Thunderstorm These Storms Have the Potential of Causing Power Outages

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Thunderstorm These Storms Have the Potential of Causing Power Outages Thunderstorm These storms have the potential of causing power outages, localized flooding, destruction or damage to buildings, and can result in loss of life. While severe thunderstorms in Putnam County could have winds over 80 mph, hail bigger than 3 inches, and create numerous tornadoes, it would be very unlikely for thunderstorms to reach this extent based on past trends. Hurricane While it is possible for the county to be hit by a category 4 or 5 hurricane, it is very unlikely based on past trends that have seen Florida’s northeastern region mainly receiving tropical depressions/storms and categories 1-3. Impacts from these storms can include tree and natural environment destruction, infrastructure and house damage or collapse, downed power lines, blocked roads, flooding, and massive amounts of storm-generated debris. All structures are susceptible to impacts of hurricanes, especially buildings in floodplains and unsound housing or mobile homes. Storm surge While it is possible for storm surge to raise over 5 feet in the St. Johns River from a high category hurricane, it is very unlikely based on past trends of mainly receiving between 0.5 – 3.5 feet. Impacts in Putnam County are low but could include damaged piers/boats and possibly some effects to buildings built in close proximity to the St. Johns River, especially in the northern section of the county around the river. Severe Thunderstorm These storms have the potential of causing power outages, localized flooding, destruction or damage to buildings, and can result in loss of life. While severe thunderstorms in Putnam County could have winds over 80 mph, hail bigger than 3 inches, and create numerous tornadoes, it would be very unlikely for thunderstorms to reach this extent based on past trends. Minor damages have occurred from thunderstorms each year within the county. All structures are susceptible to impacts of severe thunderstorms, especially buildings in floodplains and manufactured or mobile homes Heat Wave/Drought Impacts from heat waves can put lives at risk with the possibility of heat strokes and heat exhaustion. Urban areas in Putnam County, especially Palatka, may be more susceptible to the effects of a heat wave due to the Urban Heat Island effect from urban development. Therefore it is possible to experience heat index ranges over 110 degrees F in some places. Freeze If temperatures reach freezing levels for extended periods of time and are combined with other climatic factors, crop damage will and has occurred. While it is not likely for temperatures to reach the teens or to stay below freezing for a number of days, it is still possible. Injuries and death to people in structures are very low in Putnam County freezes, but indirectly through fire caused by incorrect or careless use of space heaters could occur within the buildings. Additionally, consumer demand of electricity during these periods of extreme cold weather may require the electric utility to implement rolling blackouts to selected areas in order to avert a total electrical grid overload. These blackouts can have a significant impact on electrical dependent critical facilities and persons. .
Recommended publications
  • Consecutive Extreme Flooding and Heat Wave in Japan: Are They Becoming a Norm?
    Received: 17 May 2019 Revised: 25 June 2019 Accepted: 1 July 2019 DOI: 10.1002/asl.933 EDITORIAL Consecutive extreme flooding and heat wave in Japan: Are they becoming a norm? In July 2018, Japan experienced two contrasting, yet consec- increases (Chen et al., 2004). Putting these together, one could utive, extreme events: a devastating flood in early July argue that the 2018 sequential events in southern Japan indicate followed by unprecedented heat waves a week later. Death a much-amplified EASM lifecycle (Figure 1a), featuring the tolls from these two extreme events combined exceeded strong Baiu rainfall, an intense monsoon break, and the landfall 300, accompanying tremendous economic losses (BBC: July of Super Typhoon Jebi in early September. 24, 2018; AP: July 30, 2018). Meteorological analysis on The atmospheric features that enhance the ascent and insta- these 2018 events quickly emerged (JMA-TCC, 2018; bility of the Baiu rainband have been extensively studied Kotsuki et al., 2019; Tsuguti et al., 2019), highlighting sev- (Sampe and Xie, 2010); these include the upper-level westerly eral compound factors: a strengthened subtropical anticy- jet and traveling synoptic waves, mid-level advection of warm clone, a deepened synoptic trough, and Typhoon Prapiroon and moist air influenced by the South Asian thermal low, and that collectively enhanced the Baiu rainband (the Japanese low-level southerly moisture transport associated with an summer monsoon), fostering heavy precipitation. The com- enhanced NPSH. These features are outlined in Figure 1b as prehensive study of these events, conducted within a month (A) the NPSH, and particularly its western extension; (B) the and released by the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) western Pacific monsoon trough; (C) the South Asian monsoon; (JMA-TCC, 2018), reflected decades of knowledge of the (D) the mid-latitude westerly jet and quasistationary short Baiu rainband and new understanding of recent heat waves waves, as well as the Baiu rainband itself; these are based on in southern Japan and Korea (Xu et al., 2019).
    [Show full text]
  • Jane Wilson Baldwin [email protected] B M
    Jane Wilson Baldwin [email protected] B http://janebaldw.in m EDUCATION Princeton University, Princeton, NJ Ph.D. in Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences (AOS) 2012 – 2018 Doctoral Advisor: Gabriel A. Vecchi Dissertation title: Orographic Controls on Asian Hydroclimate, and an Examination of Heat Wave Temporal Com- pounding Harvard University, Cambridge, MA B.A. in Earth and Planetary Sciences 2007 – 2012 Summa Cum Laude. Cumulative GPA: 3.94. Thesis Advisor: Peter Huybers Thesis title: The Interactions of Precipitation and Temperature in Determining the Equilibrium of Glaciers (awarded highest departmental honors) Secondary Field in East Asian Studies, Language Citation in Mandarin Chinese RESEARCH Postdoctoral Fellow, Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, Columbia University Sep 2019 – EXPERIENCE Examining controls on multiple tropical cyclones occurring in sequence (i.e. compounding) and impacts of such events with Profs. Suzana Camargo and Adam Sobel. Collaborating with the World Bank’s disaster risk team to merge their damage model and Columbia’s tropical cyclone hazard model. Postdoctoral Research Associate, Princeton Environmental Institute Sep 2018 – Jul 2019 Associated with Prof. Gabriel Vecchi’s group in the Department of Geosciences and Prof. Michael Oppenheimer’s group in the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs. Researched implications of heat wave temporal structure for human health outcomes, and controls on tropical cyclone genesis. Applied Scientist Intern, Descartes Labs Jun 2018 – Sep 2018 Tech start-up spun off from Los Alamos National Labs developing innovative applications of geospatial data using machine learning. Worked to develop a wildfire early detection system based on GOES-16 weather satellite data. Graduate Research Assistant, Princeton Climate Dynamics Group and NOAA Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory 2012 – 2018 Advisor: Gabriel Vecchi (Professor of Geosciences and the Princeton Environmental Institute) Committee Members: Thomas Delworth, Isaac Held, P.C.D.
    [Show full text]
  • Recent History of Large-Scale Ecosystem Disturbances in North America Derived from the AVHRR Satellite Record
    Ecosystems (2005) 8: 808-824 DOI: 10.1007/~10021-005-0041-6 Recent History of Large-Scale Ecosystem Disturbances in North America Derived from the AVHRR Satellite Record Christopher potter,'" Pang-Ning d an,' Vipin ~umar,'Chris ~ucharik,~ Steven ~looster; Vanessa ~enovese,~Warren ohe en,^ and Sean ~eale~~ 'NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, California 94035, USA;2~niversity of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55415, USA; 3~niversityof Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA; *~aliforniaState University Monterey Bay, Seaside 93955, California, USA; USDA Forest Service, Corvallis, Oregon 97331, USA Ecosystem structure and function are strongly af- over i9 years, areas potentially influenced by ma- fected by disturbance events, many of which in jor ecosystem disturbances (one FPAR-LO event North America are associated with seasonal tem- over the period 1982-2000) total to more than perature extremes, wildfires, and tropical storms. 766,000 km2.The periods of highest detection fre- This study was conducted to evaluate patterns in a quency were 1987-1989, 1995-1 997, and 1999. 19-year record of global satellite observations of Sub-continental regions of the Pacific Northwest, vegetation phenology from the advanced very high Alaska, and Central Canada had the highest pro- resolution radiometer (AVHRR) as a means to portion (>90%) of FPAR-LO pixels detected in characterize major ecosystem disturbance events forests, tundra shrublands, and wetland areas. The and regimes. The fraction absorbed of photosyn- Great Lakes region showed the highest proportion thetically active radiation (FPAR) by vegetation (39%) of FPAR-LO pixels detected in cropland canopies worldwide has been computed at a areas, whereas the western United States showed monthly time interval from 1982 to 2000 and the highest proportion f 16% ) of FPAR-LO pixels gridded at a spatial resolution of 8-krn globally.
    [Show full text]
  • Burkina Faso
    Climate Risk Profile CLIMATE RISKS IN FOOD FOR PEACE GEOGRAPHIES BURKINA FASO COUNTRY OVERVIEW Northern Burkina Faso, the focus of USAID’s Food for Peace (FFP) in-country programming, is a semi-arid region that is chronically food insecure. In this area, poverty, limited rainfall, high evaporation rates, dependence on rainfed crops, and poor soils make people highly vulnerable to climate shocks (such as droughts, floods, heat waves and dust storms) that drive down agricultural production and increase food prices. Trends toward increasing temperatures, rising evaporation rates and heavy rainfall events may exacerbate these hazards, adversely impacting food security, health and water resources. Weather trends that negatively impact resource availability also threaten to intensify tensions over limited land and water resources and accelerate rural to urban and north to south migration. Burkina Faso has a high population growth rate (3 percent per year during 2010–2015), pervasive poverty (43.7 percent live on less than $1.90 per day), a highly rural population (70 percent) and a heavy reliance on agriculture, which employs more than 80 percent of the working population and accounts for about 34 percent of GDP. These factors are driving expanded cultivation and extensive, low-input agricultural production, both of which increase pressure on natural resources essential to the country’s mostly rural population. (6, 26, 27, 31, 47, 48) CLIMATE PROJECTIONS 1.6°– 2.8°C increase in Increased frequency Increased heat waves, temperatures by 2050
    [Show full text]
  • Are Extreme Events, Like Heat Waves, Droughts Or Floods, Expected to Change As the Earth’S Climate Changes?
    Frequently Asked Questions Frequently Asked Question 10.1 Are Extreme Events, Like Heat Waves, Droughts or Floods, Expected to Change as the Earth’s Climate Changes? Yes; the type, frequency and intensity of extreme events are where mean precipitation is expected to increase, and dry ex- expected to change as Earth’s climate changes, and these changes tremes are projected to become more severe in areas where mean could occur even with relatively small mean climate changes. precipitation is projected to decrease. Changes in some types of extreme events have already been ob- In concert with the results for increased extremes of intense served, for example, increases in the frequency and intensity of precipitation, even if the wind strength of storms in a future heat waves and heavy precipitation events (see FAQ 3.3). climate did not change, there would be an increase in extreme In a warmer future climate, there will be an increased risk rainfall intensity. In particular, over NH land, an increase in the of more intense, more frequent and longer-lasting heat waves. likelihood of very wet winters is projected over much of central The European heat wave of 2003 is an example of the type of and northern Europe due to the increase in intense precipitation extreme heat event lasting from several days to over a week that during storm events, suggesting an increased chance of flooding is likely to become more common in a warmer future climate. A over Europe and other mid-latitude regions due to more intense related aspect of temperature extremes is that there is likely to rainfall and snowfall events producing more runoff.
    [Show full text]
  • Midwest Urban Heat Wave Climatology: What Constitutes the Worst Events?
    Midwest Urban Heat Wave Climatology: What Constitutes the Worst Events? A thesis presented to the faculty of the College of Arts and Sciences of Ohio University In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree Master of Science Alek J. Krautmann June 2012 © 2012 Alek J. Krautmann. All Rights Reserved. 2 This thesis titled Midwest Urban Heat Wave Climatology: What Constitutes the Worst Events? by ALEK J. KRAUTMANN has been approved for the Department of Geography and the College of Arts and Sciences by Ryan Fogt Assistant Professor of Geography Howard Dewald Interim Dean, College of Arts and Sciences 3 ABSTRACT KRAUTMANN, ALEK J., M.S., June 2012, Geography Midwest Urban Heat Wave Climatology: What Constitutes the Worst Events? Director of Thesis: Ryan L. Fogt The onset of heat waves can be subtle and do not result in structural damage like many other meteorological events. Components to consider that comprise a heat wave include: duration, daytime high and overnight low temperatures, other atmospheric conditions, human impacts, and location. Nonetheless, even with these deterministic factors, heat waves lack a meaningful uniform meteorological definition. This Thesis focuses on what constitutes summer heat waves in the Midwest by identifying the thresholds of high temperature that are representative of the most extreme events. Heat waves are classified based on surface observation records from Columbus, Indianapolis, Kansas City, and St. Louis. The large-scale weather features are examined for the most significant events. In addition, changes manifest in the number and duration of past heat waves are presented. The historical significance and characteristics of the most extreme heat waves on record are also discussed.
    [Show full text]
  • Natural Disasters and Adaptation to Climate Change
    Natural Disasters and Adaptation to Climate Change Edited by Sarah Boulter, Jean Palutikof, David Karoly, and Daniela Guitart Table of Contents 1 Introduction 1 Jean Palutikof, David Karoly, Sarah Boulter, and Daniela Guitart 2 Climate change and disaster risk management: challenges and opportunities 8 Madeleine C. Thomson Part I Case Studies from North America A few words on Andrew Garcia 33 3 Hurricane Katrina and the city of New Orleans 34 Andrew W. Garcia 4 A brief history of flooding and flood control measures along the Mississippi river 49 basin, USA Timothy M. Kusky 5 The 2003 and 2007 wildfires in southern California 66 Jon E. Keeley, Alexandra D. Syphard, and C. J. Fotheringham 6 Adapting to extreme heat events: 30 years of lessons learned from the Kansas 85 City, Missouri, extreme heat program David M. Mills and William D. Snook Part II Case Studies from Australia 7 Drought and water in the Murray-Darling Basin: from disaster policy to 100 adaptation Linda C. Botterill and Stephen Dovers 8 After 'Black Saturday': adapting to bushfires in a changing climate 115 Joshua Whittaker, John Handmer, and David Karoly 9 Cyclone Tracy and the road to improving wind resistant design 137 Matthew Mason, Katharine Haynes, and George Walker 10 Adaptation and resilience in two flood prone Queensland communities 150 David King, Armando Apan, Diane Keogh, and Melanie Thomas Part III Case Studies from Europe 11 The most costly natural hazard in Europe: windstorms 171 Uwe Ulbrich, Gregor C. Leckebusch, and Markus G. Donat 12 The 2003 heat wave: impacts, public health adaptation and response in France 189 Mathilde Pascal, Alain Le Tertre, and Karine Laaidi 13 Lessons from river floods in central Europe, 1997-2010 203 Zbigniew W.
    [Show full text]
  • Extreme Heat, Climate Change and Health
    Extreme Heat, Climate Change and Health Extreme heat has direct effects on health, and heat kills more people than any other DID YOU extreme weather event. In this brief, we focus on the health impacts of climate KNOW? change and heat in the U.S. CDC defines Extreme heat threatens health extreme heat as • Extreme heat results in excess death and illness through heat stroke, heat “summertime exhaustion and exacerbations of chronic illness. temperatures that ° Heat stress and associated dehydration can exacerbate existing renal disease and may be linked to new epidemics of chronic kidney disease are substantially among individuals without other traditional risk factors.1 hotter and/or more ° Heat increases ozone levels, exacerbating asthma, other respiratory humid than average disease and cardiovascular disease. ° Some medications inhibit sweating or reduce the ability to sense for that location at overheating, increasing the risk of heat illness. that time of year.” • Heat causes more deaths than any other type of natural disaster. ° From 1999-2010, 7,415 people died from heat-related illness in the U.S., an average of 618 per year.2 ° The 2006 California heat wave resulted in 655 excess deaths, over 16,000 additional emergency room visits, and a 10-fold increase in admissions for heat-related illness.3 4 ° Extreme heat events in Europe (2003) and Russia (2010) resulted in over 70,000 and 55,000 deaths, respectively5. • Heat waves and concurrent drought contribute to crop and livestock loss, resulting in rising food prices and increased food insecurity. In 2015 the California drought resulted in $900 million in crop revenue loss, $350 million in livestock and dairy loss, tens of thousands of lost jobs, and a total economic impact estimated to be $2.7 billion.6 What is extreme heat? 7 Because individuals acclimate to their local climate, extreme heat is not defined by an absolute temperature, but rather by a relative change from past local conditions.
    [Show full text]
  • A Glossary for Biometeorology
    Int J Biometeorol DOI 10.1007/s00484-013-0729-9 ICB 2011 - STUDENTS / NEW PROFESSIONALS A glossary for biometeorology Simon N. Gosling & Erin K. Bryce & P. Grady Dixon & Katharina M. A. Gabriel & Elaine Y.Gosling & Jonathan M. Hanes & David M. Hondula & Liang Liang & Priscilla Ayleen Bustos Mac Lean & Stefan Muthers & Sheila Tavares Nascimento & Martina Petralli & Jennifer K. Vanos & Eva R. Wanka Received: 30 October 2012 /Revised: 22 August 2013 /Accepted: 26 August 2013 # The Author(s) 2013. This article is published with open access at Springerlink.com Abstract Here we present, for the first time, a glossary of berevisitedincomingyears,updatingtermsandaddingnew biometeorological terms. The glossary aims to address the need terms, as appropriate. The glossary is intended to provide a for a reliable source of biometeorological definitions, thereby useful resource to the biometeorology community, and to this facilitating communication and mutual understanding in this end, readers are encouraged to contact the lead author to suggest rapidly expanding field. A total of 171 terms are defined, with additional terms for inclusion in later versions of the glossary as reference to 234 citations. It is anticipated that the glossary will a result of new and emerging developments in the field. S. N. Gosling (*) L. Liang School of Geography, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 Department of Geography, University of Kentucky, Lexington, 2RD, UK KY, USA e-mail: [email protected] E. K. Bryce P. A. Bustos Mac Lean Department of Anthropology, University of Toronto, Department of Animal Science, Universidade Estadual de Maringá Toronto, ON, Canada (UEM), Maringa, Paraná, Brazil P. G. Dixon S.
    [Show full text]
  • CHAPTER-9 WEATHER HAZARDS Drought, Floods, Frost, Tropical Cyclones, Extreme Weather Conditions Such As Heat – Wave and Cold –Wave
    CHAPTER-9 WEATHER HAZARDS Drought, Floods, Frost, Tropical cyclones, Extreme weather conditions such as heat – wave and cold –wave. DROUGHT The term drought can be defined by several ways. 1. The condition under which crops fail to mature because of insufficient supply of water through rains. 2. The situation in which the amount of water required for transpiration and evaporation by crop plants in a defined area exceeds the amount of available moisture in the soil. 3. A situation of no precipitation in a rainy season for more than 15 days continuously. Such length of non-rainy days can also be called as dry spells. FLOOD Years in which actual rainfall is ‘above’ the normal by twice the mean deviation or more is defined as years of floods or excessive rainfall. Like droughts, the definition of floods also varies one situation to another and forms one region to other. FROST Frost is water vapor, or water in gas form, that becomes solid. Frost usually forms on objects like cars, windows, and plants that are outside in air that is saturated, or filled, with moisture. Areas that have a lot of fog often have heavy frosts. TROPICAL CYCLONE Tropical cyclone, also called typhoon or hurricane, an intense circular storm that originates over warm tropical oceans and is characterized by low atmospheric pressure, high winds, and heavy rain. Drawing energy from the sea surface and maintaining its strength as long as it remains over warm water, a tropical cyclone generates winds that exceed 119 km (74 miles) per hour. In extreme cases winds may exceed 240 km (150 miles) per hour, and gusts may surpass 320 km (200 miles) per hour.
    [Show full text]
  • State of the Mountains Report Volume 3, July 2020
    The Alpine Club of Canada’s State of the Mountains Report Volume 3, July 2020 Moving Mountains Page 4 State of the Mountains Report 2020 A Contents Foreword Staying Safe and Staying Inspired Lael Parrott, Zac Robinson, and David Hik ...................................................................................................................... 2 Feature Essay Moving Mountains: Landslides and Volcanoes in a Warming Cryosphere Brent Ward, Glyn Williams-Jones, and Marten Geertsema ......................................................................................... 4 Knowledge Highlights The Alpine Club People and Mountains of Canada’s The Canadian Mountain Network: Training Youth as Stewards for an Uncertain Future State of the Norma Kassi ........................................................................................................................................................................ 12 Mountains A New Voice in Mountain Conservation: The Canadian Rockies Youth Summit Report Ben Green, Lucas Braun, Alex Stratmoen, and Destinee Doherty ............................................................................ 15 ___________________________ Milestones: Past, Present, and Future of the Association of Canadian Mountain Guides Volume 3, July 2020 Sylvia Forest ......................................................................................................................................................................... 17 Public Avalanche Safety in Canada The Alpine Club of Canada Mary Clayton ....................................................................................................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • California Heat Waves July 2015 — a Noaa Risa —
    CALIFORNIA HEAT WAVES JULY 2015 — A NOAA RISA — DAY AND NIGHT TIME HEAT WAVES A New Type of Heat Wave 35 Daytime Heat Wave Index eat waves in California and Nevada are traditionally dry 30 Nighttime Heat Wave Index Daytime Accentuated and tolerable. The temperature warms up during the 25 Nighttime Accentuated day and normally cools off greatly at night allowing H 20 plants and animals to recuperate and get ready for another day of scorching heat. However, this traditional type of 15 heat wave, natural for our semi-arid Mediterranean climate, 10 has increasingly tended to be more humid and more often Degree Days (˚C) Days Degree 5 accentuated at night since the 1980s (Figure 1). Humidity, that is water vapor in the air, absorbs infrared radiation 1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010 emitted by the earth’s surface hampering the ability of the Figure 1. The graph shows heat wave activity since 1950. The red line is surface to cool off. In short, humidity leads to higher night based on maximum temperatures and the blue line is based on minimum time temperatures. Humidity makes the difference between temperatures. Degree days are the sum of degrees that exceed the 95th cool desert and sultry bayou nights. Increased humidity percentile of daily temperatures during June, July and August. The bold parts of the graph indicate when the heat wave activity is accentuated also makes extreme heat much more difficult for humans in minimum or nighttime temperatures (blue) or during the day (red), as it reduces our bodies’ ability to cool off by evaporating predominantly humid or dry days respectively.
    [Show full text]