WEEKLY WATER NEWS

30 July-3 August 2007

Water in the Earth System will return for Fall 2007 with new Investigations files starting during Preview Week, Monday, 27 August 2007. All the current online website products will continue to be available throughout the summer break period.

Water in the News:

• Eye on the tropics ---
  • In the Eastern North Pacific, Tropical Storm Dalila, the fourth named tropical cyclone of the 2007 hurricane season in that basin, formed off the southwestern Mexican coast at the beginning of last week. It moved to the northwest and finally dissipated near the end of the week. [USA Today] An analyzed map of the near surface wind speed and direction was generated from data obtained remotely from a scatterometer instrument onboard NASA's QuickSCAT satellite just after the storm had reached peak intensity, showing the characteristic counterclockwise spiral in toward a central eye. [NASA Earth Observatory] An image of the clouds from NOAA's GOES-11 satellite made one day earlier also shows the characteristic spiral banded structure of this tropical storm. [NOAA OSEI]
  • In the western North Pacific, Tropical Storm Usagi (meaning "rabbit" in Japanese) formed on Sunday near the Northern Mariana Islands and moved westward, becoming the fifth typhoon (the western North Pacific's equivalent of a hurricane) of 2007 for that basin on Monday. [USA Today]
  • In the tropical Southern Indian Ocean. Tropical Cyclone 01-S formed early Monday (local time) and was moving to the south-southeast, well away from any landmasses.
• Ocean waters in hurricane-breeding areas warm -- An image of the sea surface temperatures recently obtained from the Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer (AMSR-E) on NASA’s Aqua satellite shows that waters across the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean Sea were sufficiently warm to support development of tropical cyclones, or low pressure systems that include tropical storms and hurricanes. [NASA Earth Observatory]
• Wildfires continue across western sections of North America -- The continued drought, coupled with a persistent hot and air mass that brought record high temperatures across the Western States and sections of western and central Canada continued to produce numerous major wildfires that remained active at the end of the weekend. As of Sunday, the USDA Forest Service's Remote Sensing Application Center reported as many as 33 major wildfire incidents across eight Western States. [USDA/FS]
  • The Skyland fire in northwest Montana along the southern border of Glacier National Park forced US Highway 2 to close for a time over the weekend and threatened an evacuated lodge due to gusty winds near the Continental Divide. [USA Today] [Editor's report from the field: This reporter observed an early stage of this wildfire early last week from a scenic overview at Marias Pass on US-2 several miles to the east while on vacation. He could see a larger plume that extended upward for several thousand feet while flying from Spokane, WA to Minneapolis/St. Paul, MN on Saturday. EJH]
  • Other wildfires across the West were detected by a variety of satellites during last week including wildfires in:
    • Nevada as detected by the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer on NASA's Terra satellite. [NASA Earth Observatory]
    • Idaho as seen by the MODIS sensor on NASA's Aqua satellite. [NASA Earth Observatory]
    • Central Ontario and Manitoba as detected by the MODIS sensor on NASA's Terra satellite showing large smoke plumes from wildfires in central Canada. [NASA Earth Observatory]
• Europe is also experiencing a heat wave, wildfires and floods -- While many sections of the US have experienced well above average temperatures, a heat wave continues across sections of Europe, with more than 500 deaths being reported in Hungary and 19,000 Romanians hospitalized because of the heat. All time record high temperatures have been reported in Greece. This heat wave has also acerbated the wildfire weather situation across the region. Concurrently, the worst flooding since World War II has also been reported across the British Isles. A climate scientist at Oxford University is attempting to determine if these events can be linked to the large scale global climate change often identified as "global warming". [USA Today] Sensors on the European Space Agency's Envisat satellite show the Greek wildfires and the flooding in Britain, providing an European perspective to environmental disasters in other sections of the world. [ESA]
• Wildfires in Greece and the Balkans -- As many as 15 extremely large wildfires had spread across Greece, killing at least three people at the end of last week. Neighboring countries also experienced major wildfire as a dome of hot, dry air remained over eastern Europe and the Mediterranean Sea. [USA Today] An image from the MODIS instrument on NASA's Aqua satellite shows the locations of more than 100 wildfires that were burning at the midpoint of last week across Greece and the Balkan Peninsula east of the Adriatic Sea. Some smoke plumes were also visible. [NASA Earth Observatory]
• AIRS data to aid weather and climate research -- The AIRS (Atmospheric Infrared Sounder) instrument flying onboard NASA's satellite is providing remotely sensed data on the key atmospheric gas constituents (including water vapor, other greenhouse gases and ozone) and aerosols affecting the earth's weather and climate, thereby helping scientists initialize their computer forecast models. [NASA Earth Observatory]
• NASA produces a new type earth science class -- During a week-long workshop sponsored by the MY NASA DATA program, scientists at NASA Langley Research Center will provide earth science teachers with lessons and activities based on authentic NASA research that they can use to excite their students. [NASA Earth Observatory]
• Florida teacher involved with NASA cloud research -- An elementary school teacher from Punta Gorda, FL, who is a participant in the S'COOL project (Students' Cloud Observations On-Line), is teamed with scientists at NASA's Langley Research Center in making surface cloud observations intended to validate CERES (Clouds and the Earth’s Radiant Energy System) satellite measurements. [NASA Earth Observatory]
• Increased protection of RMS Titanic wreck site proposed -- The US Department of State has requested the US Congress to propose legislation designed to implement an international agreement with the governments of the United Kingdom, Canada and France that would increase protection of the wreck and surrounding site of the RMS Titanic that sank on its maiden voyage in April 1912 after colliding with an iceberg in the North Atlantic. [NOAA News]
• A new children's book from NOAA's Teacher at Sea Program -- The third book in a series of four children's books, entitled "Teacher at Sea: Mrs. Armwood's Hydrographic Adventure on the NOAA Ship Fairweather" was recently published that describes the experiences of a science teacher from Richmond, VA who worked onboard the NOAA hydrographic survey ship Fairweather in Alaskan waters as a participant in NOAA's Teacher at Sea Program. [NOAA News]
• NOAA's role in coastal zone management highlighted -- The NOAA Administrator and Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere, retired Admiral Conrad Lautenbacher, recently addressed the Coastal Zone 07 Conference in Portland Oregon and outlined NOAA's collaborative role in helping state and local agencies address coastal issues, such as marine and coastal protection. The theme of the conference was "Brewing Local Solutions to Coastal Issues." [NOAA News]
• Another Chesapeake Bay interpretive buoy deployed -- The third "smart" buoy was deployed recently at the mouth of the Patapsco River near Baltimore, MD by the NOAA Chesapeake Bay Office as part of its Captain John Smith Chesapeake National Historic Trail. This buoy, along with a buoy on the James River off Jamestown, VA and another at the mouth of the Potomac River have sensors that collect meteorological and water-quality data along with wave and current information, which are then transmitted by high-speed data network and ultimately placed on the Internet where the data can be accessed by the public. [NOAA News]
• Large ice chunk falls from an Iowa sky -- Several large ice chunks, with one having a weight of approximately 50 pounds, fell from the sky and crashed into a house in northeast Iowa near Dubuque late last week. The ice may have fallen from an aircraft in flight or it could have been a "megacryometeor", a natural accumulation of ice, according to a professor at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater. [USA Today]
• Contaminated water reaching the offshore reefs of the Florida Keys -- A study by an University of Georgia public health professor and colleagues indicates that groundwater contaminated with sewage is reaching the offshore reefs of the Upper Florida Keys. [University of Georgia News Service]
• Seawater intrusion is an early sign of coastal aquifer contamination -- In an attempt to address sustainable water management in Mediterranean coastal aquifers, an international team of scientists from France, Italy, Morocco, the Palestinian Authority, Spain, Switzerland and Tunisia have confirmed that seawater intrusion appears to be the first cause of the contamination of coastal aquifers in a majority of cases. [Science News Universidad de Granada]
• Farmers need to adapt to weather extremes -- A team of researchers at the USDA's Northern Great Plains Research Laboratory report that their investigation of crop sequencing effects of 10 crops in the northern Plains were the weather is extremely variable indicates that farmers around the world should base their crop sequencing decisions on weather patterns. [EurekAlert!]
• Nutrient loading issues studied -- Scientists at Alabama's Dauphin Island Sea Lab recently provided evidence that the eutrophication of coastal and estuarine waters may be caused by the depletion of top-level consumers in these ecosystems, rather than by elevated nutrient loading by marine life near the bottom of the food chain as previously thought. [EurekAlert!]
• San Francisco Bay is recipient of harmful chemicals -- A report released by the Environmental Working Group's Oakland (CA) office and the East Bay Municipal Utility District claims that sewage water containing dangerous chemicals found in a variety of household products is being dumped into San Francisco Bay, since current municipal sewage plants do not treat these chemicals currently. [US Water News Online]
• 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 -- [earthweek.com] Requires Adobe Acrobat Reader.

Historical Events:

• 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)
• 31 July 1769...Hail fell 12 inches deep and lasted for 30 hours at Scituate, MA. (Intellicast)
• 31 July 1861...Numerous world rainfall records were set at Cherrapunji, India as of this last day of July. These records include: 366.1 inches for a single 31-day month (during July 1861); 502.63 inches for two months (June-July 1861); 644.44 inches for three months (May-July 1861); 737.72 inches for four months (April-July 1861) and 1041.78 inches for 12 months (Aug. 1860-July 1861). (WMO, NWS)
• 31 July 1976...A stationary thunderstorm produced more than ten inches of rain in just four and one half-hours that funneled into the narrow Thompson River Canyon of northeastern Colorado. A wall of water six to eight feet high wreaked a twenty-five mile path of destruction from Estes Park to Loveland killing 156 persons. The flash flood caught campers, and caused extensive structural and highway damage. Total damage was $35.5 million. Ten miles of U.S. Highway 34 were totally destroyed as the river was twenty feet higher than normal at times. (David Ludlum) (The Weather Channel)
• 31 July 1978...A 50-yard wide waterspout came onshore at Kill Devil Hills, NC and destroyed a small house. One person died and four were hurt. Waterspouts are typically considered relatively benign. (Accord's Weather Guide Calendar)
• 31 July 1982...Flash floods resulting from more than six inches that fell on Knoxville, TN caused three million dollars in damage. The World's Fair in Knoxville was hard hit by floodwaters on Second Creek. Water was waist deep at the Fair's north gate. (Accord's Weather Guide Calendar)
• 31 July 1991...Roswell, NM closed out the month with a total of 6.68 inches of rain to set a new record for the month. (Intellicast)
• 1 August 1954...Mount Rainier in Washington State was still covered with sixteen inches of snow at the 5500-foot level following a big snow season. (David Ludlum)
• 1 August 1969...Severe hailstorm pummeled Montreal, Quebec. Hailstones measured from 0.5 to 0.75 inches in diameter. (The Weather Doctor)
• 1 August 1977...Excessive rains at Muduocaidang, China were responsible for establishing two world records, to include 33.07 inches in 6 hours and 55.12 inches in 10 hours. (WMO, NWS)
• 1 August 1985...A nearly stationary thunderstorm deluged Cheyenne, WY with rain and hail. Six inches of rain fell in six hours producing the most damaging flash flood of record for the state; a 24-hour precipitation record for the Cowboy State was also established with 6.06 inches. Two to five feet of hail covered the ground following the storm, which claimed twelve lives and caused 65 million dollars property damage. Ten of the deaths occurred along Dry Creek when people were swept away in cars while trying to cross flooded roads. (Accord's Weather Guide Calendar) (Storm Data)
• 1 August 1986...A powerful thunderstorm produced 100-mph winds and large hail in eastern Kansas and southwestern Missouri causing 71 million dollars damage, and injuring nineteen persons. It was one of the worst thunderstorms of record for Kansas. Crops were mowed to the ground in places and roofs blown off buildings along its path, 150 miles long and 30 miles wide, from near Abilene to southeast of Pittsburg. Hail 3 inches in diameter fell at Sun City and Belvidere. (The Weather Channel) (Intellicast)
• 1-3 August 1989...Hurricane Chantal made landfall along the Upper Texas coast about sunrise on the 1^st. Chantal deluged parts of Galveston Island and southeastern Texas with 8 to 12 inches of rain. Unofficial totals ranged up to twenty inches. Winds gusted to 82 mph at Galveston, and reached 76 mph in the Houston area. Tides were 5 to 7 feet high. The hurricane claimed two lives, and caused 100 million dollars damage. The remains of Hurricane Chantal also deluged north central Texas with heavy rain. Up to 6.50 inches drenched Stephens County, and Wichita Falls reported 2.22 inches of rain in just one hour on the 2^nd. (The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data)
• 2-3 August 1922...A typhoon hit the China Coast at Swatow on the night of the 2^nd. The wind and the storm surge killed as many as 50,000 of the city's 65,000 residents. Barometric pressure at landfall had dropped to at least 932.3 millibars (27.53 inches). (Accord's Weather Guide Calendar)
• 2 August 1954...Severe thunderstorms produced golf ball size hail for thirty minutes in north central Kansas. One drift measured 200 feet long, seventy feet wide and three feet deep. (The Weather Channel)
• 3 August 1898...Philadelphia, PA had one of its worst thunderstorms ever when 5.84 inches fell in just 2 hours. The hydraulic pressure in the city sewers due to the force of the accumulated runoff caused overflows in toilets, basins and sinks to rise to second-floor levels in some cases. (Intellicast) (Accord's Weather Guide Calendar)
• 3 August 1970...Hurricane Celia made landfall near Port Aransas on the Texas coast, producing wind gusts to 161 mph at Corpus Christi, and estimated wind gusts of 180 mph at Arkansas Pass. Even at Del Rio, 250 miles inland, Celia produced wind gusts to 89 mph. The hurricane was the most destructive of record along the Texas coast causing 454 million dollars damage as 8950 homes were destroyed on the Coastal Bend. Celia also claimed eleven lives and injured 466 people. (David Ludlum) (The Weather Channel) (Intellicast)
• 3 August 1987...A severe thunderstorm moved across Cheyenne, WY during the midafternoon. The thunderstorm produced hailstones up to two inches in diameter causing more than 37 million dollars damage. (Storm Data) (The National Weather Summary)
• 3 August 1995...South Bend, IN received 4.83 inches of rain in 24 hours to set the city's greatest daily rainfall record. (Intellicast)
• 3-4 August 1978...The remnants of Tropical Storm Amelia produced up to 32 inches of rain on Schackelford County in Texas, an incredible amount of rain for a far-inland and non-mountainous area. A twenty-foot wall of water killed six during the evening of the 4^th in Albany, resulting in 89 percent of the city being covered by water. (Accord's Weather Guide Calendar)
• 4(?) August 1609...A tempest struck the western Atlantic Ocean scattering small British convoy headed to Virginia. Two vessels sank; another, the Sea Venture was presumed lost. However, a ship made landfall on Bermuda, shipwrecking the crew. After a ten-month stay to build two small rescue boats, they sailed to Jamestown (Virginia) Colony. Incident accounts may have provided William Shakespeare with background material for The Tempest. (The Weather Doctor)
• 4 August 1666...A violent hurricane raked the island of Guadeloupe, destroying all boats along its coast, including a 17-ship fleet with 2000 troops. The island's batteries, with 6-foot thick walls, were destroyed and the 16-pounders (large cannons) were washed away. (The Weather Doctor) (Accord's Weather Guide Calendar)
• 4 August 1995...Thunderstorms generated 5 to 6-foot waves on Flathead Lake, a 26-mile long lake in northwest Montana. Some of the waves generated by a distant thunderstorm crashed ashore at Lakeside, damaging boats, sea walls and docks. At the time, calm conditions were reported at Lakeside. (Accord's Weather Guide Calendar)
• 5 August 1843...A spectacular cloudburst at Chester Creek, near Philadelphia, PA turned the small creeks and streams entering the Delaware River into raging torrents. As much as sixteen inches of rain fell in just three hours at Concord, which still stands as the greatest amount of precipitation in a three hour span in the U.S. Flooding destroyed thirty-two county bridges, and caused nineteen deaths. Several small tornadoes are believed to have accompanied the torrential rains, one of which upset and sank more than thirty barges on the Schuylkill River. Fifteen inches of rain also fell at Newark, NJ. (David Ludlum) (Intellicast)
• 5 August 1983...One of many Western Plains thunderstorms dumped 2.89 inches of rain in 38 minutes at Denver, CO. (Intellicast)
• 5 August 1988...Floods ravaged parts of Sudan during August, the result of 8.27 inches of rain that fell in Khartoum in 13 hours on the 4^th and 5^th. The previous 24-hour record at Khartoum was 3.46 inches. More than one million people were made homeless. At least 96 died in Sudan's worst flooding sine 1946. (Accord's Weather Guide Calendar)
• 5-7 August 1997...Although far to the southwest, Hurricane Guillermo generated surf to 12-foot heights along the beaches of southern California. In Newport Beach, lifeguards made almost 300 rescues on the 5^th and 6^th. Rip currents were responsible for one death and three injuries. (Accord's Weather Guide Calendar)

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Prepared by AMS WES Central Staff and Edward J. Hopkins, Ph.D., email hopkins@meteor.wisc.edu
ã Copyright, 2007, The American Meteorological Society.