[A lot of the source articles are no longer available, due to news sites making many of their articles available for only a limited time. I have all the URLs though and if you would like any of the links to check or to use as source references, email me(Crystal) at disasterwatch@att.net and I can send them to you.]
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Thursday, June 15, 2006 -
QUAKES -
Largest quakes yesterday -
6/14 -
5.3 NORTHERN SUMATERA, INDONESIA
5.2 NORTHERN SUMATERA, INDONESIA
5.5 E. OF NORTH IS. NEW ZEALAND
5.1 CHAGOS ARCHIPELAGO REGION
5.3 SANTA CRUZ ISLANDS
6.0 RAT ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS
6.3 RAT ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS
TSUNAMI -
OREGON - Planners counting on the availability of Oregon's coastal airports to stage rescues and bring supplies following a major earthquake and tsunami nearby in the Pacific Ocean may want to think twice about such plans. Many of Oregon's coastal airports would be out of commission because of earthquake damage, tsunami inundation and debris, or lack of instrumentation for approaches, according to a survey done by Oregon State University. Research suggests that there have been 23 large earthquakes off the Pacific Northwest coast during the past 10,000 years. At least 16, and possibly 17, of those events have been full ruptures of the fault zone, requiring an earthquake of magnitude 8.5 or better. Such an earthquake likely would uproot highways, destroy bridges and render much of Oregon's Highway 101 unusable for days, or even weeks at a time.
VOLCANOES -
PHILIPPINES - The local government of Sorsogon declared three towns under state of calamity following continued ashfall from Mount Bulusan on Wednesday. At least 30 minor quakes were recorded in Sorsogon after Bulusan's ash explosion Tuesday night. The quakes originated inside the volcano, indicating that a major eruption is likely. PHIVOLCS said if Bulusan explodes it would not be as catastrophic as Mount Pinatubo’s eruption in 1991. Bulusan last erupted in 1995.
Four volcanoes are currently on heightened alert — Mayon in Albay, Bulusan in Sorsogon, Kanlaon in Negros Oriental, and Taal in Batangas — but this is just coincidental. "Physically, each volcano has their own magma chamber. These (magma chambers) are not connected physically." "It just so happened that the (four) volcanoes are active all at the same time." Other active volcanoes in the country which are continuously being monitored include Hibok-Hibok in Camiguin and Pinatubo located on the boundaries of Pampanga, Tarlac, and Zambales.
INDONESIA - Searing hot gas and volcanic debris have forced thousands of villagers to flee the slopes of Mount Merapi. The eruption comes a day after government scientists lowered the alert level at the volcano. The volcano nearly enveloped Kaliadem village, the closest residential area to the peak, just six kilometers away, with a searing gas cloud during the eruption Wednesday, and forced thousands of residents to evacuate just a day after officials lowered the alert level and people returned home. "The situation is ... life-threatening." Five villagers were reported unaccounted for after the eruption. Media reports said that several apparently uninhabited buildings close to the peak had been incinerated. Ash covered one village seven kilometers (4.5 miles) west of the crater with a gray blanket two centimeters (an inch) thick, and a rain of soot continued to fall after dusk across many districts. "A heavy rain of ash and sand poured down on villagers."
TROPICAL STORMS -
Tropical depression ALBERTO was 96 nmi WNW of Wilmington, North Carolina.
If Alberto had struck as a hurricane, it would be have been an alarming start to the season. No hurricane has hit the United States this early in the hurricane season in 40 years.
Tropical Storm Alberto spawned several possible tornadoes, knocked down scores of trees and dumped RECORD AMOUNTS OF RAIN on South Carolina overnight.
The Hurricane Center is eyeing more disturbed weather - With what was once Tropical Storm Alberto fading, the National Hurricane Center in Miami is training its attention on three areas of disturbed weather that could develop further. The trio of weather systems are in the eastern Caribbean. Two of the areas of unsettled weather were "vigorous tropical waves" that came off Africa`s North Atlantic coast. Although tropical storm systems can develop this early in the Atlantic hurricane season, it is UNUSUAL to have this many potential storms coming alive in June.
THUNDERSTORMS / HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING -
BANGLADESH - Heavy monsoon rains and flash floods have inundated homes and crops in northeastern Bangladesh, stranding more than 200,000 people. Many villagers, along with their cattle, were sheltering on higher ground or in concrete school buildings. Floodwaters also submerged roads, rail tracks and ferry terminals, disrupting transportation.
IDAHO - the National Weather Service issued a severe thunderstorm watch for many areas of the Treasure Valley on Tuesday. Some were given a flash-flood watch, while others still were under threat of tornados - events rarely seen in Idaho. "Here in Idaho we don't see this kind of weather pattern very often - FAIRLY RARE for Idaho." It took three events to create the storms - a strong jet stream, moist air mass and low pressure. The combination caused rapid storm development, which created rain and quarter-sized hail. It also set the stage for some RATHER UNUSUAL WEATHER for this part of the country. "Once they develop, we're seeing these storms last a long time. They start to rotate." An F2 tornado hit 10 days ago in the Northern Idaho town of Bear - winds reached between 113 and 157 miles per hour. It was the STRONGEST TWISTER TO HIT IDAHO IN 50 YEARS.
SNOW / COLD -
AUSTRALIA - Adelaide has shivered through its COLDEST NIGHT FOR MORE THAN 25 YEARS with a temperature of 0.2 degrees this morning. That was the coldest overnight temperature since Adelaide recorded -0.4 degrees on June 8, 1982. Many outlying areas were even colder, with the temperature dropping to -1.9 degrees at Parafield Airport in the northern suburbs and the mercury dropping as low as -5 degrees in some towns.
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Wednesday, June 14, 2006 -
QUAKES -
This morning -
A series of quakes in the RAT ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN ISLANDS, ALASKA - the largest were 6.0 and 6.3.
Several quakes in NORTHERN SUMATERA, INDONESIA - 5.2 and 5.3.
Largest quakes yesterday -
6/13 -
5.0 HOKKAIDO, JAPAN, REGION
INDONESIA - The earthquake that hit Indonesia at the end of May has caused more damage than the tsunami of 2004. The impact of the Java earthquake was much worse than first thought and could be considered as ONE OF THE WORST NATURAL DISASTERS OF THE PAST 10 YEARS. Damage estimates amount to 3.1 billion dollars, more than double initial assessments. The cost of damages from the tsunami was 2.2 billion dollars. Although the death toll (5,800) is lower than that of the 2004 tsunami or the 2005 earthquake in Kashmir, the cost of damaged housing is far greater. Estimates of damage done to buildings are rising: 157,000 homes have been flattened (30,000 more than those destroyed in the wake of the 2004 tsunami wave), 184,000 were severely damaged and 259,000 partially so. Around 420,000 people are homeless.
VOLCANOES -
PHILIPPINES - The aerial survey conducted over Mount Bulusan in Sorsogon province has confirmed coalesced craters, fissures and voluminous ashes along its slopes, which volcanologists said are new to the physical traits of the volcano. The team had also observed a very visible long fissure at the northern slope of the volcano where steam emission was noted. They cannot tell yet how much risk these recent changes in the surface of Bulusan volcano might pose to the residents down the slopes until a re-mapping is done.
INDONESIA - An Indonesian state agency monitoring Mount Merapi has lowered the volcano's alert status after emissions decreased in recent days. "Merapi's status was lowered from 'alert' to 'prepared'.
TROPICAL STORMS -
Tropical storm ALBERTO was 54 nmi WNW of Savannah, Georgia.
The first tropical storm of the season raked northern Florida with rain and powerful wind gusts Tuesday but didn‘t blow up into a hurricane as forecasters had feared. The storm‘s top sustained winds were 50 mph, well below the 74 mph threshold for a hurricane. The minimum for a named storm is 39 mph. "The big concern now is going to be shifting to the rainfall and the tornado threat as it moves along the southeastern (U.S.) coast line."
Alberto - The fact that a hurricane could have been headed for Florida so early in the storm season is not all that unusual, the National Weather Service says. “There’s a peak in storm activity that usually falls around the 20th, so we might be a week early. It’s nothing all that unusual.” They acknowledged that the storm formed relatively close to shore, but again, they said, that’s no big surprise. “The area of circulation was pretty broad.”
Florida is too 'unpredictable' for some insurance companies - Many of the companies that continue to insure property now insist it be one, two, three or as many as 10 miles away from the ocean, and they must be homes that meet the Florida building code of 2001. If the companies write contracts at all, they are requiring a 300 - 400% increase in premium because of the cost of reinsurance. The total value of insured coastal exposure in Florida is $1,937.3 billion. People are not leaving the state, but instead the population is growing, with Florida having some of the fastest growing counties in the nation, adding to the density along the coastlines. The forecast for the 2006 hurricane season calls for a 195 percent increase in tropical cyclone activity. The Weather Channel has stated that conditions are ripe for a hurricane category 8. "That's a tornado the size of a hurricane. Evacuate early. Shutters don't matter. Get to middle America before you stop running. Go farther than where you evacuated before because a lot of Katrina folks are still there." If something like Katrina hits here, residents should evacuate to a location where they are likely to be for six months to a year. "Take all your tools, so you can make a living in your new location."
THUNDERSTORMS / HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING -
CHINA - More flash floods caused by heavy rains left at least 19 people dead and 31 others missing in southwest China. Sudden downpours hit the province yesterday and continued for four hours causing several flash floods in the mountainous region of Guizhou province. A number of houses were also reported to have been washed away. The deaths come after at least 93 people were reported to have died over the past two weeks in torrential rains that have battered southern China. Some 12 million people have been affected by rains, floods and landslides.
BRITAIN - Hailstones the size of golf balls rained down on Coventry as a FREAK STORM hit the city Monday afternoon. Weather experts said they had seen NOTHING LIKE IT IN 40 YEARS. One said the hailstones were the largest he had seen since he began recording the weather in 1967. "They were an inch across, which is getting on for golfball-sized. They are the biggest hailstones I have ever recorded by a long, long way. For this region they were phenomenal." The storm, just after 4pm, lasted about 15 minutes and the huge volume of rain which followed caused flash flooding in some parts of the city. (photo)
OREGON - homes, windows, trees, backyards, crops and dozens, if not hundreds, of vehicles were smashed, dented and damaged by a barrage of large golf ball-sized hailstones - some up to two inches in diameter - Monday afternoon. Long-time residents said they had never seen a storm like this one. At least two cell-phone companies had service interruptions for several hours after the event. Three boaters reported being stranded on Ochoco Reservoir due to high, 6- to 8-foot waves. Strong winds also downed trees. A spotter reported 1.5 inches of rain in 20 minutes as flooding damaged area fences and roads in the WORST STORM SEEN BY THE OBSERVER IN 20 YEARS.
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Tuesday, June 13, 2006 -
QUAKES -
Largest quakes yesterday -
6/12 -
None 5.0 or over.
JAPAN - the strong 6.2 earthquake that struck south-western Japan on Sunday, shaking major cities including Hiroshima, injured at least five people. Its epicentre was in Oita prefecture, about 800km (500 miles) south-west of Tokyo. The quake halted local rail services. The tremor was nearly the same magnitude as last month's earthquake in the Indonesian city of Yogyakarta, which had a magnitude of 6.3. But Japan has developed much of its infrastructure to withstand tremors. The Japan Meteorological Agency said it did not expect any major aftershocks.
VOLCANOES -
JAPAN - vulcanologists have warned of more eruptions at Sakurajima volcano on the southern island of Kyushu, as volcanic activity has been intensifying at one of its craters. The Meteorological Agency has issued a bulletin warning of a high possibility of eruptions at the Showa vent, one of the craters on Sakurajima, about 1,000 km (600 miles) southwest of Tokyo. The agency upgraded the volcano to level three, or "active", from two, or "relatively moderate", on its volcanic activity scale of six. The Showa crater had a minor eruption last Wednesday, spewing smoke hundreds of meters (yards) into the air. There was a separate eruption at the Minamidake peak on Sakurajima on Monday, spouting a column of smoke about 2,000 meters into the air. Minamidake has frequently erupted, showering nearby fields with ash.
PHILIPPINES - Residents living near Mount Bulusan in Sorsogon abandoned their homes Monday for fear of another volcanic eruption. At least five families packed their bags, belongings and appliances aboard tricycles in Barangay Cogon in Irosin town. The evacuation took place as residents said the air they were breathing contained traces of sulfur, a sign that the volcano could erupt anytime. Some residents became ill after a month-long exposure to air mixed with ash.
Evacuees said they saw a “crack” in the volcano fronting their houses through which lava could flow. The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology discovered a fifth crater on the volcano during the aerial survey. Based on the aerial survey of the summit and areas around the volcano yesterday morning, a magmatic eruption is not imminent. Although steaming explosion pits were seen, there were no lava extrusions observed on the summit.
While the Bulusan volcano in Sorsogon remained quiet yesterday, Negros island’s Kanlaon volcano showed a period of unrest as another episode of steam and ash emissions occurred yesterday morning. The steam-ash emission, the third in Kanlaon for this month, indicated that the volcano is "undergoing hydrothermal activity at very shallow levels near the crater." Its current status is at zero or 'no-alert' level status. Aside from the Kanlaon and Bulusan volcanoes, other Philippine volcanoes on heightened alert status include Mayon in Albay province, which exhibited five low frequency volcanic earthquakes and two low frequency short duration harmonic tremors yesterday; and Taal Volcano, which registered two high frequency volcanic earthquakes yesterday. Both Mayon and Taal are on Alert Level 1 status.
PERU - Increased activity at Ubinas volcano prompted the evacuation of 408 villagers over the weekend. Another 150 families were evacuated yesterday. The villagers will be allowed to return to their homes if the threat decreases. Winds have carried smoke and volcanic ash into the neighboring highland region of Puno, where residents have complained of headaches and stomachaches. Seismic activity has been mounting since February at the volcano, about 470 miles southeast of the Peruvian capital of Lima. Ubinas erupted April 14, sending a column of ash some 2,600 feet into the air.
TROPICAL STORMS -
Tropical storm ALBERTO was 82 nmi SSE of Apalachicola, Florida. Winds had been 70 mph, just 4 mph shy of hurricane strength, but with dry air overtaking the center of circulation, Alberto's chances of becoming a hurricane are evaporating. Alberto will circle over land for much of the next 36 hours. There is some possiblility of onshore winds of tropical storm force to the north along the Atlantic coast.
Tropical Storm Alberto was on the verge of becoming the first hurricane of 2006 on Monday as it spun over the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico and began to lash the northwest Florida shore. Anxious officials ordered 21 thousand residents to evacuate barrier islands, flood plains and trailer parks as the storm's maximum sustained winds accelerated to near 70 miles per hour (110 kph). Tropical storm-force wind stretched up to 230 miles from the center. The outer fringes of the storm gusted ashore with sheets of rain and forecasters at the National Hurricane Center said its core would move over northern Florida by daybreak. Storm surge flooding up to 10 feet above normal tide levels was expected across much of the Gulf coast.
THUNDERSTORMS / HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING -
SOUTH AFRICA - After torrential overnight rain, more cold, wet and windy weather is expected in Cape Town over the next two days as a cut-off low pressure system makes its way across the city. Forecasters say this "RATHER UNUSUAL" low pressure system brings cold and cloudy weather with a possibility of thunderstorms on high ground.
SNOW / COLD -
NEW ZEALAND - Some parts of the region experienced their DEEPEST SNOWFALLS FOR MORE THAN 30 YEARS. The MetService is under fire after failing to warn Cantabrians of heavy snow to sea level – until there was already half a metre lying on the ground. The heavy snow in Canterbury and a landslip in the Buller Gorge had closed almost all South Island rail lines. Some highway traffic was at a standstill. In the North Island, too, the weather was wreaking havoc. A Chinese sailor was swept overboard south of the Wellington Harbour entrance as strong southerlies and big seas hit the capital. Flooding also caused problems in some parts of the city. Some roofs and verandahs in Timaru's central business district collapsed under the weight of the snow. Thousands of houses and rural properties went without power as the snow toppled trees, snapped branches and brought down power lines throughout the province. In the 30 hours to 3pm Monday, Greymouth was soaked in 186mm of rain, the most since 2000. Near gale-force winds sent rain flying horizontally off roofs, giving Greymouth THE WORST STORM IN AT LEAST 15 YEARS. Storm-driven waves threatened cars and waves also battered at the new sea wall protecting homes in Ruby Bay, Tasman.
There is a warning this winter could be a big one for avalanches in the wake of an avalanche alert for the Mount Cook region. Up to two metres of snow was dumped on the Main Divide over 36 hours, making conditions extremely dangerous. The New Zealand Mountain Safety Council is warning against all back country travel.
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Monday, June 12, 2006 -
QUAKES -
Largest quakes yesterday -
6/11 -
5.9 KYUSHU, JAPAN
5.2 FIJI ISLANDS REGION
TSUNAMI -
HAWAII - A national advocacy group and some of the scientists at the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center are raising concerns over the facility's planned move to Pearl Harbor because it would be too close to sea level, putting it at greater risk of being hit by a powerful wave. "One does not have to be a geophysicist to question the wisdom of placing a key component of our tsunami warning system on a harbor island only a few feet above sea level. By putting the tsunami warning center on a harbor island, NOAA is tending its own bureaucratic turf at the expense of public safety." NOAA is expected to break ground in August on its $240 million regional campus on Ford Island, which will consolidate the agency's various offices across Oahu at one site by 2011. "Consolidating NOAA's operations in Hawaii "has a certain bureaucratic attractiveness, but from the point of view of readiness, it's asinine." Scientists at the tsunami center object to the move because of a host of operational and logistical problems and the possibly of nullifying much of the benefit from the $16.7 million currently being spent to upgrade its system.
VOLCANOES -
INDONESIA - A massive blast of searing gas has collapsed a portion of Mount Merapi's unstable lava dome, easing pressure that threatened a full-blown eruption - but the Indonesian volcano could still be deadly. A huge superheated cloud - the biggest of the year on Indonesia's most dangerous volcano - brought down a section of the dome Friday. The blast allowed red-hot lava and scorching gas to escape into a newly formed crater, relieving pressure and lowering the possibility of the dome's complete collapse, which many feared could trigger a major eruption. "Now that the magma can flow out into the new crater, the dome will become much more stable." Merapi is still at its highest alert as a crack at the bottom of the dome's southern foot has widened, threatening more powerful surges of superheated gas. Merapi shot out more than 80 bursts of red-hot lava Sunday, along with two deadly clouds of hot gas that churned down the mountain. On Saturday 43 searing gas clouds steamed down the mountain.
TROPICAL STORMS -
Tropical storm ALBERTO was 260 nmi NNW of Cancun, Mexico and 303 nmi SSE of New Orleans, Louisiana.
Tropical storm Alberto has brought heavy rains to Cuba, dropping as much as 20 inches (50cm) on western areas of the country. State TV showed pictures of extensive flooding, with one resident of Juventud island saying he had not seen water levels so high in 30 years. Alberto is the first named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season. It is expected to veer towards Florida in the next few days, but is considered unlikely to strengthen significantly. Florida expects rainfall of four to eight inches today.
What is UNUSUAL about the storm is not its strength, but its width. "The strongest winds in this tropical storm are well removed from the centre and extend mainly eastward up to 370km." Cuban Civil Defence officials evacuated 25,000 persons from low-lying areas in Pinar del Rio in western Cuba. The Isle of Youth south of Havana is cut off from air and sea transportation because of heavy rains. In the past two weeks, torrential rains killed seven people in Havana and two others in the eastern part of the country.
THUNDERSTORMS / HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING -
UTAH - An UNUSUAL bout of June thunderstorms plagued much of northern Utah during the past three days - but dry, hot weather is on the return. Tree limbs were reported down, there was damage to outside patio furniture and flying trampolines were reported. At least six consecutive hours of continuous thunder and lightning were noted across Utah Valley on Friday evening. Strong wind gusts and large hail occurred in or near many towns on Friday.
NEW ZEALAND - Galeforce winds are battering the North Island and heavy snow has paralysed much of the South Island as wintry weather swept the country overnight. Powerlines were arcing in high wind. While gale conditions weren't particularly unusual for the Bay of Plenty, the weather situation for the country as a whole was OUT OF THE ORDINARY. "Nationwide it is an UNUSUAL SITUATION. It is not often we get storms that affect the whole country." Heavy rain is forecast for later today bringing flooding.
LANDSLIDE -
CALIFORNIA - A landslide blocking Highway 140 near El Portal and the Yosemite National Park's western entrance could take more than a year to clear, leading officials to consider building an alternate road or bridge. To complicate matters, the 600-foot wide slide is still moving. "Everyday, we've got rocks as big as Volkswagens coming down." The Ferguson Slide started with chunks of rock and dirt falling onto the freeway in April. By the third week of May, 2 million to 3 million cubic yards of the mountainside had slid over a 600-yard section of the highway. Rock and sediment is still slipping downhill and 300 million cubic yards of the material could still fall, blocking the Merced River and potentially cause flooding.
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Sunday, June 11, 2006 -
QUAKES -
Largest quakes yesterday -
6/10 -
5.2 PHILIPPINE ISLANDS REGION
5.6 FIJI ISLANDS REGION
6/9 -
5.7 PRINCE EDWARD IS. SOUTH AFRICA
5.4 FIJI ISLANDS REGION
5.0 SOUTH OF FIJI ISLANDS
6.1 FIJI ISLANDS REGION
VOLCANOES -
PHILIPPINES - A farmer died of an asthma attack from exposure to volcanic ash even as the government suspended classes in 23 elementary and high schools in Sorsogon following Bulusan’s series of explosions on Wednesday. The government also declared Casiguran town in a state of calamity as ashfalls continued to affect it and other towns including Escuala, Mabini, San Juan, Tigbao, San Francisco, Inlagadian and Kasay. Ash from Bulusan damaged a number of houses in villages surrounding the mountain, but residents were unharmed and staying put. Scientists recorded zero visibility in several places in Casiguran on Wednesday caused by thick volcanic ash from the series of explosions. Preparations were under way to evacuate about 8,000 residents from at least seven villages in case of a major eruption.
INDONESIA - More eruptions are being reported from Indonesia's Mount Merapi volcano. It spewed out more lava and hot clouds of gas at least five times on Saturday. Scientists say they aren't sure if the activity means a major eruption is imminent.
WASHINGTON - A small earthquake, followed by a steam and ash plume, was reported at Mount St. Helens late Friday night. The quake, probably caused by a large rockfall in the southwest Washington volcano's crater, was recorded at 9:05 p.m. PDT. A plume of steam and ash rose to an altitude of about 15,000 feet. A similar event on May 29 melted some snow and ice in the crater and also sent up a plume to about the same altitude. Seismic activity at the mountain quickly returned to normal.
TROPICAL STORMS -
Tropical depression 01 was 138 nmi NNE of Cancun, Mexico and 209 nmi W of Havana, Cuba. Projected path.
Tropical Depression One formed 45 miles off the western coast of Cuba about 9 a.m. Saturday. The storm is forecast to make landfall in northern Florida sometime Monday, bringing four to eight inches of precipitation but isn't expected to become a hurricane. Historically, storms that form in June tend not to be severe. Wind speeds are expected to reach tropical storm level of 39 miles (63 kilometers) per hour by this morning. Once winds reach that speed, it will take the first name of the season, Alberto. There is less than a 25 percent chance the storm's winds will reach hurricane-level speeds of 75 miles an hour. Grand Cayman Island has reported 22.72 inches of rain in the past 24 hours, and Cuba is expected to get as much as 30 inches of rain, causing flooding and mudslides.
FLORIDA - A huge sandstorm that blew off the African west coast last week is approaching the area as well. This could create a deep red sun at sunset, but also brings iron particles that are believed to help trigger red tide blooms off the coast.
LOUISIANA - History shows that in more than 150 years, a hurricane has never approached New Orleans in June, and only four tropical storms have hit the area in early summer. Activity picks up in July but, traditionally, the worst storms to rake Louisiana occur from mid-August to late September.
THUNDERSTORMS / HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING -
TAIWAN - Days of torrential rain have caused flooding and landslides across Taiwan that washed away homes, cut roads and yesterday derailed a train, stranding hundreds of people. Television footage showed collapsed houses in mountainous areas that had been partially washed away by mudslides. Mudslides blocked roads and left hundreds stranded in mountain areas.
CHINA - nine hours of torrential rain caused a series of landslides in Wuzhou, a city in the Guangxi region. Around 15,000 people had to leave the city as nearly 2,000 houses collapsed. More heavy rain has been predicted in southern China, and local governments are preparing for mudslides and landslides.
Heavy and persistent rain has once again lashed through Hong Kong, breaking up roads, disrupting school classes and adding to the workload of workers still trying to repair the damage caused by last week's heavy downpour. Exactly one week ago on Friday, torrential rain drew a red rainstorm warning. Friday's rain drew a black rainstorm warning in the morning. The Hong Kong Observatory said Friday thunderstorms and heavy rain were likely to continue for the next two days and it will not be until Tuesday that residents might get to see a clear sky. The areas that were worst affected last week were hit once again. The New Territories received the most rainfall, with more than 200 millimeters in Sai Kung and 180mm in Tuen Mun. The the rest of Hong Kong saw 100mm.
INDIA - Hundreds of people in the Bihar capital are struggling to cope with water logging caused by three days of continuous heavy rains. Patna recorded more than 22 centimetres of rainfall in past 36 hours alone - A NEW RECORD in the last 20 years. Meanwhile, an 11-year-old girl in Rajendra Nagar, another posh locality, reportedly drowned in the floodwater. Dead animals were also seen floating in the water. The monsoons arrived a week before they were expected.
WIND -
IDAHO - The tornado that knocked down 5,000 acres of forest land outside Council last Sunday may have been even more UNUSUAL than initially suspected. Weather experts believe the tornado may have had wind speeds between 112 and 157 mph, making it an F-2 tornado. The tornado hit the tiny community Bear on Sunday morning and spanned 12 miles in length and up to half a mile in width.
NEW MEXICO - Microbursts hit Gallup Tuesday afternoon, knocking out power to neighborhoods with wind speeds of 100 mph. They died down within two miles after lasting only a matter of minutes. After more than 30 years in the utility business, a superintendent said, "This is probably one of the worst incidents I've dealt with." The microbursts reportedly hit just around the close of regular business hours Tuesday, knocking down three power line poles on the west end of town. At approximately the same time, another microburst hit the east end of town, knocking down a couple of poles at first and eventually downing six, almost seven. The power line poles are 20 inches in diameter, and buried more than six-and-a-half feet deep. The bursts also destroyed one set of stalls and damaged the roof on another at Red Rock Park.
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Friday, June 9, 2006 -
QUAKES -
Largest quakes yesterday -
6/8 -
5.0 NORTHERN SUMATERA, INDONESIA
5.1 FRENCH GUIANA
5.1 FIJI ISLANDS REGION
VOLCANOES -
JAPAN - At Sakurajima volcano, more than 7,300 explosive eruptions have been recorded in the past 45 years, but Wednesday was the first time for six decades that it has erupted on its eastern flank. "We have not seen any change in seismic activity, and no sudden explosive eruptions are foreseeable at this moment, but we are nevertheless keeping a close eye." Japan's Miyakejima volcano in the Izu Islands (180 kilometres east of Tokyo) and Meakandake volcano in the northern region of Hokkaido have also begun stirring. The last major eruption at Miyakejima Island occurred in 2000, which forced all islanders to evacuate.
INDONESIA - A shower of hot gas and ash from Indonesia's Mount Merapi has sent more than 15,000 villagers scrambling for safety. The volcano has been venting steam and ash for weeks, but Thursday morning’s burst was the largest yet. A volcanologist said Merapi sent billowing, dark gray clouds avalanching more than three miles down its slopes. It was one of a series of powerful explosions, some spewing columns of ash 1 1/2 kilometres high.
Terrified villagers fled to safety. Some jumped into rivers to escape the searing heat, while others dashed down the volcano or clambered onto the backs of trucks. Farmers carrying heaps of grass on their head ran down the mountain beneath a rain of ash, as others zipped off on motorcycles. Women clutched children as they jumped into trucks and cars, wiping away tears when they reached emergency shelters. "I thought, this is it. We ran as fast as we could." A shallow 4.2-magnitude aftershock Thursday, 27 kilometres south of the peak, may have speeded things along.
PHILIPPINES - The Philippines raised the alert level on one of its most active volcanoes and warned residents on Thursday to stay away from the mountain after its crater belched ash clouds. Bulusan volcano in central Philippines spewed ash nearly 2 km (1 mile) high, prompting authorities to raise the alert level to 2 from 1, ordered in March when ash first began flowing from its crater. "We are seeing an increasing frequency of ash explosions." In nearby Casiguran town, thousands of face masks were distributed to residents after volcanic ash fell on homes in the coastal community's 25 villages. Schools were closed and the Office of Civil Defence urged residents not to drink ground water because of possible contamination. At level 3 an explosion is considered possible, at level 4 it is seen as likely and at level 5, the highest alert, an eruption has occurred with lava flows or ash columns reaching 6 km. Officials said as many as 50,000 people would be evacuated in case of a major volcanic eruption. Bulusan has had five ash eruptions since March.
WANT TO KNOW where a rumbling volcano is likely to split at the seams? Look for the tallest and greenest plants. Vigorous plant growth on the flanks of a volcano like that at Rabaul in Papua New Guinea, Mount Etna in Sicily and Mount Nyiragongo in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, can indicate where magma is most likely to spurt out. Satellite images reveal that shrubs and trees grow taller and greener along stripes where the volcano eventually ruptures. These changes were visible up to two years before the eruptions. Theories for why this pattern of growth occurs include better water supply in the cracks where the plants grow, and more carbon dioxide seeping out of the ground.
TROPICAL STORMS -
Possible tropical storm in the Gulf of Mexico this weekend? "A broad area of low pressure that we have been watching and speculating on since Monday is showing some signs of organization. ... Computer models are showing various ideas on this and just about every model now shows some kind of low pressure area near the Yucatan by the end of this weekend. Our current feeling is that if the shear can drop off enough we could have a developing tropical system by the end of the weekend." Tropical Storm Arlene, which rang in the memorable 2005 season at this time last year, started in much the same area that everyone's watching.
THUNDERSTORMS / HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING -
CHINA - The bank of a rain-swollen river collapsed early Thursday in southern China, flooding 11 villages filled with sleeping people, causing an unknown number of deaths and injuries. Some 3,500 families lived in the villages, parts of which were covered in as much as two metres of water. The river bank collapse in Fujian province comes amid what the government says is the WORST SUMMER FLOODING IN PARTS OF CHINA IN THREEE DECADES. At least 55 people have been killed and 12 are missing in Fujian and two other provinces since late May from heavy rains that have caused floods and landslides and washed away part of a rail-link between Beijing and Hong Kong. Across southern China, at least 378,000 people have already been evacuated from the provinces of Fujian, Guangdong and Guizhou due to floods prompted by an UNUSUALLY HEAVY seasonal monsoon. China suffers hundreds of deaths every year in floods set off during the June-to-August rainy season, although the season's first storm arrived UNUSUALLY EARLY this year.
MASSACHUSETTS - the storm that formed Tuesday off the coast of North Carolina followed a track similar to many WINTER storms. A spring nor'easter delivered a potent one-two punch to SouthCoast, dumping more than 5 inches of rain, flooding streets and soaking basements. "It has been brutal." Coupled with the torrential rains were sustained winds of 24 mph out of the northeast. At one point, rain fell at the rate of a half-inch to three-quarters of an inch per hour. "It's a classic WINTER storm system. If this was January or February, we would be talking about a heck of a lot of snow." "This is not like a summer storm." The rains added to the already heavy rainfall totals that have fallen on SouthCoast recently. In New Bedford, for example, the total rainfall for May was 7.49 inches, almost 4 inches above the norm. It was the second-wettest May since record-keeping began. As of Wednesday, the total rainfall to date in New Bedford for June was nearly 7 inches, 6 inches above the norm. It is already the seventh wettest June on record. And more rain appears to be in the forecast for the next few days. "It's not doing what it's supposed to be doing. The summer weather pattern hasn't locked in yet." Some see it as "precursor of things to come. "It should be a warning to people along the Northeast coast", as hurricane season started June 1. "Our time has come. We just have a bad pattern here that I don't like. This is a tropical storm wannabe. It did everything it could to be a hurricane — the moisture, the weather pattern, the jet stream."
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Thursday, June 8, 2006 -
QUAKES -
Largest quakes yesterday -
6/7 -
5.5 SOUTH OF FIJI ISLANDS
5.0 SE.OF LOYALTY ISLANDS
AFTERSHOCKS from earthquakes may strike much farther than previously thought. A new analysis of earthquake data indicates that aftershocks are triggered by the shaking associated with the mainshock, rather than by the added stress on nearby faults resulting from rearrangement of the Earth's crust. The triggering of aftershocks by shaking may seem obvious, but is in fact a surprising result. "The problem is that it's not clear how shaking can trigger an aftershock that doesn't happen right away, but happens a day or two after the earthquake. That's why most seismologists have thought that aftershocks are triggered by static stress resulting from the movement of the crust." Analysis of Californian aftershocks showed that their seismic signature took an unexpectedly long time to fade, a telltale "decay" that is the hallmark of a shake rather than a push. This dynamic stress can radiate for long distances. An aftershock can on occasions be larger than the main one. Homes that are located far beyond an immediate earthquake zone may still be vulnerable to a long-range aftershock.
VOLCANOES -
JAPAN - Mount Sakurajima volcano erupted in southern Japan Wednesday, spewing a plume of smoke about 1,000 meters into the air. There were no reports of damage or injuries. The eruption registered as moderate for both the sound and the strength of the tremors it caused. The eruption followed several smaller ones in recent days, but there was no other significant change in volcanic activity. "We do not believe that a large-scale eruption is imminent."
NEW ZEALAND - Scientists are monitoring Mount Ngauruhoe, one of New Zealand's most active volcanoes, after seismographs showed a significant rise in the frequency and magnitude of earthquakes in the area. On Wednesday, the volcano's alert level was raised from zero to one, and hikers were warned to stay away from the crater. Ngauruhoe periodically emits steam and gas but has not erupted since February 1975. There was no sign of an imminent eruption. Mount Ruapehu, 16 kilometres from Ngauruhoe, last erupted in 1995, and has been on alert level one since October 1997.
THUNDERSTORMS / HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING -
ARIZONA - is experiencing an UNUSUAL dust and thunderstorm pattern. The National Weather Service predicts on-and-off cloudy, humid weather to continue through Friday. That pattern will give way to more traditional dry weather by the weekend. "To be seeing this type of weather in June is HIGHLY UNUSUAL. This hasn’t been seen in a number of years.” Traditionally, the Arizona monsoon of regular thunder and dust storms begins in early-to-mid July.
WIND -
HAWAII - the tradewinds have temporarily stopped altogether. They had been sputtering lately. They normally act like a natural air conditioner for Hawaii and with summer almost here, the return of the tradewinds would be a welcome relief. "Usually in the summertime, the tradewinds are usually at its steadiest. The fact that the winds are light and we lost the tradewinds altogether is PRETTY UNUSUAL." The light tradewinds are predicted to fade even more in the next few days, but are expected to pick up by Saturday. From the heavy rains that pounded the isles earlier this year to the UNUSUALLY LIGHT tradewinds now, "it's been a year of extremes." In March, we had persistent low pressure and it just stayed there on the west of the isles that brought a lot of rain. What we're seeing now is a weakening of the trades and the ridge of high pressure that is UNUSUALLY CLOSE to us for this time of year." This type of weather is normally seen during the winter season. "The lows in the front are further south than they normally are for this time of year. The ridge that produces the tradewinds are also further to the south." At some point, normal tradewinds should return. "The weather has been very extreme. Either it is too wet or too dry." "Sometimes, we're watering twice a day, which is UNUSUAL for this time of year."
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Wednesday, June 7, 2006 -
QUAKES -
Largest quakes yesterday -
6/6 -
5.0 NORTHERN SUMATERA, INDONESIA
5.0 IRAN-IRAQ BORDER REGION
5.0 MEXICO-GUATEMALA BORDER REGION
5.0 FIJI ISLANDS REGION
PHILIPPINES - An earthquake with a magnitude of 7.2 on the Richter Scale is overdue and could hit the country soon and affect at least 38 percent of all residential buildings in Metro Manila, the government said yesterday. “The last strong quake to hit us was in 1994. With time, the possibility of being hit by a strong earthquake is increasing.” 90 strong quakes had been recorded here over the last 400 years, or a statistical average of one major quake every four to five years. But no strong quake has been recorded for a decade after the 1994 quake in Mindoro that killed at least 78 people. Scientists say that an earthquake similar to the one that struck Indonesia last month and killed 3,000 people could also strike here.
VOLCANOES -
PHILIPPINES - Legazpi City officials and their disaster management offices are updating contingency plans for the impending major eruption of Mount Bulusan. Mount Bulusan is under alert level 1 and the four-kilometer permanent danger warning is in effect. An eruption would affect about 45,000 residents.
Mt. Kanlaon - Mountain climbers and other trekkers have been advised to defer any planned climbs at the Mt. Kanlaon park area until further notice after Mt. Kanlaon emitted smoke over the weekend. The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology, in an advisory released Monday, also reminded people that the four-kilometer permanent danger zone of Kanlaon Volcano on Negros Island remained off limits to the public, particularly at this time when sudden ash and steam explosions might occur anytime. Kanlaon Volcano briefly emitted steam and ash Saturday afternoon but the Phivolcs has not raised any alert level yet. Ash deposits were confined to the upper northwest slope of the volcano.
INDONESIA has evacuated about 2,000 people from areas at risk from the volcano spewing hot gas and lava, and expects to move thousands more amid signs of increased activity from Mount Merapi. "The lava has spread out in various directions. The lava domes are weakening. Since Monday we have evacuated ... more or less 2000 people. The people that we need to evacuate are around 11,000." The volcano threatens some of the same areas near the ancient royal capital of Yogyakarta that were hit by the May 27 earthquake which killed 5782 people. Today a cloud of gas from Mount Merapi stretched for four km and lava flows had spread up to seven kilometres from the crater.
WIND -
SLOVAKIA - Forest managers were assessing the damage Tuesday caused by a windstorm that flattened at least 7,000 trees in Slovakia's High Tatras National Park. Rugged terrain and bad weather in the area affected by last Friday's storm, around the Strbske Pleso resort, was hindering efforts to obtain a complete damage report. The toll from wind gusts was the highest since a freak windstorm in November 2004 toppled 120 square kilometres of conifer trees in the region. The catastrophic storm two years ago devastated the park in northern Slovakia, which includes a small but dramatic range of Alps-like mountains, and was partly blamed on the area's monoculture of spruce trees.
SNOW / COLD -
ALASKA - A rare June frost damaged vegetables planted by commercial growers in Fairbanks. The temperature at Fairbanks International Airport dropped to 29 degrees early Sunday morning, BREAKING THE OLD RECORD of 33 degrees in 1982. Several areas around Fairbanks reported below-freezing temperatures Monday. "I haven't ever seen temperatures this cold at this time of year. Usually if you get down to 26 or 27 degrees, it will be fine, but 18 degrees for six hours, that's major."
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Tuesday, June 6, 2006 -
QUAKES -
Largest quakes yesterday -
6/5 -
5.2 NORTHERN SUMATERA, INDONESIA
5.4 NORTHERN MOLUCCA SEA
5.6 CENTRAL MID-ATLANTIC RIDGE
6.0 CENTRAL MID-ATLANTIC RIDGE
5.0 TAIWAN REGION
INDONESIA - says there are still problems reaching earthquake victims with many roads into the worst-hit areas gridlocked with convoys of trucks carrying volunteer relief workers and supplies. The United Nations has warned that tens of thousands of Indonesian quake survivors are still desperately in need of shelter, and that building materials are urgently needed.
TSUNAMI -
U.S. - A report Monday said state and federal governments need to bolster their planning for the possibility that a tsunami could strike the United States. The Government Accountability Office concluded that while modern technology is able to detect the formation of a tsunami fairly quickly, the United States lacks both a robust warning system and detailed knowledge on the impact a tidal wave could have on coastal areas. The United States has had 16 tsunami warnings since 1982. No waves were produced in those instances.
VOLCANOES -
INDONESIA - Indonesian authorities have evacuated over 600 people living near Mount Merapi in central Java. Activity increased at the volcano for a ninth straight day. Heat clouds are taking place every hour, pushing toxic gases, ash and lava four kilometres down the southern slope. That is more than double the distance seen before the earthquake on May the 27th. The vulcanology office in Yogyakarta says all settlements within a seven-kilometre radius of the top of the mountain should be abandoned.
PERU - Authorities in southern Peru said Monday they are evacuating about 480 families due to an increase in seismic activity at the Ubinas volcano. Volcano experts put the Ubinas area on orange alert (medium intensity level of seismic activity) on Saturday, after registering several explosions since May 31, including one that spewed glowing hot lava 200 meters (656 feet) into the air. In April, the last time the Ubinas volcano registered an alarming increase in seismic activity, its crater doubled in size to 80 meters (262 feet) in less than a week and more than 200 people fled from their homes by their own means. Toxic emissions from the volcano on that occasion caused the death of about 50 llamas and alpacas.
JAPAN - Sakurajima, one of Japan's most active volcanoes, has erupted near the southern Japanese city of Kagoshima. Smoke and ash rose high above the island's northern peak. Over 600,000 people live in the shadow of the volcano which is only a few kilometres off the port serving Kagoshima city. Thousands of small explosions occur each year on Sakurajima, throwing ash thousands of kilometres into the sky. The last major eruption occurred in 1914, though most of the residents fled before the volcano engulfed several islands nearby and swallowed part of the bay of Kagoshima.
THUNDERSTORMS / HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING -
AUSTRALIA - More rain fell in Sydney in the first six days of June than for the entire autumn period as the city received a wet introduction to winter.The rainfall was especially strong in the 24 hours to 9am today, with nearly 50mm falling across the metropolitan area. However, while the city and its surrounds have been buffeted by strong winds and rain, the state's dams and catchment areas failed to receive much-needed rainfall. Yesterday's maximum temperature of 12.2C marked Sydney's coldest day since August 2004.
CANADA - Southern New Brunswick is mopping up after a soggy weekend that saw RECORD RAINFALL amounts and flooding throughout the region. They have already exceeded the normal rainfall amount for the entire month of June. The rain is still falling in most parts of the province. Moncton, Saint John and Fredericton all set TWO-DAY RAINFALL RECORDS on the weekend.
HUNGARY - All rivers and streams in north Hungary continued to rise on Monday following heavy rainfall in the Carpathian Basin over the past few days. Flood control workers were alerted on a total length of 1,992 kilometres of dikes along the country's major rivers. A third-degree (highest non-emergency) flood alert is in effect along the Hernad, Sajo and Takta rivers in northeast Hungary. The Hernad rose to an ALL-TIME HIGH of 415 centimetres at Hidasnemeti on the Slovak border and was expected to crest at 430 centimetres Monday.
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Monday, June 5, 2006 -
Not much news today.
QUAKES -
Largest quakes yesterday -
6/4 -
5.1 IRIAN JAYA, INDONESIA
5.1 PHILIPPINE ISLANDS REGION
TROPICAL STORMS -
Tropical depression 02E was 60 nmi ESE of Acapulco, Mexico, but is dissipating.
FLOODING -
ITALY - The waters are rising around Venice. Each year the floods worsen and last longer. Carpets of slime coat St Mark's Square. Statues and church walls are coated with filth. The city is drowning. Venice has been sinking by about 10cm a century for the past few hundred years. But in the 20th century it sank 20cm because water was pumped from natural underground reservoirs, causing the subsoil to compact. In addition, the water level in the Venice lagoon has risen by about 5cm. In 1900, St Mark's Square flooded 10 times a year; now the figure is around 60. 'I love Venice and certainly do not want to see it lost. However, if we do not curb the rise in carbon dioxide emissions then there is no point in trying to save Venice. We should be worrying if we can save London or Paris.' The Italian government recently backed a £3bn plan that would involve building barriers between the lagoon around Venice and the sea. The barriers would be raised when abnormally high tides were due. But this plan is based on predictions that there will be a sea rise of 15-26cm this century. And that poses serious worries for climate experts. Most sea-level forecasts now envisage rises that will reach up to a metre by 2100. If such rises occur, Venice will receive precious little protection from the proposed barriers, thus wasting £3bn.
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Sunday, June 4, 2006 -
QUAKES -
Largest quakes yesterday -
6/3 -
5.0 VANUATU ISLANDS
5.3 TONGA ISLANDS
5.0 TONGA ISLANDS
5.4 FIJI ISLANDS REGION
5.4 SOUTHERN IRAN
6/2 -
5.9 FIJI ISLANDS REGION
5.0 TONGA ISLANDS
5.0 TONGA ISLANDS
5.2 TONGA ISLANDS
5.3 TONGA ISLANDS
IRAN - A strong 5.2 earthquake jolted southern Iran on Saturday, killing a young girl and injuring two others.
Allstate Insurance Co. says it is dropping earthquake insurance to most of its 407,000 quake customers nationwide in the U.S. as a part of a larger move to reduce exposure to catastrophic losses. The states dropped are Kentucky, Connecticut, Rhode Island and Florida. The company will continue to renew earthquake coverage in New Hampshire, New York and Pennsylvania. California coverage is not affected by the Allstate decision. It is covered by the California Earthquake Authority. The company has also declined storm renewals in some parts of Florida and New York and has taken a hard look at coastal coverage from Texas to Florida.
VOLCANOES -
INDONESIA - Mount Merapi increased its activity and repeatedly spewed red-hot lava, hot gases and ash scores of times on Saturday. The mountain's lava dome has grown by 56 feet in the past week to reach 330 feet. Bird flu could threaten survivors of Indonesia's earthquake, an aid agency warned, after finding people whose homes were destroyed in the quake were staying in chicken coops. Most of the 647,000 people left homeless are living in makeshift shelters, often just plastic tarps to ward off tropical downpours and the hot sun. More than a thousand aftershocks have hit the region since the 6.3-magnitude earthquake struck before dawn a week ago, killing at least 6,234 people and injuring 30,000 more.
TROPICAL STORMS -
Tropical depression 02E was 119 nmi W of Acapulco, Mexico. This system is virtually stationary at the moment. Regardless of whether it becomes a tropical storm or not, the primary threat from this system remains the heavy rainfall ( 10 - 15 inches) that is likely to trigger life-threatening flash floods and mudslides. A slow and erratic eastward motion toward the SW coast of Mexico is expected over the nest 24 hours.
VIETNAM has called off search operations for fishermen missing since Typhoon Chanchu struck the South China Sea in mid-May and placed the death toll at 276. Only 20 bodies have been found.
THUNDERSTORMS / HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING -
INDIA - The death toll from lightning strikes and powerful storms rose to 105 today as annual summer monsoon rains tore through India earlier than usual. Twenty-two people have died in the past two days in western Maharashtra state, in addition to the 19 killed since the beginning of this week. India's far-eastern state of Arunachal Pradesh has sounded a flood alert after 478 millimetres of rain fell in two districts.
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Friday, June 2, 2006 -
QUAKES -
Largest quakes yesterday -
6/1 -
5.0 HALMAHERA, INDONESIA
5.3 TONGA ISLANDS
5.3 MACQUARIE ISLAND
5.2 NEW BRITAIN
5/31 -
None 5.0 or over.
CANADA - Residents of western New Brunswick woke up to the ground shaking Thursday morning as the region was hit by a "moderate" 3.6 earthquake. It originated 25 kilometres southeast of the village of Perth-Andover, near the Maine border. There were no immediate reports of damage. "We heard a rumbling from a distance, almost as though a train or a jet was low. And then, maybe a second or two, there was a rattling underneath our feet and the house shook and the dishes shook, and the windowpanes shook." Thursday's event was the largest earthquake to hit the area in three years.
INDONESIA - Rescue workers are still finding bodies in the wreckage of villages in Indonesia's earthquake disaster zone. The quake killed at least 6,234 people, according to government figures, which also estimate that 130,000 homes had been destroyed or damaged.
VOLCANOES -
INDONESIA - Wednesday there was increased volcanic activity at Mount Merapi, which belched heat clouds and sent trails of lava running down its slopes, heightening fears of an eruption. Plumes of smoke rose some 900 metres into the air, nearly double the height of the previous day, and the area remained on high alert. Scientists have warned that although the magma flow which forms a dome at the peak appeared to be weakening, the structure may collapse and spew out millions of cubic metres of rock and lava.
On Thursday, Indonesia's Mount Merapi volcano spilled lava and heat clouds for a sixth consecutive day, sending trails of molten rock down its western slope for the first time. In the first six hours of Thursday, Merapi sent 80 lava trails spilling down its slopes, some reaching down two kilometres. The volcano also released heat clouds.
INDONESIA - Just three days after the earthquake struck Java, on May 27, the island’s Semeru Volcano showed signs of heightened activity. Semeru ranks among Indonesia’s most active volcanoes. It is Java’s highest volcano and ike its neighbor Merapi Volcano, it has claimed human lives in historical eruptions.
TROPICAL STORMS -
The National Hurricane Center in Miami has announced the names of hurricanes to be used during the 2006 hurricane season, which began June 1 and ends Nov. 30. Named hurricanes will be: Alberto, Beryl, Chris, Nay Deen, Debby, Ernesto, Florence, Ra Fa El, Gordon, Helene, Isaac, Joyce, Kirk, Leslie, Oscar, Patty, Rafael, Sandy, Tony, Valerie and William.
LOUISIANA - The delta city of New Orleans is sinking into the Mississippi ooze much faster than was previously thought, averaging about six millimetres per year, researchers now say. The scientists make the claim after analyzing radar images of structures on the ground three years before Katrina flooded the city in 2005. The findings raise concerns about plans to rebuild levees. "My concern is the very low-lying areas. I think those areas are death traps. I don't think those areas should be rebuilt." The worst shrinking of the ground occurred in sections of the Mississippi flood plain where levees were breached by hurricane Katrina's surging water. The study's authors were divided on the cause of the subsidence.
THUNDERSTORMS / HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING -
MALAYSIA - a landslide occurring near the capital of Kuala Lumpur has claimed at least two lives and left more than 160 people homeless. In the incident which took place in Hulu Klang of Selangor state, a retaining wall built on a hill slope collapsed suddenly Wednesday afternoon after rain, bringing down tons of mud on three longhouses. Rescuers did not rule out the possibility that more people could be trapped beneath the debris. More than 160 people in 43 homes living in the three longhouses have been left homeless by the landslide. The landslide also sparked a short-circuit that set off a fire in the longhouses. This is the third time in 13 years that a landslide has claimed lives in Hulu Klang.
FIJI - RECORD LEVELS OF RAIN fell in Nadi, causing flash flooding. The downpour on the 1st alone was measured at 96 millimetres, which is more than the average rainfall for a month in the Nadi area.
CANADA - Police are investigating the death of a man in Quebec's Mauricie Region, where initial reports suggested the man was hit by lightning. About 100 millimetres of rain pounded the La Tuque area in a few hours on Tuesday night and Wednesday morning. Several roads serving the city of about 11,000 were washed out, including part of the main route along the St-Maurice River. Some residents were evacuated by helicopter after flooding cut off access to their homes.
INDIA - Flooding caused by monsoon rains has killed at least 16 people in the past three days in western India. Early monsoon rains across the state of Maharashtra have caused houses to collapse, blocked roads and forced people into relief camps.
Mumbai was on alert for very heavy rains on Thursday, almost a year after a sharp cloudburst crippled the metropolis for days and killed hundreds of people in the city. Weather officials have warned of heavy showers in the next 30 hours, saying the monsoon rains, vital for the economy, have reached Mumbai 10 days ahead of schedule. A brief spell of rains on Wednesday brought parts of the city to a halt. Some roads were submerged and trains were delayed. "The first rains and already our infrastructure cannot cope. What will happen in the next two months?"
HEAT / WILDFIRES -
INDIA - abnormally hot and humid weather conditions, which HAVE NEVER BEEN SEEN BEFORE IN MAY, have made life hell for city folks in Lucknow. The situation was worse in other parts of the state with Jhansi recording maximum temperature of 45.4 degrees celsius, Allahabad 44.5 degrees celsius and Varanasi 43.8 degrees celsius. Similar reports were received from all over the state. Mercury and humidity levels were high all over, making climate hot as well as sultry. If maximum temperatures hovered between 38-45 degrees, minimum humidity levels were between 35-40 per cent. Maximum humidity levels were also high — between 80-85 per cent. This made people perspire heavily even during the night. Humidity levels are high because of cyclonic circulations hovering over the state. Moisture has also been added into the state atmosphere by winds preceding monsoon. When asked about the UNUSUAL summer this year, the state met director said that he has never seen such a long humid spell in May. Barring a few days in April, summer has been humid this year. There will be no change in the weather conditions in coming days. There is no possibility of revival of hot westerly winds, one of the basic characteristics of the summer season.
ARIZONA - over the past seven-plus years, about three-fourths of normal rainfall has been recorded at Tucson International Airport. In the last nine months, precipitation has seemingly been limited to a RARE sinister dust/moisture concoction that benefits only car washes.
ODD -
AUSTRALIA - A massive ocean vortex discovered off the West Australian coast is acting as a "death trap" by sucking in huge amounts of fish larvae and could affect the surrounding climate. The vortex – 200km in diameter and 1000m deep – is spinning at speeds up to 5kph just off the Rottnest Canyon. The vortex, shaped like a giant child's spinning top, was created by current movement down the coast and is one of the largest ever found off of WA. Visible from space, the vortex is acting as a "death trap" by sucking in fish larvae from closer to the shore. "It's actually acting as a predator, it's actually taking the fish larvae which need to stick around their natural habitat on the coast, and dragging them off to sea." The climate above the vortex was noticeably different. "It feels like you're in the tropics. It's warm, soft, moist air, with flying fish, it's a very different environment." It could also potentially affect climate further afield. "The vortex is moving a large volume of a very warm current out back into cooler waters, so essentially it's taking that heat and moving it away from the coast. So essentially that really changes the heat budget of our regional ocean and it's the ocean that determines climate." The vortex was unlikely to pose a danger to people sailing or diving in the area but the change was definitely noticeable. "We were in a 70-metre boat and you could immediately feel the shift in the ship's tract, so you can certainly tell that there's something UNUSUAL going on out there."
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There was no update on Thursday, June 1.
-------------------------------------------
Wednesday, May 31, 2006 -
QUAKES -
Largest quakes yesterday -
5/30 -
5.0 NORTHERN SUMATERA, INDONESIA
5.2 SOUTHERN SUMATERA, INDONESIA
5.9 IRIAN JAYA, INDONESIA
5.4 SOUTHERN PERU
5.6 OFF COAST OF SOUTHERN CHILE
5.1 TONGA ISLANDS
5.0 TONGA ISLANDS
INDONESIA - Survivors of the devastating quake on Java say rumours of an incoming tsunami touched off panic in cities and villages that left many injured, and it also hindered rescue efforts. Reports filtered in of victims trapped for hours in collapsed houses as residents fled to higher ground and didn't feel secure enough to return home until hours later. In Bantul, the hardest hit region where most homes were flattened, the roads leading to elevated areas like Gadunonlateu and Slarong were filled with refugees after the earthquake. The Yogyakarta area lies on broad flat coastal plain more than 16 kilometres from the ocean. Indonesian authorities and scientists have dismissed the possibility that a tsunami could sweep so far inland. Yet the message has not been broadly accepted by the public. "If only people did not run away because of tsunami rumours, people hit by the ruins of their homes could have been saved." "People reported that there would be a tsunami and radio stations repeated this without checking the truth."
VOLCANOES -
GRANDE COMORO - the largest of the three islands in Indian Ocean archipelago, Mount Karthala is colouring the sky red as volcanic activity continues. Initial fears of a full-blown eruption and lava flow have calmed, but authorities remain on the alert. "It is a boiling pot up there - a lava lake is forming but it is confined within the crater." They are suggesting two possible scenarios for further volcanic activity: the fountain of lava could run until it was exhausted and cool down inside the crater, or the lava lake might drain from the crater, possibly coming into contact with ground water and causing an explosion that would spew ash and volcanic debris. "Authorities have activated the national emergency response preparedness plan" and set up an emergency task force.
INDONESIA - Mount Merapi spewed clouds of hot ash and gas as well as lava at least 10 times on Tuesday. In the early hours of Tuesday, lava could be seen cascading down the side of the mountain. By daylight, hot clouds of gas were also spewing out of the volcano. The quake has increased fear that the volcano could explode and people living near the mountain say they are remaining vigilant.
TROPICAL STORMS -
Tropical depression ALETTA was 161 nmi S of Manzanillo, Mexico. Regeneration to cyclone status is unlikely.
------------------------------------------
Tuesday, May 30, 2006 -
QUAKES -
INDONESIA - the latest in a series of strong temblors to jolt Indonesia in the past four days occurred this morning. A 6.0-magnitude earthquake rocked the easternmost Indonesian province of Papua, but there were no reports of injuries or damage. The earthquake's epicentre was on land about 147-kilometres southwest of Papua's capital of Jayapura, and took place at about 33 kilometres under the earth. The quake triggered panic among residents in Wamena and Jayapura.
Largest quakes yesterday -
5/29 -
5.0 UGANDA
5.6 SOUTHEAST INDIAN RIDGE
5.4 SOLOMON ISLANDS REGION
5.3 TONGA ISLANDS
5.2 PHILIPPINE ISLANDS REGION
5.5 SOUTH SANDWICH ISLANDS REGION
5.2 SOUTH OF KERMADEC ISLANDS
PAKISTAN - Seven months after the October 8 quake which killed at least 80,000, the stench of death has finally wafted away from Muzaffarabad, the capital of Pakistan-administered Kashmir. However, something almost as bad has come in its place. The city of 700,000 people has been turned into a massive rubbish dump. An estimated 25 million cu metres of rubble lies scattered across it, and just over 2 million cu metres has been removed so far. Atop the debris, deposits of filth lie dumped – and in the scorching heat of May, with temperatures climbing above 30 degrees Celsius – it creates a terrible odour that never quite seems to leave some parts of the city. Some residents still live in canvas tents, which provide almost no protection from the intensity of the sun. Rain, forecast by the end of June, can only add to the squalor. "Look at how we live. Like animals, among this rubbish. And now we are being told it contains poison that could kill our children." Local health officials and environmentalists fear that the mountain of waste and rubble contains dangerous heavy metals, including lead. People are continuing to live in tents mainly because their "lands have been washed away or the area where they live faces a risk of further earthquakes." According to estimates, at least 100,000 people will have to continue to live in tents until next winter.
Some researchers believe that radio crackling, surges in heat and other phenomena may be signs of a coming earthquake, and monitoring these planetary stress symptoms could someday help people prepare. One area of research that appears promising comes in examining the behavior of rocks immediately before a quake. When subject to pressure, normally inert rocks produce positive charges. The positive charges, which increase as pressure does, in turn generate an electric field, which generates a magnetic field. "A rock, when you squeeze it, becomes a battery." The positive charges emitted by the pressured rock could also explain other so-called earthquake precursors. When the earth becomes positively charged, the positively charged particles of the ionosphere, a layer of the atmosphere that sits about 90 kilometers (56 miles) above the earth's surface, will get pushed away and get replaced by negatively charged particles. The sudden rush of negatively charged electrons in that portion of the ionosphere in turn should interfere with radio waves and reception. Rock stress may additionally explain surges of infrared energy, which manifests itself as luminescence, observed before some quakes. There is a current generated when you start to crack a rock before it crumbles and there is infrared energy that comes out of the rock when the charged particles drop their energy. Strange animal behavior, conceivably, might be the reactions to these environmental changes.
VOLCANOES -
INDONESIA - activity at the Merapi volcano has already tripled since the earthquake struck. Hot clouds are spewing from its mouth at a rate of 150 a day, compared with 50 a day previously. Merapi lies just 18 miles from the epicentre of Saturday's quake. A professor believes an upswelling of magma from beneath the earth's surface may have triggered the earthquake and simultaneously seeped into the base of the volcano, causing the lava dome that caps it to swell. Officials have already ordered the evacuation of people from a danger zone around the top of the volcano but the professor says pyroclastic flows of hot gas and ash could destroy nearby towns and villages. " You can get an increase in activity and evacuate people and all of a sudden the volcano goes dead. But historically, there's a strong trend that whenever you get an earthquake close to a volcano, you get an eruption soon afterwards."
New craters keep on developing on the northern part of Merapi`s top.
VANUATU - Volcanologists were wondering why a lake atop the rumbling Mount Manaro volcano on the South Pacific island of Ambae has changed colour from blue to a spectacular bright red. The change of colour may come from new activity in the ground or just chemical change in the lake. Mount Manaro, one of four volcanos currently active in the island nation of Vanuatu, has been showing signs of erupting for only the second time in 122 years. Vanuatu, formerly called the New Hebrides Islands, is a chain of 13 main islands 2,300 km east of north-east Australia. Three other volcanos in Vanuatu - Lopevi, Yasur and a two-crater volcano on Ambryn Island called Marum and Benbow - have spewed rocks, ash, smoke and steam over the South Pacific island nation in recent weeks. However, activity has slowed in recent days.
TROPICAL STORMS -
Tropical depression ALETTA was 145 nmi WSW of Acapulco, Mexico.
MEXICO - Weather forecasters lifted coastal warnings for Aletta, the first tropical storm of the eastern Pacific season, after the storm moved farther out to sea. Forecasters had issued a tropical storm warning from Punta Maldonado northwest to Zihuatanejo, warning that Aletta could bring heavy rainfall, flash floods and mudslides to the mountainous coast. The storm could strengthen again during the next two days.
THUNDERSTORMS / HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING -
BELIZE - this year the rainy season started one week early and its first downpours have been daily deluges of water. Localized flooding has SET UNPRECEDENTED RECORDS throughout the country, especially in the southern districts. For the past week, most of the country has been underwater, following a daily dose of several inches of rain. It is expected to be ONE OF THE WETTEST RAINY SEASONS IN RECENT MEMORY. The rains are apparently the result of a late cold front and an early tropical wave in the Caribbean. Both systems merged and created heavy rains and thunderstorms. Over the past four to five days, Belize City received about 8 inches of rainfall. The Philip Goldson International Airport had a total of 7.7 inches of rainfall. At the Melinda forecaster station, a total of 15.6 inches of rainfall was recorded and the Pomona Valley received the highest amount of rain, 18.6 inches. Normally, the country would receive between 2-3 inches of rainfall at the start of the rainy season.
COLUMBIA - For the past few weeks, heavy rains have battered many parts of Colombia. Country-wide, people have had to leave their homes as rivers overflow and landslides sweep away everything in their path. The most vulnerable are people living in the poorest areas, in makeshift houses often built on unsafe land – areas where many displaced families are forced to live.
NOCTILUCENT CLOUDS -
A Nasa satellite mission will be launched this year to study the highest and most mysterious clouds on Earth. Noctilucent, or "night-shining", clouds appear as thin bands in twilight skies, some 80km (50miles) above the surface. Recent records suggest they have become brighter, more frequent and are being seen at lower latitudes than usual. The changes in frequency and brightness have been observed over the past 20 years. Normally confined closer to the poles, they have been seen as low as 50 degree North. Scientists cannot say for sure but they suspect human activity may be altering the conditions in the mesosphere that drive the clouds' formation. Although the extra carbon dioxide (CO2) put into the atmosphere by human activities has warmed the air near the Earth's surface, it is thought to have had the opposite effect in the middle and upper atmosphere by radiating heat more efficiently into space.
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Monday, May 29, 2006 -
QUAKES -
Largest quakes yesterday -
5/28 -
5.2 HOKKAIDO, JAPAN
5.1 NORWEGIAN SEA
5.5 PHILIPPINE ISLANDS
5.0 NORTHERN MOLUCCA SEA
5.9 TONGA ISLANDS
6.4 NEW BRITAIN
INDONESIA - The number of the people killed in Saturday's powerful earthquake that hit Indonesia's island of Java jumped to nearly 5,000 as rescuers continue to dig for survivors. About 450 aftershocks have shaken the region as of midday on Sunday, with the strongest measuring magnitude 5.2. There were "literally" fault lines in the roads caused by the earthquake. However, while many buildings were destroyed, or partially destroyed, some were still standing. "It really was a whim of the earthquake."
Heavy rain late on Sunday made conditions worse for the 200,000 people left homeless by the quake.
Two powerful earthquakes struck near the South Pacific island nations of Papua New Guinea and Tonga on Sunday. No casualties have been reported. A magnitude 6.2 quake struck near Papua New Guinea's New Britain region. Some 20 minutes later, a 5.9 magnitude quake struck near the island of Tonga. The quakes follow Saturday's 6.3 magnitude tremor in central Indonesia, but experts say they are probably not related. All three occurred along the seismically-active Asia-Pacific rim, where movement by the massive Pacific tectonic plate creates regular earthquakes and volcanic activity.
VOLCANOES -
GRANDE COMORE - Lava spewed from Mount Karthala volcano on the Indian Ocean island of Grande Comore on Sunday, lighting up the sky and sending scores of frightened residents onto the streets. Residents of Moroni, the capital of the Comoros islands, said they could see lava at the top. Karthala last erupted in April 2005. Sunday's activity also amounted to an eruption but it was too soon to tell how dangerous this one would be. "Effectively there is an eruption but we don't know yet if there will be any gas." "There is a risk of a lava flow but we don't know yet which direction."
PHILIPPINES - Bulusan volcano in the province of Sorsogon exhibited an episode of ash explosion which occurred around 9:17 p.m on Saturday. "We already advised the Sorsogon provincial disaster coordinating council to distribute masks to residents and evacuate the sick people." Areas affected by light ashfalls, approximately ranged from traces to 2.0mm thickness, were the barangays of Bacolod, Sankayon, Puting Sapa, Rangas, Mapili, Calagdao, Buraburan in Juhan and Holos in Irosin, Sorsogon local at the west and southwest sector of the volcano. The ash explosion is still part of the present unrest being exhibited by Bulusan volcano. "We reiterated therefore, that alert level 1 is being observed." Meanwhile, Mayon volcano in the province of Albay is also under alert level 1.
TROPICAL STORMS -
Tropical storm ALETTA was 72 nmi WSW of Acapulco, Mexico.
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Sunday, May 28, 2006 -
QUAKES -
Largest quakes yesterday -
5/27 -
5.1 PHILIPPINE ISLANDS REGION
5.1 TONGA ISLANDS
5.3 TONGA ISLANDS
5.0 SOLOMON ISLANDS REGION
5.0 BANDA SEA
5.0 NEW BRITAIN
5/26 -
6.4 JAWA, INDONESIA
5.1 MINAHASSA PENINSULA, SULAWESI
5.0 SOUTHERN SUMATERA, INDONESIA
5.4 TONGA ISLANDS
5.2 SOUTH INDIAN OCEAN
5.2 SOUTH INDIAN OCEAN
5.0 SOUTH OF PANAMA
5.0 SOUTHEAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
5.1 KASHMIR-INDIA BORDER REGION
INDONESIA - A dawn 6.2 earthquake killed more than 3,000 people around the Indonesian city of Yogyakarta Friday, burying many under the rubble of their homes in a scene survivors said was like the end of the world. "Buildings shook like pendulums, I thought it was Armageddon." The wards and corridors of Sarjito hospital in Yogyakarta city were crammed with injured survivors. It was the third major tremor to hit Indonesia in 18 months, the worst being the quake on Dec. 26, 2004 and its resulting tsunami. As the scale of the devastation became clear, focus turned to the effect the violent tremors may have had on Mount Merapi, the volcano 24km from Yogyakarta that is on high alert for a major eruption. Vulcanologists monitoring the situation noticed an immediate increase in activity in the aftermath of the earthquake. Hot, dense gas clouds were reported stretching 4km down Merapi's mountainside, just short of their length before the volcano's last major eruption.
VOLCANOES -
VANUATU - Three volcanoes in Vanuatu's volatile "ring of fire" were Saturday under close watch after spitting rocks, ash and steam over the South Pacific island in recent days. A fourth volcano was causing concern after signs it could be building toward a fresh eruption. "There seems to be an upsurge in activity around the ring of fire that runs through the archipelago." YASUR Volcano on Tanna Island in the south was causing the most concern after it was classified as Level 2 - likely to erupt - and it is firing out explosive rocks. The volcano on uninhabited LOPEVI Island has spurted sulfurous ash into the sky, causing havoc on 10 surrounding islands including Paama whose inhabitants fled earlier due to the debris. Lopevi had stopped spitting ash and smoke, though scientists were closely watching its ash spumes. Villagers in Paama have appealed to the Vanuatu government for help securing new sources of drinking water after existing ones were contaminated by ash and debris. Vital crops have also been destroyed. Observation teams had gone to the sites of the two other suddenly active volcanoes - MARUM and BENBOW on the island of Ambryn - but had yet to report back on their findings. Lake Vui on top of Mount MANARO in the center of Ambae Island has turned to gray in recent days. The change indicates that it is likely to erupt. It last erupted late November 2005, forcing the evacuation of half the island's 10,000 inhabitants to safe areas at either end of the island. It was its first eruption in 121 years.
INDIA - authorities have ordered an investigation by scientists into the mysterious explosion of rocks and spewing of debris from the cliffs of Kondaiketti hill on the Tamil Nadu-Kerala Border in Kanyakumari district at midnight on May 25. According to residents of Amburi, Thekkuparai, Shenbagaparai, Mayam, Kootappu, Arugani Hill, the cliff started exploding like a volcano and spewed debris all over. Officials said similar explosion/eruption took place in November 2000 also leading to landslips in Amburi where 38 people were buried alive.
TROPICAL STORMS -
Tropical Storm ALETTA was 106 nmi SW of Acapulco, Mexico.
Aletta became the first tropical storm of the season in the eastern Pacific on Saturday when it formed about 100 miles (170 kilometers) south of the Mexican coastal resort of Acapulco. Forecasters predicted it would head toward land but later change direction, skirt the coast and head out to sea.
THUNDERSTORMS / HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING -
RUSSIA - A landslide has occurred in the village of Tilichki in the Koryak autonomous district of Kamchatka. A number of auxiliary buildings were damaged, but no one was hurt. Three houses are located at the foothills of a mount, from where the landslide came down. The landslide stopped a few meters away from the houses. More landslides are possible because of rain and cracks in the soil, which were caused by the April 21 earthquake. Reconstructions go on in the disaster zone, but minor tremors have not ceased. Experts said the tremors may continue for about one year. Over 80 tremors occurred in the Olyutor district over the past month. Ice drift in local rivers is another problem, as it may cause ice jams and floods. The water level in the Pakhacha River had risen 70 centimeters higher than the critical mark, and the river burst the banks and endangered the Sredniye Pakhachi village.
AUSTRALIA - Reconstruction of the cyclone ravaged far north Queensland town of Innisfail has been held up for weeks because of wet weather. It's been so slow that even after nine weeks teams of workers are still cleaning up, rather than rebuilding. Saturday was the first time the sun has been shining on consecutive days since Larry crashed into the coast nine weeks ago. They have had 55 days of straight rain, tropical rain, heavy drenching rain, that has prevented repair work from happening. The stunted growth of the sugar cane is incredible. Sugar cane needs lots of sunshine, and it doesn't need rain at this time of the year. So that product is going to be stunted when it's harvested later in the year, in about June or July. Banana trees were flattened. The bananas will come on season in October, November. People in Melbourne will be paying as much as $10 a kilo for their bananas.
UNUSUALLY EARLY WEATHER -
INDIA - The SouthWest Monsoon has set in over Kerala bringing in heavy rains in many parts of the state. The monsoon has arrived days ahead of schedule, and is now advancing to Karnataka and parts of Tamil Nadu. It is expected to move to the Bay of Bengal and the North East. Monsoon showers are likely in Mumbai by June 3 and will reach Rajasthan by July 15
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Friday, May 26, 2006 -
QUAKES -
Largest quakes yesterday -
5/25 -
5.0 ANDAMAN ISLANDS,INDIA
5.2 PHILIPPINE ISLANDS REGION
5.2 PHILIPPINE ISLANDS REGION
5.4 NEAR COAST OF PERU
5.3 EASTERN SIBERIA, RUSSIA
5.1 VANUATU ISLANDS
5.3 SANTA CRUZ ISLANDS
SWEDEN - A small 2.0 earthquake caused panic in Stockholm on Wednesday night when inhabitants mistook a loud bang for an explosion. Hundreds of Stockholm residents alerted police and abandoned their homes when they heard the noise, fearing a bomb had gone off. For three hours, police cars and helicopters trawled the Swedish capital in vain in search of the explosion until they were informed by seismologists that there was an earthquake.
INDONESIA - A tectonic earthquake measuring 4.6 on the Richter scale jolted Indonesia's Papua provincial capital of Jayapura and Sarmi Wednesday evening, causing one man to die of a heart attack and hundreds of people to flee to upland areas in fear of a tsunami.
VOLCANOES -
ALASKA - Cleveland volcano in the Aleutian Islands sent up an ash cloud Tuesday. An astronaut on-board the International Space Station spotted the plume moving west at 3 p.m. Two hours later, satellite data indicated the plume had detached and was 82 miles southwest of the volcano, indicating the eruption was a short-lived event, as is typical for the Cleveland Volcano. The volcano also erupted in February.
CANARY ISLANDS - sitting on a volcanic site, the Canary Islands could be traveling soon — posing a significant tsunami risk. A mountain near the Montana-Wyoming border once moved 62 miles in a half-hour in a catastrophic scenario that could be repeated in the Canary Islands, scientists say. Rock at the summit of Heart Mountain is 250 million years older than at its base. That suggests the top and the bottom have not always been together. The presumed migration to its present home has puzzled scientists for years. A new explanation comes from deep underground, where lava bubbled up to the surface and sent the mountain on its way in surprisingly quick fashion.
UNUSUAL WEATHER SEASON -
INDIA - Due to unseasonal rains during the last five days, water has logged in several low-lying slum areas in Bhopal. The thatched roofs of many slums have been hit by gales and they have become roofless. The household items of a number of slum dwellers have been damaged as water entered their shanties. The residents of these slum areas are also feeling hardships in moving about due to the water and mud. Though the rainy season is yet to begin, monsoon-like showers in the state capital rendered ineffective the 'Nautapa' - a period of extreme summer heat. Bhopal recorded a high of 34.9 deg C, four notches below normal. Day temperature ranged between 32-38 C in other stations while the 'Nautapa' days usually witness the mercury shooting past 43 C. The town Jabalpur was the coolest at 32 C, ten marks below normal. This has been termed by weather experts and astrologers as a clear sign of a weak monsoon this year. According to them, extreme heat during 'Nau Tapa' is the harbinger of a good monsoon and when 'Nau Tapa' is disturbed or rains are witnessed during this period, the chances of normal monsoon thin out that year.
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Thursday, May 25, 2006 -
QUAKES -
Largest quakes yesterday -
5/24 -
5.8 NEAR N.CST OF IRIAN JAYA
5.2 EASTERN SIBERIA, RUSSIA
5.2 EASTERN SIBERIA, RUSSIA
5.0 KAMCHATKA PENINSULA, RUSSIA
5.1 FIJI ISLANDS REGION
5.0 FIJI ISLANDS REGION
5.1 LOYALTY ISLANDS
5.1 LOYALTY ISLANDS
5.1 VANUATU ISLANDS
5.0 KERMADEC ISLANDS, NEW ZEALAND
5.2 CALIFORNIA-BAJA CALIFORNIA BORDER
5.2 EASTER ISLAND REGION
VOLCANOES -
INDONESIA - Mount Merapi on Wednesday morning spewed out 11 clouds of hot ash until 06.00 a.m. local time, a significant increase compared to the same period on Tuesday when the volcano belched out 5 clouds of hot ash. The volcano triggered 76 tremors and 22 multiphase quakes during the same period on Wednesday morning. On Tuesday, Mount Merapi expelled massive clouds of hot ash for 46 times, compared to 25 times on Monday. Also on Tuesday they recorded a total of 86 multiphase tremors, and 316 fallen quakes.
THUNDERSTORMS / HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING -
IRELAND - The West of Ireland experienced some of its WORST SUMMER WEATHER IN LIVING MEMORY last week as incessant rain poured down on the region. The dip in temperatures, which accompanied the rain, also prompted homeowners to stock up on winter fuels. Some of the rainfall statistics are truly astounding. The usual monthly averages have simply gone out the window with records set to be broken long before the month of May has even come to an end. One of the worst-hit areas is the South Mayo town of Claremorris where an incredible 31 milimetres of rainfall fell on Sunday alone, which is almost half the normal average for the entire month. Meanwhile, at Ireland-West Airport, a total of 23.8 milimetres of rainfall was recorded in a six-hour period on Thursday night, May 18. The high rainfall was almost replicated again on Sunday when 21.5 milimetres of rain fell throughout the day. It is going to be downcast, cold and wet for the foreseeable future.
SOUTH AFRICA - Heavy downpours caused widespread devastation in Nelson Mandela Bay yesterday, leaving many homeless and causing major damage. A number of townships and informal settlements had to be evacuated, with rain at one stage falling at about 30mm an hour. Several roads had to be closed off to traffic due to flooding. The rains also caused multiple power failures across the city.
THAILAND - The devastating floods in the North wreaked havoc over a wider area yesterday, cracking a reservoir in the northern province of Phrae and destroying an earth dam in the northwestern province of Tak, while the death toll climbed to 51. Villagers from more than 900 households in tambon Pong Daeng in Tak's Muang district had to be evacuated when about one million cubic metres of water rushed out of the earthen dam to inundate thousands of rai of rice paddies. Many cattle were lost in the deluge. Many people are still missing or stranded. The Laplae and Tha Pla districts of Uttaradit province have suffered extensive damage caused by mudslides. Villagers were still in panic. ''No one expected such rapid and harsh floods. We were unprepared and could only try to save our own lives.'' Floodwaters in some areas reached three metres, with strong currents. As much as 330mm of rain had fallen in a day, the LARGEST AMOUNT IN 38 YEARS.
SNOW / COLD -
AUSTRALIA - RECORD COLD TEMPERATURES FOR MAY of up to 10C below average have hit parts of Queensland on Tuesday and Wednesday nights. An extremely dry air mass across Queensland was causing the cold snap. " Humidity is sitting in the single figures so when night-time comes there is no moisture for the air to hold. This results in reasonably warm days with a sharp drop in temperatures at night."
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Wednesday, May 24, 2006 -
QUAKES -
Largest quakes yesterday -
5/23 -
5.1 MARIANA ISLANDS REGION
5.0 SOUTHERN MID-ATLANTIC RIDGE
RUSSIA - a powerful 7.0 earthquake shook a remote province in Russia’s Far East on Tuesday, disrupting water and electricity supplies. No one was injured. The quake hit the village of Tilichki in the Koryak region some 7,000 kilometers (4,350 miles) east of Moscow, forcing dozens of residents to be evacuated from their homes. In late April, the village suffered a series of strong quakes that led to the evacuation of hundreds of residents and disrupted utilities in the district. Seismologists are saying the region could be hit by more earthquakes in the near future, but they are expected to be less powerful.
The return of 1200 residents evacuated from Koryak settlements after the powerful 7.9 earthquake April 21st was suspended on Tuesday because of the series of new major tremors that rocked the same area of Kamchatka overnight. The decision was made to suspend the return for at least a week. The return had begun on Monday, however five earthquakes of force 5.1 to 7 hit the area overnight.
TROPICAL STORMS -
With hurricane season about to begin in the U.S., experts have said that the coming month would see two-thirds of the activity seen last year, but warned that concentration might move up to the eastern seaboard from the Gulf coast. "We think that the mid to latter part of the season, the heart of the hurricane season, is going to be an especially busy one along eastern seaboard." The North Carolina coast, southern New England, New York, New Jersey, Connecticut and Delaware are projected hot zones of hurricane for this coming season. "It could bring a large storm surge, massive damage to New England even if it's category 3." Scientists are pondering whether there should be a category six for hurricane as evidence mounts that hurricanes around the world have sharply worsened over the past 30 years. Currently, there is no category six for hurricane. According to scientists, there have already been hurricanes strong enough to qualify as Category 6's.
THUNDERSTORMS / HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING -
THAILAND - At least 27 people were killed and 61 others missing as floods swept through northern Thailand. "We are worried that 100 people may have died." Flash floods and mudslides triggered by torrential rains have hit five mountainous northern Thai provinces – Uttaradit, Nan, Phrae, Lampang and Sukhothai – since early yesterday. About 1200 people had been evacuated so far, while more than 75,000 had suffered damage either to their homes or their farms. In Uttaradit province, waters rose as high as 4m in what the government has said was the WORST FLOODING IN OVER 20 YEARS.
SOUTH AFRICA - Several hundred people have been evacuated from flooded homes in Port Elizabeth and accommodated in community halls and police stations. On Tuesday morning heavy rain flooded shops and houses and turned roads into streams. Shortly after noon, 120mm had fallen since the skies opened around 3am. However the downpour has brought hope to the drought-stricken city where severe water rationing has been in place.
UNITED KINGDOM - there's no end in sight for the rain that just keeps falling. There will be some longer spells of rain and it will be quite windy at times. They won't be seeing any sunny weather in the foreseeable future. "It's the kind of weather you'd expect in autumn, so it's UNUSUAL but not unheard of. It's not record-breaking in terms of rainfall, but it's not normally weather we'd see at this time of year." Experts say that it is also UNUSUAL for Yorkshire weather to be so varied during May, with highs of a sunny 21C dropping to around 14C over the past 10 days.
People living along a number of rivers in northern England are bracing themselves for flooding, despite ongoing concerns about drought in the South East. The River Ouse in central York has already burst its banks, and riverside pathways have flooded.
FOG -
CHINA - Sea traffic was halted and nearly 1,000 vessels were forced to return to port and dock yesterday as dense fog rolled over the city's port areas, dangerously lowering visibility. The Shanghai Meteorological Bureau issued a yellow fog alert at 5:20am, citing visibility under 500 meters. Actual visibility in the Yangshan Deep-Water Port, Nanhui and Fengxian districts fell below 50 meters. The fog was caused by high humidity after the rain on Monday. Fog also shrouded downtown Xujiahui area, with visibility of only 700 meters.
Heavy fog abruptly blanketing the area caused pileups of 27 motor vehicles on an expressway linking Beijing with Shenyang, killing eight people and injuring nine others on Tuesday morning. The fog hit around 6 a.m. with a visibility of only 20 meters.
WIND -
Worldwide, an estimated $48 billion in losses is attributed to sandstorms every year, with $6.5 billion of this occurring in China. This year’s sandstorms in China are considered more severe than in previous years. Not only are they increasing in frequency and having more serious impacts on air quality, but they are also occurring earlier in the season and affecting a wider area. The timing of the first sandstorm moved up by a week in 2006, and the sandstorm-affected area has extended beyond 3 million square kilometers. Due to its lack of rainfall and overall surface dryness in the spring, Beijing experiences sandstorms every March and April. For about 40 days every year, the pollutants cannot be diffused, as the city’s location makes it a natural receptacle for accumulating sand and dust. As of late April, northern China had encountered eight severe sandstorms this year alone.
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Tuesday, May 23, 2006 -
QUAKES -
Largest quakes yesterday -
5/22 -
5.0 NORTHERN SUMATERA, INDONESIA
5.6 BANDA SEA
5.0 KYUSHU, JAPAN
6.1 KAMCHATKA PENINSULA, RUSSIA
5.4 EASTERN SIBERIA, RUSSIA
5.1 EASTERN SIBERIA, RUSSIA
5.1 EASTERN SIBERIA, RUSSIA
6.7 EASTERN SIBERIA, RUSSIA
ARKANSAS - Federal and state emergency officials are encouraging Arkansas residents to prepare now for a possible earthquake. The United States Geological Survey considers Arkansas among the states with a "high earthquake risk" because of activity in the New Madrid fault zone. "It could be tomorrow. It could be 60 years. We don't know." The fault runs from Marked Tree to near Cairo, Illinois.
TSUNAMI -
MOROCCO - The National Meteorology Authority ruled out the idea that a Tsunami could hit the Atlantic ocean after the fall of fragments of a comet that will pass close to earth on May 25. This denial comes after the Ufological Research Center warned on its website of a Tsunami danger that would affect several countries, including Morocco. The comet will pass far away from planet earth at about 10 million kilometres, hence excluding any risk of a Tsunami in the Atlantic ocean.
MONTSERRAT - “Following a collapse of the dome at the Soufriére Hills Volcano in Montserrat in the early hours of Saturday, May 20, it has been reported that a tsunami has affected some coastal areas of Guadeloupe. There are unconfirmed reports that English Harbour and Jolly Harbour in Antigua have been affected.” Antigua, St. Kitts, and Nevis were advised to closely monitor the activities taking place in Montserrat. Guadeloupe reportedly had a tsunami 3 feet high and an unconfirmed report states that Antigua also experienced a possible tsunami ranging between 8 to 12 inches. The threat of tsunamis existed from the continuing pyroclastic flows of this eruptive event entering the sea. Now a memory, the volcano's dome has completely disintegrated and left a jagged scar where it once stood tall.
TROPICAL STORMS -
This year's north Atlantic hurricane season will be "very active," spawning eight to 10 hurricanes, the U.S.-based National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said Monday.
THUNDERSTORMS / HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING -
NETHERLANDS - The roof of a business premises was destroyed and a goods lorry was overturned when a whirlwind hit Delflaan in the town of Noordwijkerhout on the Sunday night. Several cars and homes were also damaged. There were no injuries during the FREAK weather.
NEW ZEALAND - There have been landslips and surface flooding in the Whangarei District and further north, following two days of heavy rain. Up to 120 milimetres of rain has come down in east coast areas, including Whangarei, in the last 36 hours and some rivers are running high. The rain has now eased to showers, but more heavy rain is forecast for Friday.
CANADA - More rain is adding to flood fears in southeastern British Columbia. Hundreds of homes in southeastern British Columbia remain on evacuation alert as officials warned that local water supplies could be contaminated.
CALIFORNIA - SAN DIEGO – Commuters awoke Monday morning to something they seldom see this time of year: RECORD-SETTING RAINFALL and strong winds. As of 10 a.m., Lindbergh Field had recorded nearly an inch of rain – .77 of an inch, more than doubling the record for the date. The previous high rainfall total for May 22, set in 1921, was .36 of an inch. Winds were expected to reach up to 25 mph. “It's not unusual for us to get rain in May. It is UNUSUAL for us to get it this late, and this much.” Heavy rain was to blame for a roof partially collapsing at an apartment building. San Diego's weather should return to its usual May pattern today, patchy morning clouds and fog, followed by sunny skies and temperatures in the mid- to high 70s
ARIZONA - A cold front moved from the Pacific Ocean into the Valley and out again on Monday, kicking up high winds and enough dust to set off pollution alarms. It also concerned wildland firefighters, as two of three fires around the state grew larger because of the wind. "It could stay under 100 on Tuesday, but on Wednesday it will heat back up with temperatures in the 103-106 range." The cold front was "dramatic," weather like Monday's is UNUSUAL. "In recent years, the trend has been that once hot weather gets here, it stays here. We normally don't get weather patterns through here in May. Usually, this time of year is the setup for the monsoon," when increasingly hot temperatures trigger the state's summer rainy season.
NEW HAMPSHIRE - A fast-moving storm that eyewitnesses said "twisted down from the sky" in Hampton Falls crossed over Interstate 95, flipping over a pickup truck and tossing its cap 150 feet into nearby woods. As the storm arrived, observers a few miles north saw a strange, wedge-shaped cloud. It was not a classic "twister," but a conical, black mass pointing forward and down from the lead edge of the main storm. A few minutes later, those observers saw two waterspouts moving over the ocean. Tornadoes here are few and far between. "Having a similar event, a 'downburst' or 'microburst' as we call them, a couple times a summer is not unusual. The only thing that is UNUSUAL about this is that the weather has been so cool. A tornado is most likely to happen when it's hot. If it were a tornado, it certainly would be UNUSUAL."
Officials estimate more than five-thousand homes in New Hampshire have been damaged by last week's flooding.
ODD -
UNITED KINGDOM - This may be the summer of drought - but instead of rain over the next few months people in Yarmouth have been told to brace themselves for a downpour of frogs. That is the unusual conclusion of a senior weather forecaster who has labelled the resort as the most likely spot for a downpour of BFOs - bizarre falling objects. The town was showered in two-inch sprats in August 2000, while other BFO outbreaks recorded around the country in previous centuries include larger fish, tomatoes and even coal. Recent changeable weather conditions such as storms, droughts and sudden downpours have vastly increased the chances of objects falling from the sky, according to British Weather Services, who says they can be caused by heat and air pressure coupled with atmospheric instability. “People may be surprised to hear this happens but while it might be UNUSUAL it really does...You need converging air, warm land mass, instances of lightning and thunderstorms and chances of tornadoes - and Yarmouth has that all more than anywhere else in Europe. With this week being as UNUSUAL as it's going to be all summer in terms of changing weather patterns, it's a great recipe for things being sucked up and then deposited.”
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Monday, May 22, 2006 -
QUAKES -
Largest quakes yesterday -
5/21 -
5.2 NEAR COAST OF CENTRAL CHILE
5.3 OFF COAST OF ECUADOR
5/20 -
5.0 MID-INDIAN RIDGE
5.1 TONGA ISLANDS
5/19 -
5.0 SOUTH OF JAWA, INDONESIA
6.0 MINAHASSA PENINSULA, SULAWESI
VOLCANOES -
MONTSERRAT - the volcano on the Caribbean island of Montserrat erupted Saturday, sending burning gas, volcanic rock and ashes careening down the mountain slopes and into the sea. The eruption had been expected for months, and the local population had taken precautions. The dome collapsed sending clouds of ash more than 16 kilometres into the sky. The spewing ash caused lightning and thunder above the collapsed dome. A rainstorm during the collapse sent torrents of mud and rocks down the slopes. Sunday the activity returned to 'normal'. (photo)
INDONESIA - Fresh hot clouds were reported to be streaming 3.5 km down the slopes of Mt Merapi at about 4:25 pm local time today from the crater of volcano. On Sunday the hot clouds rolled down from its crater 12 times, while molten lava fallouts were recorded to have happened 22 times.
ECUADOR - Ecuadorean peasants evacuated the area around the Tungurahua volcano as it spewed smoke and ashes high into the sky Thursday. Scientists said that in the past week, the central Ecuador volcano has increased its activity, with repeated explosions of volcanic gas and ashes. "(We've had) Various explosions that are accompanied with very important emissions of great altitude, up to 4km high, with an important load of ashes."
VANUATU - The National Disaster Management Office says the volcano eruption on Lopevi remains graded as level 2 volcanic activity. Meanwhile, reports have indicated that the heavy ashfall that the nearby islands of Paama and Amrbym were experiencing has eased. "They still have food. But the problem is the water..." Meanwhile a small volcanic eruption has happened on Tanna.
TROPICAL STORMS -
VIETNAM - A Chinese ship has saved 97 Vietnamese fishermen whose boats were caught in the wake of Typhoon Chanchu but they also found 18 bodies. The Fisheries Ministry said more than 400 fishermen were missing from Danang city and the nearby provinces of Quang Nam and Quang Ngai. May is very early in the typhoon season and an official with the Hong Kong Observatory said Chanchu was the "most intense" typhoon on record to strike in the South China Sea at this time of year.
THUNDERSTORMS / HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING -
CANADA - After 9 straight days of rain, there is flooding near Cowansville, 80 kilometres southeast of Montreal. The high water has forced the evacuation of at least 100 people. This is QUITE UNUSUAL WEATHER for that part of the Quebec. The southeastern region of the province has received more than 140 millimetres of rain so far in May.
UNITED KINGDOM - Gale force winds at speeds of more than 50mph hammered the South Wales coastline Friday. And forecasters say even more rain and gusts of wind are on the way. The unseasonal weather is here to stay - and it could even last all the way to Monday, May 29. 'It's very unsettled at the moment. The reason it's so wet and windy is that we've got low pressure over Scotland - much lower than we'd expect for this time of year. Parts of Wales have been struck by strong winds, up to gale force, with gusts in places.'
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Friday, May 19, 2006 -
Taking a mini-vacation, there will be no update this Sunday.
QUAKES -
Largest quakes yesterday -
5/18 -
5.1 OFF W. CST OF NORTHERN SUMATERA
5.7 OFF E. CST KAMCHATKA PEN.
5.1 EASTERN SIBERIA, RUSSIA
5.1 NEW BRITAIN
TROPICAL STORMS -
TYPHOON CHANCHU - At least 99 Vietnamese fishermen are missing and feared dead after being trapped at sea during Typhoon Chanchu, authorities said Thursday.
VIETNAM - Floods triggered by prolonged drought and Typhoon Chanchu have washed away shrimps and salinated irrigation sources in Vietnam’s central Quang Nam province, causing losses up to hundreds of thousands of dollars. 50 percent of shrimps from 100 ha of ponds was carried away to the sea. Sea levels have elevated 1.5 meters, causing waters to encroach on the Thu Bon River, a major source for irrigating paddy fields in the province’s coastal areas. Hence, over 1,000ha can not be sown for now due to the salty irrigation water.
TAIWAN - The distant typhoon packs a punch for local commuters - Torrential rain brought by the system containing Typhoon Chanchu brought havoc to parts of the nation yesterday, damaging roads and causing several traffic accidents.
THUNDERSTORMS / HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING -
COLUMBIA - A landslide triggered by heavy rains damaged a gas pipeline and cut off gas supplies to more than 756,000 families in Colombia's capital city, a gas company spokesman said on Wednesday. The landslip destroyed around 140 meters of the pipeline in Cundinamarca.
After four months of heavy rain, Colombia is fighting widespread flooding.
TURKEY - A landslide triggered by heavy rains buried eight hillside homes in eastern Turkey Wednesday, officials said. Four people were reported missing. The landslide hit the village of Yukari Karaguney in Kars province.
NORWAY - Norway can look forward to over a week of unstable weather, with an unpredictable mix of sunshine, clouds and rain. The temperature is likely to be just as variable across the country, and a return of the period of high summer seen last week is not in sight, according to the Meteorological Institute. "Low pressure along the coast of northern Norway and over southern Norway will lead to a quite unstable situation in the first part of this period (the coming week)." Rain is predicted to be an intermittent but constant factor over the next few days.
SNOW / COLD -
SOUTH AFRICA - Cold snap looms - Tshwane residents can expect to start feeling the effects of the front tonight with cloudy and windy conditions, and even some rain. Rain is UNUSUAL for this time of year. The wind and rain could start letting up as early as Sunday, but low temperatures are expected to continue until the middle of next week. Many of Tshwane's homeless are in dire straits as the country enters winter. Homeless shelters are already pushed to their limits, and have to turn away scores of people every day. In Johannesburg, temperatures are forecast to plummet to as low as 1°C on Tuesday, with maximums as low as 13°C over the weekend. Maximum temperatures were about five or six degrees higher at the same time last year. "For Johannesburg, a maximum of 11, 12 or even 13°C is ALMOST EXCEPTIONAL. There are only a few days in winter in any particular year where it will get that cold...At this juncture, all indications point to a very cold winter."
ISRAEL - An unseasonably cool night and a pleasant day are expected throughout Israel today, but raindrops may fall along with the thermometer on Saturday, particularly in the north and possibly in the eastern regions. Temperatures will rise on Sunday but scattered precipitation may fall again in the middle of the week. The UNUSUAL weather has allowed the Kinneret to hold its own level, without evaporation and depletion for farm irrigation. Temperatures usually soar into the upper 30s Celsius (upper 90s Fahrenheit) for several days at a time from mid-April.
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Thursday, May 18, 2006 -
Taking a mini-vacation; no update this Sunday.
QUAKES -
Largest quakes yesterday -
5/17 -
5.0 IRIAN JAYA, INDONESIA
5.0 SOUTHERN SUMATERA, INDONESIA
5.2 KERMADEC ISLANDS REGION
5.0 FIJI ISLANDS REGION
5.8 TONGA ISLANDS
6.0 TONGA ISLANDS
INDONESIA - The strong 6.4 earthquake that shook Indonesia's island of Nias in the late hours of Tuesday caused visible cracks in the land. The epicentre of the quake was in the Indian Ocean. No one was hurt during the jolts. Despite the cracked land, there are no reports of damaged buildings.
VOLCANOES -
INDONESIA - Mount Merapi shot out a large cloud of searing hot ash and gas on Wednesday, ending two days of relative calm and underscoring the dangers still facing thousands of people living on its slopes. Witnesses said the eruption appeared to be smaller than the Indonesian mountain’s most violent jolts on Monday, when ash and gas clouds surged around four kilometres from the peak and triggered panic. Vulcanologists keeping the mountain on 24-hour watch were not immediately available for comment on the eruption, which sent volcanic material plunging down its western flanks, but appeared to fall short of populated areas.
ECUADOR - Tungurahua volcano increased its activity on Wednesday, spewing large clouds of hot gas and prompting the government to renew a limited state of emergency in nearby towns. Authorities said there are currently no plans to evacuate area residents. But flocks of villagers living near the volcano decided to voluntarily leave their homes at night, saying the loud explosions deprive them of sleep. "This is like a horror movie, with loud sounds that bounce off the walls ... like the explosion of dynamite sticks."
TAIWAN - a geothermal system under the northern Datun Mountains - where the popular Yangmingshan National Park is located - is still active, suggesting that a volcanic eruption is a remote possibility in Taipei. The "signs" prior to a volcanic eruption include drastic changes in the frequency of small quakes on the mountain, the concentration of gases emitted from vents, and the natural environment around the volcano such as plants and animals dying from a sudden rise in acidity of the water. In the event of an eruption, the lava flow down the flanks of the mountain would not reach beyond the realms of Yangmingshan National Park, and nearby heavily populated areas such as Taipei's Beitou and Tienmu would not be affected. Two scholars say the mountain range has been experiencing constant swarms of slight quakes since they began monitoring the area in 2003. The seismic waves of these quakes were similar to those of an active volcano. Also, the gases emitted from fumaroles - volcanic hollows - in the Datun Mountains contained helium, which was proof that the mountain range is on top of a magma chamber. Additionally, the underground heat at Tayukeng was higher by 10 to 20 degrees Celsius, which makes the temperature approximately 120 degrees Celsius. The Datun Mountains had been thought to be a chain of dormant volcanoes.
TROPICAL STORMS -
CHINA - At least eight people have died after powerful typhoon Chanchu swept into southern China, knocking out power and flooding roads and homes. Typhoon Chanchu pounded the coast after making landfall between Guangdong and Fujian provinces. More than 900,000 people have been moved out of the path of the storm. At least 27 Vietnamese fisherman are reported missing in Chinese waters. They were on board three boats that sank after being caught up in the storm. Chanchu has been downgraded to a tropical storm, and was moving north-east along the Chinese coast at about 35km/h (22mph) and is expected to enter the East China Sea later today. Heavy rainfall brought by the storm has been reported in Shanghai, and it is forecast to continue through Friday. China's Meteorological Administration has also warned of severe weather in Zhejiang province just south of the city.
CHINA - Typhoon Chanchu, packing 98 mph winds, veered to the east Wednesday and spared Hong Kong before roaring toward mainland China's southern coast, where local media reported more than 180,000 people were evacuated. Chanchu's eye was picking up speed and was expected to hit Guangdong province, one of China's biggest manufacturing centers, early today. As the storm churned through the South China Sea, it caused an oil tanker to run aground near Taiwan's southern port of Kaohsiung. Chanchu was heading toward Hong Kong earlier this week, but it changed course overnight, swirling about 140 miles east of the city Wednesday. The storm kicked up high waves and spawned squalls but caused no major damage. After slamming into Guangdong, Chanchu was expected to churn up the coast to Fujian province, just across from Taiwan. Taiwan's weather bureau forecast flooding Wednesday and Thursday on the outlying islands of Kinmen, Matsu and Penghu.
JAPAN - High waves swept three students from near a beach in southern Japan on Wednesday afternoon as Typhoon Chanchu raged through East Asia, leaving one dead and another missing. The three 17-year-olds, all male, were in the water off Hateruma island in the southern island chain of Okinawa when high waves swept them out to sea. There were waves about 3-4 meters (10-13 feet) high in the area due to the typhoon, though the weather was sunny.
PHILIPPINES - Nineteen electric posts of the Central Pangasinan Electric Cooperative, stretching along both sides of the massive Hector Mendoza bridge were knocked down and twisted at the height of typhoon Caloy (Chanchu) Monday afternoon. Far stronger than the wooden posts that were used by electric companies before, the three-year old electric posts gave way under strong winds at 2 pm just when 'Caloy' was leaving the Philippines. A resident witness said the wind grew stronger, followed by torrential rains at about that time. Within five minutes, the electric posts began bending, almost falling to the ground.
THUNDERSTORMS / HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING -
IRELAND - Buncrana, Co Donegal, was hit Tuesday by a mini tornado which lifted wooden hoardings more than 50ft in the air. Two cars and two vans were damaged by flying debris. Slates were torn off roofs and wooden facings torn from buildings when the tornado struck at 7:10pm. Trees at Ardravan Square were totally flattened as the high-speed winds swirled around the shopping area. The wind appeared during a heavy downpour. Residents and shoppers alike were terrified as flying timber embedded itself in the rear of a car. One observer commented they never saw anything like it in their life. The tornado only lasted seconds, but left a trail of debris in its wake. (audio / video link)
U.S. - Driving rains that caused the worst flooding in New England since the 1930s finally eased up Tuesday, but washed-out roads and the danger of dam breaks prevented many people from returning home. More than a foot of rain fell across New Hampshire, Massachusetts and southern Maine between Friday and Tuesday, with up to 17 inches in some places. Police reported one death, a 59-year-old man whose body was found in a submerged car north of Boston. Dams kept a tenuous hold against cresting rivers, and evacuees left behind water-filled basements. Some were stranded on rooftops. The damage will reach tens of millions of dollars in Massachusetts alone. And scattered showers are forecast for the weekend. Major rivers remained above flood stage. The month is only half over, but it already ranks as THE WETTEST MAY ON RECORD in Concord, N.H., and Portland, Maine.
WIND -
CHINA - Beijing residents woke up Wednesday morning to yet another sandstorm coating the city in a film of dust - and a warning that more could come. Influenced by strong cyclones, sandstorms swept over central and southern Mongolia, and central Inner Mongolia on Tuesday afternoon, with a northwest current bringing the dust to Beijing. The 14th sandstorm to hit Beijing this year caused the air quality index to reach hazardous level five - the worst rating - between midday Tuesday and midday Wednesday. The current sandstorm was also the second in Beijing this month, following the first on May 1. Beijing experienced 2.4 sandstorms on average in May over the last five years. As of Tuesday, Beijing had recorded just 72 blue sky days this year, 13 less than the corresponding period last year.
ARIZONA - Weather that resembled July or August rolled into the Valley late Tuesday afternoon, with wind, dust and even some thunder, lightning and rain. And this is May, not a month associated with the summer monsoon. "This is VERY UNUSUAL." The heavy winds caused a sheet-metal roof to blow off a structure and hit an electrical line, cutting power to thousands of homes and starting a small brush fire.
CANADA - In Ontario last Thursday a FREAK three-hour dust storm hit. Some wondered if The Wizard of Oz was being re-made and instead of Kansas, Bradford was picked to shoot the opening scene. The storm tore newly planted seeds from some fields, parts of roofs blew off barns and traffic along Hwy. 400 slowed to a crawl as nervous motorists drove through the black dust clouds. During the storm's peak, visibility was nil. "Bradford was completely obscured. This is a phenomenon that happens every few years."
SPACE -
A comet that has broken up catastrophically will swing past Earth today. It will be the NEAREST APPROACH BY ANY COMET IN THE PAST TWO DECADES. Comet Schwassmann-Wachmann 3 - also known as Comet 73P - will pass within a mere 10 million kilometres of Earth in a string of at least 67 pieces. Observers should be able to see two of the brighest chunks using a small telescope or even binoculars if they look near the constellation of Cygnus. Sky & Telecoscope (skyandtelescope.com) has predicted a meteor shower for May 22 or May 23, as Earth travels through the dusty debris trailed by the disintegrating comet.
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Wednesday, May 17, 2006 -
QUAKES -
Largest quakes yesterday -
5/16 -
5.6 NORTHERN SUMATERA, INDONESIA
5.3 NORTHERN SUMATERA, INDONESIA
6.9 NORTHERN SUMATERA, INDONESIA
5.5 NORTHERN MOLUCCA SEA
7.5 KERMADEC ISLANDS REGION
5.7 TONGA ISLANDS
5.2 TONGA ISLANDS
VOLCANOES -
INDONESIA - Lava flows and clouds of hot gas spouting from Indonesia's Mount Merapi volcano dwindled on Wednesday, enabling evacuees to return to their farms and businesses and children to go back to their schools. Many planned to return to shelters in the evening, however, and vulcanologists continued to warn people to stay away from danger zones on the slopes of Merapi. The number and frequency of tremors, lava flows and hot clouds, known locally as "shaggy goats," belching out of the crater of the mountain in central Java had decreased considerably. The center had recorded 34 tremors so far on Wednesday, compared with 126 the previous day, while lava had flowed out of the mountain 54 times, down from 257 times a day before. Vulcanologists have been warning the possible collapse of a swelling lava dome could trigger more massive and dangerous clouds and sprays of lava.
Merapi's ceremonial guardian says that he has not yet seen any sign that the mountain is about to unleash its fury. He is even following his regular routine of hiking toward the smouldering mountain's peak. "This volcano is not like the tsunami. It sends signals before erupting and for us, that means ample time to flee or seek protection. We mountain people know the mountain well. We have our own tricks when the mountain gets angry." These include hiding under tables or beds inside brick houses when the clouds descend. "Those who die are usually those on the run."
TROPICAL STORMS -
Typhoon CHANCHU was 145 nmi SSE of Hong Kong.
CHINA - The killer typhoon picked up speed Tuesday as it spun closer to South China, forcing cities such as Hong Kong, Shenzhen and Guangzhou to warn small ships and fishing boats on the open seas to seek shelter from the storm - the STRONGEST ON RECORD TO ENTER THE SOUTH CHINA SEA IN MAY. More than 180,000 people have been evacuated from coastal areas to safe places . Typhoon Chanchu's eye is expected to pass just east of Hong Kong today before slamming into Guangdong Province. The typhoon may land in the coastal areas between Huidong and Raoping Counties between noon and night today or it may move toward the Taiwan Strait, passing the eastern coast of Guangdong.
THUNDERSTORMS / HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING -
- ALL OF THESE ARE CONNECTED TO THE SAME SYSTEM MOVING EAST -
U.S. - Record rainfall — THREE MONTHS' WORTH OF DOWNPOUR IN LESS THAN A WEEK — has brought to parts of New England the worst levels of flooding in 70 years. Rain fell yesterday for the fifth consecutive day. The Spicket River in Methuen, Mass., overflowed its banks, and fears that the Spicket River Dam would give way forced evacuations for miles. In Merrimack, N.H., more than 60 homes were almost completely underwater. In some cases, rescuers could see only parts of rooftops. In nearby New Market, N.H., overturned cars sat in intersections and firefighters worked feverishly to sandbag a crack in that town's dam. "It's unbelievable. It's unbelievable. We've never had water this high here." In Haverhill, Mass., the main sewage line broke, sending more than 150 million gallons of sewage into the river. The sewage poses the most serious risk. "It's a nightmare." Meteorologists blamed the storm on a powerful high pressure system to the north in Canada that was keeping it from moving east. "It didn't move anywhere. It stayed there for three to four days." The storm is now finally moving out, but not before reminding people of the biblical tale of a torrential rain that fell for 40 days and 40 nights.
Experts blamed a convergence of UNUSUAL weather patterns Monday for the concentration of heavy rainfall in southern Maine, New Hampshire and Massachusetts. A high-pressure system over Canada's Maritime Provinces stalled and effectively blocked a weaker low-pressure system over the Ohio River Valley area that was trying to move into Maine. Normally, high- and low-pressure systems gradually move west to east, but in this case, the systems came to a standstill. Air around the high-pressure system was flowing in a clockwise direction, while air around the low-pressure system was flowing counterclockwise. "It is not unprecedented for this to happen, but it is UNUSUAL." "The moisture came from far out on the Atlantic Ocean. " "Stuck weather systems caused the rain to focus in on one spot. It is definitely a RARE event." Weather patterns like this one will become more common with global warming.
FLORIDA - Spring storms pounded South Florida for a second day Tuesday with high gusting winds, rain and golf ball-size hail, flooded streets and power outages. The National Weather Service in Miami said the region should brace for more severe weather, including isolated tornadoes, brought on by a cold front that moved into the area on Monday.
BAHAMAS - Residents of Williams Town and Russell Town were left in shock yesterday evening after several of them reported seeing a FREAK wind storm believed to be a tornado in the area. The storm touched down shortly after 4:00 p.m. leaving extensive roof damage to at least one home in its wake. The activity experienced in Grand Bahama was the result of severe thunder storms in South Florida. Thunder storms were expected to continue to develop across the area through Tuesday as a cold front approached the area.
UNITED KINGDOM - the weather is going to turn "very unsettled", with 60mph winds and more than 1.2in (30mm) of rain a possibility in some areas as two Atlantic depressions track across the country over the next three days. Western and southern areas are likely to experience the worst of the weather, with the strongest winds and most persistent heavy rain spreading in through Thursday and Friday, which could cause travel disruption. Consumers were being urged to save water amid fears of the worst water crisis in a century, despite weather forecasters predicting heavy rain for the rest of the week. Extended dry periods like this are QUITE RARE. "The reality is that we have had 19 consecutive months of below-average rainfall."
SNOW / COLD -
COLORADO - Avalanche monitors issued an UNUSUAL spring avalanche watch for Colorado on Monday amid fast-rising spring temperatures. "With this rapid warmup we have maybe a greater potential for wet-slab avalanches than we typically do this time of year." The avalanche watch applies to the mountains statewide above 11,000 feet through Thursday morning. A watch means weather conditions could produce avalanches. Wet-slab avalanches occur when weak layers of snow become damp as temperatures rise. The avalanche center reported more than 24 avalanches last week, including one Saturday afternoon that swept a climber 1,000 feet down Torreys Peak in Clear Creek County. He was treated for minor injuries.
HEAT / WILDFIRES -
WASHINGTON - Eastern Washington is in the grip of an UNUSUAL heat wave that has temperatures in some places nearly 30 degrees above normal. Temperatures in the 90s also raised fears that rapidly melting snow in the mountains will cause flooding. Flood warnings have been issued for the Naches River near Yakima. Spokane is forecast to reach a record 93 degrees today, while the average high for this time of year is the mid-60s. "It's QUITE UNUSUAL." This heat is UNUSUALLY EARLY. Temperatures of 90 degrees or more before May 17 have only been recorded seven times in Spokane history, the last in 1993. A strong high pressure ridge is bringing the record or near-record highs to much of Eastern Washington and northern Idaho, and is expected to last until Thursday. The hot weather is part of the same pattern that is bringing cool, wet weather to the East Coast. [SITE NOTE - This is one big system that stretches across the entire country.]
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Tuesday, May 16, 2006 -
QUAKES -
Largest quakes yesterday -
5/15 -
5.1 TONGA ISLANDS
5.0 SOUTHEAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
5.2 MOZAMBIQUE
5.0 TONGA ISLANDS
VOLCANOES -
VANUATU - Monday a volcanic eruption on Lopevi in Malampa province has caused heavy ash fall on nearby islands. They have yet to grade the magnitude of the eruption because scientists have not yet arrived at the site of the volcano. The nearby islands of Ambrym and Paama have been feeling the effects of the eruption. There was a volcano eruption in December last year on the remote Ambae Island of Vanuatu. Villagers around have been evacuated for about one month from the path of a possible lahar, or mud flow. The South Pacific Vanuatu group is a string of more than 80 islands, most of the islands being inhabited.
ECUADOR - Tungurahua volcano is maintaining a "high level" of seismic activity, with repeated explosions. The blasts can be heard within a radius of 20 kilometers (some 12 miles) of the volcano. The volcano was emitting plumes loaded mostly with water vapor, volcanic gases and low concentrations of ash. A "moderate to large" explosion occurred early Monday and was heard by residents of several nearby communities. Scientists estimate that an eruption could last months or even years. Ecuadorian officials issued an alert for the area around the volcano as a precaution. If volcanic activity increases markedly, the alert would be raised to an emergency level and evacuations would begin. (photo)
INDONESIA - Activity on the Indonesian volcano Mount Merapi appears has calmed down but scientists are warning it still poses a threat. Lava is continuing to flow down the sides of the mountain although the clouds of hot gas, ash and rock fragments appear much smaller. No ash falls have been reported, unlike on Monday when fields and houses around the mountain were coated in grey ash.
TROPICAL STORMS -
Tropical storm MAKANI was 562 nmi ESE of Honolulu, Hawaii.
Typhoon CHANCHU was 289 nmi S of Hong Kong.
CHINA - Typhoon Chanchu is gathering strength over the South China Sea. Meteorologists in Hong Kong were bracing for the massive storm to hit the southern Chinese territory, predicting heavy rains over the next few days.
U.S. EAST COAST - Does the record-breaking rain fortell a dangerous hurricane season ahead? Maybe - the flooding going on in parts of Massachusetts harkens back to a weather pattern Boston saw in 1954. That's when Boston got 13 inches of rain in May, followed by hits from hurricanes Carol and Edna.
THUNDERSTORMS / HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING -
NEW ENGLAND - Deluged by the WORST FLOODING IN 70 YEARS - Across northeastern Massachusetts, thousands of people fled submerged neighborhoods during the region's worst flooding in nearly seven decades. More than a foot of rain fell during the weekend in some areas. Although more rain was expected today, the worst of the flooding was thought to be over. But predicted thunderstorms could bring flash floods and high winds that could cause power disruptions. In New Hampshire, more than 600 roads were damaged, destroyed or under water. In Maine, flooding washed out dozens of roads and bridges, and threatened a pair of dams.
The most surprising thing about the current storm is not its power and duration, but its cause – what might be called the lack of usual suspects. “Historically, our major floods in New Hampshire have been either from hurricanes, or nor’easters, or from winter storms. I just don’t think there’s any precedence for this one in the last 50, 75, 100 years.” The current storm was caused by high pressure to the east and low pressure to the west, which happens often and usually isn’t a problem. “The fact that everything kind of stalled for almost 72 hours, that doesn’t happen very often. The resulting precipitation was channeled into a very specific area. VERY UNUSUAL.” So unusual, in fact, that on Monday afternoon it appeared that Nashua and several other communities in New Hampshire could break all-time records for most rain in a month – records that were only set last October. “To set an all-time monthly record twice in a single year, that would be very interesting.”
The deluge that's washing out roads and flooding homes is a historic event. The intense storm has BROKEN ALL KINDS OF 48- and 72-HOUR RAINFALL RECORDS. An unusual weather pattern is to blame for as much as a foot of rain falling in places. A high pressure system parked in northeastern Canada blocked a low pressure system to New Hampshire's west, creating a funnel that drew tropical moisture into the region. The storm pattern is ESPECIALLY UNUSUAL in May. Normally major rain storms hit in October, as one did last year. "This is comparable to the great New England historical weather events, the 1938 hurricane and the 1936 winter floods." The weather pattern usually only lasts a few hours, not days. The low pressure system is slowing moving east, pushing out the heavier rain but bringing with it showers over the next few days.
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Monday, May 15, 2006 -
QUAKES -
Largest quakes yesterday -
5/14 -
5.3 HALMAHERA, INDONESIA
5.2 CHILE-BOLIVIA BORDER REGION
5.2 EASTERN NEW GUINEA
5.0 CENTRAL EAST PACIFIC RISE
5.2 NEAR COAST OF CHIAPAS, MEXICO
VOLCANOES -
INDONESIA - Activity on Mount Merapi has intensified, with continuous clouds of ash, gas and rock fragments spewing from its crater. One of the emissions sent a pile of debris 4km (2.5 miles) down one side of the mountain. So far there have been no confirmed reports of fresh lava flows from Mount Merapi on Monday, but the volcano is becoming more active by the day. At least one village about 3 km ( 2 miles) from the crater has already been covered in a thin coat of volcanic ash. By Sunday more than 4,500 people living in the villages closest to the crater, or next to rivers that could provide channels for hot lava, had been moved to emergency shelters. Many more are still lining up by the side of the road, waiting for trucks to take them to safety.
There were more than 100 volcanic tremors Sunday. More than 90 tremors usually indicates an imminent eruption. Several streams of orange and black lava could be seen rolling down the slopes of Mount Merapi throughout the day on Sunday, merging with two mountain rivers nearly two kilometers, or more than a mile, from the crater. The closest villages are only three kilometers from Merapi's peak.
TROPICAL STORMS -
Typhoon CHANCHU was 292 nmi W of Subic Bay, Philippines.
PHILIPPINES - began cleaning up Sunday after tropical storm Chanchu claimed 32 lives, left large parts of the country underwater and forced thousands to flee their homes. Strong winds and rain triggered floods, landslides and toppled trees, destroying 600 houses and damaging 3,500 others. By midday Chanchu was 430 kilometres out in the South China Sea, charting a west-southwesterly course and packing winds of up to 140 kilometres per hour, according to the weather bureau. Rain and strong winds continued to lash parts of southern Luzon and the central Visayas, which bore the brunt of the storm.
CHINA - Typhoon Chanchu gained strength Sunday and is forecast to head for Hong Kong after pounding the Philippines. Chanchu, the first tropical storm of the year that intensified into a typhoon and roared over the South China Sea Saturday, will bring high winds and heavy rain to many parts of south China from today through Wednesday.
THUNDERSTORMS / HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING -
NEW HAMPSHIRE - torrential rainfall for a second day throughout most of New Hampshire prompted evacuations and washed out roads. Flood warnings have been posted. Authorities are evacuating areas along the Maine-New Hampshire border downstream from the Milton Pond Dam. The earthen portions of the dam on either side of its main concrete structure were eroding and could fail, unleashing a ten-foot wall of water. Eight shelters have been opened across the state for evacuees. Forecasters were predicting 12 to 15 inches of rain by the end of the storm in parts of southern New Hampshire. "It continues to change and the situation continues to worsen." "It's very powerful. It's definitely a deluge of water we have not seen in recent years." Many roads have been closed in the capital, and a sink hole opened up. In Hooksett a dam was reportedly cracking.
MASSACHUSETTS - Heavy rain forced evacuations in several communities in northeastern Massachusetts where swollen rivers spilled onto city streets, basements flooded and residents endured a dreary and soggy Mother's Day. The torrential rain hasn't let up since Friday. Forecasters predicted the rain to continue through Tuesday and dump at least 5 more inches across eastern Massachusetts. "This is the tip of the iceberg. It's going to get worse." By Sunday evening, Andover, Georgetown and Peabody had picked up 10 inches of rain over a period of a day-and-a-half.
Maine was also seeing torrential rain.
CONNECTICUTT - More rain in the next two days could cause flooding along the Yantic River. More than 3 inches of rain fell in the area Thursday and Friday, and the river temporarily rose to a flood level of 9.7 feet Saturday morning.
SOUTH CAROLINA - The strong jet stream moving through the region created strong thunderstorms with large hail and damaging wind gusts. Up to 2.75-inch hail was reported in Marion County, that's about the size of a baseball. In Quinby (Florence County) and Northeast Richland County, golfball-sized hail has been reported, as well as downed trees. A tornado or funnel cloud was spotted in Berkeley and Charleston counties. There were more reports of possible tornadoes on Sunday, although none of those has been confirmed.
TEXAS - A strong line of storms moved through portions of Texas Sunday, causing flash flooding and at least one tornado. Hail the size of ping-pong balls smashed windows in Kerrville. To the east, Austin and San Antonio escaped the worst of the storms. Storms also pounded Houston, dropping as much as one inch in 15 minutes.
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Sunday, May 14, 2006 -
QUAKES -
Largest quakes yesterday -
5/13 -
5.8 NORTHERN SUMATERA, INDONESIA
5.2 TANIMBAR IS.INDONESIA REG
5.6 SOUTH SANDWICH ISLANDS REGION
5.1 NEW BRITAIN
5.3 VANUATU ISLANDS
5.2 TONGA ISLANDS
5/12 -
5.1 TALAUD ISLANDS, INDONESIA
5.6 SUNDA STRAIT, INDONESIA
5.0 SOUTH OF BALI, INDONESIA
5.0 FIJI ISLANDS REGION
5.1 SOLOMON ISLANDS REGION
CALIFORNIA - A magnitude 4.4 quake rumbled through an area around in the Geysers in Sonoma County early Friday and was followed by more than 20 aftershocks ranging from 2.3 to 1.4 in size. There were no reports of damage or injury.
VOLCANOES -
INDONESIA - Officials monitoring Mount Merapi volcano raised the threat status to a red alert, the highest level. They recorded 27 tremors from the volcano on Saturday. Many residents say they are waiting for specific signs - such as clouds in the shape of a sheep's fleece - to show them an eruption is imminent. But scientists are convinced of the danger, although they still cannot say when the volcano will erupt nor how powerful any explosion might be. Mount Merapi's pyrotechnic displays continue unabated with mini explosions sending clouds of burning ash, small rocks and spurts of lava high into the sky. Merapi is now in a state of "constant lava flow".
There were three reasons why the status of the volcano had been raised from "alert" to "caution" level. Firstly, the volcano`s lava dome has now turned red with increased pressure that could cause the lava to slide. Small hot clouds had also grown in number, while the smell of sulphur was also increasing. "We cannot be sure when the caution status will end. What is clear is that the process of hot cloud formation has begun and we are just waiting for big clouds to come."
30 blazing lava flows have been streaming towards rivers 1.5 kilometres from the volcano's peak along the south-western slopes of the mountain. A lava dome atop Mount Merapi has grown 75 metres in the past two weeks. Scientists say its collapse will release lava as well as deadly nuees ardentes, a geological term for clouds of volcanic gases, ash, and dust reaching temperatures up to 500 degrees Celsius.
ECUADOR - Tungurahua volcano is emitting its loudest and most frequent explosions since it rumbled back to life nearly seven years ago after eight decades of inactivity, scientists said. The volcano registered 133 explosions of vapor and gas between Wednesday and Friday. But the increased activity was not necessarily a sign of an imminent eruption.
TROPICAL STORMS -
Typhoon CHANCHU was 520 nautical miles south-southeast of Hong Hong -
Projected path heads right for Hong Kong.
PHILIPPINES - Tropical storm Chanchu continued to lash the Philippines on Saturday, leaving at least 21 people dead as heavy rains triggered landslides and left parts of the country under water. Floodwaters submerged two provinces in the central Visayas region, and several villages in Leyte's Sogod town were cut off after landslides and floods damaged a bridge and vital highway. In the worst accident during the storm, a motorboat capsized just off the central city of Masbate Friday. "There were 21 dead bodies recovered and 18 survivors." A second ferry, which was docked at a port in Albay province, sank but there were no reports of casualties. Over 23,000 people in the eastern and central regions have been evacuated, while nearly 8,000 people were stranded in major ports after the coast guard suspended sea travel. Chanchu was tracking west-northwest towards the South China Sea and was expected have moved on by this morning. "It is heading towards the South China Sea and by theory the weather should be better once that happens. But we are monitoring this because once it exits to the South China Sea it would intensify and there is danger it could make a U-turn back to the Philippines."
THUNDERSTORMS / HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING -
INDIA - Heavy rains that lashed the city of Bangalore during the past three days have left two persons dead and ten injured. Hundreds of trees have reportedly been uprooted. About 50 electric poles have reportedly fallen flat, resulting in power shutdown in several areas. Rainfall on Friday is said to be the HIGHEST FOR A DAY IN MAY IN 20 YEARS. The record of a day in May 20 years ago was 50 mm. On Friday, May 12, the rainfall was 85 mm. On Friday afternoon, the sun was very bright and harsh. But by 4 pm there was a sudden cloudburst and it rained nonstop for three hours.
U.S.- a sprawling area of low pressure is spinning rain or clouds over more than half of the country - A stationary low settled over the Midwest and has created an UNUSUAL weather pattern that looks more like a hurricane than Midwest storms. Typical weather for this area moves in a straight line from the southwest to the northeast, but this low has created clockwise rotating storms. "That upper low-pressure system over the Great Lakes is going to sit and spin until next week." Caught in the spin are those who look at the calendar, see that it's May and assume it's spring, then go outside and discover the weather is doing a convincing imitation of a raw autumn. There's enough rain ahead to lead the weather service to issue flood advisories for the next five days. On Friday, Indianapolis, Indiana set an UNUSUAL WEATHER RECORD - for the lowest maximum temperature. The old record was 52 degrees in 1952, but Friday saw a new record of 48. The normal high temperature for this time of year is 73 degrees.
WISCONSIN - rain and high speed winds whipped through the area Thursday. "This was an UNUSUAL storm for this time of the year. We typically see these types of systems in the fall rather than in the spring. It was a strong low pressure system that gained strength as it moved into southern lower Michigan and into Wisconsin with a lot of clouds and precipitation." Snowflakes were seen in abundance in northern Wisconsin.
MICHIGAN - There were reports of wires and trees down all across West Michigan on Thursday.
MAINE - Three days of rain have fallen on southern Maine this week and rain should continue for several more days. The forecast from the National Weather Service calls for rain through Tuesday. Already this month, more than 5 inches of rain have fallen in Portland, or about four times the average for early May. The rain has been accompanied by cool temperatures that aren't expected to subside until the skies clear. Just three weeks ago, the ground in southern Maine was so dry that fires were a major concern. But under Friday's driving rain, April seemed like a distant memory.
WIND -
BRITAIN - A FREAK wind has destroyed Britain's oldest sycamore tree, which stood in the grounds of a Lothians college for nearly 450 years. A sudden swirling wind swept on to the estate from the south during otherwise hot and calm weather early on Thursday evening and sent the 95-foot sycamore crashing to the ground. Nobody was hurt by the tree, which was known to be rotting inside.
UPCOMING WEATHER SEASON -
CHINA - Meteorologists in China warn that the country faces extreme weather this summer, potentially adding misery to the lives of millions of people who are already coping with either droughts or floods. State media have been told that China could be hit by nine typhoons, and generally the weather will be hotter and stormier than usual. The Beijing area is currently suffering its seventh successive year of drought, and experts say the outlook for substantial rain is gloomy. Less than half an inch of rain has fallen on the Chinese capital in the past four months. That's down 63 per cent from the same period last year and reservoirs in the city are drying up. Meanwhile, drought in the north, northeast and southwest of the country is affecting more than 16 million hectares of farmland and threatening water supplies to more than 14 million people. Since mid-April, 10 people have been killed and around 4.5 million people have been affected by floods in central, eastern and southern China.
Space Weather / Solar Storms / Meteors - updated Sundays. ONE ITEM - POSTED HERE -
The Sun's Great Conveyor Belt has slowed to a RECORD-LOW crawl, according to research by NASA solar physicists. "We've NEVER SEEN SPEEDS SO LOW." "It's off the bottom of the charts. This has important repercussions for future solar activity." Solar Cycle 25 peaking around 2022 could be one of the weakest in centuries. The Great Conveyor Belt is a massive circulating current of fire (hot plasma) within the Sun. It has two branches, north and south, each taking about 40 years to perform one complete circuit. Researchers believe the turning of the belt controls the sunspot cycle, and that's why the slowdown is important. Solar explosions, which produce their own deadly radiation, sweep away the even deadlier cosmic rays from space. As flares subside, cosmic rays intensify. Cosmic rays are high-energy particles from deep space; they penetrate metal, plastic, flesh and bone. The coming cycle, Cycle 24, will be unusually strong. The following cycle, Cycle 25, will be unusually weak.
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Friday, May 12, 2006 -
QUAKES -
Largest quakes yesterday -
5/11 -
5.0 SOUTH OF SUMBAWA, INDONESIA
5.0 SOUTH OF BALI, INDONESIA
5.4 MYANMAR-INDIA BORDER REGION
5.1 MYANMAR
5.4 HOKKAIDO, JAPAN, REGION
5.0 NEAR COAST OF NORTHERN CHILE
BULGARIA was shaken by a new earthquake late on Wednesday, the sixth in twenty-four hours. The epicentre of the 3.0 quake, registered at 11 pm, was 230 kilometers east of Sofia. The first two earthquakes hit western regions Wednesday morning, and the three rattles that followed were felt in the eastern parts of the country. Around 10 a.m., the most powerful tremor (4.3 on the Richter scale) shook Gotse Delchev, but the epicenter was outside Bulgaria. Within half an hour another quake hit the area of the Kalotina border checkpoint, 55 kilometers west of Sofia. Its magnitude was 3.7. Eastern Kermen felt three earthquakes in the afternoon - a 3.3-magnitude shortly after noontime, and two lighter tremors (2.7 and 3 on the Richter scale) in 2:26 and 2:27 p.m..
VOLCANOES -
WASHINGTON - More than 200 feet of a fin-shaped slab that arose in the crater of Mount St. Helens has crumbled. The U.S. Geological Survey says it probably collapsed Sunday night when instruments detected an avalanche. (photos)
INDONESIA - Mount Merapi in Indonesia's densely populated central Java is spewing molten lava as far as 1,500 metres from its crater, prompting the country's vice president Thursday to urge an immediate evacuation of people living on the slopes. After a helicopter inspection of the active volcano, Vice President Jusuf Kalla called central Java's government authorities to evacuate 15,000 residents living in danger zones to makeshift shelters. "We shouldn't wait until the alert status is raised into the highest level, because volcanologists say (Merapi) may erupt any day." While volcanologists said the red-hot lava sliding down Merapi's west side towards Krasak river is a new development, they added that the 1,500-metre long flow is still far away from any inhabited areas. Molten lava was also flowing 200m down the south side of Merapi.
TROPICAL STORMS -
Typhoon CHANCHU was 150 nmi N of Cebu City, Philippines.
PHILIPPINES - Official warnings of landslides and flash floods have been issued in the Philippines as Typhoon Chanchu moves closer. The storm, with winds up to 100 kilometres an hour, is expected to be within 70 kilometres of the southern tip of Samar island early today. Chanchu is expected to swing past the north coast of Mindoro island near the capital, Manila, on Sunday. [very slowly moving] Storm alerts have been issued for the central islands of Samar, Masbate, Leyte, and Biliran as well as parts of the southern island of Mindanao. The typhoon is likely to also hit Taiwan on Sunday if it stays on its current course. The typhoon is expected to strengthen once it passes through the Philippines.
THUNDERSTORMS / HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING -
PHILIPPINES - A FREAK tornado hit a farming area north of the Philippine capital Manila, killing a 50 year-old woman and leaving about 400 people homeless on Wednesday. The tornado struck two farming villages in the area when residents were preparing to sleep. "The people there were caught by complete surprise. The whirlwind stayed for almost half an hour, leaving a swathe of destruction, toppling power lines and posts and nearly flattening residential areas." Around 70 homes were destroyed and power was cut for three hours. Philippine meteorologists said the freak tornado was caused by severe thunderstorms due to abrupt temperature changes at the onset of the rainy season. A mild 4.2 earthquake also rattled the central Philippines on Wednesday, interrupting power supplies on some islands. Separately, the weather bureau has raised typhoon warnings on the country's eastern flank.
GEORGIA - Nearly 80% of vineyards in the Gurjaani and Sagarajo districts in eastern Georgia were destroyed by hail on Wednesday night. The hail also damaged homesteads. The Lagodekhi and Akhmeti districts suffered large damages on Tuesday. Locals said they HAD NOT SEEN SUCH HAIL FOR THE PAST 30 YEARS in eastern Georgia.
UNUSUAL WEATHER SEASON -
INDIANA - Within the Paducah National Weather Service coverage area, there have been 402 severe weather events so far this year. This is nearly the total number of storm reports in all of 2003, a year which had seen the most severe weather in the last ten years. The clash of cold air from the north with warm, moist and unstable air from the south is a typical severe weather set-up. Add a strong jet stream wind above the surface and the recipe for storms is nearly complete. One of the reasons this year has been so active is that the jet stream has taken several dips over the eastern half of the country, leading to the development of strong low pressure systems. While this is not unusual during spring, this pattern has been with us on and off for months.
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Thursday, May 11, 2006 -
QUAKES -
Largest quakes yesterday -
5/10 -
5.1 SUMBA, INDONESIA, REGION
5.0 SOUTH OF FIJI ISLANDS
5.0 EASTERN SEA OF JAPAN
5.0 NEW BRITAIN
5.2 FOX ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN ISLANDS.
6.4 FOX ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN ISLANDS.
5.3 TONGA ISLANDS
VOLCANOES -
INDONESIA - Residents evacuated from the slopes of Indonesia's Mount Merapi are returning to their homes despite increasing signs of an imminent eruption. The volcano in Central Java has been on "standby" alert status for more than three weeks. One step higher requires the mandatory evacuation of all residents. In recent weeks, thousands of people voluntarily left their homes for shelters in safer areas as the volcano began oozing lava and spewing smoke. Officials say that about 1,000 evacuees have now returned home. Geologists say Merapi is continuing to show increasing activity, as a new lava dome at its peak continues to grow.
TROPICAL STORMS -
CHANCHU is now a TYPHOON and was 183 nmi ENE of Cebu City, Philippines.
Tropical storm Chanchu, which is expected to strengthen into a typhoon, was located 1,900 kilometers southeast of Taiwan, moving west toward the northern Philippines at a speed of 13 kilometers per hour as of 9:00 a.m. Wednesday. It is still too early to tell whether Chanchu will sweep directly toward Taiwan, although the storm's outer rim is expected to affect Taiwan from Sunday, bringing sporadic downpours to northern and northeastern parts of the island.
The tropical storm is heading directly for Hong Kong. A tropical depression, which was expected to skirt the Philippines to the north, now has tropical storm status and has changed path towards Hong Kong. As it will pass over the China Sea, whose waters are much hotter, the probability of it becoming a typhoon are now very high. Present winds in the system are a sustained 55 knots, with gusts of 70 knots. The first typhoons are, normally, not due until the end of June and are most frequent in September, when the waters of the China Sea reach extreme temperatures.
THUNDERSTORMS / HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING -
TEXAS - Three people were killed and at least ten injured when tornadoes moved through north Texas yesterday. At least one tornado touched down near the town of Anna, north of Dallas. Severe weather was also reported in nearby Westminster.
RUSSIA - A cyclone will bring squall and heavy precipitation to Kamchatka from Sakhalin. A storm warning is announced for all operational services in the region and vessels sailing off the coast of the peninsula. The impact of the cyclone will be felt on the south-western and south-eastern coasts of Kamchatka this afternoon. The wind velocity will reach 15-20 meters. The impact of the cyclone will be strong on the peninsula till May 13, specialists believe.
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Wednesday, May 10, 2006 -
QUAKES -
This morning there has been a 6 .3 quake in the Fox Islands, Alaska, followed by a series of aftershocks, 16 so far.
PHILIPPINES - A relatively mild 3.7 earthquake toppled a transmission tower and left several million people in the central Philippines without electricity today. Three power plants on the island of Leyte were shut down as a protective measure. The outage blacked out Leyte and also affected large areas of Cebu island including Cebu city, the country's number-two metropolis, as well as the island of Panay. Residents of the island of Negros said the area was also without power. The four islands have a total population of 8.3 million. It was caused by a movement of a geological abnormality called the Philippine fault that is straddled by the island. The same fault was blamed for the huge landslide on February 17 that buried the Leyte village of Guinsaugon, killing about a thousand people.
Largest quakes yesterday -
5/9 -
5.2 NORTHERN SUMATERA, INDONESIA
5.0 SOUTHERN SUMATERA, INDONESIA
5.7 EASTERN SIBERIA, RUSSIA
5.0 TONGA ISLANDS
5.5 BANDA SEA
5.2 SOLOMON ISLANDS REGION
ITALY - There has been yet another tremor from an earthquake in the Aeolian Islands, this time near Filicudi. It is the fourth earthquake in 4 days in the archipelago, where two tremors were felt in Stromboli and one in the channel between Salina and Lipari. The latter was the strongest and, as a consequence, the precautionary measure was taken to close the three churches which were slightly damaged.
CHINA - Shenzhen Wildlife Park has recently joined efforts with the municipal seismic bureau to establish five seismological observation stations in the park. Every day the park's staff and animal keepers observe and record unusual actions of animals and report to the seismic bureau for analysis. Meanwhile, the seismic bureau occasionally sends experts to the park to train and teach the animal keepers how to observe and record the behaviour of tigers, lions, wolves, snakes, crocodiles, swans, cranes, turkeys, fishes and zebras in the park. Animals are said to behave irregularly before seismic activities take place, and some believe observing the creatures can help predict earthquakes.
A team of U.S. and Indian scientists says it has found a link between concentrations of chlorophyll in coastal waters and the occurrence of earthquakes. The increases in chlorophyll are the result of blooms of plankton, which use chlorophyll to convert solar energy into chemical energy via photosynthesis. The scientists analyzed satellite data from coastal areas near the epicenters of four recent earthquakes and determined chlorophyll blooms might provide early warning concerning an impending earthquake. The researchers theorize the movement of plate tectonics creates conditions in which plankton thrive in proximity to an impending earthquake.
VOLCANOES -
RUSSIA - Eruption of the volcano Bezymyanny, located in the central area of the Kamchatka Peninsula began Tuesday. The Bezymyanny is belching out ash to the altitude of 13 kilometers to 15 kilometers above sea level and the trail of smoke and ash is spreading northwards and northeastwards. Researchers are closely watching the natural phenomenon but they say it does not pose any threat to population centers.
INDONESIA - A new dome at the peak of Indonesia's simmering Mount Merapi is growing rapidly but has ample space to develop before it turns unstable, a geologist said Tuesday. "Because of its position smack in the middle (of the peak), this means that it has the opportunity to expand."
TROPICAL STORMS -
TROPICAL STORM CHANCHU was 339 nmi E of Cebu City, Philippines.
Tropical storm Chanchu is forecast to strike the Philippines as a typhoon at about 16:00 GMT on May 11 at category 1. (map of projected path)
This map projects Hong Kong to be in the potential path.
WIND -
NORTH DAKOTA - Swirling wind swept a trampoline into the air and over a fence as a 4-year-old girl was jumping on it, knocking her unconscious and breaking her arm and pelvis. Witnesses reported the trampoline was lifted as high as 25 feet. "One man saw the whirlwind, then he saw the trampoline fly up into his view. He said it was as high as the trees." The trampoline landed partly on a highway with the girl pinned underneath. The swirling wind might have been a "dust devil," a localized, spinning pocket of air. Such meteorological oddities can occur when air heated by the ground rises rapidly through the cool air above it. Dust devils as large as 10 feet wide and 13 miles tall have been documented.
UNUSUAL WEATHER SEASON -
INDIA - Few people realise that unless there are miraculous heavy unseasonal rains in the next few weeks north India is going to face a summer of acute discontent. The water situation is reportedly bad even in north Pakistan and is likely to worsen during the next few months till the monsoons break in late June. With water scarcity, power generation, too, will be badly affected. This gloomy situation may continue even longer because the meteorological department has just declared that the 2006 monsoons are likely to be deficient as well. The level of water in the Ganges at Garhmukteshwar was the LOWEST SEEN DURING THE PAST 20 YEARS. With the virtual failure of winter rains, the situation in other northern rivers like the Yamuna and Sutlej is likely to be just as bad. If this is the situation in mid-April, the next three months till the monsoons set in are likely to become even more critical. Sea level temperatures have increased by 3.7 degrees Celsius during the past 20 years - this rate of change is equivalent to half an ice age in less than a 100 years.
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Tuesday, May 9, 2006 -
QUAKES -
Largest quakes yesterday -
5/8 -
5.8 SOUTHERN SUMATERA, INDONESIA
5.2 NORTHERN SUMATERA, INDONESIA
5.4 NEW GUINEA, PAPUA NEW GUINEA
5.1 PHILIPPINE ISLANDS REGION
TROPICAL STORMS -
Tropical storm 02W was 296 nmi WSW of Yap, Caroline Is. and 572 nmi ESE of Cebu City, Philippines. [Currently aiming straight for Manila]
THUNDERSTORMS / HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING -
SURINAME - Hundreds of people in Suriname's remote central lowlands have fled their homes for higher ground after heavy rains hammered their thatched-hut villages. Some villages were beneath two metres (6.5 feet) of muddy water. It was not known if anyone was killed in the flooding, but rivers were rising and displaced villagers needed to be evacuated. "It is the first time this has happened to us and we need help quickly." May is the beginning of the rainy season in Suriname, a former Dutch colony of about 440,000 people on the northeastern shoulder of South America.
AFRICA - Drought has put more than 11 million people across east Africa at risk of starvation, 3.5 million of them in Kenya, where recent heavy rains have exacerbated already dire conditions. The long awaited rain in April, instead of helping, has caused flooding that swept away homesteads and livestock. The situation remains difficult in Ethiopia because it is not simply a problem of too little or too much rain but the main problem is the weather patterns have become increasingly extreme and erratic. “Pastoralists work in seasons. Their life is organized around seasonality. This extreme weather has destabilized their whole system. If a lot of water comes in a very short time, they have no system to store it. They haven’t the resources, money or time to adapt to this UNPRECEDENTED level of unpredictability.”
TEXAS - on the 4th, Texas was hit by baseball sized hail, torrential rains, flooding, 60 mile-an-hour winds, and eleven counties under severe thunderstorm warnings. “On the surface, what we saw on May 4th is not unusual. This is the time of year when we can expect severe weather. Usually, these M.C.S. (Mesoscale Convective System) storms will develop over west and north Texas then move east or southeast. But a COUPLE OF UNUSUAL THINGS HAPPENED on May 4th. A storm from the north took an unusually southern route, and then collided with a storm from the southwest. The southwestern line basically fueled the explosion of the northern line as it entered Bexar County.” What many people may not realize is that this storm was 60,000 feet tall. Typically, an airplane would travel at an altitude of about 30,000 feet. The storm that hit Bexar County was twice that high. “That’s SIMPLY REMARKABLE and so much taller than typical storms we see in south Texas.”
BANGLADESH - Sixteen people were killed and over 200 others injured as a tropical storm swept through parts of northern and western Bangladesh, including the capital Dhaka on Sunday evening. Most of the people died in lightning, tree falls and wall collapses. The wind speed of the hour-long storm was around 76 km per hour, which damaged hundreds of houses and badly damaged paddy crops, which were almost ready for harvesting. Tthe storm uprooted trees and flattened many electric poles, resulting in blackout in some parts of the district.
ODD -
UFO sightings are caused by freak weather, says a British report. A secret government study into sightings of alien spacecraft has concluded that they are not extra-terrestrial visitors. The four-year Ministry of Defence study found that UFO sightings are the result of rare atmospheric conditions. It blames the most vexing sightings on airborne "plasmas" which form during "more than one set of weather and electrically charged conditions", or during meteor showers.
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Monday, May 8, 2006 -
QUAKES -
Largest quakes yesterday -
5/7 -
5.4 MID-INDIAN RIDGE
5.7 MID-INDIAN RIDGE
5.4 TONGA ISLANDS
5.3 TONGA ISLANDS
5.2 TONGA ISLANDS
5.1 TONGA ISLANDS
5.4 TONGA ISLANDS
5.0 RYUKYU ISLANDS, JAPAN
5.4 TAIWAN
IRAN - At least 80 people were hurt and many homes damaged Sunday when a strong earthquake measuring 5.2 on the Richter scale jolted the town of Zarand in southern Iran's Kerman province. The province has a number of copper, iron and coal mines and there were fears than miners in the area could be trapped underground. "The walls of many houses have been seriously damaged and it is anticipated that more than 60 per cent of Zarand homes will no longer be inhabitable." In late March, a powerful earthquake hit western Iran, killing at least 70 people and leaving thousands homeless.
TROPICAL STORMS -
The hurricane season starts June 1. With forecasters predicting another active season and a greater than normal likelihood of a major hurricane along the East Coast, many coastal communities are approaching this summer with a mixture of denial and dread and a heightened sense of urgency: In New Orleans, residents are wondering whether the city can take another blow, even from a tropical storm or small hurricane. In Mississippi, officials worry that displaced residents will try to take their FEMA trailers with them when they’re ordered to evacuate. A trailer jackknifed on Interstate 10 or U.S. 49 could stall emergency evacuations. In New York City and on Long Island, officials are trying to convince coastal residents that a powerful storm could wash away their homes. Florida, which has felt the effects of 13 storms over the last two years, is “sick and tired of the storms. Everybody is pretty nervous down here.” In southeast Texas, the region has learned to rely on itself as much as possible after getting raked by Rita. “You’re going to see people get really nervous when that first storm gets in the Gulf. They’re going to watch those storms like they never have before.” And in Charleston, South Carolina, where the memory of Hurricane Hugo’s devastation in 1989 remains vivid, some are already anxious. "You have a knot in your stomach permanently from July through the end of October.” The hurricane center will not issue its official forecast for the hurricane season until May 22, but weather experts feel certain “it’s just a matter of time” before another storm slams into coastal areas stretching more than 2,500 miles from Brownsville, Texas to Eastport, Maine.
WEATHER MODIFICATION -
KANSAS - For more than 30 years, a single-minded and dedicated group of individuals has concentrated their efforts from April through September on controlling the weather in western Kansas. A new study indicates that work, done under the auspices of the Western Kansas Weather Modification Program, has made inroads in suppressing hailstorms, an ever-present threat for farmers and their crops. The study by the Kansas Water Office, which partially funds the weather modification program, shows a decline in crop hail insurance claims in western Kansas counties that participate in the cloud-seeding program. The program determines if pilots seed for rain enhancement or hail suppression. More seeding agent, silver iodide, is dispersed at a faster rate for hail suppression. Though weather modification has coaxed only minimal increased rainfall, hail suppression efforts were more successful. "You don't necessarily get fewer hailstorms. You get smaller hail, generally coming down as tiny hail. If you have smaller hail, there is less damage." Taxpayers in participating counties foot the bill for weather modification activities. Though some rain has fallen this year, the weather pattern already is unfavorable for weather modification, officials say. The last seven years have been so dry that it's difficult to determine if weather modification actually works. "If there are no clouds, it's bad. They still need to have clouds, and we aren't getting many of them anymore."
ODD -
CHINA - Thousands of tourists and local residents witnessed a mirage of high clarity lasting for four hours off the shore of Penglai City in east China's Shandong Province on Sunday, May 7th. Mists rising on the shore created an image of a city, with modern high-rise buildings, broad city streets and bustling cars as well as crowds of people all clearly visible. The city of Penglai had been soaked by two days of rain before the rare weather phenomenon occurred. Experts said that many mirages have been recorded in Penglai, on the tip of Shandong Peninsula, throughout history, which made it known as a dwelling place of the gods. They explained that a mirage is formed when moisture in the air becomes warmer than the temperature of sea water, which refracts rays of sunlight to create reflections of the landscape in the sky. (photos! note that the year is mistakenly listed as 2005)
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Sunday, May 7, 2006 -
QUAKES -
This morning a number of moderate quakes were shaking northern and central Iran.
Largest quakes yesterday -
5/6 -
5.4 MID-INDIAN RIDGE
5.2 TONGA ISLANDS
5.6 FIJI ISLANDS REGION
5.4 SOUTH OF FIJI ISLANDS
5/5 -
5.4 TONGA ISLANDS
5.1 TONGA ISLANDS
5.9 TONGA ISLANDS
5.6 TONGA ISLANDS
5.0 TONGA ISLANDS
5.8 TONGA ISLANDS
5.1 TONGA ISLANDS
TONGA - Following the STRONGEST QUAKE EVER RECORDED IN TONGA, and the STRONGEST QUAKE IN THE WORLD IN MORE THAN A YEARr, major structural damage to the Queen Salote Wharf no. 2 and 3, in Nuku'alofa, and to the Niu'ui Hospital and other structures in Ha'apai is being assessed by Tonga's Ministry of Lands. In the Ha'apai group, which was close to the epicentre of the violent earthquakes on May 4, many buildings were cracked and long running cracks have appeared in the roads and concrete paving. (photos)
Strong aftershocks rattled Tonga on Friday, the day after the massive earthquake damaged buildings and triggered tsunami warnings from Hawaii to New Zealand. No damage or injuries were reported from the latest quakes - with magnitudes of 6.0, 5.7 and 5.4 - to hit the South Pacific nation and no tsunami warning was issued. But they came as authorities from outlying islands began reporting damage from the 7.8 magnitude tremor that struck in the early hours of Thursday. Thursday's major quake prompted a regional warning center in Hawaii to issue a tsunami alert, but Tonga was inadvertently left off the list - along with three other Pacific nations - of countries to warn about the possibility of a killer wave bearing down on them. A second bulletin, issued 49 minutes after the first alert, correctly included Tonga, Niue, American Samoa, Samoa, and Wallis-Futuna as countries also under the tsunami warning. By then, it would have been too late if a destructive tsunami materialized - it would have already hit Tonga, Niue and American Samoa.
TSUNAMI -
TRINIDAD - The Seismic Research Unit of the University of the West Indies says there are no signs of an impending eruption of the underwater volcano in Grenada. The unit said it had been receiving "several inquiries regarding a supposedly impending earthquake and subsequent tsunami to affect Trinidad" and that there were "additional concerns as to the current status of the Kick 'em Jenny submarine volcano in Grenada". The unit said that "the potential for tsunamis from the volcano has also been raised". It said that its records "do not indicate any elevated activity of the Kick 'em Jenny volcano situated nine kilometres, north of Grenada."
VOLCANOES -
WASHINGTON - Something amazing is happening on Mount St. Helens. As the winter clouds that hide the volcano from view for much of the year clear away, scientists have caught their first glimpse of a huge new mountain growing 5 feet higher per day inside the crater. Scientists call it the "fin," because the 300-foot tall slab of magma and rock stands straight up, and looks remarkably like a fin from one angle. Right now it's about the size of a football field standing on end. It started growing in November and is steadily moving west, pushing rock and other debris out of its way as it goes. The fin is just the latest in a series of at least seven distinct structures that have grown, then disintegrated inside the crater over the last year and a half. There is some concern that while the fin is growing straight up fueled by rocky magma from within the mountain, more energy is also pushing outward. The crater's dome is pushing outward at a rate of about one meter a day. A quarter century ago it was just such an outward bulge that eventually blew — not up, but outward, killing 57 people. At least for now the mountain erupts in a relatively slow, steady pattern. (photo)
INDONESIA - Mount Merapi volcano billowed ominous clouds of ash Saturday as a giant lava dome bulged off of its southern slope. Ash blasted more than 650 yards into the air and deep, sluggish lava oozed out of the mountain's cauldron. The lava dome has grown tenfold in less than a week, forming a 90-yard wide glowing bubble.
HAWAII - The East Lae'apuki lava bench on the ever-changing coastline at Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park has grown to 44 acres, creating ONE OF THE LARGEST DELTAS IN THE 23-YEAR HISTORY of the Kilauea eruption. The bench, fed by underground lava tubes, is larger than the 34 acres of newly formed land that collapsed into the sea without warning on Nov. 28, 2005. The new bench is about 1,110 yards long and 347 yards wide, or roughly the size of 40 football fields. It is expanding out over a steep underwater slope, on top of the rubble from the previous collapse and other volcanic debris. The new bench is extremely unstable and prone to submarine landslides. Observatory scientists who recently flew over the lava bench in a helicopter reported large cracks running parallel to the coastline. They were surprised to see water in most of the cracks. Officials said that despite warnings, a small number of people continue to enter the closed area at night, sometimes venturing out onto the bench. Steam explosions from bench collapses can send lava spatter and large rocks into the air. Collapses also create waves of scalding water that can wash onshore, burning onlookers. There have been four deaths in recent years associated with active lava benches. (photos)
RUSSIA - Weeks of mild ash eruptions have stained the snow around the Karymsky volcano of far eastern Russia. Karymsky is the most active volcano in the chain of volcanoes that line the east coast of the Kamchatka Peninsula. Its current activity began on November 15, 2001.
THUNDERSTORMS / HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING -
TEXAS - Hail already has pelted the San Antonio area three times this week, and there's the possibility of more to come. The threat of storms will hang over the city through the weekend and into next week. "This is the hardest rain I've seen in years, and I was involved in the '98 flood," said the Assistant Fire Chief, of Friday's storms. (photos)
CHINA - Chinese weather specialists used chemicals to engineer Beijing’s heaviest rainfall of the year, helping to relieve drought and rinse dust from China’s capital. Technicians with the Beijing Weather Modification Office fired seven rocket shells containing 163 cigarette-size sticks of silver iodide over the city’s skies Thursday. The reaction that occurred brought as much as 11.2 millimetres of rain, the heaviest rainfall this year, helping to “alleviate drought, add soil moisture and remove dust from the air for better air quality.” Though unusual in many parts of the world, China has been tinkering with artificial rainmaking for decades, using it frequently in the drought-plagued north. Last month, another artificial rainfall was generated to clear Beijing after the city suffered some of the fiercest dust storms this decade.
SCOTLAND - Five footballers were struck by lightning as Scotland was battered by a massive thunderstorm on Thursday. One player was still in hospital after being left shaking in agony. "It seemed like hundreds of bolts of lightning struck the pitch. Everyone fell, there was a big white flash and you could feel the electricity around you." A bolt also struck a car by the pitch. The driver was inside but was unhurt. Flash flooding led to the closure of several roads. Weather forecasters said the conditions had been caused by a "Spanish plume", which carried warm air north.
NORWAY - The sun finally came out over southern Norway this week, with a vengeance. Heavy snowfall from the winter is melting quickly, and raising fears of flooding. Spring runoff is filling mountain reservoirs and rivers so quickly that officials are worried. It has been an unusually long and snow-filled winter in Norway.
HEAT / WILDFIRES -
INDIA - At least 27 people have died of sunstroke in India's eastern Orissa state, taking the heat-related death toll in India to 33 as temperatures soared Saturday. The actual death toll could be as high as 38 since the onset of the hot weather mid-April, with daytime temperatures in the state hovering at 42 degrees Celsius. Sunstroke killed five people overnight in northern Uttar Pradesh state, where the temperature in the crowded city of Jhansi hit 46 degrees Celsius. Temperatures hovered above normal in states such as Bihar, Haryana and Punjab, the weather office reported, warning the sweltering conditions could continue until the onset of the annual monsoon rains due at the end of June. Scores of cities and towns are also facing water shortages and prolonged power cuts, triggering a spate of attacks on those running the overwhelmed state-run utilities. For the last couple of weeks some of the areas in Delhi have had to go without power for as much as five to six hours at a stretch.
ENGLAND - Swindon enjoyed an UNUSUALLY hot day for this time of year. Although it is still only early May, the temperature touched 26 degrees in the town on the 4th. "Twenty six degrees is way above normal. Normal would be about 16 so it's 10 above what you would expect." But in spite of the unusual hot weather Swindon did not quite make it into the record books. The record for May comes from 1944 and is 33 degrees.
WALES - May's average temperature for Wales usually hovers at about 15 to 16C (59 to 61F). But the 4th had a mini-heatwave as temperatures peaked at 25C (77F).
UNUSUAL WEATHER SEASON -
NEPAL - Already experiencing melting glaciers and a receding snowline, the Everest region of Nepal has seen some UNUSUAL weather patterns these past few months. A snow-free winter, followed by unexpected snow storms in the second week of March - when spring had already begun - has left Sherpas baffled. Another unexpected storm in April, which lasted three days, surprised the locals further still. The following morning, on 21 April, debris from a major ice collapse killed three Sherpa climbers and injured more than a dozen others in the Khumbu Ice Fall area. "We don't remember getting such snowfall during spring in the past." "Last winter was not at all like winter, and now the same is the case with spring. This is something we've never seen before. We think this is quite ominous."
Space Weather / Solar Storms / Meteors - ONE ITEM - POSTED HERE -
TEXAS - Astronomers said a large meteor shower crossed straight over El Paso just before 9:45 p.m. Thursday the 4th of May. One meteor was so large that it cast an orange glow against the mountain. "The animals were going wild, the horses were bucking and dogs were barking and howling and then, all of a sudden right above my house, there was a big bright light and then just 'Bang!' And it lit up the five acres that are around us, and then I covered my eyes like this because it was bright and when it got past I saw there was a tail and it just went 'Shhhh' toward the Hueco Mountains."
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Friday, May 5, 2006 -
QUAKES -
Largest quakes yesterday -
5/4 -
5.2 TONGA ISLANDS
5.1 TONGA ISLANDS
5.1 TONGA ISLANDS
5.0 TONGA ISLANDS
5.4 TONGA ISLANDS
5.0 TONGA ISLANDS
5.3 TONGA ISLANDS
5.3 TONGA ISLANDS
5.8 TONGA ISLANDS
5.0 TONGA ISLANDS
5.2 TONGA ISLANDS
5.5 TONGA ISLANDS
5.2 TONGA ISLANDS
5.3 TONGA ISLANDS
5.0 NEW BRITAIN
5.5 MACQUARIE ISLAND REG
5.2 FIJI ISLANDS REGION
Pacific quake rippled a Virginia well - A hungry mouse sent state workers to repair a groundwater well in Christiansburg in time to watch it slosh in response to the earthquake in the South Pacific. The 7.9-magnitude quake struck near Tonga, 34 miles below the Earth's surface at 11:26 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time, sending out seismic waves traveling about 7,400 mph. In less than an hour, they clocked in 7,200 miles away at the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality monitoring well. Geologists say that seismic waves compress and expand fractures in the 450-foot-deep well, drawing water in and expelling it. Wednesday's oscillations of not quite 6 inches began shortly after 12:20 p.m. and lasted for about an hour. Quakes around the world of at least magnitude 6 seem to set off the well, which appears to ignore weaker quakes closer to home. Wednesday's readings weren't as dramatic as those after the Sumatran quake in 2004. That temblor sent the water level in Christiansburg rising to within 4 inches below ground level, plummeting 3 feet, and then oscillating for approximately five hours before returning to normal.
VOLCANOES -
INDONESIA - Lava started pouring down the slopes of Mount Merapi early yesterday, but stopped a few miles from inhabited areas. Indonesian authorities are preparing to evacuate thousands of people. Scientists have yet to raise the threat level to the highest alert, which would require the immediate evacuation of villages on Merapi's fertile slopes and foothills. But the lava flows and burning around the crater suggest that pressure within the volcano is reaching a critical point.
"The new crater holds between 80,000 and 100,000 cubic meters of magma." If the pressures continue to increase it would create either of two things, namely the magma would slide down to the south east side (if the crater is not strong to contain the magma), or the crater (if it was strong enough), would widen to the left side and would hold some four million cubic meters of magma which in turn could create new craters in the west side. On Thursday morning, Merapi spewed molten lava, with a flowing distance of around 200 meters from its peak at around 02.00 a.m. At least 25 multiphase tremors and seven lava fallouts were recorded. Earlier, on Wednesday (May 3), some 197 multiphase tremors, two tectonic earthquakes, a shallow volcanic earthquake and 29 fallouts were recorded. More magma is expected to escape from beneath the volcano.
PERU - After 40 years of dormancy, the Ubinas volcano in southern Peru has been spewing out toxic smoke and ash over the last few weeks. Most activity stopped by April 16, but most experts believe the reprieve is only temporary. A dome of molten lava is visibly building up inside the volcano, signaling that a high risk of explosive force may soon follow. So what has made the Ubinas volcano awaken after four decades of sleep? A clue may be that at the same time Ubinas has become active again, other volcanoes in Galeras, Columbia, and Lascar, Chile, among others in the region, have also flared up in recent weeks. Those recently active South American volcanoes are affected by the shifting of certain plates. ( article has lots of links to understanding basic vulcanology)
TROPICAL STORMS -
MANMAR - Eighteen people were drowned and 14 others are missing in a flash flood in southern Ayeyawaddy division triggered by the recent cyclone called Mala which occurred in the middle east of the Bay of Bengal and swept through the western Rakhine coast. The sudden flow of water brought about the disaster in Kyangin, Hindthada township of the division last weekend. Some parts of three divisions and states of Ayayawaddy, Rakhineand Yangon in Myanmar were hit by strong wind alongside heavy rainfall last weekend, destroying a total of about 1,100 houses.
THUNDERSTORMS / HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING -
TAJIKISTAN - Mudslides have left 30,000 people without water and killed at least one person. The biggest mudslide, which followed heavy rain, took place about 100 kilometres (62 miles) east of the capital Dushanbe, damaging water pipes relied on by tens of thousands of people.
OKLAHOMA - Strong storms with heavy rains flooded areas around Tulsa and left thousands without power Thursday morning. Street flooding is reported in Broken Arrow and Jenks as up to five inches of rain fell during just a few hours and some people had to be rescued from their cars. About 65-hundred homes were also without power. Up to nine-thousand lost electricity at one point during the storms. More rain was expected in the area.
MISSOURI - One man died Wednesday when a van in which he and seven other people were riding was swept off a low-water bridge as heavy rains caused flash flooding.
WEATHER WEIRDNESS -
U.S. Atlantic Coast - A large and nearly stationary high-pressure system centered to the north over eastern Canada provided very clear, sunny and dry weather during the last days of April. At the same time a large low pressure or storm system near Bermuda began RETROGRADING to the west and northwest and its associated rain area backed westward and northwest toward New England. Local coastal areas from Cape Cod to Maine were getting over one inch of very welcome rainfall from this rather UNUSUAL weather pattern of a rain area backing toward them from the east and southeast. Normally their weather comes from the west but in this case it was coming from the east. The rain that began late on May 1 brought over an inch of precipitation in about 12 hours. In many places this was the greatest one-day rainfall for one day or within a 24-hour period since January. The long dry spell, which began in February and continued through most of April has sent the year’s rainfall deficit down to more than six inches below normal.
For centuries, New Zealand's Maoris have used intimate observation of nature to harvest eels and predict the weather. That legacy is endangered by the changing climate. According to traditional Maori beliefs, the environment is rife with clues that hint at larger phenomena. Everything is interconnected in the Maori view of the world, from the cries of birds to the shapes and colors of clouds. But today, New Zealand is no longer the same land. National icons like the kiwi bird have declined in population, pollution levels have increased and residents report subtler changes: Wind blows much more strongly from the southwest than it used to, some plants bloom at earlier times of the year and the weather is increasingly unpredictable. Some of the trees are not as bright and covered in flowers as they would normally be. The native brown parrots are rarely seen in the North Island's forests anymore. Eels begin their migration cycles at increasingly idiosyncratic times, making it difficult for locals to catch them. An iwi on New Zealand's eastern coast is known for its crab-catching abilities, but the main harbor where they fish has become choked with the sudden spread of mangroves, possibly because of warmer temperatures. And in some areas the cabbage tree, which Maori tribes sometimes use to forecast a dry summer, is flowering much later in the season than normal. The rainfall has gotten heavier and more localized. The food now ripens at different times, the water is warmer, and the seasons seem to blur. In parts of New Zealand, people joke about living in a climate that can produce all four seasons in a day. "These days you don't know when a drought is going to come and when a heavy cold, whether it's going to be a cold winter or a warmer winter."
Climate scientists have documented a pronounced slowdown in the Pacific Ocean atmospheric system that drives the trade winds, a prediction of global warming theory that appears to be coming true. A study suggests that the movement of moisture and heat across the tropical Pacific has tapered off by 3.5 percent since the mid-1800s, when such records begin, and appears likely to ease by another 10 percent this century. That could have wide repercussions for weather and sea life throughout the Pacific region, although it's hard for anyone to be certain at this early stage what effect the slowing of the winds would have. Possibilities include more El Niño-like conditions, stronger hurricanes and less upwelling of nutrient-rich cold water from the deep Pacific. Weather generally may become more variable - and harder to predict. The Walker circulation works like a seesaw in which warm, moist air rises in the western Pacific, becomes drier at high elevation and displaces eastward, where heavy air sinks and returns westward. The phenomenon thus generates west-to-east air currents high up, and east-to-west trade winds near the ocean surface - a great climatic wheel centered on the equator. As for the impacts on land, it's anybody's guess. One possibility may be generally wilder weather -- bigger storms, drier droughts and stronger hurricanes feeding off the warmer, wetter tropical Pacific. Any change in the Pacific's air-flow pattern may be compensated by a change in some other part of the system yet to be pinpointed. "The Earth seems to have a way of balancing things."
Planet Jupiter is experiencing its own climate change and global warming. The global change cycle began in 1939 when the last of three white oval-shaped storms formed south of the 300 year-old Great Red Spot. As the storms started to merge between 1998 and 2000, the mixing of heat began to slow down at that latitude and has continued slowing ever since. The movement of heat from the equator to Jupiter's south pole is expected to stop at 34 degrees southern latitude, where Red Spot Jr. is forming. This will create a big wall and stop the mixing of heat and airflow, the thinking goes. As a result, areas around the equator become warmer, while the poles can start to cool down. Little is known about how storms form on the giant planet. They are often described as behaving similar to hurricanes on Earth.
OZONE HOLE - Chinese scientists have warned a 2.5-million-square-kilometre ozone hole may be forming over the Tibetan plateau. While it does not yet qualify as a regular ozone hole, like the ones over the two poles, the area has seen a dramatic drop in ozone density in recent years. The decrease in ozone over the plateau was caused by atmospheric air movements rather than the global greenhouse effect. "When low-ozone air currents in the lower layer enter the upper air layer, the overall ozone density is reduced." Without the ozone layer, plant and human DNA can be damaged, causing destruction of crops and initiating skin cancer. Recent assessments that had suggested that ozone erosion had now permanently stabilised, failed to take into account the potential for volcanic eruptions, solar storms and other natural phenomena to distort the picture.
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Thursday, May 4, 2006 -
QUAKES -
Largest quakes yesterday -
5/3 -
5.6 VANUATU ISLANDS
5.5 TONGA ISLANDS
5.3 TONGA ISLANDS
5.2 TONGA ISLANDS
5.6 TONGA ISLANDS
5.8 TONGA ISLANDS
5.5 TONGA ISLANDS
5.8 TONGA ISLANDS
8.1 TONGA ISLANDS
5.3 VANUATU ISLANDS
5.1 EASTERN NEW GUINEA
5.1 HOKKAIDO, JAPAN, REGION
TONGA - the powerful 8.1 earthquake which struck the South Pacific islands of Tonga early yesterday, generated a tsunami, but there were no reports of damage. "Sea level readings indicate a tsunami was generated. It may have been destructive along coasts near the earthquake epicentre," said the Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre. Tongan officials said they were checking outer islands in the group, particularly the low-lying Hapai Islands, which were near the epicentre. The Tonga islands are an archipelago east of Australia, southeast of Fiji and northeast of New Zealand. The earthquake temporarily cut power in Tonga's capital Nuku'alofa and tipped objects from shelves but caused no major damage or injuries. It was the LARGEST TREMOR THERE FOR OVER 20 YEARS. A resident in Tonga said he felt tremors lasting more than 30 seconds.
TONGANS were shaken awake early in the morning as a Magnitude 8.1 earthquake, possibly Tonga's largest on record, shook the capital, where one terrified hotel guest was hospitalised after jumping off his second floor hotel balcony during the quake. The magnitude 8.1 event lasted for 5 seconds and was immediately followed by a 7.9 magnitude event, which shook buildings for over a minute, causing stock to fall from supermarket shelves, glass to break and bookshelves to tumble. Electrical flashes from power poles were seen before the electrical power grid shut down in the middle of the quake leaving frightened residents in the dark. There was another Magnitude 5.4 aftershock at 6:56 am, and another of Magnitude 5.1 at 8:28 am. (photos)
TSUNAMI -
TONGA - Following the 8.1 quake, chances of a tsunami remain relatively high after such a tremor and so they’ll be monitoring the situation closely. "There is an almost 50 percent chance that could be another earthquake that could trigger a tsunami. We are watching the situation for the next 24 hours and if there's any after-shock warning, then we'll reinforce the warning."
VOLCANOES -
INDONESIA - Residents of Sengi hamlet on the slope of Mt Merapi on Wednesday asked to be evacuated as they had heard rumbling sounds coming from the volcano`s top. "They have been hearing the rumbling sounds since yesterday (Tuesday), an indication that Mount Merapi is to erupt." "The thunder-like sounds come at unpredictable moments, sometimes at noon, other times in the evening or at night." Mount Merapi has been placed under an alert status since April 12 and was expected to erupt within seven to 10 days. Former President Soekarnoputri has said Mt Merapi might erupt before May 6. "This is not a prediction, but a possibility. After studying the activities of the volcano, it appears that by May 6 an eruption may take place." However, volcanologists would not predict when Mount Merapi would erupt.
TROPICAL STORMS -
AUSTRALIA - flooding continues to cause major disruptions on the Cape York Peninsula in Far North Queensland. The extensive floods and continuing rainfall have left many on the Cape isolated, with roads washed out. "We went into Lockhart River the day after cyclone Monica... They've actually not had access into Locakhart River since January 5 this year. They've been isolated for (four months) ... and their road is completely inaccessible and there is widespread damage to that road as well...and it's quite scary the amount of damage that's been done." "We're going to have to fly fuel into the power station, I understand they have enough fuel for power for the next week or so." People living outside of the Peninsula region do not truly understand the extent of the problems people in the area are facing. "This thing hasn't gone away, that's it's actually got worse in the last week or so with the continuing rain... there's probably a lot of people in authority in Brisbane who are not aware that this thing is ongoing, that - you know - the blow went through, there was some damage to houses in Lockhart River, but essentially people are alright compared to what happened in (cyclone) Larry, but it's just continued to rain and that's brought on a whole heap of other problems."
THUNDERSTORMS / HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING -
ITALY - There are at least fifty people who can't yet go back to their homes in Ischia after the landslide on Sunday which cost the lives of 4 members of the Buono family. There will be at least twenty people who have to give up their homes, since they are located in places at too high of a risk.
SPAIN - An overnight cloudburst which fell in the area of Antequera, Málaga province, has been calculated to have caused 1.5 million € worth of damage. Roads were flooded and there were mudslides in some areas. The village most affected was Cuevas Bajas where 40 litres per square metre fell at 2am causing a local river to burst its banks. Crops and greenhouses were affected in the area.
WIND -
OREGON - An UNUSUAL weather pattern halted the Yaquina Bay regatta. On Saturday, a bizarre squall arrived, drastically changing weather conditions from sunny, blue skies at 1:50 p.m. - when average wind speeds were clocked at 7 miles per hour - to cold, grey conditions at 2 p.m., when sheets of rain and mist were driven by winds averaging 22 mph - bringing an abrupt wind speed increase of at least 15 mph within a span of only 10 minutes. The uncharacteristic storm blew in from the north rather than the south, where central coast residents usually look for systems of cold, wet weather; and was accompanied by a slight increase in barometric pressure, divergent from the usual barometric drop that often portends an incoming storm. Between 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. on that strange afternoon, Yaquina Bay Yacht Club members and visiting regatta participants found themselves executing rescue maneuvers in the bay as six of the eight 15-foot Coronado boats entered in the race were blasted by the sudden winds and capsized in the bay, while other sailboats not participating in the day's races were blown off course on the west side of the Yaquina Bay Bridge east of the bar. Because they're designed to roll over and then right themselves, on Saturday several of the Coronado boats capsized and righted themselves, only to roll over again and again in the unexpected storm.
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Wednesday, May 3, 2006 -
QUAKES -
Largest quakes yesterday -
5/2 -
5.0 TALAUD ISLANDS, INDONESIA
5.0 KAMCHATKA PENINSULA, RUSSIA
5.5 SOUTH OF FIJI ISLANDS
5.0 PANAMA-COSTA RICA BORDER REGION
VOLCANOES -
INDONESIA - Mount Merapi has grown 10 metres in height in three days with pools of lava forming at its smoking summit. Volcano watchers said a new dome of lava had formed in recent days and was getting bigger all the time, while yellow clouds of sulphur continued to spew out. "The dome has appeared on the southern part of the peak, while tremors are fluctuating in high numbers." Lava domes mean the cone-shaped volcano could erupt any day and its top has grown as trapped magma from a reservoir 1.5km below the summit began welling up on Sunday. "We no longer need to do measurements. Magma is already at the surface." Authorities have yet to order villagers living on the mountain to evacuate.
WASHINGTON - Mount St. Helen's volcano rumbled back to life in September 2004. Small eruptions continue each day. The new lava dome is growing at the rate of six feet per day and is now larger than the dome formed between 1980 and 1986.
TROPICAL STORMS -
AUSTRALIA - Hundreds of residents have gone hungry for up to six days in the wake of Cyclone Monica. Emergency Services responded to calls for help from flooded-out residents in the Marrakai rural area yesterday. Emergency Services said that no emergency food drops had been arranged because no one had told the authorities there wasn't any food.
SNOW / COLD -
SCOTLAND - FREAK weather sent Scots to the ski slopes on May Day for the first time this century in the wake of weekend snow showers. And while skiers relished some May Day fun for the FIRST TIME IN A DECADE, others were admiring their tans from Saturday's sunshine in more southern parts. Parts of the country basked in temperatures topping 15C as snow fell elsewhere. Experts blame the conditions on a combination of cold air and easterly winds. This year has been ONE OF THE SHORTEST SKIING SEASONS ON RECORD with no snow over Christmas, New Year and February half-term.
UNUSUAL WEATHER SEASON -
CALIFORNIA - Unusual weather patterns around the globe spawned the wet weather in Redding last month. The Shasta dam collected 15.48 inches during the first two weeks last month. That's the WETTEST APRIL TOTAL SINCE STATE WATER OFFICIALS BEGAN KEEPING RAINFALL RECORDS at the dam in 1948. Explosive thunderstorms over Indonesia and northern Australia energized the jet stream across the Pacific. This jet carved a deep low pressure area off the West Coast during the first two weeks of April, feeding one storm after another into Northern California. A mammoth high pressure dome over the Aleutian Islands and another over the eastern seaboard locked the low in place over the West Coast, for reasons that aren't entirely clear. But the mid-Atlantic states enjoyed one of its driest, mildest Aprils in recent memory while blizzards buried the Northern California mountains and fattened foothills' creeks. This stormy pattern abruptly shifted after midmonth, perhaps in response to a migration of tropical convection back toward the Indian Ocean. The Aleutian high shrank and wandered east toward Asia while the eastern seaboard high expanded all the way to the West Coast. The jet stream, which had roared through Northern California, jumped into Canada after April 17.
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Tuesday, May 2, 2006 -
QUAKES -
Largest quakes yesterday -
5/1 -
5.0 ASCENSION ISLAND REGION
5.1 MARIANA ISLANDS REGION
5.2 KERMADEC ISLANDS REGION
5.2 KERMADEC ISLANDS REGION
5.0 WEST OF GALAPAGOS ISLANDS
5.1 WEST OF GALAPAGOS ISLANDS
5.0 EASTERN NEW GUINEA
5.2 PANAMA-COSTA RICA BORDER REGION
5.8 PANAMA-COSTA RICA BORDER REGION
5.1 NEAR COAST OF NORTHERN CHILE
5.3 NEAR COAST OF NORTHERN CHILE
5.0 EASTERN SIBERIA, RUSSIA
RUSSIA - The next session of the Russian government is expected to consider measures to "liquidate the aftermath of the major quake in Russia’s Koryak Autonomous Area on the Kamchatka peninsula." "Residents of the settlements hit by the devastating quake have received pecuniary aid, while people whose houses were destroyed will shortly get certificates for new apartments.” Four of five schools in the zone of destructions are beyond repair. All kindergartens were also destroyed and are beyond repair. Out-patient clinics and hospitals, as well as energy supply facilities were also seriously damaged. Water supply has been restored to all houses. Repair work is underway to restore in full electricity and heat supply. Specialists from different ministries and agencies are checking the condition of all buildings. Nevertheless, “the situation remains very difficult.” “Earth tremors persist, people have no confidence in tomorrow and their mood is grave.”
TROPICAL STORMS -
MYANMAR - Four people were killed and 31 injured as Cyclone Mala battered Myanmar's Ayeyarwaddy delta, its west coast and the outskirts of the capital.
THUNDERSTORMS / HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING -
KASHMIR - Authorities in Pakistan-administered Kashmir say they are evacuating people from 17 villages in the quake-hit area before the start of the rainy season which begins in July. An estimated 2,000 families will be relocated from 15 villages in the Jhelum valley and two in the Neelum valley. The October earthquake has loosened the ground and rain might cause landslides. There are plans to relocate another 7,000 to 8,000 quake-affected families still living in tents.
NEW ZEALAND - Communities throughout the country need to brace themselves for the consequences of a volatile climate, with smaller floods expected more often. Recent flooding is the impact of a volatile climate and there has been a significant change in flooding in New Zealand. "What used to happen was a small number of very large floods like the Manawatu floods which was $120 million in terms of insurance losses. What we are getting now is an increased frequency of small quite serious and localised flooding events.' Floods are more frequent and in UNUSUAL places. "The assumption that it would never flood here, is gone now." Infrastructure is starting to break down because the soil is very wet and never really gets the time to dry out - so water and sewerage are cracking to a greater extent.
A new severe weather warning has been issued for the Coromandel Peninsula as the region cleans up after three days of torrential rain and flooding. There was potential for localised flash flooding and surface flooding. Rain which began in the region on Thursday didn't stop until Saturday night and left an estimated $1 million worth of damage to roads. The coastal settlement of Hahei at one stage got 170mm of rain in four hours. Slips near some holiday homes were being investigated to check whether or not they had made surrounding land unstable for the homes.
ROMANIA is struggling to prevent a humanitarian disaster after floods around the Danube river this month left at least 4,000 homeless. Large swathes of land and hundreds of houses along the river, Europe’s second-longest, remain under water after weeks of flooding and 14,000 Romanians are still displaced, living in improvised shelters, military tents or with relatives. About 30% won’t have a place to return to after waters recede. Many waterlogged dykes could still give way because of the prolonged water pressure.
SNOW / COLD -
JAPAN - Three people were killed in an avalanche in central Japan while climbing a mountain on Monday. A group of five were climbing Mt. Harinokidake in Omachi, Nagano prefecture when an avalanche occurred at around 11:30 a.m. The other two climbers were safe, with one slightly injured. The avalanche, at 2,000 meters above sea level, was about 40 meters wide and 300 meters long. An overnight shower and a higher-than-usual temperature might be the cause of the snowslide.
IDAHO - A skier from Spokane, Washington, died in an avalanche near Stevens Peak. Deputies say he apparently died from being hit by trees or rocks in the avalanche.
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Monday, May 1, 2006 -
QUAKES -
Largest quakes yesterday -
4/30 -
5.0 NORTHERN SUMATERA, INDONESIA
5.0 EASTERN SIBERIA, RUSSIA
5.4 NEAR COAST OF NORTHERN CHILE
5.2 NEAR COAST OF NORTHERN CHILE
5.5 NEAR COAST OF NORTHERN CHILE
5.9 NEAR COAST OF NORTHERN CHILE
5.5 NEAR COAST OF NORTHERN CHILE
5.4 OFF COAST OF NORTHERN CHILE
5.0 NORTHERN CHILE
5.5 NEAR COAST OF NORTHERN CHILE
5.3 NEAR COAST OF NORTHERN CHILE
5.2 NEAR COAST OF NORTHERN CHILE
6.1 NEAR COAST OF NORTHERN CHILE
5.1 OFF COAST OF NORTHERN CHILE
5.0 NEAR COAST OF NORTHERN CHILE
5.7 TONGA ISLANDS
5.4 TONGA ISLANDS
5.2 FIJI ISLANDS REGION
5.8 VANUATU ISLANDS
5.3 MACQUARIE ISLAND REG
5.6 SOUTH SANDWICH ISLANDS REGION
5.7 MONGOLIA
RUSSIA - Sunday morning's earthquake damaged diesel power stations as well as concrete buildings in the towns of Korf and Tilichiki in Koryakia, the Russian Far East. The cracks caused by the first earthquake on April 21 intensified in concrete buildings. "Wooden houses remained undamaged, no local resident died." Another powerful earthquake was registered at 8:58 p.m. Moscow time on Saturday on Olyutor Bay, off the coast of Kamchatka. Its epicenter was at a depth of 40 kilometers, and its magnitude reached 7 points on the Richter scale.
TROPICAL STORMS -
U.S. ATLANTIC COAST - New computer simulations by government scientists show that hurricane storm surges in the Chesapeake Bay could get dramatically worse than the flooding caused by Tropical Storm Isabel in 2003. Under some conditions, the researchers found, a Category 4 hurricane landing in the Carolinas could produce storm surges as high as 18 or 20 feet in Baltimore at high tide. That's at least 10 feet above Isabel's high-water mark. The precise combinations of tide, storm strength, track, size and forward seed needed to generate an 18-foot storm surge on the bay are rare but "within the realm of possibility." New maps will show how much farther inland flooding could stretch under the proper conditions.
THUNDERSTORMS / HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING -
CHINA - Hail and rainstorms have killed 12 people and caused huge economic losses in east China's Shandong Province since last week. The natural disasters hit the province's five cities of Heze, Linyi, Zaozhuang, Jining and Liaocheng from Wednesday to Friday.
2.18 million people have been affected by the disasters, 12 of whom died and 58 others were seriously injured. The hail and rainstorms destroyed 3,243 houses and brought harm to 155,000 hectares of farmland, resulting in a direct economic loss of 271 million U.S. dollars.
ITALY - Four people died in a landslide on the island of Ischia off Naples. A hill collapsed in five places, but only one house was caught up in the landslide in the area, which is thinly populated. Heavy rains fell all over the region Saturday. Ischia experienced violent thunderstorms, which flooded businesses and restaurants, and bad weather continued Sunday morning, hampering the work of rescuers and raising fears of new landslides.
LOUISIANA - Tornadoes and waterspouts were reported as part of a line of big storms that dumped up to 2 inches of rain late Saturday and early Sunday in southeast Louisiana, but overall damage was spotty. Street flooding was widespread Sunday night in East Baton Rouge Rouge Parish and wakes from large vehicles pushed water into some houses. Three to six inches of water were reported in some homes in one subdivision. Power lines were damaged in both the New Orleans and Baton Rouge metro areas.
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Sunday, April 30, 2006 -
QUAKES -
Largest quakes yesterday -
4/29 -
5.9 SOUTH OF SUMBAWA, INDONESIA
5.3 NORTHERN SUMATERA, INDONESIA
5.6 NORTHERN SUMATERA, INDONESIA
5.0 EASTERN SIBERIA, RUSSIA
6.8 EASTERN SIBERIA, RUSSIA
5.1 EASTERN SIBERIA, RUSSIA
5.0 MINDANAO, PHILIPPINE ISLANDS
4/28 -
5.2 SOUTHERN XINJIANG, CHINA
5.1 TAIWAN
5.1 CENTRAL MID-ATLANTIC RIDGE
VOLCANOES -
The imminent eruption of three powerful volcanoes is endangering the lives of more than 70,000 people and threatening to affect the global climate by ejecting millions of tonnes of volcanic ash into the atmosphere. The most serious threat is posed by the Merapi volcano in central Java, one of the most dangerous volcanoes in the Pacific "Ring of Fire", which was yesterday throwing out ash and small rocks. Geologists believe that the 1.7-mile high volcano could violently erupt at any time. Two other volcanoes also giving cause for concern are the Galeras volcano in Colombia - expected to erupt within a matter of days or weeks - and the Urbinas volcano in southern Peru, which also appears to be gearing up for an eruption. The eruption of any volcano can have an effect on local and global climate and three large eruptions close together could have a significant impact, leading to cooler temperatures. There is also a dimming effect on the sun caused by the clouds of ash. The eruption of Mount Pinatubo in 1991 led to a drop in global air temperature over the next three years of between 0.2 and 0.5 °C.
INDONESIA - Volcanic rocks have tumbled down from the peak of Indonesia's rumbling Mount Merapi volcano but its "standby" status remains unchanged, a vulcanologist said Saturday. The avalanche of rocks created a thin layer of dust that fell on two hamlets located on the western slope.
PHILIPPINES - Bulusan volcano erupted on Saturday, belching ash 1.5 kilometers (about 1 mile) into the sky for the second time this year. “It’s already a mild eruption, but it’s not life threatening.” High sulfur dioxide gas readings of more than 1,000 tons a day, more than double the normal level, that were taken several days earlier, suggested “renewed activity” of the volcano. However, there is no imminent danger of a violent eruption.
ICELAND - On April 22, floods swamped the Skafta River. The flood water was accompanied by dangerously high levels of sulfur, possibly from increased geologic activity. The river flows out from under the Vatnajokull Ice Cap, a large permanent field of snow and ice that covers more than 8,000 square kilometers of southeastern Iceland, including a number of volcanoes and other regions of geothermal activity. Over these hotspots, the lower layer of the ice cap melts to form glacier lakes, some of which drain into the Atlantic Ocean through rivers such as the Skafta. Other lakes are dammed by walls of ice from the overlying glacier. Catastrophic floods can occur when water breaks through the ice dams and bursts into the rivers, or when geologic activity increases and melts more water. In this flooding, the fast-moving Skafta River swept over the dark, volcanic soil west of the ice cap, and carried it into the ocean, turning the ocean milky green with sediment.
HAWAII - Mauna Loa's massive eruptions and rivers of lava could pose a danger to much of Hawaii island , depending on where it comes pouring out. One of the biggest area of concern is on the volcano's southwest rift zone, where people have built homes and where lava could erupt right from the ground. "When there is an eruption of Mauna Loa - that means a vent can break out underneath your house." "This is the most active shield volcano on the face of the earth....the face of the earth." Scientists can't say when it will erupt, but they do say - be prepared, watch for warning signs and be ready to leave a danger area.
JAPAN - the government is continuing to prepare for a possible eruption of Mount Fuji by creating evacuation plans and procedures. There is no indication that Fuji will erupt anytime soon.
ALASKA - Augustine volcano has been downgraded from orange to yellow. The volcano is still restless and an eruption may still occur.
TROPICAL STORMS -
Cyclone MALA was 119 nmi NNW of Rangoon, Burma and is rapidly dissipating over land.
MYNAMAR - Cyclone Mala packing winds up to 150 mph battered Myanmar Saturday, ripping roofs off dozens of buildings near the capital, knocking out electricity and forcing tourists to flee flooding along the coast. There were scattered report of injuries and deaths but the government gave no details. The storm produced massive waves and flooding, knocked down trees and forced dozens of youngsters on a yachting trip to seek higher ground. The worst damage appeared to be just outside the capital Yangon, where strong winds damaged more than 150 buildings. "This was the worst damage I have ever seen in my life," said a resident from the industrial zone. "Even containers fell and cars were blown into the air by what looked like a tornado." Storm warnings were also issued for coastal areas in southern Bangladesh, though forecasters said there was almost no chance now that the cyclone would strike there.
THAILAND - possible flash floods are expected to be caused by torrential rains due to the influence of Mala tropical storm.
THUNDERSTORMS / HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING -
TEXAS - Storms battered eastern Texas with wind up to 100 mph and hail the size of baseballs, damaging buildings and slamming parked airplanes into one another at an airport. Hundreds of homes and businesses were damaged, and some areas still lacked power Saturday afternoon.
NEW ZEALAND - Several houses in Hahei on the Coromandel Peninsula have been declared uninhabitable following torrential rain. The Coromandel town of Pauanui is cut off by road and floodwaters forced primary schools on Auckland's North Shore and on the Hauraki Plains to shut for the day. About 175mm of rain fell in the seaside resort of Hahei over a three-hour period. The deluge triggered a dozen major slips and flooded about a dozen holiday homes. Some said it is THE WORST RAIN DAMAGE THEY HAVE SEEN IN 47 YEARS at the seaside settlement. Elsewhere, surface flooding from the rain and a high tide forced the closure of the only road into Pauanui.
MYSTERY BOOMS-
WASHINGTON - A series of explosions that rocked most of the Port Angeles area remains a mystery. Police dispatchers received calls from all around the area the night of the 27th about 11:30pm reporting the series of "booms". But police have been unable to uncover what may have caused the noises. Callers reported a series of five explosions that shook their houses. One caller reported her glass sliding door shattered. No earthquake activity was reported that night in the Port Angeles area.
CALIFORNIA - the source of a mysterious disturbance that rattled San Diego County on the morning of April 4, shaking windows, doors and bookcases from the coast to the mountains was a sound wave that started over the ocean roughly 120 miles off the San Diego coast and petered out over the Imperial County desert. That spot is in the general vicinity of Warning Area 291, a huge swath of ocean used for military training exercises. Researchers have charted dozens of similar, if less dramatic, incidents that seem to have originated in the same general area of the ocean. They aren't sure what caused any of them, whether the April 4 disturbance was natural or made by humans. “But it was certainly a big disturbance in the atmosphere.” There was no Navy or Marine Corps flight activity in Warning Area 291 on that day that would have caused a sonic boom or a countywide tremor. The area covers 1 million square miles and is off-limits to civilian planes and ships. “We don't know at this time where this earthquakelike sensation came from.” The disturbance was the result of a low-frequency wave that traveled through the air at the speed of sound as it moved from the ocean to the desert. It was picked up by more than two dozen seismometers in San Diego and eastern Riverside counties. The wave was felt on San Nicolas Island, northwest of San Clemente Island, at 8:40 a.m. It hit Solana Beach at 8:46 a.m., the western edge of the Cleveland National Forest at 8:47 and the eastern side of the Salton Sea at 8:53 a.m. From there, it appears to have dissipated. The wave moved at 320 meters per second, roughly the speed that sound travels through the air. Its velocity was too slow to be that of an earthquake. The only explanation is that the wave was traveling through the atmosphere, not through the ground. At each location, the wave could be felt for roughly 10 seconds. Several months before the April 4 incident, a team had begun studying other nonquake disturbances that were registering on San Diego County seismometers, including 76 that apparently originated in that same general area of the ocean in 2003. They figured that some of those disturbances surely must have come from offshore military exercises. The researchers haven't been able to determine whether the April 4 wave was more powerful than the earlier ones or whether it simply felt that way because of atmospheric conditions. “I'm told that a sonic boom would not cover that distance at all." Authorities have said a meteor probably wasn't the cause because it would have been noticed by the scientific community. The American Meteor Society reported no fireball sightings over Southern California on that day.
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Friday, April 28, 2006 -
QUAKES -
Largest quakes -
4/27 -
5.0 SOUTHERN SUMATERA, INDONESIA
5.0 MINAHASSA PENINSULA, SULAWESI
5.2 SOLOMON ISLANDS REGION
5.5 TONGA ISLANDS
5.2 EASTER ISLAND REGION
5.5 EASTERN NEW GUINEA
5.3 UGANDA
VOLCANOES -
INDONESIA - Mount Merapi is spewing volcanic ash and magma has fully covered its crater, and a powerful eruption could come any day, a scientist warned Thursday. A vulcanologist at a monitoring post near Merapi's peak said "the crater is fully covered by magma," predicting "an enormous and dreadful eruption" within days. Indonesia's official Antara news agency, meanwhile, reported that volcanic debris has begun pouring into Ngargomulyo village in the nearby Central Java district of Magelang. Authorities said, however, they were not ready to raise the alert to the highest level, which requires immediate evacuation of villagers living on the slopes of the 3,000-metre peak.
PERU - Health officials believe people in the Ubinas volcano region in Peru are in danger of suffering serious health risks, even if the volcano never erupts. Residents of nearby villages could contract "bronchial problems, asthma, irritation in the trachea and headaches." The volcano "is releasing particles of matter and gases" which are contaminating the air and water.
CONGO - By night, the red glow of boiling lava lights up the sky. As if Congo did not have enough problems, one of the world's most dangerous volcanoes towers over the city of Goma. The volcano has erupted at least 15 times since 1883 and destroyed large areas of Goma in 2002. The next eruption, when it comes, could be the most devastating yet. Goma's population doubles every decade - at least 560,000 people now live within 10 miles of Nyiragongo's crater. Save for the area around Mount Vesuvius in Italy, nowhere else in the world carries the same risk of volcanic disaster. Moreover, the next eruption will come from a network of fissures stretching outwards from the volcano's cone that extend beneath Goma itself. Liquid lava, straight from the earth's mantle, flows as fast as 25 mph - too fast to outrun. "we might have the worst volcanic catastrophe in history. It's just unbelievable that we have such a big city so close to an active volcano."
TROPICAL STORMS -
Cyclone MALA was 442 nmi WSW of Rangoon, Burma.
INDIA - Tropical Cyclone Mala has become the severest storm in the Bay of Bengal basin since the Orissa Super Cyclone of 1999, but it is churning away too far across to the northeast to be of any consequence to the Indian coast. The massive 1999 storm killed an estimated 10,000 people over a period of three days. Still three days away from making a landfall on the Arakan coast of Myanmar, severe cyclone Mala is threatening to grow into a destructive Category 4 storm by Saturday.
Temperatures in India have been cooler than usual. The extreme northern parts of the country have been witnessing untimely snowfall as late as February. As if this was not enough, there is a fresh alert for a wave of western disturbance approaching the northern parts of Jammu and Kashmir by Sunday with its waft of cooler air. The country can do with some extra heating during the run-up to the scheduled arrival of southwest monsoon. A brighter and hotter sun during the first 15 days of May should be enough to ensure differential heating of the landmass in relation to the surrounding ocean. This land-ocean heating contrast reaching the threshold levels will, in turn, pave the way for moisture-laden monsoon currents to bear down on the southwest coast.
THAILAND - The weather in Bangkok Thursday was cooler than expected considering the sun was perpendicular to the Earth and it might become colder still as "Mala" heads for the Kingdom this weekend, a climate expert said. Thursday's average temperature was 37 degrees Celsius with considerable clouds and rain in about 20 per cent of the capital. On April 7, the northern city had a high temperature of 40.5C, but clouds and rain have since cooled the climate. In Kanchanaburi the temperature peaked Thursday at 37C and is due to decrease as Mala approaches the Andaman Coast on Saturday.
SANDSTORMS -
SAUDI ARABIA - A severe sandstorm that blasted the capital Monday shut down the Gitex Computer and Information Technology show soon after it opened on its second day. More than 600 companies from 15 countries were participating in the show. The Riyadh Exhibition Center, located in an open area in Olaya district, faced the full brunt of the storm for more than an hour. At least one stall collapsed, while exhibits were hurled to the ground. As the wind and sand raged, security personnel at the site struggled to force visitors from the building. The people pushed back to remain inside while others from outside fought their way to get in. Finally, the organizers had to call it a day. Elsewhere in the capital, visibility had been greatly reduced and motorists were driving cautiously causing traffic jams along the city’s main arteries. Several trees were uprooted, blocking roads in many parts of the city.
KOREA - an additional five joint sandstorm observatories between Korea and China will be established until the end of this year in places where such storms start and along their paths such as Manchuria and the border areas between North Korea and China. Some six observatories will be also set up in inland areas of Gangwon and Gyeongsang Province, which have been blind spots in observing sandstorms. The KMA announced it will double the number of forecasts about sandstorm density on the Korean Peninsula and their expected paths to four times a day and increase the number of forecasters specializing in sandstorm movement analysis from the current one to three.
In Korea there were on average 3.6 days of spring sandstorms between 1971 and 2000. But the figure could double this year, which has already seen four such storms. Chinese meteorologists say cold air in Siberia and the Mongolian Plateau is more active than in the past and thus increasing the number of sandstorms. There was only one sandstorm in the springs of 1986 and 1987, but 21 days in 1995 and 31 days in 2001, indicating that the uninvited guest is visiting the nation with increasing frequency.
CHINA - Two people died and widespread damage reported following last week's sandstorm in northern China. The deaths were confirmed in the southern parts of Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, one of the worse-hit areas of the giant sandstorm. The sandstorm was the worst so far this spring with an estimated 300,000 tons of dust dumped. It was the 8th sandstorm this year.
TAIWAN - last week was hit by its third sandstorm this year - a sandstorm that originated in Mongolia.
ODD-
RED RAIN - Scientists in Britain say they have confirmed that DNA, the genetic blueprint for life, does exist in the mysterious red rain which fell over the Kerala region of India, in 2001. The blood-coloured rain caused a storm of controversy among the world’s scientists. Many theories have been put forward to explain the strange phenomenon, but the latest results, from studies carried out at Cardiff University in Britain, seem to confirm that the red colour does come from living cells, although where they came remains a mystery. The strange cells fell as red rain for six weeks, following reports of an explosion in the sky. Indian scientists who first analysed the rain expected to see grains of dust or sand, perhaps blown from the Sahara by freak winds. Instead, they found themselves looking at complex cell-like structures, that have many of the characteristics of living organisms. They were even more surprised to find the cells could be made to come to life and reproduce, under laboratory conditions. “If there was an explosion of a small piece of a comet over Kerala, and an explosion was in fact heard just minutes before the first rainfall, those particles would have drifted along a belt of latitude, but when you look at a map of the world, the latitudes west of Kerala run into the Indian Ocean and then into the Sahara. So if it fell all over that area it wouldn’t have been noticed, and in the Sahara there is not much rainfall, so the particles could have drifted a long way away and not be noticed.” Intensive investigation under high-powered microscopes confirmed the cell-like structures are biological and that they do contain DNA, the blue print of all life forms on Earth. What’s not yet known is whether it is terrestrial life or alien DNA, but investigators believe they will know soon. The Cardiff team is now comparing DNA from the red rain with that of all known terrestrial species. "It’s a long and painstaking study, but if no known DNA from Earth matches, the only remaining possibility would be that it is an alien life form from outer space."
MYSTERY BOOM LOCATION PINPOINTED -
CALIFORNIA - Scientists at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography believe they have located the mysterious boom heard and felt in San Diego earlier this month. On the morning of April 4, a loud boom rattled windows and doors in many parts of the county. A team of Scripps scientists said the boom was the result of a sound wave that originated over the ocean about 120 miles west of San Diego. The spot is near an area used by the Navy for military training exercises. The Scripps scientists said that they didn't know if the sonic boom was caused by human activity or a natural phenomena like a meteor exploding in the atmosphere. Military officials said that there was no Navy or Marine Corps fight activity in the training area on April 4. [ SITE NOTE - So we still don't know WHAT caused the boom, only where it seems to have originated from.]
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Thursday, April 27, 2006 -
QUAKES -
Largest quakes -
4/26 -
5.3 NORTHERN SUMATERA, INDONESIA
6.1 WEST OF MACQUARIE ISLAND
VOLCANOES -
INDONESIA - Indonesian health officials have warned villagers living on the slopes of rumbling Mount Merapi to be on the lookout for rats escaping the rising heat of the volcano, a report said Wednesday. Health officials fear that as Merapi heats up, the rats could swarm down the volcano spreading disease. The rat caution comes after scientists warned that the deadliest threat from an erupting Merapi may be super-hot heat clouds, known locally as "shaggy goats", which would rush down the mountain burning everything in their path. The heat clouds - high-density mixtures of hot, dry rock fragments and gases that move away from the vent that spews them at high speeds - can reach 600°C and move at more than 100km/h an hour. Merapi's last eruption in 1994 emitted heat clouds that travelled about 7.5km down the slope of the volcano, killing more than 60 people.
TROPICAL STORMS -
INDIA - Tuesday's depression over the South-East Bay metamorphosed into Tropical Cyclone Mala with a current estimated central pressure of 991 millibars and sustained wind speeds reaching 75 kmph to 80 kmph. A drop in barometric pressure to a value of 980 millibars will elevate it to Category 1 status. Conditions are just favourable for its gradual intensification of the system in the coming days as it tracks a north-northeast direction. The fact that it is headed into still warmer waters to the northeast will help strengthen the system further but slow it down as well. Assuming Cyclone Mala sticks to the path predicted it should slam down on the Myanmar coast, where the undulating terrain will absorb its energy and mellow it down. But this will not happen until May 1. The only land feature that could act as a pressure release valve on its path is the Andaman Islands. The system will bring fairly widespread to widespread rainfall with isolated heavy to very rainfall with gusty winds over Andaman and Nicobar islands during the two days. The Bay of Bengal should normally host one more weather system in the pre-monsoon period. It will be a while before the seawaters recoup the energy needed to initiate the next `low' (a prospective cyclonic storm evolving out of this would bear the name `Mukda').
Tropical storm Mala is forecast to strike India's Andaman islands at about 06:00 GMT today according to data supplied by the US Navy and Air Force Joint Typhoon Warning Center. (map of expected track)
THUNDERSTORMS / HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING -
CANADA - People who live in the western Manitoba community of Red Deer Lake are still in shock over flooding that led to the community's hurried evacuation on the weekend. Water levels in the lake rose to more than 60 centimetres OVER THE PREVIOUS RECORD, set in 1979. The evacuation was ordered after high winds on the weekend whipped up waves on the lake. They may be out of their homes for months. "At first, it was a few weeks, and then now they're talking months, just for the water to go down and then the clean-up, because there's sewage and everything else flowing around."
IDAHO - everyone anywhere near the Big and Little Wood rivers were urged to take stock of what their vulnerability might and take action now, before high water comes in a few weeks. “This is going to be the year we’re going to see high water where we haven’t seen it for years. We’re going to see high water and the questions are to what degree and for how long.” In late May and early June the high country begins to let go of its snowpack. The equivalent of three feet of water, or more, sits everywhere in the snowy hills around Blaine county. At this time of year, that’s AWFULLY RARE. The Little Wood Reservoir above the city of Carey holds 32,000 acre-feet of water. “There’s enough water in the snow above it to fill it five times." “Our worst-case scenario is a warm rainstorm. That would bring most of the water down in a hurry.” When that’s happened, Blaine County has seen its highest water on record, but it’s happened only a few times in the last hundred years.
VIETNAM - The number of tropical storms are predicted to be less than average this year while the number of thunderstorms, whirlwinds and hail storms are predicted to increase, according to the National Centre for Meteorological Forecasting. The centre also said there would be four or five heat spells in the North and Central regions from May to July. Since the beginning of the dry season this year, low water levels in rivers and streams in the northern area of the country have reached theLOWEST RECORDED LEVELS FOR MORE THAN ONE HUNDRED YEARS. The drought has affected agricultural production. Meanwhile, heavy rains have occurred in central and southern regions, resulting in higher water levels than the average levels for the last three years. Whirlwinds, hail storms and thunder storms have already occurred in many localities, causing significant damage to properties and farms. Several people are also reported to have been injured by these severe weather conditions.
ROMANIA - Thousands of Romanians who fled areas flooded by the Danube River are now facing crowded conditions in tent communities and dwindling food supplies. With waters still rising after about two weeks of flooding, hundreds have taken refuge in tents on a hill overlooking the village of Chiselet. Food is running low, they say, and there are no toilets, forcing them to use a nearby field. It is a situation seen along the length of Romania's southern border, where the Danube — Europe's second-largest river — has reached record levels in the past weeks due to melting snow and heavy rains. About 148 communities have been affected by flooding, and more than 15,000 people have been forced to evacuate.
CHINA - China's water reservoirs are struggling to cope with higher-than-average rainfall this year. More rainfall has been reported in major rivers in the first quarter of this year compared with the same period in 2005. Water in the main branches of the Yangtze River, the Yellow River and the Huaihe River, China's three major rivers, saw a 10 to 30 percent increase in the first three months, over the same period last year. Large reservoirs in 21 provinces and regions, especially in Northwest China's Qinghai, and Northeast China's Jilin and Liaoning, have reported higher water levels than last year.
NEW ZEALAND - Otago emergency services are breathing sighs of relief as river levels drop and flooding recedes after torrential overnight rain closed roads and schools and left Oamaru isolated. Some residents had to be rescued by helicopter. Flooding and slips were affecting many areas between Dunedin and Waitati, and Mosgiel and Milton, and motorists were advised to take extreme care. In what was described as a "VERY UNUSUAL WEATHER EVENT", about 24mm of rain fell on the city in 15 minutes. The deluge was a "ONE-IN-150 YEAR, or even a ONE-IN-300 YEAR, EVENT" for the city. Flash flooding stretched the city's drainage system, causing damage to many homes and shops, with the Leith Stream reaching its biggest flows since the 1991 floods.
SNOW / COLD -
CANADA - A top pro snowboarder is dead after being caught in an avalanche Friday while riding the mountains near Bella Coola in British Columbia. The Austrian has been sponsored by Quiksilver since 1995 and is considered to be one of the most experienced backcountry riders in Europe.
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Wednesday, April 26, 2006 -
QUAKES -
Largest quakes -
4/25 -
5.7 NORTHERN SUMATERA, INDONESIA
5.0 FIJI ISLANDS REGION
5.1 MYANMAR-INDIA BORDER REGION
5.0 EASTERN SIBERIA, RUSSIA
SPAIN - There has been an earthquake off the coast of Galicia. Registering 5 on the Richter scale, the quake on Sunday morning was 61 kilometres off A Coruña, and was felt in Ferrol, Cedeira, Boiro, Santiago de Compostela and in Galicia. It was preceded by two smaller earthquakes of 3.3 and 3.1. Locals said the earthquake was very short but very intense. One man in Camariñas said that ‘it was like thunder. It moved the table and the bed.’ The earthquake, which is THE BIGGEST TO EVER HIT THE AREA, caused no injuries or material damage.
VOLCANOES -
INDONESIA - As Java's towering Mount Merapi spews smoke, officials are urging villagers to flee, but it is to animals on the slopes of the rumbling volcano that aged residents are looking for a final warning of disaster. Villagers living on the slopes or in the shadows of Mount Merapi said on Tuesday they would stay put until nature gives its signals, or the government forces them to leave. Many residents of the Mount Merapi area trust to traditional ways to detect a coming eruption, like animals moving downhill or visible lightning bolts on top of the mystical peak. "The animals have not come down yet." Vulcanologists say the mountain may erupt at the end of the month.
TROPICAL STORMS -
Cyclone 02B was 536 nmi SW of Rangoon, Burma.
INDIA - Monday's `low' over Southeast Bay of Bengal is behaving true to predictions and has intensified into a depression with an assigned number 02B, centred around the same latitude as Madurai on Tuesday afternoon. A sufficiently warmed-up Bay and the low `shear effect' will aid its further intensification into a deep depression and even to a cyclone within the next 48 hours. Fairly widespread to widespread rainfall with isolated heavy to very rainfall with gusts has been forecast for Andaman and Nicobar islands during the next two days. The system is categorized as `strong' and it is forecast that it will undergo another round of intensification around Thursday/Friday.
AUSTRALIA - Severe tropical storm Monica could intensify back into a cyclone and hit Western Australia, the weather bureau has warned. Monica had winds of up to 350kph near its core when it hit Maningrida, in the Northern Territory's Top End, on Monday night. The category five cyclone significantly weakened once it made landfall. Last night Monica was about 100km southwest of Darwin and a cyclone warning remained in place between the Daly River mouth, and Kalumburu in WA. Strong winds were occurring around Darwin and conditions on the water were "not great". Heavy rain had fallen across the region, with Adelaide River recording 225mm, Elizabeth Valley 192mm and Humpty Doo 166mm in the past 24 hours. "There's been a lot of very heavy rain, localised flooding, and various roads have been cut."
While ex-tropical cyclone Monica left Cape York largely unscathed last week, rangers say wildlife in the Gulf of Carpentaria in north Queensland has paid a price. Monica has churned up discarded fishing nets that were lying on the bottom of the ocean. The nets from foreign fishing boats are washing up on the coast with dead turtles tangled inside. All turtle species in the area are listed as either threatened or endangered.
THUNDERSTORMS / HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING -
KUWAIT - A scene the likes of which only happen in the movie “The Wizard of Oz” occurred Monday night in Kuwait. At approximately 8:00 pm April 24, gale force winds picked up all around Kuwait in a bizarre turn of the weather. According to eye witnesses, an extremely strong wind blew past the palm trees heading out toward the waters of the Gulf, picking up three men at a coffee shop right outside of a Ruby Tuesday Restaurant. The winds carried the three men around 50 feet in the air, over the wall that separates the coffee shop from Aqua Park, and directly into the water park, where two of the men hit their heads upon impact, dying immediately. The third was confirmed alive and well, with cuts and bruises. Witnesses had noticed that the wind had begun to pick up, but no one was expecting what happened next. They said that suddenly a dusty wind came across the parking lot, taking everything not nailed down with it, and blew across the pavement, and past the restaurant, at which time the rain began. The strangest thing, they said, was that the rain didn’t last for long, and suddenly stopped, just as quickly as it had begun, giving people an eerie sense of uneasiness.
EUROPE - Hundreds of Romanians were fleeing their homes in impoverished rural areas today as rescue teams struggled to reinforce dikes holding back the swollen Danube river. In Romania, the worst hit country with tens of thousands of hectares submerged, 4000 people have moved to high ground since Monday after earthen dikes near poor southern villages collapsed, putting the total of evacuees at 9520. "There is still a risk that more dikes will fall as pressure remains very high with water two metres above flooding levels at some places." Heavy rain and melting snow have swollen waterways and inundated vast tracts of land in Romania, Bulgaria, Serbia and Hungary this month, making thousands of people homeless. In Hungary "the rivers are retreating slowly. It could take another 10-12 days and meanwhile the dikes are getting soaked."
BANGLADESH - Eight persons, four of them of a family, drowned and seven others remained missing as a mechanized boat sank in Jamuna river on Monday during a storm. The storm swept through 10 northeastern and northern districts Monday afternoon. Monday's storm hit 10 districts where paddy crops, which were being readied for harvest, were damaged heavily. Hundreds of thatched houses were flattened and many trees and electric poles were uprooted, disrupting the power supply in several districts. A farmer was killed by the storm in northwestern Rangpur district and many people were injured by collapsed houses.
KANSAS - The storm system that brought hail as big as softballs, lemons, and tennis balls Monday only brought sporadic rain to a region that badly needs it. The National Weather Service' s official reporting site next to Mid-Continent Airport recorded just .69 of an inch of rain Sunday night and Monday. That leaves Wichita still nearly 3.5 inches below normal for the year.
SAFE IN YOUR OWN HOME? -
CALIFORNIA - After two days of recovery attempts, workers reached the body of a man who was killed when a huge hole opened beneath his house. Authorities identified the victim as a 32-year-old schoolteacher, whose wife is pregnant. He was relaxing in his living room about 9:30 p.m. Friday when he heard creaking noises, sprang up and began to move across the room just as the floor opened beneath him. He fell into a sink hole that opened and was trapped by rubble that landed on top of him. One of his dogs is believed to have perished with him. Workers trying to extricate his body were forced to retreat because the ground remained unstable through the weekend. It expanded beyond some of the load-bearing walls of the home, leading the recovery team to consider demolishing it. A second sinkhole opened up about 50 feet away from the house. A mine collapse is one likely cause of the strange episode. This area in the Sierra Nevada foothills was heavily mined for gold in the late 1800s. No maps exist of these mines, and there has apparently been no concerted effort to seal old mine shafts in the area. "There may be absolutely no surface evidence that it's there, and it could be five feet below the surface."
The 10-by-10-foot sinkhole continued growing deeper and wider for days. By Sunday night, the pit bottomed out at 20 feet deep, with a diameter that had more than doubled to 30 feet. "If you want to speculate, this house (in Placer County) probably had a void that's been opening up under the slab, and maybe this latest bout of rainy weather could have been the straw that broke the camel's back."
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Tuesday, April 25, 2006 -
QUAKES -
Largest quakes -
4/24 -
5.4 FLORES, INDONESIA, REGION
5.0 SOUTH OF JAWA, INDONESIA
5.0 TONGA ISLANDS
5.1 OFF COAST OF CENTRAL AMERICA
5.3 EAST OF SEVERNAYA ZEMLYA
5.0 EAST OF SEVERNAYA ZEMLYA
IRAN - A 3.9 tremor hit the city of Doroud in the western province of Lorestan in the wee hours of Monday. A relatively strong earthquake measuring 5 degrees on the Richter scale had earlier rocked Boroujerd on March 31. A quake measuring 4.7 also jolted the city of Doroud in the same province on March 30. Several aftershocks measuring 4.7 to 6 on the Richter scale have since rattled the two cities leaving 63 people dead and 1,418 others injured. The quakes and their aftershocks have also left some 15,000 families homeless and damaged 330 villages in varying degrees.
VOLCANOES -
RUSSIA - Mount Ebeko, a volcano on the island of Paramushir, which belongs to the Northern Kuril chain in Russia's Far East, has started emitting vapor and gas. There are 36 active volcanoes on the Kuril chain, and at least seven others are also considered to be dangerous, including the Mendeleyev, Golovnin, Tyatya, Grozny, Baransky, Chirip, and Chikurachki.
PERU - Peruvian authorities have been sending aid to hundreds of evacuees after declaring a state of emergency in the area near the erupting Ubinas volcano. Gas and cinder began spewing from the volcano in southern Peru three weeks ago. Tons of aid, particularly tents, water and powdered milk, have been shipped into the affected zone. The army has been brought in to help evacuate nearby villages, although some residents are reluctant to leave. The civil defence institute has recommended that the entire population in the district of Ubinas, about 3,500 people, be evacuated as soon as possible. A dome of incandescent lava seems to be building up in the crater.
INDONESIA - A thick column of sulfurous smoke surged into the sky Monday as Mount Merapi continued to show signs of an imminent eruption. Merapi has a history of being unpredictable, and many of the nearby villagers are distrustful of modern science and the government, turning instead to beliefs steeped in ancient Javanese mythology. As a result, most of the 60,000 people living within striking distance are ignoring the government's call to abandon their homes. On the western end of the mountain, near the town of Magelang, people trade rumors of a mysterious sparkling light sweeping across the sky in the early morning hours, or the distant sounds of howling wolves, both signs of a coming eruption. The Javanese believe increased volcanic activity at Merapi signifies a coming political change and is a warning to politicians to settle disputes.
TROPICAL STORMS -
Cyclone 02B was 609 nmi SW of Rangoon, Burma.
Cyclone MONICA was 698 nmi ENE of Broome, Australia.
AUSTRALIA - Cyclone Monica is now expected to weaken to a category 1 storm later today as it continues to track across the Northern Territory. Winds which were 350 kilometres an hour at the cyclone's core have slowed to 125 kilometres an hour. The cyclone is travelling south-south-west at 20 kilometres an hour in the direction of towns like Adelaide River, Batchelor and Daly River, south of Darwin. Overnight the cyclone hit the Arnhem Land community of Maningrida where phone lines still appear to be down and the extent of the damage is unclear.
THUNDERSTORMS / HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING -
NAMIBIA - Streets in the three coastal towns of Swakopmund, Walvis Bay and Luederitz turned into flowing rivers as UNUSUALLY heavy rain poured down for the most part of last week. Downpours brought more rain in four days than the average annual rainfall for the area. Since town planners did not make provision for heavy rain in towns on the edge of the arid Namib Desert, the infrastructure cannot drain or channel excessive water away from buildings. Many roads in Luederitz suffered severe damage, while the lagoon and some residential areas had to be evacuated. Repairing the flood damage has been stalled by fears of more rain on the way, as forecast by the weather bureau.
INDIA - At least 50 houses suffered cracks and 50 temporary dwellings collapsed to the ground when a landfill caved in at Kolkata's eastern outskirts Sunday. Hundreds of people of Kuchupota village in adjoining South 24 Parganas district were rendered homeless as the Dhapa dumping ground suddenly caved in. The landslide was emitting black sludge and causing cracks in the adjacent roads and houses, the reports said. Panic-stricken residents of the area were living in the open.
NEW YORK - RECORD-BREAKING RAINFALLS from Long Island to Central Park swamped streets, knocked out power, delayed air travelers, flooded a city hotel and washed out a bluff on the North Shore. The storm dumped up to 6 inches in Nassau and Suffolk and 3.5 inches in Central Park, setting 24-hour rainfall records in several areas, including LaGuardia Airport and Islip Town. "It's UNUSUAL. With a rain event like this you don't usually get so many inches in a short amount of time."
DELAWARE - This weekend's rainfall brought New Castle County more than 2 inches of precipitation, BREAKING A RECORD for April 22 and giving the city an above-normal total for the month. The county, however, remains about 2 inches under its normal rainfall of 12.78 inches for the year so far.
UNUSUAL WEATHER SEASON -
MAINE - last winter's mild weather and lack of snowfall were a break from the norm. Mother Nature seems to have skipped mud season this year too. The Bangor area received approximately 37 inches of snow between November 2005 and April 2006, 25 inches less than normal and less than half the amount received during the previous winter. Temperatures were also above average. Although April's precipitation figures are close to average, the total rainfall this spring is below average. For Maine's wild creatures, these seasonal abnormalities can be a blessing for some, a source of stress for others and even a death knell for an unlucky few. Salmon are sensitive to unusual weather patterns. This winter Atlantic salmon did not have bone-chilling temperatures creating ice blocks that extend to the riverbed, limiting water flow and starving them of oxygen. But lower river levels this spring could trap the endangered fish inland, thwarting their biological urge to head toward saltier waters. Northern Maine's white-tailed deer population enjoyed manageable snow depths, which make it easier to find food, navigate the woods and escape prey. But lack of snow cover in early spring could cause a boom in the population of ticks that prey on moose, leading to increased moose mortality. One group that stands to suffer the most from dry conditions is amphibians.
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Monday, April 24, 2006 -
QUAKES -
Largest quakes -
4/23 -
5.0 EASTERN SIBERIA, RUSSIA
5.0 EASTERN SIBERIA, RUSSIA
VOLCANOES -
INDONESIA - Authorities in Indonesia's densely populated Central Java province said on Sunday surface tremors and multifaced quakes continue on Mount Merapi and warned that a major eruption could take place in a few days. Vulcanologists said a total of nine surface tremors and as many as 156 multifaced quakes were recorded from Merapi's crater in the previous 24 hours. "It's very clear something will happen, but it is very difficult to say when." An expert warned that it is merely a "matter of time" before Merapi's status will be upgraded into a state of alert, when residents living on the danger zones will have to flee their homes immediately.
TROPICAL STORMS -
Cyclone MONICA was 696 nmi WNW of Cairns, Australia.
AUSTRALIA - People in the small town of Nhulunbuy on Australia's north coast have been told to move to cyclone shelters, in advance of what could be the country's MOST POWERFUL STORM IN THREE DECADES. Cyclone Monica was upgraded to a Category 5 storm on Saturday as it approached Australia's Northern Territory coast. The core of the storm is "very destructive" with winds gusting to 350 kilometres an hour, although 100 km/h is much more common. High tides could cause extensive flooding of coastal areas, and heavy rains may flood rivers. The cyclone is expected to arrive in the Darwin area on Tuesday morning. Darwin is the biggest city in the region, with about 70,000 people.
THUNDERSTORMS / HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING -
CONNECTICUTT - RECORD HEAVY RAINS pummeled the Westport area Sunday, flooding roadways and basements and possibly contributing to a one-car accident that killed a 1-year-old baby. Bridgeport’s Sikorsky Airport reported a record 5.28 inches fell in a 24-hour period. Some longtime residents said the rain was the heaviest in their memory.
KENYA - Timbwoiyo village in Central Baringo was quiet and peaceful until two weeks ago, when residents were warned that conditions were ripe for potentially deadly landslides. With the ground already soggy and more rains on the way, the village on the slopes of the Tugen Hills is no longer habitable. The small farming village had hoped for a bumper harvest this season with the onset of the long rains, but it now huge gullies have formed all over the land, which experts describe as earthquake fault lines. The fault lines have also caused cracks on the walls and floors of some of the houses, forcing the owners to vacate them. Houses are falling apart and the land slowly sinking. The movements normally occur in the night with rumblings, shaking and moving of furniture in the houses. They witnessed the same phenomena in 1961 and 1997. "The first incident was worse since we lost our crops and animals after the land sunk, leaving many houses damaged." A hot spring erupted at one farm. Everything went on smoothly afterwards until the 1997 El-Nino rains wreaked havoc in the area. "It was bad because the ground was shaking, houses collapsed but luckily no lives were lost." Geologists in Rift Valley province have yet to go there to assess the situation, but sources at the Geology department confirmed that the area is prone to fault lines. "Surface fault rupture occurs when an earthquake breaks the earth’s surface. Such ruptures cause localised but intense devastation like what is about to occur in Timboiywo." Although the Government has yet to conduct any studies in the area, it would be wise for the locals to move out before disaster strikes. It is expected that the situation will worsen by June if the rains continue to pound the area.
BULGARIA - the waters of the Danube were still rising and had, in one place, reached a record high. In the north-western town of Ruse, the country's most important port on the Danube, the river was 9.11 metres high - 23cm ABOVE THE PREVIOUS RECORD HIGH registered in 1970. The river had risen 10cm in just 24 hours. Luckily for Hungary, the waters have begun to subside.
MYSTERIOUS BOOMS CONTINUE TO BE HEARD -
CALIFORNIA - At various spots throughout San Diego County, people reported a rumbling sound or a booming noise shortly before 9 a.m. Tuesday, April 4, and so far no one has come forward with an explanation. Whatever it was, it caused a woman's bed to shake in Lakeside. It created waves in a backyard pool in Carmel Valley. It set off car alarms in Kearny Mesa and rattled windows from Mission Beach to Poway to Vista. “My garage door is double steel and it weighs about 500 lbs. It was rattling back and forth like a leaf in the wind for about 3 or 4 seconds.” Scientists insist it wasn't an earthquake. The Federal Aviation Administration has no record of any planes producing a sonic boom by breaking the sound barrier. Camp Pendleton officials say no activities on the Marine base could have created such a disturbance. There were no large explosions in San Diego County that day, and no meteor fireballs were reported in the sky that morning. What was it, then? Maybe it was the same thing that caused a strange disturbance in Mississippi on April 7, when the locals heard a loud boom that rattled windows all over Jackson County, throwing emergency workers “into a tizzy.” Authorities in that state still don't have a clue as to the cause. Nor, to this day, can anyone explain what was behind similar episodes in Maine two months ago, or Alabama three months ago, or North Carolina four months ago. In each of those cases – as well as in other incidents around the nation over the years – residents reported hearing windows rattle and feeling floors shake even though no earthquake was detected. [Mobile, Alabama on Jan. 19, 2006: Wilmington, N.C., on Dec. 20, 2005; Winston-Salem, N.C., on March 5, 2005; Charleston, S.C., on Aug. 1, 2003; and Pensacola, Fla., on Jan. 13, 2003. ]
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Sunday, April 23, 2006 -
QUAKES -
Largest quakes yesterday -
4/22 -
5.3 NORTHERN SUMATERA, INDONESIA
5.2 OFF W. CST OF NORTHERN SUMATERA
5.2 NEW IRELAND
5.9 EASTERN SIBERIA, RUSSIA
5.0 EASTERN SIBERIA, RUSSIA
4/21 -
5.0 TONGA ISLANDS
5.1 MINDANAO, PHILIPPINE ISLANDS
5.1 EASTERN SIBERIA, RUSSIA
5.3 EASTERN SIBERIA, RUSSIA
5.1 EASTERN SIBERIA, RUSSIA
5.2 EASTERN SIBERIA, RUSSIA
6.0 EASTERN SIBERIA, RUSSIA
5.1 EASTERN SIBERIA, RUSSIA
6.3 EASTERN SIBERIA, RUSSIA
5.2 EASTERN SIBERIA, RUSSIA
5.1 EASTERN SIBERIA, RUSSIA
5.4 EASTERN SIBERIA, RUSSIA
5.1 EASTERN SIBERIA, RUSSIA
5.0 EASTERN SIBERIA, RUSSIA
5.1 EASTERN SIBERIA, RUSSIA
RUSSIA - the powerful earthquake that hit the Koryakia autonomous district in Russia's Far East on Friday has completely destroyed the villages of Khailino, Apuka and Vyvenka, local witnesses said. Residents of the villages, who are only able to communicate with the outside world using satellite telephones, said that the villages had been ruined completely, and even brick stoves in the houses had crumbled. About 1,500 people lived in the three villages, and no assistance has reached them yet. Seismologists believe there is 80% probability that several more strong aftershocks might occur in the northeastern part of Koryakia in the near future. "Following the 7.8 magnitude quake in northeastern Koryakia on Friday, five or six quakes with a magnitude of over 6 are likely to occur near its epicenter within a week. Three of them could measure up to 6.4, one up to 6.9, and there is also 80% probability of a devastating earthquake with a magnitude of 7 to 7.4 and 50% probability of an earthquake with a magnitude of up to 7.9."
RUSSIA - More than 500 people have been evacuated from two towns seriously affected by the series of powerful earthquakes in the north of the Kamchatka peninsula in Russia's Far East. The initial 7.8-magnitude quake, the strongest since 1900 in the Koryak area, which is eight time zones from Moscow, injured 31 people and damaged several buildings and facilities in Tilichiki, including a school, a kindergarten, a local airport's runway, and cut power and water supplies in several villages. Earthquake aftershocks of Richter magnitudes of up to five continue, and seismologists have warned of stronger quakes still to come.
[SITE NOTE - This is the area where Russia was expecting a large quake by December of last year. They had flown in supplies in anticipation, but had decided that the danger was past.
Posted here 2/8/06 (link no longer works) - RUSSIA - An earthquake measuring 5.7 points on the open-ended Richter scale occurred on Monday morning in the Kamchatka Strait off the Kamchatka Peninsula’s eastern shores. Despite the quake, the regional administration has lifted high-alert regulations introduced last August on apprehensions that a major earthquake might be forthcoming. Emergency services have returned into a normal mode of operations now, since experts no longer expect quakes with a magnitude of 7.5 or more points on the Richter scale.
Posted here 9/8/05 - RUSSIA - A major exercise conducted by Russia's Emergency Situations Ministry to practice dealing with a simulated 8.8 earthquake was under way on the far-eastern Kamchatka Peninsula. According to research conducted by the International Institute of Earthquake Prediction Theory and Mathematical Geophysics, there is at least a 30% probability of an earthquake with a 7.2-magnitude or higher in the area of Kamchatka and the Kuril Islands before mid-December.]
VOLCANOES -
COLUMBIA - On March 28, the Colombian Institute of Geology and Mining changed the alert level for Galeras Volcano to II (likely eruption in days or weeks). The area is in a critical state due to the creation of a solidified lava dome capping the main crater and a reduction of seismic activity of the volcano. Most eruptions of the volcano over the past 17 years have occurred when these parameters were similar. April 18 they reported an overall volume of the lava dome corresponding to 3,200,000 m3 (a volume approximately 15 times that of eruptions in 1992). National and local authorities are making progress in upgrading 12 temporary shelters in the three municipalities concerned. Approximately 489 households (2,366 persons) are now hosted in five temporary shelters in Pasto municipality. Another 7 temporary shelters remain empty. Due to the reluctance of the major part of the population to move from high risk areas, the authorities have asked the UN system to help them persuade communities at risk to move to safe locations. In the event of an eruption, water sources would be contaminated and access routes could be blocked for 4 to 5 days.
TROPICAL STORMS -
CYCLONE MONICA was 500 nmi NW of Cairns, Australia.
AUSTRALIA - Tropical cyclone Monica was expected to be upgraded to a category five storm as it descends on the Northern Territory coast. The cyclone, which has several Aboriginal communities in its path, was located in the Gulf of Carpentaria about 285 km east of Nhulunbuy and is moving northwest at 5kph. The core's wind gusts of up to 290kph are expected to approach northwest Arnhem Land early this morning. The cyclone had potential to cause more destruction than recent cyclone Larry in far north Queensland because it is larger and slower. Perilously high tides could cause extensive flooding on the coast.
THUNDERSTORMS / HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING -
SINGAPORE - rain here has been UNUSUALLY heavy. The Bedok and Eunos areas recorded 375mm to 468mm of rain from April 1 to 16. This is roughly four times the average rainfall. On the afternoon of April 14, there was 110mm of rainfall in just 90 minutes. Statistically speaking, the tropical storm that unleashed all that water is SO RARE THAT IT IS PREDICTED TO HAPPEN ONLY ONCE IN 10 YEARS. The rain has been a bit too much for some car owners. The recent spell of wet weather has wreaked havoc around town, flooding some areas in waist-deep waters. They are still a long way from the start of the year-end monsoon season.
UTAH - Nearly two months of incessant rain and snow (150 percent of normal across northern Utah) have taken their toll on hillsides along the Wasatch Front. The soil is wet and soft, and in some cases, moving. Officials with the Utah Geological Survey and the National Weather Service warned Friday that, in addition to potential flooding, landslides pose what they call "a moderate threat" along bench areas from Weber to Utah, and are an even bigger danger in pre-existing slide areas. "What we're seeing in terms of movement is that most of the historical landslides have already reactivated this year. There were four damaging landslides in Davis, Salt Lake and Utah counties in 1998, and all four have now reactivated. That gives us an indication of where we're at in terms of landslide potential." The Utah Geological Survey currently is monitoring 50 slide areas in northern Utah. Unlike California, where a heavy rainstorm can trigger the collapse of a hillside, Utah slides are more the result of long-term precipitation, with the critical period spanning from March 1 to June 1. As things stand, state geologists are looking at SOME OF THE MOST UNSTABLE SLOPES THEY'VE SEEN SINCE 1999.
UTAH - Large amounts of snowpack still remain in the mountains above the Wasatch Front. Much of it should have melted weeks ago, which has residents and experts a little worried about the potential for flooding. In fact, the dangers have already arisen. "We have a large snow pack that's delayed it's melt, and we are in the third week of April. [It] should have melted… three weeks ago." The hot spots include just about all of the rivers in the Cache Valley, the Weber River, City Creek, Emigration Canyon and the Jordan River.
TEXAS - A severe thunderstorm roared through San Marcos on Thursday, dumping hail as large as softballs. For 15 minutes, hail pounded vehicles, leaving behind broken glass and dents. "It sounded like a war zone." The storm left behind large piles of large ice bills and debris. Witnesses said at one point visibility was reduced to a few feet. "At first it was just golf-ball sized. Then it kept getting bigger. Then, you just couldn't see out the window at all."
CANADA - A few areas in eastern Saskatchewan have been hit with flood advisories. Thanks to a large amount of snow and water the past week in places like Norquay and towards Swan River, Manitoba, rivers are reaching RECORD FLOWS NOT SEEN IN OVER 30 YEARS. Fishing Lake, near Foam Lake, has risen to new levels, but isn't expected to peak until May. As for areas in northern Saskatchewan, the waters are beginning to decrease.
SNOW / COLD -
NEPAL - Three Sherpas went missing in an avalanche in mountainous Khumbu region on Friday afternoon. "The Sherpas en route to climb Mt. Everest lost their trail due to the two-day long snowfall." The snow foot-trails in Khumbu area have been disturbed by the continuous snowfall in the region.
UNUSUAL WEATHER SEASON -
ALABAMA - there's a lot more hail hitting Huntsville roofs than usual for this time of year. A change in the jetstream has meant a decrease in Alabama's spring winds. That has combined with high temperatures and humidity to create weather that's more like summer than spring. "We're not seeing typical April weather. We're seeing typical June or July weather." With less wind, storms have been able to build vertically, like they might in August, and conditions have been great for hail. Usually, winds across Alabama in the spring are strong enough and temperatures cool enough to produce damaging storms and tornadoes, but not often the icy shrapnel of the past week or two.
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Friday, April 21, 2006 -
QUAKES -
Largest quakes yesterday -
4/20 -
5.5 EASTERN SIBERIA, RUSSIA
7.7 EASTERN SIBERIA, RUSSIA
5.1 VANUATU ISLANDS
5.7 NEAR S.CST OF EASTERN HONSHU
5.2 VANUATU ISLANDS
5.3 SANTA CRUZ ISLANDS
5.0 NEAR ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS
So far today Siberia has had quakes of:
5.1, 6.3, 5.2, 5.1, 5.4, 5.1, 5.0, 5.1
RUSSIA - The 7.7. earthquake that struck Russia's far-eastern Kamchatka peninisula was followed by nine aftershocks in the region with magnitudes ranging between 4.5 and 5.4. There were no immediate reports of damage or casualties. Some 2,000 people would have been exposed to "intensive shaking," a spokeswoman said. It was LARGEST SEISMIC EVENT IN THE AREA SINCE 1900.
TIBET - A strong earthquake measuring 5.6 on the Richter scale destroyed several houses in Tibet yesterday, but caused no loss of life. The quake affected eight of the 10 towns in Baingoin County, of which Jiaqun town suffered the most serious damage.
CALIFORNIA - Much of the East Bay shoreline could turn to quicksand in the next big quake, causing extensive damage to the Oakland Airport and Port of Oakland, homes, businesses and roads. Most of the man-made, filled land that makes up the shore was put in place after the 1906 earthquake and has yet to be really strongly shaken. Liquefaction causes wet ground to momentarily loses strength and flow like liquid. Roads, buildings and other structures can sink, tip, or be pulled apart. About 22 square miles of real estate along the Bay in Berkeley, and Oakland and most of Alameda is made up of the worst possible kind of artificial fill - loose, sandy soil primarily dredged from the Bay.
VOLCANOES -
PERU - The Ubinas volcano in southern Peru threw plumes of smoke high into the sky today, prompting authorities to declare an "orange alert" to encourage villagers to evacuate the area. The explosion sent gases high into the sky, forming a gigantic mushroom-shaped cloud that stretched more than 1km above the earth. Livestock have been poisoned by eating grass that is coated with volcanic ash. "They've told us we've got to learn to live with the volcano and the ash, but we'd never seen anything like this," said a peasant farmer. "We're terrified." The Ubinas volcano is one of the most active in Peru. It erupted 17 times from 1550 until 1969, when it was last active.
INDONESIA - seismic activity in Merapi continues to increase and "the motion of lava inside the crater is becoming more active." The revered king of the city closest to Indonesia's rumbling Mount Merapi warned that an eruption was likely within 10 days. "This is not a prediction from a mystic, but is based on scientific data and experience," he was quoted as saying.
GREECE - About 30 homes have been evacuated on the western island of Zakynthos, a popular holiday resort, due to damage caused by about a dozen earthquakes as strong as magnitude 5.9 in the past month. The latest quake, of magnitude 4.6, struck yesterday off the southern coast of the Ionian Sea island.
TROPICAL STORMS -
CYCLONE MONICA was 398 nmi WNW of Cairns, Australia.
THUNDERSTORMS / HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING -
INDONESIA - Flash floods and landslides triggered by monsoon rain have killed at least 23 people in Indonesia. The worst-hit district was that of Bendungan in the east of the main island of Java. Water in some areas had risen as high as two metres (6.6 ft). At least 24 people died in landslides and floods caused by heavy rains in eastern Indonesia in February.
ROMANIA, BULGARIA - Torrential rain has worsened flooding along the River Danube in parts of Romania and Bulgaria, where thousands of people have fled their homes. Some of the heaviest rainfall on Thursday was reported in north-western Bulgaria's Vratsa district. Roads and bridges in the region were damaged and the lower floors of houses in the villages of Vladimirovo and Banitsa were flooded. More than half the houses bordering the Danube in the Bulgarian port of Nikopol were reported to be flooded.
IDAHO - The WETTEST SPRING IN RECENT MEMORY has forced Washington County Road and Bridge crews to close several roads as hillsides give way and gravel surfaces turn to mud. The bottom of Hog Creek Road literally fell out, and an isolated mini-cloudburst at the end of last week pushed Rock Creek to a “massive flow” that ripped over road surfaces, washing out the beds creating a “sloppy juice” of water and mud. Weiser River Road remains open, but a big section has sunk and a “whole hill has sloughed out” covering parts of the Weiser River Trail and endangering the stability of the road surface.
TEXAS - Thunderstorms began sweeping in about 6 p.m. Thursday, but more severe storms with high winds and hail were raking counties to the south and southwest. “As more storms develop throughout the evening, the concern is there for additional heavy rainfall.”
SNOW / COLD -
KOREA - Koreans are struggling with nippy weather conditions as temperatures dropped at one point on Thursday morning to -10 degrees Celsius in the eastern mountainous region. Even a snowfall warning was issued in the eastern province of Gangwon Province and weather experts said more snow would fall in the area until Thursday evening. It's RARE to see a sudden cold spell like this and snow around this time of year in Korea. Meteorologists say the chilly conditions will stay until today, with strong winds whipping up seasonal sandstorms.
NORTH DAKOTA - Crews were working to restore electricity and clear highways Thursday after a powerful spring snowstorm swept through the northwestern Plains, leaving four people dead and snow up to 5 feet in some areas. The heaviest snow was reported in far western South Dakota near the Wyoming border, where the National Weather Service reported snow that was 44 inches deep in the city of Lead. Crews struggling with the weight and volume of snow also had to find a place to put it after scooping it up. North Dakota ranchers in the middle of calving season worked long hours to help their calves survive the storm. Wind gusting to 84 mph overturned a mobile home in the Nebraska Panhandle, and gusts to 71 mph were reported in eastern Montana. Spring storms with heavy snow are not unusual in North Dakota. "We don't get them every year, but every five to 10 years, we usually get a big dump."
----------------------------
Thursday, April 20, 2006 -
QUAKES -
Largest quakes yesterday -
4/19 -
6.0 OFF W. CST OF NORTHERN SUMATERA
5.3 XIZANG, CHINA
5.1 OFF COAST OF NORTHERN CHILE
5.2 OFF COAST OF NORTHERN CHILE
5.0 TONGA ISLANDS
5.1 KOMANDORSKY ISLANDS
GREECE - A strong earthquake measuring 5.3 on the Richter scale rattled Greece's western Ionian islands Wednesday, but there were no immediate reports of injury. The island of Zakynthoshas been the scene of nine strong earthquakes since April 11, ranging from 5.0 to 5.9 on the Richter scale. Reports said residents on the island were upset over the latest earthquake, with many running out of their homes in panic.
VOLCANOES -
PERU - At least 1,000 people have suffered respiratory problems from a tower of ash spewing from the Ubinas volcano in southern Peru, and 20 llamas have died after eating poisoned grass. The volcano continued to spit out ash and smoke on Wednesday, and the wind was carrying it north. In recorded history, Ubinas has never had a lava eruption. In the hamlet of Querapi, home to 42 farming families three miles from the volcano, Civil Defense authorities distributed gas masks and recommended evacuation earlier this week.
INDONESIA - Mount Merapi status - On the 18th they observed 113 multi-phase tremors, 8 streams of lava, 7 volcanic tremors, and white and thick SO2 smoke of 400 m height from the crater. They confirmed on April 19th that based on the scientific data, Mt. Merapi will most likely erupt. The Government of Indonesia is working on a third case scenario, one level below the worst-case scenario, anticipating over 80,000 people to be displaced. Communities were encouraged not to conduct any activities in the river having its upper course at Mt. Merapi. Large amounts of evacuation supplies, tents, ambulances and 160 body bags have been mobilized.
TROPICAL STORMS -
CYCLONE MONICA was 308 nmi NW of Cairns, Australia.
THUNDERSTORMS / HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING -
MALAYSIA - The unpredictable weather in recent times has hit Kuala Lumpur badly. Thunderstorms have uprooted more than 100 trees and damaged about 30 vehicles and houses in the past one month alone. Falling trees not only damaged vehicles, homes and utility lines but also obstructed traffic in certain areas. The local authority has placed extra personnel on standby at problematic areas to tackle problems resulting from the FREAK weather. “During these four months, the rainy season has been unpredictable. Freak thunderstorms occur at anytime of the day."
ETHIOPIA - authorities and relief agencies have rushed help to thousands of displaced people in the eastern parts of the country after the Awash River flooded its banks, washing away villages and killing hundreds of livestock. "The rains came in from the highlands to the lowlands in a very abrupt way, so that it took people by surprise." The rains are still continuing in some areas of the region. The floods have displaced at least 10,000 people.
ROMANIA - At least 10,000 southern Romanian citizens from 129 towns in 12 districts were evacuated because of a Danube River dam breakage. The river has reached its highest level in more than 100 years, and might go still higher with the rain and melting water affecting more than 620 miles of the nation. There are thousands of people sheltered in schools, hospitals and mayors´ offices, and the army and police continue evacuations. Local weather services predicted rain for today, and according to a provisional report, 700 houses are still under water, 184 houses were destroyed, another 120 are in danger, and more than 3,000 farms are flooded.
BULGARIA - Storm winds, rain falling in torrents and battering hail hit the region of Bulgaria's Vratsa on Wednesday. The storm pounded the northwest place in the evening, soaking ground floors and damaging the asphalt on some roads. In the village of Banitsa the hail was so strong that it piled up in a 20-centimeter deep ice layer, according to reports. It was not immediately clear whether any people were hurt.
SOUTH AFRICA - An estimated 200 people have been left destitute following a heavy hail storm in the Northern Cape. According to residents at Ganspan near Jan Kempdorp, shanties and trees were razed to the ground by the hail, which came from all directions. Strong winds also caused damage and the storm affected sections of Taung in the North West.
CANADA - A state of emergency was declared early Wednesday on Newfoundland's Baie Verte Peninsula after heavy rain caused flooding that blocked the main road into three communities.
OREGON - The wild weather that blew through Brookings Saturday, left even longtime residents scratching their heads trying to figure out what hit them. From just before 6 a.m. to near noon, a strong weather cell blew in from the south and delivered a solid blow with rain, hail, wind and lightning to the South Coast. The anemometer near Humbug Mountain measured gusts as high as 98 mph. Horizontal rain hit between 10 and 11 a.m. "There was a huge, huge blast that just hit us. My house just shuddered. It lasted about three seconds, but just really hit hard." The fact that lightning hit wasn't that unusual, but the timing of the storm was. "Lightning most commonly is on the coast in the winter season because the ocean surface is warm and when the cold air comes across that warm surface, you get a lot of instability." What caused Saturday's wild weather was an UNUSUALLY cold weather front for this time of year. The band of cold air aloft spawned high wind, rain, hail, water spouts, which were reported near North Bend, and a lot of lightning and thunder. Last weekend's FREAKY storm probably marks the end of the last of the real strong winter storms and the return of more normal weather patterns.
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Wednesday, April 19, 2006 -
QUAKES -
Largest quakes yesterday -
4/18 -
5.3 SANTA CRUZ ISLANDS
5.0 SEA OF OKHOTSK
VOLCANOES -
PERU - Officials urged the small farming town of Querapi in southern Peru to evacuate on Tuesday after a volcano sent smoke and ash 2,600 feet (800 meters) into the air, but residents were reluctant to leave. "A yellow alert has been called, which means precaution due to emission of gases and steam. Civil Defense has sent small anti-gas masks to the town of Querapi and covers for their water deposits." The volcano has not been this active since 1969. The volcano, in the Moquegua region 550 miles (900 km) south of Lima, has been belching for much of the month. It has sent ash and sulfur as far away as the town of Ubinas, home to 3,500 people five miles (eight km) away. Small tremors have also been felt in nearby towns. Emissions had affected crops and water sources.
INDONESIA - Villagers living near rumbling and swelling Mount Merapi volcano have ignored calls to evacuate and local officials were told on Tuesday to prepare for the worst. The complacency stemmed from the fact that the volcano's swelling, a sign of imminent eruption, was not yet visible to the naked eye.
TROPICAL STORMS -
CYCLONE MONICA was 227 nmi N of Cairns, Australia.
AUSTRALIA - Residents of northern Cape York Peninsula were in for a long night with tropical cyclone Monica not expected to clear the mainland until early tomorrow. Communities in Monica's path were bracing for the cyclone, which was expected to weaken to a category two once it passed over land.
THUNDERSTORMS / HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING -
KENYA - Falling rocks are making life unbearable in Kimobo village in Nandi South District. The village, which is located on the slopes of the Kimobo hills, has experienced myriad rockslides that have killed two villagers, destroyed several houses and claimed hundreds of their livestock and poultry recently. Nightfall spells doom, fear and heightened trepidation forcing the villagers to sleep in turns as others keep vigil. The rains have aggravated the situation, which has led to rampant soil erosion, causing the rocks to lean precariously towards the village. "The past five months have seen an increase in the incidents of the rocks killing livestock and injuring people. This has forced some villagers to abandon their homes and seek alternative residential areas."
ODD-
CHINA - The Chinese government plans to seed clouds over Beijing to prompt a cleansing rainfall after the capital was hit by the worst dust storm in five years which dropped an estimated 300,000 tons of dust and sand. A thick layer of yellowish sand covered buildings, cars and open spaces after the storm hit overnight on Sunday. Health officials warned parents to keep their children indoors and hospitals treated more people for breathing difficulties at the height of the dust storm. This week's dust storm extended across the East China Sea as far as South Korea and Japan. The weather system was expected to last through today in some parts of China.
Crop Failures, Food Shortages, Fish Die-Off - updated Wednesdays
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Tuesday, April 18, 2006 -
QUAKES -
Largest quakes yesterday -
4/17 -
5.8 SANTA CRUZ ISLANDS
5.1 NEAR COAST OF CENTRAL CHILE
INDONESIA - A strong tectonic earthquake measuring 6.0 on the Richter scale has hit the Mount Karangetang area in the north of Indonesia. The quake was centered 200 kilometers under the seabed of Siau island in the country's northernmost region and there have been no immediate reports of damage or casualties. It comes as Indonesia prepares for the possible evacuation of nearly 30-thousand people living on the slopes of Java's simmering volcano Mount Merapi.
TSUNAMI -
NOAA finished installation of five Deep-ocean Assessment and Reporting of Tsunami buoy stations off the East and Gulf coasts and the Caribbean as part of the expansion of the U.S. tsunami warning system. The latest buoy station, off New Orleans, joins stations off Charleston, S.C.; Miami, and two off San Juan, Puerto Rico. "These buoys are a first line of defense in providing citizens of the Atlantic, Caribbean and Gulf regions with a comprehensive tsunami warning system." NOAA expects the network to total 39 DART II buoy stations by 2008 (32 in the Pacific and seven in the Atlantic Basin). (map of the planned buoy locations). Through the emerging Global Earth Observation System of Systems, NOAA is working with its federal partners, 61 countries and the European Commission to develop a 'global network that is as integrated as the planet it observes, predicts and protects'.
VOLCANOES -
TANZANIA - Experts have moved in to investigate the increasing incidents of volcanic eruptions at Oldonyo Lengai Mountain in Ngorongoro in Arusha egion which has been sending shockwaves to the whole region. Though the volcano at the mountain is live, and has been erupting frequently almost every year, the numbers of eruption and dimensions have been on the rise daily in recent months. "I have seen for sure the eruptions this year are bigger than any other time. But we are lucky that nobody or animal has been affected as a result so far." Late last month, a volcano erupted on Mt Oldonyo Lengai forcing over 3,000 inhabitants to flee from the area. The eruption rocked the villages of Nayobi, Magadini, Engaruka, Malambo, Ngaresero, Gelai-bomba and Kitumbeine. There was an exodus after the volcanic mountain rumbled into a red-hot landslide, spewing scalding fumes and lava all over the neighbourhood. A major explosive eruption took place from January to about June in 1917. Ash was deposited as much as 25 - 30 miles away. The mountain is less than 370,000 years old, and is the youngest volcano in the Rift Valley.
TROPICAL STORMS -
CYCLONE MONICA was 267 nmi NNE of Cairns, Australia.
AUSTRALIA - The waterlogged north Queensland town of Innisfail is preparing for more heavy rain from Cyclone Monica as it struggles to rebuild after the community was hit by Cyclone Larry. 1,200mm of rain has fallen in the region since Larry struck on March 20. Monica is expected to hit the coast tomorrow morning around Lockhart River, about 500km north of Innisfail. It is expected to bring rain to a wide area, including Innisfail, where many people were still living under tarpaulins.
THUNDERSTORMS / HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING -
BOLIVIA - More than a quarter-million Bolivians are still struggling to recover from unprecedented rains and hailstorms that caused severe flooding in January and February. Unusually heavy rains have continued into the spring, making recovery from the winter’s floods even more difficult. “It has been a devastating disaster. Many families lost everything – their crops, their livestock, even their homes were destroyed. Some communities were partially buried in mud eight feet deep. Recovery will take many months."
IDAHO - The Governor has declared a statewide flooding disaster emergency. In his statement, he said the state faces danger to public safety and property which is likely to be beyond the control of Idaho's county governments.
INDIA - Powerful rainstorms accompanied by lightning and hail left at least 20 people dead and many others injured in southern India. Heavy downpours and gusty winds lashed Andhra Pradesh state Sunday evening, toppling trees and power lines. Across the state at least 15 people were killed when they were struck by lightning. Five other people died when they were struck by flying debris or inundated by flash floods that followed the downpours. The hailstorms and rain also caused extensive damage to crops in several parts of the state. The tropical storms that lashed the coastal state were caused by a depression in the Bay of Bengal.
SNOW / COLD -
THAILAND - It's summertime, and the weather is cooler than expected as cold winds from China have brought unseasonal rain. The director general of the Meteorological Department said that the seasonal rains would arrive sooner than usual and would stay longer this year, continuing until May, as the country has been under the influence of cold winds from China and the seasonal monsoon. All regions except southern Thailand would be affected. Thailand has seen higher than expected levels of rain during this hot summer month, which was QUITE UNUSUAL, especially in upper Thailand.
Drought, Heat, Water Shortages, Wildfires - updated Tuesdays.
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Monday, April 17, 2006 -
QUAKES -
Largest quakes yesterday -
4/16 -
5.4 MID-INDIAN RIDGE
5.7 SOUTHEAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
4/15 -
6.0 NEAR COAST OF CENTRAL CHILE
5.9 TAIWAN REGION
5.0 IONIAN SEA
5.3 OFF W. CST OF S.IS NEW ZEALAND
4/14 -
5.0 NICOBAR ISLANDS, INDIA
5.4 MOZAMBIQUE
5.1 SOUTH SANDWICH ISLANDS REGION
5.6 XIZANG
5.1 SOUTH OF FIJI ISLANDS
IRAN - One person was killed in a strong 6.0 earthquake that hit a rural area in Iran's southern province of Hormuzgan on Saturday. The quake and a series of aftershocks struck the rural region of Fin in Hormuzgan, causing minor damage to houses. The earthquake had blocked mountain roadways and disrupted electricity in areas hit by the quake.
CALIFORNIA - seismologists warn that the golden state's love of cars could turn into a fatal attraction in the quake-prone state. Elevated freeways, highway overpasses, and garages built under homes are vulnerable to crashing down when the earth shudders. "The automobile culture is really a knife in the heart of earthquake preparedness. We are only as strong as our weakest overpass." While brick buildings and other risky structures in San Francisco have been bolstered, emergency officials concede much of the city would likely crumble in a temblor on par with the 7.8-magnitude earthquake of 1906. "I don't think we quite have it nailed down, but it would appear the recurrence time for the 1906 event is 200 years. So, it looks like we are safe for a while from a recurrence." While the chances of another 1906-type quake along the San Andreas Fault in the next 30 years is one in twenty, there are a plethora of other faultlines overdue for trouble. "It's horrifying to think that along faultlines where there used to be farmland you now have Silicon Valley filled with towns."
VOLCANOES -
INDONESIA - A huge volcano in the heart of densely populated Java today was spewing thick clouds of smoke and hot lava, triggering plans to evacuate thousands of villagers. Authorities placed Mount Merapi, on Orange Code, or the second highest alert level. "Due to a high level of tremor activities and the spewing of the lava, Mount Merapi is now on alert status." Officials said the military had deployed more than 200 trucks and buses to evacuate villagers living on the slopes.
TANZANIA - A travel warning has been issued for Oldonyo Lengai Mountain, following two major volcanic eruptions last month. The alert was said to be necessary because more volcanic eruption was imminent. "We have been forced to take precautionary measures, because we are not sure when another eruption will occur and to what proportions." The advisory also warned the local people living around the mountain to vacate for their own safety. However, sources say tourists continue to flock near Oldonyo Lengai, with the aim of witnessing the volcanic eruption.
TROPICAL STORMS -
CYCLONE MONICA was 378 nmi NE of Cairns, Australia.
AUSTRALIA - CYCLONE MONICA - Queensland's second cyclone in less than a month will strengthen and move closer to the Cape York Peninsula by Wednesday, the weather bureau has warned.
RUSSIA - A storm warning was issued in the south of the Kurile Islands this Saturday as a cyclone with winds of up to 30 metres a second was moving from Japan to the region. Sakhalin meteorologists warned the waves will be four to six metres high, and the ships near the Kuriles were recommended to escape to protected bays. The cyclone was expected to rage on the South Kuriles on Sunday and through the night to today. The stormy weather will sweep the entire south of the Sea of Okhotsk, but no heavy precipitation is forecasted.
THUNDERSTORMS / HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING -
COLUMBIA - mudslides in western Colombia have killed at least 29 people, with at least eight more unaccounted for. Rescuers have been hampered by heavy rains, new mudslides and attacks by some of Colombia's armed factions. Rivers of mud have swept away homes and parts of the main road to the Pacific coast, leaving the area cut off. A journalist covering the disaster was swept away by a new landslide on Thursday and is still missing. His cameraman was rescued from the mud suffering from serious injuries. The village of Bendiciones, which is about 350km (220 miles) south-west of the capital Bogota, is reported to have been completely destroyed by landslides. The huge pre-dawn mudslide Wednesday was triggered when the rain-swollen Dagua River overflowed its banks,and it devastated an area of Valle Del Cauca province, between Cali and Buenaventura, Colombia's Pacific port. Since then, numerous mudslides have blocked key roads and forced the evacuation of a thousand people from Buenaventura.
SERBIA, ROMANIA, BULGARIA - have all suffered from flooding caused by melting snow and steady rainfall. Emergency teams in the Balkans are shoring up flood defences along the River Danube and its tributaries, but many homes have already been swamped. The Danube has reached its HIGHEST LEVEL SINCE 1895 (111 YEARS) in Romania, where some farmland and forest areas have been deliberately flooded to protect towns. The Danube is now flowing at nearly 16,000 cubic metres a second, more than twice the normal volume in April. In Belgrade the level of the Danube there reached 8.45m, some 40cm MORE THAN THE HIGHEST LEVEL EVER RECORDED, and it was expected to continue rising. Hundreds of people have been moved from flood-hit homes in Romania and Serbia. Flood defences have been weakened in many places by nearly a week of high waters. The Sava, Tisa and Tamis rivers have also reached dangerous levels.
INDIANA - Two waves of storms roared through the Indianapolis area Friday night, packing golfball-size hail, strong winds and heavy rainfall that damaged cars, broke windows, ripped off roofs and downed power lines and trees.
WISCONSIN - The National Weather Service tracked hail reports from the state's southwestern corner in a fairly straight line northeast to the Milwaukee area Thursday. The largest confirmed hailstone fell near Lake Mills. It had a diameter of 4.25 inches. The lightning was intense - "it looked like spiders crawling across the sky."
SNOW / COLD -
KASHMIR - In occupied Kashmir, two persons were killed and six others wounded when they were buried under a snow slide near Captain Crossing.
SANDSTORMS -
CHINA - A sandstorm struck the Chinese capital today, covering homes, streets and cars in brown dust and leaving the skies a murky yellow as it suffers its worst pollution in years. Desertification of China's west and Mongolian steppes has made the spring sand storms worse in recent years, reaching as far away as South Korea and Japan. Cold, windy weather, a glut of construction sites and poor plant cover around Beijing have also contributed. So far in 2006, Beijing has notched up 13 days of the worst measure of pollution, more than last year's total and the highest in six years. Hospitals have also dealt with a sharp increase in patients with respiratory diseases.
ODD -
AUSTRALIA - Gas from rotting fruit and vegetables has put 16 people in hospital in Sydney. Authorities at first believed there was a mains gas leak on the premises. As the victims were taken to hospital suffering headaches and nausea, firefighters spent hours trying to locate the source of the leak. "They started thinking about decontamination for the people in hospital, who were complaining of a lingering stench on their clothes and body." It finally became apparent that it was the fruit and vegetables that were the cause. "It seems to be a part of the fermentation process had gone wrong." "It was the carbon monoxide making them sick."
Disease - updated Mondays
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Friday, April 14, 2006 -
QUAKES -
Largest quakes yesterday -
4/13 -
5.0 NORTHERN SUMATERA, INDONESIA
5.2 OFF EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
5.4 HOKKAIDO, JAPAN, REGION
5.1 IONIAN SEA
5.2 KOMANDORSKY ISLANDS
5.4 KOMANDORSKY ISLANDS
TROPICAL STORMS -
Cyclone ELIA was 1047 nmi ESE of Diego Garcia and 1847 nmi WNW of Perth, Australia.
THUNDERSTORMS / HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING -
COLUMBIA - Landslides in south-west Colombia have left at least eight people dead. Dozens are reported missing after mud swept through the Buenaventura region, on the Pacific coast, among them eight soldiers who were at a checkpoint. The area has been cut off from the rest of the country. The mudslides were triggered by heavy rains which started on Tuesday night and led to several rivers bursting their banks in the early hours of Wednesday. Dozens of homes were swept away by water and mud, and more than 1,000 people are reported to have been affected. In this year's wet season more than 40 people have been killed and thousands left homeless by floods and mudslides, which have also destroyed thousands of hectares of crops. The rainy season began in March and is forecast to continue until June.
BOLIVIA - A string of powerful rainstorms brought on widespread flooding throughout Bolivia from the final week of January through April.
CALIFORNIA - the body of an elderly man was found beneath a mudslide just north of San Francisco. He was buried under tonnes of rock, dirt and trees early yesterday while he cleared a drain behind his Northern California house. A relentless series of storms has drenched the region for more than a month, breaching levees, dangerously filling waterways, and causing hillsides to slip. A duplex that had been evacuated because a hillside in the city of Rio Vista was giving way crashed down the steep incline. Elsewhere, landslides closed roads. While a break in the storms had caused the threat of flooding to ebb, waterlogged hillsides and earthen levees remain at risk of giving way.
A day after Santa Cruz County declared a state of emergency asking Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to help reimburse the cost of storm damaged roadways, more rain pounded the Santa Cruz Mountains, causing additional slipouts overnight. A slide about 600 by 300 feet looms over eight to 10 houses in the Santa Cruz Mountains at East Zayante Road. "The rains that happened Tuesday night were so severe in the Santa Cruz Mountains, I think they got 4 inches of rain and another 4 inches yesterday, which really caused us to reach the tipping point because the soil was getting so saturated." Emergency officials continue to monitor numerous homes and roadways threatened by landslides. As of yesterday morning, there were eight closed roads and 14 with limited access in Santa Cruz County alone. A massive landslide estimated at about three acres has isolated about 10 homes on Two Bar Road off of Highway 9, blocking residents from traveling to and from the area. In addition, a landslide that began moving in 1995 slid further a few days ago at Amesti Road in the south county, breaking two houses in half. Highway 1 at Lucia was temporarily shut down after rocks and mud fell on the roadway late Wednesday night for the third time in about a week.
IOWA, ILLINOIS - One person died Thursday night after a slew of tornadoes ripped through eastern Iowa and toppled the victim's mobile home in Nichols. The tornadoes left some neighborhoods in disarray as heavy winds and hail destroyed cars, crushed homes and cut off power to thousands of Iowans. The weather service reported tornadoes in Tama, Linn, Muscatine and Johnson counties, with much of the damage occurring in Iowa City. Officials were keeping an eye out for more tornadoes in east-central Iowa. The storms swept through northern Illinois, knocking down trees and power lines and prompting tornado warnings. At least one tornado was spotted on the ground in Mercer County.
MALAYSIA - A 16-month-old toddler had a miraculous escape when a large tree uprooted during a FREAK storm yesterday and literally brought the heavy zinc roof down on her. This was the first time a storm had wreaked such damage in the area. "Before this, we only had flash floods to contend with."
FOG -
ILLINOIS - Two rush-hour pileups Thursday morning on a fogbound U.S. highway just north of the town of Muddy left 10 people injured. The crashes involved 28 vehicles and occurred about 7 a.m. on U.S. 45, when thick fog cut visibility to zero. Twenty-two vehicles, including three semitrailers, were involved in the chain-reaction wreck on the two northbound lanes, with six other vehicles crashing into each other going southbound.
JAPAN - A container ship and a freighter collided yesterday morning in foggy conditions at the mouth of Tokyo Bay, damaging the container ship and forcing all its 25 Filipino crew to evacuate in lifeboats. Visibility was less than 200m at the time.
SNOW / COLD -
CHINA - A landslide measuring eight kilometers occurred in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region on Wednesday, leaving no human casualties. The landslide, which occurred at around 2:00 p.m. in Nilka County in the Kazak Autonomous Prefecture of Ili, killed and injured more than 300 sheep, damaged some houses and ruined four kilometers of rural roads. The landslide was triggered by thawing snow.
BANGLADESH - At the time when most of Bangladesh is reeling from sweltering heat, chilly weather continues to prevail in the northern districts of the country, resulting in various diseases like cough, asthma, fever, and diarrhoea. Even now the people in Rangpur, Dinajpur, Panchagarh, Thakurgaon, Lalmonirhat, Kurigram, and Nilphamari districts are using quilts, blankets, and other warm clothes to protect themselves from cold. The winter season usually begins in the region from November and continues till mid-February. But this year UNUSUAL weather is now visible in the entire region.
DUST STORMS -
A large dust storm whipped out of the Gobi Desert on April 10.
Unusually High Tides / Freak Waves - updated Fridays.
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Thursday, April 13, 2006 -
QUAKES -
Largest quakes yesterday -
4/12 -
5.1 NORTHERN SUMATERA, INDONESIA
5.6 IONIAN SEA
5.0 PHILIPPINE ISLANDS REGION
5.9 KOMANDORSKY ISLANDS, RUSSIA
CALIFORNIA - Tremors within the Earth are usually - but not always - related to the activity of a volcano. Now, such vibrations have been recorded nowhere near a volcano, but at a geologic observatory at the San Andreas Fault. Scientists believe the fault tremors may be related to activity at a subduction zone - a place where one of Earth's constantly moving tectonic plates slips beneath another. Located near Parkfield, the rumblings are the first recordings of non-volcanic tremors in a deep borehole, providing scientists with data to better understand such mysterious underground movements. Scientists are installing instruments to measure the tremors' activity, to determine whether the San Andreas Fault is moving with the tremors. "Unlike the sharp jolt of an earthquake, tremors within Earth's crust emerge slowly, rumbling for longer periods of time. Although not in this case, tremors are usually produced by magma moving in cracks or other conduits beneath a volcano."
[SITE NOTE - so now the subduction zone in the NW Pacific is changing to be more like the San Andreas and is sliding past its neighboring plate instead of under it (see yesterday's item) and the San Andreas is changing to be more like the Pacific subduction zone and is subducting under its neighboring plate rather than sliding past it? Topsy-turvy. And both of these areas are getting quakes more common to volcanic activity.]
GREECE - Four earthquakes measuring up to 5.9 on the Richter scale shook the Ionian island of Zakynthos on Tuesday causing some damage - there were no immediate reports of injuries. The largest tremor, which reached 5.9 Richter, hit the island at about 8.30 p.m. and had its epicenter in an undersea area south of Zakynthos. The tremor was felt as far away as Athens and Kalamata. The three previous tremors struck the island between 12.10 a.m. and 3.02 a.m. and ranged in strength from 4.4 to 5.7 Richter. One house suffered major damage, while eight more homes and the port were also damaged, though not as severely. Schools were closed so authorities could conduct safety checks on buildings. Last week, two tremors measuring 5.7 and 4.8 Richter shook Zakynthos — one of the most earthquake-prone areas in the country.
The Ionian Sea area had 18 moderate quakes Wednesday. More continue today.
VOLCANOES -
An undersea volcano in the Pacific is growing from its summit and could breach the ocean surface within a few decades, a new study reveals. In the meantime, it is creating a thriving environment for some sea creatures, but a death trap for others. The Vailulu'u Seamount is an active volcano lying off the coast of the Samoan archipelago. The volcano has sprouted a new 1,000-foot cone at its summit since it was last explored 5 years ago.
TROPICAL STORMS -
Cyclone 22S was 1099 nmi ESE of Diego Garcia and 1804 nmi WNW of Perth, Australia, 420 nautical miles west-southwest of the Cocos Islands.
THUNDERSTORMS / HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING -
SERBIA, ROMANIA, BULGARIA - The Danube river rose to its HIGHEST LEVELS IN DECADES overnight, driving people from their homes in northern Serbia and Romania and swamping Bulgaria's main river ports. In Serbia, the Danube and Sava rivers were still rising near the capital Belgrade, while the towns of Titel, Zabalj and Zrenjanin were threatened by the Tisa river. "We are really entering a dramatic phase in the next few days."
TENNESSEE - the traditional spring tornado season of April through June clearly is off to a fast start. Twelve people in Sumner and Warren counties died in Friday's storms. Five days earlier, tornadoes in West Tennessee killed at least 24 people. The United States had not seen this many tornadoes by this time of year since 1999. An "abnormally warm" winter kept temperatures in the Gulf of Mexico warm, increasing the likelihood of deadly storms. Improved radar and computer models mean forecasters can predict tornadoes up to three days out. Tornado warnings now arrive, on average, 15-16 minutes before touchdown, but the information doesn't help answer the question on the minds of many: Should Tennessee expect more damage in 2006? There have been five "outbreaks" of severe weather in the past month. "With this kind of start, you'd have to anticipate a strong May. For now, as far as what we see, this may continue through that part of the year." However, there were far fewer tornadoes in May 2005 than in either 2003 or 2004.
CALIFORNIA - Rivers are flooding, reservoirs are spilling over, levees are crumbling and the hillsides in Northern California are soaked and slipping. Blame it on La Nina or global warning, whatever the cause, wave after wave of rain storms have roared ashore from the Pacific Ocean and drenched the state since the end of February. Weather forecasters say April could end before a dry spell moves in. Homes built on hilltops, into hillsides and at the foot of hills are in danger of being tossed off the hill, slipping from their foundations, or buried by mudslides. Conditions have worsened since landslide conditions first emerged earlier this year. Earthquakes can certainly trigger landslides, and the Big One now would be calamitous.
HEAT -
INDIA - Meteorologists in Jharkhand have sought research on the unusually hot climate in the state at this time of the year, with no sign of rain anywhere. After having failed to come out with accurate predictions on the weather conditions in the state, the experts said they felt the need of an investigation into the global climate, especially Jharkhand. At present, heat in Jharkhand has crossed 40°C and there is no sign of rainfall. “We are shocked by the prevailing weather conditions in the state. In Jharkhand, very high temperatures are normally followed by rain. But despite the conditions at present showing symptoms of an imminent rainfall, the state has got no relief from the scorching heat.” The state has never faced such unusually high temperature during March-end or the beginning of April. This is also the first time there is no rain in the state in the past 40 years of records. “We had a discussion with scientists in New Delhi yesterday about the change in the weather conditions in several parts of India, especially Jharkhand. Even they said they were surprised at the startling weather conditions in the country. We think scientists from around the globe should investigate and find out what geographical and ecological changes are responsible for the unusually high temperature in Jharkhand at this time of the year.” The weather experts also said it was unpredictable as to what turn the future weather conditions would take.
Unusual Animal Behavior - updated Thursdays.
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Wednesday, April 12, 2006 -
QUAKES -
Largest quakes yesterday -
4/11 -
5.6 IONIAN SEA
5.4 IONIAN SEA
U.S. WEST COAST - scientists have discovered that the seafloor off the Pacific Northwest is a jumping kind of place, with thousands of small, swarming earthquakes and tectonic plates that are slowly rearranging themselves. The findings could mean that a "Big One" earthquake may not be as severe as previously thought. The evidence is that multiple tectonic plates off the Pacific Northwest appear to be rearranging themselves. The plates have been slowly jamming into each other. One boundary among them appears to be turning into a fault that's more like the San Andreas Fault to the south in California. Instead of ramming together, the plates are rubbing past each other. The consequence could be a shortening of the fault along the Pacific Northwest, so a major earthquake wouldn't be so extensive or severe. The rearrangement could limit the potential for a magnitude 9 earthquake. The project has also turned up evidence of intense clusters of quakes that previously had gone undetected and are associated with underwater volcanic activity and are like the swarms of earthquakes that can precede volcanic eruptions such as that at Mount St. Helens. The quakes were small, on the order of magnitudes 2-4, but numerous, with as many as a thousand of them in a three-week period.
[ SITE OPINION - At these magnitudes it seems odd that thousands of these were 'undetected'. ]
VOLCANOES -
INDONESIA - Government authorities in Indonesia's densely-populated Central Java have banned mountain climbers from Merapi volcano as the province's crater has heated up. The volcano has increased in activity since mid-March, and scientists have since closely monitored its activity. Volcanic tremors had risen in frequency to nearly 100 on Sunday, while hot lava was seen sliding down into the area of Pasar Bubar village, about 350-metres from the Merapi's crater. Vulcanologists have upgraded the volcano's alert stage one level below ordering an evacuation and two below a full eruption.
MONTESERRAT - Residents in Montserrat are being warned of increased dangers as a result of the "vigorous resumption of dome growth" within the Soufriere Hills volcano. A preliminary statement issued by the Scientific Advisory Committee said the eight month old lava dome had grown within the crater to a height of about 250 metres above its base. The scientists say while the dome must grow much larger to approach the size of that of late 2002 to 2003, the potential for collapse of the dome lava leading to pyroclastic flows in the Gage's valley and Tyer's Ghaut has increased.
TROPICAL STORMS -
Rewrite those hurricane record books (again): The 2005 season is officially getting a 28th storm. The National Hurricane Center has added an unnamed subtropical storm to its map of last year's Atlantic hurricane season, adding one more to the year's already record total of 27 storms. (The previous record for a season was 21 storms in 1933.) The unnamed subtropical storm sliced a short swath in the eastern Atlantic on Oct. 4 and 5, peaking at around 50 mph as it passed through the Azores.
AVALANCHES -
KASHMIR - A Jammu and Kashmir government official died due to snow avalanche in Gurez-Bandipora belt of Varmul district while six others were rescued by the Army. Official sources said a group of officials of the state Agriculture Department were caught in a snow avalanche while on the way to Bandipora from border area of Gurez.
RUSSIA - The search-and-rescue operation at the Chimbulak mountain skiing base near Almaty was stopped on Tuesday and no other victims were found. An avalanche of some 20,000 cubic meters, the LARGEST IN THE ENTIRE HISTORY of Chimbulak, went down on April 8. The avalanche buried a 53-year-old employee of the skiing base. A sniffer dog found him under 1.5 meters of snow several hours later. Two Russians survived the disaster. Rescuers thought that the avalanche might have hurt seven to ten people. The avalanche hit a tower of a ropeway to the height of 3,200 meters.
ITALY - An avalanche swept over a group of German skiers high in the Alps in the South Tyrol in northeastern Italy on Tuesday, killing three of them.
NEW ZEALAND - The Routeburn Track was closed on Monday after two trampers were caught in a FREAK avalanche. A couple were caught about 11am while tramping through a narrow section of track above Lake Harris, near the top of the alpine section of the Southern Alps crossing. "They were walking the track with two friends when they were suddenly caught up in a slow-moving slough of soft, wet snow, which pushed them across the track." Their slide was stopped by a large rock. "Any avalanche activity was totally unexpected. We couldn't believe what had happened and thank goodness no one was hurt." "The avalanche was caused by snow sliding off a ledge above the track into a small gully, then sloughing across the track."
DUST STORMS-
Dust blew over the Korean Peninisula toward the Sea of Japan in early April.
Dust from India, Pakistan, and Afghanistan mixed over the Arabian Sea in early April.
A dust storm struck north central Texas on April 6.
ODD-
Ice falling from the sky might seem unusual, but some Spanish and American scientists say it is becoming a frequent occurrence throughout the world. Like the estimated 200-plus-pound chunk that fell Saturday on Bushrod Park in California, clear ice from the sky has been reported around the world. Big and small ice-falls have happened in China, Spain, Italy, Czech Republic, Scotland, Hungary, England, India and more than half of the United States — often in summer and some recorded before aircraft were invented, scientists say. And in each case, no one knows why. "None of us have been able to come up with a process to determine how it is happening. We're really baffled as to what is going on here." The Oakland ice cube was clear and free of debris, ruling out any chance it came from an airplane bathroom, the experts said. But its large size makes it hard to believe the ice is a product of nature. According to one study, every time such an incident occurs, it is precipitated by an unusual atmosphere in which higher altitudes are turbulent and cold. The cold helps create the ice. The turbulence helps keep it together in the sky. A leading hail expert said the "meteorological explanations just don't make sense to me" for creating giant ice balls way up in the dry stratosphere. "I don't like to claim that anything is absolutely impossible, but this comes awfully close." In the late 1990s, when a huge, 400-pound chunk crashed through the roof of a Mercedes-Benz factory in Southern Brazil, U.S. defense scientists analyzed it for signs of cosmic origin. The water's isotopic signature indicated the ice ball was terrestrial, with the water coming from temperate latitudes. Beyond that, tests were inconclusive. Oakland was wet and so was the air high up, but tropospheric conditions overhead Saturday were "nothing extraordinary."
The Oakland, California, solid block of ice that fell from the sky, crashed and left a 3-foot hole in the grass. The ice fell at Bushrod Park in Oakland when a homeowner was waiting to show apartments to prospective renters Saturday. No one was injured, police said. “It was totally amazing. ... I saw this flash, like a streak. Then I saw this explosion, like a big boom. I came over and it (the field) was all covered with ice." The ice was pure water, so “it didn’t come from a toilet on a plane or anything like that.” The National Weather Service said storms haven’t been violent enough to hatch a gigantic hailstone.
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Tuesday, April 11, 2006 -
CONTACT LENS HEALTH ALERT - Bausch & Lomb voluntarily suspended shipments of its ReNu MoistureLoc brand contact lens solution as the federal Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention continue to investigate a rare fungal outbreak among contact lens users. The decision was made after a preliminary investigation found that ReNu was used by many of those known so far to be infected.
QUAKES -
Largest quakes yesterday -
4/10 -
5.1 NORTHERN SUMATERA, INDONESIA
5.2 NORTHERN SUMATERA, INDONESIA
5.0 SOUTHERN INDIA
5.4 HOKKAIDO, JAPAN, REGION
5.7 CENTRAL MID-ATLANTIC RIDGE
5.1 NEAR E.CST EASTERN HONSHU
TROPICAL STORMS -
HURRICANE SEASON IN THE U.S. - forecastors predict a staggering 96 percent chance of a named storm - tropical storm or hurricane - making landfall somewhere on the East Coast. They predict a 64 percent chance of an intense hurricane striking land somewhere on the East Coast, including Florida. There is a 82 percent chance that an intense hurricane (Category 3 or stronger) will make landfall this year somewhere on the U.S. coast. The Colorado State University Tropical Meteorology Project has become one of the most highly regarded forecasts of its kind. In most recent years, the forecast has been within 10 percent of the season's total number of named storms, hurricanes and intense hurricanes.
AUSTRALIA - Dome-shaped houses constructed to survive extreme weathers like cyclones will sprout across Australia within five years, experts predict.
THUNDERSTORMS / HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING -
CALIFORNIA - Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger declared a state of emergency Monday in seven northern and central California counties, saying the region's rainiest March on record and more rain on the horizon put people and property in "extreme peril." Many reservoirs in California's Central Valley are groaning at full capacity, and at least 10 more days of rain are forecast for the region. State water officials fear the heavy rain could weaken some levees to the point of failure. They took advantage of a weekend lull in the storms to patch some weak spots in the system but were still concerned. Schwarzenegger wrote that "extreme peril to the safety of persons and property" afflicted the counties of Amador, Calaveras, Fresno, Merced, San Joaquin, San Mateo and Stanislaus.
PHILIPPINES - Residents of at least 17 villages in Bicol that have been classified as most landslide-prone have been asked to relocate as soon as possible. Landslides could happen anytime, especially during heavy rain. Local officials have already been informed of the dangers the communities are facing and have been advised to relocate the residents. The 17 villages are among the 82 barangays identified last year as landslide-prone.
SERBIA - The Danube River has been rising in northern Serbia, flooding villages and farmfields and authorities said the water crest is expected in mid-week. The Danube water mark Monday reached 23.9 feet (7.3 meters) at Novi Sad, Serbia's second major city 45 miles northwest of Belgrade, and is expected to go up to 24.3 feet (7.4 meters). This would be 1.24 feet (.38 meters) lower that in 1965, when the authorities registered the Danube's highest water level. At Smederevo, on the Danube some 25 miles southeast of Belgrade, flood waters reached 24.9 feet (7.6 meters). The Danube water level at Belgrade was 23.4 feet (7.14 meters), and vacation homes close to river's banks were flooded.
BRITAIN - a tornado left a trail of destruction across the area of Middleton. Residents in the Heath estate, Alkrington, were left terrified at the weekend after winds of up 112mph ripped a huge wooden roof off a row of garages, hurling debris 35ft over houses. The force of the winds even bent a metal lamppost over. "A tornado is not something you expect in Middleton. It is a miracle no one was hurt." Met Office experts are now warning that Manchester could see more extreme weather. "When you get cold weather fronts moving north to south across the country it is quite natural to get areas of intense activity. These strong gusts of wind, or mini tornados affect even more localised areas because they develop and decay very rapidly. They are often triggered by hot weather and it is quite possible we could see more in the summer if we have very hot days - although they are relatively rare."
SNOW / COLD -
BRITAIN - Two weeks after spring officially started, winter returned to parts of southern Britain Monday with unseasonal snowfall of up to 12 cm. The sudden cold snap, which struck as trees were in blossom and spring flowers covered the ground, affected the southern counties of Kent, East Sussex and West Sussex.
FRANCE - Unseasonably cold weather with unseasonal snow has meant a far from ideal lead-up for world track cycling in Bordeaux, France.
AVALANCHES -
KAZAKHSTAN - One man was killed and several more were feared dead after an avalanche hit a ski resort outside Kazakhstan's commercial capital Almaty. The avalanche, triggered by heavy snow, buried up to 10 skiers and workers at the Shymbulak ski resort on Saturday. The death toll was likely to rise. The search for other victims was suspended Saturday evening and wasn't resumed until Monday because of poor weather conditions and the possibility of another avalanche.
RUSSIA - Several mountain skiers are believed to be buried under an avalanche in the northern Russian region of Murmansk on the northern slope of Mt. Aikuiaivencher.
NORWAY - Three skiers escaped serious injury after one of them set off an avalanche Monday morning in a popular off-piste area of the Hemsedal ski center. Avalanche warnings remained in effect all over southern Norway. Around 20 centimeters of new snow and strong winds contributed to the unstable snow. Snow slid down mountainsides elsewhere over the weekend as well. An avalanche at Vinje in Telemark crashed down not far from a ski lift on Sunday, but officials later determined that no skiers were caught in it. In Tromsø, however, a 28-year-old woman was badly injured after she was caught in an avalanche at Hamneidet in Nordreisa township. The woman had been out walking her dog with her brother when snow crashed down on them.
Drought, Heat, Water Shortages, Wildfires - updated Tuesdays
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Monday, April 10, 2006 -
QUAKES -
Largest quakes yesterday -
3/9 -
5.5 NEW BRITAIN
5.1 DODECANESE ISLANDS, GREECE
5.7 NEAR COAST OF NORTHERN CHILE
5.0 NW.OF RYUKYU ISLANDS, JAPAN
5.0 HOKKAIDO, JAPAN, REGION
5.2 EL SALVADOR
5.1 SOUTHERN MID-ATLANTIC RIDGE
TROPICAL STORMS -
At the end of February the sea surface temperatures in the Caribbean and the Gulf of Mexico were slightly higher than those reported during the same date of 2005. That scenario fosters the increase of tropical storm activity, which also gets a boost from the prevailing wind circulation in the lower stratosphere, at altitudes between 21 and 24 kilometers. During the record breaking 2005 season that brought 27 tropical storms, a cooling process took place in the Equatorial Pacific, near the coasts of South America, and that further boosted the cyclonic activity. It looks like that element will not be present this year. The heating of the sea surface observed all over the North Atlantic Basin last season reached the highest temperatures since records of that weather parameter started to be registered in 1951. The 2006 tropical storm season will receive the following names: Alberto, Beryl, Chris, Debby, Ernesto, Florence, Gordon, Helene, Isaac, Joyce, Kirk, Leslie, Michael, Nadine, Oscar, Patty, Rafael, Sandy, Tony, Valerie and William.
THUNDERSTORMS / HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING -
BANGLADESH - Seven persons were killed and over 1,000 others injured as a tornado and a tropical storm hit parts of western, northern and central Bangladesh Saturday. Many houses were flattened by the short-lived tornado that lashed the sub-district. The tornado badly damaged crops on land. Two persons were killed and over 200 others injured in Ullapara sub-district of western Sirajganj district Saturday afternoon as a tropical storm swept through the sub-district damaging innumerable thatched houses.
PAKISTAN - Heavy rains hit Pakistan's earthquake-devastated northern region, triggering landslides and disrupting return of survivors to their mountain villages on Sunday. The showers came as some 300,000 people prepared to return to their villages after spending the winter in tents encampments. The roads running from Muzaffarabad to two main valleys in Kashmir, Neelum and Jhelum, had been blocked by landslides caused by heavy rains. Authorities are alarmed at the potential for diseases in several spontaneous camps that have sprung up in the quake zone and want them to be closed as early as possible. But many survivors living in these camps are reluctant to leave saying that rains would aggravate their plight in the remote mountainous areas. "The rains will cut off our villages from Muzaffarabad and we will literally be lying helpless on the mountains."
THAILAND - Several areas in the Northeast, East and Central Plains regions have been told to brace for heavy downpours, strong winds and hail storms during the Songkran festival. The cold air mass would nudge its way over the Northeast, East and Central regions during April 14-17, increasing precipitation. The upper part of the country and Bangkok were being hit by unpredictable weather patterns which would bring rain and strong winds today. Hail storms wreaked havoc in some localities in the East and North at the weekend. In Sa Kaeo, more than 30 houses in Prasongsuk village of Aranyaprathet district were destroyed by hail on Friday. The storm also caused a power blackout and uprooted trees.
COLUMBIA - Six women were killed and 43 people injured when the roof of a Roman Catholic church collapsed during Palm Sunday mass in a small Colombian town. The roof fell in as the building was battered by high winds and rain just as worshipers prepared to take communion in the church in the town of Bituima, near the Colombian capital Bogota in the Andes mountains.
CALIFORNIA - Amador County residents are being asked to conserve water after an earthen water canal there collapsed because of the heavy rains. Officials say a landslide beneath the 23-mile-long Amador Water Canal caused a 200-foot section to collapse. The canal supplies water from the Mokelumne River to a treatment plant that serves Jackson, Sutter Creek, Amador City, Ione and Drytown.
HAWAII - One hundred miles is the difference between a dry month and Hawai'i's WETTEST MARCH IN 55 YEARS. "If it had been a little farther to the west of Kaua'i, about 100 miles, (people) would have been asking, 'Where's the rain?" The low-pressure system created a block in the atmosphere that helped spin up last month's destructive series of storms. The atmospheric block, created by the system anchored 200 miles west of Kaua'i, also resulted in an ABNORMALLY LOW total of five days of trade winds in March. Winds last month were mostly out of the southeast, south and occasionally southwest. "We had 22 days of flash-flood warnings, five days of trades. The why is the anchored low pressure to the west just kept spinning up different episodes. We counted seven or eight episodes and in some cases, an episode would last four days." The low-pressure system itself is not unusual. The phenomenon is that it didn't move. "What's UNUSUAL is you're talking six weeks where the pattern was essentially fixed." "Usually with blocking patterns, it's a week, maybe two at the outside. The next time the atmosphere goes into the whole block, which could be later this year, the low could be way over the western Pacific or over the Mainland so we won't get wet." For the scientists, this was a very interesting event. "A lot of interesting weather happened in the Islands — the tornado on Lana'i, big hail on the Big Island, thunderstorms, all the flash flooding, especially FLOODING IN PLACES WHERE THERE'S NEVER BEEN FLOODING BEFORE. The March rainfall totals of 36.13 and 30.08 inches at Kaua'i's Lihu'e Airport and Port Allen, respectively, was 10 times greater than the average rainfall. It's also fascinating that parts of Kaua'i got 10 times more rain while the Big Island's Hamakua Coast had very little. "Places like Honoka'a, from Hamakua up to Kamuela, had less than 2 inches of rain in March, which was way below normal." "You've got this incredible extreme in a matter of a few hundred miles between a very dry March and 10 times the amount of rain."
AVALANCHES -
JAPAN - Six men died, four went missing and one was seriously injured in a series of avalanches which occurred over the weekend in mountainous areas in Nagano and Gifu. The death toll includes three skiers, aged between 57 and 68, in a five-man group that was hit by an avalanche Saturday around the village of Otari, Niigata Prefecture. In Nagano's village of Hakuba on Sunday, a 34-year-old and a 41-year-old man were killed by an avalanche while they were skiing in early afternoon. Two others were seriously injured while the other two in the six-person group were safe. One man was killed by an avalanche which occurred early afternoon on Sunday in a slope of Mt. Abo, which straddles Nagano and Gifu. The police also said four climbers have apparently gone missing after an avalanche occurred in a valley of Mt. Kasagatake in Takayama of Gifu at 11 a.m. Sunday.
FRANCE - Two skiers have been hurt in an avalanche on the Bellecôte at la Plagne around midday. The accident happened at 2500 meters altitude in the Couloir Pepin under the Dôme des Picherès. The victims were part of a group of eight skiing off piste at the time of the incident. The victims were not deeply buried by the slide and were rescued very quickly thanks to their avalanche beacons. The avalanche risk for the region was 1 on a scale of 5 at the time. Two members of a group of five ski tourers have been killed after a cornice collapse in the Mont-Blanc range. The group were making a tour to the Pointe Alphons Favre and decided to venture on foot onto the Aiguille du Belvédère ridge to take some photos. Three of the group walked onto the cornice which collapsed under their weight. By luck one of the group was able to save himself and escaped with light injuries but two friends fell 300 meters and were killed by injuries received.
COLORADO - "We are going to see an avalanche problem coming up as the temperatures warm up." Experts say conditions typically get more dangerous has the day goes on especially after two in the afternoon. "You should be home drinking a margarita by two in the afternoon. You should never be out late afternoon skiing in the backcountry." One week is all that's left of the Colorado ski season, with most resorts closing by Easter. That means more people will start to head into the backcountry. The back country has RECORD snowfall, approaching 400 inches at Copper Mountain.
Disease - updated Mondays
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Sunday, April 9, 2006 -
QUAKES -
Largest quakes yesterday -
3/8 -
5.0 SOLOMON ISLANDS REGION
5.1 TIMOR SEA
5.1 CENTRAL MID-ATLANTIC RIDGE
3/7 -
5.0 TONGA ISLANDS REGION
5.5 EAST OF KURIL ISLANDS, RUSSIA
5.2 VANUATU ISLANDS
6.4 FIJI ISLANDS REGION
VOLCANOES -
ALASKA - There was a minor eruption at a volcano in Alaska Thursday, but it wasn't Augustine creating the noise this time. Mt. Veniaminof on the Alaska Peninsula began to emit ash in the morning. The weather service issued an ashfall advisory for areas to the east of the volcano including the community of Chignik.
CALIFORNIA - Three members of a ski-patrol team, including an avalanche expert, died Thursday when they fell into a volcanic fissure at the Mammoth Mountain resort, about 6 hours from Los Angeles. After they fell, two of the men could be heard calling for help and then were silent within a minute or two. They were probably asphyxiated by poisonous gas spewing from the vent. The vent releases volcanic gas from deep within the earth. It is normally surrounded by a plastic fence to keep skiers away, but the fence had been nearly buried by a RECORD 52 feet of snow. The patrol went to the site Thursday to raise the fence before opening the area. The snow under the team collapsed, causing two patrol members to fall 21 feet to the rocky bottom of the 6-foot-diameter hole. A third patrol member attempted a rescue and died, and a fourth man then went in wearing an oxygen mask, but he also fell unconscious. Another patrol member then held his breath, went in about 15 feet, hooked a rope to the fourth man, and pulled him out.
TROPICAL STORMS -
Last year Lloyd's of London had its first annual loss since 2001. The reason, quite simply, was the weather. Lloyd's was hit with an unprecedented £3.3bn in net claims from hurricanes Katrina, Rita and Wilma. 2005 was the most costly year to date for natural disasters. Along with the devastating human impact, weather-related global insurance claims reached an eye-popping £120bn. As well as the highest number of hurricanes since records began 150 years ago, 2005 also saw the strongest recorded hurricane and the first hurricane to reach the European mainland. Dismissing all this as a one-off would be easier had the previous record year for freak weather not been 2004. And now scientists are predicting that 2006 could be worse still - with the US tropical storm season set to strike not only the Gulf of Mexico and Florida but perhaps New York and New England too. During the whole of the 1960s there were only 16 major weather-related disasters. The 1990s saw 72 major incidents. Katrina - a single event - caused far more financial damage than all natural disasters during the whole of the 1990s.
THUNDERSTORMS / HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING -
U.S. - At least 11 people have been killed in the US after the latest front of tornadoes and violent storms swept across the central state of Tennessee. It is the second deadly tornado outbreak in the state this week. The suburbs of Nashville were the hardest hit, with at least eight deaths reported in the north-east of the city. The storms uprooted trees, overturned cars and knocked out power to thousands of homes. The number of tornadoes in the U.S. HAS RISEN DRAMATICALLY IN THE FIRST PART OF 2006, according to the National Weather Service's Storm Prediction Center. At the end of March, an estimated 286 tornadoes had hit the US, compared with an average of 70 for the same three-month period over the past three years.
TENNESSEE’s next bout of severe weather could be just days away. The threat of severe weather outbreaks every few days will “continue for the next couple of weeks, but the frequency will seem to come less.” “In the near future, you will probably see severe weather outbreaks again on Wednesday and another one probably a week from Saturday (April 15).” March and early April are the busiest times of the year for tornadoes in Middle Tennessee. Weather experts say tornadoes can occur any time of day but are more likely to appear between 3 and 9 p.m. This tornado season, storms have been largely absent from the Plains states, the traditional area associated with the violent weather systems, and have struck farther east. As the season progresses, “it appears that the system will shift back to the West. The result is, they will be less widespread than what you’ve been getting (in Tennessee), and hopefully with fewer tornadoes.”
CALIFORNIA - Just one week into the month of April, the Bay Area has surpassed its average rainfall total for the whole month. The average rainfall in the Bay Area in April is 1.47 inches. As of the afternoon of the 7th, the Bay Area had received 1.97 inches, and the rain keeps falling. According to weather service records, which go back to 1921, the wettest April was in 1958, when the Bay Area received 5.47 inches. The driest April on record was in 1964, when the Bay Area received just 0.01 inch. "It is UNUSUAL for the rainy season to extend into daylight savings time. Typically our rainy season coordinates pretty well with Pacific Standard Time."
Sodden California is also stumbling toward the wettest year on record, with water managers closely watching stressed levees as a seemingly endless string of storms continues to dump water into the state's rivers. In Ukiah, the current rainfall level is unseen since 1998 - when there were about 73 inches of rain - and in 1983, when Ukiah saw 69 inches. Central California was suffering the brunt of the seemingly endless rain. "This is a wet year. If someone wants to see what a wet year looks like, this is it. 1983 was the wettest year on record (for the state). We're just below that." This much rain this late in the spring is UNUSUAL. The Consumnes River, the only undammed river on the Sierra's western slope, crested at 13.4 feet Tuesday evening, the first time since 1958 the river has reached flood stage in April. That "gives you an idea of the magnitude and quirkiness of this event." The biggest concern is the San Joaquin River basin - where, unlike the Sacramento River system, levees were not stressed by the big storms that socked the state to the north in late December and early January, and so are untested.
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Friday, April 7, 2006 -
QUAKES -
Largest quakes yesterday -
4/6 -
5.5 SOUTHERN INDIA
5.0 SOUTHERN INDIA
5.3 EAST OF KURIL ISLANDS, RUSSIA
TROPICAL STORMS -
Cyclone HUBERT was 196 nmi W of Port Hedland, Australia.
AUSTRALIA - Gales with gusts to 100 kilometres per hour are expected to develop on the west Pilbara coast this afternoon. As TROPICAL CYCLONE HUBERT approaches the coast at Category 2, destructive winds with gusts to 130 kilometres per hour may develop in coastal areas between Onslow and Exmouth later this afternoon or tonight. Heavy rainfall is likely about the west Pilbara coast today, causing flooding in coastal streams. Heavy rainfall is not expected to extend far inland. Tides between Exmouth and Onslow are likely to rise above the normal high tide mark with very rough seas and flooding of low-lying coastal areas. Local residents were prepared for their second cyclone in just over a week, following Cyclone Glenda. About 12 hours of continuous rain had resulted in some local flooding but so far no buildings had been damaged. Hubert is WA's seventh cyclone of the season and if it does make land, it will be the fourth to do so in the Pilbara region this year. The last time that happened was six years ago.
THUNDERSTORMS / HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING -
CANADA - In Manitoba the unexpected run-off coming into the city of Winnipeg has forced water levels on the Red River very close to levels seen during the summer of 2005, when heavy rains battered Winnipeg. The province has upgraded expected river flow by as much as 30 centimetres. A second crest – heading north from the United States – is expected to hit the city over the weekend of April 14. If the area receives significant rainfall next week, the second crest could be higher than anticipated as well.
SNOW / COLD -
NEW YORK - A FREAK April snowstorm yesterday plowed a mild New York winter into the record books - only days after city temperatures soared into the 70s. The season's snow total was 40 inches for the fourth consecutive year - the FIRST TIME THAT HAS HAPPENED SINCE RECORD BEGAN 138 years ago. And there just might be more to come. "This has never happened before." Yesterday's flurries confused New Yorkers after last week's warm sunshine - and blindsided forecasters who failed to predict winter's return. "This climate is crazy. Last week I was outside in shorts, this week's like the middle of January. I don't know what I should wear when I leave the house." Although this year's winter was not among New York's coldest, a snowstorm in February dumped 26.9 inches - the heaviest ever recorded in the city.
AUSTRALIA - Winter has arrived a little early. Despite there being 65 days until the start of winter, temperatures on the Border have gone from summery to freezing overnight. The chilly conditions were the result of a series of cold fronts coming through from Antarctica. “This is QUITE UNUSUAL because normally we wouldn’t get these sorts of conditions until late May or June.” And the cold snap looks set to continue. "There will be another burst of cold weather around Tuesday and Wednesday of next week, which will probably result in more snow on the ski fields.” With strong winds and dry temperatures, fire danger alerts were very high.
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Thursday, April 6, 2006 -
QUAKES -
Largest quakes yesterday -
4/5 -
5.3 KERMADEC ISLANDS, NEW ZEALAND
5.3 MID-INDIAN RIDGE
5.1 FIJI ISLANDS REGION
5.0 FIJI ISLANDS REGION
5.0 NEW BRITAIN
VOLCANOES -
COLUMBIA - While 55 percent of inhabitants in high-risk areas have already been moved to safe places, the Colombian government has decided anyway to stop people´s circulation through roads near Galeras volcano. According to experts, the increase in seismic movements in the Galeras volcano has forced the authorities to pass from alert 3 to level 2, which implies that a new eruption may happen anytime within days or weeks. To avoid potential victims and material damages, the government has ordered the evacuation of more than 9,000 people living in the high-risk department of Narino, and in the municipalities of Pasto, Narino and La Florida.
INDONESIA - The Barren Island Volcano erupted on April 5, sending a plume of volcanic ash and steam toward the northeast over the Andaman Sea. This is the only historically active volcano in the north-south volcanic arc between Sumatra and Myanmar (Burma).
TROPICAL STORMS -
Cyclone HUBERT was 201 nmi WNW of Port Hedland, Australia.
THUNDERSTORMS / HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING -
AUSTRALIA - Floodwaters have inundated up to a quarter of the outback town of Katherine and 600 residents have been evacuated as a swollen river threatens to compound the situation. The Northern Territory town is on high alert, and it is believed water levels have already reached the roof line of several homes. Authorities are concerned the swollen Katherine River may break its banks in the town tonight. At 6pm (CST), the river was 18.95 metres high – just five centimetres below the bridge – and slowly rising. It is Katherine's second major flood in just eight years. Four people were killed, half the population had to flee their homes and all businesses in the shopping area were flooded when the Katherine River rose to a record 20.3 metres in January 1998. Several other parts of the Northern Territory were also experiencing flooding after heavy monsoonal rains. Tourists have been evacuated from Kakadu National Park and Daly River, which is expected to be inundated with water from Katherine over the next week.
ISRAEL - RARE April weather has brought two heavy rainfalls throughout most of Israel and has boosted this year's rainfall up to 100 percent of the annual average in some areas. Following heavy rain last Saturday night and Sunday, another storm system Wednesday dumped large amounts of rain, particularly in the Galilee and in the south. Haifa and Teel Aviv already have received their average annual rainfall, and the amount in the Galilee ranges between 76 and 93 percent. Jerusalem has received 86 percent.
The heavy rains that fell across Israel caused the Irron River to overflow on Wednesday leading to heavy flooding in Wadi Ara for the second time this week. In the course of three hours, 130 mm of rain fell in the area. It was an event that occurs every hundred years, and so the local infrastructure was not equipped to deal with it. Earlier in the week, five people were killed as a result of floods in Wadi Ara, in the Jordan Valley road north of the Dead Sea, and near the security fence around Kalkilya. Meanwhile on Wednesday, locals and officials in the Western Galilee were working to repair the heavy damage caused by the "mini-tornado" that struck the region on Tuesday. Western Galilee agriculture, including both crops and greenhouses, was hit especially hard. Avocado, litchi and banana crops were severely damaged at Moshav Avdon. An avocado grower on the moshav related that he had never seen anything like this; he noted that all the leaves were shorn off of his trees by the hail. (PHOTO)
YEMEN - The death toll from flash floods that have swamped Yemen in the last two days has risen to 25. The heavy rains also destroyed 60 homes and caused considerable damage to scores of others. Livestock and roads were also affected. Geologists have repeatedly warned of possible landslides during the rainy season, which usually lasts from March to September. More heavy rains are expected in several governorates.
CHINA - exceptionally RARE weather occurred in Hefei, east China's Anhui province on April 4. Darkness enshrouded the city at noon for some 20 minutes and the vehicles on the road had to turn on lights. Lightning was accompanied by peals of thunder. (PHOTOS)
NEW YORK - Wet weather has the RARE birds flocking - The floods that deluged East Yorkshire during ONE OF THE WETTEST SPRING MONTHS ON RECORD have proved to be more than just nice weather for ducks – they have also seen a boom in bitterns. Recent flooding at the RSPB's Blacktoft Sands nature reserve could be an unexpected bonus for the rare reedbed birds. The reserve was awash at the weekend as exceptionally high rainfall coincided with the spring tides, bringing an abundance of water on to the reserve – so much so that the whole site was covered and had to be closed to visitors.
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Wednesday, April 5, 2006 -
QUAKES -
Largest quakes yesterday -
4/4 -
5.4 NORTHERN SUMATERA, INDONESIA
5.4 KERMADEC ISLANDS, NEW ZEALAND
5.4 KERMADEC ISLANDS REGION
5.1 KERMADEC ISLANDS, NEW ZEALAND
5.5 IONIAN SEA
5.2 TAIWAN REGION
5.0 TAIWAN REGION
5.9 OFF COAST OF JALISCO, MEXICO
5.7 SOUTH SANDWICH ISLANDS REGION
PAKISTAN - At least 24 people were injured, three seriously, as an earthquake measuring 5.2 on the Richter scale shook northern Pakistan Tuesday. The quake was felt in the capital Islamabad and the cities of Peshawar, Mansehra, Batagram, Kohistan and Balakot. Another mild aftershock measuring 4.2 on the Richter scale also jolted these cities four minutes after the first tremor. Roofs and walls of some shanty houses, damaged during last year's earthquake, crumbled in the area. The chief of the meteorological office recently said aftershocks of the October quake would continue until May. According to him more than 1,600 aftershocks have hit the quake-ravaged region since the October 8 tremor.
VOLCANOES -
TANZANIA - A volcano in northern Tanzania known to locals as "the mountain of God" has erupted, forcing about 3,000 people to flee clouds of ash. Oldonyo Lengai Mountain erupted on Sunday and Monday. Oldonyo Lengai is the only remaining active volcanic mountain in Tanzania and its last significant eruption was in 1983, though the inside of the crater is active year-round.
TROPICAL STORMS -
AUSTRALIA - Weather experts have found Cyclone Larry may have had 'two eyes' and caused mini tornadoes when it ravaged the far north Queensland coast. Researchers were still identifying the maximum strength of the cyclone, but initial research revealed Larry appeared to have a distorted eye shape, appearing as more than one eye. "They are not unheard of. Hurricane Andrew had those when it hit the States." There were maximum wind speeds up to 293.7km/h when it hit Mt Bellenden Ker, north of Innisfail. Preliminary bureau data suggested the maximum wind gust of Larry was between 240 and 290km/h. The storm's features as it came ashore and hit the high mountain range were 'complex'. When Larry crossed the coast, its eye changed shape from circular to elliptical and back again. "We're doing a sort of detective hunt now, and I think it's got a lot of people kind of scratching their heads to know where the strongest winds are." "If one of these hits a larger urban area it's going to do a hell of a lot more damage than it did in a rural area."
THUNDERSTORMS / HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING -
CENTRAL EUROPE - Rising floodwaters have continued to cause chaos across central Europe, with more heavy rain expected next week. The river Danube climbed to RECORD LEVELS in Budapest. In Austria, an 18-month-old boy was found dead on Tuesday as rising water in rivers caused a second dam to break. At least a dozen people have lost their lives in recent floods in Austria, the Czech Republic, Germany and Slovakia. In Slovakia, 200 towns and villages have been affected by the flooding, but the water level appears to be stabilizing. Southern Poland has also been hit, but officials from across the region say the flooding has so far not been as serious as in 2002. ( PHOTOS)
AUSTRALIA - South-east Queensland is today bracing for more storms, after a man was struck by lightning and wild weather cut power and ripped the roof from at least one house. The weather bureau has issued a severe thunderstorm warning for the south-east of the state, with large hail, damaging wind and heavy rainfall. More thunderstorms were forecast to develop in the afternoon and evening.
ISRAEL - A tornado has hit northern Israel, a RARE sight in the Holy Land. Residents caught it on videotape, showing the characteristic wide cloud at the top tapering into a funnel racing along the ground. Residents reported damage, including a car that was thrown through the air. The FREAK storm also brought high winds, rain and golf-ball-sized hailstones. About 70 people were taken to a local hospital for treatment of injuries, most of them hit by flying objects. Heavy storms raged across the Western Galilee. "To use military terminology, this is an escalation in terms of weather and a VERY RARE occurrence in Israel. This is an example of how extreme the weather in Israel has become." Western Galilee farmers who had been smiling in recent days, grateful for the much needed rain, lost a large part of their crops due to Tuesday's heavy hail. Strong south-western winds blew at up to 50-70 kph. "In southern Israel sandstorms reduced visibility to under one meter." A sandstorm covered roads in the Ovdat valley in 20 centimeters of sand. Drivers along the Arava highway were warned to take precautions due to similar sandstorms. In the southern resort city of Eilat, winds caused waves in Eilat Bay to reach over three meters in height. Five people were killed Sunday in the northern Israel due to flooding. Today the forecast calls for rain and thunderstorms from the north to the central Negev. Temperatures will drop and there is a fear of dangerous flooding. The rain is expected to continue on Thursday.
BANGLADESH - experienced a heavy torrential rain Tuesday afternoon after a long spell of sultry and humid weather that created a drought-like situation in many places in the country. After a long stint of exceptionally dry weather, which started relatively early this year, the powerful shower has brought a sigh of relief, at least for the moment, for most people, especially the farmers who were fearing heavy losses in crops. This is the first rainfall in the country since the beginning of summer. They expect to have further rains within the next two to three days as the sky was still cloudy and there was considerable humidity in the weather. Expert sources said due to global warming, the world has been going through climatic changes over the last few years. As a result, the climatic pattern in Bangladesh has also undergone a sea change over the last few years, which has pushed the country towards extreme weather conditions.
CALIFORNIA - Two levees broke Tuesday in California's chief agricultural region, flooding a trailer park, threatening other homes in Merced and inundating farmland near Sacramento. There were no immediate reports of any injuries across the Central Valley. The breaks occurred as rain continued to fall across Northern California, with some residents evacuating their homes near San Francisco because of the threat of landslides and forecasters predicting continued wet weather for two more weeks. Sacramento, San Francisco, Oakland, San Rafael and Santa Rosa all broke rainy-day records last month. Sacramento had 5.29 inches of rain in March, 2.49 inches more than average. The rain also is melting snow in the mountains, swelling streams in the Central Valley. Southern California received heavy rain Tuesday. In Los Angeles, part of the roof of a RiteAid drugstore collapsed because of an apparent buildup of rainwater.
Sacramento braced for more heavy rain and localized flooding Tuesday as a RARE series of powerful April storms plowed through the area. Just three days into the month, the city is already splashing through half its average rainfall for the entire month of April. It comes on top of the wettest March since 1995. Forecasters predict wet weather for the next 10 days, and they're scratching their heads to put a name on the phenomenon. "There's definitely something WEIRD going on," said a National Weather Service forecaster in Sacramento. The rain caused a mud and rock slide on Highway 50 Monday. The slide carried an estimated 100 tons of material, covering about 150 yards of the road. "Another 200 tons of rock face is splitting about 125 feet up." Friday brings another storm that will linger through the weekend. Forecasters said the main culprit is a southern shift in the jet stream drawing tropical moisture all the way across the Pacific. The tropical connection normally weakens in April. But this year it's still so strong that forecasters predict a 40 percent chance for above-average April rain. The storms threaten Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's emergency effort to fix 24 levee erosion sites. Crews have been unable to inspect many sites because they're underwater.
CANADA - Parts of southern Manitoba are underwater after the combination of rain, warm weather and melting snow caused major flooding on Monday. So far, the unexpected flooding has washed away 32 roads in RM Franklin. Water from the RM Franklin area eventually drains to the Roseau River, the Roseau in turn drains to the Red River – which is where the real concern lies. The Red River south of the border is expected to rise six metres above the flood stage. Because of this, students in Fargo, North Dakota have been excused from class in order to help with the sandbagging. The excessive flooding in the United States is expected to impact southern Manitoba as well.
SNOW / COLD -
RUSSIA - A powerful cyclone that came from the Pacific Ocean hit the Kuril Islands on Tuesday. Gusts of wind on all the islands are up to 17-22 metres per second. It is heavily snowing and there are snow blizzards on the Southern Kuriles. Airports on Iturup and Kunashir islands are closed to air traffic.Weather forecasts have it that the cyclone will continue to rage on the Kuriles until April 7. (PHOTO)
THE MYSTERIOUS BOOMS ARE BACK -
This time they're in California - San Diegans are wondering what's behind a series of mysterious booms heard across the county Tuesday morning. The booms were heard at around 8:45 a.m. and rattled residents, causing a flood of calls to sheriff's dispatchers. No measurable seismic activity was recorded in San Diego County Tuesday morning, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. Local military officials had no reports of a sonic boom happening. Marines at Camp Pendleton conducted mortar training Tuesday morning, but officials say they were unaware if the noise was a result.
Crop Failures, Food Shortages, Fish Die-Off - updated Wednesdays
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Tuesday, April 4, 2006 -
QUAKES -
Largest quakes yesterday -
4/3 -
5.0 SERAM, INDONESIA
5.1 SOUTHEAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
5.1 SANTA CRUZ ISLANDS
5.0 KERMADEC ISLANDS REGION
CHINA - The Chinese space agency has ambitious plans, including robotic Moon missions starting next year. The agency envisions a "constellation" of eight satellites to monitor global disasters, and another satellite that would watch the Earth's magnetic fields as a possible predictor of earthquakes.
TSUNAMI -
INDONESIA - Mangroves and other vegetation did not protect Asian coastal communities directly in the path of the December 2004 tsunami, according to a study released Monday, contradicting earlier reports claiming green belts helped save lives. The study also warned that governments in India and Sri Lanka are offering a false sense of security and displacing scores of residents unnecessarily by proposing green belts and buffer zones in areas hard hit by the massive waves. "It's a beautiful idea that green belts can stop a tsunami, and its aims are commendable. But it isn't true, and it won't work." "Our re-analysis revealed that the distance of a village from the coast and the height of the village above sea level explained 87 percent of the variation in mortality among villages. The apparent link between vegetation area and mortality was actually due to the fact that more vegetation grows at higher elevations above sea-level, and the greater the distance from the sea, the greater the area of vegetation."
THUNDERSTORMS / HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING -
MIDWESTERN U.S. - The death toll has risen to 27 from thunderstorms packing at least 63 tornadoes and hail as big as grapefruits which ripped through eight US midwestern states, injuring scores and destroying hundreds of homes. Tennessee was hit hardest, but severe thunderstorms, many producing tornadoes, also struck parts of Iowa, Kentucky, Arkansas, Missouri, Ohio, Illinois and Indiana. Tennessee officials estimated 1200 buildings were damaged in one county alone. About a half-dozen tornadoes struck Arkansas and one destroyed nearly half of the town of Marmaduke. In mid-March, tornadoes spun off by another huge storm system killed nine people in Missouri and injured dozens in Illinois. Initial reports indicated that system was responsible for more than 100 twisters in five states from Oklahoma to Illinois.
Do giant hailstones ever kill anyone? Yes, but it's very rare. Hailstorms have caused only a handful of deaths in the United States over the last 100 years or so; most of those killed were children. A Texas farmer perished on account of hail in 1930, and babies had their skulls broken by balls of ice in 1979 and 1981. Hailstone deaths in other countries are somewhat more common. A few years ago, the Chinese government reported that at least seven people in Zhengzhou died in a storm of "egg-sized" hail. Dozens more ended up in the hospital. In Bangladesh, a giant storm of "grapefruit-sized" hail killed almost a hundred people in 1986. Some of the stones weighed more than 2 pounds. Individual hailstorms have killed dozens of horses and hundreds of chickens at a time in the United States. (Size and frequency trade off as a general rule: The bigger the hailstones, the fewer of them there are.) Grapefruit-sized hail is 4 inches in diameter.
HAWAII - Despite an almost two-day stint of sunshine over some parts of the state, they continue to feel the effects of more than a month of steady rain, including mudslides striking days after the rain stopped. Some areas got stormy weather again on Sunday.
CALIFORNIA - Last month's relentless rain will continue into April, with storms expected to hit the Bay Area Monday morning and then again Thursday evening. Today may also see hail and strong, gusty winds. The storms are a product of a persistent weather pattern that is "just not shifting or breaking down." Many stable weather patterns - whether they bring inclement or sunny weather - can stick around from a week to 14 days. To have a stable weather pattern persist for more than a month is "PRETTY UNUSUAL." But it seems likely this bout of rainy weather will stick around "at least through the middle of April."
INDIA - Three persons died and several others were injured, some of them seriously, in a cyclone in Meghalaya's West Khasi Hills district in the wee hours today. The cyclone hit the district town Nongstoin at 1:30 am and caused extensive damage to electric supply, communication lines, government offices and quarters, private properties and the civil hospital. A hailstorm also hit the area at noon and uprooted trees obstructing roads at some places.
Drought, Heat, Water Shortages, Wildfires - updated Tuesdays
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Monday, April 3, 2006 -
QUAKES -
Largest quakes yesterday -
4/2 -
5.4 NORTHERN SUMATERA, INDONESIA
5.5 TONGA ISLANDS REGION
5.1 NEW BRITAIN
5.0 SOUTHWESTERN RYUKYU IS. JAPAN
THUNDERSTORMS / HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING -
INDONESIA - Following four days of heavy rain in parts of South Sulawesi, major flooding claimed the lives of four children and damaged thousands of houses and public facilities as well as hundreds of hectares of rice fields. Residents were caught largely unprepared for the flooding on Wednesday, because a relatively light rain fell on Tuesday, accompanied by strong winds. "Flooding occurs here each year, but this time was the worst because the main roads were submerged and the floodwater reached over 1.5 meters."
ISRAEL - The heavy rains that have fallen on Israel since Saturday night have caused the flooding of many of Israel's highways and the deaths of at least five people.
CZECH REPUBLIC - A further 4,000 people were ordered late Sunday to evacuate homes in the southern Czech Republic, joining thousands who've fled since more than 20 rivers around the country started flooding last week. The spring floods, fed by a rapid snow melt in the mountains, have killed at least five people and caused millions of dollars in property damage. The latest evacuation included four towns threatened after a dyke broke at the confluence of the Dyje and Jevisovka rivers. The area is about 200 kilometres southeast of Prague near the Czech-Austrian border. Some of the most serious floods have affected towns and farms along the Dyje, including the city of Znojmo where about 2,300 were evacuated last week. Also Sunday, hundreds of people fled the flooding Morava River in and around Olomouc, the country's fourth-largest city.
CANADA - Spring flooding forced dozens of residents of the Quebec town of Beauceville from their homes on the weekend. More than 60 residents had to evacuate homes and businesses Saturday night after an ice jam about a kilometre north of the town caused the Chaudiere River to break its banks. "The last two days it was too warm out. The water level had to go up." The area floods nearly every spring but some residents say this is the worst in several years.
HAWAII - residents awoke to sun this weekend after more than 40 days of downpours that left a wake of havoc across the islands and BROKE RECORDS FOR RAIN at the wettest place on Earth. Nearly 92 inches - or about 7 1/2 feet - of rain were recorded during March at Mount Waialeale, considered the rainiest spot on the planet. The previous record was about 90 inches in April 1971. Even the normally dry Honolulu Airport received more rain in the first three months of 2006 than in all of 2005. The near biblical downfall left the islands disheveled with debris, flooded homes, and led to a sewage spill in the water off Waikiki. The spate of rain that began on Feb. 19 has been "like living in a hurricane".
IOWA - For the second time in three days, severe thunderstorms, funnel clouds and tornadoes have been reported across Iowa. Severe storms late Saturday afternoon - which included high winds, lightning, heavy rain and pea-sized hail - followed similar weather early Thursday evening. Large storm outbreaks across Iowa can be common at this time of year, but the National Weather Service says it is UNUSUAL to have two similar severe storm events occurring only a few days apart.
U.S. MIDWEST - violent spring storms packing tornadoes raked wide sections of the central US killing at least 14 people, most in Tennessee. Many residents were attending Sunday evening worship services at area churches when the storms hit and officials were having trouble locating everyone.
FOG -
TAIWAN - Heavy fog forced Kinmen's Shangyi Airport to cancel almost all flights to and from Taiwan yesterday, stranding over 1,000 passengers. The airport was all misty since early morning as visibility was less than 500 meters, much worse than the minimum requirement of 1,200 meters. The fog did not clear up until 4: 47 p.m.
Disease - updated Mondays
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Sunday, April 2, 2006 -
QUAKES -
Largest quakes yesterday -
4/1 -
5.0 TALAUD ISLANDS, INDONESIA
5.3 TALAUD ISLANDS, INDONESIA
5.1 OFF W. CST OF NORTHERN SUMATERA
5.0 BANDA SEA
5.3 TONGA ISLANDS
5.2 KERMADEC ISLANDS REGION
5.4 KERMADEC ISLANDS, NEW ZEALAND
5.1 KERMADEC ISLANDS REGION
5.3 KERMADEC ISLANDS, NEW ZEALAND
5.4 KERMADEC ISLANDS, NEW ZEALAND
6.2 TAIWAN REGION
5.3 MARIANA ISLANDS
3/31 -
6.0 TALAUD ISLANDS, INDONESIA
5.8 PHILIPPINE ISLANDS REGION
5.4 KERMADEC ISLANDS, NEW ZEALAND
5.2 KERMADEC ISLANDS, NEW ZEALAND
5.1 KERMADEC ISLANDS, NEW ZEALAND
5.0 KERMADEC ISLANDS REGION
5.3 KERMADEC ISLANDS REGION
6.3 KERMADEC ISLANDS REGION
5.1 NORTHEASTERN CHINA
5.0 SOUTH OF FIJI ISLANDS
5.1 WESTERN IRAN
5.7 WESTERN IRAN
IRAN - Strong tremors on Thursday night helped keep the death toll down because they drove many to leave their homes and take to the streets well before the big 6.0 quake hit. 330 villages were severely damaged, 70 people were killed, and more than 1,200 people were injured in an area around the cities of Doroud and Boroujerd in the province of Lorestan. In the worst hit areas, brick buildings collapsed into piles of masonry and mud homes were reduced to mounds of dust.
Different parts of western Lorestan province have been rattled by some 43 aftershocks since Thursday evening when the quake hit. The strongest aftershock, which lasted for one minute on Friday, shook the cities of Dorud, Borujerd and Khorramabad, followed by 42 minor ones causing panic among residents. The quakes and aftershocks which hit Borujerd and Dorud have rendered about 15,000 families homeless. According to provincial officials, the quakes damaged 330 villages by 40-100 percent.
TAIWAN - A strong earthquake rocked Taiwan on Saturday, shaking office buildings but causing only minor damage. Forty-two people were slightly injured. Most of the people were hurt by falling ceilings or goods in the houses, while some others were wounded as they ran about in shock. The epicentre of the 6.4 magnitude quake was east of Taitung on the eastern coast, at a depth of 10 km (6 miles). Television footage showed a collapsed wall outside a military base in the southern county of Kaohsiung, but nobody was hurt. Some phone lines were cut off in the eastern part of the island. Initial reports said Taitung City had a strong jolting, electricity was initially cut off, a fire broke out, and gas pipes were leaking. Two buildings in Taitung County were reportedly cracked up.
CHINA - Some houses and warehouses suffered damages but no casualties were reported in the tremblor that hit villages of northeast China's Jilin province Friday. The epicentre was at Laoyingtai village located across Qian'an and Qian Gorlos counties in Songyuan City, about 200 kilometres north of the provincial capital Changchun. Cracks were visible on the walls of a number of houses in the village and some warehouses have also collapsed. Rescuers have set up a few tents in anticipation of more tremors.
NEW ZEALAND - An earthquake measuring 5.2 on the Richter scale rocked New Zealand's volatile Raoul Island Saturday - one of many to hit the area. The tremor hit Raoul Island with its epicenter 100 kilometers east of Raoul in the remote Kermadec Islands. The Kermadecs are New Zealand's northernmost territory, about 1,000 kilometers from the mainland. Following the March 17 volcanic eruption on the island, which killed one scientist, up to 30 earthquakes a day have been recorded in the area.
LOUISIANA - New Orleans is at the top end of what looks like a gigantic, slow-moving landslide, according to geologists who have been carefully studying the ground movements in the area. "Not only is southern Louisiana sinking, it's sliding." The pumping of groundwater, levee building, and oil and gas extraction have carried the blame so far for the area's gradual sinking below sea level, but what's being called "tectonic" subsidence appears to account for 73 percent of all sinking from 1969 to 1971 and 50 percent from 1971 to 1977. Like a landslide on the side of a hill, the huge Southern Louisiana landslide has a "headwall" where the slide is breaking away and a "toe" out in the Gulf where the debris from the slide is piling up. The only difference from a traditional landslide is that this one is far, far larger and it's buried under lots of wet sediments. There are faults along which the motion is taking place. One such fault, the Michoud Fault, runs right through New Orleans and is essentially the place where the sliding section of earth is breaking away.
ALASKA - Although California gets most of the attention when it comes to earthquakes, especially with the 100th anniversary of the Great San Francisco Earthquake on April 18, 1906, Alaska is America's true seismic hotspot. Seven of the 10 largest earthquakes in the U.S. have occurred in Alaska, and it vibrates with 11 percent of the world's temblors each year. About 60 each day occur there, roughly 22,000 a year. Alaska's most devastating quake, on March 27, 1964, was a magnitude 9.2 and was focused in Prince William Sound. It was the second-largest in the world, behind a magnitude 9.5 that struck Chile in 1960. The Indian Ocean earthquake in December 2004, whose ensuing tsunami killed tens of thousands of people, ranks third.
PAKISTAN has decided to move a quake-devastated city to a new location after experts declared any new construction dangerous. Balakot, a town about 120 miles north of the capital Islamabad which had a population of 300,000, was destroyed last October when the 7.6-magnitude quake hit the country.
VOLCANOES -
TANZANIA - Villagers living around Mount Oldonyo Lengai in northern Tanzania have fled their homes as the active volcano started erupting again. Minor eruptions at the volcano are not unusual. Eruptions are a common phenomenon at Mount Oldonyo Lengai because they occur almost every year. Eyewitnesses said that they heard rumbling sounds before the volcano began to discharge ashes and lava on Thursday. Mount Oldonyo Lengai is the world's only active sodium carbonite volcano and is therefore the world's only volcano that erupts natrocarbonatite lava. Natrocarbonatite lava usually contains almost no silicon and is much cooler in temperature than other lavas. The last explosive activity of Mount Oldonyo Lengai was recorded in 1966.
TROPICAL STORMS -
AUSTRALIA - Communties across much of Western Australia's northwest were mopping up in the wake of cyclone Glenda, but there's a threat of more flooding in the Murchison River catchment.
BALI - Saturday residents of Bali were asked to be on alert to the possibility the resort island will be hit by tropical cyclone Glenda. "Cyclone Glenda is expected to come following building pressure in the north west of Australian waters." The storm would bring continuous rains which could trigger floods and landslides in some areas of Bali Island. Over the past three days, Denpasar, Bali`s capital city, was raining incessantly with low and moderate intensity. Tourists swimming in the Legian beach have been warned of possible huge waves. "Indeed in the past few days, the weather has not been so friendly. Big waves could come and swallow swimmers." The National Meteorology and Geophysics Agency has issued a warning for people to be alert for any changes in the colour of the sea or abnormal waves. Last Wednesday (March 29), three Indonesians swimming in the Legian beach were hit by a huge storm-driven three-meter (10-foot) FREAK wave. Two of the domestic tourists were able to be saved but one died.
THUNDERSTORMS / HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING -
IOWA - Severe thunderstorms swept through Iowa Thursday night bringing high winds, heavy rain, golf ball-sized hail and reports of tornadoes. Tornado touchdowns were reported near Creston in southwest Iowa and DeSoto in central Iowa. An intense low pressure system that moved out of Kansas into Nebraska brought warm, moist air into Iowa. The storms, with winds reaching up to 80 miles per hour in some parts of the state, mark the beginning of the severe weather season. "A larger outbreak like this is not necessarily unusual, but it is certainly starting a bit early."
MIDWESTERN U.S. - Authorities are making damage assessments in the wake of a severe storm system that raked the Midwest on Friday. A tornado ripped through central Indiana and at least 20 homes were damaged. In Michigan, there's word of damage to homes and barns along a seven-mile area. Earlier, the same storm system drenched parts of North Dakota. The National Weather Service is predicting major flooding in the Grand Forks area in the coming days.
MONTANA - Wednesday and Thursday were the RAINIEST CONSECUTIVE MARCH DAYS IN THE HISTORY OF RECORD-KEEPING at Billings Logan International Airport. Rainfall both days broke records. The March 29 record fell Wednesday with a total of 1.13 inches; the old record of half an inch was set in 1977. Wednesday was also the RAINIEST DAY EVER RECORDED IN MARCH. It beat the 0.95 inches that fell on March 22, 1973. The March 30 precipitation record succumbed Thursday morning when Billings had received 0.75 inches. The previous record for the day was 0.32 inches set in 1981. The two-day total brought Billings the second-wettest March on record. Total for the month is at 2.63 inches. A 2.70-inch record set in 1954 still stands. Most mountain snow is still pretty well intact and shows no sign of an early melt.
HAWAII - A powerful thunderstorm swamped parts of Oahu, with torrential rains flooding neighborhoods across Honolulu.
The MOST UNUSUAL WEATHER IN ANYONE'S MEMORY may end this weekend, with thunder, lightning and rain, and even snow on Hawai'i's highest mountains. Thursday's drenching may be the beginning of the end of a series of thunderstorms that have pounded the state for 40 days. The National Weather Service sees an "easing off" from current conditions heading into today, the second day of April. On O'ahu, the rain caused a landslide on Round Top Drive above Kala'i'opua Place, the sixth landslide in eight days in that area. The La Niña affecting Hawai'i's weather is slightly off from the typical December-through-February time frame. "It is affecting the rather UNUSUAL POSITION of the jet stream, a branch of which has been swooping down over the Hawaiian Islands. Along the path of this jet stream branch, individual packages of energy have been traveling at Hawai'i almost once every day."
CZECH REPUBLIC - this winter, the MOST SEVERE ONE IN 35 YEARS, meteorologists and other prognostics assured the people that it was not extreme weather, that the amount of snow was normal too and that nothing dangerous could be expected later when the snow would start melting. However reality was as usual different from their optimistic prognoses and major flooding is threatening the southern parts of the country. People should re-consider the terms '10-year' or '100-year' water. They have lost their original meaning as the country has suffered from floods repeatedly over the interval of several years. "What if the phenomenon that is still being considered only 'the ups and downs of the weather' becomes standard? I do not dare to make a prognosis. I only have some dark intuition, which the experts probably had this winter, too, when they were comforting the public with their optimistic forecasts."
THAILAND - The Meteorological Department forecasts the possibility of scattered thunderstorms during the next two days, influenced by a westerly trough covering the upper part of the country. A tropical storm hit Bangkok Thursday night, causing heavy downpours, gusty winds and uprooted and fallen trees in the capital. The northern, northeastern, eastern, and central regions faced thunderstorms and hail in some areas Friday before the weather returns to normal summer on Saturday. However, it warned people should beware of heavy winds and severe thunderstorms for the time being. The weather department also advised farmers outside irrigation zones to grow drought-resistant plants with short life spans during the summer.
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Friday, March 31, 2006 -
QUAKES -
Largest quakes yesterday -
3/30 -
5.2 WESTERN IRAN
IRAN - Two strong earthquakes flattened villages in western Iran early today, killing at least 38 and injuring hundreds. At least 10 tremors rocked the mountainous region throughout the night - the first one had a preliminary magnitude of 5.1 and struck around 1 a.m. local time. The U.S. Geological Survey reported a 5.7 magnitude quake shortly before 5 a.m. local time, followed by a 4.7 magnitude aftershock about 15 minutes later.
INDONESIA - U.S. researchers have warned that the fault that caused the devastating earthquake in Indonesia in December 2004 could still cause some big ruptures. Analysis of the damage of a quake that followed in the same area three months later shows potential for large movements south of the 2004 and 2005 ruptures. "This southern part is very likely about ready to go again. It could devastate the coastal communities of southwestern Sumatra, including the cities of Padang and Bengkulu, with a combined population of well over a million people. It could happen tomorrow, or it could happen 30 years from now, but I'd be surprised if it were delayed much beyond that." The 2004 quake caused dramatic warping and uplift among the islands and coral atolls in the Sumatran archipelago.
JAPAN - As a result of this year's survey of active faults, the government learned that the Uemachi Fault stretches 58 kilometers between Toyonaka to Kishiwada, not just the 32 kilometers between Toyonaka and Sakai cities as recorded in the previous survey. The revised forecast paints a much grimmer picture than the 1996 forecast of quake damage on four active faults in the prefecture. About 710,000 houses and buildings located on the Uemachi Fault in Osaka Prefecture would be destroyed or damaged if a major shallow-focus earthquake of maximum intensity on the Japanese scale of 7 were to occur.
CALIFORNIA - Seven in 10 Californians believe a big earthquake will strike the state and affect them, but only 22 percent consider themselves well prepared. The lowest rates of preparation were in the Bay Area and the Central Valley. "In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, it's surprising to find that nearly half of Californians believe that state, local and federal government are prepared for a major disaster. Let's hope they're right." The Red Cross is trying to train 1 million people this year in disaster response, and they urge people living in earthquake zones to keep five days' of supplies such as food, water and prescriptions on hand.
TROPICAL STORMS -
Cyclone GLENDA was 213 nmi WSW of Port Hedland, Australia. (the final warning has been issued for this system.)
AUSTRALIA - Residents of Western Australia's Pilbara coast have begun cleaning up the minor damage done by Cyclone Glenda, but there are concerns about widespread inland flooding. The eye of the category four cyclone passed right over Onslow, 1390km north of Perth, felling trees and cutting power as it lashed the fishing town with fierce winds and horizontal rain. Now a category-one storm, Glenda is expected to weaken as it moves further inland today, but destructive gusts of up to 130km/h are still possible south of the cyclone. It was incredible that there were no reports of injury and very little damage from such a powerful storm.
THUNDERSTORMS / HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING -
CENTRAL EUROPE - Emergency crews are working with soldiers to reinforce river banks in the southern Czech Republic as flood waters rise, forcing thousands from their homes. The worst hit area in the Czech Republic was near the town of Znojmo, 200km south east of Prague, where 10,000 people were evacuated from low lying areas along the Dyje River near the border with Austria. Residents in the German states of Bavaria and Saxony were also bracing for flood waters as weather forecasters predicted rain for much of the region through the weekend. About a thousand people were evacuated overnight from the eastern German town of Bad Schandau, close to the river Elbe in Saxony. Other communities were readying to leave their homes.
CALIFORNIA - San Francisco set a NEW ALL-TIME RECORD FOR RAINY DAYS IN MARCH yesterday, the 24th day this month with rainfall, beating the old March record of 23 rainy days set in 1904. It's supposed to rain today, which would be rainy day No. 25. If it rains a little more than half an inch by midnight, it will be the rainiest March EVER in the city. Oakland has also BEATEN ITS OLD RECORD for wet March days. It's had 21 rainy days this month, trumping the old record of 20 set in 1983. San Jose is still a day short of breaking its record of 21 rainy March days, set in 1983. It probably won't rain forever, but the cycle of annoying little storms isn't going to change any time soon. "We are not seeing any shift or break in the pattern. Usually the jet stream kind of wiggles around the globe. Right now it's not wiggling. It's bringing this string of storms across the ocean from Japan." "The rainfall is way above average and it's UNUSUAL that it has extended this far into spring. But each rainstorm has been a pretty average rainstorm."
The ground began to slide under some of Northern California’s priciest and most picturesque homes Wednesday night. A record stretch of rainy days has left the soil saturated in Marin County. A chunk of earth let loose in Sausalito around 7:30 p.m. Officials said the homes surrounding the slide area would be evaluated for structural damage. The slide comes just days after Marin County SET A RECORD FOR THE NUMBER OF RAINY DAYS IN THE MONTH OF MARCH. As of Wednesday, the National Weather Service reported 21 days of rain, breaking a 31-year-old record of 18. With rains expected to continue this week, that toll, and the danger of additional slides will likely continue to grow.
SOUTH AFRICA - Northern Cape farmers beneath the Spitskop dam want the region to be declared a disaster area due to flood conditions that have stopped all farm production for almost a month. Further flooding is expected within the next few days. The floods have caused damage to crops, arable land (due to erosion), irrigation systems and structures. One farm has lost 286ha of lucerne. The concern is that many of the farmers will not be able to rebuild farms and keep their workers. Many farmers in the region had made preparations for the flood conditions, but the water levels rose to beyond "known" flood levels. Farmers in the area produce mainly cash crops such as lucerne and maize. The Taung area in the North West province - upstream from the Spitskop dam - has already been declared a disaster area.
NEW ZEALAND - a FREAK accident in the Waioeka Gorge saw a Gisborne driver plummet into the river when he was hit by a landslide. The driver walked away with minor injuries after his car was thrown about 20 metres into the Waioeka River on Wednesday afternoon. The man was travelling towards Opotiki about 2:15pm when the slip came down, picked up his car and threw it clear over the guard rail, down the bank and into the river. (photos)
PHILIPPINES - The municipal council declared the town of Penablanca, Cagayan under a state of calamity on Tuesday as local officials continued to evacuate 128 families in two villages found to be prone to erosion and landslides. Last week, policemen started relocating 48 families in Buyun and 80 families in Sitio Dabba in Sisim. The villages are at the foot of a hill whose limestone cover has started to erode. Some sections of the villages were observed to be sinking. A landslide in Buyun, a village built on a rolling-to-steep slope, covered about a hectare of land. Trees in the area have slid about three meters. Residents have also heard rumbling sounds. Monitoring confirmed signs of weak soil foundation and saw cracks in several areas in the villages. The village of Taytay in Baggao town was also being observed for signs of landslides and erosion. They are also monitoring a section of the zigzag road in San Jose Village in the town.
SNOW / COLD -
RUSSIA - A helicopter carrying aid to a group of tourists hit by an avalanche has arrived in southeast Siberia. The heavy-duty Mi-8 brought rescuers and paramedics to the Irkutsk Region to attend to eight tourists who sustained various injuries in the slide on Wednesday. All of the group's 18 tourists are alive. Springtime is an avalanche-hazardous season, and another snow-slide claimed three lives on the Kamchatka Peninsula on the Pacific Ocean on Sunday.
SWEDEN - A man in his 30s died in an avalanche in the Swedish ski resort of Åre on Thursday. The avalanche struck around lunchtime. Early reports say that skiers released the avalanche, which was around 50 metres wide, onto an off-piste area between two pistes. Heavy snowfall has created an unstable snow layer, leading to an increased risk that it will give way on steeper sections. The avalanche risk was 3 on the 5 point scale.
Unusually High Tides / Freak Waves - updated Fridays.
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Thursday, March 30, 2006 -
QUAKES -
Largest quakes yesterday -
3/29 -
5.1 QINGHAI, CHINA
5.0 NEW BRITAIN
5.0 SOUTH OF FIJI ISLANDS
5.1 SOUTH OF FIJI ISLANDS
5.5 FIJI ISLANDS REGION
5.1 TONGA ISLANDS REGION
5.4 TONGA ISLANDS REGION
5.3 TONGA ISLANDS REGION
5.3 TONGA ISLANDS REGION
5.4 SOUTH OF AUSTRALIA
5.1 ANDREANOF ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS.
5.3 SOUTHEAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
CALIFORNIA - At approximately 5:36 p.m. Tuesday afternoon, an earthquake shook up residents throughout the Mojave Desert area. With an epicenter located about five miles east of Ridgecrest and 13 miles from Inyokern, the temblor registered at a 4.1 magnitude at a depth of about 6.4 miles. Described as a “short, rocking jolt”, the rumbler did some slight damage and was felt as far north as Panamint Springs in Death Valley National Park and as far east as Barstow. At least one Ridgecrest business had reports of damage, consisting mainly of cracks in walls.
VOLCANOES -
COLUMBIA - Authorities have demanded the evacuation of nearly 9,000 residents close to Colombia’s most active volcano after the geological institute said an eruption may be days or weeks away. The status of the Galeras volcano was raised to level two following increased activity in the volcano’s core. “I trust the scientists and my feeling is that this could be a big eruption. We are appealing to the common-sense of the people to leave the area of danger and so save their lives.”
PHILIPPINES - Bulusan volcano spewed a column of ash nearly 1.5km into the sky late Tuesday, raising fears of a major eruption. Officials said they were considered increasing the alert level. More earthquakes had been recorded in the area recently, a possible sign that the volcano may be about to erupt more powerfully. The ash column may have been created by a reaction between water and hot materials, a "possible sign of rising magma". A four-km exclusion zone is already in place around the volcano.
SOUTH AMERICA - Vilama Caldera may be another unappreciated ‘supervolcano’ (like Yellowstone) hidden in a mega-volcano nursery, dubbed the Eduardo Avaroa Caldera Complex in the tri-section of Argentine, Bolivia and Chile. Vilama Caldera formed during a single event during an eruption 8.4 million-years ago and it is among the world’s largest known eruptions. In contrast, Yellowstone had three cataclysmic events: at 2.0, 1.3, and 0.6 million years ago. “Among the other calderas in the region that need to be studied in detail and which in all cases are also certainly 'supervolcanoes' are Cerro Guacha, Coruto, Pastos Grandes, and Capina."
TROPICAL STORMS -
Cyclone GLENDA was 129 nmi WNW of Port Hedland, Australia.
AUSTRALIA - Some of Australia's biggest oil and mining operations shut down and residents were told to take immediate shelter as severe cyclone Glenda bore down on the country's west coast packing winds of up to 265 kilometers per hour (165 miles per hour). Glenda was a category four cyclone, just one level below the maximum five, and was forecast to make landfall later today in the Pilbara. Glenda is expected to create a very dangerous storm tide and flooding in the region, which has already seen substantial rains in recent weeks, the height of the eastern Indian Ocean cyclone season. "The cyclone is basically very close and there are extreme winds and a lot of danger."
THUNDERSTORMS / HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING -
CALIFORNIA - The skies over the Sacramento region went FREAKY Tuesday with thunderstorm and flood watches and sudden blasts of hail here and there, thanks to an offshore Pacific storm. The offshore storm was expected to lose steam as it pushed onshore and should serve up a dry reprieve until Friday. The water-water-everywhere theme continues with yet another storm rolling in by Friday evening, followed by - surprise - another storm Sunday afternoon. The normal rainfall for March is 2.80 inches. The total so far is 4.61 inches. The string of storms are not classic "pineapple expresses," storms that suck up tropical moisture from the Hawaiian islands and then whirl it onto the West Coast. Most of the steady rain those bring is falling in Southern California, unlike the thunderstorms and off-and-on rain pattern in the Sacramento area. Bay Area dwellers are about to suffer through the RAINIEST MARCH SINCE 1904, when it rained for 23 days.
Meteorologists are marveling at the pattern's rare persistence. An unusual meshwork of atmospheric highs and lows is clamped down over the Pacific. Storms have been spoiling holidays in Hawaii for days on end, while a south-tilted jet stream has been pumping buckets of moisture into Northern California. Dreary, wet weather seems certain to persist across Northern California until at least the middle of next week, with one storm after another interrupted by only the briefest hints of spring sunshine. Sooner or later, something always perturbs this kind of pattern, which will allow the storm track to move back to the Pacific Northwest where people are more used to this kind of daily soaking. For now, though, all that the meteorologists can see are systems feeding off each other, citing atmospheric phenomena all over the globe including high pressure over Canada, which blocks Pacific storm systems from moving east, and a series of tropical cyclones over Australia, which is "helping to anchor the long wave pattern." "Think of the atmosphere like a river. There's a big current of air that flows around from the west to the east, and there are these buckles in it, areas that loop northward and other areas that loop southward." One such loop is a persistent trough of low pressure over the West Coast, and a high-pressure ridge to the north. As storms develop in the Gulf of Alaska, they ride up and down the ridge, skimming over Washington and Oregon for the most part but pummeling Northern California. "Once this patterns breaks down, it will be much more likely for the pattern to be drier in April, and maybe drier than normal." "There's no physical reasoning for me to say what I'm saying, but I would just anticipate, as the sun is moving north, for the jet stream to follow, and then we would think the storm track will move father north." Total rainfall, as measured in downtown San Francisco, has been 7.88 inches so far this month, exceeded only six times since the Gold Rush. Snowpack is about 25 percent above average in the Sierra. Last month had almost three weeks without any rain at all.
THAILAND - On Tuesday night, storms and windshowers hit northern and northeastern parts of the country, and Bangkok. The weather bureau predicts more FREAK storms such as that one. Meteorologists said such storms could be expected from time to time until the end of the dry season, each storm lasting about an hour. The bureau said a westerly wind from Burma would spread to northern Thailand and cause thunderstorms, winds and hail over some areas from tomorrow to Sunday.
COLUMBIA - The number of dead Colombian citizens from the first winter rains in 2006 has reached 34, with 50 injured from landslides, flooding rivers and other damages caused by the strong rain. More than 37,000 Colombians, some 7,000 families, are affected by the rains that started in mid March. The rain has so far produced 57 mudslides, 16 storms, 32 floods, and four avalanches, with rain continuing in some regions for more than 72 hours. Prevention and rescue organizations have named 132 high risk zones, in which there are 10,000 families, and decreed an orange alert in 15 of the 32 departments of Colombia. Valle del Cauca remains on yellow alert, as does Antioquia, where several landslides took place, leaving 3 houses destroyed and 20 seriously damaged. At least 200 people were affected by floods.
Unusual Animal Behavior - updated Thursdays.
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Wednesday, March 29, 2006 -
QUAKES -
Largest quakes yesterday -
3/28 -
5.0 NORTHERN SUMATERA, INDONESIA
5.0 NORTHERN SUMATERA, INDONESIA
5.1 UNIMAK ISLAND, ALASKA
6.0 SOUTHEAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
5.5 SOUTH SANDWICH ISLANDS REGION
TROPICAL STORMS -
Cyclone GLENDA was 169 nmi N of Port Hedland, Australia.
TROPICAL CYCLONE GLENDA, the sixth tropical cyclone of the WA season, is off Western Australia's Pilbara coast and has intensified into a massive category five storm. Glenda is expected to approach the coast later today and during Thursday. There is the risk of very destructive winds Thursday as the cyclone moves closer to the coast.
AUSTRALIA - Only the most intrepid surfers were in the water yesterday as huge waves pounded beaches around Sydney. Waves reached heights of up to eight metres, according to weather experts. High winds from the weather system formerly known as Tropical Cyclone Wati started the huge swell 1000 kilometres offshore in the Tasman Sea.( photo gallery of monster waves)
The aftershocks of Wati and Cyclone Larry have been felt across the country, with rain lashing Western Australia and South Australia. A trough of low pressure brought rain to South Australia's lower north region, where in the 24 hours to 9am yesterday Spalding received 94mm, Gladstone 39mm, Caltowie 33mm and Yacka 63mm. The trough is expected to move east as a large area of high pressure dominates the Bight from Friday. Heavy rain from ex-tropical cyclone Larry in Queensland's northwest has caused the Leichhardt and Alexander rivers to burst their banks. And 80km inland from the Gulf of Carpentaria a shark was reported in a river. The huge surf conditions on the NSW coast over the past two days were caused by a low following Wati, which travelled down from the Coral Sea towards the Tasman Sea on Sunday.
Residents of cyclone-shattered far north Queensland are being urged not to desert the region despite many being left without work and homes. "There is a powder keg up there and it just needs somebody to strike a match. There are thousands of people walking the streets who have no homes, they have no jobs and they are very, very angry indeed." Estimates have put the damage at well over $1 billion, along with widespread job losses, including 4,000 from the banana industry. Cyclone Larry caused widespread flooding in the Gulf country and there are reports of hundreds of cattle swimming for their lives. "They can't keep swimming forever, obviously." Several towns, including Burketown, Doomadgee and Gregory, have been isolated by floodwaters and more than 2,000kg of food will be airlifted on today.
THUNDERSTORMS / HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING -
CZECH REPUBLIC - Authorities reinforced the main river in Prague on Tuesday as rising waters from the Vltava river threatened to flood low-lying parts of the historic city, including its zoo. Barriers were erected to prevent water spilling into streets. Rivers across the central European country were rising fast due to rain and unusually warm weather which melted deep snow which fell over the winter. The water flowing into Prague was three times the average for spring, and estimates are it could rise by another about 75 percent in the coming days. Weather forecasters said there would be more rain throughout the week. Prague suffered its worst flooding in centuries in the summer of 2002.
SNOW / COLD -
CANADA - A spring blizzard continued to pound eastern Newfoundland Tuesday with another 15 centimetres of snow expected to fall. Monday's storm dumped 20 centimetres of snow and caused heavy drifting on the Burin, Bonavista and Avalon peninsulas. "What we're looking at today is an additional 10 to 15 centimetres through overnight, and winds gusting to 100 km/h." High tides and heavy waves along the east and northeast coasts were also a concern until today. While the snow should melt this week, another unpredictable weather system is expected next Monday. "We're not quite sure how much rain and how much snow is going to be with that one." Early spring snowstorms are not uncommon in Newfoundland. "It's been known on the May 24th weekend to get six inches of snow."
HAWAII - Freezing winds in Hawaii? The summit of Haleakala National Park on Maui sustained 70 mile per hour gusts, hale and ice Tuesday forcing the closure of the visitor center. The National Park Service says the wind chill at the ten-thousand-foot summit reached minus-two degrees. Restrooms and heaters in the center were also out due to a power outage. The temperature for the coastal areas of Maui was a balmy 80 degrees.
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Tuesday, March 28, 2006 -
QUAKES -
Largest quakes yesterday -
3/27 -
5.0 IRIAN JAYA, INDONESIA, REGION
5.1 MINDORO, PHILIPPINE ISLANDS
5.2 FIJI ISLANDS REGION
5.0 SOUTH SANDWICH ISLANDS REGION
5.3 NORTHERN CHILE
5.5 KYUSHU, JAPAN
5.2 CENTRAL MID-ATLANTIC RIDGE
5.0 SAMOA ISLANDS REGION
Battered over the past 15 months by seven of the 10 most-expensive catastrophes in the company's history, Allstate Insurance Co. is taking steps to reduce its exposure to disasters by discontinuing writing residential and commercial earthquake coverage in most of the U.S. The company also is planning to shed some of the 407,000 earthquake policies it already has in force nationwide. Earthquake coverage costs a homeowner 20 cents to 40 cents per $1,000 of a residence's value. Allstate's main concern in the Midwest is the New Madrid seismic zone near the intersecting borders of TENNESSEE, KENTUCKY and MISSOURI. The Geological Survey agency predicts a greater than 90 percent chance of a magnitude 6 or 7 earthquake in the New Madrid area during the next 50 years. Allstate has been among the most aggressive insurers in reducing disaster exposure. The company recently said it was cutting back on homeowners policies in NEW YORK, on adjacent LONG ISLAND and in parts of TEXAS. Nationwide Mutual Insurance Co. in September stopped writing property insurance policies in FLORIDA, and this month will begin dropping 35,000 homeowners policies that come up for renewal in the hurricane-prone states. "The current insurance model is not well-suited for handling losses from low-frequency, high-severity, mega-catastrophic events."
VOLCANOES -
COSTA RICA closed the area surrounding its central mountain range Monday, due to fear of new eruptions from Poas Volcano. The generated earth movements do not represent any immediate risk to the residents on the volcano´s slopes, but there exists the danger of new explosions. Park Security stated that the measure will be in effect for a long time, in order to protect the lives of the neighbors and tourists. Alajuela Province´s Poas Volcano, 40 miles northwest of the capital, suddenly began emitting water and wet sediment since Friday.
TROPICAL STORMS -
Cyclone GLENDA was 143 nmi N of Broome, Australia.
AUSTRALIA - Western Australia's latest cyclone has been upgraded to a category three system and is expected to intensify before it crosses the coast. Cyclone Glenda, which has brought huge rainfall to parts of the Kimberley, in the north, is about 270 kilometres north of Broome and veering away from the coast at 13 kilometres per hour. Communities from Mitchell Plateau down to Broome have been placed on blue alert, in case the cyclone turns inland. Glenda is most likely to develop further and cross the Pilbara coast later in the week. "It's highly likely to develop further, so we expect it to be a category five cyclone - when it crosses the coast."
THUNDERSTORMS / HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING -
AUSTRALIA - Mid-north residents are cleaning up after the WORST FLASH FLOODING IN MORE THAN 60 YEARS. About 100mm of rain fell in less than four hours in and around Spalding and Jamestown. "There is more than 50 tonnes of rock and mud on the netball courts that have to be removed by hand because we can't get any machinery in there. Several hundreds of tonnes of debris is on the main road as well, so everyone is working together to clean up this mess."
Flooding has reached RECORD LEVELS on some remote cattle properties in north-west Queensland. Heavy rains from ex-tropical cyclone Larry last week led to the Leichhardt River bursting its banks and isolating several stations in the region. "It's a massive flood."
HAWAII - Fears of flooding face Windward Oahu residents as the wet weather keeps falling. Island residents continue to deal with torrential rains; trying to dry out, and at the same time, getting ready for more wet weather.
The turnaround from December's record-low rainfall has been an unusually wet March in Hawai'i as the storm watch continues with no end in sight. Boulders from a hillside littered Kailua Road yesterday morning, blocking one Kailua-bound lane from about 10 a.m. to noon. Heavy rains also caused boulders to fall elsewhere on O'ahu. "It's got to end sometime. This is wild. I've never experienced this kind of weather event or episode to my recollection. This kind of persistent trough is VERY, VERY RARE. Like a one-in-a-hundred-years kind of thing." The weather service was reviewing data to confirm if this has been the wettest March on record in Hawai'i. It already is the WETTEST MONTH EVER in Lihu'e, Kaua'i. From March 1 through 8 p.m. Sunday, Lihu'e had recorded 32.95 inches of rain. The previous high for the entire month of March was 3.03 inches. Honolulu International Airport had recorded 10.28 inches for the month as of 4 p.m. Sunday. 1.64 inches is the average March rainfall at the airport. "So far, February was wetter than normal and we're coming up to 40 days of excessive rains."
SOUTH AFRICA - Several families have been left homeless after their homes flooded and collapsed at Qho and Qhonyana village in Taung in the North West due to heavy rain. Taung residents are now starting to panic. Since the rain started about three months ago, six people drowned and 1040 families have been left homeless. Heavy floods have also destroyed bridges, burying them underwater, making it impossible in some villages for children to attend school. The last heavy floods to hit Taung were about 18 years ago. At the beginning of March, when the first floods fell on the area, the North West government promised to promptly supply food and shelter. However, communities say they are still waiting.
The situation in most villages of Taung in the North West remains critical following continuous torrential rain in the area. Most bridges in the villages are underwater. The floods, which hit the area for almost three months, have reportedly left some of the villages isolated and inaccessible. Rains the night of the 24th - measuring about 30mm - caused extensive damage at Qho village where several houses mostly built of mud have collapsed. More rain is still expected in the area.
DOMINICAN REPUBLIC - Traffic on the Puerto Plata-Navarrete highway has become chaotic in the last days, due to new mudslides affecting the route from the heavy rains. A 300 meter section of the Maimón–La Colorada road has been washed out by torrents and debris falling from the hills located on both sides of the route. Along the old highway numerous potholes and sunk pavements can also be observed, which makes the transit of vehicles in the zone markedly difficult.
GERMANY - A RARE tornado wreaked havoc in the northern German city of Hamburg yesterday, tearing the roofs off houses, overturning cars and killing two people. In June 2004, two small villages in eastern Germany suffered extensive damage when a tornado tore through them.
PAPUA NEW GUINEA - A FREAK tornado destroyed 23 houses and left more than a thousand people without shelter in Hauna village on the Sepik River 13 days ago on March 14. The storm struck at 8:30pm - it lasted only three minutes but the damage was extensive. Witnesses said houses were ripped off the ground and into the air for several seconds before they came crashing to the ground. Some claimed to have seen young children being lifted off the ground. There was only one casualty reported out of the 2,000-odd villagers – an elderly woman who suffered some cuts and bruises when her house fell on her. The storm also flooded several houses, destroyed food gardens and other properties.
SNOW / COLD -
CANADA, NEWFOUNDLAND - A late-season blizzard shut down schools, banks and many businesses in eastern Newfoundland Monday. Compared to some of the blizzards that struck the island earlier this year, Monday's storm was modest. But high winds reduced visibility to near zero in some areas. In central Newfoundland and along the northeast coast, wind warnings were in effect.
CALIFORNIA - Spring arrived on Monday, and only several hours later, it felt like winter again. Snow pounded Oakhurst and its surrounding communities Monday afternoon, causing power outages, road closures and chain restrictions, the latest in a series of storms to hit during the past month. Two more storms were forecasted for the next five days. In Yosemite National Park, snow accumulation continues to extend from the higher accumulations to the valley floor. "On the valley floor, it's probably compacted about six inches and that's fairly significant. It means that we will have water in the falls for longer because the water is kind of stored in the higher elevations and released over a longer period of time."
Drought, Heat, Water Shortages, Wildfires - updated Tuesdays
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Monday, March 27, 2006 -
QUAKES -
Largest quakes yesterday -
3/26 -
None 5.0 or higher.
IRAN - One person was killed in the powerful 6.0 earthquake that hit a mountainous area of southern Iran on Saturday, damaging some rural houses and blocking mountain roadways to villages.
Reports released on Sunday said that the city of Fin has been jolted 23 times over the past 24 hours.
TROPICAL STORMS -
Tropical low FLOYD was 547 nmi WSW of Broome, Australia.
Cyclone GLENDA was 176 nmi NNE of Broome, Australia.
AUSTRALIA - Residents of the far north of Western Australia were bracing for the sixth cyclone of the season. At Port Hedland and in the Pilbara region, residents were urged to prepare for tropical cyclone Glenda, which today was a category one storm off the Kimberley coastline. This system is expected to rapidly intensify as it moves off the north-west coast. "At this stage we are saying it could be at least a category three, which is severe." Floyd, the fifth cyclone of the November to April season in WA, was downgraded to a tropical low.
Cyclone Larry has helped save the Great Barrier Reef from a major bleaching event, after a one degree rise in sea surface temperatures above the normal summer maximum due to global warming, by lowering the water temperatures, a marine specialist says. Cyclones Larry and Wati together helped avoid an event similar to that of 2002 when over 60 per cent of the reef was bleached and 10 per cent actually died. "It's certainly eliminated any possibility that a final blast of summer might have caused further damage from coral bleaching."
NEW ZEALAND - Tropical Cyclone Wati is expected to weaken further over the next day or two, bringing relief to northern areas of New Zealand lashed by heavy rain overnight. This morning Wati was no longer a tropical cyclone. "It's still quite a deep low sitting in the eastern Tasman Sea. It's expected to slowly weaken further and cross the North Island tomorrow but it will be pretty weak by then." Over 100mm of rain fell in parts of the Coromandel in the last 24 hours and Northland was lashed by heavy rain yesterday. "The weather is pretty unsettled in a lot of places really. There is rain over most of the North Island and parts of the South Island as well." The weather will be unsettled for the next couple of days.
SNOW / COLD -
RUSSIA - Two people died and three others were missing after a group of snowmobiles was caught in an avalanche on the Russian Pacific peninsula of Kamchatka Sunday. About 10 snowmobiles were riding near a volcano about 35 miles south of the regional capital, Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, when the avalanche hit around 10am.
PAKISTAN - In occupied Kashmir, two persons were killed and another injured in a snow avalanche in Poonch district. The three persons, who were on their way from their native village Barari to Dholewali of the district, were trapped in a snow slide near Dholewali. Two persons died and another was seriously injured.
Disease - updated Mondays
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Sunday, March 26, 2006 -
QUAKES -
Largest quakes yesterday -
3/25 -
5.2 MYANMAR-INDIA BORDER REGION
5.0 SOUTHERN IRAN
5.2 SOUTHERN IRAN
5.5 SOUTHERN IRAN
5.5 SOUTHERN IRAN
5.7 SOUTHERN IRAN
5.0 OFF COAST NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
3/24 -
5.9 FIJI ISLANDS REGION
5.1 SOLOMON ISLANDS REGION
6.0 NEAR NORTH COAST OF NEW GUINEA
IRAN - An earthquake of magnitude 6.0 (5.7) on the Richter scale and a series of aftershocks struck the southern Iranian province of Hormuzgan on Saturday. The quakes caused minor damage. There were no immediate reports of casualties. The earthquake was centered near the rural area of Fin in Hormuzgan province. Fin has a population of about 15,000, lies some 70 km north of the southern port city of Bandar Abbas on the Gulf, and is home to one of the Islamic Republic's key refineries.
CALIFORNIA - Several faults lurk beneath the Bay area, including the San Andreas Fault on the west side, but geologists say the parallel Hayward on the Bay's east side is the most likely to snap next. "It is locked and loaded and ready to fire at any time." The Hayward Fault runs through one of the country's most densely populated areas. It slices the earth's crust along a 50-mile swath of suburbia east of San Francisco. The ground on each side of the fault could shift 3 feet, meaning two objects on opposite sides could be abruptly carried a total of 6 feet apart. The fault is obvious, marked by a crack that snakes through a parking lot in Hayward's business district, fractures in the pavement outside houses, misaligned street curbs, warped concrete gutters, new cracks that appear in ceilings every few weeks, strange bulges in the street.
TURKEY - Residents in a small quake-prone central Turkish town have set up tents in streets and gardens in fear of a possible earthquake following the March 29 solar eclipse. Northwestern Turkey was struck by a devastating earthquake in August 1999 that killed some 17,000 people just six days after another solar eclipse, and some believe the temblor was triggered by the phenomenon. Although scientists have appeared on television to reassure the public that there is no evidence of any link between an eclipse and earthquakes, many still fear that next week's eclipse could cause a new disaster. A solar eclipse occurs when the moon crosses between the Earth and sun. On March 29, the eclipse will be visible across a track stretching from Brazil, crossing through much of Africa, into Turkey and ending in Mongolia.
VOLCANOES -
PHILIPPINES - Government authorities have drawn up contingency plans for the evacuation of thousands of residents living in 6 towns near the foot of Mt. Bulusan which has shown restiveness since last Sunday. At present, however, the volcano remains at the low Alert Level No. 1.
MONTSERRAT - Scots scientists are on an urgent mission to find out if a the Soufriere Hills volcano is about to erupt. The Caribbean island, which belongs to the UK, was devastated by the volcano's eruption in July 1995. Two-thirds of the population fled abroad and only a handful ever returned. The mountain is once again showing signs of activity after a lava dome was spotted growing at its summit. The formation is caused by new magma, which is forced up from within the Earth. The dome will eventually become unstable and collapse with deadly hot rocks and ash flowing down the mountainside.
TROPICAL STORMS -
Cyclone FLOYD was 543 nmi WSW of Broome, Australia.
THUNDERSTORMS / HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING -
HAWAII has been hit with UNUSUAL WEATHER lately. A heavy dose of wintry weather has caught people by surprise. "Every other day it seems to be like thunderstorms and lightning. At home, thunder was shaking my house and I've never seen it like this before." "In normal times, it would come for a day or two, then move out," said the National Weather Service. "For a number of reasons, globally this winter, the pattern has remained static, and this low-pressure system is not moving out." The persistent low-pressure system northwest of the islands is causing the STRANGE conditions. "It is creating more instability in the atmosphere, allowing the thunderstorms to grow to sizes and heights that we don't normally see in Hawaii." The conditions will stay around until next week.
HAWAII - There was more than just the rumble of thunder that rolled through the state Thursday night. A tornado tore thru the island of Lana'i. A shack was smashed to smithereens, and the force of the winds broke up a fence anchored in concrete and tore apart trailers at a construction site. Thunderstorms are not too common, but tornadoes are RARE here in the islands. Hawaii only gets one per year statewide on average.
A brief hailstorm blanketed parts of South Kona with pea-size pieces of ice. Strong winds were blowing the ice particles nearly horizontally, embedding them in the screens on windows. Hail was reported in several Big Island communities. A mile from Captain Cook, in Kealakekua, hailstones the size of quarters were reported. High winds knocked down electric lines and television cables The UNUSUAL event was preceded Thursday night by a thunder and lightning storm out to sea in the direction of Maui where the tornado touched down. At daybreak, Kona weather seemed normal, but at about 9:30 a.m. a sudden dark cloud formed. Residents found themselves in a swirling fog, and winds pushed rain and hail nearly horizontal. "In 20 minutes the whole thing was over." At about 4:25 p.m., a replay happened on the other side of the island in Puna. The National Weather Service said hailstones the size of nickels fell near Mountain View, south of Hilo.
SNOW / COLD -
NEPAL - Locals near Everest fret about Mother Nature’s next surprise. Trekkers and Sherpas in Khumbu were asking last week, "If there is all this global warming how come it snowed so much this spring?", as an UNPRECEDENTED and UNSEASONAL blizzard dumped heavy snow at the tail end of a bone-dry winter. Meterologists explain it is not so much climate change but climate variability associated with the greenhouse effect. No one we spoke to in Khumbu last week could remember a winter like this without snow, or a spring with so much. “This is something we never saw and heard about,” said an 80-year-old. “It’s quite ominous.”
HEAT / WILDFIRES -
The amount of sunshine reaching earth is increasing, accelerating the pace of climate change, scientists have found. A series of independent studies around the world show a significant rise in the amount of sunshine penetrating the atmosphere to be absorbed by the earth’s surface and turned into heat. “The enhanced warming we have seen since the 1990s along with phenomena such as the widespread melting of glaciers could well be due to this increased intensity of sunlight compounding the effect of greenhouse gases.” Measurements of sunshine levels between 1960 and 1990 had shown a decrease in the amount of sunshine reaching the earth, a phenomenon known as global dimming. This was thought to have been caused by dust, smog and other pollutants, mainly from industrialised western countries. In the last two decades, however, there have been significant decreases in such pollutants, partly due to industry becoming cleaner but largely because of the collapse of the Soviet Union and much of its heavy industry. “A widespread brightening has been observed since the 1980s. This may substantially affect surface climate, the water cycle, glaciers and ecosystems.”
NEW ZEALAND - Rainfall records show New Zealand's weather is changing in line with forecasts for climate change. Analysis of rainfall over the past 100 years shows western New Zealand is getting wetter. The figures also confirm expectations that climate change will mean more droughts on the country's east coast. Another trend is stronger westerly winds over the south of the country. While New Zealand's climate is highly variable, an increase in average temperatures has also been recorded. There are also more extreme events, with more episodes of very heavy rain.
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Friday, March 24, 2006 -
QUAKES -
Largest quakes yesterday -
3/23 -
5.7 BALLENY ISLANDS REGION
5.0 MOZAMBIQUE
5.3 KERMADEC ISLANDS, NEW ZEALAND
NEW ZEALAND - Tauranga residents were rudely woken early today by an earthquake centred 20km southwest of the city. It struck at 4.16am and while measuring only a modest 3.5 on the Richter scale, was at a depth of just 1km. It was the third quake in this country in a period of less than four hours. The earlier quakes were a magnitude 4.1 shake northwest of Porirua at 2.37am with a depth of 60km, and another at 12.17am measuring 4.3 centred north of Gisborne at a depth of 25km.
CALIFORNIA - Earthquake swarms with temblors measuring 3.7 magnitude near Moraga and 2.9 near Anderson Springs occurred Tuesday, jiggling nerves in both the East and North Bay but causing no reports of damage or injuries. As a precaution the BART system slowed its trains to half speed until the rail lines in the area near quake were checked. The 3.7 temblor hit at 1:42 p.m. about 4 miles southeast of Moraga and was followed over the next 40 minutes by seven smaller quakes. At Anderson Springs, near Santa Rosa, four quakes measuring from 2.9 to 2.1 hit starting at 2:05 p.m. A similar swarm struck near the Hayward Fault on March 1. Typically an earthquake with a magnitude as large as a 3.7 will be followed by a swarm of smaller quakes. "I guess the UNUSUAL thing is that other than the 3.7 and the 3.2 in February we haven't seen any earthquakes as large as (magnitude) 2 in this area." Tuesday's East Bay quakes were located between the Hayward and northern Calaveras faults, rather than on one of the major Bay Area faults. They were felt by thousands of people. The last large quake to occur on the Hayward Fault - estimated to have been about magnitude 7 - took place in 1868.
JAPAN - A court has ordered Japan's newest nuclear reactor to be shut down over fears about its safety in the event of an earthquake. This is the most modern nuclear facility in Japan and the ruling raises questions about the 54 other reactors in operation.
GREENLAND - Scientists have recorded a significant and unexpected increase in the number of "glacial earthquakes" caused by the sudden movement of Manhattan-sized blocks of ice in Greenland. The rise in the number of glacial earthquakes over the past four years lends further weight to the idea that Greenland's glaciers and its ice sheet are beginning to move and melt on a scale not seen for perhaps thousands of years. The annual number of glacial earthquakes recorded in Greenland between 1993 and 2002 was between six and 15. In 2003 seismologists recorded 20 glacial earthquakes. In 2004 they monitored 24 and for the first 10 months of 2005 they recorded 32. In a single area of north-western Greenland scientists recorded just one quake between 1993 and 1999. But they monitored more than two dozen quakes there between 2000 and 2005. Average temperatures in the Arctic have risen far faster than in other parts of the world over the past few decades, resulting in the rapid acceleration in polar melting. Of the 136 glacial quakes analysed by the scientists, more than a third occurred during July and August.
VOLCANOES -
PHILIPPINES - After an initial ash explosion and a continuous jet of steam, Mount Bulusan became subdued on Thursday. The Phivolcs’ seismic network in the area recorded seven volcanic earthquakes the past 24 hours, much lower than the 59 seismic events that preceded the 10:58 p.m. explosion on Tuesday. On Wednesday, scientists observed a continuous jet of steam after it spewed 1.5-kilometer-high ash columns into the sky shortly before midnight Tuesday. The volcano started rumbling on Saturday. The threat of hazardous explosion remains within the coming days or month. The government institute reiterated its alert level 1 on Bulusan, meaning the volcano is still exhibiting the precursors to what could be a hazardous eruption.
NEW ZEALAND - Experts says Raoul Island's seismic readings follow a fairly predictable pattern. A team of Department of Conservation staff and scientists remain on the island despite the crater being deemed too volatile to search. The team is looking for the DOC worker who went missing after an eruption last Friday. A sweep of the area yesterday found the Green Lake had risen up to eight metres. Such activity on the island is not unusual. The lake level rose after a series of earthquakes in March 1993.
TROPICAL STORMS -
Cyclone FLOYD was 821 nmi W of Broome, Australia.
Cyclone WATI was 671 nmi E of Townsville, Australia.
Cyclone Wati could be heading for New Zealand. It formed behind Larry, which crossed the Queensland coast on Monday. Wati has been slowly building in strength in the Coral Sea off northern Queensland for several days. The Metservice says it might start moving south over the next few days and reach New Zealand on Monday or Tuesday. Cyclones have seldom hit New Zealand in history.
THUNDERSTORMS / HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING -
HAWAII - The heavy rains caused a landslide that covered part of Round Top Drive Thursday morning. It's the second day in a row that the rains have created problems for the area. It happened at about 6:30 a.m. in the same area where a landslide covered the roadway on Wednesday. The landslide on Thursday covered about a 200-foot stretch of road. The earth piled up as high as 12 feet in one spot. State Department of Land and Natural Resources teams had surveyed the area on Wednesday. They said it didn't appear that there would be any imminent threat of another landslide.
SNOW / COLD -
FLORIDA - patchy frost was possible late last night through early this morning across the coastal portions of Northwest Florida and southwest Alabama. Lows are expected to reach the mid-30s in coastal areas, with lows near freezing in northern parts of the area counties. "Frost can form in those temperatures. It's a little STRANGE for this time of year."
OKLAHOMA - Snow fell across a wide section of Oklahoma on Wednesday night and early Thursday, causing hazardous conditions on roadways and a number of traffic accidents. A freeze warning was in effect for much of the region, with temperatures expected to dip into the 20s by Thursday night. The wintry blast is UNUSUAL for this time of year in Oklahoma. The forecast low in Oklahoma City on Thursday evening was 24 degrees, just one degree warmer than a record low set in 1965.
CALIFORNIA - the first two-thirds of March yielded nearly 150 percent of the normal rainfall for the entire month, so the appearance of the sun last Saturday and Sunday was cause for great wonder locally as were temperatures which actually reached their average highs for this time of year - mid to upper 60s. The break was short-lived, and yet another front in a seemingly endless progression of fronts brought rain back to the Valley. In the high latitudes over Greenland and northern Canada, a persistent blocking high has forced the jet stream to dip sharply over the steep ridge to their west and dive directly into the coast bringing round after round of perfectly awful weather while practically ruining a month that almost always can be counted on to provide more than just a few days of beautifully benign sun and warmth. These copious late-winter rains have been a boon to northern California's lakes and reservoirs which are filling rapidly with all the runoff. The high Sierra sports more than 20 feet of snow in some locations - a snowpack that is almost guaranteed to last well into the summer. The Climate Prediction Center's long range outlook, for more than a few months now, has been touting a spring, summer, fall and winter marked by above normal temperatures with near normal precipitation (except for below normal during the July, August, September period). With the way the pattern has been here for the last month or so, there will have to be a major shift in the upper air flow to effect that sort of a radical change before the first of April.
MYSTERIOUS BOOM -
CANADA - British Columbia - Possibly a meteorite - A loud explosion in Burnaby late Wednesday night, March 22, has authorities scratching their heads. About 11:05 the blast rattled windows and awakened neighbours near the Chaffey Burke Elementary School on Abbey Avenue. Police responded with officers and a dog but came up empty handed. All they could find was a small hole in the ground. No damage has been reported and there were no injuries.
CLIMATE CHANGE -
In recent months, a cascade of new scientific evidence on climate change has made even mainstream scientists increasingly concerned about what lies ahead. Now the most urgent question is not whether climate change is real, but how serious and rapid it will be, and whether it will soon be too late to do anything to stop it. Scientists have not been frank enough about the fact the outlook on climate change now includes the possibility of calamitous change. "I think sea-level rise is going to be the big issue soon, more even than warming itself." New evidence supports the growing scientific proof that predictions about climate change have been underplayed.
Unusually High Tides / Freak Waves - updated Fridays.
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Thursday, March 23, 2006 -
QUAKES -
Largest quakes yesterday -
3/22 -
5.0 OFF W. CST OF NORTHERN SUMATERA
5.0 MARIANA ISLANDS REGION
5.0 OFF COAST NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
5.0 FIJI ISLANDS REGION
SERBIA - A central Serbia region, already suffering from more than 100 landslides, was hit Wednesday by a moderate 4.5 earthquake which caused additional damage to an area where dozens of homes have been destroyed amid heavy rains and melting snow. The quake caused cracks in several old buildings and triggered a brief panic at its epicenter. The same region was hit by stronger, 5.4- and 5.7-magnitude quakes in 1998 and 1999 respectively. "The situation is getting worse by the hour," said the chief municipal official in Trstenik. "The ground is splitting, walls are cracking, roofs falling." A state of emergency was also declared in the Kraljevo district, where an entire village moved by a dozen meters (yards) as the slope on which it is located shifted downhill due to recent heavy rains. Twenty-nine houses were destroyed and about 100 badly damaged by the landslides in the southwestern municipality of Cacak. Eighteen roads were damaged near the southern city of Krusevac, threatening to cut off several villages.
TROPICAL STORMS -
Cyclone FLOYD was 729 nmi WNW of Broome, Australia.
Cyclone WATI was 442 nmi E of Townsville, Australia.
AUSTRALIA - Cyclone Larry might have left a trail of damage 150km wide through the Great Barrier Reef and stripped bare 95 per cent of rainforests where it struck the coast. The cyclone was a category-four storm for most of its journey across the reef before it smashed into the coastal town of Innisfail early on Monday as a category five. It is feared coral in sections of the Great Barrier Reef may have been reduced to rubble, while once-lush rainforests in the Innisfail and Mission Beach areas are thought to have been badly damaged. "We think that there's probably less than five per cent vegetation cover in most areas where the cyclone came ashore, in particular around Mission Beach, Innisfail and Palmerston." The extent of wildlife fatalities was still unknown.
TROPICAL CYCLONE WATI will swirl towards south-east Queensland but is unlikely to cross the coast, the weather bureau has forecast. There had been fears Wati could follow Larry's destructive path and bring a second wave of devastation to flattened parts of far north Queensland. The bureau predicted this movement several days ago but later doubted their forecasts when Wati became stationary. Wati will bring winds and high seas to the south-east coast, but little of the desperately needed rain.
CYCLONE FLOYD formed northwest of Australia in the Timor Sea on March 21. The cyclone gained power gradually and was heading west into the Indian Ocean. It was not predicted to travel over any large landmasses, though it may pose a threat to Christmas Island well off the Western Australian coast in the Indian Ocean.
THUNDERSTORMS / HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING -
HAWAII - Heavy rains soaked much of Oahu on Tuesday night. The storm caused landslides on Round Top Drive and in Manoa. Tons of mud slid down the hill at about 4 a.m. and covered an area 100 feet long and 7 feet high in certain parts. The landslide blocked the lanes in both directions. There were no homes in the area and no one was injured. It took 22 truckloads to remove the mud. More rains are expected to drench the islands in the next couple of days. All of the islands are under a flash flood watch through tonight. The unstable weather spawned a waterspout off Kaneohe on Tuesday afternoon that touched down near Marine Corps Base Hawaii.
UNUSUAL PLANT BEHAVIOR -
NEW ZEALAND - An UNUSUALLY PROLONGED and prolific flowering period of cabbage trees has been linked to global climate change. Though some cabbage trees had flowered profusely during their normal flowering time in November, others had flowered in late summer, which had never been seen before. "Normally cabbage trees flower at the beginning of summer, and the density of the flowering is regarded by some as an indication as to how dry the summer will be. This year, as well as some flowering profusely in November, others flowered in late January-early February." "Kahikatea also experienced a flush season, producing a huge amount of fruit." The weather had been unusually dry and sunny on the Kapiti Coast in January – it was the DRIEST JANUARY ON RECORD. This month was also proving to be unusually dry and sunny, though temperatures had been a lot cooler than normal. A biologist who had studied cabbage trees for about 20 years, had never heard of them flowering in late summer. Some pohutukawa trees north of Waikanae had flowered in late summer as well, which he regarded as QUITE ODD. Some cabbage trees in Otaki had not stopped flowering all summer, which was HIGHLY UNUSUAL. The very dry and cool weather on the coast had prompted early autumn leaf coloring. "Extremely dry weather can cause trees to produce huge amounts of flowers and seeds to ensure the species will continue. This season the abundance of fruit has been spectacular – extremely high yields compared with last season when there was virtually no fruit at all."
Unusual Animal Behavior - updated Thursdays.
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Wednesday, March 22, 2006 -
QUAKES -
Largest quakes yesterday -
3/21 -
5.0 PAKISTAN
MOZAMBIQUE - Aftershocks continue, weeks after the February quake. Three minor earth tremors were recorded on Sunday in the central Mozambican province of Manica, affecting the same areas hit by the earthquake of February 23. Since the post-quake readjustment of the plates could take months, more aftershocks are likely to happen. But as time passes they will diminish in intensity. Authorities claim that about 1,000 people were "affected" by the earthquake. There were five known fatalities, while 28 people were injured and 300 traditional homes and other structures built with flimsy materials were destroyed.
VOLCANOES -
PHILIPPINES - a volcano has spewed a column of ash 1.5 kilometres into the sky, raising fears of a major eruption. Officials are considering increasing the alert level from level one to level three, indicating "moderate unrest", after Mount Bulusan in the central Philippines belched ash an hour before midnight (3am AEDT). The Philippine Institute of Seismology and Vulcanology said the ash was unlikely to cause any harm. More earthquakes had been recorded in the area recently, a possible sign that the volcano may be about to erupt more powerfully. Bulusan had a series of similar explosions in 1994 and 1995.
NEW ZEALAND - The Raoul crater is still potentially volatile according to GNS Science volcanologists aboard a flight over the island. The volcanologists have completed their aerial assessment of the crater and been in contact with the ground-based scientists. No sign was seen of the missing DOC staff member. They observed a rise in the level of the Green Lake of 6-8 metres compared to the footage of the area taken on Friday. This is similar to what occurred prior to the 1964 eruption. "Even from a distance the effects of the eruption were spectacular. Large trees are just uplifted and blown apart. Boulders are strewn across a large area with a thick layer of ask everywhere around the eruption site.”
TROPICAL STORMS -
Cyclone FLOYD was 551 nmi WNW of Broome, Australia.
Cyclone WATI was 409 nmi ENE of Townsville, Australia.
Cyclone Wati is baffling weather experts - "Wati is much more of an erratically moving cyclone than Larry, which moved in a straight line and very steadily." Forecasters were no longer confident of earlier predictions that Wati would move south. Wati would probably bring gale-force winds and large waves along the coast over the next 24 hours. "The combination of the cyclone being where it is and a high pressure system in the Tasman Sea means there will be fairly large waves on exposed beaches and gale force winds of 34 to 40 knots." Category-three Wati is hovering off Queensland and forecast to intensify but weather experts cannot say whether it will cross the coast. "It will be fairly slow moving and remain off the coast for the next few days – it's hard to predict it's movements after that. Over the past few hours it's become a lot slower – in fact it's become stationary because mid-level winds that were steering it towards the coast are weakening due to the approach of an upper trough."
AUSTRALIA - Around 150 millimetres of torrential rain has fallen at Innisfail, the town hardest hit by cyclone Larry, hampering the rescue work that desperately needs to be carried out. Earlier this morning the highway was cut both north and south of the town but rain is expected to ease. Until this past weekend, it had been more than 30 years since a powerful hurricane struck Australia.
NEW YORK could be devastated this summer by a killer storm as powerful as Hurricane Katrina - one that could claim countless lives and cause billions of dollars in damages, top meteorologists warned Monday. They say the metropolitan area is long overdue for a powerful hurricane, and weather conditions now being monitored are alarmingly similar to those that triggered the catastrophic, nameless hurricane of 1938, which killed 600 people in the Northeast. "The Northeast is staring down the barrel of a gun. [With] the weather patterns and hydrology we're seeing in the oceans, the likelihood of a major hurricane making landfall in the Northeast is not a question of if - but when." Even more vulnerable than New York City, meteorologists say, are the Hamptons, which could see huge areas of land disappear under water if the storm surge the hurricane generates is powerful enough. Fire Island, a glorified sandbar of multimillion-dollar homes, would likely be wiped out.
TEXAS - Calling Hurricane Rita "a warning shot," a major private weather service warned Monday that the Texas Gulf Coast - including Southeast Texas - likely will see higher-than-normal tropical storm activity in the next 10 years. "The Texas coast is in for a long period of tropical activity, particularly the region from Corpus Christi to Sabine Pass at the Louisiana border." Accuweather.com predicted the Northeastern U.S. would be hit by a hurricane "larger and more powerful than anything that region has seen in a long time." A hurricane of this magnitude has not made landfall in the northeastern U.S. in almost 60 years..."it could become the greatest natural disaster in U.S. history."
THUNDERSTORMS / HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING -
PAPUA NEW GUINEA - A family of six was killed when a landslip buried their house in the Obura-Wonenara district in the Eastern Highlands Province last week. The family members were buried alive while asleep when the landslip swamped their house. Landslips and floods caused by continuous heavy rains also left 500 people from the Ungai-Bena district homeless. Villages in Obura were severely affected and had been forced to leave their homes. Heavy rain also washed away three bridges, many food gardens and coffee trees.
HAWAII - The constant deluge is taking an emotional toll on residents. Many are at wits' end after the fifth time heavy rains have slammed some homes during the recent storms. Though Oahu received a break from the heavy rain Monday, many residents mostly on the Windward side remain frustrated after most or all their furniture and personal items were damaged. And more rain is predicted to arrive later this week. Kauai is expected to receive the brunt of a thunderstorm, and a flash-flood watch could be in effect today and Thursday.
SNOW / COLD -
ARKANSAS - cooler temperatures forecast for the region this week are UNUSUAL. High temperatures should climb to about 65 by the end of the weekend, which is normal for this time of year.
WASHINGTON - The warmest high temperature and the coolest low temperature of the regular reporting stations Monday were both west of the Cascades, which is UNUSUAL.
Crop Failures, Food Shortages, Fish Die-Off - updated Wednesdays.
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Tuesday, March 21, 2006 -
QUAKES -
Largest quakes yesterday -
3/20 -
5.0 GUERRERO, MEXICO
5.2 PAKISTAN
5.5 PAKISTAN
5.4 NEW BRITAIN
5.4 NEW BRITAIN
ALGERIA - An earthquake measuring 5.0 has killed at least four people and injured 36 others in Algeria, reports say. However, one eyewitness said that seven people had been killed. Some 30 houses are said to have collapsed in the town of Laalam in the province of Bejaia, about 300km (190 miles) east of the capital, Algiers. Algeria has suffered a number of deadly earthquakes in recent years.
PAKISTAN - Some unknown persons Monday started a false rumour that an earthquake would be coming soon creating panic amongst the students of Noor Model School who started rushing out of the school resulting in a stampede. As a result four students sustained severe injuries.
VOLCANOES -
JAPAN - A volcano in northern Japan erupted early today, spewing a small amount of ash into the air. Mount Meakandake on Japan's northern main island of Hokkaido, about 890 kilometers (555 miles) northwest of Tokyo, erupted about 6:28 a.m. A column of white smoke up to 400 meters (1,320 feet) high was observed moving toward the southeast. About 8,500 residents of the nearby town of Ashoro have been advised not to go near the volcano, but no evacuation order has been issued. The volcano had another minor eruption in 1998.
MARIANA ISLANDS - In early March, the governor of the Northern Mariana Islands extended the state of emergency for the island of Anatahan, citing continued volcanic activity. This volcano began erupting in January 2005 and remained active for much of the year until August 2005, when the volcano quieted.
RUSSIA - Karymsky Volcano on Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula showed considerable activity between March 10 and 17. The volcano emitted ash several times, and satellite imagery showed debris, most likely ash, draped along the sides of the mountain. When the skies were clear over the volcano, satellites also observed a thermal anomaly at the summit. In late March, the United States Geological Survey placed Karymsky at code orange, the second-highest level of concern, meaning that the volcano was not erupting or posing a major hazard, but was clearly active and merited careful monitoring.
INDONESIA - Scientists are closely monitoring a volcano on the densely-populated island of Java after registering increased activity over the weekend. [Site Note - This is all the info I have, as the link is not working.]
TROPICAL STORMS -
Cyclone LARRY was 121 nmi SW of Cairns, Australia.
Cyclone WATI was 555 nmi E of Cairns, Australia.
AUSTRALIA - Cyclone Larry has been downgraded to a category three storm, but not before leaving a trail of destruction along the North Queensland's coast. The town of Innisfail suffered the biggest hammering from Larry's 290 kilometre an hour winds. It is estimated one in three homes around Innisfail have been damaged or destroyed. The mayor says he's never seen anything like it. Banana and sugar cane farmers say their livelihoods for the next 18 months have been wiped out. 80% of the banana crop has been wiped out and their price has doubled. No serious injuries have been reported.
Larry has shredded cane crops worth $200 million, wiping out 10 per cent of Australia's sugar production for the season.
AUSTRALIA'S avocado industry has been damaged by Cyclone Larry, with the storm destroying fruit worth at least $15 million. Larry is now a rain depression. However it was still dumping large falls of rain on the southern Gulf country and whipping up winds of up to 100km/h.
AUSTRALIA - Cyclone Wati is unlikely to follow the destructive path of Cyclone Larry and cross the coast into north Queensland. Computer modelling on the category two cyclone indicated it was likely to turn away from the Australian coast. "It will actually sit off the coast, possibly turning to the south-east and moving parallel to the coast away towards New Zealand." If Wati follows the expected path, it could still bring gale-force winds and large waves along the coast.
Hurricane season begins in late spring in the northern hemisphere – May 15 in the northeastern Pacific and June 1 in the northern Atlantic. Before these dates, hurricanes are almost unheard of and even tropical storms are rare. One of the earliest ever was Tropical Storm Ana in mid-April 2003.
LOUISIANA - The bodies of two people killed last summer when hurricane Katrina slammed into New Orleans were found on Sunday, as officials warned more would be found as demolition work speeds up. About 400 people are still missing. More bodies are being found each week in the Lower Ninth Ward. The darkened, stiff bodies found on Sunday were so badly decomposed, their gender couldn't be immediately determined.
THUNDERSTORMS / HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING -
COLUMBIA - Seven young hikers were found dead and four others were missing after their scouting expedition was swept away by a mudslide triggered by a flash flood in central Colombia. Two young boys and an adult guide were rescued. The youths were on an expedition on Saturday with two guides near the snowcapped Nevado del Ruiz volcano close to their home city of Manizales, 165km west of Bogota. The groups were in a steep canyon after Chinchina River swelled several metres, carrying a crushing load of earth that swept away the scouts as they were bathing and practicing tying knots. "It wasn't raining where they were. They had no idea what was coming from upstream."
INDIA - The 300-km long Jammu-Srinagar national highway was on Monday closed for traffic after landslides caused by heavy and incessant overnight rains. Two-way traffic on the highway, the economic lifeline of Kashmir valley, had just been restored on Sunday after remaining affected for most of the past week. Landslides are a common occurrence on the highway at this time of the year due to rain.
TEXAS - Continuous severe thunderstorms have dropped more than ten inches of rain in Dallas County since Friday. Storms dumped 8.64 inches of rain in Garland and 5.82 inches in Benbrook, as well as more than 6 inches in Wylie, Cleburne, and Cooper. Flooding Sunday damaged mobile homes, apartments and homes. One woman died when storms swept her car off the road into Turtle Creek Sunday in North Dallas. Rescue crews managed only to save her friend. (links to videos of damage and photos)
SNOW / COLD -
U.S. - A storm system barreled across the Plains states on the last day of winter, piling snow more than a foot deep that stalled highway and train travelers in South Dakota and Colorado and causing flooding in Texas. Hundreds of schools were closed Monday in Nebraska, Kansas, Colorado and South Dakota, and six-foot snowdrifts were reported in western South Dakota. At least two deaths were blamed on the storm, one in Colorado and the other in Dallas. About 200 miles of Interstate 90 was closed Monday across South Dakota from Rapid City to Chamberlain because of the heavy snow and stuck trailer-trailer rigs. It had been shut down since Sunday afternoon. "It's pretty RARE." In Council Bluffs, Iowa, the storm is expected to be the worst of this winter for the area, as they were expecting 16 inches of snow. Up to 13 inches of snow was reported in Nebraska and South Dakota, with 11 inches in eastern Colorado. The rains were the first real relief in weeks for wildfire-ravaged Texas, but falling at 2 inches an hour, one problem just replaced another. Up to 8 inches of rain was reported in North Texas, causing weekend flooding around the Dallas area.
HEAT / WILDFIRES -
ALABAMA - the current decade has been the worst for snow lovers since weather measurements began in Birmingham in 1895. The city has now gone 6 years and 2 months since the last measured snow on Jan. 28, 2000, the LONGEST TIME WITHOUT SNOW EVER RECORDED. The high of 85 on March 12 was the SECOND HIGHEST TEMPERATURE FOR THE DATE IN 111 YEARS, exceeded only by the record high of 87 on March 12, 1967.
Drought, Heat, Water Shortages, Wildfires - updated Tuesdays.
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Monday, March 20, 2006 -
QUAKES -
Largest quakes yesterday -
3/19 -
5.2 OFF W. CST OF NORTHERN SUMATERA
5.4 OFF W. CST OF NORTHERN SUMATERA
5.4 NORTHERN SUMATERA, INDONESIA
5.3 VANUATU ISLANDS
5.0 MOZAMBIQUE
5.2 FIJI ISLANDS REGION
5.4 SE.OF LOYALTY ISLANDS
5.8 VANUATU ISLANDS REGION
5.8 VANUATU ISLANDS REGION
TROPICAL STORMS -
Cyclone LARRY was 53 nmi SSW of Cairns, Australia.
Cyclone WATI was 817 nmi E of Cairns, Australia.
AUSTRALIA - Destructive Cyclone Larry is continuing to batter the far north Queensland coast. Authorities say cane farming town Innisfail, which has borne the brunt of the storm, will be plunged into financial ruin in the wake of the destructive cyclone. Cairns has also been significantly affected. The cyclone hit as a maximum category five this morning, with wind gusts reaching 290kph. It has since been downgraded to a four. Despite the downgrade, forecasters have warned the far north region has probably not yet seen the strongest winds. "We have reports of fairly major structural damage around Innisfail area, one from Silkwood which is to the south of Innisfail, and we've had reports of some casualties at Cairns hospital, some 20 or so. There's also some reports of a few people missing as well." "The crops are all gone, bananas are all flattened, cane's flattened. It'll kill us for 12 or 18 months. It'll kill us completely...(We're expecting) a lot of problems, massive problems."
Larry is "THE WORST CYCLONE WE'VE HAD IN DECADES."
The cyclone is expected to retain its intensity until at least Tuesday morning as it continues to push hundreds of kilometres inland. Coastal residents between Cairns and Townsville are specifically warned of the dangerous storm tide as the cyclone crosses the coast. (cyclone path and satellite photo)
To add to the region's concern, a second cyclone, Wati, has formed behind Larry but was today near Vanuatu, still days away from hitting the Australian coast. It does look like it will be following a similar path to Larry in the next few days.
HURRICANE RITA - signs of Rita's passage still abound in Southeast Texas six months later. Hurricane Katrina hit less than a month before Rita. Hurricane Rita will go down in history as one of the 20 strongest hurricanes ever to hit the United States. Regionally, it will be seen as one of the strongest and one of the worst. Insured losses from Rita have been estimated at $4.7 billion. One UNUSUAL factor with Rita was its multiple eye walls. Usually the strongest winds are just in that main eye wall, but with Rita they were spread out really far. "This year's looking like another intense year for hurricanes. The Gulf of Mexico's already warmer than average in many locations."
THUNDERSTORMS / HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING -
KENYA - East Africa's long-running drought has devastated livestock and wildlife in Kenya, but now a spurt of rains is killing animals too. Hungry animals ate too much when rains finally fell on parched lands in recent days. "Once the grass sprouted, the animals fed excessively and many died owing to bloat."
Disease - updated Mondays
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Sunday, March 19, 2006 -
On TV tonight - "Perfect Disaster" at 9 p.m. on both coasts - the first episode of a new series on the Discovery Channel. Tonight's episode is "Super Tornado," which reduces the entire city of Dallas to rubble. The series examines what might happen if some of Nature's most destructive storms were unleashed on some of the world's most populous cities. Each catastrophe is presented as a mini-movie, complete with actors and fictional storylines, but unlike similar Hollywood creations, each episode is peppered with expert scientific commentary and slick computer animations explaining the science behind the storms. The series' tagline is "It may not happen tomorrow, but it is scientific prediction." The second episode is "Solar Storm". It's the year 2011. The Sun has reached its solar maximum, a turbulent period in its sunspot cycle, and it has unleashed a monster solar flare and massive amounts of radiation. NASA's SOHO satellite has just detected a coronal mass ejection three times stronger than anything scientists have ever seen. If it strikes Earth, the CME will easily break through the magnetosphere, the Earth's natural shield against solar storms, and could cause global blackouts that last for years. The series also includes: a super typhoon bearing down on Hong Kong; a mega flood engulfing London; a fire storm blazing up Sydney; and an ice storm that brings Montreal to a standstill.
QUAKES -
Largest quakes yesterday -
3/18 -
5.4 TALAUD ISLANDS, INDONESIA
5.6 SOUTH SANDWICH ISLANDS
5.4 SOUTH SANDWICH ISLANDS
5.0 BANDA SEA
3/17 -
5.2 NORTHERN SUMATERA, INDONESIA
5.3 TONGA ISLANDS
5.6 BANDA SEA
5.4 BISMARCK SEA
5.3 VANUATU ISLANDS
5.5 BANDA SEA
5.0 MOZAMBIQUE
VOLCANOES -
ITALY - Mount Vesuvius may be getting ready to blow, but Italians living on the mountain are oddly complacent. In a recent issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, geologists put the chance of an eruption by the end of this calendar year at a whopping one in two. In 2002, scientists at the Vesuvius Observatory warned that the mountain was starting a new cycle of eruptive activity. According to the civil authorities in Naples, they hope to have as much as a 27-day advance warning in order to evacuate the 600,000 residents who live in the so-called "red zone" within a 2.7 mile radius of Vesuvius's cone. If given about a month to plan, they say they can get all these residents to safety within seven days. There's no guarantee that geologists will be able to predict an eruption seven days out. The recent history of Italian volcanic eruptions provides ammunition for both sides. No Italian volcano in the last few decades has erupted without some sort of pre-eruptive seismic activity.
ALASKA - Nineteen volcanoes in Alaska and the Northern Mariana Islands that seriously threaten aviation are not monitored by ground sensors able to communicate in real time, according to the federal government's top volcano hazard warning official. Without such ground-based monitoring, confirmation of an eruption can take hours. A delay of hours could be fatal when jets filled with people travel the skies at eight miles per minute. "More than 200 flights carry roughly 25,000 people over northern Pacific air routes on a daily basis."
TROPICAL STORMS -
Cyclone LARRY was 262 nmi ENE of Townsville, Australia.
AUSTRALIA - CYCLONE LARRY - Damaging winds, high tides and flooding are expected to batter parts of north Queensland today as Cyclone Larry intensifies. The weather bureau overnight upgraded the cyclone to a category three.
Larry could be destructive by the time it crosses the coast. "Now my information is that they're warning it'll go to a four and could possibly be a five [category] by the time it crosses the coast."
Rack up yet another record for last year's Atlantic hurricane season: Meteorologists say Hurricane Emily briefly swelled to Category 5 strength as it barreled toward the Yucatan Peninsula in July. That means the season produced an UNPRECEDENTED FOUR STORMS to reach that most elite tier of hurricanes: those bearing sustained winds greater than 155 mph. Last year's other Category 5s were Katrina, Rita and Wilma, which by themselves had set a record of three in one season. Emily also sets the RECORD FOR THE EARLIEST in the season that a Category 5 storm has formed in the Atlantic basin and is the only one to have appeared in July.
2005 also produced:
• A RECORD 27 tropical storms or hurricanes, ending with Tropical Storm Zeta. (This may soon rise to 28 if the National Hurricane Center declares that a previously unannounced subtropical storm formed in the eastern Atlantic in October.)
• A RECORD 15 hurricanes.
• Seven major hurricanes of Category 3 or higher, just below the record of eight major storms set in 1950.
THUNDERSTORMS / HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING -
PAPUA NEW GUINEA - More than 30,000 people are cut off from basic services after a landslip swept away the Mongi bridge in the Pindiu area. “There are more than 30,000 people in Hube and the Burum-Kuat LLG who are cut off from basic services because of the continuous rain, landslide and the destruction of Mongi bridge.” They cannot reach the Pindiu airstrip to collect medical and school supplies.
GREECE - In what is seen as the WORST FLOODING IN MORE THAN 40 YEARS, more than 30,000 hectares of land in the Evros region were submerged by water Thursday, causing residents to flee their homes. Homes, warehouses, roads and farmland disappeared under floodwater. More flooding also occurred further west in the Serres region where the overflowing Strimonas River, which enters Greece from Bulgaria, has covered more than 400 hectares of farmland, causing tens of thousands of euros in damage. Conditions have reached a critical point. “The situation is getting worse as it goes. As the water level rises, so does our anxiety.” Volunteers were handing out bottles of water to residents as drinking water supplies were cut off. The local train network stopped operating. Along with severe damage to crops, authorities estimate that the toll on livestock is also heavy. Stables, many of which still had animals in them, have been swept away by the floodwaters. Heavy rainfall and melting snow are blamed for the flooding along with the entry of massive amounts of water from neighboring Bulgaria. Three of the four reserves that supply Athens with water are currently overflowing. Officials from the Athens Water Company estimate that there is enough water now to supply the capital for the next five years.
INDIA - Hailstorm, rain and strong winds unleashed their combined fury on the State capital and southern parts of the State on Thursday evening. A hail of woes came crashing down on Bhopal residents as a power shutdown threw life out of gear as electricity wires broke under branches of trees that fell. The hailstorm left a trail of destruction of the standing crops. The calamity hit the State while it was still smarting under the destruction of last week's hailstorm. High velocity winds and lightning preceded heavy rains and bouts of hailstorm that continued for about an hour in the evening. The wind velocity was so high that trees were uprooted in parts of the City.
HAWAII - Devastating rain, up to an inch an hour in some spots, brought more misery to Kauai Thursday, flooding homes and businesses on the South Shore and closing roads from Hanalei to Kekaha. Ground search-and-rescue operations were expected to resume on the North Shore, where the Ka Loko Dam above Kilauea burst on Tuesday. Two bodies have been recovered, and five people are still missing from the breach's torrential flood. Other dams on Kauai remain under a close watch but appeared to be holding. On the North Shore, police will be stationed along Kuhio Highway 24 hours a day for months to direct traffic along the stretch of road damaged by Tuesday's dam breach. Only one lane could be reopened due to erosion on the shoulders of the road.
CALIFORNIA - Part of the Bay Area experienced a rare cloudburst on Thursday when a thunderstorm converged with a frontal system during the early evening. The isolated thunderstorm cell swooped down from the north and got caught up with a funnel system from the south to produce the downpour. "It was a FREAK occurrence. It probably won't happen again (today), but I wouldn't write it off completely. We seem to have had lots of FREAK OCCURRENCES lately." "Such heavy rain is UNUSUAL. It happens, but only about every five years or so."
WIND -
CANADA - Ontario's Point Pelee National Park has lost its point. The southernmost tip of Canada is in the park, near the town of Leamington. There have always been several hundred metres of sand jutting out from the mainland. But park officials say recent high winds have washed away the sand point and all that remains is a platform. The park advertises itself as "the southernmost tip of Canada's mainland, which is at the same latitude as northern California." A no-swimming sign that used to mark the southernmost point washed up on a beach in Madison, Ohio, about 100 kilometres across Lake Erie. Officials say the sand patterns at the point change frequently.
The tip - an 800-metre sand spit jutting out - was swallowed by Lake Erie some time between Monday night and Tuesday morning. Wind blasted Point Pelee National Park, a triangular peninsula about 50 kilometres southeast of Windsor, Ont., and whipped up waves that erased the point. "It's the second time the spit has vanished in two years; this year, it was the combined result of Ontario's RECORD-BREAKING mild winter, which brought no ice cover to Lake Erie, and extreme winds that whipped north from the United States during a sudden storm. Monday night's FREAK storm, part of the fierce tornado system that killed 10 people in the United States on Monday, ate the spit completely. Before its disappearance two years ago, the spit hadn't done its vanishing act for 10 years. "It's happening a lot more frequently, and in the last two years it's the WORST WE'VE EVER SEEN." Of greater concern to scientists is the persistent erosion that has chipped away at the shores of Lake Erie.
SNOW / COLD -
RUSSIA - A powerful cyclone, the second this week, hit the Khabarovsk Territory on Saturday. Snowfalls and winds of up to 15 metres a second are raging all over the territory from the western borders to the Okhotsk Sea coast. According to meteorologists, the cyclone will move east during the day and next night, and good weather is expected to set in by Monday. The previous cyclone raging in the territory for three days brought six weeks' level of precipitation and impeded air and road traffic.
FRANCE - The French authorities' battle to convince British skiers and snow boarders to abandon the growing trend of "free-riding", or leaving set ski runs, reached desperation point this week when a 35-year-old snow boarder from Cumbria became the latest tourist to die in a spate of snow slides that have killed a RECORD-BREAKING NUMBER OF PEOPLE, more than 80 people across the Alps this season. Within the past two weeks Les Arcs has seen two metres of snow in eight days, the FASTEST SNOWFALL FOR 20 YEARS. A combination of deep snow and cold fierce winds has triggered almost 100 small avalanches across the Alps.
Space Weather / Solar Storms / Meteors - updated Sundays.
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Friday, March 17, 2006 -
QUAKES -
Largest quakes yesterday -
3/16 -
5.2 MINAHASSA PENINSULA, SULAWESI
5.3 NORTHERN SUMATERA, INDONESIA
5.1 ANDAMAN ISLANDS,INDIA
5.4 JAWA, INDONESIA
5.0 BANDA SEA
5.2 RAT ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS
TSUNAMI -
INDONESIA - The March 15th 6.4 earthquake, and 5 metre tidal wave that occurred in the aftermath of the earthquake, has caused two fatalities, and seriously injured one person. One person has been reported as missing. The quake also caused heavy damage to houses in Pela Village (116), Batu Jungku Village (54), Waimorot Village (30), Wailawa Village (25), and Waimoly Village (16). It has not been specified whether these damaged houses are easily repaired or still habitable. Some 1,200 persons from Batu Jungku and Pelang Village of Bata Bual Sub-District fled from their homes to higher/mountainous areas.
INDONESIA - Three people are dead after waves as high as five metres (16.5 feet) swept away at least 116 village houses following Tuesday's 6.4 quake. Police in speedboats and villagers in wooden fishing boats were still searching for three missing children. The quake, which rocked several islands in the eastern Indonesian province of Maluku, also damaged hundreds of homes in five other villages on Buru island.
VOLCANOES -
INDONESIA - Merapi volcano in Central Java has shown a sign of increased activity in the past few days, forcing the local authorities to raise its alert status to "Awas Merapi" (Beware Merapi). Sensors detected increased activity in its crater. 10,000 people living in vulnerable villages on the volcano`s slope were making preparations to flee their homes in case of eventualities. Merapi "could erupt within days if the current activity continues."
INDIA - The volcano on Barren Island is very active and the height of the volcanic cone has increased by about 50 metres during the past nine months since its eruption in last May. Although the intensity of the lone active volcano in India was on the rise, there was no need for panic. Such a phenomenon does not lead to any major earthquake in this region. On the contrary, the continuous emission of lava from the volcano releases energy thus cutting out chances of high-magnitude tremors.
TROPICAL STORMS -
Sea temperature boosts storm force - Of all the factors that drive a major storm — such as humidity, wind shear or broad air circulation patterns — only the steady increase in sea surface temperatures over the last 35 years can account for the rising strength of tempests in six ocean basins around the world, including the North Atlantic, Pacific and Indian oceans, scientists at the Georgia Institute of Technology reported. The increase in the most severe storms — category 4 and 5 hurricanes have doubled since 1990 — was directly linked to the rising temperature of tropical oceans, which warmed globally by 1 degree Fahrenheit during the same period. "This trend can't be explained by natural cycles because the cycles are different for each basin. This is not natural variability." Many hurricane experts, however, said that the severity of storms depends on so many technical factors — ranging from the salinity of regional seawater to the pervasive influence of El Nino currents — that it is misleading to single out ocean temperatures as the dominant factor.
THUNDERSTORMS / HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING -
HAWAII - Rain continued to fall yesterday, with Kaua'i, the Big Island and O'ahu getting most of it. The National Weather Service calls for more rain until at least the weekend. A series of upper-level, low-pressure systems that have been hitting the Islands since February have resulted in rainfall that is between two to six times the normal amounts. The total inches of rain across the hardest-hit areas in the last three weeks is equivalent to the normal rainfall in those areas for the first three months of the year. "For most places on Kaua'i, it's three months of rain in three weeks. It's UNUSUAL to have such a prolonged wet period but it's not like it's never happened before." From Feb. 18 to March 15, Kaua'i's Hanalei River had 34.82 inches of rain. O'ahu's Wilson Tunnel had 39.12 inches. On the Big Island, Mountain View had 37.78 inches. The normal rainfall in March for Hanalei is 13.4 inches; for Wilson Tunnel, 11.5 inches; and for Mountain View, 19.6 inches. That's the result of four high-level, low-pressure systems developing just to the northwest of the state, bringing unstable conditions and tapping into an abundant moisture supply to the south. The systems arrived Feb. 19-24, March 1-3 and March 8 through Friday, with the latest onslaught ongoing.
SNOW / COLD -
FRANCE - A British woman has been killed in an avalanche in France, taking the Alps death toll to 87, the HIGHEST ON RECORD.
NORTH DAKOTA - Saturday's snowfall brought with it UNUSUAL snow formations. Spontaneous snowballs blowing over the plains were reported in more than one location, according to the National Weather Service. The snowballs settled after the wind died down and made for an interesting sight in rural fields. Meteorologists speculated that the unusual formations were the result of wet snow and light winds. They suspect the snow phenomenon happened because the snow was sticky and wet. When it started to blow, it picked up more snow, much like a manmade snowball would. "I had never heard of this until now. Maybe it has to do with the rate of snowfall. There was enough of it to work with."(photo)
HEAT / WILDFIRES -
A prominent University of Ottawa science professor says what we know about global warming is wrong - that stars, not greenhouse gases, are heating up the Earth. High-energy rays from distant parts of space are smashing into our atmosphere in ways that make our planet go through warm and cool cycles. "Empirical observations on all time scales point to celestial phenomena as the principal driver of climate, with greenhouse gases acting only as potential amplifiers." The majority of climate scientists still firmly believe that greenhouse gases are to blame.
ODD -
MYSTERY BOOMS STILL A MYSTERY -
OREGON - The Portland Air National Guard says they do not believe F-15 fighters are to blame for loud booms heard throughout the area on Saturday. The Air National Guard checked Portland's flight track and determined jets were conducting training flights over the Northwest when a series of strange rumbling noises hit. However, the two jets that broke the sound barrier were over the ocean and pointing west. That sonic boom would not have traveled more than 20 miles. "If it was us, we'll confess and make sure we look at procedures and make sure it doesn't happen again." Many people on the base heard the noise as well, but say it was much different than a sonic boom. The Air National Guard will now check Seattle's flight track to see if any other jets may have been flying at the time.
Unusually High Tides / Freak Waves - updated Fridays.
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Thursday, March 16, 2006 -
QUAKES -
Largest quakes yesterday -
3/15 -
5.0 IRIAN JAYA, INDONESIA
5.3 UNIMAK ISLAND, ALASKA
5.6 MOZAMBIQUE
5.3 MOZAMBIQUE
5.5 VANUATU ISLANDS
MOZAMBIQUE has been hit by another earthquake, the second in less than a month. The 5.6 quake was felt between Beira in the north and Maputo. A quake on February 23, which registered 7.5 on the Richter scale, caused the death of five people. No reports of injuries or serious damage to property have been received yet. The tremor was severe in Chipinge where panic-striken residents were seen running in fear. In Zimbabwe the tremor shook tall buildings. A large aftershock of 5.3 followed the quake.
"The moon is seismically active." Shallow moonquakes occur only 20 or 30 kilometers below the surface. Between 1972 and 1977, the Apollo seismic network saw twenty-eight of them; a few registered up to 5.5 on the Richter scale. Furthermore, shallow moonquakes lasted a remarkably long time. Once they got going, all continued more than 10 minutes. "The moon was ringing like a bell." On Earth, vibrations from quakes usually die away in only half a minute. What causes the shallow moonquakes? And where do they occur? "We're not sure." Scientists are developing a proposal to deploy a network of 10 to 12 seismometers around the entire moon, to gather data for at least three to five years. This kind of work is necessary to find the safest spots for permanent lunar bases. And that's just the beginning. Other planets may be shaking, too.
FLOODING -
HAWAII - Tuesday a storm dumped 5 to 6 inches of rain on Kauai in 24 hours. Days of heavy rain broke through an 1890s-era plantation dam in the island's rugged northern hills. The rush of flood water Tuesday swept away two homes and covered the only highway along the northern coast. Searchers found one person dead and were looking for at least seven others, some of them children who hadn't been seen since the deluge. Rain hampered the search and road-clearing efforts, and officials were worried Wednesday that other old earthen dams in the area may have been catastrophically weakened by days of heavy rain. One dam in particular was also in imminent danger of collapsing. "The entire island is kind of flooding in different parts. We're just hoping and praying for the rain to pass and the skies to clear." Authorities estimated that about 1,400 acre-feet of water poured out of the reservoir, enough water to cover 1,400 acres a foot deep, or more than 60 million cubic feet. The water cut off access to thousands of rural houses and luxury condominiums along Kauai's north shore. "Sounded like a 747 jet crashing here in the valley, all the trees popping and snapping and everything. It was just a horrendous sound, and it never quit." "To my knowledge, there was no warning whatsoever." Nearly all of Hawaii's dams were built early in the past century before federal standards existed or the advent of the state's program for assessing dam and levee safety. "I would characterize this as a growing crisis on Kauai." (photo)
Devastated - that is how residents in Kilauea on Kauai’s North Shore said they felt early Tuesday after a 70-foot high, 200-foot wide "tsunami" wave that sounded like thunder, came crashing down from the mountain around 5 a.m., washing through homes and dragging between three and eight people away. The "thunder," which residents say kept getting louder until they could hear nothing else, was actually more than 300 million gallons of fresh water that raced toward the tiny beachside community from the mountain after several weeks of heavy rain caused the 116-year-old Kaloko Dam to breach its earth barrier. Several residents are still trapped in their homes because a 300-foot area of the Kuhio Highway, the only road leading to the community, was ripped away. A thick tropical forest behind the homes, with trees more than a century old, was crushed, leaving just a barren path of silt. There are other dams already overflowing, including the nearby Morita Dam and the South side’s Waita Reservoir, which could break at any time. The imminent threat caused state and county officials to suspend their search and rescue efforts on land. Forecasters say more rain continues to pour down in the area.
The reservoir collapse is the WORST NATURAL DISASTER ON KAUA'I SINCE HURRICANE INIKI IN 1992. The disaster was the most serious consequence so far of this winter's rash of storms. The Red Cross estimates that 137 homes were damaged by flooding on O'ahu over the last three weeks. (flood photos, map, and link to a video).
CALIFORNIA - The Sacramento area levee system poses a potential severe flooding risk. The city sits at the convergence of two large rivers - the American and the Sacramento. Much of the city is only around 28 feet above sea level and a system of levees surrounds many neighborhoods. Upstream on the American River sits the Folsom Dam - which the dam's own operator stated as "No. 1 on the federal Bureau of Reclamation's safety priority list." The mix produces a possible recipe for a huge disaster in an area with more than 500,000 residents - not to mention the hundreds of thousands more that live downstream on the Sacramento River as it approaches San Francisco and the Bay. "The delta is very fragile. If there's a levee breach in the wrong place, it would all go - it could be a Katrina-sized disaster. The ways the levees are set up, it could start a chain reaction." Some neighborhoods now have developers building homes on top of levees or right up next to levees. "The heavy rain seasons wear away at our levees." This is an area that's already seen many, many floods in the past century and before the levees were built - the worry is that time is running out on when the next major flood will cause a tremendous disaster. "If you have a 30-year mortgage on your house, there's a one in four chance of this occurring during your 30 years." There is a 66 percent chance that either a major earthquake or flood would lead to catastrophic levee failure in the Delta region in the next 50 years.
NORTH DAKOTA - Forecasters say lingering cold weather could delay the Red River Valley snowmelt this spring, increasing the flood potential. "The longer we wait before we start the melt it could cause more water to come into the system." The latest flood outlook in Grand Forks gives a 90 percent chance that the Red River will top off more than 40 feet, the "moderate" flood stage, but only a 30 percent chance it will hit the 46-foot "major" flood level. Minor flood stage in Grand Forks-East Grand Forks is 28 feet. The situation is more serious in Fargo, where there is a 90 percent chance of major flooding. The Red in Fargo is expected to climb to a level of 30 feet. Flood stage in the city is 18 feet. The cold weather is expected to hang around the area for about two weeks. Summer flooding seems to have been more of a problem in the Red River Valley in recent years. "It used to be, you had your springtime flood, and you're done."
AUSTRALIA - Children as young as six years old have laboured to help build emergency levees to protect their small West Australian town of Kalbarri from the BIGGEST FLOOD IN LIVING MEMORY. Their efforts in the past two days had paid off, with the biggest levees built in WA still holding back flood water from the Murchison River. The sandbanks, one 400m long and one metre high and another 500m long and two metres high, were believed to be the longest and highest built in WA. "No floods have ever gone to this height on record or in living memory. It is beyond all expectations at this stage." The floods were the end result of two cyclones on the WA north in the past couple of months. "The water has come from about 400km away so you are talking major distances." The town was bracing to see what would happen at the next high tide at noon. The historic Murchison House Station, 40km further north, was not so lucky. They had never seen anything like this flood. "We're just floating, metres and metres, all the houses have had it."
THUNDERSTORMS / HEAVY RAINS -
U.S. - An experimental long-range storm forecasting program accurately predicted last weekend's massive outbreak of severe weather almost eight days before it happened. Now that same program indicates a similar weather pattern may be developing for this weekend. It appears it could be setting up for the same thing on Sunday. "We're seeing a warm front and cold front merging together in extreme northeast New Mexico, and that's sure what it looked like with you guys before all hell broke loose last weekend." The program examines high-level jet stream patterns, the flow of moist air from the Gulf of Mexico and high and low temperatures. The experimental six-day forecast shows warm, moist air colliding with colder, dry air over Kansas and Oklahoma on Sunday. With high-speed jet stream winds angling across that boundary, it could be the perfect setup for tornadoes. "There is a cold front coming down that will set it up for a definite possibility of severe weather." The experimental program is designed to make accurate weather projections as far as eight days out. Several of Sunday's tornadoes hit the same homes destroyed by twisters in 2003. In particular, the tornado cut through Lawrence and Christian counties on almost an identical path. Yet the supercell thunderstorms that produce tornadoes are so big that ground features don't affect which way they go.
LIGHTNING -
ENGLAND - A Southgate family were startled when two beer cans cooling on their doorstep took a direct hit from a bolt of lightning during a FREAK electrical storm. Thursday afternoon the sky darkened as a cloud passed over head. "There was a terrible bang which the whole of Southgate could hear and then there was a loud flash, lots of smoke and an awful smell." When they stepped outside they noticed the bolt of lightning had left four identical holes through the two cans of beer sitting outside. Indoors up to £1,000 worth of electrical equipment including an internet router, two televisions and a DVD player were wrecked by the surge of power, shortly after 4pm. Neighbours also said their televisions and computers stopped working after the lightning struck.
WEST VIRGINIA - A massive lightning strike is the likely cause of the explosion that killed 12 workers at the Sago Mine when the strike ignited methane gas in a sealed-off area. Weather monitors confirmed an UNUSUALLY LARGE AND POWERFUL lightning strike near the mine; the U.S. Geological Survey confirmed a seismic event at Sago at the same time; and the mine's own atmospheric monitoring system signaled a combustion alarm. The precise route the electrical charge followed remains under investigation, but there is no evidence that a nearby gas well contributed to the explosion. "The explosion was an unpredictable and highly unusual accident."
SNOW / COLD -
ENGLAND - The Arctic cold gripping Wales has delayed spring and could have a devastating impact on the nation's wildlife, experts have warned. For the past five years spring has been arriving earlier than usual because of what is widely accepted as the effect of global warming and climate change. But 2006's freezing temperatures have led to a seasonal delay that is already confusing Wales' rich variety of flora and fauna. Migratory birds have usually arrived from the Sahara by now. So far they have failed to show up. Insects are yet to hatch, and the spring flowers they depend on, including daffodils, primroses and pussy willow, are late to flower. Now conservationists are worried about a lack of food for the nation's wildlife during the breeding season. Weather forecasters' warnings of more snow to come have heightened these concerns. Wales was currently around 4C colder than average temperatures.
FRANCE - Fierce winds and heavy snowfall have unleashed a rash of avalanches in the French Alps, sweeping away skiers seeking off-piste thrills and making this ski season THE MOST DEADLY IN AT LEAST 35 YEARS. The rough weather this year is the culprit. "The dangers were in place from the start of the season." 53 peole have been killed this season. Usually, snowslides kill about 25 people on France's slopes each season. The surge in avalanches has been concentrated in the southern reaches of the French Alps and appears largely confined to France. In neighboring Switzerland, there have been 21 avalanche fatalities this season, eight fewer than last season's final total.
WESTERN U.S. - Yet another powerful March snowstorm swept across the region Tuesday, bringing several feet of fresh snow to the Sierra and covering the valleys in the Reno-Carson City area in white. Roads were snarled with accidents and two residential areas of north Lake Tahoe were put under an avalanche advisory. About 30 homes in the Crystal Bay area were in danger while several homes and a fire station on Mount Rose Highway were threatened in Incline Village. March is on pace to become one of the snowier Marches on record with another storm expected to hit today. There's no immediate letup in sight, forecasters said. The unending snowfall makes the weather feel unlike spring is only a week away. "It feels like January."
HEAT / WILDFIRES -
TEXAS - Stiff winds pushed wildfires deeper into the parched Texas Panhandle on Wednesday, threatening six small towns. The devastation is of historic proportions. Wildfires have consumed more than 840,000 acres since Sunday, and still they burn. 700,000 acres is the equivalent of two-thirds of Rhode Island.
OKLAHOMA - Multiple wildfires are burning across Oklahoma, fueled by a windy Wednesday afternoon.
MARYLAND & VIRGINIA - Conditions are perfect for large wildfires - gusty winds combined with dry weather conditions and low humidity.
NEW YORK - It's was very windy Wednesday. What's UNUSUAL is that the sources of the wind was far away. A high pressure system is building up in the Midwest. As that gains strength the pressure gradient between it and a stationary low pressure system over Nova Scotia increases. The steeper the pressure gradient the faster the wind as the atmosphere tries to level out the pressure differences. Winds will be blowing at a steady 20-30 miles an hour, with gusts up to 50 mph. The wind is bringing very dry air into the region. The dew point temperature dropped ten degrees over a few hours. Add winds and very dry air and the chance of brush fires goes way up. The busy National Weather Service issued a Red Flag Warning, meaning there is a high fire danger. Even the slightest spark could start a fire, and once started a fire is going to spread rapidly. Staten Island has already seen a couple of fires break out this week. (satellite photo)
INDIA - Farmers in Uttaranchal are reeling under a drought-like situation following a dry winter spell in their region. While parts of the western, central and northern India have been affected by unseasonal rainfall, vast tracts of Uttaranchal have reportedly dried up due to lack of rains. Farmers say though there has been a decline in rainfall in the region for the past 5-7 years, this dry winter spell is UNUSUAL. “This is the first time I am seeing such a dry spell in winter season, even though there has been a decline in the rainfall in the past 5-7 years. Our crops have damaged. We had sown wheat crop but it's all damaged." India's annual monsoon rains, crucial for a farm dependent economy, are forecast to be normal this year due to favourable wet weather patterns. The four-month monsoon is the main source of water for most farmers in India, and reached 99 percent of the long-term average between June and September in 2005.
A century of data shows intensification of the water cycle but no increase in storms or floods. Although many aspects of the global water cycle have intensified, including precipitation and evaporation, this trend has not consistently resulted in an increase in the frequency or intensity of tropical storms or floods over the past century. "A key question in the global climate debate is if the climate warms in the future, will the water cycle intensify and what will be the nature of that intensification." The weight of evidence from past studies shows on a global scale that precipitation, runoff, atmospheric water vapor, soil moisture, evapotranspiration, growing season length, and wintertime mountain glacier mass are all increasing. The key point with the glaciers is that there is more snowfall resulting in more wintertime mass accumulation – another indication of intensification. "This intensification has been proposed and would logically seem to result in more flooding and more intense tropical storm seasons. But over the observational period, those effects are just not borne out by the data in a consistent way."
Unusual Animal Behavior - updated Thursdays.
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Wednesday, March 15, 2006 -
QUAKES -
Largest quakes yesterday -
3/14 -
5.1 SERAM, INDONESIA
6.8 SERAM, INDONESIA
5.2 REVILLA GIGEDO ISLAND, MEXICO
5.1 SEA OF OKHOTSK
5.4 NEW IRELAND
DOMINICAN REPUBLIC - A geology professor warned that the country must be prepared in the short term for a strong earthquake, which could even generate a tidal wave in the country’s North or South zones. There are serious indications, “which have occurred in nature leading us to forecast a possible earthquake with fatal consequences.” He was making reference to the latest tremors which have taken place in the country’s North region, which in his opinion could be the prelude to something stronger.
BULGARIA - The region of Kurdzhali to the south of Bulgaria was shaken yet again by four light-to-moderate quakes on Tuesday. With a magnitude of 3.4 on the Richter scale, the first tremor was felt on the higher floors of apartment buildings. Its epicenter was right in the village of Murgovo. Twenty minutes later the region was hit by a new wave of a moderate strength of 2.8 on the Richter, followed by yet another at 10:30 a.m. The third quake shook at 3.3 on the Richter scale, and the fourth one - about two hours later - was felt at 2.5 on the Richter scale. There have been no reports of injuries or damages. Over the past few weeks the Kurdzhali region was shaken by an alarming number of moderate and light quakes. Experts fear that these could be the warning signals of a devastating 8.0-magnitude earthquake in the works.
TSUNAMI -
PHILIPPINES - On Monday several areas turned into ghost towns after thousands of residents of three coastal towns fled the shorelines following rumors that they would be hit by a tsunami or tidal wave. Residents panicked as they sought higher ground to avoid the supposed tidal wave. Classes were also suspended. Residents blamed TV station GMA 7 for spreading the news. As of Tuesday evening no tsunami hit the area but the flight of people, especially those living along the shore, continued. Nasugbu's Mayor, who initially ordered the evacuation of his townmates to safer places, said he has already advised residents that the tsunami report was false. People have been advised to return to their homes but many families continue to leave the town. Earlier Tuesday the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology dispelled the tsunami rumors saying that no seismic activity which could have triggered such a phenomenon has been recorded near the shores of Batangas.
VOLCANOES -
ECUADOR - Three unique photographs of a recent volcanic eruption in a remote part of Ecuador show A PLUME UNLIKE ANY PREVIOUSLY DOCUMENTED, and hint at a newly recognized hazard. The usual volcanic plume consists of a stalk capped with an umbrella, and resembles the mushroom of an atom bomb blast, but the umbrella on this plume was wavy, like the shell of a scallop." "We had never seen a scalloped umbrella before. UNUSUAL conditions must have existed in the volcanic plume that formed this umbrella." Instead of the usual hot ash, the Reventador eruption on Nov. 3, 2002 appears to have been laden with steam and a fairly cool ash from the destruction of the summit cone. The unusually cool umbrella could not spread for a long time. It rapidly became a heavy mixture of air, steam and ash hovering precariously over the lighter air below. While most umbrellas produce gradual ash falls, scalloped umbrellas behave differently and might represent a previously unrecognized hazard.
RUSSIA - A volcano on an island in a Russian chain in the Pacific has calmed down after years of sporadic activity. Scientists say Mount Ebeko, on the island of Paramushir, is the most dangerous volcano on the Kuril Islands. The volcano started emitting vapor and gas in February, following phases of activity in 2005, 1999 and 1998. There are 36 active volcanoes on the Kuril chain, and at least seven others are also considered to be dangerous.
THUNDERSTORMS / HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING -
BULGARIA - Heavy rainfall has flooded thousands of homes in Bulgaria and caused rivers to rise to dangerous levels in neighbouring Greece and Turkey. A state of emergency has been called in parts of Bulgaria and Greece with bridges damaged and farmland inundated. The floods are said to be the border region's WORST IN 15 YEARS. The governor of Turkey's province of Edirne has accused Bulgaria of letting dangerous amounts of water through dams on the Arda river. In Greece, one of the worst hit towns is Soufli, where 6,000 acres of fields have been flooded. "We are preparing for a nightmare... At the moment we are at the mercy of the army who have been told to be on standby to evacuate people."
CHINA - Five workers were missing after a landslide buried their cabins at a phosphate rock mine in Mianzhu, Sichuan Province, on Monday morning. About 30,000 cubic meters of rock and mud collapsed and moved 100 meters before burying three cabins where the victims were sleeping. The biggest rock in the landslide weighs at least 100 tons. Recent rainfall and snow were partly to blame for the landslide.
HAWAII - Kauai fire officials and the U.S. Coast Guard were searching the ocean off Kilauea Stream on Kauai’s North Shore for at least three people (and possibly 7) who were apparently swept away by floodwaters unleashed when a dam broke Tuesday morning. Kauai was hit with heavy rain all night. At about 5:45 a.m. Tuesday, a major landslide, caused by a breach of the Kaloko Reservoir, knocked down power cables and utility poles and left Kuhio Highway, the only way to the north shore, impassable. A 100-foot-wide river of water across the highway was making it difficult for state and county workers to even get to the source of the trouble. The storm front that dumped the rain over Kauai was expected to hit Oahu Tuesday afternoon and evening. The other islands were expected to get hit later in the week. The entire state remains under a flash flood watch through Thursday. In the 24 hours that ended at 8 a.m. Tuesday, 8.45 inches of rain fell at Mt. Waialeale on Kauai, 5.39 fell in Hanalei, 4.36 at Lihue Airport and 5.78 in Omao. State and county parks have been closed for weeks thanks to recent rain. The flood also damaged Kalapaki Beach, leaving a large swath and mountains of debris.
WIND -
MICHIGAN - A BIZARRE combination of high winds and unfortunate timing left one person dead and two with serious injuries Monday. High winds were among the dangerous weather conditions associated with a quickly moving cold front. Temperatures Monday fell over 30 degrees, from above 60 degrees to 30, with thunderstorms and two tornado watches in Oakland County.
SNOW / COLD -
CALIFORNIA - the parade of icy Alaskan low-pressure cells that have chilled California since late February is likely to keep blowing through the Bay Area and the rest of Northern California into the early weekend, bringing rain with it, forecasters say. In recent days, average Bay Area temperatures have been about 15 degrees below normal. So the hills surrounding the Bay Area get dusted with snow, the lower levels are hit with bone-chilling rain or hail and some of the roads become dangerously icy. "We have had a series of these areas of low pressure that have drifted out of the Gulf of Alaska. And thanks to a fairly persistent cloud cover, "when you have cold air like we've had, the sun just can't warm it up." From March 1 to March 13, Ski resorts in the Sierras got 40 inches to 76 inches of snow in various locations in the area, compared to 5 to 9 inches during the same period last year. At Kirkwood Mountain Resort, 35 miles southwest of Lake Tahoe, the snowpack is also expected to linger UNUSUALLY long this year. In early February Californians were expecting a slightly drier, warmer period into April because of La Niña, but as of March 1, the amount of rainfall in San Francisco was 135 percent higher than the winter average to that point.
UKRAINE - Four avalanches, including one that blocked the Mukachevo-Rogatin road near the village of Yasinya, have been reported from the Carpathian Mountains. An avalanche in western Ukraine killed two skiers and another three are missing. A group of eight lost their way in thick fog while skiing in the Carpathian Mountains on Monday and got caught in the avalanche. Rescuers began searching for the skiers – all from the western Ukrainian city of Chernivtsi - after they failed to return to their hotel. The crews found one of the skiers early Tuesday morning, then located three others, one of whom was dead. Rescuers later recovered a second body.
ARGENTINA - Huge chunks of ice have tumbled off Argentina's Perito Moreno glacier - a rare spectacle that prompted a vigil by hundreds of tourists. Argentine television stations interrupted regular programming with live coverage of the break-up of the glacier known as the "White Giant," which was caused by building water pressure in the lake that it extends across. Perito Moreno forms a natural ice dam extending across a part of the lake. Occasionally, rapidly flowing water beneath the ice leaves a fragile bridge that eventually collapses. Perito Moreno is the world's only expanding glacier, and spreads across a large swathe of southern Patagonia, ending in a translucent blue wall of ice along the Lago Argentino.
ODD -
RUSSIA is red again - after a FREAK fall of colored snow. Northern regions of Russia's Maritime territory have been blanketed by a creamy reddish snow caused by a combination of weather patterns. Authorities have been broadcasting non-stop weather bulletins to explain the phenomena is due to natural causes after panicked locals bombarded police and emergency services. Meteorologists have explained sand storms from neighbouring Mongolia are to blame. A cyclone passed over Mongolia on its way to Russia causing sand particles to be driven up into the air causing the colour of the snow to change. The red snow comes just weeks after yellow snow, caused by pollution from an oil and gas factory, fell on Russia's Far East island of Sakhalin. ( yellow snow photo ). [SITE NOTE - So far there has been red snow and yellow snow in Russia, yellow snow in South Korea, a rust sandstorm and a saffron-yellow sandstorm in China, chocolate brown snow in Arizona.]
MORE MYSTERY BOOMS -
OREGON - People from the coast all the way to the mountains heard mysterious rumbles Saturday night, so what on earth were they? No, it was not an earthquake from Mount St. Helens and it was not thunder and lightning. It seems everyone had their idea what the noises were and nearly everyone had a different opinion about how long it lasted. A meteor was the best guess from the National Weather Service, but that is unconfirmed. The 911 dispatch center told KATU News they heard it was military jets causing sonic booms. Monday morning, KATU contacted McChord Air Force Base to find out if they were conducting some kind of exercise over the metro area. They were still waiting to hear back from them.
UPDATE - The source of those mysterious rumblings over the weekend that caught the attention of so many continues to be a mystery. The focus is on F-15s at the Portland Air Base, which KATU News was originally told were on the ground, but later learned were not. It turns out a group of F-15s were launched from the Portland International Airport Saturday night as part of three days of intensive training. Within an hour of their departure, people started hearing things and feeling some rumblings. That is when the 911 calls began. Even the commander of the F-15 squadron heard the strange noise from his home in Lake Oswego. The logical explanation seemed to be that the fighter jets set off a sonic boom, but the Air National Guard says it does not make sense that so many people, from Longview to the Oregon coast, would hear the same sonic booms at the same time. A much smaller range of 10 to 20 miles is more likely. With so many wondering what happened, the Air National Guard is continuing its investigation. That leaves others to speculate about meteors and to do comparisons with a similar unexplained phenomenon in FLORIDA last year and in MAINE just last month. Others speculate it is a secret government plane, code-named Aurora, which supposedly flies out of Area 51 in Nevada. For years, unusually intense sonic booms rocked LOS ANGELES, with many believing it was Aurora passing by at four times the speed of sound. The Air National Guard says they plan to interview the pilots individually on Wednesday, which may lead to some kind of answer. Each time an F-15 pilot causes a sonic boom over populated areas, they are required to write a log of the event. [SITE NOTE - If you are wondering why I put news of these mystery booms on the page, it is because mystery booms deep in the plate boundary were reported in Indonesia in the months before the December 2004 quake and tsunami. The booms may not be related to quakes, but just in case they are, it seems prudent to keep note of where they are occurring.]
HEAT / WILDFIRES -
MARYLAND - The temperature Monday peaked at 80 degrees, but it was not high enough to break a record. "It was very warm and UNUSUAL for March, but not a record-breaker." The average high temperature for March 13 is 51 degrees. The average low is 30 degrees. Monday's high is the average high temperature for June 6. "To say it was like spring would be an understatement. It was actually summer. But since this is March and not June, it will not last and we're going to have colder weather coming up."
PENNSYLVANIA - Temperatures were anything but typical for early March. Monday's high of 75 TIED THE RECORD DAILY TEMPERATURE set in 1990. The average temperatures for March start out with a high of 40 and progress to a high of 52 by the end of the month.
Sea ice in the Arctic has failed to re-form for the second consecutive winter, raising fears that global warming may have tipped the polar regions in to irreversible climate change far sooner than predicted. Satellite measurements of the area of the Arctic covered by sea ice show that for every month this winter, the ice failed to return even to its long-term average rate of decline. It is the second consecutive winter that the sea ice has not managed to re-form enough to compensate for the unprecedented melting seen during the past few summers. The greatest fear is that an environmental "positive feedback" has kicked in, where global warming melts ice which in itself causes the seas to warm still further as more sunlight is absorbed by a dark ocean rather than being reflected by white ice. The Arctic ice cover is thought to be a key moderator of the northern hemisphere's climate. "One of the big changes this winter is that a large area of the Barents Sea has remained ice-free for the first time. This is part of Europe's 'back yard'. Climate models did predict a retreat of sea ice in the Barents Sea but not for a few decades yet, so it is a sign that the changes that were predicted are indeed happening, but much faster than predicted."
A controversial new theory attributes climate change not to atmospheric carbon dioxide levels but water vapor. The apparent rise in average global temperature recorded by scientists over the past hundred years could be due to atmospheric changes resulting from the Tunguska Event, a massive explosion over Siberia on the June 30th, 1908 that is thought to have resulted from an asteroid or comet entering the earth's atmosphere and exploding. The event could have caused "considerable stirring of the high layers of atmosphere" and triggered the subsequent rise in global temperatures. According to Shaidurov's theory, "small changes in the atmospheric levels of water, in the form of vapour and ice crystals can contribute to significant changes to the temperature of the earth's surface, which far outweighs the effects of carbon dioxide and other gases released by human activities." Shaidurov claims that a 1 percent rise of water vapour could raise the global average temperature of Earth's surface by more than 4 degrees Celsius.
Crop Failures, Food Shortages, Fish Die-Off - updated Wednesdays
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Tuesday, March 14, 2006 -
QUAKES -
This morning there has been a 6.8 quake in Seram, Indonesia.
Largest quakes yesterday -
3/13 -
5.3 LUZON, PHILIPPINE ISLANDS
5.0 MARIANA ISLANDS
5.4 SOUTH OF FIJI ISLANDS
5.0 HINDU KUSH, AFGHANISTAN
5.1 NEAR E.CST EASTERN HONSHU
5.1 NEAR E.CST EASTERN HONSHU
THUNDERSTORMS / HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING -
U.S. - A swarm of 113 tornadoes killed at least 10 people across the American midwest and damaged so much of Illinois' capital that the mayor said he believed "every square inch" of the town of Springfield suffered the effects. A series of powerful storms crossed eastern Kansas, Missouri, Illinois and Indiana Sunday and Monday.
The storm system was the BIGGEST TO PASS THROUGH CENTRAL ILLINOIS IN A DECADE. "To have a storm that actually stays together from all the way west of Kansas City to just south of Chicago is HIGHLY UNUSUAL. ... It could have been much worse." Strong winds continued to buffet parts of Illinois Monday.
The storm that struck Sunday night made a two-hour journey of destruction through Central Illinois, toppling trees, knocking down power lines and blowing roofs off homes. The National Weather Service called the time the tornado was on the ground or just above ground "a HIGHLY UNUSUAL EVENT."
All of the deaths were reported in Missouri, where hundreds of homes and businesses were destroyed over the weekend. Witnesses said hail stones as large as softballs fell from the sky. The severe storm system resulted from moist air from the Gulf of Mexico colliding with colder air from Canada. It brought as much 50 centimetres of snow to parts of western South Dakota.(photos)
Videos of storm damage.
The estimated 113 tornadoes that touched down on Sunday, BROKE A 16-YEAR-OLD RECORD FOR ANY DAY IN MARCH. Damage and power outages from the storms and twisters extended across Oklahoma, Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri, Iowa, Illinois and Indiana. Missouri‘s emergency management agency said 29 of the state‘s 114 counties sustained storm damage. Ohio, Kentucky and Pennsylvania absorbed the brunt of the storm system as it moved eastward on Monday, while another round of storms hit Minnesota and Wisconsin with snow (up to 24 inches), ice and wind. The unsettled weekend weather included FREAK SNOWFALLS in normally balmy sections of California and relief from the RECORD 143-day drought gripping Phoenix.
MICHIGAN - The huge weather system that spawned deadly tornadoes in Kansas and Illinois Sunday is giving West Michigan residents a chance to experience weather from all four seasons in just three days. Sunny skies and temperatures near 70 degrees Saturday made it feel like a mild summer day. That was followed by more than 3 inches of rain Sunday night. Monday's weather featured the gales of March followed by winter's freezing temperatures and snow. Weather forecasters said they were somewhat surprised by the amount of rain (3.4 inches) that drenched Muskegon, Ottawa and Newaygo counties in less than eight hours Sunday night.
Pouring rain, high winds and flood warnings were making for a wild day of weather in mid-Michigan on Monday. There were tornado and high wind warnings. It is early in the season for the possibility of tornadoes. Monday's warnings came at an UNUSUAL TIME as well - between 6 a.m. until 8 a.m.
MOZAMBIQUE - Flooding continued to worsen over the weekend in the lower Zambezi valley. The river continued to rise remorselessly in Caia and Marromeu districts, in the central province of Sofala - areas which have already been flooded once this year, in late January. Cahora Bassa lake is gradually filling up. On Sunday, at the dam wall the height was measured at 324.8 metres. When that measurement reaches 326 metres, the lake is regarded as completely full. The Cahora Bassa dam management has thus been obliged to increase discharges from the dam.
SCOTLAND shivered and struggled back to work as one of the heaviest snowfalls in years started turning to slush. Weather experts warned of floods as mountains of snow melted due to rain and rising temperatures. The big thaw brought more misery for travellers and commuters after yesterday's chaos, when whiteout conditions swept the country.
FOG -
VIETNAM - In the last few days, heavy mist and fog caused the delay of many flights from Ha Noi’s Noi Bai International Aiport, as well as from the airport in Vinh in Nghe An Province. Vietnam Airlines plans to install a lighting system at the airport in Vinh to help prevent such flight delays in the future.
SNOW / COLD -
UTAH - After three days of searching, rescue crews recovered the body of a snowboarder swept away in an avalanche near the Snowbasin Ski Resort.
RUSSIA - The Oktyabrsky settlement with a population of some 2,800 people on Monday found itself totally isolated from the outside world due to the Kamchatka cyclone. The road linking this settlement with the rest territory of the region is closed for all kinds of transport. There is zero visibility on the road running along the sand spit on the coast of the Sea of Okhotsk due to squall wind and heavy snowstorm, which makes traffic impossible. The south of the Kamchatka region remains under the influence of the cyclone that came from the Sakhalin Island. A storm warning is in effect. The fleet is staying at Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky ports. Classes in primary schools have been cancelled. Flights on local air routes have also been cancelled.
ODD -
CHINA - A sandstorm dimmed the sky and turned the air the colour of rust in northwest China, reducing visibility to less than 50 metres. In Artux, capital of the Kizilsu Kirghiz Autonomous Prefecture, the deputy head of a monitoring station called it the WORST AND STRANGEST SANDSTORM TO HIT THE CITY IN 13 YEARS. "It is like going into a flour mill. It is hard to breathe when standing outside as the air is so smoky." Particle counts in the city's air were as much as 222 times higher than normal on Sunday. Sandstorms have become a regular spring phenomenon in parts of China as desert areas expand under pressure of overgrazing and drought. This storm was blamed on a strong cold front that began affecting the region on Saturday, causing gale-force winds. In the city of Kashi, a yellow sandstorm swept in early Sunday morning and later turned the sky saffron yellow.
SOUTH KOREANS have been treated to a RARE WEATHER PHENOMENON when yellow snow fell in the capital and elsewhere across the country. But the snow - containing dust or sand from the desert regions of northern China, could pose a health hazard, the country's meteorological office warns. "It's tough to say whether it's yellow sand mixed in snow or if it's snow mixed in yellow sand." A high concentration of the dust particles prompted the weather bureau to issue a yellow dust warning for the second time in three days. South Korea frequently gets sand or dust storms, but a yellow snow storm is VERY RARE. "I have never seen yellow snow falling before," a meteorological official said. The agency says the yellow snow is a health hazard and officials have warned the pollutants in the flurries included heavy minerals.
HAWAII - A FREAK GUST of wind sent 13 utility poles crashing onto Farrington Highway Sunday, trapping motorists under live power lines but causing no serious injuries. 20 vehicles were damaged. A pole flattened the roof of a Chevy Astro van down to the window sills, but the three people inside escaped with only a scrape to the shoulder of the driver. The huge wooden poles splintered in two about 1 p.m., some crushing cars, and fell across all four lanes of the highway in what many said looked like a hurricane scene — or a disaster movie. Radar spotted 45 mph trade winds coming from the east between 12:30 and 1 p.m., about one mile in altitude. "When a 45 mph wind dips down from aloft, it can accelerate to higher speeds. It is FREAKISH, out of the norm." "It is a RARE AND UNUSUAL CIRCUMSTANCE. Poles are designed to withstand 80 mph winds, which is near hurricane-type conditions. It's hard to say what factors caused the poles to fall. It is under investigation." "It's a miracle that no one got killed." (photos)
HEAT / WILDFIRES -
US climate scientists have recorded a significant rise in the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, pushing it to a NEW RECORD LEVEL. The latest data shows CO2 levels now stand at 381 parts per million (ppm) - 100ppm above the pre-industrial average. The research indicates that 2005 saw ONE OF THE LARGEST INCREASES ON RECORD - a rise of 2.6ppm. The figures are seen as a benchmark for climate scientists around the globe. The latest data confirms a worrying trend that recent years have, on average, recorded double the rate of increase from just 30 years ago. The precise level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is of global concern because climate scientists fear certain thresholds may be "tipping points" that trigger sudden changes. "Today we're over 380 ppm. That's higher than we've been for over a million years, possibly 30 million years."
CANADA - this has been the WARMEST CANADIAN WINTER SINCE 1948 when nationwide record-keeping began.
YO-YO WEATHER -
OREGON - A week of BIZARRE WEATHER EXTREMES ended with a stunning weekend on the Oregon coast. After a few days of high winds, extremely heavy surf, and a rotating mix of snow, hail, rain, lightning and moments of sunshine, the coastal region finally settled down to a pleasant weekend that was largely cloudless and devoid of wind. Temperatures were a bit on the chilly side, lingering in the 50’s and upper 40’s. Friday saw the tail end of some of the mixed bag of weather that dumped ODD conditions on the coast, including the occasional spot of snow. Thursday’s snowstorms left a few inches on the coast range summits, and by Friday evening the passes were a bit icy in some spots.
Drought, Heat, Water Shortages, Wildfires - updated Tuesdays.
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Monday, March 13, 2006 -
QUAKES -
Largest quakes yesterday -
3/11 -
5.2 ANDAMAN ISLANDS,INDIA
5.2 NORTHERN SUMATERA, INDONESIA
5.5 SOUTHWEST INDIAN RIDGE
5.9 NEW IRELAND
THUNDERSTORMS / HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING -
AUSTRALIA - Cairns was mopping up today after a weekend of heavy rain flooded homes and caused a landslip at the back of a house. The slip reached the bottom of window sills at the back of a new house built without a retaining wall. 90mm of rain fell in Cairns in the 24 hours to 9am (AEST) today, on top of the 243mm dumped in the same period to 9am on Sunday. "The outlook is for continued showers with the odd moderate fall. The southeast trade winds that are currently quite strong off the coast are showing an easing trend. When that happens, we usually do see reductions in the rainfalls."
Torrential rain wreaked havoc across far north Queensland with flash flooding inundating homes and blocking roads. To the south of Cairns, 202mm of rain soaked Babinda. Heavy rain is not abnormal in the area during this time of year.
PAPUA NEW GUINEA - Floodwaters caused by heavy weekend rains in Papua New Guinea have washed away riverside dwellings, wiped out food gardens and killed livestock in villages near the capital Port Moresby. The downpours caused the Laloki River just outside the city to burst its banks and sweep away several houses. No one was reported lost but residents say dozens of domestic animals were washed away and riverside food gardens devastated.
FIJI - is expecting localized flooding in low lying areas around the country. A low pressure system currently lies west of Fiji moving south-west. This is expected to bring more rain for the next few days. Meanwhile, the Yavuva Irish crossing near Mulomulo, Nadi, is still closed to all traffic after heavy rain and rising water levels damaged the crossing yesterday afternoon.
PHILIPPINES - The suvivors of the landslide in Barangay Guinsaugon, St. Bernard, Southern Leyte, have not yet gotten over their grief over the deaths of their relatives and fellow villagers who were buried alive under tons of rocks and soil from the mountains, but here comes another monstrous landslide threatening one more hapless mountainside barangay. This time, the place is not in some remote faraway village. It is very near Greater Manila, a barangay in the hill town of Rodriguez (formerly Montalban), Rizal. It is in danger of being buried in another landslide because of rampant logging and quarrying in the mountains. Montalban had experienced several landslides and flash floods before, from which a number of its residents died. That is why residents are deathly afraid of another landslide, especially with the news of landslides happening in many places in the Philippines and with the warning that La Nina will bring torrential rains and floods even this summer.
U.S. - Severe storms across the Midwest packed winds that knocked over airplanes, ripped roofs off homes and spawned tornadoes that killed three people.
KANSAS - Large hail pelted parts of Osage county breaking out windows and causing roof damage. Reports of golf-ball sized hail (and larger) came down in Burlingame and throughout the county. Parts of Osage County saw hail as large as baseballs hit the ground.
ARKANSAS - Thunderstorms broke out late Saturday across Northwest Arkansas, bringing high wind, heavy rain, unconfirmed reports of baseball-size hail and a possible tornado in Ozark.
SNOW / COLD -
RUSSIA - A powerful cyclone has paralyzed the traffic in central and northern Sakhalin. Even the snow cleaning machinery cannot move. The drivers cannot tell where the road ends and a ditch starts. The wind reached 24 meters per second in the north. A gale is on in the Tatar Strait, and the Vanino-Kholmsk ferry line that connects the island to the mainland has been stopped. Two cyclones that clashed above Sakhalin caused the heavy snowfalls and blizzards. One of the cyclones came from Japan, and the other approached from the Khabarovsk territory. About a dozen avalanches went down in southern Sakhalin on Saturday. No one was hurt.
CALIFORNIA - A huge 28-vehicle pileup on Highway 101 in Sausalito killed two people and injured more than a dozen. The unusually brisk weather is the product of a massive trough of cold air that's blown in from the Arctic. While such cold air masses are not uncommon in the Bay Area during the winter, this one is UNUSUALLY LARGE - covering most of the West Coast and reaching as far southeast as Arizona - and UNSEASONLY LATE. Indeed, the last time it snowed in the Bay Area in March was in 1896. Rain is expected to return Tuesday, but it will be a significantly warmer storm, with the snow level rising to a more seasonal 4,000 feet. "We don't often see something this big or this late in the season. It's VERY UNUSUAL."
SCOTLAND AND WALES have woken up to a blanket of snow, in what is an UNUSUAL end to the winter season. Western Scotland was worst hit by heavy blizzards Saturday night, leaving around 3,000 partygoers stranded in a nightclub and a bus station in Glasgow. Bitterly cold temperatures have also spread across the north of England, and snowstorms could reach the West Midlands and Bristol. The Met Office has issued a severe weather warning, and officials say there is an increased risk of flooding as the snow begins to melt. Up to six to eight inches of snow could have fallen on higher ground by Sunday night. The cold snap is caused by cool air from Scandinavia. 'This is quite late in the winter season to be seeing snow of this magnitude.'
WILDFIRES -
TEXAS - Raging wildfires that scorched more than 300,000 acres Sunday across Texas were blamed for six deaths, including two victims who were trying to escape their burning home. Dense smoke from a raging 300,000-acre wildfire reduced visibility on a Texas Panhandle interstate, leading to a multi-vehicle crash that killed four people and injured six. The wildfires - which rival in size the fires that blackened thousands of acres of grassland and killed three people in late December and early January - forced the evacuation of eight towns. "This is probably ONE OF THE BIGGEST FIRE DAYS IN TEXAS HISTORY." Cooler temperatures today should help firefighters, but winds around 15 mph will still make battling the blazes difficult.
A separate 70,000-acre grass fire burned Sunday in nearby southeastern New Mexico, prompting evacuation orders for up to 200 people and injuring one man. Several smaller wildfires also burned in Oklahoma, where several people were evacuated from the central Oklahoma town of Carney.
Disease - updated Mondays
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Sunday, March 12, 2006 -
QUAKES -
Largest quakes yesterday -
3/11 -
5.1 OFF W. CST OF NORTHERN SUMATERA
5.0 ANDAMAN ISLANDS,INDIA
5.1 NEAR E.CST EASTERN HONSHU
5.0 SOUTHERN IRAN
5.0 NEAR SOUTH COAST OF MYANMAR
5.8 SOUTH OF FIJI ISLANDS
3/10 -
5.0 ANDAMAN ISLANDS,INDIA
5.3 ANDAMAN ISLANDS,INDIA
5.0 ANDAMAN ISLANDS,INDIA
5.4 ANDAMAN ISLANDS,INDIA
5.0 ANDAMAN ISLANDS,INDIA
6.0 SCOTIA SEA
5.1 PAKISTAN
PAKISTAN - a 5.2-magnitude earthquake has jolted northern Pakistan, killing one person and injuring 22. The quake was an aftershock of the huge October 8 South Asian temblor that killed more than 73,000 people in Pakistan. A second aftershock, measuring 4.0, rocked Mirpur about two hours later. Many buildings and structures were left unstable and susceptible to the more than 1750 aftershocks that have shaken Pakistan since October's 7.6-magnitude earthquake. Occasional aftershocks are expected to continue for another few weeks.
INDIA - Nobody died in the temblor that hit Gujarat earlier this week but the 50 million people of this earthquake-prone state continue to be haunted by the devastating earthquake that wrought havoc five years ago. Back then 12,000 men, women and children died, 1.2 million were rendered homeless and property loss totalled a whopping Rs200 billion. This time, the moment the tremors were felt around midnight, many panic-stricken residents living in skyscrapers jumped out of their balcony in the blink of an eye only to land in the hospital, like what the panicky residents did in the 2001 disaster when even children were thrown out as their buildings began swaying after a 6.9-strong quake. Since the deadly upheaval in 2001, Gujarat has witnessed 1204 tremors, including 11 that measured more than 5.1 on the Richter scale. And geology experts are predicting more 'moving experiences' in the days to come, so fears of yet another cataclysm will continue.
NEW ZEALAND - A series of four quakes ranging from 3.8 to 4.5 rocked Wanganui on the west coast of the North Island over an eight hour period. A large quake measuring 4.6 on the Richter scale struck 40 kilometres west of remote Te Anau on the west coast of the South Island.
OHIO - A small 3.0 earthquake shook northeast Ohio for a few seconds Saturday, the fourth and largest quake to hit the area this year. The quake was centered about three miles off of Mentor beneath Lake Erie. The other three earthquakes this year had magnitudes of 2.0 to 2.6. It is UNUSUAL to get this many earthquakes in a short period of time in Ohio.
TSUNAMI -
THAILAND - Thailand's National Disaster Warning Center Saturday warned Phuket and other provinces in the country's southern Andaman Sea region to pay close attention to any earthquake in the Andaman Sea that may cause a tsunami. 31 earthquakes measuring from 4.0 to 5.3 on the Richter scale took place recently in two days on the seabed some 400-600 kilometers west of the Ranong coast. The quakes were at irregular intervals, but the epicenter is an undersea mountain which has probably resulted from a new undersea volcano. "If a huge explosion occurs, it could cause a new tsunami." The center urged residents to pay attention to earthquake and tsunami indicators, and to closely monitor earthquakes in the Andaman Sea. The authority also advised fishermen and other coastal and deepwater shipping in the region to take particular note of peculiar movements of ocean waves and the behavior of marine animals. The center urged those who notice the peculiar signs to immediate report through the center's hotline, or other local government agencies as soon as possible. However, Phuket authorities have not announced an evacuation or set off other alarms, as the intensity of the earthquakes at just over 5 on the Richter scale is not considered very dangerous.
The new Tsunami alarm sounded by the Natural Disaster Warning Centre said, “In two days, there were 31 quake tremors. If the cause is the eruption of an underwater volcano, the risk of a Tsunami is very high.” From March 9 to 11 there were “UNUSUAL PHENOMENA” about 500km off Ranong Province. “There were 31 tremors measuring between 4 and 5.3 on the Richter scale. There would be one of three reasons for this: a new underwater volcano, the eruption of a volcano called Baren or the eruption of another volcano. In the last case, the risk of a seaquake is very high.” The Admiral of the Royal Navy put all his men on alert. All fishermen were invited to give “timely” reports to the centre and Navy personnel about any suspect phenomena.
The National Disaster Warning Centre Saturday issued the urgent warning asking the people to monitor announcements from the centre constantly. It said the number of the quakes was irregular and the epicenter was at a fault where undersea mountains were located and sometimes lava had seeped out from the fault. The centre said the quakes might have been caused by the force of the lava which was pushing out through the fault or the moving of the fault. The centre added that the quakes also indicated that the Bahrain Volcano, which was about 110 kms away from the fault or 67kms from Thailand might explode in the future and affect Thailand. Fishermen were asked to watch out for possible signs of undersea volcano explosion, such as the change of sea colours and strange behaviours of sea animals and smelling of phosphorous and seeing bubbles coming up from the sea.
VOLCANOES -
ITALY - Recent claims that Vesuvius could be set for a massive eruption are groundless and irresponsible, Italy's top volcano expert said. An assertion by a US vulcanologist that the volcano has a 50% chance of sowing disaster this year unless current evacuation plans are changed is "absolutely devoid of scientific basis." An article claimed that Vesuvius was set for a repetition of a largely ignored 4,000 BC eruption that spread fire and ash in a 17km radius. Such an event would threaten the whole of Naples, not just the southern slopes covered by current emergency plans. "The possible periodicity of about 2,000 years for a major eruption, which would raise fears of a short-term event, has no statistical foundation."
THUNDERSTORMS / HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING -
INDIA - Lightning killed 11 people and injured eight in 24 hours in the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh, hit by unseasonal rain and hailstorms. The latest deaths brought the death toll due to bad weather to at least 35 since March 1. More than 100 people have been injured and thousands of hectares of mustard, lentil and wheat crop damaged. Scores of trees have been ripped out by strong winds. “As per preliminary reports, 720 villages in 30 districts have been affected by the unseasonal rains and hailstorms, and crops in 31,850 hectares of land have been lost."
MALAYSIA - The 30-minute storm that wreaked havoc in Subang Jaya, Kelana Jaya and Shah Alam on Thursday was a case of severe cumulus nimbus clouds. A Meteorological Services Department spokesman said such freak storms are RARE in Malaysia. “However, if and when it occurs, it can create havoc and damage lots of property.” Such storms are also unpredictable. “Usually, when freak storms are about to occur, dark clouds appear in huge forms.” Thunder is much louder than normal and lightning appears frequently or at short internals. Thursday’s freak storm was also destructive as the strong down draft that accompanies the storm added to its force. “Down drafts occur when wind comes from the clouds and goes straight to the ground.”
TENNESSEE - Property damage, spot power outages and a rainy rush hour were the main problems during the storm period that hit the midstate Thursday afternoon. Winds between 45 and 60 miles per hour were common during the worst of the storm, and in some places the winds reached as much as 100 miles per hour. The best chance for the next storms combined with high wind speeds in the coming days will be Monday, when a cold front moves through the area. "After that, the temperatures cool down a little below climatological norms, and there might be a little taste of cool weather left. Another cold front comes through later next week, and we might be looking at lows down into the low 30s and upper 30s by late next week."
PHILIPPINES - A landslide hit a village in Tarragona, Davao Oriental in southern Philippines on Friday, but all the villagers were evacuated beforehand and there were no reported casualties. Continuous rains that weakened the area's soilstructure caused the landslide, which damaged crops and about 100 million pesos (2 million U.S. dollars) worth of infrastructure, including a village hall, a school and several houses. Some 160 families were evacuated from the village since Wednesday following a warning of possible landslide.
A geologist has warned the public that a crack in an area in Barangay Luminggan, Alimodian could worsen into a landslide should the rains continue to pound the town. In 1998 and 2004, landslides have occurred in the said area, but nobody was hurt. Due to its geologic setting and geographic location, the Philippines ranks among the most vulnerable to natural disasters.
MALAWI - Three men have drowned in Malawi, swept away in the swollen rivers that have caused flooding in the south and centre of the Southern African country. The HEAVIEST DOWNPOUR IN 28 YEARS has caused flooding in Mangochi district, leaving 6 000 people homeless, destroying crops and damaging roads. Meanwhile, at least seven illegal gold panners have died in the past week just over Zimbabwe's border with Mozambique after heavy rains brought chaos to the area. There are fears the casualty figure could be much higher, up to 50. "People are dying and there were bodies everywhere."
SNOW / COLD -
RUSSIA - A powerful cyclone with heavy snowfalls and windstorms has hit huge regions in the Far East. The precipitation in the city of Khabarovsk and the Khabarovsk Territory Friday and Saturday exceeded a month's normal level. The wind speed was up to 20 metres a second.
INDIA - Friday Himachal Pradesh recieved fresh snow in the backtracking winter and unseasonal rains continued to lash several places in north India while Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Karnataka got a respite from the downpours which claimed over 70 lives in the past three days. The higher reaches of Lahaul, Spiti and Pangi valleys in Himachal Pradesh groaned under freezing weather with the mercury plunging to minus 5-13 degrees Celsius. Many areas had a heavy bout of snowfall while widespread rains swept across the mid hills. The Rohtang Pass (13,050 ft) had 50 cm snow.
CALIFORNIA - Wave after wave of snow-bearing dark clouds bore down on the coastal cities, dropping loads of flakes and icy pellets on roads, roofs and trees. Inland, in higher, colder places like Hoopa, several inches coated the hills. Blue moons are far more frequent than sea-level snowfall on the North Coast, so snow showers in Arcata, Eureka, McKinleyville and other seaside towns Friday were a giddy spectacle for some and a hazard for others. On Woodley Island the last time it snowed this much was in 1990. Friday's storm came out of the Gulf of Alaska, bringing with it super-cold air. The air at the upper levels of the system was around minus-38 degrees. The precipitation was drawing that cold air down with it, so it didn't have a chance to melt in the warmer air near the surface.
RECORD COLD - Friday's "frigid" high of 48 BROKE THE PREVIOUS RECORD of 53 degrees for the day, recorded in 1999."We beat the record big time." The morning's low of 37 degrees tied the low of the same day in 1999, according to area temperature records that date to 1949. While weather patterns this late in the winter season are UNUSUAL, they aren't unheard of.
OREGON - On Friday morning the Oregon coast saw a fair amount of snow, which was a RARE event. The cold weather pattern is expected to last through this morning before warmer temperatures return.
WASHINGTON - The wind has quieted from full-out howl on Thursday to a growl. The snow is melting and power has been restored in Grays Harbor County. The air is still a little chilly, but it appears the worst of the storm is over. A RARE lightening storm left 25,000 residences from Montesano to Ocean Shores without power Thursday morning. “It’s VERY RARE that we have lightning here. That was a pretty good-sized hit.”
UNUSUAL WEATHER SEASON -
CONNECTICUTT - It's been a funny winter - mild, with major snowfalls that promptly melted and temperatures that seemed confused about the actual season. January was among the 10 mildest on record since the state began keeping weather records in 1905. With January's temperatures averaging 33 degrees - a substantial 7.4 degrees above normal - they then encountered an early February that felt more like March before turning consistently chilly. "We had a RECORD SNOWFALL on Feb. 12, then three days later, it was 57 degrees! We've had warmer winters, and winters with more snow, but we've never had a winter with such fluctuations." Those fluctuations have been in terms of both temperature and snow. Snowfall as of last week was about 29 inches above normal. The charts show 69 inches for Hartford, compared with 39.3 inches on average. The casualties of this winter-that-was-and-wasn't might be insects - the good and the bad. The fluctuating temperatures would have forced at least some insects in and out of the process of hibernation before true spring, a process that can depress insect numbers. One of the great New England storms of all time - the Blizzard of 1888 - occurred in March. "If we can have April in January, we can have January in April."
INDIA - It has been raining so much in several parts, including in the city, that even seasoned weather observers are stumped at the 'strange phenomenon'. This time of March is not used to receiving rains, at least not at the levels that the nation is witness to. Chennai has been receiving intermittent showers all through the week. Down South, in places like Tuticorin, Kanyakumari and nearby places, it has been belting down hard. Elsewhere across the Vindhyas, up North, summer usually simmers by this time. But places like Punjab, Delhi have been receiving heavy showers. Rains that have cooled northern India are also likely to move east towards Jharkhand, Bihar and Bengal. The spell of freak weather that has brought relief from the heat is said to be a result of upper air cyclonic circulation systems, which interacted with the existing pre-monsoon circulation pattern.
Many parts of the state are reeling under the heavy downpour OF A SCALE NEVER WITNESSED IN THE MONTH OF MARCH IN 70 YEARS. “On March 7, 1936, Bhopal received a rainfall of 35.1 mm. But by Friday morning this year, the city had received a rainfall of 44.7 cm.”
Space Weather / Solar Storms / Meteors - updated Sundays.
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Friday, March 10, 2006 -
QUAKES -
Early this morning -
5.0 JAWA, INDONESIA
5.3 ANDAMAN ISLANDS,INDIA
5.1 ANDAMAN ISLANDS,INDIA
5.1 ANDAMAN ISLANDS,INDIA
5.0 ANDAMAN ISLANDS,INDIA
Largest quakes yesterday -
3/9 -
5.0 ANDAMAN ISLANDS,INDIA
5.1 ANDAMAN ISLANDS,INDIA
5.0 ANDAMAN ISLANDS,INDIA
5.0 ANDAMAN ISLANDS,INDIA
5.0 ANDAMAN ISLANDS,INDIA
5.1 ANDAMAN ISLANDS,INDIA
5.0 ANDAMAN ISLANDS,INDIA
5.1 ANDAMAN ISLANDS,INDIA
5.2 ANDAMAN ISLANDS,INDIA
5.8 CENTRAL MID-ATLANTIC RIDGE
5.0 XIZANG
5.8 SOUTH SANDWICH ISLANDS REGION
5.3 EAST OF KURIL ISLANDS, RUSSIA
INDIA - Six persons were injured in Rapar taluka of Kutch district of Gujarat in earthquake which jolted many parts of the state late Tuesday night. The earthquake measuring 5.2 on the Richter scale also damaged houses in many places of the district. Most of the injured have suffered fractures in the leg and the arms after portions of their houses collapsed during the quake. Rapar was one of the talukas which was one of the worst affected during January 26, 2001 earthquake in Gujarat.
LOUISIANA - A 3.1 earthquake Tuesday at 9:12 pm near Mount St. Helens in Washington state caused brown water to flow from some faucets in rural West Feliciana Parish on Wednesday. “People don’t want to believe me when I say an earthquake caused their brown water, but it’s true.” Strong seismic activity on the West Coast and in Central America and Mexico affects two wells at Laurel Hill, causing them to briefly pump water discolored by manganese when seismic waves pass through the area. “It’s only these two wells. They are about 500 feet from each other, and there’s some instability underground for some reason.” Water district employees can prevent the wells from pumping the discolored water if they learn about an earthquake hundreds or thousands of miles away in time to temporarily shut down the wells. They look at Geological Survey seismograph readings, via the Internet, at two sites in Arkansas and one at Pickwick Lake, Ala., to verify their suspicions. “If they had movement at Pickwick, we get brown water.”
VIRGINIA - Prompted by the area's increased seismic activity over the past few years - minor earthquakes west of Richmond and the microquakes that rattled the city in 2004 - scientists hope to catch central Virginia in motion with a new network of seismic equipment. Two quakes in 2003, including one of magnitude 4.5, a lesser temblor in 2004 and the "booms" that shook Richmond's North Side that fall convinced the Virginia Tech Seismological Observatory's director that he needs to know more about underground activity in central Virginia. Equipment was placed in Richmond because of the mysterious "booms" that rocked the Ginter Park neighborhood. At the time of the shaking, in the fall of 2004, little was known about these microquakes, but there had been a few recent reports in eastern Henrico County and earlier in the area in the winter of 1986-87. Now it appears that the microquakes occur in episodes that can last a few days or even weeks. The epicenter for these swarms seems to be underneath Confederate Gen. A.P. Hill's statue and grave at the center of the intersection of Laburnum Avenue and Hermitage Road, "as best I can tell." Although some of the booms were blamed on two teens, later convicted, who set off homemade explosive devices, he believes that some were microquakes so minor that they wouldn't register on monitors far away. He thinks the granite and other hard rock underneath the city is strained by some unknown factor, possibly groundwater fluctuations, triggering the shaking. He hopes the new monitors will shed some light on the cause. "It's a curious phenomenon." Virginia has had more than 160 earthquakes in the past three decades, but only about a sixth of them were felt.
VOLCANOES -
ALASKA - After blowing off more steam and triggering numerous avalanches, scientists say they are noticing something else on Augustine. Early Wednesday morning, geologists saw something new. They began to see a different signal on the seismometers on the island. They say it could have to do with the rate lava is coming out of the ground or the stickiness of the lava. So, they're closely monitoring the volcano. “We were starting to see very small, repetitive events that we've seen at other volcanoes and actually at Augustine back in 1986, and 1976, during what's called a dome building eruption. So, the signals are very consistent with lava slowly coming out of the ground.” They say they're still interpreting the signal and trying to figure out what it means. For now, the code warning remains at orange.
THUNDERSTORMS / HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING -
AUSTRALIA - Western Australia's Billabalong and Twinpeaks stations are both thought to have borne the brunt of the rising Murchison River Wednesday night. Billabalong looked a bit like a war zone. "They had sandbags at all the doors and all the gear at least two foot high." Flooding from ex-tropical cyclone Emma has caused SOME OF THE HIGHEST WATER LEVELS ON RECORD in the Murchison catchment, with the river more than 10 kilometres wide in some places. Murchison pastoralists are expected to report large stock losses once flood waters recede.
HAWAII - Intense rain floods Hauula, even long-time Windward Oahu families are calling this THE WORST THEY'VE SEEN IN 35 YEARS. As the night wore on, water from deep in the valley washed down toward Kamehameha Highway, flooding home after home. Rain is in the forecast through the weekend. Heavy showers last week destroyed four homes and dropped up to 22 inches in 48 hours. The rains are being caused by a low-pressure system west of the islands, which is interacting with moist, unstable air.
ARKANSAS - Sharp winds are kicking down trees and fences, bending road signs, and ripping shingles from rooftops in Arkansas. Most of the state was under a tornado watch this morning and at least two possible tornadoes were spotted. Storms sweeping across the Plains states have unlocked heavy rainfall. And southern Oklahoma reported hail the size of baseballs. The rough weather is caused by a system rumbling out of the Pacific Northwest. Ahead of the cold front, weather-watchers say large hail, strong winds and tornadoes are possible.
INDIA - A sudden bout of heavy rain accompanied by thunder and lightning made life easier for heat-weary Mumbai residents on Thursday. The UNSEASONAL rains that lashed the city from early Thursday morning continued throughout the day and were accompanied by thunder and lightning. For most part of the day, the sky was overcast as if it was monsoon time already. "This weather is expected to continue in most parts of the state - especially in the coastal belt - for the next 48 hours."
In Bhopal and other areas lightning killed 5 people on Wednesday. The rain water and hail ruined crops of wheat and mustard.
MALAYSIA - Residents in the densely populated suburb of Subang Jaya thought a hurricane must have swept across their neighbourhood when a FREAK storm that lasted 30 minutes uprooted trees, blew off roofs, toppled over lampposts and caused chaos. Besides houses and property ravaged by the storm, hundreds of cars were also damaged by flying debris and falling trees and branches. Residents described the blustery weather conditions that started at 3pm yesterday as “NOTHING LIKE THEY HAD EVER SEEN BEFORE.” The Meteorological Department, when contacted, was unable to explain the phenomenon. “It was like a typhoon...This is the first time I have experienced something so unnatural as this storm.” One man saw the evidence of strong winds coming from both the right and left sides. “The wind was so strong, it felt like a hurricane. It’s so weird as this is the first time we see this happening. Roof tiles were flying all over the place and partitions were falling on cars.”
ISRAEL - Torrential rain and hail storms were sweeping through the center of the country yesterday, and ice was reported on the roads in the Binyamin area of Samaria. Hail the size of marbles also fell from Kiryat Arba to the southern Hevron Hills. Heavy rains are pummeling Jerusalem, and the precipitation is to continue until this afternoon. Temperatures will be UNSEASONABLY high by Sunday, but another storm system is headed for Israel and is likely to dampen Purim festivities next week.
SNOW / COLD -
CANADA - An UNUSUAL late-winter storm brought high winds, heavy rains and snow to southern British Columbia on Wednesday, and is also being linked to the crash of a small plane. The storm also dumped heavy rain in some areas, bringing more than 50 millimetres to North Vancouver.
CALIFORNIA - Weather reports for the Tollhouse area indicated a strong cold front would move into the area Thursday night, and the snow level may descend as low as 500 feet. Snow accumulations may be anywhere from a trace to a couple of inches. This is a HIGHLY UNUSUAL WEATHER PATTERN for this time of year in central California.
GEORGIA - Heavy snowfalls and the danger of avalanches in the area of the Kazbegsky district interrupted motor traffic at the Gudari-Kovi section of the Military Georgian Highway leading to Russia (North Ossetia Republic). Snow is one meter thick at that section of the highway. Several dozens of motor vehicles are waiting for the opening of the highway. The traffic at this section of the highway was sealed off last time for several days in mid-February. In March, traffic blocked over snowfalls is very RARE, as temperatures are usually warm. Traffic is also very slow on the highway in the Ninotsmindksy district, connecting this area of southern Georgia with Armenia.
SWITZERLAND - Friends in Garmisch, Germany, are mourning the loss of a popular ski instructor from Idaho who died Monday in Switzerland when he fell hundreds of meters in an avalanche. The area had received much snow over the weekend and conditions were ripe for avalanches, especially away from marked trails.
FRANCE - A member of the high mountain police based at Saint-Sauveur-sur-Tinée in the Alpes-Maritimes department has been killed by an avalanche during a mountain rescue excercise to practice the evacuation of a chair lift. Two others suffered multiple fractures.
EUROPE - Avalanches have killed at least 86 people in Europe's Alps this winter. The French government reported a RECORD NUMBER of avalanche-related fatalities. A large avalanche nearly hit the village of Oberried in Switzerland on Thursday. The avalanches are being triggered by UNUSUAL late-season snowstorms coupled with more backcountry skiing and snowboarding. Adding to the risk: This winter has been UNUSUALLY dry and cold. "In an avalanche, your first 15 minutes are your golden window of rescue ... with a 92% chance of surviving." After that, victims usually die from suffocation or carbon dioxide poisoning from breathing their own expelled air in the space where they are trapped. The off-piste community has been stunned by the number of people killed who were experienced skiers.
MONTANA - A skier was injured in an avalanche on the back side of Big Mountain.
HEAT / WILDFIRES -
OHIO - Since 1978, which had only 0.65 inch of precipitation, NO FEBRUARY HAS BEEN DRIER THAN 2006. Rainfall during the month typically averages 2.9 inches with an additional 5 inches of snowfall. This year’s weather didn’t come close to that with only 0.62 inch of rain and 2.3 inches of snow. “I’m hoping that we make up some (precipitation) in March otherwise the farmers in this county are going to have a rough time. We need almost three-fourths of an inch every single week to make up for water usage.” Lack of precipitation wasn’t the only UNUSUAL aspect for February this year. It’s also only the fifth time since 1976 that the month of February has been colder than January. The previous years were 1980, 1989, 1993 and 2002. Averages are somewhat distorted by a series of temperature swings of more than 10 degrees on several occasions. On Feb. 16 the high was 69 but by Feb. 17 the high was only 39 and 26 one day later. The area will experience those major temperature swings about every five years or so when warm fronts move through and are then quickly followed by a cold front. The high temperature this year was UNUSUAL, though, since the area hasn’t hit 70 in February in several years.
Unusually High Tides / Freak Waves - updated Fridays.
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Thursday, March 9, 2006 -
QUAKES -
Largest quakes yesterday -
3/8 -
5.5 NORTHERN SUMATERA, INDONESIA
5.8 SE.OF LOYALTY ISLANDS
5.4 KURIL ISLANDS, RUSSIA
PAKISTAN - A predicted "second massive wave of death" among the three million people left homeless by an earthquake in Kashmir in October has failed to materialize. The United Nations credits a relatively mild winter and a co-ordinated helicopter airlift of relief supplies into the mountainous region adjacent to northern Pakistan and neighbouring India. The region still faces peril as reconstruction efforts pick up steam starting in April. For example, the danger of mudslides will be high when monsoon season begins in July.
TSUNAMI -
JAPAN - the Wakayama prefectural government is building emergency tsunami evacuation towers. The evacuation towers aim to provide shelter for people in low-lying areas if tsunami tidal waves hit the coast. The feared Tonankai and Nankai earthquakes that could spawn tsunami are estimated to have at least a 50-percent possibility of hitting within 30 years. Starting in fiscal 2006, the prefecture will subsidize half of the construction expenses for local governments that decide to build the towers. The towers are three-legged steel structures supporting a platform. They range from 5 to 10 meters tall, and can hold 50 to 100 evacuees each. Kushimoto, in southernmost Honshu, has plans to build two towers by the end of March, at a cost of 30 million yen. Hiwasa in Tokushima Prefecture built a tower in December. Towers were built in Taiki and Shima, Mie Prefecture, in fiscal 1998 and fiscal 2003, respectively, and plans are under way to build towers at three to five more sites.
HAWAII - While the five most severe tsunamis to hit here in the past 60 years have come from three areas — Chile, Russia's Kamchatka region, Alaska and the Aleutian Islands — Hawai'i is at risk from almost every point of the compass. Emergency preparedness officials maintain that no Hawaiian shoreline is safe from a tsunami. Tsunamis that have caused damage in the Islands in recent generations have come from the Aleutians (1946 and 1957), Kamchatka (1952), Chile (1960) and Alaska (1964), and from an earthquake near Kalapana on the Big Island (1975). A 1994 earthquake in Japan's Kuril Islands prompted a statewide coastal evacuation in Hawai'i, but the wave measured only a few inches locally.
VOLCANOES -
NICARAGUA - Nicaraguan civil defense authorities on Wednesday warned residents about a volcano that has been shooting off columns of gas and ash. The activity had ceased by Wednesday morning and there were no immediate plans to evacuate communities near the San Cristobal volcano, 60 miles west of the capital of Managua. The renewed activity began Monday night and involved small explosions alternating with mini-earthquakes. "It is launching abundant columns of gas and ashes on a constant basis." It was not as strong as in December, when the San Cristobal spewed ash over the communities. "But we are on constant alert. Nothing is foreseeable." It is part of a range of four volcanoes that have been active since November 1999.
TROPICAL STORMS -
Cyclone DIWA was 588 nmi S of Port Louis, Mauritius.
THUNDERSTORMS / HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING -
INDIA - An upper air cyclonic circulation over southern Rajasthan caused rain and hailstorm in Delhi late Wednesday evening, bringing down the soaring mercury. A weather office spokesperson said that the western disturbance was likely to bring showers to the capital and its surrounding areas for at least the next 48 hours with a resultant drop in temperatures over the next two-three days. While a hailstorm and showers affected only certain parts of Delhi, other parts experienced a moderate to heavy dust storm. Reports of glass panes being broken by the hailstorm were reported in some areas as the sudden downpour caught Delhi's citizens unprepared. Traffic was thrown out of gear for some time while a dust storm raged.
UGANDA - At least 27 people were killed and more than 86 others injured when a church roof collapsed during torrential rains in the Ugandan capital, Kampala. A brick wall at the partly constructed church in Uganda collapsed during a service on Wednesday. The wall fell on the congregation during a storm that pelted the structure with heavy rain and high winds.
ARKANSAS - A severe weather outbreak was possible late Wednesday through today across Arkansas. High winds, hail and tornadoes are possible. Some severe thunderstorms have already erupted across mostly northern parts of the state. A line of thunderstorms will develop and move into western Arkansas Wednesday evening. Damaging winds above 70 miles per hour will be possible along with large hail.
TEXAS - A cold front was expected to move across North Texas last night, bringing the chance for strong to severe storms and the possibility of strong winds and hail. While the storms aren't expected to drop tornadoes in and west of Dallas, wind gusts and hail could bring storm damage.
CALIFORNIA - During a five-minute period around 1:30 p.m. Tuesday the California Highway Patrol reported at least three car crashes on Interstate 80 from Horseshoe Bar Road to Maple Street. Unsafe speed, periods of heavy rain and hail may have contributed to multiple car crashes and spinouts in the Auburn area. "We didn't have anything of major consequences and no fatalities. We did have numerous spinouts and roadways clogged with vehicles and debris." "Today we had a downpour that all of a sudden hit us with rain and hail. It's like driving on marbles." The National Weather Service is predicting rain on and off throughout the remainder of the workweek with snow possible at the 2,000 foot level late today.
WIND -
MALI - "The whole of Mali woke up this morning to such strange weather and no visibility." A desert wind blew clouds of orange sand and dust across the sky, grounding planes.
SNOW / COLD -
RUSSIA - A Siberian avalanche has killed two snowboarders, one from France and one from Switzerland. The avalanche buried six of a group of 19 snowboarders and two Russian instructors snowboarding in the mountains near Lake Baikal. Rescuers pulled four people out alive from under the snow.
HEAT / WILDFIRES -
OKLAHOMA - Pear trees, peach trees, even azaleas already are blooming across Muskogee. They have even seen tiny peaches on the trees. Azaleas are already blooming, even though the bushes normally don’t bloom until late March. But underneath the beautiful blossoms is concern that the blooms and the fruit that follows might not survive a March freeze. The last freeze of winter usually hits around March 29. Also a concern is the drought that has dried the ponds. “It’s going to be bad news if it doesn’t rain. The ponds are as low as I have seen them and I was living during the Dust Bowl.” “This has been such a strange year. I’m not sure how the blossoms are going to be affected. Even with irrigation, we still go out and dig in the beds and they’re dry. We have never dealt with this kind of weather in the history of the azalea festival.”
Unusual Animal Behavior - updated Thursdays.
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Wednesday, March 8, 2006 -
QUAKES -
Largest quakes yesterday -
3/7 -
5.5 NORTH OF HALMAHERA, INDONESIA
5.3 SOUTHERN INDIA
5.8 MID-INDIAN RIDGE
6.2 VANUATU ISLANDS
5.2 NEW BRITAIN
BULGARIA - Nearly 100 earth tremors have been detected over the last two weeks in Bulgaria, particularly in the area around the town of Kurdzhali. Tuesday Sofia felt mild by-shakes after an earthquake of 2.6 on the Richter scale rocked once again the southern part of the country. The quake was registered at 4:25 p.m., with an epicentre located about 200 km south-east of Sofia.
VOLCANOES -
ITALY - Researchers are warning that the next eruption of Vesuvius could be much more deadly than the Italian authorities are planning for. Italian plans call for the evacuation of 600,000 people from the city. But the researchers say up to three million people could be at risk according to the new assessment. "It actually has a fairly high probability [of occurring] if we consider there have been eight large eruptions of this kind in the history of Vesuvius with a separation in time of 2-3,000 years, and it's been nearly 2,000 years since the last one."
PHILIPPINES - Philvocs office in Surigao City Tuesday denied rumors about a volcanic eruption of Mt. Paco, an inactive volcano found in Mainit, Surigao del Norte. It has been inactive for three hundred years. Rumors are abounding in the Philippines - a rumor was floating that a tsunami would inundate the coast of Surigao Monday.
ALASKA - Mount St. Augustine has come alive again. On Monday the Alaska Volcano Observatory Web site described a low level eruption throughout the day characterized by small ash plumes. Southern Cook Inlet experienced light ash fall. Monday night the mountain experienced increased levels of seismic activity, but by morning seismic activity decreased. Since Saturday, overall seismicity at the volcano has been elevated. Minor ash emission continues to be seen in the current island web camera image and this is likely to continue intermittently. Satellite images show a strong thermal anomaly and occasional local ash clouds.
TROPICAL STORMS -
Cyclone DIWA was 445 nmi S of Port Louis, Mauritius.
THUNDERSTORMS / HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING -
RUSSIA - A total of 450 residents in southern Russia are being evacuated after a dam broke Tuesday, threatening their village with massive flooding. About 120 houses in Sinyavskaya, a village on the Don River, about 20 miles from the regional center of Rostov-on-Don, might be destroyed in flooding, due to poor maintenance of the broken dam. "The breakage was caused by an overflow of a water basin with melting snow."
ODD -
MASSACHUESETTS - On the side of the road near Route 106 in Plympton was a pumpkin. Growing. In March. "I know it sounds bizarre, but it is so real." The ideal growing season for pumpkins begins when weather is consistently in the 70s - far from the up-and-down temperatures the Commonwealth has seen this winter.
WEATHER AT SEA - the Southern Ocean - "I have experienced some very strange weather today as we were sailing along. Every couple of hours we had extremely poor visibility where you could see no more than a couple of boat lengths and everything was really wet. Then in just a couple of hours we would pass through it and be in clear skies with visibility all the way to the far off horizon. A very strange sensation and for safety I kept the radar on as I cannot shake the visions of icebergs that I have etched on my mind from the end of last week. Also as we approached the frontal system of the low, the sea temperature dropped from 10.3 to 8.2. This was not what I was expecting and can only put it down to large chucks of ice chilling it down." The ice littering the path was the result of an iceberg 15-20kms in length breaking off from Antarctica, which had been floating north into the Indian Ocean for some months, breaking up into a group of icebergs spread over a 100km area. "I don't recall reports of so much ice in any of our 50 crossings of the Southern Ocean.”
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Tuesday, March 7, 2006 -
QUAKES -
Largest quakes yesterday -
3/6 -
5.6 MID-INDIAN RIDGE
CALIFORNIA - Nearly 550 bridges, many in Northern California, could collapse in a major earthquake because the state has stopped contributing to a program paid largely by the federal government to reinforce them. More than 1,200 bridges around the state were targeted for strengthening after the Loma Prieta earthquake in 1989, but state budget woes have prevented nearly half from being fixed. Caltrans quit investing in the program in 2002 even though for every $11.50 the state contributes, it receives $88.50 in federal matching funds. Many cash-strapped cities and counties say they are unable to generate enough funds to trigger the federal match.
Californians are unmotivated to prepare for the next disaster - they believe that their state is prone to disasters, but see little motivation to prepare for nature's crushing blows, a new poll has found. The poll found that only 22 percent of Californians consider themselves to be prepared or very prepared for a disaster in their area. Nearly half singled out "common sense" as the reason to prepare for disaster, but noted few incentives that would motivate them to be ready for future earthquakes, floods or fires. "They recognize risk, but they often assume it will happen to someone else. They acknowledge that they aren't prepared, but they can't find the motivation to strap their water heaters, clear dry brush or prepare a home inventory." Since 1990, California has experienced 32 natural catastrophes or disasters in which insured losses totaled more than $25 million, with losses totaling $19.4 billion. Even if a disaster struck their neighborhood, 31 percent of respondents said they would rebuild in their current community.
TROPICAL STORMS -
TROPICAL DEPRESSION 01W was 727 nmi ESE of Cebu City, Philippines.
CYCLONE DIWA was 303 nmi SW of Port Louis, Mauritius.
PHILIPPINES - tropical depression 01W is nearing the area of Southern Mindanao. As of Monday morning, the weather disturbance was estimated at 1,150 kms east of Southern Mindanao with maximum winds of 55 kph near the center. It is forecast to move west northwest at 13 kms per hour and will be named Basyang once it enters the Philippine Area of Responsibility by early this morning. Media reports were circulating from a yet unknown source that a tsunami would inundate the coast of Surigao yesterday, on Monday, but the weather bureau denied that there was any scientific basis for such a warning. "There's no such news. They must have associated the tropical depression with tidal waves."
THUNDERSTORMS / HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING -
AUSTRALIA - The Bureau of Meteorology says the severity of the recent low pressure system that hit the north coast of New South Wales was UNUSUAL. The region is recovering from a few days of heavy rain, flooding and gale force winds. The low was from Queensland, and it caused damage because it was moving so slowly. The low pressure system has now moved out to sea. They usually hit in the cooler months.
WIND -
TENNESSEE - wind started blowing in November and hasn't stopped in over three months. "I don't remember this much wind in an East Tennessee winter...ever. I can easily envision a crisp autumn wind that lifts and swirls orange and red leaves like tossing a giant salad. And we've all seen yellow daffodils bobbing in a cold March wind, sometimes bowing so deep they kiss the ground. But continuous winter winds? No. On the contrary, except for the occasional blustery day brought on by an approaching storm front, what I remember most about Tennessee winters is the stillness. Cold and still...When the January temperatures soared into the 60's, I heard frequent remarks of, "They say it's in the 60's but that wind still gets to you. Better bundle up."...Mere days ago, headlines announced hundreds of thousands without power in several states due to freak windstorms. On a global scale, in spite of state of the art detection systems in place, doesn't the weather seem less predictable?... Is this restless wind making anyone else a trifle uneasy?"
SNOW / COLD -
EUROPE - Alpine ski resorts were on high alert after heavy weekend snowfalls caused avalanches that killed at least five people in the last three days. In the Swiss resort of Lauterbrunnen, an American resident of Germany who was skiing well off the marked run, was swept away by a snowslide and killed. Another US national died across the border in the French resort of Tignes, after apparently falling into a frozen lake while snowboarding on unmarked territory. The force of the avalanche projected him through a 20-centimetre-thick layer of ice on frozen Tignes Lake. The victim's companion, a French woman, was injured. In nearby Val d'Isere, a 19-year-old Swede who was skiing off marked trails was swept away by an avalanche and killed. Avalanches also were responsible for a number of injuries in France and Switzerland, where four skiers were hurt near the popular resort of Verbier after being caught up in a 300-metre wide snowslide. On Saturday, a 45-year-old woman was killed while snow-shoeing near the Alpine resort of Les Diablerets. Together with Monday's death near Lauterbrunnen, there have been 18 avalanche victims in Switzerland this season. Almost all of those killed by avalanches had ventured outside marked ski runs. A 28-year-old Norwegian tourist also died in a landslide on an Italian mountain while sightseeing.
CANADA - One snowmobiler is dead - the third in as many days in the B.C. Interior - after he and a friend were swept away yesterday in an avalanche near Fernie. The pair had been snowmobiling in the Three Sisters area north of the town, about 200 km southwest of Calgary, when the slide was triggered about 3 p.m.
SPAIN - Three British climbers were found dead in Spain's Sierra Nevada mountains, a day after one of the group battled blizzards and freezing temperatures to raise the alarm. The three died of hypothermia after a snowstorm battered the mountains east of Granada, in the southern region of Andalucia.
UNUSUAL WEATHER SEASON -
NEW ENGLAND - scientists say recent extremes - record floods that washed away roads and homes, a rainy fall that dulled the foliage and turned apple season soggy, and a more-than-mild winter - prove that change isn't decades away. "Climate is changing in New Hampshire and New England, and the evidence is already here." Sea temperatures have gone up. So has annual precipitation. The growing season has increased by 8 days and the date of ice-out throughout New England has crept earlier. Between 1970 and 2000, the number of days per year when there was snow on the ground dropped by 16. "It's possible to look down the road and say, maybe in some way, this will be a good thing. But between here and there, there's a huge period of disruption and uncertainty."
Drought, Heat, Water Shortages, Wildfires
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Monday, March 6, 2006 -
QUAKES -
Largest quakes yesterday -
3/5 -
5.1 SOUTHERN SUMATERA, INDONESIA
5.0 SOUTHERN SUMATERA, INDONESIA
5.2 TONGA ISLANDS
5.4 NORTHWEST TERRITORIES, CANADA
6.1 TONGA ISLANDS
5.3 NORTHERN PERU
TSUNAMI -
AUSTRALIA - more than 7 per cent of Australia's houses are in low-lying areas near the coast that would be vulnerable to a tsunami. The Gold Coast leads the list with more than 92,000 houses under threat. Brisbane was second. Coastal vulnerability is increasing as more people flock to the coast. The study follows a federal government report that warned the risk of a tsunami in the region was real. "Australia is surrounded ... by some 8000km of active tectonic plate boundaries capable of generating tsunamis."
VOLCANOES -
ALASKA - After subsiding for weeks, pressure inside Augustine Volcano has started to build up again, scientists said this week. The likeliest explanation is that the mountain's new lava dome - which has raised the elevation of the island peak by several hundred feet - is sealing off vents in the volcano, trapping volcanic gas. That means an explosive eruption could recur. In the past week, scientists have detected a swelling of around one inch on the volcano. Slight underground tremors from breaking rock have also been picked up.
TROPICAL STORMS -
TROPICAL DEPRESSION 01W was 671 nmi SW of Agana, Guam.
CYCLONE DIWA was 232 nmi WSW of Port Louis, Mauritius.
MAURITIUS raised its warning level on Saturday as cyclone Diwa approached, bringing lashing rains and strong winds to the tiny Indian Ocean island.
The tropical depression 01W located about 285 miles east-southeast of Palau, and 700 miles southwest of Guam was drifting westward at 3 mph with maximum sustained winds of 30 miles an hour. Forecasters are concerned with the slow movement of the weather system because it gives it an opportunity to intensify. The storm will bring heavy rains to Palau. The center of the storm was expected to pass south of Palau late last night or early this morning. The storm is not expected to significantly affect Guam.
AUSTRALIA - A fourth cyclone of the season is building up for Western Australia, with a tropical low intensifying off the Kimberley coast. There was a cyclone watch for the coast between the tourist town of Broome, and Kalumburu at the northern tip of WA. "Though currently moving westwards, it is likely the low will turn sharply towards the southeast later today and approach the Kimberley coast on Tuesday.
BANGLADESH - At least four people were killed and more than 100 injured as a tropical storm flattened over 500 houses in six villages in the country's southern Sunderbans coastal region. The storm hit late Saturday night in the massive mangrove forest that runs along the Bay of Bengal coast from southern Bangladesh to India. "The storm hit the villages with winds packing over 150km/h and destroyed almost all houses within a few minutes."
Hurricane season - the director of the National Hurricane Center, is warning coastal residents - everybody on the Atlantic Coast, the Gulf Coast and the Caribbean - to prepare right now for the hurricane season that begins June 1. The next season may be worse than the past two, which resulted in an increase in the number and intensity of hurricanes that hit U.S. shores. Meteorologists say that we're going to be in this active hurricane period for another 10 to 20 years.
The Weather Channel lists New York City as the third most vulnerable city in the entire nation to hurricane hazards, behind only Miami and New Orleans, which was devastated by Hurricane Katrina six months ago. New research indicates that New York City is woefully underprepared for the possiblility of a major hurricane strike. Concerns raised by the report include the stability of the city's shore areas, and whether citizens living in high risk areas have access to evacuation procedures. One of the largest private insurance companies in the country has already begun acting as if history will repeat itself soon. Allstate announced they would not be writing any new homeowner policies. Instead, they insist that the federal government create a catastrophic fund, which would indemnify them from natural disasters like hurricanes.
THUNDERSTORMS / HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING -
AUSTRALIA - Wild weather unleashed winds of 115 km/h, bucketing rain and monster waves off southeast Queensland yesterday. One wave measured by a buoy off North Stradbroke Island reached a staggering 17m high, only 6m shorter than the Cape Moreton lighthouse. Rain from the Clayton's cyclone – a deep low with clockwise winds but without the warm air of a tropical cyclone – increased dam levels up by almost 1 per cent. Some dams gained the equivalent of 11,000 Olympic-sized swimming pools during 4 days of rain, the best since last May. Trees fell on houses, Gold and Sunshine Coast beaches were closed and suburbs blacked out. The system's clockwise winds and low pressure system branded it as a cyclone, but not a tropical cyclone. "It's an east coast low, we often get them in autumn and winter." Although winds in the low-pressure system could be very strong – in this case equivalent to a category 2 cyclone – a tropical cyclone would have stronger winds for the size of the system. Cyclones of this type are not named as they occur hundreds of times in the southern ocean. The huge waves generated by the storm swamped bureau predictions which had been less than half the actual wave heights. The severe weather is set to continue, with gales and thunderstorms expected until a southeasterly change on Wednesday.
INDIA - An UNUSUAL heavy downpour late on Friday night led to the collapse of walls at three places on the city fringes of Hyderabad, killing eight persons, including two girls and a boy. In the incident at Pahadi Sharif, six persons were killed and seven others injured. A midnight cloudburst with deafening thunder brought strong winds and a shower of hailstones. "So heavy was the rain that even our police station's arch caved in." A student who was playing inside his house premises, died on the spot when the wall of the bathroom collapsed on him on Saturday morning at Adityanagar in Miyapur. Locals said the wall got soaked due to the night's downpour. The parapet wall of a double-storeyed building fell on a tin-roof house killing one man at Nehrunagar of Chandanagar.
VIETNAM - High tides fueled by heavy northeasterly winds coming in off the East Sea were confirmed as the cause of flooding in southern Vietnam last week. The southern Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting Center said the fierce winds together with the flood tides brought on high water levels down river. The northeasterlies and the tide are to weaken in about 10 days with another less aggressive tide coming in. However, if the tide coincides with the incoming northeast winds, water levels could be high again, warned the center. When the winds hit, two sections of Ho Chi Minh City’s dike on the Saigon River had been breached, flooding over 400 houses.
PHILIPPINES - More than 100 families have been evacuated to safer grounds after a landslide hit Bgy. Carmen, Baguio District, Davao City on Friday. The landslide occurred around 5 p.m. on Friday following heavy rains. The weather bureau said UNUSUAL heavy rains are affecting the Visayas and some parts of Mindanao, attributing this to the "La Niña phenomenon."
SNOW / COLD -
SWITZERLAND struggled to dig itself out after RECORD SNOWFALL overnight Saturday set off avalanches, collapsed roofs, left the country's two main highways blocked and caused three deaths. Near the largest city, Zurich, 21 inches of new snow was recorded on the heights of Zuerichberg, the HIGHEST IN A 24-HOUR PERIOD SINCE RECORDS BEGAN in 1931.
FRANCE, GERMANY - Thousands of people spent a night trapped in their cars, trains or emergency shelters after heavy snow blanketed the Alps. Heavy snow and high winds lashed Europe over the weekend, causing the deaths of at least 17 people in weather-related accidents and avalanches. Hessen state in the south was dealing with THE HEAVIEST SNOWFALL IN 15 YEARS, saw five accident-related deaths, while four were killed in neighbouring Baden-Wuerttemberg.
FRANCE - A website which monitors off-piste conditions calls the recent period "the WORST IN LIVING MEMORY" for avalanches. This weekend, the avalanche risk in many resorts was classified as "extreme". Since January, heavy snow has fallen across the region, creating the best skiing conditions for many seasons. But temperature fluctuations have also brought masses of snow cascading down mountains.
SCOTLAND - Heavy snow was due to bombard the North-east as the big freeze continued. Extreme weather has brought the area to a standstill. More than 10 inches of snow have fallen since the start of March - the MOST SEEN IN MARCH SINCE RECORDS BEGAN in 1958.
UNUSUAL WEATHER SEASON -
COLORADO - La Niña pushes the jet stream north so it cuts right through Colorado, leaving part of the state wet and the other dry. Up in Leadville, "it seems like it's been snowing a foot every three days since Christmas." Meanwhile, down in Trinidad, it has been so dry that ranchers have had to haul water for their cattle. Leadville and Trinidad are a microcosm of what's happening across Colorado, where heavy spring runoff in the north may portend floods, while a parched south promises early-spring wildfires. Fire danger is high for this time of year, with no relief in sight, and a lot of wind is compounding the problem. The snowpack in Leadville is 150 percent of average, while just 214 miles away, Trinidad's snowpack is 30 percent of average. The weather bedeviling Colorado is caused by a mass of Pacific Ocean cold water, about the size of the United States, stretching for 5,000 miles off the South American coast - called La Niña. "We've had some real strange weather going on - with extended dry periods in Denver and crazy snow in the mountains." Scientists disagree how long La Niña will last. It could be a year. It could be less. "This event had an UNUSUAL start in the late fall and was poorly predicted, so it could fade away this spring."
AUSTRALIA - could be in for much needed above-average rainfall after the World Meteorological Organisation said it saw UNPRECEDENTED SIGNS pointing to a looming La Nina, a phenomenon that can disrupt weather patterns in many parts of the globe. Temperatures in the central and eastern equatorial Pacific have been between 0.5C and 1C below normal since the start of the year. "Combined with broader tropical Pacific ocean and atmosphere conditions, this is consistent with the early stages of a basin-wide La Nina event. It is UNPRECEDENTED in the historical record for a La Nina of substantial intensity or duration to develop so early in the year." This typically brings far drier weather to the south-western US, Florida and western Latin America and above-average rainfall to Australia, Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines. But there can also be a knock-on much further afield, with an increase to monsoon rainfall in South Asia, unusual coolness in tropical West Africa, South-east Africa, Japan and the Korean peninsula. La Nina usually lasts nine to 12 months, although "some episodes may persist for as long as two years." The buildup of this La Nina was so EXCEPTIONALLY SWIFT AND INTENSE that it was impossible at the moment to infer what the impact would be and how long the phenomenon would last. There is much speculation among climate scientists that man-made global warming may make El Nino and La Nina more frequent and more vicious and this trend may have already started.
ODD -
FLORIDA - For the past month, boat wakes have lasted for hours in the foamier-than-usual Banana River Lagoon. Puffs of the brown and white stuff washed up along the lagoon banks and canals in Cape Canaveral. Scientists haven't come up with a definitive answer on the foam's cause, but the prevailing theory is an algae die-off, despite tests last week that found a normal concentration of algae species typically seen in the lagoon. So far, water tests ruled out detergents and several toxic algae species. No red tide toxin or the toxin that contaminates lagoon puffer fish have turned up, either. Test results from new samples sent this week to the Fish and Wildlife Research Institute in St Petersburg are expected early next week. The reason for all the foam may have more to do with warmer than usual conditions this winter that allowed more algae to grow and die faster than usual. Temperature data from the Banana River suggests warmer than usual water for most of the winter, followed by a blunt cold snap late in the winter that may have caused the excess algae to die off all at once. "Typically, these things would die off in smaller scales. We're hoping that we've seen the worst of it, and we should see it disperse." The foam is too widespread to be an environmental spill. "Maybe it's related to some of the plants and animals growing now that we haven't seen before, or haven't seen as many as before." The natural breakdown of rotting plants and animals releases products that can lather up water. Although not an immediate threat, the foam hints at an underlying chronic algae problem. "I'm not so concerned about the foam as I am with these larger populations and organic matter, which can result in low dissolved oxygen." "It is a freak thing. I've been coming down here in 10 years, I've never seen anything like this."
Disease
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Sunday, March 5, 2006 -
QUAKES -
Largest quakes yesterday -
3/4 -
5.4 NEAR S.CST OF EASTERN HONSHU
5.4 OFF COAST OF CENTRAL AMERICA
5.2 CENTRAL MID-ATLANTIC RIDGE
5.0 UNIMAK ISLAND, ALASKA.
3/3 -
5.0 MINAHASSA PENINSULA, SULAWESI
5.2 SOUTHERN MID-ATLANTIC RIDGE
5.3 LEEWARD ISLANDS
5.8 FIJI ISLANDS REGION
TROPICAL STORMS -
Tropical storm 01W was 562 nmi SW of Agana, Guam.
Cyclone DIWA was 142 nmi NW of Saint Pierre, Reunion.
THUNDERSTORMS / HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING -
HAWAII - Torrential rains flooded scores of homes, washed out roads and shut down traffic from Waiahole to Kahuku on Windward O'ahu Thursday, bringing with it flash flood warnings that continued late into the night. "This is probably the largest flooding event we've had since the 1996 flood." Rains have been unrelenting for days in Windward O'ahu. Similar weather patterns were found on Maui and Kaua'i. Kaupo, on the remote southeastern Maui coast, was drenched with nearly 10 inches of rain in a 24-hour period. And on O'ahu, the automated rain gauge at Punalu'u recorded more than a foot and a half of rain in 48 hours. There has been widespread property damage. The rains also caused a 200-yard long landslide near Kualoa Ranch. The stretch of Kamehameha Highway from Kahalu'u to Kahuku was littered with branches, mud, rocks and fallen trees.
Some are calling it the WORST FLOOD ON THE WINDWARD COAST OF OAHU IN DECADES and it's far from over. The destruction is massive. From Kahaluu to Kahuku, hundreds of homes were flooded Thursday evening after torrential rain hammered Oahu. But the real nightmare is in Kaaawa. "The low level windflow has hit the Koolau at just the right angle to hold those showers in place. It's UNUSUAL for it to last this long, but it's held it in place for about two days, so it's just been a repeated damage for people on the windward side."
Rain-making "multiple, similar weather systems" are to blame for recent drenchings on O'ahu and Kaua'i. While the systems were expected to be replaced by trade wind weather as the weekend approached, forecasters expect the systems will likely be back later this month. "These systems make the air to the east and southeast of the low unstable, creating a greater chance of heavy rain shower." The Hawaiian Islands experience two or three Kona low systems each year, but they normally pass from west to east through the Islands. The recent low systems are UNUSUAL in remaining to the west.
AUSTRALIA - Wild weather damaged a number of homes and cut off power to thousands more throughout south east Queensland overnight. The Gold Coast was worst hit. The Gold Coast recorded 140mm of rain overnight while winds along the coast uprooted trees and whipped up seven-metre waves.
Aid is being airlifted to about 500 people in Bellingen after rising flood waters stranded them on the NSW mid-north coast for the duration of the weekend. The Bureau of Meteorology is forecasting more heavy rain along the NSW mid-north coast, with a severe weather warning for the far north coast.
MICHIGAN - a layer of warmer air slid between two layers of colder air, causing snow falling from the upper layer to melt and turn to freezing rain Thursday. What was UNUSUAL, however, was the springlike weather to the south colliding with colder temperatures in Detroit, leading to thunder and lightning.
SNOW / COLD -
ITALY - Dozens of people have been rescued after an avalanche struck during a skiing competition in northern Italy. The avalanche swept down a mountainside near Italy's border with France. Rescue workers said around 20 people were buried by tons of snow which swallowed competitors and officials taking part in a ski competition in Artesina near Cuneo. This winter looks set to be ONE OF THE WORST ON RECORD FOR THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE KILLED IN AVALANCHES ACROSS EUROPE. Already 39 people have died in the French Alps, while in the whole of last season the total was just 25. Last week 20 people died in France and Switzerland alone. The avalanche risk has grown because of sharp temperature fluctuations - which have made the snow very unstable - and greater numbers of inexperienced skiers venturing into powder snow.
BULGARIA - A mighty avalanche in the Rila Mountain has swept six Slovak tourists, who skipped warnings of local people on possible snow-downs. The 600m-long avalanche was caused by the mountain-trotters themselves, after they took on climbing a slope. Only one woman was injured, both her arms are broken. Two weeks ago a twenty-year-old man from Sofia died in an avalanche which went down on Vitosha Mountain. Days earlier a snowboarder, who spent the night buried in the snow near the Bulgarian winter resort of Bansko, had survived amid temperatures of -15 Celsius. With a continuously warming weather across the country, the threat of avalanches in the mountains become more and more real, rescuers said.
COLORADO - Two snowboarders triggered a wet slab avalanche within the city limits of Steamboat Springs. "It happened so quickly. It didn't hesitate, and it came in a big way. Right there in the middle of town." Warm temperatures this week "wreaked havoc on a fairly stable snowpack and produced a significant wet slide cycle."
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Friday, March 3, 2006 -
QUAKES -
Largest quakes yesterday -
3/2 -
5.4 LEEWARD ISLANDS
5.4 TONGA ISLANDS
5.4 FIJI ISLANDS REGION
AUSTRALIA - residents have been shaken by a 3.5 earthquake centred about 60km from the nation's capital. It was centred 8km southwest of the earthquake-prone town of Gunning. A tremor was felt in Canberra, but Gunning residents described a loud bang, and said the shaking lasted about six seconds. The Australian Seismological Centre chief said the earthquake-prone area might be "waking up" after 20 years of seismic inactivity. "This is actually the second earthquake the area has had in two weeks." This one was much bigger tha the first one. "We're not sure what's triggering the tremors, whether its changes in the ground water levels or just general tectonic tremors, but hopefully they don't keep growing in magnitude." Gunning was partially damaged in 1934 by an earthquake measuring 5.5 on the Richter scale.
HAWAII - An earthquake of magnitude 4.0, the largest in the area of the Kilauea volcano since 2001, shook the southern region of the Big Island on Wednesday. No damage was reported. The earthquake occurred just before 9 a.m. and was followed by four aftershocks by 9:30. "These persistent earthquakes, located within the Ka'oiki fault zone of Mauna Loa, are possibly an adjustment to the continuing expansion of the Kilauea summit."
TSUNAMI -
NEW ZEALAND - There is a call for the earthquake and tsunami hazard in the Bay of Plenty to be re-evaluated. The recommendation follows new research revealing a sharp rise in known offshore earthquake sources in the region. Scientists have identified 166 under-sea folds capable of generating earthquakes, compared to only 14 folds identified six years ago. The results mean the earthquake hazard in the central and eastern Bay of Plenty coastal region is greater than previously thought.
TROPICAL STORMS -
CYCLONE CARINA was 781 nmi SSE of Diego Garcia.
AUSTRALIA - A developing tropical low off the Northern Territory coast is expected to turn into a cyclone and track towards the massive oil and gas rigs in the resource-rich Timor Sea. Already some rigs are copping heavy rain and strong winds. The slowly-moving low is expected to move southwest along the coast of Timor and may turn for Western Australia by the middle of next week. If a cyclone hit Timor, high rainfall would be expected to cause flash flooding and landslides on the mountainous island's southern side. Any storm surge could also flood coastal towns and villages. Strong wind and high seas warnings have been issued for waters between Cape Fourcroy and Cape Don. Waves were rising to 3m and 30 knot winds were expected in the area. The low was pushed west by easterly winds that were likely to continue.
THUNDERSTORMS / HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING -
AUSTRALIA - Several homes on Queensland's Gold Coast are under threat from a massive landslip caused by torrential rain. A low pressure system off the southern Queensland coast unleashed winds of up to 100km/h and heavy rain overnight, damaging homes and bringing down trees in Bundaberg and Redcliffe, north of Brisbane. The rough conditions forced the World Championship Tour surfing events on the Gold Coast to be postponed.
The Northern Rivers region in northern NSW is on high alert for severe weather and flooding. Local rivers are already at their peak. Widespread flooding is also expected across the mid-north coast this morning. Many roads and bridges are underwater and the town of Bellingen is already cut off by floodwaters. In some affected areas, records are expected to be set for rainfall. "I think those will go pretty close to all-time records."
HAWAII - Rains drenched windward Oahu causing flooding and a landslide on Johnson Road between Kualoa and Waikane. The water on Kamehameha Highway was high enough to reach car doors near Kualoa. Forecasters said the water runoff from the rains is expected to cause flash flooding in streams and could trigger more mudslides. The Punaluu Pump rain gauge reported 5.65 inches of rain between 5 a.m. and 5 p.m. Nearly three and a half inches fell in the three hours between 8 a.m. and 11 a.m. alone. A weather system west of Hawaii has produced the unsettled conditions. Kauai's weather will be affected by an area of heavy rain to the south of the Garden Isle. On Oahu, the windward side of the Koolau range will have the highest likelihood of flooding as clouds anchor themselves to the terrain, resulting slow-moving heavy showers over that area.
UTAH - One northern Utah town bore the brunt of flooding earlier this week as warm temperatures melted the heavy mountain snow pack. Flooding affected at least 20 homes in Morgan, a town of 2,600 people some 40 miles north of Salt Lake City. The unseasonably warm temperatures are melting a snow pack in the nearby mountains that is at 150% above normal. A recent heavy snowstorm also contributed to the flooding. More snow is predicted for the weekend, but officials are worried that more warm temperatures next week will only add to the flooding woes. Tthe ground is still frozen and the local waterways are unable to hold all the water produced by the melting snow. Temperatures are expected to creep back up into the 50s by Monday.
SNOW / COLD -
FRANCE - There were two further avalanche deaths yesterday in the French Alps and police have warned off-piste skiers and snowboarders as well as ski mountaineers to be extremely careful especially on north faces. There has been 40-60cm of fresh snow in the pre-Alps and the avalanche risk is considerable across the whole region. There have been 43 avalanche deaths in France so far this season.
IDAHO - An Idaho man who was snowmobiling is dead after being caught in an avalanche in Butte County. He was carried about 200 yards down the hill. His riding companion found him under about three feet of snow and tried to revive him, but was unable. The avalanche happened around 2:30 Wednesday afternoon in the Antelope Valley. Avalanche danger was considerable throughout the mountains of Idaho Wednesday. The danger level is expected to remain at 'considerable' throughout the weekend.
CANADA - British Columbia - The avalanche hazard in the Alpine is considerable - at treeline and below treeline. Extended periods of 100 kph winds and fluctuating freezing levels have loaded a variable mix of soft slabs, stiff upside down windslabs and scoured old snow in their wake. Slab avalanches up to 80 cm deep were releasing with the weight of a skier within the ski area over the past two days. A natural avalanche cycle occurred early in the storm and those start zones have reloaded since then. Within the ski area SLOPES RAN THAT HAVE NOT SLID IN 10 YEARS.
Unusually High Tides / Freak Waves - updated Fridays.
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Thursday, March 2, 2006 -
QUAKES -
Largest quakes yesterday -
3/1 -
5.2 NORTHERN SUMATERA, INDONESIA
5.3 CENTRAL BOLIVIA
5.3 SOUTH OF FIJI ISLANDS
5.0 RYUKYU ISLANDS, JAPAN
5.7 MINDORO, PHILIPPINE ISLANDS
5.1 XIZANG
Regions of the Earth previously thought to be immune to giant earthquakes might actually be at high risk of experiencing them, according to a Caltech study released Wednesday. The Sumatra-Andaman earthquake had a magnitude of 9.15, making it the third-largest earthquake in the past 100 years. "This earthquake didn't just break all the records, it also broke some of the rules." The oceanic crust at the site of the 2004 earthquake is old and dense, and the relative motion between the plates is slow. "For all these reasons, received wisdom said that the giant 2004 earthquake should not have occurred." Other subduction zones that were not previously considered to be a risk, but may need to be reassessed, include the Ryukyu Islands between Taiwan and Japan and the Caribbean from Trinidad to Barbados and Puerto Rico.
VOLCANOES -
YELLOWSTONE - In the past decade, part of the volcano has risen nearly five inches, most likely due to a backup of flowing molten rock miles below the planet's crust. The activity may have cracked the crust in the park's famous Norris Geyser Basin, leading to the formation of new fumaroles — holes that vent smoke and gas — and the reawakening of some of the area's geysers. Radar observations from the European Space Agency's ERS-2 satellite reveal that the jellybean-shaped Yellowstone caldera — a giant depression caused by past volcanic explosions — began to rise in 1995. Although the caldera floor started to sink in late 1997, part of the north rim, called the north rim uplift anomaly continued rising until 2003. After a nine year period of inactivity, Steamboat Geyser erupted in May, 2000, and has erupted five times since. Since 1989, Pork Chop geyser was active only as a hot spring, but in the summer of 2003 it reawakened as a geyser. Also that summer, several footpaths near the Norris Geyser Basin were closed because of near-boiling ground temperatures. "This is probably an ongoing feature in Yellowstone. We've only been able to study it like this for 10 years, so we're still not sure what's normal and what's not. But there's no evidence yet to suspect an eruption."
TROPICAL STORMS -
Cyclone CARINA was 681 nmi SSE of Diego Garcia.
THUNDERSTORMS / HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING -
BOLIVIA, BRAZIL, ECUADOR - Flooding imperils thousands. Continuous floods fed by heavy rains since early January have affected more than 250,000 people in several departments across Bolivia. Thousands of families in Brazil and Ecuador have also been displaced. The most damaged areas are located in the Bolivian departments of Santa Cruz, La Paz and Beni. Rains have lessened this week, but the rainy season is not over yet. More rains are forecast, which may cause the Rio Grande to overflow again, creating new floods. Thousands of families who have lost their homes are living in 24 overcrowded camps set up throughout the country. The Ecuadorian coast is almost under water, roads are flooded, and electricity and telephone services are out of service. Rivers in affected provinces are overflowing, and thousands of hectares of crops are under water; urban areas have been also affected. Weather forecasters warn that heavy rains will continue along the coast of Ecuador during March and April.
PERU - Torrential rainfall has inundated 3,700 hectares of rice and banana cultivation, as it caused rivers in Tumbes to overflow their banks. Tumbes is located in the north of Peru, near the border with Ecuador. From Sunday to Monday precipitation reached 107 mm.
SOUTH AFRICA - Johannesburg - Several roads in Kempton Park were closed after a four-hour downpour flooded many parts of the area on Wednesday afternoon. "At this stage, the water level is steadily climbing to above mid-leg level and there is a danger that cars using the road will be swept away."
CALIFORNIA - With strong winds, tornado warnings, power outages, hail and thunderstorms, the weather Tuesday was more scary than destructive in Solano County as storms pounded the region for the third consecutive day. "I'm totally freaked out about it. I got a little panicked when it hailed and then we had the power outage." UNUSUAL was the half-inch hail that fell in parts of Sacramento, and the Vallejo teacher injured by lightning. The teacher was touching her classroom's metal door when lightning struck the ground near her classroom. "California is very low, near 40th, among the states in terms of people being struck by lightning." The lightning strike came from a thunderstorm that passed through Solano and Yolo counties on its way to Sacramento, where it brought UNUSUALLY large hail stones. It produced large hail, up to a half-inch in size, and there was two to three inches of hail on the ground.
"The rivers are up to flood stage, but it's receding in between the storms. It's REALLY STRANGE WEATHER right now. It'll come down in huge downpours, but then it just stops and subsides as the sun comes out. We were worried that the rain would just continue straight on without stopping, but everything is holding up fine now. It's nothing like it was earlier this year." More rain is predicted for today and Friday, but the bigger concern is a major winter storm predicted to start last night in the Sierra Mountains. Forecasters are predicting between 14 and 20 inches of snow for some mountainous areas.
SNOW / COLD -
ALASKA - A 24-year-old snowboarder was buried in an avalanche Tuesday and presumed dead. Conditions were too severe to launch an immediate search. The avalanche fell from the 1,600-foot level of Marmot Mountain, cascading down over the snowboarder and into a ravine. The area, located 50 miles north of Anchorage, has been the site of previous avalanches.
INDIA - Four officials of the Border Roads Organisation were buried alive under a huge snow avalanche in Kargil Wednesday. Another similar incident occurred near the Line of Control at Lato, three porters working with the army were buried under a snow avalanche. However, two of them were rescued and admitted to hospital in an injured condition, search for the third is ongoing.
CANADA - Most Canadians will have to endure a very slow start to spring, according to Environment Canada's latest three-month forecast. Most of the country will experience cooler than normal temperatures during the spring. The prediction is for cooler than normal temperatures from the west coast clear through to Quebec over the next 90 days. Atlantic Canada and eastern regions of Canada's North will enjoy warmer than average temperatures in the next three months, however. "A late arctic vortex" that moved in on northern parts of Hudson Bay last month is to blame for the cold temperatures in southern Ontario and Western Canada. "It's doing some very strange things. It's pulling the cool air down across the Prairies and into Ontario, but on the other side it's pulling very warm air off the Atlantic. And actually, places like Iqaluit and Baffin Island are setting record warm temperatures lately." "And my gosh, if you wanted it to be warm a few days ago, you had to go north. It was warmer in the north than in the south. Talk about weather upside down." The forecast suggests that most of southern Ontario and central Manitoba and Saskatchewan will have a wetter spring than usual, while Newfoundland, Nova Scotia and most of the North will be drier than usual.
HEAT / WILDFIRES -
The global scientific body on climate change will report soon that only greenhouse gas emissions can explain the current freak weather patterns. Simultaneous changes in sea ice, glaciers, droughts, floods, ecosystems, ocean acidification and wildlife migration are taking place. The panel had previously said gases such as CO2 were "probably" to blame. "The measurements from the natural world on all parts of the globe have been anomalous over the past decade. If a few were out of kilter we wouldn't be too worried, because the Earth changes naturally. But the fact that they are virtually all out of kilter makes us very concerned." The report will forecast that a doubling of greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere would bring a temperature rise of 2 - 4.5C, or maybe higher.
UNUSUAL WEATHER SEASON -
FRANCE - It has been a very strange winter around Paris, with long stretches of frost alternating with unseasonably pleasant temperatures. "We used to have four seasons. Now we have four seasons in one day." For race horses, it has been a struggle to adapt: They grow a winter coat, start to lose it, then grow it again.
"Five minutes of research on Google reveals more data about calamitous shifts in climate than you can possibly absorb... Two clicks in and you can find out that the world's polar ice caps are melting twice as fast as scientists thought just a few years ago. You learn that, in the past 30 years, nearly half a million miles of sea ice have melted - an unprecedented pace. You discover that 2005 was the hottest year on record, and that by 2030, Glacier National Park in northern Montana will be entirely devoid of glaciers. You also find a plethora of maps of the world, each with little symbols stuck all over them... of environmental nasties: record droughts, epic floods, dire storms of all shapes and sizes, unusual animal migrations, ecosystem breakdowns, unprecedented heat waves, malaria outbreaks in regions previously immune. There are disappearing lakes, coral reefs bleaching (from algae die-offs), massive snowfalls and huge fires. And that's just the warm-up. So to speak."
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Wednesday, March 1, 2006 -
QUAKES -
Largest quakes yesterday -
2/28 -
6.0 SOUTHERN IRAN
5.2 SOUTH INDIAN OCEAN
5.4 TONGA ISLANDS REGION
IRAN - More than 1,000 homes in an isolated region of southern Iran were seriously damaged on Tuesday when a powerful earthquake registering 5.6 on the Richter scale hit the area. The quake hit an area around the town of Arzuieh in Kerman province, 750km southeast of the capital Tehran.
VOLCANOES -
PAPUA NEW GUINEA - Hundreds of people have been told to leave a remote Papua New Guinea island after its volcano re-erupted throwing up huge black ash clouds and spewing out rock flows. The volcano on tiny Manam island last erupted in October 2004, prompting the evacuation the following month of more than 9,000 people after heavy ash falls destroyed houses and food crops and contaminated water sources. A strong eruption was reported from Manam's southern crater on Monday evening. Eruptions continued into the night with black ash clouds rising up to 2km along with the ejection of glowing lava fragments and small rock and lava flows down the mountain.
TROPICAL STORMS -
Cyclone CARINA was 681 nmi SSE of Diego Garcia.
THUNDERSTORMS / HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING -
PAPUA NEW GUINEA - Severe flooding last month in the Western Highlands Province has killed six people, destroyed dozens of houses and food gardens and put about 5000 people at risk of disease. The flooding in the Dei district had devastated five villages, forcing people to flee to higher ground. Hundreds of people were stricken with malaria, there was a high risk of typhoid, medical supplies were short and there was an urgent need for clean drinking water.
NAMIBIA - one of Africa's driest countries, has been ravaged by floods following UNPRECEDENTED heavy rains that have fallen countrywide since the beginning of the year. Since the beginning of 2006, the country has recorded a rainfall average that is higher than the annual rainfall average. Flooding has also been reported in the Namib Desert. At the weekend the town of Mariental was evacuated after it was engulfed by floods. Damage to the town's infrastructure is estimated at R50-million. The main road linking Namibia and South Africa was also closed to traffic at the weekend due to the flooding. Namibia imports over 85 percent of its goods from South Africa. The Caprivi Region, which borders on Zambia, has also been flooded for weeks. At least five people were reportedly swept away.
SNOW / COLD -
BRITAIN - was bracing itself last night for further Arctic weather after forecasters predicted more snow. Despite today heralding the meteorological start of Spring, Britain will remain in the grip of some of the coldest weather of the winter. Icy blasts, which brought an overnight deluge of snow to northern parts of Scotland and eastern England, are expected to last for the rest of the week. Blizzards have already caused disruption with roads and schools forced to close. Worst-hit was northern Scotland, with high winds and blizzards. The Thames Barrier was shut as bitterly cold northerly winds swept down the east coast and combined with high spring tides to create a half metre surge on the incoming tide. “There is no doubt that we are experiencing a change in climate around the world and with only six weeks to go, it is not beyond the realms of possibility that we will be rolling our [Easter] eggs in the snow this year.”
FRANCE - An American has been killed in the Plane sector in the Vallon de la Doire by an avalanche Monday. The man was with two other Americans off-piste skiing close to the resort of Montgenèvre when they triggered a slab avalanche at around 2500 meters altitude. One of the other men was seriously injured. At nearby Risoul two teenage snowboarders triggered an avalanche at 2200 meters altitude while riding off piste, seriously injuring one. The avalanche risk was at High (4/5) over much of the Hautes-Alpes.
HEAT / WILDFIRES -
INDIA - The HIGHEST EVER MAXIMUM DAY TEMPERATURE IN THE MONTH OF FEBRUARY of 38.4 degree celsius was recorded on Monday, the 27th. On Tuesday they expected the heat to continue for the next 48 hours. “The rise is due to the sudden flow pattern change. January and February are generally considered winter months, where the temperature is usually governed by western disturbances. However, this year the number of active western disturbances affecting Gangetic West Bengal is remarkably low. This is resulting in less number of moisture disturbances like rain and thunder showers.” Consequently, the cool air has stopped flowing over the Gangetic West Bengal.
ARIZONA - The Valley’s RECORDBREAKING DRY SPELL may soon come to an end, as forecasts call for a 30-40 percent chance of rain into this morning. If rain fell at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport yesterday, it will snap a run of precipitation-free days at 132 - 31 days longer than the previous record. While this rain won’t do much to alleviate the drought’s fire hazards and fill shrinking reservoirs, the precipitation would tamp down the billowing dust plaguing the Valley.
IOWA - on the last day of February parts of Iowa may have seen high temperatures in the upper 60s and lower 70s. For some areas, that's 30-degrees above normal, and is capping off ONE OF THE WARMEST WINTERS ON RECORD FOR THE REGION. While it's unusual, it's not unheard-of, especially as March approaches and 60s become more common in the forecast.
WATER WARS? - Climate change may spark conflict between nations. Israel, the Palestinian Territories and Jordan rely on the River Jordan but Israel controls it and has cut supplies during times of scarcity. The Brahmaputra River has caused tension between India and China and could be a flashpoint for two of the world's biggest armies. Floods in the Ganges caused by melting glaciers in the Himalayas are wreaking havoc in Bangladesh leading to a rise in illegal migration to India. Tensions have flared between Botswana, Namibia and Angola around the vast Okavango basin. Population growth in Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia is threatening conflict along the world's longest river, The Nile.
On Monday Britain's Defence Secretary issued a bleak forecast that violence and political conflict would become more likely in the next 20 to 30 years as climate change turned land into desert, melted ice fields and poisoned water supplies. Military planners have already started considering the potential impact of global warming for Britain's armed forces over the next 20 to 30 years. They accept some climate change is inevitable, and warn Britain must be prepared for humanitarian disaster relief, peacekeeping and warfare to deal with the dramatic social and political consequences of climate change. "As we look beyond the next decade, we see uncertainty growing; uncertainty about the geopolitical and human consequences of climate change."
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Tuesday, February 28, 2006 -
QUAKES -
6.0 SOUTHERN IRAN today.
Largest quakes yesterday -
2/27 -
5.2 RYUKYU ISLANDS, JAPAN
TROPICAL STORMS -
AUSTRALIA - The clean-up has begun after category one tropical cyclone Emma crossed Western Australia's remote Pilbara coast today as a force-one storm. Six people were rescued after two cars were swept away by flood water dumped by the cyclone, oil and mining operations were shut down, Karratha, Tom Price and Pannawonica suffered localised flooding and three Pilbara schools had minor classroom and roof damage. Forecasters were keeping an eye on another developing tropical low that could impact WA over the weekend.
THUNDERSTORMS / HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING -
MALAYSIA - A two-hour downpour caused a major river to overflow, flooding a central Malaysian city and forcing thouands from their homes for a few hours. The UNUSUALLY INTENSE downpour - almost double the volume normally recorded for thunderstorms that last between two to four hours - disrupted trains, cut off highways and caused millions of ringgit (dollars; euros) in losses. Floodwaters reached 2.3 metres at some places in Shah Alam, about 30 kilometres west of Kuala Lumpur, submerging single-story houses while trapping other residents on the second floor of their homes.
Sunday's floods in Shah Alam are touted to be the WORST IN 10 YEARS, following unusually heavy rain for five hours. Plans must be drawn up to upgrade the irrigation system to absorb the excess water during heavy rain. "Given the unpredictable weather now, sometimes, rain pours in excess from the normal volume. This means, the capacity of the irrigation system must be upgraded." More than 9,000 people were evacuated, over 3,000 houses were damaged and about 1,000 vehicles were submerged in the floods.
WIND -
WASHINGTON - The residual effects of a FREAK weather pattern that brought gusty winds to areas along the Strait of Juan de Fuca early Monday were still being felt Monday night. Residents of Neah Bay and a few scattered areas surrounding Port Angeles remained without power late Monday after winds of 40 to 50 mph - and unconfirmed gusts of more than 70 mph - downed or tipped trees, signs, utility poles and power lines. The cause of the early Monday winds was not the typical reason for windy conditions along the North Olympic Peninsula. Early Monday's gusts were fueled when a small localized area of low pressure formed around the mouth of the Strait of Juan de Fuca and tapped into energy from surrounding weather systems. The barometric pressure, already below normal, dropped nearly a half-inch between 8 p.m. Sunday and 2 a.m. Monday to create a localized low pressure cell. Air from surrounding weather systems was sucked into the low pressure, making for the strong winds as the system moved east.
SNOW / COLD -
RUSSIA - A powerful snow cyclone hit Sakhalin and Kurile Islands Monday night, closing airports and seaports in the Far Eastern Russian region. The storm in the Tatar Strait in the northern part of the Sea of Japan reached the force of seven.
CANADA - British Columbia - the avalanche danger continues to escalate in many parts of the province. Warmer temperatures and winds are making the snowpack unstable. The danger rating is now "high" in the alpine and "considerable" at the tree line in the Columbia Mountains and Central B.C. Conditions are even worse along the coast due to heavy snow and warm temperatures.
IDAHO - Some are saying this is the worst year for avalanches. There have already been two avalanche-related deaths and with a potentially record-breaking snow year in the Teton Mountain Range, more could be on the way. What the public doesn’t know is that most deadly avalanches are not natural avalanches, quite often they’re triggered by the victim they take.
HEAT / WILDFIRES -
RUSSIA - warm cyclone waves that have affected the Sakhalin Island have helped local energy specialists to remove a major breakdown on the Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk city heat supply main on Monday. The repair had been started specially with the onset of the cyclone on Monday, because it brought warmer weather. The cyclone affected the Sakhalin Island for about a day and then moved on to the Kamchatka Peninsula.
UNUSUAL WEATHER SEASONS -
TASMANIA - a weather expert has labeled this past suumer season as "weird". There has definitely been "lots of weird stuff" happening during summer. December kicked off wet and windy, but with plenty of warm nights - Hobart's mean minimum overnight temperature was 12.8C, 2.1 degrees above normal and the HIGHEST FOR ANY DECEMBER IN 124 YEARS OF RECORDS. Much of Tasmania had more rain than normal during December, winds gusted in excess of 100km/h and Hobart reached 98km/h on Christmas Day - its SECOND-STRONGEST FESTIVE GUST ON RECORD. January wasn't much better, with wind gusts of up to 106km/h lashing the state over the new year. Late January brought scorching temperatures up to 40.6C - the SECOND-HIGHEST TEMPERATURE EVER RECORDED in Tasmania. But, in a bizarre twist, by the first week of February snow fell to 900m. Then, in the final weeks of summer, hailstones the size of apples pelted Bruny Island during a wild storm. Overly humid summer weather triggered more disease at the Botanical Gardens than usual and caused some confused plants to change colour early.
MICHIGAN - the outlook for the week is for somewhat cooler than normal temperatures for the time of year but nothing exceptional in the way of weather. The mid-20s highs for most of the week is about five degrees below normal for late February-early March. On the other hand, the winter to date has been warmer than average. There was an absence of a February deep freeze with temperatures of minus 10 to minus 20 that normally make the month the coldest of the year. It is UNUSUAL not to have at least a few days of -10 to -20-degree temperatures in February. While the thermometer has dipped below zero on a few occasions, those colder nights have fallen some short of a “normal” February.
Drought, Heat, Water Shortages, Wildfires - updated Tuesdays
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Monday, February 27, 2006 -
QUAKES -
Cluster of small quakes today in SICILY and TURKEY.
Largest quakes yesterday -
2/26 -
5.4 NORTHERN SUMATERA, INDONESIA
5.3 SOUTH OF JAWA, INDONESIA
5.4 BANDA SEA
5.6 FIJI ISLANDS REGION
6.4 SOUTH OF FIJI ISLANDS
5.1 XIZANG
5.0 CENTRAL PERU
Cluster of small quakes in STRAIT OF GIBRALTAR.
CANADA - the magnitude 4.5 earthquake shook up many people on Friday. The quake's epicentre was located 7 km north of Thurso, Quebec, or 37 km from Gatineau. It was felt throughout the capital region and as far east as Montreal. "What was UNUSUAL, from our impression, was that it lasted a little longer," an earthquake expert said about the roughly 30-second quake. Other significant earthquakes in the region occurred in 2002 with a magnitude of 5.5, 1990 with a magnitude of 5.0, 1983 with a magnitude of 5.1, 1958 with a magnitude of 5.0 and 1944 with a magnitude of 5.6.
TROPICAL STORMS -
Cyclone CARINA was 593 nmi SE of Diego Garcia.
AUSTRALIA - A tropical low brewing off the West Australian coast is expected to turn into the third cyclone of the state's season. "Gales could occur later on Tuesday if the system continues to intensify and moves further south as expected." WA's cyclone season runs between November and April, with most activity in the latter half of the period. A typical season produces five cyclones off the northwest coast, with about two impacts, at least one being a severe tropical cyclone.
THUNDERSTORMS / HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING -
PAKISTAN - At least 15 people were killed after their coach was swept off by a landslide triggered by heavy rain in Pakistan's North West frontier province on Sunday. The coach fell down into a river. Many parts of the Oct. 8 quake-hit zone had been receiving heavy rains for the last two days, causing landslides in the hilly areas. The earthquake has also badly damaged roads and several are still covered by earth and rock from earlier landslides. Sunday's accident illustrates the continued threat to earthquake survivors, more than two million of whom have been living in tents or in simple shelters since the Oct. 8 disaster that killed more than 75,000 people.
PHILIPPINES - There's a renewed fear of more landslides in the Philippines, prompting authorities to order a quick survey of endangered communities. A small landslide hit Friday in the central Philippines where an earlier landslide wiped out an entire village. No one was hurt, but officials are worried about heavy rain causing more landslides.
CALIFORNIA - A winter storm brought rain and wind to many parts of Northern California Sunday. Officials say flooding is possible due to three storms set to hit Northern California in the coming week. The storms are expected to bring up to 5 inches of rain to the area. River levels are not expected to rise with Sunday's storm but may with two coming later in the week. Officials also warned residents living along the delta in the Sacramento region to watch for possible boils, leaks, or breaks along levees. The Governor recently named 5 levees in the Pocket Area of Sacramento a very high risk.
TEXAS - It rained and rained and rained some more, and by Saturday night enough precipitation had fallen to spur meteorologists' talk of dents in North Texas' drought conditions. Between noon Friday and 7 p.m. Saturday, 3.51 inches of rain was recorded at Dallas/Fort Worth Airport. "As far as working on the drought, that's a really good start." The two-day soaker put rainfall totals for the month of February more than 1.7 inches above normal. It was the highest two-day rainfall total since at least October 2004. The rain also gave area reservoirs - many of which are still several feet below normal - a boost. Surprisingly, the weekend drenching failed to set any records. The weather service counts record rainfall according to calendar days, not 24-hour periods. The record rainfall for Saturday, 2.24 inches, was set in 1948. The record precipitation for Friday's date was 1.75, set in 1970. "Close to 3½ inches is a significant amount of rainfall any day."
SNOW / COLD -
FRANCE - The Pyrenees had escaped relatively unscathed from the carnage unleashed by avalanches this season. That was until Saturday. At around midday as two climbers approached the Arre-Sourins ridge close to the Anglas chairlift a slab avalanche was triggered beneath their feet causing two slides, one on the resort side of the ridge, the other towards the lac d’Angas. One climber was carried 200 vertical meters from the ridge. He was dug out in a state of cardiac arrest and later died. Like too many of the avalanche victims this season the man and his companion were described as experienced and prudent mountaineers who knew the area well. The avalanche risk was 3 (considerable) at the time of the accident. At les Arcs, a group of four ski instructors from nearby Bourg St Maurice were caught by an avalanche Saturday afternoon under the Aiguille Rouge while skiing off-piste. One member of the group, a 27 year old man, was buried. He was found rapidly using his avalanche beacon but died during his transfer to hospital by helicopter. Earlier in the day three skiers, also resident in Bourg St Maurice, triggered an avalanche in the Aiguille Grive sector, injuring two of the group.
Disease - updated Mondays
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Sunday, February 26, 2006 -
QUAKES -
Largest quakes yesterday -
2/25 -
5.3 BALLENY ISLANDS REGION
5.0 TONGA ISLANDS
5.3 SOUTH OF MARIANA ISLANDS
5.0 SOUTH OF PANAMA
TSUNAMI -
PHILIPPINES - Thousands of residents from coastal towns fled their homes and sought the safety of higher ground Thursday over a rumor that a tsunami was going to hit southern Negros Oriental Thursday night. The tsunami rumor started from a text message that circulated like wildfire after the intensity 7.8 earthquake struck in Africa Thursday morning. Police had already declared the text message as a fraud Thursday night, but there was no time to stop the evacuation.
VOLCANOES -
ALASKA - New data from Augustine Volcano, including satellite measurement of the island's swelling and subsiding, suggest that this winter's eruption is coming to an end. Magma in the Cook Inlet volcano could turn lively again with little notice, they say - but the likeliest course is that no more huge explosions are going to send plumes miles into the sky, triggering ash fall alerts and detouring airplanes like they did in January. Seismic tremors from the island now indicate rockfall from unstable parts of the new dome, not deep magma movement and these signals have decreased over the last few days. Augustine remains at alert-code color orange while the eruptive dome-building continues. Meanwhile this week, the observatory downgraded Spurr Volcano west of Anchorage from code yellow to code green, the lowest level for a dormant volcano. At the same time, the observatory upgraded Korovin Volcano in the remote Aleutians to code yellow. Sensors on the Atka Island mountain picked up four recent days of increased seismicity. (photo)
TROPICAL STORMS -
Cyclone CARINA was 553 nmi SE of Diego Garcia, 1360 nmi ENE of Port Louis, Mauritius.
THUNDERSTORMS / HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING -
AUSTRALIA - Storms have dumped rain and hail across Melbourne, causing flash flooding and bringing gale force winds of up to 80kph. The weather also caused havoc to boom gates and traffic lights in the area. The thunderstorms were caused by cold air moving above the surface after a couple of days of muggy, hot weather. Thunderstorms occurred across the state, but particularly in the Melbourne area. Hail battered the CBD, with stones about 1cm across and the rainfall in town was 33.2mm – three-quarters the monthly average of 46mm. "That's a fair fraction of what you'd expect for the entire month."
DUBAI AND THE NORTHERN EMIRATES - Moderate to heavy rain-showers lashed Dubai and the Northern Emirates Thursday, causing widespread chaos on the roads, damaging outdoor installations and property, due to flooding. Sharjah received around 8.6 millimetres of rainfall while Dubai recorded 14 mm, the highest in a day this winter. The overcast conditions were likely to persist till Saturday, and wind conditions were expected to be strong with gusts up to 35 knots.
CALIFORNIA - Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger declared a state of emergency for fragile Sacramento River and Delta levees, freeing up at least $75 million and suspending state environmental and contracting laws to speed repair at two dozen eroded sites. "We are literally one quake or one major storm away from a major Katrina-style disaster," the governor said. The declaration was announced late Friday afternoon before a weekend that was forecast to bring heavy rain and high winds to Northern California by late today. In the wake of Hurricane Katrina and mounting warnings about the dire condition of California's levee system, there is a growing sense of urgency that something must be done to avert a disaster in the Delta. Scientists have predicted widespread levee failures are likely within the next 50 years, and that such failures pose severe risks to farmland, Delta residents and key infrastructure including highways, power and gas transmission lines and, perhaps most importantly, California's water supply.
ARKANSAS - In an average year, Arkansas has 21 confirmed tornadoes. Most of those tornadoes occur in March, April and May. However, 2005 was a MOST UNUSUAL YEAR. In 2005, only four tornadoes had been reported in the state through the end of May. But 40 more tornadoes were seen during the rest of the year, including 15 that were spawned in August by Hurricane Rita. The MOST TORNADOES EVER VERIFIED IN ONE DAY occurred on Nov. 27, 2005, when 31 tornadoes were spotted in Arkansas. Two of those storms were rated F3, which means they included winds of more than 150 mph. Two more tornadoes occurred in December. Also UNUSUAL was the path of the storms. Typically, tornadoes travel southwest to northeast, or diagonally, across the state. Last year, tornadoes struck areas that often don't see such storms, in Yell Conway, Cleburne, Fulton and Sharp counties. No one knows why that happened. "The National Weather Service has no explanation for it."
SNOW / COLD -
CHINA - Recent snow storms in Southwest China's Sichuan Province caused 30.5 million U.S. dollars of direct economic losses, latest official statistics show. The freak weather conditions, which lasted from Feb. 14 to 18, hit 20 counties, cities and prefectures in Sichuan, affecting 474,000 people. It snowed for 50 straight hours in the counties of Xuanhan, Dazhu and Daxian from the evening of Feb. 16 until the morning of Feb. 18. The snow was 60 cm deep in the mountainous areas. This amount has RARELY BEEN SEEN IN THE PAST TWO DECADES, experts said. The snow struck 5,533 hectares of cropland and destroyed another 800 hectares. In Shimian County, three consecutive days of snow left 500 livestock dead due to frigidity and lack of food. Parts of Shimian were also hit by strong gales, which damaged some transportation and communication facilities.
A thick blanket of snow covered northeast China's Liaoning Province Saturday and a weather report said most parts of the province would still expect heavy snowfall or blizzard. Due to a chilling front from Baikal, the RARE snowstorm started to hit Liaoning Province Friday, the first heavy snowfall since Feb. 4, the day that marks the start of spring in the Chinese lunar calendar. On Saturday morning, the fallen snow in downtown Shenyang measured at least 15 centimeters.
CANADA - A storm has shut down much of St. John's, forcing people to close businesses, cancel flights and abandon vehicles on roads blocked by snow. It was a fierce storm with winds gusting up to 130 kilometres an hour. A sustained wind of 120 km/h is hurricane force. It dropped as much as 15 centimetres over a single hour early Saturday morning. By mid-afternoon on Saturday, the city had received about 48 centimetres of snow, with no letup in sight. "They've had a good 10 hours of heavy snow." The forecast was calling for up to 60 centimetres. The storm was expected to let up Saturday night, moving west to hit Labrador and Iqaluit.
MORE MYSTERY BOOMS -
MAINE - People in Somerset County are seeking answers after feeling earthquake-like tremors this week. The Somerset County Communications Center got calls Thursday morning from at least a dozen residents who reported tremors in a 15-mile radius in Anson, Madison, Skowhegan and Norridgewock. But state officials said there weren't any earthquakes that were documented by the New England Seismic Network. People in Solon last week reported hearing an unexplained loud explosion that shook homes. "I'd like them to re-look at what they may have. This is the second occurrence in less than a week of such magnitude." Thursday's event sounded and felt like a Dumpster had fallen off a truck or a truck had hit the town office building, but that nothing could be found when employees went outside to see what happened. More than a mile away, another person felt the shaking in his office. But he, too, couldn't find the cause. "It felt like somebody with a delivery type of vehicle had backed into our building." Six miles away in Anson, the boom and shaking were so strong that an off-duty dispatcher called the county's dispatch center. He thought maybe his chimney collapsed or his furnace exploded, but he couldn't determine the cause either.
Reports continued to pour in Friday from residents who said they experienced what appeared to be earthquake tremors at about 10 a.m. Thursday morning. "The number and validity of reports received Thursday and Friday - in addition to similar reports last Friday in Solon - indicate Thursday's event was significant and not just a sonic boom."
Space Weather / Solar Storms / Meteors - updated Sundays.
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Friday, February 24, 2006 -
QUAKES -
Largest quakes yesterday -
2/23 -
5.1 MOZAMBIQUE
5.3 MOZAMBIQUE
5.4 MOZAMBIQUE
5.3 NORTHEASTERN INDIA
5.6 BHUTAN
5.2 EAST OF KURIL ISLANDS, RUSSIA
5.5 BOUVET ISLAND REGION
MOZAMBIQUE - The rare 7.5 quake left at least two dead. It frightened residents who felt tremors as far away as Zimbabwe and South Africa. "For the moment we have at least two dead and 13 injured in Machaze but I believe that the situation is evolving." The quake was the SECOND-LARGEST TO HIT THE REGION SINCE 1900. "This earthquake occurred on the southernmost part of the east Africa rift system. The rift system extends from Eritrea, Ethiopia all the way down across Malawi into Mozambique. This is a system which splits Africa into two. There is the Africa plate on left, the Somalia plate on the right, and they are moving apart, it's opening up and it causes stress."
VOLCANOES -
PHILIPPINES - Two cities and three towns were told to be ready to evacuate as Mayon Volcano spewed ash 500m above its crater and more than 20 tremors jolted the area Wednesday. Advisories have been issued to the cities of Tabaco and Ligao and the towns of Malilipot, Daraga and Camalig amid increased seismic activity. 10 villages on the slope of the volcano would have to be moved once the volcano erupts.
Nine volcanic earthquakes were recorded on Thursday.
TROPICAL STORMS -
Cyclone CARINA was 571 nmi ESE of Diego Garcia.
Cyclone KATE was 336 nmi N of Cairns, Australia.
CYCLONE KATE - Queensland's second tropical cyclone of the season is expect to remain static for the next few days. "Over the weekend it won't pose any threat to the coast - come Monday we'll have a better idea. It's an unpredictable pattern ... the computer models are really struggling to handle it." Water levels on some islands in the Torres Strait could be an immediate concern as the second Coral Sea cyclone of the season intensifies. Water levels reached record heights during winter gales and a combination of strong winds and king tides in the Torres Strait next week is possible.
THUNDERSTORMS / HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING -
YEMEN - Flooding claimed three lives as rescue teams attempt to save hundreds more trapped in homes and fields in Ma’abar, a small town in Dhamar province. Fifty houses were destroyed and the number of deaths is not yet known. A Dhamar governorate source said at least five died while 50 remain stranded in their homes due to flood water levels exceeding two meters. Two hundred residents were evacuated and taken to school lodging centers. Two-day rains caused immense agricultural damage and washed out the main road connecting Sana’a, Taiz and Aden. (photo)
TURKEY - An empty eight-storey building collapsed in the north-western Turkish city of Bursa. It was not immediately clear whether there were any casualties. The building, in the city centre, had been evacuated earlier after it was damaged by a landslide. It housed business offices.
SNOW / COLD -
RUSSIA - At least 56 people were killed and 32 injured when the snow-laden roof over an indoor market in Moscow collapsed. The collapse comes two years after the roof of a Moscow water park – built by the same architect – collapsed, killing 28 people. (photo)
WASHINGTON - An avalanche near Stevens Pass closed US Route 2 in both directions Thursday afternoon and trapped four cars.
HEAT / WILDFIRES -
BRITAIN - must use less water or face rationing as the country suffered its WORST DROUGHT IN A CENTURY, the head of the country's Environment Agency said. In some parts of the southeast, reservoirs are at less than half their capacity at a time when they should be at or near full as the country emerges from the winter. "We are in a serious situation now, where both the environment and our water supplies are at risk. Groundwater levels in some areas are the LOWEST ON RECORD." Rainfall in the winter months has been the LOWEST SINCE THE DROUGHT OF 1920-21. Even if it returned to normal over coming months there would still be serious problems in some areas. The country has suffered seven big droughts in the past century, with the most recent 10 years ago.
AUSTRALIA - Dry weather has plunged Melbourne's water storages to 54.2 per cent capacity. The city's reservoirs dropped 0.6 per cent this week to 960,410 million litres, five per cent less than the same time last year. Melbourne's four major catchments recorded zero rainfall this week.
AFRICA - a seemingly endless procession of natural disasters is devastating Africa. The latest drought to hit Africa comes less than a year after poor rains brought hunger to the west and south. "There is nothing you can do but wait for death." Climate change may bring longer dry spells and unpredictable rains but societies should be able to cope better, experts say. "There are all sorts of things you could do to make sure less rain does not mean more dead." Environmentalists say African countries must also halt and reverse decades of deforestation to stop soil erosion. Forests cover less than two percent of Kenya compared with over 30 percent when it won independence from Britain in 1963. "There's a general culture in this country to cut all the trees...It is among the stupid things we do, then when there's drought we cry and wonder why."
INDIA - The week has been unseasonably warm in Calcutta and its adjoining areas, and the weatherman has said that the spell is likely to continue for the next 48 hours. The maximum temperature in the city was pegged at 36.8 degrees Celsius on Thursday, seven degrees above normal. “Normally, around this time, the maximum temperature is below 30 degrees and the minimum temperature hovers around 17 degrees, ensuring comfortable days and cool nights. But the sudden change in the wind direction has pushed up the temperature since mid-February.” Officers admitted it was difficult to predict the next change in wind pattern. "The unseasonal rise in temperature can cause dehydration, fever and flu.”
Unable to adjust to the fast changing weather conditions, a large number of children are falling victim to viral infection, abdominal pain and high fever. In the last 15 days, an alarming number of children suffering from viral infection, fever, jaundice and upper respiratory tract infection have been reported at city clinics and district hospitals. In the age group of two to 12 years many of them were also found suffering from vomiting, loss of appetite and abdominal pain. "Of the total cases getting reported daily at least 50-70 per cent children are suffering from jaundice, abdominal pain and high fever, which is QUITE RARE in February. At least 10 per cent children are also suffering from measles. Whereas in normal weather conditions, the measles cases are generally reported after Holi...With temperature getting as high as 35 degrees in February we are receiving a barrage of allergy, cough, cold and abdominal pain patients. A large number of people are also complaining of skin diseases, including rashes and dry skin. The people are also falling sick due to consumption of cold drinks, curd and ice creams. The body is yet to acclimatise to the fast changing weather conditions."
Weather officials are studying the unusually warm February weather in northern India and elsewhere in the country. "From Feb 1 till Feb 22 the temperature has been five to six degrees above normal at minimum and maximum levels. One day it went even nine degrees above normal in Delhi." Such a prolonged spell of above normal temperatures is not observed at this time of the year. The data of the last 50 years is being checked to look for similar weather patterns in the month. "We admit it is an UNUSUAL PHENOMENA and we are studying the reasons."
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Thursday, February 23, 2006 -
PHILIPPINES - The metal foundations of a building under construction in Manila collapsed, reportedly following a tremor this morning. The street shifted around 4pm and the six-foot gap created by the shifting of the street virtually swallowed two parked vehicles by the roadside. Around 6 p.m., the construction site's tower crane collapsed. The metal beams of the structure gave way after the street collapse. Police were immediately dispatched to the area to prevent onlookers from straying into the road gap, which has continued to sink from ground level. (photo) [UPDATE - A water main break appears to be the actual cause, the water softened the ground causing the street and the building to collapse.]
QUAKES -
Largest quakes yesterday -
2/22 -
7.5 MOZAMBIQUE
MOZAMBIQUE - Guests at the Tivoli Hotel in the port city of Beira, Mozambique were too scared to return to their rooms after a major 7.5 earthquake hit the country early on Thursday morning. A second 1.7 earthquake, presumably an aftershock, hit the area around 3am. "No-one is sleeping. The electricity is out, everything is in darkness, we are very scared." "It felt like being in a boat on heavy seas." Shortly after the earthquake, it started raining.
The quake comes on the heels of flooding in December that killed at least 21 people while tens of thousands of people were left homeless in the central Sofala province. The former Portuguese colony has also been hit by a lengthy drought that has left nearly one million people in need of food aid.
Major earthquakes are UNUSUAL in southern Africa. "It's a significant and unexpected earthquake in this region. We'll expect aftershocks from an earthquake this large." [5.3 and 5.4 this morning] Emergency services in the South African city of Durban, nearly 1,000km from the epicentre, received calls from frightened people in hotels and flats on the beachfront. Tremors were also felt in Johannesburg.
TROPICAL STORMS -
Cyclone 14S was 554 nmi ESE of Diego Garcia.
Cyclone KATE was 332 nmi N of Cairns, Australia.
AUSTRALIA - Queensland's second tropical cyclone of the season, Kate, is expected to intensify in waters off the state's far north. The cyclone was a category one – the least severe on a scale of one to five – but it had the potential to become destructive. "We think it will intensify – there is always the potential for these cyclones to be dangerous up in the warm waters." Kate was expected to be stationary for about three or four days but it was too early to tell if the cyclone would cross the coast.
THUNDERSTORMS / HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING -
FIJI - a tropical depression lies about 800 kilometers North West of Fiji near Vanuatu and will result in heavy rain throughout the group for the whole week. The depression is a weak one which is moving away from the group and there is no possibility of it turning into a tropical cyclone. People living in low lying areas are being advised to take precautions as heavy rain over the next few days could result in flash flooding. A strong wind warning remains in force for all Fiji waters.
HAWAII - The National Weather Service placed Kauai, Oahu and Molokai under several weather alerts on Tuesday as heavy rains pounded the area. Heavy rains flooded homes and farms on Kauai on Monday and shut down the only road into and out of Hanalei. People who live in Hanalei said it's the WORST FLOODING THEY'VE SEEN THERE IN MORE THAN FIVE YEARS. The wettest spot on the island got about 18 inches of rain in a 24-hour period. "Driving through Kalihiwai was particularly treacherous. They have landslides and boulders on the road." A gushing waterfall occasionally brought down big pieces of debris just a few feet away from traffic. The floods will also stunt the taro crops, meaning a smaller harvest.
INDONESIA - Heavy rain triggered flooding and landslides in central Indonesia, killing at least 31 people in the past week. Most of the deaths occurred yesterday in Manado, the capital of north Sulawesi province, where 19 bodies were pulled from the mud following a landslide. At least 12 other people have died in nearby areas in recent days. Constant rain has caused several rivers to overflow. Damage to houses, livestock and rice fields was valued at USD 19 million.
PHILIPPINES - It was another day of frustration Wednesday with no sign of survivors as rescue workers tried to find an elementary school buried by a landslide under about 30 metres of mud. Heavy rain forced troops to call off work, and a two-tonne drill brought in by U.S. marines sat idle with its braces missing. The drill is capable of digging about 50 metres deep, and the school is believed to have been buried by up to 30 metres of mud and rock. Despite an intense search, no one has been able to find the school, uncertain whether it was still on its foundation or was swept away by a wall of earth, trees and boulders. Holes that had been dug in the unstable mud were collapsing.
CALIFORNIA - An unexpected thunderstorm struck San Diego's inland areas Tuesday, bringing hail to Mira Mesa and snow to Julian. The storm was the last gasp of a low-pressure system that produced rain over the weekend.
WIND -
ALASKA - Southwest wind gusts of almost 40 mph were recorded Tuesday morning at Fairbanks International Airport as winter blew back into the Interior after two weeks of unseasonably warm temperatures. Blowing snow caused blizzard-like conditions early Tuesday as residents made their way to work on roads dotted with snow drifts. The peak wind gust at the airport was 39 mph at about 7 a.m. "It's pretty RARE for that kind of wind to get down there." Tuesday's wind speeds were the highest recorded at the airport since January 2005. The wind that blew into Fairbanks on Tuesday morning was a result of a marriage between a strong low pressure system on the Arctic Ocean coast and a strong high pressure system over Bristol Bay.
SNOW / COLD -
COLORADO - A weather phenomenon that was responsible for turning snow pink and brown in Summit County may also create avalanches. Dust blowing in from Arizona got mixed up in a storm system over Colorado's mountains and it created a pinkish-brown layer in the snow. The crusty layer of the snow has avalanche experts concerned. "This layer right underneath can change into a granular substance, very grainy, very small structures that can break apart easily. So we can have a layer underneath the dust layer now that's subject to collapse and that can slip out of place." The Avalanche Center is urging everyone to be extremely cautious in the back country for the next few months.
YO-YO WEATHER -
TEXAS - The temperature plunges last week and in early December are the two largest swings recorded at Dallas/Fort Worth Airport since the winter of 1995-96. Back then, like this winter, the high temperatures fell more than 30 degrees over two days on two occasions. Those swings are also AMONG THE GREATEST WHEN COMPARING ONE DAY'S HIGH WITH THE NEXT DAY'S LOW. Bone-dry ground then and now is the most likely explanation for the temperature swings. Arid weather makes the parched ground absorb more heat from the air and release it faster. Without some luck, such topsy-turvy conditions could have happened more often. Without significant spring rain, something similar could happen this summer. The region could have more nights in the 60s - rare during North Texas summers - but also more 100-degree-plus days.
HEAT / WILDFIRES -
INDIA - Summer has made an early appearance in Uttaranchal with the RARE sight of flowers in full bloom in February. The state's wheat farmers are far from happy, as the crop in the hills is dependent on rain for irrigation. Farmers say streams have dried up without rain and crops have failed. In the dry hills of Uttaranchal the out of season flowering and withering crops is a warning that WEATHER PATTERNS ARE INCREASINGLY ABNORMAL.
NEW YORK - This has been an atypical winter for Tompkins County. Maple syrup makers were tapping trees in January, almost a month earlier than usual. At Cornell Plantations, the lack of snow cover and temperature swings have left horticulturists fretting over the health of trees and shrubs. Around the county, casual observers and those who depend on the weather for their livelihood are all watching weather developments closely. But none can say with certainty what the unusual weather means for animals, plants or people. For reasons unbeknownst to forecasters, the jet stream, which serves as the dividing line between cold and warm weather, has settled further north than usual this year. With warmer weather occurring to the south of the jet stream, Ithaca and the surrounding area has been caught in weather patterns that are uncharacteristically warm for this time of year. Bare fields are putting area alfalfa crops at risk. The lack of snow has exposed fields, allowing for a cycle of thawing and freezing that can bring seeds up to the surface only to have them dry out. “This is just not the way things are supposed to happen. [Trees are] not biologically made to deal with this.”
LA NINA - not every La Nina is the same, so weather that may be considered typical for a La Nina doesn't always happen. This La Nina is already UNUSUAL because of its late start. "Typically, La Nina does have a tendency for producing some severe weather in the springtime conditions. There is a tendency with La Nina to have more tornadoes, more hurricanes."
Unusual Animal Behavior - updated Thursdays.
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Wednesday, February 22, 2006 -
QUAKES -
Largest quakes yesterday -
2/21 -
5.1 IRIAN JAYA, INDONESIA
5.4 CENTRAL PERU
5.0 SAVU SEA
5.0 XIZANG
5.1 OFF EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
5.0 SOUTH INDIAN OCEAN
5.0 BANDA SEA
12 small quakes in Ethiopia, the largest 4.4.
BULGARIA - Two people ended up with broken legs due to panic after Monday evening's strong 4.2 earthquake that rocked Bulgaria. Many other people sought out medical assistance after complaining of high blood pressure after the tremor. The villages of Most and Chereshitsa in Kardzhali region were in the epicenter of the quake. In Kardzhali a house chimney and a massive block from a building in the center of the town collapsed. Several buildings have suffered material damages in the villages of Most, Zvinitsa, Chereshitsa and Miladinovo. Minutes after the first tremor another two lighter tremors were registered. The dams in the area have been checked and they have suffered no damages.
VOLCANOES -
PHILIPPINES - The Mayon volcano in Albay Tuesday spewed ash, noting an increased seismic activity in the area. Ash deposits from the explosion were limited to the upper slopes. Simultaneously, a small explosion-type earthquake shook nearby areas but its intensity was only recognizable by seismographs around the volcano. They expect similar ash explosions in the coming days with magma entering the summit area and releasing volcanic gases. Before the ash explosion, they recorded 147 low frequency volcanic earthquakes. The recurrence of earthquakes was unusual as the normal earthquake range is from zero to five tremors. "These low frequency volcanic earthquakes were relatively large in amplitude compared with previous seismicity and are interpreted to be caused by the shallow movement of magma within the summit crater."
THUNDERSTORMS / HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING -
VIETNAM - Torrential rains hit the central provinces of Quang Binh, Quang Tri and Thua Thien-Hue last week, causing floods in these localities, damaging close to 8,000ha of rice and cash crops. Many farmers said it was the BIGGEST TORRENTIAL RAIN THAT HAD FALLEN IN THE MID-DRY SEASON IN THE LAST 30 YEARS. A 100m-long dike collapsed when water rose by 1.36m in Kien Giang River even as the province was repairing damages from last year's floods. A landslide occurred in Tan Hiep Hamlet, Cam Lo District, Quang Tri Province, on Saturday night, forcing evacuation of 122 households in the locality. The landslide seriously damaged 33 houses, three of which collapsed. The landslide resulted in 15 depressions in the affected area, covering 5ha, with each having a diameter of 2-4m and a depth of 5-10m.
BRAZIL - After historic drought, Amazon now faces RECORD FLOODING. In the capital of the state of Acre, Rio Branco, 861 families are presently housed in temporary shelters due to the rains that have fallen for the over ten consecutive days in the region. Last September, at the height of a historic drought, the Acre River was exactly 1.6 meters deep. At the moment it is 16.6 meters deep and rising. "Our alert level is 13.9 meters. At 14 meters the water escapes the riverbed and we get flooding." So far an estimated 7,800 structures have been flooded in the city, 90% of them residences.
PHILIPPINES - A landslide of the same magnitude as the one that hit St. Bernard in Southern Leyte is not likely to occur in Cebu, but geologists warned officials and residents of at least 25 landslide-prone barangays in the region about the hazards of soil movement. A team of geologists confirmed there are new cracks in rock formations in Sirao, which means the soil movement that was first detected in 1996 continues.
INDONESIA - A day-long torrential rain unleashed a landslide in the Indonesian province of North Sulawesi Tuesday, leaving worries that at least 17 people were killed in the disaster. The landslide hit the provincial capital of Manado, some 2,300 km northeast of Jakarta. Local authorities said six people were seriously injured and sent to the nearest hospitals.
SNOW / COLD -
ITALY - Two Hungarian cavers were killed by an avalanche in the Alps in north-eastern Italy, while another seven remained trapped in a mountain cave. The three had been the first in the group to leave the cave. They were hit first by a minor avalanche Monday morning on Mount Bila Pec, near Udine. They managed to free themselves from the snow, but were struck by another avalanche two hours later as they descended from the mountain. Heavy snowfall was complicating efforts to rescue the remaining seven,they do not appear to be in immediate danger as long as they remain inside the cave.
ITALY - An avalanche fell from Mount Faloria into the Franchetti gully just before midday, involving an off-piste skier. The man managed to free himself alone, he is in a state of shock but unhurt. Fog stopped the rescue helicopter from taking off: mountain rescue teams from Cortina d'Ampezzo and San Vito di Cadore are arriving from the base, also to check that there are no other skiers involved.
SWITZERLAND - Three German skiers were killed by an avalanche in eastern Switzerland on Monday and two others in the same group were rescued alive.
FRANCE - Multiple avalanches - A group of four skiers on a tour of the Tête de l'Oreac have been caught by an avalanche close to the ski resort of Puy Saint-Vincent in the Hautes-Alpes. The group included two children. One member of the group was killed by the slide. A group of 6 off-piste skiers were involved in an avalanche at les Deux-Alpes. One of the group was severely injured in the slide and was also suffering from hypothermia. At Arêches in the Savoie 5 off-piste skiers triggered an avalanche injuring two of the group. There was an avalanche in Arêches at the weekend in the col de la Grande Combe sector involving 3 skiers none of whom were injured. A snowboarder suffered a broken arm in an avalanche at Tignes. There was 20cm of fresh snow early on Sunday morning coupled with winds up to 150km/h. This has formed new accumulations and slabs and the risk of avalanche was high. Six people have been killed over the past couple of days by avalanches in the French Alps. This brings the number of deaths since the start of the season to 33.
MONTANA - Four people have been killed in Montana avalanches so far this winter. Nationwide, 12 people have died.
HEAT / WILDFIRES -
AUSTRALIA - Scientists and historians are only now coming to realise that in 1788 when Australia was settled, and for some time after that, they were in the middle of an unusual weather pattern, one that gave adequate rain and turned normally arid zones into useable land. Australia is one of the driest countries on earth. Much of Australia is desert, and most of the population clings to the narrow coastal zones. Weather patterns in Australia tend to show that out of every 10 years, they have 3 bad years, 3 good years and 4 average years. Many of their droughts are brought on by the El Nino effect. This usually only affects the eastern & northern areas of Australia. Brisbane is currently in the grip of a very severe drought, so severe that water restrictions have, for the first time in many years, been brought to bear in major cities. Their water supply is, at the time of writing, 34%. This gives them about 2 years of water – if they’re lucky. Queensland state government has made it mandatory for all houses built after 2005 to have a rainwater tank as part of the construction. The plan is that the water in these tanks will be used for flushing toilets, in the laundry and watering the garden.
Crop Failures, Food Shortages, Fish Die-Off - updated Wednesdays
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Tuesday, February 21, 2006 -
QUAKES -
Largest quakes yesterday -
2/20 -
5.2 NORTHERN MOLUCCA SEA
5.1 GUERRERO, MEXICO
5.6 HONDURAS
NEW MADRID - A Stanford University geophysicist has started to unravel a tectonic mystery - the cause of several powerful earthquakes in New Madrid, Mississippi, almost a century ago that could strike the region again. The New Madrid quake appears to have been caused by the after-effects of a massive glacier that reached down to what is now the middle of Illinois. As the climate warmed and the ice melted, the ground was freed of the pressure of the heavy glacier. This constant release of pressure caused the New Madrid quakes a century ago. Earthquakes could continue to hit the area, including large cities such as Memphis and St. Louis, for the next few thousand years. "It's one thing to know it was part of your past. It's another to be prepared for it to be part of your future."
CHINA - Over the past three months, aftershocks close to the November 26th earthquake’s epicentre have continued to affect Jiangxi. The 2005 quake affecting Jiangxi, Hubei and Anhui provinces left at least 16 people dead and more than 8,000 people injured. In Jiangxi, some 600,000 residents were evacuated because of the quake, which destroyed 150,000 houses. The earthquake came as an especially harsh blow for the residents who were also affected by severe floods and landslides in May and a destructive typhoon in September 2005. Some 13,000 people still remain housed in tents today.
JAPAN'S ancient 5-storey pagodas may hold the secret to higher earthquake resistance. "Some of them have collapsed due to fires or after they were hit by typhoons or lightning. But there is no record of one ever collapsing due to an earthquake."
TSUNAMI -
A film about the real-life threat of a tidal wave hitting London will begin shooting in the capital in the spring. The Flood tells the story of what would happen if the city's dam defences were breached and is based on research that suggests global warming could cause the Thames to rise to catastrophic levels. Last year, insurer Munich Re placed London at number nine in its top 10 of cities at serious risk from a natural disaster.
TROPICAL STORMS -
Cyclone 12S was 70 nmi NE of Port Louis, Mauritius.
GLOBAL WARMING cannot be directly blamed for any significant tropical storm in the past two years, says an international group of meteorologists. Although 2004 and last year produced record hurricane seasons in the US, including the devastating Katrina, none could be put down to a long-term trend. In the same period - Brazil experienced its first cyclone ever, there were five in the Cook Islands in five weeks and 10 in Japan. "No single high-impact cyclone event of 2004 and 2005 can be directly attributed to global warming, though there may be an impact on the group as a whole." They said there was evidence that the power of tropical cyclones was increasing and that the proportion of intense cyclones was also increasing. Projected rises in sea levels "are a cause for concern" because "the primary cause of death (in a cyclone) is salt-water flooding associated with storm surge". The scientists say there is nothing to suggest that the extent of the regions in which cyclones are generated will increase significantly.
THUNDERSTORMS / HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING -
PHILIPPINES - High-tech equipment detected sounds on Monday at the site of an elementary school buried under mud on the eastern Philippine island of Leyte. Scratching and rhythmic tapping noises were picked up by American and Malaysian military seismic sensors and sound-detection gear. More than 250 children and teachers were inside the school on Friday morning when mud, rocks and trees roared down the mountain, wiping out the village of Guinsaugon. The devastation is overwhelming. "Everything is brown mud. You don't see any trees at all, just mud from the top of the mountain down to the river." Rain and the threat of another mudslide has made the rescue effort risky for emergency workers, who are digging with shovels and their hands because the unstable mud has made using heavy equipment difficult. Seventy-two bodies have been recovered from the farming village, and government officials estimate 1,350 people are missing.
KYRGYZSTAN - An early-season landslide on Sunday ripped through a road linking the southern Kyrgyz city of Osh with the Aravan district, blocking traffic and destroying electricity and telephone services to the area, with no casualties reported. The affected area is located in the low-lying eastern edge of the densely populated Ferghana Valley shared by Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. "Landslides are VERY UNUSUAL for this place. They generally happen in mountainous areas." Heavy snow and rain followed by temperatures rising sharply over the past few weeks triggered the landslide. There may be worse to come, with more landslides likely in the area after the recent weeks of heavy rain, experts said. Normally, such natural hazards only begin at the end of March or beginning of April. There are some 2,500 landslide-prone areas in the mountainous Central Asian state, of which 40 percent pose a threat to settlements.
HAWAII - Heavy rain hammered parts of Windward O'ahu for most of Sunday, forcing police to close roads and prompting the National Weather Service to issue a flash flood warning Sunday night. The 'Ahuimanu Loop rain gauge was the wettest recorded spot on O'ahu, with 7.88 inches of rain in the 24-hour period ending at 8 p.m.
SNOW / COLD -
FRANCE - A snowboarder has been killed by an avalanche in the ski resort of le Corbier. Three others in her group escaped without injury. With a further 15-20cm of snow overnight accompanied by strong winds Meteo France had warned the avalanche risk was at high (4/5) in the area. This was the second avalanche at the resort this season.
CALIFORNIA - Shifting temperatures created FREAK WEATHER at sea, where cold winds brushing warmer water led to waterspouts. After more than a week of glorious warm weather that peaked at 90 degrees inland, a weekend winter storm brought temperatures crashing back down to the usual February chill. Yearly rainfall totals for downtown Los Angeles from July 1 were measured at just over 5 inches, nearly half the normal 9.5 inches and a fraction of the 26 inches that fell last year.
ODD -
TAIWAN - Weather factors have impacted the strawberry crop in the Hsinchu area this year, resulting in the fruit growing to sizes rarely seen. Many strawberry farms in the area have produced not only huge fruit, but fruit that has grown in forms not typical of strawberries. A farmer in the township of Kuanhsi began cultivating strawberry plants a while back that yielded fruit that was the size of one's fist. In recent days, people have come to notice that the plants grown in Kuanhsi, Chiunglin and other areas are producing fruit that has grown in strange forms. The weird-looking fruit is rarely seen anyplace else. Farmers said that only the second crop of the season exhibited the strange looking fruit. The fruit likely grew into strange forms due to the passage of weather frontal systems through the area, with seasonable winds impacting the fruit in its growth stage. The harvest of this year's strawberry crops has been delayed somewhat in comparison with the past. The blooming of the plants in the first and second crops was drawn out considerably longer this year than in the past. As a result, the strawberries likely had the opportunity to extract more nutrients from the soil and be exposed to fertilizer for a longer period. The relatively long period between the two crops is something that occurs only once every number of years.
Drought, Heat, Water Shortages, Wildfires - updated Tuesdays
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Monday, February 20, 2006 -
QUAKES -
Largest quakes yesterday -
2/19 -
5.5 MINDANAO, PHILIPPINE ISLANDS
INDIA - Is a new bomb ticking in the northeastern part of the Himalayas? Tuesday’s earthquake, which struck the Himalayas in Sikkim and was felt in the entire northeastern belt, is a grim reminder to the country’s planners and policy-makers on the continuance of massive hydroelectric projects in the region. Sikkim and Darjeeling Himalayas are part of the northeast belt, the seismic vulnerability of which cannot be understated, especially in the wake of the current isostatic adjustment of tectonic plates triggered by the December 26 quake. The region’s propensity to seismic convulsions has always kept seismographers and geomorphologists worried. Tuesday’s moderate quake, which recorded 5.3 on the Richter scale, has fuelled their apprehensions. The 12-second tremor had its epicentre 20.1 km below the earth’s surface at a place in Sikkim and 72.8 km north of Siliguri. As the ground shook, hundreds of residents rushed out of their homes. Two army jawans caught in a landslide triggered by the tremor were killed. “We cannot think of the extent of casualties in the thickly populated regions of Gangtok and neighbouring Darjeeling, had the quake been a little stronger and lasted a couple of moments more.”
TROPICAL STORMS -
CYCLONE 12S was 53 nmi NNE of Plaisance, Mauritius.
AUSTRALIA - A low-pressure system in the Gulf of Carpentaria could become north Queensland's second cyclone of the year. The weak low was near Gove on the Northern Territory coast and moving eastwards. Queensland's first cyclone of the season, tropical cyclone Jim, dumped widespread rain over northern Queensland last month before moving into the Coral Sea.
THUNDERSTORMS / HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING -
PHILIPPINES - At least 10 people were missing and feared dead in a new landslide Saturday night near a mining headquarters in the province of Zamboanga del Sur in southern Philippines. Two houses were buried by mudflows brought about by the heavy downpour that is being experienced across the region for the past days.
PHILIPPPINES - Almost two weeks after huge fissures snaked through the ground of two villages in Tarragona, Davao Oriental, officials there finally ordered the evacuation of the area for fear of experiencing a tragedy similar to what happened in Southern Leyte last week. The Mines and Geosciences Bureau had declared the area "highly unstable" and warned of a "major landslide" during a visit to the area on Valentine's Day last week. The situation in the two barangays is getting worse as more cracks are appearing on the ground. The number of houses destroyed in the area had also increased from 54 last week to 88 houses as of Saturday. Fears of greater damage to lives and property were fanned by an earthquake Sunday morning. They are still experiencing continuous rain in the area, prompting many residents there to voluntarily dismantle their houses and leave the area for their own safety.
PHILIPPINES - unless an early warning system is set up to advise people living in flood- and landslide-prone areas, a disaster similar to what took place in St. Bernard town in Southern Leyte province could hit the country's eastern seaboard again, the defense department warns. "Over the next four months, there is the danger that this flooding and landslide will happen again ... These flood-prone and landslide-prone areas could be hit." Once La Niña comes, these areas would be the hardest hit. Landslides, in fact, had already been reported in other areas of the country.
MALAYSIA - Several hundred padi acres went under water, a su suspension bridge was severely damaged and a concrete embankment collapsed when the Sungai Apin-Apin flooded its banks Friday night, following a recent deluge.
U.S. - Concentrated development in flood-prone parts of Missouri, California and other states has significantly raised the risk of New Orleans-style flooding as people snap up new homes even in areas recently deluged. Around St. Louis, where the Mississippi River lapped at the steps of the Gateway Arch during the 1993 flood, more than 14,000 acres of flood plain have been developed since then. That has reduced the region’s ability to store water during future floods and potentially put more people in harm’s way. Similar development has occurred around Dallas, Texas; Kansas City, Missouri; Omaha, Nebraska; and Los Angeles and Sacramento, California. As much as 85 percent of the Mississippi in St. Louis is confined behind levees, which have raised flood levels 10 feet to 12 feet higher than they were a century ago. That parallels the situation in New Orleans, which suffered catastrophic flooding when levees failed after Katrina. Yet bolstering levees might lure more people onto flood plains “You actually spur development. It’s a self-fulfilling process.”
SNOW / COLD -
U.S. - A deep freeze stretched from the Rockies to New England as workers tried to restore power to tens of thousands of homes and businesses left dark by fierce wind. At least four deaths were reported in the Northeast, while at least three people were killed in accidents on icy roads in Arkansas over the weekend. The fierce wind, including a 143 mph gust recorded on Vermont's Stratton Mountain on Friday, knocked out power and toppled trees, which were blamed for the four deaths in the Northeast. As far south as Texas, ice and freezing rain canceled dozens of flights. In the Upper Midwest, the 8 a.m. reading of 2 below zero at Duluth, Minn., combined with 17 mph wind for a wind chill of 23 below. A reading of 18 below was recorded in Allagash, Maine. Rochester, N.Y., registered a low of 10 degrees, and winds of up to 17 mph created a chill factor of almost 10 below zero.
CALIFORNIA - The weekend's sudden return to winter conditions continues a wacky month of weather which saw unseasonal temperatures in the 80s for several days in early- and mid-February. Santa Ynez Valley is expected to have freezing low temperatures until Wednesday night. Snow fell at elevations down to about 2,500 feet, with an estimated one to three inches falling throughout the day Saturday. Vehicles were covered in ice. “They had a thick coating of ice all over them. I can't remember that ever happening,” said a woman who has lived in the area 22 years.
BULGARIA - The Mountain Rescue Service at Bulgarian Red Cross are looking for a man buried under an avalanche on Vitosha mountain. The signal was received at the Mountain Rescue Service at 3.40 p.m. by a man who said the avalanche had dragged down two more men. “One of the men has already been found but he is seriously injured”.
HEAT / WILDFIRES -
CANADA - Lack of snow has forced organizers to change the route of the Yukon Quest sled dog race and end it in Dawson City for the first time in the 23-year-old competition's history.
Disease - updated Mondays
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Sunday, February 19, 2006 -
QUAKES -
Largest quakes yesterday -
2/18 -
5.2 MARIANA ISLANDS
5.0 NORTHERN YUKON TERRITORY,CANADA
6.1 NEW BRITAIN
5.6 VANUATU ISLANDS
2/17 -
5.0 NORTH OF ASCENSION ISLAND
5.1 VOLCANO ISLANDS, JAPAN
Mindanao, Philippines was hit by a 4.8 quake yesterday and a 5.5 this morning.
TSUNAMI -
NEW ZEALAND - Top-secret wartime experiments were conducted off the coast of Auckland to perfect a tidal wave bomb, declassified files reveal. An Auckland University professor seconded to the Army set off a series of underwater explosions triggering mini-tidal waves at Whangaparaoa in 1944 and 1945. if the project had been completed before the end of the war it could have played a role as effective as that of the atom bomb. Papers stamped "top secret" show the U.S. and British military were eager for Seal to be developed in the post-war years too. The experiments involved laying a pattern of explosives underwater to create a tsunami. The bomb was never tested on a full scale.
VOLCANOES -
JAPAN - A volcano on Miyake Island had a minor eruption, the Meteorological Agency said Saturday, warning residents of volcanic gases and possible mudslides. Volcanic activity temporarily increased late Friday, triggering a minor temblor and releasing a small amount of ash. But the latest development does not pose an immediate danger to residents. The volcano's eruption in July 2000 forced all 4,000 islanders to evacuate the island. More than half of them returned a year ago after the evacuation order was lifted. The volcano continued to belch smoke and poisonous gas that officials say pose a potentially serious risk to residents.
THUNDERSTORMS / HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING -
PHILIPPINES - Friday's landslide - Only 83 people have been found alive, and 19 dead, between 1,500 and 2,500 may still be buried. The mudslide happened after heavy rains dumped about 200cm of rain on the area in the space of 10 days. "It sounded like the mountain exploded, and the whole thing crumbled." Boulders bigger than a house swept into the village amid the torrent of mud and earth. TV images showed only coconut trees and a few tin roofs emerging from the reddish soil. "Everything was buried. All the people are gone." Many residents had left last week, fearing landslides, but had begun to return as rains eased in the past few days. (PHOTOS)
Experts were surprised by such rainy weather in February. Severe storms normally run between June and December. "This sort of rainfall and landslide action in the Philippines at this time of year is QUITE UNUSUAL." The month of January in a typical year would normally see 60 landslide deaths worldwide, whereas January this year saw 283 landslide fatalities, many in Asia.
Some of the major landslides in the Philippines in recent years.
INDIANA - A tornado warning was issued Thursday afternoon as a violent storm touched down in Northwest Indiana, pushing 50 to 60 mph winds and thick hail over the region. “This is not the good setup for tornado activity. We didn’t have the warm, moist air on the surface that we need for the tornado storms.” The warning turned into a tornado watch, which was in effect until 10 p.m., even as the storm dwindled to a drizzle. Despite the lack of an actual tornado, meteorologists said they were amazed that something resembling a tornado could hit the region at this time of year. “This doesn’t happen in February often at all. We don’t know when it last happened - that’s how often it happens."
NEW JERSEY - A brief, heavy downpour on Friday morning followed by strong, gusty winds throughout the afternoon caused sporadic power outages, toppled trees and wires throughout the area, and blew off roofs in Morristown and Boonton. A quarter- to one-half inch of rain fell mid-morning, when the day's high reached 57, and then wind gusts up to 40 mph swept through with the temperature dropping.
WIND -
CHINA - At least 57 people are missing after two ships sank in high winds in the Taiwan Strait off southeast China.
SNOW / COLD -
CANADA - Powerful winds, freezing rain and snowstorms blasted a large part of the country Friday, causing at least four deaths near Ottawa and another in Quebec as slick roads turned treacherous for motorists. Southern Ontario and Quebec were battered Thursday night by high winds, freezing rain and thunderstorms. In Toronto, powerful winds of up to 90 km/h brought down trees and power lines, resulting in some blackouts. The wind also tore down traffic lights at about 20 different intersections throughout the city of Kingston. "The whole lexicon of weather misery was spread all over Southern Ontario in less than 12 hours." That included a random mix of freezing rain, snow and thunder and lighting - which is a RARE occurrence during winter. In Quebec, extremely strong winds and widely fluctuating temperatures were making for extremely difficult and dangerous driving conditions. At mid-afternoon Friday, dozens of people were trapped in their cars on Highway 40 near Joliette after a major car pileup involving between 50 and 60 cars. The storm is also expected to hit Atlantic Canada, starting with wind warnings for many parts of New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and Nova Scotia Friday evening. Freezing rain was also expected in some places. Environment Canada was warning of large waves and pounding surf along Newfoundland's west coast Saturday. Meanwhile western Canada has been hit by a cold snap. In British Columbia, overnight temperatures dropped down to –7 C, which is more like –14 C with the windchill. Albertans continue to face frigid weather, with temperatures of –23 C in Calgary and –20 C in Edmonton. Regina's has dipped to –27 C, with the wind chill making it feel like – 43 C. Winnipeg is recording temperatures of –32 C, or –45 C with the wind chill.
RUSSIA - An avalanche hit a road and a railway on southern Sakhalin on Friday and covered the engine of a cargo train with five meters of snow. The engineers were rescued. The avalanche was caused by heavy overnight snowfall in Nevelsk and Kholmsk districts of the island.
RUSSIA - A group of nine experienced climbers went into Nakhar’s canyon on January 27. The goal was to climb the peak of the Nakhar mount. On February 4, a heavy snowstorm began. The mountaineers decided to wait till the bad weather was over, but the snowfall did not stop. In a week, on February 11, an avalanche descended. It carried away several tents with part of the equipment. The group leader died. The climbers dug out the body of their dead friend. The snowfall continued. On February 13, a second avalanche descended. It buried three other group members, among them world champion Konstantin Dorro, under a 10m layer of snow. The survivers could not dig out their bodies, because the second avalanche carried away their equipment. By the evening of February 15, the group did not have any foodstuffs and fuel. In the same night, the snowfall stopped. On the morning of February 16, the surviving climbers were rescued by helicopter.
VERMONT - road crews throughout the Northeast Kingdom are trying to maintain roads during this year's unusual weather conditions. "It's just been a weird, weird winter." This year's freezing and thawing, freezing and thawing, has played havoc with the roads, creating numerous ruts and making roads harder to plow. The strange weather has created many frost heaves in places where there typically aren't any. It's not unusual to get a warm spell in the middle of winter, maybe once a year, but this week's warm spot was at least the fourth.
NEW YORK - Just as the last of the snow continues to melt from the past weekend's blizzard, Long Island and the New York metro area continues to experience some strange weather. "We're seeing conflicting air masses with mild weather behind us and a cold front moving in which will cause some high winds." They were expecting record high temperatures Friday before it began to drop into the 30s overnight. The shifts between cold and mild weather will probably continue as the pattern well into March.
MISSOURI - What started as a downright balmy February day with 70 degree temperatures changed quickly Thursday afternoon. As the rain began to fall, so did temperatures. That dramatic weather shift included stinging doses of hail. Many drivers were forced by the hail to stop in their tracks. The storm left piles of the hardened precipitation. Windows of apartment buildings were shattered and cars dented.
HEAT / WILDFIRES -
U.S. - Even by the inflated standards of recent record-warm years, January was a freakish standout, steamrolling the record book with a national average temperature that was nearly 9 degrees above normal. All 48 mainland states, from Maine to California, had warmer-than-average weather, and 41 posted temperatures that were either much higher than average or broke records. “It wasn’t even close - it was the warmest by far. Pretty much the whole country shattered records.” The bizarre January weather is wreaking havoc on many economic indicators, making it a bit hard to tell how strongly the economy is bouncing back from a fourth quarter that was itself dragged down by Hurricane Katrina’s devastation.
OKLAHOMA - the 16th was another disasterous day of wildfires in Southern Oklahoma. Several highways are shut down, and many were forced to evacuate their homes.
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Friday, February 17, 2006 -
QUAKES -
Largest quakes yesterday -
2/16 -
5.8 TONGA ISLANDS
5.2 NEAR E. CST KAMCHATKA PEN
5.1 SOLOMON ISLANDS REGION
VOLCANOES -
OREGON - Mount St Helens Volcano - the active part of the new lava dome continues to extrude and the extreme heat continues to produce steam emissions. (New photos).
THUNDERSTORMS / HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING -
PHILIPPINES - At least 200 people are feared dead and 1,500 are missing after a mudslide buried an entire village on the Philippine island of Leyte at about 2:45am GMT, burying hundreds of houses and an elementary school. Heavy rains have been battering the area for about 10 days, and a mild earthquake, measuring 2.6 on the Richter scale, hit the region shortly before the disaster. People are missing in mud that is deep enough to cover the tops of trees. The village had a population of 3,000 to 4,000 and as many as 2,000 had been buried by the landslide. Reports from the scene said only 3 houses were still standing among the 300 hundred that were once there. "From what I saw, the whole mountain had flattened, become one plane." Though some villagers had been evacuated in anticipation of the flood threat, they had returned to participate in a village celebration. "Unfortunately, when they got back the mountain caved in on them." In all, a square kilometer of land has been buried. The area had been deluged with more than 20 inches of rain during February, FIVE TIMES THE MAXIMUM OF ANY PREVIOUS MONTH. Blocked roads and cut communications lines were hindering rescuers.
The Philippines government issued a press release just yesterday warning of the strange weather patterns. "The weather situation in the country has become unpredictable. The Philippines used to have predictable seasons – that of the sunny and rainy seasons occurring in the specific months of the year. The seasons for planting and harvesting were regular events similar to the dawning of day and the setting of the sun. Lately however, climatic changes have been occurring at inappropriate seasons of the year. Abnormal weather conditions brought about by the La Niña and El Niño phenomena have caused tragedies among residents of susceptible areas due to abrupt climatic changes. Casualties of mudslides brought about by heavy rains include: drowning to being buried alive...All government agencies are now tasked to prepare for the La Niña phenomenon even during summer. The onslaught of floods, typhoons and heavy rains at all times of the year should be anticipated..."
[SITE NOTE - On Wednesday I put on the report that another village is in danger of a massive mudslide.]
BOLIVIA - Thousands of Bolivian villagers living on the fringes of Lake Titicaca have lost homes and crops after weeks of heavy rains that led the Government to declare a state of emergency. Across Bolivia, tens of thousands of people have been hit by floods and landslides and more than 20 have been killed. Lake Titicaca has been rising about 2.5cm a day in recent weeks, devouring hundreds of metres of the fertile shoreline. Titicaca swelled to a height of 3810.03m earlier this week, just shy of the 3811.28m record set in 1986. It is estimated that for each 0.5 cm the waters rise, the lake advances two or three metres into shore.
BANGLADESH - Lightning killed nine people and injured 25 during a thunder storm in northeastern Bangladesh on Thursday. Several bolts of lightning struck the quarry over a period of 15 minutes.
IOWA - the Iowa City area Thursday morning experienced a weather occurrence typically reserved for warm weather: thunder and lightning. Known to meteorologists as “thunder snow,” the RARE event comes only with a very strong system with a lot of energy and warm air available to it. Records of “thunder snow” are incomplete but there are usually only one or two occurrences statewide each year. The last confirmed “thunder snow” in the area was in Cedar Rapids on March 12, 1991.
MALAYSIA - A FREAK thunderstorm uprooted hundreds of rubber trees and damaged five large barns killing more than 10,000 chickens in Pendang. The storm also partially damaged 20 houses in Kampung Bendang Raja, Kampung Perupok and Kampung Padang Petani in Pendang. The winds were recorded at 20km per hour in Alor Star when the storm started at about 6pm on Tuesday. A chicken farm owner who was among the 100 villagers affected said he saw a black cloud spiralling like tornado hitting his barns in Kampung Padang Petani.
SNOW / COLD -
OREGON - A cold air mass is sweeping in from Canada, despite weeks of relatively balmy temperatures and copious rainfall. The RARE frigid air mass is moving in from the east out of Canada all the way from the Great Lakes region. Typically, the Northwest receives weather from the west, or from the north out of western Canada. The UNUSUAL WEATHER SYSTEM could send temperatures into the teens in the Portland area overnight Thursday and into today. Temperatures in outlying and rural areas should be even lower. Since the system is coming towards the Northwest over land, it is not expected to be packing much moisture, meaning any snowfall in the Portland area should be light. However, forecasters say the real danger from the storm will come in the form of very low temperatures and wind, not just snow. The cold weather is a drastic change from almost two months of above-average temperatures that had the region's residents and some plants looking forward to an early spring.
HEAT / WILDFIRES -
GREENLAND'S glaciers are dumping more than twice as much ice into the Atlantic Ocean now as 10 years ago because glaciers are sliding off the land more quickly. This could mean oceans will rise even faster than forecast, and rising surface air temperatures appear to be to blame. Experts agreed this could mean scientists have underestimated how much the sea level will rise in the future as the planet warms.
SOMALIA - communities in southern and central Somalia are living in searing 40C heat with only three glasses a day per person for drinking, washing and cooking. "The situation is as bad as I can remember. Some people are dying and children are drinking their own urine because there is simply no water available for them to drink." The tiny amount of water available, for which many families have to walk up to 70km to get, is one-twentieth of the daily supply recommended by minimum humanitarian standards.
FRANCE, SPAIN - Scarce rains are stirring fears of a repeat of 2005's severe drought in France and Spain this year, with water reserves already low and falling. The water deficit in much of France was more than 70 percent at the end of January, up from 50 percent at the start of the month. While drought mostly hit southwest France last year, it was now expected to extend to the centre and the north, where some of the largest grain producing regions are located. Spain has had rain in January and February, but not enough to raise water levels significantly. Reserves are at 48 percent of their total capacity. Portugal, by contrast, had heavy rains in the autumn. 83 percent of Portugal was in a state of "weak drought" and 9 percent in "moderate drought".
CALIFORNIA - Farmers are saying that the unseasonably high temperatures are causing a strawberry surplus in fields all over California. Workers are not due for a couple of weeks to pick all the strawberries popping up. Strawberries that arrived in markets this week were not cheap, and finding a ripe one was rare. But that's not going to be a problem anymore. The unusually warm Winter is causing berries to blossom earlier than expected, creating a surplus that is good for consumers, but bad for farmers. A surplus drives down prices, and makes it harder for farmers to sell during a time when strawberries are not in high demand. And too many berries in the stores mean that they are rotting at the packing plant. Only real Winter weather can stop the strawberry surplus. Farmers are hoping for rain and cold weather in the next couple weeks to extend the harvest. This season is a stark difference from last year's, when strawberries were stalled for a few weeks from heavy rain storms drenching the Central Coast.
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Thursday, February 16, 2006 -
QUAKES -
Largest quakes yesterday -
2/15 -
5.0 MINAHASSA PENINSULA, SULAWESI
5.1 NORTHERN SUMATERA, INDONESIA
5.2 TIMOR, INDONESIA, REGION
5.6 KURIL ISLANDS, RUSSIA
5.6 VANUATU ISLANDS
5.2 XIZANG
TROPICAL STORMS -
Cyclone VAIANU was 1009 nmi NE of Auckland, New Zealand.
THUNDERSTORMS / HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING -
BOLIVIA - Flooding and mudslides caused by heavy rain that fell for more than a week have killed 19 people in Bolivia and injured dozens. Some 100,000 people across the country have been affected by the natural disasters and electric power outages.
THAILAND - Unseasonal flash floods along the eastern coast of southern Thailand caused two deaths Tuesday in Nakhon Si Thammarat province and closed the Thai-Malaysia border crossing in Narathiwat's Sungai Golok district for the second day. Floods paralysed transport at the Thai-Malaysian border Sungai Golok checkpoint. Shipments of fresh produce were unable to be moved to Malaysia. In Sungai Golok district of of Narathiwat, floodwaters remained over one metre high.
SNOW / COLD -
PAPUA - Extreme temperatures, combined with cold-related viral diseases and illnesses have plagued remote villages in the easternmost Indonesian province of Papua and killed at least 95 people in recent weeks. The cold weather, which dipped as low as 5 degrees Celsius in a region where temperatures typically are well above 20 degrees, has plagued villages in the Illaga and Gome sub-districts of Papua's Puncak Jaya regency.
UNITED KINGDOM - A climber has said he thought he was going to die after being swept away by an avalanche near the summit of Ben Nevis, Britain's highest peak. But he and his friend walked away virtually unscathed despite plunging 900ft down the mountain face they had been scaling. They were just a few metres beneath the top of number two gully when the build-up of overhanging snow gave way. A second party of three climbers was also caught up in the avalanche which stopped just yards from sending the group into frozen water. All five managed to stay on the top of the cascading snow and were only partially buried.
RUSSIA - An avalanche hit a village in a Russian republic in the North Caucasus Wednesday. The avalanche in the republic of Karachai-Circassia occurred at about 12:40 p.m. Moscow time [9.40 GMT], damaging around 15 private houses; two of these had their roofs ripped off. No casualties have been reported so far. On Monday, an avalanche in the same area hit a mountaineers' camp, killing one. A heavier avalanche the following night killed three more members of the nine-strong group, and injured another. Meteorologists have warned that more avalanches may be forthcoming in the North Caucasus.
ALASKA - State Troopers are flying toward an avalanche site in Dalzell Gorge near Rohn to search for a man believed to be trapped Tuesday under the snow. The man was part of a snowmachine team that had just finished manning the Iron Dog Race checkpoint in Rohn. His team was reportedly driving behind the snowmachine racers to break trail for the upcoming Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race when the avalanche occurred.
JAPAN - An avalanche struck a group of students in northern Japan on Wednesday, killing one and leaving several missing. The avalanche occurred near the city of Ebetsu on the northern island of Hokkaido around 11 a.m. It was the latest in a string of avalanches in Japan over the last week as the country struggles through one of its snowiest winters on record.
INDIA - An avalanche threat looms on the entire tribal belt and other higher reaches of Himachal Pradesh which experienced moderate snowfall Tuesday. The avalanche threat was mainly because of UNUSUALLY HIGH temperatures in high altitude tribal areas which could hasten melting of the glaciers. People living in Keylong, Udaipur, Pangi and Pin valley have been asked to avoid outdoor movement to avert any mishap. Chamba town and its adjoining areas were hit by a hailstorm followed by widespread heavy rains, triggering landslides and disrupting vehicular traffic.
CANADA - There has been considerable and potentially dangerous avalanche activity in Banff, Yoho and Kootenay National Parks in the past week. For much of last Tuesday, the Trans-Canada Highway was closed between Field, B.C. and Lake Louise due to an avalanche that swept across the highway from Mount Bosworth on Monday evening. The avalanche last Monday was isolated, as opposed to being one in a series. “It was an ODDBALL EVENT in the sense that it wasn’t a widespread cycle. Normally when we start getting a peak in an avalanche cycle we start seeing sort of a pattern of a number of avalanches happening in a number of different areas. What’s a little bit different about it is that something happens there and it’s a fairly big event.” On Sunday, a big backcountry avalanche occurred near Lake O’Hara in Yoho National Park. No one was hurt. “(It) was a very big avalanche, which was a bit of surprise. The condition we have is deep instabilities in the snow pack so that when something does fail, it fails big. There are also small avalanches that are happening as well but some of the big events are all the winter snow pack failing.” On Saturday, Parks Canada closed the same part of the highway as it had last Tuesday. High winds and snowfall in the past several days contributed to the deteriorating conditions.
The 4 Scariest Predictions for Our Planet? -
Pole Shift, Meteor Strike, Yellowstone Super Volcano, Global Warming, that ironically results in another Ice Age.
The earth wobbles as it rotates on its axis. At least it used to. As of January 8, 2006, the wobbling has stopped, according to earth changes researcher Michael Mandeville. What will the effects be? No one knows. Maybe nothing. Or, based on previous periods of similar lack of wobble, it may portend major changes in tectonic activity during ensuing years, including a dramatic increase in volcanism during 2006/2007.
Unusual Animal Behavior - updated Thursdays.
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Wednesday, February 15, 2006 -
QUAKES -
Largest quakes yesterday -
2/14 -
6.3 MARIANA ISLANDS REGION
5.7 SIKKIM, INDIA
5.2 NORTH OF SVALBARD
INDIA - An earthquake-triggered landslide claimed two lives and at least 500 buildings, including private houses and government and commercial establishments, were damaged by tremors that rocked Sikkim, parts of north Bengal and Assam shortly after dawn yesterday. Two soldiers were killed when their vehicle was crushed by falling boulders. The 5.7 quake also partially affected water supply and telecommunication networks throughout Sikkim.
LANDSLIDES -
PHILIPPINES - On February 9, major earth displacements in barangays Tubaon and Maganda damaged 54 houses and 21 buildings and infrastructures. Residents in landslide-affected areas have not evacuated despite the danger of an impending major landslide. Residents claim that as early as January they noticed cracks on the ground. By early February, they said they could hear rumbling sounds underneath. Authorities noted cracks on the ground as deep as two meters.
VOLCANOES -
MONTSERRAT - Soufriere HIlls volcano Monday shot trails of steam and ash into the air, just days after scientists noted an increase in activity on the northwest side of the mountain. Volcanic ash was sent trailing over the U.S. Virgin Islands and parts of Puerto Rico.
ETHIOPIA - Last week further eruptions of Ethiopia's Erta Ale Volcano were observed by orbiting satellites. An eruption in September 2005 displaced about 40,000 nomads.
TROPICAL STORMS -
Cyclone VAIANU was 949 nmi NE of Auckland, New Zealand.
TONGA - Tonga's capital was shut down for two days by Cyclone Vaianu, which brought damaging gale force winds and heavy rain, with flooding in many areas of southern Tonga. Heavy gale force winds battered Tongatapu on Monday night causing extensive damage to trees and bringing down breadfruit, avocados, mangos and other fruits, flattening bananas and damaging other food crops. Billboards were blown over near the Royal Palace and shops signs damaged with water damage to buildings.
THE COMING HURRICANE SEASON - The director of the National Hurricane Center is warning Americans that the 2005 hurricane season may end up being mild compared to 2006. The effects of an El Nino weather system in the Pacific that raises ocean temperatures could increase the intensity of hurricanes this year. He says far too many residents ignored hurricane evacuation requests in 2005.
THUNDERSTORMS / HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING -
ALGERIA - Tens of thousands of people need urgent help after torrential rains have flooded their refugee camps in south-west Algeria, leaving them without shelter and short of food. At the Sahrawi refugee camps the rains had washed away many of the mud brick houses where some 158,000 refugees have been living since fleeing the disputed Western Sahara territory. "Heavy rains over the past few days destroyed 50 per cent of shelters."
FOG -
INDIA - A 'FREAK' blanket of fog enveloped the capital again Tuesday morning even as scorching weather conditions, that have brought the 'heat of summer' in Delhi earlier than the usual period in March, persisted. A similar blanket of fog had enveloped the capital on Friday morning. The mercury continued its upward rise, a trend witnessed since the beginning of February - while the minimum temperature shot up to 14.5 degrees Celsius, five degrees above normal, the maximum temperature rose to 30.9 degrees Celsius, eight degree above normal - continuing Delhi's ''fast movement'' towards summer. In fact, there is expected to be no let-up from the scorching heat in the next few days. With the scorching weather coming ''too soon'', weathermen say it is THE WARMEST FEBRUARY IN THE LAST MANY YEARS. Such hot weather is QUITE UNUSUAL at this time of the year.
SNOW / COLD -
RUSSIA - Three people are feared to have been killed in an avalanche in southern Russia. The incident happened on Tuesday morning in the North Caucasus republic of Karachayevo-Circassia. A camp of climbers and a ministry rescuer were engulfed in the avalanche. The bodies of the victims have not been found so far. Emergency officials do not rule out other persons killed by the avalanche would be found under the snow.
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Tuesday, February 14, 2006 -
HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY - May love surround you -
love for life, love for nature, love for home, love for your fellow man (No exceptions).
QUAKES -
Largest quakes yesterday -
2/13 -
5.0 NORTHERN SUMATERA, INDONESIA
5.1 OFF W. CST OF NORTHERN SUMATERA
5.2 SOUTHERN SUMATERA, INDONESIA
5.3 SOUTHEAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
INDIA - A moderate 5.7 earthquake centred in the Indian mountain state of Sikkim today sent people running from their homes in the region, witnesses said, and cracks were reported in some buildings. The earthquake's epicentre was 1,120 km (700 miles) north of the eastern city of Kolkata and occurred at 6:25 a.m (0055 GMT). In the state capital, Gangtok, big boulders had rolled down from the top of hills and blocked roads. "There are reports of two or three buildings having been damaged and cracks found in a number of buildings...The jerk was strong and sudden."
OHIO - Another small earthquake has been detected beneath Lake Erie, the third so far this year. According to initial data from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, the earthquake hit Friday morning about three miles northwest of Mentor-on-the-Lake in Lake County and measured 2.6 magnitude. No damage was reported. Ohio has recorded more than 185 earthquakes since 1776, but only 15 of them have caused damage. The most seismically active regions are along Lake Erie.
VOLCANOES -
ALASKA - The activity on Augustine Volcano is far from over, and in fact, may only be beginning. In the past, Augustine has erupted in two phases, an explosive phase, much like the volcano's current fury, and a dome-building phase. Meanwhile, scientists are pouring over data to understand the volcano's current status, and to look for clues to its future. As the eruption continues, GPS instruments will continue to track the volcano's "breathing" as it shrinks and swells due to the movement of magma. The EarthScope GPS station located closest to Augustine's summit has been creeping away from its original location in response to the volcano's eruptions.
TROPICAL STORMS -
Cyclone VAIANU was 985 nmi NNE of Auckland, New Zealand.
Cyclone Vaianu strengthened overnight Sunday - it is still moving steadily and slowly south over open waters in southern Tonga, with winds of up to 150 kilometres an hour. It is predicted to bring damaging winds to all islands in the area, but its expected to swerve south-east around the western side of Tongatapu, which is home to the capital. Seas close to the eye are PHENOMENAL and flooding, including sea-flooding of low-lying coastal areas, is expected.
THUNDERSTORMS / HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING -
MALAYSIA - Severe flooding caused by UNSEASONAL RAINSTORMS has struck several districts of the violence-plagued southern border province of Narathiwat on Thailand's border with Malaysia. Four days of constant rainfall complicated by run-off from forest waters flowing down San Kala Kiri mountain has caused the Sungai Kolok River to overflow its banks and flooded local homes located along the riverbanks. At least 300 households in Sungai Kolok municipality are now inundated due to the floods.
IRAQ - Heavy flooding has displaced some 7,500 Iraqis in northern and south-eastern Iraq, while some 25,000 in northern Iraq have been forced to leave their homes since rainfall began on February 2. The situation is dire, "These people can't return, even after the water is drained." Food supplies are only expected to last for a few more days in some areas. The security and political situation in Iraq has seriously hampered efforts to provide many of the displaced flood victims with aid. Poor sanitation has also been the cause of widespread disease, especially amongst children.
PAPUA NEW GUINEA - Papua New Guinea’s Central Province disaster agency is distributing food and temporary shelter to hundreds of the people affected by the flooding over the past week. About 11,000 people in five villages have been affected and hundreds have been made homeless. Many houses have been damaged and a lot of food gardens have been destroyed.
NAMIBIA - A 38-year-old woman and her two children, aged 10 and 12, drowned when they were swept away by a flooding river on Saturday. The children's father, aged 39, managed to swim to safety. Like other parts of Namibia, the Naukluft area has been receiving good rains since December. The father heard a sound that he described as sounding like a helicopter flying overhead. While there were some clouds in the sky, it had not been raining in that area at the time. A few seconds after hearing that sound, a flash flood struck the family, sweeping all four of them away. Unknown to them, a heavy rain shower had fallen higher up in the mountain that afternoon, sending a lethal wall of water their way. Judging from driftwood and debris that remained behind in the ravine after the flood had flashed past, and from the swiftness of the event, it appears that a cloudburst may have taken place over the mountain.
SNOW / COLD -
CANADA - A 50-year-old man from Calgary has died after skiing into the path of an avalanche in Kananaskis Country, while his companion escaped without injury.
Drought, Heat, Water Shortages, Wildfires - updated Tuesdays
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Monday, February 13, 2006 -
QUAKES -
Largest quakes yesterday -
None larger than 4.9
TROPICAL STORMS -
Cyclone VAIANU was 1158 nmi NNE of Auckland, New Zealand.
Tropical Cyclone Vaianu is continuing to strengthen as it lies between Tonga and Fiji. It is moving slowly south west. There are warnings of gale force winds, very rough to high seas and damaging heavy swells. Strong wind warnings are still in force for Vava’u and the Niuas.
THUNDERSTORMS / HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING -
PHILIPPINES - At least 20 people were killed by landslide and flooding in central and southern Philippines during the weekend. 10 people traveling on two motorcycles were killed in a landslide Sunday morning in Southern Leyte in central Philippines. The landslide was caused by heavy rains which softened soil in the mountains. Flooding in Surigao del Sur and its neighboring provinces in southern Philippines killed 10 people over the weekend, while several million pesos worth of crops, livestock and fisheries were damaged. Five days of continuous rains inundated 18 towns in the Caraga region, affecting 200,000 residents.
SNOW / COLD -
U.S. EAST COAST - Three key airports were shut down and hundreds of flights were cancelled at other airports after a blizzard swept the region, leaving a blanket of deep snow from Boston to Washington.
The storm buried sections of the Northeast under more than 60 centimetres of snow Sunday, marooning thousands of travellers. The National Weather Service said 68 centimetres (26.9 inches) of snow had fallen in Central Park, New York, the MOST SINCE RECORD-KEEPING STARTED IN 1869. Wind gusting nearly 100 kilometres an hour blew the snow sideways and raised a risk of coastal flooding in New England. And in a RARE display, lightning lit up the falling snow before dawn in the New York and Philadelphia areas, producing muffled winter thunder. The storm is also causing trouble in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island, where 20 centimetres of snow is expected to fall.
ILLINOIS - More snow was expected after a FREAK BAND of widespread but heavy snow showers dumped as much as 7 inches in some areas of Central Illinois Saturday morning. "It's a VERY ODD STORM," a National Weather Service meteorologist said. "Some areas of Springfield got 6 inches while neighborhoods nearby got almost nothing." The system developed more strongly than models had predicted, and showers formed and repeatedly traveled over the same areas. The showers started around 4 a.m. and moved southeast. "It was VERY STRANGE FOR THIS TIME OF YEAR, but interesting to watch."
INDIANA - winter weather resulted in multiple wrecks on Interstate 65 Saturday, closing both lanes and backing up traffic for miles. UNPREDICTABLE SNOWFALLS affected areas of south central Indiana, depositing 3 inches in the Brown County area and 5 in Johnson, and no snow in other areas.
Why the peculiar weather? Cold temperatures about 10,000 to 15,000 feet in the air mixing with the warm ground temperatures created an unstable atmosphere, causing random snow squalls. "YOU DON'T SEE THIS TOO OFTEN. It's convective snow. Think of it as scattered showers in the springtime. Just so happens it came in the form of scattered snow showers."
FLORIDA - An arctic blast of cold air in Central Florida will likely drop temperatures to RECORD-BREAKING LOWS early today, and even present the chance for some snow flurries outside Orlando.
ALASKA - The Seward Highway was closed Saturday when a massive avalanche buried the roadway, nine metres deep in places. There were no immediate reports of injuries or fatalities. It occurred less than a day after the highway was reopened following bad weather and avalanches that forced its closure Thursday.
ODD -
AUSTRALIA - An UNUSUAL COMBINATION of light rain, humidity and dust was responsible for a loss of power to around 18,000 Sydney homes. EnergyAustralia blamed a combination of early morning dew and dust for causing insulators on high-voltage lines at Menai and Berowra to short out at about 9:45pm (AEDT) yesterday. The blackouts occurred when fail-safe mechanisms kicked in after electricity jumped over an insulator. "It's all about an unusual occurrence of light rain, humidity and dust combining to cause the electricity to arc over, jump over, an insulator."
Disease - updated Mondays
------------------------------------------
Sunday, February 12, 2006 -
QUAKES -
Largest quakes yesterday -
2/11 -
5.5 TALAUD ISLANDS, INDONESIA
5.1 CARLSBERG RIDGE
5.0 EASTERN XIZANG-INDIA BDR REG.
2/10 -
5.1 NEAR COAST OF CENTRAL CHILE
5.2 GULF OF MEXICO
UZBEKISTAN - Rumors of an impending powerful earthquake (8.0 on the Richter scale) with an epicenter in the capital of Uzbekistan spread in Tashkent on Tuesday afternoon. References to different sources were made: alleged warnings from seismic stations, calls from relatives or acquaintances from "competent bodies", and "classified cables" the "top brass" were allegedly sending to municipal power structures. The rumors became even more specific by 4:30 p.m. and they scheduled the earthquake for 3 a.m. the following night. Calls to the Institute of Seismology were to no avail. Thousands of calls were coming in, and all lines were overloaded. Unusual weather phenomena are sometimes observed before earthquakes - sudden cold in summer or warmth in winter and on February 8, temperatures set a record for the last 40 years and reached +24 Celsius. Still remembering the devastating earthquakes of 1966 and 1980, in Tashkent residents of blocks of apartments both in the center and in the outskirts spent between 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. that evening outdoors - with children and pets. Some took their most valuable items with them (TV sets). Tension abated after 8 p.m. when TV news programs ran an interview with the Director of the Institute of Seismology. Once he denounced the rumors and said that nothing indicated a forthcoming earthquake as far as seismologists were concerned, residents of Tashkent returned to their homes wondering who had let the rumors loose in the first place.
TSUNAMI -
What is the physical limit of the height of a tsunami? Just the right conditions to test the limit may have occurred on July 9, 1958, in Lituya Bay, within Glacier Bay National Park on Alaska's southeastern coast. The narrow bay was bounded on the east by a glacier and the steep face of a rock wall. When a magnitude 8 earthquake occurred, centered just 13 miles from the bay, not only was the floor of the bay lifted up about 3.5 feet and tilted, but a massive sheet of rock and ice also fell off the wall and into the water, creating a monstrous splash that initially reached a height of 1,720 feet - a third of a mile. Scientists who have studied the event liken the impact to that of an asteroid striking Earth. The tsunami continued on across the bay at a height of about 100 feet, swamping the few boats anchored in the bay and killing two people onboard. Miraculously, others survived, as the boats they were on rode out the wave.
VOLCANOES -
MONTSERRAT - The Soufriere Hills Volcano on the island of Montserrat produced a plume of volcanic ash on February 9. This event was part of a continuing pattern of intermittent eruptions from the volcano. Volcanic ash is a recurring health hazard for Montserrat’s residents, irritating eyes and respiratory tracts.
TROPICAL STORMS -
Cyclone VAIANU - is expected to strengthen slowly this morning as it moves through central Tonga. The storm is expected to move south towards the main island of Tongatapu and the capital Nuku'alofa during today and tomorrow. At midday New Zealand time, it's expected to be 200km west of the Vava'u group of outer islands, bringing damaging gale force winds of up to 110kmh. Forecasters predict thunderstorms, heavy rain, high seas and heavy swells, leading to flooding of low-lying coastal areas. On its current path, Vaianu is moving towards Fiji, but is expected to change its path later. Vaianu is the fourth named tropical cyclone in the South Pacific in the current season.
THUNDERSTORMS / HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING -
PAKISTAN - The survivors of the earthquake that devastated Pakistan last year face a new threat: flash floods from a giant lake forming rapidly behind a dam of material shaken loose during the event. Experts who visited the region last month say urgent action is needed to avert a second catastrophe, caused by the likely collapse of the dam under the rising water level. If the dam bursts, it would send millions of gallons of water rushing towards the city of Muzaffarabad, which bore the brunt of the October earthquake. Studies show that more than 70% of such landslide dams give way, most of them within 12 months. A drainage channel - known as a spillway - needs to be built to empty the lake before July, when the monsoon season starts. The lake started to form when a vast avalanche of rocks triggered by the earthquake blocked a river flowing through a valley near Hattian, in the north of the country. Already some 100 metres deep and 200 metres wide, the lake now stretches more than a mile up the valley, about 12 miles upstream of Muzaffarabad. The rocky dam is about 250 metres high. In the unlikely event that all the water was released at once, it would come down the valley as a 250-metre-high wave. Scientists have also identified other hazards in the region, which is still geologically unstable. One possibility is that the loose valley walls above the lake will give way. "We're very worried that in the rain a landslide will occur on one of those slopes and displace a wave over the top of the dam. Should that happen then very little could be done but there will be a chance to warn people and get them out of the way." Another concern is that several refugee camps in the affected region have been established on areas geologists call alluvial fans: spots where narrow drainage channels open up on to flatter, wider areas. In the event of seasonal heavy rain, these become inundated with a fast-moving mixture of water and rocky debris.
CALIFORNIA - Hundreds of houses are being built in north San Bernardino and Highland a few feet from the San Andreas Fault on unstable alluvial fans. Alluvial fans are broad, steep features at the base of mountains. Made up of loose sediments, they put residents on them in the cross-hairs of a Southern California triple-threat: wildfires, the floods and mudslides that follow, plus a devastating earthquake that's long overdue. President Bush's proposed budget released this week includes $2.18 million for a pilot project in Southern California to see how potential disasters relate to each other and to encourage communities to work with scientists to reduce dangers. The San Bernardino area is a perfect laboratory, being the poster child for multiple hazards where developers and officials have a penchant for building in dangerous areas. Thursday was the 35th anniversary of the magnitude-6.5 Sylmar earthquake in 1971 that killed 65 people, wrecked two hospitals and nearly caused a dam to fail. This southern section section of the San Andreas fault hasn't erupted since 1690, making it the segment most overdue for a catastrophic quake the likes of which the state has not seen in 100 years. One scientist calls it the section that's "10 months pregnant." Scientists are missing some basic information about the lower segment of the infamous 800-mile fault. "We don't even know the slip rate. ... It could be 30 millimeters a year. It could be 8 millimeters a year. It's just unconscionable we should have that level of unknowns on such a major risk in San Bernardino."
AUSTRALIA - A mini-hurricane smashed into Mudgee Thursday afternoon uprooting trees, damaging houses and cars and knocking power lines across roadways as it swept through the town for a few dramatically furious minutes. The freak storm, which approached from the north west at about 3:45pm, hit with such ferocity that trees came crashing down onto cars. According to emergency services personnel: "It was a miracle that no-one was badly injured."
FOG -
INDIA, NEW DELHI - Just when summer seemed to have announced its arrival loud and clear, the fog was back with a bang, bringing the city to a halt. Visibility dropped to zero at the airport even though temperatures remained higher than normal. Fog started engulfing the city at about 4:30 am when visibility dropped to 250 metres. After 7:30 am it dropped down to zero before becoming normal by about 10 am. The temperature, meanwhile, continued to remain unbearable at 27.2 degrees Celsius (four degrees above normal) while the minimum temperature was recorded at 11.8 degrees Celsius (two degrees above normal). The formation, according to Met officials, was 'sudden'. "The formation of fog was 50 per cent below normal this January and in February, all signs were indicating the onset of summer. What happened was the mixing of cold air coming in from Pakistan and Afghanistan with the warm and moist air coming in from the southwest."
SNOW / COLD -
JAPAN - The fourth avalanche in two days buried and injured four mountain climbers on a remote, icy peak Saturday amid one of the snowiest winters on record. The snow gave way on the slopes of 2,760-meter Mount Ioudake in Nagano Prefecture shortly before 10:30 a.m. Four climbers were buried but were later pulled from the snow. Two suffered broken bones and the other two suffered minor injuries. There was only one meter of snow on the ground on Saturday, but the conditions were perfect for an avalanche as about 70 centimeters of fresh snow had fallen up to Thursday, and the temperature on Saturday was relatively high. On Friday an avalanche buried an outdoor hot spring at a popular inn in Akita Prefecture, killing one person and injuring 16. A 20-year-old worker rescued almost six hours after the avalanche struck was confirmed dead on arrival at a hospital. An avalanche occurred earlier Friday near a different hot spring resort in Akita. A 65-year-old employee who colleagues feared had been buried in the snow was later found safe. Later in the day, a third avalanche in the region covered a railway track, forcing a high-speed bullet train to make an emergency stop after its first few cars smashed into the mound of snow. Record-breaking snowfalls have hit many parts of Japan in recent months, killing at least 123 people since December in snow-related accidents.
TURKEY - according to preliminary information, two mountaineers died and two more remained trapped in an avalanche in Aladaglar Mountain in central Anatolian city of Nigde on Saturday. The avalanche fell on 14 students, members of a mountaineering club.
GERMANY - Parts of Germany issued weather catastrophe warnings on Thursday as heavy snowfall was forecast before the weekend in the south and rivers began flooding in the east due to rising temperatures. German meteorologists in the south said they have seen the HEAVIEST SNOWFALL IN A DECADE. Up to 70 cm (27 inches) are expected by Saturday in parts of the southern state of Bavaria. "In four regions of lower Bavaria - Passau, Deggendorf, Freyung-Grafenau and Regen - the snowfall has created a catastrophic situation." Two roofs have already collapsed under heavy snow in Bavaria. In January, the roof of an ice rink in Bad Reichenhall collapsed, killing 15, and this week the roof of a supermarket collapsed in Toeging am Inn, east of Munich, lightly injuring employees and a shopper.
AUSTRALIA - Adelaide is experiencing an unseasonal cold patch. For the past week, Adelaide temperatures have dived with maximums about 4C below the average of 29.3C - just weeks after the worst heat wave in 60 years. "Spring is wetter, Autumn drier. Our seasons are changing. The last 10 years have been the hottest on record."
HEAT / WILDFIRES -
CALIFORNIA - downtown Sacramento experienced RECORD-BREAKING TEMPERATURES of 72 degrees Tuesday and Wednesday and 73 degrees Thursday, burning past the old record of 70 degrees, set on those dates in 1987, 1988 and 1988 again. The warm weather is expected to continue at least into Wednesday. “This is very rare. I remember I was wearing a sweater and a thick jacket at this time last year. It's bizarre.” Plants started blooming ahead of schedule due to a lack of freezing temperatures this winter. Although it's impossible to predict, there are rarely any freezes after the second week of February. A strong high-pressure ridge over the West Coast, pushing storms to the north and “keeping us nice and dry.” A little offshore airflow (opposite of onshore flows like the summertime Delta breeze) is keeping away the fog that usually settles into the Central Valley this time of year. The annual rain total, tallied from July 1 to June 30, is 13.9 inches so far - 112 percent of normal in the Sacramento area. Although the rain total is above normal now, precipitation in the next month or so will determine whether that remains so.
CLIMATE CHANGE - A rebellion at NASA is highlighting a shift in the debate over climate change, "a shift which leaves the Bush administration looking like religious obscurantists and indigenous prophets looking like the best scientists". This debate has been running for at least a generation, and it might be the most important issue of the generation; but the latest round came to light at the end of January with charges that NASA officials had tried to silence their most prominent expert on climate change. This revelation has been followed by a flood of other NASA employees charging political interference with scientific information.
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Friday, February 9, 2006 -
QUAKES -
Largest quakes yesterday -
2/8 -
5.6 ARU ISLANDS, INDONESIA, REGION
5.5 PACIFIC-ANTARCTIC RIDGE
5.4 FLORES SEA
VOLCANOES -
RUSSIA - About 300 local earthquakes were registered on the Karymsky volcano on the Kamchatka Peninsula on Thursday. The giant volcano is spewing ash. There is no danger to nearby populated localities. The plume of ash from the crater has stretched for some 20 kilometres at the height of four kilometres above sea level. A 40-kilometre cloud containing volcanic dust has been observed some 40 kilometres east of the volcano. The volcano has been in a state of eruption for 10 years since January 1996.
TROPICAL STORMS -
AUSTRALIA - Life is slowly getting back to normal in the townsite of Lake Grace, following RECORD RAINFALL which caused FLOODING UNPRECEDENTED IN RECENT HISTORY and damage in the millions of dollars. The State Government declared the stricken area a natural disaster zone following rainfall of 241mm on January 12/13, the aftermath of Cyclone Clare. Initially roads were cut from the east, west and south with limited access from the north, with no mail deliveries and fresh food scarce. While most essential services have been restored, the major headache for the Lake Grace Shire is the flooding of the cemetery lake, on the western outskirts of the town, which has cut the road and rail links. There are some positives, the lakes have become a water playground and the bird-life in the area is prolific.
THUNDERSTORMS / HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING -
SOUTH AFRICA - two girls, aged nine and 10, were swept away by flash floods in Kwathema in Springs on Gauteng's East Rand. The police say they were going to school when the water swept them away. Meanwhile, more heavy downpours have been reported over parts of the Free State. Thaba Nchu recorded 81-millimetres, Verkeerdevlei 71, and Bultfontein 64. The SA Weather Service has warned of more rain for the flood-hit provinces of Gauteng and the Free State. It predicts heavy falls until Tuesday at least.
The heavy rain in the interior is taking it's toll. Johannesburg emergency workers are looking for the occupants of a car which was swept off a low-level bridge in Honeydew. It is not known how many people were inside the car. This comes as heavy rainfall continues to fall over most of the interior. Storm water drains are overflowing in Gauteng and there are sheets of water on the roads. In the Free State, at least two bridges and the road between Bloemfontein and Brandfort in the southern Free State are under water. A spate of bus accidents this week have mostly been caused by the bad weather. At least 16 people were killed in the bus accidents and over 100 injured.
PHILIPPINES - Even government meteorologists agree there exists an UNUSUAL WEATHER SITUATION in the Philippines, marked by UNSEASONAL monsoon rains and the onset of the phenomenon known as "La Niña." The country was affected last month by the northeast monsoon, the tailend of a cold front, an easterly wave and active low-pressure area that developed into a tropical depression — "Agaton" — which brought days of rains and caused flooding over some areas of Central and Eastern Luzon. This month, the northeast monsoon, the tailend of a cold front and an easterly wave will likely influence the weather although there is a slim chance of a tropical cyclone occurring in the Philippine area of responsibility. "This (prevailing weather system) is UNUSUAL in a sense that if this is the normal northeast monsoon, we should have a dry weather pattern." The persistent warmer than normal sea surface temperature around the Philippines may bring more rains in many parts of the country. The brewing La Niña condition may last up to the end of the first quarter 2006 when the sea surface temperature begins to normalize. Amid the La Niña and the puzzling climate within the region — above normal rainfall condition in Indonesia, Thailand and Vietnam - China, Japan and Russia are experiencing colder than normal winter.
OREGON - The Portland area has just slogged through ONE OF ITS RAINEST JANUARIES ON RECORD. In western Oregon, Portland averages approximately 40 to 45 inches of rainfall per year between October and May. Almost 10 inches of rain fell last month, making it Portland’s wettest January since 11.81 inches fell in 1970. January’s normal rainfall is 5.07 inches. Landslides caused trouble all over the greater Portland area in late January and early February.
PAPUA NEW GUINEA - At least 12,000 people left homeless from severe flooding in the central province of Papua New Guinea are yet to receive help. People are reported to be starving, houses are sinking and coffins have been washed up by the flood waters which officials say have been up to two metres' deep.
NEW ZEALAND - A number of farmers between Waterton and Pendarves are reeling from a savage, isolated hailstorm that cut a swathe of destruction through crops over the weekend and could end up slicing millions of dollars off grower incomes. The hailstorm struck between 2am and 3am on Sunday, bringing strong winds and torrential rain. “The sky was lit up with lightning continuously for over half an hour. It was a like a bloody tornado. The hail was very intense.” Some farmers in the district had recorded 30mm to 60mmm of rain during the storm. One farmer estimated 50 per cent of his radish, green feed kale, clover crops and a similar proportion of a paddock of oats had been damaged. Others could be up to 100 per cent. The sound of the storm was deafening. “It was a like a train going through with the torrential rain and hailstones.” Although the hail did not last very long, damage was severe due to the force of the wind driving the hail down. The storm was particularly frustrating for farmers in the area who were already battling a very dry season.
SNOW / COLD -
COLORADO - The mountain snows that feed Denver Water's water supply are near record levels but there's so much RECORD SNOW that there's fear of flooding during the spring runoff. Snowpack in the Upper South Platte basin, which has been at average or below since 1998, is 117 percent of normal. In the Colorado River Basin, snowpack is 154 percent of normal, the highest it's been since 1996. This year's UNUSAL WEATHER PATTERNS - huge snowpack in the mountains and unseasonably dry conditions at lower elevations - suggest a continuation of recent years' widely varying weather conditions, prompting some to wonder whether there's a new definition of "normal" weather in Colorado. "An unusually wet year could easily be followed by one with dryness of epic proportions."
FLORIDA - A blast of Arctic air invades Northwest Florida this week, bringing rare freezing temperatures during one of the warmest winters on record. Freezing weather is forecast for Saturday with a low of 31 degrees. That will make it frosty for magnolias, azaleas and many other brilliant spring bloomers that have sprung flowers. Cold winter weather can be a needed respite for plants and can help control weeds and insect pests. "We need winter here. We really do."
RUSSIA - The Botanical Gardens on the premises of Moscow State University has suffered losses as a spell of very cold weather continues in Moscow for several weeks. Air temperatures dropping to around 30 degrees below zero have split a trunk of an old ash-tree, ruined a walnut tree that turned into an ice-bound log, and damaged several apricot trees despite desperate efforts made by the Gardens' attendants to save them.
MACEDONIA - A lion and a llama died of cold in a zoo in southern Macedonia this week as polar temperatures gripped the country. The 25-year-old lion and the baby llama were found dead in their cages after temperatures in the southern city of Bitola, near the border with Greece, fell to -28C. The country in recent days has been hit by what local media call a "polar winter", with temperatures plunging far below zero, especially in Bitola - the coldest city in the country with temperatures in the minus 20s.
AFGHANISTAN - Snow, avalanches and extreme cold conditions in northern Afghanistan have killed 19 people, many of them children, during the last week. Four people were killed by an avalanche, and 15 children died of cold after the avalanche buried their homes and left them exposed in Deh Murda, a village in Suri Pul province.
ALASKA - A Michigan man who was living in Alaska and was out snowshoeing with a companion was killed when an avalanche swept down from the slopes of a gully near a popular recreation area. The slide appeared to be about 200 yards wide.
ANOTHER REPORT OF A STRANGE SMELL -
SCOTLAND - Hundreds of people feared a huge gas blast on the 8th after a strange stink swept Edinburgh. Scotland Gas Networks took scores of calls from worried residents in the coastal district of Granton. Emergency services and radio stations also received reports from Leith, the city centre and the west end. But as police, gas, health and ports bosses launched an investigation, mystery still surrounds the source of the smell. A Scotland Gas Networks spokeswoman said they had taken hundreds of calls. "The problem is not coming from the supply network." "Inquiries with companies in the city and Firth of Forth area have also failed to establish a source for the smell." A weather expert said: "If the smell is being detected over a fairly large area of Edinburgh, I would think it came from quite a distance, possibly miles away."
Unusually High Tides / Freak Waves - updated Fridays.
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Thursday, February 9, 2006 -
QUAKES -
Largest quakes yesterday -
2/8 -
5.4 BANDA SEA
5.9 WEST OF MACQUARIE ISLAND
VOLCANOES -
INDONESIA - Sea levels would have risen higher and ocean temperatures would have been warmer in the 20th century if the Krakatoa volcano in Indonesia had not erupted in 1883. The impact of the eruption that spewed molten rock and sulphate aerosols into the atmosphere was felt for decades - much longer than previously thought. The effect of Pinatubo's eruption on ocean temperatures was much smaller because of the impact of greenhouse gases which were much higher in 1991 than in 1883. "We can't rely on future volcanic eruptions slowing ocean warming and sea level rises."
THUNDERSTORMS / HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING -
NEW ZEALAND - The MetService has issued a severe weather warning for central New Zealand. A band of heavy rain is moving east over northern and central New Zealand and some heavy falls are expected in the hilly country in Taranaki.
SNOW / COLD -
TAJIKISTAN - An avalanche swept down a mountainside in Tajikistan, killing three people. More than 20 people have been killed in avalanches in Tajikistan this year.
HEAT / WILDFIRES -
Scientists have known for a very long time that moose are quite sensitive to temperature. The animal will actually pant when the temperature gets above 67 degrees Fahrenheit. Minnesota has two herds: the northeast and the northwest. The northwest herd is in serious trouble. "It used to be probably the largest, most productive herd in the state." But the population just "crashed." There were four-thousand moose here in the late eighties. Today there are 250. The rate of pregnancy here is low - half of what's normal. And moose are dying here - faster - than normal. Increased temperatures cause a lot of extra stress on the animal. Specifically, these moose are dying from parasites: brain worms and liver flukes. It appears the parasites "caused those individual moose to starve to death." That's "really contrary to what parasites are supposed to do." Parasites are not supposed to kill the animal. The moose are dying in greatest numbers within a year of a very hot summer. In Northwest Minnesota, where the moose are dying, the growing season has increased 39 days in the last 41 years. Record dew-points make it feel even hotter. "In the summer of 2005 we had dew points in the 80's. This is like Bombay, India. It's not like Minneapolis/St Paul!" Precipitation is up here 20 percent in the last century. Even Minnesota's great pine forest is at risk because of the kinds of trees scientists see coming up underneath it. They are the type of trees usually found growing much farther south. The mating season of the grouse is now earlier, and the range of wild turkeys, raccoons, opossums and skunks is expanding. They are animals that could not survive so far north before. Warmer water is causing larger walleye to grow more slowly. It is also believed to be impacting reproduction. Major scientific organizations around the world believe the planet will warm another 4-10 degrees by the end of the century. Minnesota would be at the high end of that range. Ten degrees would be stunning. Minnesota would "feel" more like Illinois in the wintertime with temperatures on average, 6-12 degrees warmer. And summer here would average about four to eight degrees warmer.
CALIFORNIA - global warming is likely to change river flows in ways that may result in both increased winter flood risk and summer water shortages — even within the same year.
Unusual Animal Behavior - updated Thursdays.
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Wednesday, February 8, 2006 -
QUAKES -
Largest quakes yesterday -
2/7 -
5.2 TONGA ISLANDS
5.4 VANUATU ISLANDS
5.1 SOUTH SANDWICH ISLANDS REGION
GEORGIA - A strong earthquake with a magnitude of 7 hit a mountainous region of western Georgia Monday morning. The quake struck at 8:08 in the morning and its epicenter was in mountains dividing the regions of Racha and Imereti, about 150 kilometers (93 miles) from the capital. No serious injuries or deaths have been reported but tremors were felt throughout a wide swath of the country. Government seismologists report there were five main tremors over the span of a minute. Residents in the two largest cities in the immediate vicinity of the quake felt the tremors in 2-3 second bursts. Approximately 15 aftershocks followed. The seismology center cannot predict if further tremors are on their way or not. The quake's epicenter was approximately on the same spot as the 9.0 April 29, 1992 quake that damaged thousands of homes in western Georgia and left around 200 dead. The last major earthquake in Georgia struck Tbilisi on April 25, 2002 and had an intensity of around 6. That quake damaged over 5,000 buildings in Tbilisi and is estimated to have caused $187 million in damages.
RUSSIA - An earthquake measuring 5.7 points on the open-ended Richter scale occurred on Monday morning in the Kamchatka Strait off the Kamchatka Peninsula’s eastern shores. Despite the quake, the regional administration has lifted high-alert regulations introduced last August on apprehensions that a major earthquake might be forthcoming. Emergency services have returned into a normal mode of operations now, since experts no longer expect quakes with a magnitude of 7.5 or more points on the Richter scale.
VOLCANOES -
JAPAN - The government has drafted a set of disaster-prevention measures, to be implemented if Mt. Fuji erupts, which provide detailed evacuation instructions and call for the creation of task forces to be set up by local governments to enable better coordination of efforts to prevent death and injury. Mt. Fuji has erupted 10 times since 794. The eruptions in 800, 864 and 1707 were the three largest. Although Mt. Fuji has not erupted for about 300 years, a recent increase in low-frequency earthquakes indicates magma is moving below the volcano. The number of quakes rose sharply from average levels in the autumn of 2000 and in the spring of 2001. In 2004, a government panel drew up a map showing the areas that could be affected by an eruption and the problems those areas might face.
THUNDERSTORMS / HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING -
MALAYSIA - A woman and two of her children were killed in a landslide, caused by heavy rains, which damaged 14 houses in a village of Sabah state in eastern Malaysia. The other occupants of the 14 damaged houses in this village managed to save themselves once they saw signs of an imminent landslide. Local authorities have required the occupants of almost 30 houses in the village to evacuate for fear of more landslides triggered by heavy rains.
SPAIN - Rescue services have finally located the two bodies of a farmer and his wife who were buried beneath a mountain of sand and rocks in a landslide on an isolated farm in Juncosa, in Lleida. (photo)
NEW YORK - Emergency responders and engineers continue to monitor the site at which a landslide into Claverack Creek last week created a dam that could threaten residents downstream. The collapse Thursday of a 60-foot-high, 300-yard-long section of embankment in the Columbia County town also caused high water near the bridge that takes Route 66 over the creek. Water levels there could reach four to five times the creek's normal level. About 25 homes have been identified as being in potential danger. So far, water levels at the dam site are not continuing to rise; the water found an outlet around a stand of trees and the earthen dam. Heavy rains could change that.
WIND -
TEXAS - Gusty winds on Sunday were blamed for a bizarre accident that killed the son of a TV weatherman who was parasailing behind a tractor. The wind proved so strong it picked the tractor up off the ground. That caused the rope holding the son to break, and he went free-flying into the air. Initially,he hit the ground but the wind picked up his parasail again, and he was thrown over a fence and into a tree about 500 feet away. According to the National Weather Service, the average wind speed Sunday was 14 mph, with gusts of up to 37 mph.
SNOW / COLD -
MALTA - Arctic weather has begun arriving in Malta, with temperatures plunging as low as 8.7C. This makes it THE COLDEST FEBRUARY DAY IN 44 YEARS since 1962 when on the 15th of February the maximum temperature that day reached only 7.2C. The coldest February day since the Meteorological Office started keeping records in 1922 was that of 1929 with a high of 6.7C. "This type of cold snap is RATHER UNUSUAL in the sense that such or lower temperatures occurred on only 12% of the occasions." A depression, or area of low atmospheric pressure, centred over Crete together with an Anticyclone, or high pressure area, over the Balkans generated a swift moving current of cold air passing first over the south of Italy onto Sicily and the Maltese Islands. Malta is also noticing that January and February have been getting colder in the last few years with more hail days being registered.
CHINA - The survival of rare wild animals is seriously threatened by the continuous snowfall and bitter cold in a nature reserve in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. Bad weather and thick snow have caused great difficulties for wild animals like gazelles, argals (a species of wild sheep), and Asiatic wild asses, in looking for food. Since last December, heavy snow up to 50cm has hit the reserve; temperatures have plunged to minus 35 degrees Celsius.
KASHMIR - In Tangdhar, where villages were already damaged in the October 8 earthquake, the melting snow is triggering landslides and stones falling from mountains, posing a major threat to the lives and property of the 600 odd families living near the mountains. "Whatever was left is now destroyed. We are homeless and have now been shifted to a school." Several residential houses and Army barracks have already been damaged. Authorities have started shifting the families to safer places.
HEAT / WILDFIRES -
VERMONT - Nature is topsy-turvy in Vermont after six weeks of springtime in the heart of winter. All the warm weather since late December has been disconcerting: Lake Champlain water is at a high level commonly seen during and after the spring thaw, but never before in February. Severe spring lake flooding is not likely because mountain snowpack is well below normal, limiting the amount of water that will flow into the lake. Day lilies are coming up; red-winged blackbirds and great blue herons patrol Vermont's wetlands; and the ground is mostly unfrozen, all typical of early April, not early February. A measure of how bizarre this winter has been was the report of a loon on Lake Willoughby in Vermont's cold Northeast Kingdom. "That blew me away." Loons are spotted from time to time on Lake Champlain during January, but not on inland lakes like Willoughby, which tend to freeze over. Loons need open water. Weather extremes, hot and cold, dry and wet, seem much more frequent. "The weather has always been weird, but look at the frequency of record setting events. Every species is going to get hammered if you keep getting this unpredictable series of weather extremes."
WESTERN U.S. - Wildfires are burning in Colorado, Arizona, California and South Dakota.
Crop Failures, Food Shortages, Fish Die-Off - updated Wednesdays
Drought, Heat, Water Shortages, Wildfires - updated Tuesdays
Disease - updated Mondays
Space Weather / Solar Storms / Meteors - updated Sundays.
Unusually High Tides / Freak Waves - updated Fridays.
Unusual Animal Behavior - updated Thursdays.
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Tuesday, February 7, 2006 -
QUAKES -
Largest quakes yesterday -
2/6 -
5.4 NORTHERN SUMATERA, INDONESIA
5.1 NORTHERN SUMATERA, INDONESIA
5.1 ARU ISLANDS, INDONESIA, REGION
5.0 FIJI ISLANDS REGION
5.1 KOMANDORSKY ISLANDS
5.0 WESTERN CAUCASUS
5.5 NEW BRITAIN
SOUTH AFRICA - Two miners were killed and six injured when a 1.8 tremor caused a rock fall at one of AngloGold Ashanti's South African mines where three people died last month in a similar accident.
AUSTRALIA - Swiss Reinsurance Co. has launched Australia's first ever natural catastrophe bond as a way of insuring against major disasters. Sydney is the Australian capital city most at risk of an earthquake, while Brisbane and Townsville are the most likely to be hit by a cyclone, according to the global insurance company. Most of Australia's capital cities are at risk of an earthquake, some of them more than others."They are very remote occurrences, we expect maybe - in terms of frequency - that this 'cat' bond would not be exposed to loss more than twice in 100 years. They are very large events when they occur and they are very infrequent." The bond, titled Australis Ltd, has a three-year life span. If the event covered by the linked securities does not occur, investors receive their capital back with interest. If it does, investors may lose some of their interest and/or their principal in the investment.
TSUNAMI -
ALASKA - A tsunami warning was mistakenly sent to TV and radio stations across Alaska on Monday. At the time, technicians were working on a computer and showing a new intern how warnings are issued. "He says no one sent anything. You couldn't set it off without going through three of four steps. It might have been glitch in the machine. We're still trying to figure out why it went out."
VOLCANOES -
ALASKA - Cleveland volcano in the Aleutian Islands coughed up an ash cloud Monday. The eruption prompted the Alaska Volcano Observatory to raise Cleveland Volcano's threat level to code red. Code red, the highest threat level, means a significant eruption is occurring. Satellites detected the 22-thousand-foot high ash cloud after it detached from the summit of the volcano. Cleveland is located near the Aleutian chain's halfway point. The Federal Aviation Administration has issued a temporary flight restriction near the volcano.
WASHINGTON - Mount St. Helens isn't the only volcano in the Pacific Northwest that's showing signs of life. The crew of "Oregon Field Guide," a weekly outdoors show, has documented how a volcano is coming alive just outside of Bend. Land beneath the South Sister is being pushed up by mysterious volcanic forces miles beneath a popular hiking trail. New technology now is being used to measure the swelling of the ground in the newly awakened volcanic zone near Bend. It is rising at the rate of about 1 1/2 inches a year, and some scientists think this could be a preliminary indication of major volcanic activity.
WIND -
CANADA - VANCOUVER - A violent windstorm pummelled southern British Columbia on the weekend, knocking out power for 100,000 and prompting officials to ask residents of as many as 200 homes to evacuate because of heavy flooding. The mayor of Delta called it the WORST STORM TO HIT THE AREA IN 30 YEARS. The seawall failed to contain the stormy seas, causing extensive flooding and water damage.
About 50,000 homes in Ontario suffered through their second day without power Monday, after a fierce winter storm knocked out services to an estimated 100,000 people.
SNOW / COLD -
JAPAN - Heavy snowfalls over the weekend heaped misery upon mayhem for many snowbound areas along the Sea of Japan coast. As of 5 p.m. Sunday, accumulations had built to 416 centimeters in Tsunan, Niigata Prefecture - the FIRST TIME IN 25 YEARS THE PREFECTURE RECORDED MORE THAN 400 CM OF SNOWFALL IN ONE WINTER. This winter's heavy snows have led to freak accidents, fatalities and countless injuries. Even hearty residents used to tough weather say this winter has been excruciating. The snow has become wet - and heavier - because of the rain that fell on the weekend of January 14. Yet, winter is far from over. Local governments are warning people to brace for more snow. The Meteorological Agency also predicts another cold wave. The projected snowfall for February is about average for the northern and eastern parts of Japan, and average or slightly below for western Japan. But the agency warns that sudden rises and drops in the temperature could occur. New snow falling on old snow that has melted and then frozen again can trigger avalanches.
ALASKA - Some of Alaska's rural communities are dealing with the after-affects of frigid temperatures. The temperatures late last week shut down water and sewer lines in at least two villages, and cut power in a third. On Saint George Island in the Bering Sea, frozen water mains cut water service to about 30 homes, several businesses and the clinic. In Nondalton, between Lake Clark and Iliamna Lake, cold was blamed for problems in the power distribution system. And in Northwest Alaska about 300 residents from Selawik went back to the old ways after their sewer and water pipes froze. They are using honey buckets instead of toilets and chopping ice from the nearby river.
HEAT / WILDFIRES -
AUSTRALIA - Hundreds of firefighters battling a large bushfire burning out of control in southern New South Wales are bracing for a wind change that will endanger a large number of properties. One of Australia's busiest interstate highways, the Hume running between Sydney and Melbourne, is expected to be cut all day. The fire has already destroyed 8500ha of bush and will threaten crops if the expected wind change arrives.
Drought, Heat, Water Shortages, Wildfires - updated Tuesdays
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Monday, February 6, 2006 -
QUAKES -
Largest quakes yesterday -
1/5 -
5.1 ANDAMAN ISLANDS,INDIA, REG
5.3 SOUTH OF FIJI ISLANDS
5.0 CHILE-ARGENTINA BORDER REGION
5.0 NORTHERN ALASKA, UNITED STATES
5.0 SOUTHERN ALASKA
5.1 NORTHERN ALASKA, UNITED STATES
MONTANA - A minor 4.6 earthquake rattled parts of southwestern Montana Saturday evening. It was felt by residents around southwest Montana, as well as in Idaho and Wyoming. The quake was reported in an area that has been rumbling since a magnitude 5.6 earthquake was reported 13 miles northwest of Dillon on July 25 in 2005.
TROPICAL STORMS -
Cyclone BOLOETSE was 713 nmi SSW of Saint Pierre, Reunion.
THUNDERSTORMS / HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING -
IRAQ - Continuous rainfall over the past three days in the capital, Baghdad, as well as in Tikrit and Mosul in northern Iraq, has forced 600 people out of their homes. The government has said the situation could deteriorate if heavy rains continue, due mainly to the weak state of national infrastructure. The sewage system is cause for particular concern, as most sewage channels are leaking because of poor quality building materials. In the suburbs of the capital more than 80 percent of the system is totally degraded.
FIJI - A second round of floods in Fiji’s northern division in less than a week has devastated low lying areas in and around Labasa. Cane farms and food gardens are under water, roads are closed and hundreds of adults and children have been forced to seek shelter in emergency evacuation shelters. Police and fire services had to rescue people from their homes as rising waters threatened their lives.
A landslide near the Fiji town of Labasa following several days of heavy rain has killed a woman and her two young children.
HEAT / WILDFIRES -
U.S. - This year, we saw January average temperatures of 5-16 degrees warmer than average over most of America. This is a RARE PATTERN INDEED. Usually when one part of the United States, such as the East Coast, experiences unusually warm weather, some other region, such as the Rocky Mountain states, encounters unusually cold temperatures. This has to do with the natural “wiggles” of the jet stream that change from one month to the next. The pattern we’re seeing so far this year, however, where the entire nation is unusually warm, occurs only when the entire jet stream has migrated far north from its usual position. The unusual temperature pattern we’ve seen this January is similar to the kind of pattern that models predict will be normal in just a few decades, given the current trend.
Disease - updated Mondays
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Sunday, February 5, 2006 -
QUAKES -
Largest quakes yesterday -
2/4 -
5.3 NORTHERN MOLUCCA SEA
5.4 GALAPAGOS ISLANDS, ECUADOR
5.5 FIJI ISLANDS REGION
2/3 -
5.6 ANDAMAN ISLANDS,INDIA, REG
5.0 NICOBAR ISLANDS, INDIA, REG
5.7 TONGA ISLANDS
5.7 FIJI ISLANDS REGION
5.4 NEAR E.CST EASTERN HONSHU
5.0 NEAR E.CST EASTERN HONSHU
5.4 NEAR E.CST EASTERN HONSHU
5.0 NEPAL
5.0 LAKE BAYKAL, RUSSIA, REGION
OREGON - Some scientists say there is a one in 10 chance that Oregon will be hit with a magnitude 9.0 earthquake in the next 50 years. If that happens, they say a massive landslide could follow, one that could dam the Columbia River. The most recent giant landslide happened 550 years ago, filling a section of the Columbia River with earth. The resulting dam, a wall of earth, created a lake that stretched 88 miles. If an earthquake hit, scientists say basalt rocks from the top of the Gorge cliffs would be shaken loose for three minutes or more. That would dislodge giant rocks, which would fall into the river channel, completely plugging it. "You’re going to have to evacuate a lot of people in the Portland area." That would create the possibility for another disaster. The Army Corps of Engineers would have to figure out a way to breach the slide without sending torrents of water gushing toward Portland.
TROPICAL STORMS -
Cyclone BOLOETSE was 654 nmi SW of Saint Pierre, Reunion.
THUNDERSTORMS / HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING -
OREGON - The small town of Wheeler may have to spend big bucks after a landslide took out most of their water system. Heavy rains have saturated the town of in Tillamook County for the past couple of months. On Friday, wet earth slid down a hillside and snapped a water line. That caused half a million gallons of water to pour out of a reservoir.
WASHINGTON - A landslide along the BNSF Railway has halted Amtrak passenger rail service between Portland and Seattle for the 10th time since Christmas. Incessant heavy rain is to blame. "This is the longest period (of trouble) I can recall in the Pacific Northwest. Basically the bluffs are eroding, and the material has no place to go but down the slope."
FLORIDA - A violent stream of thunderstorms is pounding parts of central Pinellas County, causing a roof collapse at a St. Petersburg store and widespread flooding. The sudden flooding hit with up to 12 inches of rain reported in the Pinellas Park area.
WIND -
CANADA - Coastal communities in southwestern British Columbia went on the alert on the weekend, bracing for more floods after a windstorm knocked out power to more than 50,000 people and helped send sea water pouring into homes. Winds were up to 110 km/h on Saturday.
A state of local emergency has now been declared in Delta, because of this wind storm battering the south coast. Flooding and extremely high winds are being reported.
BELGIUM - LOW WIND - Alarming figures indicated on Thursday that more than 10,000 Belgians die prematurely each year due to fine particles in the air. The high level of pollution is being caused primarily by the current UNUSUAL WEATHER SITUATION, which is characterised by temperature inversions and low wind speeds. The weather pattern has led to a reduced dilution of air pollution at various locations across the country. This has resulted in high concentrations of nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxide, benzene and fine particles. And although it is only the start of February, the acceptable level of fine particles in the air has already been breached 20 times this year. That is alarming because on average, there are just 35 breaches recorded each year. An academic said that up to 30 people would probably die on Thursday as a direct result of the current poor air quality.
SNOW / COLD -
TURKEY - About 30 people were trapped in their houses in the southeastern city of Hakkari due to an avalanche which fell on four houses and a stable early on Saturday. Around 30 people who were trapped in their houses were rescued by other people living in the neighborhood. On the other hand, Canakkale Strait has been closed to traffic since last night due to heavy fog.
AUSTRALIA - Victoria faces a wetter, colder winter due to the return of the La Nina weather system in the western Pacific Ocean. The US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Climate Prediction Centre confirmed the existence of a La Nina after a large mass of cool water that started forming along the equator was detected in the second half of last year. Typically, La Nina, the opposite of drought-inducing El Nino, also heralds unseasonal rain in much of Queensland and New South Wales.
HEAT / WILDFIRES -
Scientists said on Monday the world had to halt greenhouse gas emissions and reverse them within two decades or watch the planet spiralling towards destruction. Even a rise of three degrees in average global temperature could result in cataclysmic species loss, melting polar icecaps raising sea levels by many meters, and wholesale famine and disease. Two major glaciers in Greenland have recently begun to flow and break up more quickly under the onslaught of global warming, according to a new study which has raised the spectre of millions drowning from rising sea levels. The glaciers have doubled their rate of flow to the ocean over the past two years after steady movement during the 1990s. This spurt meant that current environmental models of the rate of retreat of Greenland's giant ice sheet – which could add seven metres to the height of the world's oceans if it disappears – had underestimated the problem. "It seems likely that other Greenland outlets will undergo similar changes, which would impact the mass balance of the ice sheet more rapidly than predicted." The fact that the two major outflow glaciers have shown the same sudden acceleration despite being more than 300km apart suggested the cause was not local but more likely climatic or oceanic in origin. Greenland is only part of the picture, and there is also evidence of local warming and melting on the giant Western Antarctic ice sheet.
Space Weather / Solar Storms / Meteors - updated Sundays.
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Friday, February 3, 2006 -
QUAKES -
Japan was shaking this morning -
5.4 / 5.0 / 4.9 / 5.8 / 4.8 NEAR E.CST EASTERN HONSHU.
Largest quakes yesterday -
2/2 -
5.0 SERAM, INDONESIA
5.1 BANDA SEA
5.5 SE.OF LOYALTY ISLANDS
6.7 FIJI ISLANDS REGION
OREGON - Scientists say the energy released by the earthquake that jarred the Portland area Saturday was roughly three times higher than initial estimates. The quake's magnitude was raised from a 2.8 to a 3.1 after analyzing data from instruments. The higher magnitude gives only a partial explanation why the small quake was felt across such a wide area. "This produced much stronger ground motion than similar quakes centered at Swan Island or Kelley Point in North Portland."
TROPICAL STORMS -
Cyclone BOLOETSE was 909 nmi W of Saint Pierre, Reunion.
"Boloetse", currently off the coast of central Mozambique, has been upgraded from "moderate" to "severe". On Thursday morning at 08:00 the storm was off the coast of Sofala province, where it was causing "tempestuous" seas. The storm was generating winds of 55 knots, with gusts of up to 77 knots. "Boloetse" is heading slowly southeast - thus away from the Mozambican coast and towards Madagascar. It remains a danger to shipping in the centre of the Mozambique Channel, where the weather system will cause thunderstorms and moderate to heavy rains.
LA NINA -
The NOAA Climate Prediction Center announced yesterday the official return of La Niña. Agency forecasters predicted La Niña was forming nearly three weeks ago. Oceanic sea surface temperatures have met the operational definition of La Niña for the November through January period. La Niña is the periodic cooling of ocean waters in the east-central equatorial Pacific, which can impact the typical alignment of weather patterns around the globe. NOAA predicts this La Niña event will likely remain into late spring, and possibly into summer. In the U.S. "this pattern will favor continued drought in parts of the South and Southwest from Arizona to Arkansas and Louisiana, and above normal precipitation in the Northwest and the Tennessee Valley area." Periodic precipitation in the drought areas and dryness in the stormy areas also are typical within the larger scale climate pattern described above. Internationally, La Niña impacts during the Northern Hemisphere winter typically include enhanced rainfall across Indonesia and northern Australia, as well as in the Amazon Basin and in southeastern Africa and below-average rainfall across the eastern half of the equatorial Pacific and eastern equatorial Africa. Typically, La Niña events favor increased Atlantic hurricane activity. La Niña events recur approximately every three to five years. The last La Niña occurred in 2000-2001 and was a relatively weak event compared to the 1998-2000 event.
WIND -
WASHINGTON - In the past six weeks or so, they've had dozens of storms roll through the Northwest, but Mother Nature might have saved her strongest for last. A pretty potent system is forming out in the Pacific Ocean, and forecasting models have that storm coming into the area late tonight and into the day Saturday, bring the potential for strong winds all across western Washington. The Thursday afternoon models kept the most consistent landfall bulls-eye in central Vancouver Island. Wind gusts to 70 mph are possible along the coast. Aside from the wind, this storm will also bring another round of heavy rain. Long range forecasts show once they get past this storm, that's it for a while, as they head into what appears to be at least a week-long dry streak.
HEAT / WILDFIRES -
U.S. - Buttercups have been blooming in Montana. In Ohio, an ice-free Lake Erie allowed an early start to seasonal ferry service. And the sap started running early in Vermont. The current warmth is caused by the UNUSUAL POSITION of the jet stream, the high-altitude river of air that flows west-to-east across North America. It divides warm air from cold, with colder temperatures to its north and warmer temperatures to its south. Usually in the winter, it follows a lazy zigzag across the United States and Canada, allowing cold air into the U.S. where it dips south. But for the past month or so, it has instead flowed east in almost a straight line across the northern part of the country, basically forming a fence that has kept cold air out and allowed in milder air masses from the Pacific Ocean instead. Over the coming week the jet stream is expected to return to its usual wavy pattern, bringing cold air to the eastern U.S. once again.
INDIA - Barring extreme south peninsular India, most parts have been experiencing warmer than normal day and night temperatures. The sheer scale and extent of the warming anomaly is UNPRECEDENTED FOR THIS TIME OF THE YEAR. The daytime maximums have been above normal by one to six degrees Celsius. Both day and night temperatures have risen in tandem. The anomaly is being attributed to the strange behaviour of the extra-tropical westerly systems (western disturbances) heading into northwest India. The last such system impacted the region around January 27 but was followed by a large westerly trough that has refused to leave the scene till date. This, in association with the seasonal anti-cyclone, has since affected the prevailing wind pattern in north and central India. Dry west-southwesterly winds from Rajasthan have been sweeping Delhi, Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh, while warm winds from the east and the northeast have been walloping central and north peninsular India. The trend may start changing today as a northwesterly wind flow will bring down both day and night temperatures by three to five degrees Celsius over northwest and central India. A fresh western disturbance may start affecting the northwest by Tuesday.
Unusually High Tides / Freak Waves - updated Fridays.
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Thursday, February 2, 2006 -
QUAKES -
Largest quakes yesterday -
2/1 -
5.0 OFF W. CST OF NORTHERN SUMATERA
5.2 FIJI ISLANDS REGION
5.0 NEAR S.CST OF EASTERN HONSHU
5.0 MARIANA ISLANDS
TROPICAL STORMS -
Cyclone JIM was 385 nmi N of Auckland, New Zealand.
Cyclone BOLOETSE was 970 nmi W of Saint Pierre, Reunion and is forecast to strike Mozambique at about 00:00 GMT today. Tropical Storm Boloetse churned towards Mozambique on Wednesday, bringing heavy rains that experts said could add to the country’s already heightened risk of flooding. The Zambezi has risen to “precariously high” levels in some places. “Luckily the main part of the storm will stay out at sea.” The government and aid agencies have already made emergency plans for massive flooding.
Boloetse is then expected to double back and is forecast to strike Madagascar at about 19:00 GMT on February 4 as a category 2 storm at landfall.
THUNDERSTORMS / HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING -
JAVA, INDONESIA - Floods and landslides triggered by monsoon rains on Indonesia's Java island have killed at least 19 people and displaced more than 10,000 in the past week. The floods have also destroyed more than 13,000 hectares of rice fields in a district in West Java province. "There's been endless disaster over the past month." Water as deep as 150cm had inundated about 20,000 homes in several districts in Java in the past few days, but there were no reports of deaths in those areas. Monsoon rains typically hit a peak in January.
MICHIGAN - sheets of rain pelted Mid Michigan this past weekend. Rivers have risen to levels not usually seen this time of year. If you didn't have a calendar handy, you could argue it's the end of March and not the end of January. Up to an inch of rain fell across parts of Mid Michigan over the weekend as an unseasonably mild weather pattern limited snow and winter activities. Partially frozen ground assists the runoff into local rivers and streams, bringing them near or even above flood levels - a condition not common until the onset of spring.
A BIT OF EVERYTHING -
WESTERN WASHINGTON - Every single weather element that can possibly happen around there - wind, rain, flooding, lowland snow, mountain snow, thunderstorms, hail, and (maybe) funnel clouds - did happen over a span of about 12 hours Tuesday night and Wednesday morning. Strong winds of 25-35 mph, were gusting to 50-60 mph in some places. The winds knocked out power and downed trees across the area. Heavy rains also fell across the area for what seemed like the umpteenth time. Anywhere from 1/3 to a full inch of rain was measured across the Puget Sound area. Another 1-2 feet of snow was falling in the Cascade Mountains. Snowpack numbers are roughly 40-45 percent above normal, with areas of 181%. The crazy pattern also brought some lowland snow to the eastern slopes of the Olympic Mountains. Just to make sure she had all her bases covered, Mother Nature then pushed a strong line of thunderstorms across the northern third of the area around midnight that brought vivid lightning and hail. The National Weather Service said they even detected rotation in the clouds via radar, and said had it been daylight, they would not have been surprised to hear reports of funnel clouds across the area.
SNOW / COLD -
TAJIKISTAN - an avalanche killed 18 people in their sleep when it engulfed an apartment block in the mountainous Central Asian state overnight. The Emergency Situations Ministry said it had rescued 20 out of 38 people who were caught in the avalanche, which came after a week of heavy snowfall in the Jirgital region, 250km northeast of the capital Dushanbe. Avalanches frequently kill small groups of people during the winter and spring in Tajikistan but it was the WORST DEATH TOLL FROM A SINGLE INCIDENT IN SEVERAL YEARS.
CANADA - A storm in Atlantic Canada that's expected to dump at least 50 centimetres of snow is wreaking havoc with travel, triggering power outages, and shutting schools and businesses. Nova Scotia appeared to bear the brunt of the fierce nor'easter on Wednesday, with blizzard, wind and storm-surge warnings issued for communities along the Atlantic coast and southeastern Cape Breton. Prince Edward Islanders were to receive up to 15 cm, with high wind gusts of more than 90 kilometres an hour. Together with the highest tides of the year, strong winds in the Gulf of St. Lawrence could result in some coastal erosion in the tiny province.
HEAT -
PENNSYLVANIA - Philadelphia basked in its ninth warmest January, with temperatures averaging 40.7, about eight degrees above normal. Some private forecasters see signs of winter returning to exact its price before the end of February. But the federal government and history argue otherwise. None of the other Januaries in the hot top 10 was followed by an unusually cold February. Last month's warmth was surprising, given the cold that characterized most of December. Only seven times in the 135-year record has an unusually warm January followed an abnormally cold December. Bismarck, N.D., set a January record with temperatures 17 degrees above average. Not once did the temperature there dip to 0, which "HAS NEVER HAPPENED" BEFORE IN JANUARY. The planet's average temperature remains nearly constant. So if it is unusually warm in one part of the world, it has to be unusually cold somewhere else. It has been - as nearby as Canada and as far away as New Delhi, which had its first frost in 70 years. In China, a snowstorm killed thousands of livestock. Snows of 13 feet were reported in Japan. And in Moscow, the winter has been brutal, even by Russian standards. "Moscow looks very strange these days. The sun shines brightly, and just a handful of passers-by and cars can be seen in the streets." Some forecasters say it's just a matter of time before cold air in Siberia and Canada breaks loose and ices the Northeast. That could happen within two weeks. A cold spell could last up to five weeks. All last month, mild winds from the Pacific blew across the country. Theories are that those west-to-east winds have been tied to a lull in sunspots and an equatorial wind pattern high in the atmosphere known as the quasi-biennial oscillation. The winds change direction in roughly 26-month cycles. They have been in the easterly phase, and still are. That phase, in turn, is correlated with a sudden warming of the stratosphere over the Arctic that took hold in mid-January.
Unusual Animal Behavior - updated Thursdays.
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Wednesday, February 1, 2006 -
QUAKES -
Largest quakes yesterday -
1/31 -
5.9 NORTHERN SUMATERA, INDONESIA
5.5 BORNEO
5.2 SE.OF LOYALTY ISLANDS
VOLCANOES -
ALASKA - Augustine Volcano continued to erupt Tuesday, with the volcano producing a continuous crescent-shaped plume of steam, and ash and gas speeding down the flanks of the island mount and into the sea. The volcano's constant release of gas, rock and ash, rather than a quiet buildup beneath the mountain, may be averting a more powerful eruption, said scientists. "This current material shows the vent is staying open and letting off pressure continuously."
TROPICAL STORMS -
CYCLONE BOLOETSE was 940 nmi W of Saint Pierre, Reunion.
CYCLONE JIM was 683 nmi N of Auckland, New Zealand.
JIM is now in open ocean and losing intensity after battering parts of New Caledonia and Vanuatu. But the lead forecaster at the Fiji Meteorological Service is warning mariners that there are still high seas associated with the cyclone for at least 130 to 140 nautical miles from its center. Jim is now moving southeast into the open sea between Vanuatu and Fiji and is expected to be downgraded to a tropical storm.
THUNDERSTORMS / HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING -
CANADA - Vancouver endured 29 days of rain over the 31 days in January, the MOST FOR THE MONTH SINCE WEATHER WATCHERS BEGAN KEEPING RECORDS IN 1937. The previous record was 27, and that was reached in both 1953 and 1964.
SOUTH AFRICA - A cloudburst wrecked havoc in Pretoria. The city had about 100mm of rain in an hour. Two city motorists narrowly escaped drowning on Monday night when they managed to clamber out of their car moments before it was swept away by the raging Apies River. Emergency workers on Monday night were searching for three other motorists whose vehicle was washed off a low-level bridge near Mountain View during the heavy downpour. Major disruptions had been caused to roads throughout the city, with debris blocking several major routes into and out of the city. Most of the city's low-water bridges were flooded. Some said they had never seen the Apies River in such flood before. "I have never witnessed anything as bad as this."
SOUTH AFRICA - The Pienaars River swept through shacks, taking food, school books and clothes along with it during a storm which started at about 6pm on Monday. Some said the water had just swept their food right off the table. Several hundred people, residents of Lusaka section and the neighbouring Mamelodi East extension 11A, spent Monday night on a bridge in knee-deep water with their children tied to their backs. They said it was a fearful night, standing above the ever-rising river, while streams of water gushed down the road. By noon water still flowed down Mamelodi's tarred streets.
KASHMIR - A landslide on Tuesday swept away 14 houses in Muzaffarabad, the capital of Pakistan administered Kashmir. "We left our houses immediately after we saw the heap of mud coming down on us and that saved us." The local administration evacuated another 30 houses in Sama Bandi village on fears of more mudslides in the area.
AUSTRALIA - Most of the Victoria River District of the Northern Territory was several metres underwater Tuesday morning and the weather bureau is forecasting more rain. The Territory's main road to Western Australia between Katherine and Kununurra was seven metres underwater. Highway towns Timber Creek and Victoria River are cut off. Even by wet season standards there has been a lot of rain associated with a low pressure system over the district. "Some heavy falls down there at Lajamanu had 171 millimetres to 9:00am and then since then it's had 47 millimetres - so above 200 mils there in two days. And bearing in mind their average for January is 134.2 millimetres."
PAPUA NEW GUINEA - At least 15,000 people are completely cut off from any road links to the Lae-Bulolo/Wau Highway since heavy rains and landslide buried 13 people alive. The people from 12 villages are unable to get out by road. A landslide on the night of Jan 20 washed away the road and in its place now is a 40m gorge. Heavy rains had caused floodwater to swell at the head Pindeng Creek. It then burst its banks making its way down the mountains, carrying with it huge boulders, rocks, earth and mud that buried 13 people alive at the Bapa hamlet. Four others were hospitalised and food gardens and many houses were destroyed.
BOLIVIA has declared a national emergency following flooding last week that killed five people, damaged major roads and destroyed bridges. Over 1,000 families in the southern region of Potosi have been affected, and farmers there have lost 80 percent of their crops. Almost 20,000 people across the country have been affected in what may be THE COUNTRY'S WORST RAINY SEASON IN FIVE YEARS. Heavy precipitation swelled the country's major rivers, triggering landslides and road blockages that isolated some rural communities. Valleys and traditionally dry areas have been hardest hit with THE HIGHEST RAINFALL IN BOLIVIA IN A DECADE.
FOG / CLOUDS -
Scientists have shown an unambiguous link between cosmic rays and clouds. "The odds of a cloudy day increase by around 20 per cent when the cosmic ray flux is high." When cosmic rays hit the atmosphere they produce charged particles which seem encourage the growth of cloud droplets. Compared with greenhouse gases the effect of cosmic rays on climate is small. But it could help explain some of the more mysterious changes in climate that Earth has experienced in the past.
SNOW / COLD -
AFGHANISTAN - Severe winter weather in Afghanistan has killed at least 18 people in the northeastern province of Badakhshan. "Heavy snowstorms have hit five villages in the Kuhistan-e-Ragh district of Badakhshan, killing 15 people." At least three more people are reported dead in the Ragh district of Badakhshan due to the bad weather. The death toll is expected to climb as relief teams reach the isolated province. Officials and local people are still evacuating dead bodies from under the snow. Meanwhile, a landslide triggered by heavy snow has killed at least one person in the eastern province of Noristan along with 20 domestic animals."
An avalanche struck a mountain village in Afghanistan on Tuesday killing 18 people. The avalanche also blocked roads to the devastated village in Badakhshan province near the border with China, Pakistan and Tajikistan "Apart from the 18 human lives lost, more than 1,000 animals were also killed." The avalanche followed days of heavy snow and rain, and the weather over the area is still bad.
KYRGYZSTAN - An avalanche killed four people in southern Kyrgyzstan on Saturday, while heavy snow is disrupting life in the area and causing extensive damage. "There was no warning of the disaster and actually we did not expect an avalanche in that area." The avalanche ripped through the village of Sary-Bee in the mountainous Kara-Kulja district of the southern Kyrgyz province of Osh. On Monday two more avalanches struck the Kara-Suu and Alai districts of the province, but no casualties have been reported. Avalanches could strike parts of the Bishkek-Osh road - the only route linking the north and south - the Kyrgyz Akipress news agency warned on the same day. Heavy snow, up to 1.7 metres deep in higher areas, has been disrupting life in southern Kyrgyzstan since Friday. Two months' normal precipitation hit the area in just two days. The heavy snow damaged 170 houses, 10 schools, and several government buildings and blocked several rural roads. Local residents had not seen such heavy snow since the 1980s. "Our roof has collapsed and smashed the car parked close to the house." The unusually heavy snow is also disrupting energy supply networks, with power lines buckling under the snow or unable to meet increasing energy demands. Some neighborhoods and entire villages have been without electricity under freezing temperatures for three days.
FRANCE - Three soliders out of a group of seven have been killed in an avalanche in the Hautes-Alpes. There had been up to 50cm of fresh snow in the area acompanied by strong winds.
CANADA - A stretch of the Trans-Canada Highway along the B.C.-Alberta border reopened Tuesday afternoon, nearly a day after an avalanche roared across the pavement and trapped a transport truck. A wall of snow churned down Mount Bosworth in Yoho National Park on Monday night. Many travellers were stranded for hours. Travellers in other mountainous areas of Alberta and B.C. have also been plagued by road closures due to heavy snow and the threat of avalanches. Additional road closures were expected in the B.C. Interior as forecasters predicted more snow across much of the province for the rest of the week.
MINNESOTA - people in western Minnesota have been given a rare treat few people ever see in the Upper Midwest - a snowstorm that swept in from the Dakotas a week ago caused a weather phenomenon called "snow rollers." Meteorologists say conditions have to be just right for snow rollers to form. On Jan. 23 and 24 strong winds and wet snow rolled up snow like hay bales. An inch or more of fresh, wet snow is necessary, whipped up by strong winds. That means temperatures need to be at or near freezing as well so the snow will easily stick together like snowballs. That's exactly the weather conditions that came with the storm from the Dakotas. Temperatures were just a degree below the freezing mark, and winds gusted between 25 and 40 miles per hour. Ice crystals start the ball rolling. Snow attaches to the sleet-like ice crystal and starts to roll up the fresh snow like a carpet, leaving snowballs and snow "bales" in clusters around fields and on lawns. In the city some were about eight inches wide and a good six inches high. That's not nearly as large as some of the rollers out in the country. Central Illinois recorded a good collection of rollers on Feb 11 and 12, 2004, when wild gusts of from 40 to 60 miles per hour sailed across the idle farm fields. Most were about 10 to 12 inches in diameter, but some rolled up to the size of a 30-gallon drum. The "self-rolling" snowballs occurred in Kansas in 2000. Others have recorded snow rollers in recent years in Ohio, Connecticut, New York State, Indiana, Alaska and various patches of bare land in Canada.
HEAT / WILDFIRES -
CANADA - Several islands off Nova Scotia are being inundated by thousands of pregnant seals forced to give birth on shore by unusually mild weather that has prevented the Gulf of St. Lawrence from freezing. The warm weather has persisted across the Maritimes for months, reflecting a trend that has left a string of broken weather records across the country. "From time to time we see seals coming onshore to give birth, but the ice conditions in the Gulf of St. Lawrence are EXTREMELY UNUSUAL this year. There's been no cold weather and no ice formed in the gulf." Officials say they haven't seen so many seals onshore since the early 1980s, when mild weather also hindered the formation of the floes. There have been weather anomalies across the country, with ice roads not forming in northern Saskatchewan, Winnipeg getting rain in January, ski hills being idled by a lack of snow and rain drenching Vancouver. "No question about it, this is ONE OF THE WARMEST JANUARYS ON RECORD." "When you have this incredibly anomalous weather conditions, there are winners and losers. It's unnatural in a way - nature is confused and there are probably some tragedies unfolding because of that."
TORONTO - this has been the WARMEST JANUARY in Toronto since record-keeping began in 1937.
NEW YORK - January 30th the temperature zoomed to a springlike high of 64 degrees, ECLIPSING A 59-YEAR-OLD RECORD for the day, as one of the warmest Januarys on record winds down. New Yorkers may like the wacky weather, but elsewhere in the country, the strange climate is causing serious problems. Phoenix has gone 103 consecutive days without rain, Seattle has had rain daily for weeks on end, and the South is still recovering from four deadly hurricanes. The warm stretch has local meteorologists baffled, especially after three winters of more than 40 inches of snow. "Most of the storm tracks have been staying north and most of the cold air is staying in Canada." The New York area finished the month with an average temperature of 40 degrees and change, the fourth warmest January on record.
DISASTER PREPARATIONS -
Despite the effects of Hurricane Katrina and the spate of disasters that affected the Nation in 2005, Americans - across all demographic groups - are no more prepared for a national emergency than they were in 2003. Only 17% of all Americans have both an emergency plan that includes a meeting place that has been discussed with family members and a basic emergency kit. Nearly a third of all Americans say that one reason they have not taken steps to become more prepared is because they think that, in a disaster, events will overtake any preparations they have made. "All Americans need to know how to prepare for emergencies, whether they simply disrupt everyday life, or cause catastrophic destruction. They should know what steps to take for the national welfare, as well as for their own safety and security. Most importantly, all Americans should be equally aware and equally prepared."
Crop Failures, Food Shortages, Fish Die-Off - updated Wednesdays
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Tuesday, January 31, 2006 -
QUAKES -
Largest quakes yesterday -
1/30 -
5.4 FIJI ISLANDS REGION
5.3 SOUTH OF AUSTRALIA
5.1 SOUTH OF KERMADEC ISLANDS
VOLCANOES -
ALASKA - Augustine Volcano continued to erupt almost continuously Monday with an ash cloud wafting toward the southern Kenai Peninsula and Kodiak Island. The volcano was producing continuous pyroclastic flows and ash emissions, with a larger eruption early in the morning resulting in an ash cloud reaching about 25,000 feet.
The new steady-state activity marks a shift in behavior for Southcentral Alaska's most active volcano. Augustine's January eruption started with a sequence of periodic explosions, with quiet trembling in between. "It's opened a new phase of continuous ash production, along with some explosions." A likely explanation for the new pattern is that the volcano's vent has been cleared by past explosions, allowing for the continuous ash eruption now. The continuous billowing of ash was accompanied by pyroclastic flows of gas and rock down the sides of the mountain. Scientists said it's impossible to predict precisely what the mountain will do next.
TROPICAL STORMS -
Cyclone JIM was 1106 nmi NNW of Auckland, New Zealand.
CYCLONE JIM - The category-three tropical cyclone in New Caledonia has passed through Surprise Island and is travelling south east towards the Loyalty Islands. There have been no reports of major damage. Wind gusts of up to 150 kilometres an hour are expected over the Loyalty Islands, with wave swells up to five metres in some areas. Meanwhile, widespread flooding was reported in Fiji from heavy rain generated by Cyclone Jim.
PHILIPPINES - UNUSUAL 3-day incessant rains brought by tropical storm Agaton that hit Luzon on Wednesday triggered landslides and floods in many areas in Aurora and other Luzon provinces. Low-lying villages were swamped with floodwaters, which buried communities under 10 feet of water. Rainfall in Aurora reached about 1,000 millimeter per day. Many other towns have also been submerged under floodwaters during the less strong, yet heavy, rain-spawned tropical depression. Agaton was the first tropical disturbance that hit the country this year.
Hurricanes can completely re-structure themselves inside, and that presents forecasters with great uncertainty when predicting their effects on the general population. "The temperature structure of a tropical cyclone is directly related to a storm's wind speed and rainfall, which indirectly affects the storm surge." Many tropical cyclones transform into what are called "extra-tropical storms" as they move northward out of the tropics and into the mid-latitudes. During this stage, the storm's cloud structure and high winds spread out over a wide area. As a result, the potential for heavy rainfall and large storm surge increases far from the center, potentially affecting life and property of more areas in the hurricane's path.
THUNDERSTORMS / HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING -
TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO - Rio Claro suffered severe flooding for the second time in two weeks, and the main roads are impassable. Nearby Mayaro was also severely hit. Villagers lost thousands of dollars in furniture, clothing and appliances. It was THE WORST FLOOD SINCE 1972, with water measuring five feet in some areas. Scores of farmers lost produce, totalling thousands of dollars.
NORWAY - Parts of Trøndelag in north-central Norway were being pounded by a downpour on Monday that threatened to set off the WORST FLOODING IN 50 YEARS. The Namsen River was quickly approaching flood stage on Monday. Around 40 millimeters of rain has fallen since Sunday and another 70 to 110 millimeters were expected. Roads were already flooded by midday on Monday, and rising temperatures were melting the local snow. Officials were also warning about increased danger of landslides set off by saturated hillsides.
SNOW / COLD -
EUROPE - Freezing weather continued to take its toll across Europe, with the number of dead in Poland rising to 214 since the start of winter, more than the 190 who died of cold during the entire winter last year. Temperatures fell as low as minus 35 Celsius in parts of Poland last week. While they have become milder this week, temperatures are still below freezing at night in most of the country. In Germany the toll in the cold spell gripping the country rose to 10. Even Lisbon, Spain, was hit, experiencing its FIRST HEAVY SNOWFALL IN 52 YEARS, and icy conditions forced the closure of many motorways and main roads in the north and centre of the country. In southern France conditions eased but traffic was still restricted on roads into Andorra because of avalanche fears, and some 20,000 households remained without electricity because snow had brought down power lines. In the Aude department a number of villages were threatened with a repeat of flooding which claimed 34 lives in 1999. Residents were warned to move to an upper floor of their houses or leave their homes altogether as three days of rain had swollen the Aude river to a dangerous level.
FRANCE - Multiple avalanches swept away skiers and at least one hiker in the French Alps, killing five people over the weekend. Two hikers are missing near the Mont Blanc tunnel linking France and Italy.
PORTUGAL & SPAIN - Heavy snow is blocking motorways and several major roads in Portugal and Spain. The Portuguese seaside town of Figueira da Foz saw its FIRST SNOWFALL IN 50 YEARS. Lisbon, which was under heavy rainfall since dawn, saw a hint of rare snow flurries for about 30 minutes during the afternoon. It HADN'T SNOWED INTHE CAPITAL SINCE 1954. Temperatures dipped to an unusually low minus 6C (21F) in northern districts. In Spain, the stormy weather covered much of the country, including the southern region of Andalusia, which rarely sees snow. In the southern city of Ecija, which is called the frying pan of Andalucia because summer temperatures rise above 40C (104F), locals had NOT SEEN SNOW FOR 30 YEARS.
RUSSIA - More than 300 Russian fishermen were rescued from an ice floe that broke away from the island of Sakhalin in the Russian Far East. Rescuers used boats, a hovercraft and a helicopter to take people off the ice floe that was pushed out to sea by high winds in southeast Sakhalin's Mordvinova bay.
KASHMIR - A two-year-old was killed and his cousins sustained injuries when their house in Chuniwari village of Machil sector in north Kashmir Kupwara was hit by a snow avalanche on Saturday. The avalanche, caused by the fresh snowfall in the higher reaches, destroyed the house completely.
BRITISH COLUMBIA, CANADA - In an astounding irony, a woman was swept by an avalanche on a ski trail at Blackcomb Mountain even as the resort observed Avalanche Awareness Days. The woman suffered a broken leg after being carried nearly 1,000 feet (300 meters) in what was described as a Class 1 avalanche. Class 1 avalanches are described as being minor, like sloughing of snow, and relatively harmless to humans. A Class 2 avalanche could bury or injure or person, while a Class 3 avalanche could bury a car and destroy a small building. Whistler-Blackcomb does avalanche control on more terrain than any other resort in North America.
HEAT / WILDFIRES -
The huge west Antarctic ice sheet may be starting to disintegrate according to a new report by the British Antarctica Survey. If that is the case, sea levels could go up by several metres. The government-commissioned report warns that over the next century, global warming may raise ocean levels, intensify storms, and spread disease. The report comes as most parts of Canada are experiencing ONE OF THE WARMEST WINTERS ON RECORD, with average temperatures above seasonal norms, in some cases by as much as 10 degrees.
UNITED KINGDOM - BRITAIN is facing its WORST DROUGHT FOR 75 YEARS after ONE OF THE DRIEST JANUARIES ON RECORD. Scientists say that it will be worse than the great drought of 1976. Most of England and Wales has had less than half the normal rainfall so far this month, after 15 months of meagre rains in southern and eastern regions. Several rivers are approaching their LOWEST EVER FLOWS and groundwater levels in Southeast England are so low that several boreholes are near or at THEIR LOWEST RECORDED LEVEL. In the South East, rivers in the region are running below half their normal levels for January, and reservoir levels are below 40 per cent of capacity.
NORTH DAKOTA & MINNESOTA - WARMEST JANUARY EVER RECORDED IN 115 YEARS. January will go down in the record books as the WARMEST in the Fargo-Moorhead area SINCE RECORD-KEEPING BEGAN IN 1881. The same goes for Grand Forks and Bismarck in North Dakota and St. Cloud and the Twin Cities in Minnesota. As of Monday, January’s average daily temperature in Fargo was 23.3 degrees – 16.6 degrees above the 30-year average and nearly two degrees above the record 21.8 degrees set in 1990. During the entire month of January, North Dakota’s Lisbon never saw the temperature fall below zero, and that hasn’t happened in the history of record keeping there. And yet the month was extremely cloudy.
PORTUGAL will be one of the hardest hit by global warming in Europe in coming decades. Portugal's south risks turning into a desert as temperatures rise, its coasts will erode and droughts will become more frequent. Freak weather has already hit west Europe's poorest country. Last year Portugal recorded its WORST DROUGHT SINCE 1931 while this weekend snow fell in Lisbon for the FIRST TIME IN DECADES. Last year's forest fires destroyed 325,226 hectares (803,600 acres), the SECOND WORST IN HISTORY. Rainfall could decrease between 20 and 40 percent over the next 100 years, mostly because of increased concentration of rainfall during the winter months, which could cause floods. Predictions are of an increase in storms, including the possibility of storm surges of up to one meter at some points along Portugal's coast. That could raise the rate of coastal erosion by between 15 and 25 percent by the end of the century. Apart from increased risk of forest fires, forests in dry areas such as the central Alentejo region could disappear altogether.
Drought, Heat, Water Shortages, Wildfires - updated Tuesdays
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Monday, January 30, 2006 -
QUAKES -
Largest quakes yesterday -
1/29 -
5.2 NEAR WEST COAST OF COLOMBIA
5.2 FIJI ISLANDS REGION
5.1 FIJI ISLANDS REGION
VOLCANOES -
ALASKA - Augustine Volcano remains in a state of near continuous ash emissions. An ashfall advisory has been extended until 5am today.
TROPICAL STORMS -
Cyclone JIM was 785 nmi E of Townsville, Australia.
AUSTRALIA - Queensland's first cyclone of the season has picked up speed and moved out to the Coral Sea and is starting to threaten New Caledonia. It could reach a category 3 by this morning. "It'll pose a rather large threat for New Caledonia."
THUNDERSTORMS / HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING -
NEBRASKA - Lincoln got its first dose of spring weather in the middle of winter with thunder, lighting and small hail. “I don’t recall in the last 20 years or so having any severe thunderstorms in January in Nebraska. It’s a VERY UNUSUAL EVENT.” “Usually they don’t make it this far north,” - this type of low pressure in January usually means a snowstorm. A weather pattern expected to roll in between Feb. 7 and 12 could bring snow and cold to the area.
HAWAII - A hiker in his mid-20s was killed on Maui Saturday after being trapped beneath a boulder during a landslide. The landslide sent a boulder careening downhill, trapping the man beneath it.
FOG -
AUSTRALIA - unseasonal conditions were responsible for a thick fog over Melbourne airport yesterday, with visibility down to 50m at 6am. "It's VERY UNUSUAL. In January and February there is a much lower chance of getting fog, and visibility of 50m is very low." Muggy Melbourne weather is being blamed on humid air from the northern states. "And there hasn't been a front to drive the humidity away." It has been ONE OF THE MOST HUMID JANUARYS IN 10 YEARS. The monsoonal conditions in the Northern Territory were also to blame. "It increases the moisture everywhere. There's a big low pressure system in the Northern Territory dragging the moisture through the rest of the country."
WIND -
KANSAS - An UNUSUAL TYPE OF STORM hit Kansas this weekend. A "landspout" apparently hit a car lot in Newton, and witnesses described it as a mini-tornado. It was about 50 degrees and the sun was out right before miniature funnel clouds started shattering windows on at least 100 cars and knocked over a light pole. A TV weather forecaster says the storm was essentially a waterspout that occurred over land. It was likened to "huge dust devils" that normally cause minimal damage. Landspouts are usually found near the Rocky Mountains.
SNOW / COLD -
SWEDEN - Two people have died and a third is in critical condition after a group of skiers fell through broken ice over a frozen lake near the town of Mariefred west of Swedish capital Stockholm. Police said a group of 16 skiers fell through the ice on the edge of the lake, which was being used at the time by hundreds of ice skaters and skiers.
DISASTER INSURANCE [They appear to be expecting the worst.] -
Even if city-destroying hurricanes become the Atlantic norm, thus wiping out most of the built up areas of the East Coast of the United States - and seas swollen by melting polar ice encroach on low-lying coastal regions - new financial products are being developed to ease the financial pain. The traditional reinsurance industry will not provide cover against all of the possible inundation. Understandably, they do not want to be too exposed to one particular (and enormous) event. So they are parcelling up these catastrophic risks and selling them on securities markets under the catchy brand of "catastrophe bonds" or cat bonds. And the mighty Swiss Re, the second biggest reinsurer in the world, had the foresight to sell two tranches of securities, called Vita 1 and Vita 2 and worth $762 million in total, called mortality bonds. The repayment on them is reduced in step amounts if the mortality rate rises by 25 per cent or by 50 per cent above trend - which is precisely what would happen in a lethal avian-flu pandemic.
Disease - updated Mondays
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Sunday, January 29, 2006 -
QUAKES -
Largest quakes yesterday -
1/28 -
None of 5.0 or over.
1/27 -
7.6 BANDA SEA
5.0 NEAR COAST OF PERU
VOLCANOES -
ALASKA - Augustine Volcano is erupting again after 10 days of relative calm. The first eruption in the series started Friday night and continued into Saturday and shot a cloud of ash almost six miles into the air. Several other blowups through the night rained specks of ash more than 100 miles away. The National Weather Service issued an ash advisory for Kodiak Island to the southeast and a warning for pilots in the area.
TROPICAL STORMS -
CYCLONE BOLOETSE was 404 nmi W of Saint Pierre, Reunion.
CYCLONE JIM was 454 nmi ENE of Townsville, Australia.
Cyclone Jim is taking shape in the Coral Sea off the eastern coast of Queensland and is expected to gather strength and move north-east into the Coral Sea over the next few days. The third cyclone of the season in the Pacific Islands region has clockwise winds of 74 kilometres an hour, increasing to up to 130 kilometres an hour early tomorrow with seas becoming very high. The cyclone poses no immediate threat to the coast of Queensland. On its current track it passes over the scattered reefs and islets of Australia's Coral Sea Islands Territory and could strike New Caledonia.
Last year's Atlantic season just got ANOTHER hurricane. Forecasters studying data from July's Tropical Storm Cindy found a pocket of wind hit 75 miles-per-hour, making it a hurricane. That pushes the 2005 Atlantic hurricane count to 15. Cindy hit land July fifth, causing an estimated $160 million in insured damage along the Gulf Coast.
THUNDERSTORMS / HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING -
BRAZIL - A sudden flood caused by heavy rains killed at least six people in the underground parking garage of a shopping mall in Rio de Janeiro. Officals speculated that runoff from heavy rains collapsed part of a garage wall. It also was possible that the water overloaded pipes inside the mall, causing them to burst. The flash flood swept several cars down the street and smashed them into fences. Rescue workers were searching for other victims as authorities pumped water out of the garage. It was likely that more shoppers were caught in the flood, authorities said. Heavy rains created havoc elsewhere in the Rio de Janeiro region Friday. Two hours of intense downpour on Friday night also killed at least three other people in Brazil's second-largest city. Authorities blamed the storms for the electrocution death of a man in the nearby city of Duque de Caxias, and said a girl was missing after being swept away by a flash flood. The downpour closed both of Rio's airports and two hospitals. Trains stopped running and traffic was snarled citywide. Water poured into some homes in western neighbourhoods, rising as high as two metres.
MOZAMBIQUE'S disaster contingency plans could be put to the test as continued heavy rains threaten serious flooding in the central regions of the country. The water level in Mozambique's largest river, the Zambezi, is precariously high. "We are still worried about the rest of the country because it is the rainy season and more heavy rains are forecast."
TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO - Above average rains are causing flooding. The floods have been caused by UNUSUAL weather patterns and an extension of the hurricane season. The 30-year average rainfall is 71mm. Last year there was 234mm of rainfall, which is significantly above average. On January 24th this year there was 95mm of rain in Trinidad and Tobago. In one day there was more rainfall than the 30-years average.
INDONESIA - A landslide struck Rembang district in Central Java province on Saturday, killing at least six people and damaging a number of houses. In addition, an elderly resident of Ngadem village was also found dead after being dragged by water currents at the Karanggeneng river. In related developments, floods triggered by four days of torrential rains inundated around 500 houses and thousands of hectares of rice fields in Indramayu district, West Java. The floods also inundated hundreds of hectares of fish ponds.
PHILIPPINES - A man drowned while thousands of others were evacuated as flashfloods swept through several provinces in the northern Philippines. Three people are missing. Electricity has been cut in many villages. Crops, roads and bridges have been damaged by the heavy rains, flooding and landslides. The monsoon rains are expected to continue in the coming days.
WASHINGTON - Rocks, mud and trees came crashing down between the small towns of Oso and Darrington on Wednesday in a slide so powerful it moved a river. Ten homes are in jeopardy after the massive landslide plunged into the north fork of the Stillaguamish River. The Stilliguamish suddenly came to a dead end after the massive landslide completely blocked The North Fork. Now the river is carving its own path around the landslide, into back yards and neighborhoods. The main concern is water is building up behind the slide, threatening homes up river. The Army Corp of Engineers will try to cut a channel through the debris of the landslide. If the forecasted rains arrive, county engineers say the plugged river could increase in flow by five times. The land that gave way has been a problem since the 1940's. As the river cut under it, the potential size of a landslide kept getting bigger (about 50 acres), until recent heavy rains brought it down.
SNOW / COLD -
POLAND - The snow-covered roof of a convention hall in southern Poland collapsed Saturday with as many as 500 people inside for a racing pigeon exhibition, killing at least 60 people and injuring more than 141. "People tried to break windows in order to get out. People were hitting the panes with chairs, but the windows were unbreakable. One of the panes finally broke, and they started to get out by the window." Rescue crews and search dogs worked frantically through the night in subfreezing temperatures to save those trapped inside. Witnesses said people beneath the wreckage were calling family or emergency services on their cell phones for help. "There are still a lot of people trapped in there, some half-frozen." Officials speculate that accumulated snow on the roof caused the accident. An attorney for the building management said the structure, built in 2000, could not have collapsed from the snow because excess snow was regularly cleared from the roof. "The snow was last removed two weeks ago, and since then there hasn't been much snow." On Friday, snow caused a town hall's roof to collapse in the southern Austrian town of Mariazell, though no injuries were reported. On Jan. 2, the snow-covered roof of a skating rink collapsed, killing 15 people.
SPAIN - Five women were killed in a bus crash on a snow-covered road in eastern Spain as a severe winter storm caused traffic chaos across the country.
ALASKA - If the next four days are as unrelentingly cold as the past week, January 2006 may become the THIRD COLDEST MONTH ON RECORD SINCE 1971. As of the 25th of this month, the average temperature has been 19.2 degrees below zero. With no relief in sight, January 2006 will rate at least the fifth coldest month in the past 35 years.
Huge ridges of sea ice brimmed over the Arctic Ocean and crashed onto a Barrow roadway earlier this week, threatening to cut off traffic and knock out power poles in the state's northernmost town. The two massive ice surges, known to Alaska Natives as ivus, were the city's LARGEST IN MORE THAN A QUARTER OF A CENTURY and stunned residents who had never seen large blocks of ice rammed ashore. Ivus are like frozen tsunamis and crash ashore violently. They've killed hunters in the past and are among the Arctic's most feared natural phenomena. Strong winds from Russia and eastward currents began pushing pack ice toward Barrow last Saturday. (PHOTO)
HEAT / WILDFIRES -
WISCONSIN - Appleton - Friday temperatures soared to a RECORD 51 DEGREES for Jan. 27, a full 27 degrees higher than normal. The previous record for the day was 43 degrees set in 1947. "We tied that by 8 a.m." The balmy conditions were because of weather patterns coming off the Pacific Ocean. "We normally have weather patterns from the northwest or north. The harder question is, 'Why this is happening?' and I don't have an answer. I feel comfortable saying it will go down as the WARMEST JANUARY EVER. But it's not for sure that we'll have this right on into an early spring. What worries me is the record cold in Moscow. If weather patterns shift, that cold could come over the North Pole and Arctic Circle."
Space Weather / Solar Storms / Meteors - updated Sundays.
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Friday, January 27, 2006 -
QUAKES -
Largest quakes yesterday -
1/26 -
5.4 SOUTHERN SUMATERA, INDONESIA
5.0 HALMAHERA, INDONESIA
5.2 OFF SE.CST OF HOKKAIDO,JAPAN
5.2 SOUTHEASTERN SIBERIA, RUSSIA
5.0 KERMADEC ISLANDS, NEW ZEALAND
5.3 KERMADEC ISLANDS, NEW ZEALAND
TSUNAMI -
INDIA - The Indian government is hampering efforts to understand the earthquake that caused the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, and prepare for future disasters. India's ban on foreign boats in its territorial waters for 'reasons of national security' means that research vessels are unable to survey the northern section of the 1,300-kilometre-long rupture zone created by the earthquake.
VOLCANOES -
YELLOWSTONE - WYOMING - The probability of a super eruption within the next few thousand years is exceedingly low. More likely is a large lava flow, which could occur within a human lifetime. These flows, the last of which covered 125,000 acres, take place about every 10,000 years. The character of that flow could range from the relatively slow-moving lava flows of the Hawaiian Islands to an explosive release like Mount St. Helens in Washington state. Still more common are large hydrothermal explosions, of which there have been about 10 in the last 14,000 years or once in a thousand years. Mary Bay, on the northern edge of Yellowstone, is the world’s largest hydrothermal-explosion crater. Earthquakes are constantly occurring in Yellowstone, with large quakes and resultant landslides about once a century. An average year can see 1,000 to 3,000 quakes, most too small to be felt. Most common of all, aside from minor earthquakes, are the small hydrothermal explosions. Hot rock and water find ways to interact, creating hot springs and geysers, but when the connections change thanks to quakes or the movement of rock, new features can emerge slowly or explosively. Volcanic activity deep below Yellowstone can cause the rock above to rise, fall or shift horizontally. “We got a 3.5-inch uplift within one year, but there wasn’t any seismic activity associated with it,” giving geologists yet another mystery to ponder. All the data is posted by the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory on the Internet at http://volcanoes.usgs.gov/yvo , including fascinating seismograms. “We’re hoping some brilliant 8-year-old will see a pattern and tell us.” As it is, they gets excited phone calls from scientists all over the world, because the really interesting events often happen in the middle of the night.
ALASKA - As of late Tuesday, Augustine was still listed at Code Orange. Seismicity was above background levels, but lower compared to last week. Phases of eruptions with low-level activity could continue for months. Augustine will send up plumes that drop ash in depths no more than 1/100th of an inch. “About as much as it ever puts out.” The current level of activity could have started as early as October 2004. Since then, seismicity — the number of small earthquakes on Augustine Island — has increased dramatically. Since last June, scientists have logged almost 1,300 small quakes. That increase in seismicity is what got scientists’ attention, and caused AVO to raise the level of concern to Code Yellow in late November. Other signs included steaming from fumaroles, venting of sulfur dioxide and hydrogen sulfide gas and increased heat on the volcano. The probability of a landslide from Augustine causing a tsunami is very remote.
TROPICAL STORMS -
Cyclone BOLOETSE was 275 nmi WSW of Saint Pierre, Reunion.
AUSTRALIA - A potential cyclone is brewing off the coast of North Queensland. A small low pressure system has formed near Palm Island, about 80kms north east of Townsville and, according to the Bureau of Meteorology, "This low is expected to drift north-eastwards over the next 2 to 3 days. There is a moderate potential that the low may develop into a tropical cyclone about Sunday." There have been days of torrential rain on Magnetic Island and surrounding areas. Gale force winds are expected to develop over the next few days.
THUNDERSTORMS / HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING -
SOUTH AFRICA - Hail stones as big as tennis balls wreaked havoc in the Eastern Cape town of Elliott on Wednesday afternoon "There's hardly a house, business or vehicle left with intact windows." The hail storm started at about 5pm, with very small hail stones. About half an hour later the stones became as large as tennis balls. The storm continued for a further 30 minutes. The roofs of houses and other buildings caved in under the weight of the hail, while other roofs were blown off. The power supply and telecommunications lines have been cut off in the small town. There has been extensive damage to buildings, homes and vehicles. However, there are no reports of deaths at this stage. But the farmers have been hit hard as crops have been badly damaged.
NEW JERSEY - Throughout the seasons, the borough of Glen Ridge has seen its share of strange and unpredictable weather. But the ice storm of the weekend before last marked the beginning of a strange occurrence: a spate of falling trees throughout the town. There were 12 separate instances of trees falling during the days of Jan. 14 and 18. There was a culmination of several factors which led to the falling trees in the greater area. First, the warm weather and the rain kept the ground around the healthy trees soft and spongy. Then, the strong bursts of wind just toppled the trees through brute force. “It’s just one of those weird events.” There was a similar occurrence in May 1997 in the area. “Those big trees can be like sails up in the air.” The wind’s force can hit the branches just right to send them plummeting to the ground. There was also a TRULY STRANGE ASPECT TO THE PHENOMENON. If the fallen trees are plotted on a map of the borough, they make a single straight line, with all of them falling in one direction. Officials speculated that a single hard burst, or even a recurring, drawn-out gust, could have been responsible for knocking down so many trees in a single path and direction. The effects could have been from a “microburst,” or an intensely powerful concentration of wind – not something which can be prevented or readily accounted for.
WIND -
NORTH CAROLINA - Wind gusts set new records in North Carolina early Wednesday and caused some damage to the visitor's center at Grandfather Mountain. Winds gusted to at least 200 mph early Wednesday morning at the U.S. Weather Service reporting station atop Grandfather Mountain, BREAKING THE RECORD FOR THE HIGHEST WIND EVER AT THE MOUNTAIN of 195.5 mph set on April 18, 1997. The highest wind speed ever recorded in the Eastern U.S. was 231 mph at Mount Washington, N.H. on April 12, 1934. Grandfather Mountain's summit visitors center suffered extensive damage when the wind blew out three double-strength, steel-wire-reinforced windows, ripped up floor tiles, blew open a locked door; tore a wooden mantel off a wall and upended a 300-pound boulder that was cemented into the parking area. Metal frames from two of the windows were also ripped from the wall and found more than 200 yards away.
BERMUDA - “The Bermuda Weather Service has advised that there will be intermittent heavy rain, high winds and low temperatures from now until the end of the week. In some cases, winds may reach gusts of 50 miles per hour, particularly during thunder showers.” Gusts of storm force are expected to persist until Saturday. “A secondary trough will bring a deeper low pressure and conditions will be very unstable.” Harbour Radio warned mariners last night to watch out for extremely high seas. Yesterday, seas inside the reef were expected to increase to seven to ten feet and 15 to 20 feet outside the reef – increasing to 25 feet today.
SNOW / COLD -
EUROPE - Bitterly cold weather affecting much of Central and Eastern Europe has claimed the lives at least 60 more people. Hundreds have died in Ukraine, Poland and several other countries during a week of record sub-zero temperatures. Georgia's president said his country had effectively run out of fuel. "We have RECORD FREEZING TEMPERATURES. We have NEVER HAD SUCH COLD AT LEAST FOR THE LAST 30 YEARS and exactly at this moment the country is without heating and without electricity, without lights." There were reports of cold-weather deaths as far south as Italy.
PENNSYLVANIA - was hit by a very common storm - for July. An intense line of storms swept across southcentral Pennsylvania Tuesday night, dumping up to an inch or 2 of snow in about 15 minutes, then quickly moving on. They've seen lightning in January a few times before, but never with such intense snow. Lightning and thunder are caused by a massive uplift of air into the atmosphere, which happens much more frequently when the air is warm. However, the difference between the cold blast of air from Canada and the above-average temperatures in the area Tuesday night was enough of a contrast. The result was a storm with July-like speed and moisture, minus about 60 degrees. Weather patterns are the reason for the FREAK STORM, bringing constant storms from the Pacific Ocean that keep pushing cold air north. Parts of Europe and Asia are having some of the coldest January days on record. "There's cold air floating around the northern hemisphere. It just hasn't crossed to our side of the pole."
ARIZONA - Freezing rain - a result of cold surface temperatures combined with moisture - is a RARE PHENOMENON in northern Arizona, but it showed its devastating effects Wednesday in the area from east of Winslow to south of Holbrook. The freezing rain hit Winslow without warning Wednesday morning, causing the death of three people. There were two other fatalities on Highway 61 where a car slipped off the road. The 41/2 hours of freezing rain were enough to spark chaos on I-40, which was closed briefly several times during the day because of the accidents. "The rain came down all the sudden and people were sliding off the road everywhere."
HEAT / WILDFIRES -
SOUTH AFRICA - An elderly woman has been killed in South Africa in a bush fire raging out of control on Cape Town's landmark Table Mountain. The flames are being fanned by strong winds. Thick smoke has engulfed the centre of the city as the fire spreads rapidly across the lower slopes. Firefighters are struggling to contain the blaze and a number of hikers are trapped on nearby Signal Hill. Helicopters dropping water are hampered by the winds and poor visibility. People living nearby have been fleeing their homes as the flames advance. This is the latest in a series of bush fires caused by dry conditions in the Cape Town area in recent weeks. More photos.
AUSTRALIA - Lightning strikes are blamed for two spot fires burning alongside the massive Grampians bushfire, which has now claimed more than 125,000 hectares in Victoria's west. The blaze continues to burn out of control despite intense efforts. "Thunderstorms in the area have made weather conditions unpredictable as well as increasing the likelihood of new fires through lightning strikes." The perimeter of the fire spans 350km, and has claimed 24 homes while 67 farms have lost stock including more than 60,000 sheep and 500 cattle. Meanwhile, in Victoria's east, the Erica-Moondarra fire is also entering into an unpredictable phase. "If thunderstorms develop then erratic wind behaviour is also likely." The fire has blacked out more than 14,500 hectares of bushland and it continues to threaten eight communities.
CANADA - BRITISH COLUMBIA - Wednesday's temperature has set a RECORD HIGH, climbing to 8 degrees Celsius. That breaks the record of 6.9 degrees set 13 years ago in 1996. The record low for January 25th in Prince George was -45.6 degrees Celsius, recorded back in 1950.
ALBERTA was Canada's hot spot for Jan. 25. The thermometer climbed past the forecast temperature to BREAK THE 1938 RECORD HIGH of 7.7 degrees C.
Unusually High Tides / Freak Waves - updated Fridays.
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Thursday, January 26, 2006 -
QUAKES -
Largest quakes yesterday -
1/25 -
5.2 TONGA ISLANDS REGION
5.1 LUZON, PHILIPPINE ISLANDS
5.3 VANUATU ISLANDS
ARKANSAS - Stresses in the New Madrid Seismic Zone may or may not be building. Recent research showing a build-up of strain in the New Madrid Seismic Zone is inconclusive because the tension can't be seen well enough to determine any earthquake hazard. "There may be some deformation going on in the New Madrid Seismic Zone, but if there is, it's close to or below the level of detectability." Earthquakes in the New Madrid Zone occur differently than those along other fault lines. "This whole thing is a big enigma. As far as we know, the reason we get earthquakes is because of applied stress related to the motion of plates." But that reason doesn't apply along the New Madrid Fault. No theory has fully explained why large earthquakes may have occurred there, either. Additionally, the Mississippi River basin complicates earthquake study because shifting sand and mud make it difficult to isolate movements.
TROPICAL STORMS -
Cyclone BOLOETSE was 291 nmi W of Saint Pierre, Reunion and 392 nmi WSW of Port Louis, Mauritius.
THUNDERSTORMS / HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING -
JAVA, INDONESIA - Flash floods and mudslides triggered by incessant rains have destroyed three bridges and hundreds of houses in Jombang district, East Java Province. A number of villages in three sub-districts, namely Tebel, Bareng and Wonosalam, in Jombang district, were badly hit by the floods and mudslides on Tuesday evening. Hectares of rice fields were also damaged by the floods, which claimed no lives so far. Hundreds of residents in the affected villages have moved to safer areas. "There were heavy rains in Wonosalam area on Tuesday afternoon and the floods came so fast and so sudden that local residents did not have a chance to save their belongings." The Indonesian Meteorology and Geophysics Agency has warned that adverse weather conditions in January and February this year would likely trigger floods and landslides in many parts of Java Island. In the current rainy season, rainfalls in many parts of Java have exceeded a normal level of 300 to 400 millimeters per month. Floods and landslides hit Jember district, East Java, recently, killing around 80 people.
NIGERIA - The people of Agwagune in Biase council area of Cross River have resolved to relocate after being hit by three devastating landslides since 1970. The latest hit the area on January 6th, burying 11 homes. The people had “agreed to disregard their sentimental attachment and ancestral affinity to move to a new resettlement area. The reality of the predictions by the Nigerian Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies that before 15 years the whole area will be washed off, is now unfolding.”
SNOW / COLD -
EUROPE - Freezing weather has killed scores more people in eastern Europe and snowstorms have forced the closure of the Acropolis in Athens and blanketed parts of Sicily as the bitterly cold air pushed south. The bitter cold has now spread to the far south of Europe, regions which normally enjoy milder winters. In Greece, more than 400 villages and towns were cut off after 36 hours of continuous snowfall and hundreds of snow-clearing vehicles struggled to keep main routes open. Ports across the country stayed shut as icy gale-force winds swept across the Aegean sea, dropping a carpet of snow over the islands. Italy is also suffering from the cold snap, with the thermometer falling to -35 C in mountains in the north-east. At the other end of the country, heavy snow swept parts of the Mediterranean island of Sicily on Wednesday morning.
ALASKA - Ocean currents pushed "mammoth" chunks of sea ice ashore in Barrow early Tuesday, creating a wall of ice 20 to 40 feet high in some places for miles along the coast. While no structures or utilities were damaged, the phenomenon - called "ivu" in the Inupiaq language - caught residents and Barrow officials by surprise after ice began rolling ashore around 5:30 a.m. The ice simply tore through 6- to 8-foot-tall gravel berms meant to protect Stevenson Street, which was blocked in two places. "It went right over those easy. It just knocked them all down. The berms became just like a ramp for the ice and it went over the road. And the road is about 150 feet, 250 feet from the sea. It's quite a ways." The ivu is the first since 1978 when ice pushed more than 450 feet inland. Ivus happen every 30 to 40 years. There was another in 1976 and elders remember more in the 1950s. Much of the ice pushed ashore was first- or second-year ice - 3 feet thick at most. "As soon as (young ice) hits land, it breaks into small pieces. If it was 8- to 12-foot thick like we used to have before global warming, it would have been a problem." The winds at Barrow have died down, but they continue to blow from the west. That's an ODD PATTERN that's lasted for about 10 days now. Usually, the wind comes from the east with very temporary shifts from the west. That isn't the only STRANGE SHIFT in the weather pattern. Satellite images show that multiyear ice has been spotted south of Point Hope for the FIRST TIME SINCE 1981. A persistent north wind has helped push that ice south from the Chukchi Sea, through the Bering Strait and into the Bering Sea for the last 45 days or two months. "Something interesting is going on with the winds or currents or both."
AUSTRIA - A ski instructor was buried in an avalanche while trying to demonstrate the risks of skiing off-piste in Austria. Avalanche warnings and poor visibility led him to take his ski group in Vorarlberg to the edge of the slope to explain the dangers of crossing into the off-piste area. "Suddenly there was a loud rumbling and he disappeared in a cloud of snow." He was picked up by the avalanche and dumped into a 200-foot deep ravine before being buried under 60 feet of snow. His students called the mountain rescue team who were able to dig the ski teacher out in time. He is now being treated for shock and hypothermia.
CZECH REPUBLIC - An avalanche slipped down the slope of Smrk, the second highest summit of the Beskydy mountains, before 11:00 a.m. yesterday killing a skier. The victim, along with his friend, was going down a slope where skiing is banned.
YO-YO WEATHER -
VIRGINIA - February looks to be a month when wintry cold finally re-enters the battle against the mild Pacific-driven weather they've had all of January. Deep arctic chill continues to bank from Siberia into Alaska and the Northwest Territories of Canada, seemingly waiting for an opportunity to pour down. Meanwhile, there are increasing indications that high pressure in the north Atlantic near Greenland may start blocking the jet stream, forcing it farther south over the United States. However, there are no signs that the strong Pacific jet that has been roaring from the west will slow down. So this could lead to an epic battle between mild and cold in February, with considerable turbulence and variability. The opportunity will be there both for big storms - rain, snow or ice - and sharp shifts between warm and cold. Either the mild or the cold will probably win out by the end of the month, meaning either an early spring or a cold March.
MASSACHUSETTS - the winter of 2006 has already been a season of extremes. After getting off to a frigid start in December - which featured earlier than expected snowfalls, the January thaw has stretched out for nearly the entire month with several days soaring into the upper 50s. But while the majority of the month has been mild, it’s featured some wild weather as well, including last week’s rain storm which packed damaging, gusty winds followed by this week’s snow and rain event.
Previous Disasters - On this day -
1/26 -
In 1531 - a quake of unmeasured intensity struck Lisbon, Portugal. 30,000 deaths.
In 1700 - a 9+ quake struck the Cascadia Subduction Zone (North American West Coast) This earthquake, the largest known to have occurred in the "lower 48" United States, created a tsunami that destroyed Japanese coastal villages.
In 1985 - a 6.0 quake struck Mendoza Province, Argentina. Six people killed.
In 1987 - a 4.9 quake struck Algeria. One person killed.
In 1993 - a 5.6 quake struck Yunnan, China 5.6. At least 66 people injured.
In 2001 - a 7.7 quake struck India. At least 20,005 people killed.
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Wednesday, January 25, 2006 -
QUAKES -
Largest quakes yesterday -
1/24 -
5.0 SOUTH OF FIJI ISLANDS
5.4 SOUTH OF MARIANA ISLANDS
5.5 PACIFIC-ANTARCTIC RIDGE
5.4 NEAR WEST COAST OF COLOMBIA
5.2 VOLCANO ISLANDS, JAPAN, REGION
VOLCANOES -
WASHINGTON - With snow and fog obscuring the crater at Mt. St. Helens for more than a month and keeping researchers away, U.S. Geological Survey scientists can't see what's happening up there firsthand. GPS receivers are moving apart at about one centimeter per day and probably are being shouldered aside by extruding lava. Tiltmeters - so named because they measure changes in incline or tilt - are tipping very slowly, giving more signs that the lava is still coming out and deforming the inside of St. Helens' crater. As lava oozes into Mount St. Helens' crater, it's squeezing past underground clogs in the volcano's pipes, causing earthquakes every few minutes. Seismometers there record small earthquakes once every two to five minutes. Based on all these measurements, scientists believe the eruption has continued pretty much unchanged while the volcano is shrouded in clouds and snow.
HAWAII - Geologists at Hawaiian Volcano Observatory say the Big Island volcano Kilauea has the potential to be more explosive than previously thought. Experts have believed the volcano to be generally peaceful, even when it erupts. But they say Kilauea appears to have explosive eruptions about as often as Washington state's Mount Saint Helens - even though Kilauea's blasts are generally smaller.
ICELAND - Katla, one of Iceland's most notorious volcanoes, has erupted five times since 1721, at intervals ranging from 34 to 78 years. The last one was in 1918, so an eruption may be overdue. Katla has been showing signs of unrest over the last few years. Katla is situated precariously behind the village of Vik, roughly 16 miles away. In the last few years, the volcano grew more seismically active, began inflating in the magma chamber and showed increased geothermal activity. At the end of 2004, it became quieter again.
TROPICAL STORMS -
The passing of hurricanes cools the entire Gulf of Mexico - It is well known that a warm ocean favors the development of hurricanes. Less well known is the fact that the passage of a hurricane over the ocean can cause the upper ocean to cool substantially, which can influence subsequent hurricane development. In late summer 2005, the extremely warm sea surface temperatures in the Gulf of Mexico fueled two powerful Hurricanes: Katrina and Rita. Each of these storms cooled water temperatures more than 4 degrees Celsius in places along their paths, and cooled the entire Gulf by about 1 degree. The Gulf was so warm, however, that water temperatures quickly rebounded, and remained high enough to support hurricanes until well into the middle of October.
THUNDERSTORMS / HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING -
BELIZE - between nine Sunday night and nine Monday morning, much of the country was trapped in a deluge of water. Rainfall gauges on the Hummingbird Highway recorded 5.17 inches, while Belize City was flooded by some 3.8 inches. The trough crossing the country is VERY UNUSUAL for this time of year as the system travelled east to west rather than north to south. A tropical disturbance formed in the western Caribbean late Sunday and moved ashore over Belize Monday. Although there were earlier concerns about the intense system, it did not become a tropical depression. The disturbance developed in an area of low wind shear (5-10 knots) caused by a temporary split in the flow of upper-level winds over the Caribbean. This split was closing up again on Tuesday, and shear values were quickly rising to the very high values weather experts are used to seeing in the tropics during winter. Heavy rains of 4-8 inches and more flooding were expected in Belize on Tuesday in association with the intense thunderstorms of the disturbance. Computer forecast models were also predicting that wind shear will remain high over the tropics the remainder of January, and no further tropical disturbances are expected this month.
PAPUA NEW GUINEA - Thirteen people were reported killed after a landslide provoked by torrential rains wiped out a remote village in Papua New Guinea's highlands province of Morobe. Mud, gravel and boulders crashed down steep slopes into the village of Bapa late on Friday night after a rain-swollen creek burst its banks. More than a dozen homes were swept away by the torrent. Roads into the area were also blocked by landslides.
NEW ZEALAND - On Tuesday the Bay of Plenty, Coromandel and Auckland areas were whipped by gusty winds and heavy rain that pulled trees and power lines down and caused surface flooding. In the Coromandel near Thames 260 millimetres of rain was recorded in just 14 hours, but winds gusting over 100 kilometres an hour caused the most damage. The unseasonal weather also caused chaos on the roads with dozens of crashes reported on Auckland roads. High humidity is expected to linger in the north for the next few days, so that further bursts of locally heavy rain are likely over the northern and eastern parts of the North Island later this week.
FOG -
LOUISIANA - Dense fog blanketed the Ark-La-Tex yesterday morning, making driving hazardous and forcing flight delays at Shreveport Regional Airport. Outbound flights were delayed indefinitely. Visibility at the airport is 1/16 of a mile, according to The National Weather Service. At 7 a.m. officials reported zero visibility. Fog is UNUSUAL in January. “It’s UNUSUAL to reach zero, quite uncommon. But we obviously received rain over the weekend, and the winds are calm, which allowed the fog to develop overnight and into the early morning.”
WIND -
Atlantic Rowing Race - The boat 'Spirit of Cornwall' capsized Monday, but crew members were rescued safe and sound from their lifecraft. The Cornish crew are reported to be uninjured, but devastated to have had their race taken away from them only 180 miles from the finish. This now makes a total of 10 capsizes, with only 3 self-righting – almost half the fleet. NEVER BEFORE HAS THIS BEEN known in previous editions of the race, but NEVER BEFORE HAS THE RACE SEEN SUCH UNUSUAL WEATHER. Were they lucky in past races, or is this race the freak exception? Rescue teams have done impressive round-the-clock work to get to all the teams on to dry land and so far, have been lucky not to find any seriously injured crews. Over the weekend the fleet has been fighting in 30 knots of wind and yet again, unable to actually row. “It is crazy how little we are now rowing in this race, we just can’t in this weather. Anything over 25 knots is unrowable. The waves are still huge, the winds still fast and apparently are stronger than normal trade conditions...The weather has gone mental, we’ve had 25-30 knots for a while now and it is difficult...We are still getting waves thrown over the boat."
SNOW / COLD -
EUROPE'S relentless deep freeze, with sub-zero temperatures as far south as Sicily, claimed several dozen more victims yesterday, while closing schools and disrupting air, road and sea traffic. Temperatures as low as -36C crippled power grids, burst frozen water pipes and caused thousands of road accidents in a swath of eastern Europe from the Baltic states in the north to Turkey, Greece and Italy. In Greece rescuers struggled to save the 16-man crew of a cargo ship stranded in heavy seas in the Aegean Sea. The Arctic weather conditions are expected to affect much of central Europe at least for the rest of this week.
RUSSIA - Rescuers on Kamchatka have finally reached a convoy of trucks, which was stranded by a blizzard near Gorely Volcano, 70 kilometers from the region’s capital, Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, on Jan. 19. All 18 people are safe and well, although they have spent four days without food. Rescuers had been trying to reach the convoy for two days, spending one of the nights in a snow cave, where their satellite phone did not work, sparking fears that even the rescue team might need help. Helicopters could not be used in the rescue operation because of a severe snowstorm and high winds.
HAWAII - Officials closed the summit of Hawaii's Mauna Kea volcano to the public after a snowstorm shut down access for the first time this winter season. The RARE event caused concern and surprise. Clouds blanketed Hawaii's tallest peak this weekend. A blanket of snow forced everyone to evacuate, including park rangers. The heavy snowfall was a RARE sight, even for those who are up there almost every day. "The snow began to accumulate very quickly and we had to evacuate to prevent being trapped on the summit." Bad weather was expected for the rest of the week.
ARGENTINA - an Australian man was 'blown off' a volcano. An Australian man who disappeared while climbing a snow-covered volcano in Argentina ten days ago probably died the first day on the mountain. "It looks like he was blown off the mountain on the first day and died." After reaching the 2,500 metre mark on the 11th, two hikers are believed to have encountered snow, fog and strong winds. One fell down a crevasse after losing his footing and was rescued the next day. The other's body was eventually found close to the track he was hiking on.
YO-YO WEATHER -
INDIA - north-westerlies swept across northern India, making the days nippy and the nights decidedly chilly again. The minimum temperature recorded on Monday was 4.8 degrees Celsius (three degrees below normal) and the maximum temperature 19.5 degrees Celsius. The cold wave will persist for at least another two days. "Because of dry north-westerly winds over the plains of northwest India, temperatures have dropped across north India." With temperatures fluctuating like a yo-yo throughout January, many scientists feel global warming may be causing this UNUSUAL weather pattern. Mercury had dropped to 0.2 degrees Celsius on January 8 — the second lowest in Delhi's history — before rising to an usually high minimum of 14.4 degrees Celsius on January 18.
HEAT / WILDFIRES -
AUSTRALIA - Firefighters are trying to secure several Victorian towns from raging bushfires before extreme weather grips the state again later this week. North-westerly winds are expected today with temperatures reaching 40C by Thursday. "We're very worried about it when the wind comes in from the north on Thursday, we're worried about the [water] catchments. If the Melbourne catchments burn, Melbourne will have a water shortage problem." Mud and silt left by a fire would clog water filtration systems.
Previous Disasters - On this day -
In 1348 - an earthquake struck Austria, 5,000 deaths.
In 1939 - an 8.3 earthquake struck Chillan, Chile. 28,000 deaths.
In 1975 - a 7.0 and a 7.5 quake struck Taiwan.
In 1999 - a 6.4 quake struck Colombia 6.4. At least 1,185 people killed, 250,000 homeless.
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Tuesday, January 24, 2006 -
QUAKES -
Largest quakes yesterday -
1/23 -
6.2 NEAR WEST COAST OF COLOMBIA
5.2 MINDANAO, PHILIPPINE ISLANDS
5.1 SOUTH SANDWICH ISLANDS REGION
5.5 SOUTH OF FIJI ISLANDS
6.2 VANUATU ISLANDS
5.1 TAIWAN REGION
THUNDERSTORMS / HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING -
MOZAMBIQUE - The flood on the Zambezi river in central Mozambique worsened over the weekend, and the authorities have continued to urge people living in flood-prone areas to move to higher ground. At Caia, on the lower Zambezi, the height of the river on Sunday reached 5.76 metres, which is 76 centimetres above flood alert level. The flood has swallowed the small islands of Nhanhe and Ruzenda. 36 families living on Nhanhe voluntarily evacuated before they were overwhelmed. Parts of Caia town are now under water as is the administrative post of Murassa. Further downstream the authorities' main concern at the moment is with the island of Salia, where 2,000 people live. The Zambezi flood is being fed by increased discharges from the Cahora Bassa dam, and by water pouring down the main tributaries from neighbouring countries. Heavy rains in Zimbabwe have swollen one of those tributaries, the Luenha, which was measured at a peak of 10.9 metres on Thursday. Meanwhile several of the poor neighbourhoods in Beira awoke to flooding on Saturday. Persistent overnight rain inundated whole areas of the city. People driven from their homes took refuge in schools. A nine month old child who had been sleeping with her mother on top of a table was reported drowned when she fell into the waters that had invaded the house.
INDONESIA - Landslides triggered by heavy rains have killed at least nine people at three locations in Indonesia, including the tourist islands of Bali and Lombok. "From east Lombok we have reports of two deaths, five missing and more than 2,300 people forced to seek refuge. From north Bali, a mother and her child died when landslides hit a village." Another landslide hit a remote area on Flores island on Sunday with reports that five people were killed there. Heavy rains have pounded large swathes of Indonesia in recent days.
SNOW / COLD -
EUROPE - The cold weather is still persisting and a hail storm hit various areas of Malta last evening. It has been reported by the Meteorological Office that the cold weather will continue over the next week whilst more hail storms are to be expected. Other European countries are also suffering the excessive cold. Ukraine reported 45 dead due to the cold temperatures that reached -38 degrees Celsius. In Romania six were reported dead as the temperature reached -25 degrees. In Germany six lost their lives with temperatures ranging from -33 degrees to -20 degrees Celsius. Other countries including Finland, Latvia, Sweden, Estonia and Poland reported deaths due to the cold weather. According to the Meteorological Office, a depression over the East and central Mediterranean will be almost stationary over the next couple of days as an anticyclone persists over the Balkans. The rest of the week is expected to have temperatures ranging between highs of 11 degrees Celsius and lows of six degrees Celsius.
GREECE - The cold front of weather from Siberia is expected to send temperatures in Athens as well as other parts of Greece plummeting. The cold is expected to hit Greece in a milder form. Nevertheless, the temperature began dropping from Sunday and reached -6 degrees Celsius in the northern city of Florina. Weathermen have forecast that it would snow in most parts of Greece over the next two days, including Attica, accompanied by gale force winds. Police cars will patrol national roads 24 hours a day and 13 stations have been set up along the Athens-Thessaloniki highway, from which assistance can be dispatched.
FOG -
UNITED KINGDOM - Two flights had to be re-routed and hundreds of passengers on other flights were delayed as heavy fog disrupted Liverpool John Lennon airport. Forecasters said more fog was likely to descend on the city in the early part this week. Fog is "QUITE RARE" at Liverpool, because it lies on the coast.
HEAT / WILDFIRES -
INDIANA - Although the unusually warm weather has been pleasant this winter, the reason for its cause is unknown to most scientists. Despite the weather's unusual and unpredictable patterns, a graduate teaching assistant for the Indiana State University's science department, has a theory on why this strange weather has been occurring. "Since around Dec. 20, we've had an atypical wind pattern. Most of the time, the wind comes from the northwest in Canada. Now the wind is coming from the Southwest, causing a big difference in temperature." The wind patterns are unique this season. "We sit at the bottom of a trough in the atmosphere. Pressure goes south, and cold air is pulled down with it. "Waves from the atmosphere bring cold weather down to the trough, but this year waves have flattened, flowing parallel to lines of latitude. Therefore, no cold air was pulled down, keeping the air about 10-15 degrees above average." Although scientists know HOW the wind patterns are affecting the weather, there are many theories on WHY it is being affected. "The Pacific Ocean could be influencing wave patterns through persistent high pressure which alters waves in the upper atmosphere affecting the whole world's weather." The whole world is affected by the same weather causing different effects in many parts of the world, despite the connection. Although the weather has been almost spring-like this month, it may not last much longer. "The rest of January's weather won't change. It will stay 10-15 degrees above average. However, February is unpredictable." Despite the constantly changing weather patterns, spring may have a clear outlook. "Just because you have an abnormal season, doesn't mean it will affect other seasons." According to the National Weather Service, the spring and summer forecasts have an equal chance, meaning the weather could be equally above or below average temperatures. [SITE NOTE: The Southwest Wind has historically been known as the 'Plague Wind'. Pazuzu, the demon of the southwest wind is also the Sumero-Assyrian Demon of epidemics.]
Previous Disasters - On this day -
1/24 -
In 1948 - an 8.2 quake struck the Philippine Islands, 72 killed.
Drought, Heat, Water Shortages, Wildfires - updated Tuesdays
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Monday, January 23, 2006 -
QUAKES -
Largest quakes yesterday -
1/22 -
5.3 SE.OF LOYALTY ISLANDS
5.3 TAIWAN REGION
TENNESSEE - Today is the 194th anniversary of a disaster so large in scope that, if repeated, could make the effects of Hurricane Katrina pale in comparison. It was Jan. 23, 1812, when the second of three gigantic earthquakes changed the face of the Mississippi River Valley. Nearly 200 years later, with thousands more people and buildings in the region, a similar quake would send casualty numbers soaring and leave thousands homeless. "Based on history, we better be paying attention, because there is pressure on the plates now. Look at all the events that are happening around the world. Sooner or later, it's going to come our time."
TROPICAL STORMS -
Cyclone DARYL was 511 nmi WSW of Broome, Australia.
AUSTRALIA - the North-west has had a 'lucky escape' as cyclone Daryl weakens as it moves down the Western Australian coast.
THUNDERSTORMS / HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING -
CONNECTICUTT - The back-to-back storms that last week levied hurricane-like DAMAGE NOT SEEN HERE IN TWO DECADES may cost town taxpayers as much as $1 million. Described by utility officials and a weatherman as an anomaly, the pair of expensive storms that hit late last Saturday night and then again Wednesday morning were compared to Hurricane Gloria, which in 1985 crippled parts of the town and left some residents without power for a week and longer. Part of what was unexpected about the two back-to-back storms are that they are part of an overall stretch of unpredictable weather that began with a stretch of snow storms followed by unseasonably warm temperatures. "For us to see this kind of wind is VERY UNUSUAL." A polar jet stream retreated farther up north than typical, allowing a subtropical jet stream to easily sweep warm air through the area, which mixed with cold air. "That's why we're seeing such volatile weather. I was very surprised. You had one storm and then you had another storm right behind it. That's VERY ODD to see in our area." While the area has seen unusually warm temperatures, they expects pent up cold air from Greenland and Iceland to blast through the Northeast in the coming month, bringing with it plenty of snow and potentially more outages. "We're definitely going to see a rough February, there's no doubt about it."
SNOW / COLD -
EUROPE - At least 16 more people died from the cold as an Arctic freeze continued to chill central and eastern Europe overnight, claiming victims from Turkey to Lithuania. In Estonia, where temperatures fell to -26C in the south-eastern part of the Baltic nation, several fires were caused by overheating, killing two people. Two more people died from cold in Lithuania over the weekend, bringing the total to eight. Three elderly people also died in Ukraine, raising the total to 21 deaths since temperatures dropped at the start of last week. Meanwhile, five deaths from hypothermia were reported in neighbouring Poland where rail and road traffic was seriously disrupted. In Turkey, a man died of exposure after walking in snow-covered mountains in the north of the country. Moscow's death toll due to Siberian temperatures jumped to at least 79 after three more people froze to death overnight. In addition to the dead, 20 people were taken to hospital with hypothermia. Temperatures in the Russian capital eased slightly to about -18C after reaching as low as -23C overnight. As the mercury dropped to record lows, cash machines have frozen solid and trolleybus cables have snapped.
RECORD COLD, with growing pressure on energy supplies, and power shortages as Russia cuts deliveries to fight the freeze at home. In Latvia, temperatures of -27C were recorded, the LOWEST IN 100 YEARS. In Russia, the weather is the COLDEST TO AFFECT THE COUNTRY IN MORE THAN 25 YEARS.
Frigid temps have created a Dutch ozone hole. Frigid temperatures in Europe and very cold air in the stratosphere have created a mini hole in the ozone layer above the Netherlands. The Dutch National Weather service says the hole will last a few days, and that it is a different phenomenon than the large hole over Antarctica, which lasts several months. A weather balloon reported a NEW RECORD LOW ABOVE THE NETHERLANDS of -86.8 Celsius. The extreme cold affects the chemical balance of the air currents. If low-lying clouds allow, Polar Stratospheric Clouds will be visible - a RARE sight in the Netherlands.
After days of heavy snow and freezing winds, weather across Northern Europe began returning to normal on Sunday, although more winter storms were forecast to blow through in the week to come. The heavy snow, followed by warmer weather and possibly rain was also expected to increase the danger of avalanches in the mountains. In Norway some 700 buildings were damaged by the recent storms as strong winds ripped off roofs and smashed entire buildings. In Sweden, where at least 500 car accidents were reported due to difficult driving conditions in recent days, a number of roads remained closed in the north because of snow and avalanches. Driving was especially difficult in central-eastern Sweden, which was covered in more than one meter (3.3 feet) of snow in less than 24 hours, and where snow drifts in some places towered as high as three meters on Saturday.
BOSNIA - An avalanche has killed a Lithuanian businessman snow-boarding in an area closed for skiers at Mount Jahorina near the Bosnian capital Sarajevo.
JAPAN - A rare snowfall in Tokyo left nearly 10,000 passengers stranded overnight at Narita airport after about 50 international flights were cancelled. The season's first snowfall in the greater Tokyo region measured 9cm in the center of the capital yesterday, the HEAVIEST ACCUMULATION IN EIGHT YEARS.
ALASKA - Extreme cold delayed the start of the Kuskokwim 300 Sled Dog Race until Sunday. Twenty-seven mushers and their dog teams were set to start Friday, but officials decided to hold off until Sunday at the earliest, citing dismal weather conditions. The delay is only the second time in the past 18 years that the race has been stalled by cold. Wind chills plunged temperatures to about 50 below zero on Friday and 45 below zero on Saturday. The dogs running today tend to be leaner and with thinner coats than they had 15 years ago, an adaptation that improves their performance in the warmer winters that have become the norm in Alaska. Thinner coats, however, mean mushers must be prepared to protect the animals with dog coats and blankets. In extremely cold winds there are concerns about dogs freezing their bellies and flanks.
HEAT / WILDFIRES -
AUSTRALIA - Firefighters are battling bushfires across four states this morning, with at least seven homes lost in Victoria as flames razed thousands of hectares in 40C conditions over the weekend. Police have found two bodies in a burnt-out area of the Grampians. A wind drop and cooler temperatures will aid firefighting efforts today.
MORE than 4,000 homes across South Australia were without power yesterday as the state's electricity supply struggles to cope with soaring temperatures.
EXTREME WEATHER is playing havoc with sporting events around Australia. Horse races in Victoria were cancelled following a RECORD HEATWAVE – and the Gold Coast races were called off because it was too wet. Play was also suspended on the outer courts of the Australian Open. Adelaide races were cancelled as the city endured a HEATWAVE NOT EXPERIENCED IN ALMOST 100 YEARS. The city has recorded four continuous days of temperatures over 40. A similar phenomenon was last experienced in 1908.
MINNESOTA - “It’s been 18 to 20 degrees above average for much of Minnesota.” It has been MINNESOTA'S WARMEST JANUARY SINCE 1944. “This feels like a Kansas January. It’s UTTERLY BIZARRE.” “It’s crazy; there just hasn’t been any precipitation.” Last January, Winona received 12 inches of snow compared with the 0.1 inch received so far this month. The weather is more like what one would expect during late March or early April.
Previous Disasters - On this day -
1/23 -
In 1556 - a quake struck Shansi, China. It caused the worst quake death toll in history: 830,000.
In 1812 - a 7.6 quake struck the New Madrid Area, U.S.
In 1855 - an 8.2 quake struck Wellington, New Zealand.
In 1909 - a 7.3 quake struck Iran, 5500 dead.
In 1966 - a 5.1 quake struck near Dulce, New Mexico.
In 1981 - a 6.8 quake struck Sichuan Province, China. One hundred fifty people killed.
Disease - updated Mondays
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Sunday, January 22, 2006 -
QUAKES -
Largest quakes yesterday -
1/21 -
5.9 ANDAMAN ISLANDS,INDIA, REG
5.2 EASTERN NEW GUINEA
5.3 FLORES, INDONESIA, REGION
5.6 VANUATU ISLANDS
1/20 -
5.1 JAWA, INDONESIA
5.1 MINAHASSA PENINSULA, SULAWESI
5.4 SE.OF LOYALTY ISLANDS
5.6 NORTHERN MID-ATLANTIC RIDGE
5.8 XIZANG
TSUNAMI -
JAPAN - A major quake striking northeastern Japan could set off a 22-meter tsunami, kill nearly 3,000 people, destroy nearly 9,400 buildings and cause more than a trillion yen in damage, according to a worst-case government scenario.
TROPICAL STORMS -
Cyclone DARYL was 511 nmi WSW of Broome, Australia.
THUNDERSTORMS / HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING -
OREGON - The forecast across much of Oregon has been pretty much the same the past few weeks: Rain, rain and more rain. Areas of Oregon have been inundated as storm after storm rolls over the Coast Range and Cascades, dropping water by the inch. Rivers are swollen, hillsides are turning into mudslides, and the coast is enduring high winds and heavy surf each time a new storm arrives, typically every 18 to 36 hours. In fact, there has been only one day since the weekend before Christmas without rain in most of Western Oregon and southwest Washington state. The Govenor has already declared disasters in 24 of 36 Oregon counties where flooding and other weather damage has been mounting. Records are being set all over the state like the one set Tuesday in Roseburg, the WETTEST JANUARY 17 IN MORE THAN 50 YEARS. It rained 2.21 inches, almost an inch more than the previous record for Jan. 17 set in 1954. This year may actually be more of a return to normal. “This isn't really all that unusual. We've had a string of dry winters and we actually seem to be getting back to the kind of winters I remember as a kid growing up where it would rain days on end.” Forecasters are divided on what conditions are to blame for the perpetual precipitation.
WASHINGTON - As the sun began to rise over the Kalama River watershed on Jan. 13, thousands of tons of saturated earth cut loose from its steep hillside, plummeting into the river. The massive 200-yard-wide by 150-yard-high slide toppled trees, logs and anything in its path. The mud, rock and debris crashed across the Kalama River. The momentum slammed the reddish-brown mixture into the opposite bank, snapping trees like toothpicks for about 100 yards. Little, localized slides are what rivers like the Kalama count on for a fresh infusion of gravel, but large events can be catastrophic. The slide's estimated size pales in comparison to a slide on the North Fork of the Kalama River about seven years ago when a 250-yard wide slide demolished everything in its path for about 1.5 miles. This slide is the first big event in Southwest Washington this season. "But with all the rain, the stage is definitely set for more."
PAKISTAN - First it was the harsh winter. Now authorities are worrying about even more destruction to Pakistan's earthquake zone - this time from the spring thaw. UN officials say warmer weather in the icy highlands will unleash landslides and floods that will only add to the suffering. It will take up to five years to restore roads to remote areas, and landslides triggered by melting snow could cut off even more villages struggling to survive. To avert flooding, relief workers are setting up pumping stations in areas where rivers already have been jammed by landslides.
SNOW / COLD -
TURKEY - Eight people, including a two-year-old girl, were killed and at least 15 people were injured when a bus was buried in an avalanche in eastern Turkey Saturday. The bus, carrying 29 passengers, got stuck in snow before being swept 20 metres into an abyss by an avalanche while passengers were attempting to free it. 'We could not get get to some of the injured,' said one of the survivors. 'They froze on the bus.'
FRANCE - A missing ski mountaineer has been found beneath an avalanche in the Bauges. This brings to seven the number of people killed in avalanches since last Thursday in the French Alps.
HEAT / WILDFIRES -
NORTH DAKOTA - "I think we're being lulled in to a false sense of warmer-than-usual weather security. If you haven't had a conversation about the strange weather we've been having this winter, you either don't get out much or you aren't from around here. This is crazy, and for paranoid people like me, a little scary. I keep thinking that we're being lulled into a false sense of warm-winter-weather security and that Mother Nature is going to give us a firm reminder that we still live in the frigid north. And when she does, chances are we won't be prepared."
UNITED KINGDOM - Spring looks set to arrive early in Greater Manchester as Mother Nature gets confused by the changing weather. Daffodils are starting to peep through in some parks and groundsmen in Oldham have already begun mowing the grass. The news comes as experts in phenology, the study of the natural phenomena and climate change, say there have been unseasonal sightings of seven-spot ladybirds across the country. Ladybirds are now waking-up from winter up to two weeks earlier than they did 20 years ago. "Nature's calendar is rapidly changing. With ladybirds emerging already, they are vulnerable to a cold snap that could decimate them and have a knock-on effect on other species later on in the year." There have also been nearly 50 sightings of frogspawn, another indicator of the arrival of spring. Staff had had to cut the grass for the first time ever in the first week of January. " I never would have believed it. It shows how much the climate has changed in 30 years." Temperatures reached an unseasonal 11.9 degrees centigrade in Manchester this week instead of the usual seven degrees.
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Friday, January 20 2006 -
QUAKES -
Largest quakes yesterday -
1/19 -
5.2 TONGA ISLANDS
HAWAII - A magnitude 4.7 earthquake originating near Loihi seamount off the southern coast of the Big Island shook East Hawaii Wednesday at around 4 p.m. but caused no damage. The quake originated 15 miles northwest of Loihi at a depth of 25 miles. Loihi is an active volcano, but such a depth would rule out any connection to an eruption. Loihi was the site of about 100 quakes Dec. 6-7 in 2005. In July 1996, instruments recorded more than a thousand quakes in a two-day period. A submersible later determined that the swarm was caused by the collapse of Loihi's summit and an eruption.
PAKISTAN - Quake survivors have been given food that expired 20 yrs ago. The Iranian Red Crescent Society has distributed tin food that expired twenty years ago among the earthquake survivors of Balakot, the use of which is causing itching and skin allergies and stomach problems to those who consume it. The tins, containing tuna fish and baked beans, were produced in the year 1983 and were to be used within two years. Earlier, a quarter-million doses of flu vaccine donated to the quake victims, bought by the U.S. from the UK, were found to have expired in 2004. The US Food and Drug Administration had barred the vaccine’s import to Illinois, saying it could not guarantee its safety.
NEW ZEALAND - The Manawatu and Wanganui regions are sinking. At the plate boundary far below the earth's surface, the region is about 350mm lower than it was two years ago. The slip at surface level is between 10mm and 30mm. The land around Ashhurst, Wanganui and Dannevirke slipped very gradually between January 2004 and June 2005 as a result of "silent quakes". It would require an earthquake of magnitude 7 to cause the slip in a few seconds.
TSUNAMI -
AMERICAN SAMOA - A United States research scientist is warning that two new undersea volcanoes near Manu’a in American Samoa may pose a future tsunami threat. In four years, the Nafanua volcano has grown 1,000 feet. Seismic activity may cause undersea landslides, resulting in a tsunami.
TROPICAL STORMS -
Tropical Cyclone Daryl is continuing to move down the Kimberley coast of Western Australia and is steadily intensifying. Destructive winds from the Category 2 cyclone battered the coastline around Beagle Bay, north of Broome, overnight.
THUNDERSTORMS / HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING -
AUSTRALIA - Lightning storms and a "mini-tornado" have caused havoc across western Victoria overnight and the weather bureau is warning of more to come today. The storms brought strong gusts of wind and a series of lightning strikes that sparked several fires. "The atmosphere is absolutely set up for thunderstorms, they can crackle up anywhere once the sun comes up and warms things up." The storms brought little rain in most areas. The temperature in Melbourne is expected to reach 35C.
SYDNEY'S wet weather has brought a plague of funnel-web spiders in unprecedented numbers, prompting warnings for families to take care. More than 50 funnel-webs, usually RARELY SEEN in January, have been caught by residents in Sydney and the Central Coast since the wet, humid weather set in this week. "We've never seen funnel-webs in masses coming to the reptile park at this time of year, it's BIZARRE. We're concerned there will be bites. They come in thick and fast in March and late February, but never in January which coincides with school holidays."
RECORD RAINFALL has physically isolated the town of Lake Grace from surrounding communities. In the direct path of the remnants of tropical cyclone Clare, Lake Grace received non-stop steady rain for twenty-seven hours which produced a record fall of 216.4mm over last Thursday and Friday. The previous record was in 1955 when Lake Grace received 214.3mm for the month of February. Never before has the train line been under water. Farmers are counting their losses with the death of recently shorn sheep and lambs, kilometres of fencing having been swept away, top soil lost and dam banks burst.
GUYANA - After weeks of deluge, flooding has reached "a serious crisis level."
CONNECTICUTT - between 0.6 and 1.1 inches of rain fell throughout Berkshire County Wednesday causing flooding. Throughout the day, the weather turned from rain to sleet to snow. The precipitation drove up river levels throughout the county, and road flooding was commonplace throughout the Berkshires. In addition, winds of up to 55 miles per hour slashed through the county. "It's odd weather, it's a little weird."
NEW JERSEY - 6,000 homes in northern New Jersey were left without power Wednesday as a rainstorm with gale-force winds blew down utility poles and wires, causing traffic jams and school closures. No deaths or serious injuries were reported in New Jersey, but elsewhere the storm was blamed for two deaths, one in New York and one in Massachusetts, when trees fell on cars. Winds in the morning were clocked at 63 mph while evening winds were between 30 and 40 mph. Winds are considered gale force when they are more than 45 mph. The temperature, meanwhile, reached 62 degrees, a single degree short of the record of 63 set in 1990. The UNUSUAL weather pattern is coming from the Pacific. "A lot of it has to do with the Pacific storms that entered into the weather picture in the middle of December." Because of these storms, rain has fallen or been forecast to fall on Seattle for 30 consecutive days. The storms move across the U.S., losing some strength, but then re-energize when they hit the Northeast. Looking in the record books for a similar weather pattern - rainstorms with warm temperatures followed by cold - they found that one had hit the area in 1999. That weather pattern indicates the current one will be around for a while. "We don't see a change at this point in the next 15 days." In the immediate future, a high pressure is coming in from the southwest so temperatures will be in the 40s and may reach 55 to 60 today,
MASSACHUSETTS - Thousands of families were still without electricity today after a freak storm brought hurricane-force wind gusts to the South Shore. The storm blew down trees, knocked out power lines and ripped off roofs. The Blue Hill Observatory in Milton recorded a southeast wind of 92 mph, the STRONGEST GUST IN 15 YEARS. "It’s wreaking havoc." Hull High School lost part of its gym roof and withstood a double-whammy of wicked winds and rising tide. "The ocean was spraying. ... I saw pieces (of the roof) flying through the air. It was crazy down here. I’ve never seen the bay like that before." The high inland winds were UNUSUAL. "Usually, heavy winds are only reported on Cape Cod and near the coast. Today, we had strong inland winds all the way to Worcester."
SNOW / COLD -
RUSSIA - At least 31 people have died during a four-day cold snap in Russia, where temperatures have plunged to below -30 C.
Moscow remained in the grips of extremely low temperatures Thursday, with the temperature in the Russian capital grazing the -32°C (-25.6°F) record for January 19, registered in 1927. The all-time record low for Moscow was set January 17, 1940 when the temperature fell to -42°C (-43.6°F).
CANADA - Blowing snow and winds gusting to 108 km/h have brought business in most of Iqaluit, capital of Nunavut, to a standstill. A low-pressure system is moving north, causing very strong winds across southern Baffin Island. The blizzard was expected to move toward southern Greenland next.
INDIANA - Right now, the region is transitioning from a warm- to cold-weather pattern, marking about a two-week period in which they could experience significant swings in temperatures. Thursday's high was expected to reach 49 degrees. Wednesday's high did not reach above the freezing point. Before month's end, "we're going to tank in terms of it getting cold." Temperatures in February will be as cold as in late 2005, a span of time from late November through much of December in which area high temperatures did not reach above 32 degrees. An unseasonably warm start to January, with temperatures frequently reaching the 50s over the past two weeks, has lulled many residents into the false belief that winter's harshness will remain at bay. The early start to winter, when averaged with recent warm temps, so far has created a statistically average winter. The current transition from warm- to cold-weather patterns creates conditions for storms. "It's possible we could see about four potential winter storms before this cold period sets in at the beginning of February."
ILLINOIS - UNUSUAL weather bringing sulfur smell into village. The strong sulfur odor irritating the lungs, noses and eyes of some in the village for more than a month now is nothing more than normal emissions from the ExxonMobil Joliet Refinery, officials at the plant say. The problem is the emissions are wafting horizontally to the northwest, instead of directly up into the atmosphere, where they would go unnoticed. The refinery’s first report of odor in Channahon was on Dec. 13. If the drifting odors are due to a combination of low temperatures, low hanging clouds, and low wind levels, as ExxonMobil suspects, the meteorologist could help the plant predict when such weather patterns might occur. The plant could then proactively cut back production and slip in filters on those days to prevent odors from drifting into residential neighborhoods.
Unusually High Tides / Freak Waves - updated Fridays.
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Thursday, January 19, 2006 -
QUAKES -
Largest quakes yesterday -
1/18 -
5.0 SOUTHERN SUMATERA, INDONESIA
5.1 SOUTHERN PACIFIC OCEAN
5.8 OFF EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
5.3 FLORES SEA
5.7 MARIANA ISLANDS REGION
5.0 XIZANG
INDIA - NEW DELHI: A two-story building in east Delhi that had developed cracks in the recent tremors collapsed on Tuesday morning, burying an elderly woman and seriously injuring three others.
VOLCANOES -
ALASKA - scientists have downgraded the threat level for Augustine Volcano from code red to code orange. The advisory comes a day after the volcano's ninth eruption in a week. Alaska Volcano Observatory scientists say they made the decision because earthquake activity at the volcano has fallen significantly since yesterday's eruption.
TROPICAL STORMS -
Cyclone DARYL was 112 nmi N of Broome, Australia.
AUSTRALIA - Tropical cyclone Daryl, strengthening off Western Australia's coast, has been upgraded to a category-two storm, with forecasters saying it could double in intensity by the weekend. The State Emergency Service issued a yellow alert – indicant of a significant risk of destructive winds – for residents in coastal communities. The latest alert comes just a week after Cyclone Clare battered the Pilbara and caused widespread flooding.
THUNDERSTORMS / HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING -
AUSTRALIA - A number of small communities in the far north of NSW have been isolated by floodwaters after a night of heavy rain. Up to 85mm of rain was recorded in the Tweed Valley in 12 hours. "Heavy rain is forecast to continue until Saturday morning, so residents should be prepared for further possible flooding."
IDAHO - An active weather pattern is bringing moisture from a system north of Hawaii and sending waves of wet stuff over the coastal range and into Idaho's valleys. The combination of above-average precipitation and seasonal temperature changes is causing Magic Valley's seemingly random weather patterns. "Most of our mountain bases are reporting more than 100 percent of the average snowpack."
SNOW / COLD -
NORWAY - The storm that lashed the northern county of Finnmark was just the beginning of grim winter weather battering Norway, and warnings of extreme conditions from the coast of North Trøndelag to West Finnmark are in effect. The worst hit areas can expect hurricane conditions, and residents were working to hinder roofs from being blown off and boats blasted up onto land. Traffic by sea, air and land is expected to grind to a halt in several areas. Meteorologists warn that temperatures will drop to -10C (14F) to -25C (-13F), and in concert with the winds will mean bitter cold for northern Norway. A warning of extreme weather for such a large stretch of the coast was VERY RARE. Recent weather in the northern counties has been mild, and with little snow on the ground the looming storm can take hold of gravel, with resulting injuries and damage to cars and property. On Tuesday over 50 vehicles had their windows smashed in the city of Hammerfest. The storm expected to hit the northern region has now been dubbed "Narve".
Two elementary schools in the northern city of Hammerfest were evacuated on Tuesday, after a severe storm smashed windows and sent rocks flying through the air. An UNUSUAL lack of snow and ice has made the storm more dangerous, because sand, gravel and rocks aren't pinned down. Hammerfest's population was being urged to stay indoors. Meanwhile, down south in Oslo, meteorologists were predicting as much as 15 centimeters of snow would fall during the night and on Wednesday. Forecasters were unsure whether temperatures would rise or fall later in the week, depending on the movement of a severe coldfront over Russia.
ESTONIA - Estonian weather forecasters have warned that temperatures will drop quickly over the next few days - as low as negative 35 degrees Centigrade. The freezing weather could last more than five days.
RUSSIA - The European part of Russia, the Urals and parts of West Siberia are in the grips of severe frosts. In Moscow, the air temperature sank to –30 degrees Celsius in the small hours Wednesday. Forecasts indicated that even the southern territories of the country had colder than usual weather. In area of famous North Caucasus spas, the frosts were as strong as –15 degrees, and the major Black Sea resort of Sochi had the temperature of about –5, also QUITE BIZARRE for the place. Russian energy systems withstood peak loads Tuesday night, as consumption of power reached 146,000 MW – something unseen over the past 15 years.
Extreme wintry weather is taking its toll on energy supplies with Russia unable to meet the needs of several European countries. Hungary and Romania are among those reporting a drop in gas deliveries. Italy says it has had to dip into its reserves. Temperatures have dipped below minus 50 in Siberia. In central Russia, meanwhile, the Arctic conditions have proved tragic. A minibus fell through ice in the city of Nizhny Novgorod. Six passengers are feared dead. The current cold snap is something experts say normally HAPPENS ONLY ONCE IN A GENERATION. In Moscow, it is the COLDEST JANUARY FOR AT LEAST TEN YEARS. Since the start of the winter, the extreme weather has claimed over 100 lives in the capital.
CANADA - Ice jams in New Brunswick are threatening to destroy the world's longest covered bridge and have caused floods that stranded people in their homes for at least four days.
HEAT / WILDFIRES -
DELAWARE, NEW JERSEY, PENNSYLVANIA - Wild windy weather made its way across the Delaware Valley early Wednesday. The powerful gusts knocked down dozens of trees and powerlines throughout the tri-state area. The blustery weather also brought an UNUSUAL rise in temperatures, with a temperatures as high as 64 degrees recorded early Wednesday.
Global warming - A three-week experiment to resolve the biggest riddle in climate science begins in Australia today. Scientists will use radar, aeroplanes, weather balloons and a ship to study the life cycle of tropical clouds. They are searching for details of how clouds form and carry heat high in the atmosphere. A better understanding of these crucial processes should lead to computer models which can predict the extent of global climate warming more accurately.
LA NINA? -
The Climate Prediction Center declared last week: "Developing La Niña conditions are expected to continue during the next 3-6 months." The late onset of La Niña creates "considerable uncertainty" about impacts on the Western U.S., but La Niñas generally bring them dry conditions – like they've had most of this winter. In the near term a major atmospheric pattern shift could break them out of their season-long dry pattern for at least a couple of weeks. Last weekend's weak storm could be the beginning of that shift. As the jet stream moves across the Northern Hemisphere from west to east, there are generally four or five "long-wave troughs," or dips in the jet to the south. Where those troughs fall affects which areas get rain, because the jet stream is a kind of conveyor belt of storms. When the jet stream travels around the globe, it tends to stay in certain wave patterns until something happens in the atmosphere, perhaps a typhoon or a separate, large-scale oscillation, to jostle the jet stream out of that pattern. The pattern for most of last fall and this winter has kept the jet stream away from them. But last week, forecasters noted that the jet stream appeared to shift from a four-wave pattern into a five-wave pattern. "It looks like we may see a large-scale pattern shift as a large, deep, cold trough develops over the western U.S." That shift would potentially bring colder temperatures and significant rainfall through the rest of January, if not longer. "It's hard to say with 100 percent certainty that we're totally out of it (the dry pattern), and it's going to shift." Shifts in the jet stream to, or from, a five-or four-wave pattern tend to last a few weeks. The shifts normally occur two, three or four times a winter. Sometimes, however, a pattern gets stuck in place.
The US is predicting the above-average rainfall from the La Nina phenomenon, and while Australian forecasters say the call is premature, they concede the heavy rain of the past few weeks indicates we're not headed for the drought-producing El Nino, either. The US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is predicting for this autumn a weak La Nina, which occurs when an area of the Pacific Ocean cools, affecting the atmosphere. El Nino occurs when the ocean warms. The conditions for LaNina - which last occurred in 2000 - are debatable and the American threshold for La Nina is lower than Australia's.
Previous Disasters - On this day -
1/19 -
In 1975 - a 6.8 quake struck the Kashmir-Tibet Border Region, 42 died.
In 1981 - a 6.8 quake struck Irian Jaya, Indonesia. 305 people killed.
In 1995 - a 6.6 quake struck Colombia, 5 died.
Unusual Animal Behavior - updated Thursdays.
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Wednesday, January 18, 2006 -
QUAKES -
Largest quakes THIS MORNING -
1/18 -
5.0 SOUTHERN SUMATERA, INDONESIA
5.7 MARIANA ISLANDS REGION
5.0 XIZANG
No quakes over 4.6 yesterday.
VOLCANOES -
ALASKA - Augustine Volcano erupted yesterday morning, sending an ash plume 8 1/2 miles into the air. The eruption lasted for five minutes, and started just before 8 a.m. The eruption was likely similar in style to the six significant eruptions last week, "but a little more energetic." The eruption was preceded by increased seismic activity at the volcano that prompted observatory officials to raise the volcano's threat level to red, meaning an eruption was imminent.
THUNDERSTORMS / HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING -
AUSTRALIA - Heavy rainfall across much of New South Wales, which has swelled dam levels and prompted flood warnings, is set to continue for at least another two days. Rains would begin to ease on Thursday and taper off completely by Friday. At least one home was destroyed in violent weather that accompanied the rain. A house near Goulburn was ripped off its foundations by a flash storm which swept through the area. The home was destroyed within two minutes, with the water tanks beside it smashing through the walls and roof. "It felt like an earthquake. The floor split in half and we were lifted up in the air. When the floor lifted I slipped out the front and ended up in the front yard."
GUYANA - Heavy rains since mid-December are forcing the authorities to release water from a swollen reservoir into the Mahaica river, in a bid to save the dam overflowing and flooding the capital and other areas. But that could mean subjecting already devastated farmers in another area to more flooding of their fields and homes. Monday authorities said they were planning to release water through the Maduni sluice after flood waters threatened to cause even more havoc to rice communities along the eastern section of the country. There was intense and continuous rainfall for over 48 hours as of Monday.
INDIA - only days after the one-year anniversary of the December 2004 tsunami, the HEAVIEST RAINS IN HALF A CENTURY forced hundreds of thousands of people in India out of their homes. The current downpour is virtually unprecedented and Chennai, the capital of India's southernmost state of Tamil Nadu, received nine inches of rain in one night. "There's not supposed to be this kind of rain, nonstop rain, but it just kept on coming." The floods are a "huge tragedy of unbelievable magnitude," which has resulted in more than 16,000 villages being hit and some 283,000 homes being destroyed. Meanwhile, Mumbai (Bombay) and other parts of western India have experienced flooding that has killed at least 1,500 people, and the latest forecasts indicate the rains will continue. Government authorities in Mumbai have warned residents not to venture out of their homes for the next 24 hours because of the predicted additional rain.
IRAQ - Hundreds of people have been displaced by severe floods in the southern city of Safwan, some 45 km southwest of Basra. "A torrential rainstorm saw five inches of rainfall in three hours." The rain occurred for two continuous days on January 11 and 12. Approximately 70 homes were destroyed by rising floodwaters that reached up to 1.5 metres in height. In some cases, families' vital stores of food were also swept away. While the municipal council has worked with the Basra governorate to drain the streets of the city, several neighbourhoods are still reportedly flooded.
LANDSLIDES - pose an increasing risk to all corners of the increasingly stormy and congested world, according to a report Tuesday at a U.N. meeting in Tokyo. Landslides are considered the seventh-deadliest natural disaster in recent times, claiming an average of 800 to 1,000 lives in each of the last 20 years. "Increasing rainfall intensities and frequencies, coupled with population growth, can drastically increase landslide-associated casualties, especially in developing countries." Cimate change may promote landslides in other ways. A December landslide that killed 60 people in Yemen was blamed on mountain boulders that shifted because of changes in temperature. Landslides can also come during earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and as a result of mining activity or poorly planned development and construction. Large-scale landslides in oceans or on coastlines can cause tsunamis. Developing nations, particularly in Asia and Latin America, suffer most from landslides, but even highly advanced countries face significant risks. Japan experienced landslides every year between 1967 and 2002, with nearly 3,300 people killed. At the top of the list of precious world cultural sites most at risk from landslides are the mountaintop city of Machu Picchu, Peru, one of the most magnificent relics of the lost Inca civilization, and the Valley of Kings near Luxor, Egypt, where a myriad of Egyptian pharaohs are buried.
SNOW / COLD -
MONTANA - An avalanche that swept down Red Meadow Peak on Saturday afternoon was so powerful it blew water and fish out of Red Meadow Lake below. It killed two of three snowmobilers who were buried in it. The avalanche happened on the south side of Red Meadow Lake in an event that was so swift and violent it left the bowl below looking “more like a bomb crater.” The weather leading up to the avalanche was a week of heavy, dense snowfall, unseasonably warm weather and strong west winds. The avalanche and its accompanying air blast was carried full-force onto the lake. “The shock wave crushed the snow and ice surface across the entire lake and caused a tidal wave” on the north shore. The focus of that “tsunami of water, snow and ice” was the northeastern corner where the victims stood. The avalanche knocked down trees and the lake-saturated snow created balls of ice the size of cars and trucks. Searchers using probing poles in snow as deep as 20 feet hit ice and trees under the surface. The avalanche had compressed snow “like concrete” around the items buried below and stretched out for a half mile. “An avalanche the size of Saturday’s release had never been observed” in the area before.
HEAT / WILDFIRES -
CANADA - the recent warm weather has been atypical because it has spanned the country, with weather patterns flowing west to east. "It's almost like it's a national chinook." The weather's rapid see-saw motion in recent days has made even more apparent how irregular this winter has seemed. It started with spring-like temperatures late last week, before the mercury quickly plunged to a more Nordic winter cold on Saturday. Early Monday morning the low in Brockville was -20 C, while the normal value for this time of year is -14 C. There have been no record highs or lows set in this area, but the consistency of the colder and warmer temperatures has been UNUSUAL. The first three weeks of December were colder than usual in southern and eastern Ontario. "People were really beside themselves. We had just come through the warmest fall on record (in Ontario), the warmest summer on record." The irony is that, with the actual start of winter, that Arctic air gave way to warmer weather. Since December 21, temperatures in southern and eastern Ontario have generally been four or five degrees warmer than normal. The Arctic air was "penned up" in the north, spinning around and hitting Europe. A northern weather system known as the Aleutian Low, has been more intense and extensive this year and has helped to keep the Arctic weather up north. Meanwhile, the jet stream that normally occurs south of here has been more or less in their latitude. Environment Canada is now calling for warmer than normal weather in southern and eastern Ontario for the next 30 days. The experts aren't predicting any more of the sustained warm weather, but rather, on the whole, more milder days than cold days.
WINNIPEG - The recent three-week spell of balmy weather has SHATTERED WINNIPEG RECORDS, with night temperatures averaging 16.9 C warmer than usual for this time of winter. The 21 days of warm weather since Dec. 22 are the WARMEST SUCH INTERVAL RECORDED FOR THIS TIME OF YEAR SINCE RECORDS BEGAN 134 years ago. "I was quite amazed at the level of warmth in the last three weeks. It’s really remarkable. What we’ve seen is EXCEPTIONALLY UNUSUAL.”
COLORADO - Colorado weather has been locked into a storm track for three weeks now. The same system that has led to 23 straight days of rain in Seattle and the Pacific Northwest has dropped down to the northern Colorado mountains, where it has dumped snow. But instead of continuing south, as such storms normally progress, these have taken an eastward track. "The southern mountains are very below average for snow." In the northern mountains, snow has been falling steadily, piling up into an above-average snowpack. But to the south, it's been nothing but "blow winds blow" over a tinder dry landscape that has resulted in an UNUSUAL SERIES of winter wildfires. January has also been a bit windier than usual. The average wind speed has been 11 to 12 miles per hour, compared to the usual average of 9 mph.
Previous Disasters - On this day -
1/18 -
In 1982 - a 7.0 quake struck the Aegean Sea. Felt strongly throughout Greece. Felt in Bulgaria, southeastern Italy, southeastern Yugoslavia and western Turkey.
Crop Failures, Food Shortages, Fish Die-Off - updated Wednesdays
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Tuesday, January 17, 2006 -
QUAKES -
Largest quakes yesterday -
1/16 -
5.3 NORTHERN MID-ATLANTIC RIDGE
5.0 SAMOA ISLANDS REGION
CANADA - VICTORIA, British Columbia - An earthquake described as "a miniature version" of the Nisqually quake that rocked Seattle nearly five years ago was a wakeup call in more ways than one, a scientist said. Many residents in and around the British Columbia provincial capital and the Gulf Islands and a few on the mainland were jolted awake by the 3.9 magnitude quake at 4:29 a.m. PST Sunday. "It's been fairly quiet in terms of felt earthquakes for a couple of years here in Victoria, and that's a bit UNUSUAL. We generally have one or two small earthquakes a year that are felt on southern Vancouver Island."
NEPAL - a devastating earthquake might hit Nepal anytime. A major earthquake similar to that of 1934 hits the country every 80 years, but there have not been adequate preparations to cope with such challenges. A major earthquake measuring 8.4 on the Richter scale shook the country on January 15th in 1934, leaving over 5,000 people dead, some 25,000 injured and around 60,000 houses destroyed. Hundreds of thousands of other houses were partially damaged. In the case of a quake measuring 6.5 or over on the Richter scale in the country, Kathmandu Valley would suffer the most. More than half the bridges would be heavily damaged and six in 10 buildings would cave in. The situation could turn worse if the entire water, sewage, telephone and electric power systems come to a halt. As many as 1,000 earthquakes, ranging from 2 to 5-magnitude on the Richter scale are recorded in Nepal each year.
TROPICAL STORMS -
AUSTRALIA - A low pressure system in the south of the Northern Territory is likely to develop into a cyclone once it reaches the coast of Western Australia. The low, which formed last week in the Gulf of Carpentaria, is giving Territorians their first big rains plus strong winds. The low pressure system is set to hit the coast near Broome on Thursday and the probability of a cyclone forming on that day is high. Last week, Cyclone Clare tore through communities in the Pilbara. Territorians can expect rainy days and monsoon conditions until Friday. The Northern Territory has been hit by a potential cyclone, storms and an earthquake in the past few days.
AUSTRALIA - Cyclone Clare - one person's account of riding out the storm. (photos)
INDONESIA - A typhoon destroyed at least 75 permanent and semi-permanent houses and a mosque in three remote villages in Gowa district, South Sulawesi province, Sunday afternoon, injuring three people.
THUNDERSTORMS / HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING -
COSTA RICA - Flooding from heavy rains has forced at least 350 people from their homes and left at least one missing along Costa Rica's northern Caribbean coast. The Caribbean coast community of Matina was cut off by floodwaters. Meteorologists warned that a second cold front may dump more rain over the country in coming days.
PAKISTAN - At least two Kashmiri men were feared dead after being swept off a cliff by a landslide triggered by heavy rain in Pakistan's earthquake zone on Monday. A Reuters Television cameraman had been filming a party of villagers, including women and children, trying to traverse a stretch of mountain road covered by earth and rock from an earlier landslide when the next one struck. At least three other people were injured in the accident.
Even as Kashmir valley remained cut off from the rest of the country for the second consecutive day, a man was killed in a landslide at Magarkote near Ramban. The 300-km Jammu-Srinagar national highway, the only road link between Kashmir and the rest of the country, was closed yesterday due to snowfall and landslides at several places. Though the road clearance operation was on, rains triggered fresh landslides at five to six places this morning. A man got out of a stranded vehicle in an attempt to cover the blocked stretch of the road at Magarkote on foot when he was hit by a landslide, resulting in his instant death. The Batote-Doda road was also closed to vehicular traffic due to landslides at two to three places. The Bani-Loang road in Kathua district was also closed to traffic in the morning due to snow and landslides. Official sources said Loang had recorded about 1 foot of snow by the afternoon.
CHINA - The ice on the Ili River may cause more flooding, authorities in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region said. The flood has damaged the houses of more than 1,430 residents and about 134 hectares of crops. The authority has rushed 100 tons of coal and 10 tons of flour to the flooded area. Ice blocking the river caused water to overflow in Qapqal since January 12 when a snowstorm hit and temperature plunged.
AUSTRALIA - A man and woman have suffered minor injuries after being caught in what has been described as a 'mini-tornado' in the New South Wales' southern highlands overnight. Heavy rain and strong winds hit Goulburn and surrounding regional areas yesterday afternoon, causing creeks to break their banks and the main street to flood. Their home "was hit by a tornado or a mini-tornado, it was actually picked up ... slid downhill five to 10 metres, but unfortunately there was a man and woman inside the house at the time and they were tipped out the back door."
VERMONT - A dose of rain, warm weather and wind this past weekend spurred power outages and high-water problems throughout the area. The region experienced a two-part storm event that was responsible for the outages and high water. "We had a rather large storm that formed to our west. The temps were high enough to support a pretty good snow melt." The storm began with warm temperatures and over a half-inch of rain. Snowmelt and rain combined to swell the rivers and cause some high-water problems. Even at 3,000 feet, the temperature was around 40 degrees. On Saturday afternoon, the weather changed as winds shifted to the west and temperatures began to drop. Though heavy snowfall was predicted, the area saw very little accumulation because of the cold air. Most of the snow evaporated before it hit the ground because of the cold weather. Such a weather event is RARE in Vermont, though it is more common in the deep southern United States.
SNOW / COLD -
CANADA - Schools, businesses and roads are closed in Happy Valley-Goose Bay as people struggle to cope with more than one metre of snow. The snowfall in Labrador started on Saturday with 30 centimetres blanketing the area. About 60 cm fell on Sunday, and another 20 to 30 cm were expected through Monday. The Trans-Labrador Highway is blocked and only essential personnel are working at the town's military base. In western Labrador, about 40 cm of snow fell over the weekend. The snow is hampering a search for eight snowmobilers missing since Friday. Meanwhile, in southern New Brunswick, heavy rain and mild temperatures have caused flooding and ice jams. The province's Emergency Measures Organization is warning that the water is still rising along the Nashwaak and Miramichi Rivers.
NEVADA - It can be said that Saturday's storm that brought 16 inches of snow to South Lake Tahoe exceeded all expectations. Some could go as far as to call Saturday's event a freak of nature or an anomaly. Whatever it was, it wasn't on the National Weather Service radar as being significant enough to issue a winter storm warning. Slivers of the weather system - considered weak by weather service standards - turned into thunderstorms on the West Slope that strengthened as they made their way into the Sierra. There were three such bands of the main storm that hit a swath of South Shore before they traversed into Carson Valley and Carson City, dumping about four inches of snow on the valley floor. South Shore ski areas got anywhere from 24 to 30 inches. Another storm is expected to make its way into the Sierra tonight, with the possibility of "significant snowfall" on Wednesday.
PENNSYLVANIA - Forge woke up windy and cold Sunday morning. Tabernacle was windy and cold - and buried under nearly 8 inches of snow. And just think: Saturday afternoon had been a pleasant 60 degrees. Slick roads caused traffic accidents throughout the region, and wind gusts up to 65 m.p.h. knocked down trees and power lines in New Jersey and Pennsylvania. The storm also produced a LOW TIDE WATER LEVEL RECORD. Strong winds caused blowout tides on the Delaware River. At Philadelphia, the lowest water level was 3.1 feet below what is known as mean lower low water - a reference point used for determining low tide - at 9:18 a.m. The previous record was 2.9 feet below, on Jan. 17, 2000, and Nov. 14, 2003.
WIND -
NEW MEXICO - A wind advisory went into affect for most of Monday in the region causing dangerous conditions for fire fighters. It took five units and almost two hours to control a brush fire at Ascarate Park. Fire officials say wind conditions made it very difficult and dangerous for firefighters. The winds were so strong in Canutillo, you could barely see the emergency lights from an ambulance. In some parts of town the strong winds caused low visibility for drivers. In far West El Paso winds kicked up to about 41 mph. "This winter is very strange, earlier today the weather was nice and it drastically changed. I think this winter is going to be very different from what we're used to."
HEAT / WILDFIRES -
OKLAHOMA - Extremely dry and windy conditions have the the entire state under a red flag fire warning. Since Nov. 1, more than 363,000 acres, 220 structures and four deaths in Oklahoma have been attributed to wildfires.
ARKANSAS - the low lake levels for the Twin Lakes Area are a matter of concern. Areas generally threatened by rising lake levels this time of year and in early spring now are yards from the shoreline. At Robinson Point on Norfork Lake, you almost can wade to the island out from the swim area, which now has much more beach than it's ever had. In fact, there are other islands — or sandbars, if you prefer — popping up as these former hilltops rise above the lake for the first time in years. There are a few spots where it's now not hard to imagine lake points joining together to form a barrier across the lake. Today, what used to be several feet under water is now the shoreline. The lakes have fallen before, but for most people living here now these are THE LOWEST LEVELS THEY'VE EVER SEEN, and naturally there are questions. "Is this a more extreme part of a regular cycle in which the lakes rise and fall? Remember, a few years ago the lakes inundated many of the parks along their shores for most of the year. Is this just a year when we've gotten the opposite side of the coin? Or is this a preview of things to come, maybe a new, harsher cycle? Could this be part of a climatic change? It's enough to make one wonder if this is an indication of the effects of global warming. Notice all the unusual weather across the country, the warmer-than-usual temperatures, and the drier conditions through much of America while other areas have been soaked more than normal."
"STRANGE GOINGS ON METEOROLOGICALLY SPEAKING" - Amongst these strange happenings: unseasonably warm temperatures in New York (the trees are so confused they have already started budding), record rainfall in the Northwest, the extreme heat and drought that has led to hundreds of wildfires in Texas and Oklahoma, and freak ocean tornados forming off the Florida Coast. Not to mention the extreme snowfalls in Japan and China. An NBC weather expert offered this head-scratching assessment: "I wouldn't say that this is a long-term pattern that we're stuck in. It's just - it's Mother Nature, and it's just how it's working in the beginning of January."
By as early as the mid-21st Century, the tourism industry could be changed forever by global warming. The World Tourism Organisation has issued a wake-up call to the tourism industry to start long-term planning, and in the meantime travel exhibitions are staging debates on recovering from disasters and starting to look at the wider picture.
YIKES! -
Climate change will kill billions of people this century as the Earth warms, passing into a "fever" phase from which it may take 100,000 years to recover. James Lovelock's Gaia theory, advanced in the 1970s, sees the Earth behaving like a self-sustaining organism, with a control system that keeps the environment fit for life. "We but it took more than 100,000 years. We are responsible and will suffer the consequences...Before this century is over billions of us will die and the few breeding pairs of people that survive will be in the Arctic where the climate remains tolerable."
DISASTER PLANNING -
The guidelines of the Mormon religion advocates storing enough food for a year in case of a natural disaster or other emergency. This idea has gained in popularity around the U.S. as earthquakes, hurricanes and tsunamis make people realize the importance of emergency supplies. The Mormon church's Web site shows that an adult needs one 10-pound can each of oats, macaroni, pinto beans, powdered milk, white flour, sugar and shortening for one month. You'll also need three cans of wheat, two cans of rice and some salt. Planning for an entire year is obviously much more difficult. One adult needs 400 pounds of grains, 60 pounds of legumes and 10 quarts of cooking oil — plus much more. "If you try to do a full year's supply for your family all at once, that seems overwhelming and intimidating. We encourage people to take it a step at a time and piece by piece." A good example is to start with a 72-hour kit for each member of the family.
Previous Disasters - On this day -
1/17 -
In 1903 - a 7.0 quake struck the Andreanof Islands, Alaska.
In 1994 - a 6.7 quake struck Northridge, California, killing 61 and injuring over 10,000.
Drought, Heat, Water Shortages, Wildfires - updated Tuesdays
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Monday, January 16, 2006 -
QUAKES -
Largest quakes yesterday -
1/15 -
6.1 FLORES SEA
5.0 SOUTH OF FIJI ISLANDS
U.S.G.S. Staff is now on-site night and day to locate and report worldwide quakes. On January 12th, the U.S. Geological Survey National Earthquake Center in Golden, Colorado announced the implementation of a new 24/7 operation center and seismic event processing system, HYDRA. When combined, the round-the-clock on-site personnel and new technology are expected to cut in half the amount of time required to report information about earthquakes around the globe. The state-of-the-art system is working in a provisional mode and will become fully operational in March, 2006. One of the enhancements, Prompt Assessment of Global Earthquakes for Response or PAGER, is designed to predict damage from major earthquakes worldwide based on estimates of people and property exposed to potentially damaging levels of ground motion. The USGS will also debut a new website and notification service for earthquake information at the end of January. The URL will remain: http://earthquake.usgs.gov .
TSUNAMI -
NORTH CAROLINA - While it's true that North Carolina's chances of getting a tsunami are small, it's not out of the question. Long before recorded history, a tsunami hit North Carolina and created the Sandhills. "That's where all the sand came from." East Coast tsunamis are possible but rare - a roughly one in 100 year event. To date, no tsunamis have been recorded in the mid-Atlantic. The only tsunami ever recorded on the East Coast was in 1929 resulting from an earthquake in Newfoundland. "Alaska, the Pacific Northwest, and Hawaii have the greatest chance to get a tsunami, and they are likely to be about once in 25 to 35 years." There are several possible sources for a tsunami to hit North Carolina. One is the earthquake fault line near Puerto Rico, which would send a wave north up the Atlantic Ocean. Another potential source is the collapse of a volcano in the Azores in the north Atlantic. "In the best case, we would have five hours notice. In the worst case, (there's) no notice." The scenario that could cause the biggest tsunami would occur if a large meteorite struck the Atlantic. A big meteorite is the reason for the Gulf of Mexico, scientists say. If this scenario plays out, it would be devastating. "Nobody's going to survive, and there's not a lot we can do."
VOLCANOES -
ALASKA - On Sunday the color code at Augustine volcano was lowered to ORANGE. The level of earthquake activity at the volcano has declined since the last explosive event on Saturday. The level of seismic activity at the volcano remains above background. It is likely, but not certain, that further explosive activity will occur.
THUNDERSTORMS / HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING -
OREGON - Portland is running at more than 200 percent of normal rainfall for early January with no letup in sight. And all this rain has made travel unpredictable and more risky than normal. There are flood warnings for coastal rivers, mudslides halting Amtrak service in Washington, and an advisory issued against driving to Crater Lake National Park. Last winter, the Pacific Northwest was worrying about a drought. This year, it's been a deluge.
CALIFORNIA - A massive storm pounded parts of the Valley Saturday, drenching the foothills with heavy rain and hail. Dark clouds were lingering for just a short time before each system hit. The weather over the past few months has been almost summer-like. Many people coming back from Sierra Summit also reported heavy snow.
Atlantic Rowing Race - "It’s another grey day with torrential rain again! I'm starting to think our compass is fitted backwards and when we set off from La Gomera instead of heading south west to Antigua we headed north east and can currently be found somewhere off the west coast of Ireland!? That would certainly explain the lack of trade winds for the first half of the journey and appalling weather in the second half!"
UNITED KINGDOM - A section of the Dorset coast has been closed off after a huge landslide near Charmouth on Saturday. Seventeen people were lead to safety after they became trapped by rising tides following the cliff fall. A boy also had to be rescued after he was stuck in mud up to his chest, but luckily no one was hurt. Landslides happen here when land near the sea breaks off in chunks because over a long period of time it's been weakened by waves crashing against it. This landslide was described as the WORST ONE IN THE AREA FOR MORE THAN 30 YEARS.
SNOW / COLD -
KASHMIR - Snow and rain that began two days ago in northern Pakistan is disrupting aid supplies to survivors of the Oct. 8 earthquake living in the Kashmir region. "All quake hit areas are in the grip of a strong westerly wave" causing heavy snow and rain. Rain and snow is forecast for next three days, which may cut off villages at high altitude because of landslides and avalanches. Snow has already triggered several landslides in Pakistan's earthquake zone Sunday, cutting off some remote villages and towns.
MONTANA - Rescuers recovered the bodies Sunday of two snowmobilers who disappeared a day earlier in an avalanche west of Glacier National Park. A third snowmobiler was rescued by other snowmobilers in the area after being buried under a few feet of snow. There was "extreme avalanche danger" overnight.
JAPAN - Japan's Meteorological Agency renewed avalanche warnings Sunday as temperatures increased and a man slipped to his death, bringing the toll from recent heavy snowfall to 90 - the highest in 20 years. The agency predicted that the temperature will rise to as high as 15 degrees Celsius in snowy areas in central Japan, and 8 C in the northeast - much warmer than normal for the season. Rain and higher temperature triggered several avalanches Saturday and early Sunday.
CANADA - Unseasonably warm weather is being blamed for an avalanche that killed a ski guide in remote southeastern British Columbia. The guide was swept away while checking a weather station near a ski lodge. The avalanche had come down, travelled around a corner and gone UPHILL into the weather station site.
HEAT / WILDFIRES -
CANADA - Folklore may record 2006 as the year spring arrived in January in Nova Scotia. Just don’t count on it lasting into April. For days now, people have been choosing sneakers over boots and raincoats over parkas. Umbrellas, rather than scarves and gloves, are the key accessory as temperatures pass the normal high of 0C and keep going. The unseasonal-like season has people talking. "Something’s going on." The Arctic air is staying firmly north and mild air spreading east, from British Columbia - where 29 consecutive days of rain is reaching record-breaking levels — to Newfoundland. "This is going from coast to coast. What you’re seeing out there is not Atlantic air, it’s Pacific air." The temperatures are not record-breaking, just RARE. Some are wondering whether there’s a price to pay for these mild days. "It’s great, but it makes me wonder what July’s going to bring. It could snow."
TEXAS - the drought conditions that have led to the wildfires aren't likely to go away at least until spring. And there's little hope of a dramatic change anytime soon. "I think the weather you're seeing in Texas is VERY UNUSUAL. You would have to go back to the '50s to see the kind of dryness you're seeing. I don't think we've seen anything like this in a generation." The dry weather that has fueled wildfires in Texas and Oklahoma stretches all the way to Southern California, but Texas and Oklahoma have got the winds that can really make these fires go. Forecasters can't predict how long these conditions will continue or even say why they're happening. "This is just the way Mother Nature works. Right now, we're just stuck in this pattern." The unusual weather has prompted some strange events in other states too. Wildfires have been reported as far east as Mississippi and as far north as Colorado. "Once we get into mid-February, the problem will probably widen into southern New Mexico and Arizona, but until then the focus will be concentrated on almost all of Oklahoma and most of Texas."
ARIZONA - A year after storm-swollen rivers filled reservoirs and sent water gushing down the lower Salt and Gila rivers for the first time in decades, Arizona is drying up again. The state's mountains are virtually bare, with snowpack conditions worse than they were at the same time in 2002, a year that set records as one of the driest in five centuries. There is no snow at most measuring stations. "It's pretty significant. We're usually building snowpack by Thanksgiving, and now here we are in January." So far, snowpack on the Salt and Verde watersheds is the SMALLEST SINCE 1966. Warm weather is sucking moisture from forests and ranges, ratcheting up the risk of wildfire. Rural areas are bracing for water shortages by early summer if rains don't come. What the experts don't know yet is if winter is just late - very, very late - or if last year was a wet blip on a long-term drought entering its 11th year. But if winter is late, it will have a lot of catching up to do: January and February typically bring much of the snow needed to refill reservoirs and keep rivers and forests healthy. The culprit so far is a stubborn weather pattern that steers every storm north of Arizona. Some experts are already predicting one of the worst wildfire seasons in years, fearing a lethal combination of drying trees and dried-out grass and shrubs. The warm weather is actually stimulating some trees to start the photosynthesis process during a time they should be dormant. Forecasters are predicting warm, dry conditions for the next two or three months, but climate experts admit they can't explain what's causing the dry-up. Cooler ocean temperatures in the equatorial Pacific suggest a La Niña pattern, which almost always means less rain and snow in Arizona. Other climatologists are looking at temperatures in the Atlantic Ocean, which has emerged in some studies as a new influence on weather in the West. "This winter is a bit of a puzzle. What's happening so far is pretty astonishing. We're watching this movie to see how it turns out like everyone else."
Previous Disasters - On this day -
1/16 -
In 1889 – Cloncurry, Queensland, recorded a temperature of 53.1 celsius, highest known in Australia.
In 1979 - a 6.7 quake struck Iran. At least 200 people reported killed, many injured and considerable damage in Bonzonabad and surrounding areas.
In 1994 - a 4.6 quake struck Pennsylvania. The largest historical earthquake in Pennsylvania.
In 1995 - a 6.9 quake struck Kobe, Japan. Five thousand five hundred two people confirmed killed, 36,896 injured and extensive damage.
Disease - updated Mondays
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Sunday, January 15, 2006 -
QUAKES -
Largest quakes yesterday -
1/14 -
5.3 MARIANA ISLANDS
5.2 OFF E. CST KAMCHATKA PEN.
1/13 -
5.2 NORTHERN SUMATERA, INDONESIA
5.2 OFF W. CST OF NORTHERN SUMATERA
5.0 NORTHERN SUMATERA, INDONESIA
5.0 PACIFIC-ANTARCTIC RIDGE
5.3 SAMOA ISLANDS REGION
5.2 TONGA ISLANDS
5.7 FIJI ISLANDS REGION
CHINA - At least one person has been injured and 20,000 people evacuated following Thursday's 4.7-magnitude earthquake in southwest China's Yunnan province. The quake affected nearly 100,000 people and caused an economic loss of about $6.9 million. A number of buildings in nine villages and townships collapsed or sustained damage in the quake. Eight minor aftershocks occurred in the 24 hours following the quake, and China's seismological bureau predicted more were likely
There were fewer deaths worldwide in 2005 due to earthquakes, but almost 90,000 casualties were reported. Nearly all of the fatalities - 87,351 - occurred when the magnitude 7.6 earthquake hit Pakistan Oct. 8. The magnitude 8.7 earthquake which struck Sumatra on March 28, 2005, killed 1,313 people and was the strongest temblor for 2005. In 2004 - the third-deadliest earthquake year on record - more than 283,000 people perished in the Dec. 26 magnitude 9.0 Sumatra quake, and related tsunami.
VOLCANO -
ALASKA - Augustine Volcano in Alaska has erupted five times over the past two days. The eruptions were big enough to force the cancellation of flights into Anchorage and Fairbanks on Friday. Officials also closed schools on the southern Kenai Peninsula. Heavy clouds of ash have been left hanging in the air. There could be more eruptions in the next few days, with little or no warning. The volcano has been erupting since Wednesday.
INDONESIA - at least 10 volcanoes in Indonesia have been declared to be in alert status. The ten volcanoes in second level alertness status are Mount Merapi and Mount Talang in West Sumatra, Mount Anak Krakatau in Lampung, Mount Semeru in East Java, Mount Kerinci in Jambi, Mount Egon in Flores, Mount Lokon Soputan in North Sulawesi and Mount Dukono in Halmahera. In the meantime, a volcano in third level alertness is Mount Karang Etang in North Sulawesi. Many hectares of tomato, chilli and cabbage in some areas of Lumajang district and Malang have been totally destroyed by rains of dust from Mount Semeru in the past few days, causing many farmers to harvest their crops earlier.
TROPICAL STORMS -
Cyclone 01A was 685 nmi S of Bombay, India.
Cyclone URMIL was 1018 nmi NE of Auckland, New Zealand.
Cyclone Urmil - Meteorologists had issued storm alerts and weather warnings for Samoa, Tuvalu and American Samoa. Now the storm is heading out to sea and is weakening in waters to the northeast of the Chatham Islands. It is now becoming less of a threat, but any boats should be prepared for worsening conditions.
AUSTRALIA - Stranded motorists searched for alternative routes out of Lake Grace as floodwaters cut the highway linking Perth with Esperance in the south of Western Australia. The sting in the tail of Cyclone Clare has been some 200mm of unseasonal rain over a 24-hour period in the area. Tropical Cyclone Clare crossed the Pilbara coast near Karratha and Dampier in the state's north earlier in the week, with winds in excess of 200kph bringing down power lines on January 9.
THUNDERSTORMS / HEAVY RAINS -
AUSTRALIA - A severe thunderstorm has passed rapidly over Brisbane, downing trees and tearing the roof from a block of units. The FREAK STORM battered Brisbane around 3pm (AEST) and brought gale force winds, before it moved just as quickly out to sea off Queensland's southeast coast.
AFGHANISTAN - Heavy rain in Afghanistan triggered a landslide that killed 13 people in a remote village.
CANADA - New Brunswick officials are warning people to watch out for flooding along the St. John River, amid unseasonably warm temperatures and heavy rains. The province's Emergency Measures Organization issued an ice-movement alert on Saturday. Environment Canada was predicting as much as 45 millimetres of rain in some areas between Saturday night and this morning. Ice jams form yearly along the river, but they usually do not cause problems until late March or early April.
WASHINGTON - a state of emergency was declared on Friday after nearly a month of rainy days has left millions of dollars of destruction from flooding, mudflows and landslides. The rain has caused more than $7.3 million of damage to transportation infrastructure. If Seattle's wet streak — which stood at 26 days Friday — exceeds the previous record of 33 consecutive days, set in 1953, it won't even be a blip in the national weather record books. No place compares with the achievement of Hawaii, where Kaneohe Ranch on the island of Oahu recorded 247 consecutive days of rain from Aug. 27, 1993, through April 30, 1994. Centralia, Washington, which is about halfway between Seattle and Portland, set the Washington record for consecutive days of precipitation with 55 between late 1996 and early 1997. Rivers around the Seattle area were still at or near flood conditions on Friday. No new mudslides have been reported, but officials have said ground saturation levels continue to make more slides possible.
ALABAMA - A few hours after a tornado struck Belleville, residents still were amazed at how quickly the storm ripped through the area. One person was killed and several homes and buildings were damaged when the tornado touched down along U.S. 84 just after 10 a.m. Residents said the tornado ran through the neighborhood in the less than a minute.
NEVADA - Western Nevada has experienced their worst flooding since their historic deluge of 1997. Reno has had a little over six inches of precipitation since July 1st, which is the beginning of the water year for them. They usually average seven and a half for a whole year. And the wettest part of the year historically is still ahead.
SNOW / COLD -
JAPAN - Japan faces the threat of avalanches this weekend as winter weather eases to bring a thaw to one of the HEAVIEST SNOWFALLS ON RECORD. Warnings of landslides, avalanches and floods are in place across the country. Rain is forecast in many areas, likely to increase the risk as snow drifts almost 4m (13ft) deep in places start to melt. The snow-related death toll has risen to at least 89, thought to be the HIGHEST SINCE 1980. About 1,800 points across the Niigata prefecture have been identified as posing a risk of avalanche, including hundreds of sites with more than 3m (9ft) of snow.
CANADA - RECORD SNOWFALL forced the cancellation of 200 flights at Montreal airport, school closures and caused havoc on roads. More than 41 centimetres of snow fell on Friday. The storm will go down in history as ONE OF THE BIGGEST SNOWFALLS IN A SINGLE DAY in Montreal in December, beating a record of 37.8 centimetres (15 inches) on December 27, 1969. About 2.14 metres of snow usually falls on the city each winter.
PAKISTAN - The United Nations has suspended relief flights to victims of last October's earthquake in Pakistan because of heavy rain and snow. The UN halted the flights to the Kashmir region and surrounding territories today and was monitoring the situation on an hour-by-hour basis. Flights are expected to resume later today if there is a break in the weather. Pakistan's Meteorological Department warned of heavy snow throughout the weekend and the threat of avalanches.
WILDFIRES / HEAT -
TEXAS - Even though it is January, drought conditions contributed to several wildfires attacking North Texas fields late Friday afternoon. The fires this season have been SO EXTREME that firefighters from all over the country are saying they’ve NEVER SEEN ANYTHING LIKE THIS.
PENNSYLVANIA - Western Pennsylvania natives were treated to extremely unseasonal weather on Friday as temperatures soared into the 60s.
NEBRASKA - Friday was the 25th-straight day of above-normal temperatures in Omaha. The last time Nebraska experienced a longer streak was in November 2000. In December 1999, there was a 42-day streak of warmer-than-normal weather. The unseasonable weather isn't concentrated in Nebraska and Iowa. Nearly the entire nation is seeing weather that is odd for January. New Yorkers stripped down to shirtsleeves Friday as temperatures flirted with 50 degrees. Northern Colorado is receiving massive snowfall, while the southern portion of the state has wildfires due to dry conditions. Arizona is also worried about wildfires. Phoenix hasn't had a single drop of rain since Oct. 18.
INDIANA - Thursday, the high temperatures recorded in Marion was 54 degrees, far above typical January temperatures, which usually top out in the 30s. The unusual weather pattern is attributed to the fact that the low-pressure system that in December allowed cold Canadian air to dip south into Indiana has since moved out of the area. "There's been a strong westerly flow that's developed across North America, and what that does is it keeps the cold (air) up in Canada and allows the Pacific air to flow across the country."
Weeks into winter, storms more typical of spring and near record daytime highs have replaced the typical signs of the season. Across parts of Central Indiana, Friday got underway with heavy rain, thunder, lightning and pea-sized hail. "It's unusual that we get thunderstorms in January, but not that unusual. What's a little bit unusual is how long this warm temperature pattern has lasted." Forecasters say it's the subtropical jet stream pushing the polar jet stream to the north that's responsible. So far this season January has come in at some 15 degrees above normal.
Previous Disasters - On this day -
1/15 -
In 1900 – Bubonic plague was reported in Adelaide, Australia after spreading from China to India and Noumea; on January 19, the first case was reported in Sydney: 103 died.
In 1934 - an 8.4 quake struck Bihar-Nepal, India. 10,700 deaths.
In 1944 - a 7.8 quake struck Argentina. 5,000 dead.
In 1968 - a 6.0 quake struck Sicily. 216 killed.
In 1993 - a 7.6 quake struck the Hokkaido, Japan Region. Two people killed.
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Friday, January 13, 2006 -
QUAKES -
Largest quakes yesterday -
1/12 -
5.2 OFF W. CST OF NORTHERN SUMATERA
5.4 BONIN ISLANDS, JAPAN, REGION
VOLCANO -
ALASKA - As of the 12th of January, the Alaska Volcano Observatory (AVO), has reported that an earthquake swarm was detected at Mt. Martin volcano on January 8-10. In the past two days 300 earthquakes have been detected. This compares with the normal background rate of 25 per month. Satellite images do not show any unusual activity.
ALASKA - The pair of small eruptions that blew ash six miles high above Augustine Island Wednesday were probably just the warm up for bigger explosions to come, scientists say. Scientists with the Alaska Volcano Observatory expect the climax of the eruption cycle is still ahead. They say Augustine Volcano is behaving similarly to its eruptions in 1976 and 1986, which peaked with explosions that belched ash steadily for hours. The pattern of seismic swarms in recent weeks suggests a large magma body that would probably not be finished with its work after those two small bursts. New mudflows streaked the snow on the mountain's lower flanks. When magma, steam and ash bubbled up inside Augustine Volcano, they expanded and lifted the Cook Inlet island by 2 inches. The movement is a matter of the magma finding room for itself inside the island before steam and ash finally break free through the top of the volcano.
TROPICAL STORMS -
CYCLONE TAM was 1371 nmi NNE of Auckland, New Zealand.
TONGA - Forecasters are tracking the movement and intensification of Cyclone Tam over the Niuas and Vava'u island groups of Tonga. Tam is lying west of Niuatoputapu, with wind speeds of up to 1-hundred kilometres an hour expected this morning. The cyclone is moving south-east towards Ha'apai and there are warnings of rough seas, and flooding including sea flooding of low-lying areas.
THUNDERSTORMS / HEAVY RAINS -
CANADA - As many as 1,000 people in North Vancouver are on standby to evacuate their homes amid a growing threat of landslides caused by days of heavy, steady rain.
SOUTH AFRICA - A massive hail storm has ripped through the rural Sitheba village near Umtata leaving one person dead. The Sitheba tribal authority, where traditional matters are discussed, has been totally destroyed. Four people have been injured and admitted to the Umtata General hospital. A large number of homes have been flattened and hundreds of people are homeless. Livestock has also been killed in the storm.
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Thursday, January 12, 2006 -
QUAKES -
Largest quakes yesterday -
1/11 -
5.1 NORTHERN SUMATERA, INDONESIA
5.2 NORTHERN SUMATERA, INDONESIA
5.0 SOUTHEAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
5.6 FIJI ISLANDS REGION
5.1 WESTERN CAROLINE IS.
5.6 OFF COAST OREGON
5.1 PAKISTAN
TSUNAMI -
INDONESIA - Long after tsunami killer waves receded from the Andaman coastlines, authorities are baffled by the discovery of vast tracts of land which have emerged from the sea to the north of the archipelago. The administration of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands is consulting experts about the new topographical features. As a result of the powerful seismic turmoil, about 140 hectares of land have been added to the area of the Union Territory. In the north of the islands, the land came to the surface of the sea because of a significant rise in land level.
VOLCANO -
ALASKA - Augustine volcano on an uninhabited Alaskan island erupted early yesterday, spewing an ash plume about five miles into the sky. The ash was expected to steer clear of Anchorage, the state’s most populous city nearly 200 miles to the north-east. Two explosions indicated an eruption at the volcano. Satellite images and radar later confirmed the eruption.
JAPAN - Mount Fuji, one of Japan's most endearing symbols, looks like it's about to blow its top, according to Shukan Post. Perhaps the biggest indication that Fuji-san's lid is loose comes because it's currently bereft of snow on its distinctive cap despite it being mid-winter and unprecedented snowfalls being dumped on the Sea of Japan coastline. "You can't say that it always has a coating of snow at this time of the year, but considering all the snow that's fallen right throughout the country, everybody thinks it's a bit weird that there's no snow on Mount Fuji." The Meteorological Agency says that shortage of snow is a simple situation. "It won't snow on the Pacific Ocean side of Japan unless a cold front approaches the coastline off the Izu Peninsula. The same case applies for Tokyo. If it's not snowing in Tokyo, it's not likely that there's going to be much snow on top of Mount Fuji." Others in villages at the foot of Fuji said "... about the start of December...I've felt this uncomfortable kind of stress all the way along. After a while, this develops into a kind of nausea, sort of like the feeling you get with car sickness. When I'd felt like this for a couple of weeks, I mentioned it to some neighbors, and discovered that there were a number of people feeling the same way. One person said they felt like they were permanently car sick, while another said they thought their ailment was like being plagued by a speaker constantly emitting a deep, unending tone." Some experts say that it would not be surprising for Mount Fuji to erupt at any moment. "It's my personal belief that magma build-up inside Mount Fuji has already reached a critical stage." Since the start of 2004, frogs and stinkbugs once prominent in the area have virtually disappeared. Some see this as a sign that they've sensed something untoward is about to happen and they're avoiding the place like the plague. Observers have noticed this phenomenon, too. "The most recent change has probably been the sudden disappearance of sparrows around the mountain since about the middle of October. Normally, sparrows flock to this place, even in the middle of winter."
THUNDERSTORMS / HEAVY RAINS -
AUSTRALIA - Towns in Western Australia's north-west are bracing for flash flooding as torrential downpours buffet the coast. A number of towns that bore the brunt of Cyclone Clare over the past two days have received hundreds of millimetres of rain. Rising flood waters will be a major risk for the rest of the week.
INDONESIA - Thousands of houses in 12 villages in the West Java regency of Indramayu have been inundated by floodwaters, and residents fear the flooding will lead to crop failures in the rice-producing region. No casualties have been reported in the flooding, which began on Sunday, but material losses are estimated at billions of rupiah. The regency's three main rivers have all overflown their banks, swamping houses, roads, government offices and schools.
97 districts in 27 of Central Java's 35 regencies and cities are at risk for landslides.
OREGON AND WASHINGTON - Rivers and streams continued to rise as more than an inch of rain fell in most areas across the Northwest Tuesday and into Wednesday. The continuing deluge compounded problems throughout Oregon and Washington as trees fell across roads, hillsides slid down onto highways and swollen rivers turned coastal roads into waterways. Another warm, wet winter storm expected to come ashore today. Heavy rain is also expected for Friday and into the weekend.
SNOW / COLD -
ASIA - is reeling under the HARSHEST WINTER FOR YEARS - Ten feet of snow has fallen in Japan. In China, temperatures have plunged as low as minus 43C and 100,000 people had to be evacuated when houses collapsed under the snow. A quarter of a million people have been snowed in. And in India, a frost that made headlines may also prove fatal. It reached the lowest temperature in Delhi for 70 years - and the SECOND LOWEST EVER RECORDED - but it has only dipped below zero by the narrowest of margins: minus 0.2C. Most South Asians are simply unable to cope with even these comparatively mild temperatures. They do not possess blankets or warm clothes. In this part of the world, even those with a roof over their heads rarely have heating. But for the homeless, the situation is even worse.
WESTERN U.S. - RECORD-BREAKING SNOWFALLS hit much of the West, but missed New Mexico and Arizona. From Mammoth in the southern Sierra and Whistler-Blackcomb in Britsh Columbia's Coast Range, to say nothing of Jackson Hole and Vail and Kirkwood and Park City, it was an incredible two weeks of storms for most of the West. At Jackson Hole, the snow depths at mid-mountain are the DEEPEST IN THE 40-YEAR HISTORY of the resort. The recent storm dropped 10 inches a day for nine straight days. Park City Mountain Resort got nearly 100 inches since Christmas and nearly 60 since New Year's Day. Colorado resorts are boasting that they have the best snow in 20 years.
FOG / OVERCAST SKIES -
WISCONSIN - Madison went 14 consecutive days - two entire weeks - without a ray of sunlight, according to the National Weather Service. That TIES THE CITY RECORD FOR MOST CLOUDY DAYS IN A ROW, set in 1992. The winter of 1978-79 was the last 'real winter' this city has had.
MINNESOTA - Saturday the sun shone through in the morning hours after more than two straight weeks of cloudy, often foggy, weather. Each cloudy day brought close to (or above) 30-degree temperatures. Perfectly blue skies with strong sun often means subzero weather in Minnesota in January, but not this week. (On Jan. 17, 1982, Tower, Minn., recorded 52 degrees below zero. Chicago recorded 25 below and subzero temperatures even reached into Mississippi and Alabama.)
MICHIGAN - As of January 6th, two weeks had passed since Grand Rapids recorded any sunshine. Since the beginning of December, they reported fair skies on a grand total of zero days. Three days were partly cloudy and 33 were cloudy. The average month of December brings 23 percent of possible sunshine to the weather station in Grand Rapids. For December 2005, the figure was 9 percent. The forecast sees no imminent change in the general weather pattern. "Basically, what's going on right now is we're not seeing a lot of winds aloft and not a lot of dry air." Or, in layman's terms: "We're kind of in a lull."
IOWA - After a solid two weeks with nary a glimpse of winter sun in central Iowa, weather forecasters said a break from the clouds was possible on the 6th. When it comes to completely clear skies, a longer wait is in store. "There's no clear sun in the foreseeable future." On the plus side, temperatures have remained mild, with highs in the 30s and 40s, slightly above normal for this time of year, when temperatures generally run from the mid- to upper 20s, with lows in the upper single digits to low teens. Although November, December and January are typically the cloudiest months of the year, two solid weeks of overcast skies is an UNUSUAL EVENT. The culprit is low-level moist air that has, in essence, kept clouds trapped over the area. Mild temperatures have contributed, melting snow and adding moisture to the air, which creates more clouds and fog. A high-pressure dry area is needed to push the clouds away, but none is in sight.
WILDFIRES -
TEXAS - the Director of the Texas Forest Service says this winter's fire season is the worst he's seen in nearly 10 years since he became state forester in 1996. In the first five days of 2006, 191,806 acres have burned in Texas, which are more acres than all of 2005. “Current fire threat conditions are so extreme that almost any wildfire has the potential to exceed local control at this point.”
DISASTER PLANNING -
NORWAY - has revealed a plan to build a "doomsday vault" hewn out of an Arctic mountain to store two million crop seeds in the event of a global disaster. The store is designed to hold all the seeds representing the world's crops and is being built to safeguard future food supplies in the event of widespread environmental collapse. "If the worst came to the worst, this would allow the world to reconstruct agriculture on this planet." The Norwegian government is planning to start work on the seed vault next year when construction engineers will drill into a sandstone mountain on the island of Spitsbergen, part of the Svalbard archipelago, about 600 miles from the North Pole. Permafrost will keep the vault below freezing point and the seeds will be further protected by metre-thick walls of reinforced concrete, two airlocks and high-security, blast-proof doors.
Previous Disasters - On this day -
1/12 -
In 1896 – this was the start of 13-day heat wave in Bourke, New South Wales, Australia, with daily average temperatures of 47C; a total of 47 people died.
In 1945 - a 7.1 quake struck Mikawa, Japan. 1,900 deaths.
In 1982 - a 6.2 quake struck Honduras. Two people injured.
In 1993 - a 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck northern Japan, killing 196 people.
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Wednesday, January 11, 2006 -
QUAKES -
Largest quakes yesterday -
1/10 -
5.0 NORTHERN COLOMBIA
5.4 NORTH ATLANTIC OCEAN
SOUTH AFRICA - A rock fall caused by a tremor killed three people and injured four at one of AngloGold Ashanti's South African mines on Tuesday. A tremor of 2.4 on the Richter scale caused the fall some 3 km underground at the TauTona mine near Carletonville, southwest of Johannesburg, the world's second biggest gold mine.
VOLCANO -
SOUTH SANDWICH ISLANDS - Mount Belinda on Montagu Island in the South Sandwich Islands is erupting. The Royal Air Force plans to fly a maritime patrol to the remote island from the Falkland Islands, as soon as the weather allows, to investigate the scale of the eruption and to see first hand the effects of the volcano, including changes to the coastline in the areas in which seabirds normally breed. From the satellite images it seems that the major colonies are unaffected as they lie on the far side of the island. Satellite imaging four years ago showed low level activity, with ash staining the snow-covered mountaintop. For the past two years the volcano has been erupting more forcefully, and a recent satellite image shows a large, fast moving lava flow, 90 meters wide, which is reported to be adding 50 acres a month to the island.
TROPICAL STORMS -
AUSTRALIA - Rising floodwaters from rain dumped by CYCLONE CLARE cut roads to isolated communities along Western Australia's northwest coast yesterday as authorities battled to restore telecommunications. Roofs were ripped from several homes and powerlines brought down as wind gusts of up to 200km/h lashed the towns of Dampier, Karratha, Roebourne and Wickham when the category-three cyclone crossed the coast about 1am. It was estimated that more than 200mm of rain fell in the worst-affected areas overnight and flooding was expected to continue in the region as the weakening system moved inland.
THUNDERSTORMS / HEAVY RAINS -
MOZAMBIQUE - At least 22 people have been swept to their death in Mozambique and thousands more have fled heavy rains there and in neighbouring South Africa and Malawi. Government officials in Mozambique said the death toll had risen sharply from the initial eight reported on January 3, and heavy rains were expected to continue until March, forcing the government to put the country on a cyclone alert. Rains have fuelled the spread of disease, with 114 cases of cholera reported in the central Sofala region.
SOUTH AFRICA - Reports say huge volumes of water released from the Grootdraai Dam in Mpumalanga, caused severe flooding at Rooikoppen outside Standerton. About 2500 households were cut off from the town after heavy flooding. Standerton's emergency services are trying to find ways to help the community. Meanwhile, in Kuruman in the Northern Cape, heavy rains accelerated by thunderstorms wreaked havoc on communities. Scores of families have been left destitute after their houses were severely damaged. More rain is forecast.
CANADA - Vancouver has had 23 consecutive days of rain and is on track to set a 53-YEAR RECORD amid renewed fears of mudslides.
WASHINGTON - "Our consecutive rainy day streak now stands at 23 with no end in sight. This is now THE LONGEST STREAK SINCE THE EARLY 60S and the FOURTH LONGEST EVER RECORDED."
SNOW / COLD -
JAPAN - Soldiers battled through snow on Tuesday to reach nearly 200 households cut off for two days in the mountains of central Japan in a RECORD COLD SNAP that has left 71 people dead. Authorities worried they were running short of fuel and students missed classes as towns were buried by roof-high snowfall UNUSUAL even for Japan's frigid winters. Soldiers failed to cut through the blizzard on Monday because of avalanche warnings. In Tsunanmachi, around 160km north of Tokyo, 199 people were cut off by 323cm of snow. The Japan Meteorological Agency expects 40 to 60cm more snowfall in the area facing the Sea of Japan during the next 24 hours. Fifteen locations across Japan have been hit by RECORD SNOWFALL since last month.
Previous Disasters - On this day -
In 1945 - a 7.1 quake struck Mikawa, Japan. 1,900 deaths.
In 1962 – an avalanche buried a village in the Peruvian Andes, and 3,000 people were killed.
In 1982 - a 6.2 quake struck Honduras. Two people injured.
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Tuesday, January 10, 2006 -
Sorry for the lack of recent updates - I have been sick with the flu.
QUAKES -
Largest quakes yesterday -
1/9 -
5.2 LAKE TANGANYIKA REGION
5.3 NORTH ATLANTIC OCEAN
5.1 MINDORO, PHILIPPINE ISLANDS
1/8 -
5.0 LUZON, PHILIPPINE ISLANDS
6.7 SOUTHERN GREECE
5.1 YELLOW SEA
1/7 -
5.4 ALASKA PENINSULA
5.0 LUZON, PHILIPPINE ISLANDS
5.0 SOLOMON ISLANDS REGION
5.6 NEAR ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS.
1/6 -
5.6 ANDAMAN ISLANDS,INDIA, REG
5.2 IRIAN JAYA, INDONESIA
5.0 MARIANA ISLANDS
5.0 QINGHAI, CHINA
5.7 FIJI ISLANDS REGION
6.0 SOUTH OF PANAMA
GREECE - A powerful 6.9 earthquake shook Greece on Sunday and was felt as far away as the Middle East and Italy. Minor damage was reported in southern Greece, and authorities on the island of Crete said three people were slightly injured. The quake was beneath the seabed about 125 miles south of Athens. "It was a very powerful quake which shook all of Greece. There have been dozens of aftershocks. The quake occurred deep undersea and that's what saved us."
The epicenter of the earthquake was detected as being Kythira Island where major destruction was witnessed. The airport and about 50 buildings were damaged. "Roads were damaged, churches were damaged and even newly constructed buildings were damaged." The Kythira centered earthquake was also felt in Egypt, Israel, Turkey, and Jordan. Scientists project that as many as 6 million people may have felt the earthquake. Severe aftershocks are not expected to take place.
CANADA / NEW YORK AREA - An earthquake shook homes south of Montreal on Monday morning with enough force to make one man think a truck had slammed into his house. The quake, which hit at about 10:30 a.m. EST, measured magnitude 4.2. Small earthquakes commonly occur in a corridor running from south of Montreal to the Ottawa Valley. "This region is what we think of as an 'old risk region.' This is where two continental plates were interacting millions and millions of years ago. It is not an active interplate region currently, but it is more a zone of weakness."
TROPICAL STORMS -
CYCLONE CLARE was 156 nmi SW of Port Hedland, Australia
AUSTRALIA - Hundreds of residents in north-western Australia have abandoned their homes as tropical cyclone Clare approaches land. Weather forecasters are warning that some coastal communities could be battered by "very destructive winds and severe thunderstorms". Residents have been told to expect dangerously high waves and flooding if the cyclone crosses the coast. The production of oil and gas on rigs off the Western Australian coast has been suspended. Ports have also been closed as a precaution. This isolated region experiences around half-a-dozen cyclones every year between November and April.
Three of the most powerful hurricanes of 2005 were filled with mysterious lightning. Hurricanes are notoriously lacking in lightning. Hurricanes blow, they rain, they flood, but seldom do they crackle. Surprise: During the record-setting hurricane season of 2005 three of the most powerful storms - Rita, Katrina, and Emily - did have lightning, lots of it. And researchers would like to know why. The electric fields above Emily were AMONG THE STRONGEST EVER MEASURED by the aircraft’s sensors over any storm. "We observed steady fields in excess of 8 kilovolts per meter. That is huge - comparable to the strongest fields we would expect to find over a large land-based 'mesoscale' thunderstorm." The reason most hurricanes don't have lightning is that "they're missing a key ingredient: vertical winds." A hurricane's winds are mostly horizontal, not vertical. So the vertical churning that leads to lightning doesn't normally happen. "Hurricanes are most likely to produce lightning when they're making landfall." But there were no mountains beneath the "electric hurricanes" of 2005 — only flat water.
THUNDERSTORMS / HEAVY RAINS -
MALAYSIA - more than 1000 people have been evacuated from villages in Malaysia's southern Johor state after heavy rain caused flooding in five districts. Heavy rain in December caused the evacuation of over 20,000 people across five states in northern Malaysia.
AUSTRALIA - more than 100,000 homes and business were left without power after severe storms hit southeast Queensland. Heavy rain, hail, wind gusts and lightning affected the area, while localised flooding delayed repairs to the power network. About 17,000 lightning strikes were recorded between 6pm and 10pm across southeast Queensland.
SNOW / COLD -
INDIA - People in Delhi woke up to another cold morning with the minimum temperature at 1.6 degrees Celsius. The city recorded near-freezing temperatures on Sunday FOR THE FIRST TIME IN 70 YEARS. There are more than 1.5 lakh homeless people in Delhi who are the worst hit. The cold wave is sweeping across most of northern India. The Dal Lake in Srinagar has frozen FOR THE FIRST TIME IN 20 YEARS and frost was found on crops in Punjab and on top of cars in Delhi. Srinagar is recording temperatures below freezing point, and the city is covered with a blanket of snow with icicles forming on trees. Weather all around the world has deviated from normal conditions. Heavy snowfall broke all records in Japan and China with the temperature dipping to minus 43 degrees Celsius. Experts indicate the changes may not be just anomalies, as the world is increasingly moving towards extreme weather conditions. "The extreme weather conditions will set in further all over the world. Worst days lie ahead."
The northern hills of India have been experiencing heavy snowfall since the last week of December, making it one of the LONGEST AND COLDEST SPELLS IN SEVERAL DECADES.
JAPAN - The number of dead from Japan's HEAVIEST SNOWFALL ON RECORD has risen to nearly 70 people.
MONTANA - Avalanche danger in southwestern Montana remains high, with two snowmobilers already killed in separate slides since the first of the year.
CANADA - A snowboarder was found dead in an avalanche near Golden, British Columbia, on Sunday, just hours before four skiers were dug out of an avalanche 300 kilometres south in Fernie. B.C.'s recent warm and wet weather caused havoc with skiers at Fernie Alpine Resort when the avalanche hit about 3:30 p.m.
HEAT -
CANADA - Manitoba weather has been nowhere near normal for late December and early January. It's as if southern Manitoba has shifted across the country to either the British Columbia coast or to Toronto. Where normally there are sunny, clear, blue skies over the province, for weeks they have been replaced with cloudy and grey skies. Albeit, the changes have also seen their normally frigid winter weather tossed out in favour of above normal, unseasonal temperatures for close to a month. On Friday, Winnipeg's temperature reached a balmy high of 1.2 C and a low of -6.6 C, well above the normal high of -13 C and low of -23 C. Last month was the 15th warmest December on record in the province since statistics began being kept in 1872. The weather has turned snowmobile trails to mush and left community clubs unable to keep their outdoor rinks frozen."It's because we're getting a westerly flow instead of getting a really strong push from the north." Across the country, Canadians are shaking their heads at the weather. Vancouverites are used to pulling out their umbrellas, but not for 21 straight days of rain. While November to February is that area's rainy season, that many days is not normal. "Day after day after day of rain for three weeks in a row is UNUSUAL, even for here. It's an UNUSUAL STRETCH and it looks like it's going to continue." In the mountains "the freezing level is usually around 1,000 metres, but now it's as high as 1,800 to 2,000 metres." That means the water runs right down, instead of contributing to the snow pack that's important for maintaining high water levels throughout the summer. In Alberta, at a time when many areas should be under snow, officials are already worrying about grass and forest fires before summer. Some rural municipalities are banning burning on farms and acreages in parts of southern Alberta. Ontario and Quebec are getting unusual weather too - residents in those two provinces will be shovelling snow this week in temperatures between -12 C and -5 C.
DISEASE -
Five new human cases of bird flu have been confirmed in several Turkish provinces, pushing the number of people infected up to 14. The cases, identified as being of the deadly H5N1 strain, mean the virus is now present in the east, north and centre of the country. At least two Turkish children have died, and correspondents say fear is spreading rapidly across the country. Health experts say there is no sign the virus is passing from human to human. "There's no disease in urban areas, the only human cases are from people who've been in direct contact with poultry."
The number of cases of bird flu in humans may have been hugely under-reported, a study says. Swedish researchers interviewed nearly 46,000 people from Vietnam, where there have been 87 cases of bird flu. They found that more than 8,000 had had flu-like symptoms and up to 750 cases could have been down to sick birds.
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Friday, January 6, 2006 -
QUAKES -
Largest quakes yesterday -
1/5 -
5.1 SOUTHERN PERU
5.3 NEAR COAST OF CENTRAL CHILE
5.8 SOUTH SANDWICH ISLANDS REGION
5.1 KURIL ISLANDS, RUSSIA
KASHMIR - One of the world's leading seismologists has warned of the possibility of more earthquakes in the Kashmir region over the next 50 years. Kashmir could experience quakes more severe than the one which killed more than 73,000 people in October. Research, using data stretching back 500 years, has shown that huge amounts of energy had been stored in the faultline but it was unevenly distributed. "This meant that when (the tectonic plates) do go, they are very likely to go with a very large earthquake. Our study basically showed that there were four places that could have a magnitude 8.2 earthquake or more." The 8 October earthquake occurred at the very end of the Himalayan tectonics. It ruptured a 100km length of the Kashmir region, diagonally from the north-west to the south-east. Also, it ruptured from very close to the surface down to a depth of 30-40km. The Himalayas slipped about three to four metres within about 15 seconds. The mountains behind Muzaffarabad, around the epicentre, actually rose by about a metre, releasing an energy equivalent of a 30 megaton nuclear explosion. The last major series of earthquakes recorded in Kashmir started in 1501, culminating in a major jolt in 1555. "From what we know of Kashmir's history, there may well be a sequence of earthquakes spread over the next 50 years." Another serious issue is the nature of the aftershocks experienced in October. The north-west tip of the rupture which extends to "the mountains behind Muzaffarabad" has recorded the expected number of aftershocks. But the south-eastern tip of the rupture, which extends to the plains below the Himalayas, has shown "a surprising and worrying calm". "This means that pressure is building up around the south-eastern tip." In other words, it means that should the faultline slip in the south-east, the shockwave is very likely to travel towards the plains of Punjab - possibly extending down to the historic city of Lahore.
VOLCANO -
ALASKA - "Do you have goggles and a dust mask? How about a three-day supply of food and water? With the recent rumblings coming from the Augustine Volcano near Homer, the American Red Cross is urging Alaskans to prepare in case it erupts." Indications are that magma has risen 1,000 feet above sea level inside Augustine. Ash can cause widespread problems, turning daylight into complete darkness. And you don’t want to get ash on your skin or in your lungs, as it consists of tiny jagged pieces of rock and glass that’s abrasive, mildly corrosive, conducts electricity when wet and does not dissolve in water.
TROPICAL STORMS -
Tropical storm ZETA was 847 nmi NE of Fort de France, Martinique - becoming less organized and forecast to weaken.
THUNDERSTORMS / HEAVY RAINS -
AFRICA - Warning of more storms after flooding - Storms and flooding across parts of Mozambique, Malawi and Zimbabwe have left at least 15 people dead and tens of thousands homeless with a tropical storm heading towards Inhambane, about 500km north of Maputo. Further heavy rains are predicted. The National Meteorology Institute in Mozambique warned of a tropical storm in the Mozambique Channel that is heading towards the country. Radio Mozambique gave a death toll of 13 thus far. In Malawi more than 3,700ha of crops were destroyed, mud and thatch houses flattened and livestock was swept away. In Zimbabwe, torrential rains swept contaminated sewage and drain water into drinking sources, triggering a cholera outbreak that has killed at least seven people. The continuous rainfall had been caused by a strong influx of moist tropical air from the north.
SNOW / COLD -
CHINA - Almost 250,000 people in north-western China have been trapped by heavy snowfall, as the country faces its worst winter in 20 years. Temperatures have plummeted to -43C, and snow is blanketing parts of Xinjiang province. Almost 100,000 people have been evacuated after their homes collapsed under heavy snow. More than 5,000 people are being treated for frostbite, four of whom had to have limbs amputated. Forecasters are warning this is just the beginning of a cold freeze. This wraps up a year of extreme weather conditions following the HOTTEST SUMMER IN MORE THAN 50 YEARS. Now China's government is appealing to private companies and millionaires to give more money to those in need, saying 18 million people affected by natural disasters are still waiting for aid.
JAPAN - was bracing for more snow today after SOME OF THE HEAVIEST SNOWFALL ON RECORD that has left at least 28 people dead and paralysed transport. Almost 4m of snow has piled up in the worst-hit areas of Niigata near the Japan Sea coast, though the snowiest season of the year is yet to come. Japan's Meteorological Agency said cold weather and heavier-than-usual snowfall would likely continue through January, caused by cold air flowing over the country from the North Pole. This was a phenomenon that occurs on a regular basis, but has lasted LONGER THAN USUAL.
HEAT -
AUSTRALIA - the recent Queensland hot spell has been blamed for the mass death of fish on the Gold Coast. Thousands of dead fish were discovered in Robina Lakes and a Clear Island waterway on the 5th. It is believed that UNUSUALLY HIGH WATER TEMPERATURES caused by hot weather during the past few days led to the death of eels, mullet, bream and bass. Many of the dead fish have washed ashore and more fish deaths are expected this weekend.
LANDOWNERS are on high alert as a large bushfire continues to burn out of control in a rugged national park in New South Wale's central-west. Firefighters were preparing for possible flare-ups as gusty winds looked set to fan the blaze in the Weddin Mountains National Park.
RUSSIA - A powerful cyclone that has been affecting southern areas of Russia's Kamchatka Peninsula has brought a SUDDEN WARMING there. Air temperatures have risen by 10-15 degrees Celsius on average in the region. In some areas and the central part of the peninsula the temperatures have risen by 30 degrees from 28 below zero to two above zero Celsius. Squally winds with force up to 24 metres per second are raging in the coastal areas in the east of Kamchatka. The wind speed is reaching 30 metres per second in the Pacific near the peninsula's coast. Flights of passenger planes of all local air carriers have been cancelled for the second day running due to the bad weather.
ODD -
MORE BOULDERS FALLING DUE TO 'RAPIDLY CHANGING WEATHER CONDITIONS' -
TANZANIA - three American tourists were killed when rocks tumbled down Mount Kilimanjaro and smashed into climbers preparing to scale the peak of Africa's highest mountain. Five others, three Americans and two Tanzanians, were injured. U.S. scientists have predicted that Mount Kilimanjaro's glaciers are melting so fast they will be disappear in less than 20 years. It is thought that the shrinking glaciers have loosened rocks they once held in place. {Other articles said "a SUDDEN CHANGE IN WEATHER at Kibo peak dislodged the rocks."}
ILLINOIS - a strange rust-colored dust is being found on cars this week. "All day long we were noticing cars coming in with this rust-colored sediment on them." "It's a rust-colored powder, and rubbing fingers together, it almost feels like a baby powder, or kind of like, if you ever work with corn starch, or even a woman's cosmetic. The rouge that they put on, or what have you." One place has seen about 30 cars come in over the past couple of days, all carrying the strange sediment. Cars from the Far South Side, from Humboldt Park, from Crystal Lake. "It's pretty weird." The Illinois EPA says it's not sure what's going on. Accu-Weather says the rusty powder could be dirt from the dry Southwest, blown by the winds and dropped by the rain.
CONSTANT FOG -
CANADA - Alberta - UNUSUAL WEATHER has created a life-threatening situation for the 1,200 residents in Fort Chipewyan, one of the most remote communities in the region. A weather system over the hamlet has created reduced visibility, grounding flights sporadically for the last month, including three days this week. The doctor who is scheduled to travel to the hamlet every Tuesday hasn’t been able to see his patients in more than four weeks. The weather conditions could keep necessary help away in a trauma situation, he said. The mix of warm and moist air has created a low ceiling - reducing visibility over the hamlet and SETTING A NEW WEATHER PRECEDENT. “We have this problem for a day here and there throughout early spring, maybe in the fall but I’ve never seen a system like this sustain.” The winter road to the south is yet to be opened due to the warm weather, so residents must rely purely on airplanes for supplies, mail and transportation. "Alberta and the Arctic have been ABNORMALLY WARM warm this winter. The real cold stuff is more over Nunavut and in (Russian) Siberia."
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Thursday, January 5, 2006 -
QUAKES -
Largest quakes yesterday -
1/4 -
6.8 GULF OF CALIFORNIA, MEXICO
5.2 VANUATU ISLANDS
TROPICAL STORMS -
Tropical depression ZETA was 896 nmi NE of Bridgetown, Barbados.
AT SEA rowing across the Atlantic towards Antigua. Having set out on an expedition, the Row4Life team expected and hoped for a 40-50 day crossing of the Atlantic, in consistent, gentle trade winds pushing them to the west. That is what traditionally happens at this time of the year in the Atlantic. No such luck this year. Instead in the last month they have met 3 low-pressure systems, 2 tropical storms and 1 hurricane. The latest Tropical Storm Zeta has been with the fleet for the last week, sustaining winds of about 50 miles per hour and making life very uncomfortable onboard with waves the size of houses at times. Had the fleet known what FREAK WEATHER conditions were going to hit them, perhaps no one would have set out in the first place. “It has been tough, I have to admit it. I don’t want to whine, but we haven’t had one day where the weather actually helped us!...we are trying to row against 12-foot waves as they fall into our boat! A few days ago everything got wet in our cabin, today it is sunny and 102 degrees on deck, so every day is different.” On Day 35 they are not even halfway yet, they have now rowed 1,351 miles and still have 1,580 to go. As they near the half way point in miles, they now pray for elusive easterly trade winds to help them towards their goal. Some teams are already worrying about running out of food and are eating only when absolutely necessary. The energy cost of 12 hours of rowing per day means they need approximately 8,000-10,000 kcals per day, which is 5x more than the average person.
THUNDERSTORMS / HEAVY RAINS -
(Sign-up required to view article) CALIFORNIA - December deluge might persist through January. The weather pattern that created December's deluge could keep wet weather going through mid-January at least, long-range forecasts show.
SNOW / COLD -
CHINA - Violent blizzards have forced the evacuation of 97,000 people in a largely Muslim region of western desert China, as the nation braced for its WORST WINTER IN 20 YEARS. The nearly 100,000 evacuees had been moved mostly because their homes had collapsed under the heavy blanket of snow. The crisis was far from over: "It's still snowing." Winds blowing in from Siberia had caused the temperature to drop precipitously to -36C in some spots. While no people were reported dead or injured in Xinjiang, mass starvation among the region's livestock is a possibility. 300,000 head of cattle and sheep were unable to graze because of the thick snow cover. The snowstorms in Xinjiang were just the most dramatic result of a cold front descending over China this week. Most provinces in the north of China were affected, and heavy fog caused a series of cancellations and delays at major airports, including in Beijing. Three more "winter freezes" were expected to affect China during January. The Central Meteorological Office recently predicted that China would experience its coldest winter since 1986. This was based partly on the fact that temperatures in December were 1.5C below the historical average. China saw relatively severe natural disasters in 2005. "We had floods, typhoons, droughts, hail storms, earthquakes, blizzards and mudslides."
CANADA - Winnipeg - Bad driving conditions created by a "FREAK" snowstorm are likely to blame for a crash that led to the death of an elderly man Monday night. The collision took place during a STRANGE SWING in the weather. "It was an EXTREME FREAK snowstorm just in that area. Only two kilometres of highway were involved in the snowstorm...each direction you'd be having a nice drive, and then all of a sudden you'd hit a wall of snow." Such freak snowstorms cause highways to be icy. "If it seems something is out of the norm weather-wise, you should try and decrease your speed until you know what you're on."
RUSSIA - An avalanche warning has been issued in Russia’s Sakhalin, after a powerful snow cyclone triggered five avalanches in the southern part of the island. Three of them have sealed off the highway between the city of Nevelsk and the settlement of Shebunino. The powerful cyclone paralysed transport on many roads. A double monthly norm of snow has fallen in different parts of Sakhalin over the past two days. Now the cyclone is leaving Sakhalin and the Kurile Islands to the Pacific Ocean, also hitting Kamchatka. This winter Sakhalin has seen several cyclones. About 30 avalanches were registered in mid-December, when a cyclone was hovering over the island for two days.
ODD -
TEXAS - UNUSUAL weather confusing north Texas plants. The warm weather may be causing some confusion in North Texas yards. Four weeks of warm weather following the last freeze is fooling some plants into thinking that spring has arrived. Some plants, like azaleas, are beginning to bloom 10 weeks before they should.
Previous Disasters - On this day -
1/5 -
In 1843 - a 4.8 quake struck Northeast Arkansas.
In 1953 - a 7.1 quake struck Near Islands, Alaska.
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Wednesday, January 4, 2006 -
QUAKES -
A 6.7 quake hit the Gulf of California off the Mexican coast this morning but there were no immediate reports of damage.
Largest quakes yesterday -
1/3 -
5.0 LAKE MARACAIBO, VENEZUELA
5.1 HOKKAIDO, JAPAN, REGION
5.5 FOX ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN ISLANDS
5.1 MARIANA ISLANDS
5.6 FIJI ISLANDS REGION
VOLCANO -
HAWAII - Mauna Loa's rumblings are quieting down. The rate of earthquake activity below the mountain, which last erupted in 1984, dropped off dramatically in 2005 from the previous year. "Last December, most people were predicting an eruption soon. The story 12 months later is completely different." Meanwhile, no end is in sight to Kilauea's Pu'u 'O'o eruption, which began Jan. 3, 1983. The volcano continues to spew out an average of 500,000 cubic yards of lava per day. This event has continued for more than two decades, while the volcano's 10 previous eruptions lasted no longer than a month. The Pu'u 'O'o eruption is the longest rift-zone eruption in at least 600 years.
TROPICAL STORMS -
Tropical storm ZETA was 1086 nmi ENE of Bridgetown, Barbados.
THUNDERSTORMS / HEAVY RAINS -
INDONESIA - A landslide triggered by heavy rains crashed into a village in Indonesia's Central Java province today, killing at least 16 people and possibly trapping 90 more under debris. The disaster followed landslides in neighbouring East Java province earlier this week that killed at least 77 people. Today's pre-dawn landslide smashed into hundreds of houses in the mountainous village of Sijeruk, home to around 700 people. "People are still in a panic. They screamed earlier today when there was another landslide, but it was not too big." Around the East Java village of Kemiri, hundreds of rescue workers and soldiers have been trying to reach a handful of villages still cut off by floods and landslides that swept through the area late on Sunday. In the nearby town of Jember 800 km (500 miles) east of Jakarta, rescuers were trying to reach the cut-off areas.
MALAWI - Flash floods have displaced more than 40,000 people and killed one person, hampering efforts to combat the worst drought in a decade. Houses, livestock and crops of farming families have been swept away in the Lower Shire Valley. More flooding is likely because heavy rains will continue to fall in the coming weeks. Mozambican media has reported that flooding has killed at least 13 people in central Sofala Province since torrential rains hit there last week.
ILLINOIS - In Springfield on Monday a "microburst," or strong surge of straight-line winds, toppled utility lines and trees, knocked out power and damaged homes and vehicles from west of Auburn through Chatham. A microburst is a strong downdraft that includes brief, though potentially damaging, winds on or near the ground. Microbursts can produce winds of 50 to 100 mph. "This is so HIGHLY UNUSUAL." Monday's spring-like microburst affected an area about eight miles long. It began shortly before 7:30 a.m. when five utility poles were snapped along Illinois 104. This gust of straight-line winds resulted from one of two severe storm cells that originated in Missouri early Monday. The first cell lost strength as it moved into Illinois and passed over Jacksonville without incident. The second started over St. Louis and decreased in intensity as it moved north into western Sangamon County. "A microburst is sometimes a characteristic of the last gasp of a dying storm."
FLORIDA - Ping-ponging weather in Gainsville - On Monday, the area saw RECORD RAINFALL, near-record temperatures and a foundation-shaking thunderstorm. Residents were greeted Tuesday with blue skies, ideal temperatures and calm conditions. Gainesville's 2.48 inches of rainfall Monday more than doubled the old record on that date. The area also saw 81 degree temperatures, just one degree short of the record high. A cold front is expected to arrive Thursday, dropping highs to the 50s and lows around freezing for the weekend. Monday's storm was caused by a cold front hitting unusually warm and moist weather. Gainesville Regional Airport recorded 1.69 inches in an hour. At least one location reported hail up to half an inch in diameter falling briefly.
MICHIGAN - Rumbles of thunder, flashes of lightning and rain showers on the second day of 2006 may have had residents of the Kalamazoo area wondering whether someone was playing games with the calendar. What's really going on is a weather pattern that has been keeping cold temperatures well to the north of southwestern Michigan. This has created low-pressure systems and plenty of instability, which created favorable conditions for thunderstorms on Monday. The National Weather Service describes the thunderstorms as "RARE" and "UNUSUAL" for this time of year. There were numerous reports of small hail, and frequent cloud-to-ground lightning strikes. "The weather pattern shifted in early December...It's STRANGE to have the temperature remain so constant. This last week-and-a-half has been about as UNUSUAL as the first three weeks in December, when temperatures were in the 20s." This past December was the SECOND CLOUDIEST EVER, only December 1972 was cloudier. "We had a total of 10 percent sunshine last month, so we're way below normal, and we're starting January off pretty cloudy, too."
CALIFORNIA - Has been hit by four back-to-back storms which originated in China on Dec. 24 and crossed the Philippines to pick up subtropical moisture before letting the rain and wind wallop most of Northern California. The RARE quadruple storm combination comes once every dozen years. In Los Angeles rain drenched the route of the Rose Bowl parade for the FIRST TIME IN A HALF CENTURY.
SNOW / COLD -
INDIA - Unpredictable weather held sway over north India claiming two lives in Punjab to raise the death count to 103 and snowfall wreaked havoc in Himachal Pradesh by cutting off all major passes even as road and air services were restored in Jammu and Kashmir. Foggy conditions too increased owing to high humidity, which disrupted road and rail traffic. Icy cold winds swept Chandigarh, as the maximum here dipped by a RECORD NINE DEGREES BELOW NORMAL at 11.4 C.
GERMANY - The Ice Rink disaster came amid FREAK SNOW. Long and dense snowfalls have brought havoc to southern Germany and Austria, triggering avalanches, felling trees, blocking roads and rail and cutting electricity to thousands of homes. Experts said an UNUSUAL mix of warmer weather - with temperatures just above freezing - and downfalls lasting for up to 30 hours had led to the chaos in an area used to snowy winters. Some 30 cm (12 inches) has fallen since Monday morning. "What was untypical is that it was first cold last week and snowed a lot and then became mild but continued snowing. This has raised the snow's density enormously and hence its weight." The snowfall was slowly moving northeast, towards the Czech Republic.
JAPAN - An avalanche buried 12 skiers and resort workers, badly injuring at least one. Niigata, about 155 miles northwest of Tokyo, has recently been hit with heavy snowfall. The weather agency warned that snow clouds could dump another 31 inches of snow in the region through late today.
Previous Disasters - On this day -
1/4 -
In 1970 - a 7.5 quake strucdk Yunnan Province, China, 10,000 killed.
Crop Failures, Food Shortages, Fish Die-Off
------------------------------------------
Tuesday, January 3, 2006 -
QUAKES -
Largest quakes yesterday -
1/2 -
5.5 FIJI ISLANDS REGION
7.1 FIJI ISLANDS REGION
5.7 FIJI ISLANDS REGION
5.3 NEW BRITAIN
5.6 VANUATU ISLANDS
5.0 NORTHERN MID-ATLANTIC RIDGE
7.3 SOUTHWESTERN ATLANTIC OCEAN
5.7 SOUTH OF MARIANA ISLANDS
A strong 7.3 earthquake struck Monday off the South Sandwich Islands in the South Atlantic Ocean, but there were no reports of injuries or a tsunami. "This particular area is not known to have tsunamis." Still, news of the quake prompted thousands of residents along the coast of Sri Lanka - thousands of miles away - to flee inland.
TROPICAL STORMS -
Tropical storm ZETA was 1164 nmi SW of Lajes, Azores.
"ZETA STRENGTHENED AGAINST ALL ODDS AND FORECASTS... IT APPEARS THAT EVERY PULSE OF STRONG UPPER-LEVEL WINDS THAT HAS TRIED TO APPROACH ZETA BECOMES DIVERTED AWAY FROM THE CYCLONE. CONSEQUENTLY, THE CYCLONE HAS NOT BECOME SHEARED. IN ADDITION, THE LATEST SSMI IMAGE SHOW A RING OF DEEP CONVECTION RESEMBLING AN EYEWALL...BUT NOT QUITE. THE LATEST RUN OF THE GFDL MODEL MAKES IT A 79-KNOT HURRICANE AS A SHARP UPPER-TROUGH APPROACHES THE HURRICANE. I WAS TEMPTED TO FOLLOW THE GFDL TREND BUT I HESITATED SINCE I AM NOT READY FOR SUCH AN AGGRESSIVE FORECAST YET GIVEN THE APPROACHING HOSTILE ENVIRONMENT FORECAST BY EVERY OTHER MODEL." Satellite image
HEAVY RAIN / FLOODING -
CALIFORNIA - Northern Californians focused Monday on cleaning up a mess of mud and debris swept into city streets and over roadways by two powerful winter storms as the heavy rain moved into Southern California, prompting flash flood watches for areas left blackened by recent wildfires. Estimates put the damage throughout Northern California at more than $100 million. Heavy snow fell across the Sierra Nevada on Monday, from Lake Tahoe south to Mammoth Mountain ski resort, where several avalanches shut down Highway 395, the main north-south route along the eastern Sierra. Mammoth reported 3 feet of new snow overnight, with several more feet expected to fall throughout the day.
MISSOURI - New Year's Day's 60-degree warmth was followed early Monday by severe storms - and perhaps a tornado or two. No one was hurt, but a few mobile homes were rolled over, trees knocked down, and strong hail pelted parts of the St. Louis area. The unseasonably warm weather was ominous for weather-watchers. "It's a bad sign when it's that warm. The humidity was very high as well. The combination of warm, moist air - things were very unstable. Sometimes when you get this unusually warm, humid air, and you get a low-pressure system moving through, it's definitely a good possibility of thunderstorms and severe weather."
GEORGIA - Summer-style thunderstorms raked Georgia on the second day of the new year, spinning off high winds, hail and tornadoes, downing trees and power lines and drenching most of the state with heavy rain. As an oncoming cold front clashed with moist air and temperatures unseasonally in the 60s and 70s, the National Weather Service reported almost 6 inches of rain in Alma.
SOUTH CAROLINA - Hail, rain and strong winds marked the thunderstorms that blew through the state Monday. It was an UNUSUAL weather event because it's so early in the year, and severe weather doesn't typically begin until late March. There have been January tornadoes in several of the last few years (1995, 1998, 2005), but the events are RARE. Of the 778 tornadoes recorded in the state since 1950, only 19 of them have touched down in January.
INDONESIA - Flashflood accompanied by a huge landslide in Indonesia's East Java Province has killed at least 29 people and swept away hundreds of houses leaving more than 9,000 homeless and over 100 missing. Two days of torrential rains have triggered the flood and unleashed a massive landslide in the town of Jember, some 800 km east of Jakarta. "The rain has triggered a huge landslide that later clogged up a river. As the rain continued for several days, the river suddenly unleashed a flash flood and massive landslide to the three areas."
ITALY - Inconveniences and train delays on the Roma-Cassino railway are due to a landslide, shortly after five thirty, near the small town of Labico, twenty kilometres from Rome. A mass of land and trees fell on top both tracks, blocking the line entirely.
Sinalunga is trying, slowly, to return to normal, after yesterday's flood, caused by the breaking of a bank of the Foenna stream, due to recent heavy rain.
Seven houses were evacuated in Forli' del Sannio, in the Isernia province, due to a landslide. The measure was taken due to safety reasons after that fireguards discovered the crumbling of a support wall over the houses. The landslide was due to the heavy rains of these days.
YEMEN - The death toll from last week's landslide in Yemen mounted to 63 on Monday after rescue teams pulled out nine more bodies. About 100 people are missing.
SNOW / COLD -
PAKISTAN - At least 70 people were injured when heavy snowfall destroyed a tent village set up for quake survivors in Pakistan's northern Hattia Bala area.
Avalanche risk in Pakistan's earthquake-torn areas - Significant snow has fallen in earthquake affected areas over the last two days. Officials say that this week's avalanche killed at least 24 people, who were in the area to dig for gemstones. The Kohistan area had been "hit by several aftershocks in the past week and there was one on the day of the avalanche".
GERMANY - Ten persons were killed in the collapse of the roof of an ice skating rink in the southern part of Germany yesterday following heavy snowfall.
Three mountaineers were reported missing after they were hit by an avalanche in the German Alps. Seven others had been able to struggle free of the avalanche.
Previous Disasters - On this day -
1/3 -
In 1911 - an 8.2 quake struck Kyrgyzstan, Chong-Kemin (Russia, Turkestan, Bol'shoy Kemin). Over 450 killed.
Drought, Heat, Water Shortages, Wildfires
------------------------------
Monday, January 2, 2006 -
QUAKES -
Largest quakes yesterday -
1/1 -
5.8 NORTHERN SUMATERA, INDONESIA
5.3 BANDA SEA
5.3 NEAR COAST OF VENEZUELA
5.4 SOUTHEAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
VOLCANOES -
WASHINGTON - Fifteen months after Mount St. Helens reawakened, the volcano is continuing to release massive amounts of lava in an UNUSUAL geologic display that in some respects confounds scientists. With the sticky molten rock comes a steady drumfire of small earthquakes. The unremitting, monthslong pace is not common. Experts say it is unclear what the activity signifies or how long it will continue. It’s not entirely clear where the lava is coming from. If it were being generated by the mountain, scientists would expect to see changes in the mountain’s shape, its sides compressing as lava is spewed out. But at the current rate of extrusion, “three or four months would have been enough time to exhaust what was standing in the conduit.” That suggests resupply from greater depths, which normally would generate certain gases and deep earthquakes. Neither is being detected.
Scientists now believe the new lava dome at Mount St. Helens has, in all probability, exceeded the volume of the dome that took six years to emerge in a series of eruptions between 1980 and 1986. The eruption began with a flurry of tiny earthquakes on Sept. 23, 2004, and has officially moved into its third calendar year. It's possible this eruption is simply the tail end of the eruption that actually began with a flurry of earthquakes detected in March 1980.
ALASKA - Experts say expect eruption of the Augustine Volcano within weeks. Scientists say it's likely the volcano's magma has already risen above sea level, and is continuing to rise in the 41-hundred-foot island volcano in Cook Inlet. The Alaska Volcano Observatory says tremors diminished this past week. But they say that does not mean the danger has lessened. Scientists say in 1986 the island blew off steam and then trembled for eight weeks, before finally erupting. Scientists say instruments picked up a few minor steam bursts this week.
TROPICAL STORMS -
Tropical storm ZETA was 1029 nmi SW of Lajes, Azores. Zeta is moving toward the SW. Some weakening is forecast during the next 24 hours. "THIS IS LIKE PREVIOUS TROPICAL CYCLONE EPSILON ALL OVER AGAIN. MOST OF THE CONVENTIONAL GUIDANCE SUGGESTED THAT ZETA SHOULD HAVE BEEN DISSIPATED BY NOW...WELL IT IS NOT INDEED...ACCORDING TO THE SHIPS MODEL WHICH DISSIPATES ZETA BY 48 HOURS, THE COOLER THAN NORMAL 200 MB TEMPERATURE IS THE ONLY PARAMETER CONTRIBUTING TO THE MAINTENANCE OF THE CYCLONE. ON THE OTHER HAND, THE GFDL INSISTS ON MAKING ZETA A HURRICANE IN A COUPLE OF DAYS AND IT IS HARD TO GO AGAINST IT. HOWEVER, WITH STRONG WESTERLIES ALOFT AND DRY AIR HEADING FOR ZETA, I HAVE NO CHOICE BUT TO FORECAST WEAKENING AGAIN AND AGAIN."
HEAVY RAIN / FLOODING -
CALIFORNIA - One man was killed, scores were forced from their homes and stranded on roadways, and thousands were left to clean up after torrential rains unleashed their fury on Solano County on the last day of 2005. The storm reportedly dumped more than 5 inches of rain on Solano County between Friday night and Saturday afternoon. Hundreds of homes had been touched by floodwaters. "We're totally saturated throughout the county, but we're nowhere nearly as bad off as Sonoma or Mendocino counties. Rio Vista is one of our primary concerns with the high tide and wind on the levees. if the situation in Rio Vista turns sour, it's going to be a real fight." The thought had been that, when high tide hit at 3 p.m., it - combined with high winds - could break the levee apart. Thankfully, that never occurred.
INDIA - The cold wave which gripped the North West region, finally subsided on the first day of the New Year as temperatures dipped at most places in Punjab and Haryana. The overcast skies registered a sharp increase settling at one to four degrees above normal. However, icy cold continued to sweep across Himachal Pradesh from the snow capped mountains of the tribal districts. The Met office here has sounded a warning for the farmers of Punjab as certain parts of the state was likely to be lashed by a hail storm accompanied by light to moderate rain in the next 35 hours. Winds at the speed of 45 km per hour are also likely to sweep across the border state that could renew the cold wave conditions.
AUSTRALIA - Hundreds of passengers were stranded after flash floods cut the main rail link between Western Australia and the eastern states, forcing the cancellation of freight and passenger services.
SNOW / COLD -
CHINA - already enduring its COLDEST WINTER IN 20 YEARS, is preparing for a cold snap that will see temperatures drop by as much as 16C. Northern China, where temperatures are already as low as minus 15-20C, will feel the strongest effects of the cold front, which is sweeping in from Mongolia and western Siberia. Three more successive "winter freezes" were expected to affect China during January, usually the coldest month of the year.
COLORADO - Two snowmobilers were killed in an avalanche near Cameroon Pass in the Rocky Mountains on Sunday.
UTAH - One missing, one rescued after Utah avalanche. A man who was caught in an avalanche while snowshoeing with a friend high in the mountains of Provo Canyon was presumed trapped. One man was able to ride out the avalanche, but his friend could not be found.
Extreme weather hits US states, Europe - In France and across much of Europe, brutally cold weather, which has seen lows of -26 C, is being blamed in dozens of deaths. Twenty-five centimetres of snow has fallen on Florence, Italy - the MOST IN 10 YEARS. In Poland, police said 23 people have frozen to death in recent days. An airport in the Netherlands was also snowed in, Germany was slammed with heavy snow and Britain experienced frigid temperatures down to -12 C, causing at least one death.
WILDFIRES / HEAT -
AUSTRALIA - Dozens of residents were forced to flee their homes as wildfires raged out of control in sweltering Australia on Sunday. Bushfires have destroyed more than a dozen homes in south-eastern Australia, and threaten hundreds more. Strong winds and very high temperatures have conspired to push giant walls of flames towards some communities. An ambulance worker died after helping residents escape to an evacuation centre, as temperatures soared to 47C. Many roads became impassable, and for some families the only means of escape was by boat. A cold front has brought relief from the scorching conditions, and, with it, some much needed rain. But fires continue to burn across Australia's south-eastern corner - one of the world's most fire-prone regions. Forecasters have predicted that more hot and windy weather is likely in the days ahead.
OKLAHOMA - is still under a threat of more wildfires and officials are asking for more help.
An Alaskan permafrost expert is casting doubt on predictions from a new computer climate model, which foresees rapid melting in the north over the next century. "Because permafrost is a very inertial system and it will keep lots of cold which has to be removed before it starts to thaw." He says that the scenarios of climate change the researchers used are too extreme. His own research indicates permafrost changes will not be that dramatic.
SPACE -
Meteor shower Tuesday - The Quadrantid meteor shower will treat viewers who escape city lights to as many as 100 meteors an hour.
Previous Disasters - On this day -
In 1999 - a 4.5 quake struck Sichuan, China 4.5. Two people injured and some livestock killed.
------------------------------
Sunday, January 1, 2005 -
QUAKES -
Largest quakes yesterday -
12/31 -
5.1 IRIAN JAYA, INDONESIA
5.1 NEAR COAST OF CENTRAL CHILE
5.3 KERMADEC ISLANDS REGION
12/30 -
5.2 SOUTHEAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
5.8 SOUTH OF PANAMA
5.0 MID-INDIAN RIDGE
5.1 SANTA CRUZ ISLANDS
TROPICAL STORMS -
Tropical Storm Zeta was 972 nmi SW of Lajes, Azores. The storm was not considered likely to threaten land.
The FREAK tropical storm began swirling through the Atlantic Ocean on Friday, defying predictions and capping a wild hurricane season. Zeta formed off the coast of Africa, adding to the total numbers of the already RECORD HURRICANE SEASON. Zeta is the 27th tropical cyclone of the year, and has TIED A RECORD FOR THE LASTEST DEVELOPING NAMED STORM in recorded history. It ties with 1954's Hurricane Alice. On Dec. 30, 1954, a late tropical depression formed farther south in the Atlantic Ocean, reached tropical storm strength later that day and on Dec. 31 became the second hurricane to be named Alice that year.
Earlier this month, Hurricane Epsilon became only the fifth hurricane to form in December in 154 years of record-keeping. Normally, hurricane season runs June 1 through November 30. A December storm like Zeta is VERY UNUSUAL. But even a January storm is possible. If there is one, it would be the first of the 2006 season and its name would be Alberto.
HEAVY RAIN / FLOODING -
CALIFORNIA - warnings of possible flooding and landslides were issued in Northern California as the latest of a series of storms hit the state. Four homes were destroyed in landslides during rains earlier in the week and cities have been vexed by flooded streets during downpours. A boulder tumbled from famed Telegraph Hill in San Francisco, causing temporary evacuation of some homes there. A combination of wind, high tide and heavy rain had officials worried about erosion to levees in the California Delta, a vast network of waterways near the city of Sacramento. The storm was expected to stretch inland to the Sierra mountains and separate storms are forecast to douse Southern California. Mountain areas in Los Angeles County recently hit by brush fires were particularly vulnerable.
NEVADA - Reno hit by WORST FLOODING SINCE 1997, Mudslide Shuts Down I-80. Rain and melting snow swamped Nevada, causing the worst flooding in the Reno area since a January 1997 flood that caused $1 billion in damages. High water and mudslides closed major roads.
SNOW / COLD -
SLOVAKIA - Seven Czech climbers were killed on Saturday when an avalanche overwhelmed their camp in the Tatra Mountains of northern Slovakia.
FRANCE - An off-piste skier has been killed by an avalanche in the ski resort of La Toussuire in the Sybelles ski domain.
EUROPE - The forecast is for warmer temperatures over the weekend, but until then, many parts of Britain will remain in the grip of ONE OF THE WORST SNOW AND ICE STORMS it has seen in many years. Right across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, a cold snap caused transportation chaos. In one instance 200 vehicles were stranded on a highway. The weather has also led to cancelled trains and airline flights. By Saturday, the temperature was expected to rise above freezing, which had local authorities warning of the possibility of flooding.
CONNECTICUTT - In Danbury, three to five inches of snow will fall on the region. The storm is one of a series that have come east out of the center of the country "They form in the Midwest, come here, die out, then re-form off the East Coast. It's a little UNUSUAL. We don't usually seem to be getting storms moving along a conveyor belt." Because of the relatively warm weather they've had for the past week or so, these storms have shown up as rain. But colder air moved into the region late Friday, making the New Year's Eve storm all snow. Another, albeit smaller, storm will hit the state Monday night into Tuesday, then a third on Thursday night into Friday. This last storm will be the worst.
HOT / DRY -
AUSTRALIA - Melbourne topped off its WARMEST EVER DECEMBER with a RECORD HOT NEW YEAR'S EVE. The temperature peaked at a scorching 42.9 degrees in Melbourne at 5.15pm (AEDT) yesterday, the city's previous hottest December 31 was back in 1862 when the mercury topped 41.7 degrees. Ballarat and Ararat both recorded their highest December temperatures of 41 and 42 degrees respectively. Victoria also set a new RECORD AVERAGE TEMPERATURE FOR DECEMBER of 27.7 degrees. The previous record was 27.3 in 1873. "It was in fact the WARMEST DECEMBER ON RECORD."
MELBOURNE'S WEATHER left forecasters in a spin with unexpected northerly winds counteracting a cool southerly change and sending temperatures soaring. The Melbourne weather bureau had predicted a maximum temperature of 42 degrees Celsius but downgraded the forecast earlier to 33 degrees when a southerly sea breeze hit the city shortly after 10am. But conditions changed rapidly in the afternoon when the winds swung 180 degrees and the temperatures soared to 43.5 degrees by 4.55pm (AEDT). "It's relatively UNUSUAL to be as complicated as this around the Melbourne area."
CANADA - Yellowknife is basking in their WARMEST DECEMBER ON RECORD. Warmer than usual temperatures have created road closures, ferry delays and flooding dangers throughout the Northwest Territories.
LOUISIANA - Is it irony or simply an interesting coincidence that in a year when two hurricanes washed away much of south Louisiana, northwest Louisiana is logging its 14th driest year ever? The National Weather Service expects low rainfall to continue through the first quarter of 2006.
Previous Disasters - On this day -
1/1 -
In 1902 - a 7.0 quake struck the Fox Islands, Alaska.
In 1980 - a 7.2 quake struck the Azores Islands. At least 56 people killed, 400 or more injured and extensive damage.
In 1996 - a 7.9 quake struck the Minahassa Peninsula, Sulawesi. At least eight people killed.
12/31 -
In 1901 - a 7.1 quake struck Cook Inlet, Alaska.
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