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

Weird Wilma News: Strange ’2′ appears in eye of Wilma… I went back to one of the images I snapped from the National Weather Service, and there it is. A No. 2 … I didn’t see it at the time.

Radar image from 5:56 a.m. EDT Monday, courtesy National Weather Service. Links to current loop.

Other Wilma News: Key West set to reopen to tourists: Some schools in South Fla. remain closed | 2 million Floridians still without power after Wilma | Opinion at USAToday.com: Wilma, silent storm

Beta weakens to tropical depression, causes flooding in Central America

Post-hurricane plans adds $55 million for NOAA

CBS 19 introduces ‘Stormy’ the weather dog

Katrina News: Big Easy gets some of its Goth mojo back | UC schools raise over $20K for Hurricane Katrina relief | Jackson charity recording underway in L.A.

Storms, some possibly severe, are in the forecast for the Dallas-Fort Worth area [weather/webcams]

WXnation City Pages Navigation Updates: Instead of going to see “The Weather Man” this weekend, I spent time making some improvements (hopefully, that’s what they are) to the navigation and appearance of the WXnation city pages. First, small, green markers are now before each link, or each Web site’s group of links, making it easier to determine where links end and begin. Finally, small boxes below the logo and city ID make it possible to jump to popular sections located “below the fold,” including Current Weather/Forecasts, WX Warnings/Watches/Closings, and Air & Road Traffic Conditions. I hope you find these changes useful.

Top 5 WXnation.com city weather and webcam pages visited on Sunday: 1. New Orleans 2. Cape Coral/Fort Myers 3. Dallas/Fort Worth 4. Key West 5. Vancouver … See the top 20 so far this month in the center column of our home page.

Hurricane Beta Slams Into Nicaragua, Honduras As Cat. 1 Storm: Emergency officials said no deaths were reported. Get Beta images and data in the red column.

Wilma Update: Wilma death toll rises to 38 | Wilma damage to Florida economy to be short-lived | Wilma shows hurricanes can wallop both coasts | N.D. weather beats Wilma: “I would take a blizzard any day,” says Bismarck native Kirk Romsaas

Katrina Update: No housing boom seen in post-Katrina New Orleans: Expected big home sales gain not materializing

From Indy: Area finally gets its 1st frost of the season

Quake Wire: Pope urges more aid for Asian quake victims

Space News: A new space race?

Astronomy Picture of the Day: A dark and stormy night … and close Mars

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

Hurricane Beta churns toward Central America: Get the latest news … images and data on now-Hurricane Beta in the red column

Wilma Update: Storm coverage reaches low-water mark during Hurricane Wilma: Whatever happened to news as information? | Lack of power, supplies especially hard on older people | New viewer storm images | Latest stories from Google News

Weird News update: Lightning confirmed as cause for deaths of 16 horses in Colo.

Records falling atop Mount Washington

Katrina Update: Louisiana has lost nearly $1 billion in sales tax since Katrina | How WWL-TV blogged Katrina

Quake Wire: Impact of local media reporting the earthquake in Pakistan

Space News: Telescopes spot big dust storm on Mars: Cloud appears on Red Planet’s disk just as close encounter peaks … From SpaceWeather.com: On Oct. 30th, Mars will be 69 million km from Earth–the closest it will be for the next 13 years. So this is a great time to look at the planet through a backyard telescope. Sky map

Fort Worth Images: The following images, taken between Oct. 15 and 27, 2005, in east and far north Fort Worth, link to large versions in a new window

More images are in our WXphotos gallery

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

WXnation Wire Podcast #9: Oct. 27, 2005: Download/ show notes. Direct download (Time: 6:10; Size 3 MB) Right click/ ‘Save Target As’ or ‘Save Link As’

Wilma Update: Wilma victims surprised when President Bush visits Pompano Beach: Bush pledges return to normal | Tourists still stranded in Cancun as hurricane damage reports roll in | After Wilma, massive cleanup continues | New viewer storm images | Latest stories from Google News | Hurricane Wilma coverage list

Hurricane database could aid forecasters

Beta News: Beta bears down on Central America | Tropical Storm Beta is expected to hit Nicaragua as a Category 1 or 2 hurricane by Saturday. Public advisory and forecast track. Get the latest images and updates in the red column.

Flash floods raise Alpha deaths to 26

Katrina Update: Katrina’s La. death total reaches 1,062 | WDSU-TV 6 live streaming schedule | Miss. news | New Orleans weather/live webcam images

Britain Sees Warmest October 27 On Record: A reason to be cheerful? Hardly

Space News: A night of Mars this Halloween | Mars to swing close to Earth this weekend: Closest pass scheduled for 11:25 p.m. EDT Saturday.

An odd list of body parts: Researchers are making a list: Which parts of an astronaut are most sensitive to solar flares?

Space station marks 5-year milestone: International project faces logistical, financial challenges

Canada will land weather station on Mars in 2007

Astronomy Picture of the Day: The Last Titan

Top 5 WXnation.com city weather and webcam pages visited on Thursday: 1. Key West 2. San Antonio 3. New Orleans 4. Cape Coral/Ft. Myers 5. West Palm Beach … See the top 20 so far this month in the center column of our home page.

Jeb Bush Accepts Blame For Slow Aid Efforts After Hurricane Wilma: Some relief centers out of supplies; ‘don’t blame FEMA,’ governor says | Frustration mounts despite signs of recovery | Viewer storm images | Latest stories from Google News | Hurricane Wilma online coverage list

Tropical Storm Beta Forms In SW Caribbean: Beta forms | Public advisory and forecast track, which predicts landfall in Nicaragua by Saturday as a weak hurricane or strong tropical storm. More details and images are in the red column to the right

Nor’easter Update: Early nor’-easter dumps up to 20 inches of snow in New England south to West Virginia, other areas drenched by rain | Powerful nor’easter pounds New England, mid-Atlantic: Storm knocked out power to about 200,000 homes and businesses | NWS watches/warnings map and U.S. radar/weather and webcams

Katrina Update: Mid-City business owners want category-5 levees before rebuilding | WDSU-TV 6 live streaming schedule | Miss. news | New Orleans weather/live webcam images

Take your pick of “The Weather Man” movie reviews

Quake Wire: Winter threat to quake survivors: The death toll in Pakistan from the October 8 earthquake has risen to 54,197, while the number of injured has increased to about 78,000 | Help quake victims | Live quake updates in the left column of this page and more in the right column of our National/International page

Space News: Robots may allow surgery in space

World Of Webcams: Live webcam captures the beauty of the Pyramids

Top 5 WXnation.com city weather and webcam pages visited on Wednesday: 1. Miami 2. Key West 3. Cape Coral/Ft. Myers 4. West Palm Beach 5. Burlington, VT … See the top 20 so far this month in the center column of our home page.

Frustrating Delays Follow Wilma In Florida: Government response again in question following Wilma: Miami-Dade mayor says supplies running low | Blame Florida, not FEMA, Gov. Bush says | Viewer storm images | By hitting Everglades, Wilma maintained unexpected power | Tourists flee hurricane-hit Cancun, beaches ruined | Storm shatters mobile homes, residents’ dreams in Broward | Mobile home parks slammed by mighty punch of Wilma | Search suspended for sailboat as hurricane Wilma misses Atlantic Canada | Latest stories from Google News | Hurricane Wilma online coverage list

Beta in the making? | National Hurricane Center home

Katrina, Rita Update: Louisiana’s hurricane death toll notches upward to 1,053 | Hurricanes cause spike in large layoffs | Streaming coverage from WDSU-TV 6 | Miss. news | New Orleans weather/live webcam images

Nor’easter Brings Snow, Rain, Wind, Closings: Snow closes schools, downs power lines in Western Md. | Early snowfall closes schools in eight WV counties | Wet and wooly weather hits Vermont | Va. forecast: Cold, wet, frosty or snowy | Rain, snow, high winds as storm hits Maine, N.H. | Season’s first snow arrives in Pennsylvania: Forecasters predicting up to a 8 inches on the highest mountains | Coastal Mass. towns prepare for possible flooding | From N.J.: Rain, wind ebb as Wilma & company pull away; flooding persists | Latest stories from Google News | NWS watches/warnings map and U.S. radar/weather and webcams

CapitalWeather.com publishes 2005-06 winter outlook for D.C. area

Heat crisis forecast for this winter

Weird News: Town baffled by deaths of 22 horses: Lightning strike possible cause

1000th Post: As you might have noticed, the entry posted as Wilma made landfall was listed as post 1000 in the WXnation Wire. A few posts were lost in Dec. 2003, but 1000 is about right since this blog started way back on Feb. 19, 2003. The stats in the right column show the posts are comprised of a total of 147,054 words and 88 (legit) comment posters.

Top 5 WXnation.com city weather and webcam pages visited on Tuesday: 1. Cape Coral/Ft. Myers 2. Key West 3. Miami 4. West Palm Beach 5. Boston … See the top 20 so far this month in the center column of our home page.

Hurricane Wilma Streaming Video, Images, Stories & More

Wilma’s Aftermath: Millions Begin Recovery As It Could Take Weeks To Recover: More than 6 million without power; at least 6 deaths blamed on hurricane | Clean-up begins; Damage estimates range up to $10 billion | Tornado lifts 2-story Central Florida home | Images and video of Wilma | From Cancun: Tourists who rode it out land here — with stories to tell | Wilma causes flooding in Havana, hundreds rescued | Storms may cause some insurers to stop Fla. policies | Wilma pushes TV stations off air | CNN “severe weather expert” Chad Myers: 14 hours & 1 BLT break | Latest stories from Google News

Nor’easter Update: Triple threat headed to NY | From Boston: Wilma visits; Stormy October rages on: Some coastal flooding, sustained winds of 40 mph, with gusts up to 65 mph possible | Coverage from WPXI-TV 11, Pittsburgh | Latest stories from Google News | NWS watches/warnings map and U.S. radar/weather and webcams

Alpha leaves 10 dead in Hispaniola

Water seepage reported in New Orleans’ Lower Ninth Ward

Katrina Update: Study: Most Katrina victims were older | Study: Gasoline prices return to pre-Katrina levels: AAA Cites Lower Demand, Refinery Recovery | Streaming coverage from WDSU-TV 6 | New Orleans weather/live webcam images

‘Weather’-beaten: Hub TV meteorologists say their depiction in film is all wet

Gloomy weather in Calif. Southland continues this week

Flood warnings as rain sweeps UK: heavy rain and 70mph winds swept across the UK.

Quake Update: Pakistan rallies aid, fair weather window closing | Live quake wire is in the left column of this page. More resources are in our National/International page

Space News: Mars getting closer Oct. 30: Closest to Earth for 13 years… More details

Mars rover begins climb down from summit

Top 5 WXnation.com city weather and webcam pages visited on Monday: 1. Cape Coral/Ft. Myers 2. Key West 3. West Palm Beach 4. Miami 5. Orlando … See the top 20 so far this month in the center column of our home page.

Top 5 WXnation.com city weather and webcam pages visited on Sunday (and the first time since Aug. 26 that New Orleans is not in the Top 5): 1. Key West 2. Cape Coral/Ft. Myers 3. Miami 4. Tampa 5. Orlando … See the top 20 so far this month in the center column of our home page.

Hurricane Wilma Streaming Video, Images, Stories & More

Radar image from 6:23 a.m. EDT Monday, courtesy National Weather Service. Links to current loop.

Deadly Category 3 Hurricane Wilma Makes Landfall With 125 MPH Winds, Leaves 6 Million Without Power: Hurricane Wilma did just what head of the National Hurricane Center, Max Mayfield (who needs a well-deserved long night of rest), said: After speeding up from an incredibly slow-moving hurricane over the Yucatan just hours ago, it made landfall at 6:30 a.m. EDT near Cape Romano, Fla., about 20 miles west of Everglades City in southwest Florida [WX/cams] as a strong Category 3 hurricane with 125 mph sustained winds. Wilma exited Florida within hours as a Category 2 hurricane with 110 mph winds and left behind reported coastal flooding, widespread wind damage and power outages, isolated tornadoes, and street flooding.

Key West Flooding; Nor’Easter Forecast: A third of Key West underwater due to Wilma: 3.2 million people lose power; 5 deaths reported in Florida | Wilma to become part of powerful nor’easter Tuesday | Flooding, wind damage possible in N.J. as Wilma blows by offshore | NWS forecasts snow for Poconos: Accumulations could reach 6 inches | Watches/warnings map and U.S. radar/weather and webcams | Al Roker knocked off his feet | Latest Wilma news from Google | From Mexico: Looting breaks out in Mexico after Wilma | Latest from SW Fla.’s News-Press and NBC-2, Fort Myers | A full list of live streaming video, images, online coverage and more is in our complete Wilma resource list

Hurricane Wilma Streaming Video, Images, Stories & More

Do you see what appear to be happy and sad faces, comprised of the eye and intense activity north of the eye, respectively? IR satellite from 2:45 a.m. CDT Sunday, courtesy NOAA. Links to current loop.

Wilma Grows To Category 3; Winds At 115 MPH After Killing At Least 7 In Mexico, 13 In Jamaica, Haiti: Wilma has strengthened to a Category 3 hurricane with 115 mph maximum sustained winds, after dramatically picking up speed [story]. Wilma is expected to make landfall in or just south of Naples in SW Florida by dawn Monday as a Cat. 3 (or major) hurricane, bringing wind damage, widespread power outages and a storm surge of up to 19 feet. Latest updates, images, and more

Latest Hurricane Wilma Stories: Wilma spawns destructive tornado in Cuba | Hurricane warning posted for South Florida: A hurricane warning is in effect for the Florida Keys and along much of the eastern and western coasts of southern Florida. | Cancun, Cozumel pummeled: Hurricane soaks Mexican coast for two days | Floridians flee: Many evacuate as rain bands soak parts of the state | Law student and amateur storm tracker Brendan Loy is featutred today in the Washington Post’s Style section: Brendan Loy, the guy of the storm | Latest updates, images, and more

Top 5 WXnation.com city weather and webcam pages visited on Saturday: 1. Key West 2. Cape Coral/Ft. Myers 3. New Orleans 4. Miami 5. Orlando … See the top 20 so far this month in the center column of our home page.

Hurricane Wilma Streaming Video, Images, Stories & More

Image from SMN: Yucatan radar, 10:27 p.m. CT Fri.

Hurricane Wilma Nearly Stalled Over Yucatan: Slow-moving Wilma continues to batter the northwestern Yucatan peninsula after making landfall at Cozumel Friday afternoon. The area was then slammed for several hours with maximum sustained winds of 140 mph. Extreme to catastrophic damage and isolated amounts of 50 inches of rain are possible in resort-heavy areas in and around Cozumel and Cancun. Wilma is now expected to hit southwest Florida by Monday, possibly as a major hurricane, though changes in the track and intensity are likely. Latest updates, images, and more, also in the red column.

Stories: Wilma carves out a slow, violent path across Mexico | Hurricane watch issued for South Fla.; T.S. Alpha forms: Florida Keys clear out under a mandatory evacuation order (More on T.S. Alpha in the “Other Weather News” entry below | From the eye: NOAA hurricane hunters track Wilma | New England keeping eye on Hurricane Wilma’s path: Storm could dump torrents of rain on the region | Florida waits as path remains uncertain | Bad weather is good news for Weather.com | Yabba dabba doom? Fuggedaboutit

Other Weather News: Record-Breaking Tropical Storm Alpha Forms: Forecast track puts it near Bermuda by Tuesday. Get the latest advisory and more in the red column.

New York area might get more heavy rain | Forecasts for the Capital region and NE: CapitalWeather.com

Katrina Update: One of the estimated 570,000 vehicles damaged in floods from hurricanes Katrina and Rita should be junked but could end up in your driveway: Story and Web site to check vehicle | Aretha Franklin visits with hurricane refugees | Arrests likely in Katrina patient deaths

Jobless rate climbs in wake of Rita’s fury

Lightning kills 5, injures 9

Quake Wire: Two weeks on, some quake survivors still cut off | Web site coordinates Pakistan aid efforts

Magnitude 4.2-earthquake rocks central Ontario | Live quake wire is in the left column of this page, and more earthquake resources, including maps, are in the right column of our National/International page

Space News: Canada must act quickly to join new space race

Top 5 WXnation.com city weather and webcam pages visited on Friday: 1. Key West 2. Cape Coral/Ft. Myers 3. Miami 4. New Orleans 5. Orlando … See the top 20 so far this month in the center column of our home page.

Hurricane Wilma Streaming Video, Images, Stories & More

Courtesy: NOAA, Hurricane Wilma satellite image from 9:15 a.m. CDT Friday. More images

Wilma Makes Landfall In Cozumel: Parts of the coastline of Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico, may see widespread damage as Hurricane Wilma (with 140 mph maximum sustained winds in the 4 p.m. CDT Fri. advisory) made landfall in Cozumel at about 3:30 p.m. CDT and is expected to move over the Cancun area as a destructive Category 4 hurricane this evening. [Track | More images, video and other coverage | Also see red box]. Wilma may hit southwest Florida by Monday, possibly as a major hurricane.

Stories: Wilma makes landfall: Forecasters: Severe flooding possible | Tourists flee Cancun | Voluntary evacuations urged in Fla. as Wilma slowly approaches | Varying Wilma models confound forecasters | Could Hurricane Wilma make it snow?: A powerful nor’easter-like storm system could develop somewhere just off the East Coast | Do we need a new way to rate hurricanes?: Some scientists rethinking categories; Hurricane Wilma has brushed up against where a 6 would be if the scale were logically extrapolated to include another category.

In The Eye Of The Sequel: Here comes the follow-up to CBS’ disastrous “Category 6: Day of Destruction” miniseries [Here's my review of that one]: “Category 7″ airs Nov. 6 and 13 (Thanks for the tip, CapitalWeather.com)

Nicholas Cage’s “The Weather Man” review. The movie is in theaters Oct. 28.

Pumps relieving pressure on troubled Mass. dam

NOAA issues U.S. winter outlook update

Katrina Update: FEMA official admits faulty hurricane response | Job losses due to Gulf Coast storms hit 478,000: Another 40,000 Americans filed claims for unemployment aid in latest week | WDSU-TV 6 live streaming coverage

Top 5 WXnation.com city weather and webcam pages visited on Thursday: 1. Key West 2. Miami 3. New Orleans 4. Cape Coral/Ft. Myers 5. Orlando … See the top 20 so far this month in the center column of our home page.

Hurricane Wilma Streaming Video, Images, Stories & More

Courtesy: NOAA, Hurricane Wilma satellite image from 7:45 a.m. CDT Thursday. More images

Wilma Weakens Slightly To Category 4 Hurricane: Wilma, which grew into a monster overnight Tuesday, becoming the most powerful hurricane ever in the Atlantic Basin, has weakened some from maximum sustained winds of 175 mph Wednesday to 150 mph in the 7 p.m. CDT advisory, making it a strong Category 4 hurricane. The latest 5-day forecast track takes Wilma near or along the coastline of the Yucatan Peninsula by mid-day Friday, possibly as a Cat. 5, and then into southwest Florida and across S. Florida by Sunday as a Cat. 2 or higher hurricane, though the forecast track could change.

Wilma Stories: Hurricane Wilma roars toward Cancun, Florida: Storm kills 13; prompts tens of thousands of evacuations from Honduras to Fla. | Fla. braces for an intense Wilma | Space station camera captures Wilma | Images and info from NOAA | Live weather/webcam images | Updated images and data in the red box to the right