WEEKLY WATER NEWS

WES BREAK WEEK: 12-16 March 2001

This is the scheduled Break Week for the Spring 2001 pilot offering of the WES course. This Weekly Water News will contain new information items and historical data but there is no Concept.

Water in the News

Lives lost in Ukraine flooding -- At least 5 deaths were reported last Thursday as the result of massive flooding in the western Ukraine. [The Weather Channel]

WIN calls for new investment in America's water infrastructure --The Water Infrastructure Network (WIN) called on Congress to invest $57 billion over five years to invest in drinking water, sewer, and storm water infrastructure replacement to protect public health and the environment. [WIN]

Planetary waves help drive ocean productivity--University of Rhode Island researchers have identified planetary scale Rossby waves as a driving mechanism in bringing nutrients to upper levels to enhance productivity. [ENN]

Natural cleanup processes at work -- Navy researchers report that natural "intrinsic bioremediation" processes from natural organisms could act to reduce contamination levels in estuarine sediments. [EurekAlert!]

National Resources Conservation Service reports on season's snowpack-- The snowpack in the Pacific Northwest and the northern Rockies, a crucial water supply for the western US in the coming months, remains at less than 70% of the long-term average. The southern Rockies and portions of the Great Basin have snowpacks that are near or slightly above average for this time of year. For the current snowpack map, go to: Mountain Snowpack as of 1 March 2001. For comparison, last year's values were: Mountain Snowpack as of 1 March 2000.

Did glacial rebound stimulate the New Madrid earthquake? -- A geologist hypotheses in a recent issue of the journal Geology of the possibility that isostatic rebound of the midcontinental plate from the last continental glaciation of 20,000 years ago may have triggered the major New Madrid, MO earthquake of 1811. [EurekAlert!]

Earth diary - A summary of the week's major environmental events on Planet Earth. [CNN]

Historical Events

12 March 1888... One of the most vicious blizzards ever to strike the US was in progress across the Northeast. Southeastern New York State and western New England were paralyzed. When the storm finally ended on the 13th, 58 inches of snow had fallen at Saratoga, NY, and 50 inches at Middletown, CT. Winds to hurricane force whipped drifts over 30 feet deep. The blizzard was followed by record cold temperatures, and the cold and snow claimed 400 lives. New York City received 20.9 inches of snow, Albany, NY reported 46.7 inches. (David Ludlum) (The Weather Channel) (Intellicast)
12 March 1967...A tremendous four day storm raged across California. Winds of 90 mph closed mountain passes, heavy rains flooded the lowlands, and in sixty hours Squaw Valley, CA was buried under 96 inches (eight feet) of snow. (David Ludlum)
12 March 1988...A violent struck Katmandu, Nepal during a soccer game at the national stadium. As many as 80 fans seeking shelter from the storm were trampled to death since the stadium gates were locked. (Accord Weather Calendar)
13 March 1993...What was to become the "Great Blizzard of '93" that developed over the western Gulf of Mexico. As the low pressure area moved eastward and intensified, howling north winds exceeding hurricane force behind the storm were reported by platforms in the Gulf, with winds gusting to 99 mph. As the low crossed the coast around midnight near Panama City, FL, the central pressure was already down to 980 millibars (28.94 inches). During the late evening into the early morning hours of the 13th, a vicious squall line swept through Florida and spawned 11 tornadoes resulting in 5 fatalities. Thunderstorm winds gusted to 110 mph at Alligator Point and 109 mph at Dry Tortugas. Extremely high tides occurred along the western Florida coast. A 13 foot storm surge occurred in Taylor County, FL, resulting in 10 deaths with 57 residences destroyed. A 5 to 8 foot storm surge moved ashore in Dixie County. Over 500 homes were destroyed with major damage to another 700 structures.
This "Great Blizzard of '93" clobbered the eastern US on this day and produced perhaps the largest swath of heavy snow ever recorded. Heavy snow was driven to the Gulf Coast with 3 inches falling at Mobile, AL and up to 5 inches reported in the Florida Panhandle, the greatest single snowfall in the state's history. 13 inches blanketed Birmingham, AL to set not only a new 24 hour snowfall record for any month, but also set a record for maximum snow depth, maximum snow for a single storm, and maximum snow for a single month. Tremendous snowfall amounts occurred in the Appalachians. Mount Leconte in Tennessee recorded an incredible 60 inches. Mount Mitchell in North Carolina was not far behind with 50 inches. Practically every official weather station in West Virginia set a new 24 hour record snowfall. Farther to the north, Pittsburgh, PA measured 25 inches, Albany, NY checked in with 27 inches, and Syracuse, NY was buried under 43 inches. The major population corridor from Washington, DC to Boston, MA was not spared this time as all the big cities got about a foot of snow before a changeover to rain. A rather large amount of thunderstorm activity accompanied the heavy snow. Winds to hurricane force in gusts were widespread. Boston recorded a gust to 81 mph, the highest wind gust at the location since hurricane Edna in 1954. Numerous cities in the south and mid Atlantic states recorded their lowest barometric pressure ever as the storm bottomed out at 960 millibars (28.35 inches) over Chesapeake Bay. 208 people were killed by the storm and total damage was estimated at 6 billion dollars -- the costliest extratropical storm in history. (Intellicast)
13 March 1998...A pilot reported a "family" of at least six waterspouts over the Pacific Ocean off the southern California shore between Seal Beach and Santa Catalina Island. While two of the spouts near Huntington Beach came close to offshore oil platforms, no damage was reported. (Accord Weather Calendar)
14 March 1998...An avalanche hit the highway in the White Pine Fingers area of Cottonwood Canyon in Utah. A massive slide knocked five vehicles off the road that had been stopped by the initial avalanche. A bus was partially buried. Five injuries were sustained, with one being serious. (Accord Weather Calendar)
13-15 March 1952...The world's 5 day rainfall record was set when a tropical cyclone produced 151.73 inches rain at Cilos, Reunion Island in the Indian Ocean. The 73.62 inches that fell in a 24 hour period (15th-16th) set the world's 24 hour rainfall record. (Accord Weather Calendar)
16 March 1889... A war between the U.S. and Germany was likely averted as a hurricane sank all three U.S. and three German warships in the harbor at Apia, Samoa. Joint U.S., German and Samoan rescue cooperation led to the Treaty of Berlin (1889) that later settled the dispute. (Accord Weather Calendar)
17 March 1993...A natural dam formed by a landslide three years earlier collapsed because of runoff from rainfall. A wall of water, debris and mud measuring 3 feet high by 45 feet wide crossed I-15 20 miles south of Cedar City, UT. Four injuries were sustained as several vehicles were rolled or tipped over. (Accord Weather Calendar)