“The United Nations reports 2011 was the costliest year in history for catastrophes. It says economic losses from natural disasters, including earthquakes, storms and floods, amounted to $366 billion.” Quoted from the Voice of America article.
NOAA has a website that provides information on all weather and climate-related disasters that have produced damages of over $1 billion in the United States since 1980. Their website has a variety of maps, charts, lists and narratives.
“In a matter of five days, the Philippines and southeastern Asia were hammered by two intense tropical storms in late September and early October 2011. Several months worth of rain fell within a week—a deluge even by tropical standards—on Luzon in the northern Philippines, as well as in northern Vietnam and the Chinese island of Hainan.” Quoted from the NASA image release.
“At 3:05 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time on September 26, 2011, NASA’s Aqua satellite observed a mid-latitude cyclone over the midwestern United States. The center of the storm appeared immediately west of Lake Michigan.” Quoted from the NASA Earth Observatory image release.
“As large parts of the nation recover from nature’s one-two punch—an earthquake followed by Hurricane Irene—building researchers from the National Institute of Standards and Technology warn that a double whammy of seismic and wind hazards can increase the risk of structural damage to as much as twice the level implied in building codes.” Quoted from the National Institute of Standards and Technology news release.
“Scientists at the University of Miami’s Rosenstiel School of Marine & Atmospheric Science have found an intriguing relationship between hurricane tracks and climate variability.” Quoted from the University of Miami press release.
Earthquakes, hurricanes and flooding are making 2011 one of the most expensive years for insured catastrophe losses. Swiss Re reports insured losses of about $70 billion for the first half of the calendar year.
Hurricane Katia is a Category One storm off the east coast of the United States. During the next few days it is expected to track east out into the Atlantic Ocean.
Pre- and post-storm photo comparisons between Cape Lookout, NC and Oregon Inlet, NC. ”
The barrier island coast between Cape Lookout and Cape Hatteras has a very different orientation than the coast between Cape Hatteras and Oregon Inlet; in fact, together, they form nearly a right angle. This difference in orientation has contributed to differences in impact on each coast during the passage of Hurricane Irene.” Quoted from the USGS news release.
“LARGE SWELLS GENERATED BY KATIA WILL CONTINUE TO AFFECT MOST OF THE EAST COAST OF THE UNITED STATES…BERMUDA…THE GREATER ANTILLES…AND EAST-FACING BEACHES OF THE BAHAMAS DURING THE NEXT FEW DAYS. THESE SWELLS ARE LIKELY TO CAUSE LIFE-THREATENING SURF AND RIP CURRENT CONDITIONS. PLEASE CONSULT PRODUCTS FROM YOUR LOCAL WEATHER SERVICE OFFICE FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION.” Quoted from the National Hurricane Center.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has an interactive map of the United States that allows you to create historic hurricane track maps for specific locations, time intervals, specific storms and more.
Tropical Storm Lee has been dumping heavy rain on the Gulf Coast and while many areas are experiencing heavy floods, New Orleans, so far (Sunday evening), has not had severe problems. Some of the most up-to-date information is on the NOLA.com website (the site is very busy because so many people are using it and can be unresponsive).
Tropical Storm Lee is moving very slowly over southern Louisiana. That slow rate of movement will allow it to drop very large amounts of rain on New Orleans and surrounding areas.
“TROPICAL STORM LEE IS EXPECTED TO PRODUCE TOTAL RAIN ACCUMULATIONS OF 10 TO 15 INCHES OVER SOUTHERN LOUISIANA…SOUTHERN MISSISSIPPI…AND SOUTHERN ALABAMA THROUGH SUNDAY NIGHT…WITH POSSIBLE ISOLATED MAXIMUM AMOUNTS OF 20 INCHES. THESE RAINS ARE EXPECTED TO CAUSE EXTENSIVE FLOODING.” Quote from the National Hurricane Center.
Flooding from Hurricane Irene sliced through State Route 12, the only highway serving northern Hatteras Island cutting off about 2300 residents. NASA’s Earth Observatory has a high resolution aerial image of the damage from NOAA’s Hurricane Irene Project.
Hurricane Katia has formed in the Atlantic Ocean and is expected to pass north of Puerto Rico early next week.
“KATIA IS A CATEGORY ONE HURRICANE ON THE SAFFIR-SIMPSON HURRICANE WIND SCALE. SOME STRENGTHENING IS FORECAST DURING THE NEXT 48 HOURS…AND KATIA COULD BECOME A MAJOR HURRICANE THIS WEEKEND.” Quote from the National Hurricane Center.
SCINEWS has a collection of teacher resources for Hurricane Irene. Content and links include: educator background materials from NOAA, hurricane tracking data, satellite images, damage photos, videos and more.
“Rivers and streams are reaching record levels as a result of Hurricane Irene’s rainfall, with more than 80 U.S. Geological Survey streamgages measuring record peaks.” Quoted from the USGS news release.
“Although hurricanes often call to mind raging winds and toppling trees, some of the worst destruction caused by these storms comes in the form of rain. Hurricane Irene, which roared up the U.S. East Coast in late August 2011, was no exception. Flooding was reported from North Carolina’s Outer Banks to New England.” Quoted from the Earth Observatory image release.
“As Hurricane Irene has left her mark along the East Coast, United States Geological Survey crews are sampling water for pesticides, E. coli, nutrients, and sediment to document water quality in areas affected by the hurricane.” Quoted from the USGS news release.
Although the impact of Hurricane Irene was not as severe as expected it still caused a lot of damage. Wind damage is expected to be over $1 billion and flood damage is expected to be even higher. The greater impact could be economic losses caused by evacuations and disturbance of travel, tourism and commerce.
A major hurricane hit the coast of New York and surrounding areas on September 21, 1952, causing extensive damage. This historic video reviews some of the impact.
You can get some of the most up-to-date and authoritative forecasts for Hurricane Irene at NOAA’s National Hurricane Center. Their forecast on Friday evening at 9:00 PM EST:
“THE CORE OF THE HURRICANE WILL APPROACH THE COAST OF NORTH CAROLINA TONIGHT AND PASS NEAR OR OVER THE NORTH CAROLINA COAST ON SATURDAY. THE HURRICANE IS FORECAST TO MOVE NEAR OR OVER THE MID-ATLANTIC COAST SATURDAY NIGHT AND MOVE OVER SOUTHERN NEW ENGLAND ON SUNDAY.”
An Associated Press article explores answers to questions about buying earthquake and hurricane insurance – especially for the small business owner. It includes helpful links to the California Earthquake Authority and the National Flood Insurance Program websites.
As Hurricane Irene approaches, about 250,000 people who live in low-lying areas of New York City have been ordered to evacuate and move to higher ground.
The New York Times has a Google Map that shows the evacuation areas by category.
Governors in New York, Virginia, New Jersey, Maryland and North Carolina have all declared a state of emergency in anticipation of Hurricane Irene. These advance declarations are partially financial maneuvers to make funds ready for emergency use, but they are also signs of respect for the dangers of a hurricane.
“As Hurricane Irene rumbles through the Atlantic Ocean, it needs fuel to sustain itself. Warm water is the main fuel, and there is plenty of it right now, as there usually is this time of year.” Quoted from the Earth Observatory image release.
A “cone of uncertainty” on a hurricane map shows the forecast track of the storm. It shows where forecasters think that the storm is going to go. The cone grows in width along the path of the storm because it is more difficult to predict a storms path with increasing time into the future.
The white area on the map at right is the cone of uncertainty for Hurricane Irene from the morning of Thursday, August 25, 2011.
“THE CORE OF IRENE WILL MOVE ACROSS THE SOUTHEASTERN AND CENTRAL BAHAMAS THROUGH TONIGHT AND OVER THE NORTHWESTERN BAHAMAS ON THURSDAY. DATA FROM AN AIR FORCE RESERVE HURRICANE HUNTER AIRCRAFT INDICATE THAT THE MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS HAVE INCREASED TO NEAR 120 MPH, WITH HIGHER GUSTS. IRENE IS A CATEGORY THREE HURRICANE ON THE SAFFIR-SIMPSON HURRICANE WIND SCALE. SOME ADDITIONAL STRENGTHENING IS FORECAST DURING THE NEXT DAY OR SO AND IRENE COULD BECOME A CATEGORY FOUR HURRICANE BY THURSDAY.”
“THE CORE OF IRENE WILL MOVE ACROSS THE SOUTHEASTERN AND CENTRAL BAHAMAS TODAY AND OVER THE NORTHWESTERN BAHAMAS ON THURSDAY. [...] IRENE IS A CATEGORY TWO HURRICANE ON THE SAFFIR-SIMPSON SCALE. STRENGTHENING IS FORECAST…AND IRENE WILL LIKELY BECOME A MAJOR HURRICANE LATER TODAY. [...] AN EXTREMELY DANGEROUS STORM SURGE WILL RAISE WATER LEVELS BY AS MUCH AS 7 TO 11 FEET ABOVE NORMAL TIDE LEVELS OVER THE CENTRAL AND NORTHWESTERN BAHAMAS…AND BY AS MUCH AS 5 TO 8 FEET ABOVE NORMAL TIDE LEVELS OVER THE SOUTHEASTERN BAHAMAS AND THE TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS. NEAR THE COAST…THE SURGE WILL BE ACCOMPANIED BY LARGE AND DANGEROUS WAVES.”
Hurricane Irene is moving along the northern coast of the Dominican Republic. The National Weather Service reports:
“IRENE IS A CATEGORY TWO HURRICANE ON THE SAFFIR-SIMPSON SCALE. ADDITIONAL STRENGTHENING IS FORECAST DURING THE NEXT 48 HOURS…AND IRENE COULD BECOME A MAJOR HURRICANE ON TUESDAY.”
Hurricane Irene is expected to drop heavy rain on the Caribbean area today and reach Florida later this week. The National Hurricane Center forecast from Monday morning includes:
“RAINFALL…IRENE IS EXPECTED TO PRODUCE TOTAL RAINFALL ACCUMULATIONS OF 5 TO 10 INCHES ACROSS PUERTO RICO…THE VIRGIN ISLANDS…THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC…HAITI…THE SOUTHEASTERN BAHAMAS AND THE TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS. ISOLATED MAXIMUM AMOUNTS OF UP TO 20 INCHES ARE POSSIBLE. THESE RAINS COULD CAUSE LIFE-THREATENING FLASH FLOODS AND MUD SLIDES IN AREAS OF STEEP TERRAIN.”
Hurricane season in the North Atlantic Ocean officially began on June 1, though the season typically peaks in September. Earth Observatory caught up recently with Scott A. Braun, a research meteorologist at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center. Scott’s specialty is using computer models to recreate the components of hurricanes, including winds and rainfall, in order to better understand the detailed inner workings of storms.
Hazus is a free computer modeling program that can be used for estimating potential losses from earthquakes, floods, and hurricanes. It uses GIS technology to estimate physical, economic, and social impacts of disasters, then presents the information in graphical form.
“This video podcast looks at the science behind understanding coastal vulnerability and hazards posed by extreme storms. It documents how USGS scientists study the response of coastal environments to the extreme winds, waves, and currents brought by such storms.” Quoted from the USGS video release.
“With support from the National Science Foundation, sociologist Tricia Wachtendorf and teams from the Disaster Research Center go to devastated locations to learn more about how lives may be saved in the future.” Quoted from the National Science Foundation news release.
The U.S. Geological Survey [...] has taken a number of actions to prepare for monitoring floods arising from hurricanes and other tropical storms. Activities include hardening of streamgages along the Gulf Coast; implementing rapidly deployable, mobile streamgages; installing an emergency satellite-communications and data-distribution system; and developing storm-surge monitoring capabilities. Quoted from the USGS Fact Sheet.
It’s the beginning of the typhoon season in China and already heavy rains have caused flooding and landslides that have forced the evacuation of over 500,000 people.
The first tropical storm of the Pacific hurricane season, named Adrian, is expected to become a hurricane but remain over the Pacific Ocean. A tropical storm watch is in effect from Acapulco westward to Punta San Telmo.
The first four hurricanes of the 2011 Atlantic Hurricane Season will be named: Arlene, Bret, Cindy and Don. This article provides a full list of 2011 hurricane names assigned by the World Meteorological Organization and information on how the annual name lists are developed.
“The Atlantic basin is expected to see an above-normal hurricane season this year, according to the seasonal outlook issued by NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center.” Quoted from the NOAA news release.
“There is no practical, economic way to build structures that could stand up to the savagery of EF5 tornadoes like those that ripped through the South in late April, experts say, but damage from lesser storms could be reduced by better building practices and better enforcement of existing codes.” Quoted from the Oregon State University news release.
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