Earthsky.org - 8/22/13, Matt Daniel

Across Georgia, rainfall totals are adding up to totals typically seen across an entire average year. Atlanta, Georgia averages 49.68 inches per year based on climatology records from 1981-2010. As of August 19, 2013, Atlanta has already recorded 50.43 inches of rain, and we still have over four months left until the year ends.

The Watchers, 7/4/13, Chillymanjaro

Smoke lofted above the part of the atmosphere closest to the ground (the boundary layer), where topography has a significant impact on winds, is spreading farther than smoke that remains trapped near the surface.  Intense fires in Canada produced towering pyrocumulus clouds that injected smoke high into the atmosphere. Upper-level winds then dispersed it across the Atlantic Ocean.

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Accuweather.com - 6/30/13

New June record highs were already set or equaled in Salt Lake City, Utah, Needles, Calif., and Kingman, Ariz., on Friday. More records were set on Saturday in Phoenix, Ariz., Elko, Nev., and Palm Springs, Calif.

An atmospheric blast furnace is at full throttle this weekend over the interior West with heat reaching dangerous levels, challenging records and elevating the wildfire threat.

While many folks over the interior West are accustomed to and expect hot weather during the summer, this pattern is taking the heat to the extreme. In some cities, record highs for any date throughout the year could be equaled or breached.

Link: Accuweather.com

Nbcnews.com, 6/25/13, Henry Austin

Flash flood and wildfire warnings were issued on Tuesday, as severe thunderstorms and torrential rainfall were again expected to hit the Midwest and Northeast.

"Once again, thunderstorms are expected to fire in parts of the northern Plains to Lower Great Lakes on Tuesday," the National Weather Service said.

For more on this story please see Nbcnews.com