NEWSTALK 860 » Weather

Lufkin IHOP Employee Killed By Lightning Strike

Rick St. Nick — Wed, 22 May 2013 17:24:44 +0000

Meshell Foxworth was likely on a break outside the Lufkin IHOP restaurant where she worked, when a lightning strike ended her life late Tuesday night.

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Death Toll in Oklahoma Lowered to 24; Search for Survivors Continues

Chris Chaberski — Tue, 21 May 2013 14:50:52 +0000

Officials in Oklahoma have lowered the number of deaths suffered to 24 in the massive tornado that swept through the town of Moore Monday night. Originally, the figure had been as high as 51, probably a result of double-counting.

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How You Can Help Victims of the Tornado in Oklahoma

Chris Kissel — Mon, 20 May 2013 23:38:51 +0000

A huge tornado touched down just outside of Oklahoma City earlier today, causing widespread destruction and leaving behind a yet-untold number of casualties.

To see how you can help those affected, see the list below

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Massive Tornado Destroys Area Near Oklahoma City; At Least 51 Killed [UPDATED]

Chris Chaberski — Mon, 20 May 2013 21:17:01 +0000

An enormous tornado with a debris cloud two miles wide tore through the metropolitan area just south of Oklahoma City on Monday afternoon.

UPDATE 9:28 p.m. EST: At least 51 people were killed in the storm, including seven children from Plaza Towers Elementary School in Moore, according to KFOR in Oklahoma City. The news station reported that 75 student and staff were inside the school when the storm struck. Officials said Monday night that the search of the rubble remaining of the school had turned to a recovery mission.

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Tornadoes Rip Through Texas, Leave Several Dead

Jen Austin — Thu, 16 May 2013 12:18:04 +0000

Today in Lufkin and Nacogdoches we have the chance of heavy rain with embedded thunderstorms, but the situation doesn't appear to be anything like what North Texas saw last night.

As many as ten possible tornadoes ripped through areas west of Dallas-Fort Worth Wednesday night, and left 250 people homeless, 100 injured, and 6 dead. Changes to those numbers could come today as emergency responders fully assess the damage.

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Terrifying 'Ice Tsunami' Slowly Consumes Backyard, Houses in Minnesota

Chris Chaberski — Mon, 13 May 2013 18:45:02 +0000

Yikes. It's like in a horror movie when the deadly fog gradually creeps closer and closer, gobbling up all living things in its path. Except it's made of ice.

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The Top 10 Most Tornado-Prone Cities

Chris Chaberski — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 21:06:24 +0000

Tornado season is starting in many parts of the country. Is your town or city at risk?

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Brutal Storms Rip Through South and Midwest, Killing 3; Now Headed East

Chris Chaberski — Fri, 12 Apr 2013 17:22:43 +0000

A very strong spring storm dumped ice and snow throughout the Midwest on Thursday, and tornadoes tore through much of the South. The storm is now heading for the East Coast.

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Storms Are the Story on Thursday

Jen Austin — Thu, 21 Feb 2013 14:45:31 +0000

The same storm that is dumping huge amounts of snow in Nebraska, Kansas, and Oklahoma today will bring the chance of violent weather to East Texas.

Gusty winds, hail, and even isolated tornadoes are possible in East Texas and Louisiana.

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ANOTHER Earthquake in East Texas?

Jen Austin — Fri, 01 Feb 2013 15:43:07 +0000

This makes three in one week. An earthquake with a magnitude of 2.7 rattled East Texas Thursday afternoon.

Shelby County has seen a lot of tremors in the past several months, and it has some wondering if this is the new norm in Shelby County, and across East Texas.

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With an 80 Degree Day Today, What's Next?

Jen Austin — Tue, 29 Jan 2013 14:07:46 +0000

The warm weather the past couple of days may be giving you spring fever, but you'll have to contain yourself for a little while. Today's 80 degree high is not a sign that spring us already upon us, it's simply a sign that there will be thunderstorms because cooler weather is right behind it.

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Dreaming of a Wet Christmas? Santa Delivers.

Jen Austin — Tue, 25 Dec 2012 11:44:38 +0000

So it's not white. It's a wet Christmas.

The rumbles of thunder make it seem more like April than December, and if you're traveling today expect the rain showers to continue through tonight. If you're traveling north, the chances of seeing snowflakes increase.

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Busy Travel Weekend Ahead in Texas

Jen Austin — Fri, 21 Dec 2012 16:32:31 +0000

By Monday and Tuesday we'll be sitting comfortably around the Christmas tree, sipping egg nog with family and trying to figure out how in the world a Furby really works.

In the meantime, it's a big ole traffic jam! Today and tomorrow are two of the busiest travel days of the year.

Triple A estimates 7.7 million Texans will be traveling more than 50 miles from home between Saturday and January 1. Millions of packages are on their way too, but they may not get here by Christmas.

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Hurricane Sandy's Aftermath: What Happened, What We Know Now [VIDEO]

Chris Chaberski — Tue, 30 Oct 2012 15:48:58 +0000

This morning, much of the East Coast is picking up the pieces after the massive storm known as Hurricane Sandy swept through, leaving millions without power, causing untold economic damage, and killing at least 21 people. Flooding caused largely by enormous, unprecedented storm surges has crippled transportation routes and wreaked havoc on low-lying areas.

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Do We Need a New Hurricane-Rating System?

Amy Sciarretto — Wed, 03 Oct 2012 17:02:39 +0000

Weather-industry insiders feel that the Saffir-Simpson Scale, which rates hurricane strength on a scale of Category 1 (weakest) through 5 (strongest), is inadequate.

Some say changes need to be made, since the current system doesn't include enough information about the storm, that it only denotes wind speed. It reveals little detail about the tidal surge, which is what actually causes the most deaths and damage.

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Keep Umbrella Handy – It's Gonna Rain

Jim Bell — Fri, 14 Sep 2012 16:13:03 +0000

It's official. It WILL rain in east Texas tonight and over the weekend. Plan on it. People who're planning to go to a football game today and tomorrow would be wise to take their rain gear.

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Experts Call for Better Way to Rate Hurricanes

Jim Bell — Fri, 14 Sep 2012 14:54:37 +0000

The Houston Chronicle reports a lot of people in the weather forecasting business say it's time to discard the old "Category 1-5" system of rating the strength of hurricanes.

They say that system -- known as the Saffir-Simpson Scale -- only tells us the storm's wind speed. It says little about the storm's tidal surge which causes the most deaths and property damage.

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East Texas Gets Little or No Rain from Isaac

Jim Bell — Thu, 30 Aug 2012 15:20:18 +0000

East Texas just can't catch a break. Even with all the rain Hurricane Isaac is dumping on Louisiana and Mississippi, forecasters at the National Weather Service say some parts of East Texas may not get a drop of that rain.

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Best Chance of Rain from Isaac Will Come Thursday

Danny Merrell — Wed, 29 Aug 2012 15:43:17 +0000

Hurricane Isaac continues to move inland, ever so slowly, through southeastern Louisiana, bringing with it battering winds with gusts to 100mph and rainfall that could total nearly 20 inches in some locations.

Forecasts have varied greatly as to what we can expect in East Texas, but here's the latest.

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Uncertainty of Isaac Makes for Gulf Coast Danger

Danny Merrell — Mon, 27 Aug 2012 16:02:39 +0000

Late Tuesday or early Wednesday Isaac is expected to make landfall as a hurricane with winds up to 100mph. That's dangerous enough, but there's another major fear when it comes to this particular storm.

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