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Winter Weather

Weekend Snowstorm Socks Minnesota (PHOTOS)

Published: Dec 10, 2012, 9:08 AM EST weather.com

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Winona, Minn.

Associated Press

Area under severe weather threat

Escambia County is under a threat of severe weather today as a cold front approaches from the northwest.
“A line of rain and thunderstorms is being pushed ahead of the front,” Escambia County Emergency Management Director David Adams said. “Some of these thunderstorms may be severe. There is a potential of isolated tornadoes in this line of storms. Individual thunderstorms will track to the northeast within this line of storms.”
The National Weather Service is issuing Severe Thunderstorm and Tornado Warnings to the west.
“Expect these warnings to be issued for our area as the day progresses,” Adams said. “The front and associated storms will continue to move to the southwest across our area through today and into this evening.”

Severe Weather Update…Tornado Warning Coosa and Elmore County Until 5:15am… Monday Update 4:40am

October 1, 2012 by WVUA Weather Leave a comment

Here’s a quick update. Here’s the 1st tornado warning for the day… Tornado Warning for Coosa, Elmore [AL] till 5:15 AM CDT …* AT 435 AM CDT…THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE INDICATED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO. THIS DANGEROUS STORM WAS LOCATED NEAR TITUS…OR 11 MILES WEST OF EQUALITY…AND MOVING NORTHEAST AT 30 MPH.
When can we expect this mess to end? The back edge of the severe weather risk should reach the west Alabama state line around 7am, then I-65 around 10am this morning. After these times, areas west of that line will no longer deal with a threat of these strong to severe storms. With the threat this morning, look for the risk of an isolated tornado or two. These should be short lived, and small.
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Richard Scott
WVUA Chief Meteorologist

Preparing for severe winter weather

By Lisa Reeves - Sunday, 9th December, 2012 - 0 comments

With stockpiles of salt, an online information centre and modern gritting vehicles – Cheshire East Council says it is fully equipped to cope with the current wintry conditions.
As part of the Cheshire East Council's 'Spread the Warmth' campaign, the authority is reminding residents of its preparations and current actions as the winter weather takes hold.
Councillor Rod Menlove, Cabinet member with responsibility for environmental services, said: "Winter weather can be a worrying time for many people, especially those who need to travel. We aim to be as informative as possible in the event of severe weather conditions.
"I want to reassure residents that we are well equipped to deal with snow and ice in the weeks and months ahead."
Duty officers receive detailed weather reports, around the clock, during the winter months. These officers then decide if gritting vehicles or snow-ploughs are required.
Gritting vehicles can be tracked live as they salt local routes at Cheshire East Council's online Highways Information Centre.
Councillor Menlove continued: "The monitoring of weather conditions here in Cheshire East never stops during the winter months. Gritting vehicles or snow-ploughs can be dispatched in minutes in the event of conditions deteriorating quickly.
"Freezing temperatures usually result in gritting taking place twice a day – once in the early hours of the morning and again in the evening – but this can be increased or decreased according the conditions that day. Crews have been sent out regularly over the past few weeks to salt the roads, particularly on higher ground.
"We cannot guarantee that the route will be completely ice or snow-free – what we can do is ensure that every effort is made to keep salt stocks high, monitor weather conditions and take the appropriate action."
Sean Reynolds, the chair of the local Adult Safeguarding Board, said: "Frozen roads, as well as the extra hours of darkness, bring obvious additional risks such as falls and involvement in road traffic accidents.
"For older people, a relatively gentle fall can result in a serious fracture. For Cheshire East's most vulnerable citizens, winter can also mean increased loneliness and isolation.
"With this in mind, I would urge those feeling vulnerable to ask a friend, family member or neighbour to help them out with simple but important daily routines such as their food shopping or getting rubbish out to their bins."
Cheshire East Council and Age UK Cheshire, in association with their partners and the Local Adult Safeguarding Board, are offering a range of advice and support to residents on how to keep warm, well and safe this winter. Residents can find advice on a wide range of topics from heating, eating and winter safety to school closures and public transport online at www.cheshireeast.gov.uk/winter.

A very active line of thunderstorms associated with a strong cold front is pushing east into the New Orleans area this morning. A tornado watch has been issued for a band of Louisiana parishes and Mississippi counties along the thunderstorms, including St. James, Washington, Livingston, Tangipahoa, West Baton Rouge, Ascension, Assumptin, Iberville, East Feliciana and St. Helena parishes.

Strong line of thunderstorms, some severe, is moving into the New Orleans area Monday. morning. National Weather Service

There's a good chance the watch will be extended east to include much of the New Orleans area later this morning.
Tornado warnings have been popping up within this line of thunderstorms, with warnings recently expired for north central Livingston and southeastern St. Helena parishes, including Montpelier and Greensburg; and in northern Washington Parish, including Franklinton and Angie.
A severe thunderstorm warning is in place for Livingston, St. Helena and Tangipahoa parishes until

Making the situation worse for travelers, blizzard conditions are accompanying the snowstorm invading the Upper Midwest today.

Snow will continue to spread eastward across the Upper Midwest into tonight, leaving the Dakotas in the process.

The heaviest snow, totaling 6 to 12 inches, will blanket central Minnesota and west-central Wisconsin. Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minn., and Eau Claire, Wis., lie in the heart of this zone.
Drivers are urged to use caution as the snow is creating slick and treacherous travel throughout the Upper Midwest, including on Interstates 29, 35, 75, 90 and 94.

Along the southern end of the snow zone -- south of I-90 in Minnesota and toward Madison, Wis., and Grand Rapids, Mich. -- the majority of the snow will fall on grassy surfaces with roads becoming slushy.

However, an invasion of bitterly cold air tonight will cause these slushy spots on roads and sidewalks to turn icy.

It is not just falling snow creating hazards for motorists, but also blizzard conditions as biting winds significantly whip the snow around. Visibility will become dramatically reduced as snow drifts form.

Such conditions have unfolded across eastern South Dakota and neighboring southeastern North Dakota, and will develop in a west-to-east fashion across western Minnesota as the day progresses.

Eastern Minnesota, home to the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul, and western Wisconsin will be subject to the blowing and drifting snow tonight.

The howling winds will also continue to drive arctic air across the Rockies and Plains today, setting the stage for a second zone of snow to dive southward into New Mexico (including Albuquerque) and West Texas.

Temperatures will plunge 10 to 20 degrees below Saturday's highs from North Dakota to northern Arizona, New Mexico and the Texas panhandle today.

The blustery winds will create even colder AccuWeather.com RealFeel® temperatures.

The cold air will spread across more of the southern Plains and Midwest on Monday as the snowstorm reaches Quebec and severe weather threatens some communities in the South.

After a year of unprecedented warmth – both during the winter and summer months – the great debate over whether or not Old Man Winter will return with a vengeance is on.
Last winter was the fourth warmest for the contiguous 48 since record keeping began in 1895, with 24 states experiencing below-normal precipitation. In fact, California experienced its second driest winter ever. In only 10 states—chiefly across the nation’s midsection— was winter precipitation above normal.
The situation became critical this past spring and summer with broiling hot temperatures across much of the country and the most severe drought conditions the nation has seen in more than 50 years.
For the coming season, we’re predicting that winter will return to some – but not all – areas. We think it will be a “winter of contraries, as if Old Man Winter were cutting the country in half. The eastern half of the country will see plenty of cold and snow. The western half will experience relatively warm and dry conditions. In other words, as in the political arena, the climate this winter will render us a nation divided.
We predict that real winter weather will return to areas from the Great Lakes into the Northeast. Most eastern states – as far south as the Gulf Coast – will see snowier than normal conditions and cooler temperatures.
We are “red flagging” February 12–15 and March 20–23 for major coastal storms along the Atlantic seaboard; storms bringing strong winds and heavy precipitation.
But on the other side of the country, winter will continue its hiatus for another year. The forecast for west of the Continental Divide – the Pacific Northwest, desert Southwest, Pacific Coast – calls for mild temperatures and below-normal precipitation.
For much of the drought-stricken prairie region, an average amount of winter precipitation will bring long awaited relief.
Take a look at the map below to see what we’re predicting for your region, and don’t forget to pick up a copy of the 2013 Farmers’ Almanac for a more detailed long range forecast:

Severe thunderstorms are heating up on the central and southern Plains, producing the threats of damaging winds, large hail and tornadoes. A line of thunderstorms is stretching from the Dallas and Fort Worth area and extending to communities south and west of San Antonio, Texas. Some of storms are severe with indications of strong rotation on radar.
This is a serious storm threat, and you should take cover immediately if a severe storm or tornado-related warning is issued for your area. Keep weather radios on for severe weather and flooding alerts.
The National Weather Service Storm Prediction Center in Norman, OK, is forecasting the development of tornadoes, large hail and damaging winds over parts of the southern Plains. The areas most likely to experience this activity include extreme western Arkansas, southeastern Oklahoma and central and northeastern Texas. Severe storms are possible from south Texas northward to the eastern Dakotas and western Minnesota.
A large upper-level storm system over the Rockies will drift eastward toward the Great Plains through tonight. A very moist and unstable environment is present to the east of ongoing thunderstorms along the I-44 corridor in Oklahoma and northwest Texas. These storms are expected to intensify later this afternoon across north Texas and southeast Oklahoma where the strongest wind are capable of producing few tornadoes.
AccuWeather.com meteorologists are especially concerned about the thunderstorms erupting from Kansas City, Mo., southward will unleash damaging winds, large hail, flooding downpours and destructive tornadoes. The violent thunderstorms will shift northeastward, threatening the corridor from western Missouri to central Texas.
Flash flooding will continue to be a major concern as communities are hit with multiple downpours. Cities that could be left damaged from the powerful thunderstorms or tornadoes include Waco and Tyler, Texas, McAlester, Muskogee and Tulsa, Okla., Springfield, Mo., and Fayetteville, Ark. Thunderstorms will also intensify farther north across portions of Iowa, the eastern Dakotas and southern Minnesota. A few storms will become strong or severe farther east across the Ohio Valley and the Carolinas as well. Hail and strong winds will be the biggest threats of these storms.
Flooding rain has been pouring down with the thunderstorms hammering Oklahoma, from Oklahoma City to Tulsa. Officials have been forced to close roads as a result of flooding.

Frozen London: Seven birds swi, past reeds in the Serpentine, Hyde Park yesterday

GOLDEN VALLEY, Minn. - Severe thunderstorms began and have continued early today with a high potential for dangerous weather throughout the next 24 hours. But this potential isn't here in Minnesota, it's in the Ohio and Tennessee River Valleys.

The price of severe weather: Hailstorms, tornadoes cost local counties more than $300,000,000

By Andrew Snyder, asnyder@starlocalnews.com

Published: Thursday, December 6, 2012 2:41 PM CST

Hailstorms and tornadoes have cost Collin and Denton county residents a combined $347,840,000 since 1955, according to a report released by the Insurance Council of Texas (ICT) last week. The report gathered data from around the state on the number of hailstorms and tornadoes and their cost per county over a 57-year period.

“No county has escaped the wrath of Texas weather,” said Paul Yura, a warning coordination meteorologist with the National Weather Service, in a release. “To some degree every county in Texas is susceptible to hailstorms or tornadoes and it can occur during any month of the year.”

The data shows that the northern half of the state is most vulnerable to sever weather, according to Yura.

Tarrant County had the most hail storms by far during the studied time period. The county had 800 hail events – 191 more than Potter County, which had the next largest amount -- at an overall cost of $730,514,500 in damages. Fort Worth is located in Tarrant County.

“Oftentimes, the focus of severe weather in Texas is on hurricanes or tornadoes, but hailstorms cause the bulk of the damage to vehicles, homes and businesses in our state,” said Mark Hanna, an ICT spokesman. “The data shows that every county has experienced hailstorms and the statewide average is just under three hailstorms a year.”

Harris County, which includes Houston, was the leader in tornadoes with 215 occurrences at a estimated cost of $504,676,000. Collin County had 42 reported tornadoes ($16,406,000) during that time frame, while Denton County had 43 ($3,431,000).

Denton County had 360 hail storms do approximately $6,774,500 in damages during that same period. Collin County had 273 hail storms cause a combined $8,172,500 in damages.

Information for the report was compiled by the National Oceanic and Atmosphere Administration (NOAA). The complete list of hailstorms by county and an interactive map can be found at http://www.insurancecouncil.org/facts/hailstormbycounty.pdf. The tornado map and data tables can be found at http://www.insurancecouncil.org/facts/tornadoesbycounty.pd.

The ICT is a state trade association with approximately 500 members.

The Scottish Government called a weather crisis committee meeting after the first major storm of the autumn as some areas where hit with 2.5in of rainfall in 36 hours.
Homes and businesses were flooded in East Lothian, the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh was closed as trees were damaged across the capital and up and down the east coast, closing a number of roads.
Aberdeen suffered some of the strongest winds and rain, with the most spectacular damage appearing at Footdee, where workers battled through waist-deep foam thrown over the walled defences from the violent North Sea.
Coastguard volunteer Michael Cowlam, of Seacroft Marine Consultants Limited, which is based in the Footdee, said: "It's the first time I've ever seen anything that bad before. We've obviously had sea spray coming over the wall before, but we've never had foam. We knew we were going to get stormy weather, but we didn't think we'd get anything like this."
Elsewhere in Aberdeen a tree hit a bus, and east coast cross-border train services were cancelled at one stage. Ferries were also halted on some routes.
A CalMac ferry carrying 120 passengers from Craignure on Mull to Oban, which normally takes 45 minutes, arrived six hours later after being unable to berth in the high winds.
A CalMac spokesman said: "Due to very strong winds gusting up to 70 mph in and around Oban Bay the MV Isle of Mull was unable to berth at Oban and the conditions also prevented her returning to Craignure."
The ferry eventually berthed at 5.45pm. The firm's spokesman added: "We did everything we could to keep passengers comfortable, including providing meals and drinks, and keeping them fully informed of the situation."
There was widespread disruption on other CalMac routes including Stornoway to Ullapool and Islay and Arran.
The River Tyne burst its banks in Haddington and the Scottish Environment Protection Agency put out flood alerts for much of the Borders. Alerts were also in place for Aberdeenshire, Dumfries and Galloway and Fife.
Extensive damage caused to the assembly hall roof of Portobello High School prompted local MSP and Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill to call for action. He said: "It is simply unacceptable for over 1300 kids to be taught in a building that is quite literally collapsing around them."
The school was closed while the site was made safe.
About 2000 households across a number of areas, including Tayside and Midlothian, were without power.
Meanwhile, an art exhibition – called the River Inside – at Peter Potter Gallery in Haddington was flooded just days before the official opening on Friday, while East Coast Trains' flagship Flying Scotsman service limped as far as Berwick before being cancelled and reversed. Passengers, who had paid a minimum £92 fare, had to endure a three-hour round trip back to Edinburgh. Veteran banker Sir Angus Grossart was among dozens of passengers arriving back into Waverley Station. He said: "It's a long way to go for a bacon roll."
Transport Minister Keith Brown said: "We have seen a wide range of agencies and organisations react quickly to weather alerts."

The wildfire in Colorado Springs last month. This year the U.S. saw its warmest spring since record-keeping began in 1895CNN) -- In recent months, Americans have experienced numerous extreme weather-related events, including droughts, wildfires and heat waves.

We've witnessed the warmest spring since record-keeping began in 1895.

Thirty-one states reached record-high temperatures.

The period between July 2011 and June 2012 was the hottest 12 months on record.

And last year 14 extreme weather-related events caused an incalculable loss of human life and cost the U.S. economy more than $55 billion. Understandably, many Americans are wondering if these events are manifestations of a longer-term shift in climate.

Opinion: Why the drought affects me -- and you

At present we cannot definitively link any single extreme event to climate change. But it is worthwhile to consider whether the apparent increase in some extreme events has roots in a larger, longer-term trend, since that would predict a continuation of these events in the future.

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BIRMINGHAM HAS ISSUED A
* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR…
EAST CENTRAL DALLAS COUNTY IN SOUTH CENTRAL ALABAMA…
* UNTIL 1100 AM CST
* AT 1026 AM CST…THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE INDICATED A SEVERE
THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING DAMAGING WINDS IN EXCESS OF 60
MPH. THIS STORM WAS LOCATED NEAR OLD CAHABA PARK…OR 8 MILES
SOUTHWEST OF SELMONT-WEST SELMONT…AND MOVING NORTHEAST AT 35 MPH.
* LOCATIONS IMPACTED INCLUDE…
SELMONT-WEST SELMONT…TYLER…GARDNER ISLAND…CRAIG FIELD AIPORT
AND SELMA DRAG STRIP.
WINDS OF 60 TO 70 MPH WILL BREAK LARGE TREE LIMBS AND CAUSE SOME
DAMAGE…ESPECIALLY TO SMALLER STRUCTURES.
A TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 300 PM CST MONDAY AFTERNOON
FOR SOUTHWESTERN ALABAMA.

Be aware over the next 24 hours, throughout the states of Texas, Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois, Louisiana, Indiana, Kentucky, Tennessee, Mississippi, Ohio. Heavy cells breaking out from Texas.. NE to south Missouri/Illinois.. heading ENE…
hail, damaging, winds, tornado watches, and strong cell thunderstorms use the links here to monitor severe weather nationally, and internationally:

As more flooding devastates parts of Australia Channel 4 News asks what is causing such unusual weather. Some experts believe the extreme conditions could last into the summer.

The Australia floods have killed at least nine people (Reuters)

The volatile conditions in Australia are being blamed on a weather system called La Niña.
La Niña is a natural three to six year cycle which results in a cooling phase in the eastern Pacific just off the coast of Peru.
A drop in sea temperatures of only a degree or so can cause a dramatic change in weather patterns around the world.
This year the cooling phase has caused severe rain in parts of Australia which have suffered drought conditions for several years.

Winter 2012-'13 Outlook Headlines: "This year is totally unique in the 63 years we've been keeping statistics on El Niño. Never before has an El Niño event begun to form in July and August, then quit in mid-September."

The Environment Agency was forced to issue 19 flood alerts covering East Anglia, the South East, the Midlands and parts of the North East.
Met Office forecasters said the strong winds and heavy rain will continue today, with sunshine breaking through by tomorrow.

The latest storms follow dreadful weather conditions earlier this week which resulted in more than three inches, or 80mm, of rain falling in just 24 hours, leaving homes and roads flooded.
Firefighters are on flood alert in many parts of the country with crews in the south west - which have seen a huge surge in flooding-related call outs since the start of the week - braced for more this weekend.


Twister Sighted in Cornwall Scotland

A drought that settled over more than half of the continental United States in the summer of 2012 was the most widespread in more than half a century. And on the brink of winter, it showed no signs of abating.
More than 62 percent of the continental United States was experiencing moderate to exceptional drought, according to the weekly Drought Monitor report released in early December 2012, compared with just over 29 percent a year previously.
Drought Expected to Last Almost Until Spring
Save for patches of California, Montana and Wyoming, the drought was expected to persist in most of the dry regions west of the Mississippi River over the next three months, according to the Seasonal Drought Outlook, released Dec. 6 by the National Weather Service.

One For the Road...Is There a Solution

Breathers Beware: Particulate Fouls Fairbanks' Air

Wood smoke produced by homeowners trying to cut fuel bills is largely to blame

By Associated Press

The Fairbanks, Alaska skyline. (AP)

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) - Stanford University Medical Center doctors gave Alex Lee a parting gift at the end of his heart operations earlier this year: surgeon's masks.

They knew Lee, 19, would be returning home to Fairbanks, Alaska, and gave him the masks to protect himself from air polluted with suspended particulate that can cause irregular heartbeat or a heart attack. Diagnosed with Down syndrome, Lee is not in position to take his doctors' stronger suggestion - moving away from his hometown air.

"They gave us a box of masks and said, 'Stay out of it the best you can," said his mother, Patrice Lee.

The young, the elderly and the weakened in Fairbanks risk accelerated health problems every winter because of particulate. Much of it comes from wood smoke produced by homeowners trying to cut their fuel bills. Municipal officials say natural gas is the long-term solution, but that is years away. The Environmental Protection Agency has taken notice and says it will impose sanctions and a federal attainment plan in two years if state and municipal officials don't come up with an acceptable one of their own.

Lee and her son do their best to avoid breathing air that ranks among the dirtiest in the country.

"The only option for us was to stay holed up here in the house with HEPA filters and doing the best we can not to breathe the air," Lee said.

Air problems in Fairbanks, Alaska's second largest community at around 97,000 people, start with geography. Temperatures every winter reach 40 to 50 below zero. Fairbanks and nearby North Pole are partially surrounded by hills that create a bowl effect, said Cindy Heil, an air planner for the state Department of Environmental Conservation. In a meteorological phenomenon known as an inversion, cold air along the ground can be capped by a layer of warmer air, trapping emissions.

Carbon monoxide used to be the main concern. A vehicle inspection and maintenance program and newer cars solved that.

The issue now is particulate, the mix of solid particles and liquid droplets ranging from dust and soot to microscopic pieces.

A human hair is about 70 micrometers in diameter. The most dangerous particles, according the EPA, are less than 10 micrometers.

"They get breathed deeper in the lungs and cause more problems," said Kate Kelly, the EPA Region 10 director of air, waste and toxics. Research ties particulate to pollution to heart attacks, decreased lung function and premature death in people with heart or lung disease.

National air quality standards allow no more than 35 micrograms of particulate per cubic meter averaged over 24 hours. On Nov. 26-28, a monitor at North Pole recorded 24-hour averages of fine particle matter - 2.5 micrometers in diameter or less - at 152, 167 and 151 micrograms per cubic meter, making for "very unhealthy" designation. At least one hour during the three-day period spiked at 245. Those same days, readings at a Fairbanks monitor averaged 71, 58 and 82, an assessment that rated only "unhealthy."

Gary Schultz, 58, lived in Fairbanks for more than 30 years but in January was diagnosed with atrial fibrillation, the most common form of irregular heartbeat. He went from an active skier to someone who had trouble keeping up with his daughter on a trip back from the mail box. Concerns for his own health and smoke near his daughter's middle school prompted the family to move, reluctantly, outside Seattle.

Fairbanks particulate likely is underreported, he said. The two Fairbanks monitoring stations are on public buildings downtown, away from neighborhoods burning wood.

"We essentially gave up on Fairbanks," he said. "I don't think anything is going to improve up there."

Three winters of Fairbanks noncompliance - an average of 14 days per year - got the attention of the EPA. A compliance plan is due Dec. 14, a deadline Heil and other officials acknowledge will not be met. They hope to complete an acceptable compliance plan within 18 months, before the EPA by law must withhold federal highway construction money. After two years, the EPA must impose its own compliance plan.

Solutions to air problems, Kelly said, are best tailored close to home but local compliance efforts in Fairbanks have met resistance.

"Everybody wants clean air," said state Rep. Tammie Wilson, R-North Pole. "We just have to make sure that we can also heat our homes."

Study: Western Ecosystems Offset Carbon Emission

CHEYENNE, Wyo. -- A new study estimates that western U.S. ecosystems -- from the Rocky Mountains to the Pacific Northwest rain forests and the Sonoran desert -- absorb and contain as much atmospheric carbon every year as the annual emissions of more than 83 million passenger cars.

That's the equivalent of nearly 5 percent of annual U.S. greenhouse gas emissions, helping to offset the pollution that contributes to climate change, the Interior Department said Thursday.

"This kind of groundbreaking science not only will help us be more effective stewards of our lands, but it also helps reveal how our forests, wetlands and rangelands in the West -- and throughout the nation -- are positively impacting the carbon cycle," Deputy Interior Secretary David J. Hayes said in a news release.

Link to Article

Record Warmth to Reality Check

As we head into Monday, get ready for a reality check that even though it doesn't feel like it, the calendar still says December.

Our forecast temperature map for Monday illustrates the big change coming with highs in the 40s and 50s plunging into cities such as Houston, Texas, Little Rock, Ark. and Memphis, Tenn. This is a drop of more than 20 degrees from the highs over the weekend.

Link to Article

Breathers Beware: Particulate Fouls Icy Fairbanks

ANCHORAGE, Alaska — Stanford University Medical Center doctors gave Alex Lee a parting gift at the end of his heart operations earlier this year: surgeon's masks.

They knew Lee, 19, would be returning home to Fairbanks, Alaska, and gave him the masks to protect himself from air polluted with suspended particulate that can cause irregular heartbeat or a heart attack. Diagnosed with Down syndrome, Lee is not in position to take his doctors' stronger suggestion — moving away from his hometown air.

"They gave us a box of masks and said, 'Stay out of it the best you can," said his mother, Patrice Lee.

The young, the elderly and the weakened in Fairbanks risk accelerated health problems every winter because of particulate. Much of it comes from wood smoke produced by homeowners trying to cut their fuel bills. Municipal officials say natural gas is the long-term solution, but that is years away.

Link to Article

Caesar Dumps Heavy Snow in Minn., Wis., SD

MINNEAPOLIS — The heaviest snowstorm to hit the region in two winters, named Caesar by The Weather Channel, dumped heavy snow across a broad belt of Minnesota including the Twin Cities area Sunday, as well as parts of western Wisconsin.

(MORE: Winter Storm Caesar)

Forecasters said up to 15 inches of snow were possible in the Twin Cities by Sunday night. The slow-moving storm caused difficult driving and scores of mostly minor traffic accidents across much of Minnesota, highway closures in eastern South Dakota and southwestern Minnesota, and flight cancellations and delays at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport.

The Twin Cities' heaviest snowfall last winter was 4.2 inches on Dec. 3. The heaviest snows of the winter of 2010-11 were 11.8 inches on Feb. 20, 2011, and 16.3 inches on Dec. 11, 2010.

Link to Article

Twin Cities weather: 10.2 inches of snow, nearly 600 crashes reported

The first winter wallop of the season dropped about a foot of snow on the Twin Cities area by Sunday night, Dec. 9, and resulted in hundreds of accidents, canceled flights, snow emergencies and the prospect of delays to start the week.

The National Weather Service said the "powerful storm" plopped more than 10.2 inches at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport. The weekend total was more than double last year's largest snowfall of 4.4 inches on Dec. 3 and a third more than last season's snowiest month when 7.3 inches fell in December, said National Weather Service meteorologist Mike Griesinger.

Link to Article

Sunday, December 9, 2012

Volunteers Aim to Revive Chestnut

In Weaverville North Carolina a drip irrigation system to help rejuvenate the hayfields powdery, depleted soil. Chestnut tree sprouts are kept in protective wire mesh and plastic sleeving. The seedlings have been taken care of throughout back to back droughts, a killing frost, and an infestation of 17 year locust-applying herbicides and mowing between the rows to knock down anything that might compete. The American chestnut used to dominate the landscape from Georgia to Maine. By the 1950s the trees were going extinct. After 30 years of breeding and cross breeding, The American Chestnut Foundation believes they have developed a blight resistant tree.

http://www.weather.com/news/volunteers-revive-chestnut-tree-20121208

Deadly Blizzard Blankets Eastern Europe

Freezing temperatures and heavy snowfall have killed at least five people and caused travel problems across the Balkans in Serbia on Sunday. Four people have died in Croatia and one in Serbia. Airports have closed and public transportation in big cities has been blocked by the blizzard. People in vehicles waited for hours before rescue teams could free them from 20 inches of snow that had fallen in just a few hours. The airport in Croatia, was closed for several hours on Saturday and several of the nations roads were closed.

http://www.weather.com/news/weather-winter/blizzard-blankets-europe-20121209

Winter Storm Caesar coming to Midwest

Cold air will lift in the atmosphere provided by disturbances embedded in the trough. It will squeeze out snow in the northern plains and upper midwest through early Monday. It should hit throughout parts of Minnesota, Michigan and Green Bay. The heaviest of snow will pile up from the Dakotas and Minnesota to Wisconsin and northern Michigan. The heaviest storms will occur in a stripe from northeast South Dakota through central Minnesota into far northwest Wisconsin where local amounts over 1 foot of snow can be expected. Snow should end Monday morning.

http://www.weather.com/news/weather-winter/winter-storm-caesar-20121208

New Zealand tornado: freak storm hits Auckland suburb

A tornado has swept through neighborhoods around New Zealand's largest city, killing three people and forcing 250 more to evacuate their homes.

The small tornado hit Hobsonville and Whenuapai, western suburbs of Auckland, during a midday storm that uprooted trees, damaged buildings and caused flooding that closed roads.

Authorities said that as well as those who died, seven people suffering a range of injuries were admitted to hospitals.

Auckland council spokesman Glyn Walters said the storm made about 150 homes uninhabitable. He said some of those homes had roofs torn off or were severely damaged while others had more minor damage or had lost power. He said 250 residents were taken to an air force base at Whenuapai, where council staff and welfare workers were assisting them.

The worst weather appeared to have passed by mid-afternoon, Walters said. "It's clearing up slightly but people need to be careful out there," he said.

Auckland fire service area commander Larry Cocker said at least three people had died in the storm. One was hit by a tree and some others who were killed or injured were workers building a school.

Several media outlets reported that two of those who died were in an accident involving a slab of concrete falling on a truck.http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/dec/06/new-zealand-tornado-deaths-auckland

Japan earthquake and tsunami triggers Fukushima fears

Japan escaped largely unscathed on Friday after a magnitude 7.3 earthquake shook the north-east coast. It was, however, a chilling reminder of the 9.0 quake that struck the area in March 2011, triggering a tsunami that killed almost 20,000 people and a triple meltdown at the nearby Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.

Initially, the appearance on TV screens of a tsunami warning, and repeated announcements to remember last year's tragedy and flee the coast, prompted fears of a second disaster in less than two years in the worst-affected prefectures of Iwate, Miyagi and Fukushima.

Less than an hour later, a tsunami washed ashore in Ishinomaki, one of the hardest-hit towns in last year's tragedy, where the rebuilding process has barely begun. Mercifully, this time the wave was just a metre high. Two hours after the quake struck 150 miles offshore at 5:18pm local time, the meteorological agency cancelled its tsunami warning.

Narita airport closed briefly for safety checks and phone lines were temporarily jammed by the large volume of calls. Several, much smaller, tsunamis lashed other parts of the coast, including Soma city, which lies just outside the 12-mile (20km) evacuation zone imposed around the Fukushima plant.

Map showing where the earthquake struck

On Friday, as on 11 March 2011, the earthquake appeared to have cause minimal damage – testimony to the unrivalled ability of specially designed Japanese buildings to withstand violent seismic activity that could potentially kill thousands in many other countries.

Buildings swayed for several minutes as far away as Tokyo; nearer the epicentre, where coastal towns and villages are largely deserted swaths of flattened land, people fled to higher ground. For all the relief that catastrophe had been diverted, Friday's earthquake would have added to the anxieties of the 325,000 people in the region still living in temporary accommodation.

"I was in the centre of the city the very moment the earthquake struck," Chikako Iwai, a resident of Ishinomaki, told Reuters. "I immediately jumped into the car and started running towards the mountains. I'm still hiding inside the car. I have the radio on and they say the cars are still stuck in the traffic. I'm planning to stay here for the next couple of hours."

Thoughts quickly turned to the Fukushima plant, declared stable by authorities a year ago but where workers have yet to begin the dangerous task of removing molten fuel from damaged reactors and the long, costly process of decommissioning.

The plant's operator, Tokyo Electric Power, said workers had been ordered to shelter inside buildings around the plant, but added that there was no sign of damage or radiation leaks.

Police reported that five people had been injured, including a 75-year-old woman who fell while heading for higher ground.

Thanks to Japan's warning system, people in the area had up to six minutes to take precautions between the first estimate of the quake's intensity and the moment it struck.

The earthquake measured a lower five in Miyagi prefecture on Japan's scale of one to seven, which measures the amount of shaking a quake causes rather than its intensity.

Earthquakes of that strength can damage older buildings and roads, which do not have the strict quake-resistant features introduced after more than 6,000 people died in an earthquake in Kobe, in January 1995.http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/dec/07/japan-earthquake-tsunami-fukushima-fears

Heavy weather moving out of Chicagoland

The heavy weather that rolled through the Chicago-area this afternoon featuring tornado warnings, high winds, heavy rains and hail has started to move northeast out of the area.

The National Weather Service released a pair of tornado warnings over about 2 hours as the storm thundered through the area. The first, for southeastern DeKalb County, southern Kane County, western Kendall County and northeast LaSalle County, expired at 2:15 p.m., and the second, for northern DuPage County and northwestern Cook County, was in effect until 3 p.m. but was canceled early, about 2:40 p.m.

While no tornadoes were actually spotted, high winds and heavy rain were present. And the storms did produce hail the size of a quarter and larger, according to a weather service observers in north suburban Morton Grove and southwest suburban Tinley Park and Oak Forest. Another observer said there were wind gusts up to 60 m.p.h in south suburban Peotone.

The weather service also a severe thunderstorm warning, which expired at 2 p.m., for southeast DeKalb County, northwest Grundy County, Kendall County and LaSalle County. That storm produced hail the size of a quarter in LaSalle, according to a weather service observer.http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2012-10-14/news/chi-sever-thunderstorm-warning-for-far-west-suburbs-20121014_1_heavy-weather-weather-service-tornado-warnings

Weather Channel's winter storm names give some a chill

You can add the nation's insurers to those not formally observing The Weather Channel's plan to name winter storms, one industry executive said.

Some property insurance policies carry named-storm clauses, which can mean a higher deductible for damage caused by such a storm. In exchange, the policyholder typically pays lower premium amounts.

After The Weather Channel this week christened an East Coast snowstorm Winter Storm Athena, some people feared such names could trigger higher deductibles for homeowners first walloped by superstorm Sandy's winds, rains and floods and then by the nor'easter's wind and snow. Could a cable network's decision to name a storm really end up costing people money in damage claims?

Not so, said Chris Hackett, director of personal lines policy at the Chicago-based Property Casualty Insurers Association of America.

"The vast majority of the (clauses) that I've looked at require that the storm be named by the National Weather Service or the National Hurricane Center and make no reference to storms named by The Weather Channel," Hackett said.

"A lot of the (clauses) define named storms as including hurricanes, tropical depressions and tropical storms," Hackett said. "Obviously, there's no mention of winter storms in the (clauses) I've been seeing."

The Weather Channel announced last month that it would assign names to winter storms that meet its criteria: events that involve snow and ice or extreme temperatures or wind or a combination; that significantly affect travel; and that the network thinks people need to know about. First was Athena on the East Coast. Then came Thursday's Brutus, a winter storm in the Northern Plains. Next will be Caesar and so forth.

The National Weather Service this week instructed its forecasters to not use The Weather Channel's names, and few news media outlets seem to be recognizing them. Those that cited Athena, for instance, such as The Associated Press and the San Francisco Chronicle, noted The Weather Channel's involvement and did not treat the name as a universal acknowledgment.

Northbrook-based Allstate Corp. has referred to Athena by name on its website, though, which raises the question: Could some named-storm clauses soon be rewritten to include winter storms?

"It's a possibility," Hackett said. "At this point, I haven't seen any discussion of expanding the named-storm deductible to include winter storms, but that's not to say there aren't some companies out there talking about doing just that."

rmanker@tribune.com

Twitter @RobMankerhttp://articles.chicagotribune.com/2012-11-09/news/ct-talk-winter-storm-brutus-insurance-1110-20121109_1_extreme-temperatures-or-wind-winter-storms-named-storm

Mild Europe winter weather more likely - German forecaster

FRANKFURT (Reuters) - European weather in the coming winter now looks more likely to be mild than in previous studies, German meteorologist Georg Mueller said in a monthly report on Thursday.

"The latest runs are generally in favor of a milder than normal winter, especially over northern Europe," wrote Mueller, who regularly monitors energy weather on behalf of Point Carbon, a Thomson Reuters company.

"Especially January and February could get quite wet, windy and mild over Scandinavia and parts of northern Central Europe," he added, concluding that no major cold episodes were likely.

December should be the coolest month, he said.

Another energy specialist, Weather Services International (WSI) last month also said it expected mild conditions in western Europe between November and January.

Providers of power and gas for heating and lighting need to gauge likely weather patterns, which drive consumer demand and utility buying of commodities such as coal and gas, and thus fuels prices.

As Europe nears its peak winter period, the power market is particularly vulnerable this year, due to shifts in weather and demand, because supply is tighter than in recent seasons.

This is because Germany has taken a large chunk of nuclear capacity out of operation, and France and Belgium are struggling with aging reactorshttp://articles.chicagotribune.com/2012-11-08/business/sns-rt-us-europe-weather-forecastbre8a70z6-20121108_1_forecaster-european-weather-weather-patterns

The Weather Channel declines to rename 'Frankenstorm' as 'Athena'

It's "Hurricane Sandy" to many, "Frankenstorm" to some and "Winter Storm Athena" to no one.

Nonetheless, The Weather Channel says it's not backing off its plan to name this year's winter storms, the first of which would be Athena. This just isn't her.

What has become popularly known as an impending "Frankenstorm" — a potentially devastating and highly unusual mix of tropical and winter weather approaching the mid-to-upper Eastern Seaboard — is being called simply Hurricane Sandy by The Weather Channel, along with the National Weather Service, the National Hurricane Center and other forecasters.

TWC announced early this month its plan to name this year's U.S. winter storms, in a manner somewhat similar to the naming of hurricanes. By the channel's criteria, Athena would be the season's first weather system that involves snow and ice and/or extreme temperatures or wind; that significantly affects travel; and that TWC thinks people need to know about.

In the "Frankenstorm" scenario for next week, a winter storm approaching from the Midwest would collide with a polar air mass and the tropical event that is Hurricane Sandy. But even though a winter storm would occur, TWC says it wouldn't be worthy of a winter-storm name.

"So far, what it looks like is that the winter component will actually be more a part of the Sandy system," Bryan Norcross, senior executive director of weather content at The Weather Channel, said today. "We're forecasting heavy snow in the mountains of West Virginia associated with the moisture coming in from the Atlantic as part of this system.

"As far as now, it's all Sandy."

This is one scenario detractors presented when TWC announced its naming plan: Where does one system end, and another begin? In this case, would Sandy be merging with a winter storm, or simply morphing into a storm with wintry elements? Norcross said TWC forecasters see it as the latter.

"It's Hurricane Sandy and it's likely to be Hurricane Sandy up to near landfall," Norcross said. "It gets kind of technical in the middle, but I think the National Hurricane Center is going to work hard to keep it Hurricane Sandy. We follow their lead on the name. If it worked to become by some meteorological status something other than a tropical system, then we would still call it Sandy."

While that might appear to contradict TWC's aim to name this year's winter storms, it also serves to not introduce a third moniker for a storm that already has two. "Sandy" is the official product of the National Hurricane Center's naming system. "Frankenstorm" burst upon the scene Thursday, popularized in news and social media after discussions that day at the National Weather Service's Hydrometeorological Prediction Center.

"I want to emphasize that storms usually get names that are carried over after the event," the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Louis Uccellini told reporters today while explaining the origin of the "Frankenstorm" term. "During the event, this will be referred to as 'Sandy.'"

But Norcross left open the chance that "Athena" could still rear her head in coming days.

"There is some possibility that a significant winter component, more than we're currently forecasting, could become part of this after Sandy moves on, and we'd have to think about whether (that) is Athena," Norcross said.

Or, he added, TWC could decide after the fact that the name Athena should have been used and opt to skip it going forward. That would put the channel on "Brutus" watch.

For his two cents, James Franklin, branch chief at the National Hurricane Center, offered a simple answer to what Sandy's after-effects might be called ...

"Post Tropical Cyclone Sandy," he said.

http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2012-10-26/business/ct-talk-frankenstorm-sandy-athena-1027-20121026_1_winter-storms-twc-tropical-system

Be thankful for today's mild weather

Thanksgiving in Chicago is nice this year, with mild temperatures flirting with the 60s -- but a change is on the way.

Clouds and some showers are headed into the area and the thermometer will begin to drop. By the time leftover turkey omelets are served tomorrow morning, temperatures will struggle to get above freezing.

Highs on Friday are expected to remain in the 30s, perhaps touching 40, and for the next few days showers could drift by at any time. High temperatures are not expected to get much above the low 40s with overnight lows dropping below freezing -- and even into the low 20s by the middle of next week.http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2012-11-22/news/chi-be-thankful-for-todays-mild-weather-20121122_1_temperatures-mild-weather-showers

UPDATE 1-Extreme weather calls for action, UN climate chief says

* Extreme weather shows need for urgent action, officials
say

* Negotiators struggling to agree on extending Kyoto
Protocol

By Alister Doyle

DOHA, Nov 28 (Reuters) - Extreme weather from melting Arctic
ice to Superstorm Sandy shows snail-paced U.N. climate talks
have to do more to cut greenhouse gas emissions, the head of the
U.N. weather agency and its climate chief said on Wednesday.

"Climate change is taking place before our eyes," Michel
Jarraud, the head of the U.N.'s weather agency, said of the
shrinking of ice floating on the Arctic Ocean to a record low in
September and other extremes.

And the first 10 months of 2012 were the ninth-warmest since
records began in the mid-19th century, with early months cooled
by a "La Nina" weather event in the Pacific, according to a
report by Jarraud's World Meteorological Organization (WMO).

It also documented severe floods, droughts and heatwaves, in
what the U.N. expected to add to pressure for action at the Nov.http://www.chicagotribune.com/sns-rt-climate-talks2012-update-1l5e8msem1-20121128,0,337896.story