Earth ChangesS


Cloud Lightning

Australia: Child among 10 killed after severe summer storms hit country's east

Roofs were torn off homes and electricity poles ripped from the ground in Queensland
© ABCRoofs were torn off homes and electricity poles ripped from the ground in Queensland
At least 10 people, including a nine-year-old girl, have died in eastern Australia during severe thunderstorms on Christmas and Boxing Day.

Most of the deaths were in the state of Queensland, where tens of thousands of people are still without power.

Victoria and New South Wales were also hit by widespread flooding and destructive winds.

Further thunderstorms have been forecast but conditions are expected to improve over the next day.

The winds were so strong in places, they tore roofs off buildings, felled trees and ripped concrete-based electricity poles from the ground.


Igloo

Massive dark hole opens in the Sun - We are in a solar MINIMUM

Solar Cycle 24
© Armstrong EconomicsSolar Cycle 24
An enormous dark hole has opened up in the surface of the sun, emitting streams of unusually fast radiation, known as solar wind, right at Earth. The size of the temporary gap is wider than 60 Earths and extraordinary at this stage of the solar cycle. This phenomenon, known as a coronal hole, took shape near the sun's equator on December 2 and reached its maximum width of around 497,000 miles (800,000 kilometers) within 24 hours. Since December 4, the solar void has been pointing directly at Earth. Experts initially predicted this most recent hole could spark a moderate geomagnetic storm that could trigger radio blackouts and strong auroral displays. Solar winds have been less intense than expected, so the resulting storm has only weakened.

For most of its history, science believed the sun's output was constant. They finally realized that a thermal dynamic cycle beats like your heart so the sun could not exist without a steady outflow of energy. One degree less, and it would blow itself out. Hence, it is cyclical, rising and falling in intensity.
Solar Cycle 24
© Armstrong EconomicsSolar Cycle 24.
The eleven-year cycle in sunspots itself builds in intensity like the Economic Confidence Model (ECM), reaching "grand maxima" and "grand minima" over the course of 300 years. The last grand maximum peaked in 1958, after which the sun has been steadily quieting down. We have seen sun spot activity decrease at its steepest in 9,300 years, but the climate change zealots refuse to acknowledge naturally occurring cyclical weather patterns.

The last Maunder Minimum, during which the sun languished for seventy years, took place from 1645 to 1715 when the sun's brightness declined and the number of sunspots collapsed. In fact, fewer than 50 sunspots were observed within a 28-year period. Parts of the world became so cold that the period was called the Little Ice Age, which lasted from about 1300 to 1850. Now, a Solar Minimum does not mean that the sun becomes colder, but rather, it changes. As sunspots fade away, we enter a Solar Minimum.

Snowflake Cold

Beijing records longest cold wave in modern history

panda bear beijing zoo snow
© Chinatopix/APA giant panda rests on a tree at a zoo after a snow fall in Beijing
Beijing records longest cold wave in modern history as heating systems in part of China struggles

Beijing recorded its longest cold wave since records began in 1951 as the biting temperatures and snowfall experienced in the Chinese capital and elsewhere began to ease.

The temperature recorded at Beijing's Nanjiao weather station rose to above zero degrees Celsius (32 degrees Fahrenheit)Sunday afternoon for the first time in days, state media Beijing Daily reported.

"Since temperature first dropped to below zero degrees on December 11, the temperature had remained below that line for more than 300 hours," Beijing Daily wrote.

Snowflake Cold

Heavy snowfall cripples life in Turkey

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A messy mix of snow and rain wreaked havoc in parts of the country, as roads were closed to traffic in the province in the eastern and southeastern Anatolian region due to heavy snowfall and blizzards causing low visibility.

Transportation was severely disrupted in the provinces of Tunceli, Hakkari, Kars and Sivas, with some vehicles stranded on the roads.

In the southeastern province of Hakkari, roads to 34 villages are inaccessible.


While the intermittent snowfall in the district increased its effect at night, the snow thickness reaching 30 centimeters in the center prompted the municipal teams to take action in Hakkari. The teams who worked hard to open the roads said they were ready 24/7 in case of a negative situation.


Cloud Precipitation

Flooding in many parts of the Netherlands

Water filled a floodplain along the Waal River in Varik, Gelderland. 26 December 2023
© NL TimesWater filled a floodplain along the Waal River in Varik, Gelderland. 26 December 2023
The rainy Christmas Day has caused significant inconvenience throughout the Netherlands. The problems are mainly in Overijssel and Gelderland, but also in Drenthe and Noord-Brabant where people were troubled by flooded basements, roads, and cycle paths. Prime Minister Mark Rutte said authorities were on top of the high water situation despite the national holiday.

"The high water is causing nuisance in various parts of the country. We are closely monitoring the situation and taking measures where necessary," Rutte wrote on X. "I wish everyone in the Netherlands dealing with the unpleasant consequences of the heavy rainfall a lot of strength." He went on to thank infrastructure workers at Rijkswaterstaat, regional water board staff, those tasked with protecting the dikes, and emergency services personnel for "working so hard, even during the holidays."


Boat

More than 25,000 people seeking shelter at 241 flood relief centres in East Coast states of Malaysia

Children wade through floodwaters in Bandar Kuala Berang, Kuala Terengganu, followiing heavy rain.
© NSTP/GHAZALI KORIChildren wade through floodwaters in Bandar Kuala Berang, Kuala Terengganu, followiing heavy rain.
The flood situation in the East Coast states has taken a turn for the worse with thousands of residents evacuated from their homes and seeking shelter at 238 flood relief centres.

According to https://infobencanajkmv2.jkm.gov.my website, a total of 25,816 people from 7,493 families are seeking shelter at 238 flood relief centres in Kelantan, Terengganu and Pahang as of 2.30pm today.

In Kelantan, a total of 15,119 people from 4,567 families are seeking shelter at 91 flood relief centres in eight districts namely Gua Musang, Jeli, Kota Bharu, Kuala Krai, Machang, Pasir Mas, Pasir Puteh and Tanah Merah.


Cloud Lightning

Lightning kills 2 sisters in Malawi

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Two sisters of the same family have died after being struck by lightning in Ntcheu District.

The two have been identified as Elica Kaiya, 31, and Tiyamike Gabriel, 19.

Ntcheu Police Public Relations Officer Inspector Jacob Khembo said reports indicate there was heavy rainfall accompanied by thunderstorm on Sunday afternoon when the two were chatting under the shade of one of their parents' houses with their two babies of three months and six months.

"They were struck by lightning while in the shade and they all fell down unconscious and were taken to Kasinje Health Centre, where they were pronounced dead upon arrival while their children were treated as out-patients," said Khembo.

Postmortem which was conducted at the health facility revealed that death was due to neurogenic shock as a result of lightning.

Kaiya and Gabriel hailed from Kaiya Village in the area of Traditional Authority Ganya in Ntcheu.

Snowflake Cold

Best of the Web: Record-cold weather in the stratosphere produces polar clouds earlier and further south than usual

Now we know why polar stratospheric clouds (PSCs) have suddenly exploded. According to NASA's MERRA-2 climate model, temperatures in the Arctic stratosphere just hit a 40-year record low for the month of December:

polar stratospheric clouds
© NASA
Cold air in the stratosphere is exactly what PSCs require. Normally, the stratosphere has no clouds at all. But when the temperature drops to a staggeringly-low -85 C, widely-spaced water molecules coalesce into ice crystals and PSCs begin to form. Their aurora-like colors make them the most beautiful clouds on Earth.

PSCs are normally confined to the Arctic where the stratosphere is coldest. During this week's extreme cold wave, the clouds descended all the way to mid-latitudes. Here they are over Locarno,Switzerland (+46N):

polar stratospheric clouds
Taken by Branca Cristina on December 22, 2023 at Locarno, Switzerland
"I saw these clouds for the first time on Dec. 22nd," says photographer Branca Cristina. "The colors were amazing!"

Snowflake Cold

A "textbook" Sudden Stratospheric Warming Event appears to be unfolding

polar vortex Sudden Stratospheric Warming Event
© NOAAThe development of a Sudden Stratospheric Warming Event
Meteorologists on social media channel X are posting weather models about the increasing threat of a so-called sudden stratospheric warming (SSW) over the Arctic, which could unleash wintry weather across the eastern half of the US in the new year.

"A textbook sudden stratospheric warming event looks to be unfolding," private weather forecaster BAM Weather (BAMWX).

Judah Cohen, Ph.D. and an atmospheric and environmental scientist who studies the polar vortex, told FOX Weather an SSW event takes "about two weeks for the effects of the sudden stratospheric warming to impact our weather."

Cohen expects that cold air will pour into the Lower 48 in the new year, although the specifics of the event remain uncertain.

Comment: Sudden Stratospheric Warming events are never good. History has shown they indicate the increasing destabilization of the jet stream patterns over the northern hemisphere, bringing catastrophic weather with it.


Snowflake

Heavy snow on the Sea of Japan Side - Iwamizawa sees record-high snow - 28 inches in 24 hours

A person walks through snow on Friday morning in Iwamizawa, Hokkaido.
© The Yomiuri ShimbunA person walks through snow on Friday morning in Iwamizawa, Hokkaido.
This season's strongest cold front brought heavy snowfall mainly on the Sea of Japan side of the country on Friday. The snow is expected to get heavier on Saturday, and the Japan Meteorological Agency is warning people to be careful about accidents and transportation disruptions caused by the heavy snow.

According to the agency, the amount of snow that fell in the 24 hours ending at 11 a.m. Friday was 73 centimeters in Iwamizawa, Hokkaido, the largest snowfall in the city's recorded history. Even on Honshu, Itoigawa, Niigata Prefecture, saw 58 centimeters; Shirakawa, Gifu Prefecture, saw 54 centimeters; and Ono, Fukui Prefecture, saw 53 centimeters.