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China is enduring its coldest winter in nearly 30 years. Brazil is in the grip of a dreadful heat spell. Eastern Russia is so freezing — minus 50 degrees Fahrenheit, and counting — that the traffic lights recently stopped working in the city of Yakutsk. Bush fires are raging across Australia, fueled by a record-shattering heat wave. Pakistan was inundated by unexpected flooding in September. A vicious storm bringing rain, snow and floods just struck the Middle East. And in the United States, scientists confirmed this week what people could have figured out simply by going outside: last year was the hottest since records began. “Each year we have extreme weather, but it’s unusual to have so many extreme events around the world at once,” said Omar Baddour, chief of the data management applications division at the World Meteorological Organization, in Geneva. “The heat wave in Australia; the flooding in the U.K., and most recently the flooding and extensive snowstorm in the Middle East — it’s already a big year in terms of extreme weather calamity.” Such events are increasing in intensity as well as frequency, Mr. Baddour said, a sign that climate change is not just about rising temperatures, but also about intense, unpleasant, anomalous weather of all kinds.
in Australia, where bush fires are raging across Tasmania and the current heat wave has come after two of the country’s wettest years ever. On Tuesday, Sydney experienced its fifth-hottest day since records began in 1910, with the temperature climbing to 108.1 degrees. The first eight days of 2013 were among the 20 hottest on record. Every decade since the 1950s has been hotter in Australia than the one before
The biggest change, said Charles Powell, a spokesman for the Met Office, is the frequency in Britain of “extreme weather events” — defined as rainfall reaching the top 1 percent of the average amount for that time of year. Fifty years ago, such episodes used to happen every 100 days; now they happen every 70 days
there were also severe snowstorms in Sicily and southern Italy for the first time since World War II; in December, tornadoes and waterspouts struck the Italian coast.
China is enduring its worst winter in recent memory, with frigid temperatures recorded in Harbin, in the northeast. In the western region of Xinjiang, more than 1,000 houses collapsed under a relentless onslaught of snow, while in Inner Mongolia, 180,000 livestock froze to death.
thousands of people were left without heat when natural gas liquefied in its pipes and water mains burst. Officials canceled bus transportation between cities for fear that roadside breakdowns could lead to deaths from exposure, and motorists were advised not to venture far afield except in columns of two or three cars. In Altai, to the east, traffic officials warned drivers not to use poor-quality diesel, saying that it could become viscous in the cold and clog fuel lines.
Way down in South America, energy analysts say that Brazil may face electricity rationing for the first time since 2002, as a heat wave and a lack of rain deplete the reservoirs for hydroelectric plants. The summer has been punishingly hot. The temperature in Rio de Janeiro climbed to 109.8 degrees on Dec. 26, the city’s highest temperature since official records began in 1915
Originally posted by Jusvistn
reply to post by WhoFeelsitKnowsit
My feeling was that this is new also. And the article read (to me) like it was something with an urgent undertone that was being downplayed, if that even makes sense.
It seems thre is more and more of this type of reporting, bury the urgency of something between the cute cat videos and tv star updates and maybe noone will see it and understand the implications of what may possibly be going on. Just like I find it rather strange that amongst all of the global warming and ice sheet melting hype, a new reality tv program comes out where they are literally blowing the bergs apart to "harvest fresh water". Is that not counter productive?
Environmental officials explain that the fish, Atlantic menhaden, which travel in very large groups, took a wrong turn, up Loosins Creek.
Officials say they've noticed a pattern of dead fish in winter months and attribute it to the menhaden tightening their school.
United Nations agricultural experts are reporting confusion, after figures show that China imported 2.6 million tons of rice in 2012, substantially more than a four-fold increase over the 575,000 tons imported in 2011. The confusion stems from the fact that there is no obvious reason for vastly increased imports, since there has been no rice shortage in China.
Originally posted by Rezlooper
What do you make of this? China is stockpiling food and metals according to this article
China disaster preparedness? Stockpiling commodities and food
Do they know something is up or is it simply preparing for wars because they have also had a military build up as well? Could they be stockpiling underground bunkers like so many of us suspect has been happening in the United States and Russia?
United Nations agricultural experts are reporting confusion, after figures show that China imported 2.6 million tons of rice in 2012, substantially more than a four-fold increase over the 575,000 tons imported in 2011. The confusion stems from the fact that there is no obvious reason for vastly increased imports, since there has been no rice shortage in China.
Originally posted by JonnyMnemonic
Here's a YouTube video of some explosions:
Video of explosions
She does these each day, catches things I miss, or that I simply let go because the story from the authorities seems believable enough. Worth a watch just to see what all's going on. Gettin' pretty explodey out there, and people are noticing!
Originally posted by Rezlooper
Originally posted by JonnyMnemonic
Here's a YouTube video of some explosions:
Video of explosions
She does these each day, catches things I miss, or that I simply let go because the story from the authorities seems believable enough. Worth a watch just to see what all's going on. Gettin' pretty explodey out there, and people are noticing!
Good report, I see one in Hartford WI. Every time I see one of your updates there Johnny, there's always something a little too close to home like the Sleeping Bear Dunes in MI. Like you said though, these events are happening quite a bit around the Great Lakes.
On Thursday, the level of hydrogen sulfide at the Chalmette Vista monitor was at 1 or 2 parts per billion throughout the day, but at 6 p.m. that number jumped to 10. Levels of sulphur dioxide were between 1.6 and 2.7 parts per billion throughout the day, but climbed to 29.1 at 6 p.m., the website shows. Through noon on Friday, the hydrogen sulfide level ranged from 3 parts per billion at 4 a.m to 23 parts per billion at 10 a.m., while the sulphur dioxide level ranged from 4.7 parts per billion at 8 a.m. to the noon reading of 79.7 parts per billion.
Late Friday, Rain officials issued a news release saying its facility was not responsible for the odors. "Our Rain CII Chalmette Plant is operating under normal conditions and adhering to our permits," said Gerry Sweeney, president and CEO of Rain CII Carbon. "We do not believe any of the issues recently reported are due to our facility or operation. We continue to cooperate with the DEQ and other local and state officials."
also heard to booms im in st Bernard parish and the smell is outrageous i hope we are gonna b ok
We smell a "gasoline" smell here in Belle Chasse as well.
Wonder if those red clouds were related to the chemical smell?
Stay safe and indoors people! We smell it in the house without going inside we in chalmette by the high school and got red irritated eyes and bad taste in our mouthes and headaches
My throat is burning, feeling nausea, and eyes and nose burns
WE NEED TO KNOW SOMETHING WE HAVE HANDICAPPED AND SMALL KIDS HERE I've been inside all night... and eyes are seriously red and constant itching.. and tasting something sour
JACKSON COUNTY, MS (WLOX) - Several Jackson County residents have reported hearing a sonic boom Wednesday afternoon. Many residents from Lucedale to Pascagoula posted on Facebook stating the loud noise was so strong it shook their house or rattled windows. After contacting numerous Jackson County industries, Jackson County Emergency Management Director Donald Langham says he believes that sonic boom came from across the Gulf of Mexico by some sort of military maneuver.
I do not believe this was the result of "B-52's dropping ordnance" at the UTTR (Utah Test and Training Range). This event shook our windows that face towards the west, which is where Hill AFB and further west the UTTR are located. I know the difference between the shock wave from a explosion and the shock wave from a sonic boom. This was a sonic boom sound. It was 9pm when the first one shook our windows and a few minutes later for the second one. I ran out to our back deck that faces Hill to see if I could see anything. It was quiet. Not even engine noise could be heard.
Our viewers report seeing and feeling something between 6:15 and 6:45. Some people describe hearing a loud sound, "like thunder," "a cannon," or "an explosion." Others say they actually felt tremors. One woman in Jamestown reported her house shook. As of 8:00 PM, the Chautauqua County Sheriff's Office dispatch center had received several dozen calls.
Ok this is odd. I was in the house today getting stuff ready for work, then out of no where the house shakes, windows rattle followed by a distinct boom! Most of my childhood was spent around airbases as my dad was in the Airforce, that being said I can't remember ever hearing a sonic boom. Im sure as to what I heard, I had the scanner on and it was reported 5 mi. away as well so not an explosion. I thought jets were not to go beyond the sound barrier over populated areas?
A spokesperson for the base said that a “trainee-pilot” had a heavy hand on the throttle…all is well, except he was have a chat with his commanding officer later in the day. Still, we thank the pilot for his service to our country!…and Tyndall for being a good neighbor.
SYDNEY endured its hottest ever day on Friday, with records smashed across the city and thousands of people suffering from the heat. The mercury topped 45.8 at Sydney's Observatory Hill at 2.55pm, breaking the previous record set in 1939 by half a degree. The city's highest temperature was a scorching 46.5 degrees, recorded in Penrith at 2.15pm, while Camden, Richmond and Sydney Airport all reached 46.4 degrees. More than 220 people had been treated for heat exposure or fainting by late afternoon, the Ambulance Service of NSW said. Read more: www.smh.com.au...
Whether you like it or not, we will officially break another record for no snow today, according to the National Weather Service. "It's pretty incredible," said NWS meteorologist Gino Izzi. "It's the middle of January and there's no snow on the ground. Dallas, Texas has had more snow than us."
Climate Skeptics often argue that an extremely cold weather event disproves global warming. The normal distributions by decade for the winter months is given at the right. The graph shows the average winter temperatures have increased significantly during the last 30 years and the variance in the temperature has become greater as time progressed. However, the left side of the graph shows there is still a significant probability of extremely cold weather even though global warming is occurring. This means that the skeptics argument is baseless. It is also sometimes argued that extreme snowfalls disprove global warming, but that is also a baseless argument. Extremely cold air can hold little moisture, and it is warmer air, slightly below freezing, that produces the greatest amount of snow. The Inuit know that a warm spell brings a much greater chance of snow.
On the precipice of a shift: Geologically speaking, we may be on the verge of witnessing something unprecedented in recorded history, as more aggressive change progresses within the interior of our planet. From January 6 to 13, in a span of only seven days, no less than 10 volcanoes were stirred into activity. Six volcanoes in Kamchatka, along, are reporting activity. At the planet struggles to equilibrate its thermal cycle, more and more of the planet’s systems that utilize thermal energy will be thrown into disorder: tectonic plates movements, sea-floor spreading rifts, sesimic events, climate, volcanic systems, and ocean circulation patterns. Change has come to planet Earth, and the effects will only become more pronounced and extreme over time