Rare Tornado Warning In Hawaii

This came in on the automatic warning software a bit ago:

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HONOLULU HI
1241 PM HST SAT DEC 13 2008

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN HONOLULU HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
THE ISLAND OF KAUAI IN KAUAI COUNTY

* UNTIL 115 PM HST

* AT 1234 PM HST...RADAR INDICATED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF
PRODUCING A TORNADO 7 MILES SOUTHWEST OF KAUMAKANI...OR 24 MILES
WEST OF LIHUE...MOVING TO THE NORTHEAST AT 35 MPH.

* THE TORNADO WILL BE NEAR...
KEKAHA AT 1245 PM HST
WAIMEA AT 1250 PM HST
HANAPEPE AT 1250 PM HST
6 MILES SOUTH OF HANALEI AT 115 PM HST

HEAVY RAINFALL MAY OBSCURE THIS TORNADO. TAKE COVER NOW! IF YOU WAIT
TO SEE OR HEAR IT COMING...IT MAY BE TOO LATE TO GET TO A SAFE PLACE.

LAT...LON 2248 15946 2233 15921 2176 15965 2185 15981
TIME...MOT...LOC 2240Z 211DEG 29KT 2189 15968

$$
KODAMA

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One Dead in Miami County-KS Crash

A yet-unidentified male is dead after a 1-vehicle crash at Kansas (K)-68 and Somerset Road in rural Miami County around 2:50am Saturday morning..

The vehicle reportedly caught fire after the crash and the driver was trapped inside- where he was reported deceased by EMS on the scene at 3:07am...

KSHB photojournalist Micheal Butler told me it appeared the man was driving north on Somerset and didn't stop at the T-intersection- then slammed into a rock embankment on the north side of K-68.

The official report and a press release is pending.

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Kansas City Christmas 2008 Video Series: Mid-Southwestern KC-MO Lights

Continuing in our series of Kansas City and area Christmas light displays- the following YouTube presentation are of 8 short videos shot hours after K.C.'s first significant snowfall of this season on Tuesday.
The location is in the KC-MO area of West 68th & 69th Streets between Wornall and Ward Parkway.

CSW thanks the homeowners association and the dwellers alike for sharing this with your fellow Metro Kansas Citians.

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Bankers Got Hollered At Less Than Auto Makers

Watching our wonderful Congress grilling the corporate heads seeking American taxpayer welfare- my perception was that the automakers got beat over the head much worse than the bankers did.

The automakers (DUH!) MAKE THINGS while the bankers make nothing but money. The automakers are asking but a FRACTION of the bailout windfall the bankers got and continue to get as US government printing presses work at critical mass to produce increasingly-worthless dollars.

Yeah okay- UAW members make a lot of money- is that purely the worker's fault- or the union's for that matter?

Sure- concessions are necessary- but their burden should never be squarely on the shoulders of the labor force.

Politicians need to take this grilling of auto company CEOs back to the welfare bankers. If Congress lets the American auto makers fail- then Congress has failed America IMHO.

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Crazy Mix of Colours On NWS U.S. Warning Map

By clicking on the image below- you can see the current watches and warnings in effect across the contiguous-48 United States.

Note the blizzard warnings covering virtually all of the Dakotas and nearby states.

This is the leading edge of the Arctic air mass that will roll into Metro Kansas City late Sunday.

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K.C. Metro WEATHER: Nice Weekend - Frigid Monday

An Arctic air mass will slide down over the Central States beginning Sunday in Nebraska and Iowa- into the K.C. Metro Sunday night- then the cold air settles south toward Arkansas and Oklahoma.

First the good news- temperatures will reach around the 50-degree mark Saturday- possibly in the 50's on Sunday.

The Arctic front is forecast to move through Metro K.C. Sunday evening. Precipitation is likely with the frontal passage starting as rain- then possibly becoming sleet or freezing rain before changing to snow.

Right now any accumulations in the Metro look to be light- on the order of Tuesday's storm at worse.

However- once the Arctic air mass becomes entrenched here- weak storm systems passing along the southern edge of the cold may produce periods of snow in the MetroRegion.

There are chances for snow Tuesday off and on through Thursday. It's too far out right now to make any attempts predicting any accumulations for next week- but it will be below-average temperature-wise through the weekend after next.

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KCTV-5 To Drop Metro Sports

According to local media sources- KCTV-5 the local CBS affiliate is dropping Time-Warner's Metro Sports.

KCTV contracted with Metro Sports in 2003 to provide Channel 5's sports coverage. The station dropped their sports department in doing so.

Now it's reported that KMBC-9 is in talks with Metro Sports to possibly provide the ABC affiliate the same services Metro Sports provided to KCTV.

Which means NFL Hall of Fame quarterback/sportscaster Len Dawson MAY be retiring very soon....

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Joe Miller On KCUR

Former press aide to Mayor Mark Funkhouser- Joe Miller- is on KCUR FM 89.3 at this time.

Miller is describing the difficulties he had with the Mayor's wife- Gloria Squitiro.

The interview is NOT complimentary to the Mayor or his wife and is also addressing Miller's breach of ethics while working for the Mayor.

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Christmas In Kansas City 2008 - The Plaza Lights

In our continued task to document Kansas City's varied and lovely Christmas lights- here are videos of the Country Club Plaza lights.

These were shot on the evening of December 9- hours after K.C.'s first significant snowfall of the season.

We apologize for the wind noise on some of the videos- we'll edit those out over time and add Christmas music to the audio portion.

But we wanted to get these vids up to share with our fellow citizens. The other 6 videos of our Plaza drive can be found HERE- on YouTube's CaptGSpaulding channel.

Coming soon are more Christmas light display videos- West 68th & 69th Streets in KC-MO..

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Capitol Federal Savings Bank Featured On NBC's Today Show

Of all the thousands of banks that succumbed to the lure of fast easy money during the mortgage meltdown- NBC found one MetroRegion bank that didn't: Capitol Federal Savings and Loan (Cap Fed) based in Topeka-KS..

Cap Fed was featured this morning on a Today Show segment as Matt Lauer was curious to find which banks in America did NOT need Federal bailout money.

NBC reported that not only has Cap Fed avoided the pitfalls of sub-prime mortgages- but has actually seen a 40% rise in Cap Fed stock when many major bank stocks became virtually worthless paper.

Damn good job- Capitol Federal Savings & Loan!

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Metro Gasoline Below $1.30 Per Gallon

This gas price sign was shot yesterday at the Vallero station at Noland Road & Walnut in Independence-MO..
Enjoy these prices while you can and go see some Christmas lights!

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Clearing Roads... For Now

This image is from Overland Park-KS- where roads are clear in the bright sunshine after our 3-4-inch snowfall yesterday.
This weekend may be a good time to clean the salt off your vehicle- with highs expected around or in the 50's.

Next week however- watch out- as more wintry precipitation could affect the Central States and K.C. MetroRegion.

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Metro K.C. WEATHER: Afternoon Drive Snow-Roads Video Reports

Here are some videos in South KC-MO from the 3-4pm time frame.

The wet roads were quickly turning icy in the mid-20-degree temperatures and howling Northwest winds gusting to 30-40 MPH.


The snow has ended- northwest to southwest- over most of Metro K.C.. This band will continue moving east into the eastern K.C. MetroRegion.

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K.C. Metro WEATHER: Video Mid-Afternoon Drive Report

Here are some videos I shot while driving from southeastern KC-MO- downtown and Independence from mid-morning to mid-afternoon.





More videos later as the 2nd band of snow moves in at this time.

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K.C. Metro WEATHER: Snow Moving In

A National Weather Service (NWS) "Winter Weather Advisory" continues in effect for a large part of mostly central through northern areas of the Kansas City MetroRegion through late today.

As you can see by this radar image- an area of sleet- light freezing rain and snow continues moving northeastward out of Eastern Kansas- and will be in the Metro during the next hour. Sleet and snow has already been reported in Johnson County- KS..

Bridges and overpasses will become slick & hazardous first as well as by untreated and lesser-travelled roads.

Temperatures will be sufficient for salt treatment through evening drive.

An accumulation of 1 to 3 inches is likely by tonight- our first significant snowfall of the season.

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Metro - MetroRegion K.C. WEATHER: NWS Winter Weather Advisory Tuesday

URGENT - WINTER WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE KANSAS CITY/PLEASANT HILL MO 437 PM CST MON DEC 8 2008

(COUNTIES): ATCHISON KS- DONIPHAN- LEAVENWORTH- WYANDOTTE- JOHNSON KS-ATCHISON MO- NODAWAY- WORTH- GENTRY- HARRISON- MERCER- PUTNAM- SCHUYLER- HOLT- ANDREW- DE KALB- DAVIESS- GRUNDY- SULLIVAN- ADAIR- BUCHANAN- CLINTON- CALDWELL- LIVINGSTON- LINN MO- PLATTE- CLAY- RAY- JACKSON MO.

INCLUDING THE CITIES OF: ATCHISON- TROY- LEAVENWORTH- KANSAS CITY KS- OVERLAND PARK- OLATHE- TARKIO- ROCKPORT- MARYVILLE- GRANT CITY- ALBANY- STANBERRY- BETHANY- PRINCETON- UNIONVILLE- LANCASTER- DOWNING- MOUND CITY- OREGON- SAVANNAH- CAMERON- GALLATIN- JAMESPORT- TRENTON- MILAN- GREEN CITY- KIRKSVILLE- ST. JOSEPH...PLATTSBURG- KINGSTON- HAMILTON- POLO- CHILLICOTHE- BROOKFIELD- PARKVILLE- PLATTE CITY- WESTON- LIBERTY- EXCELSIOR SPRINGS- RICHMOND- KANSAS CITY- INDEPENDENCE

437 PM CST MON DEC 8 2008

...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM 4 AM TO 12 PM CST TUESDAY...

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN PLEASANT HILL HAS ISSUED A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY- WHICH IS IN EFFECT FROM 4 AM TO 12 PM CST TUESDAY.

A DEVELOPING STORM SYSTEM WILL MOVE ACROSS THE REGION LATE TONIGHT AND TUESDAY. PRECIPITATION WILL INITIALLY START OUT AS RAIN TONIGHT.

HOWEVER AS THE STORM SYSTEM MOVES EAST- COLD AIR WILL SPREAD SOUTH ACROSS THE REGION LATE TONIGHT AND TUESDAY. THE COLD AIR WILL CAUSE THE RAIN TO CHANGE OVER TO SNOW. A PERIOD OF FREEZING RAIN- FREEZING DRIZZLE AND SLEET IS EXPECTED DURING THIS TRANSITION PERIOD.

SIGNIFICANT ICE ACCUMULATION IS NOT EXPECTED.

HOWEVER AREA ROADS- ESPECIALLY BRIDGES AND OVERPASSES- WILL LIKELY BECOME SLICK AND HAZARDOUS.

THE WINTRY MIX IS EXPECTED TO MOVE SOUTH ACROSS THE ADVISORY AREA DURING THE EARLY TO LATE MORNING TIME-FRAME- CREATING HAZARDOUS DRIVING CONDITIONS DURING THE MORNING COMMUTE.

1 TO 2 INCHES OF SNOW ARE THEN POSSIBLE ONCE THE PRECIPITATION CHANGES OVER TO ALL SNOW.

IN ADDITION STRONG NORTHERLY WINDS OF 20 TO 25 MPH AND GUSTS FROM 30 TO 35 MPH ARE EXPECTED WITH THE LIGHT SNOW ACCUMULATIONS- REDUCING VISIBILITIES AT TIMES.

A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY MEANS THAT PERIODS OF SNOW- SLEET- OR FREEZING RAIN WILL CAUSE TRAVEL DIFFICULTIES. BE PREPARED FOR SLIPPERY ROADS AND LIMITED VISIBILITIES- AND USE CAUTION WHILE DRIVING.


$$$

URGENT - WINTER WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS 416 PM CST MON DEC 8 2008

...THE FIRST ACCUMULATING SNOWFALL OF THE SEASON LOOKS TO OCCUR ACROSS PORTIONS OF NORTHEAST AND EAST CENTRAL KANSAS LATE TONIGHT THROUGH TUESDAY AFTERNOON...

.A COUPLE OF UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCES WILL BRING PRECIPITATION THROUGH THE FORECAST AREA LATE MONDAY NIGHT THROUGH TUESDAY AFTERNOON. A STRONG COLD FRONT WILL MOVE THROUGH THE REGION TONIGHT BRINGING CHANCES FOR SNOWFALL AND STRONG NORTHERLY WINDS THROUGH NORTH CENTRAL- NORTHEAST AND EAST CENTRAL KANSAS.
AREAS MOST LIKELY TO SEE AN INCH OR TWO OF SNOWFALL HAVE BEEN PLACED UNDER A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY AS THE COMBINATION OF HEAVIER SNOWFALL AND STRONG NORTHERLY WINDS COULD REDUCE VISIBILITIES AND CREATE HAZARDOUS DRIVING CONDITIONS ACROSS THE ADVISORY AREA.

(COUNTIES) NEMAHA- BROWN- RILEY- POTTAWATOMIE- JACKSON- JEFFERSON- DICKINSON- GEARY- MORRIS- WABAUNSEE- SHAWNEE- DOUGLAS- LYON- OSAGE.

INCLUDING THE CITIES OF: HIAWATHA- MANHATTAN- ABILENE- JUNCTION CITY- TOPEKA- LAWRENCE- EMPORIA

416 PM CST MON DEC 8 2008

...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM 3 AM TO 3 PM CST TUESDAY...

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN TOPEKA HAS ISSUED A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FOR SNOW AND BLOWING SNOW- WHICH IS IN EFFECT FROM 3 AM TO 3 PM CST TUESDAY.

ONE TO TWO INCHES OF SNOWFALL IS POSSIBLE ACROSS THE WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY AREA FROM LATE MONDAY NIGHT THROUGH TUESDAY AFTERNOON.
WHILE SNOWFALL AMOUNTS ARE LIGHT- NORTHERLY WINDS OF 20 TO 25 MPH WITH GUSTS TO 35 MPH WILL LIKELY COMBINE WITH THE ONE TO TWO INCHES OF SNOWFALL TO REDUCE VISIBILITIES BELOW ONE MILE AT TIMES- WHICH WILL CREATE HAZARDOUS DRIVING CONDITIONS BY TUESDAY MORNING.

WINTRY PRECIPITATION IS FORECAST TO ACCUMULATE IN THE AFFECTED AREAS CAUSING HAZARDOUS DRIVING CONDITIONS.
THOSE WITH TRAVEL PLANS IN THE WARNING AREA ARE ADVISED TO CHOOSE AN ALTERNATE ROUTE- OR SHOULD USE CAUTION IF TRAVEL IS UNAVOIDABLE

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Longview Lakes' "Christmas In The Park" Videos

The weather was right Sunday evening so Ms. Rittenhouse and your Captain took a cruise through the Christmas In The Park display off View High & Longview Roads.

The display is open daily through Christmas until 10 pm.

This is the first and last videos of the CITP display. The rest of the videos are at YouTube on Captain Spaulding's channel- click "All Videos" on the page.

Enjoy!

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