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There is an upper level low pressure system vortex storm forming of East Coast of US. It's an occluded front with a low pressure of 29.29hg or 992mb. The winds are rotating the system counterclockwise. In previous post we gave some possible explanation of the situation and we gave some notes about polar cyclones, arctic storms, nor'eastern storms and explanation of Coriolis effect.
The upper level low pressure systems are important to forecasting and can dramatically alter one's forecast. Upper level lows can occur in association with a mid-latitude cyclone or may begin without the aid of a mid-latitude cyclone. Upper level lows without the aid of a surface low can develop when air flows over a mountain range, in association with an upper level short wave, or in association with a jet streak.
The No. 1 reactor at Tokyo Electric Power Co.'s Fukushima Dai-Ichi nuclear power plant. Source: Air Photo Service via Bloomberg
Tokyo Electric Power Co. said one of the reactor cores at its stricken Fukushima Dai-Ichi nuclear plant is more seriously damaged than previously thought, setting back the utility's plan to resolve the crisis.
Fuel rods in the core of the No. 1 reactor are fully exposed, with the water level 1 meter (3.3 feet) below the base of the fuel assembly, Junichi Matsumoto, a general manager at the utility known as Tepco, told reporters at a briefing in Tokyo. Melted fuel has dropped to the bottom of the pressure vessel and is still being cooled, Matsumoto said.
Japan is trying to contain the worst nuclear disaster since Chernobyl after a quake and tsunami two months ago knocked out power and cooling systems at the Fukushima station. While authorities have previously suspected a partial meltdown at unit 1, high radiation levels had prevented workers from entering the building to check the damage until last week.
This is a video shot by a Taipei resident as a tornado affected part of the Taiwanese capital on May 12th. The twister lasted around two minutes, flipping an SUV on top of some motorcycles, though there were no reports of casualties.
There was a stationary front lying over the area at the time, with an extremely humid airmass to its south. The 00Z Taipei sounding shows enhanced low-level moisture and some windshear, which both contributed to vigorous convection and updraft rotation.
The event, however, will not be recorded on Central Weather Bureau's list of natural disasters as it was not recorded by their weather station. This may have implications for the owners of the vehicles, as the local insurance industry normally relies on the CWB record for claims purposes.
There was a stationary front lying over the area at the time, with an extremely humid airmass to its south. The 00Z Taipei sounding shows enhanced low-level moisture and some windshear, which both contributed to vigorous convection and updraft rotation.
The event, however, will not be recorded on Central Weather Bureau's list of natural disasters as it was not recorded by their weather station. This may have implications for the owners of the vehicles, as the local insurance industry normally relies on the CWB record for claims purposes.
Lake Charles, Louisiana - Thousands of dead fish were discovered Wednesday, lining the shore of the I-210 beach.
Most of the fish washed ashore on the southwest corner of the beach.
Officials with the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries identified the fish as Shad, which are known to travel in huge schools and are more common in creeks.
Biologists collected samples of the fish to send off for testing. Though no official results are back, biologists said the fish kill was most likely caused by low oxygen levels. Low oxygen levels are usually caused by low tides and high temperatures and usually affect one species.
Fish kills are common along the Gulf Coast, especially during the summer months.
Since officials don't believe the fish pose any threat to humans or animals, the I-210 beach remains open.
© UnknownThe last cicada swarm in the US was in Virginia in 2004
Every 13 years the inch-long insects emerge from their underground lairs to plague America's Deep South in a feeding and breeding frenzy.
It adds to the natural phenomena the region has battled with after tornadoes last month and floods in Mississippi this week.
Apart from their intense 120-decibel mating racket and the frustration of finding them in hair, clothes and lunch-boxes, they're completely harmless to humans.
© UNICEF / Africa ReviewA settlement in North-Central Namibia totally cut off by flood waters .
According to the United Nation's Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Namibia, Kari Egge, the figure is based on the assumption that about 15 per cent of residents of the country's seven flood hit regions would carry the consequences of the disaster.
The floods resulted in the loss of lives and severe damage to properties and infrastructure; led to the closure of school and clinics, and disrupted the daily routines of those it affected. Over 100,000 learners in 324 schools were affected by flooding, of which 163 were closed, and 22 health clinics were either submerged or completely surrounded by water.
The fact that the areas prone to the annual flooding hosts more than half of Namibia's total population did not ease the burden on government. Preliminary assessments showed that the priority requirements were food, shelter, transport and education.
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"There hasn't been enough water for the grass to grow," Menard, who is also president of the agricultural office for Brittany's Ille-et-Vilaine region, said. "We get one or two hours of sporadic rain, but that's not enough to grow enough feed for both daily use and stock for the summer."
Unseasonably high temperatures that resulted in the second-warmest April since 1900 and the driest spring in about 50 years have prompted France to restrict water use in some areas.
The weather is raising prospects for a repeat of the 2003 heat wave, which resulted in more than 14,000 deaths in France and left Europe's agricultural and forest industries with about $18.5 billion in losses. Adverse global weather, ranging from the flooding of the Mississippi River to droughts in Kansas, Oklahoma and parts of Europe, is damaging farms and crops.
While the growing season is early in parts of the Northern Hemisphere, corn futures almost doubled in the past year as U.S. stockpiles headed for a 15-year low. Wheat prices rose about 64 percent in the same period.
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Necropsies in the fall of 2010 performed at the University of Georgia on the first group of Brown Pelicans were inconclusive as to cause of injury though there was no evidence of toxicological causes such as poisons. The newly found birds have also been sent to the university for analysis.
This recent incident involves about 30 pelicans that washed up on the shores either dead or so badly injured that they had to be euthanized. In an interview with WNCT-TV, Toni O'Neil of the Possumwood Acres Wildlife Sanctuary commented on the injuries to one bird "... [it] looks like a bomb has gone off in the wing. It's that shattered and smashed so completely".
© AFP / Getty ImagesThousands of alarmed Italians are fleeing Rome amid rumors that a seismologist predicted that a devastating earthquake will strike the Eternal City.
Despite efforts by seismologists to debunk the myth of a major Roman quake on May 11, 2011 and stress that quakes can never be predicted, some Romans left town just in case, spurred by rumor-fueled fears that ignore science.
Many storefronts were shuttered, for example, in a neighborhood of Chinese-owned shops near Rome's central train station. And an agriculture farm lobby group said a survey of farm-hotels outside the capital indicated some superstitious Romans had headed to the countryside for the day.
The fears are all thanks to a purported prediction of a major Roman quake Wednesday attributed to self-taught seismologist Raffaele Bendandi, who died in 1979. However, Paola Lagorio, president of the association in charge of Bendandi's documentation, says there's no evidence Bendandi ever made such a precise prediction.
Adam Burgess, a senior lecturer in sociology at the University of Kent said rumors like these tend to occur in "information vacuums," such as during war when there are situations of uncertainty. In this case, he suggested, the viral rumor-mongering about a Roman quake may reflect a lack of trust Italians feel toward their government.
© NOAA Storm Prediction CenterNOAA’s Storm Prediction Center forecasts a slight risk of severe thunderstorms over a large region of the central U.S. today
It's been kind of quiet for May thus far in the Plains. Typically, this is the peak of both tornadoes in any given year, and it is also the peak for the Oklahoma and Kansas portion of Tornado Alley. Quiet days, and spreading wildfires aside, things have turned progressively more active lately, and today into tomorrow could end up making up for "lost time" last week.
