How does that compare with other Augusts in Moscow?

The coldest August on record, with an average daily air temperature of 12°C, and an anomaly of -4 degrees, was back in 1884. That August turned out to be colder than May, and in the second half of the month the maximum air temperature did not exceed 19°C.

Putting that more clearly, this August so far is running 5 degrees below normal, while the coldest August on record, back in 1884, ran only 4 degrees below normal.

The beginning of August in Moscow has been characterized by unusual weather in terms not only of  cold, but also of rainfall and sunshine. Precipitation has already almost fulfilled the norm for the entire month.

The most abundant August rains came in 2016, with rainfall of 167.1 mm (217% of the norm). For the month, 19 days saw rainfalls of various intensity. August 15, 2016 saw 88 mm of rainfall in one day.

As to sunlight, the year 2001 was marked by the least sunlight in the current century. The sun appeared in the sky for only 181 hours, while the norm is 238 hours.

“Everything indicates an unusual last month of summer!”

http://www.hmn.ru/index.php?index=1&ts=190808110654

Thanks to Martin Siebert for this link

“This site has Very important data to analyze a climatic variation of a region,” says Martin.

Source: https://www.iceagenow.info/moscow-possibly-on-track-for-coldest-august-on-record/

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(Photo: Alexander Gerst/ESA/NASA via AP)

Even before Hurricane Florence made landfall somewhere near the border of North and South Carolina, predicted damage from potentially catastrophic flooding from the storm was already being blamed on global warming.

Writing for NBC News, Kristina Dahl contended, “With each new storm, we are forced to question whether this is our new, climate change-fueled reality, and to ask ourselves what we can do to minimize the toll from supercharged storms.”

The theory is that tropical cyclones have slowed down in their speed by about 10 percent over the past 70 years due to a retreat of the jet stream farther north, depriving storms of steering currents and making them stall and keep raining in one location. This is what happened with Hurricane Harvey in Houston last year.

But like most claims regarding global warming, the real effect is small, probably temporary, and most likely due to natural weather patterns. Any changes in hurricanes over 70 years, even if real, can easily be part of natural cycles — or incomplete data. Coastal lake sediments along the Gulf of Mexico shoreline from 1,000 to 2,000 years ago suggest more frequent and intense hurricanes than occur today. Why? No one knows.

Unusual things happen in nature sometimes

The Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1635 experienced a Category 3 or 4 storm, with up to a 20-foot storm surge. While such a storm does not happen in New England anymore, it happened again there in 1675, with elderly eyewitnesses comparing it to the 1635 storm.

Until 2017, the United States went 11 years without a major hurricane strike — something that is statistically very improbable. Nine years into that 11-year hurricane drought, a NASA scientist computed it as a 1-in-177-year event.

My point is that nature varies, and unusual things happen sometimes.

More: Is Trump some semi-God who conjured extreme weather?

Uncontrolled climate change could result in disaster for our kids. Will we do something?

We’re keeping our Paris climate change commitments and our economies are booming: Governors

Now it’s fashionable to blame stalling hurricanes on global warming. In the case of Florence, the jet stream is indeed pushed farther north. But examination of a weather map of the atmospheric flow at an altitude of 18,000 feet shows the jet stream is pushed farther south over western North America. This kind of natural variation in atmospheric flow is called weather, not climate change. It’s just a roll of the dice. Hurricane-steering currents are subject to whatever the weather happens to be when they arrive at the U.S. coast.

No one should dismiss or minimize the damage that Florence will likely do. Hurricanes can be deadly. I completely agree with Ms. Dahl’s NBC News piece that “right now, ournumber one priority has to be ensuring the safety of those in Florence’s evolving path, as well as the first responders helping them.”

The cost of storms has risen, not their severity

But a major hurricane hits North Carolina on average once every 20 years or so. The last was Fran in 1996, which is 22 years ago. Coastal residents know they live under a yearly threat of hurricanes, and sometimes (though relatively rarely), one of those hurricanes will be very strong.

Well, aren’t we being told these storms are getting stronger on average? The answer is no. The 30 most costly hurricanes in U.S. history (according to federal data from January) show no increase in intensity over time. The monetary cost of damages has increased dramatically in recent decades, but that is due to increasing population, wealth and the amount of vulnerable infrastructure. It’s not due to stronger storms.

If humans have any influence on hurricanes at all, it probably won’t be evident for many decades to come. Natural variability is simply too large. This should not be surprising given that humanity’s greenhouse gas emissions have caused only a1 percent change in the natural energy flows coursing through the climate system.

Roy W. Spencer, a principal research scientist at the University of Alabama in Huntsville, is author of the Kindle e-books “Inevitable Disaster: Why Hurricanes Can’t Be Blamed on Global Warming” and “Global Warming Skepticism for Busy People.” Follow him on Twitter:@RoyWSpencer 

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It hasn’t even been that cold. Temperatures have averaged a relatively balmy 30 degrees Fahrenheit. Boiko’s frustrated because he loves shooting winter scenes that show the texture of the snow and cold.

“It’s pretty special, I think, for the way it looks and the way it feels,” he says. “It’s really specific as a mood, and the stories around it, and the way people feel about it.”

But this year Boiko feels disappointed. He’s had one winter assignment so far and found himself basically “waiting for winter.” It didn’t come. The best he got was a cold morning, but no snow.

The Moscow native is puzzled. He remembers the winters of his childhood. “I perfectly remember in the city, when they used to clean streets and there were piles of snow at the side of the street. They were higher than me, a 10-year-old boy.”

Do Russians link the lack of snow to climate change?  “You know strangely, not exactly,” says Boiko. “People see the changes and then kind of complain about it because they are not really used to small snow winters but somehow in general conversation, they don’t really connect it to global warming.”

But what a difference a day makes. One day after I spoke to Boiko he emailed me this. “Ironically we have a bit of snow here today.”

This article was originally published on PRI.org. Its content is separate from USA TODAY.

Source: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2018/01/06/u-s-freezes-russias-still-waiting-winter-start/1009980001/

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Israel on Thursday prepared to weather an approaching storm with police, rescue services, and local authorities dusting off their emergency equipment and advising residents to take extra precautions against the high winds, hail, rain and thunder expected to lash the country over the coming two days.

The stormy weather was expected to begin on Thursday evening with heavy rain and hail. By Friday the wind in some areas was predicted to reach 90 kilometers per hour (55 mph) along with thunderstorms. Flooding was expected in low-lying coastal areas and in wadis leading to the Dead Sea. By Saturday afternoon the storm was expected to ease off and Sunday was to bring warmer, calmer weather.

During the night, temperatures in Jerusalem were expected to drop to 7° C (44° F), in Tel Aviv to 12° C (54° F), in Ashdod in the south to 12° C, and in Haifa to 10° C (50° F.)

That’s significantly milder than some of the extreme weather being experienced in the US and some meteorologists said that reactions were exaggerated. Nevertheless, authorities were taking no chances.

In Tel Aviv, sand berms were built up along the beach as a precaution against predicted six meter (20 foot) waves washing on streets near the coast. The municipality has taken similar steps in recent years after a severe storm in 2010 brought waves that caused flooding.

People cross Jaffa Street, central Jerusalem, on a foggy winter day, January 2, 2018. (Miriam Alster/FLASH90)

Police said they were deploying extra units in particular on main arteries and at key junctions to assist in keeping traffic flowing. They planned to provide constant updates to media and navigation apps on traffic conditions.

Police warned they expect that many roads will  become blocked, based on previous experience. The force warned drivers to avoid flooded roads, to maintain a safe difference from other vehicles and to reduce speed. Drivers were advised to check their vehicles to make sure the tires are correctly filled with air, that wipers work correctly, and that headlight lenses were clear.

The Jerusalem municipality issued a statement instructing residents to secure loose objects that might be blown off roofs and to check that home heating systems were operating correctly and are properly ventilated. The municipality also published a Hebrew-language instruction video, based on the meme “Winter is coming” from the hit television show “Game of Thrones.”

In Tiberias, the annual marathon, which was scheduled for Friday, was delayed until Sunday, Hadashot news reported. The Israeli Nature and Parks Authority also planned to close some hiking routes.

The Education Ministry announced that it had canceled all school trips for Friday.

Magen David Adom, Israel’s largest ambulance service, said in a statement it had prepared the four-wheel drive ambulances and jeeps it has in its fleet.

The airports authority said it was preparing for possible changes in timetables and that all flights to Eilat had been diverted to Ben Gurion International Airport.

Fire and Rescue services announced they had made preparations for the approaching storm including rubber dinghies, pumps, saws, generators, and other emergency equipment.

Illustrative photo of a Magen David Adom ambulance in heavy rain. (Magen David Adom)

Snow began falling at the Mount Hermon ski site Thursday morning where temperatures have plummeted to freezing. Managers purchased some 70 tons of salt to keep approach roads open. The site, which already has some 25 centimeters of snow, was opened for visitors earlier this week.

Israel Railways cut back trees and branches that might fall on to lines and heating elements were prepared to prevent rails being damaged by the cold. Extra checks were also made on lines, the railways said. In Jerusalem and Beit Shemesh, the railway prepared salt to clear snow and heating units were put on platforms for the benefit of passengers.

The wild weather comes after what has been a relatively dry winter with limited rainfall. Last week Agriculture Minister Uri Ariel organized a mass prayer for rain at the Western Wall in Jerusalem that was attended by thousands of people. There was some rain on Sunday, which Ariel said at the time showed that sometimes prayer helps.

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Source: https://www.timesofisrael.com/israel-on-high-alert-as-winter-storm-approaches/

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Temperatures are forecast to be 20 to 30 degrees below average east of the Rockies and west of the Appalachians through Wednesday, according to the National Weather Service.

The NWS issued wind chill advisories covering a vast area from South Texas all the way to Canada and from Montana and Wyoming in the west through New England to the northern tip of Maine.

The frigid weather included record-setting low temperatures in South Dakota, according to the NWS. The mercury plunged to minus 21 in Pierre, minus 30 at Mobridge and minus 32 in Aberdeen. Aberdeen’s previous record-low temperature for New Year’s Day had stood for 99 years.

A hard freeze is forecast for parts of the southern U.S. as temperatures are expected to drop to the 20s and teens. A hard freeze warning was under effect for parts of the South that is home to about 17 million residents.

Despite the subzero temperatures, New Year’s Day festivities in many U.S. cities enduring the brutal cold went on as normal.

In Milwaukee, where the high was forecast to reach only 4 degrees on Monday, the traditional Polar Plunge into Lake Michigan happened as scheduled.

Monday was one of the four coldest New Year’s days on record in Milwaukee. The coldest high temperature was 2 degrees recorded in 1969, followed by a tie for second place between 1924 and 1974 at 3 degrees.

Before Monday’s event, Milwaukee Polar Plunge organizers warned participants that doctors suggested that they think twice about diving into icy Lake Michigan.

“Due to the extreme cold conditions expected on January 1st, 2018 it is recommended by medical professionals that you do not participate in this event,” organizers warned. “If you choose to participate, you are doing so at your own risk.”

The Penguin Plunge in Narragansett, R.I., on New Year’s Day was also still on. But officials advised would-be plungers, expected in the thousands, to “use their good judgment” when weighing go or no-go.

And in Philadelphia, Mummers Parade participants strutted their stuff for the beloved event despite concerns for the young and elderly — and even worries over brass horns freezing up.

The heads of the five Mummers divisions — string bands, fancy brigades, wench brigades, comics and fancies — voted 3-2 to play on as planned, according to the Philly Voice.

Dangerously low temperatures enveloped eight Midwest states including parts of Kansas, Missouri, Illinois and Nebraska along with nearly all of Iowa, Minnesota, South Dakota and North Dakota.

The weather service said a temperature of 15 below zero was recorded in Omaha before midnight Sunday, breaking a record low dating back to 1884, and the temperature was still dropping early New Year’s Day. That reading did not include the wind chill effect — which could hit negative 40 degrees, according to forecasters.

Omaha officials cited the forecast last week in postponing the 18th annual New Year’s Eve Fireworks Spectacular that draws around 30,000 people.

It was even colder in Des Moines early Monday at 20 below zero and wind chill dipping to 31 below zero. Des Moines city officials had closed a downtown outdoor ice skating plaza and said it won’t reopen until the city emerges from sub-zero temperatures.

In Minnesota, morning temperatures across the state ranged from -13 in the Twin Cities to -27 in Pipestone. Windchills were around -30 in the metro and down to -40 in Duluth, Rochester, Marshall and Bemidji.

In Western North Carolina, the weather caught residents and visitors by surprise, snarling traffic and canceling holiday events. The area around Asheville, N.C. saw light rain on Sunday, but it was so cold that the roads quickly became icy and dangerous.

Traffic on Interstates 26 and 40 came to a standstill for several hours Sunday after wrecks and heavy holiday traffic made it harder to treat the slick spots.

Contributing: Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, Asheville Citizen Times, and the Associated Press

Source: https://www.usatoday.com/story/weather/2018/01/01/united-states-weather-endures-bitter-cold-start-2018/994140001/

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