http://alert.air-worldwide.com/feeds.svc/EventsALERT is AIR's Loss Estimates in Real Time, a service to AIR clients that provides information about natural perils in progress. An online tool to assess exposure to natural disasters and catastrophes like earthquakes, hurricanes, tornados, hail storms, winterstorms, floodalert_administrator@air-worldwide.comhttp://alert.air-worldwide.com/EventSummary.aspx?e=629&tp=31&c=1http://alert.air-worldwide.com/EventSummary.aspx?e=629&tp=31&c=1EarthquakeOn April 16, 2012, 10 minutes before midnight local time, an M6.7 earthquake struck offshore of central Chile, approximately 42 kilometers north-northeast of the port city of Valparaíso (approximate population of 270,000). According to the United States Geological Survey (USGS), the earthquake occurred at 11:50:16 PM local time on April 16 (3:50:16 UTC on April 17) and struck at a depth of 37 kilometers. An M5.1 aftershock followed 13 minutes after the primary shock.2012-04-17T17:00:00-04:00http://alert.air-worldwide.com/EventSummary.aspx?e=628&tp=31&c=1http://alert.air-worldwide.com/EventSummary.aspx?e=628&tp=31&c=1Severe ThunderstormA series of severe thunderstorms produced damaging wind, heavy rain, up to baseball-sized hail, and many tornados across six states over the weekend of April 14 and April 15, 2012. Preliminary data from the National Weather Service (NWS) indicate that 122 tornadoes touched down during this most recent outbreak, 99 of which occurred in Kansas. Although a majority of these twisters tracked over sparsely populated areas, there were a few notable exceptions. In Thurman, Iowa, officials report that up to 90 percent of homes experienced some degree of damage. Across southwestern Wichita, Kansas, thousands were left without power. Five fatalities were reported in Oklahoma, where several tornadoes caused widespread property damage. 2012-04-16T17:00:00-04:00http://alert.air-worldwide.com/EventSummary.aspx?e=627&tp=31&c=1http://alert.air-worldwide.com/EventSummary.aspx?e=627&tp=31&c=1EarthquakeThis morning, a M8.6 earthquake struck off the west coast of Northern Sumatra, approximately 434 km southwest of Banda Aceh, the closest population center. According to the United States Geological Survey (USGS), the earthquake occurred at 2:38 PM local time (8:38:37 UTC) and struck at a depth of 22.9 kilometers. The main shock was followed by a series of moderate aftershocks until a little more than two hours later, when a M8.2 aftershock struck 618 km south-southwest of Banda Aceh, at 4:43PM local time (10:43:09 UTC) at a depth of 16.4 km.2012-04-11T14:53:00-04:00http://alert.air-worldwide.com/EventSummary.aspx?e=625&tp=31&c=1http://alert.air-worldwide.com/EventSummary.aspx?e=625&tp=31&c=1Severe ThunderstormJust one month after a notable tornado outbreak across parts of the Midwest and the Southeast, a severe thunderstorm on April 3 spawned up to 10-12 tornadoes that caused extensive, though localized, damage due to high winds, heavy rain, and hail in seven counties in the Dallas-Fort Worth region of Texas. The suburban communities of Arlington and Lancaster experienced significantly damaged buildings, with several homes and businesses flattened by the tornadoes. In Lancaster alone, 300 structures were damaged by the tornadoes. Seventeen injuries have also been reported in the Dallas region. According to the Red Cross, 650 homes across the Dallas-Fort Worth metropolitan area were damaged by this storm system. On average, April and May are the most active months for severe thunderstorm activity in Central Texas, and Tuesday’s activity was typical for the time of year. However, given the location of this specific cluster of tornadoes, the impact of these storms was magnified.2012-04-04T13:30:00-04:00http://alert.air-worldwide.com/EventSummary.aspx?e=604&tp=31&c=1http://alert.air-worldwide.com/EventSummary.aspx?e=604&tp=31&c=1EarthquakeYesterday evening, a M7.1 earthquake struck central Chile approximately 27 kilometers north-northwest of the city of Talca (approximate population of 200,000). According to the United States Geological Survey (USGS), the earthquake occurred at 7:37 PM local time (22:37:06 UTC) and struck at a depth of 34.8 kilometers.2012-03-26T17:30:00-04:00http://alert.air-worldwide.com/EventSummary.aspx?e=603&tp=31&c=1http://alert.air-worldwide.com/EventSummary.aspx?e=603&tp=31&c=1EarthquakeAn earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 7.4, according to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), struck a sparsely populated region in the state of Guerrero, Mexico today, just after noon (local time). The earthquake struck close to the border between Guerrero and the southern state of Oaxaca. The damage picture from this event is still emerging, but so far, no major damage (nor injury) has been reported.2012-03-20T21:00:00-04:00http://alert.air-worldwide.com/EventSummary.aspx?e=602&tp=54&c=1http://alert.air-worldwide.com/EventSummary.aspx?e=602&tp=54&c=1Tropical CycloneThe fifth cyclone of the season in Australia, Cyclone Lua is poised to make landfall as a strong Category 3 storm (on the Australia tropical cyclone scale) sometime tomorrow morning between Pardoo and Walall. This region is home to Australia's largest iron ore port as well as several oil and gas facilities.2012-03-16T15:30:00-04:00http://alert.air-worldwide.com/EventSummary.aspx?e=601&tp=62&c=1http://alert.air-worldwide.com/EventSummary.aspx?e=601&tp=62&c=1Severe ThunderstormJust two days after a series of tornadoes caused significant destruction in parts of the Ohio Valley and the Central Plains, a massive storm system on March 2 spawned dozens of tornadoes across 11 states. Preliminary data from the National Weather Service (NWS) indicate that more than 100 tornadoes touched down during this latest violent outbreak. Across the southern Ohio Valley and parts of the Southeast are widespread reports of houses ripped off their foundations, roofs blown off, downed power lines and trees, and cars thrown about. The worst affected states are Indiana and Kentucky, where officials reported 21 and 13 fatalities, respectively.2012-03-05T13:00:00-05:00http://alert.air-worldwide.com/EventSummary.aspx?e=600&tp=31&c=1http://alert.air-worldwide.com/EventSummary.aspx?e=600&tp=31&c=1EarthquakeJust before noon local time—11:49 AM (3:49 UTC)—today, Monday, February 6, an earthquake with a moment magnitude of 6.7 struck the central Philippines in the narrow strait between the heavily populated islands of Negros and Cebu. The focal depth of the quake was recorded as approximately 20 km (12.4 miles) by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), a depth considered to be shallow and therefore more likely to cause damage. Local authorities issued a “Level-2” tsunami warning for the region, but lifted it two hours later.2012-02-06T17:00:00-05:00http://alert.air-worldwide.com/EventSummary.aspx?e=599&tp=31&c=1http://alert.air-worldwide.com/EventSummary.aspx?e=599&tp=31&c=1Extratropical CycloneWindstorm Andrea passed through the U.K. earlier this week, fast on the heels of Windstorm Ulli, which brought widespread travel and power disruptions to Scotland. Andrea— the first named European storm of 2012— formed southwest of Iceland on Tuesday, 3 January.2012-01-06T17:00:00-05:00http://alert.air-worldwide.com/EventSummary.aspx?e=598&tp=31&c=1http://alert.air-worldwide.com/EventSummary.aspx?e=598&tp=31&c=1Extratropical CycloneWindstorm Ulli is passing through Scandinavia and is expected to dissipate as it moves over the Baltic Sea today. A class 2 weather warning from the Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute (SMHI) is still in force indicating the possibility of “danger to the public, causing major damage to property and major disruptions in essential services.”2012-01-04T17:30:00-05:00http://alert.air-worldwide.com/EventSummary.aspx?e=597&tp=31&c=1http://alert.air-worldwide.com/EventSummary.aspx?e=597&tp=31&c=1Extratropical CycloneWindstorm Dagmar has moved across Russia north of St. Petersburg and begun to dissipate, its hurricane-force winds having caused power outages, tree-downings, and landslides and other disruption across northern Scandinavia on Christmas Day and the early hours of today, December 27th. Some wind gusts reached 233 kilometers per hour (about 145 miles per hour), according to Norway’s Meteorological Institute, which is describing Dagmar as possibly the third worst wind storm to strike the country in the past 50 years.2011-12-27T20:30:00-05:00http://alert.air-worldwide.com/EventSummary.aspx?e=596&tp=31&c=1http://alert.air-worldwide.com/EventSummary.aspx?e=596&tp=31&c=1Extratropical CycloneLate last week, winter storm Joachim developed over the Atlantic and became a severe extratropical cyclone over Western Europe. With a central pressure that reached as low as 963.8 mb and wind gusts exceeding 150 km/h, the storm’s strength was akin to that of a weak hurricane. Joachim’s warm front carried warm and moist air into Europe, causing heavy rain and snow in combination with high winds. The storm caused power outages and travel disruption in France, Germany, and Switzerland.2011-12-20T13:15:00-05:00http://alert.air-worldwide.com/EventSummary.aspx?e=595&tp=31&c=1http://alert.air-worldwide.com/EventSummary.aspx?e=595&tp=31&c=1Tropical CycloneTropical Storm Washi pummeled the northern part of the Philippine island of Mindanao late Thursday night. Heavy rainfall from Washi (locally called Sendong) lasted for ten hours, after which flash flooding caused rivers to overflow and coastal cities to flood. In some locations of Mindanao, as much as 20 centimeters of rain fell within a 24 hour period—roughly four times as much rainfall as the region typically receives in the whole of December. In isolated locations, the storm delivered up to 50 millimeters of rainfall per hour—about 10 to 20 millimeters more than had been predicted by the region’s local weather agency. Entire villages were swept away.2011-12-20T11:00:00-05:00http://alert.air-worldwide.com/EventSummary.aspx?e=594&tp=31&c=1http://alert.air-worldwide.com/EventSummary.aspx?e=594&tp=31&c=1Extratropical CycloneWindstorm Friedhelm has passed into Scandinavia today after wreaking havoc across Ireland and the UK yesterday with hurricane-force gusts and heavy precipitation. The UK Met Office issued a Red Alert for the region, its strongest warning, characterizing the storm as the worst to hit the northern UK in ten years. The storm’s impact was felt most heavily in parts of northern England and throughout Scotland, where the strongest winds were measured—gusts as high as 165 miles per hour.2011-12-09T18:15:00-05:00http://alert.air-worldwide.com/EventSummary.aspx?e=592&tp=31&c=1http://alert.air-worldwide.com/EventSummary.aspx?e=592&tp=31&c=1FloodHeavy rains have caused widespread flooding in France and Italy during the first week of November after a low pressure system that developed over the Mediterranean Sea moved northwards, bringing high levels of precipitation. In France last week, flood warnings were issued throughout the Riviera and westward along regions near the Pyrenees Mountains. As of yesterday, 12 French regions remained on high alert amid reports that the flooding has affected approximately 2,300 people in the Var and Alpes-Maritimes Départements of France—where at least 750 people have reportedly been evacuated.2011-11-14T17:45:00-05:00http://alert.air-worldwide.com/EventSummary.aspx?e=585&tp=31&c=1http://alert.air-worldwide.com/EventSummary.aspx?e=585&tp=31&c=1FloodSince Tropical Storm Nock-Ten dropped heavy precipitation at the start of this year’s monsoon season, persistently heavy rains have resulted in Thailand’s most severe flooding in 50 years. In the north and central plains, the damage has been predominantly to residential properties and to agriculture. The major cost of the flooding, however, is a result of disruption to manufacturing and supply chains.2011-11-09T14:30:00-05:00http://alert.air-worldwide.com/EventSummary.aspx?e=584&tp=31&c=1http://alert.air-worldwide.com/EventSummary.aspx?e=584&tp=31&c=1EarthquakeOn Saturday evening at 10:53 pm local time, Oklahoma experienced the strongest earthquake ever recorded in the state. With a magnitude of 5.6 and a focal depth of just three miles below the surface, the earthquake was centered about 44 miles east of Oklahoma City, the state’s capital and largest city (population 580,000 in 2010). A foreshock of M4.7 had struck 21 hours earlier. Together with numerous aftershocks, residents of Oklahoma were subjected to nearly two dozen earthquakes over the weekend.2011-11-07T16:00:00-05:00http://alert.air-worldwide.com/EventSummary.aspx?e=583&tp=31&c=1http://alert.air-worldwide.com/EventSummary.aspx?e=583&tp=31&c=1EarthquakeA magnitude 6.9 earthquake occurred near the coast of central Peru today at 18:54 UTC (1:54 pm local time). According to the United States Geological Survey, the quake occurred at a depth of approximately 20 miles. The epicenter was about 180 miles (286 kilometers) south-southeast of the capital Lima.2011-10-29T16:00:00-04:00http://alert.air-worldwide.com/EventSummary.aspx?e=581&tp=66&c=1http://alert.air-worldwide.com/EventSummary.aspx?e=581&tp=66&c=1Tropical CycloneAs of the National Hurricane Center’s 10:00 AM CDT advisory today, Rina has weakened further still after undergoing significant degradation yesterday. Rina is now a tropical storm, with maximum sustained winds of 70 mph, down from 85 mph yesterday. The storm is currently 90 miles south of Cozumel, Mexico, and 100miles east-northeast of Chetumal. Rina is a relatively small system; its tropical storm-force winds extend outward 85 miles. The storm is moving slowly northwest, at 6 mph.2011-10-27T12:15:00-04:00http://alert.air-worldwide.com/EventSummary.aspx?e=581&tp=64&c=1http://alert.air-worldwide.com/EventSummary.aspx?e=581&tp=64&c=1Tropical CycloneAs of the National Hurricane Center’s 12:30 PM CDT advisory today, Hurricane Rina has weakened more quickly than had been anticipated on its path toward Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula. Rina is now a Category 1 hurricane. The storm is currently 180 miles south-southeast of Cozumel, Mexico and 190 miles east-southeast of Chetumal, Mexico. Maximum sustained winds are 85 mph, down from 105 mph last night. Rina’s hurricane-force winds extend outward 25 miles from the center; tropical storm-force winds extend outward 115 miles. The storm is churning very slowly west-northwest at 6 mph.2011-10-26T17:45:00-04:00http://alert.air-worldwide.com/EventSummary.aspx?e=582&tp=31&c=1http://alert.air-worldwide.com/EventSummary.aspx?e=582&tp=31&c=1FloodTorrential rainfall has caused widespread disruption and damage on both sides of the Irish Sea, although the Dublin area has been the hardest hit. The flooding was triggered by an active frontal wave moving north through eastern Ireland. This marked the boundary between warm and humid air from southern Europe, and colder air from the Atlantic Ocean. This frontal rainband moved northwards, bringing copious amounts of precipitation in a short period of time. 2011-10-26T16:17:00-04:00http://alert.air-worldwide.com/EventSummary.aspx?e=581&tp=54&c=1http://alert.air-worldwide.com/EventSummary.aspx?e=581&tp=54&c=1Tropical CycloneHurricane Rina, the 17th named storm and the 6th hurricane of the 2011 Atlantic hurricane season, is on course toward the resort-lined coast of Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula. The Category 2 storm has caused widespread disruption to cruise itineraries in the Caribbean, and the Mexican government has issued a hurricane warning for the east coast of the Yucatan Peninsula from Punta Gruesa to Cancun. Officials have initiated widespread storm preparations. Rina is not expected to affect oil and gas platforms in the Gulf of Mexico.2011-10-25T14:00:00-04:00http://alert.air-worldwide.com/EventSummary.aspx?e=580&tp=62&c=1http://alert.air-worldwide.com/EventSummary.aspx?e=580&tp=62&c=1EarthquakeAIR estimates that insured losses from the M7.2 earthquake that struck eastern Turkey Sunday, October 23rd, near the city of Van will be between 100 million TRY (55 million USD) and 300 million TRY (170 million USD). The range in losses results from uncertainties that exist in estimating earthquake source parameters (e.g., magnitude, rupture length, depth, dipping angle, etc.).2011-10-24T18:45:00-04:00http://alert.air-worldwide.com/EventSummary.aspx?e=580&tp=31&c=1http://alert.air-worldwide.com/EventSummary.aspx?e=580&tp=31&c=1EarthquakeIt is still in the early aftermath of yesterday's earthquake that struck near the city of Van in eastern Turkey, and damage assessments are only just emerging. Damage in the cities of Van and Ercis is widespread, and aftershocks, of which there have been more than 200, remain a concern. The U.S. Geological Survey has issued a moment magnitude estimate of 7.2 for the event and a relatively shallow focal depth of 20 km, which will have exacerbated the damage.2011-10-24T17:45:00-04:00