Earth & Space Weather

Weird in the USA: The Wacky Weather of 2012

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Decoded Science - 12/31/12, Tricia Edgar

Hurricane Sandy visited the US East Coast this fall, wreaking havoc on the shoreline. Photo: MDGovpics / CC by 2.0

As the year winds down, what crazy and extreme weather we have seen.

It’s been a year of wind and water in the United States, as superstorms and intense fire and drought have damaged crops, homes, and ecosystems across the country. Here are some of the top weather stories of 2012.

To read the rest of this story, visit Decoded Science.

2012 In Review – Solar activity & space weather

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The Watchers - 1/01/13, By Chillymanjaro

We are now in period called Solar Cycle 24 which started in January 8, 2008 and it is the 24th solar cycle since 1755, when recording of solar sunspot activity began. The solar cycle is the periodic change in Sun’s activity (including changes in the levels of solar radiation and ejection of solar material) and appearance visible in changes in the number of sunspots, flares, and other visible manifestations. Solar cycles have a duration of about 11 years. NASA predicts that solar cycle 24 will peak in early or mid 2013 with about 59 sunspots. This would make it the least active cycle in the past one...

We are now in period called Solar Cycle 24 which started in January 8, 2008 and it is the 24th solar cycle since 1755, when recording of solar sunspot activity began. The solar cycle is the periodic change in Sun’s activity (including changes in the levels of solar radiation and ejection of solar material) and appearance visible in changes in the number of sunspots, flares, and other visible manifestations. Solar cycles have a duration of about 11 years.

Cyclone Freda reaches New Caledonia

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3News - 12/31/12

This NASA image released on December 29, 2012 from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA's Aqua satellite shows Tropical Cyclone Freda over the Solomon Islands

This NASA image released on December 29, 2012 from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA's Aqua satellite shows Tropical Cyclone Freda over the Solomon Islands

The Pacific Tropical Cyclone Freda has pummelled the French territory of New Caledonia after causing extensive flooding in the Solomon Islands.

Radio New Zealand reports the Fiji Metservice as saying Freda had been upgraded to a Category 4 storm but had reached its maximum intensity and was expected to weaken as it moved south.

To read the rest of this story, visit 3News.co.NZ.

 

2012 floods cost UK an estimated £13bn

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Press TV - 12/31/12

The recent months’ downpours in Britain have cost the country £13 billion due to flooding of houses and major disruptions to the transport network.
 
The recent months’ downpours in Britain have cost the country £13 billion due to flooding of houses and major disruptions to the transport network.
 

Flooding in Britain’s wettest year on record made the country’s economy suffer a £12 billion loss in the summer and autumn and is expected to cost another £1 billion during the Christmas period, the Association of British Insurers (ABI) estimated.

To read the rest of this story, visit PressTV.com.

Winter Storm Freyr Recap

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Weather.com - 12/30/12, Chris Dolce

Newton, N.J.

Pedestrians walk through the snow on Public Square in Wilkes-Barre, Pa., Saturday, Dec. 29, 2012.

(Associated Press)

 

Freyr dumped localized amounts of more than a half a foot of snow in the Ohio Valley Friday night into early Saturday. The snow spread across the Central Appalachians and Northeast Saturday into early Sunday.

To watch the video and read the rest of this story, visit Weather.com.

9 Die as Bus Crashes on Icy Oregon Highway

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Weather.com - 12/31/12, AP

Fatal Bus Crash

Emergency personnel respond to the scene of a multiple-fatality accident after a tour bus careened through a guardrail along an icy highway and fell several hundred feet down a steep embankment, about 15 miles east of Pendleton, Ore., on Sunday, Dec. 30, 2012.  (Associated Press)

PENDLETON, Ore. — The stretch of rural Oregon interstate where a tour bus crashed through a guardrail and plummeted 100 feet down a steep embankment is so notorious that state transportation officials have published a specific advisory warning of its dangers.

 

Nine people were killed and more than two dozen injured when the charter bus veered out of control around 10:30 a.m. Sunday on snow- and ice-covered lanes of Interstate 84 in eastern Oregon, according to the Oregon State Police.

20 vehicles crash on I-93 in NH; 5 injured

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Boston.com - 12/29/12, WMUR-TV

NEW HAMPTON, N.H. (AP) — Authorities in New Hampshire say 20 vehicles crashed in a chain-reaction accident during heavy snowfall on Interstate 93.

New Hampshire Department of Transportation spokesman Bill Boynton says the crash happened near Exit 22 early Saturday afternoon. Boynton says the pileup left five people injured, but none of the injuries was life-threatening. Rescue workers took all five to hospitals.

To read the rest of this story, visit Boston.com.

Kenya: 10 People Drown As Floods Wreak Havoc

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AllAfrica.com - 12/29/12, Judie Kaberia

Nairobi — Ten people drowned early on Saturday morning after their houses were swept away by raging floods in Keiyo Valley.

According to the area District Commissioner Arthur Bunde, four of those killed were members of the same family.

To read the rest of this story, visit AllAfrica.com.

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