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Friday, May 9, 2008
A brainstorm? Or an idea that’s all wet?

Ap_lifestyles_hands_free_umbrellaFor a quick break from the horrors of the cyclone and the latest tornado outbreak… we bring you the Nubrella, the world's first hands-free umbrella. According to the manufacturer’s website, "it cannot and will not invert in any wind," and also "blocks windchill," although I wonder if the folks on top of Mount Washington tested it.

The makers say you should buy it because "productivity on the street goes down 50 percent as one good hand, which could be used for texting, coffee-clutching, hand-holding or gesticulating, gets monopolized by an unwieldy umbrella." I've only texted twice in my life (both indoors), and am not sure if I've ever gesticulated, but spending a few minutes quietly walking in the rain apparently isn't ok these days.

What do you think of this latest fashion trend, which sells for $49.99? A ludicrous example of American ingenuity, or the "ultimate weather protector," as the manufacturer describes it? Leave a comment below.

AP photo by Aimee Maude Sims

Storm causing delays at Northeast airports

Wxfocus050908Flight delays are already in evidence at several of the big Northeast airports this morning due to the heavy rain and high winds from the storm that's moving up the coast. Click the graphic at the left to explain why rain and winds cause delays. You can check the delays on USA TODAY's flight delays map.

While most of the news in the airline industry these days ranges from lousy to dismal, a glimmer of good news is being reported today: The U.S. aviation industry has cut its greenhouse gas emissions by 13% since 2000, even as the amount of flying has reached record levels, according to government data.

(Graphic reprinted from USA TODAY newspaper)

Thursday, May 8, 2008
Tupelo tornado

Reports this morning of a tornado producing damage in Tupelo, Miss., hits somewhat close to home, as my in-laws and much of my wife's family lives in the Tupelo area.

Tupelo is no stranger to tornadoes. The city was hit by one of the deadliest tornadoes in U.S. history -- 216 people died in an April 5, 1936 tornado, just months after the birth of the city's favorite son, Elvis Presley.

If you live in the Tupelo area and have pictures of damage (safety first, of course), you can email them to me: bswanson@usatoday.com

Storms hit the Southeast, Mid-Atlantic

Moist in the Mid-Atlantic – A storm system will move through the Ohio Valley, central Appalachians and into the Mid-Atlantic. Widespread rainfall is expected, with heaviest accumulations today and tonight from central Virginia through Maryland’s Eastern Shore.

Rain will continue tonight into Friday, with the bulk of the rainfall shifting into the Northeast and the storm moves off the New England coast. Moderate to heavy rainfall will be possible in northern New Jersey and the New York City metro region.

Severe thunderstorm threat – There will be a slight risk for severe thunderstorms today for much of the Southeast and parts of the Mid-Atlantic. Strong storms are firing this morning in northeastern Mississippi and the Storm Prediction Center has issued a tornado watch for northern Mississippi and northern Alabama into the early afternoon. As the day goes on, severe thunderstorms will be possible for eastern Mississippi, Alabama, central and northern Georgia, Middle Tennessee, South Carolina, North Carolina and central and southern Virginia.

Severe thunderstorms may also develop by mid-afternoon across parts of the Plains – eastern Colorado, much of Kansas and northern Oklahoma.

Fire weather – Red flag fire warnings are in place today for parts of northern Florida, southern New Mexico and the West Texas Panhandle. Fire weather conditions will remain critical across much of the Southwest Friday into the weekend.

Thursday, May 8, 2008
Roll out the rain barrels

Weather_focusWith 1 inch of rain producing about 63 gallons of runoff, a 1,200 square foot roof would result in about 750 gallons of water. You can purchase rain barrels online -- you'll find a wide range of options and suppliers with a quick web search. You can also make your own rain capturing system. Again, a web search will provide a variety of options -- you can start with this basic design from the Center for Watershed Protection.

Of course, if you want to move beyond rain barrels and store larger quantities of water, you might be interested in reading about Richard Heinichen, mayor of TankTown in Dripping Springs, Texas. Richard collects rainwater, bottles and distributes it under the RainWater brand. (Click image for larger version. Graphic reprinted from USA TODAY newspaper)

Wednesday, May 7, 2008
A disaster for the ages

The horrific death toll from Cyclone Nargis is pushing the storm higher on the list of deadliest natural disasters of the last 30 years. With the death toll now at 100,000 (and rising), this would make it the 4th-deadliest disaster since 1980. Here's the complete list of recent natural disasters, which I found Tuesday on the website of the Center for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters:

Disaster and date                                       Killed
Horn of Africa drought, 1983:                    450,000
Southeast Asia tsunami, December 2004:   225,841
Bangladesh cyclone, April 1991:                  138,866
Mozambique drought, 1981:                       100,000
Pakistan earthquake, August 2005:              73,338
Europe heat wave, July, August 2003:          66,720
Iran earthquake, June 1990:                        40,000
Venezuela flood, December 1999:                 30,000
Iran earthquake, December 2003:                 26,796
Soviet Union earthquake, December 1988:    25,000

The news today that inadequate radar equipment in Burma may have contributed to the death toll only heightens the tragedy. The storm's effects are also dramatically illustrated on these before-and-after satellite photos of the region.

Q: What are the differences between cyclones, typhoons and hurricanes?

A: Just as in real estate, cyclones, typhoons and hurricanes are differentiated strictly by location, location, location. The term cyclone is typically used in the Indian Ocean and around the Coral Sea off northeastern Australia. They’re called hurricanes in the Atlantic Ocean and the eastern Pacific Ocean, and typhoons in the western Pacific.

The term tropical cyclone, a low-pressure area in which the central core is warmer than the surrounding atmosphere, can be used as a catch-all term to describe all such storm systems. Tropical cyclones also include weaker systems such as tropical depressions (winds less than 39 mph) and tropical storms (winds 39 to 74 mph).

This question was submitted by Donna Moore.

Send your weather and climate questions to The Weather Guys: weatherguys@usatoday.com

Read more...
Weather window for attempts at Everest summit

EverestWith the news that the Olympic torch is within striking distance of Mount Everest's summit, it got me wondering what the weather is like there this time of year. According to reports by Michael Fagin at Climbing.com's website, estimated summit conditions today were -17°F, with southwesterly winds at 51 mph.

Obviously, the conditions at 29,029 feet above sea level will always be inhospitable for humans, but there is typically a small window of opportunity in the late spring during which most attempts to summit are made.

According to the website AdventureWeather.com, the majority of successful summits occur from May 15 through June 8 due to the relatively light jet stream winds, and relative lack of precipitation before the onset of the Indian summer monsoon. 

I'm an admitted armchair mountaineer. I hungrily devour mountaineering stories published occasionally in National Geographic. While I admire the grit and determination of high-altitude climbers and thrill to the life-on-the-edge adventure, I have absolutely no desire to take part in it -- especially the parts about cold and physical discomfort.

Any high-altitude climbers care to share stories of how bad weather can be even during "weather windows?" Leave your comments by clicking below.

(A combination photo shows the world's highest mountain Mount Everest, also known as Qomolangma, at various times of the day under different weather conditions from May 3 till May 6, 2008 in the Tibet Autonomous Region. Heavy snowfall over the past few days has hampered efforts for the Olympic torch's ascent of Mount Everest, with the advance camps now having to be repaired before the climbers can reach the summit. Photo by David Gray, Reuters)

Flooding rains head for Ozarks

Flooding threat in the Ozarks – A storm system moving through the southern Plains is producing thunderstorms from northern Texas through Kansas this morning. As the system moves slowly eastward, it will tap into more Gulf moisture to produce heavy rainfall from northeastern Oklahoma through western Illinois, with 2 to 4 inches possible in this region. This heavy rainfall on already-saturated soils will likely result in flash flooding.

Tonight and Thursday, moderate to heavy rainfall will shift eastward into the Ohio Valley and the Mid-Atlantic.

Severe thunderstorm threat – In addition to the heavy rainfall, severe thunderstorms will be possible for parts of the southern Plains into the Mississippi Valley. A slight risk area for severe thunderstorms today extends through much of central and eastern Texas, Oklahoma, northern Louisiana, Arkansas, western Tennessee, southern Missouri and southwestern Illinois.

Read more...
Flooding, tornadoes menace nation's mid-section

Weather_focus2 to 4 inches of rainfall will be possible from northeastern Oklahoma through western Illinois today and tonight. Rainfall of this intensity over already-saturated soils will likely produce flash flooding. Because of the threat posed by flash flooding in the Ozarks, the National Weather Service in Springfield, Mo., put together a handy map of the low-water crossings in its coverage area. (Click image for larger version. Graphic reprinted from USA TODAY newspaper)

Wednesday, May 7, 2008
"The sun'll come out tomorrow"

StrouseDo these lines -- The sun'll come out tomorrow and Gray skies are gonna clear up -- ring a bell? If so, then you are familiar with the happy melodies of composer Charles Strouse. Strouse's first Broadway musical, 1960's Bye Bye Birdie, produced the hit, Put on a Happy Face, with lyrics by Lee Adams. In 1977, Strouse teamed with lyricist Martin Charnin to score the musical, Annie.

As he approaches his 80th birthday on June 7, Charles Strouse is still writing. This time, it is a book -- his memoir, Put on a Happy Face, will hit bookshelves July 1.

Got a suggestion for a future "Wednesday weather song?" Leave it as a comment or send it directly to bswanson@usatoday.com.

(Composer Charles Strouse rehearses in a hall in Washington, D.C., in this Aug. 1980, file photo. Strouse, the composer of "Annie," "Bye Bye Birdie" and "Applause," celebrates his 80th birthday June 7. Photo by Lucian Perkins, AP)

Q: What does it mean when the air pressure is high or low? ... What kind of weather can I expect?

A: The short answer is that high pressure usually brings clear, calm weather, while low pressure tends to bring cloudy, stormy weather.

A "high-pressure area" is an area where the air pressure is higher than the air around it. Air usually sinks in high-pressure areas, which prevents clouds and precipitation from forming. They're indicated by blue Hs on weather maps. 

A "low-pressure area," indicated by red Ls on weather maps, is where the air pressure is lower. Air rises in low-pressure areas, and as it rises, it cools and condenses into clouds and precipitation. The center of storms are areas of low pressure.

This question was submitted by Karen Warriner.

Send your weather and climate questions to The Weather Guys: weatherguys@usatoday.com

Weather not a problem for primary states

No primary problems – High pressure will be firmly entrenched over the southern Appalachians and Mid-Atlantic today, resulting in plenty of sunshine for voters in North Carolina. Conditions should also be rain-free in Indiana today, with rain developing in the Hoosier State tonight and tomorrow.

Moist in the nation’s mid-section – Showers and storms will be widespread today and tonight from the southern Plains through the upper Midwest. Moderate to heavy rainfall (in excess of an inch) is expected for the North Texas Panhandle, central Missouri, and from central Minnesota through northern Wisconsin into Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.

Some storms may become severe this afternoon. There is a slight risk of severe thunderstorms that includes south central Texas, central and western Oklahoma, Kansas, northwestern Missouri, much of Nebraska, much of Iowa, central and southern Minnesota, central and eastern South Dakota, southeastern North Dakota and western Wisconsin.

Read more...
How do high and low pressure areas form?

Weather_focusThe areas of high and low pressure seen on weather maps are high and low relative to each other. There is no threshold value that defines high or low pressure.

Typically, the sinking air associated with high pressure results in clear skies, where as the rising air in low pressure contributes to condensation of water vapor, clouds and stormy weather.

As mentioned in the graphic, today's idea was submitted by Mark Miller of Salt Lake City. Share your ideas by sending them to "The Weather Guys": weatherguys@usatoday.com (Click image for larger version. Graphic reprinted from USA TODAY newspaper)