Becca Parker

British Columbia wildfires burning as of July 7, 2023. - © picture alliance The amount of active Canadian wildfires has almost doubled since early July going from 584 fires to now more than 1,000. We’re seeing some of the effects here in the U.S. as another bout of the smoke descends into the Upper Midwest. You can see the wildfire smoke on this morning’s WeatherRadar feed, casting a haze over the Upper Midwest. If you’re seeing milky white skies over you this morning, that’s likely the smoke.

A deadly flooding event is ongoing in the Northeast to start the new workweek. Today's Task Force is activated to cover the latest details, forecast, and impacts for this event. While Meteorologist Becca Parker goes over the forecast for this weather-maker, including the severe weather, Meteorologist Mary Mays will be bringing you a live forecast on our YouTube page, and Meteorologist Irene Sans will provide updates throughout the day via the live blog.

Lightning can strike anywhere. Learn to calculate its distance when a storm approaches. Lightning, albeit a wonder to behold, is dangerous and can strike at any time, even far away from its home base storm cloud. Once you've seen the storm forecast in your Weather & Radar app, you'll be watching the skies for these storm clouds and may even hear thunder in the distance once they form. Lightning strikes in Kimball, Neb., as a tornado passes in the background.