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

Hurricane Katrina: Six Months Later Six months ago today, New Orleans was evacuating from Katrina while a cryptic warning from the National Weather Service was released, and six months ago tonight the debris began to collect on New Orleans streets as the outer bands of Katrina began to lash the Crescent City. Tonight, the debris collecting on New Orleans streets will come from partiers crowding Bourbon Street for Fat Tuesday, the biggest night of Mardi Gras festivities. A forever-changed city forgets its troubles for a moment … New Orleans and the Gulf Coast are just starting to rebuild.

A Look Back… And Ahead: WXnation Wire entries from Aug. 25-31, 2005 | New Orleans weather and live webcam images | Stories: Slow recovery in New Orleans six months after Hurricane Katrina (Video reports inside) | Levees in question as hurricane season approaches | More Katrina news | Gulf Coast coverage from the Miss. Sun Herald | N.O. coverage from WWL-TV, WDSU-TV, nola.com/Times-Picayune

Stormy California: Rain, wind pound Northern California | Flood warnings in North Bay | Tens of thousands lose power in Bay Area | Rain in Southland continues | Storm hits San Diego | Resources: Current watches and warnings map | Live Weather Plus video from Bay Area, L.A. and San Diego (Click “Video” tabs) | Weather and webcam images for the Bay Area, L.A., San Diego, Sacramento, Fresno

Other Weather News: End to Phoenix drought?: NWS forecast: 40-percent chance of rain. Phoenix ended its 132nd consecutive day without rain Monday. Phoenix weather and webcam images

NOAA/NWS declares Benton Co., Ark., nation’s 1,000th stormready community

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

WXnation.com was launched 4 years ago! Thanks to everyone who has visited and made this Web site what it is today! Site as it appeared in March 2002 (Opens a new window), and more details on its first days

Dangerous wind chills in Maine, Ontario and Vermont | Current watches/warnings map | Current temps and wind chill values | Weather/webcams by state/city

Katrina Update: Two-thirds of Katrina donations exhausted: Charities face countless requests, difficult decisions | Partiers descend on New Orleans for Mardi Gras | New Orleans weather and webcam images

From the U.K.: Arctic winds coming | From Canada: Massive blizzard hits Newfoundland

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

As I began writing this, I received a text message alert on my cell phone from the US Geological Survey (USGS) for the aftershock of a 6.5-magnitude earthquake that hit in the Fiji Islands region earlier in the day.

There was a time not long ago that many people considered an earthquake “the event.”

In most cases it is, but a tragic event on Dec. 26, 2004, proved that there was a big exception. That day, under the Indian Ocean, a 9.0-magnitude earthquake sent a deadly wall of water to the coast of Indonesia. I remember receiving a USGS text message alert for it that night and immediately knew the strength of the quake meant fatalities. What surprised me was that the deaths came not from the land, but from water. Most people, including myself, know more about tsunamis these days.

The upcoming “It Could Happen Tomorrow” West Coast tsunami episode, which airs next Sunday on The Weather Channel, does a good job of explaining how the same scenario is waiting to play out in towns that dot the Washington and Oregon coasts. Through an excellent mix of computer simulations and videotaped footage of past events, the picture becomes clear: The Pacific Northwest must prepare for the chance of a massive earthquake off the coast, and impending 30-foot-plus waves that come crashing ashore.

The show illustrates the how’s and why’s well by turning to geologists at the USGS, and experts from Seattle Emergency Management, National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and Cascadia Region Earthquake Group.

One who might be the best beacon of warning for those on a coast at risk, however, is a resident of Kodiak, Alaska, who experienced the wrath of a 9.2-magnitude earthquake and deadly tsunami in his small town in March 1964. The horror left him as shaken as his surroundings.

The first image I saw of earthquake damage was in the National Geographic book “World Around Us” (or something similarly titled) when I was a young kid. That 1964 quake image is included in the archival footage of this episode to prove that it has happened to the US before. I recognized the video of a greatly sunken Fourth Avenue in Anchorage right away.

In waves over the years, I learned more about the power of earthquakes, and just months ago, tsunamis. This episode will help many who watch it better comprehend both.

The episode runs 30 minutes, and is packed with facts, but a quick explanation of what causes water to recede just before a tsunami hits, and a brief mention of the risk to northern neighbors British Columbia and it’s major city, Vancouver, would have been nice additions.

As with all previous episodes, the series offers excellent explanations and valuable advice.

Those who would be directly affected by a tsunami need to have a plan in place today, and the show makes some very important suggestions. For the rest of the viewers who live well inland, the show is interesting, informative, and is likely to provide a clearer understanding of an event that could make headlines across the nation tomorrow.

My wife said the show helped her understand earthquakes and tsunamis better, after quipping that one of the USGS geologists interviewed has a fitting last name: Atwater.

The West Coast tsunami episode of “It Could Happen Tomorrow” airs on The Weather Channel Sunday March 5 at 9:30 p.m. EST.

Similar episodes slated to air include (Dates subject to change):

March 12 - New Madrid Fault (Memphis, TN)
March 26 - California Fire
April 2 - Sacramento Flood
April 9 - San Francisco Quake (Airs 9 days before the 100th anniversary of the “original” quake)
April 16- Colorado Flood

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

Flood Warnings In N. Texas!: Something I’m happy to report this Saturday morning: Heavy rains soak much of N. Texas: More than 3.1 inches of rain was reported at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport since the rain began on Friday | Resources: Radar loop | DFW area weather and webcam images | Flood warnings for Tarrant, Dallas and Denton counties late Sat. morning | Storm total precipitation | WXnation Station weather station in north Fort Worth: I’ve seen 2.2 inches of rain since the storm began. As usual, less than DFW Airport, but not too bad.

Stormy Celebration?: Storms threaten Mardi Gras events in New Orleans | Intellicast’s radar loop shows most of the precipitation this morning just north of N.O. | New Orleans weather and webcam images

Snow, Rain, Bitter Cold: So says AccuWeather: An Alberta Clipper is crossing the Northeast, heavy rain moves across the South, and cold air highlights the weekend weather.

Other Weather News: Snow leads to problems in Duluth | Duluth weather and webcam images

Grass fires break out in Kansas City area | KC area weather and webcam images

Severe sandstorm hits Cyprus

Quake Wire: New geologic maps highlight Bay Area earthquake hazards | Magnitude 4.5 quake shakes Ottawa, Quebec

And, take note, Art Bell (If anyone knows this already, it’s him): Your town’s newspaper has this article: Earthquakes possible in Nevada

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

Sometime This Weekend: I’ll have a review for the upcoming “It Could Happen Tomorrow” West Coast Tsunami episode airing on The Weather Channel Sunday, March 5.

Weather News: North Texas is getting some much-needed rain. Radar loop … Get the latest weather and webcam images for the Dallas/Fort Worth area

AccuWeather: Is America facing another Dust Bowl?

56 die as snow-covered market roof in Moscow caves in

Avalanche in Wash. closed U.S. Route 2 in both directions Thursday afternoon

More snow for ND

Sacramento could suffer catastrophic flooding unless the river levees in the region are repaired quickly, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sen. Dianne Feinstein and other officials warned

Katrina Update: Safety of post-hurricane sludge in dispute:
Environmental group says government has minimized threat

Web site launched for hurricane recovery ideas

Ball lightning created in lab: FOX News story.

Space News: NASA detects ‘totally new’ mystery explosion nearby

Nice night sky pics posted at Astronomy Picture of the Day and SpaceWeather.com in Feb. ‘06 aurora gallery

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

Weather News: Eastern U.S. should prepare for another arctic blast by Sunday, says AccuWeather

Inside FEMA’s secret bunker ‘Mt. Weather’ (the huge government bunker under mountains west of Washington, D.C.)

Forecasters cancel flash flood watch for Hawaii | Hawaii weather and webcam images

Severe weather in forecast for U.K.

Weird News: 250-year-old wall exposed in recent storm reveals history at Fortress of Louisbourg in Nova Scotia

Homeless man says he slept in ’snow cave’

Katrina Update: New Orleans celebrates Mardi Gras (VOA video reports inside)

Quake Wire: Magnitude 7.5 earthquake shakes Mozambique … The latest quake data is in the right column of this page, and more resources are in our National/International page

Space News: Shuttle Atlantis to be retired in 2 years: NASA says spacecraft to be used for spare parts

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

Download WXnation Feb. 21, 2006 Wirecast (#11)
(Time: 4:37; Size 2.3 MB) Right click/'Save Target As' or 'Save Link As'

Weather News: Warming trend keeps wet weather south

Much of the South under dense fog advisories | Stories

Tennesseee agencies to issue tornado warning today

Bono, Elton John sing for hunger, hurricane relief

World Weather: Latest stores on Philippines landslide | Flooding, landslides kill up to 31 in Indonesia | Council scraps rezoning near weather station

Weird News: San Francisco examines the power of dog doo

Space News: “Beam Blast me up, Scotty!” … The actor who played the chief engineer on Star Trek, James Doohan, will have his remains blasted into space next month

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

Another weatherman admits he battled a heroin addiction

Icy roads lead to more than 2,000 accidents in N. Texas

Light snowfall closes, delays N.C. schools

Snow, accidents in Reno-Tahoe area

Cold weather bursts pipes in University of Wisconsin-Madison buildings

Power back for all in Michigan after last Thursday’s storm

Quake Wire: Stanford professor explains quake mystery

Astronomy Picture of the Day: A spacesuit floats free

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

Snow Delays Olympic Game: Heavy snow delays women’s aerials qualifying: American Cook, 23 others must wait until Tuesday … Olympics online | Turino weather and webcam images (In gold box near top of page)

143 Mph Wind Gust: Storm brings 143 mph wind gust to Vermont | Cold Sunday, many still without power

FEMA: No Plan For Calif. Quake: FEMA: No plan for dealing with Calif. earthquake | ‘Next New Orleans’ possible in Calif.: Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta ’scariest spot’ for flooding

Other Weather News: Snowflakes seen in Bay Area

Cold, some icy conditions in North Texas, which led to hundreds of traffic accidents and flight delays. Monday morning’s commute will be slick, especially on bridges and overpasses. Weather, webcams, air and road traffic for D/FW

Icy blast hits N. Miss.

Some fan mail arrived at CapitalWeather’s doorsteps, and it’s a fascinating read about the use of ‘Partly cloudy’

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

Into Year 4: Three years ago today (and 1,111 posts ago), the WXnation Wire (then residing at wxnation.com/weatherblogs/wire and known as WXnation Weblog) was launched. To celebrate, here are some images I recently snapped in the Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas, area. Mouse over images for explanations, and as always, the images link to large versions in new windows.

A foggy morning looking up at skyscrapers in downtown Dallas:

The image on the top right appears to be two suns on the horizon (remember Pink Floyd’s “Two Suns In The Sunset”?). Instead, it’s the sunrise reflecting on two Fort Worth skyscrapers:

See more images in the WXphotos 2006 Photo Gallery

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