Week 10-Xtreme Weather in the US

The difference between weather and climate is a measure of time. Weather is what conditions of the atmosphere are over a short period of time, and climate is how the atmosphere "behaves" over relatively long periods of time [NASA]. We'll be discussing extreme weather events this week [not cyclones].

The US Weather Service Current Weather Warnings can be seen in the AccuWeather website or the Weather Channel website. The map shows currently winter weather and wind advisories for the central northern part of the US. Being informed with extreme weather events is the best strategy to be safe and prepare accordingly.

A new interactive map is tracking major weather related events in the States [map below]. It is obvious a few areas get hit again and again…

These days most institutions have a twitter feed you can follow so you are alerted the moment a watch or warning is in effect.

Week 8- Mudslides Hazards in US- Focus on CA

The largest landslide in modern U.S. history (in terms of volume) was most likely one that occurred in 2013 Bingham Canyon outside of Salt Lake City, Utah. It had a slide mass of 55 million cubic meters (compared to an estimated 10 million cubic meters during the Oso, Washington event). Fortunately, no one was injured or killed during the Utah slide. 

Landslides impact California’s terrain often. These are generally related to precipitation patterns, in particular if there has been previous months of drought conditions. Early this year, across Southern California, heavy rain was causing numerous mudslides and road closures in burn scar areas from recent wildfires. The image on the right clearly shows what type of enormous devastation we are talking about [the total death toll was 20]. That area was previously burned by the Thomas fire, the biggest wildfire in CA’s recorded history, so it is not surprise that heavy rain provoked this mudslides, as the soil had no holding vegetation left.

This is the USGS page with information on how to identify any types of mass wasting events [landslides, mudslides] and what to do if one happens. If you want to know if you are living in a risk area, you can access maps like the USGS below, that shows the Emergency Assessment of Post-Fire Debris-Flow Hazards.

Stay informed and safe-