Warning issued over possible surface flooding, slips and fast-rising water levels

Infonews.co.nz Monday 21 March 2011, 9:55AM
By Environment Waikato
WAIKATO

Waikato Civil Defence is warning people to be aware of the dangers posed by heavy rain expected to hit the Coromandel later today, while a weather watch is also in place for the rest of the Waikato.

Emergency management officer Greg Ryan said the MetService had advised that up to 180mm was expected for the Coromandel Ranges from 4pm, with up to 100mm elsewhere on the Peninsula.

“Up to 50mm of rain could fall in an hour and this heavy rainfall has the potential to cause surface flooding, as well as slips on some of the Coromandel’s rural roads,” Mr Ryan said.

“Due to the intensity of this rainfall storm water drains could struggle to cope. The community can help minimise the impact of surface flooding by clearing debris and rubbish from drains and gutters.

“Motorists should ensure their headlights are on, so other road users can see their vehicles in the rain. Drivers should also reduce their speeds and increase their following distances to minimise their risk of a serious crash.

“The combination of the heavy rainfall, strong on-shore winds and higher than normal tides could also lead to flooding in low-lying areas.”

Mr Ryan advised water users to always check conditions prior to entering the coastal areas and adhere to all warnings.

He also reminded members of the public that the impact of the rainfall on rivers and streams would not be realised immediately and people should not endanger their lives by entering either flood waters, or swollen rivers or streams.

The Waikato Civil Defence Emergency Management Group is working closely with Environment Waikato to monitor the region’s rainfall and river levels.

On the web:
http://www.waikatoregioncdemg.govt.nz/
www.facebook.com/WaikatoCivilDefence
http://www.metservice.com/
http://www.aa.co.nz/

I wrote for Investigate Magazine from 2000-2005, then decided to invest my energy in the alternative media, when I became aware of the rise of fascism that was being concealed from the public under the guise of hoaxes, such as the "war on terror," by the mainstream media.

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Almost half of U.S. faces spring flooding: NOAA

Almost half the United States – the North Central region, the Midwest and the Northeast – faces a high risk of spring flooding over the next two weeks, government forecasters said on Thursday.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said in its spring forecast that the stage was set for potential widespread, record flooding, particularly in the North Central United States for the third year in a row.

“With spring flooding already underway over portions of the U.S., NOAA forecasters are warning the worst is yet to come,” the forecasting agency said.

The top spring flood risks include the Red River of the North, which forms the state line between North Dakota and Minnesota, and the Milk River in eastern Montana, NOAA said.

Much of the flooding will be due to warmer temperatures that cause a large part of the snowpack in the North Central region to melt, NOAA said.

The warning follows one of the snowiest winters on record for the northern United States.

The upper Midwest crop belt had its second straight year of above-normal precipitation, with several areas receiving twice their normal snow and rain from December to February, Steve Hilberg, director of the Midwestern Regional Climate Center, told the Reuters Global Ags Forum on Thursday.

The main early danger from this flooding, and expected above average rainfall, is that soggy fields will delay farmers’ spring field work, government forecasters said.

Grain traders and farmers often read a delayed planting season as a drag on final crop yields in autumn.

The huge snowfall and heavy snowpack is also reminding them of the massive flooding that can hit the top U.S. grain producing regions — as with the Red River Valley in Spring 2009 and throughout the northern Midwest Corn Belt in 2008.

Hilberg said the Red River was under the greatest risk of a repeat.

“In the Red River Valley, it certainly is possible. A significant rain on top of the snow would cause a huge amount of runoff. There is currently about 4-6 inches of water in the snow,” he said. “Over the remainder of the Midwest, flooding along the lines of 2008 is probably not likely.”

Other areas facing flooding risks: the James and Big Sioux rivers in South Dakota, the Minnesota River, the upper Mississippi River basin from Minneapolis southward to St. Louis, and a portion of lower New York, eastern Pennsylvania and northern New Jersey.

NOAA also said that the La Nina weather pattern, which generally brings dry U.S. weather conditions, peaked during the December-January period, but will remain moderately strong in April and then weaken by June.

Source

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Increase in melting ice: Flooding and disaster

Written by Canadafirst on 13 March 2011

New data shows that the ice caps are not only melting, but that the melting rate is increasing, meaning that exponential flooding cycles will be unleashed within living memory of most people who read this piece. We are confronted by a global phenomenon, if not a looming catastrophe.

In 2006, the combined ice sheets of Greenland and Antarctica were losing some 475 billion tonnes of ice a year due to melting. The Greenland sheet melt is increasing by 22 GT (billion tonnes, GigaTonnes) a year and the Antarctic sheet melt is increasing by 14.5 GT per year, particularly worrying because this pole is colder and has more ice and the trend will only increase.

In short, we are looking at exponential melting phenomena and a corresponding rise in ocean levels…spelling catastrophe for low-lying areas over the coming decades. Mark our words. Those who deride articles such as these as nonsense will in just a few years be hanging their heads in shame.

The new evidence is provided by the Twin Grace satellites, which orbit Earth in unison, providing date on the slightest changes in gravity. Their findings contradict the most pessimistic predictions arising from the IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) project in 2007, of a rise in sea levels of 59 cm, although the IPCC at the time had stated that the figure was open to correction.

Studies by several scientific groups have indicated that the 59 cm. level could in fact easily become translated into a rise is sea-waters of a metre or even two, which would have not only serious, but catastrophic results.

As it stands today, reliable scientific evidence points towards a minimum rise in the sea level of 1.3 mm per year just from the polar ice caps (there are other vectors in play, namely the melting mountain glaciers and rivers). As the Earth’s median temperature rises, it is natural that the polar ice caps will start to feel the kick-in effects of exponential temperature rise factors.

Certain countries, namely Bangladesh and the Maldives, along with all low-lying Ocean-bordering cities, will then feel the consequences.

Timofei Belov

Pravda.Ru

Posted in Earth Changes | No Comments »

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