Alberto brings torrential rain and landslides to the Southeast U.S.

The first named storm of the 2018 Atlantic hurricane season made landfall in the Florida Panhandle on Monday. Subtropical storm Alberto, which by midweek was downgraded to a tropical depression, has caused torrential rain, landslides, flash flood advisories, and winds up to 65 mph in the southeastern region of the United States. The region experienced intense rains the week prior, saturating the ground and making it more prone to flooding and landslides. Thus far, thousands of people have been left without power in the affected areas, and states of emergency have been declared in Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, and North Carolina. Alberto is expected to stay classified as a tropical depression until it hits the Great Lakes, before incorporating into surrounding weather systems.

Alaskan and Pacific Northwest coasts spared from tsunami, following 7.9 magnitude earthquake

Early Tuesday morning local time, a 7.9 magnitude earthquake occurred near Kodiak Island in the Gulf of Alaska. Officials across the Alaskan coast, as well as on the western coast of British Columbia, Canada were placed on tsunami alert, while the remainder of the Pacific Northwest states were on watch. In San Francisco, the Department of Emergency Management asked residents located within three blocks of the coast and five blocks of the bay to “prepare to evacuate." At half past midnight, cellphones in Alaska buzzed with an emergency alert from the National Weather Service warning of an impending tsunami: "Emergency Alert. Tsunami danger on the coast. Go to high ground or move inland." The Kodiak Police Department insisted that locals find an area located at least 100 feet above sea level. An officer discouraged travelling up to Pillar Mountain, situated approximately 1,240 feet above sea level, as it was reportedly backed up. This urged residents to move away from coastal areas and seek higher ground at their local high schools, town pools, and hospitals.