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Nearly 17 thousand people were left without electricity in the Sakhalin region (Russia's Far East, a big island north of Japan) as a result of wet snow on the wires that disconnected the power lines. This was reported today by the Ministry of Emergencies. Power lines are currently under emergency repair work. (10-27-2013)
Thanks to Argiris Diamantis for this link
Now a leading scientist from Reading University has told me that the current rate of decline in solar activity is such that there's a real risk of seeing a return of such conditions. I've been to see Professor Mike Lockwood to take a look at the work he has been conducting into the possible link between solar activity and climate patterns.
According to Professor Lockwood the late 20th century was a period when the sun was unusually active and a so called 'grand maximum' occurred around 1985. Since then the sun has been getting quieter.
By looking back at certain isotopes in ice cores, he has been able to determine how active the sun has been over thousands of years. Following analysis of the data, Professor Lockwood believes solar activity is now falling more rapidly than at any time in the last 10,000 years. He found 24 different occasions in the last 10,000 years when the sun was in exactly the same state as it is now - and the present decline is faster than any of those 24. Based on his findings he's raised the risk of a new Maunder minimum from less than 10% just a few years ago to 25-30%.
And a repeat of the Dalton solar minimum which occurred in the early 1800s, which also had its fair share of cold winters and poor summers, is, according to him, 'more likely than not' to happen.
© Dayton Daily News/Storm Center 7
The airport recorded 1 inch of snow, which breaks the previous record of 0.2 inches set in 1917. This is not the earliest snowfall of an inch or more, she said. That record was set Oct. 19, 1989, with a total of 4.8 inches. A dusting or coating of snow had been forecast for the early morning.
The record snowfall comes in advance of a freeze warning for the area that begins at 2 a.m. Thursday and ends at 10 a.m.
Stray rain or snow showers are possible by morning, she said, with a high in the mid 40s. At times, it will feel as though the temperatures are in the upper 30s because of afternoon winds that are expected to reach 10 to 15 mph.
Friday morning will be frosty, Vrydaghs said, and temperatures will plunge to their lowest marks in months.
MidAmerican Energy says 100 different incidents of trees hitting or downing power lines caused the outages. And then there was thick, dense fog. White snowflakes were visible, but not much else. The Moline Fire Department rescued two men aboard the Marsh Barge when their sailboat was stranded on a lateral dam on the Mississippi.
"We just couldn't see anything," said Conner Morton.The visibility was so poor, the boaters - traveling from Minnesota to the Gulf of Mexico - needed a flare to help rescuers find them.
Check out photos from the October snow - click here.
Meteorologist: Gulf Stream weakens to lowest level in five years...may bode ill for Europe's winter!
German meteorologist Dominik Jung has a commentary today at his wetternet.de site where he looks at the Atlantic Gulf Stream. The commentary is titled: "Is the Gulf Stream Now Losing Its Steam?"
Over the last few days Central Europe has been enjoying almost summer-like temperatures as a weather system is drawing warm air from Mediterranean to the south. But this of course is a temporary weather situation and things will soon be cooling off.
There have been a number of signs pointing to another cold winter, and meteorologist Jung today points to yet another: a disrupted Gulf Stream.
The Gulf Stream is a powerful, warm Atlantic ocean current that originates at the tip of Florida and pumps warm water along the eastern coastlines of the North America and across the Atlantic over to Europe, thus keeping the north of the old continent relatively warmer in the wintertime.
Over the last few days Central Europe has been enjoying almost summer-like temperatures as a weather system is drawing warm air from Mediterranean to the south. But this of course is a temporary weather situation and things will soon be cooling off.
There have been a number of signs pointing to another cold winter, and meteorologist Jung today points to yet another: a disrupted Gulf Stream.
The Gulf Stream is a powerful, warm Atlantic ocean current that originates at the tip of Florida and pumps warm water along the eastern coastlines of the North America and across the Atlantic over to Europe, thus keeping the north of the old continent relatively warmer in the wintertime.
Residents of a sleepy town on the southern coast of NSW were treated to scenes resembling a winter wonderland after a freak hail storm blanketed a popular beach in snow only a day after the mercury soared above 30 degrees.
Local Allen Coulthard, 27, captured some of the spectacular scenes at Malua Bay Beach last night as his children used a body board to glide along the seemingly snow-blanketed shore.
© Lacey WeissA dead cow is lifted from flooding in the aftermath of winter storm Atlas in South Dakota.
For some reason the news stations aren't covering this story. I don't understand why they wouldn't. This story has heartbreak, tragedy and even a convenient tie into the current government shutdown. Isn't that what the news is all about these days?
But the news isn't covering this story. Instead, it is spreading around on social media, and bloggers are writing from their ranches in South Dakota. Bloggers are trying to explain how the horrible happened. And now I am going to join them to tell you the part of the story that I know, and I am going to ask you to help these people, because if you are here reading this, I know you give a crap about these people.
Last weekend western South Dakota and parts of the surrounding states got their butts handed to them by Mother Nature. A blizzard isn't unusual in South Dakota, the cattle are tough and can handle some snow. They have for hundreds of years.
Unlike on our dairy farm in Wisconsin, beef cattle don't live in climate controlled barns. Beef cows and calves spend the majority of their lives out on pasture. They graze the grass in the spring, summer and fall and eat baled hay in the winter.
First snowfall causes chaos in the streets of Salzburg.
The Tauernautobahn was closed for several hours. Also the Rundwanderweg am Gaisberg was blocked by fresh snow.
The road leading to the Tauerntunnel was mostly covered with snow, countless trucks and cars were stranded, especially in the direction to Villach in front of the tunnel.
In the night to Friday and on Friday many trees have fallen down, causing disruption on road traffic. Fresh snowfall mounted up to 20 cm.
In Innsbruck there was 10 cm (4 inches) of snow, in Stubaital 50 cm (19 inches). The Tirol province was surprised by this snowfall.
Also here countless trees have fallen down, 40,000 households saw their electricity power cut off.
(Thanks to Argiris Diamantis for these links )
The Tauernautobahn was closed for several hours. Also the Rundwanderweg am Gaisberg was blocked by fresh snow.
The road leading to the Tauerntunnel was mostly covered with snow, countless trucks and cars were stranded, especially in the direction to Villach in front of the tunnel.
In the night to Friday and on Friday many trees have fallen down, causing disruption on road traffic. Fresh snowfall mounted up to 20 cm.
In Innsbruck there was 10 cm (4 inches) of snow, in Stubaital 50 cm (19 inches). The Tirol province was surprised by this snowfall.
Also here countless trees have fallen down, 40,000 households saw their electricity power cut off.
(Thanks to Argiris Diamantis for these links )
Snow in the Alps whitewashes Cortina and Madonna di Campiglio, says reader Mirco Poletto.
During the night in Cortina d'Ampezzo, white flakes descended to the valley floor, leaving the Ampezzo valley all white.
At 6 in the morning the snow measured a few inches deep at 1300 meters above sea level.
Snow also in Madonna di Campiglio and a great part of the Dolomites.
During the night in Cortina d'Ampezzo, white flakes descended to the valley floor, leaving the Ampezzo valley all white.
At 6 in the morning the snow measured a few inches deep at 1300 meters above sea level.
Snow also in Madonna di Campiglio and a great part of the Dolomites.
Next Wednesday I'll hold a conference about climate change ad I surely will focus on global cooling," says Dr Poletto. "These facts will help a lot."
It's not a secret that scientists and politicians have been deeply disappointed by the spectacular failure of climate models. 98% of the long-term climate models failed to project the 16-year warming stop, all having overstated the warming.
So maybe it should not come as surprise that recently the German government quietly put out a bulletin describing a midterm climate forecasting system that is raising some eyebrows.
The first 4 pages of the bulletin discuss and extol the then-upcoming IPCC AR5. Pages 5 - 7 then describe three projects that aim to answer some open climate questions.
So maybe it should not come as surprise that recently the German government quietly put out a bulletin describing a midterm climate forecasting system that is raising some eyebrows.
© Max Planck Institute for MeteorologyCaption translation at end of post.
