Extreme Canadian Weather

Interesting reads on climate change

2010-03-30T11:46:00.000-07:00

Climate Change 101 from David Suzuki's site.

Is climate change getting you down? Read this blog post on David Suzuki's "Docs Talk"

A link to Arctic Meltdown from The Nature of Things

Climate change solutions and ideas

And, well, then there's this...which is a classic anti-climate change view of the world. A disclaimer...Bob Carter is a well-known climate skeptic in Australia.

What's the worst that could happen?

2010-03-30T11:41:00.001-07:00

George Monbiot on Climate Change

2010-03-27T08:03:00.000-07:00

George Monbiot, the author of Heat (one of the best books for the public about cliamte change), recently posted a two minute video on climate change. Check it out. Watch a follow-up discussion that Monbiot has with a climate-skeptic.

East African Drought

2010-03-16T11:49:00.001-07:00

Climate Frontline Africa

2010-03-16T11:27:00.000-07:00

Climate Frontline Africa

View more presentations from FARM-Africa.

Drought

2010-03-16T11:19:00.001-07:00

Drought disaster and natural resources

View more presentations from guesteaed2c.

Archived data and images for Weather Journal

2010-03-09T11:01:00.000-08:00

Thanks to Emma Hicks for sending information on where to retrieve archived radar images: here and to Darren Hiltz for sending information on where to retrieve information on weather warnings issued in previous months: here

Meteorologists and Snowmaggedon...makes for a crazy mixture!

2010-02-09T18:43:00.001-08:00

New Wind Record

2010-01-28T17:07:00.000-08:00

A new record for a wind gust has been set (407 km/hr!). Read about it here.
On a related note, there have been discussions about having the next Geography Department field trip go to New Hamshire and visit Mount Washington (among other things). We would go in fine weather, of course! What do you think?

Here comes the rain....

2010-01-25T18:15:00.000-08:00

Monsoons

2010-01-24T16:48:00.000-08:00

We'll be starting to watch this in class on Monday, January 25. I would encourage you to watch the entire 45 minute film.

All About Clouds

2010-01-24T16:10:00.000-08:00

An excellent Cloud Tutorial from NASA: click here.

Warmth and wind passing through Monday night...

2010-01-24T16:02:00.000-08:00

Weather woes out west...

2010-01-24T15:58:00.001-08:00

Take a look at the weather that is going on in western parts of Canada...

Weather Station on the Burke Building

2010-01-20T15:22:00.000-08:00

I had mentioned in one of our first classes that there is a weather station on the top of the Burke Building. You can access the data from this site. Note that the weather conditions are only reported when the computer is turned on in the Community-Based Environmental Monitoring Network, something I am trying to remedy!

More snow on the way this Wednesday...

2010-01-18T13:12:00.000-08:00

This is what Brett Anderson from Accuweather has to say about the snow on the way this coming Wednesday....I see a snow day in he near future (for the younger kids, that is...)

Nova Scotia snowfall January 18, 2010

2010-01-18T11:33:00.000-08:00

So...Environment Canada just issued a weather warning for southern NS, after they already had 23 cm on the ground! I still think we will get more than 2-4 cm this aft. in Halifax. There is already more than that on the ground where I live outside of the city.

2010-01-10T11:06:00.000-08:00

The next morning I turned on the tv to see what the local news had to say about the "storm" (see last post). Take note of the "Severe Weather Team" on the screen, the amount of snow on the ground and the Colleges and University closures notice along the bottom.
A short walk from my hotel to the conference centre on the Emory Campus: there was slick ice on the roads and cars that had spun out abandoned at the bottom of the hill. For some, this was their first time driving in these conditions. Some children had never seen snow before!

Well, technically not the "floor", but it served it's purpose, I suppose. So laughable "severe weather" by our standards, but it is all a matter of perspective, what one is used to and how our different vulnerabilities come from our lived experiences. We will be talking about this very thing into the severe weather portion of the course in February.

Snow in Atlanta

2010-01-07T18:17:00.003-08:00

So....the snow held off until about 8pm tonight, and it is so fine that only this much has fallen in an hour: Schools were still closed early today in anticipation of the "severe weather". I'm not making fun...but it is amusing. It will be interesting to see what is on the ground in the morning.

And it is interesting to see snow on the foliage that doesn't often have to feel such "extreme cold". I leave you with the uncommon scene of snow in Atlanta, Georgia.....

Severe Weather?

2010-01-07T03:44:00.000-08:00

Well, one person's perspective of "severe weather" can be very different from anothers'. I'm in Atlanta, Georgia and wow are people freaking out about the cold and the potential snow for today. I arrived to temperatures of about -1 C and the hotel lobby clerk was wearing his coat. Indoors. "Don't worry, we turned the heat on in your room" he tells me. I'm not worried. Jeez, I was in Quebec City this time last year and the temps were -45 with the wind chill...
I get to my room and the thermostat reads 85 F...I keep my house at a comfortable 68. I think I must have been the only person in the state of Georgia with the air conditioning turned on.

So today....the forecast is for anywhere from a "sprinkling of snow" to an inch. Schools are closed in anticipation of this and there are water main breaks across the city (the pipes aren't buried as deep in the ground in southern states as ones where freezing is more normal, so the freeze and thaw near the surface is causing the pipes to break). The news last night was explaining to people that trucks were out spreading a combination of salt and "grit" and explaining what this does to help with the driving ;)...and that one shouldn't drive too close to them because their windshields could break from the grit hitting them if they drove too close....that's some grit! (Distinct from the grit that is consumed in this area, I assume).

The snow really isn't supposed to arrive until later today...so I am thinking I might not be able to photograph and record people's responses because they are saying likely 7-8pm, after then sun has gone down. I will do my best.

Welcome to GEOG 3343

2010-01-05T08:09:00.001-08:00

This is the site for the GEOG 3343 Weather and Climate course 2010.

Nov. 22-23 snow event

2008-11-24T17:45:00.000-08:00

This was an amazingly large nor'easter for this time of year: something we might expect in January rather than November. Approximately 30 cm fell in West Pennant, NS, where I live. The snow consistency was perfect for igloo-building!

Friday/Saturday Snow for Nova Scotia

2008-11-21T17:44:00.000-08:00

This is going to be a weather bomb for large parts of Nova Scotia, including Halifax. More to come...

Buoy 44011

2008-09-28T10:25:00.000-07:00

The bouys just off the coast of Nova Scotia, in the region around Georges Bank, are picking up some amazing numbers: including a nearly 40 foot wave height. Holy smoke....hold onto your hats. Notice that the wind speed graph doesn't go higher than 70 knots....

Hurricane Kyle

2008-09-28T09:49:00.001-07:00

The track is shifting to the east again, which means a potentially greater impact for Nova Scotia than had originally been discussed on a variety of hurricane sites. There are several warnings issued for regions of Nova Scotia, including Halifax. I wouldn't underestimate this storm: the satellites look impressive, bouys in Georges Bank are recording winds of 130 km per hour and the system is getting very close to land. I am hoping for minimal damage along the southern shore but worried that it may be bad when this storm passes. Time will tell. In the meantime, pay attention to the National Hurricane Centre, Canadian Hurricane Centre and Wunderground....times like this I wish that the CHC updated more frequently!

Interesting post about Kyle from the Weather Network

2008-09-27T07:23:00.001-07:00

"While Kyle's eventual impact is still unclear, this is an important storm that needs to be taken seriously. Setting aside the meteorology for a second, the parallels with Juan are eerie. Both Kyle and Juan formed on Thursday September 25, and Kyle looks to make its impact during Sunday night, at almost exactly the same time that Hurricane Juan made landfall just west of Halifax.
However, in meteorology, we look at facts, not coincidence. There are similarities between the two storms. Both Juan and Kyle are taking similar tracks moving due north from a position near Bermuda (Juan went east of Bermuda and Kyle is passing to the west). Kyle has the opportunity to strengthen before it hits the cold waters north of the Gulf Stream, just as Juan did 5 years ago.
While the tracks look vaguely similar, there are important differences. The current thinking is that Kyle will have its worst impact in southwestern Nova Scotia and possibly southwestern New Brunswick depending on the exact track Sunday night. Juan had a track that maximized damage in a heavily populated corridor from Halifax to Truro to Charlottetown. Also, even if Kyle continues to strengthen through today and tonight, it will have to move over the chilly water south of Shelburne, NS (blue shading in the picture below) that is 3 degrees cooler than when Juan hit 5 years ago. Tropical cyclones crave heat and moisture, so cooler water is good news for us.
However, the threat with this storm is real and like any tropical system, we are concerned about two impacts - wind and rain. Rainfall is ongoing across sections of the Maritimes today as a frontal system will put down locally heavy amounts through tonight well ahead of Kyle. At this point, it looks like New England has a much better chance of seeing flooding issues related to these systems as opposed to the Maritimes, but western New Brunswick and the Gaspe Pennisula of Quebec may see enough rain through the weekend to cause problems.
Wind is potentially the bigger story. Nobody remembers Juan for its rain, and the danger with Kyle is that this storm strengthens further today and tonight and loses only a little intensity prior to making a landfall Sunday night. The debate about whether Kyle is tropical or not at landfall is moot if the storm is producing wind gusts of 100 to 120 km/h, which is certainly possible just east of its landfall location (best chance for this appears to be in southwestern Nova Scotia based on the current track). With leaves still on deciduous trees, winds of this strength will bring down many trees and cause widespread power outages.
While the current forecast suggests Kyle will not measure up to Juan, this is still a storm that could do significant damage in sections of the Maritimes. I covered Hurricane Juan the night it made landfall in Nova Scotia, and while Kyle may not look as bad at this point, this is the first storm that has looked somewhat similar to that terrible blast of wind 5 years ago this weekend."

Kyle Update

2008-09-26T20:50:00.000-07:00

Brett Anderson at Accuweather has posted his forecast of potential impacts from Kyle. I follow Brett's blog regularly and his skills are quite accurate. So his prognosis for the Atlantic coast worries me:
http://www.accuweather.com/mt-news-blogs.asp?partner=accuweather&blog=anderson

So it looks like Sunday is bring "Kyle"

2008-09-25T17:11:00.000-07:00

Let's see what Sunday brings.

2008-09-24T16:44:00.000-07:00

Some long-range models have the current disturbance off the Carolinas developing into a storm event that could track up Nova Scotia by Sunday. Let's see what this develops into.

Hanna

2008-09-05T17:32:00.000-07:00

There's not much more to be added to what the Canadian Hurricane Centre has been updating. I will post more as this continues to track closer to Nova Scotia tomorrow.

Here comes Hanna

2008-09-03T16:53:00.001-07:00

Environment Canada's Hurricane Centre issues this statement this afternoon:

TROPICAL STORM HANNA INFORMATION STATEMENT ISSUED BY THE CANADIAN HURRICANE CENTRE OF ENVIRONMENT CANADA AT 3.00 PM ADT WEDNESDAY03 SEPTEMBER 2008.

THIS IS A PRELIMINARY INFORMATION STATEMENT REGARDING POSSIBLE FUTURE EFFECT OF HANNA ON ATLANTIC CANADA. REGULAR MESSAGING IS PLANNED TO BEGIN AT 9.00 AM ADT THURSDAY 04 SEPTEMBER.WE ARE MONITORING THE DEVELOPMENT AND MOTION OF TROPICAL STORM HANNA OVER THE BAHAMAS. MOST COMPUTER MODELS SHOW THE STORM REGAINING HURRICANE STRENGTH AS IT MOVES NORTHWESTWARD TOWARD THE SOUTHEASTERN U.S. THE MODELS ARE ALSO SUGGESTING THAT THE REMAINS OF THE STORM COULD MOVE NORTHEASTWARD TOWARD EASTERN CANADA SOMETIME DURING THEUPCOMING WEEKEND..BRINGING WIND AND RAIN. IT WON'T BE UNTIL LATE THURSDAY OR FRIDAY BEFORE WE HAVE MORE SPECIFICS ON HOW THE SYSTEM MIGHT AFFECT THE REGION. THIS MESSAGE SIMPLY SERVES AS A HEADS-UP TOTHE POTENTIAL ROLE OF HANNA IN OUR FUTURE WEATHER..AND TO INFORM THAT THE CANADIAN HURRICANE CENTRE WILL BE WATCHING THE SYSTEM CLOSELY.END FOGARTY/BOWYER

The system will likely pass late Saturday night/early Sunday morning across Nova Scotia as a tropical or extratropical storm. The tracking across land masses, and the entry into higher latitudes and cooler sea surface temperatures should ensure that it does not develop into a hurricane but this should not diminish how seriously we should take weather systems like this. Some of our worst rain events have been from lesser storm intensities. There will be more to report on this system in the days to come.

Severe thunderstorm in central NS today

2008-08-31T10:06:00.000-07:00

Environment Canada has issued a severe thunderstorm warning for the Halifax area. There is an ominous looking radar that appears to have a hook echo signature. I wonder if there will be tornado sightings in the central part of the province? Strange skies were seen in my area, but I am just south of the main thunder showers. Darn!

Now that's a trough of low pressure!

2008-08-27T16:32:00.000-07:00

A Summer Nor'Easter

2008-08-14T04:37:00.001-07:00

This system is just going to skim past Nova Scotia. Earlier in the week, the forecast models had it coming over NS, in which case we would ahve been in for some serious rain today. It still looks like the eastern tip of Newfoundland will feel its force, however, as warnings have been issued for that province.

It was interesting that although there weren't officially any marine weather warnings last night, there were a plethora of sailboats taking shelter in my Bay, which is something we rarely see. This one was one of the largest:

Lightning

2008-08-06T16:59:00.000-07:00

There's an interesing article on Lightning in a recent online issue of The Walrus. Read it here.

Rain records broken in Toronto for July

2008-08-03T11:21:00.001-07:00

Toronto received more rain during the month of July, 2008 (recorded at Toronto's Pearson Int'l airport) than ever recorded. There are more details about the statistics of recorded precipitation in the Toronto region at this site.

One thing that the general public tends to not hear about as much as the temperatures associated with climate change are the anticipated increases in precipitation in eastern regions of Canada. This could be a foreshadowing of rainier times ahead.

Humidity causes operations to be cancelled in Newfoundland

2008-07-29T17:08:00.000-07:00

Read about it here.

A rain-maker it was

2008-07-23T05:35:00.001-07:00

I wasn't expecting to personally experience the effects of Cristobal, but look at the gully erosion on my road! The CBC also reported a story about a man whose boat capsized just south of Halifax.

Cristobal will be a rain-maker

2008-07-21T19:14:00.001-07:00

This image was compiled by the folks at Weather Wunderground, which has one of the best tropical storm sites (in terms of graphics and imagery anyway). Even though the eye of this storm will remain off the coast, as you can see from this image (as of 11pm AST Monday), we will certainly be feeling its' effects. The heavy rainfall warning remains in effect. Thankfully there are not any tropical storm warnings issued, which would also mean high winds.

Tropical Storm Cristobal

2008-07-21T13:12:00.000-07:00

The track is taking this storm just off the coast of Nova Scotia, which is good, although a heayv rainfall warning has been issued by Environment Canada . This will be our first taste of the tropical storm season of 2008. CBC News is reporting about it already.

Here comes Cristobal...

2008-07-20T05:42:00.001-07:00

There is a warm front moving through Nova Scotia tomorrow (Monday, July 21) that should not be confused with the forth-coming impacts from Tropical Storm Cristobal. This warm front will bring lots of rain to parts of Nova Scotia on Monday. We should start to have rain and gusty winds associated with Cristobal into Tuesday. The track has it going straight through Halifax, but it is not expected to intensify. We've seen that tropical storms can have significant impacts, however (e.g. Noel in November, 2007). I'll be posting more about this system later today and into tomorrow.

Severe weather in Alberta and Manitoba

2008-07-07T14:03:00.001-07:00

Read about it here and here.

High temperatures and humidity in the Maritimes

2008-07-07T03:43:00.000-07:00

The next three days should be hot and humid across eastern Quebec, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. By the end of the week, a cold front should come through and relieve us of the heat!

Hurricane Season 2008 begins

2008-07-03T03:03:00.000-07:00

There's lots of time before this system even comes anywhere close to a landmass (e.g. end of next week), but I'll be posting about it here and updating what is going on with this storm. You can also track it here.

Lethbridge, Alberta declares state of emergency due to heavy rain

2008-07-02T09:00:00.001-07:00

Lethbridge Herald photo by David Rossiter

A thunderstorm in Lethbridge, Alberta dumped more rain in a 90 minute period than the city might expect in a month. The Canada Day storm caused local flooding, but no reports of injuries. Read more about it here and here.

Hurricane Season again

2008-06-20T16:54:00.000-07:00

Although hurricane season really doesn't kick into high gear in Atlantic Canada until later in the summer when the sea surface temperatures at the higher latitudes have warmed more than their current temps., we should still be mindful of what is churning out in the Atlantic. These systems may not develop into anything and the early season hurricanes tend not to be swept up in the Gulf Stream, but never say never...

Severe thunderstorms in Montreal and surrounding areas

2008-06-10T16:06:00.001-07:00

There are severe weather watches issued for the Montreal area:

Metro Montréal - Laval 6:40 PM EDT Tuesday 10 June 2008
Severe thunderstorm watch for Metro Montréal - Laval continued

Weather conditions for these regions are favourable to the development of severe thunderstorms. Some of them could produce largehailstones - high winds - heavy rain and intense lightning.
Public in these regions should be on the lookout for weather conditions and listen for subsequent watches and especially forwarnings to be issued in case of severe weather.This severe watch is in effect from 06:40 PM to 08:30 PM EDT.

There have already been reports of some damage and the Champlain Bridge in Montreal has been closed as a result of seven trucks over-turning. Read more about it here.

Lots of severe summer weather...

2008-06-09T16:44:00.000-07:00

...including tornadoes and extreme humidity (and the summer technically isn't even here yet). Read about it here.

Tornado warnings now issued for parts of NB as well

2008-06-08T14:32:00.000-07:00

From Environment Canada:
Stanley - Doaktown - Blackville Area6:30 PM ADT Sunday 8 June 2008Tornado warning forStanley - Doaktown - Blackville Area issued Radar indicates a very intense storm near deersdale which is moving southeast at 75 km/h. It may contain a tornado damaging winds in excess of 100 km/h and large hail. This storm is moving across the eastern portion of the above mentioned region.In addition there are other thunderstorms in the above mentioned region that may give damaging winds heavy downpours and large hail.This is a warning that severe thunderstorms with tornadoes are imminent or occurring in these regions. Monitor weather conditions. Take immediate safety precautions.Please refer to the latest public forecasts for further details.Radar indicates a very intense storm near deersdale which is moving southeast at 75 km/h. It may contain a tornado damaging winds in excess of 100 km/h and large hail. This storm is moving across the eastern portion of the above mentioned region.In addition there are other thunderstorms in the above mentioned region that may give damaging winds heavy downpours and large hail.

Tornado warnings issued in Ontario

2008-06-08T13:57:00.000-07:00

This map is from Environment Canada's weather warning site: click on the counties here and then read where the specific tornado watches and warnings are located. Read more about it from CBC here.

There are actually an extraordinay number of weather watches and warnings in effect as of 6pm AST on Sunday, June 8:

Severe thunderstorm warning for Brandon-Carberry-Treherne
Severe thunderstorm watch for Brandon-Carberry-Treherne
Severe thunderstorm watch for Dauphin-Roblin-Winnipegosis
Severe thunderstorm watch for Killarney-Pilot Mound-Manitou
Severe thunderstorm watch for Melita-Boissevain-Turtle Mountain Provincial Park
Severe thunderstorm watch for Minnedosa-Neepawa-Russell-Riding Mountain National Park
Severe thunderstorm watch for Ste Rose-McCreary-Alonsa-Gladstone
Severe thunderstorm watch for Virden-Souris
Severe thunderstorm watch for Campbellton and Restigouche County
Severe thunderstorm watch for Edmundston and Madawaska County
Severe thunderstorm watch for Grand Falls and Victoria County
Severe thunderstorm watch for Woodstock and Carleton County

Winter storm watch for Cape Dorset
Freezing rain warning for Clyde River
Winter storm watch for Hall Beach Region
Winter storm watch for Igloolik

Severe thunderstorm watch for City of Ottawa
Severe thunderstorm watch for Cornwall - Morrisburg
Tornado watch for Elgin
Severe thunderstorm watch for Grey - Bruce
Tornado watch for Huron - Perth
Tornado warning for London - Middlesex
Tornado watch for London - Middlesex
Tornado watch for Oxford - Brant
Severe thunderstorm watch for Prescott and Russell
Severe thunderstorm watch for Renfrew - Pembroke - Barry's Bay
Severe thunderstorm warning for Sarnia - Lambton
Tornado watch for Sarnia - Lambton
Severe thunderstorm watch for Smiths Falls - Lanark - Sharbot Lake
Tornado watch for Windsor - Essex - Chatham-Kent
Severe thunderstorm watch for Beauce
Severe thunderstorm watch for Charlevoix
Severe thunderstorm watch for Drummondville - Bois-Francs
Severe thunderstorm watch for Eastern Townships
Severe thunderstorm watch for Upper Gatineau - Lièvre-Papineau

Wind warning for Kangiqsujuaq
Severe thunderstorm watch for La Tuque
Severe thunderstorm watch for Lachute - Saint-Jerome
Severe thunderstorm watch for Lanaudière
Severe thunderstorm watch for Laurentians
Severe thunderstorm watch for Mauricie
Severe thunderstorm watch for Montmagny-L'îslet
Severe thunderstorm watch for Montreal Metropolitain-Laval
Severe thunderstorm watch for Gatineau
Severe thunderstorm watch for Pontiac
Wind warning for Quaqtaq
Severe thunderstorm watch for Québec
Severe thunderstorm watch for Réserve Faunique des Laurentides
Severe thunderstorm watch for RICHELIEU VALLEY - SAINT-HYACINTHE
Severe thunderstorm watch for Vaudreuil-Soulanges-Huntingdon

Tornado watch for Carlyle - Oxbow - Carnduff - Bienfait - Stoughton
Tornado watch for City of Regina
Tornado watch for Estevan-Weyburn-Radville-Milestone
Tornado watch for Fort Qu'Appelle-Indian Head-Lumsden-Pilot Butte
Tornado watch for Moosomin-Grenfell-Kipling-Wawota
Tornado watch for Yorkton-Melville-Esterhazy

And finally...
Rainfall warning for Kluane Lake!!

Record amounts of rain in northwestern Ontario

2008-06-07T14:20:00.001-07:00

Read about it here. I'll be tracking down more information about this event adn posting it here when I learn more.

Canadian Summer 2008

2008-06-04T17:31:00.000-07:00

Brett Anderson posted the following maps on his accuweather blog recently. Let's see if these patterns generally hold up as we finally enter the official summer season.

The red areas are above normal temperatures, green is near normal and blue is below normal.
The neon green color indicates above-normal rainfall, the base green color indicates near-normal, while the yellow/brown color shows where he expects the summer to be drier than normal.

Environment Canada also made a summer season forecast, indicating that many regions of Canada will face an above-normally hot summer.

New "Extreme Weather" magazine

2008-05-10T05:02:00.001-07:00

The publishers of "Astronomy Today" are about to launch a new "Extreme Weather" magazine. The first issue will be coming out in June, 2008. Although it will likely have mostly American content and examples, there could very well be some useful and interesting content to read.

Well into May and Calgary area under a snow warning

2008-05-08T17:31:00.000-07:00

From Environment Canada:
City of Calgary 3:36 PM MDT Thursday 8 May 2008 Snowfall warning for City of Calgary continued Heavy snowfall expected tonight into Friday morning.The centre of the cold upper low is currently over the City of Calgary, Okotoks and Strathmore regions. In the clear skies associated with the centre of the low isolated thunderstorms have formed due to daytime heating and cold unstable air aloft. Brief heavy snow or rain showers can occur with these isolated thunderstorms with a slight risk of pea-size hail occurring. However as the upper low starts tracking southeastwards this evening, a band of heavy snow will move into the City of Calgary and the Okotoks region. The snow will persist into Friday morning with snowfall amounts expected to be in the 10 to 25 centimetres range.The Banff and Kananaskis regions and western sections of the Airdrie regions can still expect further amounts of 10 to 25 centimetres by Friday morning while snowfall amounts will gradually taper off in the Jasper, Nordegg and Rocky Mountain House region by late this evening.

Read more about it here.

Why is climate change happening so fast?

2008-04-21T06:18:00.000-07:00

Why is climate change happening so fast?
-Ben Lemieux

To answer the question by simple analogy, it is like putting a pot of water on a hot stove and not paying attention to the pot until it boils over. The same can be said of our outlook on climate change. We have only paying attention to it for a relatively short period. The central point in answering this question, and indeed this paper’s take home message, is to highlight the polarity that exists between the changes occurring to the global climate system and our understanding of climate change. No climate change debate is complete without a talk about the atmospheric concentration of greenhouse gases (GHG). Simply put, there will be an increase in GHG when the emissions of GHG is larger than the removal processes.(IPCC 2007 ). This paper is necessarily divided into two parts: first it looks at emissions of GHG and tries to describe the nature and origin of GHG, and secondly we explore the removal process and the changes that are occurring to these systems.

“Warming of the climate system is unequivocal”
IPCC 2007

The statement heard around the world won the IPCC a Nobel Peace Prize in 2007. The IPCC are considered the leading experts on climate change. Their findings show that CO2 and Methane (CH4) concentrations in the year 2005 exceeds “by far the natural range over the last 650 000 years.”(IPCC, 2007). Put in a basic, workable analogy, GHG work as a blanket keeping what is underneath warm by preventing heat from escaping. It has been 650 000 years since the last time our planet had an atmospheric blanket whose molecular assemblage was as thickly concentrated with GHG. We should therefore expect some changes to occur. The source of such GHG is clearly identified by the IPCC as they state “[g]lobal increases in CO2 concentrations are due primarily to fossil fuel use”(IPCC, 2007).
We now understand, unequivocally, that the climate is changing and that human derived GHG emissions is to blame but to understand why some may feel overwhelmed by the rate at which the change is occurring. therefore, it is important to consider the technological advancements that occurred in the late half of the 1900’s, which set the stage for the discovery of climate change.
Prior to the 1970’s human induced global warming was not on the forefront of the scientific community due in large part to the lack of technology needed to study global climate dynamics. The case in point, we did not have the technology to land on the moon until 1969 and it was not until 1972 that the first global multispectral satellite scanning system was established, namely the Landsat satellite system (Gregory, 2000). Chad Kister in his book Arctic Melting states “ Climatologists [had] been hindered until the advent of satellite data”(Kister, 2005). It suffices to say that the climate may have been warming prior to this time but we did not have the technology requirements to monitor any global change.
However, to tackle the problem of climate change we must be willing to address human induced GHG emissions and I highlight the importance of using IPCC data for the following reason. When I am sick and feeling ill I do not seek the advice of an Economist nor do I seek the advice of a Geologist, therefore when dealing with climate change, it seems fairly logical to use data from the IPCC .
Their data states that there has been a steady change of our atmospheric blanket as“[g]lobal GHG emissions due to human activities have grown since pre-industrial times, with an increase of 70% between 1970 and 2004” (IPCC, 2007). The report also states that CO2, the most important of the GHG emitted by humans, has grown by about 80% between 1970 and 2004. (IPCC, 2007). The conclusion is simple, we have been putting more and more stuff into the atmosphere, at a rate that is almost exponential, which results in a thickening of the atmospheric blanket and a consequential warming of the climate.
The other aspect related to emissions increase is to correlate emissions with the human population increase.
In 1970, the world human population was about 3.7 billion, in 1990, the year the Kyoto protocol was signed, the population grew to about 5.2 billion and we surpassed the 6 billion mark just before the new millennium (Geohive, 2007). There is a distinct link between the world population increase and the thickening of our atmospheric blanket however, humans, by themselves are not the problem in terms of GHG emissions but our actions related to life quality are the problem.
Carbon dioxide, or CO2, is mostly found in fossil fuels and to put things into perspective, the Kyoto protocol asks for a reduction of emissions below the 1990 levels. OPEC (Organization of Petroleum Producing Countries), produced over 22 million barrels a day in 1990 which jumped to 32 million barrels a day in 2006. (OPEC, 2007). Coal production has also increased, and in the period from 2005 to 2006, a single year, the production rose an amazing 8.8% and 92 % since 1982 (World Coal Institute, 2007). I have chosen to use these statistics rather than the emission statistics produced by the IPCC to highlight the global links of our modern lifestyles.
Fossil fuels are derived from products that are mined or drilled in one region of the world and the extraction technology is heavily dependent on the same fossil fuels we are trying to get at. This process results in an environmental degradation of the local source region. The products are then sent to another area for refinement and eventually is distributed globally before ending up in our houses and cars. All along this chain, fossil fuels were used for the transportation and refinement which says nothing of the wars fought, and the fossil fuel dependent machinery, to keep the flow constant.
As a global population it is our economic activity fuelled in large part by technology reliant on fossil fuels that poses the problem. A sample of the facts produced by the American Clean Air Council exemplified my point:
- Each American produces 56 tons of garbage a year.
- Each year Americans produce enough thrash to line up garbage trucks from the Earth halfway to the moon.
- Americans alone throw away 2.5 million plastic bottles every hour.
- Americans alone throw away enough plastic cups, paper, forks and spoons to circle the equator 300 times, a year.
(Clean Air Council, 2008)

It is apparent that there is an ever increasing production of waste and garbage, in fact, since 1979 there has been an 80% increase in thrash production in America alone. (Clean Air Council, 2008). Garbage must go somewhere and that somewhere may also be a problem in terms of increasing rates of climate change as they remove the trees and forests that could otherwise be removing GHG from our atmosphere.
Trees, through the process of photosynthesis, take in CO2 from the air and replace it with oxygen. However, each year approximately 13 million hectares, an area roughly the size of Greece is disappearing from the Earth.( FAO, 2005 ). Deforestation alone accounts for about 17.3% of the GHG emission emitted by humans (IPPC 2007). This basically means that every year the earth becomes 13 million hectares less effective at removing GHG from the atmosphere. This situation provides the impetus for the final segment of this paper, the feedback loop that occurs in the Northern Arctic.
The thickening of our atmospheric blanket by the increased addition of GHG and the elimination of the natural sequestration capabilities of our forests plainly sets the scene for the warming of the arctic and the melting of snow and ice cover.
The result of melting ice cover is a positive feedback loop that results in warmer oceans and cyclic manifestation of continued warming. The feedback loop so crucial to explaining why the rate of climate change is increasing has to do with the albedo effect, the amount of light reflected by a body. Snow and ice cover reflect the sun’s energy back to the atmosphere whereas exposed oceans and planetary surfaces absorb incoming solar radiation. (Kister, 2005). The loop is amplified during the summers when there is 24 hours of sunlight in the arctic. The less ice there is to reflect solar radiation the more the oceans warm by absorption which results in a delayed return of ice due to the warmed ocean. (Kister, 2005).The feedback effect amplifies itself yearly and the result is less reflection and more absorption which ultimately heats the global atmospheric blanket. Geography of the land also plays an important role in the loop as the seas around the arctic are surrounded by land and islands and results in a shallower sea that is more prone to rapid warming. (Kister, 2005).
It is clearly our actions, a cumulative effect of a global population increase and reliance on fossil fuels, that have put the stuff that warms the world up in the atmosphere. We may not have always known that our actions had such a heavy price to pay and we are only starting to understand the levy charged by the earth for our actions, primarily in the form of feedback loops. We do, however, have an increasing understanding of those impacts and therefore have a global responsibility to be aware of the price of our daily actions and the toll posed on all that live here, even Gaia herself.

References

Clean Air Council. Waste Facts and Figures. (Internet) 2008. Available from
http://www.cleanair.org/Waste/wasteFacts.html March 4 2008.

Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations(FAO). 2005. Global Resource Forest Assesment (2005) (Internet) Available from
http://www.fao.org/forestry/site/32431/en/ March 8 2008.

GeoHive. Population Milestones. (Internet). Available from
http://www.xist.org/earth/his_history2.aspx. March 8 2008.

Gregory, K.J. (2000). The Changing nature of Physical Geography. Arnold, London University Press. p 70.

IPCC. Fourth Assessment report, Topic 2. (Intenet) Available from
http://www.ipcc.ch/pdf/assessment-report/ar4/syr/ar4_syr_topic2.pdf March 9 2008.

Kister, C. (2005). Arctic Melting. Common Courage Pres. Monroe, ME. (p 12, 94-95).

OPEC. Annual Statistical Bulletin. (2007). available from
http://www.opec.org/library/Annual%20Statistical%20Bulletin/ASB2006.htm. March 6 2007

World Coal Institute. Coal Facts. (Internet) 2008
http://www.worldcoal.org/pages/content/index.asp?PageID=188. March 6 2008.

Oh, this is not good news...

2008-04-14T17:23:00.000-07:00

Japan's gas breakthrough raises environmental fears; Discovery of methane hydrate in frozen seabeds could mean fuel boon

TOYKO - Japan is celebrating a groundbreaking science experiment in the Arctic permafrost that may eventually re-shape the country's fragile economy and Tokyo's relationships with the outside world.
For an unprecedented six straight days, a state-backed drilling company has managed to extract industrial quantities of natural gas from underground sources of methane hydrate -- a form of gas-rich ice once thought to exist only on the moons of Saturn.
In fact, the seabeds around the Japanese coast actually conceal massive deposits of the elusive sorbet-like compound in their depths, and a country that has long assumed it had virtually no fossil fuels could now be sitting on energy reserves containing 100 years' fuel. Critically for Japan, which imports 99.7 per cent of the oil, gas and coal needed to run its vast economy, the lumps of energy-filled ice offer the tantalizing promise of a little energy independence.
Environmentalists, though, are horrified by the idea of releasing huge quantities of methane from under the seabeds. Although methane is a cleaner-burning fossil fuel, the as yet untapped methane hydrates represent "captured" greenhouse gases that some believe should remain locked under the sea. The mining of methane ice could also wreak havoc on marine ecosystems.
Japan is growing ever-more desperate to secure its energy, as once-reliable suppliers -- such as Indonesia and Australia -- have begun either to cut back exports of natural gas and coal or charge crippling prices.
Its direct interests in vital global energy projects, such as oil drilling in Sakhalin and Iran, have also been whittled away by politics and diplomatic rivalries.
The potential of methane hydrates as a source of natural gas has been known scientifically for some time, though how much was lurking off the Japanese coast has been confirmed only in the past couple of years. Methane hydrates are believed to collect along geological fault lines, and Japan sits atop a nexus of three of the world's largest.
In 2007, the ministry of economy, trade and industry declared that there were more than 1.1 trillion cubic metres of methane hydrates off the eastern coast -- equivalent to 14 years of natural gas use by Japan at current rates. Academic studies suggest total Japanese deposits of 7.4 trillion cubic metres.
Realizing how valuable the technology of unlocking the methane hydrates could be, Japan has invested frenziedly in the science of exploiting them. The Japan Oil, Gas and Metals National Corporation (Jogmec) has, for more than a year, been experimenting with the methane hydrate reserves under the tundra of northwestern Canada. Its six-day continuous extraction of methane from a deposit more than a kilometre below the Earth's surface has been hailed as the breakthrough Japan had been waiting for: undersea experiments in Japanese waters are to begin early next year. Commercial production, a Jogmec spokesman told The Times, would begin within the decade.
The Japanese government is so excited at the prospect of even modest relief from its energy problems that it has drawn up a basic policy for ocean-related extractions. It may also licence the technology to allow China, South Korea and other nations thought to have large methane ice deposits off their coasts to unleash the potential of the flammable sorbet.
© Times Newspapers Ltd. 2008

Lightning strikes Air Canada flight en route to Halifax

2008-04-09T16:49:00.001-07:00

Read about it here.

Hurricane Season 2008 Forecast is out

2008-04-09T16:47:00.000-07:00

Read about it here.

Black Carbon and Climate Change

2008-04-02T05:49:00.000-07:00

Read the full article "Global and regional climate changes due to black carbon" here.

Good Climate Change web site source

2008-04-02T05:42:00.000-07:00

The Pew Centre for Climate Change provides a great source of information on climate change in general and what countries are doing to address it. Keep your eye on this site.

Canadian Air Quality

2008-03-31T06:28:00.000-07:00

Read about the Air Quality Health Index here.

Snow Today

2008-03-28T03:31:00.001-07:00

This snow event is very different from the one that moved through mid-week: it is larger, moving more slowly and the forecast models are all converging around at least 10 cm for Halifax. Most of the snow will fall later today and through tonight, but there will be accumulations through the day as well. Be safe if you are driving!

And let's hope this is the last snow event for 2008!

Winter 2007-08

2008-03-20T11:52:00.001-07:00

Winter ’07 / ’08 is one to remember for many Canadians and goes down as the coldest and snowiest in many years. With the past few winters being milder in general, this year definitely caught most people off guard. In a CTV.ca report Environment Canada's senior climatologist David Phillips says 1994 was the last time Canada had a significantly cold winter and this year had a chance to rival that season and to date, this winter is the coldest in 12 years.
But, finally spring is here and hopefully better weather!
Maybe just not yet though, as David Phillips today says don't put away those snow shovels, he is forecasting six more weeks of winter weather due to the lingering effects of La Nina.
- So if global warming is occurring, why was the winter of 2007-2008 so cold and snowy? The following link may provide an answer to this question. Dr. Jeff Masters of Weather Underground provides an excellent view on what has happened with the ’07 / ’08 winter weather and climate, it is an interesting read:
http://www.wunderground.com/blog/JeffMasters/comment.html?entrynum=916&tstamp=200803

This week's wind storm from space...

2008-03-19T16:38:00.000-07:00

Looks hurricane-ish!

Is the Earth positively or negatively charged?

2008-03-19T09:03:00.001-07:00

Natural Resources Canada and the Canadian Forest Service has a great site that explains lightning in just the right amount of detail and starts off with a brief overview of the surface charges.

The National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Association also has a really good web site on lightning in general. It includes lots of great advice on what to do in the event of lightning.

Tornadoes in Japan?!

2008-03-19T08:57:00.000-07:00

Here is a great place to start to learn more: temperate latitudes in general have the potential for these storm systems, but the US still hase the greatest frequencies.

Climate Change and Canada

2008-03-10T16:44:00.000-07:00

There is a new report just out from Natural Resources Canada entitled "From Impacts to Adaptation:Canada in a Changing Climate 2007". It is really worth a look....

Canada's Top Ten Weather Stories for 2007

2008-03-04T05:35:00.001-08:00

Read about them here. There is also a good summary of climate change in the Canadian contest.

Kyoto Report Card

2008-03-03T15:07:00.000-08:00

If anyone is doing a climate change topic on what other nations are doing...here is one site that gives some context.

Canadian Science in Retreat?!...

2008-03-03T15:02:00.000-08:00

Take a look at a recent editorial in Nature, a well-respected and peer-reviewed academic journal: it's only half a page of text but has an important message.

Astute as ever, Rick Mercer picked up on the story and blogged about it. Remember this meeting that I had mentioned? I didn't go because I didn't want to fly and wanted to keep my carbon footprint down. Harper could have walked there.....

Snow falling on a clear day...

2008-02-28T16:48:00.000-08:00

I received this question by e-mail today:
"I just saw something weird today that I hadn't thought about before.. I know there can be sun-showers, rain on a mainly clear day, but walking to work this afternoon it was snowing even though the sky was pretty much blue and clear, except at the horizon.
I hadn't really thought about it before, but I wonder how that happens.. if it's clear, I'd assume high pressure, but for it to snow, even flurries, I'd expect lower pressure...
Just wondering if you know how this happens.. "

My response:
Here's what I think you might have seen taking place:
The terminal velocity of a raindrop is much greater than that of a snowflake. Therefore, a snowflake may reach the surface well after the cloud that produced it has passed away. Also, wind can easily waft snowflakes a significant horizontal distance. This is especially true of small snowflakes that have a low density (the kind that you likely saw this afternoon).
Clouds that produce snowfall can dissipate rapidly and/or move downwind after producing snow. This can cause snow to be observed at the surface while the sky is partly cloudy or clear.

Friday, February 23, 2008

2008-02-22T07:28:00.000-08:00

You wouldn't know it looking out the window right now (noon on Friday), but there is a system heading our way. There may be quite a bit of snow falling over night tonight and into tomorrow morning. I'll be updating more later. In the meantime, take a look at this.

Wednesday, Feb. 13, 2008!

2008-02-13T03:41:00.000-08:00

1 school proactively cancelled,
1 daycare proactively cancelled,
3 people in my house with the flu,

= I won't be able to make it in today.

The Midterm Test will still be held today, however, as I am making arrangements to have someone else in the Geography Department proctor the test. If you are unable to come for whatever reasons (weather or illness), I will give you the option to write the test next Wednesday (Feb. 20: Reading Week) at 10:30 am. Please e-mail me if you are unable to make it today and want to write the make-up test.

Storm this Wednesday

2008-02-11T17:55:00.000-08:00

Here's a map of the forecast tracks for low pressure systems across Canada this week. Obviously we're interested in the series of lines that indicate a low pressure system moving across our region. The lines all indicate that we'll have precipitation for some period of time on Wednesday: not a doubt. The question now is which track it takes: each coloured line shows a potential track (as predicted by various models): if the system tracks off the coast (i.e. the green line), then we would expect snowfall: being on the western side of the low, and the air would be coming from the northeast (counter-clockwise around the low pressure: classic nor'easter). If the system tracks to the west of Nova Scotia (i.e the blue line), then we might expect more in the way of rain or sleet (air flowing from the south and east, bringing warmer temperatures). You'll notice that the temperature range is wide for Wednesday (-10 to +4): this range is indicative of the uncertainty of the specific track. Some forecasters are starting to tend towards the offshore track which could mean heavy snow (see post below).

Fun stuff!

Heavy snow for Wednesday?...

2008-02-11T17:48:00.000-08:00

Environment Canada is officially using the term "heavy snow" for Wednesday, although you hvae to hunt to find it on their web site. Scrol down to Halifax on this link.

Thundersnow

2008-02-11T14:47:00.001-08:00

Thundersnow was observed in Yarmouth during the storm last night. What is it? You can read about it here or listen here.

Another storm system moving towards NS for this weekend...

2008-02-06T17:37:00.000-08:00

According to Brett Anderson at Accuweather:

More snow into the East this weekend
This same storm that forms along the Arctic cold front will spread a band of light to moderate snow across Ontario and into southern Quebec late Friday night and into Saturday. I will detail accumulations in a later post. As the Arctic air wraps in behind the storm Saturday night and into Sunday morning there will be an outbreak of moderate to heavy lake-effect snow in the typical snow belt regions southeast of Georgian Bay and Lake Huron. Strong winds and snow will make for difficult travel and could create blizzard-like conditions.
As the storm hits the Atlantic Ocean Saturday night it will begin to rapidly intensify and slow its forward speed. What does this mean? It means there is the potential for another snowstorm from central and southern New Brunswick through PEI and northern Nova Scotia Saturday night and into Sunday. Southern Nova Scotia might have to deal with a mix of rain and snow Saturday night before it changes to all snow on Sunday. The storm will likely bring snow to southeastern Newfoundland early Sunday before going over to rain, while western Newfoundland could experience a moderate snowstorm.

Severe Tornadoes in US

2008-02-05T18:27:00.000-08:00

Read what is going on in these regions of the US today. A series of rare winter season tornadoes have already occured and there is the potential for further outbreaks.

An Interesting Article...

2008-02-05T06:44:00.000-08:00

Someone in the class e-mailed this link today. Take a look at it:"NASA DATA LINK POLLUTION TO RAINY SUMMER DAYS IN THE SOUTHEAST"

What does the jet stream look like today?

2008-02-04T07:15:00.000-08:00

You can find the jet stream image every day from this site if you'd like!

Or check this site for another perspective.

Saturday, Feb. 2, 2008 7:45 am

2008-02-02T03:51:00.000-08:00

Here comes yet another storm system...

2008-02-01T06:54:00.000-08:00

Just as we were starting to enjoy the sunshine (even I am getting tired of the storms!)
http://www.weatheroffice.gc.ca/city/pages/ns-19_metric_e.html

Air pressure and toilet water: who knew?!...

2008-01-30T18:09:00.000-08:00

In most homes, the drain system has a vertical pipe which leads to an outlet on the roof. This pipe is called a "vent stack". It allows sewage gases to vent to the air outside your house rather than bubbling up through your sink and toilet, and allows air to pass through the pipes, which ensures that wastewater drains smoothly.

When the wind blows over your house, the air pressure changes because of the "Bernoulli effect". The Bernoulli effect says that pressure becomes lower when flow is faster. It's this effect that sucks loose objects out the car window when you open it while driving; it also creates the lift that allows an airplane to fly. As the wind blows over your house, the Bernoulli effect lowers the pressure at the top of the vent stack. This creates a slight suction throughout the plumbing system, which pulls against the water sitting in the trap in the toilet bowl. As the wind strengthens and weakens, it produces more or less suction, which causes the water in the bowl to slosh.

Weather Modification: a potential link to winter storms in China?

2008-01-30T15:20:00.001-08:00

Recent weather woes in China: could there be any link to weather modification?

China has engaged in weather modification in the past, and has more recently undertaken efforts to control the weather for the Beijing Olympics.

Australia's perception of travel to Canada

2008-01-30T15:18:00.000-08:00

Australia's warning regarding travel to Canada.

Some serious precipitation over Halifax right now...

2008-01-30T15:12:00.000-08:00

Some miscellany

2008-01-29T18:48:00.000-08:00

There is an upcoming conference (Atlantic Climate Change 2008: Risks, Responses and Tools for Action) that some of you might be interested in attending. I am not sure what the cost would be for students, however. Click here to find out where you can get more information.

Also on the topic of Climate Change, there is a new book out that is getting rave reviews. Although I haven't seen it myself, I think it might be worth a look.

Tropical Storm Gula

2008-01-28T16:37:00.000-08:00

Take a look at what is swirling around in the Indian Ocean...

Monday, January 28, 2007

2008-01-28T04:40:00.000-08:00

There will be a lecture today, as the University remains open. If you can not make it due to bad roads or questionable traveling conditions, that's fine: I will be posting the lecture on the p:drive later today and you should speak with someone who is there or talk to me. We will be discussing weather forecasting and weather maps today.

Surface Analysis for Sunday, January 27

2008-01-27T16:41:00.000-08:00

Intense system moving across our region tonight...

2008-01-27T12:52:00.000-08:00

This system will be a bit of a nightmare to forecast in terms of precipitation totals. Environment Canada has issued a weather warning for snow (10-15 cm) and then turning to rain in the morning (with likely freezing rain in the cross over). Accuweather is forecasting 8-10 cm before the turn to rain. In the meantime, it is going to be one extremely windy night tonight, with wind gusts possibly surpassing 100 km/hr. I'll be posting a few more graphics on this storm system later this evening.

Your questions on climate change: I have some work cut out for me!

2008-01-23T16:01:00.000-08:00

Your questions fell into one of the following categories:

1. The Science:
"Climate change is a natural event: how much are we speeding it up?" (x2)

"How [will] other factors affect the level of temperature increase caused by CO2 emissions (i.e. water vapour, ocean currents, human action, ice melt).

"What will the specific impacts be on places such as the Maritimes or Nova Scotia if global climate change is occurring?"

"What data should we believe? When both sides have scientific data (i.e. net gain or loss of our cryosphere), especially when each source is a credible scholar?"

"Do [scientists] believe that GCC would not be occurring at all if humans weren't contributing [so much CO2]?

2. Preparedness and mitigation:
"Are people planning ahead for disasters?"

"What measures can be taken to implement climate change [reduction programs] for various governments to adopt?"

"What can individuals do to reduce the negative impacts?"

"If most of the actions to help stop climate change are small and minor, why is there so much resistance to do them?"

"How much can we really do to stop global warming/ climate change? Maybe we can slow it down some, but could it ever be really stopped?

"How can the biggest pollution contributors be targeted on an international level?"

3. Philosophical:
"Is concern about climate change a 1st world luxury?"

"Does it matter if GCC is "real" or if it is human caused? The issues associated with GCC are air pollution, water pollution and scarcity, social justice, overpopulation, disease, etc. These issues need to be resolved if the human race wants to continue."

4. Societal motivation to act:
"What is the one big thing or event that will really get the public moving toward a positive change? Is there anything that can really motivate people to change?"

"How can we convince people to do what's best for our homes, the Earth, without a catastrophe? Why are people unwilling to do anything unless they are reacting to a disaster?"

"If the cleaner technology is available, why is it not being used more?"

Unusually low ice cover in eastern Canada

2008-01-22T16:33:00.000-08:00

The "most terrifying video you'll ever see"...

2008-01-21T16:30:00.000-08:00

What do you think?...

Tuesday's weather

2008-01-21T15:46:00.000-08:00

So it is going to get warmer later tomorrow (not that I am complaining: I really prefer these freezing temperatures to a heat wave, that's for sure!).

We are going to get some precipitation, but not as much as areas to our west. We might get about 3-5 cm of snow late in the day and then it will change over to rain, as southeast winds off the Atlantic bring warmer air.

According to Accuweather, a more zonal, westerly flow will take over across southern Canada by this weekend signaling another pattern change. This pattern will push the Arctic air back to the north and allow milder, Pacific air to spread from the West Coast to the East Coast. That pattern should persist into the first half of next week, then there may be another change after that.

Brrrr!! Look at those temperatures!

2008-01-21T03:14:00.001-08:00

Halifax Wind Warning

2008-01-18T13:52:00.000-08:00

Halifax Metro and Halifax County West5:32 PM AST Friday 18 January 2008Wind warning forHalifax Metro and Halifax County West issued Wind gusts to 100 km/h are forecast for the above regions for this evening.This is a warning that potentially damaging winds are occurring in these regions. Monitor weather conditions..Listen for updated statements.Strong southeast winds have developed ahead of a rapidly intensifying low pressure system in New Brunswick. Wind gusts to 100 km/h are forecast from Halifax county eastward to Cape Breton Island. The winds will diminish early this evening in Halifax county and by midnight in Cape Breton.In addition..Southeast winds..Les Suetes will gust up to 130 km/h in the Margaree Harbour to Bay St Lawrence area this evening before diminishing towards midnight.

The Climate of 2007...

2008-01-17T16:42:00.000-08:00

According to the US National Climatic Data Centre, the global land and ocean surface temperature was the fifth warmest on record.

2007 second warmest year on record

2008-01-17T11:23:00.000-08:00

Read about it here.

Weather later this week

2008-01-15T17:28:00.000-08:00

We are in for some messy weather at the end of the week (see the big "blob" over Nova Scotia: this is an image from a forecast model), followed by really cold weather coming through from the 20th onwards.

Told you so!...