Deadly ice storm hits central US

[dipsydoodle]

Some of you got some bad weather ?

Ice storms that have killed at least 21 people in the United States are continuing to batter the country.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/6262533.stm

edit - wasn't sure if this was old news to you when I posted it. Apparently not so - keep your heads down:pals:

[Bluzmann57]

1. Yep. Snow and ice here last night

Schools have been delayed and various events are cancelled. Winter's back.

[tulsakatz]

2. in Tulsa, Ok........

we still have ice everywhere!!

Fortunately, the sun is out right now but we won't get warmer temps until about thursday......

[Sequoia]

7. You guys really have it bad there.

Watching the weather channel Sunday morning and all those trees covered in a sheet of ice from top to bottom. Stay safe and warm.

[tulsakatz]

38. yes it is bad here!

We still have ice on all of the roads! Well, except for the expressways, most of them are clear or mostly clear now but all of the other roads have about 3" - 6" of ice on them!

Thursday our high should be about 35º so that will be nice.......maybe we can finally get rid of some of this ice!

The trees are beautiful but it's no fun if you have to go somewhere. Thanks for the good wishes........

[Marrah_G]

3. meanwhile in the Northeast

Just south of Boston I am watching bubs growing on my Magnolias and the birds ejoying themselves. I've added some bird feeders to help them out.

Oh yes.... did I mention my grass is GREEN?

This is one confused Winter season............

Hey on the brightside: When that big chuck of ice from Canada floats by New England as it melts, it might just make it cold enough to require a sweater!

[Theres-a]

4. According to yahoo it's 30 now.

330,000 without power.Death toll mounts from Midwest ice storm

By BETSY TAYLOR, Associated Press Writer 17 minutes ago

ST. LOUIS - As the death toll from a powerful winter storm rose to 30 across six states, utility crews worked on Monday to restore electricity to about 330,000 Missouri households and businesses.
ADVERTISEMENT

Crews hoped to take advantage of moderate weather expected Monday — with only a few lingering snow showers and flurries — to bring power back on before an expected drop in temperatures to the single digits Monday night.

The remains of the storm system streamed toward New England on Monday, shutting down numerous businesses, day care centers and schools in Maine with a mixture of sleet and snow that made roads treacherous.

Lower Michigan and parts of New England could see more than a foot of snow Monday, as rain fell from the lower Mississippi Valley up through the Ohio Valley, The
National Weather Service said. On the back side of the storm, snow in Iowa closed some schools Monday.

Waves of freezing rain, sleet and snow since Friday had been blamed for at least 15 deaths in Oklahoma, six in Missouri, five in Iowa, two in Texas and one each in New York and Maine.

Seven of the Oklahoma deaths occurred in one accident, in which a minivan carrying 12 people slid off an icy highway Sunday and struck an oncoming truck, the Highway Patrol said. All of the van's occupants were adult residents of Mexico, who were traveling from Arizona to North Carolina, Highway Patrol Capt. Chris West said.

MORE:http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070115/ap_on_re_us/winter_blast

[Igel]

5. Predicted to get to Houston this afternoon/evening.

Maybe it'll kill off the mosquitos.

[Blue_In_AK]

13. I wouldn't count on that.

Ours come back every year. :)

[Igel]

29. They can come back ...

I just want them to go away for a little while, even a few weeks.

They haven't taken a break for a couple of years, and they should; the best we've gotten in the last few months is a few chilly days where they weren't *too* aggressive.

[Liberal In Texas]

15. I'm supposed to drive to Houston tomorrow. I hope they postpone

the job I'm going down for.

:-(

[Igel]

30. Last I heard the high tomorrow was

to be 32-33, maybe 34.

Drive safety, Lib.

[wellstone dem]

6. And the wacky news girl on MSNBC just said

And next more about that "wacky" weather, then she caught herself and said, the serious storm that has killed more than 20 people.

[Hidden Stillness]

17. Also, it is "Great Video"

We started getting really threatening forecasts here yesterday evening and into the night; where before they had been telling us that our area would get snow, now because the temperatures were right at freezing--a little above and below--that it would be ice, thick and dangerous, and to expect snapped power lines and tree branches, possible loss of power for days--cold--all very scary. It started raining last night before midnight, I saw it freezing on the fences, wires and branches, and went to sleep worrying. Luckily, our immediate area had a thinner layer of ice than other areas have had, and there have been no problems here, yet...

By the way, about the offensive "wacky" remark heard, I heard another one, form a male "reporter" here on a local (SE Michigan) "news"cast: describing a heartbreaking situation where a tree fell in someone's backyard, brought down wires which are now dangerously arching, and destroying the fence and part of the garage--with sparking from the wires that may cause a fire, this "news" "reporter" called the scene "great video." Sometimes, you really do want to shoot them in the head. Did someone say, "Our suffering is all just fodder for rich people and their media?"

[kestrel91316]

8. Meanwhile, back at the ranch..................my sister in WI tells me

we are apparently colder here in Los Angeles than they are in Milwaukee.

Nothing wrong with THIS picture.

There was ice in my gutter at the street for the THIRD MORNING IN A ROW.

[porphyrian]

9. This will continue until we counter man-made global warming.

If we wait for Mother Nature to fix it, it may mean our destruction.

http://www.climatecrisis.net/

[Conan_The_Barbarian]

19. Listen, I gotta be frank

Now no one who is sensible doubts the dangers posed by global warming, but ice storms are nothing new. We can't attribute every day that isn't a warm, with a light gusts of wind, and clear blue skies to global warming. So far if I remeber correctly the earths average annual temperature has risen about 1^oC. That doesn't alone explain why the North East had a few weeks of spring like weather this Decemeber entirely. While it is very likely that an increased global temperature contributed to making that weather abnormality a possibility it doesn't alone explain why it happened. It is a contributing factor among likely a variety of eithers, both natural, and man made. Do you remeber the winter of 2004? the massive blizzards and the ridiculously cold temperatures?

Hysteria and scare tactics aren't the way to deal with this problem.

[Name removed]

21. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[porphyrian]

27. You should also see "An Inconvenient Truth."

Thirty years ago, you would've been absolutely correct. Now, the data exists to prove this isn't simply a natural cycle. If watching this movie doesn't convince me, you can rub it in my face.

[Conan_The_Barbarian]

28. Yea I know

I've rented it twice but never got around to throwing the thing in the DVD player. However I make sure I never let a single source convince me of anything. I endorsed one dimensional education when I was foolish and naive in highschool but quickly learnt in college to never allow myself to do so, I ALWAYS maintain a degree of skepticism. It would seem that for every valid argument there is an equally valid counter argument.

My current frustration is more with the clever paradox that has been set up ,creating a bit of a damned if you do damned if you don't situation where EVERYTHING weather related is pinned on global warming. Hurricane, global warming, no hurricanes, still global warming, tornadoes global warming, no tornadoes global warming, huge blizzard and freezing cold winter global warming, moderatly warm rainy winter, global warming. Obivously you catch my drift.

Here is a hypothetical question, what would have to happen exactly for you reconsider global warming and instead believe it was a hoax? I'm not saying I believe it is a hoax, quite the contrary, but what exactly would have to happen? Could you even be convinced? Or is every study that doesn't strengthen the theory just a lie?

[porphyrian]

34. By all means, check the data elsewhere...

...it's just that, to my knowledge, this movie is the first place it's all been compiled, put into layman's terms and explained with visual aids outside of the scientific community. It can explain everything better than I can here, as well as the apparent paradox you mention and find frustrating (it has to do with the jet streams). Again, you can follow up (should follow up) checking the data against other sources. Only a few studies (paid for by Exxon-Mobile, for example) disagree, and none have disagreed in recent years - the entire scientific community supports this.

As for your hypothetical, it would require someone providing scientific evidence that contradicts what we now know to be true and scientists I trust (some of my friends are scientists) going with that new data or finding. It isn't just "crazy weather" that's convinced me of what I believe, it's the science.

[Conan_The_Barbarian]

36. Thanks

A good response, I'll make sure to see that sometime this weekend.

*I know on DU this is for some reason considered some kind of cop out but your response was perfect, and I wasn't looking to pick some kind of ridiculous debate with somone I fundamentally agree with!*

[porphyrian]

37. You caught me on a good day - I usually pick a ridiculous debate.

;)

[porphyrian]

23. This isn't hysteria over random ice storms.

You need to watch "An Inconvenient Truth."

http://www.climatecrisis.net/


Yes, there are weather cycles. However, we are currently at a point where we have never been. See the movie for specific data and charts.

[Theres-a]

25. Exactly. nt

[dogday]

10. We are gearing up for it here

Should hit tonight and/or tomorrow...

[TahitiNut]

11. {{CRASH!!}} Yep. Tree limb fell across driveway, blocking garage.

Thankfully, no power lines or buildings were struck. With the help of neighbors, one with a chain saw, we just finished clearing the drive. Now, to await the next {{CRASH!}}

Everything is covered with about 1/8" to 1/4" of ice ... bushes, trees, overhead lines, everything.

(All things considered, I strongly prefer living where there are earthquakes.)

**shivver**

[bobbolink]

31. But, aren't you enjoying the BEAUTY?!

:clown:

Trees covered with ice are so beautiful.

Too bad all the other consequences aren't. :(

Glad you're OK, and had helpful neighbors.

Stay warm!

ps....how are the homeless people faring where you are? I'm afraid to ask... :(

[TahitiNut]

32. I detest ice and snow unless it's above the 5,000' line on surrounding mountains.

Other than that, ice belongs in rinks and drinks. :silly:

The shelters are nearly full. "Fortunately," there are plenty of abandoned houses around the area. :cry:

[bobbolink]

33. Since I've never lived below 5,000ft elevation, I guess that explains

why I enjoy it. (As long as some idiot isn't on my bumper!)

I'm glad to know that many are getting into abandoned houses!!! Really, that's the spirit I want to see happening a lot more often!

I always wonder how many unreported deaths of homeless people there are, especially at this time. Yes, :cry:

[Blue_In_AK]

12. You guys be careful down there.

I'm always amazed at how much worse the weather is down in the US than it is up here in Alaska. :shrug: I thought THIS was supposed to be the frozen wasteland. (Well, it is frozen, but not like what I'm seeing down there.)

[Subdivisions]

14. South of Ft. Worth here. Not as bad as it could have been but

the jobsite was shut down for safety reasons and I ended up with an unexpected three-day weekend :D and MLK Day off!

[Pugee]

16. Yep! Here in northcentral Missouri, we have had 3 days of storms and below freezing temps..

The first on Friday gave us 2 inches of sleet. It is really weird, it sleeted all day and it is like concrete on the ground. you cannot shovel it or walk on it. Sat, we got off easy as most of the freezing rain went south of us, but it added to the trees and slick sleet "concrete". Yesterday, we got more freezing rain. Everything was shiny, even the drive and yard. This morning, we had just enough snow to make walking outside possible! We let our cars run a while to clean them off for work tomorrow. You could not scrap them it was so iced over.

Son is in southern Missouri and they lost power overnight. Fortunately, they have power now, (with 14 month old baby) but most down there do not and shelters are set up in several counties. It is not supposed to be above 32 degrees until Wed or Thursday.

[nada republic-cons]

18. Thanks for the update. I tried to get in touch

with brother and sister this morning. No luck. Assuming both
are without power; possibly moved in with people who do.

[Name removed]

20. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Sapphire Blue]

22. Have you seen 'An Inconvenient Truth'? How about 'The Day After Tomorrow'?

[Name removed]

24. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Sapphire Blue]

26. I posted that in case it was more your taste. You REALLY should see 'An Inconvenient Truth', though.

Global warming is very real. Al Gore can explain it to you very well.

You know, you can ridicule 'The Day After Tomorrow if you like, but for all its exaggeration, it does provide some insight.

I wonder... will you ridicule this, too?

Photo in the News: Arctic Ice Melting Rapidly, Study Shows



September 14, 2006—The rate of ice loss in the Arctic is accelerating rapidly, scientists say.

According to data from NASA's QuikSCAT satellite, between 2004 and 2005 the Arctic lost an unprecedented 14 percent of its perennial sea ice (shown in white)—some 280,000 square miles (725,000 square kilometers), or an area the size of Texas.

Perennial ice remains year-round and has a thickness of ten feet (three meters) or more. That ice was replaced with seasonal ice 1 to 7 feet (0.3 to 2.1 meters) thick (shown in pink), which is much more vulnerable to melting in the summer.

Since the 1970s summer ice in the Arctic has reduced at a rate of 6.4 to 7.8 percent per decade, the researchers write in the September 7 issue of the journal Geophysical Research Letters. This suggests ice loss may now be occurring up to 18 times more quickly.

(snip)

But global warming probably played a significant role as well, and additional ice loss could trigger a feedback loop that would further accelerate the melting process, scientists say.

Continued @ http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2006/09/060914-arctic-ice.html

(Related: "Arctic Ice Levels at Record Low, May Keep Melting, Study Warns" {October 2005}.)

Ah, but what do those scientists know? :sarcasm:

[Solon]

35. Had about 3 days without power here in St. Charles, MO.

Was at my Grandma's house for the past 2 days, was even able to post, for a short time, now I got power and Internet back. At our house, some damage, a large tree in the backyard had huge branches of it fall all over the place, one fell on a power line to a neighbor's house, ripping the meter straight off the back wall of that house, other limbs fell, thankfully landing within the yard, but avoiding the house. A lot of cleanup to do tomorrow.