Venice Mayor Blames Climate Change As Italian City Inundated By Highest Tide In 50 Years by Dominique MosbergenHuffPost•Historic city of Venice hit by devastating floods, residents outraged
Bill Weir@BillWeirCNNThe Mayor of Venice blames climate change for tonight’s state of emergency flooding event with water just shy of the devastating record-high “aqua alta” of 1966.St Mark’s Basilica is flooded for the second time in 2 years.
Before 2018, it happened 4 times in over 900 years. https://twitter.com/luigibrugnaro/status/1194395095111491586 …
Luigi Brugnaro
✔@LuigiBrugnaro
Situazione drammatica
The city’s famed Saint Mark’s Square was deluged by more than 3 feet of water, and Saint Mark’s Basilica was flooded for only the sixth time in 1,200 years, Reuters reported.
Four of the church’s floodings have occurred in the last 20 years, the outlet reported.
CBS News
✔@CBSNews
WATCH: Shocking video shows people wading through more than 4 feet of water in Venice, Italy, during floods that left the city’s historic basilica and many of its squares underwater. https://cbsn.ws/34SK9t1
Reuters Pictures
✔@reuterspictures
Rising waters flood parts of Venice: https://reut.rs/2KhnJK9
Manuel Silvestri
Reuters
✔@Reuters
Flooding in Venice may present tourists with a photo opportunity, but for locals, it causes only problems
WEATHER/ METEO WORLD@StormchaserUKEUSignificant flooding in Venice, Italy this morning 12th November! Thanks to Kristaps. Bankis ig #severeweather #floods #extremeweather
The Guardian, citing La Stampa, said at least two people have died in the Venice floods. A man was reportedly fatally electrocuted after floodwaters rushed into his home, and the body of another man was found in his home.
Heavy rains have battered swathes of Italy in recent days, bringing flood conditions to many parts of the country. The deluge forced schools in many southern cities including Taranto and Matera to close, AFP reported.
More bad weather is expected in the coming days, meteorologists have warned.
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Deadly Arctic blast breaks records set more than 100 years ago
It was literally freezing in Florida and Alabama while parts of Maine, Michigan and New York were digging out from a foot of snow Wednesday as a historically early and deadly Arctic air mass gripped much of nation.
Records, some dating back more than 100 years, were toppled as the front continued its ferocious roll for a third day.
The entire state of Alabama was under a freeze warning as temperatures dipped into the 20s and below, breaking records at more than 100 locations. The National Weather Service in Mobile citing the „widespread, significant freeze” for Alabama and Florida’s Panhandle, urged residents to protect exposed pipes, keep pets warm and check on neighbors.
In Florida, the average low temperature for November in Pensacola is 50 degrees. It was 20 degrees colder Wednesday morning.
„30 here near Pensacola Beach,” tweeted resident Robert Pooley. „Hate it!”
Also in Florida: Red tide, the toxic algae bloom that kills wildlife, returns to gulf beaches
Record lows were recorded Wednesday morning from Birmingham, Alabama, to Burlington, Vermont. Birmingham’s low of 18 degrees bested by 4 degrees a record that stood since 1911.
New York City and Buffalo, New York, as well as parts of Ohio, have set records. In Kansas alone, at least six cities, including Wichita, set cold records for the date Tuesday.
In Missouri, St. Louis dropped to 11 degrees, breaking a record for the date that stood for more than 100 years.
It snowed in Texas just 60 miles from the Mexican border – and more intensely farther north. Parts of Michigan were digging out from up to 30 inches of snow. Buffalo set records with more than 11 inches. Parts of Maine and Vermont were hit with a foot of snow as the system roared into its third day.
“Visibility dropped as low as one-fourth of a mile at times … as heavy lake-effect snow squalls continued moving through northeastern Ohio,” AccuWeather Meteorologist Derek Witt said.
In Michigan, the Eaton County Sheriff’s Office said two women, ages 81 and 64, and a 57-year-old man were killed Monday in a two-vehicle crash on snowy, icy roads. In Kansas, the Highway Patrol said an 8-year-old girl died in a three-vehicle wreck.
Authorities in Ohio were investigating two fatal wrecks on snowy roads, and a passenger bus toppled on its side in Syracuse, New York, although no serious injuries were reported.
How often should you start my car in cold weather? Answer: Don’t
Record-challenging low temperatures were everywhere. Single-digit temperatures descended on much of the Midwest, where Detroit sank to 7 degrees, breaking a record of 12 degrees for the day.
Cristen Hamilton, who lives in Chicago’s northside neighborhood of Lakeview, had no problems with the early winter weather.
“I’m a transplant from Northern California, so I think it’s fantastic,” she said. „I’m very happy with Chicago at 20 degrees.”
Drastically colder than normal temperatures stretched all the way to the Atlantic Coast. Temperatures dipped into the low 20s in Atlanta and in Jackson, Mississippi. Similar numbers swept across the East Coast – New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Washington, D.C.
Many of these cities often see temperatures that low, just not very often two weeks before Thanksgiving, said AccuWeather meteorologist Tyler Roys.
„We will be challenging records everywhere,” he said.
Contributing: Grace Hauck, USA TODAY; The Associated Press
‘Brutal’ Arctic blast affecting 200 million people: And it isn’t over yet
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Arctic blast leaves at least 4 dead; Florida drops below freezing
How the cold affects the U.S. tornado forecast
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| Aerial image shot by a drone shows a Home Depot store in Dallas, Texas, that was obliterated after a destructive nocturnal tornado ripped through the area on Sunday, Oct. 20, 2019. (SevereStudios / John Humphress) |
A cold snap brought jarring temperature swings to as many as 200 million Americans accustomed to higher temperatures at this time of year. AccuWeather RealFeel® Temperatures plunged as many as 60 degrees in just 24 hours in some cities.
The Arctic outbreak is not expected to be long-lived, according to AccuWeather meteorologists, with a storm in the Gulf of Mexico expected to help usher in milder air across the Southeast late in the week.
Aside from the temperature swings, the cold weather also has thrown a blanket on tornado activity so far in November.
„The cold front stabilized things in the first half of November,” said AccuWeather Lead Long-Range Meteorologist Paul Pastelok. „That has kept the tornado count down. You don’t have the energy level of typical autumn storm systems, accompanied by warm and humid conditions, to produce tornado activity.
„You could still get some isolated severe weather in the lower Appalachians from any one of these fronts that are coming up in the next week or two,” Pastelok said. „But it’s balancing out, because October came up a little bit on the severity of tornadoes, but November is going to be down a little bit because of this colder push.”
AccuWeather’s 2019 forecast released in February accurately pinpointed the areas to be hit hardest this year, with a higher frequency of severe weather risks in the traditional Tornado Alley — notably Oklahoma, Kansas and parts of Texas — than they had experienced on average the previous three years.
So far this year, Texas, with 188 tornadoes, has experienced the most of any state in the U.S., according to preliminary, unconfirmed data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Kansas is second with 127, while Oklahoma is third with 98.
NOAA’s preliminary reports show there have been 1,587 tornadoes in 2019, but that total is not a confirmed final number. The inflation-adjusted annual tornado running total – which attempts to remove overcount by multiplying the preliminary total by 0.85 – is 1,349, according to NOAA.
NOAA’s preliminary reports show there have been 1,587 tornadoes in 2019, but that total is not a confirmed final number. The inflation-adjusted annual tornado running total – which attempts to remove overcount by multiplying the preliminary total by 0.85 – is 1,349, according to NOAA.
There were 1,124 tornadoes in 2018, and the 25-year average is 1,199 tornadoes a year, according to NOAA’s Storm Prediction Center. AccuWeather’s forecast for 2019 estimated an increase of roughly 20 percent over the 25-year average.
„Tornado activity could linger into early December,” Pastelok said. „You don’t really get much in December, it’s typically very isolated activity. Maybe isolated tornadoes can eye Florida, but it’s not really considered a busy month.”
Download the free AccuWeather app to get the exact temperatures forecast for your area. Keep checking back on AccuWeather.com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather Network on DirecTV, Frontier and Verizon Fios.
US weather: Snowstorm causes 50-car pileup as America prepares for Arctic blast
More than 50 cars crashed on a strip of Ohio freeway in the middle of a snowstorm as the US braces for severe weather and hundreds of record-breaking, below-freezing temperatures overnight.
Whiteout conditions across the northeast and midwest caused several accidents, some deadly, as an Arctic blast of frigid weather moves eastward. Many roads and schools have closed and thousands of flights were cancelled or delayed as millions of Americans prepare for an early winter blast of Arctic air.
The 50-car pileup sent several people to area hospitals. Two people were seriously injured.
Ohio Dept of Transportation
✔@ODOT_Statewide
SUMMIT CO: Whiteout conditions on SR 8 near Barlow Rd north of Akron have caused a multi-vehicle crash. Avoid the area and check http://OHGO.com for updates.
On Monday, three people were killed in a two-vehicle crash in Michigan that local police attribute to heavy snow in the area. In Kansas, a truck lost control on an icy highway and crashed head-on into another truck, killing an 8-year-old girl in the other vehicle.
At Chicago‘s O’Hare International Airport, a plane landing from Greensboro, North Carolina slid off an icy runway as it tried to land. None of the 38 passengers were injured.
On Tuesday morning, a New York City-bound bus flipped on its side on a snowy stretch of highway near Syracuse. Seven people had minor injuries.
Freezing weather will move from the central plains and midwest overnight, bringing below-normal temperatures and icy conditions across the central and eastern US and ice warnings from as far south as the Texas and Louisiana coasts, to the Carolinas and Virginias, and up to New York and northern Maine, according to the National Weather Service, which is calling the event a „widespread record cold”.
Overnight, temperatures are expected to drop as much as 15 to 20 degrees lower than normal for the time of year. In some areas, temperatures already dropped as much as 30C within 24 hours earlier this week.
More than 300 areas across the US could see record-breaking low temperatures, including coastal Louisiana, parts of which are under hard-freeze warnings with a forecast of -4C, and in Michigan, where 100-year-old records of low temperatures are likely to break in several cities overnight, with single-digit temperatures expected early Wednesday morning.
In Pensacola, Florida, a record low of -1C from 1911 is forecast to break as temperatures dip under -5C.
The mass of unusually cold air moving from Siberia — a phenomenon called „Siberian Express” — is expected to last until Wednesday night.
The National Weather Service anticipates temperatures will begin to warm on Thursday once the system moves offshore from the East Coast.
Cold snap may be your signal to get new tires for winter
DETROIT (AP) — With the eastern two-thirds of the U.S. shivering through an early blast of arctic air, it’s time to start thinking about whether your car’s tires will get you safely through the winter.
Italian tiremaker Pirelli last week started a campaign telling people that winter tires aren’t just for climates with frequent ice and snow. The company says that’s because winter tires work far better than all-season tires in areas where temperatures regularly drop below 44 degrees Fahrenheit (6.7 degrees Celsius), whether the pavement is wet or dry.
The reason, according to Pirelli, is that the rubber compound of winter tires is designed to stay soft below 44 degrees, improving the ability to grip the road, shortening stopping distances and handling better.
Experts say it is generally true that cars with winter tires stop and steer better in the cold. But many all-season tires now can stay pliable in freezing temperatures and will work well for drivers even in cold climates. Plus, when the mercury fluctuates back to warmer temperatures, all-season tires likely will perform better than winter tires.
Ian Coke, chief technical officer for Pirelli North America, said the need for winter tires depends on how long it stays below 44 and whether it’s that cold when you’re driving. As temperatures drop to 44 or lower, non-winter tires will get stiffer, cutting tread traction and increasing stopping distance, Coke said.
“The tires are the only four points of the car that touch the road,” he said. “It’s a safety critical item. We want to make people aware of how to get the best out of their tires.”
Winter tires, he said, make your car safer not just for you, but for other drivers and pedestrians who may be along the road.
In about two-thirds of the U.S., the temperature drops to 44 degrees or below at least 130 days per year, according to data from Brian Brettschneider, a research associate at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. States normally known for moderate climates including northern sections of Georgia, South Carolina and Alabama, much of California, and parts of southern Arizona see 44 degree lows from 130 to 170 days annually. Parts of the Florida panhandle get at least 90 days per year with 44 degree or lower temperatures, according to a map that Brettschneider created based on the data.
Coke said winter tires aren’t needed in areas where the temperature dips below 44 for a short time but warms up rapidly. Yet he says they are critical when the temperature is below 44 for longer periods, like during an entire commute.
European tiremakers have portrayed temperatures in the low 40s Fahrenheit (4 to 7 degrees Celsius) as a “hard line” where winter tires are a must, but with some all-season tires, that’s not necessarily correct, said Woody Rogers, director of tire product information for Tire Rack, an online tire store in South Bend, Indiana, that does tire testing. “I think in reality, in practicality, it’s more a gray area transition than a hard line,” Rogers said.
Some all-season tires can get stiff when it gets cold, but many can grab the road well into the 30s (4 above to 1 below zero Celsius), he said. “All all-season tires are not created equal,” said Rogers.
Some tiremakers have created another category of tire called all-weather, and they’ve been able to stamp on the sidewalls a symbol with a snowflake and three mountain peaks indicating the tires work well in winter. To use that symbol, tiremakers have to meet an industry standard of performing at least 10% better than a reference tire, Rogers said. But he said many winter tires outperform the reference tire by 25% to 30%.
“For sure, winter tires do provide a commanding advantage on snow and ice,” said Gene Petersen, tire program manager for Consumer Reports.
On its test track in Connecticut, Consumer Reports compared about a half-dozen all-season tires to winter tires from the same brand. In cold, dry conditions, all-season tires had a shorter stopping distance than winter tires, Petersen said. But Petersen said the surface on Consumer Reports’ track is easier for tires to grip than normal pavement.
The decision on winter tires comes down to how often you have to drive in snow and ice, Petersen says. “It’s not necessarily a clear decision, but it’s a decision you have to make on how you might drive, how often you drive in snow, whether you have the type of job that you can stay home in bad weather,” he said.
Winter tires for a Toyota RAV4, a top-selling small SUV, run from about $125 to $162 each at Tire Rack. All-season tires are cheaper, starting as low as $96.
Experts say to determine if your tires have enough tread depth for winter, stick a quarter into the grooves at several spots with George Washington’s head upside down. If you can see the top of Washington’s hair, you have 4/32 of an inch (3.2 millimeters) of tread, or less. That means it’s about time to replace your tires.
Why better days are ahead for the Corn Belt
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| A combine loads soybeans into a grain truck in rural Blair, Neb., Thursday, Oct. 17, 2019. (AP Photo/Nati Harnik) |
Some good news for farmers who have battled flooding and rain so much of this season: Things are about to get better.
The fresh snow cover of 2-6 inches over much of the central and eastern portions of the Corn Belt from earlier in the week will take two to three days to melt, causing some delays in the harvest. An exception will be the Lower Peninsula of Michigan where it will take until the weekend for most of the 6- to 10-inch snowfall to melt, according to AccuWeather meteorologists.
Corn and soybean crops throughout the Midwest are now fully mature and are safe from being impacted by the record early-season cold snap.
AccuWeather meteorologists are forecasting dry weather for much of the rest of this week across the Midwest, which will favor the corn and soybean harvest.
And the latter half of November is expected to bring near- to above-normal temperatures to the Midwest, with precipitation near to slightly above normal, according to AccuWeather meteorologists.
The latest Crop Progress report issued by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) on Tuesday showed corn harvested is still well off pace compared to the 2014-18 average for 18 key corn-producing states. The silver lining is that it’s the first time in eight weeks that the numbers have improved; corn harvested is at 66% compared to the five-year average of 85%. Last week, it was at 52% compared to the five-year average of 75%.
North Dakota (15%), Wisconsin (30%), Michigan (33%) and South Dakota (39%) continue to struggle, but they’re the only ones of the 18 states that are below 63% of corn harvested.
Soybeans harvested have almost caught up to the five-year average, with the latest USDA figures putting the 2019 total at 85% compared to the 2014-18 average of 92%. North Carolina (54%) is the only state where fewer than 70% of soybeans have been harvested.
AccuWeather analysts continue to estimate the national corn yield will be 13.432 billion bushels. The latest figures released in the USDA’s World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates (WASDE) saw the U.S. corn yield estimate continue to lower closer to AccuWeather’s estimate, this time falling to 13.661 billion bushels. That’s down from the October estimate of 13.779 billion bushels, and is a 9.1% falloff from the initial estimate of 15.03 billion bushels made in May.
The WASDE report lowered the yield per acre harvested from 168.4 bushels per acre in October to 167 bushels per acre in November. That figure would be the lowest corn yield per acre since 2013 (158.1).
AccuWeather estimates the soybean yield will be 3.572 billion bushels. The WASDE’s estimated soybean yield remained the same at 3.550 billion bushels. That’s a 14.4% drop from the estimate of 4.150 billion bushels made five months ago. The soybean yield hasn’t been that low for a season since 2013, when it was 3.357 billion bushels.
Download the free AccuWeather app to get the exact temperatures forecast for your area. Keep checking back on AccuWeather.com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather Network on DirecTV, Frontier and Verizon Fios.
Chilean Flamingos Go For A Walk in the Snow at Lincoln Park Zoo
The cold never bothered these flamingos anyway.
As thousands of Chicago residents are hunkering down amid a recent arctic blast that brought a record amount of snow to the city, the flamingos at the Lincoln Park Zoo make going out in the harsh conditions seems like a walk in the park (literally).
A video posted on the zoo’s Facebook page show the flamingos taking on the elements.
As the scene looks like something out of a movie, it’s worth noting that this specific breed of flamingos is accustomed to being outside in lower temperatures of the Chilean Andes. According to the Pan American Health Organization, average winter temperatures in the Andes are less than 52 degrees Fahrenheit.
Still, being out in the wintertime in the Midwest isn’t incredibly comfortable for anyone, least of all rare birds.
While the flamingos occasionally like to roam in the cold during the day, the Lincoln Park Zoo wrote on Facebook that they always sleep indoors if the temperatures fall below 35 degrees Fahrenheit. They also have the choice to stay inside during the day.
Of course, who can resist a walk in fresh snow?
