In most of U.S. Memorial Day weekend weather points to summer Suburbs under severe thunderstorm watch 2011 equals deadliest tornado year on record death toll tops 500 and season not over Grain futures higher concerns Thunderstorms expected Wednesday morning Tornado kills one damages 200 houses in Kansas | Video Grains closed mixed Friday The Travel Mess After the Storms week wildlife pictures Several states remain storm alert Weather service Chicago Don't travel stay indoors AlQaida eyed oil tankers as bombing targets Clothing Startups Seek Solutions Cotton Prices Climb Colder cities among top retirement places Marquez start vs. SD Buehrle moved Tuesday Severe storms seen some tornadohit Winter Expected Affect United Continental Flights Midwest Storm blankets half US snow

CHICAGO (Reuters) - Much of the United States was expected to bask in warm, humid, summer-like weather on Sunday as the country, raked by deadly storms over the past month, marks the second day of the long Memorial Day weekend with some welcome quiet on the meteorological front. Thunderstorms started moving into the Chicago area late Sunday morning, and the National Weather Service warns that severe weather could afflict the area until 4 p.m. this afternoon. CHICAGO (Reuters) - The United States on Saturday equaled the record for deaths from tornadoes in a single year with 519 killed in 2011, and more than a month still to go in the tornado season, The National Weather Service said. CHICAGO (Reuters) - More than 500 people have been killed by twisters in 2011, making it the deadliest tornado year in the United States since 1953, according to the National Weather Service. CHICAGO, May 25 (UPI) -- Grain futures traded higher on the Chicago Board of Trade Wednesday with further planting delays likely due to wet weather in the forecast. The National Weather Service is warning of potential heavy thunderstorms rolling into the Chicago area. The thunderstorm warning is for the McHenry, Lake, Kane, DuPage, and Cook counties, that could produce hail, frequent heavy lightning and severe wind gusts. KANSAS CITY (Reuters) - Tornadoes overnight in northeast Kansas killed one person and damaged some 200 homes, and resulted in a state of emergency being declared for 16 counties, state officials said on Sunday. Elsewhere in the country, towns along the lower Mississippi River were coping with floodwaters, and parts of the Midwest and Southeast faced the threat of violent thunderstorms, hail and strong winds. In Kansas the known tornado damage was centered around the town of Reading, said Kansas Division of Emergency Management spokeswoman Sharon Watson. Initial reports "indicate there are 200 homes in the town and surrounding community that have some type of damage ranging from minor to severe ... Another 20 homes have been destroyed," she told Reuters by phone. A separate statement from the Emergency Management Division said most of the destroyed homes were in the town. Gail Lewis was on her way to Reading to visit friends when the tornado struck. She said she arrived in town before most responders and saw downed trees and damaged homes. "Our church had one side completely blown out," said Lewis, whose father is pastor of the Reading First Baptist Church. "People were in ... CHICAGO, May 20 (UPI) -- Grain futures closed mixed Friday on the Chicago Board of Trade, yet prices remain elevated on concerns of planting slowed by cool, wet weather. The good news following this week's awful weather: Most U.S. airports are operating normally, although cancellations continue to be higher than normal, especially at airports in the Northeast and at Dallas/Fort Worth. The bad news: Chicago remains a mess. Giant new crayfish species, waxwings with punk hairdos and a wren that uses the 'scary movie effect' to get a date are highlights of this week's pick of images from the natural world Forecasters warn more storms could strike along a stretch from near Chicago to New Orleans as New Year's Eve celebrations begin.The Weather Channel's Chris Warren reports. (Nightly News) There has been no easing at all in the forecast of a major blizzard hitting northern Illinois and northwest Indiana starting this afternoon. If anything, the situation appears more dire than it did 24 hours ago. WASHINGTON (AP) — Osama bin Laden's personal files revealed a brazen idea to hijack oil tankers and blow them up at sea last summer, creating explosions he hoped would rattle the world's economy and send oil prices skyrocketing, the U.S. said Friday. The newly disclosed plot showed that while bin Laden was always scheming for the next big strike that would kill thousands of Americans, he also believed a relatively simpler attack on the oil industry could create a worldwide panic that would hurt Westerners every time they gassed up their cars. The alert, obtained by The Associated Press, said that al-Qaida had sought information on the size and construction of oil tankers, had decided that spring and summer provided the best weather to approach the ships, had determined that blowing them up would be easiest from the inside and believed an explosion would create an "extreme economic crisis." Bin Laden's documents also revealed that in February 2010, the terror group identified New York, Washington, D.C., Los Angeles and Chicago as important cities that should be attacked; and it eyed specific dates, including the 10th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks, Christmas, July Fourth and ... **Supply and Demand:** Severe weather conditions in China and Pakistan stymied the plants" />**Supply and Demand:** Severe weather conditions in China and Pakistan stymied the plants" />**Supply and Demand:** Severe weather conditions in China and Pakistan stymied the plants" />**Supply and Demand:** Severe weather conditions in China and Pakistan stymied the plants' growth. At the same time, a rise in global demand for cotton drove the crop's price even higher.'> **Cotton has officially **earned its nickname as North America's "white gold." Over the summer, severe weather conditions in China and Pakistan--the world's two biggest producers of cotton--stymied the plants' growth. At the same time, a rise in global demand for cotton, especially in China, drove the crop's price even higher. While domestic producers of cotton are enjoying the windfall of a higher price for their commodity, clothing retailers, buyers, and fashion start-ups, many of whose products are 100 percent cotton, are beginning to feel the burden of higher prices for the fabric. They are adjusting their strategies accordingly. "The majority of our product are made in cotton--either a chief cotton or a blend of cotton," says Lisa Lazarus, head of production for Brooklyn Industries, which is based in ... CHICAGO (Reuters Life!) - Warm weather and sunshine aren't the only criteria for picking a place to retire. Fargo, North Dakota is among the top 16 cities for seniors in the United States, according... _By Mark Gonzales _ PEORIA, Ariz. - The rain that fell on the west side of the Valley has moved east, thus clearing the way for Monday night's game between the Chicago White Sox and San Diego at Peoria Sports Complex. The Sox, however, took no chances with the weather and moved Mark Buehrle's turn from Monday night to Tuesday, when he will face Cincinnati's Triple-A team at Goodyear. Jeff Marquez, who is out of options and competing for a spot on the 25-man roster, will start against the Padres. "It's just because I don't want Buehrle to start a game, and then it starts raining and we have to shut it down," manager Ozzie Guillen said. "We're better off protecting ourselves to make sure he can do what he's supposed to do and make sure he doesn't throw a couple of innings and then have to go somewhere and throw the rest." Buehrle remains on schedule to pitch his ninth season opener on April 1 at Cleveland, which has a scout present at Monday night's game. "He just needs to throw a couple innings (Sunday) just to keep him going to the opening day start." Here's the Sox's ... CHICAGO (Reuters) - Severe storms with thunder, hail, snow and possibly tornadoes were expected to strike the Midwest and South on Tuesday, including towns still staggering from last week's deadly weather, forecasters said. CHICAGO, (PRNewswire-FirstCall/WorldTourismNews.eu) -- United Continental Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: UAL) today announced travel options for United Airlines and Continental Airlines customers whose flight plans may be affected by severe winter weather forecast for the Midwest this weekend. Weather conditions are expected to make air travel difficult, with the likelihood of delays and cancellations of flights at United's hub at Chicago O'Hare International Airport and Continental's hub at... World Tourism News Twelve people killed as storm disrupts flights, shuts schools and leaves drivers stranded A storm has spread a shroud of white over nearly half the US, burying parts of the midwest under 60cm of snow and causing at least 12 deaths. Tens of millions of people stayed home as winds turned snowflakes into face- stinging needles. Chicago had 51 cm of snow, the third-largest recorded in the city. In New York's Central Park, pathways resembled skating rinks. "A storm that produces a swath of 20-inch (50 cm) snow is really something we'd see once every 50 years – maybe," a National Weather Service meteorologist, Thomas Spriggs ,said. Across the storm's path, commuters struggled against snow drifts more than a metre deep in eerily silent streets, some of which had not seen a snow plough since the snow started a day earlier. Parkas and ski goggles became essential for getting to work. Skies were beginning to clear by mid-afternoon over much of the country's midsection, but the storm promised to leave bitter cold in its wake. Overnight temperatures in northern parts of the midwest were expected to fall as low as -20C, with wind chill bringing a further ...
Key Words: weather chicago

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