Powerful winter storm to blast at least 10 states with snow, ice from the Midwest to Northeast late this week
Although March is the first month of meteorological spring, a powerful winter storm is set to bring snow and ice to millions of people from the Midwest to the Northeast late this week
news.yahoo.comHoliday travel upended as forecasters warn of 'bomb cyclone'
The frigid air was moving through the central United States to the east, with windchill advisories affecting about 135 million people over the coming days, weather service meteorologist Ashton Robinson Cook said Thursday. Places like Des Moines, Iowa, will feel like minus 37 degrees, making it possible to suffer frostbite in less than five minutes. “This event could be life-threatening if you are stranded," according to an online post by the National Weather Service in Minnesota, where transportation and patrol officials reported dozens of crashes and vehicles off the road. Service between Chicago and Milwaukee, Chicago and Detroit, and St. Louis and Kansas City, Missouri, was suspended through Christmas Day. In famously snowy Buffalo, New York, forecasters predicted a "once-in-a-generation storm" because of heavy lake-effect snow, wind gusts as high as 65 mph (105 kph), whiteouts and the potential for extensive power outages.
wftv.comSnow, wind and frigid temperatures disrupt holiday travelers
The frigid air was moving through the central United States to the east, with windchill advisories affecting about 135 million people over the coming days, weather service meteorologist Ashton Robinson Cook said Thursday. Greg Abbott, in a news conference Wednesday, was confident the state could handle the increased demand for energy as the temperatures dropped. Service between Chicago and Milwaukee, Chicago and Detroit, and St. Louis and Kansas City, Missouri, was suspended through Christmas Day. In famously snowy Buffalo, New York, forecasters predicted a "once-in-a-generation storm" because of heavy lake-effect snow, wind gusts as high as 65 mph (105 kph), whiteouts and the potential for extensive power outages. The area, a popular tourist destination for its mild winters, braced for strong winds and freezing temperatures.
wftv.comTemperatures fall far and fast as winter storm threatens US
MISSION, Kan. — (AP) — Temperatures plunged far and fast Thursday as a winter storm began forming ahead of Christmas weekend, promising heavy snow, ice, flooding and powerful winds across a broad swath of the country and complicating holiday travel. The National Weather Service reported that temperatures across the central High Plains plummeted 50 degrees Fahrenheit in just a few hours. Greg Abbott, in a news conference Wednesday, was confident the state could handle the increased demand for energy as the temperatures dropped. As the winter storm approached, some shelters in the Detroit area already were at capacity. The Detroit News reported that the 140 beds at COTS, a family-only shelter in Detroit, were full.
wftv.comMassive ‘bomb cyclone’ expected to put damper on holiday travel across US
A massive winter storm is expected to put a damper on holiday travel across the United States. This winter storm is also expected to impact more than 110 million Americans who are expected to travel, whether its on the road or in the air. The Washington Post said that the strong winds could lead to power outages as well. In preparation for that, different airlines have been working on plans for waivers, including United Airlines, American Airlines and Southwest Airlines. The upcoming storm is expected to strengthen explosively and make it possibly qualify as a “bomb cyclone,” which is an intense kind of mid-latitude storm.
wftv.comSouthern U.S. in danger of potential tornado outbreaks while other areas brace for heavy snow
Heavy snow is expected from the Rocky Mountains to the Great Lakes, while the South is in danger of potential tornado outbreaks in the coming days. The Weather Channel's Mike Bettes has the forecast.
news.yahoo.comLawmaker pushes for Chicago to join the race for 1st offshore wind farm on the Great Lakes: ‘This is not pie-in-the-sky.’
Bill sets up a state fund to compete for federal money, including $230 million for port infrastructure projects available from the U.S. Department of Transportation.
chicagotribune.com2022 Sturgeon moon: Last supermoon of the year will peak this week
Supermoons: What you need to know (NCD)The final supermoon for 2022 reaches its peak on Thursday and will share the sky with another celestial event. On Thursday, Aug. 12, the Sturgeon moon will reach peak illumination around 9:30 p.m. EDT, about an hour after it rises in the eastern sky. According to The Old Farmer’s Almanac, the Sturgeon moon got its name from the sturgeon of the Great Lakes that were caught during this part of the summer. The Sturgeon supermoon will share the sky with the ongoing Perseid meteor shower, likely making it harder to see shooting stars. To best see the meteors this week, you will need to wait until the predawn hours when the moon sets in the west.
wftv.comDredging company to pay $1M for restoration work oil spill
NEW ORLEANS — (AP) — A Houston dredging company has been ordered to pay a $1 million fine for an oil spill that occurred when a subcontractor cut through an oil pipeline during barrier island restoration work off Louisiana in 2016. The restoration at Chenier Ronquille, a barrier island east of Grand Isle, was paid for by money from the 2010 BP oil spill. Great Lakes, which was headquartered in Oak Brook, Illinois, in 2016 but has since moved to Houston, pleaded guilty in June 2021. Prosecutors said Great Lakes agreed to pay nearly $3.2 million and Tassin’s employer agreed to pay it nearly $1.7 million. Great Lakes deposited $2 million for possible restitution when it pleaded guilty, and will get the rest back, according to court documents.
wftv.comHeat wave keeps Midwest and South in its sticky grip
The National Weather Service maintained an excessive heat warning through Wednesday evening for most of Illinois, Indiana and Ohio, which have been dealing with the sticky humidity and soaring temperatures since Tuesday. And the heat advisory in place for the Midwest and South stretched all the way eastward to the South Carolina shoreline. “There are a lot of vulnerable populations exposed to this heat,” University of Georgia meteorology professor Marshall Shepherd said. In the heat, the sealant stiffens faster than in cooler weather, he said, so the glue becomes less malleable. “With this heat, just like that, it’s done,” Thrasher said, setting a small tile on an open space in the wall.
wftv.comWhat US Navy recruits go through in their 10-week boot camp
We got an inside look at the United States Navy's 10-week basic training program. Chief video correspondent Graham Flanagan spent five days inside Recruit Training Command Great Lakes, where he observed different companies at various stages of training at the facility located about 35 miles north of Chicago. Recruits must pass a physical assessment and a swim qualification before they train in seamanship, firefighting, and weapons training. They're also exposed to tear gas inside a confidence chamber where they learn to correctly wear gas masks. Training culminates with “Battle Stations” an all-night event that takes place on a mock Navy destroyer ship designed by companies who have created theme park attractions for Walt Disney World. After completing the event, recruits officially become sailors when they receive their US Navy ball caps.
news.yahoo.comThe Great Lakes are warmer than they’ve ever been in early November: Why that’s a problem in several ways
Some parts of the Northern Great Lakes region were greeted by their first significant snowfall of the season earlier this week, but not even the arrival of the fluffy white stuff could mask these historic times for the Great Lakes themselves.
I took the high-speed ferry across Lake Michigan -- and it made for the coolest experience
Maybe you’re in Michigan, with family in Wisconsin (or vice versa). Or perhaps you’re planning some sort of trip across state lines, and you came across the idea of using a ferry to save some time around the Great Lakes.
Most of U.S. covered with snow after massive winter storms
ORLANDO, Fla. – Rounds of significant winter weather have forced most of the US into a deep freeze. Following a historic snowstorm earlier in the week that brought heavy snow from Seattle to Texas and into the Great Lakes region, nearly 75 percent of the country has snow on the ground. AdThe snow made it all the way down to the Gulf Coast in Texas Monday. pic.twitter.com/Lj3eWUf2y0 — Justin Stapleton (@KPRC2Justin) February 15, 2021More snow and ice will be likely across the Deep South and Mid Atlantic through the upcoming weekend. How many inches of snow fell in your area?
Tornado kills 3 in North Carolina; bitter cold sweeps Plains
AdNorth Carolina's Brunswick County had little notice of the dangerous weather, and a tornado warning was not issued until the storm was already on the ground. Texas officials said more than 400,000 doses due now will not arrive until at least Wednesday because of the storm. The tornado that hit North Carolina's Brunswick County was an EF3 with winds estimated at 160 mph (257 kph), the weather service said on Twitter. Several cities had record lows: In Minnesota, the Hibbing/Chisholm weather station registered minus 38 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 39 degrees Celsius). Sioux Falls, South Dakota, dropped to minus 26 Fahrenheit (minus 26 degrees Celsius).
Michigan approves Great Lakes oil pipeline tunnel permits
(AP Photo/Carlos Osorio, File)TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. – Michigan's environmental agency said Friday it has approved construction of an underground tunnel to house a replacement for a controversial oil pipeline in a channel linking two of the Great Lakes. AdThe project requires permits from the state Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. “We have issued permits designed to ensure that if a tunnel is constructed, it will be in strict compliance with relevant statutes and adhere to stringent protections against impacts to the Great Lakes,” Clark said. State officials emphasized the tunnel project was a separate legal matter from the dispute over the existing pipeline, which was laid in 1953. It has taken steps to prevent future anchor strikes and says the tunnel project would eliminate that danger.
Deal reached on project to protect lakes from invasive fish
The two states and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will share pre-engineering and design costs for the $858 million project at Brandon Road Lock and Dam near Joliet, Illinois. The structure on the Des Plaines River is a choke point between the Illinois River, which is infested with the invasive carp, and Lake Michigan. The next step is developing design and engineering specifications, expected to take three to four years and cost about $28.8 million. Under the new agreement, the Corps will pay $18 million and Michigan $8 million. Government agencies, advocacy groups and others have long debated how to prevent them from reaching the Great Lakes, where scientists say they could out-compete native species for food and habitat.
New Year’s Eve storms, possible tornados expected in South
(Image: NWS)NEW ORLEANS – Severe storms capable of spinning up tornados are expected across the Deep South. Forecasters say the storms are expected to strike the region on Thursday — New Year’s Eve. The national Storm Prediction Center says the area most at risk of severe weather on Thursday includes parts of Louisiana, Mississippi and southeast Texas. “Tornadoes along with damaging wind gusts and large hail are all potential threats," according to the National Weather Service office in Lake Charles, Louisiana. Forecasters say the risk of severe weather will later spread into Alabama and parts of the Florida Panhandle.
Trump officials end gray wolf protections across most of US
Both feared and revered by people, gray wolves have recovered from near extinction in parts of the country but remain absent from much of their historical range. Federal wildlife officials contend thriving populations in the western Great Lakes region, Rocky Mountains and Pacific Northwest ensure the species' long-term survival. “In the early part of the 20th century the gray wolf had essentially become a ghost throughout the United States," Bernhardt said. The decision keeps protections for a small population of Mexican gray wolves in the Southwest. Fish and Wildlife Service would have no say about moving ahead with the plan, if voters approve it.
Regulators deny quick approval of new Great Lakes pipeline
A Michigan regulatory panel refused Tuesday, June 30, 2020, to grant quick permission to run a new oil pipeline beneath a channel that connects two of the Great Lakes, deciding instead to conduct a full review. Enbridge filed an application in April with the Michigan Public Service Commission to relocate a segment of its Line 5 that extends beneath the Straits of Mackinac, which links Lakes Huron and Michigan. (Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy via AP)TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. A Michigan regulatory panel on Tuesday refused to grant quick permission to run a new oil pipeline beneath a channel that connects two of the Great Lakes, deciding instead to conduct a full review. The state Public Service Commission's decision involved a proposed replacement for a segment of Enbridge's Line 5 that extends beneath the Straits of Mackinac, which links Lakes Huron and Michigan. Enbridge filed an application in April with the Public Service Commission to relocate the underwater section of Line 5 into the proposed tunnel.