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

Ernesto May Hit N.C. As Category 1 Hurricane Tonight: North Carolina readies for Ernesto: Hurricane watch in effect for part of coast | Radar loop and storm total precipitation | WXnation’s Complete Ernesto/Atlantic Hurricane Resources

Posted Early Thurs.: Ernesto weakens over Florida | Carolinas on alert as weakened Ernesto moves north: Governor warns residents against complacency | D.C. may see flooding from Ernesto

Cat. 4 Hurricane John Threatens Mexico: Dangerous Category 4 Hurricane John marches up Mexican Coast: Track

Other Weather News: Severe storms rip Charlotte area

NWS confirms Chester County, Penn. was hit by tornado

High temps prompt extreme heat advisory in L.A. County

Space News: Russian deal gives NASA more launch time

First woman space tourist readies for trip

Ernesto To Makes Landfall In Fla. Keys, Then SW Miami-Dade Co.: Tropical Storm Ernesto makes landfall in upper Florida Keys Tuesday night

Floridians relieved as Ernesto doesn’t regain strength before landfall; Hurricane watches discontinued: Up to 10 inches of rain possible in some areas

Tropical storm appears headed for South Carolina

Raleigh’s American Red Cross prepares for Ernesto, flooding

Complete Ernesto/Atlantic Hurricane Resources

Hurricane John forms in Pacific, to hug Mexican Coast

Nearly $800M going to drought aid

Weather front expected to fuel western wildfire growth

World Of Webcams: Beatles webcam foils break-in

Quake Wire: Quake hits Indonesia; no tsunami risk

Space News: NASA presses ahead with shuttle launch: NASA sends the shuttle back to the pad, reversing course for first time

Ernesto Heads For South Florida: Ernesto moves off Cuba’s coast: Landfall as a strong tropical storm or weak hurricane is expected just west of Miami by Tuesday night or early Wednesday. Get the latest data and images in our hurricane resources page

Katrina, One Year Later: MSNBC: Katrina, The Long Road Back: Very moving images were in Brian Williams’ report on NBC Monday night… Also, coverage from USAToday.com

Bush sees limits to federal Katrina aid, says Katrina rebuilding could take years

Storm victims feel anger, neglect | The storm lingers on: Katrina’s psychological toll

Katrina survivors mostly optimistic, new study finds | F— Katrina: New Orleans hip-hop remembers the hurricane

One Year Ago In WXnation Wire: Aug. 29, 2005 entry: Hurricane Katrina makes landfall in Louisiana with 140 mph winds, moves just east of New Orleans; Superdome roof ripped as Katrina slams New Orleans; 3 die in evacuation; Mandatory evacuation called for N.O. for first time in city’s history. Read entries from Aug. 25-31, 2005

One year ago today, in the early morning hours, I had some outdoor webcam images from New Orleans and Mobile loaded on my computer. Every one of them had stopped updating by dawn. I remember reading some messages from people on FARK.com: “That webcam took a real hit this time, it’s offline. Nope, it’s back…” We knew Hurricane Katrina was a monster of a storm, but reality set in for those along the Gulf Coast in Mississippi and Alabama when the sun came up. And, after a sigh of relief in New Orleans, the next morning, and week, and year, brought more horror, but with it, heroism. Life from the Crescent City to Mobile has been forever changed.

Space News: Storm ends hope for Tuesday space launch | Great aurora image posted at SpaceWeather.com

Ernesto Weakens After Becoming Hurricane, Mandatory Evacuation In Fla. Keys: South Florida under hurricane watch | Hurricane Ernesto targets Haiti, Cuba, Florida | Haiti batters Ernesto, still forecast to strike Florida as hurricane

Ernesto now seems to be headed for south and central Florida by Tuesday night. Potential targets include the Keys, Cape Coral/Fort Myers, Miami, Orlando, Jacksonville, and Tampa.

The latest data is in the box below, and WXnation Wire’s Complete Atlantic Hurricane Resources Page

Tropical Storm Ernesto National Hurricane Center Data 5p EDT Mon. Update: (Latest Advisory | Discussion) Max. sustained winds: Near 40 mph (Probabilities) Min. central pressure: 1007 mb or 29.74 inches Position: 21.3 N 76.9 W Located: 60 miles E of Camaguey, Cuba Moving: NW near 13 mph (Forecast track map - 3 day | 5 day) 24 hour forecast: Expected to regain strength (Forecast) Complete Resources List: Includes satellite images, hurricane track models, streaming video links, and more

Latest From National Hurricane Center: No current storm in NHC Atlantic Wallet 5 No current storm in NHC AT5 as of Fri, 20 Nov 2009 23:27:15 GMT

Katrina Update: Feds say New Orleans is storm-ready | There was fear, the heat, the misery, but most all, the smell in the Superdome

“Storm Stories: Postmark Katrina” aired Sunday night at 8 p.m. EDT on The Weather Channel. Read WXnation Wire’s review of the episode

Severe Weather: Flooding torments N.D. town’s residents

Long Island tornado clean-up begins

Drought Update: Drought causing trouble for lakes across Texas

Weird News: Day before her birthday, woman struck by lightning

Wildfire Update: Evacuations ordered in Wash. for fires

Space News: Space shuttle Atlantis launch on hold

Head Of Hurricane Center To Retire: National Hurricane Center Director Max Mayfield to retire

Image: 5-day forecast track for Tropical Storm Ernesto, courtesy NOAA. Links to large version

Tropical Storm Ernesto Forms Friday: Latest forecast track has Ernesto hitting as a hurricane in the same area as Katrina days after the one-year anniversary | Jamaica, Caymans issue hurricane watch for Ernesto | Tropical Storm Ernesto threatens Caribbean | WXnation Wire’s Atlantic hurricane resources page

Engineers worry about New Orleans levees

Severe Weather: Tornado touches down on Long Island

Powerful storms move across Minnesota; one dead

Seattle Streak: Seattle streaks toward another weather record

Space News: NASA delays launch of Shuttle Atlantis until at least Monday

Now how will students learn the planets?

Severe Storms: Motorists in Arizona rescued after being stranded by floodwaters

Severe weather hits northern Plains

Tropics: Latest on Tropical Depression 5 and Debby: Complete Atlantic hurricane resources

Is Gulf Coast ready for another hurricane?

Investors can bet on storm contracts

One Year Ago Today: 2 dead, more than 1 million without power as Hurricane Katrina makes landfall in S. Florida; Flooding biggest threat; Crude oil rises to $68; Katrina won’t stop MTV VMA parties … Full post

Wildfires: U.S. hasn’t seen a fire season like this in six years

Space News: NASA begins countdown for space shuttle launch

Widow of Pluto’s discoverer ’shook up’

N. Texas Drought: Drought continues across North Texas: Annual and consecutive 100-degree days

Image courtesy NOAA. Links to large version.

Space News: Pluto no longer a planet | More from SpaceWeather.com

Weather News: Tropical Depression 5 forms in Caribbean: May be in Gulf by next week, according to current track … Complete Atlantic hurricane resources

Latest National Hurricane Center track shows Tropical Storm Debby avoiding U.S. and Bermuda Islands

WXnation Wire Entry One Year Ago Today: Tropical Storm Katrina heads for Florida; Hurricane Katrina?: Meteorologists say storm could become hurricane by landfall

Bush vows more help for hurricane victims

Storm, possible tornado hit Michigan City, Indiana

World Weather: Russian plane crashes in Ukraine killing 170: Weather blamed

Tropical Storm Debby Forms: Latest from the National Hurricane Center. Complete resources list

Other Weather News: Storms snarl traffic in Plano, Texas

Wildfire west of Fort Worth burns for fourth day

Weather worsens wildfires in Northwest

Drought, water worries cloud skies for US farmers

Feds declare drought disaster for most of Ga.

Nebraska drought price tag put at $342 million

Katrina Update: BP well hit by Hurricane Katrina is still leaking | UK ‘could suffer Katrina-style flooding’

Space News: NASA announces space shuttle Web and TV coverage for Aug. 27 launch

Space station lined up for golf stunt

Tropical Depression Four Forms In The Atlantic: Story and latest from the National Hurricane Center. The 5-day track has what is likely to become Hurricane Debby headed toward the Bermuda Islands by early next week. Be sure to check out our updated hurricane resources page for the latest forecasts and tracks.

Other Weather News: New York’s heat wave death toll hits 36

Manitoba farmer saves pregnant wife from tornado

Storms bring hail to parts of North Dakota

Drought conditions prompt Oklahoma ranchers to sell off their cattle

Floods, tornadoes, hurricanes, wildfires, earthquakes … Why we don’t prepare

Mail service is so reliable that it’s easy to take for granted. It is as important as food or water, however, to those who depend on their Social Security and other government checks, Veterans benefits or vital medications.

Hurricane Katrina hit just days before those checks were to be distributed to homes across the Gulf Coast.

“Storm Stories: Postmark Katrina,” which airs on The Weather Channel this Sunday night and follows Storm Stories’ “Hurricane Katrina Anniversary Special,” examines how the United States Postal Service dealt with the challenging task of restoring mail service to many along the battered Gulf Coast within three short days of Katrina’s hit.

The USPS had many obstacles: Some post office buildings were completely destroyed, one of them only recognizable by a lone flagpole amid a pile of rubble.

After a necessary break-in to salvage hundreds of pieces of undelivered mail in downtown New Orleans, the USPS scrambled to assemble all postal employees who survived the storm into the buildings that could still be used for mail service.

The USPS’ challenges that followed included a severe gas shortage, long lines of desperate people waiting for their checks and medications, communications issues, and the relocation of more than 400,000 evacuated people across the United States.

One way to bring people back together was a change of address system, which helped to reunite several families. U.S. postal inspectors also helped with FEMA checks that needed to be delivered to those displaced by Katrina.

Hurricane Rita posed a new challenge as workers struggled to restore service to New Orleans just weeks after Katrina roared ashore.

Plenty of powerful images and meaningful interviews make this episode of “Storm Stories” worth watching.

The episode, hosted by Weather Channel Meteorologist Jim Cantore, airs on Sunday, Aug. 27, at 8 p.m. EDT, as a part of The Weather Channel’s special Katrina coverage that runs through Aug. 29. The “It Could Happen Tomorrow: Katrina Lost Episode” rebroadcast follows at 9 p.m. EDT. My review from June is here.

The Weather Channel’s Katrina coverage features live reports from meteorologists revisiting the Gulf Coast, and news segments including “Superdome: Then and Now” and the rebuilding of a flooded Ninth Ward home.