New Orleans Crew Update
I spoke with Davis, Neil and Todd late this morning as they drove from Slidell (across Lake Pontchartrain from New Orleans on what was I-10) to Baton Rouge to meet the Davis’s parents. As Mike posted below, his folks were moved from the marina near New Orleans to a shelter in Baton Rouge and are safe. Davis’s brother arranged a flight from the Baton Rouge airport to his home in Pensacola. Unfortunately for Davis and the crew the flight left minutes before they made it to the airport, but they are safe. We’ll have live reports from the guys this afternoon on News 2 starting at 4:00 PM.
More mid-state damage from Katrina:
Most of us avoided serious damage as Katrina pushed through Tuesday morning, but there were several trees knocked down as 40 to 50 mph winds blew through the area. Sharon Prince of Huntland lost a very large tree in Franklin County.
Who knew?
August was a wet month at the Nashville International Airport where official records are kept. 6.89″ of rain fell this month, which is more than 200% of the normal value of 3.16″.
Mr. & Mrs. Nolan I Presume
An update to let everyone know that Davis’s parents have been located. Word came to the newsroom through Davis’s brother in Florida that Mom and Dad Nolan are at a relocation center in Baton Rouge. The Assignment Editor was able to relay the message to Davis. He, Neil and Todd are racing to Baton Rouge now. More details as they become available. Thank you for all your kind thoughts and prayers.
Justin adds:
If you didn’t happen to catch the News 2 This Morning live report from Davis and Neil as they approached New Orleans (and before they heard the news of Davis’s parents) you should head to the News 2 website and check it out. You can feel and see the worry in Davis’s face - I can’t imagine what the 12 hour trip southward must have felt like. We’re all relieved and happy for him.
We’ve received at least 100 e-mails in the Storm Center yesterday and today from viewers telling Davis that his parents were in their thoughts and prayers. Thank you - you’re the best!
Katrina’s Aftermath…
The 2-5 inches of rain and minor damage here seems like nothing compared to the pictures and stories coming from the Gulf Coast yesterday. Our thoughts and prayers go out to all the residents who survived, who have relatives there and who are donating their time and energy to help any way they can. If the past is any sign of the future, it’s going to be along time before things are somewhat back to normal.
Historically speaking, if the experts are correct Katrina is going to rank in the top 5 in costliest hurricanes. I’ve heard the number $25 billion thrown out there…who knows how much higher that’s going to go, but here are the other four highest:
1) Great Miami Hurricane of 1926: $98 billion
2) Hurricane Andrew of 1992: $45 billion
3) Galveston Hurricane of 1900: $ 36 billion
4) North Texas Hurricane of 1915: $30.5 billion
These are normalized to 2003 dollars by inflation from the National Hurricane Center.
The website livescience.com has more on this: http://www.livescience.com/forcesofnature/050830_katrina_effects.html
How far down the alphabet will we go? We aren’t even to the peak of the hurricane season (Sept 10th) and we’re already to the letter “K.” The record for named storms is 1995 when we saw 19 named storms (Hurricane Tanya.) http://weather.unisys.com/hurricane/atlantic/1995/index.html
The real record though was in 1933 when they had 21 tropical storms and hurricanes (that was before they started naming them.)
It took us 29 days this month to finally see a day with temperatures below the average…I guess it took the 2″ of rain out the airport to keep it that cool!
http://www.srh.noaa.gov/ohx/f6.htm
It will be very interesting to see how warm this August ranks, especially considering last August was one of the coolest on record. We should have the final numbers in the next few days.
Finally a great story and picture from Mars:
http://skyandtelescope.com/news/article_1576_1.asp
Notice the dust devil in the background!!!
Worst Case Scenario in New Orleans
Improving Weather in Tennessee:
The heavy rains and wind are departing Middle Tennessee as Katrina lifts north into the Ohio River Valley. Rain showers continue at midday from Nashville northward to southern Kentucky. Another batch of rain in Western Tennessee will move through the mid-state this afternoon. Check it out by clicking the “NWS Radar Loop” at the top of the blog. Ample clouds will keep temperatures in the middle and upper 70s this afternoon.
Conditions Worsen in New Orleans:
People across the country breathed a sigh of relief when it appeared that New Orleans was spared a direct hit yesterday morning. Unfortunately the situation worsened in the Crescent City last night and this morning. A two-block long breach in the levee dividing Lake Pontchartrain and the city occured last night and the water continues to rise today.
According to Mayor Ray Nagin 80% of the city is underwater today, up to 20 feet in some parts. Both airports are underwater. If you’re unfamiliar with New Orleans, the New York Times has an excellent graphic detailing some of the destruction.
Live streaming coverage from WWL-TV in New Orleans here.
Davis Nolan, Neil Orne and video-journalist Todd Dunn are headed to New Orleans to locate Davis’ parents and to cover the damage. More on that on News 2 this afternoon and tonight.
It’s too early to estimate how many lives will be lost to Katrina, but I surmise the final numbers will be staggering. Clean-up will not take days or weeks, but several months. It’s a tough time for those of us with ties to the city.
Have Any Damage? Let Us Know!
The heavy rain is pushing out of the mid-state now, but off and on light rain and wind will stay with us through the early afternoon.
We’ve received several e-mails with reports of damage across all parts of the mid-state. If you’ve got any damage in your area, please post it in the comments section - it’s a real help for us to know this stuff!
Donna Kay Kasper in Hendersonville reported over 7″ of rain through 8:00 AM this morning.
A tree fell on a roof in Clarksville near Trenton Road.
Brad Foster e-mailed this picture of a tree that came through the roof in his sister’s room in Cookeville this morning. Scary!
Local Links of Interest
The Nashville NWS compiles Middle Tennessee storm reports here.
Hourly weather observations for Tennessee (including sustained wind speed and wind gusts) can be viewed here.
You can click on your county to get the latest watches/warnings/etc. here.
Map of total rainfall from Katrina can be viewed here.
Current Middle Tennessee radar is here or at the top of the blog under “NWS Radar Loop”.
Got candles? Nashville Electric Service power outage map is here.
Wind, Rain, & Storms With Katrina
While Katrina continues to weaken, the winds will hang around through lunchtime. We have been seeing wind gusts around 40+ mph early this morning. Rainfall…1-4″ of rain has fallen. Another inch or two is possible but the the heavy, localized flooding type rain should be out the picture by mid morning.
A tornado watch has been issued for the eastern third of Middle Tennessee until 1 pm. A few stronger storms could develop later this morning as Katrina lifts to our north, we’ll keep an eye on that with News 2 Stormtracker. Here’s the link to the Storm Prediction Center: http://www.spc.noaa.gov/index.shtml
In my last entry, there were a few damage reports that really helped us with our coverage in News 2 This Morning, keep them coming!
Katrina Weakening But Moving Closer…
The rain is getting heavier and the wind is picking up as of 3am. Numerous flash flood warnings have been issued for portions of Middle Tennessee (click on the watches and warnings link at the top of the screen.) A flash flood watch is in effect through this evening and an inland tropical storm wind warning is in effect through this afternoon.
The good news (yes there is some!): Katrina continues to pick up speed, meaning is should be out of our hair a little earlier than expected. The heaviest of the rain should no longer be a factor the later into the morning we go and the winds will start to die down later this afternoon. That being said, unless you absolutely have to travel you may want to wait this one out. Ponding on area roadways are possible at the minimum, and power outages are possible with trees and power lines down in areas.
The main threats:
1) 3-5″ of rain (central and western Middle Tennessee stand to see the most rain.)
2) Winds sustained 20-40 mph this morning with gusts above 50 mph.
3) An isolated tornado threat that comes on the eastern side of a tropical system (most of them are brief and weak.)
We have crews all over Middle Tennessee and we’ll have team coverage on News 2 this Morning. Reports of damage, flooding and cancellations will be our main priority. Beyond the morning show itself look for updates here, on The Nashville Weather Channel (digital cable channel 185) and on News 2 at the top and bottom of every half hour.
Stay safe!
Latest Katrina Watches & Warnings
A Tornado Watch is in effect until 6am Tuesday for southeastern middle Tennessee. It includes Lincoln, Moore and Franklin counties.
The Flood Watch for all of middle Tennessee has been extended until 10pm Tuesday.
An Inland Tropical Storm Warning is in effect for most of middle Tennessee. You can follow this link to the Nashville National Weather Service, then click on your county to get the very latest on watches and warnings.
You may find it interested to follow the Hourly Observations as we go through the night and Tuesday morning to check out wind gusts…. Refresh Often!
We will be updating the weather, at least, every 30 minutes on News 2.
School Closings Tuesday
Many schools will be closed Tuesday due to the threat of flooding rains and damaging winds from the remnants of Katrina.
Here’s the list… refresh often.
