• Unusual number of vortices formed around the globe

    During our daily MODIS satellite imagery check up we noticed unusual number of newly formed vortices around the globe. Maybe the most significant is one called Tropical cyclone Giovanna which is located in Mozambique Channel and now is battering Madagascar’s southeast

  • How much snow is on the ground!?

    Snow represents both a hazard and a water resource. Both require detailed assessments of snow amounts and depth. Traditional measuring devices such as snow gauges and yardsticks are often inadequate for capturing snow totals that may vary even within a single field or

  • Agricultural fires in Indochina seen from satellite

    Late winter or early spring is the time scheduled for farmers in Southeast Asia for preparing land for seasonal agriculture, usually for planting crops. On February 14, 2012, the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) aboard NASA’s Aqua satellite

  • Giovanna ravaged Madagascar and continues towards Mozabique

    Destruction left behind Tropical cyclone Giovanna is still being assessed. Packing highest sustained winds of about 120 mph (193 kmh), the storm landed early Tuesday morning, local time, a little south of Toamasina (Tamatave). The storm also hammered the capital,

  • Watersprout seen over Auckland, New Zealand

    A large water funnel resembling a tornado has been spotted in Auckland’s Hauraki Gulf yesterday. The thin, tornado-like funnel apparently caused no significant harm as it swirled near the Auckland central business district at about 4 p.m., local time, or late Tuesday

  • Mount Cleveland lava dome grows 25%- now 50 meters in size

    The lava dome covering Mount Cleveland volcano in Alaska has grown by 25% since last week. According to the Alaska Volcano Observatory (AVO), the dome was reported to be 40 meters across on Monday Feb. 6., and has now increased to 50 meters in size. The current

  • M 6.0 sea quake 256 km off the coast of Oregon

    USGS reported magnitude 6.0 quake at 3:31 UTC (Feb. 15, 2012) 256 km (159 miles) west of the coast of Oregon. Recorded depth by both USGS and EMSC was 10 km. No tsunami warning was issued, and no damage reported. This earthquake is not unusual as it occurred in a

  • Tropical cyclone Giovanna blasts Madagascar

    Tropical Cyclone Giovanna has crashed into eastern Madagascar with devastating winds and flooding rain. Giovanna made landfall near Andavoranto, south of Toamasina ripping up trees and felling electrical lines. Data supplied by the U.S. Navy and Air Force Joint

  • Magnitude 6.4 earthquake hit Solomon Islands archipelago

    Strong earthquake measuring magnitude 6.4 struck near San Cristobal, Solomon Islands today at 08:19:58 UTC (07:19:58 PM at epicenter) according to USGS. Epicenter was located 72 km (44 miles) west of Kira Kira, San Cristobal, 178 km (110 miles) southeast