WEATHER - The Salt Lake Tribune

Power of Oklahoma tornado dwarfs Hiroshima bomb

Wed, 22 May 2013 17:06:58 MDT

Power of Oklahoma tornado dwarfs Hiroshima bomb

By SETH BORENSTEIN The Associated Press

Updated May 22, 2013 05:06PM MDT

Washington • Everything had to come together just perfectly to create the killer tornado in Moore, Okla.: wind speed, moisture in the air, temperature and timing. And when they did, the awesome energy released over that city dwarfed the power of the atomic bomb that leveled Hiroshima. On Tuesday, the National Weather Service gave it the top-of-the-scale rating of EF5 for wind speed and breadth, and severity of damage. Wind speeds were estimated at between 200 and 210 mph. The death count is 24 s...

Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

More tornadoes from global warming? Nobody knows

Tue, 21 May 2013 20:33:24 MDT

More tornadoes from global warming? Nobody knows

The Associated Press

Updated May 21, 2013 08:33PM MDT

A deadly tornado hit suburban Oklahoma City on Monday. A quick look at some basic facts: Q. Is global warming to blame? A. You can’t blame a single weather event on global warming. In any case, scientists just don’t know whether there will be more or fewer twisters as global warming increases. Tornadoes arise from very local conditions, and so they’re not as influenced by climate change as much as larger weather systems like hurricanes and nor’easters. They’re not easy to incorporate in the larg...

Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Another storm moving in

Sat, 18 May 2013 23:38:09 MDT

Another storm moving in

By Michael McFall | The Salt Lake Tribune

Updated May 18, 2013 11:38PM MDT

Sunny skies are ahead, but northern Utahns will have to wait through about a day and a half of the wet spring weather first. A second storm system will keep the chance of rain and thunderstorms coming, mostly in northern Utah, on Sunday through midday Monday. There’s also a chance snow will accumulate above 8,000 feet, according to the National Weather Service. Besides damp, cloudy skies, the system is expected to keep daytime temperatures in the upper 50s and lower 60s for northern Utah throug...

Copyright 2013 The Salt Lake Tribune. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Planets aligning for great celestial views

Fri, 17 May 2013 07:33:08 MDT

Planets aligning for great celestial views

By Sheena McFarland The Salt Lake Tribune

Updated May 17, 2013 07:33AM MDT

The planets are starting to align this weekend — and two star parties will allow viewers to get a closer look. Mercury, Venus and Jupiter are moving toward aligning into a tight triangle the evening of May 26. However, this weekend, stargazers can catch some great views, weather permitting, as the planets move toward each other. For a short time near sunset, Jupiter, Venus and Mercury will align with the sun in the west, quickly sliding beneath the horizon as the evening progresses, according t...

Copyright 2013 The Salt Lake Tribune. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Texas tornado devastation includes Habitat homes

Thu, 16 May 2013 19:38:30 MDT

Texas tornado devastation includes Habitat homes

By ANGELA K. BROWN and JAMIE STENGLE The Associated Press

Updated May 16, 2013 07:38PM MDT

Granbury, Texas • Habitat for Humanity spent years in a North Texas subdivision, helping build many of the 110 homes in the low-income area. But its work was largely undone during an outbreak of 13 tornadoes Wednesday night that killed six people and injured dozens. On Thursday, authorities combed through debris in Granbury, while residents awaited the chance to see what was left of their homes. Witnesses described the two badly hit neighborhoods as unrecognizable, with homes ripped from founda...

Heat breaks record in Salt Lake City, Tuesday should be cooler

Mon, 13 May 2013 23:02:55 MDT

Heat breaks record in Salt Lake City, Tuesday should be cooler

By Bob Mims The Salt Lake Tribune

Updated May 13, 2013 11:02PM MDT

The record-breaking heat that toasted Utah’s capital city on Monday isn’t expected to last as more spring-like temperatures take hold later in the week. The National Weather Service confirmed that Monday’s high of 93 degrees in Salt Lake City broke a record of 92 set for the date in 1996. It is also the earliest day in the year that 93 degrees has been reached, according to the NWS. The previous record for the earliest 93-degree reading was May 16, 1927. The average high for May 13 is 71 degree...

Utah forecast: Wet and wild weather giving way to sunshine

Wed, 08 May 2013 08:44:22 MDT

Utah forecast: Wet and wild weather giving way to sunshine

By Bob Mims The Salt Lake Tribune

Updated May 8, 2013 08:44AM MDT

A cycle of scattered but boisterous thunderstorms that jarred nerves throughout northern Utah into early Wednesday morning was to give way Thursday to clearing skies and temperatures in the mid-70s. Thunderstorms Tuesday forced a military KC-135 plane to make a successful emergency landing — no one was hurt — at Salt Lake City International Airport, after a bolt of lightning took out a communications antenna. Storm clouds were expected to steadily diminish throughout Wednesday. By Thursday, the ...