Rebecca Lawless
LARGEST QUAKES -
This morning -
5.1 EASTERN NEW GUINEA REG., P.N.G.
5.1 TONGA
Yesterday -
10/21/10 -
6.9 GULF OF CALIFORNIA
5.2 SOUTH OF KERMADEC ISLANDS
5.4 NEW BRITAIN REGION, P.N.G.
5.0 SOUTH OF FIJI ISLANDS
5.8 OFF COAST OF O'HIGGINS, CHILE
A powerful magnitude 6.9 quake struck off Mexico's Baja California on Thursday. The quake, initially reported as a magnitude 6.6, was centered in the Gulf of California, 65 miles (105 km) south of Los Mochis in the state of Sinaloa on the mainland. It was very shallow, just 6.2 miles (10 km) below the seabed. The quake had not triggered a tsunami but could cause local waves.
TROPICAL STORMS -
-Tropical depression 16W was 399 nmi WNW of Saipan, N. Mariana Islands.
-Tropical depression 17W was 664 nmi NE of Saipan, N. Mariana Islands
-Tropical cyclone GIRI was 228 nmi WNW of Rangoon, Burma
-Typhoon MEGI was 233 nmi ESE of Hong Kong
-Tropical storm RICHARD was 194 nmi ENE of Puerto Lempira, Honduras
Tropical Storm Richard - Because of weak steering currents, the National Hurricane Center said there’s not a lot of confidence in the latest Richard forecast. For now, the system is predicted to intensify into a hurricane by Saturday, cross over Mexico’s Yucatan and emerge in the Gulf of Mexico on Tuesday as a tropical storm. If that holds, any of the Gulf states could be threatened. Some models point the system toward the west coast of Florida. Thursday at 11 p.m., Richard was 240 miles south of Grand Cayman. It was drifting southeast at 2 mph with sustained winds of 40 mph. It threatens to produce up to 8 inches of rain in Jamaica
Tropical Cyclone Giri strengthened into a Category 1 Storm over the northeast Indian Ocean as it approached the west coast of Myanmar. Giri’s winds strengthened to 130 kilometers (81 miles) per hour from 65 kph. A Category 1 Storm is the lowest on the five-step Saffir Simpson scale and capable of “very dangerous winds." Giri was expected to increase in strength and hit the coast near Sittwe late Thursday. It may make landfall with winds of 148 kph. It’s the fourth storm of the season in the Bay of Bengal.
Typhoon Megi weakens on path to China, sideswipes Taiwan. The strong typhoon initially feared to be among the worst in 50 years showed signs of weakening on a course to the southern coast of China after forcing the closure of Taiwan's biggest seaport and stranding hundreds of people on the island. Typhoon Megi was set to hit China's Fujian province as a category 1 typhoon, down from a 3 on a 1-5 severity scale, by Saturday and then fade to a tropical storm. It would miss world financial center Hong Kong and the industry-rich Pearl River Delta. The same typhoon killed 26 people in the Philippines and caused 314,577 metric tonnes in losses to the rice crop.
On its path to China with wind gusts of up to 198 kph (123 mph), Megi whipped up heavy waves that closed Taiwan's major seaport in Kaohsiung on Friday. More than 1,200 mm of rainfall from the storm caused a highway to collapse in eastern Taiwan, stranding 400 travelers with 23 missing. A string of ports and oil terminals in southern China had closed operations on Thursday as marine authorities said the typhoon could generate a huge and destructive "50-year storm surge" along the China coastline. Typhoons regularly hit China, Taiwan, the Philippines and Japan in the second half of the year, gathering strength from the warm waters of the Pacific Ocean or South China Sea before weakening over land.
A potential cyclone that may become as powerful as super typhoon "Juan" may enter Philippine territory this weekend. The potential cyclone is presently still a low-pressure area (LPA) just outside the Philippine area of responsibility. "For now our models show the LPA may become as powerful as 'Juan' and may even take a similar path." It is possible the LPA may become a cyclone before it enters Philippine territory Saturday. Once the cyclone is inside the Philippine territory, it will be codenamed "Katring."
Meanwhile, at least six areas in Northern Luzon remained under Storm Signal No. 1 as typhoon "Juan" remained virtually stationary Wednesday afternoon. "Juan" packed maximum winds of 175 kph near the center and gustiness of up to 210 kph. By Thursday afternoon, it was expected to be 320 km west-northwest of Laoag City or 430 km west-southwest of Batanes.On Friday afternoon, it is forecast to be 370 km west of Batanes. Still under Signal No. 1 are Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, La Union, Benguet, Pangasinan, and Zambales. PAGASA reminded residents living in low-lying and mountainous areas under Signal 1 against possible flashfloods and landslides.
EXTREME HEAT / WILDFIRES / DROUGHT / CLIMATE CHANGE -
AUSTRALIA - More evidence has emerged of a long-term trend towards a drier climate in the Murray-Darling Basin and much of southeastern Australia.
