Extreme Temperatures
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Snowflake Cold

Weather 'bomb' set to go off along US East Coast - Record snowstorms and cold to follow

Andrew Freedman
Mashable
Tue, 02 Jan 2018 20:50 UTC
cold wave north America 2018
© tropicaltidbitsModel projection of the satellite signature of the major storm, from the NAM model.
UPDATE: Jan. 2, 2018, 1 p.m. EST This story has been updated to reflect new weather forecast guidance.

An unusually powerful storm is threatening the East Coast of the U.S. this week with heavy snow, high winds, and record-shattering cold not seen in some places since the early 20th Century - if at all.

The storm will be the result of a combination of three strong pieces of atmospheric energy, known to meteorologists as shortwaves.

Think of these shortwaves as protein bars for storm formation. This particular storm, which is already beginning to form off the coast of Florida, will devour enough of them to allow it to become so powerful that it will contain hurricane force winds by the time it moves off the Mid-Atlantic coast late Wednesday night.

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Snowflake Cold

Deadly cold temperatures disrupt US: 'Warming centers' open across South (VIDEOS)

Tammey Webber
AP News
Tue, 02 Jan 2018 21:37 UTC
Water squirts from a frozen fountain near downtown in Charlotte, N.C.,
© AP /Chuck BurtonWater squirts from a frozen fountain near downtown in Charlotte, N.C., Tuesday, Jan. 2, 2018. Temperatures plummeted overnight to 2 degrees in the north Georgia mountains, 14 in Atlanta and 26 as far south as New Orleans as the Gulf Coast felt more like Green Bay.
Dangerously cold temperatures blamed for at least nine deaths have wreaked havoc across a wide swath of the U.S., freezing a water tower in Iowa, halting ferry service in New York and leading officials to open warming centers even in the Deep South.

The National Weather Service issued wind chill advisories and freeze warnings Tuesday covering a vast area from South Texas to Canada and from Montana through New England.

Indianapolis early Tuesday tied a record low of minus 12 degrees Fahrenheit (-24 Celsius) for Jan. 2 set in 1887, leading Indianapolis Public Schools to cancel classes. And the northwest Indiana city of Lafayette got down to minus 19 (-28 Celsius), shattering the previous record of minus 5 (-21 Celsius) for the date, set in 1979, the National Weather Service said. After residents there began complaining of a hum, Duke Energy said it was caused by extra power surging through utility lines to meet electricity demands.

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Ice Cube

20 meter high ice wall forms on China-Russia border lake


CCTV Plus
Sun, 30 Dec 2018 15:16 UTC
20 meters high ice wall at Xingkai Lake
20 meters high ice wall at Xingkai Lake
Ice chunks and rafts of various size have piled up by the force of wind and formed a long ice wall that extends dozens of kilometers on the verge of Xingkai Lake, border lake between China and Russia, in Mishan, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province.

The ice wall was only three to four meters high in the beginning. As time goes on, it has risen to over 20 meters.

Stretching along the eastern side of the lake, the ice wall attracted visitors and shutterbugs to witness this unusual scene.

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Ice Cube

Extreme cold puts Great Lakes ice cover ahead of schedule

Eric DoBroka
uppermichiganssource.com
Sun, 30 Dec 2018 09:46 UTC
chart
The recent extreme cold has had an impact on everyone and everything, even our Great Lakes.

Over the course of the last two weeks, Lake Superior and other Great Lakes have become increasingly iced over. Currently, the ice cover is slightly ahead of schedule.

Typically, in late December Lake Superior has about five percent of total ice cover. This year, it's closer to 10 percent.
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Snowflake Cold

Niagara Falls 'freezes' as Arctic conditions grip North America (VIDEO)


RT
Sat, 30 Dec 2017 19:07 UTC
Niagara Falls
© Aaron Lynett/The Canadian Press, via APVisitors take photographs at Niagara Falls.
North America is currently experiencing a particularly severe and protracted cold snap resulting in major car accidents, a state of emergency, sharks freezing to death and even now Niagara Falls is experiencing the Arctic blast.

The water of the majestic falls themselves has yet to succumb to the polar winds, but the surrounding area has been transformed into a winter wonderland as temperatures plummet across Canada and the US, dropping to -34 degrees Fahrenheit in parts and dropping further to -89 degrees (-67 Celsius) when windchill is factored in.

The weather has wreaked havoc on US roads, with Michigan alone reporting up to 30 crashes due to the recent icy conditions, including a major pile-up involving at least 40 vehicles reports WGN.


Comment: See these related articles on the Arctic conditions currently gripping North America:

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Igloo

Winter is here! Arctic freeze curtails New Years Eve events and freezes sharks

Karen Graham
Digital Journal
Sat, 30 Dec 2017 20:01 UTC
IceMoose
© NOAARemember to dress appropriately for celebrating the New Year!
As climate change ushers in another year of extreme global temperatures, Canada and much of the United States has been hit with below freezing temperatures and heavy snowfall. It has been so cold that even sharks have washed up on beaches in Cape Cod.

In Canada, the federal weather agency has issued an extreme cold warning for Sunday morning as another blast of Arctic air moves across the provinces plummeting temperatures well below the seasonal mark. A wind chill of -30 degrees Centigrade ( -22 degrees Fahrenheit) will make it feel much colder, according to Environment Canada.

Needless to say, but quite a few New Years Eve events have been canceled, including many of the events in the New Year's Eve party on Parliament Hill in downtown Ottawa, which also was going to be the end of Canada's sesquicentennial celebrations. CBC News Canada suggests would-be celebrants check with their local media or websites to see if any activities are canceled.
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Snowflake

Exceptional snowfalls continue in the Alps - This winter snowiest so far this century

Patrick Thorne
Inthesnow.com
Sat, 30 Dec 2017 13:12 UTC
snow Alps
The exceptional snowfall that has been a feature of the start of the 2017-18 ski season on the Alps is continuing today with the second huge snowfall in four days hitting the Alps and other ski regions of Europe.

Forecasters are also now saying a third big snowfall will hit during the first 48 hours of 2018 at the start of next week.

All the snow is causing travel issues for skiers and boarders trying to get too and from ski resorts on what is, in any case, traditionally one of the busiest Saturdays of the year ahead of the peak New Year week.

However in most cases drivers have heeded warnings to be prepared including obligatory fitting of chains for the ascent to many resorts and traffic is getting through, if more slowly than usual.
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Snowflake Cold

Britain warned of Storm Dylan dangers as extreme cold hits US

Neal Baker
The Sun
Sun, 31 Dec 2017 01:45 UTC
storm dyland meteo
STORM Dylan could pose a "danger to life" as heavy rain and gusts of up to 80mph were due to hit parts of the UK early today.

Forecasters warned of flying debris from strong winds in Northern England, Northern Ireland and Scotland.

And two-inch downpours will spread from the South West. Temperatures will peak at 13C, with lows tonight of -2C in some parts.

Meanwhile, Brits seeing the New Year in in southern Europe will enjoy sunshine today, with temperatures in Benidorm, Spain, up to 20C.
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Snowflake

Mysterious blue snow falls in St. Petersburg, Russia

Bryan Nelson
Mother Nature Network
Sat, 30 Dec 2017 12:39 UTC
What could have caused this eerie blue snow?
What could have caused this eerie blue snow?
You've heard of a white Christmas, but have you heard of a blue Christmas? (And no, we don't mean the Elvis Presley classic.)

An extraordinarily bizarre event occurred in St. Petersburg, Russia, on Tuesday, December 26th: blue snow falling on the city. The freaky weather phenomenon sparked widespread fears that the snow was tainted with some kind of toxic pollutant. So far, no official explanation has been offered for the blue snow, though an investigation is underway, reports ABC News.

The predominant theory among residents seems to be that the blue snow was caused in some way by the recent demolition of the city's chemical-pharmaceutical research institute. Scientists have suggested that the tinted ice could be caused by cobalt, a metallic element, or methylene blue, a substance used in some medical treatments.

Residents were simply forced to attempt to go about their daily lives in spite of their shocking surroundings; shoveling the blue stuff, clearing roads and driveways.


Comment: See also: Mystery blue snow fallout in Chelyabinsk alarms residents

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Tornado2

Waterspout that looks like a 'snow tornado' photographed over Grand Traverse Bay, Michigan

Tanda Gmiter
Mlive
Sat, 30 Dec 2017 12:30 UTC
Waterspout near Peshawbestown
© James LawsonWaterspout near Peshawbestown
Visibility was near zero today as parts of Grand Traverse and Leelanau counties got socked with snow. But some people near Suttons Bay got to see a winter waterspout form over Grand Traverse Bay.

James Lawson took these shots behind the casino near Peshawbestown.

It was an unusual sight Saturday afternoon, amid the lake effect snow storm.

Some who saw the pictures on social media were calling it a "snow tornado."
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