WEEKLY WATER NEWS

10-14 July 2006

Water in the Earth System will return for Fall 2006 with new Investigations files starting during Preview Week, Monday, 28 August 2006. All the current online website products will continue to be available throughout the summer break period.

Water in the News:

• Water cycle balance found by satellite -- Jet Propulsion Laboratory scientists who have collected and analyzed data obtained by sensors aboard NASA satellites report that they have measured the complete water cycle for the South American continent. Data collected from TRMM (Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission), QuikSCAT (Quick Scatterometer) and Grace (Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment) missions confirmed that the total amount of precipitation falling on the continent from the marine atmosphere was balanced with the amount of river runoff to the oceans. [NASA JPL]
• East Asia braces for a typhoon -- A typhoon, the counterpart of a hurricane in the western North Pacific Ocean basin, traveled toward the northwest across the Philippine and East China Seas late last week, accompanied by strong winds, torrential rain and a storm surge. Officials in the Philippines, South Korea and Japan were placed on alert from the hazards associated with Typhoon Ewiniar. [USA Today] A visible image of Typhoon Ewiniar obtained from the MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) instrument onboard NASA's Terra satellite shows the typhoon as it was passing the northern Philippines and approaching Taiwan. [NASA Earth Observatory]
• Updated summer drought outlook released -- In light of expanded drought conditions across the Dakotas, the Climate Prediction Center issued an unscheduled update to its summer drought outlook for the nation through the end of September. This updated three-month outlook indicates continued or worsening drought conditions across the northern and a portion of the central Plains. While many areas of the southern Plains, the southern Rockies and the Southwest were expected to experience continued drought conditions, some sections of the southern Plains and Gulf Coast could experience some improvement in soil moisture. [NOAA News]
• New observation platforms enhance Great Lakes monitoring -- Last week, the NOAA Administrator announced that 13 new coastal weather observation platforms would be deployed across the Great Lakes region, thereby filling some of the gaps in the observation network and providing additional weather information for boaters and National Weather Service forecasters alike. [NOAA News]
• East Coast users to get enhanced satellite data from NOAA CoastWatch Program -- NOAA recently announced that it has opened the "East Coast Node" to its CoastWatch program at its Chesapeake Bay Office in Annapolis, MD, thereby affording users with increased availability of environmental data from over the Atlantic Ocean obtained from the Agency's fleet of polar orbiting and geosynchronous satellites. These environmental data include sea surface temperature, ocean surface winds, and chlorophyll-a levels.[NOAA News]
• Distress calls are handled by satellites -- NOAA officials reported that more than 18,500 people have been rescued worldwide since 1982 as the result of the international cooperation associated with COSPAS-SARSAT (Search and Rescue Satellite-Aided Tracking System), where NOAA and Russian satellites and other spacecraft detect and relay distress calls, often times from sea. [NOAA News]
• Offshore aquaculture is highlighted -- The status of offshore aquaculture and the role of NOAA in the efforts to increase domestic seafood production was recently given a boost from President George W. Bush who emphasized the need for sustainable aquaculture as proposed in the National Offshore Aquaculture Act. [NOAA Magazine]
• Weather service issues Katrina assessment report -- The National Weather Service recently released an internal evaluation of its performance during last year's Hurricane Katrina. Although the National Hurricane Center issued accurate forecasts of the intensity and track of Katrina with lead times extending to nearly two days that helped in preparation, improvements in communications within NOAA and with the public have been recommended. [NOAA News]
• Hurricane Awareness -- Although National Hurricane Awareness Week was observed in May (21-27 May 2006) in advance of the start of the official 2006 hurricane season for the North Atlantic Basin (1 June 2006), Connecticut, Louisiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Mississippi, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont and Virginia will conduct their own state hurricane awareness activities during the upcoming week (10-14 July). The National Hurricane Center maintains a hurricane preparedness website that provides information and educational material for the various hurricane hazards including storm surge, high winds, tornadoes and flooding. (A Spanish version of this website is also available.) In the Eastern North Pacific basin, the hurricane season began on 15 May 2006. The official hurricane season will run until 30 November in both basins.
• Monsoon rains continue to swamp India -- At least three days of torrential rains associated with the summer monsoon circulation regime over India have resulted in more flooding and inconvenience across sections of India, where more than 274 people have died as a result of the rain since the summer monsoon began in early June. [USA Today]
• San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge seen from a new perspective -- A detailed image of the famous Golden Gate Bridge was made by Space Imaging’s IKONOS satellite from an altitude of approximately 425 miles above the earth's surface. This image, which has a resolution of approximately 12 feet, shows the suspension bridge that spans the entrance to San Francisco Bay from the Pacific. [NASA Earth Observatory]
• New radar program helps coastal residents -- A new radar program has been developed to scan the coastal and offshore waters of the Atlantic Ocean along the South Carolina coast as part of the regional SEACOOS (SouthEast U.S. Atlantic Coastal Ocean Observing System) project. This new radar program is intended to monitor the sea state and help improve forecasts of wave heights, storm surge and rip currents that could affect coastal residents. [USA Today]
• May fly hatch detected by radar -- The National Weather Service's weather radar unit (WSR-88D) La Crosse, WI detected a large hatch of May flies that swarmed along the river valleys that run along the Upper Mississippi River during the last week. An ecologist with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources was hopeful that this large hatch signifies improved riverine water quality. [USA Today]
• Landscape of geothermal springs modeled -- Scientists from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign have developed a theoretical model that simulates how spectacular landscapes can develop around geothermal hot springs, such as Mammoth Hot Springs in Yellowstone National Park, as the hot spring water deposits minerals that form geologic formations that serve as dams, which divert the water. [EurekAlert!]
• Record of ancient raindrops used to study Sierras history -- Researchers at Stanford University used deuterium chemical analysis of the remnants formed from ancient raindrops to date the origins of California's Sierra Nevada Mountain range at approximately 65 million years before present, during the Mesozoic Era. [EurekAlert!]
• Global and US Hazards/Climate Extremes -- A review and analysis of the global impacts of various weather-related events, including drought, floods and storms during the current month. [NCDC]
• Global Water News Watch -- Other water news sources can be obtained through the SAHRA Project at the University of Arizona [SAHRA Project]
• Earthweek -- Diary of the Planet [earthweek.com] Requires Adobe Acrobat Reader.

Historical Events:

• 11 July1988...Thunderstorms produced heavy rain in southern Texas, with totals ranging up to 13 inches near Medina. Two men drowned when their pickup truck was swept into the Guadalupe River, west of the town of Hunt. (Storm Data)
• 11 July 1990...Most costly hailstorm in U.S. history battered the Colorado Front Range from Estes Park to Colorado Springs. A supercell dropped a swath of hail the size of baseballs which dented tens of thousands of cars, defoliated thousands of trees, knocked out power and phone service for thousands. Denver was hardest hit. Total damage reached $625 million. (Intellicast)
• 11 July 1992…Thunderstorms moving across Nevada contained torrential rain that resulted in flooding. Hawthorne, which normally receives 4.46 inches of precipitation annually and 0.26 inches in July, received 1.70 inches of rain in 20 minutes, ending at 4:05 PM. By 4:20 PM, all roads in and out of the city were closed due to flooding. (Accord's Weather Guide Calendar)
• 12 July 1892...A hidden lake burst out of a glacier on the side of Mont Blanc, western Europe's highest mountain, flooding the valley below and killing around 200 villagers and holiday-makers in Saint Gervais. (Wikipedia)
• 12 July 1951...The Kaw River flood occurred. The month of June that year was the wettest of record for the state of Kansas, and during the four days preceding the flood much of eastern Kansas and western Missouri received more than ten inches of rain. Flooding in the Midwest claimed 41 lives, left 200 thousand persons homeless, and caused a billion dollars property damage. Kansas City was hardest hit. The central industrial district sustained 870 million dollars property damage. (The Kansas City Weather Almanac)
• 12 July 1988...Evening thunderstorms produced severe weather over the Dakotas, including baseball size hail at Aberdeen, SD and softball size hail near Monango and Fullerton, ND. Thunderstorms produced heavy rain in Arkansas and northeastern Texas, with 6.59 inches reported at Mesquite, TX in just an hour and fifteen minutes. Garland, TX reported water up to the tops of cars following a torrential downpour. (The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data)
• 12 July 1989...Early morning thunderstorms over eastern Kansas deluged McFarland with more than six inches of rain. Afternoon thunderstorms in Wyoming produced up to eighteen inches of dime size hail near Rock Springs, along with torrential rains, and a three foot high wall of mud and water swept into the town causing one death and more than 1.5 million dollars damage. Evening thunderstorms produced severe weather in Oklahoma and Arkansas, deluging Dardanelle, AR with 3.50 inches of rain in less than twenty minutes. About seventy cows were killed when lightning struck a tree in Jones County, TX. (The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data) (Intellicast)
• 12 July 1996...Up to three inches of rain fell in one hour near Buffalo Creek, CO on forestland denuded by a May wildfire. The resulting 20 foot high wall of water uprooted trees and utility poles, buildings were moved from their foundations and bridges destroyed. Two people were killed when vehicles were washed away. (Accord's Weather Guide Calendar)
• 12 July 2001...A nearly stationary supercell thunderstorm dropped large hail and between 3 and 6 inches of rain during one hour southeast of Cohagen, MT. Hail drifts up to ten feet deep were measured in coulees. Four days later, golf ball sized hail was still embedded in the mud and straw, along with drifts to four feet deep. (Accord's Weather Guide Calendar)
• 13 July 1975...Dover, DE was deluged with 8.50 inches of rain to establish a 24-hour maximum precipitation record for the state. (The Weather Channel)
• 13 July 1996...Heavy rains from the remnants of Hurricane Bertha caused roads to washout in the Camden, ME area. Two people were hurt when they drove into a 600-pound boulder that had fallen onto the roadway due to the heavy rain. (Accord's Weather Guide Calendar)
• 14 July 1886...Los Angeles had its greatest 24-hour July rainfall with 0.24 inches. (Intellicast)
• 14-15 July 1911...Baguio, Luzon, Philippines reported 46 inches of rain, which represents Asia's greatest 24-hour rainfall: (The Weather Doctor).
• 15-16 July 1916...A dying South Atlantic Coast storm produced torrential rains in the southern Appalachian Mountains. Altapass, NC was drenched with 22.22 inches of rain, a 24-hour rainfall record for the Tarheel State, and at the time, a 24-hour record for the U.S. (The current 24-hour rainfall record for the US is 43 inches set 25-25 July 1979 at Alvin, TX). Flooding resulted in considerable damage, particularly to railroads. (David Ludlum) (Intellicast) (NCDC)
• 15 July 1983...The Big Thompson Creek in Colorado flooded for the second time in seven years, claiming three lives, and filling the town of Estes Park with eight to ten feet of water. (The Weather Channel)
• 15 July 1989...Thunderstorms drenched Kansas City, MO with 4.16 inches of rain, a record for the date. Two and a half inches of rain deluged the city between noon and 1 PM. Afternoon thunderstorms in South Carolina deluged Williamstown with six inches of rain in ninety minutes, including four inches in little more than half an hour. (The National Weather Summary)(Storm Data)
• 15 July 1993...Four-inch diameter hail fell at Hot Springs, SD. In North Dakota, Jamestown recorded 6.40 inches of rain, Fargo 5.09 inches and Bismarck 4.08 inches. (Intellicast)
• 15 July 2001...Rain fell at 3.91 inches per hour in Seoul, South Korea, the heaviest amount since 1964. In total, 12.2 inches of rain fell in Seoul and Kyonggi. The rain was responsible for 40 reported fatalities. (The Weather Doctor)

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Prepared by AMS WES Central Staff and Edward J. Hopkins, Ph.D., email hopkins@meteor.wisc.edu
ã Copyright, 2006, The American Meteorological Society.