Surprising Weather Shifts from Coast to Coast

BY YESENIA RIVERA
Lions’ Pride Staff Writer

Across the US, 2010 has been ushered in by a spell of extreme weather that is hitting from the West coast to the East coast. Weather reports from the Upper East coast-specifically New York, New Jersey, Maryland, Massachusetts, and parts of Rhode Island, Maine and Pennsylvania- have been hit by wave after wave of major snowstorms. Blizzard warnings have been issued for the cities of New York, Baltimore, Washington D.C., and Philadelphia. The snow has reached up to eight to twelve inches, and even up to twenty inches in some areas.

The snowstorms have created massive gusts of winds that accompany them, as well as push snow flurries West and South. Although the northeast is used to the freezing temperature and vast piles of snow every winter season, it has created a lot of discomfort for people living in the South who are getting the blasts of cold wind from the north. Hot and cold days seem to be the norm for people residing in Northern and Central Florida, and 40 degree winds can even be felt in some southern Floridian cities, such as Sarasota and Ft. Lauderdale.

The Midwest, which includes such states as Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa and Michigan, are no strangers to frosty winters. However, the snow flurries from the East coast are doing a lot of damage in their own right. Cities such as Chicago, Indianapolis and Detroit suffered major bouts of freezing rain and electrical power outages all over the huge cities. However, an oncoming snowstorm is not the only thing that has been rocking the streets of Chicago this winter season.

On February 10, 2010, at approximately 4:00 AM (5:00 AM ET), an earthquake shook the city from 45-50 miles away. Downtown Chicago`s towering buildings shook against the 3.8 earthquake. Even though it was initially said to be 4.3, it was later downgraded to a 3.8. Although the earthquake was quite minor and no casualties were sustained, more than 10,000 reports came in from the Chicagoland area as well as surrounding cities and states.

The earthquake was said to be felt in Georgia Tennessee, Kentucky, Ohio, Indiana, Michigan, and Iowa. Houses reportedly shook and even splits and cracks in walls appeared. Seismologists that were interviewed by CNN.com online reporters try to explain why the earthquake occurred in such an urban area, east of the Rockies. Research has been compiled over many years and experts say that even though earthquakes are less frequently found to occur in the Eastern United States, it is expected to occur every 200-300 years. These earthquakes are suggested to be of a greater magnitude than the ones that hit California and could have numbers that size up to 7.0 (size of the one that hit Haiti) or even a 8.0.

This is especially relevant because of the obvious fact that there will be bigger losses in the East because houses and buildings are not designed to withstand the force of an earthquake. The following U.S. urban areas are deemed at risk to any size of earthquake, according to the U.S. Geological Survey: New York, Chicago, Boston, St. Louis, Memphis, Chattanooga, Knoxville, and Charleston.

Even though California may not be suffering from random outbursts of usual earthquakes, the Los Angeles area has had their own weather problems. Mudslides from heavy, torrential rains have formed lakes that are sweeping away houses in the foothill areas of La Crescenta, La Canada Flintridge, and Acton. An evacuation order was finally lifted on Wednesday, February 10, 2010, on the residents for more than 500 California homes.

Heavy rains are still being predicted for the area and are repeatedly unleashing man-made rivers to wreak havoc upon hundreds of home. Dozens of homes, after inspection, were declared uninhabitable after the first wave of evacuation. Coincidently, the same area that is being targeted by these torrential mudslides are the same areas that were also targets of the massive wildfires from Angeles National Park of last Summer.

A few states away, in San Antonio, Texas, another evacuation took place but not for mudslides. Foundations of open land, buildings, and homes gave way in late January in the San Antonio area of Texas. Dozens of residents were told to leave after the ground began to shift, leaving crevices as deep as 15 feet. Residents reportedly began to call 911 after they witnessed the ground outside of their houses and work buildings move right before their eyes.

Engineers are trying to determine the actual cause of the land shift and notably state that it was not an earthquake. The dirt was moving and caving in at a rate of 4 inches per hour leaving no casualties or injuries but few incidents of damaged property. The city is doing repairs as quickly as they can and an explanation is promised to be given soon.