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Wind and Water
Did you notice that the water is rising?
This is the beginning of the runoff folks. If you are looking to plan a river trip now is the time to do it. The water level is just gonna keep going up. Why? Well, one of the main reasons is the very warm weather that has been coming from the south west. Hot dusty and gusty winds are bellowing from the south west warming our area and melting our snow.
Grand Junction is where that little green dot is. Those lines represents wind speeds and direction. These winds are coming up from the Gulf of California and continuing on into Wyoming.
The winds are creating a literal barrier diverting storms right around us. The high pressure front is right over where those strong gust lines are in the previous picture.
We may see a very fast runoff if the weather conditions remain the same. Sustained winds from the southwest bring dry warm air and with them being as strong as they are dust is more likely to be picked up. It is this dusty wind that will make the snow melt quicker. Snow is actually a great insulator, it creates dead air space and is white which means that it reflects the sun and heat away from it. When you add a layer of dust on the snow more heat is accumulated as the suns rays are absorbed by the darker colored material. This causes the snow to melt faster. Like I said, this may be a very fast and short runoff if the weather continues like this.
Across the globe intense winds are raging in the Bay of Bengal.
This is the strongest storm ever recorded in the Bay of Bengal.
Headed for Bangladesh the storm surge is going to be between 5 to 10 meters. That's 15-30 feet of water surging inland. Bangladesh has a population that is half the size of the United States in an area no bigger than Iowa.
Evacuation is underway for the people in the area. Please keep them in your thoughts as they deal with this historic natural disaster. While the lives of the people affected by the storm are priority number one there is another thing we should be concerned about as this storm ravages the coastline and inland areas.
This video is from 2014. Bangladesh is home to the largest shipwrecking boneyard. With tankers being torn apart everyday a slew of toxic chemicals and materials are stripped from the ships and piled up. When Cyclone Amphan comes through this area I can't even begin to imagine the environmental impact it will have as it stirs up all of the remains and waste that have been collecting over the years.
With wind comes water
Be safe
Be aware