THIS STORM COULD CREATE SERIOUS FLASH FLOODING PROBLEMS
Key Messages: 1. Heavy rainfall associated with Tropical Storm Lorena will continue to impact Baja California Sur, moving into southeastern Baja California and southwestern Sonora by Thursday, and contribute to heavy rainfall concerns across Arizona late Wednesday through Friday. This will increase the risk of life-threatening flash floods and mudslides across Mexico, especially in areas of higher terrain. Isolated to scattered instances of flash flooding are possible across Arizona through Friday. 2. Although rapid intensification is possible through tonight while Lorena is offshore, the storm is expected to weaken while it approaches the Baja California peninsula on Thursday and Thursday night. Regardless, tropical storm conditions are likely along portions of the coast of Baja California Sur where a Tropical Storm Warning has been issued. Tropical Storm conditions are also possible through Friday along other portions of the west coast of Baja California Sur where a Tropical St
HURRICANE KIKO IN THE PACIFIC+DEVELOPING SYSTEM
THE EASTERN PACIFIC
NHC SAYS THERE IS A 70% CHANCE OF DEVELOPMENT
NHC SAYS THERE IS A 70% CHANCE OF DEVELOPMENT
The new (Eastern Pacific) forecast shows a slightly higher peak intensity of 100 kt, and is near the high end of the intensity guidance suite through day 3. Some weakening is likely in 4-5 days when Kiko reaches the cooler water and drier air, but the official forecast still maintains Kiko at hurricane strength through day 5.
NHC SAYS THERE IS A 70% CHANCE OF DEVELOPMENT
NHC SAYS THERE IS A 70% CHANCE OF DEVELOPMENT
NHC SAYS THERE IS A 70% CHANCE OF DEVELOPMENT
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RAIN PREDICTED
THE DARK GREEN REPRESENTS THE ENTIRE AREA WHERE EXCESSIVE RAIN COULD FALL. Las Cruces is predicted to get 3/4s of an inch of rain. The main factor of concern is how fast the rain falls and whether the forecast might be off from the actual level of rain. The visual above is from an El Paso television station, KVIA
Reporting from Washington
Aug. 25, 2025, 8:00 a.m. ET
Employees at the Federal Emergency Management Agency wrote to Congress on Monday warning that the Trump administration had reversed much of the progress made in disaster response and recovery since Hurricane Katrina pummeled the Gulf Coast two decades ago.
The letter to Congress, titled the “Katrina Declaration,” rebuked President Trump’s plan to drastically scale down FEMA and shift more responsibility for disaster response — and more costs — to the states. It came days before the 20th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, one of the deadliest and costliest storms to ever strike the United States.
“Our shared commitment to our country, our oaths of office, and our mission of helping people before, during, and after disasters compel us to warn Congress and the American people of the cascading effects of decisions made by the current administration,” the FEMA employees wrote in the letter.
They added that they hoped their warnings would “come in time to prevent not only another national catastrophe like Hurricane Katrina, but the effective dissolution of FEMA itself and the abandonment of the American people such an event would represent.”
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FROM THE LA TIMES:
LA TIMES WITH A LINK BELOW
As federal job eliminations struck the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the National Weather Service on Thursday, scientists and environmental advocates denounced the cuts, saying they could cause real harm to Americans.
The full extent of the layoffs across NOAA were not immediately clear, but Democratic legislators said hundreds of scientists and experts had been notified of terminated employment. NOAA — which includes the National Hurricane Center and the Tsunami Warning Center — is the latest in a string of federal agencies targeted for cuts by billionaire Elon Musk’s so-called Department of Government Efficiency.
“Musk’s sham mission is bringing vital programs to a screeching halt,” Rep. Jared Huffman (D-San Rafael), the ranking member of the House Natural Resources Committee, wrote in a statement Thursday. “People nationwide depend on NOAA for free, accurate forecasts, severe weather alerts, and emergency information. Purging the government of scientists, experts, and career civil servants and slashing fundamental programs will cost lives.”
FURTHER ALONG IN THE ARTICLE:
Tom Di Liberto, a longtime scientist and spokesperson for NOAA’s headquarters in Washington, was among those who received a termination email Thursday, along with at least six others in his office. Although he wasn’t surprised by the decision — having watched several other federal agencies deal with similar cuts — he said he was still extremely disappointed and feared for NOAA’s mission.
“This is not something you would do if you cared about the safety of Americans ... the health of the oceans,” Di Liberto said. He had worked at NOAA since 2010, first on contract for several years before being hired full-time in March 2023.
“We weren’t just hired — a lot of us were working with NOAA for a very long period,” he said. He also noted that his termination email cited that he was fired “because of his ability, knowledge and/or skills do not fit the agency’s current needs” — though he said he had received glowing performance reviews.
(ERN NEWS comment: these kinds of emails received by federal employees have used the same insulting language as a reason for people being dismissed even though there is no way a massive evaluation process could have taken place in a matter of days. This language was used either as a legal cover tactic or simply because the person sending it out was irresponsible and completely callus toward the federal workers. The wording, to the employees, represents insult to injury. You are not merely losing your income, you are no good, too.)
We at ERN NEWS, like all news media, rely every day, hour by hour, on NOAA and the National Weather Service. These organizations gather mountains of data and process it constantly. Without these sources the media ecosphere built around them would fall flat on its face. If they are weakened and wounded, the quality of information the public receives will decline dramatically.
NOTE: SUBSCRIPTION REQUIRED TO READ THE FULL LA TIMES ARTICLE
NEW YORK TIMES STORY
Trump Team Plans Deep Cuts at Office That Funds Recovery From Big Disasters
Christopher Flavelle has covered U.S. disaster recovery programs for almost a decade.
- Feb. 20, 2025 Updated 12:28 p.m. ET
The Trump administration plans to all but eliminate the office that oversees America’s recovery from the largest disasters, raising questions about how the United States will rebuild from hurricanes, wildfires and other calamities made worse by climate change.
The Office of Community Planning and Development, part of the Department of Housing and Urban Development, pays to rebuild homes and other recovery efforts after the country’s worst disasters, such as Hurricane Helene in North Carolina and Hurricane Milton in Florida.
The administration plans to cut the staff in that office by 84 percent, according to a document obtained by The New York Times. The number of workers would be cut to 150, from 936 when Mr. Trump took office last month.
Those cuts could slow the distribution of recovery money to North Carolina and other recent disasters, depending how quickly they happen.