This day in 1986 seen from space
Absolutely incredible view from space on this day in 1986, the day the Space Shuttle Challenger exploded taking the lives of all the crew on board.
TRMM Satellite sees heavy rains in Australia and the Philippines
Australia:
The Queensland Coast has been seeing persistent rains this week due to Ex-Cyclone Oswald. This has caused record breaking rainfall in many areas and as shown here it was not just a isolated event.
Philippines:
Visayas and Mindanao have also come under fire this week as rain showers from a persistent trough of low pressure impact the area, in Compostela Valley a area severely impacted by Typhoon Bopha the rains caused severe flooding.
Dangerous smog hits China's Capitol Again
Factories keep on working and a High pressure pushes in capping all that toxic air being released in China’s major cities. The set up is the same as last week as the air quality in China’s capitol rises to Hazardous levels according to the US Embassy which recorded a reading for PM2.5 or respiratory particulates smaller than 2.5 micrometres in diameter that stood at 434 per cubic meter that morning, A far cry from going outside and getting fresh air to say the least.
For travelers the smog / fog always spelled problems at the airport where at least 20 flights were cancelled due to low visibility on the runways. This all comes in the wake of heavy snow over the weekend that always cancelled flights.
The latest series of severe smog in China has raised the question for many residents. Is the rapid growth of the economy coming at a cost to peoples health in the city and further more the environment around it. At this time it is a resounding yes.
Another Round of Snow Setting up In Tokyo Tuesday
A week after a snow storm hit Tokyo another one is gearing up to bring wet snow across the city and surrounding areas.
The culprit is a low pressure area moving across Japan from South Eastern China. Its trajectory will bring it from the South East going around the blocking factor of the Japanese Alps that typically cause snowfall to taper off before reaching the Metro area of Tokyo.
The heaviest snow will likely fall outside the down town area in to the mountains yet the city itself is expected to see dusting to a cm of wet snow through the overnight hours and in to Tuesday morning. This storm will not be nearly the intensity we saw last Monday with the Super Storm that combined with a Tropical Depression near the Philippines. Yet it still poses the threat of a Tuesday morning traffic mess. As always our recommendations are to leave home early, have an umbrella handy, and bring a extra pair of socks.
This update and more at www.westernpacificweather.com
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Updated: 9:44 AM GMT on January 21, 2013
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Japan Sea Effect Snow
I been asked lately what sets up Sea Effect Snow in Japan, here is a quick map breaking down the ingredients needed for some of the heaviest on earth.
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Updated: 10:13 AM GMT on January 18, 2013
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Worst floods in Six years in Jakarta
Indonesia has been battered by consistent rainfall due to the monsoon season the past several days. Thursday was extra harsh for the Capitol of Jakarta where four died in some of the worst rains to hit the city in years. At least 180mm of rainfall was recorded in Jakarta on Thursday alone.
The heavy rains and rising waters have forced at least 20,000 people to leave there homes across the city. Commuters also suffered as all bus traffic was suspended and the airport was cut off from the city, even though it did remain open many were unable to reach it.
This persistent monsoonal flow is expected to persist through the coming days with a state of emergency engaged until January 27th, at that time the local government expects the rainfall to start to ease. A slight improvement though will occur over the weekend as moisture gets dragged off by developing weather features to the south. Yet afternoon showers enhanced by Indonesia’s famous sea breeze will continue to develop after that.
The amount homeless is not nearly as bad as it was six years ago in 2007 when floods ravaged the city, yet local authorities are warning that conditions may allow for such a catastrophic event to occur again.
This article and more at http://www.westernpacificweather.com/2013/01/17/f loods-swamp-indonesias-capitol-jakarta/
Worst floods in Six years in Jakarta
Indonesia has been battered by consistent rainfall due to the monsoon season the past several days. Thursday was extra harsh for the Capitol of Jakarta where four died in some of the worst rains to hit the city in years. At least 180mm of rainfall was recorded in Jakarta on Thursday alone.
The heavy rains and rising waters have forced at least 20,000 people to leave there homes across the city. Commuters also suffered as all bus traffic was suspended and the airport was cut off from the city, even though it did remain open many were unable to reach it.
This persistent monsoonal flow is expected to persist through the coming days with a state of emergency engaged until January 27th, at that time the local government expects the rainfall to start to ease. A slight improvement though will occur over the weekend as moisture gets dragged off by developing weather features to the south. Yet afternoon showers enhanced by Indonesia’s famous sea breeze will continue to develop after that.
The amount homeless is not nearly as bad as it was six years ago in 2007 when floods ravaged the city, yet local authorities are warning that conditions may allow for such a catastrophic event to occur again.
This article and more at http://www.westernpacificweather.com/2013/01/17/f loods-swamp-indonesias-capitol-jakarta/
Tokyo Snow seen from space.
The image above is from the MTSAT taken at 0300Z or 1200JST on Tuesday January 15th, a day after one of the worst storms to hit Tokyo in 15 years. In the zoomed in area in the top left of the page you can see the Tokyo circled. Typically this is a grayish color on a real color map but today pure white covers the city side due to the heavy snow.
Snow often falls in the city at least once a year during the mid-winter month. But a combination of factors. They were moisture from a Tropical Depression near the Philippines, a deepening trough over china supporting surface low pressure and cold air surging in out of Russia.
Currently the storm continues to push away from Japan and on the satellite imagery it is very evident it has become a monster storm with pressure down to 940hpa and winds nearing 100kts. If you were to use pressure only to compare this to a hurricane it would be a category 4 storm.
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Updated: 1:06 PM GMT on January 15, 2013
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Severe Winter Storm Slams Tokyo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E8Cz_K6bDcw
A severe winter storm hit Tokyo Japan today, the link above (because I don't know how to embed video is a webcast breaks down why so much snow in such a short time in a place that does not typical see so much. Also what to expect next as the storm pushes out to sea and a sudden surge of cold air dives as far south as the Tropics.
The crude diagram below depicts roughly the conditions massed together to form this deepening low pressure area.
Winds off the coastline of Tokyo are expected to rise to near 80kts; this would be the equivalent of a Strong Hurricane and if the storm was in the United States I’m sure The Weather Channel would have it named.
Dynamics of Severe Snow Storm In Tokyo
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Updated: 12:50 PM GMT on January 14, 2013
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East Asia Satellite Analysis 13 JAN
Below is a little peak at what I do from day to day, I have been thinking about starting to blog here again. So this will be a start in to that.
