News blips: Not trying to scare you

Here’s a collection of interesting stories from this week that might make you decide not to travel. Sorry about that. I don’t mean to scare you, but always be aware of the risk and try to be as prepared as possible.

Alaskan giant waves

Humans venture into dangerous areas made more so due to climate change. Here’s a news bit that I never thought about before, and adds yet another reason for me to never take an ocean cruise – I’m already terrified of giant waves and norovirus.

Here are some facts about Alaskan cruises:

The conclusions we can take from all that are slightly terrifying. First, while there are many ships visiting these areas, and giant waves have already been observed in the fjords, the odds of a ship being hit are still low. However, the odds could be getting worse. Scientists are trying to inform mariners of the risk and develop emergency plans. It’s unclear how well any escape plans could work when the events happen unexpectedly and so quickly. Source: Hakai magazine

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=snJsrRxrFro

Hail, hail, not all the plane is here

A plane flying from Spain to Vienna, Austria encountered hail when flying through an unexpected thunderstorm that was not showing on radar. The plane flew into the storm about 20 minutes prior to landing. As turbulence affected the passengers, hail hit the plane, utterly destroying the nose cone (really, it’s the radome, apparently) and cracking the front windscreen. The plane did land safely. A few weeks ago, a man was killed due to turbulence on a flight. Unexpected turbulence and heavier storms are expected to increase due to atmospheric instability from climate change. Source: BBC

This type of damage has been documented before, particularly last July.

According to this information, the outer windscreen is not critical, except for visibility, because the second layer is not damaged by hail. Damage to the radome does not affect the capability to fly. Even the engines are designed to withstand impact. So, while this incident looks bad, the plane damage wasn’t extremely dangerous. However, you wouldn’t want to have experienced it.

Another fatality by python

There have been multiple incidents of people, albeit those of smaller stature, being attacked and eaten by pythons in Indonesia. Another gruesome find surfaced last week as a woman went missing in the village of Kalempang in South Sulawesi. The woman’s belongings were found as well as a very full 16 ft reticulated python. Their worst fears were realized as her body was inside. It’s not perfectly clear that this happened as described because of the sources and translation issues. But this is not an isolated incident, as other people have been documented as meeting the same fate. Source: CBS News.

The pythons will kill livestock. And, even pet pythons can be dangerous. While there have been a few reports of sightings of reticulated pythons in Florida, it’s not been officially established as an invasive species. The most common python in Florida is the Burmese python, most of which are not gigantic when they are killed. But they can get very big. Not to get too morbid, but, as a fact, humans are tough to swallow due to our shoulders. Children and pets are at greater risk and should not be left alone with large snakes. In the wild, pythons are ambush predators that may hide in trees, striking first, and constricting.

#Alaska #climateChange #eatenByPython #giantWaves #hail #planeDamage #reticulatedPython #tsunami

https://sharonahill.com/?p=8592

Eight people taken to hospital as waves up to 30ft high pound California coast

Six million people under high surf warning as powerful storms sweep through #California and #Oregon

by Maanvi Singh in Oakland, California, and Erum Salam
Fri 29 Dec 2023

"#GiantWaves as tall as 30ft crashing on to California’s coast have caused injuries and property damage, prompting evacuation warnings.

"At least eight people needed hospital treatment after towering waves crashed over seawalls in southern California on Thursday, engulfing seaside neighborhoods. On Friday, more than 6 million people remained under a high surf warning across California and Oregon. The National Weather Service (NWS) has predicted waves up to 40ft, warning: 'Stay away from rocks, jetties, piers, and other waterside infrastructure. Never turn your back to the ocean!'

"The season’s first huge swell, propelled by #GaleForceWinds across the Pacific Ocean, and a swath of low pressure off the west coast, combined with strong rains along parts of California, have created treacherous conditions. Evacuation orders were issued for Stinson beach in Marin county, north of San Francisco, and for parts of Santa Cruz along the central coast.

"The Los Angeles-area weather office wrote that powerful cyclones over northern Pacific waters were sending 12-17ft (3.6-5-meter) swells, creating 'tremendous wave energy across coastal waters'.

"At some points along California, breaking waves were predicted to reach 25ft (7.6 meters). Astronomical high tides were adding to a significant risk of more coastal flooding, forecasters said.

"'Overall, this is expected to be an exceptional high-surf and coastal #flooding event that has not occurred in many years,' the weather service said. 'Take caution and heed the direction of local authorities and lifeguards. Never ever turn your back to the water as damaging and life-threatening sneaker waves are likely to occur.'

"In the #BayArea region, there is a chance of thunderstorms into Saturday morning, according to the NWS. The weather service office in Medford, Oregon, also expected hazardous beach conditions and gusty winds of 30-50mph on Friday, warning of possible infrastructure damage.

"Surfers and beachgoers in Los Angeles and much of southern California are being warned that the risk of drowning is high, and several beaches and state parks across the state have been closed due to the weather.

"High surf is often a hazard of California winters. During the winter of 2020-2021, several people, including young children, died in the Bay Area after being swept out to sea by unexpectedly strong waves. Officials worry that risks are heightened this holiday weekend, when families often flock to the beach.

"A study this year found that California’s winter waves have gotten taller, and big waves have become more frequent since the 1970s, due to #ClimateChange."

Read more:
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/dec/29/california-storms-weather-latest-waves

#CaliforniaWx #OregonWx #RogueWaves #WeatherExtremes