Most Intense September Storm in 30 years strikes the UK

The strongest September storm to hit the UK in over 30 years has caused widespread flooding and wind damage across the British archipelago. Meteorologists gave warning to UK residents of winds to 70 miles per hour along the southeast coast of England and rains totaling 3 inches in parts. The storm made landfall on Monday and made its way north to Scotland also bringing heavy rains with damaging winds there. One death was blamed on this storm when a woman was hit by a falling tree branch near London on Sunday. Experts say the storm formed near the Azores last week and might have gotten a boost of energy from former Hurricane Nadine, which was weaking over the mid Atlantic. Motorists should take precaution on the roads and are advised not to take on flooded roads. http://www.accuweather.com/en/weather-blogs/andrews/uk-storm-cuts-loose-with-rain-wind-1/78327

Super Typhoon Jelawat heads north to Japan

Super Typhoon Jelawat continues its path north of the Philippines on its way to Okinawa and Japan. The storm has strengthened to a category 4 with maximum sustained winds of 150 miles per hour. Jelawat is expected to gain speed towards mainland Japan with landfall to occur sunday and into monday south of Tokyo. With lower temperatures in its path, Typhoon Jelawat is expected to weaken to a category 1 by the time it hits Japan. However, the air force base and residents of Okinawa should be prepared for the storm's impact. Structures should be more secure and people should evacuate to shelters.

http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/view.php?id=79280

Typhoon Slams the Koreas

A strong typhoon hit North and South Korea on Monday September 17th bringing in huge amounts of rain and powerful winds. The storm has already claimed one life and has caused the power to go out for thousands in South Korea. Typhoon Sanba hit the south early Monday before heading to North Korea, however the storm exited the peninsula and moved East into the ocean. Sanba also hit Japan before moving into the Koreas where it lost most of its strength. Both countries saw flooding, but it did little damage compared to the previous typhoons that slammed the peninsula in the weeks prior. It is not unusual for typhoons to make landfall in the Koreas where residents are more prepared for them therefore there were less fatalities.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/49063467/ns/weather/#.UFk8bY2PX5E  

Wildfires in the Western US continue to burn

In what looks to be a record number of acres burned due to wildfire in the US is still continuing into September. Some of these fires in the west have been burning for months now and the image above shows one that was recently discovered in eastern Montana. Some are blaming climate change and changes in forestry practice for the increase of wildfires in the US in the past decades. As a result from climate change, there is less snow and ice cover in the winter months and more heat waves during the summer. As of September 18, the wildfires have burned 8.4 million acres, a size bigger than the states of Maryland. Oregon, Idaho, and Montana were the hardest hit states this year from this devastating natural hazard. People living in these areas had to be evacuated as the flames encroached on their homes. There is not much anyone can do to prevent this natural hazard, but to be alarmed when it is threatening somebody's property.
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/view.php?id=79221

A look at the forecasted drought of summer 2012

The Palmer Drought Severity Index (PDSI) in June predicted areas in the United States where drought would most likely hit. The image above shows that much of the southern portion of the country including all if not most of Texas within the extremely dry conditions. This prediction was done at the beginning of summer and missed much of the actual drought that hit southern Wisconsin. The image below shows what the real drought from this past summer.

This natural hazard represents a developmental paradigm because it will have an impact on the people living in these areas. Also looking at the drought and why it is developmental paradigm it is evident that the people hardest hit were the ones living in the great plains where much of the country's agriculture is located. To make this a complexity paradigm it is necessary to see how this affected crop yields and food prices for the US. The number of farmers with crop insurance is also an important factor because the areas that were hardest hit are not usually affected by drought. These are the few ways how nature affects humans on a big scale.

Guatemala's Volcano of Fire erupts

 

Guatemala's "Volcán del Fuego" erupted this morning September 13, 2012 six miles southwest of the city of Antigua, population 45,000. Evacuation orders have already been sent out for more than 33,000 residents as thick clouds of ash and rivers of lava were ejected out. Emergency officials state that flights in the area may be affected by this major eruption in the Central American country. In the nearby state of Chiapas in Mexico might also be affected by this as winds blow the ash in their direction. According to Gustavo Chicna, a volcanologist ash was reported falling 50 miles away from the volcano. 17 nearby communities are greatly affected by this eruption and are within the evacuation zone. The area continues to be monitored as the volcano may still be erupting. Emergency procedures have been taken into affect and damage from the eruption is still unknown.

 

http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/story/2012/09/13/guatemalas-volcano-of-fire-erupts-33000-evacuated/57777654/1

Britain's wettest summer totals 1 billion pounds

In what appears to be Britain's wettest summer in 100 years, has taken a huge toll on farmers in the countryside. Farms are experiencing poor crop yields as many of them are rotting. The agricultural losses tally up to 600 million pounds which will negatively affect the UK's economy. Tourism has also been hit as campsites and other events had to be shut down or cancelled. As a result food prices in the UK are expected to rise. Britain was hoping this summer would yield better than last summer which was considered a bad year for farmers.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-19521845

Arctic Sea ice at an all time low

Recent satellite imagery from NASA's Goddard Space flight center shows a dramatic shrinking of ice on the Arctic Sea, the most it has seen in three decades. According to NASA, the extent of the ice measured on August 26, 2012 covered 1.58 million square miles breaking the previous record of 1.61 million set on September 18, 2007. Scientists do predict the ice cap to continue melting this month before it grows during the winter months. The line on the image shows where the ice cap was back in 1979 displaying a gradual decline since that time.

http://www.nasa.gov/topics/earth/features/arctic-seaice-2012.html