Category: Posts EN

Strong, Hot Winds Drive Fast-Spreading Fires in the L.A. Basin

Written by Team Morecast

 

Destructive fires sparked on Tuesday morning spread rapidly near Malibu and Pacific Palisades on the west side of Los Angeles. The fires are being driven by hot, dry gusts known as the Santa Ana winds. These winds blow downhill from the mountains, gaining momentum as they lose moisture. The result is extremely strong gusts and low humidity, perfect conditions for fires to rapidly spread out-of-control.

 

 

 

Winds have been gusting 50-65 mph (80-105 kph) over large areas of the L.A. Basin today. Isolated higher gusts have been reported up to 86 mph (138 kph) at the Magic Mountain trailhead. These strong winds are knocking numerous trees and powerlines down, providing plenty of opportunities for fire-starting sparks. The fire now threatening Pacific Palisades was first reported around 10:30 am Tuesday morning. Within 20 minutes it grew from 20 acres to 200 acres, and by mid-afternoon it was approaching 1,300 acres in size. By this time, tens of thousands of homes and businesses were in danger. Evacuation orders were issued for 30,000 local residents, leading to a major traffic jam. Unfortunately, the advancing fire and heavy smoke closed major highways, forcing nearly 200 of the evacuees to abandon their cars.

 

 

Smaller fires have developed in other spots across the L.A. Basin, putting a severe strain on regional fire-fighting resources. The dangerously dry, windy conditions will continue overnight and through much of Wednesday, finally easing on Wednesday evening. Lead photo courtesy US Fish and Wildlife Service

 

First Major Winter Storm of the Season Slams the U.S. Plains and Midwest

Written by Team Morecast

 

After a relatively quiet holiday season in the U.S.A. weather-wise, a major storm is bringing serious ice and snow to the Midwest and Plains. High winds are also whipping up the snow, leading to dangerous blizzard conditions even after the snow winds down. The storm spun up over the Plains Saturday night, spreading into the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic on Sunday.

 

 

The heaviest accumulations so far have been reported in northern Kansas and northwest Missouri with widespread 12-18 inch (30-45 cm) amounts. Wind gusts in excess of 40 mph (65 kph), as high as 58 mph (93 kph), have lead to prolonged blizzard conditions with near-zero visibility shutting down major arteries. There have even been instances of thunder and lightning with the heavy snow squalls. The dangerous conditions have lead to hundreds of flight cancellations, especially at major hubs like Kansas City and St. Louis. The high winds and plummeting temperatures have driven wind chills well below zero deg F (-18 deg C), life-threatening cold that will persist for days.

 

 

A swath of mixed precipitation has dropped ice accumulations up to 0.75″ (20 mm) just to the south, especially from southern Missouri, Illinois, and Indiana into western Kentucky. This has led to very slick driving conditions and numerous accidents. High winds and heavy ice are also combining to bring down branches and trees, leading to hundreds of thousands of power outages across several states. Significant snows and icing will continue to accrue in the Mid-Atlantic through Monday before the storm moves off the coast.

Thousands Feared Lost as Cyclone Chido Roars Across West Indian Ocean

Written by Team Morecast

 

Cyclone Chido, a small but very intense tropical cyclone, caused tremendous damage as it moved over islands in the southwest Indian Ocean in the past several days. Chido first slammed Agalega, northern islands belonging to Mauritius, on 11-Dec. It was the strongest storm there in more than 40 years, bringing a deadly 8 m (26 ft) storm surge that reportedly destroyed most of the island’s homes and schools. The cyclone weakened somewhat, offering only a glancing blow to northern Madagascar. However, Chido unexpectedly and rapidly intensified before making another landfall near Bandraboua, Mayotte on 14-Dec.

 

 

 

Mayotte is a small but densely populated island territory belonging to France. According to a 2018 report by the French INSEE (National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies), 84% of the island’s 321,000 residents live in poverty. Many thousands live in corrugated metal shacks with little access to running water. These crowded shanty towns have reportedly been decimated by Chido’s lethal winds and surge. The Dzaoudzi-Pamandzi International Airport reported winds up to 226 kph (140 mph), much more than enough to flatten the poorly constructed dwellings. As of late Monday evening, the death toll on Mayotte officially is only 21, but thousands are missing and feared dead.

 

 

Chido went on to a third landfall in Mozambique, the strongest cyclone there in five years. Tens of thousands of homes and businesses have been severely damaged if not destroyed. Dozens are confirmed dead there and in neighboring Malawi with the toll likely to rise as clean-up efforts begin in earnest. Lead photo courtesy Graham Crumb / imagecity.com

Milton Mows Across Central Florida with Destructive Winds and Surge

Written by Team Morecast

 

Hurricane Milton set a record for the fastest Atlantic storm to reach Category 5 status earlier this week. It was still a dangerous Category 3 hurricane as it roared ashore just south of Tampa on Wednesday evening. Coming just a few weeks after Hurricane Helene swamped the area with severe surge flooding, Milton has added damaging winds, tornadoes, and more than a foot of torrential rainfall.

 

 

 

Milton formed on Saturday, 5-October in the unusually warm waters of the southwestern Gulf of Mexico. It intensified as rapidly as any Atlantic hurricane on record. By Monday afternoon it had become one of the strongest Atlantic hurricanes ever with a central pressure of 897 mb. It is incredibly difficult for a hurricane to maintain that intensity even in ideal circumstances. Milton encountered strong vertical wind shear and cooler waters on Wednesday and entered a steady weakening phase. Nonetheless, high winds and tropical downpours starting rolling into central FL on Wednesday afternoon as the seas rose.

 

 

Widespread gusts of 70-100 mph (110-160 kph) brought down trees and powerlines across central Florida, including a gust to 97 mph at Tampa, 102 mph at Saratoga, and 92 mph at the Kennedy Space Center. More than two dozen tornadoes, some of them long-tracked, fast-moving, and intense, caused severe damage across south-central Florida. A band of heavy rains commonly 8-14 inches (200-350 mm) in total have pushed rivers quickly above major flood stages, in some cases to record levels. Storm surge also inundated numerous communities along the Gulf coast up to the roof lines, wrecking homes and businesses.