Earth ChangesS


Cloud Precipitation

Weather caused late deliveries for Christmas - Senator calls for refunds from shipping companies

Natalie DiBlasio and Beau Zimmer
USA Today
Thu, 26 Dec 2013 12:22 UTC
Thousands of UPS packages will arrive after Christmas
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© Mark Lennihan/AP
For the Allan family in Clearwater, Fla., Chicago beef is an annual holiday tradition. The family orders Christmas dinner shipped in every year from the famed Portillo's Restaurant.

"It's a big deal," said Jan Allan. "It's something to us that's special for our family. It's not something we can get in Florida."

She was planning a dinner party for 20 friends and family. When the food didn't arrive by early Christmas Eve, she was worried.

"I became concerned and tried to check the tracking number," said Allan.

It turned out the Allans were among thousands of families that didn't get their Christmas package by Christmas.

For the first time this year, UPS took on more overnight packages than it could deliver. The company apologized to customers, blaming bad winter weather in the South and a surge in online shopping.

The apology didn't go far with people on social media, which exploded with complaints about UPS and FedEx from customers furious about empty spots under their trees.

Most complaints were directed at UPS, which issued statements on Christmas Eve and again on Christmas Day acknowledging that the company was overwhelmed by unexpected volume and some packages were delayed until after the holiday.
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Bizarro Earth

USGS: Earthquake Magnitude 5.4 - 31km NW of Frontera Spain


US Geological Survey
Fri, 27 Dec 2013 15:25 UTC
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Event Time:
013-12-27 17:46:06 UTC
2013-12-27 17:46:06 UTC+00:00 at epicenter

Location:
27.915°N 18.271°W depth=22.8km (14.2mi)

Nearby Cities:
31km (19mi) NW of Frontera, Spain
89km (55mi) SSW of Los Llanos de Aridane, Spain
98km (61mi) SSW of Santa Cruz de la Palma, Spain
148km (92mi) WSW of Santiago del Teide, Spain
507km (315mi) W of Laayoune / El Aaiun, Western Sahara

Technical Data


Comment: New eruption may be brewing at El Hierro volcano

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Cloud Lightning

Wales weather: Winds of 109mph recorded as more bad weather sweeps in

Cathy Owen
Western Mail
Fri, 27 Dec 2013 15:04 UTC
Emergency services have been dealing with fallen trees, floods and roofs being blown off homes and garages

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A fallen tree closes the road between Groeslon and Carmel near Caernarfon
Thousands of homes were left without power today as the latest wave of bad weather hit Wales.

Widespread gales swept in last night and lasted much of the day, with the worst-hit areas being in north-west Wales.

Speeds of 109mph were recorded in Aberdaron on the Llyn Peninsula and fire crews had to make safe a structure on Tenby's South Parade.

Wind speeds also reached 85mph in Capel Curig, Snowdonia, 71mph at Pembrey, 62mph at Milford Haven and 52mph in Cardiff.

Thousands of homes and businesses were without power.

An estimated 4,500 homes on Anglesey and 2,500 in Gwynedd were without electricity after the storms struck.

Pockets were also affected in northeast Wales.
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Wreath

Alps avalanches leave four people dead after heavy snowfalls

Kim Willsher
The Guardian
Fri, 27 Dec 2013 14:15 UTC
Avalanche in St. Moritz
© Giancarlo Cattaneo/EPAExperts examine the spot where an avalanche began near St Moritz, Switzerland, killing one person.
A series of avalanches in the Alps on Friday left four people dead, including a young Irishman, and several other skiers seriously injured, according to mountain rescue teams.

Off-piste skiers have been warned there may be further avalanches this weekend.

Seven skiers were swept away when avalanches hit the popular resorts of Val-Thorens, Courchevel, La Clusaz and Serre-Chevalier.

One man, reportedly a French mountain worker, aged 50, died in Courchevel as he tried to reach his chalet refuge with his son, when the pair were "surprised by an avalanche", mountain rescue services said. The son was saved, but his father died. In a separate incident at Serre-Chevalier, a second skier, described as between 15 and 20 years of age, died in hospital after being buried in snow after an avalanche reportedly under the ski lifts.

Comment: It would be normal in reporting such an incident that the avalanches were due to very heavy snowfall in the last few days, with some places receiving up to 1.5 meter of snow (5 feet). It is likely due to the fact that the Guardian has betted so heavily on the AGW horse that all information to the contrary is ignored. Here is the snow map for the last 3 days with numbers in centimeters:
snow map for Switzerland
© WSL-Institut für Schnee- und Lawinenforschung SLFFresh snow in the last 3 days. Last updated 27.12.2013, 09:31


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Bizarro Earth

New eruption may be brewing at El Hierro volcano

Becky Oskin
LiveScience
Fri, 27 Dec 2013 13:08 UTC
El Hierro island
© NASA Earth ObservatoryEl Hierro island.
Two years after a new underwater volcano appeared offshore of El Hierro in the Canary Islands, earthquake swarms and a sudden change in height suggest a new eruption is brewing near the island's villages, officials announced today (Dec. 27).

After the announcement, one of the largest temblors ever recorded at the volcanic island, a magnitude-5.1 earthquake, struck offshore of El Hierro at 12:46 p.m. ET (5:46 p.m. local time) today, the National Geographic Institute reported. Residents on the island reported strong shaking, and the quake was felt throughout the Canary Islands, according to news reports. The earthquake's epicenter was 9 miles (15 kilometers) deep.

Before the earthquake struck early this afternoon, the island's volcano monitoring agency, Pelvolca, had raised the volcanic eruption risk for El Hierro to "yellow." This warning means that activity is increasing at the volcano, but no eruption is imminent. A similar burst of activity prompted a yellow warning in June 2012, but the volcano soon quieted down.
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Butterfly

Why are monarch butterflies disappearing?

Allie Goorick
The Weather Channel
Fri, 27 Dec 2013 12:53 UTC
Monarch Butterflies
© Wikipedia/AguntherIn recent years, scientists have noticed a disturbing drop in the number of monarchs wintering in Mexico.
Every November, around the same time that Mexico remembers lost loved ones during their Day of the Dead celebration, millions of monarch butterflies descend on Mexico's forests in their annual migration from North America. That's why, in Mexican tradition, monarchs are said to house the souls of the dead returning to earth, PBS reports.

But these days, fewer souls seem to be making the journey.

In recent years, scientists have noticed a disturbing drop in the number of monarchs wintering in Mexico, a trend that could mean that monarchs' remarkable trek may be coming to an end.

Historically, the striking orange butterflies, which are native to the U.S. and Canada, embark on an amazing and somewhat mysterious migration, flying up to 2,800 miles to the forests of central Mexico to hibernate in a 30-by-60 square-foot area that they have never been to before, according to the Washington Post. In the Oyamel fir forests, millions of the stunning butterflies cover the trees in colonies that once spanned nearly 52 acres.

Lincoln Brower, a professor of biology at Sweet Briar College, told the Washington Post that last year, the monarch colonies spanned less than 3 acres, a record low.
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Eagle

Update: Unexplained bald eagle deaths in Utah rises to 20

Laura Zuckerman
news.yahoo.com
Fri, 27 Dec 2013 13:27 UTC
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The Wildlife Rehabilitation Center of Northern Utah has been caring for sick bald eagles since the beginning of the month, each of them succumbing to a mystery illness.
The tally of unexplained bald eagle deaths in Utah this month rose to 20 on Thursday as state wildlife officials looked for possible links to diseases suspected in a coinciding die-off of thousands of shore birds around the Great Salt Lake.

Since December 1, state wildlife specialists have documented a growing number of bald eagles of varying ages succumbing to an unexplained ailment that crippled them with leg paralysis and tremors before they died.

The eagle deaths have been concentrated in the northern and central parts of Utah at a time when the federally protected raptors have migrated to their wintering grounds in the Rockies.

Necropsies, the animal equivalent of autopsy examinations, have yet to pinpoint what is killing the eagles, but scientists now believe a disease rather than a toxin is the culprit, said Leslie McFarlane, Utah wildlife disease coordinator.

"It appears to be more disease-related since we're seeing birds with neurological symptoms and enlarged hearts. That doesn't rule out all toxins, but it shortens the list of suspects," she said.
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Snowflake Cold

"Exceptional" snowfall in Cortina d' Ampezzo, Italy

Robert Felix
iceagenow.info
Thu, 26 Dec 2013 13:14 UTC
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"Not only is North America experiencing power outages, so is Cortina d'Ampezzo, famous skiing area in Italy," says reader Mirco Poletto. "Due to snow Cortina has had no electrical power for several hours. Trees are falling and there is avalanche and landslide danger."

Cortina d'Ampezzo (Belluno ) has been without electricity since early morning due to exceptional heavy snowfall that is creating considerable discomfort around the Cadore.

The fresh snow has reached half a meter in height, closing several roads leading to Ampezzo and Cortina, which are currently only accessible from the main road. Mountain passes are closed.

On Falzarego six people were trapped in their cars by the snow and were recovered by rescuers and taken to the shelter Col Gallina.

Even the tourist town of Madesimo (Sondrio ) in high Vallespluga remains isolated from the rest of Lombardy for the entire night because of heavy snowfall .

On the whole alpine it has been snowing copious hours without a break, and is still snowing heavily.

"Exceptional" snowfall in Cortina d' Ampezzo, Italy

Thanks to Dr Mirco Poletto in Italy for this link
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Snowflake Cold

'Heavy snowfall may disrupt Sochi Games'


Business Standard
Wed, 25 Dec 2013 12:59 UTC
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No shortage of snow has been forecast for the upcoming Sochi Winter Olympics, but potential heavy snowfall may cause real problems, a Russian official said.

"There will be enough snow, that issue doesn't disturb us," head of the Russian Weather Service, Rosgidromet, Alexander Frolov told reporters, reports Xinhua.

On the contrary, he said, there are concerns that heavy snowfall could seriously disrupt the competition in Sochi.

He warned that weather in that subtropical zone is very volatile and snowstorms there, once started, might last for two or three consecutive days .

In December, the Russian Emergency Situations Ministry has once issued an avalanche warning in Sochi, anticipating blackouts, disruption of communications, housing services and transportation in the mountainous area.

Source: IANS
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Ice Cube

China icebreaker close to trapped Antarctic ship frozen in ice that is supposed to be disappearing according to Global Warmists


bbc.co.uk
Fri, 27 Dec 2013 12:13 UTC

A scientific mission ship, trapped in dense pack ice off East Antarctica since Christmas Day, is close to being rescued as a Chinese icebreaker nears.

The crew can see the Snow Dragon icebreaker, which will try to cut a path through the ice allowing the research vessel to reach open water.

The Russian Academic Shokalskiy ship has 74 on board and is being used by the Australasian Antarctic Expedition.

They are following the route explorer Douglas Mawson travelled a century ago.

One of the leaders of the expedition, Chris Turney, tweeted an image of the Snow Dragon icebreaker on the horizon as it approached the ship.
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