It was another year of incredible weather extremes unparalleled in American history during 2012. Eleven billion-dollar weather disasters hit the U.S., a figure exceeded only by the fourteen such disasters during the equally insane weather year of 2011. I present for you now the top ten weather stories of 2012, chosen for their meteorological significance and human and economic impact.
Video 1. Hour-by-hour animation of infrared satellite images for 2012. The loop goes in slow-motion to feature such events as Hurricane Sandy, the June Derecho, Summer in March, and other top weather events of 2012. The date stamp is at lower left; you will want to make the animation full screen to see the date. Special thanks to wunderground's Deb Mitchell for putting this together!
1) Superstorm Sandy Hurricane Sandy was truly astounding in its size and power. At its peak size, twenty hours before landfall, Sandy had tropical storm-force winds that covered an area nearly one-fifth the area of the contiguous United States. Sandy's area of ocean with twelve-foot seas peaked at 1.4 million square miles--nearly one-half the area of the contiguous United States, or 1% of Earth's total ocean area. Most incredibly, ten hours before landfall (9:30 am EDT October 29), the total energy of Sandy's winds of tropical storm-force and higher peaked at 329 terajoules--the highest value for any Atlantic hurricane since at least 1969, and equivalent to five Hiroshima-sized atomic bombs. At landfall, Sandy's tropical storm-force winds spanned 943 miles of the the U.S. coast. No hurricane on record has been larger. Sandy's huge size prompted high wind warnings to be posted from Chicago to Eastern Maine, and from Michigan's Upper Peninsula to Florida's Lake Okeechobee--an area home to 120 million people. Sandy's winds simultaneously caused damage to buildings on the shores of Lake Michigan at Indiana Dunes National Lake Shore, and toppled power lines in Nova Scotia, Canada--locations 1200 miles apart! Sandy made landfall near Atlantic City, NJ on October 29, with sustained winds of 80 mph and a central minimum pressure of 946 mb--the lowest pressure on record along the Northeast coast. The Battery, in New York City Harbor, had an observed water level of 13.88 feet, besting the previous record set by Hurricane Donna in 1960 by 3 feet. Sandy also brought torrential rainfall to the Mid-Atlantic, with over 12 inches of rain observed in parts of Maryland. In addition, Sandy generated blizzard conditions for the central and southern Appalachians with more than a foot of snow falling in six states from North Carolina to Pennsylvania, shattering October snow records. Over 130 fatalities were reported and over 8.5 million customers lost power--the second largest weather-related power outage in U.S. history, behind the 10 million that lost power during the Blizzard of 1993. Damage from Sandy is estimated at $62 billion.
Figure 1. Cabs lie flooded on October 30, 2012, in Hoboken, NJ, in the wake of Hurricane Sandy. AP photo: Charles Sykes.
2) Warmest Year on Record Spring, March, July, and the annual temperature were all warmest on record in the contiguous U.S. July was the warmest month of any month in the 1,400+ months of the U.S. data record, going back to 1895. The spring temperature departure from average was the largest on record for any season, and March temperatures had the second largest warm departure from average of any month in U.S. history. All-time hottest temperature records were set over approximately 7% of the area of the contiguous U.S., according to a database of 298 major U.S. cities maintained by wunderground's weather historian, Christopher C. Burt. Given the very warm December temperatures so far, the final 2012 annual temperature is likely to break the previous warmest year on record (1998) by at least 0.7°F--a colossal margin to break an annual record by. It is likely that 15 states will end up with their warmest year on record in 2012, and 42 states will have a top-ten warmest year.
Figure 2. One of 2012's incredibly hot days: high temperatures on August 1 in Oklahoma from the Oklahoma Mesonet. It was the hottest day in Oklahoma since August 1936, with more than half of the state recording temperatures of 110° or higher. Oklahoma City hit 112°, tied for the city's 3nd highest temperature since record keeping began in 1890. The only hotter days occurred two days later--on August 3, 2012--and back on August 11, 1936 (113°.)
3) The Great Drought of 2012 The Great U.S. Drought of 2012 may well turn out to be the biggest weather story of 2012, since its full impacts have not yet been realized. The area of the contiguous U.S. in moderate or greater drought peaked at 61.8% in July--the largest such area since the Dust Bowl drought of December 1939. The heat and dryness resulted in record or near-record evaporation rates, causing major impact on corn, soybean and wheat belts in addition to livestock production. Drought upstream of the Lower Mississippi River caused record and near-record low stream flows along the river in Mississippi and Louisiana, resulting in limited river transportation and commerce. Crop damages alone from the great drought are estimated at $35 billion. As the total scope of losses is realized across all lines of business in coming months, this number will climb significantly.
Figure 3. Corn in Colby, Kansas withers in the Great Drought of 2012 on May 27. Image credit: Wunderphotographer treeman.
4) Wildfire Season of 2012 The 2012 U.S. fire season was the 3rd worst in U.S. history, with 9.2 million acres burned--an area larger than the state of Maryland. Since the National Interagency Fire Center began keeping records in 1960, only two years have seen more area burned--2006, when 9.9 million acres burned, and 2007, when 9.3 million acres burned. New Mexico had its largest fire in state history, Colorado its most destructive and 2nd largest in state history, and Oregon had its largest fire since the 1860s. More than 3.6 million acres burned in the U.S. during August--the most on record for any August in recorded history.
Figure 4. Wunderphoto of Whitewater-Baldy Complex Fire of 2012, the largest fire in New Mexico history. Wunderphoto submitted by AZMountaineer21.
5) March 2 - 3 Tornado Outbreak A massive tornado outbreak of stunning violence swept through the nation's midsection March 2 - 3, spawning deadly tornadoes that killed 41 people. Hardest hit were Kentucky and Southern Indiana, which suffered 22 and 13 dead, respectively. The scale of the outbreak was exceptional, with 70 tornadoes touching down in eleven states, from southern Ohio to southern Georgia. At one point, 31 separate tornado warnings were in effect during the outbreak. An area larger than Nebraska--81,000 square miles--received tornado warnings, and tornado watches were posted for 300,000 square miles--an area larger than Texas. The outbreak spawned two EF-4 tornadoes, one which devastated Henryville, Indiana, and another that plowed through Crittenden, Kentucky. Total damage was estimated at $4 billion.
Figure 5. A school bus mangled by the EF-4 Henryville, Indiana tornado of March 2, 2012. Image credit: NWS Louisville, Kentucky.
6) June 29 Multi-State Derecho A violent line of organized severe thunderstorms called a derecho swept across the U.S. from Illinois to Virginia on June 29, damaging houses, toppling trees, bringing down power lines. The storms killed 22 people, and left at least 3.4 million customers without power. The thunderstorms in a derecho (from the Spanish phrase for "straight ahead") create violent winds that blow in a straight line. The derecho was unusually intense due to extreme heat that set all-time records at ten major cities on the south side of the derecho. This heat helped create an unstable atmosphere with plenty of energy to fuel severe thunderstorms. At least 38 thunderstorms in the derecho generated wind gusts in excess of hurricane force, making the derecho one of the most severe derechoes on record. Total damage was estimated at $3.75 billion.
Figure 6. Turbulent clouds gather over Mettawa, Illinois on June 29, 2012, as the historic 2012 derecho begins to organize. Image credit: Wunderphotographer LarrySmit.
7) Hurricane Isaac Hurricane Isaac slowly lumbered ashore near the mouth of the Mississippi River on August 28 as a Category 1 Hurricane with 80 mph winds. Isaac's large size and slow motion caused a storm surge more characteristic of a Category 2 hurricane--up to eleven feet--but New Orleans' new $14.5 billion levee upgrade held against Isaac's surge. The surge moved up the Mississippi River in Plaquemines Parish near Port Sulphur, causing overtopping of the levees and flooding of homes in the mandatory evacuation areas behind the levees. These levees were not part of the $14.5 billion levee upgrade. Isaac brought torrential rainfall, with more than twenty inches observed in some areas of New Orleans. Isaac also provided some drought relief to the Lower Mississippi and Ohio Valleys. Isaac dumped up to 18" of rain in Florida, and disrupted the 2012 Republican Convention in Tampa. Isaac did $2 billion in damage.
Figure 7. Tropical Storm Isaac on August 28, a few hours before it intensified into a hurricane.
8) The Non-Winter of 2011-2012 "Flowers are sprouting in January in New Hampshire, the Sierra Mountains in California are nearly snow-free, and lakes in much of Michigan still have not frozen. It's 2012, and the new year is ringing in another ridiculously wacky winter for the U.S. In Fargo, North Dakota yesterday, the mercury soared to 55°F, breaking a 1908 record for warmest January day in recorded history. More than 99% of North Dakota had no snow on the ground this morning, and over 95% of the country that normally has snow at this time of year had below-average snow cover." That was the opening of my January 6, 2012 blog post, called "Remarkably dry and warm winter due to record extreme jet stream configuration." The contiguous U.S. saw its 3rd lowest snow cover on record during both winter and spring, and the winter of 2011 - 2012 was the 4th warmest and 24th driest winter in U.S. history, going back to 1895. A primary cause of this warm and snowless winter was the most extreme configuration of the jet stream ever recorded, as measured by the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO). The NAO index was +2.52 in December 2011, which was the most extreme difference in pressure between Iceland and the Azores ever observed in December (records of the NAO go back to 1865.) The positive NAO conditions caused the Icelandic Low to draw a strong south-westerly flow of air over eastern North America, preventing Arctic air from plunging southward over the U.S.
Figure 8. Flowers sprouting on January 1, 2012 in Keene, New Hampshire, thanks to unusually warm December temperatures and lack of snow. Image credit: Wunderphotographer lovne32.
9) April 30 - May 1 Severe Weather Outbreak A severe weather outbreak in the Ohio Valley April 30 - May 1 caused 38 tornadoes and $4 billion in damage.
10) Late-Spring Freeze: Northeast/Midwest After the record-warm "Summer in March" weather in the Great Lakes and Northeast, an April freeze damaged crops across the region. New York's fruit production was the lowest since 1948, and it was the worst fruit season for Michigan since 1945. Damage in Michigan alone was estimated at $500 million.
Honorable Mentions (text courtesy of NOAA's National Climatic Data Center, with damage estimates from AON Benfield):
Severe Weather Outbreak (May): A strong cold front moving through the country on May 25 - 30 spawned 27 tornadoes from Texas to the Northeast. Damage was estimated at $2.5 billion, much of it from hail.
Severe Weather Outbreak (April): A tornado outbreak on April 13 - 14 in the Plains spawned 98 tornadoes and caused at least 6 fatalities. Damage was estimated at $1.75 billion.
Severe Weather Outbreak (June): Several days of severe storms across the Southwest spawned 25 tornadoes from June 6 - 12. Significant hail damage occurred across the Rocky Mountain Front Range, with total damage estimated at $1.75 billion.
Tropical Storm Debby/Wet Florida (June): Heavy rains from Tropical Storm Debby in early June caused damage estimated at $310 million, but Debby's rains helped break a drought in Northern Florida. Florida had its wettest summer on record, partially due to Debby.
Duluth Flooding (June): Training thunderstorms caused record flooding in and around Duluth Minnesota on June 20, with over 8 inches of rainfall observed in 24 hours in parts of the city. Two rivers in the Duluth area, the Nemadji and St. Louis, reported their highest flood heights on record. Damage was estimated at $175 million.
Pacific Northwest Winter Storm (January): A massive winter storm impacted the Pacific Northwest on January 18 - 23. Huge amounts of rain and snow fell, and hurricane-force wind gusts knocked out power to 250,000 customers. Damage was estimated at $100 million.
Hawaiian Hail Storm (March): On March 9, a cut-off low pressure system impacted the Hawaiian Islands, bringing heavy rainfall and severe thunderstorms. A rare EF-0 tornado hit the towns of Lanikai and Kailua on Oahu, causing minor damage. Another storm dropped a hailstone measuring 4.25 inches long, 2.25 inches tall, and 2 inches wide--the largest hailstone on record for Hawaii. Damage from the storms was estimated at $37 million.
Near-Record Low Great Lakes Levels (by end of 2012): Record warm temperatures throughout 2012 combined with low precipitation and low winter ice cover created high evaporation rates across the Great Lakes. In December, Lakes Michigan and Huron had fallen to within inches of the all-time record low lake levels set back in 1964. Low lake levels have a significant impact on recreational and commercial boating as well as tourism.
Slow Tornado Year (annual): Despite an active March, 2012 saw relatively low tornado numbers compared to recent history.
Mount Evans Tornado (July): A high elevation tornado was observed along the slope of Mount Evans at 11,900 feet--the second highest observed tornado in the U.S.
Alaska Cold Winter/Snow Record (winter): Several Alaskan locations had their coldest January on record. The monthly average temperature at Bettles, AK was -35.6°F. The statewide average January temperature was record cold--14°F below average. Record snow (134.5 inches) fell in Anchorage during the winter season, breaking the previous record set in 1954 - 55.
Alaskan Storms and Flooding (September): Several large extratropical cyclones impacted Alaska during September. Significant flooding occurred along the Sustina River and along its tributaries, causing the worse flooding in 30 years. Over 800 structures and dozens of homes were damaged or destroyed. The storms also brought early snowfall to southern portions of the state.
Death Valley sets world record for highest minimum temperature On Thursday morning, July 12, 2012 the low temperature at Death Valley, California dropped to just 107°F (41.7°C), after hitting a high of 128° (53.3°C) the previous day. Not only did the morning low temperature tie a record for the world's warmest low temperature ever recorded, the average temperature of 117.5°F was the world's warmest 24-hour temperature on record. According to weather records researcher Maximiliano Herrera, the only other place in the world to record a 107°F low temperature was Khasab Airport in the desert nation of Oman on June 27, 2012.
NOAA's National Climatic Data Center will release their top-ten list of U.S. weather events of 2012 on Tuesday, January 8, 2013.
Have a great holiday, everyone! I'll be back on December 26 with a new post.
Quoting AussieStorm: Hello all. I noticed I am still alive with all 12 fingers and toes. what a load of rubbish the world ending was. Oh well, I hope no one quit there job. Anyone seen Nea or is he still in his steel and concrete bunker with his Gatling gun pointed at the door incase a survivor comes a knockin'
I jokes.
I guess the Mayans miss calculated or who ever transcribed the calender got it wrong. The world could end for any of us at any second, just live everyday like it's your last, have no regrets, and always speak your mind.
Made me laugh out loud, good evening mate!
Member Since: September 23, 2006 Posts: 1 Comments: 1784
Quoting AussieStorm: Hello all. I noticed I am still alive with all 12 fingers and toes. what a load of rubbish the world ending was. Oh well, I hope no one quit there job. Anyone seen Nea or is he still in his steel and concrete bunker with his Gatling gun pointed at the door incase a survivor comes a knockin'
I jokes.
I guess the Mayans miss calculated or who ever transcribed the calender got it wrong. The world could end for any of us at any second, just live everyday like it's your last, have no regrets, and always speak your mind.
Where has Nea been latley?
Member Since: October 20, 2012 Posts: 3 Comments: 738
Rush to finish Philippines shelters as storms return
Government and aid organisations in the Philippines are rushing to finish building shelters for thousands of people rendered homeless by Typhoon Bopha.
Heavy rains have continued in the region in the wake of the typhoon and more is forecast in the coming days.
The Philippines government is constructing more than 80 emergency dormitories while the International Organization for Migration (IOM) is building storm-proof homes.
The IOM hopes to have these ready before Christmas Day.
More than 63,000 families lost their homes in Typhoon Bopha's onslaught.
A low pressure system from the Pacific Ocean is forecast to move across the Philippines over the weekend and bring more rain over a south east region already devastated by the typhoon.
The IOM has appealed for USD $7 million in aid but says they've so far only raised 10 per cent of that.
Cyclone impact on Samoa as bad as 2009 tsunami: IMF
The economic impact of Cyclone Evan on Samoa will be at least as bad as the deadly tsunami that caused widespread damage in 2009, the International Monetary Fund says.
The IMF's resident advisor on the Pacific, Yangzheg Yang, said it will take a long time for the country to recover and restore vital infrastructure.
"It's quite devastating, a lot of houses have been blown away, collapsed roads and bridges washed away. Water and electricity facilities are all badly damaged, so it's pretty horrific," Mr Yang told Radio Australia.
He said there was also considerable damage to agricultural crops which could cause food shortages.
Tourism operators have also been badly affected.
"The impact of this cyclone is probably just as great, if not greater, than the damage caused by the tsunami in 2009," he said.
Mr Yang said the cyclone's impact on Fiji was less severe than initially feared.
Quoting JoeOnRoute66: Hell must be about to freeze over. At least NOAA still acknowledges that Tuesday is Christmas Day. At one time, WUnderground did too.
I agree. I'm kinda bummed that Dr. Masters told us to have a "great holiday" instead of wishing us all a wonderful Dies Natalis Solis Invicti; after all, the Birthday of the Unconquered Sun is the real reason for the season, no?
Anyway, the countdown for the next Mayan Apocalypse has started. That will happen on Monday, March 26, 2407--just 394 years, 3 months, and 5 days from now. So get going; it's never too early to begin preparing...
Member Since: November 8, 2009 Posts: 4 Comments: 11151
Quoting Neapolitan: I agree. I'm kinda bummed that Dr. Masters told us to have a "great holiday" instead of wishing us all a wonderful Dies Natalis Solis Invicti; after all, the Birthday of the Unconquered Sun is the reason for the season, no?
Anyway, the countdown for the next Mayan Apocalypse has started. That will happen on Monday, March 26, 2407--just 394 years, 3 months, and 5 days from now. So get going; it's never too early to begin preparing...
Look whos back.
Member Since: October 20, 2012 Posts: 3 Comments: 738
Quoting Neapolitan: I agree. I'm kinda bummed that Dr. Masters told us to have a "great holiday" instead of wishing us all a wonderful Dies Natalis Solis Invicti; after all, the Birthday of the Unconquered Sun is the real reason for the season, no?
Anyway, the countdown for the next Mayan Apocalypse has started. That will happen on Monday, March 26, 2407--just 394 years, 3 months, and 5 days from now. So get going; it's never too early to begin preparing...
Oh Man, you just gave Patrap a new countdown. geez thanks for that.
Member Since: September 30, 2007 Posts: 5 Comments: 13321
Quoting AussieStorm: Hello all. I noticed I am still alive with all 12 fingers and toes. what a load of rubbish the world ending was. Oh well, I hope no one quit there job. Anyone seen Nea or is he still in his steel and concrete bunker with his Gatling gun pointed at the door incase a survivor comes a knockin'
I jokes.
I guess the Mayans miss calculated or who ever transcribed the calender got it wrong. The world could end for any of us at any second, just live everyday like it's your last, have no regrets, and always speak your mind.
Ok awesome. For a minute there I thought the remnants of Nadine came back to the South Pacific this time to kick off the rapture.
Jokes aside I couldn't agree more with your second paragraph Aussie.
Quoting Neapolitan: I agree. I'm kinda bummed that Dr. Masters told us to have a "great holiday" instead of wishing us all a wonderful Dies Natalis Solis Invicti; after all, the Birthday of the Unconquered Sun is the real reason for the season, no?
Anyway, the countdown for the next Mayan Apocalypse has started. That will happen on Monday, March 26, 2407--just 394 years, 3 months, and 5 days from now. So get going; it's never too early to begin preparing...
Merry Christmas Neapolitan !!!!
Member Since: March 1, 2012 Posts: 0 Comments: 2757
Good morning all. Everyone have a Happy Holiday, Merry Christmas and Happy New year.
I witnessed a small holiday miracle this morning. A woman was at the Publix counter reporting that she had lost some gift cards she had just bought when a young man brought the lost cards and receipt to the desk saying he had picked them up outside. It was a heart warming experience. If only everyone could be so honest throughout the year.
We are just now getting that front coming through the keys. Cloudy skies and winds blowing 25-30 mph. Definitely Christmas weather. However, our forecast is for a warm Christmas. Thank Goodness! My one set of long pants, sweat shirt and socks don't make it too many days. LOL
Member Since: March 28, 2008 Posts: 0 Comments: 1530
Quoting AussieStorm: Oh Man, you just gave Patrap a new countdown. geez thanks for that.
s'awll right though. first we have:
ice free arctic - 2 years or so 600 ppm CO2 - 10 years (with tundra melt) economic singularity - 15 years mental singularity - 2045 give or take a decade
so no cryin 'bout the mayan for now
Member Since: June 5, 2006 Posts: 0 Comments: 1188
Monday, December 17, 2012 Coldest December Temperature View from UAF West Ridge Sunday, Dec 16, 2012 Updated:
Through 8am Monday the low temperature at Fairbanks Airport has been 48 below. This is not only not a record low for December 17th (52 below in 1917), but on only two days in December (the 1st and 2nd) would 48 below be cold enough for a new record.
That said, this is the coldest December temperature since 1999, when the temperature fell to 53 below on New Years Eve (and the dense ice fog caused cancellation of the big fireworks planned to celebrate the end of the millennium). Even more notably, this is the lowest pre-Christmas temperature in Fairbanks since 1977, when it dipped to 52 below on December 13th.
Updated: Specific low temperatures Monday include:
Fairbanks Airport: -48F Fort Wainwright: -48F Woodsmoke PWS: -48F (near North Pole) Salcha River 25 Mile: -47F Goldstream Creek: -46F Eielson AFB: -44F UAF West Ridge: -41F College Hills: -30F Keystone Ridge: -25F
Member Since: January 27, 2009 Posts: 21 Comments: 852
For the end of the world it sure is like your average winters day.Very windy and cold :).Just how I like it.Oh yeah that's right..a 9.5 earthquake is suppose to hit D.C tonight with a 5 mile high tsunami.Good thing I have my bathing suit!.
Member Since: August 14, 2010 Posts: 5 Comments: 10627
Quoting washingtonian115: For the end of the world it sure is like your average winters day.Very windy and cold :).Just how I like it.Oh yeah that's right..a 9.5 earthquake is suppose to hit D.C tonight with a 5 mile high tsunami.Good thing I have my bathing suit!.
I think you will be okay..Morgan Freeman or Danny Glover isn't the president..
Member Since: August 19, 2006 Posts: 7 Comments: 8418
People walk with umbrellas during heavy snowfall in downtown Sofia on December 3, 2012.
Moscow - A vicious cold snap across Russia and eastern Europe has claimed nearly 200 lives, officials figures showed Friday, as forecasters warned it would last until Christmas Eve.
In Russia, the cold has killed two people in the past 24 hours, the Ria-Novosti agency reported, citing medical sources, bringing the total number of deaths over the past week to 56.
The freeze had also left 371 people in hospital.
Thermometers have been stuck below minus 20 degrees Celsius (minus 4 Fahrenheit) in Moscow - and below minus 50 degrees (minus 58 F) in some parts of Siberia - for a week.
Russian weather forecasters said temperature in the Khabarovsk region in eastern Russia had dropped to minus 43 Celsius, while Krasnoyarsk in Siberia reported minus 47.
This “abnormal” frost would last till Monday because of a persistent anticyclone, they added.
In Russia's European region, meanwhile, the mercury is expected to fall to minus 31 degrees Celsius on Christmas Eve before rising rapidly afterwards.
Other European countries hit hard by the extreme temperatures were counting the toll as temperatures gradually started to return to normal.
Authorities in Ukraine, which has been battling heavy snowfall for weeks, said 83 people had died of cold, with 57 of the victims found on the street.
The homeless are traditionally the hardest-hit by the region's bitter winters.
Another 526 cold victims were reportedly receiving hospital treatment in Ukraine.
Overnight temperatures in Ukraine reached an average minus 15 degrees Celsius, which is common at this time of year.
Ukrainian authorities said 93 villages Ä mainly on the Crimean peninsula in the south of the country Ä were still hit by a power outage.
In eastern Europe, police in Poland said Friday that 49 people had died of exposure this month, with most of the victims homeless, as temperatures plunged to minus 10 degrees Celsius.
At least six people have died of exposure in Lithuania in the past weeks, police and emergency services said there.
In Latvia, temperatures reached minus 14 Celsius on Friday morning. In the capital Riga, authorities decided to drop public transport fares to encourage drivers to leave their cars at home and prevent crashes and jams.
On Christmas Eve temperatures in Latvia are expected to drop to minus 28 Celsius, a record low.
In the Czech Republic and Slovakia, temperatures hovered around zero on Friday.
Czech police said several people had died of exposure in recent weeks, but no overall statistics were available for the country. - Sapa-AFP Link
A man walks past a fence covered with hoarfrost in central Moscow, on December 19, 2012.
Member Since: January 27, 2009 Posts: 21 Comments: 852
Quoting yonzabam: Just been hearing some crazy, breaking news about a mountain that has just 'collapsed' into some gigantic void in the Swiss Alps. It's near the Large Hadron Collider.
One of the wackier theories is that the LHC may have created a mini 'black hole', which has been growing ever larger, until the mountain just fell into it.
I'll let you know if I get any updates on the story.
There was a landslide. The mountain did not collapse into a giant void. You can see the video of the landslide by doing a google search for it.
Any blackholes produced by the LHC are so small they evaporate in tiny fractions of a second. When they say micro blackholes, they're are talking about blackholes that are as small (if not smaller) than sub-atomic particles. They can easily fall straight through the Earth and not hit anything, nor get close enough for the gravitational effects to matter.
Member Since: October 31, 2009 Posts: 0 Comments: 1016
I was checking out the snow situation in northern Ohio this morning via the webcams on this site. Take a peak at the webcam in Avon Ohio. The end seems to have started
Member Since: February 15, 2005 Posts: 0 Comments: 0
When the front got to Fort Myers it was not that intense Largo. My rain guage registered .57 inches at my house. But we sure are windy! Low of 39 forcast for tonight
I live not far from Largo and I picked up a little above 0.60, so I'm not sure where hes getting that from. If it was summer with deep tropical moisture and slow moving thunderstorms I'd believe it, but that was a fast moving uniform line that came through, I don't think its possible the same cell that hit me dumped 3 inches not far away, especially as fast as that line came through.
It did rain pretty hard though with a lot of wind and lightning, the problem is the heavy stuff only lasted about 5 to 10 minutes with light rain for about 30 to 40 min after.
Member Since: August 21, 2008 Posts: 0 Comments: 5333
Ok awesome. For a minute there I thought the remnants of Nadine came back to the South Pacific this time to kick off the rapture.
Jokes aside I couldn't agree more with your second paragraph Aussie.
First, the Maya didn't miscalcuate anything because they never predicted the end of the world. The end of the 13th baktun was never thought to be the end of the world, only the beginning of the next cycle. The "end of the world" as related to the end of the 13th baktun comes from lunatics trying to make something out of a single (and incomplete) inscription that mentions the date on a stella at Tortuguero.
Second, if you really want to insist on tying something to the Mayan calendar, you may not be out of the woods yet. Although most correlations between our calendar and the Mayan calendar is generally thought to relate the end of the 13th baktun to 21 December 2012, there is an alternate calendric correlation that puts the date as 23 December 2012. You may need to stay in your bunker for a couple more days.
Member Since: August 24, 2012 Posts: 0 Comments: 30
There was a landslide. The mountain did not collapse into a giant void. You can see the video of the landslide by doing a google search for it.
Any blackholes produced by the LHC are so small they evaporate in tiny fractions of a second. When they say micro blackholes, they're are talking about blackholes that are as small (if not smaller) than sub-atomic particles. They can easily fall straight through the Earth and not hit anything, nor get close enough for the gravitational effects to matter.
Erm . . . it was a joke, a la Orson Welles 'War of the Worlds' radio broadcast.
Didn't know about a landslide. Glad you didn't take it seriously.
Member Since: July 20, 2008 Posts: 0 Comments: 1710
Storm last night was harsh. That was the worst 2" snow I have ever been in. We had blizzard conditions easily for a good 6 hour stretch. Lots of tree damage from winds 50-60 mph being reported yesterday all through Central Illinois. I seen a couple 2-3 foot diameter trees were down along route 36 on my way home from work yesterday. They had only originally forecasted 1/2" of snow, but we ended up with a solid 2-3". Lot of accidents reported yesterday just a mean storm. We even lost power for a good 2-3 hours with constant brown outs before it had actually went out.
I live not far from Largo and I picked up a little above 0.60, so I'm not sure where hes getting that from. If it was summer with deep tropical moisture and slow moving thunderstorms I'd believe it, but that was a fast moving uniform line that came through.
It did rain pretty hard though with a lot of wind and lightning, the problem is the heavy stuff only lasted about 5 to 10 minutes with light rain for about 30 to 40 min after.
rain gauges were way off last nights..the rain came in almost horizontal with that awful wind..`in seconds i had a river flowing down my street..way more than .60 ..my guess is over 2 inches..could be way more..but your right..didnt last long at all
Member Since: August 6, 2011 Posts: 0 Comments: 22426
Quoting KoritheMan: I don't know about you guys, but severe weather is my idea of a good Christmas. From what I'm seeing in the models, another round of it will be possible across the northern/central Gulf Coast states Dec 24/25 (most likely the 25th into the 26th) the biggest inhibiting factor being the timing and amplitude of the trough. The details are a bit sketchy right now, but I'll be keeping an eye on it. Trough seems a bit flat on the GFS, but shear should be more than adequate to generate a local tornado threat if we can get the lift.
Well, it has become a Christmas tradition to see rain on Christmas in Central Florida. I think it's rained on Christmas the last 5 years straight here. And every time it does, its usually strong thunderstorms too!
Unfortunately though, that tradition looks to be broken this year, the models are showing the front bringing thunderstorms here the ay after Christmas, hopefully the timing will speed up to keep the tradition going!
Member Since: August 21, 2008 Posts: 0 Comments: 5333
NASA on the NOT end of the world. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QY_Gc1bF8ds (edit) Oops it is the end of the 13th Baktun, not Backtoon. So Happy 14th Baktun, 1st katun cycle.
Yes. Time to celebrate this new age with some home brew....Glad we are all still here to spar over the latest science statistics and even GW. I am of small account, but believe whatever and whenever it does end, we are all still voyagers in a cosmic sea, looking to embrace Gods promise for the souls immortality..Knights in White Satin musical conclusion in the background..:)
Member Since: September 27, 2007 Posts: 1 Comments: 14271
SHORT TERM FORECAST NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BINGHAMTON NY 959 AM EST FRI DEC 21 2012
NYZ009-018-036-037-045-046-057-211700- CHENANGO-DELAWARE-MADISON-NORTHERN ONEIDA-ONONDAGA-OTSEGO- SOUTHERN ONEIDA- INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...BOONVILLE...NORWICH...ONEIDA...ONEONTA... SYRACUSE...UTICA 959 AM EST FRI DEC 21 2012
.NOW... STEADY RAIN WILL TAPER OFF, AND TRANSITION TO SNOW ESPECIALLY OVER THE HIGHER ELEVATIONS. THE SNOW WILL FALL MODERATE TO HEAVY FOR A SHORT TIME. THIS PERIOD OF SNOW WILL PRODUCE A QUICK COATING, UP TO ONE INCH OF SNOW BEFORE ENDING. SOME ROADS MAY BECOME SLICK AS THE RAIN QUICKLY TURNS OVER TO SNOW.
$$
Member Since: August 6, 2011 Posts: 0 Comments: 22426
Quoting hydrus: Yes. Time to celebrate this new age with some home brew....Glad we are all still here to spar over the latest science statistics and GW. I am of small account, but believe whatever and whenever it does end, we are all still voyagers in a cosmic sea, looking to embrace Gods promise for the souls immortality..Knights in White Satin musical conclusion in the background..:)
an all time great that song is...
Member Since: August 6, 2011 Posts: 0 Comments: 22426
Quoting ILwthrfan: Storm last night was harsh. That was the worst 2" snow I have ever been in. We had blizzard conditions easily for a good 6 hour stretch. Lots of tree damage from winds 50-60 mph being reported yesterday all through Central Illinois. I seen a couple 2-3 foot diameter trees were down along route 36 on my way home from work yesterday. They had only originally forecasted 1/2" of snow, but we ended up with a solid 2-3". Lot of accidents reported yesterday just a mean storm. We even lost power for a good 2-3 hours with constant brown outs before it had actually went out.
maybe someone here will know the answer to this...we here in florida endure mid 90 temps and high humidity for many months on end and we do..get used to it..like its normal..our blood thins out i guess...now my question....in the far north..where temps go minus 29 or so for a long time....do people who live up there..get used to that cold also?..like its normal?
Member Since: August 6, 2011 Posts: 0 Comments: 22426
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About JeffMasters
Jeff co-founded the Weather Underground in 1995 while working on his Ph.D. He flew with the NOAA Hurricane Hunters from 1986-1990.
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Made me laugh out loud, good evening mate!
To get a gulf snow event, you would need a deep low centered over georgia, and a very Very VERY deep trough.
Indeed it is.
I couldn't help myself. On Sky news Australia they had a countdown clock like it was new year. was funny when um,,, nothing happened.
LOL
Where has Nea been latley?
Sorry I took so long to get online, been fighting a virus on my friends laptop. It's a tough little bugger.
Today, I mean yesterday was a nice day here. My next 3 days look like this, Sat:82°F Sun:88°F Mon:93°F.
Government and aid organisations in the Philippines are rushing to finish building shelters for thousands of people rendered homeless by Typhoon Bopha.
Heavy rains have continued in the region in the wake of the typhoon and more is forecast in the coming days.
The Philippines government is constructing more than 80 emergency dormitories while the International Organization for Migration (IOM) is building storm-proof homes.
The IOM hopes to have these ready before Christmas Day.
More than 63,000 families lost their homes in Typhoon Bopha's onslaught.
A low pressure system from the Pacific Ocean is forecast to move across the Philippines over the weekend and bring more rain over a south east region already devastated by the typhoon.
The IOM has appealed for USD $7 million in aid but says they've so far only raised 10 per cent of that.
- ABC
© ABC 2012
The economic impact of Cyclone Evan on Samoa will be at least as bad as the deadly tsunami that caused widespread damage in 2009, the International Monetary Fund says.
The IMF's resident advisor on the Pacific, Yangzheg Yang, said it will take a long time for the country to recover and restore vital infrastructure.
"It's quite devastating, a lot of houses have been blown away, collapsed roads and bridges washed away. Water and electricity facilities are all badly damaged, so it's pretty horrific," Mr Yang told Radio Australia.
He said there was also considerable damage to agricultural crops which could cause food shortages.
Tourism operators have also been badly affected.
"The impact of this cyclone is probably just as great, if not greater, than the damage caused by the tsunami in 2009," he said.
Mr Yang said the cyclone's impact on Fiji was less severe than initially feared.
- ABC
© ABC 2012
Anyway, the countdown for the next Mayan Apocalypse has started. That will happen on Monday, March 26, 2407--just 394 years, 3 months, and 5 days from now. So get going; it's never too early to begin preparing...
Look whos back.
bummer, I thought he's still be in his bunker.
Hey ya Nea. How's your weather mate!
Oh Man, you just gave Patrap a new countdown. geez thanks for that.
Ok awesome. For a minute there I thought the remnants of Nadine came back to the South Pacific this time to kick off the rapture.
Jokes aside I couldn't agree more with your second paragraph Aussie.
Merry Christmas Neapolitan !!!!
I witnessed a small holiday miracle this morning. A woman was at the Publix counter reporting that she had lost some gift cards she had just bought when a young man brought the lost cards and receipt to the desk saying he had picked them up outside. It was a heart warming experience. If only everyone could be so honest throughout the year.
We are just now getting that front coming through the keys. Cloudy skies and winds blowing 25-30 mph. Definitely Christmas weather. However, our forecast is for a warm Christmas. Thank Goodness! My one set of long pants, sweat shirt and socks don't make it too many days. LOL
s'awll right though. first we have:
ice free arctic - 2 years or so
600 ppm CO2 - 10 years (with tundra melt)
economic singularity - 15 years
mental singularity - 2045 give or take a decade
so no cryin 'bout the mayan for now
Coldest December Temperature
View from UAF West Ridge Sunday, Dec 16, 2012
Updated:
Through 8am Monday the low temperature at Fairbanks Airport has been 48 below. This is not only not a record low for December 17th (52 below in 1917), but on only two days in December (the 1st and 2nd) would 48 below be cold enough for a new record.
That said, this is the coldest December temperature since 1999, when the temperature fell to 53 below on New Years Eve (and the dense ice fog caused cancellation of the big fireworks planned to celebrate the end of the millennium). Even more notably, this is the lowest pre-Christmas temperature in Fairbanks since 1977, when it dipped to 52 below on December 13th.
Updated:
Specific low temperatures Monday include:
Fairbanks Airport: -48F
Fort Wainwright: -48F
Woodsmoke PWS: -48F (near North Pole)
Salcha River 25 Mile: -47F
Goldstream Creek: -46F
Eielson AFB: -44F
UAF West Ridge: -41F
College Hills: -30F
Keystone Ridge: -25F
I think you will be okay..Morgan Freeman or Danny Glover isn't the president..
December 21 2012 at 03:50pm
By SAPA
iol pic wld Bulgaria weather_
REUTERS
People walk with umbrellas during heavy snowfall in downtown Sofia on December 3, 2012.
Moscow - A vicious cold snap across Russia and eastern Europe has claimed nearly 200 lives, officials figures showed Friday, as forecasters warned it would last until Christmas Eve.
In Russia, the cold has killed two people in the past 24 hours, the Ria-Novosti agency reported, citing medical sources, bringing the total number of deaths over the past week to 56.
The freeze had also left 371 people in hospital.
Thermometers have been stuck below minus 20 degrees Celsius (minus 4 Fahrenheit) in Moscow - and below minus 50 degrees (minus 58 F) in some parts of Siberia - for a week.
Russian weather forecasters said temperature in the Khabarovsk region in eastern Russia had dropped to minus 43 Celsius, while Krasnoyarsk in Siberia reported minus 47.
This “abnormal” frost would last till Monday because of a persistent anticyclone, they added.
In Russia's European region, meanwhile, the mercury is expected to fall to minus 31 degrees Celsius on Christmas Eve before rising rapidly afterwards.
Other European countries hit hard by the extreme temperatures were counting the toll as temperatures gradually started to return to normal.
Authorities in Ukraine, which has been battling heavy snowfall for weeks, said 83 people had died of cold, with 57 of the victims found on the street.
The homeless are traditionally the hardest-hit by the region's bitter winters.
Another 526 cold victims were reportedly receiving hospital treatment in Ukraine.
Overnight temperatures in Ukraine reached an average minus 15 degrees Celsius, which is common at this time of year.
Ukrainian authorities said 93 villages Ä mainly on the Crimean peninsula in the south of the country Ä were still hit by a power outage.
In eastern Europe, police in Poland said Friday that 49 people had died of exposure this month, with most of the victims homeless, as temperatures plunged to minus 10 degrees Celsius.
At least six people have died of exposure in Lithuania in the past weeks, police and emergency services said there.
In Latvia, temperatures reached minus 14 Celsius on Friday morning. In the capital Riga, authorities decided to drop public transport fares to encourage drivers to leave their cars at home and prevent crashes and jams.
On Christmas Eve temperatures in Latvia are expected to drop to minus 28 Celsius, a record low.
In the Czech Republic and Slovakia, temperatures hovered around zero on Friday.
Czech police said several people had died of exposure in recent weeks, but no overall statistics were available for the country. - Sapa-AFP
Link
A man walks past a fence covered with hoarfrost in central Moscow, on December 19, 2012.
LOL..I changed it Morgan Freeman but I knew I was right originally..that battleship took him out big time..
There was a landslide. The mountain did not collapse into a giant void. You can see the video of the landslide by doing a google search for it.
Any blackholes produced by the LHC are so small they evaporate in tiny fractions of a second. When they say micro blackholes, they're are talking about blackholes that are as small (if not smaller) than sub-atomic particles. They can easily fall straight through the Earth and not hit anything, nor get close enough for the gravitational effects to matter.
Must be to do with the forthcoming holiday of Christmas and that its the last day of nights getting longer .:)
Good Xning to you Geoff. Have a Happy Xyear, too!
I live not far from Largo and I picked up a little above 0.60, so I'm not sure where hes getting that from. If it was summer with deep tropical moisture and slow moving thunderstorms I'd believe it, but that was a fast moving uniform line that came through, I don't think its possible the same cell that hit me dumped 3 inches not far away, especially as fast as that line came through.
It did rain pretty hard though with a lot of wind and lightning, the problem is the heavy stuff only lasted about 5 to 10 minutes with light rain for about 30 to 40 min after.
First, the Maya didn't miscalcuate anything because they never predicted the end of the world. The end of the 13th baktun was never thought to be the end of the world, only the beginning of the next cycle. The "end of the world" as related to the end of the 13th baktun comes from lunatics trying to make something out of a single (and incomplete) inscription that mentions the date on a stella at Tortuguero.
Second, if you really want to insist on tying something to the Mayan calendar, you may not be out of the woods yet. Although most correlations between our calendar and the Mayan calendar is generally thought to relate the end of the 13th baktun to 21 December 2012, there is an alternate calendric correlation that puts the date as 23 December 2012. You may need to stay in your bunker for a couple more days.
Erm . . . it was a joke, a la Orson Welles 'War of the Worlds' radio broadcast.
Didn't know about a landslide. Glad you didn't take it seriously.
LINK to storm Reports
Well, it has become a Christmas tradition to see rain on Christmas in Central Florida. I think it's rained on Christmas the last 5 years straight here. And every time it does, its usually strong thunderstorms too!
Unfortunately though, that tradition looks to be broken this year, the models are showing the front bringing thunderstorms here the ay after Christmas, hopefully the timing will speed up to keep the tradition going!
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BINGHAMTON NY
959 AM EST FRI DEC 21 2012
NYZ009-018-036-037-045-046-057-211700-
CHENANGO-DELAWARE-MADISON-NORTHERN ONEIDA-ONONDAGA-OTSEGO-
SOUTHERN ONEIDA-
INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...BOONVILLE...NORWICH...ONEIDA...ONEONTA...
SYRACUSE...UTICA
959 AM EST FRI DEC 21 2012
.NOW...
STEADY RAIN WILL TAPER OFF, AND TRANSITION TO SNOW ESPECIALLY
OVER THE HIGHER ELEVATIONS. THE SNOW WILL FALL MODERATE TO HEAVY
FOR A SHORT TIME. THIS PERIOD OF SNOW WILL PRODUCE A QUICK COATING,
UP TO ONE INCH OF SNOW BEFORE ENDING. SOME ROADS MAY BECOME SLICK AS
THE RAIN QUICKLY TURNS OVER TO SNOW.
$$
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