BUSINESS
May 21, 2013
Amazon's hosting service has been approved for government use, a formerly obscure math lecturer has received hard-won praise for an incredible accomplishment, and Oklahoma City is working to dig out from a devastating tornado. Welcome to your online trends report for Tuesday, May 21, 2013. The massive tornado that hit the Oklahoma City region yesterday is believed to have killed at least 51 people, as of this writing. That number is expected to rise as more victims are dug out of the rubble.
NEWS
By Scott Dance, The Baltimore Sun | May 21, 2013
What causes tornadoes? In Tornado Alley, where a tornado killed at least 24 people in Moore, Okla., Monday, the disasters are relatively frequent when moist air from the Gulf of Mexico meets dry, cool air from the Rocky Mountains. Instability caused by such differences in air temperatures fuels even common thunderstorms. But in the case of the Moore tornado, the severity was increased because of a particularly strong blast of cool air from the jet stream mixing with warm Gulf air that built up over the weekend, explained AccuWeather.com's Henry Margusity . The moist air moves in low to the ground, without any geographic obstructions over the flat Midwest.
NEWS
By Scott Dance, The Baltimore Sun | May 20, 2013
Forecasters are predicting more tornadoes to strike parts of the central U.S. Monday, in areas still recovering from severe weather outbreaks that hit Sunday. An area home to more than 5 million people, stretching from northern Texas, through parts of Oklahoma and Arkansas to southern Missouri, faces elevated risks of severe weather and tornadoes, according to the Storm Prediction Center . The most significant risk of tornadoes is expected in southeastern Oklahoma. A much larger area, from central Texas up to the Great Lakes, could see severe storms Monday.
NEWS
By Scott Dance, The Baltimore Sun | May 11, 2013
A trained weather spotter reported a funnel cloud sighting in Roland Park on Saturday afternoon, while severe wind damage occurred in Harford County as storms passed through the region, according to the National Weather Service. The funnel cloud sighting was reported at 4:24 p.m. along Lake Avenue near Roland Avenue. No tornado has been confirmed, and the weather service has not received any reports of damage that appeared to have been caused by a tornado, said Brian Lasorsa, a meteorologist in the weather service's Baltimore/Washington forecast office.
NEWS
By Tricia Bishop, The Baltimore Sun | April 23, 2013
In the wake of the deadly bombings in Boston and the fertilizer plant explosion in West, Texas, the Maryland State Board of Education on Tuesday approved new emergency planning guidelines meant to help local school systems better prepare for disaster. "It's very timely that we're here today, given the events that occurred last week," said Chuck Buckler, executive director of the student services and strategic planning branch of the Maryland State Department of Education. The 218-page document updates safety guidelines developed a decade ago and emphasizes the creation of individualized plans that address multiple hazards, from school shootings to tornadoes.
NEWS
By Scott Dance, The Baltimore Sun | April 22, 2013
A tornado touched down in the Largo area of Prince George's County during storms that passed through the region Friday, the National Weather Service confirmed Monday. Meteorologists had previously confirmed another tornado in Northern Virginia. The Largo tornado touched down at 7:26 p.m. in the Marlboro Ridge neighborhood, uprooting trees, blowing out windows and garage doors and walls. The tornado traveled about half a mile, lasting less than a minute, according to the weather service.