Four people were injured Monday when a tornado struck their rural Norton County home, state officials said.
The tornado was one of more than a half-dozen reported in northwest Kansas on Monday. There were no serious injuries, said Sharon Watson, a spokeswoman for the Kansas Division of Emergency Management.
At least three homes were damaged or destroyed outside Almena near the Nebraska line, Watson said.
Preliminary reports indicate most of the tornadoes were EF-0 or EF-1 and relatively short-lived, according to the Goodland branch of the National Weather Service. But one tornado, north of Hill City in Graham County, was rated an EF-3, which indicates wind gusts of 136-165 mph.
Tornadoes were also reported in Gove, Sheridan and Phillips counties. Hail as large as softballs was reported in Haskell County, and as large as baseballs in Graham County
No tornadoes were reported in the Wichita area, but powerful straight-line winds are blamed for damage near Maize and Valley Center. A metal shed was flattened near Hoover and 53rd Street North, and a semi was blown over two miles east of Maize on K-96.
Earth Changes
Tornado warnings were issued for parts of the Midwest on Tuesday night and the National Weather Service reported a possible tornado touchdown in a Minneapolis suburb that resulted in no injuries.
The renewed storm activity came less than a month after a massive tornado devastated Joplin, Missouri, and killed 155 people in the deadliest tornado to hit the United States in more than 60 years.
The renewed storm activity came less than a month after a massive tornado devastated Joplin, Missouri, and killed 155 people in the deadliest tornado to hit the United States in more than 60 years.
Naga Fireballs
Each year, hundreds of fireballs spontaneously explode out of Thailand's Mekong River. Known as "bung fai paya nak" or "Naga fireballs," they have appeared on the "late Autumn night of the full moon at the end of the Buddhist Lent for as long as anyone can remember," according to a 2002 Time magazine story about the phenomenon. Some believe the balls come from the breath of Naga, a mythical serpent that haunts the river; locals use old grainy pictures and postcards of the mythical beast to prove its presence to tourists. Others believe the fireballs are actually pockets of methane bubbling up from the river, but many locals remain convinced that the fireballs are of a supernatural origin.
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© Getty Images
The preliminary report from the International Programme on the State of the Ocean (IPSO) is the result of the first-ever interdisciplinary international workshop examining the combined impact of all of the stressors currently affecting the oceans, including pollution, warming, acidification, overfishing and hypoxia.
Comment: And how about "psychopathic greed" as one of the stressors? BP's oil disaster in Gulf of Mexico, for example.
"The findings are shocking," Dr. Alex Rogers, IPSO's scientific director, said in a statement released by the group. "This is a very serious situation demanding unequivocal action at every level. We are looking at consequences for humankind that will impact in our lifetime, and worse, our children's and generations beyond that."
The scientific panel concluded that degeneration in the oceans is happening much faster than has been predicted, and that the combination of factors currently distressing the marine environment is contributing to the precise conditions that have been associated with all major extinctions in the Earth's history.
© The Associated Press
Ashes and smoke billow through the clouds after the eruption of the Puyehue-Cordon Caulle volcano in Chile
Ashes and smoke billow through the clouds after the eruption of the Puyehue-Cordon Caulle volcano in Chile
But the ash cloud created by the eruption continues to wreak havoc on airlines around the world.
The Chilean airline LAN cancelled flights to Temuco and Valdivia in the south of the country, and a number of flights were suspended in Australia and New Zealand.
"Viscous lava has flowed slowly westward in a channel roughly 50 metres wide and 100 metres long," the national geology service known as SERNAGEOMIN said in its latest report.
Last week, SERNAGEOMIN chief Enrique Valdivieso said the appearance of lava would signal "the end of the eruptive process" and would not put any of the local population in danger.
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A recent report says that US nuclear plants are in grave condition.
A recent report says that US nuclear plants are in grave condition.
After a yearlong investigation, the AP has concluded that many of the nation's facilities are still in operation because the safety standards that they are held to have been repeatedly weakened as regulations become more and more lax.
The AP reviewed tens of thousands of pages of government and industry studies, alongside interviews and inspection reports that go back to the 1970s. As a result of the analysis, the AP says that are led to believe that the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission has regularly lessened restrictions as the NRC repeatedly argues that "safety margins could be eased without peril." The AP responds that not only is the safety of much of America in danger, however, but the investigation also says that billions of dollars are at stake - as well as around one-fifth of America's electricity supply.
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Xcel Energy says more than 8,000 customers were without service Tuesday morning.
And KARE 11's Jonathan Yuhas says the rough stuff might not be over.
More heavy downpours are likely Tuesday afternoon across the Metro area, which could lead to some spot flooding. Rain is forecast again on Wednesday with the potential for a few strong storms in the early afternoon hours from the Twin Cities Metro area east into Wisconsin.
All this moisture, on top of other recent heavy rains and thunderstorms are causing river levels to rise across Minnesota and western Wisconsin. The Minnesota, St.Croix and Mississippi Rivers will approach flood stage this week and remain near flood stage into the weekend.
Heavy storms pounded the Mon Valley early Monday morning, with torrential rains causing flood damage throughout the area, but mostly in Charleroi and Fallowfield.
According to Charleroi fire Chief Bob Whiten Jr., the Twilight basin off Lincoln Avenue Extension was hardest hit.
"We were out there for three hours last night," Whiten said. "It's the worst I've seen it in a long time."
Maple Creek Distributing was hit hard, but business was not affected.
"It's been a very long day," said Elaine McGaughey, who owns the business with her husband, Joe. "When I walked outside at 11 p.m. last night, the water was coming over the bridge."
The water did not reach levels high enough to affect merchandise.
The business' garage, located in the rear of the building, was filled with mud and debris, and a truck had to be hauled away after being swallowed by the water.
According to Charleroi fire Chief Bob Whiten Jr., the Twilight basin off Lincoln Avenue Extension was hardest hit.
"We were out there for three hours last night," Whiten said. "It's the worst I've seen it in a long time."
Maple Creek Distributing was hit hard, but business was not affected.
"It's been a very long day," said Elaine McGaughey, who owns the business with her husband, Joe. "When I walked outside at 11 p.m. last night, the water was coming over the bridge."
The water did not reach levels high enough to affect merchandise.
The business' garage, located in the rear of the building, was filled with mud and debris, and a truck had to be hauled away after being swallowed by the water.
© KCCI-TV/KCCI.com
Storm damage in New Sharon, Iowa, on Monday, June 20, 2011.
Storm damage in New Sharon, Iowa, on Monday, June 20, 2011.
No one was injured in the early morning storm, but the weather that hit the small community in southern Iowa left a half mile path of damage behind.
The strength of this storm surprised everyone from residents to the National Weather Service. Sunday night they issued an alert, but only for winds up to 50 miles an hour. It was a shock to everyone when a tornado formed bringing winds up to 110 miles an hour.
"One of my tenants said, I hate to tell you but your 1971 Charger is in ditch and your building is across the road in the cemetery," says Terry Anderson, who owns a storage company in New Sharon.
It wasn't the wake up call Anderson wanted to hear. When he finally arrived at his company, he stumbled into a disaster area. The tornado winds were so strong, they sucked up the foundation of his building and carried 60 pound pieces of wood over one 100 yards away.
"We had no warning on this one. We usually get one if we have a severe thunderstorm coming at us, they give us warning to alert us and can decide if we want spotters out. This one we didn't have anything," says New Sharon Fire Chief Steve Gerard.
© Sky-Hi Daily News
The unofficial snow report from a picnic table at Arapahoe Basin shows 6 new inches Monday morning. The ski area is closed this week but will be open Fri-Sun through Fourth of July weekend. Arapahoe Basin / Facebook page
The unofficial snow report from a picnic table at Arapahoe Basin shows 6 new inches Monday morning. The ski area is closed this week but will be open Fri-Sun through Fourth of July weekend. Arapahoe Basin / Facebook page
A storm that has prompted a tornado watch across Nebraska and Kansas today also left 2 to 4 inches of snow in the Rocky Mountains, said Joe Ramey, a weather service meteorologist in Grand Junction, Colorado.
"It is unusual," Ramey said. "Here it is the last day of spring."
A winter storm advisory has been posted in the mountains of Colorado above 10,000 feet until 6 p.m. local time, and at least one tornado was reported in Kansas, according to the weather service. The Northern Hemisphere summer starts at 1:16 p.m. New York time tomorrow.
