*Archive:*Weather around the World 5

[highcliffe2]

13/09/2004

By Carol Kirkwood

Hurricane Ivan

Hurricane Ivan has been dominating the news over the last few days. We have watched it fluctuate between a category 4 and category 5 storm. Currently it is a category 5 hurricane – the most ferocious and dangerous category in the Saffir-Simpson hurricane scale.

Currently Hurricane Ivan has sustained wind speeds of 160mph (260kph) and is travelling at approximately 9 mph (15kph).

Having pounded it’s way through Grenada last Tuesday, Jamaica on Friday, and the Caymen Islands at the weekend, leaving in its wake a trail of death and destruction, it is now (at the time of writing) making its presence felt on the western peninsula of Cuba.

Already Hurricane Ivan has produced waves the size of two story buildings and submerged an airport runway in 61cm (two feet) of water, as it roared past Grand Cayman. Reports suggest water as high as 1.5metres (5 feet) is flowing through many homes. Whilst damage was extensive, the island appears to have been spared the total havoc wrought last Tuesday on Grenada.

In Cuba, 1.3million people (more than a tenth of its population) have been evacuated from coastal areas and flimsy buildings as the island prepares for what could turn out to be 30 cm (12 inches) of rain. International flights to the island have been suspended till at least Tuesday.

According to the head of Cuba’s weather service, Ivan could prove to be the strongest storm system to hit the island in the last 40 years.

But it is not just Cuba preparing for the wrath of Ivan. Mexico has also ordered 2,500 people to evacuate from islands and coastal areas along the Yucatan Peninsula, and issued an alert for the popular tourist area of Cancun.

In Florida, Governor Jeb Bush extended a state of emergency over the entire state, which is still mopping up from the ravages last week of Hurricane Frances, and last month Hurricane Charley.

Residents on the Florida Keys have been ordered to evacuate the islands. However, Ivan’s revised path looks like it may go the west of the Keys. It's current track takes the hurricane into the Gulf of Mexico and by Thursday (GMT) making landfall in Alabama and northern Florida.

Related Links: National Hurricane Centre, Miami

BBC Weather - Hurricanes

Information thanks to the BBC Weather Website

[highcliffe2]

14/09/2004

By Isobel Lang

Hurricane Ivan continues to devestate Cuba and now Florida

Warnings of severe weather have been issued here in the UK for heavy rain. Gales are also causing problems, and it looks as though we may see some damage from this bad weather with branches or small trees down, and travel disruption too.

Our weather pales into insignificance, though, when we compare it to the devastation being caused by hurricane Ivan.

If you have time to look at the National Hurricane Centre website. There is a spectacular satellite and rainfall loop that shows you how this powerful hurricane is moving. It is now heading in a north-westerly direction between west Cuba and Yucatan, Mexico.

The outer rain bands of the hurricane are affecting Florida, Cuba and Yucatan which means that Ivan is covering an area about 500 miles across - that’s about the length of the United Kingdom. Hurricane force winds extend 100 miles from its centre.

At the time of writing, Ivan was moving at 9mph, with wind speeds at its core of 160mph, making it still a major category 5 hurricane.

It is notoriously difficult to predict exactly where Ivan will make landfall once it has crossed the Gulf of Mexico. As it is such a huge beast, preparations are being made right along the Gulf coast from Louisiana across to Florida.

The last time Florida was hit by three hurricanes in a single season was 40 years ago in 1964.

Across the globe in Bangladesh, torrential rain has also made headlines. The capital, Dhaka was flooded on Tuesday, with water up to 1 metre deep. Nearly 350mm, 14 inches, of rain was reported in just 3 days. More rain is forecast. These latest rains have inundated many areas flooded in July.

July’s floods swamped two-thirds of the country, killing more than 700 people, and leaving about 10 million homeless.

Related Links: National Hurricane Centre, Miami

Information thanks to the BBC Weather Website

[highcliffe2]

15/09/2004

By Isobel Lang

Hurricane Ivan is still making headlines.

The satellite pictures are astounding. This huge storm system is now crossing the Gulf of Mexico, closing in on the Gulf coast of America. Where will it hit? It is hard to say, exactly, but there are hurricane warnings in force from Louisiana across to Northwest Florida, and all these areas could be badly affected. Evacuations are underway, involving almost two million people.

Ivan is now a category 4 hurricane, with 140mph winds, and it is travelling a little faster now, at 12mph. Ivan is also changing its appearance. As it is nearing the coast, it doesn’t have as huge an expanse of water to draw its energy from anymore. In fact, it’s pulling in drier air from the land on its western side, so it is likely to be US states east of the eye that really bear the brunt of this hugely powerful storm.

To the right of the storm centre, the eye, the winds will be much stronger too. This is because the winds around the eye are around 140mph, and the hurricane is moving across the ocean at 12mph, these will combine to give a speed of 152mph on its right side, but a lower wind speed on its western side. The storm surge is also greater. Obviously, this is going to be a very interesting beast to follow.

Soon to be upgraded to hurricane status, tropical storm Jeanne is closing in on Puerto Rico and the U.S Virgin Islands. Hurricane warnings are already in force and it looks as though this storm will hit by Wednesday afternoon, U.S time, perhaps bringing up to a foot of rain. Latest forecast guidance takes this storm northwest towards the Bahamas during this weekend.

Elsewhere, the torrential rain across Bangladesh has eased. Much of the country, including the capital Dhaka, has seen extensive flooding. Around 30cm of rain was recorded daily since Sunday, making this one of the wettest spells for fifty years. Millions were left homeless after July’s floods, and this renewed flooding has made matters much, much worse.

There has also been some very nasty weather further east in Asia.

Torrential rain in the Chiang Rai province of northern Thailand has brought flash floods. Thousands were either stranded or forced to leave their homes.

A recent deluge has also triggered a landslide in northern Vietnam, in Lao Cai province.

Related Links: National Hurricane Centre, Miami

BBC Weather Feature - Lifecycle of a hurricane

NOAA - National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service

Information thanks to the BBC Weather Website

[highcliffe2]

16/09/2004

By Susan Powell

Hurricane Ivan makes landfall in Alabama

Ivan has dominated our weather news for over a week now. Its journey across the Caribbean has been well documented - a combination of shocking images and frightening statistics.

Thursday though has hopefully brought Ivan to its final destination as it has made landfall in the USA.

All tropical storms are dependant on the warm waters beneath them to provide thier energy source and sustain thier existence. In the case of Ivan these were initially the waters of the Mid-Atlantic and latterly those of the Caribbean Sea.

Once detatched from this energy source for a significant period of time i.e. traversing a major land-mass (in this case the USA), any such storms will begin to lose their potency.

The wind strength tends to fall to that of a normal area of low pressure within a matter of days - however due to the tropical origins of the storm even its remnants bring deluges of rainfall.

Ivan may well now be entering its last 24 hours as a hurricane, but its potential effects should by no means be underestimated at this stage.

In the early hours of Thursday (local time) the storm slammed into the coast of Alabama with sustained winds of 135mph (a category 4 storm). Hurricane force winds extended over 100 miles out from the core exposing a vast area to potential damage.

The eye came ashore directly over Orange Shores, between Mobile and Pensacola, lashing the area with heavy rain and monster waves that toppled beach houses.

The state Govenor, Bob Riley, said Alabama had never seen such a storm.

Coastal areas of Florida, Mississippi and Louisiana have also been badly hit. Some stretches of the Gulf Coast saw storm surges reaching 7.5 meters in height and unconfirmed reports are indicating 50cm of rain in some areas.

Early warnings however, have meant that 2 million people have been sucessfully evacutated from Ivan's path.

In the next 24 hours Ivan is set to track northeastwards across Alabama - and by the time it reaches the border with Tenensse the winds around it should have deminished such that it will then classified as a depression (winds below 39mph).

Major problems are still to be expected from the rainfall - the risk of flooding and mudslides remains very high.

Ivan is however not the only storm causing problems at the moment. The tropical storm Jeanne has brought extensive damage to Puerto Rico in the last 24 hours.

Roads were turned into raging rivers, properties damaged and trees ripped down as the storm whirled away. Over 40cm of rain were reported in some areas.

Jeanne is now nearing the Dominican Republic, then set to track towards the Bahamas. The storm is forecast to make hurricane strength later today.

Related Links: National Hurricane Centre, Miami

NOAA Website Features - Hurricanes

Information thanks to the BBC Weather Website

[highcliffe2]

17/09/2004

By Everton Fox

Hurricane keep coming

It is now some ten days since hurricane Ivan smashed through Grenada. Since then it has left a trail of death and destruction across the Caribbean and on its arrival in the USA it has dumped huge amounts of rain across the southeastern states. The situation was of course worsened by the fact that the eye of the storm stayed off shore throughout its passage across the West Indies. This allowed the storm to maintain its intensity and even strengthen slightly as it moved through the region.

Whilst Louisiana breathed a sigh of relief, Alabama was not so lucky. Mobile to the southwest of the state recorded 134mm of rain in just 18 hours. That is almost the entire average rainfall for September which is 136mm.

Similarly Huntsville, Alabama had 62mm of rain in just 6 hours compared with a monthly average of 79mm. Conditions were even worse for Montgomery where 124mm (a month’s worth) of rain fell in 12 hours.

Across the border, Georgia was also feeling the force of the storm. Although no more than a tropical depression now, Ivan still has an enormous amount of stored energy and moisture. The winds have eased significantly but rainfall amounts will continue to lead to widespread flooding. Atlanta had 117mm of rain in 12 hours, 96mm of which fell in just 6 hours. Meanwhile Chattanooga, Tennessee also receiving 140mm (5 inches ) in 36 hours.

The storm looks set to amble around the southeastern states over the coming days. That in itself could lead to widespread flooding but with tropical storm Jeanne also heading towards the Georgia and South Carolina border around Tuesday, the situation will probably get far worse before it gets better. Jeanne will soon reach hurricane status and is carrying plenty of rain. On crossing St Thomas in the Virgin Islands 223mm of rain fell in 30 hours.

Looking beyond that, yes there is more…tropical storm Karl lies in the middle of the Atlantic. At the moment I pleased to say that this storm poses no threat to the eastern seaboard of the USA.

Information thanks to the BBC Weather Website

[highcliffe2]

18/09/2004

By Peter Gibbs

Flooding now the main threat from Ivan, while Jeanne has an uncertain future.

While the devastating winds of a powerful hurricane make dramatic news pictures, it’s more often the incessant rain and resultant flooding that cause greatest disruption and loss of life.

Winds around the remnants of hurricane Ivan are only being reported at 30mph now, but flood watches and warnings are in force across a great swathe of the eastern USA. Pittsburgh endured 6 inches or 150mm of rain during Friday, making it their wettest day on record. The mountains of the Appalachian chain have encouraged the clouds to give up yet more of their tropical moisture, leading to mudslides and floods which have closed hundreds of roads. New England will get the worst of it during the weekend, before the remnants of Ivan move into the Atlantic.

Meanwhile Jeanne was downgraded to a tropical depression for a time after losing strength in its battle with Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic, where it left a trail of destruction. However, it is expected to regain strength over warm seas and may reach hurricane strength again in a few days. The forecast track is very uncertain and Jeanne remains a potential threat to the Bahamas and perhaps the eastern seaboard of the USA.

On a brighter note, the latest storm in the series, Karl, should stay well clear of land areas as it drifts into the central Atlantic.

Related Links: National Hurricane Centre, Miami

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

Storm names

Information thanks to the BBC Weather Website

[kold weather]

thanks highcliffe2

[highcliffe2]

Cheers Kold

19/09/2004

By Jay Wynne

Ivan dies a terrible death

Hurricane Ivan continues to make the headlines. Hurricane status was lost some time ago and its remnants are now classified as a weak tropical depression. The depression has now moved away from the mid-Atlantic coast but before it did so it managed to produce huge volumes of rain over vast areas.

We’ve seen flooding all the way from the southeast to the northeast of the USA. Most recently, in just 30 hours, we’ve seen as much as 166mm (6.5 inches) of rain in Williamsport, Pennsylvania. Monticello, New York State picked up 133mm (5.25 inches). Andover, New Jersey saw 116mm (4.5 inches), Jaffrey, New Hampshire saw 110mm (4.3 inches) with the Virginias, Maryland and New England all affected by large volumes of rain.

All of that rain inevitably caused flooding problems, some landslides roads were closed and parts of the New York City Subway system were inundated.

Further south, near to where Ivan made landfall with its destructive 130mph winds, the clean up operation is underway. In Gulf Shores, Alabama, a town ravaged by the full force of Ivan, residents were beginning to return to their properties to assess the damage. Officials have said that one thing is for sure – Maps of the area will need to be redrawn because as much as a mile of coastline was swallowed by the immense and battering waves.

Out in the Caribbean, Hurricane Jeanne has brought devastation to the Dominican Republic and brushed past the Bahamas. Previously, it was thought that this system would get very close to eastern Florida early next week, thankfully things now look a little different and this system no longer poses a threat to the storm weary Floridians.

There are two other tropical storms close to the Americas – Hurricane Karl is in the Atlantic and at the moment it doesn’t look like bothering anybody while in the Pacific, Tropical Depression Javier will cease to exist in the next 48 hours but until then we’ve got some heavy rain to come over the Baja Peninsular and the southwest of Mexico.

Related Links: National Hurricane Centre, Miami

Information thanks to the BBC Weather Website

[highcliffe2]

20/09/2004

By Jay Wynne

Haiti hit hard by Tropical Storm Jeanne

You may remember the devastating flash floods that struck Haiti some four months ago. That catastrophic event was triggered by a slow moving tropical depression that sat over the island of Hispaniola (which Haiti shares with the Dominican Republic) and poured rain for several days.

Hispaniola is a mountainous island that used to be dominated by tropical rainforests. The Dominican Republic has managed to keep a large part of its rainforest while the situation in Haiti is very different. Rampant deforestation has left the mountains with sparse vegetation. When heavy rain comes there is little to absorb it, consequently the water runs off in huge volumes creating flash floods. The steep topography and scant vegetation means that landslides are also a major problem.

Tropical storm Jeanne has been in the Caribbean for a few days now. On reaching Hispaniola it destroyed hundreds of homes and killed 11 people in the Dominican Republic. By the time it pulled away from Haiti yesterday, there was further destruction and at least another 90 deaths.

The deforestation issue was probably at the heart of the matter once again as official reports talk of roads becoming rivers before being washed away, rivers bursting their banks and massive mudslides.

The northwest coastal town of Gonaives, home to some 200,000 people, was hit hard by the muddy floodwaters with thousands of people left stranded on rooftops, above the waist deep mire.

Thankfully Jeanne headed out into open waters yesterday and is no longer expected to hit the southeast USA.

Out in the Atlantic, the fifth major Hurricane of the season, Hurricane Karl continues to intensify. It is now a Category 4 Hurricane with sustained winds of 135mph. At the moment it poses no threat land and nor does the next system – Tropical Depression 13 is in the Atlantic, developing and moving west……….watch this space.

Related Links: National Hurricane Centre, Miami

Informatioon thanks to the BBC Weather Website

[highcliffe2]

21/09/2004

By Penny Tranter

Latest on Jeanne and the Atlantic hurricane season so far

Charley, Frances, Gaston, Ivan and Jeanne are names that will be forever remembered by the people that they have brought devastation to in the 2004 Atlantic hurricane season. In fact, they have all contributed to making this the second costliest hurricane season to date for the insurance industry, after Hurricane Andrew in 1992.

They have battered parts of the Caribbean, Florida, the Gulf and eastern coasts of the US between them, with flooding, sea surges and damaging hurricane winds, as well as tornadoes, wreaking havoc. Extensive building and tree damage has occurred with thousands of flattened homes leaving people temporarily homeless and over a thousand people losing their lives.

The latest hurricane - Jeanne - started off as a Tropical Storm last week over the eastern Caribbean, and left a trail of destruction over Puerto Rico before heading to the Dominican Republic.

In May of this year, you may recall that floods struck the Haitian-Dominican border in the southern part of the island. Last weekend Jeanne brought flash floods to the northern part of Haiti.

The exceptional wet weather brought widespread flooding exacerbated by the deforestation on the island. More than 90% of Haiti’s trees have been chopped down, mostly to make charcoal. Without roots, plants and trees there was nothing to stop the heavy rain from cascading into rivers and low-lying areas. The city of Gonaives, a city with a population of 250,000 was the worst affected with over 500 people killed in the flooding and mudslides.

Jeanne is now a Category 1 hurricane in the West Atlantic, meandering in a spot to the northeast of the Bahamas and south of Bermuda. Watch this space – as it may, just may, affect south-eastern US early next week.

Also out in the mid Atlantic is Hurricane Karl, a category 4 storm, which is not expected to make landfall. Tropical Storm Lisa is developing further east of Karl and could track towards the Caribbean next week.

There is still a long way to go before this 2004 Atlantic hurricane season officially ends in November. But whatever happens between now and then, this season will be remembered as a very active one.

Related Links: National Hurricane Centre, Miami

Hurricane Isidore Video

Storm names

Hurricanes, Typhoons & Tropical Cyclones Worldwide

2004 Hurricane Forecast

Information thanks to the BBC Weather Website

[highcliffe2]

22/09/2004

By Kirsty McCabe

Seasonal variations

Summer (did we have one?) is officially over. The autumnal equinox has signalled the start of the long, dark nights ahead for those of us living in the northern hemisphere.

The last day of summer certainly went out with a bang in Denver, Colorado. A cold front brought in some early snow storms, which dumped nearly 17 inches of snow on higher ground.

The National Weather Service reported 42 cm of snow falling northeast of Steamboat Springs, while nearby Rabbit Ears Pass received 30 cm. Early September snowfall in the state is unusual but not unheard of, said the weather service.

In Denver, temperatures plummeted from 28 C (82 F) on Monday to just 6 C (43 F) on Tuesday. It will be just as chilly on Wednesday, but the wind will swing round to a southerly on Thursday, pushing that cold front further north. That should bring the temperatures back to 21 C (70 F) or so.

It may be cold in Colorado, but on the other side of the pond Portugal is basking in a heatwave. The national weather office expects temperatures in the centre and south of the country to soar above 35 C (95 F) on Wednesday and stay there until at least the end of the week.

On Tuesday, Portuguese health authorities raised alert levels to “yellow” in the southern regions of Evora and Beja as well as the central region of Castelo Branco. The alert involves preventative measures to protect vulnerable members of the society and ensuring hospitals are properly prepared.

As the temperatures have risen, firefighters have had to battle three wildfires so far, and are on alert for more blazes. “With these conditions, the risk of fires has the tendency to rise,” warned the National Civil Protection and Firefighter Service on its website.

Information thanks to the BBC Weather Website

[highcliffe2]

23/09/2004

By Jo Farrow

He's back!

It is slightly like a horror movie. Just when you think the baddie is dead and gone and all is well, he rears his head once more. Ivan the terrible is back. Nothing like his former self but this re-emergence is a rather bizarre twist in one awful Atlantic hurricane season.

With the devastating flooding from Tropical Storm Jeanne, which has been in the news all week, we have to look back several days to remember Ivan. Ivan was a rare Category 5 hurricane (winds over 155mph) and was the 6th strongest Atlantic hurricane to be observed. A beast of a storm which devastated Grenada The last official warning from the National Hurricane Centre (NHC) was on the 17th September as Ivan moved across Alabama, and was downgraded to a tropical depression.

With torrential rains throughout the Appalachians, tornadoes reported in North Carolina and Virginia, Ivan’s progress northeastwards through the United States seemed quite obvious.

That was until the 22nd September with the reappearance of Ivan in the Gulf of Mexico.

Now at Tropical Storm status, there are warnings in place along the coast from the mouth of Mississippi in Louisiana across into Texas.

So what is going on? The NHC have had “considerable and sometimes animated in-house discussion of the demise of Ivan”, which shows the strangeness of this situation.

The Met Office’s very own cyclone expert Julian Heming agreed that it was all a bit of a mess and explained:

“Basically, the remnant of Ivan split into two centres over the southeast USA. One portion did progress up the east coast. The other remnant … drifted out into the Atlantic and looped back across Florida and into the Gulf of Mexico, which is where it has developed.”

So for ‘Ivan – the return’, landfall is forecast for the evening of Thursday 23rd, local time. Coasts of Texas have already been subjected to abnormally high tides and as Ivan closes in, there will be another 2 feet of storm surge. Flooding seems inevitable when combined with up to 10 inches of rain (over 250mm) and also gusts up to 50 mph.

Related Links: National Hurricane Centre, Miami

Information thanks to the BBC Weather Website

[highcliffe2]

24/09/2004

By Jo Farrow

Enjoy the sunshine the worst of autumn weather is on its way

Autumn in the UK really can differ day to day.

A good deal of the UK is bathed in glorious sunshine today although with a real nip in the air. By the end of the weekend, it will be a very different story, especially for western Scotland, with gales and heavy rain.

That is because we will be feeling the effects of the remnants of Hurricane Karl. Whilst not wanting to do a ‘Michael Fish’, we don’t have a hurricane heading for us. Just that the northwest of the UK will be subjected to heavy rain and warm air as this vigorous low pressure skirts passed combined with very strong winds, possibly reaching storm force (60mph average, 70mph gusts).

Karl is currently still in the mid Atlantic and changing from Hurricane status to an extra-tropical low. The winds don’t necessarily change, just the structure of the system as it moves further north. The seas are not warm enough in the northern Atlantic to provide the energy required for “a hurricane”.

If you did read yesterday’s article (see link below) the re-birth of Ivan has reached the coast of the Gulf of Mexico on the Louisiana / Texas border. As yet there have not been any reports of flooding from the heavy rain.

Hurricane Jeanne still presents the worst threat to end the week. Hurricane warnings are in place for the north Bahamas and watches for the central Bahamas, as the storm moves in for Saturday. As Haiti still tries to recover from the devastation of Jeanne the concerns of the Bahamas are well founded with torrential rains, damaging winds and a storm surge expected to affect some of the islands.

As if that wasn’t enough, next on Jeanne’s agenda is the east coast of Florida for late Sunday.

Information thanks to the BBC Weather Website

[highcliffe2]

25/09/2004

By Jo Farrow

Watch out Bahamas and Florida - here comes Jeanne!

It looks like Hurricane Jeanne will be following Ivan into the memorable storm books.

Having already devastated Haiti earlier this week, it is now the time for the Bahamas, and then Florida, to brace themselves.

Normally I would imagine most people wouldn’t mind being on the tropical islands of the Bahamas, enjoying the sunshine. However, this weekend will easily qualify for an episode of nightmare holidays. Looking at the satellite picture on the National Hurricane Centre website, you can see that the cloud shield from Jeanne is as large as Florida, and there is a very distinct eye to the storm.

Jeanne is in the western Atlantic. Hurricane categories run from 1 (lowest) to 5 (most damaging). Jeanne is currently a category 2 but is expected to intensify into a 3 very soon.

It is the northern islands of the Bahamas which are directly in Jeanne’s path. The rain and strengthening winds were just arriving for the start of Saturday on Great Acabo Island, with Grand Bahama next in line to the west. Even the capital of the Bahamas, Nassau, has a tropical storm warning in place.

The people of the Bahamas are still recovering form Hurricane Frances, which hit 3 weeks ago. To end this week they have had to evacuate or move to shelters. Up to 10 inches of rain (250mm) is forecast, which when combined with a storm surge of 2.5m makes flooding seem inevitable. Of course, there will be the damaging winds as well, up to 120mph is forecast, gusts over 140mph.

Once Jeanne has finished with the northern Bahamas, it is the east coast of Florida’s turn.

Approaching through Saturday night, landfall is expected at 2am Sunday local time. Smashing in as a major hurricane, there are warnings from Florida City northward to St. Augustine. The forecast path is then northwards through Florida, weakening considerably by Sunday night and then into southeast Georgia and South Carolina.

Related Links: National Hurricane Centre, Miami

Information thanks to the BBC Weather Website

[highcliffe2]

26/09/2004

By Helen Young

Jeanne has made it to Florida, the fourth so far this season.

Jeanne has hit Florida as a Category 3 hurricane with winds up to 120 mph. Jeanne is the 4th hurricane to affect Florida this year and has set a new record for the sunshine state; records date back to 1851. Until now it was only the state of Texas that could claim as many in one season and even that was last reported in 1886.

Jeanne has followed swiftly on the heels of Charley, which hit the southwest Gulf coast on August 13, Frances, which hit the central east coast on September 5, and Ivan, which devastated the northwestern corner of Florida and the Alabama coast on September 16.

Between them the hurricanes have killed 108 people in the US and cost insurance companies up to $18 billion.

The eye of Jeanne made landfall late Saturday night very close to the spot where Hurricane Frances hit on 5th September; near the southern end of Hutchinson Island just east of the city of Stuart.

Already over 1.5 million storm weary residents are without power, many of the powerlines had only just been repaired following Frances, and now they are down again.

The present forecast track puts 5 million people in the Florida state of 17 million people, in harms way. Not suprisingly up to 3 million were told to evacuate coastal islands, mobile homes and flood-prone areas. Most did but some fool hardy residents were prepared to sit it out including some reckless news reporters.

Prior to it's arrival in the US Jeanne had torn unchecked across the Bahamas leaving some neighbourhoods submerged under 5 feet (1.5 metres)of water and had been blamed for more than 1500 deaths from floods in Haiti.

Hurricane Jeanne is now expected to move north across the length of Florida and then into the other eastern US states before moving back into the Atlantic on Tuesday evening. It's progress will be watched with interest.

With still another month to go in the hurricane season questions are being asked as to whether this year's activity is unusual. Hurricane seasons vary one year to the next and on average 5 hurricanes affect the US each year; we're still one short! However what is unusual is for one state to be picked on by successive hurricanes.

Related Links: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

National Hurricane Centre, Miami

Information thanks to the BBC Weather Website

[highcliffe2]

27/09/2004

By Jay Wynne

A tale of two tropical tempests

While ex-Hurricane Jeanne continues to weaken over the southeast of the USA there is still the potential to produce a few tornadoes and also some very heavy rain. As the storm eases away from northern Florida as much as 200mm of rain is expected in Georgia and South Carolina. Widespread flooding is almost inevitable.

Jeanne has left a huge mess behind her. President Bush has declared a major disaster in Florida. At least six people lost their lives, a huge number of houses were destroyed and millions were left without power.

Initial assessment of the situation estimated that losses could amount to some $8 billion. Add that to the estimated $18 billion in damage caused by the three other hurricanes to hit the state since mid-August and it is clear that this will be a very expensive season in monetary and human terms. It is also worth noting that the official end of the Atlantic Hurricane season isn’t until the 1st of November.

One of the worst hit towns was Fort Pierce. The streets were a mess of trees, lamp posts, traffic lights and billboards. The marina full of sunken boats, trailer parks trashed. In some places, the destruction started three weeks ago by Hurricane Frances was completed by Jeanne.

Further north at Vero Beach the streets were full of debris and water and nearly every home along a 30 mile stretch of beach suffered major structural damage.

Around the other side of the world we’ve got some equally nasty weather. Okinawa is one of the larger of Japan’s southernmost islands and wild weather is not uncommon here. Typhoon Meari hit the island yesterday with 90mph winds, high seas and heavy rain. At least one man lost his life, there was much disruption to all forms of transport and power supplies were cut.

Typhoon Meari is expected to reach its peak in the next 24 to 36 hours before moving in a north easterly direction. Its current forecast track takes it towards Kyushu. By the time it gets there on Thursday it will probably have been downgraded to Tropical Storm status.

Related Links: National Hurricane Centre, Miami

Joint Typhoon Warning Centre

Information thanks to the BBC Weather Website

[highcliffe2]

28/09/2004

By Jay Wynne

And now the aftermath....

Tropical Depression Jeanne has continued her journey up the eastern seaboard of the USA and is still producing significant amounts of rain over the Appalachian Mountains and the Mid Atlantic region. The rain now extends all the way from North Carolina to as far north as New York State. Rainfall totals in a recent 42 hour period are as much as 140mm (5.5 inches) in a few places and there is more to come. All of that can only result in widespread flooding problems but at least the winds are no longer an issue. The clean up will take quite some time, but the situation is nowhere near as bad as it is in Haiti.

Before making landfall in the States, Jeanne brought misery to parts of the Caribbean. When she got to the island of Hispaniola she was a very powerful tropical storm. A combination her slow progress, torrential rain and the almost complete deforestation of Haiti resulted in absolute carnage. The city of Gonaives was particularly badly hit.

Fears are that more than 2,000 people were overcome by the devastating floods, and rescues workers continue to find more and more fatalities. Hundreds of thousands of people are homeless, supplies of electricity and running water have not yet been restored and the city’s sewage system now contaminates the mud and floodwaters which seem to be everywhere. Infections, including gangrene, are becoming more and more common and other diseases such as tetanus are beginning to emerge.

Medical facilities, such as they are, are not coping with the situation at the moment, the city hospital is half buried in mud and debris, supplies are limited or non existent.

A lot of money has been pledged and plane loads of aid have been sent to the island but getting it to where it is needed is proving very difficult. Trucks carrying food have been blocked by mudslides and some roads have been washed away completely. Donkeys and mules have been used instead.

The local government, international aid groups and about 3000 UN peacekeepers are trying to bring relief but when aid does get through, the looters take over. Some help is getting through but the distribution points remain chaotic. At least the weather has settled back to more like what you would expect – a lot of sunshine and a few passing downpours.

Out in the Atlantic, Tropical Storm Lisa continues to churn away, at the moment it poses no threat to anybody. But, in the Pacific, slow moving Typhoon Meari is still on course for Japan’s southernmost main island of Kyushu.

Related Links: National Hurricane Centre, Miami

Information thanks to the BBC Weather Website

[highcliffe2]

29/09/2004

By Carol Kirkwood

Is it Autumn?

It is autumn?

It might sound silly but across parts of Europe you might wonder over the past few days. There has been some near record heat across the southwest and southeast of the continent. In Portugal and Spain we have had highs in the 30s. Lisbon, Portugal on Monday reached 33C. This was quite a bonus in comparison to the typical high for this time of year of 24C.

In the southeast parts of the continent it has been even warmer. The afternoon high in Antalya, Turkey reached 41C on Tuesday. The afternoon high normally this time of year should be 31C. It was probably swimming pools and keeping cool rather than autumn on the minds of people here.

The unseasonably warm weather across the southern corners of Europe is a result of high pressure. Think of them as mountains of warm air. One of the highs is sitting across southwest Europe and the other just south of turkey. The warm southerly flow of air around the highs helped bring in the heat.

By contrast, in other parts of Europe it areas of low pressure have brought cool and wet weather. In Lastovo, Croatia 76mm of rain fell in 6 hours. The average amount for an entire month is 70mm. This cool and wet weather extends north all the way to Scandinavia. There have even been a few signs of the white stuff (snow) across northern Scandinavia in the past few days.

For many it is definitely autumn and for a few it is already fringing on winter.

Related Links: Global Warming

Information on Genoa Lows

Information thanks to the BBC Weather Website

[highcliffe2]

30/09/2004

By Dan Corbett

Another typhoon fizzles out!

Another typhoon fizzles away!

Typhoon Meari has now weakened to a tropical storm as it moves off the east coast of Japan. The typhoon brought some very heavy rain and wind to the islands of Japan over the past couple of days. Owase, Honshu received 280mm (~11 inches) in 12 hours as the centre of Meari moved through. In addition the heavy rain brought flooding and mudslides across southern and western parts of the country. Many have lost their lives and others are still unaccounted for.

Meari was the 8th typhoon to directly hit Japan out of 21 that have developed so far this season across the western Pacific. An average season would see only 4 or 5 making landfall out of around 26 total for a season. The typhoon first developed as a clump of thunderstorms in the warm waters east of Guam almost two weeks ago. Favourable upper level winds and lots of warm Pacific water allowed it to develop into an intense typhoon with wind gusts around 150 mph. The typhoon initially tracked to the west but upper level westerly winds helped steer it in a more northerly direction towards Japan.

The typhoon made landfall on the southwest coast of Kyushu just south of Sasebo with winds over 100 mph. Meari weakened significantly after landfall because it lost direct contact with the warm water source from which it draws it’s energy. Interacting with the mountains also helped break up the lower sections of the typhoon. The storm then tracked across Shikoku and the western shore of Honshu before turning more northeast and back into the Pacific.

Even though the typhoon is back over water, the ocean temperature is not high enough to regenerate Meari. Meari will continue to track to the northeast as a much weaker clump of wind and rain across the northern Pacific.

The demise of Meari has left only one other tropical troublemaker in the world; tropical storm Lisa in the central Atlantic. There is still plenty of time left in the storm season, so I wouldn’t say that that we have seen the last typhoon or Hurricane just yet!

Related Links: Joint Typhoon Warning Centre

Information thanks to the BBC Weather Website

[highcliffe2]

As Paul mentioned in a thread a few days ago, I picked this old Weather around the World thread to archive, if you don't mind of course