Today’s Forecast
Good morning and happy Wednesday! I hope everyone has had an amazing week so far and has been able to stay dry from the rain. A beautiful rest of the week is in store with sunny skies and warm temperatures. Today will be mostly sunny with a high of 57 and a low of 33. Warming up, tomorrow will be sunny with a high of 61 and a low of 39. Moving into this weekend, the trend continues with beautiful weather. Friday will be sunny with a high of 69, Saturday with a high of 75, and Sunday with a high near 75.
Recent Wild Weather
On Monday in Grindavik, Iceland two natural phenomenon were occurring at the same exact time, and it was all caught on a time-lapse video by Marco Di Marco of the Associated Press. The Fagradalsfjall Volcano began erupting in January sending lava rushing towards the town of Grindavik. It continued erupting into January and is still erupting as of today. It has slowed down in intensity, but it still managed to put on quite the show Monday as it was caught syncing up with the Northern Lights beautiful show of colors in the night sky. The largest series of earthquakes in Iceland (more than 20,000) are believed to be responsible for the offset of these recent back-to-back volcanic eruptions. In November, Grindavik’s 3,800 people were evacuated after these dangerous series of earthquakes. These earthquakes are responsible for opening large cracks in the earth causing the offset of the eruptions. The town was evacuated again in February as they began building walls to protect the town from lava. Iceland is also well-known for its dazzling display of Northern Lights. Due to Iceland’s position in the Auroral Zone, it’s no surprise that the volcanic eruptions may eventually sync up with the Northern Lights. The Northern Lights can be viewable seven to eight months per year. You can click the link below to see the time-lapse of this dangerously beautiful event.
Wild Weather this Day in History
As we look back this week on wild weather this day in history we will remember the lives of those lost on the Alexander L. Kielland oil platform. On March 27th, 1980 a storm system would push it’s way into the Norwegian waters of the North Sea. In this location 123 crew members of the oil platform would become fatalities in one of the worst offshore disasters since World War II. The submersible drilling rig had 212 people on board as misty rain and heavy winds would cause the waves to reach 12m high. This watercraft would’ve been able to sustain itself in such a storm, except for the fact that it already contained a pre-existing fatigue crack. As the waves crashed and the rig bounced around on the water crew members recall feeling a ‘sharp crack’ followed by ‘some kind of trembling’. Within seconds, the platform tilted between 35 and 40 degrees and would eventually capsize into the ocean after the last cable holding it together snapped. A total of 89 people survived thanks to the platform’s lifeboats and rafts. Two 12-man rafts were thrown from Edda (another platform) and rescued 13 people. Seven men were taken from the sea by supply boats and seven swam to Edda. In response to the Alexander L. Kielland disaster and based on the investigation findings, the Norwegian Maritime Directorate obligated redundancies of stability and structural strength and life-saving equipment for offshore oil drilling platforms.
I hope everyone has an amazing rest of the week and enjoys the sunshine and warm temps as a beautiful rest of the week is in store!
Sources: https://safety4sea.com/cm-alexander-l-kielland-norways-worst-offshore-disaster/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aMc0xzbBpNU
