Extreme Temperatures
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Telescope

Ice halo around the moon seen in the UK

Jonathan O'Callaghan
Daily Mail, UK
Tue, 03 Feb 2015 17:46 UTC
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Pictured is the moon halo over the, Isle of Wight. The moon halo is formed by a high-altitude ice crystal cloud that gathers around the moon
Last night many observers in the UK reported seeing an odd halo of light around the moon.

The remarkable phenomenon was captured in stunning images, showing the moon surrounded by a bright ring of light.

The spectacle is caused by ice crystals in the atmosphere, specifically when thin cirrus or cirrostratus clouds are present at an altitude of about 20,000 feet (6,100 metres).
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Binoculars

Snowstorm brings Eurasian thrush to Apple River, Canada


Cape Breton Post
Tue, 03 Feb 2015 16:31 UTC
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This rare Fieldfare was spotted by Blaine and Kathleen Spicer in Apple River, Cumberland County, on Jan. 31, and again over the next two days.
Kathleen Spicer has seen a lot of different birds in her yard over the years, but very few in North America have been visited by a Fieldfare.

The robin-like European bird was first spotted by Spicer's husband Blaine in an apple tree in their yard during a snowstorm on Jan. 31, and was still being observed there as of Monday.

"Blaine saw it out the window and said, 'I don't know what this is,' so I grabbed my camera and stood on a chair to get a picture of it," aid Mrs. Spicer. "I thought maybe it was a Varied Thrush, because it had a robin shape. But when I looked at the picture, I knew it was something else."

Although she had never seen a Fieldfare before, there was something familiar about the bird. She grabbed a guidebook she had for European birds, and there one was right on the cover.
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Snowflake Cold

Groundhog Punxsutawney Phil 'forecasts' 6 more weeks of winter


Morning Sun
Mon, 02 Feb 2015 22:13 UTC
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© AP Photo/Gene J. PuskarGroundhog Club handler Ron Ploucha, left, holds Punxsutawney Phil, the weather prognosticating groundhog, during the 129th celebration of Groundhog Day on Gobbler's Knob in Punxsutawney, Pa., Monday, Feb. 2, 2015.
The handlers of Pennsylvania's most famous groundhog, Punxsutawney Phil, said Monday the furry rodent has forecast six more weeks of winter.

Members of the top hat-wearing Inner Circle announced the "prediction" Monday morning.

A German legend has it that if a furry rodent sees his shadow on Feb. 2, winter will last another six weeks. If not, spring comes early.
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Snowflake Cold

Winter is here: Sub-zero temperatures continue in UK with another week of snow predicted

Jack Crone and Ben Spencer
Daily Mail
Mon, 02 Feb 2015 08:58 UTC
snow buries car Derbyshire
After extreme weather, a car is almost hidden by several feet of snow near Castleton in the Derbyshire Peak District yesterday afternoon
It's bad news for anyone who didn't pick up a coat in the January sales - last month's icy spell is expected to continue all week.

The mercury was expected to fall to -11C in some parts of the UK overnight, with subzero temperatures expected every night this week and snow predicted across swathes of the nation.

Southern England is gearing up for its coldest snap of the winter, with forecasters saying it will fall to -4C in the South tonight - as cold as your fridge.

Simon Partidge of the Met Office said: 'The maximum temperature on Monday will only be around 4C or 5C which is about the same as inside your fridge.

'And there is a further band of rain, sleet and snow coming in on Monday night which will see some snow in Western parts on Tuesday. It will be dry with sunny spells from Wednesday, but still very cold with some snow on the East Coast.
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Airplane

Heavy snowfall closes down Bratislava international airport in Slovakia


Yahoo! News
Fri, 30 Jan 2015 15:41 UTC
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An official in Slovakia says heavy snow has forced the closure of the international airport in the capital.

Veronika Sevcikova, spokeswoman for Bratislava's M. R. Stefanik Airport, says all outgoing flights have been canceled, while the incoming flights have been diverted to airports in neighboring Austria and Hungary.

Sevcikova says one incoming flights have been diverted to Linz, Austria, and three others to Budapest, Hungary.

She says it is not clear when the airport might be reopened.

The snow has caused traffic disruption and road closures all across the country Friday.


Source: Associated Press
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Ice Cube

Global Warming is all snowed out

Daniel Greenfield
frontpagemag.com
Thu, 29 Jan 2015 15:35 UTC
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'Global warming' in action.
Last year, the New York Times predicted the end of snow. This week, its employees had trouble getting to work because of a travel ban caused by the blizzard. And those New Yorkers still subscribing to the print edition of the Old Gray Lady of Eight Avenue were even more out of luck.

Snow wasn't over, but the New York Times was.

A few days after the New York Times forecast a snowless future in 2014, a major snowstorm (which didn't read the paper and wasn't aware of the 97% scientific consensus) hit shutting down airports, causing major accidents and killing dozens of people. Thirteen inches of snow fell over the city.

A week after warning of the end of snow, the New York Times was instead forced to report on "downed power lines, stranded travelers, abandoned vehicles and yet another mess of snow, slush and ice."
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Binoculars

Stunning rare duck from the Arctic seen in Aberdeen, UK


cfzwatcheroftheskies.blogspot.co.uk
Thu, 29 Jan 2015 20:16 UTC
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A stunning rare bird, hailing from the Arctic, has been spotted in Aberdeenshire.

The beautiful drake King Eider was found off St Combs in Aberdeenshire, on Wednesday.

Described as one of North America's most spectacular species, the King Eider forms large flocks during spring migration, sometimes exceeding 10,000 individuals, however, this duck appears to have been split from the flock.

Elsewhere a Ridgway's Cackling Goose was spotted at Castle Kennedy near Stranraer in Dumfries and Galloway.

The rare goose is native to North America. It breeds in northern Canada and Alaska in a variety of tundra habitats.

Source: The Press and Journal
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Ice Cube

5 rescued after huge ice jam causes floods near Louisville, Nebraska

Richard Davies
floodlist.com
Wed, 28 Jan 2015 12:12 UTC
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@OPDABLE1

Known victims have been rescued, @OPDABLE1 is heading back for fuel & returning to recon for more victims.

8:20 AM - 27 Jan 2015
A one-mile long ice jam is moving down the Platte River in Nebraska has caused flooding near Two Rivers State Park, about 30 miles west of Omaha.

Authorities have rescued five people and pets from the floods and ice. Three of the victims are thought to have been in their vehicle when it became trapped in flood waters. Around 20 residents have evacuated the area.

The National Weather Service in Omaha said:
Ice jam flooding along the Platte River in southwestern Douglas, western Sarpy county, and eastern Saunders counties. Warning in effect.
They predict that jam will move towards the South Bend area, just west of Louisville.
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Cloud Precipitation

Flooding hits parts of Massachusetts coast after winter storm Juno

Richard Davies
floodlist.com
Wed, 28 Jan 2015 14:20 UTC
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© U.S. Army National Guard photo by 1st Sgt. Don Veitch, Massachusetts National Guard Public AffairsFlooded ares of Scituate, Jan. 27, 2015.
Winter storm Juno hit the eastern US states of Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Maine with 75 mph winds and 30 inches of snow. Snowfall amounts, travel bans and power outages and have all been well reported in US media.

The storm also brought flooding to some coastal areas, with the coastal areas of Massachusetts worst hit. Areas along the eastern Massachusetts coast,south of Boston, including north and northeast facing shorelines of Cape Cod and Nantucket faced some of the highest waves and storm surges. NWS warned that floods could reach 3 feet high in places.

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Snowflake Cold

Powerful snowstorm buries New England, cuts off Nantucket

Katharine Q. Seelye and Jess Bidgood
New York Times
Tue, 27 Jan 2015 20:32 UTC
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© Dominick Reuter/Reuters.
The first major storm of the winter blasted across eastern New England on Tuesday, unleashing whiteout conditions driven by gale-force winds that pelted faces like small icy daggers and made cars disappear under igloo-like formations.

The storm may not have lived up to its billing in New York City, but it more than delivered in New England. It cut off the island of Nantucket, where almost all 12,000 year-round residents lost power and telephone service, and it flooded the Atlantic coastal town of Scituate, where a car floated downtown.

As snow continued to swirl Tuesday afternoon, forecasters were still expecting the predicted two to three feet. In Shrewsbury, about 40 miles west of Boston, 31 inches had fallen by 10 a.m.; Worcester, nearby, had received 26 inches and was on track to break records.

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