Page 35 of 38

Re: ON THE TIMES WE ARE NOW IN

Posted: Mon Aug 30, 2021 1:40 p
by thelivyjr
CNN

"Hurricane Ida leaves at least 1 dead and more than a million without power as it slows to a near standstill over Louisiana"


By Madeline Holcombe, CNN

30 AUGUST 2021

Hurricane Ida slammed Louisiana with devastating force as a Category 4 hurricane Sunday, leaving at least one person dead and more than 1 million customers without power as it flooded homes, ripped off roofs and trapped residents in dangerous rising waters.

In Jean Lafitte, south of New Orleans, levees were overtopped and residents were on their roofs, waiting for rescue boats to arrive, Mayor Tim Kerner Jr. said.

"We're going to make sure we get as many boats as possible," to assist with rescues he said, adding that boats were ready to move in as soon as the weather broke.

"It really breaks your heart when you know those people and you can't get to those people."

In nearby northwestern Plaquemines Parish, flash flooding was reported early Monday morning after a levee failed near Highway 23, according to the National Weather Service in New Orleans.

Based on the number of calls, texts and emails coming from the area, Louisiana Lt. Governor Billy Nungesser earlier told CNN he believes there were probably "several dozen" people who didn't leave the parish and were waiting out the storm.

Resources to help those affected by the storm have been impacted as well, with hospital staff relying on generators to keep life-saving machines running and sleeping on air mattresses in their workplaces.

And New Orleans 9-1-1 reported technical difficulties amid power outages as of Monday morning, encouraging anyone experiencing an emergency to find their nearest fire station or approach the nearest officer.

After making landfall Sunday on the 16th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, Ida has slowed to a near crawl over southeastern Louisiana, causing flash flood emergencies as it dumps inches of rain.

It's the state's strongest storm ever -- tied with Hurricane Laura from last year and the Last Island Hurricane of 1856.

As of Monday morning, more than a million customers in Louisiana were without power, according to PowerOutage.US.

Among them is all of Orleans Parish, which was hit with "catastrophic transmission damage," the city office says in a Tweet Sunday night.

More than 93,000 customers were without power in Mississippi, PowerOutage.US reported.

As Ida continues to bear down on the coast, Entergy Louisiana said Sunday some of its customers could be without power for weeks.

And the storm surge of up to 15 feet and winds as strong as 150 mph could leave parts of southeast Louisiana "uninhabitable for weeks or months," according to a local hurricane statement from the National Weather Service in New Orleans.

While the scope of the damage won't be clear until day breaks and teams can assess the chaos -- initial reports indicate the situation for many residents who stayed behind is dire.

Jefferson Parish has received calls from people asking for help as water rose to their chest in their homes, Parish President Cynthia Lee Sheng told CNN Sunday night.

But with high winds, flooding and reports of hazards, including downed powerlines and uprooted trees, Sheng said the dangerous conditions have prevented emergency crews from helping.

And Ida has plenty of strength left.

The Category 1 hurricane is turning northward over southeastern Louisiana, with sustained winds of 75 mph.

The storm is weakening very slowly, and will likely continue to pelt the southeastern coast and lower Mississippi Valley with heavy rainfall throughout the early morning hours, according to CNN meteorologist Michael Guy.

The region could get 10 to 24 inches of rainfall, which may bring life threatening flash and urban flooding.

Tornadoes will continue to be a threat for the Gulf Coast through Monday, with the threat expanding into central and northern Mississippi and Alabama.

The storm is expected to turn northeast Monday and head to the middle Tennessee Valley and Upper Ohio Valley through Wednesday.

The Tennessee Emergency Management Agency advised residents across the state Sunday to prepare for Ida, warning that heavy rain and flooding are possible in areas still recovering from a flood emergency last weekend.

Until then, Louisiana will bear the brunt of the rain, flooding and wind.

"I haven't seen relentless wind [like this] in my lifetime," St. Bernard Parish president Guy McInnis told CNN.

Hospitals damaged and roadways closed

Two of the three hospitals in Lafourche Parish sustained damage in Sunday's epic storm, Laforche Parish Sheriff Craig Webre told CNN.

A portion of the roof of The Lady of the Sea General Hospital in Galliano was ripped off as Ida came ashore, Webre told CNN's Pamela Brown.

The county was also forced to relocate its emergency operations center to a different building after the first building's roof began to leak Sunday, Webre told CNN.

Hospitals dealing with storm damage and attending to victims of the hurricane were largely already stretched by the Covid-19 pandemic.

"Before going into this storm, our hospital was already almost at capacity," Ochsner Health System's Dr. Derek Smith told CNN.

"We know the coming hours are going to be even more of a test."

The hospital, which is near New Orleans, is running on generators, and staff there have been locked in -- sleeping on air mattresses and working around the clock to care for patients, Smith said.

Hattiesburg, Mississippi, hadn't yet felt the worst of Ida when Mayor Toby Barker spoke to CNN Sunday night, but officials there were bracing for damage from the storm and stress on their hospitals.

"We know that both our hospitals are at capacity because of Covid, and we really need everyone tonight just to make good decisions," Barker said.

The storm has also impacted access for rescuers to get in and residents to get out.

The Kerner Swing Bridge in Jefferson Parish was hit by a barge Sunday as Ida beat down on Louisiana, according to the parish government, prompting officials to warn residents it may not be safe to drive across.

"Any residents that may still be in Lafitte are advised to not attempt to drive on this bridge."

"We do not believe it is structurally safe," Jefferson Parish tweeted.

And due to fallen trees on the roadway, the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development shut down about 22 miles of Interstate 10, a major thoroughfare that transits the state east to west.

The closed portion of roadway stretches from Louisiana Highway 73 -- near Dutch Town, Louisiana -- to Louisiana Highway 641 -- near Gramercy, Louisiana.

In Lafourche Parish, every road was impassible Sunday night, Webre told CNN.

There is a curfew in place for Lafourche Parish, "and we're going to set up checkpoints to aggressively enforce that curfew," the sheriff said.

Officials plan to canvass the parish with every available county employee in the morning, but with the lack of electricity, downed power lines, and scattered debris, Webre doesn't anticipate any opportunities to clear roadways Sunday night that would allow any travel prior to daybreak.

Governor asks for assistance with 'one of the strongest storms to ever hit Louisiana'

Once the storm does calm, there are 21 urban search and rescue teams from about 15 states ready to search, Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards told CNN Sunday.

"At the height of a hurricane you can't get first responders out because it's just simply too dangerous."

"The wind speeds don't allow for that," he explained.

"Just as soon as we can, we will be engaged in very robust search and rescue operations."

Edwards said he anticipated the storm would continue to cause damage throughout the night, noting that it hadn't reach I-10 yet and the expected wind and rain, which could be 20 to 24 inches in some areas, is likely to cause further damage in the state.

"It's tough all over southeast Louisiana," he said, adding "This is a very devastating storm."

Sunday night, President Joe Biden granted Edwards' request for a major disaster declaration, ordering federal agencies to supplement state and local recovery efforts.

Edwards requested federal public assistance related to emergency protection actions, shelters and temporary housing costs, his office said.

Also included was a request for federal assistance for debris removal and infrastructure damage, according to the news release.

"Hurricane Ida is one of the strongest storms to ever hit Louisiana," Edwards said in a press release Sunday, noting the urgency of the declaration.

Chef prepares to serve more than 10,000 meals

Chef Jose Andres left Haiti, which is recovering from a major earthquake, on Saturday.

On Sunday, he and his World Central Kitchen were in New Orleans to assemble a team ahead of the storm.

"As soon as the hurricane goes away we are always able to start cooking," Andres told CNN.

The organization has so far set up three kitchens with enough food to serve more than 10,000 meals, Andres said on Twitter.

Many other NGOs will be joining on the ground to make sure people in the areas impacted by the storm have food and water, he said.

No two hurricanes are the same, Andres said, so while his teams have provided food and water to people in need following crisis many times before, they will have to adapt to the specific circumstances they are facing in Louisiana.

That means cooking with generators providing the only electricity and food trucks placed strategically to reach the wide region impacted by the storm, he said.

Another complication to serving meals to a massive amount of people: the Covid-19 pandemic.

Instead of serving trays that could feed dozens of people at a time, Word Central Kitchen had to start preparing meals individually.

Through it all, the most important question: "How are we going to be able to keep this city of New Orleans fed, and more importantly how are we going to be able to keep the entire state of Louisiana fed," Andres said.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/hurri ... hp&pc=U531

Re: ON THE TIMES WE ARE NOW IN

Posted: Mon Aug 30, 2021 1:40 p
by thelivyjr
THE VERGE

“'Extremely dangerous' Hurricane Ida strengthens dramatically overnight"


Mary Beth Griggs

30 AUGUST 2021

Hurricane Ida is pummeling Louisiana as an “extremely dangerous” storm after strengthening rapidly over the weekend.

The hurricane swirled towards the coast with winds of 150 miles per hour, accompanied by a life-threatening surge of water, forecasters with the National Hurricane Center warned on Sunday.


“This will be one of the strongest hurricanes to hit anywhere in Louisiana since at least the 1850s,” Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards said at a press conference on Saturday.

The storm made landfall just before noon local time, near Port Fourchon, Louisiana.

Ida already had wind speeds of 103 miles per hour on Saturday night.

Just six hours later, the storm had strengthened into a major hurricane with wind speeds increasing to 130 miles per hour.

Soon after, it had strengthened even more — making landfall as a Category 4 hurricane with sustained winds up to 150 miles per hour.

The storm was able to intensify so quickly because it had all the ingredients a hurricane needs to grow.

Warm waters below the hurricane and plenty of moisture in the atmosphere provided fuel for the storm, while winds in the upper atmosphere favored the hurricane.

All those factors allowed it to keep developing and prevented it from weakening before landfall.

“Ida found the perfect path across the gulf, where the warmest water is,” Chris Slocum, a researcher at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration told The New York Times.

“You could say it’s a worst-case scenario.”

Rapidly intensifying hurricanes have developed many times in the past few years, including Harvey in 2017, and Michael in 2018.

This rapid intensification may be caused in part by climate change, recent studies suggest.

A recent United Nations report also found that storms are becoming stronger as the planet warms.

Other factors, including cyclical changes in the ocean and atmosphere, may also play a role in rapid intensification — researchers are actively gathering more data about how the process works so that they can better predict when storms like Ida are likely to develop.

Do not play around

Ida made landfall on the 16th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina hitting the state.

Hurricanes are categorized by wind speed, and Ida, currently a Category 4, is expected to bring catastrophic winds to the region.

Along with the winds will come a storm surge, a huge pileup of water driven inland by the storm.

Forecasters predicted waters could reach heights of 12-16 feet in parts of Louisiana.

Ida will also dump 10-18 inches of rainfall on the region, and some areas could see as much as two feet of rainfall, with the potential for more flooding.

On Saturday, the National Weather Service office in New Orleans issued a dire warning to residents in its forecast discussion that underscores the seriousness of the storm:

These are the last few hours to prepare or leave.

Conditions are expected to deteriorate late tonight and especially tomorrow morning.

Once sustained tropical storm force winds move in first responders will button down and YOU WILL BE ON YOUR OWN.

Please understand this, there is the possibility that conditions could be unlivable along the coast for some time and areas around New Orleans and Baton Rouge could be without power for weeks.

We have all seen the destruction and pain caused by Harvey, Michael, and Laura.

Anticipate devastation on this level and if it doesn`t happen then we should all count our blessings...

Do not play around and say “Ive been through Andrew/Camille/Katrina/Betsy” all storms are different.

Update 8/29 3:30 PM ET: This post has been updated with information about Ida’s landfall, and path across the Gulf.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/weather/topst ... hp&pc=U531

Re: ON THE TIMES WE ARE NOW IN

Posted: Fri Sep 03, 2021 1:40 p
by thelivyjr
THE SUN SENTINEL

"Hurricane Larry forecast to be a Category 4 with top winds reaching 140 mph"


Robin Webb and Chris Perkins, South Florida Sun Sentinel

3 SEPTEMBER 2021

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Hurricane Larry has been intensifying steadily and, by Thursday afternoon, had grown slightly larger, according to the National Hurricane Center.

Larry is forecast to develop rapidly into a major hurricane with top winds reaching up to 140 mph.


Larry, the fifth hurricane of the season, formed early Thursday and is expected strengthen into a major hurricane, with winds of at least 111 mph, by late Friday, the hurricane center said.

By Sunday night, its maximum sustained winds are forecast to reach 140 mph, putting it at Category 4 strength.

Larry is coalescing in the eastern central Atlantic, an area where storms tend to form during peak season, which runs mid-August through October.

It’s currently on a path west over the central Atlantic, in the general direction of the U.S.

However, it is forecast to make a gradual turn to the west-northwest Friday night, before slowing in speed on Saturday, according to the hurricane center’s five-day forecast outlook.

Beyond that, it’s too early to tell where it may head.

Forecasters say conditions support rapid development.

Located roughly 765 miles off the west coast of Africa as of 5 p.m. EDT Thursday, its hurricane-force winds extended out up to 25 miles from its center and its tropical-storm-force winds extended up to 160 miles.

If Larry develops into a major hurricane as forecast, it would be the third of the season, along with Grace, a Category 3, and Ida, a Category 4.

There are only five years in the satellite era, which began in 1966, that had three major hurricanes by Sept. 4: 2008, 2005, 2004, 1996 and 1969, according to Colorado State University hurricane expert Phil Klotzbach.

Meanwhile, forecasters are watching two other areas for potential storm development.

An area of low pressure in the western Caribbean could move over the Gulf of Honduras on Friday.

This system could then move over the southwestern Gulf of Mexico this weekend and early next week, but upper-level winds would hinder development.

A second area of low pressure area formed late Thursday morning about 280 miles east-southeast of the Cabo Verde Islands off the coast of west Africa, according to the hurricane center.

Forecasters said some development is possible over the next 24 hours as the low moves west at about 15 mph.

After that, conditions are expected to be less ideal for development.

With the formation of Larry, a total of seven named storms have formed in the Atlantic between Aug. 10 and Sept. 1 this year.

That ties the record established in 2011, according to Klotzbach.

And this is the sixth year to have 12 named storms by Sept. 1, joining 2020, 2012, 2011, 2005 and 1995, he said.

The season’s pace is running “well above average,” according to AccuWeather.

“Typically, the 12th named system and second major hurricane does not occur for another five weeks, or in early October.”

The number of expected major hurricanes this season is three to five, according to the forecast from NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center.

As of Sept. 2, there have been 12 named storms and five hurricanes, two of which have been major hurricanes.

NOAA’s forecast predicts 7 to 10 hurricanes and 15 to 21 named storms this Atlantic season, which means those with winds speeds of at least 39 mph.

The next named storm to form would be Mindy.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/weather/topst ... hp&pc=U531

Re: ON THE TIMES WE ARE NOW IN

Posted: Fri Dec 17, 2021 1:40 p
by thelivyjr
USA TODAY

"Tornadoes and 100 mph winds hit Central US; region braces for severe thunderstorms and wildfires"


Doyle Rice and Celina Tebor, USA TODAY

16 DECEMBER 2021

A wild weather day was underway Wednesday across the central U.S., with howling winds, severe storms, tornadoes and even wildfires slamming the region.

Damaging winds have brought down trees and power lines, making widespread power outages possible, the National Weather Service warned.

The winds will also be strong enough to kick up dust and raise the risk of wildfire ignition and rapid spread in some areas, AccuWeather said.

In Iowa and Minnesota, debris littered sidewalks, power lines fell, and entire houses were destroyed after tornadoes and strong winds pounded the region.

Portions of Oklahoma's panhandle were evacuated Wednesday afternoon and all lanes of U.S. Highway 287 closed down due to extreme winds as crews battled wildfires, and parts of Texas' panhandle saw at least four active wildfires accelerated by the strong winds.

The Weather Service has issued a high wind warning along a swath stretching from New Mexico to upper Michigan – including Wisconsin and Illinois – with sustained winds between 25 mph and 40 mph expected.

It also issued severe thunderstorm warnings for parts of Iowa, Kansas, and Nebraska.

Multiple tornadoes have already touched down in Iowa.

In all, some 36 million people were under high wind warnings as of midday Wednesday.

Several airlines later decided not to chance landings at the Des Moines International Airport, as an epic line of thunderstorms approached from the west.

In Kansas City, Missouri, part of the roof at its downtown airport collapsed and traffic controllers had to evacuate from the tower cab.

The strong winds reached the Great Lakes, with Lake Michigan creating waves as high as 15 feet in some areas.

Multiple highways closed down in Kansas, where high winds and dust storms caused brownout conditions and reduced road visibility.

The high winds, which reached 100 mph in some areas, blew roofs off houses and toppled semitrailers.

And over 166,000 Kansas homes and businesses served by Evergy, the state's largest electrical company, were without power as of 4 p.m. Wednesday, the company reported on an online outage map it maintains.

Already Wednesday, a gust of 107 mph was reported in Lamar, Colorado.

The Colorado Springs Fire Department said on Twitter that they had received 635 calls for service within five hours — including one about the roof being blown off their own headquarters.

A Weather Service forecast office in Nebraska warned that "travel will be difficult, especially for high-profile vehicles."

"Trucks may be blown over."

"Holiday decorations will be damaged or blown away."

Some schools in Nebraska canceled in-person classes and dozens of schools in Iowa planned to close early Wednesday in anticipation of bad weather.

Iowa State University in Ames, Iowa, shut down at noon due to the storm threat.

Over 48,000 Iowans were left without power Wednesday night, gas and electric provider MidAmerican Energy tweeted, and restoration could take up to three days due to extensive damage.

At this time of year officers in Iowa are used to warning people to stay off the roads because of snowstorms, not thunderstorms, said Polk County Sheriff’s Lt. Ryan Evans.

"It's really weird," Evans said.

"We're 10 days before Christmas and we're talking about 70-degree temperatures and near-hurricane force winds."

Allan Curtis, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Des Moines, Iowa, said Wednesday's storm line would "raise eyebrows" even if it happened in the summer, he said.

“We don’t have a lot to compare it to,” Curtis said.

“It’s really one of a kind for this state or this area for this time of year."

Des Moines police said on Twitter that no significant damage, injuries, or road closures had been reported yet as of Wednesday evening.

Denver International Airport had over 100 flight cancellations and 288 delays due to the high winds.

There is also the chance for severe thunderstorms and tornadoes into Wednesday night: "Severe storms are expected across southeast Minnesota, west-central Wisconsin, and Iowa this afternoon and evening," the Storm Prediction Center said. 

"Widespread damaging wind gusts (80+ mph) and a few tornadoes (some strong) are likely."

A tornado watch was in effect for portions of Kansas, Nebraska, Missouri, Iowa and Minnesota.

The Weather Service also predicted that daily high temperatures will skyrocket to over 30 degrees above average on Wednesday throughout the Plains and Mississippi Valley.

"With spring-like highs anywhere from the 50s and 70s in the forecast, over 50 daily high records stand to be broken on Wednesday," the Weather Service said.

Ottumwa, Iowa, soared to 75 degrees on Wednesday, which was a state record high for the month of December.

The weather across the central states followed a powerful storm on Monday and Tuesday that socked drought-stricken California with heavy rain at lower levels and up to 6 feet of snow at some higher elevations.

Contributing: The Associated Press; The Des Moines Register; The Tokepa-Capital Journal; The Oklahoman; Amarillo Globe-News

https://www.msn.com/en-us/weather/topst ... d=msedgntp

Re: ON THE TIMES WE ARE NOW IN

Posted: Sat Jul 16, 2022 1:40 p
by thelivyjr
REUTERS

"Heatwave scorches Europe; health warnings issued"


By Catarina Demony and Kylie Maclellan

July 15, 2022

Summary

* WMO issues warning on air quality in towns and cities

* UK declares first red heat warning for Monday, Tuesday

* Wildfires ablaze in France, Spain and Portugal


LEIRIA, Portugal/LONDON, July 15 (Reuters) - Hundreds more people were evacuated from their homes as wildfires blistered land in France, Spain and Portugal on Friday, while officials in Europe issued health warnings for the heatwave in the coming days.

More than 1,000 firefighters, supported by water-bomber aircraft, have battled since Tuesday to control two blazes in southwestern France that have been fanned by scorching heat, tinder-box conditions and strong winds.

While temperatures dipped a little in Portugal, they were still expected to top 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit) in some places, with five districts on red alert and more than 1,000 firefighters tackling 17 wildfires, authorities said.

In Spain, a new wildfire broke out in the south of the country after blazes in the west in the past week.

More than 400 people were evacuated from the hills of Mijas, a town popular with northern European tourists in the province of Malaga.

Beachgoers in Torremolinos, some 20 km away, could see plumes of smoke rising above the hotels lining the coast.

Meanwhile, the worst drought in over 70 years reduced Italy's longest river, the Po, to little more than a trickle in places, with temperatures expected to rise next week.

Officials are worried about the effects on people's health and on healthcare systems already challenged by the COVID-19 pandemic as the searing heat sweeps the continent, with warnings issued for worse to come in Britain in particular.


The World Meteorological Organization said the heatwave would worsen air quality, especially in towns and cities.

"The stable and stagnant atmosphere acts as a lid to trap atmospheric pollutants, including particulate matter," Lorenzo Labrador, WMO scientific officer, told a Geneva press briefing.

"These result in a degradation of air quality and adverse health effects, particularly for vulnerable people."

Portuguese Health Minister Marta Temido said on Thursday the health system faced a "particularly worrying" week due to the heatwave and said some hospitals were overwhelmed.

From July 7 to July 13, Portugal registered 238 excess deaths due to the heatwave, the country's DGS health authority said.

Spain registered 84 excess deaths attributable to extreme temperatures in the first three days of the heatwave, according to the National Epidemiology Centre's database.

UK WARNING

Britain's weather forecaster issued its first red "extreme heat" warning for parts of England on Monday and Tuesday.

"Exceptional, perhaps record-breaking temperatures are likely early next week," Met Office Chief Meteorologist Paul Gundersen said.

"Nights are also likely to be exceptionally warm, especially in urban areas," he said.

"This is likely to lead to widespread impacts on people and infrastructure."

The highest recorded temperature in Britain was 38.7 C (101.7 F) recorded in Cambridge on July 25, 2019.

Hannah Cloke, climate expert at Britain's University of Reading, said the heatwave showed climate change was here and there was an urgent need to adapt.

"We are seeing these problems now and they are going to get worse."

"We need to do something now," she told Reuters.

"It's harder to cope with these types of temperatures in the UK because we're just not used to them."

In Portugal, the highest temperature on Thursday was recorded in the northern town of Pinhao at 47 C (116.6 F), just below the record.

Raymond Loadwick, 73, a retiree from Britain now living in the Portuguese district of Leiria, had to leave his home with his dog Jackson when flames started to burn down a hill packed with highly flammable eucalyptus and pine trees on Tuesday.

When he returned a day later, his white house stood untouched but the vegetation around it had turned to ashes and his fruit trees were burned down.

Loadwick is scared fires will happen more often in the future: "You have to be on your guard," he told Reuters.

In France's Gironde region, 11,300 people have been evacuated since the wildfires broke out around Dune du Pilat and Landiras.

Some 7,350 hectares (18,000 acres) of land have been burnt.

Authorities said the fires had not yet been stabilised.

Elsewhere in Spain, the wildfires that have been burning in parts of Extremadura, which borders Portugal, and the central Castille and Leon region forced the evacuation of four more small villages late on Thursday and on Friday.

The flames are now threatening a 16th century monastery and a national park.

Several hundred people have been evacuated since the fires started and 7,500 hectares of forest have been destroyed in the two regions.

In Catalonia in the northeast, authorities suspended camping and sporting activities around 275 towns and villages to prevent fire risks and restricted farm work involving machinery.

Additional reporting by Benoit Van Overstraeten in Paris, Emma Pinedo, Elena Rodriguez and Christina Thykjaer in Madrid, Hannah McKay in Torremolinos, William James in London and Emma Farge in Geneva; Writing by Alison Williams; Editing by Frances Kerry and Hugh Lawson

https://www.reuters.com/business/enviro ... 022-07-15/

Re: ON THE TIMES WE ARE NOW IN

Posted: Sat Aug 06, 2022 1:40 p
by thelivyjr
THE HILL

"UN warns two largest US water reservoirs at ‘dangerously low levels’"


BY SHARON UDASIN

08/03/22

The United Nations warned on Tuesday that the two biggest water reservoirs in the United States have dwindled to “dangerously low levels” due to the impacts of climate change.

The situation has become so severe that these reservoirs, Lake Mead and Lake Powell, are on the verge of reaching “dead pool status” — the point at which water levels drop so low that downstream flow ceases, according to the U.N. Environment Program (UNEP).


Without such flow, hydroelectric power stations would cease to operate, jeopardizing the electricity supply for millions in the region, a statement from the agency said.

“The conditions in the American West, which we’re seeing around the Colorado River basin, have been so dry for more than 20 years that we’re no longer speaking of a drought,” said Lis Mullin Bernhardt, an ecosystems expert at UNEP.

“We refer to it as ‘aridification’ — a new very dry normal,” Bernhardt added.


The Colorado River system supplies water to more than 40 million people and irrigates about 5.7 million acres of agriculture.

The system serves seven states — Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, Wyoming, Arizona, Nevada and California — as well as Mexico.

Scientists have already estimated that Lake Mead and Lake Powell, which are fed by the river, will plunge to 25 percent of their capacity by the end of this year.

Meanwhile, only about 10 percent of the Colorado River’s natural flow, which has been heavily diverted throughout history along its 1,400-mile course, now reaches Mexico.

As the western water crisis continues to deepen, water cuts will be introduced throughout the region, but experts warn that these actions may not be enough, according to UNEP.

“While regulating and managing water supply and demand are essential in both the short and long term, climate change is at the heart of this issue,” Maria Morgado, UNEP’s ecosystems officer in North America, said in a statement.

“In the long term we need to address the root causes of climate change as well as water demands,” Morgado added.

The combined impacts of climate change and overconsumption have exacerbated the crisis, as frequent droughts and temperature rises confront an expanding population, the UNEP statement said.

While the situation may be dire in the American West, the agency stressed that what is happening in the region is indicative of a wider global trend.

Across the world, hundreds of millions of people are impacted by climate change as drought and desertification become “the new normal,” according to UNEP.

“We are talking about a 20-year period of drought-like conditions with an ever-increasing demand on water,” Bernhardt said.

“These conditions are alarming, and particularly in the Lake Powell and Lake Mead region, it is the perfect storm.”

https://thehill.com/policy/3586269-un-w ... ow-levels/

Re: ON THE TIMES WE ARE NOW IN

Posted: Sat Aug 20, 2022 1:40 p
by thelivyjr
ASSOCIATED PRESS

"Crisis looms without big cuts to over-tapped Colorado River"


By SAM METZ and KATHLEEN RONAYNE, Associated Press

19 AUGUST 2022

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Hydroelectric turbines may stop turning.

Las Vegas and Phoenix may be forced to restrict water usage or growth.

Farmers might cease growing some crops, leaving fields of lettuce and melons to turn to dust.


Those are a few of the dire consequences that could result if states, cities and farms across the American West cannot agree on how to cut the amount of water they draw from the Colorado River.

Yet for years, seven states that depend on the river have allowed more water to be taken from it than nature can replenish.

Despite widespread recognition of the crisis, the states missed a deadline this week to propose major cuts that the federal government has said are necessary.

And again, the government failed to force harsh decisions and stopped short of imposing the cuts on its own, despite previous threats to do so.

Any unilateral action from federal officials would likely move conversations from negotiating tables to courtrooms and delay action even longer.

The river, which cascades from the Rockies down to the deserts of the Southwest, quenches the thirst of 40 million people in the U.S. and Mexico and sustains a $15 billion-a-year agricultural industry.

But for a century, agreements governing how it's shared have been based on faulty assumptions about how much water is available.

With climate change making the region hotter and drier, that discrepancy is becoming impossible to ignore.


Lake Powell and Lake Mead, the two largest reservoirs that hold Colorado River water, have fallen to dangerously low levels faster than anyone expected.

The decline threatens to disrupt hydroelectric power production and water sent to cities and farms.

Though everyone agrees the stakes are high, states and the U.S. government have struggled to reach a consensus on what to do.

People have "been hoping to stave off this day," said Felicia Marcus, a former top water official in California, which holds the largest right to the river's water.

“But now I think we can’t expect Mother Nature to bail us out next year."

"The time for some of these really hard decisions is now."

The river is also tapped by Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, Wyoming, Mexico and some tribes.

For years, officials have issued warnings about the state of the river, but also reassured people that the system won't crash.

That two-part message was front and center this week, when the states failed to meet a deadline set by the Bureau of Reclamation for them to propose 15% to 30% cuts to their water use.

As the deadline passed Tuesday, the potentially dramatic moment amounted to a shrug.

Officials said they still have faith the states will reach a deal if given more time.

Visiting California the next day, Reclamation Commissioner Camille Touton repeatedly dodged questions about what might happen next.

She’s given no specifics about what the bureau’s more aggressive actions might look like, or when they might happen.

The federal government, she said, “is ready to move forward on our own.”

But officials "will continue to talk to everybody about what the process is.”

Not everyone is satisfied with that approach.

“I’m asking them to at least lay out very clearly how that threat will be imposed,” Southern Nevada Water Authority General Manager John Entsminger said.

Entsminger and his counterparts in Arizona, Utah and California, as well as local officials in and around Phoenix, also repeated what has become a common refrain: They said they were gravely concerned about river’s future, yet wanted to reassure their water users that the river won't stop flowing imminently.

“This is not a situation where people should be concerned about, you know, water running out in days or weeks or even months."

"But it’s very clear that this entire river system is experiencing something that’s never happened before," said Wade Crowfoot, California's natural resources secretary.

The cuts would force hard decisions about who has to live with less.

Water bills could rise as states tap other sources and adopt technology such as wastewater recycling to make up the difference.


In some places, officials have voluntarily implemented strict conservation measures, including limiting lawn watering and paying farmers not to plant fields, even banning new water hookups.

The climate legislation signed Tuesday by President Joe Biden provides $4 billion that could be used to pay Colorado River users to cut back, but it's not clear how that would work.

The river’s shrinkage has inflamed tensions between Rocky Mountain states and their downstream neighbors over who should shoulder the burden.

It also pits growing cities against agricultural regions.

In Pinal County, Arizona, Kelly Anderson grows specialty crops for the flower industry and leases land to alfalfa farmers whose crops feed cattle at nearby dairy farms.

He expects about half of the area to go unplanted next year, after farmers in the region lose all access to the river.

Though farmers use most of the water, they have less wiggle room to conserve than cities, which can more easily recycle water or tap other sources.

The river is a lifeblood in places like California’s Imperial Valley, which grows vegetables like broccoli, onions and carrots.

Water shortages could send ripple effects throughout the food system.

States aren’t the only ones at the table.

Native American tribes hold some of the oldest water rights and occupy a unique position in negotiations because the federal government is required to protect their interests.

The Colorado River Indian Tribes along the Arizona-California border have contributed water to boost Lake Mead in the past.

They could be called on again.

“Our senior rights do not mean we can or should sit on the sidelines,” Colorado River Indian Tribes Chairwoman Amelia Flores said.

“We won’t let this river die."

Upper basin states — Utah, Colorado, New Mexico and Wyoming — argue that they shouldn’t face cuts because they historically haven't used all the water they were promised a century ago.

They want to protect their share in anticipation of population growth and haven't pursued policies that save water as much as states like Arizona and Nevada.

Zach Frankel, executive director of the Utah Rivers Council, said many in the Rockies cling to an erroneous belief that their water rights are safe, cuts will continue to hit their downstream neighbors and one wet winter could reverse the river's decline.

“If we don’t agree about what the crisis is, we’re not going to have the impetus to come up with a solution,” he said.

Arizona, Nevada and California say they're willing to put water or money on the table, but so far that hasn't been enough to yield an agreement.

A growing chorus of veteran officials and environmental advocates say both the states and the federal government are sending muddled messages by stressing the gravity of the situation yet delaying meaningful action.

James Eklund, an attorney and former director of the Upper Colorado River Commission, said the shrinking reservoirs present an opportunity to rethink how to manage the river and incentivize conservation — if only officials will take it.

Bureaucrats, he said, continue to think they can postpone changes.

The problem is "that doesn’t really work here because no action means we’re driving toward a cliff."
___

Ronayne reported from Madera, Calif. Associated Press Writer Felicia Fonseca contributed from Flagstaff, Ariz.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/crisi ... a7362446aa

Re: ON THE TIMES WE ARE NOW IN

Posted: Mon Aug 22, 2022 1:40 p
by thelivyjr
THE GUARDIAN

"Torrential rains lash south-western US as millions under flood warnings"


Gloria Oladipo

22 AUGUST 2022

Millions of Americans are under flood warnings after heavy rain this weekend in a large portion of the south-western US.

Government meteorologists issued flood warnings for more than 13 million people after torrent rainfall created life-threatening conditions in a region including north-east Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas and New Mexico.

The National Weather Service extended a flash flood warning for several communities in and around the Dallas-Fort Worth area, cautioning that weekend thunderstorms could set the stage for severe flooding as more rain is anticipated, reported the Washington Post.

As of Sunday, an estimated three to five inches of rain had already fallen along the Oklahoma-Texas border.

Forecasters expect more rain through Monday, with some areas facing an additional five to eight inches, reported CNN.

In Dallas, which was included in a flash flood warning alert, flooding trapped several vehicles early Monday morning on an interstate in the city’s downtown area.

“I was able to back up on a ramp to get off the highway,” Cassondra Anna Mae Stewart said to CNN of her experience.

“I took an alternate route home … although most streets are flooded down there as well.”

Arizona and New Mexico were also affected by flood warnings, with more than 10 million people under flood watches as of Saturday night, reports ABC News.

Monsoons in Arizona flooded roads in the state’s East Valley region, creating hazardous driving conditions, reported CBS 5, an Arizona news affiliate.

The storms also took down power lines in the area and closed several schools on Friday.

Rain in New Mexico flooded two major roads in the state’s south-eastern area.

Police in the city of Dexter rescued one local man who was stranded on the roof of his car after flood waters swept his vehicle off the road, reported KRQE, a local news affiliate.

Severe flooding also trapped about 200 people in the Carlsbad Caverns national park in south-eastern New Mexico on Saturday night.

The downpour left visitors stranded at the park for several hours until local first responders could intervene, reported KOAT, an ABC news affiliate.

In several areas, much of this weekend’s rainfall and subsequent flooding comes after severe drought.

Many of the affected areas have limited protection against flooding caused by rainfall.

Prior to rain on 9 August, Dallas had gone 67 days with no rainfall, according to the Washington Post.

Western states, including Arizona, are currently dealing with droughts that threaten the water supply in the Colorado river, one of the state’s largest reservoirs.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/weather/topst ... 47a3b21617

Re: ON THE TIMES WE ARE NOW IN

Posted: Sat Aug 27, 2022 1:40 p
by thelivyjr
AccuWeather

"Atlantic hurricane season may be about to snap out of historic dormancy"


Alex Sosnowski

26 AUGUST 2022

The Atlantic Ocean has been void of tropical systems since early July, and the basin is on the verge of historic inactivity for the month of August.

But AccuWeather meteorologists say that the tropics may soon come alive as they are tracking a few different areas for potential tropical development by early September.


At least two out of the three of the areas that AccuWeather meteorologists are monitoring closely for development in the tropics in the coming days could pose a threat to land, including the United States and/or its territories, AccuWeather forecasters warn.

Conditions are changing in the tropical Atlantic.

In the past week, tropical disturbances, also known as tropical waves, that move westward from Africa have shown more vigor, and an area of stiff breezes, which forecasters refer to as strong wind shear, has prevented development during much of the summer has been wavering in part of the basin.

In this image captured on Friday, Aug. 26, 2022, clusters of clouds associated with tropical disturbances were noted entering the Caribbean (left of center), over the central Atlantic (right of center) and near the coast of Africa (far right).

The system over the central Atlantic was showing considerable vigor.

Similarly, vast stretches of dry air over the heart of the basin are now becoming riddled by pockets of moisture, which is a necessary ingredient for tropical systems to thrive.

One tropical wave will travel westward across the Caribbean Sea this weekend to early next week and is unlikely to show much organization.

"Wind shear is likely to increase over the Caribbean into early next week but could drop off when the system approaches Central America or southeastern Mexico during the middle and latter part of next week," AccuWeather Chief On-Air Meteorologist Bernie Rayno said.

"As long as wind shear remains strong, that system is unlikely to develop."

"But, if wind shear drops off later next week, it is possible for a system to organize over the northwestern Caribbean and then track into the Gulf of Mexico and strengthen," Rayno said.

If that system were to develop in the scenario outlined by Rayno, there is a chance the Gulf coast of the U.S. could be threatened by a landfalling tropical storm or hurricane during the Labor Day weekend.

People along the Gulf coast, as well as those in the petroleum, boating and fishing industries in the region, should monitor developments with this system next week.

Elsewhere across the Atlantic and more than 1,000 miles farther to the east, showers and thunderstorms associated with another tropical wave were blossoming over the central Atlantic.

Forecasters say there are signs that this system has favorable conditions to develop over the next several days.

Should this activity continue, the system could evolve into a tropical depression or tropical storm at any point into next week.

Steering breezes are likely to guide that mid-ocean system slowly toward the west-northwest into next week.

"It is possible the impacts of that system, should it hold together, could reach the islands in the northeastern Caribbean during Wednesday or Thursday," AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Dan Pydynowski said.

Interests in the Caribbean, especially those from the Leeward Islands to Puerto Rico, should monitor this system's progress.

The third area of disturbed weather is a batch of tropical waves that will be pushing off the coast of Africa and then across the western and central Atlantic into next week.

While there are no signs of development with this system through this weekend, it is possible that one or more of these waves will become better organized next week.

This system, should it develop, is not likely to pose a threat to land over the next week to 10 days.

Thousands of miles farther to the north, a broad area of low pressure could allow a tropical system to brew well off the mid-Atlantic and New England coasts later next week.

Steering breezes could guide this feature near Newfoundland or waters just offshore next weekend.

As of Friday, the tropical Atlantic has not had a single named system or even a tropical depression during August.

Records indicate that this has only occurred in less than a handful of years since the late 1920s.


It is possible that prior to the use of weather satellites in the early 1960s, some storms were missed.

Since 1960, there were only two years, 1997 and 1961, when there were no named storms in August.

A scientific parameter that measures the severity of a hurricane season, known as Accumulated Cyclone Energy, or ACE, was at historically low levels with just days remaining in August.

ACE tracks the combined strength and duration of all tropical storms and hurricanes.

The stronger the tropical system is and the longer it lasts, the more energy it accumulates for the seasonal tally.

All tropical systems, including tropical storms and hurricanes, are considered to be cyclones, meaning that zero ACE had accumulated through the late stages of the month.

Should the development of a named storm in the Atlantic hold off until after the month is over, this August will join the ranks of only a few years -- 1997 and 1961 -- during which there was zero ACE in the month of August.

Since there have only been three short-lived tropical storms, Alex, Bonnie and Colin, earlier this season, this season's ACE is at a mere 2.8.

"Since 1950, only 1988 had less ACE through the end of August," AccuWeather Senior Weather Editor Jesse Ferrell said. ACE through the end of this month could finish with a second-place tie with 1967.

But AccuWeather's team of long-range meteorologists, led by Hurricane Expert Dan Kottlowski, continues to warn that despite the sleepy nature of the Atlantic much of this season thus far, conditions can and are likely to change in a hurry.

AccuWeather meteorologists are projecting a total of 16 named storms with six to eight hurricanes that include multiple threats to the United States and its territories in the Caribbean.

There is a significant chance that multiple tropical systems may be spinning at the same time over the Atlantic basin around the Labor Day weekend.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/weather/topst ... bf1718491a

Re: ON THE TIMES WE ARE NOW IN

Posted: Wed Aug 31, 2022 1:40 p
by thelivyjr
REUTERS

"Michigan storms leave over 340,000 people without power, kill teenager"


By Kanishka Singh

August 30, 2022

Aug 30 (Reuters) - Hundreds of thousands of Michigan residents were without electricity on Tuesday after powerful storms toppled trees and downed thousands of power lines in the state a day earlier, including one that electrocuted a 14-year-old girl.

More than 340,000 customers remained without power, utility companies said at around 5 pm ET (9 pm GMT) on Tuesday.

Dozens of schools across southeastern Michigan, including nearly two dozen in Detroit alone, canceled classes on Tuesday because of the outages, officials and The Detroit News said.

In Monroe, about 40 miles south of Detroit, a 14-year-old girl was electrocuted late on Monday when she came in contact with an electrical line that fell during the storm outside her home, police said.

The girl was walking with a friend in her backyard when she grabbed what she thought was a stick, but it was actually a charged power line, officials said in a statement.

When first responders arrived, they found her still in contact with the energized wire.

She later succumbed to her injuries.

A line of storms bringing heavy rain also hit parts of Illinois, Indiana, Arkansas, Texas and Ohio late on Monday.

In Ohio, a woman was killed by a tree that fell during the storm, fire officials said.

An 11-year-old boy died after falling and being swept into a storm drain during a flash flood in northwest Arkansas on Monday evening, according to officials there.

In Texas' Nolan County, one person was killed when severe winds caused a tanker truck to roll over, causing at least six accidents, officials said.

Back in Michigan, DTE Energy said gusts of 70 miles per hour (113 km per hour) downed more than 3,300 power lines.

The utility was bringing in crews from across the country to make repairs.

It expected to restore power to 80% of its affected customers, more than 250,000, by late Thursday.

Consumers Energy said it had seen outages in nearly half of Michigan's counties, with more than 90,000 customers still affected as of 5 pm ET on Tuesday.

Clear weather on Tuesday was expected to facilitate repair work to the downed lines, the utility companies said, adding that crews had worked through the night to restore power after the storms felled trees and power lines.

Consumers Energy also said that its crews overnight restored power to about 40,000 customers.

Reporting by Kanishka Singh; Additional reporting by Jonathan Allen; editing by Jonathan Oatis, Frank McGurty and Bernadette Baum

https://www.reuters.com/world/us/more-t ... 022-08-30/