Moderate Flood Threat Late Week In The Southwest – National Weather Outlook For August 18, 2022

National Weather Forecast

On Thursday we will be tracking several active areas of storms. A coastal storm in the Northeast brings heavy rain to parts of New England. A stalled frontal boundary in the Southeast/South Central region will bring occasional batches of storms. A slow-moving area of low pressure in the upper Midwest brings showers and storms. And we continue to watch monsoonal moisture in the Southwest leading to storms. Meanwhile, record highs will be possible in the Northwest, including in Seattle and Portland.

Several areas of heavy rain will be possible through the end of the week across the lower 48 – across the southern tier of states (especially in the Southwest), in the Northeast due to that coastal storm, and in the upper Midwest due to a slow-moving area of low pressure.

Particularly as we head into Friday we will be watching the potential of flooding rains across portions of Arizona and New Mexico, including the Phoenix and Tucson areas. In just the Friday-Friday night timeframe, rainfall totals of 1-2” will be possible.

_______________________________________________

The electric car Battery Belt is reshaping America’s heartland

More from Axios: “The climate bill President Biden signed into law yesterday will open up tens of billions of dollars in subsidies for high-tech electric vehicle plants across the South and the Midwest. Why it matters: The package is a big down payment on addressing climate change and moving toward energy independence as the U.S. races to build a domestic supply chain for batteries and other critical materials. It could also be a major economic jolt for a large swath of the country some are calling the Battery Belt, where lots of EV-related factories and facilities are being built. Driving the news: The auto industry has already poured billions into new EV and battery manufacturing facilities across North America over the last couple years. Now automakers and battery suppliers will be eligible for billions of dollars in federal loans and tax credits to offset those costs and spur additional investments.”

How Puerto Rico could call on rooftop solar to avoid blackouts

More from Canary Media: “Puerto Rico continues to contend with a fragile electricity system nearly five years after Hurricane Maria battered the U.S. territory and all but destroyed its centralized grid. Despite billions of federal recovery dollars and post-hurricane repairs, residents still endure routine outages, widespread disruptions and soaring electricity rates. The uncertainty has prompted many of Puerto Rico’s 3.2 million people to take matters into their own hands. Tens of thousands of rooftop solar arrays with backup battery systems operate across the island, allowing households and businesses to run their lights and appliances even when the grid goes down.”

Next US energy boom could be wind power in the Gulf of Mexico

More from Renewable Energy World: “With the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act, which contains $370 billion for climate and energy programs, policy experts are forecasting a big expansion in clean electricity generation. One source that’s poised for growth is offshore wind power. Today the U.S. has just two operating offshore wind farms, off of Rhode Island and Virginia, with a combined generating capacity of 42 MW. For comparison, the new Traverse Wind Energy Center in Oklahoma has 356 turbines and a 998-megawatt generating capacity. But many more projects are in development, mostly along the Atlantic coast. The Biden administration has identified two zones for offshore wind power development in the Gulf of Mexico, which up until now has been firmly identified with oil and gas production. As part of his climate strategy, President Joe Biden has set a goal for the deployment of 30 gigawatts (30,000 megawatts) of offshore wind generating capacity by 2030 – enough to power 10 million homes with carbon-free electricity.”

_______________________________________________

Thanks for checking in and have a great day! Don’t forget to follow me on Twitter (@dkayserwx) and like me on Facebook (Meteorologist D.J. Kayser).

– D.J. Kayser