'Hurricane Week: Extreme Impact' begins on The Weather Channel

By April MacIntyre Aug 9, 2009, 21:18 GMT

HURRICANE! Strong waves are seen at the beaches of Acapulco, Guerrero state, Mexico, 22 June 2009. The Mexican Pacific Ocean shores are in alert due to the trajectory of tropical storm \'Andrew\', which would break into hurricane in the next few days, according to informations given by the National Meteorological Service. EPA/JESUS ESPINOSA

Weather is ready to change in a big, dramatic way with the onset of fall.

"Hurricane Week: Extreme Impact" airs on The Weather Channel starting today, Sunday, August 9-15.

The Weather Channel (TWC) airs "Hurricane Week: Extreme Impact" as five new episodes of popular series Storm Stories, and the TWC premiere of a feature documentary on Hurricane Katrina with NBC News' Brian Williams will run on the network.

A full-episode sneak peek at new series Weatherproof begins the week, which comes right as the Atlantic Hurricane Season nears its historical peak heading into August and September.

Viewers will see an hour-long HD series to debut in January 2010, as a preview of the series to come.  Hosted by meteorologist Stephanie Abrams and "weather tester" Newton Wimer, the show puts ordinary items such as cars, windows and doors to the test to show consumers what stands up to the full force of extreme weather.  This special episode of Weatherproof airs Sunday, August 9, at 9 p.m. ET.

For the first time on TWC, the half-hour documentary In His Own Words: Brian Williams on Hurricane Katrina will air. 

NBC News' Brian Williams brings viewers along before, during and after his coverage of one of the most devastating events to strike an American city.  Williams conducts a day-to-day report during the five days during and following Hurricane Katrina, and this eyewitness account finds Williams reporting on devastated areas as well as on his experiences at the Superdome in New Orleans. 

The documentary premieres Monday, August 10, at 8:30 p.m. ET.

"Hurricane Week: Extreme Impact" includes five new, hurricane-related episodes of Storm Stories:

Storm Stories: Camille and the Reporters - Premieres Sunday, August 9, 8 p.m. ET
      Summer 1969, a music festival called Woodstock is all over the national press, but the big story on the Gulf Coast is Hurricane Camille. Four young reporters - Bert Case, Chuck Scarborough, Edd Jussely and Jack Hobbs - come to Biloxi, Miss., to cover a storm and forge their careers. As Camille roars ashore, they will be lucky to escape it with their lives.

Storm Stories: Jurassic Iniki ­- Premieres Sunday, August 9, 8:30 p.m. ET
      August 1992, Director Steven Spielberg comes to Kauai, Hawaii, to begin filming Jurassic Park. Fantasy and reality collide as cast and crew face Hurricane Iniki, the most powerful hurricane to hit the Hawaiian Islands in more than a century. Never-before-seen footage and interviews tell this story of survival and ingenuity of a film crew trapped in a disaster.

Storm Stories: Ivan Dome Home - Premieres Monday, August 10, 8 p.m. ET
      When Hurricane Ivan hits Pensacola, Fla., in 2004, a family makes the near-fatal decision to ride out the hurricane in their unprotected home. Another homeowner dares to stay in his newly built "Dome Home" specially designed to sustain a hurricane. Home video and news footage from inside the "Dome Home" provide riveting insight into surviving this storm.

Storm Stories: Wilma in Cancun - Premieres Tuesday, August 11, 8 p.m. ET
      When a 2005 tropical storm turns into a category-five hurricane in record time, Hurricane Wilma becomes the most intense Atlantic storm ever. Honeymooners as well as a group of friends are among thousands of surprised Yucatan vacationers forced to spend five days in overflowing shelters as the fierce hurricane lingers overhead, seemingly unwilling to leave.

Storm Stories: Mitch in Honduras - Premieres Tuesday, August 11, 8:30 p.m. ET
      Hurricane Mitch develops into a category-five monster late in the 1998 hurricane season, wreaks havoc on Central America, and becomes the deadliest natural disaster in the history of Honduras. Rescuers search for survivors in towns hit by mudslides. A Caribbean cruise boat, Fantome, is cornered by Mitch, and the crew is in a desperate fight for their lives.

An enhanced Hurricane Central section online  here features hurricane-related content, videos, blogs, maps and photographs.  The most up-to-date information on forming hurricanes will be available here and here

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