Extreme Temperatures
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Snowflake Cold

Heavy snowfall hits northeast China amid cold wave

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Provinces in northeast China are experiencing a cold wave and heavy snowfall, with local authorities issuing alerts against treacherous road conditions and blizzard weather.

This snowfall has impacted local agriculture and transportation, with forecasts indicating that the snow will continue into November 5.


Igloo

Climate researchers warn: Warmer climate could lead to 'Cold waves across Northern Europe'!

In a recent open letter, researchers warned that a warmer Arctic could lead to cold waves across Northern Europe - due to "complex feedback mechanisms".

According to Forschung & Wissen here, an international group of renowned scientists recently published an open letter (PDF) stating that the melting of ice in the Arctic could disrupt ocean currents in the Atlantic, and thus have "devastating and irreversible impacts especially for Nordic countries, but also for other parts of the world."

Open Letter
According to their publication in the journal Nature Communications, October 2024, doi: 10.1038/s41467-024-53401-3, melting of sea ice during the last interglacial significantly impacted the density and salinity of seawater, and thus led to significant changes in ocean currents and heat distribution in the oceans.

Attention

Oops, science was 'settled' — until it wasn't: Plants absorb 31% more CO₂ than we thought

Settled Science
© WattsUpwithThat
A new study reveals that plants have been absorbing 31% more CO₂ than previously believed. Yes, 31% — a glaring error that casts serious doubt on climate models, emissions scenarios, and policy prescriptions like Net Zero. For years, we were told that the "science was settled," and that urgent action was needed to avoid catastrophic warming. But this discovery suggests that our models have been dramatically underestimating nature's ability to manage CO₂. This revelation not only upends the rationale behind aggressive policies but also raises broader questions about the supposed certainty of climate science.

The Myth of "Settled Science"

The phrase "settled science" has been the bedrock of climate advocacy for decades. We've been told that if we don't make rapid, costly changes, we'd face imminent disaster. Skeptics were treated as heretics, while the so-called consensus was portrayed as unquestionable. Yet, it turns out we were 31% wrong about something as fundamental as plant CO₂ absorption. This isn't a minor correction; it's a massive revision that undermines the credibility of models driving policy.

The Unraveling of Climate Models

Climate models are the tools used to predict warming and guide policy. They've been treated as scientific scripture, driving policies from emissions reductions to renewable energy mandates. But with a key assumption proven wrong, the models' projections are called into question:
  1. Overblown Emissions Impact: Climate models predicted rapid CO₂ buildup, assuming limited natural absorption. This inflated the urgency of drastic emissions cuts. Correcting for higher CO₂ absorption rates means that CO₂ accumulates in the atmosphere slower than models predicted, weakening the case for urgent, economy-wrenching measures.
  2. Questionable Feedback Loops: Many models rely on dramatic feedback loops — such as reduced plant CO₂ absorption at higher temperatures — to justify emergency interventions. But this new data shows plants can handle more CO₂ than anticipated, making these feedback loops look less inevitable and more speculative.
  3. Policy Implications: If the models guiding climate policy have been this far off, then the entire framework behind policies like Net Zero becomes shaky. Policies driven by these models were never proven to be beneficial, but were only assumed to be so. The discovery that plants are absorbing significantly more CO₂ undermines the supposed need for extreme measures.

Snowflake

Whitehorse in Yukon, Canada digs out after another heavy dump of October snow

A statue in downtown Whitehorse after a heavy snowfall, Oct. 30, 2024.
A statue in downtown Whitehorse after a heavy snowfall, Oct. 30, 2024.
Jan Polivka was already relishing the early start to the cross-country ski season a couple of days ago.

"I have never seen that much snow at the end of October," the operations manager of the Whitehorse Nordic Centre said on Monday.

"We had a couple seasons when we had some actually decent snow conditions — but nothing like this."

Then on Wednesday, Polivka and the rest of the Whitehorse woke to find another thick blanket of white stuff had covered the city overnight. Out came the shovels, again, and any lingering back or muscle aches from the last driveway-clearing would have to wait a bit longer for rest and recovery.

October snow is definitely not unheard of in the Yukon, and Halloween costumes, whatever they may be, often involve snow boots. Still, the amount that's fallen so far this month has been unusual.


Arrow Down

Climate change kills the unborn: The UN wants us to save babies with solar panels and wind plants

Guardian BS
© joannenova.com.au
This week's UN witchcraft is that a half a degree of global warming will kill babies and pregnant women, give us your money.

The UN COP29 meeting starting Nov 11th, fights for relevance in the shadow of the US Election, like a suckerfish under an aircraft carrier.

The latest confected attempt to get attention is to guilt trip the West — telling us that women and babies will die if we don't install enough solar panels. This is despite humans being mammals which evolved to cope with the heat and the cold. We live a more closeted, protected existence than any time in the last million years. Not many people give birth in caves these days. Indeed we're a species that inhabits towns with monthly temperatures that vary by 90 degrees Celsius and we are supposed to panic about another half a degree?

The truth is that being cold, poor and hungry increases stillbirths just as much as any heatwave, and the thing that saves babies on a hot day is an air-conditioner. The answer to all four killers thus, is cheap electricity and fossil fuels.

One day history students will study how the UN uses biblical paraphrasing to demand their tithe and control:
Miscarriages due to climate crisis a 'blind spot' in action plans - report
The report follows an ultimatum from the UN secretary general, António Guterres, on the climate emergency: "We're playing with fire, but there can be no more playing for time. We're out of time." He said global heating was supercharging monster hurricanes, bringing biblical floods and turning forests into tinderboxes, and said governments had to rapidly wean the world off its fossil fuel addiction.
Naturally, only babies that die from heat stress are politically marketable, the UN doesn't care about the ones that die from the cold:
Increasing climate extremes are causing more lost babies, premature births and cognitive damage to newborns, the report said. For example, a study in India found a doubled risk of miscarriage in pregnant women suffering heat stress, while another in California found a significant association between long-term heat exposure and stillbirth and premature birth.
Awkwardly, cold temperatures also cause stillbirths and miscarriages (Ruan et al) so if man-made climate change is warming the world, it must be saving babies too. Shh!

Snowflake

Heavy rainfall and snow disrupt traffic in several Moroccan regions

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Rain and snowfall have once again caused widespread disruptions in road traffic across parts of Morocco, with key routes, particularly in Boulemane and Midelt provinces, completely closed and leaving some areas almost isolated as of Wednesday morning.

According to a bulletin from the Ministry of Equipment and Transport, several roads have been closed to vehicles. These include routes connecting Missour to Guercif, Serghina to Skoura in Boulemane, as well as the Tinghir route leading to the Todgha Gorges, and the routes of Bouretrat and Amersid in Midelt, where alternative routes are currently unavailable.

The bulletin also noted that rainfall had led to closures on four national roads, two regional roads, and six provincial roads. Authorities managed to reopen four provincial roads, three national roads, and one regional road in Boulemane last night, partially restoring movement in the region.

In Midelt, heavy snowfall blanketed large areas and blocked two critical regional roads connecting the town of Rich with the rural Imilchil area, as well as the road linking the rural center of Tounfite with Imilchil, affecting numerous villages along these routes.


Snowflake

Mt Hutt skifield in New Zealand sees nearly a meter of late snow - 5 meter snowdrifts

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Mt Hutt skifield isn't ruling out reopening for a spell after a heavy dumping of snow over the weekend.

Heavy snow fell in the South Island during the long weekend as wild weather lashed much of the country.

Mt Hutt in Methven got nearly a metre of fresh snow.

Mt Hutt ski area manager James McKenzie told Morning Report it was one of the biggest October snowfalls he'd seen in nearly 20 years on the mountain.


Comment: Related: South Island roads remain closed after spring snow, heavy rain in New Zealand


Snowflake

'Winter is here': Early snow blankets Mauna Kea summit in Hawaii

Image from the Maunakea Visitor Information Station Facebook page
Image from the Maunakea Visitor Information Station Facebook page
Mother Nature is definitely being tricky with the weather today at the summit of Mauna Kea, but with precautions in place such as the access road being closed, many Big Islanders are finding the scenery to be more of a treat just in time for Halloween.

"Winter is here," proclaimed the Maunakea Visitor Information Station in an 8:36 a.m. post on its Facebook page Sunday sharing several webcam images from telescopes and observatories on the volcanic mountain's summit showing it lightly blanketed with snow.

One of the photos also showed what was either fog and/or snow continuing to fall or blow in the wind.

The post added that the summit access road was closed because of ice and hazardous driving conditions. The road was still closed as of 12:30 p.m.


Snowflake

South Island roads remain closed after spring snow, heavy rain in New Zealand

Heavy snow in Lake Ōhau yesterday. Photo: Aaron Jones
© Aaron JonesHeavy snow in Lake Ōhau yesterday.
Some roads in the South Island remain closed this morning because of rain, snow and slips.

Flooding in the upper South Island has closed State Highway 6 between Inangahua and Lower Buller Gorge, and State Highway 7 between Kaiata and Stillwater.

Slips have closed State Highway 6 between Kohatu to Murchison.

Snow has closed State Highway 73 from Springfield to Arthur's Pass, and State Highway 6 between Haast and Makarora.

A section of State Highway 6 between Te Anau and Milford was also closed.

On Saturday, Westland mayor Helen Lash said there was a lot of surface flooding, but no rivers had reached their banks.


Snowflake

Heavy snowfall blankets eastern city of Magadan in Russia

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Although winter hasn't officially arrived, the eastern city of Magadan has been hit hard by heavy snowfall from a cyclone, causing major disruptions in traffic and trapping cars, emergency vehicles, and even snowplows.

The cyclone is expected to move on to Kamchatka and Chukotka next.