Showing posts with label Alexandra Kreynina. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Alexandra Kreynina. Show all posts
Sunday, December 8, 2019
Albania PM Optimistic of World Support on Quake Recovery
TIRANA, Albania (AP) — Albania’s prime minister said Wednesday he was pleased with the international support he secured at a NATO summit on dealing with the aftermath of a 6.4-magnitude earthquake that killed 51 people and injured more than 3,000 others.
Edi Rama said before leaving the NATO summit in London that he had positive meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump and other leaders from Europe and Canada and that he received a positive reaction to his aspiration to hold an international donors’ conference.
The European Union and the United Nations are coordinating international efforts, including those from the United States, to assist Albania after the earthquake that affected more than half of the country’s 2.8 million population.
You just lived through the warmest decade on record – and it's only going to get hotter
Global warming shows no signs of letting up.
The years from 2015 to 2019 and from 2010 to 2019 “are, respectively, almost certain to be the warmest five-year period and decade on record,” the World Meteorological Organization said in a report released Tuesday.
“Since the 1980s, each successive decade has been warmer than the last,” the agency said.
2019 concludes a decade of exceptional global heat, retreating ice and record sea levels driven by greenhouse gases from human activities, according to the WMO.
“If we do not take urgent climate action now, then we are heading for a temperature increase of more than 3 degrees Celsius (5.4 degrees Fahrenheit) by the end of the century, with ever more harmful impacts on human well-being,” WMO Secretary-General Petteri Taalas said. “We are nowhere near on track to meet the Paris Agreement target.”
December in the Lower 48 Begins With Most Snow Cover in Years
The blue, purple and pink shadings show the estimated snow cover across the Lower 48 Monday morning.
There's snow on the ground across more of the Lower 48 to start December than there has been in at least 16 years.
An estimated 46.2% of the contiguous U.S. had snow on ground as of Monday morning, according to NOAA's National Operational Hydrologic Remote Sensing Center. That's well above the 25.9% average Dec. 2 snow cover for the last 16 years.
East Africa Floods Persist, Killing at Least 250
Flash floods and landslides triggered by heavy rainfall have killed at least 250 people in recent months in East Africa, adding to a weather-fueled crisis that has impacted some 2.5 million people in the region.
Rainfall from October to mid-November was as much as 300% above average across the Horn of Africa, according to the Famine Early Warning Systems Network. The areas hit hardest include parts of Ethiopia, Somalia and Kenya, where most of the deaths have occurred.
In some areas, the floods came on the heels of a drought that wiped out crops and livestock and left more than 50 million peoplefacing a food shortage.
Nailed It: Early Climate Models Have Accurately Predicted Effects of Global Warming, Study Finds
This color-coded map shows global surface temperature anomalies. Higher-than-normal temperatures are shown in red, and lower-than-normal temperatures are shown in blue.
The computer models used over the past five decades to predict the impact of future global warming have turned out to be very accurate so far, a new study has found.
Climate scientists at the University of California, Berkeley, Massachusetts Institute of Technology and NASA evaluated climate models from the early 1970s into the late 2000s to see how well they predicted the actual global mean surface temperature, based on levels of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases.
They also looked at how well the models matched the relationship between warming and changes in levels of greenhouse gases.
Of the 17 climate projections examined, 14 effectively matched observations after they were published, according to the study published Wednesday in the journal Geophysical Research Letters.
Indian Ocean Dipole: What is it and why is it linked to floods and bushfires?
Flooding and landslides in East Africa have killed dozens of people and forced hundreds of thousands from their homes. Meanwhile, thousands of miles away in Australia, a period of hot, dry weather has led to a spate of bushfires.
Both weather events have been linked to higher-than-usual temperature differences between the two sides of the Indian Ocean - something meteorologists refer to as the Indian Ocean Dipole.
The dipole is a climate phenomenon similar to El Niño
The Indian Ocean Dipole - often called the "Indian Niño" because of its similarity to its Pacific equivalent - refers to the difference in sea-surface temperatures in opposite parts of the Indian Ocean.
Wales weather: Wind warning in place in coastal areas
Gales of up to 70mph are set to hit coastal areas of Wales, the Met Office has said in a weather warning.
The yellow warning for wind is in place from 18:00 GMT on Sunday until 19:00 on Monday.
The forecaster warned transport delays were likely and power cuts were possible, with strong gusts expected in the south and west of the country.
Restrictions are in place on three major bridges, including the M48 Severn Bridge.
The warning covers Caerphilly, Cardiff, Ceredigion, parts of Gwynedd, Merthyr Tydfil, Neath Port Talbot, Pembrokeshire, Powys, Rhondda Cynon Taf, Swansea and Vale of Glamorgan.
‘The Amazon Is Completely Lawless’: The Rainforest After Bolsonaro’s First Year
For months, black clouds had hung over the rainforest as work crews burned and chainsawed through it. Now the rainy season had arrived, offering a respite to the jungle and a clearer view of the damage to the world.
The picture that emerged was anything but reassuring: Brazil’s space agency reported that in one year, more than 3,700 square miles of the Amazon had been razed — a swath of jungle nearly the size of Lebanon torn from the world’s largest rainforest.
'I'm watching it disappear:' Residents along Lake Erie reckoning with worsening shoreline erosion
Sue O'Brien gets anxious — "shaky," she said — as soon as a storm is in the forecast.
"We call it PTSD, and I don't think that's a stretch," she admitted. "As soon as the winds start … you start getting really worried."
O'Brien, who is now retired, said she has spent $100,000 trying to fortify her property on the edge of Lake Erie. Her backyard is guarded by a steel barrier, many of her windows are permanently boarded up and sandbags surround the foundation of her home.
But every storm betrays the cruel futility of her efforts. As the winds pick up, so does the water, as four-metre-high waves slam into cottages already gutted by nature's wrath. The lake takes over O'Brien's backyard and gushes around to the front of her home.
"We used to have sand and beach," she said. "This year has been like a nightmare."
https://www.cnn.com/videos/weather/2018/07/06/lightning-thunderstorm-safety-jennifer-gray-orig-ec-mss.cnn
Twenty-five million lightning strikes occur every year in the US, according to the National Weather Service. CNN's Jennifer Gray shares tips on how to avoid being a victim
Watch the video:
6 important things to know about wildfires
While there are certainly natural phenomena that cause wildfires, such as lightning, a NASA study says 84% of wildfires are caused by human carelessness. It doesn't take much, either -- a campfire, discarded cigarette or errant firework can be enough to trigger a huge blaze. Even all terrain vehicles (ATVs) can be a wildfire risk, because the hot exhaust can ignite dry brush.
Arctic Cold Blast to Drop Temperatures Below Average Across Central and Eastern U.S. This Week
Cold conditions will make a return to the central and eastern United States this week as arctic air from Canada sweeps away a brief spell of milder temperatures.
Widespread temperatures of 10 to 20 degrees above average are predicted throughout the Midwest, South and much of the East Monday and Tuesday. This means many cities in the northern tier could reach the 30s and 40s for highs, with 50s and 60s farther south and 70s in the Southern Plains and Deep South.
Saturday, December 7, 2019
Multiple storms to slam UK with wind, rain into mid-December
A series of storms from the Atlantic will bring frequent bouts of unsettled weather to the United Kingdom into next week.
The first of these storms arrived on Thursday as gusty winds swept across the country. The storm will remain on the drier side, with rainfall limited to northern England, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
Heavy rainfall is expected across western Scotland where rainfall amounts of 25-50 mm (1-2 inches) are possible and may lead to localized flooding during the afternoon and evening hours.
Bundle up: Coldest air yet this season to send Midwest into deep freeze next week
An invasion of Arctic air will plunge temperatures to their lowest levels since last winter and set the stage for the biggest lake-effect snow event so far this season in the Midwest.
The deep freeze next week can come as a shock to Midwestern residents who have not experienced an extreme cold snap since Nov. 10-13. During this stretch, single-digit lows were recorded in Minneapolis.
Next week's cold push will prove to be more intense, longer-lasting and even dangerous for people and animals who are outside for long length's of time.
"In terms of the magnitude of the Arctic air on the way, this outbreak will represent the lowest temperatures of the season so far by an average of 10-25 degrees Fahrenheit," AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Alex Sosnowski said.
The cold will come rocketing southward out of Canada as a swath of snow spreads from west to east across the Northern tier states from Sunday night into Monday night.
What is a 'bomb cyclone' and what does it mean for this week's Northern California storm?
You may have seen this week's Northern California storm described as having the potential to bring "bombogenesis" or a "bomb cyclone."
Bombogenesis happens when "a midlatitude cyclone rapidly intensifies, dropping at least 24 millibars over 24 hours," according to NOAA. This extreme and rapid change in pressure forms a very strong storm, a so-called "bomb cyclone."
"Bomb cyclone" is not an official term. Meteorologists and scientists use "bombogenesis."
According to AccuWeather, these storms occur most commonly off the east coast and the most common recipe for it to form is "cold air along the land, warm air over the water."
2 storms leave 50 million under winter alert as travelers return home after Thanksgiving
The holiday weekend is coming to an end for most people on Sunday, causing another busy travel day.
As of 4:45 p.m., O'Hare International Airport is reporting 64 flight cancellations and delays under 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, Chicago Midway International Airport reported 13 flights cancelled.
Amtrak also said Sunday will be its busiest day this year as well.
As Thanksgiving travelers return home, two powerful storms on each side of the country have left more than 50 million under some kind of winter weather alert.
Blizzard-like conditions will finish off the holiday weekend in the Great Lakes region, the weather service said, while up to 12 inches of snow may cover parts of the country spanning from the Dakotas to Michigan, it said.
More Than 11,000 Scientists Declare Climate Emergency
An alliance of more than 11,000 scientists have signed their names to a research statement declaring a global climate emergency that could one day make it impossible to live in many parts of the world.
"The climate crisis has arrived and is accelerating faster than most scientists expected," reads the statement, published Tuesday in the journal BioScience. "It is more severe than anticipated, threatening natural ecosystems and the fate of humanity. Especially worrisome are potential irreversible climate tipping points and nature's reinforcing feedbacks (atmospheric, marine and terrestrial) that could lead to a catastrophic 'hothouse Earth,' well beyond the control of humans. These climate chain reactions could cause significant disruptions to ecosystems, society and economies, potentially making large areas of Earth uninhabitable."
Satellite Shows Ash Plume From Russian Volcano Streaking Across the Pacific
Satellites captured ash being whisked away from a Russian volcano on the Kamchatka Peninsula and across the Pacific earlier this week.
The Sheveluch volcano ash plume was lofted as high as 33,000 feet by early Tuesday morning as it traveled over extreme western portions of Alaska's Aleutian Islands. The plume impacted flights Tuesday in the area, according to the Oakland, California, Center Weather Service Unit.
The ash plume (in brighter green) was guided eastward and southward by a strong low-pressure system in the Bering Sea. You can see this system in the loop above by looking for the swirl of deeper clouds (in gold) at the top-center of the image. The plume was relatively thin, producing mainly sulfur-dioxide gas and water particles.
South of the system, winds were sucking air and ash from the northwest toward the southeast over and parallel to the western Aleutians.
The gases traveled at about 40 mph in the western Pacific before accelerating into a rapidly developing low-pressure system in the Gulf of Alaska late Tuesday into early Wednesday.
Hurricane Dorian Responsible for $3.4 Billion in Losses on Bahamas, Report Says
About $3.4 billion in losses was caused in the Bahamas alone by Hurricane Dorian – a number equivalent to one-fourth of the nation's gross domestic product – according to a report released Friday.
The report by the Inter-American Development Bank also echoed the previously reported death toll of 67 and number of missing, 282, as of late October.
The development bank said reconstruction will require big investments and will take many years. Dorian was one of the most powerful Atlantic hurricanes ever to make landfall, unleashing a storm surge of up to 25 feet.
Destruction of homes and other buildings as well as infrastructure caused damage amounting to $2.5 billion, with 87% reported in Abaco and the remainder in Grand Bahama, according to the development bank.
Anchorage, Alaska, Sets Snowfall and High Temperature Records on the Same Day
Anchorage, Alaska, set an unusual combination of records for warmth and snowfall on Saturday.
The first new weather record was set at 2:33 a.m., when Anchorage saw its high temperature top out at 45 degrees. That tied the city's daily record high for Nov. 16 set in 1967.
Colder air and moisture from a low-pressure system then moved into south-central Alaska shortly afterward and set the stage for a more wintry record to be toppled.
Snowfall from the storm began in Anchorage during the morning and lasted the rest of the day, totaling 8.4 inches by midnight. That set a calendar day record for the city's most snowfall on Nov. 16. The previous record was 8.3 inches set in 1958.
Setting a calendar day high temperature and snowfall record on the same day isn't common, but it's happened before.
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