Signs of the Times - January 2014 - (Page 68)

Modern Sign Engineering Are your concepts, standards and build procedures up to date? NOAA photo By Darek Johnson July 20, 1994 - The Associated Press (Las Vegas) reported that engineers were sifting through the debris of what was once billed as the world's tallest sign, to determine why the $4-million structure crumpled during a vicious storm. That day, the enormous, Las Vegas Hilton sign lay in a 30-ft.-high pile of twisted steel and rubble, the news service said. An AP brief said the top quarter of the 362-ft.-tall sign came crashing to the ground Monday night as winds raked the Las Vegas valley. The John Renton Young Lighting & Sign Co.-fabricated sign was designed to withstand winds of 130 mph; 20 mph more than the Clark county code that called for 110 mph. That Monday's winds were clocked officially at 78 mph. Linda Kring, a sign company spokesperson, questioned whether wind speeds may have been higher at the top of the sign. "There's the question about possible wind shear at the top of the sign," she said. "What happened at the 362-ft. height is what we are trying to determine." 68 SIGNS OF THE TIMES January 2014 O n the afternoon of July 2, 2012, Accuweather.com reported on a "super derecho" of violent thunderstorms that had left a destructive, 700-mile trail across the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic States. The storm tracked from northern Indiana to the southern Mid-Atlantic coast. The weather website reported 91-mph wind gusts at the Fort Wayne, IN Intl. Airport and that Ohio, West Virginia and Virginia governors had declared states of emergencies. News sources said the outburst cut power to millions and killed 13 people. A jet-stream undulation and record-high temperatures in the Washington, D.C. area triggered the storm. "Derecho" is a Spanish adverb used to indicate straight ahead or a straight line. In weather jargon, it describes a widespread and longlife windstorm that accompanies rapidly moving, straight-line thunderstorms. Meteorologists say derecho winds are the product of downbursts. The Southern Great Lakes Derecho of 1998 produced wind gusts up to 128 mph. It traveled 975 miles (averaging 65 mph) from southern Minnesota to north central New York in 15 hours and became one of the most damaging North American derechos in history. Total damage estimates were close to $300 million. In May, 2009, a derecho traveled from southeastern Kansas to the southern Appalachian Mountains, more than 1,000 miles. It spawned 45 tornados and caused numerous injuries and several deaths, with damage estimates at millions of dollars. God only know how many signs such storms have blown down. A few weather essentials Roughly one year ago, I wrote about weather hazards (see ST, November 2012, page 12) and reported the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Admin. (NOAA) as saying 2010 had tied for the warmest year on record, in terms of land and sea-surface temperatures. In that column, I detailed how temperature changes affect climate change, which, in turn, affects the intensity and frequency of weather changes and precipitation: * Warmer oceans melt polar ice. The warming also increases the amount of water that evaporates into the air; http://www.Accuweather.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Signs of the Times - January 2014

Signs of the Times - January 2014
Contents
ST Update
Technology Update
Large-Format Design Strategies
Vinyl Apps
Strictly Commercial
Lighting Techniques
The Moving Message
Technology Review - Agfa’s Jeti Titan X
Technology Review - Polytype’s NQ32 UV hybrid printer
Design Matters
New Products
Industry News
GableSigns’ Casino Signs
Dynamic Digital Signage Made Simple
Building Street Cred
Modern Sign Engineering
Advertising index
Editorially speaking

Signs of the Times - January 2014