Wednesday, November 6, 2013

Global Disaster Watch - the latest earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, tropical storms, wildfires and record-breaking weather.

**A consensus means that everyone agrees
to say collectively what no one believes individually.**
Abba Eban


LARGEST QUAKES so far today -
5.4 ASSAM, INDIA
5.4 RYUKYU ISLANDS, JAPAN

Yesterday, 11/5/13 -
5.2 NORTH INDIAN OCEAN
5.0 IZU ISLANDS, JAPAN REGION
5.2 EASTERN NEW GUINEA REGION

TROPICAL STORMS -
Current tropical storms - maps and details.

* In the Western Pacific -
- Tropical storm Thirty is located 290 nm east-northeast of Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Tropical storm Thirty is forecast to strike Vietnam at about 12:00 GMT today.

- Super Typhoon Haiyan is located approximately 154 nm south of Yap. Haiyan is forecast to strike the Philippines as a typhoon at about 04:00 GMT on November 8.
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Dangerous Category 2 Typhoon Haiyan is rapidly intensifying as it steams west-northwest at 17 mph towards the Philippine Islands. Haiyan is a large and steadily organizing typhoon, with plenty of intense thunderstorms. With warm waters that extend to great depth, low wind shear, and excellent upper-level outflow, there is nothing to keep Haiyan from growing into a 150 mph super typhoon by Thursday, and it may have a chance at becoming Earth's fifth Category 5 storm of 2013.
Both the GFS and European models predict that Haiyan will hit the central Philippines between 3 - 6 UTC on Friday, and Haiyan will likely be the most dangerous tropical cyclone to affect the Philippines this year. This is particularly true since Tropical Depression Thirty dumped heavy rains over the central Philippines Monday, which helped saturate the soils.
Haiyan is predicted to hit the Philippines as a Category 3 storm, bringing a 200-mile wide swath of 4 - 8 inches of rain. A 30-mile wide swath of 8+ inches of rain is predicted to cross the Central Philippines, with a 200-mile wide swath of the islands receiving 4 - 8 inches.

Tropical Storm 30 will hit southern Vietnam near 12 UTC on Wednesday, and bring heavy rains of 8+ inches to portions of Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, and Thailand over the next few days. By Friday, the storm will emerge in the North Indian Ocean, where it will likely regenerate and potentially threaten Myanmar, India, or Bangladesh early next week

India - Cyclone Phailin causes blackbuck migration in Ganjam. The Phailin Cyclone and the continuous rains that followed have led to migration of blackbuck from their normal regions of habitation in Ganjam district.
Cyclone, rain leave fishermen high and dry in Berhampur - Fishermen of Ganjam district, both of marine and inland sector, are a devastated lot after the Phailin Cyclone and the floods caused by continuous rains.

SEVERE RAIN STORMS, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES -

Philippines - Quake–hit areas warned of landslides amid heavy rains. The Department of Environment and Natural Resources - Mines and Geosciences Bureau warns people of quake-affected areas to be vigilant on possible landslide and sinkhole surfacing amid heavy rains and typhoons. These areas are very vulnerable to landslide especially during heavy rains and typhoons. People living in these areas with fractures and tension cracks and in hilly barangays were warned not to return home due to possible landslides.
Meanwhile in the aftermath of the 7.2 earthquake in Bohol province many sinkholes surfaced, alarming community residents in those areas. A sinkhole was also found in Canjulao, Lapulapu City in Cebu. Sinkholes mostly develop in limestone areas, and in Central Visayas Bohol, Cebu and Siquijor have 70-80% limestone land composition making them prone to sinkholes. Negros Oriental has the least vulnerability to sinkholes. At present, Bohol is categorized under high and very high for sinkholes to surface and in these areas under very high condition, residents were advised to evacuate.

RECORD HEAT -

Russia - Moscow weather: RECORD-BREAKING HIGHS plus rain. Recording-breaking highs were expected in Moscow on Tuesday amid a warm, wet spell that has yet to go away. Tuesday was rainy with highs around 8-10 degrees Celsius due to a low pressure front. That same front was expected to drive temperatures up to 10-12 degrees towards the end of the day, breaking a record set in 1922.
Cooler weather is not expected any time soon, forecasters say, with the low pressure front due to linger. People with respiratory and cardiovascular problems should take heed since low pressure and high humidity reduces the amount of oxygen in the air, weather experts say.

SPACE WEATHER -

SOLAR FLARE CAUSES RARE 'MAGNETIC CROCHET' - On Nov. 5th at 22:12 UT, the magnetic canopy of sunspot AR1890 erupted, producing a brief but intense X3-class solar flare. NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory recorded the extreme ultraviolet flash.
Radiation from the flare caused a surge in the ionization of Earth's upper atmosphere - and this led to a rare magnetic crochet. A magnetic crochet is a disturbance in Earth's magnetic field caused by electrical currents flowing in air 60 km to 100 km above our heads. Unlike geomagnetic disturbances that arrive with CMEs days after a flare, a magnetic crochet occurs while the flare is in progress. They tend to occur during fast impulsive flares like this one.

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