8-12 August 2005

DataStreme Water in the Earth System will return for Fall 2005 with new Water News and Investigations files starting during Preview Week, Monday, 29 August 2005. All the current online homepage products will continue to be available throughout the summer break period.

• Updated hurricane season outlooks announced -- As of the beginning of August, the 2005 hurricane season for the North Atlantic Basin, including the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico, has been the most active to date with eight named tropical cyclones (low pressure systems that have reached tropical storm or hurricane status). The rest of the season, which runs from 1 June through 30 November 2005, appears to show signs of continued activity as updated long range outlooks indicate:
• NOAA scientists issued an updated 2005 hurricane season outlook with a forecast of between 11 and 14 additional named tropical cyclones, which would result in a 18 to 21 cyclones for the entire 2005 season. As many as 5 to 9 major hurricanes are foreseen by these researchers. [NOAA News]
• Climatologists at Louisiana State University indicate that based upon their research of the hurricane records extending back to 1851, the updated NOAA hurricane seasonal outlook appears quite reasonable even with the record number of anticipated named systems. [Louisiana State University]
• Hurricane expert, Professor Bill Gray of Colorado State University, also updated his forecast at the start of August, increasing his expectations to 20 named tropical cyclones. [USA Today]
• Preparing for an active hurricane season -- Based upon their experiences from last year's active hurricane season, scientists with several NOAA agencies are preparing for another active season in 2005. One of their focuses is on hurricane intensity research, as indicated by the commencement of a new 5-year experiment called Intensity Forecasting Experiment. [NOAA Magazine]
• Ivan produced record waves -- Hurricane experts with the Naval Research Laboratory report that pressure instruments located on the floor of the Gulf of Mexico detected an ocean wave with a height of more than 90 feet that was generated by last year's Ivan. Colleagues with the National Weather Service noted that these waves were possible, based wave height data obtained from buoys. [USA Today] [EurekAlert!]
• Another typhoon hits China and Taiwan -- Heavy rain and strong winds associated with Typhoon Matsa were reported across Taiwan and coastal mainland China on Saturday. At least one death was attributed to the typhoon, the North Pacific's counterpart to a hurricane. More than one million people were evacuated as the typhoon approached. [USA Today]
• Antarctic Ice Shelf collapse appears to be unprecedented - A team of scientists from Hamilton College (NY), Queen's University (ON), Colgate University, Montclair State University (NJ), Southern Illinois University and the Lamont-Doherty Geological Observatory reports that the recent collapse of the Larsen B Ice Shelf in Antarctica appears to be the largest such collapse during the last 10,000 years. Members of the team also caution that this collapse could have large-scale implications for rising sea levels associated with increases in planetary temperatures. [Hamilton College] [Queen's University]
• Effects of drought intensify across Midwest -- An extended dry spell that developed across the Mississippi Valley and western Great Lakes this spring and summer have resulted in the worst drought conditions the Midwest has experienced since the memorable drought of 1988. The current drought is resulting in substantially lower anticipated crop yields, especially from the cash crops of corn, soybeans and hay. [USA Today]
• Drought escalates fire risk across Portugal -- A combination of months of drought and elevated temperatures across the Iberian Peninsula has led Portugal's agricultural ministry to raise its wildfire alert to the highest level across many of the nation's administrative districts. [USA Today] Imagery obtained from the European Space Agency's Envisat satellite reveal the extensive damage that resulted from a major wildfire in neighboring Spain during July. [ESA]
• Chinese flooding monitored from Space -- A joint European-Chinese team has been using satellite radar imagery collected from the European Space Agency's Envisat satellite to monitor the flooding across eastern China during this year's rainy season. This cooperative effort is meant to help local authorities assess flooding and plan responses. [ESA]
• Water-logged Indian city slowly recovers -- India's financial capital, Mumbai, is slowly recovering from the recent record setting monsoon rains that were responsible for nearly 1000 fatalities. [USA Today]
• Separating oil and water -- An engineering team from the University of New South Whales has been demonstrating a simple tank-and-siphon separator system for removing oil from oily water. [EurekAlert!]
• Global and US Hazards/Climate Extremes -- A review and analysis of the global impacts of various weather-related events, including drought, floods and storms during the current month. [NCDC]
• Global Water News Watch -- Other water news sources can be obtained through the SAHRA Project at the University of Arizona [SAHRA Project]
• Earthweek -- Diary of the Planet [earthweek.com] Requires Adobe Acrobat Reader.

• 8 August 1882...An August snowstorm was reported by a ship on Lake Michigan. A thick cloud reportedly burst on the decks covering them with snow and slush six inches deep. Snow showers were observed at shore points that day. (David Ludlum) (The Weather Channel)
• 8 August 1982...Scattered severe thunderstorms dropped up to three inches of rain over western Arizona. Mud and rock debris from the rain covered approximately 250 miles of highway. Water to depths of three feet were reported in Parker and the town was isolated for three days. A number of streets in Lake Havasu City were seriously damaged. (Accord's Weather Guide Calendar)
• 8 August 1987...Thunderstorm rains in eastern Nebraska sent the Wahoo River and Ithica River above flood stage. Thunderstorm rains in western Iowa sent the Nishnabotna River over flood stage. Up to seven inches of rain deluged the Council Bluffs area Friday evening and Saturday morning. Thunderstorms produced 4.4 inches of rain in three hours Friday evening, along with golf ball size hail. (The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data)
• 8 August 1992...Parts of south central and southeastern Indiana were hit by three to thirteen inches of rain in six hours. Streams rose between 30 to 35 feet in northern Clark and southwest Lincoln Counties. Sixty-five miles of Conrail railroad tracks were washed out. One death was reported as a man was swept away as he attempted to wade across a flooded road east of Scottsburg. (Accord's Weather Guide Calendar)
• 9 August 1988...Tropical Storm Beryl deluged Biloxi with 6.32 inches of rain in 24 hours, and in three days drenched Pascagoula, MS with 15.85 inches of rain. (The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data)
• 9 August 1989...Evening thunderstorms in Arizona deluged Yuma with record torrential rains for the second time in two weeks. The rainfall total of 5.25 inches at the Yuma Quartermaster Depot established a 24-hour record, and was nearly double the normal annual rainfall. As many as 1000 homes were flooded with water to 5 feet deep. (The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data)
• 9 August 1997...Heavy thunderstorms over central Mojave County in Arizona produced flash flooding near Kingman shortly after midnight. To the east of Kingman, a passenger train was derailed upon crossing a flood-weakened creek and 116 of 302 passengers were injured. (Accord's Weather Guide Calendar)
• 10-11 August 1831...A violent hurricane devastated Barbados. Death toll was estimated to be from 1500 to 2500 people. (The Weather Doctor)
• 10 August 1856...The Isle Derniere (Last Island) disaster occurred off the coast of Louisiana. A storm tide drowned 140 vacationers as a five-foot wave swept over Low Island during a hurricane. (The Weather Channel) The hurricane completely devastated the fashionable hotel and pleasure resort on Last Island, 150 miles east of Cameron. Storm surge swept an estimated 400 people to their death. Today the island is just a haven for pelicans and other sea birds. (Intellicast)
• 10 August 1980...Hurricane Allen came ashore north of Brownsville, TX dropping fifteen inches of rain near San Antonio, and up to 20 inches in the Lower Rio Grande Valley, ending a summer long drought. Winds at Port Mansfield gusted to 140 mph with a storm surge of 12 feet. Tidal flooding occurred along the South Texas coast. Hurricane Allen packed winds to 150 mph, and also spawned twenty-nine tornadoes. Total damage from the storm was estimated at 750 million dollars. (David Ludlum) (Intellicast)
• 10 August 1981...Up to six inches of rain fell in several hours over the desert in the Moapa Valley of northeast Clark County in Nevada. A massive flash flood resulted, with 762 cows killed on a dairy farm in Hidden Valley. (Accord's Weather Guide Calendar)
• 11 August 1940...A major hurricane struck Savannah, GA and Charleston, SC causing the worst inland flooding since 1607. (David Ludlum)
• 11 August 1979...Rainfall totals for the previous two weeks were up to 20 inches in parts of India's state of Gujarat. A rain-weakened dam broke on the 11th, resulting in a 20-foot high wall of water that devastated Morovi, and drowning approximately 5000 people. (Accord's Weather Guide Calendar)
• 11 August 1987...An early evening thunderstorm in Wyoming produced hail up to two inches in diameter from Alva to Hulett. Snowplows had to be used to clear Highway 24 south of Hulett, where hail formed drifts two feet deep. (The National Weather Summary)
• 11 August 1988...Moisture from what remained of Tropical Storm Beryl resulted in torrential rains across eastern Texas. Twelve and a half inches of rain deluged Enterprise, TX, which was more than the amount received there during the previous eight months. (The National Weather Summary)
• 11 August 1989...One of the most severe convective outbreaks of record came to a climax in southern California after four days. Thunderstorms deluged Benton, CA with six inches of rain two days in a row, and the flooding that resulted caused more than a million dollars damage to homes and highways. Thunderstorms around Yellowstone Park, WY produced four inches of rain in twenty minutes resulting in fifteen mudslides. Thunderstorms over Long Island, NY drenched Suffolk County with 8 to 10 inches of rain. (The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data)
• 12 August 1778...A Rhode Island hurricane prevented an impending British-French sea battle, and caused extensive damage over southeast New England. (David Ludlum)
• 12 August 1891...An 80-minute deluge, possibly related to a tropical storm system, pelted Vampo, CA with between 11.5 and 11.8 inches of rain. The observer measured, then emptied the rain gauge several times as it filled. No other U.S. storm has come close to producing this much precipitation in an 80-minute span. (Accord's Weather Guide Calendar)
• 12 August 1955...During the second week of August, hurricanes Connie and Diane produced as much as 19 inches of rain in the northeastern U.S. forcing rivers from Virginia to Massachusetts into a high flood. Westfield, MA was deluged with 18.15 inches of rain in 24 hours, and at Woonsocket, RI the Blackstone River swelled from seventy feet in width to a mile and a half. Connecticut and the Delaware Valley were hardest hit. Total damage in New England was 800 million dollars, and flooding claimed 187 lives. (David Ludlum)
• 12 August 1985...With the span of two hours, 17.32 inches of rain fell at Gajo, Gansu, China, marking a worldwide record rainfall event for such a length of time. (NWS)
• 12 August 1997...A storm three to five miles upstream produced a 10 to 30 foot high wall of water in Antelope Canyon, located approximately 5 miles southeast of Page, AZ. Eleven hikers and tourists died. Only the guide survived, after being carried several miles downstream. All had been warned not to enter the canyon. (Accord's Weather Guide Calendar)
• 13 August 1923...A flash flood with a crest up to 100 feet high and 200 feet wide swept down Farmington Canyon in Utah. A family of six camping in the canyon were swept away and two women died at Willard when their house was demolished. Some flood survivors were rescued from trees and rooftops. (Accord's Weather Guide Calendar)
• 13 August 1979...Fifteen yachtsmen died and 23 boats sank or were abandoned as storm-force winds, along with high seas, raked a fleet of yachts participating in an annual race between southwestern England and Fastnet Rock off southwestern Ireland. (Accord's Weather Guide Calendar)
• 13 August 1987...Thunderstorms deluged the Central Gulf Coast States with torrential rains. Thunderstorms in Mississippi drenched Marion County with up to 15 inches of rain during the morning hours, with 12.2 inches reported at Columbia. Floodwaters swept cars away in the Lakeview subdivision of Columbia when the Lakeview Dam broke. Flash flooding caused more than three million dollars damage in Marion County. (The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data)
• 13-14 August 1987...Slow-moving thunderstorms deluged northern and western suburbs of Chicago, IL with torrential rains. O'Hare Airport reported 9.35 inches in 18 hours, easily exceeding the previous 24-hour record of 6.24 inches. The airport was closed due to extensive flooding, the first time ever for a non-winter event. Flooding over a five-day period resulted in 221 million dollars damage. It was Chicago's worst flash flood event, particularly for northern and western sections of the city. Kennedy Expressway became a footpath for thousands of travelers to O'Hare Airport as roads were closed. The heavy rains swelled the Des Plaines River above flood stage, and many persons had to be rescued from stalled vehicles on flooded roads. (The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data) (The Weather Channel) (Intellicast)
• 14 August 1919...Approximately one million tons of ice broke off the leading edge of a glacier near Mont Blanc in France. The ice mixed with rocks downhill. Nine people were buried under the ensuing cataract of ice and rock. (Accord's Weather Guide Calendar)

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URL: WES/news.html

Prepared by AMS WES Central Staff and Edward J. Hopkins, Ph.D., email hopkins@meteor.wisc.edu
ã Copyright, 2005, The American Meteorological Society.