Tag Archives: National Weather Service

Area Near Charleston, South Carolina Reports Extensive Damage after Tornado

The South Carolina coast saw extensive damages in the early hours of Friday morning as a tornado came through the areas of West Ashley and Johns Island at approximately 12:40 a.m. ET.

The National Weather Service issued a warning for the area before the tornado hit after seeing debris from the tornado on the radar.

“The tornado was especially dangerous because it spun up quickly when it did,” AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Dan Pydynowski said. “That can make the situation even more dangerous as people go to bed for the night and are not aware of the tornado warning that may be issued.”

A local resident, John Bercik, woke up to heavy rain and heard a howling noise similar to that of a train.

“When the roar started I was terrified. It was a very intense moment,” Bercik said.

When Bercik left his bedroom door, the rest of the house had been destroyed. The roof was missing, walls blown in, and his floor had been spun and moved. He used an umbrella to keep the rain off as he searched the wreckage for his cell phone.

While Bercik’s house was dealt the most damage, local fire officials stated that 10 homes suffered heavy damage. Other officials reported trees had fallen onto roads, bringing down powerlines. AccuWeather reported at least 9,000 SCE&G and Berkeley Electric Cooperative customers didn’t have power as a result of the storm.

The National Weather Service sent a team to asses the damage Friday morning.

Massive Bug Swarm Appears on Weather Radar

A swarm of bugs in northern Texas and southwest Oklahoma was so intense Wednesday that it appeared as a rainstorm on weather radar in the region.

Rangers at Copper Breaks State Park in Quanah, Texas confirmed the bug storm was made up of grasshoppers and beetles to the National Weather Service.

The swarm filled the air up to 2,500 feet and covered 50 miles.

Forrest Mitchell, Observations Program Leader at the National Weather Service of Norman, Oklahoma, told Popular Science that the fact they can pick up major insect swarms is a nod to the sensitivity of current weather forecasting equipment.

“It doesn’t take a whole lot of bugs to cause that on radar,” Kurtz said. “It’s not like biblical proportions. There was just enough out there that the radar picked it up.”

The Texas swarm was not the only major swarming of insects in the last week.

In Sabula, Iowa highway crews had to use winter snow plowing equipment to remove a swarm of mayflies from a bridge connecting Iowa and Illinois.

The crews not only used the plows to clear the bridge but laid down sand in an attempt to combat the slick conditions caused by cars crushing the bug swarm.

Officials say they will keep the lights on the bridge off during the next few weeks in an attempt to keep the bugs from swarming.

Almost 50 Million Americans Under Tornado Threat Monday

The National Weather Service says that Monday could bring afternoons and evenings of severe weather to almost 50 million Americans.

The predictions for heavy rain, damaging winds and lightning stretches from the deep south through Wisconsin.

The storms struck some parts of the Midwest early Monday as Chicago’s O’Hare airport had to close for a short period during the morning rush hour.  Additional storms are expected through the evening at O’Hare.

Weather Channel lead forecaster Kevin Roth said “quite a few states” will be affected and that while many will not see a tornado, severe thunderstorms with damaging winds could be a distinct possibility.

Straight-line wind damage was seen in Belleville, Wisconsin where a home weather station reported a 74 m.p.h. gust.  At least one roof was taken off a home in that town.  WE Energies reported 30,000 customers without power in the region.

All weather experts reviewed for this story urge anyone who receives a weather warning tonight or tomorrow to seek shelter immediately as the storms are very dangerous.

More Texas Flooding; Death Toll Climbs

The Brazos River in Texas is continuing to swell, driving more families out of their homes with local officials saying that it might not crest until Friday at the earliest.

Parker County Judge Mark Riley ordered a community of RVs and trailers along the river to be evacuated after predictions the river could rise another nine feet before cresting.  Other low-lying neighborhoods in the areas around the river were also placed under mandatory evacuation.

The National Weather Service reports thunderstorms, hail and tornadoes are possible throughout the flooded regions on Thursday.  Meteorologist Steve Goss said the storms will be “intense and slow moving.”

The town of Wharton, around 8,000 residents, is being evacuated along the Colorado River due to fears of a massive rise over the banks.  Flood stage is 39 feet, with the river already at 36 feet.  Predictions of a 46 foot crest on Friday night would not only flood the homes along the river but also wash away a school.

Houston continues to be hammered by flooding.  Another victim of the flood, a 73-year-old woman, was identified Wednesday.  The San Jacinto River was three feet over flood stage and officials say that some subdivisions could be cut off for up to a week because of flood waters.

The death toll in the U.S. is now at 21 people.

The storms on Wednesday left three workers at a gas drilling rig in the Texas Panhandle wounded when a tornado destroyed the rig.

Deadly Storms Rage Through Texas and Oklahoma

Officials in Texas and Oklahoma say that at least 11 people are dead and over a dozen missing following a massive storm front that roared through the two states.

Record rainfall fell in many communities and flooding caused mass devastation.

Houston officials say that two people were found Tuesday and that they likely drowned in the massive flooding in the area.  Authorities were telling residents to not leave their homes.   Over 70,000 customers are without power in the Houston area.

The National Weather Service reported 11 inches of rain in six hours throughout southwest Houston.  Over 130 water rescues had to be conducted throughout the city.  The weather was so severe that the Houston Rockets NBA team told the people who came to their playoff game to stay inside the arena in their seats until the passing of the storm.

“We’ve seen flooding before, but not nearly to this extreme,” said Gage Mueller, a Houston resident for the past 40 years and Houston Rockets employee who stayed overnight at the Toyota Center because it wasn’t safe to go home. “It rains and it rains and it rains, and there’s really nowhere for the water to go. … It’s ridiculous.”

Texas Governor Greg Abbott declared disasters in 37 counties.

“You cannot candy coat it. It’s absolutely massive,” Abbott told reporters after he viewed the devastation in the region.

One of the storm’s victims was 18-year-old Alyssa Ramirez, president of the student council at Devine High School who was driving home from her senior prom.  She called 911, she called her father and then the flood waters rose too fast for her to be rescued.

The flooding was so strong that a vacation house next to the Blanco River was pushed off the foundation and rushed downriver into a bridge.  Only parts of the home have been found.  At least one person was killed by the flooding of the Blanco river.

A dam near Highway 71 broke causing the highway to be blocked.

Boston To Be Hit With Fourth Major Snowstorm In Weeks

The city of Boston is preparing to be hit again with a massive winter storm after having over 70 inches of snow in the last few weeks.

The latest storm will strike this weekend with up to 15 inches of fresh snow.  The storm could also bring 60 mile per hour wins and coastal flooding with waves of 20 feet or higher.

The National Weather Service has issued a blizzard watch for the Massachusetts coast through Sunday night.  A winter storm watch has also been put in place for non-coastal areas.  Those non-coastal areas could see a foot of snow.

The temperatures are also causing problems with average highs around 15 degrees and wind chills as low as -22 in some areas.  Officials say that if the storm brings power outages, elderly folks and shut-ins could face problems with freezing in their homes.

Boston Mayor Marty Walsh said the city’s public transit system, already under heavy criticism for poor performance during the previous storms, would be shut down over the weekend during the new storm.

At least 170 pieces of snow removal equipment from other states has come to the Boston area to assist government workers.

All 50 States Have Freezing Temperatures

All 50 states had areas below freezing on Tuesday as a polar vortex covered most of the United States.

The National Weather Service said that every state including Hawaii had some point below zero in the last 24 hours.  The National Weather Service said that this kind of cold is not normally seen until late December through February.

The National Weather Service near Buffalo said that 60 inches of snow had fallen in their region and that in Erie County experienced four weather related deaths.

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo issued a state of emergency for 10 counties who were the hardest hit by the unusual storm.  The storm was severe enough that 140 miles of the New York State Thruway along Lake Erie and Lake Ontario were closed.

Forecasters say the early season cold blast will continue through the end of the week.

Snowstorm Leaves 135,000 Without Power

The first major snowstorm of the season struck Maine Sunday night leaving over 135,000 without power.

The National Weather Service said that Bangor, Maine received 12 inches of snow before the storm weakened and some outlying areas reported more than a foot.  A Portland television station reported they passed a foot by 5:30 p.m.

Heavy snow and gusty winds combined to bring down trees, snapping power lines and in some cases poles.  Roads across Bangor were closed because of the downed lines blocking major roadways.

Power officials hope to have all the darkened customers back on by Wednesday.

“The utility placed extra crews on standby for the weekend in anticipation of the storm,” Emera spokesman Bob Potts said in a news release. “They will remain in the field addressing problems and working to restore service to customers as safely and quickly as possible.”

Emera had 57,000 customers without power in their region.

Forecasters say the temperatures will rise into the 50s by midweek so the snow will quickly disappear.

One Dead; Thousands Stranded In California Mudslides

A wave of thunderstorms rolled through Southern California Sunday causing massive flooding and landslides that left at least one person dead.

Two towns, Oak Glen and Forest Falls, were completely cut off from surrounding areas because of mudslides that blocked all roadways.  At least 2,500 people are trapped including 500 campers at a Christian campground.

A U.S. Forest Service spokesman told KNBC-TV reported that the campground was hit hard with flooding and many campers had only seconds to escape a rush of mud and debris.

San Bernardino County Fire officials confirmed one person was found dead inside a car that was swept into a flooded creek.

Authorities were making reverse 911 calls to residents of the effected areas telling them to remain in their homes until maintenance workers could clear roads and officials were able to determine it was safe to travel.

The National Weather Service said that some areas received up to 5 inches of rain.

Dual Tornadoes Destroy Nebraska Town

Two people, including a 5-year-old child, are dead after a pair of tornadoes ripped through a small Nebraska town.

Officials say the town of Pilger, Nebraska was obliterated when a pair of tornadoes about a mile apart struck the town.  The National Storm Prediction Center said that the twisters appeared to be EF-2 or EF-3 with maximum cyclonic winds of 165 miles per hour.

“Pilger is gone,” Sanford Goshorn, Stanton County Director of Emergency Management told Reuters.  “The tornado cut right through the center of town.”  He said all the services to the town from electricity to water were gone.  The entire community was evacuated under order of emergency management officials.

A meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Omaha said that two powerful tornadoes on the ground at the same time in the same location is very rare.  The Storm Prediction Center said they recorded at least four tornadoes touching down in the area of the deadly supercell.

Area hospitals reported at least 16 people were hospitalized in critical condition.