NASA Images Reveal Extent of Major New Jersey Fire

Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.
Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content.
NASA has released striking satellite images that capture the devastating scale of the damage caused by the Jones Road fire, one of the largest wildfires to hit the state of New Jersey in the last two decades.
The images, taken by the Operational Land Imager-2 on Landsat 9, show thick clouds of smoke and burnt landscapes across the Pine Barrens, a coastal forest known for being prone to wildfires.
The fire, which started in the Greenwood Wildlife Management Area near Waretown on April 22, rapidly escalated into an emergency, affecting air quality as far as New York City.
At the time, officials closed off some major roads, including the Garden State Parkway and Route 532 and ordered the evacuation of over 5,000 people in the area. They also cut power for over 25,000 as a precaution. As of April 24, more than 15,000 acres of land had been burned.
Drag slider
compare photos
Wildland fires have long been integral to New Jersey's Pinelands, says the Pinelands Preservation Alliance, helping to rejuvenate its ecosystem by adding nutrients to the soil and creating a habitat that is essential for many species.
However, combined with the recent drought and critically low levels of soil moisture and groundwater in the federally protected reserve, the fire quickly spiraled.
Using NASA observations from the GRACE (Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment) and GRACE-FO (GRACE Follow On) satellites, the National Drought Mitigation Center detected anomalously dry conditions in the Pinelands, classifying the drought in the region as "severe."
Abnormally warm temperatures across New Jersey contributed to the drought, exacerbating the wildfire threat. Thankfully, rain is forecast for Friday and into Saturday, which could assist firefighting efforts.
In the meantime, residents have been advised to monitor real-time updates from the New Jersey Forest Fire Service in case any new evacuation orders are put into place. Those with respiratory conditions have also been advised to stay indoors due to the current air pollution levels.
An air quality official for the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection previously told Newsweek in a statement: "Due to this being an active fire, we are monitoring the conditions and will update if necessary. The next chance of rain is this weekend, which may help improve air quality."
No injuries have been reported so far, although at least one commercial building and several other smaller structures were lost in the fire. As of Thursday, about 50 percent of the fire was contained, and all evacuation orders were lifted.
Authorities have arrested 19-year-old Joseph Kling of Waretown in connection with starting the Jones Road wildfire. He is currently being held in Ocean County Jail, charged with aggravated arson and arson, pending a detention hearing.
Do you have a tip on a science story that Newsweek should be covering? Do you have a question about wildfires? Let us know via science@newsweek.com.

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Learn with AIFact CheckingText to SpeechAI Summary

Related Articles

Politico

9 hours ago

• Politico

Playbook: Mission accomplished?

Presented by With help from Eli Okun, Bethany Irvine and Ali Bianco On the Playbook Podcast this morning, Jack and POLITICO White House reporter Megan Messerly discuss all the fallout from Saturday's attack on Iran — and the great political unknowns as we head into the week. Good Monday morning. This is Jack Blanchard, braced for some scorching D.C. summer heat this week. The National Weather Service has issued an extreme heat warning for today between 11 a.m. and 9 p.m., and is advising residents to limit their time outdoors. The Capital Weather Gang reckons temps will likely hit three figures and may feel as hot as 110 degrees once the 'oppressive humidity' is factored in. It'll be like this through Wednesday, at least. Suffice to say your Playbook author has canceled his kid's birthday trip to the zoo and will be cowering indoors instead. In today's Playbook … — The three big questions troubling the White House on Iran. — Crunch time in the Senate for Trump's big, beautiful bill. — Trump world power couple spotted on a seaside break. DRIVING THE DAY QUESTIONS, QUESTIONS: President Donald Trump will gather his national security team in the Oval Office at 1 p.m. as huge questions loom about the weekend bombing raids on Iran. Just how successful was Saturday night's attack on Iran's nuclear facilities? How — if at all — will Iran respond? And what's the real end-game here? The answers could shape U.S. politics for a long time to come. Let's get into it. First, the success of the attacks: To be clear — those raids were a remarkable feat. Seven vast, space-age style aircraft, each 170 feet wide, flew 7,000 miles nonstop from their airbase near Kansas City to targets in central Iran, undetected by enemy radar. They refueled mid-air, multiple times. They each dropped their 15-ton bombs with extraordinary precision. And then they flew straight home again, only touching back down in Missouri on Sunday afternoon. (Watch the vid here of their return.) OK wait, I have questions: Yes, B-2 bombers have toilets on board. Yes, their crews take turns to cook microwave meals, and eat, and nap. (This Defense News interview with B-2 bomber pilots from 2019 answers a lot of questions about what it's actually like on board ... and The Atlantic did a great profile of a long-range B-2 bombing raid back in 2018.) But the only question that matters … is how much damage America's much-feted 'bunker-buster' bombs actually did to Iran's fortified nuclear site at Fordo this past weekend. These weapons previously were untested in combat, and the sheer depth at which Iran buried its facility — beneath an awful lot of concrete, as well as the side of the mountain — means it's very hard to know how effective they were. Certainly, the pictures from the sky are inconclusive. And Iran is hardly likely to allow inspectors back in any time soon. Official view from the White House: 'Monumental Damage was done to all Nuclear sites in Iran, as shown by satellite images. Obliteration is an accurate term!' Trump insisted on Truth Social last night. That may or may not prove to be the case. But there's more: Bombing Fordo — and the other big sites that got hammered on Saturday night — was only ever one piece in the jigsaw. As the NYT writes this morning, everyone is suddenly awfully keen to know the whereabouts of Iran's hefty stockpile of enriched uranium — not yet at weapons-grade, but headed in that direction. The NYT says the entire stockpile would fit into the trunks of about 10 cars, and it's thought highly likely Iran moved it to a safer place in the days running up the attack. And there are questions too about a possible third Iranian enrichment facility, confirmed by the regime but not yet revealed in public. Has that been targeted as well? Next — Iran's response: So far, Iran sounds extremely upset. At an emergency meeting of the U.N. Security Council last night, Amir Saeid Iravani, Iran's permanent representative to the U.N., said the attacks were a 'blatant crime' and that Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu had 'succeeded in hijacking U.S. foreign policy, dragging the United States into yet another costly, baseless war.' Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi is in Moscow today for crisis talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin — though Russia has shown little sign of wanting to get involved. But what about actions? Iran has talked tough for years about its response if its nuclear program were ever targeted. But it's proven far weaker militarily than expected — partly due to the massive degradation of its regional proxies like Hamad and Hezbollah over the past two years; and partly due to the devastating Israeli attacks on its capabilities these past 10 days. But there are still 40,000 U.S. troops based in the region, and some sort of Iranian attack in the coming days is certainly possible. And beyond the region … NBC reports Iran warned the U.S. last week that in the event of an attack, it would activate sleeper cells who would carry out terrorist attacks on U.S. soil. Hard-liners in Iran's parliament are calling for the Strait of Hormuz to be closed, which would damage shipping interest globally and likely cause a spike in oil prices too. Helpful analysis: Indeed, the WSJ runs through all of Iran's options — and frankly, none of them are good. The regime has been hammered by Israel and can hardly now afford an escalating conflict with the U.S. Equally, it will look ruinously weak if there is no response at all. And this is a regime that first and foremost must protect its own position. Some observers believe it will quietly go full tilt for a nuclear bomb — the only real guarantor of security in Iranian eyes. Which takes us to the third point: American war aims. Trump's three amigos from his Saturday night address — VP JD Vance, Secretary of State (and NSA) Marco Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth — were all carefully on-message on the Sunday shows, making clear this attack was not about regime change. The line held for all of about four hours … before the president started posting on social media. Shades of 2003: 'It's not politically correct to use the term, 'Regime Change,' but if the current Iranian Regime is unable to MAKE IRAN GREAT AGAIN, why wouldn't there be a Regime change??? MIGA!!!' Trump wrote on Truth Social yesterday, and there's nothing that makes MAGA world millennials queasier than statements like that. Just look at the ever-faithful Charlie Kirk trying desperately to thread the needle here. Will Trump lean in or walk it back? Talks continue: America's allies around the world still believe there's an urgent need for diplomacy, despite the president having shown precious little interest in multilateral talks thus far. A U.K. government official tells my London Playbook colleague Stefan Boscia that in reality, the U.S. 'won't stop [Iran] fully getting a nuke by bombing — that's why diplomacy now is important.' Good luck, as they say, with that. Speaking of diplomacy: With impeccable timing, Trump is due to fly to Europe tomorrow for the annual NATO leaders' summit, which is being held this year in the Netherlands. Some in Europe fear he won't actually show, given the Iran crisis and his early exit from the G7 last week. But this entire summit has been designed as an opportunity for Trump to celebrate getting Europe to pledge more money on defense spending, and it seems unlikely he'll pass up the opportunity to take a big international win. The Middle East will obviously now be a key part of the discussion. Less of an international win: With even more perfect timing, Pakistan, which on Friday nominated Trump for the thing he covets more than anything else — a Nobel peace prize — yesterday condemned him for aggressively bombing another country. The world sure moves fast. ON THE HILL RECONCILABLE DIFFERENCES: The Senate returns today to a make-or-break week for their reconciliation megabill, with Majority Leader John Thune hoping to begin procedural floor votes by mid-week. Our Inside Congress colleagues report that Thursday is most likely. First up today are the big 'Byrd bath' arguments for the Senate Finance Committee's centerpiece portion of the legislation, in which both parties will try to convince the parliamentarian to advise that certain provisions can or can't be included under the rules. Senate Republicans are also planning to gather this evening, per Punchbowl's Andrew Desiderio. All eyes on Elizabeth MacDonough: The next couple of days are pivotal for the parliamentarian's rulings on what passes muster for Republicans to avoid the filibuster. She already made a number of notable calls in both directions this weekend, most significantly saying no to a SNAP cuts plan that would have shifted more costs for food aid to state governments. WSJ's Siobhan Hughes has all the deets. First in Playbook: Majority Forward, which is affiliated with Democrats' Senate Majority PAC, is going up today with a $1 million ad campaign against Sens. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) and Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) on reconciliation. Airing on YouTube/digital and streaming TV, the spots accuse the senators of raising health care costs to fund tax cuts for billionaires. The North Carolina ad The impact: There's another reconciliation battle underway over the state and local tax deduction, separate from the one you've read about ad nauseam. Republicans plan to significantly limit a workaround that allows business owners to circumvent the SALT cap, WSJ's Richard Rubin reports. Meanwhile, the bill's new restrictions on SNAP — along with related Trump administration cuts — have New York-area food banks worried about their future, NYT's Sarah Maslin Nir reports. ELSEWHERE ON THE HILL: The House is starting to move on its fiscal year 2026 appropriations process, with the Legislative Branch bill revealed last night and heading for a subcommittee markup at 6 p.m. It calls for a $51 million funding reduction overall, per POLITICO's Katherine Tully-McManus. That notably includes major cuts for the Government Accountability Office and Library of Congress, nonpartisan institutions that have come under increasing attack by Republicans. Also happening today in the House: The full Appropriations Committee will mark up the Agriculture-FDA bill at 7:30 p.m., and at 4 p.m. the Rules Committee will take up the Military Construction-VA funding bill. Rules will also tee up a floor vote on a resolution condemning what it calls violent 'riots' in LA. And AG Pam Bondi will go before an Appropriations subcommittee at 2 p.m. NEWS FROM THE WILDERNESS NEW DIRECTIONS: Democratic politicians and voters will have fresh opportunities this week to set their party's course amid deep generational and ideological divides. First, four House members will pitch the Steering Committee today on why they should be House Oversight ranking member. That committee will recommend a pick for caucus ratification tomorrow. And it'll be a big decision among two senior Dems — Stephen Lynch (Mass.) and Kweisi Mfume (Md.) — and two younger, very online voices — Robert Garcia (Calif.) and Jasmine Crockett (Texas). Bite at the Big Apple: Also happening tomorrow is the closely watched NYC mayoral primary, where frontrunners Andrew Cuomo and Zohran Mamdani represent radically different options for the party on ideology, experience, age and attitude — not to mention scandal. A new campaign finance data analysis from POLITICO's Cris Seda Chabrier and Joe Anuta shows there are thousands of donors, especially in Brooklyn, who seem to have gotten on board with the anybody-but-Cuomo-and-Eric-Adams strategy, giving money to a number of left-leaning contenders. (NYT's Nicholas Fandos has a fun rundown of how Ilana Glazer, Graydon Carter, Fran Lebowitz and other boldface names are ranking their ballots.) And coming down the pike: Former VP Kamala Harris is now 'leaning toward' running for governor of California, The Hill's Amie Parnes reports. But she'll still take more time to decide, and one source rejects the idea that Harris is inclined to go for Sacramento. … Two years later, the 2028 presidential primary could get a little awkward in Illinois if native sons Rahm Emanuel and Gov. JB Pritzker both run, NBC's Natasha Korecki reports. BEST OF THE REST BILL OF HEALTH: HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is slated to hold a news conference at 2:45 p.m. about what's being billed as 'a breakthrough in health insurance that will improve access to care for millions.' … On the flip side, after Kennedy dismissed the entire CDC Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, some experts are working on outside groups to serve as alternatives still providing independent vaccine info, NBC's Erika Edwards reports. PRIMARY COLORS: Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) is already feeling the heat for his opposition to the reconciliation bill and his constitutional criticism of Trump's Iran strikes. His reward for not toeing the party line is 'an aggressive effort' by Trump's political team to primary him, Axios' Alex Isenstadt scooped. Tony Fabrizio and Chris LaCivita are leading a new 'Kentucky MAGA' super PAC, meeting with potential opponents and planning to spend big. '@realDonaldTrump declared so much War on me today it should require an Act of Congress,' Massie cheekily retorted on X to Trump's latest Truth Social takedown. IMMIGRATION FILES: A federal judge said she'll order the release of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, the mistakenly deported man who's been returned to the U.S., per the AP. It was a significant rebuke for the Trump administration, which will appeal — and a Pyrrhic victory for Abrego, who would be expected to get detained and potentially deported by ICE if released on his immigrant smuggling charges. The judge said the government had failed to prove Abrego had abused minors, was a danger to the community or posed a flight risk. 'And she repeatedly described the evidence presented by prosecutors as strained, unreliable and contradictory,' POLITICO's Josh Gerstein and Kyle Cheney report. MAHMOUD KHALIL SPEAKS: In his first interview since being released, the activist and permanent resident told NYT's Jonah Bromwich that his detention had stripped him of his rights: 'It felt like kidnapping.' And he argued that the administration's high-profile efforts to deport him had 'actually advanced the [pro-Palestinian] movement 20 years.' TALK OF THE TOWN SPOTTED: Stephen and Katie Miller on Sea Island, Georgia, this weekend. IN MEMORIAM — 'Fred Smith, Billionaire Founder of FedEx, Is Dead at 80,' by NYT's Alex Traub: 'Success translated into decades of influence in national politics. Mr. Smith got a personal meeting with President Bill Clinton in the Oval Office. He was a pallbearer at Senator John McCain's funeral. … He was closest to President George W. Bush … Mr. Smith was widely reported to be in the running to serve as Mr. Bush's secretary of defense before withdrawing from consideration. … [T]hanks to the corporate tax cuts Mr. Trump signed into law, which FedEx had lobbied for, the company's tax bill plunged to zero, from $1.5 billion.' — 'Rod Nordland, 75, Dies; War Reporter Who Also Wrote of His Own Struggle,' by NYT's Alex Traub: 'He was on the scene and frequently running a whole news bureau during the Cambodian-Vietnamese War, the Lebanese Civil War, the Salvadoran Civil War, the First Gulf War, the war in Kosovo, the Iraq War and the War in Afghanistan, among other conflicts.' SCARY STUFF — Rep. Kat Cammack (R-Fla.) had a life-threatening ectopic pregnancy last year, which was made more complicated by a new Florida abortion ban that left doctors scared to give her methotrexate, WSJ's Katy Stech Ferek revealed. Now pregnant again, Cammack doesn't blame the abortion ban — she says it was the left's fault for scaring medical staff. She emphasizes that 'I would stand with any woman — Republican or Democrat — and fight for them to be able to get care in a situation where they are experiencing a miscarriage and an ectopic.' SCENE SETTER — On Palm Beach, a Trump-fueled 'noisy influx of young Republican partyers, favor-seekers and pols … have altered the delicate social ecosystem of one of the richest enclaves in the world,' NYT's David Segal reports from Florida. FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — Andrew Friedman is joining Semafor as general manager and head of public affairs, leading D.C.-based commercial operations. He previously was on Google's U.S. elections team and is a POLITICO alum. WHITE HOUSE DEPARTURE LOUNGE — Gene Hamilton has rejoined America First Legal as president. He most recently was deputy White House counsel. TRANSITIONS — Corey Husak is now director of tax policy at the Center for American Progress. He most recently was tax economist at the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, and is a Bob Casey alum. … Clarissa Rojas is now doing policy comms for Pinterest. She previously was deputy comms director and national press secretary for Rep. Pete Aguilar (D-Calif.) and the House Democratic Caucus. … … Eliza Ramirez is now national security adviser to Sen. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.). She previously was acting deputy assistant USAID administrator for legislative affairs in the Biden administration, and is a Josh Gottheimer and Tom Malinowski alum. … Jenny Parker will be chief comms officer at American Promise. She previously was VP of comms at Conservation International. … Audrey LaForest is joining Alliance for Automotive Innovation as director of comms. She most recently was on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's media relations team. WEDDINGS — Sierra Kelley-Chung, senior government affairs representative at Apple, and Emanuel Riley, director of multifamily investments at the AFL-CIO Housing Investment Trust, got married Saturday at Dutch Courage in Baltimore. They met at the University of Maryland, College Park, and have been together nine years. Pic — Rachel Atcheson and Sean McElwee, via NYT: 'Ms. Atcheson, 33, … left the [Eric Adams] administration at the end of 2024 to start a nonprofit, Food Policy Pathways, for which she is executive director. … Mr. McElwee … is the founder of Positive Sum Strategies, a consulting firm that specializes in public opinion, strategic communications and advocacy strategy. … On June 5, the couple was married by Yanfang Chen, an officiant at the Manhattan City Clerk's office. … Two days later, they held a celebration at Tamerlaine Sanctuary & Preserve in Montague, N.J.' HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Justice Clarence Thomas … Rep. Nick LaLota (R-N.Y.) … special envoy Adam Boehler … White House's Steven Cheung and Kaelan Dorr … WaPo's Philip Bump … Chasten Buttigieg … Steve Stombres … Usha Sahay … Bradley Engle … State's Robert Palladino … Robert Kaplan … Aaron Cutler of Hogan Lovells … Greg Hale … Meta's Amber Moon … J.P. Fielder … Niskanen Center's Louisa Tavlas Atkinson … Atanu Chakravarty … Chris Barnard of the American Conservation Coalition … Emma Whitestone … POLITICO's Daniel Han and Ryan Kohl … former Reps. Baron Hill (D-Ind.), Bob Dold (R-Ill.) and Cresent Hardy (R-Nev.) … Ally Sammarco … AU's Sylvia Burwell … Paul Tewes Send Playbookers tips to playbook@ or text us on Signal here. Playbook couldn't happen without our editor Zack Stanton, deputy editor Garrett Ross and Playbook Podcast producer Callan Tansill-Suddath.

Newsweek

a day ago

• Newsweek

Russell Henley May Have Thrown Away Travelers Championship with Honor

Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. In golf, honor is more than just a beautiful word. No one was watching Russell Henley's second shot on the eighth hole at TPC River Highlands during the second round of the Travelers Championship. There were no TV cameras on him, and probably not even his group mate, Nick Dunlap. Yet, Henley still called a penalty on himself. "It was a good teaching opportunity for my son, who was watching," he said. Russell Henley of the United States plays a shot on the 18th hole during the second round of the Travelers Championship 2025 at TPC River Highlands on June 20, 2025 in Cromwell, Connecticut. Russell Henley of the United States plays a shot on the 18th hole during the second round of the Travelers Championship 2025 at TPC River Highlands on June 20, 2025 in Cromwell, hit his tee shot 209 yards straight into the rough, passing the green to the left. He aimed to find the hole from there with his second shot, but that's when the problem arose. The five-time PGA Tour winner recalled that while taking his backswing, he saw the ball move a millimeter. His shot was excellent; it carried the ball to within three feet of the hole and then Henley successfully putted for par. However, he wasn't comfortable with the situation, so he called the rules officials. The matter ended with Henley receiving a one-stroke penalty, turning his par on the eighth hole into a bogey. "It was pretty windy and the ball was halfway covered from the rough, but I'm confident that it moved," Henley said. "The rule is kind of setup I think to protect us, just from being unsure. Because it's one of those things where there's no intent there, and I didn't really benefit at all, the ball was in the thick rough. But that's part of the game." Low round of the tournament so far. Russell Henley puts himself into contention at -13 heading into Sunday. — TravelersChamp (@TravelersChamp) June 21, 2025 Far from helping him, Henley's honorable reaction may cost him a tidy sum. It so happened that the golf gods rewarded his honesty with a third-round 61, placing him in a tie for second with Keegan Bradley at 13-under par, three strokes behind Tommy Fleetwood. Had he not received the penalty, Henley would be in solo second. The Travelers Championship awards $2.16 million to the runner-up, but that amount drops to $1.76 million ($400,000 less) if two players tie for second, as is the case after 54 holes. Add to that that trailing by two strokes instead of three would give him a much better chance of unseating Fleetwood. A victory would be his second $3.6 million payout of the year; as Henley already won the Arnold Palmer Invitational, the third Signature Event of the season. So, safe is to say that sportsmanship just hit another ace in professional golf. More Golf: Collin Morikawa Uses New 'Weird' Strategy at Travelers Championship

Newsweek

2 days ago

• Newsweek

Three Killed in North Dakota Tornado Outbreak

Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Three people died late Friday in rural Enderlin, North Dakota, after severe storms spawned tornadoes that devastated the area. According to a Saturday statement on Facebook from the Cass County Sheriff's Office, storm chasers discovered two deceased individuals at one location while first responders found a third victim at another site. The tornado outbreak left a trail of destruction in eastern North Dakota and across the Northern Plains, damaging homes, downing power lines, and cutting electricity to tens of thousands of residents. Law enforcement, fire, and emergency crews worked overnight conducting wellbeing checks and search operations, according to the sheriff's office. Why It Matters This deadly severe weather event highlights the increasing frequency and intensity of storms affecting the central United States. The tornadoes and associated winds exceeding 100 miles per hour left thousands without power in North Dakota and Minnesota, disrupting critical services and prompting urgent safety warnings. As the same storm system moved east, forecasters warned of continuing hazards for millions of Americans already coping with a dangerous heatwave, USA Today reported. The disaster serves as a stark reminder of the vulnerability of rural communities to extreme weather and underscores the importance of disaster preparedness, timely public alerts, and coordinated emergency response efforts. Authorities and utility companies face significant challenges in restoring infrastructure and aiding affected populations. What To Know Deputies from the Cass County Sheriff's Office responded to a call about tornado damage at approximately 11:40 p.m. on Friday in rural Enderlin, which is about an hour outside of Fargo and the Minnesota state line. Upon arrival, the Enderlin Fire Department informed deputies that storm chasers had located two deceased individuals, with the third victim found by firefighters at a separate location soon after. Sheriff Jesse Jahner confirmed the victims were two men and one woman, The Bismarck Tribune reported. Their identities have not yet been released. The severe thunderstorms and tornadoes caused significant damage to homes and infrastructure in several parts of eastern North Dakota, including Urbana, Eckelson, and Buchanan. Winds exceeding 100 mph—such as a 101-mph gust near Linton and 111 mph gust recorded in Luverne—were reported by the National Weather Service (NWS) and private weather stations. High winds continue within the red area. THESE ARE LONG DURATION WINDS, lasting over an hour. Gusts have been recorded of up to 100 MPH. Power outages, tree damage, and outbuilding damage are possible. Remain weather aware. #NDwx #MNwx — NWS Grand Forks (@NWSGrandForks) June 21, 2025 The storms also produced large hail, measured over 3.5 inches in diameter, and led to flash flooding, particularly in Fargo and Bemidji, according to local reports. As of Saturday morning, approximately 30,000 North Dakota residents and 57,000 in Minnesota were without power at the peak of outages, according to utility companies and official trackers. Meteorologists attributed the outbreak to a persistent heat dome over the southwestern U.S., which created conditions for destructive thunderstorms across the Northern Plains, Midwest, Northeast, and beyond. Forecasters warned that the ongoing storm system was advancing eastward, with the potential to generate more tornadoes, flash floods, and possibly a derecho event—a long-lived, damaging windstorm—over the next 48 hours, USA Today reported. The extreme weather coincided with a dangerous heatwave affecting more than 150 million Americans, with temperatures reaching 90 degrees or higher across parts of over two dozen states. In this stock photo, a tornado is seen in York, Nebraska, on June 20, 2011. In this stock photo, a tornado is seen in York, Nebraska, on June 20, 2011. Getty What People Are Saying NWS Grand Forks wrote on X, formerly Twitter, on Saturday morning: "High winds continue within the red area. THESE ARE LONG DURATION WINDS, lasting over an hour. Gusts have been recorded of up to 100 MPH. Power outages, tree damage, and outbuilding damage are possible. Remain weather aware." North Dakota Insurance Commissioner Jon Godfread in a statement on Saturday: "While North Dakota is no stranger to summer weather, the scale and intensity of last night's storm were especially significant. Our hearts also go out to those who lost their lives during this terrible storm. If your home, farm, vehicle, or business sustained damage, the most important thing you can do right now is to act quickly, document everything, and protect your property from further harm." What Happens Next? Disaster recovery information for North Dakota residents is available at and by contacting the Insurance Department at 701-328-2440. Authorities plan to continue welfare checks and damage assessments throughout the affected region, while utility teams work to restore power. The NWS and emergency agencies have urged residents to monitor forecasts as the storm system proceeds eastward, with hazardous weather expected in additional states over the next several days.