Category: Posts EN

Arctic Chill Blasts Across Much of the U.S.A. Days Before Christmas!

Written by Team Morecast

 

A historic cold snap is settling across much of the Central and Eastern U.S. just in time for holiday travel. Bitterly cold temperatures below zero have pushed well south to the Gulf Coast states. Wind chills are much colder as gusts exceed 50 mph (80 kph) in spots. The high winds and freezing temps are putting enormous pressure on power grids in the South unaccustomed to the conditions. As a result, millions are without power just a few days before Christmas.

 

 

 

At the leading edge of the Arctic air mass is a squall of heavy snow. For most areas this squall is short-lived with only an inch or two (5 cm) of wind-blown accumulation. However, some areas closer to the Great Lakes are seeing a prolonged heavy snow event with snowfall exceeding a foot (30 cm). The combination of snow and high winds is yielding blizzard conditions with near-zero visibilities and drifts of several feet. Travel conditions are virtually impossible in these regions.

 

 

Behind the front, temperatures have been plummeting as much as 30 deg in 20 minutes. At 4 pm on Wednesday afternoon, just ahead of the Arctic front, the temperature in Denver, Colorado was 46 deg F (8 deg C). By 6 pm it had dropped to -1 deg F (-18 deg C) on the way to an overnight low of minus 24 deg F (-31 deg C). Thursday was the second-coldest day ever recorded in Denver with a high of only minus 6 deg F (-21 deg C). Other areas of the High Plains have seen even colder wind chills as low as minus 74 deg F (-59 deg C). Wind chill warnings and advisories are in effect as far south as south Texas and central Florida. Wind chills this cold can cause frostbite on exposed skin within a few minutes. Lead photo courtesy Flickr user LongitudeLatitude.

Deadly Flooding Ravages Congolese Capital of Kinshasa!

Written by Team Morecast

 

A torrential overnight rain storm lead to severe flash flooding in Kinshasa on Tuesday, the worst in decades. The flooding is the culmination of months of an unusually wet monsoon. A massive landslide has smothered the main highway connecting Kinshasa to the major port city of Matadi. Nearly 40,000 households were flooded with hundreds completely collapsed and swept away. As of Wednesday night, the death toll is 141 and climbing. This death toll is comparable to those suffered by the nearby countries of Chad and Nigeria in flash flood events in September and October, respectively. Unfortunately, the lengthy rainy season will continue through April.

 

 

 

Kinshasa, the capital city of the Democratic Republic of Congo, is home to around 15 million residents. One of the fastest-growing cities in the world, the population boom is outpacing residential building by a wide margin. As a result, many Kinshasans live in poorly-built temporary huts and shanties. These structures and those that live in them stand little chance of surviving serious flash flood events like Wednesday’s. These buildings are unauthorized but city officials lack the resources to consistently enforce building codes. Flooding in recent months has also inundated millions of acres of farmland across West and Central Africa. The UN’s World Food Program has warned that nearly 50 million men, women, and children could go hungry in 2023 as a result.

Lake Effect Snow Buries Parts of Upstate New York!

Written by Team Morecast

 

A blinding lake effect snow band has paralyzed communities just south of Buffalo, NY. The band developed on Thursday evening and has been dumping snowfall at rates of 3-5 inches per hour (7-10 cm/hr) ever since. Other than slight wobbles, it has been almost stationary in the past 18-24 hours. The result is accumulations exceeding five feet in some areas with heavy snow still falling (see pictures and videos below).

 

 

 

Lake effect snow occurs when very cold air passes over a relatively warm body of water. The band picks up moisture from the lake surface and deposits it onshore in the form of heavy snow. It tends to be very localized but is highly unstable, even to the point of producing lightning (see satellite imagery below). As long as the wind direction remains constant, the band is stationary, meaning the same locations receive prodigious snow totals. In this case, persistent westerly winds passing over Lake Erie are yielding a stubborn band of snow just south of Buffalo. Amazingly, locations just north or south of the band have received only a few inches (<10 cm). The video below shows how sharp the delineation is at the edge of the snow band.

 

 

 

Models suggest the current snow band will weaken overnight into early Saturday. However, severe disruptions will persist well beyond. Both college and professional football teams in the Buffalo area have cancelled or relocated their games this weekend (see video below showing the current state of the Buffalo Bills stadium). Roads are closed and a state of emergency has been declared in the affected region. Lead photo courtesy Ave Maria Moistlik.

 

Major Hurricane Ian Lashes Florida Peninsula with Devastating Flooding and Winds!

Written by Team Morecast

 

After ravaging western Cuba and the Florida Keys late Monday into Tuesday, Hurricane Ian rapidly intensified early Wednesday. Ian reached high-end Category Four status with sustained winds to 155 mph (250 kph) before making landfall at Cayo Costa, Florida. Social media reports confirm widespread and serious damage around the Naples – Fort Myers – Port Charlotte region.

 

 

 

The large size and intensifying nature of the hurricane increased the surge flood potential as Ian approached landfall Wednesday afternoon. Both Fort Myers and Naples reported their highest surge flooding levels on record, up to 12 feet (3.7 m) in spots. A large swath of central Florida is seeing copious rainfall, up to 20 inches (500 mm) already to this point. This will lead to serious freshwater flooding issues in the next few days. Destructive winds have also leveled trees and powerlines across the area. A weather station in Port Charlotte reported a wind gust to 132 mph (212 kph). More than two million Floridians are without power as of Wednesday evening.

 

 

Hurricane Ian has weakened to Category One status as of Wednesday night but will continue to bring strong winds and flooding to Florida, Georgia, and the Carolinas in the next few days. Meanwhile, cleanup efforts will begin in earnest over the landfall zone on Thursday. A full recovery will take weeks if not months. Lead photo courtesy Scott Pena.