Snowfall warnings issued for eastern Vancouver Island and southern Interior.
Parts of Metro Vancouver got their first snow overnight Thursday, but there were few reports it was impacting the morning commute in most areas on Friday morning.
The heaviest snow was reported in the UBC area, parts of Surrey and higher elevations on the North Shore and Port Moody.
TransLink reported there were no major issues with their service but riders were advised to dress warmly and expect crowded conditions as people leave their cars at home.
No problems were reported with the SkyTrain lines or with buses at SFU.
Earth Changes
State and county officials in northern Nevada have declared a state of emergency as a wind-whipped wildfire in Reno has destroyed more than 20 homes and forced the evacuation of thousands.
"It's tough man, it's tough," Reno Fire Chief Michael Hernandez told the Reno Gazette-Journal on Friday. "The winds are not helping us at all."
"It's tough man, it's tough," Reno Fire Chief Michael Hernandez told the Reno Gazette-Journal on Friday. "The winds are not helping us at all."
© AccuWeather.com
"I don't think anybody was really expecting this," 43-year-old Shawn Ross, a lifelong Fairbanksan, said. "This came out of the blue."
For the second time in three days, Fairbanks set a new low temperature record on Thursday. A temperature of 41 degrees below zero - the first 40 below temperature of the season - was recorded at Fairbanks International Airport at 6:29 a.m., according to the National Weather Service in Fairbanks. That broke the old record of 39 below set in 1969.
The cold air settling in the flatlands has concentrated air pollution. The Fairbanks North Star Borough issued air quality advisories on Wednesday and Thursday because particulate matter was above the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's standards and rated as unhealthy for sensitive groups.
Fairbanks set a new record of 35 below on Tuesday and the temperature bottomed out at 39 below on Wednesday, two degrees shy of the record.
Thursday's record low of 41 below marked the sixth earliest 40-below temperature recorded by the National Weather Service in Fairbanks since 1904. The earliest it's ever hit 40 below in Fairbanks was Nov. 5, 1907, when it hit 41 below.
© USGS
Earthquake Location
Earthquake Location
Friday, November 18, 2011 at 07:51:27 UTC
Friday, November 18, 2011 at 07:51:27 PM at epicenter
Time of Earthquake in other Time Zones
Location
37.558°S, 179.311°E
Depth
26.8 km (16.7 miles)
Region
OFF EAST COAST OF THE NORTH ISLAND, N.Z.
Distances
158 km (98 miles) NE of Gisborne, New Zealand
269 km (167 miles) ENE of Rotorua, New Zealand
405 km (251 miles) ESE of Auckland, New Zealand
561 km (348 miles) NE of WELLINGTON, New Zealand
© Unknown
Top international climate scientists and disaster experts meeting in Africa have a sharp message for the world's political leaders: Get ready for more dangerous and unpredictable weather caused by global warming.
They're calling for preparations that they say will save lives and money.
The experts fear that without preparedness, crazy weather extremes may overwhelm some locations, making them uninhabitable.
The Nobel Prize-winning Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change issued a new special report on global warming and extreme weather Friday after meeting in Uganda.
This is the first time the group of scientists has focused on the dangers of extreme weather events such as heat waves, floods, droughts and storms.
Those are more dangerous than gradual increases in the world's average temperature.
The Washington Post reported that the report said there was at least a 66 percent chance that climate extremes had been changed because of carbon emissions produced by fossil fuels and other human activity.
Top international climate scientists and disaster experts meeting in Africa had a sharp message Friday for the world's political leaders: Get ready for more dangerous and "unprecedented extreme weather" caused by global warming.
Making preparations, they say, will save lives and money.
These experts fear that without preparedness, crazy weather extremes may overwhelm some locations, making some places unlivable.
The Nobel Prize-winning Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change issued a new special report on global warming and extreme weather after meeting in Kampala, Uganda. This is the first time the group of scientists has focused on the dangers of extreme weather events such as heat waves, floods, droughts and storms. Those are more dangerous than gradual increases in the world's average temperature.
"We need to be worried," said one of the study's lead authors, Maarten van Aalst, director of the International Red Cross/Red Crescent Climate Centre in the Netherlands. "And our response needs to anticipate disasters and reduce risk before they happen rather than wait until after they happen and clean up afterward. ... Risk has already increased dramatically."
Making preparations, they say, will save lives and money.
These experts fear that without preparedness, crazy weather extremes may overwhelm some locations, making some places unlivable.
The Nobel Prize-winning Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change issued a new special report on global warming and extreme weather after meeting in Kampala, Uganda. This is the first time the group of scientists has focused on the dangers of extreme weather events such as heat waves, floods, droughts and storms. Those are more dangerous than gradual increases in the world's average temperature.
"We need to be worried," said one of the study's lead authors, Maarten van Aalst, director of the International Red Cross/Red Crescent Climate Centre in the Netherlands. "And our response needs to anticipate disasters and reduce risk before they happen rather than wait until after they happen and clean up afterward. ... Risk has already increased dramatically."
Comment: Those inquiring minds may want to view the SOTT Focus: The Cs Hit List: Space and Weather Science Gone Wild
© USGS
Monday, November 14, 2011 at 22:08:15 UTC
Tuesday, November 15, 2011 at 12:08:15 AM at epicenter
Time of Earthquake in other Time Zones
Location:
38.664°N, 43.099°E
Depth:
10 km (6.2 miles)
Region:
EASTERN TURKEY
Distances:
30 km (18 miles) NW of Van, Turkey
117 km (72 miles) S of Agri (Karakose), Turkey
133 km (82 miles) NNW of Hakkari, Turkey
896 km (556 miles) E of ANKARA, Turkey
The Pacific Northwest sits atop an earthquake zone that's nearly a mirror image of the deep fault that ruptured the sea floor off Japan in March, killing thousands.
Scientists are looking for volunteers in Portland to help track earthquakes by having a seismograph placed in their home or business in a citizen science project called NetQuakes. The U.S. Geological Survey says it's trying to build networks with more dense and uniformly spaced seismographs in select urban areas to provide better measurements of ground motion during earthquakes:
© Unknown
A car rests against a cottage in Seaside after a tsunami hit the Oregon coast in 1964, triggered by a powerful earthquake in Alaska. The tsunami killed five people in Oregon.
A car rests against a cottage in Seaside after a tsunami hit the Oregon coast in 1964, triggered by a powerful earthquake in Alaska. The tsunami killed five people in Oregon.
Scientists are looking for volunteers in Portland to help track earthquakes by having a seismograph placed in their home or business in a citizen science project called NetQuakes. The U.S. Geological Survey says it's trying to build networks with more dense and uniformly spaced seismographs in select urban areas to provide better measurements of ground motion during earthquakes:
These measurements improve our ability to make rapid post-earthquake assessments of expected damage and contribute to the continuing development of engineering standards for construction.NetQuakes seismographs send data over the Internet to the Pacific Northwest Seismic Network. Seattle is already well covered. Now it's Portland's turn.
© USGS
Friday, November 18, 2011 at 13:09:00 UTC
Friday, November 18, 2011 at 05:09:00 AM at epicenter
Location:
48.469°N, 119.607°W
Depth:
11.9 km (7.4 miles) set by location program
Region:
WASHINGTON
Distances:
8 km (5 miles) WSW (243°) from Riverside, WA
9 km (6 miles) NW (317°) from Omak, WA
12 km (7 miles) N (350°) from Okanogan, WA
186 km (115 miles) WNW (299°) from Spokane, WA
223 km (139 miles) ENE (64°) from Seattle, WA
© USGS
Friday, November 18, 2011 at 04:34:07 UTC
Friday, November 18, 2011 at 04:34:07 PM at epicenter
Time of Earthquake in other Time Zones
Location:
37.586°S, 179.292°E
Depth:
20.1 km (12.5 miles)
Region:
OFF EAST COAST OF THE NORTH ISLAND, N.Z.
Distances:
163 km (101 miles) NE of Gisborne, New Zealand
274 km (170 miles) ENE of Rotorua, New Zealand
409 km (254 miles) ESE of Auckland, New Zealand
565 km (351 miles) NE of WELLINGTON, New Zealand
Comment: While the title is agreeable, the earth is going through major changes in weather, the cause(s) may surprise you. If you haven't yet read the following, please do:
Space and Weather Science Gone Wild
The Corruption of Science in America
Cosmic Changes, Planetary Instability and Extreme Weather