Earth ChangesS


Cloud Lightning

Early snowfall, rain pounds Atlantic Canada as U.S. storm moves north


The Canadian Press
Sun, 30 Oct 2011 00:00 UTC
Image
© Environment CanadaEnvironment Canada has issued wind and rain warnings for the various parts of the Maritimes Saturday night and into Sunday.
An unseasonably early snowstorm that has pounded the U.S northeast is making its way through parts of Atlantic Canada.

Heavy rainfall soaked much of the Maritimes while snow fell in parts of New Brunswick, as far south as Saint John.

Meteorologist Jeffrey Hilliard says the major concern is a mix of rain, snow and high winds that are causing hazardous driving conditions in some areas.

The City of Saint John sent out a notice urging drivers to use caution as crews were heading out to sand and salt the city's roads.

RCMP in eastern Prince Edward Island reported that a driver was killed near Pooles Corner on Route 3 early on Sunday.

Police say road conditions were a factor in the death, along with the lack of a seatbelt and the high speed of the car.

In addition, the Confederation Bridge sent out an advisory that due to strong winds the bridge was closed to cars towing trailers, motorcycles, recreational vehicles, trucks and buses.
Read More...
Wolf

Wolves Likely to Spread Across Germany


The Local
Fri, 28 Oct 2011 07:27 UTC
Image
© Deutsche Presse-Agentur
Wolves are doing so well in Germany, and adapting to so many different habitats, that they are likely to spread from their current strongholds in the eastern parts of the country to become part of the natural landscape nationwide.

It was 11 years ago that a pack was discovered in Germany again, after the species had been effectively exterminated in the middle of the 19th century. Their protected status in Poland and Germany means their return is "unstoppable" according to Beate Jessel, president of the Federal Agency for Nature Conservation (BfN).

And having been restricted to the eastern and southern parts of the country, the wolves are starting to spread out, adapting to the way people have shaped the world.

A two-year study by the BfN involved fitting six wolves from the Lausitz area in Saxony, with GPS tracking devices to see how far and where the young animals went after leaving their packs.
Read More...
Bizarro Earth

US: Snow Smacks Northeast; Power Could Be Out for Days

Michael Melia
The Associated Press
Sun, 30 Oct 2011 11:06 UTC
Millions of people from Maine to Maryland were without power as an unseasonably early storm dumped heavy, wet snow over the weekend on a region more used to gaping at leaves in October than shoveling snow.

Image
© AP Photo/Julio CortezA vehicle makes its way at the snow-covered intersection of Autumn and Grove Streets in Lodi, N.J., following a rare October snowstorm that hit the region, Saturday, Oct. 29, 2011.
The snow was due to stop falling in New England late Sunday, but it could be days before many of the more than 3 million without electricity see it restored, officials warned. The storm smashed record snowfall totals for October, and several officials called its ferocity historic.

At least three deaths were blamed on the weather, and states of emergency were declared in New Jersey, Connecticut, Massachusetts and parts of New York.

The storm worsened as it moved north, and communities in western Massachusetts were among the hardest hit. Snowfall totals topped 27 inches in Plainfield, and nearby Windsor had gotten 26 inches by early Sunday.
Read More...
Snowman

US: Historic October Snowstorm Hammering Northeast


The Weather Channel
Sat, 29 Oct 2011 08:00 UTC
A significant, rare October snowstorm will plow through the Northeast Saturday through early Sunday morning. Scroll down or use the links below to view the forecast and current conditions to guide you through the storm.

Video: Why Such a Large Power Outage Threat?

Read More...
Bizarro Earth

Report: Lions, Tigers, Cheetahs Could Be Extinct In 10 Years


redOrbit
Sat, 29 Oct 2011 19:19 UTC
Big Cats
© redOrbit

Big cats such as lions, tigers, leopards, and cheetahs could be facing extinction within the next two decades, leading conservation groups to call for increased efforts to save them, USA Today's Dan Vergano reported in a Friday articles.

"The populations of lions, leopards, cheetahs and especially tigers have been decimated in the past half-century," Vergano said, adding that leading scientists report that tigers "have become so rare that lions have become their soup-bone substitutes, sought for Asian medicines and 'tiger bone' wine."

"Do we want to live in a world without lions in the wild?" Luke Dollar, a biologist with Duke University and a member of the National Geographic-sponsored Big Cats Initiative (BCI), told USA Today. "That is the choice we are facing."

According to estimated statistics from the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), over the past 50 years lions living in the African wild have decreased from 450,000 to 25,000.

During that same period, leopards have decreased from 750,000 to 50,000, cheetahs from 45,000 to 12,000, and tigers from 50,000 to 3,000 (of which only 1,200 are breeding-age females).
Read More...
Bizarro Earth

Canada - Hundreds of Dead Birds Wash Up on Ontario Shore


CTV News, Canada
Sat, 22 Oct 2011 17:07 UTC
Dead Birds
© CTV News, CanadaA dead bird is shown after it washed up on the shores of Wasaga Beach, Ont. in this undated photo.

The Ministry of Natural Resources is investigating after hundreds of birds and fish washed up on the shores of Georgian Bay near Wasaga Beach.

Police say that the wildlife is scattered along a nearly three-kilometre stretch north of Wasaga Beach.

"You just want to cry," resident Faye Ego told CTV Toronto.

Locals said they noticed some dead fish on the beach a few weeks ago and a few dead birds earlier in September.

"But now this is just multiplied," Ego said, adding that the situation is "absolutely devastating."

Ontario Provincial Police Const. Peter Leon said that the number of dead birds is estimated to be between 5,000 and 6,000.
Read More...
Mr. Potato

US: Romney Flips To Denial: 'We Don't Know What's Causing Climate Change'

Brad Johnson
In Progress
Fri, 28 Oct 2011 08:30 UTC
Speaking at the Consol Energy Center in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney reversed his earlier stance on climate change pollution and rejected man-made global warming. Because "we don't know what's causing climate change," Romney said, the United States should not reduce carbon dioxide emissions:
My view is that we don't know what's causing climate change on this planet. And the idea of spending trillions and trillions of dollars to try to reduce CO2 emissions is not the right course for us.
Watch it:

Read More...
Attention

Crushing, Cruising Snowstorm Unfolding in the Northeast

Alex Sosnowski
Accuweather
Sat, 29 Oct 2011 01:40 UTC
fall snow storm ne US
© www.accuweather.comThis map shows the expected storm total snowfall on non-paved surfaces through Saturday night. However, in the heaviest snowfall areas, a slippery, slushy accumulation is likely even on major highways. A few pockets within the heaviest snow band can receive from one to two feet of crushing snow with snowfall rates possibly reaching 2 to 4 inches per hour, complete with thunder and lightning.
A foot of heavy wet, back-breaking snow will plaster areas north and west of I-95 Saturday, causing massive power outages, downed trees and travel nightmares.

The storm will hit hard and fast, traveling from southwest to northeast over the mid-Atlantic and New England in less than 24 hours. In most of the mid-Atlantic the storm began as rain, but a change to snow will progress throughout the day.

The heaviest snow from the storm will stretch from along the Virginia/West Virginia border through a large swath of central and eastern Pennsylvania to southeastern New York state, northwestern New Jersey, northern Connecticut, central and western Massachusetts to southern New Hampshire and southwestern Maine.

Cities and towns that are likely to receive the heaviest snowfall include: Torrington, Conn., Hagerstown, Md., Springfield, Mass., Nashua, N.H., Netcong, N.J., Kingston, N.Y., Honesdale, Pa., Winchester, Va., Brattleboro, Vt. and Martinsburg, W.Va.

In these areas and others over the interior Northeast, the snow will come down hard enough to accumulate on the roads making for slippery driving. The worst conditions will be in the hilly areas and the mountains, where slightly lower temperatures are in store.

Thousands of trees could come down, and over a million people could be without power. Some rural roads could be blocked for days by fallen trees. Driving or walking through wooded areas during and immediately following the storm could be dangerous.
Read More...
Cloud Lightning

Snow Hits New York Before Halloween for the Fourth Time Since the Civil War


The Daily Mail, UK
Sat, 29 Oct 2011 00:00 UTC
Rare snowfall in NY
© stefan JermiahRare snowfall: A man walking through Soho in Manhattan, New York as it snows for only the fourth time in October since the Civil War in the 1860s
Packing a punch
© The Weather ChannelPacking a punch: Satellite map shows the massive winter storm making its way up the Northeast coast
New York has today been hit by snowfall before Halloween for only the fourth time since the Civil War.

The North East is bracing for a chilling weekend as 60 million people are expected to experience a rare October snowstorm, which will unleash heavy, wet snow and wind.

New England has already been struck by a very early snowfall and 10,000 residents in Pennsylvania, Maryland and West Virginia were today without power after snow, according to AccuWeather.com.

This weekend looks set to see huge amounts of sleet and snow covering the North East, invariably causing power outages and travel chaos. Some areas bracing for up to a foot of snow.
Read More...
Igloo

US, Connecticut : Record-Breaking Freak October Snow


NBC News, Connecticut
Sat, 29 Oct 2011 04:37 UTC
Historic storm could dump a foot of snow in parts of the state this weekend.


It took mere hours to break the record for snowfall in Connecticut in October and, by 4 p.m., Gov. Dannel Malloy had ordered all non-emergency vehicles off the roads.

Many Connecticut residents have no power and several cities and towns have activated emergency operations centers.

As of 4:30 p.m., more than 7 inches have fallen in New Fairfield and the snow just keeps coming down. By daybreak on Sunday, the northwestern part of the state could get up to 15 inches.

Heavy snow is expected statewide on Saturday night, along with strong, gusty winds and falling temperatures.

By the time all is said and done, 6-10 inches is expected through much of inland Connecticut though Litchfield County is expected to receive 10-15 inches. Along the shoreline the greater New Haven area can expect 3-6 inches while southeastern Connecticut gets 1-3 inches.
Read More...