Dr. Jeff Masters' WunderBlog

Volcanic Winter

Posted by: Dr. Jeff Masters, 1:18 PM GMT on April 24, 2009

"The sun was dark and its darkness lasted for eighteen months; each day it shone for about four hours; and still this light was only a feeble shadow; the fruits did not ripen and the wine tasted like sour grapes." As this Michael the Syrian quote regarding the weather of 536 A.D. demonstrates, a climate catastrophe that blots out the sun can really spoil your day. Procopius of Caesarea remarked: "During this year [536 A.D.] a most dread portent took place. For the sun gave forth its light without brightness. and it seemed exceedingly like the sun in eclipse, for the beams it shed were not clear." Many documents from 535 - 536 A.D.--the time of King Arthur in Britain--speak of the terrible "dry fog" or cloud of dust that obscured the sun, causing widespread crop failures in Europe, and summer frosts, drought, and famine in China. Tree ring studies in Europe confirm several years of very poor growth around that time, and ice cores from Greenland and Antarctica show highly elevated levels of atmospheric sulfuric acid dust existed.

Though some scientists believe the climate calamity of 535-536 A.D. was due to a comet or asteroid hitting the Earth, it is widely thought that the event was probably caused by the most massive volcanic eruption of the past 1500 years. This eruption threw so much sulfur dioxide (SO2) gas into the stratosphere that a "Volcanic Winter" resulted. Sulfur dioxide reacts with water to form sulfuric acid droplets (aerosol particles), which are highly reflective and reduce the amount of incoming sunlight. The potential eruption that led to the 535 - 536 A.D. climate calamity would have likely been a magnitude 7 event on the Volcanic Explosivity Index (VEI)--a "super colossal" eruption that one can expect to occur only once every 1000 years. The Volcanic Explosivity Index is a logarithmic scale like the Richter scale used to rate earthquakes, so a magnitude 7 eruption would eject ten times more material than the two largest eruptions of the past century--the magnitude 6 eruptions of Mt. Pinatubo in the Philippines (1991) and Novarupta in Alaska (1912).

Figure 1. An 18 km-high volcanic plume from one of a series of explosive eruptions of Mount Pinatubo beginning on 12 June 1991, viewed from Clark Air Base (about 20 km east of the volcano). Three days later, the most powerful eruption produced a plume that rose nearly 40 km, penetrating well into the stratosphere. Pinatubo's sulfur emissions cooled the Earth by about 1°F (0.5°C) for 1 - 2 years. (Photograph by David H. Harlow, USGS.)

Super-colossal eruptions
There has been only one other magnitude 7 "super-colossal" eruption in the past 1500 years--the massive eruption of the Indonesian volcano Tambora in 1815. The sulfur pumped by this eruption into the stratosphere dimmed sunlight so extensively that global temperatures fell by about 2°F (1°C) for 1 - 2 years afterward. This triggered the famed Year Without a Summer in 1816. Killing frosts and snow storms in May and June 1816 in Eastern Canada and New England caused widespread crop failures, and lake and river ice were observed as far south as Pennsylvania in July and August. The Tambora eruption was about 40% smaller than the 535 - 536 A.D. event, as measured by the number of sulfur aerosol particles deposited in Greenland ice cores.

In an article published in 2008 in the American Geophysical Union journal EOS, Dr. Ken Verosub of the University of California, Davis Department of Geology estimated that future eruptions capable of causing "Volcanic Winter" effects severe enough to depress global temperatures by 2°F (1°C) and trigger widespread crop failures for 1 - 2 years afterwards should occur about once every 200 - 300 years. Even a magnitude 6 eruption, such as the 1600 eruption of the Peruvian volcano Huaynaputina, can cause climatic change capable of killing millions of people. The Huaynaputina eruption is blamed for the Russian famine of 1601-1603, which killed over half a million people and led to the overthrow of Tsar Boris Godunov. Thankfully, the climatic impacts of all of these historic magnitude 6 and 7 eruptions have been relatively short-lived. After about two years, the sulfuric acid aerosol particles have settled out of the stratosphere, returning the climate to its former state.

Mega-colossal eruptions
Even more extreme eruptions have occurred in Earth's past--eruptions ten times more powerful than the Tambora eruption, earning a ranking of 8 out of 8 on the Volcanic Explosivity Index (VEI). These "mega-colossal" eruptions occur only about once every 10,000 years, but have much longer-lasting climatic effects and thus are a more significant threat to human civilization. According to the Toba Catastrophe Theory, a mega-colossal eruption at Toba Caldera, Sumatra, about 74,000 years ago, was 3500 times greater than the Tambora eruption. According to model simulations, an eruption this large can pump so much sulfur dioxide gas into the stratosphere that the atmosphere does not have the capacity to oxidize all the SO2 to sulfuric acid aerosol. The atmosphere oxidizes as much SO2 as it can, leaving a huge reservoir of SO2 in the stratosphere. This SO2 gradually reacts to form sulfuric acid as the OH radicals needed for this reaction are gradually produced. The result is a much longer-lasting climate effect than the 1 - 2 years that the magnitude 6 and 7 events of 535, 1600, 1815, and 1991 lasted. A magnitude 8 eruption like the Toba event can cool the globe for 6 - 10 years (Figure 3), which may be long enough to trigger an ice age--if the climate is already on the verge of tipping into an ice age. Rampino and Self (1992) argued that the sulfur aerosol veil from Toba was thick and long-lasting enough to cool the globe by 3 - 5°C (5 - 9°F), pushing the climate--which was already cooling and perhaps headed towards an ice age--into a full-scale ice age. They suggested that the response of Canada to the volcano played a particularly important role, with their model predicting a 12°C (22°F) reduction in summer temperatures in Canada. This would have favored the growth of the Laurentide ice sheet, increasing the reflectivity (albedo) of the Earth, reflecting more sunlight and reducing temperatures further. The controversial Toba Catastrophe Theory asserts that the resulting sudden climate change reduced the Earth's population of humans to 1,000 - 10,000 breeding pairs. More recent research has shed considerable doubt on the idea that the Toba eruption pushed the climate into an ice age, though. Oppenheimer (2002) found evidence supporting only a 2°F (1.1°C) cooling of the globe, for the 1000 years after the Toba eruption. Zielinski et al. (1996) argued that the Toba eruption did not trigger a major ice age--the eruption merely pushed the globe into a cool period that lasted 200 years. Interestingly, a previous super-eruption of Toba, 788,000 years ago, coincided with a transition from an ice age to a warm period.

Figure 2. The 100x30 square kilometer Toba Caldera is situated in north-central Sumatra around 200 km north of the Equator. It is comprised of four overlapping calderas aligned with the Sumatran volcanic chain. Repeated volcanic cataclysms culminated in the stupendous expulsion of the Younger Toba Tuff around 74,000 years ago. The lake area is 100 square kilometers. Samosir Island formed as a result of subsequent uplift above the evacuated magma reservoir. Such resurgent domes are typically seen as the concluding phase of a large eruption. Landsat Enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus (ETM+) browse images for path/row 128/58 (6 September 1999) and 129/58 (21 January 2001) from http://landsat7.usgs.gov/. Copyright USGS. Image source: Oppenheimer, C., 2002, "Limited global change due to the largest known Quaternary eruption, Toba 74 kyr BP?"Quaternary Science Reviews, 21, Issues 14-15, August 2002, Pages 1593-1609.

Figure 3. Total mass of sulfur dioxide and sulfate aerosol in the stratosphere (heavy solid and dotted lines, respectively) modeled for a 6 petagram stratospheric injection of SO2. Observed SO2 and aerosol mass for the 1991 Pinatubo eruption are shown for comparison. The much larger amount of SO2 in the Toba simulation soaks up all available oxidants in the stratosphere leading to a much longer lifetime of SO2 and, in turn, prolonging the manufacture of sulfate aerosol. Data from Read et al. (1993) and Bekki et al. (1996). Image source: Oppenheimer, C., 2002, "Limited global change due to the largest known Quaternary eruption, Toba 74 kyr BP?"Quaternary Science Reviews, 21, Issues 14-15, August 2002, Pages 1593-1609.

When can we expect the next mega-colossal eruption?
Given the observed frequency of one mega-colossal magnitude 8 volcanic eruption every 1.4 million years, the odds of another hitting in the next 100 years is about .014%, according to Mason et al., 2004. This works out to a 1% chance over the next 7200 years. Rampino (2002) puts the average frequency of such eruptions at once every 50,000 years--about double the frequency with which 1-km diameter comets or asteroids capable of causing a similar climatic effect hit the Earth. A likely location for the next mega-colossal eruption would be at the Yellowstone Caldera in Wyoming, which has had magnitude 7 or 8 eruptions as often as every 650,000 years. The last mega-colossal eruption there was about 640,000 years ago. But don't worry, the seismic activity under Yellowstone Lake earlier this year has died down, and the uplift of the ground over the Yellowstone caldera that was as large as 7 cm/yr (2.7 inches/yr) between 2004 - 2006 has now fallen to 4 cm/yr, according to the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory. The USGS states that "the Yellowstone volcanic system shows no signs that it is headed toward such an eruption. The probability of a large caldera-forming eruption within the next few thousand years is exceedingly low".

What would happen if a magnitude 8 mega-colossal eruption were to occur today?
If a mega-colossal eruption were to occur today, it would probably not be able to push Earth into an ice age, according to a modeling study done by Jones et al. (2005). They found that an eruption like Toba would cool the Earth by about 17°F (9.4°C) after the first year (Figure 3), and the temperature would gradually recover to 3°F (1.8°C) below normal ten years after the eruption. They found that the eruption would reduce rainfall by 50% globally for the first two years, and up to 90% over the Amazon, Southeast Asia, and central Africa. This would obviously be very bad for human civilization, with the cold and lack of sunshine causing widespread crop failures and starvation of millions of people. Furthermore, the eruption would lead to a partial loss of Earth's protective ozone layer, allowing highly damaging levels of ultraviolet light to penetrate to the surface.

Not even a mega-colossal eruption of this magnitude would stop global warming, though. The level of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere would not be affected by the volcanic eruption, and warming would resume where it left off once the stratospheric dust settled out in a decade. With civilization crippled by the disaster, greenhouse gas emissions would be substantially reduced, though (small solace!) If we really want to say goodbye to civilization, a repeat of the only magnitude 9 eruption in recorded history should do the trick--the magnitude 9.2 La Garita, Colorado blast of 27.8 million years ago (Mason et al., 2004).

Figure 4. Annual near-surface temperature anomalies for the year following a mega-colossal volcanic eruption like the Toba eruption of 74,000 years ago, if it were to occur today. Most land areas cool by 22°F (12°C) compared to average. Some areas, like Africa, cool by 29°F (16°C). Image credit: Jones, G.S., et al., 2005, "An AOGCM simulation of the climate response to a volcanic super-eruption", Climate Dynamics, 25, Numbers 7-8, pp 725-738, December, 2005.

What would happen if a magnitude 7 super-colossal eruption were to occur today?
An eruption today like the magnitude 7 events of 535 A.D. or 1815 would cause cause wide-spread crop failures for 1 - 2 years after the eruption. With food supplies in the world already stretched thin by rising population, decreased water availability, and conversion of cropland to grow biofuels, a major volcanic eruption would probably create widespread famine, threatening the lives of millions of people. Wars over scarce resources might result. However, society's vulnerability to major volcanic eruptions is less than it was, since the globe has warmed significantly in the past 200 years. The famines from the eruptions of 1600 and 1815 both occurred during the Little Ice Age, when global temperatures were about 1.4°F (0.8°C) cooler than today. Crop failures would not be as wide-spread with today's global temperatures, if a suer-colossal eruption were to occur. Fifty years from now, when global temperatures are expected to be at least 1°C warmer, a magnitude 7 eruption should only be able to cool the climate down to year 2009 levels.

Volcanoes also warm the climate
While volcanoes cool the climate on time scales of 1 - 2 years, they act to warm the climate over longer time scales, since they are an important source of natural CO2 to the atmosphere. Volcanoes add 0.1 - 0.3 gigatons (Gt) of carbon to the atmosphere each year, which is about 1 - 3% of what human carbon emissions to the atmosphere were in 2007, according to the Global Carbon Project. In fact, volcanoes are largely responsible for the natural CO2 in the atmosphere, and helped make life possible on Earth. Why, then, haven't CO2 levels continuously risen over geologic time, turning Earth into a steamy hothouse? In fact, CO2 levels have fallen considerably since the time of the dinosaurs--how can this be? Well, volcano-emitted CO2 is removed from the atmosphere by chemical weathering. This occurs when rain and snow fall on rocks containing silicates. The moisture and silicates react with CO2, pulling it out of the air. The carbon removed from the air is then washed into the sea, where it ends up in ocean sediments that gradually harden into rock. Rates of chemical weathering on Earth have accelerated since the time of the dinosaurs, largely due to the recent uplift of the Himalaya Mountains and Tibetan Plateau. These highlands undergo a tremendous amount of weathering, thanks to their lofty heights and the rains of the Asian Monsoon that they capture. Unfortunately, chemical weathering cannot help us with our current high levels of greenhouse gases, since chemical weathering takes thousands of years to remove significant amounts of CO2 from the atmosphere. It takes about 100,000 years for silicate weathering to remove 63% of the CO2 in the atmosphere. Thus, climate models predict that chemical weathering will solve our greenhouse gas problem in about 100,000 - 200,000 years.

For further information
PBS TV special on the 535-536 A.D. disaster.
Newspaper articles on the 535-536 A.D. disaster.
Volcanic winter article from wikipedia.
Realclimate.org has a nice article that goes into the volcano-climate connection in greater detail.

References
Bekki, S., J.A. Pyle, W. Zhong, R. Toumi, J.D. Haigh and D.M. Pyle, 1996, "The role of microphysical and chemical processes in prolonging the climate forcing of the Toba eruption", Geophysical Research Letters 23 (1996), pp. 2669-2672.

Jones, G.S., et al., 2005, "An AOGCM simulation of the climate response to a volcanic super-eruption", Climate Dynamics, 25, Numbers 7-8, pp 725-738, December, 2005.

Rampino, M.R., and S. Self, 1993, "Climate-volcanism feedback and the Toba eruption of 74,000 years ago", Quaternary Research 40 (1993), pp. 269-280.

Mason, B.G., D.M. Pyle, and C. Oppenheimer, 2004, "The size and frequency of the largest observed explosive eruptions on Earth", Bulletin of Volcanology" 66, Number 8, December 2004, pp 735-748.

Oppenheimer, C., 2002, "Limited global change due to the largest known Quaternary eruption, Toba 74 kyr BP?"Quaternary Science Reviews, 21, Issues 14-15, August 2002, Pages 1593-1609.

Rampino, M.R., 2002, "Supereruptions as a Threat to Civilizations on Earth-like Planets", Icarus, 156, Issue 2, April 2002, Pages 562-569.

Read, W.G., L. Froidevaux and J.W. Waters, 1993, "Microwave Limb Sounder measurements of stratospheric SO2 from the Mt. Pinatubo eruption", Geophysical Research Letters 20 (1993), pp. 1299-1302.

Verosub, K.L., and J. Lippman, 2008, "Global Impacts of the 1600 Eruption of Peru's Huaynaputina Volcano", EOS 89, 15, 8 April 2008, pp 141-142.

Zielinski, G.A. et al., 1996, "Potential Atmospheric Impact of the Toba Mega-Eruption 71,000 Years Ago", Geophysical Research Letters, 23, 8, pp. 837-840, 1996.

Portlight moves to provide relief for South Carolina wildfires
South Carolina's biggest wildfire in more than three decades --a blaze four miles wide--destroyed dozens of homes near Myrtle Beach yesterday. Portlight Strategies, Inc. is preparing to respond to this disaster, focusing on providing drinks and sanitary products to firefighters, particularly to rural volunteer fire departments and other first responders which do not have the same resources as some of the larger paid departments. To help out, visit the Portlight South Carolina fire relief web page. Thanks!

Jeff Masters

Categories: Climate Change Volcano

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1701. muddertracker 3:02 AM GMT on April 28, 2009
Quoting Ossqss: I do have a serious, trivial, question for you all. What is the .1% of stuff that Lysol doesn't kill. It says kills 99.9% of everything that is alive, so what is it that lives throught that ??? JFV Member Since: August 16, 2007 Posts: 1 Comments: 2169

1702. cdo 3:02 AM GMT on April 28, 2009
a person at work was coughing up a storm....we think he is down with da swine...... Member Since: August 26, 2006 Posts: 0 Comments: 7

1703. Patrap 3:02 AM GMT on April 28, 2009
Quoting Ossqss: I do have a serious, trivial, question for you all. What is the .1% of stuff that Lysol doesn't kill. It says kills 99.9% of everything that is alive, so what is it that lives throught that ??? Blog post's. Member Since: July 3, 2005 Posts: 377 Comments: 112975

1704. HIEXPRESS 3:03 AM GMT on April 28, 2009
149 deaths/2000 Cases in Mexico= ~7.5% or ~ one in thirteen. Member Since: October 13, 2005 Posts: 4 Comments: 2154

1705. KEEPEROFTHEGATE (Mod) 3:04 AM GMT on April 28, 2009
it says 1700 posts i think 1000 of them are jfv's and the rest is everyone else Member Since: July 15, 2006 Posts: 147 Comments: 41332

1706. cdo 3:06 AM GMT on April 28, 2009
It does not kill the swine flu unfortunately. Member Since: August 26, 2006 Posts: 0 Comments: 7

1707. Tazmanian 3:08 AM GMT on April 28, 2009
send MX a hurricane that would take care of it Member Since: May 21, 2006 Posts: 5089 Comments: 111625

1708. presslord 3:08 AM GMT on April 28, 2009
Good grief!!!!!! Did he get banned again already? Member Since: August 13, 2007 Posts: 0 Comments: 10407

1709. KEHCharleston 3:10 AM GMT on April 28, 2009
Quoting KEEPEROFTHEGATE: it says 1700 posts i think 1000 of them are jfv's and the rest is everyone else The above post is 1705, but on the blog directory for Master's blog, it says 1556 Ossqss: Good question. Maybe one of the bacteria that hibernate (encapsulate), like TB? Or... maybe something anerobic like tetanus? Member Since: August 19, 2008 Posts: 6 Comments: 2490

1710. hahaguy 3:10 AM GMT on April 28, 2009
Quoting presslord: Good grief!!!!!! Did he get banned again already? Hope so. Member Since: August 12, 2007 Posts: 2 Comments: 2838

1711. HadesGodWyvern 3:11 AM GMT on April 28, 2009
Philippines Atmospheric Geophysical Astronomical Services and Administration Tropical Weather Special Warning =========================== A low pressure area was estimated at 240 kms east of central Luzon (15.5N 123.8E). This weather disturbance is expected to remain almost stationary and will bring occasional to frequent rains over the provinces of Aurora, Quezon, Camarines provinces, Catanduanes and Albay which may trigger flash flooding. Residents in these areas are advised to take all the necessary precautionary measures. Another low pressure area was estimated at 870 kms east of northern Mindanao (9.0N 135.0E). This disturbance is still too far east of the country at this time to cause any threats. --- if anyone cares.. or has families in the Philippines Member Since: May 24, 2006 Posts: 43 Comments: 36927

1712. KEHCharleston 3:12 AM GMT on April 28, 2009
1711. HadesGodWyvern Yes - Care No - Family Member Since: August 19, 2008 Posts: 6 Comments: 2490

1713. SevereHurricane 3:13 AM GMT on April 28, 2009
Quoting KEEPEROFTHEGATE: it says 1700 posts i think 1000 of them are jfv's and the rest is everyone else LMAO! Sounds close keeper... Member Since: September 7, 2008 Posts: 17 Comments: 1604

1714. Ossqss 3:13 AM GMT on April 28, 2009
One for each day of the week, except Sunday. Coming soon, Lysol scented masks. Member Since: June 12, 2005 Posts: 6 Comments: 8154

1715. KEEPEROFTHEGATE (Mod) 3:15 AM GMT on April 28, 2009
Quoting presslord: Good grief!!!!!! Did he get banned again already? yeah all his posts are gone from docs blog but it may only be for 24 hrs cause ya can still access his blog and mail Member Since: July 15, 2006 Posts: 147 Comments: 41332

1716. CaneAddict 3:16 AM GMT on April 28, 2009
I'm debating on whether or not to stay up for the GFS run..or not. Member Since: October 5, 2007 Posts: 3 Comments: 2151

1717. CaneWarning 3:16 AM GMT on April 28, 2009
He's always been nice to me. He sent me a very nice email just yesterday. Member Since: April 26, 2009 Posts: 3 Comments: 3667

1718. CaneAddict 3:18 AM GMT on April 28, 2009
I'd think he would be permanently banned. So many people complained and reported him it would be useless to unban him in 24 hours just so the Admins get bothered again with a bunch of complaints. I'll bet he's gone for good. Member Since: October 5, 2007 Posts: 3 Comments: 2151

1719. KEHCharleston 3:18 AM GMT on April 28, 2009
Member Since: August 19, 2008 Posts: 6 Comments: 2490

1720. HadesGodWyvern 3:19 AM GMT on April 28, 2009
you got about 3-4 hours before 0600 UTC CaneWarning for those model runs. Member Since: May 24, 2006 Posts: 43 Comments: 36927

1721. Ossqss 3:19 AM GMT on April 28, 2009
IR scanners check for signs of flu at Hong Kong airports Member Since: June 12, 2005 Posts: 6 Comments: 8154

1722. CaneAddict 3:19 AM GMT on April 28, 2009
Well..one nice email does not do good for the other 10 nasty harrasing emails. Member Since: October 5, 2007 Posts: 3 Comments: 2151

1723. HadesGodWyvern 3:20 AM GMT on April 28, 2009
oops again I mess up with names CaneAddict I meant Member Since: May 24, 2006 Posts: 43 Comments: 36927

1724. HTV 3:22 AM GMT on April 28, 2009
<blockquote class='blogquote'>Quoting CaneAddict: I'd think he would be permanently banned. So many people complained and reported him it would be useless to unban him in 24 hours just so the Admins get bothered again with a bunch of complaints. I'll bet he's gone for good. Banned till he changes IP and e-mail address.

1725. CaneAddict 3:22 AM GMT on April 28, 2009
1723 I'll probably just go to sleep..i'm beat. Actually I am going to go lay down now..good night all! Member Since: October 5, 2007 Posts: 3 Comments: 2151

1726. RMM34667 3:22 AM GMT on April 28, 2009
1719. KEHCharleston 3:18 AM GMT on April 28, 2009 thanks that was a good laugh.. Member Since: September 7, 2006 Posts: 5 Comments: 912

1727. HTV 3:24 AM GMT on April 28, 2009
<blockquote class='blogquote'>Quoting CaneAddict: I'd think he would be permanently banned. So many people complained and reported him it would be useless to unban him in 24 hours just so the Admins get bothered again with a bunch of complaints. I'll bet he's gone for good. Banned till he changes IP and e-mail.

1728. CaneAddict 3:24 AM GMT on April 28, 2009
HAHA, If he can go to college and STUDY Tropical Meterology and still not know anything..then , I highly doubt he will be brilliant enough to change his IP. LMAO. Night all! Member Since: October 5, 2007 Posts: 3 Comments: 2151

1729. HadesGodWyvern 3:25 AM GMT on April 28, 2009
night CaneAddict Member Since: May 24, 2006 Posts: 43 Comments: 36927

1730. Stormchaser2007 3:25 AM GMT on April 28, 2009
Quoting CaneAddict: HAHA, If he can go to college and STUDY Tropical Meterology and still not know anything..then , I highly doubt he will be brilliant enough to change his IP. LMAO. Night all! LOL... Member Since: June 9, 2007 Posts: 4 Comments: 15295

1731. KEHCharleston 3:26 AM GMT on April 28, 2009
Night John Boy Member Since: August 19, 2008 Posts: 6 Comments: 2490

1732. SevereHurricane 3:26 AM GMT on April 28, 2009
Quoting CaneWarning: He's always been nice to me. He sent me a very nice email just yesterday. I suppose you haven't seen the dark side... Member Since: September 7, 2008 Posts: 17 Comments: 1604

1733. Ossqss 3:27 AM GMT on April 28, 2009
Humm, the math is adding up on this item The words still stand out on level 4 "rapid pandemic containment operation" Level 5 description. L8R Phase 5 is characterized by human-to-human spread of the virus into at least two countries in one WHO region. While most countries will not be affected at this stage, the declaration of Phase 5 is a strong signal that a pandemic is imminent and that the time to finalize the organization, communication, and implementation of the planned mitigation measures is short. Link Member Since: June 12, 2005 Posts: 6 Comments: 8154

1734. CaneAddict 3:27 AM GMT on April 28, 2009
For those in here..this is a useful map to track the latest Swine Flu cases..Night now! View H1N1 Swine Flu Member Since: October 5, 2007 Posts: 3 Comments: 2151

1735. SevereHurricane 3:27 AM GMT on April 28, 2009
Quoting CaneAddict: HAHA, If he can go to college and STUDY Tropical Meterology and still not know anything..then , I highly doubt he will be brilliant enough to change his IP. LMAO. Night all! Good night good sir! Member Since: September 7, 2008 Posts: 17 Comments: 1604

1736. hahaguy 3:29 AM GMT on April 28, 2009
Quoting SevereHurricane: Good night good sir! LOL Member Since: August 12, 2007 Posts: 2 Comments: 2838

1737. RMM34667 3:32 AM GMT on April 28, 2009
Quoting CaneAddict: For those in here..this is a useful map to track the latest Swine Flu cases..Night now! View H1N1 Swine Flu thanks bookmarked that in work today but didn't want to go through the HUNDREDS of post to find it again. Member Since: September 7, 2006 Posts: 5 Comments: 912

1739. KEEPEROFTHEGATE (Mod) 3:49 AM GMT on April 28, 2009
lol Member Since: July 15, 2006 Posts: 147 Comments: 41332

1740. stillwaiting 3:54 AM GMT on April 28, 2009
evening all!!! Member Since: October 5, 2007 Posts: 20 Comments: 4970

1741. KEEPEROFTHEGATE (Mod) 3:54 AM GMT on April 28, 2009
heres another flu map for tracking Link Member Since: July 15, 2006 Posts: 147 Comments: 41332

1742. KEEPEROFTHEGATE (Mod) 3:55 AM GMT on April 28, 2009
hello still waiting Member Since: July 15, 2006 Posts: 147 Comments: 41332

1743. Orcasystems 4:00 AM GMT on April 28, 2009
Hmmm another east coast team bites the dust... Calgary... poof Member Since: October 1, 2007 Posts: 77 Comments: 26110

1744. Orcasystems 4:09 AM GMT on April 28, 2009
Blog Refresh Mirror Site Daily Area of Interest Click to enlarge Member Since: October 1, 2007 Posts: 77 Comments: 26110

1745. stillwaiting 4:13 AM GMT on April 28, 2009
saw the hubble at around 9:10pm the last 2 nights ,pretty cool!!!!! Member Since: October 5, 2007 Posts: 20 Comments: 4970

1746. KEEPEROFTHEGATE (Mod) 4:14 AM GMT on April 28, 2009
AWCN11 CWTO 272137 Weather summary for all of southern Ontario and The national Capital region Issued by Environment Canada Toronto at 5:33 PM EDT Monday 27 April 2009. ..The first confirmed tornado of the season for Ontario... ------------------------------------------------------------- ==weather event discussion== After receiving reports of funnel clouds and a possible tornado in the Windsor area Saturday evening, an Environment Canada damage survey team was sent out earlier today. After speaking with some eyewitnesses to the event and viewing the damage, Environment Canada is confirming Ontario's first tornado of the 2009 season. The tornado briefly occurred near the intersection of Hanna st east and langlois avenue in Windsor. It did minor roof damage to a union hall and Debris from the roof also did some damage to homes to the southeast of the union hall. The tornado was rated as a Fujita scale zero event with maximum winds around 90 kilometres per hour. This is the lowest rating on the Fujita scale which goes from zero to five. Environment Canada personnel are continuing to investigate damage from Saturday's storms that occurred in the Ottawa area. Some of this damage may also have been related to tornadoes. An update on this investigation will be issued on Tuesday. Saturday's storms were a reminder that the summer severe weather season has now begun in southern Ontario. The season normally begins in late April and lasts until early October. Severe thunderstorms can produce large hail, heavy rain, damaging winds or tornadoes. At this time of year it is always a good idea to stay informed about the latest weather forecasts, watches and warnings. On days when severe weather is possible, keep an eye on the sky and be prepared to seek the most solid shelter available. Member Since: July 15, 2006 Posts: 147 Comments: 41332

1747. stillwaiting 4:17 AM GMT on April 28, 2009
are my friends up north ready for summer weather?????,I'll trade you,still 72 degrees at midnight down here....days are hot already,nights are perfect as long as there's a breeze(tonight there's a nice one!!!)gotta love it!!!!!! Member Since: October 5, 2007 Posts: 20 Comments: 4970

1748. KEEPEROFTHEGATE (Mod) 4:18 AM GMT on April 28, 2009
yeah still 68.9 here with humidex of 72.8 with rain and storms off to our west Member Since: July 15, 2006 Posts: 147 Comments: 41332

1749. KEEPEROFTHEGATE (Mod) 4:22 AM GMT on April 28, 2009
i even got the ac running 2nd day in a row we hit a high of 83.7 today 81.3 on saturday warmest day of the year so far with a lot more warm days to come although tomorrow its only get in the low 60's for highs with rain till early afternoon Member Since: July 15, 2006 Posts: 147 Comments: 41332

1750. stillwaiting 4:27 AM GMT on April 28, 2009
good night,stay safe everyone!!!!...and sweet dreams of the gfs models at 300+hrs dancing in your heads....good night!!!! Member Since: October 5, 2007 Posts: 20 Comments: 4970

1751. CatastrophicDL 5:29 AM GMT on April 28, 2009
Good evening everyone! Member Since: September 3, 2007 Posts: 3 Comments: 1519

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