Will Ethanol save the environment?

I just ran across some information on running your vehicle on Ethanol as opposed to gasoline. I can definitely understand and appreciate the desire to save money and reduce one's carbon footprint. However, prior to jumping on the bandwagon, one needs to realise the energy required to distill Ethanol. I do not know the numbers, or how they compare to the environmental cost of refining oil into gasoline but this should be an interesting development. If nothing else, at least the air around the cities will be a little cleaner.
Alcoholcanbegas

Global Climate changes and drops in sales forcing GM to realign themselves to more eco friendly cars - GM BEAT

General Motors Corp., the automaker that popularized the Hummer, may sell a mini-car four feet (1.2 meters) shorter than its biggest offering and more than a foot shorter than anything else it markets in the U.S. to win back buyers scared off by high fuel prices.

GM may bring the production version of the Chevrolet Beat to the U.S., people familiar with the plan said. The car, which would normally be reserved for markets such as Asia and Latin America, gets as much as 40 miles a gallon, a fuel efficiency topped in the U.S. only by hybrids.

The possible American introduction of the Beat would be one step in a fleet downsizing and shift away from fossil fuel-based vehicles that the people said is already under way at Detroit- based GM. Resigned to $4-a-gallon gasoline and stricter pollution rules, the largest U.S. automaker has recognized that its response must go beyond the mothballing of large truck plants, the people said.

``This is a very big change for GM,'' said John Wolkonowicz, an analyst at Global Insight Inc. in Lexington, Massachusetts. ``They have no choice. There's never been as rapid a shift in consumer demand in the history of the auto industry.''

GM, turning 100 this year, has few options to re-inventing itself. The company reported its largest annual loss in 2007, $38.7 billion, after a tax accounting change, and hasn't had a profitable year since 2004. The carmaker's U.S. market share hovers at the lowest level since 1925, and last year GM was 3,000 cars away from being dethroned by Toyota Motor Corp. as the world's largest automaker.

Smaller Than Mattel

The company's current market value is smaller than that of Mattel Inc., maker of Matchbox cars, and a 10th what it was in 2000. A Merrill Lynch analyst said yesterday that a GM ``bankruptcy is not impossible if the market continues to deteriorate.''

GM rose 15 cents, or 1.2 percent, to $10.13 at 8:56 a.m. before regular New York Stock Exchange trading. Yesterday, GM fell 15 percent after Merrill downgraded the stock to ``underperform'' from ``buy.'' The price was the lowest since 1954 adjusted for splits, according to Global Financial Data in Los Angeles.

Besides the Beat, GM is weighing a list of options for refocusing its auto lineup on fuel efficiency rather than performance. They include the U.S. introduction of a small pickup popular in Latin America and an expansion of the number of versions of the Volt plug-in electric car, the people said.

GM is also trying to increase production and speed up availability of the successor to the Chevy Cobalt sedan and develop a fuel-efficient alternative to the Cadillac Escalade sport-utility vehicle, they said.

Portfolio Review

``We are looking at and reviewing our entire portfolio, not just because gasoline is $4 but because of stricter government fuel economy regulations,'' GM spokesman Dee Allen said, referring to U.S. requirements that automakers reduce fuel use 40 percent by 2020. He declined to discuss specific projects.

Already, GM has reassigned engineers to many of the projects, according to the people familiar with the planning. The company is taking them from SUV and truck programs suspended while awaiting the return of customers. Now, these people said, GM sees no point in waiting.

``This is the biggest change that we have seen at GM in three decades in terms of engineering,'' said Jim Hall, principal of 2953 Analytics, an automotive consulting firm in Birmingham, Michigan.

Close to Smart

The automaker unveiled the Beat as a prototype at the New York auto show in April 2007, along with two other 40 mpg Chevy small-car concepts. Besides two hybrid models, the only car in the U.S. that comes close to the Beat's projected fuel efficiency is Daimler AG's Smart car, with 36 mpg, according to Yahoo! Autos.

At about 138 inches (3505 millimeters) long, the Beat would be among the smallest cars sold in the U.S. Only the 106-inch Smart car is shorter.

Sales of the smallest cars in the U.S. have risen 31 percent in the first half this year as the industry total fell 10 percent and the largest SUVs 31 percent. GM reported a 21 percent plunge in U.S. sales of pickups, SUVs and vans for the first six months.

In November, GM said it approved a model based on the Beat prototype for markets outside the U.S. and Canada starting next year. GM wouldn't disclose where the new vehicle would be built.

GM may also expand the Volt electric car program, the people said. GM Vice Chairman Bob Lutz, 76, said last month the company currently plans to build about 60,000 Volts a year after they go on sale in late 2010. The product is designed to drive 40 miles on a charge from a household outlet before an onboard engine recharges the battery.

Variation on the Volt

``The Volt is going to have far more variations than people imagine,'' said Hall, who studies GM's plans for future models.

The small pickup GM is considering for the U.S. would be similar to the Chevrolet Montana, according to the people with knowledge of the plans. The 174-inch Montana is sold in Brazil and in Mexico as the Tornado and in South Africa as the Opel Corsa Utility. The Chevrolet Colorado, GM's smallest U.S. pickup, is 192 inches.

Additionally, Cadillac is considering a smaller SUV, known internally as the MiniSlade, as a more fuel-efficient option to the large Escalade SUV.

Tesla Motors to manufacture all electric car in California

SOURCE: http://allautomobile.blogspot.com/

But what about the lead in all those batteries????

Tesla Motors will build the follow up vehicle to the Tesla Roadster in California. The plan to manufacture the 4-door, 5-passenger sedan was announced earlier this week by Ze’ev Drori, CEO of Tesla Motors, and California Governor Schwarzenegger

Known as the Model S, the second addition to the company's fully-electric line-up is slated for late 2010 production and will reportedly cost around US$60,000 and make 225 miles on a single charge. The new model signals Tesla's intention to evolve beyond the boutique market targeted by the US$100,000 Roadster

“Make no mistake - we are not a niche player with a car only for the rich and famous. As our agreement with the state so clearly demonstrates, we are building a high volume ZERO EMISSION VEHICLE, manufactured in California for mid-range family use. And we aren’t going to stop there. We will continue on and build even more affordable cars. You are witnessing the debut of a new car company, a company unlike all others, a company with a disruptive technology, a company dedicated for the exclusive production of Zero Emission Vehicles,” said Ze’ev Drori.

The decision to build the new sedan in California (not New Mexico as originally planned) keeps the manufacturing operations close to Tesla's engineering and research HQ in San Carlos. Tesla’s battery pack and the final assembly of the Tesla Roadster is also currently in California.

The news also boosts California's push to attract ZEV manufacturers. The California Alternative EnergyAlternative energy and Advanced Transportation Financing Authority (CAEATFA) recently approved a new program that exempts new manufacturers from paying sales and use tax on the purchase of manufacturing equipment and Tesla will also be eligible for at least USD 1 million in Employment Training Panel Workforce Development Funds to train employees according to the company's press release.

There's no details yet on what the new car looks like or exactly when we may see it

New Milk jug design may actually be good for the environment

The price of milk isn’t the only thing changing at the grocery store. The shape of the iconic gallon jug itself is shifting in stores like Sam’s Club.

And some folks are having a cow.

"My friend bought it and hates it...it doesn't pour very well," one grocery store customer says. So why this change in dairy design?

"Because of the shape, traditional milk jugs can't be stacked, so they're shipped in milk crates. But they waste space on delivery trucks and millions of gallons of water are used to keep them clean."

The new flat-top jugs can simply be stacked and shrink-wrapped. No need for washing.

The new containers also store 50 percent more milk per cubic foot than the old jugs. That means more milk on each truck - reducing delivery trips and fuel costs.

"We're estimating it could be up to 11,000 trucks we're reducing on the road this year," said Daniel Book, marketing manager for Sam’s Club.

Sam’s used to take five milk-deliveries per week - now it’s down to two. They could only store 80 conventional-shaped gallons in their coolers. Now they can fit 224 of the new kind.

Experts say high fuel costs are driving all sorts of changes in product packaging.

"We really have all of the sort of bell weather signs of the perfect storm of depleted resources, finite planet,” said Anne Johnson of the Sustainable Packaging Coalition. “It's time to take some action if we want to protect our bottom line in the future."

Wal-Mart and Costco have adopted a new, more environmentally sound style of milk jug. The new jugs are facing both rave reviews and rants from customers. Most like the significant savings — Sam’s Club is able to knock up to 20 cents off the cost of a gallon of milk with the reduced materials necessary to produce the new jugs.

But many customers find the new jugs much more difficult to pour. Dairy owner Mike Compston told The New York Times that consumers must change their pouring technique: it’s a “rock-and-pour instead of a lift-and-tip.” Milk buyers are still struggling though — the new containers are easy to spill.

But there are plenty of benefits to the new milk jugs: they’re cheaper to produce, greener and more sanitary. When filling the older style of jug, dairies went through hundreds of thousands of gallons of water a day just to clean off the crates the jugs are stored in — the crates tend to be a favorite target of neighboring birds. But the new jugs are stackable and don't require crates — or the water needed to clean them. The environmental aspects of just that difference are tremendous.

Now, it’s just a matter of convincing shoppers to adapt.

Deadly TYPHOON FENSHEN hits Manila and Kills 100's while over 800 from a CAPSIZED FERRY are missing and feared dead

Here is an article from our brother Blog, soyawannaknow.blogspot.com on the TYPHOON that just hit the Philippines.

Typhoon Fengshen has killed 155 people in the Philippines in a torrent of flashfloods and landslides, the head of the Philippines Red Cross, Richard Gordon, told local radio on Sunday.

The death toll from the typhoon was earlier pegged at around 85. It could rise sharply after a ferry with more than 800 people are missing and many feared dead from a ferry that capsized and sank as Typhoon Fengshen continued to batter the Philippines, hampering rescue efforts.

Four bodies were recovered by police rescuers from the MV Princess of Stars, police spokesman Nicanor Bartolome said today in a telephone interview. Three survivors had been found, Senator Richard Gordon, who's also chairman of the Philippine Red Cross, said this afternoon at a news briefing. There were 747 passengers and crew aboard, according to the coast guard.

Two navy ships were on their way to the area near Romblon in the central Philippines where the ferry capsized at about 6 p.m. yesterday, and were expected to arrive there at about 2 p.m. local time, Navy spokesman Edgard Arevalo said. Rescue attempts were being hampered by ``gigantic waves, pounding rain and gusting winds,'' he said. The ferry was en route from Manila to Cebu in the central Philippines when it sank.

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Philippine President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo demanded to know why the ferry was allowed to sail as the typhoon bore down on the islands. She spoke from the U.S., where she is on an official visit, with civil defense and coast guard authorities in a meeting that was broadcast on nationwide radio. ``Why did you allow it to sail and why was there no ample warning?'' she said.

Elsewhere, 82 people may be dead from flashfloods and landslides caused by the typhoon, although only eight were confirmed, according to National Disaster Coordinating Council Executive Director Anthony Golez. More than 366,000 were affected by the storms and of them, 70,717 had been evacuated, according to an earlier report from the council.

Storm Track

The eye of Fengshen, the seventh storm of the northwestern Pacific cyclone season, was over Tarlac province, northwest of the capital city of Manila, packing winds of up to 120 kilometers per hour at 4 p.m. local time, according to the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration. It is moving toward the northwest coast of the main island of Luzon, the weather bureau said.

Storm debris is hampering restoration of power to areas of the capital blacked out when the storm blew through. Manila Electric Co., which serves the capital and nearby provinces, said a 10th of its total network remained without power as of 3 p.m.

Power has been restored to mass transit lines in Manila, the electricity company said.

Some power lines in southern Luzon are still being repaired, the state-run power transmission company said. Service has been fully restored on Cebu and Bohol islands in the central Philippines, according to National Transmission Co.
Flooded Iloilo

At least 30,000 residents of Iloilo City were stranded on their rooftops after the typhoon caused a dam to overflow and sparked power outages across the province, the Philippines Inquirer reported citing Jed Mabilog the city's acting mayor.

In the eastern Bicol region, the storm forced more than 200,000 people to evacuate their homes, the newspaper said, citing a civil defense official.

Arroyo arrived in the U.S. last night for a 10-day visit, according to the report. Yesterday she ordered warnings to be issued to all provinces in the storm's path.

The Philippines is regularly hit by typhoons and tropical storms that gain strength over warm waters of the Pacific before lashing the coast. At least 26 people died in November last year when two typhoons struck the country.

Fengshen is named after the God of Wind in China, according to the Web site of the Hong Kong Observatory, which lists names used for tropical storms and typhoons formed in the northwest Pacific.

Typhoon "Fengshen" passed the east of Metro Manila early Sunday and headed toward central Luzon in the vicinity of Clark in Pampanga province, 70 kilometers north of Manila, said the state weather forecasters Sunday.

"Fengshen" is expected to reach Pangasinan province 200 kilometers north of Manila in the afternoon, said the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration. The typhoon packed maximum sustained winds of 120 kilometers per hour (kph) near the center and gustiness of up to 150 kph, and was moving north-northwest at 15 kph.

Metro Manila was invaded by flood waters brought about by typhoon "Fengshen" on Sunday, after one night's heavy wind and rains. All domestic flights for Sunday were canceled and international flights were delayed, according to local radio reports. The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority said gutter-deep flood waters submerged several thoroughfares in Metro Manila, while some streets in Manila were submerged with knee-deep water. Some parts of the capital region came under power outage for several hours Sunday morning due to toppled electricity posts and damaged transformers.

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By Monday morning, "Fengshen" is expected to be 100 km west of Vigan, Ilocos Sur in northern Luzon. By Tuesday morning, "Fengshen" would be 300 kilometers west-northwest of Basco, Batanes in the northernmost Philippines, and by Wednesday morning, it would be 470 km north-northwest of Basco, Batanes.

HONDA Announces plans for mass produced CLARITY Zero emission Hydrogen car

SOURCE: http://allautomobile.blogspot.com

Honda's new zero-emission, hydrogen fuel cell car rolled off a Japanese production line Monday and is headed to Southern California, where Hollywood is already abuzz over the latest splash in green motoring.

The FCX Clarity, which runs on hydrogen and electricity, emits only water and none of the noxious fumes believed to induce global warming. It is also two times more energy efficient than a gas-electric hybrid and three times that of a standard gasoline-powered car, the company says.

Japan's third biggest automaker expects to lease out a "few dozen" units this year and about 200 units within three years. In California, a three-year lease will run $600 a month, which includes maintenance and collision coverage.

Among the first customers are actress Jamie Lee Curtis and filmmaker husband Christopher Guest, actress Laura Harris, film producer Ron Yerxa, as well as businessmen Jon Spallino and Jim Salomon.

"It's so smooth," said Harris, who played villainness Marie Warner on the hit TV show "24" and was flown over by Honda for the ceremony. "It's like a future machine, but it's not."

The FCX Clarity is an improvement of its previous-generation fuel cell vehicle, the FCX, introduced in 2005.

A breakthrough in the design of the fuel cell stack, which is the unit that powers the car's motor, allowed engineers to lighten the body, expand the interior and increase efficiency, Honda said.

The fuel cell draws on energy synthesized through a chemical reaction between hydrogen gas and oxygen in the air, and a lithium-ion battery pack provides supplemental power. The FCX Clarity has a range of about 270-miles per tank with hydrogen consumption equivalent to 74 miles per gallon, according to the carmaker.

The 3,600-pound vehicle can reach speeds up to 100 miles per hour.

John Mendel, executive vice president of America Honda Motor Co., said at a morning ceremony it was "an especially significant day for American Honda as we plant firm footsteps toward the mainstreaming of fuel cell cars."

The biggest obstacles standing in the way of wider adoption of fuel cell vehicles are cost and the dearth of hydrogen fuel stations. For the Clarity's release in California, Honda said it received 50,000 applications through its website but could only consider those living near stations in Torrance, Santa Monica and Irvine.

Initially, however, the Clarity will go only to a chosen few starting July and then launch in Japan this fall.

California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has called for a statewide network of hydrogen stations, but progress has been slow.

The state has also recently relaxed a mandate for the number of zero-emission cars it aims to have on roads. By 2014, automakers must now sell 7,500 electric and hydrogen fuel cell vehicles, a reduction of 70 percent.

Spallino, who currently drives Honda's older FCX and was also flown in for the ceremony, said he will use the Clarity to drive to and from work and for destinations within the Los Angeles area. The small number of hydrogen fuel stations is the "single limiting factor" for fuel cell vehicles, he said.

"It's more comfortable, and it handles well," said Spallino of Redondo Beach. "It's got everything. You're not sacrificing anything except range."

The world's major automakers have been making heavy investments in fuel cells and other alternative fuel vehicles amid climbing oil prices and concerns about climate change.

Although Honda Motor Co. was the first Japanese automaker to launch a gas-electric hybrid vehicle in the U.S. in 1999, it has been outpaced by the dominance of Toyota's popular Prius.

Toyota announced in May that it has sold more than 1 million Prius hybrids, while both the Honda Insight and the hybrid Accord have been discontinued due to poor sales.

Honda also plans to launch a gas-electric hybrid-only model, as well as hybrid versions of the Civic, the sporty CR-Z and Fit subcompact.

Toyota has announced that it would launch a plug-in hybrid with next-generation lithium-ion batteries by 2010 and a hydrogen fuel cell vehicle later in Japan later this year.

U.S. carmaker General Motors Corp. plans to introduce a Chevrolet Volt plug-in electric vehicle in 2010. It also introduced a test-fleet of hydrogen fuel cell Equinox SUVs.

Honda has no plans for a plug-in electric vehicle. President Takeo Fukui said he does not believe current battery technology is good enough to develop a feasible car.

The company has not revealed how much each car costs to make, and it is unclear when, or if, the car will be available for mass-market sales. Takeo has set a target for 2018, but meeting that goal will depend on whether Honda can significantly lower development and assembly costs as well as market reaction to fuel cells.

California Company to set up Massive Solar Power Grid in Israel

Energy company BrightSource Energy Inc said it will open a solar "power tower" in Israel this week to test new technology it will use when building power plants next year in California.

California utility PG&E Corp signed contracts with BrightSource in April to buy up to 900 megawatts of solar thermal power in the next few years, enough to power about 630,000 homes.

The move is part of a PG&E push to comply with California's requirement that at least 20 percent of its electricity supplies come from renewable energy by 2010.

A global race is on to find energy alternatives to replace fossil fuels, and entrepreneurs are scrambling for a slice of a clean energy market that analysts estimate was worth nearly $150 billion last year.

BrightSource's development centre, with its 60 meter-high (60 foot) tower and some 1,200 mirrors, sits on about 12,000 square meters (three acres) of Israel's southern Negev Desert, chairman Arnold Goldman said.

BrightSource did not release financial details of the complex, but said its systems are more cost-efficient than other solar power plants.

The new power tower, which is capable of generating 1.5 megawatts, will not produce electricity for public use, but rather test the technologies that will power future plants, including a 100 megawatt plant in California's Mojave Desert scheduled to be completed by 2011, Kroizer said.

The 100 megawatt plant will be about 50 times larger that the Negev centre.

BrightSource CEO John Woolard said competitors, like Spanish building and energy group Acciona, were still using similar technologies to those used by BrightSource 20 years ago.

"The new power tower based technology, we don't see any serious competition, yet, in that area," Woolard told a news conference in Jerusalem.

HIGHER TEMPERATURE, HIGHER PRESSURE

Solar power towers, which have been used for decades, use mirrors to reflect and intensify sunlight, much like using a magnifying glass to start a fire. Traditionally, the system contains rows of large, curved mirrors, sometimes reaching 100 meters in length.

The sunlight is aimed at a boiler on top of the tower and is hot enough to boil the water into steam that passes through turbines and produces electricity.

The new power tower is surrounded by a system of smaller, flat mirrors, each with an enhanced guidance system to track and reflect the sun more effectively than the trough-like systems, Goldman said.

"It takes huge amounts of electronics and controls and gears. The electronics industry has driven those costs down so much that you can do that today," Goldman said. It also requires about a third of the steel and cement, he said.

BrightSource's mirrors reflect about 50 percent of the sunlight, while standard systems reflect 35-40 percent, Goldman said. As a result, the temperature and pressure in the boiler is higher and energy is produced more effectively.

"Historic troughs can put the equivalent of about 20 suns on the tower. We have a maximum of 600 suns," Goldman said.

Woolard also said the new power tower works at half the cost of photo-voltaic solar panel plants because it produces energy about twice as many hours in a year.

Massive Flooding in Midwest kills several and forces evacuation

Fierce weekend storms with tornadoes and heavy rain pounded the Midwest, where at least seven people were killed, many buildings were damaged, and hundreds of people fled their homes because of flooding.

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Rescuers in boats continued to pluck people from rising waters in Indiana yesterday, a day after more than 10 inches of rain deluged much of the state.

In Iowa, pumps and thousands of sandbags were sent to the Iowa City area, where officials fear a reservoir could top a spillway and flood the city of about 63,000 by tomorrow.

The Indiana flooding killed at least one person, a man who drowned in his vehicle about 50 miles south of Indianapolis, the state Department of Homeland Security said. Another person was reported missing after falling off a boat on Mill Creek, about 30 miles southwest of the capital.

In Michigan, two delivery workers for The Grand Rapids Press drowned early yesterday when their car became submerged in a creek that washed out a road near Lake Michigan in Saugatuck Township.

Two other people in the state were killed by falling trees, one man drowned, and a woman died when high winds blew a recreational vehicle on top of her, authorities said.

At least one tornado hit the Omaha area with little to no warning as people slept yesterday morning, damaging several dozen homes and businesses. No major injuries were reported.

Paul Higgins, 87, said the front door blew open and he was knocked down when he checked on the storm about 2:30 a.m. "It was like a fog. So much stuff blowing around," he said.

Higgins said he and his wife sought shelter in their basement, emerging to find a tree against a house across the street and a house missing its roof.

Iowa saw some of its worst flooding in more than a decade, Governor Chet Culver said as he declared a state of emergency in nearly a third of the state's 99 counties.

A levee broke along the Winnebago River in Mason City, and its water treatment plant was shut down.


Officials said water levels on the Iowa River at Iowa City could be like those during the historic floods of 1993, which put much of the state underwater.

In areas of Minnesota near the Iowa border, officials asked residents in the Winnebago Valley to leave. In Wisconsin, houses near the swollen Kickapoo River in La Farge were evacuated.

The Indiana Department of Homeland Security said 23 of the state's 92 counties were declared disasters. Officials said hundreds of people evacuated from houses and hospitals in western Indiana.

In Morgan County, southwest of Indianapolis, about 150 residents were taken out of a flooded nursing home.

Flood waters moving south toward the Ohio River led officials to move more than 250 patients and staff from Columbus Regional Hospital in southern Indiana.

Heavy rains are turning to major flood warnings in North Iowa. Steve O'Niell Director of Cerro Gordo Franklin County Emergency Management tells KIMT News 3 that flooding is becoming a problem in virtually every city in Cerro Gordo County.

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In Mason City, The Winnebago River is at 18.07 feet as of 1:00pm. This exceeds 1933 record river crest of 15.7 feet. It is expected to crest at over 19 feet Sunday afternoon. The water is already flowing over the levies in Mason City and is blocking several streets. This would be a record level for the Winnebago River.

"If you live close to a river or stream, don't wait for someone to tell you to leave, evacuate when necessary" said O'Niell.

East Park in Mason City is under water and a residential area to the northwest of the park along the Winnebago River is flooded. County Road B20 is closed in areas because of high water. Cheslea Creek is overflowing its banks and the Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurant in Mason City could flood.

Police and fire officers have evacuated people from Autumn Park Apartments on South Pierce Avenue. Right now, emergency management has set up an evacuation shelter at Holy Family Catholic Church. The Salvation Army is expected to open a shelter in Mason City later Sunday. Flooding is also reported in the Eastbrook area of Mason City and 17th and 19th Streets Northeast. Highway 65 is closed south of Manly due to high water.

Worth, Mitchell and Wright Counties also tell KIMT News 3 that several county roads are washed out. She Wroth County Sheriff tells KIMT News 3 to urge travelers to drive with extreme caution and don't go out on the roads unless absolutely necessary.

Emergency management officials confirm boat rescue operations are under way at Camp of the Woods in Rock Falls. Reports at the scene say several campers are partially submerged by flood waters and rescue personnel are checking the campers and vehicles at the park.

A flood warning continued this morning for the Root River near Houston and affecting Houston County and the south branch of the Root River at Lanesboro affecting Fillmore and Houston County, the National Weather Service said.

Some residents of Houston County, in southeastern Minnesota, were "strongly encouraged" to evacuate to higher ground Sunday night because of flooding and mudslides after heavy weekend rains.

Houston County Emergency Manager Kurt Kuhlers said a voluntary evacuation was under way for some parts of the county. Authorities reported no injuries as of late Sunday.

The river is expected to rise above flood stage this afternoon and crest by around midnight, the weather service said.

The flood warning will remain in effect until flood waters drop below flood stage.

Meanwhile, communities in northern Iowa also were encountering record flooding, particularly along the Upper Iowa River, just south of Houston County.

"They're so high we're unable to get gauge readings," said meteorologist Todd Shea with the National Weather Service in La Crosse, Wis. "They've gone off the scale."

The Houston County Emergency Management Department sent out a civil emergency message containing the evacuation advisory. The weather service continued its flood warning this morning.

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The Houston County Sheriff's Department said Sunday evening that the area had received rain for about 24 hours and expected 10 to 12 more hours of rain into this morning. Several areas were flooded, and many roads were washed out and closed, a dispatcher said.

Mudslides were reported along Hwy. 26 south of Brownsville and on roads south of Spring Grove.

Root River flood warning

Southwestern portions of Houston County had received an unofficial total of 10.1 inches of rain over the weekend, pushing Root River tributaries well beyond flood stage but not yet to unprecedented levels, Shea said.

"Last August we saw pretty historic flash flooding across southeast Minnesota into southern Wisconsin," Shea said. "I don't know if this is an exact duplicate, but it's kind of in a similar nature."

Houston was one of seven southeastern Minnesota counties declared federal disaster areas after flash floods in August. Seven people died in the flooding, which also destroyed or heavily damaged 1,500 homes.

The trouble this time, however, is not flash floods but rather unusually swollen rivers, Shea said.

Kuhlers said temporary shelters were set up at the city auditorium in Caledonia and at the community center in Brownsville. As of Sunday evening, 55 people had gone to the Caledonia auditorium and six people had reported to the center in Brownsville.

John Allen, a Red Cross official, said that most of the evacuees were campers and that many people found rides to area houses.

A flash-flood watch for southeastern Minnesota, northeastern Iowa and west-central Wisconsin was expected to remain in effect until midnight Sunday.

Gov. Tim Pawlenty planned to tour the flooded area in Houston County today with Sheriff Doug Ely, as well as view last week's storm damage in Hubbard County.

Hurricane Arthur relents slightly but is still a threat

Tropical Storm Arthur weakened to a tropical depression Saturday after soaking the Yucatan Peninsula, but still threatened to cause dangerous flooding and mudslides in Mexico, Belize and Guatemala.

The National Hurricane Center in Miami reported that the governments of Belize and Mexico discontinued all warnings related to Arthur, the first named storm of the 2008 Atlantic Hurricane Season.

At about 11 a.m. EDT (1500 GMT), the center of the storm was located inland about 125 miles (200 kilometers) south of Campeche, Mexico. It had maximum sustained winds near 35 mph (56 kph) and was moving west-southwest at about 8 mph (13 kph).

Forecasters predicted it would remain inland over Mexico and stay well away from the U.S. Gulf Coast.

The hurricane center said Arthur could rain as much as 5 to 10 inches (125 to 250 millimeters) across portions of Belize, Guatemala and southeastern Mexico, with isolated amounts up to 15 inches (380 millimeters) possible. It warned of potential life-threatening floods and mudslides.

Arthur formed Saturday afternoon — one day before the official start of the season June 1 — and quickly made landfall at the Belize-Mexico border before heading west.

It dumped rain as far south as Belize City and kicked up strong surf on the popular tourist island of Ambergis Caye, ruining some travelers' vacations.

"I just came to lay in the sun and get a nice tan, but so far there hasn't been any sunshine," said Debbie Fountaineau, a police officer from Lake Charles, Louisiana, who arrived on the island Thursday.

Tornado's Explode over Northern Nebraska

Tornadoes exploded over central Nebraska late Thursday afternoon, causing extensive damage in Kearney.

The storms destroyed the sprawling Expo Building at the Buffalo County Fairgrounds, home of rodeos and demolition derbies. Copeland Hall at the University of Nebraska at Kearney lost its roof.

At least 50 to 60 houses were reported damaged and more reports were pouring in.


There were no immediate reports of serious injuries, authorities said.

Much of Kearney, with a population of nearly 30,000, was without electricity. More than 1,400 customers in Aurora and York also were in the dark. Interstate 80 between Aurora and York was closed Thursday evening due to downed power lines.

Several cars from a Union Pacific train derailed.

Gov. Dave Heineman declared a state of emergency. He plans to visit Kearney in a National Guard helicopter this morning.

Later storms also hit western Iowa, where a Monona County sheriff's deputy spotted a tornado that touched down briefly about a mile east of Turin, Iowa, about 7:15 p.m.

Dave Roseberry, manager of the Kearney fairgrounds, said the Expo Building was destroyed.

"It's completely gone," he said.

Adam Eickman and fiancee Stacy Ostdiek, both 25, said they watched from the basement of a neighbor's residence as the tornado flattened their small apartment building.

"I'll never forget that sound, you could hear it doing all kinds of damage," Eickman said. "It was scary and I'm still shaken. Everything is a blur right now."

Ostdiek said debris swirled everywhere.

"We heard the windows shattering in the basement apartment and that's when we knew it wasn't going to be good," he said.

Kelly Barnes watched from his basement apartment as a car parked next to his spun around and landed on his Buick.

"The wind hit suddenly and then it was all over," he said. "It only lasted eight to 10 seconds, but that's all it took to destroy everything. Everything just turned black. Sand and dirt were flying everywhere. It was very eerie."

Carroll Sheldon, who lives on a hill in northeast Kearney, watched from the deck on his house as the storm gathered about 15 miles southwest of town. He saw four or five funnel clouds form.

The funnels "formed and formed, and then they sort of blended together when they came toward town. Then the wind and rain hit and you couldn't see anything," Sheldon said.

He estimated winds at 100 mph.

Several semi-trailer trucks overturned on I-80.

Mark Becker, a Nebraska Public Power District spokesman, said a power line wrapped around a toppled semi. Officials told the driver to stay inside the truck until the line could be de-energized.

Darren Lewis, the emergency management director for Buffalo County, said the northeast area of Kearney appeared to sustain the most damage. The UNK campus is in west Kearney.

Laura Larsen, 22, who recently graduated from UNK and lives nearby, said the roof was missing from a building in the Stratford apartments in the northeast part of town. The clubhouse roof collapsed, and cars were piled on one another in the parking lot.

At the fairgrounds, Roseberry and co-worker Marc Zelzany were inside the Expo Building when the storm demolished it. Neither man was hurt.

Wind took Roseberry's pickup and threw it into the building. "A corner of the building is laying on the truck now," he said.

Tornado researchers expect the 2008 tornado season to join 1998, 1974 and 1953 as among the busiest and deadliest years the country has seen.

The number of tornadoes so far in 2008 - 1,191 - is nearly double what it was for the same period in 2007, said Harold Brooks, a researcher with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's National Severe Storms Laboratory in Norman, Okla.

At this time in 2007, 659 tornadoes had been reported. In the past 10 years, the average number of tornadoes has been 1,254.

Tornadoes in 2008 also have proved to be deadlier than those in previous years - 111 people already had died this year from U.S. tornadoes as of Sunday. By the end of May 2007, 74 people had been killed by U.S. tornadoes.

7 People Die in Iowa Tornado centered around HUGO and PARKERSBURG

Seven people died in tornadoes that blew through the Midwestern United States on Sunday, with six reported dead in Iowa and a toddler in Minnesota, authorities said Monday.

Authorities in Iowa had reported that seven people died in Sunday's storm but lowered that total to six on Monday, said Bret Voorhees, a spokesman for the Iowa Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management.

A tornado touched down at about 6 p.m. Sunday in the north-central Iowa town of Parkersburg before moving 10 miles east to New Hartford, Voorhees said.

Spotters also reported a tornado near Dunkerton -- about 40 miles east of Parkersburg -- that they said caused considerable damage and flung debris as the storm moved at 23 mph. Marble-size hail fell in Waterloo, where authorities reported significant damage to homes, trees and power lines.

"Early reports indicate that these communities have suffered severe and widespread damage, and I plan to visit the region very soon to offer my support to those affected," Iowa Gov. Chet Culver said in a statement. He declared disaster areas in three counties.

Meanwhile, a Minnesota twister killed a 2-year-old and seriously injured nine others -- including another child -- in suburban Minneapolis-St. Paul.

The tornado struck Hugo, about 25 miles north of the Twin Cities, destroying 50 homes and damaging another 150, city manager Mike Ericson said.

The National Weather Service confirmed the tornado in Hugo that touched down just after 5:30 p.m. Sunday, and authorities reported twisters in nearby Coon Rapids and Blaine.

Video footage from the scene showed chairs, televisions, shingles and other debris tossed into the streets of Hugo. Nickel-size hail and larger pelted the suburb.
Sgt. Rick Boone of the Coon Rapids Police Department said a twister cut through the middle of town, downing trees and causing minor damage to several homes. No fatalities or injuries were immediately reported.

Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty planned to meet with local authorities Monday afternoon and tour the affected areas. Also Sunday, authorities in Moore County, Texas, reported sightings of three twisters.

On Saturday, tornadoes formed over northern Oklahoma, skipping across the rural landscape and severely damaging a hog farm about an hour northwest of Oklahoma City. There were no reports of injuries, officials said. However, two people were found dead Saturday in south-central Kansas in a car accident that authorities said a tornado caused.

As a storm roared over his head, shaking his house and sending the family belongings flying all over the place, all Jason Akins could do was put his arms over his wife, two sons and two neighbor kids and hope for the best.

"I was worried something was going to fall on us," said Akins, a Hugo resident who went from a carefree Sunday barbecue to holding on for dear life in his basement in a matter of seconds.

Akins' house was severely damaged when severe thunderstorms packing large hail and a possible tornado swept through the small St. Paul suburb, killing at least one person and destroying dozens more homes during a devastating tear through the north metro area.

A 2-year-old child was killed and the child's sibling was critically injured and taken to Regions Hospital in St. Paul, Washington County Sheriff Bill Hutton said. The children's parents also were hospitalized with injuries sustained in the family home.

At least eight others were injured and taken to area hospitals and some community residents who were out of town for the long holiday weekend will be coming home to a disaster zone.

Town officials said they were confident that Hugo will be declared a disaster zone after Gov. Tim Pawlenty surveys the damage Monday. City Administrator Mike Ericson said municipal department heads planned to meet Monday morning to make cleanup plans, and an emergency City Council meeting was scheduled.

The two-storm system started in the northwest corner of the metro area, pelting Monticello, Albertville and Maple Lake with baseball-sized hail that shattered windows and car windshields. Rolling one right after the other, the first storm front carried a tornado through Coon Rapids that sent trees toppling into houses and power lines crashing to the ground. The second storm dumped more heavy hail and drenching rain on the landscape just minutes behind the first.

The Hugo area appeared to be the hardest hit, with homes wiped out and debris scattered throughout neighborhood. Residents reported a tornado in the area, but the National Weather Service was waiting on damage reports before confirming that.

"It certainly looks awfully likely," meteorologist Todd Krause said.

Twenty more residents were initially listed as missing, but most of them were out of town at the time of the storms. When Akins, his wife Georgia and the four children emerged from the basement of his home, they saw a neighbor's house completely leveled and the washing machine in the Akins' front yard.

The top level of Hugo Public Works Director Chris Petree's home was completely ripped off and the storm lifted his house off the foundation and slammed it back to the ground as the family huddled in the basement.

"All you hear is glass breaking and wood tearing and breaking in half," Petree said. "I put my daughter down first, my wife on top of her and then I bear-hugged on top of them."

Through it all, Petree's wife kept screaming for the family dog to join them, but it would not follow. Once the storms passed, the family returned to ground level and were joined by one happy pooch about 15 minutes later.

Hugo Mayor Fran Miron estimated about 50 homes were destroyed. Another 300 to 400 homes were evacuated because of safety concerns created by downed power lines and leaky gas lines. The American Red Cross set up a shelter for displaced families at a local elementary school, but most were able to find friends and family to stay with, spokeswoman Courtney Johnson said.

"It's horrible," Hugo City Administrator Mike Ericson said. "The citizens are very shook and scared."

Emergency crews descended on the scene to help the injured and assess the damage. Sen. Norm Coleman planned to visit the area Monday morning and Gov. Tim Pawlenty was scheduled to assess the damage on Monday afternoon.

Power has been restored to most of those who lost it during Sunday's severe storms.

Xcel Energy spokeswoman Patti Nystuen says fewer than 700 customers are without power in the east Twin Cities area, including the hardest hit city of Hugo.

And fewer than 80 customers remain without electricity in the west metro area.

Nystuen says about 20,000 lost power Sunday during the worst of it.

Crews are expected to restore power on Monday to the remaining customers affected by the storms.

Temperatures reached into the 80s during the day and mixed with cooler temperatures higher up in the air to create "an unstable atmosphere," Krause said. Forecasts called for cooler temperatures and calmer weather on Monday as the cleanup effort gets under way.

About 100 people have died in U.S. twisters so far this year, the worst toll in a decade, according to the weather service, and the danger has not passed yet. Tornado season typically peaks in the spring and early summer, then again in the late fall.

The Red Cross is accepting financial donations to help the victims of the Hugo tornado and other local disasters. Anyone who is interested can call 612-460-3700.

The city of Hugo is also looking for people to assist with the clean-up effort. If you're interested in volunteering call the Hugo City Hall at 651-761-6300.

Tornadoes tear through northern Oklahoma

Supercell storms plowed across northern Oklahoma state Saturday spawning several tornadoes that crushed structures and sent debris flying miles away, US media reported.

The National Weather Service (NWS) warned that the storms would drop "a few tornadoes near an outflow boundary where wind shear is very favorable for rotation. Other scattered severe storms are possible farther southward through Oklahoma this afternoon and evening."

Local television KWTV filmed the large tornadoes, near the towns of Hennessey and Bison, around 2000 GMT, perched close to the system in a helicopter as tornado funnel clouds -- black shadows against a grey-sky backdrop -- churned up ground below, sending rocks, splinters of wood and other debris skyward.

There were no immediate reports of injuries or fatalities.

A NWS spokesman in Norman, Oklahoma told AFP the "well-developed" tornadoes hit Kingfisher and Garfield counties.

Emergency officials are assessing damage after a slow-moving storm system dropped several tornadoes today in northwestern Oklahoma.

A tornado warning remains in effect in Garfield County at the center of a tornado watch area in north-central Oklahoma.

Television footage showed a twister causing damage to barns in a rural area of Kingfisher County, and several tornadoes touching down in the area near Hennessey and Bison.

A spokeswoman for the Oklahoma Emergency Management Department says officials are still working in the areas affected by the tornadoes and it's too early to report any damage or injuries.

Fifteen counties are included in the tornado watch area that stretches from the Kansas border to the Oklahoma City metropolitan area.

It is not set to expire until 7 p.m. Central time.

Global Climate Change, sparking a change in the USDA Garden Map

Every gardener is familiar with the multicolor U.S. map of climate zones on the back of seed packets. It's the Department of Agriculture's indicator of whether a flower, bush or tree will survive the winters in a given region.

It's also 18 years old. A growing number of meteorologists and horticulturists say that because of the warming climate, the 1990 map doesn't reflect a trend that home gardeners have noticed for more than a decade: a gradual shift northward of growing zones for many plants.

The map doesn't show, for example, that the southern magnolia, once limited largely to growing zones from Florida to Virginia, now can thrive as far north as Pennsylvania. Or that kiwis, long hardy only as far north as Oklahoma, now might give fruit in St. Louis.

Such shifts have put the USDA's map at the center of a new chapter in the debate over how government should respond to climate changes that were described in a report last year by a United Nations-backed panel of scientists. The panel said there was "unequivocal" evidence of global warming fueled by carbon dioxide emissions, which have created an excess of the greenhouse gases that help keep the Earth warm.

Climate change is boosting interest in energy-saving hybrid cars and compact fluorescent light bulbs — and reshaping how people garden. Across the agricultural industry, the subject is driving a dispute over climate maps that involves economics, politics and meteorological standards.

At nurseries across the nation, it has become common knowledge that the government's climate map is out of date. And yet the nursery industry, which had $16.9 billion in wholesale sales in 2006, has joined the USDA in taking a conservative approach to changing the map.

So what does this mean to Rochester? Should the region be placed in a different zone? Can we now grow plants seen in states south of us?

Well, the answer is yes and no, according to local horticulturalists and landscapers. They say gardeners should definitely still count on Memorial Day as a plant date even if the weather seems warmer earlier.

Generally, the lower the zone number, the colder the region. The Rochester region is generally zone 5. Because of the effects of Lake Ontario, however, there have always been wide swings in the region, with some properties near the lake in zone 6, or even zone 7, while the higher elevations south of Rochester dip into zone 4, says Walter Nelson, horticulture program leader for Cornell Cooperative Extension in Monroe and Ontario counties.

Nelson says the changes, even locally, are being widely debated.

"The sum game: Area gardeners are growing plants they might not have been able to grow in years past, (but) if we get a cold snap at the wrong time, that (will be) a reality check," Nelson says.

Bruce Zaretsky, a landscape designer and president of Zaretsky and Associates in Penfield, agrees that some people have grown plants that couldn't be grown in Rochester a few decades ago. For example, a Webster client grew a camellia, which Zaretsky hadn't seen north of Long Island.

However, what is happening is that borderline zone 5 plants such as rhodys, hydrangeas and dogwoods are blooming longer and are flowering better because the area isn't seeing as many low-temperature mornings that would freeze the buds off, he says.

"It seems to me that our winter climate has mellowed in the 22 years I've been up here," he says, allowing people to experiment with more flowers. They just have to take care to protect the plants if the weather changes.

Christine Froehlich, executive director of the Rochester Civic Garden Center and a resident of Sodus Point, Wayne County, is a relative newcomer to the area, having moved here five years ago. What she sees as a bigger issue than temperature is the unpredictability of weather systems.

"It does seem to me that it's gotten a bit warmer," she says. "But it seems like we have more variability than we used to have. As a gardener, you definitely can't count on things the way we used to. It seems we have more severe weather changes — severe drought, severe rain."

Whether Rochester is zone 5 or zone 6 might not matter much to the average gardener who might like to experiment with different plants anyway.

But it's a key issue for commercial growers, worried that their losses won't be sufficiently covered by the Federal Crop Insurance Corp.'s Nursery Crop Insurance Program, which covers them for losses caused by weather-related events such as flooding. If growing zones move north because it's warmer, there's still a possibility of cold snaps, and it's unclear exactly how nursery insurance programs would deal with that risk.

And analysts say many in the nursery industry nationwide are worried that adjusting the climate maps would encourage customers in cooler areas to buy tender, warm-weather plants that would be unlikely to survive a cold snap. That could cost them money because many businesses offer money-back guarantees on plants.

The nation's climate zone map designates 11 major belts for growing plants, from the relative cold of zone 1 — which includes Fairbanks, Alaska — to mid-range temperatures of zone 6 (which includes parts of Missouri, Tennessee and southern Pennsylvania) to the heat of zones 10 and 11, which include Hawaii and southern Florida.

Changing boundaries for various zones to reflect recent warming could "have a significant impact on certain growers of certain plant species," says Dave Hall of National Crop Insurance Services, an organization that represents crop insurance companies.

Economic factors shouldn't be placed above the science of climate change, says meteorologist Mark Kramer, who lives in Westchester County, who worked on the 1990 USDA map that remains in effect, as well as a proposed update in 2003 that showed a warming trend. The USDA rejected the 2003 map.

"If nature changes, industry should change with it," Kramer says. "If the weather changes, we shouldn't operate with zones and systems that aren't appropriate."

USDA officials reject suggestions that the agency's resistance to changing the 1990 map reflects a reluctance to acknowledge the potential impact of climate change.

The agency's delay in releasing an updated map has led another group to release its own climate map. In 2006, the Arbor Day Foundation put out a map based on data from 1991 to 2005 that shows a significant northward movement of warm zones for plants and crops.

"Everyone's entitled to their opinion," says Woodrow Nelson of the Arbor Day Foundation of the USDA map. But he says his group, which provides low-cost trees, was seeing trends that it wanted reflected in a map for growers.

"Flowering dogwoods and southern magnolias and even crape myrtles that are so popular in the South are now having great success all the way up into Pennsylvania and even up into Michigan," Nelson says. "Douglas firs and Colorado blue spruce, which were historically mountain trees, are becoming a very popular landscape tree in the Midwest. With the millions of trees that we're putting into the hands of people across the country, the most recent data available is important. Data from 30, 40 years ago is really kind of irrelevant in the life of a young tree."

More than a Dozen Tornado's hit Kansas and Oklahoma

Forecasters said Saturday that at least a dozen tornadoes spun across western and central Kansas a day earlier, destroying numerous homes, downing trees and injuring several people.

The National Weather Service in Dodge City said there were at least 10 twisters that touched down in central Kansas, while the Goodland office reported seven or eight in the western part of the state.

At least four people were hurt in Stafford County, including one person who was taken to a Wichita hospital with serious injuries, said Sharon Watson, spokeswoman for the Kansas Adjutant General's Department.

Meanwhile in Colorado, where a large tornado devastated the northern farm town of Windsor, residents were expected to return to their homes in an area of town that officials had earlier deemed unsafe following Thursday's twister.

Natural gas leaks and the threat of explosions had kept hundreds of residents from their homes on Friday.

Officials were meeting with residents to plan their return, incident management team spokesman Dan Hatlestad said. "With no power, it may be an unpleasant place to live, but it's up to the homeowners," Hatlestad said.

The tornado, with wind speeds between 111 mph to 165 mph, tore through a 35-mile stretch of northern Colorado, killing one person and injuring dozens. It tipped 15 rail cars off the tracks in Windsor, about 70 miles north of Denver.

In Kansas, the weather service sent out survey teams Saturday morning to determine the size of the twisters. Ed Berry, science operations officer in the Dodge City office, said many of the twisters appear to be significant in size.

In Stafford County, at least seven homes suffered major damage, along with damage to several other structures, power lines and trees, Watson said Saturday.

A man in Gove County suffered minor injuries after his car was blown across Interstate 70 into a ditch, according to George Lies, emergency management director for Logan and Gove Counties.

Lies said two tornadoes hit in Gove County, with at least a dozen homes sustaining major damage.

One twister was on the ground south of Quinter, went back into the clouds as it went over the town, then dropped back down on the other side, damaging four rural houses.

Portions of Kansas also have been hit hard by flooding, with as much as 8 inches of rain falling in a 48-hour period, according to Chris Foltz, meteorologist for the National Weather Service in Goodland.

Tornado's and May Flash Floodings in Southern California

Sierra Madre police and fire officials are clearing debris from mudslides today on the heels of a wild spring thunderstorm that wreaked havoc across Southern California on Thursday.

Minor mudslides repeatedly shut down parts of two streets in the area of Sierra Madre known as the Canyon, along Little Santa Anita Canyon on Skyland Drive and Woodland Drive, said James Carlson, a city spokesman. No homes have been damaged and no injuries reported, he said.
"Thursday evening we had our first mudflow and started voluntary evacuations -- and after the rain subsided, we ended cleanup efforts at 1 a.m. today," Carlson said. "But then we got new reports before 7 a.m. again that new flows had occurred at the same two locations. So we decided to open an emergency operations center, ask for voluntary evacuations and close the roads."

Voluntary evacuations are still in effect this afternoon on Skyland and on Woodland north of Mary's Market and non-resident traffic is not allowed in the area, Carlson said. The evacuation center is Sierra Vista Park, 611 E. Sierra Madre Blvd., and sandbags are being provided to residents.

Sierra Madre's City Council held an impromptu meeting at 1 p.m. today, voting to declare the mudslide area in a "state of local emergency," Carlson said.

"What it does is allows us to get aid for manpower and equipment from surrounding areas, and may allow us to receive reimbursement for the costs from the state and federal government," he said.

Plows were brought in to clear the muck, mostly on Woodland, but there is no immediate danger to the homes, he said, adding, "We're still keeping an eye on the situation."

The weather conditions were very different from those nearly a month ago, when about 1,000 residents were evacuated from 200 homes in the upper part of Sierra Madre during a wildfire as Southern California broiled in record-breaking heat. The Sierra Madre fire ended up scorching more than 580 acres over a week and primed the area for mudslides.

While rain will be widespread throughout the region today, it is not expected be as severe as Thursday's wet weather, the National Weather Service reported. Still, authorities are watching out for flooding and mudslides.

Rain was heaviest in the San Gabriel Mountains in the Sierra Madre area -- about half an inch on Thursday alone, the highest total in the region.

Los Angeles County has a 20% chance of thunderstorms for most of the day, said National Weather Service specialist Stuart Seto. In Orange County, there is a 30% chance of daytime showers, rising to 40% tonight and Saturday during the day, falling back to 30% Saturday night.

"The low pressure in Nevada is now moving into Southern California, so that means more showers would spread westward -- toward Ventura and Santa Barbara counties," Seto said. "For us, we will see more activity today but we don't know how severe. There'll be more showers over a larger area, though."

Seto said temperatures along the coast and inland would be in the mid-60s to low-70s, and the region would remain blanketed by clouds with a 20% chance of showers through Saturday evening.

A snow advisory is in effect for Southland mountains, except the Santa Monica range, until after 8 p.m. tonight in areas above 5,500 feet, the National Weather Service said. The service also issued a flash flood warning for the Antelope Valley until 7 tonight. That area could get an additional one to two inches of rain.

As of this afternoon, there are no major road or freeway closures related to the weather in the Los Angeles region, said California Highway Patrol spokesman David Porter. In Arcadia, the Baldwin Avenue onramp to the westbound 210 Freeway was closed after it flooded this morning. CalTrans is working to remove the water and has partially opened the ramp, Porter said.

Los Angeles County health officials are cautioning beachgoers about ocean water quality around storm drains, creeks and rivers.

Bacteria, debris and trash are likely to be carried by these outlets, said Dr. Jonathan Fielding of the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health.

"Fortunately, discharging storm drains, creeks and rivers only comprises a small portion of the beach, and therefore, anybody who wants to go to the beach this Memorial Day weekend will be able to enjoy their outing," he said.

Areas of the beach away from storm drains, creeks and rivers are exempt from the advisory, which will be in effect until 7 a.m. Sunday.

The storm system's most severe damage Thursday was reported in Riverside County, where dark, towering funnel clouds spun across communities east and west of the 215 Freeway corridor.

Shortly before 5 p.m. Thursday, one of two funnel clouds tossed a line of 30-ton rail cars off their tracks and overturned a tractor-trailer truck, blocking the northbound lanes of the 215 Freeway.

Rush-hour traffic backed up for at least eight miles, according to the Highway Patrol. The truck driver was pulled from the wreckage and taken to a hospital with minor to moderate injuries.

The tornado then headed toward Perris, where it caused power outages and minor damage before dissipating.

"I drove through it and have never seen weather like this," said Sgt. Dennis Gutierrez, spokesman for the Riverside County Sheriff's Department.

Hail turned neighborhoods white in Baldwin Park and Irwindale, drawing crowds of children into the streets to play with the ice. Snow dusted higher elevations and lightning strikes were reported in Mira Loma and other inland areas as the storm drifted south and west.

Flooding and rockslides closed sections of Interstate 10 in central Los Angeles County and the 60 Freeway east of Riverside.

With the possibility of even more thunderstorms today, motorists were being cautioned to avoid entering flooded intersections where their vehicles could become trapped.

In Irwindale in the San Gabriel Valley, police Thursday had to rescue motorists stranded in three feet of flood water, said police Sgt. George Zendejas. Five vehicles had to be towed out of the intersection of Irwindale Avenue and East Adelante Street.

In Orange County, walls of water, mud and debris -- some 8 feet high -- battered eastern canyons that had burned in last year's wildfires, leaving behind a muddy mess but little damage and no injuries.

The county's eastern canyons saw an inch and a half of rain in a half-hour period, authorities said.

Officials closed the roads to mud-swept Modjeska, Silverado and Williams canyons and worked to rescue residents stranded in two homes near the back of Williams Canyon. They were not hurt and were waiting for roads to clear so they could leave, said Mike Blawn, a spokesman for the Orange County Fire Authority.

Authorities dispatched bulldozers and other heavy equipment to clear the roadways and stand by in the event of more heavy rains. By late Thursday afternoon, canyon residents started to clear mud, dead trees and hundreds of rocks the size of basketballs from their properties.

Two canyon residents barely escaped the avalanche of boulders, mud and tree trunks that went roaring at them in Modjeska Canyon.

"It was out of control," said Tim Adams, 56, a resident of nearby Silverado Canyon who went to help his brother-in-law, Bill LaBar. "It was like big chunks of chocolate ice cream melting, with trees and rocks flowing through it."

Adams and LaBar got into four-wheel drive vehicles and sped away, going around and over boulders and downed trees.

"I have always said when it got bad, I would get out," said LaBar, who usually ignored mandatory evacuation orders. "It's the baddest I've ever seen it."

Global Climate Change increasing number of Tornado's

Not two weeks since tornadoes killed at least 23, and flattened parts of Missouri, Oklahoma, Georgia, North Carolina and Mississippi, a big twister killed one person in northern Colorado, the AP reports. Several homes were destroyed, trucks and tractor trailers flipped, and other damage reported.

A rare pair of tornadoes in Southern California also derailed a freight train and caused other damage, according to the Los Angeles Times.

And though spring is typically only the start of tornado season, this is just the latest spate of killer tornadoes in the United States this year. Already, the death toll from tornadoes is 101, nearly 63% above the average over the past three years. It's the deadliest on record since 1998, and it's on pace to be the deadliest ever recorded.

The 868 reported tornadoes through May 18 is far ahead of the total typically seen by this time of year. It's typically July by the time this many tornadoes have been recorded in the past, according to the Storm Prediction Center.

The U.S. has already been hit by 68% of the tornadoes expected in an typical year, when compared to the 10-year average. The year is only about one-third through, and we've only just entered the typical tornado season. 2008 has been unusual because the winter produced so many damaging storms.

However, the preliminary count used to make these comparisons is somewhat inflated. Experts expect the final count to be somewhat lower, given that the same storm can be reported several times, and so overcounted.

Still, this could be a harbinger of things to come. Some scientists have warned that global warming will create conditions that make violent tornadoes more frequent.