Pete Thomas Outdoors

Magnitude 7.7 earthquake strikes off British Columbia; regional tsunami warning issued

A 7.7-magnitude earthquake struck off British Columbia at 8:04 p.m. Saturday night, prompting a tsunami warning for coastal areas within the Canadian province and from the north tip of Vancouver Island to Cape Decision, Alaska.

Minutes later the West Coast and Alaska Tsunami Warning Center issued a statement requesting that people in low-lying areas within this zone "should be alert to instructions from their local emergency officials" and  "if in a tsunami warning coastal area, move inland to higher ground."

A warning means widespread coastal flooding could be imminent within the warning zone.

A Pacific-wide tsunami threat is not anticipated.

There were no immediate reports of injuries or damage.

The earthquake was centered 125 miles south-southwest of Prince Rupert at a depth of 10.9 miles, the United States Geological Survey said.

As the accompanying USGS image shows, this is the Queen Charlotte Islands region west of British Columbia.

Hurricane Jova 'winks' as it approaches Mexico's west coast

As residents and tourists in western Mexico brace for heavy rain, flooding and ferocious winds generated by approaching Hurricane Jova, scientists are marveling at satellite images that appear to show Jova "winking," or opening and closing its eye (see images above).

This phenomenon is caused when the eye becomes cloud covered when viewed from above.

"In addition to Jova's wink, the infrared AIRS instrument on NASA's Aqua satellite got a cold stare from Jova's eye," states a passage in a NASA story on the storm, which has prompted hurricane warnings from Punta San Telmo northward to Cabo Corrientes near Puerto Vallarta. "Infrared data measures cloud top temperatures, and NASA AIRS instrument noticed they were as cold as -112 degrees Fahrenheit in the thunderstorms in Jova's eyewall.

"Those frigid cloud top temperatures indicate there's a tremendous amount of power in the storm."

Jova, whose center was expected to make landfall late Tuesday afternoon, was a Category 3 storm when the accompanying images were captured, showing an open and closed eye. But late Tuesday morning the storm was downgraded to Category 2 status, with maximum sustained winds of 100 mph, according to the National Hurricane Center.

That's still a very powerful storm, which could drop as much as 20 inches of rain in areas. Hundreds of homes have been evacuated in the state of Jalisco, according to reports.

Puerto Vallarta, a major tourist destination in Jalisco, is playing a key role in the Pan American Games, which begin Friday in nearby Guadalajara. Sailing, ocean swimming and beach volleyball are among sports scheduled to be held in Puerto Vallarta.

"Vallarta Yacht Club and Paradise Village Marina are well-versed with both weather issues and major sailing events," said Mike Danielson of PV Sailing. "We do not foresee any delays, just a lot of work. All boats have been stowed in parking garages."

Puerto Vallarta is generally well-protected from hurricanes, thanks to nearby mountain ranges, which serve as a storm break, and its sprawling bay. But surges generated by Hurricane Kenna in 2002 caused extensive damage along the coast.

With Jova expected to make landfall to the south, opposite the Sierra Madre range, storm surges should not be a major problem in Puerta Vallarta. But residents are not taking Jova lightly.

"I've seen a lot of tape on larger windows, and that says something here," said Pat Henry, a longtime resident who once solo-curcumnavigated the planet in a sailboat. "In 2002, my boat came through fine, but I lost almost everything in the apartment where I was living. This time I'm on higher ground farther from the water."

Jova is expected to weaken rapidly not long after making landfall.

-- Images are courtesy of NASA

In wake of Joplin tornado, a monstrous double rainbow

Thanks to social media platforms, just about everyone has seen the killer tornado that claimed more than 100 lives and caused widespread destruction on Sunday in Joplin, Missouri.

If you haven't seen it, click the blue link above. Meanwhile, in the aftermath of severe storm activity, an enormous and rare double rainbow appeared over nearby Springfield.

It, too, was captured on video and, while some may fancy rainbows as beautiful post-storm events, this one, like the storm, looks freaky and ominous.

See for yourself:

 

Atlantic hurricane season could feature multiple U.S. landfalls

Another active hurricane season is expected in the Atlantic, but more daunting is that at least one forecasting agency is calling for multiple U.S. landfalls.

The National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration released its 2011 forecast Thursday. It calls for between 12-18 named storms, 6-10 hurricanes and 3-6 major hurricanes (Category 3 or stronger). The average since 1950 is 12 named storms, seven hurricanes and three major hurricanes.

Colorado State University scientists recently predicted that there will be 16 named storms, nine hurricanes and five major hurricanes.

Weather Services International, in its latest forecast, calls for 15 named storms, eight hurricanes and four major hurricanes. But the agency also is predicting U.S. landfalls, with the Gulf region facing the greatest threat, for the first time since 2008.

While last year was more active, with 19 named storms, 12 hurricanes and five major hurricanes, no hurricanes scored a direct hit on the U.S. for a second consecutive year.

Todd Crawford, chief meteorologist for WSI, explained why that trend could end: "The lack of U.S. landfalls in 2010 was primarily due to a persistent western Atlantic trough that essentially protected the U.S. East Coast from any direct hits. We do not expect this feature to be in place this year during late summer and fall when most tropical storms occur. Further, the Gulf and Caribbean sea-surface temperatures are particularly warm this year, and we expect more development in these regions and less in the eastern tropical Atlantic."

Tsunami exacts heavy toll on albatross chicks at Midway Atoll

U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service employees stationed at Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge fared well as tsunami surges generated by Friday's 9.0-magnitude Japan earthquake washed over part of Sand Island and most of unpopulated Eastern Island. But the events appear to have exacted a heavy toll on albatrosses and other birds that nest on both islands.

Midway, which has the world's largest population of Laysan albatross, is a low-lying North Pacific atoll located about 1,200 miles northwest of Honolulu, or about a third of the way between Honolulu and Japan. The tsunami could not have come at a worse time for albatross chicks, which are hatched in January and February and cannot fledge until mid-June or July.

Pete Leary, a USFWS employee who authors the Pete at Midway blog, has posted photos and some information. Damage assessments are still being made but Leary wrote about discovering that "tens of thousands of chicks were washed away" on Eastern Island.

Eastern Island was almost entirely "washed over" while Sand Island, which features coastal bluffs and elevated inland areas, experienced mostly coastal flooding after about a five-foot tidal surge.

On the boat trip to Eastern Island, Leary wrote, "We passed thousands of albatross adults and petrels that had been washed into the water and lost their ability to stay dry. Their feathers were messed up by being tumbled over the island and through the vegetation.

"We pulled some into the boat, but needed to get to Eastern Island, so we had to hope that most of them would paddle to shore."

On the bright side, a short-tailed albatross chick that hatched in January on Eastern Island apparently is OK. That's a huge relief for scientists and bird enthusiasts because it was the the first known short-tailed albatross hatchling outside of the islands surrounding Japan in recorded history. (The short-tailed albatross is an endangered species.)

Wrote Leary: "The short-tailed albatross chick must really be wondering what kind of place it lives in because it was washed away from the nest for the second time this year already. This time, it was about 40 yards away from the original nest. It was easy to spot because all the other chicks were washed away in a previous storm.

"I didn't want to pick the chick up, because it was already stressed and upset, but the parents may not have found it that far from the nest."

Leary unfurled a sheet of plastic and when the chick stepped onto it, he wrote, "I gave it a sled ride the 40 yards back to its nest."

Sadly, Leary and another biologist spent the days after the tsunami digging out hundreds of dead birds and even fish that had been swept ashore by the tsunami. Two sea turtles that had been swept inland were carried to the water and released. The atoll's Hawaiian monk seals, also endangered, apparently were unscathed.

Leary concluded, "Although we lost a lot of wildlife, all of the people who are here because of the wildlife are safe."

-- Pete Thomas

Images showing a beleaguered Laysan albatross chick and waterlogged albatrosses are courtesy of Pete Leary

Bull shark sighted on flooded streets of Brisbane

Among the wild critters patrolling the murky floodwaters in Queensland, Australia, according to a man who has been camped on his rooftop, is a large shark known for its ability to survive in brackish water and for posing a danger to humans.

"It was a bull shark and it was spotted in a local suburban street," Rob Minshull told BBC News. "We do have sharks in the Brisbane River; they have obviously come over the flood barriers and come looking for food."

Flooding in portions of Queensland, especially in the Brisbane area, has caused widespread devastation and at least 13 fatalities. Minshull said rising water has reached "the bottom tier of my house," or about chest high.

"I've got brown waves going through the house [and] I've got snakes in the house," he said. "My cars are locked in the garage. I can't get them out -- they're floating around, and banging in the garage."

The natural disaster has affected up to 30,000 residents in the Brisbane area alone.

-- Bull shark image is generic

Twitter: @Pete_Thomas

Highway 140 into Yosemite reopens a day after rockfall

Yosemite National Park announced Friday evening that Highway 140/Portal Road, which leads into the sprawling California park, has reopened a day after it had been closed because a large rock had fallen onto the roadway.

The rock was estimated to measure 10-15 feet tall, six feet wide and four feet deep. No injuries or structural damage were reported but damage to the roadway is still being assessed.

All other roads, except for the seasonal closure of the Tioga Road and Glacier Point Road, are open.  Visitors should be aware that chains might be required on park roadways.

Updated road and weather information can be obtained by calling 209-372-0200.

Yosemite photo courtesy of Kenny Karst / DNC Parks and Resorts at Yosemite, Inc.

 

 

Surfers in Indonesia playing vital role in tsunami relief effort

A deadly earthquake-generated tsunami that struck the remote Mentawai Islands in Indonesia on Tuesday has again thrust surfers into the role of prominent relief workers.

The 7.7-magnitude earthquake was followed by an ocean surge that swept over the low-lying islands west of Sumatra, killing at least 113 villagers and destroying homes. As many as 500 people are missing; many are believed to have been swept into the ocean.

The Mentawais are a surfing paradise.

Nine Australian surfers aboard the charter vessel Southern Cross were out of contact for 21 hours but turned up unharmed, according to the newspaper Australian.

Surfers aboard two other charter boats, after the tsunami had caused their anchored vessels to collide and one of them to catch fire, were forced overboard and swept into the jungle. They climbed trees to escape water rushing over the island and reportedly are OK.

Macaroni's Surf Resort on North Pagai Island was among structures extensively damaged or destroyed by the tsunami.

In the tsunami's aftermath, given the region's isolation, surfers with groups such as Last Mile Operations and SurfAid International are providing assistance and involved in the search for missing villagers.

This also was true in 2004, when a series of earthquake-caused tsunamis killed more than 230,000 people over an area far more vast than the region affected by Tuesday's disaster.

At the Mentawais, which boast an idyllic setting warm water and perfect waves, surfers generally spend a week or more island hopping aboard charter boats. Those boats, some with surfers aboard, are currently being used to transport supplies and search for bodies and missing persons.

Hurricanes proving experts right in tumultuous Atlantic

All those experts who predicted an above-normal hurricane season in the Atlantic can pat themselves on the back: This season has been remarkable, with 11 named storms and five hurricanes so far.

Five have developed into major hurricanes, with winds of 111 mph or greater.

Presently, Karl is in the Gulf of Mexico and close to making landfall on Mexico's eastern shore, bringing 120-mph winds and generating a storm surge 12 to 15 times above normal, according to the 11 a.m. (EDT) update from the National Hurricane Center.

Igor is poised to score a direct hit on Bermuda, probably Sunday afternoon or evening. Julia is behind Igor and will turn to the north-northeast and will not make landfall, and behind Julia, off Africa, is a mild disturbance that could develop into a tropical cyclone in a few days.

Interestingly but not uncommonly, when one ocean is active the other is comparatively quiet: There have been only six named storms in the Eastern Pacific and nothing of note since Hurricane Frank delivered waves and rain to residents and tourists at the tip of Baja California in late August.

Karl presents imminent danger to people and property. Aside from the storm surge it is delivering torrential rain. Up to 15 inches will fall in some areas, which already have experienced an unseasonably wet summer.

"These rains could cause life-threatening flash floods and mud slides," the National Hurricane Center warns.

-- Pete Thomas

Graphic courtesy of National Hurricane Center

Hurricane Earl ominous even for East Coast surfers

While most people on the East Coast express concern whenever a major hurricane approaches, surfers typically become excited about the prospects of thrilling rides on huge waves.

They should not get too excited about Hurricane Earl, a powerful storm that will be moving too swiftly toward shore and remain too close to shore to allow for clean conditions with the swells it produces.

"It's not a good scenario at all and it's downright dangerous," said Mike Watson, a Florida-based forecaster for Surfline, which monitors surfing conditions around the world. "Surfers should be more concerned about safety."

Hurricane Earl, as of 11 a.m. Tuesday, was a Category 4 storm packing 135-mph winds, located along the fringe of the Caribbean. It's churning to the west-northwest at 14 mph but will pick up speed and could strengthen to a Category 5 storm before arriving just off North Carolina late Thursday.

The National Hurricane Center predicts it will turn to the north instead of making landfall and essentially skirt the coast as it plots to the north, remaining at hurricane strength through at last Saturday and perhaps forcing large-scale evacuations.

Hurricane Earl will be much closer to shore than its predecessor, Hurricane Danielle, which generated large surf and strong rip currents that led to hundreds of rescues and was blamed for the death of a surfer off Satellite Beach, Fla.

Lifeguards expect more perilous conditions to be created by Earl, with high surf arriving on parts of the East Coast as early as Wednesday.

Watson, who said Florida is the only state that might get clean surf, being far enough south and west of the storm's track, explained that part of the danger associated with Hurricane Earl is its swift shoreward direction. It will follow closely behind the swells it generates, so surfers who are tempted to paddle out in what they perceive to be clean conditions can expect conditions to deteriorate rapidly.

"It's just too close to the coast," Watson said of the storm. "We like to see them out toward Bermuda, where we get the swell but we don't get the weather with it. Danielle was a good swell producer but for the most part with Earl, surfers should be home getting prepared [for the storm's arrival], just like everyone else."

  -- Top image shows Hurricane Earl from space, courtesy of NASA. Bottom graphic showing the storm's projected path courtesy of the National Hurricane Center.

-- Editor's note: This post also apears on the GrindTV.com surf and outdoors blogs