The 2001 Leonids are the best showing for meteor showers since the 1999 Leonids over Saudi Arabia.
They peaked in the early morning hours of 18th of November with rates 
that we counted at 26 event s per minute, over  (~1500 meteors per hour). 

This event is very worth viewing!

All Planet Leonid Team - 3:20 am November 18 2001
Santa Cruz Mountains, California.
Elevation 1700 feet, looking over the Pacific ocean on a moonless night.

Several models are predicting two significant peaks: one over the United States 
(especially towards the west) beginning about 3-4 am EST and lasting until 6-7 am EST. 
The maximum, according to these models, will occur around 5 am EST. 
The level of activity for this peak could be as much as 2000 meteors per hour. 

The second significant peak will begin around 12 noon EST and last until 2 pm EST on the 18th of November. 
The best viewing for this peak will be over Australia and the Far East. 
The level of activity for this event could be anywhere from 7000 to 15000 meteors per hour! 

Another model does not anticipate distinct peaks such as those just described. 
Instead, the prediction here is a general increase in activity for the entire night of 
the 18th of November beginning about 3 am EST on the 18th and lasting until 3 pm EST. 
The highest level of activity will be around 1500 meteors per hour over Hawaii, 
with both the US and Australia/Far East observing anywhere from 500-1000 meteors per hour. 

The Leonids approach the Earth at a declination of about 22 degrees. 
If your latitude is less than 22 degrees (or in the Southern Hemisphere), 
look to the northeast; the further south you are, the more the meteors will 
appear to be coming from the north. If your latitude is greater than 22 degrees, 
look to the southeast; the further north of 22 degrees you are, the more the meteors 
will look to be arriving from the south. Look about halfway up the horizon towards 
either the northeast (if you're south of 22 degrees) or the southeast 
(if you're north of 22 degrees); if you are looking straight up, you can miss many of the meteors. 
Be alert! The Leonids are moving very fast with respect to the Earth (~71 km/sec), 
so the meteor streaks that we can see go quickly. 
Places with dark skies away from city lights are the best locations. 

If you observe the shower, please feel free to send a report to the email below. 
I will make sure it gets forwarded to the proper scientists for inclusion in their analysis. 

Good Luck! 
http://www.leonidstorm.com/
Sponsored by the Space Operations Support Office at The Aerospace Corporation. 
 

Another interesting LEONID Link:
http://www.astrosociety.org/pubs/mercury/1101pr/leonids.html
 

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