US weather: floods, fires, tornado warnings and heat wave descend

Floodwaters forced people from their homes in parts of Iowa, the result of weeks of rain, while much of the United States yearned for relief Saturday from another extraordinary heat wave.

Sirens sounded at 2 a.m. in Rock Valley, Iowa, population 4,200, where residents of hundreds of homes were asked to get out because the Rock River could no longer handle the rain that hit the region. The town lacked running water because the wells were unusable.

AP correspondent Julie Walker reports that major flooding in a northwest Iowa town is forcing helicopter evacuations.

Mayor Kevin Van Otterloo said a state helicopter was on its way to help, but it was canceled when boats were able to reach the stranded residents.

We've had so much rain here, he said. We got 4 inches last night in an hour and a half. Our land simply can't take it anymore.

Gov. Kim Reynolds declared a disaster for 21 northern Iowa counties, including Sioux County, which includes Rock Valley. In a drone video released by the local sheriff, no streets were visible, just roofs and treetops sticking out of the water.

In South Dakota, Gov. Kristi Noem declared a state of emergency after the southeastern part of the state received heavy rain. The town of Canton, 30 miles southeast of Sioux Falls, received 18 inches of rain.

Several highways were closed, including a key stretch of Interstate 29 south of Sioux Falls, which later reopened. Sioux Falls, the state's largest city, received more than 7 inches of rain in three days.

Even if the rain slows down, we must remain vigilant, Noem said. The worst flooding along our rivers will occur Monday and Tuesday.

Elsewhere in the United States, the miserable grip of heat and humidity continued. The National Weather Service said about 15 million people were under a heat warning, the highest alert level, while another 90 million were under a heat advisory. Millions of people across the country have seen their lives disrupted by periods of unusually high temperatures.

Last year, the United States experienced the most heat waves since 1936, experts say. An AP analysis of data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that excessive heat contributed to more than 2,300 deaths, the highest in 45 years.

Temperatures around 100 degrees Fahrenheit (37.8 degrees Celsius) were forecast for Washington, D.C. and Richmond, Virginia, while Philadelphia; Newark, New Jersey; Columbus, Ohio; and Detroit were gearing up for the peak of the 90s.

Riverdale Park is underwater after days of heavy rain led to flooding in the area Saturday, June 22, 2024 in Sioux Falls, SD. (AP Photo/Josh Jurgens)

Heat-related hospital visits in New York state have recently been 500% higher than on an average day in June, according to the Department of Health.

We still have this prolonged heat wave in parts of the Ohio Valley and the Northeast, said weather service meteorologist Marc Chenard. We get a little relief early in the week, at least in the eastern United States, the Northeast, but in general above normal temperatures will cover much of the country even into next week.

In southeast Michigan, DTE Energy said 7,400 customers remained without power Saturday afternoon due to storm-related outages, up from 75,000 earlier in the week.

A heat index of around 100 Fahrenheit (37.8 Celsius) didn't stop Florida couple Judy and Bill Watson from watching the Tigers play the White Sox at Detroit's Comerica Park. Their afternoon visit was a milestone: Bill Watson has now attended games at all 30 MLB ballparks.

Came from Florida. You might be asking the wrong people about the heat, the 71-year-old Bradenton man said with a smile. We drank water, beer from time to time. We were just happy it didn't rain.

Nationwide in California, temperatures in the state's Central Valley are expected to reach 106 degrees Fahrenheit (41.1 degrees Celsius), and the NWS has issued a heat advisory until 8 p.m. Nearly 4,000 homes and businesses in Sacramento lost power for less than an hour. in the middle of the day, the Sacramento Bee reported.

Brian Ford takes time to cool off by taking off his shoes, drinking water and sitting in front of a fan while working at the Uncle Scottys Favorites food concession stand at the Middletown Pride Festival, Friday, June 21, 2024 , in Middletown, Ohio. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

In Iowa, power was cut at wastewater treatment plants in Hawarden and Spencer, which have a combined population of 14,000.

Aiden Engelkes said he and his girlfriend grabbed some clothes, cats and bottled water and left their flooded first-floor apartment in Spencer for a dry space with friends on the fourth floor. His Chevrolet SUV was under rough water outside, except for a bit of its antenna. Across the street, he said, friends were waiting for help on a roof.

It's terrifying, said Engelkes, 20.

While rain chances were forecast to be low through the middle of next week, the National Weather Service predicted expanded flooding before then in the region as high water moved downstream on several northern rivers. Iowa.

Greg Cobb of Chicago wears a towel on his head in warm weather before a baseball game between the Detroit Tigers and the Chicago White Sox, Saturday, June 22, 2024, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)

Edgar Sanchez stops during a walk with his dogs as they cool off in a pool next to a fire hydrant sprayer, Saturday, June 22, 2024, in the Lower East Side neighborhood of New York. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)

Volunteers stack sandbags at Central Park in Hawarden, Iowa, Saturday, June 22, 2024, following flooding on the Big Sioux River. Massive rain upstream caused the river to overflow its banks at Hawarden, causing massive flooding which prompted evacuations. (Tim Hynds/Sioux City Journal via AP)

Flooding also closed state highways and county roads in southern Minnesota. Windom, a town of about 4,800, received 1.2 inches of rain on top of previous heavy downpours, and the Des Moines River there experienced a record flood.

We're having trouble keeping up and putting up barricades, said City Council member Jenny Quaid. We put up barricades, and then all of a sudden the waters rose so much, the barricades went back into the water.

In New Mexico, warnings of heavy rain and flash flooding prompted authorities to order some evacuations, with shelters set up for displaced residents.

The NWS announced a flash flood emergency Friday night into Saturday morning. Affected areas included the city of Las Vegas, New Mexico, and communities near Albuquerque.

In Ruidoso, a mountain village in New Mexico, full-time residents will be allowed to return home Monday after being forced to leave by wildfires, although daily life will not return to normal.

You'll have to bring a week's worth of food, you'll have to bring drinking water, Mayor Lynn Crawford said on Facebook.

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Hanna reported from Topeka, Kansas. AP reporters Julie Walker in New York and Ken Miller in Oklahoma City contributed.

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