Storm damages property, halts travel | News, Sports, Jobs



I personally enjoy a thunderstorm…if the thunder doesn’t immediately follow the bolt of lightning. But I’m not sure how much I would have appreciated what has been called the most devastating storm in Matamoras history.

That particular event was on a Sunday afternoon. It was Aug. 8, 1915 at 5 p.m. The atmosphere had been unbearably hot and humid all day, and beginning at 2:30 in the mid-afternoon, distant rumblings of thunder were heard in the far southwest of town. It was nearly 90 minutes later before one could see the storm clouds gathering. Such a slow pace did not foretell a good omen of the coming event.

Throughout all this section of the Mid-Ohio River Valley incessant flashes of lightning brightened the black sky in all directions. There came a blinding rain with constant, continual rumblings in the sky. With the exceedingly heavy rains, the streets of town quickly flooded. All vehicle travel was halted by the fierceness of the storm. The rain ended with hail which cooled the air considerably.

Many people had attended a ballgame in Paden City, the mode of transportation being by means of railroad travel. A person could either cross the river by ferry boat from Matamoras to Friendly, and catch the train there or go to Fly, where another ferry crossed to the train station in Sistersville.

Everyone at the ballgame became storm bound, having to remain on the Union Traction cars. All travel was cancelled until the worst of the storm passed. The only relief in the meantime was the break in the humidity as cooler air came with the hail as it worked its way up the valley.

The “Matamoras Enterprise” of Aug. 12, 1915 carried a description of the destruction of the area. It read, “North Fork and Mill Creek came tearing out and the misfortune of one home was in having the back porch carried away and the whole building forced off its foundation. A 100-barrel tank belonging to the Sutton Brothers came down the creek to the river. A mowing machine owned by Wiley Amos was washed away and the engine house of a well on Mill Creek was completely demolished. Produce was scattered all along the road to the river and drift piles were full of snakes of all descriptions. Jim Run was on a rampage also and a great deal of damage occurred to oil wells and corn fields. The tubing in a well belonging to C.C. Stover was broken off and a 100 barrel tank taken from its spot.”

John Miller is president of the Matamoras Area Historical Society. Membership dues are $15 per year single/couple. Life membership is $150. Contact the society at P.O. Box 1846, New Matamoras, Ohio 45767. Much of this column is built on the work of Matamoras’ historian, the late Diana McMahan.



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Los Angeles Sparks travel to take on the Storm


May 19, 2022 GMT

Los Angeles Sparks (2-3, 0-1 Western Conference) at Seattle Storm (2-3, 1-3 Western Conference)

Seattle; Friday, 10 p.m. EDT

BOTTOM LINE: The Seattle Storm host the Los Angeles Sparks.

Seattle finished 21-11 overall and 9-6 in Western Conference play a season ago. The Storm averaged 84.8 points per game while allowing opponents to score 80.4 last season.

Los Angeles went 2-13 in Western Conference play and 12-20 overall during the 2021-22 season. The Sparks averaged 18.9 points off of turnovers, 8.6 second chance points and 20.3 bench points last season.

INJURIES: Storm: None listed.

Sparks: None listed.

___

The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.



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Spring Storm Delivers Snow to Northern California Mountains | California News


SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. (AP) — Spring has sprung in much of California, but winter is hanging on in parts of the Sierra Nevada, where snow fell Sunday and forecasters warned of hazardous travel conditions.

The National Weather Service issued a winter weather advisory through 11 p.m., predicting up to 10 inches (25 centimeters) of snow in mountains above 5,000 feet (1,524 meters) near Lake Tahoe.

“Snow has started over the Sierra!” the weather service’s Sacramento office tweeted around midday. “If you have mountain travel plans be prepared for winter driving conditions, gusty winds, and low visibility at times.”

Chains were recommended for vehicles on Northern California mountain routes, including Interstate 80 and State Route 50.

Light rain fell across the San Francisco Bay Area, where overnight temperatures could drop into the low 40s (about 5 Celsius).

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Despite the spring snow, California remains locked in drought after historically dry winter months. The Sierra snowpack, a key part of the state’s water supply, was just 38% of average on April 1, when it is normally at its peak.

Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.



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Staying safe during travel in a dust storm in New Mexico


Staying safe during travel in a dust storm

With high winds expected throughout New Mexico today, blowing dust is a major concern on many roadways in the state. Blowing dust can turn into what the DOT calls “blinding dust” in a moment’s notice. The New Mexico Department of Transportation urges everyone to reconsider travel plans today. Those who are traveling today, NMDOT is offering these tips to help you stay safe if you’re caught in a dust storm. Avoid driving into or through a dust storm. Do not wait until poor visibility makes it difficult to safely pull off the roadway — do it as soon as possible. Completely exit the highway if you can. If you encounter a dust storm, check traffic immediately around your vehicle (front, back and to the side) and begin slowing down. Do not stop in the roadway; pull completely out of the travel lanes and as far onto the right shoulder as possible. Stop the vehicle in a position ensuring it is a safe distance from the main roadway and away from where other vehicles may travel. Turn off all vehicle lights, including your emergency flashers. Set your emergency brake and take your foot off the brake. Stay in the vehicle with your seat belts buckled and wait for the storm to pass. Drivers of high-profile vehicles should be especially aware of changing weather conditions and travel at reduced speeds. You can also check the latest travel conditions by calling 511 or visiting nmroads.com

With high winds expected throughout New Mexico today, blowing dust is a major concern on many roadways in the state.

Blowing dust can turn into what the DOT calls “blinding dust” in a moment’s notice.

The New Mexico Department of Transportation urges everyone to reconsider travel plans today. Those who are traveling today, NMDOT is offering these tips to help you stay safe if you’re caught in a dust storm.

  • Avoid driving into or through a dust storm.
  • Do not wait until poor visibility makes it difficult to safely pull off the roadway — do it as soon as possible. Completely exit the highway if you can.
  • If you encounter a dust storm, check traffic immediately around your vehicle (front, back and to the side) and begin slowing down.
  • Do not stop in the roadway; pull completely out of the travel lanes and as far onto the right shoulder as possible.
  • Stop the vehicle in a position ensuring it is a safe distance from the main roadway and away from where other vehicles may travel.
  • Turn off all vehicle lights, including your emergency flashers.
  • Set your emergency brake and take your foot off the brake.
  • Stay in the vehicle with your seat belts buckled and wait for the storm to pass.
  • Drivers of high-profile vehicles should be especially aware of changing weather conditions and travel at reduced speeds.

You can also check the latest travel conditions by calling 511 or visiting nmroads.com



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Governor Hochul Updates New Yorkers on Late April Storm Causing Nearly 200,000 Power Outages Across the State


Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services Commissioner Jackie Bray said, “Mother Nature has brought another late-season storm and we’re working to ensure communities experiencing outages have the resources they need to respond and keep New Yorkers safe. Our Emergency Operations Center in Albany is activated, and we are coordinating with our partners on the ground in the affected counties to coordinate response and provide support wherever needed.”

At its peak on Tuesday morning, more than 195,000 customers across the state were without power due to the winter storm that continues to produce snow and rain upstate. The Department of Public Service received reports of significant tree damage throughout the Southern Tier, Mohawk Valley and North Country regions. Broome County experienced more than 45,000 outages, while Chenango, Fulton, Otsego, Saratoga, Schenectady, and Warren Counties all experienced between 10,000 and 16,000 outages. Damage assessment crews from the utility companies are working to determine the extent of pole and conductor damage and responding to numerous 911/emergency calls for downed trees and wires. Both National Grid and and NYSEG have secured more 1,000 additional line personnel and are shifting resources into the affected areas.

New York State agencies will continue to coordinate response activities and offer assistance to help respond in Broome, Chenango, Hamilton, Herkimer and Otsego Counties, which are currently under local States of Emergency.



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Spring storm makes travel treacherous | Local News


GRANTSVILLE — A spring storm packing a mixture of snow, sleet and freezing rain created hazardous travel Monday, forcing dozens of accidents and temporarily closing sections of several area roadways as first-responders waited for plow trucks to clear and treat them.

Many of the initial accidents occurred Monday morning on Interstate 68’s west lanes between Finzel and Grantsville, but roads in about every local county were eventually affected by fast-deteriorating conditions.

“For everyone calling about the roads. Please, if you do not need to travel stay in. Mount Storm is a mess. There are multiple cars and tractor and trailers stuck,” the Grant County, West Virginia, Sheriff’s Department said in a Facebook post around noon.

About 4:45 p.m., a tractor-trailer traveling east on the interstate reportedly hauling forklifts rolled on its side near the Finzel weigh station. The truck was on the should of the highway, and no lanes were blocked.

In addition to Interstate 68, difficult travel was reported in Allegany County on U.S. Route 40 near Frostburg, state Route 36, West Virginia Route 46 near Fountain and U.S. Route 50 in Hampshire County, among others.

Both Garrett and Allegany counties activated snow emergency plans — at 11:15 a.m. and 11:30 a.m., respectively — meaning snow tires or chains are required on vehicles and parking is prohibited on snow emergency routes.

The heaviest snow fell in western Allegany, western Mineral and eastern Garrett counties, according to the National Weather Service.

By late afternoon, 4 inches had fallen in Cumberland, 6 in Frostburg and 2 in Grantsville, said Chad Merrill, prognosticator for the Hagerstown Town and Country Almanack and a Cumberland native.

“This storm will surpass the previous most snowy April for Cumberland, which was in 1985 when 2.0 inches accumulated,” Merrill said by email Monday afternoon.

Cumberland averages about a tenth of an inch of snow in April and Garrett County 3 inches.

“Nor’easters such as this one are not uncommon in April, but it is uncommon for this much cold air to get pulled into the system for snow to accumulate as much as it did with this storm,” Merrill said by email Monday afternoon.

Merrill said gusty winds will over spread the region Tuesday, with peak gusts at 40 mph. Lake-effect snow showers could add another 2-3 inches of snow in Garrett county Monday night and Tuesday, he said.

“Roads will be slippery tonight for sure but melting will quickly commence Tuesday east of Route 36 where more peaks of sunshine are expected,” he said. Roads will dry out east of Route 36 on Tuesday. Once again Tuesday night, roads will become slippery in Garrett County as road temperatures drop below freezing.”

The storm also downed trees on the city’s West Side and on alternate state Route 28 in Ridgeley, West Virginia.

With the cold snap, Merrill cautioned about covering planted flowers, as temperatures will drop under 32 degrees Tuesday and Wednesday mornings before rebounding Thursday, when a high of 70 is forecast.





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Strong Late-Winter Storm Knocks Out Power and Snarls Travel


A sprawling, late-season winter storm was bringing a mix of precipitation across a wide stretch of the United States on Saturday, knocking out power to thousands and disrupting travel with hazardous conditions, meteorologists said.

About 16 million people from Tennessee up through Maine were under some sort of winter weather alert, while some isolated areas were under a blizzard warning, according to the National Weather Service. The interior Northeast was expected to get the worst of the storm.

“It’s a rather expansive winter storm, but it’s very, very quick moving,” Andrew Orrison, a meteorologist in College Park, Md., at the service’s Weather Prediction Center, said on Saturday. “So it’s one of those deals where the worst impacts are really just going to be for today.”

Heavy snowfall was already affecting the central Appalachians on Saturday morning, Mr. Orrison said, and it would be moving rapidly across the northern mid-Atlantic region and up into the Northeast over the course of the day.

Snow may fall in some places at a rate of one to two inches per hour and may combine with winds of up to 50 miles per hour, leading to “blowing and drifting snow” from the central Appalachians to the Northeast, the Weather Prediction Center warned on Twitter on Saturday morning.

“Severely reduced visibility and white-out conditions will make travel extremely dangerous at times,” the center said.

The center also warned that sharp temperature drops overnight could lead to dangerous conditions on untreated roads and that strong winds on the backside of the storm combined with the heavy wet snow could contribute to power failures and tree damage.

Nearly 80,000 people were without power in Georgia as of Saturday morning, including nearly 38,000 people in the Atlanta metropolitan area, according to Georgia Power.

More than 74,000 people were without power in North Carolina and tens of thousands of others were without power in Alabama, Florida, Pennsylvania, South Carolina and Virginia, according to PowerOutage.us, which aggregates data from utilities across the United States.

The severe weather conditions were also affecting travel on Saturday, with more than 1,000 flights canceled within, into or out of the United States as of Saturday morning, according to FlightAware, a flight tracking service. There were more than 2,800 flights delayed.

Areas across North Texas and southern Oklahoma received a few inches of snow on Friday. Similar snow totals were reported around eastern Tennessee and portions of Kentucky on Saturday morning.

Dolly Parton’s amusement park, Dollywood, in eastern Tennessee, was scheduled to open to the public for the first time this year on Saturday, but the opening was postponed because of overnight snowfall.

Parts of Kansas received as much as five inches of snow, the Weather Service said. Warnings about the weather prompted Kansas City, Mo., to close its public schools on Friday.

Record low temperatures were likely for much of the Southeast on Sunday.

The Northeast was most likely to get the brunt of snow accumulations, forecasters said. Areas around Albany, N.Y., could receive up to four inches of snow, while areas farther north could receive as much as 12 inches.

In Vermont, seven to 14 inches of snow was forecast for much of the state, and parts of northern Maine could get 12 to 18 inches.

One meteorologist said that it was not unusual to see a late winter storm system in March.

“March is one of those months where there are some years that we see plenty of snow and there are some years we see next to nothing,” Torry Gaucher, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Norton, Mass., said on Friday.

“Technically, we’re in meteorological spring,” he added. “Calendar-wise, we have another month before spring really arrives.”

Cities closer to the coast, including New York City and Boston, were expected to receive a mix of rain and snow, with significantly less accumulation. The Boston area could receive at least an inch of snow on Saturday and Sunday morning.

This weekend’s storm follows a pattern of active winter weather throughout much of the South and East Coast this year.

In early January, back-to-back storms created perilous driving conditions in the Mid-Atlantic and the Northeast, including one weather system that stranded hundreds of drivers on Interstate 95 in Virginia for more than 24 hours. The storm trapped truckers, students, families and every stripe of commuter, including Senator Tim Kaine.

In mid-January, another storm slammed the South, killing at least two people and leaving thousands without power before moving north and dropping heavy snow over parts of the Northeast and Canada.

Another January storm swept through the East Coast, prompting thousands of flight cancellations and prompting the governors of New York and New Jersey to declare states of emergency. That storm dropped more than 30 inches of snow in parts of Massachusetts.

In early February, another storm slammed parts of Texas with snow and sleet, disrupting travel and power. Gov. Greg Abbott called it “one of the most significant icing events that we’ve had in the state of Texas in at least several decades.”

Johnny Diaz contributed reporting.





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Snow storm expected to impact travel conditions Saturday | News, Sports, Jobs




A winter storm is expected to pass through the area this Saturday. Snow is predicted to begin in the early hours of the morning and continue on in the early afternoon hours, according to The National Weather Service.

“At this point, we aren’t certain how much we are looking at,” said Charles Ross with The National Weather Service. “It’s currently looking like 3 to 7 inches. If you head to the north or towards that area — towards New York State it’s looking like a bigger storm.”

This is subject to change, depending on the track of the storm, which is still to be determined, according to the National Weather Service.

“On Saturday, there will be a high probably in the low 30s and into the 20s by the evening. Temperature won’t move a lot on Saturday.

“It gets pretty chilly Saturday night, with dusty winds and a low wind chill. Saturday, Sunday and Monday will be pretty chilly,” Ross said.

The impending snow storm could affect traveling conditions, especially towards the northern side of the state, according to the National Weather Service.

“Prepare for some winter weather conditions on Saturday; even though it might not be the biggest snow storm, it’s going to snow for a couple hours,” Ross added.

After this weekend, temperatures are expected to rise to the 50s for the remainder of next week. The record-breaking weather of 75 last Sunday is not expected to return in the near future.

“…It was a little warm this early — a little premature. It was a warm air mass that came up,” Ross said. “We are not supposed to get that warm this early; that was abnormal.”

According to the National Weather Service website, there will be a high of 35 on Sunday, a high of 51 on Monday and a high of 53 on Tuesday.



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Big snowstorm, severe thunderstorms if traveling to or from Florida; Tips to avoid storm


It seems like the next four days are popular days for Michiganders to drive to or from Florida. There is a snowstorm you need to know about, as it’s not a storm in which you will want to be caught.

The main thought is there will be a snowstorm in Kentucky, Tennessee, the Virginias, northern Alabama and northern Georgia. The snowstorm will somewhat extend northward into Ohio and Indiana.

The snowstorm is sometime Friday through Friday night and into Saturday.

If you don’t want to read anymore, the most important tip is get to Atlanta by 8 p.m. Friday. You would be six hours ahead of the storm. If you don’t want to cut it that close, get to Atlanta during the day Friday.

Here is the radar forecast. You’ll get a great vision that it’s not a storm you’ll want to be driving in through Kentucky, Tennessee and adjacent areas.

radar forecast

Radar forecast from 10 a.m. Friday, March 11 to 7 p.m. Saturday, March 12.

Let’s break up the snowstorm into pieces so you know when you have to be past a certain area.

The first snowfall forecast is the Friday snow through 7 p.m. If you leave Michigan on Friday afternoon, you will be driving through the first part of the storm and one to three inches of snow in Ohio and Indiana. Now we are used to driving in that amount of snow in Michigan, but it slows you down. The problem then is it slows you down enough that the second heavier snow swath will get you in Kentucky and Tennessee.

weekend

Snowfall forecast through 7 p.m. Friday.

By late Friday evening, the snow continues to pile up over Indiana and Ohio and starts to accumulate in western Kentucky and western Tennessee.

weekend

Snowfall forecast through 1 a.m. Saturday

If you had planned on driving through Kentucky and Tennessee midnight Saturday to sunrise Saturday, you will not be happy. That six-hour period could have three to five inches along the entire routes of I-75 and I-65 of Kentucky and Tennessee. Let’s sum this up so you get the strong hint from me: nighttime in the hills with heavy snow.

weekend

Snowfall forecast through 7 a.m. Saturday

Sunrise Saturday to late Saturday afternoon will have another several inches of snow falling across the I-75 and I-65 paths through Kentucky and Tennessee. Saturday won’t be a day to drive through Kentucky, Tennessee, West Virginia and Virginia. This also means if you have the idea of taking the scenic route through West Virginia, don’t do it.

weekend

Snowfall forecast through 1 p.m. Saturday

Most of the snow will be done by mid-afternoon Saturday, but temperatures will quickly drop into the 20s after the snow. This isn’t a snowstorm where the roads will instantly improve right when the snow ends. You’ll have to wait until late morning Sunday before temperatures get into the 40s and make fast work of melting the snow on the roads.

weekend

Snowfall forecast through 7 p.m. Saturday

It’s not just a snowstorm. There could also be a severe thunderstorm outbreak on the south side of the storm. The Storm Prediction Center has outlined where severe thunderstorms are possible Friday night and Saturday morning.

weekend

weekend

Here is the radar forecast at 3 a.m. Saturday. Remember that severe weather in the southeast U.S. is very different from our severe thunderstorms here in Michigan. We need the heat of the day, so most severe thunderstorms occur in the afternoon and evening. The southeast U.S. has many of its most dangerous tornadoes in the middle of the night.

Hopefully I’ve convinced you to not drive through Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky, Tennessee and the Virginias the second half of Friday night or Saturday.

My simplest advice is get to Atlanta, Georgia by 8 p.m. Friday. Anytime after that and you are asking for travel troubles.

If you are driving back to Michigan from the south, get to the Michigan border by 6 p.m. Friday. You’ll be okay, but may run into an inch or two of snow in northern Ohio and northern Indiana. A better idea is stay in the warmth another day and don’t get to Tennessee until noon Sunday. Temperatures will warm into the 40s in the whole snowstorm swath by early Sunday afternoon, and you’ll have no problems.

I’m hoping for a safe drive for you, and lots of relaxation and fun.



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