were just happy it wasn’t raining.”
Across California, temperatures in the state’s Central Valley were expected to reach 106 degrees Fahrenheit (41.1 degrees Celsius), and the NWS issued a heat watch until 8 p.m. In Sacramento, about 4,000 homes and businesses lost power for just under an hour during the day, according to the Sacramento Bee.
In Iowa, power was lost at the Hawarden and Spencer wastewater treatment plants, which serve a combined population of 14,000.
Aiden Engelkes and his girlfriend grabbed their clothes, their cat and bottles of water and left their flooded first-floor apartment in Spencer and headed to a friend’s dry room on the fourth floor. Engelkes’ Chevy SUV was submerged in the raging waters outside, except for part of its antenna. Across the street, friends were waiting on their roofs for help, Engelkes said.
“It’s horrifying,” Engelkes, 20, said.
Rain was forecast to be less likely until the middle of next week, but the National Weather Service predicted widespread flooding in the region by then as high water levels in several northern Iowa rivers flow downstream.
Flooding also closed state and county roads in southern Minnesota, where the Des Moines River reached a record high after 1.25 inches (3.2 centimeters) of rain fell in the town of Windham, population 4,800, on top of earlier heavy rains.
“It’s hard enough just to put up barricades and respond,” said City Councilwoman Jenny Quaid. “You put up barricades, and then all of a sudden the water rises and the barricades are submerged again.”
New MexicoHeavy rain and flood warnings led authorities to order some residents to evacuate and set up shelters for displaced residents.
The NWS declared a flash flood emergency from Friday night into early Saturday morning, with affected areas including communities near Las Vegas and Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Residents of the New Mexico mountain village of Ruidoso who were displaced by wildfires will be allowed to return starting Monday, but life will not return to normal.
“People should bring a week’s worth of food and drinking water,” Mayor Lynn Crawford said on Facebook.
