Historic Nor’easter: Dozen Dead; NJ Declares State of Emergency

UPDATES:

About 72cm of snow recorded in parts of West Virginia as of 15:00UTC

New York Gov. declares a State of Emergency

State of Emergency declared in New Jersey as nor’easter threatens massive snow dump, coastal flooding

One in seven Americans should expect at least 6 inches of snow by Sunday as historic winter storm moves north

Warnings, Watches or Advisories have been issued for up to 90 million people across at least 21 states, as the historic winter storm continued to move north.

Blizzard Warning, Winter Storm Warning, High Wind Warning, Storm Warning, Coastal Flood Warning, Flood Warning, Gale Warning, and Freeze Warning in effect across multiple States.

At least a dozen people have been killed, multiple states have declared states of emergency, and thousands of flights have been cancelled across a large portion of the U.S. from Arkansas in the south to Massachusetts in the northeast.

States of emergency are currently in effect across North Carolina, Tennessee, Kentucky, Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, West Virginia and portions of several other states, as well as in the District of Columbia.

Major To Historic Winter Storm Will Impact The Middle Atlantic To Southern New England Into Sunday

A powerful low pressure system will bring heavy snow and blizzard conditions from the Middle Atlantic Region all the way through southern New England. The heaviest snow is expected to fall over the Middle Atlantic Region including the Washington DC and Baltimore metro areas west to the Blue Ridge mountains. In addition, moderate coastal flooding is expected. The storm will taper off by Sunday. -NWS-

 

Cyclone PAM: “Entire communities have been blown away”

Links sent by Tom C.

Super Cyclone PAM probably caused “one of the worst disasters ever seen in the Pacific”

Up to 90 per cent of homes in Vanuatu’s capital Port Villa has reportedly  been seriously damaged by Super Cyclone PAM, leaving “most” of the population homeless, with no information available yet as to the fate of more than 33,000 people who live on the extremely vulnerable outer islands. 

“This is likely to be one of the worst disasters ever seen in the Pacific,” said Oxfam Country Director in Port Vila, Colin Collet van Rooyen.

“Entire communities have been blown away.”

Cyclone PAM made a direct hit on Vanuatu island late Friday, plowing through the archipelago of 65 islands [pop. ~ 270,000] with supercharged force.

“With more than 250,000 people at risk from the severe tropical cyclone there is real concern of a potentially high death toll and of enormous destruction, particularly given the traditional housing that is so prevalent through the islands,” said the report.

“Cyclone Pam has destroyed all but one of mobile towers in Port Vila so no comms between Efate and both nth and sth provinces,” said a UNICEF employee. Read more…

Tuvalu, Kiribati, Solomon Islands

Meantime, Tuvalu’s prime minister has declared a state of emergency, after the deadly cyclone caused widespread flash floods, severely affecting about half of his nation’s population.

The cyclone has also flattened homes, flooded fields and destroyed crops in Kiribati and the Solomon Islands, affecting thousands of families, said reports.

• Hospital, morgue and schools all damaged by Cyclone Pam
• Stories of devastation from Vanuatu in the aftermath of Cyclone Pam

FIRE-EARTH Links

• PAM Wreaks “Complete Devastation” in Vanuatu March 14, 2015
• Super Cyclone PAM Devastating South Pacific Nations March 13, 2015

PAM Wreaks “Complete Devastation” in Vanuatu

Super Cyclone PAM devastates Vanuatu islands

The category five monster cyclone smashed into Vanuatu islands in the South Pacific, wreaking “complete devastation.”

There are fears that dozens have lost their lives, and entire villages razed,  in what may be one of the region’s deadliest, and most destructive weather disasters.

Super Cyclone Pam, charged with sustained winds of 275km/h, gusting up to 340 km/hr [FIRE-EARTH estimates based on blog models,] slammed directly into the island nation late Friday.

“The damage is quite extensive in Port Vila but there are so many more vulnerable islands. I can’t even imagine what it’s like in those vulnerable communities,” said an emergency communications officer with World Vision in Port Vila, citing reports that entire villages in remote areas have been destroyed.

“The scene here this morning is complete devastation – houses are destroyed, trees are down, roads are blocked and people are wandering the streets looking for help,” said Tom Skirrow of Save the Children.

“Communications are down across much of the country with the total extent of the devastation unlikely to be known for several days.”

Some 44 people may have lost their lives in Penama province in the north-east of Vanuatu, said the UN’s Office for the Co-ordination for Humanitarian Assistance (UNOCHA).

“There are destructive winds, rain, flooding, landslides, sea surges and very rough seas and the storm is exceedingly destructive there,” said Australian Foreign Minister.

“While it is too early to say for certain, early reports are indicating that this weather disaster could potentially be one of the worst in Pacific history,” said a UNICEF spokesperson.

“The sheer force of the storm combined with communities just not set up to withstand it, could have devastating results for thousands across the region.”

Related Links

• Super Cyclone PAM Devastating South Pacific Nations March 13, 2015

Super Cyclone PAM Devastating South Pacific Nations

PAM bearing down on Vanuatu after devastating several South Pacific nations

PAM a SUPERCHARGED category five tropical storm, is bearing down on Vanuatu after causing destruction in several South Pacific nations, including Kiribati, the Solomon Islands, and Tuvalu.

Vanuatu authorities issued a red alert nationwide, after the cyclone moved closer and was expected to hit the capital, Port Vila, Friday night.

Meantime, the Vanuatu Meteorological Services (VMS) issued the following warning:

At 12:00am local time, Severe Tropical Cyclone PAM was located at 17.8 degrees South 168.7 degrees East. This is about 45km east of Port Vila and 105km north northwest of Erromango. Severe Tropical  Cyclone PAM moved in a south direction at 17 km/hr in the past 3 hours.

The central pressure of the system is estimated at 900 hPa. Winds close to the centre are estimated at 250 km/hr. Severe Tropical Cyclone PAM is forecast to be at 20.2 degrees South 169.2 degrees East within the next 06 to 12 hours.

Very Destructive Hurricane Force winds of 255 km/hr is affecting SHEFA, MALAMPA and PENAMA provinces and slowly extending to TAFEA province.

Destructive Storm Force winds of 120 km/hr will continue to affect SANMA and TORBA provinces, slowly decreasing to gale force winds of 75 km/hr as the system moves further southward.

Very Destructive winds and very rough to phenomenal seas with heavy swells is affecting TORBA, PENAMA, SANMA, MALAMPA, SHEFA and TAFEA provinces. Heavy to torrential rainfalls and flooding, including flash flooding are expected over low lying areas and areas close to the river banks. Landslide is also expected. Coastal flooding from storm surge is expected near and along the coastal areas.

State of Emergency in Tuvalu

PAM has already caused flash flooding in the island nation of Tuvalu, located midway between Hawaii and Australia, forcing the authorities to declare a state of emergency.

The cyclone has also flattened homes, flooded fields and destroyed crops in Kiribati and the Solomon Islands, affecting thousands of families, said reports.

*//

Massive Storm Striking Ireland, Britain

EXTREME WEATHER AND CLIMATIC EVENTS
CATASTROPHIC SUPERSTORMS
NINTH CONSECUTIVE WEEK OF EXTREME RAIN EVENTS
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Potentially devastating superstorms lining up in Atlantic to batter Ireland next week

Met Éireann has issued a status orange weather warning, the highest in Ireland, for the southern counties as well as Wexford and Galway, with winds of 130-km/hr forecast as storm RUTH strikes the country.

A status yellow weather warning is in effect for counties Dublin, Louth, Wicklow and Meath, according to reports.

Flood alerts and wind warnings have been issued as Ireland braces itself for a series of  potentially devastating Atlantic superstorms and the ninth week of extreme rain events.

Screenshot from a video taken by the Irish Gov. via Independent.ie

Massive Storm System Impacting UK

Some 482 Flood Warnings and Flood Alerts, including 3 Severe Flood Warnings [“danger to life,”] remain in effect throughout Britain as a massive storm system continues to batter the country with strong winds and persistent rain.

Visible Satellite image timed at 12:00 on Saturday February 8, 2014. © Copyright EUMETSAT/Met Office

The UK Environment Office has issued the following Flood Risk Assessment (Excerpts)

In Somerset there is a HIGH flood risk from river flooding on the Somerset Levels for today (Sat 8 Feb) and Sunday, with a high likelihood of severe impacts. River flooding in this area has been made worse by recent rainfall. Significant impacts are expected to continue in this area through the next week. In Chiswell in Dorset where the beach is degraded there is a HIGH flood risk from coastal flooding due to large waves and strong winds during this evening and during Sunday.

Sea Levels Rose 0.61m in US East Coast

Strange Phenomena Series

Don’t have to wait for all the ice to melt “freak” ACO events could inundate world’s coastal regions at a moment’s notice!

Sea Levels Elevated along Atlantic Coast: NOAA

ELEVATED EAST COAST SEA LEVEL ANOMALY: June – July 2009 . Source: NOAA Technical Report NOS CO-OPS 051

NOAA researchers discovered rises of 15 to 61 cm  (6 inches to 2 feet) in the sea levels along the entire Atlantic  Coast.  Having analyzed data from the relevant  tide stations and buoys along the Atlantic Coast, the scientists from the Center for Operational Oceanographic Products and Services (CO-OPS) discovered that “a weakening of the Florida Current Transport – an oceanic current that feeds into the Gulf Stream – in addition to steady and persistent Northeast winds, contributed to this anomaly.”

In addition to the current and steady winds, elevated water levels in the latter half of June coincided with a perigean-spring tide, an extreme predicted tide when the moon is closest to the Earth during a spring tide. This tidal event added to the observed sea level anomaly, produced minor coastal flooding, and caught the attention of many coastal communities because of the lack of coastal storms during this time that normally cause such anomalies.

“The ocean is dynamic and it’s not uncommon to have anomalies,” said Mike Szabados, CO-OPS director. “What made this event unique was its breadth, intensity, and duration.”

The significant point about the discovery was the geographic extent of this event, the researchers said, which encompassed the entire East Coast. Smaller regions and estuaries along the East Coast often  experience this kind of phenomena during the summer months.

The June–July 2009 sea level anomaly is unique because northeast winds along the coast were not at a multi-year high and the Florida Current Transport was not at its low–two factors that can cause elevated sea levels. However, the coupled effect of these two forces created sea levels that were at the highest levels all along the East Coast.

Rich Edwing, deputy director for the NOAA’s CO-OPS said “the Gulf Stream slowed down,” pushing water toward the coasts, which caused the  sea levels to rise.

“Why did the Gulf Stream slow down? Why did the fall wind pattern appear earlier?” Edwing said. “We don’t have those answers.”

NOAA says further analysis is necessary to fully understand the basic phenomena that caused the event, and will  continue investigating the forces responsible for the anomalies.

[ACO: Atmospheric, Climatic, Oceanic]

Related Links:

• Sea Surface Height Variations
• Vanishing Fred & Atlantic Hurricane Season 2009
• El Niño

Deluge Across the World

Water, Water Everywhere!

“A Conspiracy Against the Public”: For reasons unknown to Moderators, Google has blocked this post.

In the past week dozens of world’s cities and regions have been flooded:

Romania: Areas north of Bucharest
Ukraine: Western Ivano-Frankivsk region
India: Western city of Ahmedabad, the plains of Asam, eastern city of Patna

People make their way along a flooded park in Xiangfan, Hubei province, China, July 23, 2008. REUTERS/Stringer. Image may be subject to copyright. See FEWW Fair use Notice!

Bangladesh: Northeastern regions
New Zealand: Various areas throughout the islands
South Korea: Seoul and the country’s central regions
UK: Shropshire, West Midlands
Mexico: City of Matamoros and nearby regions
United States: Southern Texas, New Mexico, central Alabama, northeast Missouri,
China: Provinces of Jiangsu, Hubei, Sichuan and Hualien

Related Links:

• Photo Album
• Floods in Eastern Europe Kill 26

Dolly, Now A Hurricane, Heads Towards S. Texas

July 23 Late Update >> Dolly Moves Further Inland Over Southern Texas

This graphic shows an approximate representation of coastal areas under a hurricane warning (red), hurricane watch (pink), tropical storm warning (blue) and tropical storm watch (purple). The orange circle indicates the current position of the center of the tropical cyclone. The black line and dots show the National Hurricane Center (NHC) forecast track of the center at the times indicated. The dot indicating the forecast center location will be black if the cyclone is forecast to be tropical and will be white with a black outline if the cyclone is forecast to be extratropical. If only an L is displayed, then the system is forecast to be a remnant low. The letter inside the dot indicates the NHC’s forecast intensity for that time. (NOAA)

BULLETIN: HURRICANE DOLLY ADVISORY NUMBER 10
NWS TPC/NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL AL042008
400 PM CDT TUE JUL 22 2008

DOLLY BECOMES A HURRICANE: THE SECOND OF THE 2008 HURRICANE SEASON

A HURRICANE WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR THE COAST OF TEXAS FROM
BROWNSVILLE TO CORPUS CHRISTI…AND FOR THE NORTHEAST COAST OF
MEXICO FROM RIO SAN FERNANDO NORTHWARD TO THE BORDER BETWEEN MEXICO
AND THE UNITED STATES. PREPARATIONS TO PROTECT LIFE AND PROPERTY
SHOULD BE RUSHED TO COMPLETION.

Hurricane Dolly – RGB Enhanced Satellite Image – NOAA

A TROPICAL STORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM NORTH OF CORPUS
CHRISTI TO SAN LUIS PASS.

A TROPICAL STORM WARNING AND A HURRICANE WATCH IS IN EFFECT FROM LA
PESCA TO SOUTH OF RIO SAN FERNANDO.

FOR STORM INFORMATION SPECIFIC TO YOUR AREA…INCLUDING POSSIBLE
INLAND WATCHES AND WARNINGS…PLEASE MONITOR PRODUCTS ISSUED
BY YOUR LOCAL WEATHER OFFICE.

AT 400 PM CDT…2100Z…THE CENTER OF HURRICANE DOLLY WAS LOCATED
NEAR LATITUDE 24.6 NORTH…LONGITUDE 95.3 WEST OR ABOUT 165 MILES…
265 KM…EAST-SOUTHEAST OF BROWNSVILLE TEXAS.

DOLLY IS MOVING TOWARD THE NORTHWEST NEAR 10 MPH…17 KM/HR.
THIS MOTION SHOULD BRING THE CORE OF DOLLY NEAR NORTHEASTERN MEXICO
OR EXTREME SOUTHERN TEXAS ON WEDNESDAY.

MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS HAVE INCREASED TO NEAR 75 MPH…120
KM/HR…WITH HIGHER GUSTS. DOLLY IS A CATEGORY ONE HURRICANE ON
THE SAFFIR-SIMPSON SCALE. SOME STRENGTHENING IS FORECAST BEFORE
LANDFALL.

HURRICANE FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO 15 MILES…30 KM…FROM
THE CENTER…AND TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO 160
MILES…260 KM. TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS SHOULD BEGIN TO REACH
THE COASTS OF NORTHEAST MEXICO AND SOUTHERN TEXAS LATER TONIGHT.

MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE REPORTED BY A HURRICANE HUNTER AIRCRAFT WAS
986 MB…29.12 INCHES.

DOLLY IS EXPECTED TO PRODUCE TOTAL RAIN ACCUMULATIONS OF 6 TO 10
INCHES…WITH ISOLATED AMOUNTS OF 15 INCHES…OVER MUCH OF SOUTH
TEXAS AND NORTHEASTERN MEXICO OVER THE NEXT FEW DAYS.

COASTAL STORM SURGE FLOODING OF 4 TO 6 FEET ABOVE NORMAL TIDE
LEVELS…ALONG WITH LARGE AND DANGEROUS BATTERING WAVES…CAN BE
EXPECTED NEAR AND TO THE NORTH OF WHERE THE CENTER MAKES LANDFALL.

A FEW TORNADOES ARE POSSIBLE OVERNIGHT ACROSS THE LOWER AND MIDDLE
TEXAS COASTS.

NOAA satellite image taken on July 22, 2008. (UPI Photo/NOAA Handout)

REPEATING THE 400 PM CDT POSITION…24.6 N…95.3 W. MOVEMENT
TOWARD…NORTHWEST NEAR 10 MPH. MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS…75 MPH.
MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE…986 MB.

AN INTERMEDIATE ADVISORY WILL BE ISSUED BY THE NATIONAL HURRICANE
CENTER AT 700 PM CDT FOLLOWED BY THE NEXT COMPLETE ADVISORY AT 1000
PM CDT. – FORECASTER AVILA

Related Links:

• Hurricane DOLLY Public Advisory Number 10
• UPDATE: TS DOLLY, CRISTOBAL & Hurricane Fausto
  
• Thought for the Day

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