Never Mind the Salt, Propane Shortage Biting Hard

EXTREME WEATHER & CLIMATIC EVENTS
STATE OF EMERGENCY
NATIONWIDE PROPANE SHORTAGE
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States of Emergency for regional propane shortages extended by FMCSA

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) extended on Wednesday the regional States of Emergency Declarations, Waivers, Exemptions & Permits for transporting propane throughout the United States.

A total of at least 36 states and District of Columbia are currently impacted by shortages of propane and other heating fuels.

States covered by the emergency declarations include:

• Western Service Center: North Dakota and South Dakota
• Southern Service Center: Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina and Tennessee
• Eastern Service Center: Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia and West Virginia
• Midwestern Service Center: Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Ohio and Wisconsin

Part 1 of Emergency Declaration Extension issued by FMCSA Midwestern Service Center is reprinted below for reference.

Energy Emergency

• Deadly Winter Storm Prompts States of Emergency in Georgia, Carolinas  January 29, 2014

• States of Emergency Declared in Alabama, Louisiana, Minnesota, Mississippi …  January 28, 2014

• Wisconsin Declares State of Emergency over Extreme Cold, Fuel Shortage January 26, 2014
• Louisiana Declares 2nd State of Emergency due to Dangerous Cold January 25, 2014
• State of Emergency Declared for Louisiana January 24, 2014

• Energy Emergency Declared for Alabama January 24, 2014
• Tennessee Declares Statewide Energy Emergency January 22, 2014
• Ohio Declares Statewide Energy Emergency January 20, 2014
• State of Emergency Declared in Oklahoma due to Propane Shortage January 8, 2014

States of Emergency Declared in NW Indiana, Tennessee

EXTREME WEATHER EVENTS
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Northwest Indiana and Tennessee declare states of emergency due to extreme conditions

Indiana Gov. Pence has ordered all state government offices to remain closed Monday, as more snow is forecast for the region.

“I am limiting the number of employees who must report to work on Monday to help keep people off the roads and out of the extreme cold, even while we make sure that Hoosiers have access to necessary government services,” said Pence.

Tennessee

In Tennessee, The Emergency Management Agency (TEMA) declared a state of emergency as the frigid cold front moved through the region.

“Temperatures are also beginning to fall dramatically in the region. At Nashville International Airport, temperatures dropped 8 degrees from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. and even further after that. In Clarksville, temperatures sunk from 51 degrees to 29 in two hours time,” said a report.

The Polar Vortex Causing Life-Threatening Wind Chill

“The polar vortex, a mid-upper level cyclonic feature normally present over northern Canada, will be displaced unusually far to the south over the northern Great Lakes and southern Ontario. Owing to the deep layer of the cold air mass, this will provide for an incredibly strong surge of bitterly cold Arctic Air along with gusty winds. The Upper Midwest will be affected first by Saturday night, and the brutal conditions will continue pushing southeastward to the Ohio Valley and Mid-South by Monday, and to the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic by Tuesday. Particularly noteworthy will be the extreme wind chills and nearly unheard-of daytime highs that are forecast. A huge expanse of wind chill warnings are in effect from Montana all the way to the central Appalachians, with wind chills on the order of -20 to -50 degrees expected!” NWS said.

IR Satellite Image, GOES N America, Jan. 6, 2014 @ 01:15UTC. Colder objects are brighter and warmer objects are darker. Lower layers of clouds, generally warmer and lower in altitude, are colored gray. Colder and generally higher clouds tops are highlighted in colors. Source: SSD/ NOAA GOES satellites

Monday’s lows are forecast to plunge below -15 degrees (-26ºC) with wind chills as low as  -50 (-46ºC), with temperatures  across the Fox Valley falling as low as -60 (-51ºC).

“Ahead of the Arctic blast, a developing surface low along the cold front will result in widespread snow from Missouri to the Ohio Valley and into the Great Lakes. Areas that have persistent snow bands may receive on the order of 8 to 14 inches of snow, with locally higher amounts,” said NWS.

Record-breaking cold is forecast for  much of Eastern US: NWS

U.S. Weather Hazards Map (Hazmap)  for Monday, January 6, 2014. Issued at 14:54UTC. Source: NWS. Map Enhanced by FIRE-EARTH. UPDATE

Warnings, Watches and Advisories

Dozens of Warnings, Watches and Advisories are currently in effect across the eastern two-thirds of the country, with the Wind Chill Warning, and Hard Freeze Warning, which plague the Gulf Coast states, impacting vast areas.

Impact

FIRE-EARTH Models show impacts of the Arctic blast are affecting about 250 million people across 40 states.

Related Links

• Giga Arctic Blast Affecting 250 Million in 40 States January 5, 2014

• UPDATED: Deadly Cold Plagues U.S. January 5, 2014
• Deadly Cold Plagues U.S. January 5, 2014
• States of Emergency Declared in New York, New Jersey January 3, 2014
• Major Winter Storm to Batter Midwest, Northeast January 2, 2014

“Polar Wave Hits Buenos Aires”

Buenos Aires Temperatures hit a low of 2 degrees and a high of 10ºC

Polar wave hits Argentina again with very low temperatures in Buenos Aires. The polar wave which started on Friday in Buenos Aires Province and reached the city and surroundings, pushed down the temperatures to highs of 10°C and lows of 2°C, reported TELAM.

An earlier cold snap hit Argentina on July 19, 2013, said a report.

Original caption: Two girls are protected themselves from the cold with warm clothes while walking in a street in Buenos Aires City, capital of Argentina, on Aug. 23, 2013. Thursday was registered a polar wave in Buenos Aires province, where it is expected that the minimum temperature will be two degrees Celsius and maximum will be ten degrees Celsius until Monday of next week, according to local press information. (Xinhua/TELAM). More images…

War on Nature: Danube Dynamited

Serbian authorities use explosives to unblock frozen Danube

The authorities in Serbia are dynamiting the Danube and Ibar to crush massive ice blocks formed on long stretches of  the two rivers in a desperate attempt to unblock shipping lanes and prevent flooding in heavily populated areas.

The official death toll from Europe’s deep freeze has exceeded 450, with thousands more injured. Tens of thousands of people remain isolated by massive snowstorms, as more frozen bodies are found in France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Poland, Russia, Ukraine and across the Balkans.

Disaster Calendar 2012 – February 8

[February 8, 2012]  Mass die-offs resulting from human impact and the planetary response to the anthropogenic assault could occur by early 2016.  SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,498 Days Left to the ‘Worst Day’ in Human History

• Europe.The big freeze which began 11 days ago has affected the entire continent, leaving at least 450 dead [NOTE: the actual death toll could be much higher] and thousands afflicted with hypothermia and frostbite.
  • More frozen bodies have been found in the Czech Republic, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Poland, Russia, Ukraine and across the Balkans.
  • Temperatures in some areas plunged to as low as -40ºC (minus 40ºF).
  • The authorities in Serbia are dynamiting massive ice blocks formed on the Danube and Ibar rivers to unblock shipping lanes and prevent flooding in heavily populated areas.
  • The severe cold has increased demand for oil and natural gas in Europe, a third of which is supplied by Russia.
  • About 500 hundred villages in southern Croatia are buried under up to 6 f3et of snow, without access to food and medicine.
  • The freeze is expected to continue.

Other Global Disasters

• Philippines. Death toll from the strong quakes that struck Negros on Monday has risen to at least 48 with more than 100 reported as missing, a report said.
  • Most of the deaths occurred in Guihulngan City, and in the towns of La Libertad, Tayasan, Jumalalud and Bindoy.
  • At least 52 people were injured, according to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council.

Significant Incidents

• Sado Fukin, Japan. A 5.7Mw quake struck about 75km west of the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa Nuclear Power Plant in Niigata Prefecture, Japan
  • Region Name: Sado Fukin (W of Niigata, Honshu, Japan)
  • Occurred at: 21:01 JST 08 Feb 2012
  • Epicenter: 37.9N 138.2E
  • Depth: 10 km
  • The quake was followed by at least one aftershock measuring 3.1Mw, as of posting. (Source: JMA)

Sado Fukin Earthquake Map. Source: JMA

Global Disasters: Links, Forecasts and Background

• The First Wave of World’s Collapsing Cities
• Back to the Primordial Future
• Mass Die-offs

• 2010 Disasters [Links to 2010 Disaster Calendar]
• Mega Disasters
• 2011 Disaster Calendar

• Europe’s Big Freeze Deepens: Hundreds Dead
• Deadly Freeze: Bosnia Declares a State of Emergency
• State of Emergency Declared in S. Bulgaria after Severe Flooding
• Japan’s War on Nature Continues

• Painting the Danube Alkaline Red
• Hungarian Rhapsody in Red Major
• The Death of Homo Sapiens Sapiens (Part 1)

State of Emergency Declared in S. Bulgaria after Severe Flooding

Dam in southern Bulgaria collapses leaving at least 20 dead or missing 

The civil defense authorities have declared a state of emergency in southern Bulgaria after the dam on the Ivanovo Reservoir collapsed sending a 3-meter (9 ft) surge of water to the nearby village of Bisser near the Greek border, leaving at least 20 people dead or missing and hundreds of homes inundated.

Disaster Calendar 2012 – February 7

[February 7, 2012]  Mass die-offs resulting from human impact and the planetary response to the anthropogenic assault could occur by early 2016.  SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,499 Days Left to the ‘Worst Day’ in Human History

• Bulgaria.  A state of emergency has been declare in much of southern Bulgaria after the dam on the Ivanovo Reservoir collapsed sending a 3-meter (9 ft) surge of water to the nearby village of Bisser near the Greek border, leaving at least 20 people dead or missing and hundreds of homes inundated.
  • The collapse was caused by severe flooding from a combination of torrential rains and melting snow.
  • Two other larger dams in the region were on the brink of overflowing, threatening to inundate vast populated areas, the authorities warned.
  • Massive volumes of floodwater are also surging down Arda river, which enters Maritsa river, impacting both  the northern portion of the Evros prefecture in Greece, including Kastanies, and the western portion of Edirne in NW Turkey.

Other Global Disasters

• Serbia. As the deadly freeze in Europe continued, heavy snowfall and extremely cold temperatures prompted the Serbian government to declare a state of emergency for the entire country.
  • Up to 95 percent of all roads in the country have become impassible due to snow and ice, reports said.
  • The Arctic cold has claimed at least a dozen lives and left more than 70,000 people isolated in remote areas.

Global Disasters: Links, Forecasts and Background

• The First Wave of World’s Collapsing Cities
• Back to the Primordial Future
• Mass Die-offs

• 2010 Disasters [Links to 2010 Disaster Calendar]
• Mega Disasters
• 2011 Disaster Calendar

• Europe’s Big Freeze Deepens: Hundreds Dead

• Deadly Freeze: Bosnia Declares a State of Emergency

Arctic cold hits New England

Deadly Arctic blast from Canada freezes northern U.S.

Many Schools in Pennsylvania, upstate New York, Vermont and New Hampshire close, as temperatures dip to as low as minus 35 [with wind chill of -51ºF.]

Sub-zero temperatures have been linked to at least two deaths in New England, “including a woman whose frozen body was found in a driveway,” a report said.

NE US Temperature Map – Graphical Forecasts

US Temperature Map – Graphical Forecasts – CONUS Area

“Train equipment froze, cars sputtered, schools canceled classes and cold-weather enthusiasts stayed inside Monday as a bitter blast of below-zero temperatures with potentials for minus 50 wind chills gripped the Northeast.” Source

“Vermont’s largest electric utility says about 24-hundred customers are without power in the Leicester area on the coldest winter morning in the last two years.” Source

“Some of the cold spots in northern New England in the overnight hours included minus-33 in Victory, 32 below in Whitefield, N.H. and 28 below in Fryeburg, Maine. Greenville, Maine recorded a wind chill reading of 46 below zero.” Source