Today the third of Jan 2012, London is having a mad weather with crazy wind and heavy rain. I’ve captured this video from my flat over Royal Victoria Dock while I was trapped at home waiting for the weather to calm down!
A massive two-day warm-up is underway thanks to a dome of high pressure shifting eastward from the toasty Midwest. This pattern shift will provide relief from the freezing temperatures New Yorkers endured earlier in the week.
On Friday and Saturday, expect highs in the 50s — more than a dozen degrees above normal for this time of year. The coming warmth will be a mirror image of the cold start to the week, which was more than a dozen degrees below normal.
Still, for all the pattern shifts, the atmosphere is starkly lacking moisture and will continue to stay dry for the time being. A few readers reported light snow late Wednesday night across central New Jersey, but not much in the way of accumulation. It’s likely these were snow tendrils streaming southward from western New York, where places like Buffalo also reported light snow but no accumulation.
Forgetting for a moment the Halloween snowstorm, according to @nymetrowx on Twitter, if the city’s snowless streak continues through next Tuesday it will be the latest “first” winter snowfall in the record books.
Temperatures will remain a few degrees warmer than normal throughout next week, as a stable jet stream pattern constrains the atmosphere’s ability to get anything interesting going. The next storm on the horizon looks to arrive towards the end of next week, but any associated precipitation should fall entirely as rain.
When (if?) the snows do come, New Yorkers will have a new tool at their disposal to help them track exactly where plows are moving. Mayor Michael Bloomberg, in a continuing attempt to improve city handling of weather calamities, has arranged GPS tracking of plow trucks with a live stream of data to NYC.gov.
Your Weather Journal weekend forecast roundup:
Friday/Saturday/Sunday Highs for Greater New York:
Meteorologist Eric Holthaus contributes daily weather reports and analysis on Metropolis. For the latest on conditions in New York and elsewhere, follow his updates (@wxrisk) on Twitter.
Article source: http://blogs.wsj.com/metropolis/2012/01/05/weather-journal-warm-comes-back-for-the-weekend/
![CRAZY CLOUDBURST WEATHER PART 2 [JAN.03.2012]](http://www.weatherbyweb.com/wp-content/uploads/mvbthumbs/img_993_crazy-cloudburst-weather-part-2-jan-03-2012.jpg)
Is it still raining where you are? More footage of the storm as it eases off.
By
Andrew Levy
Last updated at 12:13 AM on 6th January 2012
Storm force winds and heavy downpours wreaked fresh havoc across Britain yesterday, causing damage, delays and injuries.
As gusts reached 111mph, members of the public in some areas were advised to avoid all but the most urgent journeys.
Roofs
were torn off buildings, trees and power cables crashed down on to cars
and trains, and major routes were closed because of obstructions from
debris and dangerous conditions.
Scroll down for videos
Chingford: A fallen tree trapped four people in an East London house and crashed on top of the family car in the early hours of yesterday morning
Rescue: Firefighters freed the family using a handsaw to remove branches from the fallen tree early yesterday in Chingford
Thousands were left without power and some homeowners reported flooding.
Passengers on a packed rush hour
train described themselves as ‘lucky to be alive’ after power cables
smashed through a carriage window in Ely, Cambridgeshire. One suffered a
head injury and the other was treated for an injury to a leg.
First Capital Connect said there was
major disruption following the 7.15am incident on the King’s Lynn to
London King’s Cross route.
One of the passengers said they
were ‘lucky to be alive’.
‘I heard a loud bang as two windows
in our carriage were smashed and the train rattled around,’ said a
passenger, from Littleport, Cambs.
Storm battering: Seaham Harbour lighthouse, in County Durham, is hit by gale force winds yesterday
Borehamwood: A tree collapses on a car injuring a mother and a young girl as high winds and storms batter the UK
‘There was smashed glass everywhere and one man had a whole window in his lap.
‘It was terrifying, there were screams and people dived to avoid the glass and there was a lot of panic on board.’
He said the four-carriage train, from King’s Lynn to King’s Cross, kept moving for a few feet before the driver stopped it.
‘Everyone was trying to get the glass out of their hair and off their clothes,’ he added.
‘It took 40 minutes for the paramedics to arrive and help those who had been cut by the glass.
Not the best day to go kite flying: A brave kite flyer was flung into the air before crashing to the ground and losing her kite on Bournemouth beach
Take-off: The woman struggles to hold on to the kite and is lifted off the ground on the gusty beach
Back down to earth: She hits the ground again with a bump
Ferry passengers told of their ‘journey from hell’ after being stranded on board for more than 24 hours because of 70mph winds.
The Commodore Clipper ferry (pictured above), transporting 125 passengers from Portsmouth, Hants, to the Channel Islands, was forced to sail up and down Jersey’s East coast for over a day while being battered by 30ft waves.
The ferry was prevented from entering port at St Hellier because of gale force winds and high waves.
One passenger writing on Twitter said: ‘Absolutely horrific. Anchoring off East Jersey overnight and may not dock till midday. Just Hell.’
The ferry left Portsmouth at 12.50pm on Wednesday and after a weather-delayed journey arrived in Guernsey ten hours later.
The 13-year-old ferry finally docked in St Hellier yesterday afternoon.
‘We then had to wait for the train to
be evacuated. We were in the middle of the Fens and the wind was
blowing hard and the train was rocking around, it was very frightening.’
A spokesman for First Capital Connect said the incident was caused by
damage to the overhead wires and an investigation was now underway.
In Shenley, near Borehamwood,
Hertfordshire, a woman and a ten-year-old boy were hurt when a tree
crushed their car outside a primary school. Both were treated for minor
injuries.
The Welsh National Library in Aberystwyth was damaged when part of the roof the ‘size of two tennis courts’ came loose.
And dozens of ferry passengers on a
six-hour route from Portsmouth to Jersey endured 24 hours of ‘hell’
after the vessel was battered by 30ft waves that prevented it from
docking at St Helier until yesterday afternoon.
On the roads, a number of major
routes suffered closures or disruption, including the QEII bridge on the
eastern side of the M25, the Severn Crossing between England and Wales
and the A19 in Cleveland.
In North Yorkshire, where police
urged motorists to make only essential journeys, lorries were blown over
and fire crews helped homeowners and car drivers caught up in floods.
Disruption to rush-hour train
services caused by trees on lines and damaged power cables were reported
across the country, with thousands of commuters having to switch to
buses. Tens of thousands were affected by power cuts, including
homeowners in the East Midlands, West Midlands and Salisbury, Wiltshire.
Overflowing: Water levels in low lying areas of York were almost at the level of the bridges following the heavy rainfall
The M6 was closed yesterday causing miles of traffic tailbacks when this lorry was blown over on the bridge over junction two of the motorway in Coventry
Gusts of 111mph were recorded in the
Pennines early yesterday morning and Capel Curig in Wales was battered
by 87mph winds at 2am.
But it was still some way off this winter’s record of 165mph winds at Cairngorm summit in the Scottish Highlands on December 8.
Other parts of the country faced
gusts of up to 80mph in exposed areas, leading the Met Office to issue
warnings for North-West England, Wales and parts of Scotland and
Northern Ireland. But it said the weather would be more settled going
into the weekend.
Despite the miserable weather this
week, the Environment Agency said hosepipe bans could be in force over
large areas from May following a dry winter.
A crane begins trying to ‘right’ the truck after it was blown over. The load of waste it was carrying ended up being spilt all over the motorway embankment
The glass frontage at the Toyota showroom in Wolverhampton collapsed from the high winds
A man struggles against high winds as large waves crash against the seawall at Brighton marina yesterday
Heavy lifting: A lorry is recovered from the side of the A1 near Boroughbridge, North Yorkshire after gale force winds caused disruption through the night
Along the same stretch of road a van, with its windscreen smashed in, is dragged up an embankment
Thousands of people in the Midlands were without electricity yesterday afternoon. In the East Midlands, 5,000 customers were off supply, mainly in north Nottingham and Derbyshire. This figure was reduced from the 10,000 who were without power this morning.
Northamptonshire Police said high winds were causing disruption across the county’s roads, with many affected by fallen trees and branches.
The force dealt with approximately 30 incidents of trees blocking roads this morning.
Two women had to be cut free from a car when a tree blew down on it in Eaglescliffe, Teesside, on Thursday night. They were taken to the University Hospital of North Tees with what were thought to be back injuries.
Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service had 33 weather-related calls between 5pm on Wednesday and 2.30pm yesterday.
At least eight of the calls involved fallen trees. Firefighters were called out after a tree fell on a car with three women inside in Thornton, near Crosby, shortly after 9pm.
The women had managed to escape the vehicle before crews arrived.
North Yorkshire Police on Wednesday evening urged motorists to make only essential journeys. Reported A66 was closed after a tree fell on to the A19 and several lorries were blown over in high winds.
The Highways Agency said the Severn Crossing between England and Wales was closed to high-sided vehicles and motorcycles due to strong winds.
It also warned anyone planning to use the Dartford Crossing between Kent and Essex of possible delays.
Humberside Police say trees come down overnight blocking roads and causing obstructions in areas of Grimsby, Hull, Bridlington, Driffield and Snaith.
Humber Bridge and the M62 over the Ouse Bridge, near Howden, were both closed to high-sided vehicles.
North Yorkshire Fire Service said crews were called out to localised flooding at a small number of homes in the Skipton area and firefighters used a boat to help rescue a barge which was in danger of overturning when it was caught in moorings on the River Ouse in central York.
Lorry driver taken to hospital when an HGV overturned on the A1 at Leeming and crews were called to two incidents of cars trapped in flood water – one in Acaster Malbis, near York, and the other at Embsay, near Skipton.
In Scotland, buses replaced trains between Paisley Gilmour Street and Gourock/ Wemyss Bay.
A tree on the line at Porchester in Hampshire led to train delays in the area, while another fallen tree at Wood End in the West Midlands caused delays to London Midland services between Stratford-upon-Avon and Shirley.
Overhead wire problems caused disruption between Penrith North Lakes and Oxenholme Lake District. There were delays of up to 45 minutes between Carlisle and Lancaster.
Cheshire Police said officers had attended more than 15 incidents relating to fallen trees, branches, and debris in the road since 6am yesterday.
In Cambridgeshire, police said more than 20 trees were brought down by strong winds overnight.
Essex Fire Service said it had been called out to dozens of incidents, including fallen cables and trees and dislodged television aerials.
Norfolk County Council said it dealt with 200 incidents on the county’s roads overnight as gales and rain brought trees, branches and a power line down, and blew debris on to roads and pavements.
Seven two-man road gangs were in action throughout the night and responded to around 120 incidents reported by the police.
Three schools were closed because of weather-related problems.
High winds brought down trees and power lines across the South West, blocking several roads.
Power lines blocked a bus route in Plymouth after they were brought down between Little Comfort and Treburley.
The A388 was blocked by a tree just north of the Springer Spaniel pub, half way between Callington and Launceston in Devon, and in south-east Cornwall, Trelawney Road was closed in Menheniot because of a fallen tree.
Trees also blocked at least two routes near Exeter and firefighters had to secure a metal shed in Cullompton after it blew across a garden.
A sandbank whipped up by the strong winds from a beach closed a road in Widemouth Bay, near Bude in Cornwall.
In Gloucestershire fire crews were called out after a tree caught fire in Twyning due to collapsed power cables.
Approximately five other roads in the county were also affected by falling trees.
Somerset Council said it had six recorded incidents of downed trees, including one where the tree was ‘resting’ on a power line at Smith’s Lane, Fivehead, near Taunton.
Environment Agency flood alerts remain in place for a number of rivers including the River Tavy at Tavistock and most the the River Tamar.
Around 1,000 homes in the Salisbury area of Wiltshire are without electricity after power cables came down due to strong winds, Southern Electric said.
Shrewton, Coombe Bassett, Stapleford, Berwick St James, Winterbourne Stoke and Broadchalke were all affected.
The company said the power went off at different times throughout the area between 4.30am and 8.30am.
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We had the icy weather this time last year and then the royal wedding, so the current gales will be used to hang more dire financial/economic jndicators. Oh, I forgot the Christmas/New Year break. Hang on, we’re all going to have a bumpy ride this year, except for those who have very clever and persuasive tax (or no tax) accountants.
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Can’t imagine why anybody would be so stupid as to attempt to walk along the beach in such dreadful dangerous weather conditions. Utter madness.
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Lost more fence panels last night…
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Can Anyone stop these winds ?!!
Be ware of the Creature who send these winds and he only have the power
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As a counsel worker I would be demanding immediately that everyone stay in there property until such time that the counsels say it is safe to be allowed out. As counsels have authority over peeple they should be the ones who impose a cerfew at these times until it can be declared all clear and safe from extreme whether.
- Pedro, Here, 5/1/2012 10:15
Wow have you actually started school yet to learn how to spell because the teachers aren’t doing a very good job.
It’s council, their, people curfew and weather. Now write them out a hundred times.
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Our Laburnum tree fell on top of my friends car today – No Insurance claim going in she will get a scrap bonnet and wing mirror which I will pay for and I will pay for the respray of the bonnet.
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All these horrible accidents and yet insurers will claim ‘act of God’. People have not only sustained physical insuries but financial. Be careful, dont park your car near a tree and dont drive too fast on open roads.
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Brighton seems to have its fair share of idiots. After the swimmer the other day now the walker, so close to the sea front. Why do people take such risks under the circumstances and, more importantly, endanger unnecessarily the lives of the rescue people who could be needed elsewhere ? Commiserations to the families who have lost loves ones and to all the victims of that dreadful storm
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Did the house in Chingford have no back door then?
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That railway line mentioned (see the picture, First Capital Connect, King’s Lynn to King’s Cross) is the line I use. I can’t remember what year it was, but it was quite some time back, now. Anyway, we had a storm in the October where people were without power for three days or more. I slept through that particular storm. Last night, though, the wind was that loud, it woke me up! Not nice.
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Article source: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2082478/UK-weather-forecast-Storms-rage-Britain-winds-reaching-112mph.html?ITO=1490
Using cheap, readily available materials, a team of chemists has developed a new compound for drawing carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere.
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The compound holds the potential to drive down the cost of capturing carbon, although it’s too early to say by how much, the scientists say.
The results “add to the list of possible materials that can absorb CO2 from the air, and it potentially could be quite a good one,” says Klaus Lackner, who heads the department of earth and environmental engineering at Columbia University in New York and was not part of the team formulating the material.
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Capturing carbon represents one approach to combating human-triggered global warming, which most climate scientists attribute in some degree to increases in atmospheric carbon dioxide from industrial activity as well as to carbon dioxide released through land-use changes.
Aside from the relatively low cost of the materials needed to make the new CO2 sponge, the compound can absorb significant amounts of CO2. It can endure several cycles of absorbing and releasing the gas for sequestration or recycling. And the energy needed to release the gas is low compared with many current materials.
“It has some nice qualities,” Dr. Lackner says of the material, although he adds that it remains to be seen how practical the material could be.
But carbon capture is a controversial approach.
Critics argue that, at least with current technologies, carbon capture is too expensive, compared with approaches to prevent the CO2 emissions in the first place. They says its deployment could needlessly delay the process of weaning economies from fossil fuels – the dominant source of global CO2 emissions.
In addition, once the carbon dioxide is scrubbed – either at the smokestack or from the air itself – storing it for hundreds to thousands of years to keep it out of the atmosphere brings its own set of environmental concerns.
Still, advocates counter that some form of carbon capture and storage (or recycling) ultimately will be needed to counter global warming. Economies continue to pump CO2 into the atmosphere at a significant pace. Each fresh molecule of CO2 that isn’t absorbed by the oceans or by terrestrial plants will remain in the atmosphere for hundreds of years, greasing the skids for additional warming.
They add that research in to carbon capture and sequestration currently focuses largely on big, individual sources of CO2 emissions, such as power plants. That leaves highly dispersed sources – cars, aircraft, and homes, for instance – to continue emitting.
Thus, advocates argue, air capture will be an indispensable tool for snagging CO2 from these more-diffuse sources. And over long periods of time, the approach could, in principle, scrub CO2 from the atmosphere, moving global average temperatures to more-politically acceptable levels.
For its part, the team developing the new material for air capture is motivated by a desire to use the CO2 it recovers as much as it is by a desire to combat global warming, notes Surya Prakash, director of the University of Southern California’s Lokar Hydrocarbon Research Institute and one of the researchers involved in the effort.
“Our interest is not just to capture and get rid of it” he says of CO2, “but we want to use it and recycle it.”
In particular, the team is working on ways to incorporate scrubbed CO2 into the production of methanol, which the team envisions as a replacement for oil and gas in making plastics, fertilizers, and other products that include fossil fuels in their recipes.
To develop the new CO2-absorbing material, the team dissolved a polyethylene-like plastic in methanol and blended it with another mixture of methanol and what in essence is fine-grained sand. After the blend mixed thoroughly, the team heated the mixture to remove the liquid solvent. What remained was a white solid.
It absorbs CO2 at room temperature and releases it at around 185 degrees Fahrenheit. Compared with many materials, that’s a narrow span of temperatures, implying less energy needed for a scrubbing system to work. Indeed, the material could run on waste heat from other industrial processes, Dr. Prakash says.
Moreover the material works well whether the air passing over it is dry or humid.
Although large-scale air capture of CO2 is still a ways off, the approach could be used more immediately in niche applications, Prakash says.
Among them: Scrubbing CO2 from the air in submarines or spacecraft, or maintaining a CO2-free environment for certain types of fuel cells or for large storage batteries under development.
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Article source: http://www.csmonitor.com/Environment/2012/0105/Carbon-dioxide-super-scubber-Potential-good-news-in-global-warming-fight
The year 2011 certainly tested us, weather-wise. Aside from the death of Osama bin Laden, it was the biggest news story regionally.
The Christmas blizzard of 2010 kicked off a winter of heavy snowfall. Then, we recall, it was a fairly normal spring and summer.
The weirdness started on Aug. 23, with a 5.8 magnitude earthquake. While the epicenter was in Virginia, tremors made its way up to New Jersey. A few things crumbled around the nation’s capital. Fortunately, people in our state only felt a little shaking, with minor damage, if any.
Hurricane Irene barreled up the coast soon afterward. There was plenty of time to prepare – and worry – with the advanced warnings. Nutley wasn’t hit as hard as some areas, especially the flooded towns further north. But it still wasn’t a picnic with sporadic flooding and power outages.
The big surprise, of course, came just before Halloween. An unseasonal snowstorm wreaked havoc. The biggest problem was wet snow weighing down tree limbs, with the leaves still on them. Limbs and trees fell, taking wires with them, leaving lots of debris and some residents with prolonged power outages. It also postponed Halloween festivities for many.
That should do it for awhile, eh? We can only hope. The good news is Nutley’s municipal government usually has a good response to such calamities.
Article source: http://www.northjersey.com/news/136717393_What_s_normal__Please__no_more_freaky_weather.html
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