Residents across the South Carolina Midlands reported a loud boom and brief shaking late Thursday afternoon, May 28, 2026. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) later logged the event as an ‘M0.0 sonic boom’ near Saint Andrews, South Carolina.
NOAA and long-range atmospheric forecast models are increasingly showing early El Niño-related circulation signals over North America as forecasters continue monitoring a developing transition away from ENSO-neutral conditions during summer 2026.
A bright fireball was observed over Western New York and Southern Ontario around 09:10 – 09:16 UTC on May 27, 2026 (05:10 – 05:16 EDT). Several witnesses reported hearing a boom associated with the event.
A Slight Risk area for excessive rainfall remains in effect across southeast Texas, the central Gulf Coast, and parts of the Ohio Valley into the central Appalachians where slow-moving thunderstorms may produce flash flooding over saturated ground through May 27. Deep Gulf moisture and a slow-moving weather pattern are forecast to fuel multiple rounds of heavy rain from southeast Texas to the central Appalachians, increasing the risk of flash flooding in vulnerable areas through late week
At least one person was reported dead and nine others remained missing after a tank containing white liquor imploded at a paper mill in Longview, Washington, at approximately 07:15 LT on May 26, injuring multiple workers and emergency responders.
A woman was killed after her SUV was swept away by floodwaters in Petal, Mississippi, as severe storms triggered widespread flooding across Forrest and Lamar counties on May 25, 2026. Up to 152 mm (6 inches) of rain fell over parts of southern Mississippi, with floodwaters rising up to 3.7 m (12 feet) in Petal at the storm’s peak.
The National Weather Service (NWS) warned that repeated thunderstorms capable of producing torrential rainfall may trigger flash flooding across parts of the Southeast and Gulf Coast this week, starting on May 25, 2026.
California Governor Gavin Newsom declared a State of Emergency for Orange County on May 23, 2026, after the state said a methyl methacrylate storage tank at GKN Aerospace in Garden Grove began heating up and emitting toxic fumes, leaving about 50 000 residents subject to evacuation orders.
Critical fire weather conditions are forecast across a corridor from northwestern Nevada into southeastern Oregon on Monday afternoon, May 25, with sustained southwesterly winds of 32–40 km/h (20–25 mph), minimum RH of 10–15%, and recent fire activity showing fuels becoming more receptive to wildfire spread. NWS offices issued Fire Weather Watches for parts of northern Nevada, northeastern California, and the West Humboldt Basin for Monday afternoon and evening.
A methyl methacrylate leak from a storage tank at GKN Aerospace in Garden Grove, California, was reported at around 15:30 LT (22:30 UTC) on May 21, 2026, prompting evacuation orders for about 40 000 people across northwestern Orange County.
