Get ready for the big freeze! Western half of US to be hit with temperatures of up to 30 degrees colder than normal after Alaska experiences bone-chilling lows of minus 41F

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3990910/Record-cold-strike-...

• Forecasters expect the record-setting cold weather plaguing Alaska to spread to the rest of the United States in the coming week
• Low temperatures have already set in The Last Frontier State, which is witnessing its coldest weather in almost two years 
• Just this week, temperatures in Fairbanks reached minus 41F,  ending a 624-day stretch of warmer weather
• Forecast models say the bitter conditions could spread east next week 
  

U.S. daily record highs beat record lows by a staggering 51-to-1 ratio in November

November 2016 temperature anomalies in North America.

1 December, 2016. As the planet warms in response to the buildup of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, the ratio of high temperature records compared to low temperature records has become more skewed. If the climate were not warming, that long-term ratio should average out to about 1-to-1.

However, that is not the world we're living in. A 2009 study found that the record highs to lows ratio was 2-to-1 for the lower 48 states during the 2000s, and this disparity has only grown since then. Projections show the imbalance increasing in coming decades as global warming continues.

Keeping in mind that individual months show considerable variability in weather patterns, it's clear that over the long-term, the ratio of record highs to record lows is now strongly favoring record highs as well as record warm overnight temperatures. This is consistent with computer model projections of a warming world.

No individual month shows this better - and to a ridiculous degree - than November 2016.

New, preliminary numbers from the National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) show that during November, the ratio of record highs (4401) to record lows (87) was a shocking 51-to-1.

According to Guy Walton, a former Weather Channel meteorologist who meticulously tracks these records, this year is on track to have the lowest tally of record low temperatures since 1922 and the highest ratio of daily record highs to lows - at about 6.6-to-1 .

Comparing the number of temperature records has some limitations, but the ratios are more accurate in reflecting how the U.S. has warmed in recent decades, according to Deke Arndt, chief of climate monitoring at the NCEI in Asheville, North Carolina.

"Because the number and lifetimes of weather stations has varied over time, comparing raw numbers of records does not completely capture the signal," he said. "Using a ratio of warm-to-cold records helps account for these effects."

All of North America, including Canada, had an unusually warm November, with many cities in the Midwest, Alberta and other Canadian provinces setting records for the warmest November on record.

A Nov. 21 study published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences found that by midcentury, the ratio of record daily high temperatures to record daily lows will likely be about 15-to-1, depending on the pace of greenhouse gas emissions.

December promises to be far colder in these areas as the weather pattern changes from the Pacific Ocean across North America, though it is unclear whether record highs will still outnumber record lows.

Globally, 2016 is on pace to set a record for the warmest year since at least 1880, beating the milestone set last year.

The warm year has seen a host of extreme events linked to global warming, including catastrophic flooding in Louisiana and North Carolina, a worldwide coral bleaching event that devastated parts of Australia's Great Barrier Reef as well as other impacts. Source: mashable.com

November brings record-breaking temperatures from Nunavut to Siberia

A white-throated sparrow feeds on birdseed Nov. 30 in Rankin Inlet, when the temperature stood at about minus 3 C. (PHOTO BY PUTULIK PHOTOGRAPHY)

1 December, 2016. In many Nunavut communities, chances are you traded your parka for a jacket during the month of November.

During November, monthly average temperatures in Nunavut’s central Kivalliq region ranged from 4.1 C higher in Naujaat to 8.2 C higher in Arviat—and sparrows, usually long-gone from Rankin Inlet, were still around.

People in that community of roughly 3,000, who saw rotating power outages this week after its diesel turbines needed major repairs, fortunately enjoyed those milder-than-usual higher temperatures. These were as mild as about minus 3 C—much higher than the normal high temperatures of minus 18 C for this time of the year.

And, in Arviat, the puddles reminded residents of spring, not of the usually cold, dark month leading into winter.

This map by Patrick Duplessis, a PhD student in Physics and Atmospheric Science at Dalhousie University, shows some of the hot spots across the North during November. (IMAGE BY P.DUPLESSIS/TWITTER)

On Nov. 30, it was just a little below freezing in Arviat—minus 1.5 C. That high temperature beat the previous record high for that day of minus 4.6 C set in 1986. The day’s low of minus 2.6 C was also much higher than the record low of minus 33 C set in 1991.

On Nov. 30, the western Nunavut Kitikmeot community of Gjoa Haven, where the temperatures averaged 6.5 C higher in November, you could also say it was really warm: The minus 3.4 C temperature on Nov. 30 beat the record of minus 9.5 C set in 1987, and Gjoa Haven’s daily low of minus 9.3 C was much higher than 1991’s record-breaking low of minus 37.5 C for Nov. 30.

Nov. 30 also broke record highs:

• Baker Lake—minus 2.9 C

• Naujaat—minus 4 C

• Taloyoak—minus 4.2 C

• Kugaaruk—minus 3.2 C

• Igloolik—8.7 C

• Arctic Bay—minus 9.1 C

• Resolute Bay—minus 8.9 C

• Eureka—minus 11.9 C

The warmth also circled the Arctic Ocean, which, around the pole, was itself up to 20 C warmer than usual during much of November.

In Greenland, the famed Sirius dog team patrol hasn’t started to carry out its long-range reconnaissance patrolling yet because it’s too warm.

And the Russian Arctic and Norwegian Arctic have never been so warm in November reports the Independent Barents Observer— at least according to existing records.

On Norway’s Svalbard Islands, temperatures averaged 10.7 C higher than normal, while weather measurements across the top of Siberia showed temperatures up to 14 C higher than normal.

Temperatures weren’t the only unusual measurements in the Arctic which were off during November.

Both Arctic and Antarctic daily sea ice extents remain the lowest on record in the satellite era—a period of about 35 years.

In November, European Space Agency’s CryoSat satellite measurements show the Arctic sea ice matching record lows from 2011 and 2012.

And Arctic ice growth, say climate watchers, is slower and lower this year. Even though Arctic sea ice extent growth increased over this past week, it’s still at a record low for date.

In Hudson Bay, ice formation stands at about 40 per cent below normal, according to the Canadian Ice Service. Source: nunatsiaqonline.ca

Patagonian ice melts as Chile experiences its worst drought on record

3 December, 2016. Chile is experiencing its most extensive drought in history, and this year is set to become its driest in more than 40 years. In the southern region of Patagonia farmers are feeling the pressure as weather patterns change.

2016 is on track to become the warmest year on record while Chile is already experiencing its most extensive drought in history. For a country that relies heavily on its livestock and agriculture, the prolonged natural disaster is cause for concern.

In the secluded rural town of Puerto Prat, situated in Patagonia in southern Chile, 81-year-old sheep farmer Carmen Santana-Flores has been experiencing first hand the devastating effects of the drought. 

"Water has always been a problem, but not like today, now there is total lack of water," she told SBS.

This year is set to become Chile’s driest in more than 40 years and tops off seven years of continuous drought, and it’s not only livestock that Ms Santana-Flores is losing out on.

"We used to have potatoes and all sorts of vegetables, we planted everything" she said, "you have to buy everything now because you can’t sow in the ground".

A few hundred kilometres away, on a property just outside of Punta Arenas, alpaca farmer Sergio Diaz reminisces on snowfalls of the past.

"It used to snow a lot more, any amount of snow, sometimes up to four metres in height!" he said.

Back in the 1970s, Mr Diaz worked across a number of properties with a variety of animals.

"The ponds were so full that I would dig trenches for water streams and the cows and sheep would swarm like flies to get their share!"

The farmers are not completely without support, with the Chilean Government's INDAP service, created in 1962 and run by the Ministry of Agriculture, aimed at productive and rural development, helping remote farmers with the delivery of water.

Both Sergio and Carmen work on properties in the Magallanes region, which is one of the most isolated areas of Chile. It sits in the greater Patagonia, a vast and rugged terrain that encompasses the southern most part of South America and is the closest large landmass to Antarctica.

Here the drought is is also having significant affects on the environment, Patagonia boasts some of the world’s largest glaciers and experts believe the regions vast ice shelves may be starving to death

Nicolás Butorovic, a specialist in academic climatology from the Institute of Patagonia University in Punta Arenas, said years of research has revealed extreme weather patterns and global warming are taking their toll on the Patagonian environment.

"In the last perhaps 10 winters, it has been less cold, which does not mean that they are warm, we aren’t in a tropical climate, but they are also very short winters that generally last between 1-3 months," he said.

To establish a standard conclusion on climate change and global warming, the World Meteorological Organisation requires a minimum 30 years of data. The Jorge C. Schythe station, where Mr Butorovic and his team works, has measured and recorded most surface meteorological parameters for the past 46 years. A recent summer in Punta Arenas that hit record temperatures of 29 degrees is testimony to changing weather patterns he said.

While the residents of the typically freezing cold, ocean side city enjoy the warm weather, he urged people to consider the future.

"We have to be careful and keep an eye on what can produce harmful effects both for the population and the vegetation. A clear example of climate change in this zone has been shown with these extreme events."

Although the region is withstanding the drought, but Mr Butorovic said that the current trends indicate that for the next three to fivemonths, the Magallanes region will not see much rain at all. Source: sbs.com.au

Urgent
Arrival: accompanying storm extremely low temperatures in the governorate of Tripoli Libya now

And she's now heading to Cairo, Giza, and the rest of the governorates of Egypt

DECEMBER 3 2016

https://www.facebook.com/page.AlexNews/photos/pcb.716997615126232/7...

--------------------------------------------
Pictures ... Antelias in the heart of the storm! - LEBANON

https://translate.google.com/translate?sl=ar&tl=en&js=y&...

Like being in a Hollywood movie where the figurative or aliens invade the earth, but the fact that we are in Antelias, where he surprised a huge black cloud of citizens formed the strange phenomenon of its kind, covering a sky region and its days turned into darkness.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/prince-edward-island/pei-charlottetow...

These sorts of struggles are unusual for the end of November.

In fact, there has been a record amount of snow on the ground. Charlottetown Airport broke records on both Nov. 30 and Dec. 1.

Previously, the snowiest end of November/start of December was in 1989. Those records for Nov. 27-29 stand, but 29 centimetres is a new record for Nov. 30 (17 in 1989) as is 32 for Dec. 1 (19 in 1989).

None of the storms this week broke snowfall records on their own, but in combination they have. Three storms brought snow to the Island in the space of five days, and the amount of snow was a surprise to everyone.

"Two of the three [storms] had forecasters scratching their heads on their final tracks, but gave credence to the fact that Mother Nature has a mind of her own," said CBC weather specialist Kevin "Boomer" Gallant.

The early season snow, wet and heavy, has also created challenges for Maritime Electric, which has struggled all week to keep the power on.

https://www.rt.com/news/369118-sochi-storm-waves-winter/

5-meter-high waves, whirlwind & fallen trees as huge storm sweeps Russia's Sochi (PHOTOS, VIDEOS)

© MVPanma / YouTube

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/mauna-kea-mauna-loa-hawaiian-mountains-...

Yes, it snows in Hawaii: More than 2 feet of snow in forecast

Snow at the Mauna Kea summit Friday afternoon.

HONOLULU -- The summits of Hawaii’s Big Island could get more than two feet of snow, with a winter storm warning in effect through Saturday. 

A Winter Storm Warning is in effect through Saturday evening for elevations above 11,000 feet. The summits could get 20 to 30 inches of snow through Saturday,  

An upper level low pressure area has brought the sub-freezing temperatures and unstable conditions. The low will combine with moisture surging in from the southeast, which could result in bursts of heavy snow, especially above 12,000 feet. 

Conditions on the summits are dangerous. Besides being cold, east to southeast winds of 10 to 20 miles per hour are expected with higher gusts. The strong winds also will cause drifting snow, and freezing fog will reduce visibility to as low as a quarter of a mile.

It may be a while before you can see the white stuff up close. The road to the summit of Mauna Kea  is closed at the Visitor Information Station at the 9,200-foot level due to freezing fog, heavy snow and icy roadways. The summit of Mauna Loa is also closed due to high winds and heavy snow. This means hiking and overnight camping is prohibited. The National Park Service said a thick blanket of snow was visible as low as 10,000 feet.

Yes, it snows in Hawaii, Matthew Foster, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Honolulu, said he had to explain to some surprised out-of-state callers Friday. 

“Typically when we get these snow events, it does get a lot of attention,” he said, adding that he explains to curious callers that the snow is falling in a small, remote area where there are mainly telescopes and scientists. “We do have very high mountains here.”

Once they realize the heights of the mountains, snow in the island state makes a little more sense, said Ryan Lyman, forecast meteorologist with the Mauna Kea Weather Center. Mauna Kea is nearly 14,000 feet above sea level. 

The weather service forecasts new accumulations of about a foot of snow Friday night through Saturday. An additional foot is possible Sunday. Temperatures are in the mid-20s to lower-30s. 

That’s a significant amount of snowfall, but not uncommon for the summits, meteorologists say. 

Lyman said there has been 30 to 36 inches in recent winters. 

It’s enough snow to shut down operations on Mauna Kea, Lyman said. The mountain’s access road is expected to remain closed until next week, he said. 

The weather service doesn’t keep track of what the record amounts of snowfall are on the summits. Heavy snow is often accompanied by wind, which create drifts that make it difficult to accurately measure snowfall, Lyman said. 

Abundant snow on Mauna Loa’s 13,677-foot summit could be seen at sunset Thursday from parts of Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, said park spokeswoman Jessica Ferracane. 

There was heavy rain in other parts of the state Friday, with a flash flood warning in effect for Oahu, Kauai and the Big Island.

Spain: worst rainfall in nearly 30 years, not recording such a high level since 1989

Woman, 26, drowns after the basement strip club where she worked slowly filled with water as rescue crew tried to smash their way in during horrific Spanish floods 

• One woman, 26, was found dead in the town of Estepona on Spain's Costa del Sol after rains swept through
• Police say it is the worst rainfall in nearly 30 years, not recording such a high level since 1989
• Drivers have to abandon their cars and dogs had to be rescued from a refuge centre in Malaga
• A red weather warning was initially issued, which has been downgraded to an orange, but rain continues 
  

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3999134/The-rain-Spain-drai...

A horrific video has emerged of firemen and police divers battling in vain to save a 26-year-old woman who drowned inside a 24-hour strip club on the Costal del Sol.

The victim, caught in the flash flooding which has hit tourist resorts in southern Spain, made a desperate call to the emergency services when she realised the water level was rising to a dangerous level and she could not get out.

A passer-by caught the drama on video as Estepona bore the brunt of the freak weather which also hit Marbella, Malaga, Mijas and other towns and villages along this stretch of the coast.

The Spanish Metrological Office (AEMET) reported they were expecting 100 cubic metres to fall between 8pm Saturday and midnight tonight. On the roads several cars have been abandoned and there is heavy flooding in several stretches, including the tunnel in Sabanillas.

The rains have also washed rocks onto the roads.

The rain is set to continue throughout the day until Monday, when the Orange Alert will be downgraded to Yellow.

The city of Malaga and surrounding towns, including the upscale resort town of Marbella, are among the most heavily hit areas. Malaga has a population of around 500,000 residents.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/dec/07/british-antarctic-res...

Britain is preparing to move its research station in the Antarctic 23km further inland because it is under threat from a growing crack in the ice.

The British Antarctic Survey’s Halley VI research station has recorded data relevant to space weather, climate change, and atmospheric phenomena from its site on the Brunt Ice Shelf shelf since 2012.

Sea ice extent in Arctic and Antarctic reached record lows in November

However, due to a growing chasm about 7km (4.3 miles) away that risks cutting the station off from the rest of the shelf, officials have announced that base will have to be moved.

The new site, nicknamed Halley VI A, was identified during in-depth site surveys in the 2015-16 Antarctic summer. Now that winter has passed, the relocation team are preparing to tow the station 23km to its new home using large tractors.

Bismarck in North Dakota is 25F colder than the North Pole this morning with experts warning its going to be a lot worse next week!

This morning at 9.am UST, Bismarck North Dakota USA recorded a temperature of minus 32.5C, minus 26.5F, which is 25F colder the North Pole which recorded its temperature at minus 17.3C, minus 1F.

These kinds of temperatures are brutal and with the blizzard conditions North Dakota has suffered this week it has been truly treacherous

Brutal cold lingering across the northern Plains thanks to an invasion of Arctic air. On Wednesday night, Dickinson, North Dakota, experienced an AccuWeather Real Feel Temperature® of minus 39, while in Casper, Wyoming, the actual temperature plummeted to minus 33. And it will get worse, if you thought it was cold in the US this week well, next week is going to be even colder as the polar vortex returns to North America. Reuter’s reports, forecasters are sending chills down some spines with a prediction that much of the northern half of the United States could see frigid weather next week similar to life-threatening lows the polar vortex brought to parts of the country in 2014.

How its looking for Canada and the US

Anticipation of a freezing blast began to build this week when weather maps and forecast models showed similarities between next week's system and one that developed in January 2014.

The southward shift in the polar vortex in 2014 brought the Midwest some of its coldest weather in two decades. Icy conditions snarled travel and thousands of flights were cancelled or delayed.

Frigid temperatures combined with gusting winds to create life-threatening wind chills as low as 60 degrees Fahrenheit below zero (minus 51 Celsius) that killed at least nine people.

The coldest weather next week is expected in the Midwest and North-eastern starting around Tuesday, according to forecasts that show temperatures in the single digits in some cities.

"The air mass on the way for the middle of December is likely to be substantially colder when compared to that of this past week and this weekend," AccuWeather meteorologist Paul Pastelok wrote on Thursday.

Temperatures from the Northern and Central plains to wide swathes of the Midwest are likely to drop by between 5 and 20 degrees Fahrenheit compared to temperatures this week, according to AccuWeather.

Source: http://www.thebigwobble.org/2016/12/bismarck-in-north-dakota-is-25f...

Southern Africa faces worst drought in decades

8 December, 2016. Nearly 14 million people in southern Africa are in need of emergency humanitarian assistance as the region faces the worst El Nino induced drought in decades.

United Nations humanitarian agencies and partners launched a revised action plan to outlining their response to the needs of an estimated 13.8 million people as the region enters the peak of the lean season with largely depleted food stocks due to poor and failed harvests.

In a news release on Wednesday, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported that the region is suffering “severe” food shortages, exasperating a multitude of existing and increasing vulnerabilities, including weak commodity prices, unfavourable exchange rates and slow economic growth.

“As we enter the critical period of the crisis during the lean season, many countries are struggling to stretch funds to cover the growing needs,” Timo Pakkala, El Nino Coordinator for the southern Africa at OCHA, said in the release.

The situation in southern Madagascar, for instance, is particularly worrying as maize, cassava and rice productions fell by as much as 95 per cent this year, compared to 2015.

An estimated 845 000 people on the island are in the “emergency” or “crisis” categories of food insecurity.

“It is essential that humanitarian assistance to the most vulnerable people is sustained through this period, and for farmers to be supported so they can resume agricultural production,” Pakkala said.

As of early December, some $757 million had been raised for Regional Inter-Agency Standing Committee (RIASCO) – comprising UN and non-governmental humanitarian agencies in the region – which has helped save lives, protect livelihoods and reduce human suffering.

UN entities, including the World Food Programme (WFP), UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) and Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) have rolled out their response and are scaling up efforts to reach more with critical aid. However, despite efforts, funding gaps amounting to $550 million are yet to be met.

Without these funds, millions of the most vulnerable people will not receive full rations, and hundreds of thousands of children will remain at risk of irreparable damage from under-nutrition and from dropping out of school. Health centres will not be able to provide the most essential services, while farmers will not be able to resume full agricultural production.

Further investments in these areas, combined with solid fiscal and other risk management instruments at national and regional level, are required to build resilience and achieve the goal of breaking the cycle of recurrent drought emergencies.

Alongside humanitarian assistance, the revised action plan also calls for stepping up efforts to end the cycle of drought-induced crises in southern Africa.

To do so, development partners have called for sound national policies and strategies, expanding coverage and strengthening social safety nets, promoting climate-smart agriculture, reinforcing early warning systems and improving management of water and other natural resources. Source: iol.co.za

Polar Plunge' ushers in coldest air of the season

Record-breaking wintry temperatures are gripping the eastern two-thirds of the country, signaling that this could be one of the coldest seasons in years. Across the United States, 76 locations have shattered their daily record cold high temperatures for December since the beginning of the month. That means some towns saw their coldest December day ever.

The bad news is that it's going to get even colder for the rest of the week. Below-freezing temperatures are expected for 7 percent of the country -- in fact, most of the country will see the coldest air since last winter.

This storm pattern is reminiscent of the 2014 Arctic outbreak that started a social media trend called the "polar vortex."

The term took off, especially on Twitter, and meteorologists have been trying to clarify to the public what the name means. The polar vortex always exists near the north pole. An upper-level meteorology pattern called the polar jet stream locks in the cold air to the Arctic. Occasionally this northern jet stream meanders south and ushers in the polar air deep into the southern regions of North America.

The 2013-2014 winter season brought crippling below freezing temperatures and above average snowfall across the north central and eastern - which cost an estimated $ 263 million dollars in damages, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Dangerously low temperatures

When this weather pattern happens, temperatures will usually fall well below average across much of the country.

"This week's dangerous cold will sweep the country from Bismarck to Boston with -10 to -35 degree wind chills expected," CNN meteorologist Rachel Aissen said. "At -35 degrees, wind chills takes only 10 minutes for frostbite to occur."
Indeed, three-quarters of the country will see freezing temperatures this week.

Wind chill advisories are already covering the Dakotas and Montana where a strong cold front is moving south across the plains. This cold air will move into the eastern United States from Wednesday into Thursday where last week's winter storm system still has the northeast in its grip.

This arctic air mass blows in is on the heals of last week's storm that is still dropping snow across the Northeast Monday.
Snow will continue for much of New England Monday evening through midnight before the next system returns later this week.

Though major metro areas are not expected to see snow Monday, there is chance of some snow showers Thursday night as the next front pushes through.
In addition to snow in the mountains, the last cold weather system produced heavy bands of snow across the Great Lakes region.

This storm moving through the Great Lakes region led to the cancellation of thousands of flights over the weekend.
The lake's water temperature is still warm enough for lake effect snow to form. In fact, more lake effect snow is expected for the Great Lakes later in the week when this next system pushes through. Source: edition.cnn.com

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4035456/Winter-storm-snarls...

THOUSANDS stranded in Oregon after sudden snowstorm drops 13 inches, causes huge tailbacks, multiple accidents and brings Portland to a complete standstill

• A rare snow storm brought Oregon's largest city to a halt on Wednesday
• Thousands of vehicles were barely able to move on Portland streets and one of its main highways
• Commuters found themselves on streets that were clogged with traffic that was inching along on snow-slick streets
•  The city was ready to put city buses on snow routes, and had taken other precautions, but the suddenness of the storm caught many off guard
• National Weather Service has issued a winter storm warning for the gorge calling for up to eight inches of snow and gusting winds
• Up to five inches of snow were expected in the Portland area by midnight 

A rare snow storm brought Oregon's largest city to a halt, with thousands of vehicles barely able to move on Portland streets and on one of its main highways.

Commuters began leaving work early on Wednesday, hoping to beat the storm.

But they quickly found themselves on streets that were clogged with traffic that was inching along on snow-slick streets.

Traffic along the Interstate 5 and Interstate 84 interchange ramps are jammed after a snow storm moved in on the area in Portland, Oregon on Wednesday

People maneuver on slick roads on Wednesday. A wintry afternoon and evening is forecast for much of Oregon, with some cities expected to get a foot of snow

An emergency vehicle fights through heavy traffic during Wednesday's snow storm

A Portland street blanketed with snow is shown above. A school bus appeared to have rear-ended a parked car while passing through on the icy road

Cars fish-tailed, spun out, and collided. Motorists, some with their kids in their cars, who had made scant progress tried to keep their patience. 

After more than three hours of waiting, some abandoned their vehicles and started walking.

Others hoped they wouldn't run out of gas.

Kimberly Wrolstad had been stuck on Interstate 5 heading to Tigard for about 90 minutes on Wednesday afternoon.

'It's frustrating,' she said. 'I don't know what's going on. I don't know if there are accidents. I know some of the trucks are having difficulties.'

Some drivers in Portland took to twitter to voice their frustrations about the clogged traffic. 

'I've been stuck in snow traffic for over an hour & maps says it's going to take 2 more hours to get home,' Twitter user Cortney wrote on Wednesday amid the snow storm. 

Weather, spectacular images of the fog in Madrid: a rare phenomenon [GALLERY] - SPAIN

December 13, 2016

https://translate.google.com/translate?sl=it&tl=en&js=y&...

The fog in Madrid is not a frequent phenomenon here is the spectacular images coming from the Spanish capital, which lives today yet another day wrapped in a white cloak

Arriving from Madrid spectacular photographs taken aboard a helicopter, showing the skyscrapers of the financial city, located in the north of the city, rise above a mist bed. The rest of the city looks completely covered by a white blanket of fog.

Madrid, Spain's capital, woke up this morning wrapped in a thick fog. It happened yesterday, with related problems to city streets and delays for domestic and international flights arriving and departing from the airport Madrid Barajas. It is not a frequent phenomenon for this city, which because of its geographical position is not usual to fog phenomena as prolonged. The anticyclone that persists for several days on a spagn however, has created ideal conditions for the formation of mists at this time covering a large part of central and northern regions, and also the north of Portugal.

------------------------------------------------------------------

WEATHER PHENOMENON EVER HAPPENED, SKYSCRAPERS OF DUBAI IMMERSED IN THE FOG !!! UAE

DECEMBER 9, 2016

https://translate.google.com/translate?sl=it&tl=en&js=y&...

An unexpected phenomenon in Dubai in the United Arabi.Il Crown Prince Hamdan bin Mohammed al Maktoum has posted on his instagram account video
and photos showing the building Burj Khalifa, the tallest skyscraper in the world, surrounded by fog.

In the coming days it is expected that the minimum temperature come down to 12 ° C, something really unexpected for a city characterized by a stifling heat.

New world record: Scientists certify monster Atlantic wave 62 feet tall

Enormous waves crash into the Cornish coast on Feb. 5, 2014, during one of the most brutal storms on record for the United Kingdom. (Matt Clark/U.K. Met Office)

16 December, 2016. Can you imagine coming face-to-face with a wave six stories tall?

In February 2013, a buoy in the North Atlantic measured a towering 62-foot (19 meters) wave between Iceland and the United Kingdom.

In an announcement Tuesday, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) concluded it was “the highest significant wave height” ever recorded by a buoy, surpassing the previous highest wave, measured at 59.96 feet in December 2007, also in the North Atlantic.

The giant wave formed in the wake of a powerful cold front charging across the Atlantic. Winds gusted to 50 mph.

“This is the first time we have ever measured a wave of 19 meters. It is a remarkable record,” said Wenjian Zhang, assistant secretary general of the WMO.

Wave height is defined as the distance between crest (or top) of one wave and the trough (or bottom) of the next.

The WMO explained the world’s biggest waves typically occur in the North Atlantic in winter as storms explosively intensify. “The area from the Grand Banks underwater plateaus off the Canadian coast around Newfoundland to south of Iceland and to the west coast of the UK, including the Rockall Trough, are prime candidates for wave records,” it said.

USA Today reported that larger waves have probably occurred than this 62-foot behemoth, but they have not been measured.

It’s also worth noting that this new record for “significant wave height” reflects the average height in a series of large waves. Individual “rogue” waves, which are difficult to accurately measure, can be much higher. For example, during the October 1991 “Perfect Storm” off the East Coast of North America, a buoy 264 miles south-southeast of Halifax, Canada reported a peak wave height of 100 feet, according to Environment Canada.

The record for the highest wave ever surfed is a massive 78 feet (23 meters) at Nazare, Portugal, according to CNN.

The lag between the WMO announcement of the record wave and its occurrence on Feb. 4, 2013, resulted from the time needed to analyze and verify the data. Source: washingtonpost.com

Storms plaguing Costa: (Spain) "Everybody is in panic '

original link in Dutch

ALICANTE - The east coast of Spain is still plagued by bad weather. Trucks floating through the streets and buckets of rain come pouring down from the sky. Telegraph columnist and television presenter Sander Kramer is on vacation in La Marina, a village under Alicante. "Everyone was in a panic. They have never experienced anything like this. "

Saturday an elderly man died when he was in Benidorm by a sudden was dragged bodies of water (note: graphic images). A camping is evacuated as a precaution. In the region, roads are  blocked by the flooding. There has also been a  huge tornado

http://www.globaltimes.cn/content/1024311.shtml

Incredibly thin Arctic sea ice shocks researchers 2015

Snow in the SAHARA: Desert sees snow for the FIRST time in 37 years

http://www.express.co.uk/news/world/745567/Snow-Sahara-Desert-first...

Amateur photographer Karim Bouchetata took incredible pictures of snow covering the sand in the small Saharan desert town of Ain Sefra, Algeria, yesterday afternoon.

He captured the amazing moment snow fell on the red sand dunes in the world's largest hot desert for the first time in 37 years.

Snow was last seen in Ain Sefra on February 18, 1979, when the snow storm lasted just half an hour.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4049756/FOUR-separate-Chris...

FOUR separate Christmas cyclones bear down on Australia - as the nation prepares for a festive heatwave

• Potential cyclones are brewing off northern Australia ahead of Christmas
• Systems developing off Western Australia, Northern Territory and Queensland 
• They're being driven by a strengthening monsoonal trough in the region 
• Temperatures are also predicted to be hot for Christmas day in major cities 

Potential cyclones are brewing off Australia's northern coasts in the lead-up to Christmas.

The Bureau of Meteorology has bumped up the risk of a cyclone in the Northern Territory region from low to moderate.

Meanwhile, two tropical cyclones may develop in waters off northern Western Australia on Tuesday and Wednesday, the Bureau says.

And further developing systems could bring rough weather to Queensland's Gulf of Carpentaria and Coral Sea areas during the festive season, according to the Courier Mail. 

It comes as forecasts predict a scorcher for major cities around the country on Christmas day. 

Of the state capitals, Hobart is predicted to be the coolest on 25 degrees while Adelaide's predicted be the hottest at 37 degrees. 

A satellite image shows storms developing off the northern coasts of Australia near WA, NT and QLD

Daily maximum temperatures for Christmas Day across Australia. (Source: Bureau of Meteorology) 

The potential cyclones are being driven by a monsoonal trough stretching across the north of Australia which is gathering strength. 

A moderate cyclone risk means there's a 20 to 50 per cent likelihood of a system forming in waters above the NT on Tuesday or Wednesday.

A tropical low is forming in the monsoon trough in the Arafura Sea, above the Tiwi Islands north of Darwin.

It's expected to develop further early next week and move southwest into the Timor Sea, the bureau says. 

'The system is forecast to affect the north Kimberley coastline from mid-week as it continues to move away from the NT region.' 

A slow-moving tropical low located about 550km north of Karratha, off the Pilbara coast, may become a tropical cyclone by Tuesday.

The second is in the Timor Sea, west of the Tiwi Islands, and may develop into a tropical cyclone late on Tuesday or early Wednesday.

If the low stays out over open waters it may become a cyclone, but if it moves over land it will bring very heavy rainfall, possible flooding and squally winds.

The bureau says if the cyclones develop the first will be called Yvette, and the second will be called Alfred.

Weatherzone meteorologist Nicholas Shera told the Courier Mail cyclones could change course within hours.

He added they were also hard to track and said it was unlikely the system off north Queensland would affect the state, instead it would likely move southwest. 

On average, there are five tropical cyclones in waters off northwest Australia each season.

More cyclone activity is expected this season than last, where only one cyclone made landfall in the Pilbara in January. 

Glacier Change Threatens Andes Communities

Acquired July 30, 1986 - May 8, 2014

23 December, 2016. In dry, high-altitude locales, glaciers often provide a reliable supply of water. Glacial lakes in the Andes Mountains, for instance, hold water even when the dry season shrinks rivers and lakes in the valleys. But when these giant chunks of ice melt too quickly, the water that pools around them can rush downhill with lethal force.

In the Bolivian Andes, retreating ice and the risk of glacial flooding go hand in hand, according to a new study published in The Cryosphere. Using satellite imagery, scientists identified 25 glacial lakes in the Andes (formed by rising temperatures and glacier melt) that could burst if disturbed by severe weather or other natural events (landslides, avalanches, etc.).

The study found that glaciers in the Cordillera Real mountain range shrank in area by at least 43 percent between 1963 and 2006. The false-color image above, which uses data from the Landsat 8 and Landsat 5 satellites, visualizes some of this ice retreat along this section of the Andes. Among the areas studied, the Cordillera Real had the highest starting glacial area, and experienced the most net change. Glaciers that once covered both the blue and white areas in 1986 shrank to cover just the blue area by 2014. If climate warming continues at the current pace, most of these glaciers will be gone by the end of the 21st century.

“Glacial lakes are basically big water storage tanks,” said Simon Cook, lead author of the study and a glaciologist at Manchester Metropolitan University. If these high-mountain water towers collapse, all their contents could come tumbling down, dislodging boulders and causing rivers to break their banks. Like an avalanche, a glacial flood can scour a valley bottom and wash away entire villages.

While the immediate damage would be devastating, the long-term impact is also worrisome, Cook said. In the dry season, glaciers provide as much as 30 percent of water to La Paz, Bolivia. In late 2016, officials instituted permanent water rations due to a severe drought. According to Al Jazeera, water taps in La Paz sometimes go dry for 60 hours at a time. The disappearance of high-mountain, glacial water sources could deal an additional blow to the city's residents, Cook said.

As climate change brings longer wet and dry spells, the stability of mountain glaciers and their lakes becomes more important. If widespread glacier loss occurs in the Andes, La Paz and cities like it would have to look to other water sources to meet their needs, “instead of drip-feeding populations downstream with water during the dry season.” said Cook.

Source: earthobservatory.nasa.gov

References and Related Reading

• Al Jazeera (2016, November 20) Water rationing introduced as Bolivia drought worsens. Accessed December 20, 2016.
• Cook, S. J. et al. (2016, October 20) Glacier change and glacial lake outburst flood risk in the Bolivian...Cryosphere. 10 (5194), 2399-2413.
• NASA Earth Observatory (2015, July 27) Glacial Lake Outburst Flood Near Almaty.
• NASA Earth Observatory (2011, March 11) Glacial Lakes of Patagonia.

NASA Earth Observatory image by Joshua Stevens, using Landsat data from the U.S. Geological Survey. Caption by Pola Lem.

Siberia hit with cold blast!

https://www.wunderground.com/global/stations/21908.html

http://siberiantimes.com/other/others/news/n0830-biting-cold-below-...

Biting cold below minus 60C brings out the best in Siberian face fa...

The freeze is so deep that horses - and even Rudolph - is brought indoors to warm up.

A video was posted entitled: 'Surgut men are so hardy they only ride on a swing and eat ice cream at minus 51C.'

In Nadym, it nudged minus 50C, and all schools were closed. In Tyumen, school classes were cancelled from grades 1 to 9, with minus 36C the trigger for children to stay home, although elsewhere in Siberia - for example Yakutia in recent weeks - students are still expected in school at below minus 52C.

Nizhnevartovsk hit minus 50C, the coldest winter in ten years in the city. School classes were cancelled today - and for the rest of the week.  

Such temperatures happen in eastern Siberia, but in the west they are more rare.

Heaviest Dec. snowfall in Hokkaido in 50 years causes transport chaos

http://asia.nikkei.com/Politics-Economy/Policy-Politics/Heaviest-De...

Nearly 100 airline flights, hundreds of trains cancelled

Yup its 10 degree celcius outside

https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2016/12/24/nearly-a-dozen-weather-...

Nearly a dozen weather records could be broken on Boxing Day: Environment Canada

Approximately a dozen weather records could be broken across Southern Ontario on Boxing Day, as a system of low pressure may bring mild temperatures to the region.

Environment Canada is forecasting a high of 10C in Toronto on Monday, which would break the previous record of 9.8 C from 1982, says Arnold Ashton, Environment Canada meteorologist.

Elsewhere in the province, forecasts could be high enough to break Woodstock’s record of 9.4 C from 1875 and Welland’s record of 12.2 C from the same year. Other cities in the Niagara Peninsula and GTA could smash similar records.

The high temperatures come with a system of low pressure from Colorado, which will carry warm, humid air from the Gulf of Mexico up to Southern Ontario.

The warm temperatures will also bring in periods of rain throughout Southern Ontario, and across the GTA.

Is global warming taking the piste? Popular Swiss ski resort is completely shut down after no snow falls for a week and temperatures push 10 DEGREES

• No snow has fallen in the ski resort of Charmey since December 19 leaving the slopes almost completely bare
• 2016 in Switzerland has been registered in the top 10 warmest since records began way back in 1864
• There is no snow forecast for at least a week in Charmey, meaning lifts will remain shut and pistes empty 0
• Warm temperatures in Switzerland in line with the rest of the world as 2016 looks set to be hottest year ever 

A top ski resort in Switzerland has had to close its slopes because there is no snow at all on the pistes. 

No snow has fallen in Charmey since December 19, leaving the mountain completely bereft of skiers with 2016 registering in the top 10 warmest since Swiss records began back in 1864.

With no snow forecast for at least a week, and with the temperature pushing a balmy 10C, it appears the lifts will remain shut well into the New Year. 

The temperature trend in Switzerland is in line with the rest of the world, with 2016 set to be the hottest year on record across the world, the World Meteorological Organization said in November.

A closed ski slope in Charmey, Switzerland on Boxing Day where the resort is closed due to the lack of snow

Source: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4066670/Is-global-warming-t... 

http://www.thelocal.se/20161227/hurricane-force-winds-as-storm-urd-...

Hurricane-force winds as Storm Urd sweeps through Sweden

Storm Urd hit Malmö on Monday afternoon.

The worst of the dreaded Storm Urd has passed in Sweden, and while the country escaped relatively unscathed from the dreaded Christmas bluster, it still managed to cause flooding and wreak havoc with traffic in some regions.

The Öresund Bridge between Malmö in Sweden and Copenhagen in Denmark reopened to traffic at 2.40am on Tuesday after closing at around 10pm the previous evening. Drivers were however warned to drive carefully and stay below 50 kilometres an hour on the 7.8-kilometre road bridge.

The water level in the strait separating the two countries rose to around 120-150 centimetres above average overnight, but national weather agency SMHI reported it was slowly subsiding in the morning.

SMHI downgraded its class-two weather warnings for southern Sweden to class-one in the far south and said gale-force winds were no longer expected for the rest of the Götaland region.

“The risk of strong gusts was over by around 4am or 5am,” SMHI meteorologist Johan Lundgren told news agency TT.

Several trains were still expected to be cancelled until 3pm on Tuesday on the following routes: Lund-Ystad/Simrishamn, Helsingborg-Simrishamn via Eslöv, Helsingborg-Hässleholm via Åstorp and Kristianstad-Karlskrona. Replacement buses will be in place, said operator Skånetrafiken.

Authorities in all three Scandinavian countries – Sweden, Norway and Denmark – had advised residents ahead of the storm to take precautions, including staying at home during the evening of the 26th and securing loose objects outside. However, the overall damages were not as bad as anticipated.

Fire and rescue services built sandbag barriers around the harbour and football arena in Halmstad, where the sea level was 175 centimetres above normal and residents in the region reported that the river Nissan had burst its banks.

Emergency services in Gothenburg were called out to a number of flooded basements and fallen trees and cars getting stuck on flooded roads were also reported across southern Sweden. 7

One Scandinavian Airlines flight from Reykjavik had to land at Bornholm island after twice being diverted – once from Copenhagen and once after being struck by lightning near Malmö Airport.

https://www.rt.com/usa/371886-blizzard-northern-plains-christmas/

Blizzard, ice cripple Great Plains, leaving thousands without electricity (PHOTO, VIDEO)

In North Dakota, weather conditions and near-zero visibility compelled a no-travel warning, as the National Weather Service said a blizzard warning would remain in effect for much of the state through Monday afternoon.

"It will take many days to get this snow cleared out,"said Jeff Heintz, North Dakota's director of public works.

Power outages have been reported across the region, especially in North and South Dakota, as well as Nebraska, where high winds have reached 70 miles per hour. Nearly 20,000 customers of the South Dakota Rural Electric Association were without power as of Monday afternoon, according to AP.

The North Dakota Transportation Department closed 240 miles of Interstate 94 on Sunday evening while no-travel advisories were issued across the state. In South Dakota, authorities shut down 260 miles of Interstate 90. 

Flight delays and cancellations have occurred at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport in Minnesota and Minot International Airport in North Dakota, as well as airports in Fargo, Hector, and Bismarck, North Dakota.

The National Weather Service in Grand Forks, North Dakota, reported near-zero visibility and wind gusts of up to 45 miles per hour in the eastern region of the state.

As of early Monday morning, Bismarck has received more than 12 inches of snow, according to the National Weather Service, while Underwood, North Dakota, got 18 inches of snow, the Weather Channel reported.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4066264/Uluru-National-Park...

Uluru as you've never seen it: Waterfalls cascade off the iconic rock after a freak outback storm

• A record 232 millimetres of rain drenched Uluru in a single day on Sunday
• It caused the rare sight of water cascading down the side of the rock
• The park was closed on Monday and towns were flooded and evacuated
•  The Weather bureau called in a one-in-50-year rainfall event

Flash flooding closed Uluru and forced a town to evacuate after a record 232 millimetres of rain fell in a single day.

The freak desert storm damaged at least 40 per cent of homes in Kintore, about 520 kilometres west of the red centre, forcing 100 of its 400 residents to flee.

Uluru National Park was shut down at 9am on Monday but visitors revelled in the rare sight of water cascading down the sides of the massive rock the day before.

Scroll down for videos 

+15

Flash flooding closed Uluru and forced a town to evacuate after a record 232 millimetres of rain fell in a single day with a thick low-lying white cloud obscured the top of the rock

Uluru National Park was shut down at 9am on Monday but visitors revelled in the rare sight of water cascading down the sides of the massive rock the day before

Dozens of waterfalls completely changed its complexion and put on a show for tourists who stayed out in the rain to watch the spectacle.

Photos and video from the base of Uluru showed huge pools forming below the waterfalls that lapped around raised walkways.

A thick low-lying white cloud obscured the top of the rock. 

Dozens of waterfalls completely changed its complexion and put on a show for tourists who stayed out in the rain to watch the spectacle

Water begins to trickle down the side of the massive rock

Photos and video from the base of Uluru showed huge pools forming below the waterfalls that lapped around raised walkways

Park manager Mike Misso said the park was closed due to the risk of flooded roads and the potential for car accidents.

'There's a lot of water coming off the rock and what that does is just channels across the ring road around Uluru, some of those roads there were flooded by about 300 to 400 millimeteres of rain,' he told the ABC.

'[It is] quite spectacular but very hazardous road conditions.'

Rare snowfall in Athens sends vibes of excitment through social media (PHOTOS, VIDEO)

https://www.rt.com/news/372135-greece-athens-rare-snow/

Greeks are in awe following a rare snowfall in their country that blanketed the streets, trees, and houses of the capital.

https://www.rt.com/news/372532-wildfire-valparaiso-chile-evacuation/

Savage wildfire burns 100 homes in Chile, forces evacuations. 

Fire burns a house on a hill, where more than 100 homes were burned due to forest fire but there have been no reports of death, local authorities said in Valparaiso, Chile January 2, 2017. 

Scientists Say 2016 Is Hottest Year Ever Recorded

Source: mercurynews.com

3 January, 2017. Climate scientists are all but assured that 2016 was the hottest year ever recorded. If that sounds familiar, 2014 and 2015 were also the hottest years since record-keeping began in 1880.

"2016 will break the global temperature record that was set in 2015, which broke the record that was set in 2014," climate change scientist Noah S. Diffenbaugh, professor of the Department of Earth System Science at Stanford University, told The Mercury News.

A number of experts and government organizations had already predicted that 2016 was Earth's hottest year in recorded history.

Last month, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) announced that El Nino drove much of the record warmth during the first two-thirds of 2016, while a weak La Nina cooled the globe down during the past few months. However, the period between January to November of 2016 was the warmest such period on record.

"The average global temperature was 1.69 degrees F above the average of 57.2 degrees, surpassing the record set in 2015 by 0.13 degrees F," the agency stated.

Recent headlines from publications around the world—from Houston, Texas to Singapore—have declared extreme heat. Meanwhile, the Arctic in particular saw "a meteoric rise" in October heat that contributed to the region's record low sea ice extent for the month, which clocked in at 28.5 percent below the 1981-2010 average. Source: ecowatch.com

Record drought in Bolivia drains lakes, threatens capital

A dried farmland is seen during the worst drought in 25 years in El Choro, Bolivia, on December 1, 2016. (David Mercado/Reuters)

4 January, 2017. Lake Poopo, Bolivia's second-largest, has dried up entirely

Last year, the flowering quinoa plants painted Florencio Tola's farmlands in vibrant sepia and ochre tones.

But this season, all that could be seen was the straw colour of dried-out stalks that never germinated amid Bolivia's worst drought in 30 years. Nearby a collection of scrawny cows, with their ribs protruding and flaccid udders, grazed on what little vegetation could be found on the sere ground.

"It's as if I had never sown anything," said Tola, 60, who like thousands of other farmers planted his quinoa in October ahead of the rainy season that usually runs through March.

He and thousands of other farmers in the Bolivian high plains believe they have been hit by a particularly strong weather phenomenon known as El Nino, caused by warming waters in the eastern Pacific Ocean. Crops and livestock were decimated, and reservoirs that supply the capital of La Paz and other cities have dropped to alarming levels. Lake Poopo, Bolivia's second-largest, has dried up entirely.

"The 2015-2016 (El Nino) is one of the strongest in 30 years, although scientists' verdict on its role in the current drought has not been concluded yet," said Dirk Hoffmann, a glacial and climate specialist who directs the Bolivian Mountain Institute, a research and advisory foundation.

Bolivian President Evo Morales has warned that if the rainy season is delayed further, it could deplete food supply next year. In October he approved a $250 million emergency plan to support those affected by the drought by drilling wells to stave off potential water shortages.

Rain, but not enough

Cows graze on arid fields during a severe and prolonged drought on the outskirts of Burguillos in Bolivia's Altiplano. Bolivia's worst drought in 30 years has decimated crops and livestock and evaporated the country's second largest lake. (Juan Karita/The Associated Press)

While there have been isolated heavy rains in recent weeks, they haven't yet been enough to compensate for months of drier than usual weather.

Authorities say reservoir levels are at their lowest level ever. According to Humberto Claure, manager of the Social Public Enterprise for Water and Sanitation, even generous rains will not fill up the five dams that serve La Paz, so the emergency is expected to last through the end of 2017.

The city relies on rain for 80 per cent of its water, and this season has seen just 10 per cent of normal rainfall, according to hydrological scientist Edson Ramirez of the Higher University of San Andres.

In some parts of the capital, water no longer flows through the pipes and people are forced to rely on trucked deliveries. Several weeks ago, La Paz's largest hospital limited surgeries to only the most urgent cases because of low water pressure. Public schools ended the academic cycle early. The popular professional soccer club The Strongest even asked its players to shower at home.

Crop losses

But the drought has hit hardest in the countryside, including the eastern region that is often punished by deluges and flash floods. The Agricultural Chamber of the East reported the loss of nearly 50 per cent of production over the South American winter in that part of the country, equivalent to 448,000 tons of soy, corn and wheat.

Although the South American summer has already begun, fields in the Andean region retain the yellowish hue of autumn. In the eastern lowlands, rice paddies dried out before germination due to the drought, which aggravated pest infestations, according to growers. In the central valleys, you can see skeletons of animals that died looking for watering holes.

Farmers' groups say 30 per cent of the quinoa crop has been lost to the delayed rains.

Often referred to as the "golden grain of the Andes," quinoa cultivation has helped thousands of farmers climb out of poverty after it became widely popular overseas among organic-oriented consumers during the last decade.

Many in Bolivia turned to the crop as prices rose from $11 for roughly 50 kilograms in the early 2000s to as high as $259 at the end of 2014.

That fell last year to $100 per 50 kilograms, but the drought remains the worst enemy of farmers like Tola.

This season, nothing has sprouted on his lands in Caracollo, about 110 miles (180 kilometres) east of La Paz.
"As a teen I went to the city of Oruro to make a living because the countryside didn't allow you to live," Tola said. "But I returned to my family when quinoa got better and had a good price. I improved my little home and built more rooms for my children."

Migration

In many rural villages, farmers' desperation is so great that Roman Catholic saints have been brought out in processions and offerings have been made to the Pachamama, or Mother Earth of indigenous tradition, beseeching her for the rains to arrive.

"Families are beginning to migrate," said Mayor Jaime Mendieta of Pasorapa, a village in the high valleys of central Bolivia. "You see it in the schools. Children are enrolled in neighbouring municipalities where there is water because parents know there will be production there."

Tola said that if it weren't for his cattle, he would have already joined his eldest son, who left for eastern Bolivia to find work as a day labourer. But he hopes to never again have to abandon his home like he did in his youth.

"I wouldn't want to leave my town again," Tola said. Source: cbc.ca

https://weather.com/storms/winter/news/winter-storm-helena-impacts

Winter Storm Helena Pushes East, Killing 2; State of Emergency Declared in Alabama, Georgia

 

The rush was on as millions in the Deep South began preparations Thursday for Helena, a dangerous, deadly winter storm that could cause serious problems across the region over the weekend. 

Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley announced Thursday afternoon that a state of emergency will take effect Friday morning at 7 a.m. CST. The declaration affects all counties in the state, and among the impacts of the state of emergency is the activation of 300 soldiers from the Alabama National Guard to assist mission support teams and command staff. 

Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal also declared a state of emergency, which was set to begin at noon on Friday. 

On Thursday, the Georgia Emergency Management Agency warned North Georgia residents to prepare for the winter storm and urged people to have enough food and other supplies on hand to stay in their homes for t.... Several school districts in metro Atlanta will dismiss students early on Friday. 

The Georgia Department of Transportation began working days ahead of the storm to make sure they are ready when wintry weather moves into central and north Georgia, including metro Atlanta, Friday night into Saturday, reports WALB.com. 

"In the metro area, we have 10 5,000-gallon tanker trucks to treat the interstate," GDOT Maintenance Engineer Dale Bradley said. 

Pre-treating roads with brine is a new tactic for GDOT since Winter Storm Leon crippled the city and left drivers stranded on area roads in January 2014. 

"We are trying to pre-treat before the storm, but at the same time close enough to the storm that if it does come in as heavy rain, we don't get a lot of it washed off," Bradley said. 

Into the Carolinas, residents began to stock up on food and other supplies with even bigger snow totals in the forecast. 

http://www.thelocal.dk/20170105/photos-100-year-flood-hits-denmark

IN PHOTOS: 100-year flood hits Denmark

Kolding resident Niels Holflod fights to empty his basement in the early hours on Thursday. Photo: Palle Peter Skov/Scanpix

Water levels in parts of Denmark reached up to 177cm above normal on Thursday morning after a predicted winter storm swept through the nation.

The water rose so high in areas in southern Denmark that the Danish Meteorology Institute (DMI) said that levels reached heights that statistically only come once a century. 

 

“We had 100-year floods in Sønderborg, Bagenkop, Aabenraa, Rødbyhavn, Hesnæs, Rødvig and Køge,” DMI spokesman Frank Nielsen told broadcaster DR early on Thursday. 

 

Emergency workers pump water at Aabenraa Harbour. 

 

The highest recorded levels were in southern Lolland and Jutland, where water topped out at 177 centimetres above normal. In Copenhagen, water rose 87cm while just south of the city in Dragør the water level was 139cm above normal. 

 

DMI said that the waters wouldn’t recede until late morning on Thursday. 

 

 

Despite the so-called 100-year flooding, the storm’s arrival was so well warned in advance that emergency preparations were able to avert major damage. 

 

“It appears as if the different players like emergency services and the police had enough time to be well-prepared so they could fend off the worst problems. They were definitely not caught with their pants down,” Nielsen said. 

 

Emergency preparations in Faaborg on the island of Funen. 

 

Emergency responder Falck said that it only had to respond to nine emergency calls as the waters rose.

 

“There was actually less to do than on a normal night. We have thus far only been called out on nine water-related jobs throughout the whole country,” Falck spokesman Jesper Jakobsen told Ritzau, adding that his company was “surprised” by the quiet night. 

 

“We need to send our compliments to Beredskabsstyrelsen [the Danish Emergency Management Agency, ed.], which did a great job of preventive work,” Jakobsen said. 

 

Boating docks at Sønderborg were underwater on Thursday morning.

 

At the Danish Emergency Management Agency, they in turn gave credit to DMI for its “impressively precise forecasts” that allowed for proper preparation. 

 

While the worst of the flooding came and went without extensive damage, it was replaced by bitter cold on Thursday with daytime highs only expected to peak at -1C. 

 

Christmas night in Moscow was the coldest in the XXI century 

Google translate

7 January, 2017. Christmas Night in Moscow was very frosty since the beginning of winter, the air in the capital has cooled to minus 29.8 degrees, was reported in the Russian Hydrometeorological Center.

"It's so cold in this century in the night of 6 January 7 was not. In the XXI century, 20 degrees of frost on Christmas night marked three times (2002, 2003 and 2015). Last Christmas frosty (minus 20.4 degrees) was observed . in 2015, the most frosty in this century was Christmas 2003, then amplified by the frost to minus 26 degrees, "- said the representative of the weather service.
Even cooler was that night in the suburbs. In Klin air is cooled to minus 32.7 degrees, Volokolamsk - up to 32.2 degrees Celsius.
However, the temperature record for December 7 is not broken. The coldest in the history of meteorological observations Christmas night in Moscow was in 1891, when the air is cooled down to minus 34.8 degrees, the warmest day of January 7 states in 2007, when the maximum temperature reached 3.5 degrees Celsius. Source: tass.ru

http://mashable.com/2017/01/06/california-storms-snow-flooding-atmo...

After six years of coping with the state's worst drought on record, Californians are not used to rain. But they'd better prepare for it, fast, because an onslaught of storms the likes of which the state has not seen in at least a decade is coming quickly.

These storms have tropical connections, and are bringing with them extraordinary amounts of rain and snow, along with strong winds. A dizzying array of storm watches and warnings have been issued across the West, from freezing rain advisories (Oregon) to flash flood watches (California) to winter storm watches and warnings (Rocky Mountains), as the most intense storm approaches for Saturday through Monday. 

These storms, known as "atmospheric rivers" for their extraordinarily narrow channels of eye-popping levels of moisture, and hence copious amounts of rain and mountain snow, could have deadly consequences, officials are warning. 

The National Weather Service is cautioning millions from the San Francisco Bay area to Lake Tahoe to be prepared for potentially historic flooding as the storm systems wreak havoc with streams and rivers. 

Precipitable water forecast for the weekend, with white arrows showing the corridor of the West Coast atmospheric river.

The weekend storm is forecast to dump at least 7 inches of rain in the Bay Area, with up to a foot of rain in some of the hilly areas nearby, while several more feet of snow fall in the highest peaks of the Sierra Nevada Mountains. 

Of particular concern is the presence of 4 to 8 feet of new snow that fell this week even at lower elevations in the mountains of northern and central California. 

Photos from ski areas in the Sierras showed a winter wonderland of fresh powder, which many skiers and snowboarders took advantage of before the next storms hit.

The weekend storm is forecast to bring with it a slug of mild air all the way from the tropics, which will turn the heavy, cement-like snow to rain from the surface all the way to 9,000 feet during the height of the storm. This means all but the highest mountain peaks will see rain for part of the event, before temperatures plummet again by Monday.

This raises the specter of snowmelt-induced flooding in areas like Yosemite National Park, the Lake Tahoe region and other parts of the Golden State. 

Here's how meteorologists at the National Weather Service in Reno described the flood dangers this storm poses: 

"It won't take much rainfall to generate flood impacts across the Sierra and western Nevada.Creeks, streams, urban areas and farmland are certainly at risk for flooding late this weekend."

By the time the next storm is over, the highest peaks of California's Sierra Nevada Mountains and parts of the Cascade range will have picked up over 120 to 150 inches of snow in the past seven days, with much more on the way as more storms take aim at the West next week and beyond. 

In fact, computer models show storms with atmospheric river links stacked up one after the other like planes landing at O'Hare Airport during rush hour. 

"The amount of rain over the next 7-10 days will likely be substantial if not historic," according to the National Weather Service (NWS) forecast office in San Francisco.

Large-scale tornado outbreaks increasing in frequency, study finds

7 January, 2017. The frequency of large-scale tornado outbreaks is increasing in the United States, particularly when it comes to the most extreme events, according to research recently published in Science.

The study by researchers including Joel E. Cohen, a visiting scholar at the University of Chicago, finds the increase in tornado outbreaks does not appear to be the result of a warming climate as earlier models suggested. Instead, their findings tie the growth in frequency to trends in the vertical wind shear found in certain supercells—a change not so far associated with a warmer climate.
"What's pushing this rise in extreme outbreaks, during which the vast majority of tornado-related fatalities occur, is far from obvious in the present state of climate science," said Cohen, the Abby Rockefeller Mauzé Professor at Rockefeller University and Professor of Earth and Environmental Sciences at Columbia University, who conducted the research while a visiting scholar in UChicago's Department of Statistics.
Tornado outbreaks are large-scale weather events that last one to three days, featuring several thunderstorms and six or more tornadoes in close succession. In the study, published in the Dec. 16 issue of Science, the researchers used new statistical tools, including extreme value analysis—a branch of statistics dealing with deviations—to analyze observation-based meteorological estimates associated with tornado outbreaks together with National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration datasets.
The researchers estimated that the number of tornadoes in the most extreme outbreak in a five-year interval doubled over the last half-century. This means that in 1965 the worst outbreak expected over five years would have had about 40 tornadoes, while in 2015 the worst outbreak expected over five years would have had about 80 tornadoes.
"Viewing the data on thousands of tornadoes that have been reliably recorded in the United States over the past half-century as a population has permitted us to ask new questions and discover new, important changes in outbreaks of these tornadoes," Cohen said.
To understand the increased frequency in tornado outbreaks, the researchers looked at two factors: convective available potential energy, or CAPE, and storm relative helicity, which is a measure of vertical wind shear.
Earlier studies had projected a warming climate would increase CAPE, creating conditions favorable to a rise in severe thunderstorms—and potentially tornado outbreaks. But Cohen and his colleagues found the increases in outbreaks were driven instead by storm relative helicity, which has not been projected to increase under a warming climate.
"Our study raises new questions about what climate change will do to severe thunderstorms and what is responsible for recent trends," said co-author Michael K. Tippett, an associate professor at Columbia University's Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Science. "The fact that we didn't see the presently understood meteorological signature of global warming in changing outbreak statistics for tornadoes leaves two possibilities: Either the recent increases are not due to a warming climate, or a warming climate has implications for tornado activity that we don't understand." Source: phys.org

Boise Declares State of Emergency

http://1035kissfmboise.com/boise-declares-state-of-emergency/?track...

Dec 5, 2017 Yikes!! This winter storm is more significant than we thought.

Boise mayor David Bieter declared the city to be in a state of emergency which would last for seven days according to KTVB.

The state of emergency status can last longer than the seven days, if Bieter decides to extend it. By doing so, Boise is able to bypass the typical methods such as bidding, in order to get the city the supplies it needs.

Currently, there is expected rainfall to hit the city within the next few days which can cause severe flooding. This threat has caused the city to begin contracting with operators of backhoes, dump trucks and other essentials if needed.

In addition to being in a state of emergency, schools have taken Friday off as well.

http://www.telegraaf.nl/buitenland/27390211/__Sneeuw_verrast_Kreta_...

Snow surprised Crete

Snow in the streets of capital Heraklion.

Greece has considerably affected by the wintry weather, with temperatures in the night from Saturday to Sunday in some places fell to 17 degrees below zero. In many places in the country's roads are impassable by the rainfall.

In the northern part of the Aegean Sea, particularly the islands, the Sporades burden of heavy snowfall. On the island of Skopelos fell overnight more than half a meter. Lesbos, one of the largest Greek islands near the Turkish coast, succumbed dozens of tents in a large refugee camp where 5,000 people live under the snow.

Powerful storm causes widespread flooding in Northern California, evacuations in neighboring Nevada

http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-california-storm-201701...

The first band of what forecasters predict will be the region's most powerful storm in a decade continued to pummel Northern California on Sunday, causing flooding throughout the region and prompting evacuations in Sonoma County and parts of neighboring Nevada.

https://www.wunderground.com/weather-radar/united-states-regional/n...

https://www.rt.com/news/373006-winter-europe-freezing-cold/

Deadly icy snap sweeps across Europe, authorities struggling to cope (PHOTOS)

A girl walks under snow-covered trees during a snowfall in Istanbul, Turkey, January 7, 2017. 

Europe is beginning to count the cost of the deadly cold snap sweeping across the continent, with the first deaths reported over the weekend.

Social workers in Serbia have been trying to ease the living conditions of migrants living in makeshift shelters enduring the below-freezing temperatures. In the capital Belgrade, hundreds of people, mostly from Afghanistan and Pakistan, are staying in an abandoned customs warehouse, with local aid groups providing heaters, blankets, clothes and food. 

A man walks in the snow at around minus 26 degrees Celsius (minus 14.8 degrees Fahrenheit) in the village of Jezerc, Kosovo January 8, 2017.

Many people there were sick, though, the aid groups said. “The next few days are critical, and for sure the health condition of these people is worsening,'' Stephane Moissaing, the MSF Head of Mission in Serbia, told AP.  

The country's authorities has also banned river traffic due to ice blockages and strong winds, while emergency measures were announced in some municipalities in the south and southwest. Several villages were blocked by heavy snow, forcing the evacuation of about 100 people there.

A man walks in the centre of Warsaw January 

Two men died of the severe cold in Poland, with the total death toll from sub-zero temperatures reaching 55 since November, according to figures by Polish authorities, as cited by AP. In the country's southern, mountainous regions, temperatures dropped to -30 degrees Celsius (-22 degrees Fahrenheit).

A man removes snow from a car in a suburb of Sofia after heavy snowfall on January 7, 2017. 

In neighboring Bulgaria, police reported the deaths of two men from Iraq, as well as a Somali woman, who succumbed from the cold in the mountains bordering Turkey. Security forces said that the three were apparently trying to reach Europe. Many villages have also been  left without electricity and water.

In Romania, a dozen or so of the country’s major roads remain closed because of heavy snow, and ferry services between Romania and Bulgaria across the Danube have been canceled. Authorities also announced schools would be closed on Monday and Tuesday in many areas, including the capital, Bucharest.

Moving westward, where Italian authorities blamed the extreme weather for eight deaths, one of them a man who was found in the basement of an unused building in Milan, while another was found on a street in Florence near the Arno river.

Trees are covered with ice and snow on top of the Feldberg mountain, in Germany January 8, 2017.

German Federal Police reported picking up 19 migrants – five of them children – at a highway stop in Bavaria, after their driver apparently ditched them, leaving the group stranded in the freezing cold. Elsewhere, across the country, firefighters reported 415 incidents of weather-related accidents over the weekend alone, AP reported.

Even in Turkey, snow has been falling for three days, with Turkish Airlines grounding hundreds of flights.

Vehicles wait for the greenlight of a traffic light during a snowfall in Istanbul, Turkey January 8, 2017. 

However, it appears Muscovites didn't fear the cold, though, with hundreds joining an eight-kilometer bike parade in -27 degrees Celsius (minus 17 Fahrenheit).

Winds of 129mph leave a trail of destruction across Britain cutting power to 4,300 homes, hurling trampolines onto train lines and tearing roofs from buildings - and now the Big Chill is set to strike

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4108474/M62-closed-lorry-BL...

Dramatic footage showed the vehicle pinned on a bank as winds kept the wheels off the ground in Staffordshire.

Some 4,300 homes lost power in the North and Scotland while a lorry blew over on a bridge near Edinburgh.

Trees and walls fell over in Northumberland, with one street in Newcastle city centre shut due to wind damage.

The Met Office said up to eight inches of snow could fall, with much of the country under a weather warning.

A gust of 129mph was recorded on CairnGorm in the Highlands and High Bradfield in South Yorkshire saw 93mph.

The strong winds caused damage across the country overnight, with power cuts in the North East and Scotland.  

About 2,300 homes lost power in Durham, Sunderland, Gateshead and Northumberland because of the gusts.

SNOW HELL in 18 HOURS: Whole of UK to be trapped in -10C freezing DOUBLE VORTEX for a week

http://www.express.co.uk/news/weather/752563/snow-weather-uk-foreca...

TWO colossal swathes of churning, freezing air will close in on Britain over the next 18 hours triggering snow across the whole of the UK and the worst nationwide freeze for six years.

The entire country is on alert for crippling blizzards, Arctic temperatures and snow to grind transport systems to a standstill and knock out power supplies

Latest weather models released today show at least 10cm of snow in London from tomorrow morning while the rest of the country is facing high levels of snow fall.

The Government has issued a raft of weather and health warnings from tomorrow when the first of the snow is forecast to fall.

And this for Belgium:

Crisis on the coast: worst storm in 50 years coming

https://translate.google.com/translate?sl=nl&tl=en&js=y&...

Dangerous, potentially destructive ice storm looms for 1,000-mile swath of central US

http://www.accuweather.com/en/weather-news/dangerous-potentially-de...

People from Texas to Ohio are bracing for a long-duration ice storm that could turn destructive and cut power to hundreds of thousands from Friday to Sunday.

A shallow layer of cold air in the atmosphere will accompany a storm over the central United States. The storm will produce a swath of freezing rain along a 1,000-mile swath.

As the chilled rain falls on cold surfaces, it will freeze into a glaze of ice.

http://www.9news.com/weather/another-colorado-ski-resort-closes-bec...

CONNECT TWEET LINKEDIN GOOGLE+ PINTEREST

KUSA - It’s a snow report that would inevitably make any powder hound salivate: 20 inches in the last 20 hours, 28 inches in the last 48 and 68 inches in the last week.

It’s a lot of snow – so much snow, in fact, that Monarch Mountain is the second ski resort in two days to say it can’t open due to too much of that white powder.

RELATED: Crested Butte closes because of too much snow

“Monarch Pass is closed all night for avalanche control, preventing Monarch Mountain maintenance, food service and grooming crews from reaching the mountain,” the resort wrote on Facebook Tuesday. “Stay tuned for information on status and conditions for tomorrow, Jan. 11.”

The resort was reopened Wednesday, with another 6 inches of snow. They've gotten 26 inches of new snow in the last 48 hours, putting their mid-mountain base at 87 inches. 

Photos shared on Monarch's Facebook page show heavy drifts of snow at the resort. 

Monarch Mountain joins Crested Butte in having a very, very unique problem.

Crested Butte announced Monday that it would have to close its lifts due to safety concerns arising from too much snow. On Tuesday, they tweeted they were working on getting everything back open. They're now back open with some of the best conditions in years!

Arapahoe Basin also closed on Tuesday and part of the day on Wednesday, but reopened Wednesday afternoon.

http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/asiapacific/northern-japan-hit-...

Snow-covered road near Shinshinotsu, Hokkaido.