Free Republic

PHOENIX (AP) -- Operators of two pipelines that bring gasoline from California refineries to neighboring Western states have shut down the lines as a safety precaution because of record rainfall in California. Houston-based pipeline operator Kinder Morgan Energy Partners shut the line down Sunday. In a fax sent Monday, the company cited "pipeline washouts and other related difficulties." The pipelines -- including one that supplies Arizona with about 70 percent of its gasoline, diesel and jet fuel -- transports gasoline to Arizona and Nevada as well as military bases and airports. Kinder Morgan said there were no immediate supply issues...

LOS ANGELES - A slow-rolling series of storms that battered the West this week brought snowfall and high wind Thursday to parts of California, where weather-weary residents have already endured lashing rain, heavy snowfall and a destructive tornado. Since the wild weather began slogging ashore Monday, five deaths in California and two in Colorado have been blamed on storms. Two canoers were missing in Arizona. By Thursday morning, up to a foot of snow had fallen on Colorado mountains. An avalanche warning was issued for the San Juan mountains in southwestern Colorado, and the north-central section was under a winter...

000 WWUS43 KPAH 201945 WSWPAH URGENT - WINTER WEATHER MESSAGE...RETRANSMITTED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PADUCAH KY 1247 PM CST MON DEC 20 2004 ...WINTER STORM WATCH IN EFFECT FROM LATE TUESDAY NIGHT THROUGH THURSDAY MORNING... THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN PADUCAH KENTUCKY HAS ISSUED A WINTER STORM WATCH FOR ALL OF SOUTHEAST MISSOURI...SOUTHERN ILLINOIS...WESTERN KENTUCKY AND SOUTHWEST INDIANA. PRECIPITATION SHOULD START OFF AS A MIXTURE OF RAIN AND SNOW OVER MOST OF THE REGION TUESDAY NIGHT WITH SNOW IN THE CARBONDALE...MOUNT VERNON ILLINOIS AREA...AND RAIN IN THE HOPKINSVILLE AREA. BY WEDNESDAY MORNING...HEAVY SNOW IS EXPECTED TO BE FALLING OVER MOST OF...

For education and discussion only. Not for commercial use. PARIS - A powerful storm packing hurricane-force winds lashed northern France on Friday, killing at least six people - some crushed by falling trees - and forcing officials to close the Eiffel Tower and the famed Paris parks. At least six people were reported injured from Normandy to Paris. Three people were reported missing in the western city of Brest, in Brittany. Winds of up to 80 mph delayed flights out of Paris, cut electricity to some 220,000 homes and damaged cars, scaffolding and other property, officials said. A 61-year-old Parisian...

NEW YORK  — A Yemeni sheik accused of funneling millions of dollars to terrorist networks warned U.S. agents that "Allah will bring storms" to America because of his arrest, according to newly filed court papers.Mohammed Ali Hassan al-Moayad (search ) made the remark last year after a German court ordered him extradited to the United States to face charges he helped finance Al Qaeda (search) and Hamas, prosecutors said in the documents filed in U.S. District Court. The statement — spoken in English to agents bringing al-Moayad from Frankfurt to New York on Nov. 16, 2003 — counter defense claims that...

A FIERCE storm blowing in from Texas rained mercilessly on Bill Clinton’s parade yesterday. The crowning moment of the former President’s efforts to shape his legacy was all but washed away as 25,000 people huddled and shivered in the driving rain that accompanied the dedication of his $165 million (£90 million) presidential library. Mr Clinton looked crestfallen as the Presidents Bush, senior and junior, President Carter, a large train of diplomats and politicians from around the world and a crowd larger than most Arkansas towns were soaked. When Bono and The Edge from U2 opened their brief headlining set with...

Boulder climate researcher Michael Glantz predicts that future historians will look back on the 21st century as the Climate Century. "Climate will dominate the news, now and then, throughout this century," Glantz said Sunday at a meeting of the Geological Society of America. Food production, water resources, energy needs, infectious-disease outbreaks, wildfires and the frequency and severity of extreme weather events will be altered in unknown and surprising ways by climate changes, said Glantz, a social scientist at the National Center for Atmospheric Research. And humans will help shape future climate by their actions - or by failing to act....

As hurricane after hurricane strikes the U.S. Southeast, many people wonder whether the rash of storms is the result of global warming. The answer from scientists: Probably not. Although many experts think global warming could increase the number or the intensity of hurricanes 50 years from now, they say this year's storms were caused by natural changes in the ocean and atmosphere. These include a multi-decade cycle of warm water moving through the Atlantic Ocean, and the unusual mildness of the hurricane-suppressing patch of warm water in the Pacific called El Niño. "This isn't a global warming sort of thing,"...

PROTESTANTS CLAIM VISIONS, PROPHETIC WORDS RESEMBLING THOSE OF CATHOLICS There are many Christian "denominations" -- by one count 34,000 that have identified themselves as Christian groups -- and often, of course, they're at odds with each other. This is especially true of "fundamentalist" Christians and Catholics. But they share some intriguing aspects. The charismatic branches of both major groups heal in a way that is similar (whereby the person prayed over often falls gently to the floor, known as "resting" or being "slain" in the Spirit); both pray in "tongues"; and many Christians receive alleged prophecy in the way of...

Who's Naming These Things? 5 Killed As Gaston Lashes Va. With Rain. Not to belittle the disaster, but it is clear this storm only sounded French as it did more then just blow hot air! Now we need to look out for Hurricane Frances (yes, that is right Frances) and this one could be bad! DKK

Some beautiful rainbows across West Kentucky this afternoon. Heavy storms brought some frequent lightning and flooding rains to some areas. Rainbow photos on the Ohio River...looking across the Paducah http://www5.wright-weather.com/bb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=31382 Storm photos in Graves County, Kentucky http://www5.wright-weather.com/bb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=31385

WASHINGTON - Solar storms, like the one that affected Earth last year, might have torn away the water that used to cover parts of Mars, Nasa scientists said on Thursday. Astronomers believe Mars once had oceans of surface water, enough to support long-ago life, but they have not determined where that water went some 3.5 billion years ago. Now researchers monitoring the after-effects of a monster solar storm that hit Earth in October and November 2003 said they think repeated buffeting by this kind of space weather could have ripped away Mars’ watery veil. "These (solar) radiation events can...

Reports of major damage across Southern Missouri...Northern Arkansas...and Western Tennessee. Roof removed from school...houses damaged...some injuries. Some reports... 1120 AM TSTM WND DMG BIGGERS 36.33N 90.81W 07/04/2004 RANDOLPH AR EMERGENCY MNGR ROOF BLOWN OFF OF A SCHOOL 1130 AM TSTM WND DMG JONESBORO 35.82N 90.69W 07/04/2004 CRAIGHEAD AR TRAINED SPOTTER SEVERAL LARGE TREES DOWN. STRUCTURAL DAMAGE TO SOME BUSINESSES AND HOMES. 1200 PM TSTM WND DMG JONESBORO 35.82N 90.69W 07/04/2004 CRAIGHEAD AR TRAINED SPOTTER MOBILE HOME PARK DAMAGED 1235 PM TSTM WND DMG SE MARION 35.21N 90.20W 07/04/2004 CRITTENDEN AR TRAINED SPOTTER ROOF AND STRUCTURAL DAMAGE ON HWY 77 AT...

PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE 500 AM CDT FRI JUN 25 2003 MEDICAL ASPECTS OF LIGHTNING: LIGHTNING HAS BEEN THE SECOND LARGEST STORM KILLER IN THE US FOR THE LAST FORTY YEARS... EXCEEDED ONLY BY FLOODS. THE ONLY CAUSE OF DEATH FROM LIGHTNING IS FROM CARDIAC ARREST AT THE TIME OF THE INJURY... ALTHOUGH SOME MAY APPEAR TO HAVE A DELAYED DEATH A FEW DAYS LATER IF THEY ARE RESUSCITATED BUT HAVE SUFFERED IRREVERSIBLE BRAIN DAMAGE. ACCORDING TO 'STORM DATA'... A NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PUBLICATION... AN AVERAGE OF 87 LIGHTNING FATALITIES OCCURRED PER YEAR FROM 1959-1995. DUE TO UNDERREPORTING......

Strong storms bring death, destruction to Panhandle MORRIS NEWS SERVICE One fatality was attributed to the storms Monday night that battered the Texas Panhandle, bringing winds of more than 70 mph and hail the size of baseballs as residents scrambled to recover Tuesday. Bobbie Kidd, general manager at Greenbelt Lake near Clarendon, said Tuesday that an unidentified Amarillo man was killed when the wind flipped a boat onto him while he was trying to tie it up to shore. Official word on whether the man died of injuries from the boat or was drowned was not immediately available. The Monday...

Last night Ohio was slammed with storms in the central and southern regions. We witnessed some very strange cloud formations and colors. At dusk the clouds moved in different directions (I am assuming upper and lower level agitation in the atmosphere). The color of the clouds is what I have a question about. The higher level clouds were a sand color and the lower clouds were a sage almost green color. What causes this? And how if you don't have immediate weather news can you spot rotation? I am not talking about the obvious: "Mom there is a tornado in...

Egypt has closed the Suez Canal as severe storms continue to wreak havoc in the eastern Mediterranean. All traffic through the key shipping route linking the Mediterranean and the Red Sea was suspended early on Friday because of high winds and strong waves. Airports and roads elsewhere in Egypt were also closed because of sandstorms which reduced visibility to zero. The Turkish authorities have closed the Bosphorus and Dardanelles straits, leaving dozens of vessels stranded. Thousands of Turkish motorists were trapped in their cars as the second day of gales and snow storms shut roads around the country. In the...

NASA's QuikSCAT satellite is providing meteorologists with accurate data on surface winds over the global oceans, leading to improved 2- to 5- day forecasts and weather warnings. The increased accuracy, already being used in hurricane forecasts, is bringing economic savings and a reduction in weather-related loss of life, especially at sea, according to a recent NASA study. Robert Atlas, a research scientist at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md., demonstrated the initial beneficial impact of scatterometer data on weather prediction. In a recent experiment, he showed how the combined use of data from two scatterometers can lead to...

January 7, 2004Wednesday after Epiphany Psalm: Wednesday 4 Reading I Responsorial Psalm Gospel Reading I1 Jn 4:11-18 Beloved, if God so loved us,we also must love one another. No one has ever seen God. Yet, if we love one another, God remains in us,and his love is brought to perfection in us. This is how we know that we remain in him and he in us,that he has given us of his Spirit. Moreover, we have seen and testifythat the Father sent his Son as savior of the world. Whoever acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God,God remains in...

Dust storms threaten Mars landers By Dr David Whitehouse BBC News Online science editor Mars on 13 December as the dust storm was spreading A series of dust storms could threaten the success of three space probes heading for Mars, astronomers warn. The scientists say some small storms are combining to obscure a large part of the planet's northern hemisphere. If they build into a global storm, which can happen, it could interfere with the solar panels the probes use to generate power for their instruments. On 25 December, Europe's Beagle 2 will land, followed by two US rovers, Spirit...

<p>BOSTON — The Northeast's first major snowstorm of the season grounded airliners, iced highways and sidewalks and kept some would-be holiday shoppers home as forecasters warned of coastal floods and power outages Sunday.</p> <p>At least nine deaths were blamed on the storm.</p>

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The solar wind pries open immense cracks in the Earth's magnetic field, holding them apart while it gushes through to cause geomagnetic storms, scientists reported on Wednesday. The findings could help scientists better predict the storms, which can disrupt power, satellites and communications and endanger astronauts, the U.S. space agency NASA (news - web sites) said. "We think we have solved an old and long-standing controversial discussion of how this process of crack formation really works," Harald Frey of the University of California, Berkeley, who led the study, told a news conference. "Now that we know these...

Issued at: 9:38 PM CST 11/17/03, expires at: 4:30 AM CST 11/18/03 The NWS has issued a flood watch for, Winnebago, Mchenry, Boone, Lake, Ogle, Cook, Kane, De Kalb, Dupage, Lee, Will, Kendall, La Salle, Grundy, Kankakee, Livingston, Iroquois And Ford counties. The watch is in effect until noon cst Tuesday(100 pm est Tuesday afternoon). Rain and thunderstorms will become widespread overnight. Heavy rain is likely overnight and Tuesday morning. The rain should begin to diminish during the mid to late morning hours Tuesday. By the time The rain ends Tuesday morning, Most Areas Will receive 2 to 3 inches...

A growing number of Americans are converting their portable gasoline generators into emergency backup power systems. The minimum size recommended for home-emergency use is a 5,000-watt generator (starting around $500), which can power multiple appliances for 8 hours. Portable generators are available at home improvement stores and warehouse clubs around the country, and may become scarce during a blackout. Extension Cords The most common way to use a portable generator is to place it outdoors, then run an extension cord(s) through an open window or door to the chosen appliance. This approach works well for smaller generators because you can...

Do devastating hurricanes need help from affirmative action? A member of Congress apparently thinks so, and is demanding the storms be given names that sound "black." The congressional newspaper the Hill reported this week that Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Texas) feels that the current names are too "lily white," and is seeking to have better representation for names reflecting African-Americans and other ethnic groups. "All racial groups should be represented," Lee said, according to the Hill. She hoped federal weather officials "would try to be inclusive of African-American names." A sampling of popular names that could be used include Keisha,...

Hurricane Latonya? Hurricane names raise a warning The 2003 hurricane season is here, and that means a whole new list of names such as Larry, Sam and Wanda ready to make tropical-storm history. Although Spanish and French names are included in this year’s lineup, among them Juan and Claudette, which struck Texas last week, popular African American names, like Keisha, Jamal and Deshawn, are nowhere to be found. Some black lawmakers don’t seem to mind, but Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Texas) does. “All racial groups should be represented,” said Lee. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The World Meteorological Organization began naming tropical storms after...

Hurricane Latonya? Hurricane Names Raise a Warning The 2003 hurricane season is here, and that means a whole new list of names such as Larry, Sam and Wanda ready to make tropical-storm history. Although Spanish and French names are included in this year’s lineup, among them Juan and Claudette, which struck Texas last week, popular African American names, like Keisha, Jamal and Deshawn, are nowhere to be found. Some black lawmakers don’t seem to mind, but Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Texas) does. “All racial groups should be represented,” said Lee. The World Meteorological Organization began naming tropical storms after women...

OKLAHOMA CITY - The barrage of twisters that ripped across the nation's midsection marked the most active week of tornadoes on record, meteorologists said Saturday as they sized up a wave of storms that left 44 people dead from Kansas to Georgia. The deadly tornadoes began early in the week in Missouri, Kansas and Tennessee, followed by two rounds of twisters in the Oklahoma City area Thursday and Friday. Storms combined with straight-line wind, lightning and floods as they reduced hundreds of homes and businesses to splinters and piles of loose bricks. "We just don't have a down day; that's...

Severe storms moving slowly eastward. The front stretches from Dallas, TX up through northwest Arkansas to St. Louis, Missouri. Currently, small rotations in various cells. So far, no significant tornadoes or damage reported, but these storms are developing and could increase in severity.

Tornadoes Kill At Least 26 in 3 States By CONNIE FARROW Associated Press Writer PIERCE CITY, Mo. (AP) -- A swarm of tornadoes crashed through the nation's midsection, killing at least 26 people in Kansas, Missouri and Tennessee. Eight more were feared dead in this hard-hit town when the armory where they had taken shelter was virtually leveled. Houses across the region were knocked off their foundations in Sunday's storms, trees were uprooted, power lines littered roadways and travelers were forced to huddle in underground tunnels at Kansas City's main airport. In Pierce City, there was not a home or...

Men are more than twice as likely as women to die during thunderstorms, mainly because they do not come in from the rain, new research suggests. A new study of more than 1,400 thunderstorm-related deaths in the United States found 70% of the victims were male. The gender disparity was particularly pronounced among deaths caused by lightning strikes and flash floods. Close to 80% of the lightning victims were men, said Dr. Thomas Songer of the University of Pittsburgh's Center for Injury Research. Canadian numbers support the theory. According to Statistics Canada, 34 men died after being struck by lightning...

Flight operations were scrapped on the Theodore Roosevelt Monday because of stormy weather from the Mediterranean Sea to Baghdad. Scores of fighter jets had been due to fly close air support missions in Iraq, protecting ground troops and taking out targets that may have been emerged in real time. During such missions, fighter jets fly in a box over a particular chunk of territory, or air interdiction zone, and wait for orders to strike. Despite the taking of US prisoners of war over the last few days, pilots on the Theodore Roosevelt were eager for their turn to fly, and...

Soldiers battle storms and rising temperatures By Andrew Buncombe in Camp Coyote, Kuwait 14 March 2003 British and American troops massing close to the Iraqi border are struggling against dust storms and rising temperatures as the political wrangling over a strike against Saddam Hussein continues. While Washington and London insist their soldiers can fight in all weathers, military planners would prefer to launch a strike before temperatures soar in as little as six weeks. As such, the ideal window of opportunity for action is fast closing. A huge storm ripped through the isolated desert camps about 50 miles north of...

<p>I am amazed that people living in the San Francisco area regard as normal numerous electric outages that occur whenever there is a rainstorm.</p> <p>I grew up in Boston and Chicago during the 1940s and 1950s, where severe snowstorms were common and the flow of electricity as steady and reliable as death and taxes. Whey can't an area with much less severe weather conditions and outrageous high power prices enjoy a similarly modern system of electric power?</p>

Astronomy Picture of the Day Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer. 2002 December 24 Spring Dust Storms at the North Pole of Mars Credit: MSSS, JPL, NASA Explanation: Spring reached the north pole of Mars in May, and brought with it the usual dust storms. As the north polar cap begins to thaw, a temperature difference occurs between the cold frost region and recently thawed surface, resulting in swirling winds between the adjacent regions. In the above image mosaic...

<p>Another powerful storm is expected to hit Northern California on Thursday, the National Weather Service forecasts.</p> <p>The upcoming storm will produce strong winds and significant rains and mountain snow.</p> <p>Winds are forecast to increase along the coastal range late Wednesday night. Winds will continue to increase over the interior Thursday as the storm moves inland.</p>

<p>Carlsbad Detective Sgt. Bob Wick, left, looks for evidence as tow truck driver Rusty Russell helps remove a car from the Auga Hedionda Creek in Carlsbad early Tuesday. Three women died and two were injured trying to cross the swollen creek Monday night after heavy rains.</p>

Severe Storms in Tennessee, Ohio Spawn Tornadoes; Seven Dead, Others InjuredBy John Gerome Associated Press WriterPublished: Nov 10, 2002 CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Devastating tornadoes ripped through Tennessee and Ohio on Sunday, killing at least ten people, trapping others in damaged buildings and leaving thousands without power, authorities said. At least five tornadoes swept across middle and western Tennessee packing winds up to 140 mph, the National Weather Service said. Five people were confirmed dead and at least 21 injured in Ohio, where a weather spotter saw at least four twisters hit rural northwestern Van Wert County. To the...

Astronomy Picture of the Day Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer. 2002 August 8 Ancient Volcanos of Mars Credit: Malin Space Science Systems, MOC, MGS, JPL, NASA Explanation: Findings of ancient martian microbial fossils in meteorites and liquid water related features on Mars' surface are currently controversial issues. But one thing long established by space-based observations of the Red Planet is the presence of volcanos, as Mars supports some of the largest volcanos in the solar system. This synthetic...

Things are heating up in the tropics early this year. A statement has been issued by the National Hurricane Center in Miami. It may be nothing, but then again, it may be the beginning of an active year.About the best resource on the net is at Jim Williams' Hurricane City. He's got links to plenty of other resources from across the net, as well as live content that he streams when things really heat up. SPECIAL TROPICAL DISTURBANCE STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MIAMI FL 1130 AM EDT THU MAY 23 2002 A BROAD AREA OF LOW PRESSURE ACCOMPANIED BY NUMEROUS...

Astronomy Picture of the Day Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer. 2002 May 11 Natural Saturn On The Cassini Cruise Credit: Hubble Heritage Team (AURA/ STScI/ NASA) Explanation: What could you see approaching Saturn aboard an interplanetary cruise ship? Your view would likely resemble this subtly shaded image of the gorgeous ringed gas giant. Processed by the Hubble Heritage project, the picture intentionally avoids overemphasizing color contrasts and presents a natural looking Saturn with cloud bands, storms, nearly edge-on...

U.S. Could Soon Feel Impacts of El Niño WASHINGTON, DC, April 12, 2002 (ENS) - Warmer than normal sea temperatures mean that the United States could start feeling the impacts of a developing El Niño weather system as early as mid-summer, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) said this week. The scientists cautioned that the strength of the expected El Niño is still unknown. Depending on its strength, the El Niño impacts could range between fewer Atlantic hurricanes and a drier than normal summer monsoon season in the southwest, to more Nor'easters next winter. "This El Niño is...

<p>Forty years ago this month, a severe winter storm devastated Delaware's ocean coast with 60 hours of wind, rain and flooding.</p> <p>Waves smashed homes, businesses and boardwalks along the shore and surged over barrier dunes, flooding Inland Bay areas and making escape routes impassable.</p>

El Nintilde;o Continues to Develop

EL NINtilde;O CONTINUES TO DEVELOP March 7, 2002 #151; Scientists at NOAA announced today that ocean surface temperatures warmed 2 degrees Celsius (4 F) in the eastern equatorial Pacific near the South American coast in February. This warming has been accompanied by an increase in rainfall over that region, according to the agency's monthly El Nintilde;o forecasts and discussion. (Click NOAA image to view latest sea surface temperatures from NOAA's polar-orbiting satellite.) quot;This warming is an additional sign the Pacific Ocean is heading toward an El Nintilde;o condition,quot; said NOAA Administrator and Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and...