Tuesday, March 18, 2008 -
A THOUGHT FOR THE DAY -
In the kingdom of hope there is no winter.
Russian proverb
In the kingdom of hope there is no winter.
Russian proverb
QUAKES -
World map of the quakes in the past 7 days.
Quake list.
Largest quakes yesterday -
3/17/08 -
5.0 NEAR EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
TROPICAL STORMS -
Map.
Projected storm paths .
No current tropical cyclones.
HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING / LANDSLIDES / UNUSUAL & OUT-OF-SEASON WEATHER -
INDIA - At least six persons were killed and eight injured when a huge rock rolled down from the Nehru Kund hill on the Manali-Rohtang highway Monday evening. The death toll could be higher as the debris brought down by the slide was spread over a large area. The slide buried about 500 m stretch of the road along with a dozen improvised shops (khokas), one temple and four houses. Some vehicles, including car and motorcycles were also feared to have been buried. According to eyewitnesses, the hillock came down with thunder, which rattled the doors and windows of buildings located far away. Initially, some boulders rolled down, which served as a warning to shopkeepers and tourists who ran away from the spot towards the river to safety. The famous Nehru Kund water spring was buried along with the temple. Some tourists might also have been buried under the debris. Hundreds of vehicles, mostly of the tourists who were away towards Rohtang for sight seeing, were stranded as the landslide blocked the road. (photos)
GEORGIA - While the path of destruction left by Friday's historic downtown tornado was bad enough, Atlanta could have suffered much worse damage if the tornado had been as large as the one that struck rural Polk, Floyd and Bartow counties a day later. That twister, which touched down at 12:25 p.m. Saturday near the Polk-Floyd county line, was nearly 5 times wider and stayed on the ground almost three times as long as the twister that hit Atlanta. Friday night's tornado � the first to hit the heart of Atlanta since record-keeping began in the 1800s � was 200 yards wide, with strongest winds reaching 135 mph. The tornado was on the ground for about six miles. Saturday's tornado, spawned by a fresh line of storms that raked North Georgia for most of the day, had winds of up to 150 mph, was up to a half-mile wide and was on the ground for 16 miles. Even though the storm's path cut through a mostly rural area, "at least 20 homes were destroyed and hundreds of structures were damaged. Thousands of trees were downed."
INDIA - At least six persons were killed and eight injured when a huge rock rolled down from the Nehru Kund hill on the Manali-Rohtang highway Monday evening. The death toll could be higher as the debris brought down by the slide was spread over a large area. The slide buried about 500 m stretch of the road along with a dozen improvised shops (khokas), one temple and four houses. Some vehicles, including car and motorcycles were also feared to have been buried. According to eyewitnesses, the hillock came down with thunder, which rattled the doors and windows of buildings located far away. Initially, some boulders rolled down, which served as a warning to shopkeepers and tourists who ran away from the spot towards the river to safety. The famous Nehru Kund water spring was buried along with the temple. Some tourists might also have been buried under the debris. Hundreds of vehicles, mostly of the tourists who were away towards Rohtang for sight seeing, were stranded as the landslide blocked the road. (photos)
GEORGIA - While the path of destruction left by Friday's historic downtown tornado was bad enough, Atlanta could have suffered much worse damage if the tornado had been as large as the one that struck rural Polk, Floyd and Bartow counties a day later. That twister, which touched down at 12:25 p.m. Saturday near the Polk-Floyd county line, was nearly 5 times wider and stayed on the ground almost three times as long as the twister that hit Atlanta. Friday night's tornado � the first to hit the heart of Atlanta since record-keeping began in the 1800s � was 200 yards wide, with strongest winds reaching 135 mph. The tornado was on the ground for about six miles. Saturday's tornado, spawned by a fresh line of storms that raked North Georgia for most of the day, had winds of up to 150 mph, was up to a half-mile wide and was on the ground for 16 miles. Even though the storm's path cut through a mostly rural area, "at least 20 homes were destroyed and hundreds of structures were damaged. Thousands of trees were downed."
EXTREME HEAT / WILDFIRES / DROUGHT / CLIMATE CHANGE-
"Indigenous people have a lot of techniques to adapting to climate change that we can learn from." These are strategies including crop diversification in order to minimise the risk of harvest failure, or change in food storage methods including drying or smoking foods according to climate variability. However, these populations are also the most vulnerable to climate change, and are seeing effects of climatic changes rendering unreliable the knowledge they have accumulated about the world.
AUSTRALIA - The record-breaking heatwave across south-eastern Australia is predicted to ease today, but farmers are already counting the cost in the millions of dollars. Temperatures in Adelaide hit 40.5 degrees yesterday, the 15th straight day they have soared above 35 degrees. The heat has had a devastating effect on South Australia's farming sector and raised serious doubts about the sustainability of irrigation in the lower Murray River. Apple and pear growers have suffered severe damage from heat and wind. "Most crops, like soft vegetables, can tolerate three or four days of extreme temperatures, but that's about the limit." The situation is at its most severe in the final reaches of the Murray River, including Lake Alexandrina, where water levels are so low even farmers with irrigation rights are finding their pumps left high and dry. Wine grape yields have fallen by half or more in just a week. Melbourne has a chance to break the 68-year-old record for its hottest March. The city is averaging 30.7 degrees for the month, and the record is 28.9 degrees. "It's a tough record to break, and the fact that we're in a position to possibly break it is an indication of an exceptional month."
Adelaide's 15-day heatwave was A ONCE IN 3,000 YEAR OCCURRENCE, an atmospheric scientist says. "The odds are about the same as tossing 12 coins and getting all heads or all tails." "This heat wave is close to being off the scale." Nuriootpa, in the Barossa Valley, recorded 13 days over 35 degrees - a ONE IN 1,000 YEAR EVENT, while Loxton in the state's Riverland had 15 days over 35 degrees which was a ONE IN 200 YEAR EVENT. Adelaide's 15-day heatwave surpassed the previous capital city heatwave record of Perth, which experienced 10 days over 35 degrees in February 1988. The all-time national heatwave record was set in Marble Bar in northern Western Australia, which had 160 consecutive days at or above 37.8 degrees celsius (or 100 degrees fahrenheit) in the summer of 1923-24.
HEAT WAVE RECORDS HAVE BEEN BROKEN across Eyre Peninsula this month, in the HOTTEST MARCH ON RECORD. Adelaide's 15-day heatwave was A ONCE IN 3,000 YEAR OCCURRENCE, an atmospheric scientist says. "The odds are about the same as tossing 12 coins and getting all heads or all tails." "This heat wave is close to being off the scale." Nuriootpa, in the Barossa Valley, recorded 13 days over 35 degrees - a ONE IN 1,000 YEAR EVENT, while Loxton in the state's Riverland had 15 days over 35 degrees which was a ONE IN 200 YEAR EVENT. Adelaide's 15-day heatwave surpassed the previous capital city heatwave record of Perth, which experienced 10 days over 35 degrees in February 1988. The all-time national heatwave record was set in Marble Bar in northern Western Australia, which had 160 consecutive days at or above 37.8 degrees celsius (or 100 degrees fahrenheit) in the summer of 1923-24.
HEALTH THREATS -
Global Bird Flu Breaking News - updated every 10 minutes.
No comments:
Post a Comment