Dec 12, 2011

New scientific research has is proving how certain weather affects the timing of natural hazards.  Data taken from seasonal rainfall and snowfall patterns are now being used to predict when to expect the next earthquake or volcanic eruption in some places and how often they may take place.  A case study done in the Himalayan mountains shows that in times when the season is rainy (especially in summer months) fewer earthquakes occur compared to the dry months.  Another case study done in Iceland, shows the opposite.  Summer is the time of greater hazard risk because of the ice caps melting.  Where ice caps sit on top of active volcanoes and then start to melt can trigger volcanic eruptions below.  Katla, a large volcano in Iceland, has been recorded to have lost a great deal of ice on the volcano and is predicted to erupt sooner than later.     

Dec 5, 2011

Over the last few days or so, California has been getting devastated with high power winds creating havoc all over the area and into places in Utah and Nevada.  Wind gusts were reported as high as 100 mph leaving hundreds of thousands of people without power, some of which are still without it.  The winds also were responsible for creating fires and uprooting trees leaving some people dead along with destroying houses.  The windstorms have been going on for 5 days so far and although they are dying down somewhat, many Californian counties are still under a weather alert as winds are expected to continue.  The reason for these winds being so ferocious was due to the fact that the weather was coming from west to east rather than east to west and the winds were coming strong from the north. 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=25ePaLKDdos&feature=related  This link shows a news report of the damage caused by the heavy winds recently tearing through California. 

Mudslides Leave at Least 3 Dead in Italy

Due to heavy rain lately in southern Italy, a number of landslides have occurred due to flooding leaving at least 3 people dead.  Italy is a landslide prone region due to its steep slopes and the resulting landslides have washed away cars and taken out bridges in the last few days.  Italian residents have taken a great risk by building their houses on these steep slopes and are now starting to pay for it due to the heavy rains.  The flooding and mudslides have also created havoc for railroads especially in Sicily closing them down temporarily.  This is the second time since fall that Italy has been hit by flash flooding and landslides.  Italian citizens are starting to blame much of the destruction on failure to regularly clean storm drains.  People are claiming this to be a "dramatic national emergency" and soldiers have been coming to the area to help rescue stranded persons.

This is an image from msnbc.com showing people leaving parts of Sicily to escape the mudslides resulting from the hard rain the last few days.

Severe Storms Hit the South

A number of severe storms nailed the south part of the U.S. late last night and throughout the day today.  The storm was responsible for at least 6 casualties so far, dozens taken to the hospital, dozens of houses were torn apart and thousands still remain without power.  The multiple tornadoes that hit the areas left debris trails of over 7 miles.  Tornadoes were reported in at least 5 southeastern states and surrounding states were also hit with severe weather, however no tornadoes were reported.  Survivors are saying that it looked like a seen out of "The Wizard of Oz" it happened so quickly.  Many of the areas hit are still in recovery mode from the years earlier tornadoes as well.  
This image is from a rural town in South Carolina were a twister touched down and created a plethora of damage.

November 14, 2011

For years people have been skeptible of the idea of global warming and climate change but more and more data reflects that the phenomena is definitely real and should be a serious area of concern.  More and more records have been showing that the world temperatures are getting to be as high as ever, resulting in the melting of icecaps and glaciers.  With the ice melting globally, sea levels will rise and you can then expect for water to surge onto land areas and bury some places which would then be non-existant.  With increasing sea levels, you can also expect a higher storm surge when a typhoon or a hurricane hits rendering the possibility of more human lives lost.  Another problem with increasing temperatures is that the snow on mountians will start melting more improving the risk of landslides and flooding to happen in heavily populated areas around the world.  Higher temperatures will reflect drier seasons as well in areas and places will become more vulnearble to drought. The global output of carbon dioxide jumped by the biggest amount on record, the U.S. Department of Energy calculated, a sign of how weak the world's efforts are at slowing man-made global warming where most developed nations are at fault, especially the U.S.  The new data for the 2010 mean levels of greenhouse gases are higher than the worst case scenario talked about by climate experts in 2006.  The carbon output into the atmosphere rose 6% just from 2009 to 2010.  These numbers have scientists across the country urging the public to take action and become aware of this situation before the point of no return. 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gHZzACcYJRo  This is a really cool video I found on youtube that shows land temperatures around the world since 1800. 

November 8th 2011

As of today, Alaska is experiencing one its worst storms on record.  The storm is recorded at traveling 60 mph and is expected to hit the west coast soon with wind gusts of 85 mph.  Dozens of coastal communities are prepared for an emergency evacuation as storm surge is to reach 10 feet.  This storm is considered to be life threatening and shouldn't be seen as anything less.  The west coast of Alaska is to experience blizzard conditions like never before with record snow fall and winds creating poor visibility.  Another worry that people are having is that it's snowing sideways.  The storm represents a perfect mid latitude cyclone although the path of the storm has taken a turn that has not been predicted.

November 2, 2011 "Snow Storms Hammer the Northeast"

On Saturday, October 29, the northeast experienced a snow storm like none other before.  Cities in the New England area accumulated up to 32 inches of snow leaving over 3 million houses (worst in history) without power for days (some were told they'd be without power for up to 10 days), schools have been closed for a week and 23 people are dead so far from slippery roads, trees falling and being electrocuted from downed wires.  This area has been said to still have not recovered from recent flooding from hurricane Irene and after this snow melts the area can expect a lot more flooding.  The severe snow accumulation has battered public transportation, especially train lines, in the northeast forcing people to all drive, resulting in a number of accidents and hour long traffic delays.  Many people have been taking refuge at local community centers to try and stay warm from the cold temperatures and get a nights sleep.  Another major issue is that some town officials are worried that cleanup would stretch already depleted budgets to the breaking point.  Climate experts are saying to expect more and more of these natural disasters, especially more typhoons and severe storms as climate change is really starting to take it's toll.