Severe overnight storms in the Chicago area caused power outages, flight cancellations and flooded homes and roadways.
About 50,000 ComEd customers were without electricity Saturday morning after lightning and heavy downpours pummeled the city overnight, said Laura Micheli, a spokeswoman for the utility.
It was unclear when power would be restored to those households because storms were still rolling through the area, she said. The outages started at about 6 p.m. (7 p.m. ET) Friday night.
CNN iReporter Nancy Holst of Lombard said her husband, who is a firefighter, responded to several calls overnight where he was working in waist-deep floodwaters. She said he took one look at her once-blooming garden now sitting under 6 inches of water and said, “That’s nothing.”
The storms caused damage through Chicago suburbs before moving into downtown in the morning, she said.
The bad weather also forced the cancellation of 200 flights at the Chicago O’Hare International Airport Saturday morning, according to Karen Pride of the Chicago Department of Aviation.
There were delays of up to one hour at the airport at midday, she said, but no delays were reported at Midway International Airport.
Pride said there was some airfield flooding at O’Hare Friday night, but flight operations were not affected. The National Weather Service in Illinois reported that at least 6.3 inches of rain fell at O’Hare and 6.2 inches at Midway.
SOURCE:(CNN) ]]>
Bonnie has degenerated to a “disorganized area of low pressure” near the U.S. Gulf Coast, hours after the National Hurricane Center lifted tropical storm warnings for the northern Gulf of Mexico, the center said.
The remnants of the weather system slowed to about 14 miles (22 kilometers) per hour as of 5 p.m. New York time as it moves to the west-northwest, the center said in its last public advisory. The low is anticipated to dissipate tonight or tomorrow, and no coastal watches or warnings are in effect, the NHC said.
Storms are closely watched in the Gulf, partly because they may topple oil production platforms and rupture pipelines. Bonnie hampered BP Plc’s efforts to drill relief wells near the Macondo spill site, as the company yesterday disconnected ships that had been drilling relief wells as the storm approached. The vessels began returning today, BP spokesman John Curry said by telephone from New Orleans.
The Gulf is home to about 31 percent of U.S. oil output and about 10 percent of gas production, according to the Energy Department.
onnie’s maximum sustained winds were about 30 mph, which are about the same reported in the previous advisory at 11 a.m. The storm was located about 100 miles east-southeast of the mouth of the Mississippi River.
The storm is expected to produce rainfall totals of one to two inches over southern parts of Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama, and the far-western part of the Florida Panhandle. Some areas might record as much as three inches, the agency said.
source:bloomberg.com ]]>
he officials informed that the carrier to allow passengers to change their reservations, but the journey should be completed within five days after the date of departure. There would be no sanctions imposed and the seats would be allocated according to availability of space.
Airport spokesman Pat Rowe said that the tower air traffic controllers are housed in the evening was evacuated after a tornado warning.
Passengers on Friday afternoon and evening should also continue to stay in touch with their airlines before the airport to determine the status of their individual flight. Flight disruptions remain possible throughout the day on the airlines to position the new aircraft and recover before working the notice. 
Frontier Airlines customers who were able to travel on Friday, and those who have already begun their journey can make a change in the route, without changing the standard fee. This change must be made before midnight, July 24, 2010, and would have to 6th August 2010 have been completed. This policy applies to customers who bought their tickets no later than 23 July 2010. Customers are entitled to a full refund of their tickets if the original flight is canceled.
source:breakingnewsviews.com ]]>
Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker declares a state of emergency. In his declaration, Walker says he’s asking Governor Doyle to petition the President to declare Milwaukee County a major disaster area.
If the petition is granted, Milwaukee County would be able to get public assistance and human services resources as part of the recovery.
The Milwaukee County Emergency Management Director is also authorized to coordinate the damage assessment through survey teams.
source:fox6now.com ]]>
Tropical depression moving toward oil spillNASSAU, Bahamas — Rain and lightning from a tropical depression raked the low-lying Turks and Caicos Islands and the southern Bahamas on Thursday as it steamed on a course for the site of massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.
Forecasters at the U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami said the storm system, which has already caused flooding in Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic and Haiti, could become Tropical Storm Bonnie by later Thursday and reach the Gulf of Mexico by Saturday.
By early Thursday afternoon, the center said the depression had maximum sustained winds of 35 mph (55 kph), with stronger gusts, and was centered about 250 miles (400 kilometers) southeast of the Bahamian capital of Nassau.
Forecasters said a reconnaissance plane was nearing the depression to determine if the system had become a tropical storm.
Skies darkened and people stocked up on water and food in the southern Bahamas and Turks and Caicos, island chains that are well-accustomed to rough weather. Many businesses remained open, but schools were already closed for the summer.
“There’s definitely some lightning and thunder out there,” said Johanny Lightbourne, a manager at a market in the island of Providenciales in Turks and Caicos. “But it’s still business as usual, pretty much.”
Donna Musgrove, a businesswoman in Providenciales, said some streets were flooded. “It’s raining from one end of the island to the other,” she said. “The skies are completely dark.”
By Thursday afternoon, the tropical depression did not pose a threat to tourist resorts in the islands.
Residents in the southeastern Bahamas endured heavy rains and copious lightning, but no damages or injuries have been reported. Officials with the Emergency Operations Center said they would travel to the area with basic supplies as soon as the weather improves.
A tropical storm warning was issued for the central and northwestern Bahamas, for Florida’s east coast south of Golden Beach and also along Florida’s west coast northward to Bonita Beach.
The system is expected bring heavy winds and rains to the Florida Keys in the next few days, but emergency officials said they were not planning any mandatory evacuations since they are not expecting any major storm surge.
As a precaution, storm shelters will open for tourists and residents who live on boats or have special needs.
source:(AP) ]]>
Strong earthquake shakes Alaska island regionANCHORAGE, Alaska — A powerful earthquake shook a remote Aleutian Island region of Alaska late Saturday, but there were no reports of damage or injury and no threat of a tsunami, officials said.
The 6.7-magnitude temblor struck at 9:56 p.m. and was centered in the Bering Sea about 155 miles southwest of Dutch Harbor, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. The quake hit about 21 miles beneath the seabed.
There was no danger of a tsunami, the Alaska Tsunami Warning Center said.
The quake was felt in both Dutch Harbor and nearby Unalaska, the nearest communities of any size to the epicenter.
Police in Unalaska, situated just across a bay from Dutch Harbor, said they had no reports of damage or injury.
“About 10 residents said they did feel the quake and they could tell it was sizable,” police communications officer Megan Gosda told The Associated Press.
“We get earthquakes out here fairly often, so we noticed it was definitely one of the bigger ones, but it was no big deal,” she said.
USGS geophysicist Jessica Sigala said earlier that residents of the Dutch Harbor reported feeling a “weak shaking” from the quake.
A magnitude 6 quake is capable of causing severe damage.
The quake, though in a fairly remote area, was one of the largest in recent years in Alaska, the country’s most seismically active region.
source:(AP) ]]>
Will you be at the SHRM Annual Conference and Expo in sunny San Diego next week? Visit Simply Hired at Booth #517 and participate in our Dream Job Contest for a chance to win a snazzy new Kindle! It’s a fabulous way to get in some reading either down at the beach or during your flight homeA slow of recent scandals has also helped focus attention on those tax breaks. In March Gov. Jennifer Granholm appeared on stage with a Flint man whose company was being given a $9.1 million tax credit; the man turned out to be a convicted embezzler and scam artist. More recently, controversy has erupted in Grand Rapids over tax incentives given to build a new film studio where one of the principals involved, an aide to a Michigan state legislator, was heard on tape discussing how he and his cohorts had “made a profit” on the state through those tax incentives.
]]>The U.S. Geological Survey reports that a magnitude-3.5 temblor about 3 miles west of Ocean Beach at 7:47 a.m. Monday. It was followed by a magnitude-1.2 quake at 8:05 a.m.
Residents in the area described it as a light jolt that lasted only a few seconds
San Francisco police say they have not received any calls about injury or damage related to the earthquake.
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NEW ORLEANS — A tropical storm slamming into parts of Mexico isn’t taking aim at the massive Gulf oil spill — for now — though any system can quickly change course and send cleanup efforts grinding to a halt.
The logistics of containing the oil spewing into the Gulf of Mexico are mind-boggling even in ideal conditions. Things become even more complicated with the approach of a tropical storm like Alex, which is pelting Belize, northern Guatemala and Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula with heavy rain.
Any system with winds over 46 mph could force BP PLC to abandon efforts to contain the flow for up to two weeks and delay the drilling of two relief wells that are the best hope of stopping it, Coast Guard Adm. Thad Allen said Saturday, shortly after Alex became the first tropical storm of the Atlantic hurricane season.
Hundreds of tourists and residents fled low-lying islands off Belize on Saturday as Alex swept in with torrential downpours. Winds were at 60 mph when the storm made landfall but had decreased to about 40 mph by Sunday morning. Many stocked up on gasoline, water, canned food and other emergency supplies.
Belize officials opened storm shelters in the island tourist resort of San Pedro, as some 1,400 people fled for the mainland by plane and by boat.
Alex, the first named storm of the 2010 Atlantic hurricane season, had sustained winds of near 40 miles per hour (65 km per hour) and was located about 55 miles (90 km) southwest of Chetumal, Mexico.
On Saturday, Quintana Roo state authorities evacuated 200 people from fishing villages across the Chinchorro reef, near Belize, and Xcalak, famous for its diving spots.
Some rain fell over Cancun, a major seaside resort that draws U.S. and European visitors, but there was no threat to some 35,000 tourists in the area, civil protection said.
Alex was moving west-northwest at 12 mph (19 kph) but its speed should decrease as it moves over land.
“Strengthening is forecast on Sunday night and Monday after Alex moves over the southern Gulf of Mexico,” the center said.
A tropical storm warning was in effect for the coast of Belize and the east coast of Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula from Chetumal to Cancun. The hurricane center said the warning would likely be lifted later on Sunday.
NEW ORLEANS — A tropical storm slamming into parts of Mexico isn’t taking aim at the massive Gulf oil spill — for now — though any system can quickly change course and send cleanup efforts grinding to a halt.
The logistics of containing the oil spewing into the Gulf of Mexico are mind-boggling even in ideal conditions. Things become even more complicated with the approach of a tropical storm like Alex, which is pelting Belize, northern Guatemala and Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula with heavy rain.
Any system with winds over 46 mph could force BP PLC to abandon efforts to contain the flow for up to two weeks and delay the drilling of two relief wells that are the best hope of stopping it, Coast Guard Adm. Thad Allen said Saturday, shortly after Alex became the first tropical storm of the Atlantic hurricane season.
Hundreds of tourists and residents fled low-lying islands off Belize on Saturday as Alex swept in with torrential downpours. Winds were at 60 mph when the storm made landfall but had decreased to about 40 mph by Sunday morning. Many stocked up on gasoline, water, canned food and other emergency supplies.
Belize officials opened storm shelters in the island tourist resort of San Pedro, as some 1,400 people fled for the mainland by plane and by boat.
Along Mexico’s resort-studded Caribbean coast, officials warned tourists to stay out of rough surf kicked up by the storm. But there were no immediate
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reports of damage to popular beach destinations such as Cancun, Cozumel, Playa del Carmen or Tulum.
Forecasters say Alex will cross over the Yucatan Peninsula back into the Gulf, where the warm waters could fuel it up to hurricane strength. It’s projected to hit Mexico again south of Texas and miss the spill, but officials are watching closely.
“We all know the weather is unpredictable and we could have a sudden, last-minute change,” Allen said.
Emergency plans call for moving workers and equipment five days before gale-force winds are forecast to arrive at the half-square mile containment operation surrounding the blown-out well. Oil has been gushing since the offshore drilling rig Deepwater Horizon exploded 50 miles off Louisiana’s coast April 20, killing 11 workers.
Nearly 39,000 people and more than 6,000 boats are working there, in other parts of the Gulf and on land to skim and corral the oil, protect hundreds of miles of coastline and clean fouled beaches. All of those efforts would have to be suspended if a storm threatened.
The spill — and the prospect of a hurricane whipping oily water into bayous and coastal communities — is also complicating the already complex hurricane planning that takes place each summer. BP, the Coast Guard and the state of Lousiana have been talking about how to coordinate evacuations so workers and equipment involved in the oil spill response don’t clog highway escape routes.
It’s also unclear what a storm would do to oil floating in the Gulf.
Some fear high winds and large waves could push it deeper into estuaries and wetlands. A storm surge of several feet could bring it inland, creating a mess. But a storm also could help disperse and break up some of the oil.
No matter what happens with Tropical Storm Alex, it’s likely just the beginning. Forecasters are predicting a busy hurricane season with powerful storms.
In the Pacific, two storms were far offshore late Saturday night and did not pose an immediate threat to land.
Once-powerful Celia weakened from a hurricane to a tropical storm with maximum sustained winds of 50 mph, the hurricane center said. The storm should fall apart by Sunday.
Darby, which was also a powerful hurricane, has also weakened to a tropical storm. Its center is about 310 miles south-southwest of Zihuatanejo, Mexico.
Oil climbed 3.1 per cent after the National Hurricane Center said that a low pressure area located in the Caribbean off Honduras and Grand Cayman has an 80 per cent chance of developing into a Hurricane this weekend and may head into the Gulf. The Storm will be named Hurricane Alex should it be upgraded to Hurricane status.
Crude for August delivery increased $US2.35 to settle at $US78.86 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. It was the biggest gain since June 9, and the highest close in seven weeks. The contract increased 0.8 per cent this week.
The low pressure area between the northern coast of Honduras and Grand Cayman is likely to become a tropical depression “at any time later today or Saturday” and may become a tropical cyclone during the next 48 hours, the hurricane center said at 2 p.m. Miami time today. The system will reach the Yucatan Peninsula “in a day or two.”
About 31 per cent, or 1.69 million barrels a day, of US oil production comes from federal waters in the Gulf of Mexico, according to the Energy Department.
Active season
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration predicted an active hurricane season with 14 to 23 named storms. Eight to 14 of those storms are expected to become hurricanes and three to seven are likely to become major systems with winds of 111 miles (178 kilometers) per hour.
Storms this year may cut 26 million barrels of oil production in the Gulf, according to Energy Department estimates.
The euro was up 0.4 per cent at $US1.2388 at 3:12 p.m. after falling as low as 1.2254. A lower US currency versus the euro bolsters the appeal of crude as an alternative investment.
“The (US) dollar is weakening and it seemed to give crude a little boost,” said Phil Flynn, vice president of research at PFGBest in Chicago.
The premium of Nymex crude futures over Brent oil on the ICE Futures Europe exchange rose to 74 cents a barrel, the highest level since June 15.
“The storm forecast is the main reason why the premium picked up quite a bit today,” said Flynn. “Nymex is getting back to its normal premium to the Brent crude.”
Brent oil
Brent crude oil for August delivery gained $US1.65, or 2.2 per cent, to $US78.12 a barrel on the ICE exchange in London.
Brent may climb toward $US90 a barrel after it re-entered a rising “channel” that will draw prices higher, according to a technical analysis by Standard Chartered Plc.
Crude also climbed as a survey showed confidence among US consumers rose in June to the highest level since January 2008.
The Thomson Reuters/University of Michigan final index of consumer sentiment increased to 76, the highest level since January 2008, from 73.6 in May. The gauge was projected to rise to 75.5, according to the median forecast of economists surveyed by Bloomberg News.
Analysts surveyed by Bloomberg News were split over whether crude oil prices will rise or fall next week amid mixed economic reports and ample stockpiles.
source:livetradingnews.com ]]>