Weather

Beshear, Conway implement price gouging statutes to protect Kentuckians

January 28, 2009 -- FRANKFORT, Ky. – With nearly 400,000 Kentucky customers without power, Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear today said he is seeking an emergency disaster declaration from the federal government to expedite assistance to people in need across the commonwealth.

The disaster request is one of a number of steps Gov. Beshear quickly triggered today in the way of icy winter storm that has walloped much of the state, impacting nursing homes, government centers and homes and businesses from Ballard County in the west to Boyd County in the east.    » read more »

State Inclement Weather Policy to remain in effect Wednesday

Jan 27, 2009 --
LITTLE ROCK - Arkansas Governor Mike Beebe has declared a state of emergency to speed the response of state agencies to the ice storm continuing to have an impact on Arkansas. The declaration allows state agencies to more easily coordinate with the Arkansas Department of Emergency Management.

Beebe has also signed an emergency proclamation to assist in the movement of utility trucks to areas affected by the storm.    » read more »

January 26, 2009 -- Oklahoma City -- With much of Oklahoma being impacted by an ice storm, Oklahoma Governor Brad Henry today declared a State of Emergency for all 77 counties in the state.

“Oklahomans know all too well that severe winter weather poses serious challenges to everything from roads and power lines to debris removal, and so it is important that we be prepared for the worst,” the Governor said.

The executive order marks a first step toward seeking federal assistance should it be necessary. Additionally, the executive order allows state agencies to make emergency purchases and acquisitions needed to expedite the delivery of resources to local jurisdictions.    » read more »

January 22, 2009 -- A new NOAA polar-orbiting environmental satellite, set to launch next month, will support NOAA’s weather and ocean forecasts, including long-range climate predictions for El Niño and La Niña and support U.S. search and rescue operations. The new spacecraft – NOAA-N Prime – is scheduled to lift off from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California on Feb. 4, 2009 at 2:22 a.m. PST.

“There is a growing demand for reliable coverage and accurate data from satellites to help us understand what’s happening in the environment,” said Mary E. Kicza, assistant administrator for NOAA’s Satellite and Information Service. “This spacecraft will help meet those requirements.”    » read more »

NWS TPC/NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL AL072008
400 AM CDT MON SEP 01 2008

...GUSTAV NEARING THE LOUISIANA COAST...HEAVY RAIN BANDS APPROACHING
NEW ORLEANS...

AT 4 AM CDT...0900 UTC...THE HURRICANE WARNING EAST OF THE
MISSISSIPPI-ALABAMA BORDER TO THE ALABAMA-FLORIDA BORDER HAS BEEN
CHANGED TO A TROPICAL STORM WARNING. A HURRICANE WARNING REMAINS
IN EFFECT FROM JUST EAST OF HIGH ISLAND TEXAS EASTWARD TO THE
MISSISSIPPI-ALABAMA BORDER...INCLUDING THE CITY OF NEW ORLEANS AND
LAKE PONTCHARTRAIN. PREPARATIONS TO PROTECT LIFE AND PROPERTY
SHOULD HAVE BEEN COMPLETED.

A TROPICAL STORM WARNING IS IN EFFECT FROM EAST OF THE
MISSISSIPPI-ALABAMA BORDER TO THE OCHLOCKONEE RIVER.

FOR STORM INFORMATION SPECIFIC TO YOUR AREA...INCLUDING POSSIBLE    » read more »

HURRICANE GUSTAV INTERMEDIATE ADVISORY NUMBER 28A
NWS TPC/NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL AL072008
100 PM CDT SUN AUG 31 2008

...GUSTAV WEAKENS A LITTLE MORE...BUT STILL A MAJOR HURRICANE...

A HURRICANE WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR THE NORTHERN GULF COAST
FROM CAMERON LOUISIANA EASTWARD TO THE ALABAMA-FLORIDA BORDER...
INCLUDING THE CITY OF NEW ORLEANS AND LAKE PONTCHARTRAIN. A
HURRICANE WARNING MEANS THAT HURRICANE CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED
WITHIN THE WARNING AREA WITHIN THE NEXT 24 HOURS. PREPARATIONS TO
PROTECT LIFE AND PROPERTY SHOULD BE RUSHED TO COMPLETION.

A TROPICAL STORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM EAST OF THE
ALABAMA-FLORIDA BORDER TO THE OCHLOCKONEE RIVER....AND FROM WEST OF
CAMERON LOUISIANA TO JUST EAST OF HIGH ISLAND TEXAS. A TROPICAL    » read more »

26 August 2008 -- Tropical Storm Gustav has slightly weakened as it moves towards the Caribbean island nations of Jamaica and Cuba, but forecasters say it will grow stronger during the next few days.

The National Hurricane Center in Miami says Gustav is has maximum sustained winds of 95 kilometers an hour. Forecasters say the storm is heading northwest on a path that will take it between Jamaica and the southeastern coast of Cuba between Wednesday and Thursday.

Gustav is expected to regain hurricane strength today once it clears the southwestern peninsula of Haiti. Forecasters said late Tuesday it could become a Category Two storm on the scale that measures a hurricane's power and potential destructiveness.    » read more »

NWS TPC/NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL AL072008
500 AM EDT TUE AUG 26 2008

...GUSTAV STRENGTHENING SOUTH OF HAITI...SHOULD MAKE LANDFALL LATER
TODAY...

AT 5 AM EDT...0900 UTC...THE GOVERNMENT OF CUBA HAS ISSUED A
HURRICANE WATCH FOR THE CUBAN PROVINCES OF LAS TUNAS...
GRANMA...HOLGUIN...SANTIAGO DE CUBA...AND GUANTANAMO. ALSO THE
GOVERNMENT OF JAMAICA HAS CHANGED THE TROPICAL STORM WATCH TO A
HURRICANE WATCH FOR JAMAICA. A HURRICANE WATCH MEANS THAT
HURRICANE CONDITIONS ARE POSSIBLE WITHIN THE WATCH AREA...GENERALLY
WITHIN 36 HOURS.

A HURRICANE WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM BARAHONA IN THE DOMINICAN
REPUBLIC WESTWARD TO LE MOLE ST NICHOLAS HAITI. PREPARATIONS TO
PROTECT LIFE AND PROPERTY SHOULD BE RUSHED TO COMPLETION.    » read more »

August 24, 2008 -- George W. Bush today declared a major disaster exists in the State of Florida and ordered Federal aid to supplement State and local recovery efforts in the area struck by Tropical Storm Fay beginning on August 18, 2008, and continuing.

Federal funding is available to State and eligible local governments and certain private nonprofit organizations on a cost-sharing basis for emergency work and the repair or replacement of facilities damaged by Tropical Storm Fay in the counties of Brevard, Monroe, Okeechobee, and St. Lucie.

Federal funding is also available on a cost-sharing basis for hazard mitigation measures statewide.    » read more »

23 August 2008 -- Authorities in the the southeastern U.S. state of Florida say Tropical Storm Fay has killed at least 10 people since it began pounding the state with torrential rain last Monday.

Fay became the first storm of its kind in recorded history to make landfall four times in Florida - coming ashore again Saturday along the state's Gulf of Mexico coast.

Flooding in the aftermath of Tropical Storm Fay: Photo by J.S. Clark (CC)

Its winds never have been strong enough to declare it a hurricane, but Fay has dumped more than 63 centimeters of rain on parts of Florida, flooding hundreds of homes and forcing numerous evacuations.    » read more »

August 21, 2008 -- The President today declared an emergency exists in the State of Florida and ordered Federal aid to supplement State and local response efforts due to the emergency conditions resulting from Tropical Storm Fay beginning on August 18, 2008, and continuing.    » read more »

22 August 2008 -- Tropical Storm Fay has come ashore on the Florida coast for a third time since Monday, bringing more of the torrential rain that has flooded hundreds of homes and prompted numerous evacuations. Fay began moving west across mainland Florida Thursday, after stalling along the northeast Atlantic coast for hours, lashing the area with rain.

Major flooding in the aftermath of Tropical Storm Fay: Photo by Jeremy G. (CC)    » read more »

August 12, 2008 -- UC Davis' annual Lake Tahoe health report finds that the long-term warming trend first described by UC Davis last year continues, that 2007 was the 14th driest year on record, and that clarity improved over 2006.

Issued today, the "Tahoe: State of the Lake Report 2008" says that the impact of smoke and ash from last summer's Angora Fire on the lake's clarity was small, though measurable. However, it cautions that it is too early to say what the impact from pollutants carried to the lake by streams and urban runoff in the burn area will be. A consortium of researchers is monitoring the long-term effects of the fire, which burned 3,100 acres at Lake Tahoe; the report says the fire's impact will not be known for several years.    » read more »

85 Iowa counties covered by Presidential Disaster Declaration

August 13, 2008 -- (DES MOINES) – Today, Iowa Governor Chet Culver received word from the Federal Emergency Management Agency that seven additional Iowa counties – Adair, Audubon, Cass, Grundy, Guthrie, Henry and Winnebago – were granted a Presidential Disaster Declaration for Individual Assistance, and Cherokee County was granted Public Assistance.

Governor Culver said, “As we move forward with our statewide rebuilding efforts, assessments will continue to be made to better identify the total damages in the state, and the resources available to citizens in their time of need. In the aftermath of our severe weather, these additional declarations are an essential part of helping all Iowans recover.”    » read more »

August, 2008 -- In the August update to the Atlantic hurricane season outlook, NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center has increased the likelihood of an above-normal hurricane season and has raised the total number of named storms and hurricanes that may form. Forecasters attribute this adjustment to atmospheric and oceanic conditions across the Atlantic Basin that favor storm development - combined with the strong early season activity.

Hurricane Dolly on July 23, 2008: Photo: NOAA    » read more »