Latest news with #NationalWeatherServiceOffice
Yahoo
10 hours ago
- Climate
- Yahoo
NWS upgrades to cause local NOAA Radio Outage
LINCOLN, Ill. (WCIA) – A planned National Weather Service upgrade to computer software through the local National Weather Service Office in Lincoln will lead to some temporary changes and outages in services offered by them. This is due to the required, scheduled upgrade to the office's Advanced Weather Interactive Processing System (AWIPS) happening at various times to all offices around the country. The AWIPS system is utilized to display and integrate weather and water information as well as to send life-saving information including weather warnings to the public. The upgrades will begin at around 7:00 A.M. on Tuesday, June 3rd and last through approximately 4:00p on Thursday, June 5th. One major impact of this upgrade is all NOAA Weather Radio transmitters operated through the NWS Office in Lincoln will be offline during that time. Those impacted towers that will be offline and unavailable to use from Tuesday through Thursday are: Bloomington: KZZ-65 (162.525 MHz, channel 6) Champaign: WXJ-76 (162.550 MHz, channel 7) Galesburg: KZZ-66 (162.400 MHz, channel 1) Jacksonville: WXM-90 (162.525 MHz, channel 6) Newton: KXI-48 (162.450 MHz, channel 3) Paris: KXI-47 (162.525 MHz, channel 6) Peoria: WXJ-71 (162.475 MHz, channel 4) Shelbyville: KXI-46 (162.500 MHz, channel 5) Springfield: WXJ-75 (162.400 MHz, channel 1) Some users close to alternate towers may be able to get weather alerts by reprogramming their NOAA Weather Radio. Those additional counties in our viewing area with potential alternative access include Vermilion, Crawford, Macoupin, Cass, McLean, and Fayette counties. Other counties will not have any access to the radio system during the time. With the upcoming outage and severe weather possible in parts of our area on Tuesday and Wednesday, an alternative way to get weather alerts includes WeatherCall, a location-specific method to get weather warnings. You can also download the WCIA 3 Weather app for more detailed alerts that will follow your location on your mobile devices. The upgrades to AWIPS will also affect other core services, but nearby offices will assist in helping to keep things moving. Both the National Weather Service Offices in Chicago and St. Louis will be utilized to ensure that forecasts, alerts and other weather information still get out to the public. Other services that will be negatively impacted, however, include the Forecast Recordings generated daily. Those forecast recordings rely on the NOAA Weather Radio, and are normally accessed by the public by calling 217-732-7321. Graphical hazardous weather outlooks will also be impacted, but the corresponding text products normally generated will be issued by the nearby back up offices. Finally, the daily temperature and precipitation analysis maps will not be updated during the outage. This same critical systems upgrade happened at the National Weather Service Office in Indianapolis in early May. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Climate
- Yahoo
Potential record-breaking heat on the way to western Montana
Fisherman are pictured on the Big Hole River near Wise River, Montana. (Jordan Hansen / Daily Montanan) Potentially dangerous and possibly record-breaking warm weather is headed to western Montana this weekend. On Thursday, the National Weather Service Office in Missoula issued a heat advisory from noon to 9 p.m. on Saturday. Temperatures in the upper 80s and 90s are expected for a wide swath of western Montana stretching from the Canadian border down through the Flathead, Missoula and Bitterroot valleys. NWS Meteorologist Jennifer Kitzmiller, based in Missoula, said seeing temperatures in the 90s this early in the year was atypical. Anaconda, Eureka, Libby and Phillipsburg are some of the places that could approach their daily high record mark, if not break it. 'We're looking at setting records for daily high temperatures tomorrow and a lot of places in western Montana,' Kitzmiller said. 'And previous records date back to 1986 … we haven't seen temperatures this warm, this time of year, for like 40 years.' The heat is being driven by a strong ridge of high pressure in the West, according to a NWS national report. Temperatures are expected to dip back down on Sunday. 'It's not going to be hugely different, but it'll cool us back down,' Kitzmiller said. The weather service also issued some recommendations, including drinking plenty of water and staying out of direct sunlight. Warm weather also draws people to bodies of water, especially on a weekend, which can add a degree of danger. May 24 was particularly deadly as a woman drowned near Missoula near Maclay Bridge and a kayaker died near Craig. Additionally, a 68-year old Missoula man last seen on Wednesday is presumed to have drowned near the Lochsa River in Idaho. Lifevests should always be worn when on or in the water, and a close eye should be kept on children. Additionally, alcohol can enhance hypothermia, and cold water can make even experienced swimmers lose muscle control. 'The rivers and streams are still running fast and cold,' Kitzmiller said. 'And there's that extra threat, despite the warm temperatures, for hypothermia.'
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Tornado that hit Pulaski, Laurel Counties rated an EF-4
The tornado that struck in Pulaski County Friday night — and into the early morning hours continuing through neighboring Laurel County — has been officially determined to have been an EF-4. The rating was assigned to the tornado according to the National Weather Service Office in Jackson, Kentucky, as they announced on their Facebook page late Tuesday afternoon. The tornado resulted in 19 deaths, and the destruction of multiple homes and other buildings. In Somerset, it hit particularly hard in the southern and eastern parts of the community, destroying notable structures like Redeemer Lutheran Church, South Kentucky RECC, and Baxter's Coffee South in the area of Parkers Mill Road and stoplight no. 22 on South U.S. 27. The EF Scale, or Enhanced Fujita Scale, rates tornadoes from 0 to 5 based on wind speeds as determined through surveying damage. An EF-4 would have winds in the range of 166 to 200 miles per hour. According to the National Weather Service, this tornado reached a maximum wind speed of 170 miles per hour, covering a path stretching 55.6 miles. The tornado had a maximum width of 1,700 yards. On Monday morning, survey teams with the National Weather Service were in in the Pulaski/Laurel County area. While their assessments had not been completed at that time, representatives from the NWS out of Jackson said that indications were the tornado was at least an EF 3, 'if not higher.'
Yahoo
08-05-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Wind back in El Paso, New Mexico on Sunday. Expect low visibility, blowing dust
Wind and dust are moving back into the region, triggering a high wind watch in Southern New Mexico and a dust storm warning and fire weather watch in El Paso. A dust storm warning was in effect until 8:45 p.m. Sunday, April 27, in the El Paso area, according to the National Weather Service Office. In Juárez, the dust storm delayed for more than an hour the start of the highly-anticipated Liga Mx's play-in game for the league's playoffs between the FC Juárez Bravos and the UNAM Pumas. Winds in Southern New Mexico could reach up to 35 miles per hour with gusts up to 60 miles per hour beginning in the afternoon on Sunday, April 27. Blowing dust is also expected in the area, which includes Las Cruces, Deming, Hatch, Ruidoso, and Alamogordo. While El Paso was not part of the initial high wind watch for now, the Sun City may see gusts up to 50 miles per hour, according to the National Weather Service. El Paso and the surrounding region may also experience low visibility due to blowing dust starting at noon on Sunday. Visibility could drop less than a mile for some, with these areas expected to have the greatest risk for dust: I-10 between Deming and Las Cruces I-10 between El Paso and Las Cruces NM-11 between Columbus and Deming NM-9 between Columbus and El Paso NM-26 between Deming and Hatch Here are some tips for driving through low visibility, courtesy of the National Weather Service. Pull off the road as far as possible. Stop and turn off all lights. Set the emergency brake. Take foot off the brake, and make sure tail lights are not illuminated. El Paso and nearby counties will be under a fire weather watch on Sunday afternoon. A fire weather watch is issued when the combination of dry fuels and weather conditions supports extreme fire danger. People should avoid open flames or sparks, keep vehicles off grass and properly discard cigarettes. Natassia Paloma may be reached at npaloma@ @NatassiaPaloma on Twitter; natassia_paloma on Instagram, and Natassia Paloma Thompson on Facebook. Reporter Daniel Borunda contributed to this report. More: Here's what to know about NFL schedule release date announced during 2025 NFL Draft This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: Wind, blowing dust back in El Paso, New Mexico today
Yahoo
26-03-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Severe Weather Awareness Week Day 3: Thunderstorms & Preparedness
SIOUX CITY, Iowa (KCAU) — It's Day 3 of Severe Weather Awareness Week and today's focus is on thunderstorms and preparedness. Every year, there are on average, 16 million worldwide, with around 100,000 of these occurring in the United States alone. Of these, only around 10% reach severe criteria. That's around 10,000 severe thunderstorms per year in the United States. Severe Weather Awareness Week Day 2: Tornado Safety But what exactly IS a severe thunderstorm? A thunderstorm is considered 'severe,' if it meet one of both of the following criteria: Meteorologists typically know well in advance when severe weather may strike and oftentimes issues a Severe Thunderstorm Watch in advance of an incoming system. A watch simply means severe thunderstorms are possible in and around the watch area. When a watch in issued for your area, you should keep updated on the latest weather conditions and watch for any warnings that may be issued and be ready to take action. You should remain vigilant for rapidly changing weather conditions. If a storm meets any of the criteria, a Severe Thunderstorm WARNING is issued. This means a storm meeting and/or exceeding severe criteria has been reported and/or indicated on radar. We have a variety of tools we can use to determine the strength of a particular storm, including something called storm velocity and storm relative velocity which allows us (and your local National Weather Service Office) to see how strong the winds are in a particular storm or line of storms. We also have another special tool to check for hail potential. Additionally, there are two different tags that can be added to a Severe Thunderstorm Warning: 1.) Considerable: 70+ mph winds and/or 1.75″ diameter (golf ball) or larger hail 2.) Destructive: 80+ mph winds and/or 2.75″ diameter (baseball) or larger hail According to the National Weather Service though, only 10% of severe thunderstorms reach destructive criteria each year. That's around 1,000 severe thunderstorms. If a Severe Thunderstorm Warning has been issued, that means there is likely large hail and/or damaging winds imminent and will pose a threat to life and property. Severe Weather Awareness Week Day 1: Lightning This is when you will need to take action. Severe thunderstorms don't have to produce a tornado to do damage. They can produce straight-line winds, downbursts, and destructive hail and can do just as much or even more damage than a tornado. That being said, when a Severe Thunderstorm Warning is issued, take shelter immediately in the interior room or basement of a sturdy building, away from windows. If you're outside, get to a sturdy shelter immediately. This does not mean a shed or carport. Also avoid large, open rooms like gyms, auditoriums, etc, and NEVER stand under a tree. Not only could that tree be toppled in high winds, it increases your risk of being struck by lightning. You'll also want to steer clear of water, this means doing dishes, taking a shower, giving the dog a bath, since electricity can travel through your pipes. Also avoid contact with electrical equipment. Days in advance of severe weather, the National Weather Service Storm Prediction Center (NWS SPC) issues convective outlooks. Typically these can be up to 8 days in advance, however, only up to around three days out do they begin to issue a severe thunderstorm risk category. It's important to familiarize yourself with these various categories and what the mean. During any severe weather event, make sure you tune in to KCAU 9 News for the most up to date and accurate information. Make sure to download the new KCAU 9 Weather app, as it sends you alerts for your current location, and best of all, it's free! Make sure you also have a NOAA Weather Radio, as it is a good tool to keep you ahead of the storm 24/7. Stay with KCAU 9 News for Severe Weather Awareness topics throughout the week and get the local forecast any time right here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
