Shake, Bake, and Flake

I’m sure most of us know by now about the msnbc.com report stating that the Limerick Nuclear Power Plant was the 3^rd most likely of the American nuclear power plants to sustain significant damage from an earthquake.  So, does this mean we have magnitude 9.0 earthquakes in our future?  

It’s highly, highly doubtful.   Southeastern Pennsylvania’s earthquake history has some trembling moments but nothing earth-shattering.  Pardon the puns!   The strongest quake based on results obtained from the United States Geological Survey (granted, we’re working only on 300 years in the expanse of geologic time here, folks) was a magnitude 4.6 earthquake in January 1994 in Wyomissing.  This was a two-for-one special as a magnitude 4.0 preceded the larger shock.    There is a fair bit of seismic activity that occurs in Berks County.  The map that’s posted in this article shows a number of minor earthquakes – generally magnitude 2.0-3.0 – occurring between Reading and Lancaster along Route 222.  Speculation to why earthquakes happen in this belt range from changes in rock formation, a micro fault line, to quarrying of rock in the 222 corridor.   In any case, no major fault line exists and there are no “rings of fire” in the forecast such as the one that encircles the Pacific basin.

The strongest quake in the state’s history was magnitude 5.2 in 1998, north of Pittsburgh.  In New Jersey, it was a magnitude 5.3 in 1783.

The Richter scale measures on an exponential base ten basis, meaning that a 3.0 quake is ten times as strong as a 2.0, 4.0 earthquakes are ten times as strong as 3.0, etc.   The magnitude 9.0 earthquake in Japan was over 10,000 times more powerful than the 4.6 earthquake that hit Wyomissing in 1994.    

You have almost as good a chance of getting hurt by fireworks as of Limerick melting down from an earthquake.   Your odds are better to bowl a 300 game.  Your odds are better to win an Oscar.  I’m not too worried about nuclear meltdowns from earthquakes – nature can’t be controlled though so it’s not worth fretting over, is it?

Changing gears to weather, Friday’s high of 81 degrees was the first 80 degree reading in Pottstown during the month of March since March 27^th, 2007 and the earliest in the year since March 14^th, 2007.

March weather can be notoriously fickle, however, as the potential for some flakes are in the forecast for the Poconos tomorrow and possibly for us midweek.   A colder pattern is settling in across the Northeast and a trough of colder air will pivot down from Canada ().   Monday’s system will track to our north, but with lingering cool air aloft and an early arrival to precipitation, the odds of some sleet or snow up in the Poconos can’t be ruled out. 

However, a cold front that accompanies that storm will settle to our south and provide the highway for a second system that tracks close to us for Wednesday night and Thursday.   That system could bring some light snow to areas a bit closer to us as well.   In the wake of the second system, highs will struggle to get much above 45 for Friday and Saturday, with gusty winds possible and perhaps even a passing flurry or sprinkle.