Panama Canal Closed for 1st Time in 21 Years

Panama Canal Closed for 1st Time in 21 Years

www.foxnews.com

PANAMA CITY -- Flooding forced the closure of the Panama Canal Wednesday for the first time in 21 years and heavy rains were being blamed for at least eight deaths in the Central American country.

More than a thousand people in Panama were evacuated because of what authorities called historic flooding caused by record rainfall.

President Ricardo Martinelli said it was the first time the canal was closed because of weather since it opened in 1914.

"Our meteorologists says it's never rained so

(visit the link for the full news article)

This is the most rainfall ever recorded after keeping records for the past 70 years.

Is this just more evidence of climate change getting worst. We built it under horrific conditions and it has never closed due to weather, until now.

The flooding is coming from the two lakes that supply the canal with water and both floodgates have been opened.

www.foxnews.com
(visit the link for the full news article)

reply to post by LDragonFire


So has the rainfall consistently increased over the past 70 years?
If not surely every year has a chance if bieng the worst?

reply to post by LDragonFire


Well, considering the weather we're having over here in the UK at the moment, I'd say there's definitely something happening with the climate.

In my 29 years, I have NEVER known it be so cold. -10'C on my way to work yesterday, which is unpresedented in my memory. I know it might not sound too bad for other countries, but it's unbelievably cold for the UK, especially in the highly industrialised area of the Midlands where I live.

reply to post by thefamiliar


All I know is they get upto 130 inches a year. Don't know if it has been increasing or not.

Its a Historical flood that has killed 8 and forced over 1500 to evacuate and it has closed the canal.

This will pose economic problems in a world that seems to be going insane.

Here is there weather conditions now.

panama forecast

Chance for storms everyday.

reply to post by nik1halo


I am also origianally from the midlands and am a few years older than you, I can remember far worse weather than this, one time in particular there was a powercut for about 3 days and the roads were blocked for longer.

I was In devon this time last year and I would say it was worse. Im not saying your not right but It's easy to forget. also with double glazing and central heating ect are we just getting nesh? When I was little I remember it was the norm to wake up in the morning and there was ice on the INSIDE of the windows and you had to put your clothes under the sheets(no duvets) to warm them up before you got out of bed! This morning I was making coffe in my boxers and no socks on?

reply to post by LDragonFire


That was Kind of my point? If it is a Historical flood, I.e it has happened several times before then can it really be said to be a sign of climate change?

kinda like that cruise ship that encountered extremely heavy seas aroud antarctica... the skipper hadnt ever seen it like that in that area

reply to post by thefamiliar


Oh, I know you're right, I'm just saying it's unusual weather and colder than I can remember in my lifetime. My Dad was telling me that he remembered it being this cold when he was a kid (in the 40's), but not very often since then.

I recall when I was a kid, when it snowed very heavily, but it wasn't this cold. I still had to trudge through it to get to school too, unlike these wussy kids today!

Let's face it, it's usually between 0'C and 2-3'C at this time of year, so -10'C was a bit of a shock to the system!

I think its very hard to be objective about climate change when you see it from such a small perspective in terms of time and location.

As I said, I live in th Uk. If I went out now without protection against the cold and the right provisions I would proberbly die within a day or 2. Yet just 3 months ago If I were to go out without protection from the HEAT and completley different provisions I would proberbly die within a day or 2. We Live in a remarkably variable ecology

reply to post by thefamiliar


To be fair mate, how many old folk have died after slipping on the ice already? They all died from hypothermia, not their injuries and they died in hours, never mind days.

I can see your point though. Freak weather does just happen sometimes and we need to look at this from a wider perspective, globally, over decades. Are there globally increasing tonados, floods, heatwaves, flash freezes etc?