in matters of principle, stand like a rock.**
- Thomas Jefferson
LARGEST QUAKES -
Live Seismograms - Worldwide (update every 30 minutes)
This morning -
5.2 ICELAND REGION (moderate quake swarm)
Yesterday -
10/20/12 -
6.6 VANUATU
10/19/12 -
5.1 SOUTH OF FIJI ISLANDS
5.3 KERMADEC ISLANDS REGION
5.1 EASTERN MEDITERRANEAN SEA
5.0 NEW BRITAIN REGION, P.N.G.
VOLCANOES -
Volcano Webcams
Hawaii - Kilauea lava lake reaches RECORD HEIGHT - The steaming lava lake in a vent near the summit of Hawaii's Mount Kilauea recently hit its highest level since the vent opened in 2008. The record was reached on Oct. 14.
Iceland - No Decision on Raising Katla Volcano Levees. No decision was made at the meeting between a geophysicist, district commissioner of Hvolsvöllur and representatives of the Icelandic Road Administration Wendesday as to whether the levees to the east of Vík should be raised to fend off a glacier outburst caused by a possible eruption in the volcano Katla, which lies underneath the Mýrdalsjökull icecap.
“What is clear is that a simulation of a flood down Mýrdalssandur due to an eruption in Katla was made in 2006 after which it was evaluated that the levees were high enough. However, circumstances may have changed since then - there was a flood in Múlakvísl in 2011 - and the Road Administration is also reviewing the levees because of the construction of a new bridge across Múlakvísl. We will therefore review the simulation and reevaluate whether anything has changed, whether there is reason to take any measures. But under the current circumstances, there’s no reason to [raise the levees]."
TROPICAL STORMS -
No current tropical storms.
99L likely to develop over the Caribbean; 90L over the Atlantic - A low pressure system associated with a tropical wave is over the central Caribbean Sea, well south of Haiti. It has been classified as Invest 99L. Recent satellite image reveals that the disturbance has an appearance of a developing tropical cyclone.
The 2012 Hurricane Season Will Probably See A Second Peak In the Atlantic. - Hurricane Rafael, spawned last week in the eastern Caribbean, is an example of a second peak storm and only the latest cyclone to form in an above-average year. Rafael had characteristics of both early-season and late-season Caribbean cyclones; it formed from a tropical wave, like many storms that originate out in the Atlantic, but curved to the north like a Caribbean cyclone. Hurricane Rafael ended its run as a tropical cyclone thursday (Oct. 18), when it merged with a cold front off the coast of Nova Scotia.
Canada - Newfoundland town hit by Rafael damage. Residents of the small Newfoundland community of Trepassey are reeling in the wake of post-tropical storm Rafael. The storm may not have made landfall in Newfoundland, but it made its presence known on the Southern Shore on Thursday.
SEVERE RAIN STORMS, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES -
France - Rescue services and police are evacuating hundreds of pilgrims from hotels threatened by floodwaters from a rain-swollen river in the Roman Catholic shrine town of Lourdes. The grotto itself was under 1.5 metres of water after the Gave River overran its banks. Visits were temporarily suspended. About 500 people were being evacuated from riverside hotels and more rain was forecast for later on Saturday. Video
At least 7 confirmed tornadoes hit Mississippi in RARE October outbreak - This is ONLY THE SECOND TIME ON RECORD that three strong tornadoes (EF-2+) hit the state during the month of October during one single severe weather event. The all-time standing record there is six strong tornadoes.
EXTREME HEAT & DROUGHT / CLIMATE CHANGE -
U.S. - This summer's drought, the most extensive since the 1950s, affected 80% of U.S. farmland, and the consequence is a corn crop nearly 30% smaller than expected.
Oklahoma - Despite ongoing drought conditions, Oklahoma wheat farmers are nearly finished planting their winter crop and are cautiously optimistic as they see more growth than last year at this time, thanks in part to recent rains. Exceptional drought conditions continue to grip northwest and north central Oklahoma, and the dry weather is costing farmers and ranchers.
Drought strains Minnesota's water resources - Drought conditions are straining water supplies in the Land of 10,000 Lakes, leading Minnesota officials on Thursday to urge residents to cut back on their water use. With rivers and rainfall approaching RECORD LOW LEVELS, state officials said they want homeowners to eliminate "nonessential" water use, such as lawn watering and car washing, and have told farmers to abide strictly by irrigation permits.
2012 Winter Outlook Shows El Nino May Not Relieve The Midwest Drought - Given that the majority of the Lower 48 states are still mired in a major drought, with the latest drought monitor showing a continuous swath of drought stretching from California to Illinois, the forecast offers little hope for significant relief. The Midwest is likely to be warmer and drier than normal in early winter. The long-term drought, combined with unpredictable winds, makes for severe fire danger across the central U.S.
SPACE WEATHER -
ALMOST-X FLARE - Saturday at 1814 UT, Earth-orbiting satellites detected an impulsive M9-class solar flare. The source was an active region just behind the sun's southeastern limb. NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory recorded the extreme ultraviolet flash. Radio blackouts and ionization waves in the upper atmosphere are possible on the dayside of Earth as a result of this event.
HEALTH THREATS -
RECALLS & ALERTS:
- Energizer Holdings Inc. is initiating a voluntary market withdrawal of several Banana Boat sun care products due to a POTENTIAL RISK OF PRODUCT IGNITING ON THE SKIN if contact is made with a source of ignition before the product is completely dry.
