Global Warming News - October 2008

Real News Stories To Share With Global-Warming Skeptics

Florida Sets Low-Temp Records for October:
A reading of 38F at Lakeland's Linder Airport on Wednesday, October 29th, was the coldest ever recorded in Polk County in October and marked the first time that the mercury has dropped into the 30s during October. The previous record for the month was 42F set on October 21st, 1989. Wednesday's reading easily shattered the record for October 29th, which had been 48F set in 1957. It was the first time temperatures in Lakeland have dropped into the 30s since a reading of 35F on February 28th.


Lakeland's Linder Airport
Meteorologist John McMichael of the National Weather Service said the cold front that pushed through Florida on Tuesday resulted in record low temperatures throughout the state. A reading of 42 degrees in Tampa broke the record for the date at 44F, which had stood since 1910. A 47F in Fort Myers also broke a record that had stood since 1910, and a 44F in Sarasota broke the record for the date, which had been at 48F recorded in 1977. In Orlando, a reading of 43F broke the record of 47F, which had been set in 1952; and 44F in Melbourne broke the mark of 51F, which was set in 1952; and a reading of 46F in Vero Beach broke the mark of 48F, which had been set in 1943.

Frost Worries Grape Growers:
In California, a record cold snap in Mendocino County over the same weekend caused little damage to wine grapes but chilled the hearts of farmers who already have suffered huge losses this year. "It's just one more thing on top of one more thing. You kind of hold your breath," said Potter Valley wine grape grower Bill Pauli.

Temperatures dropped to 31F in the Ukiah Valley on Saturday night and early Sunday morning, the coldest October 12th morning since record keeping began in Ukiah in 1893, said Troy Nicolini, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Eureka. The previous record was 34F in 1916. Temperatures were milder in Sonoma County, and there were no reports of frost-related problems, county officials said. Farmers in Redwood Valley and other cooler regions in Mendocino County reported temperatures as low as 27F.

An estimated 30 percent to 50 percent of that county's wine grape crop had yet to be harvested when the frost hit, killing the tops of unprotected vines and effectively freezing the ripening process. Most unprotected wine grape crops already had adequate sugar content, so they were unharmed, said Mendocino County Agricultural Commissioner Dave Bengston.

Farmers either sprayed water or turned on wind machines for crops that were not quite ready to harvest, said Redwood Valley farmer Peter Johnson. Mendocino County wine-grape growers were fearful because they already had lost an estimated 30 percent of their crop to frost in the early spring. "It'll be nice to get this one put in the barn and put behind us," Pauli said. Despite the conditions, Mendocino County's wine-grape crop is looking good, said Paige Poulos, president of the Mendocino Winegrape and Wine Commission. "We had wonderful fruit, just not enough of it," she said.

October In Anchorage 8th Coldest:
The Jueau Empire reports that it was a cold October in Anchorage. The National Weather Services said October was the eighth coldest October in the past 90 years - since records have been kept. The average temperature was only 29.7 degrees Fahrenheit. The coldest October on record was in 1996, when the average temperature was 25.5 degrees. The Weather Service said this October also was one of the snowiest on record. Snowfall for the month was 13.1 inches. That's 5.1 inches above normal.

Alaska Glaciers Grew This Year:
Two hundred years of glacial shrinkage in Alaska, and then came the winter and summer of 2007-2008. Unusually large amounts of winter snow were followed by unusually chill temperatures in June, July and August. "In mid-June, I was surprised to see snow still at sea level in Prince William Sound," said U.S. Geological Survey glaciologist Bruce Molnia. "On the Juneau Icefield, there was still 20 feet of new snow on the surface of the Taku Glacier in late July. At Bering Glacier, a landslide I am studying, located at about 1,500 feet elevation, did not become snow free until early August.

In general, the weather this summer was the worst I have seen in at least 20 years. --Bruce Molnia

Alaskan Glacier
Never before in the history of a research project dating back to 1946 had the Juneau Icefield witnessed the kind of snow buildup that came this year. It was similar on a lot of other glaciers too. "It's been a long time on most glaciers where they've actually had positive mass balance," Molnia said. That's the way a scientist says the glaciers got thicker in the middle.

Read more HERE.

Pendleton Breaks 118-Year-Old Record:
The East Oregonian on Monday, October 13th reported that cold temperatures set several new record lows over the previous weekend, including a low of 22F Saturday in downtown Pendleton that broke a 118 year-old record of 24F.


Pendleton Woolen Mills
Record lows started falling Thursday with a new low of 20F for Meacham, four degrees cooler than the previous record from 2006, according to information from the Web site for the National Weather Service Forecast Office in Pendleton. Heppner and Long Creek then set new low temperatures on Friday. Heppner hit 29F, the coldest that date has seen since 1960 when it was 30F; and Long Creek was 21F, besting the 1987 record by four degrees.

Saturday set multiple new lows, including the record 22F in downtown Pendleton. John Day dropped to 21F, breaking the 1990 record of 23F; Meacham's 15F broke the previous low of 20 from 2002; and Mitchell set a record with 21F, five degrees cooler than the 2002 record. Additionally, the top of Airport Hill in Pendleton set a new low of 25F; the previous record was 33F. And the agricultural experimental station north of Pendleton recorded a low of 18F, five degrees cooler than the previous record from 1990.

The cold continued to set records Sunday. Meacham, for the third time in four days, set a record with a low of 15F, one degree cooler than the 2002 record. Long Creek and Mitchell again set new records as well Long Creek's low of 21F broke the 1969 record of 25F, and Mitchell's 21F broke the 1949 record of 24F. The top of Airport Hill in Pendleton also set another record with 24F; the previous record was 28F from 2002. And downtown Pendleton's 21F chilled past the previous record of 25F from 1931. Also on Sunday, two-miles north of Hermiston cooled to 18F, breaking the 1953 record of 20F.

Northeast Snowstorm Leaves Thousands In Dark:
According to the Boston Globe, snow again fell on October 29th in parts of the Northeast as utility crews labored to restore service to thousands of customers blacked out by the region's first big snowstorm of the season. The wet snow that began falling on Tuesday, October 28th, collected on trees still covered with leaves, and its weight combined with gusty winds to send limbs crashing onto power lines. The National Weather Service reported storm totals of about 14 inches at northern New Jersey's High Point State Park, as much as 15 inches along the northwestern edge of New York's Catskill Mountains, and a foot in Pennsylvania's Pocono Mountains.


Snow in Westerlo, NY - Oct 28.
More wind-blown snow swept through northern Vermont Wednesday. A lake effect snow warning was in effect for northwestern Pennsylvania, with accumulations of up to 12 inches possible at higher elevations, as wind picked up moisture from Lake Erie. Radar showed new snowfall Wednesday in parts of upstate New York. More than 40,000 customers remained without power Wednesday in upstate New York, most of them in the Mohawk Valley, Adirondacks, and the Catskills, according to utilities National Grid and New York State Electric & Gas. Crews in New Jersey worked to restore power to more than 41,000 customers, mainly in the northern part of the state.

Cold A Factor In 2 Maryland Deaths:
Maryland Sun reporter Frank Roylance says, it's only October, and already state health officials are reporting two deaths in Maryland where cold weather was found to be a factor. It's fair warning that we need to be paying attention to folks in our community who may be especially vulnerable to the cold - especially our elderly neighbors and relatives, and those coping with chronic illnesses. Last year cold weather was found to be a contributing factor in 38 deaths in Maryland.

Roylance

The first case involved a 54-year-old Prince George's County man who was involved in a single-vehicle collision on September 20th. The vehicle ran off the road and he was not found until a day later. Temperatures that night dipped to 49F at BWI (Baltimore Washington International Airport). It was the coldest night of the month. The man died on October 18th, and the contributing factors included pneumonia, multiple injuries and hypothermia, according to the DHMH (Department of Health and Mental Hygiene).

The second case is more typical. It involved an 84-year-old Anne Arundel County man. He was found outside his home on October 19th in temperatures below 45 degrees, according to health officials. The low at BWI on that date was 36F, the coldest morning of the year up to that date. The medical examiner's report said the man had a history of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, commonly a factor on cold-related deaths.

For the record, it was 29F on the morning of October 31st, out on the WeatherDeck in Cockeysville. The mercury at 'The Sun' only dropped to 40 degrees. BWI Marshall saw a low of 31F. That's 8 degrees below the long-term average for that date.

Dublin Hit By Worst Cold Snap Since 1948:
According to Ireland's 'Independent', people living in the east of the country shivered through one of the coldest Octobers in 15 years while Dublin broke a 60-year record on Tuesday, October 28th, recording the coldest day of the month since 1948, Met Eireann announced. Tuesday's icy blast, with exceptionally cold Arctic winds blowing off the Irish Sea, smashed a 60-year record when temperatures at Dublin Airport dipped to a bone-chilling -1.3 C.

Across the country, mean temperatures averaged about one degree colder for the entire month although the mercury dramatically plunged the last week of the month with unseasonal snowstorms and lashings of sleet and hail in the north and on high ground. The number of times people woke up to ground frost during the month was twice the normal average, with between 12 and 16 ground frosts recorded in some inland areas and severe ground frost in places. But everywhere felt the pain, with both day and nighttime temperatures between six and eight degrees below normal.

Blizzards In Ireland, Coldest Since 1934:
The Belfast Telegraph says that snowfall and plummeting temperatures have brought the coldest October temperatures to Northern Ireland since 1934. Antrim, Armagh, Derry, Down and Tyrone were among the worst hit areas on Wednesday, October 29th, with falling snow making untreated roads close to impassable.

These are the lowest (October) daytime high temperatures since 1934. --Met Office Spokeswoman

Temperature highs usually make double figures at this time of the year. However, "gritters" (sanding trucks) have covered thousands of kilometres of road battling the unseasonable conditions. Colin Brown from Northern Ireland's Roads Service said they had 120 gritters out which covered 7,000kms of road in three hours. He appealed for people to take precautions when using the roads.


Glenshane Pass blizzard - Oct 29.
The Glenshane Pass was one of the worst hit areas. Conditions were at their worst near Dungiven where a number of cars were stranded. Police were also warning of treacherous conditions on roads in Armagh and Tyrone. The police advised motorists to avoid travelling on roads where conditions had deteriorated. P&O ferries assured the public that Irish Sea services remained unaffected by the widespread freeze but that it would keep a close eye on developing weather fronts.

The Met Office issued severe weather warnings for heavy snow the night before and recommended that people be prepared for the worst. A spokesman for the office said the maximum temperature for the day was a mere 5.1C which is four degrees lower than the expected mean temperature for the month. She said: “We would advise the public to take extra care especially on untreated roads.”

The Republic's extreme weather conditions resulted in hazardous driving conditions in parts of the east, north-east and midlands. Co Wicklow was one of the worst affected areas with ice and heavy snowfall reported on high ground. Gardai closed the Sally Gap after a bus got stuck in heavy snow earlier in the morning.

Coldest Brisbane Morning In 32 Years:
According to the Courier Mail, cold southerly winds blowing up from the snow-capped Blue Mountains gave Brisbane its coldest October 23rd morning in 32 years. The mercury fell to 10.6C in the City just before 5am, more than five degrees below average for that time of year. The previous lowest temp for October was 7.3 degrees in 1976, although Brisbane also recorded 6.3 degrees in October in 1899 at a now-disused weather station.

Amberley had an even colder start waking up to 6C and Stanthorpe shivered on just two degrees. But senior forecaster Vikash Prasad said Stanthorpe's previous coldest October day was -2C in 1966. "It's certainly our coldest day since winter. The lowest temperature in September was 11C so it is unusual for Spring," Mr Prasad said.

He said the trough that caused the storms had moved off the coast and was being replaced by dry air and southerly winds coming up from interstate. "There was snow on the Blue Mountains yesterday which is very unusual for this time of year and Sydney had a very cold day," Mr Prasad said. Temperatures would remain cool today across south-east Queensland with Brisbane expecting a top of 22 degrees.