The Weather Channel(R) Launches Into Tropical Weather Season With Hurricane Week 2005

The Weather Channel(R) Launches Into Tropical Weather Season With Hurricane Week 2005

Special Theme Week Highlights Two of the Most Powerful Storms of 2004 Along With Incredible Stories From Hurricane Survivors

ATLANTA, May 24 /PRNewswire/ -- It will go down as the costliest hurricane season ever, one that affected nearly half of the United States. Even as some are still recovering from 2004's hurricanes, the 2005 season is close upon us. To help draw awareness to the season and the importance of preparation, The Weather Channel presents Hurricane Week, a special programming event that includes a new hour long special and twelve of the network's most dramatic Storm Stories episodes.

On Sunday, June 5, Hurricane Week begins with live reports from veteran meteorologist and Storm Chaser Jim Cantore at Pensacola Beach throughout the day, culminating at 8:00p.m. (ET) with "Season of Suspense," a new one-hour program hosted by Cantore and featuring a 2005 hurricane season outlook from Dr. Steve Lyons, hurricane expert for The Weather Channel.

Dr. Lyons will also explain how he makes the landfall forecasts that are so crucial when a hurricane threaten, while Dr. Greg Forbes, severe weather expert for The Weather Channel, shows just how dangerous these storms can be well after they make landfall.

With "Season of Suspense," The Weather Channel brings to light stories both compelling and inspiring from the 2004 hurricane season:

- hear the harrowing tale of a couple stranded in their home on
Pensacola Bay during Hurricane Ivan, trapped in their attic by the
rising water
- a hurricane chaser and photographer shares the story of his ordeal
pinned in the streets of Punta Gorda by the ferocity of
Hurricane Charley
- seeking shelter in a baseball stadium, dozens of terrified evacuees
ride out the storm as Hurricane Frances brings the park's light poles
crashing to the ground
- when a mother of three is left homeless by Ivan, help comes from a
group of women dedicated to rebuilding her home
- from those who have been there before, a message of hope to storm
victims across Florida from those who survived and have recovered from
mighty Hurricane Andrew.

Following "Season of Suspense," the rest of Hurricane Week features dramatic episodes of the highly-acclaimed series "Storm Stories."

Schedule:

Monday, June 6 - 8:00-8:30p.m. ET - Hurricane Ivan - September 15th, 2004. Hurricane Ivan has been thrashing the Caribbean for ten days. More than 60 people are dead in Grand Cayman and Jamaica -- and Ivan isn't stopping.

8:30-9:00p.m. ET - Hurricane Hazel - North Carolina ranks third in the U.S. for total number of hurricane strikes. 50 years later, revisit the site devastated by Hurricane Hazel, one of the most destructive hurricanes to ever hit North Carolina.

Tuesday, June 7 - 8:00-8:30p.m. ET - Hurricane Roxanne - In early October 1995, Hurricane Roxanne ravaged the Gulf of Mexico. The crew of a barge laying undersea pipeline in the Gulf of Mexico thinks it is out of danger, until the storm doubles back and heads straight for them.

8:30-9:00p.m. ET - Allison's Wake - June 2001, the city of Houston was all but submerged in 36 hours. A deluge of rain from a stalled Tropical Storm named Allison claimed 22 lives and caused nearly $5 billion in damage. Survivors cling to trees and rescuers brave rapidly rising flood waters to rescue a co-worker from a submerged elevator.

Wednesday, June 8 - 8:00-8:30p.m. ET - Covering Charley - Having already blown through the Caribbean and caused four deaths, Hurricane Charley turns to the west coast of Florida. With the storm's path difficult to predict, residents from Ft. Myers to Tampa must prepare for the worst.

8:30-9:00p.m. ET - Hurricane Georges - After rolling across the Atlantic Ocean and cutting a deadly path through four Caribbean nations, Hurricane Georges heads directly for the tiny island paradise of Key West.

Thursday, June 9 - 8:00-8:30p.m. ET - A Friend In Need - Two friends try to stay alive as they face the 200 mph winds of category four Hurricane Iniki.

8:30-9:00p.m. ET - Hurricane Isabel - Hurricane Isabel wreaked havoc on the Outer Banks area of North Carolina. Follow the stories of Cape Hatteras residents who survived the storm and learned a valuable lesson about underestimating the seriousness of hurricanes.

Friday, June 10 - 8:00-9:00p.m. ET - Hurricane Andrew 1 & 2 - The first Category 5 storm in 30 years to hit the U.S. devastated south Florida in 1992. Taking a hurricane for granted will never happen again to the survivors who tell their tales of living through the costliest hurricane in our nation's history.

Saturday, June 11 - 8:00-8:30p.m. ET - Hurricane Floyd - Hurricane Floyd, a category 4 storm, hit the Bahamas with waves exceeding 50 feet. Though accustomed to hurricanes, nothing could have prepared residents for the devastation Floyd would bring. Entire communities were washed away, yachts were found on top of restaurants, and some houses were found on top of yachts. Residents claim it was the worst hurricane in 60 years.

8:30-9:00p.m. ET - Hurricane Darby - July 1992 - 400 miles off the coast of Mexico. Tropical Storm Darby turns into a category three hurricane. Seven men aboard the 65 foot yacht, Oasis, struggle to keep the boat from sinking. The 20-foot waves of Darby prove too much for the Oasis and threaten the lives of all seven fishermen.

For an interview with Jim Cantore or Dr. Steve Lyons, please contact Matt Boyter at 770-226-2191 or Kathy Lane at 770-226-2102.

Contact: Matt Boyter
770-226-2191
mboyter@weather.com

Source: The Weather Channel

CONTACT: Matt Boyter of The Weather Channel, +1-770-226-2191, or
mboyter@weather.com

Web site: http://www.weather.com/

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