A VIOLENT TORNADO-LIKE STORM SWEPT THROUGH ATLANTA, GEORGIA, last night around 9:45.  An unusual event for a major city’s downtown area, it left at least 20 homes demolished and caused millions of dollars in damages to buildings in the CNN Tower area.

Glass and debris cover Marietta Street
outside the CNN Center.  (Kyle Almond/CNN)

The Omni Hotel, which adjoins the CNN Center had to evacuate their guests from their rooms down to the lobby and exhibition hall as the storm blew out all of the windows on one side of the building.

In the CNN building the roof was partially torn open allowing water to pour into the building and in the newsroom one of the computers was sucked out through a window.

Across the street the Georgia Dome stadium was filled with spectators watching a regional basketball tournement when the roof split and the scoreboard started swaying.  The game was stopped temporarily and everybody moved down to the street level.  The game finished eventually, but the next contest was postponed.

CNN has the report HERE.
WSB-TV Ch.2 has VIDEOS.

THE WEATHER SERVICE HAS MODIFIED ITS WIND WARNING for Southern California this morning.  Where last week they were predicting the probablility of 60+ mph winds arriving on Wednesday, now they are saying that sustained winds are expected hit 30 mph and last until the weekend, with moisture levels sinking to critical fire threshold levels,

However, respecting the vagaries of weather,  the local fire departments will still be pre-positioning their units according to their plan reported HERE.

The San Diego Union-Tribune is reporting that the military announced plans to deploy firefighting aircraft, C-130s, from Wyoming and Colorado by mid-week to Southern California.

THAT PESKY STORM NAMED NOEL has been wandering around the Caribbean for the past week.  Yesterday it was upgraded to a level-1 hurricane and zoomed toward the Bahamas.

It looks like it will be heading north now and probably stay out to sea, leaving some wet weather along the coast.

Make sure you keep up with it by checking the Firegeezer Hurricane Watch page.  You’ll find it on the right sidebar and also a link at the top of the page above the header.

THE SEASONAL SANTA ANA WINDS RETURN to Southern California today in what meteorologists predict will be the most severe season in a decade.

The hot, dry winds are expected to touch hurricane-strength at times and will cause major concerns for all firefighting resources.  Along with the winds will be extremely high temperatures exacerbating the wildfire dangers.  “Red Flag” warnings have been raised in the entire region.

Accu-Weather image

The San Diego Union-Tribune REPORTS:

“The weather will be conducive to explosive fire growth,” said Rob Balfour, a forecaster and fire-incident meteorologist at the National Weather Service’s Rancho Bernardo office. “It’ll be very similar to 2003, in strength and duration.”

Sustained Santa Ana winds should reach 20 mph to 40 mph, and gusts could hit 60 mph to 70 mph in county canyons and passes. By Monday morning, when the winds are expected to peak, humidity levels should fall below 10 percent and stay in single digits for a couple of days. The inland valleys could reach 95 degrees.

Much of Southern California, with the exception of coastal zones and deserts, will be under a red-flag warning from (Sunday) morning through Tuesday afternoon. The warning signifies extreme fire danger because of a combination of strong winds, low humidity and high temperatures.

“The best way to describe it is we plan for the worst and hope for the best,” said Ray Chaney, battalion chief for the San Diego unit of the state Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. “We’re planning on this being a significant event.”

Crewman prepares to shuttle “helitanker”
to Ramona Air Base.  Union-Tribune photo

The department repositioned two air tankers and a “helitanker” to the Ramona Air Attack Base on Monday to complement two tankers already there. Chaney said recent storms in the Western United States and Northern California reduced the fire danger there and made the aircrafts’ transfer possible.

The first fire on this event started around 9:40 pm (Pacific time) last night in the northeast corner of Los Angeles County near Castaic.  The fire, whipped by winds of 50 mph, has consumed over 500 acres so far and is not yet under control.

The first fire of the Santa Ana event has
consumed over 500 acres by this morning.
AP photo

Weather system Karen has been downgraded to a tropical depression and is rapidly falling apart.  There will be no more advisories issued on this system.

However, a new system in the eastern Atlantic, Melissa has been classed already as a tropical storm and should be watched carefully for the next few days.

Keep up with the hurricane weather activity by clicking on Firegeezer’s Hurricane Watch link on the right sidebar or at the top of the page above the header.

THE WEATHER SYSTEM 1,500 MILES EAST OF the Windward Islands (marked in red) has been upgraded to Tropical Storm Karen.  Weather advisories have been issued on it.

The system that has been hanging around the SW portion of the Caribbean could be forming into a tropical depression.

For complete reports and updates, go the the Firegeezer Hurricane Page by clicking on the link at the top of the sidebar or above the page header.  Firegeezer is the only website that has the Atlantic weather formatted for fire and rescue workers.

THE 2007 HURRICANE SEASON STILL HAS another 6 to 8 weeks to run.  There is a low pressure system approaching the Florida peninsula that has the potential to develop into a tropical cyclone in the next couple of days. 

You should be checking Firegeezer’s Hurricane Watch page daily to keep an eye on the Atlantic and Pacific storm activities.  Just click on the link at the top of the right sidebar or above the page header to see the web’s only hurricane page tailored for the fire and rescue workers.

SURPRISING EVERYBODY, HUMBERTO INCREASED ITS INTENSITY to a Category 1 hurricane just as it hit the coast last night.  As we’re watching the (now) storm cruise into Louisiana and over into Mississippi, weather-watchers are keeping their eye on “Tropical depression eight” in the center of the Atlantic.  As it moves slowly across the ocean at about 15 mph, it has strong indications of being able to form into a tropical storm.

Keep up with it by checking Firegeezer’s Hurricane Watch Page by clicking on the link at the top of the right sidebar or the very top of the page above the leader banner.  Remember too that Firegeezer’s is the only online hurricane page that is configured to fit the screens of Blackberrys and other PDA’s.

WEATHER WATCHERS HAVE THEIR EYES ON Tropical Storm Gabrielle which is just 50 miles off the North Carolina coast.  It is expected to hit the Outer Banks later today but is not a major hazard.

Another system to keep a watch for is a tropical system in the eastern Atlantic that has the potential for development over the next few days as it moves slowly westward at 15 mph.

Follow this latest tropical storm activity on Firegeezer’s Hurricane Watch page.  You can link to it at the top of the right sidebar or the very top of this page.

The National Park Service has a live web-cam stationed at the Hatteras Light.  But as is typical of a government-run operation, it’s not working when you really want to use it.  Maybe it’ll be turned on later, you can try by clicking HERE.

HURRICANE FELIX IS NOW ONLY A FEW MILES from landfall at the Nicaragua/Honduras border.

Meanwhile, a low-pressure system that is about 300 miles east of the northern Florida coast and moving slowly, has the potential to develop into a cyclone in the next couple of days.

To follow both of these system, click on Firegeezer’s Hurricane Watch page over at the top of the right-sidebar.