Signs of 2012

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Millions of people in India are under threat of sudden, deadly flooding. At 116 years old, The Mullaperiya Dam is showing signs of stress, increased by a series of temblors at the end of 2011. Cracks can be seen in at least three spots. The extent of devastation from the dam’s failure is almost imaginable. Mullaperiya protects a reservoir with a capacity of over 74,400 million cubic feet of water, weighing more than 2,100 million tons. Potential dam failure is compounded by the fact that early warnings systems are out of date, making evacuation practically impossible. Active protests continue across India’s southern state of Kerala, demanding a new dam be built. To date, the government has yet to agree, although they have lowered water levels in subsequent dams in the water system as a precautionary measure. More: Tamil Nadu-Kerala dam row intensifies in India Mullapperiyar: Issues of Dam Safety Chief Minister opposes dam monitoring Recent news - Mullapperiyar Dam

Millions of people in India are under threat of sudden, deadly flooding.

At 116 years old, The Mullaperiya Dam is showing signs of stress, increased by a series of temblors at the end of 2011.

Cracks can be seen in at least three spots. The extent of devastation from the dam’s failure is almost imaginable.

Mullaperiya protects a reservoir with a capacity of over 74,400 million cubic feet of water, weighing more than 2,100 million tons.

Potential dam failure is compounded by the fact that early warnings systems are out of date, making evacuation practically impossible.

Active protests continue across India’s southern state of Kerala, demanding a new dam be built.

To date, the government has yet to agree, although they have lowered water levels in subsequent dams in the water system as a precautionary measure.

Source commons.wikimedia.org

A 2011 US weather year in review exposes a laundry list of billion dollar disasters. Groundhog Day Blizzard - Affected many central and eastern states, with Chicago recorded its biggest 24-hour snow total with 20 inches April Thunderstorm Outbreak - A massive wind damage event with tornadoes swept from the Ohio Valley to the South and mid-Atlantic April 9-10 Tornadoes - Included an EF3 tornado that leveled Mapleton, Iowa, on April 9, and another on April 10 in Merrill, Wis. 3-Day April Tornado Outbreak -  Ranging from the central and southern Plains to Mississippi, Alabama, Virginia and the Carolinas, with over 175 tornadoes April 25-28 Tornadoes - Massive outbreak with estimated 343 tornadoes, including several EF4s and EF5s Mississippi River Flooding - Record- and bank-breaking in April, with over 3 billion dollars in damages Southern Plains & Southwest Drought - Massive impacts carried from the spring into the summer in Texas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Arizona, southern Kansas, and western Arkansas and Louisiana Wildfires (Spring-Fall) - Drought conditions and extreme heat fueled a series of wildfires across Texas, New Mexico and Arizona May Tornadoes - Over 180 twisters, including the EF5 that leveled Joplin, Mo., and an EF5 that cut 75 miles across Oklahoma June Tornadoes - Outbreak of 81 tornadoes over central states (OK, TX, KS, NE, MO, IA, IL), with additional wind/hail damage over TN, GA, NC and SC Upper Midwest Flooding - Estimated 11,000 evacuated from Minot, N.D. where an estimated 4,000 homes flooded Hurricane Irene - Made its initial landfall over coastal North Carolina and moved northward along the Mid-Atlantic Coast before making a final landfall over New York City as a tropical storm More: NOAA - Extreme weather 2011 2011 billion-dollar disaster tally continues to climb Record number of weather disasters in 2011

A 2011 US weather year in review exposes a laundry list of billion dollar disasters.

  • Groundhog Day Blizzard - Affected many central and eastern states, with Chicago recorded its biggest 24-hour snow total with 20 inches
  • April Thunderstorm Outbreak - A massive wind damage event with tornadoes swept from the Ohio Valley to the South and mid-Atlantic
  • April 9-10 Tornadoes - Included an EF3 tornado that leveled Mapleton, Iowa, on April 9, and another on April 10 in Merrill, Wis.
  • 3-Day April Tornado Outbreak -  Ranging from the central and southern Plains to Mississippi, Alabama, Virginia and the Carolinas, with over 175 tornadoes
  • April 25-28 Tornadoes - Massive outbreak with estimated 343 tornadoes, including several EF4s and EF5s
  • Mississippi River Flooding - Record- and bank-breaking in April, with over 3 billion dollars in damages
  • Southern Plains & Southwest Drought - Massive impacts carried from the spring into the summer in Texas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Arizona, southern Kansas, and western Arkansas and Louisiana
  • Wildfires (Spring-Fall) - Drought conditions and extreme heat fueled a series of wildfires across Texas, New Mexico and Arizona
  • May Tornadoes - Over 180 twisters, including the EF5 that leveled Joplin, Mo., and an EF5 that cut 75 miles across Oklahoma
  • June Tornadoes - Outbreak of 81 tornadoes over central states (OK, TX, KS, NE, MO, IA, IL), with additional wind/hail damage over TN, GA, NC and SC
  • Upper Midwest Flooding - Estimated 11,000 evacuated from Minot, N.D. where an estimated 4,000 homes flooded
  • Hurricane Irene - Made its initial landfall over coastal North Carolina and moved northward along the Mid-Atlantic Coast before making a final landfall over New York City as a tropical storm

Source commons.wikimedia.org

Sea-level rise could cripple New York City with just one Irene-like storm. A new state report details the impacts of climate change across New York state, and it finds that sea level rise due to our changing climate would leave lower Manhattan dangerously exposed to flood surges during major storms. “The risks and the impacts are huge,” said Art deGaetano, a climate scientist at Cornell University and lead author of the study. “Clearly areas of the city that are currently inhabited will be uninhabitable with the rising of the sea.” Effects of rising oceans and changing weather patterns will be felt within the next decade, with sea levels around New York expected to rise up to 10 inches. The findings took two years to compile and New York mayor Michael Bloomberg was so concerned after early briefings that he extended the depth of the report. Water levels are not the only threat; temperatures are also expected to rise 5-10 degrees, further stressing the city’s infrastructure. More: Major storms could submerge New York City Download the fully licensed New York report (Adobe .pdf)

Sea-level rise could cripple New York City with just one Irene-like storm.

A new state report details the impacts of climate change across New York state, and it finds that sea level rise due to our changing climate would leave lower Manhattan dangerously exposed to flood surges during major storms.

“The risks and the impacts are huge,” said Art deGaetano, a climate scientist at Cornell University and lead author of the study. “Clearly areas of the city that are currently inhabited will be uninhabitable with the rising of the sea.”

Effects of rising oceans and changing weather patterns will be felt within the next decade, with sea levels around New York expected to rise up to 10 inches.

The findings took two years to compile and New York mayor Michael Bloomberg was so concerned after early briefings that he extended the depth of the report.

Water levels are not the only threat; temperatures are also expected to rise 5-10 degrees, further stressing the city’s infrastructure.

Source commons.wikimedia.org