Typhoon Haiyan Reaches Devastating Records

According to expert meteorologists, Typhoon Haiyan was about as strong as it could theoretically get when it made landfall in the Philippines. The event killed thousands of people and drove hundreds of thousands from their homes due to its record high attributes. Kerry Emanuel, a climate scientist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, commented on the devastatingly high attributes of the storm, stating that "The tragedy of this particular storm is that it reached its limit just about the time it made landfall.” Based on satellite imagery, the U.S. military's Joint Typhoon Warning Center estimated that Haiyan's winds reached a sustained peak of 195 mph shortly before it made landfall, with strong gusts that reached upwards of 235 mph. Other estimates were reportedly lower, including those from the Philippine weather officials who suggested that the storm had sustained winds of 147 mph and gusts of 170 mph when it hit land. Nevertheless, Typhoon Haiyan ranks among the strongest tropical storms. If the higher estimates are correct, Typhoon Haiyan beats hurricane Camille, which hit the northern Gulf Coast in 1969 with sustained winds of 190 mph. Experts have provided several factors for why the storm reached such record setting highs. For instance, Bryan Norcross, The Weather Channel's hurricane specialist, explained that Haiyan followed an avenue that was outside the traditional "Typhoon Alley" for the Philippines because the high pressure to the north was a little farther south. This pushed the storm track farther to the south towards the central Philippines. When the storm passed over funnel-shaped bay of Tacloban, it turned the storm surge into a 20-foot-high wall of water.

Survivors walk past a ship that lies on top of damaged homes after it was washed ashore in Tacloban city, in the central Philippines, as a result of the typhoon.

A photograph of typoon Haiyan, taken from the International Space Station by US astronaut Karen Nyberg and released by Nasa. Photograph: Karen L. 

Footage of super typhoon Haiyan in Tacloban Philippines, which includes imagery of severe eyewall winds ann rescue of people from flood waters.

Article: http://www.nbcnews.com/science/typhoon-haiyan-pushed-limit-bigger-storms-are-coming-2D11577486

Photographs: http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/nov/10/typhoon-haiyan-kills-10000-in-philippines-live-updates

Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ke6ureLcpkk

Mount Sinabung Erupts Yet Again, Forcing Evacuations

Mount Sinabungin, a Pleistocene-to-Holocene stratovolcano of andesite and dacite in the Karo plateau of Karo Regency of Indonesia erupted again on Sunday (November 3, 2013), unleashing volcanic ash high into the sky and forcing the evacuation of villagers living in proximity of its slope. National Disaster Mitigation Agency spokesman, Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, explained that Mount Sinabung's alert status was raised to the second-highest level after the 2,600-meter high mountain erupted early on Sunday morning. Authorities in the area were working to evacuate residents from the province villages located in close proximity to the mountain in the three-kilometer surrounding "danger zone", according to Nugroho. This eruption was the second such event since the previous month. The previous October 24th event had also prompted th evacuation of nearby surrounding villages, numbering more than 3,300 people. Mount Sinabung is among more than 120 active volcanoes in Indonesia that  are prone to seismic activity due to their locations along the Pacific "Ring of Fire," an arc of volcanoes and fault lines encircling the Pacific Basin.

Mount Sinabung spew ash as it is pictured from Simpang Empat village in Karo district, Indonesia's north Sumatra province, November 3, 2013.

A child refugee lies down at temporary shelter as a safety precaution after Sinabung volcano erupted at Tiganderket village in Karo district, Indonesia's north Sumatra province, November 3, 2013. 

Video footage of Mount Sinabungin eruption.

Article: http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/indonesia-volcano-erupts-forces-evacuations-20767994

Photographs: http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/11/04/us-indonesia-volcano-idUSBRE9A30AS20131104

Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kphz2CxeEMM

Aftermath of Hurricane Force St. Jude Storm on Britain

The St Jude storm, also known as Cyclone Christian, and other names, was a severe European windstorm that hit Northwestern Europe on 27 and 28 of October 2013. As of the 29th of October, Britain was still facing further disruptions as a result of the storm, which was the strongest storm to hit Britain in years. The storms hurricane force winds battered both England and wales on its route through Britain causing transport disruption on road, rail, air and sea, and power cuts for hundreds of thousands of homes. Authorities continued to clear away debris and fallen trees following the event while engineers worked on restoring power to homes across England that were still without power over Monday night. According to the Energy Networks Association, 459,000 homes suffered power cuts across England, with 166,000 still disconnected. A 17-year-old girl was among the four people killed in the wake of the storm. According to the environmental agency, dozens of areas in southern England remained on flood alert following the storm. Additonal side affects of the storm included the shutting down of the port of Dover in Kent, disruption of train and tube services, cancelation of more than 130 flights at Heathrow airport, and the blockage of many roads due to fallen trees. Furthermore, Debris falling on to powerlines caused a nuclear power station in Kent to automatically close down both its reactors, leaving its own diesel generators to provide power for essential safety systems. Historical weather experts said the gales were relatively weak in comparison to earlier recorded storms in Britains history such as the Great Storm of 1987.

Image of a demolished car in aftermath of St. Jude Storm due to a fallen tree.

Video of both St. Jude storm and aftermath in Britain.

Article: http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2013/oct/29/natural-disasters

Photograph: http://sjposters.wordpress.com/2013/10/29/st-jude-storm-aftermath/

Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kRkFUAmLffU

Mount Etna Erupts Over Sicily

Mount Etna erupted on Saturday (10/26/13) in Sicily, the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. Sicily constitutes an autonomous region of Italy that extends from the tip of the Apennine peninsula, from which it is separated only by the narrow Strait of Messina, towards the North African coast. Mount Etna is its most prominent landmark, which is at 3,320 m (10,890 ft) the tallest active volcano in Europe and one of the most active in the world. Saturday's eruption spewed glowing lava into the air and sent a vast plume of smoke over the southern island of Sicily. According to Catania airport, an international airport near the second largest city in Sicily, The eruption did not require any villages in the proximity of the mountain to be evacuated or cause significant disruption. However, airspace over Sicily was briefly closed as a result of the large plume of smoke sent out from the eruption. Although the last major eruption was in 1992, volcanic activity is a constant occurrence for Mount Etna. This latest eruption was preceded by a series of underground tremors. This incident is the 14th time Mount Etna has erupted this year.

One of a series of tweeted photos that Italian astronaut Luca Parmitano took from the International Space Station.

 

 

Footage of Mount Etna's eruption.

 

 

Article: http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/oct/26/mount-etna-erupts-airspace-close-sicily

Photograph: http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-10-27/mount-etna-eruption2c-european-astronaut/5048238

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pQY_qDt1VO8