**Men and nations behave wisely
once they have exhausted all the other alternatives.**
Abba Eban
LARGEST QUAKES so far today -
None 5.0 or higher.
4.5 OFF THE COAST OF NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
Yesterday, 11/3/13 -
5.4 SOUTH SANDWICH ISLANDS REGION
5.2 TONGA
5.5 TONGA
5.9 CELEBES SEA
5.2 RYUKYU ISLANDS, JAPAN
5.2 NEAR THE EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
5.0 NEAR THE S. COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
5.7 NEW BRITAIN, PNG
5.0 KURIL ISLANDS
5.0 WESTERN INDIAN-ANTARCTIC RIDGE
VOLCANOES -
Mount Sinabung volcano erupts in Sumatra, Indonesia - The Mount Sinabung volcano in Karo district of North Sumatra erupted again early Sunday, shooting a column of ash up to 7,000 feet The volcano in western Indonesia erupted twice Sunday, hurling red-hot ash and rocks up to seven kilometres into the air and forcing more than 1,300 people to evacuate. Indonesian authorities evacuated people at four villages within 3 kilometers of Mount Sinabung. The volcano's previous eruption was registered on October 24. The volcano woke up in September after staying dormant for three years.
TROPICAL STORMS -
Current tropical storms - maps and details.
* In the Western Pacific -
- Tropical depression Krosa is located approximately 246 nm south-southeast of Hong Kong.
- Tropical depression Thirty is located 430 nm east of Puerto Princess, Philippines.
- Tropical storm Haiyan is located approximately 829 nm east-southeast of Yap.
* In the Eastern Pacific -
- Tropical storm Sonia is located about 60 mi (95 km) SSW of Culiacan, Mexico.
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Tropical Storm Sonia formed off Mexico's Pacific coast on early Sunday morning in an area that has already been ravaged by Hurricanes Raymond and Manuel. A tropical storm warning extends from Mazatlan northward to Altata along northwest Mexico's mainland.
The tropical West Pacific remains quite active this week, as three systems are currently in the basin with landfall of these storms expected through the week. Currently, there is a tropical system to the south of Hong Kong, the once-typhoon named Krosa, that is expected to strike southern Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia with some rain and threat for flooding Monday into Tuesday.
Another system, currently called Tropical Depression 30W, is located just east of the southern Philippines island of Mindanao, is expected to push over land in the morning hours Monday, before pushing into the South China Sea by late Monday. This is where the storm is expected to develop further and could become a tropical storm or even a typhoon as it pushes westward.
A second landfall of that storm could be over southern Vietnam and Cambodia, bringing with it the possibility of flooding rainfall, stronger winds, coastal flooding, and mudslides. Anyone from Ho Chi Minh City through Hue in Vietnam will have to pay close attention to this storm.
The third, and perhaps most dangerous storm is still in its infancy. That is Tropical Depression 31W (now Tropical Storm Haiyan), which is still several hundred miles east of the Philippines, and even southeast of Guam. This system is expected to push to the west for the next few days as it gains strength over the warm waters of the Pacific. This third storm is the one to watch closely for the Philippines as this will likely strike land late in the week. It is expected to be at least a minimal typhoon as it strikes the central islands of the Philippines, and even has the chance to be a strong typhoon as it moves through. The exact track is still to be determined, but anyone in the Philippines will have to pay close attention to the system over the next few days.
It is expected to bring heavy rainfall for most parts of the Philippines, along with some strong winds and rough seas. There will be a threat for mudslides as several weaker storms over the past few weeks have affected the region and brought heavy rainfall. And with Tropical Depression 30W moving through, even more rain will be added to that total through the week. Once this system strikes the Philippines late this week, there is a chance for another system for next weekend with the West Pacific remaining active.
SEVERE RAIN STORMS, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES -
Tropical Storm Sonia to Help Soak the U. S. Plains - Moisture streaming away from Tropical Storm Sonia will help return soaking rain to the central and southern Plains this week. The center of Sonia will never reach U.S. soil, but its moisture was responsible for ending the weekend with some rain around the Big Bend region of Texas.
Showers will continue to expand across Texas Sunday night through Monday. Tuesday is when the moisture from Sonia will combine with moisture from the Gulf of Mexico and a storm system emerging from the Rockies to produce widespread rain from central Texas to eastern Nebraska and Iowa. Enough cold air will be in place for snow (4-7 inches in some areas) to fall along the rain's northern fringe. Tuesday night through Wednesday, the rain will gradually evolve into a more uniform solid line as it presses eastward into the Midwest and lower Mississippi Valley.
The rain will reach the East Coast Thursday and Thursday night. There is concern for strong wind gusts to accompany the rain across the St. Lawrence Valley and New England. Downpours can accompany the rain along its entire path from the Plains to the East Coast. Such downpours will not only interfere with outdoor plans, but could lead to travel delays.
Widespread flooding problems are not expected, but there could be isolated issues across the Plains Tuesday through Tuesday night if a band of heavy rain develops and sits stubbornly over an area for an extended period of time. The area at greatest risk for this occurring stretches from central Texas to western Iowa. Areas where the ground is still saturated from last week's deluge will be most susceptible to flooding. The rain band after Tuesday night will be moving quick enough to limit flooding issues.
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