“Apocalyptic” Smog Smothers China

Beijing Air Pollution Pattern Goes Binary

Beijing Near Real-time Air Quality Index (AQI) is switching between “unhealthy” and “off-the-chart hazardous.”

Beijing Air Pollution Chart: Near Real-time Air Quality Index (AQI). Source: http://aqicn.org/city/beijing/

Dense Smog Envelopes Central China

Meantime, dense smog enveloped Wuhan city, the capital of central China’s Hubei Province.

Original Caption: Cars move in the fog on a road in Wuhan City, capital of central China’s Hubei Province, Jan. 14, 2014. The local meteorologic center issued an orange alert for fog on Tuesday [morning.] (Xinhua/Cheng Min). More images…

Related Links

• “Apocalyptic” Smog Paralyzes Much of China December 6, 2013
• “Apocalyptic” Smog Turns Skies Yellow in North, East China December 5, 2013
• Shanghai Air Pollution Shoots Off the Chart Posted on December 2, 2013
• China’s Air Quality Chart Goes Apesh*t Again  October 28, 2013
• Air Pollution Levels Climb in China, India  October 27, 2013

• Major City Shuts Down in China Smog Emergency October 21, 2013
• It won’t get any better, before it gets a lot worse! October 22, 2013
• Smog Forces China’s Expressways Closures October 6, 2013
• Breathtaking Beijing in ‘Maroon Alert’  October 4, 2013
• Air Pollution: Visibility Down to 10 Meters in E China September 30, 2013

For earlier posts, search blog content.

Australia: Temperatures Continue to Soar

EXTREME WEATHER & CLIMATIC EVENTS
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Heatwave plaguing third of the continent

Widespread heatwave is predicted to extend from parts of Western Australia across the southern interior and on to  southeastern Australia. Severe heat is currently affecting parts of Western Australia, southern areas of South Australia and all of the southeast of Australia with extreme heatwave forecast for most of the state of Victoria, far southeast NSW and Tasmania, according to the Australiana Bureau of Meteorology  (BOM).

Pilot Heatwave Forecast is a Bureau of Meteorology product that shows the location of heatwaves, severe heatwaves and extreme heatwaves for today [January 14, 2014]. It uses Numerical Weather Prediction model data, not the Official Forecast data. Source: BOM

Weekly temperature map valid for the week ending Tuesday, January 7, 2014. Source: BOM

Hottest Year Since Records Began in 1910

Australia experienced its hottest year in 2013  since records began more than a 100 years ago, said BOM earlier this month. The continent recorded average temperatures of 1.2ºC above the long-term average of 21.8 degree Celsius, shattering the previous record set in 2005.

Related Links

• Extreme Heat Wave Setting Australia on Fire January 13, 2014
• Record Heat Scorching Australia January 3, 2014

• Major Heatwave Enters 5th Day in Australia December 16, 2013
• Australia’s Bushfire Losses Top 1,000 October 25, 2013
• Costs of Back-to-back Disasters in Australia Continue to Mount October 22, 2013
• Australia Declares Emergency as NSW Bushfires Destroy “Hundreds of Homes” October 17, 2013

• Back-to-Back Disasters Could Hit Australia: FIRE-EARTH Forecast [Index of related links since 2007]

Cyclone IAN Leaves Thousands of Tongans Homeless

EXTREME CLIMATIC EVENTS
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IAN destroys 75 percent of houses in Pangai, capital of the Haʻapai Group, Tonga

The category 5 tropical cyclone killed at least one person, injuring many leaving thousands of people homeless, as it swept through the Tongan Islands with sustained winds of more than 200 km/h over the weekend.

“The worst affected area was the northern part of the Ha’apai group of islands, with damage to buildings and services such as water, telecommunications and power, said a report.

IAN carves a wide path of destruction on Foa island in Tonga’s Ha’apai group. Image credit: @ProudTongans.

“It was so strong, all the houses gone and it actually lifted cars, lifted cars and moved buses,” said an eye-witness.

On Saturday, IAN  slammed into the northern Tongan islands with sustained winds of 300 km/h destroying or damaging 70% of homes, according to emergency officials.

There are reports of extensive damage also to most of the smaller islands, said officials.

Related Links

• IAN Causes Widespread Destruction on Tonga Islands January 12, 2014
• Super Cyclone IAN Targeting Ha’apai islands, Tonga January 11, 2014
• IAN Threatens Tonga with Cat 4 Hurricane Winds Posted by feww on January 10, 2014