Elisa Raffa

Emmy-nominated, @ametsoc Certified Broadcast Meteorologist, formerly @CNN. Proud @Cornell alum, native New Yorker, & diehard @Yankees fan!

[Imagination Library @dollyslibrary]

Our team, our local program partners, and every operational partner who helps make this program possible each month are heartbroken at the loss of our founder, Dolly Parton. (cont.)

[Empire State Building Observation Deck @EmpireStateBldg]

Tonight, the Empire State Building tower lights will turn to a pink sparkle at 9:25 to honor the late Dolly Parton.

Dolly was a global cultural icon whose seven-decade career reached generations of fans. Beyond entertainment, Dolly leaves a significant philanthropic legacy through the Dollywood Foundation and Imagination Library, which has provided hundreds of millions of books to children worldwide.

At Nine-Two-Five tonight, we celebrate her and her legacy 💖

[K A C E Y @KaceyMusgraves]

The world feels a lot less sparkly all of a sudden.

[ABC News @ABC]

BREAKING: Dolly Parton, the beloved country music superstar known as much for her philanthropy and theme park business as she was for her chart-topping hit songs, has died at 80. https://t.co/oaMg6vRGft

[Ginger Zee @Ginger_Zee]

Extreme heat warnings started being used in the early 2000s. This summer, Phoenix has had 40 such days which is the most to date and will likely break the record of 48 such days set in 2020.

[Andrew Markowitz @amarkowitzWX]

We’ll have to wait for official confirmation. But preliminarily, Illinois has reached 242 tornadoes which would beat the all time US record of 241 set in Texas in 2015!

…with 4+ months to go. Despite being 4.6 times smaller in surface area. Maybe the wildest weather season ever

[NHC Pacific @NHC_Pacific]

8/24 11am PDT: The Pacific Ocean remains active, with #Lala, #Moke, #Iselle, and 4 other areas to watch for potential development. See https://t.co/NyUGSIFCuo for details.

[National Weather Service @NWS]

Heavy rainfall associated with Tropical Storm Moke will begin to impact the Big Island of Hawaii today. Rain will then spread westward across the remainder of the Hawaiian Islands through Monday. This rainfall may produce life-threatening flooding and mudslides for the windward and southeast Big Island, especially in steep terrain and over areas that were affected recently by Lala. https://t.co/e2Vkdav5Wu

[NWS Atlanta @NWSAtlanta]

Drier air will keep skies mostly clear and thunderstorms chances to a minimum over north GA today. Isolated thunderstorms will be possible in central GA this afternoon amid temperatures rising into the mid 90s and slightly more ample moisture in this area. #gawx

[Zack Labe @ZLabe]

"It is also important to keep in mind that although El Niño events often provide a temporary boost to global temperatures, these new global climate records are ultimately being driven by human-caused climate change"

➡️ Learn more in our highlights report: https://t.co/VE96QhH1EA

[NEW YORK KNICKS @nyknicks]

friendly reminder: The New York Knicks are the 2026 NBA Champions.

[Jim Cantore @JimCantore]

Lala was perhaps the worst hurricane for Hawaii that’s center never touched the state borders, is now a MAJOR hurricane.

[Jeff Berardelli @WeatherProf]

‼️ All-time record tied in Miami! NOAA NWS confirmed.
Miami has only hit 100° one other time, in 1942. I know, it’s hard to believe, but it’s not too far from the water, thus it’s humid, and it’s very hard to get to 100°, esp in August. But today dry air mixed downward from the heat dome aloft to allow this to happen. #Miami #Florida

[Brad Nitz @BradNitzWSB]

100° today is the hottest temperature ever recorded in Miami, reached only once before since records began in 1895. The other time Miami hit 100° was July 21, 1942. Their proximity to water and the cooler ocean breezes almost always keeps their highs in the 90s in the summer.

[Jordan Hall @JordanHallWX]

Devastation through the communities of Naahehu/Waiohinu, Hawaii after significant flooding. Multiple homes have been completely destroyed, dozens of vehicles underneath volcanic rock and debris, and the cemetery was partially destroyed as flood waters carried headstones and caskets of loved ones downstream. This is a truly heartbreaking situation unfolding on the south side of the Big Island.
@MyRadarWX @AaronRigsbyOSC
#Hiwx #flooding #hawaii #hurricane #lala

[Surfrider Foundation @Surfrider]

California’s Coast Needs More Friends! 💙

The federal government is reviewing California's coastal management program — a program that has protected the California coastline for over 50 years. Without it, California loses the power to fight harmful projects like offshore drilling.

Become a friend of the ocean. Take action now to protect California's coast.

https://t.co/5dspzC9uv3

🎥 Jordan Manning (@jays_visions)

#TheOceanNeedsMoreFriends

[The Weather Channel @weatherchannel]

Communities across Hawaii’s Big Island are still uncovering the extent of Hurricane Lala’s damage. Meteorologist @jimcantore is LIVE in Waiohinu, where a massive debris flow tore through the area:

[Jim Cantore @JimCantore]

After being airlifted out yesterday to help us show you more of the Lala disaster, we left Kona this morning and came to Naalehu to tell the story from this side of the debris.

As the crow flies we are ~10 miles from our coverage yesterday in Punaluu which remains cut off on both sides

[Jim Cantore @JimCantore]

Plenty of juice to squeeze here. Wind starting to cause lights to flicker here in Punaluu.

[NHC Pacific @NHC_Pacific]

(1/4) #Lala will strengthen and become a hurricane as it approaches the Big Island on Saturday, and is expected to track south of the smaller islands on Sunday. Conditions will rapidly deteriorate on the Big Island by Saturday, so preparations must be rushed to completion today.