Southland Firestorms
Hot and dry “Santa Ana” winds blowing over Southern California whipped
up massive firestorms that stretched from inland valleys and mountains,
to exclusive beach communities in Los Angeles and San Diego counties.
Scores of homes were destroyed by the conflagrations, and the U.S.
Marines were called in to help overburdened fire-fighters battle the
blazes.
Hurricane Lili
Hurricane Lili caused some of the worst damage in
decades as it raked across the heart of Cuba. As many as 5,600 houses
were destroyed and vast tracts of sugar, banana and coffee crops were
wiped out by the storm. Lili went on to batter the Bahamas before moving
into North Atlantic where it was slow to lose its tropical
characteristics. Remnants of the storm brought torrential rains to
Labrador and were expected to lash northern Europe during the following
week.
Typhoon Beth
At least four people were killed as typhoon Beth
swept through Luzon Island in the northern Philippines. The storm later
passed across the South China Sea and brought further heavy rainfall to
already flood-stricken Vietnam.
Typhoon Carlo
Typhoon Carlo produced high winds and heavy rains
over the northern Marianas Islands, then dissipated to the east of
Japan.
Cyclone Antoinette
Tropical cyclone Antoinette formed briefly in the
eastern Indian Ocean. This late-season storm produced gales and high
surf to north-facing areas of Reunion and Mauritius, and was a minor
threat to shipping lanes.
Arabian Cyclones
Weak tropical cyclones 05A and 05B passed harmlessly
over the Arabian Sea. Such storms normally only form during a brief
period during May and June, then again briefly in October and early
November, before the waning Northern Hemisphere sun becomes to weak to
spawn their development.
Record North-eastern Flooding
An Atlantic coastal storm brought rains said to be of
“biblical proportions” during a two-day deluge over New England.
Massachusetts and Maine were especially hard hit by inundations and high
winds that caused widespread power failures.
Indian Inundations
Indian troops conducted a massive rescue operation in
the country’s south as the death toll from heavy flooding surpassed 300.
Rescuers recovered 138 bodies across the coastal state of Andhra
Pradesh, while 148 others were missing and presumed drowned.
King’s Holly
Scientists in Australia say they have found a
40,000-year-old shrub that may be the world’s oldest living organism.
The shrub has grown to cover two secluded river gullies in Tasmania’s
remote south-western wilderness. Dubbed “King’s Holly,” the plant is
believed to have begun life well before the last ice age, according to
Stephen Harris of the Tasmania Parks and Wildlife Service. The shrub is
a sterile species which clones itself, and does not need other plants to
reproduce.
Adriatic Aftershocks
The historic Croatian town of Ston suffered further
damage from ongoing swarms of earthquakes which have rocked the region
for a month. No injuries were reported from the latest shaking, which
registered a magnitude of 5.0 at 5:01 p.m. on Sunday. No injuries were
reported
Kyushu Quake/Tsunami
One of the year’s strongest temblors rocked Japan’s
southern island of Kyushu, producing a tsunami that swamped some coastal
areas with three feet of water. Only minor structural damage was
reported from the quake, which occurred at 11:44 p.m. Sunday from an
epicentre beneath the seabed 30 miles (50 km) south-east of Miyazaki
city. A tsunami tidal wave three feet (one metre) high was reported in
the port of Miyazaki, with lower highs observed in other coastal
communities. Only minor structural damage was reported due to the
shaking. Strong aftershocks registering a magnitude of 6.2 were detected
later in the week.
Western Australian Rattler
Western Australia’s southern coast was shaken by an
earthquake centred on the Indian Ocean Floor on Friday, October 18. The
magnitude 4.5 tremor was estimated to have occurred about 60 miles (100
km) west of Busselton, a town which lies on the south-western tip of the
country. The quake occurred at 12:29 p.m. local time.
Mexican Pacific Tremors
Two tremors rattled Mexico on Thursday, October 17,
but no damage or injuries were reported. The first registered a
magnitude of 4.9 along the coast between the south-western states of
Oaxaca and Guerrero at 8:51 p.m. The second was measured at magnitude
3.5 and hit the central states of Puebla and Morelos at 1:37 p.m.
Interior Alaskan Temblor
A sharp magnitude 6.1 temblor rocked a wide area of
eastern Alaska and neighbouring parts of the Yukon Territory at 1:15
p.m. on Tuesday. The quake was centred about 115 miles south-east of
Fairbanks, and was felt as far away as Whitehorse, capital of the Yukon
Territory. Items were knocked off shelves in some areas of eastern
Alaska, but no significant damage was reported.
Wyoming Tremor
Central Wyoming was rattled by a magnitude 4.1 tremor
that was centred just north of the city of Casper. The shaking occurred
at 7:27 a.m. on Saturday, and caused no damage or injuries.
European Parasite Invasion
European beekeepers are concerned over the spread of
an Asian parasite, varroa, that threatens to decimate hives across the
continent. Most keepers are reluctant to combat the plague with
chemicals that might wind up in the honey supply. Peter Rosenkranz, head
of the Apirian Research Center in Germany’s Baden-Wurttemberg State,
says that the bees have no immune mechanism against varroa, and fears
that there may soon be areas of Europe where the bees have completely
died out.
Indian Attack
A rogue monkey has terrorised a northern Indian town,
seriously injuring 17 women and children, according to the Press Trust
of India. A hospital spokesperson in the Himalayan town of Udhampur said
the monkey “almost gorged out the eyes of a three-year-old and injured
the mother’s private parts.” Suman Anjali, one of the victims, said the
monkey struck around noon when the men were away at work. “Now everybody
is so scared that they don’t open doors after the menfolk leave in the
morning,” said Anjali. The animal has yet to be captured or killed.
World temperatures:
The week’s coldest temperature recorded by the more
than 6,500 world-wide synoptic reporting stations was at the U.S.
Amundesen-Scott Antarctic Research Station located on the South Pole
where the thermometer plunged to minus 71 degrees Fahrenheit (-57
degrees Celsius.)
The hottest weather was in the Paraguayan outpost of
Prats-Gil, in the south-western plains of the country, where the maximum
temperature reached 108 degrees Fahrenheit (42.4 degrees Celsius.)
