Earth ChangesS


Ice Cube

Fans warned to prepare for what could be the coldest Super Bowl ever

Fans warned to prepare for what could be the coldest Super Bowl ever
© AP Photo | Mark HumphreySuper Bowl 2018 weather
Snow is cleared outside U.S. Bank Stadium Saturday, Feb. 3, 2018, in Minneapolis. The New England Patriots and the Philadelphia Eagles are scheduled to play the NFL Super Bowl 52 football game in the stadium Sunday.
Sunday's Super Bowl is expected to be the coldest on record with temperatures in the low single digits around the 5:30 p.m. CT kickoff. Factor in the winds of around 10 mph, and it will feel like it's well below zero.

Granted, the game is indoors, but officials here are warning those who will attend Super Bowl LII at U.S. Bank Stadium to be prepared - especially as the tightened security measures could lead to longer waits to get inside.

"This is very important for us to make sure that people who are coming here and visiting for the Super Bowl to please dress appropriately," NFL security chief Cathy Lanier said this week. "Even if you are only out for a few minutes, it can get quite cold here. You need to dress in layers, hats, gloves, scarves covering your extremities (and) comfortable shoes or boots."

Comment: The US, like many places on the planet right now, are predicting an unusual cold spell up ahead:


Seismograph

M5.4 shallow earthquake strikes Taiwan, long and powerful tremors reported (VIDEO)

Thailand Earthquake M5.4 Feb 4 2018
A 5.3-magnitude earthquake has struck Taiwan just over 100 kilometers south of the city of Taipei, according to revised US Geological Service data.

The epicenter of the quake was 7.5km underground. Independent service EMSC earlier put the magnitude at 6.5. Witnesses cited by EMSC have described long and powerful tremors, which visibly shook their apartments. There were no immediate reports of damage caused by the quake.

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Snowflake Cold

Moscow sees 17 inches of snow in a day - heaviest ever recorded and half its average monthly total (VIDEOS)

Record Blizzard Hits Central Russia: Moscow Under Snow Siege (VIDEO)
© Sputnik/ Evgeny Biyatov
At least one person died and several were injured after Moscow experienced its heaviest day of snowfall since records began, the city's mayor and agencies said Sunday.

Russia's meteorological service said Moscow had seen more than half its average monthly snowfall in the space of 24 hours, with 43 centimetres (17 inches) blanketing the capital by Sunday morning, agencies reported.

"One person died from a falling tree that hit an electric power line," Moscow mayor Sergei Sobyanin said on his VKontakte social media page, adding that 360 trees had already been brought down by the extreme weather.


Ice Cube

Avalanche hits central Italy ski resort - two dead

avalanche Italy campo felice ski resort
© Associated Press/ La Repubblica
The ski resort "Campo Felice" in the Italian region Abruzzo was hit by an avalanche, emergency services reported Sunday.

According to reports, two people died as they were skiing off-piste at Campo Felice. Rescuers managed to save the third skier, who was slightly injured, and transfer him by helicopter to L'Aquila hospital.

Last January one of the deadliest avalanches struck the Abruzzo region, having engulfed the Italian luxury resort Hotel Rigopiano, leaving twenty-nine people dead and eleven injured. In total nine people, including four children, were pulled out alive.

The Italian Fire Brigade also rescued several puppies from the avalanche-hit hotel which became a symbol of hope amid tragic developments in the country.


Attention

17 rare river dolphins die in 4 months in Bangladesh

The river dolphin population in Bangladesh is dwindling
The river dolphin population in Bangladesh is dwindling
The official status of river dolphins is "critically endangered"

As many as 17 river dolphins have been found dead in Chittagong's Halda River since October last year.

Experts have mainly blamed pollution, river dredging and the plying of mechanized vessels for the deaths.

River dolphins, locally known as Shushuk, have been classified as "critically endangered" in the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List of Threatened Species.

Fifteen dolphins were found dead between October last year and January 5. Bodies of two more were found floating in the Halda River on January 20 and February 1.

According to Halda River Research Laboratory, the river dolphin population will not exceed 1,200 across the globe and about 250 of them are believed to be found in the Halda River.

Attention

5 dead dolphins found on the coast of Almeria, Spain

SAD SIGHT: One of the dolphins to become stranded last month.
© EquinacOne of the dolphins to become stranded last month.
Five dolphins have been left stranded on the Almeria coast since the turn of the year.

According to animal rescue agency Equinac, in the first month of 2018, five dolphins, one of them common, have been found dead, washed up on various parts of Almeria's coastline.

The animals were reportedly found on the Playa de los Genoveses, Nijar, Almerimar, El Ejido, Roquetas, Retamar and in the Cabo de Gata. The numbers follow an alarming trend in the region, which saw more than 155 animals stranded on Almerian beaches between 2013 and 2015. And data released by Equinac earlier this year revealed that an estimated 80 sea animals, including dolphins, whales and sea turtles, died on Almerian shores last year.

Cloud Precipitation

Snowfall record doubled in Grande Prairie, Canada

Grande Prairie nearly doubles snowfall record Feb 2018
Grande Prairie got 23.2 centimetres of snow Friday, nearly doubling the previous record and topping off five days straight of heavy snowfall. The previous record snowfall for February 2nd was 12.2 centimetres set back in 1999.

RCMP issued a travel advisory Friday, due to snow and icy road conditions, especially along Highway 40. Since Monday, 51.2 centimetres of snow has fallen in the city.

Comment: Meanwhile in Russia, Moscow saw similarly record breaking snow: Russia's coldest winter at -67C, 'once in a century' blizzard buries Moscow expected to continue through Monday (PHOTO, VIDEO)

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Ice Cube

-40C forecast for Finland's Lapland as possible record breaking cold front moves in

finland lapland feb 2018 -40C
© Aku Häyrynen / LehtikuvaLapland municipality of Muonio on January 6
Winter took its time coming to southern Finland this year, but recent snowstorms put an end to mild conditions there. The coming week will see temperatures drop throughout the country.

A high pressure front will move in over Finland this weekend, bringing below-zero temperatures that will linger for over a week. The drop in the mercury will combine with scattered snowfall in places to make road conditions hazardous.

Weather forecasts say temperatures of up to minus 10 degrees Celsius will be seen in the south, growing colder as the crow flies north.

Comment: Finland isn't the only place predicting a brutal week of biting weather: Britain facing one of the coldest weeks this winter with temps of -7C predicted, to continue into next week

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Ice Cube

Britain facing one of the coldest weeks this winter with temps of -7C predicted, to continue into next week

7 Winter walkers in the Snow at Ribblehead, North Yorkshire on Saturday, February 3
© Charlotte Graham7 Winter walkers in the Snow at Ribblehead, North Yorkshire on Saturday, February 3
The coldest week of the winter could be just around the corner, with most of the population likely to see a few flakes of the white stuff.

A series of weather warnings are in place, forecasting snow and ice from Sunday and throughout next week, the Met Office said.

The mercury could plummet as low as minus 7C (19.4F) in some parts of the UK, while the bulk of the population can expect to shiver through sub-zero temperatures.

Comment: If weather elsewhere in the world is anything to go by, it could be a doozy for Britain - which in December 2017 experienced the heaviest snowfall for 4 years:


Cloud Precipitation

Storm kills 2 in flash floods days after devastating king tide in New Zealand (PHOTO, VIDEO)

flash flood auckland new zealand february 2018
Flash floods in West Auckland's Waitakere Ranges claimed two teenagers' lives on Saturday evening.

The two people who died after being swept away in a flash flood were both teenage boys, police have revealed.

Mitch Woolley​ and Sosi Turagaiviu, both 17 years old, were swept away while trying to cross a swollen river in West Auckland's Waitakere Ranges about 5pm Saturday.

Comment: Both hemispheres of the planet are being slammed by extreme weather: Also see: