K.C. MetroRegion WEATHER: Severe Thunderstorm Watch No. 753- KS- NE

See the graphics (klik for full-size).

The watch is valid until 10pm- and comes to the western border of the K.C. Metro.

The visible satellite photo shows a large complex of severe storms in Central Kansas- with scattered thunderstorms eastward into the southern K.C. Metro.

Keep tuned for the latest weather information.

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More American Bank Troubles

In this Associated Press story- the Federal government's FDIC has taken over 2 banks that operated in Arizona- California and Nevada.
This nearly 2 weeks after the Feds had to take over IndyMac Bank- said by many sources to be "the 2nd-largest bank failure in American history."

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BREAKING NEWS- LEE'S SUMMIT: Child Reported Locked In A Vehicle

At 3:37pm this Friday afternoon- Lee's Summit-MO police- fire & EMS people went to "800 S.E. Church at the Little Learner's Pre-school" where a child had reportedly been "locked in a car for more than 20 minutes."

A police officer arrived minutes after the dispatch and got the child out of the vehicle.

The child was okay- EMS says the parent refused the child be transported by them to a medical facility.

No word if any charges will be brought against that parent.

Official National Weather Service observation in Lee's Summit at 3pm had a mostly sunny sky- temperature 88°F with a Heat Index of 96°F.

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KansasCity'sBreaking News Leader - NBC41 ACTION NEWS.

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K.C. Metro-MetroRegion WEATHER: SPC: Severe Storm "Watch Possible"

This affected local NWS forecast office "heads-up" was sent out not long ago- and includes Metro Kansas City and probably a swath somewhere along and south of Interstate 70.

Included is the technical-jargon text of the "Mesoscale Discussion" if you're interested.

Please- check the latest weather information for your own protection.

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K.C. MetroRegion Breaking Weather-News: NWS- Record Flooding Forecast- Chariton River

Major to record flooding continues to plague too many portions of the Central States in 2008.

The latest story is in Missouri- not far northeast of Kansas City- best told in the images below.

Record flooding forecast along the Chariton River.

The Chariton empties into the Muddy Mo betwwen Brunswick and Glasgow.

Major flooding forecast on the (North) Grand River at Chillicothe may well close U.S. 65 south of there.

The Grand joins The Missouri near Brunswick.

These areas could get more heavy rain- with possibly other flooding areas added- over the next several days.

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Missouri "Record" Flooding - More Storms Expected

The following image (click for full size) is a Flash Flood Warning for extreme northeastern portions of the Kansas City MetroRegion.
A swath of 6 to "more than 8-inches" of rain occurred from early Thursday to early Friday mornings.

"Record" flooding is forecast along the Chariton River.

To add to these new flooding woes- more showers and thunderstorms- some severe and more with tropical-type rain rates- are expected later today and again overnight.


A flash flood watch is in effect for much of northern and northeastern Missouri through early Saturday.

That "slight risk" area for severe storms includes Metro K.C. as well. Our rainfalls were not nearly as extreme- beneficial actually- with general one-half to 1.25-inch amounts reported.

That does not mean however that repeat storm cells later and over the coming days on saturated areas won't produce sudden- and deadly- flash flooding here.
Keep tuned and stay alive....

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KANSAS CITY WEATHER: Tornado Watch Continues - Satellite/Radar Update 2

Tornado Watch #747 continues until midnight.

You can see on this NWS-Topeka Doppler radar image that the large severe thunderstorm in SE Nebraska has moved into NE Kansas.

This storm is moving southeastward toward the K.C. Metro- particularily the northwest through southwest Kansas 'burbs- as well as Lawrence.

This is an equally impressive storm cell on the visible satellite image. It has the appearance of a small- inland hurricane.

Time to anchor down the outside stuff and prepare for quite a blow in a few hours.

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KANSAS CITY WEATHER: Visible Satellite - Radar Update 1

The severe storm in southeastern Nebraska is moving southeastward- generally toward the K.C. Metro.


The top measured on Topeka's Doppler radar is almost 12 miles high on that cell...

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KANSAS CTY METRO WEATHER: TORNADO WATCH UNTIL MIDNIGHT

Tornado Watch No. 747 is valid until midnight- and it includes all of Metro Kansas City as well as most of the MetroRegion.



The exception would be extreme northeast through southeastern Missouri portions of the MetroRegion.

I'll be on it....

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Joke Of Minimum Wage Rising Today

Consider it a joke- because it is.

The Associated Press says today's the day the new minimum wage of $6.55 per hour kicks in.

How much of a joke is today's minimum wage?

When I began working full-time in 1970- the minimum wage was $1.60 per hour.

No- not a lot. But at that wage in 1970- a person could buy about six and a half (6-1/2) gallons of gasoline that then cost a quarter a gallon (gasoline the summer of 1970 was as low as $0.19 a gallon!).

The new minimum wage can't even purchase 2 gallons of gasoline.

That's just part of the joke- trust me- the rest of the story is just as un-funny.

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K.C. MetroRegion Weather: Severe Storm Chances Through Saturday

I've included all 3 days' worth of SPC storm/severe storm outlooks here (click on all images for full size) to illustrate the possibility of storms- some possibly severe- over about the north & northeastern half of the Kansas City MetroRegion today through Saturday.

The most likely time for storms will be late afternoon through early morning hours.

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Hurricane Dolly Update - 0723-01

Dolly is now a Category 1 hurricane and situated east-southeast of Brownsville-TX this morning.

Outer rain bands of Dolly are affecting the Gulf coast as far north as Rockport-TX..

Little additional strengthening is expected before Dolly makes landfall near Brownsville late today or early Thursday.

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Kansas City Weather - TS Dolly Update

Locally- the NWS' Storm Prediction Center still says there's a "slight risk" of severe thunderstorms later today and tonight in the Metro and areas east and southeast too.

No severe watches are currently in effect for the MetroRegion. There are some strong thunderstorms indicated on weather radar to the east and southeast of St. Joseph-MO at this time.

In the Gulf of Mexico- Tropical Storm Dolly is about to become a hurricane- last measured winds were sustained at 70 knots.

Below is the latest visible satellite images of Dolly- along with the current track forecast as Dolly is forecast to become a hurricane before it makes landfall near Brownsville-TX..

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K.C. MetroRegion WEATHER: New Watch May Include K.C. Metro

According to the Storm Prediction Center in the following imaged "Mesoscale Discussion (click for full size):"

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K.C. MetroRegion WEATHER: Severe Thunderstorm Watch No. 719 - MO- IA- NE

ST Watch Number 719 is valid until Midnight- and covers the northern Kansas City MetroRegion generally along and north of U.S. 36 in Missouri.

St. Joseph is not included - but the counties immediately north are included in the watch.

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K.C. MetroRegion WEATHER: SPC: Severe Weather Watch "Likely" Soon

This is according to the SPC "Mesoscale Discussion 1839" posted here in image form (click on All images for full size).

Any watch will probably be for areas generally north of Interstate 70 in the Kansas City Metro and MetroRegion- at least initially.

There will be some tornado threat when storms first become severe or super-cellular- but the primary threat will be strong- straight-line winds and hail.

Torrential rainfalls are also a threat- with lots of deadly cloud to ground lightning.

More here when a watch is actually issued....

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Local Newspaper Leaves Most Important Fact Out Of Story On Drug Tests

The story was front-page news in Sunday's STAR- how we subjects in the Kingdom are faring (not so good) on our drug-tests for jobs ranging from critical to the mundane.

What The STAR conveniently DIDN'T mention is the fact that politicans- the very people that make and invoke policy/laws- do NOT have to take drug tests.

Therefore- to me- the story was moot- uninformative and out-of-touch with reality.

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Hurricane Watch For Dolly In Effect For Far South Texas

Dolly will become a Category-1 hurricane soon- now positioned just north of Mexico's Yucatan peninsula- as shown in this latest visible satellite photo (click on all images for full size).


The larger satellite view shows the south Texas coastline in the upper left.



Also- here's the latest 5-day track forecast on Dolly- provided by the National Hurricane Center in Miami.


Compare this latest forecast with the next-earliest forecast.




You can see that Brownsville- Harlingen and South Padre Islands area of Texas could be part of the Dolly experience.

Tropical storm conditions could extend as far north as Corpus Christi and Rockport-TX. by weeks' end as well.

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K.C. MetroRegion WEATHER: "Slight Risk" Of Severe Storms Later Today

The NWS' Storm Prediction Center (SPC) has outlooked just over the northeastern half of the Kansas City MetroRegion for a chance of possible severe thunderstorms later today and tonight.

The entire Kansas City Metro is also included in this forecast. Eastern MetroRegion areas may see a chance of severe storms on Tuesday as well.

Stay logged in here- or check radio & TV for the latest developments.

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Hello (Tropical Storm) Dolly

Advisories have been issued on now Tropical Storm Dolly- located in the southeastern Carribean and moving ever so slowly west-northwest at this time.

There is no immediate threat to U-S interests along the Gulf.

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