Weather & Space News Blog
 since Feb. 2003
 WX - Telegraph abbreviation for weather often used with Morse code
 The Wire - Name once given to the telegraph

Here’s a great planet party picture taken a few days ago at the Pyramid of King Khephren in Egypt on SpaceWeather.com

That’s a lotta stars!

The 1930’s “Dust Bowl” was a decade full of extreme blizzards, tornados, floods, droughts and dirt storms. More details

From USAToday.com: What to know when planning a summer vacation, honeymoon in the tropics

Cool, Rainy Weather Settles Over Indiana

Up North: Saskatoon weather smashes records

And finally today, The Weather Channel Nabs Big Sponsors For StormWeek 2004

On ‘NOVA,’ weather experts aim for the eye of the ‘Supertwister’. More, including local times for the episode, is at the NOVA Web site

Up to 1200 tornadoes forecast this year

USAToday.com’s Weather page is one of many that features a nice tornado photo gallery

Heat wave breaks records in Southern California, Central Valley. More stories via Google News.

Speaking of heat, here’s a nice solar picture of the day.

Where the planets are now in the night sky: SpaceWeather.com

South Carolina: Isolated Severe Weather Possible Tuesday Evening

Retired engineer has stayed on top of the weather for 40 years

Canadians: The Weather Network launches its spring programming

Two Dead, Thousands Homeless from Brazil Cyclone

Colorado: Snow a surprise but not unusual

Kansas: Tornado causes moderate damage in southwest Kansas

Oklahoma: Severe storms sweep Oklahoma, no injuries reported

Flashback: Tornadoes Of 20 Years Ago Leave Lasting Lessons For NC

Wind River and The Weather Channel Team to Create New, Broadcast TV Localization Delivery System

Question of the day: It has arrived, and it is hitting Brazil… Is it a hurricane? Meteorologists in the U.S. say, ‘Yes!’

Tornado causes moderate damage in southwest Kansas

Tornadoes Hit Western Oklahoma; Severe Storms Continue

For the latest radar and cam images from storms now moving through Oklahoma, check out the links in the entry below, and go to the Oklahoma City and Tulsa pages.

Tornado warnings have been issued for parts of Kansas and western Oklahoma. Part of southern Nebraska is under a severe thunderstorm watch. Here is a great radar image from Intellicast that shows the height of the storms, as well as the possibility of hail (These radars can be found in the WXnation city pages, in the radar sections). Here’s the Intellicast national radar image featuring cell tops. This one can also be found in the National/International page. The latest warnings can be found via EarthWatch and IWIN, or in text format.

North Texas may also see strong storms tonight. See the most powerful radar and display in the U.S. streaming live over the weekend from KXAS-TV (NBC 5) (For Broadband, Windows Media Player/IE users; Opens in new window).

Surprise! Hurricane forms off Brazilian coast

SIRIUS Satellite Radio Expands Traffic and Weather Information to 20 Markets Nationwide

So we have weather by car via satellite, and half-a-world away, they now have Weather information on buses starts in Beijing

In the world of webcams: EarthCam Launches Webcam Site for Mobile Phone Users — It enables people to watch live webcam feeds and broadcast their own personal webcam on a mobile phone.

And, Burglar caught by homeowners using Webcam cross-country

Look up in the sky tonight, and even with a good telescope you won’t come across a sight quite like this one.

Those in north Texas may have seen a weather special tonight on KXAS-TV (NBC 5), which ran from 6:30-7 p.m. CT. KXAS is the only TV station in the U.S. that features a million-watt radar and a new state-of-the-art radar display, dubbed at NBC 5 “StormTrack5.” The radar went online today, and is available here.

Swimmers beware: Rip currents lurk off Fla. coast

Alabama fires rage as dry weather continues

From Cincinnati: City Council Approves Webcams For High-Crime Areas

And from SpaceWeather.com: Bright Venus and planet party

A couple of things in very differnet parts of the country…

From Alaska: Webcams keep eye on the ice

And in Florida: Dry Weather Prompts Red Flag Warning

World Meteorological Day today

Astronomy Picture of the Day: Lava flows on Venus

More on the planetary lineup this week at SpaceWeather.com

‘Micro’ Earthquake Hits South Jersey

Weather.com Launches Weather-Related Polls To Provide an Inside Look at Consumers’ Thoughts

As promised, here are some pictures from my trip (by car) from Texas to Michigan over the past week:

Taken while driving on Interstate 44 eastbound in Missouri 3/13:

St. Louis Arch taken 3/13:

Giant cross beside I-70 eastbound near Effingham, IL taken 3/13:

I-75 northbound south of Detroit (check out the pothole). A rough ride into the Motor City awaits. Taken 3/14:

Ominous picture taken near the Ford River Rouge Plant in downriver Detroit from I-75 northbound upon entering Detroit’s city limits on 3/14:

Three inches of snow greets us in the Port Huron, MI area on 3/16:

One of my sister Joanne’s cats, taken on 3/18:

Serene shot taken from a nice Motel 6 in Cloverdale, IN on 3/20:

St. Louis Arch and skyline taken from I-70 westbound on 3/20:

Historic Route 66 is seen to the right of I-44 westbound in central Missouri, taken on 3/20:

Finally, just one link on this springtime Sunday evening…

A Gathering of Planets: Mercury, Venus, Mars, Saturn, and Jupiter

Travel (Web) Log: Left Port Huron, MI 8:45 p.m. ET on Friday. It was clear and cold (temperature: about 33 degrees). Stay in Cloverdale, IN 3 a.m. – 9 a.m. ET. Arrive in Fort Worth, TX at 9 p.m. CT Saturday to incredibly heavy downpour, small hail, high wind, very frequent lightning (temperature: 74 degrees). Just a garden-variety spring storm really, but we were at a crawl on I-35 W near Alliance Airport, partially because of people stopped under the overpasses… Anyway, I am back after a weeklong vacation in Michigan, where I saw my parents, sister and her fiancé. It was lots of fun! I will add some pictures taken on the road in the coming day or two. [End Travel (Web) Log]

Earth tilts toward first day of spring

Asteroid Flyby Info & Animation

Phoenix hits record high of 95

Minneapolis/St. Paul weather personality dies

And finally: Scientists Explain Wayward Weather Forecasts

I hope you had a happy St. Patrick’s Day! Here’s a quick post for the day which you may have already noticed: Blizzard Rating System Unveiled

Snow and wintry conditions have returned for many in the northeast and midwest, where at least a foot of snow may blanket parts of upstate New York. Story: Late Snow Puts Spring On Ice. Sioux City, Iowa saw a record 18 inches of the white stuff pile up on Monday, while up to 8 inches of snow has fallen in parts of Ohio and nearly 4 inches of snow has covered Detroit. Read more stories on today’s snow via Google News. Get the latest radar and webcam images, plus much more, in your nearest city on the WXnation.com map.

I am posting this weblog entry from my old hometown just north of Port Huron, in the “thumb” part of Michigan (via my Dad’s WebTV/MSN-TV contraption). I’m more than 1,300 miles from my north Texas home, and I can feel the difference. It’s 24 degrees here just before 6 p.m., and up to three inches of snow has fallen today. Meanwhile, in Fort Worth, temperatures are in the 70s all week. My sister and neice in Oklahoma were laughing at me during a phone call last night. I guess it’s my turn to be on the receiving end of the “we’re warmer than you” jokes… Anyway, my wife and I are having fun up here. If you are on vacation this week, we wish you the same (and warmer temperatures, if possible).

After more than a year of daily updates to this weblog (give or take one day here or there, and despite a loss of posts in late Dec. 2003 due to a server crash), I will be on vacation in a remote place (well, most of Michigan isn’t really remote) and will probably be silent here on the weblog over the next week. I will return on Mar. 20 at the latest. Feel free to browse the 360 entries here using the calendar or search features. Until the first day of spring, I leave you with some pictures I took on Wednesday from KXAS-TV (NBC 5 to the locals) looking west toward downtown Fort Worth (represented by those tiny buildings in the distance). The tall tower in the first picture (which can be viewed at 640×480 if clicked on) is actually used by KFWD-TV 52.