LARGEST QUAKES -
This morning -
5.0 FIJI REGION
Yesterday -
5/7/11 -
5.4 NEAR EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
5.0 MID-INDIAN RIDGE
5.0 NEAR COAST OF SOUTHERN PERU
5.1 OFFSHORE VALPARAISO, CHILE
5/6/11 -
5.5 SULAWESI, INDONESIA
5.0 OFF EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
5.2 NORTHERN MID-ATLANTIC RIDGE
VOLCANOES -
PHILIPPINES - The water around Taal Volcano in Northern Philippines is becoming warmer and more acidic, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology said in its bulletin on Saturday. They also recorded 25 volcanic earthquakes during the past 24 hours. Based on the field measurements conducted at the eastern sector inside the Main Crater Lake, data showed that the water temperature has increased from 31.5 C to 32 C, while the water has become more acidic with pH value decreasing from 3.09 to 2.94. Results of the ground deformation survey conducted around the volcano island also showed that the volcano edifice is slightly inflated.
Gas measurements conducted meanwhile showed that Taal Volcano yielded a carbon dioxide emission rate of 2,057 tons per day, down from 4,750 tons per day last March 2011, but still higher than the emission rates of 1,875 tons per day measured last February 2011. "Alert Level 2 is hoisted over Taal Volcano with the interpretation that magma has been intruding towards the surface, as manifested by the continuing high emission rate of CO2 being released in the Main Crater Lake and sustained seismic activity." The Main Crater, Daang Kastila Trail and Mt. Tabaro are strictly off-limits because sudden hazardous steam- driven explosions that may occur and high concentrations of toxic gases that may accumulate. "Breathing air with high concentration of toxic gases can be lethal to human, animals and even cause damage to vegetation."
Mayon volcano was quiet but under tight watch due to storm 'Bebeng' - Restive Mayon Volcano in Albay was relatively quiet in the last 24 hours but remained under tight watch due to threats of lahar flows triggered by tropical storm "Bebeng" (Aure).
TROPICAL STORMS -
TROPICAL STORM 03W (AERE) was LOCATED APPROXIMATELY 180 NM EAST-SOUTHEAST OF MANILA, PHILIPPINES.
PHILIPPINES - Heavy rains blanketed large parts of the eastern Philippines on Sunday as tropical storm Aere gathered strength while nearing the country. Residents of Bicol, Eastern Visayas and North Luzon must prepare for floods and landslides brought by the rains of tropical storm "Bebeng," a cyclone whose slow speed and wide rain band promise heavy and sustained rains over the next two days, the weather bureau said Saturday. As of 4 p.m. Saturday, the storm was spotted 220 kilometers east of Legazpi City and was moving northwest at 13 kph. Bebeng (international codename: Aere) , which was upgraded to storm from tropical depression category Saturday afternoon due to its increased strength, had center winds of 65 kph and gustiness of up to 80 kph. Tropical depressions have maximum wind strength of 60 kph. Bebeng could gain strength as it approaches the eastern seaboard.
Bebeng is second cyclone of the year and the first to slam the country in 2011. Cyclone Amang, the first storm of the year, formed off the coast of eastern Mindanao early last month, but dissipated before it could hit land. As the storm churned closer to land, Pagasa placed five provinces under storm signal No. 2. Provinces on the path of Bebeng should be ready for evacuation, and people in coastal towns should stay farther inland due to storm surges. Fishermen in Southern Luzon and the Visayas were advised not to venture out to sea.
Bebeng is a “slow-moving” cyclone that would hover longer over land. “This is what we are worried about. The slower it is, the more rains there will be." It was predicted to make landfall in Catanduanes this morning and move northwest inland. By Monday morning, Bebeng is expected to dump rains in the provinces of Isabela and Aurora. Bebeng was forecast to leave the country on Tuesday morning. The rest of the country, like Manila and Mindanao, will have cloudy skies and isolated rainshowers. It is RARE for the Philippines to get a typhoon in the first week of May. Based on Pagasa's records since 1948, there were only 11 typhoons that hit the country in the early part of May. “They usually come in the last week of the month." The early storms could be an effect of the La Niña weather phenomenon, which happens when the temperature of the Pacific Ocean drops.La Niña, which has led to more moisture in the atmosphere in the western Pacific, peaked last January to February. Although the temperature in the Pacific has started to normalize, La Nina's effects would still be felt in the Philippines. “There is usually a lag time in the local weather."
At least one person drowned while more than 626 families were evacuated in Eastern Visayas due to rains and floods brought by tropical storm "Bebeng" (Aure).
SEVERE RAIN STORMS, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES -
U.S. - Fears are growing among US residents living along the Mississippi River as rising flood waters threaten communities in states from Illinois to Louisiana. Sections of the Mississippi Delta also began to flood early on Friday. The rising waters have ALREADY BROKEN RECORDS SET IN 1927 and 1937. But levees put in place over the past several decades are expected to prevent flooding from being as devastating as it was roughly 80 years ago.
In Tennessee, where officials do not have the authority to order evacuations, emergency responders were said to be handing out flyers on Friday in both English and Spanish that read: "Evacuate!!! Your property is in danger right now." The Mississippi River rose to 45.9ft (13.9m) near Memphis on Friday morning, surpassing the 45.8ft level of a record-setting 1927 flood. The river is expected to crest at 48ft on Wednesday.
Parts of the Mississippi Delta, a small section of land in north-west Mississippi, began to flood early on Friday, forcing animals in the lush region to seek higher ground. Maps released by the US Army Corps of Engineers forecast that flooding could occur across the south Mississippi Delta for the next two weeks. President Barack Obama declared regions in the states of Mississippi, Tennessee and Kentucky disaster areas earlier this week, making the states eligible for federal help with relief efforts. The Army Corps of Engineers have detonated three separate sections of the Birds Points levee in Missouri in the past week in an effort to save communities in Missouri and Illinois.
EXTREME HEAT & DROUGHT / WILDFIRES / CLIMATE CHANGE -
UNITED KINGDOM - Overnight thunderstorms look set to help efforts to control wildfires still raging in parts of the UK. Blazes continue to burn in Berkshire and Lancashire, while fires caused by the recent hot spell have destroyed acres of land in Northern Ireland and parts of the Highlands. Fire crews said Saturday's wet weather had little effect on burning moorlands. Ffres have been raging over a six square-mile area at Belmont for more than a week. Crews have been battling round-the-clock in their efforts to extinguish them, with 25 fire engines still at the scene. THE HOTTEST APRIL ON RECORD, which saw only a fifth of the expected rainfall in England and Wales, has caused vast areas of parched, tinder-dry land to go up in flames across the UK over the past week. Fire crews in Northern Ireland have fought more than 1,000 gorse and forestry fires over the past four days. Around 200 personnel, including soldiers, have battled 255 fires in 31 locations since Tuesday.
