Typhoon Fung-wong has crossed the Philippines and is now headed to Taiwan. Note it’s called Supertyphoon Uwan in the Philippines, recall they have a different name/classification system(link).
The storm has caused more misery for the islands, after a rough year of typhoons and earthquakes. Impacts to Taiwan should not be as bad as the storm is forecast to be fading rapidly as it turns north, but flooding, mudslides, and some wind damage are possible there as well.
For those of you in the Southeastern US, you’re waking up to the beginning of the first serious cold snap of the year. Cold dry air has pushed offshore overnight, leaving a tight pressure gradient with strong winds and dropping temperatures. You can clearly see the front on the water vapor band …
There are multiple overlapping warnings and advisories across the region in the form of freeze warnings, cold weather advisories (for the wind chill), and even red flag (fire) advisories due to the dry air, high winds, and fact no everybody got rain before the frontal passage:
If you’re from the north, you might be wondering what the big deal is, eh? One of the reasons the US National Weather Service has regional forecast offices is so the forecasts and analysis can be customized to the specific needs of local areas. A temperature of 30 and winds of 10 mph is T-shirt and shorts weather in Duluth Minnesota, but in Frogmore it’s time to break out the parka and drip the pipes. Likewise, a heat index of 100 in the southeast is “meh” but fatal for New Yorkers, which is why they should just stay home and keep their weird ways to themselves. This is something that gets lost on people sometimes when looking at national level forecasts, and why the homogenization of media and push to consolidate in the name of efficiency often overlooks the advantages of local knowledge and experience.
Here is a nice graphic from the WSFO Charleston this morning that shows the timing:
As noted yesterday, delicate plants and pets need protection, if you’re a native or adapted to the region it will be cold so dress appropriately (note the temps will be dropping all day). I discussed the pipe situation yesterday, probably not needed on the coast, inland only for really exposed stuff, but dripping (running) pipes is almost a religion to some people.
Speaking of Diese kalte Nacht …
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Thank-you again for the commentary, analysis and snark. When writing your space weather article, if you haven’t already and are familiar with the subject, could you include some info on how it affects rf propagation, and the ham bands in particular? Thanks
It’s in work, hopefully before Thanksgiving …
Love your analysis of temp impact on humans by region 😎