Earth ChangesS


Arrow Down

Arctic Ice at All-Time Low

John Roach
National Geographic
Tue, 21 Aug 2007 13:20 UTC
There is less sea ice in the Arctic than ever before recorded, thanks in part to a warm, sunny summer, a climate scientist said today. And the melting season isn't even over.

On Sunday the sea ice extent was measured at 1.93 million square miles (5.01 million square kilometers).

"It's continuing to go down at a rapid pace," said Mark Serreze, a senior scientist at the National Snow and Ice Data Center in Boulder, Colorado.

The previous minimum record - set on September 21, 2005 - was 2.05 million square miles (5.32 million square kilometers).
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Cloud Lightning

Ohio: Storms bring evacuations, warnings, lightning, cancellation


Associated Press
Mon, 20 Aug 2007 12:34 UTC
Thunderstorms that hit Ohio on Monday brought flooding, tornado warnings and lightning that apparently struck a 911 center in northwest Ohio.

The 911 center in Defiance County lost use of the equipment that automatically locates where calls are originating. No problems were reported due to the loss of the equipment.

Low-lying roads throughout northwest Ohio were closed because of flooding, including state routes in Defiance, Fulton and Seneca counties.

Toledo officials said some areas received as much as 4 to 5 inches of rain since Saturday.
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Cloud Lightning

UK: Kent storms lead to major disruption


BBC
Tue, 21 Aug 2007 12:29 UTC
Overnight storms led to flooding in Kent, road closures, and major railway disruption for commuters during the morning rush hour.

Kent fire crews received more than 70 calls after the floods. In Canterbury, the council delivered sandbags to 30 homes and pumped water from a car park.



©Unknown
Kent fire crews received more than 70 calls after the downpours


Southeastern railway services were hit by cancellations after lightning hit a signal box in the Folkestone area.

And roads were closed in Dover, Hawkinge, and Alkham, Kent Police said.
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Cloud Lightning

New Jersey: Lightning kills matron of honor before wedding


Associated Press
Mon, 20 Aug 2007 12:25 UTC
A woman who was to serve as the matron of honor at her best friend's wedding was struck by lightning and killed during the rehearsal dinner on the eve of the ceremony.

Cindy Osler, 45, had gone outside the restaurant with the best man Friday night to check their car windows when she was hit by a bolt of lightning in this central New Jersey town.
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Evil Rays

Quake rocks Atlantic Ocean, north of Brazilian coast - USGS


Thomson Financial
Mon, 20 Aug 2007 12:11 UTC
A 6.6 magnitude earthquake struck hundreds of kilometers off the northern Brazilian coast on Monday in the Atlantic Ocean, the US Geological Survey said.

The quake was located 1,455 kilometers north of Belem, in northern Brazil, at a depth of 10 kilometers, the USGS said in a statement.
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Cloud Lightning

Storm warnings issued in regions of Russia's Far East


Itar-tass
Tue, 21 Aug 2007 12:05 UTC
Authorities in the regions of Russia's Far East have issued storm warnings and placed emergency and rescue forces on alert.

Showers with gale blowing at 18 meters per second to 23 meters per second are expected Tuesday and Wednesday in the Khabarovsk territory, the Jewish autonomous region, the constituent republic of Yakutia-Sakha and the Sakhalin region.
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Bizarro Earth

8,200-year-old cooling is analyzed


United Press International
Tue, 21 Aug 2007 10:19 UTC
Canadian scientists studying ice core records are questioning current theories about the rapid cooling of the Northern Hemisphere 8,200 years ago.

Comment: This new information on an earlier date of 8,500-8,350 years ago now fits more in line with the 4,200 year cycle mentioned in the SOTT article on climate cycles.

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Cloud Lightning

Louisville sets new hot-weather record

Dan Klepal
The Courier-Journal
Mon, 20 Aug 2007 01:38 UTC
Congratulations, Louisville, you've now set a new longevity record for summer misery.

The thermometer hit 90 degrees late this morning making it the 22nd consecutive day of at least 90-degree heat.

The previous streak of 21 straight days last occurred two generations ago, in 1936; identical 21-day streaks also happened in 1900 and 1901.
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Cloud Lightning

Phoenix approaches record heat milestone


kvoa.com
Tue, 21 Aug 2007 01:35 UTC
The Phoenix area is approaching a record that most would likely not want to see.

It's the record for the number of days in a year the Phoenix area has reached at least 110 degrees.

The current record is 28 and the Phoenix area is at 26 and counting.
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Cloud Lightning

Think the weather's weird in New Jersey? You're absolutely right

Matthew Van Dusen
NorthJersey.com
Sun, 19 Aug 2007 23:58 UTC
It's not your imagination: North Jersey is getting warmer and wetter and the flooding on at least some rivers is getting worse, experts say.

Though these conclusions do not fully explain the weird weather -- a 70-degree January day, 8 inches of rain and severe flooding in April -- they validate people's suspicion that the weather is getting more unpredictable, if not more extreme.

In the last 12 months, the state has experienced the wettest fall and April on record and the warmest November and December on record, according to New Jersey State Climatologist David A. Robinson.
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