The Skies

Sun and Moon Data

To find sun and moon rising and setting times for your park or office, go to the U.S. Naval Observatory’s Complete Sun and Moon Data web page.

Night Skies

For information on stars, planets and other night sky phenomena, go to the U.S. Naval Observatory page above and click on “The Sky This Week.”

The Weather

Snow will fall in the Great Plains and Midwest. Severe weather will threaten parts of the South. Red flag warnings have been posted for parts of Texas, New Mexico and Kansas.

Watches and Warnings

The principal watches and warnings posted as of early this morning were as follows. Note that these change over the course of a day and represent only initial daily forecasts. Click on this link for a full-sized map showing these hazards:

• Red flag warnings – Parts of Texas, New Mexico and Kansas.
• Winter storm watches, warnings and advisories – The northern Rocky Mountains and northern Great Plains. Also northern Maine.
• High wind warnings and advisories – Parts of California, Utah, Nevada, Colorado and New Mexico in the west, a band from the Dakotas to Louisiana in the central states, and Tennessee, Kentucky, Georgia, Alabama and Florida in the southeast.
• Flood and flashflood watches, warnings and advisories – Parts of Washington, Idaho and Montana, and areas in Louisiana, Texas, Arkansas and Mississippi.

For additional information on severe weather, go to the NOAA Storm Prediction Center at http://www.spc.noaa.gov/ .

This Day in NPS History

Including a date commemorated in a national park, a remembrance of an employee who died while on duty, and an incident from the Morning Report from 25 years ago.

In The Parks

On February 23, 1720, Fray Antonio Margil de Jesus established Mission San Jose, the largest and best known of the four Spanish colonial missions in San Antonio Missions National Historical Park. Click here for other park anniversary dates.

In Memoriam

There were no NPS line of duty deaths on this date. Click here for a full list of on-duty deaths.

From The Morning Report Archives

The 25th anniversary of the National Park Service Morning Report is being commemorated with incident reports from as close to 25 years ago as possible:

Chickasaw NRA – The region around the lake received nearly 10 inches of rain between May 22 and May 28, 1987, causing the lake to rise seven feet over that period. All boat ramps and much of Buckhorn Campground were closed. More rain was expected over the next few days.

A Closing Observation

Today’s observation was made by Director Arthur Demaray:

"The areas administered by the National Park Service have been set aside to preserve a precious part of our national heritage.  It is not always realized, however, that this heritage requires sympathetic study and presentation if it is to be of maximum benefit to the public. The interpretative service is designed to fulfill this need and to contribute to the national education and to the maintenance of confidence in the American way of living.  This service may well be a potent force in maintaining national equilibrium in the trying times which appear to lie ahead.”

Click here for a copy of “Quotes,” an NPS publication put out on the Service’s 50th anniversary in 1966, which contains many of these observations.

Contact Information
Name: Bill Halainen, Editor