Tag Archives: national

Hurricane Isaac

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Hurricane Isaac, the ninth named storm of this Atlantic Hurricane Season, made landfall in Louisiana late Wednesday.  Despite its humble category–one status, this storm severely battered the Gulf Coast for several days.

Measuring nearly 250 miles in size, Isaac was a massive storm.  It produced strong winds and high storm surge that caused power outages and significant property damage throughout the region. Moving slowly – at approximately 5 mph – Isaac also brought unrelenting heavy rain, which lead to widespread flooding. According to the NWS, rainfall totals for this storm, so far, range from 10 to 20 inches across the area. The communities of Plaquemines Parish, LA and Slidell, LA were particularly hard hit by rising water.  In Mississippi and Alabama, several hurricane-induced tornadoes have also been reported.

Downgraded to a tropical depression, the remnants of Isaac are now moving inland.  Forecasts predict this enormous system will bring drenching rainfall to the drought stricken regions of the mid-west and southern plains.   Unfortunately, however, this storm could bring too much rain too quickly to the parched land and possibly cause flash flooding in some areas.

Similar to last year’s Hurricane Irene, Hurricane Isaac demonstrates that even low-category hurricanes can pack a serious punch.

Hurricane Isaac, 2012

Image Credit: NOAA

The Hottest Month Ever in the U.S.

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High temperatures are not uncommon for July in the U.S., but this year they were extreme.  July 2012 now marks the hottest month ever recorded in the lower forty-eight states.

According to NOAA’s monthly climate report, the country averaged 77.6°F this July.  That is 3.3°F above the 20th century average and breaks the previous record set during the Dust Bowl in July 1936.

Most of the heat last month was centered in the mid-west and central plains, where it fueled the region’s devastating drought. By the end of the month, more than 60% of the U.S. was in a state of moderate drought or worse.  These hot and dry conditions were ideal for wildfires, which scorched more than two million acres nationwide in July alone.

On the whole, this year has been exceptionally warm across the contiguous United States.  In fact, the period of January through July 2012 now stands as the warmest seven months this country has seen since modern record keeping began in 1895.

Drought Economics

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The widespread drought of 2012 is now considered the worst that the United States has seen in more than fifty years. The nation’s agricultural heartland has been particularly hard hit, and losses there are forecast to have a ripple effect throughout the economy.

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, 1,297 counties in 29 states have been designated as natural disaster areas. With grazing lands going barren and staple crops like corn and soybeans wilting in the ground, potential farm yields are plummeting. Following the laws of supply and demand, consumers all across the country will soon be paying higher prices for food.

The cost of many other goods is also expected to rise, as corn is used in a wide variety of products.  It is a key ingredient in items like livestock-feed, ethanol, and anything that contains corn syrup.

Devastating and costly, this drought is likely to intensify as hot and dry conditions continue to dominate the weather in the mid-west.  While not on the same scale as the Dust Bowl of the Great Depression, many analysts expect this year’s drought to rank as a billion dollar natural disaster.

Corn crop withers in drought stricken field.

Image Credit: BuffaloNews

Widespread U.S. Drought

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Drought, an extended period of below average precipitation, has been plaguing many parts of the United States this summer.

According to the U.S. Drought Monitor, 61% of this country is currently suffering in a state of moderate drought or worse. This is the largest area ever recorded in the monitor’s twelve-year history.

Experts say that this year’s widespread drought has been developing for months and cite the unusual position of the jet stream as a key factor.   Often referred to as the “storm track”, the jet stream typically travels across the middle of the country in winter and spring, bringing vital snow and rain to the region. This year, however, it has been persistently flowing far to the north.  As a result, abnormally hot and dry conditions have been dominating much of the nation.

Without any soaking rains in the forecast, this drought is expected to get worse before it gets better.

Image Credit: US Drought Monitor

Western Wildfires and Climate Change

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Summer is wildfire season in the American West, and it is off to a raging start. Fueled by prolonged drought and extreme heat, many experts agree that climate change is a significant contributing factor to this year’s widespread fires.

According to NOAA, the past eleven years have all ranked among the warmest on record in terms of global average temperatures. This warming trend, scientists report, is causing an increase in both the frequency and intensity of many dangerous weather phenomena, including forest fires.

This year, hot and dry conditions have dominated much of the United States.  In fact, this summer’s excessive heat follows our country’s warmest spring ever and fourth warmest winter to date.  In the West, these unusually mild conditions did not allow a sizeable snow pack to accumulate in the mountains, reducing spring run-off.  As a result, the region is parched and susceptible to any type of spark.

Warmer winters have also allowed the Rocky Mountain Pine Beetle population to explode and spread to higher elevations.  Feeding on various types of pines, the beetles leave large stands of dead trees in their wake when they move through an area. These ghost forests then essentially act as kindling for potential wildfires.

As of today, nearly forty large fires are burning in ten western states. Despite the arrival of the region’s monsoon season, many of these destructive flames are expected to continue blazing throughout the summer.

Intense wildfires burn across the American West.

Image Credit: KSTP

Tropical Storm Debby

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Tropical Storm Debby, the fourth storm of this Atlantic Hurricane Season, has been battering Florida for days.  Spawning more than two dozen tornadoes, Debby’s strong winds have caused power outages and significant property damage around the state.  The most serious problems, however, are being produced by this storm’s relentless precipitation.

Essentially stalled over the Gulf of Mexico since Saturday, Debby has unleashed torrential rain and high storm surges up and down the Florida peninsula, causing widespread flooding.  The northern and central parts of the state have been particularly hard hit. According to the NWS office in Jacksonville, rainfall totals for this storm, so far, range from 15 to 20 inches across northern Florida.

Stretching out 205 miles from its center, this massive and slow moving storm finally made landfall late this afternoon. It is forecast to travel across the state and move out into the Atlantic Ocean by the end of the day tomorrow.  Before leaving, however, Debby is expected to unload even more rain on the already saturated Sunshine State.

It is hard to believe that many parts of Florida were suffering under serious drought conditions only a few weeks ago.

The Saffir-Simpson Scale for Rating Hurricanes

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Hurricanes are one of nature’s most powerful storms. When formed in the Atlantic Ocean or North-Eastern Pacific, they are rated according to the Saffir-Simpson Scale.

Developed in the early 1970’s by Herbert Saffir, a civil engineer, and Dr. Robert Simpson of the National Hurricane Center, the scale classifies hurricanes into five categories based on the strength of their sustained winds.  Each category is considered an estimate of the potential damage that a storm will cause if it makes landfall.  As conditions change within a storm, its category is re-assessed.

The different categories, 1 through 5, represent increasing wind speeds and escalating degrees of damage.  Since its introduction, the NHC has modified the Saffir-Simpson Scale a number of times.   In fact, earlier this year they refined the wind speed range for categories three through five.  These changes are reflected in the chart below.

Chart Source: NOAA

2012 Atlantic Hurricane Season Forecast

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The 2012 hurricane season is off to an active start.  Two storms have already been named and the season does not officially begin until Friday.

Tropical cyclones, known as hurricanes in the United States, can develop around the globe at different times of the year. In this country, we are most affected by the Atlantic hurricane season, which runs from June 1 through November 30.  Peak activity, however, is usually in late August to mid- September.

A hurricane season is an extended period of time in which the majority of storms are likely to develop. This tends to happen in the summer months, when the temperature difference between the sea surface and the air aloft is greatest.

NOAA is forecasting a near-average number of storms this year, despite the pre-season arrival of Alberto and Beryl. Below are the details of NOAA’s forecast for the 2012 season.

Chart Source: NOAA

Wettest City in the U.S.

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“Rain rain go away, come again another day.”  With rain on fourteen of the last twenty-four days, this old nursery rhyme sums up the feelings of many New Yorkers.  For the residents of Hilo, Hawai’i, however, this sentiment is not an option.

Hilo is the wettest city in the United States.  Situated on the windward coast of the island of Hawai’i, the city is in the path of the moisture laden Trade Winds. Averaging 126 inches of rain annually, Hilo experiences every conceivable type of rainfall, from mist to downpours.  Looking at the calendar’s point of view, some form of precipitation falls there 272 days of the year on average.

As soggy as it may sound, Hilo’s amazing tropical rain forests, waterfalls, and rainbows would not be possible without this significant precipitation.

Third Warmest April for U.S.

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Warmer than average temperatures dominated most of the United States this April.  According to NOAA’s monthly climate report released yesterday, this was the third warmest April on record for the lower forty-eight states.

As a whole, the country averaged a temperature of 55.7°F, which is 3.6°F above average. Most of the heat was centered near the Rocky Mountains and the southern plains, where over 300 daily high temperature records were broken.  No state, however, experienced below average temperatures.

Following this country’s warmest March on record and fourth warmest winter, April’s above average temperatures were not much of a surprise.  Experts attribute the intensity of the continued warmth to the persistent northerly track of the jet stream and a combination of climate change issues, both natural and man-made.