Brazils Tornado

 Severe storms dropped an intense tornado on the city of Xanxere in Brazil on Monday, which killed at least two people and left hundreds homeless.

The massive, dark tornado was caught on video and shared on Facebook by Ronaldo de Oliveira. Oliveira captured over three minutes of video showing the tornado and its damage in Xanxere.

At the beginning of the video the tornado’s winds are kicking up, and you can see the ominous twister building just yards away. Large debris begins to fly across the screen, just outside the window. The tornado’s strong inflow winds rip large branches off the trees in the yard and Oliveira steps away from the windows. You can hear the wind whistling.

As the worst of the storm passes, you can see the damage left in its wake. Panels of aluminum sheeting are strewn and large branches, torn off the trees, are scattered on the ground.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/capital-weather-gang/wp/2015/04/22/deadly-tornado-destroys-parts-of-xanxere-city-in-brazil-video/

Antarctic Heats Up

Antarctica, Earth's coldest, most barren continent, may have just set a remarkably unusual weather record. An Argentinian research station on the rapidly warming Antarctic Peninsula recorded a high temperature of 63.5 degrees Fahrenheit (17.5 degrees Celsius) on March 24, according to reports from Weather Underground.

If this is investigated and verified by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), it could become the highest temperature on record for the entire continent of Antarctica.

The warmth at the Esperanza research station came one day after a nearly identical high temperature was logged at another Argentinean base, known as Base Marambio, also located along the Antarctic Peninsula. Interestingly, the mild conditions occurred during the Antarctic fall, not the height of summer.

Both of these readings are the warmest temperatures on record for those locations, and as weather historian Christopher Burt writes at Weather Underground, the Esperanza high temperature exceeds any high temperature reading on either the Peninsula or the Antarctic landmass in general. Data at Esperanza extends back to 1945.

The WMO in Geneva, which is the official arbiter of global temperature records, maintains that the all-time warmest temperature in Antarctica was 59 degrees Fahrenheit, set at the Vanda Station on Jan. 5, 1974. 

For the high temperature to be classified as a record for the icy continent of Antarctica, the WMO would have to verify that the equipment was working properly at the time, which is a process that could take months, if not longer, and consider other criteria, such as the definition of continental Antarctica itself.

http://mashable.com/2015/03/27/antarctica-all-time-high-temperature-record/

Flash Flooding

Torrential rain overnight Thursday triggered major flash flooding in Louisville, Kentucky, closing and prompting more than 100 water rescues. Elsewhere, heavy rainfall continued to cause problems in eastern parts of the state into the day Friday, leaving at least one person dead. 

A Lee County woman was stranded in her vehicle in floodwaters at around 9:30 a.m. on a rural Lee County highway Friday morning, according to The Associated Press. The car was swept away at about 11:30 a.m. Friday. 

By the time authorities reached the vehicle, the woman had drowned. Initially witnesses thought the woman was accompanied by a child in the car, but the driver was alone. 

Flooding problems were most widespread in and around Louisville Friday morning. According to Metrosafe, the official Louisville Emergency Management Agency, 116 water rescues were performed throughout Jefferson County since 1 a.m. CST Friday.

"It looked like a hurricane struck, said Simone Wester, who told The Associated Press her apartment complex was surrounded by floodwaters. "I didn't know what to do."

http://www.weather.com/storms/severe/news/louisville-kentucky-flash-flooding-april-3-2015

California Gets Wet Weather

Drought-plagued California has received multiple rounds of wet weather this week, but it's nowhere near enough to squash all of the thirsty state's drought issues.

The first storm rushed ashore on Sunday, bringing snow to some areas in the higher elevations and even reports of small hail in northwestern California. The pea-sized hail covered roadways and yards in several towns, according to the National Weather Service. A second wave came through Monday and Tuesday, bringing more much-needed rain and snow to the Golden State.

There was even some severe weather associated with the second wave, as a funnel cloud was spotted over Sacramento late Tuesday afternoon.

http://www.weather.com/news/news/california-storm-rain-snow-impacts

Thunderstorms in Midwest

A multi-day severe weather outbreak, including tornadoes, will ramp up Wednesday through Thursday in parts of the South and Midwest. Some severe weather may continue into Friday along the East Coast and South. This has the potential to be the most widespread severe weather event so far this spring. 

Meteorologists use pattern recognition, or the general forecast orientation of upper-air and surface weather features, to help identify the potential for high-impact weather events  – severe weather outbreaks, winter storms, cold air outbreaks and heat waves –  several days out.

The pattern this week has some similarities to a classic heartland spring severe weather outbreak.

First, a bullish southward plunge of the jet stream, or trough, will swing out of the western U.S. into the Plains and Midwest.

In the atmosphere's lowest levels, progressively warmer and more humid air has arrived from the Gulf of Mexico into parts of the Plains and Mississippi Valley.

With that vigorous jet stream overlapping warm, humid air and surface features – such as a drylines that divide High Plains dry air from more humid air to the east – and a warm front helping to lift the unstable air, the stage is set for a potential outbreak of severe thunderstorms with large hail, damaging winds and tornadoes.

http://www.weather.com/storms/tornado/news/severe-weather-tornado-outbreak-forecast-midwest-south-apr-2015

Flooding Rivers

The Ohio and lower Mississippi rivers continue to run above flood stage in response to rain and melting snow in recent weeks.

Several storms have impacted this part of the country during the first half of March, including multiple rainstorms and a major snowstorm.

This influx of rainwater paired with melting snow has caused ice jams, and road closures have put lives and property at risk.

The Ohio River is one of the rivers in the region being most affected from the recent storms. On Sunday, the river crested in Cincinnati at its highest level since 1997.

http://www.accuweather.com/en/weather-news/ohio-river-on-the-rise-floods/43982764

Spring Snowstorm

A snowstorm will set its sights on the Interstate-95 and I-81 corridors of the Northeast on Friday, the first day of spring.

Astronomical spring officially arrives on Friday, March 20, at 6:45 p.m. EDT, but millions in the Northeast will be slipping, shoveling or facing other problems due to snow.

The storm threatens to slow travel and cause disruptions to daily activities from northern Virginia to central Massachusetts, home to approximately 45 million people, as the week draws to a close and the first weekend of spring begins.

While much of the snow will melt on major roads and in urban areas during the middle of the day, slippery and slushy conditions are in store where the snow begins late at night, falls during the early morning or continues into the evening.

http://www.accuweather.com/en/weather-news/snow-northeast-first-day-of-spring/44054330

Persistent Heat In India

After storms brought rain unusually far south, blazing heat is now gripping India with no relief in the immediate future.

Temperatures will rise into the middle and upper 30s C (upper 90s and lower 100s F) throughout most of central and southern India daily through at least this weekend.

This includes temperatures in Mumbai, Nagpur and Hyderabad, as well as in Karachi in neighboring Pakistan.

New Delhi will escape the worst of the heat through this weekend, but temperatures will reach 34 C (94 F) for the first time since early December next week.

http://www.accuweather.com/en/weather-news/blazing-heat-grips-india-no-im-1/44171629

Weekend Rain

After a brief pause from wet weather, another storm will bring unsettled weather from Spain to Italy and the western Balkan Peninsula this weekend.

A storm will track across southern Spain Friday, before entering the Mediterranean Sea Saturday then moving into Italy later in the weekend.

The heaviest rainfall will be focused across northern and western Italy on Saturday before spreading into areas from southern Croatia through northern Albania on Sunday.

While widespread flooding is not expected, rainfall will be heavy enough to cause localized flooding, especially since rainfall is well above normal across this entire region so far this year.

http://www.accuweather.com/en/weather-news/rain-returns-to-italy-western/44060202

Nathan

Tropical Cyclone Nathan brought flooding rainfall to northeastern Queensland, Australia, late last week but has since pulled away from the coast allowing for dry weather to return. However, later this week, Nathan will bring the return of heavy rain to northeastern Queensland threatening the region with another round of flooding.

After the most recent round of rain last week, many rivers in northeastern Queensland spilled out of their banks causing flooding when 245 mm (9.64 inches) of rain fell in just 24 hours in Weipa from Thursday into Friday. Cairns was also ravaged by flooding problems.

River levels across the region receded over the weekend, and according to the Australia Bureau of Meteorology, river gauges across eastern Queensland are below flood level. This will change from later Thursday into Saturday as Nathan brings a new round of flooding rainfall to similar areas.

http://www.accuweather.com/en/weather-news/nathan-to-once-again-threaten/43945516

Arctic Climate

There has been a lot of attention on the influence of rapid warming of the Arctic on weather in the Northern Hemisphere mid-latitudes. Much of the work has focused on changes to the Jetstream amplitudes and association of these changes to ice loss in the Arctic. 

We know that the Arctic is heating faster than the planet as a whole. Consequently, there is more energy in the Arctic which can be transmitted to the atmosphere. Much of the excess heat is transferred to the atmosphere in the late fall or early winter. This extra energy is connected to what’s called Arctic geopotential height, which has increased during the same times of the year. As a consequence, the Jetstream might weaken in the cold seasons.

But what about summer? Have these changes been detected then too? Well just recently, a paper was published in that answered this question. The authors, from the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research and from the University of Potsdam reported on three measures of atmospheric dynamics (1) zonal winds, (2) eddy kinetic energy, and (3) amplitude of the fast-moving Rossby waves. Rossby waves are very large waves in the upper atmospheric winds. They are important because of their large influence on weather.

http://www.theguardian.com/environment/climate-consensus-97-per-cent/2015/mar/16/climate-change-in-the-arctic-is-messing-with-our-weather

Thor In The West and Southwest

Recap So Far: Winter Storm Thor

Here are some select snow totals from Winter Storm Thor as of Monday morning:

California:

- 32 inches snow at Squaw Valley
- 24 inches snow at Sugar Bowl Ski Resort
- 13 inches snow at Donner Peak
- Hail was reported in Grass Valley (0.5"), San Jose (0.25"), and Fresno (0.25")

Nevada:

- 24 inches snow at Diamond Peak Ski Resort
- 16 inches snow at Mount Rose Ski Area
- 7.5 inches snow at Las Vegas Ski and Snowboard Resort at 9200 feet elevation

Arizona:

- 12 inches snow near Parks
- 11 inches at the Arizona Snowbowl
- 8.6 inches snow in Flagstaff

New Mexico:

- 21 inches snow at Taos Ski Area (partially snow from Winter Storm Sparta)
- 14 inches snow near Gallina
- 9.6 inches snow in Albuquerque (partially snow from Winter Storm Sparta)

http://www.weather.com/storms/winter/news/winter-storm-thor-southwest-rockies-midwest-northeast

Sahara Dust Fertilizing The Rainforest

Dust from the hot Saharan Desert of northern Africa has a connection to a much different climate in South America, according to a study by NASA scientists.

Using satellite data, the study has found that the dust is acting as fertilizer for South America's Amazon rainforest about 1,600 miles away to the west over the Atlantic Ocean. Specifically, it's providing some much needed phosphorous to the soils of the Amazon. NASA says that nutrients such as phosphorous are limited in the Amazon since rainfall sends it from the forest floor into nearby streams or rivers.

An estimated 22,000 tons of phosphorous reach the Amazon each year from the Saharan dust, according to Hongbin Yu, an atmospheric scientist at the University of Maryland who works at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center. Yu says that this is equivalent to the amount of phosphorous lost due to rainfall runoff in the Amazon

Why does the Saharan dust contain so much phosphorous? It comes from lake beds of northern Africa's past, particularly the Bodélé Depression in Chad which is rich in the nutrient, NASA says.

The plumes of dust can sometimes be seen on satellite images like the one below when they first emerge from Africa. From there, the dust particles are transported westward into parts of the Caribbean, northern South America and even Florida.

http://www.weather.com/science/environment/news/saharan-dust-feeds-amazon-fertilizer-nasa

Glaciers In Retreat

A dazzling sight of blinding ice runs forever along this extreme northern part of Antarctica, hiding an unseen battle below that fights to reshape Earth.

Ice sheets are slowly thawing as water eats away at their core, eroding them where they graze the oceans. Slowly thawing ice is pouring water into the sea, at 130 billions tons of ice per year for the past decade, NASA satellite calculations reveal. This is enough to fill more than 1.3 million Olympic swimming pools, and the rate of thawing is only accelerating. 

Ice melt in the region could push sea levels up 10 feet in the worst-case scenario, causing recurving of heavily populated coastlines worldwide in a century or two.

http://www.weather.com/science/environment/news/antarctica-glaciers-melting-climate-change

Siberian Express Causing Hypothermia In US

Hypothermia has been blamed for the deaths of at least 22 people as an arctic blast, known as the Siberian Express, continues to push through the central and eastern parts of the U.S.

The toll includes 11 people in Tennessee, six in Pennsylvania, two in Illinois and one each in Indiana, Ohio and Kentucky. Several other deaths suspected of being related to the cold are still being investigated.

In addition, Canadians are mourning the death of a three-year-old boy who wandered out into extreme cold in Toronto this week and was later found dead of exposure according to The Weather Network, Canada's equivalent of The Weather Channel.

"This week ranks among the most intense arctic outbreaks so far in the 21st century for the eastern U.S., and it is certainly one of the most impressively cold air masses we've seen this late in the winter season, coming only a month before the spring equinox," says weather.com senior meteorologist Nick Wiltgen. 

At least 500 daily record lows have been broken since Sunday, according to figures from NOAA's National Climatic Data Center and the National Weather Service. More record lows are expected Saturday morning in the Northeast.

http://www.weather.com/safety/winter/news/siberian-express-arctic-blast-cold-record-impacts

Snow in California

San Jose, California ( CNN ) - It's been a wild winter for much of the United States, and this weekend saw more unusual weather.

San Jose, California saw hail and snow on Saturday. It brought families into the streets to enjoy the rare experience. Families in south San Jose couldn't believe their eyes when they looked out and saw snow.

Toto...i don't think we're in San Jose anymore. The meadowlands looked like a neighborhood from the Midwest.

South San Jose Resident - "And I said what happened? Some miracle?"

Twitter video from Steve Baker shows the hail as it fell... At one point he joked about the need for a snow plow.
These kids focused on snowballs ...or should we call them hailballs instead.

Malyna Gomez Trujillo, /South San Jose Resident - "Usually we have to go all the way to Lake Tahoe or Senora or way up in the mountains to find snow. Now we just need to go in our front yard."

http://www.kmvt.com/news/latest/Hail-Storm-Covers-California-Community--294580781.html

Winter Storm Neptune

While New York City and the surrounding tri-state region were spared the worst of Winter Storm Neptune, residents are dealing with cold temperatures and wind chills making it feel significantly colder. Wind and winter weather warnings remain in effect for the region on Sunday, and the area could see some of the coldest temperatures in the past decade early next week.

Temperatures are forecast to remain stuck in the single digits or, at best, teens much of Sunday in New England, with lows in the single digits above or below zero by Monday morning. It's forecast that Central Park will register a low of just 2 degrees, the coldest since February 2005, with a wind chill of -16 degrees.

New York City's Office of Emergency Management Commissioner Joe Esposito urged residents to limit their time outside and dress properly for the cold.

The winter weather advisory began at 1 p.m. Saturday and remained in effect until 1 p.m. Sunday. A high wind warning was in effect from midnight through 2 p.m. Sunday. Gale warnings were in effect for the Long Island Sound west of New Haven, Connecticut, and Port Jefferson, New York, for the same time period. A wind chill advisory was issued for 6 p.m. Sunday until 9 a.m. Monday.

Snow began falling Saturday afternoon in the city. By 12 a.m. Sunday, 0.9 inch of snow was recorded in New York City’s Central Park and greater snowfalls reported upstate, with 6.9 inches measured at Buffalo-Niagara International Airport and 12 inches in Cape Vincent, east of Lake Ontario. As of 7 a.m. Sunday, 0.9 inch had fallen at Newark-Liberty Airport in New Jersey.

http://www.weather.com/storms/winter/news/new-york-city-tri-state-neptune-cold

Ice in the South

Freezing cold temperatures hit most of the U.S. Monday as New England began digging out of its fourth winter storm in a month, while the mid-Atlantic region and parts of the south were hit with their own blast of snow and ice.

The latest storm has been blamed for two deaths. Boston Mayor Martin J. Walsh said Monday the storm has left one person dead, apparently due to a heart attack while shoveling snow. 

The body of an elderly man, who may have frozen to death, was found on the Coney Island boardwalk in Brooklyn, NYPD sources told the New York Post. 

Snow swirled sideways in Kentucky and the typically bustling state capital of Frankfort came to frozen halt Monday. Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear urged people to stay home if possible. The state was expecting anywhere from anywhere from 6 to 15 inches of snow by Monday evening.

Forecasters say a snowstorm could bring 6 to 9 inches to parts of Arkansas, Missouri and Tennessee. Freezing rain was forecast for northern Mississippi and 2 to 4 inches of snow and sleet is possible in north Georgia.

http://www.foxnews.com/weather/2015/02/16/bitter-cold-follows-fresh-new-england-snowfall-as-south-prepares-for-winter/

Australia's Record Breaking Heat Wave

Australians just sweated through the planet's hottest year on record - and even worse is on the way.

International data from NASA and the US' National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association released on Saturday confirmed 2014 as the world's hottest 12 months since record-keeping started in 1880.

And Professor Will Steffen of the Climate Council says incidences of heatwaves, bushfires and other extreme weather in Australia are increasing.

'Climate change is a major factor in the increase in extreme heat that Australians have experienced over the last few decades,' Prof Steffen said on Saturday.

'Hot days are happening more often while heatwaves are becoming hotter, longer and more frequent. This is worsening bushfire danger weather.

'The long-term warming trend has been driven by the increase of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, caused primarily by the burning of fossil fuels.'

Through the year, the average global temperature was 0.69C above the 20th century average, beating the previous record-holding years of 2005 and 2010 by 0.04C.

The international data came a week after the Bureau of Meteorology confirmed Australia in 2014 experienced its third hottest year - and hottest decade - on record.

- See more at: http://www.skynews.com.au/news/national/2015/01/17/australia-facing-worse-weather-in-the-future.html#sthash.npoJ1GER.dpuf

Global Warming in Minnesota

IT'S WARMER, ESPECIALLY IN WINTER

The average global temperature has risen about 1½ degrees in the past century. In Minnesota, the average temperature has risen about 2 degrees in the past century. Parts of northern Minnesota have warmed nearly 3 degrees, according to the National Climatic Data Center.

Mostly, the warming has taken place in winter, not summer heat waves, said University of Minnesota climate scientist Peter Snyder. Think about the record-setting March heat in 2012.

"The wintertime signal is the most robust in the data record, particularly as you go north. Northern Minnesota is definitely bearing the brunt of that warming," he said.

One possible explanation for that, he said, is that snow and ice normally cover northern climates like Minnesota in the winter, acting like a mirror to reflect the sun's rays.

"When it's warming, you can get less snow, and the fact that you have less snow, uncovers the surface below it, which might be less reflective, and that causes additional warming, which melts more snow and it goes around and around," Snyder said.

http://www.grandforksherald.com/news/3669232-climate-change-minnesota-more-heat-more-big-storms