Category: Posts EN

Catastrophic Flooding Inundates U.S. State of Michigan!

Written by Team Morecast

Following days of heavy rain across central Michigan, historic flooding has unfolded across the region. The flooding has led to the failure of two dams in the area. Drenching rainfall amounts of 4-7 inches (107-178 mm) over the past few days have proved to be too much for these dams to handle. Thousands of residents have been evacuated as the flood waters unleashed their fury.

The Tittabawasee River, which is normally contained by the Edenville and Sanford Dams, is once again flowing without inhibition in the wake of the dams’ failure. The torrent of water sent downstream has inundated towns and farmland along its banks. Downstream, the town of Midland has evacuated thousands of residents as the water is forecast to engulf a large portion of town with up to 9 feet (2.7 meters) of water by Thursday morning. Midland is home to Dow Chemical Co, and it is feared that the floodwaters will run through the plant, causing an environmental contamination.


Water levels along the Tittabawassee River have reached 35 feet (10.6 meters) above flood stage. This breaks the record of 33 feet (10 meters) set back in 1986. According to local geologists, it is likely the floods will forever change the geography around the river.

The deterioration of the Edenville Dam has led to Wixom Lake being almost completely drained. Many people were observed walking along the now exposed lake bed. The drained lake also left lots of fish scrambling to survive in left over puddles of water. A group of locals were seen collecting the fish and bringing them back to deep water.

The governor of Michigan issued an emergency declaration, allowing the National Guard to assist with evacuations and such. No injuries or deaths have been reported thus far, but many people remain in shelters. The flood waters are not expected to fully recede until the weekend.

Super Cyclone Amphan Heads Towards India/Bangladesh!

Written by Team Morecast

After undergoing rapid intensification, Super Cyclone Amphan became the strongest storm ever recorded in the Bay of Bengal by reaching peak wind speeds of 270 kph (165 mph) on Monday night. The monster storm is now on track to strike India and Bangladesh within the next 24 hours. Evacuations are underway as millions of people in both countries are in the storm’s path.

The storm is forecast to make landfall near the border of India and Bangladesh, with the Indian city of Kolkata directly in its path. The region has a vast population, and Kolkata has over 14 million residents.

Although the cyclone has weakened significantly from its peak, with winds currently around 165 kph( 103 mph), it is still a formidable storm, and will bring with it a multitude of hazards including flooding rains, damaging winds, and catastrophic storm surge.

Storm surge is likely to be the most severe along the coast of Bangladesh, as it will be in the right front quadrant of the storm, the area in which winds are highest for tropical cyclones in the Northern Hemisphere. The coast of Bangladesh is very low lying, and this will further exacerbate the surge by allowing the water to flow farther inland. Also, given that the storm was once much stronger than its current state, it still contains the wave energy from its peak. This will make the surge greater than a normal storm of its current magnitude.

Amphan is tied with Cyclone Harold, which occurred last month, as the strongest tropical cyclone of 2020 thus far. Amphan is also one of the strongest tropical cyclones ever recorded in the northern
Indian Ocean.

Early Tropical Storm Arthur Skirting the Outer Banks of North Carolina

Written by Team Morecast

 

For the sixth year in a row, a named tropical storm has formed before the official start of hurricane season in the Atlantic basin. Arthur developed Saturday afternoon off the east coast of Florida, moving northeast. Overnight Sunday the storm approached the Outer Banks, a long chain of barrier islands off the coast of North Carolina. Ironically, it’s the fourth time in the past 25 years that a storm named Arthur has opened the hurricane season by threatening the Outer Banks:

 

 

The center of the storm passed within 50 miles (80 km) of Buxton, NC earlier today. Most of the heavier weather has been north and east of the circulation due to strong southwesterly winds aloft. Wind gusts over land have remained less than 40 mph (65 kph) judging by observation stations. However, higher winds are being recorded offshore (see map below). Some fairly heavy rainfall totals have been observed over eastern North Carolina, up to four inches (100 mm) Sunday night into Monday morning (see map at bottom). Rough surf and a minor surge of water are also affecting portions of the coast due to the storm.

 

 

Arthur will continue to move east and away from the U.S. mainland in the coming days, weakening and turning extratropical as it does. However, lingering tropical moisture pulled into an upper low over the Southeast could contribute to flooding issues later in the week. The island of Bermuda may also see some gusty winds and locally heavy rains in several days as the remnants of Arthur approach.

Record Cold, Snow Blast New York City!

Written by Team Morecast

After a very mild and basically snowless winter, New York City, along with many other locations across the northeastern United States were dealt a blast of arctic air and even some snow on Saturday morning. The highly anomalous airmass, which originated over the Arctic Ocean, is responsible for numerous record lows in the region.

As the airmass rolled in late on Friday night, the temperature in New York’s famed Central Park dropped to 36 deg F (2.2 deg C ) which broke the record for May 8th of 37 deg F (2.7 C) set back in 1947. By early Saturday morning the temperature dropped to 34 deg F (1.1 deg C) which not only broke the record for May 9th of 35 deg F (1.6 deg C), also set in 1947, but is the coldest it has ever been on record this late in the season. Although not a record, Saturday’s afternoon high in the city only reached 47 deg F (8.3 deg C). This is not only 21 degrees below average, but more typical of high in early December, rather than early May.

The unusual cold temperatures were accompanied by very rare May snow. A trace of snow was recorded in Central Park, which ties the record set on May 9th 1977 for latest snowfall in a season. The trace of snow is equal to what the city recorded in all of this past February. In nearby Islip, New York, a trace was also recorded, which is more than what actually occurred in February. Much higher amounts of snow were seen in various locales across the northeast. One such place was Sugar Hill, New Hampshire, which recieved 10.5 in (27 cm) of snow.

With the growing season well underway, widespread freeze warnings are in place throughout the region. Given that it is May, prolonged periods of cold cannot be sustained, and a warm up will commence by midweek.