Winter US storm brings warnings of more tornadoes, blizzards | AP News
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
DALLAS (AP) — A destructive winter storm marched across the United States on Wednesday, delivering blizzard-like conditions to the Great Plains hours after tornadoes touched down in parts of Texas, Oklahoma and Louisiana.
Five tornadoes were confirmed across north Texas as of Tuesday afternoon based on video and eyewitness reports, but potentially a dozen may have occurred, the National Weather Service in Fort Worth, Texas, reported.
Dozens of homes and businesses were damaged by the line of thunderstorms, and several people were injured in the suburbs and counties stretching north of the Dallas-Fort Worth area. More than 1,000 flights into and out of area airports were delayed, and over 100 were canceled, according to the tracking service FlightAware.
Two people were missing and homes were destroyed Tuesday when a tornado hit Four Forts, Louisiana, about 10 miles (16 kilometers) from Shreveport, said Sgt. Casey Jones of the Caddo Parish Sheriff's Office.
"I'm hoping they're with family somewhere," Jones said. There were no immediate reports of deaths.
The severe weather threat continued into Wednesday for Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and the Florida Panhandle, according to the Storm Prediction Center in Norman, Oklahoma.
Blizzard warnings stretched from Montana into western Nebraska and Colorado, and the National Weather Service said as much as 2 feet (61 centimeters) of snow was possible in some areas of western South Dakota and northwestern Nebraska. Winds of more than 50 mph (80 kph) at times will make it impossible to see outdoors in Nebraska, officials said.
"There's essentially no one traveling right now," said Justin McCallum, a manager at the Flying J truck stop at Ogallala, Nebraska.
Forecasters expect the storm system to hobble the upper Midwest with ice, rain and snow for days, as well as move into the Northeast and central Appalachians. Residents from West Virginia to Vermont were told to watch out for a possible significant mix of snow, ice and sleet, and the National Weather Service issued a winter storm watch from Wednesday night through Friday afternoon, depending on the timing of the storm.
In the Dallas suburb of Grapevine, police spokesperson Amanda McNew reported five confirmed injuries Tuesday.
A possible tornado blew the roof off the city's service center — a municipal facility — and left pieces of the roof hanging from powerlines, said Trent Kelley, deputy director of Grapevine Parks and Recreation.
It was also trash day, so the storm picked up and scattered garbage all over, he said.
Photos sent by the city showed downed power lines on rain-soaked streets, as well as toppled trees, damaged buildings and a semitrailer that appeared to have been tossed around a parking lot.
In Colorado, all roads were closed in the northeast quadrant of the state. The severe weather in the ranching region could also threaten livestock. Extreme winds can push livestock through fences as they follow the gale's direction, said Jim Santomaso, a northeast representative for the Colorado Cattlemen's Association.
"If this keeps up," said Santomaso, "cattle could drift miles."
A blizzard warning has been issued on Minnesota's north shore, as some areas are expecting up to 24 inches of snow and wind gusts up to 40 mph. And in the south of the state, winds gusting up to 50 mph (80 kph) had reduced visibility.
National Weather Service meteorologist Melissa Dye in the Twin Cities said this is a "long duration event" with snow, ice and rain through Friday night. Minnesota was expecting a lull Wednesday, followed by a second round of snow.
The same weather system dumped heavy snow in the Sierra Nevada and western U.S. in recent days.
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Missed the Denver Metro area....no snow and not much wind. Northeast Colorado is another story.
California reservoirs and the Colorado River (and Lake Mead) need water.
This storm should help replenish both.
NASA satellite images show how much Lake Mead has receded since 2000
New satellite images from NASA show Lake Mead’s dramatically shrinking shoreline and how parts of the once-sprawling reservoir have mineralized over the past two decades.
Lake Mead, the largest reservoir in the nation, sits at just 27% capacity, its lowest point since April 1937 when it was first being filled, according to NASA.
The lake, on the Nevada-Arizona border, is nearly unrecognizable from how it looked just 22 years ago, according to photos released by NASA Wednesday.
An image taken from space on July 6, 2000, shows the lake full and a deep shade of blue. Another photo, taken July 3, shows a lighter color, meaning areas formerly underwater have mineralized, a phenomenon known as a “bathtub ring” effect.
At the end of July 2000, around the time of the first satellite image, the water elevation at the Hoover Dam was at 1,199.97 feet above sea level. By July 18 this year, around the time of the second image, it dropped to 1,041.30 feet, according to data from the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation.
How many years did it take for those res and Lake mead to fill to get to those 2000 levels ?
this storm wont even be a drop in a one gallon bucket towards replentishing whats taken annually and thats even considering , shutting off all up river water rights so mead can regain some , and thats not going to happen .
It's here. There is a heavy coating of ice on pretty much everything outside, and now it's sleeting. There are power outages being reported. My lights are on for now.
Be safe!
Thanks, Trout! Staying home today with the wood stove going and the dog keeping my lap warm.