The Dying Earth - 07/18/2015

Hundreds displaced and two dead after floods, landslides in Nepal; one foot of rain in 24 hours

Sott.net,

16 July, 2015

Floods and landslides triggered by heavy rains displaced hundreds of families and caused damage to several road sections across the country on Thursday. Two deaths have been reported so far.

Srijana KC, 11, and Manju Mainali, 12, were swept away by the flooded Rapti stream at Hetauda-11 in Makwanpur on Thursday. The duo had tried to wade across the stream. Their bodies were found 1km downstream.

People in many villages in Kailali and Kanchanpur districts in the Far West and Banke and Bardiya districts in the Mid West moved to safer areas after incessant rains since Wednesday night inundated their settlements.

Flashfloods and inundation have been reported in Kailali, Banke and Bardiya since Thursday morning. In Banke, a downpour since Wednesday night flooded the Babai river which inundated Balapur, Gulariya and Nepalgunj. Fifty families have been displaced.

Around 500 houses in Joshipur, Bauniya and Thapapur VDCs of Kailali were hit by floods in the tributaries of the Karnali river. The local administration alerted vulnerable communities to move while security personnel were deployed to rescue the affected people.

Met officials have warned people in the Tarai especially those in the far-western region and some parts of the mid-western region against floods and landslides.

In a special bulletin on Thursday morning, the Meteorological Forecasting Division said a rain-producing system concentrated in the western Tarai and Siwalik range could bring thundershowers in Kailali, Kanchanpur, Banke and Bardiya districts.

"The active monsoon phenomenon since Wednesday night has brought rains in many places. In particular, river basins originating from the Chure and Mahabharat range are prone to flooding and landslides," said Barun Poudel, a meteorologist.

Floods have been reported also in Myagdi and Kaski districts. Fifty houses were buried while over a dozen are at risk along the Beni-Athunge-Pakhapani road section in Myagdi. Four dozen houses were inundated in Chhorepatan, Pokhara, which received 305.4mm rain in the past 24 hours.

Dhangadhi, Nepalgunj, Bhairahawa and Lumle recorded rains above 100 millimetres until Thursday evening.

A Cape Verde Wave in the Central Atlantic

Weather Underground,

17 July, 2015

The ferocious wind shear associated with El Niño has remained far enough west to give a tropical wave in the central Atlantic at least a slender chance of development. Invest 93L was located near 10.7°N and 38.4°W at 8:00 am EDT Friday, moving west at about 18 mph. Peak winds are close to 30 mph, with disorganized showers and thunderstorms evident on satellite imagery within a fairly large envelope of moisture. 93L has formed a bit early for systems in the Cape Verde region, which typically peaks in production during August and September. An upper-level anticyclone over 93L has resulted in low wind shear of 5 - 10 knots immediately over the circulation. Water temperatures are slightly below average across the deep tropical North Atlantic, but at around 26 - 27°C (79° - 81°F), they are just warm enough to support development along the track of 93L. Track models generally take 93L toward the northern Leeward Islands over the weekend before projecting a gradual recurvature. Statistical models bring AL93 up to minimal tropical storm strength, but the dynamical models most reliable for predicting tropical genesis are failing to develop AL93 substantially. 

Any embryonic system will soon ingest drier air toward the west, not to mention struggling against powerful wind shear that now tops 50 knots around the Leeward Islands. NHC gives the system 10 percent chance of tropical cyclone development in the next 48 hours and a 20 percent chance in the next five days. Given the currently favorable upper-level conditions and marginally warm water, I would give 93L a modest chance of becoming a minimal-strength named storm for a day or two.

Figure 1. An infrared satellite image from GOES-East of Invest 93L, taken at 1515 GMT (11:15 am EST) on Friday, July 17. Image credit: NOAA/NESDIS.
Pacific tropics calming down after a hectic few days

Tropical action in the hyperactive 2015 Pacific season looks set to take something of a breather over the next several days. Former Typhoon Nangka is now a weak tropical storm in the Sea of Japan after having swept over the Japanese islands of Shikoku and western Honshu. At least two deaths and 32 injuries have been reported. The nation’s rail lines and air traffic were seriously disrupted by Nangka, which came ashore as a minimal Category 1 typhoon around 11:00 am local time on Thursday. The remnants of Nangka are projected to arc eastward close to the north end of Japan’s Honshu island this weekend. To the southeast, Tropical Storm Halola is still fighting moderate to strong wind shear, but it should enter a more favorable environment over the next couple of days and gradually intensify to typhoon status. Halola could take a swipe at Japan next week before recurving.

Figure 2. Waves crash against the coast of Katsurahama on the island of Shikoku, western Japan, during the approach of Typhoon Nangka on July 16, 2015. Image credit: Kyodo News via AP.

Figure 3. A channel of upper-level moisture extended from Tropical Storm Dolores into Arizona and New Mexico on Friday morning. Image credit: Stu Ostro, The Weather Channel.
In the Northeast Pacific, Tropical Storm Doloresweakened below hurricane strength overnight, with colder waters and greater wind shear lying in wait on its northwestward path. The National Hurricane Center expects Dolores to weaken further over the next several days. Moisture associated with Dolores will continue to mix with monsoonal moisture moving toward the southwest U.S., bringing a threat of heavy showers and thunderstorms to Arizona on Friday and Saturday and a rare chance of July sprinkles over the Los Angeles area. Flash flood watches are in effect for much of Arizona and far southeast California. The remnant circulation of Dolores itself is predicted to stall early next week several hundred miles southwest of Los Angeles, but slugs of moisture from Dolores and the larger monsoonal pattern may get drawn as far north as central California, perhaps bringing an enhanced chance of thunderstorms there. Farther out to sea, weak Tropical Storm Enrique continue to spin harmlessly, while NHC is giving a tropical wave south of Mexico a 30 percent chance of development between Sunday and Wednesday.
I’ll have a post later today on the 2015 State of the Climate release, and a special report this weekend on progress in severe weather modeling and prediction. Jeff Masters and I will both be back on board next week.

Bob Henson

Tri-State dealing with extreme heat

Exreme heat is keeping emergency medical experts busy this weekend. Portions of the Tri-State are under a heat advisory Saturday and Sunday because of the intense heat and humidity. Paul Brown Stadium took extra steps to have emergency personnel on hand Saturday as tens of thousands packed the house for a Luke Bryan concert. The Reds are also trying to accommodate fans with "cool rooms" and misting stations (sections 106, 130, 517 and under the PNC Power Stacks). There is free sunscreen available at first aid stations throughout Great American Ball Park, as well. Tri-Health Good Samaritan Hospital emergency room physician Tim Dake says this is the first time this summer the hospital has been inundated with heat-related medical cases since it's been so rainy. Dake says keeping hydrated even when you're not thirsty is key when it's this hot outside. He says most heat-related health cases they see are minor, but heat stroke is something you shouldn't take lightly. "When you get to that end of the spectrum you actually don't make any sweat because you're so dehydrated and [there is a ] loss of fluid issue, so that is a concern when you actually stop sweating," says Dake. If you're in a need of resources to help you cool off, St. Vincent DePaul leaders say they're out of air conditioner units but they're collecting fans for their next distribution which is scheduled for July 29

Preparing cities for a changing climate – before it’s too late

Rising sea levels, epic droughts, massive flooding: the effects of climate change are already here. How do we adapt? From the Netherlands to Manhattan’s Lower East Side, Alex Bozikovic explores the cutting-edge engineering – and cultural shifts – that could help

The Freakish Year in Broken Climate Records

The annual State of the Climate report is out, and it’s ugly. Record heat, record sea levels, more hot days and fewer cool nights, surging cyclones, unprecedented pollution, and rapidly diminishing glaciers.

The U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) issues a report each year compiling the latest data gathered by 413 scientists from around the world. It’s 288 pages, but we’ll save you some time. Here’s a review, in six charts, of some of the climate highlights from 2014

Australia: Scientists warn of bad outlook for future ski seasons as climate change affects snowfall

Recent snowfalls at ski fields in the New South Wales Snowy Mountains may have been good news for holidaymakers, but studies have shown there might be disappointment ahead for snow lovers in the long term.

Shrinking Colorado River is a growing concern for Yuma farmers — and millions of water users

DAVID MCNEW/AP

In drought-ridden California, more drinking from 'toilet-to-tap'

Scotland: Floods after heavy downpour bring chaos

Gabriella Bennett

Scotland was lashed by flash floods and torrential rain yesterday, and there have been warnings that more severe weather is on the way.

Heavy downpours caused chaos in Perthshire with homes evacuated and hundreds of people left without power. Fire crews helped people from homes, businesses and cars in the town of Alyth after water several feet deep flowed down road.

California Inferno: Huge fire sweeps over freeway, people run for their lives

People ran for their lives as a huge forest fire swept over a freeway packed with vehicles, in California's Cajon Pass, Friday. The wildfire had been spreading across drought-stricken San Bernardino County since Friday morning and had already charred a large area of the surrounding foothills before reaching the freeway

NZ: More storms on way, then calm

An icy southern blast has caused road closures and treacherous driving conditions around the country this morning, following yesterday's storm which left many without power.

MetService said a strong, cold southwest flow over New Zealand was bringing showers to southern parts of the North and South Islands, and the North Island north of Huntly, with snow down to 400 metres.

Video

Gallery

Weather bomb hits Auckland

Today’s temperatures

This might be North Pole, Alaska, but never mind - still within the polar circle, I think.

The closest I could get for temperatures at the North Pole was Alert, Nanavut in Canada.

The temperature is 7 degrees Centigrade (45 degrees Fahrenheit) – still warmer than Melbourne, Australia!!



July 19, 2015 weather report for
ALERT, NUNAVUT, CANADA

Weather report as of 1981 minutes ago (19:00 UTC):
The wind was blowing at a speed of 1.0 meters per second (2.3 miles per hour) from North in Alert, Canada. The temperature was 7 degrees Celsius (45 degrees Fahrenheit). Air pressure was 1,026 hPa (30.30 inHg). Relative humidity was 75.6%. There were a few clouds at a height of 6096 meters (20000 feet). The visibility was 24.1 kilometers (15.0 miles). Current weather is . 

http://www.athropolis.com/map2.htm