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Snowflake Cold

Heavy snowfall brings indications of a cold winter to Eastern Europe


Al Jazeera
Thu, 03 Nov 2016 17:57 UTC
Cold air has been pushing southwards across Eastern Europe and much of northern Asia in recent days
© Maxim Shipenkov/EPA
Cold air has been pushing southwards across Eastern Europe and much of northern Asia in recent days
Signs that polar vortex may be heading south.

It has been an early and quite vicious start to the winter in parts of Eastern Europe. From the Baltic Sea states of Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia in the west; to Russia's Siberia in the east; and the Caucuses in the south; the end of October and early November have seen marked changes in weather patterns.

Cold air has been pushing southwards across Eastern Europe and much of northern Asia in recent days. Many climatologists believe this is a sign that changes in the polar vortex are likely to lead to a cold winter ahead.

The polar vortex is an area of low pressure, high up in the atmosphere. It is at its most intense during the winter months. There have been signs in recent years that it is beginning to weaken, and predictions for the coming winter suggest it will weaken significantly.

This weakening is likely to be the result of climate change, being linked to the decrease of Arctic sea ice in recent years.

Comment: See also: Animals slaughted due to record snowfall with five times the monthly normal precipitation in Yakutia, Russia

Heavy snowfall in northwestern Iran accompanied by lightning and thunder

Severe winter conditions strike eastern Turkey

Cold snap hits northern China, with some areas experiencing lowest October temperatures on record

      Read More...
Snowflake

Earliest start in 30 years for Sunshine Village ski resort in Alberta due to exceptional amounts of snow


The Crag and Canyon
Wed, 02 Nov 2016 16:23 UTC
The TeePee Town LX heated high speed chairlift at Sunshine Village
© Postmedia Archives
The TeePee Town LX heated high speed chairlift at Sunshine Village
Sunshine Village Ski and Snowboard Resort is opening for the season to skiers and snowboarders on Thursday, Nov. 3, the first to do so in Canada and the earliest its opened in more than 30 years.

The Wawa, Strawberry, Jackrabbit and Wolverine chairlifts, along with one magic carpet and one 8-passenger gondola will be operational beginning Thursday.

Families and kids can be part of the action as well, as the ski school will be running along with the Tiny Tiger and Kids Kampus programs as well as select on-mountain dining and retail venues.

Exceptional amounts of snow for this time of year has fallen in the alpine. Currently, Sunshine Village has a base of over 69 centimetres of natural snow.
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Attention

10 dolphins found dead in Andaman Sea in 2016


The Daily Star (Bangladesh)
Mon, 31 Oct 2016 15:40 UTC
Dead dolphin

Dead dolphin
At least 10 dolphins were found dead in the Andaman Sea this year, including one recently in Krabi, Thailand, reports The Star TV.

In Krabi, villagers spotted two dolphins that were washed ashore. However, only one was alive.

A team of veterinarians came to examine the dolphins and found the one-year-old dolphin, that was alive, had sustained injuries most likely caused by cuts from rocks.

The other dolphin, which was found dead, had shark bites.

Most of the dolphins in the Andaman Sea die from being washed ashore. The cause behind this is still a mystery.

Experts are studying to find out the factors.

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Question

Canadian military investigating mysterious noise in the Arctic that is scaring off game

Jordan Pearson
Motherboard
Wed, 02 Nov 2016 15:44 UTC
An Inuit girl
© Chris Wattie / Reuters
An Inuit girl
In the tiny Arctic hamlet of Igloolik, Nunavut, hunters say a mysterious sound, seemingly coming from the bottom of the sea, is driving wildlife away.

According to the CBC, locals have different theories about its source, and have attributed this "ping" or "hum" to a mining company that has operated nearby, or even to sabotage by Greenpeace. Both entities denied having anything to do with the phenomenon that hunters allege has made an area once teeming with wildlife a bit more barren over the course of the summer.

Although the Arctic has been increasingly opening up to mining operations, tourism, and military exercises, this pinging sound remains unexplained. Without anywhere else to turn, and with no leads on what's causing it, the Office of the Premier of Nunavut called on the Department of National Defence (DND) to investigate in October.

Comment: More from: Canada hunters say mysterious 'pinging' from seabed scares off game
"That's one of the major hunting areas in the summer and winter because it's a polynya," an area of open water surrounded by ice that's abundant with sea mammals, Paul Quassa said. Quassa is a member of the legislative assembly of Igloolik, a hamlet located roughly 120km from the strait.

"And this time around, this summer, there were hardly any [wildlife]. And this became a suspicious thing."

Another local lawmaker, George Qulaut, said he visited the site to investigate the reports. While he didn't hear any sound, he confirmed a lack of wildlife, the report said.

"That passage is a migratory route for bowhead whales, and also bearded seals and ringed seals. There would be so many in that particular area," he said. "This summer there was none."

Qulaut added that he is deaf in one ear and is not good at hearing high-pitched sounds anymore.


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Sun

Winter drought forecast for much of United States

Andrea Thompson
Climate Central
Fri, 21 Oct 2016 08:35 UTC
US drought map oct 2016
© U.S. Drought Monitor
Drought conditions across the contiguous U.S. as of Oct. 18, 2016.
While the weather catchphrase of recent winters was the shiver-inducing polar vortex, the buzzword for this winter in the U.S. will be drought.

Significant droughts are already in place over nearly 45 percent of the contiguous U.S., with hotspots in California — where the drought is in its sixth year — the Southeast and Northeast. With the renewed possibility of a La Niña emerging in the next couple months, little improvement is expected in most areas; the drought in the Southeast is expected to expand and drought could also emerge in the Southern Plains, according to the most recent seasonal forecasts from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

"The winter forecast doesn't bode well for [California] and many other areas around the nation currently experiencing drought," Mike Halpert, deputy director of NOAA's Climate Prediction Center, said during a press teleconference.

La Niña is the opposite end of the natural climate seesaw from El Niño; it is characterized by cooler-than-normal ocean waters in the tropical Pacific, while El Niño features warmer-than-normal.

After an exceptionally strong El Niño, conditions in that area of the Pacific have cooled, moving into neutral territory and now "hovering near the La Niña threshold," Halpert said.
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Seismograph

3.8 magnitude earthquake hits off Oregon coast

Joe English
KATU
Wed, 02 Nov 2016 19:31 UTC
Quake map Astoria, Oregon
© USGS
The U.S. Geological Survey reported an earthquake, potentially 3.8 in magnitude, near Warrenton and Astoria on Nov. 2, 2016. The epicenter was measured about 10 miles from Astoria, according to the survey’s Twitter feed. It shook the ground around 7:52 a.m. at more than 21 miles deep into the ocean floor, according to the survey’s website.
The USGS has confirmed a 3.8 magnitude earthquake off the Oregon coast just before 8 a.m. Wednesday.

Callers told NATU News the quake rattled their homes, shaking items hanging or on shelves and moving things around. Twitter users reported feeling the quake for a radius extending several miles.

According to the USGS mapping tool, the 7:52 a.m. quake was centered near the coast about 10 miles west of Astoria at a depth of around 21 miles.

The USGS intensity map indicates the quake, naturally, was much stronger near its center by the coast, and its effect weakened in areas farther inland.

The quake was not a Cascadia Subduction Zone earthquake, and instead an isolated event on one of the numerous other faults in Oregon and Washington, USGS officials said.

They added that earthquakes must be magnitude 7.0 or above to create a tsunami.

Comment: The really big one: The next full Cascadia rupture will spell the worst natural disaster in North American history

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Cloud Precipitation

Record-breaking 10 inches of rain recorded in Seattle

Jessica Lee
The Seattle Times
Tue, 01 Nov 2016 09:22 UTC
seattle record rainfall graph
© Kelly Shea/The Seattle Times
In October we got as much rain as we usually get in this month and the next — but November has just begun.

Weather gauges at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport measured a total of 10.05 inches of rain this month, the most ever for October.

The extended forecast for the Seattle area shows a chance of rain every day through Thursday.

The rain total for this month in the Seattle area first surpassed October's record — which was set in 2003 with 8.96 inches — on Saturday.

The heaviest rainfall for the month occurred on Oct. 13, when the city was drenched with 1.75 inches, according to the weather service. An additional 1.36 inches fell the following day.

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Snowflake Cold

Heavy snowfall in northwestern Iran accompanied by lightning and thunder


Tehran Times
Sat, 29 Oct 2016 18:25 UTC
Snow in Iran
Heavy snow in autumn in the northwestern province of Ardebil has colored the whole province in white and closed schools for three days.

Thick snow and freezing weather has urged the province's education department to close schools, particularly preschools and elementary schools, for three consecutive days on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, Nasimonline reported.

Ardebil province's meteorological organization director explained that in some areas such as Sareyn and Nir it snowed for more than 40 centimeters.

Ali Doulati-Mehr also pointed out that in a rare phenomenon snowfall was accompanied by lightning and thunder which had scared some of the citizens, Mehr news agency reported.

Such temperature drop and early snowfall is an indicator for a long and cold winter for the province.

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Snowflake Cold

Severe winter conditions strike eastern Turkey


Hurriyet Daily News
Wed, 02 Nov 2016 18:17 UTC
Snow in Turkey
Heavy snow has begun to fall as temperatures hit early winter lows in eastern Turkey, hitting daily life for many locals.

Snowfall began on Nov. 1 in the eastern provinces of Erzurum, Ardahan, Kars and Ağrı, blocking hundreds of roads to a number of remote villages and snarling traffic, particularly on the road linking Erzurum and Ağrı. The road linking Ağrı to the eastern province of Iğdır was also closed to traffic due to heavy snow.

A number of vehicles drifted off roads, while heavy trucks became trapped, as the height of snow rose to 50 centimeters in some areas.

Highway officials worked to clear the roads and prevent traffic congestions caused by the tough conditions.
The district governor's office in the Diyadin district of Ağrı province suspended education for one day on Nov. 2 across the district due to the snow.
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Snowflake

Early snowfall adding up on Mammoth Mountain, California

Chris Erskine
Los Angeles Times
Wed, 02 Nov 2016 18:05 UTC
Several early storms have coated Mammoth Mountain, a major resort five hours from Los Angeles.

Several early storms have coated Mammoth Mountain, a major resort five hours from Los Angeles.
October was kind to Central and Northern California resorts. One Lake Tahoe resort is already open, and the Eastern Sierra's Mammoth Mountain received 18 inches over the weekend, giving it a 36-inch base at higher elevations.

Meanwhile, popular Mountain High, usually the first resort to open in Southern California, has been running snow-making operations and could start spinning the lifts before its planned mid-November debut.
      Read More...
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