The multi-day snowstorm that pounded Colorado will likely be written down in the November record books after some parts of the state recorded more than 4 feet of snow accumulation.

The system that slowly pushed its way through the state earlier this week dumped more than 19 inches of snow in parts of Denver over the past three days, according to the National Weather Service. The southeast area of the state was the hardest hit, with 54.9 inches recorded in the San Isabel area in the past 72 hours.


Here are the latest 72-hour snow totals reported to the National Weather Service as of Saturday:

7 NW San Isabel, CO 54.9

Cuchara, CO 46

11 NE Ponderosa Park, CO 41.5

8 ENE Cedar Point, CO 40

First responders had to rescue drivers stranded by snow overnight Friday and well into the morning, as a potentially historic winter storm had dumped more than 3 feet of snow on New Mexico and Colorado, with more to come.

Colorado Governor Jared Polis declared a disaster emergency on Thursday and deployed the National Guard to provide winter weather support.

New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham issued two statewide emergency declarations, unlocking $1.5 million to help state agencies dig out.

The Union County Sheriff's Office in New Mexico reported that they rescued several stranded drivers on state and local roads Thursday evening into Friday morning.

Snow started falling in some parts of the Eastern Cape on Tuesday.

The affected areas included the snow-prone mountainous route of Lootsberg Pass on the N9 between Middelburg and Graaff-Reinet, the Wapadsberg Pass, as well as the N9, between Graaff-Reinet and Nxuba (formerly Cradock).

Eastern Cape Department of Transport spokesperson Unathi Binqose said authorities are monitoring the route and might close it if snowfall worsens.

"This curious phenomenon of snowfall in November adds another damage to already challenging driving conditions in the Eastern Cape, as most areas are affected by heavy rains that have led to slippery conditions as well as poor visibility.

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.

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."

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.

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.

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.

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!

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.

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.