Severe Weather Events Plague Australian Continent

Australia battered by strong winds, heavy precipitation, deadly flooding, a cyclone, mini-tornado, wildfires… and  country-wide rainfall

Severe weather systems are pummeling multiple regions of Australia, with deadly  flash-flooding in Queensland, a destructive “mini-tornado” in New South Wales, ex-cyclone STAN in Western Australia, damaging heavy rain and flooding in eastern Tasmania, while up to 100 wildfires in western Tasmania consume about 75,000 hectares.

Cyclone STAN made landfall about 120 km northeast of Port Hedland, early Sunday morning, reported the Australian Bureau of Meteorology (BOM).

The Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) said a unique set of weather patterns were responsible for the nation-wide wet weather event, not expected to be repeated anytime soon. [ABC]

“It’s quite unusual to see this sort of pattern develop right across that broad section of states,” BoM meteorologist told the ABC.

“It is unlikely we would see the same extent again like what we have seen in the past few days.

“This was a unique weather set up.”

In southeast NSW, destructive winds during thunderstorms destroyed several homes at Forbes Creek, about an hour east of Canberra.

Storms lashed South Australia and Victoria on Saturday, cutting power to homes and businesses and causing flash flooding in multiple areas, while in the Northern Territory, a weak monsoon dumped up to 100mm of rain in some areas, causing numerous road closures in Darwin.

Storms also wreaked havoc on Sydney and other parts of New South Wales on Saturday, with major roads flooded and power out several regions.

Floodwaters in southern Queensland killed a man near Bundaberg.

Scotland Flooding: Historic Abergeldie Castle Could Collapse into River Dee

High winds and heavy rain hit Scotland, prompting multiple flood warnings

Scotland is being battered by high winds and heavy rain, with dozens of flood warnings in effect across the country.

The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) has issued at lest three dozen flood warnings, saying that the key “Inverness to Aberdeen railway line was at risk of flooding.”

Major roads in Scotland have also been closed by flooding with others “passable with care.”

‘The historic castle teetering on the brink of disaster’

In Aberdeenshire, the historic Abergeldie Castle is on the brink of collapsing into a swollen River Dee.

The castle’s owners were forced to evacuate the 16th century A-listed tower house on Sunday, after the river swept away about 60ft (18m) of land behind the property, leaving it only a few feet from the water.

“Most rivers have already peaked or will peak during Monday afternoon and evening. However, due to the continued rainfall they will remain high throughout Tuesday,” the agency said, adding that up to 150mm is expected in some areas.

Storm Frank hit Scotland on Wednesday, causing damage to property and infrastructure, as well as disrupting road and rail travel.

JOAQUIN Prompts States of Emergency Declarations in 5 States

States of Emergency declared in SC, NC, VA, MD and NJ ahead of hurricane JOAQUIN

JOAQUIN, strengthened to a Category 4 hurricane, pounded the central Bahamas with 215 kilometer per hour winds earlier today.

The governors of South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland and New Jersey have declared states of emergency, as of posting, mobilizing the National Guard troops to deal with potential disasters.

The storm, 3rd hurricane of the 2015 Atlantic season, was classified as an “extremely dangerous,” by the National Hurricane Center:

8:00 AM EDT Fri Oct 2 –
Location: 23.4°N 74.8°W
Moving: NW at 5 km/hr
Min pressure: 937 mb
Max sustained winds: 215 km/hr (115 knot)

Heavy rain, flooding expected across parts of mid-Atlantic regardless of JOAQUIN forecast track —NHC

The forecast models continue to indicate a track for Hurricane Joaquin offshore of the United States East Coast from the Carolinas to the mid-Atlantic, and the threat of direct impacts from Joaquin in those areas is decreasing. Even if Joaquin remains offshore, strong onshore winds associated with a frontal system will create minor to moderate coastal flooding along parts of the East Coast.

Disaster Declared as Deadly Floods Swamp Third of Malawi

Floods Kill Many in Malawi and Mozambique

At least 52 people have been killed and about 50,000 forced to flee their homes amid severe flooding in Malawi, UNOCHA reported.

Authorities have declared more than a third of the country disaster areas, as torrential rains inundated large swathes of land, destroying crops, homes, roads, railroads and other infrastructure.

Heavy rain is expected to continue for at least another week or so, forecasters said.

“People have fled into schools and churches on higher ground, others are in the open because there is not enough space,” a senior official  told  the AP.

Mozambique

The National Institute for Disaster Management activated institutional orange alert country wide. A total of 9,652 families have been affected, with Maputo city, Gaza, Nampula and Cabo Delgado provinces being most affected.

A group of 25 schoolchildren were swept away by floodwaters earlier this week, said reports.

Zimbabwe

Heavy rains have been falling throughout Zimbabwe since early December 2014. According to the Department of Civil Protection, 11 deaths were reported and over 1,500 people have been affected by rainfall and flooding country-wide.

Related Links

• Thousands Displaced by Deadly Floods in Malawi January 11, 2015

Freeze Warning for Eastern Third of U.S.

EXTREME WEATHER & CLIMATIC HAZARDS
HALLOWEEN BLIZZARD
STORMS, HIGH WINDS, FLOOD WARNINGS
SCENARIOS 887, 560, 477, 444, 177, 111, 066, 064, 027, 025, 023, 02
.

Temperatures plunge 20ºC along parts SE Coast and Central Appalachians: NWS

“The eastern third of the nation will continue to experience well below average temperatures this weekend behind a strong cold front. A coastal low pressure system will strengthen on Sunday and bring gusty winds and precipitation to most of the Northeast Coast, including heavy snow for northern New England,” said NWS.

Meantime, a rare autumn blizzard has dumped up to 41cm (16 inch) of snow on portions of of the Carolinas and  Tennessee, blocking a large stretch of I40 in the Great Smoky Mountains.

US Weather Hazmap for Nov 2, 2014, issued by NWS at 07:58UTC.

Current extreme weather warnings are in effect for Winter Storms, High Wind, Coastal Flooding, Gale, and Freeze.
 

Severe Weather Warning Issued for South of England

Worst Storm of the Year to Hit England Next Week

The UK Met Office has warned that a severe storm forecast for Monday has the potential to cause danger to life and widespread disruption in the south of England.

An amber warning for wind has been issued and there is also concern that heavy rain could cause flash flooding, on or about Monday, October 28, 2013.

The Met Office has warned people in the forecast area of strong winds adding that they “should be prepared for the risk of falling trees as well as damage to buildings and other structures.”

Amber Warning for High Wind

“A very intense low pressure system is forecast to run northeastwards across the country early on Monday, bringing the potential for an exceptionally windy spell of weather for southern parts of the UK. At the same time, persistent, heavy rain could cause some surface water flooding.

“At this early stage there is uncertainty about the timing, intensity and track of the low. However, the public should be prepared for the risk of falling trees as well as damage to buildings and other structures, bringing disruption to transport and power supplies.” The Met Office said.

“Amber warning” is the second most serious on the Met Office scale.

Exposed coastal areas in Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, Hampshire, West Sussex, East Sussex, Kent, Surrey, Hampshire, Southampton, West Sussex, East Sussex, Isle of Wight, Portsmouth, Brighton and Hove should expect wind gusts of up to 130 km/hr.

Milton Keynes, Oxfordshire, Bracknell Forest, Brighton and Hove, Buckinghamshire, East Sussex, Greater London, Hampshire, Kent, Medway, Reading, Slough, Surrey, West Berkshire, West Sussex, Windsor and Maidenhead, Wokingham, Isle of Wight, Portsmouth and Southampton have been issued with yellow alerts for high wind.

Yellow alerts are less severe than amber warnings.

Yellow Warning for Heavy Rain

Additionally, a yellow warning for rain on Monday has been issued for northern England, the Midlands, southern England and Wales warning people on those areas “of the potential for surface water flooding.”

The Met Office Chief Forecaster’s Assessment

“A strong, high-level jet is expected to engage warm low level air to give rise to a rapidly moving low pressure system later on Sunday. This is expected to run northeastwards, probably across England and Wales, with very strong winds on its southern and western flanks. There is the potential for gusts of over 80 mph, especially on exposed coasts, both in southwesterly winds ahead of the low and west to northwesterly winds behind it.”

Great Storm of 1987

The storm that occurred on October 15 – 16, 1987, mainly affected southeastern England and northern France. In England, maximum mean wind speeds of about 130 km/hr  uprooted 15 million trees and left at least 19 people dead.

Your World Under Siege

Sandstorms and Extreme Weather Kill 31 in Egypt

Death toll from sandstorms and extreme weather events in Egypt rises to 31, dozens injured

Dust storms, snowstorms, thunderstorms, heavy rain, strong winds and high waves struck the eastern Mediterranean and Middle East on December 11 and 12, 2010, killing at least 31 people in Egypt and several others elsewhere in the region.

Dust and Violent Weather in the Eastern Mediterranean

A natural-color image of the eastern Mediterranean taken by MODIS on NASA’s Aqua satellite on December 12, 2010.  “Clouds almost cover the Mediterranean Sea, as well as parts of Israel and Lebanon. Along the margin of the cloudbank, dust blows toward the northeast. Source points of dust plumes appear in Egypt and Jordan, and a thick plume of dust blows over Syria. In Egypt, dust nearly hides the Nile River, and completely covers the Nile Delta.” Source: NASA/E-O.  Click image to enlarge. Download larger image (7 MB, JPEG).

A major sandstorm blanketed Cairo on December 11, 2010. Photo: Reuters/Amr Abdallah Dalsh. Image may be subject to copyright.

Another powerful sandstorm hit Riyadh the capital of Saudi Arabia on December 13, 2010. It’s now just a matter of time…  A freeze frame from CNN viewer video.

Related Links:

• Megadisasters Loom
• Wisconsin Wind Chill Temps to Drop to -33ºC

• 2010 Disasters
• The First Wave of World’s Collapsing Cities
• Index of Human Impact on Nature (HIoN) March 2008
• 2010: The Year of Disasters
• Earth’s Human Induced Antiphase Nears Completion

• FEWW DISASTER FORECAST 2011
• Earth: Wounded and Feverish
• 2011 SIX TIMES MORE DISASTROUS THAN 2010

Earthquake, Heavy Rain, Mudslides Strike Peru

Peru Under Siege from Earthquake, Heavy Rain and Mudslides, 3 Killed

Strong quake measuring up to magnitude 6.1 struck inside the Peruvian Amazon rain forest 20 km (10 miles) SSE of Pucallpa, Peru at a depth of about 153 km, on Monday, January 25, 2010 at 22:53 UTC.

As of posting, there were no reports of damage or casualties, however, The tremors were felt in Trujillo, Chimbote, Cerro de Pasco, Huánuco, Lima (capital), Pucallpa, San Ramón. The quake was felt also in Cruzeiro do Sul, Brazil,  a report said.

Heavy Rain and Mudslides

The overflowing Vilcanota and Rio Blanco rivers in the Andean province of Cusco, southeastern Peru, have flooded hundreds of hectares (acres) of corn crop, AFP reported.

Heavy rains have buffeted the region in the past three days, flooding rivers and causing mudslides that killed at least two people and damaged stone walls at Inca sites, associated Press reported.

Meanwhile, heavy rain and mudslides blocked the train route to the ancient Inca citadel of Machu Picchu, stranding about 2,000 tourists, the tourism ministry said.

“Rail is the only means of transportation on the last leg of the trip to Machu Picchu from the ancient Inca capital of Cusco.”AP said.

Elsewhere in the region, the overflowing Yanama river has pinned down trucks and long-distance passenger coaches at the Cusco-Abancay highway. The flooding has damaged or destroyed about  50 homes and also destroyed crops, officials said.

A magnitude 7.9 quake and resulting landslides in Northern Peru killed an estimated 70,000 people and injured up to 150,000 others, leaving half a million homeless.

Earthquake Location map. Source: USGS/EHP. Enhanced by FEWW.

Peru Earthquake Details:

• Magnitude reported by USGS: 5.8  [EQ magnitude estimated by FEWW: 6.1 Mw]
• Date-Time:
  • Monday, January 25, 2010 at 22:52:47 UTC
  • Monday, January 25, 2010 at 05:52:47 PM at epicenter
• Location: 8.546°S, 74.467°W
• Depth: 153.4 km (95.3 miles)
• Region: CENTRAL PERU
• Distances:
  • 20 km (10 miles) SSE of Pucallpa, Peru
  • 230 km (140 miles) WSW of Cruzeiro do Sul, Acre, Brazil
  • 240 km (150 miles) NE of Huanuco, Peru
  • 485 km (300 miles) NE of LIMA, Peru
• Location Uncertainty: horizontal +/- 7.2 km (4.5 miles); depth +/- 4.3 km (2.7 miles)
• Source: USGS NEIC (WDCS-D)
• Event ID: us2010rxcf

Seismic Hazard Map

Major Tectonic Boundaries: Subduction Zones -purple, Ridges -red and Transform Faults -green.  Source: USGS/EHP.

Historic Seismicity [Mag 7 or greater since 1900]

Major Tectonic Boundaries: Subduction Zones -purple, Ridges -red and Transform Faults -green.  Source: USGS/EHP.

Political Map of Peru.

Earthquake Location

Earthquake Location Map. Source: USGS/EHP. Click image to enlarge.

Related Links:

• Deadly Landslides in Peru Causes Many Deaths, Injuries [December 2009]
• Magnitude 6.1 quake strikes southern Peru  [July 2009]
  

• Landslides
• Storms, Extreme Rain Events, Rising Sea Levels
• El Niño

• FEWW Volcano Links
• Volcanoes
• Earthquakes

Tropical Cyclone Bijli

TC Bijli dumped as much as 50 mm of rain per hour in parts of Bangladesh, India and Myanmar

Tropical Cyclone Bijli came ashore over eastern Bangladesh on April 17, 2009. The storm caused little damage, according to news reports, but did dump as much as 50 millimeters of rain per hour in the regions where rainfall was heaviest, shown in red, on Bangladesh and neighboring Myanmar. This image, made with data captured by the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) satellite on April 17, shows the rainfall associated with the storm. Image produced by Hal Pierce (SSAI/NASA GSFC). Caption by Holli Riebeek [Edited for brevity by Moderator.]

Tropical Storm Bijli draped the east coast of India in this image from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra satellite on April 16, 2009. Bijli became a tropical storm in the northwest Bay of Bengal on April 15.  NASA image created by Jesse Allen, using data provided courtesy of the MODIS Rapid [sic] Response team. Caption by Rebecca Lindsey. [Edited for brevity by Moderator.]

Fay Heads North Toward SW Florida Coast

A HURRICANE WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR THE SOUTHWESTERN COAST OF FLORIDA FROM FLAMINGO TO ANNA MARIA ISLAND.  A HURRICANE WARNING MEANS THAT HURRICANE CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED WITHIN THE WARNING AREA WITHIN THE NEXT 24 HOURS.  PREPARATIONS TO PROTECT LIFE AND PROPERTY SHOULD BE RUSHED TO COMPLETION. (NOAA)

TS Fay – Short Wave IR Image – GOES Floater Imagery – 30 minute updates – NOAA

Fay struck Cuba’s south coast with 80km winds and heavy rain. She was expected to drop as much 20cm (8 inches) of rain over the island, having left a deadly trail across the Caribbean.

National Weather Service Enhanced Radar Mosaic

Base Reflectivity – Southeast Sector – NOAA – NWS

About 10,000 people including tourists in western and central areas of Cuba have been evacuated, boats were pulled out of water, temporary shelters and food distribution centers were set up.

State of Florida have deployed 500 National Guards, and Florida Keys are being evacuated.

In Haiti a bus plunged into a swollen river, killing 50 people. Many of the dead were swept away like “driftwood,” said the Mayor of Bomont, Haiti. Others, including several children, drowned while trapped in the sunken vehicle.

Five others were killed in Haiti and the neighboring Dominican Republic in flood-related accidents.

A couple died in Kingston, Jamaica when their car was swept away by floodwater.

Shell Oil and Marathon Oil have reportedly pulled as many as 700 workers from offshore facilities in the Gulf of Mexico.

Related Links:

• TS Fay Public Advisory No. 13A
• Fay May Strengthen to Hurricane Force
• Weather
• World Now (Weather and Image Links)
• Tropical Storm Fay Forms

Image of the DAY: SUBMERGENCE!

Never Mind the Cars. Your Rolex Watch Would Probably Be Safe in the Water!

A police officer inspects flooded cars in a residential area after heavy rain fall in Giubiasco near the southern Swiss town of Bellinzona July 13, 2008. REUTERS/Fiorenzo Maffi. Image may be subject to copyright. See FEWW Fair Use Notice!