Sunday, December 2, 2012
El Niño didn't really form, making predictions difficult for meteorlogists.
Forecasters are mixed in making predicitions for Northern Virginia's weather this winter. Some meteorologists are calling for an “average” winter in terms of snowfall, but some say there could be higher-than-average amounts of the white stuff. “During an El Niño winter we can see some heavy snows and some cool temperatures here in the mid-Atlantic," ABC7 meteorologist Matt Stinneford told WTOP. "However, as we got further into fall, it became apparent that an El Niño was not going to develop." NOAA’s Mike Halpert told the Capital Weather Gang in October, “This is one of the most challenging outlooks we’ve produced in recent years because El Niño decided not to show up as expected.” NOAA’s outlook calls for approximately equal chances that …
Wednesday, November 21, 2012
What do you and your family do on a holiday weekend?
Thanksgiving weekend is upon us. Sure, we all know what the actual holiday has in store, most commonly a feast and some football viewing (the Washington Redskins play the Dallas Cowboys at 4:15 p.m. Thursday). But if you have holiday house guests, there is lots more time to fill. What do you suggest? Shopping? A hike at Great Falls National Park? A trip to see the monuments and museums in DC? Help your neighbors out by suggesting some of your favorite day trips or other local outings. Leave your thoughts in the comments below.
Thursday, October 25, 2012
Some forecasters' scenarios have storm hitting Mid-Atlantic.
Hurricane Sandy, now a Category 2 hurricane with 105 mile per hour winds according to the National Hurricane Center, could impact the Northern Virginia area beginning Sunday, according to local forecasters. If the hurricane shifts close to the D.C. region, the area can expect to begin seeing showers and gusty winds beginning Sunday afternoon, says NBC4 meteorologist Tom Kierein. He notes the most severe weather could hit Monday into Tuesday when the area could see potential flooding, strong winds and possible power outages. Dominion Virginia Power's Twitter account this morning, responding to a customer asking if they were prepared for the possible storm: "don't worry, we've got our eye on it and we're preparing now!" UPDATE Wednesday 11:…
Monday, October 8, 2012
Virginia governor, local contractor say cuts to defense spending would be devastating to the local economy.
Hours after President Barack Obama’s campaign stop at George Mason University on Friday, Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell hosted a press conference call that took to task the president’s handling of massive, looming defense cuts. If Congress doesn’t make key budget decisions by the end of the year, $1.2 trillion in cuts to defense and other spending will kick in automatically. McDonnell, who was joined on the call by U.S. Rep. Randy Forbes (R-4th) and Ashburn defense contractor Joe Travez, who repeatedly said the cuts would be “devastating,” especially in Virginia. Approximately 200,000 Virginians would be at risk of losing their jobs if sequestration is implemented in January 2013, and McDonnell said that can’t happen. Virginia is home to …
Monday, October 1, 2012
Law loophole means empty medians this year.
Sunday, September 23, 2012
The Apple Store at Tysons had "very limited" supply of the Sprint version of the iPhone 5 on Saturday. Pentagon City's Apple Store sold out Friday.
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Sunday, September 23, 2012
"The iPhone 5 has arrived!" a recording says when calling the Apple Store at Fair Oaks Mall in Fairfax. If you were hoping to walk into a store in Northern Virginia and buy an iPhone 5 after the release on Friday, think again. "We are actually sold out," an employee Saturday at the store on Saturday. The store, which began selling the popular phones on Friday along with other retailers across the nation, sold out of the iPhone 5 Saturday around noon. The employee said she was not sure when the store will replenish its supply of the new iPhone 5 at Fair Oaks. "That we don't know," she said. "We receive shipments Monday through Saturday." The Apple Store at Tysons Corner in McLean is sold out of the AT&T and Verizon iPhone 5s, and was "very…
Saturday, September 8, 2012
The National Weather Service reports this line of storms is dangerous.
A service thunderstorm warning is in effect in the area until 4:30 p.m. The line of storms has a history of producing hail and gusting winds, according to the National Weather Service. "This is a dangerous line of storm," the warning reports. "If you are in its path...move indoors to a sturdy building and stay away from windows." At 3:50 p.m., The Washington Post reported that a storm produced a tornado near Fairfax City. Patch has not been able to confirm the the presence of a tornado in the area. Patch will update this story as more information becomes available. This story has been updated.
Tuesday, July 10, 2012
Post-derecho, the cellular company is continuing to restore service to all customers in Northern Virginia.
A possible tornado in Fredericksburg, a derecho and other severe weather have thrown cell service out of commission for many Verizon customers. Since June 29, Verizon has been experiencing service outages due to the freak weather occurances and has been assessing and repairing damage. "After Verizon technicians worked extended shifts throughout the weekend, the company’s service levels are nearly back to normal in most of the Washington metropolitan area," said a prepared statement from the company. "Company technicians now are focusing on service restoral for several hundred customers in areas technicians could not previously reach due to downed power lines." The possible tornado in Fredericksburg downed approximately 20 power poles. "As …
Saturday, June 30, 2012
Governor says citizens should prepare for a multi-day power restoration and recovery effort.
UPDATE - Sunday, 7 a.m.: For a full update of conditions, outages, water restrictions and more across Nothern Virginia on Sunday, see this story: 290,000 Still Without Power in Northern Virginia Sunday Morning. --------- Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell (R) declared a state of emergency Saturday morning as Virginia prepares for what he says will be a "multi-day event with the potential for further problems." At least 2.5 million people in the state lost power in the rare derecho storm, which ripped through the area with winds from 60 to 80 miles per hour around 10:30 p.m. last night. There were six fatalities - two in Fairfax County, the governor said. All were killed when trees fell on homes or cars. "This is the largest non-hurricane power …
Emergency responders advise people to go to their local police or fire stations for emergencies.
Updated 4:21 p.m. A "total failure" is what Fairfax County Board of Supervisors Chairman Sharon Bulova called the 911 outages in the county, NBC4 reports. The exact cause is still unknown, but NBC4 reports that officials "believe it stems from the Verizon Command Center in Arlington, Va." As of 3:50 p.m. the Fairfax County Emergency Information website reported that "911 has been partially restored to Fairfax County. If you cannot get through, please call 703-691-7561 or 703-691-3680." Original Post In the wake of the storm that slammed Northern Virginia Friday night, the region is experiencing an impact to the 911 phone system, according to an alert from Fairfax County. A spokesperson could not be reached because of issues with telephone …
Groovis Maximus
1:30 pm on Tuesday, October 9, 2012
The legislation specifies that sequestration applies to every account in the Federal government except for certain "exempt" accounts (mostly entitlements such as Medicare). The DoD has no "exempt" accounts. The Executive branch (the part that the President actually controls) has no ability to make DoD exempt - they're merely administering the law passed by the House and Senate. The finger-… more ›