KANSAS CITY METRO WEATHER: Snow Flurries In Overland Park

Here is a traffic camera image- courtesy of the OP Traffic Dept.- depicting snow flurries (white blurs in the pic-click to enlarge) falling there.

Occasional snow showers will continue for the next hour or so- no accumulation on the roadways since it's in the upper-30's Metrowide.

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A Few Photos Of Yesterday Evening's Storm

Thanks to the good people of Best Buy- your Captain FINALLY has digital pix capabilities.

We didn't waste any time getting the new Nikon Coolpix S550 with 10 megapixel resolution in action. The following pix were taken first here at the home office- then looking west from one of my good local spotter vantage points at 63rd Street & Blue Ridge Cutoff.

In-house photos of breaking severe weather events- as well as breaking news events- will become a feature here at CSW.

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Flood Crests On Lower Mississippi River Nearing 1973 Records

The Mississippi continues to rise along and south of the Missouri & Ohio river confluences.

"Major" flood crests are now expected along portions of the Mississippi- according to the latest NWS river forecasts.

The NWS reports that a few of these flood crest forecasts will be just below those recorded during the last major flood on the lower Mississippi in 1973.

The Army Corps of Engineers was reported to be opening the Bonnet Carre spillway from the river to Lake Pontchartain today. This diverts the river's flood crest to the lake- lessening the flood crest at New Orleans- which is still projected to reach 17-feet on their 20-foot high floodwalls.

A break is expected in storm systems- with the next significant storm system not expected until late next week/weekend.

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KANSAS CITY MetroRegion WEATHER: Severe Thunderstorm Watch 191 In Effect

Severe Thunderstorm Watch Number 191 is in effect for virtually all of the Kansas City MetroRegion until 9pm tonight.


The following graphic are the counties inside the watch- plus the latest NWS radar.

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KANSAS CITY MetroRegion WEATHER: Severe Weather Watch Possible

The NWS' Storm Prediction Center (SPC) is watching the activity you see on the following weather radar image for possible issuance of a severe weather watch.



A deep low pressure center in Kansas is moving north-northeastward- causing all this disturbed weather. Temperatures range from the 40's in far northern reaches of the MetroRegion to the middle 60's south- including here in the K.C. Metro.



Again- the area indicated inside the scallops on the below SPC image is being monitored for a possible WATCH issuance.



Stay informed and save yourself.

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Online Ordering Woes From Nebraska Furniture Mart

Do NOT order a digital camera from Nebraska Furniture Mart online. Probably for that matter- don't order ANYTHING from them...

The way we've gotten jacked around I'm inclined not to buy anything from NFM UFN.

The Nikon Coolpix digital camera was ordered last Thursday and it came this past Monday. No problem there when it arrived on time but other problems began.

First off- it was obvious the box had been opened at some time. Upon examination- the camera had no battery.

So Ms. Rittenhouse called the NFM "customer service" to ask about this. The "customer service" rep apologized for the no battery- offering a $25 gift certificate. She gave the rep the CORRECT battery number as listed in the Nikon manual.

Yesterday the battery came and it was the wrong one and no sign of any $25 gift certificate yesterday or today.

Another call is made to NFM this morning. We're told the camera is out of stock- none would be available until the end of the month.

Ms. Rittenhouse is on the phone with them AGAIN- this time to tell them we're shipping their whole mess back to them with expectations of a FULL refund.

Let you know how that mess turns out- but regardless- this is the first and last time I'm doing ANY business with that so-great and cheap Nebraska Furniture Mart.

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Post Script - 12:50pm- Ms. Rittenhouse has filed a complaint with the Better Business Bureau against Nebraska Furniture Mart..

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Chinese Get Sanitized Version Of Olympic Torch Run

According to CNN- Chinese TV has not been showing any of the "torch protests" going on around the world.

So much for an unbiased "free" Chinese press.

In San Francisco- the Olympic torch relay run had it's path altered due to protests- and the ending ceremony was cancelled altogether.

Now we know what happened to Karl Rove- he's spinning BS for the Chinese government and it's sham news media.

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KANSAS CITY MetroRegion WEATHER: NWS Flood Watch

A complex and strengthening spring storm- already affecting portions of Texas & Oklahoma- will spread northeastward over the next 48 hours- bringing severe weather and possible flooding rains.

The local NWS office in Pleasant Hill has issued a Flood Watch (refer to graphic/click to enlarge) that will be in effect later today through Thursday that includes Metro K.C. as well as the Missouri portions of the K.C. MetroRegion.

Rainfalls of 1 to 2-inches are expected- with locally higher rainfalls in areas with heavier storms. With the rains of 1-2-inches Tuesday- soils are saturated and streams and rivers are running high.

Periods of intense rainfall could produce deadly flash flooding.

In addition to the rain- a broad area of severe thunderstorms are expected today over the south-central states- Oklahoma & Texas- then Thursday that area of severe weather moves into parts of Missouri- Oklahoma and Arkansas- including the entire K.C. MetroRegion.

This is a "moderate risk" area (see graphic 2) and it could get VERY nasty- the NWS-SPC says "strong/possibly long-track tornadoes" are also possible in both areas today and tomorrow.

As is always the case with bad weather locally- I'll be on it here.

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WIll Voter Backlash Kill Bus Tax

Both Ms. Rittenhouse and myself just voted against the continuation of the transit or "bus" tax.

The tax has a year to go.
It was stupid for the pollys to put it on the ballot without an alternative light rail transit plan- something to mollify voters still PISSED-OFF that the council overturned the voters' desires.

Also voted against a school tax levy increase (horrible- horrible timing again with costs of everything rising like an Arkansas river) as well as the socialist smoking ordinance and the $1000 fee to check-cashing businesses.

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The NCAA Basketball National Champion Kansas Jayhawks

Kansas- 75 Memphis- 68.

What a game!

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Bejing Olympic Torch Relay Not Going Well

It seems people around the world are so pissed-off over China's continued human rights violations (and shoddy manufacturing?) that the Olympic torch relay is meeting with physical protests wherever it goes.

The latest tour of the torch was by bus through France because of protesters- according to the Associated Press.

I plan to boycott ANY facet of the China Olympics- yes- that includes watching any of it on TV.

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Mission Accomplished: John McCain Just Another Bush Clone

If McCain is elected America's latest king and he gets his way- your children's great-grandkids will be in Iraq too.

According to this AP article- McCain said America is "no longer staring into the abyss of defeat" in Iraq.

Electric Kool-aid drinkers aside- I don't know ANYONE in their right mind who'd vote Republicrat after the past 8 years of American destruction.

It's simply this: A vote for John McCain is a vote for continuation of Shrub's miserably failed policies.

As folks tell me when I vote 3rd-party- a vote for McCain is a wasted vote as well- a vote for a Wasted America.

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KANSAS CITY MetroRegion WEATHER: NWS-SPC: "Slight" Chance Of Severe Thunderstorms Later

The National Weather Service's Storm Prediction Center (NWS-SPC) has about the southern half of the Kansas City MetroRegion- from about I-70 southward- under a "slight risk" of severe thunderstorms and their accompanying weather for the overnight hours.



That's when the storms- forecasted to develop in Oklahoma and move northeastward- are predicted to affect the MetroRegion and Metro.



The "primary" severe threat will be large hail- with the higher tornado threat overnight staying well to our southwest through south.



There is also a threat of severe storms later in the week- and I'll post on that later as well.

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Continued Rains Increase Concern On The Lower Mississippi River

Presently- flood stages along the Mississippi River are of the minor to moderate category from just above the mouth of the Ohio River near Cairo-IL all the way south into Louisiana. The Ohio River itself is in moderate to major flood in it's lower reaches.

The top of the levees on the Mississippi at New Orleans are 20 feet. The present crest forecast is now 17 feet on April 16.

That's at least 3 forecasted-significant storm systems away.

According to this Associated press dispatch- the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers have gone to 24/7 manning- "monitoring the levees" and the flood moving south along the lower Mississippi. There's a specially-built spillway the Corps can open- sending excess floodwater into nearby Lake Pontchartrain.

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The Kansas City MetroRegion Overnight News and Weather Report - Sunday, April 06, 2008

*** Four Hurt - 2 Critically - In 2 Metro Shootings ***

*** The shootings were in KC-KS where 3 males were hit- and in Grandview-MO where a female was badly hurt.

The first shooting was reported in the 1000 block of Custer Avenue in KC-KS just after midnight Sunday morning.

Here- police- fire & 3 EMS units found 3 Hispanic males around 30-years-of-age shot- 1 critically. They were taken to 2 different Metro trauma centers.

Police report a male suspect left in a dark-colored 1993-1998 Ford Crown Victoria.

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The Grandview-MO shooting was reported at 1:18am. At that time- police are already chasing a suspect vehicle- an older light-colored Oldsmobile- from the scene in the 3400 block of Main Street.

At the Main Street location- a party had reportedly just broken up at a private hall there- when shots were fired between 2 cars.

The shots struck a car containing the 18-year-old female victim- who took 5 gunshots to her body. She was taken to an area trauma center in very critical condition about 20 minutes later.

Meanwhile- Grandview- then KC-MO police- chase the suspect vehicle containing 3 black males at speeds reported as high as 100 m.p.h. into south-central KC-MO..

The chase ends in the area of 55th Street and Prospect around 1:40am- with at least 2 of the 3 people inside in police custody.

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** Lawrence-KS Basketball Celebration Tame **

*** Even though thousands crowded downtown Lawrence-KS after their victory in the NCAA basketball tournament- no serious injuries or problems resulted.

My sources revealed less than a dozen injured people were treated by EMS crews- none serious- and fire crews put out several dumpster fires throughout early Sunday morning.

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<><><> OVERNIGHT WEATHER <><><>

Mostly cloudy to cloudy skies kept temperatures in most parts of the Kansas City MetroRegion as warm as 15 degrees avove average morning lows. Brisk breezes from the south and southeast ahead of an approaching storm system also helped with the warmup.

A cool front will pass through the MetroRegion later today from west to east- but there's little chance of any organized precipitation that will associated with it's passage. Temperatures will reach the 65 to 70-degree mark with gusty south winds shifting to westerly by evening in Meto K.C...

That front will go stationary to our south- then try to return north late Monday into Tuesday as yet another storm system- this one more potent- affects the MetroRegion with chances of severe storms through Tuesday.

Temperatures will be average to slightly below average most of the week with another storm system affecting us Wednesday and/or Thursday.

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Kansas City's Breaking News Leader - NBC41 ACTION NEWS.

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