Severe, chaotic weather around US with high temperatures in Southwest and Midwest, snow in Rockies

PHOENIX (AP) — Extreme heat spread across Arizona, New Mexico and parts of Texas, Colorado and Kansas as severe weather swept across many parts of the U.S. on Sunday. There was unseasonable cold in the Pacific Northwest, snow headed to the northern Rocky Mountains and heavy rainfall forecast from the northern Plains to the Upper Midwest.

The National Weather Service estimated that more than 63 million people were under heat advisories on Sunday, stretching from the Southwest northward up through Denver and into Chicago.

Temperatures in Phoenix, which hit 112 degrees Fahrenheit (44.4 Celsius) on Saturday, eased slightly on Sunday to 110 degrees Fahrenheit (43.3 Celcius). Weather service forecasters say the first two weeks of June in Phoenix already have been an average of 5.6 degrees Fahrenheit hotter than normal, making it the hottest start to June on record.

“We have already seen some pretty significantly high temperatures in our area,” said Ted Whittock, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Phoenix. “We are recommending that everyone reduce their time outdoors between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m., stay hydrated and wear light, looser fitting clothing."

Whittock said the heat in metro Phoenix will ease a bit Monday through Wednesday, with the highs pushing back up as the week progresses, likely prompting another excessive heat warning.

The heat has been especially dangerous in recent years in metro Phoenix, where 645 people died from heat-related causes in 2023 — a record.

The city and Maricopa County have adopted additional measures this year in hopes of keeping people safer, including two new overnight cooling centers where people can rest in air conditioning after the sun goes down. There are more than 100 other cooling centers that have been open since May 1 where people can get cold water and sit in a cool space during daytime hours.

In neighboring New Mexico, a heat advisory was in effect over the weekend for the Chavez County plains including Roswell, where the high was forecast to hit 107 degrees F (41.6 degrees C) on Monday. The high for Albuquerque reached 99 degrees F (37 C) on Sunday, and is forecast to cool slightly to 98 degrees F (36 C) on Monday. The high Sunday was 104 F (40 C) in El Paso, Texas, which has now opened five cooling centers.

Temperatures in Colorado ranged from near 90 degrees F (32.2 C) in areas of metropolitan Denver Sunday to 100 degrees F (37.7 C) in the southern city of Pueblo, with temperatures expected to surpass 100 degrees F Monday in the southern reaches of the state.

The heat wave was moving eastward Sunday into the Plains and the Great Lakes area and was expected to arrive in the Northeast by Tuesday. The threat of thunderstorms with potential high winds and heavy rainfall was increasing in the Chicago area, even as heat indices were forecast to reach near 100 degrees F (37.7 C) through the middle of the week.

As the heat wave spreads eastward, temperatures in Washington and the rest of the mid-Atlantic as well as New England were likely to see highs in the mid- to upper 90s as the week goes on, with excessive humidity making it feel even more oppressive.

The U.S. last year saw the the most heat waves, consisting of abnormally hot weather lasting more than two days, since 1936.

While much of the country swelters, late season snow was forecast for the northern Rockies Monday and Tuesday. Parts of Montana and north-central Idaho were under a winter storm warning, with as much as 6 inches (15 centimeters) of heavy, wet snow expected in the mountains around Missoula, Montana. As much as 20 inches (51 centimeters) was predicted for higher elevations around Glacier National Park.

Meanwhile, a fresh batch of tropical moisture will bring an increasing threat of heavy rain and flash flooding to the central Gulf Coast late Sunday into Monday. Heavy rain is expected to start Monday morning, with the moisture shifting toward the Gulf Coast by Tuesday.

The intense flooding from heavy rains continued to dissipate in southern Florida, where some areas in and around Miami and Fort Lauderdale were left underwater in recent days as storms dumped up to 20 inches (50 centimeters).

That unnamed storm system coincided with the early start of hurricane season, which this year is forecast to be among the most active in recent memory.

A general view of the city of Milwaukee is pictured Sunday, June 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Jeffrey Phelps)

A shelf cloud moves into downtown Milwaukee, Sunday, June 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Jeffrey Phelps)

People gather on and around Navarre Beach Fishing Pier despite storm clouds approach the shore in Navarre Beach, Fla., Sunday, June 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Kiichiro Sato)

A boy cools off at a fountain during hot weather in Chicago, Sunday, June 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

A kid cools off at Gallagher Way park fountain during hot weather in Chicago, Sunday, June 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

A paraglider flies over Navarre Beach Fishing Pier as storm clouds approach the shore in Navarre Beach, Fla., Sunday, June 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Kiichiro Sato)

People gather on Navarre Beach Fishing Pier despite storm clouds approach the shore in Navarre Beach, Fla., Sunday, June 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Kiichiro Sato)

Home plate umpire Carlos Torres cools off during the ninth inning of a baseball game between the St. Louis Cardinals and the Chicago Cubs in Chicago, Sunday, June 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

A boy cools off at a fountain during hot weather in Chicago, Sunday, June 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

A boy cools off at a fountain during hot weather in Chicago, Sunday, June 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

A tug driver pulls a trailer of bags of ice for use in concession stands on the main concourse of Coors Field before the Colorado Rockies host the Pittsburgh Pirates in a baseball game Sunday, June 16, 2024, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

A boy cools off at a fountain during hot weather in Chicago, Sunday, June 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

Families wade in ankle deep water at Yards Park Canal Basin, Sunday, June 16, 2024, as temperatures begin to steam up in Washington. The park usually has a waterfall feature which is currently down for maintenance. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

Cheryl Batch picks up a bag of ice to use to cool beverages at a stand on the main concourse of Coors Field before the Colorado Rockies host the Pittsburgh Pirates in a baseball game Sunday, June 16, 2024, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

A concession worker pulls a tub of ice to a stand on the main concourse of Coors Field before the Colorado Rockies host the Pittsburgh Pirates in a baseball game Sunday, June 16, 2024, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

A boy cools off at a fountain outside Wrigley Field before a baseball game between the Chicago Cubs and St. Louis Cardinals as hot weather dominates the weather in Chicago, Sunday, June 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

A boy cools off at a fountain outside Wrigley Field before a baseball game between the Chicago Cubs and St. Louis Cardinals as hot weather descends upon the Chicago area Sunday, June 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh

TOYOTA, Japan--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jul 13, 2026--

SkyDrive Inc. ("SkyDrive"), a leading compact eVTOL (*1) aircraft developer based in Japan, announced today the completion of a demonstration flight of its "SKYDRIVE" eVTOL aircraft (SkyDrive Model SD-05). The flight, held at the test site inside the Yamaguchi Kirara Expo Memorial Park, western Japan, was designed to simulate a scenic touring flight over the Seto Inland Sea.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260713665957/en/

The flight, which was witnessed by Mr. Tsugumasa Muraoka, Governor of Yamaguchi Prefecture, Mr. Toru Kawano, Vice Chairperson of the Yamaguchi Prefectural Assembly, and Mr. Toshihiro Suzuki, Representative Director and President of Suzuki Motor Corporation, SkyDrive's official production partner, provided further confirmation of the aircraft’s technical maturity and the potential use of eVTOL for scenic tourist flights.

Demonstration Flight Details

The demonstration flight, which was flown without passengers or crew, simulated the future operational flows SkyDrive will use to provide tourist flights once SkyDrive’s aircraft is in service. Alongside the actual flight of the remotely piloted aircraft, the simulation included a run through of a seamless passenger journey conveying passengers arriving by car at the vertiport (takeoff and landing facility) straight to their eVTOL flight.

[First Flight]

[Second Flight]

Background and Objectives

SkyDrive is developing a compact eVTOL with the mission of "leading the once-in-a century mobility revolution" that will establish eVTOLs as a feasible option for intra-urban transportation and a regular feature of city life. To date, SkyDrive has flown its prototype aircraft more than 300 times in various environments, including flight test sites in Toyota City (Aichi Prefecture) and Yamaguchi City (Yamaguchi Prefecture), as well as at the Expo 2025 Osaka venue, Osaka Port, and, most recently, at Tokyo Big Sight in February 2026.

Future eVTOLs will contribute to society in various ways including the avoidance of urban traffic congestion, the post-disaster delivery of emergency relief supplies and emergency medical support, and the expansion of regional economies through the provision of novel tourism experiences. Today’s demonstration flight exercise, which simulated the seamless movements required to transit passengers arriving by road to a scenic eVTOL flight, helped confirm the feasibility of these new eVTOL-centered tourist opportunities.

Comment from Tomohiro Fukuzawa, Founder and CEO of SkyDrive Inc.

"I was proud and delighted to see today the successful completion of our demonstration flight here in Yamaguchi, a milestone that builds upon our previous flights at the Expo 2025, Osaka Port, and Tokyo Big Sight. I also am extremely grateful to our immensely supportive partners, including Governor Muraoka, Assembly Vice Chairperson Kawano, and President Suzuki of Suzuki Motor Company, for taking the time to visit our test facility and share this experience with us.

Today’s flight simulated a concrete example of how eVTOL will be integrated into future tourist experiences. These scenic flights are a key pillar of the commercial eVTOL services we plan for 2028. In our simulation today, passengers arrived by road, demonstrating the seamless, zero-wait time switch from road transport to eVTOL, a model case that showcases the potential of next-generation urban air mobility to drive tourism in various destinations. SkyDrive also looks forward to working with our railway company partners to deliver the same seamless transitions we saw today, showing how both road and rail travel will link smoothly into eVTOL departures.

With safety as our utmost priority, SkyDrive continues to make progress in our aircraft development and production. While some of our earliest use cases will be tourist flights, as demonstrated today, our ultimate goal is to create sustainable, wide-ranging eVTOL infrastructure that addresses diverse social challenges, boosts urban and regional economies, supports post-disaster relief, and provides emergency medical care."

About SkyDrive Inc.

SkyDrive is a Japanese compact eVTOL company aiming “to take the lead in the once-in-a-century mobility revolution”. Under SkyDrive’s future vision for urban transportation, flying in eVTOLs will become a regular part of city life. The company began testing eVTOL prototypes in 2014 prior to official incorporation in 2018. In 2019, SkyDrive became the first company to fly a crewed eVTOL in Japan. In 2025, the company successfully showcased the eVTOL "SKYDRIVE", the company’s first eVTOL product, with demonstration flights at the Osaka Expo witnessed by thousands of visitors over a one-month period. SkyDrive began production of “SKYDRIVE” in March 2024 at a plant owned by Suzuki Motor Corporation, SkyDrive's official production partner. SkyDrive has been working with civil aviation authorities in Japan and the US to obtain certification for “SKYDRIVE”, with the aim of launching the aircraft into service in 2028. SkyDrive is headquartered in Toyota, Aichi Prefecture, and led by CEO Tomohiro Fukuzawa, an engineer and entrepreneur.

For more information, please visit: https://skydrive.co.jp/en/

Editor’s Note:
(*1) “eVTOL” is an abbreviation for electric Vertical Takeoff and Landing. As the name suggests, eVTOL aircraft can take off and land without a runway. eVTOLs are powered by electricity and incorporate advanced, automatic, flight control technology.

(*2) Related press releases
SkyDrive Releases Onboard Footage of Demonstration Flights at Expo 2025 in Osaka
https://skydrive.co.jp/en/archives/16292
SkyDrive Completes First Demo Flights in Tokyo
https://skydrive.co.jp/en/archives/17702

Seamlessly transition from your car to an eVTOL

SkyDrive Successfully Completes eVTOL Demonstration Flight Simulating Scenic Tours over the Seto Inland Sea

From left: Toshihiro Suzuki, President of Suzuki Motor Corporation; Tomohiro Fukuzawa, Founder and CEO of SkyDrive Inc.; Tsugumasa Muraoka, Governor of Yamaguchi Prefecture; Toru Kawano, Vice Chairperson of the Yamaguchi Prefectural Assembly