“Earth’s glaciers are melting much faster than scientists thought. A new study shows they are losing 369 billion tons of snow and ice each year, more than half of that in North America.
“The most comprehensive measurement of glaciers worldwide found that thousands of inland masses of snow compressed into ice are shrinking 18 percent faster than an international panel of scientists calculated in 2013.
“The world’s glaciers are shrinking five times faster now than they were in the 1960s. Their melt is accelerating due to global warming, and adding more water to already rising seas, the study found.”
http://time.com/5566385/global-warming-study-glaciers-shrinking/
“Unusually high March temperatures lopped weeks off Alaska’s long winter and reflect a warming climate trend, state climate experts say. March is normally reliable for dog mushing and cross-country skiing.
“However, extreme warmth melted snow and made ice on waterways hazardous for travel in the state. Anchorage, Alaska’s largest city, didn’t record a flake of measureable snow.”
https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/nation-world/sns-bc-us–warm-alaska-20190404-story.html
“Some Lane County [Oregon] residents continued to evacuate from their homes Monday as record rainfall and melting snow led the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to increase water releases at dams along the Willamette River…
“Andy Bryant, a hydrologist with the National Weather Service in Portland, on Monday said it was the wettest April day on record for the city.”
“”An atmospheric blocking pattern [eastern Canada] will develop and persist through at least April 20th,” says Weather Network meteorologist Dr. Doug Gillham, who calls the pattern “eerily similar” to both last April and April 2016.
“”This will bring colder than seasonal temperatures April 10-20 from the eastern Prairies to the Maritimes – and no sustained warmth is in sight.”
“Two storm systems moving through the Northeast [US] early this week will pound part of New England with copious amounts of heavy, wet snow several weeks into the spring season. While May-like warmth graces the mid-Atlantic through Tuesday, a strong and persistent area of high pressure over east-central Canada will prevent the warmer air from surging farther to the north..,”
“Old Man Winter isn’t giving up without a fight.
“A potent storm is expected to bring blizzard conditions to portions of the northern Plains and Upper Midwest this week, where some spots could see as much as 2 feet of snow, according to the National Weather Service…
“The heaviest snow will be in Nebraska, South Dakota and Minnesota.”
“Severe weather hitting the Arklamiss [Arkansas] over the weekend.
“The record-breaking heavy rain left many streets closed in Union County, Arkansas. “It’s probably the worst I’ve seen in quite a while as far as flash flooding,” says Lt. Christopher Lutman, El Dorado Police Department’s public information officer.”
“A combination of record rains in 2018 and hurricane damage appears to have thrown the wetlands out of balance, with ponds, lakes and streams rising, particularly in Washington County, Florida. In some areas, particularly around the ponds, residents say it’s the highest they have ever seen it.
“The result is dozens of flooded homes and altered habitat, even as work crews try to clear out the logs to bring the water level back down.”
“Heavy rains that fell since Monday afternoon left one dead and sowed chaos in the streets of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil . According to the Military Police of the state, around midnight, a man died in the neighborhood of Gávea…
“On local television, neighborhoods in the southern zone, the most affected, were completely flooded by rain.
“The water dragged several cars, caused chaos with major blocked avenues and caused the fall of some trees and other damage.”
“It is going to feel more like winter than spring in parts of northern Europe this week as Arctic air sends temperatures tumbling. The biggest shock will be felt from the Netherlands to Poland and Slovakia, where temperatures soared well above normal on Monday… Warm weather is not expected to return anytime soon, as another blast of cold air may strike northern and eastern Europe next week.”
“The first snow of 2019 in Sierra del Carche (southern Spain) fell two weeks into spring.”
https://murciatoday.com/snow_in_the_north_of_murcia_on_sunday_904857-a.html
“Crews from Greece’s electricity distribution agency DEDDIE were called in to restore power to the area around Athens’s Syntagma Square on Monday afternoon after a medium-voltage power line stopped working due to bad weather, the state-run Athens-Macedonian News Agency reported.”
““Risks include drought conditions that could curtail agricultural output, especially if the country’s grain-growing counties are affected,” the bank said.
“The so-called long rains season from March till May hasn’t started in most of the country. Agriculture accounts for close to a third of Kenya’s annual economic output.”
“World Animal Protection’s disaster response teams have arrived in Mozambique and Malawi and are providing urgent care to up to 200,000 animals that have been affected by the floods that have devastated Southern Africa…
“People have been forced to abandon their animals, which they rely upon as livestock, as well as much loved family pets, while being evacuated by the government and humanitarian organizations.”
https://theecologist.org/2019/apr/09/animals-suffer-cyclone-idai-aftermath
“At least a total number of 77 schools were destroyed due to devastating floods in various provinces across Iran, a non-governmental organization said on Monday…
“Unprecedented heavy rains in various parts of Iran that began in northern Iran on March 19 and went on in west and south caused floods, dams’ outpouring, river floods and landslides.”
https://reliefweb.int/report/iran-islamic-republic/flood-destroys-77-schools-iran
“In the last 24 hours, violent dust storm activities occurred over many cities like Pilani, Sikar, Jhunjhunu, Churu, Bikaner and Jaipur [India], the official informed. These areas witnessed a heavy dust storm followed by rain and thundershowers. Places like Jaipur, Sikar, Alwar and Bharatpur also observed similar weather conditions.”
“Khargone in West Madhya Pradesh recorded the hottest day-time temperature of 44.5°C on Monday.
“In addition, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) reported that the maximum temperatures were appreciably above normal by up to 5°C at many places in Rajasthan, West Madhya Pradesh, Madhya Maharashtra and Vidarbha.”
https://weather.com/en-IN/india/news/news/2019-04-09-heat-wave-khargone-delhi-may-touch-42-this-week
“The sharp weather shift came a day after Sydney experienced one of its warmest autumn days since 1859, with parts of the state reaching 32C. Weatherzone’s Ben Domensino said snow was forecast to reach down to 700 metres above sea level in Tasmania and 1300 metres in Victoria.”
“More heavy rain is set to fall on the West Coast and Otago headwaters [New Zealand], which could trigger slips, flooding, road closures and detours tomorrow…
“Severe weather battered the region late last month, causing widespread flooding. South Westland’s Waiho River bailey bridge was washed away in the torrential rain, cutting off access between Fox Glacier and Franz Josef. “
https://www.odt.co.nz/regions/west-coast/more-heavy-rain-way-flood-hit-west-coast
“Some of the rubbish spilling out into the Tasman Sea from an old rubbish dump on the West Coast will not be able to be collected, scientists say.
“Heavy rainfall and flooding caused the historic Fox Glacier landfill to become exposed last month, with rubbish spilling out into the wider environment. Rubbish has spread along about 300 kilometres of the coast from Okarito to Martins Bay in Fiordland.”
“Glaciology experts have issued evidence that a large section of the Brunt Ice Shelf in Antarctica, which is home to the British Antarctic Survey’s Halley Research Station, is about break off…
“The iceberg, measuring over 1,500 square kilometers — which is twice the size of New York City — is expected to break away from the Brunt Ice Shelf within the next few months, reports New Atlas.”
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