At National Geographic magazine, they’ve been gathering data and talking to scientists about our puzzling weather. They’d like to hear from you as well. What have you experienced where you live? What would you like to ask the experts? Have you changed your expectations for the future? Let them know what you’ve been through and what you think is going on. Send your stories and questions — as well as links to your photos and videos — before the end of November, and they’ll pull it all together for an upcoming article. They’ll also update you as they go along with news and information they turn up. Let’s put our heads together to figure out what’s going on.
with the stoicism of a cow standing in the rain.**
Colin Wilson
LARGEST QUAKES -
This morning -
5.2 OFF EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
5.4 TAIWAN REGION
5.3 NEAR N COAST OF NEW GUINEA, PNG.
Yesterday -
10/29/11 -
5.1 SANTA CRUZ ISLANDS
10/28/11 -
5.5 SERAM, INDONESIA
5.5 NEAR COAST OF CENTRAL PERU
5.0 NEAR COAST OF CENTRAL PERU
6.9 NEAR COAST OF CENTRAL PERU
5.2 KERMADEC ISLANDS REGION
5.2 SOLOMON ISLANDS
5.0 OFFSHORE ATACAMA, CHILE
5.3 FOX ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN ISLANDS
PERU - 6.9 quake destroys 134 homes, injures dozens. Peruvian authorities say 103 people have been treated at hospitals for injuries inthe quake just off the central coast. The earthquake wreaked havoc on Peru, causing a wider radius of action than the 2007 earthquake that killed 596 people.
VOLCANOES -
CHILE - The Hudson Volcano released three huge columns of steam and ash that combined in a cloud more than 3 miles high on Friday, threatening a much larger eruption that had authorities in Chile and Argentina on red alert.
CANARY ISLANDS - El Hierro volcano deep earthquake swarms in the El Golfo area. While the submarine eruption south of El Hierro Island continues, a large number of mostly deep (around 20km) earthquakes of up to 3.3 magnitude have been occurring in the gulf off the NW coast of this island. Friday, IGN listed 63 earthquakes magnitude 4 or above, 27 between 2 and 3 and 32 lower than 2. The strongest was a M3.3 quake at 14:16 UTC. Saturday morning IGN had listed already 32 earthquake, the vast majority with epicenter in the El Golfo area. The tremor of 10:46 UTC was the strongest at M 3.3. It is likely that this is related to magma movements at depth, but at present not a sign that another eruption or a major change in the eruption style could be in the making. However, the situation clearly needs to be followed carefully.
TROPICAL STORMS -
No current tropical storms.
Tropical Storm Rina weakened to a tropical depression Friday after it battered Mexico's Caribbean coast with winds and rain, knocking out power and downing trees in some areas but sparing the resort-studded region major damage. Tropical Storm Rina brushed between Mexico's Caribbean coast and the island of Cozumel Thursday, lashing the area with wind and rain, as the Mexican Navy moved to forcibly evacuate some residents who refused to leave.
SEVERE RAIN STORMS, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES -
THAILAND - Bangkok flood shields survive first peak. The complex network of flood defences erected to shield Thailand's capital from the country's WORST FLOODS IN NEARLY 60 YEARS have been put to the test as coastal high tides hit their peak. No major breaches were immediately reported.
HEAVY SNOW / EXTREME COLD -
Early snow storm wreaks havoc on US east coast - Snow and icy rain have pelted the US east coast, with forecasters warning the "HISTORIC EARLY SEASON" STORM could dump up to a foot (30cm) of snow in some areas. The RARE October snowstorm was wreaking havoc on air and road traffic from Washington to Boston, with the National Weather Service warning that travel at night would be "extremely hazardous." Air travellers were seeing an average delay of six hours on flights. Forecasters issued a winter storm warning for large parts of the northeast, predicting heavy snow, freezing temperatures and strong winds with gusts up to 60 miles per hour (100 km/ph). Up to a foot of snow was expected in parts of Connecticut and New Jersey. In Manhattan, forecasters said up to 10 inches (25cm) could fall. Trees that have yet to shed their leaves toppled from the weight of the snow and knocked out power to thousands of homes. Unseasonably cold air was pouring into the northeast, and deep tropical moisture was set to surge northward along the east coast and "fuel an expanding area of heavy rain and snow". Much of the region was socked in August by Hurricane Irene, whose heavy rains and wind left millions without power, destroyed homes and caused record flooding.
The unseasonable snowstorm has hit the US East Coast, with some areas of New Jersey and Massachusetts seeing around 15in (40cm) of snow. The National Weather Service issued a winter storm warning from Saturday into Sunday and travel conditions may be hazardous. More than 2.2 million people lost their electricity supply from Maryland to Massachusetts. A region of low pressure brewing off the mid-Atlantic coast was expected to produce heavy, wet snow as it moves north-east. The Massachusetts Berkshires, north-western Connecticut and southern New Hampshire are expected to see the heaviest snowfall. "It's going to be wet, sticky and gloppy. It's not going to be a dry, fluffy snow." Winds along the coast could reach 45mph (75km/h), further damaging power lines.
West Milford, New Jersey, about 45 miles (85km) northwest of New York, saw 15.5in of snowfall, and Plainfield, Massachusetts, saw 14.3 inches. In New York City, a NEW RECORD FOR OCTOBER snowfall was set when 1.3in fell in Central Park. "This is VERY, VERY UNUSUAL. It has all the look and feel of a classic mid-winter nor'easter. It's going to be very dangerous." The last time Pennsylvania saw a major storm so early was in 1972. In 1979, southern New England received a record 7.5in of snow in October. "This doesn't mean our winter is going to be terrible. You can't get any correlation from a two-day event."
The RARE October snowstorm barreled up the U.S. East Coast on Saturday causing at least three deaths. New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, and Massachusetts declared weather emergencies because of the storm. "We are expecting the snow to continue to fall from New York City through Maine." Slippery conditions on a roadway caused the crash and death of a man driving in Colchester, Connecticut. In Temple, Pennsylvania, an 84-year-old man was killed when a snow-caked tree fell through his home. And a 20-year-old man was electrocuted in Springfield, Massachusetts when he stepped out of his vehicle and touched an electrified guard rail. Snow was falling from central Pennsylvania well into Massachusetts after blanketing parts of Virginia, West Virginia and Maryland earlier in the day.
While October snow is not unprecedented, this storm could be record-setting in terms of snow totals. The unseasonably early storm broke a snow record that had stood since 1925 for New York's Central Park. New York City was expected to end up with three to six inches (7.5-15 cm) of snow before the storm tapered off on Saturday night. Snow also fell in the U.S. capital, Washington.
Widespread power outages caused by snow, ice and falling trees were reported from the Mid-Atlantic into New England, leaving millions of customers in the dark. In some areas, the outages exceeded those caused by Hurricane Irene, which left some 5 million customers in the dark when it struck the East Coast at the end of August.
Hartford, Connecticut, Allentown, Pennsylvania, and Worcester, Massachusetts were among the cities that could be blanketed with up to a foot (30 cm) of snow. Cities along the East Coast including Allentown, Boston and New York, typically see their first measurable snowfalls late November into mid-December, the Weather Channel said. In Boston, the rain was expected to turn to snow overnight, bringing up to 4 inches (10 cm). Wind gusts along the coast could reach 45 miles per hour (72 kph), adding to the tree limbs and power lines already expected to be down from the heavy, wet snow. "It's a strong storm for October. We don't usually see storms this deep and this strong."
