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Watching Hurricane Erin; Heavy Rainfall Threat for Upper Midwest; Heatrisk for Mississippi Valley

Hurricane Erin continues to track westward with its outer bands bringing heavy rainfall and gusty winds for Puerto Rico and US Virgin Islands. Life-threatening surf and rip currents are occurring and will spread across the Atlantic coasts this week. Meanwhile, heavy rainfall and possible flooding are in the forecast for upper Midwest through Monday. Heatrisk continues for the Mississippi Valley. Read More >

Does the sky look different to you? Did you see how strange the sun looked prior to sunset last evening? Well, a plume of smoke has circulated into the region. This smoke is originating from Canadian forest fires. It's all aloft and poses no danger here at the surface. However, it will make the sky look different. The sun will also look different (orange or pink) more than just a few minutes before sunset and after sunrise, as long as the smoke is around.

You can monitor the progress of the plume with a loop of visible satellite images here (only available during the daylight hours).