Earth Changes

Snowiest October on record in both Wisconsin and Minnesota

Robert W. Felix
Ice Age Now
Sat, 24 Oct 2020 11:39 UTC

Already the snowiest October on record! With eight days to go! And more snow on the way!

The 7.2 inches of snow that fell on Eau Claire, Wisconsin, on October 23 broke the previous October record of 5.9 inches set in 1925.

The 8.9 inches that fell on the Twin Cities (Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota broke the old record of 8.2 inches set in 1991.

Adapt 2030 Ice Age Report: How is corporate media missing this?

Adapt 2030
Sat, 24 Oct 2020 12:34 UTC

40F below normal temperatures with record doubling snowfalls expected and already occurring across N. America. USA passes new legislation focused on "Space Weather" and protecting electrical infrastructure and the USDA already indicating this years harvest totals are incorrect and the agency will adjust next year.

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America's first murder hornet nest found in Washington State

RT
Fri, 23 Oct 2020 20:14 UTC

Entomologists in Washington State have discovered the first Asian giant hornet nest in the US, and are planning to destroy it as an invasive species. The terrifying insects wipe out native honeybees, and can kill a human.

With a three-inch wingspan and a potent, venomous stinger, the Asian giant hornet is the world's largest species of hornet, and a fearsome killing machine. A handful of these creatures can devastate a honeybee hive in a matter of hours, decapitating hundreds of bees before taking the hive as their own.

Entomologists with the Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA) first received reports of these hornets last December, and this week managed to capture two of them. The hornets were fitted with tracking devices, and the scientists stalked them back to their nest, inside a tree in Blaine, Washington.

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Check out the following short from the BBC showing how Asian bees deal with a giant hornet invader:

East Troublesome wildfire in Colorado explodes to 170,000 acres: 'Really unheard of'

Anica Padilla
Denver.cbslocal.com
Thu, 22 Oct 2020 17:15 UTC

East Troublesome fire

The East Troublesome Fire grew almost another 50,000 acres on Thursday, after growing about 100,000 acres Wednesday night. As of Thursday evening, the fire was estimated at 170,000 acres — making it the second largest fire in Colorado history.

"We prepare for the worst. This is the worst of the worst of the worst," Grand County Sheriff Brett Schroetlin said.

There are concerns the fire could merge with the Cameron Peak Fire, which has burned over 200,000 acres.

Hundreds of houses flooded, vehicles swept away as lakes overflow in Bengaluru, India

Free Press Journal
Sat, 24 Oct 2020 16:56 UTC

Heavy rain for the third consecutive day resulted in flooding in several parts of Bengaluru.

Normal life has been disrupted in Bengaluru as rainwater entered houses after the city received a heavy downpour on Friday night.

The rainwater entered the residential area here following which people have also suffered loss of property and damage to furniture.

Videos posted on social media show the heavy flow of water flowing away vehicles.

Big White ski resort in British Columbia receives 8 inches of October snow in 24 hours

Phil Mclachlan
Kelowna Capital News
Fri, 23 Oct 2020 16:46 UTC

Snow enthusiasts rejoice; Big White Ski Resort has received 21 centimeters (8.2 inches) of powder in the past 24 hours.

As of Oct. 23, the mountain's snow base is already 41 centimeters deep, with still another month to go until opening day.

"When it snows in October, everyone gets excited... the phones ring, people wax their boards and skis, and everybody gets pumped for the season," said Big White Ski Resort Ltd senior vice president, Michael Ballingall.

The resort is scheduled to open for the season on Nov. 26.

Throughout the winter season, Big White sees on average, 750 centimeters of snowfall.

Severe flooding hits Sao Paulo, Brazil

Al Khaleej Today
Tue, 20 Oct 2020 16:29 UTC

The city of São Paulo suffered from heavy rains this afternoon. Firefighters answered 44 calls for floods, 40 for falling trees and 4 for landslides, according to information updated at 18h02. One of the trees hit a person on the street Aratangi, in Cachoeirinha, but there is still no information on the victim's health status.

The capital of São Paulo entered into a state of attention for flooding from 2:12 pm, according to data from the CGE (Center for Management of Climate Emergencies). In the North Zone, heavy rain dragged cars that were inside a car wash and piled vehicles, according to information from Globo News.

Snowstorm breaks 120-year-old record for most snow in October in the Okanagan region, British Columbia

Darrian Matassa-Fung
Global News
Fri, 23 Oct 2020 12:39 UTC

Snow in Kelowna

A 120-year-old record for most snowfall on an October day has been broken in Kelowna.

The previous record was 12.7 cm in 1899, according to Environment Canada.

Kelowna is currently sitting at around 13 cm of snowfall for the day.

And in Penticton, the South Okanagan city matched a 95 year-old record at 11 cm of snowfall.

Floods, drought are destroying crops and sparking food inflation

Fabiana Batista, Agnieszka de Sousa and Mai Ngoc Chau
Claims Journal
Fri, 23 Oct 2020 16:24 UTC

Wild weather is wreaking havoc on crops around the world, sending their prices skyrocketing.

On wheat farms in the U.S. and Russia, it's a drought that's ruining harvests. The soybean fields of Brazil are bone dry too, touched by little more than the occasional shower. In Vietnam, Malaysia and Indonesia, the problem is the exact opposite. Torrential downpours are causing flooding in rice fields and stands of oil palm trees.

The sudden emergence of these supply strains is a big blow to a global economy that has been struggling to regain its footing after the shock of the Covid-19 lockdowns. As prices soar on everything from sugar to cooking oil, millions of working-class families that had already been forced to scale back food purchases in the pandemic are being thrust deeper into financial distress.

What's more, these increases threaten to push up broader inflation indexes in some countries and could make it harder for central bankers to keep providing monetary stimulus to shore up growth.

The Bloomberg Agriculture Spot Index, a gauge of nine crop prices, has risen 28% since late April to its highest level in more than four years. Wheat earlier this week was the most expensive since 2014.

"The fundamentals have changed dramatically since May," said Don Roose, president of brokerage U.S. Commodities in Iowa. "The weather is bubbling to the top, and we have demand chugging in a bull market."

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Largest and deepest ozone hole in years over Antarctica

Lilia Dergacheva
Sputnik News
Fri, 23 Oct 2020 16:24 UTC

Both small and short-lived ozone holes, as well as bigger ones are known to be driven by very special meteorological conditions: cold stratosphere temperatures have been found to be behind astonishing increases in their size, whereas warming typically causes them to shrink.

A hole in the ozone layer over Antarctica occurs regularly, but now it has expanded to one of its biggest recorded sizes over the past few years, scientists report, as cited by Science Alert.

Fresh estimates from the European Space Agency's Copernicus Sentinel-5P satellite show that the ozone hole reached a maximum size of roughly 25 million square kilometres on 2 October, thereby outpacing the measurements of 2018 and 2015's ozone holes - 22.9 and 25.6 million square kilometres respectively.

Yet, 2020's maximum peak isn't the largest on record. That title belongs to the 29.9-million square kilometre hole registered back in 2000, however, this year's hole is still one of the deepest in recent years.

Atmospheric scientist Vincent-Henri Peuch from the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts admits there is a certain variability in the development of such holes from year to year, noting that while it resembles the one from 2018, it "is definitely in the upper part of the pack of the last 15 years or so".