National Weather Forecast

Heat continues to pester the southern United States on Monday, with highs in the 100s and, in some areas, heat index values up above 110F. We’ll watch a system across the eastern U.S. producing strong storms and heavy rainfall. Storm activity will be possible from the Front Range back to the Pacific Northwest as well.

We are tracking a potentially extensive area of the eastern United States Monday with the threat of severe weather. An Enhanced Risk (threat level 3/5) exists tomorrow across portions of the Mid-Atlantic and Appalachians, including Washington D.C., Baltimore, Charleston, Roanoke, Charlotte, and Atlanta. Damaging winds will be the primary threat from these storms as multiple bands of storms are expected from the midday hours into the evening. However, a few tornadoes (particularly from northeastern Kentucky to the D.C./Baltimore region) and some large hail can’t be ruled out.

Pockets of heavy rain through the first half of the week are expected from the central to the eastern United States, where some areas may see over three inches of rain.

_______________________________________________

Batteries Now Can Replace Old Power Plants

More from CleanTechnica: “Most of the oldest fossil fuel power plants in the United States are located near or in cities, making it more urgent — and more difficult — to shut them down. Now, with the changes in arcane rules announced just last week by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), it will be much easier to replace them with battery storage. This is welcome news. The Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) has long called for replacing old plants in urban areas with battery storage facilities, which can improve grid reliability, and renewable energy. FERC’s new rules for connecting batteries to the power grid remove a major obstacle to using big batteries for grid reliability. What may appear to be a small change may result in significantly cleaner air across the country.

Outdoor air pollution may increase non-lung cancer risk in older adults

More from Harvard: “Chronic exposure to fine particulate air pollutants (PM2.5) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2) may increase non-lung cancer risk in older adults, according to a study led by Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. In a cohort study of millions of Medicare beneficiaries, the researchers found that exposures to PM2.5 and NO2 over a 10-year period increased the risk of developing colorectal and prostate cancers. The researchers also found that even low levels of air pollution exposure may make people particularly susceptible to developing these cancers, in addition to breast and endometrial cancers. “Our findings uncover the biological plausibility of air pollution as a crucial risk factor in the development of specific cancers, bringing us one step closer to understanding the impact of air pollution on human health,” said Yaguang Wei, research fellow in the Department of Environmental Health. “To ensure equitable access to clean air for all populations, we must fully define the effects of air pollution and then work towards reducing it.”

The U.S. Government Will Pay to Remove Carbon From Atmosphere

More from Heatmap: “The federal government is preparing to pay companies to remove carbon dioxide directly from the atmosphere, launching a first-of-its-kind program that could transform the market for the nascent climate technology, according to people familiar with the matter. The program would mark a global first: Never before has any government paid to remove climate pollution from the atmosphere. The effort will be managed by the Department of Energy and will initially have a budget in the tens of millions, the people said. It will use one of the government’s most potent tools — its power as a customer — to accelerate a technology that experts say is essential to fighting climate change. A spokesperson for the Department of Energy declined to comment.

_______________________________________________

Follow me on:

Thanks for checking in and have a great day!

– D.J. Kayser