Extreme Temperatures
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Ice Cube

Global Cooling: Decade long ice age forecast as sun 'hibernates'

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© Getty
Scientists claim we are in for a decade-long freeze as the sun slows down solar activity by up to 60 per cent.

A team of European researchers have unveiled a scientific model showing that the Earth is likely to experience a "mini ice age" from 2030 to 2040 as a result of decreased solar activity.

Their findings will infuriate environmental campaigners who argue by 2030 we could be facing increased sea levels and flooding due to glacial melt at the poles.

However, at the National Astronomy Meeting in Wales, Northumbria University professor Valentina Zharkova said fluctuations an 11-year cycle of solar activity the sun goes through would be responsible for a freeze, the like of which has not been experienced since the 1600s.

From 1645 to 1715 global temperatures dropped due to low solar activity so much that the planet experienced a 70-year ice age known as Maunder Minimum which saw the River Thames in London completely frozen.

Snowflake

Record-setting snow falls in Flagstaff, Arizona

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© KPHO
Record-setting snow in the high country on Wednesday has made the roads slick, according to the Arizona Department of Transportation.

ADOT is warning drivers to watch for icy roads in northern Arizona. There have been a few reports of vehicles going off the sides of roads.

The eastbound lanes of Interstate 40 in Williams were closed for a short time Thursday morning to remove ice from a bridge at milepost 162. ADOT officials said Interstate 17 just south of Flagstaff is clear of snow, but drivers should expect a slick road surface. Temperatures in Flagstaff were in the 20s Thursday morning and it's expected to be in the teens Friday morning.

An overnight freeze warning is in effect for elevations between 3,000 and 5,000 feet. Schools in the Flagstaff Unified School District were on a two-hour delay Thursday. Flagstaff received nearly 9 inches of snow on Wednesday and more than 2 feet of snow fell at Arizona Snowbowl. Another round of snow could come next week. Snowbowl hopes to open Nov. 20.

Motorists heading up to the area should be sure to have blankets, warm clothes and a full tank of gas.

Ice Cube

Number of August snow patches soars in Scotland

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A cold summer in Scotland has led to this incredible natural phenomena with remaining ice and snow forming a network of icy tunnels and caves clinging to the edge of mountains
At long last I have the complete figures in from the August 2015 snow survey that was conducted on the 21st and 22nd of that month. There were a couple of discrepancies up until recently, but I have now ironed these out.

The total number of patches counted across Scotland was 678 (see table below). This is way more than double the amount for 2014, and hundreds more than any year since the survey was started in 2008.

Totals since 2008

2008 - 34

2009 - 35

2010 - 34

2011 - 36

2012 - 72

2013 - 81

2014 - 281

2015 - 678

Snowflake Cold

Ushuaia in Argentina covered by snow in the middle of Spring - Second weather anomaly in 48 hours

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© Twitter
In Ushuaia it is Spring.

But the southernmost city in the world and the southern part of Tierra del Fuego is hit since two days by strong winds, low temperatures and snowfall. Very anomalous for November, isn't it?

The city of Ushuaia turned completely white on November 2, 2015.

The very unusual snow for November was accompanied by low temperatures down to zero Celsius and strong wind gusts varying in intensity.

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© Twitter

Sun

British heatwave: Hottest ever start to November since records began

Unseasonably warm November weather in UK
© GettyUnseasonably warm November weather has delayed the arrival of winter this year

There may only be seven weeks to go until Christmas, but that did not stop Britons flocking to the beach as the country saw the hottest start to November since records began.


There was no need for extra layers yesterday as pictures from across Britain showed dozens of people sunbathing in balmy spring-like weather on Brighton beach.

Across the country the mercury touched 72.3F (22.4C) in Ceredigion, Mid Wales, beating the previous record of 71.1F (21.7C) set in Prestatyn, north Wales, in 1946.

It is the highest November temperature recorded by the Met Office since it began collecting data in 1910.

In Wales thousands of day trippers heading to the mountains and coast with youngsters playing on the sands.

One of the warmest Halloweens on record saw thermometers hit 67F on Saturday in Hampton, south-west London.

Comment: Unseasonal record breaking high temperatures have also been reported over Eastern U.S. and elsewhere in Europe


Sun

November heatwave over Eastern US and Europe, records broken...again

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Britons are enjoying near-summer temperatures in November
Sunday and Monday have felt more like midsummer than mid-autumn across most of Florida. In Tallahassee, Sunday's high temperature of 88°F and low of 75°F both tied for the warmest ever recorded there in November, and the day's average of 81.5°F handily beat the November record of 80.5°F set on 11/11/82 (records extend back to 1892).

Ice Cube

What global warming?! NASA says Antarctic ice is increasing by 135 billion tonnes a year

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© NASA•GETTYThe amount of ice at the Antarctic is INCREASING not going down, says NASA
A new Nasa study of the Antarctic from space has thrown the case for climate change into disarray after finding that more NEW new ice has formed at the Antarctic than has been lost to its thinning glaciers.

The US space agency research claims an increase in Antarctic snow accumulation that began 10,000 years ago is "currently adding enough ice to the continent to outweigh the increased losses from melting glaciers.

Global warming theories have been thrown into doubt after Nasa also claimed current horror predictions into future sea-level rises may not be as severe.

Major studies previously made the case for global warming being a man-made problem, including the the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's (IPCC) 2013 report, which said that Antarctica was overall losing land ice.

But a Nasa spokesman said: "According to the new analysis of satellite data, the Antarctic ice sheet showed a net gain of 112 billion tons of ice a year from 1992 to 2001.

"That net gain slowed to 82 billion tons of ice per year between 2003 and 2008."

Igloo

Unprecedented ice flash floods sweeps across Saudi Arabia

Ice Flash Flood
© Bala Chandran/YouTube
Saudi Arabia has been hit by unprecedented ice flash floods, as seasonal low pressure brings huge downpours to Iraq and Iran as well. The shocking video shows chunks of ice the size of large ball bearings.

Extreme weather conditions have been lashing the country since October 28, as the low pressure area concentrated over the northern part of the Persian Gulf, according to climate scientist Dr Abd al-Aziz al-Rubaie, as cited by thewatchers.com.

Snowflake

162 inches of snow forecast for Mt. Rainier this weekend; 70 inches for Mt. Baker

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© NOAA
Up to 162″ of snow (13.5-feet) is currently forecast to fall on 14,411-foot Mt. Rainer in Washington state in the next 3 days. That huge snowfall total is due to an atmospheric river that will be "slamming" into Washington this weekend.
THE PRECIPITATION BULLSEYE OVER MOUNT RAINIER IS MORE THAN 20 INCHES IN 48 HOURS IN THE WETTEST MESOSCALE MODELS. - NOAA Seattle, WA today
Even 10,000-foot Mt. Baker is forecast to get 70″ of snow in the next 3 days... This is gonna be a crazy weekend in Washington state.

Snow levels will start high but will drop to as low as 4,000-feet by Sunday.
SNOW LEVELS WILL DROP TO AROUND 4000 FEET ON SUNDAY WITH A FEW INCHES OF SNOW POSSIBLE IN THE MOUNTAINS. - NOAA Seattle, WA
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See that white spot southeast of Olympia? That’s Rainier… Over 15″ of liquid precip… crazy.
Some models are even showing up to 20-inches of liquid precipitation (which would translate to about 20-feet of snow) in only 48 hours on Sunday.
"A pair of frontal systems with a significant tap of Pacific moisture will move through western Washington this weekend. They will bring heavy rain at times with the mountains receiving 4 to 8 inches of precipitation with locally higher amounts possible near Mount Rainier. Snow levels will remain high through Saturday before falling on Sunday as a cool upper level trough digs into the region. In addition to the precipitation, windy conditions at times are expected for much of the region." - NOAA Seattle, WA
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© NOAAImage of the atmospheric river hitting Washington today.

Ice Cube

Greenland wiping away all records for ice gain this year

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Greenland is blowing away all records for ice gain this year. They have gained almost 200 billion tons of snow and ice over the past two months, which is more than 50% above normal. The surface of the ice gained more than 200 billion tons during the previous 12 months.

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