© Jill McCormick
Record snowfall in Erie
Record snowfall in Erie
Earth Changes
Staff members of railway department clean the snow on the track in early morning in Urumqi, capital of northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Dec. 28, 2017. As several places in Xinjiang were hit by heavy snow from Dec. 27
Turpan, known for its sizzling hot climate and sky-high temperatures, has an annual precipitation of only 16.4 millimeters. It rarely snows in winter. According to the Turpan Meteorological Administration, the snow started around 06:00 and fell until around noon today. Snow accumulation was estimated to reach only 1 or 2 centimeters.
The Flaming Mountains, named for their fire red pigment, were covered in a pristine layer of powder.
Likewise, the nearby Kumtag Desert was blanketed by a fine coating of snow.
© REUTERS
Heavy snow in Beitun, in China's Xinjiang autonomous region, on Wednesday.
Heavy snow in Beitun, in China's Xinjiang autonomous region, on Wednesday.
Thailand, Myanmar, Laos and Cambodia have been enveloped by an unexpectedly cold front, which descended from China last week.
In Samoeng, a district in the northern Thai province of Chiang Mai, the government distributed blankets and winter clothes to 7,000 residents last Friday as temperatures plunged to 5 deg C, The Nation newspaper reported.
Thailand's Meteorological Department has predicted that temperatures in areas, excluding the south, will drop by another 2 to 4 deg C during the New Year holidays.
The arctic blast that's bringing negative temperatures to several states across the northern U.S. is causing waterfalls to freeze, windows to crack and people to suffer life-threatening frostbite with just 30 minutes of exposure outside. Above the frozen Minnehaha Falls in Minneapolis, Minnesota are pictured on Thursday
Forecasters are warning for those who are outside to bundle up with layers to protect against hypothermia and frostbite that could happen with exposure in the bitter arctic.
The icy cold weather has turned the Minnehaha Falls in Minneapolis, Minnesota into a beautiful frozen wonderland. The popular attraction has completely frozen over due to the super cold single-digit temperatures that have gripped the state over the past few days.
© Google Street View
Cranborne Road in Potters Bar. Picture: Google Street View.
Cranborne Road in Potters Bar. Picture: Google Street View.
Described by some as sounding like an "explosion", it was heard by residents in Cranborne Road, Southgate Road, Sunnybank Road, Oakmere and Little Heath, with one person claiming it even reached St Albans.
A police spokeswoman told the Welwyn Hatfield Times that they had received no official reports last night.
Some people claimed on social media that it may have been a sonic boom, but a Ministry of Defence spokesman confirmed no operations were being held in the area last night.
Members of the public also said they had spotted a cloud of smoke near Hatfield Business Park, but it is not known whether this was anything to do with the loud bang.
© Atlantic White Shark Conservancy
Two sharks were found dead Wednesday on beaches on Cape Cod, and experts say “cold shock” may have led to their stranding and death.
Two sharks were found dead Wednesday on beaches on Cape Cod, and experts say “cold shock” may have led to their stranding and death.
Cold shock happens when a person or animal is exposed to sudden, very cold temperatures. Humans can suffer a variety of symptoms such as muscle spasms and cardiac arrest. The program director of the Cape Cod - based Atlantic White Shark Conservancy told The Boston Globe that it's not uncommon for sea turtles to wash up on the beach after experiencing cold shock. However, sharks are water-breathing fish, so when they wash up on a beach, they can suffocate and die.
A tropical cyclone lashing Western Australia's northern coast has weakened, but not before leaving a path of destruction in its wake (pictured is Broome after the cyclone)
Wild weather brings down trees in Broome but category-one system set to weaken as it moves inland
West Kimberley residents in northern Western Australia are being warned to prepare for flooding as Tropical Cyclone Hilda lashes the region with 120km/h winds and heavy rain.
The category-one system formed on the coast just north of Broome on Wednesday night before tracking south-south-west.
By late morning Hilda had reached inland south of Bidyadanga and was expected to gradually weaken as it moved further inland on Thursday.
Shortly before 11am (WST), the Bureau of Meteorology issued a flood warning for parts of the Kimberley.
"Heavy rain has occurred over the west Kimberley since Tuesday, with widespread rainfall in excess of 100mm over two days in the Broome area, including over 200mm at Kilto Station," the warning read.
"Heavy rainfall is expected to continue in the west Kimberley on Friday and Saturday, with widespread 48-hour totals of 50-100mm expected and isolated heavier falls of 100-150mm possible."
People said they heard and felt it in Powell, Halls and Mascot Tuesday night, but they found no real answers as to its cause.
Neighbors suggested explanations from thunder to earthquakes, but one possibility stuck out more than the rest.
A video surfaced of at least two men who appeared to be behind some type of small explosion. They said they were blowing up a tree stump off Salem Church Road around 6 p.m. Tuesday.
Comment: The area from Powell to Mascot to Halls, Tennessee covers well over a 20-mile radius. We doubt that the sound heard across that area would be caused by a local crew downing a tree with explosives.
© NOAA
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Satellites Twitter account released this image of lake-effect snow and its impact across Michigan, the Great Lakes and the Eastern United States and Canada on Wednesday, Dec. 27, 2017. The satellite image was taken Tuesday, Dec. 26, 2017
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Satellites Twitter account released this image of lake-effect snow and its impact across Michigan, the Great Lakes and the Eastern United States and Canada on Wednesday, Dec. 27, 2017. The satellite image was taken Tuesday, Dec. 26, 2017
On Christmas Day, a stationary snow band off Lake Erie dumped nearly 3 feet of snow on Erie, Pa., more than four times the previous Christmas record and 14 inches more than the city's all-time record that has stood for more than 60 years.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Satellites Twitter account tweeted this image Wednesday that shows just how much of a lake effect the Great Lakes had on snowfall across Michigan, lower Ontario and several Eastern states such as New York and Pennsylvania.
Comment: See also these recent reports from places close to the Great Lakes:
- 48-hour snow record broken in Redfield, New York with 62 inches!
- Record-shattering 53 inches of snow in 30 hours for Erie, Pennsylvania
- Upwards of 20 inches of overnight snow slams Petoskey, Michigan
- Michigan's Porcupine Mountains digging out after 6 feet of snow
© Ben Birchall/PA
Snow reduces the M5 to two lanes between junctions 14 and 15 in south Gloucestershire.
Snow reduces the M5 to two lanes between junctions 14 and 15 in south Gloucestershire.
The Met Office issued a yellow warning for ice across large parts of the UK stretching into Thursday morning, and isolated snowfall was expected on higher ground in England, Wales and Scotland.
About 300 people were stuck at Stansted airport late on Wednesday evening while waiting to rebook flights following a series of Ryanair and easyJet flight cancellations caused by the weather, the airport said.
Comment: See also: