Extreme Temperatures
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Snowflake Cold

3,000 dead farm animals found after Northern Ireland Blizzard

Sheep
© UnknownMore than 3,000 farm animals died when a blizzard engulfed Northern Ireland
The carcasses of more than 3,000 farm animals which died when a blizzard engulfed Northern Ireland have so far been collected in a state funded disposal scheme.

The Stormont Executive agreed to pay for the recovery operation as part of a multimillion-pound aid package for the farmers worst hit by last month's snow storm.

While 3,120 dead livestock have been disposed of thus far, officials expect many more collections will be needed. The animals, mostly sheep, were entombed when snowdrifts up to 20 feet high blanketed many high-lying fields.

Snowflake Cold

New Winter Storm 'Walda' to hit U.S. this week: Say it ain't (April) snow!

Needless to say, it's been a long, snowy winter for many Americans.


Recent weeks have brought signs of spring to parts of the northern and central Rockies with highs in the 70s as far north as Montana. That taste of spring is about to come to a crashing halt as Winter Storm Walda brings heavy snow, high winds, and a drastic drop in temperatures as the new workweek begins.

The ingredients that will be in place this week for heavy snow in the Front Range of the Rockies.

Snowman

Pub owner trapped in snow for five days in Derbyshire, U.K.

The Bull i' th' Thorn
© Mick ColemanThe front of The Bull i' th' Thorn was entirely blocked by a snow drift
Two landlords trapped in their pubs by snow - one of them for five days - are among Derbyshire traders counting the cost of the Easter blizzard.

Areas of the Peak District suffered snow drifts of up to 20ft (6m), blocking roads and buildings.

One pub and caravan site estimates it lost £10,000 over Easter because of the weather while another owner had to use a coal shovel to dig himself out.

Snowflake

Record April snow: 10.5 inches falls in Syracuse, New York State

New York snow
© Tami Galesky via WKTVLake effect snow fell across central New York on Tuesday, including here in the Town of Grant, NY.
According to the National Weather Service office in Binghamton, New York, a record daily maximum snowfall was set in Syracuse, New York on Tuesday. Measurements indicate that a record snowfall of 10.5 inches fell at Syracuse Hancock Field yesterday. This crushes the old record for April 2nd of 1.4 inches, set in 1991.

In addition, the 10.5 inches also breaks the one-day calendar day record for the entire month of April in Syracuse. The previous record was 7.1 inches on April 4, 1975.

Ice Cube

Global Cooling - Methods and testable decadal predictions

global cooling earth
© unknown
1. Methods and Premises

My approach to climate science is based on Baconian empirical principles as presented in a series of earlier posts on this site notably:

6/18/10 Thirty Year Climate Forecast
7/19/12 30 Year Climate Forecast -2 year Update
10/30/12. Hurricane Sandy-Extreme Events and Global Cooling
11/18/12 Global Cooling Climate and Weather Forecasting
1/4/13 Response toWUWT post on Neutrons and 1970 cooling period.
1/22/13 Global Cooling Timing and Amount
2/18/13 It's the Sun Stupid - the Minor Significance of CO2

Ice Cube

Welsh hill farmers reel as melting snow reveals carcasses of ewes and lambs

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© Chris Jackson/Getty ImagesA heat lamp keeps a one-day-old lamb warm on a farm in Wales. Others though have not fared as well. The frozen carcasses of thousands of heavily pregnant ewes and new-born lambs have been found as the snow melts.
Hill farmers in Wales face one of their worst crises in 60 years as the melting snow reveals the carcasses of thousands of heavily pregnant ewes and new-born lambs. Many animals remain buried under snow drifts, farmers have been unable to get food to starving survivors and the bitter weather forecast to continue for at least a fortnight.

"It's the worst we've known at this time of year since 1966 when I left school," said Emyr Jones, president of the Farmers Union of Wales, who keeps 1,000 ewes on la nd near Lake Bala on the edge of Snowdonia in north Wales."We won't know exactly how bad the situation is until the snow goes finally, but we know losses will be high. The lambs are being frozen to death before they can even stand. It's impossible for farmers to find some sheep in the mountainous areas," he said.

Ice Cube

Austria's ice-cold weather paralyzes agriculture

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Farmers and drivers are worried about winter returning to Austria. As fields are covered in snow, farmers cannot plough the fields. This will lead to problems with summer crops. A Siberian cold front is sweeping over many parts of Europe. Heavy snow is falling in Moscow, there are winter storms in the Ukraine and the ice-cold weather has paralysed the agriculture in Styria.

The long winter is stopping farmers from working on the fields. Summer crops are especially affected by this. According to Karl Mayer of the Styrian Chamber of Agriculture, the harvest could thus be severely affected. Under normal weather conditions, the summer crops are sowed at the end of February. The latest possible time in the South is the first week of April and the second week of April in North Styria. But even these dates will not be possible this year.

The wet and cold weather also leads to the fact that fields cannot be driven on by tractors at the moment. This is why not only the sowing has to wait but also the fertilisation.

Snowflake Cold

Blizzard grips Poland, leaves 100,000 without power

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© Getty ImagesOver 100,000 people in Poland have been left without power as the country battles with a paralysing blanket of snow that also brought chaos to its transport system.
Heavy snow falls dumped as much as 10 inches across the country on Sunday, and more is forecast for Monday as an unusually prolonged winter maintains a severe grip over the Central European country.

In an Easter address to Poland Bronislaw Komorowski, the Polish president, described the weather as a bad "April Fool's Day joke".

Engineers from electricity companies struggled to restore power to towns and homes after the weight of snow brought power lines down and caused tree branches to snap and bring more lines down. The worst affected regions were to the east and south of Warsaw where as many as 80,000 people were left without power.

Snow Globe

Best of the Web: Scientist predicts Earth is heading for another Ice Age - next year!

As Arctic Britain prepares to shiver for at least another month, a leading scientist today predicted the world was heading for another Ice Age.
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A leading scientist predicted the world was heading for another Ice Age
Incredibly, British Summer Time officially starts tomorrow but millions of brassed off Brits pining for warmth will have to endure freezing temperatures and biting winds until May.

The misery will continue with daytime temperatures struggling to reach a bracing 5C (41F). The only ray of sunshine, forecasters said, is that it will stay dry.

As if the outlook wasn't bleak enough already, meteorologists believe the shivering start to 2013 has been the coldest in more than 200 years.

More worryingly, the combination of sub-zero temperatures and heavy snow experienced across much of the country recently could be the prelude to a new Ice Age that will begin next year and last for 200 years.

Comment: And no, Abdussamatov isn't just saying this now because winter records have been smashed in 2013. Back in 2010 he said that a new ice age would begin in 2014.


Snow Globe

Britain's colder than the Arctic: -10c freeze over Easter

Britain will be colder than parts of Greenland this Easter with temp­eratures plunging to an Arctic -10C (14F).
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© Daily ExpressSnowploughs battle to clear drifts as the big freeze shows no signs of relenting
Though the clocks go forward tomorrow night, marking the start of British Summer Time, there is no end in sight to the bitter weather.

This has already been the coldest March since 1962, the Met Office confirmed yesterday, and the fourth coldest since records began.

Instead of spending the four-day Bank Holiday pottering in the garden or driving to the coast, people are being advised to wrap up warm and stay indoors.

Millions have given up hope of spring arriving and are jetting off for some much-needed sun. And some are still digging themselves out after being marooned by 20ft snowdrifts.

Parts of the UK are likely to see a white Easter with wintry showers forecast for eastern areas, though these are likely to be isolated and the snow should be fairly light.

By Sunday and Monday much of Britain may look sunny and spring-like but will still feel unseasonably chilly. And the snowdrifts could remain well into April.