A tropical storm warning remains in effect in Cabo San Lucas and parts of Baja California Sur. But Tropical Storm Rick, now with maximum sustained winds of only 65 mph, has altered course considerably and its center is expected to pass well to the south of the peninsula.
This has Cabo San Lucas residents breathing a sigh of relief, but there is sad news: Authorities confirmed that a 16-year-old boy was killed Monday in the pounding surf at Medano Beach, which faces the famous arches at Land's End.
Huge waves continue to pound the beach and the storm surge has reached many of its hotel patios. The Los Cabos International Airport remains open but travelers are advised to check with their carriers regarding possible delays or cancellations.
Tracy Ehrenberg, general manager of Pisces Sportfishing, says it has been raining steadily but lightly since Monday night, and there is little wind. The annual Bisbee's Black & Blue Marlin Tournament, which is the world's richest billfish competition, was scheduled to run Wednesday through Friday but probably will run as a two-day competition Thursday and Friday, as the port will remain closed through at least Wednesday.
Eric Brictson, owner of Gordo Banks Pangas, said today via e-mail: "The storm has really weakened, but it is still raining lightly at this time and we are out of work during a very busy time. We do assume we will be able to start operations back up on Thursday morning."
At 8 a.m. Tuesday the storm was located 200 miles south-southwest of Cabo San Lucas and traveling in a northeasterly direction. According to the National Hurricane Center its center is expected to pass Cabo San Lucas tonight or early Wednesday on a course toward mainland Mexico.
Rainfall will be heavy and flooding is possible in some areas.
-- Pete Thomas
Photo: Storm watchers run from the deck at a hotel on Medano Beach as a large
wave overtakes their perch. Credit: Paul J. Richards / AFP / Getty Images
Hurricane Rick continues to weaken as it approaches the Cabo San Lucas area at the tip of Baja California. The National Hurricane Center at 2 p.m. Monday issued an advisory stating that maximum sustained winds are down to about 100 mph and that Rick is now a Category 2 hurricane.
The storm is located 325 miles south-southwest of Cabo San Lucas and its predicted course has changed since the morning forecast. The center of the storm is now expected to merely skirt Cabo San Lucas, perhaps sparing the region major damage, as it travels toward the northeast in the direction of mainland Mexico. It will pass Cabo San Lucas as a tropical storm late Tuesday or early Wednesday.
The accompanying photo was taken during the lunch hour from the Cabo San Lucas marina, where many boats have been transported to land. Tracy Ehrenberg, general manager of Pisces Sportfishing, e-mailed the photo to Outposts and said the weather, while gloomy, is eerily calm and that the size of the surf has actually dropped.
That's a cruise ship in the distance. There had been two moored outside the marina this morning, but one has left. It remains unclear whether the ship in the photo, apparently with passengers still aboard, is going to ride out the storm at anchor.
Hurricane Rick is tracking toward southern Baja California and although it continues to weaken, the National Hurricane Center still refers to it as "a major storm," and residents and tourists throughout the region are bracing for the worst.
Rick, which on Saturday packed 180-mph winds and was the second strongest eastern North Pacific hurricane on record, is now a Category 3 storm with maximum sustained winds of 115 mph. At 8 a.m. Monday its center was located 375 miles south-southwest of Cabo San Lucas. It's expected to make landfall in that area, still as a hurricane, late Tuesday or early Wednesday.
One man reportedly was killed Sunday after being swept into the water and jetty rocks in San Jose del Cabo.
Flooding and high winds are expected. Airline travel probably will be disrupted. Plans are being made to relocate residents in vulnerable areas to shelters. Fishing fleet operators and private boat owners are still working to remove vessels from marinas or at least into sheltered areas within marinas.
In Cabo San Lucas, this includes more than 100 wealthy yacht owners entered in the Bisbee's Black & Blue Marlin Tournament, which was scheduled to begin Wednesday. Some have already fled toward Southern California. The three-day tournament, which offers about $3 million in prize money, might become a one-day affair on Friday -- if the storm passes quickly enough.
"Please keep your fingers crossed that Hurricane Rick does not hurt us too bad," Capt. George Landrum of Fly Hooker Sportfishing implored in a fishing report issued Monday morning. "We just had one huge noisy squall come, part of the feeder bands. Cats and dogs [are] hiding everywhere."
Tracy Ehrenberg, general manager of Pisces Sportfishing, wrote Monday on the fleet's blog: "Heavy rain fell for a while and wind picked up to about 25 mph, with some thunder and more lightning. We all thought, 'Wow, it's here already,' but this was just an isolated outer thunderstorm."
The recent storms that moved through the area earlier this week brought enough rain to officially end the fire season in Yosemite National Park.
Thanks to rainfall measurements ranging from 5 to 9 inches at park weather stations (as well as snow at higher elevations), officials announced the end of fire season, which occurs when there is more than 2 inches of rain. Historically, there is a 90% chance of this happening before the end of October.
The helicopter contracted for Yosemite has departed and seasonal fire personnel will soon be leaving as well.
After having to deal with the Big Meadow fire, which consumed 7,425 acres last month, I have a feeling the firefighters and park personnel are breathing a huge sigh of relief at this announcement.
Tropical Storm Patricia, at 11 this morning, was centered about 100 miles southeast of the tip of Baja California, and a tropical storm warning remained in effect for Cabo San Lucas and the southern portion of the peninsula.
An advisory issued by the National Hurricane Center stated that the storm was becoming less organized as it traveled to the north-northeast at about 7 mph but still had maximum sustained winds of 60 mph. Patricia is expected to veer to the northwest later today and start tracking to the west by Thursday.
It will make its closest approach to Baja, southwest of Cabo San Lucas, tonight and Wednesday.
Tracy Ehrenberg, general manager of Pisces Sportfishing in Cabo San Lucas, said the port is closed today despite reasonably calm seas and a mixture of clouds and sunshine. It rained earlier, and the National Hurricane Center predicted 1 to 3 inches would fall in the region.
Tropical storm Patricia is not expected to become a hurricane, but its center is expected to brush the tip of the Baja California peninsula near Cabo San Lucas on Tuesday afternoon. It then is expected to track to the west and weaken.
Patricia, which at 11 a.m. Monday was 245 miles south of Cabo San Lucas, will deliver heavy rain and wind gusts to about 60 knots. The Mexican government has issued a Tropical Storm watch extending north just past La Paz.
The storm will briefly interrupt fishing off Cabo, where marlin, tuna and dorado have been cooperative for anglers during the past week, according to Capt. George Landrum of Fly Hooker Sportfishing.
*Updated to reflect it was an Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department escort
Scorched earth is a depressing sight, especially when it had been lush with chaparral and old-growth forest.
The extent of the devastation caused by the Station fire, which has burned almost 250 square miles within the Angeles National Forest but finally is close to being contained, will be unfathomable when assessments are made.
Dead animals are said to litter the blackened and barren countryside. Rattlesnakes -- those that had burrowed and somehow survived the inferno -- slither across a moonscape hunted from the sky by raptors.
Campgrounds and important structures have been destroyed and trails are ruined. A once-verdant paradise is lost for who knows how many years to thousands of campers, hikers, bikers, runners, birders and horseback riders.
The scenic Angeles Crest Highway also remains closed, but a video shot by a couple touring the road behind a Los Angeles County Sheriff's Dept. escort is making the rounds on YouTube. It reveals a charred countryside, melted road signs and guard rails that simply lie atop or alongside the pavement, their wooden support beams burned to ashes.
If you're familiar with the highway and forest, click on the video and tag along. It's a surreal odyssey, to be sure.
The 7,425-acre Big Meadow fire in Yosemite National Park is now listed on inciweb.org as being 100% contained. The fire has been burning since Aug. 26 when a 91-acre controlled burn escaped its intended boundary.
All roads except for one were opened to traffic on Sunday. The remaining road closure -- Big Oak Flat Road from Crane Flat to El Portal Road -- is scheduled to re-open at 5 p.m. Tuesday.
Firefighters continue to mop up hot spots around Tamarack Flat campground and the Foresta community. Debris removal and hazard tree cutting will continue along Big Oak Flat Road until it opens tomorrow.
"Working under difficult conditions, the fire crews demonstrated ingenuity, determination, and painstaking attention to safety in finishing the task of making the Big Oak Flat Road through Yosemite National Park safe again for travelers," park acting superintendent Dave Uberuaga said in an issued release.
Burned areas next to roads will remain closed to the public and drivers are advised to use caution due to smoke.
Remaining closed indefinitely are the Crane Flat and Tamarack campgrounds. Old Big Oak Flat trail head and Rockslides and Tamarack Creek trails, all which lead to El Capitan, also remain closed.
-- Kelly Burgess
Photo: Firefighters Reg Bowdler, Brian Mattos, Daniel Muir and Matt Ferral pack fireline explosives around a hazard tree in preparation for falling. Credit: Dan Fischer / National Park Service
Baja Bush Pilots has been monitoring the damage caused by hurricane/tropical storm Jimena in northern Baja California Sur. The situation, as reported earlier Thursday on Outposts, is bleak for many residents and disheartening for Baja aficionados who have grown fond of the region and its people.
Here's the midday update from the Bush Pilots, based not only on flyovers but reports from residents --before phone service went out, and in one instance a ham radio -- and members close to the situation:
-- Matancitas (Lopez Mateos): Almost 90% of structures are down or severely damaged. No water, power or telephone service.
-- Ciudad Constitucion: Most roofs are gone; severe damage to 70% of the buildings. No water, power or telephone service.
-- Loreto: No power or telephone service. Lines are down, trees are down. Buildings are damaged. The airport is closed.
-- Mulege: No water, power or telephone service. Water crested three feet above the bridge. Water was 2 feet deep in the fire station, which would mean that almost the entire town was flooded. There have been reports of loss of life. (Outposts has learned at least one man has died, according to authorities.)
-- Punta Chivato: One person indicates that the wind was over 100 mph before the indicator broke. Damage to almost everything. We should hear about the condition of the strip sometime today.
-- Santa Rosalia: Wall of water came down the canyon and through the town, washed cars, etc., into the ocean.
Based on these reports, mid-Baja would seem to be disaster central. The Red Cross will have its hands full over the next several days. And a team from the U.S. Aid Disaster Assistance humanitarian group reportedly is in the area. Hopefully, the worst has passed.
-- Pete Thomas
Photo: Residents look at lamp posts knocked down by Hurricane Jimena in
Puerto San Carlos, Baja California Sur. Credit: Ronaldo Schemidt/AFP/Getty Images
Outdoor enthusiasts planning to head to Yosemite National Park for the Labor Day holiday weekend should keep in mind that road closures due to the Big Meadow fire will be in effect until further notice.
Big Oak Flat Road remains closed to through traffic at the Big Oak Flat Entrance Station to the junction of El Portal Road. Tioga Road is also closed from White Wolf to the Crane Flat Gas Station.
All park campgrounds are open with the exception of Crane Flat and Tamarack Flat campgrounds, and the community of Foresta is still evacuated.
Those going to the Strawberry Music Festival taking place at Camp Mather near Yosemite may also be affected by these closures.
Many other areas of Yosemite are accessible and unaffected by the wildfire, which has been burning for over a week. As of this morning, the fire has consumed 7,240 acres and is now 70% contained.
For updated fire information, visit www.inciweb.org or call (209) 372-0327, (209)
372-0480, or (209) 372-0669 daily during business hours.
Tropical storm Jimena, with maximum sustained winds of 45 mph, is weakening but causing extensive flooding in the Mulege and Santa Rosalia areas on the eastern coast of Baja California. Nearby Loreto reportedly is without electricity because of a damaged power station.
Jimena made landfall as a Category 2 hurricane near San Carlos in the Magdalena Bay area, then swept across the peninsula to Santa Rosalia and Mulege, whose riverbanks have swelled. The popular surf destination San Juanico (Scorpion Bay) on the Pacific coast also has received extensive damage.
These areas have fared worse than Cabo San Lucas fared. Just a few days ago, that resort city at Land's End was bracing for a Category 5 hurricane.
Cabo San Lucas, East Cape and La Paz escaped with no major damage. In
fact, sport-fishing boats and even a few dive boats from these areas embarked Thursday for the first time since the storm
began to make its presence felt last weekend.
Reports from Mulege, however, indicate extensive flooding. A new hospital's floors are under water. A bridge leading into Mulege is damaged. And at least one person, an elderly man, has died.
Farther south, in the wake of Jimena, damage is still being assessed. In the Pacific port city of San Carlos, five commercial fishing boats were damaged or sunk. One of the vessels that sunk was the Ensenada, with 300 tons of tuna and other fish in its hold.
Jimena is expected to become a tropical depression later today, according to the National Hurricane Center. But rainfall will be significant as the storm tracks back across the peninsula toward the Pacific.
Meanwhile, on the southerly horizon, another disturbance has emerged (pictured). The yellow coloring implies there is less than a 30% chance it will develop into a tropical cyclone. That's good, because the region could use a respite.
-- Pete Thomas
Graphic: National Hurricane Center
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The Big Meadow fire in Yosemite National Park started when a prescribed burn got out of control. Many have questioned the practice of controlled burns, including Outposts readers. A community meeting was Friday in El Portal with the park's acting superintendent, Dave Uberuaga, and other wildfire incident leaders replying to questions from local residents. Following are four of the most frequently asked questions and answers, as posted on inciweb.org:
Q: Why did the National Park Service ignite the Big Meadow fire in August?
A: The Big Meadow prescribed fire was initiated based upon a written and predetermined "window" of very specific conditions (temperature, humidity, fuel type, wind speed, smoke dispersal, etc.). At the time of ignition, all conditions were within this window. Prescribed fires may be done any month of the year depending upon the objectives of the burn.
Q: Why couldn't the meadow be burned in much cooler conditions?
A: The park uses prescribed fire to accomplish specific objectives. In the case of the Big Meadow fire, those objectives were meadow restoration and the maintenance of fire resistant vegetation for the Foresta community. For vegetation to burn, it must be sufficiently dry and flammable to maintain a fire. The prescription for the Big Meadow burn was based upon these objectives.
Q: What went wrong then?
A: The development of the prescription window and its review and sign-off are processes that agencies have carefully developed to minimize the risk of a fire escape. However, when dealing with all the complexities that can affect a fire, it is nearly impossible to reduce risk to zero. The National Park Service will conduct a careful review once the fire is extinguished.
Q: Will someone be held accountable for the fire and the damage it has done?
A: In the National Park Service, prescribed fire plans are reviewed and approved by multiple individuals and then authorized by the superintendent or his/her representative. Any escaped prescribed fire requires a review once the fire is extinguished. The review will include independent, knowledgeable fire professionals and will produce findings. Based upon those findings, the agency may take further actions including those that might affect responsible officials.
--Kelly Burgess
Photo: The Big Meadow fire as viewed Thursday from Tioga Road.
The Big Meadow fire in Yosemite National Park has now grown to 5,257 acres and remains at 55% containment as of 10 a.m. today.
The fire continues to be active on the northern flank approaching Tioga Road near Tamarack Flat and in the upper Crane Creek drainage area.
Evacuations for both the community of Old El Portal and the Yosemite View Lodge have been lifted, though residents and guests are cautioned that there may be additional evacuations, dependent on fire behavior.
Tamarack Flat and Crane Flat campgrounds as well as Foresta remain closed, with no projected reopening date currently.
The west end of Tioga Road remains closed to through traffic from White Wolf to Crane Flat Gas Station because of poor visibility, as does the portion of Big Oak Flat Road from the Big Oak Flat Entrance Station to the junction of El Portal Road.
Updated fire information can be found at inciweb.org or by calling (209) 372-0327, (209)
372-0480 or (209) 372-0669 daily during business hours.
-- Kelly Burgess
Photo: The view from the Big Oak Flat Road late last week. Credit: National Park Service
At 8 a.m. today, the center of Hurricane Jimena, with maximum sustained winds of 145 mph, was 140 miles south-southwest of Cabo San Lucas and churning toward the Baja California peninsula at about 12 mph.
The accompanying image was captured just after 8 a.m. from the area of the old lighthouse at Cabo Falso on the Pacific side of the peninsula north of Cabo San Lucas.
Rain comes and goes and wave heights are steadily increasing. Cabo San Lucas is no longer in the projected path of the hurricane. Neither are any of the towns and fishing resorts along the Sea of Cortez to and slightly beyond La Paz.
The center of the storm is predicted to brush Magdalena Bay on the Pacific side early Wednesday and make landfall north of that port city later in the day.
The Mexican government has extended a hurricane warning northward on the Pacific side of the peninsula from Cabo San Lucas to Punta Abreojos, and along the gulf side to Mulege.
Rainfall is expected to total between 5 to 10 inches in most areas and possibly 15 inches in isolated areas, according to the National Hurricane Center.
Jimena has subtly changed course a few times over the past few days. Outposts will provide updates as warranted.
-- Pete Thomas
Photo: Waves generated by Hurricane Jimena crash beyond Cabo Falso on the Pacific side of the Baja California peninsula. Credit: Glenn Ehrenberg
Note: To follow this blog on Twitter please visit @latimes.com
*Updated at 4:45 p.m. to reflect road closure information
As of noon Monday, the Big Meadow fire within Yosemite National Park had consumed nearly 5,000 acres but was 55% contained and crews were making enough progress that some of the air tankers being used to help battle the blaze were sent to Southern California, where a far more volatile situation exists.
The west end of Tioga Road has been closed to through traffic from White Wolf to Crane Flat Gas Station because of poor visibility, and it remains unclear when it will reopen. Tuolumne Meadows to White Wolf is still accessible from the east end of the park via U.S. 395.
Many hiking trails and campsites remain closed. No structures have been lost.
Meanwhile, many are asking the question: How did this prescribed burn, which was supposed to involve only 91 acres, get away from a National Park Service team that routinely carries out controlled burns? (None of those 91 acres actually burned; that's how quickly this fire changed direction and got out of hand.)
An interagency review panel will address the issue in a week or two, park spokesman Scott Gediman said.
Gediman added that prescribed burns sometimes leap beyond designated boundaries but no one at the park could recall a runaway fire of this magnitude.
Regardless, the park has no plans to abandon its prescribed-burn program, and that's understandable. Fires are beneficial in that they allow forests to regenerate by removing old growth. Since Yosemite and other national parks must suppress many naturally-sparked fires to protect lives and structures, prescribed burns in designated areas help accomplish regeneration while preventing fuel buildup that could eventually lead to larger and potentially more devastating wildfires.
The review panel will probably raise the issue of timing. The temperature exceeded 100 degrees when the fire began last Wednesday. The park addresses this issue, in part, on its website, but it fails to answer why the team could not have waited for slightly cooler temperatures.
Outposts will continue to monitor the situation.
-- Pete Thomas
Photo: The Big Meadow fire as viewed last Wednesday. Credit: National Parks Service
The Big Meadow Fire in Yosemite National Park continues to grow, with estimates this morning at 4,382 acres and 50% containment.
In addition to evacuations and closures previously reported on Outposts, the community of Old El Portal has been evacuated, and Yosemite View Lodge, located outside the west entrance of the park, is now closed.
Although visitors may experience delays on area roads due to firefighting operations, much of the park is open.
"There are still many areas unaffected by the wildfire, for example Tuolumne Meadows, accessed from the east off Highway 395," said park spokeswoman Vicky Mates.
For updated fire information, visitors can call (209) 372-0327, (209) 372-0480, or (209) 372-0669 daily during business hours or visit www.inciweb.org.
-- Kelly Burgess
Photo: Fire burns on a hillside in the lower valley at Yosemite National Park. Credit: Mark Duncan / Associated Press
In addition to the fires burning in Southern California, a portion of Yosemite National Park is also ablaze.
The Big Meadow fire started as a prescribed burn of 90 acres Wednesday by park fire crews and has grown to engulf 2,244 acres after the crew was unable to contain the blaze within the set boundaries.
Campers at Crane Flat and Tamarack Flat campgrounds and residents in the community of Foresta have been evacuated and the areas remain closed. No structures have been lost.
Three trails to El Capitan -- Tamarack Creek (Flat), Old Big Oak Flat and Rockslides -- are closed.
The portion of Big Oak Flat Road between the Crane Flat gas station and the intersection of El Portal and Big Oak Flat roads also remain closed, with no projected opening date at this time.
National Park Service firefighters continue to battle the wildfire, which is currently 10% contained.
--Kelly Burgess
Photo: Fire crews during a previous prescribed burn in Yosemite. Credit: Adrienne Freeman / NPS
A commenter named Jeff accused me of being overly dramatic after I posted an item Wednesday referring to this as the hellish season in Southern California after the Morris fire broke out.
Two days later, four wildfires are burning in Southern California and people are being encouraged to stay indoors because of smoke and sweltering temperatures.
There's plenty of drama to go around. Firefighters are experiencing it first-hand. So are people who live near the fires, some of them now staying in shelters. So are wild animals, some with nowhere to run.
In fact, the fire in the Rancho Palos Verdes area, now 35% contained, is charring not only hiking trails but game trails. It last burned four years ago and local resident Donna McLaughlin recalled hiking in its aftermath and discovering charred rabbits and snakes.
"This fire is a lot worse than the 2005 fire, so I am sure more wildlife has been affected," McLaughlin said after a Friday morning hike on the McBride Trail, which has not been touched by fire.
The fire, however, has burned part of a nature reserve in the Portguese Bend area. That area is one of only a few remaining areas where the California gnatcatcher is found.
Two years ago I interviewed Terri Stewart, a Department of Fish and Game biologist, who said many small animals cannot outrun major wildfires and also succumb to smoke. But a surprising number of animals do survive by burrowing or holding over in small areas passed over by flames.
She added that raptors will swoop down and prey on these charred critters in a fire's aftermath. Or to use her words, they will "have a field day."
How's that for drama?
-- Pete Thomas
Photo: A helicopter drops water on the Rancho Palos Verdes fire. Credit: Alex Gallardo / Los Angeles Times
A fire is burning out of control in the Angeles National Forest above Azusa. Smoke fills the L.A. Basin and has fanned out over the Pacific, visible as a reddish-brown haze on the horizon. A red-flag warning is in effect through Friday.
After an unseasonably cool August, the heat is on and so leap the flames as they devour dense, tinder-dry brush. Consider this, then, the beginning of the most hellish time of year in Southern California: the fire season, fueled by arsonists, searing heat and Santa Ana winds.
It's my least favorite period, even though I live at the beach and am not close to fire corridors, because I do get the smoke and have no air conditioner to insulate myself from the motionless, hot, eye-stinging, ash-laden air that hovers over the coast during these episodes.
This is when firefighters earn their salaries, and they are underpaid for what they go through. The Morris fire above the San Gabriel Valley is just the start, and so far it has included a forced evacuation of campers, the aerial rescue of an 18-member Boy Scout troop and voluntary evacuations at other campgrounds and a nearby mobile home park.
The end is not in sight. The fire was only 10% contained at last check, and the forecast calls for temperatures exceeding 100 degrees and low humidity. Before this fire is extinguished, another could easily spring up elsewhere.
To be sure, this is the time of year hikers, bikers, campers and anyone else entering the wilderness should exercise extreme caution and also keep eyes peeled for suspicious activity, because one less fire could save lives and property.
Here's hoping the Morris fire is the last major fire in the Southland. It's wishful thinking, I know.
-- Pete Thomas
Photo: Smoke from the Morris fire fills the sky. Credit: Alex Gallardo / Los Angeles Times
Fishing season has begun in Alaska and anglers visiting the Kenai Peninsula will want to tote cameras regardless of how well the salmon and halibut are cooperating.
That's because Mt. Redoubt volcano is erupting in a mild manner--for the time being--and generating spectacular imagery. The accompanying photo was taken May 26 by Dennis Josefczyk, from the peninsula, which is about 50 miles east of the volcano, across the Cook Inlet.
The Alaska Volcano Observatory reports low seismic activity and as long as that remains the case travel disruptions should be minimal or nonexistent. However, Redoubt's mood could change instantaneously so visitors are encouraged to check the AVO website and consult their airline carriers in the days leading to their departure date.
When the 7.1-magnitude earthquake struck the Caribbean region at 2:24 a.m. today, scuba-diving tourists near the epicenter on the island of Roatan fled from dwellings and those on the island's low-lying west end ran into the hills.
Residents and employees did too.
"Everybody got out of the house instantly, " said PJ Rowntree, owner of Coconut Tree Divers on the small island beyond Honduras, which received the most damage. "Many of them ran off in their night clothes."
The earthquake, centered offshore beyond Honduras, reportedly killed at least two people and toppled more than two dozen homes in Honduras and Belize to the north. It also collapsed a bridge spanning Honduras' largest river, the Ulua. However, in Belize, which also is a diving and fly-fishing paradise, tourist areas seemed to weather the shaking.
Jake Sinna, general manager of Turneffe Flats resort on a small offshore atoll, said, "I thought it was a thunderstorm moving in, but when the house shook for about 10 seconds I realized that it must be something else, like an earthquake. After inspection of my surroundings, I quickly turned to others who might be in need of assistance."
Sinna said, "Everything is back to normal" on Turneffe Atoll (pictured) and seemingly throughout Belize City.
In Honduras and remote areas in Belize, however, residents were being urged not to panic. The earthquake, which was felt elsewhere in Central America as well, occurred four months after a 6.2-magnitude earthquake killed dozens of residents and stranded hundreds of tourists in remote areas of Costa Rica.
Thankfully, the Honduras quake, because it was centered offshore, was not so destructive. Outposts will try to update this item later today.
— Pete Thomas
Photo of Turneffe Atoll courtesy of Turneffe Flats resort
Alaska's Mt. Redoubt volcano has started showing increased activity again.
Though it's still at an "orange" watch level instead of a "red" eruption level on the Alaska Volcano Observatory website, the most recent observation posted on the site states that seismic and rockfall activity is at a heightened level.
Scientists monitoring the volcano believe an eruption is likely in the coming days.
Their observations conclude that the growing lava dome is becoming increasingly unstable. Should a
dome failure occur, it likely would result in a significant explosion
producing high-altitude ash plumes and possible ash fall in parts of south-central Alaska.
Sounds as if the slumbering giant is reawakening.
-- Kelly Burgess
Photo courtesy of Dennis Anderson/Night Trax Photography
Alaska's Mt. Redoubt volcano has been relatively quiet -- it remains at an "orange" watch level instead of a "red" eruption level -- but it's still emitting steam and producing interesting imagery for the region. Redoubt is located about 100 miles southwest of Anchorage and 50 miles west of the Kenai Peninsula.
The question is not if but when the volcano will erupt anew. According to the Alaska Volcano Observatory, seismicity remains elevated, and numerous small earthquakes are occurring within the peak. With Alaska's lucrative salmon-fishing season set to begin next month, there are a lot of concerned concessionaires, especially on the Kenai.
I've talked to some, who predict the volcano will not have an affect on the fisheries themselves. But any new series of eruptions is sure to affect airline service, and that could be devastating for business. The volcano does not present a safety threat to tourists, aside from diminishing the normally pristine air quality.
-- Pete Thomas
Photo: Turen Grice / courtesy of the Alaska Volcano Observatory
It has been a while since Outposts shared images from Alaska's Mt. Redoubt volcano, which continues to rumble and bark and spew steam and ash high and far across a wintry landscape.
The top image was captured Tuesday by Neil Sutton from Cannery Road on the Kenai Peninsula, about 50 miles to the east across the Cook Inlet. The bottom image was captured Thursday by scientist Kristi Wallace. It shows a fellow scientist gathering ash fall and how the ash is discoloring snow.
Meanwhile, Redoubt continues to make breathing uncomfortable for many and to disrupt travel to and from Anchorage on Alaska Airlines (though there are currently normal operations and no ash fall warnings). Also, this weekend, six million gallons of oil at the nearby Drift River terminal will be moved to a safer location.
The volcano's last major eruption was Tuesday and scientists with the Alaska Volcano Observatory say a lava dome is forming. That hardened lava atop the crater might ultimately become unstable and lead to more explosive eruptions. In fact, this tempestuousness might last months, as it did in 1989-90.
No good will come of all of this--the continuous disruption of airline service could be ruinous during the peak summer tourism season--but the images it generates are pretty spectacular.
Alaska's Mt. Redoubt certainly seems to be keeping scientists and researchers on their toes and alert. No sooner does the volcano seem to be quieting down than another eruption occurs, spewing ash and steam into the air.
The most recent occurred about 7:25 p.m. Friday (Alaska time). The Alaska Volcano Observatory website states that the eruption emitted an ash cloud up approximately 51,000 feet.
It closely followed one at about
5:35 p.m. that sent ash to an estimated height of 40,000
feet, and was the third or fourth eruption of the day.
Alaska Airlines had resumed flights into the area only to post an alert on its website stating that flights may experience delays or cancellations because of the extremely active volcano.
I have a feeling that this is only the beginning of this, as the eruptions seem to be growing in frequency.
—Kelly Burgess
Photo: Mt. Redoubt bellows steam and ash across the Cook Inlet.
Alaska's Mt. Redoubt sounded a late wake-up call this morning, erupting at 9:24 local time and sending a cloud of ash 65,000 feet, causing another disruption of service on Alaska Airlines and placing Kenai Peninsula residents on alert.
The explosion produced a swift mud flow down the Drift River and the National Weather Service issued a flash flood warning for the Drift River drainage because of rapidly melting snow and ice. Residents within the drainage area were advised to seek higher ground and those along streams and creeks were urged to "protect life and property."
An ash fall advisory was in effect until 4 p.m. for the western Kenai Peninsula, 50 miles to the east. I just called Mark Glassmaker, who runs Alaska Fishing Lodge on the Kenai, and he said the wind had changed to a southerly direction toward Homer, at the south portion of the peninsula.
"The only sign that anyone on the Kenai Peninsula has felt is just a really light sulfur smell," Glassmaker said, adding that he did not expect Redoubt to seriously jeopardize the upcoming salmon-fishing season.
"I've been doing this for more than 20 years and had volcanoes go off in the middle of season and it has not had much of an effect on the fisheries or wildlife," Glassmaker said. "But if it happens in the middle of July, during our busiest month, and a lot of flights shut down, it'll be a bummer."
Alaska Airlines has resumed flights to and from Alaska after assessing conditions following six volcanic eruptions of the state's 10,200-foot Mt. Redoubt volcano on Sunday and Monday.
It states on the airline's website: "Scheduled service to Bethel, Nome and Kotzebue will operate pending favorable reports that ash clouds have moved out of the area."
In all, 35 flights were canceled because of the explosive eruptions, which sent ash clouds as high as 60,000 feet.
The airline was forced to seal its grounded jets from abrasive ash particles. Redoubt, located 100 miles southwest of Anchorage, has been relatively quiet today but scientists anticipate more violent explosions. The last time Redoubt erupted, in 1989-90, explosions occurred sporadically over a period of five months.
Travelers are encouraged to check Alaska's website and the Alaska Volcano Observatory website in advance of scheduled flights.
-- Pete Thomas
Photo from webcam Monday evening courtesy of Alaska Volcano Observatory/U.S. Geological Survey
There's no doubt: Alaska's Mt. Redoubt has lost its temper--again.
The volcano this evening--after a daylong period of relative calm in the wake of a series of explosions beginning late Sunday night--blew its top for a sixth time, sending a plume of ash and steam 60,000 feet skyward.
There's little more information at this point from the Alaska Volcano Observatory. (To read the L.A. Times story on the effects of the initial explosions, click here.)
The accompanying graphic shows the north-northeast direction of ash fall after the initial explosions. That was a relief to residents throughout the state's more populated south-central quadrant.
But if history is a judge, Alaskans are in for a lengthy period of sporadic explosions, and ash fall will be at the mercy of prevailing winds.
The five-month series of 1989-1990 eruptions from Mt. Redoubt had a severe impact on aviation and the oil industry, as well as on residents and businesses on the Kenai Peninsula, 50 miles to the east.
Because of ash fall, schools on the peninsula were closed for long periods and many residents experienced respiratory problems.
After Monday night's explosion, the National Weather Service issued a new ash-flow advisory, suggesting that residents in the Susitna Valley seal windows and doors and protect water supplies.
--Pete Thomas
Graphic courtesy of Alaska Volcano Observatory. Photo shows emissions from the crater on Saturday, before the eruptions began Sunday night. Credit: Cyrus Read/AVO/USGS via Getty Images
*UPDATE: Includes new comment from Skwentna resident regarding ash fall.
**UPDATE: Travelers asked to check flight status as some flights have been canceled.
Alaska's Mt. Redoubt Volcano, which had been in a tempestuous mood for two months, erupted Sunday night at 10:38 p.m., sending an ash cloud 50,000 feet above sea level and prompting several flight cancelations.
The Alaska Volcano Observatory recorded four more large explosions during the night. Tina Neal, a geologist with the U.S. Geological Survey, said that "so far the major population centers in south-central Alaska have been spared any kind of dusting of ash."
The enormous plume was drifting to the north over an expansive wilderness parcel and so far only the small town of Skwentna, 100 miles north of Redoubt, had reported experiencing ash fall, mixed with snow.
In an interview, Eric Johnson, who runs Northwoods Lodge in Skwentna, said he did not hear the eruptions. "I did not know it erupted till daylight when I could see the funny-looking color on the snow," he said.
Johnson, whose lodge specializes in snowmobiling in the winter and fishing in late spring and summer, said he's canceling reservations for the next couple of weeks because the coarse ash can damage snowmobiles.
Alaska Airlines was forced to cancel at least 19 flights and is asking travelers to check their flight status on its website.
Neal said the duration of eruptions varied from 10 to 20 minutes. Redoubt is located 110 miles southwest of Anchorage, due west of the Kenai Peninsula across the Cook Inlet.
**UPDATE: The tsunami warning was canceled several hours after this item was posted.
The photos accompanying this item are of an underwater volcanic eruption Wednesday near the Tongan island of Tongatapu in the South Pacific.
The steam and ash carried high into the air. On Thursday (Friday in Tonga), a 7.9-magnitude earthquake struck in the region, prompting officials to issue a tsunami warning for Tonga and neighboring islands.
There were no reports of damage from the earthquake and, according to an Associated Press story, few were taking the tsunami warning seriously.
"People are out on the roads, laughing at the warning," police spokesman Niua Kama said. "They are not moving from the coast."
Hopefully, Mother Nature won't be enjoying the last laugh.
The Hawaii-based Tsunami Warning Center cautioned that some coastal areas in Hawaii also could experience a rise in sea level and unusual currents that could last several hours.
Alaskans are on alert once more as scientists have elevated the status for Mt. Redoubt volcano from yellow to orange.
Orange is a "watch" level just below red, which signals an eruption is imminent or underway.
Scientists with the Alaska Volcano Observatory and U.S. Geological Survey changed the status Sunday afternoon after detecting a substantial increase in seismicity and witnessing a vigorous steam plume.
In that plume was the first ash emission from Redoubt since the last long series of volcanic eruptions in 1989-90. However, it remains unclear whether Sunday's ash emission was from magma. And Kristi Wallace, a USGS research geologist, assured that an eruption has not occurred.
Asked whether an eruption is imminent, she said it does not appear to be the case, as tremor activity has since quieted within the 10,197-foot peak, which is located 103 miles southwest of Anchorage.
In fact, scientists estimate the chance of an eruption to be about 50-50 at this point.
If Redoubt does erupt, residents and visiting tourists on the nearby Kenai Peninsula, and perhaps even in Anchorage, might experience one or two millimeters of ash fall.
"That's not a lot, but it's enough to be a distraction and cause some havoc," Wallace said.
-- Pete Thomas
Photo: Mt. Redoubt's north flank, as photographed Sunday from the south. Steam plume contained some ash, causing heightened alert. Credit: Heather Bleick for Alaska Volcano Observatory / U.S. Geological Survey
Not long ago a neighbor told me global warming was a myth invented by Al Gore and fostered by Democrats.
Last I heard she'd moved from the beach to higher ground.
Seriously, the news is getting scarier. Today, scientists at a Copenhagen summit on climate change said sea levels will rise much faster than predicted, perhaps 3 feet by 2100, because of melting polar ice sheets in Antarctica and Greenland.
Sea levels have been rising about 3 millimeters a year since 1993. An accelerated thaw is alarming for all, but it could be devastating for 600 million people who live in low-lying areas. This includes many coastal areas in the United States.
Eric Rignot, a senior research scientist at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, told the BBC: "As a result of the acceleration of outlet glaciers over large regions, the ice sheets in Greenland and Antarctica are already contributing more and faster to sea level rise than anticipated."
The accompanying photo of Alaska's Mount Redoubt volcano was shot from south Anchorage on Feb. 23.
Weeks have passed since scientists implied that an eruption is imminent, and the watch level remains Orange, which means "heightened or escalating unrest with increased potential of eruption."
This afternoon's report, from the Alaska Volcano Observatory: "Seismicity consists mostly of small discrete earthquakes. The web cams show clear views of the volcano this morning.
"The dark area on the north flank of Redoubt in the HUT web cam image appeared during a brief episode of strong tremor late yesterday afternoon. The dark area is evidence of a water rich flowage event coming from Drift Glacier."
Outposts has nothing more to report, at this point, but wanted to share one of the more colorful recent images.
If Alaska's Mount Redoubt is going to blow its top, will it hurry up already?
For weeks, the volcano has rumbled and grumbled and scientists remain reasonably sure an eruption -- the first since a long series of them in 1989-90 (see photo) -- will occur.
But the tempestuous 10,200-foot peak 100 miles southwest of Anchorage, towering above the Cook Inlet across from the Kenai Peninsula, is keeping scientists and Alaskans guessing.
On Monday, according to the Alaska Volcano Observatory, there was "elevated seismicity dominated by ongoing volcanic tremor and occasional small earthquakes."
A 3.6-magnitude earthquake 45 miles northwest of Anchorage was "clearly seen on Redoubt webicorders."
Part of Australia becomes a raging inferno, killing more than 180 people and perhaps millions of animals, and elsewhere Down Under, floods have forced people from their homes and into watery streets they now share with crocodiles.
Costa Rica is still reeling from an earthquake and subsequent landslides last month, which killed more than two dozen people and left hundreds homeless.
In parts of the continental United States, ice storms and tornadoes in the last two weeks have caused death and destruction.
Meanwhile in Alaska, a volcano near the Cook Inlet appears ready to blow its top and threatens to rain smoke and ash over much of the Pacific Northwest.
All of this -- plus a good deal more, I'm sure -- at a time when the economy, thanks to years of corporate greed and consumer naivete, has tumbled into an abyss so deep and gooey it might not climb out for years.
Reaction: What is the cause of all this? Can anyone age 50 or younger recall a more depressing or frightening time on this planet? Are all of these disasters some karmic response to man's blight-like existence on earth, or pure coincidence?
The latest from the Alaska Volcano Observatory on the status of Mt. Redoubt: "Unrest at Redoubt Volcano continues. Seismic activity remains elevated above background."
Sounds like a broken record, but at least Mt. Redoubt is providing ample warning and has all of Alaska on alert.
Longtime residents surely recall a five-month stretch that began in late 1989 during which the 10,197-foot volcano provided a string of eruptions and a steady outpouring of smoke and ash.
A United Press International article that Dec. 15 featured this initial announcement: "Redoubt Volcano southwest of Anchorage shook with thousands of small earthquakes Thursday, then erupted and shot a cloud of ash seven miles high."
Farther down in the story: "The eruption followed 24 hours of constant warning tremors, which calmed down after the eruption ended, then picked up again.... The ash plume — which shot 35,000 feet above the two-mile-high mountain — was carried toward Anchorage by strong winds... But the ash cloud skirted Anchorage and dusted towns beyond the city."
A day after a second, more violent eruption occurred that Dec. 17, the Associated Press reported: "Haze from the volcano drifted over Anchorage, Alaska's largest city with more than 200,000 people. The debris caused power outages, disrupted air travel and triggered public-health warnings."
But it was Christmas week and the economy was not in shambles. Shoppers, according to the report, filled "the streets and malls over the weekend."
—Pete Thomas
Photo: Mt. Redoubt during an eruption on April 21, 1990, as viewed from Alaska's Kenai Peninsula.
Like a ticking bomb, Mount Redoubt rumbles and heats from within, venting steam from newly-formed fumaroles, keeping Alaskans who live in its shadow on extreme alert.
Overnight "a high-intensity burst of volcanic tremor" occurred for six minutes, reports the Alaska Volcano Observatory. The observatory asserts "there was no eruption associated with this tremor."
Increasingly, though, it's appearing that the volcano will indeed erupt, which is an ominous prospect for those living in communities directly across the Cook Inlet on the Kenai Peninsula.
Volcanic ash and dust is jagged and can irritate skin, eyes and respiratory systems. Children and the elderly are especially vulnerable.
The prospect of an eruption is not welcome by visiting fishermen either. In a few months it will be salmon season on the Kenai and in surrounding areas. A prolonged eruption, like the one in 1989-90, may adversely affect water quality and fishing.
But for now it seems entirely up to Mother Nature. Will the eruption occur today, tomorrow, next week or next month? And how extensive will the eruption become?
Only time will tell.
-- Pete Thomas
Photo: The north flank of Mount Redoubt on Super Bowl Sunday 2009. Credit: Chris Waythomas / Alaska Volcano Observatory/U.S. Geological Survey
Alaska's Mt. Redoubt has not erupted, but scientists and residents remain on alert and an eruption still appears imminent.
Latest update from the Alaska Volcano Observatory: Seismicity remains relatively unchanged since Friday afternoon, but a flight crew has observed steady melting around the summit area.
The website states: "Holes in the ice continue to grow, exposing more steaming rock. Volcanic gases continue to be detected. Clear web camera views currently show a steam plume rising from the area of the 1989-90 lava dome."
What can Alaskans expect if Redoubt blows for the first time since 1989-90?
It depends on their proximity to the 10,197-foot peak (see map, below) and direction and velocity of wind.
However, it could be ugly and uncomfortable. When Redoubt erupted sporadically during a five-month period 20 years ago, it sent a column of ash at least 8 miles high, perhaps into the stratosphere.
It nearly caused the crash of a commercial jet by destroying its engine blades and led to the establishment of the Volcanic Ash Advisory Center, which informs pilots of new eruptions and possible related dangers.
The latest report on volatile Mt. Redoubt's status, from the Alaska Volcano Observatory website: "Unrest at Redoubt Volcano continues, though no eruption has yet occurred. Seismicity levels have risen within the last eight hours. Redoubt remains at Aviation Color Code ORANGE and Volcano Alert Level WATCH."
Also posted on the site, which is limited because of heavy traffic, was this 8 a.m. report: "Seismicity at Redoubt is varying in intensity but is still well above background. We have seen higher amplitude seismicity for the past several hours but appears to be subsiding a bit at this time."
Meanwhile, to the south, in Washington state's Puget Sound area, a magnitude 4.6 earthquake rattled residents early this morning. That probably is coincidental.
Outposts has a call into one of the scientists at Mt. Redoubt and will share any information he may provide.
-- Pete Thomas
Photo: Drift River-area structure was inundated during the last eruption of Alaska's Mt. Redoubt beginning in 1989. Credit: Alaska Volcano Observatory
Alaskans are not running in mad panic for cover, but many are concerned about the imminent eruption of Mount Redoubt southwest of Anchorage.
Fox News is reporting: "Mount Redoubt continues to rumble and simmer, prompting geologists to say this Alaska volcano could erupt "within days."
The Anchorage Daily News cautions: "Mount Redoubt is still rumbling and simmering, prompting geologists to repeat their warning that an eruption may be imminent."
It would not be a pleasant period in Anchorage if Redoubt were to blow its top, if its previous eruption is any indication.
For five months beginning in December 1989, smoke and ash from the 10,197-foot peak disrupted international air traffic and deposited volcanic dust throughout the Anchorage region.
That eruption also delivered mud flows from Redoubt into the Drift River drainage.
Tourists have gotten out of Costa Rica safely but residents and business owners are still reeling in the aftermath of the 6.2-magnitude earthquake that shook the Central American nation Jan. 8, killing at least 23 people and destroying more than 400 homes.
Leland Baxter-Neal, a reporter for the English-language Tico Times, wrote a story for the Wednesday edition of the Miami Herald, in which he described the damage and provided a sense of what transpired that day in a country renown for its remarkable biodiversity and natural splendor.
In an email to me he provided the following tidbits:
--About 1,500 people remain in shelters and seven people who remain missing are presumed dead.
--The government is trying to move families from shelters into homes by offering to pay the first three months' rent, plus deposit, as long as rent doesn't exceed $200. "Which isn't much in the city where I live," Baxter-Neal said. "But I guess that might be reasonable in the little villages where they're trying to resettle people."
--A Chilean agency called Un Techo Para Mi Pais, or A Roof for My Country, has begun a campaign to build 200 temporary houses to get people out of shelters, but needs help raising the $1,000 it will cost to build each house.
It has been five days since a devastating earthquake struck Costa Rica, and there are people outside the country who have yet to make contact with family and friends.
Leland Baxter-Neal, a reporter with Costa Rica's English-language newspaper, the Tico Times, has been reading comments on Outposts and this morning sent me a note that might be of interest to those still trying to locate loved ones, and to those who have developed close relationships with residents of the beautiful Central American nation.
From Leland:
I've been covering this disaster for The Tico Times since it struck last Thursday and was in the area walking through some of the damaged towns (Fraijanes and Poasito) and talking with evacuees and officials at a shelter/tent camp/rescue command post. Perhaps I can help your readers get a better idea of what happened, and what is happening.
First off, to all the readers that are worried about friends and family traveling, studying or living down here in Costa Rica: there is a 99% chance they are fine. If they were in any part of the country except for a small radius near the Poas Volcano, they did not feel much more than a startling shake, if even that.
The only tourist area that was affected was the La Paz Waterfall Gardens, and the Peace Lodge Hotel, which are right next to each other. I spoke with the manager of that hotel today who said the worst injury was a woman with a broken ankle. He said there were no deaths at the hotel or in the gardens.
The search for victims continues in Costa Rica in the aftermath of Thursday's 6.2-magnitude earthquake, which is believed responsible for as many as 34 deaths, according to CNN.
Forty-three people were still missing in the Vara Blanca and Cinchona areas, which are closest to the epicenter and about 20 miles northwest of the capital city of San Jose. Many residents are without water and there have been reports of looting in vacated areas.
The Tico Times quoted the tourism minister as saying many of the tourists stranded in the Vara Blanca area near the popular La Paz Waterfall Gardens left the area on foot. The newspaper added, "accounts from tourists that made it out described the elaborate and renowned gardens as 'totally destroyed,' and the hotel as seriously damaged."
From his home in San Jose, college student Francisco Quijano said in an interview that there was another aftershock this morning and that residents remained on edge.
Quijano said a large truck drove past his home late last night, causing the walls and floors to shake, "and my mother nearly had a heart attack."
Here's hoping for less shaking and a speedy return to normalcy. Outposts, again, offers heartfelt condolences to those who have suffered losses.
Photo: Fishermen ply the San Juan River in a dugout canoe. Credit: Gary Friedman / Los Angeles Times
As feared, the death toll in the aftermath of Thursday's magnitude 6.1 earthquake has grown. The Red Cross is confirming at least nine fatalities related to the earthquake, which was centered about 20 miles northwest of the capital city of San Jose and near Poas Volcano National Park.
However, Costa Rica's Tico Times is reporting 17 casualties, and the BBC is reporting at least 14 fatalities, with many people missing or stranded.
The Tico Times lists the number of people stranded at more than 1,000. Allan Flores, head of the Costa Rican Tourism Institute, told a TV news station that 200 tourists and residents were trapped at La Paz Waterfall Gardens Hotel, a luxury resort in Vara Blanca.
Red Cross spokeswoman Fiorella Vilca told the Associated Press the dead include 7- and 11-year-old sisters buried in a landslide, a 12-year-old girl whose home was crushed by falling earth, two men found dead in San Pedro de Poas and three bodies found in a battered truck near the Angel waterfall popular with tourists. One more victim died of a heart attack in San Jose.
The government, naturally, has declared a state of emergency. For what little it's worth, Outposts expresses deepest sympathy to all persons affected. Costa Rica is a special place with special people and will remain so despite this terrible tragedy.
-- Pete Thomas
Photo: A snapshot of Costa Rica's Poas volcano and the surrounding countryside, taken by a visitor last January. Credit: Dan Culbert
Two children who sold candy to tourists inside a national park in Costa Rica were killed today when a 6.1-magnitude earthquake struck the Central American nation.
The quake, whose epicenter was about 20 miles north of the capital city of San Jose, also injured several others.
The two girls were buried in a landslide within Poas National Volcano Park, Reuters news agency reported.
Several buildings in San Jose were damaged and local television footage showed buildings with shattered windows and damaged walls. There were no reports of widespread injuries.
Costa Rica is known for its natural beauty and abundance of wildlife, luring visitors from around the world. I've been there many times but only once was I concerned about natural disasters: while fishing Lake Arenal while its namesake volcano burped out rocks and rained ash upon my group.
My condolences to the victims' families and good wishes to anyone affected by the earthquake.
-- Pete Thomas
Photo: Scarlet macaws are among the many beautiful critters found in Costa Rica's national parks. Credit: Ron Magill
Hold on for dear life. If flooding doesn't get us, a major earthquake will -- and soon!
We in Southern California have been jinxed. A study by researchers at the University of South Carolina has labeled this a safe haven, in terms of natural disasters, compared with many other parts of the country.
Seriously, who'd have thought hellish heat and drought, in this era of air-conditioning and plumbing, would be more deadly than earthquakes? Those two events caused 19.6% of total deaths from natural hazards from 1970 through 2004, according to the research team.
Summer thunderstorms caused 18.8% of natural hazard fatalities and severe winter weather (not the comparatively mild kind we're now experiencing) caused 18.1%
Earthquakes, wildfires and hurricanes combined were responsible for less than 5% percent of natural hazard fatalities.
Essentially, if you want to avoid being killed by Mother Nature you want to avoid much of the South and the Great Plains states, where heat and severe weather provide a perilous one-two punch. The south-central United States, with its floods and tornadoes, is another place to steer clear of.
Thomas H. Maugh II and Mary Engel have covered the details of the study in a fine article for the Los Angeles Times.
I was driving home after spending two days surfing in Carlsbad, where, by the way, the air was clear and pleasant. I took Pacific Coast Highway instead of the freeway because I was in no hurry to enter the toxic-looking vortex plainly visible to the north.
The sun became obscured in Newport Beach. My eyes began to sting as I entered Huntington Beach. I stopped to stretch my legs at Bolsa Chica and noticed gulls and pelicans looking as lethargic as people.
Birds that flew seemed to seek relief, not food. Santa Ana winds had spread a dense blanket of smoke and ash clear to the horizon, and as those winds calmed the blanket settled like burnt fog.
At home in Redondo Beach it was hot, the air was still and smoke-filled. Like many who live near the beach, I do not have air-conditioning. But I do have a home so I tried not to complain.
I thought of the hundreds whose homes went up in flames and wondered how much of the smoke obscuring the sunset had previously belonged, materially, to them.
Too much of it, I'm afraid. So here's hoping indeed....
With the Montecito Tea fire still burning, a second blaze was sparked Friday night and is now raging out of control in the northeast San Fernando Valley.
We're under assault by the most powerful, hottest and driest Santa Ana wind event of the season.
Fueled by wind gusts as strong as 70 mph, the Sylmar-area blaze, dubbed the Sayre fire, has already burned more than 2,600 acres, including several structures and possibly an entire mobile home park.
Thousands of evacuations have been ordered, and residents throughout the northern portion of the Valley should be prepared to flee. Travelers will find much of the freeway system closed.
Unfortunately, this is what can happen to homes built in canyons through which Santa Anas are delivered (see above image). All it takes is a downed power line to spark a fire, which is then swept up by those winds.
Accuweather.com meteorologist John Kocet said of current conditions: "Think of what would happen if you pounded your fist on the bottom half of a full tube of toothpaste.... The same forces apply in the atmosphere when a large amount of air is forced through smaller spaces."
Living in these areas, alas, is a gamble.
And as daytime temperatures soar, the danger will persist throughout the Southland. Fortunately, the winds are expected to subside this afternoon, but a Santa Ana condition will linger through at least Sunday.
I just spoke with meteorologist Ken Clark from Accuweather.com and he said crews battling the Montecito fire do not have to worry about more sundowner winds this afternoon or evening.
That's because a Santa Ana wind pattern is developing and Montecito, while vulnerable to the north-south sundowners, is essentially protected from the northeast-southwest Santa Anas.
"Once the Santa Anas develop, the sundowners are gone," Clark said. "You don't have both occurring at the same time."
That's great news for weary fire crews, but not so great for the many areas throughout Southern California that are exposed to warm, dry Santa Anas, and thus vulnerable to wildfires.
Santa Anas have already begun whipping through areas such as Camarillo, Oxnard, Riverside, San Bernardino and portions of the San Fernando Valley. Clark said the most widespread and consistent winds, and much drier air, will prevail from midnight to about noon Saturday, but last through the weekend.
Alas, Clark sees no rain in the near future and predicts a very dry winter. Let's all hope he's wrong, for the sake of homeowners and firefighters as well as a parched wilderness.
-- Pete Thomas
Photo: Flames crest a ridge occupied by high-voltage power lines near Mountain Drive and Coyote Road in Montecito. Credit: Michael Moriatas/Santa Barbara News Press
What a hellish night it must have been for residents and fire crews in the Montecito area near Santa Barbara. And what a heart-wrenching morning it must be for the 100-plus residents who lost their homes.
It remains nerve-wracking for many with homes still in jeopardy, because while crews have taken advantage of subsiding winds and are working toward defining a perimeter around the fire, they're concerned about the arrival once again of the region's notorious Sundowner winds.
Sundowner winds, unique to the Santa Barbara coastal area, are labeled such because they develop in late afternoon or early evening. They're associated with a rapid rise in temperature and drop in humidity. Wind speeds can reach gale force as they sweep downward through canyons and across the coastal plain.
Sundowners last night and early this morning reached 70 mph and sent embers hurtling high and far. With so much dense brush in the area, John Scherrei, chief of the Santa Barbara County Fire Department, said in a news conference this morning, "I'm surprised we haven't lost 500 homes."
Scherrei expressed hope the Sundowners won't resurface this afternoon, but we're still in a hot and dry episode, so they could resurface and residents of the area should anticipate as much, authorities said, and be prepared for the worst.
Currently, the prevailing westerly is trying to come ashore, but it keeps getting pushed back. That's a battle everyone is keeping an eye on.
-- Pete Thomas
Photo: Home is engulfed in flames on Stanwoood Drive in the Montecito area. It's one of at least 100 homes destroyed by the fire. Credit: Lawrence K. Ho/Los Angeles Times
Outposts' primary contributor is veteran L.A. Times outdoors and action sports reporter Pete Thomas. Also contributing are Kelly Burgess and other Times staffers.
