Hurricanes are split up into five categories based on the wind speeds they produce:
Category 1: winds between 74 m.p.h. and 95 m.p.h. (like a breezy thunderstorm that got a little carried away, hang onto your hats)
Category 2: winds between 96 m.p.h. and 110. m.p.h. (slightly more disrespectful, lots of rain and wind, probably best to stay inside)
Category 3: winds between 111 m.p.h. and 129 m.p.h. (real gusty out there, raining sideways, can’t see the road anymore)
Category 4: winds between 130 m.p.h. and 156 m.p.h. (things are bad, local Waffle Houses are probably closed)
Category 5: winds of 157 m.p.h. or greater (things are real bad, I’m no doctor, but going outside probably means risking death)
After gaining strength in the Caribbean last week, Hurricane Ian made landfall in Cuba yesterday, knocking out the electrical grid and plunging the nation of 11 million into darkness. As a category 3 hurricane, Ian brought strong winds, heavy rain, and moderate devastation with him. The island’s western end was hit the hardest, and recovery efforts will take weeks to assess the full extent of the damage.
Meanwhile, Ian marched on undisturbed, gaining strength in the warm waters off of Florida’s southern coast and is expected to make landfall in Florida later today as a powerful category 4 or 5 storm. The flooding, strong winds, and storm surges have prompted the governor to issue an evacuation order for more than 2 million residents. The potential for devastation has caused some newscasters to venture into doomsday predictions, and it will likely be the strongest hurricane to pass through some parts of western Florida in more than a decade.
Reminder: As the climate changes, expect stronger and more frequent storms. The build up of heat-trapping gases from burning fossil fuels causes storms to slow down and adds to the moisture, resulting in heavier rains. It exacerbates deadly storm surges through sea-level rise, worsens freshwater flooding and increases the proportion of Category 4 and 5 storms (see above).
Side Items
Pipeline Sabotage (?): It appears two major gas pipelines running from Russia into Europe were attacked earlier this week, as the EU said leaks were caused by sabotage. On Monday afternoon a loss of pressure was detected in the Nordstream 1 and 2 pipelines, and seismologists reported underwater blasts consistent with explosions as fuel started leaking into the Baltic Sea. The pipelines have been a point of controversy for years, and Russia’s recent actions have only heightened tensions. Surreptitious attacks like this one conveniently allow all sides to point fingers and blame the enemy
Meanwhile, in Russia: After McPutin’s recent decree to conscript civilians into the ‘military operation’ in Ukraine, the Kremlin has dispatched forces to the Russian borders with surrounding countries, confronting young Russian men trying to flee the fighting. In Georgia (the country, not the state), the number of men seeking entry is reported to be more than 10,000 per day. These men are justifiably afraid of engaging in a useless act of military brutality and value their lives enough to try and protect them.
Throw Brett Favre under the jail: With all that’s happening around the world, remember to take a moment to make supplication that justice is delivered to that poor excuse of a man. The good news is, it looks like the net is slowly tightening around the Ambassador for Wrangler Jeans, as numerous co-conspirators have now pled guilty and agreed to testify against others (ie. snitch)