Weather

Across the street from the White House, shown here in 2021, is Lafayette Park. On Thursday, a lightning strike there hit four people, and two of them were pronounced dead on Friday.

National

2 people were killed by a lightning strike near the White House

10:13am August 05, 2022

by Juliana Kim

Intense thunderstorms killed two and critically injured another two at the park next to the White House in Washington, D.C. Thursday evening. U.S. Park Police and the Secret Service rushed to help.

When the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai volcano erupted on Jan. 15, it sent the equivalent of more than 58,000 Olympic-size swimming pools' worth of water into the stratosphere, researchers say.

World News

Tonga's volcano sent tons of water into the stratosphere. That could warm the Earth

11:03am August 03, 2022

by Bill Chappell

"We've never seen anything like it," said atmospheric scientist Luis Millán, who works at NASA. The vapor sent skyward by the eruption will likely stay in the stratosphere for years.

National

FEMA coordinator describes catastrophic flooding in Kentucky

4:58pm August 02, 2022

NPR's Ari Shapiro speaks with FEMA's Federal Coordinating Officer Brett Howard overseeing the disaster response to massive floods in the Appalachian mountain communities in Kentucky.

National

Rescue crews from across Kentucky are searching for missing flood victims

5:14am August 02, 2022

by Karyn Czar

In eastern Kentucky, search and rescue crews continue the painstaking job of looking for victims of flash flooding. More than three dozen people have died and the death toll is expected to go higher.

National

Encore: D.C.'s unique history provides a bit of extra security from sea level rise

4:58pm August 01, 2022

by Jacob Fenston

Even with sea level rising, Washington, D.C., will be largely safe from hurricane-related flooding because of its waterfront parks. But an NPR analysis finds that 1,000 people will still be at risk.

National

At a distillery in flood-stricken Kentucky, there's mud everwhere

4:28pm August 01, 2022

NPR's Ailsa Chang speaks with Colin Fultz, owner of Kentucky Mist Distillery, about the flood damage in his town of Whitesburg, Ky.

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In this aerial image, the river is still high around the homes in Breathitt County, Ky., on Saturday. Recovery has begun in many of the narrow hollers after historic rains flooded many areas of Eastern Kentucky.

National

More rain hits Kentucky while the death toll from flooding grows

3:29pm August 01, 2022

by The Associated Press

At least 35 have been confirmed killed in flooding and hundreds remain unaccounted for. The governor warned that high winds could create the danger of falling trees and utility poles.

National

Flood cleanup is slow going in Kentucky as rescue efforts are still underway

7:25am August 01, 2022

In eastern Kentucky, the search continues for people missing following severe flooding. The death toll has risen to 28, and the governor says he expects it to keep climbing.

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Flash flooding in eastern Kentucky has killed at least 25 people and resulted in 18,000 power outages. Gov. Andy Beshear said the state is still conducting search and rescue efforts and won't be able to start rebuilding for days and potentially weeks.

National

At least 25 people have died in Kentucky's devastating floods, governor says

2:02pm July 30, 2022

by Dustin Jones

Kentucky's governor said the numbers would likely rise significantly and it could take weeks to find all the victims. Torrential rains swamped towns across Appalachia earlier this week.

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National

In 1957, his grandma floated his street in a canoe. Now, the waters are rising again

4:27pm July 29, 2022

NPR's Mary Louise Kelly talks with Dee Davis, publisher of The Daily Yonder rural news site, about the flooding in his town Whitesburg, Ky.

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