Latest news with #ShalaskaJones
Voice of America
05-03-2025
- Climate
- Voice of America
Powerful US storms kill 2 and bring threats from critical fire weather to blizzard conditions
Powerful storms killed two people in Mississippi, tore the roofs off an apartment building and a nursing home in a small town in Oklahoma and threatened more communities across the nation Tuesday with wide-ranging weather. The large storm system also brought blinding dust storms to the Southwest, blizzards with whiteout conditions to the Midwest and fears of wildfires elsewhere. In Irving, Texas, a tornado with winds up to 177 kph struck, while another touched down in the 16,000-resident city of Ada, Oklahoma, according to preliminary information from the National Weather Service. There were also two tornadoes in Louisiana's northern Caddo Parish and at least five in eastern Oklahoma. High winds forced some changes to Mardi Gras in New Orleans, which moved up and shortened the two biggest parades, to wrap them up before the bad weather moved in. The weather didn't stop Shalaska Jones and her 2-year-old daughter from waving at passing Mardi Gras floats and hoping to catch one of the coveted coconuts thrown to the crowd. 'We was coming out, rain, sleet or snow,' Jones said. The alarming weather could be one of the first big tests for the National Weather Service after hundreds of forecasters were fired last week as part of President Donald Trump's moves to slash the size of the federal government. Former employees said the firing of meteorologists who make crucial local forecasts nationwide could put lives at risk, though it was too soon to know the impact on forecasts and warnings for this storm. Deaths from storms in Mississippi Two people died due to the severe weather, Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves posted on the social platform X, without going into detail. WAPT-TV reported that one person died from a falling power line in Madison County, while a driver in the same county was killed by a tree falling on his car. Hundreds of thousands left without power Storms that swept through Texas and Oklahoma brought high winds and rain, overturning tractor-trailers and damaging roofs. More than 178,000 customers were without power in Texas, about 23,000 in Louisiana, another 18,000 in Mississippi, about 88,000 in Alabama, more than 16,000 in Oklahoma and more than 23,000 in Tennessee, according to More outages were expected as a line of storms raced across Mississippi and Louisiana and headed for Alabama, producing gusts of 113 kph, the weather service said. Central Plains and Midwest brace for blizzard conditions Blizzard conditions were forecast that could make travel treacherous. Schools will be closed Wednesday in several southern Minnesota districts with about 13 to 28 centimeters of snow expected. More concerning were winds forecasted to gust over 80 kph and stay high. The National Weather Service in the Twin Cities said on X Tuesday night that travel was not advised over a large portion of southern Minnesota. 'It's tough to find a @MnDOT road camera that isn't covered in ice or blocked completely by blowing snow,' the post said. South Dakota was expected to receive up to 12.7 centimeters of snow in some areas, and by Tuesday evening, high winds had already deteriorated road conditions. Jay Jones, who works at Love's Truck Stop in Sioux Falls, said he saw garbage cans flying around as winds gusted around 80.5 kph. Parts of Interstate 29 heading north to North Dakota were shut down. 'It looks really bad out there,' Jones said, adding that he walked to work and would have to 'have to tough it out' on his way home.
Arab Times
05-03-2025
- Climate
- Arab Times
Powerful US storms kill 2, bring threats from critical fire weather to blizzard conditions
NEW ORLEANS, March 5, (AP): Powerful storms killed two people in Mississippi, tore the roofs off an apartment building and a nursing home in a small town in Oklahoma and threatened more communities across the nation Tuesday with wide-ranging weather. The large storm system also brought blinding dust storms to the Southwest, blizzards with whiteout conditions to the Midwest and fears of wildfires elsewhere. In Irving, Texas, a tornado with winds up to 110 mph (177 kph) struck, while another touched down in the 16,000-resident city of Ada, Oklahoma, according to preliminary information from the National Weather Service. There were also two tornadoes in Louisiana's northern Caddo Parish and at least five in eastern Oklahoma. High winds forced some changes to Mardi Gras in New Orleans, which moved up and shortened the two biggest parades to wrap them up before the bad weather moved in. The weather didn't stop Shalaska Jones and her 2-year-old daughter from waving at passing Mardi Gras floats and hoping to catch one of the coveted coconuts thrown to the crowd. "We was coming out, rain, sleet or snow,' Jones said. The alarming weather could be one of the first big tests for the National Weather Service after hundreds of forecasters were fired last week as part of President Donald Trump's moves to slash the size of the federal government. Former employees said the firing of meteorologists who make crucial local forecasts nationwide could put lives at risk, though it was too soon to know the impact on forecasts and warnings for this storm. Two people died due to the severe weather, Gov. Tate Reeves posted on the social platform X, without going into detail. WAPT-TV reported that one person died from a falling power line in Madison County, while a driver in the same county was killed by a tree falling on his car. Storms that swept through Texas and Oklahoma brought high winds and rain, overturning tractor-trailers and damaging roofs. More than 178,000 customers were without power in Texas, about 23,000 in Louisiana, another 18,000 in Mississippi, about 88,000 in Alabama, more than 16,000 in Oklahoma and more than 23,000 in Tennessee, according to More outages were expected as a line of storms raced across Mississippi and Louisiana and headed for Alabama, producing gusts of 70 mph (113 kph), the weather service said.
Los Angeles Times
04-03-2025
- Climate
- Los Angeles Times
Powerful U.S. storms bring threats ranging from critical fire weather to blizzard conditions
NEW ORLEANS — Powerful storms tore roofs off an apartment building and a nursing home in a small town in Oklahoma and threatened more communities across the country Tuesday with weather ranging from fire in the Southern High Plains to blizzards in the Midwest. Dust storms blinded drivers in the Southwest, tornadoes were possible in the South and blizzard conditions descended on the Central Plains. In New Orleans, high winds were forcing some changes to Mardi Gras in New Orleans. The city moved up and shortened the celebration's two biggest parades, hoping to wrap them up before high winds moved in. The weather wasn't stopping Shalaska Jones and her 2-year-old daughter from waving at passing Mardi Gras floats Tuesday and hoping to catch one of the coveted coconuts thrown to the crowd. 'We was coming out rain, sleet or snow,' Jones said. The alarming weather expected Tuesday could be one of the first big tests for the National Weather Service after hundreds of forecasters were fired last week as part of President Trump's moves to slash the size of the federal government. Former employees said the firing of meteorologists who make crucial local forecasts across the U.S. could put lives at risk, though it was too soon to know the effects on forecasts and warnings for this storm. Storms that swept through Texas and Oklahoma early Tuesday brought high winds and rain, overturning tractor-trailers and damaging roofs. Power outages were climbing Tuesday morning in the storm's wake, with nearly 400,000 customers without power in Texas and another 25,000 knocked offline in Oklahoma, according to which tracks outages nationwide. In the 16,000-resident city of Ada, Okla., where apartment and nursing home roofs were torn away, the damage indicates there was likely a tornado that touched down Tuesday morning as a line of powerful thunderstorms rumbled across the state, said Bruce Thoren, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service. Gusts up to 85 mph were recorded in the area, he said. There were no immediate reports of injuries, said Jeff Rollins, the emergency management director in the nearby town of Byng, who was assisting Ada. The week's strong weather system will also bring 'a threat of blizzard conditions, high winds, flash flooding, severe weather, dust storms and critical to extreme fire weather conditions to the nation's heartland,' the National Weather Service said. The dust storms brought near-zero visibility to parts of New Mexico and west Texas on Monday, prompting the National Weather Service to issue dust storm warnings. The Central Plains and Midwest were bracing for blizzard conditions later Tuesday that forecasters warned could 'make travel treacherous and potentially life-threatening.' The Nebraska Department of Transportation said conditions could mean low visibility and whiteout conditions across the state, and urged travelers to adjust their plans for Tuesday afternoon and into the night. On Tuesday, twisters, damaging winds and large hail were all possible as the strong storm system began moving across the nation's midsection into Arkansas, Louisiana and Mississippi, the federal Storm Prediction Center warned. Tornado watches and warnings were issued Tuesday morning in Oklahoma, Texas and Arkansas. The bull's-eye for a heightened risk of severe weather was an area stretching from east Texas to Alabama that's home to more than 7 million people. Cities under threat included Baton Rouge and Shreveport in Louisiana; Jackson, Miss.; and Mobile, Ala. Nationwide, nearly 400 flights scheduled to travel through the U.S. on Tuesday were canceled, according to which tracks delays and cancellations. Airports in Dallas had canceled the most flights among U.S. airports. New Orleans Police Supt. Anne Kirkpatrick ordered parade-goers to not bring umbrellas, tents or 'anything that could fly in the wind and cause mayhem.' Just outside New Orleans in neighboring Jefferson Parish, officials canceled planned Mardi Gras Day parades due to anticipated high winds and thunderstorms. Mardi Gras floats 'could become unstable' and heavy winds could 'blow down trees and power lines,' the National Weather Service warned, adding that gusts of up to 60 mph were expected Tuesday afternoon. In Pointe Coupee Parish, near Louisiana's capital city of Baton Rouge, the incoming weather forced drastic changes to one of the oldest Mardi Gras celebrations in the state. The parade there was scheduled to roll without any bands, marching teams or dance groups — a staple of Carnival season parades. Officials also moved up the start time and urged residents to immediately remove all tents and trash afterward 'due to the dangers they can present during weather.' Elsewhere, large crowds were expected Tuesday for Mardi Gras celebrations in Mobile. Police said they were monitoring the forecast and would announce any celebration changes. Other cities hosting large events included Biloxi, Miss., where an annual parade was set for Tuesday afternoon. Martin and Brook write for the Associated Press. Martin reported from Atlanta. AP writers Sean Murphy in Oklahoma City; Sara Cline in Baton Rouge, La.; and Susan Montoya Bryan in Albuquerque, N.M., contributed to this report.
