There will be no update on Friday, November 25, due to festivities.
**Do you really think it is weakness that yields to temptation?
I tell you that there are terrible temptations which it requires
strength, strength and courage to yield to.**
[Like having a second helping of everything!]
Oscar Wilde
LARGEST QUAKES -
This morning -
5.0 JAVA, INDONESIA
Yesterday -
11/23/11 -
5.8 NEAR EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
5.0 WEST CHILE RISE
5.3 ANTOFAGASTA, CHILE
5.5 CRETE, GREECE
INDIA - Jaitapur nuclear plant site not immune to earthquake say experts. Two leading geologists have warned that a magnitude 6-plus earthquake cannot be ruled out in Jaitapur - the proposed site of India's largest 9900 MW nuclear power plant on the west coast that has seen protests against it for safety reasons.
VOLCANOES -
NORTH KOREA Establishes New Crisis Law. In light of increasing risks of volcanic eruption or earthquakes at North Korea's Mt. Baekdu the communist regime has enacted a new law for disaster recovery and prevention. The Korea Central News Agency reported on Thursday that the new measure is meant to protect life and property of its citizens. The mountain which straddles the border of North Korea and China last erupted in 1903.
TSUNAMI / FREAK WAVES / ABNORMAL TIDES -
The floating debris dispatched to the Pacific in March by the Japan earthquake and tsunami has likely already arrived on the Washington coast but nobody's discovered it yet, says a Seattle oceanographer. The Japan flotsam field is about the size of California, and most of it will take months to arrive. But bigger objects should already have landed, he says. "No reports as yet, though our model shows the larger debris, like boats and big buoys, on our coast as of October 31."
The former University of Washington oceanographer (featured in a 2008 Seattle Weekly cover story about those floating tennis shoes with human feet that washed up on the shores of British Columbia) says his computer simulation puts the Japan flotsam drift on a collision course with the Northwest. By his calculations, the debris has been hitting the coastal shores from Washington to Alaska for more than three weeks. "This is a lot earlier than government predictions because this simulation applies to flotsam drifting at 20 miles per day which thus cross the Pacific in eight months." He endlessly tracks surface currents and watery curiosities such as floating garbage patches and container spills to determine flow patterns. His notable research efforts include mapping the destination of bath toys and sports shoes whose shipping containers tumbled off deck and into the ocean, later washing ashore. In 2003 he accurately projected the land arrival of 5,500 pairs of Nike sports shoes that went overboard in the Pacific. Moochers stormed the coastal beaches, and many indeed found shoes - but, alas, not necessarily in pairs. He's a go-to guy for the media as well, and helped explain the case of seven sports shoes found on beaches in a short period with their owners' feet still attached: Most likely they were the coincidental resurfacing of decomposed remains from assorted drowning victims, not a mass de-footing.
Now he is getting frequent inquiries from reporters asking where the latest debris flow, adrift from Japan since March 11, has gone. He tells them it's just a matter of time before the news begins washing in from his trusted seashore snoops. "I'm hoping the flurry of media attention will cause beachcombers to be on special alert, and report."
TROPICAL STORMS -
In the Pacific -
Tropical storm Kenneth was located about 880 mi. (1415 km) SW of the southern tip of Baja California. Kenneth is forecast to become a tropical depression Thursday night or Friday.
SEVERE RAIN STORMS, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES -
AUSTRALIA - Inland and coastal northern New South Wales is being drenched in its HEAVIEST RAIN IN YEARS with up to 100mm falling in the last 24 hours. More rain is expected today and tomorrow. Warnings of possible flooding have been issued for at least ten areas. "A slow-moving low pressure trough is making the most of a very moist atmosphere, bringing almost constant rain since yesterday morning. The atmosphere hasn't been this moist since at least last summer, it's about as moist as it gets."
Armidale has received 79mm in the last 24 hours, its HIGHEST DAILY TOTAL IN 11 YEARS. Inverell's 56mm is a three-year high. Glen Innes has had its heaviest rain in more than two years, receiving 90mm, which also BREAKS A 130-YEAR NOVEMBER RECORD FOR DAILY RAINFALL. Much of the region missed out on the worst of last summer's flooding which devastated parts of southeast Queensland. Wollomombi gained 108mm in the past 24 hours, its BIGGEST DOWNPOUR IN MORE THAN A DECADE. Further east, Dorrigo also has more than 100mm so far. In the far northeast corner of New South Wales, Murwillumbah received 108mm, a one-year high and its heaviest November rain in 40 years of records. There was a greater than 70% chance of local and main river flooding developing in the Peel and Namoi River Valleys, with moderate to major flooding in the Peel Valley including Nundle and Tamworth, and moderate to major flooding in the Namoi Valley.
"Rain will ease in the region later today as the trough weakens but become heavier again tomorrow as the trough re-intensifies. Further falls in excess of 100mm are highly likely, so the flooding is going to get worse. Some places will record in excess of 200mm by the weekend. People are advised to stay away from creeks and rivers and to be careful on the roads."
HEAVY SNOW / EXTREME COLD -
ALASKA - Spell of unseasonable cold keeps icy grip on Fairbanks. A RECORD-BREAKING DEEP FREEZE that settled on the Interior city eased a bit Tuesday, but temperatures haven't crept above zero since Nov. 13. The lowest lows came last Thursday, hitting 41 degrees below zero.
EXTREME HEAT & DROUGHT / CLIMATE CHANGE -
Thanksgiving Foods Battered by Extreme Weather in U.S. in 2011 - Extreme weather has caused much suffering for people around the globe this year, but what about the food on your Thanksgiving plate? Even holiday foods didn't escape the storms. Hurricanes, droughts and freak snowstorms have swept through the country over this past year, leaving their mark on the supply of favorite Thanksgiving foods. An "extreme pumpkin shortage" was predicted in New York, following Hurricane Irene. In September, the wholesale price for a bin of 32-45 pumpkins had doubled from last year to $150 - $200. In July, scorching heat waves killed off thousands of poultry -- a Kansas couple lost 4,300 turkeys in just one day. Even a cheap splash of wine could be scarce, as California was delivered a late freeze and early rains this year. However, not all is bleak. As yields are down, the quality is predicted to be high. "Without drastic temperature spikes that cause sugar levels to climb too quickly, clusters are spending more time developing flavor nuances on the vine." Vegetable crops also dwindled this year as more than a foot of rain above normal poured over Pennsylvania during the growing season. This is almost double the normal amounts. Heavy rain in the Pacific Northwest also hit the wheat crop. Hurricane Irene hit the vegetable crop in the Northeast.
