Earth Changes and the Pole Shift
Wild Weather, the Wobble Effect
|
Weather: |
Tides and Whirlpools:
|
"We warned at the start of ZetaTalk, in 1995, that unpredictable weather extremes, switching about from drought to deluge, would occur and increase on a lineal basis up until the pole shift. Where this occurred steadily, it has only recently become undeniable. ZetaTalk, and only ZetaTalk, warned of these weather changes, at that early date. Our early warnings spoke to the issue of global heating from the core outward, hardly Global Warming, a surface or atmospheric issue, but caused by consternation in the core. Affected by the approach of Planet X, which was by then starting to zoom rapidly toward the inner solar system for its periodic passage, the core was churning, melting the permafrost and glaciers and riling up volcanoes. When the passage did not occur as expected in 2003 because Planet X had stalled in the inner solar system, we explained the increasing weather irregularities in the context of the global wobble that had ensued - weather wobbles where the Earth is suddenly forced under air masses, churning them. This evolved by 2005 into a looping jet stream, loops breaking away and turning like a tornado to affect the air masses underneath. Meanwhile, on Planet Earth, droughts had become more intractable and deluges positively frightening, temperature swings bringing snow in summer in the tropics and searing heat in Artic regions, with the violence of storms increasing in number and ferocity."
From the ZetaTalk Chat Q&A for February 4, 2012:
The wobble seems to have changed, as the temperature in Europe suddenly plunged after being like an early Spring, Alaska has its coldest temps ever while the US and much of Canada is having an extremely mild winter. India went from fatal cold spell to balmy again. Has the Earth changed position vs a vs Planet X to cause this? [and from another] Bitter cold records broken in Alaska - all time coldest record nearly broken, but Murphy's Law intervenes [Jan 30] http://wattsupwiththat.com/2012/01/30/bitter-cold-records-broken-in-alaska Jim River, AK closed in on the all time record coldest temperature of -80°F set in 1971, which is not only the Alaska all-time record, but the record for the entire United States. Unfortunately, it seems the battery died in the weather station just at the critical moment. While the continental USA has a mild winter and has set a number of high temperature records in the last week and pundits ponder whether they will be blaming the dreaded "global warming" for those temperatures, Alaska and Canada have been suffering through some of the coldest temperatures on record during the last week.
There has been no change in the wobble pattern, the wobble has merely become more severe. Nancy noted a Figure 8 format when the Earth wobble first became noticeable, in early 2005, after Planet X moved into the inner solar system at the end of 2003. The Figure 8 shifted along to the east a bit on the globe between 2005 and 2009, (the last time Nancy took its measure) as Planet X came closer to the Earth, encountering the magnetic N Pole with a violent push earlier in the day. But the pattern of the Figure 8 remained essentially the same. So what changed recently that the weather patterns became noticeably different in late January, 2012?
The N Pole is pushed away when it comes over the horizon, when the noon Sun is centered over the Pacific. This regularly puts Alaska under colder air, with less sunlight, and thus the historically low temps there this January, 2012 as the wobble has gotten stronger. But by the time the Sun is positioned over India, the N Pole has swung during the Figure 8 so the globe tilts, and this tilt is visible in the weather maps from Asia. The tilt has forced the globe under the hot air closer to the Equator, warming the land along a discernable tilt demarcation line.
The next loop of the Figure 8 swings the globe so that the N Pole moves in the other direction, putting the globe again at a tilt but this time in the other direction. This tilt is discernable in weather maps of Europe, again along a diagonal line. Depending upon air pressure and temperature differences, the weather on either side of this diagonal line may be suddenly warm or suddenly cold. The tilt and diagonal line lingers to affect much of the US and Canada, but the Figure 8 changes at this point to be an up and down motion, pulling the geographic N Pole south so the US is experiencing a warmer than expected winter under a stronger Sun. Then the cycle repeats, with the magnetic N Pole of Earth pushed violently away again as the Sun is positioned over the Pacific.
From the ZetaTalk Chat Q&A for April 6, 2013:
Would the Zetas be able to let us know what is causing the early break-up of the Arctic Ice, the ice seems to have taken on a swirling pattern at the same time, would this be wobble related? [and from another] http://www.vancouversun.com/news/national/Canada+Arctic+cracks+spectacular+event/8185609/story.html The ice in Canada’s western Arctic ripped open in a massive “fracturing event” this spring that spread like a wave across 1,000 kilometres of the Beaufort Sea. Huge leads of water – some more than 500 kilometres long and as much as 70 kilometres across – opened up from Alaska to Canada’s Arctic islands as the massive ice sheet cracked as it was pushed around by strong winds and currents. It took just seven days for the fractures to progress across the entire area from west to east. [and from another] http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/IOTD/view.php?id=80752&src=iotdrss A high-pressure weather system was parked over the region, producing warmer temperatures and winds that flowed in a southwesterly direction. That fueled the Beaufort Gyre, a wind-driven ocean current that flows clockwise. The gyre was the key force pulling pieces of ice west past Point Barrow, the northern nub of Alaska that protrudes into the Beaufort Sea.
The Figure 8 formed by the N Pole during the daily Earth wobble has shifted somewhat to the East, due to Planet X positioned more to the right of the Earth during its approach. This was anticipated, and well described in ZetaTalk, the Earth crowding to the left in the cup to escape the approach of Planet X, so the angle between these two planets would change slightly. This shift of the Figure 8 to the East is due to the push against the Earth’s magnetic N Pole occurring sooner each day than prior. Thus instead of occurring when the Sun is high over the Pacific, over New Zealand, it is now occurring when the Sun is high over Alaska. All the wobble points have shifted eastward accordingly.
This has brought a lingering Winter to the western US, and a changed sloshing pattern to the Arctic waters. Instead of Pacific waters being pushed through the Bering Straits into the Arctic when the polar push occurs, the wobble is swinging the Arctic to the right, and then later to the left, creating a circular motion in the waters trapped in the Arctic. Since the Earth rotates counterclockwise, the motion also takes this path. This is yet another piece of evidence that the establishment is hard pressed to explain. They are attempting to ascribe this to high pressure and wind, all of which are not new to the Arctic, but this circular early breakup of ice in the Arctic is new.
Weston Ginther
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
Jan 24, 2012
KM
Winter’s here! Parts of Britain wake to snowy scenes as icy Siberian blasts blows in… and it’s due to last a MONTH
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2092487/UK-weather-Siberian...
Jan 27, 2012
Weston Ginther
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
Jan 28, 2012
Howard
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."
Jan 29, 2012
KM
Winter bites back: Britain braced for first cold snap of year as ice and snow transform countryside in scenes of breathtaking beauty
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2093450/UK-weather-Britain-...
Jan 30, 2012
Howard
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.
Feb 1, 2012
Sevan Makaracı
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)
.
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)
...........
Feb 1, 2012
Sevan Makaracı
Japan Region Buried in Snow, Calls for Troops
The prefecture of Niigata, Japan, has asked for a dispatch of troops to help in the wake of record-setting snowfalls, according to reports on Wednesday.
The Ground Self-Defense Force of Japan was expected to send troops to the town of Uonuma, where a snow depth of 4.09 meters, or 13.4 feet, has reportedly build up.........
Source
Feb 2, 2012
Howard
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
Feb 2, 2012
Nancy Lieder
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:
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:
Feb 3, 2012
Gerard Zwaan
Source: http://youtu.be/jFuhpUwxuYs and Deadly freeze extends icy grip on Europe
Feb 4, 2012
Andrey Eroshin
In Venice, the channels have frozen for the first time in the past 80 years
http://english.ruvr.ru/2012/02/06/65409972.html
Feb 6, 2012
Weston Ginther
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
Feb 7, 2012
KM
How the big freeze, with temperatures as low as MINUS 40, has turned Britain and the continent BLUE
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2097779/Europe-weather-Snow...
Feb 8, 2012
Sevan Makaracı
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)
Feb 8, 2012
jorge namour
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-...
Feb 8, 2012
Howard
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.
Feb 9, 2012
Andrey Eroshin
'Tsunami' wave clouds hit Florida's coast
Feb 10, 2012
Sevan Makaracı
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)
Feb 11, 2012
Howard
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 15, 2012
Sevan Makaracı
Feb 16, RUSSIA
UNUSUALLY COLD WEATHER: Dozens of ships stuck in ice at Sea of Azov
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 16, 2012
Sevan Makaracı
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
Feb 20, 2012
KM
Hotter than Honolulu... in February? Topsy-turvy temperatures may break 19.7C record in two-day reprieve from the freeze
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2104199/Britain-hotter-Hawa...
Feb 22, 2012
jorge namour
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...
Mar 10, 2012
Howard
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.
Mar 12, 2012
Sevan Makaracı
March 16, Pakistan, State of Punjab
Drought / Water crisis: Prolonged cold wave restricts flow to reservoirs
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
Mar 16, 2012
Howard
Weather anomalies predicted by the Zetas summarized on MSNBC. (They don't mention ZetaTalk, of course.)
Mar 20, 2012
joy m
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...
Mar 20, 2012
Howard
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.
Mar 20, 2012
Howard
The National Weather Service says the average temperature for the period from December's winter solstice to the spring equinox on Tuesday was 45.6 degrees. The weather service says that's about 2 degrees higher than the previous record set in 1989-90.
The Washington Post reports that past winter was marked by a lack of very cold days. The temperature measured at Reagan National Airport fell to 32 degrees or below on 24 of the season's 89 days. That's the fewest on record for Washington.
Mar 21, 2012
Howard
Freak Canada Warmth Shatters March Records
Highest historical temperatures for March have been rewritten in much of eastern Canada this week in the face of extraordinary warmth.
Wednesday, Ottawa, Montreal and Quebec City were among the cities and towns marking monthly highs after readings soared into the summerlike mid-20s C, commonly 20 to 25 degrees C above normal, over a wide area.
Ottawa reached a July-like high of 27.4 degrees C (81 F). The old record high at the nation's capital city was 26.7 degrees C (80 F) set back on March 29, 1946.
In nearby Montreal, Quebec, the high of 25.8 degrees C barely edged out the old mark of 25.6, which was reached on March 28, 1945.
Likewise, Quebec City edged out its standing record high, hitting 18.3 degrees C (65 F). The old maximum was 17.8 degrees C, which was written into the climate books on March 30, 1962.
If some standing records were nudged aside, others were simply annihilated.
Take Saint John, New Brunswick, where, before this month, it had not officially warmed above 16.8 degrees C (62F). But this March 29, 1999, mark was shattered by Wednesday's top reading of 25.4 degrees C (78 F).
Mar 23, 2012
Howard
Chicago Hits Nine Record Highs in a Row
Chicago has set nine record highs in a row with temperatures climbing above-normal for July 4th on Tuesday and Wednesday.
The high soared to 85 degrees on Tuesday, March 20, 2012, and 87 degrees on Wednesday, March 21, 2012, shattering previous records for these dates. The normal high for this time of year in Chicago is 48 degrees, while the normal high on July 4th is 84 degrees.
The high of 87 degrees set on Wednesday ties for the second highest temperature ever recorded in Chicago during the month of March. The all-time record for March still stands as 88 degrees on March 29, 1986.
On Thursday, March 22, 2012, the ninth record high in row was set in Chicago as the high rose to 83 degrees during the afternoon.
High temperatures have been more than 15 degrees above normal in Chicago for 12 straight days, since March 10, 2012. The average temperature so far this month is 18 degrees above normal.
Mar 23, 2012
Mark
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2118747/Seasons-play-leapfr...
Spring into summer: Seasons play leapfrog as March feels just like a balmy British June
Weather for the weekend predicted to be warmer than Bermuda!
Mar 23, 2012
Howard
New Brunswick Shatters Weather Records (Canada)
"Weather records were shattered all over New Brunswick on Tuesday (Mar 20), and may be again today.
The hotspot Wednesday was St. Stephen where the temperature hit 24.6 C degrees. There were all-time highs for March in Fredericton at 23.9 C, in Moncton at 21 C and Bathurst at 22.8 C.
It’s never been this warm at this time of the year in the province, according to Environment Canada.
Senior climatologist David Phillips called the heat wave "unusual," and said it's being caused by a mass of warm air from the United States.
Phillips said that forecasters at this time of year are usually dealing with wind chill readings, not humidex readings."
Flooding Across Western New Brunswick Reaches Historic Levels
Mar 25, 2012
Howard
Southeastern U.S. Buried in Hail -
"Despite temperatures in the 60s and 70s, it looked like the middle of winter in parts of the Southeast on Saturday.
No, it wasn't snow--but hail that covered the ground up to 6 inches deep in some communities on Saturday from southwestern Virginia into South Carolina.
The Storm Prediction Center compiled 80 reports of hail from Saturday ranging from an inch (quarter size) to two and three-quarters of an inch in diameter (baseball size).
Windshields were busted out by golf ball-sized hail near Mount Herman, N.C. Near Salemburg, N.C., quarter-sized hail fell fast and furious for about seven minutes, pelting and denting everything in sight."
Mar 25, 2012
KM
Blazing hot Britain! As temperatures soar, parched countryside is catching fire
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2120988/Blazing-hot-Britain...
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2120988/Blazing-hot-Britain...
Mar 28, 2012
Mark
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/topics/weather/9172897/Snow-forecast-fol...
UK now experiencing warmest March temperatures ever probably but forecasters warn snow could be next!!!!They know about the wobble obviously.
Mar 29, 2012
Howard
Record Rain, Hail in McAllen, Texas (March 30) -
Mayor Richard Cortez declared a state of disaster Friday after a fierce storm that Thursday evening pummeled cars and buildings, ripped roofs, set fires and left mounds of hail still melting late into the afternoon.
“It was, according to the national weather bureau, a very, very unusual storm that had a lot of hail over a small area,” Cortez said. “The good thing is there was no loss of life, but it looks like a war zone in some places. People need help.”
The storm hovered over Hidalgo County for about four hours, dumping a record 4.37 inches of rain at the McAllen-Miller International Airport. Rescue crews scrambled as more than 100 calls came in to help people out of flooded homes and vehicles.
Hailstones as large as baseballs tore leaves from trees and killed wildlife.
“We did pick up many, many dead birds,” Cortez said.
He said officials were still going door-to-door but estimated as many as 1,000 homes were affected.
Damage and flooding prompted closure of dozens of schools in Hidalgo County, and social media sites buzzed with photos of battered property.
National Weather Service forecaster Jason Straub said rainfall from the storm was the most for a single day in McAllen since recording began in the early 1940s.
“We have a survey team out taking pictures, and one of the pictures is of a forecaster standing next to a drift of hail that's remaining still this morning, and it's up to his knees,” he said.
City spokesman Roy Cantu said it had been a long night for city officials and workers, starting with his own Facebook and Twitter shout-outs late Thursday for all involved to report to duty.
“That's never happened, so that was really interesting when I sent that out,” he said. “It worked. They had a whole bunch of guys out there.”
The Mission and McAllen school districts were among those to cancel classes.
McAllen school district spokesman Mark May said he saw a Volkswagen Beetle floating along a street in his own neighborhood and awoke to see his oak trees stripped of their leaves.
“It's amazing,” he said. “I just have twigs and leaves across my entire yard.”
See also: Hundreds of Birds Killed During McAllen Hail Storm
Mar 31, 2012
Howard
Warmest March on Record for 50+ U.S. Cities
"In states from Colorado to Florida, more than 50 cities saw their warmest March on record, weather.com reported Sunday, citing National Weather Service data and its own research.
The list, compiled by weather.com meteorologist Chris Dolce, shows that a few cities in states as far west as Colorado and Wyoming saw records. But the vast majority were in the central U.S. and the South. Large cities on the list include Atlanta, Chicago, Cleveland, Detroit, Pittsburgh, St. Louis and Washington D.C."
Colorado
Burlington
Florida
Tampa
Sarasota
Georgia
Atlanta
Ohio
Akron
Youngstown
Toledo
Mansfield
Illinois
Chicago
Quincy
Indiana
Indianapolis
Evansville
Kansas
Goodland
Kentucky
Paducah
London
Jackson
Louisiana
Monroe
Shreveport
Maine
Portland
Minnesota
Rochester
Minneapolis
Duluth
International Falls
St. Cloud
Michigan
Detroit
Flint
Saginaw
Muskegon
Lansing
Grand Rapids
Missouri
St. Louis
Kansas City
Columbia
Springfield
Vichy-Rolla
West Plains
Nebraska
McCook
New Hampshire
Concord
New Jersey
Trenton
Atlantic City
New York
Albany
Buffalo
Rochester
Ohio
Cleveland
Oklahoma
Oklahoma City
Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh
Mount Pocono
Allentown
Erie
South Carolina
Florence
South Dakota
Rapid City
Tennessee
Nashville
Texas
Tyler
Longview
Vermont
Burlington
Wisconsin
La Crosse
Milwaukee
Madison
Eau Claire
West Virginia
Beckley
Parkersburg
Huntington
Wyoming
Riverton
Washington, D.C.
Apr 2, 2012
Mark
summer's gone and winter returns to the UK as parts of Scotland get over 6 inches of snow and the rest of the UK waits for the cold front to reach them later.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/snow-and-subzero-tem...
Apr 3, 2012
KM
Here are some updates on the storms in Texas.
'The second trailer is ripped to pieces and thrown 50 to 100 feet into the air': Massive tornadoes toss TRUCKS across the skies as 'large and extremely dangerous' twisters target Texas
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2124648/Debris-thrown-skies...
Apr 4, 2012
Mark
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2124386/UK-weather-Spring-s...
in the UK, summer in March gives way to winter in April:
Apr 4, 2012
Howard
Staffordshire Police was called at 06:40 BST to the scene in Scot Hay Road, Alsagers Bank.
The falling bricks crushed two cars but no-one was hurt. Flying bricks also damaged a lamppost.
Structural engineers have assessed the house and Scot Hay Road was closed. Police said they had received a high number of weather-related calls.
A number of these were about trees that had blown over in the strong winds.
Some residents in the area where the wall collapsed claimed that lamp-posts were placed too close to their homes and that, due to their height, occasionally swayed during winds, touching exterior walls.
'Extremely unusual'
The collapsed wall has a lamp-post sited next to it.
Staffordshire county councillor Mike Maryon, cabinet member for highways and transport, said: "The lighting column in question was installed in Oct 2006 by E.on under the provisions of a 25-year PFI contract awarded by the county council.
"Investigations need to be undertaken to fully ascertain the reasons for the failure of the wall, but it is extremely unusual for a lighting column to cause a wall to fail unless there is an issue with the wall itself.
"The local building inspector will be able to confirm this following an inspection, and we are currently awaiting those findings."
A road in north Staffordshire was closed earlier due to heavy snow.
The A53 was closed in both directions, near Leek, between Upper Hulme and Buxton Road.
Source
Apr 5, 2012
Howard
Records shattered for broad temperature trends in the contiguous United States -
Apr 9, 2012
Derrick Johnson
A night to remember: Thunderstorm shatters records
The thunderstorm that blew through the Bay Area on Thursday night was one for the books - it shattered rainfall records in four cities and produced more lightning strikes than any storm in years.
All that rain pushed local precipitation totals closer to seasonal averages, percentage-wise, than they've been since a bone-dry December. It was accompanied by 750 lightning strikes across the Bay Area between 8 p.m. and midnight, said Chris Stumpf, a National Weather Service forecaster.
"That's quite a bit more than we've almost ever had, at least in recent memory," he said. "It's nice to mix things up."
Bolts hit the Transamerica Pyramid, towers on the Bay Bridge and Golden Gate Bridge, the giant container cranes at the Port of Oakland and an airplane that had just taken off from San Francisco International Airport for London. The plane turned back without incident.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2012/04/14/BALB1O3...
Apr 15, 2012
Howard
For the first time cyclone appears on Turkey, severe storm batters Istanbul
http://poleshift.ning.com/profiles/blogs/for-the-first-time-cyclone...
Apr 19, 2012
KM
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2131939/UK-weather-After-aw...
After awful April comes miserable May as next month is predicted to be coldest for 100 YEARS... but it could be a sizzling summer
Britain is facing the coldest May for 100 years after experts predicted the miserable weather from this month would continue into next.
The cool spring is set to remain chilly with snow expected in some areas and low temperatures and bitter winds causing Britons to shiver elsewhere.
Temperatures could struggle to get above 5C in the East – the area which is expected to be hit worst by a lingering system of cold air.
Apr 19, 2012
Howard
Hailstorms Annihilate San Joaquin Valley Crops - Growers Lose 100 Percent of Production
It will be several weeks before an accurate tabulation of losses can be made, but for some growers it amounted to 100 percent of this year's production. A number of crops suffered damage from the unrelenting power of hailstones measuring 1.5 inches in diameter or larger.
Nature's fury came in the form of "supercells"—large thunderstorms that moved slowly across the valley from Kings County, through parts of Tulare County, up to Merced County and all the way eastward to Mariposa County.
The most destructive storm brought torrents of hail across a six-to-eight mile-wide swath of farmland that extended some 30 miles, accompanied by thunderstorms and numerous lightning strikes.
The epicenter of the more significant of two supercells last Wednesday was in Tulare County near Traver. Grower Ed Needham, who was caught driving near Traver when the storm struck, described it as "the sound of someone hitting my truck with a hammer."
Needham said he was in his truck with two other farmers and had pulled over to watch a huge storm cell to the south when the other cell struck from the north.
"It started out small and was no big deal and then all of a sudden the side-view mirrors on my truck shattered and the road started getting covered with huge hailstones. I looked at the wind and saw that it was going south, so I took off and went to the south and got out of it," he said.
Steve Johnson, a storm chaser with Atmospheric Group International, tracked the storms closely and estimated that the damage to agriculture could reach $25 million or more just from the two supercells that hit last Wednesday afternoon.
"While other thunderstorms were moving at about 25 miles per hour, these two slugs were moving at about 7 or 8 miles an hour, so they just trudged along producing very large hail and a high quantity of lightning," he said. "I estimate the damage at anywhere from 80 percent to 100 percent in fields and orchards where the hail struck. The fruit and nut trees were stripped bare. The trees look like they are in midwinter and haven't even budded yet."
Johnson also reported that a third supercell formed over farmland west of Lemoore, producing a tornado, and another one popped up near Huron, causing considerable crop damage to Westside lettuce and tomato fields.
The following day, a supercell formed in Merced County near Dos Palos and moved northeast between Atwater and Merced, once again accompanied by huge hailstones.
"The hailstones were larger than those on the previous day. There was 1 3/4-inch hail that was recorded near Castle Air Force Base, causing a lot of crop damage as well as other damage before moving up into Mariposa County," Johnson said.
John Diepersloot, one of the owners of Kingsburg Orchards, which grows peaches, plums, nectarines and apricots, said the storms wiped out some orchards while leaving adjacent ones unscathed. He said several of his orchards were struck and that while the visible damage is obvious, it will be several days before any accurate assessment can be made.
"Where the hail hit, it is a complete, 100 percent loss. It was hitting in cells, so one area was a complete disaster and another area got missed," he said. "Some of the fields look like they got beat up pretty bad. Most of the apricots, cherries, pluots and plums got scratched up pretty bad or even knocked off the trees."
Diepersloot also noted damage to other crops, particularly grapes and newly transplanted processing tomatoes.
"The tomatoes on certain blocks were stripped down. The transplants had leaves ripped off. The grapes had everything from tender, new shoots to the bark itself torn off. A lot of guys are planting their corn, but it isn't up yet, so that is still in the ground," he said.
John Thiesen, general manager of Giumarra Brothers Fruit Co. of Reedley, said he is still trying to assess the losses, and that enough fruit to fill from 5 million to 12 million boxes may have been lost.
"That is a pretty big span, so no one really knows for sure. But we do know there is very significant damage," he said.
Thiesen said the magnitude of last week's hailstorms was stunning.
"One doesn't see this kind of devastation very often. I know for us here, we were fortunate to escape, but the emotions are such that we feel just awful for all our grower friends who were affected. It is heartbreaking," he said.
Michael Miya, who farms walnuts, pistachios and field crops such as wheat, corn and onions for seed north of Hanford, said this was the worst hailstorm he has ever witnessed.
"We inspected the damage to our walnuts and it chopped a lot of the young leaflets. It covered the ground in green where the hail went through. We are concerned with the nuts that are already set on the trees," he said. "Some of my neighbors with almonds say they lost about a third of their crop, some less and some more, depending on where they were located. One of my neighbors with cherries said he has probably lost 80 percent of his crop."
Johnson, a severe-weather specialist who provides private weather forecasting for farming operations, utility companies and irrigation districts in the San Joaquin Valley, said it has been at least 20 years since something this severe struck the region.
"I feel really bad for the farmers who have been annihilated, because they work very hard," he said.
Source
Apr 20, 2012
Howard
Alternating drought and deluge in the UK -
April 16: Drought Declared in 17 England Counties
April 25: Month's Worth of Rain Drenches UK in 24 Hours
Apr 25, 2012
bill
Water levels continue to drop in Florida
Residents’ wells running dry
CHIEFLAND — While scientists, policymakers and stakeholders alike disagree on how to address the issue of Florida’s water, one thing is certain: It continues to become less available.
Drought is part of the problem.
The Suwannee River Water Management District, which manages 14 counties in Northern Florida, reports an overall rainfall deficit of about 16 inches for the last year, which, from April to March, has been the “driest April March period since 1932.”
Florida is known to undergo periods of drought every few years. Still, data from both SRWMD and the Florida Geological Society, taking drought years into account, shows groundwater levels in the area trending downward since the middle of the 20th century, suggesting increased withdrawal is having an affect.
“We’re mining the aquifer,” Chiefland resident and Save Our Suwannee Inc. representative Annette Long, said in an interview at Fanning Springs State Park Friday. “We’re taking more than is being recharged.
One hundred percent of the data shows that’s what’s happening.”
It was at Fanning Springs on Aug. 9 where Long, a veteran cave diver and springs advocate, captured on video a steady influx of brown river water flowing into the spring.
“I said, ‘I think I’m going to have a stroke. I need to sit down,” Long said. “The smallest rise or fall now causes the springs to
reverse.”
At about 50 cubic feet of water per second, both Fanning and Manatee springs are at about half the flow that typically categorized them as first magnitude springs. Fanning’s decline, according to SRWMD records, has been slow and steady during the last year, while Manatee has seen a sharp decline from more than 150 cubic feet per second a year ago.
Levy County representatives reported recently that Bronson Blue Springs has ceased flowing, and representatives from two of Williston’s most popular attractions, Blue Grotto and Devil’s Den, also report record low levels.
Dan Fisher, who has worked at Blue Grotto for about 14 years, said he’s never seen the spring’s level so low.
“The water is dropping like a rock,” he said Friday. “It’s probably a good 10 feet down from the average.”
According to Fisher, it measures at about 100 feet at its deepest point on average. He said he’s noticed levels dropping for the past two years.
Fisher said the lack of rain is certainly an issue, but agriculture and development also play a part, both of which, unlike rain, can be managed.
“Florida is just totally being destroyed,” he said. “The economy is the only thing anybody cares about anymore. Gotta make money. But once you destroy everything that everybody came here for, what’s left?”
Rowena Thomas, who co-manages Devil’s Den, said Friday the spring is down about 12 feet from its average of about 60 feet.
“Residents are concerned,” she said. “I would be too if I had wells. If you’re not concerned about it, you’re putting your head in the sand.”
There have been 71 wells reporting record low levels for March, according to SRWMD.
Jamie Storey, owner of Action Pump Repair and Well Drilling in Old Town, said he’s seen a lot of wells go dry in the past year.
“A lot of the 30- to 40-foot wells are drying up right now,” he said. “A lot of them are starting to pump air and sand.”
He said wells went dry during the drought in the early 2000s as well, though most of those were shallower wells, extending on average only about 20 feet into the ground. From that time, he said, water levels have continued to drop.
Storey said most of the wells he’s seen run dry recently are in the Dixie County area. People have had to extend wells to get their pumps farther down, sometimes having to purchase a more powerful pump.
Jody Stephenson, owner of Stephenson Septic Tank Services Inc., of Old Town, said he contracts out a lot of well drilling and pump repair and is running into the same problems.
“There are a lot of wells going dry, mostly in Dixie County. But it’s all around, Levy and Gilchrist. Everybody’s in the same boat,” he said last week.
The problem, which started about two years ago, has gotten worse in the last year, he said.
Steve Quinata, owner of Williston Well and Pump Inc., said he’s been seeing wells run dry in Morriston, Williston and in areas closer to Gainesville. He said the problem became most apparent at the beginning of the year.
Still, SRWMD board members continue to issue permits for millions of gallons of water withdrawals a day.
On April 10, the board approved for a third time temporary permits initially approved in December for about 3.9 million gallons of water a day to three farms operating in the Lower Suwannee River Basin wishing to expand operations.
The William Douberly Farm, Alliance Grazing Group (Lancala) and its sister operation, Piedmont Dairy Farm, are in total permitted to use about 6.3 million gallons of water a day. Combined, the farms will be using 15 new spray pivots for irrigation purposes, according to SRWMD records.
Long said she thinks people would be shocked to know that taxpayers eat the lion’s share of the cost of such pivots when farmers expand operations.
“We are out of water, and the feds and the state are helping farmers get 80 percent cost share for circle pivots for new land. That is insane!” she said.
John Sage Jr., who lives between Fowlers Bluff and Chiefland, complained last week about the installation of new pivots on farms near his home.
“It’s OK if there’s plenty of water,” he said. “But I don’t see me or anyone else, just regular people, losing their wells.”
Sage, who has lived in the area for 25 years, said he’s never seen the water situation so bad. He also said he does his part to conserve water, something SRWMD asks residents to do.
But he is losing his garden, and he’s starting to see a lot of iron in his water.
He said he’s not sure if he can afford the $3,500 it would cost him to increase the size of the pipe his well uses.
If he could address the water district, he said, “I’d ask them to curtail water use. These guys use enough water for a small city.”
And that’s another problem, Long said. The district doesn’t actually know how much water farmers are using because the vast majority of agricultural wells are not monitored.
“My theory is that they’re using a whole lot more water than they are permitted for,” said Long, who has been attending SRWMD meetings regularly for several years.
Why else would a farm lobbyist tell SRWMD board members at the December meeting that monitoring agricultural wells would put farmers out of business, she asked.
“I’m not asking them to lose business,” she said. “But they’re asking us to have a crisis.”
Several state agencies are currently working toward sharing resources and coming up with a single model to help determine what happens to the groundwater in North Florida, but Long said an accurate understanding of what’s going on depends on agricultural wells being monitored. Meanwhile, she said, water districts use outdated groundwater models for permitting purposes.
“The model shows we’re not supposed to be running out of water yet. This was way down the road. That’s why I was so shocked: because it’s happening.”
When enough springs quit flowing, she said, parts of the aquifer will be inundated with river water.
River water has high dissolved oxygen levels that can spur the quick release of salts such as gypsum, sulpher and arsenic found naturally in Florida’s geology.
“There will come a point when the water will poison the crops.”
Apr 26, 2012