State of Emergency Declared in Oklahoma due to Propane Shortage

Fallin Declares a State of Emergency for Oklahoma as Propane Shortage Bites

Governor Mary Fallin declared a state of emergency due to the depleted supply of propane in Oklahoma.

The order waives the state licensing requirements for out-of-state propane transporters allowing them to bring propane into Oklahoma because of the fuel shortage throughout the state.

Oklahoma has experienced a spike in demand for propane gas both for residential and commercial deliveries due to multiple winter storms that have caused extreme winter conditions, dumping massive amounts of snow and freezing rain across the state.

Many Oklahomans in rural areas depend on propane deliveries for heating and cooking.

“This executive order [effective through February 4] will help make sure that there is enough of a propane supply in the days and weeks ahead until problems are resolved,” said Fallin.

Executive Orders Issued by 14 other Governors amid Fuel Shortages

Governors in at least 14 other states—Alabama, Arkansas, Colorado, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico and Vermont—have issued similar executive orders waving requirements for truck drivers concerning the number of hours and consecutive days they can transport propane into their states, according to reports.

Anything that could freeze up…

EXTREME CLIMATIC & WEATHER EVENTS
.

Polar Vortex Helps Shatter North America Temperature Records

275 U.S. Daily Lowest Min Temperature Records broken, 69 others tied January 1 – 6, 2014, according to the National Climatic Data Center (NCDC).

Partial Map of the U.S. showing all but two of the 344 Daily Lowest Min Temperature Records broken or tied between 1 and 6 January, 2014. Source: NCDC.

Affected Areas

Daily temperature records were shattered across the US, including in the states of Alabama (tied), Arkansas, California (tied), Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Iowa, Illinois, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts,  Michigan,  Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon (tied), Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Vermont, Wisconsin and West Virginia.

How Cold?

Temperatures were as much as 35 degrees  (19.4ºC) below normal in a vast region extending from the Midwest to the Southeast, said the National Weather Service (NWS).

On January 5, FIRE-EARTH Models showed that the Arctic storm would affect about 250 million people in 40 states.

Major U.S. cities reported frigid conditions on Monday and early Tuesday. The lowest temperatures recorded were

• Boston: 15ºF (-9º C)
• Chicago:  2ºF (-17ºC)
• Cleveland: –11ºF (-24ºC), shattering a 130-year-old record
• Detroit:  0ºF (-18ºC)
• New York (Central Park): 4ºF (-16ºC)
• Pittsburgh 5ºF (-15ºC)
• Washington 19 (minus 7 C)

Even Hell, Michigan, froze over with temperatures plunging to as low as 1ºF (-17ºC).

Those  temperatures felt a lot colder due to wind chill factor.

[Temperatures inside household freezers are typically between 0ºF and 14ºF (−18ºC and −10ºC). Editor]

Low Temperature Map of the U.S. Source: NWS

National High and Low Temperature (for the contiguous United States) Issued 7pm EST Tuesday, January 7, 2014

Low Temperature

• -35 degrees (-37ºC) at Embarrass, MN
• -35 degrees at Brimson, MN

High Temperature

• 75 degrees (24ºC) at San Pasqual Valley, CA

Source: NWS Weather Prediction Center, College Park, MD

National temperature spread: 110 degrees (61ºC)

Flight Cancellations and Delays

In Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport about 60 percent of the flights were canceled on Tuesday as fuel supplies froze, leaving crews unable to fill aircraft tanks.

Total flight cancellations on Saturday:  1,771 (from or into the U.S., 1,507)
Total flight cancellations on Sunday: 3,905  (US: 3,517)
Total flight cancellations on Monday: 4,459 (US: 4,018)
Total cancellations on Tuesday: 3,274 (US: 2,688)
Total Flight delays for the period, as of posting:  57,100 (US: 32,290)
More than 800 (US: 513)  flight cancellations and 1,300 (US: 110) delays were reported on Wednesday, as of posting (06:30UTC).
(Source: FlightAware.com)

Related Links and Chronology

• More Extreme Weather Events to Hit North America Posted by feww on January 7, 2014
• 2014: Year Five of Human-Enhanced Natural Disasters  January 1, 2014
• Major Winter Storm to Batter Midwest, Northeast January 2, 2014
• States of Emergency Declared in New York, New Jersey January 3, 2014
• Climate and Weather Extremes Plaguing the World January 4, 2014
• Deadly Cold Plagues U.S. January 5, 2014
• UPDATED: Deadly Cold Plagues U.S. January 5, 2014
• Giga Arctic Blast Affecting 250 Million in 40 States January 5, 2014
• States of Emergency Declared in NW Indiana, Tennessee January 6, 2014

URGENT – FIRE-EARTH Bulletin NO. 56

IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT

FIRE-EARTH Bulletin NO. 56 has been released.

Related links

2. Bulletin Board

Mass Evacuations as Sinabung Erupts Again

Mount Sinabung Continues to Eject Volcanic Materials into the Air

Some 22,000 people living near Sinabung volcano have been evacuated Since Monday after the volcano erupted in North Sumatra, Indonesia.

The volcano is spewing columns of ash and smoke up to 4.5km above the summit crater, authorities said.

About 22,000 people have been evacuated near Mt Sinabung as the volcano continues to erupt. Mount Sinabung has been ejecting columns of ash and smoke up to 4.5km above the summit crater since Saturday. More than 60 pyroclastic flows extending up to 5 km from the crater have also been recorded. Photo credit: Agung Kuncahya B./Xinhua.  More images…

“The National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) has instructed all relevant ministries, government institutions, local disaster mitigation agencies and the Karo regency administration in North Sumatra to prepare for a worst-case scenario following an increase in Mount Sinabung’s volcanic activity during the past week,” said a report.

The “worst-case scenario” comes into if the exclusion zone is extended from its latest 7km radius, southeast slope of the volcano, to between 7.5 and 10 km from the crater.

More than 60 pyroclastic flows extending up to 5 km from the crater have been recorded with the flow volume increasing every day, said The National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB).

The volume of volcanic material ejected so far is about a quarter of the total 2,540,000 cubic meters formed in Mt. Sinabung’s crater. “This means that the pyroclastic potential stored in the volcano’s lava dome is still substantial; so if it should all come out, the threat would be devastating,” Jakarta post quoted an official as saying.

Approximate location of Sinabung is marked  on the map by FEWW. Mount Sinabung is one of Indonesia’s 130  active volcanoes

Sinabung Volcano: Summary of Details

Country: Indonesia
Region: Sumatra
Volcano Type: Stratovolcano
Volcano Status: Holocene
Last Known Eruption: Unknown [1600?]
Summit Elevation: 2,460m
Latitude: 3.17°N Longitude: 98.392°E
Source: GVP

Sinabung is located in Group K Volcanoes

Map of Volcanoes. Background Map: University of Michigan. Designed and enhanced by Fire Earth Blog. Click image to enlarge.

The PVMBG categorizes Sinabung as a type A volcano, or those that have erupted since 1600. Type B volcanoes have not erupted since 1600 but show signs of activity, and type C are those that have not erupted in recorded history.

Indonesian Volcanoes

Indonesian Volcanoes have been responsible for a number of cataclysmic explosions in modern history.

An 1888 lithograph of the 1883 violent explosion of Krakatau.

Based on their models, our colleagues at EDRO forecast that volcanic activity on the island of Sumatra could cause the collapse of Singapore. However, they have not disclosed any further detail.

Chronology of Recent Eruptions

• Mass Evacuation Ordered as Mt SINABUNG Put on Red Alert November 24, 2013
• A Second Indonesian Volcano Erupts Posted on November 19, 2013
• 22 Indonesian Volcanoes Remain on High Alerts Posted on November 16, 2013
• Sinabung Volcano Explodes Posted on November 3, 2013
• Thousands Flee Mount Sinabung Eruption September 16, 2013

• Sinabung Erupts Again August 30, 2010
• Mount Sinabung Erupts  August 29, 2010
• Sinabung Erupts Again – Strongest Explosion to Date September 7, 2010
• Mount Merapi Eruption Satellite Image November 16, 2010
• Merapi’s latest eruption the deadliest so far  November 5, 2010
• Mt Merapi Erupts Again, 70,000 Evacuated November 1, 2010
• Mount Sinabung Erupts  August 29, 2010
• Sinabung Erupts Again  August 30, 2010
• Sinabung Erupts Again – Strongest Explosion to Date September 7, 2010
• Sinabung Getting More Serious September 7, 2010