Pete Thomas Outdoors

No gun control for these road crews, which use M60 combat tanks to reduce avalanche threat

A lot of people may not realize that M60 tanks are a very effective means of avalanche control.

Washington state road crews use them to fire live rounds at areas where there is heavy snow accumulation and high avalanche danger.

 

They usually do this between midnight and 6 a.m., out of sight of most people. But last week when conditions became unstable on U.S. 2 near the Stevens Pass summit, they closed the roadway in the afternoon and fired their rounds in broad daylight.

Looks like an effective method and, some might say, a very interesting way to make a living.

--The accompanying footage is via HeraldNet.com. Hat tip to Unofficial Networks

Hurricane Paul a major storm, may threaten Baja California

Hurricane Paul on Monday was upgraded to major hurricane status (Category 3), with sustained winds of 120 mph as the storm, which at 2 p.m. was located 415 miles southwest of Cabo San Lucas, plots toward the north-northeast.

Cabo San Lucas has received abundant rainfall, but is not in the path of the storm.

However, a hurricane warning has been issued by the government of Mexico from Santa Fe northward to Puerto San Andresito on the wast coast of the Baja California peninsula (just north of Magdalena Bay).

A tropical storm warning is in effect north of Puerto San Andresito to Punta Abreojos.

According to the National Hurricane Center, Paul will weaken as it approaches land but is expected to remain at hurricane strength until possibly making landfall early Wednesday morning.

--Graphic showing Paul's projected path is courtesy of the Weather Channel

Colorado resorts welcome early snowfall on upper slopes

Fall is definitely in the air in Colorado's high country ... and winter, too.

The accompanying image reveals spectacular fall colors in the Aspen-Snowmass region, but also a fresh dusting of snow that blanketed the upper slopes early Monday.

Snow and a mixture of snow and rain fell throughout parts of Colorado, and resorts were quick to spread the news.

"If this is a sign of things to come, you better dust off the skis now and wear your boots to watch the Broncos' game tonight," Jeff Hanle, spokesman for Aspen-Snowmass, said in a news release.

The Broncos are playing the Falcons on Monday Night Football in Atlanta, but the comment shows the level excitement generated by the first tangible snowfall of the season in Colorado, arriving about two months before most resorts expect to open for skiing and snowboarding.

The Denver Post reported: "Snow acknowledgments were passed along by Colorado Ski Country USA, Loveland Ski Area, Arapahoe Basin, Winter Park Resort and Copper Mountain, among other ski areas and resorts."

Some of the resorts received as much as an inch of snow, mostly above 11,000 feet, which qualifies as a significant dusting.

But, alas, the excitement might be short-lived as a prolonged dry spell is expected after the storm passes through on Monday night.

Nonetheless, this is a sign that the season is changing, and folks in much hotter parts of the country are probably envious. Having been baking for several weeks in unbearably hot temperatures in Southern California, I know I am.

--Pete Thomas

-- Image is courtesy of Jeremy Swanson / Aspen-Snowmass

Video reveals Arctic's record-setting (and alarming) ice melt

 

NOAA on Monday issued an animated video that reveals just how drastically sea ice has diminished in the Arctic Ocean. It's at an all-time low and, for the first time since satellite observations began in 1979, the ice cover is less than 4 million square kilometers (1.54 miles).

The footage is somewhat self-explanatory but the description beneath the video states: "The black area represents the daily (median) average sea ice extent over the 1979-2000 time period. Layered over the top of that are the daily satellite measurements from January 1 -- September 14, 2012.

"A rapid melt begins in July, whereby the 2012 ice extents fall far below the historical average. The National Snow and Ice Data Center will confirm the final minimum ice extent data and area once the melt stabilizes, usually in mid-September."

The diminishing sea ice beat the 2007 record on Aug. 26.

Republican convention keeps wary eye on approaching storm

Here at Pete Thomas Outdoors we appreciate extreme weather and respect the ferocity of Mother Nature, and one storm receiving lots of attention this week is Tropical Storm Isaac.

This is due in part because Isaac, which is expected to become a Category 1 hurricane by Friday morning, will threaten lives and property throughout much of the Caribbean.

But more so because Isaac is on course to arrive off southern Florida on Monday, which marks the beginning of the Republican National Convention in Tampa.

According to most computer models, Isaac will lose strength as it passes over the Dominican Republic, Haiti and Cuba, but regain strength after that, making landfall or skirting southwestern Florida, at hurricane strength, early Monday.

The convention is scheduled to run Monday through Thursday.

It remains unclear whether Isaac will remain on its predicted course, but you can bet it's being closely watched.

Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn, a Democrat, told CNN: "We hope it moves further away from us, but if it doesn't it's still going to be a great convention and I think the Republican National Committee is going to be happy."

That will depend, of course, on the level of disruption caused by Isaac.

On Wednesday morning, according to the National Hurricane Center, a tropical storm warning was in effect for Martinique, Dominica, Guadeloupe and many surrounding islands. A hurricane watch was in effect for Puerto Rico, Vieques, Culebra and the U.S. and British Virgin Islands.

A hurricane watch also was in effect for the south coast of the Dominican Republic from Isla Saona westward to the Haiti-Dominican Republic southern border.

Isaac was boasting maximum sustained winds of 45 mph. On Monday morning Isaac's winds are expected to be between 74-95 mph (Category 1).

-- Graphic is courtesy of Weather Underground

City of Needles sets world record for hottest rain: 115 degrees

It's hot outside. Too hot, in many places, to go outside and recreate unless an ocean or a lake is involved.

But you know it's peculiarly roasting when even the rain is  hot, and if you were in Needles, Calif., on Monday you would not have been refreshed by a thunderstorm that rolled in.

Jeff Masters of Weather Underground reports that the temperature of that rain was 115 degrees, setting "a new world record for the hottest rain in world history."

Masters added: "I don't think many people were outside to experience the feeling of rain falling at 115°, but if they were, it must have been an uncomfortable, sauna-like experience!"

Fortunately, most of the precipitation evaporated before it hit the ground, thanks to 11% humidity.

Explains Masters: "It is exceedingly rare to get rain when the temperature rises above 100°F, since those kind of temperatures usually require a high pressure system with sinking air that discourages rainfall.

"Monday's rain in Needles was due to a flow of moisture coming from the south caused by the Southwest U.S. monsoon, a seasonal influx of moisture caused by the difference in temperature between the hot desert and the cooler ocean areas surrounding Mexico to the south."

Needles is on the western bank of the Colorado River in the Mojave Desert, in San Bernardino County, just across the bridge from Arizona and not far from Nevada.

The previous record for hottest rain was 109 degrees in Mecca, Saudia Arabia, on June 5, 2012; and in Marrakech, Morocco, on July 10, 2010.

Scientists in Antarctica witness spectacular aurora

Thirteen people at a remote Antarctic research station have been living without sunlight since May, so imagine their surprise and awe when a brilliant and surreal aurora illuminated the star-filled sky.

Discovery News reports that the accompanying image was captured recently from Concordia Station in the middle of the East Antarctic Ice Sheet.

The outpost is manned by scientists from France and Italy, who are in the midst of a four-month period of darkness and bitter-cold temperatures. But as viewers can tell by the image, only in darkness does the sky truly dazzle.

(Note the research outpost, located directly beneath the aurora.)

Auroras are caused by collisions of charged particles from the magnetosphere or solar winds with atoms in the upper atmosphere. In the Northern Hemisphere this phenomenon is referred to as the Aurora Borealis, or Northern Lights. In the southern hemisphere it's called the Aurora Australis, or Southern Lights.

Powerful Hurricane Emilia issues 'cold stare' to NASA satellite

As Hurricane Emilia churns to the west off Mexico as a Category 4 storm, NASA reports that its Aqua satellite has measured cloud tops surrounding Emilia's eye to be colder than minus-94 degrees Fahrenheit.

The report referred to the phenomenon as a "cold stare." The readings mean the clouds are reaching high into the troposphere and boast extremely powerful thunderstorms.

Emilia, seen at right as viewed from NASA's Terra satellite, had featured sustained winds of 140 mph but on Tuesday morning winds had dropped to 130 mph.

The hurricane, which on Tuesday morning was located 685 miles south-southwest of Baja California's tip, is following on a path similar to that of its predecessor, Daniel (now a tropical storm).

Daniel on Tuesday was located 1,350 miles east of the Hawaiian Islands, which has prompted the National Hurricane Center to issue advisories for Hawaii.

Waiting in the wings, off southern Mexico, is System 98E, which on Tuesday was predicted to have a 50% chance of developing into a tropical cyclone.

-- Image is via NASA's Terra satellite

Tropical storm Debby spawns immense waterspout (video)

An immense and ominous-looking waterspout was videotaped Sunday evening and posted to Youtube by a user named Otis5220. The video was shared on Twitter by U.S. Tornadoes.

The waterspout was spawned from storms related to tropical storm Debby, whose squalls were affecting the coasts of the Florida Panhandle and west-central Florida.

As of Sunday evening, a tropical storm warning remained in effect for the Mississippi-Alabama border area east to the Suwannee River in Georgia and north Florida.

Debby had essentially stalled and it remains unclear where the storm, which as of 10 p.m. local time boasted maximum sustained winds of 60 mph, might come ashore. Extensive flooding is expected in southern Georgia and northern Florida.

Hurricane Carlotta intensifies along Mexico's west coast

Hurricane Carlotta on Friday afternoon was upgraded to a Category 2 storm and was still intensifying, with a hurricane warning in effect from Salina Cruz north to Acapulco.

This stretch of coastline is dotted with small villages, including Puerto Escondido, a  popular surfing destination. The storm's center is expected to move over or near land between Puerto Angel and Acapulco on Friday night or Saturday.

A hurricane warning is a call for citizens and tourists to take steps toward protecting their lives, property and pets. "Preparations to protect life and property should be rushed to completion," stated the National Hurricane Center in a 2 p.m. public advisory. The storm boasted maximum sustained winds of 105 mph.

A hurricane watch is in effect to the south of Salina Cruz and north of Acapulco, to Tecpan de Galeana. But people as far north as Puerto Vallarta ought to be prepared for strong winds and heavy rainfall at some point over the next several days.

The states of Chiapas, Guerrero and northern Oaxaca can expect an estimated 3-5 inches of rainfall through Sunday.

Carlotta's proximity to the coastline has many people worried. The storm is predicted to weaken somewhat before re-intensifying, before ultimately weakening as it tracks to the northwest along the coast through the middle of next week.

Ed Kunze, a longtime resident of Zihuatanejo (north of Acapulco in the state of Guerrero), stated via email:

"I am a bit nervous about Carlotta. I bought another five-gallon jug of drinking water, for a total of 15 gallons. Tomorrow I will fill the truck up with gas, as well as get an extra 15 gallons for my small generator.  If the electricity goes down, then the pumps at the gas station and drinking water place won't work.

"Today I got cash out from the bank. Banks can't disperse cash without electricity either. Also, tomorrow I am buying extra toilet paper, and a few more dry foods.

"I am probably better off than 99% of the people, but it could be bad. I am following the reports and updates regularly. Of course, all my friends say it will blow past and out at sea, as they always do, but I am an engineer and feel we are due. Plus, I have seen zero places in town preparing or even thinking about it."

Hopefully, those within the warning and watch areas are, in fact, doing what they can to minimize the storm's impact.

-- Image showing Hurricane Carlotta on Friday is courtesy of NOAA