Military helicopter crashes near base in Washington state, official says
Cars sit at the Madigan Gate at the Joint Base Lewis McChord March 12, 2012 in Fort Lewis, Washington. Stephen Brashear/Getty Images
(THURSTON COUNTY, Wash.) — A military helicopter on a routine training flight crashed late Wednesday in a rural area near Joint Base Lewis–McChord in Washington state, officials said.
“This remains a developing situation, and no additional details are available at this time,” Scot Keith, a JBLM garrison public affairs officer, told ABC News.
The helicopter crashed at about 9 p.m. local time, Keith said.
A U.S. Army spokesperson said the helicopter was on a “routine training flight,” with air traffic controllers losing touch with the aircraft, indicating that something may have gone wrong.
Thurston County Sheriff Derek Sanders said officials have been able to locate the crash site but have been “unable to continue rescue efforts as the scene is on fire and is starting to overheat their footwear.”
Initial reports said the crash may have occurred near Summit Lake, the sheriff’s office said.
“We have been advised that the military lost contact with a helicopter in the area, and we are working closely with JBLM to deploy any resources needed to assist,” the base’s public affairs office said in a social media post.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
ABC News’ Luis Martinez contributed to this report.
(NEW YORK) — Monsoon season — the weather pattern that has been creating inclement conditions in the western U.S. — is expected to last for another few weeks following a massive dust storm in the Phoenix region.
The North American Monsoon is an annual climate phenomenon that occurs in the Southwest U.S. during the warm summer months.
In the Southwest, strong heat from the sun causes a significant rise in temperatures during the summer. But, since bodies of water don’t rise in temperature as fast as on land, it causes an effect where moist air is drawn toward the hot dry air over land.
The monsoon season is a result of the moist air moving onto the hot land, which causes the atmosphere to become unstable. The monsoon is typically found in areas of large, elevated landmasses, like the Southwest, and in parts of India, near the Himalayan mountains.
Indian monsoons are associated with heavy rain lasting for months, but the North American monsoon behaves differently, according to Climate.gov. The monsoon generally involves daily patterns of mostly dry mornings with storms developing later in the day, with most of the heavy rain occurring in the afternoon and evening hours — also known as a diurnal cycle.
The Southwest experiences the monsoon when moisture from the Gulf of California and eastern Pacific is transported to California, southern Nevada and Arizona. The monsoon season typically develops around May or June but can increase substantially in July and August, especially if there are tropical systems in the eastern Pacific Ocean.
While the unstable atmosphere can produce thunderstorms, it is not one particular storm but rather an overall pattern that promotes them. A monsoon thunderstorm can be slow-moving and persistent, resulting in thunderstorms that drop very heavy rain in very dry parts of the region, which can lead to flash flooding.
Some of the thunderstorms can be strong and deliver heavy rain and frequent lighting, , according to Climate.gov. Periods of rainy days are often interspersed with drier periods during the North American Monsoon.
Much of the West has been experiencing monsoon conditions over the past week, bringing some of the wettest days of the year to the region.
The summer thunderstorms in the desert can produce very strong winds, which can kick up dust in the desert. The dust storm can have very strong winds that can do damage and reduce visibility, making travel nearly impossible. Dust storms can arrive suddenly in the form of an advancing wall of dust and have visibilities of one-fourth of a mile or less, according to the National Weather Service.
On Monday, the dust storms – also known as a haboob – engulfed the Phoenix metro area, creating low visibility and knocking out power for thousands of people. A cloud of dust hundreds of feet high could be seen moving over the region.
Flooding rains and more wind gusts followed the dust storm. The wind event — which saw gusts of up to 70 mph — was so severe that some flights out of the Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport were grounded and air traffic controllers were forced to evacuate the tower.
Because of the sporadic nature of the thunderstorms, the severity and impact of the monsoon can vary season to season
In Tucson, Arizona, so far this monsoon season has only produced just under 2 inches of rain as of Friday, which is among the drier monsoon seasons on record. However, in 2021, the monsoon caused 12.79 inches of precipitation in Tucson.
Rainfall from the monsoon is very important for the region, according to Climate.gov. Arizona and New Mexico receive more than 50% of its average annual precipitation from July to September, during the monsoon season.
Once the summer months are over, and the land cools down, the monsoon season ends — typically in late September or early October in the Southwest. Wind patterns revert back to the westerly pattern, ending the monsoon.
(KERR COUNTY, Texas) — For the first time since catastrophic flooding killed more than 100 people in Kerr County, Texas, the county emergency management director conceded that he was sick and asleep as the water rose to historic levels on the Guadalupe River.
William “Dub” Thomas, the Kerr County Emergency Management Director since 2015, detailed his whereabouts during the crisis to a panel of 18 state lawmakers that hosted the hearing on Thursday in Kerrville, Texas.
Thomas said that after working a full day on July 2, he went home sick. He said at the time, no concerns had been raised about an elevated weather condition, “beyond what is typical for the region during the summer.”
Thomas said he stayed home sick on July 3 and did not participate in two meetings dealing with the Texas emergency management coordination center.
Thomas said his supervisors, including the Kerr County sheriff, were aware he was out sick.
He said he briefly woke up about 2 p.m. on July 3, but there was no rainfall at the time and no indication of the pending change in the river. He said he went back to sleep.
“I was awakened around 5:30 a.m., on July the Fourth by my wife following a call from the city of Kerrville EMC (Emergency Management Coordinator) Jeremy Hughes requesting that I mobilize,” Thomas said.
He said the call was the first time he realized that an emergency was unfolding.
“By approximately 6 a.m., I was coordinating our county’s response in close contact with the sheriff, the emergency operation center and Mr. Hughes, working together under rapidly changing and difficult conditions,” said Thomas.
But other Kerr County officials said by that time, summer camps along the overflowing Guadalupe River were already underwater.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
(NEW YORK) — Cooler-than-normal seasonal temperatures sweeping across much of the nation this week are expected to extend through the Labor Day weekend.
Seasonal or below-average high temperatures will persist for millions of people in the Midwest, South and East. Nearly everywhere east of the Rocky Mountains could see high temperatures 5 to 15 degrees below normal for the first week of September.
Highs are expected to only climb to the 80s from Dallas to Atlanta and Jacksonville, Florida.
In the Northeast, New York City and Boston are forecast to see highs in the 70s over the holiday weekend. Similar cool temperatures are in store for the Midwest, including the cities of Chicago, Omaha, Nebraska, and Rapid City, South Dakota.
In the West, seasonal or warmer-than-normal temperatures are expected to continue. High temperatures are expected to top triple digits from Phoenix, Arizona, to Las Vegas. Salt Lake City, Utah, Boise, Idaho, and most of Montana are expected to see temperatures in the 90s over the Labor Day weekend.
The hot weather in the West will follow monsoon conditions that have brought the wettest days of the year, so far, to some areas across the region and supplied much-needed rain to drought-stricken areas.
On Wednesday, an increased threat of flooding will mostly be in Idaho. A flood watch is also in effect on Wednesday for parts of California, Utah, Oregon and Montana.
On Wednesday night, there is a threat for heavy rain from Colorado through much of Kansas and into southwestern Missouri and northwestern Arkansas.
Holiday weekend temperatures in Florida are expected to remain mostly seasonal, with highs in the 80s and 90s. But rain is also expected in the Sunshine State over the weekend.
A storm front sitting over the state is forecast to remain stationary, bringing rounds of showers and thunderstorms across the region throughout the weekend. Between 2 inches to 5 inches of rain is expected across Florida this weekend.
Other areas that could see rain over the holiday weekend include New Mexico and West Texas.
Passing showers are also across the Gulf Coast on Saturday and Sunday, but drier conditions are expected on Monday.
Holiday beachgoers along the Atlantic Coast will also encounter cooler-than-average temperatures as the unofficial end to summer bows out with a cool note.
