Severe weather threat continues across US; flash flooding kills at least 8
A Utah fire captain, his wife and three sons were among those killed.
By Michelle Simmons and Bill Hutchinson
July 19, 2026, 11:20 AM
Severe weather overnight across the Northeast
After days of hazardous smoke from the wildfires in Canada, communities across the Northeast experienced flash flooding, water rescues and major travel disruptions.
Severe weather, including thunderstorms packing damaging winds and heavy rain, are expected Sunday from Southern Virginia to northern Georgia following flash flooding in recent days that killed at least eight people across the United States.
The cities of Norfolk and Virginia Beach, Virginia, as well as Charlotte and Raleigh, North Carolina, are in the path of the storms forecast for Sunday afternoon, while central and eastern North Carolina are bracing for possible flooding.
Severe thunderstorms, including damaging winds and large hail, are also likely across parts of the Dakotas and Western Minnesota on Sunday afternoon and into the evening.
Parts of the Southwest are also expecting widespread thunderstorms and torrential downpours on Sunday afternoon as monsoonal moisture continues across the region. Flash flooding is possible in some areas of the Southwest, where rainfall rates of 1 to 2 inches per hour are possible.
More than a thousand flights were canceled on Sunday as airlines worked to recover operations following Saturday's thunderstorms, which affected travel in the Northeast. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) also warned of possible flight delays on Sunday evening due to the thunderstorms in the Southeast.
The severe weather comes after the Northeast received a heavy soaking on Saturday. Torrential rain transformed some streets in New York City into rivers as flood waters left drivers stranded on busy highways.
In Woodside, Queens, firefighters drove through floodwaters to rescue trapped drivers on the Brooklyn–Queens Expressway, while in Flushing, Queens, homeowners reported extensive damage caused by flooding.
Heat advisories from the Dakotas to the Gulf Coast
Meanwhile, heat advisories on Sunday span from the Dakotas to the Gulf Coast, where temperatures are expected to climb into the mid-90s and higher. Combined with the humidity, some areas of the Dakotas and Gulf Coast will feel like 105 degrees.
Meteorologists explain how the flash flooding in central Texas got so bad
An extreme heat watch is also in place across parts of southeastern Kansas through at least Tuesday, when temperatures are expected to feel like 110 degrees.
Fire captain and four family members killed in flash flood
Sunday's severe weather follows several days of heavy rain and flooding across the Texas Hill Country and other parts of the southwest, which has caused at least eight deaths since Thursday.
Dangerous wildfire smoke impacting more than a dozen states
In Utah, a fire captain, his wife and three of their sons were killed when they were swept away on Friday afternoon by a flash flood during a family hiking trip at the Sunglow Campground in the Fishlake National Forest near the town of Bicknell, according to Salt Lake City ABC station KTVX.
Capt. Spencer Long, a veteran member of Provo Fire and Rescue, perished in the flooding at the campground along with his family members. The Wayne County Sheriff’s Office also reported the deaths but did not publicly identify the victims.
In Arizona, the Pima County Sheriff's Department said the body of a 29-year-old developmentally disabled man who was swept into the Santa Cruz River in Tucson by a flash flood was recovered on Saturday. Ernesto Ojeda was reported missing on Friday afternoon after witnesses reported he was pulled into the river by a flash flood, the sheriff's department said.
In Texas, Gov. Greg Abbott announced that two people were killed in flash floods that struck Uvalde and Kerr counties in Texas' Hill Country.
