CONTACT:  Patricia Viets                     FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
                                              9/15/97

A report detailing four significant weather events from the spring of 1997 has been released by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the Commerce Department agency announced today.

The report reviews an outbreak of tornadoes and flooding in the Ohio and lower Mississippi valleys in early March; a severe snowstorm in the Northeast on March 31-April 1; severe flooding in the northern plains in April; and a violent tornado outbreak in Texas on May 27.

The report, issued by NOAA's National Climatic Data Center in Asheville, N.C., provides details on each of these events, including total precipitation, flood levels in various areas, power outages, and deaths due to the events.

The report contains satellite and radar imagery and other graphics. An electronic version of the report containing images is available on the center's World Wide Web site at: http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/publications/techrpt/tr9703/tr9703.html. A color copy of the report can be ordered for a fee from NCDC by phone at 704-271-4800; fax at 704-271-4876; or e-mail at: orders@ncdc.noaa.gov

Additional reports covering weather events for the 1993-1997 period are also available on the NCDC web site: http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/rcsg/weather-events.html

NOAA's National Climatic Data Center is the world's largest active archive of weather data. It is part of NOAA's National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service, based in Suitland, Md.