WEEKLY WATER NEWS

24-28 July 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:

• Eye on the tropics ---
  • Tropical Storm Beryl, the second tropical cyclone (hurricane or tropical storm) of the 2006 North Atlantic hurricane season formed off the coast of the Carolinas early last week and moved northward, finally brushing the coast of New England near Cape Cod by the end of the week, before it dissipated in the Gulf of Maine. Coastal residents experienced some high surf and some locally heavy rain associated with Tropical Storm Beryl. [CNN] An image of Tropical Storm Beryl was captured by the MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) instrument as Beryl storm moved northward offshore of New Jersey. [NASA Earth Observatory]
  • Hurricane Daniel developed well off the southwest Mexican coast early last week and moved westward across the eastern Pacific, intensifying to become a category 4 hurricane (on the Saffir-Simpson Scale) with estimated maximum sustained surface winds of up to 150 mph. As of Sunday, Hurricane Daniel remained a category 4 hurricane as it was approaching the Central Pacific Basin (longitude 140 degrees west). An image obtained from the MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) instrument onboard NASA's Aqua satellite shows Hurricane Daniel as it moves westward across the eastern North Pacific midway through last week. [NASA Earth Observatory]
  • Tropical Storm Emilia, the fifth named tropical cyclone (tropical storm or hurricane) of the 2006 hurricane season in the eastern North Pacific, developed at the end of last week off the Central American coast. As of Sunday morning, this storm had turned from its initial northward track and was moving westward away from the coast of Mexico.
• Deadly flooding continues across East Asia:
• Heavy rains across Japan last week caused flooding and landslides that were responsible for the deaths of at least nine people. [USA Today]
• As many as 19 people died and 31 people remained missing in South Korea at the start of last week because of the flash flooding and landslides associated with rainfall totals that reached 22 inches with four days. [USA Today]
• More than 100 people were dead or missing in North Korea as of the middle of last week because of the flooding and landslides from persistent rain. [USA Today]
• The death toll associated with former Typhoon Bilis continued to climb in China, reaching 482 people at the end of last week. Bilis made landfall along the southern China coast one week ago last Friday, accompanied by torrential rain. [USA Today]
• Between the lakes -- An image generated from data received from the Landsat 7 satellite depicts a section of western Kentucky and Tennessee that includes two large artificial lakes, Kentucky Lake on the Tennessee River and Lake Barkley on the Cumberland River, along with the Land Between The Lakes National Recreation Area. [NASA Earth Observatory]
• Sea level rise and loss of wetlands are threats to Mississippi Delta -- Geoscientists from Tulane University and Utrecht University report that the erosion and other environmental problems experienced along the Louisiana Gulf Coast are not due as much to subsidence or sinking of the earth's crust, but to increases in sea level during the last 8000 years and losses of wetlands. The scientists also indicate that subsidence is mainly limited to recently formed delta sediments. [The Geological Society of America]
• Marine debris removal begins in the Aloha State -- Following a recent aerial survey made by helicopter, the NOAA Marine Debris program has begun removing an estimated 129 tons of marine debris along the coasts and coastal waters of the main Hawaiian Islands. [NOAA News]
• Some will continue to ignore evacuation orders -- A survey conducted by the Harvard School of Public Health Project on the Public and Biological Security in the high-risk and hurricane-prone sections of eight Gulf and Atlantic coast states indicates that approximately one-third of the respondents would consider ignoring official evacuation orders in advance of an approaching hurricane. The poll also indicates that the public is concerned about the shelters. In addition, many of the respondents have not made critical preparations needed in case of a major hurricane. [Harvard School of Public Health]
• Methane blowouts could impact the climate -- Scientists at the University of California, Santa Barbara recently that they have witnessed a massive blowout of methane from the ocean floor in the Santa Barbara Channel and they suggest that gas escaping from the ocean floor could explain some of the historical warming cycles that have occurred on a global scale. The methane appears to have originated in deposits of methane hydrate on the ocean floor. [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.

Historical Events:

• 24 July 1609...A fleet of ships carrying colonists to the New World met with a hurricane near Bermuda, resulting in much loss of property but little loss of life. (Northern Indiana NWSFO)
• 24 July 1886...Rain fell at Lawrence, KS for the first time in four weeks. Rain fell over much of the state of Kansas that day relieving a severe drought that began in May. The very dry weather ruined crops in Kansas. (David Ludlum)
• 24 July 1964...An eight to ten-foot wall of water roared through a picnic site six miles south of Buena Vista, CO. A car was washed into the Arkansas River, as mud and debris covered other vehicles. A downpour of rain in an unusually dry upper gulch caused the flash flood. (Accord's Weather Guide Calendar)
• 24-25 July 1979...Claudette, a weak tropical storm, deluged southeastern Texas with torrential rains. The Houston suburb of Alvin received 43.00 inches, a 24-hour precipitation record for not only the Lone Star State, but for the U.S. Freeport reported a total of 30 inches. Total damage from flooding was over $400 million. On the 27^th, a van loaded with people on their way to a church camp stopped on Texas Highway 7 due to a flooded bridge just west of Centerville. A truck rammed the van, pushing it into the flooded creek, resulting in five people drowning. (Intellicast) (David Ludlum) (NCDC) (Accord's Weather Guide Calendar)
• 24 July 1989...Afternoon thunderstorms produced some flash flooding in New Mexico. Albuquerque was deluged with an inch and a half of rain in forty minutes. Evening thunderstorms soaked White Pine, PA with two inches of rain in one hour. (The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data)
• 24-26 July 1996...Although thousands of miles from southern California, an intense South Pacific storm south of Tahiti produced seven to ten foot surf with some sets up to 12 feet along the southern California coast. Lifeguards participated in more than 500 rescues along the beaches. (Accord's Weather Guide Calendar)
• 25 July 1956...The Italian ship Andrea Doria sank in dense fog near Nantucket Lightship, MA. Ten hours earlier, the ship was rammed by the Swedish-American liner, Stockholm, forty-five miles off the coast of Massachusetts. Fifty-two persons drowned, or were killed by the impact. (David Ludlum) (The Weather Channel)
• 25 July 1986...Tremendous hailstones pounded parts of South Dakota damaging crops, buildings and vehicles. Hail piled two feet deep at Black Hawk and northern Rapid City. Hail an inch and a quarter in diameter fell for 85 minutes near Miller and Huron, piling up to depths of two feet. (The Weather Channel)
• 25 July 1994...Hurricane Gilma, like Emilia a week earlier, reached Category 5 strength in the Central Pacific. (Intellicast)
• 26-27 July 1819...Twin cloudbursts of fifteen inches struck almost simultaneously at Catskill, NY and Westfield, MA. Flash flooding resulted in enormous erosion. (David Ludlum)
• 27 July 1926...A hurricane came inland near Daytona Beach, FL. The hurricane caused 2.5 million dollars damage in eastern Florida, including the Jacksonville area. (David Ludlum)
• 27 July 1989...Thunderstorms produced locally heavy rains in the southwestern U.S. Yuma, AZ experienced their most severe thunderstorm of record. Strong thunderstorm winds, with unofficial gusts as high as 95 mph, reduced visibility to near zero in blowing dust and sand. Yuma got nearly as much rain in one hour as is normally received in an entire year. The storm total of 2.55 inches of rain was a record 24-hour total for July. Property damage due to flash flooding and high winds was in the millions. (Storm Data)
• 27-28 July 1984...Unprecedented rainfall fell at Alvsbyn in Sweden (approximately 62 miles south of the Arctic Circle), which was remarkable for such a northern location that is at about the same latitude as Fort Yukon, AK. On the 26^th, 5.51 inches fell and on the 27^th, an additional 5.63 inches were recorded. (Accord's Weather Guide Calendar)
• 28 July 1819...A small but intense hurricane passed over Bay Saint Louis, MS. The hurricane was considered the worst in fifty years. Few houses were left standing either at Bay Saint Louis or at Pass Christian and much of the Mississippi coast was desolate following the storm. An U.S. cutter was lost along with its thirty-nine crewmembers. The storm struck the same area that was hit 150 years later by Hurricane Camille. (David Ludlum)
• 28 July 1952...A severe storm with hail up to an inch and a half in diameter broke windows, ruined roofs, and stripped trees of leaves near Benson, AZ. The temperature dropped to 37 degrees, as hail was three to four inches deep, with drifts 46 inches high. (The Weather Channel)
• 28 July 1988...Thunderstorms drenched Wilmington, NC with 3.33 inches of rain, bringing their monthly total 14.46 inches. Seven cities in Michigan and Minnesota reported record high temperatures for the date. Marquette, MI hit 99 degrees, and the record high of 94 degrees at Flint, MI was their tenth of the month. (The National Weather Summary)
• 28 July 1989...Afternoon thunderstorms produced large hail and damaging winds in Massachusetts. Early evening thunderstorms over Florida produced wind gusts to 68 mph at Fort Myers, and evening thunderstorms in South Dakota produced nearly two inches of rain in twenty minutes at Pierpoint. (The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data)
• 28 July 1997...An excessive rain event, with 14.5 inches of rain falling in a 31-hour span ending at 10 PM, led to a 10 to 15 foot wall of water that destroyed 108 homes and damaged 481 in a model home park in Fort Collins, CO. Five people were killed and 40 were injured. Floodwaters flowed through the library at Colorado State University, resulting in 500,000 books being ruined or damaged. At one point during the evening, more than 10 inches fell in less than a five-hour span. (Accord's Weather Guide Calendar)
• 29 July 1905...Heavy rain in southwestern Connecticut caused a dam break, and the resulting flood caused a quarter of a million dollars damage at Bridgeport. As much as eleven inches of rain fell prior to the flood. (David Ludlum)
• 29 July 1986...Intense thunderstorm belted Rhode Island with 5.57 inches of rain at T.F. Green Airport in Providence, RI along with one-half inch hail. Hail accumulated to 4 inches at Narragansett with 6.03 inches of rain to boot. (Intellicast)
• 29 July 1989...Morning thunderstorms in the Upper Midwest produced more than five inches of rain west of Virgil, SD. Afternoon and evening thunderstorms deluged the foothills and adjacent plains of Colorado with heavy rain. Rains of six to seven and a half inches fell in eight hours north of Greeley. Hail and heavy rain caused several million dollars damage in Weld County. (Storm Data) (The National Weather Summary)
• 30 July 1979...A forty-minute hailstorm bombed Fort Collins, CO with baseball to softball size hail. Two thousand homes and 2500 automobiles were damaged, and about 25 persons were injured, mainly when hit on the head by the huge stones. A three-month-old baby died later of injuries. (The Weather Channel)
• 30 July 1989...Morning thunderstorms over central Missouri deluged Columbia with 5.98 inches of rain causing flash flooding. Daytime thunderstorms in Kentucky drenched Paducah with 1.73 inches of rain in less than half an hour. (The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data)
• 30 July 2001...For the fifth time in six weeks, a significant flash flood occurred in Madison County, NC. Floodwaters on Big Laurel Creek swept a bridge away and again washed out roads. (Accord's Weather Guide Calendar)
• June-August 1998...Flooding that occurred along the Yangtze River basin of south central China, the Gulf of Tonkin area and far northern China along the Russian border killed more than 3656 people, destroyed five million homes and left 14 million homeless. Up to 66.28 inches of rain fell in June and July at Quinzhou. (Accord's Weather Guide Calendar)

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.