Caribbean EvacuationThe Soufriere Hills volcano on the...

Caribbean Evacuation

The Soufriere Hills volcano on the Caribbean island of Montserrat entered what was said to be an extremely dangerous phase. Pressure building within the volcano from rising lava threatens to cause a catastrophic eruption far worse that anything the island has seen since the activity began in 1995. Government scientists warned the more than 4,000 residents who haven’t already fled the island that they should evacuate immediately. Those who are electing to stay have been advised to have helmets or head protection available in the event of a new eruption, and to be prepared to take shelter.

Tropical Storms Typhoon Winnie first drenched parts of the Philippines, then moved north to strike southern Japan, Taiwan and the Chinese mainland near Shanghai. At least 289 people were killed across the western Pacific during the storm’s week-long rampage.

Remnants of tropical storm Ignacio drenched parts of Northern California with record rainfall for August. Typhoon Yule churned the open waters of the western Pacific, while tropical storm Zita formed over the South China Sea. It was expected to strike the southwest Chinese coast late in the week.

Earthquakes

A sharp magnitude 5.8 temblor rocked a wide area from Indonesia’s Sumatra island to parts of southern Thailand. The shaking caused widespread panic but produced no significant damage or injuries.

Earth movements were also felt in northern Japan, southern Iran, southeast Cuba, interior Alaska, eastern Tennessee and parts of Southern California.

El Nino Storms

The El Nino ocean warming, focused along the tropical coast of South America, continued to spawn severe storms onshore. A violent four-day tempest killed at least 10 people and destroyed roads and bridges in central Chile. Rainfall totals were up to 10 times the amount that the area usually gets in an entire year.

In the Peruvian Andes, snowstorms and freezing temperatures have killed about 2,500 alpacas.

Warming Bonus

Unusually hot weather in Europe, possibly caused by global warming, has produced the earliest harvest of grapes in nearly a century for France’s Bordeaux region. The harvest began a month early under a scorching sun, and some vineyards are predicting the 1997 vintage will be the best in a hundred years.

Warming Downside

Hot and humid weather in Britain has caused a massive infestation of insects across the nation. The country’s notorious greenflies are pushing pesticide use to its limit, so entomologists are helping farmers by breeding ladybugs out of season to eat up the pests. Dogs and cats are suffering from some of the worst flea problems in their masters’ memory.

Additional Sources: U.S. Climate Analysis Centre, U.S. Earthquake Information Centre and the World Meteorological Organisation.