Cold wave over Europe
- Thread starter Pierre
- Start date
Great Britain that is experiencing the most severe coldwave in the last 30 years, has recorded a cold record with -21,6 degrees in Altnaharra, a village in the Scotland Highlands.
Numerous traffic problems have affected air, rail and road transport.
In France, 37 departments have been placed in "orange vigilance". Exceptional snowfalls have been announced.
The Gothard tunnel between Italy and Switzerland was not anymore useable for trucks, last Friday due to important snowfalls in Switzerland.
In Spain, all regions except Andalousia (south) and Estramadura (west) have been placed in alert, as new snowfalls and strong winds were announced. The heavy rains in the last days have caused important damages in Andalousia.
In Germany, new snowfalls are expected, these could reach 40 cm in some areas. Lots of traffic jams on the roads, and important delays on the rail transport have been forecasted.
In Poland, temperatures have rised up , but the snow is still affecting both road and rail transport.
In Norway, polar temperatures have been recorded for few days, the village of Folldal (center of Norway) has registered - 42 °C. !!
In Croatia, transportation chaos, snow and freezing temperatures in continent and floods (second time this year) in coastal part.
In Serbia Floods and Snow mixed with strong winds and temperatures variations in hours of 20°C
In Albania and Montenegro snow melted in a matter of hours and made floods stronger than ever.
Geez, this is not even the beginning of calendar winter, what will happen in January and February 2011??? New Ice age??
Numerous traffic problems have affected air, rail and road transport.
In France, 37 departments have been placed in "orange vigilance". Exceptional snowfalls have been announced.
The Gothard tunnel between Italy and Switzerland was not anymore useable for trucks, last Friday due to important snowfalls in Switzerland.
In Spain, all regions except Andalousia (south) and Estramadura (west) have been placed in alert, as new snowfalls and strong winds were announced. The heavy rains in the last days have caused important damages in Andalousia.
In Germany, new snowfalls are expected, these could reach 40 cm in some areas. Lots of traffic jams on the roads, and important delays on the rail transport have been forecasted.
In Poland, temperatures have rised up , but the snow is still affecting both road and rail transport.
In Norway, polar temperatures have been recorded for few days, the village of Folldal (center of Norway) has registered - 42 °C. !!
In Croatia, transportation chaos, snow and freezing temperatures in continent and floods (second time this year) in coastal part.
In Serbia Floods and Snow mixed with strong winds and temperatures variations in hours of 20°C
In Albania and Montenegro snow melted in a matter of hours and made floods stronger than ever.
Geez, this is not even the beginning of calendar winter, what will happen in January and February 2011??? New Ice age??
....,....
Legolas said:
Another aggravating factor during such early cold wave is that days are very short and the Sun doesn't go high in the sky... added to the snow reflexion, it's not an ideal situation for the Earth to get calories from the Sun's radiations :(
Here are two pictures of Cherbourg (Normandy, France):
Cherbourg on Saturday, December 4th
Cherbourg on Sunday, December 5th
The problem is 20 to 40 cm of snow had accumulated in the Cherbourg area. Then a depression popped up right during the high tide: temperatures suddenly became positive and rainfall started.
Snow melting + rainfall + high tide led to this flood.
Cherbourg on Saturday, December 4th
Cherbourg on Sunday, December 5th
The problem is 20 to 40 cm of snow had accumulated in the Cherbourg area. Then a depression popped up right during the high tide: temperatures suddenly became positive and rainfall started.
Snow melting + rainfall + high tide led to this flood.
Richs
The Cosmic Force
It has also been below average temperature here in the New York City area of the US for the last several days and forecast to continue at 10 to 15 degrees Fahrenheit below average for at least the next ten days. So, it looks like it is getting pretty chilly for most of the Northern Hemisphere.
It sure looks like the C's are right that the Gulf Stream is little by little grinding to a halt. If this continues it promises to be a banner snow year for a lot of us, and maybe it all won't melt as quickly as we are used to seeing. That sure looks like the beginning of an ice-age to me, but as usual, we will have to wait to see if this is really the start of it.
I do worry much about those who will not be able to afford to heat their homes properly and also those who will not be able to get out to get necessities because of severe weather - assuming that the stores will even have stocks, such as is now happening in Britain.
Note: edited for clarity.
It sure looks like the C's are right that the Gulf Stream is little by little grinding to a halt. If this continues it promises to be a banner snow year for a lot of us, and maybe it all won't melt as quickly as we are used to seeing. That sure looks like the beginning of an ice-age to me, but as usual, we will have to wait to see if this is really the start of it.
I do worry much about those who will not be able to afford to heat their homes properly and also those who will not be able to get out to get necessities because of severe weather - assuming that the stores will even have stocks, such as is now happening in Britain.
Note: edited for clarity.
I've been following things as best I can, and so far I've been slowly taking the opportunity to gather a few things (extra food, fuel can with petrol, clothes/boots for sub zero (-20oC) weather, emergency kit for the car - spade/blankets/water/food). Oddly my part of the UK seems to be doing realitively ok (except for possible fuel shortages)......infact their is no sign of winter weather for 80miles in every direction.....the snow/ice melted and disapeared dispite it being below 0oC very very strange weather.
I'll be getting snow chains for my car (and shoes so I can walk on ice) shortly. My general thinking is planning to be able to last a few weeks on my food supplies and be able to travel (by car or on foot) if the weather is really bad, should I need to.
Plan for the worst, hope for the best.
I'll be getting snow chains for my car (and shoes so I can walk on ice) shortly. My general thinking is planning to be able to last a few weeks on my food supplies and be able to travel (by car or on foot) if the weather is really bad, should I need to.
Plan for the worst, hope for the best.
1peacelover
Jedi Master
Even though we are in the tropic Caribbean, the past 4-5 nights have been in the lower 60's. We have also been flooded by unusually heavy rains since the last few tropical storms from October through November. So much so that many of our roads have been laid bare, asphalt in some areas looked like it was peeled off the roads. St. John & St. Thomas suffered many mudslides, landslides and house slides due to our mountainous terrain. St. Croix which is mostly flat, certain places on the western side of the island is still under water. Interesting to note that most of our springs, wells and guts are still running heavily since the last rains 2 weeks ago. Our "winter" season has arrived earlier than in past years. Brrrrr 
SilverJeep
Padawan Learner
BRITAIN IS FREEZING TO DEATH
Sunday December 5,2010
By Tracey Boles and Lucy Johnston
MIDDLE class families are among millions of Britons who cannot afford to heat their homes this winter, as elderly ride on buses all day to stay in the warm.
After a week of snow and freezing temperatures a shocking picture has emerged of the bleak months ahead for 5.5 million households.
Pensioners, who are among those most vulnerable to the cold, are resorting to extraordinary measures to keep warm.
Many have been using their free travel passes to spend the day riding on buses while others are seeking refuge from the cold in libraries and shopping centres.
Dot Gibson, spokeswoman for pressure group the National Pensioners’ Convention, said: “Now that we have one of the coldest winters, older people are going to have to make the unenviable decision whether or not to put the heating on. The Government should guarantee that they won’t cut the winter fuel allowance.”
The death toll from the big freeze rose to seven yesterday. They included two men who were killed in a crash on the M62 in Humberside and two teenage girls who died when their car collided with a Royal Mail van in Cumbria.
The winter death toll is set to rise steeply as official figures show that nine elderly people died every hour because of cold-related illnesses last year. The number of deaths linked to cold over the four months of last winter reached nearly 28,000.
Charities claim this country has the highest winter death rate in northern Europe, worse than colder nations such as Finland and Sweden.
About half of the people forced to spend over 10 per cent of their income on energy bills – the official definition of fuel poverty – are aged over 60.
But working families also face a tough time meeting the cost of keeping the central heating turned on as fuel prices continue to rise.
Ann Robinson, director of consumer policy at price comparison service uswitch.com, said: “Middle-class households are now in fuel poverty.”
National Energy Action estimates that 5.5 million households will have plunged into fuel poverty by early next year due to price rises.
This is up 400,000 on the group’s last estimate and represents 21 per cent of the UK’s 26 million households.
The last official figures, for 2008, showed there were 4.5 million fuel-poor households in the UK. On Friday, British Gas will raise prices for eight million customers. Millions more customers of Scottish & Southern Energy and ScottishPower have already been hit by price rises.
Last winter 70 per cent of household were forced to cut down or ration their energy use because of cost.
Uswitch’s Ms Robinson, who advised Tony Blair’s government on energy policy, warned: “Winter price hikes will simply force even more people down this route.”
Energy minister Greg Barker admitted last week that the system to deal with fuel poverty was “completely broken” and said he was “very worried” by the NEA figures.
Charity Age UK estimates that nearly a third of pensioners have resorted to extreme measures to keep warm. The National Pensioners’ Convention has described the situation as “Dickensian”.
Widow Rita Young, from Thorny, near Peterborough was struggling to stay warm last week. Mrs Young, 75, said: “I’ve worked all my life. It doesn’t feel fair.
“People my age don’t want to put hats and scarves on in their homes, but there’s nothing we can do about it. I sit in a blanket put on a hat and sometimes go to bed at 7.30 in the evening.”
Last week Lillian Jenkinson, 80, and William Wilson, 84, were found dead in the gardens of their homes 70 miles apart in Cumbria. Both are thought to have lain undetected in sub-zero temperatures for hours.
On Thursday a driver who stopped to help a stranded motorist in the Yorkshire Dales was killed when he was struck by another vehicle.
Read more: http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/215510/Britain-is-freezing-to-deathBritain-is-freezing-to-death#ixzz17MZPHJY3
Sunday December 5,2010
By Tracey Boles and Lucy Johnston
MIDDLE class families are among millions of Britons who cannot afford to heat their homes this winter, as elderly ride on buses all day to stay in the warm.
After a week of snow and freezing temperatures a shocking picture has emerged of the bleak months ahead for 5.5 million households.
Pensioners, who are among those most vulnerable to the cold, are resorting to extraordinary measures to keep warm.
Many have been using their free travel passes to spend the day riding on buses while others are seeking refuge from the cold in libraries and shopping centres.
Dot Gibson, spokeswoman for pressure group the National Pensioners’ Convention, said: “Now that we have one of the coldest winters, older people are going to have to make the unenviable decision whether or not to put the heating on. The Government should guarantee that they won’t cut the winter fuel allowance.”
The death toll from the big freeze rose to seven yesterday. They included two men who were killed in a crash on the M62 in Humberside and two teenage girls who died when their car collided with a Royal Mail van in Cumbria.
The winter death toll is set to rise steeply as official figures show that nine elderly people died every hour because of cold-related illnesses last year. The number of deaths linked to cold over the four months of last winter reached nearly 28,000.
Charities claim this country has the highest winter death rate in northern Europe, worse than colder nations such as Finland and Sweden.
About half of the people forced to spend over 10 per cent of their income on energy bills – the official definition of fuel poverty – are aged over 60.
But working families also face a tough time meeting the cost of keeping the central heating turned on as fuel prices continue to rise.
Ann Robinson, director of consumer policy at price comparison service uswitch.com, said: “Middle-class households are now in fuel poverty.”
National Energy Action estimates that 5.5 million households will have plunged into fuel poverty by early next year due to price rises.
This is up 400,000 on the group’s last estimate and represents 21 per cent of the UK’s 26 million households.
The last official figures, for 2008, showed there were 4.5 million fuel-poor households in the UK. On Friday, British Gas will raise prices for eight million customers. Millions more customers of Scottish & Southern Energy and ScottishPower have already been hit by price rises.
Last winter 70 per cent of household were forced to cut down or ration their energy use because of cost.
Uswitch’s Ms Robinson, who advised Tony Blair’s government on energy policy, warned: “Winter price hikes will simply force even more people down this route.”
Energy minister Greg Barker admitted last week that the system to deal with fuel poverty was “completely broken” and said he was “very worried” by the NEA figures.
Charity Age UK estimates that nearly a third of pensioners have resorted to extreme measures to keep warm. The National Pensioners’ Convention has described the situation as “Dickensian”.
Widow Rita Young, from Thorny, near Peterborough was struggling to stay warm last week. Mrs Young, 75, said: “I’ve worked all my life. It doesn’t feel fair.
“People my age don’t want to put hats and scarves on in their homes, but there’s nothing we can do about it. I sit in a blanket put on a hat and sometimes go to bed at 7.30 in the evening.”
Last week Lillian Jenkinson, 80, and William Wilson, 84, were found dead in the gardens of their homes 70 miles apart in Cumbria. Both are thought to have lain undetected in sub-zero temperatures for hours.
On Thursday a driver who stopped to help a stranded motorist in the Yorkshire Dales was killed when he was struck by another vehicle.
Read more: http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/215510/Britain-is-freezing-to-deathBritain-is-freezing-to-death#ixzz17MZPHJY3
Paragon
Jedi Council Member
The situation in Glasgow, Scotland, is pretty dire. Roads are gridlocked, people are stranded in cars for over 8 hours and since virtually all public transport is cancelled, many people had to walk home. It took me an hour to get home but some of my friends had to walk for over 4 hours to reach their homes. And some I've not heard from yet so I'm rather worried.
It was very surreal as I looked back and saw a mass exodus of people walking home - it was like something out of a movie.
I'm meant to be working tomorrow though I'm not sure I will be able to as there could be too few staff to run The coffee shop. I've never seen anything like this in my life. Perhaps I'm overreacting?
In any case , it seems that the local councils are very unprepared OSIT.. I really feel for the people stuck in the city centre who live far away but can't get home... What will they do? I hope they have somewhere to stay!
It was very surreal as I looked back and saw a mass exodus of people walking home - it was like something out of a movie.
I'm meant to be working tomorrow though I'm not sure I will be able to as there could be too few staff to run The coffee shop. I've never seen anything like this in my life. Perhaps I'm overreacting?
In any case , it seems that the local councils are very unprepared OSIT.. I really feel for the people stuck in the city centre who live far away but can't get home... What will they do? I hope they have somewhere to stay!
Nević Nenad
The Living Force
I am in Belgrade, Serbia (which can be found on the Balkan peninsula, which is on the belly of the Europe). We were having very mild autumn with temperatures above average. There was drop in temparature in past few days, but nothing dramatic, it was some 0-2 degres of Celsius at night. Today it went back to 15C and in the next couple days it would be around 18. Meteorologist says that some snow fall is possible in the middle of the month but it will melt fast.
There was some floods in couple of smaller rural municipalities, but that is also usual for this time of the year (and for this state). So, it was nice autumn, and seems that it will me mild winter with nothing unusual with temperatures. In my life I saw even higher temperatures at this time of the year, but also much, much lower. I remember in the 80s when I was a kid that rivers Danube and Sava (and those are huge rivers), was in some parts frozen in the winter. As recorded in 60s, 50s, 40s and before the war it was even colder when (as people says) was possible to cros from another bank of the Danube to the other on the foot (on the ice).
So, nothing really unusual regarding temperatures for this region and this time of the year. People are whining as usual that they want snow for the new years eve, because city looks better in white than usual gray (despite that the name actually means "White City" :) )
There was some floods in couple of smaller rural municipalities, but that is also usual for this time of the year (and for this state). So, it was nice autumn, and seems that it will me mild winter with nothing unusual with temperatures. In my life I saw even higher temperatures at this time of the year, but also much, much lower. I remember in the 80s when I was a kid that rivers Danube and Sava (and those are huge rivers), was in some parts frozen in the winter. As recorded in 60s, 50s, 40s and before the war it was even colder when (as people says) was possible to cros from another bank of the Danube to the other on the foot (on the ice).
So, nothing really unusual regarding temperatures for this region and this time of the year. People are whining as usual that they want snow for the new years eve, because city looks better in white than usual gray (despite that the name actually means "White City" :) )
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