Flooding in Stanthorpe, Queensland, Australia. Rising waters prompted one government officials to call it 'a disaster of biblical proportions.' (Flickr / Michael Jefferies) Click the image for more photos of the Australian flooding on Examiner.com.
Residents of Australia’s state of Queensland are facing an extraordinary deluge following record-setting rain. In recent weeks an unusually heavy rainy season coupled with Tropical Storm Tasha has affected an area of land bigger than France and Germany combined.
Queensland’s state treasurer Andrew Fraser told media last week, “It is a disaster of biblical proportions.”
NASA satellite measurements of the rainfall indicated from 10 to 16 inches of rain fell within a week. Many rivers have overrun their banks including the Fitzroy River which is sending water into the city of Rockhampton.
Disaster declarations have been made for an area encompassing 366,000 square miles and 41 of Queensland’s 73 municipalities. An estimated 200,000 residents are affected by the floods and tens of thousands have been evacuated.
Government officials said 22 towns were either entirely flooded or isolated by flood waters. At least 10 deaths have been attributed to the flooding and rivers have yet to crest.
Before and after pictures of the northeastern U.S. show the impact of the hurricane-looking storm. (NOAA)
From the southern United States to the mid-Atlantic and New England a major winter storm has had a wide impact in recent days. Some areas of the south recorded their first Christmas snow in decades and as the storm moved further northeast it turned into a major blizzard.
Snow fell as far south as Jacksonville, Florida over the holiday and areas further north recorded moderate snowfall. Huntsville, Alabama saw 6 inches of snow; Raleigh, North Carolina saw 8.5 inches and Gatlinburg, Tennessee recorded 8.0 inches.
Those totals are minimal however to what is being deposited on a large area from New York City to Boston. Central Park has reported 13 inches and Brooklyn 17.5 inches. In New Jersey Atlantic City reported 19.0 inches while Foxboro, Massachusetts has seen 11.5 inches.
Travel across the northeastern U.S. came to a standstill as travel by road, rail and air was impacted. Thousands of flights into and out of the area were canceled as airports in New York and New Jersey shuttered. Airlines at Denver International Airport were impacted by the storm and its ripple effect.
A furor erupted when the National Football League announced it would postpone the game between the Philadelphia Eagles and Minnesota Vikings and move it to Tuesday. The league cited concerns for fan safety however many were quick to point out that it is highly unusual for the NFL to postpone a game based on snow of any amount.
Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell told FOX, “It’s an absolute joke. We’re becoming a nation of wussies.”
Certainly it is hard to see Denver taking similar measures in the face of a snowstorm. 🙂
We have provided complete coverage of the storm on Examiner.com – Please follow the links below for more details:
A new storm in recent days has brought flooding rains to California, Nevada, Arizona and Utah while the higher elevations in those states plus western Colorado see extraordinary snowfall. Over a five day period many areas were finding that even a yard stick isn’t tall enough to record the snow that has fallen.
Thursday brings a slight chance for some precipitation but there will little if any accumulation from it. Those in Denver wanting a white Colorado Christmas will need to head for the hills. Some of the extraordinary snowfall totals recorded over the last few days include:
GOTHIC 82.0
CRESTED BUTTE 6.2 N 77.5
COAL BANK PASS 48.0
RED MOUNTAIN PASS 44.5
MOLAS PASS 41.0
SILVERTHRONE 10 E 32.0
DILLON 9 E 29.0
BRECKENRIDGE 2 W 28.0
WALDEN 16.3 WSW 23.5
COPPER MOUNTAIN 23.0
STEAMBOAT SPRINGS 1 SE 20.2
WOLF CREEK PASS 1 E 18.0
VAIL 2.6 E 14.4
An EF-2 tornado struck the town of Aumsville, Oregon on Tuesday damaging 50 structures. Click the image for a slideshow of the damage from Examiner.com.
Tornadoes are not usually asssociated with Oregon or December and certainly not the two of them together. Tuesday however that rarest of event did occur when an EF-2 tornado packing 110+ mph winds struck the town of Aumsville.
The first report of the tornado was at 11:59am PST when emergency personnel reported spotting the twister. Power was knocked out to thousands and several homes and businesses were damaged or destroyed. Two minor injuries were reported.
The National Weather Service completed their preliminary investigation of the twister and rated the tornado as an EF-2 with winds between 110 and 120 mph. At its maximum the twister was 150 yards wide and carved an intermittent path 5 miles long.
Blue Angels live up to their name - deliver tons of toys to children. Click the image to view a slideshow. (Examiner.com)
Every child should have a toy under the Christmas tree but the sad reality is that there are those that go without. In New Orleans, the city is still recovering from Hurricane Katrina and many children have been forced to grow up all too soon and face the reality of a natural disaster. The U.S. Navy Blue Angels went into action recently to help ensure those kids are not forgotten on Christmas morning.
“Living up to the “angels” part of their name, the U.S. Navy’s flight demonstration team flew their cargo aircraft Fat Albert on a mission of mercy. Partnering with Lockheed Martin, Toys R Us and other corporate sponsors the group’s actions ensure that the children affected by Hurricane Katrina will not be forgotten this Christmas.
“Starting from their home base in Pensacola, the gargantuan C-130 Hercules made stops in Atlanta and Dallas to gather up its precious cargo. The final stop was Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base New Orleans in Belle Chasse, Louisiana on December 2nd.
“Over 1,000 toys weighing in at 169,000 pounds were delivered by the sailors and Marines. “
Our U.S. military performs hundreds of good deeds like this each and every day but many go unnoticed so it is nice to see the U.S. Navy get some recognition. Be sure to read the full story on the Natural Disasters Examiner and click the image above right to view a slideshow of this angelic mission.
Indonesia's Mount Merapi erupted multiple times in the past week even as the nation is recovering from a tsunami. View photos of the eruption in the slideshow below.
One major natural disaster is bad enough but the nation of Indonesia is struggling to recover from two that struck in the past week. A major earthquake caused a tsunami late Monday and Tuesday the nation’s most active volcano erupted.
Off the nation’s western coast, a magnitude 7.7 earthquake triggered a tsunami with 10 foot waves on Monday. Villages on the islands of Pagai and Silabu were destroyed and the death toll from that event stands at more than 400 with nearly 200 still missing.
Evacuations had been issued prior to the first eruption however many ignored the warnings. Further, after the initial blast, many residents returned home only to find themselves in danger from subsequent eruptions.
View the slideshow below for images from the erupting volcano and the aftermath. For complete coverage of the tsunami and volcano -and all forms of natural disasters – please visit the Natural Disasters Examiner.
Merapi, one of Indonesia’s most active volcanoes, lies in one of the world’s most densely populated areas and dominates the landscape immediately north of the major city of Yogyakarta. Merapi is the youngest and southernmost of a volcanic chain extending NNW to Ungaran volcano.
Growth of Old Merapi volcano beginning during the Pleistocene ended with major edifice collapse perhaps about 2000 years ago, leaving a large arcuate scarp cutting the eroded older Batulawang volcano. Subsequently growth of the steep-sided Young Merapi edifice, its upper part unvegetated due to frequent eruptive activity, began SW of the earlier collapse scarp.
Pyroclastic flows and lahars accompanying growth and collapse of the steep-sided active summit lava dome have devastated cultivated lands on the volcano’s western-to-southern flanks and caused many fatalities during historical time. The volcano is the object of extensive monitoring efforts by the Merapi Volcano Observatory.
Hurricane Igor is scene in this view from the International Space Station. See more images in the slideshow below.
A truly rare event is occurring in the Atlantic Ocean where for the first time in 84 years two Category 4 hurricanes are churning at the same time. Yesterday astronaut Douglas Wheelcock snapped stunning images of Hurricane Igor and Hurricane Julia from his perch 220 miles above the Earth aboard the International Space Station.
View the pictures in the slideshow below
Anthony Watts of the popular website Watts Up With That? determined that only three times in the past have two major hurricanes (defined as Category 3 or higher) occurred at the same time.
Given that Igor and Julia are now both Category 4 storms with 135 mph winds, two storms of that strength occurring simultaneously has only happened once – on September 26, 1926.
Of greatest immediate concern is Hurricane Igor. The storm is currently 540 miles east-northeast of St. Martin and appears to be headed for a direct strike on Bermuda sometime Sunday night.
Hurricane Julia is much farther east, approximately 500 miles west of the Cape Verde islands. Julia’s forecast path has her turning to the north and, hopefully, not presenting a danger to land.
The Expedition 24 crew on board the International Space Station includes West Point graduate and Army colonel Douglas Wheelcock. During his time on board the ISS, Wheelcock has captured some astounding images and posted them to Twitter, including photos of Hurricane Earl two weeks ago.
The new images posted today were snapped over the past 24 hours as the ISS passed over the storms. The image of Hurricane Igor is arguably the most impressive as it provides a clear view vertically down into and through the eye of the storm.
The slideshow below from the Natural Disasters Examiner contains the images taken by Colonel Wheelcock as well as images of previous hurricanes taken by International Space Station and Space Shuttle crews and NASA satellites.
Satellite image of Tropical Storm Alex as it prepares to cross the Yucatan Peninsula. (NOAA / Google Earth) Click the image for a complete slideshow of the storm and its forecast path.
The first named storm of the 2010 hurricane season is being watched closely by not only areas at threat from landfall but also those working to clean up the Gulf oil spill. Tropical Storm Alex continued to move to the northwest where it threatens to find warmer water and become a hurricane.
The National Hurricane Center (NHC) places the center of Alex at the current time 75 miles east of Belize City. The storm is packing winds of 45 mph and moving to the west-northwest at 9mph.
On its current path, Alex will reach the coast of Belize and the Yucatan Peninsula late today and move across the peninsula on Sunday. By Sunday night or early Monday morning, it will have transited land and emerge in the Bay of Campeche.
ThorntonWeather.com's chief amateur meteorologist will be on the hunt for tornadoes starting next week. Be sure to follow along!
Severe weather season brings danger and destruction to the Great Plains of the United States. No other place on earth sees as many tornadoes as this region and now ThorntonWeather.com is going to go on the hunt in an attempt to witness Mother Nature’s fury up close and personal.
As we have pointed out before, the owner and operator of ThorntonWeather.com writes weather, disaster and climate news for Examiner.com. This allows Tony to share his passion for the topics and also helps to pay for all the great features ThorntonWeather.com visitors enjoy.
Starting Sunday, May 30th and for the six days following, one Examiner will seek out and attempt to witness and document these events. World famous storm chaser Roger Hill will serve as tour guide and teacher for the Examiner and a group of weather enthusiasts as they hunt the ultimate prize – tornadoes.
An average of over 1,300 tornadoes have struck the United States in each of the last three years claiming more than 200 lives total. These devastating events can strike with little warning and with a fury unseen with any other natural phenomena.
We will be bringing along Examiner and ThorntonWeather.com readers on this great chase. There are no guarantees because as we all know, Mother Nature is far from reliable – six days on the plains could yield little more than rain. However, confidence is high that you will be taken on a virtual ride unlike any other with videos, photos and more from the road.
To keep things simple, ThorntonWeather.com’s chief amateur meteorologist will be primarily posting things to the Storm Chase 2010 Examiner’s home page. To be sure you don’t miss a thing, check the Storm Chase 2010 Examiner’s home page regularly. Be sure to click the “Subscribe” link at the top of the page and you will be emailed whenever a new story is posted.
From Hurricane Andrew to Hurricane Katrina, the names given one of the earth’s most devastating disasters become part of our history and are forever associated with the death and destruction they bring. For the 2010 hurricane season, the names chosen run through 21 letters of the alphabet from Alex to Walter.
During World War II, the practice of naming storms only for women became common practice but in 1951 the United States changed that and began naming them using the phonetic alphabet. By 1953 however the practice of naming them for women returned. In 1979 the current system which includes male and female names was adopted.
Storms get their name when they reach 39 mph (34 knots) and are then officially a tropical storm. In the North Atlantic, the World Meteorological Organization determines what names will be used for a given season on a six year rotating basis with one of 21 letters of the alphabet used in order. The letters Q, U, X, Y, and Z are not used due to the lack of names available using those and the names that are chosen alternate male and female.
Should the situation arise where all 21 names are used during a season, any additional storms are named after the letters of the Greek alphabet (Alpha, Beta, Gamma, etc). Only one time have there been enough storms to exceed the usual 21 names – In 2005 there were 27 named storms.
When a storm has caused extensive damage or death, the World Meteorological Organization can vote to retire a name. There are currently 74 retired names including 2005’s Hurricane Katrina and 1992’s Hurricane Andrew.
More hurricane news from the Natural Disasters Examiner:
