Have you SEEN the radar over the midwest???

[gristy]

Just click on this link and you'll see animated radar showing how that massive storm is just not moving.
http://www.accuweather.com/radar-large.asp?partner=accuweather&traveler=0&site=NC&type=SIR&anim=1&level=regional&large=1

shit

[faithfulcitizen]

1. It's awful. My state of Indiana is already devastated. It's expected to come through here tomorrow.

[EstimatedProphet]

62. Yep. We're in for more.

[Believing Is Art]

2. I have mixed feelings about this.

I'm in central Illinois. Frankly, we've had enough rain. However, even at 10:30 the air feels like hot soup. A storm could change that. Oh well, here's to hoping I don't hear the sirens tonight or tomorrow.

[orleans]

10. im in a chgo western suburb--it's not exactly hot soup here, i'm hoping

it cools down without all the freaking pomp and circumstance

[rebel with a cause]

11. I am in SI and I know what you mean.

We are not flooded, but I have heard that the SE part of the state may be. We have not gotten as much as much of the state has, and I feel guilty for wanting it to rain because of the heat.

[Sequoia]

59. Siren? Scary. I only see that sort of thing on movies.

Welcome to DU.

[Indenturedebtor]

60. It's for tornados. It is pretty scary

Man I hope this blows over soon. Indiana is being devastated here. :(

[pinto]

3. That's gnarly. Hope folks stay safe as they can.

[Bobbieo]

5. And where is our National Guard when we need them???

I know - sarcasm!!!! Bet they wish they were home!

[pinto]

12. Really. They ought to be home, doing what they do best, here at home.

[CoffeeCat]

4. I know!!!

Cedar Rapids, Iowa (about 150,000 people live there) has 6 feet of water in the downtown area. The city is
evacuating an area that is about the size of 100 blocks.

The pictures from Cedar Rapis are absolutely unimaginable. ...and that big
line of storms is training through there right now. It's just mind boggling.

Look at the front page of the Cedar Rapids Gazette. The white bldg on the left
is an office bldg (Alliant Energy), and the bldg to the right is the courthouse!

http://www.gazetteonline.com/

This pic is of a railroad bridge that runs though downtown Cedar Rapids. It
collapsed this morning (Thurs).

http://www.gazetteonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/gallery?Site=GO&Date=20080612&Category=NEWS&ArtNo=721834934&Ref=PH&Template=galleryzoom&Params=Itemnr=4

[saged52]

9. just visited CR last week -

I have checked out all those photos/news updates - freaking unbelievable - we were also in Iowa City/Coralville and several points south - have relatives all over the state of Iowa. I think this is worse than what the MSM is sharing -
please stay safe Iowans -

[rurallib]

14. We are about too be named the sixth Great lake

you may want to stock up on food while you can still afford it, folks. The bread basket is now the water bucket.

[kickitup]

27. I'm one step ahead of you

and I told my husband this afternoon that I'm going to stock up tomorrow.

[rebel with a cause]

17. That is just awful.

and I really feel bad for all those affected by it. And I don't want you to take this the wrong way, but I find humor in everything, especially in times of trouble. I find it funny that while all this terrible flooding is taking place, the paper has the poll that is posted here.

Should the final rules for the new statewide smoking ban allow smoking in bars’ outside areas, even if the bars serve prepared food there?
Yes
No

To make it clear that my humor is as weird as I say, I recently joked my way through breast cancer and the operations that came with it. The tougher the situation, the stonger my sense of humor. My doctor loved me because of my positive attitude, and I really didn't feel afraid through it all. But most people never know when I am depressed. On that note let me say again that everyone in these areas, please stay safe, do what you can to help yourself and others, and remember to keep a laugh in your heart for when you need it the most.

[eowyn_of_rohan]

48. RE the poll: As Rhett Butler said to Scarlett, "A minor point at such a moment"

Good spot. That did seem absurd, or oddly incongruous

[TexasLady]

6. wow, that is usually how it looks in May. In Texas.

We are high and very dry all week though.

[yellowdogintexas]

30. yeah last year it rained every afternoon around 4 pm for about 3

weeks, and there was lots of other rain as well. Some sort of front got stuck on top of us and would not budge.

We haven't had much rain this year at all.

[tridim]

7. It's like the storms are spraying out of a single point in southern Kansas

How is that even possible?

[eowyn_of_rohan]

54. It was really creepy

One after another, big, intense rainstorms would form within that line and blast us, again and again all afternoon and evening. Like some kind of rapid fire weapon. so very glad that is over, for now at least.

[atommom]

8. We're living it!

There have been quite a few tornado sightings in Kansas tonight.

[nadinbrzezinski]

13. The NOAA prediction does not look pretty either

damn, I hate that we are in a slow moving Katrina

The region affected is what four states?

[lonestarnot]

21. Yes four.

[skooooo]

15. Railroad bridge spanning the Cedar River collapses

One of the articles linked above:

CEDAR RAPIDS - Photo added: The Cedar Rapids and Iowa City Railway Co. bridge downstream from the Eighth Avenue bridge collapsed into the river at 9:43 a.m.

The railway on Tuesday evening had placed about 20 rail hopper cars loaded with rock on the span in hopes of weighing the bridge deck down and keeping it in place. The hopper cars are in the river now, too, the railway reports.

[Ellipsis]

16. Strange weather indeed... animate this model for the next few days.

http://www.wunderground.com/modelmaps/maps.asp?model=NAM&domain=US

More boomers coming as we speak.

[nadinbrzezinski]

18. If I did not know better it looks like... circulation of the type

seen in hurricanes, tropical depressions, et al

Oh did I mention this was predicted by the science

GOD I HATE THESE PEOPLE!

[lovuian]

22. I agree it has a swirling motion of a tropical depression

slow and lumbering but with increased wind speeds in it

Midwest is a mess right now
Hang on people

[nadinbrzezinski]

23. I'm starting to try to get an idea of the actual geographic area

pop density involved... looks ugly

[rebel with a cause]

24. We had one that looked like this a month or so ago.

And it was full of tornados. It moved so slow, but swirled around. We had a tornado watch for 4 hours with the storm only a few miles away. By the time it got to us, the threat was still there but the storm had lessened to a severe thunderstorm watch, and the storm that hit was not severe. You can never tell about these storms when they hit here, some come in like a lion and some just whimper like a lost puppy. But we seldom have what you would call real floods because we are not close to a river, except the Big Muddy and that is not very much of a river. It may flood some bottom land at times. :shrug:

[Ellipsis]

25. It's pretty funky isn't it? Conflicting fronts.

Last year was bad in Wisconsin, this year worse, especially in the southwestern part of the state.

Incredible amounts of rain in a few hours... south of Lacrosse a little town called Ontario got 9.84" in one day.

[nadinbrzezinski]

26. Now that IS impressive

and it is only going to get worst... I fear the models are not as bad as it will get

[rebel with a cause]

20. It may get us tomorrow along with a lot of other people.

Ohhhhh, Friday the thirteenth. Look out!!

[lonestarnot]

19. OMG that is some long damn scarey thing AGAIN!

[rebel with a cause]

28. more pictures of the flood

If everyone has seen these, I do apoligize. I feel empathy for the people, but it is the animals that pull at my heart strings.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/25055921/displaymode/1107/s/2/

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/25126905/displaymode/1107/s/2

[gristy]

29. Oh my. Oh my oh my. Horrible. I'm shaking my head.

How do cities recover from that degree of flooding? Is it even possible? Entire farms underwater. Crops a total loss.

[rebel with a cause]

31. It will probably take years.

and with all the money going to Iraq, how is the government going to help them out. Oh that is easy, if mccain gets in, he won't and if Obama gets in, some people (corporations, and the rich who are selfish, and etc) are not going to be happy.

I like the attitude of the dog in the last picture. I got my chew, everything is okay, nothing to see here, now move along. My kind of dog. ;)

[CornField]

32. The cows

They've been reporting on the news locally that fresh hay was taken to the cows -- they are still on the porch, but doing alright.

[rebel with a cause]

36. good

glad to hear that. I like that farmer.

[Sequoia]

61. Good, poor cows. And that little fawn too.

Those views from the air with the freeways and farms under water are horrifying. People of Iowa we feel for you, stay safe.

[nadinbrzezinski]

33. Thanks, that is what I needed... in fact

[SeattleGirl]

43. Good God.

It's like looking at pictures of the Gulf Coast all over again.

:cry:

[pansypoo53219]

34. i'm hearing thunder again.

luckily we are on a hill, which leads to a plateau and slopes towards downtown.

[Theres-a]

35. Stay safe. nt

[jberryhill]

37. How rude...

Our president is in Europe, and you want to distract us with chit-chat about the weather?

Tsk, tsk.

He might even get a cake. Yum. Cake is nice. Maybe Laura will read him a story about a goat.

[rebel with a cause]

56. Our resident is a goat!

Oh I'm sorry, my apologies to all the goats out there. ;)

[KillCapitalism]

38. I heard this on the Weather Channel.

One forecaster was saying that a lot of places in the midwest could see over 100 inches of rain for 2008 by the time the year is over. That is almost 3 times the norm for most of these areas.

[lutefisk]

39. Our June rainfall average is 3.3". We've already had well over 10".

Hearing lots of "I've never seen anything like this" comments lately.

[mcctatas]

41. We've had six inches...

TODAY!!! :wtf:

And it's still coming, they said that the Fox River won't top out until next week....

:scared:

[lutefisk]

44. Fox River- Lake Winnebago, that's me, too. Pretty damn wet, isn't it?

It looked like my house was floating on the lake for much of the day. I'm closer to the lake than the river.

Back to the basement... I don't hear the sump pump running... :scared:

[mcctatas]

45. Hope it's still working...

I can't go to sleep because I'm afraid mine will stop. We're right near the mouth of the river and the lake, not a very comforting thought. Good luck to you!

[lutefisk]

46. Kind of hard to sleep, isn't it. Good luck and good night...n/t

[eowyn_of_rohan]

53. Hope you all got through the night unscathed

Pretty refreshing to hear nothing but singing birds this morning, and to see a little sunshine. That was pretty harrowing yesterday and last night, wasn't it? Then on top of the monsoons, to have so many tornado warnings all afternoon and evening... some were headed directly towards us. Sirens went off 4 times. My poor dog was a nervous wreck from all the thunder and lightning, and never ate all day. I gave him a dramamine but it didnt help much.

[eowyn_of_rohan]

49. Madison has had 26.17" since Jan 1 - average rain is 12.96

And in the outskirts we have had more than that. Did you see all the road closures this morning? Even the Interstate highways.

[Hannah Bell]

40. Modern Battles Will Be Won By Controlling The Weather

BY JIM WILSON
Published in the February 1997 issue.

http://www.popularmechanics.com/technology/military_law/1281146.html

In much the same way that infrared and low-light viewing equipment has made it possible for 20th-century soldiers to own the night, U.S. Air Force planners hope to give 21st-century warriors advanced technologies that will enable them to own the weather. A declassified version of a 2-year study prepared by the Air War College and obtained by PM reveals that this is no dreamland scenario. The Pentagon's top meteorologists believe the United States will be ready to fight--and win--a weather war early in the next century.

The study, titled "Weather As A Force Multiplier: Owning The Weather In 2025," envisions future generals having at their disposal an impressive weather-control arsenal for tactical operations. These weapons would include unmanned stealth aircraft that could seed clouds above massing troops with fine particles of heat-absorbing carbon....Other lasers would fire at fog banks, clearing a temporary flight path to high-value targets, such as command posts. In addition, still more powerful microwave transmitters would heat the ionosphere, altering its reflective properties in ways that would disrupt communications among enemy field commanders.

"Our vision is that by 2025 the military could influence the weather on a mesoscale or microscale to achieve operational capabilities."

The American military's only acknowledged recent experience in using weather as a weapon occurred with Project Popeye, which began in 1966. The experiment's objective was to extend the monsoon season...Positive results during the initial program led to its continued operation until 1972.

[Digit]

42. Tinfoil hat in place....you don't think they are practicing, do ya?

Not that the military would EVER experiment on their own citizens or anything.
:sarcasm:

[eowyn_of_rohan]

51. What about all the cloud seeding China has been doing? I wonder...

...if that could cause a global effect. Anyone have any thoughts on this?

[Sequoia]

58. I see I'm not alone.

Let's pound the corn belt with heavy rain and destroy the crops.

[Inspired]

47. I just got home from NYC last night.

My husband picked me up from the airport and we took a little driving tour of Des Moines, IA. It is nuts. Every street has water seeping from the ground. We have 2 rivers that connect in downtown Des Moines. Major flooding. And I hear the rivers haven't even reached the predicted water levels yet.

It is really crazy.

[shadowknows69]

50. Good lord

Looks like some nasty T-storms on their way to NY again too. Stay safe everyone. Time to think about moving the human race back into caves pretty soon.

[sarcasmo]

52. That, Jesus.

[MadHound]

55. Yeah, I'm somewhere underneath all of that large mass in Missouri

It started storming about three am, and is supposed to go on all day. Around here, we've received a record amount of rain in the first six months of the year, more rain than in the '93 flood. Crops aren't being planted throughout the region, so expect prices for corn, soybeans and grain to jump some more.

There is a bright side to this, not having to irrigate so far this year. This year's storms comes on the heels of a three year dry spell, so the soil moisture is being recharged, as are underground aquifers, lakes, streams, and other such watersheds.

But all in all, it sucks. We've been fortunate, no real severe storms around here, yet. Just lots of powerful straight line winds that are bringing down trees and branches that were weakened by the massive ice storm we had last year.

Local weather is saying that we're going to get a break and dry out next week. Hopefully I'll finally get a chance to put gravel on the driveway. Certainly can't do it when it's wet since the gravel would just disappear into the wet mud.

For my fellow Midwesterners, stay safe and dry.

[rebel with a cause]

57. It has not reached us yet.

And it may all go north of us. No it is suppose to hit here this afternoon. Waiting for it and hoping the storm is not too bad or the rain too much, although we do not have a flooding problem. Tornados can be a problem here. Have had two big trees blown down in the neighborhood in the last year, and living in a house surrounded by big shade trees, it makes you leery sometimes when those strong winds start blowing.

Personally, our biggest problem so far from all the rain this year, and this is very trivial, is that the large tree out back of our house is over abundantly laden with berries. I don't know what kind they are, they are not edible by humans and there are not enough birds in heaven to eat them all. So my yard is full of rotting berries. I fell the other day in the side yard and I was covered with reddish purple berry juice. To keep them cleaned up is impossible. The way the rest of the country is suffering; I feel like I can put up with rotting berries and be happy about it. ;)

[rebel with a cause]

63. Update to earlier post.

Severe thunderstorm alert has been issued by the National Weather Service for our area in Illinois until 8 p.m.. The funny thing is that when I look at the map and area to be badly affected, it is north of us. Oh well, they probably know a lot more than I do about this. Let me correct that statement: They surely know a lot more than I do about this. :P

[Jankyn]

64. Deja vu...

This is *exactly* what happened in '93 (I was in Iowa then).

Get ready for more flooding. The Midwest was once an inland sea, and it will be a swamp again any old time Mother Nature wants it to be one.

[CornField]

65. Actually, this is much worse than 1993

Also, in 93 the floods built up. I was parking downtown Wednesday -- that same area was underwater the following day. This is just massive -- Almost impossible to describe.