SEVERE STORMS IN MIDWEST AND PLAINS MAY RENEW FLOODING AccuWeather.com
Severe Storms in Midwest and Plains May Renew Flooding
State College, Pa. -- June 27, 2008 -- AccuWeather.com reported heavy thunderstorms will blast the Upper Midwest and central Plains today, threatening to renew dangerous flooding in the mid-Mississippi Valley.
A cold front diving down from Canada's Prairie Provinces today will ignite an outbreak of severe weather across the Upper Midwest and central Plains. The thunderstorms will erupt as incoming cooler air slices into the warm, moist air flowing north from the Gulf of Mexico. The presence of a strong jet stream will add to the instability in the atmosphere.
The strongest thunderstorms will be capable of producing damaging winds, pounding hail, frequent lightning, and drenching downpours. The greatest threat for tornado development will be over the central Plains. The strongest storms later today will erupt from Wisconsin to eastern Kansas and Oklahoma.
Flash flooding will continue to be a concern today, especially in the flood-ravaged mid-Mississippi Valley as runoff fills small streams and floods low-lying areas. The storms this week are feeding more runoff into the larger rivers, slowing or reversing the receding water levels.
The Mississippi River is expected to rise to 38.6 feet Sunday evening at St. Louis, while the river will crest at 37.2 feet this afternoon in Winfield, Mo.
Des Moines, Iowa, on Thursday tied its daily rainfall record of 1.43 inches set in 1937. Most of the rain fell in two hours, flooding a portion of Interstate 80 and city streets.
Showers and thunderstorms will persist across the Upper Midwest on Saturday as the potentially damaging thunderstorms shift to the lower Great Lakes and Tennessee Valley. Potentially damaging thunderstorms will shift into the East this weekend
LAMBDA LEGAL APPLAUDS INTRODUCTION OF ORDINANCE AMENDMENT TO PRESERVE DOMESTIC PARTNER BENEFITS IN CHICAGO Lambda Legal Applauds Introduction of Ordinance Amendment to Preserve Domestic Partner Benefits in Chicago 'As couples travel to other states and countries to get married we must be sure that they don't lose their employment benefits here in Chicago' (Chicago, IL June 11, 2008) - Lambda Legal issued the following statement today concerning the introduction by Alderman Tom Tunney of a proposed amendment to the Chicago domestic partnership ordinance that will preserve benefits for city employees who marry their same-sex partners in other states or countries. > Full Story. [6/18/08]
State College, Pa. -- June 10, 2008 -- AccuWeather.com reported earlier today that severe storms erupting tonight over the Plains would not only bring new concerns for flooding, but would also spawn tornadoes.
Major cities in path of potentially destructive storms tonight include: Omaha, Topeka, Des Moines, Minneapolis and Wichita. On Thursday, the system and the same concerns will shift into the Midwest and middle Mississippi Valley. Areas likely to be targeted by the storms Thursday include: Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Louis, Kansas City and Tulsa.
"We expect this activity to continue at least until midnight over the Plains," AccuWeather.com Senior Meteorologist John Feerick said. "So far, there are 28 reported tornadoes from Minnesota to North Central Kansas. There are some feisty storms out there, so we can expect that number to double or even triple by the end of the night."
Feerick said there have been two confirmed tornado reports in Douglas County west of Omaha. Local Iowa press has reported that a tornado hit a scout camp in western Iowa, injuring 40 with possible fatalities.
Daytime heating added to the instability over the Plains. Tonight, severe storms containing heavy rain, large hail, damaging winds, and tornadoes will erupt from western Oklahoma to Minnesota.
State College, Pa. -- June 4, 2008 --AccuWeather.com reports the first heat wave of 2008 will begin on Friday across the Northeast. The air mass that will enter the region is the same one that produced record heat over the southern Plains during the past several days.
A relatively seasonable air mass will be in place on Thursday, even cooler than normal over coastal areas of New England, but a warm front will open the floodgates and allow heat and humidity to pour over the region. It remains to be seen how many records will fall in the Northeast, but it looks like most areas will have heat through the weekend and into early next week.
A heat bubble is already gripping the southern Plains and Desert Southwest. These two regions will also have to endure winds gusting past 45 mph at times today. The high winds have prompted the issuance of wind advisories.
The strongest wind gusts will be reserved for the afternoon and evening hours across the Desert Southwest. Motorists should be prepared for blowing dust to dangerously lower visibility in a short period of time. Red flag warnings are in effect to warn residents of the elevated fire danger that also exists.
WISCONSIN JUDGE UPHOLDS MARRIAGE BAN IN PROFESSOR’S LAWSUIT William McConkey, a professor at University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh, made the news last year when, as a straight man, he took the state of Wisconsin to court for its ban on marriage for gay and lesbian couples. The week of May 31, 2008, a Dane County judge upheld the marriage ban. > Full Story. [6/4/08]
Atmosphere Over the Central Plains Exploding with Powerful Thunderstorms
Could Spark Widespread Dangerous Storms and Tornadoes
State College, Pa. -- May 29, 2008 -- AccuWeather.com reports the atmosphere over the central Plains is exploding with powerful thunderstorms this evening, producing long-lived destructive tornadoes, damaging winds, heavy rain, and large hail that will continue through the night.
Cool air dropping out of the Rockies is clashing with the warm moist air flowing out of the Gulf of Mexico, while a strong jet stream and daytime heating have added instability to the atmosphere. The setup is sparking a widespread outbreak of dangerous storms stretching across the central Plains tonight, and eventually reaching into the Midwest Friday.
Storms through the night will shift from the high Plains to the western shore of Lake Michigan. However, the area of greatest concern for destructive widespread tornadoes will be eastern Nebraska and western Iowa.
According to AccuWeather.com Expert Senior Meteorologist John Kocet, the combination of ingredients has created "extreme turmoil in the atmosphere over the Plains that will continue through the night." Kocet adds the setup will produce massive thunderstorms that could reach as high as 10 miles into the atmosphere.
Everyone in the region should be alert for rapidly developing storms and should be prepared to take potentially life-saving action at a moment's notice, especially during the overnight hours.
Nearly 1,200 unconfirmed tornadoes have been reported since Jan. 1. The number of actual confirmed tornadoes will be lower since one tornado is typically sighted multiple times. The record for the most tornadoes in one year set in 2004 is 1,817, while the 10-year average is 1,254.
NEW ROUND OF SEVERE WEATHER OVER THE HIGH PLAINS TO ARKLATEX REGION State College, Pa. -- May 6, 2008 -- AccuWeather.com reports a first round of strong storms moved through the Plains overnight. Large hail and damaging winds spread across the High Plains of Kansas, Oklahoma, and Texas, while an unconfirmed tornado touched down in southeastern New Mexico. > Full Story. [5/6/08]
OPENLY GAY MALE STUDENT NOMINATED FOR PROM QUEEN IN WISCONSIN High school senior Uriel Gomez, who was the talk of the school halls his freshman year when he came out, has once again become the center of attention. He was nominated by enough of his fellow classmates to appear on the short list for prom queen at Park High School in Racine, Wisconsin. This possibility has some school officials up in arms. "I don't really want to go there," the school's Activities Director Jim Kerkvliet said. "They don't see the public perspective on how this might look." > Full Story. [5/6/08]
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UPDATE: Tornadoes and Flooding in the Plains
A relatively seasonable air mass will be in place on Thursday, even cooler than normal over coastal areas of New England, but a warm front will open the floodgates and allow heat and humidity to pour over the region. It remains to be seen how many records will fall in the Northeast, but it looks like most areas will have heat through the weekend and into early next week.
central Plains is exploding with powerful thunderstorms this evening, producing long-lived destructive tornadoes, damaging winds, heavy rain, and large hail that will continue through the night. 
continue through the night." Kocet adds the setup will produce massive thunderstorms that could reach as high as 10 miles into the atmosphere. 
