Extreme Temperatures
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Binoculars

Yellow-breasted chat that normally winters in Central America turns up in Charlotte, North Carolina

Taylor Piephoff
The Charlotte Observer
Wed, 27 Dec 2017 19:49 UTC
In a rare occurrence for Charlotte, a yellow-breasted chat
© Jon WyattIn a rare occurrence for Charlotte, a yellow-breasted chat has been seen coming to feeders and pecking at the host’s windows.
It's getting ready to be seriously cold. Our local birds will be able to handle the weather just fine, but unusually cold weather will likely bring the birds to feeders in droves. It adds a little short-term stress to their winter lives. This is an opportunity to see some unusual species that normally will be foraging in the woods and brush nearby. If we get a bit of winter precipitation mixed in, the activity will be even more intense.

I have already gotten reports of some noteworthy things happening at feeders. In one of the more unusual area occurrences in recent memory, a yellow-breasted chat has been coming to feeders and showing winter territorial behavior by pecking at the host's windows. This is unusual in a couple of ways.

First, there are very, very few winter records of chats in the Piedmont. Coastal birders may encounter one very rarely in early winter, but reports from the Piedmont are almost unheard of. I have seen winter chats only three times, all coastal. There is one record from the Southern Lake Norman Christmas Bird Count from almost 15 years ago. This bird was counted on last week's Charlotte Christmas Count for a first count record.
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Snowflake Cold

Extreme cold spell breaks 57 year old record in Toronto


blogTo
Thu, 28 Dec 2017 19:29 UTC
Snow piles up in parking lots at the Canadian National Exhibition as Toronto tries to stay warm in the extreme cold.
© Steve Russell / Toronto StarSnow piles up in parking lots at the Canadian National Exhibition as Toronto tries to stay warm in the extreme cold.
Polar vortex, schmolar vortex. The winter we're currently living through just saw temperatures dip to -22 C on Dec. 28 for the first time in recorded history.

The previous record was set all the way back in 1960, when a low of -18.9 was recorded on this day at Pearson Airport.

Toronto (obviously) remains under an extreme cold weather alert as a series of cold weather systems continues to roll through Southern Ontario.

A period of "very cold wind chills" is expected today, according to Environment Canada, with wind chill values of minus 30 or below recorded already in the city this morning.
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Ice Cube

Two more freighters stuck in ice near island in Upper Peninsula, Michigan

Tanda Gmiter
mlive.com
Thu, 28 Dec 2017 19:17 UTC
The Biscayne Bay
© U.S. Coast GuardThe Biscayne Bay
Coast Guard ships from the U.S. and Canada were called on to free two freighters stuck in the ice near the eastern edge of the Upper Peninsula today.

The stopped freighters created a bit of a shipping traffic jam in the St. Mary's River Thursday and marked the third freighter that had to be helped out of that area this week.

Subzero temperatures mean ice is forming faster on The Great Lakes, which is a recipe for some of these big ships getting stuck in tight spots.

On Tuesday, the Coast Guard cutter Biscayne Bay was able to free the Duluth-bound James R. Barker, a 1,000-footer, from ice near Neebish Island.
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Snowflake Cold

Enduring cold snap creates headaches at home, on highways & cancellations of New Year's celebrations

John Seewer
AP News
Sat, 30 Dec 2017 18:30 UTC
Cold snap
Already winter-weary parts of the Midwest and East Coast are dealing with a mounting number of weather-related headaches, from highway pileups to frozen pipes and a rash of car thefts. And there's more to come.

Bitter temperatures and snow squalls have been blamed for a handful of deaths and canceled a long list of New Year's celebrations.

Icy roads in central Michigan caused more than 30 crashes Friday on highways near Flint while a chain-reaction crash involving about 40 vehicles in the southwestern part of the state left three hurt.

Coastal South Carolina saw a rare bout of freezing rain and drizzle on Friday that forced bridges from Charleston to Myrtle Beach to shut down for de-icing.

Comment: See more on the cold weather in the USA:

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Rainbow

Lunar 'fogbow' in the Arctic circle and light pillars in New Hampshire


SpaceWeather.com
Sat, 30 Dec 2017 11:14 UTC
lunar fogbow moon bow aurora
© abiskoguide.com
LUNAR FOGBOW VS. NORTHERN LIGHTS: Deep inside the Arctic Circle, aurora tour guide Tim Nordström of Abisko, Sweden, routinely sees green curtains hanging down from the sky. On Dec. 28th, he saw something different: a pale arc reaching out of the ground:

"It was amazing," says Nordström. "We were hiking through a frost-covered forest. The air was cold (-25 C) and crisp. At first the fog was thick above us, but after a while it started to thin out so we could see the green auroras overhead. A bright shaft of moonlight lanced through the fog --and that's when we saw the fogbow."
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Snowflake Cold

Adapt 2030 Ice Age Report: Arctic cold grips the US, Asia and Europe - Record snows in Erie, Pennsylvania smash old record by 3x (VIDEO)


Adapt 2030
Fri, 29 Dec 2017 20:21 UTC
Record snowfall in Erie
© Jill McCormick‏Record snowfall in Erie
Arctic cold grips the US, Asia and Europe. Record snows in Erie, Pennsylvania breaking the old snow record by 3x. Somehow below zero F temperatures are a result of warm Arctic air according to the IPCC. This bitter cold air is 30 F below normal temperatures even for freezing winter, now sub-arctic conditions cover the Northern Hemisphere.


Comment: See also:

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Snowflake

Snow blankets desert and mountains in Xinjiang, China


CCTV
Thu, 28 Dec 2017 19:29 UTC
Staff members of railway department clean the snow on the track in early morning in Urumqi, capital of northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Dec. 28, 2017. As several places in Xinjiang were hit by heavy snow from Dec. 27
Staff members of railway department clean the snow on the track in early morning in Urumqi, capital of northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Dec. 28, 2017. As several places in Xinjiang were hit by heavy snow from Dec. 27
Snow blanketed the Kumtag Desert and Flaming Mountains in Turpan, of northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, on Thursday morning.

Turpan, known for its sizzling hot climate and sky-high temperatures, has an annual precipitation of only 16.4 millimeters. It rarely snows in winter. According to the Turpan Meteorological Administration, the snow started around 06:00 and fell until around noon today. Snow accumulation was estimated to reach only 1 or 2 centimeters.

The Flaming Mountains, named for their fire red pigment, were covered in a pristine layer of powder.

Likewise, the nearby Kumtag Desert was blanketed by a fine coating of snow.

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Snowflake Cold

Cold snap envelops south-east Asia

Lee Seok Hwai
The Straits Times
Fri, 29 Dec 2017 19:12 UTC
Heavy snow in Beitun, in China's Xinjiang autonomous region, on Wednesday.
© REUTERSHeavy snow in Beitun, in China's Xinjiang autonomous region, on Wednesday.
Tropical South-east Asia has not been spared the wintry chills.

Thailand, Myanmar, Laos and Cambodia have been enveloped by an unexpectedly cold front, which descended from China last week.

In Samoeng, a district in the northern Thai province of Chiang Mai, the government distributed blankets and winter clothes to 7,000 residents last Friday as temperatures plunged to 5 deg C, The Nation newspaper reported.

Thailand's Meteorological Department has predicted that temperatures in areas, excluding the south, will drop by another 2 to 4 deg C during the New Year holidays.
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Ice Cube

Icy blast from the Arctic causes waterfalls to freeze in northern US

Regina F. Graham
Daily Mail
Thu, 28 Dec 2017 18:48 UTC
The arctic blast that's bringing negative temperatures to several states across the northern U.S.
The arctic blast that's bringing negative temperatures to several states across the northern U.S. is causing waterfalls to freeze, windows to crack and people to suffer life-threatening frostbite with just 30 minutes of exposure outside. Above the frozen Minnehaha Falls in Minneapolis, Minnesota are pictured on Thursday
The arctic blast that's bringing negative temperatures to several states across the northern U.S. is causing waterfalls to freeze, windows to crack and people to suffer life-threatening frostbite with just 30 minutes of exposure outside.

Forecasters are warning for those who are outside to bundle up with layers to protect against hypothermia and frostbite that could happen with exposure in the bitter arctic.

The icy cold weather has turned the Minnehaha Falls in Minneapolis, Minnesota into a beautiful frozen wonderland. The popular attraction has completely frozen over due to the super cold single-digit temperatures that have gripped the state over the past few days.

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Attention

Two thresher sharks found dead on Massachusetts beaches because it's so cold in the U.S. right now

Kristin Hugo
Newsweek
Thu, 28 Dec 2017 14:10 UTC
Two sharks were found dead Wednesday on beaches on Cape Cod, and experts say “cold shock” may have led to their stranding and death.
© Atlantic White Shark ConservancyTwo sharks were found dead Wednesday on beaches on Cape Cod, and experts say “cold shock” may have led to their stranding and death.
The end of the year is bringing freezing temperatures to New England, and it's not just humans who are feeling the cold. Two sharks were found dead Wednesday on beaches on Cape Cod, and experts say "cold shock" may have led to their stranding and death.

Cold shock happens when a person or animal is exposed to sudden, very cold temperatures. Humans can suffer a variety of symptoms such as muscle spasms and cardiac arrest. The program director of the Cape Cod - based Atlantic White Shark Conservancy told The Boston Globe that it's not uncommon for sea turtles to wash up on the beach after experiencing cold shock. However, sharks are water-breathing fish, so when they wash up on a beach, they can suffocate and die.
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