Record flooding possible in Pacific Northwest as storms continue in Midwest, Northeast
Heavy rain fall (Photography by Keith Getter (all rights reserved)/Getty Images)
(NEW YORK) — An atmospheric river event has been slamming the Pacific Northwest with rain, and the flood threat is far from over.
In the last two days, 2 to 4 inches of rain fell at lower elevations and 4 to 10 inches was recorded at higher elevations across western Washington and Oregon.
On Wednesday, the rain will focus on hard-hit Washington, inundating the state with nearly constant rainfall. Four to 8 inches is forecast in higher elevations and 2 to 4 inches is expected in lower elevations.
Record flooding is forecast for some rivers, especially the Skagit River at Mount Vernon and Concrete, Washington, which could swell 3 to 5 feet above record levels.
The rain will continue in Washington on Thursday, but it will be much lighter. However, levees will be challenged starting Thursday afternoon.
Central and northern Idaho will also get heavy rain Wednesday and Thursday, which may lead to flooding.
Meanwhile, more winter storms are ahead for the Midwest and Northeast.
A storm that dumped snow in Minneapolis and Green Bay, Wisconsin, on Tuesday will move through the Great Lakes and the Northeast on Wednesday, bringing snow to higher elevations and rain to lower elevations. Three to 6 inches of snow is forecast for some areas in upstate New York and northwestern Pennsylvania.
The next winter storm will move into the Midwest on Wednesday night, bringing 3 to 6 inches of snow from Iowa to Kentucky on Thursday.
(NEW YORK) — In an appearance on “Jimmy Kimmel Live,” Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz. blasted Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, calling him unqualified and saying he just wants to please President Donald Trump.
The comments came after Hegseth asked the Navy secretary to review Kelly’s comments in a video to troops for “potentially unlawful conduct,” according to a memo posted on social media by the Pentagon.
The Arizona senator was one of six Democrats featured in a video last week addressed to military members.
“The threats to our Constitution aren’t just coming from aboard, but from right here right at home. Our laws are clear. You can refuse illegal orders,” the group said. “No one has to carry out orders that violate the law or our Constitution.”
The Department of Defense on Monday said it is launching a “thorough review” into Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly, citing “serious allegations of misconduct.”
Meanwhile, Kelly told Kimmel that the president and his administration’s reaction sows fear, calling it an example of “how democracies die.”
“It is right out of the playbook, you know, the playbook of authoritarianism. That’s what they do. They try to suppress speech,” Kelly said. “Every one of us has First Amendment speech rights, and I think the president is infringing on those and he is sending, he is sending a pretty strong message. You do not want to cross him, and your loyalty should be to him. It should not. It should always be to the Constitution.”
Kelly said that Hegseth is “totally unqualified” for the job and that “he just wants to please the president.”
“He can go after me under the Uniform Code of Military Justice, which is law in the military, which is kind of wild, because we recited something in the Uniform Code of Military Justice, and he’s going to prosecute me under the Uniform Code of Military Justice,” Kelly said. “It is so ridiculous, it’s almost like you can’t make this s— up.”
Kelly also told Kimmel how he found out that Trump first reacted to the video with the post, detailing that he was with Sen. Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., when a staffer interrupted their briefing and slid her a piece of paper.
“So somebody comes in in the middle of our brief, slips her piece of paper and I take a look at the piece of paper, and it says ‘the president is calling for your execution’– to her, to Elissa, so she, she looks at me, she gets up, she walks out,” Kelly said. “About five minutes later, she comes back in, looks at me and says, ‘Well, he’s calling for your execution too.’ So I wasn’t off the hook.”
Hegseth bashed the Arizona senator earlier this week, accusing him of incorrectly wearing his military medals and calling the video addressed to troops that Kelly and other Democratic lawmakers were in a “politically-motivated influence operation.”
“So ‘Captain’ Kelly, not only did your sedition video intentionally undercut good order & discipline…but you can’t even display your uniform properly,” Hegseth said in a post shared on X on Tuesday.
Hegseth’s post was in response to Kelly’s statement on Monday regarding the Pentagon’s alleged review, which included a photo of his military medals.
“Your medals are out of order & rows reversed. When/if you are recalled to active duty, it’ll start with a uniform inspection,” Hegseth added.
“The military already has clear procedures for handling unlawful orders. It does not need political actors injecting doubt into an already clear chain of command,” Hegseth said on Tuesday.
All military officers who have retired after 20 years of service are able to be recalled to active duty, and if they are determined to have engaged in misconduct, they are subject to military prosecution — potentially a court-martial.
Kelly served for 25 years in the Navy and at NASA, retiring in 2011.
The code referenced by the Defense Department could subject Kelly to an “administrative measure,” which could include a reduction in rank — and a reduction in his pension entitlement.
“That is not how our democracy works, and we cannot go down that slippery slope,” said Kelly.
Ohio authorities are searching for a suspect after a dentist and his wife were found murdered inside their home earlier this week.
Columbus Police Patrol officers responded to the home of Spencer Tepe, 37, and Monique Tepe, 39, on Tuesday morning after a welfare check was requested, according to an incident report viewed by ABC News.
When officers arrived, they found the couple suffering from apparent gunshots wounds. Paramedics arrived and the pair were declared dead shortly after, police said.
Spencer Tepe had multiple gunshot wounds while Monique Tepe had at least one gunshot wound to the chest, according to local ABC News affiliate WSYX.
Police did not find obvious signs of forced entry and no firearms were recovered at the home. Currently, the deaths are not believed to be a murder-suicide, WSYX reported.
Two small children were also found in the residence unharmed, according to the incident report.
The welfare check was requested after Spencer Tepe did not show up for work at Athens Dental Deport. The owner, Dr. Mark Valrose, called 911, telling dispatchers Tepe was always on time for work.
“I’m on vacation, but this individual, Spencer, works with me, and he did not show up to work this morning. And we cannot get a hold of him or his family,” Valrose told dispatchers, according to audio of a 911 call reviewed by ABC News. “He’s been reliable, and we cannot get in touch with him, his wife, his family, anybody that lives in that house.”
Police records indicate that authorities were initially contacted at 9:03 a.m. and that an officer responded to the home at 9:22 a.m. but received no answer and left, WSYX reported.
A person called police at 9:58 a.m., reporting that they heard children inside and nobody was answering the door, according to audio reviewed by ABC News.
A third 911 call was placed after the same person reported that they could see Spencer Tepe’s body inside the home and that he appeared dead, according to the audio call.
Columbus Police scanner audio shared by Broadcastify indicates that the 911 caller believed they heard one of the children yelling before calling again to report the body in the house.
The Tepes were married in 2021 and were one month shy of celebrating their five-year anniversary, Spencer Tepe’s brother-in-law, Rob Misleh, told WSYX.
Authorities are asking anyone with information to contact the Columbus Police Homicide Unit at (614) 645-4730 or Central Ohio Crime Stoppers at (614) 461-TIPS (8477).
(NEW YORK) — A winter storm brought the first big batch of snow and ice to parts of the Midwest and South on Monday, and now that same storm is bringing ice to parts of Appalachia and heavy snow to the inland Northeast on Tuesday.
On Monday, the Kansas City area saw 3 to 5 inches of snow, while Louisville recorded around 3 inches of snow. St. Louis, Missouri, and Indianapolis both recorded about 2 to 4 inches of snow.
A glaze of ice wreaked havoc on roads in places like Oklahoma and Arkansas on Monday, and on Tuesday, that ice will be a major threat for cities including Boone, North Carolina, and Roanoke, Virginia.
On Tuesday, Ohio, West Virginia, Pennsylvania and western New York could see 2 to 4 inches of snow.
Winter weather advisories are in place in northern Pennsylvania and central New York, where 4 to 6 inches of snow is possible.
New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy declared a state of emergency in several counties.
“With snow and rain in the forecast, we urge all New Jerseyans to be cautious of icy roads and walkways,” he warned on social media on Tuesday.
Cities directly along the East Coast will be warmer and will likely only get rain, but there is a brief chance for a morning wintry mix around Washington, D.C., that could cause disruption on roads.
A winter storm warning is in place from northeast Pennsylvania to central Maine, where more than 6 inches of snow is in the forecast. Some spots could even see snow totals of 9 to 12 inches.
By Tuesday night, the rain will be ending in New York City but ongoing in Boston, while snow will still falling from Albany, New York, through Maine.
