I'll be out of the office Mon....this blog will be updated Tue. Click here to go to "Talking the Tropics With Mike".......
The weekend won't be a washout, but there will be rain & thunderstorms. Rain will be heavy at times & favor the middle of the day through the afternoon Sat....just about anytime of the day Sunday & especially over NE Fl. The good news is that drier weather arrives early in the week. Radar imagery below courtesy S. Fl. Water Management Dist:
NASA has started its unmanned Global Hawk missions gathering hurricane data. "Leslie" was sampled & probed for 10 hours early Fri. (see the map below). Click here for details on what is planned to be a 4 week mission. Imagery below courtes NASA.
Earth Gauge: September is National Preparedness Month
In 2011, the United States saw a record 14 weather and climate disasters that caused one billion dollars or more in damages – from flooding in the Upper Midwest to tornadoes in the Southeast and wildfires in the West. And 2012 has been no stranger to extreme weather and climate conditions either, with massive wildfires, extreme heat, drought and recent flooding impacts from Hurricane Isaac.
Tip: September is National Preparedness Month – the perfect time to make sure you have the supplies and information you need to stay safe if a natural disaster or other emergency occurs in your area.
· Know Your Stuff. Find out what kinds of natural and man-made disasters may occur in your area. Know how you will be notified of an emergency in your community (TV or radio broadcasts, sirens, telephone calls, etc.), and learn about emergency plans established by your state or local government. Learn about famous natural disasters in Florida and get state-specific preparedness tips ** here **.
· Have a Plan. All family members should know how you will contact one another, how you will get back together and what you will do in different emergency situations. Find out if workplaces, daycares and schools have emergency plans. Download a family emergency plan ** here **.
· Build a Kit. Keep an emergency supply kit at home that will cover the basics of survival: food, fresh water, clean air and warmth. Find a list of suggested emergency supply kit items ** here **.
· Consider Special Needs. Remember that additional planning and supplies may be required for:
o Infants and young children - click here.
o Seniors: click here.
o People with disabilities or special needs: click here.
o Pets: click here.
Watch a video to learn more about preparing for disasters.
(Sources & click on each one for video: NOAA.. “Extreme Weather 2011.”; FEMA Ready.)
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Climate Number: 20 Fewer Hours
America’s costliest natural disasters are often North Atlantic hurricanes striking Florida, the East Coast or the Gulf Coast. While inland flooding, tornadoes, lighting and coastal storm surges account for the majority of monetary damages inflicted by these storms, the hurricane winds themselves also do a good deal of damage. How much structural damage winds inflict is directly proportional to wind speed, with no structural loss at low wind speeds and complete losses at high wind speeds. All other things being equal, monetary damages from hurricanes increase by about five percent for every two miles per hour increase in hurricane wind speed (starting at 74 miles per hour). Wind speed is generally a good proxy for the overall energy in the storm and the expected levels of heavy precipitation, lighting, storm surge damage, etc. How quickly a hurricane converts the heat energy at the surface of the ocean into energy of motion in the form of winds plays a major role in determining how fast winds will be when the hurricane makes landfall. As Earth’s oceans have warmed, this time has been reduced. . This trend has been particularly pronounced in the North Atlantic basin, which has been the fastest warming ocean basin since the mid-1980s, when satellites began systematically monitoring hurricanes. The time it takes storms in the North Atlantic to accelerate from a 74 mile per hour Category 1 storm to a Category 3 storm with 138 mile per hour winds has been reduced by 20 hours.
(Sources: Murnane, RJ and Elsner, JB. “Maximum wind speeds and US hurricane losses.” Geophysical Research Letters 39 (2012): L16707 and Kishtawal, CM et al. “Tropical cyclone intensification trends during satellite era (1986 – 2010).” Geophysical Research Letters 39 (2012): L10910.)
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Climate in the News: “Why Is West Nile Virus So Bad This Year?” – Scientific American, August 29, 2012 – The combination of mild winter temperatures and summer drought conditions have contributed to the prevalence of West Nile Virus.
Have a great & safe weekend! (Ready for some football??!!)
