More flooding and tornadoes could strike Florida, as DEBBY hovers off the Gulf Coast
Florida Governor declared statewide emergency stating that “the broad impact of Tropical Storm Debby” could affect “virtually every county in Florida.”
As of Monday, DEBBY had forced Gulf of Mexico oil and gas operators to shut down about half of oil and more than a third of natural gas production.
- The storm is forecast to dump at least a foot of rain in the coastal parts of the state, with some areas receiving as much as 25 inches, the hurricane center said.
- Debby is also forecast to drench southern areas of Alabama, Georgia and South Carolina.
- Tornadoes spawned by DEBBY have killed at least one person and injured two others, destroying or damaging two dozen homes in Highlands County, Fl.
TS DEBBY: Tropical Storm Force Wind Speed Probability.
Other Global Disasters, Significant Events
- Colorado. The state of Colorado is becoming a raging inferno due to record heat which is causing the worst fire weather conditions in living memory.
- Record heat is forecast for southern Plains this week, with heat advisories issued for Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas.
- The temperature at Denver International airport reached a record 102 degrees (ºF) on Sunday, June 24, breaking the old record of 100 degrees set in 2007, NWS office in Boulder reported.
- The tinder-dry conditions are contributing to at least in dozen wildfires burning in Colorado today including
- Waldo Canyon Fire, west of Colorado Springs – 2,800 homes are in immediate danger; 11,000 residents have evacuated 4,000 homes; about 3,500 acres burned; ZERO containment.
- High Park Fire west of Fort Collins – the second-largest and the most destructive blaze ever recorded in the state has destroyed at least 248 homes; burned 83,205 acres; up to 5,000 people remain evacuated; 45 percent contained.
- Little Sand Fire near Pagosa Springs, Weber Fire in Montezuma County, State Line Fire southeast of Durango, Treasure Fire near Leadville, Trout Creek Fire near Rainbow Falls in Douglas County, Woodland Heights Fire near Estes Park southwest of the High Park Fire, and Elbert Fire have so far consumed about 30,000 acres.
- Wood Hollow fire. The blaze about 1 mile south of Fountain Green in Utah State Division of Forestry Fire & State Lands has exploded to about 40,000 acres destroying numerous structures and scores of farm animals, mostly sheep.
- Evacuations: Up to 2,000 people have been evacuated. Indian Ridge, Elk Ridge, Big Hollow, and Oaker Hills communities are under mandatory evacuation.
- Closures: Highway 89 closure is in effect.
- Weather: “The big worry now is the weather. Everything that can be done is being done,” Gov Herbert said in a televised conference.
Wood Hollow Fire. Photo credit: Utah State Division of Forestry Fire & State Lands
US Weather Hazards Map, June 26, 2012.
- Meantime, Colorado legislators have asked USDA to open up additional land for emergency livestock grazing as farmers, ranchers battle the severe drought affecting the state, a report said.
- The entire state of Colorado is currently experiencing abnormally dry or drought conditions.
Colorado Drought Map – June 2012 – US Drought Monitor
- Vermont. Crops in the state of Vermont are under attack by armyworms, a report said.
- “They are definitely eating, that is what it looks like,” said Heather Darby an agronomist with the University of Vermont Extension.
- “We get that first call from a farmer who says I don’t know where my corn went. Can you come out and look? And we come out and look around and you can see the worms essentially so bad the ground’s moving.”
- New York. Armyworms have invaded farm fields throughout Jefferson County, NY, with a major outbreak of the worms threatening widespread damage to crops, reports said.
- “This year, it just seems like the moths got a head start on ’em and that’s what’s happened. So we’re starting to get a buildup of these parasitic flies and these fungal diseases now, but it’s a little, you know, too little, too late right now to control what we’ve got going on now,” said an expert with with Cornell Cooperative Extension.
- Alaska. The Bear Creek fire which was ignited by lightning about 14 miles south of Clear Airforce Base, AK, on June 23, had grown to about 1,500 acres by Sunday local time. On Monday, the blaze exploded by more than 12 folds, consuming more than 20,000 acres.
- The fire is aided by strong winds, high temperatures and low humidity, burning in black spruce and hardwoods.
- At least three other fires are burning within close proximity, fire authorities said.
- British Columbia, Canada. Weekend storms forced at least 700 people to flee their homes, while 1,200 others were placed on evacuation alert.
- “Weeks of rapid snowmelt and wet weather caused river levels to rise in the B.C. Interior, the Kootenay region and the Fraser Valley, and a weekend of heavy rain and violent thunderstorms pushed many rivers and creeks in those areas to the brink,” said a report.
- Flooding has left at least one man dead, causing widespread devastation in the region with many homes, businesses and public infrastructure destroyed.
- The municipality of Sicamous declared a local state of emergency on Saturday, a report said.
- Montana. Pony Fire in Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest, ignited on June 24th, has grown to more than 2,500 acres threatening numerous structures.
- The town of Mammoth and South Boulder north to the Indiana University Geology Field Station are under mandatory evacuation, Inciweb reported.
- At least 2 other wildfires, Antelope Lane fire and Corral fire, are burning nearby.
State of the Climate – Global Analysis for May 2012
- The globally-averaged land surface temperature for May 2012 was the all-time warmest May on record, at 1.21°C (2.18°F) above average
- The Northern Hemisphere land and ocean average surface temperature for May 2012 was the all-time warmest May on record, at 0.85°C (1.53°F) above average.
- The combined global land and ocean average surface temperature for May 2012 was 0.66°C (1.19°F) above the 20th century average of 14.8°C (58.6°F). This is the second warmest May since records began in 1880, behind only 2010.
Temperature Anomalies Maps for May 2012 – [Source: NCDC/NOAA]
See also: Hottest U.S. Spring on Record
Today’s Record Temperatures
NOAA/NCDC reported 58 high temperature records broken Monday across nine states: Colorado, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Wyoming, Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas and Kentucky. The temperature records included
- Colorado: 31 records broken, 7 tied; highest temp 110 degrees at La Junta Airport; old record 107 in 1990
- Kansas: 10 broken, 4 tied; highest temp 114 degrees northeast of Hill City, old record 108 in 1971
- Kentucky: tied record 94 degrees at London, KY; old record set in 1988
- Missouri: 1 tie, 95 degrees at Kirksville, old record set in 1971
- Nebraska: 4 broken, 1 tied; 105 degrees near Harrisburg in Banner County; old record 98 in 2001
- Wyoming: 6 broken, 8 tied; highest temp 107 at Gillette; old record 99 in 1988
- Texas: 3 broken, 2 tied, highest 102 degrees at Victoria tied 102 in 2009
- Oklahoma: 1 broken, 101 degrees at Ralston in Pawnee County, old record 100 in 1988
- Arkansas: 3 broken, two tied, highest 101 at Little Rock Forecast office and Little Rock airport; old record 99 and 100 in 1988
Global Disasters: Links, Forecasts and Background
- The First Wave of World’s Collapsing Cities
- Back to the Primordial Future
- The Fate of Energy Dinosaurs
- Mega Disasters
- 2010 Disasters [Links to 2010 Disaster Calendar]
- 2011 Disaster Calendar
- 2012 Disaster Calendar
- Mass Die-offs
Fire Earth 