Odds And Ends: British Pressure, Raining Iguanas And Strange Tornado Warnings

Record high barometric pressure in London, England is among the
odd but mostly not dangerous weather events this week
around the world.

Some or all of the stuff in this post today might seem a bit isoteric, but they're really not.  But they are examples of how weather and climate can be interesting to watch even when the actual weather you're feeling isn't extreme at all.

We've had record high pressure in Great Britain. It was at least potentially raining iguanas in South Florida because of a chilly spell, and what was the deal with those tornado warnings along the winter dreary coast of Washington State?

LONDON PRESSURE 

The other day, London, England recorded its highest barometric pressure on record, which is impressive, since they've been keeping track of such things there for over 300 years.

According to Weather Underground's Category 6 blog, the mean sea-level pressure at Heathrow Airport was 1049.6 mb or 30.99 inches Sunday evening.

Record high pressures were also reported in France, Belgium and elsewhere on Sunday.

The record high pressure in London is really cool for weather geeks, but Londoners didn't exactly suffer under these condtiions. Record low pressure is associated with extreme storminess, but record high pressure usually brings fair weather.

In North America, near record high pressure is associated, at least in the winter, is usually associated with extremely cold Arctic outbreaks. But in England and western Europe, this record high pressure just brought fair and just relatively chilly air to the region

As Category 6 points out, though, if the pressure is high somewhere, it has to be low somewhere else.

When the air pressure is high, air is sinking in that spot. When air pressure is low, it's rising.

You read here the other day about that mammoth blizzard in Newfoundland. That was an extremely strong storm, with very low barometric.  That meant a lot of air was rising. (Rising air also means lots of precipitation, so no wonder it snowed so hard in Newfoundland.)

But that rising air has to end up somewhere. What goes up, must come down, so all that air that rose near Newfoundland sank near the United Kingdom.  With lots of sinking air the air pressure at the surface got to record high levels.

Another thing that happened is related: When there's a contrast over short distances between high pressure and low pressure, you get a lot of wind.

A storm hit Spain this week causing incredible amounts of wind and coastal flooding.  The storm, which is of course an area of low pressure, in Spain wasn't too, too strong as storms go. But the contrast between the mid-strength storm in Spain and the very high pressure to its north brought the wind, tides and towering, destructive waves.

Video of that storm, definitely worth watching, is at the bottom of this post.

FLORIDA WIND CHILLS AND IGUANAS

A burst of chilly air came into Florida this week. Well, it least it was chilly for them.

The Florida cold weather made a lot of news, not because it was so extreme in a historical context, but because these cold snaps have become increasingly rare in the Sunshine State due to global warming.

Early this morning, it got down to 40 degrees in Miami, which was the coldest it's been there since December, 2010. That sounds impressive, but the record low temperature for the date there is 30 degrees, so they didn't even get close to a record.

Still, 40 degrees is chilly for South Florida. The National Weather Service in Miami issued an unusual statement telling residents to not be surprised if iguanas fall from the trees in the cold.

When temperatures get into the 40s, iguanas stiffen up and basically shut down, so they'll fall from the trees. Some might die, but many if not most will recover. People were told to leave seemingly dead iguanas alone, because they'd likely recover if warmed up and maybe bite you.

The National Weather Service also issued wind chill advisories for South Florida yesterday, warning of air with wind that would make it feel like it was in the 20s and 30s outside.

To us winter hardy northerners, that seems laughable because a January day in the 30s is a warm spell. But people in Florida aren't used to such temperatures, so the advisory to stay well dressed to ward off hypothermia was smart.

Of course, the NWS used the standard language used all across the United States for wind chill advisories, so the statement also alerted people to the possibility of frostbite. That is impossible if actual temperatures stay above freezing, as they did in South Florida

PACIFIC NORTHWEST TORNADOES?

A series of storms off the Pacific Ocean has kept the western Washington and Oregon pretty wet this month, and that parade of wet weather will continue this week.

A particularly rembunctious storm came ashore in Washington yesterday, accompanied by rotating thunderstorms that had the potential to unleash tornadoes.

At one point late Tuesday afternoon, four separate tornado warnings were in effect for coastal Washington. There have been no confirmed tornado touchdowns in Washington so far but an EF-0 twister did hit coastal Oregon Tuesday, causing minor damage.

Tornadoes are rare in this area, though every once in awhile a strong Pacific storm can set off a tornado.

Here's a video of the incredible coastal waves in Spain caused by that storm and the very high pressure to the north:

Vermont Snow Behaved. Wild Newfoundland Blizzard REALLY Did Not

A post-blizzard doorway in St. John's Newfoundland
Not enough snow in Vermont for anytbing like
that at the moment. 

The snowfall late yesterday and overnight in and around Vermont pretty much behaved as expected, with the usual spotty exceptions.

It was interesting to note that a fast south to southwesterly flow aloft during the height of the snow would use the Adirondacks to "shadow" parts of the Champlain Valley and yield less snow there.

That shadow seemed centered around Burlington, where at last check, the National Weather Service office reported 2.9 inches of new snow.  

As you travel north up the Champlain Valley, the shadowing effect of the Adirondacks lessened. Milton, several miles north of Burlington had 4.3 inches.  Here at my place in St. Albans, north of Milton, I measured 5.4 inches.  And Swanton, even further north than me, reported 6.3 inches.

The big winners were in northern Vermont, as opposed to southern Vermont as first surmised a couple days ago. Montgomery reported 11 inches of fresh powder and Hyde Park reported 10 inches.  There are many reports of five to eight inches of new snow across much of central and northern Vermont, away from the Champlain Valley.

Meanwhile, as of late last night, high elevation Readsboro in far southern Vermont only got a so-so 4.3 inches of new snow.

In the valleys, this storm is pretty much over. As temperatures slowly fall during the rest of the day, there will be snow showers and flurries and blowing snow in gusty winds to harass valley dwellers. There could be spots with new snow of around one inch during the day today.

In the central and northern Green Mountains, and parts of New York's Adirondacks and New Hampshire's White Mountains, winds rising up the slopes of these mountains will wring out more moisture, and provide a few more inches of snow today.

NEWFOUNDLAND BLIZZARD

A neighborhood in St. John's Newfoundland this weekend.
Photo by Ryan Crocker. 

An earlier midsized snow, similar to the one we got last night, went through Vermont Wednesday night and Thursday morning.

That Thursday storm blew up once it got off the coast of Maine and started heading up through the Atlantic Provinces of Canada.

By the time the storm got up to Newfoundland, it was a beast to say the least.

To begin with, the area around St. John's Newfoundland isn't exactly known for its lovely winter weather.

Way up there north on the frigid Atlantic Coast, it's stormy, dark and cold all winter. The relatively warm waters of the Atlantic keep St. John's relatively warm in the winter, for a location so far north.  Normal highs up there this time of year are near 30 and lows are usually in the teens.

But St. John's, a picturesque city with a population of about 114,000, in the winter is a terribly stormy place. People there are used to it. But this week's blizzard was beyond the pale.

The blizzard dumped around 30 inches of snow on St. John's, which is a record deep snowfall or that city. Winds gusted to 80 mph or so, and 100 mph right along the coast, causing enormous drifts. Some of those drifts reached second story windows. Countless cars in the city were completely buried.

Canadian armed forces were ordered to enter the St. John's area to begin digging them out.

In one neighborhood that clings to a steep hill in St. John's an avalanche slammed into a house, filling the kitchen and living room with snow, Luckily, nobody was hurt.

Unfortunately, one person is missing in the blizzard.

The storm that came through Vermont last night will also affect St. John's, but it won't be as bad as the last one. Environment Canada predicts about four inches of new snow coming up in St. John's, and also a a little blowing snow, then a little rain and drizzle, with winds gusting as high as 45 to 50 mph.

Some Newfoundland/St John's videos:

The first half of this news cast is something:



Here's the progress of the blizzard in one neighborhood:



Here's quite a time lapse:

Eastern Canada Can't Catch Break From Winter; Blowtorch Set To Hit Vermont, Northeast

Reference this photo to cool down during the expected
heat wave this weekend. Photo is of Corner Brook,
Newfoundland this morning. Yes, this morning. 

This cool morning will probably be the last of the bunch for awhile.

Northern New England, and especially eastern Canada, got another late season cold blast this morning.

It was one of a series that has swept through all spring and early summer. Here in New England and northern New York, the cool air has been mostly just refreshing all season, with little harm done, except in the cold hollows.

And overall temperatures for June are coming out just a bit cooler than average, nothing special.

Still, it was 31 degrees in Saranac Lake, New York this morning, the second time in four days they had a frost.

Things were even more "special" up in Canada. Newfoundland, not exact a tropical destination in the best of times, got yet another snowstorm. Yep. On June 26. That's totally off the charts, even for them.

This, after a huge snowstorm on May 24 and destructive June frosts further south in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick that ruined plenty of crops.

Summer will finally come to Newfoundland and surrounding areas this weekend. They'll be on the edge of a big, big heat wave that will affect the eastern United States within a few days. By Sunday, the snow zone in Newfoundland could see temperatures as warm as the upper 80s.

Back down here in Vermont, I hope you're enjoying this cool morning. It was in the 40s pretty much everywhere in the Green Mountain State this morning, with some 30s in the normally colder spots.

Another photo of Newfoundland this morning, again
to reference during the upcoming heat wave.

The blowtorch for this weekend is still on the way. The National Weather Service in South Burlington, Vermont is already calling the expected heat wave "dangerous" and I really must agree with them.

It's not just the hot temperatures. It's not just the humidity. The length of the heat wave matters a lot, too. The longer a heat wave grinds on, the greater the toll it takes on the human body. Especially human bodies that don't have access to air conditioning.

The temperature is expected to rise above 70 degrees and not fall below that level until Tuesday night at the very earliest. So nights will be stifling. Daytimes Saturday through at least Monday will be well into the 90s and the humidity will be quite high.

Sunday at this point looks like it might be the worst days. It's possible, though not likely, that Burlington, Vermont will have an actual temperature of 100 degrees for only the fifth time since records began in the 1880s.

Heat indexes - how the air feels - on Sunday will be in the 105 to possibly 110 degree range. This is not normal in Vermont, that's for sure. We're not used to it.

If you can, make plans now to take air conditioning breaks during the upcoming weekend. There's some great movies out there this time of year. Maybe take in a matinee at some chilly theater near you.

Watch the elderly and make sure they're cool. They can get ill or sick in the heat very quickly. I've already ordered my 89 year old mother into her basement this weekend. Yeah, it sounds mean, but she has no air conditioning, but her basement always stays cool.

My house also has no air conditioning. So I will be sleeping in the basement, too. We have dogs, which reminds me: Be VERY careful with your dogs during the heat wave. They can't stand the heat.

Keep them in cool places, and make sure they have LOTS of water to drink. Don't take them for walks on pavement or concrete. It'll burn their paws.

If you have heavy physical work to do outside during the heat wave, try to postpone it. Even if you're healthy, or think you are. You could easily get heat stroke.

And here's the most important tip: Put a sticky note on the dashboard of your car reminding you to check to make sure all the kids and the pets are out of the car when you leave it. It's surprisingly easy to forget and that has resulted in tragedies.

When you park the car, actually look in and under the back seat. Is everybody out? No living beings in there?

Less important but still good to consider: Remove electronic equipment, cell phones, pens, aerosol cans, sunscreen, soda, beer, wine and medications from your car during hot weather. All could be ruined by the heat.

Someday, it will cool off again, and life will go on as normal. In the meantime, enjoy the relatively cool air today, Wednesday and Thursday. You'll look back on these days with fondness by the time the weekend rolls around.

Do You Still Like Winter? You Should Have Been In Newfoundland This Week

A lovely view of Gander, Newfoundland on Thursday.

Summery weather has engulfed most of the United States. Even in New England, it's going to be in the 80s today, and relatively mild all through the holiday weekend.

There are still probably a (very) few of you out there who miss winter, I know.

The Killington Ski Resort is finally closing down for the season Saturday so hitting the slopes is soon out of the question.

But winter manages to hang on in a few spots, and if you were up in northern New Brunswick and especially Newfoundland, you had a nice blast of winter this week.

Ground zero was Gander, Newfoundland. Now, that city is not known for its tropical beaches and balmy sunshine. Still, what they got this week was quite a blow.  Check out the video at the bottom of this post.

Springtime on an outdoor deck this past week in Gander, Newfoundland.

Thirteen inches of snow fell on Gander on Thursday, which is a lot, even for them. This was the city's second largest snowstorm on record for May, and the biggest for so late in the season. It was also the biggest snowstorm in Gander this, um, winter.

Normally this time of year, high tempertures in Gander in the mid to upper 50s with lows in the upper 30s. Not balmy, but not frigid either.

Instead of buying outdoor grills and deck chairs, people in Gander scrambled for snow tires and snow shovels, which of course aren't in stock this time of year.

Schools shut down because of the snow, and businesses opened late because of snow-clogged streets.

Northern New Brunswick, really not that far from Maine, got snow, too. In New Brunswick, trees were already starting to leaf out when the snow hit. Bathhurst, New Brunswick picked up 2.5 inches of new snow.

The forecast for Gander and the rest of Newfoundland and environs still isn't great. Environment Canada says high temperatures in Gander today are forecast to be only around 40 and in the upper 30s on Saturday. More light snow might come down tonight. Ouch!

It's been a nasty weather pattern in far eastern Canada lately anyway. Record low temperatures occurred in parts of northern Quebec and western Labrador last week.

Meanwhile, in Vermont, there's still skiing at Killington Resort, although
they'll close down for the season on Saturday. 

This weather pattern has contributed to some really nice May weather in Vermont and the rest of northern New England.

The dip in the jet stream that has caused the ugly spring weather up in northeastern Canada has suppressed persistent clouds and rain to the south over the Mid-Atlantic states.  

Vermont is also too far south to get the brunt of the cold air from Canada, so temperatures have been either close to normal, or warmer than normal under the frequent May sunshine.

The temperature in May so far is averaging about five degrees warmer than normal in Burlington so far this month. Caribou, Maine, closer to the cold Canadian air, is only running less than a degree above normal this month.

Back up in Gander, there is still a bit of hope for spring. Temperatures should rise to near normal up there toward the middle of next week.

Here's a video of Gander on May 24. Looks like a nasty January day in Vermont, but nope, May 24:

Flotilla Of Icebergs Causing Problems For North Atlantic Ships

A North Atlantic iceberg a few years ago. This year, an
armada of them have disrupted shipping off the coast
 of Newfoundland, Canada

An unusually large number of icebergs have appeared off the coast of Newfoundland this month, causingn lots of problems - and dangers - for ships crossing the Atlantic Ocean.

Icebergs normally do float down from Greenland to the waters off the coast of Newfoundland in the spring and early summer.

But this year, there was a very abrupt, very big invading army of icebergs in the North Atlantic.

This is the area where the Titanic sank after hitting an iceberg in 1912.

On one day about a week ago there were about 450 icebergs in the Grand Banks waters, far more than there usually are this time of year - or any time of year for that matter, according to the Guardian. 

On average, there are about 80 icebergs lurking out there during April.

That means ships have been taking long detours to avoid the icebergs, which adds a day or more to a transatlantic crossing. And burns up more fuel, making the trip much more expensive. 

Many other cargo ships want to dock at St. John's Newfoundland, but have to slow to a crawl to avoid hitting icebergs. That also increases costs and dangers.

The number of icebergs in the North Atlantic usually peaks in May or June. The early and fast start to iceberg season raises worries the ocean off Newfoundland will really be clogged by these things in a few weeks.

Nobody knows for sure.

An "extreme ice season" is when more than 600 icebergs are spotted in a single season. It looks like this will be the fourth consecutive such season. They've kept track of these since around 1900.

The biggest recent year was 2014, when about 1,500 icebergs were spotted, the sixth highest number in a single year since 1900.

Most of the icebergs come from glaciers calving - their ends breaking off as the reach the ocean in Greenland.

This has always happened, of course, but there seems to be uptick in North Atlantic icenbergs in recent years.

Global warming could be making more icebergs calve in Greenland, sending the ice out into the North Atlantic.  There's mixed science on that: There's not a lot of good data yet on whether the icebergs from Greenland are really increasing or is this just unsual wind patterns bringing the bergs to Newfoundland? 

You need specific wind patterns to bring the icebergs into the North Atlantic. Some years, winds keep most of the icebergs away from shipping lanes.

Which means it's possible things will settle down out there in the North Atlantic.

Want Snow? Take A Gander At Gander (Newfoundland)

A road in Gander, Newfoundland this week after
record snows there. Photo by Nancy Warren

Here where I sit in Vermont, the snow is finally melting at a good clip. Just a few days ago, my property was completely snow covered.

Today, it's mostly snow free

Many of us are saying good riddance to winter and spring snow, but there are a few holdouts who love snow, no matter what.

If you're here in Vermont, we got a minor treat last night  with a quick dusting to two inches of fresh powder in the valleys and maybe a bit more than that in the mountains.

There were reports of three to six inches of snow in parts of northern Vermont this morning, with even more than than in some of the mountaiuns.

But that will very quickly melt Saturday and Sunday as the tempertures warm up again.

For those of you who want a very snowy experience, go all the way up to Newfoundland, Canada. And take a gander at the city of Gander.

This week, there was 87 inches of snow on the ground there, the most recorded in that region's history. They've had storm after storm after storm in recent weeks.

Fun fact: If you think you've heard of Gander in another subtext lately, you have. There's a hit Broadway musical called "Come From Away' about the hospitality the people of Gander gave when transcontinental planes had to land there on Sept 11, 2001, stranding nearly 7,000 people there.

As wonderful as the people of Gander clearly are, I wouldn't want to be there right now. We'll wait until the snow melts. If it does.

A house in Gander, Newfoundland buried in snow this week.

Some of the snowstorms we've had over the past few months have gone on to hit Newfoundland. So did some offshore ones that missed us. Plus, some of our recent rainstorms ended up in Newfoundland as snow.

Newfoundland has never exactly been tropical, but I bet they're really pining for spring up there.

It will come. Newfoundland is pretty far north, but it does get spring and summer. Normal high temperatures this time of year in Gander are well up in the 30s, and often reach the low 70s at least during the summer.

Let's hope they don't get much more snow. For the next few days, things are looking up in Gander. Environment Canada predicts no new snow, and daytime temperatures in the 40s for the next few days.

Before New England's Big Storm, Newfoundland Got SLAMMED By Wild Storm

A wild storm Saturday blew thsi shed into some trees
near St. John's Newfoundland Saturay. 

As the Northeast gears up for a huge, snowy, disruptive, possibly damaging nor'easter, Newfoundland, Canada got their own nor'easter that proved to be wilder than anything they'd seen in a long while.  

What had been a small storm that dropped snow on southern New England Friday bombed out and became enormous off the coast of the Canadian Maritimes.

It really slammed Newfoundland with incredibly destructive winds which gusted to more than 100 mph in places.

Newfoundland is used to very gusty, snowy, rainy nor'easters that would make even an experienced, weathered New Englander blanche, but this one was a biggie, even by Atlantic Canada standards.

The wind cut power to thousands of residents, tore siding and roofing shingles from many homes, toppled vehicles, downed trees, shredded signs and generally just caused havoc on Saturday.

The extensive storm was a main reason why there were such gusty cold winds here in northern New England Saturday. The winds were caused by the contrast between the deep, strong storm Newfoundland and high pressure to the northwest.

Here are two videos from the storm:

The first is an overview



And here's one at one guy's house. About halfway through the video, he shows the trees, really rocking.

An Icy Summer Thrill In Newfoundland As Iceberg Collapses

An icdberg in King Point, Newfoundland last week.  

Beachgoers in Newfoundland got quite a thrill last week when an iceberg showed up at a bay in Kings Point, then collapsed.

The collapse sent a mini-tsunami crashing onto the beach. Everybody got out of the way and nobody was hurt. The collapse was captured on the really cool video you'll see below.

Icebergs make pretty frequent visits to Newfoundland and surrounding areas of eastern Canada.

Most of the icebergs people see in the summer around Newfoundland and Labrador come from western Greenland coastline, as glaciers calve off the enormous chunks of ice.  Ocean currents bring the icebergs southward toward Newfoundland.

Here's the video, followed by more videos of icebergs this summer around Newfoundland and Labrador. Apparently, these iceberg dramas are fairly common up there.



Here's an iceberg collapsing near Twillingale, Newfoundland on July 3:



And here's a drone view of an iceberg collapsing in Labrador back in June:

Newfoundland Meteorologists Arrested Because Of VERY Crummy Summer

St. John', Newfoundland meteorologist Ryan Snodden
being arrested for trafficking in lousy
summer weather this year in that part of Canada.  

The weather has been totally lousy this month in Newfoundland. Unless, of course, you like midsummer fog, drizzle, gloom and chill.

Newfoundland and Labrador are obviously not known for their delightful weather, what with their everlasting frigid and stormy winters that make New England look like a tropical paradise. S

till, it can get nice this time of year in Newfoundland.  Just not this year.

It's been so bad a local meteorologist was arrested for not delivering summer weather, says USA Today. 

Don't worry, not really. It was a stunt. People are just finding ways to release their frustration over Newfoundland's Summer That's Not.

You can see the video of the arrest of one of the meteorologists at the bottom of this post. It's really awesome.

It started with a missing persons report of sorts from the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary.

Their press release said:

"Summer was last seen in early August of 2014. When last seen, summer was described as being between 20-30 degrees Celius (68-86 degrees Fahrenheit) blue skies with a bright and warm source of light in the sky. There have been sporadic sightings of this bright object, but these sightings have been rare since May 2015."

Then came the arrests of two meteorologists in St. John's Newfoundland for aiding and abetting the foul summer weather, specifically the rain, drizzle and fog, known in the area as RDF, reports USA Today, which by the way is headquarted in hot, very steamy Virginia.

Ryan Snodden of the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. local affiliate in St. John's and Eddie Scheerr of NTV were both taken into "custody" by authorities.

Police spokesman Steven Curnew said Snodden was "charged with impersonating a meteorologist, failing to provide the essentials of summer - that being sunshine, good forecasts and blue skies. - and we also have him on trafficking of RDF."

Scheerr is a United States citizen and could be deported from Canada, local police joked. "Unfortunately, due to the weather, it could be two weeks before we could get a flight out of St. John's Airport."

In the short term, things don't look like they'll improve much. This weekend's forecast from Environment Canada features showers and drizzle both Saturday and Sunday in St. John's with high temperatures of around 11 or 12 Celcius. That's only the low to mid 50s Fahrenheit. Brrrr!!

Late this coming week, Environment Canada offers a glimmer of hope, forecast highs near 20 to 22 Celcius (near 70 Fahrenheit) with partly sunny skies.

Here's the tongue in cheek video of Snodden under arrest for hiding summer and replacing it with RDF. Pretty damn weird but funny:

Coolest Video Of Fog Ever?

Thanks to Jim Cantore at the Weather Channel for finding and sharing this amazing video of a fog bank   sliding down the slopes of a ridge in Newfoundland.

I like the video because it is so peaceful and strangely menacing at the same time. (I sort of thought of the Stephen King novel "The Mist"

The scenery is beautiful, too. Makes me suddenly want to go to Newfoundland!

Here's the terrific vid: