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Bonny Doon residents watch as smoke billows over a field in Santa Cruz County, California. Photo/ AP, Noah Berger (click here)
In addition to the tropical storms in this late season, Des Moines, Lincoln and Topeka are getting some significant weather today. There is also a significant low pressure system that has formed in the last 12 hours in the Gulf of California. Maybe there will be relief from those western fires after all.
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"Ana" is taking a path along the islands without a well defined 'eye.' Both these storms will bring the Gulf Coast of the USA considerable flooding. Bill is skirting a bit north, but, unless it finds a better source of water vapor, the eye will not contract enough to sustain a strong storm. The 'eye' is wobbling a bit, but, that has become standard for these storms. They struggle to maintain their velocity due to sparcity of water vapor.
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August 17, 2009
1430z
UNISYS water vapor GOES East satellite (click here for 12 hour loop)
PENSACOLA BEACH, Fla. — Hurricane Bill picked up strength (click title to entry - thank you) in the open Atlantic as it churned on a path toward Bermuda, while what was left of Claudette brought rain to the southern U.S....
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August 17, 2009
1217 gmt
Tropical Atlantic Map