Hurricane Florence

[jane-e]

If you have a minute, send a thought or two to those affected by Hurricane Florence on the East Coast of the USA, mostly in the Carolinas so far. As of today, twelve are dead, a million are without power, and untold numbers have evacuated their homes to safer grounds. Some areas have gotten 30" of rain.

Hurricane Florence Updates: 12 Dead, Power Failures and Catastrophic Flooding - The New York Times

[Nancy OShea]

The weather experts are calling hurricane Florence another one of those 1,000 year events. Meanwhile, the list of retired hurricane names is increasing.

How hurricane names are 'retired' from use for future storms | Fox News

And to think that some people still don't believe that global warming is impacting our planet. Good grief!

[jane-e]

In another part of the world, Typhoon Mangkhut is causing death and destruction:

Typhoon Mangkhut: Deadly typhoon lands in south China - BBC News

Interesting read on the “retired” list, Nancy.

[D Fosse]

jane-e  wrote

In another part of the world, Typhoon Mangkhut

Mangkhut hit the Philippines as a full category 5 hurricane. Florence was downgraded to category 1 before it reached the coast. Of course, wind speed is only part of the story.

[Trevor.Dennis]

https://forums.adobe.com/people/D+Fosse  wrote

jane-e   wrote

In another part of the world, Typhoon Mangkhut

Mangkhut hit the Philippines as a full category 5 hurricane. Florence was downgraded to category 1 before it reached the coast. Of course, wind speed is only part of the story.

We saw that on our news, but it can't reflect the full story, as the impact has been so strong.  Is it because it was slow moving?  The fact that it was downgraded might be a bad thing, as it will slow down and spend more time at a given location.  I believe it also covers a greater than usual area, which would be why so many people have been affected.

Are hurricane category designations just wind speed dependant? 

There might be other factors like coinciding with a King Tide, or the so call Storm Surge that batters the coast with solid walls of water. 

What is the terrain like where it has hit?  I live 16 kilometres from the coast, but we are just 5 metres ASL, and two kilometers from here it is just 3M ASL.  We are being warned that a 9.0 earthquake is likely in our lifetime, and we are by no means safe from the resulting tsunami even this far inland.

Unravelling the risk from the killer faults threatening central New Zealand | Stuff.co.nz

Like Nancy says, it is crazy to deny Global Warming, but it seems that some people have a short term vested interest in doing so, and to hell with the planet and the people who come after us. 

[D Fosse]

Wind speed does seem to be the only parameter. But depending on the topography, flooding and/or landslides cause most of the immediate damage and fatalities.

As for global warming, I feel the discussion benefits from a bit of realism. There were hurricanes and floods 100 years ago and they were bad back then too. But today the consequences are often much worse, because more people are packed tighter together in exposed areas. Slum areas and general poverty may be the most immediate concern here.

The problem is that you can't say that today, without being immediately branded "climate skeptic". Which I am most certainly not.

[Trevor.Dennis]

Blimmin heck!  Our TV news mentioned tonight that Hurricane Florence has dumped up to 40 inches of rain in some places, and 30 inches in a lot of the area affected.  That is a staggering amount of rain.   We feel very properly rained on when we get 20-30cm over a couple of days!

[jane-e]

https://forums.adobe.com/people/D+Fosse  wrote

There were hurricanes and floods 100 years ago and they were bad back then too.

The problem is that you can't say that today, without being immediately branded "climate skeptic". Which I am most certainly not.

Hi Dag,

One difference now is that “1000 year storms” happen more often. Historic Ellicott City near me saw two “1000 year storms recently—in 2016 and again this year.

We have always had extinctions, as well, but they are occurring at a faster rate than ever before. The Sixth Extinction is an eye-opening book that goes into more detail.

Ellicott City flood: Here's what a '1,000-year storm' actually means - Baltimore Sun

How Ellicott City flooded: A timeline - Baltimore Sun

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/weather/bs-md-ellicott-city-flooding-timeline-20180530-story.html

[D Fosse]

I know that, Jane, and I'm on your side. I'm just a sucker for sobriety, because that makes the real arguments much more credible. For instance, I just read in a couple of newspapers that the severe impact of Florence was partly because of rising sea levels. Now, rising sea levels is a projection. It may well happen, but it hasn't happened yet, or not to any degree that can be measured. That doesn't mean we shouldn't worry about it - but it's not responsible for flooding in North Carolina.

But yes, we are quickly destroying the planet. No argument from me there. Species disappear at an alarming rate.

[jane-e]

Trevor.Dennis  wrote

We saw that on our news, but it can't reflect the full story, as the impact has been so strong. .

Are hurricane category designations just wind speed dependant?

For the full impact of the storm, you need to see the graphics on the Weather Channel, Trevor. Stephen Colbert has included them in the first minute of this clip for our convenience. This is a must-see weather graphic.

This Tweet Trumps All Other Horrible Trump Tweets - YouTube

A hurricane is measured by wind:

What is a hurricane?

Wilmington, NC got over 2 feet (.6 meters) of rain and a million people lost power. Wilmington is expecting more flash flooding.

Florence was supposed to come our way, but it changed direction and also weakened. It hit parts of Virginia, a couple of hours away from us.

[Trevor.Dennis]

jane-e  wrote

For the full impact of the storm, you need to see the graphics on the Weather Channel, Trevor. Stephen Colbert has included them in the first minute of this clip for our convenience. This is a must-see weather graphic.

This Tweet Trumps All Other Horrible Trump Tweets - YouTube

They had the solution right there in that graphic. Connect up one of those big fire truck pump hoses to the hydrant, and move the lever all the way round to SUCK.  They could connect the other end to Lake Mead, or anywhere likely to have brush fires next summer.  Sorted (as Noel Gallagher would say).

[jane-e]

Trevor.Dennis  wrote

They had the solution right there in that graphic. Connect up one of those big fire truck pump hoses to the hydrant, and move the lever all the way round to SUCK. 

Good idea, Trevor—they had better be quick before those boaters go right over the edge and spill onto dry land!