(NEW YORK) — The Interstate 95 corridor from New York City to Washington, D.C., is bracing for dangerous flooding on Thursday.
Heavy storms could lead to rainfall rates of up to 3 inches per hour. Widespread rain totals are forecast to be 1 to 3 inches, but the heaviest storms could bring 5 to 8 inches of rain to isolated areas.
The worst flooding is forecast from D.C. to Baltimore to Philadelphia to northern New Jersey. Damaging winds and some hail are also possible.
The storms could begin as early as 1 p.m. Some of the heaviest rain may fall during the late afternoon rush hour, and the heavy rain could continue well into the evening.
New York City has issued a travel advisory for Thursday and Friday, with a flood watch beginning Thursday afternoon.
“We’re preparing for a serious storm,” Mayor Eric Adams warned on social media Wednesday night. “Avoid traveling tomorrow if you can. Roads may become flooded during the evening commute.”
“Anyone living in a basement at risk for flooding should move to higher ground early,” he said. “Don’t wait until flooding begins.”
And in the West, residents of Ruidoso, New Mexico have endured the fourth flash flood event of the month. The Ruidoso Downs Racetrack overflowed and the Rio Ruidoso river at Hollywood crested at 9.4 feet.
More downpours are possible in the area on Thursday night and Friday night.
Meanwhile, more than 50 million Americans across 11 states are under heat alerts as dangerously high temperatures hit the South.
An extreme heat warning remains in effect for the lower Mississippi River Valley on Thursday. Heat indices — what temperature it feels like with humidity — could reach 110 to 120 degrees in Tennessee, Arkansas, Louisiana and Mississippi.
Over the weekend, the Southwest will feel the heat. In Arizona, Phoenix and Tucson are under extreme heat warnings as temperatures without humidity could reach 105 to 114 degrees.
Arkansas State Police said James Andrew McGann, 28, of Springdale, was arrested in connection with the double slaying of Clinton and Cristen Brink. Courtesy Arkansas State Police
(LITTLE ROCK, Ark.) — A suspect has been arrested in connection with a double homicide at an Arkansas park, after a married couple was found dead on a walking trail over the weekend, authorities said.
James Andrew McGann, 28, of Springdale, Arkansas, was arrested Wednesday and charged with two counts of capital murder in the killings of 43-year-old Clinton David Brink and his wife, 41-year-old Cristen Amanda Brink, Arkansas State Police announced Wednesday evening.
The Brinks were “fatally attacked” while out hiking with their two daughters at Devil’s Den State Park on July 26, police said. The children, ages 7 and 9, were not harmed in the incident.
McGann was arrested shortly before 5 p.m. local time at a business in Springdale, about 30 miles north of the park, state police said. At a news conference Wednesday night, an official said the business McGann was arrested at was a hair salon.
The official said McGann had recently moved to the area from Oklahoma and had been hired to work at a local school.
Asked about a motive, investigators declined to comment, saying the case is still active and that it would be premature to do so.
“Our entire state is grieving for the tragic loss and senseless and horrific crime that’s taken place,” Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders said, adding, “One of the worst experiences that certainly I’ve ever had was making a phone call to the Brink family earlier this week. Nothing like that should ever have taken place.”
Police previously said the suspect was seen leaving the area of the park in a black, four-door sedan, possibly a Mazda, with a license plate covered by tape, police said.
Arkansas State Police had released a composite sketch and photo from behind of a man who was seen in Devil’s Den State Park on Saturday, the day of the killings. Police asked for the public’s help in identifying the man, who they said was wanted for questioning in connection with the double homicide.
The FBI assisted Arkansas State Police with its investigation “by providing additional manpower and specialized resources.”
Police have not yet revealed how the Brinks were killed.
The Brinks had recently moved to Prairie Grove from another state, police said.
The children are safe and in the custody of relatives, according to police.
All trails at Devil’s Den State Park, which were closed following the killings, will remain closed for now, Arkansas Secretary of Parks Shay Lewis said.
(NEW YORK ) — A father accused of killing his 9-year-old daughter in upstate New York and then falsely claiming she was kidnapped pleaded not guilty on Wednesday.
Luciano Frattolin, of Montreal, was arraigned in Essex County on an indictment charging him with second-degree murder and the concealment of a human corpse.
A judge ordered him held without bail. His next court appearance has been scheduled for Aug. 19, with a jury trial set to begin in January 2026.
Frattolin is accused of killing his daughter, Melina Galanis Frattolin, during a vacation to the U.S., concealing her body and fabricating a story that she was abducted.
Melina was found dead in a shallow pond in a remote area near Ticonderoga on July 20, a day after he reported that she was abducted when he pulled over to go into the woods to go to the bathroom, police said.
Melina died by homicide and from “asphyxia due to drowning,” according to preliminary autopsy results, New York State Police said.
Investigators believe she was killed on July 19, just hours after she called her mother to say that she and her father were on their way back to Montreal, police said.
The indictment alleges Frattolin drowned his daughter then concealed her body “by placing it in a wooded area in water, near a fallen tree with a rock on top of the corpse.”
ABC News has reached out to his public defender for comment but has not yet received a response.
Melina lived with her mother full time in Montreal and was on a 10-day vacation to New York City and Connecticut with her father at the time, according to Capt. Robert McConnell of the New York State Police.
According to McConnell, Frattolin and his daughter’s mother have been estranged since 2019. He said the mother knew Frattolin had taken Melina on a vacation and told police she had no prior concerns about them traveling to the U.S. together.
Frattolin’s kidnapping report led the New York State Police to issue an Amber Alert early on July 20. A massive search was launched before her body was discovered later that day by New York State Police Forest Rangers, authorities said.
“He fabricated the initial report of the abduction,” McConnell alleged during a July 20 news conference.
Police began to focus on the father as a suspect after finding inconsistencies in his account of events and the timeline he provided, McConnell said.
(DANVILLE, Va.) — A Virginia councilman was set on fire in an apparent personal attack at his office on Wednesday, authorities said.
The suspect, Shotsie Michael Buck Hayes, allegedly confronted Danville City Councilman Lee Vogler, 38, at his office and doused him with a flammable liquid, the Danville Police Department said. Both went outside where Hayes allegedly set Vogler on fire, police said.
Hayes, 29, of Danville, is in custody, police said.
Vogler has been taken to a hospital in unknown condition, police said.
It appears Vogler and Hayes know each other “and the attack stems from a personal matter not related to the victim’s position on Danville City Council or any other political affiliation,” police said.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
(LOS ANGELES) — Former NBA star Gilbert Arenas is charged with allegedly running an illegal gambling business out of a California mansion, where “high-stakes poker games” were played, the Department of Justice announced Wednesday.
He and five others were arrested on Wednesday in connection with the alleged gambling ring, according to the U.S. District Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California.
Arenas, 43, has been charged with one count of conspiracy to operate an illegal gambling business, one count of operating an illegal gambling business and one count of making false statements to federal investigators, prosecutors said.
He is scheduled to be arraigned in Los Angeles on Wednesday.
Arenas is a three-time NBA All-Star who played for teams including the Golden State Warriors, Washington Wizards, Orlando Magic and Memphis Grizzlies.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
(WASHINGTON) — A little over a month since the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) announced that it and the National Weather Service (NWS) would no longer be receiving critical satellite weather data used in forecasting hurricanes, the Department of Defense now says it will continue to provide the agencies information from the Special Sensor Microwave Imager Sounder (SSMIS).
The U.S. Navy told ABC News that its Fleet Numerical Meteorology and Oceanography Center “had planned to phase out the data as part of a Defense Department modernization effort. But after feedback from government partners, officials found a way to meet modernization goals while keeping the data flowing until the sensor fails or the program formally ends in September 2026.”
The Navy previously told ABC News in a statement that “We can confirm that the Navy’s Fleet Numerical Meteorology and Oceanography Center will no longer contribute to processing and disseminating Defense Meteorological Satellite Program data on July 31, 2025, in accordance with Department of Defense policy. DMSP is a joint program owned by the U.S. Space Force and scheduled for discontinuation in September 2026. The Navy is discontinuing contributions to DMSP given the program no longer meets our information technology modernization requirements.”
The SSMIS instruments are part of three weather satellites that are in low-Earth orbit and are maintained by NOAA in cooperation with the Department of Defense. They provide critical weather information that can’t yet be replaced by other satellites and weather instruments, according to NOAA.
The SSMIS offers forecasters the ability to examine the inner workings of active tropical systems and to better understand their behavior. Specifically, the tool uses microwaves to penetrate clouds and obtain a clearer picture of the inner structure of a tropical cyclone. This enables forecasters to better monitor the current progress of such storms, including the ability to identify the exact center of the weather system for use in creating forecast models.
Other weather satellites use visible and infrared imagery, which can only capture surface-level details of the cloud tops of such storms, rather than what’s happening inside of them. These satellites also are ineffective after sunset, when it’s too dark to see and when direct observations over open water are scarce. Because the SSMIS system doesn’t have these limitations, forecasters rely on the data it collects during such periods.
Weather forecast models are sensitive to initial weather conditions and rely on multiple sources of accurate weather data for forecasting. Any degradation or discontinuity in the data, whether in terms of quality or quantity, could negatively affect the model’s forecasting skill, scientists warn.
Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen; Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images
(FREMONT, Neb.) — A man and two children were killed in a large explosion at a Nebraska plant, officials said Wednesday.
The incident occurred midday Tuesday at Horizon Biofuels, a manufacturer of fuel pellets and animal bedding located in Fremont, located approximately 40 miles northwest of Omaha.
The three people were missing following the explosion, with search efforts hindered by the fire and structure concerns, Fremont Mayor Joey Spellerberg said. The response has since moved to a recovery effort, as crews continue to battle the fire, authorities said.
“My heart hurts,” Spellerberg said during a press briefing on Wednesday. “It hurts for this situation, which is a tragedy. We pray for all the families involved.”
The employee was in building with two girls who are believed to be under the age of 12 when the explosion occurred, the mayor said. Their names are not being released at his time, he said.
“The two children were there just waiting for him to get off to go to a doctor’s appointment,” Spellerberg said.
Crews are continuing to battle an active fire on Wednesday and assessing how to safely access the building to recover the victims, Nebraska Task Force One program manager Ashley Engler said during Wednesday’s briefing. The steel warehouse is becoming more unstable as the fire continues to burn, she said.
“We are using all search and rescue resources and capabilities we have, including structural engineers, to obtain access in a safe manner to get to these to these victims,” she said.
Responding firefighters were initially met by “heavy smoke and a lot of flames coming out,” Fremont Fire Chief Todd Bernt said during a press briefing Tuesday afternoon. “We had a lot of structural collapse.”
Fire crews were unable to access the building to conduct a search, Bernt said.
“Early on, we tried to get access, but just due to the collapse with the mangled steel, we were unable to get inside,” Bernt said.
Due to the structural issues, the fire department requested support from Nebraska Task Force One, the chief said.
Bernt said the plant has a lot of wood and some alcohol-based materials stored inside.
The cause of the explosion remains under investigation. The Nebraska State Fire Marshal’s Office and other agencies were on scene.
Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen said he is closely monitoring the incident.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with all involved — and we’re ready to help any way we can,” he said in a statement Tuesday.
One woman who came out to the scene to give out water to first responders on Tuesday said she saw a “large black puff of smoke” following the explosion.
“I was just instantly praying that nobody was hurt,” she told reporters. “That’s all we can hope for. We’re a good community. Everybody will rally together and help each other.”
(NEW YORK) — Over 120 million Americans across 28 states remain on alert for dangerously hot and humid weather on Wednesday as a heat wave continues to bake the eastern half of the country. But relief is on the way beginning Thursday in the Northeast.
Parts of Louisiana and most of Mississippi are under extreme heat warnings on Wednesday, with heat indices — what the temperature feels like with humidity — reaching up to 120 degrees.
Memphis, Tennessee, which is under an extreme heat warning, could see a heat index reaching 115 degrees on Wednesday.
Washington, D.C., could reach a heat index of up to 109 degrees on Wednesday, while it will feel like 104 degrees in Philadelphia and 102 degrees in New York City. For actual temperatures, Philadelphia and Baltimore could reach a daily record high of 99.
New York City marked an official heat wave on Wednesday as it reached 90 degrees for a third consecutive day.
But, a significant cool down will arrive in the coming days.
St. Louis, which has felt like over 110 degrees for more than a week, will finally see temperatures in the 70s on Thursday.
On Friday, highs will reach near 70 degrees from Philadelphia to Boston.
Unfortunately, the extreme heat will continue in the South over the coming days.
Throughout the weekend, high temperatures and humidity will remain in the Deep South, with the extreme heat expecting to hold along the Gulf Coast. A new heat dome may also form over the desert Southwest.
For tips on how to stay safe in a heat wave, click here.
(NEW YORK) — After a gunman opened fire in a New York City office building and killed four people, experts expressed some concerns regarding security in workplace environments.
Four people were killed and one was injured on Monday after police say 27-year-old Shane Devon Tamura entered a Midtown Manhattan office building — which is home to the NFL headquarters — wearing body armor and opened fire with a high-powered rifle, according to authorities.
Donald Mihalek, a senior ABC News law enforcement contributor and retired United States Secret Service agent, said these types of workplace shootings are on the rise due to people — employees and those not affiliated with the company — feeling more comfortable with vilifying corporations and taking out their grievances through violence.
From 1994 to 2021, 16,497 U.S. workers were “intentionally killed while at work,” according to 2024 study. Other recent shootings that occurred at workplaces include the 2021 incident at an office complex in Southern California, killing four people, and a 2023 incident at a bank in Kentucky, killing five and injuring eight.
“Corporations are now feeling what governments have felt for many years, being targeted, being vilified,” Mihalek told ABC News.
So, what was learned from this incident and how can office buildings help mitigate these shootings from escalating?
Security outside an office building and artificial intelligence monitoring potential threats
On Monday, the suspect emerged from a double-parked BMW with an M4-style weapon Palmetto State Armory PA-15 rifle, entered the lobby alone, immediately opened fire on a New York Police Department officer and sprayed the lobby with bullets.
Richard Frankel, an ABC News contributor and retired FBI special agent, said Tamura’s ability to leave his vehicle double-parked and walk with a visible weapon “without anyone even thinking about it or causing concern” is “a little bit of an issue.”
“It’s crazy that he was able to walk on a Manhattan street into a building and not be seen carrying a long gun,” Frankel told ABC News. “How was he able to just walk with no one seeing him carrying an assault weapon and actually having it dangle out from his jacket?”
To prevent something similar happening in the future, Frankel said a corporation increasing its security presence outside the building — by establishing a private government partnership or hiring individuals — could help prevent the threat from actually entering the presence.
Frankel also said there is artificial intelligence and video technology used by federal buildings that could “observe what somebody is doing and consider whether that’s a threat or not.” If an armed individual is approaching the building, “an alarm would go off” with this technology, Frankel said.
Understanding the difference between handgun and rifle violence
With this shooting, the gunman opened fire using a rifle, which is a “more powerful weapon” that can travel a greater distance and has a greater capacity to penetrate compared to a handgun, Mihalek said.
Thus, corporations should think to make a “significant investment” in armor and bulletproof glass around the entranceways of the building, he said. While it is “very difficult” for someone to protect themselves from a rifle, a “man trap system” — where somebody has to be let through different phases of the building in order to get to the heart of the structure — could also help slow down the attack.
Conducting threat assessments
Mihalek also recommends that corporations conduct threat assessments, where a business identifies individuals — both employees and those not affiliated with the company — who may be potential threats of violence due to a recent termination, relationship turmoil or social media posts showing grievances toward the company or individuals at the company.
While it is unclear whether the suspect in Monday’s shooting was posting threats on social media, officials had found a note in his pocket accusing the National Football League of concealing the dangers to players’ brains to maximize profits, sources said. So “chances are he had some type of social media presence or online presence somewhere where he might have said a few things about the NFL,” which could have alerted of a potential threat beforehand.
This behavioral assessment is a holistic process that detects, identifies and processes potential threats, Mihalek said.
“This individual could have perhaps said something concerning online or elsewhere but if no one reports it or is looking, it can’t be detected,” Mihalek said.
Implementing active shooter drills, training for employees
Along with buildings implementing additional security and keeping a lookout for potential threats, both Mihalek and Frankel said corporations should implement routine active shooter drills and provide both online and in-person training conducted by local law enforcement.
Mihalek said buildings should also partner with local law enforcement and emergency medical services so they can “understand the layout of the building” so that they are prepared for a potential threat to that particular office space.
The Department of Homeland Security also has basic active shooter protocols instructing individuals in an active shooter situation to “run, hide and fight,” which Mihalek said is used in many schools and is “simple, effective and it works.”
ABC News’ Aaron Katersky contributed to this report.
(LOS ANGELES) — A massive magnitude 8.8 earthquake struck off Russia’s Pacific coast, sparking tsunami warnings and evacuations of coastal areas in Hawaii and alerts along the U.S. West Coast.
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In Russia, a camera captured the eruption of the Klyuchevskaya Sopka volcano — the highest mountain in the region — sending hot lava down its western slope.
In the U.S., President Donald Trump on social media urged people to “STAY STRONG AND STAY SAFE” and to monitor updates on the tsunami.gov online dashboard.
After the initial tsunami waves had washed ashore in Hawaii and along the West Coast on Tuesday, officials with the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center reduced the alert level for the Hawaiian islands to a tsunami advisory.
Gov. Josh Green told reporters early Wednesday that Hawaii had so far “not seen a wave of consequence, which is a great relief to us.” He added, “It’s kind of a blessing to not be reporting any damage,” though warned there could yet be more tsunami waves.
Tsunami waves were recorded in Monterey, California, as of 12:48 a.m., the National Weather Service said, and reached San Francisco at around 1:12 a.m. However, none had caused any significant issues.
Coastal areas of Alaska, Oregon, Washington and California remained under National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration tsunami advisories as of Wednesday morning. A stretch of coastline north of Cape Mendocino, California, to the border with Oregon remained under a tsunami warning. A tsunami warning means a tsunami that could cause widespread, dangerous flooding and powerful currents is expected. A tsunami watch means a distant earthquake has occurred and a tsunami is possible.
Hawaiian Airlines and Alaska Airlines said they would resume flights on Wednesday morning after a pause due to the tsunami warnings.
Hawaii at center of initial warnings
The National Weather Service said just after 7 p.m. local time — 1 a.m. ET — that tsunami waves “were recently detected in Haleiwa.”
Just after 8:30 p.m. local time, the Hawaii County Civil Defense Agency said, “It’s not over yet: Initial wave impacts from the leading edge of the tsunami measured several feet at some monitoring stations, but ‘follow-up’ waves over the next several hours often are LARGER. Don’t return to evacuated areas until the Tsunami Warning is officially lifted.”
Waves of up to 4 feet were recorded off of Oahu, with no large waves reported near the Big Island.
In Hawaii, the NWS called for “urgent action” to protect lives and property.
Officials there urged residents to leave beaches and evacuate low-lying areas for higher ground or to take shelter on at least the fourth floor of a building. Sirens sounded across the Hawaii islands 10 minutes after each hour for the three hours leading up to the expected impact as a part of a statewide warning system.
Less than an hour before the waves were expected to hit, Green said officials were braced for a “significant wave” measuring 6 feet total, from peak to trough. “That means a 3-foot wave riding on the top of the ocean,” Green said.
All shores of the island are at risk because tsunami waves wrap around islands, officials said.
“The danger can continue for many hours after the initial wave as subsequent waves arrive. Tsunami heights cannot be predicted and the first wave may not be the largest,” the NWS said in an alert.
“It is not just a 3-foot wave, it is a forceful wall of water,” the governor said, adding that it’s possible such a wave could knock down utility poles and leave debris strewn in its wake.
Tsunami alerts for West Coast, around the world
In the wake of the quake, a tsunami warning was issued for part of Alaska’s Aleutian Islands and Northern California, from Cape Mendocino — located about 200 miles north of California — to the Oregon border. The rest of the California coast, as well as Oregon and Washington, were under a tsunami advisory.
The U.S. territories of Guam and American Samoa were also put under a tsunami advisory, according to USGS.
The intense quake occurred about 85 miles off the east coast of Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula with a depth of nearly 12 miles, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. It was one of the most powerful earthquakes ever recorded by the agency, which upgraded its magnitude from initial reports of 8.0 and 8.7.
Magnitude 6.3 and 6.9 aftershocks were also reported in the area, according to USGS.
Damage was reported in Russia’s far eastern Kamchatka region, where emergency services said 3,000 people were evacuated.
All of northern Japan was placed under a tsunami warning, with more than 2 million people evacuated.
Japan’s meteorological agency warned that a tsunami about 3 feet high was expected to reach Hokkaido.
The Japan Meteorological Agency later revised tsunami warnings to lower level advisories, but said people should still exercise caution.
In Central and South America, tsunami warnings or watches were put in place by authorities in Chile, Peru, Ecuador, Costa Rica, Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador and Colombia.
In the Pacific region, French Polynesia, Guam, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Fiji, Marshall Islands, Kiribati, New Caledonia, the Cook Islands, Nauru, Australia and the Philippines issued various levels of tsunami alerts, plus warnings of expected strong currents and possible flooding.
New Zealanders were advised to avoid beaches due to expected strong currents and surges.
U.S. territories in the Pacific including Johnston Atoll, Midway Island, Palmyra Island, Howland and Baker Islands, Jarvis Island and other nearby small islands were also put on alert for possible tsunami waves.
China issued tsunami alerts for Shanghai and Zhejiang regions, though those were later lifted.
ABC News’ William Gretsky, Anthony Trotter, Mireya Villarreal, Tanya Stukalova, Clark Bentson and Jessica Gorman contributed to this report.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
