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31 Oct 2011 23:11

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U.S.: East Coast snowstorm bad for staying warm, good for ghost stories

  • 3 million people still without power in the northeast after snowstorms source
  • » At least five states reported major outages this morning. With record-setting snowfalls snapping tree limbs, power lines were severed cutting power off for millions. The official winter season doesn’t start for 52 more days, so start preparing now. Worst. Halloween. Ever.
Posted by samimain • 0 Comments • Permalink

31 Aug 2011 21:17

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U.S., World: Tropical Storm Katia could become Hurricane Katia overnight

  • yeah … Meteorologists expect Tropical Storm Katia to strengthen into a hurricane tonight — making it the second Atlantic-based hurricane in a week. (Dunno if you heard, but the last one was a bit of a doozy.) The storm’s current path shows Katia moving west-northwest toward North America.
  • … but Don’t freak out yet, though — the storm may never actually hit land. See, storms in the Atlantic often get blown off course by jet stream winds that run west-to-east across the U.S. Those winds plus east-to-west winds across Africa cause the storm to “recurve.” Many hurricanes die out this way. source
  • » A coulda-been Katrina: Storm-trackers give hurricanes their names based on six standardized lists that they then cycle through; each year has a different list, so we’ll see 2011’s list again in 2017. Had 2005 not been a devastating year of storms, Katia would still be “Katrina”.
Posted by samimain • 0 Comments • Permalink

24 May 2011 14:54

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U.S.: More storms expected in devastated Joplin, Missouri

  • Scenes from Joplin, and fears of further storms: The death toll in Joplin continued to grimly creep upwards today, with 117 now confirmed dead, and relief and rescue services still faced with such a job that you should probably brace for that number to change again. To make matters worse, the NOAA has issued warnings of severe storms the next few days across a broad swath of the American heartland, with Joplin lying in the highest risk zone. Please do everything possible to stay safe, everybody. source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

28 Apr 2011 13:55

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Tech: Alabama nuclear plant shut down after violent storms, tornados

  • Alabama Nuclear Plant safely shut down: In the midst of the destruction caused by tornadoes (which as we mentioned earlier, have a minimum confirmed death-toll of 214 people), here’s something, albeit remote, to make you maybe feel a smidge better about crisis preparedness; namely, the Browns Ferry Nuclear Facility in Huntsville, Alabama, was safely handled after a power failure. When the storms knocked out primary power, the plant’s batteries and diesel generators still worked, and the plant safely shut down. It may just be everything going according to plan, but in times like these, even that can be a comfort. source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

28 Apr 2011 10:40

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U.S.: Guy behind iconic Tuscaloosa storm video speaks out

  • Actually, I was zoomed out to try to get the whole tornado, and I still couldn’t catch it, the whole thing. I mean, we were probably maybe 200 to 300 yards away from it.
  • University of Alabama employee Christopher England • Describing how he was able to get this video — you know the one, the one with the heavy breathing. England, speaking from one of the now-greatly-damaged areas he filmed, was in one of the strongest, safest buildings in the entire region — Coleman Coliseum, the campus’ men’s basketball complex — while filming the clip. England filmed for a minute and a half before things got too dangerous and he fleed for safety. Speaking of being near the destruction, he noted: “It’s kind of surreal to be down here now and kind of seeing it, because this is the first time I’ve seen it.”  source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

25 Apr 2011 15:24

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U.S.: Amateur video shows violent Texas storms in action

  • Stormchasing across Texas: Impressive and awe-inspiring amateur video highlighting a very familiar sight of late — violent, volatile, inclement weather. The footage is always appreciated, but here’s hoping everyone stays safe! source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

01 Feb 2011 22:23

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U.S.: Can anyone make out the United States on this map?

  • We think this is the United States. It looks like it has the outline of the U.S. But for some reason, there’s all this weird white stuff on top of it clouding out most of the details. Can anyone figure out what’s going on here? (thanks identitymisplaced) source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 

01 Feb 2011 10:17

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World: Mother Nature hates Queensland: Giant cyclone headed their way

  • awful Queensland has been dealing with the effects of a historic, godlike flood for a number of weeks that’s killed dozens.
  • awfuler Cyclone Yasi, a category four barnburner packing winds of 125 miles per hour, is headed right for Queensland this moment. source
  • » What they’re expecting: Officials anticipate flooding a solid two meters above the traditional high tide, meaning that low-lying areas are going to be freaking screwed. “This is a life-threatening storm, and people need to understand that they have a final window of opportunity to self-evacuate,” said Deputy Police Commissioner Ian Stewart, the state disaster coordinator.
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

03 Sep 2010 11:48

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U.S.: “Goodbye Earl”? Not yet. But the hurricane is weakening big time

  • good The storm is currently slowing down; it’s only a Category 1 and has already lost much of its punch.
  • better The storm only minorly nicked North Carolina’s Outer Banks, causing minimal damage. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

01 Sep 2010 10:52

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U.S.: As Hurricane Earl gets close to shore, it’s starting to slow down

  • 180 the number of miles it’s currently located away from Cape Hatteras, North Carolina
  • 125 the speed in miles its winds are kicking; it was downgraded to a Category 3 source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 
 
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