Extreme weather news and discussion

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Extreme Weather Alerts Cover Every State as Bomb Cyclone Intensifies
by Andrew Freeman
January 12, 2024

Introduction:

(Axios) A rapidly intensifying storm that could be one of the most intense on record for the Midwest in January is helping to prompt watches and warnings for the entire Lower 48 states on Friday.

Threat level: The storm's hazards are multifaceted, from "life-threatening" blizzard conditions in Iowa to powerful winds that may cause damage in at least a dozen states.

• Conditions in Iowa have disrupted campaigning as all eyes are on turnout ahead of Monday's caucuses.

• In addition, more rounds of severe thunderstorms with possible tornadoes are likely Friday and Saturday across the Southeast, with flooding rains along the East Coast.

Details: The storm, which will reach its maximum intensity over Michigan this weekend — causing waves on the Great Lakes to reach or exceed 20 feet — will help accelerate a push of Arctic air south and southeastward from Montana to the Gulf Coast.

• This frigid air, which is tied to the configuration of the polar vortex in upper levels of the atmosphere, will be the coldest air many Americans have experienced in several years.

• On Friday morning, temperatures bottomed out at minus 52°F in Edmonton, Alberta, indicating the significance of the frigid air charging southward.

Read more here: https://www.axios.com/2024/01/12/weath ... r-vortex




Watches, warnings and advisories issued by the NWS across the U.S. on Friday morning.
Image: NOAA/NWS.

For legend guide see this link: https://www.weather.gov/

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Arctic freeze continues to blast huge swaths of the US with sub-zero temperatures

Source: AP

By GILLIAN FLACCUS and CHRISTOPHER WEBER
Updated 2:24 AM CST, January 15, 2024

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — A dangerous Arctic blast will continue sweeping across the U.S. on Monday and linger through at least midweek, prolonging a bitter cold that set record-low temperatures in parts of the country and threatens to further disrupt daily life, including an NFL playoff game and the first-in-the-nation presidential nominating contest in Iowa.

The National Weather Service said wind chills are expected to push temperatures 30 degrees below zero from the Northern Rockies to northern Kansas and into Iowa, testing the hardiness of caucusgoers willing to brave the deep chill on Monday.

“You can’t sit home,” former President Donald Trump told supporters Sunday. “If you’re sick as a dog, you say, ‘Darling, I gotta make it.’ Even if you vote and then pass away, it’s worth it.”

Arctic storms left at least four dead and knocked out electricity to tens of thousands in the Northwest, brought snow to the South and walloped the Northeast with blizzard conditions forcing the postponement of the Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Buffalo Bills NFL playoff game hosted in bone-chilling Buffalo, New York.

Read more: https://apnews.com/article/winter-weath ... a6da573df3

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Power line falls on car during Oregon ice storm, killing 3 and injuring a baby, authorities say

Source: AP

By CLAIRE RUSH and HALLIE GOLDEN
Updated 5:00 AM CST, January 18, 2024

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — A power line fell on a parked car in northeast Portland, Oregon, on Wednesday, killing three people and injuring a baby during an ice storm that turned roads and mountain highways treacherous in the Pacific Northwest.

Shortly before noon, dispatchers started receiving frantic calls about a downed power line and people appearing to be electrocuted, according to a statement from the city’s fire department. A branch had fallen on a power line, causing it to fall onto an SUV, the statement said.

As the chaotic situation unfolded, a resident grabbed the baby from one of the people lying in the street in a bid to save its life, according to the statement. The three killed — two adults and one teenager — were found dead upon firefighters’ arrival, and the baby was taken to a hospital. It is believed the victims were electrocuted after they got out of the vehicle, the statement said.

The power company later deenergized the line, the statement added without specifying which company.

Read more: https://apnews.com/article/us-winter-we ... 5f3584503e

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Storm Isha brings 99mph gusts, disrupting UK road, rail and air travel

22 Jan 2024

– Strong winds and heavy rain from Storm Isha have brought travel disruption, and left tens of thousands of homes without electricity

– Parts of Northern Ireland, northern England and Scotland have seen the strongest winds in 10 to 20 years

– Gusts of wind of up to 99mph (159km/h) were recorded in Northumberland

– About 45,000 people in Northern Ireland were without power overnight, as well as 8,000 in north-west England, and 3,000 in Wales

– The Sellafield nuclear site suspended operations. The government said in a staff update there were no safety issues

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/uk-68036507

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UK Unprepared for Heat Waves as 2024 Set to Be Hottest Yet

5h ago

The UK government is doing little to prepare for hotter summers and the dangerous consequences associated with heat waves predicted to become more frequent, according to a key parliamentary committee.

Government plans to mitigate the effects of rising temperatures published last July mostly reiterated existing policy and don’t show “sufficient urgency or ambition,” the Environmental Audit Committee said in a report published Wednesday. The committee is comprised of lawmakers and examines how government policies and programs impact the environment.

Extreme heat affects everything from workplace productivity to water supplies and public health, with inadequate or interrupted sleep patterns alone costing the economy £60 billion ($76 billion) annually, according to the report. Last year was the warmest on record and Britain’s Met Office already forecasts 2024 to be even hotter.

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The committee called on the government to establish a national program to adapt Britain’s housing stock for both net zero emissions and heat resilience. More than 4.6 million English homes experience summertime overheating, while about 90% of the country’s existing dwellings will get too hot in a scenario where global temperatures increase by 2C (3.6F), the report said.

https://www.bnnbloomberg.ca/uk-unprepar ... -1.2028721

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It's so cold and snowy in Alaska that fuel oil is thickening and roofs are collapsing

Source: AP News

Much of Alaska has plunged into a deep freeze, with temperatures well below zero. Anchorage has seen some of its coldest temperatures in years and the mayor opened warming facilities for people who are homeless or don’t have reliable heating.

To the south in the state capital, Juneau, snow blanketed streets and rooftops as part of a two-day storm that helped set a new January snowfall record of 6.4 feet (2 meters) for the city, which is nestled in a relatively temperate rainforest. That’s after back-to-back storms walloped Juneau earlier in the month.

Anchorage surpassed 100 inches (2.5 meters) of snow this week, the earliest date the state’s largest city has ever hit that mark.

For much of the last week, temperatures were minus 40 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 40 Celsius) or colder in Fairbanks, an inland city of about 32,000 that’s a popular destination for seeing the northern lights. In other far-flung towns, the thermometer hovered between minus 30 Fahrenheit (minus 34.4 Celsius) and minus 20 Fahrenheit (minus 28.9 Celsius) for days.

Read more: https://apnews.com/article/alaska-subze ... 2ae50992fe

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Atmospheric River to Bring "Life-threatening" Flooding to Southern California
by Andrew Freedman
Updated February 3, 2024

Introduction:

(Axios) The strongest atmospheric river event of the season is set to begin Saturday night and early Sunday morning from north to south in California.

Threat level: The National Weather Service warned early Saturday that confidence is high that "life-threatening flooding" would occur even in heavily populated areas of L.A. County.

• The storm will bring a swath of 3-to-6-inch-plus rainfall totals, with locally heavier amounts, from Monterey southward to Los Angeles, with slightly lower amounts south into San Diego.

• Downtown Los Angeles could see as much as 6 inches of rain in just 3 days based on current forecasts, with the potential for higher amounts.

Context: The city's average annual rainfall is about 14 inches.

Read more here: https://www.axios.com/2024/02/01/dange ... alifornia

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California braces for "life-threatening" flood risk ahead of 2nd winter storm

Source: CBS News

Updated on: February 4, 2024 / 12:17 AM EST

Another winter storm spanning multiple days will be moving into California Saturday night and is expected to last until Tuesday or Wednesday. The National Weather Service is calling the system "the largest storm of the season" and is expecting the storm to have "dangerous, even life-threatening impacts."

Californians were rushing to prepare Saturday, filling up sandbags and lining streets with protective concrete barriers. In Long Beach, crews were building massive beach berms to brace for a dangerous atmospheric river that could drop rain non-stop for days. In Ventura County, north of Los Angeles, some communities were under mandatory evacuation orders ahead of the storm.

The California Office of Emergency Management reported that it had at the ready 21 swift water rescue teams, seven million prepositioned sandbags and more than 1,200 pieces of snow removal equipment. "If you don't need to be on the roadways during the storm event, we're asking you to please, please postpone any non-essential travel," Tony Tavares, director of Caltrans, said in a news conference Friday.

Gov. Gavin Newsom Friday declared a state of emergency ahead of the storm for Humboldt, Imperial, Monterey, San Mateo, and Santa Cruz counties.

Read more: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/southern-c ... ter-storm/

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New Study Points to More Climate Extremes
February 5, 2024

Introduction:

(Eurekalert) A new study has found similarities between long-term climatic changes in South Australia and temperate agricultural areas in Argentina – highlighting similarities across these Southern Hemisphere countries.

As temperature records tumble, and the threat of bushfires and dry conditions looms large, an international study by Flinders University and Argentinian researchers renews the urgency of calls to make more concerted efforts to prepare for climate extremes in South Australia.

Highs and lows in temperature and rainfall indices over the past 50 years have shown an increase in maximum and minimum temperatures of 1.1°C and 0.7°C and less precipitation while pointing to more intense and extended drought periods, extreme summer heatwaves alongside occasional extremes such as frost and flood.

South Australia – often cited as the driest state on the driest continent – is poised to see more weather extremes in temperature and precipitation with more storm events, longer and more severe droughts and higher temperature peaks up to 3-5°C above current averages likely to follow global trends, the study shows.

“We found remarkable warming signal trends in both hot and cold extreme weather events,” says Universidad Nacional del Sur researcher Dr Federico Ferrelli in a new article supported by Argentina’s National Scientific and Technical Research Council.

Read more of the Eurekalert article here: https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1033536

For a presentation of the Flanders study: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4441/16/2/351