13 Minutes  is a successor to Twister.  It has been the subject of much discussion within the meteorological community the last few months.  It is impossible to tell much from the trailer except that I dislike that they have attempted to portray a Gary England-type television meteorologist only they have made him hokey -- which I hate. Another bit of Hollywood stereotyping of the area between Interstates 5 and 95.  The movie will be released to theatres on October 29. I'll be there will my popcorn and Diet Coke. 

Holy hordes descended on downtown Wichita this afternoon as a military procession carried the remains of Medal of Honor winner, and future official saint of the Catholic Church, Father Emil Kapaun to his final resting place. Father Kapaun's procession included full military honors. Father Kapaun's flag-draped coffin was carried into his final resting place which is Wichita's Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception.  Below, Fr. Kapaun's coffin disappears into the Cathedral. The interment ceremony was for Fr. Kapaun's family and fellow prisoners of war (now in their 90's). He will be placed in a tomb inside the Cathedral. Anyone can worship and offer prayers for his intercession with God starting tomorrow. Of course, the Cathedral is open to all. If you didn't get to watch the funeral, it can be viewed here . It begins with the only known recording of his voice and a commemorative history of his life. Another outstanding story is here .  But, if you do nothing ...

Pope Francis : Saints are witnesses whom we venerate and who in thousands of different ways bring us to Jesus Christ, the only Lord and Mediator between God and humanity. They remind us that holiness can blossom even in our lives, however weak and marked by sin. Father Emil Kapaun showing the pipe that had been shot out of his mouth during combat in Korea Today is the funeral of Chaplain Father Emil Kapaun. It will be broadcast live on ETWN at 11:30am Eastern (10:30am Central), on PBS for western Kansas (unfortunately, not Wichita), and on the Diocese of Wichita's YouTube Page . Fr. Kapaun is the most decorated chaplain in the history of the United States' military services; including the Medal of Honor, which is our nation's highest military award. Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception The funeral Mass will be celebrated at Wichita's Hartman Arena because five thousand people are expected. Father will then be carried by military caission from Veteran's Memorial P...

One of the best things about living in the Great Plains is the ability to see weather hundreds of miles away. To the right of the building is the top of a thunderstorm 252 miles away from my home.  The radar is below. We'll be seeing clouds starting tomorrow as much needed rain moves into the region. 

Amazon is selling Warnings: The True Story of How Science Tamed the Weather for just $16.31. If you are thinking of purchasing a copy for yourself or as a gift, now would be a great time. Click here .

Above is the five day rainfall amount forecast which corresponds to the central and southern Great Plains. The rain is badly needed for the 2022 winter wheat crop.  Below is the Palmer Drought Index which reveals increasing drought in the central and northern Great Plains. 

We do many things in addition to this blog.  Books Warnings: The True Story of How Science Tamed the Weather is an upbeat, true story of how scientists have tamed hurricanes and tornadoes and have conquered downbursts -- once the leading cause of airline accidents that killed hundreds at a time. It is available in hardcover or Kindle/Nook. Warnings  enjoys outstanding reviews and ratings (above) from readers.  When the Sirens Were Silent  is a short book (60 pages) that tells the story of what went so terribly wrong with the warnings for the Joplin Tornado of 2011. The highlights of 97 ratings are below: Sirens also has detailed tornado safety rules for home, school and office.  For all who have asked, yes, there is a third book in the offing. The manuscript is finished but, so far, I have not found an agent who wishes to represent it.  And, yes, I do writing assignments for major publications such as the Washington Post , Slate , New York Times , Wichita ...

Amen! Perhaps it is a blessing in disguise that our ruling class is not very bright . 

This is a day I never thought would occur: Medal of Honor recipient and (almost certainly) future saint of the Catholic Church, Chaplain Father Emil Kapaun is back home in Kansas. He arrived at Wichita's Eisenhower National Airport about 12:25pm.  There will be a number of Catholic Masses celebrated as well as other prayer services before his interment. Father Kapaun's tomb being prepared Fr. Kapaun will be laid to rest in Wichita's Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception.  If you are not familiar with the story of Father Kapaun, he was an Army chaplain during the Korean War. His platoon was the first to be overrun. He stayed behind to minister to his men and performed amazing acts of heroism as a prisoner of war. He was tortured and died in Korea and, it was believed, buried in a mass grave. I believe the discovery and identification of his remains was nothing less than a miracle. My three children attended Kapaun High School in Wichita and they have published a succinct s...

The dry soil has been far less than ideal for planting the 2022 winter wheat crop. The good news is that rain is on the way. Here is the National Weather Service's 7-day rainfall forecast ending at 6pm, Friday, October 2. After the above forecast was published, the rainfall amount forecast from the ECMWF model, the world's most accurate, became available. Here is the ten-day rainfall amount forecast for the winter wheat belt.  Kansas and Nebraska  Texas and Oklahoma  Things are looking up.

Bill Gates has never been one of my favorite people, but I find this interview to be quite revealing. Watch his body language.  Keep in mind that Gates has never denied he flew on Jeffery Epstein's Lolita Express.   That story is here . Gates has taken credit for polio immunization work primarily done by Rotary International as well as other things I find to be, at best, distasteful.  I bring this up solely for one reason: Given his forays into public health, is t his a person you wish to trust?   The MSM has generally been "hands off" Gates' issues. I give Judy Woodruff credit for this interview. 

“At some point we’re all going to look back and say; why were we such idiots”?                                        – Alexander Pohl Headwind”21 asks questions about wind energy... Ultimately it rubs truth deep into the wounds of the wind industry.  It debuts today. I haven't seen it and am looking forward to it. More and more people are waking up to the scam that is wind energy./  Please click here for more information.

We are utter fools if we continue to deploy wind energy while decommissioning perfectly good nuclear plants. Fools. We already have too much wind energy (ask people who live in Texas).  There are many good reasons to decarbonize electricity production. That can best be accomplished with hydro and nuclear. Wind and solar not necessary. More here . The people who benefit from our current policies (shutting down U.S. energy independence) are Russia, Iran and China. Climate Night - Utter Hypocrisy It seems even politicians and celebrities -- including those that vociferously impose wind and solar o the rest of us -- at least in their personal lives, get it, including almost all of those who participated in tonight's " Climate Night ." So, let's go in search of solar: Jimmy Fallon's home. Any solar on the roof? Ding...ding...ding. Jimmy Kimmel has solar. Look at left side of the roof. Obama's new Martha's Vineyard Home. See any solar panels? "Climate Czar...

There are three rules on which I want you to focus after reading this piece about railroad safety: 1. Never play, work, or photograph on railroad tracks! Period. No exceptions! Hollywood film crew, even though they were denied permission by CSX Railroad, was hit by a train while shooting on a bridge. Even though they had a  lookout, one died and one was seriously injured. In a terrible irony, a person in California was killed on tracks this morning .  2. If a car or truck is stuck on tracks, call the railroad first,  then   call 9-1-1. Every public railroad crossing in the United States has unique identifying information to quickly get trains stopped. Here's how to find it:  If there are flashing lights or other mechanical warning devices, the information will be on the electronics hut along with an (800) phone number. Call that and read off the information on the box. Then, call 9-1-1. If it is a rural crossbuck: I apologize for not having a rural cr...

Before I go further, I am a supporter of vaccines, including the COVID vaccines. I have been vaccinated three times against the disease. (More advice at the end of this piece.) That said, day by day, something increasingly seems wrong with the COVID vaccines. Notice the emphasis on the word, "seems." I am not a physician and I don't know how seriously to take the information below. But, I do have a number of questions.  Monday, Sept 27 Tuesday, Sept 28 I personally know two nurses who refuse the get vaccinated. Why are health care workers -- the very people who should want the vaccine most -- refusing the jab? Late Monday morning [Sept 20], I had to go to a local emergency room due to a reaction to a new medicine. The place was packed. I had an exceptionally long wait. While chatting with the ER physician who treated me, he told me that he was "in the process of admitting six COVID patients who are really sick. And, they are all fully vaccinated." What?? Dr. Fau...

Carfax says to be careful. Two hundred thousand cars were flooded. These cars will soon show up on used car lots and may have hidden damage. 

I saw this tweet yesterday evening, followed up, and found it was true.  The story is  here . You will have to have a vaccine passport to get into the Vatican. So, we are clear, I want you to be vaccinated unless your physician advises you otherwise. Please, get the vaccine!   Back to the religion aspect of the Pope's actions: The  Gospels say Jesus acted differently . What makes Pope Francis' requirement of vaccine passports especially galling is because  he has been a frequent critic of U.S. immigration policy under President Trump .  “I say it publicly. I have even said that those that build walls end up being prisoners of the walls they build.” So, the Pope believes it is okay for the Vatican to restrict the people coming into that country but it is not okay for the U.S. to do so. Leprosy, like COVID-Delta, is highly contagious which is why, in Roman times, they were forced to live away from others. Gospel historians say Jesus set an unusual example by...

All of These Stories Are Post-Hurricane Ida "Never let a crisis go to waste." It has been both predictable and amusing watching Big Climate's propaganda machine at work since Hurricane Ida. Climate propagandist plus serial lawsuit filer (and loser) Michael Mann (above) is proposing that we will have to create a Cat 6 hurricane as part of the Saffir-Simpson Scale. Of course, that isn't needed because the Scale already provides for intense hurricanes like Ida, which is currently rated a Cat 4. Mann's article is pure propaganda for people who don't understand how the Scale works. Let's talk about some of these other articles. This story isn't just about global warming, it is intended to try to help the Democrats pass their gigantic " welfare for the rich " 'infrastructure' bill in the disguise of green energy . Never mind that energy shortages are WSJ, Sunday, Sept 19 already being forecasted for this winter (remember the blackouts in Fe...