Mossel Bay Weather Observation, South Africa

MSBWX

Images: Eumetsat + Wunderground (Click on image for larger view.)

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The approaching cold front can clearly be seen in the above image. SAWS has issued several warnings which is available on this blog. Heavy rain, possible flooding and gale force winds are predicted for parts of the Western, Southern and Eastern Cape. Personally at this stage I have my doubts that this front will have an adverse effect on the country. It looks like the majority of the front might just slip past the country. However rainfall of between 10 - 25mm is expected in Cape Town and Overberg areas . It is still early days and we need to keep an eye on further development later today. The weather warnings remain in effect and the necessary precautionary measures must be taken in the event that this front turns into severe weather.

Another cold front making landfall on Tuesday next week needs to be observed closely as it is expected to be a real stinger and a real severe winter storm. More on this in future updates.

- MSBWX

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Ocean clouds meet the coastal desert in dramatic fashion on the coast of Peru, outlining the inland topography with precision. This image, acquired by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra satellite on May 28, 2014, illustrates the balance of nature’s extremes: dry versus wet and high versus low.

Formed in the moist ocean air, the clouds are closed-cell marine stratocumulus. Rounded and arranged in lines or waves, stratocumulus clouds form relatively low in the atmosphere. The closed-cell version of such clouds are usually shaped like a hexagon and surrounded by a channel of open air. Closed-cell clouds typically produce a light drizzle or no rain.

Peru’s southern coast, by contrast, is a desert. It is a landscape of sand dunes where the wettest areas get an average of 200 millimeters (8 inches) of rain per year. The air is dry, and no clouds have formed over the land.

The only clouds over the mainland have crept in from the ocean to cover the coastal plain, including the city of Lima. The marine clouds are low, just a few hundred meters off the ground, and they are stopped in their eastward movement by the Andes Mountains, says Joseph Munchak, a researcher at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. This interaction with the topography makes the clouds outline river valleys. Low clouds or fog are so common over coastal Peru that locals have a name for the phenomenon: garúa. The garúa brings cold, drizzly weather.

References
American Meteorological Society Glossary of meteorology. Accessed May 30, 2014.
NASA Earth Observatory (2010, April 28) Open- and close-cell clouds over the Pacific Ocean.
What’s the weather like The climate of Peru. Accessed May 30, 2014.

NASA image courtesy Jeff Schmaltz, LANCE/EOSDIS MODIS Rapid Response Team at NASA GSFC. Caption by Holli Riebeek.

Instrument(s):: Terra - MODIS - NASA

MSBWX

Mossel Bay 1 – 3 Day Weather Forecast Summary: Mostly dry. Warm (max 23°C on Sat afternoon, min 14°C on Sun night). Winds decreasing (fresh winds from the NNW on Sat night, calm by Sun night).

George 1 – 3 Day Weather Forecast Summary: Mostly dry. Warm (max 23°C on Sat afternoon, min 14°C on Sun night). Winds decreasing (fresh winds from the NNW on Sat night, calm by Sun night).

Knysna 1 – 3 Day Weather Forecast Summary: Light rain (total 2mm), mostly falling on Sun morning. Warm (max 24°C on Sat afternoon, min 15°C on Sun night). Winds decreasing (strong winds from the WSW on Sun afternoon, calm by Mon night).

Plettenberg Bay 1 – 3 Day Weather Forecast Summary: Light rain (total 2mm), mostly falling on Sun morning. Warm (max 24°C on Sat afternoon, min 15°C on Sun night). Winds decreasing (strong winds from the WSW on Sun afternoon, calm by Mon night).

Oudtshoorn 1 – 3 Day Weather Forecast Summary: Mostly dry. Warm (max 22°C on Sat afternoon, min 12°C on Sun night). Winds decreasing (fresh winds from the NNW on Sat night, calm by Sun night).

Riversdale 1 – 3 Day Weather Forecast Summary: Mostly dry. Warm (max 23°C on Sat afternoon, min 13°C on Sun night). Winds decreasing (fresh winds from the W on Sun morning, light winds from the W by Mon afternoon).

- WeatherForecast.com

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Weather Warnings

Marine Warnings

Aviation Warnings

Images: SAWS (Click on images for larger view.)

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Image: Eumetsat (Click on image for larger view.)

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Image: SAWS (Click on image for larger view.)

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Image: 1stweather.com (Click on image for larger view.)

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When the Minute 319 “pulse flow” began in March 2014, it was not clear whether the effort would be enough to reconnect the Colorado River with the Sea of Cortez. Some hydrologists thought there might be just enough water; others were less optimistic. It turns out the optimists were right, though just barely. For the first time in sixteen years, the Colorado River was reunited with the Sea of Cortez on May 15, 2014.

While scientists involved in the effort point out the goal was always to recharge groundwater and deliver water to special ecological restoration zones, environmental advocates haven’t been shy about basking in the symbolic importance of the river reaching the sea. “Now that we’ve witnessed the Colorado flowing in its delta, we know that it is possible to conjure the river back to life where the world thought it was dead. It’s a resurrection that we won’t soon forget, and a vision of what could be in the future,” wrote Jennifer Pitt, the director of the Environmental Defense Fund’s Colorado River Project in an article published by National Geographic.

Francisco Zamora, director of the Sonoran Institute’s Colorado River Delta Legacy Program, took these photograph from a Lighthawk-supported plane on May 15, 2014. See the Sonoran Institute’s Facebook page for more images. To learn more about the scientific rational behind the pulse flow, see this EOS article. View satellite imagery of the pulse flow here.

- NASA

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Mossel Bay 1 – 3 Day Weather Forecast Summary: Light rain (total 3mm), mostly falling on Sat night. Warm (max 24°C on Sat afternoon, min 14°C on Sun night). Winds decreasing (fresh winds from the NNW on Sat night, light winds from the W by Sun night).

George 1 – 3 Day Weather Forecast Summary: Light rain (total 3mm), mostly falling on Sat night. Warm (max 24°C on Sat afternoon, min 14°C on Sun night). Winds decreasing (fresh winds from the NNW on Sat night, light winds from the W by Sun night).

Knysna 1 – 3 Day Weather Forecast Summary: Light rain (total 3mm), mostly falling on Sat night. Warm (max 23°C on Sat afternoon, min 15°C on Sun night). Winds increasing (light winds from the ESE on Fri night, strong winds from the WSW by Sun afternoon).

Plettenberg Bay 1 – 3 Day Weather Forecast Summary: Light rain (total 3mm), mostly falling on Sat night. Warm (max 23°C on Sat afternoon, min 15°C on Sun night). Winds increasing (light winds from the ESE on Fri night, strong winds from the WSW by Sun afternoon).

Oudtshoorn 1 – 3 Day Weather Forecast Summary: Mostly dry. Warm (max 22°C on Sat afternoon, min 12°C on Sun night). Winds increasing (calm on Fri afternoon, fresh winds from the NNW by Sat night).

Riversdale 1 – 3 Day Weather Forecast Summary: Light rain (total 2mm), mostly falling on Sat night. Warm (max 23°C on Sat afternoon, min 13°C on Sun night). Winds increasing (calm on Fri afternoon, fresh winds from the W by Sun morning).

- WeatherForecast.com

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The SAWS web-page is currently down. Apparently they have a new website and maybe this is the reason why the website is down.

NOTE: Never rely on only one weather forecasting service for the latest predictions and warnings. Always have alternatives available.

MSBWX

Image: Eumetsat (Click on image for larger view.)

Yet another cold front over the Western Cape, bringing with it rain and the possibility of strong wind and rough seas. Possible snow is predicted for the high mountains of the SW Cape area. So keep warm and keep an eye on this cold front. Equinox is not far of and that is when the winter starts on all earnest in the Western Cape.

MSBWX

The SAWS web-page is currently down. Apparently they have a new website and maybe this is the reason for not being able to access their new site.

NOTE: Never rely on only one weather forecasting service for the latest predictions and warnings. Always have alternatives available.

MSBWX

Image: 1stweather.com (Click on image for larger view.)

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The pilot of a Cessna 182 aircraft landed on Louis Fourie Rd, Mossel Bay after experiencing technical problems at around 11h30 this morning. Here is an image of the aircraft standing on the west bound roadway. Courtesy : Jesse Ekkerd + Avcom.

Louis Fourie Road is a few 100 meters from my home and is one of the busiest roads in Mossel Bay. Thankfully at 11h30 there were no rush hour traffic. The pilot has done an absolutely marvelous job in putting the aircraft down. Lots of power poles and power lines to the south and north as the aircraft is standing now. Thankfully nobody was injured in the incident.

- MSBWX

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MOSSEL BAY NEWS FLASH - On Thursday, at around 11:30, an aircraft, carrying skydivers from India and a skydiving cameraman with two pilots, experienced engine problems about 2000m from The Point over the bay of Mossel Bay.

The engine lost power and cut out. The pilots tried to reach the airfield at Aalwyndal, but had to make an emergency landing on Louis Fourie Road near the Old Golden Roundezvouz Hotel.

Emergency services were on the scene within five minutes. Nobody was injured and very little damage was done to the plane.

According to eyewitness Mark Holden, the passengers were taken to the airfield.

At about noon on Thursday, the plane was still on the scene, as the FAA had to conduct an investigation.

To be updated.

- Mossel Bay Advertiser

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Rosemary Kruger with the black wattle that toppled onto her patio roof and caused damage to her gutters. Photo: Pauline Lourens

George: Strong winds cause havoc (24 May 2014)

GEORGE NEWS - Gail force winds wreaked havoc throughout the district with George Municipality's emergency staff working around the clock to restore power to widespread areas after electricity networks were damaged.

Huge trees were uprooted and, with winds reaching up to 78km/h in George, a few freak accidents were reported.

The Fosters, from Lavalia, had a lucky escape with no major injuries after a large tree struck their car at 14:10 on Saturday afternoon as they drove past George Hospital in Davidson Road, George.

The Krugers, who live in Bergsig, were not home when a huge black wattle, which was growing in their garden, toppled, damaging their patio roof and gutters. Rosemary and Andrew Kruger got a frantic call from their neighbour around lunchtime to inform them of the damage.

Electrical repairs
George Municipality's Media Liaison Officer Chantel Edwards-Klose said on Monday morning the George Electro-Technical Department reported that the FM tower was being repaired. By Tuesday power to the tower was restored. Electricity poles in Glenwood Lane and Rosemore were damaged on Sunday.

On Monday she said, "Single complaints from households are still coming in and are being attended to, but we are happy to report that the bulk of major repairs are completed. High voltage areas that require extensive work included Glenwood Lane, Hoekwil, Platrif and Herold's Bay. However, most of the households in these areas do have power. Our electro-technical staff have worked throughout the night with only a short break and are at work today to continue repairs and attend to complaints. We continue to ask for the community's patience and understanding."

Widespread areas from Blanco to Hansmoeskraal and from Syferfontein to Hoekwil had been affected. Electrical contractors worked alongside municipal staff to see to the repairs as soon as possible. In Glenwood most of the lines were pulled down by trees.

ARTICLE: PAULINE LOURENS, GEORGE HERALD JOURNALIST

George: Family survives falling tree

GEORGE NEWS - The only thing that Juanita Foster could think about as a tree branch crashed through their car's windscreen during the storm on Saturday afternoon, was the safety of her children.

The branch narrowly missed Foster's legs, but the mayor's personal assistant just wanted to get her daughters out of the car to safety.

The freak accident happened while she and her husband, Brian, and their two daughters, Arabella (15) and Gabariélla (13), were travelling down Davidson Road, George. They were on their way home after attending a hockey match in Oudtshoorn.

The incident left her husband astonished. "I did not see any car coming so my first thought was: what is causing this?" Upon surveying the damage he could not believe that his family had emerged relatively unhurt. "Thank God Juanita had her sunglasses on, which protected her eyes against the shattered glass flying through the car."

A Metro paramedic, who witnessed the incident from the George Hospital, jumped into his ambulance and immediately assisted the family. The George Fire Brigade was there to remove the rest of the tree from the road after the Metro Rescue Service workers, with the aid of their bakkie, had winched it onto the island.

The couple is full of praise for Georgians' willingness to help. "Everybody, from Timothy Luff - the professional paramedic first on the scene who treated my daughters for shock - to the parents who stopped to ask if they could help, to the Metro Rescue Service workers, were all amazing," said Juanita.

Juanita Foster touches the spot on the bonnet of her Opel Astra where the trunk of the tree struck before it catapulted over the roof onto the boot of her car. As the branch shattered the windscreen and glass flew through the car, she worried for her daughters' safety. The trauma only hit her a day later. Her husband, Brian, was driving at the time. Insert: The tree crashed through the windscreen and narrowly missed Juanita's legs. Photos: Pauline Lourens

ARTICLE: PAULINE LOURENS, GEORGE HERALD JOURNALIST

MSBWX VIA FACEBOOK: Never seen this before but the wind just blew out about 20 car windows at the mall. Freeeeeeky stuff. - Shane de Meillon

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Tonight when the new Moon rises, or in the next few nights when the Moon is a slim crescent, go outside and look up. You might see Earth’s reflected light in the dim glow.

A new Moon occurs when all of the Sun’s light is reflected away from Earth, and the side of the Moon facing Earth is barely visible, as illustrated in the above figures. Sometimes the dark face of the Moon catches Earth’s reflected glow and returns that light. The dark face of the Moon has a faint shine, a ghostly version of a full Moon. The phenomenon is called earthshine. It tends to be brightest between April and June, though it does occur at other times of the year. The photo at the top of the page was taken by an astronaut on the International Space Station on July 31, 2011.

Earthshine is easiest to see around the time of a new Moon due to the position of Earth and the Moon in their orbits. The middle figure above shows the positions of the Earth and Moon on July 31, 2011, when the top photo was taken. The Sun is on the left side of the figure (out of the figure at this scale), with sunlight depicted with yellow arrows. The Moon is reflecting little to no sunlight in Earth’s direction; meanwhile, Earth is facing the Sun and reflecting plenty of light back in the direction of the Moon. An astronaut standing on the Moon after sunset would see a spectacular, fully lit Earth, as shown in the lower right figure. That reflected sunlight is in turn reflected back off the lunar surface to create earthshine.

Earthshine varies in strength throughout the year, since the light reflected from the Earth varies. Earth’s reflected light (albedo) is brightest in the Northern Hemisphere spring with a second, slightly smaller peak in the Southern Hemisphere spring.

Satellite measurements of energy reflected from the Arctic provide a picture of why earthshine peaks in the spring. During this period, the Northern Hemisphere is tilted towards the Sun and winter snow and ice are still on the ground in the higher latitudes. Because snow and ice reflect more light than vegetation or water, the spring is brighter than the summer or autumn, when there is much less snow and ice. During the winter, the Arctic receives very little sunlight and reflects less light. Clouds and sea ice contribute to the peak in the Southern Hemisphere.

Regardless of when you spot it, earthshine can be an inspiring site. The phenomenon is captured in Neil Peart’s lyrics for Earthshine, featured on Rush’s 2002 album Vapor Trails. Peart often writes about scientific themes, including Countdown from Signals, which recounts the maiden launch of Space Shuttle Columbia. Earthshine begins by describing the orbital mechanics that make the phenomenon possible: “On certain nights, when the angles are right…”

References
NASA Earth Observatory (2011, February 24) Melting snow and ice warm Northern Hemisphere. Accessed May 28, 2014.
NASA Earth Observatory (2011, May 19) Seasonal effects of Arctic snow and ice. Accessed May 28, 2014.
NASA Science (2002) Earthshine. Accessed May 28, 2014.
United States Naval Observatory (2011, October 17) Phases of the Moon. Accessed May 28, 2014.

Astronaut Photograph ISS028-E-20073 was taken on February 31, 2011, and is provided by the ISS Crew Earth Observations Facility and the Earth Science and Remote Sensing Unit, Johnson Space Center. Diagrams by Robert Simmon, using the Celestia space simulation. Render of the moon by Ernie Wright, NASA GSFC Scientific Visualization Studio. “Earthshine” lyrics used by permission. Special thanks to Ken Fisher, NASA Johnson Space Center. Caption by Holli Riebeek.

Instrument(s):: ISS - Digital Camera - NASA

MSBWX

Mossel Bay 1 – 3 Day Weather Forecast Summary: Some drizzle, heaviest during Fri morning. Warm (max 23°C on Sat afternoon, min 14°C on Fri night). Winds increasing (calm on Thu afternoon, fresh winds from the NNW by Sat night).

George 1 – 3 Day Weather Forecast Summary: Some drizzle, heaviest during Fri morning. Warm (max 23°C on Sat afternoon, min 14°C on Fri night). Winds increasing (calm on Thu afternoon, fresh winds from the NNW by Sat night).

Knysna 1 – 3 Day Weather Forecast Summary: Some drizzle, heaviest during Fri morning. Warm (max 23°C on Sat afternoon, min 15°C on Fri night). Winds increasing (calm on Thu morning, fresh winds from the WSW by Fri morning).

Plettenberg Bay 1 – 3 Day Weather Forecast Summary: Some drizzle, heaviest during Fri morning. Warm (max 23°C on Sat afternoon, min 15°C on Fri night). Winds increasing (calm on Thu morning, fresh winds from the WSW by Fri morning).

Oudtshoorn 1 – 3 Day Weather Forecast Summary: Mostly dry. Warm (max 22°C on Sat afternoon, min 13°C on Thu night). Winds increasing (light winds from the WSW on Fri morning, fresh winds from the NNW by Sat night).

Riversdale 1 – 3 Day Weather Forecast Summary: Some drizzle, heaviest during Fri morning. Warm (max 23°C on Sat afternoon, min 14°C on Fri morning). Wind will be generally light.

- WeatherForecast.com

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Image: SAWS (Click on image for larger view.)

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Image: Eumetsat (Click on image for larger view.)

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Image: SAWS (Click on image for larger view.)

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Image: 1stweather.com (Click on image for larger view.)

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Another cold front is expected to move in over the Western-, Northern- and Southern Cape later today spreading to the Eastern Cape by Friday morning. Rain (1- 15mm), gale force (40km/h) wind and rough seas (2 - 4 m) is forecast for the above period.

The SA Maritime Net reported heavy seas along the Eastern Cape coast yesterday that is expected to last until the 31 May 2014. The SAWS issued warnings for gale force wind along the the Western Cape coast and a fire warning for the Eastern Cape interior. A watch for heavy rain in parts of the Northern Cape and high seas along the Western and Eastern Cape coast line. An advisory for damaging wind was issued for the Eastern Cape interior.

REQUEST: If you observe heavy rain, flooding, strong wind, rough seas, storm damage etc. inform the SAWXREP so that we in turn can keep the people informed. Tweet us at @SAWXREP or post you observations on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MSBWX

Images: Eumetsat + Weather Forecast (Click on images for larger view.)

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NASA’s Aqua satellite captured this view of Amanda—the first named storm of the 2014 hurricane season in the Americas—southwest of Manzanillo, Mexico, on May 25, 2014. The image was acquired by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) at 21:00 Universal Time (2 p.m. Pacific Daylight Time).

At the time of the image, the Category 4 storm was in the eastern Pacific moving north-northwest at a speed of about 7 kilometers (5 miles) per hour. The storm’s winds peaked at 250 kilometers (155 miles) per hour. It was the strongest May hurricane on record. The previous record holder was Hurricane Adolph, which had winds that peaked at 235 kilometers (145 miles) per hour on May 29, 2001. Forecasters expect Amanda to weaken and become a tropical storm over the next few days.

Amanda attained tropical storm status on May 23. That’s earlier than usual for the first hurricane of the year, according to Jeff Masters, Weather Underground’s director of meteorology. On average, the first tropical storm of the season arrives in the Eastern Pacific by June 10, and the first hurricane by June 26. For more details about when storms typically arrive, see this overview from the National Hurricane Center.

In its annual outlook for the hurricane season, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA’s) Climate Prediction Center projected that 14 to 20 tropical cyclones would affect the eastern Pacific this season, a near-normal to above-normal season. NOAA meteorologists expect a normal or above-normal season in the central Pacific. In contrast, they are calling for a near-normal or below-normal Atlantic hurricane season.

The possibility that El Niño may develop during the 2014 hurricane season is a factor in all three regions. El Niño decreases the vertical wind shear over the tropical central and eastern Pacific, favoring the development of more and stronger tropical cyclones. In contrast, it causes stronger wind shear in the Atlantic, which would reduce the number and intensity of storms.

References
Jeff Masters’ WunderBlog, via Weather Underground (2014, May 27) Amanda Peaks as Strongest May Eastern Pacific Hurricane on Record: 155 mph Winds. Accessed May 27, 2014.
National Hurricane Center (2014, May 27) Hurricane Amanda: Archive. Accessed May 27, 2014.
National Hurricane Center (2014, May 27) Hurricane Amanda. Accessed May 27, 2014.
National Weather Service Climate Prediction Center (2014, May 22) 2014 Eastern Pacific Hurricane Season Outlook. Accessed May 27, 2014.
National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (2014, May 22) NOAA expects near-normal or above-normal Central Pacific hurricane season. Accessed May 27, 2014.
The Weather Channel (2014) Hurricane Amanda: Record-Setting May Hurricane Forecast to Weaken in the Eastern Pacific. Accessed May 27, 2014.
University of Wisconsin-Madison CIMSS Satellite Blog (2014, May 23) Hurricane Amanda in the East Pacific Ocean. Accessed May 27, 2014.

NASA image courtesy Jeff Schmaltz, LANCE/EOSDIS MODIS Rapid Response Team at NASA GSFC. Caption by Adam Voiland.

Instrument(s):: Aqua - MODIS - NASA

MSBWX

Mossel Bay 1 – 3 Day Weather Forecast Summary: Mostly dry. Warm (max 22°C on Wed afternoon, min 14°C on Fri night). Wind will be generally light.

George 1 – 3 Day Weather Forecast Summary: Mostly dry. Warm (max 22°C on Wed afternoon, min 14°C on Fri night). Wind will be generally light.

Knysna 1 – 3 Day Weather Forecast Summary: Mostly dry. Warm (max 23°C on Wed morning, min 15°C on Fri night). Winds increasing (calm on Thu morning, strong winds from the WSW by Fri morning).

Plettenberg Bay 1 – 3 Day Weather Forecast Summary: Mostly dry. Warm (max 23°C on Wed morning, min 15°C on Fri night). Winds increasing (calm on Thu morning, strong winds from the WSW by Fri morning).

Oudtshoorn 1 – 3 Day Weather Forecast Summary: Mostly dry. Warm (max 21°C on Wed afternoon, min 13°C on Thu night). Mainly fresh winds.

Riversdale 1 – 3 Day Weather Forecast Summary: Mostly dry. Warm (max 21°C on Wed afternoon, min 13°C on Fri night). Wind will be generally light.

- WeatherForecast.com

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Image: SAWS (Click on image for larger view.)

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Image: Eumetsat (Click on image for larger view.)

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Image: SAWS (Click on image for larger view.)

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Image: 1stweather.com (Click on image for larger view.)

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Fancourt Golf General Manager Lloyd Martindale examines the strange burn patterns left on the estate's Outeniqua Course after a bolt of lightning struck and hit a pole on Monday. The flagpole, which was burnt to smithereens, has since been replaced.

GEORGE NEWS - The unusual weather and bizarre way in which a bolt of lightning struck a flagpole at Fancourt Golf Course on Monday night (19 May 2014) left Golf General Manager Lloyd Martindale shocked upon making the discovery.

"It missed the buildings, high trees and struck the flagpole on the Outeniqua Golf Course's first green. To my knowledge this is the first time this has happened - certainly since I have been here. The pole was charred and the flag shredded to smithereens. This goes to show that if you happen to be golfing when a storm comes up, you had better make your way back to the clubhouse as soon as possible," said Martindale.

When the lightning struck the carbon fibre pole, it deflected onto the green leaving an odd pattern.

A fortnight ago a Heather Park resident was amazed when lightning struck her roof, leaving a gaping hole.

The unusual weather patterns experienced with wind and heavy rain as well as hail - all occurring in one week - has left Georgians stupefied. A weather observer said he definitely noticed a change in the weather pattern as lightning was becoming more frequent.

The George Airport Weather Office measured 10,2mm rain on Monday and a total of 50mm for the month of May (up to Tuesday). The George Garden Route Dam has been overflowing for the past three weeks.

- George Herald

NOTE: I have on numerous occasions warned the people against changing weather patterns and the increase in lightning activity in the Southern Cape. In 2010 I requested the Premier of the Western Cape and the SA Weather Service to install a weather radar in the Southern Cape. This was done but unfortunately the public now has to pay an absorbent subscription fee to access radar images. Radar images are thus only for the rich and famous in this country while the poorest of the poor have to fend for themselves. Sad indeed but this is the current situation in this country. The Southern Cape experience several direct lightning strikes the past few years which caused extensive damage to infrastructure and the death of people, the latest a man that was killed in the Calitzdorp area while driving a tractor during a storm. With the increase in thunderstorms and lightning in the Southern Cape it is imperative that the people living in this area take note of the weather. I once again ask members of the public to send in country wide weather observations reports to SAWXREP and MSBWX. We need to keep people informed especially those who cannot afford the luxury of weather radar images. Hopefully we can save lives by posting observation reports on Twitter and Facebook.

Here are the links were you can post real time weather observations:

FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/MSBWX

TWITTER: https://twitter.com/SAWXREP

MSBWX

Springtime brings increased sunlight, bursts of nutrients, and changing water conditions to the Gulf of Alaska. The combination promotes massive blooms of phytoplankton—microscopic, plant-like organisms that turn sunlight into food and then become fodder for some of the richest fisheries on the planet.

The top image shows the southern Alaska coast and the Gulf of Alaska on May 2, 2014. It is a composite knitted together from several orbits of the Aqua satellite and its Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS). Two comma-shaped cloud formations (image center and far left) dominate the skies over the North Pacific Ocean. These clouds were likely moving around and ahead of a low-pressure system, showing some cyclonic circulation. Dark green traces of a phytoplankton bloom are just visible off of the Alaska coast at top center.

The second image shows a tighter MODIS view of the Gulf on May 9, 2014, when a substantial bloom of phytoplankton colored the waters south of Prince William Sound with green, chlorophyll-rich life. Closer to the coast, the water has a tan tint, a sign of sediment in the water—likely runoff from snowmelt-swollen rivers dumping their excess into the sea.

The waters around Alaska are among the most biologically productive in the world. Ash from the many volcanoes and wind-blown glacial powder occasionally seed the seas with the nutrients necessary for phytoplankton growth. The rivers carry their share of rich sediments, and the stormy, turbulent waters offshore sweep up a fair bit from the seafloor. So when spring and summer bring more sunlight, the waters are primed for explosive blooms of aquatic plants and phytoplankton—and then the many crabs, fish, and whales that feed on them.

References
Integrated Ocean Observing Systems (2014) Alaska Ocean Observing System. Accessed May 24, 2014.
NASA Earth Observatory (2013, January 31) Volcanic Fertilizer.
NASA Earth Observatory (2010, July 13) What Are Phytoplankton?
NASA Earth Observatory (2005, April 11) Spring Bloom in the Gulf of Alaska.

NASA images by Norman Kuring, NASA’s Ocean Color web. Caption by Mike Carlowicz.

Instrument(s):: Aqua - MODIS - NASA

MSBWX

Mossel Bay 1 – 3 Day Weather Forecast Summary: Mostly dry. Warm (max 23°C on Tue afternoon, min 15°C on Wed night). Winds increasing (calm on Tue morning, fresh winds from the NW by Tue night).

George 1 – 3 Day Weather Forecast Summary: Mostly dry. Warm (max 23°C on Tue afternoon, min 15°C on Wed night). Winds increasing (calm on Tue morning, fresh winds from the NW by Tue night).

Knysna 1 – 3 Day Weather Forecast Summary: Mostly dry. Warm (max 24°C on Tue afternoon, min 16°C on Wed night). Winds increasing (calm on Tue morning, fresh winds from the NNW by Tue night).

Plettenberg Bay 1 – 3 Day Weather Forecast Summary: Mostly dry. Warm (max 24°C on Tue afternoon, min 16°C on Wed night). Winds increasing (calm on Tue morning, fresh winds from the NNW by Tue night).

Oudtshoorn 1 – 3 Day Weather Forecast Summary: Mostly dry. Warm (max 26°C on Tue afternoon, min 13°C on Thu morning). Mainly fresh winds.

Riversdale 1 – 3 Day Weather Forecast Summary: Mostly dry. Warm (max 24°C on Tue afternoon, min 14°C on Thu night). Wind will be generally light. - WeatherForecast.com

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Image: SAWS (Click on image for larger view.)

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Image: Eumetsat (Click on image for larger view.)

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Image: SAWS (Click on image for larger view.)

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Image: 1stweather.com (Click on image for larger view.)

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Apart from a strong NNW wind and a flash of lightning here and there not much has come of this cold front. This system produced very little rain and the expected cold weather was not as bad as expected. Mild weather is forecast for the next two days. The weather is expected to change on Wednesday with rain forecast for parts of the Western Cape. This image of lightning was captured on Blouberg beach.

Mich Clarke @MichClarke

Amazing image of the lightning captured on Blouberg Beach this morning! @CapeTown@cptweather@CityofCTpic.twitter.com/TpPQXHoo1Y (via @MrCPT)

567 CapeTalk
Jason Hayden took this photo of the storm over Cape Town on Saturday morning, taken near lower cableway station

Pages

Saturday, 31 May 2014

References

Friday, 30 May 2014

Image: Eumetsat (Click on image for larger view.)

Thursday, 29 May 2014

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Wednesday, 28 May 2014

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Tuesday, 27 May 2014

References

Monday, 26 May 2014