Tornadoes hit NYC; violent storm tears through D.C.

NEW YORK – Damaging storms that spawned tornadoes in New York City, darkened tens of thousands of homes in the Washington, D.C., area and flooded New England streets turned a normal day of rest into a day of cleaning up for many East Coast residents on Sunday.

By Joey Mure, AP

This photo provided by Joey Mure shows a storm cloud over the Breezy Point area of Queens section of New York on Saturday.

By Joey Mure, AP

This photo provided by Joey Mure shows a storm cloud over the Breezy Point area of Queens section of New York on Saturday.

No serious injuries were reported when a twister hit a beachfront neighborhood Saturday on the edge of New York City and a second, stronger tornado followed moments later about 10 miles away. Residents got advance notice but still the storm took people by surprise.

"I was showing videos of tornadoes to my 4-year-old on my phone, and two minutes later, it hit," said Breezy Point neighborhood resident Peter Maloney. "Just like they always say, it sounded like a train."

The unsettled weather, part of a cold front that crossed over the Eastern Seaboard, toppled trees and power lines and damaged buildings as it passed through. Wind gusts reached 70 mph in some places.

Tornado-like funnel clouds were reported in Fairfax County, Va., and in Prince George's County, Md., but had not been confirmed by Saturday evening, meteorologist Andy Woodcock of the National Weather Service said.

One person suffered minor injuries during a partial stage collapse at the Rosslyn Jazz Festival in Arlington County, Va., and six people were evacuated from a Washington apartment building when a tree fell on it. Fairfax County officials reported three home cave-ins because of downed trees, a water rescue in the Potomac River and dozens of electrical wires down.

By Sunday morning, about 15,000 customers were without electricity in northern Virginia, according to Dominion Virginia Power. Pepco reported outages to more than 5,000 customers in the District of Columbia and Maryland's Prince George's and Montgomery counties. BGE reported about 1,500 outages, most in Prince George's and Anne Arundel counties.

In New York City, videos taken by bystanders showed a funnel sucking up water, then sand, and then small pieces of buildings as the first tornado moved through the Breezy Point section of the Rockaway peninsula in Queens.

At the Breezy Point Surf Club, it ripped the roofs off rows of cabanas, scattered deck chairs and left a heavy metal barbecue and propane tank sitting in the middle of a softball field, at least 100 yards from any home.

"It picked up picnic benches. It picked up Dumpsters," said the club's general manager, Thomas Sullivan.

In the storm's wake, broken flower pots, knocked-down fences and smashed windows littered the community of seaside bungalows. Half an hour later, the weather was beautiful, but Sullivan had to close the club to clean up the damage.

The roof of Bob O'Hara's cabana was torn off, leaving tubes of sunscreen, broken beer bottles and an old TV set exposed to the elements.

"We got a new sunroof," said O'Hara, who has spent summer weekends at the Breezy Point club for his entire 52 years. "The TV was getting thrown out anyway," he added.

The second twister hit to the northwest, in the Canarsie section of Brooklyn but also near the water, about seven minutes later. The National Weather Service said winds were up to 110 miles per hour, and several homes and trees were damaged.

Tornadoes are traditionally rare in the New York City area, but they have occurred with regularity in recent years. A small tornado uprooted trees on Long Island last month.

In 2010, a September storm spawned two tornadoes that knocked down thousands of trees and blew off a few rooftops in Brooklyn and Queens. A small tornado struck the same year in the Bronx. In 2007, a more powerful tornado damaged homes in Brooklyn and Staten Island.

More than 1,100 customers lost power Saturday in New York City.

Across New York state, in Buffalo, strong winds blew roofing off some buildings and sent bricks falling into the street. The city of Albany canceled the evening portion of an outdoor jazz festival because of the threat of storms.

With wind gusts reaching up to 60 mph, the storms moved into New England, flooding roads, toppling trees and snapping power lines.

For about three hours, the storm barraged western Massachusetts, western Connecticut and part of New Hampshire before tapering off near Rhode Island, but not before flooding roads in East Providence, the National Weather Service said.

In Fall River, Mass., floodwaters reached up to car windshields and stalled out dozens of vehicles. A day care center was evacuated and St. Anne's Hospital's emergency room flooded.

In New Hampshire, television station WMUR reported 4,000 power outages. The storm reached every county in Vermont, all within a two-hour window, but mercifully left the state without any extraordinary damage, according to early reports.

Weather Service meteorologist John Cannon said the storms by late Saturday had come and gone in Maine, where the concern then became high swells of 4 to 8 feet on the beaches and rip currents that would make it dangerous to be out on the water Sunday.

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Contributing to this report were Associated Press writers David B. Caruso and Colleen Long in New York and Ed Donahue in Washington.

Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.For more information about reprints & permissions, visit our FAQ's. To report corrections and clarifications, contact Standards Editor Brent Jones. For publication consideration in the newspaper, send comments to letters@usatoday.com. Include name, phone number, city and state for verification. To view our corrections, go to corrections.usatoday.com.

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Unbound river to surge through Grand Canyon

Visitors to the majestic Grand Canyon next year may get to see something that has happened only a few times in the past half-century.

By Mark Henle,, The Arizona Republic

Billions of gallons of water will flow through the bypass tubes at Glen Canyon Dam as part of an experimental flood.

By Mark Henle,, The Arizona Republic

Billions of gallons of water will flow through the bypass tubes at Glen Canyon Dam as part of an experimental flood.

The Colorado River, restrained in its flow through the canyon since the 1960s, will be allowed to gush in semi-flood conditions again, beginning next year under an Interior Department plan to protect native fish and naturalize the river.

Interior Secretary Ken Salazar said the decision to conduct high-volume releases from Glen Canyon Dam, which has drawn concern from the power industry and Native American tribes, represents "a milestone in the history of the Colorado River" that will enhance conservation and scientific knowledge. Simulated floods in the canyon are planned through 2020.

Leslie James, executive director of the Colorado River Energy Distributors Association, a non-profit coalition of electric companies, said she has "serious concerns" about the high-flow protocols: "I think the devil's in the details of how it will be implemented."

James said the release of surge water through spillways — bypassing hydroelectric turbines — is expected to cost power companies $8 million to $120 million over the next eight years. She said there is scientific evidence that surges from the dam during spring runoff might produce huge spawns of trout, the primary predator of the native humpback chub. "I think it raises a lot of questions," James said.

The first controlled flood could occur next spring. Interior Department protocols call for releases of up to 45,000 cubic feet per second during March-April and October-November, each lasting up to four days.

Until the Colorado River was dammed in the 1960s, it flowed through the Southwest, especially during flood seasons, when it carried sediment that formed sandbars and created eddies critical to native fish such as the humpback chub. Completion of Glen Canyon Dam in 1966 allowed regulation of the river's flow for hydroelectric production but eliminated natural beaches and created a haven for predatory species such as rainbow trout.

Environmentalists always argued the dam should be opened occasionally to emulate the Colorado River's naturally occurring floods. Power industry officials resisted, saying lost hydroelectricity production would cost consumers millions of dollars.

Salazar said his decision was based on results from high-flow tests conducted in 1996, 2004 and 2008.

Nikolai Lash, a program director with the Grand Canyon Trust, a conservation organization, said man-made floods may help save a devastated river. "They're especially critical now because the Colorado system is in a severely depleted state," he said.

Kurt Dongoske, historic preservation officer for the Pueblo of Zuni, said the tribe will watch closely out of concern that artificial floods may damage religious sites.

The National Park Service issued a notice that says river rafters will be advised when high flows are planned. Rafters may travel at double the normal speed, and some camp areas may be inundated. Jonathan Jarvis, director of the National Park Service, said the research will be critical to preserving the Grand Canyon's "awesome resources and visitor experience."

Contributing: Wagner also reports for The Arizona Republic

For more information about reprints & permissions, visit our FAQ's. To report corrections and clarifications, contact Standards Editor Brent Jones. For publication consideration in the newspaper, send comments to letters@usatoday.com. Include name, phone number, city and state for verification. To view our corrections, go to corrections.usatoday.com.

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Massive storm that tore through Alaska moves into Rockies (Reuters)

(Reuters) – The hurricane-like storm that tore through Alaska earlier this week moved into the Rocky Mountains on Saturday, triggering winter storm and high wind warnings across the region.

Corey Mead, a meteorologist at the National Storm Center in Norman, Oklahoma, said the system, which was likened to a Category 3 hurricane when it hit Alaska on Thursday, had weakened as it moved south.

But he said it still remained "fairly strong" and was already causing isolated blizzard-like conditions in some parts of the northern Rockies.

Otherwise, weather conditions across the continental United States were relatively quiet.

The only exception was in the southern high plains, especially eastern New Mexico, the panhandles of Texas and Oklahoma, where Mead said high winds and low humidity were raising the risk of wildfires.

Over the past year, firefighters in Texas have responded to more than 20,000 fires that have burned a record 3.5 million acres, prompting the Texas Forest Service to declare this the worst fire season in the state's history.

(Reporting by James B. Kelleher)

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New York's weirdest weather: 2011 and through history (ContributorNetwork)

Anything can happen in New York and usually does. We don't just have strange people - even our weather is strange. We have had earthquakes, hurricanes, floods, blizzards, and heat waves in New York City in 2011, and the year isn't over yet.

Earthquakes

Forget California, we have earthquakes, too. This summer, an earthquake that traveled the length and breadth of the East Coast and damaged the Washington Monument in D.C. But that wasn't the first time NYC experienced tremors. There have also been rumblings from time to time along a fault line that runs down 125th Street in Harlem. By the way, our Indian Point nuclear plant is sited not far from the Ramapo Fault. Earthquake junkies can observe real-time reports on a map in the New York Museum of Natural History.

Hurricanes in the city

Then, there are the hurricanes. Remember Irene? Probably the most well-covered storm in New York City history, it left a swath of destruction in its path, uprooting venerable trees and flooding roadways and rivers throughout the area, but as storms go, it was far from the worst. That honor probably belongs to the Long Island Express of 1938, which carved out Shinnecock Inlet in Long Island and widened Moriches Inlet. This one storm permanently altered the shape of Long Island.

A Christmas blizzard

Have a holly, jolly Christmas. And don't forget to bring a shovel when you visit our fair city. An stealth blizzard blanketed the New York City last Christmas. With the mayor out of town and city officials caught flat-footed, the Christmas storm dumped 20 inches of snow in Central Park over 17 hours. Snow drifts as high as 5 feet covered cars, and traffic came to a standstill. Who was dreaming of a white Christmas? Maybe the lawyers. There were hearings galore and lots of finger-pointing. If you want to get a jump on the next blizzard, consult the good folks at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

A year with no summer

After 2011's notoriously brutal summer featuring 106-degree-Fahrenheit temperatures, a year without a summer has a certain appeal. Thanks to Tamboro Volcano that erupted east of Java in 1815, the summer of 1816 never arrived. Dust from the massive volcano blackened the skies and brought on a chill that killed crops throughout the entire northeastern United States. The corn crop was ruined and orchards devastated. Food prices in New York City markets skyrocketed.

Absolute Astronomy says that temperatures of 26 below zero Fahrenheit in the winter of 1817 froze the waters of New York's Upper Bay and made it possible for horses to travel across the ice from Brooklyn's Buttermilk Channel to Governor's Island. It's enough to make this year's mind-numbing heat look good by comparison.

Clouds of cicadas

So, what's still to come after the harrowing weather of 2011, which featured blizzards, earthquakes, hurricanes, floods, and heat waves? Why, plagues of locusts, of course. The New York City area hosts massive broods of "locusts" - actually periodical cicadas - that show up en masse every 13 or 17 years, depending on the variety. According to Cicada Mania, the next outbreak of 17-year "locusts" will be brood VII dropping by in 2018.

There you have it, folks: earthquakes, hurricanes, floods, blizzards, heat waves, and an upcoming plague of locusts. Welcome to the Big Apple!

Mary Finn, a native New Yorker, offers a unique perspective on the city of New York.

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Extreme weather in the Bay Area through the years (ContributorNetwork)

On the West Coast, San Francisco Bay Area residents enjoy mild days with temperatures in the 60s and 70s. We aren't always this lucky, however. Records show more than 60 years of bad weather for Bay Area residents, including droughts, floods, tornadoes, and snowstorms.

Bay Area drought

Many remember a few short years ago when the Bay Area had one of the worst single drought years on record. The 2009 drought caused unprecedented water rationing with reservoir levels at all-time lows.

Other drought years include:

- 1975-1977: 1976 was recorded by the California Department of Water Resources as "one of the driest years on record." The drought then continued into 1977. This drought had significant impacts on agriculture, recreation, and rangeland herds.

- 1987-1993: This longest-running drought was the most severe in California history. The drought actually began breaking in December of 1992. It was officially declared "over" when flooding from December 1992 to February 1993 brought almost 200 percnet of annual rainfall, according to a 1993 report by the California Department of Water Resources.

Bay Area floods

The California Office of Emergency Services recorded many significant years of heavy rainfall and flooding between 1950 and 2010. Two of the most deadly were reported in 1955 and 1969, when a combined total of 121 lives were lost.

Other significant floods reported:

- 1982-1983: This was the year of El Nino. The flood caused levee failure in several northern counties.

- 1992-1993: Severe flooding preceded a drought.

- 1995 to 1996: These years brought heavy winter storms and unprecedented damages. 1995 alone cost nearly $2 billion in damage.

- 1997: Another El Nino year. This flood year cost $1.8 billion.

- 1998: Flooding continues, costing $550 million.

Tornadoes hit the Bay Area

Of the 379 California tornadoes recorded by The Tornado History Project between 1951 and 2010, 17 appeared in seven of the nine counties in the Bay Area. During that time, Napa and San Francisco County remained unaffected until 2011. San Francisco County's historic tornado clocked in as No. 18 in the Bay Area.

Other tornadoes recorded:

- 1958: The California tornado with the longest path during 1951-2010 started near Bodega Bay and ran 15 miles towards Santa Rosa.

- 1998: An F-2 tornado in Sunnyvale "was the first anticyclonic supercell and anticyclonic tornado to be documented with the WSR-88D NEXRAD radar," according to USA Today.

- 2011: An EF 1 tornado touched down in Santa Rosa, leaving a block-long debris trail and demolishing the roof of a local business. That same day, a waterspout was recorded off Ocean Beach.

Snowstorms in the Bay Area

While snow is a rare event at sea level in the Bay Area, we've had a few decent storms over the years. Snowstorms in the Bay Area have been recorded as early as 1882.

Other snowstorms include:

- 1951: Based on photos, this snowstorm appeared to be the "heaviest of the 20th century in San Francisco," according to SFGate.

- 1962: A snowstorm closed local schools and roads. "I remember we got out of school and spent the day playing in the snow," recalled Brian Wrede, a student in 1962 at Noddin Elementary in San Jose.

- 1976: A freak snowstorm hits the Bay Area, closing local roads and schools.

- 2011: We all remember last year when freezing temperatures and a light sprinkling of snow fell in the Bay Area, including Morgan Hill and Gilroy. It melted quickly, however, and wasn't enough to make a snowball.

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Hurricane Irene: Mother Nature Clears Her Way Through (ContributorNetwork)

FIRST PERSON | WILMINGTON, N.C. -- The sky had darkened much faster than I had anticipated, the rain slashing in heavy waves long before I was ready. It was only 10 a.m. and I figured I still had plenty of time before the impending hurricane. The news reports had changed so much the night before -- first issuing us a Tropical Storm Warning, and then abruptly after, a Hurricane Warning -- that it was hard to keep up with. I found myself in my backyard, throwing old, moldy toys of my kids' in a throw-away pile, securing everything else in sight.

Monkey Junction -- the name coined for the southeastern area of Wilmington where we live, was a chaotic nightmare. There was much anxiousness in the air -- a dizzy cyclone of people pushing and shoving their way in. People were scared. I took my kids through the motions, stocked up on can goods, and got ourselves out of there as fast as we could. We battered the heavy rains in the parking lot, and amazingly, made our way safely home.

As evening neared the winds grew stronger, the rain falling harder, with no relief in sight. A tornado watch was issued for our area. We watched outside as vibrant illuminations of blue filled the sky -- an eerie, array of power flashes from transformers or lines sparking. People everywhere were losing power.

I woke in the middle of the night at 3:00AM to watch the worst of it. The gusts had reached their heaviest, our fence rattling hard. I honestly thought a tornado was coming; ready to punch through our glass windows. The power turned off, then on, repeatedly. Tall, skinny pine trees shook fiercely in the distance. I stepped outside to watch the clouds move with impeccable speed, glanced across the yard to see large branches of fallen trees.

More than half of my Facebook friends reported power outages. I thanked our lucky stars that our power kept intact. And now as we experience the last fringes of Hurricane Irene, her toes gently brushing against our city as she continues northward, I feel as though nature has its purposes. My backyard is now clear and rid of junk -- the forces of a hurricane forcing me to go out with the old, and ready for a new sunny day tomorrow, as the weather man predicts.

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One man dead as storms cut through northern Wisconsin (Reuters)

MILWAUKEE (Reuters) – One man died as storms and a suspected tornado roared across northern Wisconsin on Friday night, cutting off power to around 2,000 homes, the Wisconsin Division of Emergency Management said.

"At around 5 p.m. we had an apparent tornado in the Wausaukee area. We have one fatality," said Lori Getter, spokeswoman for the Wisconsin Division of Emergency Management. She identified the person who died as a middle-aged man.

She said that the storm had downed a number of trees and power lines in Marinette county and that some damage was also reported in nearby Menominee county. Some 2,000 homes were without power but the storms had passed.

The storm came three months 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.

(Additional reporting by John Rondy. Writing by Cynthia Johnston. Editing by Peter Bohan)

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