WEEKLY WATER NEWS

5-9 June 2006

Water in the Earth System will return for Fall 2006 with new Investigations files starting during Preview Week, Monday, 28 August 2006. All the current online website products will continue to be available throughout the summer break period.

Water in the News:

• Monitoring the subsidence in New Orleans from space -- Using data collected from 2002 to 2005 by Canada’s RADARSAT satellite, an international team of scientists reported that much of New Orleans sank (or subsided) by approximately 8 mm per year relative to global mean sea level during that three-year span just prior to Hurricane Katrina. [NASA Earth Observatory] [EurekAlert!]
• Atlantic basin is "hurricane friendly" as 2006 hurricane season starts -- A NASA scientist notes that while sea surface temperatures were above average during late May across the North Atlantic and winds were light, which would indicate favorable conditions for hurricane formation, he foresees a 2006 hurricane season that would not be as extreme as at the start of the record 2005 season. Images of sea surface temperatures obtained by a radiometer onboard NASA's Aqua satellite taken one year apart demonstrate differences in the sea surface temperature between the opening of the two hurricane seasons. [NASA Earth Observatory]
• Equatorial Pacific returns to "normal" -- Sea surface height data obtained from a dual-frequency radar altimeter onboard the NASA/French Jason satellite indicates that the height of the equatorial Pacific has returned to near normal conditions, resulting in an end of the recent La Niña event.[NASA Earth Observatory]
• Sun glint helps view wave and tidal current patterns -- A photograph made by an astronaut onboard the International Space Station utilizes sun glint to depict the complex pattern of surface waves on the surface of the Gulf of California and the tidal currents in an estuary near Punta Perihuete, Mexico. [NASA Earth Observatory]
• "Break the Grip of the Rip™" -- NOAA officials have designated this upcoming week of 4-10 June 2006 as national Rip Current Awareness Week. Using the theme, Break The Grip of the Rip™, efforts are meant to heighten public awareness of rip currents at surf beaches that claim the lives of as many as 100 people in the United States annually. [NWS Rip Current Safety] [NOAA News]
• World Ocean Day to be celebrated -- World Ocean Day or a "Celebration of the Sea" will be celebrated on Thursday, 8 June 2006 in an effort to increase public awareness and to foster public involvement in the management of the ocean and its resources. Although this date was created at the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro, it has not been officially recognized by the United Nations. A partial listing is provided for events across the US and other nations that will celebrate World Ocean Day. [The Ocean Project]
• Offshore weather monitoring made by buoys off the coast of the Carolinas -- The Carolinas Coastal Ocean Observing and Prediction System has deployed several instrumented buoys that observe and relay real-time wind speed, barometric pressure and wave height data. The hope is that these data could be used to help in improved storm surge predictions in the event of the approach of a hurricane. [USA Today]
• Another example of disaster relief efforts aided by satellite data -- The Forest Service in the Canadian province of British Columbia are collaborating with the European Space Agency in developing a pilot demonstration of how data obtained from satellites can be used for emergency management during flood or wildfire events using the Agency's Real-time Emergency Management via Satellite (REMSAT) project. [ESA]
• Loss of valued sugar maples could be associated with acid precipitation -- Cornell University researchers are claiming that decades of more acidic precipitation across the Northeast have meant a reduction in the number of the region's famed sugar maples that are a highly valued tree species susceptible to acidic soils. [Cornell University]
• Changes in solar output could also affect tropical glaciers -- Using a climatic reconstruction from lake sediments in the Venezuelan Andes, researchers from universities in Canada, the US, Spain and Venezuela suggest that changes in solar radiation over the last 1500 years could affect the fluctuations in the Andes' highly sensitive topical glaciers. [Brown University]
• Ocean cores provide a history of Arctic climate -- A report was issued last week by a group of scientists who have analyzed ocean cores obtained from the Arctic Ocean floor near the North Pole as part of the Integrated Ocean Drilling Program's Arctic Coring Expedition. The cores indicate that sea surface temperatures in the Arctic may have reached subtropical levels during the Paleocene Eocene Thermal Maximum (about 55 million years ago) followed by the formation of ice at about 45 million years ago. [EurekAlert!] [EurekAlert!]
• Human-induced climatic change blamed for increased hurricane activity -- Researchers at Penn State University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology claim that the warming of the sea surface associated with human activity appears to be a more significant contributing factor to the recent increased number and strength of Atlantic basin hurricanes than the changes attributed by other researchers to the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation. [EurekAlert!]
• Some good news from Iraq -- Scientists from Duke University and the University of Basrah report that the some of the native vegetation and animal life in the Mesopotamian marshes have experienced "remarkable rate of reestablishment" as these Iraqi wetlands have been re-flooded in the last three years following the devastation wrought by the Hussein regime. [EurekAlert!]
• Arid and semiarid landscapes are studied -- Researchers from the New Mexico State University and the US Department of Agriculture's Agricultural Research Service at the Jornada Experimental Range in southern New Mexico have been studying many facets of the complex features of the region's arid and semiarid landscapes in an attempt to determine the factors that could result in desertification of the region. [EurekAlert!]
• Global water quality and scarcity issues need to be addressed without delay -- A white paper written by Sandia National Laboratories and the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a Washington, DC think tank, urges immediate attention be made of the effects and consequences upon US security associated with increasing water scarcity and declining water quality in many areas of the world. [Sandia National Laboratories]
• 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.

Historical Events:

• 5 June 1908...Helena, MT was deluged with 3.67 inches of rain to establish their all-time 24-hour rainfall record. (4th-5th) (The Weather Channel)
• 5 June 1993...A strong, late season spring storm moved into California. The 0.76 inches of rain at Los Angeles set a new daily rainfall record for June. Lake Gregory was deluged with 3.24 inches of rain in 24 hours and a foot of snow fell at the Mammoth Mountain ski area. (Intellicast)
• 6-10 June 1816...Late season snow fell across New England and eastern Canada. The editor of the Bangor (ME) Register observed that individual snowflakes that fell on Bangor during the afternoon of the 6^th covered areas up to two inches in diameter. Snow fell near Quebec City, Quebec over a 5-day period accumulating to 12 inches with "drifts reaching the axel trees of carriages" during this infamous Year Without a Summer. The Montreal Gazette reported that this "Extraordinary Season" gave snow squalls to the city on the 6^th and 8^th. On the 7^th, a famous June snow fell in the northeastern U.S. Danville, VT reported drifts of snow and sleet twenty inches deep. The Highlands were white all day, and snow flurries were observed as far south as Boston MA. Waltham, MA reported a low temperature of 33 degrees and New Haven, CT had a low of 35 degrees (David Ludlum) (Intellicast) (The Weather Doctor) (Accord's Weather Guide Calendar)
• 6 June 1894...One of the greatest floods in U.S. history occurred as the Williamette River overflowed to inundate half of the business district of Portland, OR. (David Ludlum)
• 7 June 1972...Richmond, VA experienced its worst flood of record as rains from Hurricane Agnes pushed the water level at the city locks to a height of 36.5 feet, easily topping the previous record of thirty feet set in 1771. (The Weather Channel)
• 7-11 June 2001...Tropical Storm Allison made landfall along the Texas Gulf Coast near Galveston early on the 6^th and drifted northward before becoming stationary as a depression later in the day near Lufkin. Later, it began to drift back southward, moving offshore over the Gulf late on the 9^th at nearly the same place as it had made landfall. On the 11th, Allison became extratropical as it moved from near Morgan City, LA across southern Mississippi. Allison caused disastrous flooding across the Upper Texas Gulf Coast, especially in the Houston where a storm total of 36.99 inches fell at Port Houston. Twenty-three people lost their lives in Texas. Damage in the region amounted to $5 billion, which included 45,000 homes, 70,000 vehicles, and 2000 businesses. (Accord's Weather Guide Calendar)
• 8 June 1960...Hail the size of chicken eggs fell for 45 minutes on Hooker, OK. Nearly four inches of rain also accompanied this storm. Much property and crop damage was reported. (Accord's Weather Guide Calendar)
• 8-9 June 1991...Two days of rain at Bombay, India topped 30 inches, the heaviest in four decades for this western India city. (The Weather Doctor)
• 8-10 June 2002…Heavy snow fell across Montana's Rocky Mountain Front, with 5 to 7 feet falling at elevations above 5000 feet and 2 to 4 feet falling on the adjoining plains. Three to four feet were common in Glacier National Park. Blizzard conditions prevailed at times. Many avalanches were reported. (Accord's Weather Guide Calendar)
• 9 June 1966...Hurricane Alma made landfall over the eastern Florida Panhandle near Alligator Point during the evening-- the earliest land-falling hurricane on the U.S. mainland on record. Peak sustained winds were near 90 mph. Highest winds reached 125 mph and lowest pressure 970.2 millibars (28.65 inches) were reported at the Dry Tortugas on the 8^th. (Intellicast) (Accord's Weather Guide Calendar)
• 9 June 1972...A cloudburst along the eastern slopes of the Black Hills of South Dakota produced as much as 14 inches of rain resulting in the Rapid City flash flood disaster. The rains, which fell in about four hours, caused the Canyon Lake Dam to collapse. A wall of water swept through the city drowning 238 people, injuring 2932, and causing more than $100 million in property damage. (David Ludlum)
• 9 June 1989...Severe weather abated for a day; however, showers and thunderstorms continued to drench the eastern U.S. with torrential rains. Milton, FL was deluged with 15.47 inches in 24 hours. Record heat and prolonged drought in south central Texas left salt deposits on power lines and insulators near the coast, and when nighttime dew caused arcing, the city of Brownsville was plunged into darkness. (The National Weather Summary)
• 9 June 1990...San Diego, CA set a new record rainfall amount on this date, as 0.38 in. of rain fell breaking the old record of 0.13 in. established in 1892. Moisture from the remains of Hurricane Boris was responsible for this rare rain event. (Intellicast)
• 10 June 1752...This day is believed to when Benjamin Franklin narrowly missed electrocution while flying a kite during a thunderstorm to determine if lightning is related to electricity. (David Ludlum)
• 10 June 1967...Fergus, Ontario received 3.4 in. of rain in one hour. (The Weather Doctor)
• 10 June 1990...Rains of between 0.75 to more than 1.5 in. in less than one hour caused flash flooding in Las Vegas, NV. Every underpass and most city streets were flooded. Two people died because of the floods, with one woman in a vehicle swept one mile down a concrete wash. A four-foot wall of water swept a bus with 15 people to within 40 feet of Flamingo Wash. (Accord's Weather Guide Calendar)
• 11 June 1965...Heavy rains fell on unusually deep snowpack in the high Uinta Mountains of Utah. After local midnight, a flash flood roared down Sheep Creek Canyon, destroying three recreational areas, seven bridges and five miles of newly paved roads. Seven people were swept away while sleeping at Palisades Campground. (Accord's Weather Guide Calendar)
• 11 June 1972...Heavy showers brought 1.64 in. of rain to Phoenix, AZ, a record for the month of June. (The Weather Channel)

Return to DataStreme WES Website

Prepared by AMS WES Central Staff and Edward J. Hopkins, Ph.D., email hopkins@meteor.wisc.edu
ã Copyright, 2006, The American Meteorological Society.