[A lot of the source articles are no longer retrievable, 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.]
Sunday, December 31, 2006 -
A THOUGHT FOR THE DAY - Resolve to be tender with the young, compassionate with the aged, sympathetic with the striving and tolerant of the weak and the wrong. Sometime in life you will have been all of these.
QUAKES -
12/31 -
5.1 EASTER ISLAND REGION
5.5 NEUQUEN, ARGENTINA
12/30 -
5.0 OFFSHORE GUATEMALA
5.1 SOUTH OF PANAMA
5.0 KURIL ISLANDS
5.2 EAST OF THE KURIL ISLANDS
6.3 GULF OF ADEN
5.0 GUAM REGION
12/29 -
5.1 SOUTH OF BALI, INDONESIA
TSUNAMI -
YEMEN issued a tsunami alert for areas located on its south-eastern coast after a powerful earthquake struck in the Gulf of Aden on Saturday. The alert was issued as a precautionary move and the possibility of a tsunami was small. An earthquake with magnitude 6.3 on the Richter scale struck the Gulf of Aden Saturday, off the coast of southeast Yemen. There were no reports of casualties or damage. Earthquakes are rarely felt in Yemen, however a temblor in 1982 caused serious damage.
INDONESIA - a list of some of the disasters, man-made and natural, to hit Indonesia since the Asian tsunami of 2004.
HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING / LANDSLIDES -
TEXAS - Storms caused by the same weather system that was bringing another blizzard to Colorado pounded much of Texas on Friday as high winds, lightning and flash floods left a trail of damaged property, splintered trees and downed power lines across the eastern half of the state. Hardest hit appeared to be Limestone County, where one man was killed near Groesbeck when a tornado touched down. Between 25 and 50 buildings across Limestone County could be destroyed. "Many houses completely imploded." "This was a very, very powerful upper-level system. It was affecting weather all the way from Houston all the way to Denver." The storms were caused by a cold front interacting with a strong low-pressure system. That, coupled with plenty of moisture from the Gulf of Mexico, produced an ideal recipe for severe weather. "It was a huge upper-level low." "Plus, the brunt of the storm is still yet to hit our areas."
GAZA, PALESTINE - The Gaza Strip, home to 1.2 million Palestinians, has faced an UNPRECEDENTED RAINFALL this week that has resulting in flooding in many places. With all major bridges having been obliterated by the Israeli bombing of infrastructure this summer, the floods have literally cut off the nothern half of the Gaza Strip from the South. Completely surrounded by Israeli military forces and electrified fences, the residents of Gaza have no other route by which to bypass the flood. Gaza residents had been using makeshift dirt roads through the canyon and the (normally) shallow river that runs from east to west across the middle of the Strip. But the rains have rendered those tracks impassable. Waters have been steadily rising in central Gaza since the winter rains, heavier than usual, began several days ago.
BRITAIN - A young woman has been killed after storms wreaked havoc across Britain on Friday night. The 18-year-old woman was inside a mobile home in Cheadle, Staffordshire, when a 60ft high tree crashed on to its roof. The gale force conditions have also delayed the investigation into a helicopter crash in Morecambe Bay. Six men died in the accident at a Centrica gas rig on Wednesday evening and another man is missing presumed dead. Rescuers called off the search for the missing man after forecasters predicted high winds over the next few days. Further stormy weather and 75mph winds are predicted to hit on New Year's Eve.
SNOW / COLD -
NEW ZEALAND - Wild, unseasonal weather is marking the final days of 2006 - an apt ending to ONE OF THE COLDEST YEARS ON RECORD. New Year's Eve is likely to be accompanied by rain, thunder and shivering southerlies around most areas. Wellington can expect rain, cold southerlies and a frigid high of 14 degrees. Westerlies and south-westerlies in January would bring a cooler than average summer for most of the country, except for the North Island's east coast, which is sheltered by mountain ranges. Auckland and Northland would be drier than normal, with average, warm temperatures as anti-cyclones came over the north of the country. The coldest spots would be on the South Island's west and south coast, with temperatures "just a shade lower than usual".
RUSSIA - The powerful snowy cyclone formed over Sakhalin two days ago is slowly leaving the island for Kamchatka and the Pacific Ocean. Only one serious incident was reported when the cyclone raged on Sakhalin. The fishing vessel Sofia was thrown on rocks on the island's western coast. All the crewmembers, 12 people, were rescued.
HEAT / DROUGHT -
MINNESOTA - Much of northeastern Minnesota will finish 2006 in the grip of extreme drought, as a combination of a decade-long moisture deficit and an acute dry spell that began last May have sent water levels across the region to near record lows. The drought conditions have dropped Lake Superior’s level to a degree NOT SEEN SINCE THE 1920s. And without an increase in precipitation soon, the lake could break even that 80-year old record. Climatologists in the state are beginning to watch water levels on inland lakes and streams as well, since many are also experiencing LEVELS NOT SEEN IN DECADES. The region’s acute dry spell began in May, at a time when the area typically receives the bulk of its rainfall. Climate watchers dubbed the dry spell a “flash drought,” a term that suggests its sudden and intense onset. The conditions are reminiscent of 1976, the last time the area was hit with extreme and extended drought. “If we continue with little or no snow, we’re going to really have to watch things.” Winters in Minnesota are typically very dry, with less than an inch of precipitation per month on average. And this winter has been particularly dry and warm so far, which hasn’t helped the situation.
UNUSUAL WEATHER SEASON -
U.S. - This year of weather extremes, from incessant rain in the Northwest to chronic drought in the heartland and wildfires in the West, could go down as the second-warmest on record when it ends. The first 11 months of 2006 already were the second-warmest January-to-November since national record-keeping began in 1895. "The warmth has been incredible." Last January was so warm that North America had the second-lowest amount of snow on the ground for that month. Only January 1981 had less. Several major cities broke records this year: •Seattle had the most rainfall in a single month in November, topping its 73-year-old record with 15.63 inches — about three times the city's average for the month. •New York broke a 59-year-old record when 26.9 inches of snow blanketed the city Feb. 11-12. •Phoenix had a record 143 straight days without measurable rain before a March 11 downpour. The wet weather in Washington and Oregon is UNUSUAL because an El Niño climate pattern now in place normally would make it drier. "This El Niño we've got going right now is ONE OF THE WEIRDEST ONES THAT I'VE SEEN. We should not be having the weather we're having."
OREGON - the year truly belonged to Mother Nature, from the long, hot summer that saw a rash of drownings, to the late fall storms that claimed the lives of families, fishermen and mountain climbers alike. The year was punctuated by flooding and mudslides, and high snowpack levels across the Cascade mountains - trouble for low-lying valley and coastal counties where rivers spilled over their natural borders. As December arrived, so did the winter weather, whipping up ocean waves that killed four crabbers trying to cross the bar at Gold Beach. The same storms trapped a San Francisco family for days in the mountains of Southern Oregon, where they kept their two young daughters alive on berries, crackers and breast milk, and burned their tires for precious warmth. Days later, three adventurous climbers were stranded atop Mount Hood, setting off a rescue operation that made international headlines. Both those stories ended tragically. The dead zone reappeared off the Oregon Coast last summer, spreading over an area larger than Rhode Island, lasting 17 weeks and leaving the ocean bottom littered with dead crabs, sea stars and sea anemones. The commercial salmon season was drastically curtailed in order to protect shrinking returns of wild chinook to the Klamath River in Northern California.
WISCONSIN - Between mild temperatures and next to no snow, it hasn't seemed like a typical Wisconsin winter. There was the first - and only - snowfall on Dec. 1 that dropped about four inches in Monroe and more than a foot in southeastern Wisconsin, but that snow was nearly gone a week later. And with the sun shining brightly, even the area's plants are confused. "Some plants may be fooled into thinking it's spring because of the abnormally warm weather." Some flowering plants have already begun blooming, which could pose problems come spring. "The arctic cold remains far away to the north of our state. Following a short, dramatic cold period to start the month, we have returned to the warm patterns of this past November. The outlook is for a warming trend and likelihood of above normal temperatures for the season," which, in meteorological terms, begins in December and runs through February. "A slight tendency for less precipitation is also predicted." Wisconsin isn't alone in having an abnormally warm winter this year. "The Netherlands is having the same problem." Over 400 species of plants have flowered there during the month of December.
NETHERLANDS - Weather records tumbled all over the world in 2006, and the Netherlands was no exception. But the difference lies in the fact that the Dutch have been keeping records longer than most, since 1706. 'A very unusual year,' the Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute summed up on Friday as the year drew to a close. The first 300-YEAR RECORD was surpassed in July, when the average daily temperature hit 22.3 degrees Celsius, by comparison with the 17.4 degrees regarded as normal. The measuring station Westdorpe recorded a scorching - for the Netherlands - maximum of 37.1 degrees on July 19, BREAKING ALL PREVIOUS RECORDS. July was also extremely sunny, with 310 hours of sun recorded nationally, against a long-term average for the month of 201 hours. At the De Bilt national measuring station in the province of Utrecht, it was the SUNNIEST JULY SINCE 1904. A RECORD AMOUNT OF RAIN fell in August - although this time it was only of around 100 years' standing, as accurate measurements do not reach as far back as with temperature. The average of 184 millimetres that fell in the month smashed the previous record of 152 millimetres set in 1969. Farmers were unable to get harvesting machinery into waterlogged fields. September saw ANOTHER 300-year TEMPERATURE RECORD fall by the wayside. The average daily temperature came in at 17.9 degrees, compared with the normal 14.2 degrees. The ensuing autumn was the warmest - or 'softest' as the Dutch like to say - since 1706. The average daily temperature for September, October and November came in at 13.6 degrees, SMASHING THE PREVIOUS RECORD by more than one degree. The last 10 days of November were the WARMEST EVER RECORDED for that period. The year as a whole had been the WARMEST IN 300 YEARS, with an average of 11.2 degrees. The record was particularly noteworthy, as the first three months of the year had been colder than usual. And it pointed to perhaps the most alarming record of all. On November 1, as the worst storm of the year passed, a water level of 4.83 metres above Normal Amsterdam Level, was measured at Delfzijl on the far northern coast. 'A water level as high as this HAS NEVER BEFORE BEEN RECORDED."
------------------------------------------
Friday, December 29, 2006 -
A THOUGHT FOR THE DAY - Do not equate money with success. There are many successful moneymakers who are miserable failures as human beings.
QUAKES -
12/28 -
None 5.0 or over.
CHINA has come up with an earthquake prediction system which relies on the behaviour of snakes. Experts monitor snakes at local snake farms via video cameras linked to a broadband Internet connection. “Of all the creatures on Earth, snakes are perhaps the most sensitive to earthquakes and could sense an earthquake from 120km away, three to five days before it happens. They respond by behaving strangely. When an earthquake is about to occur, snakes will move out of their nests, even in the cold of winter. If the earthquake is a big one, the snakes will even smash into walls while trying to escape.”
TROPICAL STORMS -
None.
HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING / LANDSLIDES -
CONGO - Weeks of flooding and landslides have left thousands of people homeless in Democratic Republic of Congo's Eastern Kasai province. Landslides are common in the region but this year's rainy season has been particularly heavy, with downpours almost every day since November. More than 6000 people have been made homeless following the latest wave of flooding and landslides this week.
SOUTH AFRICA - A heavy storm with hailstones “the size of eggs" pounded the town of Indwe in the Chris Hani district municipality in the Transkei this week, causing damage to property estimated at about R2-million. The storm, which lasted for only five minutes, felled telephone poles and street lights, smashed window panes, and damaged vehicles. Two houses in the town had their roofs blown away and about 700 others had all their window panes broken. “The extremely heavy downpour, accompanied by strong winds gusting at about 120km/h hit the area at about 2.05pm on Tuesday with hailstones the size of eggs." Such a storm had never happened in the area before. “This is VERY UNUSUAL – it was a FREAK."
SNOW / COLD -
TURKEY - One person was killed and another injured on in an avalanche in eastern Turkey on Wednesday as heavy snowfalls severely disrupted life across the country. The heavy snowfalls cut off some 2,500 villages across the country and traffic on the main highway between the capital Ankara and Turkey's biggest city Istanbul was moving at a snail's pace.
ISRAEL - Jerusalem and the West Bank saw RARE snowfalls on Wednesday night. The extreme weather caused road accidents and several Bedouin were injured as tents collapsed. The Holy Land has seen its first heavy snowfalls since 2004, causing widespread disruption, blocked roads and several injuries. Eight centimeters (3 to 4 inches) of snow fell in Jerusalem. The sudden heavy rainfall was "excellent" for the country. Israel needed the rain "badly," after parts of the country had gone 38 days without it and underground water reserves had become depleted.
HEAT / WILDFIRES / DROUGHT -
An enormous ice shelf snapped off in the Arctic 16 months ago - An ancient ice shelf has cracked off northern Ellesmere Island, creating an enormous, 66-square-kilometre ice island and leaving a trail of icy blocks in its wake. "It really is incredible. It's like a cruise missile has come down and hit the ice shelf." The breakup was so powerful, earthquake monitors 250 kilometres away picked up the tremors as the 3,000 to 4,500 year-old shelf tore away from its fjord on Ellesmere. The scientists say they are only now releasing details after piecing together what occurred using seismic monitors and Canadian and U.S. satellites. They say the ice shelf collapse is THE BIGGEST IN CANADA IN 30 YEARS and is indicative of the transformation underway on Ellesmere, Canada's most northern landmass. It took less than an hour for the ice shelf to calve off in the early afternoon of Aug. 13, 2005. The ice island is about 37 metres thick and measures roughly 15 kilometres by five kilometres. That's the size of a small city, or larger than 11,000 football fields. The island is now stuck in the winter ice, but the researchers believe it is just a matter of time before it is freed and floats away. They say the ice island could become a potential hazard to navigation and oil and gas extraction if it sails south towards the Beaufort Sea."We're seeing incredible changes." In 2002, Ellesmere's Ward Hunt Ice Shelf had cracked in half. The researchers have also seen the sudden collapse of ice dams and the draining of 30-kilometre-long lakes into the sea.
MISSOURI - This year's shipping season on the Missouri River was the WEAKEST IN 55 YEARS as low water levels forced companies to find other avenues for freight. The corps this year ended the shipping season 48 days early, missing the fall harvest. "This has been discouraging. It has been several years since we had an eight-month season." For years, rain and snow have been scarce in Montana, North Dakota and South Dakota, depleting northern reservoirs along the Missouri and preventing the corps from releasing more water downstream. In Kansas City, the river has hit RECORD LOWS, barely covering the city's drinking water intakes.
UNUSUAL WEATHER SEASON -
RUSSIA - This year Russia has registered the HIGHEST NUMBER OF UNFAVORABLE AND DANGEROUS NATURAL PHENOMENA IN THE HISTORY OF METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATION, a director of Russia's Hydrometeorology Center said Thursday. Between January and November, 371 dangerous natural phenomena - including extreme cold, heat waves, strong winds and driving rains - were registered throughout Russia. "The year also ends unusually with the abnormally warm weather in late November and early December, when plants even began to bloom in some areas." Extreme deviations in weather patterns were observed before, but over the past decade they have become more and more frequent. Following near-record low temperatures during last winter's cold spell, which saw the mercury plummet to -31°C (-23.8°F) January 19 - one degree above the all-time low for Moscow - European Russia experienced RECORD WARM temperatures this month. But they said this year's unusually warm start of winter in Russia should not be associated with global warming. Rather, the reason for this year's UNUSUAL weather was a strong anticyclone over Greenland, which 'orchestrated' the weather over European Russia.
CHINA - Typhoons, floods and droughts have claimed 2,704 lives and inflicted economic losses of 212 billion yuan this year. "The losses China suffered this year were second only to those inflicted in 1998 when an extremely severe flood ravaged the country." This year, seven typhoons and seven strong tropical storms have hit the Chinese mainland, including Typhoon Saomai, the strongest typhoon to hit China since the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949, that claimed at least 460 lives. Both the intensity of the disaster weather and the damages caused were "RARE" in the country's history. This spring saw 18 sandstorms in northern China, a RECORD high since 2000 while in summer, the worst drought in a century ravaged Chongqing Municipality of northwestern China, leaving more than 17 million people with drinking water shortages. Sichuan Province was also stricken by its most severe drought since 1951. Northern China experienced its worst acid rain in 14 years this summer. In August, 80 percent of the rainy days in Beijing were "acid rain days". Since December, most parts of central and eastern China have been cloaked in thick fog which has triggered frequent road accidents and postponed flights.
CANADA - British Columbia suffered — and suffered and suffered — from the weather in 2006. "It was almost as if Nature had this area in its crosshairs." B.C. was very wet, excessively dry, battered by storms, snowed on and frozen, and in Vancouver, approached a record for the most consecutive rainy days. The consequences were dire, from a widespread and lengthy boil-water alert, to hundreds of thousands left without power, damage to hundreds of homes, trees down in Vancouver's Stanley Park, extensive wildfires and the depression that comes from 27 wet days in a row. In parts of the Prairies, hail events set a record, with 221 in total, compared to the 179 record set last year. Early November storms in B.C. brought so much rain, "every river in the Lower Mainland, the South Coast and the southern half of Vancouver Island rose close to or above flood stage." Vancouver Island and Lower Mainland residents suffered three storms in five days in mid-December, with violent winds leaving a record 250,000 without power.
------------------------------------------
Thursday, December 28, 2006 -
A THOUGHT FOR THE DAY - Take care of yourself. Good health is everyone's major source of wealth. Without it, happiness is almost impossible.
QUAKES -
12/27 -
6.0 BOUGAINVILLE REGION, PAPUA NEW GUINEA
5.0 TONGA
5.6 TAIWAN
TAIWAN - Telecommunications across Asia have been severely disrupted because of damage to undersea cables caused by Tuesday's earthquake near Taiwan. Banks and businesses in Taiwan, South Korea, China and Japan reported telephone and internet problems. Two people were killed and at least 42 injured in the 7.1 temblor, which shook buildings across the island. Repairs could take three weeks.
KYRGYZSTAN - At least 6,000 buildings in Kyrgyzstan were damaged by an earthquake in the northern regions of the country. Rescue officials said no injuries have been reported from the quake, which measured 6.6 on the Richter scale Wednesday. Rescuers said 10 buildings were destroyed by the tremor, 518 were somewhat damaged and the remaining buildings were only slightly damaged.
NEVADA - The biggest fault beneath Lake Tahoe could be due to rupture any time, according to an evaluation being prepared by researchers who probed Tahoe and nearby Fallen Leaf Lake earlier this year. Potentially tsunami-spawning faults lurk beneath the lake. A magnitude 7 or greater earthquake could trigger an underwater landslide that quickly displaces huge amounts of water, potentially sending giant waves surging into parks, campgrounds, homes and marinas along the lake's shore, and possibly overtopping a dam that regulates flow into the Truckee River. In addition, it appears from sediment layers that the last big earthquake on the West Tahoe fault was 4,000 to 6,000 years ago. That's significant, because the fault seems to produce a major quake every 5,000 to 7,000 years, or perhaps a little more often. "There are active faults near the lake, under the lake and to the east in Nevada at the base of the hills. We still don't know very much about all those faults." But they have the potential to spawn waves that could surge up to 30 feet and slosh from shore to shore for hours.
TSUNAMI -
INDONESIA - It has been two years since the tsunami washed over the Andaman & Nicobar Islands and destroyed the homes and livelihoods of its residents. Although the government made a lot of promises, and spent a lot of taxpayer’s money, very little actual relief and rehabilitation work has been done. Instead of ensuring that people are able to return to farming or fishing or trade, the islands’ economy is being parcelled out to vested interests from the mainland. The environmental degradation is reaching crisis proportions. As people struggle to survive in hot, subhuman tin sheds, with no food security, electricity, education, basic health or livelihood, the terrible question comes back: where have all the massive aid and big promises disappeared? For how long will the central government hide the suffering of the tsunami survivors in India from the rest of the world? The government of India repeatedly promised the people that they would be given permanent housing, but apart from the model houses constructed for display, not a single house has been built for the 10,000 tsunami survivors! Two years after the tsunami, in many of the islands, the boats have yet to come, nets are yet to be distributed, jetties remain destroyed, and cold storages do not exist. There is fish in the sea but not for the tribals of the islands. There is no work or meaningful employment. People are still drinking from stagnant water pools and streams. They suffer all kinds of diseases as a result. In the middle of all this confusion, it appears that the minister for tourism is pushing for these pristine islands to be opened up for “high value” tourism. Forty islands that have a fragile ecosystem, particularly after the tsunami, are to be opened up for tourism. It is craftily packaged as eco-tourism. But for the vulnerable islands - this means doom.
VOLCANOES -
MONTSERRAT - Montserrat was put on high alert this past weekend as large plumes of ash were seen leaving the Langs Soufriere volcano climbing at times to an estimated 10 thousand feet into the air. As a result scientists raised the alert level to category four. According to a report, ash venting began at around 10 a.m. and continued throughout Sunday on the western side of the dome. Category four is defined as “large unconfined dome actively growing towards the north or west; or, large dome with: high levels of pyroclastic flow activity in other directions and/or high rates of dome growth; or intense earthquake swarms or tremor; or with tropical storm imminent or already affecting the island.” At around 8 p.m. a swarm of low amplitude long-period earthquakes began and contined until around 12:30 a.m. – becoming most intense between 10:30 p.m. and 11:30 p.m. – before seismicity again returned to backgound levels.
HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING / LANDSLIDES -
FLORIDA - Tornadoes are RARE during a Florida winter. Even rarer are Florida tornadoes as powerful as those that hit both coasts Monday. Blame it on the El Nino dominating this winter's weather. During an El Nino, when water in the Pacific Ocean warms a few degrees above normal, winds shift high in the atmosphere and winter storms can bring rain, powerful thunderstorms and sometimes tornadoes to Florida. The twisters that hit in Pasco, DeLand and Daytona Beach were potent tornadoes seldom seen in Florida. Winds topped 120 mph, the third most powerful category on a six-level scale that measures tornadoes. Most Florida tornadoes are small twisters that hit and run quickly during summer thunderstorms, their winds rarely topping 75 mph.
SNOW / COLD -
RUSSIA - Russia’s Sakhalin and Kurile islands have been affected by a powerful snow cyclone with strong winds and snowfalls that has caused a transport blockade. The cyclone, almost 2,000 kilometres in diameter, approached the Kamchatka peninsula from Japan. Sakhalin meteorologists have reported that the weather is the worst on the Kuriles chain. The wind force has reached 32 metres per second on the Iturup island and in Kurilsk city. Visibility is everywhere just 500-1,000 metres. All the islands are affected by snowstorms.
WILDFIRES / HEAT / DROUGHT-
Wildfires in California and other parts of the West may be linked to the surface temperature of the Atlantic Ocean, 3,000 or more miles to the east, according to a new tree-ring study. The conclusions indicate the wildfires may be getting worse. The new study links episodic fire outbreaks in the past five centuries with periods of warming sea surface temperatures in the North Atlantic. "If the trend continues for the next 60 years or so as it has in the past, the degree of fire occurrence in the West could be UNPRECEDENTED compared to anything in recent memory."
AUSTRALIA - Fish species on the Great Barrier Reef are starving to death because climate change is killing off their food source, an environmental study has found.
SCOTLAND - Ski resorts have been forced to delay opening for the season after low snowfall and unseasonally high temperatures. Just as in Europe, many slopes in Scotland are still green, with mild temperatures set to continue into the new year. A decade ago, December was marked as the traditional start of the snow season for Highland skiers, but now it seems that mid-January, or even February, is set to be the new start date. "The winter season has essentially moved a month - autumn is going on a month longer than it was 10 years ago." "Many places in the Alps traditionally covered in snow at the moment are still green, with plants flowering."
AFGHANISTAN - While the eyes of the world are focused on the international military coalition's continuing struggle with the Taliban, Afghan children are dying because of a little reported drought which has hit huge areas of the country. The U.N. says 1.9 million people are at risk. Farmers lost between 80 and 100 percent of their crops in the worst affected areas and water sources in many villages had dried up. Not only is food scarce, but each day children as young as six are sent to collect water from taps or wells up to three hours away. Village elders say that droughts used to occur every 15 to 20 years, but the last drought finished just two years ago. They also say that winters are not as cold as they used to be and summers are hotter. Some experts attribute these changing weather patterns to climate change.
As much as half of Russia`s natural gas reserves are in danger because of climate change, experts say. Russia, the world`s largest natural gas exporter with some 30 percent of proven global reserves, handles the majority of imports to Europe. Russia`s gas fields lie below a several-hundred-feet deep layer of permanently frozen ground - permafrost. In western Siberia, entire pipeline systems are relying on the solidity of the year-round ice. Over the past 30 years, however, the mean temperature in western Siberia rose by 5.4 degrees, resulting in gradual melting of the ground. As that process is releasing large amounts of greenhouse gases (such as methane), the melting even speeds up climate change. The existing pipeline infrastructure would sink in the marsh, and even worse could happen: "The high-pressure oil and gas pipelines can explode. Roughly half of all Russian fields are affected."'
------------------------------------------
Wednesday, December 27, 2006 -
A THOUGHT FOR THE DAY - "Not knowing when the dawn will come, I open every door." - Emily Dickinson
QUAKES -
12/26 -
5.2 KEPULAUAN SANGIHE, INDONESIA
5.4 TAIWAN REGION
5.4 TAIWAN
7.0 TAIWAN
7.1 TAIWAN REGION
5.6 KURIL ISLANDS
5.0 SOUTHWEST OF AUSTRALIA
TAIWAN - A strong undersea earthquake of magnitude 7.1 has struck off Taiwan, followed by a powerful 6.4 aftershock 10 minutes later. No damage or injuries were immediately reported, but correspondents say the quake could be felt across the island. The quake swayed buildings and knocked objects off the shelves in Taipei. The tremors come on the second anniversary of the Asian tsunami, which claimed almost 250,000 lives. And it comes on the third anniversary of the Bam, Iran quake which killed over 26,000.
One person was killed and 24 others wounded in Hengchun in what is known as the LARGEST QUAKE IN A CENTURY. At least a dozen houses in Hengchun collapsed in the first hit. Half a dozen fires broke out in Hengchun and telephone communication was cut, while scores of people were reported trapped in hotel and department store elevators in nearby Kaohsiung and Pingtung. Seismologists in Taipei located the epicenter of the first quake some 21.9 kilometers off Hengchun.
The first aftershock shook Taiwan eight minutes after the earthquake and measured 7.0 on the Richter scale. Four minutes later came the third shock - at 5.2 on the Richter scale - and three hours later came the fourth aftershock, which was measured at a 5.5. The original earthquake and the first aftershock each lasted more than 1 minute.
PHILIPPINES - A magnitude 6.0 earthquake shook Batanes province Tuesday night as the world commemorated the Dec. 26, 2004 tsunami that devastated Southeast Asia. The earthquake took place between 8:28 p.m. and 8:34 p.m. Its epicenter was located 104 kilometers south of Basco.
SCOTLAND - Residents in a Scottish town reported their houses shaking violently and windows rattling yesterday after the MOST POWERFUL EARTHQUAKE IN BRITAIN THIS YEAR was recorded in Dumfries. The 3.5-magnitude tremor struck the town just before 10.45am and lasted for about ten seconds. A seismologist said that while it was a “significant earthquake”, the survey would expect one or two of the same magnitude every year. Britain is struck by about 200 tremors every year, although most are not big enough to be felt by the public. The worst recorded earthquake was in June 1931. It measured 6.1 with an epicentre 60 miles offshore in the North Sea.
VOLCANOES -
RUSSIA - Second Volcano Erupts in Russia`s Far East in Two Days - a second volcano has erupted on the Kamchatka Peninsula in Russia’s Far East, spewing out ash up to an altitude of 6 miles. A village 31 miles away from the Shiveluch volcano was covered with ash, and volcanic tremors were registered in the area. Officials have instructed local residents to avoid leaving their houses as particles of volcanic ash hanging in the air could cause poisoning and serious diseases. Shiveluch, the northernmost active volcano on Kamchatka, is the second to erupt on the Pacific peninsula in two days. The other volcano which has erupted recently is Bezymyanny, which is about 62 miles from Shiveluch. Experts said the outbursts are not linked as the volcanoes belong to different magma chambers and their almost simultaneous eruptions are a coincidence. About 450 minor quakes were registered daily near a third volcano, Karymsky. Experts from the Moscow International Institute for Earthquake Prediction and Computing Geophysics earlier said there was a 30% probability that an earthquake of more than 7.2 will hit Kamchatka in December.
TROPICAL STORMS -
Cyclone Bondo - Two people were killed when the cyclone hit the northern coast of Madagascar on Tuesday, before losing strength as it moved towards the south of the island. "For the moment, the risks are not too significant, but a new (tropical depression weather) system is forming in the north" of Madagascar.
HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING / LANDSLIDES -
MALAYSIA's floods crisis worsened today with more downpours that forced five relief centres to reopen in southern Johor state. Nearly 63,000 people have been forced to evacuate their homes. The death toll from the worst floods in decades stands at eight. Electricity authorities shut down power to Kota Tinggi, one of the worst-affected districts in Johor, as floodwaters rose from 30cm to 60cm last night. Major roads in the state remain closed. Crocodiles were menacing flood victims and stealing chickens from backyard coops, and pythons and cobras had also been spotted in abandoned houses.
INDONESIA - Torrential rains caused mudslides and floods in Indonesia's Aceh and North Sumatra provinces on Monday, killing at least 87 people as tens of thousands of others fled for higher ground. Rescue crews reaching remote villages fear mass graves of villagers buried under dirt, following a week of torrential rains in the region. Aerial views showed families trapped on the roofs of their homes and many houses were completely submerged in flood-ravaged parts of Sumatra.
A landslide Sunday night hit the remote highland sub-district of Muara Sipongi in North Sumatra province, which was struck by an earthquake a week ago. 27 of those who had escaped the deadly earthquake but returned to their homes were killed, and six remained missing when the landslide buried dozens of houses on the Indonesian island of Sumatra. "We have to stop evacuation efforts because it rained very hard in the area. It is still raining now." Residents had visited their homes after last week's quake despite warnings that it was still dangerous. The landslide was triggered by floods that over the past week have killed at least 70 other people and displaced around 300,000 in Aceh and neighbouring North Sumatra. Four people were killed and hundreds of homes damaged when the earthquake hit Muara Sipongi on December 18. The quake damaged 860 homes.
SNOW / COLD -
TURKEY - UNUSUAL cold, snow and high winds caused havoc across Turkey on Tuesday, with shipping disrupted, flights cancelled and roads being closed. Turkey is being warned of a very cold winter season with the temperature notably dropping to four below zero Celsius.
AUSTRALIA - UNUSUALLY chilly weather in Queensland during the traditionally white-hot Christmas period has been BREAKING RECORDS. Virtually every location under a cloud band hovering over the state's southeast through to the central highlands had either stooped to a new low or was close to eclipsing records. Rainy, overcast weather has provided a welcome reprieve from the dreaded blistering heat revellers are usually forced to endure during festive celebrations. The maximum temperature at Brisbane's airport today plunged to 19.1C, dropping below the previous record low of 20.2C in 1960 and well below the average high 20s. Emerald, in central Queensland, broke a 100-year record, with the mercury reaching a maximum of only 16.7C, compared to 18.3C in 1907. Boxing Day temperatures also set records in parts of Queensland.
NEW ZEALAND - The unpredictable rain and cold snaps New Zealand has felt in December will continue right through to January 2007.
UNUSUAL WEATHER SEASON -
NEW ZEALAND - There's no doubt the crazy weather patterns had an impact on most New Zealanders in 2006. While the South Island's massive mid-winter snowstorm left a legacy, a seemingly relentless cycle of downpours, landslides and gales battered the rest of the country. This year it rained, and then it rained some more. Summer for some brought wind and rain in January and thunder in February. Then came the autumn, and more storms. Rainfall was at least 150% of normal in the far north and in the east. Winter in the Wairarapa saw roads turned into rivers and paddocks became ponds. In July, over 300 millimetres of rain fell there in 24 hours, closing more than 50 local roads. It kept on falling further north as well, as a winter of rain meant a season for slips. While houses fell off hillsides in the Hutt Valley, millions of tonnes of earth plunged into the valleys of Rangitikai, Manawatu, southern Taranaki. Bridges were out and communities cut off. Auckland and Christchurch had slips too, and so did the East Coast. In Wellington, big winds meant big swells in Cook Strait where some ferry crossings were rough and a couple atrocious. The summer has been a long time coming. For the first half of December, temperatures across the country were two degrees below average - and in Wellington, three degrees lower. And that makes it the COLDEST START TO CHRISTMAS IN THE CAPITAL SINCE RECORDS BEGAN.
CANADA - 2006 was a comfortable, although UNUSUAL weather year for Greater Sudbury. January was the warmest January on record, going back to 1952-53, a full 6 Celsius above the normals, especially when you look at night time lows. “Greater Sudbury got double its normal snow load in February but got only 10 centimetres of snow in March." Summer was hotter with nine days with above 30 C temperatures versus the normal six days. A devastating windstorm hit on Monday, July 17 and there were RECORD-SETTING warm temperatures this December.
------------------------------------------
Tuesday, December 26, 2006 -
A THOUGHT FOR THE DAY - Be happy. It's one way of being wise.
QUAKES -
12/25 -
5.7 KYRGYZSTAN
12/24 -
5.7 NEAR THE NORTH COAST OF PAPUA, INDONESIA
5.1 RAT ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN ISLANDS, ALASKA
5.2 NEW GUINEA, PAPUA NEW GUINEA
5.5 NEW IRELAND REGION, PAPUA NEW GUINEA
5.2 BALI SEA
12/23 -
5.7 SUNDA STRAIT, INDONESIA
5.2 NEAR THE NORTH COAST OF PAPUA, INDONESIA
12/22 -
6.1 ANDAMAN ISLANDS, INDIA REGION
5.1 KEPULAUAN SANGIHE, INDONESIA
5.2 FIJI REGION
JAPAN - A major earthquake striking the Tokyo metropolitan area could result in major congestion on roads, with some areas blocked for as long as six hours as people make their way home on foot, calculations by a research institute have shown. On the day the earthquake struck, if people went to the toilet twice and took food and water once, about 6 million meals and 6 million liters of water would be required, along with toilets that would be used 15 million times. However, among the places that could provide services for people, convenience stores would only be able to provide toilets for use about 1.95 million times.
CALIFORNIA - A third small earthquake in four days rattled the San Francisco Bay Area on Saturday, but there were no reports of injury or damage. The latest earthquake was similar in magnitude (3.5) and location to those that struck Wednesday and Friday. They erupted along the Hayward Fault, which geologists believe is due for a quake in the potentially lethal 6.7 to 7.0 range. But the minor earthquakes should not be interpreted as omens of a more destructive one to come. "It could mean there's something coming, it could mean there's nothing coming. It just means the area is active, more active than it's been." Also Saturday, a small 4.1 earthquake rattled the desert in Southern California.
The series of minor earthquakes last week along the East Bay's Hayward Fault, though UNUSUAL, are not necessarily a precursor to a larger quake in the area. After last week's earthquakes, there is a slight increase in the probability of a larger quake on the way. Earthquake records going back to the 1970s show that there is usually about one magnitude 3 or 4 quake every year in this vicinity. Since 1970, within a 6-mile radius of these earthquakes, there have been 37 magnitude-3 seismic events, "none of which have been foreshocks to the magnitude 7 we've been worried about." Scientists think that a phenomenon called 'creep', a slow, continuous movement of one side of the fault with respect to the other that has been observed on the surface of the Hayward fault, may also be occurring deeper within the earth.
The fourth small earthquake (2.6) in six days rattled the San Francisco Bay area on Monday, but there were no reports of injuries or damage. Experts have said there is a 27 percent chance of a potentially lethal earthquake of a magnitude 6.7 or greater on the Hayward Fault by 2031.
TSUNAMI -
The biggest tsunami ever measured occurred in Lituya Bay, Alaska, on July 9, 1958. It was 1,720 feet high — that’s taller than any building in the world, almost 300 feet taller than the Sears Tower in Chicago, and about 350 feet taller than the World Trade Center in New York City was. The trigger was a 7.5 magnitude earthquake, but the tsunami itself was created by a landslide that followed the earthquake. “Big chunks of ice were falling off the face of (the glacier) and falling into the water,” said an observer who watched from a fishing boat. “They came off the glacier like a big load of rocks spilling out of a dump truck.” About 10 percent of tsunamis are created by landslides, often triggered by earthquakes but much harder to detect.
VOLCANOES -
RUSSIA - A village on the Kamchatka peninsula in Russia's Far East is under ash fallout, as the Bezymyanny volcano, which is 25 miles from the village, is continuing spewing ashes up to an altitude of 15 kilometers (9 miles). The Bezymyanny volcano erupted Sunday. Official have instructed local residents to avoid leaving their homes, because particles of volcanic ash, spread in the air, could cause poisoning and serious diseases. There are more that 150 volcanoes on Kamchatka, 29 of them are active. Volcano activity has recently increased on the Kamchatka peninsula. Experts registered up to 450 minor quakes daily near Karymsky, Kamchatka's most active volcano, in the southeast. This year more than 1,200 people were evacuated from the north of the Kamchatka peninsula after a series of earthquakes. The largest, a 7.8-magnitude quake, was the strongest since 1900 in the Koryak Autonomous Area, and occurred on April 21.
PHILIPPINES - Mt. Bulusan in Sorsogon continued to release a high volume of sulfuric gas and white ash clouds on Friday indicating that the volcano had sustained its abnormal behavior with sulphur dioxide emissions remaining at high levels and with voluminous steaming white ash clouds.
Eruptions of supervolcanoes capable of causing planetary climate disruptions and mass extinctions can be worse than previously thought according researchers from Auckland University in New Zealand. One of the largest supervolcano eruptions on record was at Taupo, New Zealand some 250,000 years ago. They found that the eruption was twice as large as previously believed, ejecting massive amounts of sulphur dioxide and ash into the atmosphere. The Taupo eruption actually consisted of two supervolcanoes some 18 miles (30 kilometers) apart which erupted within days or weeks of each other.
Supersize eruption - scientists are finding that climate could have an impact on huge volcanic eruptions. A bone-dry climate, which occurs in periods between ice ages, could make conditions just right for building up enough underground magma to fuel a giant volcanic eruption. Such a catastrophic eruption could blanket the state of Texas with soot two feet deep. 74,000 years ago during a dry period Mount Toba in Indonesia blew its top, making history as the largest eruption in the last 2 million years.
TROPICAL STORMS -
Cyclone BONDO was 586 nmi WNW of Saint Pierre, Reunion.
On Monday,Tropical Cyclone Bondo was picking up a bit of speed as its center heads southward towards northern Madagascar's coast. Winds were sustained at around 85 mph. Bondo is forecast to weaken and move a bit faster as it closes in onshore. The center of Bondo could make landfall by Wednesday, near the northwestern town of Mahajanga. The storm will bring heavy rain and gusty winds as it moves ashore, in many cases to areas which have already seen more than 5 inches of rain since Friday. There is another area of low pressure northeast of Madagascar which has the potential to develop into a tropical system in the next 24-48 hours.
HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING / LANDSLIDES -
INDONESIA - A big rescue operation is under way in Indonesia to help survivors of flash floods in northern Sumatra. At least 80 people have died following heavy rains in recent days and hundreds more are still missing. In the worst-affected districts of Aceh and North Sumatra, whole villages have been inundated, with residents left stranded on higher ground. More than 100,000 people have been forced from their homes across northern Sumatra. Tens of thousands are now living in government shelters. Rain has now stopped falling over the affected regions.
MALAYSIA - THE WORST FLOODS IN 37 YEARS have displaced nearly 100,000 people amid food shortages, looting and criticism of the government's handling of the crisis. Malaysian weathermen warned the floods, which hit the southern states, could spread to the central and northeastern parts of the country if the UNUSUALLY heavy monsoon rains persisted. The floods, which followed this week's HEAVIEST RAINFALL IN A CENTURY, submerged buildings and cut off roads.
FLORIDA - A string of twisters swept through Florida on Christmas Day, leaving behind a path of damage and destruction. A tornado west of Lake City touched down shortly after eight am, cutting about a 500-yard wide path for about seven miles in a north-northeast direction. So far there's only one report of a minor injury, but 3-5 million in damages. A separate twister with winds as high as 120 miles an hour flipped over 50 planes at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach. The winds even tore the wings right off some of the planes. Gusts also tossed campers around and destroyed homes in DeLand, in West Volusia County. Near Tampa, more than two dozen homes are damaged and at least one is a complete loss from yet another tornado touchdown. Several people were hospitalized with minor injuries across the counties. (photos)
SNOW / COLD -
NEW ZEALAND - The thermometer should have hit the 20s around much of Canterbury on Christmas Day but this is still shaping up as THE COLDEST DECEMBER ON RECORD. This month 96mm of rain has fallen in the city of Christchurch, compared with the long-term average of 49mm. But it is the cold that has been most noticeable. Christchurch's mean temperature this month has been 12 degrees, 4 degrees below the average. "That could be a record-breaker." In Australia on the other hand, Melbourne, which reached 36deg on Thursday, had ITS HOTTEST NIGHT IN 45 YEARS, with temperatures staying around 29deg.
NEW YORK - The weather has been so unseasonably warm experts are wondering if this month will be the first December without snow in Central Park since 1891. There was about 0% chance of snow for Christmas. Although four Decembers in the past 10 years have produced less than 1/10th of an inch of snow each in Central Park, the lack of even a single flurry is EXTREMELY UNUSUAL.
HEAT / WILDFIRES -
CANADA - Ottawa's winters are becoming more unpredictable and dangerous, with warmer weather and more rain creating increasingly icy conditions in which "all hell can break loose." "Often it's not just rain or snow anymore. One single storm can bring it all - start as rain move to freezing rain, then ice pellets and then follow with snow. This creates difficult situations and dangerous conditions." "We're experiencing more and more ice storms as the years go by - trees falling, flooding, hydro wires falling." Between 2000 and 2006, the city has received an average of 173 millimetres of rain versus 204 centimetres of snow from Nov. 1 to March 31. Overall, that marks a nine-per-cent increase in rainfall and a 19-per-cent decrease in snowfall since the 1970s.
AUSTRALIA - Parts of Australia are in the grip of the worst drought in memory. Rainfall in many eastern and southern regions has been at near record lows. On top of that, the weather has been exceptionally warm. The parched conditions have sparked an emotional debate about global warming. Conservationists insist the "big dry" is almost certainly the result of climate change and warn that Australia is on the brink of environmental disaster. Other experts believe such hysteria is wildly misplaced and that the country shouldn't panic. The drought in Australia has lasted for more than five years. The worry for some is that this could be the start of a protracted period of low rainfall that could go on for decades. "The really scary thing is, last time we had a drought of this intensity that lasted about five years - it continued for about 50 years." "The politicians truly believe this is a five-year or six-year drought that will break sometime in 2007 or 2008. But it might not break until 2050." "We're in a state of emergency. We need to treat this as a war-like scenario. The people are really worried that we are going to run out of water. I can imagine Australia being a desert in a few decades' time in some of these agricultural areas. The soil is blowing away, the rivers are drying up. I think there will be plots of land abandoned and perhaps whole agricultural practices abandoned."
SOLAR WEATHER -
Evidence is mounting: the next solar cycle is going to be a big one. Solar cycle 24, due to peak in 2010 or 2011 "looks like its going to be ONE OF THE MOST INTENSE CYCLES SINCE RECORD-KEEPING BEGAN ALMOST 400 YEARS AGO." The next Solar Maximum should peak around 2010 with a sunspot number of 160 plus or minus 25. This would make it one of the strongest solar cycles of the past fifty years — which is to say, one of the strongest in recorded history. It's going to be intense. Curiously, four of the five biggest cycles on record have come in the past 50 years.
------------------------------------------
There will be no updates until Tuesday the 26th.
INDONESIA ACTIVITY ON FRIDAY 12/22 -
Quakes -
6.1 ANDAMAN ISLANDS, INDIA REGION
5.1 KEPULAUAN SANGIHE, INDONESIA
The 6.1-magnitude earthquake struck India's Andaman Islands, prompting residents to flee their homes, fearful of a repeat of the deadly 2004 tsunami. The earthquake occurred at 1:20 am (0650 AEDT), some 115 kilometres south-southwest of the local capital Port Blair.
FLOODS - Twelve people were reported missing and up to 30,000 have fled their homes as floods swept the Indonesian province of Aceh after three days of rain. Up to two metres of water inundated at least six villages in Langkat district on the eastern coast of the island of Sumatra. "We're still unable to contact Sekoci village... 15 kilometres from the main road." The floods have cut off the main road connecting the provincial capitals of Aceh and North Sumatra.
ELSEWHERE -
EL SALVADOR - About 90 people were evacuated from the town of Atiquizaya, about 50 miles west of San Salvador, after the town's residents felt about 100 earthquakes. No injuries have been reported, but about 300 homes were damaged and, in some cases, completely destroyed. The earthquakes ranged between a magnitude of 2.3 and 4.3. Atiquizaya is located near the Ilamatepec volcano, which damaged coffee plantations last year when it erupted.
-----------------------
Friday, December 22, 2006 -
A THOUGHT FOR THE DAY - The whole earth becomes a host to the caring person and pays homage to his presence because it brings peace. All of nature longs, yearns, and waits for such a person. That person is you.
QUAKES -
12/21 -
5.0 AEGEAN SEA
VOLCANOES -
RUSSIA - Now Bezymyannuy Volcano has woken up at Kamchatka - Scientists have detected a rise of seismic activity at Kamchatka's Bezymyannuy volcano and report about 5 local earthquakes. Geophysicists have also detected thermal anomaly, but they claim there's no danger for any settlements. However, ash plumes during eruptions are dangerous for aviation. Scientists are monitoring the volcano online and will report about any possible changes. Bezymyannuy volcano is one of 28 active volcanoes of the Kamchatka peninsula. It usually erupts once or twice a year. Kluchevskaya sopka volcano also shows signs of activity. The neighbouring area showed 180 local earthquakes in 24 hours. Scientists say an eruption is possible. As for Shiveluch volcano, which began its eruption December 5 after one year of silence, it has emitted ash plumes 3 km high.
NEW ZEALAND - One of the largest volcanic eruptions on record just got bigger. The Taupo Volcanic Zone of New Zealand appears to have had twin eruptions only 20 miles apart within days of each other a quarter-million years ago. Each eruption belched out more than 25 cubic miles (100 cubic kilometers) of rock and volcanic ash. This is the first evidence of twin supervolcanic eruptions.
TROPICAL STORMS -
Cyclone BONDO was 714 nmi NW of Port Louis, Mauritius.
BONO - Seychelles authorities evacuated 35 people from a remote atoll ahead of the RARE tropical cyclone due to strike there on Thursday. The move left just eight residents of Farquhar sheltering in a concrete bunker waiting for cyclone Bondo, which was expected to whip in with winds touching 190 kph (120 mph). "We expect major damage to the infrastructure there." Cyclones are EXTREMELY RARE in the 115-isle Seychelles archipelago because of its proximity to the equator.
HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING / LANDSLIDES -
AUSTRALIA - about 1000 homes and other property were damaged in a FREAK hailstorm that lashed the northern New South Wales city of Armidale. A state of emergency has been declared for the city following the storm that hammered its eastern quarter for about 20 minutes yesterday afternoon. The storm left a trail of destruction in its wake, with homes unroofed, windows smashed, cars damaged, trees stripped of foliage and glass from broken windows strewn about the streets. The sheer weight of the hail collapsed the roof of a large agricultural exhibition centre.
SWEDEN - The recent torrential rain in southwestern Sweden almost caused a large loss of life on Wednesday night after a stretch of one of the country’s major roads collapsed , taking cars and trucks with it. It happened on one of Sweden’s busiest highways Wednesday night at around 7 o’clock, when a newly built stretch, around 400 metres long, collapsed. Dozens of cars and trucks fell in a pile of mud and rocks. A rescue worker at the scene said that it was a miracle that noone was killed. Police say that more than 30 people were injured. The collapse was caused by the recent downpours in the area. The road is next to the Taske River and thousands of Telia sonera telephone subscribers were cut off as fibre optic cables flew into the river. It’s expected to be some time before the road can be open again with the 15,000 vehicles that use the road diverted 50 to 60 kilometres along smaller roads. The landslide also hit a nearby railway line and a 300 metre section of track fell into the Taske river just minutes after a train had passed the spot.
PHILIPPINES - Bacolod and Talisay cities were placed under states of calamity Wednesday after flooding caused 2,167 families to evacuate, destroyed 112 houses, and damaged 3,356 others when heavy rains that poured after midnight were exacerbated by high tide. In Bacolod City, residents in several barangays were rescued from rising waters, flooded streets caused many cars to stall and in Barangay Mandalagan, where water was estimated to be as high as 5 feet at one point, a house floated down a road hitting a vehicle stuck in the water. The heavy rains were brought on by tropical depression Tomas and lasted for about three hours from midnight to past 3 a.m. It was not just a massive drainage problem that caused the flooding. "It was an UNUSUAL weather condition exacerbated by high tide and environmental changes."
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA - Heavy rain swamped New Orleans' streets Thursday, backing up traffic as pumping stations struggled to keep up. Pumping stations, closely watched since the catastrophic flooding after Hurricane Katrina in August 2005, were working, officials said. But the rain lasted so long, they couldn't keep up. The same storm that dumped snow across the West brought about 6.6 inches of rain to the New Orleans area through midday Thursday. The community of Larose, about 60 miles south of New Orleans, got an estimated 10 to 12 inches of rain. (photo)
FOG -
BRITAIN - Thick fog caused the cancellation of flights at London's Heathrow Airport for a fourth successive day Friday, forcing thousands of frustrated passengers to scrap or delay their Christmas travel plans. Hundreds of flights have been canceled since the fog rolled in Tuesday, affecting an estimated 40,000 people. About 160,000 people transit through Heathrow on a typical day, but nearly 200,000 are expected to travel through the airport Friday. At Heathrow the fog was expected to continue through the weekend, causing more potential delays for passengers making connecting flights. Visibility on Thursday had reached a low of 115 meters (377 feet), well below the 1,000 meters (3,280 feet) generally considered disruptive for flights. Heathrow - built on flat, grassy land and surrounded by reservoirs and canals - is particularly vulnerable to fog. Long, cool nights and calm winds have led forecasters to warn that the fog could linger into the weekend. The awful airline delays are the result of severe weather conditions. Since that is not the airline’s fault, they cannot be held liable for most of the problems that follow. But whether any of their procedures to deal with extraordinary events have exacerbated travellers’ misery is another question. The duration of the heavy fog is certainly UNUSUAL.
WIND -
CANADA - About 25,000 homes and businesses on B.C.'s South Coast lost power in the wake of another windstorm that blew through the area overnight and early Thursday morning. Gusts of up to 90 km/h did the most damage on Vancouver Island. Much of the South Coast, including Greater Vancouver, was spared the worst of the storm. "That low pressure area that was approaching the coast overnight moved northward. It's actually moved well up near the Queen Charlotte Islands now. The strongest winds are up there, and over north Vancouver Island." Meanwhile, there's more to come. While the immediate forecast in southwestern B.C. is for sunshine, a series of storms are lined up in the Pacific.
SNOW -
COLORADO - A storm that began Wednesday and continued into Thursday afternoon dumped more than half a metre of snow on Colorado, bringing much of the state to a halt.
HEAT / CLIMATE CHANGE -
CANADA - Thursday marked the official beginning of winter in the Northern Hemisphere, at precisely 7:22 p.m. ET. But for much of the country, it feels like spring, not winter. No big storm fronts are in sight, so if they don't have snow now, they're not going to get a white Christmas. Places like Quebec City and Thunder Bay, Ontario, "are going to see, for THE FIRST TIME IN HISTORY, a green Christmas." So will most of British Columbia, most of Central Canada and the Atlantic region. Montreal, which used to have a white Christmas four out of five years (80 per cent of the time), now gets snow two out of three years (65 per cent).
It’s the same story all across Europe - lack of snow. Many countries much more accustomed to snow at Christmas are basking in unseasonal temperatures. Terrified villagers in Chukotka, Russia, have reported worrying invasions of polar bears. The warm temperatures have moved ice drifts too far from the coast, preventing the animals from migrating further north. Even Siberia is milder than usual. Belarus has also started the Christmas season with unusually warm weather. Children are still able to pick daisies there. Lapland has only had rain and light snow this year. Iceland is struggling to live up to its name. The capital, Reykjavik, is forecast to be 10°C (50°F) over Christmas. And the ski slopes of Austria, Germany & Sweden are green. Skiing is off and snowboarders have become grassboarders in Sondrio, northern Italy, and it’s the same story at Chamrousse in France. You wouldn’t normally expect snow in Nice - but it is unusual to see bikini-clad locals on the beach. The sea water is warm at 17°C (62°F). Even across the Atlantic in New York, temperatures are expected to climb to 14°C (57°F) on Saturday — that’s ten degrees above the average. Bookies are so sceptical that a single snowflake will fall on London's weather centre on December 25 that they were offering odds at a whopping 16-1, the LONGEST THEY HAVE EVER OFFERED.
SPAIN - Bears in Spain have stopped hibernating for the winter — and the cause could be climate change. Many of the 130 bears in Spain's northern mountains who usually sleep through the cold season are still active because milder weather means they have enough nuts and berries to survive. "It's an indication of what's to come. Climate change is impacting on the natural world. Hitherto the warming seemed to be happening fastest at the Poles — now we're getting examples of it happening further south."
Animals that hibernate in winter are abandoning hibernation in yet another signal that something momentous is happening to the rhythms of the natural world. Hibernation has evolved for the same reason most animal behaviour has evolved - as a strategy to maximise survival. Some creatures that need a lot of energy to get around have learned to shut themselves down in winter, when the food to provide that energy is simply not available, or too much energy would be expended in searching for it. European brown bears in northern Spain are abandoning a survival strategy that has been successful. What if they give up hibernation because of rising winter temperatures, but then when they are active in winter, are unable to find enough food?
BRITAIN - They could hardly believe it when the first lamb of the season arrived this week. It was not what farmers expect in the middle of December. Usually the lambing season does not kick off until spring and the owner, who owns a farm near Hambledon, is convinced the climate is responsible for playing havoc with her sheep's hormones. 'Last year we had one on New Year's Eve but WE'VE NEVER HAD ONE AS EARLY AS THIS BEFORE. We've called her Tinsel...I think it's all to do with the climate changing. So much happened that we noticed was different last year. All the animals are confused.' She said her geese and turkeys have started laying eggs – whereas usually they start laying at Easter.
------------------------------------------
Thursday, December 21, 2006 -
A THOUGHT FOR THE DAY - "Whenever you decline to act on your convictions, you leave it up to time and fate and other people to act on them for you. And you can't assume that time and fate and other people won't steer your life into a tree. Take the reins."
QUAKES -
12/20 -
5.6 PHILIPPINE ISLANDS REGION
PAKISTAN - structures in the northern parts of Pakistan are raising seismic potential to a higher level that could trigger quakes of high intensity, close to the range of the October 8 catastrophe, in the future, says a new geological research. The profile of the October 8, 2005 7.5-magnitude quake has surpassed the 'seismic jigging' from others. The first jolt on October 8 was followed by 46 5-magnitude aftershocks and two massive ones of magnitude 6 and 6.4. These most critical shocks occurred within 48 hours of the main jolt and the subsequent aftershocks continued for the next two months till the end of December 2005. “This scenario is more than sufficient to adjudge the Oct 8, 2005 tragedy as a massive seismic episode which with 46 aftershocks, each equivalent to a major earthquake, struck successively in Hazara-Kashmir, resulting in devastation of an immeasurable scale. The high risk-borne seismic factors which will confront this terrain in the future evolve around the tectonic behaviour of the earthquake-prone surficial and deep crustal mega shears." In the current sismotectonic scenario of the earthquake-prone structures of northern Pakistan, the Hazara-Kashmir belt appears to be under stress, while the six surficial and the three deep crustal seismically active mega structures in this terrain raise its seismic potential to a higher level. The Main Mantle Thrust has a very turbulent tectonic history in the Himalayan region, the earthquakes generated in this region are shallow and the events emanated from this depth are hazardous with vast seismic coverage. The Oct 8, 2005 earthquake is the product of this thrust zone. The Triple Seismic Junction, according to the research, located in the vicinity of Balakot in an area of about 500 sq km, is continually being energised by the three active converging faults. After the main shock of October 8, 2005, the epicentres had started moving towards the north-west and a major part of the epicentres' over 1,800 aftershocks were concentrated in the Triple Junction, indicating an enhancement in its storage capacity.
TROPICAL STORMS -
Cyclone BONDO was 678 nmi NNW of Port Louis, Mauritius.
As of early Wednesday powerful Tropical Cyclone Bondo was located about 800 miles northeast of Antananarivo, Madagascar. Maximum sustained winds were at 155 mph with gusts to near 200 mph. Bondo will continue on a track just south of west at around 14 mph. This track will bring the cyclone just north of the northern tip of Madagascar, which will experience deteriorating conditions over the next 24 hours. Fluctuations in intensity, due to changes in the eyewall of Bondo, are likely through today. Bondo has already brought over 11 inches of rain to the island of Agalega, and the north coast of Madagascar will similarly experience very strong winds, flooding rain and battering surf.
HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING / LANDSLIDES -
MALAYSIA - More than 21,000 people have been evacuated in Malaysia's southern Johor state after continuous rains, causing what officials say are the WORST FLOODS IN YEARS & THE HEAVIEST RAINFALL IN A CENTURY. Officials said Wednesday the situation remained critical. Heavy rain since Sunday caused rivers to overflow into villages and towns and much of the state has been brought to a standstill. “We always prepare ourselves to face the worst scenario during the monsoon season, but this year it is really bad, the worst in my experience.” A total of 126 villages with 4767 families were affected by the northeastern monsoon rains, which had inundated villages, highways and residential areas in eight of Johor's nine districts.
The flood havoc seen in Johor and other states is the result of a new weather phenomenon. And while people in Johor can look forward to improving conditions by tomorrow, those in Pahang, Malacca, Negri Sembilan and the Klang Valley should remain on the lookout, possibly up to Sunday. The heavy rainfall was brought by strong winds from the South China Sea and the western part of the Pacific Ocean, the after-effect of Typhoon Utor which hit the Philippines recently. “This is certainly not your traditional monsoon rains. This is a new phenomenon.” The station at Senai recorded 623mm of rainfall since December 1.
IRELAND - A senior Council Engineer has warned that the flooding problem is escalating in Mayo and could potentially result in the closure of the county’s main arteries. Stating that the level of rainfall in recent weeks was ABNORMAL by any standards, he cautioned that the county is now in a “touch and go situation”. Should the bad weather continue, “there is a chance that high tides could hit Westport and Ballina." The level of rainfall in the first two weeks of December was far greater than the entire month of December 2005 and , if severe weather conditions continue, the county could be virtually marooned.
RUSSIA - Four Russian geologists were killed in a massive rock slide in the Russian Far East and one body trapped under rubble and ice had not yet been recovered. The workers died in a region near the Chinese border when several tonnes of rock slid down. Three bodies were pulled out, but the body of the fourth worker remained under the rubble. "The rescuers can see his legs sticking out from under the rubble. But he is frozen solid with ice," as the local temperature had dipped to -20C.
HEAT / WILDFIRES -
AUSTRALIA - Communities in Gippsland and Victoria's northeast are preparing for horror bushfire conditions tomorrow as a massive fire front rages towards them.
------------------------------------------
Wednesday, December 20, 2006 -
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY - "Life is a bridge. Cross over it, but build no house upon it."
QUAKES -
12/19 -
5.2 NORTHERN SUMATRA, INDONESIA
5.2 TONGA
5.0 PAGAN REGION, NORTHERN MARIANA ISLANDS
MAINE - Another quake reported on Mount Desert Island - The rumblings that began in September are continuing in Bar Harbor. The latest tremor Monday had a magnitude of 2.3. There were no reports of damage or injury. The quakes began in September and continued for weeks afterward. The biggest was a 4.2 magnitude quake on October 3. It was powerful enough to send boulders tumbling onto the Park Loop Road at Acadia National Park.
VOLCANOES -
RUSSIA - Seismic activity has intensified on the Klyuchevskaya Sopka volcano on Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula. About 200 seismic events have been registered in the area since Monday. Earthquakes were registered at a depth of 30 kilometres under the central crater. Thermal anomaly has also been observed on the volcano. According to scientists, there is no reason to say that the volcano will intensify activity in the coming weeks, but it is not ruled out that it will grow. The giant mount erupts once in five or six years. The most recent eruption was observed in winter-spring 2005.
SHIVELUCH VOLCANO - A series of ash spews has been registered from the crater of the Shiveluch volcano on Russia's Kamchatka Peninsula. One of the spews reached an altitude of 10 kilometres above the summit. Increased seismic activity has been observed on the volcano. The giant mount presents no danger for nearby settlements. Shiveluch became active on December 5 after a relatively calm period since autumn 2005. The volcano's eruptions in 1864 and 1964 were classified by scientists as catastrophic.
INDONESIA - Jakarta authorities raised the Cebeles Isles to red code, top-alert Monday, due to possible eruption of the Soputan Volcano, which has spewed hot volcanic ash. Experts believe Soputan may be about to erupt in the next two weeks after it expelled volcanic dust for nearly two miles down its eastern slope. When it last erupted in December 2004, Soputan spewed streams of lava 24 miles.
PHILIPPINES - restive Bulusan volcano spewed ash onto several villages along its slopes early today, but scientists said a major eruption was unlikely. Breaking two months of silence, Mount Bulusan, one of the country's 22 active volcanos, belched ash for about 20 minutes accompanied by rumbles and lightning flashes. Scientists said they found ash deposits of up to 4 millimeters (0.16 inches) in several villages on Bulusan's foothills. The latest activity may signal another bout of ash explosions in the coming days and weeks, the institute said in a statement, adding it was maintaining the lowest alert level for the volcano. A dangerous combination of rains and mud that could trigger landslides have put authorities on alert.
WASHINGTON - Like a giant smokestack, percolating Mount St. Helens let loose a billowing steam plume easily seen Tuesday in downtown Portland, Ore., about 80 kilometres away. Cold weather combined with the volcano's release of water vapour to make the display particularly impressive. Mount St. Helens has been experiencing a low-key eruption since September 2004.
TROPICAL STORMS -
Cyclone BONDO was 570 nmi N of Port Louis, Mauritius.
Tropical Storm Trami looked set to spare the typhoon-battered eastern Philippines and head toward southern Japan or dissipate over the open sea, forecasters said on Tuesday. The storm, with winds of 65 kilometers per hour (40 miles per hour) and gusts of up to 80 kph (50 mph), was 880 kilometers (550 miles) east of the northern Philippine island of Luzon but no longer posed a direct threat.
Looks like the 2006 Hurricane Season was slightly less dull than we all thought: Our quiet nine-storm hurricane season was really a quiet 10-storm season, the National Hurricane Center announced yesterday: "As part of its routine post-season review, the Tropical Prediction Center/National Hurricane Center occasionally identifies a previously undesignated tropical or subtropical cyclone based on new data or meteorological interpretation. The reanalysis of 2006 has re-classified a short-lived system as a tropical storm. The storm remained offshore of the northeastern United States and Nova Scotia and dissipated as a tropical cyclone before moving across Newfoundland." This new bundle of tropical joy, known as "Unnamed Tropical Storm" and "AL022006," blipped into existence July 17 and bleeped out a day later. Its sustained winds peaked at a shade under 52 mph. The center added an unnamed subtropical storm to the 2005 season count in April, boosting that year's total to 28 storms.
HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING / LANDSLIDES -
SINGAPORE - Singapore on Tuesday was hit by the THIRD HIGHEST RAINFALL RECORDED IN 75 YEARS. Although heavy rainfall is expected during this period, Tuesday's rainfall was exceptionally high. The 24-hour rainfall recorded was 366 mm. This amount of rainfall recorded in one day exceeds even the average amount of 284 mm recorded for the whole month of December in previous years. The highest amount of rainfall recorded over 24 hours in Singapore was 512 mm, in 1978. The second highest rainfall recorded was 467 mm, in 1969.
TEXAS - last week three weather ingredients started to merge. As expected, a cold front dipped into North Texas on Monday, bringing cool air near the surface. Topping that is a layer of warm, moist air from the Gulf of Mexico. A third ingredient - an upper-level disturbance from Arizona and New Mexico - is topping the other two layers with cold air aloft. This UNUSUAL CONFLUENCE of three systems will trigger widespread showers and thunderstorms through today.
FLORIDA - A downpour on the 14th deluged Palm Beach with 7.63 inches of rain. It was DOUBLE THE PREVIOUS RAINFALL RECORD of 3.75 inches in 1955.
WIND-
MONTANA - Montana's WIND RECORD was blown away last week. A wind gauge on Snowslip Mountain, just east of the Continental Divide along Highway 2, clocked a gust of 164 mph Wednesday, the 13th. That's akin to a hurricane. A category 5 storm carries sustained winds of more than 155 mph. And it blew away the old state record of 143 mph set in 2002.
WASHINGTON, OREGON - Floods, landslides, winds, downed trees - the storm on the 14th was one for the record books. It was fierce and fatal: Evergreens snapped like twigs. Roadways turned into rivers. Four people died and a million and a half others were left in the cold and dark. Forecasters saw it coming, even predicted aspects of it days in advance, yet some byproducts of it were so surreal - flash floods and sinkholes, landslides and gale-force gusts - that no Doppler radar or wind gauge or statistic on a TV screen could ever fully explain it. After a wild, wind-driven tempest blasted in off the Pacific to pummel Puget Sound overnight Thursday, about 1.5 million homes and businesses in the region remained without power. Locals called it ONE OF THE WORST STORMS IN MEMORY, politicians declared it a disaster and meteorologists confirmed it was a blast for the record books. "This (kind of storm) is generally considered one in every 10 years." Winds gusted to a RECORD 69 mph about 1 a.m. at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, breaking the old mark of 65 mph set in 1993. Winds were clocked at 90 mph near Westport on the coast, while in the mountains, Chinook Pass clocked winds of 113 mph.
More than two inches of rain- 2.17 inches - was recorded at the National Weather Service office in Seattle. That BROKE THE RECORD of about an inch-and-a-quarter (1.24 inches) set on December 14th in 2002.
CANADA - Wind gusts at Race Rocks, off the Island's southwest tip, reached a RECORD 158 kilometres an hour as the third intense wind storm in a week plowed a trail of destruction through southern Vancouver Island and the Lower Mainland on the 15th. Friday morning's storm knocked out power to thousands of residents, toppled trees, and damaged buildings and cars. In the last three storms the wind has gathered over the North Pacific, whooshed across the ocean, gathered speed in the funnel of Juan de Fuca Strait and then whacked Vancouver Island with its full force. "There are tremendous wind speeds and three in one week is UNUSUAL." The wind is coming straight across the cold North Pacific and hitting land, rather than taking the more common route of dipping south and picking up tropical moisture. The storms are cutting a swath straight across Vancouver Island instead of the more usual pattern of tracking to the north coast around Prince Rupert and the Queen Charlottes. "The fact we got three blasts in a row is pretty annoying and UNUSUAL."
SNOW / COLD -
CALIFORNIA - Southern California remains in the grip of a cold spell with near-record breaking low temperatures. RECORDS WERE BROKEN in many areas early yesterday. The city of Lancaster shivered at 16 degrees, two degrees below the record low set in 1965. Nearby Palmdale was an icy 18. The old mark was 22 set in 1992. Along the coast, early morning lows were 28 at Santa Barbara airport, 31 in Camarillo and 36 in Long Beach. The temperature at Los Angeles International Airport fell to 39 degrees, tying the 1924 mark.
HEAT / CLIMATE CHANGE -
RUSSIA - is having its WARMEST DECEMBER IN 136 YEARS, since 1870, raising fears of serious economic consequences. At the end of last week, the mercury hovered just below nine degrees — 14 degrees above average for December. The weather has led to predictions of a dearth of grain, and psychiatrists are worried about people's fragile emotional states. "The current phenomenon we are experiencing is VERY RARE."
CANADA - Quebec City, for the FIRST TIME IN RECORDED WEATHER HISTORY, will not have any snow on the ground for Christmas. Overall winter in general is getting warmer with fewer snow-filled days. Average temperatures are breaking all the time. This week in Kenora the first day of winter is looking as though it might break a warm weather record. The warmest past temperature was recorded Dec. 21, 2003 with an average of 1.7C. This Thursday, the forecast is calling for a high of 3C, which will make it almost double that record, if what’s predicted comes through Kenora. Temperatures have been fairly normal to just above normal until this heat wave prediction, but said it’s a little UNUSUAL to jump almost 20C in a few days during normally chilly weather.
DELAWARE - RECORD HIGH TEMPERATURES hit Downstate Monday. The National Weather Service reported record high temperatures of 71 degrees in Georgetown and 70 in Wilmington. The previous records for the date were 64 in Georgetown in 1992 and 66 in Wilmington in 1990. Experts attributed the recent unseasonably warm temperatures to warm, moist air from the Southeast. “That usually isn’t the case this time of year.”
SPAIN - This year is on track to be the WARMEST ON RECORD in Spain, a country which was already hot before global warming set in. So far this year, temperatures have been 1.46 degrees Celsius above the 1961-1990 average as a searing summer gave way to mild autumn and winter. Experts warn global warming will be especially painful for Spain, and some have even forecast its southern beaches could become too hot for tourists later this century. Last year the country logged its driest year since records began and this December started with a few hardy daisies still to be found growing in Madrid parks where many trees have still to lose their leaves.
UNUSUAL WEATHER SEASON -
SCOTLAND - Buckets of rain, floods, landslides, tornadoes, hail, lightning - it's like the end of the world has arrived. Scotland has not had a dry day now for more than 40 days. It was the WETTEST NOVEMBER ON RECORD - and this month continued with even more rain. We are only halfway through December and already the west of Scotland has had more than its average rainfall for the entire month. But the whole of 2006 has been a bizarre year for weather. July was the hottest month ever recorded and it was the warmest September. Autumn was also the warmest for that season on record. The whole of this year was the warmest on record - amazing when January to April was actually colder than normal. But the skies have been behaving in stranger ways than usual. In January an EXTREMELY RARE and beautiful "blue flash" was photographed near Glenrothes, Fife. A beam of intense blue light appeared for just a few seconds from the setting sun when extremely warm and cold air bent the rays. The coast of Aberdeenshire was rocked by a mystery huge bang on the sixth, shaking windows. There were no aircraft or blasts and the cause of the noise left experts baffled. In February a mysterious foul gas-like pong spread across Edinburgh and led to some schools, businesses and homes being evacuated. The source of the unearthly stink was unknown. In April spring flowers made their latest appearance for 40 years in some places. In May arctic winds saw some parts experience one of the coldest nights on record. In June a strange dark band appeared across a sunny sky near Glasgow on the sixth. A RARE "lunar standstill" was seen at the prehistoric stones of Callanish on Lewis. This event only happens every 18 years, when the Moon rises and sets at the most extreme stretch across the horizon. In July record-breaking heat brought unusually large numbers of whales and dolphins, including some rare species, off the eastern coast of Scotland. In August on the 23rd an UNUSUAL rainbow was seen in Midlothian, with white streamers seeming to hang from it. In September a fireball was seen shooting over woodlands at 10pm on the 6th outside Fort William. In October leaves refused to change colour and fall off trees in what was the warmest autumn on record. In November UNUSUALLY WARM seas around Scotland brought masses of phytoplankton, which gave other creatures a bonanza feed. Torrential rainfall broke records for the month. In December temperatures have been so warm that grass is still growing, ski slopes are bare and a farm on the Moray Firth is still growing raspberries. A waterspout was seen last week off Shetlands, a RARE event so far north and late in the year.
CHINA - people are already starting to feel the effects of a changing climate. Chinese coastlines experienced some of the WORST TYPHOONS AND FLOODS ON RECORD this summer, while the western provinces suffered severe drought. Between January and September, natural disasters forced the evacuation and relocation of 13.2 million people and killed more than 2,300, causing direct economic losses of US$24 billion. Extreme weather now hampers China’s economic growth by between 3 to 6 percent of GDP, or US$70–130 billion, per year. In the region of Jade Dragon Snow Mountain outside Lijiang, Yunnan province, many locals lament the changes of recent decades. “When I was a little girl I used to wear extremely thick sweaters in winter. My arms and legs could hardly bend in them. Now, at the coldest time of year, I’m just wearing a thin windbreaker, and it’s enough. In the past, Snow Mountain would be completely white year-round, and all of the lakes in the area would freeze over. Now there’s hardly any snow on it, even in the middle of winter, and we can fish in the lakes year-round. It snowed once two years ago but hasn’t snowed since.” These changes have occurred rapidly, and cannot be ignored. “In the last 20 years, we have seen 200-years-worth of changes in climate,” noting that the winter season is several months shorter, the snow cover on Snow Mountain has declined 60 percent, and animals and plants seen as children are now gone or extremely rare. “They say that Yunnan is the land of ‘four seasons of spring,’ but in the last three years we’ve really seen what happens when we lose our seasons. Compared to when I first moved here 20 years ago, it is much warmer all year round now. Especially these past three years, the sun feels hotter and it has hardly rained at all.” Loss of glacial water is one of the most pressing concerns posed by climate change in China, where 23 percent of the population depends on glacial water. It is estimated that China will lose two-thirds of its glaciers by 2050, putting at least 300 million people at risk.
------------------------------------------
Tuesday, December 19, 2006 -
QUAKES -
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY - "To believe in something, and not to live it, is dishonest." - Gandhi
12/18 -
5.3 GUAM REGION
INDONESIAN relief workers struggled today to reach parts of a remote area in Sumatra island after earthquakes destroyed 680 homes and killed at least four people. A road connecting two villages in the Muarasipongi area remained impassable after yesterday's quakes triggered landslides. 230 families had fled their homes amid heavy rain and continuing aftershocks. People from 11 villages affected by the quake had sought shelter on soccer fields, or in local government offices and police buildings. The quakes, which struck early yesterday and were up to a magnitude of 5.8, were felt in Singapore, just across the Strait of Malacca on the other side of Sumatra island.
The moderate 5.5 earthquake that hit just before dawn may have killed seven people and it injured 100 early Monday, spreading panic across a large swath of the Indonesian island worst hit by the 2004 Asian tsunami.
VOLCANOES -
HAWAII - Collapse of massive lava shelf appears imminent - Newly formed volcanic land could collapse at any time. The 55 acre, thin shelf of new land, known to geologists as a "bench" or "delta," is the largest piece of unstable ground ready to collapse into the ocean since current Kilauea eruptions began in 1983. Built on sloping volcanic rubble, the bench could go more or less at once. That happened in the largest previous collapse on Nov. 28, 2005, when 44 acres crumbled into the ocean over 4 1/2 hours. The 44 acres consisted of 34 acres of bench plus 10 acres of former cliff. The bench could instead continue doing what it has done since it began rebuilding in 2005, cracking off just a few acres from time to time. In a big collapse, lava will gush, steam will blast, and boulders will fly in every direction.
TROPICAL STORMS -
Cyclone BONDO was 576 nmi NNE of Port Louis, Mauritius.
Tropical depression TRAMI was 613 nmi WNW of Agana, Guam.
HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING / LANDSLIDES -
SOUTH AFRICA - The pilot of a light aircraft was killed when he flew into a block of flats in Yeoville, central Johannesburg, during a storm on Monday night. Lightning struck, there was a sound of low rumbling and the aircraft flew into the ground floor of the building, said two men who watched in horror from an outside corridor on the second floor of the block. Most of the wreckage was inside the basement parking garage, with a wing and part of the aircraft body sticking out. Residents were asleep in the building when the plane crashed into it. The pilot, who was believed to be the only person in the plane, was killed on impact. Nobody on the ground was injured although the occupants of a flat which was hit were shaken. Police suspect the heavy storm caused the crash.
AZORES - A small tornado hit the village of Lagoa on the Atlantic island of Sao Miguel, Azores on Monday, causing damage to several buildings. No injuries were reported. "The damage is quite extensive, the roof of a factory was blown off, the windows of schools were broken and many houses and cars were seriously damaged. There was severe weather instability which caused extremely strong winds.This is a RARE PHENOMENON." Poor weather was forecast for the rest of Monday and this morning. The Azores islands lie about 1,500 kilometers (930 miles) off Portugal.
BAHRAIN - FREAK rains lashed Bahrain Sunday bringing the country to a virtual standstill over 48 hours. A total of 113.6mm of rain have fallen since the beginning of the month until noon Sunday and met-men predict more of the same until Wednesday. Many Bahraini families were trapped in their flooded homes. Hundreds of homes have flooded all across the country. Saturday and Sunday were unstable - with heavy rains all around the country and wind speeds of 35 knots. "Those winds have caused a sharp drop in Bahrain's temperature from 22.5C to 10 degrees. Near record rainfall has been recorded this month, with the highest being 96.2mm in December 1974. This month's average is 13.9mm."
FIJI - The Weather Bureau is predicting more heavy rain and storms today following an overnight deluge that caused flash flooding in the central division. A report on property damage was being compiled.
WIND -
AUSTRALIA - Wind gusts recorded during the violent storms that swept through the northern end of the Sunshine Coast on Saturday were equivalent to the destructive gales of a category three cyclone, according to weather experts. A storm cell which passed over Double Island Point recorded gusts just a whisker below 200km/h. The sky was so black it was like midnight. Cyclone Tracy, which levelled Darwin 30 years ago, packed winds of up to 250km/h, while Cyclone Larry devastated Innisfail in March with gusts of up to 290km/h. “We’ve had fewer thunderstorms this season with less humidity around, but boy, it sure came together on Saturday."
HEAT / WILDFIRES -
AUSTRALIA - There has been an upsurge in the number of animals killed wandering central Victoria roads looking for food and water. The RSPCA says road kill is spiralling out of control in the drought. Some wildlife hit by vehicles stay on the roadside for weeks and other animals are drawn to feed on the carcasses.
A blaze is on the doorstep of towns in Victoria's Gippsland region, while residents in the state's north-east are also on fire alert. The Gippsland bushfire is within one kilometre of properties in Walhalla and Maidentown, after slowly moving towards Maidentown over the past 24 hours. Helicopters have been brought in as back-up to crews on the ground. Embers are also falling at Rawson, to the south-west, but the fire is yet to cross the Thompson River. In north-east Victoria, fire is closing in on the Mount Buller area from the south, north and east. There is no end in sight to Victoria's fire crisis. "We don't anticipate getting a lot of rain in the change that comes through later this week, so we've got to continue putting in the containment lines to put this fire out and that may take us weeks." The fires have already burnt more than 688,000 hectares.
Fire photo gallery.
CANADA - 'This weather isn't normal'- Mercury hits 10C - again. That was the temperature recorded at 1 p.m. Sunday - about 13 degrees above normal for this time of year. Environment Canada meteorologists were poring over data to determine if the temperature in Montreal had, at some point, topped 10.5C - the record for a Dec. 17, which was set in 1984. On Thursday and Friday, TWO RECORDS WERE BROKEN when the temperature reached 10C and 11.8C, respectively. "It is UNUSUAL. Since the beginning of December, we've only had four or five days with temperatures below freezing." Weather conditions are more suited to Easter than Christmas.
SOLAR WEATHER -
An energetic storm which erupted on the Sun has caused disruption to satellites and may have caused a glitch on the International Space Station. The solar flare interrupted signals in space and forced mission controllers to shut systems down to avoid damage to spacecraft orbiting Earth. The flare set off a fast-moving stream of atomic particles towards Earth. It may also have caused a fault in the system controlling the space station's orientation in space. The UNUSUAL solar activity caused the density of Earth's atmosphere to increase. On December 14, China's People's Daily reported widespread disruption of shortwave radio communications in China.
------------------------------------------
Monday, December 18, 2006 -
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY - "Live in each season as it passes, breathe the air, taste the fruit, and resign yourself to the influences of each." - Henry David Thoreau.
QUAKES -
12/17 -
5.5 NORTHERN SUMATRA, INDONESIA
5.8 NORTHERN SUMATRA, INDONESIA
5.7 TONGA
5.0 TONGA
5.0 MOLUCCA SEA
INDONESIA - Three moderate earthquakes struck Indonesia's Sumatra island, with four people reported killed in one area and causing a string of aftershocks. The first earthquake struck at 4.10am (0810 AEDT) with a magnitude of 5.8. Its epicentre was 128km under the sea southwest of the city of Banda Aceh. The second quake, which had a magnitude of 5.7, came about 30 minutes later on land at depth of 53km in an area northwest of the city of Padang in Sumatra. A third quake, of 5.5 magnitude, hit at 8.24am (12:24 AEDT) in North Sumatra.
TROPICAL STORMS -
Tropical depression TRAMI was 363 nmi NNW of Yap, Caroline Islands. The storm's current path shows it heading towards Taiwan, but there are fears it could change direction over the Pacific Ocean and hit the northern part of the Philippines later this week.
HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING / LANDSLIDES -
AUSTRALIA - Fruit and vegetable crops have been wiped out in wild storms that lashed south-east Queensland at the weekend. Small crop growers in the Cooroy district and areas near Childers were assessing millions of dollars worth of the damage to their farms after severe hail storms struck on Saturday. Heavy rain and wind gusts up to 200km/h brought down trees and power lines, damaged buildings and ripped roofs from homes. Initial reports indicated that mango, lychee, pineapple, avocado, pumpkin, ginger, passionfruit and stonefruit crops were among those affected by the hail and wind. Golf ball-sized hailstones caused "incredible destruction" not only to crops, but to infrastructure such as sheds, farm equipment, netting and sprinkler systems. "This is a considerable setback as lychee trees, to take one example, take four years to mature enough to fruit again."
QATAR - there are all indications that Qatar has received its HIGHEST-EVER RAINFALL during the current season. Long time residents told the newspaper that they had never witnessed such a heavy rain in Qatar during the last four decades. The season's RECORD RAIN rain has virtually thrown the life out-of-gear in the Industrial area. With the minimum temperature dipping to a RECORD 10 degree Celsius and rain continuing to lash across the area, workers at several camps fell sick. The roads leading to many labour camps have gone under water. Many streets are still lying under water, making vehicular traffic extremely difficult.
NEW ZEALAND - Two South African families who immigrated to New Zealand lost three of their children in a freak landslide as they played in a river at a popular picnic spot, it was reported on Sunday. The parents watched helplessly on Friday evening as two children were hit by tonnes of rock in the Pohangina River, near Palmerston North. "The kids were not actually buried under all the gravel. It seemed like it was more like a shockwave; it must have come down very close to the kids. Maybe [the shockwave threw] them away, the pressure of the air ... A lot of stuff came down, so it might have been a few rocks hitting here and there."
U.S. WEST COAST - After weeks of relentless, record rain, hurricane-force winds, floods and heavy mountain snows, scientists are starting to wonder when El Nino will show up and provide a break in the ugly weather that's been pummeling the Pacific Northwest. A week ago, the National Weather Service said that this winter's El Nino was intensifying, and it predicted that it would last longer than expected next spring. So far, however, there's been no sign of the weather phenomenon, which usually brings milder and drier conditions to the Northwest, wetter and cooler ones to the Southwest and warmer and drier winter weather to the nation's northern tier. The nasty weather in the Pacific Northwest has left climate experts hesitant to predict that the worst is over and quietly speculating that some other meteorological force may be at work. "It could be something we haven't picked up on is happening." In the tropics, this year's El Nino was unfolding "according to script" with a warming ocean, a shift in the trade winds and drought in Southeast Asia. But the shift in rainfall patterns hasn't moved east, and the Pacific Ocean off the West Coast of the United States hasn't warmed as expected in a typical El Nino. "There are lots of puzzles when it comes to El Nino. The last six weeks have been exactly opposite of what El Nino looks like."
BIG WAVES -
HAWAII - a RARE winter south swell - The surf should start building sometime last night or early today and may reach advisory levels. Wave faces are expected to be in the 5- to 7-foot range with the possibility of occasional 8-foot sets at the height of the swell. The waves should peak tomorrow afternoon and slowly decrease through Wednesday. But another smaller swell may come in Thursday into the weekend. If the swell arrives as expected, it will mark just the fourth time since 1980 for winter surf on south shores. Similar south swells also have happened in 1993 and 2004. "It's UNUSUAL in December, it's more usual for our early south swells to appear around March or February instead of right in the middle of winter." And mother nature is not leaving out the north and east shores. A northwest swell could come in Tuesday night and strong tradewinds are bringing a wind swell to east shores, prompting a high-surf advisory.
HEAT / WILDFIRES -
AUSTRALIA - Campers have been evacuated from a national park in Western Australia's south today as fire crews battled a massive bushfire that threatens to double in size if it jumps containment lines. Lightning strikes yesterday ignited at least six fires in the Fitzgerald River National Park.
ODD-
Sun-deprived people might consider moving to the northern Italian village of Viganella, basking in sunlight as of today thanks to a giant mirror. The village's 185 residents are plunged in chilly darkness during winter months as surrounding mountains cut off direct sunlight. The answer: A towering 8m by 5m mirror installed on the flank of one bluff and computer-driven to follow the sun's path and cast its rays back on Viganella. "It wasn't easy, we had to find the proper material, learn about the technology and especially find the money" for the nearly €100,000 ($167,000) operation which has spawned envy from Swiss and other Italian mountain villages.
------------------------------------------
Sunday, December 17, 2006 -
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY - "And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom." - Anais Nin
QUAKES -
12/16 -
None 5.0 or over.
12/15 -
5.3 SOUTHERN EAST PACIFIC RISE
5.1 TAJIKISTAN
5.4 KURIL ISLANDS
5.5 KURIL ISLANDS
5.0 GUADELOUPE REGION, LEEWARD ISLANDS
Hawaiian earthquake had surprising trigger - A new fault formed off the northwest coast of Hawaii on Oct. 15 of this year, and now scientists are figuring out what caused the crack and the ensuing 6.7 magnitude earthquake. The crack extends about 9 miles in length in the oceanic plate that supports the island. It formed about 35 miles below the sea-surface level, much deeper than quakes typically originate in that region. The temblor set off a chain of events, including a shallower earthquake of magnitude 6.0 and more than 80 aftershocks within a 24-hour period. For an island chain comprised of volcanoes, any shaking and waves of energy triggered by an earthquake can interact with chambers of magma that turn into erupting lava. The October quake, however, actually reduced the activity of most volcanoes on the island with the exception of one confined area on Mauna Loa where activity increased. The recent earthquake was caused not by volcanic activity but from the heft of the volcanoes, which continue to gain weight as more lava flows onto the surface.
VOLCANOES -
INDONESIA has raised the alert level at a volcano on the northeastern Sulawesi island after it belched hot ash, fearing a possible eruption within two weeks. Mt Soputan in northern Sulawesi, about 2,160 km northeast of Jakarta, blasted volcanic dust about three km down its eastern slope. Evacuations were not considered necessary because residential areas are on non-threatened southern and western sides of the mountain, with the closest village around eight km from the peak. The alert was raised to the second from highest level after heightened activity since Monday.
TROPICAL STORMS -
Tropical depression TRAMI was 211 nmi N of Yap, Caroline Islands.
Typhoon Utor ripped through south China islands. Typhoon Utor has destroyed fishing sheds and caused boats to run aground in the Xisha Islands, in south China's Hainan Province, but no human casualties have been reported, local sources said on Friday. Typhoon Utor slammed into the Xisha Islands early Wednesday morning with winds of up to 162 kilometers per hour. After hours of gale force winds, waves at Yongxing Island, the largest island, were seven to eight meters high. Local fishermen and government staff stationed in the Xisha Islands have begun reconstruction work. Utor weakened into a depression Thursday afternoon with its eye 210 km southeast of Hainan's Sanya City. Utor killed 27 people and left eight missing in the Philippines after making landfall in the country on Tuesday.
HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING / LANDSLIDES -
RUSSIA - A cyclone that swept the Leningrad Region overnight on the 14th hit 197 settlements of a total of about 30,000 people. The windstorm damaged 14 electro-transmission lines, halted the work of 268 transformer stations and cut off electricity to 33 boiler rooms. The cyclone caused a flood in St. Petersburg and was moving toward Arkhangelsk. It was the 301st flood in St. Petersburg since the city foundation.
SNOW / COLD -
SOUTH KOREA - Heavy snow blanketed South Korea today, disrupting air flights and causing traffic accidents that left five dead and 30 others injured. Up to 25 centimetres of snow had fallen across South Korea between late yesterday and early today.
------------------------------------------
Friday, December 15, 2006 -
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY - "The secret to success is sincerity. Once you can fake that, you've got it made." - Jean Giraudoux
QUAKES -
12/14 -
5.1 KURIL ISLANDS
5.2 KURIL ISLANDS
PENNSYLVANIA - Many people say their pets felt Wednesday's 2.4 earthquake coming.
A local official says the minor earthquake that struck the Reading area Wednesday may have caused a significant water main break in Denver Borough. The 2.5-magnitude quake struck shortly after 2 p.m. about seven miles west-southwest of Reading. "There is a question with the timing of the (water main) break, if it is tied at all to the earthquake. The line essentially shifted about an inch. Something forced it to move, and we're not sure what it was." A rock against the pipe is often found to be the cause of a crack or break. The borough's public works crew found no such rocks this time. "Instead of a crack and break, it was a small offset." Borough workers noticed a drop in the local reservoir's water level, saw the water use meter jump and got reports of reduced water pressure from residents from about 2 to 3:30 p.m. The Geological Survey lists the time of the earthquake as 2:08 p.m. The quake shook at least one building near Reading on Wednesday and prompted startled residents to inundate Berks County's 911 center with phone calls. There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries. "It was sizable compared to the ones we've seen in the past."
INDONESIA - The data recorded by a global positioning system through June 2006 showed the two huge earthquakes that devastated Aceh province and Nias Island in 2004 and 2005 were not the end of the earthquake cycle on Sumatra island and were reflections of underground forces pushing the island in different directions. "This movement will accumulate the energy from a huge earthquake source under the Mentawai Islands, whose power could reach up to a 9 magnitude (quake) or even higher." While it is impossible to predict when the earthquake would hit, it would likely affect the Mentawai Islands and Sumatra's west coast - from West Sumatra province to Bengkulu. An extremely large earthquake hits Sumatra every 100 to 300 years. Recorded earthquakes followed by tsunamis occurred in the 1300s, 1600s, 1797, 1833 and 2004. The last earthquake centered under Mentawai measured 8.2 on the Richter scale in 1797 and caused 10-meter high waves. The historical and coral records show the earth crust's compression has reached the last phase of the tension release phase, which indicates another big earthquake is due.
TROPICAL STORMS -
NONE.
Typhoon Utor weakened into a tropical low pressure out over the East Sea early Thursday, easing fears in Vietnam.
HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING / LANDSLIDES -
INDONESIA - Landslides on Indonesia's Sumatra island killed 17 people today, most of them worshippers in a mosque. Workers were searching for 11 more people missing after the landslides struck two villages in the remote area of western Sumatra. There had been heavy rain in the mountainous area that had left the ground very unstable. The nearest town to the landslides is Solok, about 900km northwest of Jakarta. The rainy season has just started in parts of Indonesia making landslides more likely.
FLORIDA - West Palm Beach received about 6 inches of rain before noon Thursday, breaking a 51-YEAR-OLD RAINFALL RECORD of 3.75 inches for the date, set in 1955. The squally weather is the result of a low-pressure trough combined with flows of moisture from the Caribbean and the Pacific Ocean, flowing toward Florida. "All those ingredients are coming together to produce this rain. It's a RATHER UNUSUAL wet pattern for this time of year."
WILDFIRES / DROUGHT / CLIMATE CHANGE -
AUSTRALIA - A volunteer firefighter has died and at least 20 homes have been destroyed as bush fires raged in southern Australia. In the island state of Tasmania, four homes were destroyed in the coastal resort of Four Mile Creek. Residents fled to the beach to escape what was described as a "large fireball". Firefighters are battling to save the small town, which has been completely cut off with fires burning right up to the sea, cutting off evacuation routes. Some 4,000 firefighters have been tackling at least a dozen wildfires, which have scorched vast areas of Victoria in south-east Australia recent days. Firefighters have also been tackling blazes in the neighbouring state of New South Wales. Fire officers say they hope the coming days of cooler weather will give them time to build containment lines around the blazes. "But there is a lot of work to be done as it will get hotter and more dangerous next week."
The world's top meteorologists have released their annual weather assessment, and it paints a dismal picture. The globe's sixth warmest year on record has produced widespread drought (Australia, US, China, Brazil and southern Africa.), interspersed with what they call 'radical variability', the October snowfall in southern Australia, for example. Europe had its warmest summer on record. Australia had its warmest spring on record. Canada experienced its warmest winter and warmest spring since its national records began in 1948. But despite the world getting hotter and dryer, there's concern that Australians are taking refuge in the notion that the drought is short-term. There's concern Australia is in denial. And critics say that governments are failing in their efforts to address water problems. Global mean temperatures are climbing. Rainfall is declining and Australia has had its hottest decade.
NORTH DAKOTA - Drought has taken a toll on the Souris River, affecting golf courses and area wildlife refuges. As of Dec. 11, Minot had recorded just 11 inches of precipitation for the year, compared to 18 inches on average. "The flow is zero right now. I don't think there's anything coming down at all. We really haven't had any flow all year." Officials say the river in Minot could freeze solid this winter, and that heavy snows are needed throughout the region to recharge reservoirs in the basin next spring and bring river levels up to normal. "We probably can't afford another spring without sufficient runoff, or we'll be in trouble next summer." Wildlife officials say the possibility exists for an extensive fish kill throughout the entire Souris River below Lake Darling this winter.
SOLAR WEATHER -
A significant geomagnetic storm was expected to impact the Earth beginning early Thursday afternoon around 1:00 p.m. Eastern time. Impacts from this event can cause problems with High Frequency communications, satellite operations and induce currents in power grids. This geomagnetic storm is the result of a strong radio blackout with an associated moderate solar radiation storm that was observed by the NOAA space weather forecasters on Tuesday. Also, observed was a powerful and fast-moving coronal mass ejection directed toward Earth with this activity. “It is a RARE occurrence to have a strong event like this so late in the Solar Cycle.” NASA officials said they did take precautions to avoid the effects of the radiation storm from the solar flare by having the astronauts aboard the International Space Station and shuttle Discovery sleep in protected areas of their respective spacecraft overnight.
------------------------------------------
Thursday, December 14, 2006 -
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY - "The man who does not read good books has no advantage over the man who cannot read them." - Mark Twain
QUAKES -
12/13 -
5.1 EAST OF THE KURIL ISLANDS
5.2 KURIL ISLANDS
5.2 KURIL ISLANDS
THAILAND - Residents in three northern provinces were alarmed by an earthquake centred in Chiang Mai yesterday. It measured 5.1 on the Richter scale, and was followed by 69 aftershocks that slightly damaged some buildings. Four buildings in Mae Jo University in San Sai district sustained slight damage. Cracks appeared on the buildings' walls and parts of the ceiling in two dormitory rooms fell down. There were no reports of any casualties. The quake was THE STRONGEST VIBRATION EVER TO OCCUR IN CHIANG MAI. There are nine faultlines in Thailand that are still moving. Most of the faultlines run from the north to the western region of Thailand. Yesterday's earthquake was technically moderate and occurred at about 30km under the ground. Vibrations on certain faultlines in the west could also affect Bangkok.
TROPICAL STORMS -
Tropical storm UTOR was 247 nmi ENE of Da Nang, Vietnam.
HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING / LANDSLIDES -
SCOTLAND - rain still falling - Severe flood warnings were the order of the day in Scotland yesterday as more than 40 days of gales and rain showed little sign of letting up. The Scottish Environmental Protection Agency said that there was “serious danger to life and property” from the rivers Lyon and Tay in Perthshire, and the River Teith at Callander. There were also nine flood warnings and twenty-two flood watches in place elsewhere. Scotland has suffered the WETTEST NOVEMBER ON RECORD, and there is more bad weather to come. Worst hit has been Glasgow, which has endured the HIGHEST LEVELS OF RAINFALL ON RECORD SINCE THE FIRST WORLD WAR. The city recorded 342mm of rain last month, double the expected average, while Scotland was drenched by 244mm of rain, significantly higher than the average 166mm November total. Continuing torrential downpours have already delivered 141.5mm of rain this month, about 91 per cent of the total average for December. “It has rained every day in Scotland for more than 40 days and so far every day in December has brought wet weather. It’s not going to get any better.”
CALIFORNIA - The wet weather caused sewer lines to break and flooded roadways across the Bay Area Tuesday, but it didn't deter people from catching a glimpse of Mother Nature's awesome power: Giant waves. RECORD RAINFALL pounded San Mateo County early Tuesday morning, causing high surf advisories along the coast. The huge waves peaked at 17 feet Tuesday. The city has seen around 12 water main breaks in the past month or so.
SNOW / COLD -
CANADA - The high winds that were forecast to blast through the Lower Mainland and Vancouver Island Tuesday night were expected to ease later Wednesday, but the worst may be yet to come, an Environment Canada forecaster warned. A warm front today is expected to bring yet another bout of roaring winds, reaching around 60 to 80 kilometers per hour in Vancouver. "It could be easily as bad or worse than any of the wind storms so far this week. It's very volatile weather." Strong winds left some 190,000 homes without power on Monday, as trees fell onto powerlines. The storm was also linked to the death of at least one motorist. It's not unusual for the Lower Mainland and Vancouver Island to experience strong storms in November and December, but the recent storms appear to be more damaging and are occurring more frequently than previous years. "There seems to be an UNUSUAL NUMBER AND FEROCITY (of storms) this year," a forecaster said, but added that he did not know why.
HEAT / WILDFIRES -
Experts puzzled by December weather anomaly in Russia - Weather forecasters have so far been unable to explain December's UNUSUAL warm spell, the head of the Federal Service for Hydrometeorology and Environmental Monitoring said Wednesday. "Extreme deviations in weather patterns have been observed before, but over the past decade they have been more and more frequent," he said, adding it will take about 30 years to understand the anomalies. Four ALL-TIME HIGH TEMPERATURE RECORDS have been registered in Russia since the start of December. The number of weather phenomena dangerous both to humans and to the economy has been rising since the mid-1990s, at a rate of approximately 6% a year. The weather temperature has risen 1 degree Celsius (33 degrees Fahrenheit) over the past 10 years. "Our forecast for 2005-15 predicts that temperatures will continue to rise."
AUSTRALIA, TASMANIA - Thousands of Australian firefighters were on Wednesday battling to save three small towns from bushfires that have ravaged an area larger than Luxembourg and destroyed 18 homes. Australia is suffering its worst drought in recorded history which is drying out bushland, making vast tracts of the dry continent a tinder box. The country's annual fire season usually starts early in the new year but this year the flames have come really early, an ominous omen for the months ahead. A thick pall of brown smoke from the fires hung over Melbourne, cutting visibility to four times worse than normal and sparking a poor air quality alert from the Environmental Protection Authority.
WEIRD WEATHER - Scientists say 2006 may have been the year when the public at large finally embraced the idea that the Earth's climate is, indeed, warming. In the end, it may not have been the pronouncements of scientists and policymakers that ultimately proved convincing, but something more tangible and immediate: the weird weather. "Climate change is this slow, gradual change in the climate, and people [behave] much like a frog who is put in warm water that is slowly turned up and doesn't jump out in time before it gets too hot...we believe that we have probably already put enough increased greenhouse-gas concentrations into the atmosphere to sort of lock in several more decades of climate change, several more decades of global warming, several more decades - in fact, at least a century or more - of increases in sea level." Driving the sense of urgency among some scientists is the fact that climate changes can be observed taking place much more quickly today than had been predicted. "Some of us believe that we are seeing now a change that the [scientific] models told us should not happen for another 50 years." Scientists predict that if the Greenland ice sheet were to melt, sea levels would rise by about 5-6 meters globally, inundating several of the world's largest cities. Climate change will not create winners and losers - just "big losers and smaller losers."
EUROPE - the average temperature for 2006 was almost certainly the HIGHEST EVER SEEN IN 347 YEARS of measurements. The average temperature for the year up to 13 December stands at 10.84C. In the 1950s, the CET showed an average of about 9.4C. "This year sees the highest average temperature recorded since the CET series began in 1659, and the rise above the average is significantly higher than that for the two hottest years we have experienced." Among the OTHER RECORDS set were:
the warmest ever April to October growing season, with a mean temperature of 14.6C
the warmest month on record - July, which saw a mean temperature of 19.7C
the warmest ever September, with an average of 16.8C
the highest temperature ever recorded in the UK during July - 36.5C, at Wisley
the warmest ever autumn, with a mean temperature of 12.6C
the highest July temperature ever recorded in Wales - 34.6C at Gogerddan
even though temperatures were cooled in the first half of the year by La Nina conditions in the Pacific Ocean. The top 10 warmest years recorded globally have all occurred during the last 12 years.
------------------------------------------
Wednesday, December 13, 2006 -
QUAKES -
12/12 -
5.0 KURIL ISLANDS
6.3 CELEBES SEA
5.0 MINDANAO, PHILIPPINES
CALIFORNIA - A group of California researchers predicts a major earthquake is coming within the next two years. UC Davis Professor John Rundle says studying seismic patterns has led to a formula for predicting the risk of a large quake – magnitude 6.0 or higher. "Now that doesn’t absolutely mean that there’s going to be an earthquake in either northern or southern California, but the probability of it happening is rather high in northern California based on our research."
TSUNAMI -
MALAYSIA - Sea cucumber scare in Penang - Could a tsunami strike them again? That was the deep fear that struck Penang residents when they saw thousands of sea cucumbers on the beach two days ago. The residents of Pantai Pasir Panjang remember how thousands of fish washed ashore on the same beach several days before the December 26, 2004 tsunami catastrophe. Most of the more than 50 deaths in Malaysia due to the tsunami were reported at Pantai Pasir Panjang. The RARE phenomenon took place this time on the 11th as the thumb-sized creatures found their way onto the kilometre-long shore after midnight. And residents are worried that it could signal an impending tsunami. Last month, The Star reported something similar happening in Kuala Terengganu when thousands of sea cucumbers, also known as gamat, appeared on the Batu Buruk tourist beach. The deputy director of the Oceanography Institute described the phenomenon as 'VERY ODD' and said it could have been caused by strong sea undercurrents. 'This may be due to the imminent monsoon season, but I consider it a strange occurrence as it HAS NEVER OCCURRED HERE BEFORE.'
VOLCANOES -
JAPAN - Iwojima may be headed for eruption - Japan's Geographical Survey Institute is watching Iwojima carefully for a possible volcanic eruption as it has recorded a 12-cm elevation in the land on the southeastern region of the island in the last month, the BIGGEST INCREASE SINCE 1997 when it began taking measurements. The land is rising faster than the speed of the elevation observed just before an eruption on the island in September 2001. "It is unclear whether the move will immediately lead to an eruption, but careful observation is needed." The total elevation has surpassed 20 cm since the land began rising in August.
RUSSIA - Another active volcano has been discovered on Kamchatka Peninsula - the Ichinskaya Sopka volcano, which was thought to be the only active volcano of the Sredinny (Middle) Range of Kamchatka, has a companion – the Khangar volcano. The Khangar volcano appears to have had two active periods in the recent geologic period. Scientists have classified the volcano as a potentially active volcano, which now is relatively dormant. Scientists also predict that future volcanic eruption will bring no instant threat to the human beings inhabiting the area, because human settlements are located far from the volcano. However, the explosion may have a catastrophic impact on the environment. Even a small eruption may cause catastrophic mud flows: the weak eastern wall of the crater may break, releasing the lake, which contains about 0.4 cubic kilometers of water. (photos)
NEW ZEALAND - a second volcanic blast appears unlikely - There has been no more geothermal activity at Kuirau Park since this week's eruption. Staff have been monitoring water levels in the mud pool that erupted on Sunday at 7pm and say all is quiet in the park. Steam pressure under a mud pool broke through the surface causing an eruption. Nobody was in the immediate vicinity at the time. The eruption lasted about an hour before dying down. It blew mud 15m high with a 30m radius around the pool, singeing trees and grass. The area, close to the site of an eruption in 2001, has been draped in a ghostly grey coating of mud.
INDONESIA - The discovery of potential mud volcanoes off the Thai island of Phuket has highlighted the need for more research on the Andaman Sea floor to prepare for future tsunamis, scientists said Tuesday. Data have revealed the existence of four underwater "hills with pretty odd shapes. We believe that some of these hills could be mud volcanoes." Mud volcanoes belch mud and gases and, like their lava-spewing cousins, can trigger earthquakes. Mud volcanoes are caused by heat from the sea floor, but it is too early to say whether these hills are a sign of seismic activity. The same underwater seismic faultline that caused the magnitude-9 quake that triggered the 2004 tsunami lies a few hundred kilometres to the west of where the potential mud volcanoes were discovered.
TROPICAL STORMS -
Typhoon UTOR was 239 nmi E of Da Nang, Vietnam and 360 nmi SSW of Hong Kong.
VIETNAM - Typhoon Utor, described by meteorologists as fast-moving and unpredictable, is forecast to be within 140km of the Hoang Sa (Paracel) Islands this afternoon. But predictions on where and when it will hit Vietnam vary considerably. Little of it's strength diminished after passing over the Philippines to approach the East Sea. The typhoon's circulation has a large radius of 500km while most typhoons fluctuate from 200km to 300km. Hong Kong's centre for metrology and hydrology said Utor may hit the coast from Quang Tri to Nha Trang while the US' navy and London University predicted it will not hit central Vietnam but move to the east of China's Hainan Island, which is off the coast of northern Vietnam.
Typhoon Utor has raced into the eastern areas of the South China Sea. Its arrival has caused temperatures to drop by more than 8 degrees Celsius in southern China. Meanwhile, regions along the south coast have experienced their lowest temperatures since the start of winter. And heavy rain has swept through most parts of the area. The typhoon is now heading towards the coastal areas at a speed of 20 kilometers per hour.
HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING / LANDSLIDES -
U.S. NW - After a brief break Tuesday in the weather across the Pacific Northwest, another powerful storm will blast into the region. The incoming storm will be packing hurricane-strength wind gusts that will spread rain along the coast and heavy snow in the mountains of Washington and Oregon. The wintry weather is hampering search efforts for three climbers on Mt. Hood, Oregon's tallest peak. Conditions on the mountain were deadly, with high winds, heavy snow and hard ice. Strong coastal winds and rain on Monday blasted the Pacific Northwest and northwestern California as the latest storm in the parade of Pacific storms slammed onshore. Winds gusted to 83 mph at Mount Hebo, Ore., and near Westport, Wash., while gusts of 70 to 80 mph brought down multiple utility poles near Clallam Bay, Washington. By tonight local rainfall totals will reach 6 inches, winds near the coast will peak at 60 to 80 mph, high waves will batter the shore and 1 to 3 feet of snow will fall in the Cascades. The train of storms will not end on Thursday as another, more powerful storm targets the region.
SOUTH AFRICA - Three people, including a three-month-old baby, have died and more than 700 have been left homeless after severe flooding in KwaZulu-Natal. The South African Weather Service said it had been the sixth consecutive weekend it had rained in the province - and the trend is likely to continue.
SWEDEN - One of the WARMEST DECEMBERS SINCE RECORDS STARTED being taken here has meant lots of rain in the south, rather than the usual snow. There’s been severe flooding in southwestern Sweden, with landslides, trains delays and traffic problems as a result. (photo)
WILDFIRES / DROUGHT / CLIMATE CHANGE -
AUSTRALIA - Dozens of wildfires burning Tuesday across southern Australia destroyed more than a dozen homes and a popular ski lodge, while residents in the western city of Perth were urged to flee an approaching blaze. More than 3,000 firefighters were working to contain the fires in four states, with the worst centred in Victoria and the island state of Tasmania.
Drought-stricken Australia should heed a warning from a new study that shows a series of massive droughts killed giant kangaroos and other "megafauna" in south-east Queensland 40,000 years ago. Understanding how the prehistoric big dry caused extinctions could help predict how and if animals battling current climate change will survive.
Shoppers are being warned that vegetable prices could rise by 30 per cent before Christmas, and even double in January, as the drought continues to hurt production. And it is not just the drought that is set to hurt prices. Fruit and vegetable growers in southern Queensland are counting the cost of devastating hail storms which swept through the region late yesterday. While up to 90 millimetres of rain was recorded in gauges on the Darling Downs, the hail has left a multi-million dollar damage bill. Growers have reported damage to crops of cabbages, strawberries, plums, table grapes, tomatoes, mangoes and avocadoes and lettuce.
TASMANIA - Conditions continue to deteriorate in Tasmania after RECORD LOW RAINFALL AND RIVER FLOWS. The State is experiencing ONE OF ITS WORST SEASONS IN 100 YEARS. While pockets of the State are having a reasonable year, the extended dry and heavy frosts are making the season tough. "We're looking at the ground now almost as if it is February here in Tasmania. We've had no spring, the winter was very dry and I don't think we can do anything else but call it a drought now."
TEXAS - Drought Having Major Impact On Lake Water Levels - it's been 42 years, since 1964, since Lake Travis has been this low in a December. Huge chunks of land have been exposed by water levels that just keep dropping. The lake's just below 644 feet right now. It's REALLY UNUSUAL to have it like this in a December, and it shows how tough this drought is. This is not the lowest Lake Travis has been in recent memory - in October 2000, it was about three feet lower than this, but it rose much higher in a couple of months after heavy rains. "It shows us that we have really missed out on our fall rain, not only this year, but last year as well, and that we're in the middle of a two-year drought that could go on even longer." And what hurts even more is that we are in an El Nino weather pattern, but we missed out on its usually heavy fall rain. "It's not only our area of the country. The whole country has sort of been flip-flopped in what we see in El Nino."
CANADA - Environment Canada is warning people along New Brunswick's southeast coast to prepare for rising sea levels during the next few decades, thanks in part to climate change. A major report studying the last three years of storms along the Northumberland coast suggests flooding is becoming more frequent and episodes of high water will continue during the next several decades. During the past few years, major storm surges have hit communities including Barachois, Bouctouche and Cocagne. In the past, major flooding occurred every 50 to 100 years.
EUROPE - Alpine ski resorts are churning out artificial snow, daisies are flowering by the Kremlin in Moscow and retailers are fretting that Europeans are simply too warm to go Christmas shopping with a RECORD mild winter. Butterflies have been seen in Denmark, some Nordic golf courses - usually frozen for the winter - have reopened and many farmers worry that crops are sprouting far too early and could be killed by frost. One historian says that Europe has just had its warmest autumn in 500 years. In Russia, record December temperatures have kept bears from hibernating and flowers such as daisies and purple violets have been seen in and around the capital. Usually gripped by ice, Moscow basked at a record 7.7 Celsius (45.86F) on Dec. 7. In the Netherlands, the Dutch meteorological institute said 2006 was likely to be the warmest year in three centuries, and linked the record with global warming that many scientists fear will bring more floods, droughts and higher seas. German asthma sufferers are complaining of pollen and Sweden has suffered rare December floods. A report in science journal Nature this month said 2006 had the WARMEST AUTUMN SINCE COLUMBUS sailed the Atlantic, about 2C (3.6F) warmer than the long-term average. The autumn beat the record-warm autumns of 1772, 1938 and 2000.
MEGA-FIRES - Some scientists fear global warming could stoke ferocious wildland fires in parts of the world, disrupting fragile ecosystems and hampering efforts to protect communities. Recent studies linked rising temperatures to an upswing in widespread forest fires, particularly in the western United States, which has experienced an unusually high number of severe wildfires in recent decades. Future fires could drastically alter the land and convert vegetation from one type to another. That, in turn, could put native animals and plants at risk of extinction. Increased wildfires could also adversely affect the environment. When fires burn, they emit tons of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere, contributing to planet-warming greenhouse gases. This past wildfire season in the U.S. was the most severe and expensive on record.
Climate change may be affecting space - In a signal of the wide-ranging impact of climate change, carbon dioxide emissions linked to global warming are cooling and shrinking the outermost atmosphere, where the international space station and other satellites orbit, scientists reported Monday. The thinning of the thermosphere, which begins about 60 miles above Earth and extends up to 400 miles, reduces the drag on orbiting spacecraft, keeping them airborne longer. The downside is that the lifetime of space junk is also extended, which can pose a threat to satellites. The air density of the outer atmosphere declined about 5 percent during the past three decades and could decrease 40 percent by the end of the century.
------------------------------------------
Tuesday, December 12, 2006 -
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY - Good judgement comes from experience. Experience comes from bad judgment.
QUAKES -
12/11 -
5.0 HALMAHERA, INDONESIA
5.4 MARIANA ISLANDS REGION
5.0 LAKE BAYKAL REGION, RUSSIA
5.2 KURIL ISLANDS
NEW MADRID FAULT - Earthquake, insurance and building code experts from across the country Monday warned state insurance regulators of the catastrophic consequences when middle America experiences a replay of the 1811 and 1812 New Madrid series of earthquakes, and recommended that the regulators support a comprehensive solution that includes financial protections, public education, stronger building codes and strengthening first responders to better prepare for such an event. Scientists predict that the probability for an earthquake of magnitude 6.0 or greater in the Midsouth and Midwest is significant in the near future.
VOLCANOES -
INDONESIA - A team of Thai and German marine geologists has found four submarine mud volcanoes about 200 kilometres from Phuket. The first and biggest volcano about 200km from Phuket, about 650 metres under the sea. Its base is about 800 metres in diameter and it is 100 metres high. The second volcano is located 50km west of the first volcano at a depth of about 1,000 metres. The third and fourth volcanoes have bases about 500 metres in diameter and are 60-70 metres high. They are located about 60km northeast of the second volcano and are at a depth of 700 to 800 metres. These are the first submarine mud volcanoes discovered in Southeast Asia. But an above-ground mud volcano exists at Baratang Island, in India's Andaman Islands, about 200 to 300km away. The team of marine geologists suspected the mud volcanoes they had found were like submarine mud volcanoes off Louisiana in the Gulf of Mexico. "This kind of volcano has nothing to do with tsunamis or other disasters. I don't want people to be worried as they are not hazardous." Mud volcanoes are often associated with petroleum deposits and the area might gather strange undersea marine creatures that live without sunlight.
TROPICAL STORMS -
Typhoon UTOR was 266 nmi W of Subic Bay, Philippines.
HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING / LANDSLIDES -
CONGO - Thousands of people have been displaced by about a week of heavy flooding in northwestern Congo. About 600 houses have been destroyed in the town of Bumba following a month of heavy rains, leaving about 3,600 people without shelter. Many houses were washed away, while some in low-lying areas were completely inundated. While seasonal flooding is common in the area, this year has been much heavier than normal. "This year the houses are under water, other years it was only the rice fields that were flooded."
SCOTLAND - Almost half of the rainfall expected for the Glasgow area for December fell last night and early today. The downpour put hundreds of homes at risk of flooding and disrupted road and rail travel – and there is more on the way, along with winds of up to 50mph. It was the second successive weekend west Scotland had been lashed by rain. 46mm (almost 2in) of rain fell in the 24 hours. "The Glasgow area normally gets around 107mm (41/4in) for all December, so it means almost half fell during the past 24 hours. That's been a lot of rain. It is going to continue right through to the weekend, with heavy periods of rain and showers. It will also be windy and Wednesday night will be particularly bad. Glasgow can expect gale force winds of 40 to 50mph." The severe weather disrupted train and ferry services yesterday with the entire country – other than Grampian – on flood alert. The torrential rain is a repeat of November's weather, which normally brings 105mm of rain. But last month Glasgow had 300mm (almost 12in) – the HIGHEST FIGURE IN 100 YEARS.
WIND -
CANADA - Strong winds gusting up to 115 km/h have left 190,000 people without power on B.C.'s South Coast on Monday. The force of the storm whipped around branches, uprooted trees and knocked down power lines. A B.C. Hydro spokeswoman said the severity of the storm caught the utility by surprise. "We didn't expect the winds to be as strong."
HEAT / WILDFIRES -
The Arctic may be close to a tipping point that sees all-year-round ice disappear very rapidly in the next few decades, US scientists have warned. The latest data suggests the ice is no longer showing a robust recovery from the summer melt. Last month, the sea that was frozen covered an area that was two million sq km less than the historical average. "That's an area the size of Alaska." The sea ice reached its minimum extent this year on September 14, making 2006 the FOURTH LOWEST ON RECORD in 29 years of satellite record-keeping and just shy of the all time minimum of 2005. The Arctic may be free of all summer ice by as early as 2040. The ice system could be being weakened to such a degree by global warming that it soon accelerates its own decline.
SOLAR WEATHER -
A solar tsunami has been caught in the act of rolling across the face of the sun. The UNUSUAL shock wave, clocked at about 700,000 miles per hour, was triggered by a huge Dec. 6 flare that erupted from a rowdy Earth-sized sunspot during what is otherwise a relatively quiet time for the sun. "This is clearly a unique event. I don't think we've ever seen a wave of that magnitude." Normally when shock waves are seen on the sun, they tend to be short-lived, narrowly directed and seen in the super hot outer "corona" of the sun's atmosphere. This tsunami, however, was seen expanding through the much less hot chromosphere, just below the outer corona, with an almost perfectly circular wave front — like that of a stone dropped in a pond. "In this case there was this humongous explosion that caused the waves. It took about 30 or 40 minutes to cover the Sun." (event animation)
------------------------------------------
Monday, December 11 2006 -
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY - Rock is dead. Long live Paper and Scissors!
QUAKES -
12/10 -
5.0 NEAR THE EAST COAST OF KAMCHATKA, RUSSIA
5.7 RYUKYU ISLANDS, JAPAN
5.3 STATE OF YAP, FED. STATES OF MICRONESIA
SWITZERLAND - Swiss engineers halted an experiment to extract geothermal heat from deep below ground after it set off a small earthquake in the nearby city of Basel. The tremor late on Saturday local time measured 3.4 on the Richter scale and caused widespread fear, prompting about 1000 calls to emergency services, but caused no injuries or serious damage. Managers apologised for any fears aroused by the mishap, which occurred after water was injected at high pressure into a 5km-deep borehole. But the managers said the experiment posed no danger. The Basel public prosecutor launched an investigation into the government-subsidised project after the quake. The $85 million experiment is known as "deep heat mining". It is designed to extract enough super-heated water to drive a power plant providing electricity for 10,000 homes and heat for 2700 others.
TROPICAL STORMS -
Typhoon UTOR was 166 nmi WSW of Subic Bay, Philippines.
TYPHOON Utor thundered out of the Philippines leaving six feared dead and thousands stranded today after high winds and waves tore up power lines and communication links in the archipelago. Utor, a category 2 typhoon with gusts of up to 150km/h, was forecast to strengthen to a category 4 typhoon by tomorrow on a path that skirts south of the Chinese island of Hainan later this week, likely by Friday.
HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING / LANDSLIDES -
SCOTLAND - severe weather warnings were issued across Scotland yesterday, with rain and winds of up to 60mph hitting the west coast. Rain in west, central and southern Scotland was UNUSUALLY HEAVY, with about two inches falling in Tyndrum, Stirlingshire, Glasgow and parts of Ayrshire. The Scottish Environmental Protection Agency had 15 flood watches in place and it expected the River Lyon in Perthshire to burst its banks last night. The highest winds hit Orkney and other islands, but on the east coast, the weather remained relatively calm. A forecaster at the Met Office in Aberdeen said that WEATHER PATTERNS WERE BECOMING MORE DIFFICULT TO PREDICT and more gales and rain were expected later in the week.
KENYA & SOMALIA - ATTACKS BY CROCODILES and snakes, disease from overflowing latrines, and hunger are some of the problems plaguing hundreds of thousands of flood victims in parts of northeast Kenya and Somalia after the heaviest rains there in years. The heavy rains have cut roads linking Dadaab, a three-camp complex for 160,000 Somali refugees who have sought shelter from the conflict and drought in their country, but 100,000 of them have been displaced and have trouble feeding themselves because cooking pots were lost while firewood is scarce. The floods in the south-central area have exacerbated the problem by washing away roads and bridges. Parts of the Garissa-Dadaab road, the only one connecting the remote camp to Nairobi, has been washed away. Marooned villages in the area are reporting little or no food left, no access to clean water, and sanitation problems which have prompted fears of a cholera outbreak. Overall, the WORST FLOODING IN YEARS is threatening up to 1.8 million people in Kenya, Somalia and Ethiopia.
DISASTER RISKS -
Insurers blame cost increases on risky moves - The U.S. insurance industry contends that one of the chief reasons Hurricane Katrina and other recent disasters caused so much damage - and produced such huge insurance claims - is that Americans are rushing into harm's way by moving to storm-threatened coasts and earthquake zones. And one of the chief reasons they are doing so, according to this argument, is that residents are subsidized by homeowners' insurance premiums held artificially low by state regulators. Retiring National Hurricane Center Director Max Mayfield, issued a statement this summer that warned that "the main hurricane problem facing the United States is ... our lemming-like march to the sea." Allstate's Chief Executive made a similar point in a San Francisco speech a few months earlier, saying, "The risks keep rising because ... people continue to flock to places that are exposed to catastrophe. Population in earthquake-prone and coastal areas is growing faster than the rest of the country, and the increase is by a wide margin." The solution, according to industry leaders and many policymakers, is to let insurers charge steeply higher rates in danger zones to discourage people from moving there, and to make those who live there pay for the additional risks they run. The problem is that key statistics don't support the argument. Although government statistics do show growth in danger zones, they don't show it occurring at a faster pace than for the country as a whole.
------------------------------------------
Sunday, December 10, 2006 -
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY - Do not feel lonely. The disappearing world longs for you to touch it. - Jim Moore
QUAKES -
12/9 -
5.4 NORTHERN SUMATRA, INDONESIA
5.2 OFF THE EAST COAST OF KAMCHATKA, RUSSIA
5.7 NORTHWEST OF THE KURIL ISLANDS
12/8 -
5.2 TONGA
TSUNAMI -
BERMUDA - Panic gripped the island over tidal wave rumour - People running up hills; mothers snatching kids out of birthday parties and a police blockade were all the result of the panic spread by a tidal wave rumour. There was no definite pinpoint as to how the rumour got started. There were 18 to 24 waves crashing into Dockyard, which - according to the Bermuda Weather Service - are normal for this time of year. The high waves, in combination with low cloud cover on the horizon, gave an illusion of a long wall of water, and could be the root as to why there was panic that a tidal wave was heading towards the west end. 18-24 foot waves breaking on the north shore happens often during and after strong northerly winds in the winter. "It is apparent that this phenomenon has been misinterpreted by a member of the public as one large wave approaching the island."
TROPICAL STORMS -
Typhoon UTOR was 125 nmi SSW of Manila, Philippines.
UTOR - Tens of thousands of people in the Philippines were moved to emergency shelters as Typhoon Utor hit the centre of the island nation. The storm packed winds of 120km/h (75mph), cutting communication lines and water supplies, and causing power blackouts in areas. At least one person has been killed. More than 100,000 people were already in evacuation centres following last week's storm. During the next 48 hours, Typhoon Utor is expected to head out into the South China Sea - a course that could take it towards Vietnam or southern China.
PHILIPPINES - More than a week after the past super typhoon emergency struck the Philippines, authorities are still struggling to comprehend the full scale of the destruction. Initially focused on the sudden havoc caused by the combination of 466 millimeters of rainfall, 225 kph winds and FREAK mud and lava falls which likely killed over 1000 people in the space of a few hours near Mayon volcano, relief teams have now begun to look across the wide swath of devastation in Albay, Camarines Sur, Catanduanes and Marinduque provinces. The damage defies belief. 2,436 schools in Regions 5, 4B and 4A have been completely or partially destroyed, with a cost of repair estimated at US$40,000,000.00. The education of more than 2,000,000 children has been stopped or severely hindered. 66,168 families – approximately 331,000 people – have been rendered completely homeless by Typhoon Reming and another 77,046 families have had their homes severely damaged. The Governor’s staff have compiled a one inch thick dossier of photographs depicting whole villages turned into matchsticks and hundreds of roofless school buildings. A report on the compound effects of the last three major typhoons – Milenyo (Sept.), Paeng (Oct) and Reming (Dec.) – to strike the country shows the total number of casualties from the three typhoon onslaught stands at 808 dead, 2652 injured, and 820 missing. The destruction from Reming is still far from being fully known. As of today the total number of persons displaced by the storms is 350,329. The combination of the three storms has dealt a severe blow to communication and power infrastructure. Electrical power supply across the whole area in virtually non-existent.
HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING / LANDSLIDES -
SOMALIA, KENYA, ETHIOPIA - New efforts are under way to reach about 100,000 Somali refugees in three camps cut off by flooding in north-eastern Kenya. Hundreds of thousands more people are on the move in southern Somalia, trying to escape severe flooding there. The floods, coming so quickly after a long drought, have combined with years of conflict to make this ONE OF THE WORST HUMANITARIAN CRISES IN THE WORLD. A Red Cross water engineer described the humanitarian situation in Somalia as "horrendous". "When you fly over the region, all you can see is water and the tips of some roofs. In addition to the lack of food and shelter, the terrible smell of rotting debris makes it even more difficult to cope with the floods." Floods have already killed more than 250 people in Kenya, Somalia and Ethiopia. (photo)
BRITAIN - there is more stormy weather to come at the start of this week. On the 7th a FREAK tornado ripped into houses while cars were swept away in a swollen river and thousands of homes were left without power. One woman saw the wall of her house "peeled away as if by a can-opener" and another spoke of an "evil black cloud" that snuffed out a previously bright sky. Trees were torn up, roofs ripped off and a double-decker bus was sucked into the air. One said the twister was more terrifying than cyclones she had seen in her native Queensland. "The air was humming and vibrating. It was as if something evil was in the air. There was a feeling of impending doom. Then there was a massive rumble and my windows blew in." A bus was blown into the air - "It was literally lifted off the ground and crashed down again. All the windows were blown out. Bricks were falling down pulverising the road." In north Wales, 60mph winds and high tides caused havoc as the River Dee burst its banks, flooding homes in Llangollen. And in Shrewsbury, Christmas shoppers returned to their cars to find them under water. The car park was flooded after the River Severn burst its banks following hours of torrential rain. A 350ft oil tanker was left stranded and drifting towards cliffs off Seaford, East Sussex, after it broke free from a tug in force 10 gales. A stricken lifeboat crew had to be winched to safety after becoming stranded on the tanker, which they had anchored. The boat then broke free from its mooring again and smashed into cliffs at Seaford Head. In Hampshire, three cars were swept down river as they crossed a ford at Headley, near Basingstoke. Two of the drivers scrambled to safety but one was marooned on the roof of her car. By the time rescuers arrived, the vehicles had been swept 100 metres downstream. More than 2,000 homes in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight were left in darkness after 70mph gales ripped electricity pylons from the ground. The freak weather was caused in the morning by a build-up of energy in the air which sparked heavy thunderstorms and gusty winds. It developed just hours after the Daily Express revealed THIS MONTH IS LIKELY TO BE THE STORMIEST DECEMBER IN 50 YEARS. "Our concerns now are the system coming on Sunday night to Monday."
QATAR - this December is all set to create another record for Doha with the HIGHEST RAINFALL IN THE PAST 42 YEARS, following incessant rains on the 7th. The total rainfall received this month till date has been 25mm, which is a record over the past 42 years. The country normally receives an average of 13mm rains in December every year.
CALIFORNIA - The U.S. Coast Guard and the National Weather Service issued a hazardous weather advisory Friday warning of high seas and high winds this weekend and possibly through next week. Waves of 15 to 22 feet are predicted, with sustained winds from 17 to 35 mph — “and possible gale force gusts much higher.” Beachgoers were strongly advised to stay away from the water and to avoid standing or climbing on rocks near the shoreline because of the dangerous and unpredictable force of breaking waves. “Rogue waves, or sneaker waves, are larger and more powerful waves that are mixed in with the average-size breaking surf. These powerful sneaker waves can suddenly crash onto people walking on the beach, standing on rocks or even standing on man-made jetties or break walls. These waves have the potential to pull people into the dangerous surf, hold them under the surface of the water or throw them onto nearby rocks. Sneaker waves can be generated by offshore storms or by the combination of two or more smaller waves traveling at the same speed and direction.”
HEAT / WILDFIRES / DROUGHT-
AUSTRALIA - Melbourne has endured its HOTTEST DECEMBER DAY FOR 53 YEARS. The mercury soared to 42.1 degrees Celsius in Melbourne at 2.45pm (AEDT) today as bushfires raged across much of the state. That made it Melbourne's hottest December day since December 20, 1953, when the temperature also hit 42.1.
Erratic winds are wreaking havoc for firefighters south-west of Melbourne as they work to save homes threatened by fire.
The EPA, has RECORDED ONE IF ITS HIGHEST LEVELS OF SMOKE over Melbourne, higher than the levels caused by the infamous 2003 bushfires that burned out much of the state's north-east. "Clearly those in regional centres across the state are being inundated by high particle levels ... these levels are AMONG THE HIGHEST WE'VE RECORDED and thus far have certainly gone above those observed in the 2003 fires." Raging for 59 days, the 2003 fires burned more than 1.3 million hectares of land and 41 homes. This weekend's bushfires have so far burned out 214,000 hectares.
Smoky skies disrupted flights through the main airport in Australia's Victoria state Saturday, as firefighters battled what many fear will become the state's worst wildfires in almost 60 years. More than 20 towns were warned they could soon be threatened by the blazes, though no injuries or property damage had been reported. Heavy smoke across much of the eastern part of the southern state reduced visibility and triggered fire alarms in the airport's baggage handling area and control tower. More than 170,000 hectares (420,000 acres) of drought-stricken farmland and forests in mountainous terrain have been incinerated by 18 major fires, which threatened on Saturday to merge into a single super fire covering more than 600,000 hectares (1.5 million acres). If the fires link up, they could produce a 60-mile wall of flames. "Given the scale of the fires we're looking at now and the severe drought we've had" conditions over the weekend could become Victoria's most dangerous since the "Black Friday" blazes that killed 71 people in 1939. "It's the WORST DROUGHT ON RECORD for Victoria."
Householders in New South Wales will face a sharp increase in meat prices if, as expected, the drought continues.
Wild camels are invading remote communities in the Australian deserts, demolishing buildings in a desperate attempt to find water amid the country’s severe drought. More than 200 camels invaded an Aboriginal community on the edge of the Gibson Desert, in Western Australia. The rampaging animals tore at air-conditioning units and smashed taps and lavatories to drink from fractured water pipes. More than one million camels are estimated to range across the central Australian arid zone.
------------------------------------------
Friday, December 8, 2006 -
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY - Pray for the dead, and fight like heck for the living. - Mother Jones
QUAKES -
12/7 -
5.7 EAST TIMOR REGION
6.3 EAST OF THE KURIL ISLANDS
5.2 BOUGAINVILLE REGION, PAPUA NEW GUINEA
5.0 RYUKYU ISLANDS, JAPAN
Lots of small quakes (2.8, 2.5, 3.1, 2.2, 2.1, 2.2) in the FRANCE-GERMANY BORDER REGION today.
VOLCANOES -
NORTHERN MARIANA ISLANDS - There are indications that Pagan Volcano may erupt, warned the Emergency Management Office yesterday. EMO raised the possibility of volcanic eruption based on information from the Washington Volcano Observatory that reported low level steam and ash emissions from Pagan. Pagan residents reported a 200-foot ash cloud, with ash falling like rain. Pagan residents, however, did not feel any tremor and did not hear any explosions or rumblings. There are about 20 residents on Pagan. Pagan Volcano last erupted in the late '80s, spewing out volcanic ash. Another big explosion occurred in May 2003, with increased activity beginning March 2004.
TROPICAL STORMS -
Tropical storm UTOR was 478 nmi E of Cebu City, Philippines.
UTOR is a new tropical storm approaching the Philippines on track to become the second typhoon in 10 days to batter the archipelago. Tropical Storm Utor was about 195 miles northwest of Palau and was forecast to make landfall Saturday, before moving toward the central city of Cebu, where Asian leaders are gathering for a three-day summit starting Monday. The system is forecast to intensify into a typhoon.
2007 HURRICANE SEASON - British hurricane forecasting group Tropical Storm Risk said on Thursday it expected a busier-than-normal Atlantic hurricane season in 2007 with 16 tropical storms, of which nine would strengthen into hurricanes. It said five tropical storms would strike the United States and two of those storms would come ashore in the United States as hurricanes.
HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING / LANDSLIDES -
ENGLAND - A small FREAK tornado hit a residential street in north London injuring six people and damaging homes and vehicles. The tornado struck the Kensall Rise area of northwest London and tore roofs off several houses and demolished sections of walls sending tiles, bricks and furniture flying through the streets. Live television showed a trail of destruction with trees uprooted and cars damaged by falling debris. Tornados are VERY RARE in Britain.
About 24 of the homes affected by the tornado which swept through north-west London will have to be demolished, while others remain too dangerous to enter. Up to 150 homes were damaged. "At the moment we are expecting further severe weather so we are not going to send any contractors in to shore up until we are sure the weather is not going to create further mayhem." Initial estimates suggested damage would be in the millions of pounds rather than tens of millions as caused by the tornado which struck an area of Birmingham in 2005. The last tornado which caused significant damage in London was in December 1954. (photos)
MALAYSIA - Strong winds “like a whitish cyclone” hit three housing areas, damaging 163 houses in an afternoon storm at Jelapang. The lashing rains on Wednesday started at about 4.30pm and the strong winds that followed tore off the roofs of their homes. There were no casualties. “It was white, like a smokescreen, outside my gate and it was impossible to see my neighbour’s house. One man said he saw a white form twirling horizontally from the direction of the mountains before retreating back to where it came 10 minutes later. FREAK storms were said to be a natural occurrence in this area. “They happen every year but this is the worst."
U.S. - the last front which slipped through the North Bay on the west coast on its way south and east played all sorts of havoc on its relentless march to the Atlantic seaboard. The front was noteworthy for the amazing variety of very troublesome weather that it brought to widely disparate parts of the country — beginning on Monday the 27th when football fans nationwide were treated to the UNUSUAL spectacle of snow blanketing the field in normally non-snowy Seattle. The cold and snow blasted through the Rockies and into the Plains, where deepening low pressure scooped up large quantities of warm, moist air from the south and threw it back over the frigid air on the backside of the storm which originated in northwestern Canada. Snowfalls in Oklahoma and Missouri set RECORDS FOR BOTH DEPTH AND UNSEASONAL EARLINESS as up to 18 inches of the white stuff were dumped in several locations, preceded by varying amounts of sleet and freezing rain which just added to the misery. Snow and ice extended all the way from Texas to Michigan. Ahead of the front, severe weather outbreaks of thunderstorms and tornadoes brought destruction to Alabama and Mississippi as the cold air clashed violently with unstable warm air to the east. Strong southerly winds forced Gulf air well up the eastern seaboard. The resulting temperatures in the 70s were more than a little disconcerting for someone seeking the cold and snow which should enhance the Christmastime ambiance in that part of the U.S. At the Jersey shore, wind and waves combined for a surreal scene, with the mild air making the scene more reminiscent of a September tropical storm than an early December cold frontal passage. Today the first in a succession of Pacific storms begins to affect the west coast with some moderate rain and wind which may extend into Saturday.
ODD - MORE MYSTERY TREMORS -
NEW JERSEY - Some people felt the ground shaking Thursday afternoon in South Jersey along the shore. Police took calls and emails from people in Mays Landing, Egg Harbor Township, Marmora, Somers Point, and Ocean City. All of them reported rumblings, tremors, and loud noises around 12:30 pm, then again at 1:15 pm. Most of the obvious potential causes don't check out. The only major road construction in the area is along the Route 52 causeway, and that's pretty far away for all those people to feel it. The Earthquake Center in Delaware reports absolutely no activity in the region. And the Department of Defense and New Jersey military investigated. Both say no local aircraft caused a sonic boom. But there is the possibility that an aircraft just passing through from a different area could have caused a loud rumbling feeling.
MISSISSIPPI - Many Jackson County residents felt the earth shake and rumble for several seconds Wednesday morning, creating a myriad of suspicions as to what had happened, but officials believe sonic booms from jets may have been the cause. About 10 a.m. two loud noises that shook houses, windows and the ground were reported throughout the county. Deputies were dispatched but no explosions were reported at any local industries, which prompted officials to then call local airports in Pascagoula, Gulfport and Mobile, as well as Keesler Air Force Base in Biloxi and the National Weather Service. Local police departments, including Mobile, and other agencies received numerous calls from citizens about the noise. "It was pretty widespread." Last year, a sonic boom from jets from Pensacola Naval Air Station conducting high-altitude exercises over the Gulf of Mexico caused a similar quake that was felt in the county. That is what could have happened Wednesday. "That's the only thing we can attribute this one to. We can't find anything on the map." "There was a shake. It felt like an earthquake and then it make a deep bass-like rumbling sound." "We talked to a lot of people and they told us, 'We felt it, we heard it, but we don't know what it was." No official NAS Pensacola representative was available at press time to confirm whether exercises were taking place in the area.
( See 12/5 for Australia's mystery tremors, See 11/5 for North Carolina's, 9/22 New Zealand's, 8/13 Virgina's, 4/30 & 4/28 & 4/24 & 4/5 Washington's & California's, 3/24 British Columbia's, 3/17 & 3/15 Oregon's, 2/26 Maine's. In 2005 12/23 North Carolina, 11/23 & 10/29 Israel, 10/19 Indiana, earlier Florida )
CONCERNS -
Microscopic particles of plastic could be poisoning the oceans, according to a British team of researchers. They report that small plastic pellets called "mermaids' tears", which are the result of industry and domestic waste, have spread across the world's seas. Scientists are worried that these fragments can get into the food chain. Sturdy and durable plastic does not bio-degrade, it only breaks down physically, and so persists in the environment for possibly hundreds of years. Among clumps of seaweed or flotsam washed up on the shore it is common to find mermaids' tears, small plastic pellets resembling fish eggs. They are almost impossible to clean up. The incidence of the particles has been increasing over the years. Whether plastics present a toxic challenge to marine life and subsequently to humans is one of the biggest challenges facing marine scientists today. Whatever the findings eventually show, there is little that can be done now to deal with the vast quantities of plastic already in our oceans. It will be there for decades to come.
------------------------------------------
Thursday, December 7, 2006 -
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY - Life is everyone walking along together. If one person falls, you help that person up, and then everyone walks just a little bit slower. - the Popul Vuh
QUAKES -
12/6 -
5.1 NORTHERN SUMATRA, INDONESIA
5.1 HOKKAIDO, JAPAN REGION
5.4 NEAR SOUTH COAST OF NEW GUINEA, P.N.G.
5.1 NEGROS, PHILIPPINES
WASHINGTON - Scientists say a 'silent earthquake' is overdue - Seismology experts and geology researchers are literally waiting for the earth under the Pacific Northwest to move at any moment. The earthquake will be strong but it's certainly not going to knock plates off the wall or homes off their foundations. Experts say it will last about two weeks. Scientists have found that every 14 months or so, the North American tectonic plate moves in a northeast direction, about 8 millimeters a year. We don't even notice its movement. But the plate seems to reverse course, sliding backwards for between 6 and 15 days. It happened in July 1998, August 1999, December 2000, February 2002 and September 2005. It's now due. In November, monitors began picking up movements in the Vancouver Island area but they stopped after a just a few days.
TSUNAMI -
INDONESIA - Analyses of a classic, slow-rupturing tsunami earthquake whose massive waves devastated the coast of Java, Indonesia, this past summer, in July, are providing insight to seismologists and engineers, who want to better understand these rare events, recommend strategies to improve safety and perhaps provide long-range forecasts of potential danger zones worldwide. Among the surprises is data indicating that a secondary underwater movement amplified the original tsunami to create a wave run-up more than 60 feet high along more than a one-mile section of coastline. Data also raise the possibility that some regional geophysical characteristic may be making Java more vulnerable to tsunami earthquakes. Only about 0.1 percent of earthquakes of a 6.0 or larger magnitude on the Richter scale in the past 40 years have been classified as tsunami earthquakes.
HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING / LANDSLIDES -
HAITI - at least three dead in Haiti flooding. Heavy rains started falling on November 22 and more than 18,700 people have been affected. The rains have caused severe destruction and bridges have been washed away and roads have been cut off, leaving many communities isolated, and livestock and crops have been lost.
------------------------------------------
Wednesday, December 6, 2006 -
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY - Waste not fresh tears over old griefs. - Euripides.
QUAKES -
12/5 -
5.1 NEAR THE COAST OF NICARAGUA
5.3 VANUATU REGION
5.0 MYANMAR
5.2 MOLUCCA SEA
TRINIDAD - The recent spate of earthquakes which have rattled the country continued on Sunday night when the Seismic Research Unit in St Augustine recorded a mild earthquake centered in the western part of Trinidad. The earthquake, which occured at about 10.52 pm, measured 3.8 in magnitude on the Richter Scale. Sunday’s earthquake continued the trend which started about four months ago. On September 29, at about 9.08 am, an earthquake measuring 6.0 magnitude on the Richter Scale occurred on land near Churapa Bay on the north-coast of Trinidad. Following this quake, there were at least 46 aftershocks, the strongest being at 2.23 pm on that day, measuring 5.3 on the Richter Scale. On November 15, at about 4.26 pm, an earthquake measuring 4.8 magnitude on the Richter Scale occurred. Two days later, a quake measuring 4.5 on the Richter Scale was recorded.
VOLCANOES -
SICILY - More ash rained down on Catania on Tuesday: during the morning a thin cloud of lava ash was emitted from Etna and fell on the town, pushed south south-east by the wind. The cloud of black sand, less compact than usual, can easily be seen from the town.
RUSSIA - Shiveluch volcano - a second volcano on the Kamchatka Peninsula in Russia's Far East has erupted in the past two days, spewing ash up to an altitude of 5,000 meters (26,500 feet) on Tuesday. The resulting plume poses no threat to the local residents of a village 30 kilometers (19 miles) from the volcano, but there is a danger to aircraft flying near the mountain. The Shiveluch volcano last erupted in September 2005. The Karymsky volcano increased its activity, spewing ash up to an altitude of 6,900 meters (22,637 feet) on Monday. Also on Monday a growing seismic activity was registered at a third volcano on Russia’s Kamchatka peninsula, Bezymyanny Volcano. Clouds of gas and steam have risen up to 700 meters over its top.
TROPICAL STORMS -
Tropical depression DURIAN was 178 nmi N of Kuala Terengganu, Malaysia .
VIETNAM - Durian - Weather forecasters said the storm, which has winds up to 120 km (70 miles) per hour and heavy rains, took an UNPREDICTABLE TURN to strengthen and hit low-lying provinces of Vietnam's Mekong Delta rice-basket. State-run Vietnam Television showed footage of collapsed houses, fallen trees and electricity pylons as people struggled in wind and rain. At least 44 people are dead and another 50 missing. The storm was forecast to push westward toward Thailand, the Malaysian peninsula and into the Andaman Sea.
HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING / LANDSLIDES -
PAKISTAN - Three days of heavy rains and snow have triggered mudslides that have blocked two key roads in Pakistan's earthquake-hit portion of Kashmir, obstructing relief operations. Harsh winter weather threatens to cut off more than 300,000 survivors of last year's earthquake. Meanwhile, diarrhea and pneumonia have killed six children in a village near the regional capital, Muzaffarabad, in the past two days. Most quake survivors have at least temporary shelter, but only a small proportion has been able to rebuild homes since the disaster. This year's early onset of winter has increased concerns for their welfare in the months ahead. Last winter, relatively mild weather and a massive relief effort staved off feared mass casualties among those made homeless by the quake. More rain and snow is expected in the quake zone in the next two days. Elsewhere in Pakistan, at least nine people have died in rain-related deaths in the southern city of Karachi and the northwestern city of Peshawar. The deaths were mostly due to electrocution or the collapse of buildings.
HEAT / WILDFIRES -
AUSTRALIA - Firefighters in Victoria are readying themselves for what the Premier says will be ONE OF THEIR WORST WEEKENDS EVER FOR BUSHFIRES. Northly winds are expected to bring together smaller fires in the state's northeast and Gippsland regions at the weekend, creating a huge 600,000ha blaze. "The fires we're now facing will be threatening towns. The threats will escalate over the weekend. It's going to be one of our most difficult fire weekends ever in the history of this state. We're already fronting a very, very difficult fire but it's going to be made worse." Up to 50 fires have been burning in the northeast and Gippsland regions since lightning strikes last Friday. In a single weekend, the fire ground could expand to 600,000ha of forest and cleared land - half the devastation caused by the ENTIRE 2002-03 summer bushfires.
EUROPE - It is WARMER in Europe's Alpine region now THAN AT ANY TIME IN THE PAST 1,300 YEARS. From Ottawa, Canada to Moscow, Russia, temperatures generally have been way above average at the start of winter in the northern hemisphere, with flowers blooming on snow-starved slopes of Alpine ski resorts and bears struggling to hibernate.
------------------------------------------
Tuesday, December 5, 2006 -
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY - Sometimes you ride on top of the horse, sometimes you ride underneath it. The only difference is the view.
QUAKES -
12/4 -
5.1 LAKE BAYKAL REGION, RUSSIA
TSUNAMI -
INDONESIA - Two Indonesian cities that escaped the devastating tsunamis of December 2004 are at risk of inundation over the next few decades from undersea earthquakes predicted along the coast of Sumatra, researchers say. The researchers, using computer models, produced simulations showing that a major earthquake could send a series of waves 15 to 20 feet high sweeping ashore around Padang or Bengkulu, coastal cities of 800,000 and 350,000 just south of the Equator on Sumatra’s Indian Ocean coast. Many seismologists say such quakes are inevitable off the coast near those cities.
VOLCANOES -
RUSSIA - The Karymsky volcano on the Kamchatka peninsula in Russia's Far East has increased its activity, spewing ash. The emissions pose no threat to local residents, but there is a danger to aircraft flying near the volcano.
RUSSIA - Bezymyanny Volcano - A growing seismic activity has been registered at Bezymyanny Volcano on Russia’s Kamchatka peninsula. Clouds of gas and steam have risen up to 700 meters over its top. A weak thermal anomaly of minus 17 degrees Celsius has been registered on the volcano with temperatures in the region standing at minus 29 degrees. So far there are no grounds to say the volcano is getting ready for an eruption, but such a possibility is not ruled out. Bezymyanny is one of 28 active volcanoes on the peninsula. Eruptions of the volcano happen one to two times a year, and can last from several hours to several days. Over the past few years, scientists have managed to predict the periods of its activity.
SICILY - Mount Etna, the largest active volcano of Europe, is having an eruption. For the tenth consecutive night, the Catania-Fontanarossa airport has been closed for nocturnal air traffic, because of the volcanic ash coming from Etna.
PHILIPPINES - Mayon’s eruptions in July and August built up lahar around the volcano, but no one warned residents that the approaching typhoon would loosen the debris and send it down the villages. More than 1,000 people were killed when Reming [Durian] slammed into the Bicol region and nearby provinces on Thursday, and many of them died when the typhoon’s rains sent lahar from Mayon Volcano’s slopes cascading down and burying villages. Officials will investigate both the volcanology institute, the highways department, and other agencies for possible negligence. Disaster officials should have ordered a forced evacuation the minute weathermen hoisted typhoon signal no. 4 in the Bicol region.
TROPICAL STORMS -
Typhoon DURIAN was 48 nmi SSE of Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam.
VIETNAM - Typhoon Durian swept into southern Vietnam killing at least 26 people, with 147 injured and 15 missing, sinking hundreds of fishing boats and damaging houses, days after it killed hundreds in the Philippines. The storm, which has winds up to 120 kilometres per hour, hit the Mekong Delta provinces, an area of southern Vietnam not usually struck by typhoons or strong tropical storms. Forecasters said the storm was heading west into the Gulf of Thailand, across central Thailand and into the Indian Ocean. On its current path, the storm could brush Thai resort islands.
VIETNAM - Tropical Storm Durian lashed Vietnam, sweeping away fishing boats, destroying houses and downing power lines. Durian is currently crossing the Mekong Delta which as a low-lying area is at high-risk of flooding. Communication with the island of Phu Quay, some 250km (150 miles) east of Ho Chi Minh City, has been lost. Over 1,000 homes were damaged and more than 800 fishing boats swept away from their anchors on the island. It is HIGHLY UNUSUAL for southern Vietnam to experience such a storm in the month of December.
Typhoon Durian, the ninth storm to hit Vietnam this season, is gravely threatening coastal regions with all its 'ABNORMAL PHENOMENA' and is likely to slam into a wide swathe from Binh Dinh southward to Kien Giang. The sea would be very dangerous with waves as high as 12 meters, while the water level onshore will be raised by between three and four meters, according to the central weather forecast center. In many localities where the typhoon may sweep through, authorities have made forced evacuations, especially in low-lying areas and estuaries. In HCMC, which has never been directly hit by a super storm in decades, leaders have been urging the people to stay vigilant against the possible grave consequences. Typhoon Durian is believed to be more dangerous as it comes with many anomalies. Rarely has a typhoon of this force hit Vietnam, and in the past 45 years, only six typhoons have barreled into the country in December. Furthermore, typhoons often make landfall in central Vietnam, not in the southern region. The typhoon, which is moving at a speed of 15kph, is causing a large area of air turbulence. Localities within a radius of 120km from the storm eye will suffer wind velocity of Force 10, or nearly 90kph, while areas within the radius of between 250 and 300km will also suffer wind of Force 6.
PHILIPPINES - Typhoon mudslide photos.
UNITED KINGDOM - "North Atlantic Windstorm" - Hurricane force winds ripped through Britain causing catastrophic devastation in ONE OF THE WORST STORMS FOR 10 YEARS. Lethal winds gusting over 100 mph battered the coast, whipping up FREAK WAVES which crashed over harbour barriers, sweeping a man to his death and sinking several boats. In dramatic scenes, 12,000 homes were plunged into darkness by power cuts, whilst parts of the South were flooded by torrential rain. In Gloucestershire, a mini tornado sucked tiles from roofs, tore windows from their frames and blasted trees onto power cables. But whilst emergency services were struggling to deal with the scale of the damage last night, forecasters warned that a second onslaught was on its way overnight. Britain remains on severe weather warning alert with a risk of further structural damage and localised flooding tonight, according to experts. "This is not a typical winter event. It is VERY UNUSUAL for us to see this strength of wind. We haven't seen anything like it for a good number of years. This is a once in five or 10 year event. It's one of the worst storms for 10 years." The sudden storms were caused by a deep depression moving across the UK from the Atlantic, which dumped an estimated 52mm of rain, causing flooding in some areas of Essex, Devon, Gloucestershire and Northern Ireland. Though the worst may be over, more high winds are forecast. The tornados are occuring because of unseasonably warm southwesterly humid air meeting cooler air over the land.
HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING / LANDSLIDES -
AMERICAN SAMOA - There has been extensive flooding in American Samoa today with around 100 millimetres of rain falling in a two hour period this morning. A trough extends from Tuvalu to Samoa and to the Cook islands to the south. It is almost stationary and the territory has been told to brace for continuous wet weather for the next few days.
INDIA - The 300-km long Jammu-Srinagar National Highway, which connects Kashmir with the rest of the country, was on Monday closed for the traffic after landslides triggered by heavy rains blocked it on Monday afternoon stranding over 100 vehicles.
OHIO - Business and home owners in Findlay were cleaning up from what city officials say was ONE OF THE WORST FLOODS IN RECENT MEMORY. Several main streets were closed over the weekend after the Blanchard River rose about 3.7 feet above flood level on Saturday. It was back below flood level by Sunday night. It was the fifth highest that the river has ever crested.
SNOW / COLD -
RUSSIA - A warning has been issued for housing and communal services of Russia’s Sakhalin Island hit by a snow cyclone arriving from the Sea on Monday. Snowstorms accompanied by gale-force winds are registered in the region, where temperatures have dropped to minus 17 degrees Celsius. Housing and communal services have been warned about possible emergency situations. Sakhalin meteorologists report that visibility will be restricted to 500 meters in the region. The snow cyclone will hover over northern Sakhalin for about one day.
MISSOURI - Four more deaths pushed the death toll from a devastating Midwest ice and snow storm to 19 as hundreds of thousands waited another day for electricity to be restored. Nearly 300,000 customers in Illinois and Missouri were still in the dark Monday.
CANADA - Snowy weather and continued cold temperatures are on the agenda for early this week with the largest accumulations expected to be along the South Shore in an UNUSUAL twist from winter winds. Normally, “Alberta Clipper” events bring quick layers of snow to “lake effect” areas exposed to northwest winds and Lake Superior. “This is not a typical wind set.”
HEAT / WILDFIRES -
AUSTRALIA'S drought will continue at least until March, the World Meteorological Organisation predicted yesterday as it revealed UNUSUALLY high sea temperatures in the Pacific. The tropical Pacific basin is in the grip of a drought-inducing El Nino climate event, with ocean temperatures already 1C to 1.5C higher than usual - and set to rise over summer. While the UN's weather bureau predicted an increase in oceanic temperatures, its computer modelling suggested they were not likely to rise much higher than 1.5C above normal temperatures between December and February. UNUSUAL and sometimes severe climate patterns are known to have occurred during El Nino events of the current magnitude. The WMO said the duration of this El Nino would depend on climatic developments in the Pacific between March and May next year. The worst-case scenario of El Nino conditions stretching 12-18 months, as happened in 1986-87, is unusual but cannot be ruled out. The drought in Australia has taken a distinct turn for the worst since August, with a near-total failure of the late-winter and spring rains. South Australia, southwest Queensland, southern Western Australia, and the tablelands and western slopes between the ACT and Dubbo, in central NSW, are in the grip of the WORST SPRING DROUGHT ON RECORD. It has also been remarkably warm over this period, with mean maximum temperatures being the HIGHEST ON RECORD (for the post-1950 era) averaged over Australia in Victoria, South Australia, Western Australia and the Murray-Darling Basin The water supply has been continuing to get more and more dire.
MYSTERY TREMORS -
AUSTRALIA - Authorities are investigating the cause of a large tremor felt across a 70-kilometre stretch of the New South Wales mid-north coast. Emergency call centres were inundated with calls from residents who reported a tremor that shook windows and doors in Taree and surrounding areas. But the Government seismology body, Geo Science Australia, says it was not an earthquake, and the weather bureau says no unusual weather was recorded in the region.
AUSTRALIA - residents along the NSW mid-north coast began contacting police about 9.30pm (AEDT) and reported their homes shook in a tremor yesterday. "It was felt around Forster, Nabiac and then up as far as Taree, Wingham." A spokeswoman said F/A-18 Hornets, fighter jets, from two squadrons were on low-altitude flying missions Monday night. "We can confirm that there were Hornet F/A-18 aircraft flying over that area." But the spokeswoman would not say whether that was what residents felt and heard when they reported a suspected earthquake. Military aircraft from the Williamtown base fly most nights along the NSW mid-north coast and as far west as Coonabarabran and Mudgee. Weather could amplify the noise.
------------------------------------------
Monday, December 4, 2006 -
QUAKES -
12/3 -
5.8 GUATEMALA
5.1 CENTRAL MID-ATLANTIC RIDGE
5.0 OFF THE EAST COAST OF KAMCHATKA, RUSSIA
TROPICAL STORMS -
Map.
Projected storm paths .
Typhoon DURIAN was 278 nmi SE of Da Nang, Vietnam.
HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING / LANDSLIDES -
SCOTLAND - Floodgates in Perth were slammed shut last night as the town was battered by torrential rain and high winds and officials warned that the severe weather posed a “serious danger to life and property.” In Dundee high winds forced the closure of the Tay Road Bridge to all traffic last night. The bridge was closed at 11.10pm after it was lashed by gusts of wind travelling at speeds of up to 88mph. The sudden storms were caused by a deep Atlantic depression. Forecasters said 25 to 50mm of rain could fall over the next few days, with up to 75mm possible in total.
IRELAND - The weekend's torrential rain and high winds caused the death of one man, left 15,000 homes without electricity and up to 15,000 people were affected by flight cancellations and diversions at Dublin airport. A man died after being washed into the sea in Ardglass, County Down, on Saturday night. He was walking along the pier at Ardglass harbour when a high wave struck him and carried him into the sea. Gusts of up to 120km/h toppled trees and disrupted power lines and the effect of the extreme weather was widespread. Crossmolina, County Mayo, was one of the areas most seriously affected by flooding. Homes were evacuated there when the River Deel burst its banks, with damage estimated at €1 million.
MALAYSIA - Is Kelantan ready for the next "Bah Merah" (Red Flood)? This month marks the anniversary of the great deluge which, according to the state flood chronicles, has struck every 40 years since 1926. The second surge was in 1967 and saw about 537,000 or 84 per cent of the state population badly affected. Some 125,000 were evacuated while 38 people drowned. And equally worrying was the prediction by Meteorological Department officials of another big flood to affect the east coast states of Kelantan, Terengganu and Pahang by year’s end. However, it is not known whether the magnitude will be anywhere near the Red Flood or the one in 2004, where 12 people were killed and more than 11,000 displaced. The latter cost more than RM10 million in damage to property, livestock and crops. The authorities have been bracing for the start of the monsoon season which normally starts in November. 540mm of rain was expected to fall in the coming weeks, and it would only take three days of downpours to flood Kelantan. Massive floods are the annual norm in Kelantan during the peak of the monsoon season.
MIDDLE EAST, QATAR - A car stuck in a huge waterlogged area is the last thing one would expect to see in desert-dry Middle East. But that is precisely what has happened over the last couple of days and has dampened the mood at the 15th Asian Games here. The opening day of the Games Friday witnessed a RECORD DOWNPOUR and the weather department has forecast more showers and windy conditions over the next few days. Spectators, who had been waiting for the spectacular Opening Ceremony braved the weather enduring the chilly conditions, a phenomenon not common in these parts. Since the city is not geared to handle flood situations, the record rainfall paralysed normal life and tankers were called upon to drain out the waterlogged streets and residential complexes. Locals say that the city - and the country - on an average receives about four to five decent showers per year, but never in quick succession.
HEAT / DROUGHT -
MINNESOTA - Lake Superior's late-autumn water levels are at their LOWEST IN 80 YEARS, sparking concerns that the rapid fall of the world's largest freshwater lake could hurt shipping, shorelines and fish populations. The drop in levels is due mainly to six months of regional drought, experts say. But the affects could last years, and continued dry conditions could exacerbate problems further. Along the North Shore, the combination of receding lake water and lack of runoff has let sandbars form in the mouths of small feeder streams. That cuts off trout and salmons from their spawning beds and potentially reducing future populations. In the shipping business, a major economic force in Duluth and the region, lower water levels mean the freighters that carry iron ore, coal and limestone must take on lighter loads in order to navigate through locks, channels and harbors. At the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore, some docks are now so high above water that they'll be fitted with extra guards next spring to keep boats from sliding under them. Lake Superior normally oscillates 1 foot in a normal year, and has varied 4 feet in more than a century of record-keeping. But this year, instead of rising through the spring and summer as has been customary, the lake plummeted from near normal levels last spring to almost a foot below normal in the fall - hitting its lowest level since November 1925. And it may not be done dropping. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers predicts the lake will drop another 3 inches in the next three weeks, and the Minnesota state climatologist thinks it will drop 5 inches or more by the end of February. The main cause is an extreme shortage of rainfall across the Lake Superior basin since May. "For it to go down that fast on Superior is a strong indicator that this is a very extreme drought." If the drought continues into next year, Lake Superior could drop to its lowest recorded level ever.
GLOBAL WARMING - Flowers are blooming on the slopes of Alpine ski resorts and bears are having trouble hibernating in Siberia amid a late start to winter that may be a portent of global warming. RARE December pollen is troubling asthma sufferers as far north as Scandinavia. From Ottawa to Moscow, temperatures have been way above average at the start of the winter in the northern hemisphere - with exceptions including a RARE snowstorm in Dallas, Texas. Like many places, Austria has had the MILDEST AUTUMN SINCE RECORDS BEGAN and many ski resorts have delayed the season's start. From Siberia to Estonia, bears have had trouble going to sleep for their winter hibernation because their hideaways are uncomfortably warm, soggy and damp. Renowned for frosty winters, Moscow started the calendar winter on Dec. 1 with the WARMEST DECEMBER DAY SINCE RECORDS BEGAN IN 1879 - 4.5 degrees Celsius (40.1 Fahrenheit). Snows are also late in Rovaniemi near the Arctic Circle in Finland. The Norwegian Meteorological Institute said it would start measuring pollen - mainly from hazel trees - on Monday for the first time before the New Year.
------------------------------------------
Sunday, December 3, 2006 -
Thought for The Day - "Happiness is a sort of atmosphere you can live in sometimes when you‘re lucky. Joy is a light that fills you with hope and faith and love." — Adela Rogers St. Johns
QUAKES -
12/2 -
5.1 EAST OF THE KURIL ISLANDS
5.7 TONGA
5.0 EAST OF TRINIDAD, TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO
12/1 -
6.2 SUMBAWA REGION, INDONESIA
6.3 NORTHERN SUMATRA, INDONESIA
5.0 HINDU KUSH REGION, AFGHANISTAN
RUSSIA - Scientists forecasting another major earthquake in the Kuril Islands region - Another powerful earthquake may occur in the Kurile Islands region in the next two-three months, scientists at the Sakhalin Sea Geology and Geophysics Institute say, referring to analysis of the earthquakes in the Kuriles for the past 50 years. The magnitude of the second earthquake may exceed 7.5 on the Richter scale, and its epicenter is supposed to be closer to Onekotan Island or the southern Kamchatka extremity. After a disastrous 9.0-magnitude quake hit Paramushir Island in 1952, a second powerful tremor was recorded 26 days later. On Nov 15, this year, a quake measuring 7.9 occurred near Simushir Island. According to scientists, the powerful underground tremor was caused by seven-metre movement of a Pacific layer under the mainland. The energy for the movement had accumulated for 100 years. The seismic activity near Simushir Island has not subsided. Ten quakes were recorded there over 24 hours on December 1st. The magnitude of the tremours exceeded 4.0 on the Richter scale. More than 20 skilled rescuers of the Emergencies Ministry remain on duty on the islands of Kunashir, Iturup and Paramushir.
INDONESIA - An earthquake off Indonesia's eastern island of Sumbawa late Friday killed one person, damaged many houses and buildings, and caused panic among residents. The quake, which measured 6.3 on the Richter scale, had its epicentre 48 kilometres beneath the ground and struck 25 kilometres north of the island, some 1,350 kilometres east of Jakarta. The quake was the latest of a series of quakes in the past year to rattle Indonesia.
The quake injured 14 people. "Several buildings collapsed such as the chamber of commerce building and around 20 houses in Bima."
MALAYSIA - Several areas in Kuala Lumpur and Penang experienced tremors following the magnitude 6.3 earthquake in the northern part of Sumatra at 11:58 am Friday. Tremors were felt for about five minutes at several high-rise buildings.
CALIFORNIA - Predicting the Timing of Major Earthquakes - major earthquakes in California having a magnitude greater than 6 cluster in time. The timing of large earthquakes is associated with periods when "bursts" of small earthquakes, with magnitudes of 3 or less, tend to be suppressed. Northern California is currently in a period of suppressed smaller earthquakes. The opposite is true in southern California, where bursts of smaller earthquakes are relatively larger. These findings indicate that northern California is currently at higher risk than southern California for a major earthquake. Forecasting when a major earthquake will erupt - within a window of two to three years - could be possible, based on mathematical studies by researchers. The group has previously forecast the likely locations of major earthquakes over a 10-year period. From Jan. 1, 2000, to the present, 17 of the 19 significant California earthquakes having magnitudes greater than 5 have been located on "hotspots" identified on a geographic forecast map of the state. The new approach narrows the time window, but over a broader geographical area. Major earthquakes are still most likely to occur on the geographic hotspots identified previously.
TROPICAL STORMS -
Typhoon DURIAN was 356 nmi ESE of Da Nang, Vietnam.
PHILIPPINES - Victims of recent mudslides in the Philippines are being buried in a mass grave to prevent the spread of disease. The mudslides were triggered by Typhoon Durian, which hit the country on Thursday. They engulfed villages south-east of the capital Manila. The official death toll stands at 406, with another 398 missing. Hopes of finding more survivors are dwindling. The death toll could easily reach 700, and possibly even outstrip 1,000. "There are many unidentified bodies, there could be a lot more hidden below. Whole families may have been wiped out." More than 40,000 people have been displaced by the mudslides. Many of the survivors, who have lost not only their homes but their livelihoods too after fruit trees and rice paddies were destroyed, have crammed into makeshift shelters in schools and churches.
Typhoon Reming (Durian) is the latest in the series of deadly and destructive tropical cyclones to ravage the Philippines in recent years. The typhoon brought 466 millimeters of RAINFALL, THE HIGHEST IN 40 YEARS. Reming is also the THIRD SUPER-TYPHOON THIS YEAR, A FIRST IN PHILIPPINE HISTORY – and the fourth major typhoon in 4 months. Lafayette, an Australian mining company operating in Rapu-Rapu, Albay, reported sustaining structural damage in the wake of the supertyphoon. Reports are rife that Lafayette interrupted its operations and even halted stock trading activities because of the severe structural damage it suffered. “We fear that another serious mine spill may have occurred – or will be occurring – due to the structural damage sustained by Lafayette after typhoon ‘Reming’ hit...The serious fact that the mine had to again stop operations and even halted its stocks trading only indicates that the Lafayette mine facility is not structurally sound." A technical expert on dam design noted that the Lafayette dam was under-designed in the light of Philippine rainfall conditions, especially in high-risk areas along the typhoon belt such as Bicol. Lafayette, in various statements released to the media, had cited excessive rainfall as one of the causes of the two mine spills that occurred in Rapu-Rapu last year. (PHOTOS)
Atlantic hurricane season - It may have been a 10-storm season: "A July weather system over the Atlantic south of Nova Scotia is being reexamined ... to determine whether it qualifies as an unnamed tropical cyclone." This kind of after-the-season addition isn't uncommon. You might recall that last spring, the hurricane center added a 28th storm to the 2005 season - an unnamed subtropical storm from October that the forecasters had missed. This was the first year since 2001 that no hurricanes hit the United States. September's four hurricanes actually made the month busier than average. Ernesto was the only storm to cause any significant damage in the United States. Total: $500 million.
HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING / LANDSLIDES -
BRAZIL - Flooding and mudslides triggered by heavy rains in southeastern Brazil have killed six people and damaged hundreds of homes. Three members of a family were killed Friday in a landslide in the city of Teresopolis, 90 kilometers (55 miles) north of Rio de Janeiro. More than 300 people had their houses damaged or destroyed in Rio de Janeiro state alone. In Minas Gerais state, a 10-year-old boy on his way to school was killed by a mudslide, and other several hundred had to leave their houses because of the heavy rains. Nearly 30 cities declared state of emergency after the rain storms began on Tuesday across the southeast. Sao Paulo, South America's biggest city, came to a near standstill Wednesday after torrential storms flooded highways and caused huge traffic jams, making it nearly impossible for thousands to reach their homes or jobs.
SCOTLAND - Stormy weather is wreaking havoc across the country - and things are set to get worse. High winds and lashing rain have caused chaos in Scotland, but that is only the beginning. Fearsome storms with gusts of up to 80mph are predicted over the weekend and into next week. The poor conditions have already caused a spate of road accidents across the country. 70mph winds are quite likely and even as much as 80mph. "I've been waiting for confirmation that Glasgow has had its WETTEST NOVEMBER ON RECORD. In terms of wind, the autumn hasn't been exceptionally unusual but rainwise it's been a bit STRANGE. The frequency of these storms is getting to be a little UNUSUAL. We've had a very wild spell of weather here and I'm afraid it will continue to be so."
PENNSYLVANIA - Friday's weather, which included severe thunderstorms that brought heavy rains, high winds and tornado warnings to Westmoreland and Indiana counties, rocked the Mon Valley with all the fury of a spring-time weather system. But the UNUSUAL weather occurred in December, puzzling some residents and weather experts.
SNOW / COLD -
CANADA - Residents in Ontario and Quebec are cleaning up Saturday after freezing rain, snow and high winds pummelled the regions, at one time knocking out power to more than 250,000 people.
A surprisingly early winter storm rolled across the central United States, stranding airline passengers, shutting schools and leaving hundreds of thousands of households in darkness because of ice and wet snow. Dallas, Texas, encountered RARE sleet. Snowfall in Amarillo, Texas, reached seven inches, topping the totals in downtown Chicago, Illinois, though the Windy City's northwestern suburbs registered more than a foot of snow.
OKLAHOMA - A RECORD-BREAKING SNOWSTORM caused cancellations, closures and traffic problems across the region. The two-day storm dropped 10.4 inches of snow in Tulsa and 15 inches in Bartlesville, breaking a November snowfall record set in 1972 when 5.6 inches fell in Tulsa. "It's an historic storm." "We're used to ice; we're used to wet snow. This is powder. It's difficult to drive on. It's not something we've seen in Oklahoma for a long time."
HEAT / WILDFIRES -
AUSTRALIA - VICTORIANS are bracing for ONE OF THE WORST SUMMERS OF FIRES, as about 120 blazes ripped through bushland across the state. Most of the fires started from lightning strikes. There is grave concern about weather forecasted for Tuesday, which is expected to be hot, dry and windy.
SPACE-
Meteoroids are hitting the Moon more often than anyone expected. That's the tentative conclusion of astronomers who recently saw two Leonids hit the Moon and explode. The link includes a movie of one of the Leonid impacts.
A NASA meteor expert has used a computer model of Earth's meteoroid environment to calculate how often Earth runs into bits and pieces of comets and asteroids big enough to produce fireballs. (A fireball is defined to be a meteor brighter than the planet Venus.) Globally, Earth experiences more than a hundred fireballs every day, according to the calculations.
------------------------------------------
Friday, December 1, 2006 -
PHILIPPINES - At least 388 people are confirmed dead and 96 missing after rivers of mud and volcanic ash triggered by Super-typhoon Durian swamped villages in the Philippines. The mudslides reached as high as rooftops as they poured down from Mount Mayon volcano, according to witnesses.
QUAKES -
11/30 -
5.1 EASTER ISLAND REGION
6.3 PACIFIC-ANTARCTIC RIDGE
5.8 TONGA
5.1 EAST OF THE KURIL ISLANDS
Japanese researchers have discovered a new and sluggish kind of seismic activity that helps reveal the inner workings of faults capable of producing massive earthquakes like the one that generated the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami. The so-called "very low frequency" earthquakes join two other types of slow quakes previously detected in the deep portion of subduction zones, where one section of the Earth's crust dives under another. The newfound activity, along with the two other phenomena — non-volcanic deep tremors and slow slip — may contribute to the build up of stress in what are known as megathrust quake rupture zones. The new kind of seismic activity coincides in time and location with the two previously described kinds of slow quakes. Taken together, they should allow researchers to better track the increase of stress that can make big quakes more likely.
VOLCANOES -
NEW ZEALAND - Ruapehu Volcano lahar warning level raised from level one to level 2 - the possibility of a lahar pouring from the crater lake is just 1% or 2%. But staff will increase their monitoring and visit the lake every one or two weeks, as the lake level will continue to rise with the summer melt. With the warmer temperatures, large chunks of ice are now carving off a cliff into the lake. It is possible a particularly large chunk could create a wave big enough to wash a small lahar over the edge of the dam created by the 1996 eruption.
TROPICAL STORMS -
Cyclone 04P was 1145 nmi ENE of Townsville, Australia.
Cyclone ANITA was 846 nmi WNW of Saint Pierre, Reunion.
Typhoon DURIAN was 103 nmi SW of Subic Bay, Philippines.
Typhoon Durian tore through the eastern Philippines on Thursday with winds of up to 224 km/h, killing at least 109 people and cutting off power to thousands of homes. More than 200 people were missing. Camarines Sur province reported that its capital was flattened. A mudslide swept down on the village of Padang at the foot of the Mayon volcano, and at least 20 bodies were recovered there. Some victims had their clothes ripped off as they were swept away by the mudslide.
Villages near Mayon volcano, south-east of Manila, were among the worst-hit. Rains caused by Typhoon Durian brought mud and huge rocks down hillsides, burying at least two villages. Five other villages were also affected, and rescuers in some cases resorted to digging through the mud with their hands for survivors. The full extent of the damage wrought by Durian is not yet known because power and telephone lines have been brought down, but as many as 22,000 people across the region are thought to have been affected.
Tropical storm 04P is forecast to strike Vanuatu at about 18:00 GMT on December 2.
SNOW / COLD -
KANSAS - RARE Double Snowstorm - A winter storm that weather officials are calling "VERY RARE" in its makeup blew across Kansas on Wednesday. The first storm rolled through Kansas on Wednesday afternoon on the heels of near-record high temperatures earlier in the week. It dumped half an inch of ice on tree limbs and power lines in eastern Kansas. The second system was moving northeast from Oklahoma on Thursday afternoon on the way to Illinois. Storms have left 2 dead in the Plains and Midwest as sleet, snow, and freezing rain hit Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Missouri, New Mexico, Colorado, Washington.
HEAT / CLIMATE CHANGE -
GLOBAL WARMING - Canadian skiing star Thomas Grandi says snow-making equipment was barely used when he began skiing 15 years ago on the World Cup tour. In this era of global warming, he now wonders if the famous skiing tour known as the White Circus would still exist without it. It's a tenuous existence regardless, as races scheduled for next weekend in France and Switzerland have been cancelled due to lack of snow. The events planned for the following weekend are also in danger. After this week's races in North America, it's possible there won't be another World Cup alpine event before Christmas. The International Ski Federation has called the situation "critical," while American ski star Ted Ligety voiced fears this week that greenhouse gas emissions will eventually wipe out skiing. All the cross-country ski teams are training in the same place in Italy now because they couldn't find snow elsewhere in central Europe. At the only World Cup cross-country race held so far, at a town in Finland 300 kilometres north of the Arctic Circle, it rained throughout the competition. A United Nations report released three years ago warned that downhill skiing could disappear completely at some resorts as early as 2030.
------------------------------------------
Thursday, November 30, 2006 -
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY - The greatest obstacle to discovery is not ignorance - it is the illusion of knowledge.
Daniel Boorstin
QUAKES -
11/29 -
6.1 HALMAHERA, INDONESIA
5.2 SOUTH OF THE FIJI ISLANDS
5.2 BOUGAINVILLE REGION, PAPUA NEW GUINEA
5.6 REYKJANES RIDGE
5.2 KURIL ISLANDS
5.1 MINDANAO, PHILIPPINES
INDIA - A school-girl died as a mild earthquake hit a district in India's north-western state of Rajasthan on Wednesday. No further casualties or damage to property were reported due to the quake measuring 3.9 on the Richter scale which jolted the Alwar district. The 10-year old girl "died of shock" after seeing children run out of their classes in panic. India has experienced at least four major earthquakes in the last decade, including a deadly temblor that claimed over 30,000 lives in the western Gujarat state in 2001.
INDONESIA - A strong earthquake destroyed houses and other buildings in northern Indonesia Wednesday. There were no reports of deaths or injuries. The 6.1-magnitude temblor struck at 10:32 a.m. north of the Maluku islands. Around 10 houses, a mosque and a school building were destroyed in Hapo village on Morotai island.
TROPICAL STORMS -
Typhoon DURIAN was 319 nmi ESE of Manila, Philippines.
PHILIPPINES - Weather bureau PAGASA hoisted public storm signal number 4 over four provinces in Bicol as "super typhoon" Reming (international codename Durian) threatened the region and other Luzon areas with rains and wind gusts. It is expected to make landfall this morning. The National Disaster Coordinating Council, meanwhile, appealed to billboard owners to start dismantling outdoor advertisement in preparation for the arrival of Reming.
“People will die” once super-typhoon Reming [Durian] hits land, but officials are hoping its damage will be minimal and that it brings much-needed water to the parched Manila metropolis. “We expect that Reming will become a super typhoon and will reach signal no. 4 — stronger than typhoons Milenyo and Paeng. This super typhoon can increase the water levels of our dams and once these are opened, people will die.” Early this week, the state-run National Power Corp. started releasing only 39 cu m a second from the dam instead of the usual 41. That caused water service interruptions to almost half of the 1.34 million Metro Manila residents being served by Maynilad Water Services. The super typhoon has a diameter of 400 km. Metro Manila aside, it is also expected to hit Catanduanes, Quezon, Aurora, Bulacan, Pampanga, Tarlac, Zambales, and Pangsinan.
Typhoon Durian, which lies centered off the Philippines, is continuing to move towards the East Sea and is likely to hit Vietnam by Friday.
Tropical storm 03S is forecast to strike Mozambique at about 00:00 GMT on December 1. (projected path)
Complex El Nino Event brings UNUSUAL WEATHER to the Marshall Islands - With El Niño conditions predicted to continue into early 2007, there is a 50% risk that a numbered tropical depression or a named tropical storm will pass through the Republic of the Marshall Islands between November 2006 and January 2007. Under normal conditions, the Marshall Islands has a very low risk of a tropical storm or typhoon during any month of the year as the cyclones gain strength farther to the east. Typhoon Zelda (1991) and Typhoon Paka (1997) were El Niño-related tropical cyclones in the Marshall Islands. This October, Typhoon Soulik swiped Majuro and Kwajalein with gusty southerly winds creating high sea conditions. The waves topped the seawall on the southern boundary of the Majuro Airport, and saltwater entered the rainwater retention facility by the runway. Eight million gallons of fresh water, which would have gone to the reservoir, was contaminated and expelled. Hurricane/Typhoon Ioke, a large and long-lasting typhoon, formed to the south of Hawaii and moved on a long track toward Japan, passing directly over Wake Island, forcing a complete evacuation of the island. The storm also affected the Marshall Islands, bringing extremely high wind and waves to Bikini the Northern Atolls.
HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING / LANDSLIDES -
AUSTRALIA - An apiarist (bee keeper) thinks the STRANGE behaviour of his bees means heavy rain is on the way to break a drought in central Australia. The bees have put breeding on hold and have started storing food in their hives in Alice Springs. He says the bees are also using wax to seal their hives as they did in 1987-88 and 1999 when heavy, substantial rains swamped the Alice Springs area.
SNOW / COLD -
WASHINGTON - Wednesday began with RECORD COLD TEMPERATURES across much of western Washington. Seattle dropped to 18 overnight, breaking the old record of 22 set in 1975. They've now broken the RECORD FOR WETTEST MONTH EVER IN SEATTLE, no matter where the rain was recorded. And as so apropos for November, they broke it with the VERY-RARE-for-Seattle freezing rain.
OREGON - Mother Nature went a little wild in the north Oregon coast town of Beachside this past week, with the surreal sight of snow covering the beach, masses of bull kelp washing up on shore (the stranding of these was some of the biggest the crew at the aquarium had seen in a while) and a RARE, tropical fish getting tossed up by the tide. The snow is a RARITY on the Oregon coast. The white stuff lasted through most of Monday and Tuesday, finally completely melting off on Tuesday morning. The technical name for the rare Ocean Sun Fish is Mola mola, and it’s mostly found in tropical and warmer waters than those off Oregon. “They are not uncommon to this area, however, because they live a ways off shore we don't see them on the beach that often. They usually frequent the northern coast in the summer or fall when the ocean is a bit warmer, so for the Mola mola to wash in during this time of year is a bit ODD.” In Manzanita, about 25 miles south, the area received quite a mixed bag of weather on Monday. “Pretty FREAKY weather. We have had everything: rain, hail, snow, wind, sun, black clouds. All were taking turns and alternating.”
CANADA, West Coast - The great snow storm of November, 2006 will be one to remember. While snow in November is not unusual, it is VERY RARE IF NOT UNIQUE to have this much so early in the winter season. It isn’t even winter yet — that doesn’t arrive until Dec. 21. In addition, the intense cold weather that came in with the snow is HIGHLY UNUSUAL. While below zero temperatures are common in November, it is RARE that overnight lows hit -10 or below.
------------------------------------------
Wednesday, November 29, 2006 -
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY - If not now, when?
QUAKES -
11/28 -
5.0 SANTA CRUZ ISLANDS
5.6 EAST OF THE KURIL ISLANDS
TSUNAMI -
ITALY - Italian scientists say geological evidence suggests a giant tsunami resulted from the collapse of the eastern flanks of Mount Etna nearly 8,000 years ago. The volume of landslide material, combined with the force of the debris avalanche, would have generated a catastrophic tsunami, impacting the entire Eastern Mediterranean. Simulations show the resulting tsunami waves would have destabilized soft marine sediments across the floor of the Ionian Sea. The authors, noting field evidence for such destabilization can be seen in other studies, speculate such a tsunami might also have caused the abandonment of a Neolithic village in Israel.
TROPICAL STORMS -
Typhoon DURIAN was 320 nmi ENE of Cebu City, Philippines.
Weather disturbance Reming (international codename Durian) has intensified into a typhoon and is forecast to hit Metro Manila in the next two days. The typhoon has increased its threat to Central Luzon after continuing to gather strength. About 20 typhoons and tropical storms lash the Philippines each year.
HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING / LANDSLIDES -
SPAIN - Several towns in the province of Pontevedra are under several feet of water following more than 24 hours of intense rainfall. The worst affected towns are Vilagarcía de Arousa, Violanova de Arousa, Meis, Cambados, Sanxenxo and Ribadumia, where emergency services are working to deal with hundreds of flooded homes, underground car parks and businesses. More than half the streets of Vilagarcía de Arousa are under water, and the electricity supply has been cut off. Main roads are closed in O Grove, Poio, and Meis Meaño, while there are also partial closures around Cambados, Sanxenxo and Noalla. It is estimated that in the 24 hour period starting at 8pm on Sunday, 57 litres per square metre fell in the provincial capital.
ODD - SPACE EVENTS-
BRITAIN - A UFO scare was sparked after the police were flooded with calls about a fleet of 'spaceships' invading the coast of Britain on Tuesday, the 28th. Thousands of people spotted the bright orange orbs off the Channel coast at Brighton. Police and air traffic control centres were inundated by reports of the strange spectacle. "I saw this big orange light in the sky. Then another one appeared in mid-air. Then another. And another." Experts are baffled by the phenomenon, but believe it could be linked to a meteor shower. The Hermstmonceux Observatory in East Sussex said a cloud of comet dust had produced a meteor shower which peaked with a display of shooting stars.
A strange-looking sunspot emerged on the sun Tuesday, the 28th. It was shaped like a ring almost three times wider than Earth. Just yesterday sunspot 927 broke through the surface of the sun and formed the curious-looking ring. Today it has transformed itself into something completely different. Rapid changes could lead to magnetic instabilities and eruptions. Amateur astronomers with solar telescopes are encouraged to monitor this curious apparition. (photos)
Same link - When people in Washington D.C. stepped out for lunch on Monday, Nov. 27th, the ones who looked up witnessed a sensational display of luminous halos and arcs around the sun. "I was astounded by what I saw." The scene repeated itself in Maryland and Virginia. It was not only complex and beautiful, but also remarkably widespread. "Outstanding halo displays need high quality ice crystals specially aligned in the sky. This display has it all: random, plate, column, the RARE Parry and the EXTREMELY RARE and controversial Lowitz aligned crystals were present." (photo).
------------------------------------------
Tuesday, November 28, 2006 -
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY - Most people take what is given them and assume it is their destiny. Great spirits take what is given them and make their own destiny.
QUAKES -
11/27 -
5.3 EAST OF THE KURIL ISLANDS
5.0 SEA OF JAPAN
5.5 SOUTHERN PERU
5.1 NEW BRITAIN REGION, PAPUA NEW GUINEA
TSUNAMI -
HAWAII - A hoax about a pending earthquake and tsunami triggered a storm of calls Sunday to civil defense, police and news organizations, and sent hundreds of Leeward O'ahu residents rushing for gas and supplies. "It appears to have been orchestrated and malicious." The concern was spurred by fast-spreading talk of a magnitude 9-plus earthquake that supposedly was to occur on the Big Island sometime between midnight and this morning, which would cause a large tsunami. Civil Defense officials said that Sunday's rumors were the worst, fastest-spreading rumors they have seen. Word began circulating as early as 7 a.m. or 8 a.m. on Sunday. The county mistakenly waited until 8 p.m. to call radio stations to quell the quake rumors. "If we had gotten on it earlier, I think, obviously we could have stopped them from spreading so far and fast on this island, and I hope next time we'll learn from this."
VOLCANOES -
Nyamulagira volcano has erupted near the eastern Congolese city of Goma. The latest eruption did not threaten the town, a senior vulcanologist at the scene said. "This seems like a big eruption. It is on the northwest side. The lava will be flowing to the north and not the south, where the town is." The Nyamulagira volcano last erupted in July 2002, hurling lava 200m into the air. Goma is not in the path of lava flows from Nyamulagira because its sister volcano, Mount Nyirangongo, protects the city. "Nyirangongo constitutes a barrier." Nyirangongo is about 13 miles northeast of Goma, while Nyamulagira is another 10 miles further to the northeast. They are the only two active volcanoes in the region. The larger Nyiragongo volcano erupted in January 2002, pouring lava over much of Goma and sending hundreds of thousands of people fleeing for their lives. The eruption of Nyirangongo destroyed about a fifth of the residential areas of Goma. About 100 people died as lava flows as deep as 10 feet overtook parts of the city of 500,000. Nyamulagira erupted later the same year, spewing plumes of lava 300 feet into the air, but without threatening Goma.
SICILY - Clouds of volcanic ash billowing from Mount Etna forced authorities Monday to shut down the airport near the Sicilian city of Catania for a fourth straight night. The airport is being closed only overnight since pilots during the day can avoid ash-laden clouds. Mount Etna, Europe‘s biggest and most active volcano, springs to life every few months. In 1669, a huge eruption destroyed Catania. Etna‘s last major eruption was in 1992.
TROPICAL STORMS -
Tropical storm DURIAN was 593 nmi W of Agana, Guam.
Potential super-typhoon - Durian is expected to strengthen and converge on Filipino waters, continuing to head in a northwesterly direction with gusts of wind likely to hit 140kmph late today. Filipino weather centers predicted the storm would make landfall there Friday before it moving on toward the East Sea. The storm is expected to be packing winds of 250kmph as it hits the Philippines, fanning fears of another super typhoon in the East Sea.
Atlantic hurricane season 2006 officially ends on Thursday. Hurricane season 2006 was really quite average. “This season was one storm below average with 10 storms so far. I think the large number of storms last year and some of the predictions for this year have misled people as to what is normal.” Credit a persistent pressure system called the Bermuda High with turning many storms safely into the mid-Atlantic, away from the mainland. “Depending on where the Bermuda High is centered, the storms will turn because they have to go around it.” “The Westerlies were blowing, causing shear, the air off the Sahara was dry, and the water temperatures were not record high (as in 2005). And the Bermuda High widened out, which also helped.” Many years have gone by without a hurricane making landfall, so our present season was not all that unusual.
HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING / LANDSLIDES -
MALAWI - Floods in southern Malawi swept away two women who are feared dead. The Mwanza River burst its banks, causing severe flooding in several villages in the southern Lower Shire Valley district of Chikwawa. The flooding took villagers by surprise as there had not been rain in the area. "It must have rained in the neighboring district of Mwanza or across the border in Mozambique." The women were tending their gardens when they were encircled by water and swept down the raging river. Floods caused by heavy rain in East Africa has affected up to 1.8 million people in Kenya, Somalia and Ethiopia.
SOMALIA - Floods killed at least seven people, including five children, Sunday as the fourth week of heavy rains pounded Somalia, bringing the death toll to at least 96.
OREGON - the past month was a November to remember, with a RECORD 11.61 inches of RAIN recorded at Portland International Airport. And that is with four days to go in the month. The previous November record was set in 1942, with 11.57 inches.
UNITED KINGDOM - Experts warned people to brace themselves for more freak weather after a tornado wreaked havoc over the weekend. Horses were flung in the air, parts of roofs were ripped from buildings and vehicles thrown across the ground as the twister caused tens of thousands of pounds of damage in just four minutes. And it was predicted that FREAK WEATHER could become more common as climate change takes hold. The tornado struck in Boarhunt, a few miles north of Fareham. It was one of a series of freak weather conditions across the area over the weekend that saw thunder and lightning, strong gales and torrential rain. The conditions were caused by warm air over the sea hitting colder air inland. (photos)
METEOR-
AUSTRALIA - In what sounds like a scene from the 70s movie 'Close Encounters of the Third Kind', people in South Australia and western Victoria deluged police and media with reports of a spectacular meteor sighting. In Victoria, callers reported seeing a bright green object shooting westward in the sky. The object appeared to have debris trailing behind it. "It was really pretty bright and you could see something else coming down as well, but what it was I don't know." "It was before sunset and normally you only see those things in the dark. The trail hung in the sky for at least 15 minutes afterward like a jet stream."
ODD -
WISCONSIN - WHITE BUFFALO KILLED BY LIGHTNING - Lightning on Sunday night struck and killed two buffalo cows and three buffalo calves, including a white buffalo on a farm south of Janesville. The white calf's mother was walking around and grunting, so the owner followed her up the hill where he found the five dead buffalo with burn marks laying near a tree. He thinks it was one lightning strike that hit all five and the nearby tree. The farm became a destination for thousands of visitors after Miracle, a female white buffalo, was born there on Aug. 20, 1994. White buffalo are EXTREMELY RARE and are said to fulfill a Native American legend foretelling peace. Miracle died in 2004 and is now stuffed in the gift shop. A male white buffalo was born on the farm Aug. 25 this year. "How many times in a lifetime does lighting strike?" the owner had said after the second birth. Earlier this year, lightning struck a couple of his Scottish Highlander cows, but it had never happened to any of his buffalo. He said they figured they'd better "call it in and get it on the news wire" so people wanting to visit the white buffalo wouldn't be surprised. "I suppose it's going to be a great loss to a lot of people. It's just coincidence, I guess, that lightning struck twice," he said. "He (Miracle's Second Chance) was born in a storm and died in a storm."
RUSSIA - A bright rainbow was clearly seen on the gray sky in the center of Moscow at 3:45 p.m. Monday. It was quite a phenomenon to see a rainbow in this part of the world at the end of November. Actually, two parallel rainbows seemed to stem from the complex of the Kremlin buildings and the building of the State Duma in the center of Moscow. "This was a RARE PHENOMENON to see at that time of the year. Usually, there is a snow blanket in Moscow at the end of November, while a rainbow is seen only if there is sunshine with air temperatures above zero and high humidity." The rainbow stayed in the sky for a quarter of an hour, and then, the colorful miracle slowly faded.
------------------------------------------
Monday, November 27, 2006 -
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY - "Almost every war ever fought and most of today's wars and civil wars derive from the idea that the strong are entitled to the resources of the weak because the weak don't know how to use their resources appropriately...As one American comic has said: "What is OUR oil doing underneath Iraq and Venezuela?" More
QUAKES -
11/26 -
5.0 SOUTH OF THE FIJI ISLANDS
5.3 SOUTH OF THE KERMADEC ISLANDS
5.1 EAST OF THE KURIL ISLANDS
11/25 -
5.0 SIMEULUE, INDONESIA
5.2 UNIMAK ISLAND REGION, ALASKA
5.1 NEAR SOUTH COAST OF NEW GUINEA, P.N.G.
11/24 -
5.2 SULAWESI, INDONESIA
5.3 TONGA REGION
5.4 KURIL ISLANDS
5.8 KURIL ISLANDS
5.0 KAMCHATKA PENINSULA, RUSSIA
5.7 NEW BRITAIN REGION, PAPUA NEW GUINEA
HAWAII - Another small earthquake (4.3) swayed the Big Island early Saturday morning, two days after the Thanksgiving temblor. "The slightly ODD thing about the one (Saturday morning) is that it is not in the same area as last month's quake. Strictly speaking, this one was not an aftershock. It's a completely new earthquake." Both the Oct. 15 6.7-magnitude quake and the 5.0-magnitude quake on Thanksgiving occurred northeast of the Big Island, off the Kohala coastline. All this moving and grooving means the layer of earth the Big Island sits on, called a lithosphere, has been sagging underneath the weight of the island. The sagging has been occurring over the last half-million years.
VOLCANOES -
PHILIPPINES - Taal volcano in the middle of a lake south of the Philippine capital emitted mud-laden geysers, prompting scientists to raise a low-level alert on Friday. Officials at the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology said there was no danger of an immediate eruption. A new mud geyser spewed water rising about 50 centimetres above the surface. It also recorded 10 quakes in the previous 24 hours, compared to 48 in the previous week.
TROPICAL STORMS -
Tropical storm DURIAN was 355 nmi WSW of Agana, Guam.
HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING / LANDSLIDES -
WASHINGTON - This is Longview's RAINIEST NOVEMBER, at least since 1931, when people started keeping track. Thursday night's rainfall, which brought the monthly total to 15.04 inches by 4 p.m. Friday, also made it the SECOND-WETTEST OF ANY MONTH ON RECORD. The only rainier month was December 1933, which brought 20.13 inches of precipitation. About 6.7 inches of rain fall in a typical November.
PANAMA - Heavy rains and flooding in Panama have left at least eight people dead and damaged hundreds of homes. The rains, which began Monday and were predicted to last until Saturday, have caused rivers to overflow and bridges to collapse, cutting off several communities northwest of the capital of Panama City. The dead included two men killed in a landslide, two men who drowned, a couple killed when a tree fell on their house, and a pregnant woman who suffered a spike in her blood pressure but failed to receive medical attention because her community had been cut off. More than 200 houses have been destroyed and nearly 700 others damaged.
SCOTLAND - Flood warnings were issued for parts of Scotland last night after days of heavy rain threatened to burst river banks. In addition to surface water from more than a week of wet weather, rivers could burst their banks, flooding low-lying areas. Forecasters also said strong winds across much of Britain were likely to make rush travelling hazardous this morning.
FIJI - A family of five made it out of their home at Lakena Hill just before it was shoved by a landslide that resulted from heavy rain. Heavy rain on Friday night around the country caused flooding.
JAMAICA - Several Portland residents remain trapped in their communities following last week’s flooding in the parish, which left a number of roads blocked by mud and other debris. Motorists also remain trapped.
HEAT / CLIMATE CHANGE -
CHINA - November has been THE WARMEST ON RECORD FOR THE PAST 120 YEARS, with an average record high temperature of 23.6 degrees Celsius so far this month - 2.2 degrees higher than in November last year. The UNUSUAL WEATHER was attributed to the adverse effects of global warming.
UNITED KINGDOM - The nation's trees are facing a battering this weekend thanks to a combination of some of the hottest ever weather and 75mph winds. An unseasonably warm November could help make this year ONE OF THE HOTTEST SINCE RECORDS BEGAN, with temperatures in the south east due to peak at 13 degrees Friday. But UK trees have kept their foliage for longer than usual because of the heat - meaning they are particularly vulnerable to damage when predicted 75 mph gales hit the shores on Saturday. "This summer was one of the warmest on record, certainly in the top two or three, and we had a record breaking September and July. It's a continuation of winds coming from the south and south-west off a warm Atlantic that is keeping temperatures above average."
ARCTIC - Scientists are peering into the clouds near the top of the world, trying to solve the mystery is the droplets of water in the clouds. With the North Pole just 685 miles away, they should be frozen, yet more of them are liquid than anyone expected. Liquid water has even been detected in clouds at temperatures as low as minus 30 degrees Celsius (minus 22 F). Water clouds are more likely to warm the Arctic atmosphere than ice clouds, since the liquid clouds retain more heat radiated by the Earth's surface. "In the old days, we used to have 10 months of winter; now it's six. Every year we're getting winter later and later." Studies show that average winter temperatures have increased as much as 7 degrees in the Arctic over the last 50 years. The permafrost - ground that is continually frozen for at least two years - is thawing, imperiling polar bears and forcing other animals to migrate farther north. Climate change is cyclical - the planet's vegetation, over millions of years, sucks in and spits out carbon dioxide. "All the carbon dioxide in the coal and oil was once in the air. The plants took it and it went into the oceans or into the ground - and now we're taking it back out. The cycle is the same today, only you're taking something that took 100,000 years and doing it in one hundred years."
"Climate change threatens to intensify water insecurity on an unparalleled scale." Glaciers are often a crucial store of fresh water. During the dry season they are often the only source of water. A study in 2002 showed Kilimanjaro to have lost more than 80 percent of its ice cap in the past 100 years, reducing water supplies to people living around it. Climate change is melting a legendary ice field in equatorial Africa and may soon thaw it out completely, threatening fresh water supplies to hundreds of thousands of people. The fabled, snow-capped Rwenzori mountains - dubbed the "Mountains of the Moon" - form part of the Uganda/Democratic Republic of the Congo border. They have already decreased by 60 percent since 1910.
------------------------------------------
Friday, November 24, 2006 -
INFAMOUS QUOTES - "The word 'genius' isn't applicable in football. A genius is a guy like Norman Einstein." - Joe Theisman, NFL football quarterback & sports analyst.
QUAKES -
11/23 -
5.0 EAST OF THE KURIL ISLANDS
5.7 KURIL ISLANDS
5.1 KURIL ISLANDS
5.0 EAST OF THE KURIL ISLANDS
5.0 ISLAND OF HAWAII, HAWAII
5.4 NORTHERN XINJIANG, CHINA
TROPICAL STORMS -
Cyclone YANI was 992 nmi ENE of Townsville, Australia.
The central pressure of the system is rapidly weakening. The tropical cyclone poses no threat to any islands of Vanuatu. However seas will be rough with moderate to heavy swells. Some moderate to occasional heavy showers is expected throughout the Vanuatu group.
AUSTRALIA - Tons of debris left by category-five Cyclone Larry in March is worrying North Queensland residents who fear severe winds could turn the objects into missiles. The debris needs to be cleared before summer storms strike. There are around 100 houses in the region which still have tarpaulins covering damage from the cyclone. “We had 151 wet days since the cyclone and 2.5 metres of rain so it has been a massive effort.” The debris threat exacerbated locals' concern this week as news came of a cyclone threatening to form near Fiji.
RUSSIA - A cyclone currently affecting Russia’s Sakhalin Island and the Kuriles has disrupted electric power supply to the cities Kholmsk, Nevelsk, Tomari and settlements in the Uglegorsk, Kholmsk and Smirnykhov districts. According to the press service of the Sakhalinenergo power utility company, due to overlapping of wires and adhesion of wet snow to them the automatic overload protection system went off over 40 times switching off 13 electric power transmission lines on Thursday morning, which caused electricity supply disruption to settlements. According to meteorologists, the cyclone is gradually moving away from Sakhalin to the Sea of Okhotsk, but there is still strong wind on the islands reaching 27 metres per second.
NORTH KOREA - Typhoon Bilis, which hit in North Korea in July, killed thousands more people than the country has officially admitted, an analysis by a British scientist suggests. Satellite images of the region around the town of Yangdok reveal widespread devastation caused by floods and landslides. Dozens of apartment blocks were destroyed or seriously damaged, bridges swept away and roads and railways wrecked. The pictures showed that the official death toll of 549, with a further 295 missing, was "absolutely not credible"."It is clear that Typhoon Bilis resulted in A DISASTER ON AN EPIC SCALE in North Korea. Based on experience from other disaster sites and because the flood happened in the middle of the night, when many people in the mainly residential buildings were asleep, it is likely the death toll would have been very high, probably well over 10,000." Citing sources in the North Korean government, it has been claimed that 57,000 people died as a result of the typhoon. More than 300mm (12ins) of rain reportedly fell on Yangdok during the typhoon, more than a quarter of its ANNUAL average. The resulting mudslides and severe flooding appeared to have ruined swaths of agricultural land, which would threaten food supplies in the region over the coming months.
HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING / LANDSLIDES -
MONTENEGRO - A massive landslide in Montenegro's Tara River Canyon has clogged the waterway and caused flooding in Montenegro, prompting authorities to begin evacuating villagers late Thursday. The landslide earlier Thursday in the central county of Mojkovac — about 90 kilometers (60 miles) northeast of the capital, Podgorica — created a natural dam of mud, earth and collapsed trees that completely cut off the flow of the Tara River. "The sight is horrible. Tara is no longer flowing." Police did not know what caused the landslide, but an "entire hill had collapsed into the river."
BULGARIA - An old landslide that reactivated has left the central Bulgarian village of Momino without water supplies. The landslide has crushed part of the village's sewage system and destroyed a section of the pumping station. The landslide is very big and it would take hundreds of thousands of levs to fix. It started reactivating as early as June of 2005, but there haven't been attempts to stabilize it yet.
MALAYASIA - Barely a week after a landslide in Puchong, another has occurred in Bukit Serdang. Part of a road slid down a hillside affecting 30 residents in seven double-storey terrace houses. "Four months ago we noticed fine cracks on the floor but didn’t think much of it," a resident said. (photo)
UNUSUAL WEATHER SEASON -
INDONESIA - As Jakarta continues to bake through the long dry season, residents try to cope with the heat while waiting for the respite of the rainy season which has been late to start. "The authorities need to find out what is going on with the weather, whether it is caused by global warming or not. It's useless for the authorities to cover it up just because they may not be prepared to study the matter. This is important so they know what to do, and so the public can be prepared for what lies ahead. The impact of this long dry season must be worse for farmers who have seen their crops fail, and for people without access to clean water." "The weather has been REALLY UNUSUAL. Everyone is getting sore throats this dry season. It is probably some new contagious disease. My whole family was sick this week. And several friends at my taxi pool have had sore throats. In the past, the rainy season started in November and it would rain every day in December and January. This year, if we don't take extra care we will get sick."
------------------------------------------
Thursday, November 23, 2006 -
QUAKES -
11/22 -
5.2 EAST OF THE KURIL ISLANDS
5.8 KURIL ISLANDS
5.1 KURIL ISLANDS
5.1 KURIL ISLANDS
5.3 EAST OF THE KURIL ISLANDS
VIRGINIA - the area's seismic activity has increased over the past few years. Monitoring equipment installed in March has been damaged by Tropical Storm Ernesto (September) which left the seismometer waterlogged in its underground vault. Traditionally, Virginia microquakes increase in number at the end of the year for unknown reasons. Although none has been reported so far this fall, a handful have struck the Winston-Salem, North Carolina, area.
TSUNAMI -
NEW ZEALAND - Parts of the country have been hit by the Kuril quake tsunami. The National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research says the half metre wave was generated by the huge earthquake in the northern Pacific Ocean just over a week ago. Fourteen hours after the magnitude 8.3 quake, the initial wave reached the Chatham Islands and the Bay of Plenty, 9600 km from the site of the quake. Its journey across the Pacific was measured at an average speed of 685 km/hr. By comparison, a Boeing 737-300 travels at 790 km/hr. A couple of days later the wave was recorded at Timaru, Lyttelton and Kaikoura. The tsunami affected New Zealand over a three or four day period as waves bounced off undersea ridges such as the Chatham Rise, and moved to and fro along indented sections of the coast. If it had happened during a storm with very high tides it might have been a bit more of a nuisance, but as it was its effect was minimal.
VOLCANOES -
INDONESIA - At least seven people have been killed in a gas pipeline explosion near the site of a massive mud leak that has displaced thousands in Indonesia. A number of people are still missing after the powerful blast shot flames hundreds of metres in the air near the city of Surabaya on Java island. Officials suspect the mud's weight may have caused subsidence which led the underground pipe to break. The authorities have been struggling for months to stop the mud 'volcano'. The lake of mud now covers more than 400 hectares (988 acres), submerging eight villages, and shows no sign of stopping. Workers have been trying to contain the flow with a network of dams and by channelling some of it into the sea, but the mud is believed to have caused the area to sink. (photo)
WASHINGTON - The current eruption of Washington State's Mount St. Helens, which began about two years ago, has been marked by a series of weak, shallow earthquakes, or "drumbeats," that occur every couple of minutes, a new study says. The "slip/stick" motion of the rocky "plug" being pushed out of the volcano is causing those rhythmic quakes. In nature, repetitive events like this are RARE. For the process to have continued for so long, new magma must be solidifying against the bottom of the plug at the same average rate at which the plug is rising. Otherwise, the mountain should pop its cork and spew lava — or the plug should seal the lava strongly enough that the quakes would temporarily halt. As long as magma continues to rise from below, "the chances are that it'll keep coming out at the top." Other scientists doubt that the plug's tiny motions can cause quakes within Mount St. Helens. Rather, they say, vibrations in a steam-filled horizontal fracture about 330 feet (100 meters) beneath the crater floor are causing the drumbeats. In this scenario, the pressure probably comes from steam, as water inside the volcano is heated by the rising magma. "It looks like Mount St. Helens is huffing and puffing and basically behaving like a steam engine."
Despite the ongoing volcanic activity for the last two years, there is no indication Mount St. Helens is on the verge of a repeat performance of its cataclysmic 1980 eruption, scientists said Wednesday. The volcano has produced thousands of shallow, regular, repetitive earthquakes since 2004. (photo)
TONGA - The newly born volcanic island may only last a month before disappearing beneath the ocean waves. Its size seems to be dwindling by the day. The new island emerged in August, around 1.5 kilometres across, complete with four peaks and a central crater. Images obtained on 12 and 14 November from NASA's Terra satellite suggest that the island has shrunk in surface area by about a third since early October. Small volcanic lakes on the island have also disappeared. Home Reef previously last erupted in 1984, when it created an island of roughly the same dimension — which also later vanished beneath the waves.
TROPICAL STORMS -
Cyclone YANI was 1000 nmi ENE of Townsville, Australia.
RUSSIA - A new cyclone came to Sakhalin and the Kuriles on Wednesday. Meteorologists have issued a storm warning, and fishing and transport ships have moved from the Tatar Strait and the south of the Sea of Okhotsk to safe bays. According to the Sakhalin meteorological centre, the cyclone with heavy rain and snow will rage on all the islands in the Sakhalin Region for two days. The windstorm has already hit the coasts of Sakhalin and the Kuriles. [aftershocks from the 8.3 Kuril quake continue also]
HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING / LANDSLIDES -
CANADA - There's still no indication when the boil-water advisory for nearly a million residents of Vancouver, North Vancouver, West Vancouver and Burnaby might be lifted, following torrential rains last week.
IRAQ - Flooding in Kurdish areas in Iraq has killed at least 20 people. Thousands of houses have been destroyed in Dahuk, Arbil and Sulaimaniyah and at least 18,000 people have been displaced. Aid workers say that much of the infrastructure, including bridges and schools, has been demolished, livestock killed and fruit trees destroyed.
------------------------------------------
Wednesday, November 22, 2006 -
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY - "In the end we will remember not the words of our enemies but the silence of our friends." - Martin Luther King, Jr.
QUAKES -
11/21 -
5.2 EAST OF THE KURIL ISLANDS
5.3 EAST OF THE KURIL ISLANDS
5.6 BOUGAINVILLE REGION, PAPUA NEW GUINEA
NEW ZEALAND - South Islanders could be shaken by more earthquakes over the next week or two, but geologists say they are unlikely to be major. Four tremors in three days have rocked the top half of the South Island, two in the outer Marlborough Sounds and two in North Canterbury. "It's FAIRLY UNUSUAL to have three felt in Christchurch in as many days, but I wouldn't get too alarmed about it."
VOLCANOES -
PHILIPPINES - Taal Volcano's main crater has been spewing three to five-meter-high geysers of muddy water since Friday morning. In its Saturday advisory, Phivolcs said the muddy water flowed from the north-northeastern portion of the main crater. A similar event, which was recorded in November 1999, lasted until February 2000. Taal Volcano, known as the smallest active volcano in the world, is located about 70 kilometers south of Manila on an island inside a lake called Taal Lake. What makes Taal Volcano more unique is the fact that the volcano itself has a lake of its own inside its crater which is called the "Crater Lake."
INDONESIA - Mt. Merapi in Indonesia's Java island calmed down Tuesday morning after spewing hot clouds up to three kilometers down from its peak Monday night. The local government had called on people living on the volcano's slope to increase their awareness for possible more hot clouds and floods of cold lava.
Scientists say they've found a link between an 18th-century volcanic eruption that killed 9,000 Icelanders and a severe famine in Egypt. The investigators used a National Aeronautics and Space Administration computer model to track atmospheric changes that followed the 1783 eruption of Laki in southern Iceland. The researchers said the study is the first to conclusively establish a link between high-latitude eruptions and the water supply in North Africa. The study presents "strong evidence" that high-latitude eruptions have altered northern hemisphere atmospheric circulation in the summer following, with impacts extending deep into the tropics.
TROPICAL STORMS -
Cyclone 02P was 1005 nmi ENE of Townsville, Australia.
HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING / LANDSLIDES -
VIETNAM - Heavy rain with hailstones and cold winds hit Hanoi on the afternoon of Nov. 20, causing large-scale flooding in the capital city. Hailstones had an average diameter of 2 cm, breaking through glass windows and plastic roofs of houses. It was said that such a large-scale hail has not occurred in Hanoi for a long time. (photo)
FREAK hailstorms and whirlwinds killed at least 14 people on Tuesday in northern Vietnam's popular Halong Bay tourist area. At least 12 Vietnamese people drowned when the storms hit early on Tuesday morning. "Whirlwinds and hail sank three tourist boats and one barge in the bay." On land, one person was killed by a falling crane and another when his home collapsed in strong winds. The storm came so quickly at 07:00 that no one had time to prepare. "This has never happened here before. It came so suddenly."
SNOW / COLD -
PAKISTAN - Traffic remained closed for the third day on Neelam Highway due to land sliding, intermittent rains and extreme snow fall in the quake hit areas of Azad Kashmir. Due to extreme cold and wet weather the quake affectees are facing more hardships and several earthquake affectees have become victims of seasonal diseases.
MEXICO - According to the National Meteorological Service, the bitter cold weather that has plagued Mexico City and much of the nation´s north will continue unabated this week. A stream of low pressure that extends from the northeast of the Gulf of Mexico to the middle of the Pacific Ocean is the cause of the low temperatures. The threat of rain across this area was also a contributing factor to the freezing climate. Heavy cloud cover in the nation´s central regions was creating icy conditions in mountainous areas 3,500 meters above sea-level. The State Civil Defense Director said it was UNUSUAL to experience such cold weather at this time of year. He said temperatures do not generally drop this low until mid-December, which is the coldest time of the year for the region. The official added that the abnormally cold weather being endured in the State of Mexico and the capital was attributed to a combination of a cold front with the last remnants of Tropical Storm Sergio.
SOUTH CAROLINA - Wintery weather arrived earlier than usual this holiday season, dumping rain mixed with sleet, snow and ice across South Carolina on Tuesday. The weather caused turmoil on the roads, as more than 50 accidents were reported across the region. It was the EARLIEST RECORDED SNOWFALL in the Midlands since a trace amount fell on Nov. 9, 1913. Measurable snowfall in the Midlands has only occurred twice in November - once in 1901 and the last time in 1912. "It's VERY UNUSUAL." The culprit of Tuesday's UNUSUAL wintery mix was an ABNORMAL, relatively strong low pressure system circulating off the South Carolina coast. And more of the same could be on its way in the coming months. "I think the winter forecast is for precipitation to be above normal and temperatures to be below normal."
AUSTRALIA - Just a week after the Illawarra shivered through an unseasonal spell of wintry weather, the mercury soared again yesterday as the region experienced a fiery taste of summer. Temperatures were well up on November averages, reaching 40 degrees at Nowra. The heatwave is forecast to continue today. A Bureau of Meteorology senior forecaster said the recent extremes in temperature were typical of spring's topsy-turvy weather patterns. But he added last week's cold snap was more exceptional than this week's heat.
------------------------------------------
Tuesday, November 21, 2006 -
INFAMOUS QUOTES - "It's no exaggeration to say that the undecideds could go one way or another." - George Bush
QUAKES -
11/20 -
5.0 EAST OF THE KURIL ISLANDS
5.0 KURIL ISLANDS
5.1 KURIL ISLANDS
5.1 ZIMBABWE
5.3 OFF THE COAST OF LOS LAGOS, CHILE
5.6 SOUTHERN PERU
11/19 -
5.0 KEPULAUAN TALAUD, INDONESIA
5.1 KURIL ISLANDS
5.5 EAST OF THE KURIL ISLANDS
6.0 CENTRAL EAST PACIFIC RISE
5.2 NEW BRITAIN REGION, PAPUA NEW GUINEA
5.5 COLIMA, MEXICO
5.7 SOUTH SANDWICH ISLANDS REGION
11/18 -
5.8 OFF W COAST OF NORTHERN SUMATRA
5.9 OFF W COAST OF NORTHERN SUMATRA
5.0 TONGA REGION
5.2 TONGA
5.3 PHILIPPINE ISLANDS REGION
5.5 NEAR COAST OF NICARAGUA
5.0 KURIL ISLANDS
5.2 KURIL ISLANDS
5.1 EAST OF KURIL ISLANDS
5.1 EAST OF KURIL ISLANDS
5.3 EAST OF KURIL ISLANDS
5.1 EAST OF KURIL ISLANDS
5.3 EAST OF KURIL ISLANDS
11/17 -
5.1 PAPUA, INDONESIA
5.0 SOUTH OF JAVA, INDONESIA
5.3 RYUKYU ISLANDS, JAPAN
6.2 RYUKYU ISLANDS, JAPAN
5.3 NEAR S. COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
5.1 SOUTH OF PANAMA
5.2 PYRENEES
5.0 KURIL ISLANDS
5.1 EAST OF KURIL ISLANDS
5.1 EAST OF KURIL ISLANDS
5.6 EAST OF KURIL ISLANDS
5.2 KURIL ISLANDS
5.5 EAST OF KURIL ISLANDS
5.4 EAST OF KURIL ISLANDS
5.0 EAST OF KURIL ISLANDS
5.1 EAST OF KURIL ISLANDS
5.0 KURIL ISLANDS
TROPICAL STORMS -
Tropical storm SERGIO was 363 nmi SSW of Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. Sergio has set the record for THE LONGEST RUNNING TROPICAL CYCLONE IN THE EASTERN PACIFIC FOR NOVEMBER.
HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING / LANDSLIDES -
TRINIDAD & TOBAGO - Flood victims, who were badly affected by masses of silt that covered their homes, destroyed their properties and livestock on Friday after heavy torrential rains, blocked St Lucien Road in Diego Martin to prevent the touring Minister of Works and Transport from leaving the area. Some houses were covered in as much as three feet of silt. In Le Platte Village in Maraval a five-foot deep drain was completely filled with boulders which rained down from the hills of Maraval. The boulders had come down with the flood waters from the Maraval hills and blocked off several streets and even destroyed houses. “First time in decades this ever happen. It is such a sad sight and so much cleaning up to do. Everybody is frustrated." “All my livestock that I was rearing gone with the floods, all my chicken and ducks. Everything in my house destroyed. I don’t even have a glass to drink water from. What am I to do?
SOMALIA & KENYA - One Somali refugee in Kenya told the BBC he and others were living in trees and were attacked by wild animals (hyenas and snakes). The United Nations food agency has launched a series of airlifts and food drops for more than one million people hit by floods in Somalia and Kenya. The floods have knocked out bridges and made roads impassable, so food can only be delivered by air. The floods in the Horn of Africa follow last year's droughts in the region. That left the earth unable to absorb the heavy rains, leading to flash floods in Ethiopia, as well as Somalia and Kenya. The UN has said the floods could be the WORST IN THE REGION FOR 50 YEARS. On Friday, the UN warned that a dam on the Tana, south of Garissa, was close to bursting. In Somalia, crocodiles killed at least nine people after floodwaters swept them into villages. At least 80 people in the region have died in the last three weeks. The Shabelle and Juba rivers have both flooded their banks, affecting towns and villages in a swathe of territory stretching hundreds of kilometres.
KENYA, SOMALIA, ETHIOPIA - UN aid agencies warned Friday that the "grave" humanitarian situation in Kenya, Somalia and Ethiopia was set to get worse with more heavy rains on the way. The rainy season, THE HEAVIEST FOR 10 YEARS, was predicted to last well beyond October, when it usually ends, and continue until at least the end of the year. Between 1.5 and 1.8 million people were affected.
AFGHANISTAN - Flash-flooding in a remote province in northwstern Afghanistan has killed at least 15 people, left scores missing and stranded thousands more. NATO forces pledged to send aid. Heavy rain lashed Badghis province's Balamurghad and Ghormach district on Thursday. The rains inundated many villages surrounded by mountains with little access to main towns.
MALAYSIA - Fourteen families were evacuated from their homes in Puchong following a landslide. A 75-metre-wide stretch of land behind their homes slid 25 metres down. For years, residents have been living in fear following minor soil erosion and crack marks seen in their backyard drains. Numerous complaints have been made before and the residents were assured that the earth was stable. (PHOTO)
SRI LANKA - At least 52 people were killed and 88,000 displaced during the last two weeks in landslips and flooding caused by continuous torrential rains experienced on the island. Floods had been reported in many parts of the country with low lying areas going under several feet of water. Main highways between the northwestern Kurunegala and north central Anuradhapura, the Bandaragama-Kalutara in the western province are impassable due to flooding.
COLUMBIA - A bolt of lightning killed five people at a football match in north-eastern Colombia and left another 28 injured.
UNITED KINGDOM - Gusts of up to 70 miles per hour struck in Scotland, northern parts of England and parts of Wales on Sunday. And much of the bad weather was expected to continue there during the day on Monday. Carlisle was one of the worst affected areas. It was completely cut off, with no safe roads in or out, after the storms caused severe flooding. The start of the winter storms has sparked fears of a repeat of the mass destruction to many parts of the UK caused in January 2005 by severe weather.
CANADA - Two million people were advised to boil their water on Thursday after high levels of silt ended up in two reservoirs that supply the region. As of Friday, the Greater Vancouver Regional District had lifted the boil-water advisory for about half the population of the Lower Mainland, but the other million residents of Vancouver, the North Shore and Burnaby are still being warned to avoid drinking tap water. The advisory was issued after brown, murky water showed up in the water supply in the aftermath of the powerful storm that hit B.C.'s south coast last week. Tap water in all the affected areas has been brown and cloudy since the storm and could cause gastrointestinal illness. The turbidity at the Seymour and Capilano reservoirs was continuing to drop, but another major storm could again muddy the waters.
CANADA - Officials in the region described the levels of discolouration from suspended silt as "UNPRECEDENTED" and said they couldn't guarantee that home filtration systems would prevent illness from drinking the water. The Greater Vancouver area has recently endured record rainfall, destructive winds and flooding.
JAPAN - Central Japan was hit by heavy rain and strong gusts of wind for much of Sunday. An Air Canada Boeing 767 from Shanghai to Vancouver was forced to make an emergency landing at Narita International Airport near Tokyo due to turbulence over Japan. Four cabin attendants were injured. The most serious one cut a finger of her right hand. Earlier in the evening, a Japan Airlines flight from the western city of Kobe to Haneda airport in Tokyo experienced severe turbulence, injuring one passenger and one cabin attendant. Two people were killed in a boating accident when a pleasure boat and a fishing boat collided inside Yokohama Bay.
OKINAWA - Three Marines were injured, 21 cars were tossed about and several buildings were damaged when a FREAK gust of wind hit Camp Schwab on Saturday afternoon. The severe gust occurred when a well-developed thunderstorm passed over Northern Okinawa about 1 p.m. Four fishing boats at the Henoko Fishing Port also received minor damage. (PHOTOS)
NORWAY - A motorist managed to stop two trucks from meeting disaster after an avalanche on the E16 highway near Gudvangen in western Norway. She was driving on the dark stretch of highway when she noticed that sections of the road had been destroyed by an avalanche. "There were no rocks in the road, the road was just gone. I didn't see it until I was in the middle of it, I just crashed over." When she got out of the car she spotted a truck on the road heading towards her from the opposite direction she had come from, and that stretch of road was in even worse shape. There was a deep gash across the road that was a few meters (yards) wide. Keeping a cool head, she managed to stop the driver of the truck. Several enormous blocks of stone tumbled down the mountainside, and the last stopped near the road where she was frantically working to stop the advancing trucks. "Luckily this one stopped off the road," she said, indicating a massive 30 cubic meter (1059 cubic foot) rock that punched a huge hole in the road.
ODD -
NEPAL - While landslides triggered by torrential rainfall claimed lives and wreaked havoc in various parts of the country this past monsoon, locals of Rupakot VDC in the district were hardly thinking that landslides would terrify them in winter when there is no rain. But they are completely baffled nowadays after the area has been witnessing landslides and dhule pairo (dry soil erosion), even when there is no rainfall. The landslides, which began around a month ago, have already displaced 90 families. The dry slides show no signs of abating even after a month. Interestingly, the settlements are not below or near the landslip site, but lie far above a hill where clouds of dust particles rise everyday in the area after the slides begin. "The lands nearby have also sustained wide cracks while some houses are also on the verge of collapse." The locals also revealed that the dry slide is proportional to the sunshine.
HEAT / WILDFIRES -
AUSTRALIA - Queensland is experiencing an UNUSUALLY LATE fire season. "Normally by now, the fire season is pretty much over because you start getting the humidity and the storms." But UNUSUAL WEATHER PATTERNS across the east coast have contributed to the atypical fire season.
The fires, however, were only one story in a day of harsh extremes Thursday – with thermometers hitting 40deg in the far north while snow-like sleet fell in the south. The snow, which fell on the Granite Belt district near the Queensland-NSW border, was described by forecasters as a ONCE IN 50 YEARS PHENOMENON FOR NOVEMBER. The last time snow or sleet was reported there was in 1941. The "VERY UNUSUAL" weather had been caused by a cold front which had travelled from Victoria. It was the same front which caused violent hail and thunderstorms in Queensland's southeast and snow in Victoria and Tasmania on Wednesday. "The storms formed ahead of the cold front and now the cold front's coming through with very, very cold air. It happens, but not very frequently. The atmosphere keeps on repeating itself for extreme events every 50 or 100 years or so." Sydney, meanwhile, recorded its LOWEST MINIMUM TEMPERATURE IN NOVEMBER FOR MORE THAN 100 YEARS – with the mercury dropping as low as 8C.
------------------------------------------
Friday, November 17, 2006 -
INFAMOUS QUOTES - "I don't feel we did wrong in taking this great country away from them.There were great numbers of people who needed new land, and the Indians were selfishly trying to keep it for themselves." - John Wayne
QUAKES -
11/16 -
5.0 IZU ISLANDS, JAPAN REGION
5.7 WEST OF MACQUARIE ISLAND
5.1 NEW BRITAIN REGION, P.N.G.
5.1 NEW BRITAIN REGION, P.N.G.
5.4 OWEN FRACTURE ZONE REGION
5.0 NORTHWEST OF KURIL ISLANDS
5.0 NORTHWEST OF KURIL ISLANDS
5.2 NORTHWEST OF KURIL ISLANDS
5.0 EAST OF KURIL ISLANDS
5.0 KURIL ISLANDS
5.1 KURIL ISLANDS
5.2 KURIL ISLANDS
5.1 KURIL ISLANDS
5.1 EAST OF KURIL ISLANDS
5.1 KURIL ISLANDS
5.1 KURIL ISLANDS
5.3 EAST OF KURIL ISLANDS
6.1 EAST OF KURIL ISLANDS
5.0 EAST OF KURILISLANDS
5.2 EAST OF KURIL ISLANDS
5.2 EAST OF KURIL ISLANDS
5.1 KURIL ISLANDS
5.4 EAST OF KURIL ISLANDS
5.0 KURIL ISLANDS
5.4 KURIL ISLANDS
TROPICAL STORMS -
Tropical storm SERGIO was 237 nmi SW of Acapulco, Mexico.
Rare mid-November cyclone - Hurricane Sergio sprayed rain on the Mexican resort city of Acapulco on Thursday, but forecasters said the storm was likely to lose power before hitting tourist hot spots like Los Cabos. A Category 2 hurricane, Sergio carried winds of 98 mph (157 kph) and was moving slowly northwards. Its strength set a NEW RECORD - The eastern Pacific has not seen a storm as strong as Sergio so late in the season since officials began keeping records.
HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING / LANDSLIDES -
KENYA - Heavy rains and flooding are causing havoc in Dadaab refugee camps in north-east Kenya and further exacerbating an already precarious humanitarian situation. "What was supposed to be the short rainy season has turned into a widespread disaster affecting more than 100,000 people. Food storage facilities have been flooded, latrines have collapsed and a significant number of shelters, including one wing of the hospital in Ifo camp, have crumbled."
MONTANA - Glacier National Park’s RECORD RAINFALLS of up to 11 inches were reported in the park during the first week of November, and that rain, combined with melting snow, caused a deluge that swept culverts out of some sections of the Going-To-The-Sun road, buried other sections, blew out a horse bridge and caused lakes to top their banks. The full extent of the damage remains unknown. [Some estimates are almost 5 million dollars.] Weather has stopped road crews. Surveying much the damage will likely have to wait until spring. Photos make the damage look severe. Some show the Sun Road looking more like a waterway, with a waterfall running over the Many Glacier Hotel access bridge and the McDonald Creek overlook partially submerged. Other photos show parts of Going-To-The-Sun Road with both lanes completely washed out and covered with rocks and other debris.
WASHINGTON - a climatologist at the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration is confounded by all this rain. "It's been two FREAK weeks. It's truly remarkable. It's epic. I'm rooting for the record." So what's going on? Why is it raining so much? "It's to the point that any reason why is probably unknowable." Rain so drenching and relentless it becomes irrational. With almost a foot of rain, it's already the WETTEST NOVEMBER EVER. Since Nov. 1, the heavens have dumped 19 billion gallons on Seattle. Just the first two weeks add up to the sixth wettest month in 115 years of record-keeping. If 3-plus inches fall in the next 15 days, it will be the soggiest month of all time, besting the 15.3-inch monsoon that was December 1933.
MAINE - ONE OF THE WETTEST FALLS ON RECORD is raising concerns about possible flooding in Maine. Rainfall in October was almost twice the normal amount, and the soggy weather has persisted into November. Groundwater levels have risen, creating the kind of sloppy, muddy conditions usually associated with early spring's mud season. From January through October, Portland recorded a total of 52 inches of precipitation, the third highest level on record for that period in Maine. If wet weather continues through the end of the year, the record of nearly 66.5 inches set last year could be broken.
NORTH CAROLINA - Eleven are dead after a tornado hit on Thursday, 21 injured, 4 missing. Dozens of homes were destroyed, trees and power lines were downed in Riegelwood, N.C., leaving 13,000 people without power. There were "houses on top of cars and cars on top of houses." Over the last two days there were numerous reports of damage in Alabama, Mississippi, the Florida Panhandle and North Carolina.
The deadly tornado ripped a mile-long swath through rural Columbus County. The tornado was spawned from a severe thunderstorm that moved northwest off the Atlantic Ocean. "Possibly within 15 minutes, it went from a rotating thunderstorm into an intense tornado." (photo)
------------------------------------------
Thursday, November 16, 2006 -
INFAMOUS QUOTES - "We've got to pause and ask ourselves: How much clean air do we need?" - Lee Iacocca
QUAKES -
11/15 -
5.5 KEPULAUAN TALAUD, INDONESIA
5.1 KURIL ISLANDS
5.2 EAST OF KURIL ISLANDS
5.6 KURIL ISLANDS
5.0 KURIL ISLANDS
5.6 KURIL ISLANDS
5.7 KURIL ISLANDS
6.0 KURIL ISLANDS
5.5 EAST OF KURIL ISLANDS
5.4 KURIL ISLANDS
5.2 EAST OF KURIL ISLANDS
5.4 EAST OF KURIL ISLANDS
5.1 EAST OF KURIL ISLANDS
5.8 KURIL ISLANDS
5.8 EAST OF KURIL ISLANDS
5.2 EAST OF KURIL ISLANDS
5.0 EAST OF KURIL ISLANDS
5.4 EAST OF KURIL ISLANDS
5.5 KURIL ISLANDS
5.2 NORTHWEST OF KURIL ISLANDS
5.5 EAST OF KURIL ISLANDS
5.1 KURIL ISLANDS
5.2 EAST OF KURIL ISLANDS
5.5 KURIL ISLANDS
5.3 EAST OF KURIL ISLANDS
5.0 EAST OF KURIL ISLANDS
5.5 EAST OF KURIL ISLANDS
5.1 KURIL ISLANDS
5.7 KURIL ISLANDS
5.0 KURIL ISLANDS
5.9 EAST OF KURIL ISLANDS
5.3 EAST OF KURIL ISLANDS
5.6 EAST OF KURIL ISLANDS
6.3 EAST OF KURIL ISLANDS
6.4 EAST OF KURIL ISLANDS
5.9 KURIL ISLANDS
5.7 EAST OF KURIL ISLANDS
8.3 KURIL ISLANDS
5.1 EASTER ISLAND REGION
5.2 MARIANA ISLANDS REGION
5.0 OFFSHORE SUCRE, VENEZUELA
8.3 QUAKE - Two docks were damaged and several boats were tossed onto dry land after surging tides caused by the Kuril earthquake crashed into a northern California coastal town. In Crescent City, around 560km north of San Francisco, waves up to 1m high struck the town for about 20 minutes. "It was a tidal surge, about two or three feet of water, it kept coming and going for 20 minutes, it was very violent. We have a tremendous amount of damage, boats sitting on docks, two docks severely damaged." Weather authorities today warned communities along the north California coast to expect waves until the early evening, urging members of the public to stay away from the beach and avoid harbours and bays. In Hawaii a swimmer was slightly injured and a harbour was temporarily flooded because of big waves. The waves hit about six hours after the quake.
Crescent City residents are particularly sensitive to tsunami threats. The town was struck by a 21-foot-high tsunami in 1964 that killed 11 people and destroyed most of the town center. Officials received a notification from the National Weather Service Wednesday morning that a 3- to 5-foot surge resulting from an 8.1 magnitude quake in Japan would hit the Crescent City region at about 11:40 a.m. "We did have a very small surge at that time, and then everybody went back to business as usual." Then at around 2:30, residents noticed an ominous sign - water started running out of the town's harbor, a classic indication of an approaching tsunami. "You don't like to see that. It looked like a very fast river." But instead of a large wave, the tsunami was manifested as another large surge flowing back into the harbor. "It went on like that until about 5 p.m., maybe later. Just like a big river surging back and forth. It really hammered our docks. Pieces had to be tied off, whole sections disappeared." A tsunami warning system for the Pacific Coast has been put in place, but residents say it failed to alert them to Wednesday's surges.
In Japan, three small fishing boats were overturned in Miyagi on Japan's main island of Honshu.
VOLCANOES -
CALIFORNIA - The city of Clearlake is home to an active volcano that may erupt violently within the next 10,000 years. Clearlake is a location that the United States Geology Survey recently named as a "high threat" location that should be monitored more closely. The next eruption in Clearlake, a city about 80 miles west of Sacramento, would probably be a violent explosion of magma, not a small lava flow. The volcano in Clearlake may be "actively recharging" for a future eruption for several reasons. The Earth's crust around the volcano is giving off an UNUSUAL amount of heat, and is emitting gases that are chemically similar to magma. Geologists have observed earthquakes below the Earth's surface in Clearlake, and they "have a fluid signature," which points to the existence of magma below the Earth's surface.
TROPICAL STORMS -
Hurricane SERGIO was 318 nmi SW of Acapulco, Mexico.
SERGIO - The UNUSUAL late-season storm was the second to form in the eastern Pacific this month. It was the first time since 1961 that two tropical storms have formed in the eastern Pacific in the month of November. Only five tropical storms have formed later in the year than Sergio.
RUSSIA - The powerful cyclone which approached Russia’s Kamchatka overnight has hit its south-western coast with gale-force winds reaching up to 43 meters per second. [this is near the site of the 8.3 quake] Ships are hiding in safe bays. A storm warning has been issued in the region. Meanwhile, a new cyclone is approaching the peninsula. It will reach Kamchatka on Friday.
HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING / LANDSLIDES -
CANADA - High winds, pounding rains, a tsunami warning and a growing flood threat combined yesterday to give British Columbia a remarkably extreme weather day. While the threat of a huge wave striking the coast failed to materialize, winds intensified, roaring down the mountains along Howe Sound, just north of Vancouver and disrupting marine traffic in the Strait of Georgia. Before the morning was over, seven provincial highways would be blocked by debris; power lines had toppled leaving an estimated 200,000 in eight communities without electricity; ferry sailings had been cancelled; a steel building frame under construction in Vancouver had collapsed; five rivers on Vancouver Island were near flood levels and people living on two streets in West Vancouver had been evacuated from their homes because of falling trees. The storm, which lasted for several hours, was pushed by an intense frontal system over the Pacific, which created southeast winds of up to 120 kilometres an hour. Total rainfall for the day was forecast at from 80-110 mm. There were long-range warnings that more storms will soon follow. The U.S. National Weather Service says a strong Pacific storm is approaching that will bring more hazardous weather ashore early next week.
Storms battered the U.S. mid-South on Wednesday. One man died when an F-5 tornado ripped through Greensburg, Louisiana. Homes were peeled apart and debris scattered for miles in the tiny community northwest of New Orleans. Another tornado ripped through Southern Mississippi. A neighborhood in Lamar county - just west of Hattiesburg - was left in splinters. Six people were taken to the hospital. None of their injuries were considered life threatening. In Tennessee tractor trailer rigs turned over on I-40 and had to be set back upright one by one, at times backing up traffic for miles. In Montgomery, Alabama, residents battled pounding rains and intense wind. They dodged pulled-up trees and sought shelter from ripped-open roofs. The morning headlines in Texas also included more high winds.
SNOW / COLD -
AUSTRALIA - Yesterday, Antarctic winds produced snow across Victoria at levels as low as 400 metres, just two weeks before summer. The big chill marked the coldest November day in Melbourne since the 7th in 1994, when it dropped to 12.7C. This follows the hottest October recorded. Such a strong cold change so late in the year was UNUSUAL. "It's pretty unseasonable. Snow in the alps is one thing but this snow is low." In the alpine regions, as much as 28 centimetres of snow had ski resorts cringing - it was six weeks past the ski season's official end. "Basically, I think it's snowed more today that what it did through most of the season." In Queensland, wild weather brought havoc to south-east areas of the State yesterday, unroofing buildings, felling trees and blacking out power supplies to more than 30,000 homes. The storms began with large hailstones in the Wide Bay area, but caused little damage before another storm cell lashed the Brisbane area shortly after noon.
------------------------------------------
Wednesday, November 15, 2006 -
INFAMOUS QUOTES - "Smoking kills. If you're killed, you've lost a very important part of your life." - Brooke Shields, during an interview to become spokesperson for federal anti-smoking campaign.
QUAKES -
This morning an 8.1 earthquake hit the KURIL ISLANDS. Tsunami warning for Japan. A tsunami of about 2 meters (6.5 feet) or more could hit the Pacific coast of Japan's northernmost island of Hokkaido and main island of Honshu. Residents along Japan's Pacific coast were told to flee to higher ground.
Aftershocks so far - 6.3 EAST OF KURIL ISLANDS
6.4 EAST OF KURIL ISLANDS
5.9 KURIL ISLANDS
A TSUNAMI WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR RUSSIA / JAPAN / MARCUS IS. / WAKE IS. / MIDWAY ISLANDS.
A small tsunami has hit northern Japan, estimated at 16 inches tall, Japan's Meteorological Agency said. A second tsunami, estimated at 8 inches, followed. The wave hit Nemuro port in Japan's northernmost island of Hokkaido at 9:29 p.m. and was smaller than the 6 1/2 feet tall or higher initially expected by the agency. Live water footage from northern Japan showed calm seas and lighted windows. Residents said they barely felt the quake. The agency, however, warned larger waves could follow.
Largest quakes yesterday -
11/14 -
5.7 ANTOFAGASTA, CHILE
6.0 BANDA SEA
5.3 MORO GULF, MINDANAO, PHILIPPINES
5.4 MINDORO, PHILIPPINES
TSUNAMI -
Imagine a mega tsunami, a tidal wave 10 times bigger than the 2004 Indonesia event. A group of scientists from the US, Australia, Russia, France and Ireland have been working on a theory that such mega tsunamis may happen, not every half a million years as astronomers had predicted, but every couple of millennia. They say they're caused by meteor or asteroid impacts, which they believe have been much more frequent in earth's history than had been believed. There have been maybe 5 big comet impacts in the last 10,000 years near Australia. Tsunamis are generated, 95 per cent of them, by earthquakes, and existing deposits are higher up than what an earthquake tsunami could do around the Australian coastline. "There is a periodicity of about 2,500 years and the British astronomy group believe a larger comet came into the inner solar system about 15,000 years ago and broke up and the Earth passes through the debris trail of this comet. We tend to every 2,500 years pass through... close to the concentrated area of debris of this broken up comet and it's in a stream called the Taurids and the Taurids turn on in the end of June, you see a lot of meteorites there, small meteorites burning up in the sky. And it's quite common. The Earth passes through, annually, about 12 of these debris trails from different comets, broken up comets. One turns on about the third week of November, which is actually next week. The one 15,000 years ago was particularly big and its left a lot of debris and that is what we're passing through at regular periods giving rise, I think, to some of the comets... the impact craters that we're finding in the ocean."
TROPICAL STORMS -
Tropical depression CHEBI was 191 nmi NE of Da Nang, Vietnam.
Tropical storm SERGIO was 355 nmi SW of Acapulco, Mexico.
VIETNAM - Typhoon Chebi had weakened into a tropical depression Tuesday and no longer threatened the central region, Vietnam’s National Hydrometeorological Forecast Center said. At noon Tuesday, the depression lay about 470 km southeast of the central coast between Thua Thien-Hue and Ha Tinh provinces. It was moving west-northwest at a speed of 10 to 15 kph and continued to weaken. However, due to a weak cold snap from the north, the central costal region would continue to experience strong winds and torrential rains in the coming days.
RUSSIA - authorities in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky have proclaimed an emergency situation in the city because of powerful storms. A powerful cyclone continues raging in the region, constantly causing failures in the heating, water and energy networks, which are swiftly repaired. Precipitation over the last two days exceeds the average for an entire month by 50%, the meteorological center said.
HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING / LANDSLIDES -
COLUMBIA - A landslide triggered by heavy rains buried a mountainside adobe home in western Colombia on Tuesday, killing five children as they slept.
KENYA - Two refugees are dead and more than 78,000 people have been uprooted by flooding that engulfed refugee camps in eastern Kenya over recent days as rising waters destroyed hundreds of homes in the mainly Somali camps near Dadaab. The sudden flooding has brought a major setback to operations to settle thousands of Somali refugees who fled to Kenya in recent months to escape the conflict in their homeland. Among the fatalities reported November 13 was a three-year-old child who was caught when waters swept across the low-lying region, completely engulfing thousands of refugee shelters and leaving hundreds of huts uninhabitable.
SOMALIA - Floods caused by torrential rain in parts of southern Somalia have killed more than 23 people and displaced thousands over the past five days.
OREGON - Early storms have already brought falling trees, debris flows and landslides, and experts say the danger continues as the soggy soil will keep moving. "The incidents of storms early on has brought the water table up and weakened the soil and instabilities have already been triggered. So it's no longer a case of waiting for January or February, it here and it's stretched this landslide season out to perhaps six months."
CLIMATE CHANGE-
The estimated cost of droughts, storm surges, hurricanes and floods reached a record $US 210 billion in 2005. Such losses linked to global warming are expected to double every 12 years. "This is an unequivocal statement by 15 of the largest financial institutions: Climate change is now certain." Losses from extreme weather could top $US 1 trillion in a single year by 2040. "Since so much development is taking place in coastal zones the figure may arrive considerably before 2040."
Climate change is to blame for health problems such as increasing epidemics of malaria and water-borne diseases in Africa, heat wave-related deaths in Europe, and the high incidence of cerebral-cardiovascular conditions in China. "The resurgence of disease outbreaks calls for better climate surveillance and response and better health planning in coping with natural disasters." Malaria has become a major health problem in the highlands of western Kenya where the disease had been rare, a phenomenon blamed on rising temperatures in the region. In the Americas, there has been a return of the Aedes aegypti mosquito, responsible for the transmission of yellow fever and Dengue fever. That type of mosquito had been almost wiped out in control programmes in the 1970s. New cases of malaria have also been reported in Turkey and Azerbaijan. There is also an increase of between five to 10 percent in the occurrence of the salmonella bacteria, the germ that causes typhoid fever and other foodborne illnesses, for every one-degree rise in weekly temperatures in Europe.
------------------------------------------
Tuesday, November 14, 2006 -
INFAMOUS QUOTES - "If somebody has a bad heart, they can plug this jack in at night as they go to bed and it will monitor their heart throughout the night. And the next morning, when they wake up dead, there'll be a record." - Mark S. Fowler, FCC Chairman
QUAKES -
Largest quakes yesterday -
11/13 -
6.0 NEW BRITAIN REGION, P.N.G.
5.3 NEW BRITAIN REGION, P.N.G.
5.0 MINDANAO, PHILIPPINES
5.2 PHILIPPINE ISLANDS REGION
5.2 SOUTHERN MID-ATLANTIC RIDGE
5.0 KURIL ISLANDS
6.8 SANTIAGO DEL ESTERO, ARGENTINA
TROPICAL STORMS -
Tropical depression 21E was 355 nmi SW of Acapulco, Mexico. (nearing tropical storm strength, may reach hurricane strength)
Tropical storm CHEBI was 194 nmi NE of Da Nang, Vietnam.
RUSSIA - The aftermath of the strong cyclone left many settlements without electricity in the Kurilsk, Kholmsk, Uglegorsk and Tomarinsk districts. The hurricane has torn off the power lines in many places in Kholmsk, where about 50,000 people live. Eighty percent of apartment blocks were left without power supply in the city on Sunday evening. Their power supply was restored on Monday. But half of Kholmsk residents are left without water supply, as the power supply is cut to two water reservoirs. The villages Kostromskoye, Yablochnoye, Pravda, Chaplanovo, Pyatirechye, where about 7,000 people live, are left without electricity. The Iturup island was the hardest hit on the Kurile Islands. Forty-five houses are left without electricity, and the roofs of 68 houses are damaged. According to Sakhalin weather forecasters, the cyclone has subsided a little bit and is moving along the eastern coast of Sakhalin to the north of the island. Sleet is going on in southern Sakhalin. A storm is raging in the Tatar Strait in the north of the Sea of Japan.
Typhoon Chebi weakening as it reaches Vietnam - Set to make a landfall in northern Vietnam – the eighth typhoon to hit Vietnam this year – on Wednesday afternoon, Typhoon Chebi is weakening to tropical low pressure, but will cause strong winds and rough seas as early as this morning.
HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING / LANDSLIDES -
KENYA - At least six people have been killed since Saturday following heavy flooding across the country. The fatalities bring the death toll to 21 since October, when the first damaging effects of the UNUSUALLY heavy rains were reported.
SOUTH AFRICA - Downpours cause epic flooding across KZN. Torrential downpours caused havoc across KwaZulu-Natal on Monday, dumping 88mm of rain in Durban. In central Durban, business owners were shocked by damage caused by the rain and subsequent flooding. "This was quite normal seasonal rainfall and it happens quite frequently. Durban experiences tropical rainfall, which can come down in buckets. However, it is UNUSUAL to get it as heavy as we have experienced."
SRI LANKA - Nearly 20 persons are feared dead caught in a landslide Sunday around 7:00 pm on the double track Gampola highway in Pusselawa area circa 150 km from Colombo. A landslide occurred for the fourth time on Sunday in Hatton town and the up-country train services were affected due to landslide on Hatton-Kotagolla railway tracks disrupting travel from Hatton to Colombo and Kandy. Meanwhile, only three feet of water remain to reach the maximum capacity in the Moussekella reservoirs, which may spill over, flooding the areas below, engineers at the dam site warned. (photos)
UNITED KINGDOM - 'Monsoon' weather in UK on the increase says leading insurance broker. The increasing frequency of FREAK WEATHER conditions in Britain has led to a rash of motor accidents caused by drivers failing to respond quickly to sudden downpours. Leading high street insurance broker, Swinton, is advising UK drivers, most of whom are not used to extreme weather conditions, to take extra care. The move comes as Swinton reports an 8 per cent rise in motor accident claims during the recent round of tropical-like deluges. Monsoon-type rain is a particular problem, with sudden torrential downpours causing localised flooding and with it, a flood of claims. Gusting winds are also a problem at this time of year, bringing down trees and power lines. “Monsoon rain conditions are now a reality in the UK. They can occur with frightening immediacy." In recent months torrential rain and heavy thunderstorms have raged across the UK. Extensive flash flooding was reported across the regions, with Devon, Cornwall, Somerset, Wales and the northwest particularly badly hit.
HEAT / CLIMATE CHANGE -
Rainwater harvesting could prove a cheap, easy solution to Africa's water woes, according to a UN report. Scientists found enough rain falls in some countries to supply six or seven times the current need, and provide security against future droughts. A pilot project in a Kenyan Maasai community has improved supplies and done away with the daily trek to collect river water. Last week, the Kenyan government announced plans to make all new buildings include capacity for rainwater collection and storage. Africa is seen as a dry continent, but overall, it actually has more water resources per capita than Europe. "However, much of Africa's rain comes in bursts, and is rapidly swept away or is never collected."
Nearly three quarters of all bird species in northeast Australia and more than a third in Europe could become extinct unless efforts to stop global warming are stepped up, according to a report by international environmental group WWF.
------------------------------------------
Monday, November 13, 2006 -
INFAMOUS QUOTES - "We are ready for an unforeseen event that may or may not occur." - Al Gore, while VP
QUAKES -
Largest quakes yesterday -
11/12 -
6.1 KURIL ISLANDS
6.1 NEW BRITAIN REGION, P.N.G.
5.3 NEW BRITAIN REGION, P.N.G.
5.0 KOMANDORSKIYE OSTROVA REGION
TROPICAL STORMS -
Tropical storm CHEBI was 288 nmi E of Da Nang, Vietnam.
Tropical storm "Queenie" (international codename: Chebi), left the Philippine area Sunday and is heading toward Vietnam. Officials are reporting that as a result of the storm, one person is dead and five others are missing in northeastern Philippines. The typhoon toppled trees and triggered flashfloods in the region. Chebi is expected to gain strength as it heads toward Vietnam. Reports also said that at least five fishermen were missing when their outrigger boats capsized near Sabang, Quezon.
RUSSIA - Sakhalin and the Kurile Islands were in a complete transport blockade on Sunday over a powerful cyclone that swooped down on the area from the Pacific. Ships are at a standstill, and aircraft do not come or go. All ships operating in the area of the Kuriles found shelter at relatively calm bays. Wind gusts in the Sea of Okhotsk reach 35-38 meters per second, while waves are 8-9 meters high. The South Kuriles were battered by heavy rains: 70 mm of precipitation fell on the island of Shikotan overnight, which is a monthly norm.
HEAT / CLIMATE CHANGE -
KENYA - Slow death by climate change for Kenya. The entire way of life of 3 million poor Kenyan livestock herders is now under threat due to climate change. In Northern Kenya droughts have increased in number fourfold in the past 25 years. So many animals have died that pastoralist families no longer have the means to support themselves. Already, half a million herders have been forced to settle around towns and villages – abandoning their centuries old way of life and dependent on aid handouts for survival. "Their plight illustrates what will happen to countless million other poor people...Governments and non-governmental organisations have hugely underestimated the seriousness of the threat facing people living on marginal lands like northern Kenya. Piecemeal measures are no longer enough to tackle the profound challenges posed by climate change. Alternative livelihoods must be developed to allow these people to support themselves instead of subsisting on handouts."
If current trends continue one-third of the planet will be desert by the end of 2100. The system of nomadic pastoralism has, over the centuries, been able to cope with unpredictable weather patterns and regular drought but now has been brought by climate change to the point of utter extinction. While rain did come to the region for the first time in more than a year last month, it was too late for the makeshift roadside communities who no longer have animals to put out to pasture. The periods of rain have got shorter and the dry spells longer - changing the pattern of four seasons on which the pastoral communities depended. And while there were always droughts: 'Decade after decade it has been getting more severe. It has only been getting harder and harder and more and more serious.'
THAILAND - Landslides are certainly not a new phenomenon to Thailand, but they are becoming increasingly common and widespread here. There were reports of about 90 landslide incidents this year - ranging from small-scale physical events to large, devastating ones like in Uttaradit in May. 1,261 rain gauges and 1,504 warning sirens have been set up. The Ministry reports that there are 7,246 landslide risk areas, with somewhere between 4,077 and 2,283 of those considered to be high-risk. An awareness of changes in the environment can be critical in preventing landslide tragedy. In the past, natural indicators like unusually low-placed beehives (apparently, the bees' natural caution against a blustery rainy season), a sudden increase in the number of ants seen above ground (a natural reaction to saturated, landslide-primed soil) or the browning of water sources (an indication of debris from upstream) have been linked to landslides. Additionally villagers will often report, in hindsight, having heard strange noises of rock, soil and debris movement - or what was the slow-start of the landscape - coming from mountains. Because a landslide is a slow-starting phenomena, it is important to clue villagers in on these early warning signs. There is also a greater trend towards wacky and unpredictable weather patterns that in recent years has led to devastating drought in some places, and devastating floods in others.
------------------------------------------
Sunday, November 12, 2006 -
INFAMOUS QUOTES - "Whenever I watch TV and see those poor starving kids all over the world, I can't help but cry. I mean I'd love to be skinny like that, but not with all those flies and death and stuff." - Mariah Carey
QUAKES -
Largest quakes yesterday -
11/11 -
5.2 NEW BRITAIN REGION, P.N.G.
5.2 NEW BRITAIN REGION, P.N.G.
5.8 NEW BRITAIN REGION, P.N.G.
5.2 TONGA REGION
5.0 FIJI REGION
5.1 FIJI REGION
11/10 -
5.1 SAKHALIN, RUSSIA
Possible Mega-Quake - A University of Colorado professor said in a published report Friday that the world may be on the brink of a massive earthquake. Geology professor Roger Bilham said an earthquake of the magnitude he thinks is coming occurs only once in a thousand years. A quake registering 8.0 or above would dwarf the temblor that killed thousands last year in the Pakistani region of Kashmir. Bilham said there remains pent-up energy in the earth's surface that must be released through a mega-quake. It's the kind of quake that can completely erase entire cities. Geophysics professor Roland Burgmann studies earthquake cycles. He said Bilham is onto something and conditions are probably ripe for a massive quake.
VOLCANOES -
TONGA - A new island, thought to be a result of a volcanic eruption, has risen out of the Pacific Ocean between Tonga's volcanic islands of Kao and Late. The Tongan government has not officially confirmed the presence of the island but several people reported encountering a new landmass after a September volcanic eruption ejected great amounts of pumice into the water. One person estimated the size of the island to be larger than Fotuha'a, which is inhabited by 134 people.
TROPICAL STORMS -
Tropical depression 20E was 693 nmi SSW of Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.
Typhoon CHEBI was 139 nmi W of Subic Bay, Philippines.
CHEBI - More than 8,000 people had to leave their homes as typhoon Chebi departed from the Philippines today, moving further west into the South China Sea. Several roads in the northern Philippines were rendered impassable due to landslides and swollen rivers with the water in many major dams reaching critical levels due to heavy rains.
Typhoon 'Chebi' weakened as it sliced through the center of the Philippines' main Philippine island of Luzon Saturday, causing floods, toppling trees and power lines and damaging crops. Two people were injured when a coconut tree fell on a house in Casiguran, and strong winds destroyed two houses and damaged a dozen others. Several villages in San Jose town in the rice-growing province of Nueva Ecija were under 1.2 metres of floodwater, submerging farms and ready-to-harvest rice crops. The floodwaters are expected to subside quickly, but the rice crop would be permanently damaged if it remains submerged for two days.
RUSSIA - Another powerful cyclone with winds of up to 38 metres a second is moving from the Pacific to the Kurile Islands. The first cyclone strike will hit the Southern Kuriles this morning. The cyclone will move from the Southern Kuriles to the eastern coast of Sakhalin, reach the Shantar Islands in the Sea of Okhotsk on Monday and leave for the Khabarovsk Territory, meteorologists say. The Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk sea rescue coordinating centre repeated the storm warning for all vessels, and they have moved to their nearest shelters.
HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING / LANDSLIDES -
SOMALIA - Thousands fled a Somali town near the border with Ethiopia on Saturday as floodwaters submerged buildings. No casualties were immediately reported in the town of about 40,000 people, 170km northwest of the capital Mogadishu, after the Shabelle river burst its banks late on Friday. At least 47 people drowned and thousands were left homeless on Wednesday when the same river and the Juba, which both snake through Somalia, burst their banks after heavy rains. "I have never witnessed such a catastrophe. The whole town is moving out. I am not sure how many have died so far." Large swathes of farmland were submerged and food stocks washed away after torrential rain pounded the Horn of Africa country for several days, swelling the Shabelle and the Juba river further south. The rivers snake through the most agriculturally productive regions in Somalia. Aid workers expect the death toll to rise as thousands of poor farming families sleep out in the cold and get exposed to malaria and water-borne diseases.
WASHINGTON - Rain has pushed levees near breaking point: RECORD HIGH RIVER LEVELS causing concern. Weakened by age, and never designed to last for this many decades, the levees that keep King County's rivers from flooding are being worn away by record high river levels. Many of the county-maintained 119 miles of levees were built decades ago of sand and topsoil, with little if any superstructure holding them in place. They don't meet current building standards. "We don't come out of events like this without seeing problems or new damage." And another strong weather system is expected to hit Western Washington tonight.
HEAT / DROUGHT -
AUSTRALIA - Victoria is facing a sporting crisis, with drought threatening to kill weekend sport. Several amateur cricket and football competitions are under threat, while water sports clubs in country areas are on the decline. Lawn bowls and croquet, which need lush greens, face hurdles as drought conditions limit water use. Yachting, waterskiing and angling clubs in the region are also facing a rough patch. Melbourne's sporting grounds are experiencing a similar plight. "Rain is not falling anywhere in Melbourne." Rain-starved sports fields is a state-wide issue. "It is starting to have a significant impact."
------------------------------------------
Friday, November 10, 2006 -
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY -
Try not.
DO...
Or do not.
There is no TRY.
- Yoda
QUAKES -
Largest quakes yesterday -
11/0 -
5.1 NIAS REGION, INDONESIA
5.1 MINDANAO, PHILIPPINES
5.2 KURIL ISLANDS
5.0 KURIL ISLANDS
TROPICAL STORMS -
Tropical storm CHEBI was 365 nmi ENE of Manila, Philippines.
Tropical depression ROSA was 187 nmi SSW of Manzanillo, Mexico.
PHILIPPINES - The second tropical storm in two weeks was headed toward the northern Philippines today. Tropical storm “Queenie” (international codename: Chebi) intensified as it continued to move toward the Isabela-Aurora area, prompting the state weather bureau to raise storm warnings over several Luzon provinces. Queenie is expected to hit land in the vicinity of Baler on Saturday morning and cross northern Luzon on its way to the South China Sea. About 20 typhoons and tropical storms lash the country each year. Chebi is the 17th this season.
Tropical storm Rosa formed in the Pacific Ocean off Mexico on Thursday and weather forecasters gave it a slim chance of grazing the coast. It is expected to move parallel to the coast before likely fizzling over the ocean early next week. But Rosa could change its northwesterly direction if it managed to maintain its current windspeeds. Mexico's Pacific coast has been blitzed with hurricanes and storms this year, whereas its Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico coasts have seen little activity.
HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING / LANDSLIDES -
NEW ZEALAND - Winds of up to 150km/h lashed Auckland yesterday, causing chaos that led to hundreds of emergency calls to police and the Fire Service, disrupted travel and closed the Sky Tower. The rain and winds were caused by an intense low which swept over Waikato and past the Coromandel Peninsula. Around 200 Auckland households are still without power this morning after the violent storm. The Coastguard was kept busy, dealing with reports of 10 yachts seen aground or drifting. Conditions were so bad that little could be done in most cases as it was not worth risking lives to save boats. Coastguard staff said they saw waterspouts forming over the Waitemata Harbour. A fierce storm also brought snow to low levels throughout the South Island on Wednesday night. In Queenstown, weather forecasters said the SNOWFALL WAS THE HEAVIEST AND LOWEST FOR NOVEMBER IN 45 YEARS of record-keeping.
CANADA - Toronto weather experts say this fall has been the "SECOND MOST MISERABLE FALL ON RECORD," with rain and cloud making September and October the most gloomy since 1970. Although the average temperature was about normal (12.2C), the lack of sunshine and the continual rain made what is normally a spectacular time of year into a boring, drab couple of months. "We've been in a funk for two months and this is uncharacteristic of this time of year." During September and October, there were only 272 hours of sunshine, 131 in September and 141 in October. According to recent averages, they'd normally see 391 hours - 208 in September and 173 in October. Back in 1970, there were only 253 hours of sunshine, making that the dullest fall on record. Records on sunshine totals have been kept since 1957. September and October recorded about 40 per cent more rainfall than normal. There were 17 wet days in September and 18 in October. That total of 35 wet days was much higher than the normal 22.
HEAT -
CHINA - Visitors to the Shanghai Botanical Garden can currently glimpse chrysanthemums, orchids and osmanthus flowers in full bloom at the same time, which gardeners say is a VERY RARE event. The osmanthus flowers in the garden on Monday went into bloom for the third time this year. "The normal flowering season for osmanthus is early and middle October, but this year's warm weather gives them more time to show up. Early November is the normal flowering season for orchids and chrysanthemums, thus the scene of three flowers blooming together is formed. "As far as I can remember, this is the first time for such a rare scene to appear in our garden."
------------------------------------------
Thursday, November 9, 2006 -
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY - In every child the world begins anew. - Margaret Drummond
QUAKES -
Largest quakes yesterday -
11/9 -
5.2 KURIL ISLANDS
5.3 KURIL ISLANDS
5.3 KURIL ISLANDS
5.3 KURIL ISLANDS
5.0 ANDREANOF ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS.
5.3 OAXACA, MEXICO
5.3 SOUTH SANDWICH ISLANDS REGION
5.0 FIJI REGION
TIME BOMBS - Using a laser mounted on an aircraft, scientists say they’ve found earthquake-prone fault lines previously hidden by forest, “time bombs” whose danger can only now be recognized and studied. Many regions of the world have undiscovered seismically active faults hidden by dense forests, including Indonesia, India, northwestern North America, all Andean nations and Europe’s alpine countries.
TROPICAL STORMS -
Tropical depression 19E was 338 nmi WSW of Acapulco, Mexico.
Tropical depression 23W was 479 nmi NW of Yap, Caroline Islands.
HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING / LANDSLIDES -
SOMALIA - At least 47 people drowned and thousands were left homeless after two rivers that snake through Somalia burst their banks after heavy rains.
SPAIN - this week's persistent heavy rains are causing a number of problems in Murcia and across Andalucía, where serious weather alerts remain in place. Torrential rains have been causing problems in the Murcia region; particularly in the town of Lorca, where a number of potholes have begun to open up in many town centre roads, a wall also collapsed and lumps of masonry have been falling from a number of buildings. In Marbella, dozens of homes, carparks, basements, residential estates and sporting installations were flooded, with similar scenes in the nearby towns of Mijas, Estepona, Coín, Alhaurín de la Torre and Campillos, while there was a power cut in the village of Zalea, near Pizarra. (photo)
HEAT -
COLORADO - RECORD HEAT across eastern Colorado on Wednesday. Denver set an ALL-TIME NOVEMBER HIGH of 80 degrees at 1:23 pm. Other locations with new record highs for the date include Pueblo at 85 degrees, which also set a new all-time record high. Colorado Springs reached 78 degrees Wednesday afternoon, tying the November all-time high temperature. The bubble of unseasonably warm air over eastern Colorado also extended into portions of the central plains, with widespread 80s over Kansas.
CALIFORNIA - Long Beach highs reached 92 degrees, SHATTERING THE RECORD of 87 degrees set in 1961. Several records were broken across Southern California on Tuesday, thanks to an offshore flow that created unseasonably warm weather. And Los Angeles reached 97 degrees, breaking 1956's record high of 91. Ten sites in Los Angeles County set temperature records on Tuesday, including Woodland Hills, which was the hottest spot in the nation at 101 degrees. The previous record in Woodland Hills for Nov. 7 was 94 degrees, set in 1956.
ODD -
AUSTRALIA - A cow has gone for a four-hour swim in the surf in a bizarre bovine spectacle before drowning off Queensland's coast. The two-year-old Brahman-cross escaped from a nearby paddock on Sunday and travelled 2km to where it was spotted by beachgoers paddling 300m out to sea. The owner said when police phoned him to report his missing cow had been sighted swimming in the ocean it was the strangest thing he had ever heard. A crowd of more than 100 were drawn to the beach as word spread about the body surfing cow, which swam for three hours, coming to shore twice before returning to the waves. The owner and a friend eventually took a tinnie out to try to rescue the cow which was paddling in water around 7m deep but could not bring her to land. She eventually drowned from swallowing water. A University of Queensland school of animal studies lecturer said it was the first time in 20 years he had heard of such strange behaviour. Cows are good swimmers and often wade out into dams. But to swim in the ocean for that long was BIZARRE. "It is UNUSUAL, I've never seen anything like that."
DISASTER PREPARATIONS -
The world's energy supply is heading for crisis, the International Energy Agency warns, predicting "skyrocketing prices or more frequent blackouts" unless urgent action was taken. They called on governments to build more nuclear power stations to help cut greenhouse gas emissions and also take steps to reduce the growth in demand for energy. It predicted that global energy needs will surge by 53 per cent over the next 25 years and that crude oil prices could exceed $100 a barrel by 2030. "We are on course for an energy system that will evolve from crisis to crisis. That may mean skyrocketing prices, or more frequent blackouts. "On current trends, we are on course for a dirty, expensive and unsustainable energy future. In response, urgent government action is required. The key word is urgent."
------------------------------------------
Wednesday, November 8, 2006 -
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY - "Half this game is ninety percent mental." - Philadelphia Phillies manager, Danny Ozark
QUAKES -
Largest quakes yesterday -
11/7 -
6.5 NEW BRITAIN REGION, P.N.G.
5.4 NEW BRITAIN REGION, P.N.G.
5.8 ANTOFAGASTA, CHILE
5.2 OFF COAST OF PAKISTAN
5.0 CENTRAL MEDITERRANEAN SEA
5.1 SOUTHERN MID-ATLANTIC RIDGE
5.0 SOUTH OF FIJI ISLANDS
OREGON - The third small earthquake beneath Southeast Portland in the past 17 months has scientists intrigued - and stumped. A magnitude 2.6 quake at 9:34 p.m. Sunday gave thousands of Portland-area residents a brief jolt that also was felt in Forest Grove, Gresham and Ridgefield, Washington - far beyond what is expected from such a weak earthquake. The tremor follows similar small quakes in the same area: a magnitude 3.1 quake on Jan. 28 and a magnitude 2.7 in June 2005. All three epicenters were about 10 miles beneath the surface on a previously unknown fault. "We have absolutely no clue as to what's going on down there. It worries me a little that we have a fault down there that's capable of producing such strong shaking for such small magnitudes." Scientists are especially puzzled as to why the relatively weak earthquakes produced shaking 30 miles away. The unnamed fault that triggered the three quakes appears to run perpendicular to two major faults.
TROPICAL STORMS -
Tropical depression 19-E is centered about 345 nmi S-SW of Zihuatanejo, Mexico.
PHILIPPINES - Some 700 families in a remote mountain village northeast of the capital town are still isolated by landslides a week after typhoon "Paeng" (Cimaron) pummeled Cagayan, leaving dozens of people dead and millions of pesos in infrastructure damage and agricultural losses. Rampaging floodwaters and landslides spawned by the super howler destroyed the bridge linking Runruno, a traditional mining village in Quezon town, to the rest of the province. Authorities fear that villagers may starve as relief aid trickles due to the barangay’s difficult terrain and the lack of resources. The Air Force has stopped its rescue and relief efforts, too. Many houses in Runruno are destroyed and farms are covered in mud.
TAIWAN - From Wednesday to Friday last week, typhoon winds fanned Hong Kong's BIGGEST HILL FIRE SEEN IN A DECADE. The blaze had destroyed at least 65,000 trees covering 400 hectares (990 acres) in a country park in the northern part of the rural New Territories district. The dry weather and strong winds from Typhoon Cimaron, which killed at least 19 in the Philippines and had been lingering in the South China Sea, helped spread the blaze.
CANADA - The intense storm now wreaking havoc on British Columbia's coast was propelled by the powerful Asian typhoon that hit the Philippines a week ago. The week-old remnants of Typhoon Cimaron, the strongest storm to hit the Philippines in eight years, a maximum five category storm - a storm as intense as Hurricane Katrina - reached the Coast Range Sunday evening. The storm unleashed its heaviest load of water at about 5 a.m. Monday. "What's typical of these Pineapple Express rainstorms is that the rainfall intensity for each hour is quite strong."
HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING / LANDSLIDES -
WASHINGTON - RECORD RAINFALL that brought heavy flooding to the Northwest, killing at least one person, causing evacuations and damaging roads and houses, began to ease Tuesday, as high waters continued to threaten some areas. Rainfall records were set Monday across western Washington, including 8.22 inches at Stampede Pass, which broke an all-time rain record of 7.29 inches set on Nov. 19, 1962. Milder storms were expected later in the week but nothing as powerful as the storm that caused the flooding. "It's something that happens once every 10 years." Three luxury homes in Gleneden Beach were on the brink of crumbling into the Pacific. On Tuesday morning, rock-loaded bulldozers and dump trucks tried to create a break to protect the homes from the high surf.
The flooding may be THE WORST IN 50 YEARS. Flooding, mudslides and rockslides have closed mountain passes and roads at dozens of spots in Western Washington.
SPAIN - heavy rains in many areas of Spain on Tuesday hit hard in Valencia, Murcia and Andalucía, but especially on the Costa del Sol. There was flooding in Málaga city, where a normally dry river bed in the provincial capital swept ten parked cars down to the beach. The western part of the province was worst hit, most of all in Mijas, which saw rainfall of 157 litres per square metre. The rain across Málaga province yesterday has been described the WETTEST DAY IN THE PROVINCE SINCE 1989.
ICEBERGS -
NEW ZEALAND - The armada of more than 100 icebergs heading toward New Zealand would have come from an iceberg more than 100 kilometres wide and 1500 metres deep, scientists say. Experts believe a mammoth piece of ice broke off the Ross or Amery ice shelves in Antarctica. Crevasses within that piece then broke into smaller icebergs. The largest iceberg stretched two kilometres wide and about 130 metres high, and would extend 1000 metres beneath the sea. Icebergs have been breaking from the ice shelves for thousands of years, caused by stresses within the ice shelf. This could not be linked to global warming. "We've only been in Antarctica for the last 100 years, so it's very hard to say there's been any change." But it was RARE for them to reach this far north without melting. "It must have been a very large iceberg. I think it would have to be ONE OF THE LARGEST ICEBERGS THAT CARVED OFF AN ICE SHELF IN RECENT YEARS." At the moment, the icebergs are of such a size they could not drift close to the coast. If they broke up so they did not extend so deep in the water, they might drift to within 100 kilometres, and then could be seen from the mainland.
HEAT / WILDFIRES / DROUGHT -
AUSTRALIA suffering WORST DROUGHT IN A THOUSAND YEARS. Australia's blistering summer has only just begun but reservoir levels are dropping fast, crop forecasts have been slashed, and great swaths of the continent are entering "one in a thousand years drought". Many regions in their fifth year of drought. More than half of Australia's farmland is experiencing drought. The Murray-Darling river system, which receives 4% of Australia's water, but provides three-quarters of the water consumed nationally, was already 54% BELOW THE PREVIOUS RECORD MINIMUM. Last month it recorded its LOWEST EVER OCTOBER FLOWS. Many small rural towns in east Australia face shortages within a month. Last week, the government forecast its lowest wheat crop for 12 years, a 62% decrease on last year. "When the drought breaks we will not return to cooler, wetter conditions. It is the worst type of drought because we are not expecting to return back to the old regime. The last half of last century was much wetter. What we seem to have done is ... built Australia on the assumption that it was going to be wetter, and we haven't been prepared to make the change back to a much drier regime."
Water trading will begin between NSW and Victoria by the end of the week and all the eastern States by January of next year. "Water trading means we can assemble the small bits of water in the system into useful parcels. So people have to decide whether they can stay in irrigation or not in the short term and we can assemble those bits together. This is part of changing water use right across the River Murray system so that Australia can adjust. It's critical and it has to be done quickly."
SOLAR WEATHER -
Solar activity is about to increase - or so it seems. An active sunspot is hiding just behind the sun's eastern limb. For the past three days, it has been erupting, throwing clouds of magnetized gas high above the sun's surface where they can be seen from Earth. Some of these explosions have also produced strong radio bursts heard in the loudspeakers of ham-radio rigs. Soon, perhaps today, the sun's rotation will turn the sunspot toward Earth, providing a direct view of the active region. If it is indeed a big spot, we could be in for some stormy space weather in the days ahead. Visit http://spaceweather.com for updates.
DISASTER PREPARATIONS -
IT'S TIME TO PREPARE to "shelter-in-place" or "self-quarantine". The U.S. State Department is advising government employees overseas to stockpile enough food and water to last up to 12 weeks in preparation for the threat of a severe influenza pandemic. The statement said that overseas employees, like their stateside counterparts and private citizens, should maintain supplies of food and water for a possible pandemic. The advisory urges families to store nonperishable foods that don't require refrigeration, preparation, or cooking. Also, families are advised to store 1 gallon of water per person per day. Prepare for water supply disruptions if infrastructure breakdowns occur during an influenza pandemic. Suggested water purification techniques include boiling for at least 10 minutes and adding specified amounts of regular Clorox bleach. The recommendation that US citizens overseas stockpile 12 weeks' worth of food and water differs from the current federal recommendation for general pandemic preparedness. The government, on its pandemic planning Web site, recommends that US residents stockpile 2 weeks worth of food and water.
------------------------------------------
Tuesday, November 7, 2006 -
It's a good day to vote.
POLITICAL BUMPER STICKER - My Other President is a Democrat.
QUAKES -
Largest quakes yesterday -
11/6 -
5.9 EASTERN NEW GUINEA REG., P.N.G.
5.3 ATACAMA, CHILE
5.0 MYANMAR
VOLCANOES -
SICILY - The highly active phase of Mt Etna, which began Sunday at 9.45 pm, decreased in intensity after 11 pm. After that time slight volcanic activity continued in the south-eastern crater. Around 2 am two more lava flows from the crater's mouth were noted at 3.050 metres, which are moving downwards towards the south. The lava flow at the top seems to have stopped, whereas the one further down is increasing and is fanning out.
TROPICAL STORMS -
None.
HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING / LANDSLIDES -
JAPAN - At least nine people have been killed and more than 10 injured when a tornado swept through the town of Saroma in northern Japan. Officials said several other people were still missing in the area, on the island of Hokkaido. The tornado hit around lunchtime, sweeping through a tunnel construction site and other areas, leaving a number of workers dead and injured. Police said workers were buried under prefabricated buildings that had collapsed at the site. Local government officials said ten buildings collapsed elsewhere in the town. Small tornadoes happen from time to time in Japan - there are about twenty each year - but this one appears to have resulted in an unexpectedly high death toll.
CANADA - A flood watch is in effect as a RECORD RAINSTORM hits British Columbia, forcing an evacuation in Chilliwack on Monday. Emergency officials in BC say they are seeing SOME OF THE MOST INTENSE RAIN EVER RECORDED. Southern B.C. has seen between 250 and 300 millimetres of rain since Thursday.
WASHINGTON - A warm, windy Pacific storm dumped heavy rain Monday on Western Washington, killing an elk hunter and prompting warnings of RECORD FLOODING on a handful of rivers. National Guardsmen were dispatched to rescue some northwest Washington residents believed cut off by rising waters. More than six inches of rain fell in 24 hours in some areas. The governor declared a state of emergency for 18 counties. Some 200 to 225 elk hunters were evacuated from 60 to 70 hunting camps. A number of rivers jumped their banks Monday, sending water over farmland, flooding some rural homes and closing many roads. A large mudslide near Skykomish, northeast of Seattle, blocked eastbound lanes of U.S. Highway 2, a major east-west route across Washington, while a mudslide earlier Monday near Tacoma delayed an Amtrak passenger train. The warm, moisture-laden storms that began during the weekend were expected to lash the region through Wednesday.
PORTUGAL - Heavy rains flooded several villages in central and southern Portugal, forcing hundreds out of their homes during the weekend and on Monday. On Sunday night rivers and creeks overflowed, isolating the village of Reguengos de Alivela and flooding over 80 houses. Residents in the small village of Burgau had to climb onto the rooftops of houses and be rescued by firefighters in a helicopter as waters from a local creek rose up to two meters (6.5 feet) high. Heavy rain fell at the weekend, flooding hundreds of houses and shops from central to southern regions as well as strong winds knocked down trees, electricity poles, cut off roads and interrupted the movement of trains. Weather services forecast heavy rain until today.
IRAQ - Rescue and recovery workers in the autonomous northern Iraqi region of Kurdistan were on Monday searching for survivors after three days of torrential rain prompted flooding in which at least 20 people are believed to have died. Sunday's flooding also caused extensive damage to property and to infrastructure in the region. In one incident, a house collapsed killing 11 of the 13 people inside, while a separate building collapse killed a woman and three men. The flooding damaged walls in schools and mosques and swept away vehicles including cars and bulldozers, while two children were reported killed Friday after the roof of their home caved in. Suspension bridges into one Kurdish village were destroyed, making it difficult for emergency aid to reach those affected.
------------------------------------------
Monday, November 6, 2006 -
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY - You don't realize how good your memory is until you try to forget something.
QUAKES -
Largest quakes yesterday -
11/5 -
5.1 PAPUA, INDONESIA
5.0 NEAR THE COAST OF NORTHERN IRAN
5.2 MINDANAO, PHILIPPINES
5.0 TYRRHENIAN SEA
5.0 CENTRAL MID-ATLANTIC RIDGE
5.1 FIJI REGION
CHINA - About 1,300 people have been evacuated from 445 homes left uninhabitable by a moderate 4.2 earthquake in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region on Friday. About 12,000 people were affected by the quake, which damaged 5,586 homes, including 1,343 with serious damage.
TSUNAMI -
Tsunami horror hits Britain - "This is the sort of headline we will all be reading in reality if nothing is done to prevent climate change." International attempts to cut the pollution that causes global warming have gone into reverse just as evidence mounts that it is putting the planet in grave danger, a startling official report will reveal. The findings by the United Nations will be presented to the world's governments today at the start of crucial negotiations about whether to tackle climate change seriously. They show that after reducing emissions during the 1990s, the world's richest countries have in fact increased by 2.4 percent since the start of the millennium. Even the reduction in the 1990s was overwhelmingly due to the economic collapse of the former Soviet bloc rather than deliberate anti-pollution measures in the West. The most optimistic possibility expected to come from the climate change conference is that slow but steady progress will continue to be made towards adopting new targets by 2008 (or perhaps 2009 to give a chance for a more sympathetic US president) so that they can be ratified worldwide by 2012. "Almost a year ago, at the last meeting of the parties to the treaty in Montreal, the U.S. tried to stop any negotiations on future targets. It was only when it was isolated and widely ridiculed that it gave way, eventually agreeing that talks should begin, if a year late. Everyone expects it to resume its obstructive tactics in Nairobi; it is sending no fewer than 27 negotiators to the meetings to try to disrupt things."
Likely future headlines -
2030: RIP - The Arctic polar bear breathes its last. Efforts at resettlement in the green bush of the former Canadian tundra have all failed. In any case, as the melting Greenland ice-sheet has flooded coastal areas, there is no spare land for them to settle on.
2040: Burned to death: How man reduced the mighty Amazon to ashes. The Amazon rainforest is dead. The fires that have raged for weeks in what was once the largest rainforest on Earth have all but consumed its last remnants. It is now extinct, and with it the stability it brought to the planet's climate.
2050: The last drops of rain fall to earth. World hunt for food as India faces starvation after monsoon fails and harvests are doomed. Global grain stocks are at less than two weeks, after persistent droughts in North America, and epidemics of disease that developed in the world's main genetically modified crops of rice and wheat.
2060: Tsunami horror hits Britain. Methane 'bubble' blamed for catastrophic seabed slide as wave wipes east coast off map. A vast landslip beneath the North Sea last night unleashed a tsunami that submerged much of eastern Scotland and sent a tidal wave down the east coast of England. Tens of thousands are missing, presumed dead. There are fears that when water recedes, wide areas will be buried in up to 18 feet of silt and rock. The death toll could be greater than the Boxing Day tsunami that swept across the Indian Ocean 56 years ago. Current conditions are disturbingly similar to those in which the great methane releases of the past happened. Warming will cause more blowouts and more craters and more releases around the world.
HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING / LANDSLIDES -
INDIA - Six persons were killed and 63 injured when lightning struck a fireworks factory. It triggered a big blaze and series of explosions near Sivakasi, the country's fireworks hub. The explosions razed to the ground about 40 colony houses located near the fireworks factory at the remote Singampatti village, about 80km from Madurai. Many of the injured were trapped under the debris as the manufacturing sheds and houses collapsed. The crackers went on exploding for more than four hours.
HEAT / CLIMATE CHANGE -
NEW ZEALAND - A helicopter pilot who's spotted one of a group of about 100 icebergs drifting from Antarctica, says it's the FIRST TIME HE'S SEEN ONE SO FAR NORTH. The iceberg was seen several hundred kilometres south east of Invercargill on Saturday. He estimates it was 120 high and over half a kilometre long. It was drifting north. The location of the icebergs is less than 300km from the New Zealand coastline. The last reported iceberg sighting so close to New Zealand was off Dunedin in 1931. A marine navigation hazard warning has been issued because of their proximty to a shipping lane.
AUSTRALIA - Temperatures in NSW could jump more than 6C by 2070 and rain levels could fall by 40 per cent, according to climate-change research. Under a worst-case scenario, spring and summer days would be 7.1C warmer, while the spring rains would be down 60 per cent. There is already anecdotal evidence some ground crops, as well as apples and grapes, were ripening earlier as temperatures rose. There have been climate change-related reductions in rainfall in southwest Western Australia, "in the order of 10 to 20 per cent" since 1970. Southern Victoria is experiencing a 10-YEAR RECORD LOW RAINFALL. "Those are the only two regions where we are really in unknown territory. Most of the rest of the dry area in eastern Australia has seen similar conditions previously, although in a lot of cases not since the 1940s."
Ethiopia caught in dangerous cycle of drought and floods. Ethiopia, which was hit again by deadly floods this week, is caught in a devastating cycle of drought and heavy rains that threatens the survival of millions of people, experts say. Around 1.5 million farmers "require urgent humanitarian assistance as large numbers of livestock died, wells and boreholes dried up, malnutrition rates increased and disease became rampant." The latest flooding has been caused by a sudden rise in the level of the river Wabe Shebelle, swollen by heavy rains, whose depth had doubled at the end of last week. Flooding from the river had practically cut off the worst-affected towns of Kelafo and Musthail.
Climate change is a race against time. Many countries in the world are experiencing unusual weather events with temperate zones reporting heat wave conditions and the usually warmer nations suffering from more frequent (and hotter) heat waves. Not only floods but also droughts often accompany more rainfall in some other parts of the same country. More people are dying due to floods and droughts while food production conditions are undergoing big changes even as the toll from water-borne diseases continues to go up. The danger extends to the animal world also as climate changes will impact the natural habitat of many species. At present nearly 2 per cent of the land in the world faces extreme drought conditions; this area will increase five times by 2050. Sea levels in India, world’s seventh largest country, have registered an increase of about one centimetre every decade, raising the spectacle of most of the low-lying areas being inundated in less than 45 years from now. It will affect the wetlands and the beaches and increase the salinity in river waters. A worrying fact is that even if some drastic measures are taken now to control the gas emissions quickly, the ill effects of the emissions would remain for years, because part of the climate change system that includes large water and ice bodies will take hundreds of years to respond. Besides, greenhouse gases in the atmosphere do not dissolve at a fast pace. It is a race against time.
------------------------------------------
Sunday, November 5, 2006 -
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY - "We can do no great things, only small things with great love." - Mother Teresa
QUAKES -
Largest quakes yesterday -
11/4 -
5.2 BANDA SEA
5.2 FIJI REGION
5.3 MINDANAO, PHILIPPINES
11/3 -
5.0 MYANMAR-INDIA BORDER REGION
5.0 PAGAN REG., N. MARIANA ISLANDS
OREGON - A high wind warning is currently in effect from the National Weather Service for the north Oregon coast, but it apparently started smacking the central coast on Friday and Thursday. Powerful winds and large waves are expected for the region this weekend, caused by an UNUSUAL WEATHER PHENOMENON – a major hurricane-like storm - that’s parked off the coast about 900 miles. This is a rare subtropical storm, which usually does not come into existence this high in latitude. Scientists say the storm has hurricane characteristics. It looks like one from the satellite images, it has a cloudless eye, an eye wall of thunderstorms and winds around 50 knots. It is so powerful that it would normally be named if it had been in one of the routinely monitored hurricane basins. Because it formed outside the territory of any of the organizations which regularly monitor these storms, it was not named. The storm has been referred to as “Storm 91C” by the U.S. Navy.
Subtropical Storm off the Coast of Oregon - Tropical storms, as their name suggest, tend to form in the tropics. However, from time to time similar-looking storms can form at higher latitudes. Extratropical storms have cold rather than warm cores, and they usually form their characteristic spiral shape when air masses of different temperatures and humilities collide. Another type of storm that can take a hurricane shape is a polar low, a small-scale, short-lived low-pressure storm system that forms at high latitudes. On RARE occasions, however, there are PECULIAR, hybrid storms with some of the characteristics of a tropical storm and some characteristics of an extratropical storm. Such storms are sometimes called subtropical storms. Located 900 miles off the coast of Oregon in the northwestern Pacific, this storm system looks like a hurricane, but it is located far from any of the typical hurricane formation areas. The storm originally formed from a cold-cored extratropical storm, but after spending two days over UNUSUALLY WARM WATER (perhaps as much as 2 degrees Celsius above normal for the time of year), it developed a warm center, and hurricane characteristics, such as a cloud-free eye and an eyewall of thunderstorms. (satellite photo)
The South Atlantic Ocean currently also has UNUSUAL WEATHER PATTERNS. "The South Atlantic is very unusual, let’s just say that. For this time of year, the High is a long way south. The High which is there at the moment is going to disappear to South Africa and a new one will form, but the South Atlantic is nowhere near conventional for this time of year. It is quite different."
HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING / LANDSLIDES -
INDIA - The death toll in the cyclone and floods in coastal Andhra Pradesh mounted to 29 as some districts continued to receive rains for the sixth consecutive day Friday. While the cyclone had weakened into low-pressure areas and crossed the coast four days ago, the trough and another low-pressure area over the Bay of Bengal continue to result in heavy rains in south coastal Andhra Pradesh. Hundreds of villages and several towns in Krishna, Prakasam, Guntur, East and West Godavari districts were still inundated. Continuing rains are hampering relief and rescue operations. The road and rail traffic continued to be affected by the rains in the region. Officials said 11, 325 houses were fully damaged and 28,242 houses partly damaged in the rains. About 200,000 people have been evacuated from low-lying areas and put in 525 relief camps. According to a tentative assessment, agriculture crops on 350,000 hectares were inundated. The loss is estimated to be Rs.5 billion. This is the third time this season that the state suffered loss of life and widespread damage to crops and property due to floods. Earlier, 150 people were killed and crops and property worth over Rs.20 billion was damaged due to floods in August and September.
THE NETHERLANDS - In a drama that transfixed the Netherlands, four women on horseback led about 100 horses to safety on Friday from a flood-washed temporary islet where they were stranded for three days. Nineteen horses had drowned or died of exposure since Tuesday night, when a storm surge pushed sea water into an area outside the dikes of Marrum, northeast of Amsterdam.
SNOW / COLD -
Power cuts have struck several countries in western Europe, leaving millions of people without electricity. Power companies said the outage started in Germany with a surge in demand prompted by cold weather, and then spread to other parts of Europe. Some five million people in France lost power, mainly in the east of the country and including parts of Paris. "We weren't very far from a European blackout." Two German high-voltage transmission lines failed, causing problems across western Europe. This triggered a "house of cards" style system breakdown. Automatic security systems cut supplies to some customers to avoid a complete blackout. Italy, Belgium and Spain were also affected by the power cuts.
TENNESSEE - (This is part of an old Appalachian tradition that has been practiced for generations by most pioneer families of old, dating back to lore they learned from the Indians.) If the woolly worms are right, get ready for a cold winter. Not many woolly worms were spotted, but those seen were black on the ends and brown in the middle, indicating a harsh beginning and end of winter with a mild spell in between. This already seems to be panning out as this has been one of the coolest Octobers in a number of years. Tennessee had their first frost on October 13, exactly 3 months from when they heard their first katydid call on July 13, which is pretty early in the season. Also -
•Hornets nests were built on the ground, indicating cold weather ahead.
•Heavy foliage and mast crops indicate a colder, harder winter.
•Five early morning fogs were counted in August, with only two of them heavy. This points to five snows for the winter, with two heavy snows.
Other signs to watch for -
•the thickness of spider webs; when it's going to be a bad winter, there will be an abundance of spider webs. The early morning dew will reveal them scattered on top of the grass in yards and fields.
•the thickness of bark on trees; if the bark on a tree is particularly thick and gnarly, it's going to be a bad winter.
•if the foliage on the trees is thick and hangs on late in the fall, it's going to be a hard winter. The reasoning on that is that the heavier foliage creates more ground cover which in turn protects the little larva and other organisms below the earth's surface.
•if the mast crop (hickory nuts, acorns, etc.) is particularly heavy, it's going to be a hard winter.
•if cornhusks are thick, it'll be a bad winter.
•if fur on animals (such as squirrels, rabbits, deer, fox, and bear — or even domestic fur-bearing animals, if they stay outside all the time) is thick, it's going to be a hard winter.
•if squirrels are busier than usual gathering nuts without chattering, it's going to be a bad winter.
MYSTERY BOOMS BACK IN NORTH CAROLINA -
Unexplained Booms - Residents of Lake Renaissance Circle say they felt a series of jolts Thursday morning, November 2. They say it felt like an explosion followed by tiny booms. Some residents speculate the booms were caused by military planes flying overhead. Another possibility is the so-called "Seneca Guns," the mysterious sounds that seem to come from the ocean.
Possibly related to this story from Virginia? - Tremors from what was believed to be a minor earthquake Thursday in Southwest Virginia were more likely the result of a collapse at an abandoned mine. The event registered magnitude 4.3 and took place about eight miles north-northwest of Raven and about 10 miles northwest of Richlands in Tazewell County. It occurred at 12:53 p.m. Even a minor earthquake of that magnitude would typically trigger "a thousand calls" and normally would be felt as far away as Washington D.C. When the National Earthquake Information Center had only a couple of calls trickle in, seismologists took a closer look. They concluded it was far more likely to have been a mining event, which can sometimes be confused with a temblor. Experts say it may have been a blast, but more likely a ceiling collapse in one of the region's many mines. The state had no reports of the collapse of a working mine nor any reports of unusual mining activity in the area, however.
Space Weather / Solar Storms / Meteors & Asteroids - updated HERE.
An UNUSUAL ASTRONOMICAL EVENT will occur November 8. Called the Mercury transit, this event is FAIRLY RARE and on average happens only 13 or 14 times a century. On Nov. 8, the tiny planet will pass in front of the sun over a period of almost five hours. Most of the time Mercury and Venus pass a little above or below our line of sight because they are not in the same orbital plane as the Earth. This November transit is the second of a pair, of which the last one occurred in 2003. Unless you are an experienced astronomical observer, please do not try to observe this on your own. It is very dangerous to view the sun.
Solar flares might disrupt GPS services - U.S. scientists say strong solar flares cause Global Positioning System receivers to fail, creating potentially disastrous situations. Because solar flares are generally unpredictable, such failures could be devastating for "safety-of-life" GPS operations such as navigating passenger jets and stabilizing floating oil rigs. Large solar flares expected in the next five years or so could produce massive outages of all GPS receivers on the day side of the Earth.
GERMANY - A fire that destroyed a cottage near Bonn and injured a 77-year-old man was probably caused by a meteor and witnesses saw an arc of blazing light in the sky. The fire gutted the cottage and badly burned the man's hands and face in the incident on October 10. "We sought assistance from Bochum observatory and they noted that at that particular moment the earth was near a field of meteoroid splinter and it could be assumed that particles had entered the atmosphere. The particles usually don't reach the surface because they disintegrate in the atmosphere. But some can make it to the ground. We believe this was a bolide (meteoric fireball) with a size of no more than 10 mm."
------------------------------------------
Friday, November 3, 2006 -
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY - If you understand everything, you must be misinformed. - Japanese proverb
QUAKES -
Largest quakes yesterday -
11/2 -
5.1 CHIAPAS, MEXICO
5.5 NEW IRELAND REGION, P.N.G.
TROPICAL STORMS -
Tropical storm CIMARON was 241 nmi WNW of Baguio City, Philippines.
HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING / LANDSLIDES -
HAWAII - Heavy rains are creating problems - The downpour is creating a nightmare for drivers, especially those who use the Pali Highway. "We've never experienced mud or erosion before and it's just raining cats and dogs for the last 24 hours and the ground is saturated at this point." Heavy rains in a short amount of time caused part of the hill to slide onto the road, blocking all Honolulu-bound lanes and stretching to the other side of the highway. Officials are concerned that at any time, the hillside will give way and more mud, water and debris will come crashing down.
TURKEY - Ten more people, including seven children, have died in flash floods sweeping Turkey's impoverished southeast region, bringing the total death toll so far to 32, officials said on Thursday. The region was seeing its WORST FLOODING IN HALF A CENTURY. The new deaths occurred in the town of Batman on Wednesday evening, as rivers swelled by torrential rains flooded streets and toppled buildings, triggering a major rescue operation. More heavy rain is predicted for Turkey in the coming days.
SNOW / COLD -
EUROPE - The first heavy snow of winter has caught central Europe by surprise this year as temperatures suddenly dropped 20 degrees. After enjoying a balmy September and October, where temperatures reached 68F in places, people woke up to up to eight inches of snow. Poland, Southern Germany and Austria were hit by the UNSEASONAL snowfall and by black ice on the roads. Even in countries where it’s obligatory to have winter tires, such as the three Baltic states in northeastern Europe, the cold snap arrived a month before the December deadline for motorists to get their winter tires out of mothballs and put them on their vehicles.
POLAND - Storms of up to 12 on the Beaufort scale and gale-force winds have struck the Polish Baltic Sea coast. Winds of between 80 and 120 kms/h were recorded in Pomerania and on the central part of the coast, felling trees and damaging roofs. The winds which are coming in off the sea from a northerly direction have pushed water back into river estuaries, causing floods in some areas. Meteorologists warn that high winds can still be expected over the next few days and also predict snowfalls or intensive rains for all of Poland except the west.
HEAT -
AZERBAIJAN - ABNORMAL warmer weather is forecasted to predominate in Azerbaijan till November 5. A north cyclone, which caused the death of a couple of people in some European countries and Turkey, will enter Azerbaijan’s territory beginning from November 5. Unstable weather is forecasted in the country after it.
AUSTRALIA'S water problems could become at least seven times worse unless climate change is tackled. If temperatures were allowed to continue rising at the current rate, Australia's water problems would become more severe and coastal cities would be threatened by large sea level rises. Global warming risks forcing the world into another depression on the scale of that of the 1930s.
------------------------------------------
Thursday, November 2, 2006 -
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY - "The more joy we have, the more nearly perfect we are." - Spinoza
QUAKES -
Largest quakes yesterday -
11/1 -
5.0 FLORES SEA
5.2 HOKKAIDO, JAPAN REGION
5.0 ICELAND REGION
5.1 KERMADEC ISLANDS REGION
TROPICAL STORMS -
Typhoon CIMARON was 241 nmi SSE of Hong Kong.
VIETNAM - With Typhoon Cimaron showing signs of a course change, Vietnamese officials have put on hold plans to evacuate hundreds of thousands of people from the central coast. The storm, which left 19 people dead in the Philippines, had been heading toward the central Vietnamese city of Danang but was changing direction as it crossed the South China Sea. Vietnamese weather forecasters had feared that the typhoon, which departed the Philippines on Tuesday, could land in Vietnam as early as Friday.
HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING / LANDSLIDES -
TURKEY - Flooding from torrential rains killed 22 people across Turkey, including 14 who died when a minibus carrying wedding guests was swept away. Dozens of others were missing. Heavy rain and flooding were also affecting Istanbul and the Mediterranean coast.
SNOW / COLD -
SCANDINAVIA - A Swedish cargo ship has capsized and sunk in the Baltic Sea, as storms continue to batter Scandinavia. Helicopters lifted 13 crew members from the ship despite heavy winds, snow and 5m (16ft) waves, officials say. One crew member is still missing. On Tuesday, an oil rig broke away from a tow ship in the North sea during stormy weather. The oil platform carrying 75 people is still drifting off the coast of Norway. Land, sea and air transport was widely disrupted on Wednesday across Scandinavia. Northern Europe experienced heavy snowfalls, high winds and freezing temperatures. In southern and central Sweden, power cuts affected some 50,000 people.
DISASTER PREPARATIONS -
There is a global lack of political will on preparing for natural disasters. Donors are unwilling to fund preventative and protective measures. "More and more people are being afflicted by natural disasters and the impact of climate change will increase the number of disasters exponentially. Yet political decision-makers are failing to make responsible preparations." "We are calling for the UK, EU, World Bank and other donors to devote at least 10% of their total humanitarian budgets to reducing the impact of potential disasters." But donors have historically been resistant. "Lives saved through disaster risk reduction are invisible to the media, whereas people pulled from the rubble by search and rescue teams are highly visible."
------------------------------------------
Wednesday, November 1, 2006 -
Worst joke ever -
What did Tarzan say when he heard the elephants coming?
"Here come the elephants!"
QUAKES -
Largest quakes yesterday -
10/31 -
5.0 MARIANA ISLANDS REGION
5.0 MARIANA ISLANDS REGION
5.2 ECUADOR
TURKEY - Time is running out for Istanbul. There is the possibility that a large earthquake soon faces Istanbul. A full 240 years have passed since the 1766 earthquake which caused enormous damage in Istanbul, a sign that the North Marmara fault lines are ready to spring back into action. If the same level earthquake were to hit today, an estimated 10 thousand buildings would collapse, while an estimated 40-50 thousand people could die. Economic losses due to loss of life and buildings would be around 20 billion dollars.
An earthquake struck northwest Turkey on Tuesday, the second in less than a week to shake parts of Istanbul. Officials said there were no immediate reports of serious injuries or damage. The U.S. Geological Survey put the quake’s magnitude at 5.0. Two people were lightly injured in Gemlik when they jumped from their houses in panic during the quake. At least three other people fainted. Two devastating earthquakes hit northwestern Turkey in 1999, killing some 18,000 people. Geologists have been warning that Istanbul, a city with an estimated population of more than 11 million people, would be woefully unprepared for a large earthquake, an event which many feel is probable in the near future.
TROPICAL STORMS -
Typhoon CIMARON was 247 nmi SSE of Hong Kong.
INDIA - At least 20 people were killed and hundreds of houses destroyed when a cyclone hit coastal districts of India's southern Andhra Pradesh state. The cyclone 'Ogni' made landfall near the Bapatla town, located some 280 kilometres south-east of state capital Hyderabad on Monday, bringing with it torrential rains and gales reaching up to 70 kilometres per hour. The cyclone caused large-scale damage to property and agriculture. '1206 houses were destroyed while 1834 houses were partially damaged. Crops in nearly 60,000 acres are submerged under rain water.
HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING / LANDSLIDES -
ETHIOPIA - hit by new deadly floods. At least 67 people were killed and 300,000 affected after floods hit Ethiopia, for the second time this year, after the Shabelle river burst its banks due to torrential rains. There are also unconfirmed reports that crocodiles have killed two people in the floods.
TURKEY - Heavy rains across much of Turkey have disrupted traffic and brought widespread flooding in many regions Tuesday. Parts of Istanbul were cut off by rising waters and many shops and workplaces were flooded out. Many roads across the city were cut, disrupting traffic and causing lengthy delays. High winds compounded the traffic snarls, as many of Istanbul’s ferry services had to be cancelled during the storms.
SNOW / COLD -
CANADA - a dramatic change in the weather happened 10 days ago. Vancouver has seen a dry, sunnier fall compared to last year but has become colder. The statistics from Environment Canada show the average minimum temperature is 4.8 degrees for this time of year, but has fallen to -2 this year.
------------------------------------------
Tuesday, October 31, 2006 -
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY - Why is it a bad idea to write a letter on an empty stomach?
Because it's much better to write on paper.
QUAKES -
Largest quakes yesterday -
10/30 -
5.3 MOLUCCA SEA
5.5 MOLUCCA SEA
5.3 MOLUCCA SEA
5.3 BOUGAINVILLE REGION, P.N.G.
5.2 SOUTHERN PERU
CHINA - earthquakes jolted central China's Hubei Province over the weekend, affecting more than 50,000 local residents and causing more than 9.8 million yuan (US $1.23 million) loss. An earthquake measuring 4.7 magnitude on the Richter scale hit the province's Suizhou City on Friday evening. More than 50 aftershocks have been detected, and the strongest was 4.2 magnitude. The tremors destroyed 13,981 rooms and forced 5,860 people to evacuate.
TROPICAL STORMS -
Map.
Projected storm paths .
Typhoon CIMARON was 204 nmi WNW of Baguio City, Philippines.
Typhoon Cimaron , which formed Saturday over the eastern Filipino coast, is moving north and west toward Vietnam packing high winds and rough seas, set to make landfall in central areas November 1. The storm is expected to continue moving northwesterly at 15kph over the next 24 hours, and warnings have been issued to all seafaring vessels in the area. The British Tropical Storm Risks center predicted the typhoon would weaken as it hit central Vietnam, possibly Quang Ngai province, on November 1. But data supplied by the JTWC still graded the storm as a “super” typhoon.
HEAT / DROUGHT -
AUSTRALIA - Sydney has experienced its DRIEST OCTOBER IN FOUR YEARS because of the El Nino phenomenon, experts say.
A major dam supplying Melbourne has dipped to its LOWEST LEVEL EVER.
CLIMATE CHANGE-
Doomsday scenario paints a grim picture of what the world will look like only 50 years from now if politicians, industries and citizens alike across the world do not take action now to reverse the trend of climate change. According to a report, business as usual will in the worst case scenario cost the world up to 20 percent of the global economy, it will make at least 200 million people "climate change refugees" and will make around 40 percent of the globe's animals extinct. "Unless we act now the consequences – disastrous as they are – will be irreversible. It will not happen in "some science fiction future, but in our lifetime."
INDIA - For the past two decades, Arjun Jana has lived the life of an “environmental refugee” in Sagar island. He was forced to leave home in Lohachara island, one of the many islets on the Sundarban delta, when the surging sea waters swamped his farmland. Now 75, Jana’s migration to Sagar brought him to safer land. But it also made him poorer for the rest of his life. There’s no old-age allowance from the local administration for either Jana or his wife. And apart from a piece of land allotted to him years ago, and his thatched hut, the couple has nothing that they can call “ours”. “The sea had been eating away our island with every passing day. And then, one day, it engulfed everything that had remained untouched till then — our home, fields, the cattle… everything.” Sagar Colony, Bankim Nagar, Chakhaldubi — these are now home to most of these migrants. Farmers once, they are now petty labours, devoid of any civic amenity. Even drinking water is precious in these refugee colonies. Lack of opportunities, growing population and a consistent encroachment of the island by outsiders to set up hotels has meant further pressure. But what’s even more worrying is the unseen threat — ingression of salt waters that is slowly breaking down a dozen islands in the region. Sagar is one of them. “Their islands have vanished. There are many more, thousands of people, who will turn into environmental refugees in the next decade. Where will they all go when more islands go under water? To Sagar? To Kolkata? Nobody seems to have a solution.”
------------------------------------------
Monday, October 30, 2006 -
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY - How is it one careless match can start a forest fire, but it takes a whole box to start a campfire?
QUAKES -
Largest quakes yesterday -
10/29 -
5.5 KEPULAUAN TALAUD, INDONESIA
5.6 IZU ISLANDS, JAPAN REGION
TROPICAL STORMS -
Map.
Projected storm paths .
Typhoon CIMARON was 41 nmi NW of Baguio City, Philippines.
THE PHILIPPINES was hit by ONE OF 'STRONGEST TYPHOONS EVER'. Typhoon Cimaron blew over the northern Philippines today, felling trees, toppling power lines, blasting roofs off homes and leaving at least three people dead. Cimaron, which made landfall late Sunday, is the second typhoon to hit the northern Philippines in as many months and was packing maximum winds of 175 km/h and gusts of up to 210 km/h. It was forecast to exit the region in the direction of Vietnam late today.
INDIA - Even as Orissa remembered the unprecedented devastation caused by the super cyclone on Monday seven years ago, a depression formed over the Bay of Bengal on the Andhra Pradesh coast. The depression formed over the west central Bay. The system was likely to move in a northerly direction and cross the Andhra Coast between Bapatla and Kakinada. The forecast is for the likelihood of rain or thunder-shower at many places over south Orissa and a few places over the northern districts. Fishermen have been advised not to venture into the open sea.
HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING / LANDSLIDES -
INDIA - Torrential rain paralysed normal life in several parts of Tamil Nadu, particularly Chennai and Nagapattinam districts, while the death toll in rain-related incidents since the onset of north-east monsoon rose to 35 on Sunday. Rain inundated most low-lying areas of the state capital and over 65,000 people have been shifted to safer places. Most of the deaths occurred due to house collapse incidents. The majority of the fishermen, who ventured into the sea braving heavy rains, have returned.
SOMALIA - Heavy rain in Mogadishu left 17 dead in the Somali capital overnight, bringing the death toll to 27 as a result of floods across the shattered African nation in the past week. The victims, mainly children and the elderly, died after their mud-walled houses collapsed under heavy rain that pummelled several Mogadishu districts late on Saturday, leaving hundreds homeless and destroying property of unknown value. Residents said that at least 61 houses were destroyed by the heavy seven-hour downpour. In August, thousands of Mogadishu residents were forced to flee to higher ground by flooding which destroyed dozens of makeshift homes. Last week, heavy rains also killed at least 10 people in the country's southern Gedo region, which was recently hit by a scorching drought that put millions on people on the verge of starvation.
WIND -
NORTHEASTERN U.S. STATES - Hundreds of thousands of people in the northeastern United States lacked power Sunday as utility crews scrambled to clear power lines of tree branches toppled by a windstorm. Heavy rains and winds clocked at 80 kilometres per hour knocked over power lines in Maine, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Maryland and New York state on Saturday. The area most seriously affected was Long Island, N.Y., where nearly 230,000 people were left without electricity. Crews had managed to restore power to many of those by Sunday afternoon, but then winds knocked down more wires.
CLIMATE CHANGE -
Reports predict a global warming deluge - The Netherlands, Bangladesh and several Pacific Islands could be underwater within 50 years and the environment of many countries, particularly Australia with the Great Barrier Reef, will simply be wrecked. "If you go ahead say 50 years, and we continue to emit CO2 at 2.5 to three parts per million, then essentially it's all over. When we hit 550 parts per million, that's when Bangladesh, the Netherlands, Pacific islands and large parts of large countries and many countries in the region are simply devastated...If we take the window of opportunity in the next 10 years, we can have a substantial impact and we can avoid the scientific outcome that is coming down the track."
A new report warns global warming will cost more than either world wars or the Great Depression. Leaked portions of the report warn that global warming could cost trillions of dollars to address. The report concluded that early action would be far cheaper than waiting until the full effects of climate change were felt. "Perhaps five, 10 or 20 times cheaper."
------------------------------------------
Sunday, October 29, 2006 -
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY - "America is never wholly herself unless she is engaged in high moral principle. We as a people have such a purpose today. It is to make kinder the face of the Nation and gentler the face of the world." - George Bush, inaugural address - 1989.
QUAKES -
Largest quakes yesterday -
10/28 -
5.4 NICARAGUA
10/29 -
5.6 SOUTH OF FIJI ISLANDS
5.0 KEPULAUAN OBI, INDONESIA
TROPICAL STORMS -
Map.
Projected storm paths .
Typhoon CIMARON was 167 nmi E of Baguio City, Philippines.
PHILIPPINES - Tropical storm Paeng (international codename Cimaron) has intensified into a typhoon, increasing its threat to Central and Northern Luzon. Residents in areas where storm signals have been hoisted were warned against possible flashfloods and landslides especially those who live along the eastern coast of Luzon.
HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING / LANDSLIDES -
UNITED KINGDOM - Hours of heavy rain saw the WORST FLOODING IN YEARS hit Sutherland Thursday, bringing the county to a grinding halt. "River levels have risen quickly due to the persistent rain and more is forecast."
ETHIOPIA - A river burst its banks in southeastern Ethiopia following heavy rains in highland Ethiopia, killing 15 people and displacing more than 2,000. Flooding typically occurs in Ethiopia's lowlands after heavy rains in the June-September season drench the highlands.
SRI LANKA - At least six people have been killed by torrential rain and flooding in the southern and western parts of the country.
SNOW / COLD -
PAKISTAN - One officer of the Pakistan army and 2 Jawans were killed and 16 jawans were injured after an avalanche hit an army post located in Baltar at a glacier close to Skardu.
AUSTRALIA - A fast-moving cold snap from the Antarctic has swept across south eastern Australia sending temperatures plummeting and causing snow and hail to fall across three states. Tasmania copped the brunt of the chilly weather last night, with snow settling in hills 400m above sea level and falls reported in some beachside suburbs. Launceston experienced its COLDEST OCTOBER NIGHT ON RECORD at -1C while temperatures on Mt Wellington near Hobart dropped to -6C, not quite reaching the coldest ever October evening of -7.7C. In Victoria hail fell across the southern parts of the state with snow reported at 600m in Mt Dandenong, Mt Macedon and Kinglake. "It's moved very quickly from a very long way south." Weather forecasters are predicting even colder temperatures today and say tonight may meet the city's October record low of 0C recorded in 1889. Heavy frosts are expected and fruit farmers have been warned to keep an eye on their crops. The weather is a reminder that summer is still some time off despite a recent spate of hot weather. Two weeks ago the Tasmanian weather bureau was issuing extreme fire danger alerts as Hobart recorded 33.1C, the city's third warmest October day ever. Victoria had also experienced a mild to warm month with high than average temperatures. "Relative to the higher temperatures we've seen this (cold snap) does come as a bit of a shock."
HEAT / WILDFIRES -
AUSTRALIA - Sydney's drinking water is under threat from a bushfire burning out of control close to Warragamba Dam. The fire in the Blue Mountains is expected to worsen in the next few days with the possibility of hot, windy weather set to hamper firefighting efforts. About 100 firefighters today were winched into a remote area five kilometres from Lake Burragorang, part of the Warragamba Dam catchment which supplies 80 per cent of the city's drinking water. The NSW Rural Fire Service says it fears debris and ash from the fire could clog the filtration system at the dam. The blaze started on Wednesday with a lightning strike and has burnt 3,000 hectares of bushland.
CLIMATE CHANGE -
Africa is the continent probably most vulnerable to climate change and the one that faces the greatest challenges to adapt to those changes. For millions of people in the Horn of Africa and the east of the continent, the success or failure of rains due over the next two months will be critical. The rains – or lack of them – will determine if 2007 will offer the prospect of recovery from the serious drought of 2005-06 or if it will be another year of desperately struggling to survive. Whatever happens to the rains, Africa is already undergoing big environmental changes. Although the climates of Africa have always been erratic, the latest scientific research, together with the on-the-ground experience of non-governmental agencies, indicates new and dangerous extremes, continual warming and more unpredictable weather patterns. “A huge gap is emerging between awareness of global warming and action to deal with it. We’re behaving like a group of people agreed that the building around us is on fire, but unwilling to reach for the alarm or the fire extinguisher. Africa’s precarious position on the front line of climate change reveals the complacency of rich countries whose greenhouse gas emissions keep rising and who have failed to deliver on even their current pitifully small promises of financial help. Waking up may be hard to do, but the alternative is having the house burn around us as we sleep.”
Mass movements of peoples across the world are likely to be one of the most dramatic effects of climate change in the coming century, a new study suggests. The spectre of hundreds of millions of environmental refugees is raised by the study, which says that the main cause will be climate-induced threats from water, or the lack of it – from droughts and water shortages, from flooding and storm surges, and from sea-level rise. There are already an estimated 25mn million environmental refugees around the world. Poor crop yields are forcing more and more Mexicans to risk death by illegally fleeing to the USA. One in five Brazilians born in the arid north-east of the country are moving to avoid drought. The spread of the Gobi desert, at a rate of 4,000 square miles a year, is forcing the populations of three provinces in China to abandon their homes. In Nigeria, 1,350 square miles of land are turning to desert each year. Farmers and herdsmen are being forced to move to the cities.
------------------------------------------
---
Friday, October 27, 2006 -
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY -
"Change is the dominant factor in society today. No sensible decision can be made any longer without taking into account not only the world as it is, but the world as it will be." - Isaac Asimov
QUAKES -
Largest quakes yesterday -
10/26 -
5.9 NEAR COAST OF CENTRAL PERU
5.1 KEP. MENTAWAI REGION, INDONESIA
5.8 SICILY, ITALY
5.2 SAMOA ISLANDS REGION
5.0 MASBATE REGION, PHILIPPINES
U.S. seismologists have found earthquake swarms are not just clustered around volcanoes or geothermal regions but can occur in any seismically active area. An earthquake swarm consists of several moderate, related seismic events occurring over hours or days. "Swarminess" in volcanic and geothermal zones might be driven by hot water or magma pushing fault seams apart or acting to reduce friction and enhancing the seismic activity in those areas. But away from volcanic and thermal regions, it is unclear what triggers swarms that don't include main shocks and aftershocks. It is possible swarms are driven by tectonic movements so gradual that they take many minutes to weeks to unfold, but are still more rapid than normal plate tectonic motions.
A full moon might have triggered the December 26 Indian Ocean undersea earthquake. Researchers monitored tremors and collected tidal data along the Java/Sumatra trench, between October 2004 and August 2005. They found that major quakes were 86 per cent more likely around new and full moons, when tides are at their greatest. “At new and full moons the biggest mass of water is being loaded and unloaded at the plate boundary. That might be the final push that initiates a quake.” The study carries significance as another study recently found that rain can also trigger quakes.
VOLCANOES -
RUSSIA - The Karymsky volcano on the Kamchatka peninsula in Russia's Far East has increased its activity, spewing ash emissions up to an altitude of around 5,000 meters (16,400 feet). Experts said a total of 450 minor quakes have been registered over the past 24 hours near Karymsky. The volcano erupted in February following an 11-year period of normal activity. Ash emissions and about 230 minor tremors were reported last week. Experts say the volcano's activity has been accelerating. This year more than 1,200 people, including 542 children, were evacuated from the north of the Kamchatka peninsula after a series of earthquakes. The first 7.8-magnitude quake, the strongest in the Koryak Autonomous Area in the north of the peninsular since 1900, injured 31 people on April 21.
PHILIPPINES - The restive Bulusan volcano spewed mud and ash Thursday for the second time this week in the central Philippines.
SICILY - Experts swooped on Mount Etna on Thursday after the volcano sprang back into life. The volcanologists examined a fresh lava flow on the south side of the volcano, coming out of a fissure that opened up at the weekend at a height of 2,000 metres. Lava is now flowing from three craters on the mountain accompanied by blasts, black smoke and ash. The new craters, however, are far from any inhabited areas, experts stressed. Serious volcanic activity occurred in the summer of 2001. Viewers around the world were held spellbound by the beauty of the spectacle, which experts said was ONE OF THE MOST UNUSUAL AND COMPLEX ERUPTIONS IN THREE CENTURIES.
TROPICAL STORMS -
Map.
Projected storm paths .
Tropical depression 18E was 189 nmi SW of Manzanillo, Mexico.
Tropical storm CIMARON was 438 nmi ENE of Cebu City, Philippines.
Tropical depression PAUL was 142 nmi NNW of Mazatlan, Mexico.
Tropical storm Paul has hit the coast of the Mexican mainland after skirting around the southern tip of the Baja California peninsula. It came ashore near La Reforma on the western coast, after being downgraded from hurricane status. Paul could still cause flash flooding after it dumps rain on the Sierra Madre mountains, forecasters say. Tropical storm Paul has reportedly killed two people. A 65-year-old American man was swept off a beach at Los Cabos by a wave and is presumed dead. A 23-year-old Mexican fisherman is also said to have died on Monday after slipping off wet rocks. A tropical storm warning was in effect for Sinaloa on the western mainland.
RUSSIA - a storm warning has been announced to the fleet over the approach of a cyclone towards the Kamchatka Peninsula southern coast. “The cyclone is approaching Kamchatka from the south and will begin to affect the peninsula next night. The atmospheric vortex will move towards the northwest part of the Pacific and on October 28 its influence on the peninsula will subside.” Meteorologists say that winds with force up to 20 metres per second and a storm are expected in the southern part of the Sea of Okhotsk and Pacific areas adjacent to the southern coast of the peninsula due to the cyclone approach. Sleet precipitation is also possible in the Kamchatka region.
SNOW -
COLORADO - A fall storm hit parts of Colorado with as much as 25 inches of snow on Thursday, setting off avalanches and rockslides and closing roads and schools. “Actually, it’s not unusual for us to get snowfalls at this time of year. What is UNUSUAL IS THE AMOUNTS, and we are seeing RECORD SNOWFALL for the month of October.”
HEAT / WILDFIRES -
CALIFORNIA - A wind-driven wildfirenear Palm Springs engulfed a fire engine Thursday, killing four firefighters, and up to 400 people were trapped in a recreational vehicle park when flames blocked the only road out, officials said. The firefighters were trying to protect a house as hot Santa Ana winds drove flames through the desert hills northwest of Palm Springs and forced hundreds of people from their homes.
AUSTRALIA is unlikely to receive drought-breaking rain before autumn next year, according to the National Water Commission's latest outlook.
------------------------------------------
Thursday, October 26, 2006 -
Why was Santa's little helper depressed?
Because he had low elf esteem.
QUAKES -
Largest quakes yesterday -
10/25 -
5.3 NIAS REGION, INDONESIA
5.0 NEAR COAST OF CENTRAL PERU
5.0 HONDURAS
5.0 TONGA
VOLCANOES -
SICILY - Mount Etna, Europe's largest volcano, continued erupting overnight to Thursday with a 2,000 metre-high lava flow streaming into the valley below. The glowing rock mass was flowing down the southerly face of the mountain. It was unclear whether a new crater had been opened or whether an old one had become active. The volcano started erupting on Sunday after a long period of dormancy. There have been several lava flows, but the eruption poses no risk to people in the region, according to the authorities. [There has also been a 5.7 quake in Sicily this morning.]
TROPICAL STORMS -
Map.
Projected storm paths .
Tropical storm PAUL was 56 nmi WNW of Mazatlan, Mexico.
Cyclone XAVIER was 1257 nmi N of Auckland, New Zealand.
Tropical Cyclone Xavier is moving closer to Fiji earlier than expected, the weather office has warned. "The cyclone poses no direct threat to Fiji; its persistent movement will bring the cyclone closer to the group than earlier anticipated". The damaging gale force winds extend to 180km from the centre. Some parts of the country will experience strong winds as a result. The cyclone had consequently become a greater threat to Fiji than Vanuatu but "luckily the system has entered into unfavourable environmental conditions and is expected to weaken before getting within close proximity of the Fiji Group".
HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING / LANDSLIDES -
PORTUGAL - A river burst its banks and swept a packed school bus off the road Wednesday after a night of heavy storms that authorities said caused the death of one person. A bus taking 52 children aged between seven and 14 to a school in central Portugal was knocked into a ditch by the current from a river that flooded surrounding countryside. Emergency workers up to their waists in fast-flowing, muddy water formed a human chain and pulled the children and three adults from the bus. In nearby Pombal, an elderly bedridden woman died when her home flooded. A woman in the same area was evacuated by helicopter after flood waters reached the first floor of her rural home. The fire department was also helping rescue stranded livestock. A school in the same area was evacuated midmorning when another swollen river burst its banks and flood levels started to rise. Three towns in central Portugal were on flood alert as river levels rose and dams approached their limits. The Civil Protection Service said it responded to 679 incidents of flooding, 335 fallen trees and 19 landslides. Dozens of roads were reported closed, mostly in central and northern areas. Trains stopped running on part of the country's main north-south rail line between Lisbon and Porto because of flooding. Trains in the southern Algarve region also ground to a halt after a tree fell on a power line and cut the electricity supply. On Monday, a German couple died in the Madeira Islands when their car was swept from a cliff and into the sea by a mudslide that occurred after days of heavy rain.
CANADA - A state of emergency has been called in a small northwestern Newfoundland community amid safety concerns, after an unexplainable landslide dumped soil into the ocean. A team of engineers was brought into Daniel's Harbour to assess the risk after a landslide last Friday morning. "As of yet, there is no idea what precipitated the landslide. It was not raining." The landslide sent between 20,000 and 30,000 cubic metres of soil, which amounts to about 2,000 dump-truck loads, into the ocean. "There were houses on the edge of the cliffside and now I guess they are even closer to the cliffside." (photo)
HEAT / WILDFIRES -
AUSTRIA - The temperature in Austria in general and Vienna in particular has been the WARMEST FOR THE PAST 35 YEARS. The temperature in Vienna is still above 20 degrees Celsius, which is ABNORMAL this time of the year. People are still sitting in open air cafes and public parks to make the best of this UNUSUALLY WARM weather. Meanwhile, the meteorological bureau predicted a continuation of this weather pattern and forecast temperatures close to 26 degrees Celsius by the end of the current month. "The usual temperature for this time of the year is around 10 degrees Celsius." Weather experts blame this unusually warm weather on warm wind blowing from South Western Europe, specifically from North Africa. Austria's weather was almost never above 30 degrees. But this year it broke the rule and went above 30 for quite some time, specifically in the village of Villach, where it reached 34 degrees on Sept 4. The weather for September was sometimes hotter than in August. Last year's weather also displayed some UNUSUAL thunder and lightning patterns, and devastating floods.
ENGLAND - Plants and flowers across Oxfordshire have been tricked into a second bloom as summery weather extends into the autumn months. Gardeners across the county are just as confused as the flora, with trees sprouting spring blossom and flowers such as roses and dahlias continuing to appear well beyond their expected season. "Normally everything's gone by now. The begonias have probably lasted six weeks longer this year." This is Oxfordshire's LONGEST SUMMER SINCE RECORDS BEGAN IN 1689, with record temperatures nationally in July and September. Meteorologists warned that fears about FREAK weather conditions caused by global warming could soon outstrip gardeners' delight at late-blooming plants.
UNUSUAL WEATHER SEASON -
ARIZONA - Valley had longer, wetter, and earlier monsoon - Phoenix reported a 75-day monsoon and considerably higher levels of rainfall across the state for 2006 in comparison to the average 55-day monsoon with limited rainfall. In the city of Tucson, about 100 miles southwest of Safford, rainfall during monsoon exceeded 10 inches. This level of rainfall hasn’t occurred since 1983. Last year, the monsoon started on July 18. This year, however, monsoon began almost a month earlier, on June 28 in Safford. Phoenix reported a stretch in the monsoon to Sept. 30. A large monsoon storm in August blew out newly installed calverts in Noon Creek because of massive amounts of water from rainfall. In the month of July, the mountain received more than 7.5 inches of rain at Columbine and was followed by more than 6 inches of rain in August. From the end of June to mid-September, the rainfall was reportedly at 16.65 inches on the mountain. Rainfall and other UNUSUAL WEATHER is still occurring well into October. In the east part of the Gila Valley, the month of September hit a RECORD WITH LOW TEMPERATURES. “We had a very cool September with an average mean of 70 degrees with the low temperatures, and that broke a record from data recorded since 1948.” September is usually ten degrees warmer than this year’s average high of 84 degrees.
ITALY - The high quality of this year's grape production was in a way a surprise, given the UNUSUAL WEATHER PATTERN which at times seemed as if the seasons had changed places". "We had summer heat in the spring and almost autumn weather in August."
------------------------------------------
Wednesday, October 25, 2006 -
Where does a bird go when it loses it's tail?
To a retail store.
QUAKES -
Largest quakes yesterday -
10/24 -
5.1 KEPULAUAN BARAT DAYA, INDONESIA
5.3 KEPULAUAN OBI, INDONESIA
5.2 MINDANAO, PHILIPPINES
6.1 MINDANAO, PHILIPPINES
WYOMING - A swarm of more than 70 small earthquakes shook the ground near Old Faithful geyser earlier this month. The largest was a magnitude 2.4, barely enough to be felt. The swarm of 74 quakes lasted several hours Oct. 14. The tight cluster of earthquakes was moderate compared with others in Yellowstone's past, including one in April 2004 in which more than 400 earthquakes were recorded over three days. "It piques our curiosity, but it's not out of the range of normal behavior." The earthquakes were more likely caused by the underground movement of hot water and gas, rather than the migration of magma.
A spate of rain is all it takes to set off some earthquakes. That's what a team of German geologists has discovered after monitoring swarms of tiny tremors in the mountains of Bavaria. The rise in water pressure within porous rocks as rain soaks into the ground can start quakes on hair-trigger faults. "Tiny changes can have big effects." "In most places, the shallow, brittle crust is close to failure. The effect of rain could be just enough to send it over the edge." But for deeper earthquakes, the water could take many years to penetrate, making it hard to be sure about cause and effect.
TROPICAL STORMS -
Map.
Projected storm paths .
Tropical storm PAUL was 64 nmi S of Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.
Cyclone XAVIER was 1302 nmi N of Auckland, New Zealand.
Hurricane Paul weakened to a tropical storm Tuesday, but lashed Mexico's Baja California peninsula with rain and winds today while high waves washed a US tourist from a beach resort. A large wave swept away the US tourist from Washington state who was walking on the beach at Los Cabos. He is missing and presumed dead. The storm was about 210km southwest of Los Cabos and was expected to sweep close by the resort, made up of the towns of Cabo San Lucas and San Jose del Cabo, before moving across the Sea of Cortez and hitting the mainland state of Sinaloa. Sinaloa state, an important agricultural area, took a hit from Hurricane Lane last month. Lane, which killed three people, seriously damaged tomato crops in the state, helping push inflation in Mexico to its highest monthly rate in six years.
HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING / LANDSLIDES -
GUATEMALA - At least six persons died Tuesday, including a child, from a landslide off a mountain that buried a village of the La Democracia municipality. Pouring rains over the last few days provoked the landslide, leaving another six people injured and eight not accounted for, all belonging to the same family. The rains also provoked road interruptions, making it difficult to reach several communities in the border with Mexico. The rise of at least seven rivers in the south of the country flooded 40 villages, leaving 10 thousand homeless.
SOUTH KOREA - People in Kangwon Province yesterday suffered damage from heavy rain and strong winds in weather that was UNUSUAL for this time of year. Heavy rain warnings and alerts were issued in the province. Hyangnobong peak received 252 millimeters of rainfall; Misiryong, 260 millimeters; Sokcho, 201 millimeters; and Kosong, 87 millimeters. The rainfall was the LARGEST RECORDED FOR THE LATTER PART OF OCTOBER in the regions. Winds with a speed of 20 meters per second also struck the region, and strong wind warnings were issued. Trees and signboards on many streets were blown down. A dozen fishing vessels that were docked at harbors broke loose and many sank. High wave warnings were issued for western and eastern coastal areas, and mountainous regions in the central peninsula had gusts of wind, hailstones, thunder and lightning. Other parts of the nation also had 20-100 millimeters of rain, a great amount for autumn, from Sunday through yesterday. The rainfall relieved a drought that has lasted more than two months. "Although the mercury fell, [the temperature] is still higher than that of average years, as it has been too high this fall. But people are advised to limit their risk of catching a cold due to the sudden large temperature changes," a weatherman said.
SNOW / COLD -
INDIA - UNUSUAL autumn showers over the weekend have caused the temperature in the Himachal Pradesh capital to plummet to a RECORD LOW Monday, making it the COLDEST OCTOBER DAY IN 33 YEARS. Shimla recorded a maximum temperature of 11 degrees Celsius and a minimum of six degrees Monday. Normally October is marked by clear blue skies and the temperature here hovers between 19 degrees and 25 degrees. But heavy rains last week set the mercury to decrease as icy winds lashed the town. The higher reaches in the state have been receiving snowfall while the mid and lower hills have been getting rain and hail.
HEAT / WILDFIRES -
AUSTRALIA - A fire that has raged for almost seven weeks is one of 30 burning throughout the Top End, making this year's BUSHFIRE SEASON ONE OF THE WORST ON RECORD. A senior fire control officer has not seen anything like it during his 17 years on the job, and says 2006 has been tough on the Northern Territory. "The fire weather has been especially extreme this season, the winds and the dry nature of the vegetation have created most of the problem. In the last five years we've had 12 to 15 extreme fire danger days and this year there has been 31."
------------------------------------------
Tuesday, October 24, 2006 -
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY - Why doesn't glue stick to the inside of the bottle?
QUAKES -
Largest quakes yesterday -
10/23 -
5.1 KEPULAUAN SANGIHE, INDONESIA
5.1 KEPULAUAN SANGIHE, INDONESIA
5.6 KEPULAUAN SANGIHE, INDONESIA
6.4 IZU ISLANDS, JAPAN REGION
5.4 POTOSI, BOLIVIA
5.0 BANDA SEA
5.1 TONGA
5.0 KURIL ISLANDS
5.3 MINDANAO, PHILIPPINES
HAWAII - One week after Hawaii's biggest earthquake in 23 years, damage estimates are soaring, and a review is underway of how state, emergency and utility officials responded. Initial estimates after the magnitude-6.7 and 6.0 quakes Oct. 15, were less than $10 million, but the figure surpassed $100 million by the end of the week as damage to hotels, roads, a harbor and homes was discovered. More than 100 aftershocks followed the back-to-back earthquakes, including one that measured 3.4 Saturday. Workers began draining two 50-million-gallon reservoirs Friday after inspectors found water leaking from holes caused by the quakes. "We will never know how close we came to a major disaster." Meanwhile, debate continued over initial responses to the earthquakes. An Emergency Broadcast System alert from Honolulu County Civil Defense was sent one hour after the first quake, which struck at 7:07 a.m., but it was not broadcast because stations did not activate a switch for the message to come through. Two hours after the first quake, the state Civil Defense got the first message to residents. By then, several radio stations were broadcasting reports from listeners and other sources. "There was a major failure somewhere. By 8 a.m., everyone knew what had happened, but no one officially was telling us."
PHILIPPINES - The Philippines Institute of Volcanology and Seismology said on Monday it has recorded 700 aftershocks after a 5.2 magnitude earthquake shook central Philippines Friday. More aftershocks could be felt in Marinduque, Mindoro and southern Batangas in coming days, although the tremors are decreasing. About 10 quakes hit the Philippines every day in average, however, most of the quakes are so small in magnitude that they are rarely felt. Over the past 30 years, only three major, destructive quakes took place in the Philippines.
TROPICAL STORMS -
Map.
Projected storm paths .
Hurricane PAUL was 256 nmi SSW of Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.
Cyclone XAVIER was 1312 nmi S of Kwajalein, Marshall Islands.
On its current track, Cyclone XAVIER may cause destructive storm force winds or stronger during the next 24 to 36 hours over the Banks Islands and Maewo and damaging gales over Torres islands, Espiritu Santo, Aoba, Pentecost, Malekula and Ambrym. Vanuatu expects frequent heavy rain and squally thunderstorms, damaging heavy swells, and flooding, including sea flooding of low-lying coastal areas. (satellite photo)
Category 1 Hurricane PAUL weakened this morning, but emergency workers remained on standby to evacuate thousands of residents from the San Jose del Cabo resort in Mexico. About 2,000 to 3,000 families could be evacuated from flood-risk areas to 49 shelters, mostly schools, ahead of Paul, the third hurricane this season to threaten the area. A trough of low pressure has been sending storms this season on a track that takes them toward Mexico's Baja peninsula.
HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING / LANDSLIDES -
INDIA - a week-end cyclonic storm and hail damaged 172 houses and ravaged farms and paddy fields belonging to 150 families in Aizawl district. 12 houses in and around Aizawl city were completely flattened, while the majority of the houses were badly damaged. Paddy crops belonging to 83 shifting cultivators' families were destroyed in nearby Phulpui village just ahead of the harvest time in November. Farms or gardens where flowers like anthurium, beans and vegetables, belonging to 66 families in nearby Durtlang village were also extensively damaged. Paddy fields were also damaged at Bungkawn. The cyclonic storm took the people by surprise as no warning was given by the MET office and the storm was UNLIKELY considering the time of the year.
Fish Die-Off - updated Tuesdays.UPDATED STARTING NEXT WEEK.
(Drought, Heat, and Wildfires will be reported daily as info is available)
Disease - updated Mondays
Space Weather / Solar Storms / Meteors - updated Sundays.
Unusually High Tides / Freak Waves - updated Fridays.
Unusual Animal Behavior - updated Thursdays.
Crop Failures, Food Shortages - updated Wednesdays
------------------------------------------
Monday, October 23, 2006 -
LEARNED THE HARD WAY - when you take a dog on a car ride, he loves to stick his head out the window, but if you blow in his face, he gets very mad at you.
QUAKES -
So far this morning -
5.1 KEPULAUAN SANGIHE, INDONESIA
5.1 KEPULAUAN SANGIHE, INDONESIA
5.6 KEPULAUAN SANGIHE, INDONESIA
5.2 TONGA
5.0 KURIL ISLANDS
5.3 MINDANAO, PHILIPPINES
Largest quakes yesterday -
10/22 -
5.1 OFFSHORE ANTOFAGASTA, CHILE
6.0 SOUTHEAST INDIAN RIDGE
10/21 -
5.9 MINDORO, PHILIPPINES
5.3 MARIANA ISLANDS REGION
5.0 KERMADEC ISLANDS REGION
10/20 -
5.6 MINDORO, PHILIPPINES
5.8 MINDORO, PHILIPPINES
5.6 MINDORO, PHILIPPINES
5.0 BABUYAN ISL REGION, PHILIPPINES
5.3 CENTRAL PERU
6.5 NEAR COAST OF CENTRAL PERU
5.2 SOUTH OF FIJI ISLANDS
5.1 KORYAKIA, RUSSIA
AUSTRALIA - Geoscience Australia says earthquakes in New South Wales, Victoria and off the Western Australian coast over the past few days are unrelated. Australia experiences earthquakes "continuously". "I don't yet regard this as too far outside the norm...It is true we have had two magnitude fours, but I really don't think it is anything unusual." An earthquake measuring 2.5 on the Richter scale shook parts of Melbourne. Residents of Melbourne's south-east reported a loud noise and shaking floors as a small earthquake hit the city late last night. A tremor measuring 6.1 on the Richter scale was recorded 2,300 kilometres off the Western Australian coast around 7:00pm AWST. Authorities say two dams in central western New South Wales are free of any structural damage after Saturday night's earthquake, which measured four on the Richter scale.
Calls were received from people in St Kilda, Brighton, Caulfield, Elsternwick, South Yarra and Clayton reporting sounds of explosions and rattling windows over three minutes from about 10.40pm. The Country Fire Authority received calls from people in Dandenong North and Narre Warren North, also reporting a deep thud and the sound of explosions. A spokesman for the authority at Dandenong said officers "heard the rumble" and likened it to the sensation of "driving over a level crossing".
A quake Friday struck shortly before 8pm (AEST) at Wyangala. There have been no reports of damage, although people from as far as 100 kilometres away have reported feeling the tremor. "It sounds like people have felt it from a couple of hundred kilometres away, which is a little UNUSUAL for a magnitude four." Some said the quake caused more noise than shaking. "I've been in earthquakes before, and your clothes hangers all shake in the cupboard and all that sort of thing, but it didn't do that. It was the noise, it was more like a thunderstorm, like a rolling thunderstorm." The sound lasted about 20 seconds. "It wasn't long but it was STRANGE."
TURKEY - Locals in Manyas said they saw a `ball of fire’ during the earthquake that struck Turkey’s Marmara region Saturday. The fireball was seen on Manyas Lake, the epicentre of the quake. The quake measured 5.2 on the Richter scale. The governor’s office of Balikesir decided to seek answers about the strange phenomenon after a panicked reaction from locals. “Locals have claimed to have seen a ball of fire appear above the lake during the earthquake. We have, as a result, asked members of the MTA to look into the matter.”
The medium-strength 5.2 earthquake rattled the northwestern Turkish city of Balikesir, causing panic among nearby residents, especially those in Istanbul. The earthquake happened at 9:18 p.m. Friday at a depth of 12.9 km near Lake Manyas, a nature reserve in Balikesir.
PHILIPPINES - fifth earthquake felt since Friday's 5.2 magnitude - Another earthquake rocked parts of Metro Manila and southern Luzon early Sunday. Four earthquakes and three minor aftershocks hit Metro Manila and southern Luzon on Friday and early Saturday. PHIVOLCS recorded a 3.7 magnitude earthquake at 2:23 a.m., with the epicenter located 31 kilometers southeast of Calapan, Oriental Mindoro. The tremor was felt strongest at intensity 3 in Puerto Galera in Oriental Mindoro, and the cities of Makati and Taguig in Metro Manila. An intensity 2 quake also jolted Quezon City. PHIVOLCS said there were no reports of damage and casualties. The institute said that the possible source of the earthquake was the movement along the eastern segment of the Lubang Fault.
PERU - A strong earthquake, measuring 6.4 on the Richter scale, hit near the coast of central Peru in the pacific early on Friday. There was no immediate information on casualties except for some light damage to houses. The quake came at 5:48 a.m. local time (1048 GMT) with an epicenter 90 km northwest of Pisco city in the central Peruvian department of Ica, at a depth of 43 km. This is the strongest tremor Peru has suffered since the start of the year. The Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre cautioned that people along coasts within 100km of the epicentre should be aware of the threat of a local tsunami, although there was no threat of a Pacific-wide tsunami. Quakes are common in the South American country, and 78 quakes have taken place this year up to October.
CALIFORNIA - A 4.5-magnitude earthquake centered near The Geysers rocked Lake County Friday morning. A series of aftershocks followed throughout the day, with the largest - 3.9 in magnitude - hitting at 4:31 p.m. The 4.5 earthquake, which occurred at eight seconds after 10 a.m., had an epicenter 13 miles east of Cloverdale and five miles northeast of The Geysers. The U.S. Geological Survey said Friday the quake was the SECOND-STRONGEST MAGNITUDE EARTHQUAKE RECORDED in The Geysers. Numerous aftershocks ranging in magnitude from less than 1 up to 3.9 occurred Friday. Between the hours of midnight and 7 p.m. Friday there were approximately 56 earthquakes recorded in Lake County. Most took place around The Geysers, Cobb and Anderson Springs. However, a 1.4-magnitude micro earthquake hit the Clearlake Oaks area at approximately 11:44 a.m. Seismic activity in the Cobb Mountain area is created when power plants inject water into the ground to produce steam to generate energy. When the water is pumped out of the ground and reinjected elsewhere the stress fields are caused to change and the earthquakes result. A Cobb resident for 18 years said he has never before experienced his books falling off the shelves and pictures coming down from his walls like he did Friday.
WASHINGTON - A 3.2 magnitude earthquake caused a rockfall at Mount St. Helens Sunday. Scientists at the Johnson Ridge Observatory say a chunk of the current lava spine fell off, and now the spine has a v-shaped notch in the tip. Ash shot about 4000ft in the air and because of heavy winds on the mountain, visitors were able to see a bit of a show.
VOLCANOES -
PHILIPPINES - Mt. Bulusan in Sorsogon exploded again Thursday afternoon, belching an ash column from the volcano crater summit for the second time this month, signifying that the volcano's restiveness is still high and the volcano is still in an abnormal state.
Thousands of mud volcanoes have been found from Alaska to Australia. They range from tiny seeps to cones 500 metres (1,640 ft) tall. Risks from volcanoes that ooze mud rather than spew lava have long been underestimated worldwide, even with a cataclysmic mudflow in Java that has swamped an area the size of Monaco and forced 10,000 people from their homes. Mud volcanoes are rarely deadly since they more often seep rather than explode. But they can cause disasters, ranging from subsidence to tsunamis. Mud volcanoes are often caused by a build-up of pressure from sediments crushed several kilometres below the surface that release methane and other gases. They are often found near oil and gas deposits, also caused by a crush of organic matter. In Azerbaijan, a large mud volcano that erupted in 2001 released giant flares of methane.
TROPICAL STORMS -
Map.
Projected storm paths .
Hurricane PAUL was 410 nmi SSW of Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.
Cyclone XAVIER was 1190 nmi S of Kwajalein, Marshall Islands.
Tropical Storm Paul formed off Mexico‘s west coast Saturday. Paul spun away from Mexico's west coast on Sunday, but forecasters predicted it could become a hurricane and turn towards land within two days. Paul was forecast to gradually shift to the north-east and skirt the southern tip of Baja California, hitting mainland Mexico around the state of Sinaloa early in the week as a hurricane.
The South Pacific's first tropical cyclone, Xavier, is intensifying north of Vanuatu. Cyclone Xavier is slowly moving towards the north of Vanuatu and is expected to pose a direct threat to Vanuatu. Fiji faces no threat from the tropical cyclone, but will experience some rain due to a ridge of high pressure. The Nadi Tropical Cyclone Centre is predicting an above average number of cyclones in the South Pacific due to the moderate effects of El Nino. Xavier struck the Solomon Islands at about 06:00 GMT this morning. Projected path
HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING / LANDSLIDES -
MACQUARIE ISLAND - Erosion and heavy spring rains have caused a large landslip on Macquarie Island, in the Southern Ocean about 1500 kilometres south-east of Tasmania, killing penguins in an important colony. The fragile sub-Antarctic world heritage area has been overrun with more than 100,000 rabbits in recent years, which are stripping the island bare of its plants. About 500 square metres of soil gave way due to the combination of heavy spring rains and severe erosion caused by the rabbits. "The landslide... has come down onto an area where the penguins roost, and are active. These are large penguins, so the topsoil has come down the slope and landed on the flat surface near the ocean. The penguins have chicks in place next to the adults and a number of penguins were killed by the landslide.We can't tell how many because it's on the edge of the rookeries."
OZONE HOLE -
The Antarctic ozone hole has BROKEN TWO RECORDS this year for the size of its area and depth. "From September 21st to 30th, the average area of the ozone hole was the LARGEST EVER OBSERVED, at 10.6 million square miles." "The depleted layer has an UNUSUAL vertical extent this year, so it appears that the 2006 ozone hole will go down as a record-setter." Measurements taken in October also found that nearly all of the ozone in the layer between eight and 13 miles above the Earth's surface had been destroyed. Part of the reason behind the extent of the ozone hole is colder than average temperatures. Warmer temperatures lead to smaller holes, while colder ones cause deeper and larger holes. Scientists have estimated that the hole will decrease in area by about 0.1 to 0.2 per cent for the next five to ten years. However, this decrease is marked each year by large variations caused by weather fluctuations. According to the United Nations the ozone hole will fully recovery by 2065.
------------------------------------------
Friday, October 20, 2006 -
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY - Time may be a great healer, but it's a lousy beautician.
QUAKES -
Largest quakes yesterday -
10/19 -
5.1 ANDAMAN ISLANDS, INDIA REGION
5.1 SOUTHEASTERN SAKHA, RUSSIA
HAWAII - Sunday's earthquake damaged 1173 homes on the Big Island. Twenty-nine are considered uninhabitable. Preliminary damage estimates from the quake have hit 73 million dollars. President Bush has declared a major disaster. One of the reasons the island didn't suffer more damage is the strict building codes that have evolved over decades of natural disasters. Buildings on the Big Island must meet the strictest level of any of the Hawaiian Islands. There are no buildings taller than 100 feet. There are also no highway overpasses.
Hawaii's two big quakes may have been two independent events, rather than a quake and an aftershock. The 6.7-magnitude quake struck 12.5 miles (20 kilometers) northeast of the Big Island's Kona airport at a depth of 24 miles (39 kilometers) at 7:07 a.m. local time Sunday. "This was not a small earthquake. This was a big one." Seven minutes later, the 6.0-magnitude quake struck 27 miles (43 kilometers) north of the airport at a depth of about 12.5 miles (20 kilometers). The difference in depths establishes that the two are "independent." But other seismologists said it is too early to categorize the magnitude-6.0 event. Scientists still need to analyze the pattern of aftershocks in the coming months before determining whether the smaller event was an aftershock or a triggered earthquake. "A major earthquake may trigger or activate a neighboring fault and start another good-sized earthquake." "Some of these earthquakes get worked on for years. Different techniques come up. People have different points of view." Aftershocks are a series of smaller earthquakes that occur after the main shock and in the same geographic area. Aftershocks can rock a region for months or years. Generally, the bigger the main shock, the more intense the aftershocks will be. Dozens of aftershocks have been recorded since the initial quake. By Wednesday evening, there had been 116 aftershocks. That number of aftershocks "is extremely low." "It is not a very energetic aftershock sequence. I would expect most of the aftershocks to die out in a month, at this rate." Since 1960, the Big Island has been hit with 31 earthquakes with a magnitude greater than 4.0. But Sunday's first earthquake was the largest recorded since a 6.7 occurred under the east flank of Mauna Loa Volcano on November 16, 1983. The island also experienced a 7.2-magnitude quake on November 29, 1975, and an estimated 7.9 temblor on April 2, 1868. The vast island — spread across more than 4,000-square miles of lava fields, rain forests and pasture lands — was formed by several volcanoes. Kilauea is one of the most active volcanoes in the world, spewing lava and expanding the island's surface.
VOLCANOES -
ECUADOR - About 300 villagers were evacuated from the slopes of the Tungurahua volcano following a surprise eruption of ash, lava and incandescent rocks Wednesday night. No injuries were immediately reported. Experts have warned that renewed explosions could come any time from the volcano 135 kilometers (85 miles) south of the capital of Quito. A violent eruption in mid-August killed four people and left two others missing and still unaccounted for. Nearly 5,000 homes were destroyed or severely damaged and some 190,000 hectares (475,000 acres) of farmland were covered by ash. Thousands of people were also evacuated in July during an earlier eruption. Unlike that eruption, which followed months of loud, booming explosions and rumbling, the smaller explosion late Wednesday came with no warning. "There wasn't a single sound. There was fire and lava that made us take precautionary measures." The upper slopes of the volcano have been mostly deserted since August. Pressure has been building inside the volcano since early September. "What we have seen now is evidence that something there could be something similar to the episodes in July and August" coming. "Inside the ground there is a chamber of magma much larger than the volcano itself."
TROPICAL STORMS -
Map.
Projected storm paths .
NONE
Hurricanes and tropical storms have acted differently DEPENDING ON THE DAY OF THE WEEK. In the 1960s heyday of cloudseeding, the U.S. military undertook "Project Stormfury," with planes spraying silver iodide into hurricanes to form a new larger "eyewall" that would weaken the overall storm. Results were mixed and the program ended. More recently, a study found that people could indeed modify hurricanes - without realizing they were doing it. Detailed statistical analysis showed that over the past 30 years or so hurricanes and tropical storms have acted differently DEPENDING ON THE DAY OF THE WEEK. It turned out tropical cyclones along the Atlantic coast were markedly weaker on weekends. The researchers concluded that the buildup of pollution from industry and transportation through the work week was acting as the creators of Project Stormfury had wanted, as a stormweakener. Actually, it now appears that Tropical Storm Chris experienced a kind of "pollution death" as it sucked in a lot of dust crossing the Atlantic. So "through our actions we humans may indeed be influencing hurricanes."
------------------------------------------
Thursday, October 19, 2006 -
Why did the parrot wear a raincoat?
So he could be Polyunsaturated.
QUAKES -
Largest quakes yesterday -
10/18 -
5.1 NIAS REGION, INDONESIA
5.7 SOUTH OF PANAMA
6.2 VANUATU
TROPICAL STORMS -
Map.
Projected storm paths .
NONE
The 2006 hurricane season has been extremely kind to the U.S. compared to 2005. It will be recorded as a year with three landfalling tropical storms in the U.S. and no U.S. hurricanes (unless that changes between now and the end of November). Going back to 1950, only five hurricanes made landfall in the U.S. after October 17th. But very often in quiet years (and also active years) we find weather events with huge impact that never get their event stamped into the historical storm/hurricane record book. These are the big rain events, like the one October 16 in southeast Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi. This strong surge of tropical moisture on the verge of becoming a tropical depression (if it were not for shear) rushed north into east Texas and Louisiana as it interacted with an approaching upper-level trough and surface frontal boundary and slid east into Mississippi. The resulting flooding rains were worse for some than what can happen in many tropical depressions, tropical storms, and hurricanes. More reports keep coming in, with the highest so far being 14 1/2 inches in Kountze, Texas. This was a three-state flooding rainfall, not just a localized event. Much damage resulted; with 19 tornadoes (preliminary count). This big rain/flood event in the east Texas area was not their first during the 2006 hurricane season. One of the first "big" tropical weather impacts to the U.S. (just after Alberto affected the eastern states), occurred on June 18-19 in the form of flooding rains in the greater Houston, Texas area. They may end up getting two of the most significant tropical weather impacts from the 2006 hurricane season. Is it time to warn the public based on the potential impacts to land, rather than on a sterile scientific definition of "what is a tropical cyclone?"
HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING / LANDSLIDES -
LOUISIANA - the Governor has declared a state of emergency for 11 parishes in northern Louisiana hit hard by stormy weather this week. The National Weather Service says the region received the most rain it's gotten in a single storm since Tropical Storm Allison in 1989. More than 200 homes were flooded or otherwise damaged in the storm. One of the hardest-hit areas was Grayson, a town in north-central Louisiana's Caldwell Parish. The weather service says the town received 17 inches of rain.
WIND -
AUSTRALIA - Residents of the Geelong suburb of Corio are repairing their homes after a FREAK storm ripped through the area on Tuesday night, causing hundreds of thousands of dollars of damage. Metal sheets from a carport were blown hundreds of metres away, trees uprooted and roofs damaged by a five-minute wind gust of over 100 km/h just after 10pm. The State Emergency Service described the weather event as a "mini-tornado" or a "dry microburst". Tuesday night's low pressure system was UNUSUAL because cool changes in spring usually bring good rainfall.
SNOW / COLD -
NEW YORK - the number of homes and businesses still without power finally dipped below 100,000 on Wednesday after last week's surprise snowstorm. Storm-related deaths stood at 12 after the nearly two-foot snowfall. Several hospitals reported overcrowding over the weekend because they were unable to discharge patients to homes without electricity or on streets blocked by trees or downed power lines. The storm last Thursday and Friday knocked out electricity to more than 380,000 homes and businesses.
UTAH - An unexpected autumn storm dumped about five inches of snow in Cedar City and surrounding areas early Tuesday morning, causing numerous automobile accidents and wreaking havoc on some trees. The storm that surprised Southern Utahns on Tuesday morning was caused by a RARE weather occurrence in which the precipitation is so heavy and intense that it drops the freezing level by a few hundred feet. "It's uncommon and a fairly difficult forecasting problem." "I haven't seen the damage in trees like this before. ... This is tremendously wet (snow)."
HEAT -
CHINA - Shanghai citizens still waiting for autumn - As the middle of October passes, residents in China's biggest metropolis are still wearing sleeveless shirts as if it was August. And they are likely to continue for the time being, with meteorologists forecasting that Shanghai's temperature will remain UNUSUALLY high. "This year's weather is really VERY UNUSUAL." Normally autumn hits the city between the end of September and the beginning of October, but this year Shanghai has not yet entered the autumn season. Autumn comes only after the average highest temperature falls below 22 C for five consecutive days. But for the past week, the city's average daily highest temperature has stood at about 28 C. The average monthly temperature between June and August reached 28.7 C, the HIGHEST RECORDED since 1873, and a whole 2.7 degrees hotter than any other summer in the past 100 years. Due to the strong influence of subtropical high-pressure, cold air from North China was unable to reach Shanghai. The delayed autumn seems to be becoming more common, with the duration of autumn shrinking more and more because of the ever-growing impact of global warming. However experts believe that a sudden shift from summer to winter is not possible as the weather needs to go through a changing process. In addition to the high temperature, the city's summer was also marked by limited rainfall and arid conditions. In August, Shanghai received only 27.8mm of rain, 136.6mm less than the average for that time of year. September's rainfall of 86.1mm was 50 mm lower than the normal level. Shanghai is not unique in encountering the UNUSUAL autumn. Meteorologists said UNUSUALLY warm weather persisted throughout the country, with temperatures an average of 0.9 degrees higher.
------------------------------------------
Wednesday, October 18, 2006 -
What do you call 20 rabbits moving backwards?
A receding hare line.
QUAKES -
Largest quakes yesterday -
10/17 -
5.1 ANDAMAN ISLANDS,INDIA, REG
5.3 CENTRAL ALASKA
5.4 NEW BRITAIN
5.0 NEW BRITAIN
5.2 KURIL ISLANDS, RUSSIA
5.2 NEW BRITAIN
5.9 CHILE-BOLIVIA BORDER REGION
5.3 VANUATU ISLANDS REGION
5.2 VANUATU ISLANDS
6.8 NEW BRITAIN
PAPUA NEW GUINEA - The strong 6.5 undersea earthquake off the Papua New Guinea island of New Britain sparked a warning of a possible local tsunami, but emergency officials said there had been no reports of damage or casualties. Papua New Guinea emergency authorities said they were still checking with villages along the coast. In July 1998, two undersea quakes measuring 7.0 created three tsunamis that killed at least 2,100 people along the northern coast.
HAWAII - Sunday's 6.7 magnitude Hawaiian earthquake, the most powerful in the Pacific archipelago in two decades, caused more than $US 40 million in damages. Hawaiian officials said they expected the figure to rise. Repeated aftershocks have jolted Hawaiians as they struggle to return to normal. The biggest, a 4.0 magnitude temblor, hit the islanders early on Tuesday.
More than 200 aftershocks have occurred off the Big Island since early Sunday morning and they may continue for weeks. Typically, after large earthquakes, the seismicity slowly decreases, with fewer and weaker aftershocks. The big question now is to determine the mechanism of the earthquake. “If it was on the south flank of Kilauea or associated with the volcano, it would be a much more straightforward answer. But these are STRANGE DEPTHS AND LOCATIONS.” Seismologists are poring over the data to see if they can piece together what might have happened. They’re conducting surveys to see if there was any deformation. Crews are setting up global positioning system instruments on the west side of the island and remeasuring survey markers along the coast to see how far they moved. The observatory also has requested radar satellite data from foreign space agencies. “I expect we’ll see some interesting signals with radar deformation maps. This was an UNUSUAL kind of event and it happened in a place where we have lots and lots of instrumentation running.”
Fish jumped out of a lagoon at a resort in Hawaii just minutes before Sunday's 6.7 magnitude earthquake struck as if they knew it was coming, a witness says. "The windows on all of the rooms started to buckle back and swaying and to wobble and making a loud noises and the rumbling was just intense."
TROPICAL STORMS -
Map.
Projected storm paths .
NONE.
WIND -
UNITED KINGDOM - Hurricane strength winds struck Castlepoint at the weekend in a RARE three-day battering that took out power supplies and downed trees at the coastal resort. Localised storm winds started blowing in the area very late on Thursday night and only twice lulled for two hours at a time before easing overnight on Sunday. The sustained period of the windstorm was "UNCOMMON" despite the location being prone to briefer bouts of high winds. The winds in the period blew almost constantly at about 60km/h from very early Friday and reached "storm force gusting above hurricane strength" gales clocked at over 150km/h on Saturday.
HEAT / DROUGHT -
CANADA - In most of British Columbia rivers throughout the province, except for the Kootenays and the Columbia basin, are showing low to extremely low levels. "We're having RECORD LOWS all the way down the Fraser. We have a long record for the both the Thompson and Fraser, and this is the lowest they've been since 1912." Poor snow conditions last winter led to the low water levels. The problem has a number of implications. "Fisheries is an obvious one. The sockeye run on the North Coast in August was expected to have 8 million fish. The last I head from DFO (Department of Fisheries and Oceans) was they were having trouble finding any fish."The record lows could lead to well problems. Communities which take their water directly from a river before treatment are probably having trouble already. Agricultural operations have already been impacted by the low water levels.
AUSTRALIA - "On any measure, this is an extreme drought. Climate change has hit in a much more dramatic manner that what we ever anticipated." What we're actually experiencing now was predicted to happen in about 2050. Around the country the picture's the same - dams which historically provided nearly 99 per cent of the country's urban water have fallen to RECORD LOW LEVELS and there's less water coming in, prompting alarm in cities both big and small. We have about 16 months supply in our dams if we didn't get any further run-off. Even in good times Australian dams must capture roughly six times as much water as dams in Europe need for the same yield because of erratic rainfall and high evaporation. But these days the rain's hardly falling and virtually every urban centre has been experiencing a RECORD WATER SHORTAGE. There's a growing belief among scientists that rainfall across the south of the continent has moved south, leaving mainland dams dry while more rain falls on the ocean and Tasmania. And there's been a similar rainfall movement along the eastern seaboard. In the nation's fastest growing region, from Sydney to south east Queensland, rain is falling on the cities but not within the dam catchments.
------------------------------------------
Tuesday, October 17, 2006 -
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY - Almonds are a member of the peach family.
QUAKES -
Largest quakes yesterday -
10/16 -
5.2 KURIL ISLANDS, RUSSIA
5.4 GILBERT ISLANDS, KIRIBATI, REG
5.3 NEAR COAST OF CENTRAL CHILE
HAWAII - Sunday's 6.7-magnitude earthquake generated a 4-inch tsunami that was measured by Kawaihae Harbor's tide gauge at 7:17 am.
Hawaii suffered major road and port damage in the most powerful quake in the Pacific archipelago in two decades, but reported no deaths or serious injuries on Monday much to islanders' amazement.
Hawaii quake blamed on volcanic stress - Hawaii's Big Island is rattled by thousands of minor earthquakes a year, mainly from volcanic eruptions. But the strongest and most destructive types - like Sunday's magnitude-6.7 that caused blackouts and landslides - are RARE and are not caused by eruptions, but by the buildup of stress deep in the crust as volcanoes grow and spread, experts say. Volcanic earthquakes - those triggered by eruptions - are usually detected by the hundreds of swarms of temblors that occur several hours or days before an eruption. The type of quake seen on Sunday, a tectonic earthquake, does not occur in any regular pattern and is harder to predict.
TROPICAL STORMS -
Map.
Projected storm paths .
NONE
HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING / LANDSLIDES -
TEXAS - At least 4 dead in flooding - Heavy thunderstorms brought torrential rains, flooding and tornadoes to Southeast Texas Monday, killing four people, ripping roofs off mobile homes, and trapping rush-hour drivers on flooded, tangled freeways. As much as 10 inches of rain fell in the Houston-Galveston area. Several tornadoes touched down.
In Louisiana, three people were hurt early Monday when strong winds blew through the fishing community of Leeville, 90 miles south of New Orleans
HEAT / DROUGHT -
AUSTRALIA - Livestock prices across NSW are in freefall, with farmers selling off RECORD numbers of sheep and cattle as the drought worsens.
Farmers are in despair as the drought sears the land - In some places the creeks have not flowed in a decade. The crippling effect of the fifth straight year of drought has some farmers shooting their animals. For others, the plight has become even more desperate and every four days officials record the suicide of another farmer. Food prices are set to rise because of plummeting production. Some farmers are asking whether farming across vast tracts of Australia has been wiped out for good by global warming. The country’s most productive grain growing belt — southern Western Australia — is drying out faster than any other place on Earth. “Everyone says it will turn around, but these dry years have been the norm for us for such a long time now." “The worst thing is that you start to wonder if it’s ever going to rain again. It’s going to affect every dinner table over summer. This is because for the first time in many generations we have a drought that’s virtually across the southern half of the continent.” Australia is the world’s driest inhabited continent; only Antarctica has less rainfall.
CHINA - More than 400 cites in China are suffering from acute water shortages and 110 of those have reached a crisis point.
UNITED KINGDOM - Britain now seems to have a fifth season bridging the gap between summer and autumn. The new season, created by global warming, has been dubbed “sort-of-autumn” or summertumn. All across Britain, temperatures continue to be much more like summer than the colder months before winter. The idyllic unseasonal weather is likely to be repeated in years to come, according to the Met Office. The Met Office considers autumn to start on September 1 rather than on the autumn equinox — which fell on the 23rd this year. But this September was the HOTTEST SINCE RECORDS BEGAN 234 years ago. “Maximum temperatures this month have been three to four degrees above average in places.” There have also been longer than average hours of sunshine. Last month the UK average was 170 hours — 17 per cent above normal.
POPULATION -
The US population will hit 300 million today, 39 years after reaching 200 million.
------------------------------------------
Monday, October 16, 2006 -
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY - The easiest way to find something lost around the house is to buy a replacement.
QUAKES -
Largest quakes yesterday -
10/15 -
5.3 KERMADEC ISLANDS, NEW ZEALAND
5.9 HAWAIIAN ISLANDS
6.5 HAWAIIAN ISLANDS
5.0 SE.OF LOYALTY ISLANDS
HAWAII - A magnitude 6.6 earthquake shook Hawaii early Sunday, it knocked out power and forced the Governor to declare a statewide disaster. On Hawaii Island a landslide blocked a major highway while boulders fell on roads, rock walls collapsed and televisions were knocked off stands.
This is what everyone has worried about: A sizeable earthquake hitting a populated area, with no way to predict it, and no way to anticipate the amount of damage done. Hawaii does not fit the mold of most major earthquake zones. It is considered a "hot spot," prone to earthquake activity, because of the rugged volcanoes that formed the island chain. But it is not on the juncture of two of the major tectonic plates that form the earth's crust, the seams where most earthquakes occur. The big island of Hawaii is made of five volcanoes, two of which — Mauna Loa and Kiluaea — remain active today. The strongest of Sunday's quakes was reported by the USGS to have been centered 24.2 miles below sea level, six miles southwest of Puako, Hawaii. The Hawaiian earthquake of Sunday morning is currently estimated to have been a 6.6, revised upward from a 6.3. In the three hours following, there were at least 45 aftershocks of magnitude 1.9 or greater.
Longtime residents of Hawaii say the earthquake that jolted them out of bed just after 7 a.m. local time was perhaps the biggest they've ever felt. "It went on for about a minute; it kept going and going and going and going. It was rolling and rolling. But it was the duration that was so dynamic about this earthquake. It just didn't seem to stop." The quake struck as heavy rain fell in parts of the state. This is the largest event in the Hawaiian Islands since 1983. "It was felt everywhere from the big island to Kauai and did significant damage on the big island. Fortunately, it generated only a very small tsunami." "Now when we look out at our beautiful coast, the water is a murky brown from many dirt cliff sides crumbling into the sea."
TROPICAL STORMS -
Map.
Projected storm paths .
Tropical depression 04C was 662 nmi SW of Honolulu, Hawaii.
Tropical depression Norman was 27 nmi W of Manzanillo, Mexico.
Typhoon Soulik was 370 nmi SE of Tokyo, Japan.
Former Tropical Storm Norman regenerated into a tropical depression Sunday and was lashing southwestern Mexico with heavy rains. The government issued a tropical storm warning for a swath of the Pacific Coast from the port city of Lazaro Cardenas to Cabo Corrientes, but discontinued it about 12 hours later. Late Sunday, Norman had maximum sustained winds near 55 kph (35 mph) and was centered 50 kilometers (30 miles) west of the resort of Manzanillo. It had been speeding toward Mexico's coast, but slowed before becoming stationary and starting to dissipate. According to the U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami, Norman had been likely to strengthen again into a tropical storm before coming ashore. But as the storm weakened, it was unclear if its center would move ashore. Despite it's lost wind speed, Norman continued to dump heavy rain on southern Mexico. The hurricane center said it could drop 15 to 30 centimeters (6 to 12 inches) of rain over some areas with isolated accumulations of 38 centimeters (15 inches), threatening flash floods and mudslides. Norman formed far out in the Pacific on Oct. 9, and quickly became a tropical storm before weakening into a tropical depression and disintegrating further. But it regenerated before dawn on Sunday and began heading straight for Mexico.
Tropical storm Soulic, Asia's 19th major storm of the year, is centered far out in the Pacific Ocean but is expected to bring gales to the Bohai Sea, East China Sea, Taiwan straits and oceans south of Japan. The storm, packing winds or more than 140 kilometers an hour is moving northeastly at a speed of 20 kilometers per hour.
HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING / LANDSLIDES -
A landslide killed a child on France's Reunion Island. A child was killed Sunday when part of a cliff collapsed onto a highway on the French Indian Ocean island of La Reunion. A rock weighing 40-50 kilograms (88-110 pounds) fell onto the highway, crushing the back half of the car in which the child was traveling. In March, two people were killed when part of the cliff broke off onto the same highway.
------------------------------------------
Sunday, October 15, 2006 -
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY - In the 60's, people took acid to make the world weird. Now the world is weird and people take Prozac to make it normal.
QUAKES -
Largest quakes yesterday -
10/14 -
5.1 NORTHERN CHILE
10/13 -
5.2 NEAR E.CST EASTERN HONSHU
5.0 NEAR COAST OF CENTRAL CHILE
5.1 PERU-BOLIVIA BORDER REGION
5.2 SOUTH OF FIJI ISLANDS
5.0 KURIL ISLANDS, RUSSIA
5.8 KURIL ISLANDS, RUSSIA
5.2 KURIL ISLANDS, RUSSIA
5.0 PHILIPPINE ISLANDS REGION
5.2 BANDA SEA
Did the nuclear test by North Korea on October 9 trigger earthquakes in the region? Apparently yes. The earthquake pattern between October 9 and 13 in East Asia, geologists say, was due to a disturbance in natural stress conditions of the subduction zone extending from Kuril island in the north to Phillipines islands in the south. They said it was apparent that the nuclear explosion did create stress along the trench. In the last two months, such earthquake "clusters" were not observed in the zone. Between October 9 and 11, the Phillippines islands experienced nearly 10 quakes with magnitudes varying from 4.2 to 6.3 on the Richter scale. Taiwan recorded a 5.6-magnitude quake, while Japan recorded a 5.8-magnitude temblor on October 10. Similarly, Kuril islands experienced a 6-magnitude quake. A plot of the epicentres on the tectonic map of East Asia clearly demonstrates the nuclear test released stress along the subduction zone, geologists pointed out. A 5.8-magnitude quake shook northern Japan on Tuesday evening, sparking fears that it was a second nuclear test by North Korea but this was proved wrong later. Instead, seismologists detected a series of earthquakes near Japan.
TSUNAMI -
FIJI - With seismic activity reported to be increasing in the region, the National Disaster Management Center is now taking steps to improve the time in which a tsunami warning would be issued for the Fiji group.
TROPICAL STORMS -
Map.
Projected storm paths .
Tropical depression 04C was 662 nmi SW of Honolulu, Hawaii.
Typhoon SOULIK was 486 nmi SSE of Tokyo, Japan.
Tropical Storm Soulik - Okinawa and Japan’s main islands appear to be safe from Tropical Storm Soulik, which continued to churn slowly northwest toward Iwo Jima but was forecast to curve sharply northeast by the weekend and dissipate well to the east of Tokyo. Okinawa might experience some “pretty significant waves” and “something in the next day or two as far as wind and increased chance of showers not associated with feeder bands but because it’s in the area.”
HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING / LANDSLIDES -
CHINA - Flooding and landslides caused by torrential rains in south-western China have left at least 20 people dead or missing and 11 others injured. Heavy downpours from October 6 to 12 in the mountainous Honghe prefecture of Yunnan province triggered the flooding and landslides.
MALAYSIA - Heavy rains triggered a landslide that submerged an entire village in eastern Malaysia while a tree fell onto a railway car carrying foreign and local tourists, but no one was hurt in either incident. The monsoon rains had loosened soil on hillsides. Around 100 villagers from Sepanggar in eastern Sabah state were evacuated after elders sounded the alarm when they spotted trees swaying on a nearby hillside. Within minutes, as many as 15 houses were crushed by a mudslide. All the villagers managed to get out of their houses before the early Thursday morning mudslide. Meanwhile, 40 passengers, including 29 foreign tourists, had to walk for an hour to the nearest train station after a tree fell on their railcar in southwestern Sabah Thursday.
SNOW / COLD -
CANADA - Thousands of people in Ontario's Niagara region were still without electricity Saturday after a fall snowstorm Environment Canada describes as of "historic proportions." The outages continued more than 24 hours after a RECORD-BREAKING snowstorm roared across Lake Erie into southern Ontario and western New York.
NEW YORK - Having just set a RECORD for the "snowiest" October day, the city of Buffalo in western New York state braced for more Friday as the season's first snowfall closed schools and left 155,000 customers without electricity.
------------------------------------------
Friday, October 13, 2006 -
TRYING TO GET HEALTHY - I tried jogging, but it made the ice jump right out of my martini and put my cigarette out.
QUAKES -
Largest quakes yesterday -
10/12 -
5.5 NORTHERN SUMATERA, INDONESIA
6.4 NEAR COAST OF CENTRAL CHILE
5.4 TURKMENISTAN
5.4 ANDREANOF ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS.
5.7 TAIWAN REGION
5.0 SOUTH OF FIJI ISLANDS
5.0 VOLCANO ISLANDS, JAPAN, REGION
VOLCANOES -
INDIA - After spewing smoke and molten rock for the past 16 months, India's only active volcano appears to be sputtering out. The volcano on Barren Island in the Andaman archipelago erupted in May 2005 following the massive undersea earthquake off the Indonesian island of Sumatra that generated the devastating December 2004 tsunami. "Volcanic activity in the entire area of the Andaman and Nicobar region is calming down." The release of huge quantities of molten rock and the resulting decline in pressure inside the volcano had likely led to the decreased activity.
TROPICAL STORMS -
Map.
Projected storm paths .
Tropical depression OLIVIA was 690 nmi WSW of Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.
Typhoon SOULIK was 595 nmi NNW of Saipan, N. Mariana Islands.
HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING / LANDSLIDES -
KENYA - Five Kenyan toddlers died on Thursday after being buried alive in a landslide at a heavily populated slum area near Kenya's main port. The victims, all under the age of five, were playing in a gorge near Mombasa's Mburukenge slum when the earth above them collapsed, sending a surge of mud down the slope. "We think the landslide was caused by recent heavy rains."
MALAYSIA - Landslide destroys 17 squatter houses - A total of 17 houses and a surau in Kampung Lok Bunu were destroyed by a landslide, Thursday. No one was hurt in the incident at the squatter settlement as the residents saw the hillslope collapsing at about 8am and escaped the danger in time. The landslide at the settlement of about 70 houses occupied by 107 families was the second in five years. The first in 2001 claimed three lives. The squatters were advised to move to a safer site to avoid a similar incident as the weather lately had been unpredictable.
ALASKA - Heavy rains, flooding and mudslides have isolated several Alaskan cities. While some 200 residents once evacuated are now being allowed home, the southern Alaskan city of Valdez is now isolated, as the only highway connecting it with the outside world has been washed out. Floodwaters so severely damaged a 66-mile stretch of highway that it could be closed for up to a week. In two days the area received between eight and ten inches of rain - with more than six inches of rain falling in one 24 hour period, prompting mudslides and flash flooding. The city of Cordova - south of Valdez - saw at least 22 inches of rain in only a few days. High water cut off the main highway into town and the Cordova airport is also flooded. The area also saw severe flooding in August. Seward and parts of the Kenai Peninsula also reported flooding.
HEAT / WILDFIRES -
AUSTRALIA - Hundreds of firefighters have battled blistering heat and strong winds as more than 250 fires broke out across Victoria today. By 4pm, 258 fires were burning as the mercury hit 36.5 degrees celsius in Melbourne - the HOTTEST OCTOBER DAY IN ALMOST 100 YEARS. The most severe fires are at Gippsland in the state's east, the only part of the state where a total fire ban has not been declared. "There's been very extreme fire behaviour today with fire height going to 10 metres and crowning (reaching tree tops)." "It's really unseasonal weather and is causing us considerable difficulty."
------------------------------------------
Thursday, October 12, 2006 -
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY - Why isn't your nose 12 inches long?
Because then it would be a foot.
QUAKES -
Largest quakes yesterday -
10/11 -
5.7 FIJI ISLANDS REGION
5.2 OFF COAST OF CHIAPAS, MEXICO
5.7 OFF COAST OF MEXICO
5.0 PHILIPPINE ISLANDS REGION
5.8 PHILIPPINE ISLANDS REGION <5.7 OFF COAST OF MEXICO
5.1 PHILIPPINE ISLANDS REGION
5.0 PHILIPPINE ISLANDS REGION
5.2 TAIWAN REGION
TSUNAMI -
The last known tsunami to hit Europe was over 8,000 years ago. But new research reveals that there have been a number of deep-sea earthquakes since then, and that a landslide along the continental slopes could pose a serious risk to the cities and towns on the North Sea coast. It was a catastrophe of apocalyptic proportions when an earthquake shook Norway's coast between Bergen and Trondheim about 8,150 years ago. The tremors ripped pieces of land the size of Iceland from shallow water and sent them crashing into the deep sea. Like a stone thrown into a pond, the landslide produced ripples of waves that spread at the speed of a train. Along the beaches of Scotland the waves were up to six meters (20 feet) high. Research has found that earthquakes in the seabed near Great Britain not only occurred more frequently in the past than had previously been thought (1089, 1508, 1607, 1686 and 1847), but that they were also stronger.
VOLCANOES -
EL SALVADOR - Authorities declared an alert on Tuesday for an area around the Chaparrastique volcano after the peak began rumbling ominously. 45,000 people who live within an area roughly 4 square kilometers (1.4 square miles) around the peak were urged to be ready for a possible call for evacuations. The volcano had been experiencing relatively small, imperceptible tremors for days, but in the last several hours had emitted "continuous, abnormal vibrations." Such vibrations are sometimes observed before an eruption.
TROPICAL STORMS -
Map.
Projected storm paths .
Tropical depression OLIVIA was 869 nmi WSW of Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.
Tropical storm SOULIK was 457 nmi NNW of Saipan, N. Mariana Islands.
Tropical Storm Soulik continued intensifying as it rumbled Tuesday toward Iwo Jima, and forecasters at Kadena Air Base said the chances were good that Okinawa could be on the itinerary for the 21st storm of the northwest Pacific’s tropical cyclone season. It was still “about a week” from reaching Okinawa “as it stands right now … assuming nothing major changes in the atmosphere.”
HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING / LANDSLIDES -
THAILAND - Flooding level in Nakhon Sawan is the HIGHEST IN 60 YEARS, Nakhon Sawan became the latest province submerged on Wednesday after nightlong heavy rains as 17 provinces have been inundated and almost two million people affected. Most parts of Nakhon Sawan are under water, with the water level in the province now reaching two metres. The situation could worsen, as Weather Department predicted more heavy rains for the following weeks.
Bangkok is bracing for floods to hit the city as the Chao Phraya river that flows through the capital has hit a RECORD-HIGH level 220 kilometres away. Bangkokians got a preview Tuesday night as torrential rains caused widespread flooding and paralyzed rush-hour traffic as water levels reached 70 to 80 centimetres at some major intersections. Before the high waters of the Chao Phraya, which drains most of north and central Thailand, hit an already soaked Bangkok, attempts were made to divert the high volume of water to fields and 2,000 rai of land owned by the royal family. 39 people have died since August 27 as a result of the inundations.
HEAT / WILDFIRES -
TASMANIA - Tasmania's south has been hit by sweltering temperatures and strong winds and there is a "NEAR-RECORD fire danger ... (and) conditions have not peaked".
UNUSUAL WEATHER EVENTS -
ALASKA - Production at America's largest oil field will remain down for several days. That word Wednesday from BP. The oil company says operators are scrambling to clean hardened mud off high voltage electrical insulators that shorted and brought down the field's electrical system. A BP spokesman says a "HIGHLY UNUSUAL weather event" - three days of dust storms followed by rain at Prudhoe Bay - coated insulators with a mud that could not be cleaned off before electrical shorts brought down the power distribution system. The recent windy weather at Prudhoe Bay, where the lack of snow cover allowed dirt and debris to be whipped around, had slowed work at the oil field even before the power outage. Indeed, such storms have affected the power system at Prudhoe every three to four years but nothing on this recent scale. Strong winds were also blamed for a private-plane crash in Southwest Alaska, but all seven passengers survived.
MICHIGAN - a cold front moving into the area will bring rain and possibly several inches of snow tonight into Friday morning for inland portions of Charlevoix, Emmet and Cheboygan counties. “This is a PRETTY UNUSUAL weather set up. It is something we typically see more in November and December.” The cold front, currently over Minnesota, will come into the area this afternoon. This weather pattern will stay in the area through this weekend into next week, when temperatures will moderate. Normal highs during the month of October for Northern Michigan are in the upper 50s. However, starting this afternoon the temperature for the area will drop to the 30s in the evenings and 40s during the day. Those low temperatures will stick around through the weekend. “It's a good 15 degrees plus below average.” "It is way too early though, way too early [for several inches of snow]. If it was first part of November that is par for the course, but not the middle of October. Give me a break.”
NEW ZEALAND - UNUSUAL weather - This year's winter has been called ONE OF THE MOST DESTRUCTIVE. And now spring does not seem to be shaping up much better after recent gales and heavy rain in the north and snow down south on Tuesday.
------------------------------------------
Wednesday, October 11, 2006 -
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY - It takes long hours of practice to become a good chess player - maybe that's why they always seem so happy when they get to take a knight off.
QUAKES -
Largest quakes yesterday -
10/10 -
5.1 IRIAN JAYA, INDONESIA, REGION
5.9 OFF EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
6.0 SOUTHERN EAST PACIFIC RISE
5.3 PHILIPPINE ISLANDS REGION
5.2 PHILIPPINE ISLANDS REGION
VOLCANOES -
PHILIPPINES - Mount Bulusan in Sorsogon province shot ash columns into the air late Tuesday afternoon, signaling renewed volcanic activity after about four months of relative calm. Seismologists said Bulusan erupted nine times, spewing a thick column of ash three kilometers into the sky, which later drifted southeast to the towns of the towns of Casiguran, Irosin, and Bulan. The explosion may have been caused by contact of rainwater with hot rocks in Bulusan's crater but volcanologists would conduct further studies to check if the volcano was gearing for a violent eruption. There were no signs that the volcano would go into a major eruption. There was no prior warning because the province has remained without power since typhoon Milenyo’s passage. The volcano has exploded nine times between March 21 and June 20, prompting school closures and the evacuation of selected communities. It has not belched ash since June.
INDONESIA - The Japanese International Cooperation Agency warned of possible great lava slide along several rivers on Mt. Merapi's slope in Indonesia in the upcoming rainy season. A delegation to Yogyakarta said that the Gendol river was the most dangerous one as it had a large deposit of volcanic materials upstream. "Our survey showed that volcanic materials in Gendol river can be easily carried downstream by water." They stressed the need of an early warning system for tourists and residents working on the river downstream especially entering the rainy season as cold lava could strike anytime.
TROPICAL STORMS -
Map.
Projected storm paths .
Tropical depression NORMAN was 545 nmi SW of Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.
Tropical depression OLIVIA was 908 nmi WSW of Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.
Tropical storm SOULIK was 323 nmi N of Saipan, N. Mariana Islands.
HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING / LANDSLIDES -
THAILAND - many thousands of freehold farmlands belonging to local residents have been submerged since Monday afternoon only to save Bangkok from flooding. The move has remarkably reduced a large volume of overflow to the capital thanks to the great sacrifice by the King and his subjects in Ayutthaya, one of the hardest-hit in the flood woes. The king granted royal permission for the Royal Irrigation Department to divert excess waters overflow the Chao Phraya River basin to his vast plots of land in this central province to help absorb the deluge before it can flood Bangkok. Bangkok is expected to survive the critical period as high tide reaches its peak in the coming few days. As of Monday, the official death toll reported by the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation reached 39, while more than two million people have been made homeless or are otherwise suffering from severe effects of the flooding.
THAILAND & MYANMAR are suffering their WORST MONSOON FLOODS IN 11 YEARS.
GREECE - Flash floods caused by heavy rain swept through dozens of northern Greek villages for a second day on Tuesday damaging hundreds of homes, washing away roads and bridges and forcing rescue teams to airlift isolated villagers. The government declared a state of emergency for devastated regions in central and northern Greece. The heaviest damage was recorded near the northern city of Thessaloniki, Greece's second largest, which received more rain in the 24-hour period from Sunday than it regularly does in the whole month of October. Sections of national highways and bridges were washed away, effectively isolating dozens of villages and towns in the nearby Halkidiki area. Rail lines connecting the central Greek cities of Larisa and Volos were also washed away by the flood waters. The floods in northern Greece come just two months after the region suffered its worst-ever spate of fires which destroyed about 50,000 hectares of forests.
NEW MEXICO - A fast-moving storm dumped hail on Las Cruces and several parts of Dona Ana County overnight Monday. In less than a half-hour, the area was covered in a blanket of ice. The last time it hailed in the area was on Sept. 14. The hail, bigger than the size of a dime, created a slushy mess overnight along several streets. Hail has been known for creating dangerous road conditions. October is typically a month when severe weather is common, but forecasters said hail storms just three weeks apart is UNUSUAL.
------------------------------------------
Tuesday, October 10, 2006 -
QUAKES -
DID YOU KNOW? There are 293 ways to make change for a dollar.
Largest quakes yesterday -
10/9 -
5.1 NORTHERN SUMATERA, INDONESIA
5.8 SOUTH OF AFRICA
5.0 SOLOMON ISLANDS REGION
5.2 PHILIPPINE ISLANDS REGION
5.8 PHILIPPINE ISLANDS REGION
5.4 PHILIPPINE ISLANDS REGION
5.4 PHILIPPINE ISLANDS REGION
5.2 PHILIPPINE ISLANDS REGION
6.3 PHILIPPINE ISLANDS REGION
TROPICAL STORMS -
Map.
Projected storm paths .
Tropical depression 16E was 1143 nmi WSW of Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.
Tropical storm NORMAN was 587 nmi SW of Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.
Tropical storm SOULIK was 430 nmi ENE of Saipan, N. Mariana Islands.
Tropical Storm Norman is the 18th named storm of the 2006 Pacific hurricane season. The storm currently has maximum sustained winds of 45 miles per hour. Norman is located well to the southwest of Baja California, and is currently tracking north at 7 miles per hour. The storm is expected to slowly curve to the northeast as it slowly strengthens, then slowly weaken when it moves over colder waters. There is a chance that it could bring winds and rain to Baja California before it dissipates. (map)
RUSSIA - The cyclone in South Kurils killed a motorboat captain. The motorboat, which has a crew of four, was anchored near the village of Golovnino on the Kunashir Island. The strong wing and high waves tore off the anchor and carried the boat away to the sea. The crew failed to start the engine and sent a May Day signal. The Mechta boat was sent to rescue the RSH-2477 motorboat, but it failed to come close enough. The motorboat crewmembers jumped overboard and were picked up by the Mechta. The captain died during the rescue operation, presumably of a heart attack. The Mechta is unable to reach the shore because of eight-meter-high waves. It is drifting in the Izmeny Bay. Another motorboat, RSH-2251, was carried away from Golovnino on Sunday. The motorboat was under repairs and had no people onboard. Both motorboats are drifting towards Japan. Tokyo has been warned about the navigation peril between the South Kuril Island of Kunashir and the Japanese Island of Hokkaido. The cyclone came to the South Kurils from Japan, where a series of shipwrecks happened, killing four people and causing the disappearance of another 29. The cyclone is moving along the Kuril islands to the north, and will reach the Island of Paramushir in about one day.
HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING / LANDSLIDES -
THAILAND - Floods in Thailand have killed 32 people and sickened 138,000 others, many suffering from waterborne bacteria or parasites from wading through waist-deep water. Flooding has hit 43 of Thailand's 76 provinces since August, the height of the rainy season. Of the flood-hit provinces, 22 remain inundated by heavy rains related to Typhoon Xangsane.
GREECE - Torrential rains over the weekend flooded vast areas of northern Greece, causing much damage and widespread power outages. The worst-affected areas included the villages of Melissourgos, Stavro, and Olympiada, as well as locations along the Thessaloniki-Kavala stretch of the national highway.
CHINA - Four more bodies were recovered early Monday in a landslide in northwest China, bringing the death toll to 11, with one person still missing. The landslide occurred at 9:30 a.m. Friday at Gaolou Village in Huaxian County, Shaanxi Province, when more than 50,000 cubic meters of mud and rock destroyed 94 houses, burying 13 villagers. Villagers nearby have been evacuated to safety. It rained heavily for ten days in the hilly area a week before the landslide.
MALAYSIA - Heavy rains triggered a landslide at the back of a row of low-cost flats in Section 10, Wangsa Maju, forcing about 600 residents to flee their homes.
------------------------------------------
Monday, October 9, 2006 -
LEARNED THE HARD WAY - When weeding, the quickest way to make sure you are removing a weed and not a valuable plant is to pull on it. If it comes out of the ground easily, it is a valuable plant.
QUAKES -
Largest quakes yesterday -
10/8 -
5.4 TONGA ISLANDS REGION
5.3 TONGA ISLANDS REGION
5.4 TONGA ISLANDS REGION
5.8 TONGA ISLANDS REGION
5.0 WINDWARD ISLANDS
TROPICAL STORMS -
Map.
Projected storm paths .
Tropical depression 15E was 630 nmi SW of Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.
Tropical depression 21W was 650 nmi E of Saipan, N. Mariana Islands.
RUSSIA - A powerful cyclone hit the Southern Kuriles on Sunday. The wind has reached 130 kilometers per hour in Yuzhno-Kurilsk, on the Kunashir Island. Large storm waves of six meters beat the water areas in the Pacific Ocean and the Okhotsk Sea close to the Kurile range. Fishing vessels are hiding in sheltered bays. Weather experts say the cyclone will continue to reign on the islands on Sunday and Monday and then will decrease, going to the Pacific Ocean. (photo)
HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING / LANDSLIDES -
FLORIDA - Extremely strong winds, pelting rain and a tornado blew through Central Florida Saturday night. More than 75 people in Apopka are homeless due to a roof collapse and are getting help from the Red Cross. The severe storm was UNUSUAL for autumn. It was caused by a cold front from the north colliding with warm air with the south over Central Florida.
UTAH - RECORD RAIN - Some parts of Utah received more rain on Friday than they do normally in six to 12 months.
------------------------------------------
Sunday, October 8, 2006 -
All of us could take a lesson from the weather. It pays no attention to criticism.
QUAKES -
Largest quakes yesterday -
10/7 -
5.2 VANUATU ISLANDS
5.0 OFF COAST OF SOUTHERN CHILE
5.8 NORTHERN CHILE
5.1 CARLSBERG RIDGE
10/6 -
5.1 NORTHERN SUMATERA, INDONESIA
5.1 NICOBAR ISLANDS, INDIA, REG
5.5 SOUTH OF FIJI ISLANDS
5.1 BANDA SEA
5.0 SOUTHERN EAST PACIFIC RISE
5.0 ARABIAN SEA
5.7 MID-INDIAN RIDGE
VOLCANOES -
Mt Tavurvur - the erupting volcano on the Papua New Guinea island of New Britain is forcing people to evacuate their homes, as large volumes of ash fall on the town of Rabaul. There are reports of doors slamming, windows rattling and ash falling as far away as Kokopo across the harbour from Rabaul. "People are spontaneously evacuating from areas of heavy ash fall and those exposed to the worst of the air blasts. These are quite alarming." The ash column was around 5000m high with thunder and lightning within it. In 1994, large eruptions of Tavurvur and nearby Vulcan destroyed much of Rabaul. "We do not anticipate it will turn into a major eruption like 1994."
Favourable winds have saved the tiny town of Rabaul on Papua New Guinea's New Britain island from the effects of a devastating volcanic eruption, keeping the bulk of the ash away. Mount Tavurvur erupted yesterday with a blast that shattered windows up to 12 kilometres away. If it was not for the favourable winds, the damage could have been far worse than the 1994 eruption that destroyed much of Rabaul and forced the construction of a new capital, Kokopo, 20 kilometres away. Many locals feared the eruptions would cause a tidal wave. "There was a lot of panic, a lot of local people ran into the hills thinking the sea would be rising and there would be tidal waves and that the other volcano which blew in '94 was going to go as well." (photo)
NEW ZEALAND - Scientists say an eruption of Mount Ruapehu last week sent 6m-high waves across the crater lake. A team of scientists made it to the top of Mount Ruapehu on Saturday, and confirmed the mountain definitely did erupt. The scientists say the blast caused waves 6m high to lash the side of the crater lake and raised the temperature of the water by at least seven degrees. They say the eruption was contained within the lake. Although seismic activity at Ruapehu is now at normal levels, crevasses are opening up in the basin, and avalanche conditions may develop as the spring sun softens the new snow.
ALASKA - Fourpeaked volcano is rumbling again. The Alaska Volcano Observatory says a seismometer indicates activity has been ongoing all week. Clouds are impeding closer observations. The volcano has been spewing high quantities of sulfur dioxide. Fourpeaked volcano is not known to have erupted historically and the age of the last eruption is not known. Geological investigations have been limited and ice covers much of the area. However, the composition of the volcano indicates that eruptions of Fourpeaked can be explosive, possibly producing plumes that reach in excess of 33,000 ft. above sea level and local ashfall.
TROPICAL STORMS -
Map.
Projected storm paths .
None.
JAPAN - One Indian sailor is dead and 25 people are missing off Japan's Pacific coast after two ships ran aground in high winds and heavy seas. Heavy rains and high winds touched off by a low-pressure system lashed eastern Japan on Friday and early Saturday, producing high waves and heavy seas.
HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING / LANDSLIDES -
CHINA - A landslide trapped 12 villagers and destroyed almost 100 homes in a rural community in northwest China.
VIRGINIA - Up to 9 inches of rain soaked parts of Virginia, forcing the evacuation Saturday of a six-block section of Richmond and causing scattered flooding in the southeastern part of the state. The bodies of two fishermen who went out at the height of the storm were recovered. The two were caught in seas of up to 5 feet and winds gusting to 50 mph when they attempted to pull gill nets. Some of the heaviest tidal flooding since Hurricane Isabel blew through the area, is creating dangerous conditions on many highways and streets throughout Hampton Roads. Smithfield and Isle of Wight County were especially hard hit as a persistant Nor'easter continued pushing water into the bays and rivers. In Norfolk and Porrtsmouth, areas which normally are affected by tidal flooding, were especially hard hit, with many major thoroughfares completely obstructed by high water.
------------------------------------------
Friday, October 6, 2006 -
Whenever I feel blue, I start breathing again.
QUAKES -
Largest quakes yesterday -
10/5 -
5.0 PHILIPPINE ISLANDS REGION
TROPICAL STORMS -
Map.
Projected storm paths .
Tropical depression BEBINCA was 413 nmi SSW of Tokyo, Japan.
Tropical depression RUMBIA was 760 nmi NNE of Saipan, N. Mariana Islands.
HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING / LANDSLIDES -
THAILAND - Flood barriers in Muang district were unable to stop the Chao Phya River from bursting its banks yesterday, leaving 350 residences under 2.5 metres of water in less than an hour. The Chao Phya River destroyed a one-kilometre stretch of flood barriers made of sandbags in Phrom Buri district and submerged 500 homes in Pak Bang market area under 1.5-metres of water in less than two hours. From September 5 to October 4, nine districts were flooded, affecting 33,291 people. The province also had a high suicide attempt rate of 467 cases this year - with 42 succeeding. The worst hit area, Bang Rakham, had 107 villages submerged for 30 days and 29,516 residents affected. Many locals were highly stressed due to crop damage from flooding. Meanwhile, the permanent secretary for Public Health ordered health officials to be alert to water-borne diseases including leptospirosis, cholera, diarrhoea, conjunctivitis, measles, dysentery, typhoid, hepatitis and athlete's foot, the latter being responsible for 45 per cent of the 106,218 flood-affected patients. Since September 29 over 5,268 patients had fallen ill from flood-borne diseases - with 2,600 cases on Wednesday alone.
NEW ZEALAND - An intense FREAK thunderstorm, which dumped 65mm in 90 minutes on the Mauriceville area north of Masterton on Tuesday night, had farmers, council workers and rail engineers reeling at the intensity of the rain and resulting damage. Streams transformed into torrents so strong a skinned sheep was discovered impaled on a fence, the railway line was left hanging in mid air when base metal was sluiced away and in other parts submerged under silt, and hillsides were stripped bare of pasture and crops. The railway was undermined after a tiny stream was transformed into a raging torrent, and rushed across the Mauriceville Road just north of the township. It flattened fences, drowned sheep and sluiced out the metal under the railway line, depositing it across paddocks. The torrent also smashed the huge culvert it's supposed to pass through. The thunderstorm, which hit northern Wairarapa, is part of a low-pressure system stormy pattern that had been predicted to hit the North Island early in October. The thunderstorms hit parts of Auckland on Sunday and have continued through the week in several areas, but especially on the east coast. There's more rain to come too, because of a low pressure system in the Tasman Sea which will be crossing the North Island bringing with it several rain bands.
EL NINO -
NASA satellite data indicates El Nino has returned to the tropical Pacific Ocean, although in a relatively weak condition that may not persist. NASA scientists say oceanographic data suggest this year's El Nino is much less intense than the last major El Nino episode that occurred in 1997-1998. During the past several weeks, satellites have observed a general warming of ocean temperatures and a rise in sea surface heights in the central and eastern Pacific along the equator - both indicators of El Nino development. "The present conditions indicate the intensity of this El Nino is too weak to have a major influence on current weather patterns."
------------------------------------------
Thursday, October 5, 2006 -
Is it hard to spot a leopard in the wild?
No, they come that way.
QUAKES -
Largest quakes yesterday -
10/4 -
5.0 NORTHERN SUMATERA, INDONESIA
5.0 TALAUD ISLANDS, INDONESIA
5.7 TALAUD ISLANDS, INDONESIA
5.0 EASTERN SIBERIA, RUSSIA
5.3 KURIL ISLANDS, RUSSIA
5.0 SOUTH OF FIJI ISLANDS
NEW ZEALAND - A cluster of earthquakes 30km northwest of Mt Cook this week has seismologists looking at what may be causing the activity. The biggest quake was on Monday, reaching 4.7 on the Richter scale, with successive earthquakes being smaller but closer to the surface. The government's scientific institute says they are not concerned about the quakes, but will be looking at data because it is UNUSUAL to have so much seismic activity around Mt Cook.
MAINE - Monday's earthquake lowered the water level by 3 1/2 feet at one location in a national park, an UNUSUAL event, but one that wasn't expected to hurt the water supply, officials said. By Wednesday, the water level was still falling but beginning to level off. The earthquake Monday evening registered a magnitude of 3.9 and followed quakes with magnitudes of 3.5 and 2.5 on Sept. 22 and 26. The latest earthquake caused rocks to fall onto Acadia National Park's Park Loop Road and burst some water pipes, but no injuries were reported. The Geological Survey said the drop in water level was more of an oddity than something for residents to worry about. "We're not trying to create some kind of public scare. It's more of a public interest thing. It's a pretty dramatic change." What struck the scientists is the fact that there's little reference in scientific literature to drops in water levels after earthquakes. The Mount Desert region's fractured bedrock makes it difficult to predict whether or not other wells will be affected.
VOLCANOES -
INDONESIA - The Indonesian government has given its backing to a plan to dump millions of tons of untreated muddy water into the Porong river, near Surabaya city. Muddy water is already being pumped, and a pipeline is being built to take it directly to the coast. The environment ministry admits the plan will destroy marine life in the area. Environmental groups say it could take 30 years to repair the damage. The plan is a last ditch attempt to stave off disaster, four months after mud started spurting out of a crack in the earth. The mud spill has flooded more than 400 hectares (990 acres) of land. It has also forced more than 10,000 people from their homes, and submerged several villages. As the clock ticks down to the start of the rainy season, measures to contain the mud are getting ever more desperate. A series of dams built to limit the spread of the sludge has burst several times, flooding eight villages and closing the main highway into the city. With the crack in the earth now pumping out nearly 130,000 cubic metres of mud a day, the government says it has no option but to channel the sludge into the sea.
A small earthquake inside the Mount Ruapehu volcano in New Zealand triggered a landslide alert, though no slide or flood of water from the crater lake occurred. A lahar is expected to occur when a natural dam of volcanic ash around the lake collapses, releasing hundreds of millions of liters (gallons) of water and mud trapped inside. Scientists said they were trying to determine whether the lahar alert was set off by a small eruption generating a wave that rippled across the lake after the quake. A huge mud and water flow from the central North Island volcano's crater lake killed 151 people in 1953. "What triggered this off last night was a small volcanic earthquake of magnitude 3 ... the size that generates an eruption at Ruapehu. So we may or may not have had a small eruption that's thrown out a bit of lake water, that triggered off the system." During the 1996 eruption millions of tones (tons) of ash were tossed over nearby farmland and rocks the size of large cars blasted out of the crater. No major mud flow had occurred at that time. The government two years ago decided not to try to prevent a massive water and mud slide that is expected to burst out of the crater lake by late 2007 — instead focusing on ways to warn residents once a lahar, or mud flow, is under way.
MT. ETNA has resumed its volcanic activity with lava flows from the south-east crater. The lava is clearly visible from the summit of the volcano, and has reached Valle del Bove, a deserted zone far from any towns, where there is no danger to any people. Over the past few hours, the instruments of the National Institute of Geology and Volcanic Studies have revealed an increase in volcanic tremors. Since September Mt Etna has been experiencing intermittent volcanic activity, and this is the fourth time since then that a lava flow has been produced. Mt Etna Webcam.
TROPICAL STORMS -
Map.
Projected storm paths .
Tropical storm BEBINCA was 324 nmi ESE of Kadena AB, Okinawa.
Tropical depression RUMBIA was 575 nmi NE of Saipan, N. Mariana Islands.
VIETNAM - A 13-month-old boy in Vietnam survived devastating Typhoon Xangsane after flying away in his cradle over a two-story building. The boy was sleeping in a cradle hanging from a roof beam when he was taken away as the powerful typhoon hit Danang city on Sunday morning. "His father saw the cradle flying away, above a two-story school building nearby." The flying baby boy was found stuck in waterplants in a pond, 150 metres from his home. He suffered from very small head injuries. The family is now staying in the hospital as the house was completely destroyed.
Tropical storm Neneng (international codename: Bebinca) has changed course, heading toward southern Japan and away from the rain-soaked northern Philippines, which was still reeling from last week's typhoon, forecasters said Wednesday. It could intensify into a typhoon as it heads toward southern Japan over the next few days. Neneng has interacted with a low pressure area east of Luzon, bringing rains and flash floods. Flash floods stranded hundreds of commuters in Mindoro Occidental province, 200 kilometers south of Manila, and sank several houses. On Tuesday, six people were killed in flash floods east of Manila.
------------------------------------------
Wednesday, October 4, 2006 -
Why did the baby cookie cry?
Because its mother was a wafer so long.
QUAKES -
Largest quakes yesterday -
10/3 -
6.2 VANUATU ISLANDS
5.0 KURIL ISLANDS, RUSSIA
5.1 EAST OF KURIL ISLANDS, RUSSIA
5.1 TONGA ISLANDS REGION
MAINE - Acadia National Park rangers were scouring Mount Desert Island on Tuesday, checking for any safety problems following the area’s third earthquake in 11 days. Rangers removed rocks from the Park Loop Road, on the eastern side of Champlain Mountain. Many of the rocks were small, but a few were the size of small cars. The quake struck at 8:07 p.m. Monday and was centered on the eastern side of Mount Desert Island near the village of Otter Creek. The quake was first reported as being magnitude 3.4, but by Tuesday morning it had been revised to magnitude 3.9. (photo)
TROPICAL STORMS -
Map.
Projected storm paths .
Tropical storm BEBINCA was 529 nmi SSE of Kadena AB, Okinawa.
China said Tuesday that Typhoon Bebinca, the 17th tropical storm of the year, was building up near the Philippines and could affect its eastern shores. Chinese forecasters said Bebinca was moving north at about 9 miles per hour. Warnings were issued to fishing boats to steer away from the storm's path. The forecast said strong winds or gales were expected to hit the Taiwan Strait, East China Sea from late Tuesday to tonight.
VIETNAM - Massive damage to infrastructure at industrial parks in Vietnam’s central region which was hit by Typhoon Xangsane last weekend has brought business there to a standstill. At least 600 factories and warehouses have either collapsed or lost their roofs. Tens of thousands of workers are likely to be unemployed for at least a month as the supplies of water and electricity to the parks have been interrupted after pipelines and almost all electricity poles in Danang city were uprooted. Despite two days of cleaning up, the scenes of devastation remain awesome with trees, construction materials, irons bars, and roofs scattered around. Over 220,000 houses in Danang city and Quang Nam, Quang Ngai, Hue, and Binh Dinh provinces were inundated, destroyed, or unroofed, and 370 fishing boats destroyed. 45 people were killed or are missing. Estimated total damages are 10 trillion dong ($627 million) (photo).
PHILIPPINES - The death toll from Typhoon Xangsane in the Philippines has neared 200, as rescue workers reached remote areas where last week's massive storm sparked flash floods and landslides. The storm wrecked 146,000 houses and tens of thousands of hectares of farmland. Some 171,000 people displaced by floods and strong winds remained in evacuation centres. Scattered flooding was reported around Manila overnight as another tropical storm approached from the Pacific coast. The new storm, packing maximum sustained winds of 85 kilometres per hour, was expected to brush past the northeast coast of Luzon late Friday or early Saturday.
------------------------------------------
Tuesday, October 3, 2006 -
DID YOU KNOW? The "sixth sick sheik's sixth sheep's sick" is believed to be the toughest tongue twister in the English language.
QUAKES -
Largest quakes yesterday -
10/2 -
5.1 EASTERN NEW GUINEA
5.1 SOUTH OF MARIANA ISLANDS
TROPICAL STORMS -
Map.
Projected storm paths .
Tropical storm BEBINCA was 484 nmi ENE of Cebu City, Philippines.
Tropical storm ISAAC was 368 nmi E of Halifax, Nova Scotia.
PHILIPPINES - The death toll from Typhoon Xangsane in the Philippines has more than doubled to at least 161, with at least 72 others still reported missing. The seventy-two people are missing from a landslide in the town of San Francisco in Laguna province. The typhoon, the strongest to hit the Philippines capital in a decade, displaced 1.33 million people and blacked out the country's main island of Luzon, leaving some 43 million people in the dark. The storm wrecked 146,000 houses and tens of thousands of hectares of farmland. Scattered flooding was reported around Manila overnight as another tropical storm approached from the Pacific coast, but there were no additional casualties reported.
VIETNAM - The death toll from Typhoon Xangsane rose to 41 and tens of thousands of people have been displaced.
CHINA - At least one person died and 12 were injured after Typhoon Xangsane battered southern China's island province of Hainan over the weekend.
THAILAND - The Meteorological Station in Trat Province has warned people of flash flood influenced from Typhoon Xangsane. The province has been warned that it will experience an 80 percent increase of rain due to the influences of Typhoon Xangsane. People who are residing in risky areas must be aware of the hazards over the next three to four days. The waves in the Andaman Sea are around two to four meters high, and small boats are advised to stay ashore.
HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING / LANDSLIDES -
ANTARCTICA - A bad storm in Alaska last October generated an ocean swell that broke apart a giant iceberg near Antarctica six days later, US researchers have reported. The waves travelled 13,500km to destroy the iceberg. The seismometer record showed that although it was mild and clear, the iceberg had been moving up and down and from side to side. The waves in Alaska were about 10m high and then two days later they were down to 4.5m they passed Hawaii on their way south. "We think that B15A was in the right position where these waves would be fatal to it. The iceberg shattered like a gracile wine glass being sung to by a heavy soprano." The question we then pose is: "Could global storminess have an influence on the Antarctic ice sheet that had never been thought of?"
NEW ZEALAND - There is more surface flooding in Auckland as bursts of heavy rain continue to hit the region. More heavy rain and thunderstorms are being forecast for parts of the upper North Island. Some areas of Auckland have recorded up to 100mm of rain in the past 24 hours, as well as being buffeted by high winds.
------------------------------------------
Monday, October 2, 2006 -
LEARNED THE HARD WAY - Never hold a Dust-Buster and a cat at the same time.
QUAKES -
Largest quakes yesterday -
10/1 -
5.0 NEAR E.CST EASTERN HONSHU
5.2 EASTER ISLAND REGION
5.1 KURIL ISLANDS, RUSSIA
5.0 KURIL ISLANDS, RUSSIA
5.0 KURIL ISLANDS, RUSSIA
5.0 KURIL ISLANDS, RUSSIA
5.1 KURIL ISLANDS, RUSSIA
5.6 KURIL ISLANDS, RUSSIA
6.6 KURIL ISLANDS, RUSSIA
5.0 KURIL ISLANDS, RUSSIA
5.2 KURIL ISLANDS, RUSSIA
5.4 KURIL ISLANDS, RUSSIA
5.1 KURIL ISLANDS, RUSSIA
5.0 KURIL ISLANDS, RUSSIA
5.1 SOUTH OF FIJI ISLANDS
5.0 TAIWAN
5.0 PHILIPPINE ISLANDS REGION
VOLCANOES -
NEW ZEALAND - Scientists are predicting Wanganui will eventually become a volcano. There is already a huge amount of seismic activity beneath the city. A line can be drawn straight from the volcanoes of the Kermadec arc, through White Island, Ruapehu and Wanganui. However there is no need to flee Wanganui in terror just yet. The volcano is not expected to emerge for thousands of years.
TROPICAL STORMS -
Map.
Projected storm paths .
Tropical depression 19W was 477 nmi NE of Cebu City, Philippines.
Typhoon XANGSANE was 55 nmi WSW of Da Nang, Vietnam.
Hurricane ISAAC was 235 nmi NE of Hamilton, Bermuda.
PHILIPPINES - A new storm (19W) entered the Philippine area of responsibility last night even as much of Metro Manila and Southern Luzon remained without power and water in typhoon Milenyo’s wake (Xangsane).
Tropical storm Xangsane batters Vietnam - Xangsane barreled across central Vietnam on Sunday, leaving at least six people dead, hundreds injured and tens of thousands of homes damaged. Heavy rains are expected to continue for several days and could unleash floods and landslides across the region.
CANADA - A tropical storm watch was in effect for eastern parts of the Canadian province of Newfoundland as Hurricane Isaac churned through the north Atlantic.
HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING / LANDSLIDES -
NIGERIA - Hundreds of people in northern Nigeria have been made homeless after a dam burst in Zamfara state. Torrential rain had brought the water level behind the dam to critical level, forcing it to burst. A wall of water swept through villages below the dam, close to the state capital Gusau. "The body of water was just like the pictures of tsunami that we've seen. It had enough force and speed to sweep people off their feet and into the river." Despite the force of the water, "all those missing were later found safe and alive."
NEW ZEALAND - a major storm hit Auckland. There were reports of roofs lifting, houses flooding, powerlines arcing and trees coming down following an electrical storm across West Auckland and a mini tornado in Ranui. Landslips were reported in Swanson and Scenic Drive.
------------------------------------------
Sunday, October 1, 2006 -
When asked what he would do if he knew the world would end tomorrow, Martin Luther said he would plant a tree today.
QUAKES -
Largest quakes yesterday -
9/30 -
5.1 HALMAHERA, INDONESIA
5.4 SOUTH OF JAWA, INDONESIA
5.0 KURIL ISLANDS, RUSSIA
5.0 KURIL ISLANDS, RUSSIA
5.4 KURIL ISLANDS, RUSSIA
5.4 KURIL ISLANDS, RUSSIA
5.8 KURIL ISLANDS, RUSSIA
6.1 KURIL ISLANDS, RUSSIA
5.0 KURIL ISLANDS, RUSSIA
5.0 SEA OF OKHOTSK
5.6 SOUTHERN PERU
5.6 CENTRAL MID-ATLANTIC RIDGE
9/29 -
5.5 TRINIDAD
6.1 TRINIDAD
5.2 KURIL ISLANDS, RUSSIA
5.0 FIJI ISLANDS REGION
TRINIDAD - The strong 6.1 earthquake rocked Venezuela and Trinidad on Friday, knocking out power across much of the Caribbean island and sending thousands of people into the streets. One person is dead, three injured, several buildings structurally damaged and water and power disrupted in Trinidad and Tobago. The Office of Disaster Preparedness and Management reported "serious structural damage" to at least seven schools as well as minor damage to a highway overpass. In the capital, Port-of-Spain, which shook for about 15 to 20 seconds, thousands of screaming people poured out of offices and other buildings, construction workers scampered down scaffolding, and traffic came to a standstill. Hours after the quake, a 5.4 magnitude aftershock rattled Venezuela and Trinidad, sending residents back into the streets. The quake was also felt in parts of Guyana.
MAINE - Nearly a week after many local residents were awakened by a RARE earthquake on the eastern side of Mount Desert Island, they experienced two relatively powerful aftershocks Thursday morning. "It sounded like loud thunder." The registered magnitudes for Thursday’s aftershocks were 1.8 and 2.5. Having six confirmed foreshocks and aftershocks stemming from the 3.4-magnitude earthquake on Sept. 22 is RARE. The 15 other unconfirmed related tremors that have been reported over the past week and the magnitude of Thursday’s larger aftershock also is UNCOMMON. "The number of events is UNUSUAL. That’s pretty big for an aftershock a week later." Thirty-five earthquakes have been reported in Maine since 1997.
CALIFORNIA - Tuesday's 3.7 earthquake broke a main water transmission line in Brooktrails. The 12-inch pipe carrying water from the Lake Emily reservoir to the Lake Ada Rose reservoir on the way to the treatment plant, cracked when the earth shifted.
TROPICAL STORMS -
Map.
Projected storm paths .
Hurricane ISAAC was 210 nmi E of Hamilton, Bermuda.
Typhoon XANGSANE was 22 nmi E of Da Nang, Vietnam.
Typhoon Xangsane, beginning its strike on Vietnam's central region early this morning, has killed two people and injured 70. The people, all from Da Nang city, the first locality in Vietnam being hit by the typhoon, were killed or injured after their houses collapsed due to strong winds and heavy rain. The typhoon, the 6th one striking Vietnam this year, damaged thousands of houses and schools, dozens of ships and boats, and disrupted electricity and telecommunication networks in some areas in the central coastal cities and provinces. Hundreds of people in the central region had been isolated since water levels around the areas they were in are rising. Water levels in many rivers are about three meters higher than the normal level.
Typhoon Xangsane's death toll climbed to 94 people in the Philippines as fierce winds and rains ran havoc across the northern and central areas. Most of the dead were drowned, buried by landslides, hit by fallen trees or electrocuted. Most of the additional fatalities were recovered in Cavite province, just outside the capital, where a mini-dam collapsed due to heavy rains and winds. Typhoon Xangsane is now on its way to Vietnam where thousands are evacuated and flights cancelled. Vietnamese TV showed footage of people building barricades with sandbags and digging tunnels to hide from the storm. "The typhoon is extremely powerful and is expected to affect a large area."
PHILIPPINES - A landslide on the slopes of Mount Makiling in Laguna killed 14 people on Friday. Earlier at least 18 people were reported killed in a flashflood that hit coastal towns in Quezon province.
TYPHOON “Milenyo” (international codename: Xangsane) has left not just a trail of destruction in Metro Manila, but also a number of questions for the country's meteorologists. Milenyo's intensity and direction were ABNORMAL for a tropical cyclone that had already hit a land mass before arriving in Metro Manila. "We are now studying what happened to Milenyo. It should have weakened when it hit land mass because it gets its strength from water. The land mass should have made an impact." PAGASA, which can predict a cyclone's position up to five days ahead, noted the abnormal behavior of Milenyo as early as Monday when it was still a tropical depression off Samar. Based on numerical models, Milenyo should have moved north towards the Bicol region before hitting Cagayan Valley on its way out. The Department of Science and Technology and PAGASAS are now studying interesting events that occurred in 2006, which they dubbed as "a YEAR OF SO MANY WEATHER ABNORMALITIES." Barely four months after coming out of La Niña, the Philippines is facing a developing El Niño in the equatorial Pacific region. The arrival of the southwest monsoon has also been delayed and winds were pushed to Visayas and Mindanao instead of Luzon, which the monsoon normally affects.
Another tropical depression, Neneng, was spotted 2,000 kilometers east of the Visayas. It is expected to enter the PAR (Philippine area of responsibility ) today.
------------------------------------------
Friday, September 29, 2006 -
GETTING OLD - I was put on earth to accomplish a certain number of things, but I'm so far behind I might have to live forever.
QUAKES -
Largest quakes yesterday -
9/28 -
5.0 NORTHERN SUMATERA, INDONESIA
5.0 ANDAMAN ISLANDS,INDIA, REG
5.1 ANDAMAN ISLANDS,INDIA, REG
5.0 NORTHERN MOLUCCA SEA
5.3 KERMADEC ISLANDS, NEW ZEALAND
6.9 SAMOA ISLANDS REGION
5.3 KURIL ISLANDS, RUSSIA
5.8 KURIL ISLANDS, RUSSIA
The strong 6.9 earthquake under the ocean floor near the Samoan Islands in the South Pacific early Thursday triggered a small tsunami that authorities said could have caused major damage had it been nearer to land.
VOLCANOES -
INDONESIA - In Java, experts have warned about the possible risk of volcanic eruption similar to that in Pompei - for four months, millions of cubic metres of boiling mud have been flowing around the whereabouts of Porong; entire villages have already been submerged and 10,000 people displaced. Efforts to block the mudflow went on until academics concluded there was no way to stop it and that the only option was to contain the flow and channel it towards the sea, seeking to limit damage done. Meanwhile, tension is rising among local residents: for months, they have watched their homes, work and fields being submerged, and now they are protesting the absence of proper intervention. Road blocks on the route from Malang to Surabaya have become the order of the day, with queues of cars of around 4 to 5 km long. Thousands of people have erected tents near the edge of the road, seeking shelter to escape the mud. Citing scientific studies, an expert said a mud volcano had been lying dormant under Porong for 4.9 million of year. In December this could erupt, with mud sweeping across kilometers of land, as Mt Vesuvius did in Pompei: “The potential disaster is near. The hot mud quantity is beyond our imagination... my opinion as a geologist is that we have no choice other than to send this mud to rivers and the sea. We are now reaching the last days of September and soon the rainy season will start,” which could swell the volume of mud and encourage eruption.
TROPICAL STORMS -
Map.
Projected storm paths .
Cyclone 05B was 260 nmi SW of Calcutta, India.
Typhoon XANGSANE was 198 nmi W of Subic Bay, Philippines.
Tropical storm ISAAC was 484 nmi ESE of Hamilton, Bermuda.
PHILIPPINES - At least 16 people are now known to have died in the latest typhoon to hit the Philippines. 12 people are missing. Typhoon Xangsane, which packed winds of up to 130 km/h (80 mph), hit the northern island of Luzon before moving on to the capital Manila. It was THE STRONGEST TYPHOON TO HIT METRO MANILA DIRECTLY IN 11 YEARS.
VIETNAM - The typhoon is forecast by a Hawaiian hydrometeorology agency to arrive in central Vietnam on October 2.
THAILAND - The Royal Irrigation Department chief has ordered officials to keep draining water from submerged parts of eastern Bangkok into the Bang Pakong River and the Gulf of Thailand. The capital will also have to brace itself for Typhoon Xangsane - now battering the Philippines and moving towards the South China Sea - which will affect Thailand's weather on Sunday.
Tropical storm 05B - is forecast to strike India at about 00:00 GMT today.
Tropical storm Isaac formed in the central Atlantic on Thursday and its outer reaches could be lashing Canada's East Coast within days — although it's not expected to become a hurricane or directly threaten land.
HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING / LANDSLIDES -
AZERBAIJAN - Heavy rain kills two in Azerbaijani region.
SOUTH AFRICA - At least six die in RECORD TORRENTS OF RAIN in Transkei. Port Edward had 133,2mm of rain on Tuesday, a new record after the previous high of 83.2mm recorded on September 22, 1993. Mthatha‘s 63,7mm was also a new record after the 57,3mm recorded on September 26, 1987.
Heavy rain causes chaos in South Trinidad & Tobago - Rivers overflowed their banks and caused massive flooding throughout low lying areas in South Trinidad yesterday following three hours of heavy rain.
UNITED KINGDOM - Yarmouth has seen four FREAK storms in a month. Roads were turned into rivers and homes were awash after a month's rainfall fell in just a few hours on Monday morning. The town's infrastructure was pushed to the very limit by the “one in 100 year downpour” - roads were closed, businesses were forced to shut, schools were closed, and traffic came to a virtual standstill.
NEW YORK - A waterspout was spotted in Long Island Sound off Bridgeport Wednesday afternoon, prompting a mariners' warning from the National Weather Service. It was certainly a RARE site out on Long Island Sound. A "Fair Weather Waterspout" touched down north of Port Jefferson. The spout lasted close to a half hour with varying intensities. Not only is the "occurrence" rare for the area, but it also lasted much longer than the typical fair weather spout.
------------------------------------------
Thursday, September 28, 2006 -
What did the bug say when it hit the windshield?
I don't think I have the guts to do that again.
QUAKES -
Largest quakes yesterday -
9/27 -
5.1 VOLCANO ISLANDS, JAPAN, REGION
5.1 FIJI ISLANDS REGION
VOLCANOES -
ALASKA - Just beyond the site where volcano Mt. Augustine finally quieted after several months of eruption, a new boil of the Earth’s surface is expelling plumes of ash, gas and steam from beneath its layer of glacier skin. That mask, scientists say, is the reason there are many unknowns regarding this volcano’s activity — which makes it difficult to predict what may happen next. Fourpeaked has been active since last Sunday after a likely hibernation of at least 10,000 years. The initial plume Sunday reached 20,000 feet into the sky.
TROPICAL STORMS -
Map.
Projected storm paths .
Tropical depression 09 was 605 nmi ESE of Hamilton, Bermuda.
Tropical depression 03C was 777 nmi ENE of Kwajalein, Marshall Islands.
Typhoon XANGSANE was 42 nmi SE of Manila, Philippines.
PHILIPPINES - TYPHOON Xangsane wrought destruction across the Philippines today causing widespread flooding, closing schools and financial markets, disrupting transport and leaving at least two people dead. Torrential rain caused major flooding throughout central and northern parts of the country as high winds uprooted trees and damaged buildings. In Manila flash floods turned streets into rivers and inundated homes in low-lying areas as storm drains overflowed. The coast guard, civil defense and local authorities have warned communities to be on alert for possible landslides and flash floods. The coastal province of Albay, about 320 kilometers (200 miles) southeast of Manila, felt the brunt of the typhoon. A regional highway was impassable because of uprooted trees, power cuts were reported in six provinces and a landslide cut off the road between Antique and Iloilo provinces on central Panay island. Half of the villages in one town in Antique province were under 1.5 meters (five feet) of water after the Dalanas River overflowed.
PHILIPPINES - Typhoon “Milenyo” (international codename: Xangsane) bore down on the Philippine island of Samar on Wednesday, leaving thousands of ferry passengers stranded as services were suspended. The tropical storm approaching the eastern Philippines intensified into a typhoon Wednesday as it pounded the coast with high winds and heavy rains. In the province of Antique, heavy rains caused the Dalanas River to overflow, flooding half of the coastal town of Barbaza, including Camansihan Island.
VIETNAM - A tropical storm hitting Vietnam's central region since last weekend has claimed three lives. Two students were drowned due to strong flooding, and a resident of Quang Nam province died on the spot when an electric pole fell onto the person. Rainwater is inundating many houses, gardens, crops and road sections. By Monday afternoon, local army forces mobilized nearly 4,000 officers and soldiers, and 229 ships and automobiles to fight against the storm, the fifth striking Vietnam so far this year.
LANDSLIDES -
INDONESIA'S president has declared a landslide disaster zone over part of East Java swamped by a mudspill, and ordered that four affected villages be abandoned. “Around 400 hectares of the affected area flooded with mud is now declared a “disaster area' and not fit for habitation. Almost 3000 households from four villages will be resettled." For four months, steaming mud has been spewing from the earth near an exploratory gas well. Experts have warned they cannot predict when the outpouring might end.
PENNSYLVANIA - Private train rerouted due to massive landslide - A major landslide covered two of the three Norfolk Southern railway tracks in Kilbuck Township.
NEW YORK - A boat advisory remains in effect after landslide - Boaters are still required to avoid a section of the Hudson River effected by a landslide, which occurred more than a week ago.
PAPUA NEW GUINEA - Landslide severs Highlands Highway - the dilapidated Mendi to Tari section of the Highlands Highway has been further affected by a landslide.
HEAVY RAIN -
SOUTH AFRICA - N2 caves in after 188mm of rain - Heavy rain is also wreaking havoc in parts of the Eastern Cape, causing accidents, washing away roads and threatening the homes of shack dwellers.
NEPAL - Heavy rain cripples life in eastern Nepal - Incessant rainfall for the last four days has crippled life in the eastern districts, with air service and shuttle service along the highways also being affected. Transportation to and from Biratnagar Sub-metropolis has been disrupted while the ground floor of many houses in the city were flooded due to lack of proper sewage system. Huge swathes of arable land along with settlements in Bahedabela, Musaraniya, Depura, Rupaitha and other VDCs in the district have been inundated. In Udayapur, transportation service to and from the district headquarters Gaighat came to a complete halt due to flooding of Triyuga river. Similarly, landslides triggered by continuous rainfall at many places along the Mechi and Koshi Highways have further disrupted traffic movement. Rainfall throughout the country that has outlived the usual monsoon end date of September 23, was set to end for this year on Wednesday, according to the Meteorological Forecasting Division. The incessant downpour in the country was caused by an abnormal weather system in Jharkhand and Bihar. However, the system is moving towards northeast and monsoon should end in the country.
INDIA - Heavy rainfall lashed most parts of Kerala and Lakshadweep, even as the South West monsoon continued to be vigorous in the region.
------------------------------------------
Wednesday, September 27, 2006 -
What does a grape say when it gets stepped on?
Nothing, it just lets out a little whine.
QUAKES -
Largest quakes yesterday -
9/26 -
5.0 NEPAL-INDIA BORDER REGION
5.1 KURIL ISLANDS, RUSSIA
5.2 KURIL ISLANDS, RUSSIA
MAINE - On Friday monitors recorded five hours of earthquake activity with the biggest being a Magnitude 3.5 quake at 6:39 a.m. about one mile southwest of the middle of Bar Harbor. There were roughly nine additional temblors starting at 5:21 a.m. before the main quake and continuing through 10:20 a.m. The biggest quake was of a magnitude that could be felt miles away. There were no reports of injuries or property damage. New England averages about one or two earthquakes that are above 3.5 Magnitude each year. Maine already recorded a 3.8-Magnitude earthquake in the northern part of the state on July 14.
VOLCANOES -
PHILIPPINES - Mayon rumbles back to life again. Mayon volcano activities significantly increased yesterday. During the past 24-hours, Mayon Volcano's seismic network recorded seven (7) volcanic earthquakes and eighteen (18) tremor episodes. Intermittent discharge of incandescent lava fragments and intense glow from the crater were still observed from the summit. Steaming from the crater was moderate with white plumes drifting southwest. Mayon Volcano remains at a high level of unrest with fair probability for explosive eruptions.
ALASKA - Fourpeaked Mountain, a volcano that has been quiet for thousands of years, appears to be coming back to life. Fourpeaked Volcano, about 80 miles northwest of Kodiak across Shelikof Strait, was upgraded by the Alaska Volcano Observatory in Anchorage to code yellow, meaning restless with an eruption possible. “An atmospheric disturbance was recorded in Fairbanks. It is clear the sound waves were coming from Fourpeaked.” In addition, a cloud of sulfur dioxide gas was detected during the eruption. The last volcanic activity at Fourpeaked was more than 10,000 years ago and no recent volcanic or hydrothermal activity had been identified. Earthquake activity has now been detected below Fourpeaked. An earthquake located on Afognak Island 75 miles southeast of Fourpeaked, with a magnitude of 3.6, was reported Tuesday. The area is in the Cape Douglas area on Fourpeaked Glacier, south of St. Augustine Volcano, which is now designated as code green, or normal seismic activity, and could be emitting some ash that was reported earlier in the week.
INDONESIA - European geologists said Monday it may be impossible to stop a massive surge of hot sludge on Indonesia's densely populated island of Java, saying it could be the birth of a new mud volcano. The mud, which is almost five metres deep in some places, has submerged houses in four villages since it started spewing from a hole four months ago, displacing more than 10,000 people. At least 20 factories and 270 hectares of land have been inundated or abandoned due to safety reasons. The mud has repeatedly washed onto a major toll road, closing it for weeks at a time, and now threatens a rail link in the industrial area just outside Surabaya, Indonesia's second-largest city.
Late on Monday the mudflow broke barriers and injured six. One had burns from waist to ankle. Several experts have said the mudflow, which started to spurt in late May, could have been triggered by a crack about 6,000 feet (1,800 metres) deep in East Java province's Banjar Panji well. However, a group of international scientists said this week the mudflow might be a natural phenomenon that could be impossible to stop. The mud has swamped four villages over an area larger than Monaco, displacing more than 10,000 people and highlighting the chequered environmental practices in exploiting resources in Indonesia. The Monday night barrier breaches had been predicted by hundreds of villagers living near the sand-and-gravel dykes who fled the area last week. But, several site workers who stayed in the abandoned houses failed to anticipate the flood. The ongoing crisis has forced the local government in East Java province to allow the channeling of the muddy water into a nearby river, despite concerns it could pollute the ocean, a source of income for millions living on Java's eastern coast. "We are racing against time. The rainy season is near and we must reduce the pressure against the dykes."
India's last active volcano in the Barren island of Andaman and Nicobar Islands is slowly calming down 16 months after its eruption. 'Barren' had erupted in May 2005 after the disastrous tsumani hit the island in December 2004. The volcano runs about 150 fathoms deep under the sea and usually gives off smoke.
New research puts 'killer La Palma tsunami' at distant future - The volcanic island of La Palma in the Canaries is much more stable than is generally assumed, Dutch scientists working at the TU Delft have found. The southwestern flank of the island isn’t likely to fall into the sea (potentially causing a tsunami) for at least another 10,000 years. Only under very extreme conditions, the flank could become unstable, they have calculated. This would require unusually heavy rainfall during an exceptionally strong magmatic outburst, or some other highly unlikely combination of circumstances. ‘Based on what we know now, so many things must go wrong that a disaster seems very, very unlikely’.
TROPICAL STORMS -
Map.
Projected storm paths .
Tropical depression 03C was 867 nmi E of Kwajalein, Marshall Island.
Typhoon XANGSANE was 162 nmi NE of Cebu City, Philippines.
------------------------------------------
Tuesday, September 26, 2006 -
DID YOU KNOW? In the course of an average lifetime, while sleeping, you might eat around 70 assorted insects and 10 spiders.
QUAKES -
Largest quakes yesterday -
9/25 -
5.6 KYUSHU, JAPAN
5.0 ANDAMAN ISLANDS,INDIA, REG
5.0 SW OF SUMATERA, INDONESIA
5.4 SOLOMON ISLANDS REGION
5.6 MINAHASSA PENINSULA, SULAWESI
TROPICAL STORMS -
Map.
Projected storm paths .
Tropical storm XANGSANE was 256 nmi ENE of Cebu City, Philippines.
VIETNAM - Three people were reported killed in central Vietnam on Monday as a tropical storm lashed the coast. Military units were on alert and fishing boats had been called to shore ahead of the storm, which was the first tropical cyclone to directly hit Vietnam this year.
HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING / LANDSLIDES -
AUSTRALIA - Thousands of dollars damage was caused when violent wind storms lashed the Lithgow district and Blue Mountains on Sunday. The gales were part of an extreme weather front that affected much of south eastern NSW, leaving a trail of destruction and bringing an ominously early start to the bushfire season. Wind gusts were reported by the Weather Bureau to have been up to 100 kph, bringing THE MOST EXTREME WIND EXPERIENCE IN RECENT YEARS. This prompted the Rural Fire Service to declare the region's first total fire ban for the year, a situation normally encountered in peak Summer rather than early Spring.
UNITED KINGDOM - Hundreds of people yesterday battled flash floods after drainage systems in two coastal towns were "overwhelmed" by torrential rain. More than 90 properties, including schools and businesses, in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk and Lowestoft, Suffolk were affected. Floods were said to be several feet deep in places in Great Yarmouth, which was the worst hit area, and police said a number of roads were blocked.
KENTUCKY - Heavy flooding rain, 8.95 inches of rain over 24 hours on Friday and Saturday, was probably a 200-year rain. Heavy rain last November was a 300-year rain. Both are RARE in themselves, but to get both in the span of one year, as well as other smaller rain events that have also caused flooding - that is something that stormwater systems are just not designed to handle. "They usually don't go to the extent of designing for anything more than a 50- to 100-year storm. It's just not economically possible to do that."
HEAT / WILDFIRES -
The Earth's rapid warming has pushed temperatures to their HOTTEST LEVEL IN NEARLY 12,000 YEARS and within a hair's breadth of a million years. "Further global warming of 1 degree Celsius defines a critical level. If warming is kept less than that, effects of global warming may be relatively manageable. During the warmest interglacial periods the Earth was reasonably similar to today. But if further global warming reaches 2 or 3 degrees Celsius, we will likely see changes that make Earth a different planet than the one we know." The last time it was that warm was in the middle Pliocene, about three million years ago, when the sea level was estimated to have been about 25m higher than today.
CALIFORNIA is experiencing ONE OF ITS WORST WILDFIRE SEASONS IN A DECADE, and the most brutal part of the season - fall - has only just begun. Already, some 172,333 acres of land within CDF's jurisdiction have gone up in flame - more than triple the amount at this time last year. More than 386,768 acres in California's national forests have burned this year. "That's more than any other year in the past decade, with the exception of 1999, when 513,700 acres were lost in national forests - many of them in October. "The potential is there for more big fires in California this year."
SOUTH AUSTRALIA is coming out of THE DRIEST WINTER ON RECORD, leaving firefighters worried about the potential for wild scrub and forest blazes.
------------------------------------------
Monday, September 25, 2006 -
COMMON SENSE? - You can't trust dogs to watch your food.
QUAKES -
Largest quakes yesterday -
9/24 -
5.7 MOZAMBIQUE CHANNEL
5.5 SAN JUAN PROVINCE, ARGENTINA
5.3 CENTRAL PERU
TROPICAL STORMS -
Map.
Projected storm paths .
Tropical depression 17W was 81 nmi NW of Da Nang, Vietnam.
Tropical storm HELENE was 497 nmi WNW of Lajes, Azores.
Cyclone MUKDA was 282 nmi S of Karachi, Pakistan.
INDIA - The threat of cyclonic storm Mukda over Saurashtra coast for last two days is over as it remained stationary and weakened into a deep depression according to the latest bulletin of the weather office. It will further weaken, the weather bureau said. All ports have been asked lower signals. However a heavy to very heavy rainfall warning has been issued, with strong winds reaching 50 to 70 Km/Hour likely along off Gujarat coast. The sea condition is likely to be rough to very rough along and off Gujarat coast.
BAGLADESH - Nearly 2,000 fishermen are still missing - Dozens of boats capsized in the storm and more than 500 fishing boats are still unaccounted for. Bangladesh's confirmed death toll from storms in the Bay of Bengal rose to 107 on Sunday as officials warned that thousands of fishermen remain missing and are feared drowned.
HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING / LANDSLIDES -
LOUISIANA - Three tornadoes touched down across the Teche Area last Thursday, damaging several homes. Tornadic activity is UNUSUAL in this time of year. "Usually, you don't see tornadoes like this in September, unless there's a tropical storm or a hurricane coming. However, this entire month has been active. It's acting like a later season than it really is. We're experiencing a weather pattern like you usually see in November or December." Tornadoes are most common in fall or spring months.
SNOW / COLD -
Western Colorado was greeted by a wintry blast Friday that soaked Grand Junction in a steady rain, dumped several inches of snow in the mountains and knocked out power to areas south. It is UNUSUAL to have this much snow to begin the fall season. “What has been UNUSUAL is the frequency of storms like this. (This is the third storm in the last few days to hit the mountains.) They just keep zipping down from the Northwest.”
UTAH also got snow last week. While the storm producing the snow didn't take the forecasters by surprise, the general weather pattern for the past week has gotten their attention. "It is UNUSUAL. It is early." The Salt Lake City area tied record low temperatures Wednesday and Thursday. "In Salt Lake City [this time of year] the normal high is 76 degrees and a low of 48. Sitting here now, we're at 41 degrees and forecasting a high of 52. That's almost 25 degrees below normal." It's a pattern seen around Utah.
------------------------------------------
Sunday, September 24, 2006 -
"To paraphrase Swiss psychiatrist Carl Jung - what we cannot imagine, we are condemned to live out. The point of telling stories about the end of the world is that we are then less likely to let this terrible scenario unfold around us, just because we couldn't bear to think about it."
QUAKES -
Largest quakes yesterday -
9/23 -
5.2 SOUTH OF FIJI ISLANDS
5.0 HOKKAIDO, JAPAN, REGION
5.6 FIJI ISLANDS REGION
5.0 FLORES, INDONESIA, REGION
9/22 -
5.5 SE.OF LOYALTY ISLANDS
6.0 SANTIAGO DEL ESTERO ARGENTINA
TSUNAMI -
INDIA - The risk of a tsunami, generated by an earthquake in the Arabian Sea along the Makran fault, is being taken seriously by the National Institute of Disaster Management. With Mumbai and the entire Gujarat coast at risk from such a tsunami, efforts are on to have an early warning system in place as soon as possible. An earthquake on the faultline which is just south of Pakistan could generate a tsunami that would hit Karachi almost immediately. The Gujarat coast may get a 15 minute warning, while in Mumbai, residents would get a warning an hour in advance. But what complicates matters, especially for Mumbai, is that the land is flat and waves may go inland a long way. The option of escaping by running to high ground would not be available. The last tsunami generated by an earthquake was on November 28, 1945, just off Balochistan. That caused tsunami waves as high as 11m in the Kutch region and hit Mumbai as well, causing 4,000 deaths. Although the existence of the faultline was known, the realisation of what it can lead to has only hit now.
TROPICAL STORMS -
Map.
Projected storm paths .
Tropical depression 17W was 34 nmi NE of Da Nang, Vietnam.
Tropical storm HELENE was 497 nmi WNW of Lajes, Azores.
Typhoon YAGI was 371 nmi ESE of Tokyo, Japan.
The tropical cyclone (17W) was located some 240 km south-west of Porbandar in the Arabian Sea on Saturday evening and appeared heading slowly north-east. The Pakistani towns of Badin and Thatta in southern Sindh province were put on high alert and officials warned people to move away from the coast to safer ground. In India residents had a long and anxious night as they waited for ‘Mukda’ to hit the coast. The ‘quasi-stationary’ tropical cyclone ‘Mukda’ is likely to hit Porbandar, Kutch, Jamnagar, Junagadh and Diu. Heavy to very heavy rain accompanied with strong winds reaching 80 to 100 kmph apart from tidal waves have been forecast. The number nine signal, indicating ‘great danger’, has been sounded for the ports located in Gulf of Kutch and others on the coastal areas. The most worried is the fishing community. “We had received warnings quite early on Friday. Yet, around 200 of our boats are still feared to be at sea."
Yagi strengthened briefly into a super typhoon overnight Thursday before weakening Friday but picking up forward speed as it tracked northwest toward the Tokyo area. But Yagi was forecast to curve sharply northeast and churn well east of Tokyo. Once past Yokosuka and the Tokyo-Kanto Plain area, Yagi is forecast to track rapidly east-northeast before gradually dissipating in the north Pacific.
The typhoon, packing winds of 208 kph, pummeled a set of islands southeast of Honshu, damaging buildings, leaving around 1,000 households without electricity and forcing 150 people to flee their homes. Typhoon Yagi was traveling north at a speed of 30 kph about 440 km east of Hachijojima Island as of 9 p.m. Saturday, after bringing high waves and strong wind and rain to the area overnight. Yagi was the MOST POWERFUL TYPHOON TO HIT THE ISLES IN 20 YEARS.
HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING / LANDSLIDES -
US - High winds, heavy rain and tornadoes pounded parts of the U.S. Midwest and South, leaving at least eight people dead, stranding people in cars, forcing others from their homes and leaving thousands without power.
BANGLADESH - A landslide triggered by days of heavy rain killed two children and injured six other members of their family in southern Bangladesh.
INDIA - With two days of incessant rain and more forecast for the next 48 hours Kolkata came to a complete halt on Friday. The city has so far recorded 218.44 mm rainfall. Three people died of electrocution in the southern fringes of the city and three of a family were killed in a wall collapse. Elsewhere in the state, 22 people died and nearly 70,000 houses were damaged.
PHILIPPINES - At least eight minibus passengers were killed and thirteen others were missing when their vehicle was hit by a landslide and fell into a ravine during heavy rains.
CYPRUS - A FREAK storm led to traffic hell on the Nicosia-Limassol highway when three trucks collided on the rain-slicked slippery roads. Miraculously no one was hurt in the incident but the ensuing chaos closed the arterial until roughly 3pm. The head of the Weather Services, could not say how much ain had fallen in the sudden downpour, which radio reports said was ‘torrential’. “Clouds have rolled in from the west, with unstable conditions prevailing until Monday.” When asked whether rain was normal for this time of year, he said it was difficult to say as, “general weather patterns have been somewhat UNUSUAL over the past two years”.
HEAT / WILDFIRES -
AUSTRALIA - A man died, homes were destroyed and residents evacuated as bushfires fuelled by strong winds and high temperatures broke out across NSW today. Recent warnings by authorities that the fire season would start early and be severe were vindicated when blazes fanned by hot winds up 100kph spread quickly.
Space Weather / Solar Storms / Meteors - updated Sundays. ONE ITEM -
POSTED HERE - NEW ZEALAND - A small piece of rock that has been found in a paddock in New Zealand may be a piece of the meteorite that streaked across the sky there Tuesday the 12th, panicking residents who flooded emergency hotlines. A farmer found a 10cm by 5cm piece of "almost weightless" rock in his field today near the town of Dunsandel, south of Christchurch. It has been sent to New Zealand's National Radiation Laboratory for analysis. The meteorite tore across the sky over the northern half of the South Island in the afternoon, leaving a bright, burning trial behind it and causing a sonic boom that rattled houses and shook the ground. It then apparently erupted into a fireball, sending forth a thick puff of smoke. People were sent running from the homes and offices when they heard the boom, fearing buildings could collapse. Thousands of people phoned emergency services. Some said they thought an aircraft may have exploded in mid-air, while others feared an earthquake had struck the island, reports from New Zealand said. The sonic boom was registered on earthquake-detecting equipment. The boom meant the meteorite was probably travelling "very low". It was probably about the size of a basketball as it shredded through the sky and became a "terminal fireball" at a speed of about 40,000kph. "If this had happened at night, it would have lit up the whole countryside." The local farmer who found the chunk of rock had never seen anything like it before. He said it was so light to hold it was almost weightless. Scientists had feared it may have a spent nuclear fuel rod from a satellite, but tests have shown it is not radioactive. An airline pilot who wanted to remain anonymous has told the New Zealand Press Association that he saw something like a meteor, "but different", flash in front of his plane as he flew over the south island at the time. He said the object appeared to be spinning, like debris from a shuttle. "First time I have ever seen anything like that during the day," he said.
------------------------------------------
Friday, September 21, 2006 -
What did the judge say when the skunk went into the court room?
Odor in the court.
QUAKES -
Largest quakes yesterday -
9/21 -
5.0 SERAM, INDONESIA
5.9 SOUTH OF JAWA, INDONESIA
5.1 SOLOMON ISLANDS REGION
5.0 VANUATU ISLANDS REGION
GUAM - An earthquake that struck the island last month is to blame for many Guam Waterworks Authority problems, including several line breaks across the island, according to the water agency. Because of the earthquake, GWA has continued to repair water line breaks and is responding to a variety of leaks in many villages. The water agency anticipates more line breaks and leaks due to seismic activity and customers should be aware of the possibility of disrupted service.
TROPICAL STORMS -
Map.
Projected storm paths .
Hurricane HELENE was 449 nmi E of Hamilton, Bermuda.
Cyclone MUKDA was 285 nmi S of Karachi, Pakistan.
Typhoon YAGI was 648 nmi SSE of Tokyo, Japan.
The remnants of Tropical Storm Gordon combined with another weather system before it neared Spain's northwest Galicia region and Portugal, forecasters said. The area reported winds as high as 70 mph (113 kph) Thursday morning. Gordon was a Category 1 hurricane when it moved through the Azores Islands in the Atlantic. Authorities in the sparsely populated chain said they received no reports of major damage or injury. Hurricane Helene was downgraded to a Category 1 storm early Thursday as it remained over the open Atlantic well east of Bermuda. "Although Helene is expected to pass several hundred miles to the east of Bermuda, large ocean swells producing hazardous surf conditions could affect the area during the next couple of days."
Gordon was MOST UNUSUAL as it remained a category one storm while it headed into the Azores. Rarely does a hurricane stay a hurricane and cross that region of the far eastern Atlantic. Last year, Tropical Storm Vince was the first tropical cyclone in weather history to ever hit the Iberian Peninsula, which includes the nations of Spain and Portugal.
Pacific may be in for rough cyclone season - Cyclone season is approaching in the South Pacific and for many island nations it may be a rough one. "We are likely to see above average numbers of tropical cyclones in several parts of the South Pacific. We are seeing the development of a weak to moderate El Nino." Island nations to the east of the dateline, such as Fiji and Tonga, will be most heavily affected. It is unlikely any cyclones will reach New Zealand, although areas such as Gisborne and Northland may experience heavy rains and strong winds as a result of Pacific cyclones.
HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING / LANDSLIDES -
IRELAND - Severe flooding occurred in parts of counties Monaghan and Cavan as a result of heavy rainfall yesterday evening. More serious flooding was reported in the Clones and Ballybay areas of Co Monaghan. Many areas of farmland were under water. Residents in Cork city are being advised to take precautions to protect their property against flooding following warnings of a high tide and storm conditions.
VIETNAM - Flash floods and whirlwinds have killed six people, injured six others and left several missing and almost 4,000 families homeless after raging over the country for 10 days since Sept. 9. Almost 4,000 homes were submerged and over 2,000 hectares of crops destroyed. Roads, bridges and irrigation works also suffered huge damages.
MINNESOTA - Tornado funnel near Minneapolis was spotted too late to sound warning sirens, a 10 year-old girl died. The suddenness of Saturday's fatal storm was UNUSUALLY RARE. "It went from nothing, to looking like a large tornado on the ground, in the span of four minutes." Saturday's storms were particularly tricky because they were part of a line of many individual storms, rather than the classic, enormous, self-contained "super cells" whose powerful updrafts and rotations are more readily detected on radar.
BOOM ASSOCIATED WITH QUAKE IN NEW ZEALAND -
NEW ZEALAND - A loud bang accompanying an earthquake centred off Takou Bay on Sunday had some coastal residents checking the sky for a meteor. The 8:34am earthquake 20km east of Kaeo and 20km north of Kerikeri was centred at a depth of 5km and had a magnitude of 3.5 on the Richter scale. Some heard what sounded like a big explosion which shook a stone home at Te Ngaire, rattled windows and moved a picture on a wall. "At first I thought something had landed on the roof. Some people rushed out of their houses thinking it was something from space like they've been getting in the South Island." Along the road at Te Ngaire, "there was an awful boom and everything vibrated". It had sounded like a door slamming loudly or a gas cylinder exploding. "We thought maybe it was thunder, but it was too abrupt for that - more like a sonic boom." At Matauri Bay, a woman said the bang had sounded "like a quarry blast". The bang was also heard at Kerikeri, where among the suggestions for its cause was: "We thought it might be a P lab blowing up." Another "rattle" was heard much later on Sunday at both Matauri Bay and Te Ngaire, where a Mrs. Sale pointed out a unique anniversary. She said it was 25 years to the day that "a smoky thing" appeared in her home during a major storm. Scientists had investigated and attributed the phenomena to plasma or ionised gas formed by lightning.
------------------------------------------
Thursday, September 21, 2006 -
GETTING OLD - I don't eat health food, I need all the preservatives I can get.
QUAKES -
Largest quakes yesterday -
9/20 -
5.0 NORTHERN CHILE
9/19 -
5.9 SOUTH OF JAWA, INDONESIA
5.0 FIJI ISLANDS REGION
5.7 SOUTH OF TONGA ISLANDS
TROPICAL STORMS -
Map.
Projected storm paths .
Tropical depression 02C was 747 nmi SW of Honolulu, Hawaii.
Cyclone 04A was 389 nmi W of Bombay, India.
Tropical storm GORDON was 297 nmi E of Lajes, Azores.
Hurricane HELENE was 469 nmi SE of Hamilton, Bermuda.
Typhoon YAGI was 358 nmi NE of Saipan, N. Mariana Islands.
HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING / LANDSLIDES -
INDIA - Storms caused by a depression in the Bay of Bengal have killed more than 40 people in eastern India and Bangladesh and left hundreds of fishermen missing at sea. Thousands of people have been left homeless. Most of the deaths came in the southern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh, where heavy rains and strong winds caused flash floods. More than 31 people have been killed since Monday night, most from drowning and house collapses. In Bangladesh, three fishermen drowned and more than 100 were unaccounted for and feared dead after they were caught in rough seas and strong winds on Tuesday night.
HEAT -
European scientists voiced shock yesterday as they viewed pictures which showed Arctic ice cover had disappeared so much last month that a ship could sail unhindered from Europe's most northerly outpost to the North Pole. Perennial sea ice – thick ice that is normally present year-round and is not affected by the Arctic summer – had disappeared in a huge area. "This situation is unlike anything observed in previous record low-ice seasons." In the last weeks since the pictures were taken, what was open water has begun to freeze, as the autumn air temperatures over the Arctic begin to fall.
------------------------------------------
Wednesday, September 20, 2006 -
Sorry, no update today - friend in the hospital.
Not much to report anyways.
---------------------------------
Tuesday, September 19, 2006 -
GAINING WEIGHT? I have flabby thighs, but fortunately my stomach covers them.
QUAKES -
Largest quakes yesterday -
9/18 -
5.2 SERAM, INDONESIA
5.4 VANUATU ISLANDS
5.1 SOLOMON ISLANDS REGION
5.1 ANDREANOF ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS.
5.6 ANDREANOF ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS.
5.3 EASTERN NEW GUINEA
TROPICAL STORMS -
Map.
Projected storm paths .
The 2006 Atlantic hurricane season may have had a slow start with no major hurricanes until mid-September, but the Eastern Pacific season has not been so quiet. By September 14, when yet another tropical depression reached storm strength and hence required a name, the National Hurricane Center was already on the twelfth name in its storm name list, Lane - Miriam is now the 13th. Helene is the eighth named storm of the Atlantic Hurricane Season.
Hurricane GORDON (category 2) was 684 nmi W of Lajes, Azores.
Hurricane HELENE was 794 nmi NE of Fort de France, Martinique.
Tropical depression MIRIAM was 274 nmi SW of Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.
Tropical depression 02C was 682 nmi S of Honolulu, Hawaii.
Typhoon YAGI was 817 nmi ENE of Saipan, N. Mariana Islands.
GORDON - over the coming days, western Europe, including the British Isles, could feel the effects of the ex-tropical storm, with the potential for prolonged heavy rain, unseasonably high temperatures and strong winds. Hurricane Gordon is currently in the mid-Atlantic, but is moving east towards the Azores. Through this week it is expected to lose its strength, but the effects of the storm will be felt across the UK during the second half of the week. This weekend sees the Autumnal equinox. It is not uncommon at this time of year for the remains of ex-tropical cyclones (such as tropical storms and hurricanes) to move into northern latitudes and affect the weather across Europe. The impacts of such events are extremely variable. On this occasion we expect to see: Heavy, prolonged rain, especially in northern and western areas; unseasonably high temperatures, possibly up to 28 Degrees C, especially across south eastern areas; the potential for very strong winds, especially affecting northern and western areas; large sea swells coming onto southwest and west-facing beaches.
Hurricane Helene has strengthened into the second major storm of the Atlantic hurricane season and continues to gain power, with forecasters warning it could strike Bermuda by Friday. Helene intensified into a Category 3 storm late Sunday.
HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING -
INDIA - the unexpected deluge in Barmer district (part of the Great Indian Desert or Thar Desert) not only “killed hundreds and destroyed property worth crores”, conservation of a variety of rare plants in the region is in peril. The waterlogged sandy stretches are squeezing life out of Barmer’s diverse fauna. The flood has also washed away fertile layers of soil and “unidentified” microbes — making the land fallow. The deluge, which broke a two-year drought cycle, occurred from August 21-August 24. Barmer and Jaisalmer received 600 mm of rain in four days, as against an annual average of 200 mm (and even less over the past few years). Thousands of desert-specific plants were destroyed. The water drained the nutrient content of the soil, reducing fertility. Scientists say crops like bajra, guar, moth, moong and vegetable will not be able to grow for a few years. The report has suggested several measures to tide over the catastrophe — like setting up a Germ Plasma Bank, Seed Bank, a nursery of desert plants to meet emergencies and save the gene-pool.
------------------------------------------
Monday, September 18, 2006 -
Why do seagulls fly over the sea?
Because if they flew over the bay they would be bagels.
QUAKES -
Largest quakes yesterday -
9/17 -
5.1 MOZAMBIQUE CHANNEL
5.5 MOZAMBIQUE CHANNEL
5.8 SAN JUAN PROVINCE, ARGENTINA
TSUNAMI -
INDONESIA - The devastating tsunami not only caused widespread destruction along the country's east coast, it has also resulted in over-fishing in the Indian maritime. However, the phenomenon is not caused by damage to coastal flora and fauna in the 2004 tsunami aftermath, but due to measures taken to rehabilitate affected fishermen in the coastline. "A large number of fishing boats were provided to fishermen and consequently fishing along the coastline has recorded a significant rise since then." The area within 10 kms from the east coast is being over-exploited as far as fishing is concerned, because the fishermen are now equipped with better boats and fishing equipment.
VOLCANOES -
INDONESIA - At least 13 quakes and one small eruption with black smoke were recorded in the volcanic activities of Mount Talang in Solok district in West Sumatra on Sunday.
NIGERIA - There could be large scale volcanic eruption in Song Local Government Area of Adamawa State given the recent eruptions in the area. The first major eruption occurred in the area in 1998. Two other eruptions occurred in 2003. Although no life was lost due to the eruptions, there was evidence of rock displacements, the death of cattle and overflowing of the Loko river. National Technical Committee on Earthquake Phenomenon members are currently touring Adamawa, Benue, Taraba, Cross River and Akwa Ibom states to ascertain the impact of a possible earthquake in the area. The committee is also to ascertain the impact of a volcano along the mid-Atlantic ridge on the Cameroon’s Lagdo dam and its effect on Nigeria.
TROPICAL STORMS -
Map.
Projected storm paths .
Hurricane GORDON was 656 nmi ENE of Hamilton, Bermuda.
Hurricane HELENE was 775 nmi NE of Bridgetown, Barbados.
Tropical depression LANE was 196 nmi NE of La Paz, Mexico.
Tropical storm MIRIAM was 314 nmi SW of Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.
Tropical storm SHANSHAN was 274 nmi NNE of Kagoshima, Japan.
Tropical storm YAGI was 825 nmi ENE of Saipan, N. Mariana Islands.
Powerful Typhoon SHANSHAN has been buffeting Japan for the last few days and has left nine people dead and more than 200 injured. Shanshan made landfall late on Friday, causing torrential rains over the weekend that triggered flash floods and landslides. It has now weakened to a tropical storm and is heading out to sea. But high winds are still affecting the south-west of the country, delaying transport services. Typhoon Shanshan caused its most serious damage in the regions of Kyushu and Chugoku. The high winds caused by the typhoon overturned cars, derailed an express train and temporarily knocked out electricity in tens of thousands of homes. Heavy rains are expected to continue in central and northern Japan until Tuesday morning, and high waves are thought likely to hit the Sea of Japan coastline. The storm may make landfall on the northern island of Hokkaido on Tuesday.
HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING / LANDSLIDES -
INDIA - With Orissa experiencing heavy rains when yet another low pressure area formed over Bay of Bengal, lightning killed at least 74 cows at Chhatipur village in Khurda district. One cowherd tending the cattle was injured while other two with him had a miraculous escape. The thunderbolt struck a herd of over 300 cattle grazing in an open field near the village killing 74 of them and injuring 113 other cows.
BANGLADESH - At least six people were killed as lightning struck a tea shop beside a highway near the beach resort of Cox's Bazar in southern Bangladesh, police and witnesses said Sunday. Three others were seriously injured in the incident which occurred Saturday night. The dead and the injured were local farmers drinking tea at the shop during a tropical storm.
------------------------------------------
Sunday, September 17, 2006 -
Did you hear about the two silkworms who had a race? It ended in a tie.
QUAKES -
Largest quakes yesterday -
9/16 -
5.1 SERAM, INDONESIA
5.0 SERAM, INDONESIA
6.0 SERAM, INDONESIA
5.6 NORTHERN SUMATERA, INDONESIA
5.9 SEA OF JAPAN
9/15 -
5.4 NEW IRELAND
5.5 NEW BRITAIN
5.1 VANUATU ISLANDS
TROPICAL STORMS -
Map.
Projected storm paths .
Hurricane GORDON was 544 nmi E of Hamilton, Bermuda.
Hurricane HELENE was 775 nmi NE of Bridgetown, Barbados.
Tropical storm LANE was 154 nmi NNW of Mazatlan, Mexico.
Tropical storm MIRIAM was 318 nmi SW of Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.
Typhoon SHANSHAN was 86 nmi WNW of Kagoshima, Japan.
Tropical storm 16W was 765 nmi ENE of Saipan, N. Mariana Islands.
MEXICO - Hurricane Lane has made landfall in Mexico, lashing the country's Pacific coastline with heavy winds and torrential rain. The eye of the category three storm missed the coastal resort of Mazatlan, slamming into a sparsely populated area north of the town. It is projected to weaken slightly as it bears down on the state capital of Culiacan, home to 750,000 people. A hurricane warning is in effect for a 350km (210-mile) stretch of coastline. Mazatlan was caught off-guard when the storm swung unexpectedly towards it after initially heading for the Baja California peninsula. Parts of the town suffered power cuts. Further south on Friday, a seven-year-old boy died in a rockslide as the Hurricane Lane dumped heavy rains on the resort of Acapulco and flooding forced at least 500 people from their homes in the port city of Lazaro Cardenas. Forecasters have warned that the storm could unleash up to 63cm (25 inches) of rainfall, bringing with it flash floods and mudslides.
Hurricane Helene formed in the open Atlantic on Saturday. Helene's winds were clocked with maximum sustained winds of 120 km/hr, making it a Category 1 hurricane. Hurricane Lane strengthened to a Category 3 on Saturday. A weakened Hurricane Gordon had top sustained winds near 120 km/h, down slightly from Friday. Gordon was centred about 1,060 kilometres east of Bermuda and was nearly stationary.
Typhoon SHANSHAN - Kills 2 on Japanese Islands. The strong typhoon battered Japan's southern Ryukyu island chain on Saturday, and two people died after heavy downpours triggered a landslide.
HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING / LANDSLIDES -
THAILAND - Residents of a village in Chiang Rai's Theong district have been warned of a possible landslide after a 500-metre-long crack developed on a nearby hill. It was first noticed after heavy rainfall a few weeks ago but has grown since. The hillside could collapse onto the village if there was any more heavy rainfall. Meanwhile the flood situation in Ayutthaya province threatens to become more serious due to the rising level of the Chao Phya River. Residents of Phak Hai and Sena districts were warned to prepare for flooding that is expected to peak in the next few days. Bang Rakam district of Phitsanulok province remained submerged yesterday, with 5,652 households in seven subdistricts affected by the flooding.
ITALY - Heavy rainstorms with copious quantities of water have created much flooding in the countryside. Where the bad weather meant violent storms, damage has been done to plants, greenhouses and farming outfits. As a result, all the agricultural operations have been affected, including grape harvests, which have been slowed down throughout Italy. "The bad weather hasn't spared any region and everywhere has been affected by some damage or problems for agricultural companies involved in harvesting or in ploughing fields. The losses are impossible to estimate accurately at the moment, and are continually rising, partly as a result of rivers flooding and torrents of water. The alarm raised by the civil protection services spread quickly throughout the countryside, where the water was not absorbed by the parched land because it fell so heavily. Thus it tended to flow away immediately, taking the top layer of soil with it and creating the conditions for landslides and avalanches". As much as 7.1 per cent of the country, a total of over 21,000 square kilometres, is considered to be at risk of landslides and flooding. In addition, those in the farming industry are currently extremely worried about hail and the irreversible damage it could do to fruit and vegetables still in the fields, such as apples and pears. Between drought and bad weather, this summer the industry has had losses and damage worth over a billion euro.
AFRICA - A particularly extreme rainy season has led to flash floods killing almost 1,000 people and displacing 120,000 in the Horn of Africa, since the beginning of August, as flood waters swept across parched earth across Ethiopia, Eritrea, Somalia and Sudan. Nearly 200,000 people in Ethiopia have been affected. Rising water levels of Kenya's lake Turkana have reduced its ability to act as a buffer to overflowing rivers, and is losing its ability to take in water from rivers flowing into it. Dams and levees in Ethiopia could give way in the coming weeks. "Thousands of people are in need of urgent humanitarian relief as entire communities have been displaced, disrupted, bereaved, and have lost vital livestock and farmland." Flooding has also affected thousands in West Africa, with 30,000 people in Niger and 20,000 in neighbouring Burkina Faso.
------------------------------------------
Friday, September 15, 2006 -
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY - If you are going to try cross-country skiing, start with a very small country.
One Death and Multiple Hospitalizations in Several States - The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is issuing an alert to consumers about an outbreak of E. coli in multiple states that may be associated with the consumption of produce. To date, preliminary epidemiological evidence suggests that BAGGED FRESH SPINACH may be a possible cause of this outbreak. Based on the current information, FDA advises that consumers not eat bagged fresh spinach at this time. States that have reported illnesses to date include: Connecticut, Idaho, Indiana, Michigan, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah and Wisconsin.
QUAKES -
Largest quakes yesterday -
9/14 -
5.0 KASHMIR-XINJIANG BORDER REGION
5.0 SOUTHERN IRAN
VOLCANOES -
WASHINGTON - U.S. Geological Survey scientists had charted earthquake swarms and even small eruptions since Mount St. Helens volcano's 1980 massive eruption, but those lasted a matter of days or weeks. The current eruption has lasted nearly two years. In the first two days of the earthquakes officials weren't even sure if this was an eruption, they just knew they were recording hundreds of earthquakes each day. "Within two or three days we started thinking it was leading up to an eruption, but we certainly didn't have a sense that it would last for two years. Even if we'd had known this was going to be a lava dome-building eruption, I don't think anyone would have thought that it would have lasted this long." Lava first reached the crater on Oct. 11, 2004, and hasn't stopped since. In the past two years the volcano has thrust more than 100 million cubic yards of volcanic rock into the crater, eclipsing the 97 million cubic yards it took six years to squeeze out during the 1980s. Significantly different from the devastating 1980 eruption, the volcano now is emitting relatively low levels of gas, meaning this eruption is much less likely to be explosive. The current eruption has illustrated how quickly dormant volcanoes can "wake up" in just a day or two.
PHILIPPINES - Mount Mayon’s abnormal parameters slightly fluctuated again in the past 24 hours, with magma-ascent indicator volcanic earthquakes detected 18 times compared with eight the previous day. The lava extrusion tremors were up from 108 to 111, and the volume of sulfur dioxide emission was fixed at 1,500 tons a day in the past three days. Intermittent rolling lava and crater glow continued to crown the volcano Wednesday. Volcanologists said alert level 3 might be further lowered in one to two more weeks, depending on the day-to-day showing of the volcano’s abnormal parameters.
TROPICAL STORMS -
Map.
Projected storm paths .
Hurricane GORDON was 546 nmi E of Hamilton, Bermuda.
Tropical storm HELENE was 1129 nmi E of Bridgetown, Barbados.
Tropical storm LANE was 95 nmi W of Manzanillo, Mexico.
Typhoon SHANSHAN was 232 nmi SE of Taipei, Taiwan.
Tropical Storm Lane lashed Mexico‘s Pacific Coast with winds and rain Thursday, flooding streets in Acapulco before setting on a course to hit the hurricane-battered tip of the Baja California Peninsula. A tropical storm warning and hurricane watch were issued for a stretch of coast southeast of the resort of Puerta Vallarta.
Tropical Storm Helene developed from a tropical depression in the open Atlantic late Wednesday, while Hurricane Gordon strengthened into a powerful 'Category 3' hurricane and the remnants of Hurricane 'Florence' brought high winds and heavy rain to Newfoundland in Canada. "It's possible that some waves could make their way toward Bermuda, but right now the forecast track has Gordon well to the east of Bermuda." Florence's remains brought wind gusts of more than 100 mph (160 kph) and bands of rain to southern and south-eastern Newfoundland, and dangerous surf was expected. Tropical storm warnings were discontinued late Wednesday as the extra-tropical storm pulled away from Newfoundland. Extra-tropical storms get their energy from the collision of warm and cold fronts, not the steamy ocean waters that tropical systems feed on.
CANADA - Residents of a small outport on Newfoundland's south coast say they will help a young family rebuild their home after tropical storm Florence ripped the house in two, heaving half of it into the ocean.
HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING / LANDSLIDES -
ILLINOIS - More than four inches of rain fell on Morris, causing stereet and basement flooding. Rainfall of this magnitude is MOST UNUSUAL for the month of September, which is usually the dry time of the year. "We probably have had in Morris this month more rain than we've had during the entire month the last two to three Septembers. September is typically a pretty dry month. This is VERY UNUSUAL. Four inches of rainfall is unusual at any time. Matter-of-fact, 3.5 inches of rainfall causes significant flooding." Meteorologists blamed the precipitation on the tail end of a weather system that hung around since last Friday, scattering heavy rain throughout northeast Illinois. This morning was Morris's turn, as the system dumped nearly five inches of rain in little more than two hours.
ETHIOPIA - At least eight people, including a family of seven, were killed in a fierce rainstorm that pounded eastern Ethiopia as floods continued to ravage the country. The new fatalities brought the nationwide toll from UNUSUALLY heavy seasonal rains and flash floods since last month to at least 647 and came in Dire Dawa, which is still recovering from deadly August flooding. This week devastating floods continued to wreak havoc across Ethiopia, affecting 357,000 people. Large areas of cropped land are swamped by the flood as unusually heavy seasonal rains had expanded Lake Tana, the region's largest body of water, by 50 metres. Forecasters have warned the country will likely face further flood threats from the rains that are expected to continue until the end of the wet season in September. Ethiopia, home to some 70 million people, has faced heavy floods and droughts in recent years along with other countries in the Horn of Africa which have endured cycles of deadly weather for decades.
HEAT -
Nasa satellite has documented startling changes in Arctic sea ice cover between 2004 and 2005. The extent of "perennial" ice - thick ice which remains all year round - declined by 14%, losing an area the size of Pakistan or Turkey. The last few decades have seen summer ice shrink by about 0.7% per year. The drastic shrinkage may relate partly to UNUSUAL wind patterns found in 2005, though rising temperatures in the Arctic could also be a factor. The Arctic is warming about twice as fast as the global average; and recent studies have shown that the area of the Arctic covered by ice each summer, and the ice thickness, have been shrinking. September 2005 saw the lowest recorded area of ice cover since 1978, when satellite records became available. If the pace of Arctic melting is quickening, the implications for the future are not reassuring. Ice reflects the Sun's energy back into space; open water absorbs it. So a planet with less ice warms faster, potentially turning the projected impacts of global warming into reality sooner than anticipated.
EL NINO-
The periodic phenomenon known as El Nino has developed in the Pacific Ocean threatening extreme weather in many parts of the world. El Ninos begin with a warming of waters in the eastern Pacific, and there has been a steep rise in water temperature in recent weeks. This El Nino is likely to strengthen towards the end of the year and early into 2007. However it is not expected to reach the strength of the 1997 phenomenon. In that year El Nino brought drought to parts of Asia and Australia, and heavy rains and floods to Latin America. This latest phenomenon may explain why this year's Atlantic hurricane season has so far been weaker than expected - winds associated with El Nino events disrupt and weaken storm formation. The researchers are predicting a milder-than-average winter for much of North America, and wetter weather for the US Gulf Coast and Florida.
------------------------------------------
Thursday, September 14, 2006 -
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY - Why is it that if you hang something in your closet for a while, it shrinks two sizes?
QUAKES -
Largest quakes yesterday -
9/13 -
5.2 NW. KURIL ISLANDS, RUSSIA
VOLCANOES -
INDONESIA - Scientists have raised the alert level at rumbling Mt. Taland volcano on Indonesia's Sumatra island after it showed signs of increased activity, but a major eruption is not imminent. Sensors on the slopes of Mount Talang picked up increased volcanic activity and a buildup of gases, but the mountain did not send debris or lava down its slopes. The mountain was spewing brownish smoke some 250m into the air on Sunday, after the alert was raised to the second-highest level a day earlier, but nearby towns and villages were in no danger.
TROPICAL STORMS -
Map.
Projected storm paths .
Hurricane GORDON was 438 nmi ESE of Hamilton, Bermuda.
Tropical depression HELENE was 1607 nmi S of Lajes, Azores.
Tropical depression LANE was 122 nmi WSW of Acapulco, Mexico.
Typhoon SHANSHAN was 387 nmi SSW of Kadena AB, Okinawa.
Tropical depression 15W was 195 nmi WSW of Hong Kong.
CANADA - Heavy rainfall and strong winds pounded parts of southern and eastern Newfoundland as tropical storm Florence made its way through the region. Winds that began gaining strength at about midnight Tuesday reached as high as 120 km/h by noon Wednesday. The wild weather triggered flooding along some streets, caused rivers to swell and created high waves along the shore that pounded the coast. There were isolated blackouts. Analysts predicted the possibility of a heavy storm season in Atlantic Canada this year, based on the fact that the temperature of a large section of the North Atlantic was three degrees above normal, hampering the ocean's ability to cool and calm tropical storms.
Typhoon Shanshan - (Luis) is threatening extreme southern Luzon in the Philippines with big waves, flashfloods and landslides possible.
TYPHOON IOKE - A 20-member military team on Wake Island reported that Typhoon Ioke caused significant damage. The team arrived on Sept. 8. Members found the runway remained intact, but the lights were missing. The typhoon inflicted moderate to severe damage to about 70 percent of the buildings on the island. The island's power grid suffered major damage.
HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING / LANDSLIDES -
TRINIDAD & TOBAGO - residents were affected by flash flooding yesterday, as early-afternoon thunder showers created rising panic among residents in the central and eastern areas. Rains started around 1:30pm and continued steadily for almost two hours. Heavy rain caused part of a hillside to collapse, pushing two parked vehicles to the opposite side of the road.
VIETNAM - Landslides are threatening 4,500 households on the banks of the Tien and Hau Rivers in the Mekong Delta province of Dong Thap. Serious landslides destroyed over 1,300 m of road in Dong Thap’s Thanh Binh District last week. Some landslides eroded up to 100m of shoreline, damaging over 30ha of farmland owned by 300 households in Tan Binh Village.
SPAIN - Heavy rains Wednesday continued to spark flooding in eastern Spain, where rail and road traffic suffered interruptions or delays. The previous day, a 83-year-old woman was killed on the Balearic Island of Majorca when a rainstorm caused a wall of her home to collapse and she was swept away by the current. Heavy rains were expected to continue in 10 out of Spain's 17 autonomous regions. The worst situation was reported in northeastern Catalonia, where Barcelona underground stations were inundated and local and long- distance train services suffered interruptions and delays.
------------------------------------------
Wednesday, September 13, 2006 -
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY - If you can remain calm, you probably don't have all the facts.
QUAKES -
Largest quakes yesterday -
9/12 -
5.5 MINDANAO, PHILIPPINE ISLANDS
5.8 LA RIOJA PROVINCE, ARGENTINA
5.1 MARIANA ISLANDS
NEVADA - Las Vegas could be due for an earthquake. Underneath is a network of faults that experts say could trigger an earthquake at any time. And as this city grows, a major quake could kill hundreds and cause billions of dollars of damage. Those who moved here to escape the threat of an earthquake actually moved to the third most active state. There hasn't been a major earthquake in the valley for centuries leading some to wonder if they're overdue.
TROPICAL STORMS -
Map.
Projected storm paths .
Hurricane FLORENCE was 402 nmi SSE of Halifax, Nova Scotia.(LARGE NORTHEASTERLY SWELLS ARE EXPECTED TO CONTINUE PRODUCING ROUGH SURF AND DANGEROUS RIP CURRENTS ALONG MOST OF THE EAST COAST OF THE UNITED STATES FOR ANOTHER COUPLE DAYS.)
Tropical storm GORDON was 482 nmi NE of St. Thomas.
Tropical Depression 08 was 1620 nmi S of Lajes, Azores. (should become Tropical Storm Helene today).
Typhoon SHANSHAN was 375 nmi S of Kadena AB, Okinawa.
Tropical Depression 15W was 116 nmi SW of Hong Kong.
RAIN-
AUSTRALIA - The Sunshine Coast received almost twice its monthly average rainfall in just one soaking 24-hour period Moday. Mother Nature served up gale-force winds of up to 110km/h along with the drenching rains across most of the Coast, while on Sunday areas of Noosa copped an UNSEASONAL hail storm. The average September rainfall is 45.8mm but that figure was blown out of the water in just one day when Maleny scored 62mm, Maroochydore 82mm and Nambour 66mm to 3pm. “It is QUITE an UNUSUAL WEATHER PATTERN for this time of year. Usually you get dry, gusty and hot conditions, but this is more like a June weather pattern and it’s a bit like Melbourne weather. It’s also definitely cooler than usual and we got close to our record coldest temperature for September on Sunday."
------------------------------------------
Tuesday, September 12, 2006 -
LIVE HAPPILY EVER NOW.
QUAKES -
Largest quakes yesterday -
9/11 -
5.4 TONGA ISLANDS
5.3 EASTERN KASHMIR
5.1 SEA OF OKHOTSK
Bunches of small quakes in the BALTIC STATES-BELARUS-NW RUSSIA over the last few days.
TROPICAL STORMS -
Map.
Projected storm paths .
Hurricane FLORENCE was 97 nmi NW of Hamilton, Bermuda. (Winds are expected to cause very rough and dangerous surf conditions with potentially deadly rip current along nearly the entire Atlantic East Coast of North America for the next several days.)
Tropical storm GORDON was 462 nmi NNE of Fort de France, Martinique. (likely to become a hurricane in a day or so, but also likely to spend its life over water and not make landfall)
Typhoon SHANSHAN was 481 nmi SSE of Kadena AB, Okinawa.
Typhoon Shanshan , a mid-strength typhoon, was taking aim at Taiwan and the southern islands of Japan today. It could strike Okinawa as early as Friday, according to a Tropical Storm Risk alert service bulletin. It could also change direction completely.
Hurricane Florence blew over Bermuda but spared the territory massive damage, with Canadian forecasters predicting it will pass close to Newfoundland's most populous region late Wednesday.
Gordon is the seventh named storm of the 2006 Atlantic Hurricane season, and the second named storm to form in September. Most early computer tracking models show Gordon on a path out into the Atlantic away from any populated areas.
------------------------------------------
Monday, September 11, 2006 -
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY - What if the hokey-pokey really IS what it's all about?
QUAKES -
Largest quakes yesterday -
9/10 -
5.0 NORTHERN SUMATERA, INDONESIA
5.9 GULF OF MEXICO
5.2 SOUTH SANDWICH ISLANDS REGION
5.0 BANDA SEA
GULF OF MEXICO - A magnitude 6.0 earthquake that originated in the Gulf of Mexico at 10:56 a.m. Sunday rattled windows of Florida residents, and tremors were felt as far north as Georgia and Alabama. The epicenter of the quake was in 260 miles west-southwest of Clearwater, Florida and about 6.2 miles below the surface. Florida is located on the trailing (or passive) margin of the North American Plate while California is located on its active margin. Florida's unique geology makes it difficult to define faults. "The natural process that causes limestone to dissolve may obscure what was originally a faulted surface." (map)
The strong earthquake in the Gulf of Mexico that sent shocks through Florida on Sunday was RARE in various ways, scientists said. The intensity of the earthquake - magnitude 6 - was UNUSUAL. "This is quite a big earthquake for that area." Earthquakes in the Gulf are UNUSUAL because the sea is not near the edge of a tectonic plate, the massive pieces of the Earth's surface layer that are in constant movement. Consequently, there have been only about a dozen earthquakes registered in the Gulf in the past 30 years. By comparison, areas such as Indonesia can register twice that many in a day. The location of the quake puzzles scientists. Because the Gulf is not near the edges of the North American plate upon which it sits, the seismic movement had to occur in the interior of the plate itself. Such midplate earthquakes are RARE. "Most earthquakes - 99 percent of them, I'd say - occur alongside the edges. This earthquake is what we call a midplater, a quake that occurs in the middle of the plates. They are very infrequent." Scientists are still trying to understand how such midplate quakes come to be, but they think the tension generated at the edges of the plates sometimes travels inward, into the middle of the plate, where it is then released. Underwater earthquakes occur more frequently than the public is aware of, but usually near the plate edges. This quake, being far from any plate edge, is a fact that, when combined with it's relative strength, makes it noteworthy but not worrisome.
TROPICAL STORMS -
Map.
Projected storm paths .
Tropical depression 07 was 517 nmi NE of Bridgetown, Barbados.
Hurricane FLORENCE was 221 nmi SSW of Hamilton, Bermuda.
Tropical storm SHANSHAN was 589 nmi SE of Kadena AB, Okinawa.
Florence has strengthened into a category one hurricane as it heads towards the Bermuda islands. The sixth tropical storm of the Atlantic hurricane season, Florence was upgraded early on Sunday with winds of up to 120km/h (75mph). It is expected to strengthen further and reach the tiny UK territory today - although it is not clear whether it will be a direct hit.
Tropical storm Shanshan is forecast to strike Japan as a category 2 typhoon at about 18:00 GMT on 15 September. (map)
HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING / LANDSLIDES -
NEPAL - At least eleven people including two children have been killed in flood, landslide and lightning in various parts of Nepal. In Kabilas area in Chitawan district, due to flood caused by incessant rain, some 300 houses were swept away. Two people were killed by lightning and one killed by landslide in Hetauda in Makawanpur district in central Nepal.
PHILIPPINES - Yet another natural calamity hit the Province of Misamis Oriental early morning Sunday, this time killing three persons with two kids still missing. This is the fourth natural calamity that hit the Province of Misamis Oriental during the rainy months of August and September. The first was a cloudburst at Balingasag that killed an entire family of four. This was followed by big waves and strong winds that killed a mother and her son at Liberatad. The third natural calamity was another cloudburst at Lagonglong that has affected hundreds of families and agricultural crops. Meanwhile, heavy rains and strong winds started late Friday night causing the river along San Roque Village Relocation Site, Barangay Dayawan, Villanueva to rise up and overflow. At around 1 a.m. morning Sunday, there was then massive flooding in the areas near the river.
MAINE - Line squall causes outages throughout central Maine. A fast-moving, rain-carrying, lightning-fueled squall line racing through central Maine left a lot of people in the dark Saturday night. Part of the storm appeared as a funnel cloud. "It looked like a finger sticking out of the sky." Other people called police reporting the same UNUSUAL weather phenomenon.
------------------------------------------
Sunday, September 10, 2006 -
QUAKES -
Largest quakes yesterday -
9/9 -
5.3 NORTHERN SUMATERA, INDONESIA
5.3 MINAHASSA PENINSULA, SULAWESI
5.0 TONGA ISLANDS REGION
5.0 CHILE-ARGENTINA BORDER REGION
5.0 CHILE-BOLIVIA BORDER REGION
5.2 SOUTHWESTERN PAKISTAN
5.0 SOLOMON ISLANDS REGION
5.3 FIJI ISLANDS REGION
6.1 FLORES SEA
9/8 -
5.1 BANDA SEA
5.1 BANDA SEA
5.4 TONGA ISLANDS
5.3 NEW BRITAIN
VOLCANOES -
ITALY - The largest volcano in Europe is erupting, and it is putting on quite a colorful display. Lava is oozing from the southeastern crater of Mount Etna. The volcano's eruption is being caused by lava explosions inside the crater. The eruption is happening about 9,300 feet above sea level, so experts said it is not a threat to people or homes in the area. Etna Webcam
PHILIPPINES - Mayon's lava flow in its 2006 eruption is the LONGEST IN ITS HISTORY, lasting 56 days as of September 8. The volcano has been able to sustain its continuous flowing of lava even in the absence of strong explosions. This is a new characteristic compared to prior behavior in which strong explosions culminated into lava flow.
TROPICAL STORMS -
Map.
Projected storm paths .
Tropical depression 14W was 400 nmi NNW of Yap, Caroline Islands.
Tropical storm FLORENCE was 327 nmi S of Hamilton, Bermuda.
IOKE - Wake Island suffered severe wind damage when Super Typhoon Ioke passed over the island a week ago, and may have lost an entire season's reproduction of 11 seabird species. But a Coast Guard team delivered to the island by boat has found that there were no spills from island tanks that hold some 3 million gallons of aircraft fuel, oil and other compounds. Ponded water visible in photos taken two days after the storm's passage suggest either heavy rain or inundation by storm-driven seawater. Ioke hit during the breeding season for tens of thousands of seabirds on Wake. Wind speeds approaching 200 mph, and storm surges that may have swept across the entire island, would likely have killed off the entire stock of eggs and chicks.
El Niño might signal end of hurricane season - It can't be said with certainty, but the 2006 Atlantic hurricane season might come to a premature end soon. The Climate Prediction Center said Thursday that an El Niño is forming in the eastern Pacific and that this cooling of waters could cut short the Atlantic hurricane season. Hurricane season runs from June 1 through Nov. 30, and last year a number of storms formed in November and December. Today (Sunday) is considered the peak of hurricane season. When El Niño forms, winds over the Atlantic become strong from the west. As Atlantic systems move westward toward Florida and the United States, the developing storms meet strong upper-level winds and are torn apart. That's what is beginning to happen now. The El Niño is "UNUSUAL" for this time of year and because of that no one can be sure exactly what will happen next. If the El Niño is long-lived, as previous ones were, "it will probably last through the hurricane season of 2007, helping to suppress hurricane activity next year." The formation of El Niño at this time of year has happened only once in the last half-century. For the upcoming winter, El Niño will mean wetter than normal conditions for Florida and the Southeast. Temperatures will be slightly below normal, mostly due to the excessive cloud cover.
HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING / LANDSLIDES -
NEPAL - Landslide kills one, highways blocked. At least one person was killed in a landslide following incessant rainfall in Chitwan Saturday. Umdi River in Chitwan has swept away some parts of Bharatpur. Several areas in Narayangarh bazaar have been waterlogged due to incessant rain. Likewise, rain has also affected life in Makawanpur district while rescue operations have been hampered. More than 30 people have been killed by floods and landslide over the last few weeks around the country.
Floods caused by dammed rivers - In Myagdi, two more houses were buried while more than 25 families of 12 households have been displaced by landslides that occurred at Torakhet of Bhakimli VDC-9 on Wednesday morning. The landslide is still continuing and additional rainfall may bury the entire village. Five houses had been swept away in the same place a week ago.
BHUTAN - A massive landslide after two days of incessant rain has cut off the Pasakha industrial estate from its town where most of the residential areas are located. Though the initial slide could not stop vehicles from crossing the stretch, another slide about half an hour later completely blocked the road. “A huge portion of the mountain slope came crashing down.” According to the residents, the slides continued for more than three hours bringing along huge chunks of rock and loose soil. Residents said that landslides were common in that area during monsoon.
INDIA - Uttar Pradesh is facing a climatic paradox. While several districts in one part of the state are inundated by floods, another part of the state faces a severe drought. Such FREAK weather conditions have never been experienced at least in the past two decades. The floods have claimed more than 50 lives in UP so far. Lakhs of people have been marooned in hundreds of villages in central UP districts like Barabanki and Bahraich where dams have been breached by high velocity water currents. A senior Irrigation Department official said that the main reason for this was the water released from Nepal into Indian territory.
ARIZONA - RECORD RAINFALL claims a life - A man was swept to his death in a South Side wash that flooded when more than an inch of rain drenched Tucson on Thursday morning. The 1.14 inches of rain recorded at Tucson International Airport set a record for rainfall on Sept. 7 and makes this year's monsoon the eighth-wettest on record, with 9.83 inches since June 15. The storms closed streets and brought down utility poles.
The storm was a strange one - Thursday's rain came mostly between 6 and 9 a.m., ATYPICAL for a monsoon storm. Summer rains normally are spurred by rising heat in the late afternoon, but this storm was caused by a weather system from Utah and Nevada.
------------------------------------------
Friday, September 8, 2006 -
QUAKES -
Largest quakes yesterday -
9/7 -
5.4 FIJI ISLANDS REGION
INDIA - utter panic and chaos gripped Assam following predictions by a geologist from the University of Madras that a high magnitude earthquake was likely to hit the region today. People across the state were making bulk purchases of essentials and medicines. People could be seen queuing up outside ATMs to withdraw cash preparing for the disaster.
The Assam government is likely to ask New Delhi to form a core group of experts to verify any future predictions or warnings on disaster made by individuals before it is made public, to avoid unnecessary panic. Locals in Assam, though relieved that there was no quake, are now angry after the predictions proved wrong. As the appointed time for the quake passed, people embraced each other and cheered with a sense of jubilation.
TSUNAMI -
THE MEDITERRANEAN region – particularly the area around Greece – could be hit by a major tsunami before the end of the century, a scientist said. Because of the region’s tourism boom over the last five decades, the consequences would be devastating. A major tsunami occurs in the Mediterranean about every 136 years. The last one happened in the south Aegean sea in 1956, killing four people and causing shipwrecks and widespread coastal damage. An even worse tsunami, which hit the Sicilian city of Messina in 1908, killed 1,500 people. An additional 60,000 lost their lives because of the quake that triggered it. A Mediterranean tsunami would unlikely be as strong as the one that spread across the Indian Ocean region in December 2004, because the nature of the sea basin means it would not spread across the whole sea. Global statistics show about 10% of the world’s tsunamis occur in the Mediterranean. Earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and even landslides can cause huge waves that wreak havoc along coastlines. In 1979, at least a dozen people in the French resort of Nice drowned when an undersea landslide – attributed to the construction of a new airport – caused a tsunami.
VOLCANOES -
PHILIPPINES - Eruption of Mayon about over, experts say. Mayon Volcano’s eight-week eruption is nearing its end, giving fresh hope to tens of thousands of people displaced by its lava flows, officials said yesterday.
TROPICAL STORMS -
Map.
Projected storm paths .
Tropical storm FLORENCE was 492 nmi NE of Fort de France, Martinique. Satellite images indicate that Florence remains poorly organized with an elongated shapeless cloud pattern which is not very typical of a tropical cyclone. The NOAA can not find any good reason why Florence has not yet intensified since the ingredients commonly used to forecast strengthening are present.
Tropical depression KRISTY was 1268 nmi WSW of Cabo San Lucas, Mexico .
Tropical Storm Florence will send dangerous swells over the eastern U.S. coastline as the UNUSUALLY BROAD cyclone churns northwest in the Atlantic toward Bermuda, forecasters warned on Thursday. The sixth tropical storm of the Atlantic hurricane season was forecast to strengthen into a hurricane before its center passes west of Bermuda early next week. Florence is forecast to strike Bermuda as a hurricane at about 21:00 GMT on 11 September. Florence was over the open sea and expected to turn away from the United States. But it was an unusually large storm more than 1,000 miles wide. Forecasters said it would roil the surf along the eastern U.S. shore, make swimming dangerous and erode beaches. "Since the wind field is so large, it will send a swell out ahead of the system. That looks like it will affect much of the east coast Sunday into Monday."
HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING / LANDSLIDES -
MEXICO - A landslide buried buses and cars on a highway in the central state of Puebla and killed at least four travelers and injured at least 11 Thursday, a day after a separate avalanche left 10 villagers dead in northern Mexico. It was not clear if they expected to find more victims, or exactly what caused the landslide. A landslide Wednesday that authorities said was triggered by heavy rains killed 10 people, mostly children, and injured three others when five homes were buried by mud in the remote indigenous village of Chalchihuitillo.
AUSTRALIA - The gale force winds and record flooding rain that hit Sydney Wednesday night have left one man dead and the city's transport system struggling to resume normal services. The storm fatality was a man believed to have fallen from a yacht in storm-lashed Sydney Harbour who was pulled unconscious from the water. 90.6mm of rain deluged metropolitan Sydney city between 9pm and 5am. The western suburbs and, significantly, the Warragamba catchment area, reported heavy falls, some exceeding the average for the whole of September.
------------------------------------------
Thursday, September 7, 2006 -
QUAKES -
Largest quakes yesterday -
9/6 -
6.3 FIJI ISLANDS REGION
5.1 NEAR E.CST EASTERN HONSHU
5.7 SCOTIA SEA
5.4 EASTERN SIBERIA, RUSSIA
INDIA - There is a 70 percent chance of a 7 - 8 magnitude earthquake hitting Assam on Friday, a geologist from the University of Madras has predicted on the basis of planetary positions. But seismologists debunk his theory. A statement issued by N. Venkatanathan of the Department of Applied Geology says the alignment of the Sun, Moon and Mercury that day is exactly similar to the one that existed on Aug 15, 1950, when an earthquake of a magnitude of 8.5 on the Richter scale killed thousands in Assam. Based on the analysis, he said the earthquake could occur around 8:21 am with its epicentre about 15 km southwest of Dibrugarh. "The Sun and Mercury will be aligned on one side of the Earth and the Moon at the opposite side along the same line." He said that though similar planetary alignments had taken place several times between 1950 and now, the "force changes were not conducive for triggering an earthquake every time... This, plus the fact that the region has experienced several small shocks in the last three weeks, and recent observation by seismologist Arun Bapat of [an] abrupt drop in atmospheric temperature in that region alerted me [to] give this prediction for Assam."
VOLCANOES -
PHILIPPINES - The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology said Mt. Mayon's condition is still abnormal as lava extrusion continues.
INDONESIA - alert level raised at smoking Mount Bromo volcano. Indonesia has raised the alert level at the volcano on Java island, and is urging villagers and tourists to stay off the mountain's slopes. Mount Bromo typically erupts once a year, but it does not send debris or lava far down its slopes and nearby towns and villages were in no danger. Bromo was placed at the second-highest alert level on Tuesday, meaning an eruption may occur within one or two weeks.
TROPICAL STORMS -
Map.
Projected storm paths .
Tropical storm FLORENCE was 565 nmi NE of Bridgetown, Barbados.
Tropical depression KRISTY was 1127 nmi WSW of Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.
IOKE - a storm warning has been announced to the fleet sailing in the Pacific Ocean near the Kamchatka Peninsula coast in connection with the approach of Typhoon Ioke. The typhoon that is transforming into an active cyclone will maximally approach Kamchatka tonight. Winds are expected to strengthen in southern areas of the region to 25-30 metres per second. The wind will attain hurricane force of up to 43 metres per second at sea. The centre of the typhoon that is moving northeast to the Bering Sea will pass some 500 kilometres southwest of the Kamchatka coast at a speed of up to 60 kilometres per hour. On September 8, the atmospheric vortex will spread its influence on the whole of the Bering Sea where a strong storm is expected. Typhoon Ioke is currently east of the South Kuriles some 1,500 kilometres from Kamchatka, but its “indirect influence” is now felt here. Its effects will only become stronger in the coming hours, specialists say. 10 Chinese trawlers engaged in Pacific saury catches in the ocean have asked permission to shelter from the hurricane in the Iturup Island area.
Tropical Storm Florence could be a hurricane by Friday. Florence is getting better organized, with forecasters calling it an UNUSUALLY large Atlantic tropical storm. But they say it's too soon to know if it'll affect the U.S. For now, the sixth storm to get a name this season remains 960 miles east of the Northern Leeward Islands. Top winds are getting a bit stronger at 45 miles an hour. That's still almost 30 miles an hour short of minimum hurricane strength. But the National Hurricane Center expects it to meet the criteria by Friday morning. Because it's a large storm, forecasters say it takes longer to develop and intensify, compared to smaller storms.
Hurricane season - Highly regarded weather watchers at Colorado State University on Friday slashed their forecast for the remainder of the 2006 Atlantic hurricane season, saying essentially they blew the outlook because vast volumes of Saharan sand blew in, drying up the atmosphere and sapping needed moisture from would-be tropical storms. Apart from the UNUSUAL role of West African dust, indications of a potential occurrence of El Nino also are affecting conditions. El Nino refers to unusually warm water in the Pacific Ocean that can have important global consequences, including increased rainfall and flooding in the southern tier of the U.S. and Peru, and droughts in the western Pacific. In September, forecasters call for five named storms, three hurricanes and two major hurricanes. There is a greater-than-normal chance of storms making landfall somewhere in the U.S. in the month, too. The probability of a named storm making landfall this month is 74%, compared with 67% over the past 52 years. The chance of a hurricane landfall is 59%, compared with 48%, while the possibility of an intense hurricane making landfall in the month is 35%, up from 27%. For October, the forecasters see "below average" activity, with two named storms, three hurricanes and no major hurricanes. Landfall probabilities in October are below average.
HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING / LANDSLIDES -
VIETNAM - Deluge leaves Hanoi submerged. Heavy rains lashed Hanoi Tuesday, inundating streets and bringing traffic to a halt. The HIGHEST EVER RAINFALL IN THE LAST 5 YEARS, lasting from noon to 2 pm, submerged streets in more than a half-meter of water. Van Ho and Long Bien precincts recorded 101.5 and 82 millimeters respectively. Hundreds of vehicles were stalled. More rains were forecast in the north over the next 3-4 days.
NORTH CAROLINA - Thick thunderstorms aggravated flood conditions in eastern North Carolina on Tuesday night, and forecasters projected that the Northeast Cape Fear River could swell more than it did when Tropical Storm Ernesto hit last week. "This is basically Ernesto over again. It's not a pretty forecast." Some areas already had seen 6 inches of rain from the latest storms. Computer models projected that the Northeast Cape Fear could crest over 17 feet by Friday - more than 7 feet above flood levels. The river flowed at just 2 feet last Thursday, before Ernesto squeezed up to a foot of rain over the region.
INDIANA - The National Weather Service says an area in southeast Rockford received about six inches of rain during afternoon storms Wednesday. Powerful floodwaters submerged parts of Rockford and the chilly water trapped people in their homes and set off one dramatic rescue after another. At the intersection of 14th Street and Tenth Avenue, the water rose to about five feet. Many long-time residents call the surprise afternoon flooding UNPRECEDENTED. People were forced to abandon cars, watch possessions float by or wait on porches as boats were dispatched to carry them to safety.
KANSAS - As shifting weather patterns carry Kansas from summer to fall, they can create conditions for the kind of severe weather - tornadoes and large hail - more typically seen in spring. Historically, that second season peaks during the last 10 days of August and the first 10 days of September. But computer models suggest the entire period will pass this year without storms capable of tornadoes and large hail. "We may not even have a second season." The weather pattern that typically brings tornadoes and large hail to Kansas this time of year, called the "northwest flow" because the storm fronts swoop down from the northern Rockies into northwest Kansas, shows no signs of setting up for the foreseeable future. A calm second season would be consistent with the rest of this year's warm-weather months, forecasters say. To date, there have only been 13 tornadoes reported in the 26 counties of southeast Kansas included in the Wichita office's coverage area. That compares to 40 last year and 53 in 2004. Since 1950, when the service began keeping tornado statistics, the southeast quarter of Kansas has averaged about 17 tornadoes a year. For the past nine years, however, the region averaged nearly 33 a year - almost double the average.
ALASKA - Juneau sets RECORD for spring, summer days of rain. Juneauites are used to getting hammered with rain, after all it is a rainforest, but this year has been ridiculous. Measurable precipitation was recorded on 109 of 153 days from April through August. That surpasses the record of 106 days set in the spring and summer of 1973. Rivers and streams have overflowed and gardens have been ruined by oversaturation. 30.18 inches fell from April though August, just spring and summer in 1961 recorded a trace more rain than that.
DUBAI - A heavy sandstorm hit the UAE on Tuesday afternoon, causing visibility to plunge to as little as 50 metres. Driving conditions became hazardous when the wall of sand struck Dubai, Sharjah, Ajman, Ras Al Khaimah, Abu Dhabi and other parts of the country from about 3pm onwards. Forecasters said the storm was just the latest offbeat weather event after weeks of meteorological instability in the eastern parts of the UAE. Winds blowing from the south east to the north west gusted at up to 40 knots, churning up sand and dust. The weather system that caused the winds was moving across the UAE from east to west. "The storm was caused by winds coming down from thundery clouds a downdraft. It was quite a severe one because the winds were reaching high levels... This year, August and first week of September have been full of activity [in the eastern areas] we've NEVER HAD THIS TYPE OF THING DAY AFTER DAY BEFORE." There were daily reports of heavy clouds in eastern mountainous parts of the UAE, and on Tuesday those conditions reached the west coast. Drivers said they were shocked by the speed with which the sandstorm descended and cut visibility. As well as the sandstorms there were also unsettled conditions on the east coast, with meteorologists at Fujairah reporting thunderstorms. The storms were accompanied by heavy rains, causing heavy water flow through wadis and farmland.
------------------------------------------
Wednesday, September 6, 2006 -
QUAKES -
Largest quakes yesterday -
9/5 -
5.1 WEST CHILE RISE
5.1 OFF COAST OF PERU
5.6 MINDANAO, PHILIPPINE ISLANDS
5.3 SOUTH OF FIJI ISLANDS
INDIA - A sudden drop in atmospheric temperature and smaller earthquakes have convinced seismologists of the need to alert the Asom government of a major earthquake likely to strike in the near future. The Asom government, after receiving the urgent alert notice from world famous seismologist Dr Arun Bapat, are not taking chances and have formally asked all district magistrates to be on alert for any eventuality. In the area, the temperature was below the normal temperature by 3-4 degrees and the occurrence was sudden. The Lakhimpur area itself is in a highly active seismic zone and Dr Bapat cited that a similar abrupt fall in atmospheric temperature was noticed in Pakistan's Rawalpindi last year before a major earthquake rocked the city and its suburbs. Meanwhile, the Geological Survey of India said that such changes in temperature could take place and there was no need to jump to conclusions. Two mild-intensity earthquakes which were recorded in the past 24 hours in the northeastern region have further complicated the picture as there has been growing panic in the state.
HAWAII - A 3.3-magnitude earthquake shook the ocean floor off Waikoloa Monday evening, the fourth temblor of 3.0 or more to strike the state in a week's time. Hawai'i is among the top states when it comes to seismic activity, ranking behind Alaska and California. Many of the quakes are linked to Hawai'i's volcanic activity.
TROPICAL STORMS -
Map.
Projected storm paths .
Tropical storm FLORENCE was 591 nmi ENE of Bridgetown, Barbados.
Tropical storm KRISTY was 1021 nmi WSW of Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.
HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING / LANDSLIDES -
PENNSYLVANIA - "This truly has been a HIGHLY UNUSUAL summer for the number of storms." Ernesto was the 13th notable storm this summer in the area. This summer was ONE OF THE WETTEST IN RECENT YEARS with 25 percent more precipitation (16.7 inches) than normal for the period.
SNOW / COLD -
INDIA - Unprecedented rain in the Himalayas has led to heavy snowfall in large parts of Uttaranchal and Kashmir. In the Uttaranchal Himalayas, which usually gets snowfall in late October, the hills turned white after two days of snow during the first days of September, the FIRST TIME IN A DECADE that they had a white weekend. The unseasonal rain and snow were caused by a westerly trough and a low pressure area. With temperatures dropping to between sub-zero and five degrees centigrade in the region, people geared for an early winter.
CHANGING WEATHER SEASON -
CANADA - Tofino, on the west coast of Vancouver Island, Canada's Pacific rain forest, usually receives about three metres of rain a year. It has had no serious rainfall since June and last month was the DRIEST AUGUST ON RECORD. "We've set a record for the driest August ever... we've always had rain in Tofino. It is a rain forest but the weather patterns are changing...It's certainly something that I think we're going to have to look at in the future in terms of global warming... this was definitely the biggest wake-up call."
------------------------------------------
Tuesday, September 5, 2006 -
QUAKES -
Largest quakes yesterday -
9/4 -
5.3 SOUTH OF JAWA, INDONESIA
5.6 NEW GUINEA, PAPUA NEW GUINEA
5.2 JUJUY PROVINCE, ARGENTINA
TROPICAL STORMS -
Map.
Projected storm paths .
Tropical storm FLORENCE (very large) was 755 nmi ENE of Bridgetown, Barbados.
Tropical storm IOKE was 464 nmi ENE of Tokyo, Japan.
Tropical depression JOHN was 422 nmi NNW of Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.
Tropical storm KRISTY (upgraded to a tropical storm, again) was 761 nmi WSW of Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.
IOKE - In the western Pacific, long-lived Typhoon Ioke (110 mph) is churning northwestward far to the southeast of Japan. Ioke is forecast to weaken and turn to a northerly track over the next 48 hours, most likely bypassing Japan to the east. Huge surf from the typhoon, however, will pound the east coast of the nation with waves 20 to 30 feet high.
VIRGINIA - Storm-shocked Northumberland County homeowners said that weather forecasts left them unprepared for the fury of tropical depression Ernesto. The County Administratorcomplained to National Weather Service authorities that its predictions of Ernesto's path and power left county residents and homeowners with a false sense of security. National Weather Service forecasts given in numerous conference calls all understated the reality of the storm. "They were calling for winds of 35 miles per hour and tides 2 to 2½ feet above normal. We had wind gusts of 60 miles per hour and tides 5 and 5½ feet above normal." Forecasters and their computer models did not anticipate an UNUSUAL interaction between Ernesto and high pressure air to the north when the storm lumbered into the bay. The result strengthened Ernesto's northeast winds, which pushed water levels higher on exposed shores, causing more tidal flooding than expected.
HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING / LANDSLIDES -
KASHMIR is facing its WORST EVER FLOOD CRISIS IN TWO DECADES with hundreds of villages and parts of capital Srinagar completely marooned. At least 14 people have died in Jammu after three days of incessant rains and freak floods. Over half a million people have moved to safer places to survive the floodwaters and the Army has been called in to undertake rescue missions in parts of Kashmir. The rising waters of Chenab River are eating away at farmlands every year. “We can only watch helplessly. The water rises and takes away our fields, this loss has become a annual feature for us now.” The rising Chenab in Akhnoor, near Jammu, has already affected 15 villages where agriculture is the only source of income. Many high altitude areas, including parts of the National highway, have also received heavy snowfall over the past three days.
SNOW / COLD -
INDIA - Cold gusts of wind and rain buffeted the Himachal Pradesh tourist town of Shimla, sending the temperature plummeting to an UNUSUAL 15 degrees Celsius, as the upper mountainous areas received rain and snow over the past two days. Peaks in the high altitudes and in the tribal Lahaul valley, some 350 km from here, received fresh snowfall Saturday setting off a cold spell in the mid hills of the state. Most areas of the state have been lashed by rain for the past few days. The gusty winds are being described as UNUSUAL for this time of the year. The standing apple crop has been damaged in several parts of the apple belt in the mid hills of the state.
CHANGING WEATHER SEASON -
BRITAIN - New research suggests the kind of extreme downpour usually associated with India and the tropics will become a familiar part of autumn in Britain as a result of global warming and climate change. To make matters worse, separate research from Britain's Met Office suggests that European heatwaves are likely to become much hotter and more frequent. And the changes are occurring even sooner than anticipated. From 1961-2000 extreme cloudbursts have become much more frequent and intense. The length of periods of storms and heavy rain have doubled over parts of the UK since the 1960s and where they once occurred every 25 years they now come around in six-year intervals. There has also been a change in the arrival of extreme rainfall with the majority now occurring in autumn. Scotland and Northern England have begun to get many more five-or 10-day periods of heavy rain. The south, on the other hand, got fewer periods of protracted rain - but many more heavy cloud bursts. "We are looking at an UNHEARD-OF RATE OF CHANGE in weather patterns which usually take place over tens of thousands of years."
AUSTRALIA'S rapid climate change had caught scientists by surprise, a leading water expert said. Experts had expected the changes, which have left much of the country suffering drought conditions, but thought they would take much longer to take effect. "I don't think any of us expected the climate change we have experienced over the last five years. I was expecting climate change but I was expecting it to take 30 years." Australia was drying out quickly and with water restrictions already in place in many areas, governments needed to consider all available options, such as recycling and desalination, to prevent an impending water crisis. "I wouldn't be surprised to see water prices double in Australia in the next couple of years, we are paying about $1 a kilolitre, in most Australian cities. In Germany they are paying $11 a kilolitre so we are very underpriced in terms of some other communities." "I think panic has set in with the bureaucrats, government and water engineers and they are jumping to big dams, big pipelines without doing the hard work and seeing how far they can push recycling. What's the point in building big dams if they remain half full? It's much smarter to move to recycling."
AUSTRALIA has recorded its DRIEST AUGUST ON RECORD since accurate record-keeping began in 1900, increasing the chance of severe bushfires and giving little hope of an end to the crippling drought. It was also the WARMEST AUGUST since detailed monthly temperature data came on line in 1950. RECORD LOW WINTER RAINFALL was recorded over a large area of southern Western Australia and in parts of the eastern states. Rainfall deficits had also intensified across the nation's south east, including Tasmania, since the start of autumn. Large areas of eastern Australia have been in drought since 2002. Whether an El Nino develops or not, there is not much hope of decent rainfall in the months ahead. “The current warm ocean temperatures in the Pacific mean that the odds of good rainfall over Australia in late winter/spring are reduced, and that the above-average temperatures already being observed are likely to continue.”
------------------------------------------
Monday, September 4, 2006 -
QUAKES -
Largest quakes yesterday -
9/3 -
5.4 NORTHERN SUMATERA, INDONESIA
5.6 SOUTH OF FIJI ISLANDS
5.0 FIJI ISLANDS REGION
5.5 TONGA ISLANDS
5.6 TONGA ISLANDS
5.3 TOKELAU ISLANDS REGION
TROPICAL STORMS -
Map.
Projected storm paths .
Tropical depression 06 was 1085 nmi E of Bridgetown, Barbados.
Typhoon IOKE was 571 nmi SE of Tokyo, Japan.
Tropical depression JOHN was 374 nmi NNW of Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.
Tropical depression KRISTY was 586 nmi WSW of Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.
Tropical Depression 6 continued to move westward in the deep Atlantic today. It did not grow into a tropical storm overnight but it is expected to become Florence later today or Tuesday. The system is expected to become a Category 1 hurricane by Friday. The depression was located about 1,345 miles east of the Lesser Antilles.
JOHN - Military helicopters have flown in emergency aid after floods triggered by Tropical Storm John left 10,000 people stranded on Mexico's Baja California peninsula. People in 15 towns in the mountainous region of Baja California Sur state were cut off as flood waters reached up to 1.5m yesterday after John's heavy rains caused the Iguagil dam in Comondu to overflow its banks. No deaths were reported as the storm made its way up the peninsula. John could still produce enough rain in parts of central Baja California to trigger flash floods and mudslides in mountainous terrain. Moisture from the tropical depression could help dump up to eight centimetres of rain in the south-western United States and west Texas through today.
HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING / LANDSLIDES -
AUSTRALIA - RECORD RAINFALL has lashed north Queensland over the past 48 hours, causing road closures on a major highway. More than 270mm was dumped on the town of Cardwell, 150km south of Cairns, in the 48 hours to 9am today – nearly eight times the September average of 36mm. Neighbouring Ingham, south of the Cardwell Range, recorded about 166mm over 48 hours. The downpour has smashed rainfall records in both towns. Cardwell's previous 24-hour rainfall record was 97mm set in 1926, a figure broken twice in the past two days. But it fell in the wrong areas to help the severe drought in the state's south. Cairns Bureau of Meteorology said the rainfall was “PHENOMENAL”, adding that it was unseasonal. This weekend's heavy rain wrought havoc on the Bruce Highway at the Cardwell range, with three landslips in 24 hours blocking both lanes of traffic. The rainfall had been caused by the combination of an upper level low and a low pressure trough coming together around Cardwell, causing heavy, slow moving rain.
INDIA - Flooding triggered by monsoon rains in the past few days have left 1.5 million people homeless and damaged thousands of acres of paddy crop in the eastern Indian state of Orissa. Over 20,000 people were evacuated after hundreds of villages were cut off. Army troops were evacuating more villagers from coastal districts with the authorities braced for more rain. “We are bothered about the fresh formation of a low pressure over the Bay of Bengal and are closely monitoring its movement."
In Nepal, at least 50 people died last week in flash floods. Thousands of people have been evacuated to dry areas while officials are braced for any outbreak of diseases. Landslides and flash floods have also affected thousands of people in Pakistan.
------------------------------------------
Sunday, September 3, 2006 -
QUAKES -
Largest quakes yesterday -
9/2 -
5.0 BANDA SEA
9/1 -
5.0 NEW CALEDONIA REGION
5.0 NEAR COAST OF NORTHERN CHILE
5.9 FOX ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN ISLANDS
5.6 NEAR E. CST KAMCHATKA PEN.
6.8 SOLOMON ISLANDS REGION
5.4 SOUTH OF KERMADEC ISLANDS
5.1 SOUTH OF KERMADEC ISLANDS
VOLCANOES -
Montserrat volcano spews ash and steam; scientists warn of increased activity.
TROPICAL STORMS -
Map.
Projected storm paths .
Typhoon IOKE was 853 nmi NE of Agana, Guam.
Tropical storm JOHN was 170 nmi NNW of Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.
Tropical depression KRISTY was 541 nmi WSW of Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.
TROPICAL DEPRESSION ERNESTO - High winds knocked down trees, created powerful waves and blew down utility lines yesterday. More than 400,000 homes in the U.S. mid-Atlantic region were without power on Saturday as the remnants of Tropical Storm Ernesto soaked the region with up to a foot (30 cm) of rain. Two people were reported dead in storm-related traffic accidents. Between 8 and 12 inches (20 and 30 cm) of rain fell in southeastern Virginia and a coastal town was evacuated.
HURRICANE JOHN left two people dead and another missing as it lashed north-western Mexico's Baja California peninsula with gusting wind and driving rain. A third person was reported missing after his vehicle was swept away by floodwaters.
------------------------------------------
Friday, September 1, 2006 -
QUAKES -
Largest quakes yesterday -
8/31 -
5.0 SOUTH OF SUMBAWA, INDONESIA
5.7 RYUKYU ISLANDS, JAPAN
5.0 NEAR S.CST OF EASTERN HONSHU
5.0 SALTA PROVINCE, ARGENTINA
5.0 SALTA PROVINCE, ARGENTINA
5.2 KURIL ISLANDS, RUSSIA
5.1 EASTERN NEW GUINEA
5.9 NORTHERN MOLUCCA SEA
5.0 SOUTHERN MID-ATLANTIC RIDGE
TROPICAL STORMS -
Map.
Projected storm paths .
Tropical storm ERNESTO was 22 nmi NNW of Wilmington, North Carolina.
Typhoon IOKE was 742 nmi NNW of Kwajalein, Marshall Islands.
Hurricane JOHN was 146 nmi SE of Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.
Hurricane KRISTY was 491 nmi WSW of Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.
Tropical Storm Ernesto dumped heavy rain on North and South Carolina as it closed in on the US East Coast near hurricane strength overnight, and forecasters warned it could trigger life-threatening floods and tornadoes. Ernesto, which sloshed through Florida Wednesday after briefly becoming the Atlantic storm season's first hurricane near Haiti, had sustained winds of 113 km/h, just short of the 119 km/h needed for hurricane status.
CAROLINAS - Heavy rains fell across the Carolinas as Tropical Storm Ernesto nearly regained hurricane status Thursday. Several locations in the region received an estimated 10 inches of rain. Wilmington, N.C., set a RECORD DAILY RAINFALL ACCUMULATION of 5.2 inches, beating the record for this day of 2.27 inches set in 2002.
Hurricane John - Luxury hotels sent foreign tourists home and the Mexican government ordered 10,000 local residents into shelters as Hurricane John took aim at the Baja California peninsula. John is a category three hurricane, packing sustained winds of 205km/h and stronger gusts. The Miami-based National Hurricane Centre forecast the storm will make a direct hit on the Los Cabos resort. After slamming into Los Cabos, the storm was expected to spin back out into the Pacific, posing no threat to the United States. John's winds and rains were strong enough to cause life-threatening flooding, severe damage to property and mudslides in mountainous areas. Rainfall of 150mm to 250mm, with isolated deluges of 450mm, was possible along the coast. The busy tourist resort of Acapulco had sea surges of up to 3.5 metres yesterday. Seafront roads were ankle-deep in water and people struggled to stay on their feet in winds that knocked down trees.
HEAT -
CHINA - The major drought affecting millions of people in southwestern China is now being called "the WORST IN A CENTURY", and searing temperatures have set off uncontrollable fires. 21 million people have found themselves affected, with more than seven million of them without adequate drinking water.
AUSTRALIA - LOWEST RAINFALL ON RECORD, DRIEST WINTER EVER RECORDED in the city of Ballarat. Just 87mm of rain fell this winter - the lowest level since weather records began almost a century ago in 1908. The grim winter rainfall count has caused Central Highlands Water to move restrictions up from stage two to stage three. August is traditionally Ballarat's wettest month, but the city only received 27mm, well below the monthly rainfall average of 75.4mm. A large number of high pressure systems had brought Ballarat frosty winter conditions but drier than average, clear skies. And Ballarat should brace itself for a drier than usual spring and a possible El Nino this year. "The surface temperatures are beginning to warm up in the eastern Pacific, which might suggest the risk of an El Nino. We should know in the next month."
------------------------------------------
Thursday, August 31, 2006 -
QUAKES -
Largest quakes yesterday -
8/30 -
5.0 SOUTH OF JAWA, INDONESIA
5.1 SOUTH OF JAWA, INDONESIA
5.0 KURIL ISLANDS, RUSSIA
TSUNAMI -
RUSSIA - 'Mini-tsunami' - A search operation continues at Dolzhanskaya Spit (Azov Sea Coast), where tourists were washed away by a surge the evening of the 29th. Dolzhanskaya Spit, which is one of the favorite resorts for residents of Krasnodar Territory and Rostov Region, was inundated. According to witnesses, six people were washed away by the surge. Yeisk Search and Rescue Unit of the emergency ministry managed to find five missing tourists at about 02:00 a.m. One is still missing. Dozens of cars with non-official holiday-makers were evacuated from the spit. Eleven people and their cars remained at the spit, as they refused to move away. Ten life-guards and a boat were involved in the rescue operation.
INDONESIA - Thousands of residents of the tiny islands of Tual and Langgur (Maluku province) abandoned their homes the night of the 29th for safer ground after a tsunami alert was issued. The population fled after an earthquake measuring 5.4 on the Richter scale was registered off the coast of the Maluku Islands, eastern Indonesia, forcing the authorities to sound the alarm, which was eventually called off. People found refuge in the villages of Un and Kampung Raja and on Masbait Hill. A local governmental building is now used as a temporary shelter for panicked residents, but the picture of the situation on the two islands remains unclear due to poor communications. It is known though that residents still refuse to go home until they are certain that the tsunami danger is over.
VOLCANOES -
PHILIPPINES - The sulfur dioxide (S02) emission of the rumbling Mayon Volcano abruptly increased to 9,733 tons on Wednesday from Tuesday's 3,864 tons. Mt. Mayon's normal S02 emission rate is pegged at 500 tons daily. The abrupt increase in the S02 emission rate was due to the degassing of magma after the two series of explosions recorded during the 24-hour observation period on Tuesday.
TROPICAL STORMS -
Map -
Projected storm paths .
Tropical storm ERNESTO was 78 nmi E of Jacksonville, Florida. ERNESTO has about 18 hours over water in which to intensify, but is unlikely to regain hurricane strength.
Typhoon IOKE was 628 nmi N of Kwajalein, Marshall Islands.
Hurricane JOHN was 59 nmi WSW of Manzanillo, Mexico.
Hurricane KRISTY was 471 nmi SW of Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.
Super-typhoon Ioke will have set the RECORD FOR MOST TIME SPENT AT CATEGORY 4 OR ABOVE by far by the time all is said and done. It is now starting to approach and affect various islands in the Pacific.
Hurricane John has weakened slightly to a category three storm but is still sustaining winds of 205km/h (125mph). It is moving north-west, parallel to the Mexican coastline, but so far the worst conditions have been at sea. Rain has been falling along parts of the coastline and forecasters warn that heavy downpours of up to 35cm (1ft) could cause "life-threatening flash floods and mudslides". Acapulco has experienced sea surges of up to 10ft (3.5m).
Another storm, Kristy, has meanwhile formed in the Pacific nearby, but is expected to remain at sea.
HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING / LANDSLIDES -
NIGER - Torrential rains have left at least 17,000 people homeless in the north and south of Niger, according to authorities who have appealed for urgent assistance. The remote desert town Bilma in Agadez region, 1,500 km northeast of the capital Niamey has been hardest hit. In this town alone, some 3,400 people from 675 families have been driven from their homes or watched them destroyed by flooding. Bilma has received some 63 mm of rain in recent days - EQUIVALENT TO THE TOTAL RAINFALL RECORDED THERE OVER THE LAST 10 YEARS. Another 700 people have left their homes in Ingal and Tabelot, also in the northeast region. In the south of Niger, heavy rains have also displaced 2,177 people around the major town Zinder in the southeast, and 2,261 near Madaoua, and 1,372 at Dogon Doutchi, both in the southwest. The government said it has started trying to relocate people to administrative buildings, but warns the majority are still without shelter.
Widespread flooding has also been reported in neighbouring northern Burkina Faso. Reports last week estimated at least 6,000 people there had left their homes. Flooding has also been reported in Liberia and parts of southern Senegal.
THAILAND - Continuous rainfall had led to landslides damaging five homes and 2,000 rai of forest in Nan's Thung Chang and Chalermprakiat districts, prompting officials to evacuate locals to temporary shelters. The discovery of a 700 metre-long and 50-metre-wide crack in the ground in Chiang Klang district's Ban Kok village prompted local officials to evacuate 152 residents to temporary shelters in the Phu Wae National Park. In neighbouring Chiang Mai, the Mae Rim River had overflowed and inundated 70 houses. The weather bureau has warned of heavy rains over the next few days.
NEPAL - Heavy rain that has flooded western Nepal villages and left thousands homeless is not expected to relent for at least three weeks. Flooding in the southwest and landslides in the mountainous northwest have already killed at least 39 people and several more are reported missing.
HEAT / WILDFIRES -
AUSTRALIA - The Rural Fire Service is preparing for a "worse than normal" fire season in NSW with experts warning that the chance of extreme fire danger days is set to double over the summer and there will be above average temperatures on these days. The official fire danger period will come into force a month early on September 1. Recent wet conditions along the coast had ironically had a huge impact on the state's ability to prepare for the season, preventing about 70% of the planned controlled burns.
NETHERLANDS - A heatwave in the Netherlands in July caused about 1000 more deaths than a normal July. The statistics office said an average of 2730 people died each week in July – the HOTTEST MONTH SINCE DUTCH RECORDS STARTED IN 1706 – compared to a normal figure of about 2500. Average temperatures in July were 6.6C above the long-term average. As temperatures fell in the first week of August, the number of deaths decreased. Each increase in the average temperature of 1C resulted in an estimated extra 22 deaths of women and nine deaths of men a week.
------------------------------------------
Wednesday, August 30, 2006 -
QUAKES -
Largest quakes yesterday -
8/29 -
5.0 SOUTH OF JAWA, INDONESIA
5.3 TANIMBAR IS.INDONESIA REG
5.1 OFF EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
5.0 NORTHERN MOLUCCA SEA
5.0 NORTHERN MOLUCCA SEA
5.7 NORTHERN MOLUCCA SEA
CHINA - A moderate earthquake measuring 4.7 on the Richter Scale jolted Yanjin and Daguan in southwest China's Yunnan Province, injuring at least 16 people and destroying thousands of houses. The quake, which lasted for 5 seconds, took place at 9 a.m. and was followed by other tremors which have destroyed some buildings in an elementary school in Yanjin County.
VOLCANOES -
PHILIPPINES - Displaced residents have begun to trek back to their homes in the past couple of days as Mayon, one of the most active volcanoes in the country, showed signs of quieting down. But alert level 4, the highest alert level for a volcano, has not been lifted by PHIVOLCS. The latest bulletin said a total of 24 volcanic quakes were recorded around the volcano as of 8 a.m. Tuesday. "This means that a hazardous explosive eruption is highly possible." A series of small ash explosions were monitored from Mayon between late Monday afternoon and up to early Tuesday morning. "The series of small ash explosions for the past 24 hours indicated that Mayon is exhibiting a slight increase in activity. More ash explosions are expected in the coming days."
ECUADOR - the seismic activity of the Tungurahua during the past days has been low. Lava flows have been registered at the northwest flank of the volcano and descended through the Cusúa and La Hacienda rifts. The threat of a new eruption remains high and the volcano continues to be thoroughly monitored. The evacuated population continues living in 11 temporary shelters.
INDONESIA - For 3 months, a sea of hot mud has been gushing from the ground in Sidoarjo, East Java, 35 kilometres south of Indonesia's second largest city, Surabaya. The steaming mud pool is growing at an estimated 50,000 cubic metres a day, accompanied by hydrogen sulphide gas, and now reportedly covers more than 25 square kilometres. The flow has not yet been stopped; thousands of people have lost their homes. Mud and gas accumulates when sea sediments are trapped in subduction zones, where one tectonic plate slides under another, and can erupt out of volcanic cones or simply from a crack in the ground. But the Sidoarjo mud volcano is RATHER UNUSUAL. It's huge. And reports of the mud eruption suggest that it is a hybrid between typical mud volcanoes and hydrothermal vents. The mud is of an UNUSUALLY high temperature (60 °C) and contains enormously high concentrations of hydrogen sulphide gas. This suggests that some kind of volcanic, hydrothermal activity is going on at the same time. According to many geological experts, the scale of this mud volcano is UNPRECEDENTED — at least on land. In 1945, the Makran earthquake in Pakistan triggered the sudden emergence of three offshore mud volcanoes, and in March 1999 a mud volcano rose out of the water overnight to form Malan Island, 3 kilometres from Pakistan's coast.
TROPICAL STORMS -
Map -
Projected storm paths .
Tropical storm ERNESTO was 29 nmi WSW of Miami, Florida.
Typhoon IOKE was 527 nmi NNE of Kwajalein, Marshall Islands.
Tropical storm Kristy was 473 nmi SSW of Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, small, but expected to become a hurricane.
Hurricane JOHN was 108 nmi SW of Acapulco, Mexico, likely to reach CAtegory 4 strength. Even though the official forecast keeps the center just offshore, any small deviation to the right will bring the core of this dangerous hurricane over SW Mexico.
The center of Tropical Storm Ernesto made its U.S. landfall on Tuesday in the upper Florida Keys. Forecasters had expected Ernesto to regain hurricane strength as it neared the densely populated Miami-Fort Lauderdale area, but it deteriorated into a weak tropical storm that brought heavy rain to parts of south Florida. After Ernesto emerges back over the Atlantic ocean in about 18 hours or so, it may regain hurricane strength just before hitting the coast of the Carolinas. Projected path up through western Pennsylvania.
Tropical Storm John strengthened into the sixth Pacific hurricane of the season Tuesday just off Mexico's west coast on a track that forecasters said eventually could bring it directly over the Baja peninsula. John had sustained winds of 80 mph, making it a Category 1 hurricane, but was expected to strengthen to a Category 3 storm, with minimum winds of 111 mph within 24 to 36 hours. John was already bringing strong winds and rain to a swath of Pacific coastline stretching from Puerto Escondido north to the resort city of Acapulco, but no major flooding or other problems related to the storm have been reported.
Typhoon Ioke, carrying sustained winds of 183 kph near its centre and gusts of up to 226 kph, is forecast to move to the northwest, putting China, Taiwan or Japan in its path and could hit in about a week. Ioke could also fizzle before reaching land. Typhoons and tropical storms tend to gather strength from the warm waters of the South China Sea, making their ultimate target difficult to predict.
HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING / LANDSLIDES -
PENNSYLVANIA - Emergency crews in Venango County have spent the day cleaning up busy roadways, after hundreds of residents were evacuated from their homes because of flood waters. Many neighbors in the Borough of Polk watched in disbelief after heavy rain and flooding destroyed much of the area. The water began covering main roadways early Tuesday morning, leaving many vehicles with no place to go. Neighbors say they`ve never seen flooding like this. Most homes in the area received quite a bit of flood damage in their basements, and some also had first-floor damage. A garage was lifted off its base due to the high water. Also, a nearby gas pump in the path of the water was lifted out of the ground.
NEPAL - At least 14 more people are confirmed dead in the spate of flooding and landslides in various districts in the past two days due to incessant rain. While scores are still missing, over 10,000 have been displaced in Bardiya district alone. Five houses were swept away and over 100 houses have been completely damaged in Balyalta village which has been scarred by over 50 landslides. Around 300 head of cattle were also swept away by the landslide. Over 300,000 people of 11 VDCs in the Rajapur Tappu area in the district have also been affected by flooding. In Nawalparasi, over three dozen families have been displaced while around 150 houses in Rampur and Khadauna VDCs are on the verge of collapse due to flooding. Over 3,200 bigha of standing paddy in the district has been inundated.
------------------------------------------
Tuesday, August 29, 2006 -
QUAKES -
Largest quakes yesterday -
8/28 -
5.0 SOUTH OF JAWA, INDONESIA
5.4 SANTA CRUZ ISLANDS
5.0 NEAR E.CST EASTERN HONSHU
TROPICAL STORMS -
Map -
Projected storm paths .
Tropical storm ERNESTO was 167 nmi SSW of Nassau, Bahamas. There is still some chance that the cyclone could become a hurricane before reaching Florida. Also, after Ernesto re-emerges over the Atlantic it is possible that it could re-strengthen to near hurrican intensity before making a second U.S. landfall near the S. Carolina-N. Carolina coasts.
Tropical storm JOHN was 203 nmi SW of Salina Cruz, Mexico. (likely to become a major hurricane)
Typhoon IOKE was 557 nmi NE of Kwajalein, Marshall Islans.
SUPER TYPHOON IOKE - The military evacuated 200 people from Wake Island on Monday before the arrival of Typhoon Ioke, the STRONGEST CENTRAL PACIFIC HURRICANE IN MORE THAN A DECADE. "We're taking everyone out." Classified as a Category 5 "super typhoon," Ioke is expected to cause extensive damage when it hits Wake Island with 155 mph winds on Wednesday. "This is going to roll up a storm surge that will probably submerge the island and destroy everything that's not made of concrete. It's a good thing it's way out in the water." Ioke is the FIRST STORM ON RECORD TO DEVELOP IN THE CENTRAL PACIFIC AND ACHIEVE CATEGORY 5 STATUS. Satellite images into the eye of the storm showed it SET AN UNOFFICIAL RECORD FOR THE LOWEST SEA LEVEL PRESSURE. Ioke has been a Category 4 storm or higher for about a week already, making it ONE OF THE LONGEST-LASTING STORMS IN WORLD HISTORY. It is currently ranked as the fifth-strongest storm ever seen in the Central Pacific, and it's the first Category 5 storm in the region since Hurricane John in 1994. Ioke was the first tropical storm of any size to form in the central Pacific since 2002. "Had this thing hit the U.S. mainland or the Hawaiian Islands, it would have been a huge mess."
Tropical Storm Ernesto lingered Monday night over Cuba, beating itself up over that island's mountains and raising the unfamiliar possibility that Floridians might catch a break on the tropical weather front. A shadow of its former self after spending a full day and night over land, Ernesto still was expected to strike Tuesday at the Florida Keys and Miami-Dade and Broward counties. But at what intensity? That was the baffling question. Though there were no guarantees, forecasters allowed themselves to believe that Ernesto might reach the state as a very wet but relatively punchless member of the ever-growing society of Florida windstorms. It barely retained tropical-storm status Monday night and was predicted to bring maximum sustained winds of 65 mph to Florida - and that could be a high estimate. "There are absolutely no signs of intensification. It's been over land all day." Nevertheless, a great deal of warm, nourishing water sits between it and Florida, and hurricanes grow stronger over water, weaker over land. Forecasters advised everyone to remain alert. Expected time of arrival in South Florida: early afternoon for the leading edge, late night or early Wednesday for the worst of it, whatever that might turn out to be. Meteorologists said Ernesto - like many storms that arrive from the south - could produce more of a water event in Florida than a wind event. Eight hurricanes have struck or brushed Florida in the past two years.
HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING / LANDSLIDES -
INDIA - How do those used to drought every year now battle with a deluge? Over 100 people are now dead around Barmer in floods. Barmer is normally a desert, but in what seems to be a FREAK happening, it's flooded. Floods in the area have brought to forefront all the issues they are familiar with as a nation in such circumstances; administrative delay in response, inadequate relief, and the colossal loss of human life and property. But what can't be stressed enough is the mad irony of a land thirsting for water now devastated in deluge.
NEPAL - Hundreds feared dead in Nepal’s WORST LANDSLIDE IN A DECADE. Fears are mounting that a massive landslide on Saturday night in the western Nepalese district of Achham could have killed up to 500 people. News of the disaster caused by heavy rain was reported only yesterday because of the area’s remoteness and lack of telephones. A survivor from Balyalta village reported that 80 of the village’s 94 homes were swept away in the landslide. “More than 500 residents have simply gone.” “This landslide in Achham district is the worst of the past decade. It is an appalling tragedy. I think it is the result of our greed, of our ways of stripping this mountain region of its natural resources, not realising that in doing so we are bound to suffer consequences like the thing that just happened.” Locals lament that the outsiders who exploit their natural resources never suffer. One bitterly said: “They come, loot and vanish, leaving the local poor and innocent to experience the full wrath of nature.”
------------------------------------------
Monday, August 28, 2006 -
QUAKES -
Largest quakes yesterday -
8/27 -
5.1 EASTERN NEW GUINEA
5.7 TAIWAN REGION
5.2 VANUATU ISLANDS
VOLCANOES -
ITALY - Satellite images have revealed the volcanic region of the Phlegrean Fields, located in southern Italy near the city of Naples, has entered a new uplift phase. The caldera - a ring-shaped region which includes several volcanoes - has uplifted about 2.8 centimetres from 2005 to 2006. The Phlegrean Fields caldera had its last eruption back in 1538 but has exhibited signs of unrest (bradyseismic activity) in recent years. Its underlying magma system remains active, leading to rapid periods of ground uplift followed by longer-term subsidence. The most recent uplift event occurred between March and August 2000.
TROPICAL STORMS -
Map -
Projected storm paths .
Tropical depression DEBBY was 776 nmi E of Hamilton, Bermuda.
Tropical storm ERNESTO was 55 nmi S of Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
Tropical depression ILEANA was 608 nmi W of Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.
Typhoon IOKE was 745 nmi NE of Kwajalein, Marshall Is.
ERNESTO - One person has died after Tropical Storm Ernesto hit Haiti as it moves across the Caribbean. Ernesto is expected to strengthen as it heads towards Cuba and possibly regain hurricane status by the time it reaches Florida on Tuesday. The Cuban authorities have evacuated 300,000 people from eastern provinces. In the US, tourists have been ordered to leave the Florida Keys island chain and Florida's Governor has declared a state of emergency. Ernesto briefly became a hurricane before being downgraded to storm status as it reached southern Haiti.
HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING / LANDSLIDES -
INDIA - At least 93 people were killed and dozens more are missing in massive floods caused by monsoon rains that have swamped the normally drought-prone desert state of Rajasthan. State officials, citing the numbers of people still missing, said the death toll could reach as high as 300. Government officials announced yesterday that 51 bodies had been recovered from Barmer, where vast swathes of land remained under water. Navy divers and army troops had been called in to rescue around 200 people who had taken shelter atop houses, vehicles and sand dunes after the UNUSUALLY heavy rains in the desert region. The army had flown nearly 3500 people by helicopter to higher ground. Around 47,000 animals had also been found dead. Earlier this month, more than ten million people were affected by floods in four states. Western Gujarat state faced the brunt with its diamond-polishing hub of Surat remaining under water for five days.
GERMANY - Lightning injured 25 people, several of them critically, at an air show and a soccer match in western Germany on Sunday. At least 20 people were hurt, 10 of them seriously, when a bolt of lightning hit a crowd at the air show in St Augustin, near Bonn. Two of the victims were in critical condition. Another five people suffered life-threatening burns during a thunderstorm in Gelsenkirchen. Lightning struck the tree under which the group was sheltering during a local league soccer game.
NEW ZEALAND - A suspected tornado hurled a family's steel trampoline 10m on to a neighbour's house in Tauranga on Saturday night. Residents in Papamoa were left wondering if they lived in tornado country after the FREAK winds left the trampoline hanging 2m in the air from the neighbour's roof. "When we came out the wind was still blowing a gale but then it became quite still. It was very strange." Small tornadoes in the North Island happen more often than most people thought. "They are reasonably common. It's not often we get a big one but there are quite a few little ones. It is quite possible it was a small tornado."
MALDIVES - Some houses in Laamu atoll Maamendhoo Island have been damaged because of heavy rains that have caused flooding throughout the island. Heavy rain on Thursday caused the water level to rise to one and a half feet. Some 15 houses in the center of the island were completely flooded because the ground level at the middle of the island is lower.
NORTH DAKOTA - DEVILS LAKE - Hundreds of families displaced. Traumatized children. Landowners losing everything and sickened from the stress. It sounds like New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina, but these symptoms are appearing in North Dakota. A popular lake often used for recreation is rising ominously and spreading, drowning homes and lucrative fields of crops. Devils Lake, west of Grand Forks in the north-central part of the state, has risen about 26 feet since 1993. If it keeps rising, and the area's "wet cycle" continues, as some meteorologists predict, the lake could rise an additional 11 feet by 2012. "With Katrina or Rita, the storm came and left. In this case, the flood comes and stays. It's never over." 75,000 arces are already underwater. Much of the rest of the state, however, is in a record drought.
SUDAN - In recent weeks, rising waters have swept away homes and businesses, reportedly killing several people along the Nile River in the Sudanese capital, Khartoum. Those who live and work near the Nile have done their best to shore up the river banks with dark red sand and go about their lives as normal. In fifty years of fishing the Nile waters, some have never seen flooding this bad. 'The current is so strong it tangles my net. I don't get fish. I get trees, thorns, branches and mud.' Hundreds of fishermen are facing the same dilemma. The river has risen to within metres of busy Nile street and passengers in cars and buses gape at billboards and trees, which barely poke above the water. Outbreaks of water-borne diseases like cholera have emerged as a real threat.
------------------------------------------
Sunday, August 27, 2006 -
QUAKES -
Largest quakes yesterday -
8/26 -
5.1 ANDREANOF ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS.
5.7 ANDREANOF ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS.
5.6 ANDREANOF ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS.
CHINA - The moderate 5.1 earthquake in southwest China jolted Yunnan on Friday noon, shaking buildings in Yanjin, Daguan, Yiliang and Suijiang counties. "Many houses collapsed, and water, electricity, communication, and transport facilities have been damaged." It killed one person and injured 31. The quake toppled 1,541 houses in Yunnan province. By 8 a.m. Saturday morning, 45,520 people had been relocated. Of the 31 people injured, 10 are in a serious condition.
VOLCANOES -
PHILIPPINES - Lava flows were seen all over Mayon's summit, creating a larger pathway for hot and boiling pyroclastic flow including powerful avalanche of rock falls suggesting an impending major eruption. "During an aerial investigation around Mayon, we noted that the whole summit was covered with thick lava flow. The deposit of lava flow has reached three to four kilometres all over the summit of Mayon. It is a very dangerous sign. This could push faster the movement of lava flow, which is now at 6.8 kilometre at the southeast side of Mayon's summit. This will also attract pyroclastic flows in the event of a major eruption which is still expected to come."
The Albay provincial government is getting millions from the sand and boulders of Mayon Volcano. The sand and boulders deposited at the different river channels are of high quality. The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology estimates there are 53.459 million cubic meters of volcanic debris that were deposited at the slopes of Mayon Volcano during the 2000 and 2001 eruptions.
TROPICAL STORMS -
Map -
Projected storm paths .
Tropical depression DEBBY was 788 nmi E of Hamilton, Bermuda.
Hurricane (almost) ERNESTO was 97 nmi SW of Port Au Prince, Haiti.
Tropical depression ILEANA was 564 nmi W of Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.
Hurricane IOKE was 899 nmi NE of Kwajalein, Marshall Islands.
Tropical Storm Ernesto gathered strength as it steamed through the central Caribbean toward Jamaica on Saturday and threatened to enter the Gulf of Mexico as the first hurricane of the 2006 Atlantic season. Ernesto could grow into a Category 3 hurricane by Thursday, menacing a broad swath of the Gulf Coast including hurricane-ravaged New Orleans. Jamaica, the Cayman Islands and Cuba issued hurricane watches as the storm's winds grew to near 60 mph late Saturday.
**As of 5am EST the latest recon data indicated that Ernesto is likely undergoing rapid intensification. The new forecast track takes her over the Florida peninsula.
Meanwhile, former Tropical Storm Debby, now a depression with maximum winds of 30 mph, was expected to stay over the open Atlantic, posing only a threat to ships.
CHINA - Officials in southeastern China are trying to resettle more than 15 million people left homeless after the four devastating typhoons hit the coast.
HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING / LANDSLIDES -
RUSSIA - A woman was killed and 14 people hurt in a hailstorm and downpour in southern Russia. The hailstorm hit the Stavropol Territory, near the North Caucasus, Thursday night, with hail reaching 2 cm (0.78 inches) in diameter. Electricity transmission lines were damaged, killing a 39-year-old woman, and 14 people have asked for medical help. Roofs and windows were damaged in 1,675 houses.
INDIA - Moderate to heavy rain lashed many parts of north India for the third consecutive day on Saturday, causing mercury to dip by a few degrees. Heavy rains lashed Shimla (36 mm) during the day and the residents experienced a cold day as the mercury dropped to 19.8 degrees celsius. Una in HP was the wettest town receiving a heavy rainfall at 71 mm. The weather forecast for the region is that moderate to rather heavy rain or thunder showers are likely to occur at many places in HP and at a few places in Punjab and Haryana over the next two days.
THAILAND - Over 550 villagers were evacuated by helicopters after heavy rains caused a landslide in a village in the northern province of Nan Saturday morning. About 360 villagers were evacuated form Nam Phi Village in Tambon Thung Chang of Thung Chang district after landslide destroyed three houses. Later, helicopters flew in to evacuate 192 more villagers from Ban Nam Phao Village.
NEPAL - A landslide in a mountainous western Nepal village killed at least 10 people and injured three others on Saturday.
NORWAY - skeptical meteorologists needed convincing that a tornado had been seen in a field in Østfold County on Thursday afternoon. Tornadoes are EXCEEDINGLY RARE in Norway and the meteorologist on duty at Storm Weather Center need convincing after checking that conditions in Østfold did not seem to be conducive to the phenomenon. But a woman forwarded a picture taken with her mobile phone, and it was no longer in doubt. "I noticed a strange cloud with a kind of gray clump under it. Suddenly the 'clump' began to move and then formed a point. I was so shocked that it was a minor miracle that I managed to take a picture with my mobile phone." Tornadoes are rarely powerful in Norway and as a rule just last for a few minutes. Another person managed to photograph the formation of twin tornadoes while walking in Ustedalsfjorden near Geilo on July 23.
------------------------------------------
Friday, August 25, 2006 -
QUAKES -
5.1 Quake this morning in China - Two person were confirmed dead and one injured.
Largest quakes yesterday -
8/24 -
5.0 JAWA, INDONESIA
5.2 BANDA SEA
6.1 NEAR E. CST KAMCHATKA PEN.
5.5 WEST OF MACQUARIE ISLAND
5.0 MARIANA ISLANDS
NEW ZEALAND - Rotorua, Taupo and Whakatane are set to be wiped out in a massive overdue earthquake, say geologists. The shocking prediction has been made at a Natural Hazards Management Conference in Christchurch. Geology experts have predicted that an alpine fault earthquake is overdue, and would result in the East Cape ripping away from New Zealand, destroying the plateau that Rotorua is based on and taking Taupo and Whakatane with it. They say the earthquake will strike "out of the blue" and cause widespread death, shut down power generators, create tsunamis within New Zealand and overwhelm emergency services.
VOLCANOES -
PHILIPPINES - After over a month of calm, Bulusan volcano in Sorsogon province, central Philippines emitted smoke on Thursday morning. Phivolcs had lowered the warning status at Mount Bulusan to alert level 1, the lowest in its monitoring system, about a month ago. In nearby Albay province, restive Mount Mayon continued to exhibit volcanic activity that showed it was headed for an explosive eruption in the coming days.
TROPICAL STORMS -
Map -
Projected storm paths .
Tropical depression 05 (Ernesto) was 184 nmi NNE of Caracas, Venezuela (heading for the Gulf of Mexico if it holds together).
Tropical storm DEBBY was 1147 nmi ENE of Bridgetown, Barbados.
Hurricane ILEANA was 390 nmi WSW of Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.
Hurricane IOKE was 941 nmi W of Honolulu, Hawaii.
Tropical depression 13W was 137 nmi WSW of Hong Kong.
ERNESTO - A tropical wave presently affecting the southern Windward Islands has developed into a tropical cyclone. Earlier Thursday, Barbados reported sustained winds of 37 miles per hour (mph) with wind gusts as high as 51 mph. Tobago had wind gusts to 36 mph. St Lucia reported sustained winds peaking at 33 mph with wind gusts to 43 mph. That afternoon the centre of the cyclone dissipated and reformed between St Vincent and Grenada. Intensity models are indicating that this will develop into a category one hurricane within three days and a category two by early next week.
Tropical Storm Debby is still forecast to stay out in the Atlantic Ocean.
HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING / LANDSLIDES -
ETHIOPIA - Floods in western Ethiopia's Gambella region killed two people and displaced more than 6,000 when the Baro River burst its banks on Wednesday, and residents were being resettled in safe areas to protect them from more potential flooding. "This river used to fill by the end of August and beginning of September, but this time the river started to overflow before the expected time. It started to fill from mid-June. It is now becoming a threat even to Gambella town." Heavy rainfall since the end of July has caused most big rivers in Ethiopia to swell and weather forecasts indicate more rains, which could lead to more flooding.
BRITAIN - FREAK flooding was THE WORST IN 50 YEARS. The great mop-up went into action at the weekend after torrential rain flooded Great Yarmouth and Caister who appeared to have been the heaviest hit with homes and businesses inundated with flash floods, some livelihoods put at risk and families being forced to move into B&Bs. Floods destroyed the ground floor of a pub - the fourth time it has flooded in the space of a week. The flooding was the result of exceptionally heavy storms. Initial investigations suggest that the sewage system became overwhelmed by this UNPRECEDENTED rainfall. “We are getting more and more FREAK weather like flash flooding and the drains simply can't take that amount of water. I have been in properties affected by flooding and it's devastating - it really is a horrendous situation to be in."
MIDWESTERN U.S. -
INDIANA - severe thunderstorm swept in from Lake Michigan late Wednesday with high winds and large hail, moving docks, scattering lumber across railroad tracks and leaving thousands of homes and businesses without power. "It was intense. I've never seen anything like it."
MINNESOTA - A line of thunderstorms moved through the state Thursday morning, dropping large hail on several cities in the southern metro area. In New Prague, dented vehicles were common in the city of about 4,600 about 30 miles south of Minneapolis. Hail the size of golf balls was reported shortly before 9 a.m. near Norwood, in the southwestern corner of the metro area. Half an hour later pea-sized hail was reported in Chanhassen. Thursday evening tornadoes pummeled southern Minnesota and eastern South Dakota. Hail the size of softballs and grapefruit fell, damaging hundreds of cars, trees and roofs. "It looks like a war zone." The storms were the result of a "one-two punch" - first a warm front moving through and then a cold front.
WISCONSIN - Strong storms overnight knocked down a barn, toppled a gas pump and dumped golfball-sized hail in parts of Wisconsin. A brief tornado touched down in Sauk County, but no damage was associated with it.
ARIZONA - A rain-driven flash flood swept through the outskirts of Phoenix Thursday, trapping the occupants of two cars perched on the edge of a swollen wash.
------------------------------------------
Thursday, August 24, 2006 -
QUAKES -
Largest quakes yesterday -
8/23 -
5.1 NORTHERN SUMATERA, INDONESIA
5.0 NORTHERN SUMATERA, INDONESIA
5.1 MARIANA ISLANDS
5.6 NEW BRITAIN
5.0 NEW IRELAND
5.3 MOZAMBIQUE
TROPICAL STORMS -
Map -
Projected storm paths .
Tropical storm DEBBY was 1245 nmi SSW of Lajes, Azores.
Hurricane ILEANA was 299 nmi SW of Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.
Hurricane IOKE was 826 nmi W of Honolulu, HI.
Debby, the fourth tropical storm of the 2006 Atlantic hurricane season, weakened a little on Wednesday as it moved over slightly cooler waters and posed no threat to land. Debby had maximum sustained winds near 75km/h, down from 85km/h six hours earlier, and was about 980km west-northwest of the Cape Verde Islands by 5pm. It was moving west-northwest near 32km/h. Little change in strength was forecast over the next 24 hours. The storm system was then expected to move over warmer waters, the fuel it needs to gain power, as it headed in the general direction of Bermuda. Debby could become the season's first hurricane by Sunday, when its top winds were projected to reach 119km/h, the threshold for hurricane status. The most likely long-range track takes the storm well to the east of Bermuda.
HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING / LANDSLIDES -
SOUTH AFRICA - The Southern Cape has again been hit by flooding. The Great Brak River near Mossel Bay has broken its banks in several places following heavy overnight rain. The weather office has warned of more rain in the next 24 hours. Cold and wet conditions are also expected over the western high ground of the Eastern Cape. This follows the major floods in the Southern and Eastern Cape almost a month ago which caused a number of deaths and extensive damage. Early indications are that flood damage in Nelson Mandela Bay could total as much as R120 million.
MUD -
INDONESIA - Thousands of people on the Indonesian island of Java have been forced from their homes by tonnes of hot mud and gas. The sludge, which has been spewing out of the ground for more than two months, is the result of a crack in a gas drilling project near Indonesia's second city, Surabaya. Despite attempts by government officials and the company involved, so far nothing has managed to contain the flow. The mud now covers around 20 square kilometres. Climb up a bank of earth at the outskirts of Shiring village and you see it - a lake of mud stretching for kilometre after kilometre. A white plume of gas marks the spot where it all started; a crack in the earth spewing out steaming sludge. "The mud came up to our chest, we didn't have time to save anything from the house, we just ran to save our lives." The government is anxious to keep the sludge away from any other residential areas and is putting its faith into a series of dams meant to contain the growing lake. Trucks carrying mounds of earth to build these new barriers rumble up and down the main highway every couple of minutes, but the dams have not always proved effective. Earlier this month, a barrier around the village of Shiring burst, causing a second wave of refugees. The rainy season is due to begin in two months time, and plans to build a stronger, concrete barrier to cope with it have not convinced many of the experts brought in to find a solution. Heavy rainfall, they say, could break through the barrier in a matter of hours. Pressure from environmentalists has so far prevented them from using the river to divert tonnes of sludge into the Java Sea. (photos)
------------------------------------------
Wednesday, August 23, 2006 -
QUAKES -
Largest quakes yesterday -
8/22 -
5.1 OFF W. CST OF NORTHERN SUMATERA
5.0 OFF COAST OF CENTRAL AMERICA
5.0 FIJI ISLANDS REGION
5.2 FIJI ISLANDS REGION
5.4 KURIL ISLANDS, RUSSIA
5.1 NORTHERN MOLUCCA SEA
5.0 BANDA SEA
VOLCANOES -
PHILIPPINES - After a brief lull, Mt. Mayon in Albay has resumed exhibiting high abnormal conditions, blowing its top six times over a 24-hour period since Monday night. Volcanic earthquakes indicating magma ascending to the crater were detected 24 times. Tremors from the on-rushing lava registered a RECORD-HIGH 431 times. Mayon rested for about two days. But with the resurgence of its high-level unrest, volcanologists said it is too early to tell whether the country’s most active volcano is set for a bigger explosion or simmering down. "It is in fact dangerous to declare this early that Mayon is already simmering down because its eruption history tells us the opposite." Although the sulfur dioxide emission dropped to 2,445 tons yesterday from 5,390 tons Monday, the rate of lava extrusion and volume of rock falls had increased anew.
ECUADOR - More than a million Ecuadorians have been affected by the eruption of the Tungurahua Volcano last Thursday. Tungurahua threw ash and burning rock into the stratosphere, affecting over one million people, almost 454,000 in Tungurahua and 403,632 in Chimborazo. At least five people died and three more went missing. The latter were also presumed dead. The eruption has destroyed more than 40,000 hectares of crops in Chimborazo alone. In addition, 50,000 poultry were also killed in the disaster. On Monday the volcanic activity was calming. But an increasing warp on the north face of the mountain showed that it was continuing to accumulate lava. It could lead to an even larger explosion than Thursday's eruption. Tungurahua has not erupted or shown signs of seismic activity since Thursday, and the crater was showing signs of deflation.
TROPICAL STORMS -
Map -
Projected storm paths .
Tropical storm DEBBY was 1380 nmi S of Lajes, Azores.
Tropical depression HECTOR was 1106 nmi E of Honolulu, HI.
Hurricane IOKE was 757 nmi WSW of Honolulu, HI.
Hurricane ILEANA was 324 nmi S of Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.
Debby, a tropical depression in the far eastern Atlantic, strengthened into the fourth tropical storm of the 2006 hurricane season. Debby had maximum sustained winds near 40 mph (65 kph) and was about 300 miles west of the southernmost Cape Verde islands. It was moving toward the west-northwest near 18 mph (30 kph) and some more strengthening was forecast during the next 24 hours. The hurricane center said earlier that top winds could hit 74 mph (119 kph), the threshold for hurricane status, in four days. The most likely long-range track had the storm moving over the open Atlantic Ocean for the next five days in the direction of Bermuda, a British territory 560 miles off the coast of North Carolina. On that track it would not threaten the oil-producing U.S. Gulf coast or the Southeastern U.S. states. The period from mid-August to late October is usually the busiest.
Intense hurricane Ioke struck Johnston Atoll as a category 2 hurricane at about 03:00 GMT today.
HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING / LANDSLIDES -
UKRAINE - A Russian airliner that crashed in eastern Ukraine yesterday killing all 170 passengers and crew on board was probably struck by lightning as it encountered heavy turbulence, a preliminary investigation suggested last night. The Tu-154 was flying from the Black Sea resort of Anapa to St Petersburg when it went down in open countryside about 30 miles north of the city of Donetsk. More than a quarter of the aircraft's passengers were children. Aviation experts said the aircraft could survive a lightning strike, but flight instruments may have been knocked out, disorienting the pilot. "So far this crash is a mystery because the Tupolev is robust and every aircraft has a weather radar. The big question is: how the hell did the pilot get in the middle of a thunderstorm?"
ALASKA - So far this month, Anchorage has received 4.23 inches of rainfall. But in a typical August, Anchorage usually sees just 2.93 inches for the entire month. Over the past week, rain has poured into cracks on city streets causing potholes to pop up around town. All the creeks and streams in Anchorage are running very high - but most are able to handle the high water runoff. Campbell Creek is officially half a foot above flood stage, something hydrologists say is a RARE occurrence.
TONGA - A FREAK tornado struck three vessels linked together, in a search and rescue mission in Ha'apai last Friday that nearly ended in tragedy for 35 crewmen on board. The ship "Nai'a" was on a whale-watching trip to Ha'apai when they first got caught up in a storm while anchored at Luanamo Island, Ha'apai, on August 10. "The weather was not anything that the weather forecast predicted." The wind swelled to 15 knots and swung them right around onto a reef, where the "Nai'a" stayed stuck until August 17. A government boat the "MV Hifofua" went over with a barge to rescue the "Nai'a". After several attempts they finally managed to pull the "Nai'a" up and off the reef and began towing the boat, with both vessels chained to the barge that had gone in close to the reef to enable the rescue. After surviving seven days on the reef, the captain said that they thought everything was all over and done with, and they did not expect to get hit by another FREAK storm with 40-50 knots wind, "that came out of nowhere," early on Friday morning August 18. The barge was taking on so much water that it began to sink pulling "Nai'a" with it.They cut off the barge that was chained to both the "Hifofua" and the "Nai'a" so as to save the crew, and the barge sank - but that saved about 30 crew that were onboard both boats and the five on the barge.
------------------------------------------
Tuesday, August 22, 2006 -
QUAKES -
Largest quakes yesterday -
8/21 -
5.0 NEAR S.CST OF WESTERN HONSHU
5.4 CERAM SEA
5.5 CERAM SEA
5.1 SOUTHWEST INDIAN RIDGE
VOLCANOES -
HAWAII - Scientists say that a three-mile-wide bulge at the top of Kilauea could lead to an eruption from the volcano's summit. The bulge is dramatic. They don't have enough information yet to determine what the bulge means, but it could eventually lead to a summit eruption. The bulge has lifted the volcano four-point-three inches since earlier this year. The bulge is caused by magma swelling into a reservoir beneath the surface. As it builds up, the reservoir inflates, causing the ground around it to crack.
TROPICAL STORMS -
Map -
Projected storm paths .
Tropical depression 04 was 1584 nmi S of Lajes, Azores.
Tropical storm HECTOR was 1227 nmi E of Honolulu, Hawaii.
Hurricane IOKE was 702 nmi SW of Honolulu, Hawaii.
Tropical storm ILEANA was 351 nmi SW of Acapulco, Mexico.
CHINA has denied claims accusing it of concealing natural disaster casualties but admitted the existence of some gaps in the announced figures. China is facing the MOST SEVERE NATURAL CATASTROPHE IN SIX YEARS as the typhoon impact through August 15 has claimed the lives of 2006 people and affected 316 million residents, with economic losses mounting to around US $20 million.
HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING / LANDSLIDES -
CAMBODIA - At least eight people have been killed by heavy floods in Cambodia as the Mekong River burst its banks due to heavy seasonal rains. Some victims were swept away as they tried to find food for their animals and themselves. The floods have damaged roads and destroyed thousands of hectares of rice paddies and other crops.
INDIA - Heavy rains and floods have killed 33 people in the western Indian state of Rajasthan over the last three days. Over 1500 villages and several towns had been cut off by the rising waters, schools and colleges ordered shut in the lake city of Udaipur, and electricity and telephone networks disrupted across the region. The rains were THE HEAVIEST IN MORE THAN TWO DECADES, officials in the desert state said. Floods have killed nearly 400 people in western and southern India in recent weeks, and displaced up to four million people.
SNOW / COLD -
SOUTH AFRICA - Half a metre (20 inches) of snow has fallen again on the mountains of the Eastern Cape and in the gullies and cliffs of the Ben McDhui Mountains in ONE OF THE COUNTRY'S BEST WINTERS IN LIVING MEMORY FOR SNOW. But there is a downside, previous snows from two weeks ago have crystallized and frozen. Fresh snow falling on these frozen snow shelves could become easily dislodged. Off piste skiers and snowboarders are being warned of avalanches and can experience dangerous conditions in the steep gullies.
HEAT / WILDFIRES -
GREECE - Hundreds of tourists and residents have been forced to flee onto beaches in northern Greece by a forest fire that raged out of control, say reports. The fire is said to have burned on several fronts on the Halkidiki peninsula, south of Thessaloniki. The fire comes at the hottest time of year and during a prolonged dry spell. The temperature on Monday was about 42C (107F) and the flames were fanned by a seasonal northern wind called the Meltemi. The beach is said to be packed with thousands of people, many preparing to sleep out on sunbeds. (photos)
GREENLAND's glaciers have been shrinking for the past century, according to a Danish study, suggesting that the ice melt is not a recent phenomenon caused by global warming. Using maps from the 19th century and current satellite observations, the scientists were able to conclude that "70 per cent of the glaciers have been shrinking regularly since the end of the 1880s at a rate of around eight metres per year". The biggest reduction was observed between 1964 and 1985. The effect of the rising temperatures in the 1920s and 1930s was "visible dozens of years later, and that of the 1990s will be (visible) in 10 or 20 years." They expect Greenland's glaciers to melt even faster in the future.
------------------------------------------
Monday, August 21, 2006 -
QUAKES -
Largest quakes yesterday -
8/20 -
5.5 SCOTIA SEA
7.1 SCOTIA SEA
5.8 KURIL ISLANDS, RUSSIA
5.0 LA RIOJA PROVINCE, ARGENTINA
TSUNAMI -
INDONESIA has recorded 186 destructive earthquakes hitting the country in the past 377 years, including 110 quakes that triggered tsunami. The 186 destructive quakes hit different areas in Indonesia from 1629 to 2005, with Sumatra ranking first by recording 45 quakes and 26 tsunami disasters and Maluku ranking second by registering 41 quakes and 33 tsunami disasters. Sumatra was more frequently hit by earthquakes, but Maluku was more severely devastated by the quakes as 80% of the 41 quakes jolting that region were followed by tsunami disasters.
TROPICAL STORMS -
Map -
Projected storm paths .
Tropical storm HECTOR was 1305 nmi E of Honolulu, Hawaii.
Tropical storm IOKE was 660 nmi SSW of Honolulu, Hawaii.
HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING / LANDSLIDES -
HUNGARY - At least two people were killed and 100 injured when a sudden storm hit Hungary's capital, Budapest, as tens of thousands watched a firework display. The two people killed were hit by a falling tree and two others were taken to hospital with life-threatening injuries and two suffered serious injuries. Hundreds panicked when the rainstorm broke and several people had to be rescued after being thrown overboard when two ships collided on the Danube. Torrential rain and winds of up to 100km/h (62mph) tore down trees, smashed cars and windows and ripped tiles off rooftops. Water surged through the city streets close to the river. Witnesses spoke of panic on the bridges spanning the river. "We were in water up to the knees."
ETHIOPIA has rescued thousands marooned by flash floods that have killed nearly 900 people this month, but tens of thousands remain homeless as more rivers spilled over across the nation. Officials fear the death toll could still rise rapidly as bad weather and poor access hamper relief efforts. The floods have hit large areas throughout the Horn of Africa nation, displacing about 48,000 people, according to UN estimates. Ethiopia has warned that more rivers are overflowing, and its major dams are near to rupturing.
INDIA - Sunday saw 51 major state highways closed to traffic in 11 districts as extensive rains caused major damage to arterial roads connecting towns and villages across the state, resulting in collateral damage of hundreds of crores to business and trade, apart from snapping communication between people across the broken road divide. The large-scale damage has prompted them to do a rethink on design aspects of roads. “We get some funds for immediate repair from the calamity relief fund. But extensive rains like this year’s leave no access to habitation. Keeping this in mind, we are putting on the drawing board a plan to design roads in a way that they remain above water, come what may. For example, some 100 odd villages in central and south Gujarat get cut-off as all access routes get submerged. We intend to study hydrological environment of these to design all weather roads." But even as he sounds confident, for the people on the road it seems far-fetched. “The road in front of Karelibaug mental hospital was built only about four months back. And see what has happened of it. It did not survive even a single rainy season.” "It’s a record rainy season for Kutch and has left our vehicles useless outside city.”
BRITAIN - the biggest insurers are threatening to stop cover to thousands of homes in flood-prone parts of the country unless the Government abandons proposals to cut its spending on flood defences. Recent leaks from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs reveal that, this year, the Government will cut £15m from its annual spending on flood defences. These cuts come in spite of warnings that the number of homes estimated to be at risk to flooding has more than doubled in the past four years. Senior insurance industry sources have also warned that any cut in flood defence spending could have an impact across the UK housing industry - and will certainly jeopardise the Government's plans to build thousands of low-cost homes on flood plains across the south east of England. The row follows flash floods in East Sussex last week, which led to raw sewage sweeping through the streets of Eastbourne. It also follows mounting concerns that the Thames Barrier could be breached if sea levels continue to rise.
UNUSUAL WEATHER SEASON -
AUSTRALIA - Winter's sprung a leak, or is it spring? Sydney's cherry blossoms are already dripping with bright pink blooms, the May bush is in bud, and trees are pushing out their new shoots. It could all be the devious work of global warming, or just one of those tricks that unpredictable nature likes to play. Whatever the cause, spring has escaped from its box well ahead of schedule. "Everything is two weeks, if not three weeks, early." The city's flowering plants and trees had been provoked into an early show of colour by winter's spell of warm weather and unusually heavy rain. Sydney in July was 0.8 degrees warmer than average, while August has, so far, been 0.3 degrees hotter. And 140.2 millimetres of rain fell over Observatory Hill in July, compared with the long-term average of just 97.5 millimetres. By Thursday, the 17th, almost as much rain had fallen this month as would be expected in all of August. Spring season officially starts September 1.
------------------------------------------
Sunday, August 20, 2006 -
QUAKES -
Big quakes this morning -
7.1 SCOTIA SEA -
The powerful earthquake struck Antarctic waters today but its remote location meant the tremor was only likely to have frightened a few penguins, a seismologist says.
5.8 KURIL ISLANDS, RUSSIA
Largest quakes yesterday -
8/19 -
5.0 SOUTHWEST INDIAN RIDGE
5.0 VANUATU ISLANDS REGION
5.4 SOUTH OF FIJI ISLANDS
5.1 OAXACA, MEXICO
5.0 NORTHERN MOLUCCA SEA
VOLCANOES -
PHILIPPINES - MAYON'S ERUPTION TRAITS UNIQUE - For possessing unique eruption characteristics not found in any other volcano around the world, Filipino volcanologists want to christen Mt. Mayon’s eruption episodes as "mayonian." These traits are so unique that only this Philippine volcano has continuously displayed them in most of its 46 eruption episodes since the 15th century. They are running out of available names whenever they are asked to describe Mayon’s abnormal eruption episodes, saying the volcano with the near-perfect cone has its own unique patterns of abnormal behavior.
TROPICAL STORMS -
Map -
Projected storm paths .
Hurricane HECTOR was 1286 nmi W of Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.
Tropical storm IOKE was 648 nmi S of Honolulu, Hawaii.
HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING / LANDSLIDES -
VIETNAM - Flooding, landslides and lightning have killed at least 13 people since Friday night in northern Vietnam, bringing the nationwide death toll in a week of torrential rain to 40.
UNITED KINGDOM - Five archaeologists were ripped from terra firma by a FREAK tornado that whipped its way through Lincolnshire Thursday. The archaeologists and archaeology students, working at a sand and gravel pit at Baston, were sheltering from the thunderstorm in a temporary canteen when the building was picked up and tossed 70 feet by the wind. The thunderstorm also left 6,000 homes without power across the region.
PAKISTAN - Widespread flooding hit Pakistan's biggest city, Karachi, on Thursday amid heavy rainfall, and at least five people were electrocuted.
SNOW / COLD -
NEW ZEALAND - New South Wales has suffered its WORST SNOWFALL IN MORE THAN 20 YEARS. Snow coverage in the NSW Alps was LOWER THAN THE LOWEST EVER RECORDED LEVEL in 1982.
FRANCE - An avalanche on Mont Blanc in the French Alps killed two French men and injured four Swiss climbers Saturday.
Space Weather / Solar Storms / Meteors - updated Sundays. ONE ITEM -
POSTED HERE - BACKWARD SUNSPOT - On July 31st, a tiny sunspot was born. It popped up from the sun's interior, floated around a bit, and vanished again in a few hours. On the sun this sort of thing happens all the time and, ordinarily, it wouldn't be worth mentioning. But this sunspot was special: It was magnetically backward. "We've been waiting for this. A backward sunspot is a sign that the next solar cycle is beginning." Satellite operators and NASA mission planners are bracing for this next solar cycle because it is expected to be exceptionally stormy, perhaps the stormiest in decades. Sunspots and solar flares will return in abundance, producing bright auroras on Earth and dangerous proton storms in space. The sunspot was odd for several reasons - First, the sunspot lasted only three hours. Typically, sunspots last days, weeks or even months. Three hours is fleeting in the extreme. Second, the latitude of the spot is suspicious. New-cycle sunspots almost always pop up at mid-latitudes, around 30o N or 30o S. The backward sunspot popped up at 13o S. "That's strange." Even if Cycle 24 has truly begun, "don't expect any great storms right away." Solar cycles last 11 years and take time to build up to fever pitch.
------------------------------------------
Friday, August 18, 2006 -
QUAKES -
Largest quakes yesterday -
8/17 -
5.9 SAKHALIN ISLAND, RUSSIA
5.1 NORTHERN CHILE
6.1 NEAR E. CST KAMCHATKA PEN.
5.1 OFF E. CST KAMCHATKA PEN.
5.2 SOUTHWEST INDIAN RIDGE
5.2 SOUTHWEST INDIAN RIDGE
5.4 SOUTHWEST INDIAN RIDGE
VOLCANOES -
ECUADOR - At least 1 person is dead and 60 others are missing after Ecuador's Tungurahua volcano spewed molten rock onto three villages last night. Tungurahua has shown heightened activity for much of the past two months. The latest eruption shot ash and hot gas five miles (eight kilometers) into the air and destroyed the towns of Chilibu, Choglontuz, and Palitagua. "[The villages] no longer exist. Everything is wiped out." Authorities had evacuated hundreds of families in the hours before the eruption, but many people remained behind and were injured by falling rocks or burned by lava and hot vapor. And the threat isn't over yet. Scientists from Ecuador's national geophysics institute warn that even though the mountain has calmed down for the moment, another cycle of activity could begin at any time.
TROPICAL STORMS -
Map -
Projected storm paths .
JAPAN - Typhoon Wukong churned toward Japan's Pacific coast on Thursday with heavy rain and choppy waves, leaving three people, including a middle-aged surfer, dead or missing. Typhoon Wukong was moving slowly towards the southern main island of Kyushu, packing winds of up to 83kph. Separately 20 people, mostly anglers, were temporarily stranded on sandbanks or swept away when rainwater swelled in the Sakawa River 60km west of Tokyo. "The typhoon is moving slowly so it may cause heavy rain as it is likely to stay in the same area. But the typhoon may change its course and pass over the water."
HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING / LANDSLIDES -
ARIZONA - The rain total is 7.84 inches since the monsoon began June 15. The total makes the 2006 monsoon the SECOND-WETTEST MONSOON TO DATE in Tucson and there's plenty more rain on the way. This season's storms aren't unusual when compared to past years, save for last month's flooding. Heavy mountain runoff from those storms caused massive rockslides in Sabino Canyon Recreation Area that demolished portions of a road and washed out other portions, closing most of the canyon within the Coronado National Forest to the public. At the same time, more than 12 inches of rain fell south of Sierra Vista, causing millions of dollars in damage to roads and recreation areas of the Coronado National Memorial, which abuts the Mexican border. It left much of the area inaccessible and closed indefinitely. "The National Weather Service is calling this flood A THOUSAND-YEAR EVENT."
ETHIOPIA - An estimated 20,000 people are believed to have lost their homes and livestock by the two weeks of flooding eastern and southern Ethiopia. Heavy rains are expected for the next week according to local weather forecasts, as neighbouring Kenya and Sudan also battle with the effects of flash floods.
BELGUIM - More rain has already fallen in the first half of August than in June and July combined. After the RECORD WARMTH in July, the month of August is set to become a record month in terms of rainfall. More than a 100lr of rain per square metre has been recorded on average across the country in the first half of August. Normally, just 75lr of rainfall is recorded in August. In some regions, such as along the eastern coast and the Waasland, more than 200lr have been recorded. Beveren, for example, has recorded 232lr of rain.
UGANDA - A housewife and her two daughters were on Friday crushed to death in their sleep by a landslide that destroyed their home in Soono parish, Bumbo sub-county, Manafwa district. Tonnes of soil rolled down with stones from the slopes of Tasso hill at midnight, within the encroached section of the Mt. Elgon National Park. Four other homes and about six acres of maize were destroyed. The landslide also killed livestock and destroyed beans, coffee and onion gardens. The residents were reluctant to acquire land in the lowland areas for fear of diseases like malaria and were too poor to afford land elsewhere. It was the second landslide in three years in the area, the first having been in 2003.
NEW ZEALAND - Families rushed from their homes Wednesday as several thousand tons of hillside broke loose above an upscale Wellington neighbourhood, burying one building to its second floor level and smashing through windows. There were no reports of any injuries and the seaside street was closed to traffic. The five-storey building on the New Zealand capital's waterfront was threatened by a "substantial subsidence" of soil, after part of the hillside slipped and slammed into the rear of the building. Soil and rock had crashed through the building's windows. Further subsidence was likely from the loosened hillside. Apartments and houses on either side of the landslide and above it were evacuated in the upscale suburb of Oriental Bay. The landslide came after the WETTEST WINTER IN THE REGION SINCE 1972, according to rainfall figures.
VIETNAM - The death toll from floods and landslides in Vietnam has climbed to at least 26, with several children among the victims.
WILDFIRES -
IDAHO - Thousands of lightning strikes across Idaho sparked several new wildfires Wednesday, boosting the state's total of large, major active fires to 15, the most in the country. The situation was compounded by hot temperatures and gusty winds that fanned flames, scorching more than 215 square miles of rangeland and forest statewide. On the eastern Idaho ranges, brushfires were prompting ranchers to prepare for emergency cattle drives to move stock.
------------------------------------------
Thursday, August 17, 2006 -
QUAKES -
Largest quakes yesterday -
8/16 -
5.1 JAWA, INDONESIA
5.7 SOUTHWEST INDIAN RIDGE
5.0 NORTHERN MOLUCCA SEA
5.1 ARABIAN SEA
PAKISTAN - A magnitude 4.4 quake rattled parts of southwestern Pakistan on Wednesday, injuring four people and damaging several homes.
OKLAHOMA - For the fifth time in the past two weeks a small earthquake (2.6) struck in southern Oklahoma.
VOLCANOES -
PHILIPPINES - Mayon Volcano’s cone swelled slightly yesterday as fresh magma forced its way to the top, indicating material is building up for an explosive eruption, scientists said. They said instruments detected a slight swelling in the mountain’s upper part and some deformation on the ground as fresh magma started pushing up to the top. There is a high probability of the volcano erupting any time following recent readings.
TROPICAL STORMS -
Map -
Projected storm paths .
Tropical storm HECTOR was 691 nmi SW of Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.
Tropical storm WUKONG was 130 nmi ESE of Kagoshima, Japan.
HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING / LANDSLIDES -
ETHIOPIA - 364 people have died in southern Ethiopia as flooding around the Omo river continues to spread. Thousands of people are stranded in the south and a helicopter and boats are being used in rescue efforts. Food from the government has begun to arrive. At least 800 people are feared dead this month from rivers bursting their banks in several parts of the country. In the far north, thousands of people in Tigray province are battling floods along the Tegere river. The situation in the south is 'getting out of control.' "We are preparing ourselves for up to 1,000 dead bodies from this flood alone." Weather forecasters say heavier than usual rains are expected in the coming weeks across much of Ethiopia.
CAMBODIA - Heavy rain has submerged parts of two major highways in southwestern Cambodia, halting traffic between the capital Phnom Penh and two coastal regions. Nonstop rain over the past three days has left parts of the highway linking Phnom Penh to the southern port city of Sihanoukville submerged under two meters (6.5 feet) of water, said Sun Kheam, a deputy district police chief in the area. Flooding was due in part to a river that burst its banks and spilled onto the highway
INDIA - Gujarat inundated again after heavy rain; 40,000 are evacuated - At least 40,000 people from low-lying areas in Ahmedabad and nearby towns and villages were shifted to safe places following flash floods in the Sabarmati river on Wednesday evening. “We have shifted people from Ahmedabad and about 40 villages as the inflow of water in the river near the Vasna barrage (in the city) is above 200,000 cusecs." “In a span of 20 days, Kheda is facing its fourth heavy floods and the entire district has been literally turned into wetland. Such a situation has never been experienced by this region before.”
SNOW / COLD -
SIBERIA - One Ukrainian national was killed and another injured by an avalanche in southeast Siberia. "On August 14, in the Kosh-Agach district [in the southeast] of the Republic of Altai, a group of 12 Ukrainian tourists was hit by an avalanche near the Levy Maashei glacier, below the Nadezhda mountain pass, killing one Ukrainian and injuring another." A Russian Emergencies Ministry helicopter would be sent to the area to evacuate eight Ukrainian citizens still on the mountain pass.
------------------------------------------
------------------------------------
Wednesday, August 16, 2006 -
QUAKES -
Largest quakes yesterday -
8/15 -
6.1 FIJI REGION
5.0 TONGA REGION
5.7 RAT ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN ISLANDS, ALASKA
5.7 EASTERN NEW GUINEA REG, PAPUA NEW GUINEA
5.9 BANDA SEA
OHIO - A small earthquake shook the northwest Ohio city of Lima for the second time in about three months, awakening residents but causing no damage early Tuesday. The 2:09 a.m. quake, with a preliminary magnitude of 2.5, was NOT related to the series of tremors that have struck in northeast Ohio's Lake County and under Lake Erie this year. The quake occurred close to this city about 70 miles southwest of Toledo, although authorities were still trying to determine the exact location of the epicenter. "It was very close to the one we had May 11." Residents who called law enforcement authorities reported waking up to a loud boom and then feeling the earth shake. That sequence is typical for an earthquake this size.
JAPAN - The Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology is set to launch a five-year research program into the detailed mechanism of a powerful earthquake that is highly likely to hit Tokyo and surrounding areas within the next 30 years. There is a 70 percent chance of an earthquake striking just below the Kanto region and measuring magnitude 7 within 30 years and a 90 percent chance within 50 years. The Kanto region has been jolted by a quake measuring about M7 a few times in the last century, with the latest ones being a quake whose focus was located off Chiba in 1987 (M6.7) and one near the Uraga Channel in 1922 (M6.8). The mechanism of a powerful earthquake beneath the Tokyo metropolitan area has never been studied before because of its complicated geographical structure.
CALIFORNIA - Geologists say a big earthquake is inevitable in Southern California and so is widespread damage, despite the construction of buildings designed to withstand it and built to the latest codes. A computerized simulation of a 7.9 quake showed buildings throughout the region would collapse. The last 7.9 quake in Southern California hit in 1857. Experts say such large temblors happen every 200 to 300 years.
TROPICAL STORMS -
Map -
Projected storm paths .
Tropical storm HECTOR was 696 nmi SW of Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.
Tropical depression SONAMU was 508 nmi E of Kagoshima, Japan.
Tropical storm WUKONG was 229 nmi ESE of Kagoshima, Japan.
Typhoon No. 10 (Wukong) is likely to hit Kyushu on Thursday. Warnings are out for heavy rain and high waves in western Japan as the typhoon approaches the area. The typhoon is estimated to bring 200 millimeters of rain to areas along the south coast of Shikoku, Kyushu and Mie Prefecture and 130 to 150 millimeters to the north coast of Shikoku and the southern Kinki region that includes Osaka over a 24-hour period up to 6 a.m. on Thursday.
CHINA - "The strength of typhoons is increasing, the destructiveness of typhoons that have made landfall is greater and the scope in which they are traveling is farther than normal." Global warming is contributing to an unusually harsh typhoon season in China that started around a month early and has left thousands dead or missing. The typhoons have had an UNUSUAL ferocity, frequency and early arrival. The typhoon season in China normally starts around July 27, but this year the first typhoon hit the southern province of Guangdong on May 18. "This is the earliest typhoon to hit Guangdong since 1949. "The typhoons have come earlier this year, they are strong, the area that they hit is wide and the length of time they last is long."
KATRINA - A U.S. federal judge ruled Tuesday that an insurance company's policies do not cover damage from wind-driven water in a decision that could affect hundreds of upcoming cases related to property damage from Hurricane Katrina.
SNOW / COLD -
PAKISTAN - An avalanche hit K2's upper summit slope on Sunday, August 13, killing 4. At least one of the climbers was on the summit when the avalanche struck. This is the second largest single-day tragedy on K2. On August 13, 1995, six climbers disappeared during a storm.In spite of unusually good weather this season, K2 has had only 4 confirmed summits in 2006. Most climbers reported they were forced to abort their summit pushes in fear of constant avalanches and rock falls, triggered by the warm temperatures.
------------------------------------------
Tuesday, August 15, 2006 -
QUAKES -
Largest quakes yesterday -
8/14 -
VIRGIN ISLANDS REGION
TROPICAL STORMS -
Map -
Projected storm paths .
Tropical storm SONAMU was 565 nmi ESE of Kadena AB, Okinawa.
Tropical storm WUKONG was 402 nmi SSW of Tokyo, Japan.
HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING / LANDSLIDES -
INDIA - RECORD RAIN - Eleven people were killed and more than 12 went missing following heavy rains since Sunday night. Bhopal received 29 cm of rain in a span of five hours, a RECORD UNHEARD OF IN THE PAST 70 YEARS. Power supply to many areas of the state capital has been snapped. The Meteorological office said more rainfall is expected as a depression in Bay of Bengal is advancing in the north-east direction. In the next 48 hours, Bhopal is likely to get more heavy rains.
------------------------------------------
Monday, August 14, 2006 -
QUAKES -
Largest quakes yesterday -
8/13 -
5.4 NORTHERN SUMATERA, INDONESIA
5.6 PACIFIC-ANTARCTIC RIDGE
5.4 NEAR COAST OF MICHOACAN, MEXICO
5.2 CRETE, GREECE
5.2 KERMADEC ISLANDS, NEW ZEALAND
5.5 SOUTH ISLAND, NEW ZEALAND
5.7 NEW BRITAIN
Allstate drops Alaska earthquake coverage - Nearly 7,000 Alaskans will lose their earthquake insurance as their policies come up for renewal in the coming months. Allstate Insurance Co. is cutting its optional earthquake coverage nationwide and stopped writing earthquake policies on March 6 throughout the country. "We're trying to manage our exposure to mega-catastrophes."
VOLCANOES -
PHILIPPINES - Mayon volcano enters 'danger phase' - Searing gas and debris raced down the slope of the Mayon volcano in the Philippines this weekend, a development that showed the volcano has entered a much more threatening cycle, a scientist said. The burst of pyroclastic flow Saturday marked the first time Mayon shot out fast-moving hot gas and rock fragments after weeks of showing signs of a major eruption. “We're not worried much with lava flows because they're slow moving, but pyroclastic flows travel at such high velocity and could destroy almost everything in its path.” Mayon continued to show signs of restiveness Sunday, emitting abnormally high levels of sulfuric dioxide and puffing ash at least six times.
TROPICAL STORMS -
Map -
Projected storm paths .
Tropical storm SONAMU was 503 nmi SSE of Kadena AB, Okinawa.
Tropical storm WUKONG was 517 nmi E of Kadena AB, Okinawa.
CHINA - At least 214 people are now reported to have died as a result of Typhoon Saomai, which struck south-east China last week. The death toll rose from 134 when officials in Fujian province announced 80 more victims, mostly fishermen who chose to remain on their boats during the storm. Saomai made landfall near Zhejiang province's Wenzhou on Thursday, bringing high winds and heavy rain. Dozens of people are missing and some 50,000 houses have been destroyed in the two provinces.
BANGLADESH - A storm in the Bay of Bengal sank seven fishing boats and at least 60 Bangladeshi fishermen were missing. The storm on the 12th also triggered a meter high WATER SURGE, washing away some houses and shops on the island of Saint Martin, about 500km southeast of the capital Dhaka. Some 500 people were stranded at Kuakata beach town, 400km south of Dhaka, after the sea surge damaged road bridges. The Meteorological department said the sea would remain rough for days due to a monsoonal depression, which may cause some rain across the country. Lack of rain over the last two months has hit crops. A storm warning has been issued for the country's sea ports at Chittagong and Mongla, and fishing trawlers have been asked to stay close to coasts.
HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING / LANDSLIDES -
PHILIPPINES - The death toll from flashfloods and landslides that struck Aurora town, Zamboanga del Sur province early Monday due to heavy rains has risen to six. Almost 40 others were injured. Three buses were affected by the disaster, including one that was swept down a ravine by mud flows. The bus was on its way to Iligan City from Pagadian when the accident happened. The bus was thrown downhill several meters away from the highway, and was covered with mud.
NEW ZEALAND - Christchurch residents flee massive slip - A landslip forced three people to flee a Christchurch home as hundreds of tonnes of rock and rubble stormed into two properties yesterday. There were issues with the security of the whole cliff face and other properties near where the slip occurred, but neighbouring residents were in no immediate danger. The slip was probably the result of recent wet weather. A geological and engineering services director said he had been investigating several slips around Canterbury in the past few weeks caused by the recent bad weather. "There's been a lot of landslips because it's been UNUSUALLY wet around Christchurch, the same as the rest of the country. These are RARE events and they happen for sometimes no particular reason. There's always a risk living by a cliff."
------------------------------------------
Sunday, August 13, 2006 -
QUAKES -
Largest quakes yesterday -
8/12 -
5.2 SOUTH OF JAWA, INDONESIA
5.1 SOUTH OF JAWA, INDONESIA
5.3 NORTHERN SUMATERA, INDONESIA
5.0 NORTHERN MOLUCCA SEA
5.1 INDIA-BANGLADESH BORDER REG.
5.6 RYUKYU ISLANDS, JAPAN
5.5 FIJI ISLANDS REGION
5.1 SOLOMON ISLANDS REGION
8/11 -
5.7 NORTHERN SUMATERA, INDONESIA
5.6 TAIWAN REGION
5.5 GUERRERO, MEXICO
6.0 GUERRERO, MEXICO
5.0 SANTA CRUZ ISLANDS
MEXICO - A 5.9 earthquake has rocked central Mexico, prompting the evacuation of a number of buildings in the capital. Hundreds of people are said to have run onto the streets of Mexico City as skyscrapers swayed. No injuries have been reported.
OREGON - Quakes rattle experts' attention - Scientists don't know why there's been a wave of activity in the Northwest lately, but they urge people to be prepared. Numerous small earthquakes have rattled the Northwest in recent weeks, including swarms beneath Mount Hood and east-central Washington and, on Aug. 3, a magnitude 3.8 quake just north of Vancouver that shook the entire metro area. Scientists are cautious about signaling concern, much less doom. But they do say: Be prepared. The ground is very much alive, and far bigger quakes have hit here before. Subterranean rumblings are everyday events in the Northwest, with some quake periods busier than others. But the current spate of activity has earned the full attention of scientists who wonder whether there's more to know or a pattern yet undeciphered. In the past six weeks, the network's 250 instruments have detected at least four dozen quakes -- nearly all unfelt -- on shallow faults in the North American Plate beneath Oregon and Washington. The list does not include the numerous earthquakes at Mount St. Helens triggered by its ongoing eruption.
VOLCANOES -
HAWAII - Lava has started flowing from Kilauea Volcano into the Pacific Ocean from a new entry point, building more Big Island land. Video taken on Thursday shows molten rock slithering down cliffs and oozing into the sea, unleashing clouds of steam as the lava hits the ocean.
TROPICAL STORMS -
Map -
Projected storm paths .
Tropical storm 11W was 586 nmi SE of Kagoshima, Japan.
Tropical storm 11W (Wukong) is forecast to strike Japan as a typhoon at about 22:00 GMT on August 16. Projected heading then takes it towards South Korea.
INDIA - Andhra Pradesh faces another flood threat, and heavy rains lashed the north coastal areas even as they are recovering from last week's deluge. According to the Visakhapatnam Cyclone Warning Centre, the low pressure area centred off the Bay of Bengal could further intensify and develop into a cyclone.
HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING / LANDSLIDES -
INDIA - Authorities in western India warned residents that they could be hit by more floods, even as the waters receded in other areas battered by this year's monsoon. Water was rising fast in the Mahi River of Gujarat state, threatening to flood four districts. Across India, the rains have killed at least 651 people this year, with most drowning in floods, being crushed by landslides or collapsed houses, or by getting electrocuted. Rescue workers recovered nine bodies in Surat, a diamond trading hub in Gujarat that was hit hard by this week's flooding. More than 80 percent of the city, home to about 3 million people, remains flooded. Hundreds of thousands people were staying in relief camps in the southern state of Andhra Pradesh, that has witnessed widespread losses in the flooding.
ETHIOPIA - Flooding has killed 261 in Ethiopia as the weather worsens. Five people have drowned and hundreds been displaced in northern Ethiopia since midweek after swollen rivers burst their banks. The flooding in northern Amhara and Tigray regions, which started Wednesday, comes less than a week after flash floods killed 256 in an eastern township of the country.
PHILIPPINES - Flooding has worsened, affecting 58 villages. The deluge, brought about by the heavy rains of typhoons "Inday" and "Juan," affected 8,001 families involving 38,935 people.
HEAT -
BRITAIN - Village left with no water for FIRST TIME IN 300 YEARS - Residents in a tiny hamlet are praying for rain after the hot weather dried up their only running water supply for the first time in 300 years. Fed-up householders in the hamlet of Ryecroft, near Bingley, have been washing in buckets and taking laundry to their friends after being left without running water for three weeks. Villagers had been well-served by an underground spring which had provided free, high-grade water since the early 1700s. But a combination of a dry winter and record-breaking summer heatwave has dried out the spring for the first time in centuries. "When there has been a severe drought in the past there has been a reduction in the water available – but the spring has never run dry...It's strange to be praying for rain in the middle of the summer, usually everyone complains when it rains."
NEW MYSTERY BOOMS -
VIRGINIA - Buildings shook and windows rattled with a series of loud booms heard up and down the northern beaches of the Outer Banks shortly before 11 a.m. Tuesday, August 8. "The only thing we can attribute it to is offshore jets. We called the Air Force, the Navy and the Coast Guard and they couldn't run it down." There was a flurry of calls from the public wanting to know what caused the concussive sounds that felt like an explosion could have gone off somewhere nearby. A military operating area - commonly called an MOA - is located about 25 miles offshore. Jets from the Air Force and Navy conduct practice bombing runs at the range, but none of those aircraft could have been a source. "I promise you, it was nothing we had. If it was a jet, it had to be out over the ocean over the MOA. There was nothing from Nags Head beach west that we were doing that would do anything like that." Pilots are not allowed to break the sound barrier over populated areas. "This is the first time it's happened in I don't know how long." There were no reports of any damage related to the incident.
------------------------------------------
Friday, August 11, 2006 -
QUAKES -
Largest quakes yesterday -
8/10 -
5.2 NEAR COAST OF GUATEMALA
VOLCANOES -
Using a new seismic analysing method, European researchers are now able to listen to volcanoes sing. Scientists from the University of Catania in Italy recorded low frequency seismic waves - which are usually inaudible to the human ear - and changed them into musical scores. These "scores" can make it possible to predict future volcanic eruptions, the scientists say. The team of scientists took Mount Etna's seismic wave record and placed the record onto blank music bars. The bars were then overlaid with musical notes, so that a digital synthesiser was able to play the score. The scientists used music recognition software to analyse the score for patterns. So far, the team has analysed several hours of music with the software. They say some distinctive patterns have surfaced.
For the first time, scientists have watched magma move through a volcano before it erupts in fountains of ash and lava. Using imaging methods similar to those employed in medical CT scans, researchers tracked the flow of magma in Italy's Mount Etna. The scan, which detected areas rich in gases that produce explosive eruptions, may become a powerful tool for eruption prediction. Seismic stations recorded more than 2,500 earthquakes during an 18-month interval that included one unusually violent eruption in 2002.
TROPICAL STORMS -
Map -
Projected storm paths .
Tropical depression BOPHA was 104 nmi ESE of Hong Kong and 382 nmi SW of Taipei, Taiwan.
Tropical storm SAOMAI was 184 nmi NW of Taipei, Taiwan and 382 nmi NE of Hong Kong.
CHINA - THE MOST POWERFUL STORM IN CHINA IN 50 YEARS, since 1956, when a typhoon slammed into Zheijiang, unleashing a tsunami that killed more than 3,000 people. More than 80 people have been killed as Typhoon Saomai battered coastal regions in south-eastern China. The storm is continuing to batter coastal regions with heavy rain and winds of more than 200km/h (124 mph). More than a million people were evacuated to temporary shelters before its arrival. More than 7,000 houses had been destroyed in the storm. "The wind was so strong that whole windows were slammed into rooms." Saomai has now been downgraded to a tropical storm as it moves inland, but the authorities warn that there is still the risk of landslides and flooding.
Typhoon Saomai made landfall near the booming city of Wenzhou, between Hong Kong and Shanghai. It was packing winds of 134mph (216km/h), outpacing forecasts, and may have been fuelled by the remnants of tropical storm Bopha, which was weakening and moving westwards. Ships were reported to have capsized. South China has been battered by eight typhoons and tropical storms during this year’s UNUSUALLY violent typhoon season. Hundreds have been killed by rainstorms, mudslides and floods.
HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING / LANDSLIDES -
PAKISTAN - Landslides becoming a deadly threat in quake-hit Hazara - Monsoon heavy rains continued in Hazara division, like the other parts of the country, and massive land-sliding in the areas badly disturbed the communication infrastructure. Most of key roads had been blocked and the people are facing great difficulties because of shortage of food and other necessary commodities. Several villages are moving downward due to land-sliding and the people of these villages are in panic, trying to shift to other safe places. They demanded of the government and relief agencies to use heavy machinery to clear the blocked roads as soon possible, so that the food and aid could be moved to the stranded people of the area. Besides the massive land-sliding, heavy rains destroyed crops on a thousand Kanals of land and food scarcity would be emerging in the coming days.
INDIA - Troops stepped up rescue efforts in Surat as India's diamond-cutting city faced being totally swamped by flooding that has hit millions across west and south India. A fleet of helicopters plucking people from rooftops and dropping relief supplies filled the skyline as waters overflowing from the nearby Ukai dam surged into the city of 3.5 million people. Ninety percent of the city was under water. 10 million people were "seriously affected" by floods in the rain-soaked state. More than 5,200 Surat residents had been saved from "imminent death." Floodwaters left millions in the state stranded on the roofs of homes, hotels, police stations and barns. "We don't have any food or drinking water," the university vice chancellor was pleading in his last words from Surat before communications collapsed Wednesday. The national flood-related death toll has risen by nearly 200 in the past eight days to about 575 since the monsoon hit the country in mid-May. Swollen rivers swamped thousands of villages and towns across India's south and west yesterday, forcing 4.5 million from their homes as rescuers struggled to deliver food and water.
KENYA - Flash flood hits drought-stricken district - Four people were confirmed dead on Thursday after flash floods hit Kenya's drought-stricken northern Marsabit district. Hundreds of families had been displaced while at least 600 goats had been swept away. According to the Kenya meteorological department, the flash flood was caused by a southward movement of the inter-tropical convergence zone system, causing the heavy rains that have pounded southern Ethiopia to fall around Marsabit. The system, the department added, had moved back, meaning that more floods were unlikely and the northeastern areas would remain dry and in drought in August.
EL NINO - There is a 50 percent chance a weak El Nino will develop this year, U.S. government weather forecasters said on Thursday, but if the weather abnormality reappears it will be too late to affect the Atlantic hurricane season. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said a return of El Nino would bring wetter-than-average weather to portions of the Gulf Coast and southeastern U.S., and warmer-than-average temperatures to the West, northern Great Plains and upper Midwest between January and March 2007. El Nino is an abnormal warming of water in the Pacific Ocean every three or so years that can wreak havoc with global weather patterns.
------------------------------------------
Thursday, August 10, 2006 -
QUAKES -
Largest quakes yesterday -
8/9 -
5.6 CENTRAL PERU
5.3 SOUTH OF KERMADEC ISLANDS
5.5 SOLOMON ISLANDS REGION
5.4 NEAR NORTH COAST OF NEW GUINEA
5.2 MINDANAO, PHILIPPINE ISLANDS
GIANT WAVES -
PHILIPPINES - Strong winds and giant waves, boosted by a southwest monsoon, wiped out hundreds of shacks on stilts and left thousands of people homeless in the southern Philippines. The stormy weather was not related to the super typhoon churning towards China's southeast coast on Thursday. An undetermined number of people were missing after giant waves swept four coastal villages out to sea. Many people survived because most of the homes belonged to the Badjao tribe, strong swimmers famed for their skill in diving for pearls. "It's like a thief in the night. Most of the people were caught by surprise as winds and waves ate their homes before dawn."
TROPICAL STORMS -
Map -
Projected storm paths .
Tropical depression BOPHA was 142 nmi ESE of Hong Kong.
Super-typhoon SAOMAI was 88 nmi NE of Taipei, Taiwan.
CHINA - More than half a million people have been evacuated in south-east China as the strongest typhoon so far this year approaches. Typhoon Saomai is due to make landfall later today with winds of more than 200km/h (124 mph). It is due to hit the provinces of Fujian and Zhejiang, which were buffeted by Typhoon Bilis last month, killing more than 600 people. Saomai will be the eighth powerful storm to hit China this year. Typhoons and tropical storms are common in the region between July to October, but this year they have been UNUSUALLY frequent. China's state media said Saomai was expected to be the strongest typhoon to reach its shores since typhoon Rananim in 2004.
Typhoon Maria hits central Japan - Typhoon Maria dumped heavy rains over central Japan on Wednesday despite the fact the storm seemed to be losing strength. The Meteorological Agency has warned of heavy rains, landslides and floods as Maria approached the coast of the Tokai region in central Japan at the speed of 15 km per hour.
Atlantic depression - Once considered a candidate to become Tropical Storm Debby, the system "is not doing too well", meaning it seems to be losing steam. There's been a lot of that this season. At this point last year, nine named storms already had formed, and four grew into hurricanes. So far this year, three named storms have formed, but none have evolved into a hurricane.
HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING / LANDSLIDES -
SOMALIA - Flooding - Floods displaced hundreds of people and destroyed at least 5,000 hectares of farmland in Somalia's Middle Shabelle region around Jowhar, the regional capital, when the Shabelle river burst its banks last week. "Some of the villagers were about to harvest [crops] when the river broke its banks." Heavy rainfall in neighbouring Ethiopia has caused the rivers downstream in Somalia to swell, causing the flooding. The Shabelle's water levels were still rising, leading to fears of more flooding.
------------------------------------------
Wednesday, August 9, 2006 -
QUAKES -
Largest quakes yesterday -
8/8 -
5.2 SOUTH OF KERMADEC ISLANDS
NETHERLANDS - An earthquake shook the north of the Netherlands early on Tuesday morning. Measuring 3.5 on the Richter Scale, it was equal in strength to the STRONGEST EARTHQUAKE ON RECORD IN THE NORTHERN NETHERLANDS, which had occurred five years ago. It was centred on the town of Middelstum which lies in the middle of the gas fields in the province. The earthquake was the LARGEST EVER MEASURED IN GRONINGEN and was felt across the entire province. There have been 10 quakes roughly equivalent to this magnitude since the first earthquake caused by the gas drilling took place in 1986. There have been several dozen smaller shooks during this period too. The earthquakes result from tension in the earth's crust caused by the extraction of gas. The tension increases in correlation to the amount of gas extraction. The first earthquake took place 27 years after drilling began in Groningen in 1959. The last big quake in Groningen occurred in 2003 when the province experienced three within a month.
VOLCANOES -
PHILIPPINES - LULL IN MAYON ACTIVITY - Officials worried Wednesday that a reduction in gases coming from the restive Mayon Volcano could mean something has blocked the flow inside the crater, raising the chances of an explosive eruption. The number of people moved from 25 villages near Mayon, southeast of Manila in Albay province, to 20 evacuation centers rose to nearly 40,000, with more ready to go quickly in the event of a massive explosion. The number of volcanic earthquakes is still high. (photo)
The full moon's gravitational pull could trigger an eruption - Scientists in the Philippines have warned that today's full moon could spark a major eruption of the Mount Mayon volcano. A full moon coincided with at least three of Mayon's 47 eruptions, including the two most recent ones in 2000 and 2001. The nearest village is now less than 2km from a trail of molten lava streaming down the crater.
TROPICAL STORMS -
Map -
Projected storm paths .
Tropical storm BOPHA was 158 nmi SSW of Taipei, Taiwan and 317 nmi E of Hong KoNG.
Tropical storm MARIA was 65 nmi SSW of Tokyo, Japan.
Typhoon SAOMAI was 152 nmi SSE of Kadena AB, Okinawa.
PHILIPPINES - Two children died while three others, including the children’s mother, were hurt after a landslide triggered by tropical storm “Inday” (Bopha) buried their home in Kalinga. Around 17 families, or 128 persons, were affected when the landslide occurred 10 p.m. Monday. Officials said the landslide was triggered by the continuous rain brought about by the storm. Inday slowed down as it began interacting with a new typhoon, “Juan” (international codename Saomai), that entered the Philippine area of responsibility. Inday packed maximum sustained winds of 85 kph near the center with gusts of up to 100 kph, and was moving west at 7 kph. It was forecast to move closer to 300 km north northeast of Basco this morning. Typhoon Juan, meanwhile, had winds of 130 kph and gusts of up to 160 kph. It was moving west northwest at 22 kph. Juan was predicted to be 750 km east northeast of Basco today. The weather disturbances are expected to enhance the southeast monsoon and bring rains over the western sections of the country.
Tropical storm Maria powered north towards Japan on Tuesday with landfall possible later in the day, while Taiwan was keeping a wary eye on the movements of two other storms, one of them at typhoon strength. High winds and heavy rains were forecast for central and western Japan, around the city of Osaka, with up to 400 mm (16 inches) of rain expected in some areas by noon today. Taiwan, which could be hit by two storms later this week, issued a warning to shipping vessels as Tropical Storm Bopha headed towards the island, threatening to lash the southeastern coast with heavy rains and strong winds as early as today. Forecasters were also tracking the more distant Typhoon Saomai. Saomai was projected to brush the northern part of Taiwan sometime on Thursday or Friday if it remains on its current path. Both Bopha and Saomai were expected to head into China. The Japanese Meteorological Agency official said it was UNUSUAL, but not unheard of, to have three typhoons in the same region at the same time. "Looking at past records, this has happened about once a year and doesn't signify anything in particular."
------------------------------------------
Tuesday, August 8, 2006 -
QUAKES -
Largest quakes yesterday -
8/7 -
5.0 SOUTH OF JAWA, INDONESIA
5.0 NORTHERN SUMATERA, INDONESIA
6.8 VANUATU ISLANDS
5.2 BANDA SEA
VOLCANOES -
PHILIPPINES - OVER 70,000 EVACUATING FROM MAYON VOLCANO AREA - An explosive eruption could happen "possibly within the day" - evacuation of villagers living within the eight-kilometer (five-mile) radius around Mayon Volcano is ongoing. The alert level was raised to 4 amid forecasts of an “imminent” eruption after six explosions were monitored starting at 7:08 a.m. The Provincial Disaster Coordinating Council ordered that affected areas should be "no man's land" by noon Monday. At least 74,069 people or 13,870 families from 40 villages in three cities and five municipalities faced evacuation. Earlier on Monday, Mayon blasted 500-meter high ash columns into the air. Materials thrown from the crater could threaten anyone within eight kilometers.
INDONESIA - authorities on Monday lowered the danger status of the simmering Mount Merapi volcano from alert to watch.
TROPICAL STORMS -
Map -
Projected storm paths .
Tropical storm BOPHA was 166 nmi SE of Taipei, Taiwan and 275 nmi SW of Kadena AB, Okinawa.
Tropical storm MARIA was 227 nmi SW of Tokyo, Japan.
Typhoon SAOMAI was 388 nmi SE of Kadena AB, Okinawa.
Bopha, one of three tropical storms forming in the western Pacific, is gaining strength. Bopha, the ninth tropical storm this year, is expected to make landfall in northern Taiwan tonight or tomorrow morning as a relatively weak category one typhoon.
Tropical storm Saomai was also moving towards Taiwan from the southeast, with a maximum sustained wind speed of 119 kilometres per hour and gusts up to 155 kilometres per hour.
In China, medium to heavy torrential rains are forecast in southern Yunnan Province after Prapiroon was downgraded from tropical storm to low-pressure cell. Thunderstorms, hailstones and gales are forecast in a large area ranging from Northeast and North China to regions between the Yangtze and Huaihe rivers over the next two days. From July 29 to August 6, heavy flooding has affected 1.26 million people, forced the relocation of 115,000 and razed 110,000 rooms in eight cities.
Typhoon Maria, the season's seventh, is nearing the Japanese archipelago and may make landfall this afternoon in western or central Japan. Heavy-rainfall warnings were issued for as much as 00 millimeters (12 inches) of rain in the Kinki and Tokai regions, southwest of Tokyo, and as much as 100 millimeters in the Kanto area, which includes Tokyo, tonight.
ATLANTIC OCEAN - Hurricane forecasters are watching a large area of showers between Africa and the Leeward Islands for possible development into a tropical storm. "Environmental conditions appear somewhat favorable for further development." The storm is moving at 15 to 20 mph and is in the traditional track for development into a tropical cyclone. It should reach the farthest east islands in the Caribbean Sea late this week.
HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING / LANDSLIDES -
INDIA - INCESSANT MONSOON RAINS, FLOODING - A boat capsized in a rain-swollen river near the Indian capital on Sunday, killing at least six people, as incessant monsoon rains triggered fresh floods across western India, halting rail and road traffic in Mumbai and stranding tens of thousands of people in the region. Heavy rains triggered fresh floods in Maharashtra, disrupting the western state's transport network and forcing the evacuation of thousands of families from marooned villages. Some 13,000 people were evacuated in Nanded district, where floods inundated about 25 villages. In southern Andhra Pradesh state, where heavy rain has wreaked havoc for days, authorities revised the official death toll up to 63 since the deluge which began Thursday. More than 130,000 people who were evacuated from their homes over the past week are still living in relief camps. The reported nationwide death toll from this year's monsoon deluge is at least 382, the actual toll is likely much higher than the one reported. Most drowned in floods, were crushed when poorly built houses collapsed, or were electrocuted when raging waters exposed live wires.
PAKISTAN - FLOODING - Among the 144 flooding casualties were 41 people who died Saturday when a road bridge collapsed in heavy rain in Mardan city, tossing dozens of people into a flooded stream. Rains, flooding and mudslides have left 16,000 homes either destroyed or partially damaged in the North West Frontier province. No deaths were reported on Monday, but more rains and flooding are forecast in the coming days and government officials have been ordered prepare for possible flood situations.
CANADA - TORNADOES - People are reeling as they try to pick up the pieces after tornadoes pounded eastern Manitoba on the weekend, killing a woman, injuring at least 20 others and wrecking homes and farms. The storm on Aug. 5 spawned at least three twisters, including one that took the life of a 64-year-old Winnipeg woman in the resort community of Gull Lake, northeast of the city. Police said that she was walking with her husband when the tornado hit, picking her up and hurling her through the air. The storm wrecked farms and cottages across a wide swath of eastern Manitoba, injuring at least 20 people in the Lac du Bonnet and Pointe du Bois areas. "In Manitoba, we know we get tornadoes...We get so many a year, but we've never had one like this. I think this has been the first death we've seen from a tornado since 1977, so this is unbelievable." Environment Canada is studying the storm, which actually produced at least three tornadoes. The damage track was up to 200 metres wide.
AUSTRALIA - FREAK TORNADO - The hamlet of Australind, about 150km south of Perth, has been declared a disaster area after a freak tornado flattened houses, upended trees and blacked out 1000 homes. With the damage bill expected to run into millions of dollars, Australind was coming to terms with the wind storm that put two people in hospital and destroyed dozens of homes.
------------------------------------------
Monday, August 7, 2006 -
Second Annual Shameless Self-Promotion - Today is my birthday!
QUAKES -
Largest quakes yesterday -
7/6 -
6.1 BONIN ISLANDS, JAPAN, REGION
5.4 TAJIKISTAN-XINJIANG BORDER REG
ARGENTINA - A strong 5.7 earthquake hit Argentina early Saturday, causing damage to buildings but no casualties. The quake shattered some windows and left cracks on buildings, causing panic among local residents. Some people were evacuated to shelters offered by the government.
CHINA - A growing number of ultra-high skyscrapers in China could be at risk from earthquakes. Many of the buildings use designs untested in earthquakes. Land is at a premium in China, so despite its concerns, the government is unlikely to impose limits. A number of Chinese cities are racing to build the mainland's tallest skyscraper. Earthquakes are common in China. One of the worst quakes in the last century took place in Tangshan in the north of the country, killing almost 250,000 people.
VOLCANOES -
PHILIPPINES - 20,000 EVACUATED FROM MAYON VOLCANO AREA - The Philippine authorities have ordered the evacuation of about 20,000 people living near a volcano, saying an eruption could take place soon. The alert was raised to four - the second highest level - following increased activity at Mount Mayon, in the centre of the country. People living in the region watched with alarm early on Monday, as five successive volcanic blasts happened within 40 minutes. By mid-morning, Mayon's peak was covered in a dark cloud of volcanic material rising high above the crater. The army has sent trucks to take villagers living within 8km (five miles) of the crater to evacuation centres. But other areas nearby should also "prepare for evacuation in the event explosive eruptions intensify". Disaster officials say about 50,000 people will have to be evacuated in the event of a major eruption. (photo)
Photos from mid-July.
TROPICAL STORMS -
Map -
Projected storm paths .
Tropical storm BOPHA was 208 nmi S of Kadena AB, Okinawa.
Tropical storm MARIA was 323 nmi SSW of Tokyo, Japan.
Typhoon SAOMAI was 486 nmi WNW of Saipan, N. Mariana Islands.
Tropical Storm Saomai - The National Weather Service issued a tropical storm warning for the Marianas Islands on Saturday in advance of Tropical Storm Saomai as it rumbled rapidly northwest toward Guam. It is the eighth storm of the northwest Pacific’s tropical cyclone season. It was forecast to reach typhoon strength sometime Tuesday evening and begin curving west-northwest away from the Marianas in the general direction of Okinawa but it’s too early to tell whether Saomai will threaten the island.
THE MYSTERY OF HURRICANE FORMATION - Although many hurricanes that reach the United States are born as tropical depressions in the waters off Africa, little is known about why some peter out and others become monster hurricanes on the other side of the ocean. This is increasingly important information to have, and so a team of researchers from NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration will spend the next two months off the African coast trying to find the answer. "These waves are pretty innocuous -- lines of heavy rain with some thunderstorms. But about 10 percent change character as they move to sea and get rotations and start building up power. That's the big mystery: Where does the spin come from?" Some 60 waves every year come off West Africa in the late summer and head toward the Caribbean and North America, carried by trade winds.
HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING / LANDSLIDES -
ETHIOPIA - FLOODING - Rescuers have been digging through mud and debris, looking for some 300 people still missing after floods in Ethiopia. Almost 200 people are thought to have died after a river burst its banks and floodwaters swept through the city of Dire Dawa in the east of the country. Hundreds of homes were destroyed when the Dechatu river flooded on Saturday. Floodwaters damaged telephone and electricity lines and cut off the main road to Addis Ababa, further complicating the rescue efforts. The floods also swept away vehicles and livestock, and destroyed markets and shops. Over the past two years flooding has afflicted several areas of eastern and southern Ethiopia, killing hundreds and displacing hundreds of thousands. (photo)
PAKISTAN - FLOODING - The death toll from Monsoon deluge and flooding is up to more than 150 in the last three weeks in Pakistan while flash floods have affected thousands of homes, mostly in northern areas. For the third consecutive day, flash floods and rains claimed 50 more lives. 700 houses were completely collapsed while 2,800 houses were partially damaged as a result of flash floods in various areas of North-West Frontier Province. Landslides and floods triggered by monsoon rains are creating thousands of new refugees in parts of Pakistan that were devastated by last October’s earthquake. More than 6,000 quake survivors have fled dangerous areas and nearly 20,000 more are set to seek refuge in camps.
NEPAL - LANDSLIDE - At least 10 people were killed when landslide struck a remote village in northern Nepal early Thursday morning, near the Tibetan border, with rescue operations hampered by rain and the inaccessibility of the area. About six hours walk away from the nearest town, the only other way the village can be accessed is by helicopter. It took nearly a week for news of the incident to reach the capital. This is the second incident of landslides killing a large number of villagers in less than three weeks. Last month, a landslide in another remote village in Kaski district in western Nepal killed at least 19 villagers.
TEXAS - FLOODING - More than 15 inches of rain - nearly twice the annual average - has fallen in El Paso since July 27. Recovery and cleanup efforts were under way Sunday as this desert city slowly dried out from more than a week of flooding storms. The deluge sent mud and rocks cascading into some parts of the city, destroying as many as 300 homes and causing an estimated $100 million in damage. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers assured residents that an earthen dam that had threatened to burst in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, and flood downtown El Paso last week would hold. The flood risk will continue until at least Thursday, when forecasters expect the chance of rain to finally end.
WIND -
CANADA - "Is it just us, or is it a lot windier?" Despite an abundance of anecdotal evidence — including last week's storms in Toronto — to support a resounding `yes,' wind remains the `ignored statistic' in weather study. Winds and other forces of nature account for 70 per cent or more of power outages. We have seen the wind this year hauling down massive tree limbs, crushing cars, killing campers and being widely unpredictable and dangerous. A July 17 wind, which brought down hundreds of kilometres of power lines and felled 1,000 hydro poles across Ontario, inflicted the most damage to Hydro One's system since the ice storm of 1998. In 20 minutes, "perfectly sound limbs were coming off perfectly sound trees," that night in Toronto. "The writing is on the wall." Half the number of "calms" — times when the wind didn't blow at all — were recorded at Pearson Airport in Toronto from 2001 to 2005 than in the early '60s, but it's not clear why. For all the awe that wind inspires and the havoc it brings, wind records are not much studied, which makes it impossible for climatologists to state confidently, that yes, wind patterns are changing. "There is no serious publication that can say wind patterns have changed."
UNUSUAL WEATHER SEASON -
VERMONT - Last summer was the hottest on record in Vermont – and worldwide. In the fall, Vermont had such a late frost that the leaves didn't begin to drop until mid-October, and the weight of an Oct. 25 snowfall caused thousands of trees to topple. "I think everybody noticed a kind of weird winter." The great increase in temperatures occurred in the winter months. In the second week of January, heavy rains melted away the snow. This last year in New Hampshire, sap flowed at the end of December and in early January. "It was flowing before people had their trees tapped. The weather they call sugaring weather is just not reliable anymore." There was a time when 80 percent of the maple syrup produced in the world came from New England and 80 percent of that came from Vermont. These days 80 percent comes from Canada and only 20 percent from New England. This spring and summer have been particularly wet. At the height of planting season at the end of May, corn rotted in rain-drenched fields and farmers had to replant. While some crops recovered from record-heavy rainfall, many did not. And for the second time ever, dairy farmers received emergency funding from the state after the wet weather ruined feed crops. Twenty-three days out of 30 in June had measurable rainfall. Total rainfall for June 2006 compared to June 2005 was almost double in most weather recording locations in Vermont.
"What I would like to see, and would be good for everybody, is just to take a look at their surroundings and just take note." Write down a new plant or bug or bird and mark on a calendar when things bloom, or when the weather changes. If people start doing this, they will notice climate changes that have been talked about. "It's very slow ... methodically slow" but all these little changes "start to add up and connect the dots."
------------------------------------------
Sunday, August 6, 2006 -
QUAKES -
Largest quakes yesterday -
8/5 -
6.1 MENDOZA PROVINCE, ARGENTINA
8/4 -
5.1 NORTHERN SUMATERA, INDONESIA
5.1 LUZON, PHILIPPINE ISLANDS
5.6 FIJI ISLANDS REGION
5.2 VENEZUELA
5.5 NEAR ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS.
INDONESIA - The earthquake which struck south-east Asia on Boxing Day, 2004, changed the Earth's surface and its gravity, according to a new study. Satellites reveal that the 9.1 magnitude quake raised the seafloor in the region by several metres for thousands of square miles. "The earthquake changed the gravity in that part of the world in two ways that we were able to detect." Firstly, the raising of the seafloor changed the geometry of the area and altered previous global positioning satellite (GPS) measurements from the areas. Secondly, the density of the rock beneath the seafloor was changed, and an increase or decrease in density produces a notable gravity change.
VOLCANOES -
PHILIPPINES - Mayon lava trail LONGEST IN 30 YEARS - On its 21st day of “quiet” unrest Friday, Mayon Volcano surpassed the length of the lava trails of all its eruptions during the last three decades. By Friday, the main lava trail along the Mabinit channel in the southeast sector had advanced by 30 meters beyond the six-kilometer permanent danger zone. The lava trail's edge, now within the upper reaches of Mabinit and Bonga villages, already expanded to almost 100 meters wide and 15 meters high. The lava flow is around 1,000 Celsius hot or 10 times the boiling point of water at standard pressure, and now travels one meter per hour. There were 354 tremor episodes recorded which were caused by falling lava blocks on the volcano's slopes. Volcanic earthquakes decreased to 18 although some of these were notably larger in magnitude. Some villages in the southeast and east of Mayon continued to experience “very light” ash falls kicked up by minor collapses in lava deposits.
TROPICAL STORMS -
Map -
Projected storm paths .
Tropical depression CHRIS was 99 nmi NNW of Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.(dissipating)
Tropical storm MARIA was 547 nmi SSE of Tokyo, Japan.
Tropical storm SAOMAI was 68 nmi NW of Agana, Guam.
CHRIS FIZZLES OUT - Expect two fewer hurricanes this season, expert William Gray said in his updated seasonal forecast. But in addition to Alberto, Beryl and Chris, at least 12 named storms still might be on the way. The long-term average is about 10 named storms and six hurricanes, of which two are intense. The tropical Atlantic Ocean surface temperatures are 1 to 3 degrees cooler than they were at this time last year.
Tropical Storm 08W (SAMOI) is expected to make its closest point of approach to Guam around noon today, passing between Rota and Guam. By that time, the island may be hit by sustained winds of 46 to 52 mph, and wind gusts up to 58 mph. As of 7 p.m. Saturday, the storm was located about 200 miles southeast of Guam and packing sustained winds of about 40 mph. According to the National Weather Service, the storm is intensifying and moving toward the Marianas at 17 mph. It had been drifting around 12 mph earlier.
CHINA - While tens of thousands of people continued to suffer the consequences of Typhoon Prapiroon, the director of the Hong Kong Observatory defended his decision to hoist only a No3 signal, saying his judgment was based on "established criteria" and not on the fears of the public. Callers questioned why a typhoon with wind speeds of 211 kilometers per hour in Ngong Ping was not given a higher rating. They accused him of jeopardizing their safety. "The fact that no-one died [Thursday] - that's a miracle of miracles." The Airport Authority, meanwhile, struggled throughout the day to restore order following the chaos caused by the unexpectedly devastating storm. A spokeswoman apologized to passengers for the inconvenience, but said she hoped they would understand that the airline was not able to get much information on the typhoon because its direction changed suddenly. About 70 percent of the more than 800 flights scheduled Thursday were canceled, delayed or diverted because of the storm. 18 people died, with at least seven more missing, after Prapiroon crashed ashore, pounding the area with torrential rains and gale force winds Friday before being downgraded to a tropical storm. Authorities evacuated about 534,000 residents in low-lying areas. Prapiroon was blamed for the collapse of 8,100 buildings with initial economic losses set at 2.5 billion yuan (HK$2.43 billion). Typhoon Prapiroon narrowly missed hitting Shanghai's 13 million residents early Thursday.
The death toll from Tropical Storm Prapiroon in southern China has risen to at least 55, with 17 people still missing. Prapiroon was downgraded from a typhoon on Friday but continues to pound the region with winds and rain. More than six million people were affected by the typhoon.
HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING / LANDSLIDES -
U.S. - During the second half of July, lightning has proven particularly deadly across the U.S. - Lightning has killed at least 27 people this year, with more than half of those fatalities (14) occurring since July 15. In addition, there were three fatalities during the last half of July where lightning is the suspected cause of death. This is more than double the number of fatalities seen in recent years for the last half of July. In the past 30 years, lightning has killed about 2,000 people across the U.S. with an average of 66 people each year. In addition, hundreds of people are injured each year. "In the past two weeks, we've seen an alarming increase in the number of lightning deaths in this country." In three separate incidents, four of the fatalities this year have involved teenagers playing soccer. Three fatalities were golf-related, two were related to camping and two were people killed while on riding lawn mowers. Males have accounted for 22 of the fatalities, and five have been female. New Jersey and Colorado have each had three fatalities; Florida, Georgia, Louisiana and Michigan have each had two fatalities. Single fatalities have occurred in Nebraska, Kentucky, Tennessee, Illinois, Pennsylvania, Ohio, South Carolina, Alabama, Indiana, Wisconsin, New York, Montana and Arizona.
MASSACHUSETTS - RARE ‘derecho’ topples trees, tower - Damage to many sections of Worcester County on Wednesday afternoon was caused by a rare weather event that last occurred in the area more than 10 years ago. A derecho is a widespread “family of downburst clusters” that is part of a very fast-moving, long-lived windstorm. Derechos travel a long distance in a short amount of time. The last derecho to hit the area was on July 15, 1995, when winds of 93 mph were recorded in Otis, and an estimated 1 million trees were blown down in the Adirondack Mountains in upstate New York.
COLORADO - MASSIVE MUDSLIDE in Telluride - An avalanche of mud and rock closed Colorado Avenue east of town Monday night, after rains loosed massive amounts of mud in Royer Creek Basin. The slide began above Tomboy Road and slid down Royer Creek between 4:30 and 5:30 p.m. Monday, flowing all the way to the San Miguel River before stopping, dragging huge boulders and huge trees with it. “One of the problems with the slide is it took Royer Creek out of its banks and moved it west of where the creek is supposed to go.” "This was a 100- to 300-year event. Evidently there was a four point failure up in Royer Creek Basin above Tomboy that created this debris flow. It was a VERY RARE event."
------------------------------------------
Friday, August 4, 2006 -
QUAKES -
Largest quakes yesterday -
8/3 -
5.0 FIJI ISLANDS REGION
5.0 NORTHERN MOLUCCA SEA
VOLCANOES -
PHILIPPINES - Mayon’s restiveness continues at a very alarming level and Phivolcs officials have warned that the volcano is nearing eruption. As eruption loomed, the Provincial Disaster Coordinating Council started putting up police checkpoints at entrances to the 6-km radius permanent danger zone. Lava flow continues and big boulders are reaching the 6-km distance from the crater. The Phivolcs official said Mayon had showed a RECORD HIGH of more than 12,500 tons of emission of sulfur dioxide. People should not venture into the permanent danger zone because the moment that Mayon starts emitting pyroclastic flow at about 60 velocity per hour speed, its 300 degrees Celsius temperature could instantly kill.
TROPICAL STORMS -
Map -
Projected storm paths .
Tropical storm CHRIS was 138 nmi NNW of San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Tropical depression FABIO was 1149 nmi ESE of Honolulu, Hawaii (dissipating).
Tropical depression GILMA was 393 nmi SW of Puerto Vallarta, Mexico (dissipating).
Tropical storm PRAPIROON was 225 nmi W of Hong Kong.
THUNDERSTORMS / HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING -
NORTH KOREA - Up to 10,000 North Koreans were believed dead or missing in what Pyongyang’s official media is describing as the WORST FLOODING IN A CENTURY. Two weeks of heavy rainfall sent rainwater sweeping down deforested hillsides, unleashing rivers of mud on farms and villages. Malaria was now spreading in southern regions.
INDIA - Heavy rains and floods in Andhra Pradesh on Thursday collapsed houses, killing three people, and shut an airport. Nearly 5,000 people have been evacuated from low-lying areas around the coastal district of Srikakulam in the north of the state, and navy helicopters and boats have been sent to rescue those stranded by flood waters. The stormy weather was expected to last for another two days, with wind speeds of up to 60 kph expected.
NEPAL - At least 10 people, including five from a family, were killed in a landslide following torrential rain in a village in Rasuwa district in Nepal in the early morning on Thursday.
BELIZE - The month of July has brought UNUSUAL weather that has raised concerned for the National Emergency Management Organisation. An area of high pressure in the atmosphere over the Western Caribbean has kept conditions favorable for shower development. The result has been a series of tropical waves that have caused intense rainfall as it passed over the Belize. Many rivers across the country have reached flood stage due to the above average rainfall that has caused soil to saturate and low lying areas to be consumed by water. The Orange Walk district has already reached 75% above normal rainfall, joined by the Belize, Cayo and Stann-Creek districts which have also received more rainfall than usual. With the Mopan rivers in the Cayo district still rising, waters are expected to reach Belize district by next week therefore residents can expect more flooding.
PHILIPPINES - Despite threats to their lives, residents of Pallar Village, Western Bicutan, Taguig City, refused to heed the order to evacuate issued by the local government. On Monday officials had declared the area a danger zone after a landslide left 23 houses in knee-deep mud. A 20-meter perimeter wall is threatening to fall over the houses after the landslide undermined its foundation. Part of the wall has already collapsed. The wall encloses McKinley Hills Village, a high-end property owned by Megaworld Corp. It is showing cracks in places and there is a strong possibility that it would collapse. Floodwaters rushing in at the height of the storm weakened the wall.
RUSSIA - Torrential flooding in Russia's Far East could destroy an oil and gas pipeline in one of the country's most ambitious energy projects. About 20 kilometers (12.4 miles) are under threat from floodwaters, which could endanger human lives as well as lead to an environmental disaster. "The volume of simultaneous bursts of flooding in the zone of the pipeline's route may amount to 500,000 cubic meters." 70,000 cu m of torrential flood waters is enough to damage an underground pipeline. A report suggested suspending the construction of the pipeline while an environmental report is conducted to identify ways to reduce the risk of pollution.
IOWA - A RECORD RAINFALL of six-point-nine inches fell Tuesday night and Wednesday morning. The rainfall total broke a 53-year-old RECORD for daily precipitation, and left downed trees and ponds of water.
UTAH - A supercell unleashed crushing blasts of wind, intense rain and hail, crashing thunder and lances of lightning, whipping up some $13.2 million in damage on Tuesday. "It was a very expensive 12 minutes." The supercell tore a diagonal swath through Provo from the west end. Trees were on their sides all over the city, with roots grotesquely torn out of the ground.
TEXAS - some parts of El Paso, particularly the west side, have been inundated by almost of a foot of rain in the last five days. A massive storm all but shut down El Paso on Tuesday and caused widespread flooding, saturated mountainsides and collapsed rock walls. The normally placid Rio Grande was moving at twice its normal speed, although it receded Tuesday night. The state declared El Paso a disaster area.
SNOW / COLD -
SOUTH AFRICA - Heavy snow has fallen on Johannesburg for the FIRST TIME IN 25 YEARS as South Africa faces SOME OF ITS HARSHEST WEATHER CONDITIONS FOR DECADES. At least four South Africans have been reported dead. Snow, rain and rockfalls have closed mountain roads across the country. Torrential rains caused flooding in the eastern and southern Cape. Snow, freezing temperatures and gale force winds were expected to persist in parts of the country yesterday. “It [the snow] is by no means freakish but I would certainly classify it as RARE." Johannesburg last had snow on September 11, 1981. Widespread snow across the country had been recorded only twice in the past 20 years, in 1981 and 1988. Meteorologists were investigating whether a severe storm that swept through the northern town of Dullstroom on Tuesday night was a tornado. At least six people were injured in the heavy winds and rain, which also ripped roofs off homes.
------------------------------------------
Thursday, August 3, 2006 -
Another line of intense thunderstorms kept me off the internet yesterday. Three more inches of rain - after the 103 degree heat, this rainy weather is actually heavenly. Sorry I could not get the Wednesday update on.
QUAKES -
Largest quakes yesterday -
7/2 -
5.2 NORTHERN SUMATERA, INDONESIA
5.7 SOUTH OF SUMBAWA, INDONESIA
5.1 NICOBAR ISLANDS, INDIA, REG
5.1 MYANMAR
5.2 NEW BRITAIN
5.2 TONGA ISLANDS
5.0 KERMADEC ISLANDS REGION
7/1 -
5.0 NORTHERN SUMATERA, INDONESIA
5.0 ASCENSION ISLAND REGION
5.3 TONGA ISLANDS
5.2 TONGA ISLANDS
TSUNAMI -
INDONESIA - It is over two weeks since a tsunami hit Java's southern coast, but some 10,000 people sheltering in camps are still refusing to go back to their fully intact houses. After the series of natural disasters in Indonesia, they are simply too scared to go home. Many admit they did not see the tsunami coming but almost everyone vows they heard it. “It roared, like a jet plane taking off.” While the death toll has approached nearly 700, estimates of the number of people whose homes have been destroyed ranges from 10,000 to 15,000. The tsunami destroyed 63 hotels, 163 stores, 162 restaurants and 600 street kiosks as well as 21 fish markets and close to 2,000 fishing boats. “So many disasters; tsunamis, earthquakes, volcanoes; one after another. What’s next?”
VOLCANOES -
HAWAII - Five to 10 acres of the 60-acre lava "bench" on the coast of Hawaii Volcanoes National Park has collapsed into the sea. The exact size of Sunday's collapse won't be known until Friday when aerial mapping is done, and that number may not be completely accurate because the gap left by the collapse is already filling with new lava. The last major collapse was Nov. 28 when 44 acres of rock disappeared into the sea, including an entire 34-acre bench plus 10 acres of older cliff behind the bench. It was the largest Kilauea Volcano bench collapse recorded. Tour helicopters reported Sunday that they saw a sudden cloud of white steam beginning at 12:49 p.m. with a black cloud at its base. Although the cloud lasted about 10 minutes, the collapse is believed to have taken place in a single moment.
WASHINGTON - On Tuesday, for the third time in two weeks, Mount St. Helens trembled with a 3.6-magnitude earthquake. Scientists with the U.S. Geological Survey in Vancouver said the quakes probably do not represent a change in eruption style, although they are the largest since the earliest days of the eruption in the fall of 2004. Each quake either represents a lurch or surge of the massive spine coming out of the conduit, or it could represent fracturing of rock around the conduit pumping lava onto the crater surface. A third scenario raises the possibility of a slump or fracture within the lava dome after lava is extruded. The volcano continues to extrude lava at a rate of about a pickup truck load every few seconds.Tiny earthquakes have occurred every few minutes for the past several months.
TROPICAL STORMS -
Map -
Projected storm paths .
Tropical storm CHRIS was 98 nmi NNE of San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Tropical depression FABIO was 1392 nmi E of Honolulu, Hawaii.
Tropical depression GILMA was 348 nmi SSW of Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.
Typhoon PRAPIROON was 161 nmi SSW of Hong Kong.
CHINA - was bracing for Tropical Storm Prapiroon, as a landslide in the rain-soaked southern province of Guangdong left eight dead. Prapiroon is packing winds of 90-kilometres an hour and is moving across the South China Sea. Southern and central China have been awash with storms since May, with Typhoon Kaemi leaving more than 100 people dead or missing when it ravaged the region last week. The region has suffered two months of brutal weather, and more than 1,300 people were reported killed in weather-related disasters between May and the time that Typhoon Kaemi struck.
Typhoon Prapiroon killed eight people, destroyed crops and forced 500,000 to flee their homes in the northern Philippines when it battered them for the last 4 days.
CHRIS - The third tropical storm of the Atlantic hurricane season developed Tuesday morning in the western Atlantic Ocean, just east of the Leeward Islands, and grew stronger during the day. Some early projections called for Chris to approach the Gulf of Mexico, but it's unclear whether the storm will hold together and strengthen or fall apart, according to forecasters.
THUNDERSTORMS / HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING -
MEXICO - MUDSLIDE - Eleven people were killed when part of a rain-sodden mountain collapsed and buried two houses in a remote Mazatec Indian hamlet in south-eastern Mexico. Heavy rains have pounded northern, central and south-eastern Mexico in recent weeks, washing out roads and raising fears of flash-flooding and mudslides in mountainous areas.
HEAT / WILDFIRES -
NEW YORK - A heat emergency is in place in New York City, as high temperatures grip the east of the United States for a second day. The heatwave, which has been moving across the US from California, is also affecting Philadelphia and Washington. Philadelphia, New York City and Washington DC saw maximum temperatures of 38C (100F) on Wednesday. Similar temperatures are predicted for today, after which they will drop to mid-30C. New York City has not seen such a string of hot temperatures since July 1999. Temperatures have cooled in California, where the record 15-day heat wave was blamed for 136 deaths and widespread power cuts.
------------------------------------------
Tuesday, August 1, 2006 -
QUAKES -
Largest quakes yesterday -
7/31 -
5.1 SW OF SUMATERA, INDONESIA
5.0 SW OF SUMATERA, INDONESIA
5.1 VANUATU ISLANDS
5.3 OFF E. CST KAMCHATKA PEN.
5.3 NEAR COAST OF MICHOACAN, MEXICO
TSUNAMI -
RUSSIA - UNUSUAL SMALL TSUNAMI WAVE HIT KAMCHATKA - A tsunami warning issued because of a moderate quake and a mini tsunami off the eastern coast of Kamchatka has been lifted. Residents of the settlement of Krutoberegovo and Ust-Kamchatsk had received a warning and recommendations to stay away from the coastal zone on Sunday. Rescuers were put on alert in the Ust-Kamchatsk district and in the regional center etropavlovsk-Kamchatsky. An earthquake with a 4.4 magnitude on the Richter scale occurred 27 kilometers northeast of Krutoberegovo and 30 kilometers from Ust-Kamchatsk at 08:05 local time on Sunday. The water level was seen to recede in the Kamchatka River. Two hours after the quake, a wave up to two meters high hit the coast moving 15 meters deep. About 6,000 people live in that zone. Specialists note that the tsunami was an UNUSUAL occurrence. They believe the wave was NOT triggered by the quake. The mini tsunami could be triggered by “processes that occurred after the earthquake” or it could be an “underwater slide”. According to the head of the geophysics department, the sea is not deep in that area which makes tsunamis almost impossible there. Besides, no quakes capable of causing tsunamis were registered in the Pacific Ocean on that day. Specialists qualify the wave as a RARE occurrence. Such single waves may appear because of atmospheric events. However, no such meteorological conditions were fixed in the seas close to the peninsula on July 30.
VOLCANOES -
PHILIPPINES - Lava flow from the crater of Mayon volcano on Tuesday ignited a fire that destroyed plantation areas in two villages near the six-kilometer permanent danger zone. Coconut plantation, grazing and vegetation areas were devoured by the cascading hot lava. The toe of the advancing lava in the Mabinit Channel has advanced some 200 meters the past 24 hours, or approximately 5.8 aerial kilometers from the crater and at 280 meters elevation. However, the sulfur dioxide emission rate decreased to 7.418 tonnes per day, although it has remained way above normal levels. The general trend for SO2 flux is still increasing. The volcano's summit Tuesday morning revealed voluminous gas emission with easterly to northeasterly drifts. The earthquake activity inside Mayon generally remained at similar levels throughout this unrest, which is low and indicative of Mayon's "open" magma system. The nature of these quakes suggests magma ascent. Officials have started a 24-hour round-the-clock watch on Mayon to warn the people of an impending major eruption.
TROPICAL STORMS -
Map -
Projected storm paths .
Tropical depression 08E was 333 nmi SW of Acapulco, Mexico.
Tropical storm FABIO was 964 nmi WSW of Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.
Tropical storm CHRIS was 211 nmi N of Bridgetown, Barbados.
Tropical storm PRAPIROON was 182 nmi WNW of Baguio City, Philippines.
CHRIS - The season's third tropical storm formed in the Atlantic Ocean this morning. A tropical storm warning is posted for the Leeward Islands of Antigua, Barbuda, Anguila, St. Kitts, Nevis, Saba, St. Eustatius, St. Barthelemy, and St. Martin/St. Maarten. A tropical storm watch is in effect for Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the British Virgin Islands. Chris is expected to pass north of the Leeward Islands, then bring squally rains to Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands on Wednesday. Computer models predict Chris will dissipate before reaching the Bahamas.
THUNDERSTORMS / HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING -
NEW ZEALAND - July's wet weather was due to an UNUSUAL cluster of weather patterns. Parts of the Wairarapa and Wanganui had their WETTEST JULY ON RECORD after being hit by three rain-making low pressure systems on July 4-7, 12-16 and 19-22. Another low-pressure system was expected to cross central New Zealand later this week.
IRELAND - A number of houses are thought to have been damaged by a freak storm in Glengoole, around 8km from Killenaule in Co Tipperary. The storm, which has been described as a mini-tornado, struck at around 2am. Some houses had slates and tiles ripped from their roofs, while others suffered structural damage.
COLORADO - Powerful thunderstorms Sunday flooded several residents’ basements with up to 2 feet of water and mud after a mudslide on Smuggler Mountain blocked nearby drainage pipes. Homeowners reported hearing basement windows explode from water pressure. Some said the rainfall was the heaviest seen in nearly 40 years in Aspen. “It was like someone was pouring a bucket, but a million of them.”
------------------------------------------
Monday, July 31, 2006 -
QUAKES -
Largest quakes yesterday -
7/30 -
5.4 NORTHERN SUMATERA, INDONESIA
5.3 GULF OF CALIFORNIA, MEXICO
5.0 OFF COAST OF MEXICO
5.0 NORWEGIAN SEA
VOLCANOES -
PHILIPPINES - PREPARE FOR IMMEDIATE EVACUATION authorities on Sunday warned residents living near Mount Mayon, as lava flowed past the volcano's six-kilometer permanent danger zone. No signs of an immediate eruption were reported as of posting time though residents affected by ash fall and pyroclastic materials from the volcano were told they should evacuate. The Office of Civil Defense in Bicol, meanwhile, is closely monitoring the condition of residents in Santo Domingo town affected by ash fall.
TROPICAL STORMS -
Map -
Projected storm paths .
Tropical depression 07W was 115 nmi E of Baguio City, Philippines.
A developing tropical system far out into the east Atlantic - this swirl that originated near the Cape Verde islands off Africa shows promise of becoming the first hurricane of the 2006 season. If it reaches named status, it will be Chris. It is still days from the Lesser Antilles and a week from any possible threat to the United States coast. Most of the Atlantic remains dry, "covered with a dense layer of Saharan dust." Saharan sandstorm season is from June through October and so far this year the frequency and density of the dust storms has suppressed tropical system formation in the eastern Atlantic. On Friday, dust from a Saharan sand storm blew to within a hundred miles of the east Florida coast.
HEAT -
U.S. - MORE THAN 60% OF THE U.S. NOW HAS ABNORMALLY DRY OR DROUGHT CONDITIONS, stretching from Georgia to Arizona and across the north through the Dakotas, Minnesota, Montana and Wisconsin. An area stretching from south central North Dakota to central South Dakota is the most drought-stricken region in the nation. "It's the epicenter. It's just like a wasteland in north central South Dakota." Farm ponds and other small bodies of water have dried out from the heat, leaving the residual alkali dust to be whipped up by the wind. The blowing, dirt-and-salt mixture is a phenomenon that hasn't been seen in south central North Dakota since the Dust Bowl of the 1930s. North Dakota last year led the nation in production of 15 different commodity classes, including spring wheat, durum wheat, barley, oats, canola, pinto beans, dry edible peas, lentils, flaxseed, sunflower and honey.
GLOBAL HEATWAVE - Hot, arid weather is afflicting millions in America and in dozens of countries across Europe and parts of east Asia. The phenomenon has surprised meteorologists who are used to seeing drought as a regional, not global, problem. Most of the US is 3-7C above the average for the time of year and several western states have been more than 9C higher. In South America, mid-winter temperatures in Uruguay, Argentina, Chile and Brazil are up to 7C higher than average. Temperatures are averaging 7C higher than usual across southern England and Scotland, France and Spain. Pakistan, Bangladesh and southern India hit 3C above normal and much of central China was up by 5C. “By 2040 this will be just an average summer and by 2060 it will be a relatively cool one.” The most comfortable places, at least in terms of temperature, were western Russia, North Korea, Siberia and Japan, which were 3C cooler than usual.
ODD -
OHIO - Scientists say it's a mirage, but others swear that when the weather is right, Clevelanders can see across Lake Erie and spot Canadian trees and buildings 50 miles away. Eyewitness accounts have long been part of the city's history. Mirages can occur during an atmospheric inversion, in which a layer of cold air blankets the lake, topped by layers of increasingly warm air. When this happens, it can cause the light that filters through these layers from across the lake to bend, forming a lens that can create the illusion of distant objects. Such a mirage is rare, but not unheard-of. A reporter in Ontario has seen the other way, he's seen Cleveland from across Lake Erie twice. "All of a sudden, there was Cleveland, just off the Canadian shore, as if it were just across a river...When it shows up, it looks like you can touch it."
--------------------------
Sunday, July 30, 2006 -
QUAKES -
Largest quakes yesterday -
7/29 -
5.0 SOUTH OF FIJI ISLANDS
5.3 SOUTH OF FIJI ISLANDS
5.6 NORTH ATLANTIC OCEAN
5.4 AFGHANISTAN-TAJIKISTAN BDR REG
5.1 AFGHANISTAN-TAJIKISTAN BDR REG
7/28 -
5.2 SOUTHERN SUMATERA, INDONESIA
5.2 NORTH ATLANTIC OCEAN
5.0 SOUTH OF FIJI ISLANDS
6.0 TAIWAN REGION
5.1 NEW GUINEA, PAPUA NEW GUINEA
AFGHANISTAN - A 5.2 earthquake hit northern Afghanistan early Saturday, killing one woman and injuring 12 other people.
TAIWAN - A 6.1-magnitude earthquake hit Taiwan Friday, rocking buildings in the capital Taipei for almost a minute, but no damage or casualties were reported. It was the second biggestquake in Taiwan this year.
CHINA - media reports have accused the Yunnan government of failing to alert the public about seismic warnings ahead of last week's 5.1 earthquake on July 22 that claimed at least 22 lives. The Yunnan Earthquake Bureau reportedly had predicted early this month that a quake would hit the area. City authorities were said to be wary about the accuracy of the prediction and might have kept the information to themselves to avoid causing public anxiety. Another report said the Zhaotong earthquake bureau in May had predicted an earthquake measuring more than magnitude 5. A city government office employee said the government received a notice about an imminent earthquake on July 20, and informed county governments the next day about an emergency meeting to be held on July 23. "Unfortunately the quake happened before we could even hold the meeting."
VOLCANOES -
INDONESIA - MT. KARANGETAN LAVA FLOW THREATENS VILLAGES - Flows of lava accompanied by showers of molten rock shooting into the sky have forced villagers living close to Mount Karangetan volcano in eastern Indonesia to shelter in schools and churches, officials said on Saturday. There did not appear to be a danger of a major eruption by Mount Karangetan at the moment but the lava continued to threaten nearby villages. There have been no reports of casualties so far from the volcano on Siau island, which lies north of Manado on Sulawesi island, 2,200 km (1,365 miles) northeast of the capital Jakarta.
PHILIPPINES - MT. MAYON MAY ERUPT IN DAYS - A scientist at the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology warned that eruption may take place in days if the heightened restiveness of Mt. Mayon is sustained. Friday the sulfur dioxide (SO2) emission of Mt. Mayon shot up to its highest level, at 9,275 tons a day, since its "quiet" eruption starting last July 14. "We are still looking for other parameters like ground deformation, lava fountainings, harmonic tremors, and explosion type earthquakes before we can raise the alert level to level 4." The advancing lava front has already reached the 450-meter elevation, moving some 150 meters down the slope a day, while the length of the main lava flow is about 4.45 aerial kilometers from the crater summit.
FOREST FIRE WARNING FROM LAVA FLOWS - The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology warned on Saturday against forest fires in the path of lava flows from Mayon Volcano. Lava flows from Mayon's crater had spread 5.4 kilometers to the southeast. The burning rocks threatened the forest and villages in the area. At least 394 tremors and four low-frequency volcanic quakes were monitored in the last 24 hours.
SAMOA - There’s been a prediction that the Matavanu volcano on Samoa’s Savaii island will erupt again in the next decade. The volcano last erupted a century ago spewing lava for miles and nearly wiping out the entire population of villages bordering Saleaula.
NEW TYPE OF VOLCANO DISCOVERED IN THE PACIFIC - A new type of volcano may be heating up the floor of the western Pacific Ocean. The group of small volcanoes, called petit spot volcanoes, was discovered far from the tectonic-plate boundaries (such as mid-oceanic ridges) that often spawn volcanoes and earthquakes. Petit spot volcanoes yield no evidence of a liquid rock source from deep within the Earth. The source of these volcanoes is believed to be melted rock from the upper mantle, much closer to the surface, which has been squeezed through cracks in the tectonic plate above. "These small volcanoes - because of their location and the fact that there are these clear cracks that have formed due to the bending of the [tectonic] plate - almost assuredly did not form by a plume."
TROPICAL STORMS -
Map -
Projected storm paths .
PHILIPPINES - A NEW TROPICAL DEPRESSION entered the country yesterday, posing a threat to the Bicol Region where public storm warning signal No. 1 is already in effect. Tropical depression "Henry" was some 400 kilometers east of Legazpi City in Albay, packing maximum center winds of 55 kilometers per hour (kph). The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology assured Albay residents that "Henry" would not trigger lava flows around the slope of Mt. Mayon.
SOUTH KOREA - DOUBLE-DIGIT RAINFALL was common throughout the Korean peninsula this week as the remnants of Typhoon Kaemi moved northward through the area. The South Korean capital received nearly 11 inches of rain fell in four days, forcing thousands to evacuate. All told in July, Seoul got more than 3 feet of rain - 38.48 inches - three times the normal rainfall of 12.73 inches. The rain was THE MOST SEVERE TO HIT THE COUNTRY SINCE 1973. Roads were closed throughout Seoul Saturday and officials warned residents to be prepared for emergencies.
THUNDERSTORMS / HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING -
INDIANA - Thursday night's rainfall set a few records; not only did they break a RECORD FOR MOST RAINFALL EVER ON JULY 27TH, but with four days left in the month, it was ALREADY THE RAINIEST JULY EVER in South Bend.
LOUISIANA - Heavy rain in Shreveport Thursday smashed the RECORD FOR RAINFALL FOR JULY 27TH. Thursday's torrents dropped 3.21 inches at the official reporting site out by Shreveport Regional Airport. That was well over an inch more than the old record of 1.83 inches, set in 1928. On a typical July 27, the city would see just over 1/10 inch of rain. Up to the downpour Thursday, Shreveport had been 8.21 inches under its normal rainfall for the calendar year. Since Jan. 1, the area has seen 26.17 inches of rain, but the normal rainfall would be 31.28 inches.
OHIO - Hundreds evacuated from Ohio flooding. Fast-rising water gushed into homes, condominiums and apartments early Friday, chasing people to rooftops to await boat rescues as 10 inches of rain raised the Grand River 11 feet above flood level.
UNITED KINGDOM - Royston suffered flash floods this week in the BIGGEST THUNDERSTORM TO HIT THE TOWN SINCE ITS RECORDS BEGAN in 1972. Residents were forced out of their homes on Wednesday night, July 26, as flood waters rose. Neighbours banded together to help as 3in of rain - double the average monthly rainfall for July — hit the town in just two hours. "The storm started at about 7pm and we had torrential rain and hailstones for a couple of hours."
INDIA - More than 6,000 people have been evacuated to safer places as heavy rains lashed south, north and central Gujarat on Saturday inundating low-lying areas. The Purna river was above the danger mark, forcing authorities to evacuate at least 5,200 people on its downstream in the Navsari district. More than 600 people were shifted in the Broach district while 400 were evacuated in Vadodara as swirling waters of the Bhukhi river entered villages. As the weather bureau predicted more rains during the next two days, State authorities have alerted people in the downstream of at least 20 medium irrigation dams threatening to overflow if the rains continued unabated. Near eight other dams, people were advised to remain prepared for evacuation in case of an emergency.
------------------------------------------
Friday, July 28, 2006 -
QUAKES -
Largest quakes yesterday -
7/27 -
5.2 SOUTH OF JAWA, INDONESIA
5.1 SOUTH OF JAWA, INDONESIA
5.1 PHILIPPINE ISLANDS REGION
5.9 NORTHERN SUMATERA, INDONESIA
5.0 SOUTHERN ALASKA
5.2 WESTERN CAROLINE IS
TROPICAL STORMS -
Map -
Projected storm paths .
Tropcial depression EMILIA was 322 nmi SSW of San Diego, California.
THUNDERSTORMS / HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING -
PAKISTAN - MUDSLIDES CHANGED THE COURSE OF THE KUNHAR RIVER and inundated two villages in northern Pakistan, killing a woman and two children overnight Wednesday during torrential rains. Rescuers on Thursday were searching for at least five more people. Kunhar River washed away more than 100 mostly mud houses in Kashtra and Gul Deri villages, located in a valley, after changing its course. The latest deaths brings the toll from heavy monsoon rains in Pakistan to at least 26. Thousands of people are at risk of landslides in parts of NWFP and Pakistan-administered Kashmir where ground has become highly unstable following the 7.6-magnitude earthquake last year. Meanwhile, reports from another northern town of Gilgit said at least three children were injured Thursday in flashfloods and mudslides in the Jotal area. Landslides also badly damaged nearly a kilometre stretch of the Karakorum Highway in Gilgit that links Pakistan to China, causing a serious disruption in traffic flow.
LOUISIANA - New data from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers confirms fears that rain from hurricanes and tropical storms could flood some New Orleans neighborhoods with up to 5 feet of water when new floodgates are closed at the mouths of three major drainage canals. The floodgates are designed to prevent storm surges from Lake Pontchartrain from backing up into the canals, preventing the surge flooding that inundated most of the city during Hurricane Katrina. But the floodgates also would prevent rainfall from draining through canals into the lake. When plans to install the floodgates were announced in January, Corps officials acknowledged the possibility of flooding caused by heavy rains, but never said how bad it could be. The gates would be closed if a 5-foot storm surge threatened the city, which has happened only three times since 1959. The flooding problem is complicated by the city's diminished system of drainage pumps. Some pumps are still under repair after Katrina; others need to be positioned to move water out of canals and over closed floodgates. The "delay threatens to re-flood our metro area and kill our recovery."
EASTERN U.S. - the region has had three major floods in less than two years after nearly 50 years of no flooding. Officials fear another storm could pose flooding troubles from upstate New York to Washington. They recommended re-drawing outdated flood plain maps, requiring municipalities to have all-encompassing flood mitigation plans and strengthening the flood warning system.
ARIZONA - The monsoon storm that boomed and flashed across the Valley on Tuesday night was the BIGGEST IN FIVE YEARS, quenching a bone-dry region as it toppled utility poles, uprooted trees, flooded streets and left thousands without power. The storm dumped nearly 3 inches of rain in the southeast Valley and left behind a promise of more to come. So far this season, 1.17 inches of rain has fallen at the airport, compared with 1.13 inches for the entire monsoon season in 2001 and 1.10 inches in 2004. High pressure over Nevada and Utah is driving an eastern flow of moisture with disturbances rotating through the flow. Tropical moisture pulled in from the south is setting up conditions for more storms like Tuesday's. The moisture is coming from Tropical Storm Emilia, which is moving up the western coast of Baja California. Tuesday night's mayhem was a combination of at least three storms. The storms were intense, with lightning illuminating the night sky every few seconds. At least 5,400 lightning strikes hit the ground, 10 to 15 percent of the normal annual total. "This is UNUSUAL. It's a significant number, and one of the biggest days I've seen (in five years of watching monsoon storms)."
HEAT -
EUROPE - LETHAL HEATWAVE HAS ENGULFED EUROPE FOR THE LAST TWO WEEKS - France and Italy today reported new victims, bringing the total death toll to more than 80 people. High temperatures persisted in northern Italy, Germany and southeast Europe, but forecasters predicted that spreading storms and rain would bring respite to many areas of the baking continent. Rain would come as welcome relief to farmers, who in many countries have reported withering crops, and it would also help boost perilously low water levels. The Italian Agriculture Minister called the heatwave "dramatic" , with estimates of the damage to the country's agricultural sector at about E500 million ($837.17 million). In France, groundwater levels in the Paris region were at their LOWEST LEVEL IN 20 YEARS and water restrictions were in place for nearly half of the country. In Germany, temperatures were back above 30 degC today, and a motorway was closed after concrete sections cracked and lifted in the heat.
UNITED KINGDOM - The scorching hot weather is thought to be behind the first flowering in more than 25 years of a plant most botanists didn't even know was in the UK. "It could be that conditions here now are as they would be in the Himalayas where this plant comes from. And the dry winters and incredibly hot summers are causing this climbing plant [clematis] to produce the delicate, white flowers."
CALIFORNIA - UNPRECEDENTED 12 DAY HEATWAVE KILLING THOUSANDS OF ANIMALS - The record heat has caused the deaths of thousands of cows, chickens and turkeys in California, the number one milk-producing state in the country. More than a million pounds of dead livestock is rotting in the sun, as many of the rendering plants normally tasked with disposing of dead livestock have shut down or are overloaded. Several counties have passed emergency measures allowing carcasses to be dumped in local landfills, creating a risk of contamination to ground water.
THE WEATHER PATTERNS THAT CAUSED THE SCORCHING TEMPERATURES WERE 'POSITIVELY FREAKISH'. The Great Heat Wave of 2006 was not just an epic meteorological event - it was an epochal one, unprecedented in northern California's weather annals, meteorologists agree. It has been HOTTER FOR LONGER THAN EVER BEFORE. The region's last significant heat wave - in 1972 - lasted just two days, and never in the past has the Bay Area suffered through as many consecutive days of temperatures above 110. "It has been truly extraordinary." By any account, the last two weeks have been truly Saharan. At least one city has hit 100 degrees or above since July 16. It's not just the scorching days that made this heat wave remarkable. It's also the hot, sticky nights. In Sacramento, nighttime temperatures typically fall to 65 degrees or lower during even the most torrid heat waves. Not this time. The current heat wave broke Sacramento's RECORD FOR HIGHEST OVERNIGHT TMPERATURE with 79 degrees. If the heat wave is unprecedented, so is the weather pattern that has caused it. Typically, the Central Valley's heat is mitigated by intrusions of cool marine air penetrating the Golden Gate and adjacent low-lying areas. That's what shut down the 1972 heat wave and virtually every other coastal California hot spell on record. But offshore water temperatures recently have been 2 to 4 degrees above normal. That temperature difference could be preventing the thermal barrier that's required to usher cool marine air into the Central Valley. Additionally, the Bay Area was visited by SOMETHING TRULY ALIEN during this hot spell: huge quantities of moisture from the Gulf of Mexico and Gulf of California. An anomalous high-pressure flow swept humid air from those areas into Northern California. There the high pressure remained stationary. Such a strange concatenation of meteorological phenomena is unheard of for the Bay Area and delta. But that doesn't necessarily mean it won't happen again.
------------------------------------------
Thursday, July 27, 2006 -
QUAKES -
Largest quakes yesterday -
7/26 -
5.2 FIJI ISLANDS REGION
5.1 TONGA ISLANDS
VOLCANOES -
RUSSIA - VOLCANO KARYMSKI on the Kamchatka Peninsula has spewed forth ashes to an altitude of up to 6.5 km in a series of outbursts. A cloud of volcanic dust the size of 20 by 15 km has shifted 240 km to the east of the volcano at an altitude of about 4,000 meters. The volcano poses no danger to populated localities.
TROPICAL STORMS -
Map -
Projected storm paths .
Tropical depression DANIEL was 846 nmi ESE of Honolulu, Hawaii.
Tropical storm EMILIA was 338 nmi WNW of Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.
CHINA - TYPHOON KAEMI - 80 DEAD OR MISSING - TORRENTIAL RAIN - with a military barracks swept away, landslides wiping out thousands of homes and rivers bursting their banks. Jiangxi was one of the worst hit areas from Kaemi, which struck the mainland on Tuesday night before weakening into a tropical storm, with Xinhua reporting more than 9,000 homes had been destroyed by floods in the province. More devastation was expected as the storm continues to hover over the region. Government agencies throughout south and southeast China warned of reservoirs overflowing their banks and causing huge damage. More than 750,000 people had been evacuated from their homes early in the week as the region prepared for Kaemi. The region is still reeling from Tropical Storm Bilis, which hit southeastern China on July 14, resulting in nearly 10 days of torrential rains.
LEVEE COLLAPSE - A 200-metre-long levee in southern China has collapsed due to heavy rains from tropical storm Kaemi, raising the threat of floods for 20,000 villagers in Fujian province.
THUNDERSTORMS / HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING -
NEW ZEALAND - RAINFALL RECORDS BROKEN - Lower North Island farmers are having to delve far back in their memories to recall a winter as wet as this. In some parts of South Wairarapa and on a belt of hills north and south of Wanganui in particular, RAINFALL RECORDS are being broken with more than 400 millimetres in July so far. Right through the region, pastures are waterlogged and the hills are scarred with slips. It has come at a bad time – lambing and calving is three to four weeks away on most farms and quality feed is needed. The rain has prevented frosts from lowering soil temperatures and the grass is plentiful – but the ground is so soft that for every mouthful the sheep and cattle get, their feet destroy four more. Large numbers of lambs failed to survive to weaning last year, a puzzling phenomenon with no obvious cause. The forecast is for warm and dry weather over the next two months, though it must be said that this month's drenching was not predicted.
HEAT -
SWITZERLAND - MOUNTAINS CRUMBLING - Following the spectacular fall of half a million cubic metres of rock from the Eiger peak earlier this month, the consequence of a 200m lowering of the glacier which supported it over the past century and a half, the Swiss government’s Environment Office has drawn up a list of towns and villages most at threat from Switzerland's crumbling mountains. The list includes Zermatt, which environment agency spokesman Adrian Aeschlimann pointed out is surrounded on three sides by permafrost-covered peaks. Saas Balen near Saas Fee, Kandersteg and St Moritz also make the list. Besides rockslides, caused by rising temperatures melting the glaciers and the permafrost which holds land together above 2300m, other risks include meltwater floods, and rock falls into reservoirs sending mini-tsunamis over the tops of dams and onto the valleys below.
CALIFORNIA - 11TH DAY OF HEAT WAVE - Firefighters are battling to contain raging wildfires in California on the 11th day of a heat wave that has been blamed for at least 56 deaths amid temperatures of 45 C.
Wednesday, July 26, 2006 -
QUAKES -
Largest quakes yesterday -
7/25 -
5.1 NORTHERN SUMATERA, INDONESIA
5.1 SOUTH OF JAWA, INDONESIA
5.2 SOUTH OF JAWA, INDONESIA
5.4 SOUTH OF JAWA, INDONESIA
5.0 SOUTH OF JAWA, INDONESIA
5.0 SOUTH OF JAWA, INDONESIA
5.3 SANTA CRUZ ISLANDS
5.2 SOUTH SANDWICH ISLANDS REGION
5.0 OFF COAST OF COSTA RICA
INDONESIA - Repeated seismic tremors in Indonesia have made the people completely paranoid: the syndrome has hit especially those employees who work in Jakarta’s skyscrapers. Nowadays, they prefer to stay outdoors chatting with colleagues rather than sitting at their desks inside. A chain of cell phone and email messages raising the alarm about possible tremors is generating a climate of paranoia and fear. But the panic is not limited to Jakarta alone. On the 24th, thousands of people in Banteng, Bulukumba and Jeneponto – South Sulawesi province – left their homes on the coast en masse to take refuge in higher land after a false tsunami alert. After slight tremors in the area, the surface of the ocean lowered, giving rise to fears of the onset of a freak wave.
There is no let-up in tremors in Indonesia, where people are living in fear and tourists have started to cancel their bookings, leaving hotels and beaches empty amid persistent tsunami alerts. Works are underway to boost alarm systems against freak waves in the country’s highest-risk areas.
TONGA - Not too many people are aware of the gigantic volcanic ridge that separates the Kingdom of Tonga and the Fijian Islands. The volcanic activities in this ridge are so proactive that the bottom of the earth keeps rumbling and moving everyday. It may even be the most active volcanic ridge in the world. During the 11 years 1995 – 2005, there have been a total of almost 8,100 earthquakes in this area. In the last five years, the number of earthquakes in the geographic grid where the kingdom of Tonga is has increased by 32%. The year 2004 had a total of 1,216 earthquakes, being the HIGHEST IN THE LAST 25 YEARS. Last year there were 880 quakes. For the first six months of 2006, there have been a total of 807 earthquakes, with May registering a RECORD NUMBER of 252 earthquakes during the month.
TSUNAMI -
INDONESIA - Researchers have found that water resources in the tsunami-affected areas in Kerala are still severely affected almost two years after the disaster of December 2004. They found that wells contained an unusual saline character and taste. The low oxygen content dissolved in the ground water collected from wells indicated the slow deterioration of quality as a result of contamination. Wells that were de-watered and cleaned regularly were also found to retain the saltiness. Water Quality Index was also low in most of the areas that were hit by the crashing waves.
VOLCANOES -
AUSTRALIA - A volcanic eruption in south-west Victoria is "well overdue'' and could occur without warning, a scientist has warned. Western Victoria is home to some of Australia's youngest volcanoes, which erupted in the last 20,000 to 30,000 years. Research shows young volcanoes erupt, on average, every 13,000 years. This suggests eruptions at Tower Hill, Mount Napier, Mount Eccles and Mount Elephant are "well overdue''. "There's a small possibility of it happening in the next 100 years.'' Lava from a volcano would threaten an area of 10 to 15 kilometres surrounding it, and ash could cover everything within eight to 10 kilometres. "These ones we're looking at here are a one-off volcano - they erupt and they stop again pretty quickly and that's the end. The volcanoes are extinct, but the whole area could erupt. The whole area is sleeping."
PHILIPPINES - incandescent fragments of the continuously advancing lava flows from the crater of Mount Mayon have already started to burn hectares of grazing areas and coconut and vegetable plantations, occasionally igniting wild fires that could threaten lives of farmers venturing within the six-kilometer radius permanent danger zone. Fragments of the lava flows had started to roll faster and farther down the slopes along the Bonga gully and the lava toe had already reached almost four kilometers from Mayon's crater, or about two kilometers away from the boundary of the 6-kilometer permanent danger zone at the Southeast quadrant of the volcano. Super-heated lava fragments and the secondary explosions that trigger pyroclastic flow pose real danger to any life they hit. Some 495 families had voluntarily left their homes in the Barangays of Sta. Misericordia and San Fernando in Sto. Domingo town due to the ash falls that showered their places. The ash falls originated from the latest secondary explosions, as advancing lavas pushed old deposits of volcanic materials along the volcano slopes.
Thieves cut phone lines to steal about 30 metres of copper wire around lava-spilling Mayon volcano, crippling the communications of volcanologists.
TROPICAL STORMS -
Map -
Projected storm paths .
Tropical depression DANIEL was 897 nmi ESE of Honolulu, Hawaii.
Tropical storm EMILIA was 114 nmi SW of Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.
Tropical storm KAEMI was 216 nmi NE of Hong Kong.
PHILIPPINES - Typhoon Glenda (Kaemi) left the country with two people missing while hundreds of others were displaced due to flooding in some areas in Luzon. 137,957 people were directly affected by the storm. Crop damage in Pampanga and Zambales amounted to P24.5 million.
CHINA - Typhoon Kaemi struck the coast of East China's Fujian Province yesterday afternoon, prompting the evacuation of more than 500,000 residents. The typhoon, which pummelled Taiwan overnight, caused widespread disruption to daily life but not enormous damage in China.
HAWAII - Daniel has been downgraded to a tropical storm but it could still cause some damage with high winds, rain and severe weather. Tropical Storm Daniel at midnight was about 850 miles East of the Big Island. "We are forecasting to eventually start moving west, becoming close to the Big Island sometime Friday."
THUNDERSTORMS / HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING -
PAKISTAN - Over 20 people died as monsoon rains triggered floods and landslides in many parts of the country and Azad Kashmir on Monday. While the rain was heaviest in Islamabad, a mudslide killed at least 12 people, including eight children, living in tents in Muzaffarabad. Punjab and the NWFP were also lashed by torrential rains. The areas affected by the Oct 8, 2005 earthquake remain vulnerable to landslides. The rains wrought havoc on the country’s communications links, electricity networks and transport systems. Six people lost their lives when their houses on the banks of sewage-filled Nullah Leh, in spate since the onset of the monsoon, collapsed as torrential rains hit Rawalpindi and flood waters inundated the low-lying areas.
HEAT -
CALIFORNIA has sweltered under record-breaking, 50-plus temperatures again, pushing up the heat-related death toll and straining the state's power grid. With temperatures soaring as high as 51.6C in parts of the state since Sunday, about 50 deaths have been blamed on the heat, but the actual death toll remained uncertain. Most victims were elderly people living in California's central valley, which was under its fifth straight day of excessive heat warnings. "This is a historic heat wave." This was the FIRST TIME IN 57 YEARS THAT BOTH NORTHERN AND SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA HAD ENDURED RECORD-BREAKING HEAT at the same time. In the 600km long central valley – one of the most productive agricultural regions in the world – farmers were spraying walnuts with organic sunscreen to protect their shells from burning.
It was ONE OF THE HOTTEST WEEKENDS IN MORE THAN A DECADE in Orange County because of three factors: hot air flowing seaward from the desert; monsoonal moisture from Baja California; and virtually no cooling sea breeze. And an UNUSUALLY powerful and RARE series of thunderstorms swept through Orange County and elsewhere Sunday, sparking lightning that set off a flurry of tree fires and toppled power lines. Lightning struck the ground in the county at least 300 times by 10 a.m.
The World Meteorological Organisation estimates that the number of heat-related deaths across the globe will double in the next 20 years. Heatwaves claim thousands of lives, killing more people each year than floods, tornadoes and hurricanes combined. And it is going to get worse. Scientists calculate that, as global warming bites and average temperatures around the world get higher, the risk of extreme heatwaves will also increase. The 2003 heatwave in Europe was "the greatest such event the world has ever seen". The latest climate models paint a very bleak picture, suggesting that the summer of 2003 will be the norm, will be happening every year in Europe, by the 2040s.
UNITED KINGDOM - Houses could crack under the strain of this summer's heatwave, home-owners were warned today. Building experts said that continuing hot and dry weather could see houses collapsing due to subsidence as July's intense heat following a winter of drought has left soil bone dry. Heavy rainfall could now cause parts of the soil to expand and move the buildings above them, they warned.
NETHERLANDS - July 2006 is on track to be the HOTTEST MONTH IN 300 YEARS in the Netherlands, since temperatures were first measured in 1706. Average daily temperatures in the first 24 days of July were a record of 22.3 degrees Celsius (72.14F) compared with the previous record of 21.4 degrees in July 1994 and normal average temperatures of 17.4.
------------------------------------------
Tuesday, July 25, 2006 -
Short, late update - more storm power outages, the cord to my air-conditioner partially melted, 3 inches of rain in 40 minutes last night.
QUAKES -
Largest quakes yesterday -
7/24 -
5.3 SOUTH OF JAWA, INDONESIA
5.3 SOUTH OF JAWA, INDONESIA
5.1 SOUTH OF JAWA, INDONESIA
5.0 SOUTH OF JAWA, INDONESIA
5.1 SOUTH OF JAWA, INDONESIA
5.1 SOUTH OF JAWA, INDONESIA
5.1 NEW BRITAIN
TROPICAL STORMS -
Tropical storm DANIEL was 913 nmi ESE of Honolulu, Hawaii.
Tropical storm EMILIA was 121 nmi SW of Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.
Tropical storm KAEMI was 216 nmi NE of Hong Kong.
Typhoon Kaemi has reached China's south-eastern coast, bringing with it heavy rain and high winds. It made landfall at Jinjiang in Fujian province, and is set to cross a region still recovering from the effects of an earlier storm. More than 600 people died when tropical storm Bilis hit on July 14, causing massive flooding and forcing three million people from their homes. More than 430,000 people have been moved from their homes in Fujian, while another 80,000 have been evacuated in Zhejiang province. The typhoon passed across the Philippines on Monday, before reaching Taiwan, where it caused landslides and disruption.
HEAT / WILDFIRES -
BRAZIL - THE WORST DROUGHT IN 20 YEARS has reduced South America's Iguazu falls to a trickle and tourists may have to wait until October to see water gushing over the cliffs again. The huge thundering Iguazu Falls dwarf North America's Niagara Falls and rival in size Victoria Falls on the Zambezi River in southern Africa.
EUROPE the searing heatwave claimed more lives in Europe today and high temperatures were forecast to continue until storms bring relief to some areas late this week. Hotspots of more than 35 degrees Celsius were noted in southern Spain, southwest France and northwest Italy and a vast swathe of the continent from the west coast of France into Poland sweltered in temperatures of 30-35 degrees. The death toll also rose with news that the heat had claimed the lives of "about 40" people in France. An estimated 10 people have died elsewhere in Europe. Temperatures were expected to peak Thursday or on Friday in France, Britain and Germany before cooling off around the weekend with stormy conditions expected in some areas. In Germany, navigation on the river Elbe in the north of the country was disrupted after water levels dropped below navigable levels. The water was just 90cm deep in parts, four months after the river flooding its banks. Farmers in France, the Netherlands and Poland have already warned that the heat is set to reduce their harvests this year. In Britain the heatwave has already lasted 10 days in many parts of the country and it expected to produce higher temperatures mid-week.
U.S. - the first half of the year was the WARMEST ON RECORD for the United States. The average temperature for the 48 contiguous states from January through June recorded at 51.8 degrees Fahrenheit, or 3.4 degrees above average for the 20th century. This makes it the WARMEST SUCH PERIOD SINCE RECORD-KEEPING BEGAN at the National Climatic Data Center. Worldwide, it was the sixth warmest year-to-date since record keeping began in 1880.
------------------------------------------
Monday, July 24, 2006 -
QUAKES -
Largest quakes yesterday -
7/23 -
5.1 JAWA, INDONESIA
5.1 SOUTH OF JAWA, INDONESIA
5.1 JAWA, INDONESIA
5.1 SOUTH OF JAWA, INDONESIA
5.1 NORTHERN SUMATERA, INDONESIA
5.2 SOUTH OF JAWA, INDONESIA
5.8 MINAHASSA PENINSULA, SULAWESI
6.1 FIJI ISLANDS REGION
5.3 BANDA SEA
INDONESIA - Scientists have warned residents of the country's southern coasts to be alert to the danger of earthquakes and ensuing tsunamis due to seismic activity from ocean faults and plates. "We believe that faults along the line are 'queuing' to release their seismic power. We must anticipate the phenomenon." They identified Padang in West Sumatra, Bengkulu, the Sunda Strait between Lampung and Banten, the southern part of West Nusa Tenggara, Banda Island in Maluku, Sorong in Papua, Palu and Manado in Sulawesi as prone to quakes. "However, we, as well as not even one scientist around the globe, cannot predict where and when it would happen." Java, as well as part of Sumatra, have been rocked by a series of earthquakes following Monday's deadly tsunami that devastated the southern coast. The most recent earthquake hit Wednesday evening, with its epicenter in the Sunda Strait between Lampung on Sumatra's southern tip and Banten in western Java. The 6.2-magnitude quake was felt in Jakarta. In the case of the Sunda Strait, people should continue to be alert because although Wednesday's quake did not cause any damage or tsunamis, the areas were near the Sunda subduction zones, site of a convergence between a sinking plate and an overriding plate. Tectonic movements might follow a 30-year cycle, occurring in almost the same place as years previously. Because of the 2004 quake in Aceh and 2005 temblor in Nias, North Sumatra, they would likely experience similar activity in the next three decades. Major quakes as powerful as 9 on the Richter scale had occurred in 1833 and 1861 near Aceh and Nias, with epicenters near the one in 2004 and 2005.
TROPICAL STORMS -
Hurricane DANIEL was 1276 nmi ESE of Honolulu, HI. Daniel could still be a significant tropical cyclone in five days as it arrives in the Hawaiian Islands.
Tropical storm EMILIA was 187 nmi WSW of Manzanillo, Mexico.
Typhoon KAEMI was 313 nmi SSE of Taipei, Taiwan.
Typhoon Kaemi approached Taiwan, leading authorities to issue sea and land alerts, after bringing rains that shut Philippine financial markets. Kaemi is expected to hit the Chinese eastern provinces of Fujian or Zhejiang around Wednesday. It will be the fifth typhoon to hit China this year.
THUNDERSTORMS / HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING -
JAPAN - Torrential rain continued to lash southern Kyushu on Sunday, SETTING RECORDS in places and causing mudslides and rivers to overflow in some areas. Kagoshima and Kumamoto prefectures were hit particularly hard, and authorities were trying to rescue trapped residents and restore utilities. According to the Fukuoka district meteorological observatory, between midnight Tuesday and 3 p.m. Sunday, total rainfall in Ebino, Miyazaki Prefecture, reached 1,264 millimeters--greatly exceeding the average total July rainfall of 827 millimeters. In the same period, 1,237 millimeters of rain drenched Satsumacho, Kagoshima Prefecture, while 900 millimeters fell in Kumamura, Kumamoto Prefecture. The seasonal rain front is expected to remain over northern Kyushu, with thunderstorms and heavy isolated showers forecast in the area until about noon today.
PHILIPPINES - The northern fringes of the metropolis of Manila is expected to go under water due to torrential rains and tidal surges in Manila Bay. The Camanava section [Caloocan City, Malabon City and Navotas] is expected to bear the brunt of the rainy season especially with water flowing inland. “What compounded the situation is the high tide this week and the continuous downpour.”
MAURITANIA - At least seven people were killed and 19 injured in severe storms and flooding that hit Mauritania at the weekend. The deaths occurred when high winds and flooding buffeted the town of Boutilimit, 150km inland from the coastal capital Nouakchott. Buildings were damaged in the town and surrounding villages.
ENGLAND - A ferocious storm swept the south coast on Saturday leaving chaos in its wake. The FREAK squall moved so quickly it turned day into night within seconds and caught thousands of sunbathers and scores of sailors by surprise. The thunder and lightning storm left roads and businesses flooded, blocked sewage drains, swept yachts crashing onto rocks and capsized smaller boats. It arrived off the Dorset coast at 11.30am on Saturday and took just 30 minutes to pass through the Bournemouth and Poole. Sailors reported the windspeed changing from a gentle 10mph to 55mph at a stroke. "I've never seen anything like it, it was like an eclipse and a monsoon rolled into one. One minute people were sunbathing on the sand and the next they were fleeing for cover, it was like a scene out of a disaster movie. " On the sea, coastguards were inundated with calls to capsized boats and vessels that had run aground in the storm.
HEAT / WILDFIRES -
EUROPE - Much of Europe enjoyed a respite from the heatwave which has killed more than 30 people in recent days, but forecasters warned that scorching temperatures are set for a comeback in the week ahead. In France, which has been the worst hit country, accounting for 22 of Europe's 31 dead so far, most areas experienced a slight cooling. However, close to half the country's departments were placed on high alert for the coming week. The heatwave was spreading slowly towards the centre, the Paris region and eastwards of the capital, and also in the southwest, and France's biggest cities like Paris, Marseille, Lyon and Bordeaux were starting to wilt again. French forecasters said the heat would be worst on Tuesday and Wednesday. No cooling off is expected before Thursday. Peak temperatures will be up to 38 to 39C, and 36 to 37C in the southwest.
CALIFORNIA - sweltered again in a heat wave that has set records across the state and caused scattered power outages while St Louis and New York City struggled with outages that began last week. As of yesterday afternoon (local time), 100,000 homes and businesses were without power in California. Even in usual havens from the heat such as San Francisco, TEMPERATURES SOARED TO RECORDS on the weekend with the Bay City hitting 30c yesterday. In Woodland Hills in the Valley, the temperature today hit at least 37.7c for the 18th straight day. Temperatures were as high as 50C in Palm Springs.
TENNESSEE - Too hot to fish? It's rare here, but this past week, according to a fishing guide, the surface water temperature on Kentucky Lake pushed into the low 90s this week. It's the first time in 30 years of guiding he can remember the water temps being so high in mid-July.
------------------------------------------
Sunday, July 23, 2006 -
QUAKES -
Largest quakes yesterday -
7/22 -
5.1 SOUTHERN SUMATERA, INDONESIA
5.2 SOUTH OF JAWA, INDONESIA
5.1 SOUTH OF JAWA, INDONESIA
5.3 SICHUAN, CHINA
5.3 SOLOMON ISLANDS REGION
7/21 -
None 5.0 or over.
CHINA - A moderate 5.1 earthquake in China's southwestern Yunnan province Saturday toppled scores of houses and killed at least 18 people. The quake, which struck a mountainous area close to the border with Sichuan province, injured 60 people.
INDONESIA - There is no let-up in alerts about possible further natural disasters in Indonesia, after a tsunami struck the areas of Cilacap and Pangandaran on Java island on July 17, and a strong tremor was recorded only two days later in Sunda Strait, west of the capital. Experts have warned residents of areas like Banten, Tangerang and Jakarta to be on “maximum alert” and on the lookout for potential danger. Sunda Strait near Jakarta, just shaken by a strong tremor, is at the centre of attention, but so far it has been spared by freak waves. In Sunda Strait, “there is a seismic threat on two fronts: on the one hand, there are tectonic movements in the ocean, and on the other, there is growing activity of the dangerous volcano of Krakatau mountain between Java and Sumatra.”
TSUNAMI -
INDONESIA - The death toll in the tsunami that struck the Indonesian island of Java has risen to more than 650. Around 100 new bodies have been found in recent days. More than 300 people are still missing after Monday's disaster.
VOLCANOES -
PHILIPPINES - Lava flow from the restive Mayon Volcano in the southern Luzon Albay has widened its course to another channel, threatening to inundate more towns during an impending major eruption. The diversion of Mayon's lava flow means more areas will be endangered in the permanent six-kilometre danger zone. Local government officials are thinking of increasing the danger zone to eight kilometres from the top of the volcano. Apart from lava flows, Mayon has emitted sulphur dioxide and has generated pyroclastic flows that produced ash columns for several days. Seismic networks have detected tremors from the depths of the mountain. (PHOTO)
TROPICAL STORMS -
Hurricane DANIEL was 1387 nmi WSW of Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.
Tropical storm EMILIA was 129 nmi SSW of Manzanillo, Mexico.
Typhoon KAEMI was 445 nmi ENE of Manila, Philippines.
Typhoon Kaemi is moving towards Taiwan. If the storm continues to move in its current northwest direction it could start affecting Taiwan from today onwards, CWB meteorologists said. Kaemi has been growing in intensity, posing an increasing threat to the island. The bureau also forecast afternoon thundershowers for mountainous areas and areas in central and southern Taiwan for next few days, amid hot weather.
PHILIPPINES - The weather bureau on Saturday raised public storm warning signal no. 1 over Isabela, Cagayan, and the Calayan and Batanes groups of islands. Typhoon Glenda (international name Kaemi) has slowed down but continues to threaten the Batanes group of islands. “This disturbance is expected to enhance the southwest monsoon which may bring moderate to heavy rains with occasional gusty winds over the western sections of Luzon and Visayas. Residents along the coastal areas under public storm warning signal 1 are advised to seek higher grounds due to big waves that will be generated by Typhoon Glenda.”
Jellyfish on the rise following Tropical storm Beryl - The recent storm may be to blame for an over-abundance of jellyfish in North Carolina waters. At least five people were stung at Carolina Beach on Wednesday and one person had to be hospitalized. A similar problem has arisen at Wrightsville Beach.
BILIS - The driving rain and sweeping winds of tropical storm Bilis have wreaked havoc in southern China, bringing the country's death toll to 482. Unusually strong monsoon rains have also pounded Japan and Korea, causing floods and landslides and killing 145 people over the past 10 days. Authorities said Bilis, which made landfall in China last Friday, has caused mass flooding and mudslides. During the past week, nearly three million people have fled their homes in southern China. Some 262,000 homes were destroyed and rail lines and highways were washed out. Residents who stayed behind struggled to find clean water as a heat wave settles over the region. In North and South Korea, authorities said floods and landslides have killed 129 people over the past week. Two key rice-producing provinces near the capital of Pyongyang could cause famine in North Korea. In Japan, about 200 millimetres of rain is expected on Saturday. Heavy rainfall in the country has caused floods and landslides in the country, killing 15 people. More typhoons or tropical rainstorms are expected to hit China this year, partly due to the warm ocean current in the northwestern Pacific and high temperatures in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, meteorologists have warned.
THUNDERSTORMS / HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING -
NORTH KOREA - Hundreds are dead or missing in North Korea after days of heavy rain and entire villages have been swept away. Torrential rain has swept through the Korean Peninsula in recent days, causing flooding and landslides both sides of the border. This is the first confirmation from Pyongyang that the severe weather has led to human casualties. On Wednesday, state news agency KCNA said flooding had caused "tremendous" economic losses. Tens of thousands of houses have been destroyed and infrastructure such as roads and bridges has been badly hit, the agency said. The worst damage was in central and eastern parts of the country. South Korea has also been hit by the seasonal storms, with around 60 people dead or missing after days of rain.
JAPAN - Flooding and mudslides left three people dead Saturday after RECORD RAIN hit Kyushu, sending the rain-related death toll over the last week to 23 in nine prefectures. The Meteorological Agency issued alerts over possible "major disasters," referring to landslides and other problems in Kumamoto, Miyazaki and Kagoshima prefectures. Nine weather observation spots in Kagoshima, Kumamoto and Miyazaki prefectures in Kyushu recorded their MOST-EVER RAINFALL FOR A 24-HOUR PERIOD. In Akune, Kagoshima Prefecture, more than 540 mm of rain fell in the 24 hours to Saturday evening. The Meteorological Agency forecast that heavy rain would continue in the Kyushu region through today.
NEW HAMPSHIRE - The aftermath of last week’s storm has body shops along the Seacoast backed up until fall, after hail pummeled vehicles out of commission and into local garages for repairs. Body shops are dealing first with shattered windows and waterlogged interiors before moving on to those cars and trucks that need repairing or replacing roofs, hoods and trunks. “This was a mini disaster affecting a 5- to 10-mile area.” The average insurance claim was placed at $7,500. 35 to 40 percent of the vehicles would likely be total losses. The hail was described as tangerine- or baseball-sized, it had caused so many dents in some vehicles, it “just destroyed” their roofs and hoods. “We’re talking a hundred, two hundred hail dents. So many it just makes the roof or trunk or hood flimsy.”
HEAT / WILDFIRES -
CANADA - British Columbia baked on Saturday, and the sweltering temperatures are expected to return Sunday. Temperatures in parts of southern B.C. hit 42 C Saturday in THE MOST INTENSE HEAT WAVE IN ALMOST A DECADE.
EUROPE - A heatwave in France has probably killed more than 20 people, including a 15-month-old baby and the rest of Europe also sweltered with no sign of temperatures dropping. In the Netherlands, two people died of heatstroke earlier this week. Germany and Spain have each reported two deaths blamed on the punishing heat. Temperatures of well above 30C (86F) have been registered across Europe, prompting a series of health warnings. Italy's central regions of Liguria and parts of Umbria have been placed on the highest level of alert, with temperatures expected to reach 40C (104F) over the weekend. In Britain, a severe drought, said to be the WORST IN A CENTURY in the south of England, is making itself felt and temperatures hit a July record of 36.3 Celsius (97.3 Fahrenheit) earlier this week. British farmers have begun harvesting wheat fields early because of the dry weather. Forecasters have predicted another heatwave next week. In Croatia, the hot weather has been blamed for a series of fires that have destroyed hundreds of hectares of forest and woodland. Southern and western Bosnia have been hit by a series of fires as temperatures reached as high as 41 degrees.
U.S. - Severe heat across much of the US has claimed at least 22 lives around the country. At least 10 states have suffered heat-related deaths as a swathe of the US has sweltered above 38C (100F).
CALIFORNIA - The heat wave gripping Southern California intensified Saturday, with reports of power outages, RECORD-HIGH TEMPERATURES and surging energy demands. Temperatures in downtown Los Angeles hit 99 degrees Saturday - the HIGHEST EVER FOR THIS DAY - beating the high of 96 degrees set July 22, 1960. Burbank was sweltering by 3 p.m. with temperatures of 111 degrees, beating the July 22, 1980, record for this day of 100 degrees. In Woodland Hills, the high Saturday hit a crippling 116 degrees, matching the Aug. 24, 1985, record for the hottest day ever recorded there. Saturday marks the 17th day in a row that highs have exceeded 100 degrees in Woodland Hills and they are still looking at a very, very warm air mass. Last month was the second-hottest June ever recorded in downtown Los Angeles. It was hotter in 1981.
With San Jose extending its string of scorchers with a sixth consecutive day above 90 degrees Friday, the city needs only three more days to tie the steamiest streak of 90s in its history. And forecasters say it's an easy bet, with highs in the mid-90s expected through Monday. The RECORD HEAT WAVE comes two months after San Jose suffered through one of its coldest and rainiest Aprils ever. Friday, Moffett Field in Mountain View hit 90, breaking a decade-old record for that day. San Francisco International Airport also eclipsed a 52-year-old record with a high of 83. The UNUSUAL spike in humidity has made the heat index several degrees hotter than the actual temperature. The region is experiencing the high humidity because of the southeastern air flow. The monsoonal flow - which normally travels up from Mexico into the southwest's Four Corners region - has hammered the West.
SACRAMENTO - the "surge of monsoonal moisture" is hitting them from Mexico. That weather pattern usually strikes Arizona this time of year, leading to thunderstorms, but it has made its way north, resulting in frequent storms in the higher elevations east of Sacramento. It is "VERY RARE" for the monsoonal surge to reach them. The moisture in the air has led to humidity readings in Sacramento as high as 60 percent this week, an abnormality for a place known for its dry heat. The Sacramento heat wave seems tolerable compared to what's happening in other parts of the country: 570,000 homes and businesses in St. Louis were without power after destructive storms, a highway buckled from the heat near Oklahoma City, 28 deaths were blamed on the heat nationwide in the past week. While one heat wave does not prove the global warming argument, trends like this are "clearly an indication of climate change... It's the change in the long-term trends to watch. Certainly it's UNUSUAL to have high temperatures like this and it's certainly UNUSUAL for the whole country to be experiencing this."
OREGON - an "excessive heat warning" from the National Weather Service remains in effect for most of northwest Oregon and southwest Washington. Temperatures are nearing record levels - the all-time high for July 21 is 104, in 1938; and the record for July 22 is 100, in 1978. Friday afternoon the Govenor declared a state of emergency because RECORD HEAT LEVELS, RECORD LOW HUMIDITY and the forecast of dry lightning posed an imminent danger of wildfires. "An upper-level ridge of high pressure - a really strong one - has built up over us, moving basically from the southeast Nevada desert." The most UNUSUAL thing about the current hot snap is that it seems to be affecting almost the entire country - from the Northwest to New England, and all points south. "Usually someone's left out. And usually, that's us."
------------------------------------------
Friday, July 21, 2006 -
QUAKES -
Largest quakes yesterday -
7/20 -
5.1 SOUTH OF JAVA, INDONESIA
5.2 SOUTH OF JAVA, INDONESIA
5.2 SOUTH OF JAVA, INDONESIA
INDONESIA - Powerful aftershocks continued to rattle survivors of the Java coast earthquake and tsunami on Thursday, as rescue workers dug through the ruins and tended to the injured in a devastated Indonesian beach town. The tsunami death toll as of Thursday stood at 531.
VOLCANOES -
PAPUA NEW GUINEA - More than 1000 people from three villages within the PNG province of West New Britain have now been evacuated after two volcanoes, dormant for more than 100 years, erupted. Those evacuated are now sheltering in care centres near the town of Bialla after Mount Karai and Mount Bamus began emitting vapour, ash and smoke in the past week. Earthquakes in the affected area, measuring between 1 and 5 on the Richter scale, were being felt every hour.
TROPICAL STORMS -
Tropical storm BERYL was 119 nmi ESE of Atlantic City, New Jersey.
Hurricane DANIEL was 968 nmi SW of Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.
Typhoon KAEMI was 632 nmi WNW of Agana, Guam.
Tropical Storm Beryl is weakening as it makes an approach off the Massachusetts coast. Maximum sustained winds have decreased to near 50 miles per hour. Additional weakening is expected over the next several hours. Boaters and swimmers are being advised that Beryl could produce tides one-to-three feet above normal, with dangerous rip currents. A tropical storm warning remains in effect for southeastern Massachusetts.
THUNDERSTORMS / HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING -
PENNSYLVANIA - Hundreds of thousands of people were left without power, some without a place to sleep, after severe thunderstorms, complete with gusting winds and hail storms, swept through Chester, Berks and Montgomery counties Tuesday night. It was THE WORST SUMMER STORM TO EVER HIT the PECO service territory. It left 15 percent of PECO’s customer base, or more than 365,000 customers without power - 219,000 of whom were still without power as of Wednesday afternoon. "What we were faced with, we basically had two storm systems that converged over our service area and created some extensive damages." They recorded 5,400 lightning strikes from 6 to 10 p.m. and winds up to 71 mph which resulted in fallen tree branches and downed power lines. Falling trees also caused two deaths in Chester County on Tuesday.
MISSOURI - A violent storm with winds reaching up to 128 kilometres per hour ripped through the American Midwest on Wednesday, leaving approximately 450,000 people in St. Louis without electricity. Temperatures soared to a scorching 38 C as city workers began to assess the considerable damage caused by the storm. "This is ONE OF THE WORST STORMS WE CAN ALL REMEMBER to hit the city of St. Louis in recent years." Violent winds carried a section of the airport roof from the main terminal and dropped it onto Interstate 70. The storm blew the windows out of a hotel and baseball stadium press box, injuring more than 30 people. Three St. Louis area buildings also partially collapsed in the storm. Heavy rain and hail also struck neighbouring Illinois. High winds and lightning downed power lines, leaving approximately 120,000 people in the state without power.
WISCONSIN - Heavy rains and damaging winds were accompanied by booming thunder and frequent lightning early Thursday morning throughout much of Green and Lafayette counties and southern Wisconsin. Throughout much of the rest of the state trees were uprooted as inches of rain and large hail fell early Thursday morning. The storms left thousands without power. At about 6:15 a.m., one man had two bolts of lightning strike in his front yard. "I saw a flash, and then it was really bizarre. There was a constant roar, and then a sudden bang that shook the whole house." He walked out his front door to discover two black burn marks in his yard with smoke rising from them. He checked one of the holes left by the lightning and discovered a small concretion. The other strike point had a similar orb in it. "It was hot to the touch, so I couldn't pick it up right away. They looked like two pieces of cement."
NEW ZEALAND - Yesterday's heavy rain, on already-saturated soils, flooded roads and pushed some rivers to alert levels. Yesterday's deluge brought down yet more landslips, causing road and rail delays. The ground had not dried out from recent heavy rains.
NEW ZEALAND - engineers and geologists are assessing the potential risk of a hillside collapsing onto a number of houses in the Wellington suburb of Eastbourne. Twenty five residents were evacuated from their homes Thursday night after bad weather caused concern the surrounding hill may give way. One house has already become a casualty slipping three metres down the hill. High winds and rain have also affected other parts of the lower North Island. Wairarapa has received an astonishing amount of rain this month. During July the region has had almost 300mm of rain, which is about a third of its annual rainfall. The heavy rain is causing heartache for farmers whose properties are already waterlogged and others whose farms are still underwater from the last flood.
SNOW / COLD -
Scientists are dismissing any link between weather extremes that have left New Zealanders shivering in a freezing winter and Europeans wilting in a summer heatwave. The MetService yesterday issued another severe-weather warning, with a polar blast likely to bring snow to sea level today, closing roads and putting stress on livestock. Authorities in Britain have taken the rare step of issuing a nationwide health warning as temperatures top 37deg – with 47deg on the London Underground on Wednesday. New Zealand scientists and weather forecasters say the climatic extremes are not connected, and Kiwis enduring bitterly cold winds and snow today are assured warmer weather is on the way. New Zealand had been hit by a "cluster" of weather events in the past month, but those conditions would not be sustained all winter. The cold snaps had been caused when high-pressure systems hovering near Tasmania had clashed with low-pressure systems sweeping in over the North Island. "There is no relation to what is happening in the northern hemisphere, and the hot summer in Europe doesn't mean a hot summer ahead for New Zealand...We are part of the Pacific weather pattern and that is what determines our weather. It simply can't be related to the northern hemisphere. The hot weather there is caused by anti-cyclones, not a mix of highs and lows."
------------------------------------------
Thursday, July 20, 2006 -
QUAKES -
Largest quakes yesterday -
7/19 -
5.0 SOUTH OF JAWA, INDONESIA
5.3 SOUTH OF JAWA, INDONESIA
6.0 SUNDA STRAIT, INDONESIA
5.7 SOUTH OF JAWA, INDONESIA
5.0 JAWA, INDONESIA
5.1 SOUTH OF JAWA, INDONESIA
5.3 SOUTH OF JAWA, INDONESIA
5.2 EASTERN NEW GUINEA
5.8 NEW BRITAIN
6.4 NEW BRITAIN
5.2 ALASKA PENINSULA
5.0 NEAR COAST NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
5.3 QINGHAI, CHINA
5.1 FIJI ISLANDS REGION
5.2 BISMARCK SEA
Embarassed US scientists are revising earthquake analysis procedures after an inexperienced overnight team failed to quickly review the major earthquake that caused the tsunami which killed more than 550 in Indonesia. The United States Geological Survey typically provides very quick, accurate data on earthquakes worldwide, but on Monday took six hours before they gave the accurate 7.7 magnitude for the quake that hit 345km south of Jakarta. A scientist is supposed to review the automated findings manually within 10 minutes, but in the early morning hours between Sunday and Monday in Colorado that did not take place for an hour. It was six hours later when others started arriving during regular business hours that geologists calculated the Indonesia quake was actually a 7.7 - or three times larger in ground motion than a 7.2 and more than five times larger in terms of the amount of energy released.
VOLCANOES -
INDONESIA - Clouds of hot ash and lava flows from Mt. Karangetang volcano in North Sulawesi are adding to Indonesia's troubles with Mother Nature. On Tuesday thousands of villagers were fleeing their homes on Siau island amid new activity from Mt. Karangetang, which lasted erupted in 1940. Reports said the sounds of explosions, the spewing of ash and lava began last week. Authorities were monitoring the situation, but there was no information immediately available on whether a major eruption was likely.
ECUADOR - the Tungurahua Volcano, currently erupting in central Ecuador, has destroyed 19,000 hectares of farmland. The volcano, which is showering the region with ash and burning hot lava, entered a critical phase on Friday that might last for months or years. It has devastated villages that have maize, potato, cereal and livestock farms and it has affected more than 13,000 people.
TROPICAL STORMS -
Tropical storm BERYL was 101 nmi ESE of Ocean City, Maryland.
Hurricane DANIEL was 909 nmi SW of Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.
Tropical storm KAEMI was 392 nmi W of Agana, Guam.
Tropical Storm Beryl did little more than churn up surf and clouds as it passed North Carolina, and similar conditions were expected as it headed north toward Massachusetts. Still, the National Hurricane Center in Miami issued a tropical storm watch for southeastern Massachusetts, from Plymouth south and west to Woods Hole, including Cape Cod, Nantucket and Martha's Vineyard. The center said a tropical storm warning might be necessary for parts of the watch area later today. The storm was cruising roughly parallel to the East Coast, but the winds on the landward side of the storm didn't extend far enough from the center to be felt on the U.S. coast. At about 2 a.m. EDT, the storm's maximum sustained winds were near 60 mph, above the 39 mph threshold for a named storm but below hurricane strength of 74 mph.
KAEMI - the sixth storm of the Northwest Pacific’s tropical cyclone season, developed into a tropical depression Tuesday southeast of Guam but is not expected to pose a threat to the island. “We don’t expect too much except gusty winds and heavy rain, local flooding in poor drainage areas." If it continues on its forecast track, the system next could approach Okinawa by the weekend. However, it is “too soon to say” if the storm will affect that island.
THUNDERSTORMS / HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING -
CAMEROON - A landslide killed 4 people when it swept away a blockhouse. The landslide was due to heavy rains that fell Monday night.
NEPAL - At least three members of a family were killed when a landslide, triggered by incessant rainfall, buried their house in Taplejung district on Tuesday. At least five houses were swept away by a landslide at Olangchungola in the district Wednesday. That landslide area is still out of contact due to the remoteness of the village.
JAPAN - Mudslides and swelling rivers triggered by heavy rain led to seven deaths and at least eleven people missing in central and western Japan early Wednesday. Four people in Nagano Prefecture, two people in Shimane Prefecture, and one in Yamanashi Prefecture were reported dead in rain-triggered accidents. Three people in Nagano Prefecture, two people in Shimane Prefecture, two in Fukui Prefecture, two in Kyoto Prefecture, one in Okayama Prefecture and one Gifu Prefecture went missing. Heavy rain could cause more mudslides and floods in the central and western part of the country.
HEAT / WILDFIRES -
EUROPE - governments scrambled to save lives in RECORD HIGH TEMPERATURES to avoid a repeat of the catastrophic heatwave of 2003 that killed thousands of people. In Britain, temperatures hit an ALL-TIME HIGH FOR THE MONTH OF JULY, touching 36.3 deg C (96.6F) south of London to edge out the previous record set in 1911. The average temperature in southeastern England in July is 70 degrees. Germany's national meteorological service said July was on the way to being THE HOTTEST SINCE RECORDS BEGAN in many parts of the country. In France, an 85-year-old man admitted to hospital and an 81-year-old woman found dead in her home were the first people believed to have died there because of the heat. The searing heat and expected storms later in the week threatened to damage northern Europe's wheat crop just days before the harvest, especially hitting Germany and France. Electricity grids are straining. In Ireland, firefighters battled a gorse blaze close to a beach south of Dublin yesterday after temperatures pushed above 30C for THE FIRST TIME IN MORE THAN A DECADE.
U.S. - The temperature was expected to top 100 in Arkansas, Nebraska and other parts of the Midwest and southern Plains each day through the end of the week. The soaring heat has already been blamed for 10 deaths from Oklahoma City to the Philadelphia area. "For it to be 100 degrees on the East Coast and 100 degrees in Salt Lake City, the widespread heat is what makes this particular hot spell UNUSUAL." Blasting air conditioners sent power consumption surging. Records were set all over the country.
EXTREME WEATHER SEASON -
HAWAII - Heavy winter rains that caused severe flooding in many areas are becoming a distant memory during what is shaping up to be a very dry summer. Rainfall totals show above-normal readings through the end of June, but most of the moisture arrived in the first part of the year. The National Weather Service characterized the recent weather as "a year of extremes." "In December, it was very, very dry, then it got very, very wet, and now it looks like we're headed for dry conditions again." "It's kind of cruel; it's either too much water or not enough." Although summer months are typically drier, "it's kind of UNUSUAL that we haven't had any rain whatsoever in a couple of months. It doesn't even keep the dust down." Kaua'i has seen three consecutive months of below-normal rainfall after the excessive rains of February and March that triggered fatal flooding in Kilauea. Even Mount Wai'ale'ale, considered one of the wettest places on the planet, collected less than half its normal precipitation for June.
------------------------------------------
Wednesday, July 19, 2006 -
QUAKES -
Largest quakes yesterday -
7/18 -
5.2 SOUTHERN IRAN
5.3 SOLOMON ISLANDS REGION
5.3 FIJI ISLANDS REGION
5.1 SOUTH OF JAWA, INDONESIA
5.2 SOUTH OF JAWA, INDONESIA
5.3 SOUTH OF JAWA, INDONESIA
5.2 SOUTH OF JAWA, INDONESIA
5.0 SOUTH OF JAWA, INDONESIA
5.2 SOUTH OF JAWA, INDONESIA
5.5 SOUTH OF JAWA, INDONESIA
5.4 SOUTH OF JAWA, INDONESIA
5.5 SOUTH OF JAWA, INDONESIA
5.2 SOUTH OF JAWA, INDONESIA
5.2 SOUTH OF JAWA, INDONESIA
5.0 SOUTH OF JAWA, INDONESIA
5.2 SOUTH OF JAWA, INDONESIA
5.7 SOUTH OF JAWA, INDONESIA
TSUNAMI -
The death toll in the Indonesian tsunami rose to at least 340 yesterday, with more than 600 people injured, as rescue workers recovered bodies from coconut trees and the rubble of flattened homes. Many residents did not even feel the quake this time. As the sea receded, some escaped to higher ground. But others did not notice the warning sign, because the tide was already low. Alerts were issued by two regional monitoring centres but were not sent on to threatened communities, because the authorities did not want to cause unnecessary alarm. Indonesia has experienced a string of disasters since the 2004 tsunami, including an earthquake in May that claimed nearly 6,000 lives. Indonesians are calling their country "the disaster supermarket".
INDONESIA has installed a tsunami warning system across much of Sumatra island but not on Java where the 6-foot-high tsunami struck. There were regional bulletins about the 7.7-magnitude undersea earthquake, but they did not reach the nation's main island. A witness saw the ocean withdraw 500 yards from the beach a half-hour before the giant wave smashed to shore. "I could see fish jumping around on the ocean floor. Later I saw a wave like a black wall." Roads were blocked and power cut to much of the area. Damage and casualties were reported at several spots along the 110 miles of beach affected.
VOLCANOES -
PAPUA NEW GUINEA - On July 13, the Rabaul Volcano Observatory reported a series of light to moderate earthquakes accompanying the FIRST HISTORICAL ERUPTION OF KARAI VOLCANO in Papua New Guinea. Frequent earthquake activity continues, with emissions from another volcano, Mt. Bamus, a volcano that has been inactive for more than 100 years, which began projecting a steam plume into the atmosphere. Continued earth tremors were felt within the vicinity of Kimbe and as far as Bialla and Mamota, a distance of approximately of 16 - 20km. The tremors continue to occur at five minute intervals. The affected population, estimated at 2,078 people, lives around the Kaiamu, Malasi, Sulu and Silali villages. These communities have moved out of danger areas in fear of an eruption and now live temporarily in six different informal camps. Recordings at Kaiamu on July 16 indicate heightened frequency and levels of seismic activity consisting of overlapping volcanic tectonic events. A few booming noises were heard on the 17th, but there have been no ash emissions during the last two days. The magma is as yet not connected to the surface via fractures or conduits. However, if the current level of seismic activity continues, an eruption is very much likely to occur.
ECUADOR - A two-year-old toddler is the first person to die from inhalation of ash spewed by the Tungurahua volcano. To date, 13,500 people have been affected by the expulsion of lava, ash and molten rocks from the mountain, whose activity increased last Friday. The reactivation of Tungurahua has also damaged local agriculture and cattle.
PHILIPPINES - Lava and rocks as big as cars rolled down Mt. Mayon yesterday, prompting officials to recommend that Albay be placed under a state of calamity and Malacañang to ask residents to leave immediately. Scientists also expanded the danger zone around the volcano to 6 km around the peak and 7 km around its southeastern slope, fearing an imminent explosion. They recorded 100 short-duration tremors in the past 24 hours, meaning magma was reaching the volcano’s summit. The magma caused lava and red-hot boulders to roll down the volcano’s slopes and then break up on impact. Lava has flowed 1,000 meters down the slopes while fragments of rolling incandescent boulders as big as cars have been observed at the Bonga gully about 3,000 meters above sea level.
ITALY - Mount Etna, the largest active volcano in Europe, threw fire and rocks more than 800ft into the air yesterday. Several villages lie on its lower slopes, but the Italian government said that the lava was flowing away from them, and that there was no immediate danger. The explosions are coming from two holes near to the top of the volcano, creating a lava field more than a mile long which is flowing at a rate faster than 90 cubic feet a minute. Even though the eruption has continued for three days, scientists said it had lost little of its force.
WASHINGTON - A magnitude 3.6 earthquake has shaken Mount St. Helens, one of the largest earthquakes recorded during the ongoing eruption. The 9:56 a.m. quake triggered significant rock falls from the lava dome and crater walls sending plumes of dust to the rim. Lava has continued to push into the crater - most recently forming a sheer rock fin - since the mountain reawakened with a drumfire of low-level seismic activity in September 2004.
TROPICAL STORMS -
Tropical storm 06W was 205 nmi SW of Agana, Guam.
Tropical storm BERYL was 134 nmi SE of Kitty Hawk, North Carolina.
Hurricane DANIEL was 801 nmi SW of Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.
Beryl - A tropical storm watch was issued for the eastern coast of North Carolina. Tropical Storm Beryl is the second-named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season. The storm is expected to make its closest approach to North Carolina today and it was forecast to remain a tropical storm and not reach hurricane strength.
CHINA - The death toll from tropical storm Bilis jumped to 198 after 10 more people were confirmed dead in southern China as the region braced for another onslaught of torrential rain on Monday. The new deaths were from Guangxi, where eight people were still missing. Heavy rains swept away houses and triggered devastating mudslides over the weekend after Bilis slammed ashore. The storm swelled reservoirs, causing them to overflow and sweep away thousands of homes and destroy crops. Train lines were inundated and mines were flooded with torrents of water.
NORTH KOREA - At least 100 people are believed dead or missing and 9000 are homeless after typhoon rains caused severe flooding and landslides in North Korea, wiping out whole villages. "In some remote areas, whole villages have been swept away and essential public services, such as healthcare clinics, have been destroyed. There has also been widespread damage to roads and bridges, which has left many people displaced or stranded." The typhoon, which first struck on July 14, has totally or partially destroyed over 11,500 houses. It has also destroyed out vast swathes of farmland.
PHILIPPINES - Forty landslides in Baguio at the height of Typhoon Florita (Bilis) may indicate a serious problem in the city’s geological structure. Originally built for more or less a population of 25,000, the day-time population of Baguio is pegged at more than 300,000 and increasing. Geo-hazard areas in Baguio are prone to landslide, flooding and ground subsidence, which usually occur during continuous rains or typhoons.
THUNDERSTORMS / HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING -
JAPAN - Heavy rain drenched wide areas of Japan on Monday, with downpours causing a mudslide and a train derailment in Shimane Prefecture and prompting Ishikawa Prefecture to order more than 10,000 people in Kaga to evacuate. In Unnan, Shimane Prefecture, heavy rain triggered a mudslide that crushed a home, burying two people. In Kaga, the front dumped 200 mm of rain from 6 a.m. Sunday to 7 a.m. Monday, threatening to cause the city's rivers to flood the surrounding areas. The seasonal rain front is engulfing large areas of the country, stretching from the eastern area surrounding Tokyo to the Hokuriku region to the Sanin coast in western Japan facing the Sea of Japan.
CANADA - Two people died, several were injured and thousands remained without power Tuesday evening after severe storms cut a wide swath of damage across eastern Ontario and Quebec late Monday. Thunder storms accompanied by high winds downed trees and hydro lines and blocked or washed out highways. Several communities declared states of emergency.
INDIA - Nagpur received a rainfall of 155 mm in three hours by Monday evening, second only to the 304 mm rains on July 14, 1994, and it amounted to 70 per cent of the average July rainfall. People residing in 70 low-lying localities were in panic, after water gushed into their homes and offices following the rains.
HEAT / WILDFIRES -
EUROPE - Much of Europe baked in tropical temperatures that climbed as high as 40C, in an increasingly dangerous heatwave blamed for at least four deaths since Sunday. Britain was braced for its HOTTEST DAY ON RECORD as forecasters predicted temperatures could reach 39C in parts of England. One death occurred in Spain, the other two deaths blamed on the oppressive heat were recorded in France.
------------------------------------------
Tuesday, July 18, 2006 -
QUAKES -
Largest quakes yesterday -
7/17 -
5.1 SOUTH OF JAWA, INDONESIA
5.1 SOUTH OF JAWA, INDONESIA
5.1 SOUTH OF JAWA, INDONESIA
5.2 SOUTH OF JAWA, INDONESIA
5.5 SOUTH OF JAWA, INDONESIA
5.1 SOUTH OF JAWA, INDONESIA
5.8 SOUTH OF JAWA, INDONESIA
5.9 JAWA, INDONESIA
5.5 JAWA, INDONESIA
5.2 SOUTH OF JAWA, INDONESIA
5.0 SOUTH OF JAWA, INDONESIA
5.0 SOUTH OF JAWA, INDONESIA
5.4 MINAHASSA PENINSULA, SULAWESI
5.1 SOUTH OF JAWA, INDONESIA
5.2 SOUTH OF JAWA, INDONESIA
5.1 SOUTH OF JAWA, INDONESIA
5.1 SOUTH OF JAWA, INDONESIA
5.4 JAWA, INDONESIA
5.3 JAWA, INDONESIA
5.6 SOUTH OF JAWA, INDONESIA
5.0 SOUTH OF JAWA, INDONESIA
5.4 SOUTH OF JAWA, INDONESIA
5.3 SOUTH OF JAWA, INDONESIA
5.8 JAWA, INDONESIA
6.1 SOUTH OF JAWA, INDONESIA
5.9 JAWA, INDONESIA
7.7 SOUTH OF JAWA, INDONESIA
5.2 SOUTHERN SUMATERA, INDONESIA
5.4 TONGA ISLANDS
Indonesian quakes continue today -
5.0 SOUTH OF JAWA, INDONESIA
5.2 SOUTH OF JAWA, INDONESIA
5.5 SOUTH OF JAWA, INDONESIA
5.4 SOUTH OF JAWA, INDONESIA
5.5 SOUTH OF JAWA, INDONESIA
5.2 SOUTH OF JAWA, INDONESIA
5.2 SOUTH OF JAWA, INDONESIA
5.0 SOUTH OF JAWA, INDONESIA
5.2 SOUTH OF JAWA, INDONESIA
5.7 SOUTH OF JAWA, INDONESIA
TSUNAMI -
INDONESIA - The death toll from a tsunami that struck the Indonesian island of Java has risen to at least 245. About 450 people have been injured and 52,700 people have been displaced. Another 140 people are reported missing in the worst-hit area of Pangandaran. The tsunami was triggered by a 7.7 magnitude undersea earthquake that struck off Pangandaran on Monday afternoon, causing a 2m-high wave. At first light, rescuers were confronted with the sight of bodies in the branches of trees, and in the debris of smashed hotels and houses. One resident said high waves had destroyed hotels in Pangandaran and thrown boats onto the beach. Tremors from the earthquake were felt in the capital, Jakarta, for more than a minute, but there were no reports of damage or casualties there. The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center in Hawaii had issued tsunami warnings for parts of Indonesia and Australia, and the Japan Meteorological Agency also warned of localised tsunamis. Police in Australia's Christmas Island reported a 60cm surge but no damage, while India authorities issued a tsunami warning for the Andaman and Nicobar islands, which are located west of Indonesia. But the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said on its website that based on historical and current data, "a more widespread tsunami threat probably does not exist".
Witnesses said "very many" flimsy homes along the coast for at least 20 miles in each direction had been destroyed as two waves, about seven metres (23ft) and two metres high, surged ashore. The water was reportedly waist-deep more than half a mile inland. Much damage was inflicted by hundreds of wooden fishing boats becoming battering rams as they ploughed through shacks and fields. Power failed and fixed phone lines were cut. Rescue teams said the toll was likely to rise significantly because they were still searching through rubble, many roads were impassable, many houses had been washed away and in pitch darkness it was difficult to see corpses.
"We all felt the quake, but the first we knew of the tsunami was a roar. When we looked up, we saw fishing boats sort of jumping in the air out in the bay...Boats were going down the street. There were about six waves. The second was the biggest and the locals said it was as high as the point, I guess about four or five metres."
Tsunami photos.
VOLCANOES -
PHILIPPINES - Red-hot lava poured down the slopes of Mayon Volcano accompanied by more tremors for the fourth straight day yesterday. A continuous stream of lava from Sunday night until early Monday and increased seismic activity indicated “heightened unrest of the volcano, which could lead to explosive eruption."
TROPICAL STORMS -
Tropical depression 06W was 266 nmi SSE of Agana, Guam.
Tropical storm DANIEL was 668 nmi SSW of Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.
ODD -
A puzzling, ominously named phenomenon, 'sudden wetland dieback', is transforming salt marshes in the New England region of the U.S. into barren mudflats, scientists say, and their best efforts have failed to figure out why. "It appears to us we have a new phenomenon we've never seen before." Across New England, researchers are poring over aerial photographs and slogging into mucky marshes on the lookout for ailing marshes, in hope of understanding its cause. Over the past five years, there have been reports of marshes that look as if they have been mowed . There are 17 suspected dieback marshes on Cape Cod, and a few other possible sites are on the North and South Shore. Dead patches are also visible on about two-thirds of Connecticut's shoreline. At least one report is from Rhode Island. Research so far has been a frustrating exercise in what scientists call forensic ecology: reconstructing what happened to portions of dead marsh and preparing for the ecological repercussions. "This great of an expanse of denuded salt marsh is not natural." The affected tidal marshes are one of the most productive ecosystems in the world. They are the basis of the food chain for many commercial fish species. They buffer the coast from storms. "People who have had long careers working in salt marshes, 40-odd years, think it's a VERY BIZARRE, UNPRECEDENTED phenomenon."
------------------------------------------
Monday, July 17, 2006 -
QUAKES -
Largest quakes yesterday -
7/16 -
5.0 HALMAHERA, INDONESIA
5.3 SOUTH OF MARIANA ISLANDS
5.3 FIJI ISLANDS REGION
5.8 OFF COAST OF CENTRAL CHILE
7/15 -
5.1 OFF W. CST OF NORTHERN SUMATERA
5.5 FIJI ISLANDS REGION
5.0 YUNNAN, CHINA
5.8 BANDA SEA
7/14 -
5.3 KURIL ISLANDS, RUSSIA
TSUNAMI -
Tsunami threat to Hawaii and West Coast underestimated - New evidence from the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami is causing civil defense modelers to reassess recommended evacuation zones and the hazards of multiple waves. These new analyses suggest that the tsunami threat to Hawaii, particularly the south shore of Oahu, and California may be much greater than previously calculated. Man-made developments along the shore slow the retreat of the flood caused by the first tsunami wave. Later waves then ride over the already-flooded area higher and faster (the multiple wave pile-up effect). As a result, recommended evacuation zones, particularly in areas with harbors and channels or rivers, would have to be expanded to account for larger waves coming in a series of increasing heights. Ironically, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is relocating its Pacific Tsunami Warning Center to an island in the middle of Pearl Harbor on the south coast of Oahu, a location with a high tsunami danger.
VOLCANOES -
ECUADOR - The Tungurahua volcano spewed ash and gas for the second day straight, sending hundreds of Ecuadorean villagers crowding into schools and churches seeking refuge. Tungurahua, located about 129 km south of Quito, has been increasingly active since May, when it shot out large clouds of hot gas. Civil defence authorities and police continued to evacuate seven small villages around the volcano. The Tungurahua's crater blasted molten rocks on Friday that burned trees and grass on its way down in the volcano's HIGHEST RECORDED ACTIVITY SINCE IT STARED ERUPTING IN 1999. Lava flows blocked roads and destroyed bridges. Some homes were almost knocked down due to the repeated volcanic explosions.
Some dramatic photos
PHILIPPINES - Residents are bracing for a major eruption of Mayon Volcano after it increased its magma build-up and released lava down a gully, officials said yesterday. The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology said the increasing ash explosions, lava flows, quakes and gas emissions had prompted disaster authorities to be on 24-hour alert. Seismologists raised the volcano’s alert status to 3 from 1 Friday night after Mayon spewed lava down the middle of its southeast flank. In its latest advisory yesterday, the volcanology institute said the increase in the flow of lava had been accompanied by a rise in the volcano’s emission of sulfur dioxide. “One likely scenario is a shift from lava extrusion to explosive eruption,” the institute warned, saying this would be accompanied by deadly mudflows of volcanic ash.
TROPICAL STORMS -
Tropical depression CARLOTTA was 712 nmi W of Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.
CHINA - The death toll from three days of floods in southern China has risen to at least 170, with 126 reported missing and about 9 million people affected in four provinces as Typhoon Bilis churns across China's south-east. At least 31,000 homes were swept away and destroyed in Hunan and about 50,000 people were cut off by floods Sunday, with more than 100 people reported missing. Hectares of farmland have also been destroyed and train services disrupted. Officials believed the floods were THE WORST IN A CENTURY along stretches of Hunan's Xiangjiang river. The water level in the Leishui river, a major tributary of the Xiangjiang, rose by more than 10 metres from Friday to Sunday, reaching a RECORD HIGH. Up to 450 millimetres of rain fell on Hunan's Leiyang city, which lies on the Xiangjiang, within a period of just over 30 hours through 8 a.m. Sunday. Earlier, a Russian vessel sank off the coast during the storm, but the 11-member crew is said to have been rescued. Officials evacuated at least 522,000 people, called tens of thousands of ships back to port and cancelled flights as Bilis hit Fujian and neighbouring Zhejiang province Friday. Bilis slammed the Philippines and Taiwan before reaching China. It killed at least 14 people and left seven missing in the Philippines, and killed at least four people in Taiwan. Forecasters are predicting heavy rain will continue across southern China for several days. Meteorologists have predicted this summer will be particularly bad, with warm Pacific currents causing more typhoons than usual.
Experts weigh odds of a New England hurricane - At least one forecaster said the conditions - and the statistical odds - may be right for a major storm this year. Hurricane activity is cyclical, and the U.S. is now in a more active part of the cycle. At the same time, current weather patterns could push Atlantic storms farther east. Finally, warmer than normal waters in some pockets of the Atlantic, including off the New England coast, mean hurricanes won't slow as much. "It could allow storms, if they get to that latitude and if they maintain their strength, to come aboard in New England as a major hurricane." Areas jutting out into the Atlantic the farthest - Long Island, N.Y., Nova Scotia and parts of Down East Maine - are probably more likely statistically to be hit first, although anywhere along the New England coast is vulnerable. Canadian weather experts also have expressed concerns that any storms that track this far north could hit with even more force because waters off the coast of Maine and Canada are a few degrees warmer than normal.
THUNDERSTORMS / HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING -
THAILAND - Authorities are on 24-hour alert to help flood-affected people in the southern provinces of Trang, Satun, Ranong, Phang Nga, Krabi, Nakhon Si Thammarat and Surat Thani. High waves in the Andaman Sea and the Gulf of Thailand have prompted authorities to warn vessels to exercise caution. Meanwhile, continual heavy rainfall has caused flooding in some areas of Trang. Low-lying Kwuankhan-Khok Lor and Rassada roads in Nakhon Trang municipality were submerged under 30-50 centimetres of water. Since Tuesday the Palian, Kantang, Wang Wiset, Muang and Na Yong districts have suffered floods that inundated houses and farmland.
SOUTH KOREA - issued a national crisis warning today as torrential rain caused flooding in parts of the country, killing 13 people and leaving 18 missing, with some of them presumed dead. The orange alert issued for the capital, Seoul, and its surrounding regions and for the eastern province of Kangwon was prompted by a "high likelihood of large-scale disasters" from heavy rain. More than 50 cm of rainfall in eastern South Korea since Friday. The rain was triggered in part by last week's Typhoon Ewiniar. The severe weather is forecast to continue over the next few days. North Korea also reported heavy rains in the central and eastern provinces since last week, with upwards of 14 cm of rain in three hours in some parts.
KASHMIR - Four members of a family were killed by a landslide in Tatira, Kohistan district, and three youths fell prey to roof collapse in Danga as torrential rains wrecked havoc in the quake-hit areas of Azad Kashmir on Friday. Due to recent rainfalls and landslides, a boulder hit a house in Tatira near Bisham in Kohistan district. Meanwhile, torrential rain and land-sliding continued in the earth-quake affected areas of Azad Jammu and Kashmir, blocking roads and causing hardships to quake victims living in tent villages. In different areas of Muzaffarabad, rainwater entered houses and tents housing quake victims. A number of tents were uprooted. To make things worse, power shutdown has been continuing in several areas of Neelum Valley for the last week.
NEPAL - Villagers and security personnel frantically dug under mounds of mud to locate several people still missing Sunday, a day after 17 bodies were found from the landslide-ravaged area. Six members of a single family and their two guests were among the 17 people killed outright as the village was engulfed by a landslide Friday midnight triggered by incessant rain in the country’s Kaski district since last week. Scores of cattle died and dozens of houses were destroyed as the entire village of Dhansingh was buried under mud. At least 14 people are still missing.
CHINA - Lightning strikes killed 82 people across China in June. The death toll was recorded across 20 provinces, with 22 people killed in the eastern province of Jiangsu alone. The death toll marked an increase on June 2005, but no figures were provided. Heavy summer storms have battered wide swaths of China this year, with meteorological disasters killing at least 349 people and causing economic losses of about $2.53 billion in June. The capital, Beijing, has been hit by severe electrical storms for successive nights, cutting power to several hundred households.
NORTH DAKOTA - A straight-line wind of 100 mph forced tiny Coleharbor to its knees Wednesday night and townspeople tried to find their feet Thursday after the WORST DISASTER IN THE TOWN'S 101-YEAR HISTORY. There was severe to total damage to all 50 some homes and three businesses in town. Sheet metal, lumber and shredded power poles tore through the community in a few minutes at about 7:30 p.m. The structural toll will easily be in excess of millions, but there is no human toll to count. It appeared that three separate storms converged over Coleharbor. The damage was caused by straight-line winds, with the possibility of a powerful microburst of downward air from the storm. The damage was too prevailing from west to east and too widespread to be caused by a tornado, which would have left a distinct swath. Four main electrical transmission poles and two-thirds of the town’s distribution poles were damaged.
CONNECTICUT - Officials confirm a tornado struck on Wednesday. "The event was ESPECIALLY FREAKISH because of the relatively lengthy 15-mile path of the twister." The tornado took form in Rockland County, N.Y., crossed the Hudson River, swept through the Sleepy Hollow, Hawthorne and North Castle, N.Y., before striking the northwest corner of Greenwich. The tornado skirted the rest of Greenwich and Stamford, and dissolved as a water spout off the coast of Norwalk. "Here in the Northeast, to see something 10 miles in length is EXTREMELY RARE. Less than 10 percent of the tornadoes in our region exhibit that type of feature." "The way the storm reacted and what it did are pretty amazing." They estimated the total damage tally at several million dollars.
It was the MOST POWERFUL TORNADO TO EVER HIT WESTCHESTER COUNTY in New York state. It hit about 4 p.m. Wednesday with winds that at times exceeded 150 miles per hour, making it stronger than many of the tornadoes that sweep through the Midwest. The powerful twister was only the eighth to hit Westchester since 1950. The tornado not only attained a ferocity that less than 10 percent of tornadoes reach — the F2 level — but also followed an UNUSUAL PATH. Most F2 tornadoes travel no more than half a mile; the one on Wednesday night left a track across two states that extended for nearly 20 miles. “We never see tornadoes that cross over an entire county.” The twister was so ferocious that it tore down thousands of trees, demolished buildings, and tossed a police cruiser into the air.
SNOW / COLD -
AUSTRALIA - Townsville recorded its coldest day of the year yesterday. Residents were pulling out the winter woolies, with the mercury stopping its climb at 20.2C - the coldest maximum temperature this year and a far cry from the 25C average maximum for July. The recent overcast, still and rainy days have been far from typical Townsville weather. Unseasonal rain, cloudy conditions and high daily minimums have left locals scratching their heads for days. Persistent cloud covering over the twin cities has kept minimum temperatures about seven degrees higher than usual. "The record (highest) minimum temperature for July is 21.7C - we didn't break that but we came within a degree or so." On Saturday, Townsville recorded a minimum of 20C and a maximum of 27C. Average temperatures for this time of year are 25C maximums and 13.6C minimums. Townsville meteorologists said winter rain was not typical for this time of year.
Friday, July 14, 2006 -
QUAKES -
Largest quakes yesterday -
7/13 -
5.8 SCOTIA SEA
5.0 OFF COAST OF ECUADOR
5.2 TONGA ISLANDS
OHIO - Without damage or injury and sometimes unnoticed, a corner of suburban Cleveland has become the earthquake capital of Ohio, shaking on average every two weeks since New Year's Day and making people wonder: What's next? 12 quakes, measuring from magnitude 2.0 to 3.8, were recorded in Lake County and under adjacent Lake Erie from Jan. 1 to July 1 this year. Earthquake experts don't know why the repetitive quakes have come at this time. A top concern is the Perry Nuclear Power Plant, constructed to withstand a building-shaking 6.0 earthquake and opened in 1987 just one year after a 5.0 quake in Lake County. Fourteen of the 20 earthquakes recorded in the state in the past two years have occurred in Lake County. Lake County's quakes result from a fault, or crack, that is under pressure, one of a number of faults in Ohio, most of them under the sedimentary bedrock. The fault is under pressure from the East Coast, pushing westward.
ALASKA - Dozens of earthquakes have struck the western Aleutian Islands in the past several weeks in what earthquake experts have said is not an uncommon event. The quakes have most been confined to uninhabited areas of the island chain in southwestern Alaska. Saturday's earthquake had a magnitude of 6.7. Most of the others have registered in the 5 magnitude range, including numerous aftershocks. Earthquakes occur in the Aleutians because the chain of islands sits along the Aleutian-Alaska megathrust, the boundary between the North American tectonic plate and the Pacific Ocean plate. Two of the eight largest earthquakes in the past century have occurred in the Aleutians.
VOLCANOES -
PAPUA NEW GUINEA - Disaster officials have evacuated as many as 250 families from villages near a volcano which scientist fear could erupt. The volcano near the town of Bialla on the island of New Britain is being monitored by staff from the Rabaul Volcanology Observatory. They’ve found high levels of tremors in the area which could indicate a eruption is near, however no thermal activity within the volcano has been detected. Earthquakes in the affected area were being felt every 40 to 60 minutes and a volcano monitoring officer was knocked off his feet by one strong tremor.
PHILIPPINES - Mt. Mayon again grew restive yesterday, spewing ash that reached Malilipot town in Albay in the early morning. Seismic instruments around the volcano recorded 25 short-duration volcanic quakes on Thursday, way above the six volcanic tremors recorded the other day and above the five tremors recorded during the volcano’s periods of quiescence. Ashfalls affected some 453 families, or 2,103 people, living at the village. Rain, however, washed out the ashes that fell on farm land and homes in Barangay Calbayog. Some 3,004 families, or 15,852, people living near the 6 km permanent danger zone would be evacuated if the volcano erupts. Alert Level 1 warning is still up around the volcano. Meanwhile, scientists continued to monitor the situation at Mt. Bulusan which remained on Alert Level 2 yesterday. Phivolcs detected three volcanic earthquakes at Bulusan over a 24-hour period but gas emissions declined from 1,010 tons per day last Thursday to 934 tons per day on Tuesday.
COLUMBIA - Authorities lowered the threat level for Galeras volcano in south-western Colombia on Thursday, a day after an eruption spewed burning ash and rock on a nearby city, forcing the evacuation of thousands of people. The volcano appeared to be stabilising, but the risk of further eruptions in the coming days and weeks remains.
TROPICAL STORMS -
Tropical storm BILIS was 69 nmi WNW of Taipei, Taiwan.
Hurricane BUD was 826 nmi WSW of Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.
Hurricane CARLOTTA was 309 nmi SSW of Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.
PHILIPPINES - at least 14 people have died while seven others remain missing in the aftermath of typhoon Florita (BILIS). 15 people were reported injured because of the typhoon. At least 355 families of 1,792 people were evacuated from seven barangays in Malabon due to flooding. At least seven landslides hit parts of Baguio City on Tuesday.
TAIWAN - Tropical Storm Bilis brought heavy rainfall to Taiwan that disrupted air travel, caused mudslides and damaged roads. Bilis "is expected to continue bringing heavy rainfall" in the mountains in most part of the island. The storm dumped as much as 440 millimeters (17 inches) of rain in the highlands of northern Taiwan. Taiwan's government issued mudslide warnings and flood alerts for 487 rivers across the island, chiefly in the central area.
CHINA - More than 6,900 people, mainly seafood farmers, had been evacuated from their homes in Southeast China by Thursday afternoon as Typhoon Bilis approached. Water conservation workers were checking reservoirs in preparation for flooding as the storm was expected to bring rainfalls of up to 250 mm from Thursday night. The fishery departments of eastern Zhejiang Province, neighboring Fujian, has also issued warnings of high seas and rainstorms, advising vessels to return to harbor ahead of the storm.
THUNDERSTORMS / HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING -
NEW YORK - Wednesday was Rochester's RAINIEST JULY 12TH ON RECORD and it stranded motorists around Monroe County, overflowed creeks, flooded basements and even created sinkholes behind some Irondequoit homes. Rochester received more than 3 inches of rain, beating the previous high for July 12 — just under an inch in 1910. Also, the afternoon downpour edged PAST THE DAILY RECORD FOR JULY that has lasted since the National Weather Service began keeping those records in 1897.
OHIO, INDIANA, NEW YORK, NORTH DAKOTA - At least one person died in Ohio after up to nine inches of rain brought flooding to Indiana and Ohio. In northeast Ohio, dive teams unsuccessfully searched a creek for a missing swimmer. A tornado north of New York City partly collapsed a commercial building and ripped the roof off a hotel.In North Dakota, high winds damaged more than two dozen buildings.
NEW MEXICO - coping with a single, relatively RARE 50-year storm is hard enough - but when two hit in successive weeks, it strains even the most-prepared, best-managed local governments. In two downpours in successive weeks, the cities of Rio Rancho and Placitas have been hammered by gully washers. Damages include demolished roads and disrupted utility services, as water and sewer lines and buried electrical and phone lines have been exposed or damaged. For months, New Mexicans were warned about parched forests and grasslands and the potential for raging infernos. The past couple of weeks, however, had many heading for high ground as they have seen deluge after afternoon deluge, as the monsoon season has kicked into high gear, causing myriad problems.
UNUSUAL WEATHER SEASON -
PENNSYLVANIA - in mid-April they were worried about an impending groundwater drought in Pennsylvania. At the end of June, floods caused millions of dollars worth of damage in the eastern part of the state. "We went from a drought situation to floods in the span of a week. We never saw that coming." April and May brought below-average amounts of precipitation across the state, worsening the drought, before the deluges of June washed in. State officials had declared a drought watch in April after an unusually warm, nearly snowless winter was followed by one of the driest months of March on record. But June changed everything, and state officials lifted the drought watch for the whole state on the last day of the month after a storm wobbled up the East Coast and stalled over eastern Pennsylvania. "It was never called a tropical system, but it looked almost like a hurricane as it spun up the coast - it was a really interesting system. It brought a lot of tropical moisture with it." What made the storm that came at the end of June UNUSUAL is that it arrived in early summer, and not in the fall. It is uncommon to get that much tropical moisture this early in the summer." "It just continues the trend of what is happening worldwide that we have been having more extreme weather. It is just getting harder and harder to predict what is going to happen long-term when you go from drought to floods in just days. It was once very unusual here to get a storm that dumps 10 or 12 inches of rain. I am personally convinced - the scientific evidence is irrefutable - that global warming is happening and that it is behind a lot of the extreme weather events that we have been seeing over the last 10 years or so. Now whether human activities are causing or worsening the phenomenon, I can't say. But I am sure about this - even though weather models are improving, these extreme weather systems are throwing everything out of whack. I have gotten less and less confident about long-term weather predictions."
------------------------------------------
Thursday, July 13, 2006 -
QUAKES -
Largest quakes yesterday -
7/12-
5.2 MAURITIUS - REUNION REGION
5.0 BANDA SEA
5.7 NEW BRITAIN
5.0 NEW BRITAIN
5.0 KURIL ISLANDS, RUSSIA
5.7 MID-INDIAN RIDGE
VOLCANOES -
COLUMBIA - The Galeras volcano in southwest Colombia shot rocks, gas and ash in an eruption today that prompted the government to evacuate about 10,000 nearby residents. Television images showed thick clouds of ash hanging over the town of Pasto in Narino province. No injuries were immediately reported. This could be only the beginning of a series of eruptions.
TROPICAL STORMS -
Tropical storm BILIS was 118 nmi SE of Taipei, Taiwan.
Hurricane BUD was 678 nmi WSW of Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.
Hurricane CARLOTTA was 389 nmi S of Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.
Eastern Pacific storms - Bud and Carlotta swirled far off the coast of Baja California state on Wednesday, posing no threat to land as they drifted farther out to sea. Rains dumped on Mexico's coast due to the storm were diminishing as Carlotta moved farther offshore.
Conditions indicate a slower hurricane season - for now. While it's no guarantee the entire hurricane season will be calm, this month might see one or two named storms, which would be normal, forecasters said. Last July saw five named storms, including three hurricanes, the most active July on record. What's different this year: Strong upper-level winds are inhibiting tropical systems from forming. Another good sign this year for South Florida is that so far the Bermuda High, an area of high pressure in the Atlantic, does not extend as far west as it did last year. That means storms likely would be steered around its edge to the north of this region. But conditions could change quickly. "The pattern could easily shift to one less favorable for South Florida during the months of hurricane season that really count, August through October. But so far, this pattern has held for six weeks, and it is common for these type of patterns to go on for two to three months." The tropics usually don't heat up until mid-August. But by the middle of last July, the tropics were boiling. Sea surface temperatures are about 2 degrees lower this year than they were last year.
THUNDERSTORMS / HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING -
KOREA - Heavy rainfall brought flooding and disruption to Seoul and nearby metropolitan areas Wednesday, bringing the city to a halt in the midst of chaos. In Koyang City, Kyonggi Province, the situation was worse after nearly 398 millimeters of rain fell from morning until 9:30 p.m., the LARGEST AMOUNT OF RAINFALL SINCE 1993. The rains caused serious flooding problems in the city, inundating over 500 houses. Although the rainstorm is expected to weaken by midday today, meteorologists are warning people to brace themselves for some more bad weather this coming weekend, influenced by the approaching Typhoon Bilis.
CHILE - at least 12 people were dead or missing in southern Chile in swollen rivers and landslides set off by heavy rains. Landslides buried an estimated 10 people last night in the southern town of Chiguayante, near the coastal city of Concepcion. Some 28,000 people were driven from their homes in the south, due to heavy rain and swollen rivers.
NEW ENGLAND AREA - An outbreak of severe weather in New England Tuesday kept SKYWARN nets in Massachusetts, Connecticut and New Hampshire busy fielding reports of high winds, large hail one to three inches in diameter, flooding and even possible tornadoes. More severe weather was forecast for Wednesday. "We haven't had a severe weather outbreak like this in quite some time." High winds along Massachusetts' North Shore in the Marblehead area toppled trees and tore some two dozen boats from their moorings and piled them on top of each other. Several windows and a skylight were sucked out of houses. (photos)
------------------------------------------
Wednesday, July 12, 2006 -
QUAKES -
Largest quakes yesterday -
7/11 -
5.3 NORTHERN SUMATERA, INDONESIA
5.1 MOZAMBIQUE
5.4 PHILIPPINE ISLANDS REGION
5.1 NEW BRITAIN
5.2 ANDREANOF ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS.
VOLCANOES -
INDONESIA - Mount Merapi is still producing glowing lava. Tuesday morning Merapi produced glowing lava nine times with flows moving down toward Gendol River over a maximum distance of 1.5 kilometers. On Monday, Merapi emitted 36 glowing lava streams. In the first six hours of Tuesday, they recorded 47 quake trails, and a heat cloud coming out from the coughing volcano. "Over the past few days, Merapi's activity is quite fluctuating but tending to slow down."
TROPICAL STORMS -
Hurricane BUD was 623 nmi SW of Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.
Tropical storm Charlotta (04E) was 401 nmi SSE of Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. Likely approaching hurricane status in the next 24 hours.
The two storms appear to be sufficiently separated such that significant interaction between them is not likely to occur. And they are moving NW, away from land, although Charlotta could produce locally heavy rains and flooding along the coast of SW Mexico.
Tropical storm BILIS was 301 nmi SSW of Kadena AB, Okinawa.
PHILIPPINES - A falling tree crushed a mother and three of her children to death while landslides and floods killed a boy and girl, as the season's sixth tropical storm lashed the northern Philippines today. The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration said storm ‘Florita’ (Bilis) had intensified into a typhoon and remained a threat to extreme Northern Luzon. Electricity was cut in parts of Baguio, and at least five cars were buried under 15 meters of mud and concrete when the incessant rains triggered a landslide.
Tropical storm Bilis is expected to become the fourth typhoon to hit China this year, with forecasts that it will make landfall in Taiwan Province on Friday and in the southeastern province of Fujian on Saturday.
MARIANAS ISLANDS - although the high surf brought by the former Typhoon Ewiniar has temporarily abated, a renewed surge of westerly swell from the very large circulation of Tropical Storm Bilis to the west of the Marianas will once again produce hazardous surf along the western coastlines for the rest of the week.
THUNDERSTORMS / HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING -
INDIA - a staggering 152% departure from the normal rainfall in Lucknow where they have received 429.3 mm. ‘Normal’ rainfall from June 1 - July 11 for Lucknow is 170.4 mm. 176 mm of this 429.3 mm has fallen from July 9 till July 11. The city has been consistently been thickly overcast for last three days and even after conversion into rain, the clouds are not clearing up. Waterlogging in residential areas is rising with each downpour. There are full three months of monsoon period ahead.
CAMBODIA - The onset of summer has brought torrential monsoon rains and floods to Cambodia. The Asian monsoon occurs because of the temperature difference between the land and the Indian Ocean. During the summer, the land gets hotter than the ocean. Hot air over the land rises, and cool, moisture-rich air from the ocean rushes in to take its place. The monsoon season typically runs from June to September.
PAKISTAN - Torrential rains triggered flooding that washed away homes in a village in northwestern Pakistan, killing 13 people and injuring about 300.
NEW HAMPSHIRE - Exeter is reeling after a one, two punch delivered by back-to-back severe thunderstorms that rolled through the area Tuesday afternoon. There was even a partial roof collapse at a Walgreen’s. Golf-ball sized ice balls pummeled the area. It is VERY RARE to see hail that size, or at that intensity, anywhere in the United States. Hundreds and hundreds of cars were damaged with dents or broken windows. “It was like all hell broke loose. You couldn’t even shout to someone the hail was coming down so loud. And then the trees started swirling around, and it looked like a tornado coming through."
CANADA - Summer thunderstorms in Calgary are not unusual, but the damage that's been unleashed on southern Alberta by violent weather systems recently is UNUSUAL, meteorologists said. "When it gets to golf(ball)-size hail, that is PRETTY UNUSUAL."
------------------------------------------
Tuesday, July 11 2006 -
QUAKES -
Largest quakes yesterday -
7/10 -
5.0 ANDREANOF ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS.
5.0 ANDREANOF ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS.
5.0 ANDREANOF ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS.
5.1 EASTERN SIBERIA, RUSSIA
5.0 SOUTH SANDWICH ISLANDS REGION
5.0 AFGHANISTAN-TAJIKISTAN BDR REG
5.4 ASCENSION ISLAND REGION
VOLCANOES -
MONTSERRAT - More activity recorded at Soufriere Hills volcano. There have been "long-period earthquakes and rock falls" at the Soufriere Hills volcano since June 27. Photographs show that the dome volume was approximately 27 million cubic metres, giving an average growth rate of about eight cubic metres per second over the past month. The seismic network has so far recorded 17 hybrid earthquakes, six volcano-tectonic earthquakes, 194 rock fall signals, and 448 long period earthquakes.
INDONESIA - Indonesian scientists have downgraded the alert status of Mount Merapi from its highest level on all but the volcano's southern slopes.
TROPICAL STORMS -
Tropical storm BUD was 543 nmi SW of Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. Bud formed 650 miles south of the tip of Baja California early this morning. The path of Bud will keep it far away from any land masses.
Tropical storm BILIS was 457 nmi S of Kadena AB, Okinawa. Bilis, the fourth tropical storm of this year, comes on the heels of Typhoon Ewiniar, which swept across the seas east of Taiwan and brought heavy rain to southern Taiwan. Bilis could affect Taiwan's weather from July 14 to 17.
Typhoon Ewiniar slammed into the Korean peninsula on Monday, killing at least five, flooding farms and affecting transport. Heavy rain and strong winds lashed South Korea’s west coast as Typhoon Ewiniar cut a northeast path across the country, dumping as much as 7.9 inches of rain in South Kyongsang province. Flood waters destroyed several dozen homes. Earlier the typhoon killed more than 30 people across China. The storm missed hitting China but caused flooding due to heavy rains.
Typhoon Ewiniar hit the entire Korean peninsula, contrary to original forecasts. Unlike the forecasts that Ewiniar would enter the West Sea, the typhoon approached the southern coast of South Jeolla Province around 10:50 a.m. on July 10, somewhat weakening but still remaining a middle-sized typhoon. Due to the change in the typhoon’s course, the southern areas of the country and Chungcheong and east coast regions were affected by heavy rain while the midwest regions were damaged from strong winds.
------------------------------------------
Monday, July 10, 2006 -
QUAKES -
Largest quakes yesterday -
7/9 -
5.1 KURIL ISLANDS, RUSSIA
5.0 MAURITIUS - REUNION REGION
5.3 ANDREANOF ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS.
5.1 ANDREANOF ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS.
5.2 ANDREANOF ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS.
5.3 ANDREANOF ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS.
TROPICAL STORMS -
Tropical storm BILIS was 652 nmi WNW of Agana, Guam.
Bilis is forecast to strike Taiwan as a category 1 typhoon at about 12:00 GMT on July 14.
Tropical storm EWINIAR was 238 nmi SSW of Seoul, Korea.
TAIWAN - heavy rain began on Friday night, brought by air currents from the southwest accompanying the typhoon, flooding large areas of agricultural land in Kaohsiung and damaging crops.
Ewiniar is moving northward toward the Korean Peninsula, causing a lot of damages. Seven people were killed or went missing and landslides occurred as it heavily rained yesterday in the southern region. Ewiniar, the first typhoon in the Korean Peninsula this year, is a medium-sized typhoon. It is comparable to Typhoon Rusa which created damage amounting to five trillion won in 2002.
THUNDERSTORMS / HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING -
INDIA - Incessant heavy rain over the past 24 hours caused flash floods in several tributaries of the Sutlej. The Beas and the Saketi Khud were in spate following heavy rain, which damaged 24 houses in the Mewa and Bamsen areas. Some houses were endangered due to the sinking of land in Sarakaghat and the Chamba-Tissa road was blocked after a landslide near Rajpur. Landslides blocked several roads in interior areas, disrupting vehicular traffic. The water level in the Sutlej went up to an alarming level after a cloudburst on the Kinner Kailash range around 1 pm brought in a huge amount of slushy water into the river through many channels. Life was thrown out of gear in the Kangra valley following heavy rain since Saturday night.
ICE BALL -
SOUTH AFRICA - An ice ball that landed in Douglasdale, South Africa, might be one of the first 'megacryometeors' recorded in Africa. The ice ball, which landed on the pavement in suburban Douglasdale last week, was about the size of a microwave oven. The impact of the ice ball's fall created a small crater on the pavement, which was covered with pieces of broken ice. Despite sharing many chemical characteristics with hail, ice balls are formed under clear-sky conditions. Ice balls have been recorded since the 19th century. They have the potential to damage people, buildings and cars, but no injuries were reported as a result of this one. The ball was initially believed to be a jettison of human waste from an airplane, but those reports were erroneous. Six years ago, a plague of falling ice balls caused extensive damage to cars and an industrial storage facility in the Iberian Peninsula. An expert in the field said that the ice ball may be a warning of serious environmental problems.
A Spanish-American scientific team will be scanning the United States this winter for 'megacryometeors'. "I'm worried that great blocks of ice are forming where they shouldn't exist." Ice balls, which generally weigh 25 to 35 pounds but can be much bigger, have punched holes in the roofs of houses, smashed through car windshields, and whizzed right past people's heads. "If megacryometeor formation is linked to global warming, as we suspect, then it is fair to assume that these events may increase in the future." In January 2000 ice chunks weighing up to 6.6 pounds rained on Spain for 10 days. At first, scientists thought the phenomenon was unique to Spain. During the past three years, however, they've accumulated strong evidence that megacryometeors are falling all around the globe. More than 50 falls have been confirmed, and researchers believe that's a small fraction of the actual number, since others may hit unoccupied areas or melt before discovery. Most megacrymeteor falls occur in January, February and March. Megacryometeors show the telltale onionskin layering seen in hailstones. They also contain dust particles and air pockets found in hail. But they are formed in cloudless skies, a notion that defies research on hail formation.
HEAT / WILDFIRES -
PORTUGAL - Six firefighters have been killed while battling a forest fire in central Portugal. The fire, one of six raging throughout the country in soaring temperatures, began on Sunday afternoon in the Famalicao area near the town of Guarda. The men were trapped when the wind suddenly changed direction.
WEATHER MANIPULATION -
Israeli researchers are part of an international team along with American and Belgian colleagues gearing up to produce rain. Scientists plan to produce rain in sub-tropical areas during the cloudless summer months by altering air currents using a unique thermal material developed in Israel. The technique involves spreading a large black solar-absorbing surface over several square kilometers of land to generate intense and asymmetrical thermal emissions. Energy from sunlight is absorbed by the material and then radiated back into the air to heat the lower atmosphere with minimal loss into the ground. The heated air rises taking water condensation high enough to form clouds and produce out-of-season rain. The technique could increase crops for a given area by 40 percent. By covering an area of between five to nine square kilometers with the black material researchers estimate rainfall on an area of 40-100 square kilometers downwind. Clouds will form along a strip as wide as the black surface and up to 30 kilometers long during the hours from midday till five in the afternoon. The cost of setting up a full-size black surface would run at over 80 million Euros, about comparable to establishing a desalinization plant. The method can be applied to any dry region located in subtropical or tropical latitudes within 150 km from an ocean, sea, or large lake. Northeastern Brazil, North Africa, the Kalahari and Sahara deserts could all benefit from the method. In southeast Spain where desertification is claiming large swathes of agricultural land authorities have already shown great interest in the project.
------------------------------------------
Sunday, July 9, 2006 -
QUAKES -
Largest quakes yesterday -
7/8 -
5.0 NORTHERN SUMATERA, INDONESIA
5.1 IRIAN JAYA, INDONESIA, REGION
5.0 RAT ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS.
5.1 ANDREANOF ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS.
5.4 ANDREANOF ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS.
6.2 ANDREANOF ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS.
5.1 BANDA SEA
5.3 LA RIOJA PROVINCE, ARGENTINA
7/7 -
5.4 BANDA SEA
5.0 NEW BRITAIN
5.2 KERMADEC ISLANDS, NEW ZEALAND
5.4 SANTA CRUZ ISLANDS
5.9 TONGA ISLANDS
5.1 OAXACA, MEXICO
5.2 MONGOLIA
'Silent' earthquakes, slow moving earthquakes which could last for days, could be a harbinger of a killer quake. "Each time you have a silent event it's like you are tweaking the system a little, pushing on it a little harder." Silent earthquakes are slow changes on the surface of the Earth since they do not cause much damage or shock waves. These earthquakes tend to build up pressure in seismic fault lines thereby contributing to an explosion sometime in the future.
TROPICAL STORMS -
Tropical depression 05W was 337 nmi WSW of Agana, Guam and appears to be following in Ewiniar's path.
Typhoon EWINIAR was 106 nmi W of Kadena AB, Okinawa.
CHINA evacuated more than 7,600 people from their homes near the eastern city of Ningbo as typhoon Ewiniar skirted the coast, heading for South Korea. Evacuations were also under way in other cities of Zhejiang province. More than 8000 ships had returned to harbour in Ningbo, south of Shanghai, and Zhoushan. The typhoon was heading almost due north and was expected to make landfall on the Korean peninsula tomorrow.
A slowly-brewing storm off the U.S. Atlantic Coast is causing rip currents and rough seas this weekend. The storm system will be able to tap into abundant moisture from the tropics, and will absorb energy from the Gulf Stream. AccuWeather.com meteorologists were forecasting a strong surf and dangerous rip currents from Virginia northward on Saturday and heavy rain across eastern Long Island and southeastern New England Saturday night or Sunday.
THUNDERSTORMS / HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING -
NEW ZEALAND - Heavy rain hits the East Coast again. The Gisborne East Coast region was deluged with rain again Thursday night, adding to what has been ONE OF THE WETTEST WINTERS IN THE REGION FOR MANY YEARS.
ENGLAND - Floods and trees block 70 roads. A freak deluge saw an entire month's worth of rain fall in just two hours.
SNOW / COLD -
NEW ZEALAND - A second avalanche in 24 hours has thundered down Mt Taranaki's Manganui Gorge. The first, estimated at 1000 tonnes, came down on Thursday, narrowly missing three climbers. Another, more than twice that size, followed some time during the night.
FRANCE - A mountaineer has died in an avalanche on Mont Blanc. He was killed on a glacier on the mountain near Chamonix in France while climbing on Wednesday. He had been climbing out of a glacier up one of the ice walls, roped up with his partner, when they heard a "tremendous cracking noise". "A great rock came hurtling towards them. They dodged the rock but it was followed by an avalanche."
HEAT / WILDFIRES -
PAKISTAN - At least eleven persons have died due to an intense heat wave in the Cholistan desert. There has also been less than expected rainfall this season.
------------------------------------------
Friday, July 7, 2006 -
QUAKES -
Largest quakes yesterday -
7/6 -
5.4 SANTA CRUZ ISLANDS
5.1 SOLOMON ISLANDS REGION
5.7 TAJIKISTAN
5.9 SOUTH OF FIJI ISLANDS
TROPICAL STORMS -
Typhoon EWINIAR was 339 nmi S of Kadena AB, Okinawa.
Tropical Cyclone Condition of Readiness 3 was issued by Kadena Air Base on Wednesday. Given the storm’s forecast track, Ewiniar could deliver an almost-direct hit to the island. The Joint Typhoon Warning Center forecast that Ewiniar will pass 17 miles west of Kadena at 7 p.m. Saturday, packing sustained winds of 98 mph and gusts of up to 127 mph. Okinawa can expect winds of 58 mph starting mid-afternoon Friday. “Definitely heavy rain” and 69-81 mph winds will continue to lash the island “well into Saturday and possibly Sunday morning.” Ewiniar briefly reached super-typhoon strength overnight Tuesday but was downgraded to a typhoon Wednesday afternoon and should diminish in strength somewhat as it moves north. Once past Okinawa, Ewiniar is projected to track rapidly northeast, veering 32 miles east of Sasebo Naval Base at 11 p.m. Sunday. The storm then is forecast to take aim at Iwakuni Marine Corps Air Station, passing 44 miles to its west at 7 a.m. Monday with sustained winds of 63 mph and gusts of up to 80 mph, before moving into the Sea of Japan.
THUNDERSTORMS / HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING -
JAPAN - Six buildings, including a factory, were destroyed Thursday morning after a mountain slope in Kamitondacho, Wakayama Prefecture, collapsed due to heavy rain. More than 200 millimeters of rain had fallen between midnight Tuesday and Thursday morning. Four residents from three households in the area were evacuated. A landslide detection sensor had been installed after a crack was discovered on the slope in May. The prefectural government planned to set up a safety fence around the slope by mid-July. The crack was 46 centimeters wide.
ENGLAND - Severe storms caused chaos in Coventry Thursday. The city was hit by torrential rain leaving roads, shops and homes flooded. 20.6 millimetres of rain - nearly an inch - fell in the Coventry area between 10am and 11am. "This is pretty extreme - and a third of the total rainfall we would expect for the whole of July." Similar flash flooding in other areas of the country.
CYPRUS - A woman was killed and three people injured as a violent storm struck Nicosia early yesterday afternoon. The freak incident took place as violent winds tossed around market awnings and their metal supports, hurling debris in various directions. The centre of Nicosia looked like a war zone following the downpour, with felled trees scattered across main roads, some of them resting on cars. “I have never seen anything like this before in Cyprus. I was shocked.” The UNUSUAL weather was a direct result of a weather system that affected the north and west of Greece and Turkey, as well as east and central Europe. “The axis of the system moved weakened towards Cyprus and created irregularities in the atmosphere. It is these irregularities that are causing low pressure and sudden downpours."
SNOW / COLD -
NEW ZEALAND - Three climbers ran for their lives as an avalanche ploughed down Mt Taranaki yesterday. The 1000-tonne avalanche thundered down the Manganui Gorge about 2.10pm, narrowly missing the three men, who were on the mountain checking conditions. Avalanches usually happen in spring, but this season is shaping up to be an exceptional year for snow, with two smaller slips in the Manganui Gorge already. The avalanche was believed to be the biggest since 2001.
INSURANCE CRISIS-
FLORIDA - The incredible increases in homeowners' insurance premiums are creating hardships for many Floridians and truly catastrophic problems for some. This is a dramatic crisis as severe as any natural disaster. There are now reports of people actually losing their homes or selling them against their will because of the insurance crisis. The crisis is not just a financial problem for individuals and families. It is increasingly becoming a social problem affecting the general economy, health care and maintenance, peace of mind, personal relationships and happiness. One is tempted to harmonize on the old refrain: This cannot be happening in America. Unfortunately, it is.
Unusually High Tides / Freak Waves - updated Fridays -
ONE ITEM - POSTED HERE - UNITED KINGDOM - An investigation has been launched into what caused the giant wave which terrorised sunbathers and swimmers at Southsea beach on Saturday, July 1st. A four-year-old girl was among four people reported injured when the wave struck, leaving amazed swimmers and sunbathers screaming in fear. 'The wave was apparently six metres high.' 'I have been going to the beach for 40 years and have never seen anything like it.'
------------------------------------------
Thursday, July 6, 2006 -
QUAKES -
Largest quakes yesterday -
7/5 -
5.5 NEAR E.CST EASTERN HONSHU
5.1 NEW BRITAIN
5.4 TONGA ISLANDS
5.3 TONGA ISLANDS
VOLCANOES -
PHILIPPINES - Government scientists are closely monitoring Mayon Volcano in Albay as its abnormal behavior, such as crater glow and sulfur dioxide emission, are again in an increasing trend. Mayon's crater glow was again visible to the naked eye during night time and the released volume of SO2 was double the normal volume.
TROPICAL STORMS -
Typhoon EWINIAR was 407 nmi S of Kadena AB, Okinawa.
THUNDERSTORMS / HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING -
INDIA - Heavy rain continued for the fifth consecutive day in Mumbai. Schools were closed for a third day on Wednesday in Mumbai, as the national death toll since the monsoon rains began in June passed 250. Three people died of electrocution on Monday in a nearby village, while three others drowned in a well and one died when a tree under which he took shelter collapsed. There were no new reports of rain-related deaths on Wednesday. In the eastern state of Orissa, officials said least 20 people were killed on Tuesday, mostly in landslides or drownings. Nine deaths were reported elsewhere in the country. They included six in southern Karnataka state, where a landslide destroyed two homes. In Mumbai, city officials urged people to stay home as meteorologists predicted three more days of heavy rain.
NEBRASKA, KANSAS - it's RARE that it's half-way through the year and there are still no reports of tornados for Central Nebraska or North Central Kansas. This is the first time in 56 years, since 1950, that all 30 counties served by the National Weather Service office in Hastings has not had a confirmed tornado during the first 6 months of the year. From January to July, Central Nebraska and North Central Kansas usually report up to 30 tornadoes. The closest central Nebraska and North Central Kansas has come to not having any reported tornados in the first 6 months of the year goes back to 1966 and 1981 when just one tornado hit between the six month period both years.
------------------------------------------
Wednesday, July 5, 2006 -
QUAKES -
Largest quakes yesterday -
7/4 -
5.2 KERMADEC ISLANDS REGION
5.3 SOLOMON ISLANDS REGION
5.1 NORTHEASTERN CHINA
VOLCANOES -
INDONESIA - the danger status of Mount Merapi in Central Java will be lowered in one or two days time if no significant development in the activity of the volcano is recorded.
TROPICAL STORMS -
Typhoon EWINIAR was 536 nmi SSE of Kadena AB, Okinawa.
Powerful typhoon Ewiniar (category 2) headed north in the western Pacific Ocean toward Japan's southern Okinawa island chain today, and officials said winds in the area were likely to strengthen from early on Friday. It appears that it will continue north and hit more of Japan on the 9th. (projected path map)
THUNDERSTORMS / HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING -
INDIA - Heavy rains triggered floods and landslides across eastern India again Tuesday, killing as many as 32 people and disrupting life in the financial capital, Mumbai for the second day in a row.
UZBEKISTAN - A landslide in the mountains of the Bostandyk district hit a group of picnickers from the capital Tashkent on Sunday, killing seven of them and injuring another two. The group had ignored a warning by a local nature preservation inspector about the danger of a landslide.
SCOTLAND - flash floods hit the Lothians over the weekend and have left businesses reeling from extensive damage to their property. Traders have shut up shop for several days in the worst-hit areas after major thunderstorms wreaked havoc during ONE OF THE WESTTEST JULY DAYS ON RECORD. The same amount of rain fell on Sunday as in all the days in July of last year put together. A staggering 12mm - half an inch - of rain fell in just one hour, between midday and 1pm. Such a large amount of rainfall in such a short period of time was EXTREMELY RARE. "It's a predicted consequence of climate change that there will be more frequent instances such as these. The amount of rainfall in such a short period is PARTICULARLY UNUSUAL - I would estimate a once in every five years occurrence. " Forecasters said there is an increasing risk of further thundery outbreaks this week. A plume of hot, humid air is moving up from the Continent. June, in contrast, was exceptionally dry.
ITALY - in the prefecture of Vibo Valentia, violent flooding killed four people on Monday, including a 16-month child, and injured about fifty. Over two hundred people were displaced.
NEW YORK - After assessing a large part of Broome County, officials have counted 800 homes destroyed in the recent flooding and 300 that were severely damaged.
CLIMATE CHANGE -
Expect glacial meltdowns to trigger volcanic eruptions, tsunamis, geologists are predicting. The forecasts from some quarters are dramatic - not only will the earth shake, it will spit fire. A number of geologists say glacial melting due to climate change will unleash pent-up pressures in the Earth's crust, causing extreme geological events such as earthquakes, tsunamis and volcanic eruptions. "When you melt glacial ice... you've decreased the load on the crust and so you've decreased the pressure holding the volcanic conduits closed." Climate warming will bring "lots of earthquakes." No one has claimed that the Christmas tsunami of 2004 was triggered by rising sea levels. But that event seems to have sparked new interest in the links between climate and geology. "All over the world, evidence is stacking up that changes in global climate can and do affect the frequencies of earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and catastrophic sea-floor landslides. Not only has this happened several times throughout Earth's history, (but) the evidence suggests it is happening again."
------------------------------------------
Tuesday, July 4, 2006 -
QUAKES -
Largest quakes yesterday -
7/3 -
5.2 SERAM, INDONESIA
5.2 FIJI ISLANDS REGION
5.3 FIJI ISLANDS REGION
5.7 PACIFIC-ANTARCTIC RIDGE
VOLCANOES -
NEW ZEALAND - Scientists still monitoring an increase in seismic activity at Mt Ngauruhoe say there is no evidence the volcano is about to erupt. There are still between 20 and 40 small quakes every day, which is significantly more than are usually recorded in the area. But with no other signs of unrest there is no evidence that an eruption is imminent.
TROPICAL STORMS -
Typhoon EWINIAR was 467 nmi NW of Yap, Caroline Islands.
"Ewiniar" was upgraded into a typhoon yesterday as its maximum sustained winds increased from 95 to 120 kilometers per hour (kph) in four hours’ time. It is the fifth tropical cyclone to enter the Philippine area of responsibility this year.
THUNDERSTORMS / HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING -
TURKEY - At least nine people, including three children, have died in flooding caused by heavy rain in northern and eastern Turkey over the past two days. Houses were wrecked by strong river currents triggered by storms that are expected to last for the rest of the week. The floods have shut down many roads and railway lines in the region, though electricity supplies have largely been restored. There are still two villages that can't be reached.
INDIA - Heavy rains continued to lash Mumbai for the third consecutive day on Monday. Monsoon rains flooded homes, submerged rail lines and forced hundreds of thousands of people to wade through muddy streets in India's financial capital. Weather officials forecast heavy to very heavy rains in the next 48 hours.
PAKISTAN - At least 10 people have died and 15 others missing after a landslide struck three houses near a beautiful Pakistani hilly resort in North-West Frontier Province. Locals said that some 27 people were buried under the rubble of houses after they were hit by a heavy landslide caused by heavy rains and floods in Gail village. According to police sources, the flooding of rainwater caused the powerhouse dam to break.
UKRAINE - heavy rain led to a dam breaking in Crimea on Saturday night. Seven villages have been flooded and 477 hectares of agricultural land affected. Two women have been found dead in one of the sink villages.
SNOW / COLD -
SOUTH AFRICA - The UNUSUAL icy cold weather made residents of the Soutpansberg put on every piece of warm clothing they could lay their hands on. “This cold weather for your area is VERY UNUSUAL. A cold front moved through the area and behind the cold front is normally a surface high pressure. This one is particularly strong and brings in air from far south, like polar air.” Temperatures have definitely dropped, compared to last year. Although it was unusually cold, it was not the coldest June ever.
CONTROLLING THE WEATHER -
China says its scientists make enough rain to fill the Yellow River; Moscow claims credit for sunshine for Red Square parades - but confidence in other nations that humans can alter the weather has almost dried up. If it worked reliably, the use of aircraft and rockets to spread tiny chemical particles into the sky to "seed" or disperse clouds could be the answer to famine, drought, desertification, even global warming. However, lack of proof that it works means that funding by many governments has fallen sharply, after millions of dollars were spent on teasing rain from clouds in arid regions of West Africa, or on research into trying to prevent hurricanes. US investments in weather modification has sunk to less than $500,000 a year from $20 million in the 1970s.
ODD -
Online gambling on hurricanes is becoming quite popular. The gambling operators who offer these types of bets claim that the historical data on hurricanes make for great odds due to unpredictable weather predictions. For example, wagerers can bet on a range of hurricane formats - from the total number of hurricanes that occur, to wagering on the odds of category strength status, to how many storms will hit Florida residents or certain areas along the coastline.
------------------------------------------
Monday, July 3, 2006 -
QUAKES -
Largest quakes yesterday -
7/2 -
5.0 AFGHANISTAN-TAJIKISTAN BDR REG
5.0 ANDREANOF ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS.
5.0 ANDREANOF ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS.
5.3 ANDREANOF ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS.
5.1 ANDREANOF ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS.
5.3 RAT ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS.
CALIFORNIA - Heightened seismic activity continued along the North Coast last week, with 10 earthquakes — three of them magnitude 3.0 or larger — reported through Thursday. The largest earthquakes occurred between 44 and 73 miles off the coast, two west of Petrolia and another west of Ferndale. Temblors of 3.0 and 3.2 magnitude shook the Mendocino fault zone Wednesday and Thursday, with a 3.2 magnitude earthquake between the Mendocino fault zone and the seaward edge of the Cascadia subduction zone reported Sunday. In all, 10 earthquakes have been recorded locally in seven days, and more than 300 have been reported statewide.
TROPICAL STORMS -
Cyclone 03B was 190 nmi SW of Calcutta, India.
Typhoon EWINIAR was 283 nmi NW of Yap, Caroline Islands.
THUNDERSTORMS / HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING -
CHINA - Storms in southwest China have killed 11 people, adding to a trail of havoc from heavy rains lashing parts of the country. Thousands of villagers in Zhaotong, in the Yunnan province, have been hit by heavy rains, hail storms, flash floods and landslides since June 20. Nine residents were seriously injured and six were still missing. The deaths in Yunnan are the latest from a string of local but devastating storms and flash floods across south and southwest China that have killed about 200 people since late May. A week ago, flash floods killed 18 with another 18 missing in the central province of Hunan. Storms in the southwestern province of Sichuan last week unleashed floods and mudslides which killed 14. Meteorological authorities have warned people to expect more heavy storms in coming days.
THAILAND - torrential downpours yesterday caused severe flooding across five districts in eastern Trat province and claimed the life of at least one child. Floodwaters inundated 10 tambons and 25 villages and damaged at least 350 houses, affecting about 2,000 people in the province. In Sanho tambon, three villages were flooded and more than 1,500 rai of paddy fields destroyed. Officials were forced to use a bulldozer to dig a ditch to drain away floodwaters in the worst affected areas where water was up to 1.2 meters deep. Flash floods also destroyed roads, bridges and houses in parts of Koh Kut sub-district. “We expect heavy to very heavy rain for the next one to two days." They have forecast waves as high as three meters in the Andaman Sea and the upper Gulf of Thailand and said small craft should remain ashore.
ASTEROID-
A giant space rock is set to whizz past the Earth today under the close scrutiny of astronomers. The mountain-sized object has been classed as a "potentially hazardous asteroid" but scientists say there is no danger of a collision. It was set to make its closest approach to Earth above the west coast of North America at 0444 GMT. At this time it will be about 268,873 miles (432,709km) from the Earth, only 1.1 times the planet's distance from the Moon.
Possibly connected, but maybe not - Four installations in the U.S are at a higher alert level ordered last week. Operating with heightened security are an Air Force installation in Colorado Springs, one near Denver, Vandenberg Air Force Base in California and Patrick air force base in Florida. The Cheyenne Mountain Air Station, which houses NORAD, is now at "Bravo-Plus" which is slightly higher than a medium threat level. Space Command would not comment on the reason for the security increase.
------------------------------------------
Sunday, July 2, 2006 -
QUAKES -
Largest quakes yesterday -
7/1 -
5.3 NORTHERN MOLUCCA SEA
5.0 SOUTH SANDWICH ISLANDS REGION
5.2 ANDREANOF ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS
6/30 -
5.5 NEAR E.CST EASTERN HONSHU
5.6 SOLOMON ISLANDS REGION
5.1 MOZAMBIQUE
VOLCANOES -
MONTSERRAT - A lava dome that had been rapidly growing atop Soufriere Hills volcano partially collapsed Friday, sending large clouds of ash over the sea, scientists said. No injuries were reported. The collapse is the result of a high amount of seismic activity at the volcano. The partial-dome collapse lasted for 20 minutes, and followed two earthquake swarms in recent days in which the observatory's seismic network recorded 1,236 small earthquakes at the volcano during a roughly weeklong reporting period. Fast-moving bursts of hot gases and rock fragments shot down the eastern flank of the volcano into the Caribbean during the collapse. Nearly all the gray plumes of ash spread over the sea with a small amount coating inhabitable areas.
TROPICAL STORMS -
Tropical storm EWINIAR was 143 nmi WNW of Yap, Caroline Islands.
THUNDERSTORMS / HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING -
CUBA - With about 200 millimeters of rain, 26 percent above the historic average, June 2006 is going in the books as THE WETTEST IN THE LAST DECADE in the eastern Cuban province of Las Tunas. Ironically, until recently the area had been struck by the longest and most intense drought in years. From January to date, the area has received 416 millimeters of rainfall, which is 88.8 percent of that stage and 40 percent of the annual average, with June alone having contributed 30 percent of the annual figure.
HONDURAS - Floods caused by heavy rains over the last three weeks have left four people dead, forced 1,500 others from their homes and caused more than $8 million in damage to Honduran croplands. Bridges have been wiped out in some villages, leaving at least 5,000 residents stranded. Forecasters were calling for more rain over the next few days.
LAGOS - Torrential rain brought Nigeria's main city of Lagos virtually to a standstill on Friday as streets, flooded with more than 50cm of water in places, blocked traffic. A cloudburst over the commercial capital of 16-million people was followed by ceaseless rain, inundating residential and business districts alike, notably Victoria Island, which lies below sea level. Bridges between the islands of central Lagos and the mainland were also blocked by cars, many of which had their electrical systems short-circuited by the downpour.
PHILIPPINES - Civil defense and disaster officials asked villagers to flee from the "danger zone" in Barangay Magsaysay, Kibawe, Bukidnon in the wake of reports of the Mines GeoSciences Bureau that a landslide is imminent in the area if the rains continue. Several traverse cracks with different lengths and widths have affected an area of almost six hectares covering the entire population of Magsaysay. "The villagers in this area must look for another place now to avert loss of lives."
MASSACHUSETTS - This May and June MADE HISTORY in Massachusetts. In Boston, 22.57 INCHES OF RAIN FELL IN THE PAST TWO MONTHS, as of Friday morning. That's the most since the National Weather Service starting keeping records for the city in 1872. "Boston has moved down to the tropics. This is more what you'd expect of Havana." The heavy rain this year has caused an explosion of beetles, slugs and fungi, hurting crops.
NEW JERSEY - Northeastern U.S. residents are weary after the 3rd deluge in 3 years. Even as they cleaned up the muck left behind by some of the Northeast's worst flooding in decades, some riverside residents wondered how long it would be before they would be at it again. Life along the swollen Delaware River was frustrating as thousands were evacuated, roads and bridges were closed, utilities were crippled and tens of millions of dollars in flood damage mounted up. It was at times bizarre with a 4-foot alligator left behind in a Trenton apartment and footlong carp flopping around on the streets. Buildings along the Delaware and Susquehanna rivers were among those battered worst by this week's flooding, which forced tens of thousands to evacuate and left at least 20 people dead in Pennsylvania, Maryland, New York and Virginia. Storms flooded many of the same homes and businesses in 2004 and 2005. "I feel for these people, I really do. But the science side of me says, 'OK, how much of a hint do you need to get?' "
OREGON - a cloudburst gushed about two inches of rain in half an hour, transforming Ruckles Creek from barely a trickle to a torrent which broke a bridge, bent irrigation pipes, wrecked barbed wire fences and floated half-ton hay bales. "We've never had a storm like this one," said person who has lived in the Keating Valley since 1980. "I've never seen it rain that hard." The storm also spawned gales that snapped several trees, spewed lightning bolts that knocked out power to 370 homes, and triggered a debris flows that slowed traffic on Highway 86. Lightning caused fuses to open on Oregon Trail Electric Cooperative lines. "It was just the most amazing lightning storm I've seen in years."
----------------------------------------
Friday, June 30, 2006 -
QUAKES -
Largest quakes yesterday -
6/29 -
5.2 SERAM, INDONESIA
5.0 SOUTHERN IRAN
VOLCANOES -
PHILIPPINES - New magma movement within Mt. Bulusan detected. The volcano has acted up anew as monitoring instruments around its slopes detected five volcanic tremors and small short duration harmonic tremor in the past 24-hour observation period Thursday, which scientists say are indicators of magma movement within the volcano. It was the first detected harmonic tremor in the past few days since Bulusan has shown decreased abnormal behavior. “These indicate magma movement which may lead to more explosions." The volume of emitted sulfur dioxide in the crater and western fissures again increased to 1,1444 tons per day from the 597 tons per day on June 28.
TROPICAL STORMS -
Tropical depression 04W was 169 nmi S of Yap, Caroline Islands.
THUNDERSTORMS / HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING -
EASTERN U.S. - The rainfall total for a five-day period is staggering. Storms dumped a foot of rain in four days. That's more than the rainfall total for the first five months of the year at National Airport. And it dwarfs precipitation from some recent hurricanes. Tropical Storm Isabel, which hit in September 2003, dumped two to four inches of rain across Maryland and Washington.
CHINA - Flooding in a mountainous area of southern China killed at least 30 people and destroyed more than 2,400 homes.
PAKISTAN - Early monsoon rains threaten quake reconstruction and relief efforts. Already, many of Pakistan's quake-affected areas have been hit by rains which signal the full force of the monsoon may only be days away. "The rains have come early in many areas. Smaller roads are blocked, and because the hillsides are already damaged by the earthquake, landslides will inevitably take place in larger numbers this year."
GERMANY - A FREAK storm that hit parts of south-western Germany, bringing with it hailstones almost as big as tennis balls, killed one farmer and injured more than 100 people, damaged cars and put holes in roofs. The farmer, trying to herd his cows into a shed, was swept away by a swollen stream on Wednesday evening after the thunderstorm caused a sudden rise in water levels. (photos)
Less than 24 hours later, a similar hailstorm, with somewhat smaller hailstones, hit the same area of the Black Forest, knocking a man off a roof as he was repairing damage from the Wednesday evening storm. He was in critical condition. The downpour again flooded building basements. The summer storms, attributed by meteorologists to sharp changes of temperature, caused millions of euros in damage. The extremes were marked by a temperature reading of minus one degree Celsius at dawn on Friday on Germany's North Sea coast and reports of 40 degrees in the shade, just 1,200km away in Bosnia-Herzegovina. Spots baked by the sun had reached temperatures of 60 degrees in Bosnia this week. The previous seven days had been THE HOTTEST FOR A CENTURY.
SNOW / COLD -
NEW ZEALAND - the low-pressure system on Monday June 12th was a major system, bringing severe wind, rain and snow. It was followed by a sustained blast of polar-chilled southwesterly winds that kept some snow on the ground for longer than a week. "Such sustained cold is EXTREMELY RARE". This is the first occasion we have seen it happen this decade, but there were two notable examples during the nineties."
HEAT -
CALIFORNIA - A heat wave sweeping through California is bringing 115 degree weather to many cities over the 4th of July weekend. The heat in the West this weekend is expected to get so bad that the Weather Service is advising people to stay indoors.
------------------------------------------
Thursday, June 29, 2006 -
QUAKES -
Largest quakes yesterday -
6/28 -
5.7 SOUTHERN IRAN
5.1 FIJI ISLANDS REGION
VOLCANOES -
ECUADOR - Tungurahua volcano registered 50 explosions in 24 hours Tuesday. It is now experiencing "shivers": constant tremors inside the crater's bed. Volcanologists have observed constant emissions of gas, ash and water vapor that is forming a cloud around 1 km above the volcano's crater. Flocks of villagers living near the volcano, located 135 km from the capital Quito, have voluntarily left their homes, saying the loud explosions made it hard for them to sleep at night.
GUATEMALA - The Volcano of Fire's activity increased Wednesday. This increases the risk of disaster in Guatemala, already affected by intensive rains that provoked floods and collapses in several towns and the capital. The National Coordinator for Disaster Reduction has already given first warnings for the possible evacuation of some 500 people from 4 towns. This is one of the country´s three volcanoes in constant activity, along with the Pacaya in south Guatemala, and Santiaguito, in the west.
MONTSERRAT - Scientists at the Montserrat Volcano Observatory have reported that there is an ongoing swarm of volcanic earthquakes at shallow depths, “the LIKES OF WHICH HAVE NOT BEEN SEEN AT THE MVO FOR YEARS.” On Monday, authorities increased the volcanic alert to level 4. "This comes in the wake of increased seismic activity this past weekend, which is still ongoing.”
TROPICAL STORMS -
Tropical depression JELAWAT was 228 nmi WSW of Hong Kong.
THUNDERSTORMS / HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING -
EASTERN U.S. - THE WORST FLOODING IN THE EASTERN U.S FOR DECADES, triggered by days of torrential downpours, has killed at least nine people and forced thousands to flee their homes. With roads washed out and waters rising, authorities declared emergencies across large swathes of New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania. Travel along the heavily trafficked Eastern Seaboard from Virginia to New York was hard-hit. Up to 200,000 people in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania and the surrounding area were ordered to evacuate their homes today as the Susquehanna River rose to dangerous levels. The river neared a 12.4m flood stage level that threatened to put UNPRECEDENTED strain on the area's flood control system. The Coast Guard used helicopters to rescue up to 70 people stranded on rooftops in the city, which had not seen a similar emergency since 1972 when a tropical storm swept through the area. New York's Governor said it was BY FAR THE WORST FLOODING HE HAD SEEN IN 12 YEARS as governor. "This is is a very low-lying area that has flooded in the past. The afternoon commute ... is already devastating. This is going to be the largest flood we've had maybe since 1955." Major rivers across the region were threatening to crest at dramatic levels.
FLORIDA - Several homes in Central Florida were damaged by fires caused by some of the 16,000 lightning strikes associated with Tuesday's passing storms.
MONTANA - A series of small landslides cut off visitor access to Yellowstone National Park from Gardiner for over three hours Tuesday.
MALAYSIA - An eight-year-old girl was killed when tonnes of soil slammed into a wooden house in a landslide on Monday night at Sepanggar. Eight families at Kampung Bundu in Karambunai, the site where the girl was killed , have been told to move out. Their homes are located just 50 metres below a stretch of road that collapsed after heavy rains triggered the landslide on Monday. The 16-hour downpour on Sunday evening caused massive floods in districts surrounding the city and at 41 villages in Beaufort.
WIND -
Sandstorms could be carrying close to 20 kinds of microbes that pose a health hazard, according to research released by the Environmental Protection Administration. Researchers found that when a sandstorm hit Taiwan earlier this year, the number of germs and funguses in the atmosphere rose by five to six times that of regular days. Some microbes, shrouded by sand grains from the ultraviolet solar rays that would otherwise kill them, could travel thousands of kilometers. Taiwan, Japan and Korea are on the pathway of sandstorms. The duration of such storms can last from merely a few hours to close to a week. The average size of the germs carried by the sandstorms ranges from 2.5 micrometers (one-millionth of a meter) to 10 micrometers, which are not easily filtered out by nose hairs.
------------------------------------------
Wednesday, June 28, 2006 -
QUAKES -
Largest quakes yesterday -
6/27 -
5.7 NICOBAR ISLANDS, INDIA, REG
5.1 NICOBAR ISLANDS, INDIA, REG
5.0 VANUATU ISLANDS
5.0 SOUTHERN PERU
5.0 NEAR COAST OF ECUADOR
5.5 NEAR COAST OF OAXACA, MEXICO
5.5 CHILE-BOLIVIA BORDER REGION
5.5 NORTHERN CHILE
5.7 WEST OF MACQUARIE ISLAND
5.6 FIJI ISLANDS REGION
5.4 FIJI ISLANDS REGION
6.0 FIJI ISLANDS REGION
6.0 RAT ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS.
VOLCANOES -
MONTSERRAT - Authorities increased the volcanic alert level on the island on Monday following increased seismic activity over the weekend. The Soufriere Hills Volcano roared to life in 1995 after years of being dormant. Last month, the lava dome of the volcano collapsed causing mud flows and surges along the north-east flank of the island. The increased seismic activity could lead to the possibility of serious eruptive activity that could affect some inhabited areas.
TROPICAL STORMS -
Tropical storm JELAWAT was 246 nmi SW of Hong Kong.
CHINA - typhoon Jelawat will land on south China tonight or Thursday morning.
PHILIPPINES - Six young people drowned in stormy weather on a beach west of Manila on Monday, due to the tropical storm. The six youngsters were swimming on a beach in Morong town in Bataan province on Monday afternoon when the weather turned nasty, and they were overwhelmed by rough waves. Civil defense officials said they had unconfirmed reports that the bodies of two other people were recovered from the sea.
A potential tropical depression moved inland over the Carolinas coast Tuesday afternoon, bringing 35 to 40 mph winds to parts of the Outer Banks. The system's development into a tropical cyclone is less likely now that it has moved onshore but forecasters are still keeping an eye on the cluster of storms as it moves northeast. The system could cross North Carolina's barrier islands and emerge again over open water or the Chesapeake Bay and cause problems for parts of Virginia and Maryland, which have already been flooded over the past few days. Forecasters were already warning vacationers to beware of strong surf and deadly rip currents this week, particularly on east- and south-facing beaches. Rescuers pulled dozens of beachgoers out of the water over the weekend - including more than 40 people on Wrightsville Beach alone - and one woman died off Sullivans Island near Charleston. At least 45 people along the Carolinas coast have been caught and killed by rip currents since 2000. Eight people have died since the last July Fourth weekend.
With disturbances popping up most every day, it might appear this hurricane season already is boiling with tropical activity. The National Hurricane Center was monitoring two systems on Tuesday. But at this time of year, most disturbances fizzle, and so far conditions are relatively normal. "Every year, we start tracking these tropical waves in late May, coming off the coast of Africa. We pretty much have a typical start." On average, the first tropical storm forms on July 11 and the second on Aug. 8. So Tropical Storm Alberto, which hit the Big Bend area of Florida on June 13, did arrive earlier than normal.
THUNDERSTORMS / HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING -
PENNSYLVANIA - The National Weather Service now expects much of eastern Pennsylvania to be hit with major flooding today from rivers, streams and creeks. The flooding has the potential to put the Schuylkill River at its HIGHEST LEVEL IN PHILADELPHIA IN 145 YEARS. In Philadelphia, the flood stage is 11 feet. It could rise to 15.5 feet by Wednesday afternoon into Thursday. Its highest recorded level is 17 feet. A crest at that predicted level would top levels seen by Hurricane Agnes and Floyd.
HAIL -
WISCONSIN - Severe storms that lumbered through Columbia County on Sunday afternoon flattened farm fields with an hour-and-a-half barrage of hail and dumped up to six inches of rain on parts of the county. Hail accumulated like winter precipitation in front of houses, reaching depths of a foot and a half. Hail was still piled in low-lying areas over 24 hours after the storm struck. "I've never seen anything like it. We were in the house and we had to scream in each other's ears to communicate." The county even had to dispatch its snow plows to clear the roads of accumulated hail, which reached six inches deep on some roads. The storms normally would not have inflicted as much damage as they did, but their snail's pace made them dangerous. In what would have been a brief hailstorm and downpour in a typical storm, a large amount of precipitation was concentrated over a small area for an hour and a half.
PHILIPPINES - The Baguio City Weather Bureau said that hail accompanying last Saturday’s downpour in Baguio and Benguet was NOT AN ORDINARY OCCURENCE, although it is likely to happen again due to the continuing warming of the environment.
HEAT / SMOG-
WASHINGTON - For the second consecutive day, Seattle saw RECORD HEAT, along with ONE OF THE EARLIEST SMOG ALERTS ON RECORD, too. It is RARE for a smog advisory this early in the summer; they typically appear in July and August.
------------------------------------------
Tuesday, June 27, 2006 -
QUAKES -
This morning - 6.0 FIJI ISLANDS REGION
6.0 RAT ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS, ALASKA
Largest quakes yesterday -
6/26 -
5.0 VANUATU ISLANDS
5.5 CERAM SEA
5.4 ANDREANOF ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS.
TROPICAL STORMS -
Tropical storm 03W [Domeng] was 307 nmi S of Hong Kong.
Typhoon Domeng, the second typhoon this year, is gathering steam out over the East Sea moving towards Vietnam. Coastal areas from Ba Ria Vung Tau to Ca Mau will see high winds up to 39kmh and rough seas. (map)
SPECIAL TROPICAL DISTURBANCE STATEMENT 7:30AM - SATELLITE AND RADAR INFORMATION INDICATE THAT A SMALL LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM COULD BE FORMING ABOUT 140 MILES SOUTH OF CAPE FEAR NORTH CAROLINA. THIS SYSTEM HAS THE POTENTIAL TO DEVELOP INTO A TROPICAL DEPRESSION AT ANY TIME AS IT MOVES NORTH TO NORTH-NORTHEASTWARD AT 15 TO 20 MPH. RESIDENTS ALONG THE NORTH CAROLINA COAST SHOULD CLOSELY MONITOR THE PROGRESS OF THIS SYSTEM TODAY AS TROPICAL STORM WARNINGS COULD BE REQUIRED WITH LITTLE NOTICE. EVEN IF THIS SYSTEM DOES NOT FORM INTO A TROPICAL CYCLONE... SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ACCOMPANIED BY LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL AND STRONG GUSTY WINDS WILL GRADUALLY SPREAD ONSHORE on THE NORTH CAROLINA COAST TODAY AND EARLY TONIGHT. [Site note - sorry about the caps, didn't want to retype the whole thing]
THUNDERSTORMS / HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING -
JAPAN - Heavy rain pounded Kyushu on Monday, causing mudslides, killing one person and injuring five others in Kumamoto Prefecture. The Meteorological Agency warned that the downpour, which has so far hit Kumamoto the hardest, would likely continue through this morning and the danger of landslides COULD RISE TO A LEVEL UNSEEN IN YEARS. Also in Yamato, a 74-year-old woman was trapped inside a house hit by a mudslide, but was rescued. Mudslides have reported in at least 85 locations in Kyushu between Thursday, when it started raining, through Monday evening.
INDONESIA - Floods triggered by heavy rain killed 22 people in central Indonesia, the second such disaster in the sprawling nation in less than a week.
WASHINGTON D.C. - Waves of heavy showers and thunderstorms drenched Washington and the surrounding mid-Atlantic on Sunday, triggering flash flooding that swelled streams over their banks and shut roads throughout the region. Washington up through Baltimore received between five and seven inches of rain ... and most of it was in about a six-hour period. The heavy rainfall in a such a short time-frame was UNUSUAL for Washington, DESTROYING A SINGLE-DAY RECORD for June 25 that goes back to 1870.
Another wave of tropical moisture is likely to move northward through the area today, potentially dropping 2-4" more rain, with locally higher amounts. Some areas may experience 5-day rainfall totals of over one foot. Flash flooding potential. NEW DAILY RAINFALL RECORD at Dulles Airport of 5.94 on Sunday.
MASSACHUSETTS - As of 8 p.m. Sunday, Boston had seen 22.26 inches of rainfall in May and June, the MOST IN A TWO-MONTH PERIOD SINCE RECORD KEEPING BEGAN in 1872. The previous record for any consecutive, two-month rainfall was set in 1955 , when Tropical Storm Dianne dumped nearly half of the 21.37 inches of rain that fell in July and August of that year. This month is the third wettest June on record so far, with 9.78 inches of rainfall as of Sunday night, while last month was the second wettest May on record, with 12.48 inches of precipitation. The poor weather was due to a system described as "a frontal boundary draped across Southern New England," which is hosting warm, moist air along with waves of energy. The weather pattern has stagnated, resulting in days of rain. In addition, the temperature in Boston Sunday afternoon was 66 degrees, 13 degrees cooler than normal, because the wind was coming from the ocean.
WIND -
NEW YORK - A tornado-like storm ripped through the Red Oaks Mill section of LaGrange Sunday night, felling heavy trees, ripping up fences and bringing down electrical wires in the span of a few minutes. When it was done, it left a path of destruction that destroyed several backyards, made roads impassable and required LaGrange firefighters to seek help from the Arlington and New Hackensack fire departments, as well as state police and the Sheriff's Office. Town and county highway departments were removing entire trees from the surrounding roads late Sunday night, and meteorologists were left scratching their heads over what happened. "It's BIZARRE because there's nothing on our radar to indicate any tornado rotation or anything like that...There's nothing in the county that even indicates that.'' "By indications of damage on the ground, some kind of high-velocity wind event caused significant damage here.''
INDIANA - A 'tornado' touched down in southwest Tippecanoe County Sunday afternoon. The storm "was something like a tornado, but not in the classic sense." "The National Weather Service said that the phenomenon was a category of tornado, but acted more like a water spout except that it did not contain water and it happened over dry land. It was VERY UNUSUAL. There were fast moving winds going up and coming down at the same time side-by-side." Land spouts form from different cloud types than normal tornadoes and are not as visible on radar. The first sign of a land spout is often the debris scattering on the ground, leading to the impression that it forms from the ground up, rather than from the cloud down. National Weather Service meteorologists said the tornado also was UNUSUAL because it was isolated and not part of a larger storm system.
------------------------------------------
Monday, June 26, 2006 -
QUAKES -
Largest quakes yesterday -
6/25 -
5.0 PHILIPPINE ISLANDS REGION
5.1 SOUTH AFRICA
5.2 MOZAMBIQUE CHANNEL
5.3 EASTERN NEW GUINEA
VOLCANOES -
NEW ZEALAND - Scientists in the central North Island are keeping a close eye on Mount Ngauruhoe after an increasing number of earthquakes. The volcano has been largely silent since it last blew in 1975. But for the past two weeks, Ngauruhoe has been showing signs of activity. "These are the initial signs that something is happening and it may just be that these earthquakes just die away and that'll be it. Or they may increase." Ngauruhoe's neighbour Mount Ruapehu is also being monitored. Scientists say a build-up of debris in its crater lake could cause a lahar (mud flow) as early as next summer. The last major lahar on record was that which caused the Tangiwai disaster in 1953.
PHILIPPINES - About 100 residents fled from a farming village after hearing boulders and rocks rumbling down restive Mount Bulusan amid heavy rains from a tropical storm on Saturday. Army and government trucks helped the residents flee from Cogon village below Bulusan. No one was injured and no houses were damaged by the mudflow and boulders - some as big as a car - that tumbled down the volcano.
TROPICAL STORMS -
PHILIPPINES - a tropical storm, locally named “Domeng”, was heading northwest towards Bicol at 19 kilometers per hour. The eye of the storm, packing maximum winds of 90 kilometers per hour, passed Biliran island and was expected to pass beside the Bicol region this morning. It was not expected to hit the region directly. It was initially expected to hit the Bicol region and Aurora and Quezon provinces but changed direction Saturday night and headed for Leyte, Marinduque, and Mindoro island. It has hit Leyte. "If the storm triggers the southwest monsoon, we will have a double headache - rains from the tropical depression and from the monsoon." Warnings against floods and landslides have been issued in Leyte because the land in the area is still "saturated" with rainfall due to typhoon Caloy. The weather bureau is studying the "VERY STRANGE" WEATHER, particularly the development of the southwest monsoon ("Habagat"). The southwest monsoon is "very erratic" because it is not yet developed in the Philippines. "In theory, it (monsoon) should be developed right now. The flooding in Indonesia last week was caused by the inter-tropical convergence zone but it should be in the Visayas now. But it is still in Indonesia. VERY STRANGE." India and China are experiencing floods and landslides because of the southwest monsoon, which they should be experiencing in July, not in May and June. "Right now it's VERY STRANGE. Our southwest monsoon right now should be well developed. Our thunderstorms right now should be caused by southwest monsoon. We expect it to be here June-July." Climatological projections are that the rainy season would be "relatively dry" because the southwest monsoon is not well developed.
A broad area of low pressure from Florida to Georgia is expected to become marginally favorable for further storm development over the next day or so. Even if a tropical system does not develop, it is expected to bring heavy showers and thunderstorms to the Florida peninsula and the coastal areas through North Carolina.
THUNDERSTORMS / HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING -
INDIA - At least six houses and some livestock were swept away by the swollen waters of two irrigation canals after a cloudburst triggered flash floods in two villages of Chamba district on Sunday.
ALASKA - A new storm system heading for Alaska's Interior prompted the National Weather Service to issue flash flood watches Sunday for the Alaska and Richardson highways with the possibility that river levels could rise again later this week. "Just belt after belt after belt of showers coming through." The system has been sitting over the Gulf of Alaska for at least a week gathering moisture. A shift in upper level winds over the weekend began pushing the system north, over Prince William Sound and along the Canada-Alaska border. Delta Junction and the surrounding area had NEAR-RECORD RAINFALL that caused road damage. Similar scenarios will likely play out during the next few days, except the ground and rivers are already saturated from last weeks rain. The Interior usually begins seeing frequent rain showers in late June and early July. But the large amounts of rain are UNUSUAL. "This is not totally unexpected. But certainly the magnitude of the rain is a little more than we would expect this time of year."
MARYLAND - residents say the rain is THE WORST IN OVER 30 YEARS with water rising up several feet. "It was as bad as Hurricane Agnes in '72, only there it rained a couple days to get up that high." Thunderstorms were predicted to last into early this week.
------------------------------------------
Sunday, June 25, 2006 -
QUAKES -
Largest quakes yesterday -
6/24 -
5.8 MINAHASSA PENINSULA, SULAWESI
5.1 SERAM, INDONESIA
5.3 EAST OF KURIL ISLANDS, RUSSIA
5.1 PHILIPPINE ISLANDS REGION
5.0 CARLSBERG RIDGE
5.1 ARABIAN SEA
5.0 MOZAMBIQUE CHANNEL
6/23 -
5.2 SUNDA STRAIT, INDONESIA
5.4 FIJI ISLANDS REGION
5.3 NEAR COAST OF NORTHERN CHILE
5.3 RAT ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS.
5.0 SOUTHERN IRAN
5.0 SOUTHERN INDIA
OHIO - experts now say the small earthquake felt in northeast Ohio earlier this week was stronger than first thought. Preliminary data had put the magnitude of Monday's shaker at 3.4, but the Ohio Seismic Network now says it was a 3.8. That means the quake was ten times more powerful, given the way the seismic scale works. It was much larger than other similar quakes that have rumbled in the area in recent years. The quake was centered about three miles into Lake Erie near North Perry, about 40 miles east of Cleveland, and was felt along the lake shore.
VOLCANOES -
PHILIPPINES - Mount Canlaon in Negros Island in the central Philippines, some 500 km south of Manila, spewed ash on its upper slope on Saturday afternoon. The ash emission was the third within two days. Saturday's steam clouds rose higher to 1,500 meters. No volcanic earthquake or tremor was detected with the ash emissions.
Government scientists are again closely monitoring Mayon Volcano in Albay as its ABNORMAL BEHAVIOR such as crater glow and sulfur dioxide (SO2) emission are increasing anew. Mayon’s crater glow was again visible to the naked eye at night and the released volume of SO2 was double the normal output. They recorded at least 1,037 sulfur emissions in the past 24 hours. The visible crater glow and the high volume of SO2 could mean that the magma in the volcano is gradually rising towards the surface. Phivolcs decided to lower Mayon’s alert level from 2 to 1 on April 18 due to the continued decline in SO2 emission and crater glow. "But apparently these parameters are again in an increasing trend, which means that Mayon is acting up again."
Meanwhile, the volcanologist monitoring the Bulusan Volcano in Sorsogon, allayed the fears of residents over the SO2 emission of Bulusan which was recorded at 2,310 tons per day or four times higher than the previous volume of 469 tons per day on June 20. He said that the high SO2 emission is not very significant because it was not accompanied by other abnormal parameters such as low- and high-frequency quakes and harmonic tremors. When the SO2 emission is not accompanied by tremors, it could mean that it was just an ordinary release of gas, and not necessarily due to massive magma degassing that could lead to an eruption. He said that the very high volume of SO2 emission in the past 24-hour monitoring period could be due to the declogging of the crater when it spewed ash on June 20. He said, however, that Bulusan Volcano is one of the most unpredictable volcanoes in the country.
AZERBAIJAN - geologists have developed a new mud volcano search method. Buried mud volcanoes have been revealed in the southwest section of Absheron peninsula and at 110km of Baku-Salyan highway. Mud volcanoes have been studied for over 40 years. There are some uncertainties in this sphere of science, there is not a full understanding of the formation and mechanism of visible mud volcanoes. There is no sufficient information on buried volcanoes either. Last year buried volcanoes were revealed in the Azeri sector of the Caspian Sea during exploratory operations. Mud volcanoes are tightly linked to the oil-and-gas content of the area. Over 90% of revealed oil & gas deposits of Azerbaijan are linked to mud volcano structures.
ITALY - A submerged island discovered off the coast of Sicily forms part of a vast underwater volcano, according to new research unveiled by Italian volcanologists and due to be broadcast in the autumn. Tracing two 40-metre columns of bubbles in the sea off the southern Italian island, researchers discovered smoking openings. The smoke was coming from Fernandea, a submerged volcano which the researchers say may be as much as 30 kms long and 25 kms wide. It has not been seen since it erupted in the 19th century. But the discovery of the volcanic outlets is not a cause for concern.
THUNDERSTORMS / HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING -
PHILIPPINES - another landslide may hit the area of Barangay Magsaysay, Kibawi town, Bukidnon. Inspection showed that there were big cracks found in Barangay Magsaysay as well as structures being destroyed due to UNUSUAL EARTH MOVEMENTS. There were six houses that were badly damaged by the ground collapse. Also damaged were facilities such as the barangay health center, newly improved barangay road, barangay hall, basketball court, solar dryer, and electric posts and a drainage system. Black and white photos showed a big crack at the barangay health center, the almost sinking Magsaysay Elementary School, destroyed houses, and traverse cracks affecting barangays roads. Several traverse cracks, with variable dimensions, were noted to have affected an area of about 5-6 hectares encompassing the entire poblacion of Barangay Magsaysay, Puroks 1-3, and part of Sitio Lumbayan, where about 97 households are residing. Meanwhile,officlals have already evacuated hundreds of affected families.
HUNGARY - Sudden storms flooded villages and disrupted rail traffic in N Hungary on Friday, damaging overhead power lines and creating up to two hours of delays in train schedules. One such storm was a sudden cloudburst that hit Nograd county, N Hungary, flooding streets in six villages with half-a-metre water and causing brooks and creeks to overflow, washing away local bridges.
Space Weather / Solar Storms / Meteors - updated Sundays.
ONE ITEM - POSTED HERE -
OHIO - Residents of the Tuscarawas Valley who heard a deafening boom about 12:40 a.m. Monday the 19th and stepped outside likely saw what one person described as “a marvelous fireball with red streaks in the sky.” It probably was a meteor falling through the atmosphere. Numerous callers reported a large red fireball. Several said their homes shook. New Philadelphia police said they received reports from several callers who witnessed the fireball or heard the boom. One woman described it as “a blue light that lit up the sky and went down.” Police in Dover said multiple callers reported they heard a loud bang and something rattled their windows. Air Traffic Command in Washington, D.C. confirmed that Cleveland’s control center was checking into a meteor shower that occurred within its air space.
------------------------------------------
Friday, June 23, 2006 -
QUAKES -
Largest quakes yesterday -
6/22 -
5.3 SERAM, INDONESIA
5.3 SERAM, INDONESIA
6.1 KURIL ISLANDS, RUSSIA
CAPE VERDE - A helicopter and ship were made available by NATO's Response Force to support Cape Verdean authorities in transporting an evaluation team to the island of Brava to survey the damage caused by the tremors felt last weekend on Cape Verde's most isolated island. The visit is intended to survey the damage caused by the seismic activity that occurred on the island on June 17 and 18. The magnitude of the tremor that struck the island has not been determined, as the seismic equipment on the island is in need of repair. No one was reported injured.
THUNDERSTORMS / HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING -
LIGHTNING - Next time you find yourself talking on your mobile phone in the middle of a thunderstorm you may want to cut the conversation short. UK doctors have warned of the danger of lightning strikes when using mobile phones outdoors during stormy weather. The metal in the phone directs the current into the body. There are, on average, about 1,800 thunderstorms in progress at any one time around the world with 100 lightning strikes every second. "If you're struck by lightning on its own it will flash over your body but if you're holding a phone it will internalise and cause much worse injuries. "
COLORADO - A motorcyclist was struck by lightning and killed Wednesday afternoon while traveling on U.S. 36 in Westminster (between Denver and Boulder). Witnesses said they saw a bright flash that sent the yellow sport-bike veering into a concrete median. The lightning left a crater in the asphalt about 12 inches by 8 inches wide and 6 inches deep and sent chunks of asphalt hurtling across the highway. It was the second fatal lightning strike this month in the north metro area. On June 11, a man was electrocuted by lightning as he walked through the parking lot. Lightning striking a moving vehicle is RARE but not unheard of, an expert said. There have been several cases in recent years of motorcyclists and motorists being struck. Colorado ranks third in the nation behind Texas and Florida for fatal lightning strikes. Between 1995 and 2004, there were 31 lightning-related deaths in Colorado.
FOG -
AUSTRALIA - Flights across Australia have been delayed for the second day as early morning fog in Sydney and Canberra exacerbated hold ups from yesterday's UNSEASONAL WEATHER PATTERNS. Flights out of Sydney were held back as Qantas worked to prevent a repeat of yesterday's chaos when planes, unable to land in the New South Wales capital, were stranded in other cities and regional airports. Passengers in Sydney meanwhile competed for limited seats on planes going out when the fog lifted. "Yesterday the weather was SO COMPLETELY OUT OF LEFT FIELD, the airport didn't open until 1pm."
UNUSUAL WEATHER SEASON -
NEPAL - "Nepalese village folks still repeat the saying that the appearance of a single star during monsoon months (due to dispersal of clouds) will cause loss of tens thousands of muris of food grains. It is already paddy plantation season now and we have not only starry nights but also full fledged sunny days. What is happening? Recent years are marked by puzzling weather phenomenon. Rains are falling in unexpected volume in unexpected time. And when they are badly needed, they are absent. Winter precipitation is vital in the Nepalese agriculture system, which lacks irrigation facilities. After the retreat of monsoon, we have witnessed no rains for several months. Farmers who grow winter crops, especially vegetables, were most affected. Rivers and streams dried to the unexpected levels and winter appeared to be warmer. Vegetable output went down. The rain-silence was broken around April but the spell came in such a fashion as if the monsoon had set in. In the past, late April-early June were known to be dry but recent years have proved otherwise. This year, they were rainy with the downpour catching people by surprise throughout. There were swollen rivulets, flooded streets and damaged crops. The spell continued not only for days but weeks and months...There are prolonged droughts that are usually broken by the spells of excessive rains. It seems that rains are getting more violent. They are also getting more irregular and isolated. Rains are accompanied by more occurrence of thunder and lightning with lightning deaths going up considerably higher in recent years. In sum, weather patterns are visibly changing and taking more catastrophic form. Landslides, flash floods, longer droughts and extreme form of rainfall have become the common type of disasters that cause loss of life and property every year. Unusual things are happening not only in Nepal but also globally....A relevant question is - What might be behind all these inhospitable and unexpected phenomenon that we have been witnessing of late? The happenings indicate that climate change is taking place. Global temperature is said to be hovering at the highest level in the history of human civilization.
------------------------------------------
Thursday, June 22, 2006 -
QUAKES -
Largest quakes yesterday -
6/21 -
5.0 NORTHERN SUMATERA, INDONESIA
5.8 NICOBAR ISLANDS, INDIA
5.0 NORTHERN MID-ATLANTIC RIDGE
5.1 ECUADOR
CHINA - Three people were injured in a 5.0 earthquake in Gansu yesterday. Five houses were toppled in Linjiang and Liping townships, the two worst hit areas. Details of damage and direct economic losses were still being investigated.
CALIFORNIA - A section of the San Andreas fault near Los Angeles that hasn't moved in 250 years is in danger of causing a major earthquake, a new study concludes. Geologists are trying to determine how much longer the southern end of the fault can withstand the seismic pressure. It was a sudden 6.4-metre movement in the northern section of the fault that was responsible for the earthquake in 1906 that destroyed San Francisco. No one can predict when a Big One will strike, but it's reasonable to conclude the southern end of the fault is near the end of its dormancy period, or "interseismic phase." The 160-kilometre southern section of the fault cuts through San Bernardino, east of Los Angeles, to near the Mexican border.
THUNDERSTORMS / HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING -
INDONESIA - Rescuers scoured mud-filled homes for bodies as the death toll from landslides and floods on eastern Sulawesi island in Indonesia rose to 188 people. Nearly 150 people are missing. A search-and-rescue operation has been underway in South Sulawesi province after two days of heavy rain at the beginning of the week. Sinjai regency was the worst-hit area after flooding early on Tuesday.
ROMANIA - Eight people were killed and several others declared missing after a river burst its banks overnight in northern Romania. The Tibes River in the county of Bistrita burst its banks sending torrents of water into a nearby village. The water also knocked out power and telephone lines and blocked roads in the area. Storms overnight in the county of Arad in western Romania also flooded several villages, leading to evacuations. Meteorologists warn that heavy rain and hail will follow the next couple of days and that flood risk levels will be exceeded in several areas.
WIND -
SCOTLAND - Gales with 90mph winds were set to batter the country and there were flooding fears as 4in of rain was forecast. "It is UNUSUAL weather for this time of year, especially the high winds... It is being caused by an area of low pressure that's making its way across the country. "
HEAT -
NEBRASKA - A RARE weather phenomenon that saw temperatures shoot up more than 20 degrees in less than a hour early Tuesday morning was recorded in south Central Nebraska. The conditions that set up a heat burst are dry air directly beneath a weakening elevated thunderstorm. (site requires registration)
------------------------------------------
Wednesday, June 21, 2006 -
QUAKES -
This morning there has been a 6.0 quake in the NICOBAR ISLANDS.
Largest quakes yesterday -
6/20 -
5.0 TALAUD ISLANDS, INDONESIA
5.2 GANSU, CHINA
5.4 QUEEN CHARLOTTE ISLANDS
5.1 NEAR COAST OF CENTRAL CHILE
VOLCANOES -
PHILIPPINES - Local officials placed Irosin Town in Sorsogon Province, the central Philippines, under a state of calamity after a series of ash explosions from the active volcano Mount Bulusan. Everything in Irosin Town, a populated area near Mount Bulusan, is covered with a thick layer of ash spewed by the volcano. Residents living around the volcano have started building temporary shelters in anticipation of the major eruption, while trucks were ready for a massive evacuation. On Monday hundreds of residents living within Mount Bulusan's permanent danger zone were evacuated from their homes because of the ash explosion on Sunday afternoon. Mount Bulusan is expected to spew more volcanic ash in the coming days. The PHIVOLCS authority is also anticipating a major eruption because of the minor earthquakes coming from Mount Bulusan.
INDONESIA - Mount Merapi volcano spewed burning ash and gas clouds Tuesday as scientists expressed fears that rain could send deadly flows of volcanic debris to villages below. If forecasts of rain today and Thursday hold, millions of metric tons of built-up ash and rock fragments could be sent down Merapi's steep slopes in mudslides, a vulcanologist warned. Meanwhile, avalanches of new debris tumbled 2.2 miles down the flanks of the volatile mountain earlier Tuesday. (photo)
Mount Merapi sent avalanches of searing hot gas and debris roiling down its scorched slopes today, and a scientist warned that the peak's fragile lava dome still posed a threat to thousands of villagers. More than half a dozen avalanches carried gas and volcanic debris more than two miles down the peak's flanks. Magma has swelled into a volatile lava dome on the southern crater, he said, and there is a likelihood that it will collapse, causing an avalanche of the hot gas and volcanic debris trapped within it. (photo)
TROPICAL STORMS -
CENTRAL AMERICA - Massive waves caused by a storm more than 3,000 kilometres away have washed away homes, hotels and restaurants along the coastline of Central America. There have been no reports of death, but hundreds of people have fled from their homes and communities. The U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami said the waves are not caused by a tsunami from underwater earthquakes, but are from a large storm in the South Pacific. Large waves have been pounding the coastline from Ecuador's Galapagos Islands to the Mexican resort of Acapulco for several days. In Guatemala, waves along the western shore smashed a small hotel in Sipacate, a surfing hotspot about 100 kilometres from Guatemala City. Fifteen-foot high waves drove water about 90 metres inland in Nicaragua, washing away about 20 homes in Peurto Corinto. Dozens of people fled their homes in El Salvador, where witnesses reported high waves, while a number of coastal areas of Costa Rica reported flooding. Weather officials said the waves should subside today or Thursday.
Heavy surf is pounding the Pacific Coast from Chile to California - A FREAKISHLY POWERFUL storm far off in the South Pacific propelled huge swells to the Americas, causing a surge of waves that battered homes and beachfront businesses from Peru to Mexico. Several hundred people were evacuated in at least eight countries. The barrage began Sunday, and the waves were beginning to weaken Tuesday afternoon. The waves resulted from a particularly intense low pressure system several hundred miles off New Zealand that caused hurricane force winds and RARE snowfall at sea level. Masses of water were shoved eastward, creating UNUSUALLY big waves when the swells hit the Americas. "The storm system that generated these waves was FAIRLY EXTRAORDINARY. " Over the weekend, heavy surf wrecked 15 homes in a shantytown in Lima's port of Callao and damaged about 100 in the northern coast city of Trujillo. In Honduras, giant swells damaged at least 300 houses along the Gulf of Fonseca on Sunday.
THUNDERSTORMS / HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING -
INDONESIA - Landslides and floods on Indonesia's eastern Sulawesi island have killed 100 people and the toll could rise. Many others are still missing, after two days of heavy rain caused major flooding in South Sulawesi province. Many people are feared buried under the mud, and a rescue operation is under way to try to find them. More heavy rains are expected in the next few days. Flash floods and landslides usually happen earlier in the year, at the height of the monsoon season. More than 120 people lost their lives in two separate landslides on Java in January.
PHILIPPINES - Three people died, five were injured and two remained missing after a hillside collapsed and buried six houses in Barangay Napnapan in Pantukan, Compostela. A heavy downpour overnight caused the soil collapse at 9:30 a.m.
INDIA - Occasional storms and intermittent drizzles may have delayed the actual monsoon by 20 days. These rains were mistaken as the pre-monsoon rains, but in fact, they were caused by cyclonic conditions created in the Indian ocean. These cyclonic rains often hamper the development of the monsoon in the desired areas. These rain storms followed by extremely humid conditions were not favourable either for the crops or for human health. Drought-like conditions will occur if the monsoon fails to proceed by the end of June 30 or first week of July.
WISCONSIN - The tornado that struck western Washington County Sunday afternoon, creating nearly $4 million in damage, was caused by an UNUSUAL, "PERPLEXING" set of weather conditions that gave residents little more than two minutes to seek shelter. "It wasn't a classic textbook event. This one is perplexing us." The storm was not part of a squall line or widespread severe weather outbreak. The weather service issued a tornado warning at 2:27 p.m. after radar indicated that a thunderstorm "capable of producing a tornado" was just west of Hartford. At 2:28 p.m., the city's tornado warning sirens were activated. At 2:29 p.m., a Hartford police officer saw a funnel cloud touch down. Little more than a minute later, 157 homes and businesses were damaged.
SNOW / COLD -
NEW ZEALAND - Civil defence authorities in New Zealand have warned snowbound South Island communities to prepare for another severe storm. About 800 homes in the Canterbury region are facing their 10th day without power as a result of the HEAVIEST SNOW DUMP IN 50 YEARS. Weather forecasters predict the worst-affected areas of the South Island might be in for another 15 to 20 centimetres of snow due to a cold front that is sweeping over the country.
------------------------------------------
Tuesday, June 20, 2006 -
QUAKES -
Largest quakes yesterday -
6/19 -
5.0 TALAUD ISLANDS, INDONESIA
5.3 SAMAR, PHILIPPINE ISLANDS
5.1 MYANMAR
5.1 TONGA ISLANDS
VOLCANOES -
INDONESIA - Indonesia's Mount Merapi was still on high alert Monday as the volcano in densely populated Central Java continued to spew hot clouds of gas and debris down its slopes as far as three kilometres, mostly toward Gendol and Krasak rivers. On Friday the hot clouds of gas and volcanic materials from Merapi destroyed and covered the Kaliadem tourist resort area with up to three metres of debris, and burned hundreds of hectares of forest. Residents living in seven villages on Merapi's slopes are complaining of difficulties getting clean water, and cattle were also suffering due to water shortages. With the volcano showing no signs of cooling down, residents living on Mount Merapi's slopes have been unable to conduct their daily activities, forcing many to sell their livestock to raise money. Many residents who earn their living as traders in the Kaliadem tourist resort area were also facing economic losses after the area was buried by the eruption. Volcanologists have said a new lava dome reformed at the peak of Merapi soon after the volcano belched searing clouds of ash and steam last week on Wednesday night.
PHILIPPINES - Mt. Bulusan in Sorsogon spewed a massive column of ash about two kilometers into the sky sending residents of surrounding areas fleeing for cover yesterday. A loud explosion had been heard from the crater and falling ash has turned vegetation, houses and even cattle around the volcano, white. The ash explosion was not preceded by volcanic quakes and may just be the result of hot rocks coming into contact with groundwater. The volcano has been periodically ejecting ash into the sky amid a greater frequency of volcanic quakes in recent days. In Negros Occidental, Kanlaon Volcano appeared to have calmed down during the weekend.
THUNDERSTORMS / HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING -
SOUTH KOREA - The crew of an Asiana Airlines Airbus A321 managed to land safely after the aircraft was damaged flying through a hailstorm on June 9. Hailstones that the South Korean airline says “looked 5cm [2in] wide” ripped off the nose cone, caused a 20cm-wide hole in one of the engine cowlings and cracked the windshield. The crew were unable to execute an automatic landing, but brought the aircraft down manually after two attempts despite their restricted vision due to the windshield damage. (damage photo)
TEXAS, LOUISIANA - A deluge of more than 10 inches of rain Monday along parts of the Gulf Coast forced the evacuation of a Louisiana nursing home and stranded motorists on roads flooded up to waist-deep in southeast Texas, where National Guard troops were on standby for more storms. Rain from a second storm had begun to fall in Houston late Monday afternoon. In Sulphur, La., rain measured as much as 9 1/2 inches of rain.
NORTH CAROLINA - It's nearly a week since the remnants of tropical storm Alberto passed through North Carolina, but runoff is still pushing downstream rivers to flood levels. Alberto was downgraded to a tropical depression when it hit the state on Wednesday. Some areas reported nearly eight inches of rain. In the next few days, rivers began to rise downstream from the areas that took a direct hit from the storm.
ODD -
IDAHO - Known in the weather world as a circumhorizontal arc, a RARE RAINBOW was caught on film on June 3 as it hung over northern Idaho near the Washington State border . The arc isn't a rainbow in the traditional sense — it is caused by light passing through wispy, high-altitude cirrus clouds. The sight occurs only when the sun is very high in the sky (more than 58° above the horizon). What's more, the hexagonal ice crystals that make up cirrus clouds must be shaped like thick plates with their faces parallel to the ground. When light enters through a vertical side face of such an ice crystal and leaves from the bottom face, it refracts, or bends, in the same way that light passes through a prism. If a cirrus's crystals are aligned just right, the whole cloud lights up in a spectrum of colors. This particular arc spanned several hundred square miles of sky and lasted for about an hour. (photo)
--------------------------------------
Monday, June 19, 2006 -
QUAKES -
Largest quakes yesterday -
6/18 -
5.0 NEAR N.CST OF IRIAN JAYA
5.0 NORTHERN SUMATERA, INDONESIA
5.3 NEAR NORTH COAST OF NEW GUINEA
5.2 SOUTH OF ALASKA
5.8 NORTHERN MID-ATLANTIC RIDGE
NEW MADRID FAULT - An earthquake expert with the U.S. Geological Survey says many residents and officials in northeast Arkansas are setting themselves and their neighbors up for a worse disaster by underestimating the results of a quake in the region. "This is a different kind of earthquake. This is not a California earthquake. There are some basic differences here that drive the hazard level up." Unlike faults in California, the New Madrid Seismic Zone contains three to five major fault segments lying over the top of each other in a relatively small area. The zone stretches from northeast Arkansas and northwest Tennessee up into southeast Missouri, far western Kentucky and southern Illinois. A 6.5-magnitude quake has the potential of doing an enormous amount of damage. "It won't take a catastrophic earthquake to do catastrophic damage." 11 million people live in the New Madrid Seismic Zone.
THUNDERSTORMS / HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING -
CHINA - A landslide in a village in the south-western Chinese province of Sichuan has killed 11 people and injured six. The landslide happened overnight in a remote region near the Tibetan border. The village of Shiji was hit by almost 100 cubic metres of rocks which destroyed 12 houses and damaged 40 others, cutting off power, water and road links. In recent weeks southern China has been hit by heavy rain.
PAKISTAN - While seasonal landslides are a common threat in northern Pakistan, last October's earthquake has made the terrain more susceptible to rains and tremors. As a result, this year's landslides are more widespread and more frequent, making dangerous terrain - narrow roads with steep drops - even worse. Monsoon season is under way June to September. "There is no doubt the earthquake has destabilized many of these mountainous areas and thereby increased the frequency ... of these landslides." Rock falls and mounds of earth bigger than buses have been blocking roads and stalling recovery efforts. The migration of returnees from camps around the region has become a logistical nightmare. In many cases, reluctant returnees from Islamabad and Rawalpindi find themselves living in impromptu setups by the side of the road with no support, no transport home, no food or water and nowhere else to go. "Many express a fear of the mountains, lack of resources and infrastructure, a fear of shifting from the earthquake, a fear of another earthquake. Here in Mansehra, we still receive aftershocks and bolt out of the building. In the mountains they are much stronger and still quite frightening."
------------------------------------------
Sunday, June 18, 2006 -
QUAKES -
Largest quakes yesterday -
6/17 -
5.0 RYUKYU ISLANDS, JAPAN
5.0 BANDA SEA
5.3 TONGA ISLANDS
Three quakes in Ethiopia - 4.7, 4.6. 4.4
6/16 -
5.4 MINAHASSA PENINSULA, SULAWESI
5.6 MINAHASSA PENINSULA, SULAWESI
5.0 NEAR ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS.
5.8 SOUTH SANDWICH ISLANDS REGION
5.5 SEA OF OKHOTSK
5.5 OFF EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
5.7 OFF EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
5.0 SOUTHEAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
5.1 NEAR E.CST EASTERN HONSHU
5.2 OFF EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
5.2 SOLOMON ISLANDS REGION
CALIFORNIA - The Bay Area's biggest earthquake in four years rolled by San Martin at 5:24 Thursday morning at magnitude 4.7. But the quake, which was felt as far away as Riverside, piqued the interest of experts because it occurred on an unnamed fault that HAS NEVER BEEN KNOWN TO POP OFF BEFORE. The fault is considered third-string, living in the shadows of Northern California's "Big Four" - the San Andreas, Hayward, Calaveras and Rodgers Creek faults. You can't even see a trace of it on the surface of the ground. Seismologists believe Thursday's quake was probably neither a harbinger of bigger quakes, nor a sign that sufficient stress has been released to reduce the risk of a "Big One." Although a number of aftershocks have been reported, if something larger was to strike the same fault in coming days, "most likely it would just be a 4.8."
Luke Holmquist forecasts earthquakes in Indonesia, Japan and California — by monitoring the behavior of animals. Northern California's dogs, cats, birds and the like were behaving odd enough on Wednesday for Holmquist to forecast a 47% risk of a light quake there on Thursday morning. The 4.7 earthquake struck the area of San Martin that morning. Holmquist for years researched unusual animal behavior associated with quakes. Animals can sense waves beneath the earth before a seismometer picks up its first signals. So he monitors Web sites like pet lost and founds, and forums where pet owners chat about their animals, to "see how much pressure is going on ... in the animal kingdom." Then, each night at 10:30, he updates his own site, www.quakeprediction.com. He receives e-mailed prediction requests and plans on adding Italy, India, China, Iran and Chile to his forecast chart in the coming weeks.
VOLCANOES -
PHILIPPINES - President Arroyo ordered the evacuation of at least 20,000 people after experts warned that a major eruption of restive Mt. Bulusan could threaten the coastal town of Bulusan. "The overall condition of Bulusan volcano is still ABNORMAL as it was in the past days." Magma is building up inside Bulusan and an eruption could be imminent if it continues. A "worst-case scenario" is where portions of the peak might collapse into Lake Bulusan at the eastern base of the mountain. If this happens, the water could flood the entire coastal town of Bulusan. Bulusan and five other towns — Barcelona, Casiguran, Gubat, Irosin and Juban — have had ash falls in the past days. They are already studying ways to deal with the threat of volcanic mudflows amid the onset of the rainy season. Typhoons often enter the country through the Bicol Region. Officials are sending a bulldozer next week to dredge the Cogon River so it can withstand a possible deluge of volcanic mud and rocks. "We are proposing to put up a levee to protect the populated areas along the Cogon river channel." Seismic sensors around the volcano have recorded seven high-frequency quakes. It may only be a coincidence that Bulusan, Mayon and Kanlaon volcanoes in Negros Oriental are showing increased activity in the past days. All three also acted up in 1976.
INDONESIA - Mount Merapi continued to spew hot clouds and glowing lava in the southerly direction toward Gendol River on Saturday. The Center's seismograph recorded 38 hot clouds, 176 multiphase tremors, 304 lava trails, two shallow volcanic quakes, and five tectonic quakes during that morning. The volcano also sent thick sulfurous gas 350 meters into the sky above the mountain's top with moderate pressure.
TROPICAL STORMS -
Even during last year’s record breaking tropical season, there was a two and a half week break between the time Arlene formed and the time that Tropical Storm Bret formed (June 28). Tropical cyclone formation simply isn’t the norm this time of year. Since Alberto this year, there have been several tropical waves that have found their way into the Caribbean and have looked impressive on satellite, in terms of convection and bright cloud tops, but they have been broad and disorganized. The anti-cyclonic flow in the region has kept these waves from organizing better and forming a possible tropical disturbance. The Saharan Dust Layer, which usually blows off the coast of Africa early in the year and can infiltrate and affect the development of a tropical cyclone, appears to be missing in action so far.
THUNDERSTORMS / HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING -
MAINE - The RECORD AMOUNT OF RAIN that hit southern Maine this spring is credited with holding down the region's mosquito populations. While rain is generally good for mosquitoes, too much rain washes away their larvae. Scientists say that happened this spring in parts of southern Maine. Northern and central Maine are reporting a bumper crop of mosquitoes.
CLIMATE CHANGE -
will have a massive impact on business and the bottom line of insurers, according to a report from Lloyds of London. The report warns that the insurance industry has not taken the shifting weather patterns seriously enough and that it will need to start reacting quicker. The report warns the industry to expect more extreme storms over a broader area, rising seas and flooding in almost every coastal city in the world. Changing rain and snow patterns were also becoming less predictable and there was a risk of more landslides, the report said. Last year Switzerland, Austria and Germany experienced RECORD WATER LEVELS AND FLOODS, and insured losses ran to $US 1.7 billion. With the evidence suggesting that climate change is now taking place faster than first thought — the study warns that the industry can no longer base decisions on historical patterns. The report also warns that some areas, such as those deemed to be flood-prone, might be seen as uninsurable. It said that the trend of rising seas driven by shrinking glaciers was probably irreversible, unpredictable and "likely to result in sudden periods of catastrophic melting". "Even small rises in sea levels are likely to create severe economic and demographic problems, since large populations are concentrated near present sea level." The report warns that extreme windstorms will continue, and with higher temperatures creating the right conditions for strong formation, the industry would be "on risk" for longer each year. For example, cyclone Monica swept across the coast of northern Australia in April, when the season is usually all but over. The problem for insurers is that they are facing a future that is more unpredictable and difficult to model their assessments of risk. "Climate change is likely to bring us all an even more uncertain future. If we do not take action now to understand the risks and their impact, the changing climate could kill us."
AUSTRALIA - Parts of the coastal strip may be uninhabitable over the next century, with some councils already taking action to avoid the predicted impact of climate change. Experts say flooding of low-lying coastal areas, damage to seaside shacks and increased erosion are among the likely impacts of rising sea levels in South Australia in the next 100 years. In the worst case climate change predictions, parts of the state's coastal strip may even become uninhabitable. The damage is expected to occur when king tides coincide with major storms. Victor Harbor, Port Adelaide, Alexandrina and Port Augusta councils are most vulnerable, with rising sea levels forcing immediate preparation. Under generally accepted predictions, the world sea level will rise by an average 48cm between 1990 and 2100, two to three times the rate of rise in the 1900s. The impact is already being felt at Victor Harbor.
Strange days have reached Ny-Alesund, Europe's most northerly research station. Perched at the very edge of the continent, in Svalbard, Norway, a mere 1,000km from the North Pole, the center's international scientists have been experiencing weather that is becoming increasingly unpredictable. The archipelago was balmy and calm at the end of April, when it should should still have been gripped by ice and screaming winds. In May, waters in the Kongsfjorden - the long strip of water that pokes eastwards into mainland Svalbard at Ny-Alesund - were now 2 degrees C warmer than they used to be a few years ago. Two degrees may seem a modest rise, but the effects are profound - "Normally, the temperature in the fjord would be close to freezing. This winter the cooling of the water has probably never been close enough to produce an ice cover." All the other fjords on this normally ice-locked coastline have remained open, thanks to the startling warming of their waters. "Now the whole [food] chain is changing and we have no idea what the consequences will be." In the case of Greenland, previous estimates of the rate of melting of Greenland's glaciers have been too low and too optimistic in assuming it would take centuries to heat and melt its massive ice shield. The marches to the sea of these great glaciers are being accelerated, raising the amount of ice dumped in the Atlantic each year from 100km3 in 1996 to 220km3 last year. The Antarctic continent is now losing similar amounts of ice, about 150km3 a year. Places will become increasingly vulnerable to massive sea surges sweeping over their strained ocean defenses. Already the world's coral reefs and islands are suffering: swamped by rising waters, battered by storms and bleached by seas becoming increasingly acidic from the carbon dioxide they are absorbing. This is the danger Earth now faces: the overturning of our climate system, from its relatively stable, moderate status to one in which we have recreated the climate of the Cretaceous era, when there were crocodiles at the poles and the planet cooked.
------------------------------------------
Friday, June 16, 2006 -
QUAKES -
Largest quakes yesterday -
6/15 -
5.0 MINDANAO, PHILIPPINE ISLANDS
5.2 TONGA ISLANDS
5.7 FIJI ISLANDS REGION
5.2 MONGOLIA
5.7 MONGOLIA
5.5 NORTHERN MOLUCCA SEA
5.0 NORTHEAST OF TAIWAN
ALASKA - On June 14 a strong earthquake occurred in the Rat Islands region of the Aleutian Islands. The mainshock (M6.4) was situated 87 kilometers (54 miles) southeast of Buldir Island. This earthquake is the largest to occur in this region since the magnitude 6.8 event on June 14, 2005. Over a hundred aftershocks occurred within the first two days of the sequence. The largest aftershock of magnitude 5.9 occurred 30 minutes after the main shock. A ftershocks are still continuing. In the western Aleutians, the crust is partitioned into rotating blocks, such as Buldir Block to the east and Near block to the west of the June 14 event location. The crustal blocks move in a clockwise rotation.
GEYSERS -
WYOMING - A large geyser in Yellowstone National Park that hadn't erupted since 1998 roared to life over the weekend. The Ledge geyser erupted around 5 pm Saturday, and sounded like a jet plane. The geyser sent a plume of steam about 100 feet into the air. The eruption coincided with other UNUSUAL ACTIVITY at the Norris basin over the weekend, including the eruption of other sporadic geysers and changes in surface water. The basin appears to be undergoing a thermal disturbance. Such disturbances result from underground activity that brings water closer to the surface.
VOLCANOES -
INDONESIA - Two men trapped in a bunker by volcanic debris from Indonesia's Mount Merapi volcano have been found dead. "The first person was in a singed condition because of hot steam." The second man's body was intact when found. They had been trapped under volcanic debris as hot as 300 degrees Celsius (572 degrees Fahrenheit). Mount Merapi has been spilling molten lava and spewing clouds of hot gas and ash sporadically for weeks, but had one of its heaviest discharges yet on Wednesday. The men were trapped when they sought shelter that day as searing clouds swept through villages about 7km from Merapi's top, leaving a trail of damaged buildings and neighbourhoods covered with grey ash. Rescuers made contact with one of the men late Wednesday, but their phones no longer worked, perhaps because the batteries had run out. Rescuers had been digging through the ash and debris trying to reach them. One of the dead was a rescue volunteer and the other a villager. The bunker was equipped with oxygen but electricity had been cut because of the searing heat clouds. Clouds yesterday covered houses in the villages to the south-east, which are closest to the peak, with about five mm of ash. On Thursday, rescuers were forced to stop work as the heat melted shovels and the tires of diggers trying to get through two metres of rubble. Merapi continued to spew out scorching gas clouds and rock fragments Thursday, with one black plume in the mid-afternoon covering a large swathe of the mountain. The resurgence in activity was likely caused by the collapse of a section of volcano's lava dome.
TROPICAL STORMS -
The hurricane center is tracking a bunch of tropical waves moving across the Atlantic although the center says it expects "no significant development." Most tropical waves turn out to be nothing, and June isn't the most conducive time for these to develop, but quite a few people are observing that the waves seem UNUSUALLY HEALTHY for this early in the season. "Forecasts over the past few days...are showing a weather pattern more typical of mid-July developing over the tropical Atlantic ... it would not surprise me to see two more named storms this June." For all of 2005's hoopla, one thing we didn't really see last year was the classic "Cape Verde" hurricane that spawns off of Africa and then gains strength all the way across the Atlantic before whacking us. Instead, we had a lot of systems spawn with little warning close to the U.S. coast.
THUNDERSTORMS / HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING -
INDIA - More than 250,000 people have been displaced by floodwaters in India's north-east where at least 13 people have died since the monsoon hit a fortnight ago. Incessant rains caused fresh flooding in Assam state yesterday, forcing 92,000 people to flee their homes. "Breaches in embankments and rising levels of all major rivers have led to floodwaters inundating fresh areas."
JAPAN - Heavy seasonal rains triggered mudslides in southern Japan, forcing the evacuation of hundreds of people Thursday. About 370 people were evacuated from three towns on Japan's southern island of Okinawa, about 1,600 kilometers (1,000 miles) southwest of Tokyo, after nearby mudslides. In Naha, about 40 residents were evacuated Monday from their three-story hillside condominium that was on the verge of collapse after the heavy rain opened up a chasm in the ground nearby. In Kagoshima, a minor mudslide occurred after heavy rain washed off layers of ash from recent eruptions at the nearby Sakurajima volcano.
Officials say the rainfall to date is more than double the amount received in a normal year. Strong winds, heavy rains, lightning and thunder have been filling Okinawa’s reservoirs this rainy season, and spawned floods as well. More than 500 millimeters of rain has fallen on the capital city of Naha since the season began May 14th. A high pressure front across the northern part of Japan has collided with a strong front on the Pacific Ocean, trapping the stationary rain front over Okinawa the past week. The deep low pressure front created heavy rains that simply wouldn’t stop. Okinawa City and the Goya area report more than 515 millimeters (20¼ inches) over the past two weeks. The strong rains have made the ground very unstable in many areas, creating the potential for more rising water levels and flooding, soil erosion and mudslides.
ODD -
Arctic sea level has been falling by a little over 2mm a year - a movement that sets the region against the global trend of rising waters. It is well known that the world's oceans do not share a uniform height; but even so, the scientists are somewhat puzzled by their results. Global sea level is expected to keep on climbing as the Earth's climate warms. To find the Arctic out of step, even temporarily, emphasises the great need for more research in the region. The recent trend could be linked to changes in the temperature and salinity (saltiness) of Arctic waters. Russian tide gauges have also hinted at a sea-level fall during the 1990s. This seems to fit with the phases of the so-called Arctic Oscillation, a seesaw pattern of change in atmospheric pressure over the polar region and mid latitudes. Recent years have seen a dramatic pull-back in the extent of summer ice and the models do not fully account for the changes that are being observed.
------------------------------------------
This compilation is the property of this site. All rights reserved.
skip to main |
skip to sidebar
This site was selected by the SciLinks program, a service of the National Science Teachers Association. Copyright 2001.
**************
**************
**************
Monitoring natural disasters:
climate change, cyclones, drought, earthquakes, flooding, hurricanes, landslides, meteors, mystery booms, pandemics, solar flares, tropical storms, tsunamis, volcanoes, unusual animal behavior, weather extremes, wildfires; disaster archives 1998-present.
*Updated daily Monday through Friday around noon. No update on Saturdays and Sundays, unless there are big events.*
Contributions -
If you would like to support this website - small amounts will help keep the site updated and
free from advertising. Click the donation button below. Thank you!
[All donations will be acknowledged.]
This site was selected by the SciLinks program, a service of the National Science Teachers Association. Copyright 2001.
Previous Years
**************
My other blogs
Monitor threats WORLDWIDE
- Current EARTHQUAKES - list
- Quake Seismograms - updated every 30 minutes
- Earthquakes - on this day in the past
- HURRICANES /Tropical Storms
- Earth's MAGNETIC FIELD monitor
- Europe - extreme weather map
- FOREST watch
- Global disease alert map
- Latest bird flu news
- POLE SHIFT / earth change monitor
- SATELLITE IMAGERY - global
- SPACE WEATHER / Solar Monitor
- TSUNAMI Warnings
- U.S. State Depart Travel Warnings
- Videos - of recent disasters
- VOLCANO Activity Report - weekly
- Volcano Webcams
- Weather - Anywhere (Yahoo)
- Weather/Disaster Links by Country
- _______________________
Monitor dangers in the UNITED STATES
**************
Free feeds and email alerts
Subscribe to this website:
GLOBAL DISASTER WATCH Feed.
Earthquake notification - from the National Earthquake Information Center - automated free email notification for worldwide earthquakes.
Subscribe to the Earth Observatory - Numerous feeds, including natural hazards map and image of the day.
********************
GLOBAL DISASTER WATCH Feed.
Earthquake notification - from the National Earthquake Information Center - automated free email notification for worldwide earthquakes.
Subscribe to the Earth Observatory - Numerous feeds, including natural hazards map and image of the day.
********************
About Me
- Global-Disaster-Watch
- Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States
- Hello and welcome!
I'm Crystal - the sole creator and maintainer of this site.
I started the webpage in 1998 - just before the turn of the millenium, when everyone was talking about the disasters that were coming.
Global Disaster Watch is now on facebook with breaking news throughout the day!
My personal facebook page
**************
I welcome your feedback
E-mail comments, suggestions, questions to Crystal at -
globaldisasterwatch@yahoo.com
[In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, this material is distributed without profit, for research and/or educational purposes. This constitutes 'FAIR USE' of any such copyrighted material.]
globaldisasterwatch@yahoo.com
[In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, this material is distributed without profit, for research and/or educational purposes. This constitutes 'FAIR USE' of any such copyrighted material.]