Earth Changes

Low water may halt Mississippi River transport next week

Tom Polansek
Reuters
Thu, 27 Dec 2012 09:22 UTC

© U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers announced the schedule for removing rock formations in the Mississippi River

Commerce on a key stretch of the Mississippi River could "come to an effective halt" earlier than expected next week due to low water levels, disrupting shipments of billions of dollars of grain and other goods, a group of shippers said on Wednesday.

The Waterways Council, which represents shippers and receivers of commodities, said in a message to its members that it received an advisory from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on Monday that indicated water levels around Thebes, Ill., could be too low for most vessels to operate by January 3 or 4.

A spokesman for the Army Corps did not immediately return a call for comment about the forecast.

Shippers for months have been watching the stretch of the Mississippi River between St. Louis and Cairo, Ill., which includes Thebes, due to concerns about a potential closure.

A shipping superhighway that carries billions of dollars in grain, coal, steel and other commodities every year from the central United States to the Gulf of Mexico, the Mississippi is near record-low levels due to the worst U.S. drought since 1956.

Downpours make 2012 England's wettest year on record

Andrew Johnson
The Independent, UK
Fri, 28 Dec 2012 06:35 UTC

Flood warnings for major rivers could hit new year travel plans

The year started with hose pipe bans and warnings of drought. It has ended as the wettest in England since records began. The Met Office said yesterday that at 1,095.8 millimetres the average rainfall across England in 2012 had already breached the previous high of 1,093mm in 2000.

With a further deluge expected over the final few days, it is also likely 2012 will be the third wettest in the UK as a whole since records began in 1910, and it still could be the wettest.

The figures came as more flood warnings were issued for the New Year period by the Environment Agency, with major rivers such as the Severn and Thames set to peak in some areas.

Fifteen dead in U.S. Northeast snowstorm

Russia Today
Thu, 27 Dec 2012 20:11 UTC

Fifteen people have died in the powerful winter storm that triggered tornadoes in the American South and is now burying the Northeast in snow. With hundreds of flight delays, post-Christmas air travelers still remain stuck at US airports.

Since Tuesday, 15 have died in weather-related incidents across the US, including a 1-year-old and a 2-year-old who were killed in a car accident. While many of the victims lost their lives during traffic accidents caused by the rough weather, others were crushed to death by falling trees.

Throughout Indiana, the snowfall ranged from 6 to 12 inches, forcing the state to employ 350 snowplows to clear the roads.

"It's pretty bad. You get a lot of drifting out there. That's what's killing us, mainly," plow driver David White told CNN affiliate WRTV.

Major snow storm dumps 33cm of snow in Brockville, Canada

Dale C. Elliott
BNTV News
Thu, 27 Dec 2012 15:22 UTC

A major winter storm that hit our region overnight had people stuck on the roads, the ditch and their driveways according to Brockville Police. The region also spent the day digging out from one of the largest December snowfalls on record.

Brockville Police say if you don't have to go out today, stay at home and off the roads.

"The amount of snow that fell is only realized as people are stuck at the end of their driveways. Good Samaritans can be found stopping to help and now their vehicles are hazards on the roadway. Stay at home if you can." said Inspector Scott Fraser today.

Fraser also said that there have been no major accidents that have been reported so far.

65 percent of USA covered by snow

Robert Felix
Ice Age Now
Thu, 27 Dec 2012 15:07 UTC

And it looks like there's a snowy weekend ahead.

This map from NOAA shows that 65 percent of the USA was covered by snow as of Thursday morning, December 27, 2012.

And it looks like there's a snowy weekend ahead, with snow for New York City, Boston and Philadelphia.

Snow is expected to spread from parts of the Great Lakes and Ohio Valley on Friday to portions of the Northeast on Saturday.

Source: The Weather Channel

Europeans freezing by the hundreds, as workers lose their jobs in mindless government attempt to make the weather colder

Steven Goddard
Steven Goddard WordPress.com
Thu, 27 Dec 2012 12:46 UTC

We truly live in an age of deep stupidity and insanity.

December 26, 2012 Cold Weather Across Europe, Asia Kills Hundreds

Cold weather in the past few days has sadly gone from severe to deadly. While unusually high snowfall has disrupted the travel plans of millions of Americans, freezing temperatures have taken the lives of hundreds of people from Central Europe to South Asia. The BBC reports that in Poland, 49 people have died; in Ukraine, 83; in Russia, 88; and in India, at least 93. The majority of those dead are the elderly and the homeless.

The EU believes that they control weather, and they also believe that they want to make it colder.

Heavy snowfall halts life in Gazar

DunyaNewsTV
Thu, 27 Dec 2012 12:42 UTC

Heavy snowfall has halted life across Gazar city. Lower areas are covered with 1 ft while the upper areas are covered by snow up to 3 ft. The Gazar-Chitral Highway has been closed for last 4 days. There is shortage of eatables in the city.The traffic is closed in Phandar, shamran, Chasi and Tebr areas of tehsil Gopis. The shortage of eatables is rising day by day while the residents are facing difficulties in the supply of fuel. People have remained closed inside in houses due to chili cold after heavy snowfall.The temperature has fallen down till -10 Degree Centigrade in the upper areas.

Tokyo almost as irradiated as Fukushima

Washington's Blog
Thu, 27 Dec 2012 11:23 UTC

We've documented the spread of radiation from Fukushima to Tokyo for a year and a half. See this, this, this, this, this and this. Unfortunately, as the following recent headlines from Ene News show, things are only getting worse:

Tokyo area turned out to be as contaminated as Fukushima -Kyoto Professor

Tokyo Bay cesium even higher than levels reported off Fukushima - Nearly entire sea floor contaminated by 2014

Tokyo getting 5 times more radioactive fallout than prefectures closer to Fukushima

Japan Times: Time bomb in Tokyo metropolitan area - Experts warn of accumulating Fukushima contamination - Potential disaster at Japan's 2nd largest lake

Tokyo soil so hot it should be sent to nuclear waste dump - Really severe releases hit city

Japanese Legal Expert: "Even residents of Tokyo are evacuating" - More and more people fleeing Fukushima

People from Tokyo area report thyroid cysts and nodules - Japanese doctors laughing at patients

Japan Scientists: Radiation dose has been "significantly increased" around Tokyo metropolitan area after Fukushima

Deluge UK: Six weeks of rain expected to fall before New Year, landslide warnings issued everywhere as country literally falls apart

Vanessa Allen & Emma Reynolds
Daily Mail, UK
Wed, 26 Dec 2012 10:01 UTC

Britain is now under so much water, people in rural areas can only get around by boat.

Walkers and holidaymakers were warned of a risk of landslides yesterday as the wet weather was forecast to continue into the new year.

With many areas already saturated, the prospect of more heavy showers means there may be further flooding in the next week.

The South-West of England remains the worst affected and forecasters have warned of 'dangerous conditions' in coastal areas.

We have had such heavy and persistent rainfall over the past few days and weeks that there is a danger of landslides and rockfalls along the coast, even on coastal paths,' said a Met Office spokesman.

Families heading out for a Christmas walk were urged to 'take care' and warned: 'Do not get too close to the cliff edge or walk under the cliff face along the beach and remember coastal paths could be impacted too.'

Many coastal paths in the South-West have been closed over the past few weeks, and train services have also been disrupted by small coastal landslides. The latest warning was issued following advice from the British Geological Survey monitoring centre.

The worst hit areas of the South-West can expect up to two-and-a-half inches of rain by Saturday night. However, for the most part forecasters expect heavy showers rather than the prolonged downpours that have caused the worst of the recent flooding chaos. A Met Office spokesman said: 'There are going to be short bursts of showery rain followed by drier spells.

Record low temperatures hit Japanese cities

Adam Westlake
The Japan Daily Press
Wed, 26 Dec 2012 09:45 UTC

As Japan continues to deal with a persisting cold front, Christmas Day brought record low temperatures to as many as 44 locations, mostly in the northern region and on the island of Hokkaido. The Japan Meteorological Agency warned that cold temperatures would last throughout the week, with more heavy snowfall in the north and areas that face the Sea of Japan.

Tuesday saw temperatures setting a record low for the month of December, with Hokkaido's city of Furano reaching minus 28.4 degrees, the coldest ever recorded since monitoring began. Record lows were also made in Tokyo, at 6 degrees, and the prefectures of Tottori and Saitama with minus 8 degrees. Homes and offices in Japan very rarely have central heating systems, and windows are poorly insulated, making it sometimes difficult to keep warm in the winter. People instead rely on kerosene-powered space heaters, creating a high demand for oil. In areas where snowfall makes it difficult to drive, gasoline stations drive trucks around with tanks of fuel and long hoses, making deliveries so people don't even have to leave their homes.

The city of Monbetsu, also in Hokkaido, reported a meteorological phenomenon known as ice fog occurring on Tuesday. The meteorological agency says this takes place when the water vapors from the ocean rise and meet cold air on land to form thick, low-hanging clouds of very cold fog.

New Lt. Governor of Virginia Winsome Sears: "We're going to have safer neighborhoods, safer communities, and our children are going to get a good...

parzival

Bill Gates is going to be the one with the uncertain future,,, * New Lt. Governor of Virginia Winsome Sears: "We're going to have safer...

parzival

The more we hear about adverse affects the more we will merely shrug. It's a catch 22. Is that an asteroid trail in the photo?

sass

Welcome to the new normal. The more sensory exposure we have about such things, the less it is an issue.

sass

more misbehaving phuqqin' jewzskies starring on the sott; speaks for itself

Jibrish

Earth Changes

Low water may halt Mississippi River transport next week

Downpours make 2012 England's wettest year on record

Fifteen dead in U.S. Northeast snowstorm

Major snow storm dumps 33cm of snow in Brockville, Canada

65 percent of USA covered by snow

Europeans freezing by the hundreds, as workers lose their jobs in mindless government attempt to make the weather colder

Heavy snowfall halts life in Gazar

Tokyo almost as irradiated as Fukushima

Deluge UK: Six weeks of rain expected to fall before New Year, landslide warnings issued everywhere as country literally falls apart

Record low temperatures hit Japanese cities

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