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Holiday travel Traditionally the
holidays are a busy time for travel across the country.
Unfortunately, Mother Nature has been less
than cooperative in many areas. The Pacific Northwest has had less
than ideal weather. A relentless wave of storms coming in off the
ocean has meant plenty of clouds, rain and wind to slow things down
in Seattle, Portland and Vancouver. The troublesome weather has
extended southward into California, causing airport slowdowns in San
Francisco and Sacramento. In the Midwest, the Chicago hub faced
several "minor" storm events. Rain and even the chance of
thunderstorms have been in the picture for Atlanta and Charlotte.
Rain was also in forecasts for the Northeast.
West Coast
Giant waves pound Southern California: Huge waves generated
by storms in the Pacific Ocean pounded the coastline of Southern
California in late December. Breakers as high as 20 feet were
observed just north of Los Angeles, while 15-foot waves occurred
along San Diego County. Officials closed the piers at Santa Monica,
Manhattan Beach, Hermosa Beach and Redondo Beach due to the strong
wave action.
Throngs of spectators crowded beaches in summerlike temperatures
to watch surfers take advantage of the unusually high waves. One
surfer suffered a broken leg at Seal Beach after being thrown into
the sand by violent wave action. But despite the injury and the
dangerous conditions, many surfers who were interviewed conveyed the
same sentiment: "This is what we live for!"
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 Gulf Coast
Katrina was a "three": A
report issued by The National Hurricane Center on Dec. 20 stated
that Hurricane Katrina was a Category 3 storm when it struck the
Gulf Coast and not a Category 4 as had been previously thought. This
revision in strength assessment came after scientists studied data
from devices that were dropped into the storm from aircraft and
reviewed data from a device that measures speed by examining how sea
foam is blown. The wind in a Category 3 storm ranges from 111 mph to
130 mph.
The levee system surrounding New Orleans was generally believed
to be able to withstand the force of a fast-moving Category 3 storm.
Katrina, however, was a slower-moving hurricane. An investigation
into why the levee system failed is under way.
[Compu-Weather]
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