Latest news with #NationalOceanicAtmosphericAdministration
New York Post
07-05-2025
- New York Post
Gap-toothed lunatic wanted for repeatedly stabbing baby elephant seal on Oregon beach
A baby elephant seal was repeatedly stabbed on an Oregon beach – and now federal officials are on the hunt for the gap-toothed lunatic behind the twisted attack. The adorable pup, which miraculously survived, was viciously knifed multiple times in a beach cove in front of the Proposal Rock Condominiums in Neskowin between 8 p.m. and 11:30 p.m. on March 16, the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Fisheries announced Monday. The seal was treated by the Marine Stranding Team before it was relocated, officials said. Advertisement 4 Federal authorities are on the hunt for a man who viciously knifed the adorable pup in Neskowin on March 16. NOAA Investigators have a description of a person of interest and are asking for the public's help identifying him. Authorities described the ruthless attacker as a white man standing at about 5 feet 10 inches with black-and-white hair, a groomed beard, and a 'large gap' between his front teeth. Advertisement 4 The baby seal was stabbed in a beach cove along the Pacific Ocean. Hrach – A witness told federal officials the suspect was sporting thick-lensed aviator glasses, dark pants, a thin blue-and-light-green fleece top, and a low-profile black cap with a logo depicting an orange four-track excavator with the word 'timber' on it, according to NOAA, which also released a sketch of the stabber. 4 NOAA released a sketch of the stabber and asked for the public's help identifying him. Gregory Miller via NOAA The barbaric assailant was also wearing lightweight hiking shoes and a lined checkered shirt. Advertisement 4 Anyone with information is asked to contact the NOAA Enforcement Hotline. NOAA A cluttered dark blue 1990s Dodge or Chrysler van with plastic covering the rear passenger window on the driver's side was also seen near the scene, NOAA said. Violators of the federal Marine Mammal Protection Act, which prohibits harassing, harming, killing or feeding wild elephant seals, face incarceration and up to $100,000 in fines. Anyone with information about the incident is asked to contact the NOAA Enforcement Hotline at 800-853-1964. Tips can be made anonymously.
Yahoo
26-04-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
It's thunderstorm season. What's the difference between a watch and a warning
Severe weather is common in Michigan during the spring, and knowing when you should take cover can save your life. The National Weather Service issues a variety of outlooks, watches and warning, and knowing the difference is crucial. "Severe weather can strike at any time. It is important that everyone be prepared to act when alerts are issued," the National Weather Service said. Already this spring, severe weather in Michigan has produced record-breaking rainfall totals in several locations, and a damaging ice storm in March. Here's what you should know about thunderstorm watches and warnings. A watch is intended to give you time to prepare and review safety rules. A watch means conditions are right to produce a severe thunderstorm could drop 1-inch or larger diameter hail and/or winds that equal or exceed 58 mph. The watch area can vary depending on the situation, and alerts are typically issued for a duration of four to eight hours. A warning is the most severe alert for thunderstorms; people should seek shelter immediately if a warning is issued. A severe thunderstorm warning is issued when either a severe thunderstorm is indicated by WSR-88D radar — a weather surveillance Doppler radar — or a spotter reports a thunderstorm producing hail 1-inch or larger in diameter and/or winds at 58 mph or stronger. Lightning frequency is not a criterion for issuing a severe thunderstorm warning. The warning is usually issued for one hour, and can be issued even if a watch wasn't issued. "Treat this warning the same as you would a tornado warning by taking the proper safety precautions," the NWS said. Here's what officials suggest: The best defense against thunderstorms is to stay inside a sturdy building or shelter that can protect you from deadly lightning, large hail, damaging winds, flooding rain and tornadoes. Fortunately, thunderstorms typically do not last very long and will most often pass by your location in less than one hour. Once in a shelter, stay away from windows and avoid electrical equipment and plumbing. Remember to bring pets inside. If there is time, secure loose objects outside as these objects often become dangerous flying debris in high winds. Postpone outdoor activities until the storms have passed. If caught outside, take shelter in a sturdy enclosed building or hard top automobile immediately. Avoid open spaces, isolated objects, high ground and metallic objects. Get out of boats and away from bodies of water. Remember, if you can hear thunder, you are close enough to the storm to be struck by lightning. The National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration's Storm Prediction Center provides online maps for thunderstorm outlooks available for people to view — in addition to daily graphics of Michigan. The NWS releases updates through social media, such as Facebook, and on X/Twitter for Detroit, Gaylord, Marquette and Grand Rapids. More: Michigan's severe spring weather is on its way. What to know before it strikes There are also Wireless Emergency Alerts sent to your phone from government agencies (such as the NWS). People do not need to pay or sign up, and will receive alerts under participating wireless carriers, the Federal Communications Commission said. Contact Sarah Moore @ smoore@ This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: Stormy weather expected? What to know about thunderstorm watches, warnings
Yahoo
19-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Federal funding cuts could hurt lakeshore conservation efforts
MUSKEGON, Mich. (WOOD) — With some cuts already made to the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration and more possible, conservation groups in West Michigan are concerned about efforts to protect the Great Lakes and the watersheds that flow into it. The Trump administration has a proposal in the works to cut NOAA's budget by billions of dollars to get rid of its climate research branch, . Congress would need to approve such a move, but if it happens, scientists are anxious about what it will mean for their research and cleanup efforts. The Department of Government Efficiency has already made massive job cuts at NOAA, which forecasters have said could result in dangerously less accurate weather forecasts. Trump orders agencies to 'sunset' environmental protections Kathy Evans is a board member for the Muskegon Lake Watershed with decades of experience in conservation, natural resources, and restoration. She said her team has been working to have NOAA declare the places where rivers empty into Lake Michigan as estuaries. The proposed funding cuts could put that at risk. 'It's important for us because Muskegon Lake, for example, and White Lake are areas of concern. They've been cleaned up, but there are other estuaries coming into eastern Lake Michigan that need cleanup, need science to better figure out how to manage these resources. If we don't get that information through the Estuary Program, we won't know how to manage our natural resources well,' Evans explained. Inside A Greener Mitten Evans is also concerned about the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative. This is a comprehensive federal program launched in 2010 to accelerate efforts to protect and restore the Great Lakes — the largest system of fresh surface water in the world. Led by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in collaboration with 15 other federal agencies, the GLRI addresses the most significant environmental challenges facing the Great Lakes ecosystem, including invasive species and toxic substances. The GLRI has invested roughly $4.9 billion from 2010 to 2024, with an another $800 million from 2022 to 2025 under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. The investments have led to significant environmental improvements, including restoration and protection of over 80,000 acres of coastal wetlands and other habitats, reopening more than 1,000 miles of rivers and streams for fish passage and implementation of projects on more than 11,500 acres to control invasive species. DNR to cover federal funding cuts for state's Great Lakes piping plover program It has also played a crucial role in reducing phosphorus runoff — a key contributor to harmful algal blooms — by more than 2 million pounds through 2020, according to the GLRI. GLRI is up for renewal in congress this year. Evans worries not renewing it in full could affect important projects along our lakeshore. 'Things that would stop would be invasive species control resiliency, stopping erosion on the shorelines. Fish and wildlife habitat would be impacted. Contaminated sediments would not be cleaned up, and that affects our drinking water, our public health, our recreation, our commercial fishery, everything,' she said. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
01-03-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Where is the exact center of Michigan? Well, that depends
The small Michigan city of St. Louis claims the geographic center of the state, but there's a Wexford County location that has a similar designation. St. Louis, located just off U.S. 27 in Gratiot County, can claim the rights to the geographic center of the Lower Peninsula. A site about 5 miles north-northwest of Cadillac, in Wexford County, however, is the center when you include the Upper Peninsula, according to Netstate. St. Louis' slogan — "Middle of the Mitten" — makes its position clear. The city has a stone monument marking the exact coordinates of the Lower Peninsula's center, the Historical Marker Database said. Here's more on Michigan's center points. The location's coordinates are 43 degrees, 24.493 minutes North, 84 degrees, 36.318 minutes West. A marker stands in Clapp Memorial Park, at 232 E. Saginaw St. In 2009, longtime residents Walter and Beulah Case donated a 5-by-8-inch bronze plaque that was placed on a historic stone marker in Clapp Park, according to the city's website. The plaque reads, "Sidney S. Hastings placed this stone here in 1876 to mark the geographical center of lower Michigan." A blue sign also hangs in Clapp Park, near M-46, reminding visitors that they are visiting the middle of the Lower Peninsula. The coordinates are 45 degrees, 3.7 minutes North, 84 degrees, 56.3 minutes West, not far from Cadillac. No official source appears to list a geographical center for Michigan's UP. The best method to calculate an precise location is called the center-of-gravity method, the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration said. "Determining the geographic center of an irregular area on the Earth's surface is a precarious business at best," NOAA said. "There is no unique solution, and none of any scientific significance." NOAA's method imagines an area of uniform thickness balancing on a point. The center is the point where the area would balance. For the 48 states in the continental U.S., its exact center is located in Lebanon, Kansas. The coordinates are, 39 degrees, 50 minutes North, 98 degrees, 35 minutes West, the Center for Land Use Interpretation said. When Alaska and Hawaii are included in the measurement, the center shifts to 17 miles west of Castle Rock, South Dakota, Kansas Sampler Foundation said. The coordinates in South Dakota's center are 44 degrees, 59 minutes North, 103 degrees, 38 minutes West, NOAA said. Contact Sarah Moore @ smoore@ This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: Michigan's middle has 2 options, depending on how you measure
