PREVIOUS DISASTERS

Friday, June 30, 2006 -

QUAKES -
Largest quakes yesterday -
6/29 -
5.2 SERAM, INDONESIA
5.0 SOUTHERN IRAN

VOLCANOES -
PHILIPPINES - New magma movement within Mt. Bulusan detected. The volcano has acted up anew as monitoring instruments around its slopes detected five volcanic tremors and small short duration harmonic tremor in the past 24-hour observation period Thursday, which scientists say are indicators of magma movement within the volcano. It was the first detected harmonic tremor in the past few days since Bulusan has shown decreased abnormal behavior. “These indicate magma movement which may lead to more explosions." The volume of emitted sulfur dioxide in the crater and western fissures again increased to 1,1444 tons per day from the 597 tons per day on June 28.

TROPICAL STORMS -
Tropical depression 04W was 169 nmi S of Yap, Caroline Islands.

THUNDERSTORMS / HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING -
EASTERN U.S. - The rainfall total for a five-day period is staggering. Storms dumped a foot of rain in four days. That's more than the rainfall total for the first five months of the year at National Airport. And it dwarfs precipitation from some recent hurricanes. Tropical Storm Isabel, which hit in September 2003, dumped two to four inches of rain across Maryland and Washington.

CHINA - Flooding in a mountainous area of southern China killed at least 30 people and destroyed more than 2,400 homes.

PAKISTAN - Early monsoon rains threaten quake reconstruction and relief efforts. Already, many of Pakistan's quake-affected areas have been hit by rains which signal the full force of the monsoon may only be days away. "The rains have come early in many areas. Smaller roads are blocked, and because the hillsides are already damaged by the earthquake, landslides will inevitably take place in larger numbers this year."

GERMANY - A FREAK storm that hit parts of south-western Germany, bringing with it hailstones almost as big as tennis balls, killed one farmer and injured more than 100 people, damaged cars and put holes in roofs. The farmer, trying to herd his cows into a shed, was swept away by a swollen stream on Wednesday evening after the thunderstorm caused a sudden rise in water levels. (photos)
Less than 24 hours later, a similar hailstorm, with somewhat smaller hailstones, hit the same area of the Black Forest, knocking a man off a roof as he was repairing damage from the Wednesday evening storm. He was in critical condition. The downpour again flooded building basements. The summer storms, attributed by meteorologists to sharp changes of temperature, caused millions of euros in damage. The extremes were marked by a temperature reading of minus one degree Celsius at dawn on Friday on Germany's North Sea coast and reports of 40 degrees in the shade, just 1,200km away in Bosnia-Herzegovina. Spots baked by the sun had reached temperatures of 60 degrees in Bosnia this week. The previous seven days had been THE HOTTEST FOR A CENTURY.

SNOW / COLD -
NEW ZEALAND - the low-pressure system on Monday June 12th was a major system, bringing severe wind, rain and snow. It was followed by a sustained blast of polar-chilled southwesterly winds that kept some snow on the ground for longer than a week. "Such sustained cold is EXTREMELY RARE". This is the first occasion we have seen it happen this decade, but there were two notable examples during the nineties."

HEAT -
CALIFORNIA - A heat wave sweeping through California is bringing 115 degree weather to many cities over the 4th of July weekend. The heat in the West this weekend is expected to get so bad that the Weather Service is advising people to stay indoors.

Thursday, June 29, 2006 -

QUAKES -
Largest quakes yesterday -
6/28 -
5.7 SOUTHERN IRAN
5.1 FIJI ISLANDS REGION

VOLCANOES -
ECUADOR - Tungurahua volcano registered 50 explosions in 24 hours Tuesday. It is now experiencing "shivers": constant tremors inside the crater's bed. Volcanologists have observed constant emissions of gas, ash and water vapor that is forming a cloud around 1 km above the volcano's crater. Flocks of villagers living near the volcano, located 135 km from the capital Quito, have voluntarily left their homes, saying the loud explosions made it hard for them to sleep at night.

GUATEMALA - The Volcano of Fire's activity increased Wednesday. This increases the risk of disaster in Guatemala, already affected by intensive rains that provoked floods and collapses in several towns and the capital. The National Coordinator for Disaster Reduction has already given first warnings for the possible evacuation of some 500 people from 4 towns. This is one of the country´s three volcanoes in constant activity, along with the Pacaya in south Guatemala, and Santiaguito, in the west.

MONTSERRAT - Scientists at the Montserrat Volcano Observatory have reported that there is an ongoing swarm of volcanic earthquakes at shallow depths, “the LIKES OF WHICH HAVE NOT BEEN SEEN AT THE MVO FOR YEARS.” On Monday, authorities increased the volcanic alert to level 4. "This comes in the wake of increased seismic activity this past weekend, which is still ongoing.”

TROPICAL STORMS -
Tropical depression JELAWAT was 228 nmi WSW of Hong Kong.

THUNDERSTORMS / HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING -
EASTERN U.S. - THE WORST FLOODING IN THE EASTERN U.S FOR DECADES, triggered by days of torrential downpours, has killed at least nine people and forced thousands to flee their homes. With roads washed out and waters rising, authorities declared emergencies across large swathes of New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania. Travel along the heavily trafficked Eastern Seaboard from Virginia to New York was hard-hit. Up to 200,000 people in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania and the surrounding area were ordered to evacuate their homes today as the Susquehanna River rose to dangerous levels. The river neared a 12.4m flood stage level that threatened to put UNPRECEDENTED strain on the area's flood control system. The Coast Guard used helicopters to rescue up to 70 people stranded on rooftops in the city, which had not seen a similar emergency since 1972 when a tropical storm swept through the area. New York's Governor said it was BY FAR THE WORST FLOODING HE HAD SEEN IN 12 YEARS as governor. "This is is a very low-lying area that has flooded in the past. The afternoon commute ... is already devastating. This is going to be the largest flood we've had maybe since 1955." Major rivers across the region were threatening to crest at dramatic levels.

FLORIDA - Several homes in Central Florida were damaged by fires caused by some of the 16,000 lightning strikes associated with Tuesday's passing storms.

MONTANA - A series of small landslides cut off visitor access to Yellowstone National Park from Gardiner for over three hours Tuesday.

MALAYSIA - An eight-year-old girl was killed when tonnes of soil slammed into a wooden house in a landslide on Monday night at Sepanggar. Eight families at Kampung Bundu in Karambunai, the site where the girl was killed , have been told to move out. Their homes are located just 50 metres below a stretch of road that collapsed after heavy rains triggered the landslide on Monday. The 16-hour downpour on Sunday evening caused massive floods in districts surrounding the city and at 41 villages in Beaufort.

WIND -
Sandstorms could be carrying close to 20 kinds of microbes that pose a health hazard, according to research released by the Environmental Protection Administration. Researchers found that when a sandstorm hit Taiwan earlier this year, the number of germs and funguses in the atmosphere rose by five to six times that of regular days. Some microbes, shrouded by sand grains from the ultraviolet solar rays that would otherwise kill them, could travel thousands of kilometers. Taiwan, Japan and Korea are on the pathway of sandstorms. The duration of such storms can last from merely a few hours to close to a week. The average size of the germs carried by the sandstorms ranges from 2.5 micrometers (one-millionth of a meter) to 10 micrometers, which are not easily filtered out by nose hairs.

Wednesday, June 28, 2006 -

QUAKES -
Largest quakes yesterday -
6/27 -
5.7 NICOBAR ISLANDS, INDIA, REG
5.1 NICOBAR ISLANDS, INDIA, REG
5.0 VANUATU ISLANDS
5.0 SOUTHERN PERU
5.0 NEAR COAST OF ECUADOR
5.5 NEAR COAST OF OAXACA, MEXICO
5.5 CHILE-BOLIVIA BORDER REGION
5.5 NORTHERN CHILE
5.7 WEST OF MACQUARIE ISLAND
5.6 FIJI ISLANDS REGION
5.4 FIJI ISLANDS REGION
6.0 FIJI ISLANDS REGION
6.0 RAT ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS.

VOLCANOES -
MONTSERRAT - Authorities increased the volcanic alert level on the island on Monday following increased seismic activity over the weekend. The Soufriere Hills Volcano roared to life in 1995 after years of being dormant. Last month, the lava dome of the volcano collapsed causing mud flows and surges along the north-east flank of the island. The increased seismic activity could lead to the possibility of serious eruptive activity that could affect some inhabited areas.

TROPICAL STORMS -
Tropical storm JELAWAT was 246 nmi SW of Hong Kong.
CHINA - typhoon Jelawat will land on south China tonight or Thursday morning.
PHILIPPINES - Six young people drowned in stormy weather on a beach west of Manila on Monday, due to the tropical storm. The six youngsters were swimming on a beach in Morong town in Bataan province on Monday afternoon when the weather turned nasty, and they were overwhelmed by rough waves. Civil defense officials said they had unconfirmed reports that the bodies of two other people were recovered from the sea.

A potential tropical depression moved inland over the Carolinas coast Tuesday afternoon, bringing 35 to 40 mph winds to parts of the Outer Banks. The system's development into a tropical cyclone is less likely now that it has moved onshore but forecasters are still keeping an eye on the cluster of storms as it moves northeast. The system could cross North Carolina's barrier islands and emerge again over open water or the Chesapeake Bay and cause problems for parts of Virginia and Maryland, which have already been flooded over the past few days. Forecasters were already warning vacationers to beware of strong surf and deadly rip currents this week, particularly on east- and south-facing beaches. Rescuers pulled dozens of beachgoers out of the water over the weekend - including more than 40 people on Wrightsville Beach alone - and one woman died off Sullivans Island near Charleston. At least 45 people along the Carolinas coast have been caught and killed by rip currents since 2000. Eight people have died since the last July Fourth weekend.

With disturbances popping up most every day, it might appear this hurricane season already is boiling with tropical activity. The National Hurricane Center was monitoring two systems on Tuesday. But at this time of year, most disturbances fizzle, and so far conditions are relatively normal. "Every year, we start tracking these tropical waves in late May, coming off the coast of Africa. We pretty much have a typical start." On average, the first tropical storm forms on July 11 and the second on Aug. 8. So Tropical Storm Alberto, which hit the Big Bend area of Florida on June 13, did arrive earlier than normal.

THUNDERSTORMS / HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING -
PENNSYLVANIA - The National Weather Service now expects much of eastern Pennsylvania to be hit with major flooding today from rivers, streams and creeks. The flooding has the potential to put the Schuylkill River at its HIGHEST LEVEL IN PHILADELPHIA IN 145 YEARS. In Philadelphia, the flood stage is 11 feet. It could rise to 15.5 feet by Wednesday afternoon into Thursday. Its highest recorded level is 17 feet. A crest at that predicted level would top levels seen by Hurricane Agnes and Floyd.

HAIL -
WISCONSIN - Severe storms that lumbered through Columbia County on Sunday afternoon flattened farm fields with an hour-and-a-half barrage of hail and dumped up to six inches of rain on parts of the county. Hail accumulated like winter precipitation in front of houses, reaching depths of a foot and a half. Hail was still piled in low-lying areas over 24 hours after the storm struck. "I've never seen anything like it. We were in the house and we had to scream in each other's ears to communicate." The county even had to dispatch its snow plows to clear the roads of accumulated hail, which reached six inches deep on some roads. The storms normally would not have inflicted as much damage as they did, but their snail's pace made them dangerous. In what would have been a brief hailstorm and downpour in a typical storm, a large amount of precipitation was concentrated over a small area for an hour and a half.

PHILIPPINES - The Baguio City Weather Bureau said that hail accompanying last Saturday’s downpour in Baguio and Benguet was NOT AN ORDINARY OCCURENCE, although it is likely to happen again due to the continuing warming of the environment.

HEAT / SMOG-
WASHINGTON - For the second consecutive day, Seattle saw RECORD HEAT, along with ONE OF THE EARLIEST SMOG ALERTS ON RECORD, too. It is RARE for a smog advisory this early in the summer; they typically appear in July and August.

Tuesday, June 27, 2006 -

QUAKES -
This morning - 6.0 FIJI ISLANDS REGION
6.0 RAT ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS, ALASKA
Largest quakes yesterday -
6/26 -
5.0 VANUATU ISLANDS
5.5 CERAM SEA
5.4 ANDREANOF ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS.

TROPICAL STORMS -
Tropical storm 03W [Domeng] was 307 nmi S of Hong Kong.
Typhoon Domeng, the second typhoon this year, is gathering steam out over the East Sea moving towards Vietnam. Coastal areas from Ba Ria Vung Tau to Ca Mau will see high winds up to 39kmh and rough seas. (map)

SPECIAL TROPICAL DISTURBANCE STATEMENT 7:30AM - SATELLITE AND RADAR INFORMATION INDICATE THAT A SMALL LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM COULD BE FORMING ABOUT 140 MILES SOUTH OF CAPE FEAR NORTH CAROLINA. THIS SYSTEM HAS THE POTENTIAL TO DEVELOP INTO A TROPICAL DEPRESSION AT ANY TIME AS IT MOVES NORTH TO NORTH-NORTHEASTWARD AT 15 TO 20 MPH. RESIDENTS ALONG THE NORTH CAROLINA COAST SHOULD CLOSELY MONITOR THE PROGRESS OF THIS SYSTEM TODAY AS TROPICAL STORM WARNINGS COULD BE REQUIRED WITH LITTLE NOTICE. EVEN IF THIS SYSTEM DOES NOT FORM INTO A TROPICAL CYCLONE... SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ACCOMPANIED BY LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL AND STRONG GUSTY WINDS WILL GRADUALLY SPREAD ONSHORE on THE NORTH CAROLINA COAST TODAY AND EARLY TONIGHT. [Site note - sorry about the caps, didn't want to retype the whole thing]

THUNDERSTORMS / HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING -
JAPAN - Heavy rain pounded Kyushu on Monday, causing mudslides, killing one person and injuring five others in Kumamoto Prefecture. The Meteorological Agency warned that the downpour, which has so far hit Kumamoto the hardest, would likely continue through this morning and the danger of landslides COULD RISE TO A LEVEL UNSEEN IN YEARS. Also in Yamato, a 74-year-old woman was trapped inside a house hit by a mudslide, but was rescued. Mudslides have reported in at least 85 locations in Kyushu between Thursday, when it started raining, through Monday evening.

INDONESIA - Floods triggered by heavy rain killed 22 people in central Indonesia, the second such disaster in the sprawling nation in less than a week.

WASHINGTON D.C. - Waves of heavy showers and thunderstorms drenched Washington and the surrounding mid-Atlantic on Sunday, triggering flash flooding that swelled streams over their banks and shut roads throughout the region. Washington up through Baltimore received between five and seven inches of rain ... and most of it was in about a six-hour period. The heavy rainfall in a such a short time-frame was UNUSUAL for Washington, DESTROYING A SINGLE-DAY RECORD for June 25 that goes back to 1870.
Another wave of tropical moisture is likely to move northward through the area today, potentially dropping 2-4" more rain, with locally higher amounts. Some areas may experience 5-day rainfall totals of over one foot. Flash flooding potential. NEW DAILY RAINFALL RECORD at Dulles Airport of 5.94 on Sunday.

MASSACHUSETTS - As of 8 p.m. Sunday, Boston had seen 22.26 inches of rainfall in May and June, the MOST IN A TWO-MONTH PERIOD SINCE RECORD KEEPING BEGAN in 1872. The previous record for any consecutive, two-month rainfall was set in 1955 , when Tropical Storm Dianne dumped nearly half of the 21.37 inches of rain that fell in July and August of that year. This month is the third wettest June on record so far, with 9.78 inches of rainfall as of Sunday night, while last month was the second wettest May on record, with 12.48 inches of precipitation. The poor weather was due to a system described as "a frontal boundary draped across Southern New England," which is hosting warm, moist air along with waves of energy. The weather pattern has stagnated, resulting in days of rain. In addition, the temperature in Boston Sunday afternoon was 66 degrees, 13 degrees cooler than normal, because the wind was coming from the ocean.

WIND -
NEW YORK - A tornado-like storm ripped through the Red Oaks Mill section of LaGrange Sunday night, felling heavy trees, ripping up fences and bringing down electrical wires in the span of a few minutes. When it was done, it left a path of destruction that destroyed several backyards, made roads impassable and required LaGrange firefighters to seek help from the Arlington and New Hackensack fire departments, as well as state police and the Sheriff's Office. Town and county highway departments were removing entire trees from the surrounding roads late Sunday night, and meteorologists were left scratching their heads over what happened. "It's BIZARRE because there's nothing on our radar to indicate any tornado rotation or anything like that...There's nothing in the county that even indicates that.'' "By indications of damage on the ground, some kind of high-velocity wind event caused significant damage here.''

INDIANA - A 'tornado' touched down in southwest Tippecanoe County Sunday afternoon. The storm "was something like a tornado, but not in the classic sense." "The National Weather Service said that the phenomenon was a category of tornado, but acted more like a water spout except that it did not contain water and it happened over dry land. It was VERY UNUSUAL. There were fast moving winds going up and coming down at the same time side-by-side." Land spouts form from different cloud types than normal tornadoes and are not as visible on radar. The first sign of a land spout is often the debris scattering on the ground, leading to the impression that it forms from the ground up, rather than from the cloud down. National Weather Service meteorologists said the tornado also was UNUSUAL because it was isolated and not part of a larger storm system.

Monday, June 26, 2006 -

QUAKES -
Largest quakes yesterday -
6/25 -
5.0 PHILIPPINE ISLANDS REGION
5.1 SOUTH AFRICA
5.2 MOZAMBIQUE CHANNEL
5.3 EASTERN NEW GUINEA

VOLCANOES -
NEW ZEALAND - Scientists in the central North Island are keeping a close eye on Mount Ngauruhoe after an increasing number of earthquakes. The volcano has been largely silent since it last blew in 1975. But for the past two weeks, Ngauruhoe has been showing signs of activity. "These are the initial signs that something is happening and it may just be that these earthquakes just die away and that'll be it. Or they may increase." Ngauruhoe's neighbour Mount Ruapehu is also being monitored. Scientists say a build-up of debris in its crater lake could cause a lahar (mud flow) as early as next summer. The last major lahar on record was that which caused the Tangiwai disaster in 1953.

PHILIPPINES - About 100 residents fled from a farming village after hearing boulders and rocks rumbling down restive Mount Bulusan amid heavy rains from a tropical storm on Saturday. Army and government trucks helped the residents flee from Cogon village below Bulusan. No one was injured and no houses were damaged by the mudflow and boulders - some as big as a car - that tumbled down the volcano.

TROPICAL STORMS -
PHILIPPINES - a tropical storm, locally named “Domeng”, was heading northwest towards Bicol at 19 kilometers per hour. The eye of the storm, packing maximum winds of 90 kilometers per hour, passed Biliran island and was expected to pass beside the Bicol region this morning. It was not expected to hit the region directly. It was initially expected to hit the Bicol region and Aurora and Quezon provinces but changed direction Saturday night and headed for Leyte, Marinduque, and Mindoro island. It has hit Leyte. "If the storm triggers the southwest monsoon, we will have a double headache - rains from the tropical depression and from the monsoon." Warnings against floods and landslides have been issued in Leyte because the land in the area is still "saturated" with rainfall due to typhoon Caloy. The weather bureau is studying the "VERY STRANGE" WEATHER, particularly the development of the southwest monsoon ("Habagat"). The southwest monsoon is "very erratic" because it is not yet developed in the Philippines. "In theory, it (monsoon) should be developed right now. The flooding in Indonesia last week was caused by the inter-tropical convergence zone but it should be in the Visayas now. But it is still in Indonesia. VERY STRANGE." India and China are experiencing floods and landslides because of the southwest monsoon, which they should be experiencing in July, not in May and June. "Right now it's VERY STRANGE. Our southwest monsoon right now should be well developed. Our thunderstorms right now should be caused by southwest monsoon. We expect it to be here June-July." Climatological projections are that the rainy season would be "relatively dry" because the southwest monsoon is not well developed.

A broad area of low pressure from Florida to Georgia is expected to become marginally favorable for further storm development over the next day or so. Even if a tropical system does not develop, it is expected to bring heavy showers and thunderstorms to the Florida peninsula and the coastal areas through North Carolina.

THUNDERSTORMS / HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING -
INDIA - At least six houses and some livestock were swept away by the swollen waters of two irrigation canals after a cloudburst triggered flash floods in two villages of Chamba district on Sunday.

ALASKA - A new storm system heading for Alaska's Interior prompted the National Weather Service to issue flash flood watches Sunday for the Alaska and Richardson highways with the possibility that river levels could rise again later this week. "Just belt after belt after belt of showers coming through." The system has been sitting over the Gulf of Alaska for at least a week gathering moisture. A shift in upper level winds over the weekend began pushing the system north, over Prince William Sound and along the Canada-Alaska border. Delta Junction and the surrounding area had NEAR-RECORD RAINFALL that caused road damage. Similar scenarios will likely play out during the next few days, except the ground and rivers are already saturated from last weeks rain. The Interior usually begins seeing frequent rain showers in late June and early July. But the large amounts of rain are UNUSUAL. "This is not totally unexpected. But certainly the magnitude of the rain is a little more than we would expect this time of year."

MARYLAND - residents say the rain is THE WORST IN OVER 30 YEARS with water rising up several feet. "It was as bad as Hurricane Agnes in '72, only there it rained a couple days to get up that high." Thunderstorms were predicted to last into early this week.

Sunday, June 25, 2006 -

QUAKES -
Largest quakes yesterday -
6/24 -
5.8 MINAHASSA PENINSULA, SULAWESI
5.1 SERAM, INDONESIA
5.3 EAST OF KURIL ISLANDS, RUSSIA
5.1 PHILIPPINE ISLANDS REGION
5.0 CARLSBERG RIDGE
5.1 ARABIAN SEA
5.0 MOZAMBIQUE CHANNEL
6/23 -
5.2 SUNDA STRAIT, INDONESIA
5.4 FIJI ISLANDS REGION
5.3 NEAR COAST OF NORTHERN CHILE
5.3 RAT ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS.
5.0 SOUTHERN IRAN
5.0 SOUTHERN INDIA

OHIO - experts now say the small earthquake felt in northeast Ohio earlier this week was stronger than first thought. Preliminary data had put the magnitude of Monday's shaker at 3.4, but the Ohio Seismic Network now says it was a 3.8. That means the quake was ten times more powerful, given the way the seismic scale works. It was much larger than other similar quakes that have rumbled in the area in recent years. The quake was centered about three miles into Lake Erie near North Perry, about 40 miles east of Cleveland, and was felt along the lake shore.

VOLCANOES -
PHILIPPINES - Mount Canlaon in Negros Island in the central Philippines, some 500 km south of Manila, spewed ash on its upper slope on Saturday afternoon. The ash emission was the third within two days. Saturday's steam clouds rose higher to 1,500 meters. No volcanic earthquake or tremor was detected with the ash emissions.
Government scientists are again closely monitoring Mayon Volcano in Albay as its ABNORMAL BEHAVIOR such as crater glow and sulfur dioxide (SO2) emission are increasing anew. Mayon’s crater glow was again visible to the naked eye at night and the released volume of SO2 was double the normal output. They recorded at least 1,037 sulfur emissions in the past 24 hours. The visible crater glow and the high volume of SO2 could mean that the magma in the volcano is gradually rising towards the surface. Phivolcs decided to lower Mayon’s alert level from 2 to 1 on April 18 due to the continued decline in SO2 emission and crater glow. "But apparently these parameters are again in an increasing trend, which means that Mayon is acting up again."
Meanwhile, the volcanologist monitoring the Bulusan Volcano in Sorsogon, allayed the fears of residents over the SO2 emission of Bulusan which was recorded at 2,310 tons per day or four times higher than the previous volume of 469 tons per day on June 20. He said that the high SO2 emission is not very significant because it was not accompanied by other abnormal parameters such as low- and high-frequency quakes and harmonic tremors. When the SO2 emission is not accompanied by tremors, it could mean that it was just an ordinary release of gas, and not necessarily due to massive magma degassing that could lead to an eruption. He said that the very high volume of SO2 emission in the past 24-hour monitoring period could be due to the declogging of the crater when it spewed ash on June 20. He said, however, that Bulusan Volcano is one of the most unpredictable volcanoes in the country.

AZERBAIJAN - geologists have developed a new mud volcano search method. Buried mud volcanoes have been revealed in the southwest section of Absheron peninsula and at 110km of Baku-Salyan highway. Mud volcanoes have been studied for over 40 years. There are some uncertainties in this sphere of science, there is not a full understanding of the formation and mechanism of visible mud volcanoes. There is no sufficient information on buried volcanoes either. Last year buried volcanoes were revealed in the Azeri sector of the Caspian Sea during exploratory operations. Mud volcanoes are tightly linked to the oil-and-gas content of the area. Over 90% of revealed oil & gas deposits of Azerbaijan are linked to mud volcano structures.

ITALY - A submerged island discovered off the coast of Sicily forms part of a vast underwater volcano, according to new research unveiled by Italian volcanologists and due to be broadcast in the autumn. Tracing two 40-metre columns of bubbles in the sea off the southern Italian island, researchers discovered smoking openings. The smoke was coming from Fernandea, a submerged volcano which the researchers say may be as much as 30 kms long and 25 kms wide. It has not been seen since it erupted in the 19th century. But the discovery of the volcanic outlets is not a cause for concern.

THUNDERSTORMS / HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING -
PHILIPPINES - another landslide may hit the area of Barangay Magsaysay, Kibawi town, Bukidnon. Inspection showed that there were big cracks found in Barangay Magsaysay as well as structures being destroyed due to UNUSUAL EARTH MOVEMENTS. There were six houses that were badly damaged by the ground collapse. Also damaged were facilities such as the barangay health center, newly improved barangay road, barangay hall, basketball court, solar dryer, and electric posts and a drainage system. Black and white photos showed a big crack at the barangay health center, the almost sinking Magsaysay Elementary School, destroyed houses, and traverse cracks affecting barangays roads. Several traverse cracks, with variable dimensions, were noted to have affected an area of about 5-6 hectares encompassing the entire poblacion of Barangay Magsaysay, Puroks 1-3, and part of Sitio Lumbayan, where about 97 households are residing. Meanwhile,officlals have already evacuated hundreds of affected families.

HUNGARY - Sudden storms flooded villages and disrupted rail traffic in N Hungary on Friday, damaging overhead power lines and creating up to two hours of delays in train schedules. One such storm was a sudden cloudburst that hit Nograd county, N Hungary, flooding streets in six villages with half-a-metre water and causing brooks and creeks to overflow, washing away local bridges.

Space Weather / Solar Storms / Meteors - updated Sundays.
ONE ITEM - POSTED HERE -
OHIO - Residents of the Tuscarawas Valley who heard a deafening boom about 12:40 a.m. Monday the 19th and stepped outside likely saw what one person described as “a marvelous fireball with red streaks in the sky.” It probably was a meteor falling through the atmosphere. Numerous callers reported a large red fireball. Several said their homes shook. New Philadelphia police said they received reports from several callers who witnessed the fireball or heard the boom. One woman described it as “a blue light that lit up the sky and went down.” Police in Dover said multiple callers reported they heard a loud bang and something rattled their windows. Air Traffic Command in Washington, D.C. confirmed that Cleveland’s control center was checking into a meteor shower that occurred within its air space.

Friday, June 23, 2006 -

QUAKES -
Largest quakes yesterday -
6/22 -
5.3 SERAM, INDONESIA
5.3 SERAM, INDONESIA
6.1 KURIL ISLANDS, RUSSIA

CAPE VERDE - A helicopter and ship were made available by NATO's Response Force to support Cape Verdean authorities in transporting an evaluation team to the island of Brava to survey the damage caused by the tremors felt last weekend on Cape Verde's most isolated island. The visit is intended to survey the damage caused by the seismic activity that occurred on the island on June 17 and 18. The magnitude of the tremor that struck the island has not been determined, as the seismic equipment on the island is in need of repair. No one was reported injured.

THUNDERSTORMS / HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING -
LIGHTNING - Next time you find yourself talking on your mobile phone in the middle of a thunderstorm you may want to cut the conversation short. UK doctors have warned of the danger of lightning strikes when using mobile phones outdoors during stormy weather. The metal in the phone directs the current into the body. There are, on average, about 1,800 thunderstorms in progress at any one time around the world with 100 lightning strikes every second. "If you're struck by lightning on its own it will flash over your body but if you're holding a phone it will internalise and cause much worse injuries. "

COLORADO - A motorcyclist was struck by lightning and killed Wednesday afternoon while traveling on U.S. 36 in Westminster (between Denver and Boulder). Witnesses said they saw a bright flash that sent the yellow sport-bike veering into a concrete median. The lightning left a crater in the asphalt about 12 inches by 8 inches wide and 6 inches deep and sent chunks of asphalt hurtling across the highway. It was the second fatal lightning strike this month in the north metro area. On June 11, a man was electrocuted by lightning as he walked through the parking lot. Lightning striking a moving vehicle is RARE but not unheard of, an expert said. There have been several cases in recent years of motorcyclists and motorists being struck. Colorado ranks third in the nation behind Texas and Florida for fatal lightning strikes. Between 1995 and 2004, there were 31 lightning-related deaths in Colorado.

FOG -
AUSTRALIA - Flights across Australia have been delayed for the second day as early morning fog in Sydney and Canberra exacerbated hold ups from yesterday's UNSEASONAL WEATHER PATTERNS. Flights out of Sydney were held back as Qantas worked to prevent a repeat of yesterday's chaos when planes, unable to land in the New South Wales capital, were stranded in other cities and regional airports. Passengers in Sydney meanwhile competed for limited seats on planes going out when the fog lifted. "Yesterday the weather was SO COMPLETELY OUT OF LEFT FIELD, the airport didn't open until 1pm."

UNUSUAL WEATHER SEASON -
NEPAL - "Nepalese village folks still repeat the saying that the appearance of a single star during monsoon months (due to dispersal of clouds) will cause loss of tens thousands of muris of food grains. It is already paddy plantation season now and we have not only starry nights but also full fledged sunny days. What is happening? Recent years are marked by puzzling weather phenomenon. Rains are falling in unexpected volume in unexpected time. And when they are badly needed, they are absent. Winter precipitation is vital in the Nepalese agriculture system, which lacks irrigation facilities. After the retreat of monsoon, we have witnessed no rains for several months. Farmers who grow winter crops, especially vegetables, were most affected. Rivers and streams dried to the unexpected levels and winter appeared to be warmer. Vegetable output went down. The rain-silence was broken around April but the spell came in such a fashion as if the monsoon had set in. In the past, late April-early June were known to be dry but recent years have proved otherwise. This year, they were rainy with the downpour catching people by surprise throughout. There were swollen rivulets, flooded streets and damaged crops. The spell continued not only for days but weeks and months...There are prolonged droughts that are usually broken by the spells of excessive rains. It seems that rains are getting more violent. They are also getting more irregular and isolated. Rains are accompanied by more occurrence of thunder and lightning with lightning deaths going up considerably higher in recent years. In sum, weather patterns are visibly changing and taking more catastrophic form. Landslides, flash floods, longer droughts and extreme form of rainfall have become the common type of disasters that cause loss of life and property every year. Unusual things are happening not only in Nepal but also globally....A relevant question is - What might be behind all these inhospitable and unexpected phenomenon that we have been witnessing of late? The happenings indicate that climate change is taking place. Global temperature is said to be hovering at the highest level in the history of human civilization.

Thursday, June 22, 2006 -

QUAKES -
Largest quakes yesterday -
6/21 -
5.0 NORTHERN SUMATERA, INDONESIA
5.8 NICOBAR ISLANDS, INDIA
5.0 NORTHERN MID-ATLANTIC RIDGE
5.1 ECUADOR

CHINA - Three people were injured in a 5.0 earthquake in Gansu yesterday. Five houses were toppled in Linjiang and Liping townships, the two worst hit areas. Details of damage and direct economic losses were still being investigated.

CALIFORNIA - A section of the San Andreas fault near Los Angeles that hasn't moved in 250 years is in danger of causing a major earthquake, a new study concludes. Geologists are trying to determine how much longer the southern end of the fault can withstand the seismic pressure. It was a sudden 6.4-metre movement in the northern section of the fault that was responsible for the earthquake in 1906 that destroyed San Francisco. No one can predict when a Big One will strike, but it's reasonable to conclude the southern end of the fault is near the end of its dormancy period, or "interseismic phase." The 160-kilometre southern section of the fault cuts through San Bernardino, east of Los Angeles, to near the Mexican border.

THUNDERSTORMS / HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING -
INDONESIA - Rescuers scoured mud-filled homes for bodies as the death toll from landslides and floods on eastern Sulawesi island in Indonesia rose to 188 people. Nearly 150 people are missing. A search-and-rescue operation has been underway in South Sulawesi province after two days of heavy rain at the beginning of the week. Sinjai regency was the worst-hit area after flooding early on Tuesday.

ROMANIA - Eight people were killed and several others declared missing after a river burst its banks overnight in northern Romania. The Tibes River in the county of Bistrita burst its banks sending torrents of water into a nearby village. The water also knocked out power and telephone lines and blocked roads in the area. Storms overnight in the county of Arad in western Romania also flooded several villages, leading to evacuations. Meteorologists warn that heavy rain and hail will follow the next couple of days and that flood risk levels will be exceeded in several areas.

WIND -
SCOTLAND - Gales with 90mph winds were set to batter the country and there were flooding fears as 4in of rain was forecast. "It is UNUSUAL weather for this time of year, especially the high winds... It is being caused by an area of low pressure that's making its way across the country. "

HEAT -
NEBRASKA - A RARE weather phenomenon that saw temperatures shoot up more than 20 degrees in less than a hour early Tuesday morning was recorded in south Central Nebraska. The conditions that set up a heat burst are dry air directly beneath a weakening elevated thunderstorm. (site requires registration)

Wednesday, June 21, 2006 -

QUAKES -
This morning there has been a 6.0 quake in the NICOBAR ISLANDS.

Largest quakes yesterday -
6/20 -
5.0 TALAUD ISLANDS, INDONESIA
5.2 GANSU, CHINA
5.4 QUEEN CHARLOTTE ISLANDS
5.1 NEAR COAST OF CENTRAL CHILE

VOLCANOES -
PHILIPPINES - Local officials placed Irosin Town in Sorsogon Province, the central Philippines, under a state of calamity after a series of ash explosions from the active volcano Mount Bulusan. Everything in Irosin Town, a populated area near Mount Bulusan, is covered with a thick layer of ash spewed by the volcano. Residents living around the volcano have started building temporary shelters in anticipation of the major eruption, while trucks were ready for a massive evacuation. On Monday hundreds of residents living within Mount Bulusan's permanent danger zone were evacuated from their homes because of the ash explosion on Sunday afternoon. Mount Bulusan is expected to spew more volcanic ash in the coming days. The PHIVOLCS authority is also anticipating a major eruption because of the minor earthquakes coming from Mount Bulusan.

INDONESIA - Mount Merapi volcano spewed burning ash and gas clouds Tuesday as scientists expressed fears that rain could send deadly flows of volcanic debris to villages below. If forecasts of rain today and Thursday hold, millions of metric tons of built-up ash and rock fragments could be sent down Merapi's steep slopes in mudslides, a vulcanologist warned. Meanwhile, avalanches of new debris tumbled 2.2 miles down the flanks of the volatile mountain earlier Tuesday. (photo)
Mount Merapi sent avalanches of searing hot gas and debris roiling down its scorched slopes today, and a scientist warned that the peak's fragile lava dome still posed a threat to thousands of villagers. More than half a dozen avalanches carried gas and volcanic debris more than two miles down the peak's flanks. Magma has swelled into a volatile lava dome on the southern crater, he said, and there is a likelihood that it will collapse, causing an avalanche of the hot gas and volcanic debris trapped within it. (photo)

TROPICAL STORMS -
CENTRAL AMERICA - Massive waves caused by a storm more than 3,000 kilometres away have washed away homes, hotels and restaurants along the coastline of Central America. There have been no reports of death, but hundreds of people have fled from their homes and communities. The U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami said the waves are not caused by a tsunami from underwater earthquakes, but are from a large storm in the South Pacific. Large waves have been pounding the coastline from Ecuador's Galapagos Islands to the Mexican resort of Acapulco for several days. In Guatemala, waves along the western shore smashed a small hotel in Sipacate, a surfing hotspot about 100 kilometres from Guatemala City. Fifteen-foot high waves drove water about 90 metres inland in Nicaragua, washing away about 20 homes in Peurto Corinto. Dozens of people fled their homes in El Salvador, where witnesses reported high waves, while a number of coastal areas of Costa Rica reported flooding. Weather officials said the waves should subside today or Thursday.
Heavy surf is pounding the Pacific Coast from Chile to California - A FREAKISHLY POWERFUL storm far off in the South Pacific propelled huge swells to the Americas, causing a surge of waves that battered homes and beachfront businesses from Peru to Mexico. Several hundred people were evacuated in at least eight countries. The barrage began Sunday, and the waves were beginning to weaken Tuesday afternoon. The waves resulted from a particularly intense low pressure system several hundred miles off New Zealand that caused hurricane force winds and RARE snowfall at sea level. Masses of water were shoved eastward, creating UNUSUALLY big waves when the swells hit the Americas. "The storm system that generated these waves was FAIRLY EXTRAORDINARY. " Over the weekend, heavy surf wrecked 15 homes in a shantytown in Lima's port of Callao and damaged about 100 in the northern coast city of Trujillo. In Honduras, giant swells damaged at least 300 houses along the Gulf of Fonseca on Sunday.

THUNDERSTORMS / HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING -
INDONESIA - Landslides and floods on Indonesia's eastern Sulawesi island have killed 100 people and the toll could rise. Many others are still missing, after two days of heavy rain caused major flooding in South Sulawesi province. Many people are feared buried under the mud, and a rescue operation is under way to try to find them. More heavy rains are expected in the next few days. Flash floods and landslides usually happen earlier in the year, at the height of the monsoon season. More than 120 people lost their lives in two separate landslides on Java in January.

PHILIPPINES - Three people died, five were injured and two remained missing after a hillside collapsed and buried six houses in Barangay Napnapan in Pantukan, Compostela. A heavy downpour overnight caused the soil collapse at 9:30 a.m.

INDIA - Occasional storms and intermittent drizzles may have delayed the actual monsoon by 20 days. These rains were mistaken as the pre-monsoon rains, but in fact, they were caused by cyclonic conditions created in the Indian ocean. These cyclonic rains often hamper the development of the monsoon in the desired areas. These rain storms followed by extremely humid conditions were not favourable either for the crops or for human health. Drought-like conditions will occur if the monsoon fails to proceed by the end of June 30 or first week of July.

WISCONSIN - The tornado that struck western Washington County Sunday afternoon, creating nearly $4 million in damage, was caused by an UNUSUAL, "PERPLEXING" set of weather conditions that gave residents little more than two minutes to seek shelter. "It wasn't a classic textbook event. This one is perplexing us." The storm was not part of a squall line or widespread severe weather outbreak. The weather service issued a tornado warning at 2:27 p.m. after radar indicated that a thunderstorm "capable of producing a tornado" was just west of Hartford. At 2:28 p.m., the city's tornado warning sirens were activated. At 2:29 p.m., a Hartford police officer saw a funnel cloud touch down. Little more than a minute later, 157 homes and businesses were damaged.

SNOW / COLD -
NEW ZEALAND - Civil defence authorities in New Zealand have warned snowbound South Island communities to prepare for another severe storm. About 800 homes in the Canterbury region are facing their 10th day without power as a result of the HEAVIEST SNOW DUMP IN 50 YEARS. Weather forecasters predict the worst-affected areas of the South Island might be in for another 15 to 20 centimetres of snow due to a cold front that is sweeping over the country.

Tuesday, June 20, 2006 -

QUAKES -
Largest quakes yesterday -
6/19 -
5.0 TALAUD ISLANDS, INDONESIA
5.3 SAMAR, PHILIPPINE ISLANDS
5.1 MYANMAR
5.1 TONGA ISLANDS

VOLCANOES -
INDONESIA - Indonesia's Mount Merapi was still on high alert Monday as the volcano in densely populated Central Java continued to spew hot clouds of gas and debris down its slopes as far as three kilometres, mostly toward Gendol and Krasak rivers. On Friday the hot clouds of gas and volcanic materials from Merapi destroyed and covered the Kaliadem tourist resort area with up to three metres of debris, and burned hundreds of hectares of forest. Residents living in seven villages on Merapi's slopes are complaining of difficulties getting clean water, and cattle were also suffering due to water shortages. With the volcano showing no signs of cooling down, residents living on Mount Merapi's slopes have been unable to conduct their daily activities, forcing many to sell their livestock to raise money. Many residents who earn their living as traders in the Kaliadem tourist resort area were also facing economic losses after the area was buried by the eruption. Volcanologists have said a new lava dome reformed at the peak of Merapi soon after the volcano belched searing clouds of ash and steam last week on Wednesday night.

PHILIPPINES - Mt. Bulusan in Sorsogon spewed a massive column of ash about two kilometers into the sky sending residents of surrounding areas fleeing for cover yesterday. A loud explosion had been heard from the crater and falling ash has turned vegetation, houses and even cattle around the volcano, white. The ash explosion was not preceded by volcanic quakes and may just be the result of hot rocks coming into contact with groundwater. The volcano has been periodically ejecting ash into the sky amid a greater frequency of volcanic quakes in recent days. In Negros Occidental, Kanlaon Volcano appeared to have calmed down during the weekend.

THUNDERSTORMS / HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING -
SOUTH KOREA - The crew of an Asiana Airlines Airbus A321 managed to land safely after the aircraft was damaged flying through a hailstorm on June 9. Hailstones that the South Korean airline says “looked 5cm [2in] wide” ripped off the nose cone, caused a 20cm-wide hole in one of the engine cowlings and cracked the windshield. The crew were unable to execute an automatic landing, but brought the aircraft down manually after two attempts despite their restricted vision due to the windshield damage. (damage photo)

TEXAS, LOUISIANA - A deluge of more than 10 inches of rain Monday along parts of the Gulf Coast forced the evacuation of a Louisiana nursing home and stranded motorists on roads flooded up to waist-deep in southeast Texas, where National Guard troops were on standby for more storms. Rain from a second storm had begun to fall in Houston late Monday afternoon. In Sulphur, La., rain measured as much as 9 1/2 inches of rain.

NORTH CAROLINA - It's nearly a week since the remnants of tropical storm Alberto passed through North Carolina, but runoff is still pushing downstream rivers to flood levels. Alberto was downgraded to a tropical depression when it hit the state on Wednesday. Some areas reported nearly eight inches of rain. In the next few days, rivers began to rise downstream from the areas that took a direct hit from the storm.

ODD -
IDAHO - Known in the weather world as a circumhorizontal arc, a RARE RAINBOW was caught on film on June 3 as it hung over northern Idaho near the Washington State border . The arc isn't a rainbow in the traditional sense — it is caused by light passing through wispy, high-altitude cirrus clouds. The sight occurs only when the sun is very high in the sky (more than 58° above the horizon). What's more, the hexagonal ice crystals that make up cirrus clouds must be shaped like thick plates with their faces parallel to the ground. When light enters through a vertical side face of such an ice crystal and leaves from the bottom face, it refracts, or bends, in the same way that light passes through a prism. If a cirrus's crystals are aligned just right, the whole cloud lights up in a spectrum of colors. This particular arc spanned several hundred square miles of sky and lasted for about an hour. (photo)

Monday, June 19, 2006 -

QUAKES -
Largest quakes yesterday -
6/18 -
5.0 NEAR N.CST OF IRIAN JAYA
5.0 NORTHERN SUMATERA, INDONESIA
5.3 NEAR NORTH COAST OF NEW GUINEA
5.2 SOUTH OF ALASKA
5.8 NORTHERN MID-ATLANTIC RIDGE

NEW MADRID FAULT - An earthquake expert with the U.S. Geological Survey says many residents and officials in northeast Arkansas are setting themselves and their neighbors up for a worse disaster by underestimating the results of a quake in the region. "This is a different kind of earthquake. This is not a California earthquake. There are some basic differences here that drive the hazard level up." Unlike faults in California, the New Madrid Seismic Zone contains three to five major fault segments lying over the top of each other in a relatively small area. The zone stretches from northeast Arkansas and northwest Tennessee up into southeast Missouri, far western Kentucky and southern Illinois. A 6.5-magnitude quake has the potential of doing an enormous amount of damage. "It won't take a catastrophic earthquake to do catastrophic damage." 11 million people live in the New Madrid Seismic Zone.

THUNDERSTORMS / HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING -
CHINA - A landslide in a village in the south-western Chinese province of Sichuan has killed 11 people and injured six. The landslide happened overnight in a remote region near the Tibetan border. The village of Shiji was hit by almost 100 cubic metres of rocks which destroyed 12 houses and damaged 40 others, cutting off power, water and road links. In recent weeks southern China has been hit by heavy rain.

PAKISTAN - While seasonal landslides are a common threat in northern Pakistan, last October's earthquake has made the terrain more susceptible to rains and tremors. As a result, this year's landslides are more widespread and more frequent, making dangerous terrain - narrow roads with steep drops - even worse. Monsoon season is under way June to September. "There is no doubt the earthquake has destabilized many of these mountainous areas and thereby increased the frequency ... of these landslides." Rock falls and mounds of earth bigger than buses have been blocking roads and stalling recovery efforts. The migration of returnees from camps around the region has become a logistical nightmare. In many cases, reluctant returnees from Islamabad and Rawalpindi find themselves living in impromptu setups by the side of the road with no support, no transport home, no food or water and nowhere else to go. "Many express a fear of the mountains, lack of resources and infrastructure, a fear of shifting from the earthquake, a fear of another earthquake. Here in Mansehra, we still receive aftershocks and bolt out of the building. In the mountains they are much stronger and still quite frightening."

Sunday, June 18, 2006 -

QUAKES -
Largest quakes yesterday -
6/17 -
5.0 RYUKYU ISLANDS, JAPAN
5.0 BANDA SEA
5.3 TONGA ISLANDS
Three quakes in Ethiopia - 4.7, 4.6. 4.4
6/16 -
5.4 MINAHASSA PENINSULA, SULAWESI
5.6 MINAHASSA PENINSULA, SULAWESI
5.0 NEAR ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS.
5.8 SOUTH SANDWICH ISLANDS REGION
5.5 SEA OF OKHOTSK
5.5 OFF EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
5.7 OFF EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
5.0 SOUTHEAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
5.1 NEAR E.CST EASTERN HONSHU
5.2 OFF EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
5.2 SOLOMON ISLANDS REGION


CALIFORNIA - The Bay Area's biggest earthquake in four years rolled by San Martin at 5:24 Thursday morning at magnitude 4.7. But the quake, which was felt as far away as Riverside, piqued the interest of experts because it occurred on an unnamed fault that HAS NEVER BEEN KNOWN TO POP OFF BEFORE. The fault is considered third-string, living in the shadows of Northern California's "Big Four" - the San Andreas, Hayward, Calaveras and Rodgers Creek faults. You can't even see a trace of it on the surface of the ground. Seismologists believe Thursday's quake was probably neither a harbinger of bigger quakes, nor a sign that sufficient stress has been released to reduce the risk of a "Big One." Although a number of aftershocks have been reported, if something larger was to strike the same fault in coming days, "most likely it would just be a 4.8."
Luke Holmquist forecasts earthquakes in Indonesia, Japan and California — by monitoring the behavior of animals. Northern California's dogs, cats, birds and the like were behaving odd enough on Wednesday for Holmquist to forecast a 47% risk of a light quake there on Thursday morning. The 4.7 earthquake struck the area of San Martin that morning. Holmquist for years researched unusual animal behavior associated with quakes. Animals can sense waves beneath the earth before a seismometer picks up its first signals. So he monitors Web sites like pet lost and founds, and forums where pet owners chat about their animals, to "see how much pressure is going on ... in the animal kingdom." Then, each night at 10:30, he updates his own site, www.quakeprediction.com. He receives e-mailed prediction requests and plans on adding Italy, India, China, Iran and Chile to his forecast chart in the coming weeks.

VOLCANOES -
PHILIPPINES - President Arroyo ordered the evacuation of at least 20,000 people after experts warned that a major eruption of restive Mt. Bulusan could threaten the coastal town of Bulusan. "The overall condition of Bulusan volcano is still ABNORMAL as it was in the past days." Magma is building up inside Bulusan and an eruption could be imminent if it continues. A "worst-case scenario" is where portions of the peak might collapse into Lake Bulusan at the eastern base of the mountain. If this happens, the water could flood the entire coastal town of Bulusan. Bulusan and five other towns — Barcelona, Casiguran, Gubat, Irosin and Juban — have had ash falls in the past days. They are already studying ways to deal with the threat of volcanic mudflows amid the onset of the rainy season. Typhoons often enter the country through the Bicol Region. Officials are sending a bulldozer next week to dredge the Cogon River so it can withstand a possible deluge of volcanic mud and rocks. "We are proposing to put up a levee to protect the populated areas along the Cogon river channel." Seismic sensors around the volcano have recorded seven high-frequency quakes. It may only be a coincidence that Bulusan, Mayon and Kanlaon volcanoes in Negros Oriental are showing increased activity in the past days. All three also acted up in 1976.

INDONESIA - Mount Merapi continued to spew hot clouds and glowing lava in the southerly direction toward Gendol River on Saturday. The Center's seismograph recorded 38 hot clouds, 176 multiphase tremors, 304 lava trails, two shallow volcanic quakes, and five tectonic quakes during that morning. The volcano also sent thick sulfurous gas 350 meters into the sky above the mountain's top with moderate pressure.

TROPICAL STORMS -
Even during last year’s record breaking tropical season, there was a two and a half week break between the time Arlene formed and the time that Tropical Storm Bret formed (June 28). Tropical cyclone formation simply isn’t the norm this time of year. Since Alberto this year, there have been several tropical waves that have found their way into the Caribbean and have looked impressive on satellite, in terms of convection and bright cloud tops, but they have been broad and disorganized. The anti-cyclonic flow in the region has kept these waves from organizing better and forming a possible tropical disturbance. The Saharan Dust Layer, which usually blows off the coast of Africa early in the year and can infiltrate and affect the development of a tropical cyclone, appears to be missing in action so far.

THUNDERSTORMS / HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING -
MAINE - The RECORD AMOUNT OF RAIN that hit southern Maine this spring is credited with holding down the region's mosquito populations. While rain is generally good for mosquitoes, too much rain washes away their larvae. Scientists say that happened this spring in parts of southern Maine. Northern and central Maine are reporting a bumper crop of mosquitoes.

CLIMATE CHANGE -
will have a massive impact on business and the bottom line of insurers, according to a report from Lloyds of London. The report warns that the insurance industry has not taken the shifting weather patterns seriously enough and that it will need to start reacting quicker. The report warns the industry to expect more extreme storms over a broader area, rising seas and flooding in almost every coastal city in the world. Changing rain and snow patterns were also becoming less predictable and there was a risk of more landslides, the report said. Last year Switzerland, Austria and Germany experienced RECORD WATER LEVELS AND FLOODS, and insured losses ran to $US 1.7 billion. With the evidence suggesting that climate change is now taking place faster than first thought — the study warns that the industry can no longer base decisions on historical patterns. The report also warns that some areas, such as those deemed to be flood-prone, might be seen as uninsurable. It said that the trend of rising seas driven by shrinking glaciers was probably irreversible, unpredictable and "likely to result in sudden periods of catastrophic melting". "Even small rises in sea levels are likely to create severe economic and demographic problems, since large populations are concentrated near present sea level." The report warns that extreme windstorms will continue, and with higher temperatures creating the right conditions for strong formation, the industry would be "on risk" for longer each year. For example, cyclone Monica swept across the coast of northern Australia in April, when the season is usually all but over. The problem for insurers is that they are facing a future that is more unpredictable and difficult to model their assessments of risk. "Climate change is likely to bring us all an even more uncertain future. If we do not take action now to understand the risks and their impact, the changing climate could kill us."

AUSTRALIA - Parts of the coastal strip may be uninhabitable over the next century, with some councils already taking action to avoid the predicted impact of climate change. Experts say flooding of low-lying coastal areas, damage to seaside shacks and increased erosion are among the likely impacts of rising sea levels in South Australia in the next 100 years. In the worst case climate change predictions, parts of the state's coastal strip may even become uninhabitable. The damage is expected to occur when king tides coincide with major storms. Victor Harbor, Port Adelaide, Alexandrina and Port Augusta councils are most vulnerable, with rising sea levels forcing immediate preparation. Under generally accepted predictions, the world sea level will rise by an average 48cm between 1990 and 2100, two to three times the rate of rise in the 1900s. The impact is already being felt at Victor Harbor.

Strange days have reached Ny-Alesund, Europe's most northerly research station. Perched at the very edge of the continent, in Svalbard, Norway, a mere 1,000km from the North Pole, the center's international scientists have been experiencing weather that is becoming increasingly unpredictable. The archipelago was balmy and calm at the end of April, when it should should still have been gripped by ice and screaming winds. In May, waters in the Kongsfjorden - the long strip of water that pokes eastwards into mainland Svalbard at Ny-Alesund - were now 2 degrees C warmer than they used to be a few years ago. Two degrees may seem a modest rise, but the effects are profound - "Normally, the temperature in the fjord would be close to freezing. This winter the cooling of the water has probably never been close enough to produce an ice cover." All the other fjords on this normally ice-locked coastline have remained open, thanks to the startling warming of their waters. "Now the whole [food] chain is changing and we have no idea what the consequences will be." In the case of Greenland, previous estimates of the rate of melting of Greenland's glaciers have been too low and too optimistic in assuming it would take centuries to heat and melt its massive ice shield. The marches to the sea of these great glaciers are being accelerated, raising the amount of ice dumped in the Atlantic each year from 100km3 in 1996 to 220km3 last year. The Antarctic continent is now losing similar amounts of ice, about 150km3 a year. Places will become increasingly vulnerable to massive sea surges sweeping over their strained ocean defenses. Already the world's coral reefs and islands are suffering: swamped by rising waters, battered by storms and bleached by seas becoming increasingly acidic from the carbon dioxide they are absorbing. This is the danger Earth now faces: the overturning of our climate system, from its relatively stable, moderate status to one in which we have recreated the climate of the Cretaceous era, when there were crocodiles at the poles and the planet cooked.

Friday, June 16, 2006 -

QUAKES -
Largest quakes yesterday -
6/15 -
5.0 MINDANAO, PHILIPPINE ISLANDS
5.2 TONGA ISLANDS
5.7 FIJI ISLANDS REGION
5.2 MONGOLIA
5.7 MONGOLIA
5.5 NORTHERN MOLUCCA SEA
5.0 NORTHEAST OF TAIWAN

ALASKA - On June 14 a strong earthquake occurred in the Rat Islands region of the Aleutian Islands. The mainshock (M6.4) was situated 87 kilometers (54 miles) southeast of Buldir Island. This earthquake is the largest to occur in this region since the magnitude 6.8 event on June 14, 2005. Over a hundred aftershocks occurred within the first two days of the sequence. The largest aftershock of magnitude 5.9 occurred 30 minutes after the main shock. A ftershocks are still continuing. In the western Aleutians, the crust is partitioned into rotating blocks, such as Buldir Block to the east and Near block to the west of the June 14 event location. The crustal blocks move in a clockwise rotation.

GEYSERS -
WYOMING - A large geyser in Yellowstone National Park that hadn't erupted since 1998 roared to life over the weekend. The Ledge geyser erupted around 5 pm Saturday, and sounded like a jet plane. The geyser sent a plume of steam about 100 feet into the air. The eruption coincided with other UNUSUAL ACTIVITY at the Norris basin over the weekend, including the eruption of other sporadic geysers and changes in surface water. The basin appears to be undergoing a thermal disturbance. Such disturbances result from underground activity that brings water closer to the surface.

VOLCANOES -
INDONESIA - Two men trapped in a bunker by volcanic debris from Indonesia's Mount Merapi volcano have been found dead. "The first person was in a singed condition because of hot steam." The second man's body was intact when found. They had been trapped under volcanic debris as hot as 300 degrees Celsius (572 degrees Fahrenheit). Mount Merapi has been spilling molten lava and spewing clouds of hot gas and ash sporadically for weeks, but had one of its heaviest discharges yet on Wednesday. The men were trapped when they sought shelter that day as searing clouds swept through villages about 7km from Merapi's top, leaving a trail of damaged buildings and neighbourhoods covered with grey ash. Rescuers made contact with one of the men late Wednesday, but their phones no longer worked, perhaps because the batteries had run out. Rescuers had been digging through the ash and debris trying to reach them. One of the dead was a rescue volunteer and the other a villager. The bunker was equipped with oxygen but electricity had been cut because of the searing heat clouds. Clouds yesterday covered houses in the villages to the south-east, which are closest to the peak, with about five mm of ash. On Thursday, rescuers were forced to stop work as the heat melted shovels and the tires of diggers trying to get through two metres of rubble. Merapi continued to spew out scorching gas clouds and rock fragments Thursday, with one black plume in the mid-afternoon covering a large swathe of the mountain. The resurgence in activity was likely caused by the collapse of a section of volcano's lava dome.

TROPICAL STORMS -
The hurricane center is tracking a bunch of tropical waves moving across the Atlantic although the center says it expects "no significant development." Most tropical waves turn out to be nothing, and June isn't the most conducive time for these to develop, but quite a few people are observing that the waves seem UNUSUALLY HEALTHY for this early in the season. "Forecasts over the past few days...are showing a weather pattern more typical of mid-July developing over the tropical Atlantic ... it would not surprise me to see two more named storms this June." For all of 2005's hoopla, one thing we didn't really see last year was the classic "Cape Verde" hurricane that spawns off of Africa and then gains strength all the way across the Atlantic before whacking us. Instead, we had a lot of systems spawn with little warning close to the U.S. coast.

THUNDERSTORMS / HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING -
INDIA - More than 250,000 people have been displaced by floodwaters in India's north-east where at least 13 people have died since the monsoon hit a fortnight ago. Incessant rains caused fresh flooding in Assam state yesterday, forcing 92,000 people to flee their homes. "Breaches in embankments and rising levels of all major rivers have led to floodwaters inundating fresh areas."

JAPAN - Heavy seasonal rains triggered mudslides in southern Japan, forcing the evacuation of hundreds of people Thursday. About 370 people were evacuated from three towns on Japan's southern island of Okinawa, about 1,600 kilometers (1,000 miles) southwest of Tokyo, after nearby mudslides. In Naha, about 40 residents were evacuated Monday from their three-story hillside condominium that was on the verge of collapse after the heavy rain opened up a chasm in the ground nearby. In Kagoshima, a minor mudslide occurred after heavy rain washed off layers of ash from recent eruptions at the nearby Sakurajima volcano.
Officials say the rainfall to date is more than double the amount received in a normal year. Strong winds, heavy rains, lightning and thunder have been filling Okinawa’s reservoirs this rainy season, and spawned floods as well. More than 500 millimeters of rain has fallen on the capital city of Naha since the season began May 14th. A high pressure front across the northern part of Japan has collided with a strong front on the Pacific Ocean, trapping the stationary rain front over Okinawa the past week. The deep low pressure front created heavy rains that simply wouldn’t stop. Okinawa City and the Goya area report more than 515 millimeters (20¼ inches) over the past two weeks. The strong rains have made the ground very unstable in many areas, creating the potential for more rising water levels and flooding, soil erosion and mudslides.

ODD -
Arctic sea level has been falling by a little over 2mm a year - a movement that sets the region against the global trend of rising waters. It is well known that the world's oceans do not share a uniform height; but even so, the scientists are somewhat puzzled by their results. Global sea level is expected to keep on climbing as the Earth's climate warms. To find the Arctic out of step, even temporarily, emphasises the great need for more research in the region. The recent trend could be linked to changes in the temperature and salinity (saltiness) of Arctic waters. Russian tide gauges have also hinted at a sea-level fall during the 1990s. This seems to fit with the phases of the so-called Arctic Oscillation, a seesaw pattern of change in atmospheric pressure over the polar region and mid latitudes. Recent years have seen a dramatic pull-back in the extent of summer ice and the models do not fully account for the changes that are being observed.

Thursday, June 15, 2006 -

QUAKES -
Largest quakes yesterday -
6/14 -
5.3 NORTHERN SUMATERA, INDONESIA
5.2 NORTHERN SUMATERA, INDONESIA
5.5 E. OF NORTH IS. NEW ZEALAND
5.1 CHAGOS ARCHIPELAGO REGION
5.3 SANTA CRUZ ISLANDS
6.0 RAT ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS
6.3 RAT ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS

TSUNAMI -
OREGON - Planners counting on the availability of Oregon's coastal airports to stage rescues and bring supplies following a major earthquake and tsunami nearby in the Pacific Ocean may want to think twice about such plans. Many of Oregon's coastal airports would be out of commission because of earthquake damage, tsunami inundation and debris, or lack of instrumentation for approaches, according to a survey done by Oregon State University. Research suggests that there have been 23 large earthquakes off the Pacific Northwest coast during the past 10,000 years. At least 16, and possibly 17, of those events have been full ruptures of the fault zone, requiring an earthquake of magnitude 8.5 or better. Such an earthquake likely would uproot highways, destroy bridges and render much of Oregon's Highway 101 unusable for days, or even weeks at a time.

VOLCANOES -
PHILIPPINES - The local government of Sorsogon declared three towns under state of calamity following continued ashfall from Mount Bulusan on Wednesday. At least 30 minor quakes were recorded in Sorsogon after Bulusan's ash explosion Tuesday night. The quakes originated inside the volcano, indicating that a major eruption is likely. PHIVOLCS said if Bulusan explodes it would not be as catastrophic as Mount Pinatubo’s eruption in 1991. Bulusan last erupted in 1995.
Four volcanoes are currently on heightened alert — Mayon in Albay, Bulusan in Sorsogon, Kanlaon in Negros Oriental, and Taal in Batangas — but this is just coincidental. "Physically, each volcano has their own magma chamber. These (magma chambers) are not connected physically." "It just so happened that the (four) volcanoes are active all at the same time." Other active volcanoes in the country which are continuously being monitored include Hibok-Hibok in Camiguin and Pinatubo located on the boundaries of Pampanga, Tarlac, and Zambales.

INDONESIA - Searing hot gas and volcanic debris have forced thousands of villagers to flee the slopes of Mount Merapi. The eruption comes a day after government scientists lowered the alert level at the volcano. The volcano nearly enveloped Kaliadem village, the closest residential area to the peak, just six kilometers away, with a searing gas cloud during the eruption Wednesday, and forced thousands of residents to evacuate just a day after officials lowered the alert level and people returned home. "The situation is ... life-threatening." Five villagers were reported unaccounted for after the eruption. Media reports said that several apparently uninhabited buildings close to the peak had been incinerated. Ash covered one village seven kilometers (4.5 miles) west of the crater with a gray blanket two centimeters (an inch) thick, and a rain of soot continued to fall after dusk across many districts. "A heavy rain of ash and sand poured down on villagers."

TROPICAL STORMS -

Tropical depression ALBERTO was 96 nmi WNW of Wilmington, North Carolina.
If Alberto had struck as a hurricane, it would be have been an alarming start to the season. No hurricane has hit the United States this early in the hurricane season in 40 years.
Tropical Storm Alberto spawned several possible tornadoes, knocked down scores of trees and dumped RECORD AMOUNTS OF RAIN on South Carolina overnight.
The Hurricane Center is eyeing more disturbed weather - With what was once Tropical Storm Alberto fading, the National Hurricane Center in Miami is training its attention on three areas of disturbed weather that could develop further. The trio of weather systems are in the eastern Caribbean. Two of the areas of unsettled weather were "vigorous tropical waves" that came off Africa`s North Atlantic coast. Although tropical storm systems can develop this early in the Atlantic hurricane season, it is UNUSUAL to have this many potential storms coming alive in June.

THUNDERSTORMS / HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING -
BANGLADESH - Heavy monsoon rains and flash floods have inundated homes and crops in northeastern Bangladesh, stranding more than 200,000 people. Many villagers, along with their cattle, were sheltering on higher ground or in concrete school buildings. Floodwaters also submerged roads, rail tracks and ferry terminals, disrupting transportation.

IDAHO - the National Weather Service issued a severe thunderstorm watch for many areas of the Treasure Valley on Tuesday. Some were given a flash-flood watch, while others still were under threat of tornados - events rarely seen in Idaho. "Here in Idaho we don't see this kind of weather pattern very often - FAIRLY RARE for Idaho." It took three events to create the storms - a strong jet stream, moist air mass and low pressure. The combination caused rapid storm development, which created rain and quarter-sized hail. It also set the stage for some RATHER UNUSUAL WEATHER for this part of the country. "Once they develop, we're seeing these storms last a long time. They start to rotate." An F2 tornado hit 10 days ago in the Northern Idaho town of Bear - winds reached between 113 and 157 miles per hour. It was the STRONGEST TWISTER TO HIT IDAHO IN 50 YEARS.

SNOW / COLD -
AUSTRALIA - Adelaide has shivered through its COLDEST NIGHT FOR MORE THAN 25 YEARS with a temperature of 0.2 degrees this morning. That was the coldest overnight temperature since Adelaide recorded -0.4 degrees on June 8, 1982. Many outlying areas were even colder, with the temperature dropping to -1.9 degrees at Parafield Airport in the northern suburbs and the mercury dropping as low as -5 degrees in some towns.

Wednesday, June 14, 2006 -

QUAKES -
This morning -
A series of quakes in the RAT ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN ISLANDS, ALASKA - the largest were 6.0 and 6.3.
Several quakes in NORTHERN SUMATERA, INDONESIA - 5.2 and 5.3.

Largest quakes yesterday -
6/13 -
5.0 HOKKAIDO, JAPAN, REGION

INDONESIA - The earthquake that hit Indonesia at the end of May has caused more damage than the tsunami of 2004. The impact of the Java earthquake was much worse than first thought and could be considered as ONE OF THE WORST NATURAL DISASTERS OF THE PAST 10 YEARS. Damage estimates amount to 3.1 billion dollars, more than double initial assessments. The cost of damages from the tsunami was 2.2 billion dollars. Although the death toll (5,800) is lower than that of the 2004 tsunami or the 2005 earthquake in Kashmir, the cost of damaged housing is far greater. Estimates of damage done to buildings are rising: 157,000 homes have been flattened (30,000 more than those destroyed in the wake of the 2004 tsunami wave), 184,000 were severely damaged and 259,000 partially so. Around 420,000 people are homeless.

VOLCANOES -
PHILIPPINES - The aerial survey conducted over Mount Bulusan in Sorsogon province has confirmed coalesced craters, fissures and voluminous ashes along its slopes, which volcanologists said are new to the physical traits of the volcano. The team had also observed a very visible long fissure at the northern slope of the volcano where steam emission was noted. They cannot tell yet how much risk these recent changes in the surface of Bulusan volcano might pose to the residents down the slopes until a re-mapping is done.

INDONESIA - An Indonesian state agency monitoring Mount Merapi has lowered the volcano's alert status after emissions decreased in recent days. "Merapi's status was lowered from 'alert' to 'prepared'.

TROPICAL STORMS -
Tropical storm ALBERTO was 54 nmi WNW of Savannah, Georgia.
The first tropical storm of the season raked northern Florida with rain and powerful wind gusts Tuesday but didn‘t blow up into a hurricane as forecasters had feared. The storm‘s top sustained winds were 50 mph, well below the 74 mph threshold for a hurricane. The minimum for a named storm is 39 mph. "The big concern now is going to be shifting to the rainfall and the tornado threat as it moves along the southeastern (U.S.) coast line."
Alberto - The fact that a hurricane could have been headed for Florida so early in the storm season is not all that unusual, the National Weather Service says. “There’s a peak in storm activity that usually falls around the 20th, so we might be a week early. It’s nothing all that unusual.” They acknowledged that the storm formed relatively close to shore, but again, they said, that’s no big surprise. “The area of circulation was pretty broad.”

Florida is too 'unpredictable' for some insurance companies - Many of the companies that continue to insure property now insist it be one, two, three or as many as 10 miles away from the ocean, and they must be homes that meet the Florida building code of 2001. If the companies write contracts at all, they are requiring a 300 - 400% increase in premium because of the cost of reinsurance. The total value of insured coastal exposure in Florida is $1,937.3 billion. People are not leaving the state, but instead the population is growing, with Florida having some of the fastest growing counties in the nation, adding to the density along the coastlines. The forecast for the 2006 hurricane season calls for a 195 percent increase in tropical cyclone activity. The Weather Channel has stated that conditions are ripe for a hurricane category 8. "That's a tornado the size of a hurricane. Evacuate early. Shutters don't matter. Get to middle America before you stop running. Go farther than where you evacuated before because a lot of Katrina folks are still there." If something like Katrina hits here, residents should evacuate to a location where they are likely to be for six months to a year. "Take all your tools, so you can make a living in your new location."

THUNDERSTORMS / HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING -
CHINA - More flash floods caused by heavy rains left at least 19 people dead and 31 others missing in southwest China. Sudden downpours hit the province yesterday and continued for four hours causing several flash floods in the mountainous region of Guizhou province. A number of houses were also reported to have been washed away. The deaths come after at least 93 people were reported to have died over the past two weeks in torrential rains that have battered southern China. Some 12 million people have been affected by rains, floods and landslides.

BRITAIN - Hailstones the size of golf balls rained down on Coventry as a FREAK STORM hit the city Monday afternoon. Weather experts said they had seen NOTHING LIKE IT IN 40 YEARS. One said the hailstones were the largest he had seen since he began recording the weather in 1967. "They were an inch across, which is getting on for golfball-sized. They are the biggest hailstones I have ever recorded by a long, long way. For this region they were phenomenal." The storm, just after 4pm, lasted about 15 minutes and the huge volume of rain which followed caused flash flooding in some parts of the city. (photo)

OREGON - homes, windows, trees, backyards, crops and dozens, if not hundreds, of vehicles were smashed, dented and damaged by a barrage of large golf ball-sized hailstones - some up to two inches in diameter - Monday afternoon. Long-time residents said they had never seen a storm like this one. At least two cell-phone companies had service interruptions for several hours after the event. Three boaters reported being stranded on Ochoco Reservoir due to high, 6- to 8-foot waves. Strong winds also downed trees. A spotter reported 1.5 inches of rain in 20 minutes as flooding damaged area fences and roads in the WORST STORM SEEN BY THE OBSERVER IN 20 YEARS.

Tuesday, June 13, 2006 -

QUAKES -
Largest quakes yesterday -
6/12 -
None 5.0 or over.

JAPAN - the strong 6.2 earthquake that struck south-western Japan on Sunday, shaking major cities including Hiroshima, injured at least five people. Its epicentre was in Oita prefecture, about 800km (500 miles) south-west of Tokyo. The quake halted local rail services. The tremor was nearly the same magnitude as last month's earthquake in the Indonesian city of Yogyakarta, which had a magnitude of 6.3. But Japan has developed much of its infrastructure to withstand tremors. The Japan Meteorological Agency said it did not expect any major aftershocks.

VOLCANOES -
JAPAN - vulcanologists have warned of more eruptions at Sakurajima volcano on the southern island of Kyushu, as volcanic activity has been intensifying at one of its craters. The Meteorological Agency has issued a bulletin warning of a high possibility of eruptions at the Showa vent, one of the craters on Sakurajima, about 1,000 km (600 miles) southwest of Tokyo. The agency upgraded the volcano to level three, or "active", from two, or "relatively moderate", on its volcanic activity scale of six. The Showa crater had a minor eruption last Wednesday, spewing smoke hundreds of meters (yards) into the air. There was a separate eruption at the Minamidake peak on Sakurajima on Monday, spouting a column of smoke about 2,000 meters into the air. Minamidake has frequently erupted, showering nearby fields with ash.

PHILIPPINES - Residents living near Mount Bulusan in Sorsogon abandoned their homes Monday for fear of another volcanic eruption. At least five families packed their bags, belongings and appliances aboard tricycles in Barangay Cogon in Irosin town. The evacuation took place as residents said the air they were breathing contained traces of sulfur, a sign that the volcano could erupt anytime. Some residents became ill after a month-long exposure to air mixed with ash.
Evacuees said they saw a “crack” in the volcano fronting their houses through which lava could flow. The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology discovered a fifth crater on the volcano during the aerial survey. Based on the aerial survey of the summit and areas around the volcano yesterday morning, a magmatic eruption is not imminent. Although steaming explosion pits were seen, there were no lava extrusions observed on the summit.
While the Bulusan volcano in Sorsogon remained quiet yesterday, Negros island’s Kanlaon volcano showed a period of unrest as another episode of steam and ash emissions occurred yesterday morning. The steam-ash emission, the third in Kanlaon for this month, indicated that the volcano is "undergoing hydrothermal activity at very shallow levels near the crater." Its current status is at zero or 'no-alert' level status. Aside from the Kanlaon and Bulusan volcanoes, other Philippine volcanoes on heightened alert status include Mayon in Albay province, which exhibited five low frequency volcanic earthquakes and two low frequency short duration harmonic tremors yesterday; and Taal Volcano, which registered two high frequency volcanic earthquakes yesterday. Both Mayon and Taal are on Alert Level 1 status.

PERU - Increased activity at Ubinas volcano prompted the evacuation of 408 villagers over the weekend. Another 150 families were evacuated yesterday. The villagers will be allowed to return to their homes if the threat decreases. Winds have carried smoke and volcanic ash into the neighboring highland region of Puno, where residents have complained of headaches and stomachaches. Seismic activity has been mounting since February at the volcano, about 470 miles southeast of the Peruvian capital of Lima. Ubinas erupted April 14, sending a column of ash some 2,600 feet into the air.

TROPICAL STORMS -
Tropical storm ALBERTO was 82 nmi SSE of Apalachicola, Florida. Winds had been 70 mph, just 4 mph shy of hurricane strength, but with dry air overtaking the center of circulation, Alberto's chances of becoming a hurricane are evaporating. Alberto will circle over land for much of the next 36 hours. There is some possiblility of onshore winds of tropical storm force to the north along the Atlantic coast.
Tropical Storm Alberto was on the verge of becoming the first hurricane of 2006 on Monday as it spun over the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico and began to lash the northwest Florida shore. Anxious officials ordered 21 thousand residents to evacuate barrier islands, flood plains and trailer parks as the storm's maximum sustained winds accelerated to near 70 miles per hour (110 kph). Tropical storm-force wind stretched up to 230 miles from the center. The outer fringes of the storm gusted ashore with sheets of rain and forecasters at the National Hurricane Center said its core would move over northern Florida by daybreak. Storm surge flooding up to 10 feet above normal tide levels was expected across much of the Gulf coast.

THUNDERSTORMS / HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING -
SOUTH AFRICA - After torrential overnight rain, more cold, wet and windy weather is expected in Cape Town over the next two days as a cut-off low pressure system makes its way across the city. Forecasters say this "RATHER UNUSUAL" low pressure system brings cold and cloudy weather with a possibility of thunderstorms on high ground.

SNOW / COLD -
NEW ZEALAND - Some parts of the region experienced their DEEPEST SNOWFALLS FOR MORE THAN 30 YEARS. The MetService is under fire after failing to warn Cantabrians of heavy snow to sea level – until there was already half a metre lying on the ground. The heavy snow in Canterbury and a landslip in the Buller Gorge had closed almost all South Island rail lines. Some highway traffic was at a standstill. In the North Island, too, the weather was wreaking havoc. A Chinese sailor was swept overboard south of the Wellington Harbour entrance as strong southerlies and big seas hit the capital. Flooding also caused problems in some parts of the city. Some roofs and verandahs in Timaru's central business district collapsed under the weight of the snow. Thousands of houses and rural properties went without power as the snow toppled trees, snapped branches and brought down power lines throughout the province. In the 30 hours to 3pm Monday, Greymouth was soaked in 186mm of rain, the most since 2000. Near gale-force winds sent rain flying horizontally off roofs, giving Greymouth THE WORST STORM IN AT LEAST 15 YEARS. Storm-driven waves threatened cars and waves also battered at the new sea wall protecting homes in Ruby Bay, Tasman.
There is a warning this winter could be a big one for avalanches in the wake of an avalanche alert for the Mount Cook region. Up to two metres of snow was dumped on the Main Divide over 36 hours, making conditions extremely dangerous. The New Zealand Mountain Safety Council is warning against all back country travel.

Monday, June 12, 2006 -

QUAKES -
Largest quakes yesterday -
6/11 -
5.9 KYUSHU, JAPAN
5.2 FIJI ISLANDS REGION

TSUNAMI -
HAWAII - A national advocacy group and some of the scientists at the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center are raising concerns over the facility's planned move to Pearl Harbor because it would be too close to sea level, putting it at greater risk of being hit by a powerful wave. "One does not have to be a geophysicist to question the wisdom of placing a key component of our tsunami warning system on a harbor island only a few feet above sea level. By putting the tsunami warning center on a harbor island, NOAA is tending its own bureaucratic turf at the expense of public safety." NOAA is expected to break ground in August on its $240 million regional campus on Ford Island, which will consolidate the agency's various offices across Oahu at one site by 2011. "Consolidating NOAA's operations in Hawaii "has a certain bureaucratic attractiveness, but from the point of view of readiness, it's asinine." Scientists at the tsunami center object to the move because of a host of operational and logistical problems and the possibly of nullifying much of the benefit from the $16.7 million currently being spent to upgrade its system.

VOLCANOES -
INDONESIA - A massive blast of searing gas has collapsed a portion of Mount Merapi's unstable lava dome, easing pressure that threatened a full-blown eruption - but the Indonesian volcano could still be deadly. A huge superheated cloud - the biggest of the year on Indonesia's most dangerous volcano - brought down a section of the dome Friday. The blast allowed red-hot lava and scorching gas to escape into a newly formed crater, relieving pressure and lowering the possibility of the dome's complete collapse, which many feared could trigger a major eruption. "Now that the magma can flow out into the new crater, the dome will become much more stable." Merapi is still at its highest alert as a crack at the bottom of the dome's southern foot has widened, threatening more powerful surges of superheated gas. Merapi shot out more than 80 bursts of red-hot lava Sunday, along with two deadly clouds of hot gas that churned down the mountain. On Saturday 43 searing gas clouds steamed down the mountain.

TROPICAL STORMS -
Tropical storm ALBERTO was 260 nmi NNW of Cancun, Mexico and 303 nmi SSE of New Orleans, Louisiana.
Tropical storm Alberto has brought heavy rains to Cuba, dropping as much as 20 inches (50cm) on western areas of the country. State TV showed pictures of extensive flooding, with one resident of Juventud island saying he had not seen water levels so high in 30 years. Alberto is the first named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season. It is expected to veer towards Florida in the next few days, but is considered unlikely to strengthen significantly. Florida expects rainfall of four to eight inches today.
What is UNUSUAL about the storm is not its strength, but its width. "The strongest winds in this tropical storm are well removed from the centre and extend mainly eastward up to 370km." Cuban Civil Defence officials evacuated 25,000 persons from low-lying areas in Pinar del Rio in western Cuba. The Isle of Youth south of Havana is cut off from air and sea transportation because of heavy rains. In the past two weeks, torrential rains killed seven people in Havana and two others in the eastern part of the country.

THUNDERSTORMS / HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING -
UTAH - An UNUSUAL bout of June thunderstorms plagued much of northern Utah during the past three days - but dry, hot weather is on the return. Tree limbs were reported down, there was damage to outside patio furniture and flying trampolines were reported. At least six consecutive hours of continuous thunder and lightning were noted across Utah Valley on Friday evening. Strong wind gusts and large hail occurred in or near many towns on Friday.

NEW ZEALAND - Galeforce winds are battering the North Island and heavy snow has paralysed much of the South Island as wintry weather swept the country overnight. Powerlines were arcing in high wind. While gale conditions weren't particularly unusual for the Bay of Plenty, the weather situation for the country as a whole was OUT OF THE ORDINARY. "Nationwide it is an UNUSUAL SITUATION. It is not often we get storms that affect the whole country." Heavy rain is forecast for later today bringing flooding.

LANDSLIDE -
CALIFORNIA - A landslide blocking Highway 140 near El Portal and the Yosemite National Park's western entrance could take more than a year to clear, leading officials to consider building an alternate road or bridge. To complicate matters, the 600-foot wide slide is still moving. "Everyday, we've got rocks as big as Volkswagens coming down." The Ferguson Slide started with chunks of rock and dirt falling onto the freeway in April. By the third week of May, 2 million to 3 million cubic yards of the mountainside had slid over a 600-yard section of the highway. Rock and sediment is still slipping downhill and 300 million cubic yards of the material could still fall, blocking the Merced River and potentially cause flooding.

Sunday, June 11, 2006 -

QUAKES -
Largest quakes yesterday -
6/10 -
5.2 PHILIPPINE ISLANDS REGION
5.6 FIJI ISLANDS REGION
6/9 -
5.7 PRINCE EDWARD IS. SOUTH AFRICA
5.4 FIJI ISLANDS REGION
5.0 SOUTH OF FIJI ISLANDS
6.1 FIJI ISLANDS REGION

VOLCANOES -
PHILIPPINES - A farmer died of an asthma attack from exposure to volcanic ash even as the government suspended classes in 23 elementary and high schools in Sorsogon following Bulusan’s series of explosions on Wednesday. The government also declared Casiguran town in a state of calamity as ashfalls continued to affect it and other towns including Escuala, Mabini, San Juan, Tigbao, San Francisco, Inlagadian and Kasay. Ash from Bulusan damaged a number of houses in villages surrounding the mountain, but residents were unharmed and staying put. Scientists recorded zero visibility in several places in Casiguran on Wednesday caused by thick volcanic ash from the series of explosions. Preparations were under way to evacuate about 8,000 residents from at least seven villages in case of a major eruption.

INDONESIA - More eruptions are being reported from Indonesia's Mount Merapi volcano. It spewed out more lava and hot clouds of gas at least five times on Saturday. Scientists say they aren't sure if the activity means a major eruption is imminent.

WASHINGTON - A small earthquake, followed by a steam and ash plume, was reported at Mount St. Helens late Friday night. The quake, probably caused by a large rockfall in the southwest Washington volcano's crater, was recorded at 9:05 p.m. PDT. A plume of steam and ash rose to an altitude of about 15,000 feet. A similar event on May 29 melted some snow and ice in the crater and also sent up a plume to about the same altitude. Seismic activity at the mountain quickly returned to normal.

TROPICAL STORMS -

Tropical depression 01 was 138 nmi NNE of Cancun, Mexico and 209 nmi W of Havana, Cuba. Projected path.
Tropical Depression One formed 45 miles off the western coast of Cuba about 9 a.m. Saturday. The storm is forecast to make landfall in northern Florida sometime Monday, bringing four to eight inches of precipitation but isn't expected to become a hurricane. Historically, storms that form in June tend not to be severe. Wind speeds are expected to reach tropical storm level of 39 miles (63 kilometers) per hour by this morning. Once winds reach that speed, it will take the first name of the season, Alberto. There is less than a 25 percent chance the storm's winds will reach hurricane-level speeds of 75 miles an hour. Grand Cayman Island has reported 22.72 inches of rain in the past 24 hours, and Cuba is expected to get as much as 30 inches of rain, causing flooding and mudslides.
FLORIDA - A huge sandstorm that blew off the African west coast last week is approaching the area as well. This could create a deep red sun at sunset, but also brings iron particles that are believed to help trigger red tide blooms off the coast.

LOUISIANA - History shows that in more than 150 years, a hurricane has never approached New Orleans in June, and only four tropical storms have hit the area in early summer. Activity picks up in July but, traditionally, the worst storms to rake Louisiana occur from mid-August to late September.

THUNDERSTORMS / HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING -
TAIWAN - Days of torrential rain have caused flooding and landslides across Taiwan that washed away homes, cut roads and yesterday derailed a train, stranding hundreds of people. Television footage showed collapsed houses in mountainous areas that had been partially washed away by mudslides. Mudslides blocked roads and left hundreds stranded in mountain areas.

CHINA - nine hours of torrential rain caused a series of landslides in Wuzhou, a city in the Guangxi region. Around 15,000 people had to leave the city as nearly 2,000 houses collapsed. More heavy rain has been predicted in southern China, and local governments are preparing for mudslides and landslides.
Heavy and persistent rain has once again lashed through Hong Kong, breaking up roads, disrupting school classes and adding to the workload of workers still trying to repair the damage caused by last week's heavy downpour. Exactly one week ago on Friday, torrential rain drew a red rainstorm warning. Friday's rain drew a black rainstorm warning in the morning. The Hong Kong Observatory said Friday thunderstorms and heavy rain were likely to continue for the next two days and it will not be until Tuesday that residents might get to see a clear sky. The areas that were worst affected last week were hit once again. The New Territories received the most rainfall, with more than 200 millimeters in Sai Kung and 180mm in Tuen Mun. The the rest of Hong Kong saw 100mm.

INDIA - Hundreds of people in the Bihar capital are struggling to cope with water logging caused by three days of continuous heavy rains. Patna recorded more than 22 centimetres of rainfall in past 36 hours alone - A NEW RECORD in the last 20 years. Meanwhile, an 11-year-old girl in Rajendra Nagar, another posh locality, reportedly drowned in the floodwater. Dead animals were also seen floating in the water. The monsoons arrived a week before they were expected.

WIND -
IDAHO - The tornado that knocked down 5,000 acres of forest land outside Council last Sunday may have been even more UNUSUAL than initially suspected. Weather experts believe the tornado may have had wind speeds between 112 and 157 mph, making it an F-2 tornado. The tornado hit the tiny community Bear on Sunday morning and spanned 12 miles in length and up to half a mile in width.

NEW MEXICO - Microbursts hit Gallup Tuesday afternoon, knocking out power to neighborhoods with wind speeds of 100 mph. They died down within two miles after lasting only a matter of minutes. After more than 30 years in the utility business, a superintendent said, "This is probably one of the worst incidents I've dealt with." The microbursts reportedly hit just around the close of regular business hours Tuesday, knocking down three power line poles on the west end of town. At approximately the same time, another microburst hit the east end of town, knocking down a couple of poles at first and eventually downing six, almost seven. The power line poles are 20 inches in diameter, and buried more than six-and-a-half feet deep. The bursts also destroyed one set of stalls and damaged the roof on another at Red Rock Park.

Friday, June 9, 2006 -

QUAKES -
Largest quakes yesterday -
6/8 -
5.0 NORTHERN SUMATERA, INDONESIA
5.1 FRENCH GUIANA
5.1 FIJI ISLANDS REGION

VOLCANOES -
JAPAN - At Sakurajima volcano, more than 7,300 explosive eruptions have been recorded in the past 45 years, bu