# Tavily Search Results: Dusty

**Query:** extreme weather events US and worldwide  
**Topic:** news  
**Results:** 5  
**Date:** 2026-05-04 12:05:58

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## 1. Weather tracker: Tornadoes and giant hail in central US - The Guardian

**URL:** [https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/may/01/weather-tracker-tornadoes-and-giant-hail-in-central-us](https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/may/01/weather-tracker-tornadoes-and-giant-hail-in-central-us)  
**Score:** 0.9867

### Summary

On Wednesday and Thursday, Moscow was hit by a late April snowstorm that broke numerous weather records. 21cm of snow accumulated overnight, the highest depth measured at this time of year since 1880. The cause of this event can be attributed to a stubborn area of high pressure situated over the North Atlantic, acting as a blockade, forcing Arctic air to plunge southwards into western Russia. The storm felled 740 trees and caused significant delays to air travel with wind gusts exceeding 50mph.

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## Most viewed [...] Forecasted extreme rainfall verified for parts of southern China this week. The heavens opened on Monday and Tuesday as 538mm fell in 12 hours, while peak hourly totals exceeded 147mm in Qinzhou in the south-central autonomous region of Guangxi. To put these totals into perspective, this area receives about 1,500 annually. Streets were engulfed by flood water, submerging hundreds of vehicles. Five people were left stranded in a residential building, and 800 residents had to be evacuated, while emergency personnel forged their way through chest-deep water in the most severely affected districts. [...] Eight tornadoes occurred on Monday, including an EF2 tornado that ripped through the town of Sycamore, Kansas. Tuesday brought a more widespread event across the mid-west states, most notably as a severe hailstorm moved through Springfield, Missouri. Hailstones up to 12cm (5in) in diameter fell across the city, causing widespread damage to cars, including cracked or completely shattered windscreens. Dickerson Park zoo on the north side of the city reported the death of Adam, an Emu caught outside during the storm. Early estimates indicate this event will be the costliest hailstorm in the city’s history.

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# Weather tracker: Tornadoes and giant hail in central US

Ed Walton and James Michelin for MetDesk

Strongest tornado hits Mineral Wells, Texas, where disaster was declared. Elsewhere, there is extreme rain in China

Springtime is the season for severe thunderstorms for the central US, and the beginning of this week was a particularly active period for the region. A favourable weather pattern allowed for the development of intense thunderstorms on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, bringing strong winds, very large hail and strong tornadoes.

Eight tornadoes occurred on Monday, including an EF2 tornado that ripped through the town of Sycamore, Kansas. Tuesday brought a more widespread event across the mid-west states, most notably as a severe hailstorm moved through Springfield, Missouri. Hailstones up to 12cm (5in) in diameter fell across the city, causing widespread damage to cars, including cracked or completely shattered windscreens. Dickerson Park zoo on the north side of the city reported the death of Adam, an Emu caught outside during the storm. Early estimates indicate this event will be the costliest hailstorm in the city’s history.

The strongest tornado of the week occurred on Wednesday as an EF3 impacted Mineral Wells, Texas, containing wind speeds of up to 145mph (233km/h). The mayor declared a local disaster after five people were injured, alongside the widespread destruction of homes and businesses across the town. [Tornado Alley](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/apr/04/us-tornadoes-global-heating-climate-science) residents will be grateful for a quieter period of severe weather, which is expected over the next week.

Forecasted extreme rainfall verified for parts of southern China this week. The heavens opened on Monday and Tuesday as 538mm fell in 12 hours, while peak hourly totals exceeded 147mm in Qinzhou in the south-central autonomous region of Guangxi. To put these totals into perspective, this area receives about 1,500 annually. Streets were engulfed by flood water, submerging hundreds of vehicles. Five people were left stranded in a residential building, and 800 residents had to be evacuated, while emergency personnel forged their way through chest-deep water in the most severely affected districts.

On Wednesday and Thursday, Moscow was hit by a late April snowstorm that broke numerous weather records. 21cm of snow accumulated overnight, the highest depth measured at this time of year since 1880. The cause of this event can be attributed to a stubborn area of high pressure situated over the North Atlantic, acting as a blockade, forcing Arctic air to plunge southwards into western Russia. The storm felled 740 trees and caused significant delays to air travel with wind gusts exceeding 50mph.

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## 2. Tornadoes, hail and high winds forecast to hit midwest and Mississippi valley - The Guardian

**URL:** [https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/apr/27/severe-storms-midwest-mississippi-valley](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/apr/27/severe-storms-midwest-mississippi-valley)  
**Score:** 0.9263

### Summary

The latest storms follow a deadly weekend of severe weather. At least two people were killed when a tornado swept through northern Texas on Saturday night, and at least six others were injured.

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## Most viewed [...] The threat is not expected to end Monday, as the National Weather Service said a “plume of very moist and unstable air continues to surge northward ahead of the front, which will set the stage for several days of severe weather and heavy rainfall” across the mid- to lower Mississippi valleys and the mid-south.

It added that as a cold front pushes southward and overtakes a dryline in Texas – referring to a line separating moist and dry air – it is expected to trigger another round of thunderstorm clusters capable of severe hazards, along with scattered flash flooding later this week. However, the NWS noted that the coverage and intensity of Tuesday’s severe weather should be lower compared with Monday. [...] Skip to navigationSkip to navigation

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# Tornadoes, hail and high winds forecast to hit midwest and Mississippi valley

Severe storms put nearly 50 million at risk and follow a deadly weekend after tornado killed two people in Texas

Severe storms are expected to sweep across the mid-Mississippi valley and midwest regions of the US on Monday, putting nearly 50 million people at risk.

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# Tornadoes, hail and high winds forecast to hit midwest and Mississippi valley

Severe storms put nearly 50 million at risk and follow a deadly weekend after tornado killed two people in Texas

Severe storms are expected to sweep across the mid-Mississippi valley and midwest regions of the US on Monday, putting nearly 50 million people at risk.

The storm prediction center has [issued](https://www.spc.noaa.gov/products/outlook/pwo.html) a level 4 out of 5 risk for severe thunderstorms across south-west Illinois and south-east Missouri, including major cities such as St Louis. Forecasters warned of “multiple strong to intense tornadoes, widespread severe/damaging wind gusts and scattered large to very large hail”, with some hail potentially reaching baseball size.

Wind gusts could climb to 60 to 70 miles per hour, bringing the threat of significant impacts. These include hail damage to vehicles, considerable tree damage, and wind damage to mobile homes, roofs and outbuildings, the National Weather Service (NWS) said.

In a [statement](https://apnews.com/article/storms-tornadoes-missouri-st-louis-kansas-rescue-1c9df7f5f9bb905051c44ed909ffccb0) to the Associated Press on Monday, Kansas City fire battalion chief Riley Nolan said the department responded to 11 water rescues involving vehicles before 6am.

According to Nolan, most of the rescues “were in our typical ‘high-water’ areas following heavy rains” though he noted that no boats were required and no injuries were reported.

Meanwhile, Evan Bentley, a NWS warning coordination meteorologist, said tornadoes on Monday could reach EF2 to potentially EF3 strength, referring to “strong” and “severe” tornado classifications, in a separate [warning](https://x.com/NWSSPC/status/2048762513353847060?s=20) posted on X.

The NWS is urging residents to take precautions, advising people to move to an interior room on the lowest floor of a building, seek shelter in a well-built structure and stay away from windows.

The threat is not expected to end Monday, as the National Weather Service [said](https://www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/discussions/hpcdiscussions.php?disc=pmdspd) a “plume of very moist and unstable air continues to surge northward ahead of the front, which will set the stage for several days of severe weather and heavy rainfall” across the mid- to lower Mississippi valleys and the mid-south.

It added that as a cold front pushes southward and overtakes a dryline in Texas – referring to a line separating moist and dry air – it is expected to trigger another round of thunderstorm clusters capable of severe hazards, along with scattered flash flooding later this week. However, the NWS noted that the coverage and intensity of Tuesday’s severe weather should be lower compared with Monday.

The latest storms follow a deadly weekend of severe weather. At least two people were killed when a tornado swept through northern Texas on Saturday night, and at least six others were injured.

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## 3. ‘Living in survival mode’: Houston’s embattled immigrant community faces health, climate and petrochemical crises - The Guardian

**URL:** [https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/may/02/houston-texas-immigrants-ice-health-extreme-weather](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/may/02/houston-texas-immigrants-ice-health-extreme-weather)  
**Score:** 0.4378

### Summary

Consideredaone-in-1,000-year flood event, Harvey set a record in the contiguous US for the maximum amount of rainfall from a tropical storm or hurricane. It killed 89 people and left $158.8bn in estimated damages in its wake.

This was followed by a series of other massive storms and the Covid-19 pandemic, compounding Houstonians’ adversities.

More than half of Harris county’s residents who responded to a survey by local university researchers said they endured blackouts during Harvey and the 2021 winter storm. About 900,000 Houston-area residents lost power for days during the May 2024 derecho wind storm, and when Hurricane Beryl hit two months later, 3m homes and businesses were plunged into darkness. [...] However, Texas is already a disaster-prone state and Harris county, the largest and most central county in the Houston metropolitan area,encompassing much of the city’s east and west sides, is more vulnerable to disasters’ negative impacts than 72% of other US counties, according to the Greater Houston Community Foundation. Summers bring excruciating heat, with the number of days above 95F increasing substantially in recent years, while storms and other weather-related emergencies, often exacerbated by the climate crisis, cause property damage and loss of life.

When Hurricane Harvey hit in 2017, the area was engulfed in up to 60in of rain, a downpour that estimates indicate was made 15-38% worse by the climate crisis. [...] Originally from Mexico, Hilda has always lived in regions affected by hurricanes, and in Houston, she said, extreme weather is nothing new. But she has noticed an increase in the volatility around her in recent years – how dry it is usually, and then how much rain falls when the water finally comes.

“That’s what has changed,” she said.

Then there is industrial waste. Hilda pointed out one of Houston’s infamous “mountains” nearby – an unusual rise in the city’s low-lying, flat topography that usually means a grassed-over dump, despite looking natural to the untrained eye.

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# ‘Living in survival mode’: Houston’s embattled immigrant community faces health, climate and petrochemical crises

Amid immigration raids, chemical spills, massive floods and costly healthcare, less-affluent residents of one of the most diverse US cities struggle to pull through

Cándido Álvarez has made it his policy never to go to the doctor.

“Not when I’m sick, not even when it’s serious,” he said. “I prefer not to go.”

So when, amid one of Houston’s [increasingly sweltering summers](https://www.houstonpublicmedia.org/articles/news/weather/2026/01/05/539894/houston-weather-2025-heat-records/) recently, he said his body temperature reached a whopping 120F during his construction job at an unventilated bodega – and when blood in his urine indicated that such extreme heat exposure was likely damaging his kidneys – he acknowledged it was an alarm bell. But not enough of one to get him to the emergency room.

He remembers how just four hours at the hospital when he had Covid-19 landed him with a $7,500 bill.

“I’m going to die not so much from the illness but from thinking about how I’m going to pay the rent,” he said.

Originally from Honduras, Álvarez, 47, is an undocumented immigrant who has lived in the US since 2015 and in [Houston](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/houston) for almost as long. Unlike his wife and three kids, he doesn’t have health insurance, despite constantly facing risks on the job such as contact with mold and insulation debris, threats made worse by bosses who don’t provide basic safety equipment such as masks and eye protection.

He has often worked remodeling houses inundated by Houston’s notorious floods or cleaning up waste that people have thrown into the streets after major storms sweep through. Then, at home, he is surrounded by other potential contaminants, including one of Houston’s two major airports right down the street and many of its chemical plants within a few miles. He says the city’s environmental agency insists the air is fine, but he has his doubts.

“How is it going to be possible that this doesn’t affect the environment?” Álvarez asked. “It has to affect it, because 24 hours a day they’re expending smoke from those plants.”

Álvarez and his family are just one example of how the climate crisis, industrial pollution and environmental disasters already combine to hit lower-income immigrant communities harder than most others in Houston, one of the [most diverse metropolitan areas](https://www.migrationpolicy.org/news/houston-report-2023) in the country. Public health is affected, and then, on top of that, the second Trump administration has been choking off access to healthcare for these marginalized communities because of rising costs and the [hardline mass deportation agenda](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/ng-interactive/2025/aug/29/trump-immigration-ice-cbp-data) making people afraid to seek treatment, even in emergencies.

Where Álvarez’s family lives is where much of Houston’s pollution ends up, tied to a 21-year [life expectancy gap](https://publichealthwatch.org/2024/01/25/new-report-calls-houston-ship-channel-a-racial-sacrifice-zone-for-human-rights/) between the lower-income, primarily Black and brown residents on Houston’s east side and their wealthier, whiter neighbors on the west side of the city.

This phenomenon is illustrated partly by something known as “the arrow” because of the shape relevant data make when displaying key indicators of wellbeing on a map of the city. If the arrow represents affluence, it points from the wealthy western neighborhoods to the east, where prosperity is lacking.

Inside the arrow’s lines, if superimposed on a map, sit [luxury stores](https://rice-village.com/), green spaces and the [richest suburb](https://www.gobankingrates.com/money/wealth/wealthiest-suburbs-in-texas/) in Texas, with the point of the arrow abruptly ending where it hits the downtown area.And just [outside](https://onebreathhou.org/houston-arrow/1-up_and_down_on_richmond/) the arrow’s margins, to its south and east, where many of the city’s blue-collar immigrants live, poverty rates, childhood asthma rates, and the number of solid waste sites and facilities that use harmful chemicals are all higher, while markers of prosperity such as median home value and college degree attainment are lower.

“Almost every indicator you look at, this arrow emerge

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## 4. Nordic heatwave part of record year that saw temperatures scorch most of Europe, report finds - The Guardian

**URL:** [https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/apr/29/nordic-extreme-heat-environment-europe-report](https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/apr/29/nordic-extreme-heat-environment-europe-report)  
**Score:** 0.0385

### Summary

The heat melted snow and shrunk glaciers in every region of Europe, the report found, with Iceland witnessing its second-greatest loss of glacier mass on record. Meanwhile, the Greenland ice sheet lost 139 gigatons of ice in 2025 and raised global sea levels by nearly half a millimetre, according to the report.

European waters were the hottest ever seen after the fourth year in a row of broken sea surface temperature records, the scientists found. A record 86% of its ocean experienced “strong” heatwaves at some point in 2025, while 36% experienced “severe” or “extreme” heat. [...] Parts of Scandinavia were scorched last summer by 21 days of punishingly hot weather that led to “tropical nights” in typically cool countries such as Norway, Sweden and Finland, according to a scientific report campaigners said showed “all the emergency warning lights are flashing red”.

The scientists found temperatures in Europe have risen by 0.56C per decade since the mid-1990s – faster than any other continent on the planet – due to the blanket of fossil fuel pollution covering the Earth.

Annual sea surface temperatures in Europe reached the highest levels recorded, according to the EU’s Copernicus and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), while snow cover fell by 31% and snow mass by 45% from their average over the last few decades. [...] “All the emergency warning lights are flashing red,” said John Hyland from Greenpeace, which has said the EU’s climate targets are too low to fulfill its responsibilities. “Either governments take swift and effective action to cut carbon pollution right now or they can continue irresponsibly rolling back protections, placing countless people’s health, homes, jobs and livelihoods at risk.”

World leaders promised in 2015 to try to stop the planet from heating by more than 1.5C (2.7F) above preindustrial levels by the end of the century, a task that requires dramatic reductions in the burning of coal, oil and gas.

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# Nordic heatwave part of record year that saw temperatures scorch most of Europe, report finds

Scientists find annual sea surface temperatures across Europe reached highest levels recorded, while deadly wildfires set large parts of continent ablaze

The Nordic heatwave that pushed temperatures above 30C (86F) in the [Arctic](https://www.theguardian.com/world/arctic) Circle in July was part of a record-breaking year that saw abnormal heat sear more than 95% of Europe, a report has found.

Parts of Scandinavia were scorched last summer by 21 days of [punishingly hot weather](https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/aug/02/nordic-countries-hit-by-truly-unprecedented-heatwave) that led to “tropical nights” in typically cool countries such as Norway, Sweden and Finland, according to a scientific report campaigners said showed “all the emergency warning lights are flashing red”.

The scientists found temperatures in [Europe](https://www.theguardian.com/world/europe-news) have risen by 0.56C per decade since the mid-1990s – faster than any other continent on the planet – due to the blanket of fossil fuel pollution covering the Earth.

Annual sea surface temperatures in Europe reached the highest levels recorded, according to the EU’s Copernicus and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), while snow cover fell by 31% and snow mass by 45% from their average over the last few decades.

Svalbard, one of the fastest-warming places on the planet, has heated at three to four times the average European rate, the report found.

Hot weather fueled deadly wildfires in 2025 that set large parts of Europe ablaze. More than one million hectares of land went up in flames, 4.7% more than the previous record set in 2017.

The Iberian peninsula suffered the worst of the wildfires due to a dry summer after a wet spring. Plants grew rapidly before heatwaves turned them into fuel for fast-spreading fires.

In Spain, [volunteer firefighters died](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/aug/14/wildfires-claim-third-life-in-spain-as-intense-heat-continues-across-europe) as they raced to carve out breaks in the vegetation around their villages with little more than farming tools to fend off flames. The burned area in Spain accounted for 38% of the European total.

The heat melted snow and shrunk glaciers in every region of Europe, the report found, with [Iceland](https://www.theguardian.com/world/iceland) witnessing its second-greatest loss of glacier mass on record. Meanwhile, the Greenland ice sheet lost 139 gigatons of ice in 2025 and raised global sea levels by nearly half a millimetre, according to the report.

European waters were the hottest ever seen after the fourth year in a row of broken sea surface temperature records, the scientists found. A record 86% of its ocean experienced “strong” heatwaves at some point in 2025, while 36% experienced “severe” or “extreme” heat.

“All the emergency warning lights are flashing red,” said John Hyland from [Greenpeace](https://www.theguardian.com/environment/greenpeace), which has said the EU’s climate targets are too low to fulfill its responsibilities. “Either governments take swift and effective action to cut carbon pollution right now or they can continue irresponsibly rolling back protections, placing countless people’s health, homes, jobs and livelihoods at risk.”

World leaders promised in 2015 to try to stop the planet from heating by more than 1.5C (2.7F) above preindustrial levels by the end of the century, a task that requires dramatic reductions in the burning of coal, oil and gas.

The failure to cut pollution in line with scientific roadmaps has pushed global heating past 1.3C. Limiting global heating to 1.5C now relies on removing vast amounts of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere to bring temperatures down.

Celeste Saulo, the secretary general of the WMO, said record greenhouse gas levels had made it “virtually impossible” to keep global heating below 1.5C without temporarily overshooting the target. “What is important is to keep this overshoot as short and as shallow as possible.”

In February, the EU’s scientific advisers [urged it to prepare for 3C of global](https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/feb/16/europe-climate-advisory-board-3c-global-heating) heating and described current efforts as “insufficient, largely incremental [and] often coming too late”.

They 

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## 5. The climate crisis is making our hay fever worse – and affecting our enjoyment of nature - The Guardian

**URL:** [https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/apr/30/the-climate-crisis-is-making-our-hay-fever-worse-and-affecting-our-enjoyment-of-nature](https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/apr/30/the-climate-crisis-is-making-our-hay-fever-worse-and-affecting-our-enjoyment-of-nature)  
**Score:** 0.0224

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## Most viewed [...] How does global heating change our ability to relate to the great outdoors? Let’s take a look, after the headlines.

## Essential reads

 BP profits more than double as oil and gas prices soar in Iran war
 Inside Chornobyl: 40 years after disaster, nuclear site still at risk in Russia’s war
 Nordic heatwave part of record year that saw temperatures scorch most of Europe, report finds

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# The climate crisis is making our hay fever worse – and affecting our enjoyment of nature

In this week’s newsletter: the European pollen season is now up to two weeks longer than it was in the 90s – just one more way global heating is causing millions to suffer

[Don’t get Down to Earth delivered to your inbox? Sign up here](https://www.theguardian.com/global/2022/sep/20/sign-up-for-the-down-to-earth-newsletter-our-free-environmental-email)

Here’s a confession that may alarm faithful readers of this newsletter: I am an environment reporter who does not love nature.

Before I get cancelled, yes, I do care about the fate of the natural world – scientists are clear that wrecking it hurts us – but the weird wonders of wildlife have always occupied a smaller place in my heart than those of most people I interview. One reason for that, I realised last week, is that hay fever has seriously dampened the pleasure I get from ambling through forests or squelching through wetlands.

Strangely, the same forces driving the destruction of nature have also contributed to my lack of appreciation for it. Climate breakdown has made the European pollen season one to two weeks longer than it was when I was born in the 1990s, a [study in the Lancet medical journal](https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/apr/22/pollen-season-in-uk-and-mainland-europe-extended-by-climate-breakdown) found last week.

How does global heating change our ability to relate to the great outdoors? Let’s take a look, after the headlines.

## **Essential reads**

* **[BP profits more than double as oil and gas prices soar in Iran war](https://www.theguardian.com/business/2026/apr/28/bp-profits-oil-gas-prices-iran-war-first-quarter)**
* **[Inside Chornobyl: 40 years after disaster, nuclear site still at risk in Russia’s war](https://www.theguardian.com/news/ng-interactive/2026/apr/25/chornobyl-power-plant-at-risk-amid-russia-war-ukraine)**
* **[Nordic heatwave part of record year that saw temperatures scorch most of Europe, report finds](https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/apr/29/nordic-extreme-heat-environment-europe-report)**

## **In focus**

The start of spring is something I feel viscerally – my eyes itch, my nose runs and breathing becomes a chore. That’s because my immune system thinks tiny particles of pollen are a threat to be fought. “Touch grass” – the internet’s way of telling people to log off and reconnect with the outside world – is the exact opposite of what doctors advise people like me to do when the pollen count is high.

Allergic rhinitis affects tens of millions of people in Europe alone and, unfortunately, climate breakdown is set to make it worse. Global heating has significantly lengthened the pollen season, the latest review of the continent’s climate-health impacts found last week. The seasons for birch, alder and olive trees are now starting between one and two weeks earlier than they did in the 1990s. Separate research from the US has found that some plants release more pollen as a result of the extra carbon dioxide they breathe.

Grumbling about allergies may seem self-indulgent compared to the extreme harms that fossil fuels inflict on us, but the cumulative impact – on everything from productivity to quality of life – shows how infuriatingly mundane climate damages can be. There is even something perverse about the process: big oil has unwittingly used nature to turn our bodies against us, hampering our ability to appreciate the very thing we’re losing.

Readers who enjoy nature when jetting off on summer holidays may have experienced an echo of these frustrations through the changing face of travel. Beach resorts choked by wildfire smoke and Alpine mountains deprived of snow are joining a growing list of examples of natural beauty clashing with climate breakdown. At the more extreme end is the impending demise of treasured ecosystems such as coral reefs, which will be wiped out if global heating rises 2C above preindustrial levels. We are on track for 2.6C by the end of the century.

Well before that point, though, our access to Earth’s natural wonders is likely to be hampered. One leading tourism researcher believes that climate-driven price spikes on everything from insurance to coffee have begun to push us from the era of mass tourism [into the era of “non-tourism”](https://www.theguardian.com/business/2025/aug/2

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