Perfect Pet - Friday, April 30, 2010

 
Meet Olga today during our Perfect Pet segment on our Midday Show at 11 AM.

Olga is a warm, hopeful and genuine 3 year-old uniquely beautiful American Staffordshire Terrier mixed breed female.  This soft-hearted gal is a little shy at first but warms quickly.  Olga enjoys walks in the park and meeting other dogs.  Right now, she would do best as an only pet.

For more information, you can e-mail:  adoption@berkeleyhumane.org

Or come meet Olga in person at the Berkeley-East Bay Humane Society.
2700 Ninth Street
Berkeley, CA 94710

Telephone: (510) 845-7735

Saturday's Mississippi Tornado Maps & Event Summary

Saturday's powerful tornado that devastated Mississippi is now in the record books. 

After a few days surveying and analyzing the damage path, officials could not find a clear break in the tornado's path.  The 149.25 mile track ranks as the fourth longest tornado path through Mississippi.  The twister began 5 miles west of Tallulah, LA finally dissipating nearly 3 hours and 149.25 miles later 5.5 miles north of Sturgis, MS.  At one point, while tearing a path through Yazoo County, the tornado reached a record width of 1.75 miles with estimated wind speeds near 170 mph, second strongest on the Enhanced Fujita Scale.

 
The longest traveling Mississippi tornado, the Candlestick Park F5, covered 203 miles on March 3rd of 1966. 

Saturday's tornadowas the 9th deadliest in Mississippi, taking 10 lives and injuring 146.  The deadliest twister in the state's history left 317 people dead near Natchez on May 6, 1840.

In an average year, about 1,000 tornadoes are reported across the United States, resulting in 80 deaths and over 1,500 injuries.  Tornadoes vary significantly in size and intensity.  An average tornado damage path is about one or two miles, with a width of around 50 yards.

Preliminary Report
Full Report
Enhance Fujita Scale - More Details

 

Double Rainbow This Morning

Stephanie Adrouny, our Assistant News Director, captured this rare double rainbow in Burlingame this morning.

Information About Saturday's Tornadic Storm's

Saying a tornado touched down is redundant.  A tornado is a funnel cloud until it contacts the ground and then it becomes a tornado.  Also, if one thunderstorm drops a tornado and it lifts off the ground (becoming a funnel cloud) and then contacts the ground again, it is considered a separate tornado.   

Tornado information is preliminary until the National Weather Service surveys the damage which usually takes place a few days later.  Right now, the Storm Prediction Center believes Saturdays's disaster in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama was caused by series of tornadoes produced by one super-cell thunderstorm.

 
The Tri-State Tornado of March 18, 1925 was the deadliest tornado in history, killing 695 people. It is also believed to have the longest tornado track - 219 miles - across parts of Missouri, Illinois and Indiana.  Thanks to continued research, this track has come into question in the last few years.  Many are starting to believe this was a series of tornadoes produced by one super-cell thunderstorm.  Storm surveys were nearly non-existent in 1925 making verification nearly impossible.

Perfect Pet - Friday, April 23rd

 
Are you looking for a sweet, gentle, older dog to share your life with?  Then look no further, meet Sofia, a 12 year old altered female Dalmatian (possibly Cattle Dog ) mix.  She is very friendly, but can also be aloof.  She is house-trained, but would benefit from continued training.  She can get along with some other dogs, but needs to be in an “adults only” home.  She’s an indoor/outdoor dog who needs regular exercise…don’t let her age fool you, she has plenty of energy!  Sofia will make a great companion to someone who wants to see that her life remains full and filled with love.  She needs a loving home and a chance to gain her assurance back again.  If you think you have what Sofia needs, then ask for her by name or ID#, A470835 at the Peninsula Humane Society.

12 Airport Blvd
San Mateo, CA 94401-1098
(650) 340-7022

RECORD RAINFALL & TEMPERATURES - WEDNESDAY

A counter-clockwise spinning area of low pressure spread record rains and record cold high temperatures across California, Idaho, Oregon and Washington yesterday.

New Rainfall Records:
1.30" (old, .65 in 1988) - Le Grande, OR
1.14" (old, .95" in 1999) - Princeville, OR
0.87" (old, .36" in 2006) - Seattle, WA
0.50" (old, .38" in 1981) - Pocatell, ID
0.40" (old, .15" in 2007) - Madera Municipal Airport
0.32" (old, .28" in 1967) - Yosemite International Airport
0.31" (old, .25" in 2007) - Merced Municipal Airport
0.09" (old, .07" in 1963) - Lancaster

New Record Cold High Temperatures:
30° (old, 31 in 1967) - Big Bear Lake
51° (old, 55 in 1971) - Alpine
52° (old, 61 in 1997) - Modesto
53° (old, 58 in 1967) - Stockton
57° (old, 58 in 1957) - La Mesa
59° (tied, previously 1945) - Laguna Beach
62° (old, 69 in 1971) - Borrego

RECORD RAINFALL - TUESDAY

Yesterday's Alaskan cold front spread record setting rains across California. 

New Records:
1.12" (old, .62" in 1900) - Redding Airport
0.80" (old, .41" in 1991) - Modesto Airport
0.77" (old, .55" in 1963) - Yosemite International Airport
0.75" (old, .70" in 2001) - Stockton Airport
0.64" (old, .24" in 2001) - Hanford Municipal Airport
0.49" (old, .32" in 2001) - Madera Municipal Airport

Latest California Drought Index

RECORD SETTING WEATHER - MONDAY

Before our chilly Alaskan cold front arrived in the Bay Area this morning, its warm sector ahead of the front pushed record warmth across the Pacific Northwest.

High Temperatures:
75° (old, 67 in 2009) - Meachan, OR
82° (old, 81 in 1962) - Ephrata, WA
83° (old, 81 in 1962) - Moses Lake, WA

75° (tied, previously 1994) - Burns, OR
76° (tied, previously 1983) - Wenatchee, WA
79° (tied, previously 1956) - Walla Walla, WA
79° (tied, previously 1983) - Priest Rapids, WA

Extreme Warmth this April

The extreme weather in the Northeast continues this spring.  Gone are the constant snowstorms and frigid nights of winter; in is the record setting warm temperatures of spring. The numbers represent the monthly temperature departures so far this April.

+9.2° – Georgetown, DE

+9.1° – Reading, PA

+9.0°– Hartford, CT

+9.0°– Millinocket, ME

+9.0°– Worcester, MA

+8.9° – Newark, NJ

+8.8°– New York, NY

+8.8°– Philadelphia, PA

+8.7°– Caribou, ME

+8.7°– Trenton, NJ

+8.5°– Allentown, PA

+8.5°– Atlantic City, NJ

+8.1°– Houlton, ME

+7.1°– Concord, NH

+7.5°– Providence, RI

+7.2°– Bridgeport, CT

+7.2°– Wilmington, DE

+7.2° – Bangor, ME

Mexicali Earthquake Photos

Thought you might like to see these photos a viewer sent me. 

The photos were taken near Yuma after the Mexicali 7.2-magnitude quake.  The earthquake stuck at 3:40 p.m. with an epicenter about 19 miles southeast of Mexicali.  Mexicali is a bustling commerce center on the Mexican side of the border where trucks carrying goods cross into California. More than 900,000 people live in the greater Mexicali area.

It was the largest earthquake in the region in nearly 18 years and was followed by about 500 aftershocks or distant "triggered" earthquakes on both sides of the border.