September, starting in summer but ending in fall, kicks off with a warm, muggy day in central Virginia. After a summer of drought, the central US gets the drought buster in the remains of Isaac. That moisture is heading east this weekend and will likely dampen Labor Day for much of the east coast. After the rain, average September temps in the mid-80 and less humidity will be the story for the end of the week ahead. Get out and check out summer, only 3 more weeks!
The planet has been rocking with earthquakes for much of the past week. The San Andreas fault on the Mexico/California border rumbled with several quakes above 5 and hundreds of aftershocks, the Virgin Island edge of the Caribbean plate has also rippled the sea floor with dozens and dozens of quakes in the 2, 3 and even 4 range. Yesterday, a 7.6 magnitude quake shook sea floor east of the Philippines, setting off tsunami panic (only 20 inches high) and doing considerable structural damage on shore. Above 6 quakes have also occurred this week up near the north pole and near the equator in Indonesia. A very busy earthquake list; a list that claims to be shutting down or changing to a map on the USGS site. ???
The volcano list highlights the Ring of Fire, eastern and western, north and south, the ring is belching. A couple of new additions, one north of Japan and a seamount below the Pacific, ruffling the surface. And, lots of old steady standbys. Soufriere Hills is back on the list, the Caribbean plate seems edgy, and Popo is still erupting in Mexico. New earth still forming!!
Yesterday's second full moon of August, a blue moon in the new definition, was the last until the middle of the decade. It will be big and gibbous tonight washing out any stars not blocked out by cloud cover.
Get out there and enjoy Today on Earth!!
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