Alaska temperature changed by 88 degs in 3 days

A “spectacular chinook” warms Fairbanks, Alaska

The temperature at Fairbanks International Airport dropped  to -44 degrees (44 below zero) on Sunday, the last day of  a  continuous 16-day freeze-up,  the coldest spell in the last 50 years. By Wednesday, the temperature reached a record high  of 44 degrees,  dramatically reversing the trend from one extreme to another. The temperature difference of 88 degrees was reached in just three days.

“Incredible,” said meteorologist Rick Thoman at the National Weather Service in Fairbanks. “Is there any other place in the country that can do that?

Adiabatic warming of downward moving air produces the warm Chinook wind. Chinook is a Pacific Northwest Indian word meaning ‘snow-eater,’ as a strong Chinook can make foot deep snow almost vanish in one day. The snow partly melts and partly evaporates in the dry wind. Chinook winds have been observed to raise winter temperature, often from below −20°C (−4°F) to as high as 10°C to 20°C (50°F to 68°F) for a few hours or days, then temperatures plummet to their base levels. The greatest recorded temperature change in 24 hours was caused by Chinook winds on January 15, 1972, in Loma, Montana; the temperature rose from -48°C (-56°F) to 9°C (49°F), a difference of 105 degrees (source: wikipedia).

“It’s just a spectacular Chinook,” he said.

This spectacular Chinook Arch appeared over Calgary in the late afternoon of January 6, 2003 – during a warm spell when the temperature in the city reached an all-time January record high of 18°C (64°F). Image Credit: CalgaryWikifan. Wikipedia.  GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.2 or later versions.

In Nenana, the temperature rose to 54 degrees Thursday morning, another all-time high, Thoman said.

The previous record high at the airport was 43 degrees set in 1981. Also, the temperature at Birch Lake reached a daily record  high of 54 ºF.

“There’s July days when it’s not that warm at Birch Lake,” Thoman said.

Fay: TS with an Attitude

Will she go north? Will she go west? Will she settle for west-northwest?

Fay is drifting toward the west near 2 mph (4 km/hr). Fay is forecast to move westward or west-northwestward with some increase in forward speed during the next 48 hours.

Maximum sustained winds are near 60 mph (95 km/hr) with higher gusts are expected.

Fay is expected to produce rainfall accumulations of 5 to 10 inches (25.4cm), across

• Central to northern portion of the Florida peninsula
• Florida Panhandle
• Southern Georgia
• Southeastern Alabama

Isolated maximum amounts of 15 inches are possible!

Tropical Storm FAY QuickLook – Posted: 18:00 EDT 08/21/2008

Tropical Storm FAY beginning to make landfall on Florida’s East Coast near Flagler Beach. As of 08/21/2008 18:00 EDT, water levels from northeastern Florida to South Carolina are elevated about 1.25 to 2.40 feet above predicted. (NOAA-NOS)

• Rainfall totals of 2 to 4 inches are possible across the coastal areas of southern South Carolina.
• Additional rainfall amounts of 1 to 2 inches are possible over southwest and southern Florida.
• Isolated storm total accumulations of 20 to 30 inches have been observed with this system over the east central coastal areas of Florida.
• Storm surge flooding of 1 to 3 feet above normal tides is possible along the east coast of Florida and Georgia
• Isolated tornadoes are possible tonight over portions of northeastern Florida and southeastern Georgia. (Forecaster: Brown/Knabb. NOAA-NHC)

Melbourne Florida: Roads Double as Rivers

Photograph: John Raoux/AP. Image may be subject to copyright. See FEWW Fair Use Notice!

See previous entries for more updated images:

• Fay drops 25 inches of rain on Melbourne

• Fay Heads North Toward SW Florida Coast
• Fay May Strengthen to Hurricane Force
• Tropical Storm Fay Forms
• Weather

Other related Links:

• World Now (Satellite Imagery Index Page)
• Tropical Storm FAY Public Advisory (NOAA – NHC)

Fay drops 25 inches of rain on Melbourne

Latest Update: Fay: TS with an Attitude

‘Lake’ Melbourne, Florida

The Melbourne National Weather Service Forecast Office reported rainfall totals of nearly 25 inches (63.5cm) in parts of north Melbourne.

Real-Time U.S. Composite Satellite Image

Credit: University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Graduate School. SSEC

Fay is expected to produce additional rainfall accumulations of 5 to 10 (25.4cm) inches over east-central and northeastern Florida with 3 to 6 inches over southeastern Georgia. Isolated storm total amounts of 30 inches (76.2cm) are possible in Florida. (NOAA – NHC)

Gilbert Creque (L) looks over Peter Luu’s flooded car in Melbourne, Florida, USA, 20 August 2008. Luu said that he turned in to what he thought was a parking lot and instead found out it was a retention pond. Over 15 inches of rain from Tropical Storm Fay fell in some parts of Florida causing streets and homes to be flooded. EPA/CHRIS LIVINGSTON. (Source: M & C)

See related links for current Fay images:

• Fay Heads North Toward SW Florida Coast
• Fay May Strengthen to Hurricane Force
• Tropical Storm Fay Forms
• Weather

Other related Links:

• World Now (Satellite Imagery Index Page)
• Tropical Storm FAY Public Advisory (NOAA – NHC)

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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

What’s a Hydrokong?

A Shrinking World Series

Is it a mega-tropical storm system, or an extra-tropical cyclone (ETC), i.e., a non-tropical, large-scale low pressure storm system like a Nor’easter?

“Hydrokong” is a colossal atmospheric phenomenon. It’s an extreme precipitation event which is enhanced by circulation changes that increase and concentrate the distribution of water vapor.

Hydrokong! The Storm System as it appeared over the central United States June 12, 2008 04:15 UTC. The still image is an aviation color enhancement of a satellite image.

Globally, as total precipitation increases, the duration or frequency of precipitation events decreases. However, warmer temperatures and regional variation can significantly affect those offsetting behaviors. For example, reduced total precipitation in one region, the Western United States, can significantly increase the intensity of precipitation in another region, the Midwest. Hydrokongs essentially create two extreme events, droughts in one region and flooding caused by mega-intense precipitation in another. As the global temperatures rise, more hydrokongs should be expected.

Another Hydrokong in the making? A new System as it appeared over the central United States June 27, 2008 04:15 UTC. The still image is an aviation color enhancement of a satellite image.

An aviation color enhancement of a floater [updated periodically] satellite image GEOS Eastern U.S. Imagery, NOAA SSD. For full size image right-click on the image and select “View Image.”

In the words of Brian Pierce, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service, describing the aftermath of flooding last week: “We are seeing a historic hydrological event taking place with unprecedented river levels occurring.”

Are Extreme Precipitation Events Earth’s Natural Defense Mechanisms?

Related Links:

• Nature’s Defense Mechanisms
• www.crh.noaa.gov/ahps2/index.php [Advanced Hydrologic Prediction Service!]
  

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Mississippi Levees Breached in 23 Places

A Shrinking World Series

‘We are seeing a historic hydrological event taking place with unprecedented river levels occurring.’ —Brian Pierce, meteorologist, National Weather Service.

Mississippi river surges over at least 23 levees and another 30 barriers are at risk, as the Midwest floods move south.

In 1993, devastating floods, sweeping down Missouri and Mississippi rivers, surged levees and destroyed communities from St. Louis to northern Louisiana.

Mississippi River floodwaters engulf a farm about 15 miles north Quincy, Ill. after the south portion of the Indian Graves levee breached. (Tribune photo by Michael Tercha / June 18, 2008). Image may be subject to copyright. See FEWW Fair Use Notice!

Midwest Flood Victims Feel Misled by Feds

“They all told us, `The levees are good. You can go ahead and build,”‘ said Parks, who did not buy flood coverage because her bank no longer required it. “We had so much confidence in those levees.”

“People put all their hopes in those levees, and when they do fail, the damage is catastrophic,” said Paul Osman, the National Flood Insurance Program coordinator for Illinois. “New Orleans is the epitome; a lot of those people didn’t even realize they were in a floodplain until the water was up to their roofs.”

“We reported to the president in ’94 that the levee system was in disarray, the levees were not high enough to take care of any potential problem. People didn’t understand their flood risk and there wasn’t good co-ordination across federal, state and local governments,” said Gerald Galloway, a professor of engineering and flood control expert.

“The same thing applies today,” Galloway said. “It’s amazing that in the face of [Hurricane] Katrina and now this particular challenge that we continue to relearn the same lessons.”

Galloway’s recommendations to improve the levee system were basically ignored. He said that he’s experiencing much the same response now from officials as in 1993.

Related Links:

• Floods
• China “Frankenstein”
• Midwest Flood Victims Feel Misled by Feds
• More levees at risk from surging Mississippi as Bush tours flood areas

• Drought (Index Page)
• In Spain, Water Is a New Battleground
• California ‘Mojavefied’ by 2011?
  

• First Wave of World’s Collapsing Cities

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Will 2008 be year of the tornadoes, too?

Tornadoes Wreak Havoc

About 105 people have been killed by tornadoes since the beginning of this year. According to the reports some 868 tornadoes have struck through May 18. The tally is on par with 2004, in which a record 1,819 tornadoes were reported, National Weather Service Storm Prediction Center, in Norman, Okla., said.

“It will be one of the biggest years when all is said and done,” said Harold Brooks, a meteorologist at the center. “It’s been very, very active and very unusual.” The 136 tornadoes reported in January 2008 were about 7 times higher than the January average of 19 for the 1953 to 2005 period. The February record at 232 was 11 times higher than the previous February average of 21 tornadoes.

“Our work suggests that the trend, the sign, is that conditions for severe weather will increase,” said Robert J. Trapp, an associate professor of atmospheric science at Purdue University. (Source)

A sequence of images showing the birth of a tornado. First, the rotating cloud base lowers. This lowering becomes a funnel, which continues descending while winds build near the surface, kicking up dust and other debris. Finally, the visible funnel extends to the ground, and the tornado begins causing major damage. This tornado, near Dimmitt, Texas, was one of the best-observed violent tornadoes in history.

This sequence of three photographs was taken by a member of the VORTEX project outside of Dimmit, TX on June 2, 1995. Known to some as the most studied tornado of all time, multiple movies, radar images, photographs, and damage observations were made for this tornado’s entire lifespan by members of the VORTEX team. (Source)

What about the hurricanes?

The 2008 Atlantic hurricane season will be active with up to 16 named storms, nine of which are expected to become hurricanes, the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, NOAA, said on Thursday.

to Up to five of the hurricanes forecast for the season starting June 1 will be major ones ranging from Category 3 to higher with winds exceeding 180 km per hour, NOAA said in its annual forecast. (Source)

Hurricane Noel. A satellite image taken November 2, 2007. REUTERS. NOAA Handout

Related Links:

• U.S. government sees active Atlantic hurricane season
• A Busy Year as Tornadoes Wreak Havoc
• 2008: Year of the Fire