Arctic blast dropping temperatures in U.S. to lows not seen in years
By Mariano Castillo. AnneClaire Stapleton and Ben Brumfield, CNN
updated 10:28 PM EST, Sat January 4, 2014
Basketball fans brave the cold and snow as they cross to the United Center in Chicago on Saturday, January 4.
Wintry weather strikes Midwest, Northeast
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STORY HIGHLIGHTS
- NEW: Plane slides off taxiway in Chicago; nobody hurt
- Weather blamed for at least 13 deaths
- Nights in Plains states could get to 30 below zero
- Wind chills will drop to minus 50 in some places; frostbite can strike quickly
(CNN) -- Get ready for bone-chilling cold you probably haven't endured in years.
A deep freeze is
spreading across much of the United States this weekend, making the
nor'easter that just blanketed about 20 states with snow look like a
mere curtain raiser.
Sunday temperatures are
expected to hit 30 degrees below zero in North Dakota and other sections
of the Plains and Midwest; the wind chill will make it feel like minus
50, the National Weather Service said.
Northeast prepares as nor'easter looms
A frosty welcome for Bill de Blasio
By Wednesday, nearly half the nation -- 140 million people -- will shiver in temperatures of zero or lower.
The arctic blast
threatens to sweep subzero lows as far south as Alabama and plunge much
of the Deep South into the single digits.
Winter weather in the past week has claimed at least 13 lives, CNN has confirmed.
Eleven people died in road accidents -- including one man crushed as he was moving street salt with a forklift.
A man in Wisconsin died
of hypothermia. And in Byron, New York, a 71-year-old woman with
Alzheimer's disease wandered away from her home Thursday night and was
found dead in the snow in a wooded area about 100 yards away.
in Chicago, a plane
headed to Las Vegas slid off the taxiway at O'Hare International Airport
on Saturday night. None of the customers on Spirit Flight 245 were
injured, said Misty Pinson, director of corporate communications for
Spirit.
Opening act
The cold blast burst
onto the stage in the Northern Plains States early Saturday, hurling
North Dakota into below-zero territory.
Minnesota has already closed schools on Monday.
"I have made this decision to protect all our children from the dangerously cold temperatures," Gov. Mark Dayton said.
People in the town of town of Embarrass, Minnesota, say they may break their cold temperature record of 64 below, set in 1996.
"I've got a thermometer from the weather service that goes to 100 below,"
resident Richard Fowlei told CNN affiliate KQDS. "If it gets that cold I don't want to be here."
Chicago native Leo
Londono, 30, said this is the harshest winter he's experienced in the
city. From his apartment, he can see large chunks of ice floating on
Lake Michigan.
"It's so cold you don't
want to step outside," he said. "There's wind chill. And then this huge
Arctic air blast is supposed to come through and I don't want to even
leave my home."
Brutal snow storm bears down on U.S.
How cold is it in your town?
The low temperatures and wind chill are a recipe for rapid frostbite or hypothermia.
A 66-year-old man died of hypothermia in Milwaukee on Friday, the medical examiner's office said.
The weather service's
Twin Cities, Minnesota, office warns, "Exposed flesh can freeze in as
little as five minutes with wind chills colder than 50 below."
This system will produce "the coldest air in two decades," the service said.
The danger of injury and death from the cold will spread with the cold front into the Midwest by Monday night.
Power outages were not
as widespread despite blizzard-level winds in some places when the
nor'easter passed through in the last few days.
Indiana Gov. Mike Pence encouraged residents to do more than check on friends and relatives.
"In preparation for the
inclement weather, I encourage Hoosiers to assemble an emergency
preparedness kit with plenty of non-perishable food and water, fill any
necessary prescriptions, ensure they have a safe heating source, avoid
unnecessary travel and be careful if they must be outside." he said.
Upper Midwest
Sunday night in Chicago
will see a shivering 16 to 20 below zero and -- once you factor in the
Windy City's stiff breeze -- a chill of 35 below to 45 below zero.
Lambeau Field in Green
Bay, Wisconsin, is unfortunately not a domed stadium. Fans and players
there will be outdoors and brave temperatures approaching minus 20 as
the Packers battle the San Francisco 49ers for a chance to advance to
the Super Bowl.
Some sportswriters speculated that it may go down in the record books as the coldest football game ever played.
The Packers organization
and a stadium vending company will serve free hot chocolate and coffee
to help fans withstand the deep freeze.
As Packers head coach Mike McCarthy said Friday: "This is not the norm."
That's is not the only game where fans will brave the freeze.
On Saturday in
Philadelphia, the hometown Eagles hosted the New Orleans Saints in a
playoff game. Temperatures were in the mid-20s at kickoff.
Marching on
As the arctic cold
conquers about half of the continental United States, temperatures are
forecast to dip into the minus teens through the lower Midwest. Snow
will cover swaths from the Plains to the Ohio and Mississippi River
Valleys, all the way to New England.
Parts of the Midwest could see temperatures not recorded in 15 to 20 years -- for a painful couple of days.
Even areas as far south
as Nashville could be frozen solid in zero-degree cold as the arctic air
mass dives southward at the beginning of next week.
Flight madness
Thousands were stuck at
airports nationwide Friday because of systemwide delays -- though at
least they are not out in the frigid cold.
Lesley Ryland tried to get home to England after attending her son's wedding in Kentucky.
"I was supposed to fly
from Kentucky/Louisville up to New York, but flights have been canceled
at New York, so instead I've come here," Ryland told CBS Atlanta, a CNN
affiliate. "Hopefully tonight, I'll get a transfer from here back over
to London."
FlightAware.com, which
tracks cancellations due to weather and mechanical problems, said about
3,200 flights were canceled Friday within, into or out of the United
States.
Expect more of the same
in the coming days. At 10 p.m. Saturday, 1,391 flights had been
canceled. About 760 Sunday flights have already been called off.
Though the temperature
in Las Vegas was 52 degrees -- above zero -- passengers there were also
feeling the winter's sting Friday.
Long lines formed inside
McCarran International Airport at the counters for Southwest Airlines,
which had canceled many of its flights to and from Chicago. The airline
carries 40% of Las Vegas' passengers, according to Chris Hayes, an
airport spokesman.
CNN's Joe Sutton and Ralph Ellis contributed to this report.
end quote from:
I was wondering how people are going to keep their livestock and other farm animals alive in temperatures this low?
This reminds me a lot of when the artic winds fell off into Europe and Northern Africa in 2012
Here is the wikipedia article on a similar weather event that happened from Siberia throughout Europe and into North AFrica when the artic weather "fell off" into Eastern and Western Europe and into North AFrica. Hundreds died from the cold in many different countries.
I think this type of event might be cyclical now that so much ice melts off from the summer and into the fall every year now. So, the arctic blasts likely will be more frequent down into Europe and northern AFrica or down into china and Japan or down into the U.S. and the Pacific depending upon the year now. People likely will build slightly differently in the northern hemisphere so they can better survive these things in the future. Hopefully, one of these doesn't bring about an ice age or permanent climate changes we haven't seen yet.
Early 2012 European cold wave
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Early 2012 European cold wave |
Extreme minimum temperature 4 to 11 February 2012, computer generated contours, based on preliminary data.
|
| Formed |
January 27, 2012 |
| Dissipated |
February 17, 2012 |
| Lowest temperature |
−39.2 °C (−38.6 °F) (February 2, Kuusamo, Finland) |
| Damage |
$660 million (2012 USD)[1] |
| Fatalities |
1,040+[1] |
| Areas affected |
Europe and North Africa |
The
Early 2012 European cold wave was a deadly
cold wave
that started on January 27, 2012 and brought snow and freezing
temperatures to much of the European continent. There were 824+ deaths
reported.
[1]
Particularly low temperatures hit several Eastern and Northern European
countries, reaching as low as −39.2 °C (−38.6 °F) in Finland. The
heaviest snow was recorded in the
Balkan region.
Countries affected
Effects
Eastern, Northern and Western Europe
Land surface temperature anomaly of Europe between 25 January and 1 February 2012
A map of the land temperature anomaly in Europe between 29 January and 4 February 2012.
The northern half of Europe was affected primarily by greater cold
and – except for a period of early snow – low precipitation. The
snowfall of the third week of January was up to 1 m (3.3 ft) of snow in a
few days, particularly affecting
Slovakia and
Bulgaria. On Sunday, January 22, heavy snowfall in northern
Námestovo caused an ice rink to collapse under the weight of the snow.
In
Kuusamo, in the hills of eastern
Finland, temperatures of −39.2 °C (−38.6 °F) were recorded on February 2, the lowest temperatures in Europe. The village
Kvilda in
Sumava (
Czech Republic) recorded temperatures of −38.1 °C (−36.6 °F) on February 3, the lowest temperatures in Central Europe.
Ukraine was especially affected by the onset of cold weather,
[2][3]
at the end of January, the temperatures fell below −30 °C (−22 °F), at
the time the snow was at least 30 cm (12 in), on February 3, over 100 cm
(3.3 ft), and by the end of the first week of February, over 130 cm
(4.3 ft) was recorded. The Ukrainian government announced that many of
the public safety issues it was encountering were related to alcohol
abuse in the context of the dangerously cold weather.
The Baltic states also recorded temperatures down to −30 °C (−22 °F).
Moscow announced that, since the beginning of the last week of January,
night temperatures ranged down to −25 °C (−13 °F).
The
Mediterranean coast of southern France was covered in deep snow by the end of January.
Corsica was buried under 40 cm (1.3 ft) of snow, and at times there were as many as 14,000 homes without electricity.
In early February, heavy snow pile-ups hit the
Helsinki region.
Belgium also was surprised by the snowfall. At the same time, the snow reached the British Isles, causing interruptions at
London Heathrow Airport where up to 10 cm (3.9 in) of snow impeded many scheduled flights.
In Germany, the
Elbe downstream of
Magdeburg became impassable due to ice, as well as the entire
Elbe–Havel Canal and parts of the
Rhine–Main–Danube Canal. Supplies had to be sent to the island of
Spiekeroog
via aircraft for the second time in its history, as the ferry service
was canceled on February 7, 2012 due to heavy ice conditions in the
North Sea. On
Lake Constance, the catamaran speed-boat traffic between
Friedrichshafen and
Konstanz
had to be canceled due to the icing over of the port in Konstanz on
February 7 until further notice. This port hadn't been frozen to such an
extent since the winter of 1962–1963.
Mediterranean Sea, Danube and Balkan
Italy,
the Balkans and the Danube were in addition to cold weather also
affected by heavy snowfall; Erfrierungsopfer also reported the majority
of countries of this area, as well as extensive traffic delays and
economic consequences. The cold wave covered the Maghreb in the western
Mediterranean, as well as the Aegean, the Turkey and the Levant in the
eastern part of the Mediterranean area. On Bologna fell 94 cm (37 in) of
snow between 1 and 12 February with a maximum height on the ground of
65 cm (26 in); 190 cm (75 in) fell on Cesena (30m above see level) with
maximum height of 120 cm (47 in) and 326 cm (128 in) fell on Urbino
where the snow accumulation on the ground reached 2 m (79 in) deep. Even
Turkey, Spain and Portugal fell to low temperatures in early February,
the temperature sometimes considerably below the freezing point. Snow
fell in
Mallorca for the first time since 1956, and even in
Algiers, Algeria, in southern
Tunisia in
Gabès.
In Italy, there were extensive power outages (up to 120,000 people were
without electricity) as well as traffic congestion, and the Army had to
intervene for snow removal: in Rome, where snow had fallen before the
weekend of February 4–5, it was almost impossible to drive. Until the
second week of February reigned throughout northern and central Italy
tiefwinterliche conditions, particularly in Marche, in Umbria, the
Abruzzi and Emilia-Romagna. In Rome, after the snowfalls of February
11–12, 2,000 passengers had to spend the night in Fiumicino airport.
Europe
In Bosnia and Herzegovina, this year's winter was one of the coldest
and snowiest in the last 100 years. The snow depth in the capital
Sarajevo reached 111 cm (43.7 inches) and in
Mostar 86 cm (34 inches). On the fifth of February in
Sarajevo,
5 people died because of cold weather in 3 hours. Snow and low
temperatures stayed persistent until the month of March when drought hit
the country. In March, not even 1 liter of precipitation fell
throughout the whole country. In Sarajevo snow cover stayed until April.
The cold wave killed anywhere from 15 to 50 people.
Record snowfall in Sarajevo
View of a street in Bucharest on February 13
Belarus – Early in the day on January 30, subzero temperatures spread rapidly, data accessed by AccuWeather showed.[4] According to meteoinfo.by, on the night of 11 through February 12, temperatures in the Brahin Raion
dropped to −34.3 °C (−29.7 °F). According to National Agency BielTA,
from January 1, more than 180 people died in domestic fires. Total
number of casualties remain unknown.[5]
Bulgaria
– Over 1 meter (3.3 feet) of snow fell in the mountainous areas of the
country. Heavy snow fell also in many major cities. The snow depth
reached as much as 63 cm (24.8 inches) in Vidin, 61 cm (24 inches) in Vratsa and 49 cm (19.3 inches) in the capital Sofia. Temperatures dropped under –20 °C (–4 °F) in many parts of Bulgaria, with a low reading of −30 °C (−22 °F) in Knezha. The wall of the Ivanovo dam in southern Haskovo Province broke, flooding the village of Biser
and killing 11 people, as well as inflicting serious infrastructural
damage. At least 16 other deaths were reported throughout the country,
due to the arctic temperatures.
Croatia – As of February 6, 3 people died,[6] with concerns of many villages being cut off, especially near Vrgorac.
Cyprus – On February 29, snow was reported as falling in the capital, Nicosia.
Denmark – On the morning of February 5, the lowest temperature in Denmark for 25 years was recorded in Odense with -23,1 °C .
France – On February 6, BBC News reported 4 deaths, and 43 regions in France on high alert for 'exceptional' weather conditions. On February 11, the Six Nations Championship
game between France and Ireland, was postponed shortly before kick-off,
due to the pitch freezing, as temperatures plummeted beneath −10 °C
(14 °F).
Italy
– Rome experienced a rare intense snowfall, and many of Venice's canals
have frozen over, while very heavy snowfalls (up to 2m/7 ft in a couple
of weeks) occurred in the Apennines.[7]
On February 6, the Italian rail network may face legal action, due to
many passengers being stranded on trains over the weekend. Temperatures
plummeted to −21 °C (−6 °F) on February 7, in the north of the country.
At least 54 people have died[8]
Greece – Many homeless people froze to death and a dam on the Evros river burst due to pressure. Temperatures also plummered to −25 °C (−13 °F) in the northwest city of Florina.
Latvia – The lowest temperature was recorded at the Strenči meteorological station, hitting −34.2 °C (−29.6 °F) on February 5.[9]
For several days not a single meteorological station reported a
temperature above −20 °C (−4 °F). Because of the severe cold wave, some
regions in Latvia experienced a shortage of power supply,[9] an increased number of domestic fires were reported.
Malta – The lowest temperature at grass level was measured at Zebbug.
The temperature was that of −2.4 °C (27.7 °F). It was measured on
Wednesday, February 8. An air temperature of 4.0 °C (39.2 °F) was also
measured during one of a series of hailstorms which occurred during the
month.
Netherlands – A cold wave was registered in the Netherlands, with a low of −18.9 °C (−2.0 °F) in De Bilt, the lowest recorded since 1956,[10] and a national low of −22.8 °C (−9.0 °F) in Lelystad, the lowest temperature recorded all over the Netherlands since 1985.[11] A homeless man was frozen to death on February 2,.[12] People have been ice-skating on the canals of Amsterdam.
Poland
– Early in the day on January 30, subzero cold spread widely over
Belarus, Ukraine, Romania, Bulgaria, Serbia and eastern Poland, data
accessed by AccuWeather.com showed.[4]
From the January 1, 2012, 103 people froze to death. Fire and Rescue
Service reported 360 domestic fires during one night (February 11–12),
and almost 12000 fire accidents this year. Reports state 107 people died
in flames with 550 more suffer various degrees of burns. Due to carbon
monoxide poisoning 24 people died.[13]
Winter of 2012 in south of
Bucharest, Romania
Romania – At least 86 people have died.[14] In some areas, the bitter cold was followed by heavy snow. The snow depth in the capital Bucharest reach 60 cm (23.5 inches).[4] On February 11, the Danube was reportedly completely frozen over.
Serbia – Sjenica
set −32 °C (−26 °F), early on the morning of February 9. In Serbia at
least 50,000 villagers have been trapped by heavy snow and blizzards in
mountainous areas.[16] Gas supplies are running low.[17]
On February 8, electricity consumption broke a record, standing at
162.67 million kWh, so the government mandated a shutdown of all
non-essential industries and decorative lightning.[18] The death toll has risen to 20.[17]
Spain – Palma, Majorca registered the most important snow episode[clarification needed] since 1956.[19] In Catalonia – Heavy snowfall and winds of 175 km/h (109 mph) were reported in Portbou as temperatures dropped to −23 °C (−9 °F).
Ukraine – More than 100 homeless people have died as temperatures dropped as low as −35 °C (−31 °F).[16] Gas supplies were running low.[7]
The cold led to more than 600 people being treated for frostbite and
hypothermia within three days, according to officials. Nearly 24,000
people sought shelter during the same three days, the BBC reported. In
western Ukraine, Rivne and Ivano-Frankivsk dipped to −28 °C (−18 °F).[4] Ukrainian health officials stated (on February 16) 151 people had died because of the cold,[20] with alcohol regularly a contributing factor,[20] the highest number in Europe.[2]
United Kingdom – The Met Office issued a severe weather warning as heavy snow fell across much of the country on February 4, disrupting roads and flights.[21] Temperatures fell to −11.8 °C (10.8 °F) in the early hours of February 8,.[22] More heavy snow fell overnight in England on February 9–10. On the night of February 10–11, the temperature in England[specify] fell to −15.6 °C (3.9 °F), the coldest temperatures since Boxing Day in 2010.[23] Northern Ireland was the only place in the UK that wasn't badly affected by the cold wave.
Africa
Algeria – The north of the country awoke to a blanket of snow, 28 of 48 departments of the country have had snow, including Algiers and even parts of Sahara Desert.[24] Snow covered Algerian lower cities at least for several days, meanwhile higher cities like Sétif (1100m amsl) where cover by snow for weeks. Sétif registered up to 70 cm (28 in) of snow,[25][26] some villages like Bousselam registered up to 2.5 m (98 in)[27][28] The average temperature at this particular time of year being 9 °C (48 °F).
- As February 9, more than 80 people died because of the cold wave
(Forty-four people died during the first week of the cold wave): thirty
of them were killed in car accidents caused by icy roads,[29][30] and 14 from asphyxiation due to gas fumes.
- The following cities recorded snowfall:
|
|
-
- Mila
- Miliana: 29–30 January 2012; 3-8, 12–14 February 2012
- Médéa: 30–31 January 2012; 3-6, 8-9, 11, 13-15, 21–22 February 2012
- Naâma: 3-6, 8 February 2012
- Oum El Bouaghi: 30 January 2012; 4–9 February 2012
- Sétif: 29–31 January 2012; 3-9, 11-15, 21–22 February 2012
- Souk Ahras: 30 January 2012; 3-8, 11-12, 14, 16 February 2012
- Tébessa: 29–30 January 2012; 3-7, 11–12 February 2012
- Tiaret: 3-5, 8, 11, 13-14, 22 February 2012
- Tipaza
- Tizi-Ouzou: 3-5, 7, 13 February 2012
|
Asia
References
- ^ Jump up to: a b c "February 2012 Global Catastrophe Recap". Aon Benfield. p. 5. Retrieved March 30, 2012.
- ^ Jump up to: a b Homeless suffer in icy Ukraine as temperatures sink, BBC News (February 10, 2012)
- Jump up ^ UN to give $100,000 to help Ukrainians suffering from severe cold Kyiv Post (February 17, 2012)
- ^ Jump up to: a b c d e "Europe cold wave turns deadly". AccuWeather. 2012-01-03. Retrieved 2012-02-07.
- Jump up ^ "Lowest temperature of the past 50 years in Belarus" (in Polish). Retrieved 2012-02-12.
- Jump up ^ "Snijeg prijeti novim kolapsom,hladnoća odnijela treću žrtvu". Dnevnik.hr (in Croatian). February 6, 2012. Retrieved February 6, 2012.
- ^ Jump up to: a b BBC news – Freezing Europe hit by Russian gas shortage
- Jump up ^ "Maltempo: 54 morti dall'inizio di febbraio" (in Italian).
- ^ Jump up to: a b Elektroapgādes traucējumi tikai 50 mājsaimniecībām tvnet.lv (Latvian)
- Jump up ^ http://www.knmi.nl/klimatologie/lijsten/koudegolven.html
- Jump up ^ http://www.nu.nl/binnenland/2732434/laagste-temperatuur-in-27-jaar-gemeten.html
- Jump up ^ http://www.metronieuws.nl/nieuws/zwerver-doodgevroren-in-wageningen/IWIlbb!3Y7fGK49dbA8Ak9PAy3wuQ/
- Jump up ^ "Cold wave brings more deaths" (in (Polish)). Retrieved 2012-02-12.
- Jump up ^ http://www.romanialibera.ro/actualitate/europa/europa-ingheata-590-de-morti-in-urma-valului-de-frig-253337.html
- Jump up ^ Cold kills 215 people in Russia since Jan. 1, , Kyiv Post (February 13, 2012)
- ^ Jump up to: a b BBC news – Cold weather death toll passes 100 in Ukraine
- ^ Jump up to: a b [1]
- Jump up ^ [2]
- Jump up ^ Diario de Mallorca. "Palma vive la nevada más importante desde 1956 – Diario de Mallorca". Diariodemallorca.es. Retrieved 2012-02-07.
- ^ Jump up to: a b Ukraine's death toll from cold spell reaches 151, Kyiv Post (February 16, 2012)
- Jump up ^ "Heavy snow falling across much of UK". BBC News (BBC). February 4, 2012. Retrieved February 4, 2012.
- Jump up ^ "UK freezes as night-time temperatures fall". BBC. February 8, 2012. Retrieved February 8, 2012.
- Jump up ^ "Coldest night of the winter so far". Met Office. Retrieved February 11, 2012.
- Jump up ^ World Weather Post Snow Storm – Algeria – 40,000 troops deployed to clear roads, help the sick
- Jump up ^ Actualité Chutes de neige historiques en Algérie (French)
- Jump up ^ http://lionsclubalgerie.blogspot.com/2012/02/mobilisations-des-lions-et-des-leos.html
- Jump up ^ http://www.lesoirdalgerie.com/articles/2012/02/08/print-2-130008.php
- Jump up ^ http://www.setif.info/article6234.html
- Jump up ^ ANSAmed Weather: Algeria, 80 killed by cold, mayors against gvt
- Jump up ^ Le froid et la neige font au moins 80 morts en Algérie (French)
- Jump up ^ "Snow to continue in Armenia well into night".
- Jump up ^ "Мировые СМИ пишут о небывалых морозах в Азербайджане" (in Russian).
- Jump up ^ "Tbilisi Sea freezes for the first time in 50 years" (in (Russian)). Itar-Tass. Retrieved 2012-02-07.
External links
Media related to
Early 2012 European cold wave at Wikimedia Commons
This page was last modified on 17 November 2013 at 12:59.
Russia – European Russia experienced widespread subzero cold.[4] The Ministry of Health and Social Development stated on February 13, that the cold had killed 215 people since January 1.[15]
Libya – On February 6, snow fell in Gharyan, Ghadames and Al-Bayda; meanwhile small hail blanketed Tripoli, where people confused it with snow, which is a very rare event.
Armenia – Zvartnots and Shirak international airports are closed due to heavy snowfall.[31]
Azerbaijan – On February 8, temperatures in Baku dropped to −14 °C (7 °F), breaking a 42-year-old record.[32] Heydar Aliyev International Airport in Baku also suffered a serious problems and had to cancel some flights.
Georgia – On February 7, Georgian press reported that the country was experiencing the coldest winter in nearly 50 years, with important water bodies, such as Mtkvari and Tbilisi sea freezing over.[33]
Turkey – On January 31, heavy snow blanketed Istanbul, covering the Blue Mosque. 102 flights were cancelled at Ataturk International Airport. Nearly 140,000 people made homeless by the 2011 Van earthquake, were reported as struggling to cope with temperatures of −4 °C (25 °F) and over 30 centimetres of snow.
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