Summer storms are really getting around this summer, as another one—Tropical Storm Danny—forms just off of the Bahamas and primes to sweep up the eastern seaboard. Heidi and Spencer, who seem to be perpetually on vacation, unfortunately just missed being affected by the storm, as they splashed on the beach at The Atlantis Nassau around Heidi's lip-synching performance for the Miss Universe pageant.

Danny, which reminds us more of a booger-eating kindergartner than a furiously brewing storm (how about more named like 'Cristobal?'), might have laid off the Bahamas but he will spend this weekend wreaking havoc on the plans of beachgoers along the coast from South Carolina all the way up to Maine. ]]> JetSetCD 2009-08-26T14:29:41-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2009/8/24/7468/40479

Here we go again. Just a couple weeks after another flight was stuck in Minnesota for hours, a Sun Country airplane was delayed on the tarmac at JFK for hours en route to the North Star State. Flight 252 was supposed to leave New York on Friday around 11 am, but after a late boarding and weather delays, passengers were forced to spend most of the day stuck aboard the plane. Total delay time just sitting on the runway was about six hours.

Instead of throwing the passengers a bone and distributing some complimentary snacks and beverages to keep people comfortable, the airline rolled out the cart and began to charge for service items. Apparently travelers were quick to open their wallets despite the inconvenience as the snacks soon ran out leaving many thirsty, hungry, and cranky. ]]> kjb 2009-08-24T09:14:39-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2009/8/10/11027/3340

After a punishing weekend of pummeling rain, landslides, flooding, and collapsing houses, Taiwan and The Philippines are licking their wounds and counting the dead resulting from being hit by Typhoon Morakot.

The collapsed six-story Taiwan hotel in the picture above, whose 300 guests were all successfully evacuated, ended up collapsing into the floor waters, and it's no wonder with some southern cities getting dumped on by over 80 inches of rain. Before Morakot—which means "Emerald" in Thai— made landfall on Taiwan, it first killed 21 people in The Philippines. Among the dead were two Belgian tourists and a French tourist. ]]> JetSetCD 2009-08-10T09:29:32-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2009/8/10/71839/5746

Over the weekend about 50 passengers experienced airplane hell aboard a Continental Airlines regional jet stuck on the tarmac. Everybody was headed to Minnesota’s Twin Cities, but thunderstorms in the area forced the plane to take a pit stop in Rochester to wait out the storm and get some gas. However, the pit stop that started around midnight lasted until the next morning, and everyone was forced to snuggle tightly in the cabin of the plane.

Passengers obviously were less than thrilled, and one flyer let everyone know that the smells of the toilets and babies aboard the ExpressJet plane were getting pretty bad. Unfortunately, the situation sounds pretty typical. The crew couldn’t do much since they were over their legally allowed hours for the day, the security screeners at the Rochester airport had gone for the day, and all the passengers got to eat were a couple bags of pretzels. ]]> kjb 2009-08-10T08:54:32-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2008/11/7/115519/800

And you thought hurricane season was over! Nope, it technically runs until the end of November, which is why we shouldn't be too surprised to see Paloma threatening Cuba. The island has already endured direct hits from Ike and Gustav this year, and Paloma may be just as strong when it makes landfall.

The storm is already drenching the Cayman Islands, and it's forecast to reach the Bahamas by Monday. Paloma is headed northeast, so it most likely won't be hitting the United States.

Airlines, which this hurricane season were admirably quick to make special arrangements when hurricanes threatened, are again on the ball. American has a special webpage up about the storm's impact. US Airways has a similar page, as does Continental.

Related Stories:
· Hurricane Paloma Powers Up [AFP, via Google]
· Hurricanes of 2008 coverage [Jaunted]]]> pbb 2008-11-07T12:00:09-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2008/9/13/122459/178

It's been an active hurricane season so far in 2008, with storms like Cristobol, Dolly, Edouard, and Gustav causing untold damage in the Caribbean and the eastern and gulf coasts of North America. Ike, the latest menace, came ashore in Galveston, Texas overnight, dumping several inches of rain and causing surging tides throughout the mostly-abandoned community. Though slightly further inland, Houston suffered as well, with scores of windows blown out of downtown skyscrapers and debris littering the streets.

Since making landfall, Ike has been downgraded to a Category 1 storm, and the early word from officials in southeastern Texas is that as bad as it was, it could have been worse. The people of Haiti, for example, have suffered greatly this season, with one storm after another destroying homes and lives, washing out roads, and requiring massive shipments of aid to alleviate some of the misery.

With its greater resources, I'm sure coastal Texas will bounce back soon, drawing visitors to the sandy beaches and laid-back bars that dot the coastline between Galveston and South Padre. It's just Florida with cowboy hats, after all. But the list of hurricanes still has twelve names on it, and it might not be long before Kyle, Marco, Omar, or Paloma show up looking for a party.

[Photo: NOAA]

Related Stories:
· Officials: No Loss of Life Due to Hurricane Ike [Galveston County Daily News]
· Hurricane Coverage [Jaunted]]]> Victor Ozols 2008-09-13T12:24:59-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2008/9/12/162744/479

Hurricane Ike has apparently claimed its first American victim, a 10-year-old boy struck by a falling branch as his parents prepared for the storm that's approaching Texas, promising a powerful sea surge, torrential rains and winds exceeding 100 mph.

Some airports in Texas have already shut down; there will be no service into or out of George Bush Intercontinental on Saturday either. A number of airlines, including Southwest, Continental and American have suspended service to certain destinations in the storm's path.

The Austin American-Statesman is using Twitter to provide updates on the storm. You can also find Ike updates by searching Twitter for #Ike.

Related Stories:
· Ike Threatens Texas with Wall of Water [Reuters]
· One Death, Many Rescue Efforts [Chronicle]
· Airline Operations Winding Down in Houston [Airline Biz Blog]
· TrackingIke [Twitter]

[Photo: BrandonW]]]> pbb 2008-09-12T16:30:27-05:00 Search Jaunted string http://www.jaunted.com/search/