Weather Outlook
Posted on 2012-02-02
It looks like we are in for some warm, wet and unstable weather for the next several days. Below are the highlights of today’s conference call with the National Weather Service in Shreveport:
●Unseasonably warm weather will continued into the middle of next week. With plenty of moisture in the air, unstable weather conditions will exist. Daytime highs both today and tomorrow will be around 70 degrees.
●Tomorrow will bring a slight risk of severe weather over the area including heavy rainfall, particularly along the I-30 corridor, as well as a chance of damaging winds and hail. Beginning tonight we should see rain becoming more likely.
●Saturday will see more instability with rain continuing and a chance of hail, damaging winds and an isolated tornado threat as a squall line develops. 1-3 inches of rain is likely before ending Sunday.
●Another front will move into the area by Wednesday bringing a chance of significant rainfall and more unstable weather. Behind that front cooler temperatures will settle in.
●The recent rainfall has improved the drought conditions over the area but we are still well below normal rainfall.
●Unseasonably warm weather will continued into the middle of next week. With plenty of moisture in the air, unstable weather conditions will exist. Daytime highs both today and tomorrow will be around 70 degrees.
●Tomorrow will bring a slight risk of severe weather over the area including heavy rainfall, particularly along the I-30 corridor, as well as a chance of damaging winds and hail. Beginning tonight we should see rain becoming more likely.
●Saturday will see more instability with rain continuing and a chance of hail, damaging winds and an isolated tornado threat as a squall line develops. 1-3 inches of rain is likely before ending Sunday.
●Another front will move into the area by Wednesday bringing a chance of significant rainfall and more unstable weather. Behind that front cooler temperatures will settle in.
●The recent rainfall has improved the drought conditions over the area but we are still well below normal rainfall.
If you would like to receive daily weather briefings/information you can go to the following link and sign up for this free service from the Texarkana Office of Emergency Management: TX List Server
You can also sign up for CodeRed weather warnings which call you immediately if you are in the path of a severe thunderstorm or tornado by clicking on this link: CodeRed
News
2012-02-02
Cantaloupe Listeria Outbreak Still Claiming Victims.
One more victim of the nationwide outbreak of Listeria infection linked to Colorado cantaloupes died this week, bringing the death toll up to 32.
When the epidemic was declared over in December of last year, it was already the deadliest foodborne illness outbreak in the U.S. in nearly 100 years, having killed 30 of the 146 people sickened, and caused a pregnant woman to miscarry. But while the contaminated cantaloupes - distributed by Jensen Farms - had been long off the market by that time, the disease continued to wreak havoc on its victims, claiming two more lives.
On December 18, 10 days after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
(CDC) issued itsfinal outbreak report, 92-year-old Paul Schwarz of Kansas City died after weeks suffering from listeriosis.
Then late this Sunday night, Sharon Jones, 62, of Castle Rock, Colorado died from complications due to stage IV breast cancer and listeriosis.
Listeriosis is especially devastating for individuals with compromised immune systems, making it harder to combat alongside chemotherapy, which weakens the body's defenses.
The CDC may not update its outbreak report to include either of these deaths. If this remains the case, it is likely these deaths will go unreported in the official count.
According to investigators, traces of Listeria could have come into the packing plant via a truck used to ferry culled cantaloupes to a cattle operation. The bacteria then could have flourished in pooled water, and been tracked and spread around the packing shed, contaminating walkways and equipment.
Corroded equipment, previously used to process potatoes, that was difficult to clean may have been another contributing factor. And the farm's cantaloupes, warm after harvest, were not cooled before going into cold storage. Condensation on the rind could have promoted the growth of the dangerous bacteria, according to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) investigation.
The government and produce industry are now conducting research on more effective methods of cantaloupe sterilization and safer growing practices.
One more victim of the nationwide outbreak of Listeria infection linked to Colorado cantaloupes died this week, bringing the death toll up to 32.
When the epidemic was declared over in December of last year, it was already the deadliest foodborne illness outbreak in the U.S. in nearly 100 years, having killed 30 of the 146 people sickened, and caused a pregnant woman to miscarry. But while the contaminated cantaloupes - distributed by Jensen Farms - had been long off the market by that time, the disease continued to wreak havoc on its victims, claiming two more lives.
On December 18, 10 days after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
(CDC) issued itsfinal outbreak report, 92-year-old Paul Schwarz of Kansas City died after weeks suffering from listeriosis.
Then late this Sunday night, Sharon Jones, 62, of Castle Rock, Colorado died from complications due to stage IV breast cancer and listeriosis.
Listeriosis is especially devastating for individuals with compromised immune systems, making it harder to combat alongside chemotherapy, which weakens the body's defenses.
The CDC may not update its outbreak report to include either of these deaths. If this remains the case, it is likely these deaths will go unreported in the official count.
According to investigators, traces of Listeria could have come into the packing plant via a truck used to ferry culled cantaloupes to a cattle operation. The bacteria then could have flourished in pooled water, and been tracked and spread around the packing shed, contaminating walkways and equipment.
Corroded equipment, previously used to process potatoes, that was difficult to clean may have been another contributing factor. And the farm's cantaloupes, warm after harvest, were not cooled before going into cold storage. Condensation on the rind could have promoted the growth of the dangerous bacteria, according to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) investigation.
The government and produce industry are now conducting research on more effective methods of cantaloupe sterilization and safer growing practices.
2012-01-01