Extreme Temperatures

Did ancient Earth-chilling meteor crash near Canada?

Becky Oskin
LiveScience
Mon, 02 Sep 2013 14:00 UTC

© Mukul Sharma
The high temperatures of the meteorite impact 12,900 years ago produced mm-sized spherules of melted glass with the mullite and corundum crystal structure shown here.

A meteor or comet impact near Quebec heaved a rain of hot melted rock along North America's Atlantic Coast about 12,900 years ago, a new study claims.

Scientists have traced the geochemical signature of the BB-sized spherules that rained down back to their source, the 1.5-billion-year-old Quebecia terrane in northeastern Canada near the Gulf of Saint Lawrence.

At the time of the impact, the region was covered by a continental ice sheet, like Antarctica and Greenland are today.

"We have provided evidence for an impact on top of the ice sheet," said study co-author Mukul Sharma, a geochemist at Dartmouth College in Hanover, N.H. The results were published today (Sept. 2) in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

South American countries gripped by snow

BBC
Fri, 30 Aug 2013 12:05 UTC

Farmers in the Peruvian mountains have been hard hit by the cold spell

Unusually cold weather and snow in parts of South America have affected thousands of people in several countries.

The cold spell has killed at least seven people in Peru, four in Bolivia and two in Paraguay.

In the latter, the authorities blamed the weather for the death of more than 5,000 cattle too.

Weather forecasters say a cold front from Antarctica entered the region almost a week ago.

On Friday, the Peruvian deputy education minister, Martin Vegas, said schools were closed in 43 provinces in 10 regions.

Bolivian snowfall more than five-feet deep "causing serious problems"

Robert Felix
Ice Age Now
Mon, 02 Sep 2013 02:56 UTC

Snow more than 5-feet (1½ m) deep is causing serious problems on the roads - and despair among the inhabitants - at mining centers Pacuni , Argentina , Mallachuma , Amporio , Viloco and Mina Sudamericana. Pacuni mining centers and Argentina have been isolated since last Saturday.

The snow, which has caused severe damage to mining machinery and infrastructure, is not only preventing output, even people find it difficult to walk in those conditions.

Weather conditions during the last days were terrible, said Panfilo Brand , president of Quime City Council. "We are cut off from the rest of the department . Snow has created havoc in our sheds and compressors, which have been damaged and no longer work, which prevents the production in the extraction of minerals. "

Peru snow state of emergency extended to more regions

BBC News
Sun, 01 Sep 2013 14:13 UTC

The Peruvian government has extended to nine more regions a state of emergency called to cope with unusually cold weather and heavy snowfall.

At least two people have died and 33,000 others have been affected by the cold spell, local officials say. Tens of thousands of animals have frozen to death over the past week. President Ollanta Humala has travelled to Apurimac, one of the worst-hit areas, to oversee the distribution of emergency aid.

The state of emergency would be in place for 20 days, an official statement said. The heaviest snow fall to hit Peru in a decade has killed tens of thousands of llamas, alpacas, cattle and sheep, and left farmers destitute.

A man died when the roof of his hut caved in under the weight of the snow in southern Carabaya province but the circumstances of the second death were unclear.

Three people were rescued on Saturday from the same region after their home was cut off by snow. Rescue workers said the three, two girls and an elderly woman, were suffering from frostbite and snow blindness.

The cold front has also hit Peru's south-eastern neighbour, Bolivia, and Paraguay, where a combined total of five people have died.

Snowstorms kill 70,000 animals in Bolivia

iceagenow.info
Sat, 31 Aug 2013 11:00 UTC

Four farmers killed while trying to rescue the animals.

A cold front with snow storms hit in recent days to the departments of La Paz (west) , Cochabamba (center) , Potosi (southwest) and Chuquisaca ( southeast) .

A report by the Vice Ministry of Civil Defense said that the snow storms impacted on livestock killing "40 000 head of sheep and 30,000 cattle and camels in Cochabamba , Chuquisaca , Potosí and La Paz."

"...most damage is in Cochabamba , La Paz and Potosi, said Oscar Cabrera , Deputy Minister of Civil Defense.

Four farmers were killed and 3500 families were affected by the heavy snow, according to official reports published Friday.

Heavy machinery has cleared snow blocking access to the town , said Mayor Pedro Padilla. The cold weather in Cochabamba caused the loss of at least 2000 head of livestock, including sheep and camels, said Víctor Hugo Vásquez, Deputy Minister of Rural Development.

In the mining center Caracoles (400 km from La Paz ), activities were paralyzed as a result of snow.

"Even doctors left," said a clerk at the Erbol mine.

http://www.hoy.com.ec/noticias-ecuador/bolivia-cuatro-muertos-y-3-500-familias-afectadas-589630.html#cxrecs_s

Thanks to Argiris Diamantis for this link

Historic snowfall in Brazil

Robert Felix
Ice Age Now
Mon, 29 Jul 2013 15:00 UTC

Snow in 113 Santa Catarina cities.
"The record snow for sure is historic , because never in our files , we have the record of the phenomenon in so many cities," says weatherman Marcelo Martins .

In 2010 , there were 23 municipalities with snow during the month of August, says the weatherman. In September of the following year , only 16 cities recorded the phenomenon .

Many cities in the state have not seen snow for many winters. In the Itajai Valley, for example , the phenomenon was not seen for 13 years. In Hill Cambirela in Palhoça, the last snow was recorded in 1984.

Snowstorm in Alaska: White-out conditions close Dalton highway

Fairbanks Daily News-Miner
Thu, 29 Aug 2013 13:20 UTC

Fairbanks - A severe winter storm hit Alaska's Brooks Range on Wednesday, stranding numerous trucks on the Dalton Highway amid heavy drifting snow, high winds and zero visibility.

The Alaska Department of Transportation said that conditions are forcing maintenance crews to withdraw from a 110-mile stretch of the Dalton Highway in the Atigun Pass area. Travel is not advised because of the poor conditions, which include winds of 50-60 mph. "They just can't keep it open," said DOT spokeswoman Meadow Bailey. "They plow through it, and it just blows over again." An undetermined number of trucks also are stuck between 275 Mile and 305 Mile, according to DOT.

Bailey said drivers are being retrieved from trucks stuck in the roadway, but most appear to be staying put while parked along the side of the road. Bailey said it's the fourth weather-related closure of the Dalton Highway this year. Before that, she said the Dalton hadn't been closed for at least a few years. The recent storms have caused trucks to stack up on both ends of the closed area.

Ben Krzykowski, who owns Ben's Auto and Truck Repair, has spent the past week pulling out stuck vehicles when weather allows it. He said there were at least 50 trucks piled into the Coldfoot Camp parking lot last Saturday. "There was basically no room to park in there," he said. An additional 10 trucks are parked at the other end of the closure at the Sagavanirktok River DOT station until conditions improve, Bailey said.

Peru - More than 250,000 alpacas die of cold and snow

Robert Felix
Ice Age Now
Thu, 29 Aug 2013 13:07 UTC

President declares state of emergency.

Peru's government has declared a state of emergency in parts of the southern Andean region of Puno hit with the coldest temperatures in a decade, daily El Comercio reported.

President Ollanta Humala announced the emergency for seven provinces in Puno - Carabaya, Sandia, Lampa, San Antonio de Putina, Melgar, Puno and El Collao.

Hundreds of families have been affected and more than 250,000 alpacas have died due to freezing temperatures and snow storms.

Passengers on buses running between Puno and Arequipa were forced to wait some eight to 10 hours on the icy highways at temperatures of minus 15 degrees Celsius.

Rare late August snowstorm for Iceland

iceagenow.info
Wed, 28 Aug 2013 12:25 UTC

"A very well organised and unusual storm for late August."

"(A low) will cross Greenland mid week and sets it's sights on Iceland Friday into Saturday, deepening on approach," says Mark Vogan Blog. "This system will have some very cold air attached and while strong to gale force winds will likely be a significant feature, the most noteworthy aspect to this storm which pressure down to the mid 970s in millibars, could be the cold temperatures and snow"

"...this looks to be a very well organised and unusual storm for late August even though this fairly high latitude can and does seen deep lows at this time of year. It's the cold that comes with it which could well grab weather headlines this weekend bringing a rare late August snowstorm to Iceland.

http://www.markvoganweather.com/2013/08/26/iceland-storm-snow-potential-uks-first-taste-autumn/

Thanks to Ralph Fato for this link

Record-breaking snow and rainfall hits Atacama desert, Chile - Mudslides, blizzards and flash-flooding 3 years running for 'hottest, driest place on Earth'

Associated Press
Mon, 26 Aug 2013 22:05 UTC

Santiago - A rare snowfall in Chile's Atacama desert has delighted visitors to one of the world's driest areas.

Residents of San Pedro de Atacama say the weekend snow was the heaviest in three decades for the desert city, which is 750 miles (1,200 kilometers) north of the capital, Santiago.

But local officials say they are concerned the snow and rain that fell over the weekend could cause some rivers to flood as has happened in the past.

The national tourism office says the road to San Pedro de Atacama was temporarily blocked due to the unusual weather. Officials have not ordered any evacuation although they expect more rain in the area.

Comment: Interesting. Two years ago, this happened:

Chile's Atacama Desert hit with record snowfall

Last year this happened:

Record-breaking blizzards and record-breaking flash-flooding in the 'driest, hottest place on Earth' for three years in a row: Man-made global warming in action... or another sign that we're headed into an Ice Age?