Angela Fields
Natural Disasters
10/18/2015
5 Severe weather occurrences currently around the world
On October 18th 2015 there is a flash flood warning in northern San Bernardino, southeastern Inyo and southeastern Nye counties. Mile marker 26 and 27 on route US-95 is experiencing flash floods and is closed in both directions according to the Nevada Department of Transportation. Further warnings are issued to Mercury, Shoshone, Lathrop Wells, Dante’s View, Death Valley Junction and Amargosa Valley some of which may experience flash flooding due to continued rain fall. Scattered to Isolated thunderstorms yielding rainfall generally between a half to an inch of rain an hour at times. The storms will be going from the SW to the NE at about 15 to 25 mph over the majority of the day covering a lot of the southern Nevada and surrounding areas of NW Arizona and southeastern California. Most areas when I checked were indicating Mesocyclones in the affected areas and a few had high chances of hail. Las Vegas was having 57% humidity and a dew point of 60°. Temperature was 76° F.
Also on the 18th Meteoalarm, reported Malaga, Cadiz, Sevilla in Spain in an orange lv rains and thunderstorms zone with
humidity at 85% precipitation 100%. Winds SE at 5 mph and was about 71°. The time is 9:30 p.m. presently in the area.
El Niño is believed to have brought flood like rains to California on Thursday October 15th causing mudslides, flash
floods and debris flows along the 58, Interstate 5 and in 2 nearby mountainside communities. About 200 cars and trucks
are now stuck in the harden mud as well as at least a dozen houses reporting damage. Fortunately no one was killed
or seriously injured however some farmers reported some death of livestock. The ground was very dry from the drought
California had been experiencing all year long and when the thunderstorms powered by a low pressure system pulling
in moisture from the south, the grounds collapsed from the sudden pour of rain. As much as 1.45 inches of rain fell in
short time as the thunderstorms passed but left other precipitation after it causing the flows.
Near the Philippines Typhoon Koppu or Lando to the Philippines is producing heavy rains the last several days on the
northern island of Luzon and will continue for several more. There are high concerns this rain may cause flash floods
and mudslides. Baler is currently the hardiest hit with building damage reported today the 18th. Power outages have also
been reported as well as 2 deaths and several others missing. Koppu made landfall near Casiguran in Luzon’s Aurora
province at around 1 a.m. local time today. The U.S military’s Joint Typhoon Warning Center estimated that the typhoon
had sustained one-minute winds of 150 mph right before landfall which is the equivalent of a category 4 hurricane the
strongest the island has seen in 5 years. Luzon is home to almost half of the country’s 98 million people and with the
storm moving at a very slow rate dropping heavy rains the floods and slides are a high concern for the islanders.
Hurricane Olaf is the 15th named eastern Pacific hurricane of this season. It’s located over 1,700 miles WSW off the
southern tip of Baja California on today the 18th. Not currently a threat to land the hurricane is picking up strength
headed WNW at 12 mph and could become a major hurricane in the next several days. At 8 am PDT it was located at
latitude 9.5°N and longitude 133.2°W with winds up to 80 mph a category 1 hurricane.
Near Marquette, Michigan on Thursday Oct. 15th a waterspout (a tornado that forms over water) was spotted on
Lake Superior. The flow of cool air into the zones of warm, moist air rising from the lakes can cause the small areas of
rotation which can rise tighten and form the waterspouts.
