Monday, August 17, 2009

Metro-MetroRegion K.C. WEATHER: Flash Flood Warnings- Watches Continue



S
howers and thundershowers continue moving east across about the eastern half of Kansas and northern Missouri.
Radar trends have shown a general decrease in intensities of rain.

Flash Flood warnings exist for north Metro counties- continue for some north Missouri MetroRegion counties- with flash flood watches or advisories in effect from central Kansas through northern Missouri into central Illinois.

(NWS Image- Green areas are Flash Flood Watches or Advisories. Maroon areas are Flash Flood Warnings.)

In addition- Metro and MetroRegion areas generally along and south of Interstate 70 are in a forecasted "slight risk" of severe storms through Tuesday morning.

Any of that activity locally would probably be later tonight-early Tuesday.

There have been no water problems reported in Metro Kansas City as of yet.

Area streams being watched the closest right now are the Platte and Crooked rivers in Platte and Ray counties-MO respectively.

Both rivers are expecting minor to moderate flooding.

The current rain activity will move out from west to east early this afternoon. New storm activity is likely to develop from southwest into southern Kansas and Missouri tonight- and may affect the MetroRegion by Tuesday morning.

Here's the latest visible satellite and Doppler weather radar images:



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Down In Luckenbach Texas- They're Trying For A World Record



O
n Sunday- August 23- 2009- 2000 guitarists will gather at the Luckenbach Texas Events in Fredricksburg-TX to try and break a world record.




The mass of musicians will try and play 2 songs- "This Land Is Your Land" and (of course) "Luckenback- Texas" for at least 5 minutes each to qualify for the Guinness Book record.

Among that 2000 will be Austin-TX's Perry Wing.



For more information (see if they've got their 2000 yet):

Luckenbach Texas Events
412 Luckenbach Town Loop
Fredericksburg, Texas 78624
830-997-3224 x 29



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Sunday, August 16, 2009

Kansas City Metro-MetroRegion WEATHER: NWS Flash Flood Watch Through (Monday?)



The wording is a little unclear- and the NWS statement leaves out any mention of "Monday" altogether- but at any rate Metro Kansas City and much of the Missouri northern MetroRegion is under a "Flash Flood Watch" overnight through Monday.


Rainfall totals shown here from Overland Park's "StormWatch" sites shows 1 to almost 3 inch amounts in parts of JoCo-KS and central to southern KC-MO..


I'm not going to blow the sirens until it looks certain- but Metro Kansas City and surrounding areas are under an increasing risk of flash flooding with each new round of heavy storms.


Use extreme caution around high water- and I'll post the latest weather updates here as needed....
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Metro K.C. BREAKING NEWS: House Fire In Leawood-KS



A
n expensive house is on fire in the 11100 block of Juniper in Leawood-KS..


The alarm was sounded by a backyard neighbor at 7:05 am- a possible lightning strike and fire coming from the roof behind his house on Briar.

Five companies of the Leawood and District 2 fire departments responded. Upon arrival at 7: 11 am- a Leawood areial unit reports "fire showing from the roof."

The family in the 2-story house on fire escaped uninjured.

At 7:21 am- the fire in the attic is reported "under control."


Heavy thunderstorms continue throughout Metro Kansas City.

Rainfall totals in parts of Johnson County- KS around the community college are approaching 2-inches since yesterday evening.
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Metro Kansas City BREAKING NEWS: Fire Damages Overland Park-KS Bar



Some sort of fire possibly involving a natural gas line has damaged Nick and Jake's bar at 6830 West 135th Street and injured one person.


The fire was reported at 6:11 am and only 2 OP-KS fire companies were sent. MEDACT-EMS responded 5 minutes later when the burn victim was reported by police on the scene- and the fire department response was upgraded to a full alarm at 6:18 am..


The first pictures from the scene (a shot shown here courtesy of the OP-KS Traffic department) showed heavy smoke coming from the roof of the building.


A ladder is shown to the left of the photo as the fire was reported to be under control at 6:30 am..

No word on the extent of the injuries to the burn victim nor extent of damage to the tavern yet.

Watch KSHB Action News at 8 am- 5 and 10 pm for more details.

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Kansas City MetroRegion WEATHER: Severe Storm - Heavy Rain Risk Next 24-72 Hours



I
t's been a noisy morning both inside and outside here- the good news I haven't heard anybody killed or even seriously injured so far in any incident (wood he knock- knock).






The weather models are showing a mid-spring pattern evolving over the next 5 days or so- involving severe weather- lots of rain- and possibly record cold temperatures at the end of it all.





The NWS' (National Weather Service) Storm Prediction Center (SPC) has Metro Kansas City and most of our MetroRegion inside a forecasted "slight risk" area for severe thunderstorms and their attendant destructive weather through Tuesday.





We're included in the Day 1- Day 2 and Day 3 SPC severe storm forecasts.





Of at least equal or perhaps greater concern are rainfall forecasts.



In a fairly rare scenario for our area- the NWS' Hydro Prediction Center (HPC) has Metro K.C. in or near "excessive rainfall" forecasts for the next 72 hours.




We've already had more than an inch of rain in several areas from overnight showers and storms which is already saturating the fairly dry ground we've had.


Multiple rounds of heavy rains over the next few days could set the stage for deadly flash flooding and damaging river flooding.





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Saturday, August 15, 2009

A Lot of Rain in 5-Day Kansas City MetroRegion Forecast



I
f the following graphic from the NWS' Hydro Prediction Center (HPC) verifies- the Kansas City Metro and areas nearby could get up to 3 to 4-inches of rain by late next week.



A weather pattern change will bring a front to our area tomorrow- and the front will go stationary over the MetroRegion until a stronger cold front approaches us by late week.


Periods of showers and thunderstorms can be expected all week- and there well could be flooding issued if this latest forecast verifies.

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St. Joseph-MO Considers Tax Increase To Pay For K.C. Chief's New Training Camp



T
he long arm of corporate tax welfare has stretched from Kansas City to St. Joseph.



Recently- the State of Missouri and other governmental entities gave the K.C. Chiefs Football Club Inc. millions of dollars to move their summer "training camp" from River Falls-WI to St. Joseph.



According to The St. Joseph NEWS-PRESS- city officials are considering a tax increase on local lodging to "replenish coffers emptied to pay for the Chiefs training camp" says the NEWS-PRESS story.


How many more scarce tax dollars in this horrible "recession (Depression)" are going to be spent on professional sports corporations?

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Ottawa-KS teen Killing Linked To Video Game- Alcohol



O
n July 10- 2009- 19-year-old Ottawa resident Sky Cadarette was shot and killed.


According to The OTTAWA (KS) HERALD- it was Mark Sherman's birthday when he invited some friends over to play a video game "Halo 3" and drink.

A real gun was produced and the shooting occurred- an accident according to one witnesses' testimony at the Franklin County District court trial in Ottawa.
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Tap Water Boil Order From Marshall-MO and Vicinity



T
he water system in Marshall has suffered a purification glitch- and The MARSHALL DEMOCRAT-NEWS says a boil order is in effect "for Marshall and the surrounding area until 7 am(Sunday) August 16 at the earliest."




The issue also caused the Cargill and ConAgra food production plants in Marshall to shut down until the problem is rectified.



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Three Shot In KC-MO Get Own Transporation To Hospital



P
olice- MAST-EMS and fire department units were called to the 6400 block of Manchester around 1 am Saturday morning on a reported shooting.


Police officers arrived within 5 minutes of the initial call but report finding no victims.

It turned out the "3" victims had been driven to a local hospital and dropped off at the emergency room (I call them the medical center's "drive-up window").

The three were from the Manchester shooting- and all would live with their wounds.

Police didn't have much to go on- since the 3 "victims" apparently took the cap-poppers' "Code of Silence (maybe to die another day by a future bullet).
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Tornado Strikes Monroe LA With Confirmed Injuries

The tornado struck around noon on Easter Sunday. There is considerable damage repo rted in that northeastern Louisiana city of around 5000...