U.S. Northeast Entombed in Ice

Deep freeze plagues U.S. northeast

A bitterly cold airmass has invaded the eastern U.S this weekend bringing the coldest temperatures of the season. Gusty winds will combine with these cold temperatures to create dangerous wind chills well below zero in many parts of the Northeast. Meanwhile, a developing storm in the Plains will bring wintry precipitation to the Midwest and Ohio Valley on Sunday. —NWS

“Life-threatening” freeze has gripped the NE U.S., with Wind Chill Warnings, and Wind Chill Advisories issued for more than a dozen states extending from North Carolina to Maine.

Meanwhile, a blizzard contributed to a 50-plus-vehicle pileup on a Pennsylvania highway, causing multiple fatalities.

Deep freeze from the Great Lakes to New England

Forecasters say multiple record low temps could be set this weekend, with the coldest weather of this winter impacting a vast region from the Great Lakes to New England.

Arctic air will be the big story across the northeastern U.S. through Sunday night. An eddy of the polar vortex over southeastern Canada, along with strong cold air advection, is bringing the coldest weather of this winter season from the Great Lakes to New England. Wind chill warnings and advisories are in effect for these areas, along with some record low temperatures. Actual temperatures will be frigid with highs in the single digits and teens, and subzero lows across much of upstate New York and New England. It will also be quite cold from the Ohio Valley to the Mid-Atlantic region.

Halloween Storm Forces Thousands of Evacuations

Trick-or-treat storms batter a vast region in the U.S.

Heavy rain and high winds forced dozens of U.S. cities and towns into cancelling Halloween activities on Thursday, battering a vast region from the Gulf of Mexico to the Great Lakes.

“The cities of Indianapolis and Muncie, Indiana, postponed trick-or-treating, local officials said. Toledo and at least 30 cities in Central Ohio put it off until Friday or as late as Sunday, according to the Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission’s website,” said a report.

The storm system, aided by the remnants of Hurricane Raymond, which dissipated over the Pacific on Tuesday, dumped as much as 15 inches of rain over Austin area, killing at least two people, and forcing some 1,000 residences to evacuate due to flooding.

“For certain areas, it looks like this will be in their Top 10 [flood events] of all time,” said a meteorologist at the National Weather Service Austin-San Antonio office.

Dissolving Detroit!

DISASTER CALENDAR SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,197 Days Left 

[December 1, 2012] Mass die-offs resulting from human impact and the planetary response to the anthropogenic assault could occur by early 2016.

• SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,197 Days Left to the most Fateful Day in Human History
• Symbolic countdown to the ‘worst day’ in human history began on May 15, 2011 ...

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Global Disasters/ Significant Events

Lawmakers consider dissolving Detroit as bankruptcy looms

With the city of 700,000 residents set to go bankrupt by mid-December, several lawmakers have suggested dissolving Michigan’s largest city and merge it with neighboring Wayne County, said a report.

• “If we have to, that is one idea we have to look at,” State Senator Rick Jones has told a CBS News affiliate. “We really have to look at everything that is on the table. Again, if this goes to federal bankruptcy, every employee down there will suffer, the city will suffer and the vultures will come in and take the jewels of Detroit and they will be gone.”

• Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder has said he wouldn’t count any option out.

Great Lakes: Lake Michigan water nearing record low

The ongoing drought has reduced the water level in Lake Michigan to less than two inches of its December record low set about half a century ago [576.18 feet set in 1964,] said a  the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

• “There is a good chance of setting record lows. We’ve been falling below average for over a decade due to lean winter snowfalls.”  Chief Hydrologist for the Corps said.
  • “The water level of Lake Michigan‐Huron is forecasted to be near December’s record low water level of 576.2 feet, set in 1964, and then set new record lows for the months of January through March,” said a report by the Corps.

• “Water levels naturally fluctuate and have been at low levels for 10 years. But this year of extreme high water temperatures increased evaporation rapidly and that helped draw down water levels,” said a researcher at NOAA.

• Great Lakes, the largest group of freshwater lakes on Earth, comprise a collection of 5 freshwater lakes—Michigan, Huron, Erie, Superior and Ontario—contain 23% of the world’s surface fresh water and 84 percent of the supply in North America. [Great lakes have a total volume of  about 22,700 km³  of water with a combined surface area of about 244,100 km^{2  measured at low-water datum}.]

Global Disasters: Links, Forecasts and Background

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

• 2010 Disasters [Links to 2010 Disaster Calendar]
• Mega Disasters
• 2011 Disaster Calendar
• 2012 Disaster Calendar

GLOBAL WARNING

• WARNING: Human impact 2.85 x Earth’s diminishing carrying capacity
• WARNING: RAPID DECLINE IN PROGRESS!
• Europe: The First Phase of Collapse Has Started 
• United States: The First Phase of Collapse Has Begun

Drought Disaster Declared in Half of Thailand

Planetary Denial of Service (P-DoS)

Thailand declares drought disaster in 32 of its 76 provinces

At least 32 provinces in Thailand, about half the country, have been declared drought disaster areas, according to the country’s Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Department.

Disaster Calendar 2012 – March 27

[March 27, 2012]  Mass die-offs resulting from human impact and the planetary response to the anthropogenic assault could occur by early 2016.  SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,450 Days Left to the ‘Worst Day’ in Human History

• Thailand.   At least 32 of Thailand’s 76 provinces have been declared drought disaster areas, according to the country’s Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Department.
  • Drought has affected millions of people throughout the agricultural sector.  In three northeastern provinces of Buriram, Chaiyabhumi and Nakorn Ratchasima alone, at least half a million people have been affected, requiring water rations, reports said.

Other Global Disasters, Significant Events

• Idaho, USA.  The city of Moscow in Idaho has declared a disaster emergency following weeks of torrential rains and extensive flooding, a report said.
  • City officials have warned residents to immediately go to higher ground if rising water threatens their safety.
• Great Lakes, Ohio Valley and Mid-Atlantic States.  NWS has issued Freeze Warnings for Great Lakes, Ohio Valley and Mid-Atlantic States:
  • “After an extended period of record-breaking warmth across the central and eastern United States, high pressure will usher in colder air into the Great Lakes, Ohio Valley and Mid-Atlantic regions tonight. Low temperatures are forecast to range from the lower 20s to the lower 30s at several locations. With an early growing season already in progress, any vegetation susceptible to freezing temperatures over an extended period of time may be at risk to severe damage. In addition, pets should be brought indoors during the overnight.”

• Colorado, USA. A fast-moving wildfire in the mountains southwest of Denver has consumed at least 3,000 acres, leaving 1 person dead, destroying dozens of structures and forcing thousands of residents in and around Conifer (Jefferson County) to abandon their homes.
  • “The fire is the largest of about a dozen that burned from the northeast plains to the southern part of the state, and scorched four-and-half square miles in only a few hours,” said a report.

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
• 2012 Disaster Calendar:  Collapse has already Begun

Massive ecosystem collapses occurring in Great Lakes

‘Feast and Famine in the Great Lakes’

Lake Erie experiencing the worst toxic algal bloom in recorded history

Algae in Maumee Bay (Photo: S. Bihn, Lake Erie Waterkeeper)

“Nutrient-rich runoff from farms is growing a huge crop of algae along the lakes’ coasts, but those nutrients aren’t making it out to the water in the middle of the lakes. Quagga mussels are consuming almost all of it, leaving nothing left in the water for fish to eat.” NWF

READ THIS FIRST

Continued hacking and content censorship

In view of the continued hacking and censorship of this blog by the Internet Mafia, the Moderators have decided to maintain only a minimum presence at this site, until further notice.

FIRE-EARTH will continue to update the 2011 Disaster Calendar for the benefit of its readers.

WordPress is HACKING this blog!

WordPress Continues to Hack Fire-Earth, Affiliated Blogs

The Blog Moderators Condemn in the Strongest Possible Terms the Continued Removal of Content and Hacking of FIRE-EARTH and Affiliated Blogs by WordPress!

United States of Censorship

Even Twitter Counters are disabled when Blog posts criticize Obama, or contain “forbidden phrases.”  See also: Google’s Top 10 List of ‘Holy Cows’

Disaster Calendar 2011 – October 5

[October 5, 2011]  Mass die-offs resulting from human impact and the planetary response to the anthropogenic assault could occur by early 2016.  SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,624 Days Left to the ‘Worst Day’ in Human History

• North America. The Great Lakes comprise of 5 freshwater lakes located on the United States border with Canada.  Lakes Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie, and Ontario form the largest collection of freshwater lakes on Earth by surface area, and the second by volume. The lakes hold more than a fifth of the world’s surface fresh water [~22,600 km³.]
• Tens of millions of people in the region including all of Chicago’s three million residents, and many others in the neighboring towns and suburbs, rely on Great Lakes water for life.
• Great Lakes coasts are being clogged by massive carpets of algal blooms, some as large as 1 meter thick and 20 km wide, fed by rich nutrients from farm run-off, while invasive mussels are consuming the food chain inside the lake, starving the fish.
• “Too much food is causing massive algal blooms in Lake Erie and other coastal systems, while too little food is making fish starve in Lake Huron’s offshore waters,” according to a report by the National Wildlife Federation.
• “Nutrient-rich runoff from farms is growing a huge crop of algae along the lakes’ coasts, but those nutrients aren’t making it out to the water in the middle of the lakes. Quagga mussels are consuming almost all of it, leaving nothing left in the water for fish to eat.”
• The feast-and-famine crises are plaguing the Lakes,  the report said, causing collapse of the food chain, declines in fish populations including lake whitefish and salmon, “and resurgence of toxic algae blooms and the Lake Erie ‘Dead Zone.’”
• Feast and Famine in the Great Lakes: How Nutrients and Invasive Species Interact to Overwhelm the Coasts and Starve Offshore Waters (pdf), details the links between massive algal blooms in Lake Erie which poses  serious  health threat to people and wildlife and a 95 percent decline in fish biomass in Lake Huron. Some of the report findings on how excessive nutrients are overwhelming coastal areas are listed below:
• This summer Lake Erie experienced the worst toxic algal bloom in recorded history
• The bloom, involving the toxic alga Microcystis, at one point extended across almost the entire western basin and into the central basin, and in some places was up to 2 feet thick.
• The toxic algae can sicken or even kill people. A toxin from the algae was measured in this summer’s bloom at 1,000 times the World Health Organization guidelines for drinking water.
• Algal blooms are significant, although so far less severe, in Saginaw Bay (Michigan), Green Bay (Wisconsin), and along the Lake Michigan coastline, among other areas, and federal agencies rate nearshore areas in all lakes but Lake Superior as “poor” for nutrient phosphorus concentrations.
• The report also documents how invasive zebra and quagga mussels have consumed much of the food in the offshore waters of the lakes, causing fish to starve:
• The biomass of prey fish (which are fed upon by predators such as salmon) in the open waters of Lake Huron has declined by 95 percent in just 15 years.
• The populations of the tiny freshwater shrimp at the base of the Great Lakes food web, Diporeia, have declined in Lake Michigan by 94 percent in 10 years.

Related Links

• 2011 Disaster Calendar – September
• 2011 Much More Disastrous: FIRE-EARTH Forecast
• Global Disasters in 2011 Could Impact 1/3 to 1/2 of the Human Population  (FIRE-EARTH Forecast)
• Back to the Primordial Future
• Mass Die-offs  (FIRE-EARTH Forecast)

• The First Wave of World’s Collapsing Cities  (EDRO Forecast)
• 2011 Disaster Calendar – August
• 2010 Disaster Calendar 
• 2011 Disaster Calendar

State of Emergency in Oklahoma, S. Dakota, Texas

Raging blizzard hits the lower plains

State of Emergency declared in Oklahoma, S. Dakota and Texas after winter storm kills dozens of people

“The storm is spanning two thirds of the country.  Its effects run the gamut from severe thunderstorms in the Gulf Coast to ice in New England to really what is a raging blizzard in the lower plains.” The National Weather Service said.

Highlights of Storm Related Events:

• Oklahoma’s governor Brad Henry declares state of emergency, closes all state highways and interstates.
• As many as 3 dozen people have been killed in accidents in the Midwest.
• About 50 vehicles pile up in chain-reaction crash in Oklahoma.
• About a dozen states in the Midwest are under blizzard warnings.
• Heavy snow forced the cancellation of at least 80 flights in Oklahoma Thursday, trapping hundreds of passengers and employees at Oklahoma’s main  airport.

• About 10,000 customers lost power in Oklahoma.
• Oklahoma City received  35cm (14in) of snow by Thursday night, nearly 6 times the record  of 6cm (2.5in) set in 1914.
• 80kph (50mph) winds pummeled Kansas

• 105 kph (65mph) helped bury parts of Texas in 1.5m (5ft) snow drifts.
• Blizzard warnings stretch from Texas to northern Minnesota.
• The real misery will commence after the snowmelt will cause large scale flooding in the south and the north-east.

Near Real-Time U.S. Composite Satellite Image.  Click image to enlarge.

National Weather service reported:

A powerful weather system pushing through the central U.S. will continue to significantly impact travel plans during this holiday season…
The north-central states can expect some of the heavier snowfall, occasionally accompanied by blizzard-like conditions as cold and windy conditions will spread through the region. Even places as far south as Oklahoma and northern Texas have seen snowfall totals in excess of a foot. The swath of precipitation will move toward the north and east, spreading a mixture of rain and snow to much of the Great Lakes by midday on Christmas. For more details, check the web site of the local Weather Forecast Office. Details…

Hazards. Click Image to enlarge and update. (24-Hr FE ED).

Snow Accumulation.   Click Image to enlarge and update. (24-Hr FE ED).

Weather Forecast.  Click Image to enlarge and update. (24-Hr FE ED).

Predominant Weather. Click Image to enlarge and update. (24-Hr FE ED).

IR Satellite Image. Click Image to enlarge and update. (24-Hr FE ED).

Water Vapor Satellite Image. Click Image to enlarge and update. (24-Hr FE ED).

Max Temps. Click Image to enlarge and update. (24-Hr FE ED).

Min Temps. Click Image to enlarge and update. (24-Hr FE ED).

Temp – Real Time Mesoscale Analysis. Click Image to enlarge and update. (24-Hr FE ED).

6-Hr Precipitation amount.  (24-Hr FE ED). Click Image to enlarge and update.

12-Hr Probability Precipitation (%).   Click Image to enlarge and update. (24-Hr FE ED).

Wind Speed.  Click Image to enlarge and update. (24hr- FE ED).

Wind Gusts.  Click Image to enlarge and update. (24hr- FE ED)

Sky Cover. Click Image to enlarge and update. (24hr- FE ED)

Related Links:

• ‘Humongous’ storm spreads across the US
• Winter Officially Starts Today!
• You Don’t Bring A Gun To A Snowball Fight!

Deadly Winter Storm Paralyzes United States

At least 17 people were killed as heavy snow and fierce winds swept the US

A massive winter storm swept across the United States burying vast swaths of land across the country under deadly snow and ice.

Madison, Wisconsin has experienced the greatest snowfall so far in the Midwest (December 9, 2009), with 19 inches.  Photo: Andy Manis/Getty Images. Image may be subject to copyright.

Official reports:

• 7 inches of snow fell in NE Pennsylvania
• 16 inches of snow in Des Moines
• 19 inches south of Madison, Wisconsin
• 50mph gusts  created  15 feet high snow drifts

• The deadly storm has killed at least 17 people, most of them in traffic accidents
• Thousands of flights canceled
• Thousands of residences from Missouri to New York left without power
• Hundreds of schools closed
• Pittsburgh hit by 50-mph winds causing damage to some buildings

A severe winter storm blustered its way across the United States on December 7 and 8, 2009. The storm dumped heavy snow from California to the Great Plains, and fierce winds added to the hazardous conditions. The storm was predicted to continue eastward in midweek, and blizzard warnings were in effect for Great Lakes states as of December 9.

This image shows the blanket of snow laid down by the storm across the West, along with the thick swirl of storm clouds over the Great Plains from North Dakota to Oklahoma. The image is made from a combination of images captured by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) sensors on NASA’s Terra (most of the left side of the image) and Aqua (most of the right side) satellites on December 8. NASA Earth Observatory image by Jesse Allen, based on individual images from the MODIS Rapid Response Team. Caption by Rebecca Lindsey.

Related Links:

• Drought and Deluge: Major Mechanisms Of Collapse
• Recent Climate-Related Disasters
• UK Flooding
• Nature’s ‘Deselection’ Engine Revving Up!
• Deadly Weather in Your Area?
• Murphy’s law has no time vector!