Extreme Temperatures
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Ice Cube

No more dead parrots - Global-warming fans spent frozen Christmas in Antarctica


The Washington Times
Fri, 10 Jan 2014 04:46 UTC
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© AP Photo/Xinhua, Zhang JiansongIn this photo provided China's official Xinhnua News Agency, passengers from the trapped Russian vessel MV Akademik Shokalskiy, seen at right, prepare to board the Chinese helicopter Xueying 12 in the Antarctic Thursday, Jan. 2, 2014.
Australian global-warming enthusiasts, enthralled by their own hype, expected their summertime trip to the South Pole to be a breeze. They've been insisting for years that man is overheating the planet, the polar ice caps are melting, and penguins in the south and polar bears in the north would soon die of heat prostration. What a Christmas Eve surprise for the 52 passengers aboard the MV Akademik Shokalskiy. Their ship became trapped by ice that clearly wasn't melting. The ship remains stuck, perhaps permanently, but a rescue helicopter carried the researchers to safety.

Chris Turney, a professor at the University of New South Wales, organized this Antarctic excursion to "investigate the impact of changing climate." The group set sail, but never got close to the South Pole. Two weeks into what was supposed to be a five-week journey, the ship entered a thick patch of ice that didn't just show up overnight. "The thick chaotic surface we see around the Shokalskiy," Mr. Turney explained on his blog, "is consistent with the idea that this ice is several years old and is considerably more difficult to break through by icebreaker than single-year ice." Large Chinese and French icebreakers gave up early rescue attempts when they were unable to get within several miles of the frozen boat.
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Cloud Precipitation

Cold, wet weather may help spread deadly pig virus: USDA

Meredith Davis
yahoo.com
Thu, 09 Jan 2014 04:30 UTC
Frigid temperatures across a large swath of the United States this week followed by warmer conditions could aid the spread of a fatal pig disease now in 22 states, affecting hundreds of thousands of pigs, a swine veterinarian said on Thursday.

"The virus likes cold, wet and cloudy days," said Rodney Baker, a swine veterinarian at Iowa State University at Ames, Iowa, the top pork producing state in the United States.

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At this time of year the virus gets frozen on clothes and shoes, making it easy to track around and spread, Baker added.

Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea virus (PEDv), which causes diarrhea, vomiting and severe dehydration in hogs, has spread quickly across the U.S. hog belt since its discovery in the United States in April 2013.

California and Wyoming are the latest states to report confirmed cases of the deadly pig virus, bringing the number of states affected to 22, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said on Thursday.

The number of new cases increased by 134 for the week of December 29, bringing total reported cases to 2,084, according to the USDA's National Animal Health Laboratory Network (NAHLN)
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Ice Cube

Global Cooling: Is an Ice Age coming?


youtube.com
Tue, 07 Jan 2014 16:47 UTC
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The climate is changing, but it's not changing the way the climate change crowd predicted it would. Nature has made a mockery of global warming, so who are the real climate deniers?

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Ice Cube

Lake Michigan turns into a sea of ice balls


Telegraph, UK
Thu, 09 Jan 2014 15:53 UTC
The deep freeze in the US causes an unusual sight on the shores of Lake Michigan as huge ice boulders wash onto beaches

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The polar vortex which has gripped North America in sub-zero temperatures has brought with it a natural phenomenon on the shores of Lake Michigan.

Huge, basketball-sized balls of ice have been washing up by the lakeside town of Glen Arbor in Michigan.

Meteorologist Joe Charlevoix explains that they are formed when "the water temperature on the Lake Michigan is just a little bit below freezing, so you get a small piece of ice that forms in the water and as waves move back and forth it adds additional water and freezes in layers.

"It gets bigger and bigger, and eventually you get big balls of ice, that are pushed to the shore by the wind."

Locals call them "ice balls" or "ice boulders" and they are a regular feature of Winter in the Great Lakes.

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Ice Cube

Polar vortex puts millions across the U.S. at risk from brutally cold weather - Includes Global Warming dunnit nonsense

Ed Pilkington
The Guardian
Mon, 06 Jan 2014 00:00 UTC
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© John Dixon/APA wrecked semi truck sits in a ditch in Illinois as sub-zero temperatures hit driving conditions.
- Twenty six states under federal warnings for severe wind chills

- Montana recording a record-making wind chill of -52C (-61F)

- Live blog: life-threatening cold hits North America

Millions of Americans from Montana down to as far south as Alabama are being warned that their lives are at risk if they venture out for any length of time into brutally cold conditions that are driving temperatures to their lowest in 20 years.

Severe weather warnings from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration for Minnesota and Wisconsin said that wind chills caused by gusts of up to 30 mph were causing temperatures to plummet to between -37C (-35F) and -46C (-50F). "Exposed flesh will freeze and cause frost bite in only five minutes," the warning observed, adding that such dangerous conditions were likely to last until at least Tuesday afternoon.

Twenty six states continue to be under federal warnings for severe wind chills as bitterly cold air is swept down from the Arctic, with Montana recording a wind chill of -52C (-61F). The severe weather has already caused havoc in the Northern Plains and is expected to reach the north-east on Tuesday, extending disruption to airports and travellers. More than 3,000 flights were cancelled on Monday and Chicago's O'Hare International airport has been particularly badly affected.
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Chalkboard

Obama in Nov.: 'Excessively high temperatures' are 'already' harming public health - Issues Executive order against climate

Craig Bannister
CNS News
Wed, 06 Nov 2013 00:00 UTC
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© Scott Olson/Getty ImagesIce builds up along Lake Michigan at North Avenue Beach as temperatures dipped well below zero on Jan. 6, 2014 in Chicago, Illinois.
"Excessively high temperatures" are "already" harming public health nationwide, Pres. Obama declared on Nov. 1, 2013, two months before today's assault by record low temperatures.

In his executive order on climate change, Obama warned that too much rain - and not enough rain - also dictated that executive action against climate fluctuations:

"The impacts of climate change -- including an increase in prolonged periods of excessively high temperatures, more heavy downpours, an increase in wildfires, more severe droughts, permafrost thawing, ocean acidification, and sea-level rise -- are already affecting communities, natural resources, ecosystems, economies, and public health across the Nation. These impacts are often most significant for communities that already face economic or health-related challenges, and for species and habitats that are already facing other pressures."
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Ice Cube

"The day after tomorrow" in Chicago: What the windy city looks like under ice


Huffington Post
Wed, 08 Jan 2014 08:30 UTC
With temperatures in Chicago hobbling above zero for the first time in 37 hours Tuesday afternoon, it appears some relief is finally within sight for the Windy City.
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© Hank CainWeather Channel producer Shawn Reynolds tweeted this incredible photo taken by pilot Hank Cain of a tundra-like Chicago, from above.
But while "ChiBeria" will soon be a thing of the past, we'll still have some incredibly remarkable photos to show for the bitterly cold, icy, undeniably unpleasant series of days.

frozen chicago
© Scott Olson/Getty Images
Thanks for the memories, polar vortex.
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Snowflake Cold

Has the Ice Age arrived? Temperatures drop below freezing in all 50 U.S. states

Joanna Walters
The Guardian
Wed, 08 Jan 2014 08:01 UTC
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How Chicago currently looks from the air. Is the 'Day After Tomorrow' ... today?
Temperatures in all 50 US states dipped below freezing on Tuesday in a rare nationwide chill that will keep a grip on much of the country for at least another day, with cutting winds and blizzards posing the most danger.

Florida, a state that normally basks in its reputation as a warm winter escape, experienced unusually low temperatures. In the midwest, northeast and eastern Canada, it was dangerous to venture outside. At some point on Tuesday, at least one location in each of the 50 US states recorded temperatures below freezing, with the highest point on Hawaii, Mauna Kea, recording a temperature of 21F (-6C).

The so-called polar vortex that funnelled an Arctic low pressure system into the upper US this week swung south and east on Tuesday. Polar conditions settled over two-thirds of the US.

It was colder in the southern state of Georgia than Alaska as Atlanta plunged to 6F (-14C) - the lowest temperature since 1966 - while Anchorage, Alaska, recorded 27F (-3C) . Wind chills were recorded around -60F in parts of Michigan, Minnesota, Montana and New Hampshire.
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Bulb

Protecting your home from extreme cold


CBS News - New York
Mon, 06 Jan 2014 11:02 UTC
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© CBS 2Experts say you should keep a trickle of water running in extreme cold to keep pipes from freezing.
Temperatures in the single digits were set to arrive early Tuesday, and they can really do a number on your home.

CBS 2's Dave Carlin went in search of some tips on how to protect your house for the bitter blast.

Phyllis Dalton of Levittown was standing right under the spot Monday where several years ago, a water pipe snapped during a cold snap.

She promised herself it would never happen again, and started winterizing.

"You pay attention and you do those little things," Levittown said.

Levittown learned just like people need layers of clothing in the extreme cold, houses also need layers of protection. The advice is particularly important in preventing freezing pipes.

"(There is) a valve - a shut off valve," said Brian Bruce, who operates New York American Water.
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Life Preserver

NYC area airports packed with what amounts to Climate Change Refugees - Expect more such scenarios


CBS News
Mon, 06 Jan 2014 20:49 UTC
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© Reuters/Carlo AllegriA woman sit on the floor while her flight is delayed at La Guardia airport in New York, January 6, 2014.
Hours before a deep freeze moved in, flights in and out of the New York City area had already been disrupted.

JetBlue halted operations at all three major New York-area airports and in Boston in an effort to catch up with dozens of weather-related delays and cancellations.

The airline announced Monday that operations stopped entirely at Newark, John F. Kennedy International and LaGuardia airports and at Boston's Logan International Airport at 5 p.m.

The plan allows 17 hours for the company to rest crew and time to service aircraft.

As CBS 2′s Tracee Carrasco reported, stranded travelers had nowhere to go and nothing to do Monday but wait and sleep in airport terminals.

JetBlue customer Julia Moron has been desperately trying to get home to Houston for days.

"I've been stuck here between JFK and now LaGuardia since Thursday," she said.
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