Extreme Temperatures

Unusual spinning ice circle surprises residents of Brainerd, Minnesota

Renee Richardson
Brainerd Dispatch
Mon, 28 Dec 2015 09:45 UTC

© Brainerd Dispatch/Steve Kohls
A rotating ice disc at the outlet of the Nokasippi River as it flows into Upper South Long Lake south of Brainerd Monday. Lake residents noticed the rotating floating ice disc this weekend and have been alerting each other through the lake association website.

Dark, cold water flowing from the Nokasippi River into Upper South Long Lake created an unexpected form this weekend—a rotating circle of ice. The ice disc forms as flowing water creates an eddy where ice is forming. The water is more still in the middle of the eddy.

"So you get ice forming and it gets bigger as it gets colder and then the water that is moving faster is not freezing up, so what you get in the end is this big pancake of ice that is moving slowly around in a circle," said Peter Boulay, DNR climatologist. "You see pancake ice on water that's moving. When the lakes are trying to freeze up this past weekend, I saw a lot of that kind of ice forming in circles. "It's a sign of turbulent water and some stillness in the water in the middle."

Nearby residents were stopping to see the rotating ice circle after word about it was passed via Facebook, from the lake association and between neighbors. "It's amazing," said Upper South Long Lake resident Karen Reil.

Sue Rolfs, who has been an Upper South Long Lake resident since 1957, said she's never seen the phenomenon before. Residents who have lived on the lake for 25 years or more echoed that sentiment. Monday they were drawn to the water to watch the perfect circle swirl in the black water at the inlet.

Comment: Huge ice circle forms in Swedish river

Biggest snow storm in half a century hits north Mexico; 12 inches of snow, minus-18 Celsius

Yahoo! News
Tue, 29 Dec 2015 06:13 UTC

© AFP
A picture released by Mexico's National Security Commission shows an aerial view of the road in the mountains of Chihuahua State in northwestern Mexico on December 28, 2015.

Some roads remained closed in northern Mexico on Monday after the biggest snow storm in more than half a century blanketed parts of the region, authorities said.

The weekend snowfall covered 32 towns in the state of Chihuahua, which borders the US states of Texas and New Mexico, with some places hit by accumulations of 30 centimeters (12 inches) and temperatures of minus-18 Celsius (zero Fahrenheit).

"It's the most intense snowfall in the last 55 years," Efren Matamoros, the civil protection director in the border city of Ciudad Juarez, told AFP.

Seventeen roads were closed over the weekend, but 11 of them reopened on Monday.

The Ciudad Juarez airport resumed operations on Monday after it was shut down over the weekend.

Major winter storm to blast central U.S. with blizzard conditions, severe weather, life-threatening flooding

Brett Rathburn
Accuweather
Sun, 27 Dec 2015 17:42 UTC

Travel problems will occur across the south-central United States this weekend as a major storm brings everything from blizzard conditions to tornadoes. In terms of travel through the South Central states, the problems from the storm will range from minor inconveniences to life-threatening conditions.

This storm will slowly track northeastward across the South Central states into Monday with the likelihood of closed roads and flight cancellations. This storm will not only impact the South Central states. The Midwest and Northeast will be at risk for areas of ice, rain and snow on Monday.

Blizzard unfolds across New Mexico, southern High Plains

"The storm diving into New Mexico and Texas will not only bring snow, but also strong winds," AccuWeather Meteorologist Evan Duffey said. The combination of strong winds and heavy snow will continue to create blizzard conditions from Roswell, New Mexico, to Lubbock and Amarillo, Texas.

"The worst of the blizzard will occur from eastern New Mexico to western Texas and the Oklahoma Panhandle, where white-out conditions will likely halt road travel and ground planes," Duffey said. Drivers are urged to never pass a snowplow as the road ahead could be extremely dangerous and covered in snow. Snowfall rates could exceed 2 inches per hour at times. Visibilities may be measured in feet.

Over a foot of snow will fall from portions of eastern New Mexico into western Texas. This storm will move into portions of the Oklahoma panhandle into southwestern Kansas into Sunday night with blizzard conditions.

Comment: And it's only December!

Kamchatka cut off from outside world by heavy snowfall, Russia

Robert Felix
Ice Age Now
Sat, 26 Dec 2015 12:06 UTC

In Kamchatka, the airport "Yelizovo" was closed due to coming to the region of a snow cyclone.

The ministry reported that a powerful cyclone from Japan hit the southern regions of Kamchatka and brought heavy snow and wind.

Rescuers were working on high alert to quickly respond to possible emergency situations. However, residents of the region do not survive because of huge snowdrifts and snowstorm.

Social networking photos and videos reveal the snow disaster.

Here some video's from Kamchatka, all posted Dec 26, 2015.

Arctic sea ice extent sets another record

Steven Goddard
Real Science
Fri, 25 Dec 2015 17:16 UTC

The extent of thirty percent concentration sea ice in the Arctic has reach 10 million km² in December for the first time since at least 2004.

Shown sea ice extent values are therefore recommended to be used qualitatively in relation to ice extent values from other years shown in the figure.

Source: Ocean and Ice Services | Danmarks Meteorologiske Institut

Ho, ho, ho! Las Vegas, Nevada got snow

ABC News
Fri, 25 Dec 2015 13:36 UTC

"Ho, ho, ho! Vegas got snow!"

That was a Christmas morning posting by the National Weather Service, heralding flurries mixed with rain showers after a windy cold front swept through the Las Vegas area.

Meteorologist Chris Stachelski noted that the trace of snow recorded at McCarran International Airport tied a Christmas Day record set in 1941. Traces also were recorded on Christmas in 1988 and 2008.

Nothing stuck on the sidewalks of the Strip, but some northwest Las Vegas neighborhoods received a dusting of snow. It melted as the morning dawned clear and sunny with temperatures in the high 30s.

Meteorologist John Salmen says the wet weather blew in with windy squalls that brought gusts up to 38 miles per hour between midnight and 2 a.m. Friday.

Snoqualmie Pass, Washington buried in snow; 85 inches on the ground

Cliff Mass
Cliff Mass Weather Blog
Thu, 24 Dec 2015 18:04 UTC

Last year, Snoqualmie Pass had very little snow and the ski areas remained shut for most of the winter.

This year Snoqualmie is being BURIED IN SNOW.

Every day at 6 AM, Washington Department of Transportation measures snow depth in the pass. Here are the latest numbers: 26 inches of snow between 6 AM Monday and 6 AM Tuesday, with 85 inches on the ground. An increase of 50 inches in 5 days. To quote Darth Vader: Impressive, Most Impressive.

The Wednesday report shows another 11 inches of new snow, but compaction resulted in only a 1 inch increase in depth.

The pass has been closed several times during the past few days, with chains often required. So far this year over 12 feet of snow has fallen in Snoqualmie, eclipsing the total snowfall of the entire last year.

But it is not over. Last night, another frontal system moved through, bringing a surge of heavy snow. Here is the forecast of 72-hour snow total for the region (a circle indicates the location of Snoqualmie Pass). Another 2-3 feet!

Winter storm to bring heavy snow, strong winds to West, Plains, Upper Midwest; possible blizzard conditions to High Plains

Weather.com
Wed, 23 Dec 2015 14:28 UTC

Winter Storm Goliath has been named and will spread snow from the mountains of the West to parts of the Plains, Upper Midwest and possibly New England through early next week. Some of the heaviest snow amounts may target parts of the southern High Plains where strong winds could also cause blizzard conditions.

In addition to snow, the warm side of Goliath will produce severe thunderstorms and heavy rain this weekend. For more on that story, click the link below.

Particularly Dangerous Situation Tornado Watch Issued: Outbreak of Severe Weather Underway in the South, Ohio Valley

Winter Storm Goliath will occur in two separate phases

Phase 1: Upper-level energy moving into the western states Thursday will spread snow through the mountains of the West and into parts of the northern Plains and Upper Midwest Thursday through Saturday.

Phase 2: Some of that upper-level energy will develop into an area of low pressure aloft over the Southwest and southern Plains. In response to this, a surface low pressure system will develop in the southern Plains this weekend, which combined with sufficient cold air to its north from high pressure, will result in heavy snow for parts of the southern Plains. That area of low pressure will then track towards the Midwest early next week, bringing snow to parts of that region and eventually New England.

Uncertainty remains with the details, including the exact location and timing of the snow for parts of the Plains, Midwest and New England this weekend into early next week. Below is an overview of our forecast right now, but keep in mind that changes are likely in the days leading up to the storm.

Winter Storm Goliath Storm Timing

Thursday

The upper-level energy associated with Goliath will spread snow from the Cascades of Washington and Oregon to California's Sierra Nevada and parts of the Intermountain West. Total accumulations of 1 to 2 feet are likely above 4,500 feet in the Sierra Nevada.

120 cold-stunned sea turtles found stranded on Cape Cod beaches

Reenat Sinay
The Boston Globe
Mon, 21 Dec 2015 16:41 UTC

Kemp's Ridley Sea Turtle (Lepidochelys kempii)

Massachusetts Audubon Society volunteers recovered about 120 "cold-stunned" sea turtles during the weekend after strong winds caused them to wash up on the shores of Cape Cod Bay.

The majority of the reptiles found on the beaches of Wellfleet, Truro, Eastham, and Brewster were Kemp's ridley sea turtles, a critically endangered species and the rarest type of sea turtle.

It was an unusually large late-season stranding for the turtles, who most often get stuck on Cape Cod shores around Thanksgiving as they try to make their way south to warmer waters for the winter.

Young sea turtles often feed in Cape Cod Bay during the summer but can get trapped in the "hook" of the Cape and become hypothermic as temperatures drop, according to Mass Audubon.

Extreme fire danger for Victoria, Australia: Temperatures soar to 45 degrees with strong north winds

Darren Gray
The Age
Sat, 19 Dec 2015 07:07 UTC

Victoria will roast under temperatures tipped to soar as high as 45 degrees in the state's north-west on Saturday, with Melbourne not expecting a reprieve from the dangerous heatwave until Sunday afternoon.

"Extreme" fire danger ratings have now been applied to four Victorian fire districts for Saturday, Central - which includes Melbourne and surrounds - North Central, Wimmera and South West. A further four districts are facing "Severe" fire danger conditions.

A total fire ban has been declared for the whole weekend and a number of parks have been closed. Ambulance Victoria meanwhile is bracing for what could almost be a "perfect storm" on Saturday night, due to the extreme heat and the potential for people to party too hard.

Higher wind speeds than were earlier expected, which could gust to 70 or 80km/h on Saturday and Sunday, have increased fire danger ratings.

Melbourne is expecting a staggering 41 degrees on Saturday - an unusual peak before Christmas - with northerly winds in the morning of 35 to 50km/h. The hottest temperature for Saturday, 45 degrees, is forecast for in the Mallee including the small towns of Werrimull and Underbool.

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Extreme Temperatures

Unusual spinning ice circle surprises residents of Brainerd, Minnesota

Biggest snow storm in half a century hits north Mexico; 12 inches of snow, minus-18 Celsius

Major winter storm to blast central U.S. with blizzard conditions, severe weather, life-threatening flooding

Kamchatka cut off from outside world by heavy snowfall, Russia

Arctic sea ice extent sets another record

Ho, ho, ho! Las Vegas, Nevada got snow

Snoqualmie Pass, Washington buried in snow; 85 inches on the ground

Winter storm to bring heavy snow, strong winds to West, Plains, Upper Midwest; possible blizzard conditions to High Plains

120 cold-stunned sea turtles found stranded on Cape Cod beaches

Extreme fire danger for Victoria, Australia: Temperatures soar to 45 degrees with strong north winds

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