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Thu, 05 Oct 2023
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Extreme Temperatures

Snowflake

Falls Creek, Australia, has bumper weekly snow dump of nearly 3 feet


SnowBrains
Mon, 26 Jun 2023 21:50 UTC
A great start into the school holidays at Falls Creek, Australia.
© Falls Creek Facebook Page
A great start into the school holidays at Falls Creek, Australia.
Falls Creek, Australia, has seen a whopping 90cm (35 inches) of snow fall in the last seven days.

After a slow start to the season, which saw Falls Creek unable to open for snowsports on Opening Weekend, the weather gods have made up for it, taking the average depth at the Victorian ski resort to 97cm (38 inches).

The area saw a nice top up of 23 cm (9 inches) in the last 24 hours.

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Snowflake Cold

Heavy snowfall in the Eastern Cape and very cold temperatures across South Africa


talkofthetown.co.za
Thu, 29 Jun 2023 18:30 UTC
Snow falls in Barkly East, Eastern Cape on 29 June, 2023.
© Brenda Mollentze
Snow falls in Barkly East, Eastern Cape on 29 June, 2023.
There are no road closures currently but roads in the north-eastern Cape are slippery because of snowfalls, includinig the Barkly Pass.

Some road network and mountain passes connecting communities on the southern Drakensberg in the Eastern Cape could be closed on Thursday, following the potential disruptive snow on the roads and railways, especially during the morning hours.

Areas of potential impacts include Molteno, Barkley East, Lady Grey and Matatitele and there could be isolated loss of livestock in this northern region. Counterparts of the South African Weather Service in Lesotho have issued a forecast for bitterly cold temperatures with heavy snowfall over Lesotho and these conditions may spill over to QwaQwa in the north-eastern Free State.

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Better Earth

Rare 'omega sun' mirage photographed over the Outer Banks of North Carolina

Matthew Cappucci
Washington Post
Wed, 28 Jun 2023 06:00 UTC
omega sun
© Rodney Chai
A photo of an “omega sun” caused by an “inferior mirage” over the Outer Banks of North Carolina earlier this month.
Meteorologist Rodney Chai has seen a lot. As lead meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Burlington, Vt., he has dealt with his fair share of wild weather. But when he glanced at the setting sun from the Outer Banks of North Carolina earlier this month, he spotted something new. Chai snapped a photo of an "omega sun," also known as an "Etruscan vase." In his photo, the sun appears to have morphed into a shape reminiscent of a cartoon keyhole. The solar disc resembles a circle balanced atop another circle.

What was actually happening was an "inferior mirage," the product of sunlight being bent upward by a layer of warm air over the water. Contrary to popular belief, mirages are not relegated to hot arid deserts, and instead frequently appear over bodies of water where air temperature varies considerably with height. That can bend, or refract, light, distorting what we see. The result? A picture-perfect peachy omega, sunny side up.

Comment: Various kinds of unusual, rare, and newly discovered, atmospheric phenomena appear to have been on the increase in recent years: And check out SOTT radio's:

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Sun

Northern China swelters in record temperatures


Guardian
Sat, 24 Jun 2023 19:28 UTC
People shelter from the sun under umbrellas in Beijing on Saturday
© Greg Baker
People shelter from the sun under umbrellas in Beijing on Saturday.
Beijing and parts of northern China are experiencing record temperatures, with authorities urging people to limit their time outdoors.

The Nanjiao observatory in southern Beijing on Saturday for the first time recorded temperatures above 40C (104F) for a third consecutive day, according to the newspaper Beijing Daily, citing the national weather bureau.

Temperatures have also soared above 40C in recent days in nearby Hebei province and the port city of Tianjin, prompting authorities to issue red alerts for extreme weather.

In China's four-tier weather alert system, red indicates the most severe conditions.


Comment: Meanwhile elsewhere in the country: Floods force thousands to evacuate in South China

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Boat

Floods force thousands to evacuate in South China - heatwave in the north


WION
Tue, 27 Jun 2023 19:15 UTC
mmmmm
Floods batter parts of China following rainstorm. Major flooding has forced the evacuation of tens of thousands of people in southern China, with more rain expected.


Comment: 4 dead, 900 evacuated after landslides triggered by flash floods in southwest China

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Better Earth

Earth's thermosphere reaches highest temperature in 20 years after being bombarded by solar storms

Harry Baker
Live Science
Wed, 28 Jun 2023 14:19 UTC
aurora
© Shutterstock
A vibrant aurora display during a geomagnetic storm.
The atmospheric temperature spike, which was caused by successive geomagnetic storms, suggests the "solar maximum" is fast approaching.
Earth's thermosphere recently hit a near 20-year temperature peak after soaking up energy from geomagnetic storms that bashed Earth this year. The temperature in the second-highest layer of the atmosphere will likely continue to climb over the next few years as the sun's activity ramps up, which could impact Earth-orbiting satellites, experts warn.


Comment: That's unless the sun's activity collapses into sporadic, albeit unprecedented outbursts, which is what mathematician and astrophysicist Valentina Zharkova predicts is occurring amidst what she's calling the Grand Solar Minimum.


The thermosphere extends from the top of the mesosphere, at around 53 miles (85 kilometers) above ground, to the bottom of the exosphere, which begins at around 372 miles (600 km) above the ground, according to NASA. Beyond the exosphere is outer space.

For more than 21 years, NASA has measured the thermosphere temperature via infrared radiation emitted by carbon dioxide and nitric oxide molecules. Scientists convert data collected by NASA's Thermosphere, Ionosphere, Mesosphere, Energetics and Dynamics (TIMED) satellite, into the Thermosphere Climate Index (TCI), which is measured in terawatts, or TW. (1 TW is equal to 1 trillion watts.)

Comment: Below is a recent interview by Oppenheimer Ranch interview with mathematician and astrophysicist Valentina Zharkova mentioned above:



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Cloud Precipitation

Over 300 severe summer storm reports across US as dangerous weather continues

Max Golembo, Melissa Griffin, and Morgan Winsor
ABC News
Tue, 27 Jun 2023 11:43 UTC
Lightning lights up the sky as storms move over
© Al Camardella Jr.
Lightning lights up the sky as storms move over Abington, Pa., June 26, 2023.
There were more than 300 severe storm reports in the United States on Monday, mostly along the East Coast from New Hampshire to South Carolina, as threatening weather and dangerous heat plagues the nation.

Gusty winds of 60 to 66 miles per hour were reported from New York to North Carolina, with golf ball-sized hail damaging cars in the latter.

Some areas in New Jersey received close to half a foot of rain, which flooded roadways. There were even tornado warnings in the Garden State but, as of Tuesday morning, no actual twisters reported.

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Better Earth

Sea ice unusually close to coast of northern Iceland

Jelena Ćirić
Iceland Review
Thu, 22 Jun 2023 12:00 UTC
sea ice

Icelandic Coast Guard. Sea ice north of Iceland, June 21, 2023.
The Coast Guard flight yesterday discovered plenty of sea ice unusually close to Iceland's northern coastline, which could pose a risk to seafarers. At the same time, parts of the North Atlantic Ocean are warmer than ever before. RÚV reported first.

"We have some very scattered ice coming up to the shore some eight to nine nautical miles from Hornstrandir [nature reserve in the Westfjords], which is closer than we've been seeing lately," sea ice expert Ingibjörg Jónsdóttir, who was on the flight yesterday, stated. Thicker sea ice was also present further out to sea. Although the ice is thin in many places, it could be dangerous for smaller ships, according to Ingibjörg.


Comment: Hornstrandir on a map:

Hornstrandir

Hornstrandir

While the sea of Iceland's north coast is currently cold, south of the island it has reached higher temperatures than ever before.

Comment: Despite the warming in some ocean regions, it seems likely that the unusual accumulation of sea ice further confirms the overall cooling in the region:

Also check out SOTT radio's:

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Cow

Brazil cattle die as cold temperatures batters large beef state

Ana Mano
Yahoo! News
Wed, 21 Jun 2023 12:34 UTC
mmmmmm
Nearly 3,000 head of cattle died from hypothermia in Brazil's Mato Grosso do Sul state in recent days, according to a statement posted on the website of local veterinary services on Wednesday.

The deceased animals represent a tiny fraction of Brazil's cattle herd of about 224 million head and their deaths and are unlikely to compromise beef production at meatpackers like JBS, which operate in the state.

But they drew attention as they are uncommon. Temperatures in the most affected areas ranged from 6 to 9 degrees Celsius (43 to 48 degrees Fahrenheit), according to local press reports.

Alcides Torres, owner of agribusiness consultancy Scot Consultoria, said local cattle breeds can withstand the low temperatures of the country's winter, which started today.

"Brazil exports live cattle for slaughtering in Turkey below snow," Torres said. "It was the cold but there was something else."

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Snowflake

Snow in June? Freak weather wreaks havoc on Jasper, Alberta - 21.6 inches of snowfall (UPDATE)

Scott Hayes
Jasper Fitzhugh
Mon, 19 Jun 2023 18:39 UTC
Maligne Road by Jasper National Park covered in snow on Monday, June 19, 2023.
© Parks Canada
Maligne Road by Jasper National Park covered in snow on Monday, June 19, 2023.
Jasperites woke up to the white stuff coming down hard on Monday as a freak snowstorm created an unusual start to the week of the Summer Solstice.

Beginning overnight, as much as 40 cm of snow started falling throughout Jasper National Park, creating a flake of bemusement and an avalanche of frustration for drivers, campers, the RCMP Musical Ride team and everyone else.

"We had a developing low pressure system on Sunday over the central portion of the province. That was associated with a lot of cold air aloft flooding into the province, helping create these quite heavy showers over west-central portions of the province in Yellowhead County, including Jasper and especially the Grande Cache area, and the Hinton area all the way to the B.C. border," said Sara Hoffman, meteorologist with Environment and Climate Change Canada.


Comment: Update June 20

Edmonton.citynews.ca reports:
Roads closed by Jasper National Park, 60 visitors rescued

Due to increased rainfall and snow in some locations, Parks Canada brought 60 visitors to safety after being stranded at Jasper National Park on Monday.

In some locations, the park received more than 100 millimetres of rain and more than 55 centimetres of snow, leading to the closures of two backcountry routes, Miette Road and Maligne Road.

The visitors stranded were hikers on Skyline Trail, paddlers on Maligne Lake, and two full busses of visitors on Maligne Road.

Parks Canada says Miette Road is open for single-lane traffic for those leaving Miette Hot Springs by 7 p.m.

Meanwhile, rangers will provide an update for the opening of Miette Road at a later date.

Maligne Road is expected to remain closed for 48-72 hours to "allow for any avalanches triggered by the storm to come down and to complete debris removal."

See also: Surprise storm dumps June snow at Canadian ski resorts - at least 6 inches at Marmot Basin

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