Severe weather safety myths persist

Severe weather season in Oklahoma means there's a chance drivers can encounter storms, but some dangerous myths in seeking shelter persist.
It happens in blockbuster films, like 2013's Man of Steel by Warner Bros. showing people rush underneath overpasses during storms.
During some recent severe weather in Green Country 2News Storm Spotters reported seeing the same thing happen in real life.
"It's a hard thing to overcome what people see in the movies. And they're still showing that in the movies. So, it seems like a safe place but it's really not," said 2News Storm Shield Meteorologist Brittany Rainey.
It may seem logical to head under a bridge-- it is mostly surrounded by concrete. However, the shape can create a wind tunnel effect.
"You're going to have these intense winds from the tornado and they are going to get even more intense," Rainey said.

The overpass can also concentrate debris, funneling that underneath creating additional dangers, she said.

Instead, meteorologists suggest leaving your car and heading inside a building, if possible. They advise laying in a ditch or even flat in a field calling that safer than getting under an overpass.

Severe Weather Shifts to Shreveport, Memphis Sunday

The southern Plains will finally catch a break from severe weather to end the weekend as the danger shifts to the lower Mississippi Valley.

Saturday marked the third straight day of severe weather the southern Plains.

The threat zone on Sunday will shift eastward and take aim at the zone from southern Missouri and western Tennessee to northern Louisiana and far northeastern Texas. Within this zone lies Cape Girardeau, Missouri; Little Rock and Jonesboro, Arkansas; Memphis, Tennessee; Tyler, Texas; Shreveport, Louisiana; and Greenville, Mississippi.

"Severe thunderstorms will initially develop across western Arkansas, northwestern Louisiana and northeastern Texas Sunday afternoon," stated AccuWeather Assistant Director of Weather Warning Services Andrew Gagnon.

"These thunderstorms will march eastward across much of Arkansas and northern Louisiana during the late afternoon and will eventually spread into northern Mississippi and western Tennessee during the evening hours," Gagnon continued.

Cool Spaces: SWIRLL - Severe Weather Institute Radar & Lightning Laboratories

Created as the visual expression of scientific research, the new SWIRLL building on the campus of the University of Alabama Huntsville, is a very cool space.

Severe Weather Institute Radar and Lightning Laboratories = the acronym SWIRLL.  Architects Frank Nola and Robert Van Peursem were given this name for the new building before they began the challenge of designing a structure that could accommodate the labs and equipment used by professors and students in their atmospheric and meteorological scientific research.

An inverted cone of glass is the most prominent exterior physical feature of the building. The building does indeed look like its name. A swirl of glass surrounds a three-story interior spiral staircase. The architects suggested that the flooring for the base of the spiral be laid to create a compass rose complete with the Greek names given to the winds by Aristotle.

Michigan's first bout of widespread severe weather could be on tap

Michigan could have its first widespread severe weather outbreak Thursday, April 9, 2015.

Thunderstorms are expected to develop late afternoon Thursday and continue into the overnight hours. Some of these storms could produce severe wind gusts, large hail and even isolated tornadoes.

The graphic above is the Storm Prediction Center severe weather forecast for 8 a.m. Thursday to 8 a.m. Friday. The severe weather time frame in Lower Michigan would be from mid-afternoon through 2 a.m. Friday.

The Storm Prediction Center feels there is a significant chance of severe thunderstorms in the southern half of Lower Michigan. They place areas south of I-94 in a 45 percent chance of severe weather. This includes Kalamazoo, Jackson, Ann Arbor and the southern part of the Detroit area. Just north of that area, everywhere from Muskegon to Saginaw southward has a 30 percent chance of severe weather. The northern half of Lower Michigan has between a 5 and 15 percent chance of severe storms.

Study: 75 percent of extreme weather due to climate change

Blame global warming for about 75 percent of the world's unusually hot days and 18 percent of its extreme snow or rain, according to a new paper in the journal Nature Climate Change.

Heat waves and heavy storms are occurring at least four times more often than they did before carbon pollution started driving up thermometers. Global average temperatures are now about 0.85 degrees Celsius (1.4 Fahrenheit) higher than before industrialization.

Additional heat and precipitation are expensive. Severe weather costs the U.S. economy as much as $33 billion a year, according to a U.S. Energy Department report released April 21.

And those figures will increase as the planet continues to warm, as climate change may not be smooth or gradual, according to the new paper. At 2 degrees Celsius — United Nations climate negotiators' avowed upper limit — extremely hot days may be twice as likely as at 1.5 degrees Celsius of warming. After 2 degrees Celsius, the odds of high-heat days may be five times greater than today.

"What used to be a one-in-a-thousand day, a one-in-three-year event, actually occurs four times in three years," Erich Fischer, a researcher at the Institute for Atmospheric & Climate Science in Zurich and one of the study's authors, said in a telephone interview. "Weather extremes have always been occurring, before any human influence, but that doesn't mean that there can't be human influence on the extremes."

Texas, Plains to Catch a Break From Severe Weather This Weekend

Following locally violent storms over the central and southern Plains to Texas from Friday, a brief lull in severe weather is forecast for much of the weekend.

According to AccuWeather.com Senior Meteorologist Bob Larson, "The storm responsible for a severe weather outbreak into Friday night will accelerate eastward this weekend delivering rain and thunderstorms to the Southeastern states."

Highs will range from near 60 F close to the Canada border to the middle 90s the lower Rio Grande Valley.

After a noticeable drop in humidity from central Texas to Kansas on Saturday, humidity levels will begin to slowly rise Sunday into Monday.

Near the Gulf Coast, humidity levels will remain high this weekend.

AccuWeather.com Senior Meteorologist Dan Kottlowski stated that heavy thunderstorms are a given around the Gulf Coast during the spring, summer and early fall due to the routine high humidity levels.

Severe Weather Leaves Several People Homeless - Straight Line Winds Being Blamed

Many Mid Valley residents are cleaning up after severe weather Friday night into Saturday Morning.

One North Donna Neighborhood was hit particularly hard.

Pedro Aldava says the roof was blown off his trailer home and hit a neighbor's house.

"Our roof actually went into his living room.  It just crashed into his windows, so we saw that this morning," he says.

The National Weather Service in Brownsville says the storm packed some strong winds.

"It was not a tornado.  There was no rotation.  We've estimated the winds to be somewhere between 65 and 75 miles per hour," says Barry Goldsmith.

Barry Goldsmith works with the National Weather Service.  He and several emergency management coordinators spend the entire night surveying the damage.

"The people that need the most help are in Hidalgo County, just north of Donna, right outside the Donna city limits," says Emergency Management Director George Garrett.

No shelters have been opened by the county, but they have called in the American Red Cross to help.

http://www.krgv.com/news/local-news/severe-weather-leaves-several-people-homeless/32575616

Severe Weather Causes Damage Around Kentucky, Including Mudslides

A Letcher County family is hoping their home is still standing after the severe storms Saturday. 

Debbie Stallard and her husband say the recent rains have caused their driveway and the road to their home to crumble and slide away. They say if it gets any worse, their trailer will go down the hill and be destroyed. Stallard says the home is now about 15 feet from the drop and the entire front yard is gone. All that's left in front is their porch with a couple of feet of grass. 

Many areas around Kentucky have reported damage from recent rains, winds and even funnel clouds in Western Kentucky.

The Stallard's say they have reached out to local and state officials but have not found any help.

Symposium will examine region’s severe weather hazards

In response to the April 9 tornado in the northern Illinois region, the NIU Department of Geography is inviting the public to a tornado and weather preparedness symposium that will feature talks by weather and emergency-response experts.

It will be held from 7 to 9 p.m. Thursday, April 30, in the auditorium of Montgomery Hall on campus.

NIU meteorology professor Walker Ashley will be among the speakers and will examine several different scenarios that could have played out had the tornado taken a different path over more populated and developed areas.

Kansas Turnpike Tornado Shelters Offer Another Option For Severe Weather Safety

Along the Kansas Turnpike are 30 doors that might not look like much, but inside those doors are storm shelters that may save dozens of lives someday.

That's the hope of the Kansas Turnpike Authority, who installed these fortified underground bunkers along the 236-mile-long highway as a last-ditch option for drivers caught in the severe weather of Tornado Alley.

Each of these shelters can hold roughly 15 people, according to Fox4KC.com, while additional shelters located under some toll booths can hold more than that.

"We have tornado shelters at all of the plazas, and they're mainly for our employees and any customers that would be in the general area," Kansas Highway Patrol Master Trooper Karl Koenig told Fox4KC.com. "Simply open them up by a door, there's steps to go down in there, and there's a small wind turbine on top that provides air when the doors shut."

Flash Flood Watches, slight risk of severe weather through Tuesday

A low pressure system will continue to move across South Mississippi through Tuesday afternoon, prompting a Flash Flood Watch until then.

The strongest part of a line of squalls shifted south into the north central Gulf of Mexico by mid-afternoon, passing mainly south of Gulfport and Mobile.

But a slight risk of severe weather remains through Tuesday.

Earlier today the National Weather Service in Slidell issued a High Wind Warning and Tornado Watch after gusts toppled trees and train cars in Louisiana. Biloxi police report emergency crews have been responding to security alarms set off by numerous power outages.

The weather service reports trees down in Vernon, Allen, Evangeline, Acadia, Lafayette, Vermilion and Iberville parishes. The high winds have also caused scattered power outages.

Read more here: http://www.sunherald.com/2015/04/27/6197286/tornado-watch-issued-for-coast.html#storylink=cpy

Winds in excess of 50 mph, severe weather threatens coastal region Monday

Monday's weather poses risk to land and sea, as clouds loom on the horizon and news of 111 mph wind gusts and a tornado emerge from the New Orleans area.

The National Weather Service is urging people to stay out of the water with a special marine warning in effect for up to 60 miles out from the coast on Monday, according to meteorologist Brian Daly. 

Inland, strong storms are expected within the next couple of hours.

Approximately 2-4 inches of rain is expected on the coast, decreasing north of the interstate, with areas of heavier rain possible in localized areas.

Daly warned that winds in excess of 50 mph are possible, which can be especially dangerous to structures, limbs and more.

Severe weather, possibly tornadoes expected Saturday

A front moving into the Middle Tennessee area on Friday night is expected to bring higher temperatures and severe weather for the area Saturday, with the potential for large hail and even tornadoes.

National Weather Service meteorologist Justyn Jackson said rumblings of thunder and rain could still be lingering from overnight around 6 a.m., just before the start of the St. Jude Country Music Marathon & Half Marathon at 6:45 a.m.

He said that at the start of the race the weather and the chance of rain will be more uncertain, but that precipitation and thunderstorms are expected to subside later into the morning as the race progresses. Temperatures also will increase from the start of the race, when temperatures are expected to be in the upper 50s, to around 70 degrees by 10 a.m.

Temperature are expected to rise to the upper 70s by Saturday afternoon, Jackson said.

Gov. Bobby Jindal issues state of emergency due to severe weather in Louisiana

Gov. Bobby Jindal has issued a state of emergency after strong storms passed through areas of Louisiana on Monday. Jindal sent out the proclamation Monday afternoon as a result of severe weather and flooding throughout the state, most specifically southern Louisiana.

State officials said the thunderstorms moved through with damaging winds gusting to 66 miles per hour and several inches of rain. Widespread damage, outages and road closures were reported throughout parishes in Louisiana.

Earlier Monday morning, the National Weather Service issued a flash flood watch for much of southeast Louisiana and southern Mississippi. Tornado watches and warnings were put into effect a few hours later.

Live Updates: Severe Outbreak in South, Plains

A severe weather outbreak, including the threat of some tornadoes, is underway and will continue Sunday across parts of the Plains and South.

Here are the latest impacts.

• At least one person was confirmed dead and several more missing after severe storms blasted the Dauphin Island regatta in Mobile Bay late Saturday afternoon. A nearby lighthouse registered 73 mph wind gusts in Mobile Bay.
• Severe storms left nearly 23,000 Alabama Power Co. customers without power Saturday afternoon. Strong winds toppled numerous trees in the Dothan, Alabama area.
• Baseball-sized hail fell in portions of central Georgia, near Macon, on Saturday evening.
• Heavy flooding contributed to a death Friday night near Batesville, Mississippi.
• Strong thunderstorm winds destroyed a mobile home in Henderson County, Kentucky, Saturday evening.
• Hail damage to cars was reported Saturday in Rockcastle, Kentucky.

Severe weather power outage causes flight cancellations, delays Monday

Louis Armstrong International Airport is normally a busy place on Mondays -- especially after a busy tourist weekend in New Orleans -- but the scene on Monday was beyond chaotic after a power outage. Airport officials said that outage caused by severe weather resulted in 27 flight cancellations and approximately six delays by several airlines.

Passengers say they were asked to be patient while staff with various airlines worked to fix computers and get them onto their flights.

“We have storms in Louisiana. We have hurricanes, so this is not a hurricane but it was strong enough. We were warned about it,” said Cristina Lawrence traveling, who was starting the first leg of a trip to Europe.

“The biggest airport in the state and the passengers are subject to this? It's just unconscionable,” said John Lawrence.

Potential for severe weather again Tuesday

Rain and thunderstorms are expected Tuesday, but the highest potential for severe weather could stay to the south of Dothan, according to a meteorologist with the National Weather Service.

“There is potential for severe weather tomorrow. It would be most likely be further to your south in North Florida,” Meteorologist Katie Moore said. “But depending on how the low tracks, if it moves more inland, there would be more of a threat for the Southeast Alabama area.”

Wiregrass residents, she said, should keep an eye on the weather Tuesday.

“You’re definitely going to see some showers and thunderstorms up there,” Moore said. “It’s currently looking like the highest severe threat is going to be closer to the coast, but definitely stay weather aware and be on the lookout for updates.”

Tuesday’s weather will be generated by a low pressure system expected to develop over the Gulf of Mexico and move northeastward inland from the Florida Panhandle and across southern Georgia, Moore said. The system should move inland around Panama City, Florida, in the morning, working its way eastward during the afternoon. Of course the speed of the system will determine the timing of impact for the Wiregrass.

http://www.dothaneagle.com/news/local/potential-for-severe-weather-again-tuesday/article_0dc57350-ecff-11e4-83f4-77c83fd105af.html

Gulf Stream system: Atlantic Ocean overturning, responsible for mild climate in northwestern Europe, is slowing

The Atlantic overturning is one of Earth's most important heat transport systems, pumping warm water northwards and cold water southwards. Also known as the Gulf Stream system, it is responsible for the mild climate in northwestern Europe. Scientists now found evidence for a slowdown of the overturning -- multiple lines of observation suggest that in recent decades, the current system has been weaker than ever before in the last century, or even in the last millennium.

"It is conspicuous that one specific area in the North Atlantic has been cooling in the past hundred years while the rest of the world heats up," says Stefan Rahmstorf of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, lead author of the study to be published inNature Climate Change. Previous research had already indicated that a slowdown of the so-called Atlantic meridional overturning circulation might be to blame for this. "Now we have detected strong evidence that the global conveyor has indeed been weakening in the past hundred years, particularly since 1970," says Rahmstorf.

Research links two millennia of cyclones, floods, El Niño

A paper by Denniston and 10 others, including a 2014 Cornell College graduate, is published this week in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The article, "Extreme rainfall activity in the Australian tropics reflects changes in the El Niño/Southern Oscillation over the last two millennia," presents a precisely dated stalagmite record of cave flooding events that are tied to tropical cyclones, which include storms such as hurricanes and typhoons.

Denniston is one of few researchers worldwide using stalagmites to reconstruct past tropical cyclone activity, a field of research called paleotempestology. His work in Australia began in 2009 and was originally intended to focus on the chemical composition of the stalagmites as a means of reconstructing past changes in the intensity of Australian summer monsoon rains. But Denniston and his research team found more than just variations in the chemical composition of the stalagmites they examined; they discovered that the interiors of the stalagmites also contained prominent layers of mud.

Better method for forecasting hurricane season

The UA team's new model improves the accuracy of seasonal hurricane forecasts for the North Atlantic and the Gulf of Mexico by 23 percent. The team's research paper was published online in the journal Weather and Forecasting on March 25.

"Our model is better at predicting the number of seasonal hurricanes in the Atlantic than the other existing models," said first author Kyle Davis, a master's student in the UA atmospheric sciences department. "On average, our model has 23 percent less error for predicting hurricanes occurring since 2001."

Hurricanes are storms with maximum wind speeds in excess of 73 mph and are among the most damaging natural disasters in the U.S. The Atlantic hurricane season lasts from June 1 to Nov. 30.

The UA model can provide its forecast by the start of hurricane season, which allows people to prepare better for the upcoming season, Davis said. "Tens of millions of people are threatened by Atlantic hurricanes. It affects their properties, it affects their lives."