This article keeps getting posted as a blog but is considered a wobble related matter, posted as a comment here, thus.

.........................

http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/climate-change/shock-as-re...

Dramatic and unprecedented plumes of methane – a greenhouse gas 20 times more potent than carbon dioxide – have been seen bubbling to the surface of the Arctic Ocean by scientists undertaking an extensive survey of the region.

The scale and volume of the methane release has astonished the head of the Russian research team who has been surveying the seabed of the East Siberian Arctic Shelf off northern Russia for nearly 20 years.

In an exclusive interview with The Independent, Igor Semiletov, of the Far Eastern branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, said that he has never before witnessed the scale and force of the methane being released from beneath the Arctic seabed.

Tsunami or Wave Clouds in Alabama NEW ZETATALK

Posted by Nancy Lieder

More evidence of the wobble, no snow for the ski resorts in the east and western US this year compared to near record snow fall last year at this time for some of these resorts.

 http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/23/us/many-ski-areas-lack-an-essenti...

STORMS pelted Victorians with hailstones as big as billiard balls (Australia, Dec 26)

Storms pelted Victorians with hailstones as big as billiard balls during a wild Christmas Day barrage. The damage bill could run into tens of millions of dollars after hundreds of cars were bombarded, windows in homes and businesses were smashed and roofing was torn away. The State Emergency Service was called to more than 2500 jobs when a series of storm cells intensified dramatically in Melbourne in the afternoon. The worst was a tornado that hit Fiskville, near Bacchus Marsh, west of Melbourne. Severe thunderstorm warnings were issued for many parts of Victoria throughout the afternoon and evening, but the weather was expected to improve ahead of today's Boxing Day Test at the MCG. Early this morning, a severe weather warning remained current for parts of southern New South Wales, including Wagga Wagga, Albury, Deniliquin, Cobar, Broken Hill and Wentworth. Around Melbourne yesterday, most calls to the SES were from Keilor Park, Keilor Downs and Taylors Lakes. Parts of Eltham and Greensborough were hit more than once and planes were grounded at Melbourne Airport. Lightning hit the 3AW transmission tower, knocking out its analogue signal and putting it off air to most listeners. About 77 passengers on a flight out of Darwin spent almost four hours at Sale airport after Qantas decided it was unsafe to fly into Melbourne. Metro warned commuters to expect major train delays, with most lines disrupted, and advised passengers to defer non-essential travel. The storm blacked out more than 5000 homes in Port Melbourne, Ballarat, Armadale, Toorak and South Melbourne as families sat down to Christmas dinner. A family in Apollo Rd, Taylors Lakes, had nine cars damaged and roof tiles and outdoor lights broken when the storm hit about 3.30pm. Robyn Sullivan said the hailstones had been almost as big as tennis balls.

“It was like a roar as it came through,” she said. “I've never heard anything like it.”

Source

Record High at the S. Pole on Christmas - 25 degrees above normal

"The South Pole, where temperatures this time of year (the southern hemisphere's summer) tend to be around minus 15 degrees Fahrenheit, set a record high on Christmas Day with a whopping 9.9F... Winds came in from an unusual direction on Christmas Day, bringing with them relative warmth that started to raise temperatures rapidly at 6 a.m. The warmth was only around for the day, and within a few days it was back to normal: minus 15F or so."  Source

More Than 1,000 Record Highs Set this Week

"More than one thousand record high temperatures were set across the U.S. this week.  In fact, the total of record highs set over the past seven days is 1,166. On Thursday, 336 record highs were recorded across the Plains and Midwest."

Flooding Rainfall to Continue in Brazil

Jan 7, 2012

Weeks of abnormally heavy rainfall have left parts of eastern Brazil under muddy flood waters that have left thousands homeless....

...To make matters worse, a dam broke near Campos de Goytacazes, in the state of Rio de Janeiro on Thursday, forcing thousands of people from their homes. Water rushing downstream from the broken dam left a gaping hole in a nearby highway....

http://www.accuweather.com/en/weather-news/flooding-rainfall-to-con...

Plains Shatter Warm Weather Records, Set HISTORIC High Temperatures

Jan  6th, 2012

...More than 300 record high temperatures were set in 21 U.S. states Thursday...

...areas experienced temperatures 40 degrees above average...

...Across the U.S., almost one thousand high temperature records have been broken or tied this January, and more than 1,400 in the last week....

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/capital-weather-gang/post/plain...

'Rare' Mild Weather Continues

Jan 4th, 2012

...According to the National Weather Service, this year’s mild winter has been unusual, and it may continue...

...“It’s rare,” she said...

Remarkably dry and warm winter due to record extreme jet stream configuration

http://www.wunderground.com/blog/JeffMasters/comment.html?entrynum=...

WHILE READING THE ARTICLE KEEP IN MIND THERE MIGHT BE BITS AND PIECES OF DISINFO SPREAD AROUND!

Here's the first, interesting paragraph:

"Flowers are sprouting in January in New Hampshire, the Sierra Mountains in California are nearly snow-free, and lakes in much of Michigan still have not frozen. It's 2012, and the new year is ringing in another ridiculously wacky winter for the U.S. In Fargo, North Dakota yesterday, the mercury soared to 55°F, breaking a 1908 record for warmest January day in recorded history. More than 99% of North Dakota had no snow on the ground this morning, and over 95% of the country that normally has snow at this time of year had below-average snow cover. High temperatures in Nebraska yesterday were in the 60s, more than 30° above average. Storm activity has been almost nil over the past week over the entire U.S., with the jet stream bottled up far to the north in Canada. It has been remarkable to look at the radar display day after day and see virtually no echoes, and it is very likely that this has been the driest first week of January in U.S. recorded history. Portions of northern New England, the Upper Midwest, and the mountains of the Western U.S. that are normally under a foot of more of snow by now have no snow, or just a dusting of less than an inch. Approximately half of the U.S. had temperatures at least 5°F above average during the month of December, with portions of North Dakota and Minnesota seeing temperatures 9°F above average. The strangely warm and dry start to winter is not limited to the U.S--all of continental Europe experienced well above-average temperatures during December."

The following two pictures with temperature deviations for the month of Dec 2011 in my opinion nicely portray the effect of the wobble.

For the last few weeks the sun has been coming up in the SE, and along with this, temperatures here in Saskatchewan have been very mild feeling like Spring.  Temperatures have ranged from -10 Celcius at night to +10 during the day.  Today, have noticed the sun coming up in the East, and checked the temperature forcast for today, it will be mild, but tonight will start going down, and we will start getting colder temperatures.  Tomorrow it is supposed to get to -18 Celcius during the day, more to what the temperature is supposed to be at this time of year!

Desperate situation brewing in Alaska...

Alaska Towns Running Out of Fuel

"It's not just the towns of Nome and Cordova struggling through what's been a wicked winter in Alaska; at least two more towns are running low on fuel, and parts of the state face blizzard warnings on Tuesday, with gusts up to 95 mph predicted in the Anchorage area.

A seafaring fuel convoy has been trying to reach Nome but two smaller villages are even closer to running out, the Alaska Daily News reported Tuesday.

"We're running pretty low," said Kobuk Mayor Edward Gooden Jr. The town of some 100 residents was trying to clear its airstrip in hopes that a fuel plane could arrive shortly.

In Noatak, population 500, the town's store ran out of heatling oil last Saturday and locals are taking their snowmachines to gather wood for burning or to drive a nearby town to buy fuel.

"My husband and I are using our fish rack woods to heat up our home because it's so cold to go out and get wood," said Noatak resident Hilda Booth.

Both towns hope to get fuel in the next day or two but the shortages reflect the extremely harsh winter. The cold streak in Noatak includes temperatures of minus 45 degrees in recent days.

In Anchorage, a blizzard warning was issued Tuesday for the outskirts of Alaska's largest city. Up to 28 inches of snow were predicted through late Tuesday, along with winds from 55 to 70 mph.

Ancorage has already seen some 81 inches of snow this season -- double the norm.

And it's not just Anchorage.

"Many areas of Alaska are under severe-weather warnings this morning, with blizzard conditions and heavy snow from western Alaska and portions of the Interior all the way to Haines in Southeast," the Anchorage Daily News reported.

As accustomed to harsh winters as Alaskans are, this one seems to be taking a toll.

"Is this the winter of Mother Nature's discontent?" asked AlaskaDispatch.com. "Those living in Alaska have to wonder. It's like the poor old gal has gone schizophrenic. There really is no other explanation for the weather extremes witnessed in the north this year."

As for Cordova, the fishing town where 50 National Guard troops are helping shovel snow off roofs and roads, this winter has been dubbed "Snowpocalypse 2012."

How bad is it there? "Since November 1st we have received 44.24” of rain and 176” of snow," the city stated on its website. "Do the math!"

Seafaring Fuel Convoys Slowed by Thick Ice

"The pace of a seagoing fuel convoy slowed on Monday as thick ice threatened the hull of the tanker carrying an emergency shipment of diesel and gasoline for the town of Nome.

"The worst case scenario is the ice becomes too much for the progress, and we aren't going to make it to Nome," said U.S. Coast Guard Petty Officer 1st Class David Mosley.

The 370-foot tanker Renda, a Russian-flagged tanker hauling 1.3 million gallons of fuel, had been scheduled to arrive by Tuesday (Jan 10), accompanied by the U.S. Healy icebrearker. But the Coast Guard on Monday said the convoy's speed had been halved to 2 mph and that it had no estimated time of arrival with the ships still some 165 miles out.

The town of about 3,500 people on the western Alaska coastline did not get its last pre-winter fuel delivery because of a massive storm. If the delivery is not made, the city likely will run short of fuel supplies before another barge delivery can be made in spring."

Argentina faces a continuous drought

Buenos Aires has been baking in the summer heat, with the temperatures reaching well into the mid to high 30Cs. At the end of last week, the Argentine capital had officially reached a high of 38C, which is 9C above their average. Heat wave warnings have been in effect for days, and health officials are recommending that people stay out of the sun and stay hydrated.

It's not just in Buenos Aires where people have been struggling to cope in the hot weather. In the western and northern provinces the temperatures have been even higher and are expected to exceed 40C over the next few days.

The farmlands of Argentina’s Pampas region have been hit particularly hard by the summer’s heat this year, but it is not only the high temperatures that the country has been dealing with, there has also been the continuing drought.

The major food producing region is looking at dismal prospects for their summer harvest. Analysts have calculated that approximately 50% of the corn crops have already been lost this season. Soy production, which is the country’s main source of income, is also at risk.

The Argentina National Weather Service is reporting that the rainfall for southern Cordoba, Santa Fe and areas west of Buenos Aires is 80 per cent less than what it should be for this time of year.

The Pampas growing region on average receives approximately 1,000mm of rain a year, the majority of that occurs in the summer. For this past December, the rainfall amount was only a sparse 10 to 50mm.

Over the next few weeks a substantial amount of rain is needed in order to save the rest of this season’s crops, but despite the next weather system pushing through, forecasters are only predicting approximately 20 to 25mm.

The system does at least bring some good news in terms of heat: this next frontal boundary will drop temperatures significantly, and Buenos Aires will be seeing only highs in the low 20s by the end of the week.

Mid-Winter Tornado Wreaks Havoc in North Carolina

"RALEIGH, North Carolina (Reuters) - A mid-winter tornado has struck a small western North Carolina community, injuring 10 people, two seriously, authorities said on Thursday.

The violent storm hit Ellenboro, in Rutherford County, about 5:45 p.m. on Wednesday and the destruction extended over a three-mile area, said Tommy Blanton with the county's emergency management office.

At least 15 people were injured, nine homes destroyed and another 47 damaged.  The National Weather Service confirmed that a tornado with winds around 115 mph hit Rutherford and Burke counties late Wednesday afternoon as a cold front moved through the western Carolinas.

Crews were working on Thursday to clear debris and restore power, he said.

Asked if the storm was a tornado, Pat Tanner, a hydrologist with the National Weather Service in Greer, South Carolina, said: "As far as we know, it was."

He said a mid-winter tornado would not be unusual since temperatures in the region have been about 10 degrees above normal for the past month or so.

Most tornadoes take place in the spring."

And in North Carolina, an average of 1 per year:

Source

Record winter temperatures in Russia
Jan 11, 2012
Russia has had wild temperature swings this winter with an unusually balmy 9.5 degrees Celsius (49.1 degrees Fahrenheit) in the north-western city of Kaliningrad, a record, and -56 degrees in Siberia on Wednesday.

"The start of winter in Kaliningrad was unusually warm. On January 2, the temperature stood at 9.5 degrees Celsius, a record for January since the start of meteorological data," the local weather office said.

The pattern was set to continue this week, it said.

The Gulf of Finland off the port of Saint Petersburg did not freeze this year until January 9, a 100-year record, the ministry of emergency situations said.

But eastern Siberia was freezing.

"In Yakutia we recorded -56 degrees Celsius and -40 in the Far East," Itar-Tass news agency quoted local meteorological offices as saying.
http://www.terradaily.com/reports/Record_winter_temperatures_in_Rus...

http://poleshift.ning.com/profiles/blogs/a-cruise-ship-runs-aground...

This should be here.

Comment by Nancy Lieder8 hours ago

Will add this to the 1/21 Q&A info but posting early here ...

SOZT
The wobble induced North Sea storms are due to the pumping action of the wobble,
http://www.zetatalk.com/newsletr/issue273.htm
where the N Pole leans to the left for sunrise in Europe and then to the right for sunset in Europe. Thus the largest wave in to hit the Irish shores was registered at 2:00 pm.
http://www.breakingnews.ie/ireland/record-size-wave-hits-irish-shor...
But Europe also participate when the most violent push of the wobble occurs, when the Sun is high over the Pacific and Europe is in the dead of night. The globe is pushed violently north as the magnetic N Pole of Earth comes up over the horizon and is pushed away by Planet X. When this happens the globe is pushed SOUTHWARD on the opposite side of the globe, as the globe rolls as one.

What does this do to the rocky shores of Italy and any hapless ships moored or traveling just off the coast? The land is pushed UNDER the water, and the ship suddenly finds itself on rocks it though safely at a distance. Though obvious to the populace watching in amazement where the Sun is found these days, the Earth wobble is not something allowed into print. Thus the ship’s captain, desperate to explain what occurred, is at a loss and casting about to blame navigation equipment failure.  
EOZT

Mexico's Tarahumara Indians suffering grave hunger crisis (Jan 16)

Mexico's Tarahumara Indians, legendary for their endurance in long-distance running, are reeling from a devastating food shortage caused by a record freeze and long drought, officials say.

The Mexican Red Cross and regional and federal government agencies mobilized Monday to send emergency supplies to the mountains in the northern state of Chihuahua, where the Tarahumara live, usually in rudimentary conditions.

Part of the outpouring of help came after reports circulated of the mass suicide of 50 or more members of the community, desperate and despondent over not being able to feed their families. The reports of suicide were quickly denied by state government officials.

But the hunger is real.

Even in the best of times, the Tarahumara live on the sustenance farming of corn and beans. Parts of Chihuahua, however, have endured for months the most severe drought in 70 years and, more recently, a hard freeze.....

Source

South Africa can expect 'strange weather' Wednesday, 18 January 2012

Johannesburg - South Africans in most parts of the country should prepare themselves for heavy rain and “strange weather” in February, March and April, the South African Weather Service says.

In addition, winter will begin earlier than usual.

The only regions that will receive much less rain over these three months are the central and northwestern parts of Limpopo, the northwestern parts of Mpumalanga and the Southern Cape, said Cobus Olivier, scientist and long-term forecaster at the SA Weather Service.

He said it was possible that all the rain forecast for the three months from February to April could actually fall in February.

Heavy flooding would then occur in February and the other two months would then be drier than usual.

Olivier’s weather models also show that winter would start in April.

“We will therefore begin feeling the cold early in winter.”

Between 75mm and 150mm rain was measured between midnight on Monday evening to 20:00 on Tuesday in the Lowveld in Mpumalanga and a flood warning was issued in the area, reported Buks Viljoen.

A low water bridge over the Komati River near Tenbosch (Hectorspruit) was flooded, as was another on the Driekoppies road at One Tree Hill near the Jeppes Reef border post.

At Matsulu near Kaapmuiden, a shack collapsed due to the rain

The weather models furthermore indicate that heavy rain will continue to fall in large parts of the country up until June, except in a stretch running from north to south in Mpumalanga (the Highveld), the Northern and Southern Cape.

The KwaZulu-Natal Midlands could expect heavy rain in especially May and June while less rain was expected over the rest of the country.

“We are dealing with strange weather systems here,” said Olivier.

Dr Linda Makuleni, executive head of the SA Weather Service said at COP 17 in December that floods in South Africa at the beginning of 2011 could definitely be attributed to climate change.

http://sawdis1.blogspot.com/2012/01/south-africa-can-expect-strange...

South Islanders have been chilled to the bone by midsummer snow, ha...

South Islanders have been chilled to the bone by midsummer snow, hail and sleet, but the unusual cold snap should give way to warm, fine weather until Friday.

Forecasters said the cold interruption to summer would be brief, and dry, settled conditions should return this afternoon.

A front which generated wet, cold weather for most of the country yesterday would move off the top of the North Island overnight, leaving only scattered showers on the east coast of both islands.

MetService forecaster Paul Mallinson said temperatures would gradually rise again to around 21C in the North Island.

"Monday is like a recovery day with high pressure building in and showers along the east coast, then it's back to summer on Tuesday and Wednesday, with high pressure settling in."

The fine conditions would begin to fade on Thursday. Mr Mallinson said another front could bring cold air and heavy rain to the South Island, and the cool southerly change would arrive in Auckland on Friday

But the bad patch of weather should pass by late Saturday, with settled, balmy conditions expected in Auckland for most of the holiday weekend.

The MetService predicted that the 172nd Auckland Anniversary Regatta on the Hauraki Gulf and the third Laneway Festival in Wyndham Quarter would take place in ideal summer conditions.

Northerly winds were expected to drag warm air from the Pacific, pushing the thermostat to 24C.

The improved outlook follows a bizarre weekend in which a fast-moving front saw thermometers drop up to 10C across New Zealand yesterday.

Weatherwatch analyst Philip Duncan said yesterday's set-up was similar to the conditions that caused a snowstorm in August - a high near Tasmania and a deepening low in the Southern Ocean which interacted to create a cold southerly.

Christchurch and Kaikoura fell to 9C during the day yesterday, 14C lower than the average temperature for January.

Christchurch barely climbed above 12C all day.

Mr Duncan said snow settled on Porters Pass in Canterbury and sleet and hail fell on Arthurs Pass.

"People are saying they're lighting fires in Christchurch and getting their heat pumps on - it feels like the middle of winter."

Swimmers can still expect a colder-than-normal dip in the ocean, with coastal water temperatures around 19C - slightly below average for this time of year.

The warmest waters were around the Bay of Islands and Coromandel

Cycle of Unusual Cold Weather Descends on Northern Region

Last update 23/01/2012 09:10:00 AM (GMT+7)

The northern region of Vietnam has been experiencing an unusual winter, allegedly a result of La Nina, experts say.

The first strong cold spell of this winter hit the northern region around the same time it did 14 years ago.

Normally, the region experiences its first strong cold spell in late December, mostly around December 25 or 26. Meanwhile, this winter, December 10 marked the first day of the spell, one week earlier than 2010. Moreover, the region has experienced three cold spells so far.

Vice director of northern Lao Cai Province's Centre for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting, Luu Minh Hai said that early and dense cold spells proved strange.

Moreover, three rainfalls have already poured down the region, causing unexpected floods since the beginning of winter, normally a dry period.

Late November, heavy winter rains were seen in the northern provinces of Yen Bai and Lao Cai. For example, 82.2 mm of rain fell in Yen Bai City, 103.4 mm in Lao Cai City and 164.6 mm in Bao Thang District.

The second spell was early this month and the third in the middle of this month, causing rain in almost all northern provinces including Yen Bai, Tuyen Quang, Bac Can, Ha Giang and Lao Cai with average rainfall of 25-35 mm.

Vice director Hai said that unexpected rain fell in Lao Cai Province's springs and rivers. The part of the Red River running through the locality had water levels of 77.15 metres, meaning 1.15 metres within the flood water level during flood season.

He said that it was the first time a flood was recorded in the winter in the locality.

Experts said that the strange weather might be the result of La Nina – or "girl child," is the counterpart of El Nino, or "boy child". Together they comprise a pendular swing of extreme weather that affects the Pacific Rim, but can be disruptive as far as the coast of southern Africa.

However, they have yet to explain why the cold phase of La Nina has been reactivated as early as it has.

The fourth cold spell is reaching the northern region tomorrow, causing rain and winds of level 6 to 8, according to the National Centre for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting.

It will be colder starting on January 23, or the first day of the lunar new year, and the cold spell is predicted to last for the 5-7 days, bringing a cold Tet (Lunar New year) holiday to the region.

ARTICLE FOUND HERE

Winter’s here! Parts of Britain wake to snowy scenes as icy Siberian blasts blows in… and it’s due to last a MONTH

• Severe weather warnings in place after first big snowfall of the year
• Four inches of snow expected across higher ground and hail too

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2092487/UK-weather-Siberian...

Lot of disinfo about what is causing these changes but none the less it shows yet another example of the changes the Earth is experiencing due to the wobble.

US Dept. of Agriculture Issues New Hardiness Zone Map

January 27, 2012

Gardeners who have noticed some unusual goings-on in their yards had their suspicions confirmed this week when the US Dept. of Agriculture released its new map of plant hardiness zones. The map confirms what many gardeners have already figured out about global warming and the impact it is having on plants. Hardiness zones, based on minimum winter temperatures, are marching northward. This means that plants that wouldn’t have survived through winter in some regions just 20 years ago are now making it.

Comparing the new 2012 map to the last map published in 1990 shows some significant shifts, especially across the Great Plains.....

READ MORE

Alaska is experiencing one of its coldest winters on record, which is in complete alignment with what the Zetas have explained regarding the current Earth wobble pattern:

"The Earth wobble primarily pushes the Earth's magnetic N Pole away when the Sun is over the Pacific and the N Pole currently off coast of Siberia in the Arctic comes up over the horizon. This great push puts the Pacific under the Arctic air, while giving India cold spells."  ZetaTalk

Enduring Alaska Cold Spell the Harshest in Years

"Residents of Fairbanks, Alaska, are enduring the harshest cold spell in more than a decade.  Temperatures early this morning at the Fairbanks International Airport plummeted to 51 below zero.  Fairbanks is known for its frigid winters, but temperatures typically only drop to 16 below zero this time of year."

"Temperatures in Fairbanks have been 40 below zero or colder 15 days so far this month. That ties the record from 1972 for the most 40 below zero January days in the last 40 years.  This month is on pace to be the coldest January since 1971 and one of the top ten coldest on record.  Furthermore, "there is a chance that this January will end just within the top ten coldest months ever on record at Fairbanks," according to a statement from the National Weather Service in the city."

Winter bites back: Britain braced for first cold snap of year as ice and snow transform countryside in scenes of breathtaking beauty

• Department of Health issue 'Level 2' cold-weather alert as freeze poses significant health risks
• Warning of ice forming on untreated surfaces

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2093450/UK-weather-Britain-...

Japan Snowstorm Kills 52, Crushes Steel Bridge

Heavy snowfall has crippled much of Japan's western coast, killing more than 50 people and injuring nearly 600. The worst snowstorm in six years has dumped more than 10 feet of snow in the hardest-hit regions, causing at least one bridge to collapse and forcing school closures across the region.

An avalanche today buried three people for more than an hour near a hot springs in Akita Prefecture in northwest Japan. The women were later found unconscious but survived.

Western Japan has been battered by one snowstorm after another since the beginning of the year, overwhelming cash-strapped cities struggling to keep up with cleanup efforts.  In the Niigata Prefecture, officials said nearly half of their 30 cities had run out of funds set aside snow removal. Further north in the Aomori Prefecture, the government had already applied for additional funds from Tokyo, after draining its budget.

Residents, frustrated by the slow response, have taken it upon themselves to clean up the winter mess, resulting in deadly consequences. Nearly all the storm-related deaths have been a direct result of snow removal.

Meanwhile, in Nagano, the weight of all the snow proved to be too much for a 310-foot steel bridge. It collapsed early this week, although no one was injured.

The Japan Meteorological Agency forecasts more snowfall in the next 24 hours.

BULGARIA - Cold wave freezes Bulgarian Danube, grounds ships, record low temperature.

A cold snap, combined with an exceptionally dry summer and fall, has led the Bulgarian section of the great Danube river to start freezing over, obstructing traffic. Around 10% of the river's surface at Bulgarian Danube cities of Ruse and Silistra is reported covered with floating ice Wednesday. The banks and port facilities in both cities are also reported to be sheathed with ice. Vessels and pontoons are starting to be hauled aground due to the ice. Wednesday morning, -19.8 degrees C were measured at Ruse, a record low for the date. (Source)

BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA

Rescue helicopters evacuated dozens of people from snow-blocked villages in Bosnia and air-lifted in emergency food and medicine as a severe cold spell kept Eastern Europe in its icy grip. Two helicopters were used Wednesday to rescue people and supply remote villages in northern Bosnia. “We are trying to get through to several small villages, with each just a few elderly residents,” said Bosnian rescue official Milimir Doder. “All together some 200-300 people are cut off. We are supplying them for the second day with food and medication.” Some villages have had no electricity for two days and crews were working around-the-clock trying to fix power lines. “The snow is about two meters high (6 feet) and we have cleared off paths that look more like tunnels,” Doder said. “It is going well but if there is more snow coming, then the situation may get critical.”(Source)

.

ROMANIA - Extreme cold temperatures -32,5 Celsius (Source)

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RUSSIA - 15 people froze to death in Moscow

In Moscow, 15 people froze to death at the weekend, some because of exposure while intoxicated, city hall officials said. Overnight temperatures were -23 Celsius. All schools in Russia's central Siberian Khanty-Mantaisky region were closed because of daytime temperatures of -30 Celsius. Heavy snowfall in Russia's Kuban region, in the foothills of the Caucasian Mountains, left 17,800 people without power and closed airports and major highways. Overnight snow accumulation was 35 centimetres at some locations.(Source)

POLAND - 10 people died at weekend

In Poland, 10 people died at the weekend, officials said Monday. Police were patrolling areas where the homeless might be found and urged people to call them if they saw a homeless person who had been outside for long. Poland on Monday saw its frostiest morning this winter, with -27 Celsius reported in the village of Stuposiany, in the south-east.(Source)

SERBIA

In the Balkan state of Serbia the death toll was thought to be five, with temperatures as low as -21 degrees Celsius in the town of Kragujevac, 120 kilometres south of Belgrade. A state of emergency was in effect in 14 municipalities still combating the effects of a massive snowstorm that deposited a thick layer of now-frozen snow. Several remote villages were left without electricity for days, local reports said.(Source)

...........

Serbia: 11,000 Trapped in Remote Villages by Snow

BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) — At least 11,000 villagers have been trapped by heavy snow and blizzards in Serbia's mountains, authorities said Thursday, as the death toll from Eastern Europe's weeklong deep freeze rose to 122, many of them homeless people.

The harshest winter in decades has seen temperatures in some regions dropping to minus 30 C (minus 22 F) and below, and has caused power outages, traffic chaos and the widespread closure of schools, nurseries and airports.

The stranded in Serbia are stuck in some 6,500 homes in remote areas that cannot be reached due to icy, snow-clogged roads with banks reaching up to 5 meters (16 feet). Emergency crews were pressing hard to try to clear the snow to deliver badly needed supplies, and helicopters were dispatched to some particularly remote areas in Serbia and neighboring Bosnia.

Another article:

In Bulgaria, 16 towns recorded their lowest temperatures since records started 100 years ago.  Source

Fea has noted a number of buoys which show a HUGE change in water depth, with missing data for the time in between. The buoys were changed out, a new one installed, so this is not due to actually plate movement and not really wobble related. I will clean out all but my post here, in explanation, thus.

32401 for the year past, showing water depth change and missing data:

Missing data period, includes September, 2011

Message on buoy page stating buoy was replaced on 12/2/2011:

This station is operative as of 12/2/2011

Buoy data starts up again on 12/2, this graph showing 12/1-12/15/2011:

Source: http://youtu.be/jFuhpUwxuYs and Deadly freeze extends icy grip on Europe

In Venice, the channels have frozen for the first time in the past 80 years
http://english.ruvr.ru/2012/02/06/65409972.html

Here's a blog post from Wunderground.com

Rare February Tropical Disturbance Drenching the Florida Keys

February 06, 2012

Our calendars may say it's February, but Mother Nature's calendar says it's more like May in the waters of South Florida, where the year's first significant tropical disturbance is drenching the Keys. The disturbance, designated Invest 90L by NHC late Sunday morning, has dumped 1 - 3 inches of rain over much of the Florida Keys this morning, with Key West receiving 4.34" of rain on Sunday, a record for the date.....

READ MORE

How the big freeze, with temperatures as low as MINUS 40, has turned Britain and the continent BLUE

• Hundreds of Eastern European villages cut off as temperatures plummet to -40C
• Melting snow causes dam wall to break and flood entire village in southern Bulgaria, killing four
• European crisis commissioner says 'the worst is yet to come'

UKRAINE

Decades-record colds that are freezing out Europe have brought far more serious consequences to Ukraine, where the harshest winter in recent history has claimed lives of 122 people, who died of hypothermia in the last fortnight alone. ­The strong Arctic cyclone hit many countries on the European continent, reaching as far as Italy. But Ukraine has become the hardest-hit country, with temperatures falling as low as -36 Celsius. Overall casualties here exceeded Ukraine’s only in the rest of Europe combined. While for most European countries the recent severe weather conditions mean increased gas and electricity consumption, along with some transport disruption at worst, reports from Ukraine paint an apocalyptic picture of people freezing to death in dozens on the streets and private houses. Of more than 2,000 that have sought medical attention, 1,591 have been hospitalized. For the first time in decades, water in the Black Sea near shores has frozen, the Kerch Strait that links the Azov Sea and the Black Sea is closed to navigation, blocking 125 vessels at anchorage.

Record colds and strong winds on the Crimean Peninsula have led to electric line breaks in 77 communities. Currently about 70,000 people in the Crimea are surviving in blackout. Many schools, kindergartens and public offices are not operational. When the thermometer hit -27 degrees Celsius in Ukraine’s capital Kiev last week, only public heating centers in a Kiev’s parks saved the homeless from freezing to death...(Source)

BULGARIA

States of emergency had been declared in the municipality of Kostinbrod in the Sofia district and in parts of Velingrad municipality, as night fell on February 7 2012, the latest day in Bulgaria’s severe winter weather crisis.... (Source)

ALGERIE

A cold snap sweeping large parts of Europe has also exacted a heavy toll in Algeria, where 25 people have died in accidents linked to heavy snowstorms, the fire and rescue services announced Tuesday... (Source)

AFGHANISTAN

Six shepherds and more than 1,500 sheep have died due to heavy snowstorms and avalanches in northern Kunduz and Faryab provinces, officials said on Monday. Four shepherds were killed along with their 500 sheep in the Dasht-i-Abadan area of Chahardara district on Sunday night, when they were trapped in a freak snowstorm, Mir Agha Etibar, the Afghanistan National Disasters Management Authority (ANDMA) head for Kunduz, told Pajhwok Afghan News... (Source)

Hurricane leaves 7 500 without power in South Russia Wednesday, 8 February 2012

INTERNATIONAL NEWS - A hurricane in southern Russia has left 7,500 people without electricity and injured 74, Russia's emergencies situation ministry said Wednesday as cold weather continued to grip Eastern Europe.

High winds on Tuesday broke powerlines in the Black Sea city of Novorossiysk and three small villages, leaving 7,500 people without power amid temperatures of minus 20 degrees Celcius, the ministry's Krasnodar region branch said.

Seventy four people had to seek medical attention, the ministry said in a statement.

An abnormally cold wave sweeping across Central and Eastern Europe over the past week has already lead to dozens of deaths, particularly in the Ukraine, Poland, and Romania.

In Russia, temperatures ranged Wednesday morning from minus 22 degrees Celcius in Moscow to minus 33 degrees Celcius in the Siberian region of Yakutia.

The death toll brought on by the cold stood at 64 people across the country, according to the health ministry.

Source : Sapa/George Herald

http://sawdis1.blogspot.com/2012/02/hurricane-leaves-7-500-without-...

Freeze affects 40,000 in Northen China

BEIJING,Feb. 9 (Xinhuanet) – The cold front that has fallen on northern China has persisted for nearly a month. Residents in these areas have had a freezing lunar New Year festival. In the Inner Mongolia autonomous region, low temperatures have caused havoc for over 40, 000 people.

People in Inner Mongolia are enduring a temperature drop of 17 degrees Celsius. In Hulubuir, five banners and cities have seen their new record low temperatures over the past 40 days. Genhe city for one, has felt a freeze of minus 43 degrees Celsius.

And the icy season does not come to an end there. Local weather authorities have forecasted that the region will soon experience a further plunge of 8 to 10 degrees Celsius.

The National Meteorological Centre says that a nationwide cold front has swept across the country since Sunday. And the freezing weather is expected to persist in Central and Eastern China.

The weather watchdog has also rang the alarm for strong winds in the eastern coastal provinces.

The high pressure that has frozen the north hemisphere has been weakening since January. But it is still pushing the cold front over to China. China will continue feeling the hit over the next 10 days.

Huang Xiaoyu from National Meteorological Center, said, "The high pressure is getting weak, so the northern areas will see the temperature bouncing back from Wednesday. But the southern provinces will have to bear the low temperature for some more days. "

The Ministry of Civil Affairs and the Ministry of Finance, have already jointly distributed 6.3 billion yuan in winter relief funds, to provide food and clothing for people in weather-stricken areas.

'Tsunami' wave clouds hit Florida's coast

http://travel.aol.co.uk/2012/02/08/amazing-pics-tsunami-waves-cloud...

EUROPE'S DANUBE FREEZES OVER, COLD SNAP TOLL AT 460 (Feb 11)

Thick ice closed vast swathes of the Danube on Thursday, crippling shipping on Europe's busiest waterway, as the death toll from bitter cold across the continent rose to at least 460. As it has every day for nearly two weeks, the brutal cold claimed lives in several countries and killed dozens more in weather-related accidents.

The 2,860-kilometre (1,780-mile) Danube, which flows through 10 countries and is vital for transport, power, irrigation, industry and fishing, was wholly or partially blocked from Austria to its mouth on the Black Sea.Navigation was impossible or restricted in Serbia, Croatia, Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary and Austria, as ice covered the river or formed dangerous floes in shipping lanes.

Temperatures in Bulgaria dropped to a new record low Thursday of minus 28.6 degrees Celsius (minus 19.5 Fahrenheit) in the northwestern town of Vidin. The country has halted all power exports due to the cold snap.(Source)

Snowfall Damages Colosseum, Medieval Churches in Italy

"The Colosseum in Rome has been forced to shut after small pieces of its walls crumbled away as a result of freezing temperatures.

"And buildings in the historic walled town of Urbino -- a UNESCO World Heritage Site -- are reported to be at risk of collapse under the weight of snow, following unprecedented blizzards in the area.

"It's an enormous quantity of snow compared with what we normally get in winter and it's had a heavy impact, the equivalent of a flood."

Feb 16, RUSSIA

UNUSUALLY COLD WEATHER: Dozens of ships stuck in ice at Sea of Azov

Weeks of unusually cold weather in the southern parts of Russia has frozen the Sea of Azov leading to several ships being trapped in ice.

Unusually cold weather has built up a layer of ice up to half-a-metre thick off the coast of Russia's Krasnodar region. Though icebreakers have been deployed by Russia's emergencies ministry, they were moving slowly in the ice which has been growing thicker by the day.

The emergencies ministry has also deployed helicopters to carry food and water supplies for the people stranded in these ships. According to Russian media reports, dozens of ships were stranded in the ice. About 85 people have been cut off from the shore.... Source

FEB 19, MIAMI

RECORD-BREAKING FEBRUARY HEAT HITS MIAMI

The Florida city saw record temps of up to 87 degrees, which beat the record of 86 degrees set in 1957 and tied in 1988, The Miami Herald is reporting... Source

Hotter than Honolulu... in February? Topsy-turvy temperatures may break 19.7C record in two-day reprieve from the freeze

• Honolulu expected to reach 19C (66F)
• Warmer weather due to hit London, Cambridge, Lincolnshire and North Wales... for two days only
  
• UK average for this time of year is 6C (43F)

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2104199/Britain-hotter-Hawa...

Drought-hit Spain battles 4 wildfires Saturday, 10 March 2012

INTERNATIONAL NEWS - Firefighters in drought-hit Spain battled four wildfires Friday in the northeastern region of Catalonia that have so far ravaged 1,200 hectares (3,000 acres) of land, a spokeswoman said.

About 300 firefighters were battling the wildfires which broke out on Thursday near the town of Lleida in the Pyrenees.

"Three blazes remain active while the fourth is being brought under control. About 1,200 hectares have been affected," the spokeswoman said.

Emergency services workers evacuated about 200 people from their homes on Thursday because of the risk from the flames but the majority have already been allowed to return to their homes.

Spain is struggling through its driest winter since the 1940s, according to the national weather office.

http://sawdis1.blogspot.com/2012/03/drought-hit-spain-battles-4-wil...

Winter Cold Snap Hits Ukrainian Agriculture Hard -

KIEV, March 12 (Xinhua) -- The cold snap in February destroyed about 1.75 million hectares, or about 20 percent, of Ukraine's winter grain crop, the agrarian policy and food ministry said Monday.

About 336,000 hectares of rapeseed was destroyed, the ministry said on its website, adding that winter wheat and barley crops were also affected.

The ministry said farmers would be given seed to replant and recoup what they lost.

The sharp and sudden temperature drop in winter has also damaged grape, cherry and apricot trees.

Ukraine sowed winter grain on 8.4 million hectares in 2011, up 3.8 percent from 2010.

Ukraine is one of the world's largest grain producers, with an output in 2011 of 56 million tons.

March 16, Pakistan, State of Punjab

Drought / Water crisis: Prolonged cold wave restricts flow to reservoirs

Changing weather patterns with a prolonged cold wave lasting halfway through March may result in farmers sitting idle in Sindh rather than doing what they do best when the upcoming crop season starts. Water levels in Mangla and Tarbela reservoirs have reached an alarming level and may result in Sindh facing a water shortage of around 40 to 50 per cent in early Kharif season that starts in April, according to an official.

Glaciers usually melt around this time of the year and provide enough water supply for the upcoming crop season, however, the recent cold wave has prevented this natural phenomenon from happening.

The official estimate of water shortage for the Kharif season will be made by Indus River System Authority’s (Irsa) technical committee in its meeting on March 16.

The situation will get much worse if the cold wave does not end by March 20, sources said adding that water shortage could also affect the standing wheat crop in the province. Sources maintained that Punjab had received its share of water for the ongoing Rabi season....

Source

Weather anomalies predicted by the Zetas summarized on MSNBC. (They don't mention ZetaTalk, of course.)

Mini-tornado hits the Far North Queensland city of Townsville, Australia (rare and unusual weather)

http://www.abc.net.au/local/stories/2012/03/20/3459271.htm?site=nor...

18 Bulgarian Cities Register Ultra-High Temperatures

SOFIA, March 19 (Xinhua) -- Eighteen cities in Bulgaria registered highest temperatures for decades on Monday, with that in Rousse on the Dunabe River reaching 26.9 degrees Celsius, the highest on the same day since 1930.

According to data from the National Meteorology and Hydrology Institute under the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, almost all the big cities in Bulgaria, except capital city Sofia, witnessed record high temperatures on Monday.

The temperatures in Varna, Plovdiv and Veliko Tarnovo were the highest since 1961. There were even sunbathers on the beach of the Black Sea in Varna.

The high temperatures came after Bulgaria experienced an extremely cold winter, with many regions hit by record low temperatures.