Tuesday, October 19, 2010

A Summary of Tropical Weather in the North Atlantic Region through Sept 30, 2010

NAME DATES MAX WIND (MPH)
----------------------------------------------------
H ALEX 25 JUN-2 JUL 105
TD TWO 7-8 JUL 35
TS BONNIE 22-24 JUL 40
TS COLIN 2-8 AUG 60
TD FIVE 10-11 AUG 35
MH DANIELLE 21-31 AUG 135
MH EARL 25 AUG-5 SEP 145
TS FIONA 30 AUG-4 SEP 60
TS GASTON 1-2 SEP 40
TS HERMINE 6-8 SEP 65
MH IGOR 8-21 SEP 155
MH JULIA 12-20 SEP 135
MH KARL 14-18 SEP 120
H LISA 21-26 SEP 80
TS MATTHEW 23-26 SEP 60
TS NICOLE 28-29 SEP 40

Monday, October 18, 2010

Straight from Pasco County's Emergency Manager, Jim Martin

Here is the latest on the tropics. We still have 43 days remaining in the 2010 Hurricane Season.

* A low pressure system located in the southwestern Caribbean Sea just east of the Nicaragua/Honduras border, or about 680 miles south of Key West, Florida, continues to produce disorganized, but increasing, shower and thunderstorm activity.

* Atmospheric conditions are favorable for development and the National Hurricane Center is indicating a 30% chance that this disturbance will become a tropical depression or tropical storm within the next two days. The next name in the list is Richard.

* Steering currents in the Caribbean Sea are weak and computer models are in disagreement with the intensity and track of the system.

* The majority of the models suggest that this system may not even reach tropical storm intensity and will move slowly inland or scrape along the coast. However, some models suggest that the system may gain some strength as it stays over the water or re-emerges into the Caribbean around mid-week.

* Hurricane Hunters are tentatively scheduled to investigate the system Tuesday afternoon.
* Elsewhere in the tropics, a tropical wave in the east-central Atlantic has a 10% chance of development within the next 2 days.
* Additional information can be found at www.nhc.noaa.gov.

Friday, October 15, 2010

Fisheries Law Enforcement Updates

NOAA is committed to improving its communications with its constituents and stakeholders, even if it means hearing their complaints. Issues surrounding law enforcement are sensitive, and fishermen may be afraid to come forward to report problems. NOAA already has a web site for the public to provide information involving current investigations or to report possible violations of law (http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/ole/cc.html), and an Enforcement Hotline that is operational 24 hours a day, 7 days a week (1-800-853-1964).

In order to provide further protection to anyone who has information regarding enforcement improprieties by NOAA’s Office of Law Enforcement or enforcement attorneys, NOAA will establish another hotline – this one specifically to report unfair or overzealous enforcement actions or other breaches of conduct by NOAA enforcement agents or attorneys. This Enforcement Complaint e-Hotline will be a link on the NOAA homepage that will allow stakeholders to report any issues to NOAA management through a specific email address (OLE.ComplaintHotline@noaa.gov) that will go directly to NOAA Headquarters. Any complaints received will be reviewed at Headquarters and, as necessary, investigated further. This should provide fishermen and other members of the regulated community a mechanism for raising issues about NOAA law enforcement without fear of reprisal. NOAA will evaluate the effectiveness of the Enforcement Complaint Hotline after one year to ensure that it is providing an appropriate outlet for enforcement complaints. If it is not working, NOAA will take additional actions to ensure that if the regulated community has issues with NOAA enforcement, they will be heard.
NOAA Proposed Policy on Prohibited and Authorized Uses of the Asset Forfeiture Fund

The Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act authorizes the Secretary of Commerce through NOAA to pay certain enforcement related costs from sums received as fines, penalties, and forfeitures of property for violations of any marine resource law enforced by the Secretary. Fines, penalties, and forfeitures of property received by NOAA are deposited in an enforcement asset forfeiture fund. The Secretary is proposing a new policy to clearly articulate prohibited and authorized uses of these funds to ensure no conflict of interest- either real or perceived - associated with its use while continuing to promote a sound enforcement program dedicated to conserving and protecting our nation's marine resources. The Secretary requests comments from the public on listed prohibited and authorized uses of the funding and, in particular, expenditures for activities that would promote compliance with regulations promulgated by NOAA.

NOAA: Year-to-Date Global Temperature Ties for Warmest on Record

The first nine months of 2010 tied with the same period in 1998 for the warmest combined land and ocean surface temperature on record. The global average land surface temperature for January-September was the second warmest on record, behind 2007. The global ocean surface temperature for January–September was also the second warmest on record, behind 1998.

The article can be found here from the NOAA site.

http://www.noaanews.noaa.gov/stories2010/20101015_globalstats.html