Earth ChangesS


Bizarro Earth

Haiti hit by largest earthquake in over 200 years

Jonathan M. Katz
Associated Press
Tue, 12 Jan 2010 22:13 UTC
Image
© APPeople carry an injured person after an earthquake in Port-au-Prince, Haiti

Port-au-Prince - The strongest earthquake in more than 200 years rocked Haiti on Tuesday, collapsing a hospital where people screamed for help and heavily damaging the National Palace, U.N. peacekeeper headquarters and other buildings. U.S. officials reported bodies in the streets and an aid official described "total disaster and chaos."

United Nations officials said a large number of U.N. personnel were unaccounted for.

Communications were widely disrupted, making it impossible to get a full picture of damage as powerful aftershocks shook a desperately poor country where many buildings are flimsy. Electricity was out in some places.
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Bizarro Earth

Poor burn books to stay warm in chilly India, 55 dead


Reuters
Tue, 05 Jan 2010 21:07 UTC
Patna - At least 55 people have died over the past four days in northern and eastern India as a spell of cold weather swept the region, officials said on Monday.

In Uttar Pradesh, 24 people have died from biting cold in rural areas, a disaster management official said from Lucknow.

Authorities in adjoining Bihar said they have received reports of 31 deaths over the past four days.

Police said a group of teachers used books meant for poor children in the impoverished state's Gaya district for a bonfire.

"They (teachers) burned some 500 books packed in two gunny bags to get warm," said Hansnath Singh, a senior police officer.
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Bizarro Earth

Flashback Record cold wind chills of -50 C recorded overnight in Saskatchewan

Jim Macdonald
canadaeasst.co
Sun, 04 Jan 2009 20:56 UTC
Edmonton - A fierce blast of snow and cold was making its way east into Manitoba on Sunday after triggering record low wind chills of -50 C and colder in neighbouring Saskatchewan overnight.

Wind chill warnings were in effect in both provinces throughout the day, prompting warnings from Environment Canada that exposed skin would freeze in less than 10 minutes.

Residents of Saskatoon woke up to the coldest temperatures since 1966, with a wind chill of -45 C, leaving the city shrouded in ice fog.
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Bizarro Earth

The big freeze: warnings of a Siberian snap

Sadie Gray
independent.com
Sun, 03 Jan 2010 20:45 UTC
Freezing air from the Arctic and Siberia trapped over the UK will bring snow and sub-zero temperatures this week, experts warned yesterday.
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Bizarro Earth

Avalanches and a Broken Chair Lift Bring Misery to the Frozen Alps

Michael Day
independent.com
Tue, 05 Jan 2010 20:37 UTC
A total of 88 skiers were left dangling above the slopes when a chairlift broke in the Alps over the weekend.

The jammed mountain lift in Italy's Aosta Valley left them trapped 10 metres above piste for three hours in temperatures of minus 11C, as two helicopter crews battled the bitter cold to rescue them.

The incident follows deadly avalanches after Christmas and the death of three Italian climbers who fell to their deaths in the Lecco region of the Italian Alps.

During the chairlift incident on Sunday, rescue helicopter teams lowered the trapped skiers one by one on to the piste below, during an operation which saw the wind chill lower the perceived temperature even further.
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Bizarro Earth

7.0 Earthquake Hits Haiti


CNN
Tue, 12 Jan 2010 17:46 UTC
A major earthquake struck just off the Haitian capital Port-au-Prince on Tuesday, sparking a tsunami watch for parts of the Caribbean, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

There was no immediate report of damage or injuries from the quake. However, The Associated Press reported that a hospital had collapsed.
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Igloo

London colder than Antarctica

Nick Allen & Richard Alleyne
Telegraph.co.uk
Tue, 05 Jan 2010 17:20 UTC
Image
© PA Birds land on the frozen dock in front of London's Canary Wharf financial district - as temperatures dropped below those in Antarctica
London was colder than parts of Antarctica yesterday as temperatures in southern England were forecast to plunge as low as 14F (-10C) overnight.

The capital reached a high of 37F (3C) yesterday, which was the same as Nuuk, the capital of Greenland.

At Antarctica's Jubany Scientific Station, which is home to 60 people, 16,000 penguins and 650 sea lions, a relatively balmy high of 41F (5C) was recorded.

MeteoGroup UK said that on Sunday night temperatures reached 18F (-8C) in northern Scotland and 21F (-6C) in parts of England and Wales.

The lowest temperature ever recorded in England was -15F (-26.1C) on Jan 10, 1982 in Shropshire.

Bookmakers William Hill cut the odds of a record cold temperature being reached in 2009 from 20/1 to 16/1.

Meanwhile, the Met Office disclosed that 2008 was the wettest year for eight years and the third wettest since records began in 1914.
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Arrow Down

Flashback US: July sets record for cold: 1,100 new low temperatures set


recordpub.com
Tue, 04 Aug 2009 16:28 UTC
If you've noticed that this past July was colder than normal, you are not alone.

More than 1,100 daily record low temperatures were broken in July nationwide, according to the National Climatic Data Center. When record afternoon low highs are considered, that number jumps to more than 3,000 records. An additional 1,200 stations tied records.

Jesse Ferrell, a meteorologist with AccuWeather.com, said there were some surprising findings concerning the record low temperatures on the East Coast.

States in the Northeast and Midwest reported their lowest temperatures in the 50s and 40s this month, with 36 degrees reported in Michigan, he said.

Several cities in the Midwest reported the coldest July on record. Madison, Wis., had an average temperature of 65.7 degrees, breaking the previous record of 66.7. Cincinnati, Jackson, Ky. and Chicago also broke records.
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Arrow Up

Flashback Record snowfall by more than one metre for Cardrona, New Zealand ski resort


Otago Daily Times
Mon, 07 Sep 2009 16:22 UTC
Image
© Unknown
Cardrona Alpine Resort has broken its accumulated snowfall record by over a metre, with 317cm of snowfall this season. The previous biggest year on record was 2004 (213cm).

The record amount of snow has provided excellent on and off piste conditions and will ensure that the resort's popular terrain park features stay in top shape as the mountain crew have ample snow to work with. Cardrona's high base elevation (1670m) also means the snow stays in good condition down to the base buildings.

To celebrate spring, Cardrona is offering Sensational Spring Workshops throughout September. Afternoon lessons are only $40 per person (limited spaces available) providing skiers and boarders a chance to polish their technique before the end of the season.
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Arrow Down

Flashback NOAA: Summer Temperature Below Average for U.S.


NOAA
Thu, 10 Sep 2009 16:06 UTC
The average June-August 2009 summer temperature for the contiguous United States was below average - the 34th coolest on record, according to a preliminary analysis by NOAA's National Climatic Data Center in Asheville, N.C. August was also below the long-term average. The analysis is based on records dating back to 1895.

U.S. Temperature Highlights - Summer
    Image
    © NOAA
  • For the 2009 summer, the average temperature of 71.7 degrees F was 0.4 degree F below the 20th Century average. The 2008 average summer temperature was 72.7 degrees F.
  • A recurring upper level trough held the June-August temperatures down in the central states, where Michigan experienced its fifth, Wisconsin, Minnesota, and South Dakota their seventh, Nebraska its eighth, and Iowa its ninth coolest summer. By contrast, Florida had its fourth warmest summer, while Washington and Texas experienced their eighth and ninth warmest, respectively.
  • The Michigan, Wisconsin, Iowa and Minnesota region experienced its sixth coolest summer on record. Only the Northwest averaged above normal temperatures.
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