Extreme Temperatures
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Cloud Lightning

Giant hailstones batter Hong Kong as observatory warns of further heavy rain

Ernest Kao
South China Morning Post
Sun, 30 Mar 2014 05:47 UTC
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© SCMP Pictures 'freak' giant hailstones - which are becoming more common. A 'sign of the times'?
Amber Rainstorm warning raised as people warned 'be alert'

Hong Kong was today warned to brace for more bad weather after giant hailstones last night pounded parts of the city and the Black Rainstorm signal was issued for the second time since 2010.

At 8.40am this morning the Amber Rainstorm warning was issued, with more than 30 millimetres of rain falling in just an hour, disrupting rush hour and making journeys to work difficult. The signal was cancelled at 11.40am.

As of 11am, 200 flights had been delayed, 44 cancelled and one diverted, the Airport Authority said.

The Hospital Authority confirmed that there were seven people admitted to accident and emergency departments of public hospitals during the Black Rainstorm signal raised between 8.40pm and 10.30pm on Sunday night. Of the seven casualties, ranging in age from a one-year-old to a 64-year-old, six were in stable condition and one was in serious condition.

A spokesman could only confirm that the patient in serious condition was a 29-year-old male and was currently at Princess Margaret Hospital.

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Snowflake Cold

Heavy snowfall destroys up to 95% of apricot harvest and damages other fruit crops in Armenia


en.itar-tass.com
Tue, 01 Apr 2014 04:31 UTC
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ITAR-TASS/Alexander Kolbasov
Armenia's annual apricot harvest averages 50,000-55,000 tonnes

A recent cold spell and a heavy snowfall has killed about 90-95% of the apricot harvest in Armenia, causing a damage of $ 25-30 million, chairman of the Armenian Union of Agrarians and Peasants Grach Berberyan told journalists.

"The frost and snow killed forming blossoms," he said. "Damage was done to apricot, plum, peach, cherry trees and early-ripe species of grapes. The most affected areas are in the Ararat plain and in regions near Yerevan."

Armenia's annual apricot harvest averages 50,000-55,000 tonnes, of which 20,000-22,000 tonnes are exported and about 10,000 tonnes are further processed.

A heavy snowfall hit the republic over the past weekend. The snow blanket, according to meteorologists, reached 20 centimetres. Air temperatures dropped to three degrees below zero.
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Fish

Harsh winter blamed for dead fish at lakes across Indiana


wishtv.com
Tue, 01 Apr 2014 13:06 UTC
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© WANE PhotoMud Lake in Chain Oโ€™ Lakes State Park
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Some northern Indiana lakes are seeing large numbers of Harsh winter blamed that wildlife officials blame on this winter's severe cold.

Fisherman Robert Schultz tells WSBT-TV he found some banks of Pike Lake near Warsaw covered with hundreds of dead gizzard shad.

That's a species of fish that the Department of Natural Resources says is less tolerant of the freezing temperatures that hit the area over the last few months. The DNR has had reports of similar fish kills at other lakes, including Winona Lake on the other side of Warsaw.

While many of the dead shad have been eaten by birds or other fish, Schultz says he expects to see more.

Source: AP
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Fish

Thousands of dead fish washing up on shores of Chicago area lakes

Mike Parker
chicago.cbslocal.com
Tue, 01 Apr 2014 12:34 UTC
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By the thousands, fish are dying in the shallower man-made lakes of the Chicago area.

CBS 2's Mike Parker reports that the long, cold winter is to blame.

At sunset Tuesday night, two neighbors came to the edge of Lake Linden in Lindenhurst to get a first-hand look at the catfish, sunfish, pike and others that have washed up. The deaths are the result of the heavy ice cover that now persists into April.

"The sunlight's not able to penetrate through into the water and that reduces over time, the dissolved oxygen levels and that stresses the fish out and eventually if it gets low enough, the fish will die," said Mike Adam, senior biologist for the Lake County Health Department's lake management unit.

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Snowflake Cold

Arctic winter brings rare birds to New York City

Aidan Gardiner
dnainfo.com
Wed, 02 Apr 2014 09:35 UTC
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© Flickr/surfbird917A red-necked grebe was spotted in Central Park on March 15.


The bitter winter that kept many New Yorkers shivering well into March had a silver lining for birdwatchers - driving rare ducks typically spotted only in climes further north down to the city.

Red-necked grebes, which normally stay in the northwest and Canada, have set up shop in Central Park and were spotted as recently as March 30, birders said. White-winged scoters, more common upstate but rarely spotted in the city, have been seen in Inwood Hill Park, sparking enthusiastic posts by birders on blogs, YouTube and the popular mapping website eBird.

Both species seemed to have moved south because the colder-than-usual winter temperatures froze their natural habitat - making it difficult for them to feed, said Andrew Farnsworth, a researcher at Cornell's Lab of Ornithology.

"When the freeze happens, they disperse to wherever they can find something that appears to have open water," said Farnsworth, who studies bird travel patterns. "There was a huge movement of water fowl off those lakes.

"The red-necked grebe were moving tremendously this year [traveling] as far south as they needed to go," Farnsworth said of the distinctively plumaged birds.

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Snowflake Cold

Moscow temperatures plummet bringing city to a halt with unusual spring blizzard


RT.com
Tue, 01 Apr 2014 09:45 UTC
moscow snow
© RIA Novosti / Ramil Sitdikov
In a freak turn of events, temperatures have plummeted in the Russian capital from 17 degrees to minus 4 over the last week. Over 10 centimeters of snow fell in Moscow overnight, bringing the city to a grinding halt on April 1.

Unfortunately the snow flurries that swept across Moscow on Monday night were not an April Fool's prank. Upon leaving their houses this morning, Muscovites found themselves confronted with snowdrifts and minus temperatures they normally associate with winter.
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Ice Cube

Chicago: Coldest four months on record - ever

Anthony Watts
Watts Up With That?
Tue, 01 Apr 2014 18:03 UTC
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© WeatherchannelWeather Channel producer Shawn Reynolds tweeted this incredible photo taken by pilot Hank Cain of a tundra-like Chicago, from above on January 23rd, 2014.
An over a century-old record falls.

The average temperature for December 2013 to March 2014 period in Chicago was only 22.0ยฐF, 10 degrees below freezing, beating the old record set in the winter of 1903-04. It even beat the harsh winters of 1977/78 which were some of the worst ever.

While stories rage in the media about how global warming is a threat to mankind and nobody will be left untouched by it, the National Weather Service in Chicago issued this statement today.

No, it isn't an April fools joke.
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Fish

Thousands of dead fish surfacing in Quad City Area, Illinois

Shane Simmons
wqad.com
Mon, 31 Mar 2014 09:21 UTC
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© Sara Anderson Fish Kill at Hennepin Canal
A walk along the peaceful bike path off the Hennepin Canal in Milan, Illinois looks like something out of a horror film.

Thousands of dead fish have washed up on shore as of Sunday, March 30, 2014.

Believe it or not, Iowa Department of Natural Resources Conservation Officer Jeff Harrison says it's normal.

"This happens after every winter. When we have so many days with cold temperatures, the snow covers the ice on these ponds and rivers. Sunlight then can't penetrate into the water. That means oxygen is lacking for fish in the water," Harrison said.
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Cloud Lightning

Giant hailstorms and heavy rain kill at least 16 people in China

John Hall
Daily Mail, UK
Mon, 31 Mar 2014 14:26 UTC
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Destruction: This factory workshop was completely destroyed when giant hailstones hit the area of Dongguan in southern China's Guangxi province
Heavy storms and giant hailstones have left at least 16 people dead and caused widespread property damage in southern China.

The poor weather has lasted more than a week, bringing landslides and flooding - particularly in the autonomous Guangxi province, which borders Vietnam.

Local authorities say at least 16 people have been killed, although that figure is likely to rise as the true extent of the devastation cannot be fully assessed until the poor weather subsides.

Yesterday the Civil Affairs Department of Guangxi said at least 70 houses had collapsed, with another 1,716 badly damaged, and more than 2,000 hectares of crops destroyed.

Local weather forecasts said heavy rain and hail is expected to continue to hit parts of Guangxi over the next few days, before subsiding in the latter half of this week.

Landslide and flood warnings are likely to remain in place well into next week.

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No protection: A roof in Dongguan is covered in holes after giant hailstones crashed through the ceiling
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Windsock

170km/h snowstorm blows two Canadian weathermen off their feet in Nova Scotia, not once but TWICE!


The Weather Network
Thu, 27 Mar 2014 15:57 UTC
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Powerful: The men are being blown off camera by wind gusts that exceeded 100MPH

These two intrepid news reporters certainly earned their money this week.

This incredible video shows the moment severe snow storm conditions actually blew Mark Robinson and Chris Scott out of shot while doing pieces to camera.

Coincidentally the pair were explaining that the winds had got up to 170km/h when they knocked off their feet.

"The only storm I can compare this too is a hurricane," one can be heard saying.

"This has the added bonus of having the snow in the air... like standing in a sand blaster," they say before being literally blown away.

Unsurprisingly the clip has proved popular online with over 85,000 people tuning in less than a day.

Comment: Here's video footage from another location showing these two 'extreme weathermen' being blown over in this snow'icane:



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