Wild Weather, the Wobble Effect

[Sevan Makaracı]

 

Weather: Weather Wobble Jet Stream tornados Siberian Freeze Weather Wobble Wild weather , [2] Wobble Clouds Hurricane development Violent Push Weather & ocean currents Europe Weather

Tides and Whirlpools: Storm Clash whirlpools Lurch of earth Tides , [2] Whirlpools Wobble Sloshing

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"We warned at the start of ZetaTalk, in 1995, that unpredictable weather extremes, switching about from drought to deluge, would occur and increase on a lineal basis up until the pole shift. Where this occurred steadily, it has only recently become undeniable. ZetaTalk, and only ZetaTalk, warned of these weather changes, at that early date. Our early warnings spoke to the issue of global heating from the core outward, hardly Global Warming, a surface or atmospheric issue, but caused by consternation in the core. Affected by the approach of Planet X, which was by then starting to zoom rapidly toward the inner solar system for its periodic passage, the core was churning, melting the permafrost and glaciers and riling up volcanoes. When the passage did not occur as expected in 2003 because Planet X had stalled in the inner solar system, we explained the increasing weather irregularities in the context of the global wobble that had ensued - weather wobbles where the Earth is suddenly forced under air masses, churning them. This evolved by 2005 into a looping jet stream, loops breaking away and turning like a tornado to affect the air masses underneath. Meanwhile, on Planet Earth, droughts had become more intractable and deluges positively frightening, temperature swings bringing snow in summer in the tropics and searing heat in Artic regions, with the violence of storms increasing in number and ferocity."

ZETATALK

 

From the ZetaTalk Chat Q&A for February 4, 2012:

 

The wobble seems to have changed, as the temperature in Europe suddenly plunged after being like an early Spring, Alaska has its coldest temps ever while the US and much of Canada is having an extremely mild winter. India went from fatal cold spell to balmy again. Has the Earth changed position vs a vs Planet X to cause this? [and from another] Bitter cold records broken in Alaska - all time coldest record nearly broken, but Murphy's Law intervenes [Jan 30] http://wattsupwiththat.com/2012/01/30/bitter-cold-records-broken-in-alaska Jim River, AK closed in on the all time record coldest temperature of -80°F set in 1971, which is not only the Alaska all-time record, but the record for the entire United States. Unfortunately, it seems the battery died in the weather station just at the critical moment. While the continental USA has a mild winter and has set a number of high temperature records in the last week and pundits ponder whether they will be blaming the dreaded "global warming" for those temperatures, Alaska and Canada have been suffering through some of the coldest temperatures on record during the last week.

There has been no change in the wobble pattern, the wobble has merely become more severe. Nancy noted a Figure 8 format when the Earth wobble first became noticeable, in early 2005, after Planet X moved into the inner solar system at the end of 2003. The Figure 8 shifted along to the east a bit on the globe between 2005 and 2009, (the last time Nancy took its measure) as Planet X came closer to the Earth, encountering the magnetic N Pole with a violent push earlier in the day. But the pattern of the Figure 8 remained essentially the same. So what changed recently that the weather patterns became noticeably different in late January, 2012?

The N Pole is pushed away when it comes over the horizon, when the noon Sun is centered over the Pacific. This regularly puts Alaska under colder air, with less sunlight, and thus the historically low temps there this January, 2012 as the wobble has gotten stronger. But by the time the Sun is positioned over India, the N Pole has swung during the Figure 8 so the globe tilts, and this tilt is visible in the weather maps from Asia. The tilt has forced the globe under the hot air closer to the Equator, warming the land along a discernable tilt demarcation line.

The next loop of the Figure 8 swings the globe so that the N Pole moves in the other direction, putting the globe again at a tilt but this time in the other direction. This tilt is discernable in weather maps of Europe, again along a diagonal line. Depending upon air pressure and temperature differences, the weather on either side of this diagonal line may be suddenly warm or suddenly cold. The tilt and diagonal line lingers to affect much of the US and Canada, but the Figure 8 changes at this point to be an up and down motion, pulling the geographic N Pole south so the US is experiencing a warmer than expected winter under a stronger Sun. Then the cycle repeats, with the magnetic N Pole of Earth pushed violently away again as the Sun is positioned over the Pacific.

 

From the ZetaTalk Chat Q&A for April 6, 2013:

 

Would the Zetas be able to let us know what is causing the early break-up of the Arctic Ice, the ice seems to have taken on a swirling pattern at the same time, would this be wobble related? [and from another] http://www.vancouversun.com/news/national/Canada+Arctic+cracks+spec... The ice in Canada’s western Arctic ripped open in a massive “fracturing event” this spring that spread like a wave across 1,000 kilometres of the Beaufort Sea. Huge leads of water – some more than 500 kilometres long and as much as 70 kilometres across – opened up from Alaska to Canada’s Arctic islands as the massive ice sheet cracked as it was pushed around by strong winds and currents. It took just seven days for the fractures to progress across the entire area from west to east. [and from another] http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/IOTD/view.php?id=80752&src=iot... A high-pressure weather system was parked over the region, producing warmer temperatures and winds that flowed in a southwesterly direction. That fueled the Beaufort Gyre, a wind-driven ocean current that flows clockwise. The gyre was the key force pulling pieces of ice west past Point Barrow, the northern nub of Alaska that protrudes into the Beaufort Sea.

The Figure 8 formed by the N Pole during the daily Earth wobble has shifted somewhat to the East, due to Planet X positioned more to the right of the Earth during its approach. This was anticipated, and well described in ZetaTalk, the Earth crowding to the left in the cup to escape the approach of Planet X, so the angle between these two planets would change slightly. This shift of the Figure 8 to the East is due to the push against the Earth’s magnetic N Pole occurring sooner each day than prior. Thus instead of occurring when the Sun is high over the Pacific, over New Zealand, it is now occurring when the Sun is high over Alaska. All the wobble points have shifted eastward accordingly.

This has brought a lingering Winter to the western US, and a changed sloshing pattern to the Arctic waters. Instead of Pacific waters being pushed through the Bering Straits into the Arctic when the polar push occurs, the wobble is swinging the Arctic to the right, and then later to the left, creating a circular motion in the waters trapped in the Arctic. Since the Earth rotates counterclockwise, the motion also takes this path. This is yet another piece of evidence that the establishment is hard pressed to explain. They are attempting to ascribe this to high pressure and wind, all of which are not new to the Arctic, but this circular early breakup of ice in the Arctic is new.

[Gerard Zwaan]

Typhoon Doksuri tore through Vietnam this weekend killing 4 with almost 100,000 evacuated and 123,000 homes destroyed

Photo indianexpress.com
Shaken residents in central Vietnam were piecing their homes and businesses back together yesterday after a powerful typhoon hammered large swathes of the country's coast, leaving at least four people dead.
Typhoon Doksuri tore through Vietnam on Friday afternoon, reducing structures to piles of debris and knocking out electricity and telecommunications in several provinces, in one of the worst storms to hit the country in years.
Residents woke up yesterday to find widespread destruction in normally idyllic coastal communities popular among beachgoers.
"I sat inside my house, covering my ears, I didn't dare leave as I was so scared," said Ms Mai Thi Tinh, whose restaurant in Ha Tinh province was completely destroyed.
"The power is still off so we can't do anything.
I don't know how long it will take to recover."
At least four people were killed and eight injured, according to Vietnam's Disaster Management Authority.

Photo naijatwitter.com
Some 123,000 homes were damaged, and trees and power lines were torn down in five hard-hit provinces, the disaster agency said.
"The wind was so bad that I hid under the bed.
I'm old but I'm afraid of death," said 70-year-old retired teacher Tran Ngoc Khang.
Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc visited Ha Tinh province yesterday to survey the damage.
"We have to quickly mobilise forces to repair houses and damaged schools...
We have to ensure people can get back to normal life," he said on state-run Vietnam Television. Nearly 80,000 people were evacuated as the storm bore down, while the government deployed a quarter of a million troops and a fleet of vehicles and ships.
Forecasters warned of a risk of flooding and landslides as the storm swept through the central and northern parts of the country.
Vietnam's central coast is routinely lashed by storms, especially during the tropical storm season from May to October.
Vietnam has already been hit by severe weather this year, with 140 people dead or missing in natural disasters since January, according to official figures.

Source: www.thebigwobble.org/2017/09/typhoon-doksuri-tore-through-vietnam.html

[Gerard Zwaan]

After an unseasonal heatwave with temps well above 30deg C powerful storms kill 8 and injure 70 in Western Romania as winds reach 100km/h

Photo wacotrib.com
Eight people lost their lives and almost 70 were injured as powerful storms hit Western Romania on Sunday evening.
The wind reached speeds of up to 100 kilometers per hour bringing down hundreds of trees, electricity poles, and tearing household roofs.
The most affected areas were Timis and Arad counties, in Western Romania, where six people were killed in the storm.
In Timisoara, a woman died after being hit by the branches of a tree at the city zoo.
Another man lost his life after a billboard fell on his car, according to local Mediafax. Some 27 more people were injured in Timisoara, where the wind was so powerful that it even overturned trucks on the road.
Two people were also killed in Bistrita-Nasaud county, in Northern Romania.
One of them was hit by a tree in the city's park.
In Alba county, over 15,000 households were left without electricity as the powerful wind broke the electricity lines.
Six people were also injured in Alba.
Romania has experienced unusually hot weather for this time of year in the last few days, with temperatures reaching 34 degrees Celsius in the Southern regions on Sunday.
The weather is expected to turn bad in the next few days and rain may take over the country.

Source: www.thebigwobble.org/2017/09/after-unseasonal-heatwave-with-temps.html

[Gerard Zwaan]

Maximum sustained winds of 90mph and 15ft waves as Hurricane Jose strengthened Sunday to hit Jersey Shore and Long Island Tuesday

International Hurricane Centre
Hurricane Jose strengthened Sunday as it churned its way north through the Atlantic Ocean as a Category 1 storm, with maximum sustained winds of 90 miles per hour.
Tropical Storm Watch is in effect for much of the Jersey Shore and Long Island as Hurricane Jose will make its closest pass to the Tri-State region late Tuesday into Wednesday.
The centre of Jose will stay offshore so the greatest impacts will be felt right along the coast with dangerous surf, strong rip currents, beach erosion and coastal flooding.
Wave heights can top out between 10 and 15 feet.
The strongest winds will be over eastern Long Island, with gusts up to 50mph.
Farther west, including the New York City area, winds can gust over 30mph at times late Tuesday into early Wednesday.
As far as timing, some of the outer rain bands from Jose could arrive late tomorrow night, but conditions will deteriorate more significantly on Tuesday as it becomes increasingly windy and rainy. This will last through Tuesday night and perhaps into Wednesday, especially on Long Island.
Even as the storm departs later in the week, the ocean will remain rough with high surf and strong rip currents.
The storm was located about 355 miles southeast of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina Sunday and heading north at 9 mph.
The National Hurricane Center advised East Coast residents from North Carolina on up to monitor the storm's progress.
The most likely of the computer models would put the storm at least 250 miles off the coast of the New York area.
The sustained winds increased Sunday morning, but Jose is still expected to gradually weaken as it pushes northward over the next few days into less favourable atmospheric conditions.
Jose is already producing dangerous surf for Bermuda, the Bahamas, parts of the Caribbean, and parts of the US East Coast.
While Jose is projected to weaken and veer away from any direct impact on the coast, the Hurricane Center said a minor shift could bring tropical-storm-force winds to North Carolina's Outer Banks or areas to the north.
The storm formed Sept. 5 in the open Atlantic, brushed northeast Caribbean islands as a Category 4 hurricane and did a loop the loop before tracking west again toward the U.S.

Source: www.thebigwobble.org/2017/09/maximum-sustained-winds-of-90-miles-pe...

[Gerard Zwaan]

Batten down the hatches! As Hurricane Jose weakens another one forms; Tropical storm Maria expected to become strong Hurricane category 4 by Tuesday

EarthWindMap

With tropical storm, Maria expected to reach strong Hurricane force later today and tropical Storm Lee not far behind and both heading Northwest the recent devastation caused by Harvey, Irma and Jose may yet not be over for the Caribbean and Florida.
Following the development of Tropical Storm Lee, budding Hurricane Maria poses a significant threat to Irma-devastated areas in the northern Caribbean early this week.
Tropical Storm Maria, is located less than 600 miles east-southeast of the Lesser Antilles but that's not good because there is plenty of warm Caribbean water between which is like jet fuel for a Hurricane and presents the biggest risk to land as it continues to gain strength over the coming days.

According to AccuWeather.com people in the Lesser Antilles should be preparing for yet another impactful tropical system.
Maria will quickly track to the west or west-northwest the next few days.
Conditions are conducive for the storm to ramp up into a Category 2 hurricane prior to reaching the Lesser Antilles on Monday night and Tuesday.
This is the third tropical system to impact the area in two weeks, following major hurricanes Irma and Jose during the first week of September.
While it is unlikely that the storm will reach Irma’s intense strength by the time it approaches, the brisk pace of the storm means there is little time for preparations to be completed on the islands.
Seas will build along the east-facing beaches of the Leeward Islands as the strengthening storm approaches on Sunday and Monday.
Torrential rain and damaging winds will then increase on Monday night and into Tuesday.
Some of the islands that were largely spared from Irma’s wrath may take a direct hit from the storm, including Montserrat, Guadeloupe, Dominica and Martinique.
Residents should prepare for widespread tree damage, days to weeks of power outages and structural damage at the hands of a Category 2 hurricane.
Well-constructed homes may sustain major roof or siding damage.
"Rainfall amounts of 100-200 mm (4-8 inches) and storm surge will lead to flooding," AccuWeather Meteorologist Jordan Root said.

Source:  http://www.thebigwobble.org/2017/09/batten-down-hatches-as-hurrican...

[KM]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4887088/Hurricane-Irma-wipe...

'For the first time in 300 years there's not a single living person on Barbuda. A civilisation has been extinguished': Hurricane Irma wiped out entire island, US ambassador reveals

• The Category 5 hurricane descended on the small island last week
• All of Barbuda's 1,800 residents were evacuated to nearby Antigua
• Some 95 per cent of the island's buildings have been destroyed
• US ambassador said Barbuda is now completely uninhabited 

The devastation caused by Hurricane Irma has left a Caribbean island uninhabited by civilisation 'for the first time in 300 years'.

All of Barbuda's 1,800 residents have been evacuated and more than 95 per cent of its structures have been damaged after the ferocious storm hit its shores last week.

The Category 5 hurricane battered the Caribbean with winds of up to 185mph leaving a trail of destruction in its wake.

Hurricane Irma has devastated the Caribbean leaving homes completely destroyed

All of Barbuda's 1,800 residents have been evacuated, leaving the island uninhabited 'for the first time in 300 years'

This satellite image shows the effects of Irma on Barbuda's Codrington Port from above  

Many of Barbuda's residents were relocated to Antigua, which did not suffer as much damage. 

The Ambassador to the US for both islands, Ronald Sanders, told USA Today: 'There’s not a single living person on the island of Barbuda — a civilization that has existed on that island for over 300 years has now been extinguished.'

Irma was 378 miles wide when it hit Barbuda, a small island of just 62 square miles - the damage is estimated to cost around $200m (£15m).

Photographs taken after the storm show homes completely flattened with debris strewn about the landscape.

'The island and the people on the island had absolutely no chance,' Mr Sanders added.

The island generates just $1bn a year and authorities are hoping the international community will provide them with aid

[SongStar101]

Up to half a million people to be evacuated as giant Typhoon Talim approaches south-eastern China

http://www.straitstimes.com/asia/east-asia/up-to-half-a-million-peo...

BEIJING - Up to half a million people were expected to be evacuated from their homes in south-eastern China on Tuesday (Sept 12) as the region braced itself for a "giant" typhoon that is expected to make landfall later in the week.

Typhoon Talim was forecast to hit several cities along the central and northern sections of the Fujian coastline, including Fuzhou and Ningde, reported The South China Morning Post, citing the chief engineer at the province's meteorological bureau, Ms Liu Aiming.

Ms Liu said as many as 500,000 people would receive evacuation notices, though the exact figure was subject to change as the situation was evolving.

Most of the people lived in properties that were unlikely to withstand the high winds, or in areas that were prone to flooding and mudslides, or were close to construction sites where they could be hit by flying debris. Ms Liu said that school buildings and sports stadiums were likely to be used as temporary shelters.

Talim formed east of the Philippines on Saturday. It has been steadily gaining strength and was likely to pass through Taiwan. It was expected to have grown into a super typhoon by the time it made landfall, the highest level in China's rating system and comparable to a category 4 or 5 hurricane in the US.

The meteorological agency issued a blue alert, the lowest in a four-tier colour-coded system for severe weather, reported Reuters. 

On Tuesday morning, the eye of Talim was 1,040km south-east of Taiwan’s Yilan county, packing winds of up to 33 metres a second.

Talim is expected to hit north and north-east parts of Taiwan the hardest on Wednesday and into Thursday with heavy rains and strong gusts.

The storm will then move north-west at a speed of 25km to 30km an hour towards the coast of Zhejiang and Fujian, making landfall late on Thursday or early Friday, according to China’s National Meteorological Centre.

From Tuesday to Wednesday, Talim will bring gales to the southern East China Sea, the Taiwan Strait and waters east of Taiwan, as well as parts of the South China Sea.

The Fujian government initiated a Grade IV emergency response on Monday night, the lowest of a four-grade emergency response system.

Relevant government agencies were told to monitor Typhoon Talim and take emergency measures in a timely manner, according to a statement on the official website of Fujian province.

State-owned China News Service reported on Tuesday that Zhejiang province had also initiated a Grade IV response.

If anything unusual was detected, government agencies should issue warnings and organise evacuations, the news report said.

The National Meteorological Centre also warned of a tropical depression 205km east of Manila in the Philippines, saying it could gather strength and become a typhoon in the next 12 hours.

Floods caused by tropical storm Maring submerged many streets and highways in the Philippines on Tuesday, prompting the government to close schools and suspend work in Metro Manila and the affected provinces.

Late last month, Typhoon Hato pummelled Macau with winds of more than 200kmh and wreaked havoc in the nearby financial hub of Hong Kong.

"Talim is a giant. It will dwarf any of the others (typhoons) we've seen this year," Ms Liu told The South China Morning Post.

People who resisted orders to evacuate would be forced to do so by inspection teams, she said.

"It's routine practice. (If they were not told to evacuate) most people would just stay in their homes. Nobody hits the highway," she said, adding that she was a "bit surprised at what happened in the US".

She was referring to the mass exodus by 5 million residents from Florida last week as Hurricane Irma raced towards the coast, which caused huge jams on motorways and saw many service stations run out of fuel.

Professor Huang Peng, who teaches architecture and wind engineering at Tongji University in Shanghai and used to work at the International Hurricane Research Centre in Florida, said the different approaches adopted by China and the US to keep people safe were understandable.

"(In Florida) Most of the people live in timber properties on low-lying ground and that makes them vulnerable to high winds," he said. "And because they are spread over such a wide area, it would have been difficult to get aid and support to them in the aftermath of the hurricane," he said.

"In China, mass evacuations are usually not considered an option, but for those living in poorly built properties or at-risk locations it is better if they are relocated," he explained, adding that the population density was the reason why mass evacuations were not as popular in China.

Mr Wang Kanghong, a researcher at the meteorological disaster laboratory under the Ministry of Education in Nanjing, Jiangsu province, said the Chinese government was very selective when it came to ordering evacuations, only issuing orders if the data suggested a building was vulnerable to a typhoon.

"(However) the climate is changing. It is possible we will one day be faced with a mega-typhoon that few buildings would be able to withstand," he said.

Officials in every city had plans to deal with such a "doomsday scenario", he added.

These included the evacuation of entire cities, but there were no guarantees such a plan would work, Mr Wang told The South China Morning Post.

"There has never been a drill. Many things can go wrong."

[KM]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4869944/Hurricane-Irma-hits...

'We just don't know how many are dead': 10,000 people who stayed in Florida Keys to brave Hurricane Irma 'now have no water, food or power' amid fears of a 'humanitarian crisis' - but deadly storm is now downgraded to Category One

• Irma weakened to a category 1 hurricane as it hammered the Tampa Bay region with 85mph winds Monday
• Hurricane Irma had earlier punished Fort Myers and Naples after making landfall for the second time in Marco Island on Sunday at 3.30pm
• The National Hurricane Center said water levels in Naples rose 7ft in just 90 minutes with substantial flooding
• Irma arrived as a category 4 storm but had fallen to a category 2 by late Sunday afternoon 
• Irma has so far claimed five lives in Florida with three dying in car crashes  
• The storm toppled cranes, swallowed streets and left nearly four million without power on Sunday
• Six million people had been told to leave their homes in mandatory or voluntary evacuation orders
• More than 170,000 people waited in shelters statewide as Irma headed up the coast 
• The storm has already claimed at least 25 lives across the Caribbean since it took hold earlier in the week
• President Donald Trump said the US may have gotten a 'little bit lucky' after the hurricane veered from its original course

Rescuers have admitted they do not know how many people in Florida have been killed by Hurricane Irma amid fears of a looming 'humanitarian crisis'.

Up to 10,000 people are believed to have stayed in their Florida Keys homes during the storm and now have no water, food or power, officials have warned.

It comes as it emerged Irma has left nearly four million people without electricity and five dead as the destructive storm hammered the state with strong winds and threats of devastating storm surges.

Irma weakened to a category 1 hurricane as it pummeled the vulnerable Tampa Bay region with 85mph winds early Monday morning.  As of 2am, the storm was centered about 25 miles northeast of Tampa and moving north-northwest at 15 mph.

The deadly storm had earlier punished Fort Myers and Naples after coming ashore for the second time in Marco Island at 3.30pm. The National Hurricane Center said water levels in Naples rose 7ft in just 90 minutes.

Irma arrived as a category 4 storm but had fallen to a category 2 by late Sunday afternoon and was continuing to weaken as it marched up Florida's Gulf Coast.

The death toll jumped to five early Monday morning with reports a person had been found dead in a home in Florida Keys. 

But this morning, Florida Director of Emergency Management Bryan Koon said he could not confirm or deny reports of multiple deaths or extensive damage admitting: 'I don't have any numbers on fatalities at this point.' 

Hurricane Irma is currently hammering Fort Myers (above) on the west coast of Florida with 110 mph winds after making landfall for the second time on Sunday afternoon

Areas of Naples (above) are now suffering substantial flooding and swathes of the west coast are under 15ft storm surge warnings. The National Hurricane Center said water levels in Naples rose 7ft in just 90 minutes

Hurricane Irma left nearly four million people without power after the deadly storm battered Florida

Koon said about 10,000 people stayed in the Keys to ride out the storm but communications had been cut off.

He said it was likely they did not have power or water and that there would have been 'fairly significant impact to homes'. 

'It is obvious we need to get in there, assess the damage and figure out what we need to do for helping those folks,' he said.

More than 170,000 people waited in shelters statewide as Irma headed up the coast. 

Forecasters expect Irma to weaken further into a tropical storm over far northern Florida or southern Georgia on Monday as it speeds up its forward motion. The hurricane center says the storm is still life-threatening with dangerous storm surge, wind and heavy rains. 

Irma has so far claimed five lives in Florida, including two law enforcement officials involved in a car crash Sunday. Hardee County Sheriff's deputy and mother-of-one Julie Bridges and Hardee Correctional Institute sergeant Joseph Ossman crashed and died around 60 miles from Saratosa.

The storm toppled cranes, swallowed streets and left about 5 million without power Sunday as it unleashed its terrifying fury after wreaking a trail of death and destruction through the Caribbean.

 

Six million people were ordered to flee the path of the hurricane before it first made landfall in Florida Keys. 

Handfuls of holdout residents, having defied calls to evacuate, hunkered down as Irma tore over the Keys, ripping boats from their moorings, flattening palm trees and downing power lines across the island chain popular for fishing and scuba diving.

The Keys is now the subject of a huge airborne relief mission.

The county administrator in the Florida Keys says crews will begin house to house searches Monday morning, looking for people who need help and assessing damage from Hurricane Irma.

Monroe County Administrator Roman Gastesi says relief will arrive on a C-130 military plane at the Key West International Airport.

Once it's light out, they'll check on survivors. They suspect they may find fatalities. Gastesi says they are 'prepared for the worst.'

While southwest Florida bore the deadly brunt of Irma's wrath Sunday, the coastlines of Miami and the neighboring island of Miami Beach were heavily inundated by storm surges as hurricane winds sent two giant construction cranes crashing down.

A third construction crane toppled late Sunday at a project on Fort Lauderdale beach.

[SongStar101]

Hurricane Jose: storm 'almost category five' as it follows Irma's destructive path

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/sep/09/hurricane-jose-storm-...

The system is nearing the eastern Caribbean islands of Barbuda and Anguilla, promising further devastation in the wake of the giant Irma

Hurricane Jose has “almost” reached category five strength, with top winds of 155 mph (250kmh) as it heads towards the eastern Caribbean islands ravaged by Hurricane Irma

Jose was about 240 miles (390km) east-southeast of the northern Leeward Islands on Saturday morning and was forecast to hit the outlying Caribbean islands later in the day.

The US national hurricane centre said that “air force hurricane hunters find Jose even stronger ... almost a category 5 hurricane”.

It issued hurricane warnings for the eastern Caribbean islands of Barbuda and Anguilla, Sint Maarten, St Martin and St Barthelemy. A hurricane watch was in effect for Antigua, while tropical storm watch was is in effect for Montserrat, St Kitts, and Nevis, British Virgin Islands, and St Thomas and St John.

In the Gulf of Mexico, Hurricane Katia made landfall north of Tecolutla, Mexico early on Saturday. Katia was still rated a category one hurricane with winds of 75 mph (120kmh).

Many of Irma’s victims have already fled their devastated islands on ferries and fishing boats for fear of Jose, which is currently ranked as a category four storm that could punish some places all over again this weekend.

“I don’t think it takes a rocket scientist to know that further damage is imminent,” said inspector Frankie Thomas of the Antigua and Barbuda police.

Authorities said around 90% of Barbuda, a coral island rising a mere 125 feet (38 meters) above sea level, had been devastated by Irma.

Its 1,400 inhabitants were ordered to evacuate on Friday to neighboring Antigua, where Stevet Jeremiah was reunited with one son and made plans to bury another.

Jeremiah, who sells lobster and crab to tourists, was huddled in her wooden home on Barbuda this week with her partner and their two- and four-year-old boys as Irma ripped open their metal roof and sent the ocean surging into the house.

Her younger son, Carl Junior Francis, was swept away. Neighbors found his body after sunrise.

“Two years old. He just turned two, the 17th, last month. Just turned two,” she repeated. Her first task, she said, would be to organize his funeral. “That’s all I can do. There is nothing else I can do.”

The dead included 11 on St Martin and St Barts, four in the US Virgin Islands, four in the British Virgin Islands and one each on Anguilla and Barbuda.

Laura Strickling, who lives with her husband Taylor on St Thomas, said they had huddled in a basement apartment along with another family as Irma storm raged for 12 hours.

“The noise was just deafening. It was so loud we thought the roof was gone,” she said, adding that she and the three other adults “were terrified but keeping it together for the babies”.

“We’re obviously worried by the thought of having to do it all again with Hurricane Jose. It’s not good,” she said.

In Mexico, which is also dealing with its most powerful earthquake in a century, Katia was expected to weaken rapidly over the next day, the USNHC said. Category 1 is the NHC’s weakest hurricane designation while category 5 is the strongest. Storms of category 3 and above are defined as major hurricanes.

Veracruz state officials said in a statement that the storm could cause landslides and flooding, and urged people living below hills and slopes to be prepared to evacuate.

Luis Felipe Puente, head of Mexico’s national emergency services, said this week that Katia has “worrying characteristics” because it is very slow-moving and could dump a lot of rain on areas that have been saturated in recent weeks.

[SongStar101]

Hurricane Irma Live Updates: ‘Leave Now,’ Florida Governor Warns (VIDEO)

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/08/us/hurricane-irma-florida.html?m...

Hurricane Irma pounded the Bahamas before making landfall Friday night in the northern part of Cuba as it cycled toward Florida. It is expected to hit there late Saturday with wind speeds powerful enough to snap trees and power poles and tear the roofs off buildings. And Gov. Rick Scott said the lower half of Florida could face life threatening storm surge as early as Saturday morning.

Irma, which was making landfall on the Camaguey Archipelago of Cuba as a Category 5 storm with 160-mile-per-hour winds, had already caused flooding in Cuba’s northeast on Friday as it continued to move along the nation’s northern coastline, according to the National Hurricane Center.

In the Caribbean, where more than 20 people were killed, residents in Barbuda and St. Martin, islands that suffered excessive damage from Irma, wearily prepared for Hurricane Jose, the Category 4 storm that could hit those islands within the next two days.

In Florida, officials estimated that 5.6 million residents have been ordered to evacuate. They repeatedly urged Floridians not to underestimate the power of Irma. Governor Scott has said it would be “way bigger than Andrew,” referring to the 1992 storm that was the most destructive hurricane to hit the state.

“If you have been ordered to evacuate, you need to leave now,” he said at a news conference Friday evening. “Not tonight, not in an hour, now.”

Brock Long, the FEMA administrator, cautioned that people from Alabama to North Carolina should be monitoring the storm and making preparations.

On Friday, Gov. Kay Ivey of Alabama issued a full state of emergency in an effort to better prepare the state for Irma. Gov. Henry McMaster of South Carolina also announced that he would order the mandatory evacuation of several islands — including the popular resort island Hilton Head — beginning at 10 a.m. Saturday.

Here’s the latest:

• The National Hurricane Center said Irma remained “extremely dangerous,” and the Florida Keys were at risk of “life-threatening inundation.” Check out our maps tracking the storm.

• At least 20 people have died because of the storm in the Caribbean.

• In Florida, a 57-year old man died on Thursday after he fell off a ladder while trying to install storm shutters at a house in Broward County, the Davie Police Department said on Friday.

• Another storm, Hurricane Katia, was about 120 miles off Tampico, on Mexico’s eastern coast on Friday afternoon, packing winds of 75 m.p.h., the Hurricane Center said. The Category 1 hurricane was making landfall north of Tecolutla, Mexico, as of 11 p.m. Friday.

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Hurricane Irma strengthens, hits Cuba on its way to Florida

http://www.cnn.com/2017/09/09/us/hurricane-irma-cuba-florida/index....

[KM]

http://www.keyt.com/news/santa-barbara-s-county/massivie-storm-syst...

Massive storm system quickly rolls through Santa Barbara

"Microburst" overturned boats, toppled power lines

Santa Barbara had a microburst Sunday, bringing unexpectedly high winds and heavy rain

Microburst overturned boats, toppled power lines 

A quick-hitting storm system rolled through Santa Barbara overturning boats, leaving flooded roadways and power lines knocked down. 

Just before 3 p.m., a violent weather event rolled through Santa Barbara with massive amounts of rain and wind. 

The storm is believed to be a microburst, a sudden localized and powerful air current. Some areas in Santa Barbara were left unscathed with the majority of damage coming to the Santa Barbara Harbor and lower State Street. 

Trees were knocked over near lower State Street and U.S. Highway 101 was at a crawl as debris slowed traffic. Several downtown area visitors took shelter inside nearby businesses. 

West Gutierrez had multiple trees in the roadway and some landed on top of cars. People were advised to stay away from the area as crews worked to remove people who were trapped in their vehicles. 

Power lines were knocked down on Ortega Street and multiple businesses lost power. Some businesses were forced to close down for the remaining of the day. 

A large eucalyptus tree landed on railroad tracks, delaying Amtrak traffic. 

Multiple traffic incidents were reported as the water collected on the roadway. Several injuries were also reported. 

Boats, kayaks, and paddleboards overturned in the Santa Barbara Harbor and at least 17 people had to be rescued. The Santa Barbara City Fire Department said 56 people were tossed into the water. The Santa Barbara Harbor Patrol said all people were accounted for and remind the public of the importance of wearing a life jacket when out in the water. 

Jetskiers and private citizens also jumped in to help. Some people swam to shore on their own. A 22-foot sailboat was also overturned and was sinking into the ocean. 

Multiple people called to report a tornado, although it is not believed the weather event was a tornado. Microbursts behave in similar ways and can cause similar damage.