Tuesday, April 30, 2013

Large Asteroid Heading to Earth? Pray, Says NASA


"NASA chief Charles Bolden has advice on how to handle a large asteroid headed toward New York City: Pray.
That's about all the United States -- or anyone for that matter -- could do at this point about unknown asteroids and meteors that may be on a collision course with Earth, Bolden told lawmakers at a U.S. House of Representatives Science Committee hearing on Tuesday.
An asteroid estimated to be have been about 55 feet in diameter exploded on Feb. 15 over Chelyabinsk, Russia, generating shock waves that shattered windows and damaged buildings. More than 1,500 people were injured.
Later that day, a larger, unrelated asteroid discovered last year passed about 17,200 miles from Earth, closer than the network of television and weather satellites that ring the planet.
The events "serve as evidence that we live in an active solar system with potentially hazardous objects passing through our neighborhood with surprising frequency," said Representative Eddie Bernice Johnson, a Texas Democrat.
"We were fortunate that the events of last month were simply an interesting coincidence rather than a catastrophe," said Committee Chairman Lamar Smith, a Texas Republican, who called the hearing to learn what is being done and how much money is needed to better protect the planet.
NASA has found and is tracking about 95 percent of the largest objects flying near Earth, those that are .62 miles or larger in diameter.
"An asteroid of that size, a kilometer or bigger, could plausibly end civilization," White House science advisor John Holdren told legislators at the same hearing.
But only about 10 percent of an estimated 10,000 potential "city-killer" asteroids, those with a diameter of about 165 feet have been found, Holdren added.
On average, objects of that size are estimated to hit Earth about once every 1,000 years.
"From the information we have, we don't know of an asteroid that will threaten the population of the United States," Bolden said. "But if it's coming in three weeks, pray."
"The odds of a near-Earth object strike causing massive casualties and destruction of infrastructure are very small, but the potential consequences of such an event are so large it makes sense to takes the risk seriously," Holdren said.In addition to stepping up its monitoring efforts and building international partnerships, NASA is looking at developing technologies to divert an object that may be on a collision course with Earth.
About 66 million years ago, an object 6 miles in diameter is believed to have smashed into what is now the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico, leading to the demise of the dinosaurs, as well as most plant and animal life on Earth.
The asteroid that exploded over Russia last month was the largest object to hit Earth's atmosphere since the 1908 Tunguska event when an asteroid or comet exploded over Siberia, leveling 80 million trees over more than 830 square miles."
http://www.weather.com/news/science/space/asteroid-threat-earth-nasa-20130320

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From a Tornado to a Blizzard in Hours


"From blizzard conditions in New England (Winter Storm Nemo) to a couple of very strong tornadoes in the South (Adairsville, Ga. and Hattiesburg, Miss.), we've definitely had no shortage of extreme weather in the past few weeks. Given that these extremes occurred far apart geographically, it made us wonder if any one location has ever experienced a tornado and a blizzard within a few days. 
More than 100 years ago on November 11, 1911,one of the most remarkable cold fronts in history raced across the nation's midsection. In the mild air ahead of the front, tornadoes struck portions of Wisconsin, Michigan, Illinois, Iowa and Indiana. The south-central Wisconsin town of Janesvillewas hit hard by an F4 tornado that killed nine people. Just a few hours after the tornado struck, blizzard conditions developed, which severely impacted recovery efforts. In addition to the snow and strong winds, temperatures plummeted into the single digits." 

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Severe Storm Threat Shifts to Midwest

"Tuesday's area of concern will be ahead of a cold front in a narrow zone from central Wisconsin southwestward to northeast Kansas. Wednesday, our eyes will be focused on the southern end of this front from parts of southeast Kansas and central Oklahoma into Texas.
Damaging winds and large hail will be the main threats each day. That said, we cannot completely rule out the chance of a tornado or two. At this time, we are not expecting a widespread outbreak of severe weather."
http://www.weather.com/news/tornado-central/severe-weather-tracker-page
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Heavy Rains Swamp South Florida

"Slow-moving thunderstorms are dumping drenching downpours in parts of South Florida. Radar estimates indicate that 6 inches of rain have fallen in Miami-Dade County as of early Tuesday afternoon. A flash flooding warning has been issued by the National Weather Service"
http://www.weather.com/news/south-florida-rain-flash-flood-warning-20130430
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heavy rains in houston area!


A Houston fire spokesman says firefighters responded to at least 50 calls for water rescues after heavy downpours and thunderstorms hit the area.
Spokesman Jay Evans says most of the calls Saturday came from motorists who mistakenly drove into high water and became trapped. He says there have been no reports of injuries or deaths.
The Houston Chronicle reports that officials are warning people to stay off the roads. Flood Control District officials reported as much as 6 inches of rainfall in some parts of Harris County in three hours, mostly in the west, southwest and central parts of the area.
County officials say at least three bayous and creeks are close to capacity, which could potentially cause surrounding streets and low-lying areas to flood.
http://www.nbcdfw.com/weather/stories/Houston-Downpours-Lead-To-Many-Water-Rescue-Calls-205049441.html
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Solar storm could be headed to earth


Skywatchers should be on alert for possible geomagnetic storms this week that may trigger colorful displays of auroras.
Today on April 11th at 7:16 UT (3:16 am ET) a large, Earth- facing group of sunspots hurled a massive cloud of plasma and charged particles into space. Heading towards our planet at high speed, the Coronal Mass Ejection (CME) was first spotted by NASA’s sun-monitoring satellite , the Solar Dynamics Observatory, and is expected to slam into Earth’s protective magnetic field sometime in the early morning hours of April 13th.
According to Spaceweather.com,  the front of the storm is already being felt  in the form of space radiation (energized protons) speeding by Earth. The high influx of charged particles buffeting the magnetic field can potentially pose a hazard to everything from GPS signals, polar radio communications, power grids  and circuit boards on orbiting satellites.
http://newswatch.nationalgeographic.com/2013/04/11/solar-storm-heading-towards-earth/
NASA's Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) captured this movie of a large solar blast emerging from the Sun's surface on April 11, 2013. The fast moving CME cloud is seen passing in front of Mars and brighter Venus on the left side of the frame. Credit: NASA/SOHO
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Flooding throughout Illinois from rain


Additional rain fell on flooded areas of the Midwest this week. However, there is hope that the rain will not make situation worse.
A storm bringing snow to part of the northern Plains, Rockies and upper Great Lakes during the first part of this week sent a swath of rain through the Midwest.
As expected this system was less intense and faster-moving, when compared to last week's storm that pushed rivers to moderate, major and record flood stage.
Members of the Missouri Nationals Guard and others work to shore up a temporary levee in an effort to hold back the swollen Mississippi River Saturday, April 20, 2013, in Clarksville, Mo. Communities along the Mississippi River and other rain-engorged waterways are waging feverish bids to hold back floodwaters. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)
Last week, portions of states from Missouri to Illinois, Iowa, Indiana, Michigan and Wisconsin received from 3 to 7 inches of rain. Much of that rain fell during a 24- to 36-hour period upon saturated ground.
As of 10:00 a.m. CDT Wednesday, April 24, 2013, the rainfall from the recent storm system has ranged from 0.50 to 1.50 inches with a few spots picking up a bit more from Missouri and Iowa to Michigan, Illinois and Indiana.
The rainfall is likely to slow the recession of river levels and could cause minor rises at some locations a short time after the rain as it flows into progressively larger rivers.


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A little rain won't stop the jazz festival!


NEW ORLEANS  -- A steady, sometimes heavy rain pelted fans Sunday at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, but the music flowed on.
A soaked Dave Matthews and his band played through a strong downpour at the tail end of the closing weekend, much to the fans' delight as they danced along with him and cheered him through the bad weather.
Matthews ended his performance just before a flash of lightning and strong thunder echoed his goodbyes to the crowd, which stretched to the back track and beyond despite the weather, as is usual for that stage.
Umbrellas, rain boots and plastic ponchos were out in abundance early as fans stood among the puddles and water-soaked grass, awaiting clearer skies. The rain had stopped for a time in the afternoon, but came back in time to drench the evening crowd.
Paul Rother, of Venice Beach, Calif., said he and his friend, Mark Sender, of Hollywood, drove 2,300 miles to attend this year's festival, and a little rain wasn't going to make them stay inside.
"The bands go on, rain or shine. I was at Woodstock. It rained there, too," he said, laughing.
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Rother, a first-timer to the festival, said he decided to attend after Sender spoke so highly of the city and the event.
"New Orleans is the best city in America," Sender said. "And since Katrina, I've wanted to contribute to the economy as much as I can."
As Steven and Jessica Kennedy pushed their 2 1/2-year-old daughter, Miriam, in a stroller, the New Orleans residents said weather wouldn't deter them from getting out to hear the likes of the Nevilles, the Dave Matthews Band and B.B. King.
"She wanted to come more than we did," Jessica Kennedy said of the toddler. "We're prepared. We have a lot of rain gear."
"There are 600 bands here," added Steven Kennedy. "You can't beat the price of the ticket for that kind of talent and you get a good mix of national and local artists."
A torrential downpour blew through about 5 p.m. CDT, shortly before the day's final artists would take the stage, sending fans inside any shelter they could find, including covered tents, such as the one where jazz songstress Dianne Reeves entertained a standing-room-only crowd. Reeves canceled last year's scheduled appearance after her mother died.
Fans enthusiastically embraced her when she took the stage and sang her rendition of Lena Horne's "Stormy Weather" and Fleetwood Mac's "Dreams."
"It's such a pleasure and honor to be here with you tonight," Reeves told the crowd, who cheered in response. "We made it through the rain and storm clouds now sit back and relax and enjoy the music."
Calvin Cherry, of Newport News, Va., said when he saw Reeves was on this year's lineup, he knew instantly that he'd be in the house. Cherry, a professional dancer, said Reeves' voice is like "poetry in motion."
"It's so mysterious, so haunting and has such a deep and guttural quality that it's just phenomenal. There are spaces in her voice that just resonate with me and for me to use my body to interpret her music, it's just kismet," he said.
The downpour stopped the music shortly on at least one stage, as crews rushed to cover equipment at the height of the storm. But the sweet sounds of the Gipsy Kings - a group from Arles and Montpellier in the south of France who perform in Spanish - quickly returned when the rain slowed to a drizzle.
Just before 7 p.m., another line of severe weather dumped rain on the remaining fans, who stuck it out with Matthews until the end of his set.
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Hurricane Sandy dropped raw sewage in waterways! EWWWW



Hurricane Sandy dumped 11bn gallons of raw sewage in eastern US waterways


Hurricane Sandy dumped about 11bn gallons of raw and untreated sewage into waterways from Washington DC to Connecticut, the science journalism group Climate Central said on Tuesday. That's or enough human waste to cover New York's Central Park in 41ft of sewage, or fill 17,000 Olympic-sized swimming pools, scientists told a conference call with reporters.
The group, which drew on data from the Environmental Protection Agency, state protection agencies and water treatment plants, said most of the outflow during the storm, which hit the eastern US in October last year, was caused by storm surges, which overwhelmed sewage treatment plants. But power shutdowns – and heavy rain in Washington DC – also played a part. A third of the sewage was untreated.
The scientists said the report exposed yet another risk factor to America's crumbling infrastructure, due to climate change.

New York City authorities have been working for years to reinforce the city's subway system, which is vulnerable to flooding, and to shore up power stations, which are located along the coast. The scientists said that in the wake of Sandy, when storm surges raised waters more than 9ft above the high tide mark, it was time to look at waste-treatment plants.
"Our sewage infrastructure isn't built to withstand such surges and we are putting our property, safety and lives at risk if we don't adequately plan for these challenges," said Alyson Kenward, a senior scientist and research manager for Climate Central, adding that almost all of the sewage had ended up in New Jersey and New York. It was unclear, however, what the effects were on human health.
The estimated cost of repairs to New York and New Jersey's sewage treatment plants could reach $4.7bn. "In the long run, sea-level rise is going to force us to rework our infrastructure physically if we are going to keep it intact," she said.

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What is causing a thunderstorm?


Air Mass Thunderstorm

The air mass thunderstorm is common in Florida. As with all thunderstorms, it contains thunder and therefore has lightning. The air mass thunderstorm lasts approximately one hour and has a very distinctive life cycle.
Cumulus Stage: Rising air, or updraft, cools and forms the cloud. The rising air is occurring in an environment that is favorable for convection. Lifting mechanism include solar heating or convergence from a sea breeze. It is not raining during this stage of the thunderstorm.
Mature Stage: As the cloud continues to grow, precipitation particles form and fall from the cloud. The precipitation falls into the updraft. The falling particles drag air down with them. This sinking air is referred to as downdrafts. Entrainment into the downdraft results in some evaporation of the precipitation, which causes a cooling which makes the air more dense, thus increasing the downdraft. Rain begins to reach the surface. Hail may also make it to the surface, but they are not very large.
Dissipating Stage: When the downdrafts encompass the storm, the updrafts are shut off and the storm begins to die. The intensity of the rain decreases.
Prior to the development of a thunderstorm, the air near the surface is often warm and moist. With the downdrafts come cool air and the temperature at the surface drops. After the storm passes, the temperature may begin to rise again.

Severe Thunderstorm

In the air mass thunderstorm the precipitation falls into the updraft, cutting off the storm's moisture supply and eventually kills itself. The air mass thunderstorm only lasts about an hour which is not enough time to produce severe weather. In the Severe thunderstorm the updrafts and downdrafts are separate from one another, This allows the storm to last longer and severe weather may develop. To separate the updraft from the downdraft requires wind shear.
Winds speed increase with altitude case to updraft to tilt. Because it tilts, when precipitation falls, it does not fall into the updraft, thus allowing a continuous source of moist warm air to fuel the storm. In addition to the winds increasing with altitude, the wind direction also changes. Enormous severe storms that develop and have a tilted updraft are calledsupercell thunderstorms.
Below are some animations of the updraft and downdrafts in a supercell thunderstorm. As you view these animations keep track of the following features: The overshooting top, the cirrus anvil, the updrafts (yellow lines) and a downdraft (green lines).
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Phoenix records record heat

  1. Phoenix weather: Record heat

  2. Thu, May 31, 2012 - KTVK 3TV Phoenix 2:13 | 104 views
  3. PHOENIX -- A heat wave is underway, bringing Arizona's afternoon temperatures to record levels. A strong ridge of high pressure is sitting over the Southwest, leading to clear skies and lots of sunshine, but also light winds and scorching heat. Today, look for a Valley high near 108 degrees. The average high for today's date it 100 degrees. Tomorrow, we'll see the mercury rise a bit more, heading up to 112 degrees. That would be a record for June 1, breaking the old record of 110 degrees. An Excessive H
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