WXnation Wire: Weather Blog, WX & Space News
                               SINCE FEB. 2003
WX -- Telegraph abbreviation for weather often used with Morse code
The Wire (wīr') -- Name once given to the telegraph

Tropical Depression 19 Forms: Update from the National Hurricane Center | Forecast track. If this becomes Stan, it would continue the streak of male named systems not affecting much land this season (with the expection of Dennis), while the female named ones cause plenty of problems.

L.A. Wildfies Threaten Homes: KNBC-TV 4, L.A. coverage: 3,000 firefighters battling blaze that has burned 17,000 acres | Big California wildfire forces evacuations, but optimism seen | L.A. weather/webcam images | Live streaming links (likely offline overnight) in yesterday’s post…

Weather News: Meteorologists say hurricane research budget too small

Forecasters place Hawaii under flood watch | Watches/warnings map

Tornado victims asked to re-report damage: Gov. Doyle appealing to FEMA

Verizon signs agreement for America’s Top 2 weather- information networks … I live in the Keller, Texas, ZIP code, but am really in the City of Fort Worth. I hear we should be getting FIOS TV any day now, and I will probably be giving this a try.

Katrina Update: Family opens home to 50 hurricane evacuees | Volunteers continue to rescue animals stranded by hurricanes | 140,000 homes and businesses uninhabitable after storms | N.O. launches “repopulation” campaign | Four officers suspended as looting allegations investigated | Wait for trailer can be up to eight months | MS jobless claims exceed 64,000 after Katrina | Red Cross criticized, urged to share cash | Mardi Gras 2006: Floats will be ready, but will people?

Rita Update: Number of deaths related to Rita hits 100 | Entergy: Rolling blackouts should end soon | Latest Rita stories

New satellite observations show that sea ice in the Arctic is melting faster while air temperatures in the region are rising sharply, scientists say. Story

Space News: Great background image from Astronomy Picture of the Day

Fort Worth Images: Images link to large versions in a new window

The first image taken in the height of gas price hikes, four days after Hurricane Katrina made landfall. Normally, Fort Worth gas prices are just below the national average. Gas prices fell quickly to about $2.79, but are now back up to $2.99. The skyline picture is of downtown Fort Worth, snapped as storms moved across the area on Sept. 15. The last two were taken on one of Fort Worth’s hottest days of the year. The images of building storm clouds were captured at 4 p.m., as the temperature hit 104 degrees at nearby DFW Airport. The last picture shows what became a hail-producing storm over Denton. The next day, a strong cold front brought highs only in the mid-70s.

Top 5 WXnation.com city weather and webcam pages visited on Thursday: 1. New Orleans 2. Boston 3. Houston 4. Los Angeles 5. Vancouver … See the top 20 so far this month in the center column of our home page.

L.A. Wildfires: Firefighters hold line as flames threaten homes | Live Streaming Video: KNBC-TV 4 | KCBS-TV 2 | KABC-TV 7 | L.A. weather/webcams

No Stan Yet: No new tropical depression today, but maybe by the weekend: National Hurricane Center statement | Tropical system develops in Caribbean Sea | Forecasts say major hurricane likely in October | The next name on the list is Stan, followed by Tammy, Vince and Wilma, before heading into the Greek alphabet. | National Hurricane Center updates

Katrina Update: Hurricane Katrina made landfall one month ago today [Aug. 29, 2005 WXnation Wire entry]… New Orleans’s French Quarter comes alive as power is restored | Total Katrina donations surge past $1.3B | Nagin wants quick return, health officials not so sure | Only 32 bodies positively identified so far among 896 dead in Louisiana | Chips help coroners keep track of hurricane victims | From Mississippi: Displaced coast residents moving to cruise ship | Gulf Coast city insured for casino losses from Katrina

Rita Update: Heat forces shutdown of Houston relief center: FEMA officials say they were caught off-guard by numbers of people | Power outages to last several more weeks: Rolling blackouts should end by Friday | Rita may have damaged more oil rigs than Katrina | Latest Rita stories

Other Weather News: Half-foot of rain inundates Charleston area

Newfoundland residents flee homes after flooding

Space News: Google plans campus at NASA Research Park

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

104º In Dallas/Ft. Worth: Storms tonight, then a big cool-down, to a high around 77º tomorrow! D/FW Airport conditions | Cooler weather finally on the way
| Daily infernos coming to an end | Watches/warnings map | Radar | Weather/webcam images | 106º in Austin | 104º in San Antonio

Katrina Update: Brown shifts blame for Hurricane Katrina response … N.O. mayor responds | Leader of New Orleans police resigns | Separating fact from fiction in Katrina’s wake: Did false reports of murder and mayhem delay aid for those in need? | From Mississippi: Gov. Barbour’s speech before the Legislature | Casino storm brewing | Casino stories for Biloxi and Gulfport

Rita Update: 31 die from Hurricane Rita in Harris County: Victims range in age from 14 months to 92 | Gas prices rise a third day on concern about refinery shortfall | Losses in Louisiana seafood industry may be felt nationwide | Rita may worsen red tide in South Texas | SW La. weather/webcam images | Latest Rita stories

Courtesy NOAA: Aerial view of Hurricane Rita’s destruction in Cameron, La. Image links to NOAA’s post of more than 1,100 images of the U.S. Gulf Coast areas in the path of Hurricane Rita … Large version and high resolution version

New Tropical System May Form Today: National Hurricane Center discusses the possibility of a new system by later today. Monitoring the tropics

One Of Worst Lightning Storms In N. Calif. History?: Lightning storm shocks Sacramento area: Monday night’s lightning storm may go down as one of the worst in Northern California history. (Video inside)

108 Degrees In Waco, Texas!: But it’s a dry heat! | 100 degrees in Houston, Tuesday, 98 in Dallas/Fort Worth

Quake News: Swarm of earthquakes hits central Idaho: Strongest in 4 years for area … Quake wire is in the left column of this page. Maps and more are in our National/International page

Space News: NASA administrator says space shuttle was a mistake | Early retirement for space shuttles unlikely, lawmakers say

Astronomy Picture of the Day: Rocket launch

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

Katrina Update: FEMA sends $625 million to Hurricane Katrina victims | Volunteers build homes for Katrina, Rita victims | Parish by parish updates | N.O. residents return Cattle feared dead | Brown says he should have sought aid sooner | Group poised to rebuild Bay St. Louis | School’s in: Biloxi, Ocean Springs restart classes | Reports of post-Katrina mayhem may have been overblown | Katrina displaces nearly 6,000 doctors | As storms threatened, Weather Service and Hurricane Center stepped up

Rita Update: Hurricane Rita’s death toll reaches 7 | Fewer than expected number of students displaced by Hurricane Rita in Texas | No power, no problem: Louisiana paper turns to Web full-time | Gentler Rita still rocked Houston media: Disruption could last weeks in wake of storm

Other Weather News: From Florida: Meteorologists watch two tropical waves: At least one wave could come close to Florida

From Hawaii: Kenneth in Central Pacific waters: Tropical storm slowly moves west | Hawaii weather/webcams

Tornado rips through parts of Mississippi State University, Starkville

Wisconsin governor wants help for Stoughton tornadoes

Heavy rain floods basements, roads in Milwaukee

The judge hearing an age discrimination claim filed by a former reporter asked lawyers on both sides Monday to consider whether The Weather Channel is a business or entertainment: Network’s role may be key in lawsuit

Space News: NASA’s Pluto probe arrives at spaceport

Top 5 WXnation.com city weather and webcam pages visited on Monday (Top 4 remains unchanged): 1. Houston 2. New Orleans 3. Lafayette 4. Toronto 5. New York City … See the top 20 so far this month in the center column of our home page.

Rita Updates: Rescuers find more survivors, more damage | Gulf Coast emerges from battering by Rita | 15,000 homes flooded in south Terrebonne, La. | La. Gov.: ‘Everything Is Just Obliterated’ | Hurricane Rita spawns tornadoes, street flooding | Why is this happening? | Coastal La. picks up | Hurricane exposes evacuation problems | Rita rainfall totals: 16 inches of rain from Rita reported in Bunkie, La. through 7 p.m. Sun. | Rita images | Current watches and warnings | Latest Rita stories

Live Streaming Rita Coverage Most, if not all, may be offline now

Katrina’s Aftermath Update: Cleanup moves to private property in Biloxi | Hurricane Katrina could forever change how TV news covers storms | N.O. weather/webcams

Quake News: Powerful earthquake rocks northern Peru, at least 4 reported dead … USGS preliminary info | Minor 3.4 quake in N. Maine … Quake wire is in the left column of this page; Maps are in the National/International page (right column)

Fall Foliage Webcams: The first of two new WXnation.com pages is really just an updated page: Though it felt far from it yesterday as it reached 102 degrees in Dallas/Fort Worth, autumn is upon us, as is the return of the WXnation Fall Foliage Webcams page

New London, UK Weather/Webcams WXnation Page: The first WXnation page covering a city outside of the US and Canada is online. The London, England page went live early this morning. A contributing factor to the addition: The site was recently linked to in the Times Online … thanks! But most of all, it is my hope that my favorite (or should I say ‘favourite’) musical artist, Kate Bush, ends up checking weather conditions on the page just once… Her excellent new single “King of the Mountain” is available on iTunes and other digital music services tomorrow in the US.

Top 5 WXnation.com city weather and webcam pages visited on Sunday (Only #4 changes from Saturday’s Top 5): 1. Houston 2. New Orleans 3. Lafayette 4. Toronto 5. Dallas/Fort Worth … See the top 20 so far this month in the center column of our home page.

Rita Now Tropical Depression; Heavy Rain Likely In AR, MS, Areas North: Rita now a tropical depression with 20 mph winds | Cleanup begins | Rita-spawned tornadoes kill at least 1 | Couple sorry they stayed for the storm | Texas sets staggered schedule for return of Rita evacuees: Evacuated residents should ’stay put, be patient’ | Mayor: Galveston Island open to everyone | Rita likely to spark rise in gas prices: Back to $3 plus? | Web scammers strike before hurricane does | Latest Rita stories | Where To? Heavy rain and possible tornadoes are expected in Mississippi, Alabama and areas to the north as Rita moves northwest. [Current watches and warnings and Rita’s rainfall totals through 7 a.m. Sun] One computer model suggests Rita’s weak circulation might move back into the Gulf of Mexico. Here are the models: AccuWeather | Wunderground | NCAR WRF model prediction/animation | National Hurricane Center | others ( ‘Frame’ links)

Live Streaming Coverage & Images

New Orleans May Dry Out In One Week: Rita led to more New Orleans flooding, especially in the Ninth Ward, but N.O may be pumped dry again soon | N.O. weather/webcams | N.O. storm total precip. | Radar loop

Other Weather News: Strong storms are possible in the Midwest today. Current watches/warnings map and live satellite/radar, weather and webcam links

Lightning strikes 2 planes in Hawaii skies

FEMA denies Wisconsin disaster aid

Weird News: Is the government controlling the weather? | More on the Idaho forecaster following hurricane theory | His WeatherWars.info site

Space News: Johnson Space Center suffers only minor damage

Top 5 WXnation.com city weather and webcam pages visited on Saturday: 1. Houston 2. New Orleans 3. Lafayette 4. Shreveport 5. Dallas/Fort Worth … See the top 20 so far this month in the center column of our home page.

Rita, Now Downgraded To Tropical Storm, Makes Landfall As Cat. 3 Hurricane Just East Of TX-LA Border: Hurricane Rita made landfall at 2:38 a.m. CDT just east of Sabine Pass, TX, and the Texas-Louisiana border as a Cat. 3 with 120 mph maximum sustained winds. Rita is expected to slow down and spin over either E. Texas or W. Louisiana, bringing up to 15 inches of rain across parts of E. TX, W. LA, SW OK and AR., which may lead to flooding along the Mississippi River and in New Orleans [N.O. storm total precip. | Radar loop]. Rita’s remnants may also move back into the Gulf of Mexico. Latest Data/Models: Port Arthur, TX/ Lake Charles, LA Current Observations | NOAA Rita Page | National Hurricane Center’s forecast track | Computer models, others ( ‘Frame 1′ links)

Live Streaming Coverage: KPLC-TV 7, Lake Charles (Temporarily down as of 9 p.m. Saturday) | KATC-TV 3, Lafayette | KSLA-TV 12, Shreveport | KPRC-TV 2, Houston | KHOU-TV 11, Houston | KTRK-TV 13, Houston | NBC Stations (Opens new window) | Periodic Streaming: KRIS-TV 6, Corpus Christi | KXAS-TV 5, Dallas/Fort Worth (Look for WeatherPlus) | New Orleans Stations Streaming: WDSU-TV 6 | WWL-TV 4 | Subscription Video Feeds: HurricaneNow.com | Hurricane LiveNet.com | Live Audio: KTRH-AM 740, Houston | KPRC-AM 950, Houston | Others (look for lightning bolts; AM news/talk)

Rita Stories: Major damage around Lake Charles | 3M Rita evacuees urged to delay return | Rita floods Gulf Coast towns, sparks fires | 3 historic buildings in Galveston catch fire | Other buildings catch fire | Corps of engineers tries to stop flooding of New Orleans | Abandoned Ninth Ward flooding reaches at least 6 feet | New Orleans streaming video from WWL-TV and WDSU-TV | N.O. weather/cams | 24 evacuees die near Dallas as bus bursts into flames | Rita affecting bird migration | The Web tracks Rita | Shep falls (video) Latest Rita stories | Online Coverage: KPLC-TV 7, Lake Charles | KSLA-TV 12, Shreveport | Shreveport Times | KPRC-TV 2, Houston | KHOU-TV 11, Houston | KTRK-TV 13, Houston | Houston Chronicle Rita Page | KXAS-TV 5, Dallas/Fort Worth | MSNBC | From Florida: WTVJ-TV 6, Miami | Local Blogs: KPLC-TV 7, Lake Charles | Houston Chronicle | KHOU-TV 11, Houston | KXAS-TV 5, DFW | KRIS-TV 6, Corpus Christi | Miami Herald | Other blogs

NWS storm total precipitation. Links to live version

Rita Images: Slideshows: USA Today | MSNBC (opens new window) | Gulf Coast flooding and new N.O. flooding | Hurricane hunters | New N.O. floodwaters | Evacuee bus explodes | Interactive Tracker: Track all 2004-05 storms | Radar: Regional Radar | NWS Radar | Loop | Zoom | Loop | Storm Radar | 24-Hr. Rain | Storm Total Precip. S N. | Satellite: Intellicast U.S. satellite loop | AccuWeather U.S. satellite loop | Visible satellite/loop and IR/loop | Animations: Real-Time & Archived Satellite Imagery | Animated loop of Rita, 2004-05 storms | Watches/Warnings Map: National Weather Service | Weather & Webcam Images: Houston/Galveston/Port Arthur, Lafayette/SW Louisiana, New Orleans, Baton Rouge, Shreveport, Little Rock, Corpus Christi, Austin, San Antonio, and Dallas/Fort Worth | Other cities | Other Image Slideshows: 1900 Galveston | Simulation of possible Galveston devastation | Florida viewer images | 2

Blog Coverage: AccuWeather | Central Florida Hurricane Center | CapitalWeather.com | Hurricanetrack.com | Lost Remote TV Blog | Moreweather.com | MyWeatherBlog | WX-MAN’s Perspective | Weather.com | WeatherBlog | Report for WeatherBug Backyard | WeatherMatrix Blog | Message Boards: Eastern U.S. Weather Forum | TalkWeather.com | Storm2K | Weather.com Forum

Katrina Update: Coverage from WWL-TV 4, New Orleans | WDSU-TV 6, New Orleans | NOLA.com | From Mississippi: Sun Herald | Latest Katrina stories | Live Streaming Coverage: WDSU-TV 6, N.O. | WWL-TV 4, N.O. | Katrina images, searching for & found, and blog coverage links

Other Weather News: You may have heard him on Coast To Coast AM with George Noory … Now, Idaho forecaster Scott Stevens leaves job to pursue weather theories

From Alaska: Storm batters Western Alaska coast

From Hawaii: Jova loses strength, becomes tropical depression

Space News: Rocket launch amazes onlookers from southern California to Arizona | Rocket’s trail photo

Top 5 WXnation.com city weather and webcam pages visited on Friday: 1. Houston 2. New Orleans 3. Baton Rouge 4. Lafayette 5. Dallas/Fort Worth … See the top 20 so far this month in the center column of our home page.

Developing Stories Related To Rita: More levees fail in New Orleans; water pours in | In Ninth Ward, waist high and rising | New Orleans streaming video from WWL-TV and WDSU-TV | Houston streaming video here | N.O. weather/cams | 24 evacuees die near Dallas as bus bursts into flames

Models Show Rita Hitting TX Or LA Coast Early Saturday As Major Hurricane: Hurricane Rita’s forecast track has shifted eastward and many computer models (linked to later in this section) place landfall anywhere from near Galveston to SW Louisiana. Rita is expected to make landfall as a major hurricane between 1 a.m. and 5 a.m. Saturday and then move to the north before slowing down and spinning over either East Texas or Louisiana, bringing up to 20 inches of rain across E. TX and W. LA. Latest Data/Models: NOAA Rita Page | National Hurricane Center’s forecast track & strike probabilities | New: Forecast track and WRF radar animation … Story | Wunderground computer models and other models (See ‘frame 1′ links) | More in the red column

Rita Stories: Nearly 2 million flee Texas, Louisiana | NASA pulls ‘ride out’ crew from space center | Scientists: You can’t modify hurricanes | Rita could devastate gulf refineries | Raining in New Orleans, which may see up to 5 inches of rain | N. Texas could be spared | Busy hurricane season could run out of names | Latest Rita stories

Other Weather News: Severe storms hit Metro Detroit, cause flooding

Top 5 WXnation.com city weather and webcam pages visited on Thursday: 1. Houston 2. New Orleans 3. Corpus Christi 4. Austin 5. Dallas/Fort Worth … See the top 20 so far this month in the center column of our home page.

Category 4 Hurricane Rita Spins Toward Texas/Louisiana Border: A slightly weakened Category 4 Hurricane Rita was on Wednesday the third most intense Atlantic Basin storm on record, and became the second Cat. 5 hurricane of 2005 after Katrina. The last time two Cat. 5’s formed in the same year was in 1961 [Cat. 5 list]. Rita is expected to weaken slightly before it makes landfall early Saturday as a major hurricane somewhere between Galveston, Texas and southwestern Louisiana. Rita may then stall over East Texas for a couple of days.

Rita Stories: Houston Residents struggle to get inland | Interstate 45 southbound rerouted north out of Houston: Interstate at a standstill for up to 100 miles and gas shortages were already being reported | New Orleans may get up to 5 inches of rain | Galveston and the ‘most horrible sights’ of 1900 | Latest Rita stories

Other Weather News: Today is the autumnal equinox

Minn. storm brings reports of outages: The storm reportedly included straight-line winds gusting to 68 mph | More storms possible in the Midwest today: NWS watches/warnings map and U.S. satellite/radar and weather/webcam links

Hurricane Jova keeps forecasters’ track away from Islands

Quake News: Earthquakes up to 4.9 recorded 80 miles north of L.A.: Live quake wire in left column of this page. Map … more resources are in our National/International page

Top 5 WXnation.com city weather and webcam pages visited on Wednesday: 1. Houston 2. New Orleans 3. Key West 4. Minneapolis/St. Paul 5. Corpus Christi … See the top 20 so far this month in the center column of our home page.