Weather

Travelers over the next few days may run into weather-related slowdowns, especially across the eastern U.S., while record warmth holds in the West. Here’s a practical, map-minded forecast summary to help plan flights, road trips and outdoor time.

An episode of extreme heat is expanding across the western United States, with temperatures running well above seasonal averages and daily records falling in some locations. Peak heat is expected for many areas on Tuesday, with only limited relief afterward outside the Pacific Northwest.

Even when seasonal outlooks suggest a quieter Atlantic hurricane season during a strong El Niño, storms can still form before the official June 1 start. Recent examples show how springtime weather patterns and a brief window before stronger wind shear arrives can allow early tropical systems to develop—sometimes close to the U.S. coast and with flooding impacts.

A late-season winter storm brought heavy, wet snow to parts of Colorado during the first week of May, creating a midwinter-like scene, snarling travel, and raising concerns about tree damage, power outages, and post-storm flooding.

A quick temperature check rarely tells the full story. Meteorologists recommend looking at timing, humidity, heat index, wind, air quality, radar and larger patterns like cold fronts to make smarter decisions about workouts, yard work and outdoor plans.

Lake Mead, the nation’s largest reservoir and a key water source for the U.S. West, is again approaching historic lows. Long-term declines since 2000, exceptionally dry conditions, and reduced snowpack and runoff are converging in a year described by experts as unusually extreme—raising concerns for water supply, recreation, and the need for more durable operating guidelines.

A violent storm in Ho Chi Minh City sent metal sheets skidding and tumbling across a highway as drivers tried to avoid the debris. The incident underscores how powerful winds and heavy rain can quickly turn ordinary roads into high-risk environments during severe weather.

Chile’s Atacama Desert is prized for its dry climate, high altitude and isolation from urban light, delivering more than 300 clear nights a year for world-class observatories. Scientists say growing development and unclear regulations could erode the darkness that makes the region a uniquely powerful window on the universe.

La Réunion Island set a world record in 1966 when 71.8 inches of rain fell in a single day. Its volcanic peaks and repeated cyclone impacts help explain why the island is often described as one of the wettest places on Earth.

Drought has expanded and worsened across nearly the entire Southeast, with several states fully in drought and Florida facing its worst conditions in 25 years. A brief uptick in rainfall is forecast, but longer-term outlooks still point to worsening drought into summer, with implications for wildfire risk, water restrictions, soil moisture and travel planning.