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August snowfall in Himachal Pradesh, India points to the possibility of early winter

Suresh Sharma
Times of India
Wed, 28 Aug 2019 11:55 UTC
snow India
The parts of upper Himachal have received several spells of snowfall paved way for early onset of the winter season this year.

While everything is normal in lower parts of Himachal, the upper parts are witnessing frequent spells of fresh snowfall which is not normal in August. Rohtang pass and Baralacha pass have received fresh snow two times this month.

The snowfall even affected the traffic at Baralacha pass, even the parts of Lahaul-Spiti district, including district headquarter Keylong, experienced rare snowfall on August 18 that flattened pea crop in some areas.

The peaks of Pir-Panjal and Dhauladhar ranges have received snow multiple times this month. Although most of the snow melted away very fast, it has triggered a sudden dip in the temperature at high altitude areas. The snow covered green patches on the peaks. Himachal agriculture minister too had said that unexpected snowfall in August had damaged pea crop at some parts of Lahaul-Spiti.


Comment: It's Snowing in August all over the world

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Tornado1

Tornado kills 8 on China's Hainan island


San Francisco Chronicle
Thu, 29 Aug 2019 11:11 UTC
Some trees are uprooted by a sudden tornado
© Xinhua
Some trees are uprooted by a sudden tornado that hit Nada town of Danzhou, South China's Hainan province, Aug 29, 2019.
A tornado has swept through Hainan island in southern China, killing eight people and injuring two others.

The official Xinhua News Agency said the tornado struck Nada town in Danzhou city early Thursday morning.

State broadcaster CCTV said dormitories for workers collapsed at two construction sites, killing eight people. One person was seriously injured and another slightly hurt. Both were sent to a hospital.

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Cloud Precipitation

At least seven people die in flash floods in southern Morocco


Reuters
Wed, 28 Aug 2019 22:50 UTC
Morocco floods
© HESPRESS
At least seven people were killed in flash floods in Morocco on Wednesday, following torrential rains in mountains in the south of the country near Taroudant, 600 kilometers (373 miles) south of Rabat, local authorities said.

Search operations are ongoing to find survivors, said authorities in a statement.

Most of the victims were swept away by a sudden flash flood while watching a football game on a pitch built next to a dry river near the village of Tizrt, a local resident who asked not to be named told Reuters, confirming videos shared on social media showing the scene.

The southern Moroccan mountains, known as the Anti-Atlas, are arid and rarely receive rain in the summer.

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Seismograph

6.1-magnitude earthquake strikes off Japan's Aomori Prefecture

Liu
Xinhua
Thu, 29 Aug 2019 01:29 UTC
earthquake graph
© Flickr/ Matt Katzenberger
An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 6.1 struck off the eastern coast of Aomori Prefecture, the northernmost prefecture on Japan's main island Honshu, the weather agency here said Thursday.

According to the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA), the temblor, which has not resulted in a tsunami warning being issued, occurred at 8:46 a.m. local time and was centered off the coast of Aomori Prefecture in northern Japan, with its epicenter located at a latitude of 41.0 degrees north and longitude of 143.1 degrees east.

The quake occurred at a depth of 10 km, the agency also said.

The earthquake logged 3 on the Japanese seismic intensity scale which peaks at 7 in some areas of Aomori Prefecture, the JMA said, as well as in the prefectures of Hokkaido and Iwate.

There have been no reports so far of major damage or injuries as a result of the offshore quake, and no tsunami warning has been issued by the JMA.

Japan's nuclear watchdog has not reported any abnormalities at any nuclear power stations in the affected regions.
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Arrow Up

Powerful volcanic eruptions are creating purple skies

Sean Martin
The Express
Tue, 27 Aug 2019 11:21 UTC
Volcanic eruptions purple sky
© GREG AINSWORTH • SPACE WEATHER
Two major eruptions this summer have caused a stunning atmospheric reaction which have left the sunsets looking purple in certain quarters of the globe. The first of two eruptions came on July 22 when the Raikoke volcano, located in the Kuril Islands in Russia's Sakhalin Oblast region, erupted.

The volcano, which had remained dormant for more than a century before the latest explosion, blasted a mass of ash and volcanic debris ten miles into the sky, reaching a layer of the atmosphere known as the stratosphere.

Just under two weeks later, the Ulawun volcano in New Guinea erupted, sending ash nine miles into the sky and causing 15,000 people to evacuate.


Comment: Less than a week ago an eruption at Kamchatka volcano (Shiveluch) in Russia fired ash 70,000 ft (21.3 km) into the stratosphere.


Sulfuric gas from both of these eruptions reached the stratosphere, which is why skies in some parts of the world turned oddly purple as the Sun started to set.

This is because fine volcanic aerosols in the stratosphere cause blue light particles to scatter.

When the scattered blue particles combine with the normal red hue of a sunset, it makes an eerie purple glow.
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Cloud Precipitation

Tropical Storm Dorian producing significant flooding across Martinique


Trinidad and Tobago Weather Center
Tue, 27 Aug 2019 19:27 UTC
The village of Rivière-Pilote flooded.
© Gregory Gabourg
The village of Rivière-Pilote flooded.
As Tropical Storm Dorian moves across the Windward Islands, showers and thunderstorms have dumped copious amounts of rainfall across Martinique, triggering widespread street and flash flooding across the island. Gusty winds are also ongoing across the island as a Tropical Storm Warning remains in effect.

As of 8:45 AM, peak sustained winds of 37 KM/H and wind gusts to 57 KM/H have been recorded at the Le Lamentin Airport, Martinique. Over the last 8 hours, nearly 100 millimeters have fallen across the region.

France weather services, Meteo France, recorded on average more than 60mm of rainfall in the south (Sainte-Luce, Trois-Ilets, Ducos, in particular).

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Magnify

Annual Amazon farmland burn sets records for international outrage

Valerie Richardson
The Washington Times
Mon, 26 Aug 2019 16:48 UTC
amazon fires
© AP Photo/Eraldo Peres
Every year, farmers in the Amazon set fires to clear agricultural land during the dry season starting in August, but this year may be a record-setter, not for the number of fires, but for the global outrage.

The G-7 nations pledged Monday about $40 million to help fight fires in the Amazon rainforest in response to the outcry from celebrities, media outlets and leaders like French President Emmanuel Macron, who said the blazes represented an "international crisis."

Climate scientist Roy Spencer had another term for the fires: "normal agriculture."

"I think the media focus on this is misplaced and exaggerated, as is virtually every weather-related story that appears these days," said Mr. Spencer, a former NASA scientist who does consulting on global crop-market forecasting.

"The driest years in Brazil will have the most fires set by farmers," the professor at the University of Alabama at Huntsville said in an email. "That isn't a climate story, it's normal agriculture in a country where 50 million people living in poverty are trying to survive."
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Tornado1

Severe storms pummel Spain with hail and sheets of rain - Two tornadoes touch down near Malaga

Charlie Smith
The Olive Press
Mon, 26 Aug 2019 16:01 UTC
tornadoes spain malaga

Dozens of videos have captured the moment a tornado ripped through Malaga.

It comes after eight litres of rain fell in just one hour, while other areas of Spain have flooded this evening.

The phenomenon has dragged olive trees across roads, disrupting traffic while destroyed power lines have resulted in blackouts.


The terrifying site was recorded in the town of Campillos, where the Town Hall has advised residents to 'stay in their homes'.

A statement by local Mayor Francisco Guerrero said that 'the worst has happened' and that the public should 'limit' the use of their vehicles.

The tornado was caused by colliding winds, a process also known as DANA (Depresión Aislada en Niveles Altos).


This is similar to the famous gota fria - or cold drop - according to local meteorologist Jose Luis Escudero.

AEMET does not have stations in Campillos to record wind speeds and the tornado is not large enough to be seen by satellite.

There is currently a yellow weather warning in place in the north of Malaga Province where Campillos is located.

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Cloud Precipitation

New Orleans streets flood again - 5th serious episode in 2 years

Jan Wesner Childs
Weather. com
Mon, 26 Aug 2019 13:37 UTC
flood
Thunderstorms snarled afternoon traffic and brought high water rushing down streets in parts of New Orleans on Monday.

Two major roadways were also closed in neighboring St. Bernard Parish, the Associated Press reported.

Photos and video posted to social media showed cars and people sludging through flooded streets and sidewalks in New Orleans.


Comment: Details of the other noteworthy flooding incidents for the city over the last 2 years:
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Arrow Down

100-ft-deep sinkholes appear with deafening noise in Andhra Pradesh, India


The New Indian Express
Mon, 26 Aug 2019 12:22 UTC
A sinkhole formed in Kadapa district.– File Photo

A sinkhole formed in Kadapa district.– File Photo
The mysterious formation of huge sinkholes with deafening noise at Eppenta and Bayanapalle villages on Sunday caused panic among villagers.

The mysterious formation of huge sinkholes with deafening noise at Eppenta and Bayanapalle villages on Sunday caused panic among villagers. The emergence of 100-feet-deep sinkholes in irrigation tanks is giving sleepless nights to villagers.

Farmers baffled finding a large sinkhole filled with water. People of these two villages are scared of entering their agricultural fields fearing formation of sinkholes. They said that sinkholes have formed due to lightning and heavy inflows from the Buggavanka project. The government must press scientists into service to ascertain the reasons for the formation of sinkholes and dispel fears of people, Ramamohan, a farmer said.
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