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Hurricane Dolly downgraded to Category 1
A downgraded Hurricane Dolly caused damage as it made landfall in Texas on Wednesday afternoon and brought the possibility of flooding over the next two days.
Dolly made landfall on South Padre Island, Texas, about 2 p.m., tearing roofs off homes, flooding streets and sending residents scrambling for safety from wind gusts reaching 120 mph.
At least one person was injured as sustained winds up to 100 mph downed power lines and tore observation decks off homes and condos.
A downgraded Hurricane Dolly caused damage as it made landfall in Texas on Wednesday afternoon and brought the possibility of flooding... more -
Hurricane Dolly hits Texas and Mexico
Forecasters have predicted that Hurricane Dolly, which has already battered the Gulf Coast with strong winds and heavy rain, will pass directly over or around Borwnsville, Texas, or Matamoros, Mexico.
If the Hurricane holds its present speed, it will arrive in the region at around 1pm E.T. Forecasters have predicted that Hurricane Dolly, which has already battered the Gulf Coast with strong winds and heavy rain, will pass... more -
Hurricane Dolly aims for Texas
CNN reports that Hurricane Dolly became a category 1 hurricane on Tuesday afternoon. The storm is heading towards Southern Texas and Northern parts of Mexico according to the National Hurricane Center. Winds were up to 75mph around 5pm when it was centered in the Gulf of Mexico and 165 miles 'east-southeast of Brownsville, Texas'. By Wedesday, the storm should be closer to Brownsville and the west coastal cities of the Gulf.
When a hurricane enters category 1, this means that the hurricane has sustained winds between 74 to 95 miles per hour. CNN reports that Hurricane Dolly became a category 1 hurricane on Tuesday afternoon. The storm is heading towards Southern Texas and N... more -
Oil prices steady as storm fades
Oil prices have today levelled off at around $131 a barrel, after reports that Tropical Storm Dolly does not have the power to disrupt drilling in the Gulf of Mexico.
Europe's biggest oil company, Royal Dutch Shell, had said earlier that it would be evacuating its rig workers in the west of the area, but does not expect its prodiction to be affected by the storm.
However, oil prices are expected to continue to rise steadily, with the September contract price already at $131.86 a barrel. Oil prices have today levelled off at around $131 a barrel, after reports that Tropical Storm Dolly does not have the power to disrupt... more -
Hurricane Fausto grows to category 2 storm
Hurricane Fausto has increased to a category 2 storm in the Pacific while Tropical Storm Dolly moves over Mexico's Yucatan peninsula and heads for the Gulf of Mexico.
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Though Hurricane Fausto has increased in strength, the National Hurricane Center in Miami says the storm has probably reached its peak intensity and is expected to weaken during the next 24 hours. Fausto's maximum sustained winds are near 100 mph and the storm's center is 405 miles west-southwest of Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.
Meanwhile, Tropical Storm Dolly is expected to strengthen as it moves into the Gulf of Mexico and could become a hurricane on Tuesday. Its winds are near 50 mph.
Also in the Atlantic, Tropical Storm Cristobal continues to move northeast, away from the U.S. coast. Hurricane Fausto has increased to a category 2 storm in the Pacific while Tropical Storm Dolly moves over Mexico's Yucatan peninsula a... more -
Lightning: Nature's Own Electrifying Fireworks Display
The limitless power of lightning is more than a great electrical show.
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Tropical Storm Cristobal strengthens off NC coast
Tropical Storm Cristobal, the first system to menace the Southeast seaboard this hurricane season, strengthened slightly off the North Carolina coast Sunday, and was expected to dump several inches of rain in some areas of the drought-stricken state.
At 8 a.m. EDT, the center of the storm was about 40 miles south-southwest of Cape Lookout, N.C., and about 105 miles southwest of Cape Hatteras, N.C. The National Hurricane Center said Cristobal was moving northeast at about 6 mph. Maximum sustained winds increased about 5 mph Sunday to 50 mph, with some higher gusts.
The storm was expected to skirt the Outer Banks on Sunday, fueling tides 2 to 3 feet above normal. The National Weather Service said a few areas could see flooding from heavy rain.
"Unless this thing does something really unusual, we're only expecting minor problems — some gusty winds and maybe a few heavy rain bands," said John Elardo, a National Weather Service meteorologist.
Tropical storm warnings remained in effect from north of Little River Inlet in South Carolina to the North Carolina-Virginia state line.
Minor flooding was reported in Wilmington, N.C., on Saturday, and the area picked up 3.43 inches of rain, a record for the day.
The storm's heaviest winds and rains have stayed well offshore, though the winds have created strong rip currents along the beaches, and forecasters advised people not to swim in the ocean Sunday even if the weather cleared.
The National Hurricane Center said by early Monday that Cristobal was expected to move faster and farther away from the coast.
The rain could provide some benefits. Eastern North Carolina is under a moderate drought, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor. Officials have blamed the drought for a huge wildfire that has charred more than 62 square miles in eastern North Carolina since it began June 1 with a lightning strike.
At the By The Sea Motel in North Myrtle Beach, S.C., out-of-state visitors photographed outer storm bands Saturday as Cristobal churned off the coast, said hotel manager Charlie Peterson. Intermittent light rain fell in the afternoon but that wasn't enough to chase them away.
"They've got their cameras set and they think there is going to be lightning over the water," he said.
Elsewhere, Hurricane Fausto was expected to weaken far off Mexico's Pacific coast, while Hurricane Bertha, the longest-lived July tropical storm in history, was downgraded to a tropical storm. Tropical Storm Cristobal, the first system to menace the Southeast seaboard this hurricane season, strengthened slightly off the North... more -
Taiwan storm's death toll hits 19
Taiwanese officials say flash floods triggered by tropical storm Kalmaegi have killed 19 people in Taiwan.
The disaster relief center lists another six people as missing in its Sunday report.
The storm lashed southern Taiwan with torrential rains Friday, triggering flash floods and landslides.
The death toll was raised from 13 to 19.
The center says mudslides buried two houses that killed seven people in Kaohsiung, southern Taiwan.
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Most others were washed away by rampaging waters.
Typhoons and tropical storms often hit the island between July and September. Kalmaegi, the Korean word for sea gull, was the first storm to hit Taiwan this year. Taiwanese officials say flash floods triggered by tropical storm Kalmaegi have killed 19 people in Taiwan. ... more -
Tropical storm leaves 18 dead in Taiwan
Tropical Storm Kalmaegi, killed 18 people and injured another eight, while seven are still missing after it hit the island, an official from the National Fire Agency said on Sunday.
Kalmaegi, a Korean word meaning seagull, brought heavy rains, causing floods, landslides and agricultural losses of around T$500 million ($16 million) throughout the island.
Kalmaegi, the first typhoon to hit Taiwan this year, left Taiwan on Friday and was weakening over China after being downgraded to a tropical storm, an official from Taiwan's Central Weather Bureau said. Tropical Storm Kalmaegi, killed 18 people and injured another eight, while seven are still missing after it hit the island, an officia... more -
Tropical storm strengthens near US southeast
Tropical storm Christobal (very sophisticated), which formed on saturday, is said to be gaining strength, and moving northeast at around 7mph, towards South Carolina.
However, it is forecast to remain a tropical storm, and according to meteorologists, the worst that can be expected are some heavy showers: it is predicted to rain in excess 5 inches along stretches of the North Carolina coast.
So rather than bringing desruction, friendly young Christobal could simply bring some welcome moisture to the parched lands of eastern North Carolina, which is suffering a "moderate drought". Tropical storm Christobal (very sophisticated), which formed on saturday, is said to be gaining strength, and moving northeast at arou... more -
Weather Update: Tropical storm strengthens near Carolinas
Tropical Storm Cristobal formed off the South Carolina coast Saturday, and further strengthening is likely, the National Hurricane Center said.
The center of the storm was expected to move along the South and North Carolina coasts on Saturday and Sunday, dumping up to 5 inches of rain, forecasters said.
A tropical storm warning -- meaning tropical storm conditions with maximum winds of 39 mph are expected within the next 24 hours -- was issued for an area from South Santee River, South Carolina, to the North Carolina-Virginia border.
As of 2 p.m. ET, Cristobal's center was about 100 miles (160 km) east of Charleston, South Carolina, and about 225 miles (365 km) southeast of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina. It was moving northeast at near 7 mph.
Meanwhile, Hurricane Bertha stubbornly refused to dissipate in the northern Atlantic. After its winds decreased to tropical storm strength, the storm became a hurricane once more.
As of early Saturday, the storm was about 450 miles southeast of Cape Race, Newfoundland, the hurricane center said. Its maximum sustained winds were near 75 mph, with higher gusts.
"Bertha should slowly weaken over the next couple of days and begin to lose tropical characteristics later today," the hurricane center said Saturday.
Bertha, the first hurricane of the 2008 Atlantic season, formed July 3 in the eastern Atlantic and dealt a glancing blow to Bermuda before heading north.
The storm has set several records, including becoming the longest-lived tropical cyclone on record during July and the third-strongest July storm on record, behind Dennis and Emily in the 2005 hurricane season. Tropical Storm Cristobal formed off the South Carolina coast Saturday, and further strengthening is likely, the National Hurricane Cen... more -
Tropical storm forms off U.S. East Coast
The third tropical storm of the 2008 Atlantic hurricane season, Cristobal, formed off the U.S. East Coast on Saturday and gale-force winds and heavy rains were expected to lash the Carolinas as the storm grazed the shoreline on a northeasterly path.
Hurricane Bertha, meanwhile, defied cool Atlantic waters to cling to hurricane strength while a strong tropical wave south of Jamaica was expected to develop into a depression -- the precursor to a storm -- as it headed toward Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula and the oil rigs of the Gulf of Mexico beyond.
Cristobal was over marginally warm waters and while it was expected to strengthen over the coming days it was not seen becoming a hurricane, which requires winds of at least 74 miles per hour (119 km per hour), the U.S. National Hurricane Center said.
It was about 100 miles east of Charleston, South Carolina, by 2 p.m. EDT and moving to the northeast parallel to the coastline at 7 mph (11 kph) with 40 mph (65 kph) winds, the Miami-based hurricane center said.
A tropical storm warning was in effect from South Santee River in South Carolina to the North Carolina/Virginia border and rainfall of up to 5 inches could be expected in coastal areas, the center said.
Bertha, far to the east in the open Atlantic, continued to display an ominous resilience as it raced over chilly waters in the direction of distant Iceland.
The first hurricane of the season -- now on its way to becoming one of the longest-lived Atlantic storms on record -- Bertha formed on July 3 near the Cape Verde islands off the coast of Africa, signaling an early start to what might turn out to be an active six-month hurricane season. The third tropical storm of the 2008 Atlantic hurricane season, Cristobal, formed off the U.S. East Coast on Saturday and gale-force w... more -
Tropical storm Kalmaegi hits China
Authorities have called for the evacuation of parts of south-eastern China after the storm hit on Friday (July 18).
The storm, which was been downgraded from a typhoon, moved away from Taiwan on Saturday (July 19), leaving 15 people dead and 10 more missing, according to Chinese state media.
Large parts of Taiwan are bracing themselves for more rainfall.
Transportation, water and electricity supplies were still cut off in some areas after Kalmaegi landed on Thursday (July 17) evening.
The storm is expected to hit China's financial centre, Shanghai, over the weekend. Authorities have called for the evacuation of parts of south-eastern China after the storm hit on Friday (July 18). ... more -
Taiwan hit by Typhoon Kalmaegi
At least six people were killed as Typhoon Kalmaegi hit Taiwan, bringing flooding and landslides.
A baby girl and her brother were killed, but their mother survived, after a landslide hit their home in Kaohsiung county, said AP news agency.
Another four more people are feared to have drowned, and six people are missing, reports said.
The storm packed winds of up to 90 km/h (56mph), but has now lost power and has been downgraded to a tropical storm.
It has now turned away from Taiwan, and is forecast to brush the south China coast and veer towards the Korean peninsula.
Kalmaegi delivered up to 112cm (44in) of rain in a 24-hour period, officials said, according to AP.
In Tainan county, water supplies were cut off because of the heavy rain.
Rescuers have been using ladders to help people stuck in their homes and trapped drivers.
Kalmaegi means "seagull" in Korean. At least six people were killed as Typhoon Kalmaegi hit Taiwan, bringing flooding and landslides. ... more -
Vandalism in the Sky - H.A.A.R.P. is Death
Youtube.com by TheRealLawnMowerMan in April, 2008
"HAARP Boils The Upper Atmosphere.HAARP will zap the upper atmosphere with a focused and steerable electromagnetic beam. It is an advanced model of an "ionospheric heater". (The ionosphere is the electrically-charged sphere surrounding Earth's upper atmosphere. It ranges between about 40- to 600 miles above Earth's surface.)
Put simply, the apparatus for HAARP is a reversal of a radio telescope; antennas send out signals instead of receiving. HAARP is the test run for a super-powerful radiowave-beaming technology that lifts areas of the ionosphere by focusing a beam and heating those areas. Electromagnetic waves then bounce back onto earth and penetrate everything -- living and dead...."
"Looking at the other patents which built on the work of a Texas' physicist named Bernard Eastlund, it becomes clearer how the military intends to use the HAARP transmitter. It also makes governmental denials less believable. The military knows how it intends to use this technology, and has made it clear in their documents. The military has deliberately misled the public, through sophisticated word games, deceit and outright disinformation.
The military says the HAARP system could:
give the military a tool to replace the electromagnetic pulse effect of atmospheric thermonuclear devices (still considered a viable option by the military through at least 1986).
replace the huge Extremely Low Frequency (ELF) submarine communication system operating in Michigan and Wisconsin with a new and more compact technology.
Be used to replace the over-the-horizon radar system that was once planned for the current location of HAARP, with a more flexible and accurate system.
provide a way to wipe out communications over an extremely large area, while keeping the military's own communications systems working.
provide a wide area earth-penetrating tomography which, if combined with the computing abilities of EMASS and Cray computers, would make it possible to verify many parts of nuclear nonproliferation and peace agreements.
be a tool for geophysical probing to find oil, gas and mineral deposits over a large area.
be used to detect incoming low-level planes and cruise missiles, making other technologies obsolete."
________________
From TouchArt.net and OneEarthBlog.blogspot.com
where we know that zapping humans and the ionosphere
with a billion watts can't be good.
Youtube.com by TheRealLawnMowerMan in April, 2008 ... more -
Lightning Strikes Woman As She Shoots Video
Jessica Lynch was shooting video of a rain storm and was suddenly struck by lightning, capturing it all on video. Luckily she wasn’t injured, just a bit shook up.
"From what i understand, it went through my left hand holding the camera, crossed my back and exited out of my right hand holding onto the metal railing. No entry or exit wounds, just a really good zap!" she said.
Jessica Lynch was shooting video of a rain storm and was suddenly struck by lightning, capturing it all on video. Luckily she wasn’t i... more -
UK in for 40 days of rain?
If you're superstitious – and, for that matter, even if you're not – today may be a good day to invest in an umbrella.
It rained in many places across Britain on St Swithin's Day on Tuesday, which legend has it, will bring rain for the next 40 days.
And while weather forecasters can't be as precise as folklore, they too are predicting more rain than usual this summer. But don't despair – temperatures are expected to be above average in July and August and September will see an Indian summer, with dry, warm days. If you're superstitious – and, for that matter, even if you're not – today may be a good day to invest in an umbrella. ... more -
California firefighters get help from NASA drone
"Fire crews battling nearly 300 blazes burning across California are getting help from a pilotless plane that transmits real-time images of hot spots and flare-ups to commanders in the field.
The unmanned drone developed by NASA scientists discovered a hot flare-up in a canyon near the town of Paradise, prompting fire officials to issue evacuation orders for 10,000 people in Butte County last week. Thick smoke and heat had prevented other aircraft from patrolling the area.
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on Monday toured the NASA Ames Research Center in Mountain View, where he credited the NASA technology with saving lives and pushed an initiative to charge homeowners a fee to pay for emergency response equipment.
"This unmanned plane is a true life-saver. But even though we get all this terrific help, California needs more resources, there's no two ways about it," the governor said." "Fire crews battling nearly 300 blazes burning across California are getting help from a pilotless plane that transmits real-time imag... more -
Hurricane Season Getting Longer
Hurricane seasons have been getting longer over the past century and the big storms are coming earlier, LiveScience has learned. The trend has been particularly noticeable since 1995, some climate scientists say
"There has been an increase in the seasonal length over the last century," Jay Gulledge, a senior scientist with the Pew Center on Global Climate Change, told LiveScience. "It's pretty striking.
Hurricane season officially starts June 1, but the first named storm of the 2008 season, Tropical Storm Albert, formed on May 31. The first hurricane of the season, Hurricane Bertha, formed on July 1, reaching hurricane strength on July 7, relatively early in the season for a major storm
Do You think humans help precipitate this change? Hurricane seasons have been getting longer over the past century and the big storms are coming earlier, LiveScience has learned. The t... more
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