Climate Catastrophes Cumulate in China

More roads transformed to rivers as extreme rain events continue to batter China

The concrete jungle bears telltale clues!

Kunming, the capital of southwest China’s Yunnan Province, July 19, 2013. The meteorologic center issued a blue alert for rainstorm on Friday after extensive flooding caused by an extreme rain event inundated the city. (Xinhua/Lin Yiguang) More images…

Tropical Cyclone Cimaron makes landfall in Fujian Province

The cyclone battered Fujian Province dumping up to 520 mm or rain in just a few hours .

Original caption:  A car is submerged among wastes swept down by mountain torrents and torrential rain in Gangwei Township in Longhai of Zhangzhou City, southeast China’s Fujian Province, July 19, 2013. Tropical storm Cimaron made its landfall in Fujian Thursday evening, bringing heavy rain and strong gales to southern part of the province. Xiamen, Zhangzhou, Quanzhou and Putian were severely affected by the storm, with the rainfall in some regions like Longhai reaching 520 millimeters on Friday. About 123,000 residents were afflicted by the storm and no casualties have been reported yet. (Xinhua/Wei Peiquan). More images…

Extreme Rain Events, severe flooding in Guangyuan force 41,400 people to relocate

Original Caption: Photo taken on July 18, 2013 shows the rising flood in Guangyuan City of southwest China’s Sichuan Province. A rain-triggered flood has brought serious damage to Guangyuan City from Wednesday, causing one person missing and forcing 41,400 people to relocate. (Xinhua/Gao Zhinong) More images…

Related Links

• Thousands of Towns and Villages Devastated by Floods in China July 18, 2013
• China to Become Top Wheat Importer after Major Crop Disaster July 17, 2013
• Fire Destroys 200 Houses in SW China July 17, 2013
• Flooding Destroys Town of Caopo in SW China July 16, 2013
• Typhoon SOULIK Affects 2 Million in China  July 15, 2013
• Hundreds of Thousands Evacuated as SOULIK Hits China July 13, 2013
• Extreme Weather Wreaks Havoc in SW China July 10, 2013

WNV Infections Continue Rising

More than 5,000 WNV infections reported to CDC

WNV infections in the U.S. have caused at least 183 deaths thus far in 2012.

At least five thousand one hundred and twenty-two [number of cases to be confirmed] West Nile virus infections have been reported to CDC ArboNET from 48 states as of posting. The cases are from Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.

• About 70 percent of the cases have been reported from 8 states (Texas, California, Louisiana, Mississippi, Illinois, South Dakota, Michigan, and Oklahoma).
• More than a third of all cases have been reported from Texas.
• More than 51% of the cases are classified as neuroinvasive disease (such as meningitis or encephalitis).

Multistate Fungal Meningitis Outbreak:

• 23 dead
• 285 infected
• Infections reported across 16 states

NOTE: 282 cases of fungal meningitis, stroke due to presumed fungal meningitis, or other central nervous system-related infection meeting the outbreak case definition, plus 3 peripheral joint infections (e.g., knee, hip, shoulder, elbow). No deaths have been associated with peripheral joint infections, CDC reported.

Spain Earthquake

Large scale groundwater extraction caused a 2011 earthquake in Spain which left at least nine people dead, more than 100 injured and thousands homeless,  researchers said.

• A 5.1 magnitude  earthquake near the city of Lorca in southeastern Spain occurred at a shallow depth 3 km, causing extensive damage.
• Researchers found the water table in the Alto Guadalentin Basin had dropped by 250 meters since 1960 due to groundwater extraction.
• “Modeling results are consistent with a groundwater crustal unloading process, providing a reasonable explanation for the observed fault slip pattern.” They said.

Global Disasters: Links, Forecasts and Background

• The First Wave of World’s Collapsing Cities
• Back to the Primordial Future
• The Fate of Energy Dinosaurs
• Mass Die-offs

• 2010 Disasters [Links to 2010 Disaster Calendar]
• Mega Disasters
• 2011 Disaster Calendar
• 2012 Disaster Calendar

GLOBAL WARNING

• WARNING: Human impact 2.85 x Earth’s diminishing carrying capacity
• WARNING: RAPID DECLINE IN PROGRESS!

Disaster Calendar – 24 June 2012

DISASTER CALENDAR SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,361 Days Left

[June 24, 2012] Mass die-offs resulting from human impact and the planetary response to the anthropogenic assault could occur by early 2016.  SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,361 Days Left to the ‘Worst Day’ in Human History…

Global Disasters: Links, Forecasts and Background

• The First Wave of World’s Collapsing Cities
• Back to the Primordial Future
• The Fate of Energy Dinosaurs
• Mass Die-offs

• 2010 Disasters [Links to 2010 Disaster Calendar]
• Mega Disasters
• 2011 Disaster Calendar
• 2012 Disaster Calendar

Encephalitis Kills 200 in Bihar, India

Death toll exceeds 200 in AES outbreak in Bihar, eastern India

An outbreak of Acute Encephalitis Syndrome (AES) has claimed at least 200 lives in India’s eastern state of Bihar since May, reports quoting government sources said.

State health officials in Bihar have identified 10 districts where the mosquito-borne disease has spread. Most of the dead are children.

The disease has killed thousands of people in India since the late 1970s, reports said.

Encephalitis is an acute inflammation of the brain, which can be caused by a bacterial infection, e.g, bacterial meningitis, spreading directly to the brain.

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans of a brain with encephalitis. It has resulted in a large lesion (orange). Source: NHS/UK

Acute viral encephalitis

Acute viral encephalitis is most often caused by a viral infection from a large list of viruses that include rabies virus, herpes simplex virus (the virus that causes cold sores and the sexually transmitted infection, STI, genital herpes), poliovirus, measles virus, JC virus, West Nile Virus, mumps, varicella zoster virus (the virus which is responsible for chickenpox in children and shingles in adults), and rubella.

Exposure to viruses can occur through

• Breathing in respiratory droplets from an infected person
• Contaminated food or drink
• Mosquito, tick, and other insect bites
• Skin contact (Source A.D.A.M. Medical Encyclopedia and others

Other causes may include an allergic reaction to vaccinations, autoimmune disease, bacteria, such as Lyme disease, complication of an existing infectious disease such as syphilis and tuberculosis, parasitic infestations, such as malaria, roundworms, cysticercosis, and toxoplasmosis in AIDS patients and other people who have a weakened immune system, or the effects of cancer.

For a list of other acute infections and symptoms click HERE.

Other Global Disasters, Significant Events

• Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic. An Excessive Heat Warning remains in effect from 1 pm Wednesday  to 6 am EDT Friday for New Castle-Mercer-Gloucester-Camden-Northwestern Burlington-Chester-Montgomery-Bucks-Delaware-Philadelphia- including the cities of Wilmington, Trenton, Glassboro, Camden, CherryHill, Moorestown, Mount Holly, West Chester, Norristown, Doylestown, Media and Philadelphia. NWS has forecast Heat Index Values of up yo 103ºF (39.4ºC).
• Arizona and California.  An Excessive Heat Watch remains in effect through Friday for east-central, southwest and south-central Arizona deserts and lower deserts of far southeast California. Cities include the Phoenix Metro area, Yuma, El Centro, Casa Grande, Wickenburg, Parker and Blythe. NWS has forecast temperature high of up to 115ºF (~46ºC).

• North Carolina.A wildfire that is burning in Croatan National Forest has grown to 10,800 acres, a fire official said.
  • “Ash has been falling from the sky in areas near the forest, and high levels of particle pollution have spurred two agencies to issue alerts. The National Weather Service has issued a Code Red Air Quality alert for Craven County until 8:15 PM on June 19. And the North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources has issued a Code Red Air Quality Action Day for Craven, Jones, and Pamlico Counties,” said a report.

Up-to-date weekly average CO₂ at Mauna Loa

• Week of June 10, 2012:     396.37 ppm  (1-year increase:  2.75 ppm)
• Weekly value from 1 year ago:     393.62 ppm
• Weekly value from 10 years ago:     375.41 ppm

Recent Mauna Loa CO₂

• May 2012:     396.78 ppm  (1-year increase: 2.62 ppm; 10-year increase: 21.13 ppm; 50-year increase: 75.77 ppm)
• May 2011:     394.16 ppm
• May 2002:    375.65 ppm
• May 1962:     321.01 ppm

The graph shows recent monthly mean carbon dioxide measured at Mauna Loa Observatory, Hawaii.

The last four complete years of the Mauna Loa CO₂ record plus the current year are shown. Data are reported as a dry air mole fraction defined as the number of molecules of carbon dioxide divided by the number of all molecules in air, including CO₂ itself, after water vapor has been removed. The mole fraction is expressed as parts per million (ppm). Example: 0.000400 is expressed as 400 ppm.  In the above figure, the dashed red line with diamond symbols represents the monthly mean values, centered on the middle of each month. The black line with the square symbols represents the same, after correction for the average seasonal cycle. The latter is determined as a moving average of SEVEN adjacent seasonal cycles centered on the month to be corrected, except for the first and last THREE and one-half years of the record, where the seasonal cycle has been averaged over the first and last SEVEN years, respectively. [Source: NOAA/ESRL]

Recent Global CO₂

• April 2012:     394.01 ppm (1-year increase: 2.18 ppm)
• April 2011:     391.83 ppm

The graph shows recent monthly mean carbon dioxide globally averaged over marine surface sites. The Global Monitoring Division of NOAA/Earth System Research Laboratory has measured carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases for several decades at a globally distributed network of air sampling sites [Conway, 1994]. A global average is constructed by first fitting a smoothed curve as a function of time to each site, and then the smoothed value for each site is plotted as a function of latitude for 48 equal time steps per year. A global average is calculated from the latitude plot at each time step [Masarie, 1995].   Source: NOAA/ESRL

• Typhoon GUCHOL and TS TALIM

Source: SSEC

Global Disasters: Links, Forecasts and Background

• The First Wave of World’s Collapsing Cities
• Back to the Primordial Future
• The Fate of Energy Dinosaurs
• Mass Die-offs

• 2010 Disasters [Links to 2010 Disaster Calendar]
• Mega Disasters
• 2011 Disaster Calendar
• 2012 Disaster Calendar

Snow Kills 52, Injures Hundreds in Japan

More than 4 meters of snow buries parts of northern and eastern Japan

Snow-related incidents have left at least 52 people dead and about a thousand others injured, more than 350 of them seriously, in northern and eastern Honshu, Japan’s main island.

Disaster Calendar 2012 – February 2

[February 2, 2012]  Mass die-offs resulting from human impact and the planetary response to the anthropogenic assault could occur by early 2016.  SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,504 Days Left to the ‘Worst Day’ in Human History

• Japan.  Snow-related incidents have left at least 52 people dead and about a thousand others injured, about 350 of them seriously, in northern and eastern Honshu, Japan’s main island.
  • More than 4 meters of snow has fallen in parts of Aomori Prefecture, northern Honshu.
  • Yamagata and Niigata prefectures have received more than 3 meters, while Tottori and Nagano prefectures each reported more than 2 meters of snow.
  • The Aomori prefectural government has set up more than a dozen disaster relief centers.
  • Niigata Prefecture has issued disaster declaration in at least 7 municipalities, a report said.
  • More snow is expected to fall along the Sea of Japan coast until at least Saturday, Japan Meteorological Agency reported.
  • UPDATE:   At least 4 more people were killed by avalanches in northern Akita prefecture, raising the death toll to 56, as of posting.
  • Temperatures in northern Aomori prefecture fell to 15ºF, with about 4.32 meters of snow reported on the ground.

Other Global Disasters

• Port Said, Egypt. About 80 people have been killed and more than a thousand others injured in clashes between rival fans following a soccer match in the Egyptian city of Port Said, reports said.
• Papua New Guinea (PNG).A ferry carrying at least 350 passengers has sunk off the north coast of PNG, officials said.
  • Between 30 to 50 people have been rescued, according to different groups, with more than 300 others missing, presumed drowned.
• Europe. The weather-related death toll in eastern and central Europe has climbed to at least 120, as the big freeze intensifies.
• Utah, USA.  The Disaster President has declared a major disaster exists in the State of Utah in the area affected by a severe storm during the period of November 30 to December 1, 2011.
  • The severe storm packing winds of  up to 110 mph tore through homes and businesses causing substantial damage in Davis County.

Flying debris caused by high winds in Farmington (Davis County Sheriff’s Office). via abc4

• Mitchell, QLD, Australia. Authorities have declared “a disaster situation” in Mitchell as floodwaters invade the town, a report said.
  • Under the declaration, they have the power to enforce mandatory evacuations.
  • At least 8 other towns in southwest Queensland are on flood alert, with more heavy rain forecast, ABOM said.
• NSW,  Australia.    The New South Wales town of Moree is bracing for its worst flooding in nearly 4 decades, a report said.
  • “About 2,300 people have been ordered to leave their homes or businesses and by tonight the town will be effectively cut in half.”
  • Meanwhile,  at Pallamallawa, helicopters are airlifting 600 trapped residents in major rescue operation.
  • An undisclosed number of tourists have been trapped by flooding at Takarakka Bush Resort, south-west of Rockhampton, central Queensland, since Australia Day, a report said.
  • The State Emergency Service has issued an evacuation ORDER for communities within North West NSW and is continuing to update them on their website.

• Moscow, Russia.   At least ten people have been killed and dozens more injured following a series of car accidents caused by snow and icy roads in Moscow, a report said.
  • “The snowstorm will continue in the Russian capital, and weather conditions may become even more extreme: meteorologists expect an ice storm in the city.”

Global Disasters: Links, Forecasts and Background

• The First Wave of World’s Collapsing Cities
• Back to the Primordial Future
• Mass Die-offs

• 2010 Disasters [Links to 2010 Disaster Calendar]
• Mega Disasters
• 2011 Disaster Calendar

• Freezing Weather Kills Scores in Eastern Europe
• Egyptian army kills at least a dozen demonstrators
• Deadly Winter Follows ‘Arab Spring’
• Australia: 5 disaster areas declared in NSW following severe flooding

• Flooded Australia: Thousands Evacuated in 3 States
• Back-to-Back Disasters Could Hit Australia: FIRE-EARTH Forecast

Thailand Flooding at ‘Crisis Level’

Worst ever flooding in Thailand threatens capital Bangkok

Rising floodwaters which have killed or injured hundreds of people and destroyed thousands of homes across Thailand are now threatening the capital Bangkok.

READ THIS FIRST

Continued hacking and content censorship

In view of the continued hacking and censorship of this blog by the Internet Mafia, the Moderators have decided to maintain only a minimum presence at this site, until further notice.

FIRE-EARTH will continue to update the 2011 Disaster Calendar for the benefit of its readers.

WordPress is HACKING this blog!

WordPress Continues to Hack Fire-Earth, Affiliated Blogs

The Blog Moderators Condemn in the Strongest Possible Terms the Continued Removal of Content and Hacking of FIRE-EARTH and Affiliated Blogs by WordPress!

United States of Censorship

Even Twitter Counters are disabled when Blog posts criticize Obama, or contain “forbidden phrases.”  See also: Google’s Top 10 List of ‘Holy Cows’

Disaster Calendar 2011 – October 8

[October 8, 2011]  Mass die-offs resulting from human impact and the planetary response to the anthropogenic assault could occur by early 2016.  SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,621 Days Left to the ‘Worst Day’ in Human History

• Bangkok, Thailand. Rising floodwaters have killed or injured hundreds of people, destroyed thousands of homes across Thailand and are now threatening the capital Bangkok, the Prime Minister has warned.
• Floodwater has also destroyed millions of acres of crops, toppled bridges, severed rail links, shut dozens of highways and inundated the city of Ayutthaya.
• Government may be unable to cope because “the water volume is extraordinary and is beyond expectations.” Thailand’s new Prime Minister said, “it is now going to have a direct impact on Bangkok.”
• The floods which have triggered massive mudslides have killed at least 253 people, injured scores more and affected more than 8 million people in 60 of the country’s 77 provinces since late July, Thailand’s Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation said.

Other Disasters

• Philippines.  Combined toll from two deadly typhoons, NESAT and NALGAE, which struck the Philippines last week  have climbed to at least 95, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC).
• Some than 85 are injured and 34 missing, the agency reported.
• The heaviest flooding occurred in the three rice-producing provinces of Bulacan, Pampanga and Tarlac, affecting more than 3 million people.
• About 110,000 people have been displaced.
• The government had earlier declared several provinces as disaster areas.
• Central African Republic. A cholera outbreak in the Central African Republic has claimed 16 lives, with 57 other cases reported, AFP said.

Related Links

• 3 million Filipinos affected by 2 typhoons

• Up to 10 Million People Affected in Pakistan Floods
• Pakistan flood death toll tops 1,000
• Unprecedented flooding in SW China forces 300,000 to evacuate
• 2011 Disaster Calendar – September
• Unprecedented flooding in SW China forces 300,000 to evacuate
• Mega Heatwaves Could Kill Tens of Thousands in the U.S.  (FIRE-EARTH Forecast)

• 2011 Disaster Calendar – September
• 2011 Much More Disastrous: FIRE-EARTH Forecast
• Global Disasters in 2011 Could Impact 1/3 to 1/2 of the Human Population  (FIRE-EARTH Forecast)
• Back to the Primordial Future
• Mass Die-offs  (FIRE-EARTH Forecast)

• The First Wave of World’s Collapsing Cities  (EDRO Forecast)
• 2011 Disaster Calendar – August
• 2010 Disaster Calendar 
• 2011 Disaster Calendar

Wild, Wild Weather in Central US

Extreme heat, severe storms, major flooding grips central United States

Central United States could expect a smorgasbord of extreme weather this weekend including  extreme heat, severe weather and major flooding: Forecasters

US Weather Hazards Map – July 1, 2011

Click image to enter NWS interactive portal.

Today’s Hydrometeorological briefing from the NWS includes:

• Excessive Heat Warnings and Heat Advisories for the northern and central Plains, the Upper Mississippi Valley and the Middle Mississippi Valley (Excessive Heat Warnings were already in effect this morning for northwestern Missouri, northeast Kansas and eastern Oklahoma.)
• Critical Fire Weather conditions in parts of southwestern Colorado, western Kansas, the Oklahoma and Texas Panhandles and surrounding areas
• Severe thunderstorms across the northern and central Plains and the Upper Mississippi Valley
• Continued major flooding on the Missouri River and tributaries from North Dakota to Missouri

Dangerous heat will threaten very young, the very old and the infirm from northern Minnesota to the Oklahoma and Texas Panhandles and along the Missouri and Mississippi River drainages.

• Heat indices for northern areas are expected to be in the high 90s and low hundreds
• Actual high temperatures in parts of Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas are expected to range from 106 to 110 degrees.
• Many areas will see their second day of such extreme heat with little or no overnight cooling. Areas under heat warnings and advisories include:
• Eastern North Dakota and South Dakota and Nebraska
• Kansas
• All of Minnesota but the Arrowhead
• Iowa
• Northern, central and southern Missouri;
• Eastern Oklahoma;
• All but very northern Wisconsin
• Western Illinois.

Red Flag Warnings

Red Flag Warnings, prompted by extreme heat (temperatures as high as 106-110 degrees) combined with windy conditions (20-25 mph) and low relative humidity (as low as 4-8 percent) for parts of 7 states:

• Nevada
• Utah
• Colorado
• Western Kansas
• New Mexico
• Oklahoma Panhandle
• Texas Panhandle.

Missouri River Breaches SW Iowa Levee

Meantime, the Missouri River has breached another section of a southwestern Iowa levee, forcing 1,200 people to evacuate and closing part of Interstate 29, authorities were reported as saying.

“About 40 miles of I-29 was closed from Bartlett, Iowa, to the I-29/US 136 interchange in Missouri now because of Missouri flooding and another 16 mile stretch of the interstate is closed in the Council Bluffs, Iowa, area across from Omaha.”

Global Disasters To Intensify

FIRE-EARTH Models show that global disasters could intensify in the 9 month period starting about July 2011 compared with the previous corresponding period (pcp). See: WARNING: Global Disasters to Intensify

Related Links

• Back to the Primordial Future
• U.S. corn production may fall on flooding, heat, drought
• WARNING: Global Disasters – June 21, 2011

U.S. Drought Getting Deadlier

Drought Conditions to Worsen: FIRE-EARTH

Drought Conditions in the Southern U.S. Continue to Fuel Wildfires

Drought conditions are destroying or causing extensive damage to crops in the southern United States, fueling wildfires that have consumed about 8 million acres, so far this year, killing wildlife and farm animals alike, destroying thousands of homes and leaving tens of thousands of people displaced in at least a dozen states.

In the past 3 days States of Emergency have been declared in at least 87 counties spanning three states of Kansas, Oklahoma and North Carolina.

Kansas Drought

Last week, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) designated 25 more Kansas counties as disaster areas due to crop damage caused by the ongoing drought.

Oklahoma Drought

Drought conditions and raging wildfires in Oklahoma prompted the Lt Gov to declare a state of emergency for 33 counties in that state.

North Carolina Drought

On Friday, N.C. Gov. declared a state of emergency in 29 counties due to drought conditions and raging wildfires.

• State of Emergency Declared in 29 North Carolina Counties
• State of Emergency Declared for 33 Oklahoma Counties
• Disaster Declared in 25 More Kansas Counties

U.S. Drought Map for June 21. Compared with the previous week (see below) the latest drought map show worsening drought conditions, in all categories (C0 -C4) throughout the stricken areas.

Note: US Drought Monitor defines drought as “a protracted period of deficient precipitation resulting in extensive damage to crops, resulting in loss of yield.”

U.S. Drought Map for June 14, 2011 included for comparison. (See above).

The Drought Monitor Report

According to the Drought Monitor report, 70 percent of Texas experienced “exceptional drought,” the worst level of drought, over the period June 17 – June 24, 2011.

Also 91 percent of the sate was stricken by either exceptional or “extreme” drought, the second-worst category.

Arizona was experiencing exceptional or extreme drought in 70 percent of its land up by 3 percent from the previous period.

Louisiana saw exceptional drought rising to 65 percent of the state, a near three-fold increase, and Oklahoma 35 percent, up from about 8 percent previously.

Drought Monitor Maps showing classification changes for selected time periods. Source: National Drought Mitigation Center/UNL. Click images to enlarge.

Drought Conditions to Worsen

FIRE-EARTH Climate Models show an exceptional worsening of drought conditions in the southern and western United States through October/November 2011.

External Links

• Texas Wildfires Could Cost $500 Million 
• The cost of wildfires in Arizona soars to more than $100 million
• “Right now, Georgia can’t afford any more wildfires”
• Cost to battle Duckett Fire estimated at $5.2 million

Related Links

• Massive Pender Fire Killing Many Animals
• U.S. Wildfires News and Blame Games
• WARNING: Global Disasters – June 21, 2011

• North America Fire and Smoke Hazards – June 20
• Wildfires Raging in Arizona, Alaska, NC, Georgia, Texas …
• U.S. Wildfires – June 21 Update
• U-S Drought: Mega Disaster Unfolding

• VEGETATION
• Weather
• Wildfires
• World Now

Mega Disasters:

• 2011 Disaster Calendar
• FEWW DISASTER FORECAST 2011
• 2011 Much More Disastrous
• 2011 SIX TIMES MORE DISASTROUS THAN 2010
• Megadisasters Loom

• 2010 Disasters
• The First Wave of World’s Collapsing Cities
• 2010 Disaster Calendar
• The Fate of Energy Dinosaurs
• Earth’s Human Induced Antiphase Nears Completion

Slave Lake Fires (Update 3): The Ghost Town

The Grass in Slave Lake Has Turned Black

Wildfires consumed 2,000 hectares of Slave Lake destroying or damaging 1,000 buildings

“[Many hundreds of] homes or businesses have been destroyed by fire,” said mayor Karina Pillay-Kinnee. “There are hundreds more on top of that damaged.”

The city is a site of utter destruction with everything burned down, melted, turned into rubble and ash. The city looks like a miniature version of Hiroshima after the atom bomb was dropped on her.

“This is a first time experience for us,” the mayor said. “We had multiple fires on either end of the community. What I’m thankful for at this point is we have no loss of life.”

Neither the Hiroshima residents, nor the uranium miners and the coolies, had any chance, however.

Port Radium, Great Bear Lake, Northwest Territories, Canada.

Some 50 percent of the homes in the SE section of the city have been destroyed, Slave Lake Mayor Karina Pillay-Kinnee was quoted as saying. Many building were also lost in other parts, especially in the NW quadrant.

“When you turn the corner and whole subdivisions are gone—you don’t even recognize your community anymore, and that startled me,” the mayor said.

“I don’t know when in history we’ve evacuated at least 7,000 people in such a short period of time,” said Alberta Premier Ed Stelmach.

“We’ve had large grass fires, we’ve had forest fires, but not so many homes lost.”

Related Links

• Slave Lake Fires (Update 2): 40% of the City Destroyed

• Slave Lake on Fire
• Large parts of Alaskan (and Canadian) forests could be consumed by wildfires: FEWW forecast
• Wildfires Wreaking Havoc Across the U.S.
• US Wildfires: 50-percent more fires than the 10 year average

• U-S Attacked by Continued Severe Weather
• Climate Forcing: Positive Feedback Mega Loop
• Global Climate Extremes INTENSIFYING

• 2011 Disaster Calendar – MAY
• 2011-2012 MegaDisasters
• Earth: Wounded and Feverish

• FEWW DISASTER FORECAST 2011
• 2011 Much More Disastrous
• 2011 SIX TIMES MORE DISASTROUS THAN 2010
• Megadisasters Loom
• The First Wave of World’s Collapsing Cities

Massive wildlife die-offs occur in Northern Rockies

Big-game animals record die-offs in Montana, Idaho and Wyoming

Harsh winter,  heavy snows and sustained freeze [dividends of climate change] in the Northern Rockies caused the record die-offs

“Elk, deer and moose—those animals are having a pretty tough time,” said a Wyoming Game and Fish biologist.

Rocky Mountain Bull Elk. Image credit: Mongo

“Wildlife managers estimate die-offs in the tens of thousands across thousands of square miles that span prairie in northeastern Montana, the upper Snake River basin in Idaho near Yellowstone National Park and the high country of northwestern Wyoming near the exclusive resort of Jackson.” Said a report.

The estimated mortality rate among mule deer fawns in a wildlife management reserve near McCall in central Idaho jumped to 90 percent this winter, 4 and a half times the average annual rate, the report added.

Die-offs are occurring in the tens of thousands across a vast area measuring several thousand square miles from prairie in northeastern Montana, to the upper Snake River basin in Idaho near Yellowstone National Park and the high country of northwestern Wyoming.  More …

Related Links

• EDRO Models: Mass Die-Offs Looming
•  The 6th Great Extinction: Sooner Than Expected

The worst tornado outbreak in U.S. history

Deadly Tornado Swarm Kills 317 in 8 States

Death Toll Expected to Rise; Unconfirmed Toll at 325

Confirmed Death Toll by State

Alabama: 210
Tennessee: 35
Mississippi: 33
Georgia: 16   (Ringgold has 7 tornado deaths: Bradley County 9)
Arkansas: 12
Virginia 8   (Tornadoes tear across South)
Louisiana: 2
Kentucky: 1  (most recent death toll in the state)
Total: 317 (as of posting)

The Dark Wednesday: Tornado Attacks the Worst U.S. Natural Disaster Since Hurricane Katrina  

The Dark Wednesday: SPC received 211 tornado reports among a total of 806 severe weather reports.

Hurricane Katrina claimed an estimated 1,800 lives in 2005; death toll from tornadoes and storms attacks is at least 316, and mounting.

Wednesday’s tornadoes are now the deadliest in the U.S. history, breaking previous record was set on April 3, 1974 when twisters killed 310 people.

Thursday reports, as of posting. Click image to enlarge.

Relative frequency of killer tornado events, 1950-2004. White area indicates area with greatest frequency of tornado-related fatalities during the period. Red area had the second greatest frequency of tornado-related fatalities. © Copyright [2007] American Meteorological Society (AMS).

GOES Eastern US SECTOR Infrared Image

Storm fronts have life cycles not unlike butterflies. The deadly “butterfly” flies off the U.S. Atlantic Coast.

Most Recent USA East Medium-Resolution Satellite Image 

NOAA GOES 13  @ 08:01UTC April 29, 2011

How Bad?

The tornadoes and violent storms that ripped through 8 states left  “major, major” trails of destruction in their paths.

“As we flew down from Birmingham, the track is all the way down, and then when you get in Tuscaloosa here it’s devastating,” Gov. Robert Bentley said, declaring Alabama “a major, major disaster.”

Entire civic infrastructures were wiped out as tornadoes and storms leveled entire neighborhoods in various parts of the South, obliterating homes, businesses, schools, hospitals, churches, trees, power lines…

At least 36 people were killed in Tuscaloosa, with more than 600 injured, local media reported.

There are no official reports of the dimension of destruction as yet; however, FIRE-EARTH estimates that up to 6 thousands structures may have been razed/damaged, with an estimated loss of about 10 billion dollars.

States of Emergency

Alabama, Arkansas, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Oklahoma, Tennessee and Virginia have declared states of emergency.

Super-cell T-storms

“These were the most intense super-cell thunderstorms that I think anybody who was out there forecasting has ever seen,” Greg Carbin of the SPC in Oklahoma told the AP.

The twister that destroyed large parts of Tuscaloosa, is believed to have been an EF-5 tornado [See below for Fujita Pearson Tornado Scale.]

“We have neighborhoods that have been basically removed from the map,” Tuscaloosa mayor Walter Maddox said, describing the damage as a path of “utter destruction.”

Another large twister, possibly an EF-4 tornado, reportedly destroyed about 90% of the town Hackleburg, in Alabama’s Marion County.

The National Weather Service has confirmed an EF-4 tornado touched down in the Tennessee Valley, a report said.

Storm Shuts Down 3  TVA Nuclear Reactors at Browns Ferry in Alabama

The 3 reactors at TVA’s 3,297-megawatt Browns Ferry nuclear plant in Alabama switched over to emergency diesel generators to supply power for the reactors cooling system at 5:30 EDT (22:30 UTC) after storms knocked out  transmission lines that supplied power, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Agency said. More…

On April 20, a tornado reportedly damaged the switchyard at Dominion’s Surry Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) forcing both aging reactor units to shut down.

About  650,000 homes and business were still without power, mostly in northern Alabama and Mississippi, Thursday night, a report said.

“Roughly 70 high powered transmission lines remain out of service, with some creating dangerous situations because they’ve fallen across roads.”

Browns Ferry nuclear plant won’t restart so long as so much of the grid is down, TVA chief of operations was quoted as saying.

“When the system is ready for the plant, we can begin the process of restarting it. But we have to get the transmission system ready.”

Forecast: Large-scale lightning outbreaks

Unfortunately, the worst may NOT be over yet.  In addition to more tornadoes and violent storms this year and the next, FIRE-EARTH forecasts phenomenally large-scale outbreaks of potentially deadly lightning clusters throughout the United States.

Related Links

• U.S. Tornado Update – April 29
• U.S. Tornadoes, Storms Kill at least 195

• Mile-wide Mega Tornado Devastates Alabama
• Tornado Record for April Smashed
• When Weather Went Really Crazy
• U.S. Tornado Outbreak – Update 19 April
• Mega Tornadoes to Bombard U-S Tornado Alley

Global Disasters

• 2011 Much More Disastrous
• 2010 Disasters
• 2011 Disaster Calendar

FEWW Forecasts

• When Weather Went Really Crazy Posted on April 27, 2011

Too Bad Climate Juggernaut Delivering Deadlier Loads Next Year! Based on various climatic indicators and recent weather trends, FIRE-EARTH forecasts an increase of about 24% in the severity of extreme weather events during the next 20 months, compared with the previous period.

• Global Disaster Forecast – UPDATE 19 Mar Posted  on March 19, 2011

THE NEXT MAJOR DISASTER COULD STRIKE THE U.S.
The next major anthropogenic or human-enhanced natural disaster [e.g., climate related] could occur in the United States with a probability of 0.75

• U-S Attacked by Continued Severe Weather Posted on March 1, 2011

Brace for the Worst Ever

Climatic  Extremes, Primeval Geophysical Activities and WILD Weather to Wreak Mega Havoc in 2011/2012 and Beyond …

NOW IS THE PERFECT TIME TO POWER DOWN AND START THINKING HARD.  Encourage your folks, friends and neighbors to join in!! BECAUSE  for most of us the GAME would be OVER soon.

Flooding and fires, earthquakes and eruptions, deadly tornadoes and strong storms … are just some of the items you’ve ordered from the climate change quick menu!

• Mega Tornadoes to Bombard U-S Tornado Alley Posted on March 3, 2011

2011 Tornadoes Ever Deadlier: FEWW

Start of Meteorological Spring Signals Hyper Tornado Season

Based on several climatic indicators and recent weather trends, FIRE-EARTH forecasts a deadly peak tornado season in 2011.

Fujita Pearson Tornado Scale

F-0  [39%]
40-72 mph, chimney damage, tree branches broken

F-1 [35%]
73-112 mph, mobile homes pushed off foundation or overturned

F-2 [20%]
113-157 mph, considerable damage, mobile homes demolished, trees uprooted

F-3  [5%]
158-205 mph, roofs and walls torn down, trains overturned, cars thrown

F-4 [0.9%]
207-260 mph, well-constructed walls leveled

F-5 [<0.1%]
261-318 mph, homes lifted off foundation and carried considerable distances, autos thrown as far as 100 meters

Source: US gov. [Figures in brackets represent long-term relative frequencies— revised by FIRE-EARTH]

Last updated @ 13:45UTC, April 29, 2011

When Weather Went Really Crazy

Too Bad Climate Juggernaut Delivering Deadlier Loads Next Year!

Based on various climatic indicators and recent weather trends, FIRE-EARTH forecasts an increase of about 24% in the severity of extreme weather events during the next 20 months, compared with the previous period.

.

Severe Weather Headlines from NWS

URGENT: Severe Warnings In Effect (Louisiana)

Click images to enlarge and animate.

Update at Severe Weather & Heavy Rain Forecast Center

Hazard Warnings

• Tornado Warning
• Severe Thunderstorm Warning

• Flash Flood Warning
• Fire Warning

• Winter Storm Warning
• High Wind Warning
• Avalanche Warning

• Tornado Watch
• Flash Flood Watch
• Severe Weather Statement

• Flood Warning
• Gale Warning

• Hard Freeze Warning
• Freeze Warning

• Red Flag Warning
• Fire Weather Watch
• Child Abduction Emergency
• Rip Current Statement

• Special Weather Statement
• Hazardous Weather Outlook
• Hydrologic Outlook
• Short Term Forecast

Flash flooding worsens over night in several Plains, Eastern locations

Click image to enter NWS portal.

Kentucky

• Latest info on major river flooding and associated rainfall amounts
•  Latest local storm reports from this round of severe weather/flooding
•  Damage survey reveals tornado hit Poole Kentucky Friday night
•  Wabash County, IL storm damage surveys added to April 19 event summary

Flash Flood Watch

• Flash Flood Watch in effect for SE Oklahoma, SW Arkansas and Extreme NE Texas Today through Tonight

Related News Links

• Tornadoes, Flooding Leave 10 Dead in Arkansas
• Tornadoes leave destruction in East, Central Texas
• Tornado threat extends from Dallas to Memphis
• Tuesday Afternoon Tornado Confirmed In Williamston, NC

U-S Attacked by Continued Severe Weather

Brace for the Worst Ever

Climatic  Extremes, Primeval Geophysical Activities and WILD Weather to Wreak Mega Havoc in 2011/2012 and Beyond …

NOW IS THE PERFECT TIME TO POWER DOWN AND START THINKING HARD.

 Encourage your folks, friends and neighbors to join in!! BECAUSE  for most of us the GAME would be OVER soon.

Flooding and fires, earthquakes and eruptions, deadly tornadoes and strong storms … are just some of the items you’ve ordered from the climate change quick menu!

US Weather Warnings. Click image to enter NWS portal.

Spring-Like Storm System Targets Mississippi, Ohio Valleys Today

Kansas City, Mo., Monday, Feb. 28, 2011 – NOAA forecasters said a strong spring-like storm system will move from the Lower Mississippi River Valley into the Ohio River Valley today, bringing widespread precipitation to the eastern third of the country. The system will draw warm, moist, unstable air from the Gulf of Mexico, setting the stage for strong to severe thunderstorms over a large area of the southern Plains and Southeast. Up to 1-2 inches of rain can be expected over a sizeable area of the Midwest that had to contend with heavy rain and severe weather through the weekend.

Related Links:

• 2011 Disaster Calendar
• 2011-2012 MegaDisasters

• FEWW Volcano Links
• Volcanoes
• FEWW Earthquake Links

Record Low Temps in Oklahoma, Texas

New Record Low for Oklahoma

Record Low Temperatures Over Oklahoma and Western North Texas

Nowata, Oklahoma records lowest ever temperature, an astounding -31 degrees

“Clear skies, light winds and several inches of snow cover allowed several areas across northern Oklahoma to set all-time record low temperatures. The mesonet site in Nowata, Oklahoma dropped to an amazing -31 degrees! This established a new all-time record for the state of Oklahoma. Other locations across central and southern Oklahoma, as well across western north Texas also set daily record low temperatures. Below is a list of low temperature records that occurred [Thursday morning.]” (source: NWS).

At least 8 locations recorded all-time temperature lows!

U-S Snow Depth

Graphical Temp Forecast:

Related Blog Pages

• Weather
• World Now
• Satellite Imagery

Snow Cover Animations:

• Snow Water Equivalent: Season — Two weeks — One Day
• Snow Depth: Season — Two weeks — One Day
• Average Snowpack Temp: Season — Two weeks — One Day
  
• SWE Change: Season — Two weeks — One Day
• Snow Precipitation: Season — Two weeks — One Day
• Snow Melt: Season — Two weeks — One Day
• Blowing Snow Sublimation: Season — Two weeks — One Day
  
• Surface Sublimation: Season — Two weeks — One Day
• Non-Snow Precipitation: Season — Two weeks — One Day

Click Below for 31 Day Animations

• Northern Hemisphere
• United States and Canada
• Alaska
• Europe/Asia

Related Links:

• MEGA DELUGE 2011?
• Feeling Cold?
• Latest US Snowstorm Exits, ‘Two More’ Arriving
• Recall Nature’s Extreme Dislikes?
• MEGA WHITEOUT COVERS THE U-S
• Mega Snowstorm Affects 1/3 of U-S Population

• Massive Midwest Blizzard Batters a 2,100-mile Stretch
• Another Nor’easter Dumps a Foot of Snow on the East Coast
• Arctic cold hits New England
• Latest of East Coast Snowstorms
• Nor’easter Pummels the U-S East Coast

• Western U-S Blasted by Fierce Storm, 2 ft of Snow
• Blizzard Dumps 2 Feet of Snow in NYC
• Winter Storms Hit the U-S
• U-S Snowstorm Headlines
• Deadly Snowstorms Hit North America

• Transitory Impact of AO is the ‘Good News’
• Global Climate Extremes INTENSIFYING

Collapse of Pakistan May Have Started

As the First Phase of Pakistan’s Collapse Begins, the Prospect of Civil War Looms

The worst ever floods in Pakistan have severely impacted at least 3 million people: UNICEF

The flooding catastrophe has claimed the lives of up to 3,000 people in less than a week, and the damage will likely worsen dramatically as more heavy monsoon rains are forecast.

Tens of thousands of homes, businesses and people’s livelihood have been washed away as entire villages are submerged by floodwater.

There’re severe shortages of drinking water, food, shelter, medicine and sanitary material. It’s only a matter of time before water-borne diseases such as cholera could create epidemics.

“Most roads linking flood-hit areas have been blocked and 91 bridges have been either washed away or damaged, so access to affected areas is still a challenge.” Adnan Khan, spokesman for the Crisis Management Authority in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa was quoted as saying.

“The main problem there is outbreak of diseases, especially in Nowshera district where hundreds of dead animals are lying on the ground and there is a shortage of machinery to remove them.”

“Since the flood hit our area, I did not see any food or relief packets from the government. Their offices have been washed away or damaged,” said a local school teacher in Swat Valley.

Residents take shelter on high grounds from floods in Risalpur, located in Nowshera District, in Pakistan’s Northwest Frontier Province July 30, 2010. ACredit: REUTERS/Adrees Latif. Image may be subject to copyright.

Deluge Buries Pakistan Province

Download large image (7 MB, JPEG) — Image acquired July 31, 2010

Download large image (9 MB, JPEG)  Image acquired August 1, 2009

The above images were captured by MODIS on NASA’s Terra satellite on July 31, 2010 (top), and August 1, 2009 (bottom ). “These images show the Indus River in northwestern Pakistan. Both images use a combination of infrared and visible light to increase the contrast between water and land. Water varies in color from electric blue to navy. Vegetation is green and bare ground is pinkish brown. Clouds range in color from nearly white to pale blue-green.” Source: NASA E/O. Click images to enlarge.

Related Links:

• Pakistan Floods Kill 1,000

• Between Hell and High Water
• Remember this Image! [Posted by edro on September 4, 2008]
• Disaster Forecast: The United States
• Past Decade Warmest on Record
• Collapse Diary

• 2010 Disaster Calendar
• The First Wave of World’s Collapsing Cities
• Index of Human Impact on Nature (HIoN) March 2008
• Earth’s Human Induced Antiphase Nears Completion
• Energy Dinosaurs

Pakistan Floods Kill 1,000

Death toll in Pakistan floods reaches 1,000

Deadly floods have severely affected at least one million people, so far.

Described as the regions worst ever deluge, the floods have cut off the major city of Peshawar, with population of three million.

Military personnel and rescuers are unable to reach flooded areas because all transportation routes and communications lines have been severed.

More rain is forecast for the coming days, which could carry floodwaters from swollen rivers further south of the country.

Flooding in NW Pakistan

Download large image (5 MB, JPEG) —–  acquired July 30, 2010

Download large image (5 MB, JPEG)    —-    acquired June 5, 2010

The above images were captured by MODIS on NASA’s Terra satellite, using a combination of infrared and visible light for increased contrast between water and land, on July 30, 2010 (top), and June 5, 2010 (bottom). “The images show the lower Indus River, not far from Pakistan’s coast. Both images . Water appears in varying shades of blue, vegetation is green, and bare ground is pinkish brown. Clouds are bright turquoise.”

The image from July 30 shows the Indus River “shows significantly higher water levels along the” major river.  “The Jhelum, Chenab, and Sutlej Rivers, as well as a number of smaller tributaries, feed into the Indus, and higher water levels are also apparent along those river channels. The city of Jacobabad appears inundated on July 30, and the patch of electric blue northwest of the city also suggests flooding.” Source: NASA E/O. Click images to enlarge.

Related Links:

• Between Hell and High Water
• Remember this Image! [Posted by edro on September 4, 2008]
• Disaster Forecast: The United States
• Past Decade Warmest on Record
• Collapse Diary

• 2010 Disaster Calendar
• The First Wave of World’s Collapsing Cities
• Index of Human Impact on Nature (HIoN) March 2008
• Earth’s Human Induced Antiphase Nears Completion
• Energy Dinosaurs