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 for One Day webpage.

Night Skies

An update on the moon, planets and other celestial bodies for the week of September 25th through October 2nd, extracted from a weekly summary prepared by the U.S. Naval Observatory:

• Moon – The moon is in the evening sky.
• Mars – Mars is the only planet that is still relatively easy to find in the early evening sky. It’s between Libra and Scorpius and not far from Antares.
• Jupiter – Jupiter rises shortly after 10 p.m.

For more information on stars, planets and other night sky phenomena, go to “The Sky This Week” page at the U.S. Naval Observatory page at http://www.usno.navy.mil/USNO/tours-events/sky-this-week

The Weather

Rain will fall in much of the Northeast today. Most of the West will remain dry.

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 – Areas throughout the Northwest and northern Great Plains and southern California.
• Flood and flashflood watches, warnings and advisories – Counties in Louisiana, Mississippi, Georgia and North Carolina.
• High wind watches, warnings and advisories – Much of Montana.

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

Tropical Cyclones

Today’s reports from the National Hurricane Center and the Joint Typhoon Warning Center (western Pacific):

• Hurricane Nadine – Nadine is in the eastern Atlantic and moving to the northeast, still well away from mainland areas.

For additional information on Atlantic and eastern Pacific tropical cyclones, go to the National Hurricane Center web page at http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/. For information on western Pacific tropical cyclones, go to the Joint Typhoon Warning Center at http://www.usno.navy.mil/JTWC/.

This Day in NPS History

In The Parks

On October 2, 1672, Spanish colonial officials broke ground for the Castillo de San Marcos, a coquina fort in St. Augustine, Florida, that would be largely completed by 1695. Later a U.S. Army post, it is now Castillo de San Marcos National Monument. Click here for other park anniversary dates.

In Memoriam

On October 2, 1958, Thomas Riggle, 22, a tree worker at George Washington Memorial Parkway, was killed when a limb fell on him.

On October 2, 2003, Kings Canyon seasonal firefighter Dan Holmes, 26, was killed when he was hit by top of falling 100-foot white fir tree on the Grant West prescribed fire.

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 the reprinting of incidents from the Morning Report archives:

Olympic NP – On June 19, 1988, a 51-year-old volunteer was kicked in the head by her horse while working on trail cleanup projects on the Duckabush River Trail. She had a park radio with her and was able to call for help. She was evacuated by helicopter and flown to a local hospital. Doctors found that she’d sustained a concussion, but that she was otherwise okay. She was released from the hospital that evening and returned the work a few days later.

Contact Information
Name: Bill Halainen, Editor