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THE NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER HAS ISSUED A TORNADO WATCH FOR PORTIONS OF DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA WESTERN AND CENTRAL MARYLAND SOUTH CENTRAL PENNSYLVANIA NORTHERN AND CENTRAL VIRGINIA EASTERN WEST VIRGINIA INCLUDING THE PANHANDLE COASTAL WATERS EFFECTIVE THIS WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING FROM 1250 PM UNTIL 800 PM EDT. TORNADOES...HAIL TO 2 INCHES IN DIAMETER...THUNDERSTORM WIND GUSTS TO 70 MPH...AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING ARE POSSIBLE IN THESE AREAS. THE TORNADO WATCH AREA IS APPROXIMATELY ALONG AND 95 STATUTE MILES NORTH AND SOUTH OF A LINE FROM 55 MILES NORTHWEST OF STAUNTON VIRGINIA TO 30 MILES NORTH NORTHEAST OF PATUXENT RIVER MARYLAND. FOR...

Global warming will make severe thunderstorms and tornadoes a more common feature of U.S. weather, NASA scientists said today. Climate models have previously shown that Earth will see more heavy rainstorms as the atmosphere warms, but a new climate model developed by NASA researchers is the first to show the difference in strength between storms that occur over land and those over the ocean and how storms strengths will change in general. The models don't directly simulate thunderstorms and lightning, but look for conditions that are ripe for severe storms to form. The model was tested against current climate conditions...

Tornado Snatches Greensburg Treasure 1,000 pound Brenham pallasite meteorite comes up missing after tornado strikes Greensburg. by The Associated Press The tornado that razed the Kansas town of Greensburg also snatched one of its most valuable treasures. The thousand-pound Brenham pallasite meteorite is gone. Greensburg has drawn world-class meteorite hunters for decades to this remote Kansas hamlet. Trooper Ronald Knoefel says even the town's own extensive meteorite collection is gone. And the town's other claim to fame -- the world's largest hand dug well -- is buried under a mountain of debris. The nearby gift shop for the attraction had...

Storms, floods, mudslides tie up D.C. areaBy MARTY NILAND, Associated Press WriterWASHINGTON - Flooding from a weekend of heavy rain shut down the Justice Department building, Internal Revenue Service headquarters and the National Archives on Monday, and created a nightmare for commuters with washed-out roads, mud blocking the Capital Beltway and delays on the area's rail lines. District of Columbia officials urged people to avoid the flooded downtown areas. "They need to give us time to make sure everything's OK," said Michelle Pourciau, the acting director of the D.C. Department of Transportation. "We know that more rain is coming ......

LOS ANGELES (AP) - A spectacular series of thunderstorms rolled through Southern California, bringing walnut-sized hail and bursts of heavy rain that triggered mudslides and shut down the main highway between Los Angeles and San Francisco. Parts of the region remained under a severe weather watch early Tuesday. Interstate 5 was closed for about five hours Monday in both directions about 65 miles north of Los Angeles, because of mudslides and up to four feet of standing water on the road, said California Highway Patrol spokesman Johnny Fisher. "There's a few feet of mud all over the roadway," Fisher said....

Hello to one and all. My wife and I are accountants in San Diego, CA and she's been offered a position with a company in Memphis, TN. We've done some initial research on probable places to live and we really like the Germantown area - the homes in our desired price range (250k-310k) seem lovely, the published statistics for the town seem right-on, and the public schools are highly-rated. Our question is: What's the political climate of the town? Thanks in advance.

URGENT - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 391 NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK 205 PM CDT SAT JUN 4 2005 THE NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER HAS ISSUED A TORNADO WATCH FOR PORTIONS OF SOUTHERN IOWA CENTRAL AND EASTERN KANSAS NORTHERN AND WESTERN MISSOURI SOUTHEASTERN NEBRASKA EFFECTIVE THIS SATURDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING FROM 205 PM UNTIL 1100 PM CDT. ...THIS IS A PARTICULARLY DANGEROUS SITUATION... DESTRUCTIVE TORNADOES...LARGE HAIL TO 4 INCHES IN DIAMETER... THUNDERSTORM WIND GUSTS TO 80 MPH...AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING ARE POSSIBLE IN THESE AREAS. THE TORNADO WATCH AREA IS APPROXIMATELY ALONG AND 95 STATUTE MILES NORTH AND...

ATWOOD, Kan. - A hundred and forty years after the Homestead Act helped populate the American West, small towns in Kansas are turning to it again, to draw new residents and new economic development. Three hours east of Denver, Atwood, Kansas is losing ground. Census figures from 2000 showed 1,279 people living there, about a hundred fewer than in 1994. So, back in November, city leaders decided to offer home-sized lots for free to anyone willing to build. "I'm getting interest from every state of the union and Mexico," said Arlene Bliss, director of economic development for Rawlins County, KS....

FRESNO CA-MADERA CA- 227 PM PST MON FEB 21 2005 ...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING CONTINUES UNTIL 245 PM PST FOR SOUTHWESTERN MADERA AND WEST CENTRAL FRESNO COUNTIES.. AT 219 PM PST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR CONTINUED TO INDICATE A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING NICKEL SIZE HAIL. THIS STORM WAS LOCATED NEAR TRANQUILITY...OR ABOUT 22 MILES SOUTHWEST OF MADERA...MOVING NORTH AT 30 MPH. THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WILL BE NEAR.. MENDOTA BY 230 PM PST THIS IS A DANGEROUS STORM. IF YOU ARE IN ITS PATH...PREPARE IMMEDIATELY FOR HAIL...AND DEADLY CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING. PEOPLE OUTSIDE SHOULD MOVE TO A SHELTER...PREFERABLY...

Tornado activity and severe thunderstorms in SE Indiana. Connersville, Laurel, and Andersonville have reported funnel clouds.

Storm warnings and flood warnings issued across the Eastern and Central U.S. North East Infrared ImageEast Coast Infrared Image48 Hour Forecast MapHit link for details.

Severe Weather Alert from the National Weather Service ...IN SOUTHEAST NEW YORK THIS WATCH INCLUDES 11 COUNTIES... ORANGE PUTNAM ROCKLAND BRONX NEW YORK KINGS RICHMOND NASSAU QUEENS WESTCHESTER SUFFOLK A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH MEANS CONDITIONS ARE FAVORABLE FOR SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS IN AND CLOSE TO THE WATCH AREA. PERSONS IN THESE AREAS SHOULD BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR THREATENING WEATHER CONDITIONS AND LISTEN FOR LATER STATEMENTS AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS.... *** A severe weather outlook has also been posted and will be in effect through Friday.

1 Dead In Kennywood Collapse Several More Reportedly Injured POSTED: 7:37 p.m. EDT May 31, 2002 UPDATED: 9:29 p.m. EDT May 31, 2002 WEST MIFFLIN, Pa. -- The roof of a structure that houses a Kennywood Park ride collapsed during severe storms Friday night, causing one death and several injuries, WTAE's Susan Koeppen reported. The collapse happened around 7 p.m. at The Whip, which is in the Lost Kennywood area of the amusement park. People were said to be running for safety while debris flew around in the high winds, trees were uprooted, and branches snapped off. A park official...