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

Weather News: Southern Utah gets ready for flooding

Weathercaster Sonny Eliot joins journalism hall of fame … I remember listening to Eliot on WWJ-AM 950 on my car radio as storms approached Detroit in the late ’90s … a much simpler time, before the days of XM Satellite weather and emergency channels; weather alert messages on my cell phone; and wireless Internet access on my Pocket PC.

F3 tornado raises concern for disabled

Gothamist Weather is CRAAAAZY!

Space & Science: Mishap ends NASA robotic test mission

Oceans getting louder; effects unclear

Top 100 Streaming Cams Update: Now reflecting data through Tax Day 2005!

And finally, here’s an update to the WDIV-TV shooting story I posted here early Saturday: Latest story. From former WDIV reporter Mike Wendland: “I’ve been at the hospital all weekend and it was touch and go for a while but it now looks like [victim John Owens will] pull through… he has a long road to recovery ahead of him, though.”

Top 5 WXnation.com city weather and webcam pages visited on Sunday: 1. Vancouver 2. Dallas/Fort Worth 3. Detroit 4. Chicago 5. West Palm Beach … and Saturday: 1. Vancouver 2. Minneapolis/St. Paul 3. Los Angeles 4. Albuquerque 5. New York City … See the top 20 so far this month in the center column of our home page.

Magnitude 5.1 earthquake rattles California about 85 miles NW of Los Angeles, 25 miles SSW of Bakersfield: Story from AP/KNBC-TV, details from USGS, and map. A live quake list is in the lower left column of this page, and additional quake resources are in our National/International page … L.A.-area weather and webcams

I received some bad and frightening news Friday afternoon: A former employee of WDIV-TV was shot inside the entrance to the station’s studios in downtown Detroit (where I worked in the late 90′s). The victim, John Owens, is in critical but stable condition and may have to undergo another surgery this weekend. Please pray that he recovers quickly.

Weather News: Tornado prediction system to debut in Las Vegas

New rule increases number of Oklahoma school tornado drills

A nice partial solar eclipse photo is posted at SpaceWeather.com

NASCAR Is Here: Hundreds of thousands to descend on Texas Motor Speedway. Beautiful, sunny weather is expected with a high in the upper 70s. Check out the sky over the TMS in far north Fort Worth via our WXnation Webcam 2, which automatically updates every 20 seconds. You might see a tiny blimp in the distance or something this afternoon…

North Texas Sunrise: And, finally, a lovely sunrise greets North Texans Friday morning, as seen on Fort Worth’s WXnation Webcam (Images link to larger versions in new windows):

Archived images of WXnation’s Webcams

Top 5 WXnation.com city weather and webcam pages visited on Friday: 1. Vancouver 2. New York City 3. Los Angeles 4. Dallas/Fort Worth 5. West Palm Beach … See the top 20 so far this month in the center column of our home page.

Winner A Click Away… No Ryan Seacrest here to say, “The results … after the break”: WeatherBug’s Storm Chase 2005 applicant revealed. The winner is making a CD of weather-related songs. Perhaps this list will help.

News: 1906 earthquake survivor has become home-grown legend

Meanwhile, Tornado uncovers pot operation in Florida

The switch to weather caused unexpected anger among “NewsNight” viewers. Story

The Weather Channel warms up to climate change theory

Space News: Indonesia scientists monitor 3 volcanoes

Off Topic: McDonald’s is 50: I used to eat there a lot. Now, not so much. My current Top 3 fast food haunts are: 1. Subway 2. Sonic 3. Jack In The Box

And, Google Video is now accepting uploads

Where We Are: It’s probably no secret to regular visitors here that I live and work in Fort Worth, not Dallas … or Far, Far West Dallas. I’m a few miles south of the Texas Motor Speedway, which is — and always has been — located in Fort Worth. [By the way, the WXnation Webcam 2 is pointed to the north, should you want to check the weather conditions over the TMS, which is gearing up for Saturday's O'Reilly 300 Busch Series race].

Oh, one more thing, O’Reilly Auto Parts now definitely knows where Fort Worth is thanks to a shirt that placed the Texas Motor Speedway in “Dallas, Texas”. Story

Good Kind Of Free: WRTV-TV in Indianapolis makes DVD of weather special available free of charge to schools and community groups. Now, this is what I call useful free stuff (as I throw away another AOL trial CD…)

Get Your Great View: Looking for a new pad with a breathtaking view? Star-gazers wanted for Fuji rooms

Global News: 25,000 evacuated from Indonesian volcano zone

From Pakistan: Northern flood and landslide victims await compensation

World Of Webcams: “It’s not every day that you get rescued by a group of voyeurs that you’ve never met.”

Space News & Views: Students testing pieces of Columbia say today’s space-age materials might make a next-generation space vehicle safer. Full story

Senate confirms rocket scientist Michael Griffin to head NASA

Astronomy Picture of the Day: April’s Moon and the Pleiades

Top 5 WXnation.com city weather and webcam pages visited on Wednesday: 1. Atlanta 2. Vancouver 3. New York City 4. Los Angeles 5. Dallas/Fort Worth … See the top 20 so far this month in the center column of our home page.

Interest in storm shelters surges after tornadoes

Highest Recorded Wind Gust: Gothamist Weather mentions that Tuesday was the anniversary of the highest wind gust ever recorded (N.H., 231 mph in 1934). As the KOMO-TV article states: “Tornadoes produce the strongest wind speeds known to man, with the strongest of the strong estimated to produce wind speeds of 261-to-318 mph, but there has yet to be a wind gauge to record it — the wind speeds are made from damage estimates.”

Other Weather News: NJ residents demand help with flooding problems

Some Colorado ski resorts staying open for diehards

Colorado TV station ends newscasts, keeps weather

Rain forces postponement of Padres-Cubs

Space & Science News: QuakeFinder research may provide a promising approach to earthquake forecasting … More information at quakefinder.com

Prototype of unmanned airship unveiled

Activity changes dome of Mount St. Helens … Images of Mt. St. Helens then and now and live webcam

Another great aurora image graces the latest SpaceWeather.com Aurora Gallery

100,000 Words: And, this blog now contains 100,000 words since it began in Feb. 2003, according to my trusty stats display in the left column… A day is coming when this blog will have as many words as Bill Clinton’s book!

Top 5 WXnation.com city weather and webcam pages visited on Tuesday: 1. Atlanta 2. St. Louis 3. Vancouver 4. Dallas/Fort Worth 5. Louisville … See the top 20 so far this month in the center column of our home page.

Colorado Blizzard Update: Blizzard grounds travelers in Colorado

Strong Storms In South: Storms move out of Houston | Storms blamed for traffic death, floods in North La. | Man killed when tree falls on him

March snowfall makes no dent in Northwest drought

USATODAY.com launches new weather section featuring interactive temperature forecast map Details

All In Time: DST bill fails … then passes

Now, it is time for you to vote for your favorite WeatherBug Storm Chase 2005 applicant

Volcano on Indonesia’s Sumatra erupts while activity settles down on Mount St. Helens

Top 5 WXnation.com city weather and webcam pages visited on Monday: 1. Denver 2. Houston 3. New Orleans 4. Omaha 5. Kansas City … See the top 20 so far this month in the center column of our home page.

Blizzard blows across eastern Colorado … Denver-area weather/webcams

Worst tornado outbreak in history 40 years ago today

Severe storms hit Kansas (several tornadoes), Oklahoma, and South Dakota

Storms kill 18 in China

M6.1 quake jolts area east of Tokyo: No injuries reported

Space News: Scientists create remote-controlled flies

Astronomy Picture of the Day: Clouds, plane, sun, eclipse

Pictures Of My Trip To Toronto:

These were taken last week during my road trip from Fort Worth, Texas, to Toronto, Canada, at a time when 1,500 miles makes a world of difference weather-wise… Each image links to a large version in a new window (mouse over for date/location)

Top 5 WXnation.com city weather and webcam pages visited on Sunday: 1. Denver 2. Dallas/Fort Worth 3. Oklahoma City 4. Tulsa 5. Wichita … See the top 20 so far this month in the center column of our home page.

Heavy snow blankets Denver area: Parts of I-70, I-25 closed; flights canceled at DIA. Resource: Denver-area weather and webcam images

Tornado warning issued this afternoon in Kansas. Severe weather is also possible in Oklahoma and North Texas … Resources: Regional radar image | National watches and warnings map | Weather/webcam images for Kansas, Oklahoma and North Texas

Top 5 WXnation.com city weather and webcam pages visited on Saturday: 1. Vancouver 2. Dallas/Fort Worth 3. Denver 4. Los Angeles 5. Toronto … See the top 20 so far this month in the center column of our home page.

Weather News: From Denver: Storm brings winds; snow later … Resource: Denver-area weather and live webcam images

Images of damage from Central Florida storms that damaged 100 homes

Severe weather hit Northern California Friday afternoon, spawning tornadoes, funnel clouds and strong winds that brought down tree limbs. Story

Blowing dust, smoke close I-40 in NM

WeatherBug Announces New Smartphone Weather App: WeatherBug® announces global weather application for Microsoft Windows mobile-based smartphones: Full details

Space & Science News: Didn’t see Friday’s eclipse? Check out SpaceWeather.com’s April 8, 2005 solar eclipse gallery

Scientists: Yellowstone eruption unlikely

Top 5 WXnation.com city weather and webcam pages visited on Friday: 1. Sacramento 2. Reno 3. Miami 4. New York City 5. West Palm Beach … See the top 20 so far this month in the center column of our home page.

Weather forecasts for Pope John Paul II’s funeral

Storms bring wind, flooding across Florida

Timetable for today’s partial solar eclipse

Hole drilled to bottom of Earth’s crust … no sounds from Hell were reported.

And, Satellite imagery available on Google. My co-worker checked it out and it appears that some of the images are at least three years old. Still cool, though … More detail for the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex can be found at DFWmaps.com.

Top 5 WXnation.com city weather and webcam pages visited on Thursday: 1. Atlanta 2. Orlando 3. Tampa 4. Jacksonville 5. Vancouver … See the top 20 so far this month in the center column of our home page.

Weather News: Tornadoes Hit South: Tornado-laden storms hit Mississippi | Tornado ‘took everything but me,’ man says

Strong storms head for Central Florida | Storms, isolated tornadoes possible … Resources: Central Florida weather/webcams | Florida radar from Wunderground

Delayed Again: Familiar story: Masters delayed by rain: Weather has stymied PGA players four straight weeks

Northeast Flooding: From New Jersey: Flooding displaces 6,000 statewide | 3 states affected after Delaware overflows banks

Storms leave flooding in Florida

Record snow could lead to higher taxes

Woman buried in snow recovering from injuries

Space News: Space shuttle moved to launch pad

More on Friday’s solar eclipse from SpaceWeather.com

Image of 2003 solar eclipse from Antarctica

World Of Webcams: Royal wedding webcams to go live, but the weather may not be so great

As for me, I’m back in North Texas after a quick road trip. I’ll post some pictures, including snow in the Toronto area, later this week…

Top 5 city pages visited during my trip to Toronto: (Working links in right column)

Wed. 4/6 … 1. Jackson 2. New Orleans 3. Mobile 4. Birmingham 5. Dallas-Fort Worth
Tues. 4/5 … 1. Dallas-Fort Worth 2. Tulsa 3. Austin 4. Vancouver 5. Oklahoma City
Mon. 4/4 … 1. Los Angeles 2. Dallas-Fort Worth 3. New York City 4. Vancouver 5. Toronto
Sun. 4/3 … 1. Buffalo 2. Toronto 3. Vancouver 4. Sacramento 5. Pittsburgh
Sat. 4/2 … 1. New York City 2. Cleveland 3. Toronto 4. Washington, D.C. 5. Orlando
Fri. 4/1 … 1. Atlanta 2. Panama City 3. Vancouver 4. Mobile 5. Dallas-Fort Worth

Today, I’m back in the United States and blogging from the Great Lakes State with my trusty Dell Axim PPC…

Weather News: Severe weather in the NE

3,500 residents evacuated in Pa.

Experts: Two 50-year floods months apart are coincidence

Fresh twist on when, where, why tornadoes strike

Madison drops too-slow phone-alert warning sytem

Spring weather creates danger in parts of Toronto

Space News: Partial solar eclipse in North America Friday

Blogging from a HoJo in Toronto…

To The Snow: This time I ended up where the storm is. On Saturday, I hit the road with my sister, driving from Texas to Michigan and then on to Toronto, Ontario, on Sunday, where a snowstorm greeted us. Several inches of snow are on the ground between London and Toronto, and it is currently snowing with winds gusting to 30 mph early this morning in TO. (I’ll post a couple of pictures when I return to North Texas). We certainly didn’t see the worst of the storm: details on that here … Resource: Toronto weather/live webcams

Pittsburgh records 4th highest snow total in April | Record also set in Cleveland

NE Floods: Rain, melting snow causing floods in Northeast … Resource: National Weather Service watches/warnings map

Heavy rain leaves upstate N.Y. communities flooded

Flooding fears in Maine

Other News: Pope to lie in state at St. Peter’s: Cardinals meet Monday to set funeral date … Thanks to XM Satellite Radio, my sister and I were able to listen to the news of the Pope’s passing Saturday afternoon on Fox News, CNN and MSNBC as we were driving from Texas to Michigan.

Here’s post No. 800:

Weather News: From Boston: Expected rain storm poses flood danger over weekend

A winter storm watch has been posted for much of southern Ontario for the weekend — and this isn’t an April Fool’s joke. Details

Space News: NASA schedules robotic spacecraft launch