Alabama News

Uranus takes about 84 years to journey through a sign. This is the first full day of Uranus in Gemini, kicking off a new era of communication — stretching from the whisper between friends to the pulse of planetary networks. The last time Uranus was here, the world cracked open through war, codebreaking, suburban sprawl and the birth of computing. Now, once again, thought becomes the battlefield — and the breakthrough.

ARIES (March 21-April 19). People will follow your lead when they believe you have a vision, even if they can’t see it, too. With today’s clarity, you can lay down a quick boundary or redirect a conversation that’s headed in a direction you simply don’t want to go.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20). You’ve changed. The others haven’t caught up to the new you yet, but they can sense that the old dynamic no longer fits. You’ll figure out where your growth quietly outpaces the pattern — and you’ll feel the power of choosing not to play along.

GEMINI (May 21-June 21). Being trusted with someone’s world, however briefly, is a tremendous privilege. You’ll experience someone’s essence today, and it will color your mood like light through stained glass.

CANCER (June 22-July 22). You’ll be drawn to something you don’t usually do — and that’s the exact reason you should try it. A small departure from your routine leads to a big shift in energy and maybe even chemistry. One different move changes the whole rhythm, opening up possibilities you wouldn’t have seen from the usual groove.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22). People notice when they’re not respected, even if they rarely notice when they are the ones who are not offering the respect a person or situation deserves. You’ve learned to lead with grace anyway. You’ll offer kindness today that will be remembered later.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22). You’ll spot the small adjustment that makes everything smoother, faster or more elegant. It may seem minor — rearranging a step, rewording a phrase, shifting timing slightly — but the effect is outsized.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23). A sudden, intuitive flash moves you to act — and thank heavens you listened. The window is small, the timing tight. And yet, somehow, you’re exactly where you need to be. Your instincts are your secret superpower.

SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21). There’s a difference between secrecy and privacy. You’re not hiding anything — you’re just choosing when and how to share. Your discernment makes others feel safe. People tell you things today they haven’t told anyone else.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21). You’re not in the mood to be confined by expectations — not yours, not theirs. Luckily, there’s room for improvisation. A surprising opportunity arises when you veer off the plan and follow your curiosity.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19). People like you and want to impress you, so they offer their advice. It may feel like they are trying to tell you to be something other than you are. It’s not that. They want to matter to you and be part of your world.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18). You don’t need to explain a single thing. The results speak for themselves. Your calm is magnetic, your quiet confidence louder than applause. Let others make noise. You’ve already arrived.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20). Karma’s currency is nonlinear. What you give will circle back in surprising ways, from unlikely places. Don’t measure too closely. Just know fairness is real. The universe balances its books in its own brilliant time.

TODAY’S BIRTHDAY (July 8). You hold the emotional weather. Others flourish in your sunshine and breeziness; they cozy up to your warmth; they marvel at your coolness when the pressure is on, your chill when everyone needs to relax. Is it any surprise you’re given a leadership role? More highlights: hot intuition, a financial upgrade after one well-timed risk, and a deep relationship. Taurus and Aquarius adore you. Your lucky numbers are 3, 11, 12, 9 and 29.

CELEBRITY PROFILES: Kevin Bacon is one of Hollywood’s most enduring talents, known for his wide-ranging filmography (“Footloose,” “A Few Good Men”) and the beloved “Six Degrees” game that celebrates his prolific career. A classic Cancer, Bacon brings emotional intelligence and depth to every role, whether he’s playing a rebellious dancer or a haunted detective. His most recent: the dark, complex comedy “Sirens” — a perfect fit for this intuitive water sign.

Holiday Mathis’ debut novel, “How To Fail Epically in Hollywood,” is out now! This fast-paced romp about achieving Hollywood stardom is available as a paperback and e-book. Visit creatorspublishing.com for more information. Write Holiday Mathis at HolidayMathis.com.

Gunfire rang out in a quiet east Birmingham neighborhood, leaving one man dead and launching a search for a killer.

Just after 9:30 p.m. Monday, East Precinct officers received a call of shots fired in the 800 block of School Avenue Road, which is off Gene Reed Road in the Huffman area.

Officer Truman Fitzgerald said while officers were en route, the call was updated to a report of a person shot.

When police arrived on the scene, they found the victim unresponsive in the yard of a house. Birmingham Fire and Rescue Service pronounced him dead.

Fitzgerald said investigators believe the victim was visiting someone at the home when someone he may have known opened fire on him.

The number of shots fired, he said, was close to double digits.

“To have that many shots fired in such a quiet neighborhood, that’s why the calls started coming in the way they did,” Fitzgerald said. “Everyone in the neighborhood has been cooperative and we’re just hoping witnesses continue to come forward to speak to our detectives.

A motive has not yet been determined, and no arrests have been made.

Fitzgerald said homicide detectives will canvas the neighborhood tonight, and return again in the morning to do so again.

The victim is the city’s 39th homicide victim this year, and the first in more than two weeks.

“It’s unfortunate when you have a life lost,” Fitzgerald said. “In 2025 the narrative has been the decrease in homicides, however on a scene is not where we want to brag about that because the family that lost their loved one is not concerned with homicides being down 55 percent.”

Anyone with information is asked to call homicide detectives at 205-254-1764 or Crime Stoppers at 205-254-7777.

Texas Sen. Ted Cruz reportedly spent the weekend hitting tourists spots in Europe while a devastating Lone Star State flood killed at least 90 campers in the Hill Country.

The Republican lawmaker, who infamously fled his home state for Mexico in 2021 when a freezing winter storm shut down Texas’ power grid, was spotted in Greece checking out the Parthenon on Saturday, according to the Daily Beast.

A day earlier, the search for more than 20 campers who went missing when floodwaters overran the nearly 100-year-old Camp Mystic was underway. That number rose sharply before Cruz finally headed home Sunday, the Daily Beast said. Cruz spoke to reporters in Kerrville Monday.

A witness said Cruz was accompanied by a security officer and his wife Heidi Cruz — who shot the witness a dirty look — during his European vacation.

“As he walked past us, I simply said, ‘20 kids dead in Texas and you take a vacation?’” that source said.

Cruz “sort of grunted and walked on” as the tour continued.

The Senator is believed to have arrived in Athens Thursday when Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick warned “potential flooding” might be coming. Patrick told reporters he was filling in for Cruz while the 54-year-old Senate Committee on Commerce Chairman was away.

Cruz appeared on Newsmax Monday afternoon to say Texans were heartbroken by the devastation that occurred when the Guadalupe River swallowed the central Texas Christian camp on Independence Day. The Austin American-Statesman said the river rose from less than a foot high on July 3 to more than 34 feet high by 6:45 a.m. on July 4.

The Texas Hill Country is nicknamed “Flash Flood Alley” due to the area’s propensity for suddenly dangerous conditions. Cruz called that part of the state “The most beautiful part of Texas” Monday.

His office didn’t address the Daily Beast’s report on the Senator’s European vacation.

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©2025 New York Daily News. Visit nydailynews.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

Guard Davion Mitchell re-signed with the Miami Heat on Monday, the NBA team announced.

A restricted free agent this offseason, Mitchell stayed with the Heat for a fully guaranteed, two-year, $24 million contract.

Mitchell joins 20-points-plus-per-game guards Tyler Herro and Norman Powell as options in the Miami backcourt for the 2025-26 season. Powell headed for the Heat on Monday from the Los Angeles Clippers in a three-team trade that also involved the Utah Jazz.

“We’re going to the championship,” Mitchell said after signing the contract.

Mitchell joined Miami in a trade with the Toronto Raptors on Feb. 6. With the Raptors, Mitchell started half of his 44 games and averaged 6.3 points, 1.9 rebounds and 4.6 assists in 24.5 minutes per game. With the Heat, Mitchell started half of his 30 regular-season games and averaged 10.3 points, 2.7 rebounds, 5.3 assists and 1.4 steals in 31.6 minutes per game.

Mitchell made 35.9 percent of his 3-point shots with Toronto and 44.7 percent with Miami.

Mitchell scored 16 points, including nine in overtime, as the Heat defeated the Atlanta Hawks 123-114 in a play-in game to advance to the NBA playoffs as the No. 8 seed in the East. The Cleveland Cavaliers swept Miami in four games, with Mitchell averaging 15.0 points and 6.3 assists in the first-round series.

“I’m excited, a little bit nervous, obviously, but excited just to be back, just to play for the next two years,” Mitchell said. “I love the fan base, love the coaching staff, love everything that they do here in Miami. Feel good, real good. Glad to be back.

“After the trade deadline, we didn’t really have that much time to practice, but now that we have a training camp together and just do activities together, I feel like we’ll be more comfortable playing with one another. Just being there for one another, we kind of know each other more. We’ll just be a much better team, for sure.”

Mitchell played in 34 games at Auburn as a freshman in the 2017-18 season. He left the Tigers for Baylor. The Sacramento Kings selected Mitchell from the Bears with the ninth pick in the 2021 NBA Draft.

Mitchell played his first three NBA seasons with the Kings before a trade sent him to Toronto last offseason.

In 301 NBA regular-season games, including 69 starts, Mitchell has averaged 7.6 points, 1.8 rebounds and 3.3 assists in 22.1 minutes per game. Mitchell has earned the nickname of “Off-Night” because of his defensive ability to neutralize top scorers.

“I’m super happy that the fans love me,” Mitchell said. “I just try to go out there and just play as hard as I can. I don’t do nothing exciting, honestly. I just go out there and play hard and play hard for my team, so it’s just exciting that they’re actually paying attention and they actually know that he’s playing really hard for our team.”

In his first four seasons, Mitchell’s career earnings came to $21,001,517.

Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on X at @AMarkG1.

It’s time for a fourth grouping of anchors at ABC News’ “GMA3.”

The Disney-backed news outlet is overhauling — yet again — the anchor lineup for the afternoon hour, this time likely giving more air time to various anchors and correspondents from “Good Morning America,” including weekend hosts such as Gio Benitez orthe weekday broadcast’s Ginger Zee.

On Monday, current co-anchor Eva Pilgrim announced a move to CBS’ “Inside Edition,” while ABC News President Almin Karamehmedovic told staffers in a memo that her on-screen colleague, DeMarco Morgan, was leaving the show and the company.

“He has decided to begin a new journey and will be departing ABC News,” the executive said in his memo. The exits of Morgan and Pilgrim were previously reported by the media newsletter Status.

“GMA3” was in recent months placed under the aegis of “Good Morning America” senior executive producer Simone Swink, and its production staff was trimmed.

ABC News has grouped its overnight programming and “3” with its flagship morning franchise in a bid to cut costs and streamline processes.

Meanwhile, ABC News has been broadening its spotlight on “GMA” talent, highlighting more than the show’s core anchor group of George Stephanopoulos, Robin Roberts and Michael Strahan. A recent promo had room for the trio, but also for Zee, Sam Champion and Lara Spencer.

In recent weeks, viewers have seen “GMA3” broadcasts led by Spencer, Champion, Benitez, Whit Johnson, Janai Norman and Will Reeve as well as ABC News correspondents like James Longman and Rachel Scott.

The network sees new opportunity to bring the afternoon program closer to the morning show, according to three people familiar with the matter, and it’s possible that Roberts, Strahan and Stephanopoulos could turn up in the afternoons where such appearances make sense, like if they are reporting live from a news scene.

“GMA3” has had several incarnations since debuting at ABC in 2018. The show has long been viewed as a way to expand the network’s massive “Good Morning America” franchise, and help it compete more directly with NBC’s “Today,” which sports four hours of programming each weekday and more on weekends.

The show launched as a lifestyle-news vehicle with Michael Strahan and Sara Haines, but pivoted to a more headline-driven format during the coronavirus pandemic.

“GMA3” seemed to thrive when it was led by co-anchors Amy Robach and T.J. Holmes, who were bolstered by medical and health reporting from Dr. Jen Ashton.

But the program came under intense scrutiny when a romantic relationship between Holmes and Robach was unveiled, and ABC News executives failed to manage the imbroglio well. In recent years, Pilgrim and DeMarco Morgan have led “GMA3,” but their version of the program may have seemed less an extension of the original and more of its own separate entity.

© 2025 Variety Media, LLC, a subsidiary of Penske Business Media; Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC

Area businesses are showing support for a Mountain Brook girl who was among more than 100 people who died in the devastating floods in Texas.

Sarah Marsh, 8, was one of 27 Camp Mystic campers and counselors who died in the weekend floods. Another counselor and 10 campers are still unaccounted for.

The Christian camp was located along the Guadalupe River in Kerr County.

The Cherokee Bend Elementary School student was the daughter of Samford University Assistant Professor Patrick Marsh and Dr. Jill Marsh, a family medicine practitioner in Homewood.

Norton’s Florist on Birmingham’s Southside is selling blue mailbox bows to raise money for Sarah’s family or the organization of their choice.

Blue was Sarah’s favorite color.

The bows sold by Norton’s are $10 each and can be picked up at Norton’s Florist Southside or a private location in Cherokee Bend. Those who request to pick up in Cherokee Bend will receive an email within 24 hours to provide the pickup address.

The bows can be ordered online here.

Andy’s Creekside Nursery is providing the bows for free. They can be ordered here.

The Marsh family released this statement following Sarah’s death:

“Our family is completely devastated by the loss of Sarah and her dear friends at Camp Mystic. This is a tragedy that no parent can prepare for, and it will never be right this side of Heaven. While we are incredibly grateful for the outpouring of love and support we have received, we request privacy as we navigate the unimaginable steps ahead. We continue to keep the fellow campers, staff, and families in our prayers – for their rescue and return home.”

Jabari Smith Jr. signed a five-year, $122 million contract extension on Sunday, the NBA’s daily transactions report indicated. That was the earliest the former Auburn standout could have re-signed with the Houston Rockets and settles Smith’s NBA future with the league getting fun for the 6-foot-11 forward.

It wasn’t always that way for Smith, as he remembered his transition from Auburn to the Rockets during an appearance on last week’s “The Dawg Talk Podcast.”

Smith played one season for the Tigers. He averaged 16.9 points, 7.4 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 1.1 steals and 1.0 blocked shots in 34 games in the 2021-22 campaign. Auburn reached No. 1 in The Associated Press poll for the first time as the Tigers won 22 of their first 23 games. The season ended with a 79-61 loss to Miami (Fla.) in the NCAA tournament.

“It was the funnest year of my life, honestly,” Smith said. “It was just like I never expected to do that going there. I figured we could be good. We had a good team. But best team in the country? That’s not even in my thought process. …

“It was just a great experience honestly. And the way we was doing it. We was just so together. The team was just so close off the court. In college, like, your team is kind of who you’re with, especially at Auburn. Football players hang with the basketball players. Basketball players hang with the football players. It’s just so family-oriented down there, and it’s just like when we was going on the run and doing all that, everything was together. It was just a fun time, honestly, till we lost.”

After the Rockets added Smith with the third pick in the 2022 NBA Draft, he started a team-high 79 games as a rookie as Houston posted a 22-60 record.

“It was rough,” Smith said. “We won 22 games my first year. That was one of the longest seasons, longest years ever. You talk about losing – not winning for a whole month. Like going through that, man, but you’re really trying to win. Some people say teams tank, whatever, whatever. I’m trying to win. I’m really trying to win.

“Everybody was kind of figuring it out. It was rough. It was a rough little first year. Then the next year, we got Ime (Udoka) and started getting things going a little bit. But that first year was just rough. We was just all growing and learning.”

After Udoka took the reins as Houston’s coach, the Rockets had a 41-41 record in the 2023-24 season and went 52-30 in the 2024-25 campaign.

“Anybody who knows Ime knows Ime’s got some missing screws,” Smith said. “He’s going to coach you hard. As you see, he done made the team play hard. Everybody knows that we’re going to play hard, and that’s just who he is. …

“He helped me a lot. He obviously helped the organization a lot. Things are looking up.”

The Rockets’ most recent regular-season showing put Houston in the postseason as the West’s No. 2 seed. But the Golden State Warriors upended the Rockets in a seven-game, first-round series.

Smith is ready to get right back to the playoffs.

“It was a different feeling,” Smith said. “The playoffs is something that you can’t really describe until you get into it. That was my first time experiencing it. And like the jump and the difference of basketball really is true. Like your vets are telling you about how it’s going to be, but you can’t really get it until you get in there. You walk into the arena and like you ain’t never seen this many cameras. I’m like, ‘Damn.’ It’s like everything is lifted. The seriousness in it is, like, there. And obviously the game. Playing the Warriors, like the culture they got, going in that arena. Obviously, it ain’t Oracle, but it still was loud. It was a great experience, one I’ll never forget, obviously, because it was my first. We obviously lost, came up short. …

“I can see how you could just, like, get to — the season starts and, ‘Man, I want to get back to that.’ You got to play 82 games? But you can’t really skip over it because you really got to make it. Like the West is crazy. You got to get in there. But when you’re in there, it’s like fun. It’s fun as hell, I ain’t going to lie.”

During the 2024-25 season, Smith played in 57 regular-season games, with 39 starts. In his first two seasons, Smith had started all 155 games in which he had played. Smith started the first 33 games of the 2024-25 season until he broke a bone in his left hand at practice and did not play between Jan. 1 and Feb. 21.

During his third NBA season, Smith averaged 12.2 points, 7.0 rebounds and 1.1 assists. In his NBA career, Smith has averaged 13.0 points, 7.5 rebounds and 1.3 assists in 212 regular-season games.

Smith has one season, at $12.3 million, remaining on his rookie deal. The extension could keep Smith with the Rockets through the 2030-31 season.

A first-round draft pick can sign an extension for as many as five years with his team after his third season. The contract can be signed between the end of the Free Agent Moratorium Period and the start of the player’s fourth season. The moratorium period ended Sunday, and Smith became the first player from the 2022 NBA Draft to sign an extension.

Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on X at @AMarkG1.

Alabama State Rep. Juandalynn Givan said Monday the family of Jabari Peoples should be allowed to see body cam footage as soon as possible.

Givan, D-Birmingham, also denounced threats of violence and intimidation toward any officer involved in the deadly shooting or investigators probing the incident.

Givan also blamed the lawyer for Peoples’ family for delaying the sharing of the footage, an accusation the attorney said was “politicizing” the 18-year-old’s fatal shooting.

Givan helped write and support the bill that Gov. Kay Ivey in 2023 signed into law that allows the disclosure of body camera footage to the “personal representative” of “an individual whose image or voice is the subject of the recording.”

The law does not require a law enforcement agency to share the footage if it would affect an ongoing investigation.

“I believe we need to give the family video, but I do not agree with any call to action for anyone to bring harm to anyone they think is involved, to the officer they think is the officer in question, to show up at anyone’s for any type of retaliation without seeing the body-worn camera and working through this process,” said Givan, who is running for Birmingham mayor, at a Monday press conference.

Givan says state investigators have not shared the video, given to them by Homewood police, because of statements and court filings by Leroy Maxwell, the attorney for the Peoples’ family.

Maxwell said it is that law Givan helped pass, not any statements he has made, that is hindering the release of the video.

Peoples, a 2024 graduate of Aliceville High School where he was a standout athlete, was shot June 23 in Homewood Soccer Park.

Homewood police say a veteran officer, who has not been publicly identified, approached the vehicle to investigate because of a recent increase in criminal activity in and around the city’s athletic complexes.

The officer, police say, smelled marijuana and ordered Peoples and his female friend out of the vehicle.

The encounter ended with Peoples resisting, breaking away from the officer as he tried to handcuff him, and grabbing a gun from the driver’s side door pocket, police say.

The officer shot Peoples, who was pronounced dead a short time later at UAB Hospital.

Peoples’ family and attorney Maxwell disagree with that narrative, saying that Peoples wasn’t armed and didn’t resist.

The Homewood Police Department turned the investigation over to the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency, which is standard policy for many officer-involved shootings.

ALEA denied the family’s request to see the footage, saying release of the video footage would jeopardize the ongoing investigation.

There have been several protests following the fatal shooting, including at the Homewood Police Department, ALEA’s office in west Homewood, Homewood City Hall and at various times and locations during the World Police and Fire Games held last week in the Birmingham area.

 “The problem with this situation occurred when the City of Homewood, with all due respect, made the decision to provide for an independent investigation,” Givan said.

“They did so, however, after they informed the family that they would allow them to come in and see it.”

“Once they made that determination to turn it over to ALEA…Homewood at that point stopped being the custodian of record with regards to that body camera. ALEA is the custodian,” she said.

Givan said she reached out last week to ALEA Secretary Hal Taylor in her capacity as a state legislator, and believed she was making progress.

However, she said, a statement released by Maxwell last week saying Peoples had been shot in the back, as well as petition filed in Jefferson County Circuit Court, hindered her efforts to get the footage shown to the family.

“One of the main issues was accusations being hurled at (ALEA) and their role,” Givan said. “To avoid those type of issues would have given (the family) a better chance of seeing it.”

“At that point, ALEA decided not to move forward in any kind of way to allow for release of the body cam,” she said.

Maxwell responded to Givan’s statements.

“Representative Givan is putting up smoke and mirrors in an attempt to distract from the fact that she is solely responsible for the Peoples’ family not being able to view body cam footage,” Maxwell said.

“ALEA cited the law she sponsored as the reason they are not releasing the footage. This is why elections matter, and we must carefully vet who we elect.”

“The Peoples family ask Representative Givan to stop politicizing this tragedy,” Maxwell said. “She and her legislation have done enough harm to the justice for Jabari movement.”

Givan said she discussed the matter with Ontario Tillman, also a state representative and Maxell’s law partner.

Tillman, D-Birmingham, told AL.com Monday he fully supports everything Maxwell has done to help the Peoples’ family get access to the footage.

“It’s an ongoing situation and it’s fluid,” Tillman said.

“While we can appreciate Rep. Givan for trying to assist us with receiving the tapes from ALEA, but I believe in what he’s (Maxwell) doing and I stand behind him and we support him because the end goal is to get justice for Jabari and I think he’s going about it in the right way.”

Givan said she has not seen the video.

“I have been told that when the body cam is made public, it will be made crystal clear what happened that night,” she said. “I don’t want to speculate.”

Once ALEA finishes its investigation, agents will turn over the findings to Jefferson County District Attorney Danny Carr.

Carr told AL.com Monday that it’s always been his policy to allow family members to see any available footage.

“Everybody knows I let the family see it, good, bad or indifferent, once I get it and review it,” he said.

Carr said he has not spoken to ALEA about the case and has no idea when the findings will be turned over to his office.

Peoples’ Celebration of Life & Legacy will be held at 2 p.m. Saturday at Aliceville City Hall.

An east Alabama lawmaker is moving out of her district and will resign at the end of this month, Alabama Daily News reported.

Rep. Debbie Wood, R-Valley, told Alabama Daily News that her husband got a job in the Florida panhandle and that they are moving to a new home in Alabama near the Florida line.

Wood, who is a real estate broker, has represented District 38, which includes portions of Chambers and Lee counties, since 2018.

Gov. Kay Ivey will announce a date for a special election to fill the seat.

“Rep. Wood has been a great member during her time in the House, and we will certainly miss her leadership,” House Speaker Nathaniel Ledbetter told ADN.

“I wish her and her family nothing but the best as they move on to what’s next.”

A report from the National Weather Service was issued on Monday at 5:02 p.m. for strong thunderstorms until 5:45 p.m. for Franklin County.

Residents may experience wind gusts of up to 50 mph.

“At 5:02 p.m., Doppler radar tracked a strong thunderstorm 8 miles southwest of Belgreen, or 9 miles east of Red Bay. This thunderstorm was nearly stationary,” according to the weather service. “Gusty winds could knock down tree limbs and blow around unsecured objects.”

Locations impacted by the alert include Belgreen, Vina, Hodges, Cedar Creek Reservoir, Atwood, Dempsey, Duketon, Little Bear Creek Reservoir and Halltown.

The weather service adds, “If outdoors, consider seeking shelter inside a building. Torrential rainfall is also occurring with this storm and may lead to localized flooding. Do not drive your vehicle through flooded roadways.”

Lightning on the horizon: Expert safety measures for thunderstorms

Each year, lightning strikes the United States approximately 25 million times, with the majority of these electrifying events occurring during the summer months. Unfortunately, lightning is responsible for claiming the lives of approximately 20 people annually, as reported by the weather service. The threat of lightning becomes more pronounced as thunderstorms draw nearer, peaking when the storm is directly overhead and gradually waning as it moves away.

To protect yourself during a thunderstorm, take these recommendations into consideration:

Lightning safety plan:

• When venturing outdoors, it’s vital to establish a clear plan for seeking shelter in case of lightning.
• Monitor the sky for threatening signs and listen for the sound of thunder. If thunder is audible, it’s an indication that lightning is nearby.
• Seek shelter promptly in a safe location, preferably indoors.

Indoors safety measures:

• Once you’ve found shelter indoors, abstain from using corded phones, electrical appliances, or plumbing fixtures, and refrain from approaching windows and doors.
• Lightning can follow conductive pathways, and these precautions reduce the risk of electrical surges.

Wait for the all-clear:

• After the last lightning strike or thunderclap, wait at least 30 minutes before resuming outdoor activities.
• Lightning can strike even when a storm has seemingly passed, so exercise caution.

When indoor shelter isn’t available:

If you find yourself outdoors without access to indoor shelter during a thunderstorm, take these steps to maximize your safety:

• Avoid open fields, hilltops, or ridge crests, which expose you to greater lightning risk.
• Steer clear of tall, isolated trees and other prominent objects. In forested areas, stay close to lower stands of trees.
• If you’re with a group, ensure individuals are spread out to prevent lightning current from transferring between people.
• Camping in an open setting during a thunderstorm is strongly discouraged. If no alternative exists, set up camp in a valley, ravine, or other low-lying areas. Remember that a tent offers no protection against lightning.
• Do not approach water bodies, wet objects, or metal items. Although water and metal do not attract lightning, they conduct electricity effectively and can pose significant risks.

In summary, when facing the threat of lightning, vigilance and preparedness are your best allies. By following these guidelines, you can significantly reduce the chances of lightning-related accidents and prioritize your safety.

Driving through downpours: Safety guidelines for wet roads

When heavy rain pours, the risk of flooding and treacherous roads rises. Here’s your guide from the weather service to staying safe during downpours:

Beware of swollen waterways:

Avoid parking or walking in close proximity to culverts or drainage ditches, as the swiftly moving water during heavy rain can potentially carry you away.

Maintain safe driving distances:

Adhere to the two-second rule for maintaining a safe following distance behind the vehicle in front of you. In heavy rain, allow an additional two seconds of distance to compensate for reduced traction and braking effectiveness.

Slow down and drive with care:

On wet roads, slowing down is paramount. Gradually ease off the accelerator and avoid abrupt braking to prevent skidding.

Choose your lane wisely:

Stick to the middle lanes to minimize the risk of hydroplaning. Outer lanes are more prone to accumulating water.

Visibility matters:

Enhance your visibility in heavy rain by activating your headlights. Be particularly vigilant for vehicles in blind spots, as rain-smeared windows can obscure them.

Watch out for slippery roads:

The first half-hour of rain is when roads are slickest due to a mix of rain, grime, and oil. Exercise heightened caution during this period.

Keep a safe distance from large vehicles:

Large trucks and buses can reduce your visibility with tire spray. Avoid tailgating and pass them swiftly and safely.

Mind your windshield wipers:

Overloaded wiper blades can hinder visibility. If rain severely impairs your vision, pull over and wait for conditions to improve. Seek refuge at rest areas or sheltered spots.

When stopping by the roadside is your only option, position your vehicle as far off the road as possible, ideally beyond guardrails. Keep your headlights on and activate emergency flashers to alert other drivers of your position.

By following these safety measures, you can significantly reduce risks and ensure your well-being when heavy rain pours down. Stay informed about weather conditions and heed advice from local authorities to make your journey safe and sound.

Advance Local Weather Alerts is a service provided by United Robots, which uses machine learning to compile the latest data from the National Weather Service.