2018 Atlantic hurricane season

Do you mean ex-Florence later getting dragged northeast? It is typical recurving action. This time it happened ~15 degrees of longitude too late. Most inconvenient.

 

So many water rescues already in NC. From areas where folks chose to ignore mandatory evacuation orders.

 

Elsewhere among planetary-scale fidgit spinners

- TS Helene joins ranks of recurved Atlantic storms going to Ireland. When all else fails...
- TS Joyce wanders around aimlessly
- Bigly Mangkhut aims at Kunming

 

Some models forecast Florence to pop out on mid-Atlantic coast. Possibly to take another drink and go around again. More novelty.

Some media discusses rainfall in range of 1 to 10 trillion gallons. Think of that it terms of energy or cost required to purify seawater for human use. Setup is wrong in time and space, but still...

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Mangkhut closed Macao casinos, apparently never happened before. Bamboo scaffolding collapse around Hong Kong construction. Some may be surprised by multi-story bamboo scaffolding:

Typhoon pounds south China after killing dozens in Philippines

I'm just surprised to see people walking under it.

 

Modern HK buildings are strong, but a lot of high-rise windows have failed. Construction cranes are also very common. They are going down in several south China cities.

Sleepy Kunming has bright blue sky today because atmos moisture has been sucked away. It'll be back...

 

Proper metal scaffold is Speedrail (TM). Erector set for adults. China has vague equivalents but not nearly enough. Bamboo is abundant. Not sure that knot-tying skills are equally abundant.

 

Article says "may be":

Duke Energy: Dam breached at North Carolina plant; coal ash may be flowing into Cape Fear River

 

Florida panhandlers have had to manage hurricane preparations without announcements here. Most did, I suppose.

Such development shows how rapidly warm-water energy can be converted to spin, spray and surge when other factors are permissive.

Later, drying out of S. Carolina will be delayed.

 

@bisco (now stuck with an adhesive logo) mentioned H. Michael also in the older hurricane thread.

Early reports are of much structural damage from both wind and surge. As area most affected has not had much >100 mph winds historically, many things including trees have not been culled from the herd.

One can always see media on-site dramatic reporting. Sometimes just a but too dramatic? I suggest moderately accurate rules for wind speed and tree damage.

There is no one single wind speed at which leaves detach, but a range from 30 to 50 meters/sec. In other units, about 70 to 110 mph or 60 to 100 knots. If dramatic reporter is mentioning wind speeds high in this range or above, and leaves are still hooked on in view, suspect some exaggeration.

Wish I could interest folks in a dandy article, Virot et al. 2016. Elegant analysis that all (?) trees (wood) break at about 42 meters/sec, 95 mph, 82 knots. Some with internal (fungal) damage will break in weaker winds. If not well connected to soil, they will tip over, roots and all, in weaker winds.

Palms are exceptional. First their fronds will twist to downwind side and often survive defoliating winds. Their wood is rather different and stronger. They tend to occur in tropical places where winds tend to get frisky, so we can think about evolutionary pressure. Palms are also subject to delayed mortality which could be addressed later.

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Anyway, Michael has rowed his boat ashore and this one is going to be messy.

 

A large typhoon coastal here was suggested to bring winds far inland about a month ago. This is unrealistic, especially considering topography, but whatever.

In preparation, a work crew did extensive bracing to a palm tree. Which would not have suffered much. Bracing was set about 3 meters below top which removed its 'bend and survive' feature and made it more likely to snap above. Had winds arrived, which of course they did not.

Different people are amused by different things

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Kunming has not had 'clothes-drying weather' for a long time. Street-flooding rains that do happen are plain old summertime convective cells (with better-than-average aim). Occasional small hail to add interest.