**The impossible can always be broken down into possibilities.**
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LARGEST QUAKES so far today -
5.7 FIJI REGION
Yesterday, 3/22/14 -
5.3 KEPULAUAN TALAUD, INDONESIA
5.1 OFFSHORE NAYARIT, MEXICO
5.4 IZU ISLANDS, JAPAN REGION
5.0 OFF COAST OF TARAPACA, CHILE
5.5 OFFSHORE TARAPACA, CHILE
5.2 OFFSHORE TARAPACA, CHILE
6.2 OFFSHORE TARAPACA, CHILE
5.2 SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
5.3 GULF OF CALIFORNIA
3/21/14 -
5.1 NICOBAR ISLANDS, INDIA REGION
5.0 NICOBAR ISLANDS, INDIA REGION
5.3 NICOBAR ISLANDS, INDIA REGION
5.4 NICOBAR ISLANDS, INDIA REGION
6.3 NICOBAR ISLANDS, INDIA REGION
VOLCANOES -
Copahue volcano (Chile) - alert level raised to orange after an increase in seismic activity.
TROPICAL STORMS -
Current tropical storms - maps and details.
* In the Western Pacific -
- Tropical depression Four [Caloy] is located approximately 225 nm northeast of Zamboanga, Philippines. The final advisory has been issued on this system.
* In the Indian Ocean -
- Tropical cyclone Gillian is located approximately 420 nm east of Cocos Island, Australia.
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'Caloy' makes landfall, leaves 1781 passengers stranded - Tropical Depression Caloy made landfall over Mindanao Saturday morning. "Caloy" weakened into a low-pressure area after making landfall over Surigao del Sur Saturday.
Missing Malaysia Airlines jet search threatened by Cyclone Gillian - A cyclone warning has been issued near to where an international search effort is underway to locate possible debris from the missing Malaysia airplane. "A cyclone warning has been declared for Tropical Cyclone Gillian, which is located in the southern corridor." Very strong winds and rough seas were occurring.
Christmas Island awaits cyclone - Residents of Christmas Island are bracing for Tropical Cyclone Gillian, which is packing winds in excess of 125 km/h. The Bureau of Meteorology reported the cyclone was 85km north-northeast of the island about 2am (WST) on Saturday and moving west at 20 km/h.
The bureau warns the storm's high winds and heavy rainfall may persist through Sunday. The Christmas Island Emergency Management Committee advises the island is now on Red Alert. Residents are advised to take shelter immediately; stay inside, in the strongest part of their house or the Evacuation Centre; protect themselves with mattresses, blankets, etc; keep away from doors and windows and keep them closed; park vehicles in the most sheltered area available with handbrake applied; stay indoors until an "ALL CLEAR" message is given.
SEVERE RAIN STORMS, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES -
Huge Washington Landslide Kills Three and Dams a River - Three people were killed and eight injured in a mile-long landslide near Seattle that demolished at least six houses Saturday morning, blocked roads and dammed a river, bringing fears of a major flood.
“First responders heard someone inside screaming for help” as the landslide swept a house onto a road in the community of Oso in Snohomish County at approximately 11 a.m. (2 p.m. ET) Saturday. Among the injured is a 6-month-old in critical condition,. The hospital was also treating a 37-year-old male and an 81-year-old man both in critical condition and a 58-year-old man and a 25-year-old woman in serious condition. Another man brought to Harborview died of his injuries.
The search for survivors continued into the night. Late Saturday, people were still yelling for help. Earlier, the search involved the Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office, Washington State Patrol, Washington Department of Transportation, and Army Corps of Engineers. The Department of Emergency Management, U.S. Navy and local fire departments were also involved in the search.
Portions of State Route 530 were shut down, and the monster mudslide “diverted part of a local river, which started a flood in the area. "Very high potential for fast upstream, downstream flooding. Prep now in case you have to leave quickly," the Snohomish County Government warned in a tweet four hours after the initial slide. Officials said reverse 911 calls were sent warning residents of the danger of flooding from the North Fork Stillaguamish River upstream from the slide, as well as the possibility of flooding 12 miles downstream to Arlington should there be a catastrophic breach by the river.
Hundreds of people could be at risk in the flood plain. "Anyone along the flood plain of the Stillaguamish between Oso and Stanwood should leave." The commander of the Snohomish County Search & Rescue team said that the slide is the largest he's seen in the area in 30 years. The cause of the slide appears to be that the ground was oversaturated by heavy rainfall. Snohomish County RAINFALL ACCUMULATIONS have BROKEN RECORDS FOR THE MONTH OF MARCH. (photo at link)
HEAVY SNOW / EXTREME COLD -
Ireland - One year on from worst blizzard in 50 years. A year ago severe snow storms saw Northern Ireland suffer some of its most extreme weather in 50 years. The storms decimated farms, trapped people indoors for day and buried everything from cars to livestock.
The extreme weather saw snow drifts up to 12ft high. "The snow was a foot higher than the wire fence. It came up to the tops of the trees. We had a lot of sheep buried behind the wire." One farm lost 150 ewes, five rams and six young sheep in the conditions, a significant financial and physical loss.
The blizzard conditions began on Friday, 22 March and continued throughout the weekend. Worst-hit were rural areas near Dromore, Ballyclare, Larne and Downpatrick. By Saturday morning, 35,000 people across Northern Ireland were without power. Cars were buried and people trapped in their homes due to the snow. Many people in remote rural locations were trapped in their homes, as roads were blocked by snow drifts up to 12ft high.
These conditions would remain for days, forcing school closures and causing chaos for travellers. The snow even saw whole cars swallowed by huge banks of snow, as video shows. However, farmers bore the brunt of the conditions. A month after the snow had cleared, the Department of Agriculture reported that 44,000 animal carcasses had been recovered.
Even those livestock that survived were traumatised by the event. "Once we got roads open we were able to get silage and meal to them by the Monday and Tuesday. But it was fully another week before they came onto feed properly. Complete starvation and the hard conditions had given them a colossal shake. It was a very hard knock. We were just absolutely helpless for four days."
Last year's event was even worse than the infamous snow storms of 1963. This year has not seen a repeat of the extreme conditions. "It's unusual to get it two years in a row. Last year was so exceptional it was like a 1 in 50-year event. I'm not expecting to see it again in my lifetime. But you never know."
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