Hurricane Delta: Mexico braces for 'dangerous' storm
October 7, 2020
The Category 4 storm dramatically increased in intensity over the past 24 hours and is expected to make landfall in Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula by early Wednesday. Experts have warned of "life threatening" storm surge.
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Hurricane Delta quickly intensified into a dangerous Category 4 storm on Tuesday, with top winds hitting 145 mph (230 kph) as it approached Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula.
The US-based National Hurricane Center (NHC) described the hurricane as "extremely dangerous," noting that said the storm was "expected to bring a life-threatening storm surge and extreme winds" to the northeastern coast of the Yucatan Peninsula.
Hurricane conditions were expected to hit the area overnight, with landfall expected early Wednesday.
Hurricane warnings were in effect for the holiday island of Cozumel and from Tulum to Dzilam Mexico. The NHC said "preparations to protect life and property should be rushed to completion."
The storm's intensity rapidly increased over the past day, growing from a tropical storm to a Category 4 storm in just over 24 hours.
Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said an "order has been given to mobilize up to 5,000 troops with all the necessary equipment to protect the population."
Soldiers were seen wearing masks and face shields while preparing for relief efforts.
State governor Carlos Joaquin Gonzalez announced the closure of the Cancun and Cozumel airports beginning at 5:00 p.m. local time (2200 GMT).
Residents in the area hurried to shops to purchase food and supplies and boarded up windows to protect their homes.
Shelters have been set up along the peninsula for tourists who were visiting the resort-studded area, while residents have also been evacuated from coastal areas and transferred to safe locations.
With concerns about preventing the spread of the coronavirus, local authorities said they'd sanitized shelters and opened up additional areas to give people more space to socially distance while riding out the storm.
Joseph Potts, a deputy sheriff from Denver, who was on vacation, said he and his family would be moved to a shelter at a university in Cancun.
"The hurricane kind of popped up overnight and we just want to get it over with and go back to the beach," Potts told the Associated Press.
Southeastern Mexico was already hit over the weekend by Tropical Storm Gamma, triggering floods and landslides that killed six people and forced thousands from their homes.
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Threat to the US
Several US states are already rushing to prepare for the hurricane, which is expected to make landfall in the US later this week.
The latest advisory from the NHC expected the storm to maintain its strength after crossing the Yucatan Peninsula and entering the Gulf of Mexico.
The NHC warned of potentially life-threatening storm surges and high-speed winds that could impact the southern US states of Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama.
"While there is large uncertainty in the track and intensity forecasts, there is a significant risk of dangerous storm surge, wind, and rainfall hazards along the coast from Louisiana to the western Florida Panhandle beginning Thursday night or Friday," said the NHC.
Climate change is causing the oceans to heat up rapidly. This not only has dramatic consequences for marine life, but also means there will be more extreme weather events, such as hurricanes, floods and forest fires.
Image: NGDC
A California day at the South Pole
In Antarctica, scientists measured temperatures on par with Los Angeles. In February, a record 18.3 degrees Celsius (64.9 degrees Fahrenheit) was measured at the Argentinean research station Esperanza Base in the north Antarctic. This was the highest temperature since measurements began there, according to NASA. The warm weather led to quickly developing melt ponds (pictured right).
Image: Earth Observatory/ NASA
More frequent and stronger storms
As oceans warm, the intensity of tropical cyclones will increase. The hurricane or typhoon season will last longer and there will be significantly more hurricanes, especially in the North Atlantic and the northeast Pacific. Extreme weather conditions will result in extremely destructive storms in the future, even in regions that have so far been spared.
Image: AFP/Rammb/Noaa/Ho
Rising sea levels and storm surges
Oceans warm along with the rising temperatures of the Earth's atmosphere, albeit with a delay. This leads to a thermal expansion of the water masses, causing sea levels to rise further. The habitats and livelihoods of numerous coastal inhabitants — especially in poorer regions — will be lost.
While there will be heavy precipitation and flooding in some places, extreme weather conditions elsewhere will cause very dry periods. Crop failures and devastating forest fires will be the result. The fire season will last much longer in many places, and the number of fires will increase dramatically.
Image: Reuters/AAP Image/D.
Relocating entire ecosystems
Warmer oceans will drive species, and eventually entire marine ecosystems, into colder regions. Fish and marine mammals will migrate toward the poles, just like land animals. The cod populations in the North Sea, for example, are already shrinking faster than can be explained by overfishing alone. Fishing regions further north could benefit from this development.
Image: by-nc-sa/Joachim S. Müller
Acidified seas
Heating causes CO2 to dissolve directly in surface water, the pH value of seawater then decreases and the water "acidifies." Mussels, starfish, corals, crabs and sea urchins lose their ability to form exoskeletons or endoskeletons in these conditions. This means that they will disappear, leading to unfiltered water and a lack of food for other marine life.
Less plankton as fodder
As the pH value decreases due to increased CO2 absorption, small algae aren't able to absorb as much iron. But plankton needs this mineral for strong growth. Since many phytoplankton species also form calcareous skeletons, they are likely to be affected by acidified water.
Image: picture alliance / dpa
Oxygen decreases
Warmer water stores less oxygen, so warming oceans lead to expanding areas that are oxygen-poor. In many rivers, lakes and lagoons, oxygen-poor "death zones" already exist where animals can't live because too little oxygen is dissolved in the water.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/C. Schmidt
Explosive algae blooms
In warm, oxygen-poor water, toxic algae bloom and can multiply explosively. Their poison kills fish and other sea creatures. Algae carpets are already threatening the fishing industry and tourism in many places. Here is a picture from Chile's coast, where red algae killed thousands of fish with their nerve poison.
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/F. Marquez
Empty white coral skeletons
Warming oceans cause coral to lose not only its color but also its ability to reproduce, as a result of heavy coral bleaching. Coral reefs die off and provide no protection, no food and no hunting grounds for a variety of marine life.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/D. Naupold
Changing ocean currents
If the North Atlantic Current were to be interrupted by ocean warming, it would result in a severe cold spell throughout western and northern Europe. This is because the current ensures the continuous circulation of seawater as dense surface water sinks into deeper, cooler layers. The other oceanic currents would also be affected by such an interruption.
Image: NGDC
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Alabama Governor Kay Ivey and Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards both signed a state of emergency for their states that would allow them to seek federal aid quickly if needed.
Hurricane Delta is the 26th named storm to be named this year in an unusually active 2020 Atlantic hurricane season.
The sheer number of storms this year has forced meteorologists to dip into the Greek alphabet to name Atlantic storms for only the second time ever.
Only the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season was more active, with 28 named storms.
kbd/rs (AP, AFP, Reuters)
Cyclones, typhoons, hurricanes - the power of devastation
Cyclones, typhoons and hurricanes pack a devastating punch: wherever they go, they leave a trail of destruction. But how do these powerful tropical storms arise?
Image: AFP/D. Sarkar
Social distancing impossible during Cyclone Amphan
Residents along Bangladesh's coast are being moved to safety as one of the strongest cyclones in years strikes the region. Millions of people had to be evacuated from low-lying regions along the Bay of Bengal on May 19. But plans are complicated by the coronavirus precautions. Maintaining social distancing is nearly impossible.
Image: AFP/District Administration of Bhola
Typhoon season amid the COVID-19 pandemic
On May 14, Typhoon Vongfong slammed the Philippines with strong winds and heavy rains, destroying the city of San Policarpo in the eastern province of Samar. At least five people died and more than 91,000 people were forced to leave their homes. Typhoons are not unusual in the Philippines at this time of year. But the COVID-19 outbreak lockdown measures are exacerbating the situation.
Image: AFP/A. Beronio
Three names - one phenomenon
Hurricane, typhoon, and cyclone are actually three names for the same phenomenon. Along the North American coast they are called hurricanes, in East and Southeast Asia they are called typhoons, and near India and Australia they are called cyclones. But despite the different names, they develop in the same way.
Image: Reuters
A cyclone is created
Tropical storms develop over oceans when the water temperature is at least 26 degrees Celsius (79 degrees Fahrenheit). As the warm water evaporates and condenses, the air around it heats up and drags cooler air upwards, creating powerful winds.
The eye of the storm
The Earth's rotation causes the air stream to move around the eye of the storm, which can be up to 50 kilometers wide. This area is nearly completely free of clouds and wind.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa
A storm hits land
When a tropical storm hits a coastline, it becomes weaker due to the lack of warm water. In Australia, "Marcia" was soon downgraded to a category one storm, while "Lam" weakened after striking near Brisbane. Masses of water from the sea often cause the worst damage - as seen here in China after Typhoon Nanmadol in August 2011.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa
Chaos ensues
Hurricane Sandy was one of the strongest hurricanes ever recorded over the Atlantic Ocean. It caused waves of up to 4 meters high, fires, power outages and broken dykes. Sandy arrived with winds at speeds of more than 145 kilometers per hour. Cuba, New York and New Jersey were particularly affected.
Image: Reuters
Destructive vortex
Tornadoes however, are non-tropical whirlwinds that can occur anywhere a storm is brewing. Local temperature differences force warm air upwards and cold air down, and a column of warm air rotates upwards at an increasing velocity. Tornadoes are usually only a maximum of 1 kilometer in diameter.
Fastest storms
As the warm air rises, it forms a funnel, the main characteristic of a tornado. Inside the funnel, the speed of the air can be tremendous - up to 500 kilometers per hour. Tornadoes are the fastest whirlwind type of weather phenomenon.
Image: Fotolia/Daniel Loretto
Trail of destruction
A tornado can leave a trail of destruction several kilometers long. In the US Midwest, tornadoes occur several hundred times a year, as dry, cold air from the north hits damp, warm air from the Gulf of Mexico. It's different in other countries - in Germany, for example, tornadoes occasionally occur along the coast.