The Weather Channel meteorologist Ari Sarsalari says we don't need to worry too much about the low-pressure system that's formed in the Gulf of Mexico. You can watch his full forecast by clicking the screen capture above or here. The continental United States' hurricane season starts today. It runs through Nov. 30 for tropical storms that form in the Atlantic Ocean or Gulf of Mexico. The season's first tropical disturbance, officially Invest 91L, has formed in the Gulf and right now looks like it could head toward Florida. UPDATE: That was quick. Invest 91L now is Tropical Depression 2. UPDATE,... Read more →
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Coastal flooding in a Florida community. (Photo by Barry Bahler via Wikipedia Commons) They may be more than 3,100 miles apart, but residents of counties in California and Florida now have a couple of things in common. They recently were pummeled by major disasters. They now have an Aug. 15 deadline to meet certain federal tax responsibilities. Florida flooding: The Internal Revenue Service is offering relief to those who live or have businesses in the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) disaster designation are of South Florida that endured tornadoes, severe storms, and flooding from April 12 to April 14. The... Read more →
A Cole, Oklahoma, home destroyed by the EF3 tornado that went through McClain County on April 19, 2023. The National Weather Service estimated winds at 152 miles per hour. (Photo by U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration via Wikipedia Commons) The Oklahoma City area seems to be a tornado magnet. I'm aware of this unwanted meteorological frequency not just because of my weather fixation and its tax connection, but also because my brother lived in OKC back in 1999 when an EF5 twister destroyed much of the state capital's southern suburbs. Back then, my parents were in Western Oklahoma, which... Read more →
Photo by Lachlan Ross Procrastinating taxpayers are rushing to file their returns this Tax Day 2023. Some, however, have extra time. Unfortunately for them, the reason for the delayed filing deadline is not one any of us want. They live or have businesses in areas that were declared major disaster areas. Indiana residents are the latest to join this later Tax Day club. Today, the Internal Revenue Service announced that Hoosier storm victims now have until July 31 to file various federal individual and business tax returns and make tax payments. Yeah, I know getting the word out that Tax... Read more →
The IRS' tax relief for tornado-stricken Tennessee residents and business owners is welcome. But that's just one part of picking up the pieces after a major disaster. Keep reading after the Volunteer State tax specifics for tips that all of us can use to recover, financially and physically, if we ever must cope with a catastrophe. Damage caused by an EF3 tornado that touched down southwest of Covington, Tennessee. Covington is the county seat of Tipton County, one of 10 counties in the Volunteer State that the Internal Revenue Service granted tax relief following the March 31-April 1 tornado and... Read more →
The IRS' tax relief for tornado-stricken Mississippians is welcome. But devastated residents could use more help. If you want to provide some support, read on for groups that are conducting a variety of recovery efforts in the storm-stricken areas and could use donations to continue their work. The devastation from the March 24-25 tornadoes that plowed through the lower Mississippi River Valley is horrific. A massive EF4 twister that cut a 59-mile path of destruction left 26 people dead. Hundreds of residents and businesses were displaced by the severe storms. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the White House... Read more →
Photo by Zac Durant on Unsplash The damage Mother Nature can do is long-lasting. So, in the case of many storms, is the clean-up process. The Internal Revenue Service realizes this. Earlier this year, the agency extended original tax relief, including filing deadlines, it provided individuals and businesses in Alabama, California, and Georgia that were hit by major natural disasters. New York storm victims now have joined this group. A deadly winter snowstorm hit parts of the Empire State around last Christmas. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the IRS followed up quickly with, respectively, disaster declarations and tax... Read more →
Photo by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash Enough already, Mother Nature! We're not even through two full months of 2023, and you have been in a particularly foul mood too much of this time. The latest disastrous outbursts are leaving thousands across the country dealing with blizzards, high winds, and tornadoes. And the devastating weather system is still moving east. Meantime, folks who endured major disasters in January — which now cover most of California and parts of Alabama and Georgia — are still pare still picking up the pieces. That's why the Internal Revenue Service has decided to give these... Read more →
Photo by Kay Bell All things considered, we got through last week's Central Texas ice storm pretty well. Yes, I whined about no power, hence no heat for 3½ days, but we piled on enough clothes to mimic the Michelin Man, and used our grill to cook previously frozen food before it spoiled. As for our property, our oldest and biggest tree, a live oak, lost just three limbs. Two, shown above, fell in our backyard; the other snapped on the other side of the fence and fell into our neighbor's yard. The neighbor had a clean-up crew over at... Read more →
If you've missed me, it's because the hubby and I are among the 150,000 households without electricity. Then our cell service went all wonky and I couldn't hotspot. Plus, it seems really cold temps do a number on all types of batteries. I don't want to waste either computer or phone batteries, but I was able to update the ol' blog's February tax moves sidebar, over there to the right. More on this short month's tax task and, well, more tax stuff, as soon as we get full power restored. And my fingers thaw. For others in our same frigid... Read more →
Ice image by Scott Rodgerson via UNSPLASH No, not the slamming of Austin government and utility officials noted in the Tweet below, although the local newspaper did that. What happened was that the hubby and I were among the 170,000+/- Austin Energy customers who lost power. For almost four and a half days. In a rare front-page editorial, @statesman sharply criticizes the city and Austin Energy response to this week’s ice storm. “Public transparency during a massive power outage allows people to make potentially life-saving decisions.”https://t.co/thMtIN8rUW pic.twitter.com/IRySYh1F9o — Tony Plohetski (@tplohetski) February 3, 2023 During the Texas grid collapse and... Read more →
UPDATE, Feb. 27, 2023: Since damages are so severe, and additional areas subsequently were designated by FEMA, the IRS has decided to further extend the tax deadline for victims of Alabama's and Georgia's major disasters first declared in January. Affected Yellowhammer and Peach state taxpayers now have until Oct. 16 to take care of multiple tax responsibilities. Details in this post. National Weather Service radar of a quasi-linear convective system (QLCS) and supercells, along with severe warnings in the southeastern United States during the afternoon of Jan. 12, 2023. The Autauga County, Alabama, EF3 tornado was on the ground at... Read more →
UPDATE, Feb. 27, 2023: Since damages are so severe, and additional areas subsequently were designated by FEMA, the IRS has decided to further extend the tax deadline for victims of California's major disasters first declared in January. Affected Golden State taxpayers now have until Oct. 16 to take care of multiple tax responsibilities. Details in this post. The California Governor's Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES) coordinates emergency responses, such as this one in early January before the latest disastrous rains and flooding engulfed the state. (Photo courtesy Cal OES Facebook) California covers a huge area, so there's room for... Read more →
Massive waves on Lake Erie splashed homes in Hamburg, New York, during the historic blizzard that moved across the Empire State just before last Christmas. While the result was a collection of real-life ice sculptures, the storm's ultimate effects were far less lovely. (Screen capture from WXChasing YouTube video) I admit it. I whined about the unusual cold front that moved into the Austin area Christmas week 2022. One of the reasons we moved here was for the area's generally moderate winters. But I was properly shamed. A few freezing nights was nothing like the deadly storm that gripped parts... Read more →
A heat pump's outdoor unit is pulling what warmth it can out of the air in freezing conditions. (Photo by Peter Eastern via Wikipedia Commons) North winds are gusting up to 30 mph right now here in suburban Austin, Texas. By sunset, we'll be at freezing, with temperatures in the area tonight expected to drop to between 10 and 15 degrees. Despite my alternately freaking out thanks to memories of 2021's snow, ice, and prolonged freezing temperatures that led to extended electric and water utility outages across most of Texas, ranting, and stuffing old hand towels into every new window... Read more →
Records, tax and financial, are often among the property damaged or destroyed in a natural disaster. If you're lucky, you might be able, like this woman, to salvage some of the documents. If not, you'll need to recreate them to take advantage of tax-related storm relief. (Image courtesy Louisiana Law Blog) It looks like Florida is about to be hit by another hurricane. Current Subtropical Storm Nicole is expected to accelerate from a subtropical system into a hurricane before it makes landfall along the Sunshine State's Atlantic coast. That's terrible news for Florida residents still dealing with the aftermath of... Read more →
Hurricane Ian nearing South Carolina landfall. (NOAA GOES image) As expected, the Internal Revenue Service has provided tax relief, including a new filing deadline, for residents of North and South Carolina following Hurricane Ian. After pummeling Florida, the deadly hurricane entered the Atlantic Ocean and then turned toward the East Coast. Ian made a second U.S. landfall on Sept. 30 as a Category 1 hurricane near Georgetown, South Carolina, then moved inland as a weaker, but still dangerous storm. Residents anywhere in either of the Carolinas, both of which sustained deleterious Ian effects, now have until Feb. 15, 2023, to... Read more →
Updated Oct. 6, 2023, to reflect added Hurricane Ian tax relief and new filing deadline. Before you and your family celebrate Halloween, check out these October tax moves. Your calendar isn't wrong. We're already into the first week of October, the beginning of the fourth quarter of the year. Once you get through repeating (like me) "Already?", it's time for the annual fall push. Between picking out your Halloween outfit and locating a secure hiding place for the holiday treats that your family can't find, it's time to make some tax moves. Here are four tax tasks that you need... Read more →
UPDATE, Oct. 6, 2022: North and South Carolina, which were hit when Ian made a second U.S. landfall after devastating southwest Florida, now also get until Feb. 15, 2023, to meet various tax deadlines. More in my Carolinas/Ian follow-up post. This image from the NASA/Landsat Operational Land Imager (OLI) was taken about three hours before Hurricane Ian made landfall on Sept. 28 in Cayo Costa, Florida. (NASA Earth Observatory image by Joshua Stevens, using Landsat data from the U.S. Geological Survey, GEOS-5 data from the Global Modeling and Assimilation Office at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, and roads from OpenStreetMap.... Read more →
This National Hurricane Center graphic shows how the strength and extent of Hurricane Ian's winds changed over its development. The orange segments are tropical storm force. The red swaths are hurricane force. For those of us who've visited Florida's Gulf Coast, the images of how Hurricane Ian destroyed a huge swath of it are gutting. My heart is breaking for Sanibel Island. I cannot image how the people who live there are feeling or coping. Landfall didn't stop this deadly monster. As Ian moved across the Sunshine State, it left in its wake similar, albeit less severe, damages. Now South... Read more →