National Weather Service

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Weather Service: Tornado as Big as It Gets

200mph winds earn it top EF-5 status

(Newser) - The National Weather Service says the tornado that hit Oklahoma yesterday was a top-of-the-scale EF-5 twister with winds between 200 and 210mph. The agency upgraded the tornado from an EF-4 based on what a damage-assessment team saw on the ground. Less than 1% of US tornadoes are this violent. Yesterday'...

Now Can We Stop Cutting the Weather Service?

Oklahoma tornado should be a warning: David Sirota

(Newser) - The National Weather Service had a warning in effect 16 minutes before yesterday's tragic Oklahoma tornado —but we may not be as prepared next time around, thanks to the sequester's 8.2% cut to the Weather Service, David Sirota writes on Salon . The organization representing weather service...

To Weather Service's Chagrin, 'Nemo' Catching On

Weather Channel pleased as name spikes on Twitter

(Newser) - By now, you have probably made a Finding Nemo joke about the winter storm currently bearing down on the Northeast. "Nemo" is one of the top trending topics on Twitter, and is ranked fairly high in Google searches as well, the New York Times reports. All of which indicates...

2012 Warmest Year Ever for Continental US

And had the second most extreme weather

(Newser) - The past year was the hottest on record for the 48 contiguous states in the US, the NOAA announced today, featuring the warmest spring ever, the second warmest summer, the fourth warmest winter, and an above-average autumn. Overall, the average temperature was 55.3 degrees F, or 3.2 degrees...

Midwest Blizzard Kills 7
 Midwest Blizzard Kills 7 
Dec 21, 2012 6:10 AM CST

Midwest Blizzard Kills 7

1K flights canceled as storm begins to pass

(Newser) - Seven people died across four states as a winter storm continued to tear through the Midwest, dumping more than a foot of snow on sections of Iowa and Wisconsin. A 25-car pileup in Iowa killed two people, and nearly 100 accidents were reported in the state by late last night....

Weather Service Issues Gruesome Storm Warning

'Think of your remains,' says NJ statement

(Newser) - Sometimes you gotta get tough with stubborn New Jersey folks. So officials from the National Weather Service were a tad gruesome in their warning to residents to get out of low-lying areas now before Hurricane Sandy hits, reports BuzzFeed . After running down a list of reasons it makes no sense...

Weather Service Starts Texting Warnings to Smartphones

They'll go to devices in the path of severe weather

(Newser) - Millions of smartphone users will soon begin receiving text messages about severe weather from a government system that can send a blanket warning to mobile devices in the path of a dangerous storm. The National Weather Service's new Wireless Emergency Alerts system offers a new way to warn Americans...

Weather Service Needs $36M to Avoid Furloughs

5K employees could be put on leave for 13 days this summer

(Newser) - The National Weather service plans to furlough as many as 5,000 employees for 13 days between July and September if a $36 million hole in its budget is not filled. The Weather Service is asking Congress for the money, asserting that the unpaid leave of employees will endanger critical...

US Heat Wave Worst Since 1995
 US Heat Wave Worst Since 1995 
Jul 21, 2011 4:03 AM CDT

US Heat Wave Worst Since 1995

As death toll hits 22

(Newser) - At least 22 deaths have now been attributed to the heat wave scorching the US this week, which one AccuWeather meteorologist yesterday predicted would “be more significant and impact a larger area than the deadly 1995 heat wave." That disaster killed a whopping 750 people over four days,...

Dramatic Solar Flare Could Mess With Things

It unleashed biggest firestorm of radiation in 5 years

(Newser) - The sun let loose a fiery explosion yesterday that could mess with GPS and communication satellites, power grids, and more, the National Weather Service warned today. “This one was rather dramatic,” an official from the NWS’ Space Weather Prediction Center tells the Telegraph . "We saw the initial...

Tornado Hits Sprinfield, Mass.
 Mass. Tornadoes Kill 4 
Jun 2, 2011 4:50 AM CDT

Mass. Tornadoes Kill 4

Tornado warning issued for some Boston suburbs

(Newser) - At least four people were killed and dozens more injured as tornadoes ripped through Massachusetts yesterday. A tornado in Springfield, the state's third-largest city, tore the roofs off buildings and tossed cars in the air, eyewitnesses tell the Boston Herald . As the state braces for a possible second wave...

Predicting Tornadoes Still a 'Crapshoot'

Dallas will test new approach with network of small radar devices

(Newser) - Even with 21st-century technology, predicting tornadoes is still largely a matter of guesswork, reports the New York Times . Scientists know the weather conditions that create tornadoes, but can't accurately say when those conditions will be just right. "There’s a large crapshoot aspect," says a senior scientist...

Storms Wallop South; Death Toll Hits 16
 Storms Wallop South; 
 Death Toll Hits 17 
UPDATED
Apr 16, 2011 7:42 AM CDT

Storms Wallop South; Death Toll Hits 17

Tornadoes claim victims in Oklahoma, Arkansas, Alabama

(Newser) - A total of seven people have been killed in violent storms in Alabama, bringing the total death toll to 17 as a devastating storm system works its way across the South. A spate of tornadoes ripped through towns, tossing mobile homes around like toys. "The tornado hit and jumped...

Half of US at Flood Risk
 Half of US at Flood Risk 
Mar 18, 2011 5:46 AM CDT

Half of US at Flood Risk

National Weather Service warns record spring floods could be on the way

(Newser) - As the mammoth winter snowfall melts across much of the US, expect the struggle against Mother Nature to continue: Spring flooding is already happening in parts of the country and almost half the US has an above-average risk of floods over the next few weeks, the National Weather Service warns...

LA's New Heat Record: 113 Degrees

Heat wave breaks official thermometer

(Newser) - Heat records melted in a scorching day across southern California yesterday, with downtown Los Angeles recording the highest temperature since records began in 1877. The National Weather Service's thermometer hit 113º around noon before breaking down, and officials say the day's true temperature could have been even higher, the Los ...

Tornadoes Confirmed in NYC Storm

Rare macroburst also tore through city, says weather service

(Newser) - The National Weather Service is confirming that the storm system that ripped through New York City Thursday spawned two tornadoes and a rare "macroburst," or intense downdraft, reports the New York Post. The first tornado rammed through Brooklyn's Park Slope neighborhood with winds up to 80mph; the second...

Cold Spell Sets Record Lows
 Cold Spell Sets Record Lows 
Jan 4, 2010 2:41 PM CST

Cold Spell Sets Record Lows

From Midwest to Florida, weather unusually frigid

(Newser) - The cold spell sweeping across the nation has been breaking records everywhere from the Midwest to the Great Lakes to New England. “We basically have an anomalous high-pressure system that came out of Canada and brought some really cold air with it,” a National Weather Service meteorologist tells...

Christmas Storm Slaps US
 Christmas Storm Slaps US 
SLIDESHOW
Dec 25, 2009 10:13 AM CST

Christmas Storm Slaps US

The weather outside is frightful, snarling travel and knocking power out

(Newser) - A fierce Christmas storm dumped more snow and ice across the nation's midsection today after stranding travelers as highways and airports closed and leaving many to celebrate the holiday just where they were. Meteorologists predicted the slow-moving storm would glaze highways in the East with ice through Christmas night and...

FAA May Shut 20 Air Traffic Weather Offices

Under plan, 2 forecast centers would serve entire country

(Newser) - The FAA may close 20 weather offices in air traffic control centers across the US, and instead connect all air traffic controllers to a pair of stations in Maryland and Missouri, the Washington Post reports. The money-saving plan would mean cutting controllers’ face-to-face contact with weather officials, something technology has...

Rains Hit California, but Drought Fears Remain

Weekend brings annual rainfall level closer to normal

(Newser) - California saw steady rain this weekend, but it’s still too early to know if the state’s water woes are over, the San Francisco Chronicle reports. The recent rains brought the state’s total rainfall up to 90% of normal levels for the year; 2 weeks ago only 60%...

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