Winds could fan deadly Calif. wildfire

Frank Bellino, The Press-Enterprise/AP

Residents help battle the fire in Murrieta, Calif. Firefighters say it's too soon to determine the gender of the body found in a burned home in the Campo area on Monday.

Frank Bellino, The Press-Enterprise/AP

Residents help battle the fire in Murrieta, Calif. Firefighters say it's too soon to determine the gender of the body found in a burned home in the Campo area on Monday.

CAMPO, Calif. (AP) â?? A fire that killed an elderly man who refused to evacuate and burned 20 homes in rural San Diego County was smoldering Tuesday, but gusty afternoon winds could push it back to life, authorities said.

Nearly 1,000 firefighters planned an all-out effort to surround the blaze, which continued to threaten about 25 homes in the rural community of Tierra del Sol near the U.S.-Mexican border, said fire spokesman Andy Menshek. Residents of two other small communities were allowed to return home earlier.

About 80 residents remained under evacuation orders.

"That is the one remaining evacuated area," Menshek said. "That's out highest priority today â?¦ we have propane tanks, downed power lines and a lot of hotspots to mop up."

The fire, which has burned nearly 4 1/2 square miles of hilly brush land since Sunday, was 55 percent contained.

Although no active flame was showing, winds began picking up Tuesday morning and gusts of up to 40 mph could hit in the afternoon, Menshek said.

"If we get one ember over the line, the fire could take off," he said.

On Monday, the body of an elderly man was retrieved from a burned home in Tierra del Sol. Neighbors reported the man missing when they saw his only vehicle parked at the home, authorities said. His identity was not immediately released, but neighbors told U-T San Diego he was 82 and had one leg.

Reverse 911 calls notifying homeowners of the evacuation order were made by the county sheriff's department. Neighbors said the man decided to remain.

"He felt that he was going to be OK if he stayed," sheriff's Lt. Rose Kurupas told the newspaper.

"He chose to stay and that's sad," Menshek said. "That's why we issue these evacuations."

Other blazes in the West remained active, blanketing some communities in eastern Washington state with smoke. The air quality in many Wenatchee and Cashmere areas was deemed either "hazardous" or "unhealthy" by state officials.

Authorities there updated the sizes of two of the state's largest fires after more accurate mapping and burnouts to create fire lines, officials said. The Wenatchee complex of fires was reported at 82 square miles, while the Table Mountain fire had burned nearly 57 square miles.

Crews also gained ground on a 5 1/2-square-mile fire in Montana's Musselshell County, allowing residents to return to about 50 homes southeast of Roundup. That blaze was human-caused and under investigation.

Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.For more information about reprints & permissions, visit our FAQ's. To report corrections and clarifications, contact Standards Editor Brent Jones. For publication consideration in the newspaper, send comments to letters@usatoday.com. Include name, phone number, city and state for verification. To view our corrections, go to corrections.usatoday.com.

View the original article here

Winds could fan deadly Calif. wildfire

Frank Bellino, The Press-Enterprise/AP

Residents help battle the fire in Murrieta, Calif. Firefighters say it's too soon to determine the gender of the body found in a burned home in the Campo area on Monday.

Frank Bellino, The Press-Enterprise/AP

Residents help battle the fire in Murrieta, Calif. Firefighters say it's too soon to determine the gender of the body found in a burned home in the Campo area on Monday.

CAMPO, Calif. (AP) â?? A fire that killed an elderly man who refused to evacuate and burned 20 homes in rural San Diego County was smoldering Tuesday, but gusty afternoon winds could push it back to life, authorities said.

Nearly 1,000 firefighters planned an all-out effort to surround the blaze, which continued to threaten about 25 homes in the rural community of Tierra del Sol near the U.S.-Mexican border, said fire spokesman Andy Menshek. Residents of two other small communities were allowed to return home earlier.

About 80 residents remained under evacuation orders.

"That is the one remaining evacuated area," Menshek said. "That's out highest priority today â?¦ we have propane tanks, downed power lines and a lot of hotspots to mop up."

The fire, which has burned nearly 4 1/2 square miles of hilly brush land since Sunday, was 55 percent contained.

Although no active flame was showing, winds began picking up Tuesday morning and gusts of up to 40 mph could hit in the afternoon, Menshek said.

"If we get one ember over the line, the fire could take off," he said.

On Monday, the body of an elderly man was retrieved from a burned home in Tierra del Sol. Neighbors reported the man missing when they saw his only vehicle parked at the home, authorities said. His identity was not immediately released, but neighbors told U-T San Diego he was 82 and had one leg.

Reverse 911 calls notifying homeowners of the evacuation order were made by the county sheriff's department. Neighbors said the man decided to remain.

"He felt that he was going to be OK if he stayed," sheriff's Lt. Rose Kurupas told the newspaper.

"He chose to stay and that's sad," Menshek said. "That's why we issue these evacuations."

Other blazes in the West remained active, blanketing some communities in eastern Washington state with smoke. The air quality in many Wenatchee and Cashmere areas was deemed either "hazardous" or "unhealthy" by state officials.

Authorities there updated the sizes of two of the state's largest fires after more accurate mapping and burnouts to create fire lines, officials said. The Wenatchee complex of fires was reported at 82 square miles, while the Table Mountain fire had burned nearly 57 square miles.

Crews also gained ground on a 5 1/2-square-mile fire in Montana's Musselshell County, allowing residents to return to about 50 homes southeast of Roundup. That blaze was human-caused and under investigation.

Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.For more information about reprints & permissions, visit our FAQ's. To report corrections and clarifications, contact Standards Editor Brent Jones. For publication consideration in the newspaper, send comments to letters@usatoday.com. Include name, phone number, city and state for verification. To view our corrections, go to corrections.usatoday.com.

View the original article here

Nevada wildfire crews race against winds

Firefighters battle a wildfire south of Gardnerville, Nev., on Tuesday. The fast-moving blaze near the Nevada-California line destroyed homes and forced evacuations

By Cathleen Allison, AP

WELLINGTON, Nev. (AP) – Fire crews in northern Nevada raced against Mother Nature, trying to secure a fire line Thursday above a second rural community before expected high winds moved in later in the day.

By Cathleen Allison, AP

A home is engulfed by flames from a wildfire south of Gardnerville, Nev., on Tuesday.

By Cathleen Allison, AP

A home is engulfed by flames from a wildfire south of Gardnerville, Nev., on Tuesday.

The Topaz Ranch Estates fire that broke out earlier in the week near the Nevada-California line had burned 7,500 acres and was 15 percent contained as of midday.

A red flag warning for extreme fire danger was in effect through 11 p.m. because of high winds and low humidity.

Two homes and 17 outbuildings were destroyed in the Topaz Ranch Estates community in southern Douglas County on Tuesday when a suspected illegal residential burn from two days earlier was re-ignited by stiff winds, and flames roared through cheat grass, pinion, juniper and sagebrush.

The fire has since moved into the higher elevations of the Pine Nut Mountains near Wellington. A main concern for firefighters was keeping the blaze in the remote mountains and away from the Upper Colony residential area in neighboring Lyon County. Fire officials feared strong winds could push the flames down Rickey Canyon to the homes tucked along the east side of the mountain range.

"So far, so good," said Lyon County Manager Jeff Page around 2 p.m.

If crews could hold the fire in check through the afternoon winds, they were hoping the weather would turn in their favor Friday and Saturday, when the forecast called for much cooler temperatures and a chance of rain and possible snow in the higher elevations.

Officials believe an illegal residential burn over the weekend was re-ignited by gusty winds Tuesday, sparking the blaze.

No deaths or injuries have been reported.

Six helicopters worked to douse the fire from the air as 575 firefighters battled it on the ground. Four bulldozers were helping to build fire breaks and 14 engines were stationed around the area for structure protection.

Meanwhile, in New Mexico, firefighters were being forced to sit on the sidelines Thursday as a massive wildfire that destroyed a dozen homes and several other structures in a small summer community in southwestern New Mexico grew larger and put more structures at risk.

Tripling in size over the last day, the lightning-sparked Whitewater and Baldy fires merged to burn across more than 110 square miles of the Gila National Forest by Thursday.

Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.For more information about reprints & permissions, visit our FAQ's. To report corrections and clarifications, contact Standards Editor Brent Jones. For publication consideration in the newspaper, send comments to letters@usatoday.com. Include name, phone number, city and state for verification. To view our corrections, go to corrections.usatoday.com.

View the original article here

Beryl to bring rain, winds to southeast U.S. coast

A cluster of thunderstorms that stalled off the southeastern U.S. coast on Saturday is expected to make for a sloppy, rainy Memorial Day on beaches and in tourist towns from Florida to South Carolina.

By Matt Born, The (Wilmington, N.C.) Star-News, via AP

Carolina Beach, N.C., Ocean Rescue leader Evan Anderson places a sign closing the beach to swimming Saturday because of strong rip currents.

By Matt Born, The (Wilmington, N.C.) Star-News, via AP

Carolina Beach, N.C., Ocean Rescue leader Evan Anderson places a sign closing the beach to swimming Saturday because of strong rip currents.

Tropical storm warnings were in effect for the entire Georgia coastline, as well as parts of Florida and South Carolina, according to the National Hurricane Center in Miami.

As thousands of people headed toward the beach for the holiday weekend, the center issued tropical storm warnings for the southeastern U.S. from the Volusia/Brevard county line in Florida to Edisto Beach, S.C., and a tropical storm watch stretching north to the South Santee River in South Carolina. A tropical storm warning means that storm conditions could developing within the next day and a half.

The large storm, with tropical-storm force winds stretching out for 115 miles, was expected to get stronger before it approaches land. The storm could also dump 3 to 6 inches of rain on the southeast coast.

Beryl was technically still considered a "subtropical storm," but the system is expected to bring winds and rain to the area regardless of its official classification.

The southeastern coast is popular with tourists who visit to enjoy the beaches and wilderness areas.

"A three-day thunderstorm is what it's probably going to be," said Jay Wiggins, emergency management director for Georgia's Glynn County, which is about 60 miles south of Savannah and includes Brunswick and St. Simons Island. "Unfortunately, it's going to ruin a lot of Memorial Day plans."

Wiggins said he expects some flooded roadways and scattered power outages, perhaps some minor flooding in waterfront homes, but otherwise little damage. However, he urged beachgoers to beware of dangerous rip currents.

On Cumberland Island, a federally protected wilderness area beloved by hikers and campers, superintendent Fred Boyles said he planned to wait until Sunday to decide if campers need to evacuate before the storm arrives. Boyles said he had about 100 campers planning to stay overnight Sunday, and the only way to leave Cumberland Island is by ferry.

In South Carolina, Beaufort County Emergency Management deputy director David Zeoli said that at midday Saturday word went out to first-responders along the coast near the Georgia line to pay attention to the storm's progress. Officials haven't been ordered to work on an otherwise lovely day for the beach, but have been told to stay near a phone, Zeoli said.

This is the second tropical storm to develop before the June 1 start of hurricane season.

Contributing: Associated Press

For more information about reprints & permissions, visit our FAQ's. To report corrections and clarifications, contact Standards Editor Brent Jones. For publication consideration in the newspaper, send comments to letters@usatoday.com. Include name, phone number, city and state for verification. To view our corrections, go to corrections.usatoday.com.

View the original article here

The Science of the Fierce Santa Ana Winds (LiveScience.com)

Hurricane-force winds are whipping through much of the western United States today (Dec. 1), sparking wildfires, knocking out power and flipping semi-trucks — but there's no tropical storm driving the intense gusts.

In Southern California, these freakish winds are called Santa Ana winds, strong down-slope winds that blow through the Santa Ana Mountain passes at speeds of 40 mph (64 kph), according to the National Weather Service.

The current weather system is causing damage far outside of sunny SoCal, however, and the winds are among the worst in decades, meteorologists said. Widespread gusts as strong as those of Hurricane Irene at landfall are expected to continue into tomorrow (Dec. 2). Already, firefighters in California are responding to wildfires spread by the winds and a major stretch of interstate has been shut down because of toppled trucks.

The strong winds throughout the West Coast are caused by an extreme pressure change between the Northwest and Southwest regions. A sprawling high-pressure system following a cold front has created a difference in pressure that sends wind surging southward. In the Northwest, a strong high-pressure system built along with a clockwise flow of winds. In the Southwest, a low-pressure system developed along with a counter-clockwise flow. The tight so-called pressure gradient that formed between these systems is driving winds over mountains and through the California canyons.

The winds can be of tropical storm strength(winds less than 74 mph, or 119 kph) at lower elevations and hurricane-strength (74 mph or greater)above 1,000 feet (305 meters).

Winds this strong can topple trees onto power lines, knocking out power. Already today, 34,000 are without power in Northern California, 25,000 have lost power in Southern California and Los Angeles Airport lost power for an hour last night.

In Southern California, 80 mph (129 kph)wind gusts have been reported in higher mountain passes. Near Los Angeles, wind gusts of up to 40 mph have been reported and gusts of up to 80 mph have been seen in some canyons. Winds are so strong right now that Pasadena, Calif., firefighters are responding to calls of downed trees every 12 seconds, according to the Weather Channel.

Outside SoCal

The strong winds aren't just a Southern California thing. Near Sacramento, wind gusts of up to 40 mphhave been reported. At higher elevations, gusts have topped 100 mph (161 kph), said Bill Rasch, an NWS meteorologist in Sacramento. Rasch told OurAmazingPlanet that winds this strong aren't unusual for the area, but said "in general it's a pretty strong storm."

The winds aren't even confined to California. In Las Vegas, winds are gusting at 29 mph (47 kph). At Mammoth Mountain's summit, the winds topped 150 mph, equivalent to a Category 3 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale.

The severe winds are even dangerous in Utah. Here, they are called simply "canyon winds," but the same phenomenon is at play. A high-pressure gradient east of the Rocky Mountains causes the winds to speed up going down the mountains. 

"By the time they hit the valley they're at an incredible speed," said Nanette Hosenfeld, a meteorologist with the NWS in Salt Lake City.

Wind gusts of up to 100 mph have been reported in Centerville, Utah. Interstate 15 has been completely shut down there because of flipped tractor-trailer trucks.

Wildfire hazard

The strong winds are a serious wildfire hazard in California. The NWS office in Los Angeles said there is "potential for high fire danger with rapid fire growth due to the strong offshore winds and low humidity values."

When the compressed winds are driven down mountain slopes they dry out and get hot.

"It can take a small fire and make it become a very large fire," said Julie Hutchinson, a battalion chief, with CalFire, the state's fire protection service. "If you get a fire started it can move very quickly."

In Southern California, the brush-covered hills are a big wildfire risk, Hutchinson said. Many areas of brush-covered hillsides have been sloughing off moisture in preparation for winter and are dangerously dry. Many areas are parched and battling a drought.

If a fire were to get out of hand, firefighters would not be able to use aircraft to fight the flames. Once the winds are above 35 mph (56 kph), firefighters must rely solely on boots on the ground, Hutchinson said.

Downed power lines are another big fire hazard. Los Angeles firefighters put out a 2-acre grass fire that burned overnight today at Occidental College sparked by downed power lines.

You can follow OurAmazingPlanet staff writer Brett Israel on Twitter: @btisrael. Follow OurAmazingPlanet for the latest in Earth science and exploration news on Twitter @OAPlanet and on Facebook.

View the original article here

Strong winds leave 7 dead in southern Sri Lanka (AP)

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka – Strong winds have killed seven people along Sri Lanka's southern coast.

Pradeep Kodippili, the spokesman for the government's disaster management center, says three people were killed by fallen trees Friday in the southern coastal town of Matara.

Also on Friday, the bodies of four fishermen who had ventured out to sea from Matara were recovered. Kodippili says it was possible that their boats had been damaged by the bad weather.

He says the winds damaged about 1,000 homes in the area.

The strong winds subsided by Friday evening.

View the original article here

Firefighters aided by easing winds in Reno fire (AP)

RENO, Nev. – Kristina Wright fell asleep listening to the TV weatherman's forecast for possible snow on the valley floor where she lives on edge of the foothills of the Sierra Nevada.

"I thought I'd wake up to scrape my windshield not be told to evacuate because there was a fire behind my house," she said.

Wright was among the thousands of evacuees anxious to get back to their homes on Saturday after a series of wind-fueled fires blew across a stretch of about four miles of southwest Reno the day before.

The unusual mid-November blaze burned 25 homes, sent 16 residents to the hospital plus a firefighter with serious burns and contributed to the death of a 74-year-old man who went into cardiac arrest packing his essentials as he prepared to flee.

More than 2 miles separated some of the damaged homes as the winds with gusts in excess of 70 mph spread burning embers down the Sierra front and through a patchwork of canyons and ravines on the city's southwest side.

"I watched a house catch on fire on the ridge," said Wright, 22, who lives in a neighborhood just below the aptly named Windy Hill about five miles south of the downtown casino district.

"It was like a tornado," she told The Associated Press in an interview on Saturday. "I couldn't stand up. I couldn't even open my car door without it slamming me."

"The deputy said `Go get your animals and call into work. Your neighborhood is next. With the way the winds are an ember could hit your roof and spark at any time," Wright said.

More than 100 police officers and National Guard members were patrolling streets in the fire area to protect homes from vandals, Assistant Police Chief Mike Whan said.

The wind carried embers up to a mile, attacking upscale homes in random spurts. Police went house-to-house, pounding on doors and urging residents to evacuate in the dark of the night. Flames at times reached 50-feet high.

The cause of the blaze wasn't known, but a downed power line or homeless encampments in the area might be to blame, Hernandez said. He said the region is also a popular area for teenagers who might have started the fire to stay warm.

At least 400 firefighters from as far as 260 miles away flocked to Reno early Friday as multiple fires roared from the Sierra Nevada foothills in northwestern Nevada and spread to the valley floor.

The wind grounded firefighting helicopters and made it difficult for firefighters to approach Caughlin Ranch, the affluent subdivision bordering pine-forested hills where the fire likely began after 12:30 a.m. It also helped the fire spread from 400 acres to more than 3 square miles.

The gusts were comparable to the Santa Ana winds that often aggravate and spread wildfires in the hills surrounding Los Angeles, officials said.

"The wind is horrific," said Reno spokeswoman Michele Anderson. "We just watched a semi nearly blow over on the freeway."

Hernandez said residents ran from their homes dressed in pajamas, frantically trying to grab as many possessions as possible. One elderly man dressed in his underwear ran out with a blanket wrapped around his body.

Dick Hecht said that when he escaped from his home with his wife, "the whole mountain was on fire," and it was so windy he could barely stand.

"It was like a tornado," he said.

The couple tried to return to their home before morning, but they were turned back by high winds and erupting flames. As they made their way back down the mountain roads, flames burned less than 40 yards from their vehicle.

Evacuees could return to their homes at noon Saturday, Reno Mayor Bob Cashell said. A number of local hotel-casinos were also offering discounted rooms to displaced residents.

More than 150 people had filled two shelters set up at area high schools by midmorning.

John and Maggie Givlin were among those watching a television at Reno High School, scanning the screen for details on whether the home they left behind was safe. They already were preparing to flee when a police officer knocked on their door at about 1:30 a.m.

"I looked out the front window and saw the glow over the hill before us," John Givlin said.

He and his wife made their way out of their home with a flashlight. Outside, flames billowed in every direction.

A number of local hotel-casinos offered discounted rooms to displaced residents and at least 90 schools were closed for the day to clear the roads of school traffic and make way for emergency workers.

More than 4,000 NV Energy customers lost power as poles and electrical wires were scorched and knocked down, said spokeswoman Faye Andersen. Utility workers were not allowed into the fire area.

The U.S. Postal Service suspended delivery to the area for the day, and the state high school athletic association moved its football playoffs from Friday night to Monday.

___

Associated Press writers Martin Griffith in Reno; a and Michelle Rindels, Cristina Silva and Ken Ritter in Las Vegas contributed to this report.

View the original article here

21-Foot Waves, Wild Winds Assault West Michigan (ContributorNetwork)

It was a crazy day, weather-wise, in West Michigan and more is expected today and Saturday. Gale-force winds, 21-33 foot waves on Lake Michigan, torrential rains blasted the western counties. Temperatures are dropping into the 30s this evening. Over on the east side, Detroit gears up for 18-foot waves on Lake Huron and seven foot waves on little Lake St. Clair.

Michigan may not be seeing the hurricane winds and rains that plague Florida and the east coast, but gale force is enough to knock out the power and create hazards for locals. Most of Michigan is outlined in small craft advisories and all the lakes are pink, meaning gale-force winds on the lakes.

High winds and rain knocked down trees and damaged power lines in several areas in West Michigan. This came on top of storm damage along the lakeshore, earlier in the week, too. The Lake Express car ferry which shuttles passengers across Lake Michigan from Muskegon, Mich., to Milwaukee Wis., canceled scheduled passages on Friday, due to wind advisories on the lake. Ludington's S.S. Badger, a car and tourist ferry also canceled service.

Though not as large as Lake Superior up north, we locals have always referred to Lake Michigan as the "big lake." Winds and high waves on the lake, can be more difficult to navigate even than out on the ocean. Bill Moore, Sylva, N.C., is a seasoned boater. He also served on different ships in Vietnam.

He explains sailing on the Great Lakes is completely different than sailing on the ocean. For one thing, the Great Lakes are more like small seas, than lakes. On the ocean, high waves appear as swells. On the lake, there are shorter distances between waves especially close to shore and near harbors. Waves "crest" in a shorter space, creating white caps. 14-20 foot waves (the current highs) on the lake can be more treacherous because there are more of them in a smaller space.

Also, the majority of boats on the Great Lakes are speed boats, pleasure crafts, yachts, sailboats and fishing boats. These vessels aren't designed for rough seas. There are fewer safety requirements for these smaller boats. Life jackets, flares and safety equipment are mandatory, but skippers aren't made to take boater safety courses. Many do, but licenses aren't required.

When storms and rough waters hit, this means more amateur boaters are unprepared for conditions. It's essential that boaters respect the lake and it's capacity for danger. Boaters should keep a marine radio on board. Here are mobile weather alerts and cellphone apps for land and marine conditions.

Marilisa Kinney Sachteleben writes about wild weather from 25 years teaching science.

View the original article here

48 mph Winds Wreak Havoc in Michigan (ContributorNetwork)

While other parts of the world are getting hurricanes and typhoons, Michigan is getting tropical storm strength winds as 48 mph winds, deluging rain and 21-foot waves have hit the state. With temperatures in the 30s and 40s, the wind speed is the only thing that feels "tropical."

* 40 mph: The wind speed recorded in Pontiac, Mich., on Friday.

* 48 mph: The wind speed recorded in Port Hope, Mich.

* 51 mph: The wind speed in Holland, Mich.

* 55,000: Consumer's Energy customers who lost power. Most have had their power turned back on but some pockets continue in darkness.

* 11,000: Detroit Thomas Edison customers who lost power. Most of these have also had their power turned back on.

* 23 feet: The recorded high wave height on Lake Michigan. It was set in Muskegon, Mich.

* 7 feet: Wave height on Lake St. Clair, in southeast Michigan.

* 18 feet: Wave height on Lake Huron.

* 6.2 inches: Rainfall at Detroit Metro Airport. This amount is twice the normal amount of rain for September and made it the third rainiest September since 1902.

* 2: Men killed when their SUV hit a puddle and hydroplaned into a home in Grand Rapids on Thursday. The home suffered extreme damage.

* 2: ferries closed due to winds and high waves on Lake Michigan. The Lake Express Ferry from Muskegon to Milwaukee canceled service as did Ludington's S.S. Badger car ferry.

Other damage occurred in Berrien Springs, Mich., where a golfer was killed while playing during the storm. Friends visiting ArtPrize in Grand Rapids had their visit abbreviated due to high winds and rain. Some construction was halted due to heavy winds.

Gale-force wind speeds are still in effect for areas near Lake Huron. Waves are at 14 feet. Small craft advisories are in effect for most lakeshore regions on all of the five great lakes in Michigan. Frost advisories are in effect for most of Michigan.

Marilisa Kinney Sachteleben writes about wild weather from 25 years teaching science and social studies.

View the original article here

Strong winds whip up waves, down trees in Midwest (Reuters)

James Kelleher

CHICAGO (Reuters) – A gusty cold front sweeping into the Midwest from Canada triggered gale, rip current and shoreline flood warnings along Lake Michigan on Friday and whipped up waves as high a 23 feet, the National Weather Service said.

Areas of North and South Dakota, Minnesota, Iowa, Wisconsin, Illinois, Michigan, Indiana, Ohio and adjoining parts of Canada - were buffeted by winds as high a 70 miles an hour and downed trees, knocked out power and prompted the closure of waterfront parks in several states.

In Wisconsin's Door County, a picturesque peninsula that juts out into northern Lake Michigan popular this time of year with tourists seeking fall color, all state parks and trails were closed until next week. The state's Department of Natural Resources said this was because of closed roads, downed trees and unsafe conditions.

No injuries were reported.

"We have all available local crews at work clearing roads and more help is on the way," said Dan Schuller, director of the DNR's Wisconsin State Parks and Trails system.

"We are concentrating on damage assessment and clearing of roads to campgrounds and other high use areas. Campers currently in the parks are being asked to leave ... We will reopen all properties as soon as they can be declared safe for visitors."

Chicago lived up to its nickname as the "Windy City" on Friday as huge swells forced the closure of the city's 18.5 mile lakefront bike and running path.

Mark Bardou, a meteorologist with in the Chicago bureau of the NWS, said some of the strongest winds associated with the storm were measured over the Great Lakes, where gusts neared 65 knots an hour, about 75 miles an hour, and buoys in the middle of the lake measured swells as high as 23 feet.

(Editing by Greg McCune)

View the original article here

Joplin Tornado: 198-mph Winds Destroyed 30 Percent of City (ContributorNetwork)

The estimated EF4 tornado that destroyed a major part of Joplin, Mo., was not on the ground for very long. Yet it was one of the deadliest tornadoes to strike the United States in its history, killing at least 116.

Here's a look at the massive Joplin tornado, by the numbers.

198: The number of miles per hour the winds reached in the tornado. That puts the rating at an EF4 on the Fujita Scale.

6: The number of miles long the path of destruction followed. The six miles would run the entire width of the city. The tornado was at least three-fourths of a mile wide at one point and scattered debris well beyond the most intense areas of destruction.

17: The number of city blocks decimated by the most intense damage. The Neosho Daily News reports the most severe damage occurred between 15th and 32nd streets from west to east across the city. The tornado leveled houses and the heart of the retail district on the east side of town along Range Line Road.

2,000: The number of buildings damaged by the tornado. Included in the figure is Joplin High School, one of two Walmarts in the city, Home Depot, Lowe's, and St. John's Regional Medical Center. Most of the damaged and destroyed buildings were homes and residences.

30: The percent of Joplin destroyed by the tornado, according to Gov. Jay Nixon. The figure includes structures made uninhabitable by the deadly twister. CNN reports a Red Cross employee estimated as much as 75 percent of the city was destroyed.

49,024: The resident population of Joplin. During the day time when more people work at local businesses and factories, the population swells to almost 270,000. Many plants were in shut down mode and there were fewer people in the city. Otherwise the death toll could have been much, much worse.

70: The number of miles away debris has been found. Medical records such as x-rays and promotional materials from St. John's hospital, pictures, papers, and even a baseball were flung between 60 and 70 miles from their points of origin. It shows the intensity and raw power behind the massive tornado.

1,000: The number of firefighters and emergency personnel who have converged on the city to try to find survivors. Once the tornado struck, a call went out to any available personnel with medical experience or search and rescue training because normal city officials were completely overwhelmed.

18,000: The number of customers without electricity 12 hours after the storms blew through Joplin, according to USA Today. Electrical infrastructure has been dealt a huge blow as power poles were snapped like match sticks and power lines were laying over streets and yards. It may be weeks before normal levels of electrical output return to the city.

William Browning lives in Branson, Mo.

View the original article here