American Morning
Reporter's Notebook: Weather Warriors
By Rob Marciano, CNN Meteorologist
(CNN) – George Washington’s troops suffered through a brutal winter in 1776, crossing the Delaware for a turning point battle through ice, wind, and snow. That previous summer he used fog to his advantage in Brooklyn and Manhattan. One more reason to love the original GW and the boys in blue! Throughout history weather has played a huge role in warfare. Whether it's a covert operation or a D-Day type invasion, an accurate forecast is critical. During World War II the United States formed a unique fighting force – special ops warriors who are also weather experts. Rambo meets rocket scientist. Love it. Sorry Kid Rock, but in my mind these guys are the real All American Bad A**.
I’d heard about this unit over the years but never read or saw anything about them. That’s the idea. Most of the missions these weathermen perform are those you don’t read about in newspapers. Often classified and always dangerous, their mission is to go into “politically sensitive” or “hostile” areas. That’s where you’ll find the Air Force’s 10th Combat Weather Squadron and their Special Operations Weather Team (SOWT). There are fewer than 100 SOWTs in the Air Force. From World War II to Afghanistan, they’ve had one of the highest deployment ratios in the armed forces. Working with the likes of the Army Rangers, Navy Seals and other special forces, their weather calls and environmental recon are key to a mission's success.
I may be a meteorologist, but that's where our similarities end.
Allen: Well is dead, but much Gulf Coast work remains
(CNN) – The ruptured Macondo well, a mile under the Gulf of Mexico off the Louisiana coast, has been pronounced dead following the worst oil disaster in U.S. history, but that doesn't mean work associated with the spill is complete, the government's point man for the disaster response said Monday.
"It's going to go on as long as it takes to get the marshes and the beaches clean," retired Adm. Thad Allen told CNN's "American Morning. "We have detailed plans that we've negotiated with the states and the parishes in Louisiana to determine, if you will, how clean is clean."
In some areas, such as Louisiana's Barataria Bay, "we're going to stay with this for quite a while," he said. At some point, officials may decide they have done all they can, "but for right now, we're still at it."
Although authorities say testing does not show high levels of oil remaining in the water, some researchers insist the oil has settled to the sea floor and infiltrated the bottom, where it could affect ecosystems. Asked about those reports, Allen said, "I don't think we can know too much about the Gulf of Mexico and the presence of hydrocarbons in the water column."
Social conservatives embrace Tea Partiers
(CNN) – With just over six weeks until the midterm elections, the rise of the Tea Party is raising the prospects of a powerful alliance, the religious right. This was on display this weekend in Washington at the Values Voter Summit. Our Jim Acosta takes a closer look at the convergence of social conservatives and the Tea Party.
Related: Pence wins Values Voter straw poll
Utah firefighters battling blaze
(CNN) – About 1,600 homes are directly in the path of a dangerous blaze, and officials in Herriman, Utah, say they're working ferociously to save them. Unified Fire Authority Chief Michael Jensen joined us on Monday's American Morning to explain how firefighters are actively trying to contain the blaze by creating fire breaks.
Bermuda dries out after Igor's visit; Newfoundland on alert
(CNN) – Bermuda was cleaning up and drying out Monday after taking a beating from Hurricane Igor, although the island appeared to be unscathed as far as serious damage.
Meanwhile, Igor was heading north and losing its tropical characteristics, becoming a northern Atlantic storm, said CNN meteorologist Rob Marciano. It's projected to stay off the U.S. coast, but is forecast to near the tip of Newfoundland, Canada, on Monday. A tropical storm watch was issued ahead of Igor's arrival.
However, Bermuda was not out of the woods yet. As of early Monday, tropical storm conditions were still being experienced on the island, and a tropical storm warning remained in effect.
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Igor continues lashing Bermuda as hurricane moves away
(CNN) – Fierce winds continued to whip across Bermuda Monday morning, even as Hurricane Igor spun away from the island.
As of 1 a.m. ET, Igor's center was about 80 miles (125 kilometers) north-northwest of Bermuda and packed maximum sustained winds of 75 mph (120 kph), according to the National Hurricane Center in Miami, Florida. Igor was moving north-northeast at about 16 mph (26 kph).
Igor is considered a very large hurricane, forecasters said - hurricane-force winds extended outward up to 90 miles (150 kilometers) from the center, and tropical storm-force winds spread outward up to 345 miles (555 kilometers).
The center of Igor reached its closest point to Bermuda - about 40 miles (65 km) west of the island - late Sunday night. FULL STORY
Utah wildfire forces evacuation of more than 1,000 homes
(CNN) – A wildfire apparently sparked by guardsmen practicing with a machine gun has forced the evacuation of more than 1,000 homes in Utah, authorities say.
More than 100 firefighters battled the fire in the Salt Lake County city of Herriman, Utah, late Sunday night, Herriman spokeswoman Nicole Martin said.
The fire broke out at the Utah National Guard base at Camp Williams about 3:30 p.m. Sunday, Capt. Brad Taylor of the Unified Fire Authority in Salt Lake City, Utah, said.
Taylor told CNN affiliate KSTU that no injuries had been reported. FULL STORY
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