Wildfires Rage Across Australia

Intensive thunderstorm ignites wildfires in Western Australia

An emergency warning remained in place in Western Australia’s South West as a dozen wildfires raged.

At least 130 personnel are battling an out of control fire in forest between Bridgetown and Nannup, which has consumed more than 1,700 hectares in less than 24 hours.

Australia experienced its hottest month on record in January 2013, with both the average mean temperature of 29.68°C and the average mean maximum temperature of 36.92°, topping previous records set in January 1932, Australian Bureau of Meteorology (ABOM) reported.

“The heatwave in the first half of January was exceptional in its extent and duration. The national average maximum temperature on 7 January was the highest on record. Numerous stations set records for the most days in succession above 40°C, including Alice Springs (17 days) and Birdsville (31 days).”

January heatwave set all-time record high temperatures in many locations including Sydney (45.8°C on 18 January) and Hobart (41.8°C on 4 January). The highest temperature recorded during the heatwave was at Moomba in South Australia (49.6°C on 12 January), ABOM reporetd.

Extreme Rain Events

Extreme rain events plagued coastal areas of Queensland and New South Wales as a low pressure system associated with ex-tropical cyclone Oswald tracked steadily south between 22 and 29 January.

“Many coastal areas from Sydney to Cape York received more than 200 mm of rainfall. The most extreme rainfalls were in the region between Rockhampton and Bundaberg, and in the ranges along the New South Wales – Queensland border region.” BOM reported.

Some 1,496 mm of rain fell in Upper Springbrook in the Gold Coast hinterland in eight days, and 1,426 mm in Boolaroo Tops, southwest of Gladstone.

Related Links

• Disaster declared in NSW
• Australian floods force evacuation of thousands in 2 states

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February 13, 2013 – DISASTER CALENDAR SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,123 Days Left 

Mass die-offs resulting from human impact and the planetary response to the anthropogenic assault could occur by early 2016.

• SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,123 Days Left to ‘Worst Day’ in the brief Human  History
• The countdown began on May 15, 2011 …

GLOBAL WARNINGS

• WARNING: Human impact 2.85 x Earth’s diminishing carrying capacity
• WARNING: RAPID DECLINE IN PROGRESS!
• Europe: The First Phase of Collapse Has Started 
• United States: The First Phase of Collapse Has Begun

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

Hottest Hell on Earth

DISASTER CALENDAR SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,159 Days Left 

[January 8, 2013] Mass die-offs resulting from human impact and the planetary response to the anthropogenic assault could occur by early 2016.

• SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,159 Days Left to the most Fateful Day in Human History
• Symbolic countdown to the ‘worst day’ in human history began on May 15, 2011 ...

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Global Disasters/ Significant Events

Australia: Entombed by a ‘dome of heat’

Hundreds of fires fanned by record temperatures and high winds are currently burning across Australia, many of them out of control.

About 90 percent of New South Wales (NSW) was in severe danger, with “catastrophic” conditions declared in five areas: the Illawarra, Shoalhaven, the Southern Ranges, the northern and eastern Riverina and southern parts of the lower Central West Plains.

• Temperatures soared to near 46ºC (118ºF) today.
• Australia’s Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) has forecast temperatures of up to 54ºC (129ºF)  in central Australia next Monday and has accordingly extended its temperature chart by adding two new colors, pink and purple, to allow for the extremes.
• High winds and atmospheric conditions have created a ‘dome of heat’ entombing Australia, experts said.

Australia Forecast Map for 06:00 UTC on Saturday 12 January 2013 . Source: BOM

Global Temperature Forecast Map for 06:00 UTC on Saturday 12 January 2013 . Source: BOM

SH Temp Forecast for 06:00 UTC on Sunday 13 January 2013

Power Outages

“The blistering heat also caused a blaze at a nuclear research facility in southern Sydney after cabling overheated in a nearby electricity substation, while thousands of homes in the city’s north experienced power outages due to soaring demand,” said a report.

FEWW Links and Forecasts

• Australia’s Runaway Bushfires Threaten Lives and Property

• Back-to-Back Disasters Could Hit Australia: FIRE-EARTH Forecast
• Australia on Fire: Tasmania Burning

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!
• Europe: The First Phase of Collapse Has Started 
• United States: The First Phase of Collapse Has Begun

Australia’s Runaway Bushfires Threaten Lives and Property

DISASTER CALENDAR SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,160 Days Left 

[January 7, 2013] Mass die-offs resulting from human impact and the planetary response to the anthropogenic assault could occur by early 2016.

• SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,160 Days Left to the most Fateful Day in Human History
• Symbolic countdown to the ‘worst day’ in human history began on May 15, 2011 ...

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Global Disasters/ Significant Events

Wildfires force thousands from homes as Australian heatwave persists

Temperatures are forecast to exceed 45ºC in some areas of Australia, with hundreds of wildfires already burning in five of Australia’s six states.

• As Australia braced for “catastrophic” wildfire day,  authorities warned a massive runaway bushfire near southwest Victorian settlement of Drik Drik had the potential to double in size to 8,000 hectares, a report said.

• At least 100 fires are burning in New South Wales (NWS), Australia’s most populous state.
  • The heatwave will spread across much of NSW on Tuesday, with strong westerly winds creating “catastrophic” bushfire conditions, fire officials have warned.
  • NSW Rural Fire Service Commissioner warned that fire danger ratings across “a significant part” of the state would be raised to either severe or extreme.
  • “It could be some of the worst fire weather conditions we’ve seen for years, both in terms of fire ratings and the geographic spread of the conditions,” he said.”Couple that with the fact the last two years have been dominated by rainfall and moisture, which means we’ve got fuel loads across NSW the likes of which we haven’t seen for 30 or 40 years.”
  • “Any fire that burns under the predicted conditions — 40 degree (Celsius) temperatures (104 Fahrenheit), below 10 percent humidity, winds gusting over 70 kilometers an hour (43mph) — those conditions are by any measure horrendous,” said NSW Rural Fire Service Deputy Commissioner.

Related News Links

• Australia braces for “catastrophic” wildfire day
• Vic bushfire spreads to farming community

FEWW Links and Forecasts

• Back-to-Back Disasters Could Hit Australia: FIRE-EARTH Forecast
• Australia on Fire: Tasmania Burning

China: “Watergate” crisis

• “20 million residents in Beijing are waiting for a response from the government after the national capital was embarrassed by a media report that said inappropriate sewage discharge and garbage disposal led to the deteriorating quality of tap water,” said a report.
  

• Chinese city of Handan, located in Hebei province, fails to report huge toxic leak into Zhanghe River, cuts off water to 1 million.

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!
• Europe: The First Phase of Collapse Has Started 
• United States: The First Phase of Collapse Has Begun

Australia on Fire: Tasmania Burning

DISASTER CALENDAR SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,162 Days Left 

[January 5, 2013] Mass die-offs resulting from human impact and the planetary response to the anthropogenic assault could occur by early 2016.

• SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,162 Days Left to the most Fateful Day in Human History
• Symbolic countdown to the ‘worst day’ in human history began on May 15, 2011 ...

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Global Disasters/ Significant Events

Thousands evacuated or stranded as Tasmania wildfires destroy at least 100 homes

A major heatwave striking much of Australia has sent temperatures soaring to 41.8ºC in the Tasmanian state capital Hobart (highest ever recorded temperature), sparking dozens of separate fires, many of which are currently burning out of control.

• The authorities have blamed the fires on a combination of a record-breaking heatwave, high winds and drought.
• “Clearly, it’s going to take a long time and a lot of work to properly contain these fires.” Said the Tasmanian Fire Service spokesman.
• “Hundreds are still sheltering in evacuation centers in fire-affected parts of the states,” a report said.
• Most of southern Australia remains under record-breaking heat.
• “The current heatwave is unusual due to its areal extent,” said BOM. “More than 70 per cent of the continent is currently experiencing heatwave conditions.”

Alaska Earthquake

A powerful earthquake measuring 7.5Mw struck southern Alaska (55.238°N, 134.777°W) some 102 km (63 miles) W of Craig, at a depth of about 9.9 km (6.2 miles) on Saturday, January 05, 2013 at 08:58 UTC, USGS/EHP reported.

• An initial tsunami Warning for the region, issued by The West Coast and Alaska Tsunami Warning Center in Palmer, was later cancelled as no destructive waves were reported.

EQ Location Map. Source: USGS/EHP

Global Extremes of Temperature

• Australia. The temperatures in South Australian capital, Adelaide, topped 45 degrees Celsius.

• China. National average temperature in China has fallen to minus 3.8 degrees Celsius (-3.8ºC), the lowest in 28 years.
  • Temperatures in northeast China have plunged to minus 15.3 degrees Celsius (-15ºC), a 43-year low, China Meteorological Administration (CMA) said Saturday.
  • The average temperature in northern China dropped to -7.4ºC (18.7ºF), a 42-year low CMA said.

• New Delhi, India.  The Indian city recorded a maximum daily temperature of 9.8 degrees Celsius (min. temp. dipped to 4.4ºC), some 11 degrees below normal for this time of the year.  Today was also the first time in 44 years for the temperature to fall below 10 degrees.

• Colorado, USA. The coldest place in the continental United States was Alamosa this week, as the temperatures in the San Luis Valley city plunged to minus 30 degrees Fahrenheit (-35.5ºC) on Wednesday, minus 33 on Thursday, and at least -34 on Friday. [Our thoughts are intensely focused on OH and RI.]

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!
• Europe: The First Phase of Collapse Has Started 
• United States: The First Phase of Collapse Has Begun