April 22, 2014 - EARTH - The following constitutes the latest incidents of Earth changes across the globe.
Minnesota, Wisconsin Buried In A Foot Of Spring Snow
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Buffalo, MN.
Stephanie Montreuil Dolman |
A small, but potent April snowstorm walloped Minnesota and Wisconsin
with heavy snow this week, a continuation of the harsh 2013-2014 season
in the region.
The storm emerged from the northern Rockies Tuesday night and quickly developed into an energetic spring snowstorm on Wednesday.
"An April snowstorm in Minnesota and northern Wisconsin is not unusual,
but the amount of snow that fell is quite rare," AccuWeather Senior
Meteorologist Brett Anderson said.
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| The image above depicts snow reports from the snowstorm. The purple dots indicate reports of 1 foot or more of snow.National Weather Service |
A trained NWS spotter reported the most snow from the storm in Isanti, Minn., where 19 inches piled up.
Insanti, Minn., was in a 50-mile-wide swath of heavy snow that extended
from central Minnesota into northwestern Wisconsin. A foot or more of
snow was widely reported in this heavy swath.
The swath narrowly split St. Cloud, Minn., and Minneapolis.
"Snowfall totals to nearly 20 inches is impressive, but it covered a
small portion of the state," AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Dale
Mohler.
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| © Accuweather.com |
The
storm spawned multiple accidents, delays in air travel and postponed Wednesday's Minnesota Twins baseball game.
For those weary of wintry weather in the region, the chill will linger into Friday, but the weekend will turn much warmer.
Most areas impacted by the snow will have struggle to reach the upper
40s on Friday, a solid 10 degrees Fahrenheit below normal. By the
weekend, highs will rebound into the 60s and even 70s.
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AccuWeather.
Record Mid-April Hard Freeze Kill Great Plains Wheat
Last Tuesday, April 15, was the coldest "Tax Day" nationwide on record.
Hard freezes extended as far south as northern Texas. Mid-April snows
were seen throughout the Corn Belt states. Columbus, Ohio had nearly
four inches of the white stuff on Tuesday, its heaviest snowfall ever
for so late in the spring season. Traces of snow were reported in the
Texas Panhandle, Arkansas and Tennessee. Even northern Louisiana had a
few flakes. Detroit, Michigan set a seasonal snowfall record on Tuesday.
A hard freeze in the southern Great Plains on Tuesday produced
temperatures between 21 and 24 degrees at Amarillo, Dalhart, Perry and
Lubbock, Texas. Near Gage, Oklahoma, one rancher reported 18 degrees.
Ponca City, Oklahoma dipped to a record low of 21 degrees for April 15.
In Kansas, the nation's leading wheat producing state, already plagued
by winterkill this harsh winter of 2013-14 that refuses to end and
parching drought, there were reports of morning lows near 15 degrees
both Monday and Tuesday. It was a frigid 13 degrees at Valentine,
Nebraska.
Jointing wheat was damaged by the record cold early this past week in Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas,
especially in those areas where the mercury plunged into the teens and
lower 20s for several hours. Any wheat heading out can be at risk even
at readings near 30 degrees. Fortunately, there was very little wheat
heading out despite recent 90 degree temperatures in the southern Great
Plains.
Up near the Canada/U.S. border, the ground is still solidly frozen and snow-covered.
Temperatures dipped below zero in parts of Saskatchewan and Manitoba on
Monday, April 14. The -4 degrees at Prince Albert, Saskatchewan was the
100th morning since last October with lows at zero or below, an
all-time record for any winter season in modern times.
Grand
Forks, North Dakota had 97 days of zero readings this past winter,
easily breaking the previous mark of 73 such bitterly cold mornings in
1978-79, when many climate scientists were predicting "a new Little Ice
Age."
Some of our Harris-Mann farmer clients in the Dakotas, Minnesota
and the Prairie Provinces of Canada may not be able to plant their 2014
crops until at least mid to late May or even early June in some cases.
This means that an early frost in late August or early September would
be devastating. Many farmers in the North Country may be forced
into "preventive planting" by the exceptionally frigid weather
conditions this winter and early spring.
Things aren't much better weatherwise in the Corn Belt states. It was 13 degrees on "Tax Day," April 15, at Spencer, Iowa,
the coldest morning there ever recorded for so late in the season.
Mason City, Iowa had 17 degrees on Tuesday. Scotts Bluff, Nebraska
plunged to 15 degrees. Marquette, Michigan had a record low of 6
degrees. It was 5 degrees at International Falls, Minnesota. It was 10
degrees at Hibbing and 17 degrees at Minneapolis and Redwood Falls,
Minnesota.
Other record lows reported on Tuesday included; Kirksville, Missouri and
Mansfield, Ohio each with 21 degrees. It was 22 degrees at Toledo, Ohio
and Moline, Illinois. Cleveland had 23 degrees. It was 24 degrees at
Indianapolis, Chicago and Bristol, Tennessee. St. Louis reported 28
degrees and heavy frost. Memphis, Tennessee dipped to a record low of 30
degrees on April 16.
By extreme contrast, we've recently seen record warmth above the century
mark in the Desert Southwest with moisture-sapping 90s in Southern
California. The most severe drought in modern times lives on. There is
at least a 70% chance that this huge drought pattern will push through
the Midwest all the way to the western slopes of the Appalachians by
July or August. (One can view our predictions for this summer nationwide
and locally in North Idaho by going to YouTube and searching for Cliff
Harris, Climatologist, or go to www.LongRangeWeather.com. A large 4,500
year temperature trend chart is likewise available on YouTube.)
.
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LRW.
Rare 3.2 Magnitude Earthquake Hits Rutland, England
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Tremors were felt at Stamford and the Deepings in Lincolnshire. Residents report houses
shaking during earthquake that was felt up to 28 miles away. Chris Jobs/AlamyOakham, Rutland. |
A
3.2 magnitude earthquake near
Oakham, Rutland, which was
felt up to 28 miles away, is being investigated by seismologists.
The quake, triggered at a depth of 2.5 miles at 7.07am on Thursday, was recorded by the
British Geological Survey (BGS), which said that its seismologists were analysing the data.
Former
English rugby union player Austin Healey tweeted: "We've just had an earthquake in Oakham. The house was shaking for about 10 secs."
John Park wrote: "What the hell was that. Whole house shook about
7.07am! It was either an explosion or earthquake in Rutland. Anyone else
feel it?"
Kerry Rough tweeted: "Woke me up. I thought the
house was falling down." Sara Dodd, who is in Whissendine, tweeted that
it
"felt like an explosion but without any sound".
Another resident - identified as Ali W - wrote on Twitter: "It was different to the last one ...
A massive bang rather than a shake."
She added: "I even thought a train had crashed at the back of us."
Tremors were felt in Stamford and
the Deepings in Lincolnshire,
among other places. "Did anyone else just feel an earth tremor in
Stamford? Things just fell off my shelves," tweeted Louise Warren,
posting as
LingBeast. She said she felt tremors at about 7.15am.
Lawrence Green,
@lawrence41green, tweeted: "Are we expecting a tsunami from Rutland water after this morning's earthquake??"
He added: "Was on my knees painting the skirting boards, very weird situation, kept a straight paint line though."
The BGS said the 28-mile distance over which the quake was felt was not
unusual for an event of its size. It has so far received more than 180
reports from local people.
The agency has launched
an online questionnaire to help assess the impact on the local area. It has recorded 44
earthquakes
around Britain over the past 50 days, but only one - in the eastern
North Sea - of a similar magnitude. Several have been around
New Ollerton in Nottinghamshire, where 91 small earthquakes,
the largest of 1.8 magnitude, have been recorded since mid-December.
That area has a history of seismic activity related to coal mining.
"There have been no reports of structural damage from mining-induced
earthquakes in the UK in the past 40 years," said the BGS, but an event
of a 3.0 magnitude could be strongly felt and cause some alarm.
-
The Guardian.
Flooding In Northern New York Closes Some Roads And Bridges
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| Campsites in St. Regis Falls, NY after the dam gives out.
Chad Tebeau |
A state of emergency has been declared in a northern New York county
after rising floodwaters caused by melting snow and rain closed several
roads and bridges.
Officials in St. Lawrence County tell local media that flooding is
reported in several communities along the St. Regis River, while other
local waterways were being monitored for possible flooding. No
evacuation plans have been issued for any towns.
Road closures are also being reported in parts of
the southeastern Adirondack, including areas along the upper Hudson and
Schroon rivers in Warren County, 50 miles north of Albany.
The Hudson River in the Glens Fall area is expected to crest about four
feet above flood stage Wednesday, prompting the National Weather Service
to issue flood warnings in effect until Thursday.
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CNY Central.
Remnants Of Cyclone Ita Cause Flooding And Cuts Power In New Zealand
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| Tamaki Drive in Auckland was closed because of flooding.
RNZ / Lisa Thompson |
Thousands of people were without power throughout New Zealand's
Northland and Auckland regions as a band of wild wet weather moves down
the country on Thursday, Xinhua news agency reported.
The Fire Service has been inundated with calls, starting in Northland
earlier on Thursday morning then moving to Auckland's North Shore and
West Auckland as well as the central city.
It said high winds are causing the most damage, with many reports of trees down across roads and power lines.
About 4,000 households are without power in various
areas of Auckland, mainly to the north and west of the region, Radio New
Zealand reported on Thursday.
Around 30 flights in and out of Auckland Airport have been delayed or
cancelled as a result of the weather. Winds have gusted up to 98 km per
hour on the Harbour Bridge.
The Transport Agency said there have been reports of light flooding on
some sections of the motorway network and there is debris on several
rural roads in Northland and Auckland.
Several slips have been reported in capital Wellington after a night of
heavy rain and occupants were forced from two properties in Oriental Bay
on Wednesday night due to a mudslide.
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Bernama.
Spring Flooding Leads To Landslides In Quebec, Tim Hortons Closure In New Brunswick
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| Sherbrooke Flooding QMI Agency |
The spring thaw and steady rain triggered floods that inundated Quebec
towns, washing away homes, forcing evacuations and causing a landslide.
In Sherbrooke, Que., in the Eastern Townships, the Saint-Francois river
reached a record 25 feet Wednesday and floodwaters cut the city in two.
Firefighters rang doorbells just after midnight on Wednesday and asked
480 people to leave their homes, bringing the total number of displaced
people to 632.
Downtown streets flooded and quickly froze in Sherbrooke as morning temperatures neared -10 C.
The situation was also precarious in Saint-Raymond, Que., east of Quebec
City. Torrential rains caused the Saint-Anne River to rise at breakneck
speed on Tuesday evening, flooding the downtown core. Mayor Daniel Dion
told QMI Agency that 300 people were told to leave their homes.
In Lac-Des-Seize-Iles, Que., north of Montreal, a
landslide collapsed most of a lakeside hill, carrying away three
unoccupied cottages as well as boathouses. No one was injured.
In the town of Sussex, N.B., residents had to go without their morning
cup of coffee as photos and videos showed a local Tim Hortons surrounded
by rising flood waters.
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Toronto Sun.
Strong Winds Cause 2 Ships To Collide In Chesapeake Bay, Third Vessel Runs Aground
Two vessels collided in a main shipping channel and a 751-foot cargo
ship ran aground in the lower Chesapeake Bay on Tuesday in high winds
gusting up to 70 mph, the Coast Guard said.
The 79-foot rig vessel Petite and the 1,065-foot container ship MSC
Charleston collided about 7:30 p.m. Tuesday "due to weather" in the
Thimble Shoal Channel, the Coast Guard said in a news release. There
were no reports of injuries, damage or pollution and both vessels were
safely anchored, the release said.
About an hour after the collision, the 751-foot bulk
carrier Ornak, anchored at the Lynnhaven Anchorage east of the
Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel, ran aground near First Landing State Park,
the Coast Guard said. There were no reports of injuries, damage or
pollution from the grounding, and the vessel was not blocking other
water traffic, said Coast Guard spokesman Petty Officer First Class
Brandyn Hill.
Winds gusting to 70 mph at Cape Henry caused 12 ships anchored in the
vicinity of Lynnhaven to drag anchor, the Coast Guard said. The Virginia
Pilot office dispatched 11 pilots and local tug boat companies were
recruited to help stabilize the vessels and to aid others struggling in
high winds to stay moored, the news release said.
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AP.
Avalanche Kills Skiers In Norway
Norwegian police say rescuers have found the bodies of four skiers who were killed by an avalanche in central Norway.
The four men were reported missing late Monday after skiing off-piste in the Sunndalsfjella mountains.
Local police spokesman Alf Stormo says search and
rescue efforts were hampered by bad weather but the skiers were found
early Wednesday through their tracker beacons.
Stormo says the victims, all Norwegians, were experienced skiers in their 20s and 30s. -
Yahoo.
