Hurricane Ike Inland From Galveston Bay- Texas

Hurricane Ike struck the Texas Gulf coast just east of Galveston around 2 am Saturday morning. Ike contained sustained eyewall winds of 110 MPH with gusts to 135 MPH..

The western eyewall passed over the middle of Houston- southeast to northeast. Nearly all of Metro Houston/Galveston is without electricity.

There have been "numerous" calls for help to Houston emergency services with many homes and buildings damaged. Fires have broken out in some structures.

Windows were blown out of at least several downtown Houston skyscrapers..

There are initial reports of at least 10 injuries and 3 fatalities.

The following are a series of satellite- radar and actual NWS surface weather observations as Hurricane Ike struck southeastern Texas.
0200 CDT TEXAS OBSERVATIONS
HOUSTON BUSH HVY RAIN 75 73 94 N47G59 N/A FOG
HOUSTON HOBBY LGT RAIN 75 73 94 N56G78 28.69F FOG
ANGLETON N/A N/A N/A N/A MISG 28.78F
PORT ARTHUR RAIN 77 32 19 E60G82 29.09F

0300 CDT TEXAS OBSERVATIONS
HOUSTON BUSH HVY RAIN 76 74 93 N53G66 N/A FOG
HOUSTON HOBBY LGT RAIN N/A N/A N/A MISG 28.50F
ANGLETON N/A N/A N/A N/A MISG 28.78S
PORT ARTHUR HVY RAIN 77 77 100 SE55G85 29.04F FOG



0400 CDT TEXAS OBSERVATIONS
HOUSTON BUSH HVY RAIN 76 74 93 N53G68 28.60 FOG
HOUSTON HOBBY LGT RAIN N/A N/A N/A MISG 28.35F
PORT ARTHUR HVY RAIN 76 76 100 SE62G84 29.02S VSB 1
ANGLETON NOT AVBL


0500 CDT TEXAS OBSERVATIONS
HOUSTON BUSH HVY RAIN 75 N/A N/A N54G74 28.39F VSB 1
HOUSTON HOBBY LGT RAIN N/A N/A N/A MISG 28.44R FOG
PORT ARTHUR CLOUDY 76 76 100 SE60G84 29.04R FOG
ANGLETON NOT AVBL

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HURRICANE IKE: RADAR PROGRAM IMAGES - 2140-2248 CDT

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Hurricane Ike: Latest Radar Program Image

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Some CSW South Metro K.C. Tornado Chase Videos Online

View the first of a series of brief videos of the tornadic storms in southeastern Johnson and southwestern Jackson counties Kansas & Missouri HERE.

We had passed by 135th Street and State Line at the exact time a tornado was reported 2 blocks north at 133rd Street.

Nothing but low-hanging scud clouds- certainly no tornado was seen.

In one of the 7 videos- a shot of Channel 9's news helicopter can be seen near I-435 & Bannister.

There well may be more video later- of flash-flooding.

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K.C. Metro- Tornado Watch Continues - Radar Update.

Most tornado warnings in the Metro have expired.

Tornado damage- but no injuries- have been confirmed in western Johnson & eastern Douglas counties Kansas.


Flash-flood warnings are also in effect- consult the warnings graphic on the radar image (click for full size).

We were at 135th Street & State Line when a tornado was reported 2 blocks north at 133rd Street- but that was a bogus report (storm-chase videos being uploaded at this time).

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Metro K.C. Tornado Warnings and Radar Update

Metro K.C. Breaking Weather: Increase In Risk Of Flash-Flooding

Based on atmospheric and weather radar trends- I'm going for a moderately-high to high risk of possible serious- and life-threatening flash flooding in parts of the Kansas City Metro and MetroRegion tonight and early Saturday.
Intense showers and a few thunderstorms have and continue to develop downstream of Metro K.C. in Kansas. This trend will only continue as the evening wears on.

I advise anyone travelling in Metro K.C. tonight and overnight to take EXTREME caution- especially in Johnson- Miami and Wyandottes counties Kansas and Cass- Jackson and southern Platte counties in Missouri.

It will be dark- and raining so hard that you cannot even see the water that stalls you or washes you away.

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Hurricane Ike- Central States Satellite and Radar Images

The Hurricane Warning continues for the mid to upper Texas and central through western Louisiana coasts. Hurricane Ike's center is approximately 155 miles southeast of Galveston and 270 miles east of Corpus Christi-Texas.

Landfall of the eye of Ike is still expected near Galveston a few hours either side of midnight.

Here in the Central States and in and near Metro Kansas City is a risk of tornadoes as great as that of areas along the Gulf coast in Ike's outer bands (see/click on NWS-SPC image).

Here is a recent radar image- covering Hurricane Ike and the Central States.

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Hurricane Ike- Latest Close-Up Visible Satellite View

A strengthening Hurricane Ike is forecasted to make landfall near Galveston/Houston several hours either side of midnight tonight.
Ike will have greater than Category-3 storm surge even with Cat-3 winds- sustained 100-115 mph- gusts as high as 130.

Best to "hunker-down" in a bunker if you're staying in the Houston-Galveston Metro area.

I'm turning my attention to this areas' weather- which in itself may be record-breaking somewhere nearby.

May The Great Spirit protect you and yours....

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K.C. Metro- MetroRegion Areas Risk Severe Storms Later Today

In addition to present flood watches- advisories and warnings- the Kansas City Metro and areas south now are under a "slight risk" for possible severe thunderstorms- according to the NWS-SPC's latest outlook.

Here is that outlook's map image- showing areas generally along and south of the Missouri & Kansas rivers south toward the I-44 corridor under that severe storm risk.

The latest visible satellite image shown here indicates some clearing- and solar heating of the atmosphere from southerastern Kansas into south-central Missouri.

The more sun- the better chance for severe storms in this tropical environment.

The rain we've been getting has mostly been from low-top but efficent rain-producing tropical monsoon-type showers. Rain totals over 24-hours range from 1-3-inches Metro-wide.

A severe thunderstorm in this air mass could produce rainfall rates of 3-inches plus per hour.

Today is the 31st-anniversary of what is called "The Plaza Flood" of 1977 by the way.

Stay tuned....

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Kansas City BREAKING WEATHER: Flood Advisory In Effect

FLOOD ADVISORY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE KANSAS CITY/PLEASANT HILL MO
1049 AM CDT FRI SEP 12 2008


...URBAN AND SMALL STREAM FLOOD ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR JOHNSON COUNTY IN EAST CENTRAL KANSAS... AND WYANDOTTE AND SOUTHERN LEAVENWORTH COUNTIES IN NORTHEAST KANSAS... AND JACKSON AND CASS COUNTIES IN WEST CENTRAL MISSOURI UNTIL 500 PM CDT FRIDAY...


AT 1035 AM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED AN AREA OF VERY HEAVY RAINFALL ACROSS THE ADVISORY AREA. DOPPLER RADAR ESTIMATED THAT BETWEEN ONE AND TWO AND A HALF INCHES OF RAIN HAS FALLEN ACROSS THE ADVISORY AREA THIS MORNING. PORTIONS OF CASS COUNTY REMAIN UNDER A FLOOD WARNING UNTIL 130 PM...WHERE IN EXCESS OF 4 INCHES OF RAIN HAS FALLEN SO FAR.


HEAVY RAIN CONTINUES TO FALL ACROSS THE ADVISORY AREA. RUNOFF FROM THIS EXCESSIVE RAINFALL WILL CAUSE MINOR FLOODING TO OCCUR... ESPECIALLY AT LOW WATER CROSSINGS AND UNDERPASSES. SOME LOCATIONS THAT WILL EXPERIENCE FLOODING INCLUDE... BASEHOR... BELTON... BLUE SPRINGS... BONNER SPRINGS... BUCKNER... DE SOTO... EDGERTON... EDWARDSVILLE... FAIRWAY... GARDEN CITY... GARDNER... GRAIN VALLEY... GRANDVIEW... GREENWOOD... HARRISONVILLE... INDEPENDENCE... KANSAS CITY... KANSAS CITY KANSAS... LAKE LOTAWANA... LAKE QUIVIRA... LEAWOOD... LEE`S SUMMIT... LENEXA... MERRIAM... MISSION... MISSION HILLS... NORTH KANSAS CITY... OAK GROVE... OLATHE AND OVERLAND PARK.


EXCESSIVE RUNOFF FROM THIS STORM WILL CAUSE MINOR FLOODING OF SMALL CREEKS AND STREAMS... URBAN AREAS... HIGHWAYS... STREETS AND UNDERPASSES AS WELL AS OTHER DRAINAGE AREAS AND LOW LYING SPOTS.

DO NOT DRIVE YOUR VEHICLE INTO AREAS WHERE THE WATER COVERS THE ROADWAY. THE WATER DEPTH MAY BE TOO GREAT TO ALLOW YOUR CAR TO CROSS SAFELY.

IN HILLY TERRAIN...THERE ARE HUNDREDS OF LOW WATER CROSSINGS WHICH ARE POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS IN HEAVY RAIN. DO NOT ATTEMPT TO TRAVEL ACROSS FLOODED ROADS. FIND ALTERNATE ROUTES. IT ONLY TAKES A FEW INCHES OF SWIFTLY FLOWING WATER TO CARRY VEHICLES AWAY.

REPORT FLOODING TO THE NEAREST LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCY SO THAT THEY MAY TAKE APPROPRIATE ACTION TO CLOSE FLOODED ROADWAYS. THEY WILL RELAY YOUR REPORT TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN PLEASANT HILL.

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