1999

■    ПОГОДНІ ЗМІНИ: Про можливість нового льодовикового періоду.
1999
Вчені з Каліфорнійського університету оприлюднили результати дослідження з якого випливає, що швидкість течій, які виносять кригу з Антарктиди в море здебільшого сповільнюється, а в деяких випадках ці течії зупинилися взагалі. Вчені припускають, що це явище може призвести до нового льодовикового періоду.

■   ПОГОДНІ ЗМІНИ: Не погода, а якийсь жах!
1999
Сніг на голову після ясного сонечка і блакитного неба тепер - зовсім не несподіванка. Виявляється, це тепер норма. Перепади температур між добами на 10-15 градусів - характерні ознаки нового клімату планети. І так буде років з десять! Такі передбачення грунтуються на сторічних спостереженнях за кліматом планети. "Якщо темепреатура зростатиме, атмосферна циркуляція буде різко аномальною, а це нічого доброго не віщує, адже метеорологічних явищ побільшає9', - каже Вайзіра Файзулівна Мартазинова, начальник відділу довготермінових прогнозів Українського науково-дослідного центру гідрометеорології. Вже сьогодні між потеплінням початку століття і теперішнім - суттєва відмінність. Атмосферні процеси стали енергетично сильніші. Через це вся територія України перебуває під впливом стихійних явищ. Тепла зима, коли падає не сніг, а дощ, призвела до поповнення ґрунтових вод. І як результат, - почастішали зсуви фунтів і інші геофізичні явища. Погляньмо: опади наче не критичні, а наслідки від них - катастрофічні. В 70-х роках велика кількість опадів дала значно менші руйнівні наслідки, ніж теперішня, яка не дотягує до норми. Пояснення знову ж в характері нового клімату. Тривалість опадів скоротилася, а інтенсивність зросла. Грунтові води тільки накопичуватимуться. Згідно з передбаченнями відділу довготермінових прогнозів квітень, травень, початок червня цього року відзначатимуться "нестійкими погодними умовами" по всій території України. Це означає, що перепади температур між добами становитимуть 10-15 градусів. Від таких перепадів виникатимуть стихійні явища -проливні дощі з шквалами, смерчі, град. Прогнозист М. Барабаш зауважує, що останній розділ Біблії, "Одкровення від Івана" (Апокаліпсис) писав видатний прогнозист. "Ми переживаємо деякі труднощі, які нам здаватимуться кінцем світу, та Земля переживала чимало геологічних епох і ще стільки ж переживе"

■     DISASTERS: Chinese droughts, flood were century's deadliest weather disasters
Associated Press, Dec 14,1999
China experienced three of the century's four deadliest weather-related disasters, two drought-induced famines that killed more than 29 million people and a Yangtze River flood that claimed 3.7 million lives, U.S. weather experts said Monday, Dec. 14. Despite 11,000 deaths in Central America, last year's Hurricane Mitch does not rank near the top of the century's deadliest incidents. Looking back over the century, experts of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration found that famine brought on by drought generally was deadlier than storms or floods like the Yangtze disaster of 1931. Most of the famine deaths were in Asia. A 1907 episode killed more than 24 million Chinese. Also in China, the "New Famine" of 1936 killed an estimated 5 million Chinese, and a drought in 1941-2 more than 3 million. The administration estimates of the dead from starvation in Ukraine and the Volga region of Russia, during the early Soviet years 1921-1922, vary from 250,000 to 5 million. Wind and a storm surge from a 1970 cyclone in Bangladesh may have killed as many as half a million. Climate now is changing faster than ever recorded, said D. James Baker, who heads the federal agency.

■    ПОГОДНІ ЗМІНИ: Ель-Ніньйо
1999
Національне управління з вивчення океану і атмосфери (США) повідомляє, що відбувається небувале підвищення температури верхніх шарів води в центральній частині Тихого Океану - на 4°С! Такого різкого потепління не спостерігалося принаймні 50 років! Якщо процес триватиме, планета опиниться перед загрозою катастрофічних погодних катаклізмів. Причина цього явища невідома, але вчені схильні покладати відповідальність на тихоокеанську течію Б1 NiAo (Ель-Ніньйо) - приблизно раз на 12 років її теплі струмені відтісняють холодні води Перуанської течії і досягають узбережжя Перу. Температура води біля Еквадору і Перу підвищується на кілька градусів, яких достатньо для різкої зміни клімату. Морські бризи тепер починають нести з моря не холодне, а тепле повітря. Воно, ще більше нагрівшись над суходолом, піднімається вгору, де охолоджується і створює хмари, які проливають на суху землю страшенні зливи. Вони нищать посіви і зносять в море верхні шари грунту. З гір злітають штормові вітри, а місцеві рибалки потерпають від масової загибелі риби. Течія Ель-Ніньйо завдавала збитків і в минулому - зокрема між 1939 і 1941 роками і на початку 80-х. Але все це здається "дитячими пустощами'9 в порівнянні з трагедією, що сталася минулого року - кількість людей, що загинули внаслідок погодних катаклізмів у всьому світі жахливо вражаюча. Дехто навіть вважає, що небувалі дощі і повінь в листопаді на Закарпатті - теж відлуння Ель-Ніньйо. Що ж робити з цим небезпечним явищем? Чому раптом порушився його 12-річний цикл? Чи є порятунок?..

■      UN Report - Water Wars
The Daily Telegraph, September 16,1999
It is already too late to stop the first stages of global warming, the destruction of thousands of the world's species or prevent shortages of water across Africa and Asia that could provoke wars over the next 25 years, the UN claimed yesterday. A wasteful consumer society in rich countries, coupled with rapid population growth in poor ones, is threatening to destroy the natural resources on which human life is based, according to a report by the UN Environment Programme. UNEP, described as the world's environmental conscience by its director, former German environment minister Klaus Topfer, predicted in its report on the state of the planet at the Millenium that the time to tackle major problems was fast running out and in some aspects it was already too late. Dr Topfer said there had been an increased frequency and severity of natural disasters, such as hurricanes, now killing and injuring many millions of people every year and causing mounting economic losses. He said it was impossible to say that Hurricane Floyd was a result of global warming, but that it was consistant with the increase in extreme weather conditions which was the signature of global warming. He pointed to other phenomena which had appeared since the last UNEP report two years ago, such as more and larger forest fires, caused by El Nino, and slash-and-burn techniques which made forests more susceptable to major conflagrations. Dr Topfer called for 'inspired political leadership and intense co-operation' in existing and new environmental treaties. But he conceded that as far as the UN was concearned it was Чоо weak' in a lot of areas.

■    ВІРУСИ: 
1999
В Нью-Йорку зафіксовано спалах тропічної хвороби - Лихоманки Західного Нілу. Семеро людей померло.

■    ВІРУСИ: 
1999
Епідемію Лихоманки Західного Нілу зареєстровано в Росії, у Волгоградській області. 700 осіб інфіковано, 30 з них померло. Спалахи цього захворювання були в Білорусії, Чехії, Румунії і на Закарпатті. В Львівській області зафіксовано один випадок цієї хвороби.

■     WEATHER CHANGES:
Dec. 14, 1999
Prior to July 1995 ZetaTalk stated that weather changes were heralding the 12th Planet approach and would become increasingly unpredictible, though this would be slow to be recognized as disasters are a regular part of the Earth's history. On Dec. 14, 1999 the Associated Press reported that weather changes are occuring at an increasing rate, and this trend continued!

■     WEATHER CHANGES: The Amazon forest and the future of the world
1999
Scientists say that the dissapearance of the Amazon forests is already causing changes in climate. In Peru there is less snow than before on high peaks of the Andes. In Bolovia there is less rain than before and more wind. In some parts of the NE Brazil there is now very little rain… With more carbon dioxide in the atmosphere the temperature will rise, the ice-caps will melt, the sea level will rise and hundreds of coastal cities will be flooded. The UN Environment Programestimates that by 2025 an average world temps willhave risen by 1.5°C with a consequent rise of 20 cm in the sea level. Low-lying areas and entire countries would be threatened by flooding and crops would be affected by the changes in climate. World air temperatures have risen by 0.5% since 1900 and the world's oceans temps have been rising for about 0.1 - 3°C per year during 1980's. Arctic ice was 6-7 m/20-23 ft thick in 1976 and had reduced to 4-5 m/ 13-17 ft by 1987.

■   ЗЕМЛЕТРУСИ: В Україні землетрус
1999
Землетрус силою 6 балів за шкалою Ріхтера стався на півдні Закарпаття.

■    ПОГОДНІ ЗМІНИ: Кому повінь, кому - посуха.
1999
Джин, якого випустила з труб своїх заводів сучасна цивілізація - парниковий ефект Ель-Ніньйо - продовжує тасувати кліматичну карту планети. В Китаї армія вже отримала наказ на смерть протистояти повені, а в штаті Техас внаслідок 23-денноїспеки (понад 100° за Фаренгейтом) повністю висохло русло річки Трініті...

■   НЕВРОЖАЙ: Від морозів постраждав врожай.
22-30 травня 1999
Орієнтовно 270 мли грн становлять збитки від заморозків, що пошкодили в першій декаді травня посіви ярих зернових і зернобобових культур на полях України. Розмір збитків може бути ще більшим, бо наразі не всі області остаточно їх підрахували. Мороз знищив посіви на плоші 375 тис гектарів. Крім того знищено 19 тис гектарів багаторічних насаджень (сади і виноградники), а ще 80 тис гектарів пошкоджено. Вже сьогодні в міністерстві АПК прогнозують, що вартість олії та цукру з нового врожаю може значно зрости, а врожайність нинішнього року становитиме лише 30% від очікуваної.

■     BOOMS:
January 1999
In January, 1999, a loud boom at 12:15 a.m.disturbed the residents of Colorado Springs and Denver. Some witnesses said the noise was accompanied by a flash of light in the sky. There was no electrical storm. Although it could have been a sonic boom, the military denied any military activity in the area.

■     CROP FAILURE: Locust Swarms Devour Siberian Crops
Discovery News, July 6,1999
Swarms of locusts migrating from Kazakhstan have devoured hundreds of acres of crops in central Siberia during a span of only a few days, according to the RIA Novosti news agency. The insects were first observed near the city of Novosibirsk, about 1,750 miles (2,800 km) east of Moscow. They have since descended on sunflower and grain crops, which are the region's key agricultural output. News footage shown on NTV television showed vast expanses of fields left barren by the ravenous insects. Officials estimate that nearly 1,250 acres of farmland have been devoured. The devastation comes during a year when grain supplies have dwindled across Russia. The nation's harvest is expected to be only slightly higher than last years' record low levels.

■     CROP FAILURE: Potato Crop - Pigs Rejoice, Peasants Grieve
Kyiv Post, September 6, 1999
Many of Ukraine's poverty-stricken citizens depend on their vegetable plots to provide extra, cheap food during the winter. But the weather this year has not been kind. Nipped by frost early in the spring, and then baked by a long, hot summer, this year's potatoes are coming out of the ground pea-sized. The overall yield is down. According to Ukragroconsult, an independent agriculture sector consultancy, Ukraine's official potato crop in 1998 was 15.34 million tons. Although final figures for this year are not yet available, die company estimates farmers will bring in at most 13.8 million tons this year, and most likely a lot less.... In the cities, the shorter supply of potatoes is already having an impact on prices in the markets. While last year a kilo of good-sized potatoes cost 60 kopeks (20 cents), today the cheapest are 90 kopeks a kilo (20 cents), and most are Hr 1.50 (33 cents) per kilo - a hefty rise, even taking into account the inflationary period this summer.

■     CROP FAILURE:
1999
The FAO reports global shortages quarterly. Starting in 1999, food shortages caused by drought or deluge began appearing, and by 1999 in the US, Fish in Maryland and the East Coast were affected. By 2000 shortages were in evidence worldwide in Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Argentina, Armenia, Austria, Australia, Bolivia, Brazil, Bulgaria, Burundi, Cambodia, Canada, China, Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus, Ethiopia, France, Georgia, Ghana, Greece, Guyana, Honduras, India, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Jordan, Kazakstan, Kenya, Korea, Laos, Liberia, Madagascar, Mexico, Moldova, Mongolia, Morocco, Mozambique, Nepal, Pakistan, Palestine, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Romania, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Serbia, Slovakia, South Africa, Sudan, Syria, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Thailand, Uganda, Ukraine, United Kingdom, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Vietnam, Yugoslavia.

■      BOOMS: 
January 10,1999
On January 10,1999, dozens of people in Fairfield, Ohio reported a stunning, explosive sound. No cause was ever discovered.

■   ПЛАНЕТА X:
Жовтень 1999
В жовтні 1999 року британський астроном доктор John Murrey закінчив точні обчислення траєкторій комет на околиці Сонячної системи в Хмарі Оорта. Зі всіх обчислень виходило, що на комети впливає приховане в Хмарі Оорта масивне космічне тіло. Воно в декілька разів більше за Юпітер і віддалене від сонця на 5 мільярдів кілометрів. Щоб здійснити повний оберт навколо нашого світила, планеті з Хмари Оорта потрібно б мільйонів років. Причому напрям її обертання протилежний до напряму обертання дев'яти відомих планет Сонячної системи.

■    ЗЕМЛЕТРУСИ: Парад землетрусів.
2-10 жовтня 1999
Могутній землетрус на Тайвані після спустошливих вібрацій в Туреччині і Греції мимоволі наводить на тривожну думку про якийсь таємничий збіг природніх катаклізмів наприкінці століття. Геологи кажуть, що між трьома стихійними лихами нема прямого зв'язку. Вони є частиною ні на мить не затихаючих процесів в земній корі. Землетрус на Тайвані не був нічим надзвичайним - поштовхи не перевищували 7,6 балів за Ріхтером. Щороку в світі стається 4-5 землетрусів силою понад 7,5 балів, не кажучи вже про масу 7-бальних. Однак більшість з них - далеко від великих населених пунктів і глибоко під землею. Епіцентр поштовхів на Тайвані перебував не на глибині 600 км під поверхнею, як це зазвичай трапляється в цьому регіоні, а всього лише на глибині 33 км. До того ж на відстані 160 км від столиці країни - звідси й великі маштаби руйнувань. "Може здатися, що цього року більше землетрусів, - каже Еліс Уокер з Британського центру геологічних спостережень. - Але торік таких було два: в Афганістані (загинуло 4 тис осіб) і в Новій Гвінеї, який здійняв припливну хвилю, що забрала життя 6 тис людей". Особливістю цьогорічних трагедій є хіба що те, що останні коливання земної кори сталися впродовж 2-х місяців, коли в Туреччині і в Греції був курортний сезон, що і викликало посилену увагу до цих катастроф. Авторитетний британський часопис The Times склав хронологію найбільш руйнівних землетрусів в 90-х роках, кожен з яких коштував життя більш як 1000 землян.
 *    17 серпня 1999 - Туреччина. 7,4 балів. Загинуло близько 15600 осіб. Найбільша за останні 60 років природна катастрофа.
 *    25 січня 1999 - Колумбія. 6,3 балів. Загинуло 1170 осіб. Спустошена вся центральна частина країни.
 *    17 липня 1998 - Нова Гвінея. 7,1 балів. Загинуло 6 тис осіб.
 *    30 травня 1998 - Афганістан (в тій же місцевості). 6,9 балів. Загинуло 4 тис осіб.
 *    4 лютого 1998 - Афганістан (в провінції Тахар). 6,1 балів. 4500 жертв.
 *    10 травня 1997 - Іран. 7,1 балів. 1560 мертвих і 2810 поранених. 11 сіл зрівняно з землею.
 *    28 лютого 1997 - Іран. 5,5 балів. 1000 мертвих і 2000 травмованих.
 *    28 траня 1995 - Росія. 7,5 балів. 1989 загиблих в Нафтогірську на Далекому Сході.
 *    17 січня 1995-Японія. 7,2 балів. 6430 жертв.
 *    30 вересня 1993 - Індія. 6,4 балів. Тисячі загиблих і 36 сіл зметені з лиця землі. Серія поштовхів.
 *    21 червня 1990 - Іран. 7,7 балів. 35 тис мертвих, 100 тис поранених, 500 тис позбавлених притулку. Найбільше стихійне лихо в історії Ірану.

■     EARTHQUAKES:
Where the USGS states that a Richter 5 occurs on average once every 3 days, the frequency has been above that. When domino quakes first started appearing during the Turkey quake on Aug 17.1999* a comparison to the period to the prior year, 1998, was done.

    The Asociated Press reported on March 9, 1999 that Seattle suffered 90 days of rain in the four months leading up to March, “a record for soggy gloom in a region usually boastful about its wet climate.”

    Discovery Communications reported on March 16, 1999 that floods sweeping through villages in Ecuador were caused by an unusually web season, with rainfall 50% above normal, per the country's Institute of Meteorology and Hydrology.

    The Kuensel, the newspaper of Bhutan in the Himalayas, reported on March 29, 1999 that 30,000 acres of forest have been destroyed in Bhutan by wildfires, caused by an unusually dry season.

    A severe drought in China, where 19 million residents lack drinking water and more than 21.5 million acres (8.7 million hectares) of farmland are parched, is following some of the worst flooding on record, per Discovery Communications reported on March 31, 1999.

    On April 2, 1999, the Great Plains in the US experienced a blizzard with thunder, lightning, and hail, and dropping up to 18 inches of snow just a week after temperatures had soared into the 70's, per Discovery Communications.

    Associated Press noted on April 13, 1999 that Florida was again experiencing brush fires, with 1,400 acres recently destroyed and fire near the Okefenokee Swamp.

    Hail the size of cantaloupes dropped on Sydney on April 14, 1999, per the Associated Press. 20,000 homes and 60,000 cars were damaged. Some homes had interior damage when hail smashed through roof tiles and ceiling plaster. Lightning sparked 25 electrical fires, and 15,000 homes lost power during the storms, which came without warning.

    Associated Press reported on April 18, 1999 that drought has become widespread in the Sunbelt, with wildlife drinking from chlorinated swimming pools and retirees watering their cacti. 1,650 wildfires have burned more than 35,000 acres in Florida, 4,000 acre's in Tennessee and North Carolina, and 78,000 acre's in Nebraska in that states second largest wildfire.

    MSNBC reported on May 4, 1999 that the tornadoes, almost a mile wide, that tore through Oklahoma and Kansas on May 3, 1999 were of historic proportions, per Joseph Golden, senior meteorologist at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, due to the number, size, and ferocity - all of which occurred at once. 76 tornadoes were recorded.

    NBC reported on May 4, 1999 that the US is experiencing 5 times more major weather disasters a year than in the early 1980's.

    The Media Advisory reported on May 10, 1999 that disasters are costing the US an average of $1 billion per week since 1989, per a study by the National Science Foundation.

    USA Today reported on May 11, 1999 that the fastest wind speed ever recorded, 318 mph, was recorded during a tornado May 3 in the suburbs of Oklahoma City.

    NBC reported on May 14, 1999 that a record snowfall of 1,124 inches, almost 94 feet, occurred on Mount Baker in Washington.

    Earth Changes TV reported on May 17, 1999 an all-time record number of tornadoes in January in the US - 169 - and that Chicago had more snow in a single day - 18 inches - than ever before, and that the lower 48 states in the US had the warmest winter ever.

    On May 4, 1999, NBC News reported that Mount Baker in Washington state recorded a record snowfall in a single season - 1,124 inchs or almost 94 feet since November 1, 1998. If the snow had not compacted, it would cover a 10-story building.

    An all-time record number of tornadoes - 169 in January - were recorded in the United States, per NBC News on May 4, 1999.

    NBC News reported on May 4, 1999 that on January 4, 1999, Chicago received more snow on a single day than ever before, an all-time record for the city - at 18 inches.

    Alaska received its longest and most widespread cold wave during the winter of 1998-99, per NBC News on May 4, 1999.

    Associated Press reported on May 18, 1999 that Independence, Iowa, experienced a record 10 feet above flood stated on the Wapsipinicon River, where only the tops of street signs remained visible.

    On May 19, 1999, the Associated Press reported that disasters cost the United States more than $500 billion in the past 20 years, and rising, a record cost.

    Tel Aviv, Israel experienced the highest temperature recorded during a day at 113 degrees Fahrenheit in the shade at the Allenby Bridge leading from the West Bank to Jordan, per Earth Alert on May 25, 1999. Schools were instructed to cancel field trips.

    ABC News reported on May 26, 1999 that flooding near the hundred-year high occurred simultaneously in Germany, Swizerland, and Austria occurred.

    The American Institute of Physics reported on May 26, 1999 that since 1861 the average global temperature rose 0.57 C and the warmest years of the century have all occurred in the 1990’s - 1990, 1995, and 1997.

    On June 2, 1999 the Associated Press reported simultaneous fires burning in the Southeast and Southwest United States, in Florida, Georgia, Arizona, Utah, Nevada, and California.

    New highs up and down the East Coast of the United States were reported on June 8, 1999 by the Associated Press, with record breaking humid heat across several states. Schools closed and brownouts occurred.

    The BBC reported on June 14, 1999 that two South Pacific islands had disappeared beneath the waves as climate change raised the sea levels to new heights.

    Weer News quoted meteorologist Szilard Aigner of Hungary on June 20, 1999 reporting that a single day's rainfall equalled the usual amount over a month.

    Discovery News reported on June 21, 1999 that torrential rainfall in China’s eastern province of Zhejiang forced the power station on the Qiangtang river to suspect operations and halted shipping on the river.

    Associated Press reported on June 22, 1999 that the annual rainfall in West Texas had already doubled that the of the year before, and is carrying off top soil and crops.

    Discovery News reported on June 29, 1999 that baseball sized hail fell in Nebraska and Kansas, shattering windows and battering cars.

    Discovery News reported on July 1, 1999 that record rains were recorded in Kathmandu during nine days of the worst storms to pound the city in 30 years. Meteorologists reported that a record four inches of rain fell during one 24-hour period. The city of Siddharthanagar in west Nepal received a record nine inches of rain during a 24-hour period on June 13, 1999.

    Rainfall in Japan turned deadly, per Discovery News on June 30, 1999, 6,000 people were evacuated from their homes in Kobe, 1.600 homes were destroyed as 12 inches of rain fell on Nagasaki in days, 106 landslides occurred on the island of Kyushu which received 24 inches of rain during the storm. In Hiroshima 854 landslides and almost 8,000 flooded homes occurred, with roads cutting off access to 100 locations.

    Weer News reported on July 3, 1999 that Forest fires raged on the outskirts of Moscow and in several other regions as the death toll from Russia's biggest heatwave of the century rose to more than 140. In the Moscow region, some 126 fires engulfed 145 hectares (362 acres) of forest and bush while 200 hectares (500 acres) were burning near Saint Petersburg, the ministry of emergency situations said.

    On July 7, 1999, the Heat Is Online site reported that most of earth's glaciers are retreating at accelerating rates. The biggest glacier in the Peruvian Andes 20 years ago was retreating by 14 feet a year, but today is retreating by 99 feet a year. Surface waters of the eastern Pacific have also warmed, by 2 degrees in the last 20 years, independent of El Nino events.

    The Associated Press reported on July 7, 1999 that the mercury hit record highs of 100 at Newark, N.J., and Harrisburg, Pa., 101 in New York City, 102 in Raleigh-Durham, N.C., and 103 at Washington's Reagan National Airport.

    Discovery Online reported on July 9, 1999 that hailstones the size of small eggs pounded Moscow during a violent storm.

    Flash Floods hit Las Vegas in the worst flooding in 15 years, triggered by an unexpected storm which dumped four to six inches of rain an hour on the city, per Discovery Online on July 9, 1999. The floodwaters swamped the floors of buildings, including the Las Vegas Convention Center. Las Vegas usually receives only 4.1 inches (104 mm) of rainfall annually.

    Reuters reported on July 9, 1999 that a heat wave was gripping much of Eastern Europe and was well into its second month, spawning forest fires and parching crops. Officials in the Ukraine reported that the temperatures were the highest since records began in 1882, and these high readings prevailed for 35 days.

    Discovery Online reported on August 2, 1999 that Beijing was experiencing the city's worst heat wave of the century. Temperatures reached 108 degrees Fahrenheit.

    On August 3, 1999 the Associated Press reported that Mount Baker in the state of Washington had a record snowfall of 95 feet last winter, setting a seasonal snowfall record for the United States and the world, per the National Climatic Data Center. The previous record was set at Mount Rainier, Washington., in the winter of 1971-1972.

    The Sudan experienced the seasonal rains a month earlier than usual, according to Discovery Online on August 4, 1999, with flash flooding already experienced in Khartoum and the Nile spilling its banks.

    Discovery Online reported on August 5, 1999 that Cambodia has received 30 percent more rainfall than normal.

    On the other side of the world, the drought affecting the eastern half of the US has created crop shortages from Virginia to New England, with some states experiencing the driest 12-month period ever recorded, per Discovery Online on August 5, 1999.


    CNN reported on August 5, 1999 that New York City suffered its hottest July on record.

    On August 6, 1999 CNN also reported that the drought affecting the northeast US is now the worst on record for farmers in some northeast states, and one of the worst in other parts of the country. President Clinton stated at a news conference, “In Maryland, Delaware, New Jersey and Rhode Island, this is the worst drought for farmers ever recorded."

    Sweden was fighting forest fires south of Stockholm, during an unusually hot and dry summer, according to Discovery Online on August 6, 1999.

    Discovery Online reported that 80 wildfires ignited by lightning were burning in the state of Nevada and east of Reno on August 6, 1999.

    On August 7, 1999 the USGS reported that the drought affecting the east coast of the US had moved inland to the states of Indiana and Ohio, under the effects of a heat wave and low precipitation.

    While many parts of Iran are suffering from a near-record drought, flash floods tore through the capital of Azerbaijan, per Discovery Online on August 10, 1999.

    On August 13, 1999 Discovery Online reported that two weeks of torrential rains in Africa's southern Chad have destroyed 5,000 homes, displaced 130,000 residents, inundated 400,000 acres (162,000 hectares) of farmland, and drowned 1,257 head of livestock. The rains are expected to continue throughout August.

    Incessant torrential rains in the Sudan caused flooding that left 50,000 homeless, destroyed more than 10,000 homes, and drowned 1,000 head of livestock, per Discovery Online on August 16, 1999. Many Sudanese states along the Nile have been affected by the floods.

    Discovery Online reported on August 16, 1999 that more than 100 people were killed and 120,000 others left stranded when flash floods triggered by pounding rains battered Hunan Province in central China. Officials said that the torrential rain destroyed at least 30,000 homes. About 44,000 people were relocated to shelters over the weekend. China has experienced devastating flooding throughout the monsoon season this year and 5.5 million people have been left homeless by the disasters.

    On August 16, 1999 Discovery Online reported that 13 campers were swept away when the Kurokura River in Japan's Kanagawa Prefecture burst its banks. Recent violent downpours have swelled numerous rivers in the Tokyo, Kanagawa and Saitama prefectures causing similar accidents.

    Southern Brazil experienced one of the worst cold waves in recent history, per Discovery Online on August 17, 1999, with temperatures in several communities of the southern state of Rio Grande do Sul dropped to 14 degrees Fahrenheit and the region experienced snowfall for the first time since 1994.

    The Associated Press reported on August 17, 1999 that while much of the nation has been suffering through unusually hot weather, the Puget Sound area has been having its coolest summer since 1956, the National Weather Service reported.

    China's Shanxi province has been struck by a severe drought for the third year in a row, says its state media. Nearly 4 million acres of crops have been affected, with a half million acres destroyed per Discovery Online on August 19, 1999. More than 3 million people and 460,000 livestock animals are experiencing a shortage of drinking water, the Xinhua News Agency reports.

    NBC News reported on Sept 16, 1999 that Hurricane Floyd evacuations became the largest peacetime evaluation in history.

    NBC News reported on Sept 17, 1999 that the average number of hurricanes per year has increased from 5 to 7 and storms have become larger and more powerful. The enormously powerful Hurricane Floyd, the size of Texas and one of the biggest storms to hit the US coastline, is 4 times as large as Andrew which devastated Florida in 1992.

    Weather.COM reported on Sept 17, 1999 that Hurricane Floyd dropped record amounts of rain from North Carolina to Massachusetts, and that Hurricane Gert was the 4th Category 4 hurricane of the season.

    NASA and JPL reported on Sept 22, 1999 that unusually hot and cold oceans have created the corridors for more storms. Satellites showed tropical storms Harvey in the Gulf of Mexico and Hillary in the Pacific, along with Hurricane Gert near Bermuda, as they spun over the ocean on September 20.


    Cyclone 05B, which devastated the Indian province of Orissa, is being termed a supercyclone, with winds up to 250 km/h, one of the strongest for the region within the century and causing the worst flooding in the region for the century, per News World on Nov 2, 1999. Discovery News reported on Nov 8, 1999 that Cyclone 05B caused more than 275,000 homes to be blown away, leaving 1.5 million people homeless.

    The Weather Channel reported on Nov 16, 1999 that Hurricane Lenny's west to east path through the Caribbean and late date in the season were unprecedented. Hurricane Lenny was termed a Category 4 hurricane, packing winds of 110 mph, per Discovery News on Nov 18, 1999.

    A rare snowfall blanketed Spain, blocking dozens of mountain passes, per Discovery News on Nov 23, 1999.

    Flooding in the Congo is now being considered the flood of the century, per Discovery News on Dec 1, 1999. Seasonal rains began earlier than usual.

    Kuwait experienced a 35-year low, per Discovery News on Dec 2, 1999, with temperatures threatening to drop below zero. Kuwait's winter temperatures usually average 64 degrees Fahrenheit.

    The BBC reported on Dec 8, 1999 that 1999 will be the warmest year ever recorded in the UK.

    Space.COM reported on Dec 2, 1999 that satellite data shows the Arctic icecap is dramatically shrinking.

    Fairbanks set a record on Dec 22, 1999 with a temperature of 46 degrees Fahrenheit, some 40 degrees above normal.

    CNN reported on Dec 17, 1999 that the polar wind appears to have shifted its course.

    CNN reported on Dec 28, 1999 that a second wave of storms swept through Europe with high winds, affecting Germany, Switzerland, Spain, Belgium and France and causing flooding in many rivers such as the Seine. Dubbed Hurricane Lothar, the storm was considered unprecedented.

■ Is the world shaking more now than before? - USGS Replies
October 21, 1999
A weekly feature provided by scientists at the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory.
For the past two months, reports of large earthquakes and the havoc they cause seem to be constantly in the news. Earthquakes in Turkey, Taiwan, Mexico, and California have made the front pages and the nightly television newscasts. Is world-wide earthquake activity increasing?
The four earthquakes mentioned above had magnitudes greater than 7.0. Earthquakes with magnitudes between 7.0 and 7.9 are classified as major earthquakes. Since 1900, the average number of major earthquakes annually has been 18. This year, the major earthquake count stands at 13, with two months to go.
The annual number of major earthquakes does not vary widely, because most major earthquakes are the result of tectonic plate interactions, and these interactions occur at a steady rate. Plates slide past, collide with, and subduct beneath one another.
Each plate moves at a constant speed - some as fast as the growth of your fingernail - but the movement is usually impeded at the boundaries where two plates are in contact. Stresses accumulate along the boundary until the impediment can be overcome, and the locked section of the plate moves to catch up with the rest of the plate.
The deadly earthquake in Turkey on August 17 was along the North Anatolian fault, where the Turkish microplate is sliding past the Eurasian plate. The Turkish microplate is moving about 24 mm (1 inch) per year to the west relative to the Eurasian plate. The magnitude-7.4 earthquake produced 5 m (16 ft) of sideways slip between the plates. There were over 15,000 fatalities, primarily caused by the collapse of nearly 76,000 buildings.
The magnitude-7.6 Taiwan earthquake occurred on September 20 along the Shundong fault, where the westward-moving Philippine Sea plate collides with and overrides the Eurasian plate. Up to 8 m (26 ft) of uplift was measured from the thrust motion of the fault. The earthquake caused the collapse of over 38,000 structures and killed more than 2,300 people.
On September 30, a magnitude-7.5 earthquake shook the Oxaca region of Mexico and caused 18 deaths. The earthquake was deep within the northeastward-moving Cocos plate, which subducts beneath the North American plate. The 53 km (32 mi) depth of the earthquake and the sparse population of the region curtailed a higher death toll. No surface fractures were reported.
A week ago, on Sunday, October 16, a magnitude-7.1 earthquake undulated through the Mojave desert in southern California. The earthquake was centered on the Lavic Lake fault, a strike-slip fault that takes up some of the slip between the northwestward-moving Pacific plate and the westward-moving North American plate. Up to 4.7 m (15 ft) of right-lateral offset was measured along a 40-km-long (24-mi-long) surface rupture. Except for a cracked highway overpass and broken items that fell, damage was minimal in the lightly populated area.
A common report from Turkey and Taiwan following their deadly earthquakes was the call for the arrest of architects and contractors responsible for their shoddy design and construction of buildings that fell. Public officials are well aware of the earthquake hazard in those countries, and proper building codes are in place to mitigate the hazard for the people at risk. It is known that most fatalities from an earthquake are from collapsing structures and tsunamis.
Here in Hawai`i County, we also have large earthquakes, although we are in the middle, and not at the edge, of a tectonic plate. The growth and weight of our volcanoes produce the stresses that cause the rocks to break. Our County Council recently adopted a new building code that includes provisions for building in a zone with the highest level of earthquake shaking. So when you have to use 12-penny nails, instead of 10-penny nails, consider it an investment in keeping your home from collapsing in the next major earthquake.
Eruption Update
Eruptive activity of Kilauea Volcano continued unabated during the past week. Lava is erupting from Pu`u `O`o and flowing through a tube to the southeast in the direction of the sea coast. Breakouts from the tube feed flows that travel short distances before stopping. Lava is also ponding at the 530-m (1750-ft) elevation. A broad `a`a flow made it halfway down the pali before stopping. The lava pond within Pu`u `O`o remains very active, and a bright red glow, visible throughout Puna, is cast upon the fume clouds overhead.
There were no earthquakes reported felt during the week ending on October 21.
http://hvo.wr.usgs.gov/volcanowatch/1999/99_10_21.html