A nice image of TS "Krovanh" over Japan, and the amazing smoke plume over much of western Canada. - HLG
Monday, August 31, 2009
TS "Krovanh" and Oh Canada!
A nice image of TS "Krovanh" over Japan, and the amazing smoke plume over much of western Canada. - HLG
TD "6"/TS "Erika" Situation Getting Very Strange
There will have to be watches, at least, for parts of the Windward Islands by later today, and we still don't have a call on TD "6"/TS "Erika"? Wassup? - HLG
Sunday, August 30, 2009
Nasty "little" hurricane
Hurricane "Jimena" is a small area storm, but packing quite a wallop at Cat 4. - HLG
TD or NOT TD?
Sure looks like one from the Quikscat winds, and the visible/IR imagery.
What gives NHC? - HLG
Friday, August 28, 2009
Bill Gates Still Plans to "Stop
Can Bill Gates stop hurricanes? Scientists doubt itStory Highlights
Hurricane experts doubt feasibility of Bill Gates-backed weather-control idea
By Ayesha Tejpar
CNN
(CNN) -- Hurricane experts are throwing cold water on an idea backed by billionaire Microsoft founder Bill Gates aimed at controlling the weather.
Bill Gates and scientists have applied for patents aimed at reducing the strength of oncoming hurricanes.
It's a noble idea, given the horrible memories from Hurricane Katrina, which slammed into the Gulf Coast four years ago this week.
The storm, which rated a frightening Category 3 when it made landfall in Louisiana, was blamed for $81 billion in damaged and destroyed property and the deaths of more than 1,800 men, women and children.
Skeptics applaud the motive of the concept but question its feasibility.
"The enormity of it, in order to do something effective, we'd have to do something at a scale that humans have never really done before," said Gabriel Vecchi, a research scientist with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
How exactly would this hurricane-zapping technology work?
According to the patents, many tub-like barges would be placed directly in the path of an oncoming storm. Each barge would have two conduits, each 500 feet long.
One conduit would push the warm water from the ocean's surface down. The other would bring up cold water where it lies deep undersea.
World reknowned hurricane expert William Gray, who's been studying and predicting the storms for a half-century, also doubts whether the proposal would work.
"The problem is the storms come up so rapidly," said Gray, a professor of atmospheric science at Colorado State University. "You only get two to three days warning. It's very difficult to bring up enough cold water in two to three days to have much effect."
The idea itself isn't groundbreaking, according to Gray, who said it could only be feasible if the barges were put into place at the beginning of hurricane season with the idea that storms will come.
"But you might do all that, and perhaps no storms would come. That's an economic problem," Gray said.
Even if the technology does work, Gray said it won't completely halt a hurricane.
"There is no way to stop it. The storm might weaken in the center, but the outer areas wouldn't be affected much."
And flooding and storm surges are determined by these outer winds, Gray said.
When word of Gates' five patent applications first made headlines in July, alarmed bloggers lit up the Internet, expressing fears that playing with ocean temperatures could lead to catastrophe, possibly forcing a storm in a different direction.
That's not likely, said Kerry Emanuel, a professor in atmospheric sciences at Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
"You're doing something to the ocean that the hurricane would have done anyway," Emanuel said.
Cold water that churns up during a storm slows down a hurricane naturally. But the coldest water is usually at the rear of the storm, so sometimes it's too late to weaken [the storm], Emanuel said.
"The key is doing it a little sooner than the storm itself does it and make [the hurricane] weaker than it would have been," he said. "There are enough experiments to find out whether hurricanes' natural cooling could steer the storm in a different location, and the answer is no, or it's a very small chance."
While Emanuel believes the physics are conceivable, he says the cost of implementing the system shouldn't outweigh the benefit.
"This would only be practical if the amount [of money] you spend doing this would be less than the damage caused by the hurricane," Emanuel said.
Gates and scientist Ken Caldeira, both listed as inventors on the patents, did not respond to CNN's requests to comment about their venture.
The patents, which were only made public last month by the U.S. Patent and Trade Office, were filed in January by Searete LLC. The company is a subsidiary of Intellectual Ventures, an invention firm run by Microsoft's former chief technology officer Nathan Myhrvold.
A spokeswoman for Intellectual Ventures, which holds about 27,000 technology patents, didn't elaborate on the cost associated with the patent.
"At this point, there are no plans for deployment, so there is no talk of funding," she said, adding that it could take up to 18 months for the patent application to be approved.
Regardless, inventors say that this technology is not something they'll be rushing to use anytime soon.
"This type of technology is not something humankind would use as a 'Plan A' or 'Plan B,'" Paul "Pablos" Holman, an inventor in the Intellectual Ventures laboratory, wrote on the company blog.
"These inventions are a 'Plan C,' where humans decide that we've exhausted all our behavior changing and alternative energy options and need to rely on mitigation technologies. If our planet is in this severe situation, then our belief is that we should not be starting from scratch at investigating mitigation options."
Hurricane expert Gray agrees.
"I don't think this is anything that's going to be done in the next few decades in a practical sense, but maybe further down the line," Gray said. "I would love to see Bill Gates, with all his money, use some of it to experiment."
Hurricane experts doubt feasibility of Bill Gates-backed weather-control idea
By Ayesha Tejpar
CNN
(CNN) -- Hurricane experts are throwing cold water on an idea backed by billionaire Microsoft founder Bill Gates aimed at controlling the weather.
Bill Gates and scientists have applied for patents aimed at reducing the strength of oncoming hurricanes.
It's a noble idea, given the horrible memories from Hurricane Katrina, which slammed into the Gulf Coast four years ago this week.
The storm, which rated a frightening Category 3 when it made landfall in Louisiana, was blamed for $81 billion in damaged and destroyed property and the deaths of more than 1,800 men, women and children.
Skeptics applaud the motive of the concept but question its feasibility.
"The enormity of it, in order to do something effective, we'd have to do something at a scale that humans have never really done before," said Gabriel Vecchi, a research scientist with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
How exactly would this hurricane-zapping technology work?
According to the patents, many tub-like barges would be placed directly in the path of an oncoming storm. Each barge would have two conduits, each 500 feet long.
One conduit would push the warm water from the ocean's surface down. The other would bring up cold water where it lies deep undersea.
World reknowned hurricane expert William Gray, who's been studying and predicting the storms for a half-century, also doubts whether the proposal would work.
"The problem is the storms come up so rapidly," said Gray, a professor of atmospheric science at Colorado State University. "You only get two to three days warning. It's very difficult to bring up enough cold water in two to three days to have much effect."
The idea itself isn't groundbreaking, according to Gray, who said it could only be feasible if the barges were put into place at the beginning of hurricane season with the idea that storms will come.
"But you might do all that, and perhaps no storms would come. That's an economic problem," Gray said.
Even if the technology does work, Gray said it won't completely halt a hurricane.
"There is no way to stop it. The storm might weaken in the center, but the outer areas wouldn't be affected much."
And flooding and storm surges are determined by these outer winds, Gray said.
When word of Gates' five patent applications first made headlines in July, alarmed bloggers lit up the Internet, expressing fears that playing with ocean temperatures could lead to catastrophe, possibly forcing a storm in a different direction.
That's not likely, said Kerry Emanuel, a professor in atmospheric sciences at Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
"You're doing something to the ocean that the hurricane would have done anyway," Emanuel said.
Cold water that churns up during a storm slows down a hurricane naturally. But the coldest water is usually at the rear of the storm, so sometimes it's too late to weaken [the storm], Emanuel said.
"The key is doing it a little sooner than the storm itself does it and make [the hurricane] weaker than it would have been," he said. "There are enough experiments to find out whether hurricanes' natural cooling could steer the storm in a different location, and the answer is no, or it's a very small chance."
While Emanuel believes the physics are conceivable, he says the cost of implementing the system shouldn't outweigh the benefit.
"This would only be practical if the amount [of money] you spend doing this would be less than the damage caused by the hurricane," Emanuel said.
Gates and scientist Ken Caldeira, both listed as inventors on the patents, did not respond to CNN's requests to comment about their venture.
The patents, which were only made public last month by the U.S. Patent and Trade Office, were filed in January by Searete LLC. The company is a subsidiary of Intellectual Ventures, an invention firm run by Microsoft's former chief technology officer Nathan Myhrvold.
A spokeswoman for Intellectual Ventures, which holds about 27,000 technology patents, didn't elaborate on the cost associated with the patent.
"At this point, there are no plans for deployment, so there is no talk of funding," she said, adding that it could take up to 18 months for the patent application to be approved.
Regardless, inventors say that this technology is not something they'll be rushing to use anytime soon.
"This type of technology is not something humankind would use as a 'Plan A' or 'Plan B,'" Paul "Pablos" Holman, an inventor in the Intellectual Ventures laboratory, wrote on the company blog.
"These inventions are a 'Plan C,' where humans decide that we've exhausted all our behavior changing and alternative energy options and need to rely on mitigation technologies. If our planet is in this severe situation, then our belief is that we should not be starting from scratch at investigating mitigation options."
Hurricane expert Gray agrees.
"I don't think this is anything that's going to be done in the next few decades in a practical sense, but maybe further down the line," Gray said. "I would love to see Bill Gates, with all his money, use some of it to experiment."
Bill Gates Still Plans to "Stop
Can Bill Gates stop hurricanes? Scientists doubt itStory Highlights
Hurricane experts doubt feasibility of Bill Gates-backed weather-control idea
By Ayesha Tejpar
CNN
(CNN) -- Hurricane experts are throwing cold water on an idea backed by billionaire Microsoft founder Bill Gates aimed at controlling the weather.
Bill Gates and scientists have applied for patents aimed at reducing the strength of oncoming hurricanes.
It's a noble idea, given the horrible memories from Hurricane Katrina, which slammed into the Gulf Coast four years ago this week.
The storm, which rated a frightening Category 3 when it made landfall in Louisiana, was blamed for $81 billion in damaged and destroyed property and the deaths of more than 1,800 men, women and children.
Skeptics applaud the motive of the concept but question its feasibility.
"The enormity of it, in order to do something effective, we'd have to do something at a scale that humans have never really done before," said Gabriel Vecchi, a research scientist with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
How exactly would this hurricane-zapping technology work?
According to the patents, many tub-like barges would be placed directly in the path of an oncoming storm. Each barge would have two conduits, each 500 feet long.
One conduit would push the warm water from the ocean's surface down. The other would bring up cold water where it lies deep undersea.
World reknowned hurricane expert William Gray, who's been studying and predicting the storms for a half-century, also doubts whether the proposal would work.
"The problem is the storms come up so rapidly," said Gray, a professor of atmospheric science at Colorado State University. "You only get two to three days warning. It's very difficult to bring up enough cold water in two to three days to have much effect."
The idea itself isn't groundbreaking, according to Gray, who said it could only be feasible if the barges were put into place at the beginning of hurricane season with the idea that storms will come.
"But you might do all that, and perhaps no storms would come. That's an economic problem," Gray said.
Even if the technology does work, Gray said it won't completely halt a hurricane.
"There is no way to stop it. The storm might weaken in the center, but the outer areas wouldn't be affected much."
And flooding and storm surges are determined by these outer winds, Gray said.
When word of Gates' five patent applications first made headlines in July, alarmed bloggers lit up the Internet, expressing fears that playing with ocean temperatures could lead to catastrophe, possibly forcing a storm in a different direction.
That's not likely, said Kerry Emanuel, a professor in atmospheric sciences at Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
"You're doing something to the ocean that the hurricane would have done anyway," Emanuel said.
Cold water that churns up during a storm slows down a hurricane naturally. But the coldest water is usually at the rear of the storm, so sometimes it's too late to weaken [the storm], Emanuel said.
"The key is doing it a little sooner than the storm itself does it and make [the hurricane] weaker than it would have been," he said. "There are enough experiments to find out whether hurricanes' natural cooling could steer the storm in a different location, and the answer is no, or it's a very small chance."
While Emanuel believes the physics are conceivable, he says the cost of implementing the system shouldn't outweigh the benefit.
"This would only be practical if the amount [of money] you spend doing this would be less than the damage caused by the hurricane," Emanuel said.
Gates and scientist Ken Caldeira, both listed as inventors on the patents, did not respond to CNN's requests to comment about their venture.
The patents, which were only made public last month by the U.S. Patent and Trade Office, were filed in January by Searete LLC. The company is a subsidiary of Intellectual Ventures, an invention firm run by Microsoft's former chief technology officer Nathan Myhrvold.
A spokeswoman for Intellectual Ventures, which holds about 27,000 technology patents, didn't elaborate on the cost associated with the patent.
"At this point, there are no plans for deployment, so there is no talk of funding," she said, adding that it could take up to 18 months for the patent application to be approved.
Regardless, inventors say that this technology is not something they'll be rushing to use anytime soon.
"This type of technology is not something humankind would use as a 'Plan A' or 'Plan B,'" Paul "Pablos" Holman, an inventor in the Intellectual Ventures laboratory, wrote on the company blog.
"These inventions are a 'Plan C,' where humans decide that we've exhausted all our behavior changing and alternative energy options and need to rely on mitigation technologies. If our planet is in this severe situation, then our belief is that we should not be starting from scratch at investigating mitigation options."
Hurricane expert Gray agrees.
"I don't think this is anything that's going to be done in the next few decades in a practical sense, but maybe further down the line," Gray said. "I would love to see Bill Gates, with all his money, use some of it to experiment."
Hurricane experts doubt feasibility of Bill Gates-backed weather-control idea
By Ayesha Tejpar
CNN
(CNN) -- Hurricane experts are throwing cold water on an idea backed by billionaire Microsoft founder Bill Gates aimed at controlling the weather.
Bill Gates and scientists have applied for patents aimed at reducing the strength of oncoming hurricanes.
It's a noble idea, given the horrible memories from Hurricane Katrina, which slammed into the Gulf Coast four years ago this week.
The storm, which rated a frightening Category 3 when it made landfall in Louisiana, was blamed for $81 billion in damaged and destroyed property and the deaths of more than 1,800 men, women and children.
Skeptics applaud the motive of the concept but question its feasibility.
"The enormity of it, in order to do something effective, we'd have to do something at a scale that humans have never really done before," said Gabriel Vecchi, a research scientist with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
How exactly would this hurricane-zapping technology work?
According to the patents, many tub-like barges would be placed directly in the path of an oncoming storm. Each barge would have two conduits, each 500 feet long.
One conduit would push the warm water from the ocean's surface down. The other would bring up cold water where it lies deep undersea.
World reknowned hurricane expert William Gray, who's been studying and predicting the storms for a half-century, also doubts whether the proposal would work.
"The problem is the storms come up so rapidly," said Gray, a professor of atmospheric science at Colorado State University. "You only get two to three days warning. It's very difficult to bring up enough cold water in two to three days to have much effect."
The idea itself isn't groundbreaking, according to Gray, who said it could only be feasible if the barges were put into place at the beginning of hurricane season with the idea that storms will come.
"But you might do all that, and perhaps no storms would come. That's an economic problem," Gray said.
Even if the technology does work, Gray said it won't completely halt a hurricane.
"There is no way to stop it. The storm might weaken in the center, but the outer areas wouldn't be affected much."
And flooding and storm surges are determined by these outer winds, Gray said.
When word of Gates' five patent applications first made headlines in July, alarmed bloggers lit up the Internet, expressing fears that playing with ocean temperatures could lead to catastrophe, possibly forcing a storm in a different direction.
That's not likely, said Kerry Emanuel, a professor in atmospheric sciences at Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
"You're doing something to the ocean that the hurricane would have done anyway," Emanuel said.
Cold water that churns up during a storm slows down a hurricane naturally. But the coldest water is usually at the rear of the storm, so sometimes it's too late to weaken [the storm], Emanuel said.
"The key is doing it a little sooner than the storm itself does it and make [the hurricane] weaker than it would have been," he said. "There are enough experiments to find out whether hurricanes' natural cooling could steer the storm in a different location, and the answer is no, or it's a very small chance."
While Emanuel believes the physics are conceivable, he says the cost of implementing the system shouldn't outweigh the benefit.
"This would only be practical if the amount [of money] you spend doing this would be less than the damage caused by the hurricane," Emanuel said.
Gates and scientist Ken Caldeira, both listed as inventors on the patents, did not respond to CNN's requests to comment about their venture.
The patents, which were only made public last month by the U.S. Patent and Trade Office, were filed in January by Searete LLC. The company is a subsidiary of Intellectual Ventures, an invention firm run by Microsoft's former chief technology officer Nathan Myhrvold.
A spokeswoman for Intellectual Ventures, which holds about 27,000 technology patents, didn't elaborate on the cost associated with the patent.
"At this point, there are no plans for deployment, so there is no talk of funding," she said, adding that it could take up to 18 months for the patent application to be approved.
Regardless, inventors say that this technology is not something they'll be rushing to use anytime soon.
"This type of technology is not something humankind would use as a 'Plan A' or 'Plan B,'" Paul "Pablos" Holman, an inventor in the Intellectual Ventures laboratory, wrote on the company blog.
"These inventions are a 'Plan C,' where humans decide that we've exhausted all our behavior changing and alternative energy options and need to rely on mitigation technologies. If our planet is in this severe situation, then our belief is that we should not be starting from scratch at investigating mitigation options."
Hurricane expert Gray agrees.
"I don't think this is anything that's going to be done in the next few decades in a practical sense, but maybe further down the line," Gray said. "I would love to see Bill Gates, with all his money, use some of it to experiment."
Thursday, August 27, 2009
TD "5" or "6"?
I can't remember the rule when you skip one. Is this "5" or "6", but actually neither yet, since they can't get a plane out there. Maybe they should start flying drones? - HLG
"Danny" and MCSSTs
Putting the current track of "Danny"; forecast at 11 AM on 27 Aug, 2009, on top of the latest NAVOCEANO MCSSTs shows that the storm is over very energetic waters. You can clearly see the thermal scar from "Bill" well to the east of "Danny". So, if the upper level winds become favorable soon, this one could strengthen rapidly, and Cat 1 may be the most optimistic strength. - HLG
Split Jet Confusing "DANNYBOY"?
Looking at the WV channel it looks to me that there is a persistant split in the jet ahead of "DannyBoy". Is this causing problems with the model forecast? Modelers?
Also, it appears the president's vacation may be cut short if they track holds, becuase Martha's Vineyard would be in hurricane force winds. Money flying everywhere! - HLG
Also, it appears the president's vacation may be cut short if they track holds, becuase Martha's Vineyard would be in hurricane force winds. Money flying everywhere! - HLG
Long Island and Danny
I must say, the Canadian Model does come up with some interesting scenarios. This one - a Cat 3 over Long Island. Hmmmm..... - BB
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Zero to TS in One Advisory. Again!
They finally grew some stones and called "Danny" for what it is. Does this mean the next TD will be "5", since we skipped "5" all together? Looks like a wet weekend, at least, along the Mid-Atlantic Kingdom. - HLG
WEATHER CHANNEL ROCKS!
Weather Time with Al - excellent idea and really funny!!!
Abrams and Bettis in the morning - thank god we have real weather in the a.m. I think Al Roker should join the team!
... and now... NBC/Universal gives us the next awesome WxCh idea:
http://www.theweatherchannelmusic.com/
Yes - you can download all the great Weather Channel hits and check out your fav WxCh personality's playlist.
My fav is Cantore. This is his Q&A listed on the WxCh:
**************************************************************
What would you like to know about Jim Cantore?
Q: When you are not at work, what do you enjoy doing?
A: I love to plant things and be active outdoors with competitive sports or leisurely golf or hiking.
Q: What are your favorite vacation spots?
A: Love the ski resorts out west. Haven't taken the dream trip to Italy yet but if I do I may never come back.
Q: What is one fact people may be surprised to know about you?
A: I like country music.
Q: Have you ever seen or experienced a tornado? If so, tell us about it.
A: Yes first one in Harper county KS. It would have been very destructive had it hit a town but this one spun peacefully in a wheat field and even at 3 miles away you couldn't even hear it.
Q: What fascinates you most about the weather?
A: It's NEVER the same.
**********************************************************************
BB
Abrams and Bettis in the morning - thank god we have real weather in the a.m. I think Al Roker should join the team!
... and now... NBC/Universal gives us the next awesome WxCh idea:
http://www.theweatherchannelmusic.com/
Yes - you can download all the great Weather Channel hits and check out your fav WxCh personality's playlist.
My fav is Cantore. This is his Q&A listed on the WxCh:
**************************************************************
What would you like to know about Jim Cantore?
Q: When you are not at work, what do you enjoy doing?
A: I love to plant things and be active outdoors with competitive sports or leisurely golf or hiking.
Q: What are your favorite vacation spots?
A: Love the ski resorts out west. Haven't taken the dream trip to Italy yet but if I do I may never come back.
Q: What is one fact people may be surprised to know about you?
A: I like country music.
Q: Have you ever seen or experienced a tornado? If so, tell us about it.
A: Yes first one in Harper county KS. It would have been very destructive had it hit a town but this one spun peacefully in a wheat field and even at 3 miles away you couldn't even hear it.
Q: What fascinates you most about the weather?
A: It's NEVER the same.
**********************************************************************
BB
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
HUGO REDUX?
Too early to tell - but the Canadian Model (which loves to spin up wacky storms) shows a path similar to Hurricane Hugo. I'm agreeing with the GFS at the moment.
HLG - Love the Cloudsat cross-sections. So many papers can be written from that data.
BB
UKMET Takes TD5_DannyBoy Up the Chesapeake
Now I am worried. I respect the UKMET model a lot, and the last run published shows the storm coming right up the Bay. Something we haven't seen since Isabel, so it could be very interesting if it develops this way.
Also, saw two very interesting images of "Bill", which show a visible image, with a cross-section right down the center. The profile corresponsd to the new "Cloudsat" image showing the detailed cloud structure of a large unravelling hurricane. - HLG
Typhoon "Vamco" With Same Scat Visualization Technique
HLG approved visualization format! Recommended for the full FWSAAB thumbs up.
TS "Hilda" from Quikscat
Very nice image of TS "Hilda" from NASA, taking Quikscat wind values, creating a raster background form the intensities, but leaving the wind-flags so show the flow direction. The white flags are "rain contaminated". - HLG
TD "5" or TS "Danny Boy"?
I really don't see what the delay is. This this is wrapping up fast, and will be TS "Danny Boy" before they fire the plane up. It is clearly within range, and will surely get at least as close to the East Coast as "Bill The Wannabe Major Hurricane" did. - HLG
Monday, August 24, 2009
TD "5" Had a Rough Weekend
But it looks like it has returned as Invest 92. East Coast storm? One model shows it coming right up the Chesapeake, which we can only hope for! - HLG
Google Earth Weather Tools
Some cool hurricane/tropical tracking, and other weather tools that run in Google Earth. - HLG
http://www.gearthblog.com/blog/archives/2007/08/best_storm_tracking_and_weather_tools_for_google_earth.html
August 15, 2007
Best Storm Tracking and Weather Tools for Google Earth
We now have two named tropical storms in the Atlantic (Dean and Erin), a tropical storm in the East Pacific (Flossie) - near Hawaii, and a typhoon in the west Pacific (Sepat) . One of Google Earth's most powerful features is the ability to pull in real-time information from other sites and overlay the information for visualization (thanks to the network link). Weather data is one of my favorite applications in Google Earth of this ability. Imagine pulling in the latest satellite photos, radar animations, hurricane tracking, live web cams on the ground, sea surface temperature analysis, etc. Well, you can do all that with the set of the very best weather tools for Google Earth which GEB has bundled together into this: the weather and storm tracking tools collection . Simply drag this network link into your Places folder to keep it handy. It won't take up space until you turn it on. It first loads several folders of weather tools you can explore. You may want to turn only one layer on at a time - these layers weren't designed to all be turned on at once. Although, some of the layers are complimentary (like current lightning strikes with clouds or storms turned on).
Right now the collection includes: two global hurricane tracking tools, global cloud maps, current global lightning strikes animation (from GuiWeather.com, severe weather warning data and radar data from NOAA for the US, TopicWatch by Paul Seabury, a large collection of weather image overlays from TropicalAtlantic, weather observations for the US from WeatherBonk, a real-time day/night viewing tool, and the global annual lightning flash rate map from NASA. Turn on the Hurricanes - Live Positions link to see the latest storms around the world. You will see the storms' tracks, forecasted paths, current positions, and the red dots are nearby web cams. The position of the storms, when a hurricane, will show it's storm strength (level 1, 2, etc.).
These tools were put together by a variety of people (some are weather professionals, others are weather hobbyists). But, these are the best. GEB will continue to add more storm and weather tools to the network link periodically, but if you save this network link, you will automatically see them added.
Here are more details about the weather tools in the collection:
Hurricanes - Live positions
Current Global Lightning Animation from GuiWeather.com
Global Cloud Map
NOAA Severe Weather
Weather Bonk - For Google Maps, but GE file available
Real-Time Day and Night Earth
Annual Lightning Flash Rate
http://www.gearthblog.com/blog/archives/2007/08/best_storm_tracking_and_weather_tools_for_google_earth.html
August 15, 2007
Best Storm Tracking and Weather Tools for Google Earth
We now have two named tropical storms in the Atlantic (Dean and Erin), a tropical storm in the East Pacific (Flossie) - near Hawaii, and a typhoon in the west Pacific (Sepat) . One of Google Earth's most powerful features is the ability to pull in real-time information from other sites and overlay the information for visualization (thanks to the network link). Weather data is one of my favorite applications in Google Earth of this ability. Imagine pulling in the latest satellite photos, radar animations, hurricane tracking, live web cams on the ground, sea surface temperature analysis, etc. Well, you can do all that with the set of the very best weather tools for Google Earth which GEB has bundled together into this: the weather and storm tracking tools collection . Simply drag this network link into your Places folder to keep it handy. It won't take up space until you turn it on. It first loads several folders of weather tools you can explore. You may want to turn only one layer on at a time - these layers weren't designed to all be turned on at once. Although, some of the layers are complimentary (like current lightning strikes with clouds or storms turned on).
Right now the collection includes: two global hurricane tracking tools, global cloud maps, current global lightning strikes animation (from GuiWeather.com, severe weather warning data and radar data from NOAA for the US, TopicWatch by Paul Seabury, a large collection of weather image overlays from TropicalAtlantic, weather observations for the US from WeatherBonk, a real-time day/night viewing tool, and the global annual lightning flash rate map from NASA. Turn on the Hurricanes - Live Positions link to see the latest storms around the world. You will see the storms' tracks, forecasted paths, current positions, and the red dots are nearby web cams. The position of the storms, when a hurricane, will show it's storm strength (level 1, 2, etc.).
These tools were put together by a variety of people (some are weather professionals, others are weather hobbyists). But, these are the best. GEB will continue to add more storm and weather tools to the network link periodically, but if you save this network link, you will automatically see them added.
Here are more details about the weather tools in the collection:
Hurricanes - Live positions
Current Global Lightning Animation from GuiWeather.com
Global Cloud Map
NOAA Severe Weather
Weather Bonk - For Google Maps, but GE file available
Real-Time Day and Night Earth
Annual Lightning Flash Rate
Giant Wave Tragedy from "BILL"
Victims of Giant Wave at Maine Park Are Identified
LIZ ROBBINS
Published: August 24, 2009
Clio Dahyun Axilrod and her parents had joined the thousands of visitors on Sunday enthralled by the spectacular waves fueled by Hurricane Bill that were breaking off the Atlantic Coast of Acadia National Park in Maine.
But as one series of waves crashed off the cliffs about 150 yards south of the popular Thunder Hole, the family, from New York City, recognized the danger, turned around and headed up a diagonal path toward the roadway,
They were about 40 feet from the main road, Ocean Drive, witnesses told a park ranger, when a 20-foot-high swell exploded into the air, sweeping Clio; her father, Peter J. Axilrod, and five other people out to sea. Clio’s mother, Sandra M. Kuhach, was knocked to the ground and seriously injured. Nearly a dozen other people suffered less severe injuries.
Four of those who were dragged into the ocean were able to make it out on their own from the 55-degree water to safety, according to a Coast Guard spokesman, Chief Petty Officer Christopher Wheeler.
About 45 minutes later, Mr. Axilrod was rescued by the Coast Guard in a 47-foot lifeboat.
A 12-year-old girl, Simone Pelletier, from Belfast, Me., was also brought to safety by the Coast Guard, and taken to Mount Desert Island Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
But it took rescuers more than three hours to find Clio, 7, whose lifeless body was located about a half-mile from shore. She died from drowning, the Maine Marine Patrol said on Monday.
Her parents remained hospitalized at Eastern Maine Medical Center, a patrol spokesman said in a news release.
Acadia National Park’s chief ranger, Stuart West, recounted on Monday how a sunny summer weekend suddenly turned tragic.
Earlier Sunday, park officials had closed off the paved walkway and series of interlocking gates that led to viewing stations at Thunder Hole, an inlet with a submerged cave that is known to produce booming, plumelike waves. On Friday signs warning visitors were posted there and on Sand Beach, just to the north.
But Mr. West said that the bedrock path 150 yards south of Thunder Hole was not closed. “We didn’t close off all the rock areas,” he said. “I don’t think there was a need for it. The fact that there was high surf, and the good weather, it was like a bug to a light. People were going to go no matter what.”
Ten park rangers were on duty Sunday morning, he said, with others volunteering throughout the day to monitor the capacity crowd and the conditions.
“If you close off an area, people are going to spill into another area,” Mr. West said. “And if we keep those areas contained, and stack them full of rangers, that way we can have an immediate response, which is what happened.”
Mr. West said he did not know whether a park ranger had warned the victims and it was unclear if they had seen the warning signs in nearby areas.
Park rangers learned from the Coast Guard, Mr. West said, that the waves, about 15 feet high, were arriving at 16-second intervals. The penultimate wave in the fatal series landed at the ankles of observers on the cliffs. The one after that was unlike all the rest.
“Nature is forceful and unpredictable — and it just moves us to pay close attention to where we are,” said Mr. West, who was at Schoodic Point, another beach on the mainland part of the park, when the accident occurred. “You could tell people to step back, but they didn’t register how dangerous the waves were.”
“All I can say,” he added, “is that we do the best we can to educate the public,” he said.
By Monday, the number of visitors along Ocean Drive had dwindled, along with the size of the waves. The ocean near Acadia had calmed as Bill, which had been downgraded to a tropical storm when it hit off the coast of Cape Cod late Saturday, had moved far east into the Atlantic.
LIZ ROBBINS
Published: August 24, 2009
Clio Dahyun Axilrod and her parents had joined the thousands of visitors on Sunday enthralled by the spectacular waves fueled by Hurricane Bill that were breaking off the Atlantic Coast of Acadia National Park in Maine.
But as one series of waves crashed off the cliffs about 150 yards south of the popular Thunder Hole, the family, from New York City, recognized the danger, turned around and headed up a diagonal path toward the roadway,
They were about 40 feet from the main road, Ocean Drive, witnesses told a park ranger, when a 20-foot-high swell exploded into the air, sweeping Clio; her father, Peter J. Axilrod, and five other people out to sea. Clio’s mother, Sandra M. Kuhach, was knocked to the ground and seriously injured. Nearly a dozen other people suffered less severe injuries.
Four of those who were dragged into the ocean were able to make it out on their own from the 55-degree water to safety, according to a Coast Guard spokesman, Chief Petty Officer Christopher Wheeler.
About 45 minutes later, Mr. Axilrod was rescued by the Coast Guard in a 47-foot lifeboat.
A 12-year-old girl, Simone Pelletier, from Belfast, Me., was also brought to safety by the Coast Guard, and taken to Mount Desert Island Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
But it took rescuers more than three hours to find Clio, 7, whose lifeless body was located about a half-mile from shore. She died from drowning, the Maine Marine Patrol said on Monday.
Her parents remained hospitalized at Eastern Maine Medical Center, a patrol spokesman said in a news release.
Acadia National Park’s chief ranger, Stuart West, recounted on Monday how a sunny summer weekend suddenly turned tragic.
Earlier Sunday, park officials had closed off the paved walkway and series of interlocking gates that led to viewing stations at Thunder Hole, an inlet with a submerged cave that is known to produce booming, plumelike waves. On Friday signs warning visitors were posted there and on Sand Beach, just to the north.
But Mr. West said that the bedrock path 150 yards south of Thunder Hole was not closed. “We didn’t close off all the rock areas,” he said. “I don’t think there was a need for it. The fact that there was high surf, and the good weather, it was like a bug to a light. People were going to go no matter what.”
Ten park rangers were on duty Sunday morning, he said, with others volunteering throughout the day to monitor the capacity crowd and the conditions.
“If you close off an area, people are going to spill into another area,” Mr. West said. “And if we keep those areas contained, and stack them full of rangers, that way we can have an immediate response, which is what happened.”
Mr. West said he did not know whether a park ranger had warned the victims and it was unclear if they had seen the warning signs in nearby areas.
Park rangers learned from the Coast Guard, Mr. West said, that the waves, about 15 feet high, were arriving at 16-second intervals. The penultimate wave in the fatal series landed at the ankles of observers on the cliffs. The one after that was unlike all the rest.
“Nature is forceful and unpredictable — and it just moves us to pay close attention to where we are,” said Mr. West, who was at Schoodic Point, another beach on the mainland part of the park, when the accident occurred. “You could tell people to step back, but they didn’t register how dangerous the waves were.”
“All I can say,” he added, “is that we do the best we can to educate the public,” he said.
By Monday, the number of visitors along Ocean Drive had dwindled, along with the size of the waves. The ocean near Acadia had calmed as Bill, which had been downgraded to a tropical storm when it hit off the coast of Cape Cod late Saturday, had moved far east into the Atlantic.
Friday, August 21, 2009
TD "5"?
Quikscat shows a surface low, associated with the thunderstorms in the visible imagery. I would call this TD "5" myself. -HLG
PLOTS FROM BILL
Incredibly powerful and beautiful Hurricane Bill passed almost directly over Buoy 41044 yesterday, and recorded winds up to 80 kts and Significant Wave Heights of 40 ft (significant waves are the highest one-third of the waves during a 20 minute sampling period). It is clear that Bill will go down as one of the most powerful and impressive storms in the Atlantic. All Hail Bill!
BB
Thursday, August 20, 2009
Typhoon "Vamco"
Sounds like some company that you buy products from on late-night television, but the is a serious typhoon, with a beady little eye. - HLG
Major Hurricane "Bill" High-Res Quikscat
I composited four sections of the high-res Quikscat winds from "Bill" overnight. The TS windfield is extremely large, and has a diamter of nearly 700 nautical miles (yellow and oranges). Yowza. Surf will be up on the East Coast through the weekend. Kowabunga Studs & Babes! - HLG
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
MODIS Image of "BILL" 08-19-09
and a beautiful image of a giant plankton bloom north of Norway. - HLG
Surf's Up Dude!
Calling all weather studs and babes. Let's pack up the woody and roll on down to Ocean City this weekend! - HLG
"LARGE SWELLS ASSOCIATED WITH BILL WILL BE IMPACTING THE ISLANDS OF
THE NORTHEAST CARIBBEAN SEA DURING THE NEXT DAY OR TWO. LARGE
SWELLS ASSOCIATED WITH BILL SHOULD ALSO BEGIN TO AFFECT BERMUDA AND
PORTIONS OF THE EASTERN COAST OF THE UNITED STATES FRIDAY AND
SATURDAY" - NHC Bulletin 08-19-2009
"LARGE SWELLS ASSOCIATED WITH BILL WILL BE IMPACTING THE ISLANDS OF
THE NORTHEAST CARIBBEAN SEA DURING THE NEXT DAY OR TWO. LARGE
SWELLS ASSOCIATED WITH BILL SHOULD ALSO BEGIN TO AFFECT BERMUDA AND
PORTIONS OF THE EASTERN COAST OF THE UNITED STATES FRIDAY AND
SATURDAY" - NHC Bulletin 08-19-2009
Hurricane "BILL" from MODIS
Took almost a week, but the MODIS folks finally realeased an image of "BILL". Notice the very dusty air (Saharan?) in the SE quad of the image.
I noticed the modelers have put language in the forecast that the later end of the runs are showing a shift to the west. So the survey is now modified.
Will "BILL" make landfall in New England? A) Yes, B) No, C) Maybe (Official meteorological answer)
Will "BILL" strike the maritime provinces of Canada? A) Yes, B) No, or C)WHO CARES (Correct Answer!)
Just kidding Canada, so chill out, eh?
HLG
I noticed the modelers have put language in the forecast that the later end of the runs are showing a shift to the west. So the survey is now modified.
Will "BILL" make landfall in New England? A) Yes, B) No, C) Maybe (Official meteorological answer)
Will "BILL" strike the maritime provinces of Canada? A) Yes, B) No, or C)WHO CARES (Correct Answer!)
Just kidding Canada, so chill out, eh?
HLG
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
"Bill" from TRMM
Nice TRMM composite of rainfall in "Bill". The orange and reds peak at over 50 mm/hr. Lot of wet fish out there right now! - HLG
Will "Remnant Low ANA" Reform?
TD "2" formed, then died, then reformed as "Ana", then hung on when it wasn't there, then died again. Will "Ana" reform? Will it still be "Ana"? What say you studs and babes?
I think it is going to reform, very near where "Claudette" formed in the SE Gulf, maybe over western Cuba. Any takers? - HLG
I think it is going to reform, very near where "Claudette" formed in the SE Gulf, maybe over western Cuba. Any takers? - HLG
Which model takes "Bill" to NYC?
I only see one outlier that takes it to Miami (my personal favorite). Which one took it to NYC Dr BB? I assume it has changed. I can't see how it can go much further west than Bermuda with the upper-level situation. - HLG
Monday, August 17, 2009
A Little Break from the Recent Tropical Activity
I think I found our next Wx Babe, er, um, I mean contributor ...
I'm speechless ....
Can you find the "circulation"
TD "Ana" is passing very close, if not over PR this morning. I can't find a circulation in the radar or the satellite imagery, but does appear the islands will get a major dumping. This probably means hundreds will drown in Haiti, unfortunately. - HLG
Time to Put-up on "Bill" Forecast
Simple survey time Weather Studs and Babe("s", if we could ever get more than one babe!)
Will "Bill" strike the mainland US? (PR Doesn't count).
If your answer is yes, will it be
A) Major Hurricane
B) Minor Hurricane (whatever that is, but for sake of arguement Cat 1 or 2)
C) TS or Less
My vote is "Bill" will not hit the mainland US. - HLG
Will "Bill" strike the mainland US? (PR Doesn't count).
If your answer is yes, will it be
A) Major Hurricane
B) Minor Hurricane (whatever that is, but for sake of arguement Cat 1 or 2)
C) TS or Less
My vote is "Bill" will not hit the mainland US. - HLG
Sunday, August 16, 2009
MARINE DATA FROM CLAUDETTE
From Station SGOF1 - Tyndall AFB Tower C (N4), FL
29.407 N 84.863 W (29°24'24" N 84°51'48" W)
Wind gusts reached about 25 m/s for a few hours - min pressure was 1013.5 mb
at the coastal marine station
BB
29.407 N 84.863 W (29°24'24" N 84°51'48" W)
Wind gusts reached about 25 m/s for a few hours - min pressure was 1013.5 mb
at the coastal marine station
BB
Saturday, August 15, 2009
Key West Radar TD "4"?
There appears to be a low forming in the Keys. The very large complex of thunderstorms has a slight overall rotation. Going out on a limb and forecasting there will be TD "4" in the SE Gulf, in less than 48 hours. - HLG
Friday, August 14, 2009
TD "3"?
Looks very similar to "2" when it was at this point, but even more vigorous westerly component. - HLG
TD "2" from Quikscat
The last Quikscat pass over "remnant low TD" (RLTD) "2" shows a very symmetrical, vigorous surface low. With the enhanced convection seen today, hard to understand why this is NOT an official "TD". - HLG
"Remnant Low" or TS "Anna"
Me thinks they made this a "remnant low" a bit too harshly! Look for a reversal soon. Possibly all the way from "RL" to "TS"! Once again we need to increase funding for studying tropicalcyclogenesis (great scrabble word). - HLG
Typhoon "Morakot" Toll Could "Triple"
Taiwan typhoon toll could triple as entire village lies buried
Officials say typhoon death toll in Taiwan could leap more than threefold
SHIAO LIN, Taiwan (CNN) -- The number of people killed in Taiwan by Typhoon Morakot, a destructive storm that swept through East Asia last week, could triple because hundreds of people are feared trapped under mudslides, the president's office said Friday.
The official toll from the typhoon was 118 but could jump to more than 300, with as many as 200 feared buried under five stories of mud in the badly-hit village of Shiao Lin, presidential spokesman Wang Yuchi said.
Rescuers were on Friday trying to determine if the mud was stable enough to bring in excavators to begin searching for bodies.
Since the typhoon made landfall over the weekend, more than 31,000 people have been pulled from villages inundated by mudslides and floodwaters, according to official government figures.
But in remote mountainous areas of Kaohsiung County, where Shiao Lin is located, rescue efforts have been hampered by torrential downpours, dense fog, rugged terrain and raging rivers.
Washed out roads and bridges rendered ground rescue operations virtually impossible in the central and southern regions of the island, the National Disaster Prevention and Protection Commission said. Watch challenges facing rescuers »
Typhoon Morakot dropped about three meters (118 inches) of rain on southern and central parts of this island last week.
After hitting Taiwan, it roared on to mainland China, killing at least six people and displacing 1.4 million, authorities said.
The typhoon has prompted and international aid effort, with more than 30 countries offering money, helicopters, medication or other supplies.
Taiwanese President Ma Ying toured the Jiadong and Linbian townships in Pingtung County Thursday, then visited Kaohsiung County, where a wall of mud had cut off Shiao Lin.
Survivor Chen Chiu Lian, 76, told how she and her grandson swam for their lives when the storm hit Shiao Lin, destroying all but their home.
She said: "I had just finished eating. My grandson was taking a nap. It rained and rained. There was water to my left and to my right ... The next day, it was still raining.
"Our house was like a boat. The water was like an ocean. How can you escape? There was no way to escape.
"My grandson told me to swim. I was swimming and crawling through the water and debris." Watch her story of survival »
Meanwhile, nearly 1,700 people were rescued Thursday from areas devastated by the storm, and a government spokeswoman said she believed "the situation is getting better."
Officials say typhoon death toll in Taiwan could leap more than threefold
SHIAO LIN, Taiwan (CNN) -- The number of people killed in Taiwan by Typhoon Morakot, a destructive storm that swept through East Asia last week, could triple because hundreds of people are feared trapped under mudslides, the president's office said Friday.
The official toll from the typhoon was 118 but could jump to more than 300, with as many as 200 feared buried under five stories of mud in the badly-hit village of Shiao Lin, presidential spokesman Wang Yuchi said.
Rescuers were on Friday trying to determine if the mud was stable enough to bring in excavators to begin searching for bodies.
Since the typhoon made landfall over the weekend, more than 31,000 people have been pulled from villages inundated by mudslides and floodwaters, according to official government figures.
But in remote mountainous areas of Kaohsiung County, where Shiao Lin is located, rescue efforts have been hampered by torrential downpours, dense fog, rugged terrain and raging rivers.
Washed out roads and bridges rendered ground rescue operations virtually impossible in the central and southern regions of the island, the National Disaster Prevention and Protection Commission said. Watch challenges facing rescuers »
Typhoon Morakot dropped about three meters (118 inches) of rain on southern and central parts of this island last week.
After hitting Taiwan, it roared on to mainland China, killing at least six people and displacing 1.4 million, authorities said.
The typhoon has prompted and international aid effort, with more than 30 countries offering money, helicopters, medication or other supplies.
Taiwanese President Ma Ying toured the Jiadong and Linbian townships in Pingtung County Thursday, then visited Kaohsiung County, where a wall of mud had cut off Shiao Lin.
Survivor Chen Chiu Lian, 76, told how she and her grandson swam for their lives when the storm hit Shiao Lin, destroying all but their home.
She said: "I had just finished eating. My grandson was taking a nap. It rained and rained. There was water to my left and to my right ... The next day, it was still raining.
"Our house was like a boat. The water was like an ocean. How can you escape? There was no way to escape.
"My grandson told me to swim. I was swimming and crawling through the water and debris." Watch her story of survival »
Meanwhile, nearly 1,700 people were rescued Thursday from areas devastated by the storm, and a government spokeswoman said she believed "the situation is getting better."
Thursday, August 13, 2009
Hawaii where the action is this year?
Yes, The Islands got lucky when Felicia fizzled, but looks like Guillermo make have them in his sites. Stay tuned weather-watching geeky studs (and babes) - HLG
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
TS "Bill"?
Looks like a TS to me. With a name like "Bill" we know it will be a blow-hard storm! - HLG
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
"Morakot" Rainfall from TRMM
No wonder it flooded in southern Taiwain. Up to 1000 mm of rainfall as measured by TRMM. - HLG
ATL TD "2" Fish Storm?
Well they went out on a limb and called the TS in the EastATL a "TD" last night. Looks like a fish storm to me. Anyone else?
Also, congrats to the CHPC for handling TWO STORMS at once, with the formation of TS "Maka"! A very rare situation around Hawaii, and they may be running out of pineapple juice at the center by now. They have handled the decaying TD "Felicia" very well, and even though it will pass right over Oahu, the never paniced and kept up only a TS Watch, no Warning. Tough call, but well handled!!! Mai-tai's for everyone!
HLG
Monday, August 10, 2009
Blame it on thunderstorms!
Continental apologizes to trapped passengers
The 47 passengers who were stuck on the tarmac in Rochester for about six hours will also get a refund and a certificate for future travel.
By PAUL WALSH, Star Tribune
Last update: August 10, 2009 - 2:02 PM
Featured comment
So many things went wrong here ...
The Captain is no longer responsible for the aircraft or it's passengers once he's parked it safely at the gate. However in this case, upon … read more exiting the plane he must have noticed the "ghost town" atmosphere once inside the terminal. He then should have asked about the passengers and what was going to happen to them. Trust me, he could have done something. I've known many pilots over the years and when they make enough noise they usually make things happen.
Those 47 passengers who were trapped on a commercial airliner in Rochester overnight a few days ago are now receiving an apology today and other financial accommodations.
The Continental Airlines flight Friday night from Houston to the Twin Cities was left parked at the Rochester airport for six hours, complete with crying babies and the aroma of over-used toilets.
ExpressJet Airlines, which operated the plane, said that crew members on the plane reached their maximum work hours in the air, so another crew had to be flown in. Thunderstorms in the area also were a factor in the decision.
Now comes this word from Continental:
"We are working closely with ExpressJet to resolve the issues surrounding this extended delay as service provided to customers on this flight was completely unacceptable. We are apologizing to our customers and will be offering them a full ticket refund and a certificate good for future travel."
One alternative that night, chartering a bus, couldn't be worked out. And letting the passengers into the Rochester airport was not possible, ExpressJet said, because they would have to go through security screening again, and the screeners had gone home for the day.
The plane, which left Houston about 9:30 p.m. Friday, arrived in Rochester about midnight, and passengers weren't allowed to leave the plane until 6 a.m. Saturday.
While ExpressJet says passengers couldn't get off because security screeners were not on duty, officials at the Rochester airport say the passengers could have stayed on the secure side of the terminal, and it was Continental's decision to keep them on the plane.
The 47 passengers who were stuck on the tarmac in Rochester for about six hours will also get a refund and a certificate for future travel.
By PAUL WALSH, Star Tribune
Last update: August 10, 2009 - 2:02 PM
Featured comment
So many things went wrong here ...
The Captain is no longer responsible for the aircraft or it's passengers once he's parked it safely at the gate. However in this case, upon … read more exiting the plane he must have noticed the "ghost town" atmosphere once inside the terminal. He then should have asked about the passengers and what was going to happen to them. Trust me, he could have done something. I've known many pilots over the years and when they make enough noise they usually make things happen.
Those 47 passengers who were trapped on a commercial airliner in Rochester overnight a few days ago are now receiving an apology today and other financial accommodations.
The Continental Airlines flight Friday night from Houston to the Twin Cities was left parked at the Rochester airport for six hours, complete with crying babies and the aroma of over-used toilets.
ExpressJet Airlines, which operated the plane, said that crew members on the plane reached their maximum work hours in the air, so another crew had to be flown in. Thunderstorms in the area also were a factor in the decision.
Now comes this word from Continental:
"We are working closely with ExpressJet to resolve the issues surrounding this extended delay as service provided to customers on this flight was completely unacceptable. We are apologizing to our customers and will be offering them a full ticket refund and a certificate good for future travel."
One alternative that night, chartering a bus, couldn't be worked out. And letting the passengers into the Rochester airport was not possible, ExpressJet said, because they would have to go through security screening again, and the screeners had gone home for the day.
The plane, which left Houston about 9:30 p.m. Friday, arrived in Rochester about midnight, and passengers weren't allowed to leave the plane until 6 a.m. Saturday.
While ExpressJet says passengers couldn't get off because security screeners were not on duty, officials at the Rochester airport say the passengers could have stayed on the secure side of the terminal, and it was Continental's decision to keep them on the plane.
TRMM & "Felicia" on 8-7-9
Hawaii is very lucky. Even as of last Friday, "Felicia" was still making 20-30 mm/hr of rainfall, which would have been magnified greatly by the mountains. A good friend of mine died several years ago when a freak afternon thunderstorm caused a mountain stream in Maui to rise rapidly. He was washed away with his daughter, and neither were ever found, so flash flooding in Hawaii can be very serious. Thankfully, "Felicia" is much "drier" now. - HLG
Double Typhoons in China & Japan
Death Toll Rises as Typhoons Pummel Asia
Associated Press
Published: August 10, 2009
BEIJING — Deaths and damage from two typhoons rose on Monday, with nine reported dead in Japan and a rural village in south-central Taiwan buried in a mudslide. The number of dead there was not known. Thirty-seven people had already been reported dead in the Philippines, Taiwan, and China.
The Hotel Chin Shuai lay collapsed in floodwater during typhoon Morakot in Chihpen, southeastern Taiwan, on Sunday.
Initial reports from the Taiwanese village, Hsiao-lin, were sketchy. A spokesman for the National Fire Administration, Liang Yuchu, said that 45 people had been pulled alive from the mudslide, but that no dead had been found.
Other unverified reports from local residents, quoted by news services, suggested that as many as 600 people were missing. Hundreds of people are scattered in houses outside the more concentrated boundaries of the village, and the scope of the landslide was not known.
“The whole village was buried in the landslide, so it’s hard to be certain,” Mr. Liang said. “They’re still searching.”
The storm, Morakot, unleashed record rains that dropped up to 83 inches in some parts of Taiwan on Friday and Saturday, causing what officials say is the worst flooding in half a century. The number of known dead in Taiwan is 15, with 32 were severely injured. Those figures do not include potential landslide victims.
Morakot, which means emerald in Thai, struck the Philippines last week, killing 21 people, including a French tourist and two Belgian tourists, according to officials there. Seven others were reported missing.
One person also was killed on mainland China, where Morakot struck Sunday.
In Japan on Monday, at least nine people were killed, and nine others were missing after another typhoon, Etau, slammed the western part of the country, bringing heavy rain that led to floods and landslides, The A.P. reported. On Sunday evening, an earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 6.9 rattled Tokyo and eastern Japan, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency.
Taiwan’s central government had warned earlier of avalanche dangers after Morakot battered the island, dumping record rains of more than eight feet across the south. Helicopters took rescuers into the landslide site, in Kaohsiung County, and officials said accurate information on the situation was likely to emerge before daylight Tuesday. Rescue efforts were complicated by continuing rain from Typhoon Morakot, which swept across the island on Saturday.
The Reuters news service quoted an army general involved in the rescue effort, Richard Hu, as saying that “no small number of single-story homes have been covered” by the mudslide.
More than 170,000 people remained without power on Monday, the government said.
In China, one of the reported dead was a 4-year-old child in Wenzhou, a city of nearly 1.4 million people in Zhejiang Province, where officials said the storm had leveled nearly 1,500 homes. The child was among five people buried when the winds collapsed five adjacent houses.
The weakened storm was still churning over Wenzhou on Monday morning. Skies there had cleared, but heavy rain was predicted later. “I’m living in the center of town, which is not so bad,” one woman, Yang Weiwei, said from Wenzhou in a telephone interview. “However, some parts of the city are in a mess.”
On Sunday, the authorities said the storm had whipped up waves as high at 26 feet in the East China Sea and in the strait between mainland China and Taiwan.
Typhoon Morakot, the eighth of the season, hit the Chinese mainland at 4:20 p.m. on Sunday at Xiapu County, in northern Fujian Province. China’s state-run Xinhua news service said more than 490,000 people had been moved to safety in Fujian, and 48,000 boats summoned back to harbor.
In Zhejiang Province, between Fujian and Shanghai, 505,000 others were evacuated and 35,000 boats called in.
Both provinces are manufacturing centers with large port cities. Shanghai, just north of the typhoon’s landfall, was spared the worst winds but canceled airline flights and lowered river reservoirs to prepare for flooding. Trees were uprooted and some snapped apart in Fujian Province, Xinhua reported, and farmers struggled with nets to recapture fish flushed out of fish farms.
Xinhua said relief teams were distributing food and water to rural villagers who had been stranded by high waters. By Sunday night, meteorologists reported that the typhoon had degraded close to tropical storm status, with 74-mile-an-hour winds.
The government reported that more than 83,000 Philippines residents were affected by floodwaters and landslides, and 22,000 had been evacuated.
Associated Press
Published: August 10, 2009
BEIJING — Deaths and damage from two typhoons rose on Monday, with nine reported dead in Japan and a rural village in south-central Taiwan buried in a mudslide. The number of dead there was not known. Thirty-seven people had already been reported dead in the Philippines, Taiwan, and China.
The Hotel Chin Shuai lay collapsed in floodwater during typhoon Morakot in Chihpen, southeastern Taiwan, on Sunday.
Initial reports from the Taiwanese village, Hsiao-lin, were sketchy. A spokesman for the National Fire Administration, Liang Yuchu, said that 45 people had been pulled alive from the mudslide, but that no dead had been found.
Other unverified reports from local residents, quoted by news services, suggested that as many as 600 people were missing. Hundreds of people are scattered in houses outside the more concentrated boundaries of the village, and the scope of the landslide was not known.
“The whole village was buried in the landslide, so it’s hard to be certain,” Mr. Liang said. “They’re still searching.”
The storm, Morakot, unleashed record rains that dropped up to 83 inches in some parts of Taiwan on Friday and Saturday, causing what officials say is the worst flooding in half a century. The number of known dead in Taiwan is 15, with 32 were severely injured. Those figures do not include potential landslide victims.
Morakot, which means emerald in Thai, struck the Philippines last week, killing 21 people, including a French tourist and two Belgian tourists, according to officials there. Seven others were reported missing.
One person also was killed on mainland China, where Morakot struck Sunday.
In Japan on Monday, at least nine people were killed, and nine others were missing after another typhoon, Etau, slammed the western part of the country, bringing heavy rain that led to floods and landslides, The A.P. reported. On Sunday evening, an earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 6.9 rattled Tokyo and eastern Japan, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency.
Taiwan’s central government had warned earlier of avalanche dangers after Morakot battered the island, dumping record rains of more than eight feet across the south. Helicopters took rescuers into the landslide site, in Kaohsiung County, and officials said accurate information on the situation was likely to emerge before daylight Tuesday. Rescue efforts were complicated by continuing rain from Typhoon Morakot, which swept across the island on Saturday.
The Reuters news service quoted an army general involved in the rescue effort, Richard Hu, as saying that “no small number of single-story homes have been covered” by the mudslide.
More than 170,000 people remained without power on Monday, the government said.
In China, one of the reported dead was a 4-year-old child in Wenzhou, a city of nearly 1.4 million people in Zhejiang Province, where officials said the storm had leveled nearly 1,500 homes. The child was among five people buried when the winds collapsed five adjacent houses.
The weakened storm was still churning over Wenzhou on Monday morning. Skies there had cleared, but heavy rain was predicted later. “I’m living in the center of town, which is not so bad,” one woman, Yang Weiwei, said from Wenzhou in a telephone interview. “However, some parts of the city are in a mess.”
On Sunday, the authorities said the storm had whipped up waves as high at 26 feet in the East China Sea and in the strait between mainland China and Taiwan.
Typhoon Morakot, the eighth of the season, hit the Chinese mainland at 4:20 p.m. on Sunday at Xiapu County, in northern Fujian Province. China’s state-run Xinhua news service said more than 490,000 people had been moved to safety in Fujian, and 48,000 boats summoned back to harbor.
In Zhejiang Province, between Fujian and Shanghai, 505,000 others were evacuated and 35,000 boats called in.
Both provinces are manufacturing centers with large port cities. Shanghai, just north of the typhoon’s landfall, was spared the worst winds but canceled airline flights and lowered river reservoirs to prepare for flooding. Trees were uprooted and some snapped apart in Fujian Province, Xinhua reported, and farmers struggled with nets to recapture fish flushed out of fish farms.
Xinhua said relief teams were distributing food and water to rural villagers who had been stranded by high waters. By Sunday night, meteorologists reported that the typhoon had degraded close to tropical storm status, with 74-mile-an-hour winds.
The government reported that more than 83,000 Philippines residents were affected by floodwaters and landslides, and 22,000 had been evacuated.
TD "2"?
Nice circulation forming SW of the CV's. There are already plendy of 30 kts out of the west. Stay tuned. - HLG
TS "Felicia" Winds from Quikscat
Nice pass from Quikscat overnight. Storm may "only" be a TS, but much of Hawaii will get a lot more wind than they are used to. Visions of grass huts flying everywhere! Price of pineapples go through the roof! Elvis has his hair blown out of place!!! The humanity! - HLG
600 Dead in Taiwan?
Reports are a village was buried in a mud-slide induced by Typhoon "MORAKAT" this weekend. - HLG
Sunday, August 9, 2009
Hurricane "FELICIA" on 8-8-9
"Felicia" was still hanging on as a hurricane on Saturday the 8th, as seen in this nice MODIS portrait, but a strong shear zone has weakened her greatly today to a TS. Should still be interesting with the very rare approach from the east between Hawai'i and Mau'i. - HLG
HLG NAILS THE CALL
Again, gentle readers, FWSAAB's expert analyst, HLG, correctly called for Tropical Storm Watches (soon to be warnings) many hours before they actually occurred.
At FWSAAB, you get a dedicated team (okay, at least two guys) of expert meteorologists, oceanographers, geologists and a bikini model (she has a degree in something) that watch physical science events, and brings them to you in real-time.
FWSAAB, it is not just an unpronounceable acronym, it is a website.
BB
Saturday, August 8, 2009
"TS Watch" for Hilo?
I think the CPHC will have to put of at least a TS Watch for Hilo, and the east coast of Hawaii by tomorrow. Looking at the sea-surface temps, I think the current decay of the hurricane to a TD by the time it reaches Hawaii is highly unlikely. This is a persistent problem with the intensity models for EastPac storms which are the only frequent storms to move over "tropical" cool waters. The only other ones I can think of are over western Australian waters, and some in the central Atlantic. - HLG
Thursday, August 6, 2009
Will "Felicia" Threaten Hawaii?
Place your bets now. I prophesize it will remain a week TS as it goes just north of the Big Island. Weather studs and babe(s)??? - HLG
Hurricane "Felicia" and TS "Enrique"
Very nice image of Felicia and Enrique doiong the Fujiwara in the C-Pac. Looks like that is the only hot area this year! No matter what Dr BB says! - HLG
DR BB NOT CHANGING HURRICANE FORECAST
I posted my 2009 forecast on March 9th. I stick by my forecasts. At FWSAAB - you get the real deal, not finicky "forecasters" who revise their forecasts everyday.
I will also take this opportunity to thank NBC/Universal for letting Heather appear with Mike Bettis yesterday. I guess NBC/Universal has decided to stop hiring degree meteorologists as their on-camera personalities, and go with actors from their failing morning programs (Wake up with Al - really?) Bring back Nicole Mitchell to the morning program!!!Thank you.
From March 9th
DR BB'S 2009 ATLANTIC HURRICANE FORECAST
After months of research, running dozens of models, analyzing the stars and asking my dog - I've compiled all the information and am ready to make a bold, startling prediction about this year's hurricane season.My prediction is that it will be an average year - 10 named storms, 6 hurricanes and 2 storms of Cat 3 or higher. All my data and evaluation can be found at - http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/pastprofile.shtml.
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
Colbert Treadmill Could be Delayed!
This is a critical shuttle mission, since they are carrying the Colbert Treadmill up. Hope the weather lightens up (but not with more lightening). - HLG
Stormy, soggy weather
NASA initially delayed Discovery's trip by nearly two hours in order to keep shuttle technicians inside and safe from potential lightning strikes at the launch site. By 2:07 a.m. EDT (0607 GMT), it was safe to begin moving Discovery but sticky mud from recent thunderstorms forced engineers to stop repeatedly to clean the giant treads of NASA's 5.5 million-pound (2.4 million-kg) Apollo-era crawler carrier vehicle that hauls shuttles out to the launch pad.
"We had torrential rain here yesterday evening," NASA spokesperson Allard Beutel told SPACE.com from the spaceport. "It rained for hours ... so it was pretty soggy."
Despite the lightning and mud delays, shuttle technicians were more concerned about moving Discovery to the launch pad ahead of stormy weather that was expected to hit the spaceport Tuesday afternoon.
A tall lightning mast and shell-like protective structure at the launch pad can guard shuttles against lightning and stormy weather, but the spacecraft and their support crews are exposed to the elements when they make the short 3.2-mile (5-km) trek from NASA's massive Vehicle Assembly Building and Pad 39A.
Bolts of lightning struck 11 times near the shuttle launch pad last month, causing one of a series of delays for Discovery's sister ship Endeavour. That shuttle ultimately launched to the International Space Station on July 15 and landed July 31.
Stormy, soggy weather
NASA initially delayed Discovery's trip by nearly two hours in order to keep shuttle technicians inside and safe from potential lightning strikes at the launch site. By 2:07 a.m. EDT (0607 GMT), it was safe to begin moving Discovery but sticky mud from recent thunderstorms forced engineers to stop repeatedly to clean the giant treads of NASA's 5.5 million-pound (2.4 million-kg) Apollo-era crawler carrier vehicle that hauls shuttles out to the launch pad.
"We had torrential rain here yesterday evening," NASA spokesperson Allard Beutel told SPACE.com from the spaceport. "It rained for hours ... so it was pretty soggy."
Despite the lightning and mud delays, shuttle technicians were more concerned about moving Discovery to the launch pad ahead of stormy weather that was expected to hit the spaceport Tuesday afternoon.
A tall lightning mast and shell-like protective structure at the launch pad can guard shuttles against lightning and stormy weather, but the spacecraft and their support crews are exposed to the elements when they make the short 3.2-mile (5-km) trek from NASA's massive Vehicle Assembly Building and Pad 39A.
Bolts of lightning struck 11 times near the shuttle launch pad last month, causing one of a series of delays for Discovery's sister ship Endeavour. That shuttle ultimately launched to the International Space Station on July 15 and landed July 31.
Great Flash Flood of 2009
I didn't make that up, that's what they are calling it in KY. Nice map of the interpolated rainfall ammounts from a dense guage network, and dopler estimates. - HLG
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