Storms

BRYANT, Ind. (AP) — A tornado that damaged or destroyed several rural homes Friday in northeastern Indiana and toppled a communication tower packed winds in excess of 100 miles per hour, the National Weather Service said Saturday.

MIAMI (AP) — A tropical storm warning was issued Thursday for parts of Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama as a potential tropical cyclone advanced toward the northern Gulf Coast.

The warning extends from Intracoastal City, Louisiana, to the Alabama-Florida border, according to the National Hurricane Center in Miami.

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — Federal emergency officials have extended a deadline for Kentuckians to register for assistance due to damage from severe flooding, Gov. Andy Beshear said.

The deadline to apply for help from the Individual Assistance program is now July 8, he said.

SUPERIOR, Ariz. (AP) — High winds from thunderstorms on Tuesday evening caused a wildfire in south-central Arizona to spread, but crews were able to contain the problem spot to prevent further growth.

HELENA, Mont. (AP) — Gov. Greg Gianforte issued a disaster declaration Tuesday in five eastern Montana counties after a series of severe thunderstorms late last week led to extended power outages.

The declaration allows the state to request federal disaster relief.

MIAMI (AP) — The second named storm of this year’s hurricane season, Tropical Storm Bill, strengthened slightly off the U.S. eastern seaboard on Tuesday, but not for long. It was expected to dissipate on Wednesday over colder water as it approaches the coast of Nova Scotia.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Sunsets across Florida in the coming days could become even more spectacular, as clouds of dust from the Sahara desert sweep in across the Atlantic coast.

The plume is expected to dampen storm activity but worsen air pollution, causing trouble for some people with allergies and other respiratory problems.

BAR HARBOR, Maine (AP) — The beloved carriage roads at Acadia National Park suffered heavy damage from a severe recent rainstorm, the National Park Service said Monday.

The rainstorm hit Bar Harbor in the early hours of June 9.

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — Thousands of people in Louisiana and Mississippi remained without power a day after storms rolled through the region.

More than 21,000 customers in Louisiana were without power early Monday, according to PowerOutage.us, which tracks outages nationwide.

HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — Connecticut's two largest electricity distributors have appealed millions of dollars in profit reductions imposed by the state for what regulators called the companies' failures in preparing for and responding to Tropical Storm Isaias, which caused hundreds of thousands of power outages last year.

FARGO, N.D. (AP) — Storms packing heavy rain, hail and strong winds toppled three semitrailers on Interstate 29.

KFGO radio reported the semis were blown over in Traill and Grand Forcks counties on Friday morning.

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — Federal emergency officials will be in three Kentucky counties in coming days to meet with people who suffered damage from severe storms and flooding, Gov. Andy Beshear said.

Officials from the Federal Emergency Management Agency will be available at Individual Assistance Registration Support Centers in Breathitt, Johnson and Powell counties, he said.

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Legislation that would spend $220 million in part to shore up highways, rivers and coastal areas prone to flooding so that North Carolina can better withstand the next big storm cleared a House committee on Tuesday.

SHREVEPORT, La. (AP) — Parts of the South could see strong thunderstorms that bring the potential for some flooding.

The national Storm Prediction Center is forecasting a marginal risk of severe storms on Tuesday for parts of Texas, Arkansas, Louisiana and Mississippi.

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Tropical Storm Blanca, the second named storm of the eastern Pacific hurricane season, has gained some strength while staying far off Mexico's southern coast and posing no threat to land.

MEXICO CITY (AP) — The second named storm of the eastern Pacific hurricane season formed Monday far off Mexico's southern coast.

Tropical Storm Blanca had winds of about 45 mph (75 kph) and was expected to strengthen a bit before weakening later this week, the U.S.

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) —

The National Weather Service says forecasts for much of New Mexico in coming days could spell trouble in many parts of the state.

The Weather Service said Friday that an “active weather pattern" extending through Monday and possibly as late as Wednesday will produce slight or marginal risks for severe weather each day, including heavy rainfall that could produce for flash flooding.

GREENSBORO, N.C. (AP) — Eight people stormed a high school classroom and attacked a 14-year-old girl in an incident thought to have stemmed from an earlier fight at a school bus stop, a North Carolina sheriff’s office said.

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — Businesses and residents in areas affected by severe storms and flooding in West Virginia earlier this year can apply for low-interest disaster loans from the U.S. Small Business Administration, the agency said.

SELDEN, Kan. (AP) — First responders are being credited with saving lives after sirens failed before a tornado hit the northwest Kansas town of Selden.

Sirens initially sounded but a power outage caused them to fail just moments before the tornado hit the town Monday evening.

SELDEN, Kan. (AP) — A tornado caused lots of property damage, but no serious injuries, in the northwestern Kansas town of Selden as strong storms raked the area, the National Weather Service said.

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — The U.S. Department of Agriculture has designated Rapides Parish, Louisiana, as a primary natural disaster area because of the winter storm and ice from Feb. 15-21.

Producers in Rapides and the seven parishes that touch it are eligible to apply for emergency loans through the Farm Service Administration.

MIAMI (AP) — Ana weakened into a post-tropical cyclone late Sunday as it moved away from Bermuda after bringing rain and wind to the island in the Atlantic Ocean, forecasters said.

Ana was located about 680 miles (1,095 kilometers) northeast of Bermuda with maximum sustained winds of 40 mph (65 kph), the National Hurricane Center in Miami said in an 11 p.m.

MIAMI (AP) — The first named Atlantic storm of the season is posing no threat to land and is expected to dissipate in a few days. The National Hurricane Center in Miami says Subtropical Storm Ana is drifting northeast over the Atlantic Ocean after bringing rain to Bermuda.

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Stormy weather that has pounded Louisiana this week is now blamed for five deaths, with four of the fatalities involving motor vehicles and floodwaters, the state health department said Thursday.

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — Kentucky taxpayers affected by storms that began Feb. 27 may be able to delay filing and paying their income taxes until the end of June.

The Kentucky Department of Revenue said it will honor the Internal Revenue Service special tax relief for taxpayers in an area designated by the Federal Emergency Management Agency as qualifying for individual assistance.

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Parts of Kansas are cleaning up after weekend storms brought flash flooding, along with pockets of wind and lightning damage.

Residents of the north-central Kansas town of Natoma were assessing damage on Monday, a day after a major flash flood.

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — Five West Virginia counties have qualified for federal funding as a result of severe winter storms this year, the state Emergency Management Division said.

The counties are Cabell, Lincoln, Mason, Putnam and Wayne, the Federal Emergency Management Agency announced Thursday.