“A pair of new studies released on Monday share a same ominous message — that our planet’s ice is melting at an alarming rate, which is bad news for global sea levels.
“According to a study led by Eric Rignot from the University of California at Irvine, which looked at details of ice and snow from the entire continent of Antarctica since 1979, Antarctica’s crucial ice sheet has been melting for the entire 39 year period, but that is just the tip of the iceberg, so to speak.
“Antarctica is melting away,” Rignot told CNN, “not just in a couple of places.””
https://edition.cnn.com/2019/01/14/world/climate-change-antarctica-ice-melt-twin-studies/index.html
“Warmer, wetter weather after days of heavy snowfall has increased the risk of avalanches in parts of southern Germany, Austria and Switzerland.
“In Bavaria, snow melt has flooded several roads and some basements in the town of Harburg as the Woernitz river swelled overnight. Dozens of people have already died in avalanches and weather-related accidents in the region since the start of the year.”
“The year 2018 was the hottest in Slovakia since records began, according to several weather stations. The average annual temperature was 12 degrees Celsius or more. The average temperature in Žihárec (Nitra Region) was even higher: 13 degrees Celsius, the Slovak Hydrometeorological Institute (SHMÚ) informed.
““This value was recorded for the first time in the history of meteorological measurements in Slovakia,” SHMÚ wrote on its website.”
https://spectator.sme.sk/c/22028665/2018-was-the-hottest-year-in-history.html
“Syrian refugees in Lebanon are struggling with the aftermath of a storm that drenched the country’s eastern and northern regions, delivered floodwaters and damaged hundreds of makeshift camps. Storm Norma, which last week brought with it incessant rain and snowfall, affected more than 22,000 refugees…
“A new storm, dubbed Storm Miriam, hit the country on Sunday evening. It is expected to bring snowfall and continue until January 17, exacerbating already dire conditions across Lebanon’s Syrian refugee camps.”
“Massive flooding hit northern towns as parts of the country, including Jerusalem, braced for snow over the next few days.
“Forecasts predicted an overnight freeze and local rain in the mountainous parts of the Galilee and Jerusalem regions, slowly building up until Wednesday, when major storms are expected to hit Israel’s shores.”
https://www.timesofisrael.com/towns-flood-in-north-as-forecasts-see-cold-snap-snows-later-this-week/
“A major winter storm that hammered the Midwest and mid-Atlantic over the weekend missed Upstate New York, but another one looms for next weekend. The National Weather Service office in Binghamton said a “potentially major winter storm” is shaping up for Saturday and Sunday, and has already alerted the media and emergency managers.”
“A deadly winter storm that claimed the lives of at least nine people pummeled the mid-Atlantic region, leading to power outages, canceled flights and hundreds of car accidents.
“The winter storm began to unfold over the region on Friday afternoon with heavy snow and freezing rain across Missouri and Kansas. Some motorists became stranded on the snow-covered roads for hours, and additional travel delays continued through Sunday.”
“A series of Pacific storms will bring heavy rain, extreme winds and deep snow to California through the week. These rains could lead to mudflows in areas burned by wildfires earlier in the year. A mandatory evacuation has already been issued for residents in the Holy Fire burn area.”
https://edition.cnn.com/2019/01/14/us/california-rain-snow-mudslides-wxc/index.html
“PG&E, the largest utility in California, announced Monday that it will file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection at the end of the month, providing a 15-day advance notice required by law.
“What’s forcing the company into this unsavory position is upward of $30 billion in liability after record-breaking deadly wildfires in 2017 and 2018 torched big swaths of California. Investigators have attributed more than 1,500 fires to PG&E power lines and hardware…”
https://www.vox.com/2019/1/14/18182162/pg-e-camp-fire-bankruptcy
“Temperatures soared into the mid-teens across southern Alberta last weekend, smashing records and sending many out to bask in the mid-winter sunshine. While a major cool-down is on the way for this week, one thing that doesn’t feature in the forecast — and hasn’t for much of the winter thus far — is snow.”
“Port Augusta in South Australia has reached 48.9C on Tuesday, as a heatwave sets in across much of Australia threatening more record hot days.
“All-time highest minimum temperatures have also been broken in three places. Meekatharra in Western Australia and Fowlers Gap and White Cliffs in New South Wales all registered an overnight minimum of 33C on Monday.”
“The NSW Department of Primary Industries said on Jan. 15 there has been another fish kill at the NSW-Victorian border at Lake Hume. The department announced that some 1,800 fish had died at Lake Hume, which is part of the Murray River system, and that the cause of the mass deaths is so far unknown, according to AAP.”
“Video and pictures have emerged showing some of the dry lightning strikes on Tasmania’s east coast as the fires increase in dangerous weather conditions.
“About 1,500 lightning strikes were recorded across the state overnight, with 500 reported between 9:00am and midday on Tuesday.”
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-01-15/lightning-adds-to-fire-dangers-in-tasmania/10716718
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