Extreme Temperatures
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Ice Cube

High winds invert waterfall in Catalonia, Spain, freezing nearby vegetation

inverted waterfall
© Twitter meteoprades ‏@meteoprades
Strong winds sweeping through Capafonts, Spain have created this amazing inverted waterfall on March 5, 2016.

Due to the frigid temperatures in the region, the water instantly freezes, covering the nearby vegetation with icicles despite any signs of winter around.

According to gravity water falls down.

frozen
However, if you add an additional factor, such as strong wind, the water can start flowing upwards:


Tornado2

Spectacular rare snow tornado filmed in Norway

“snownadoes”
Snow devils or "snownadoes" are extremely rare weather phenomena since they require very specific meteorological conditions to form.

Snow tornadoes are so rare that only six have ever been captured on camera and very little is known about them.

These twisting columns of snow are closely related to waterspouts since they form over either frozen lakes or snow-covered areas.

For snow devils to occur, the necessary conditions include a colder air mass passing over a relatively warmer surface heated by sunlight, and a low-level wind shear (change of wind speed or direction with height) or colliding air currents to get the rising air to spin.

A warmer surface causes the snow or ice to form fog or steam, and if there is a column of colder, low-pressure air above this fog, it will begin to rise, and the wind shear or currents will cause it to rotate and begin to pick up loose snow forming the recognizable funnel shape.


Snowflake

Moscow has heaviest Spring snowstorm in over 50 years

snow in Moscow
Snow in Moscow
A heavy spring snowstorm hit the Moscow region last night. The unexpected weather conditions complicated the situation on Moscow roads and forced Domodedovo and Sheremetyevo airports to cancel more than a hundred flights.

Weather forecasters predict the strongest snowfall for the end of the week. According to Russia's meteorological service, such snowstorms occur in March once every 50 years.

The snowfall took Moscow's residents by surprise. Pedestrians heading to work are getting stuck in the snow, while many car owners have to dig their cars out of snow banks.

However, many people have not lost their sense of humor and shared their impressions on social networks.

Snowflake Cold

Met Office predicts sudden stratospheric warming to bring snap of cold weather over UK

Wintry weather
© UK Met Office
Meteorologists from the UK Met Office have predicted a sudden stratospheric warming (SSW) will occur in early March 2016. The phenomena could affect the surface weather, increasing the risk of prolonged wintry conditions over parts of northern Europe and the UK.

The sudden stratospheric warming (SSW) phenomenon is a rapid warming episode which takes place between 10 and 50 km (6.2 and 31 miles) of the Earth's atmosphere. During the warming, temperatures can climb for up to 50 °C in only a few days time.

SSW begins with a wave-like disturbance which travels into the high-altitude jet stream system, and can grow to a point to breaking, exhibiting similar behavior like the breaking beach waves. The jet stream usually flows in the west-to-east direction with some north and south oscillation. The disturbance can cause the winds to turn in the opposite direction. When that happens, the air falls into the Arctic and gets compressed, causing the rapid warming.

"Sudden stratospheric warming events occur high up in the atmosphere and involve a complete reversal of the high-altitude polar jet stream - they can even affect weather at the surface, and for the UK, a sudden stratospheric warming increases the risk of wintry weather," Professor Adam Scaife, Head of Monthly to Decadal Prediction explained.


Snowflake

Massive snowstorm in Japan grounds 130 flights, leaves thousands without power

Snow in Japan
© Flickr/Takeshi Kuboki
The Japan's meteorological agency reported Tuesday that the Japanese island of Hokkaido has been severed hit by snowstorm that left 4,000 households without power and grounded over 130 flights.

A powerful snowstorm that hit the northern Japanese island of Hokkaido grounded over 130 flights and led to power outages in approximately 4,000 households on Tuesday.

The country's meteorological agency recorded up to 20 inches of precipitation over the past 24 hours, with over 15 inches of snow expected by early Wednesday.

A snow cyclone is accompanied by winds reaching the speed of up to 115 feet per second. Wave heights on the island's shore exceeded 25 feet.


Comment: Today, the country's meteorology agency warned citizens to brace for the worst blizzard in years.


Ice Cube

Global warming? Kurilskoye Lake in Kamchatka, Russia freezes for first time in 10 years

Kronotsky State Nature Reserve
© Kronotsky State Nature ReserveKonstantin Lepsky, state inspector of the Kronotsky State Nature Reserve: 'When we patrolled the area, we walked along the lake in snowshoes for about 18 kilometres.'
With thermal waters, and the warming effect of the nearby Sea of Okhotsk, this unusual lake normally does not freeze over. But this year its famous Steller's sea eagles have been forced to relocate because the ice holes in which they catch fish have frozen over. Two weeks of calm weather and low temperatures in February - of minus 20C - shackled the surface of the lake with a thick layer of ice.

Konstantin Lepsky, state inspector of the Kronotsky State Nature Reserve, said: 'When we patrolled the area, we walked along the lake in snowshoes for about 18 kilometres.

'From the observation tower at Travyanoy we looked around the horizon in all directions. The lake was completely frozen. Only in the mouth of the River Hakytsin could we see a little ice hole, where ducks and swans were swimming, and Steller's sea eagles were spotted.'

Most of the birds were forced to relocate to Avacha Bay, near Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky. The lake formed in a caldera after two large volcanic explosions, one 41,500 radiocarbon years ago and the other around 6440 BC.

Snowflake Cold

Major winter storm coming Tuesday to central Canada

snow storm canada
© Paul Palmeter/CBCEnvironment Canada has issued winter storm warnings for Toronto, Hamilton, Montreal and Quebec City. Many areas in southern Ontario and Quebec could see heavy snow. Driving could be treacherous.
Environment Canada says a major winter storm is expected to sweep into parts of southern Ontario and southern Quebec on Tuesday, bringing heavy snow to some areas and freezing rain elsewhere.

Toronto, Hamilton, Montreal and Quebec City are under winter storm warnings. Windsor is under a snowfall warning, while Ottawa is under a winter storm watch.

Parts of Quebec including Montreal and Quebec City could get more than 30 centimetres of snow.

Environment Canada has issued a series of winter storm warnings and watches that cover a large swath of southern Ontario and southern Quebec.

The storm, travelling north from central United States, is expected to bring snow to southern Ontario on Tuesday afternoon and southern Quebec on Tuesday evening. Snow in Quebec will intensify overnight and continue Wednesday.

Environment Canada says drivers should be prepared for messy conditions.

"There may be a significant impact on rush hour traffic in urban areas," it says.

Attention

Green sea turtles hit by cold weather in Florida

Clearwater Marine Aquarium (CMA)
© Jim Damaske/The Tampa Bay TimesClearwater Marine Aquarium (CMA) associate sea turtle biologist Brittany Workman listens to the heartbeat of a cold stunned green sea turtle while CMA senior turtle biologist Cassie Seebart tucks another cold stunned green seat turtle in to a heated recovery area Monday, Jan. 25, 2016 in Clearwater, Fla.
Juvenile green sea turtles are washing up on local beaches — dead or in distress — at an alarming rate this year, experts say.

The Clearwater Marine Aquarium has picked up more than 129 dead and 93 living sea turtles since Feb. 3, more than the total number of dead specimens collected during all of 2015.

"We've already done a year's worth of work," said Adrienne Cardwell, the aquarium's manager of sea turtles and aquatic biology programs.

Crews have been responding to calls about the stranded young turtles and patrolling Pinellas County's northern beaches for the past two weeks, searching for the aquatic reptiles as water temperatures dropped — leaving many turtles with already compromised immune systems in trouble.

Because sea turtles need external heat to regulate their body temperature, cold water can cause decreased heart rate and circulation, lethargy, shock and even death.


Comment: See also: Around 500 manatees crowd into a Florida spring to stay warm


Sun

Sydney heatwave: City sets record for days above 26C as mercury hits 41.7C

Sydney heatwave
© Jenny Evans/AAP A father and daughter at Bondi beach. The Bureau of Meteoreology forecast temperatures of 41C in Parramatta, Penrith and Richmond, with 35C in the CBD.
Sweltering day 21st consecutive day over 26C as Bureau of Meteorology predicts temperatures above 26C for the next week

Temperatures in parts of Sydney topped 40 degrees today, as the city sweated through a record streak of 21 days above 26C.

In Penrith, the temperature reached 41.7 by mid-afternoon and hovered just below into the evening.

Closer to the city it wasn't much cooler with 39.2C recorded at Sydney Olympic Park and 36.9 at the airport.

Blair Trewin of the Bureau of Meteorology told Guardian Australia the scorcher marked the 21st consecutive day of 26C or over in Sydney, a record stretch not matched at any time of year.

The next-longest streak was 19 days of temperatures above 26C in March 2014.

Snowflake

Heavy snowfall in Akureyri, Iceland: 43 inches (110cms) of fresh snow, most in 20 years

Snow in Iceland
© mbl.is/Skapti HallgrímssonBorgarbraut in the Glerárhverfi district.
The city of Akureyri in North Iceland is seeing great snow accumulation for the third year in a row. This morning, residents woke up to 110 cm of fresh snow.

Snow depth has not been greater since the winter of 1995-1996.

Our Akureyri correspondent took these photographs this morning.

Snow ploughs have a hard day's work ahead.

Snow in Iceland
© mbl.is/Skapti HallgrímssonWalking to school takes a little longer than usual.