December 2010 Weather News!
What a powerful weather month it turned out to be! There is no force on this planet greater than weather. It has a purpose keeping this planet alive and on its axis but weather has no conscious. It has obvious patterns such as cold, heat, rain and snow, but as to what extent, where and when is beyond the pin ball theory of the Lovely Mrs. BlueDuck and past the ever-evolving science of mankind. We have become much better at predicting weather patterns and events but the outcomes still leave many with their mouths open.
This month had it all. With near record highs in Phoenix to lows that read like the average temperatures in high country. Flooding in Southern California to blizzards so massive they crippled travel in the North East and around the world. Cruel fires and flooding in other parts of the world and sadly the casualty counts read like a small war. Weather is not a murderer by design or choice. Weather is a killer because we get in the way or not prepared.
In this extraordinary edition of Blue Duck Weather you will read about more problems for Arizonans from last October’s freak hail storm, the deep freeze in Europe, the definition of a hard freeze in the desert, tragic fires in an unprepared Israel, a shark attack possible provoked by tourists, the state with the most West Nile cases this year, a man who blames himself for the terrible weather and quits his job, air traffic diverted for nesting bald eagles in Arizona, helicopters used to keep vegetables from freezing in Florida, grim statistics for worldwide natural disaster deaths, Arizona’s high forest outlook looks grim, where the coldest temperature ever recorded on this planet and when, a new weather term (to me) “atmospheric river”, the definition of a Nor’easter and what it signals, Arizona still remains in drought status and a new weather term “graupel.”
The average temperature at The Land for December was 41.66 degrees. It was fourteen degrees cooler at the end of the month than the beginning.
The average temperature at Talking Trees and Antelope Hill was 36.88 degrees. It was a staggering 31.50 degrees colder at the end of the month by finishing with an average temperature for December 31st of two below zero!
The average humidity on The Land was 45.96%. The average dew point was 31 degrees. There were two days this month of heavy fog!
While Phoenix ended the rain total this year with 9.14’’, well above normal, the poor old Land had 5.02’’ keeping us in drought status and worries in the back of our minds about a well going dry.
Lake Mead did not dry up, fortunately for all of us in the West, but the piss hole ended the year at 37%. You will read in this exciting feature of Blue Duck Weather how Arizona intends to help the ever looming desperate situation. Lake Powell has 60%capacity, Pleasant 91%, an impressive finish for the year. And my jewel of the desert, Roosevelt, remains at 89% capacity.
And now let the weather begin.
12-1- Toranado Watches issued for the Virginias, sandbags are passed out in Washington, D.C. to protect homes from flooding and thousands are without power in the Mid Atlantic area and New York with 60 mph winds. Three are dead from the weather.
Tornado damage has occurred twice in the last six months in Yazoo, Mississippi (I think I would just fucking move).
Bitter cold had killed 8 homeless people In Poland and subzero temperatures sweep across Europe.
12-2- Arizona governor Jan Brewer has asked the Obama administration to issue a major disaster decloration for the Grand Canyon Havasupai Tribe. Flash flooding from October 3rd through the 6th forced evacuations of tourists and damaged water supply facilities, bridges, campgrounds and the main trail leading to Supai Village. Damages are estimated at 1.6 million.
The first no burn day will be issued for Maricopa County tomorrow. (Kiss my ass!)
Hundreds of drivers are stranded on the New York State Thruway because of an accident and heavy snow. There was a 13 mile backup that took six hours to clear. 23 inches of snow fell in Buffalo and power is out for ten thousand people. The Statue of Liberty is closed to visitors.
An oceanic whitetip shark has badly injured four Russian tourists swimming close to their beach hotels in two separate attacks in the Egyptian Red Sea. All four victims lost a limb in the attacks.
12-3- The first Pollution Health Watch issued for Maricopa County due to particulates trapped in cold dry air.
The definition of a hard freeze in the desert is a reading below 28 degrees for two to four hours depending on the humidity and the dew point.
Alaska wildlife officials have released a report acknowledging that evidence increasingly shows climate change at unprecedented rates throughout the Arctic. This is a departure for the state, which is suing to overturn the federal listing of polar bears as a threatened species due to declining sea ice habitat.
The deadly freeze in Europe continues with travel chaos. Britain’s Gatwick Airport is closed four 48 hours. With temperatures of about 5 degrees the death toll, for mainly homeless folks, is up to thirty.
The worst flood in a century has hit the Balkins. Thousands of people and livestock are evacuated from Albania. A State of Emergency is called in Bosnia, Serbia and Montenegro.
Iran’s capitol city of Theran has shut down for the third workday in two weeks due to smog. Government offices, schools, banks and factories are closed.
The U.S. military has ended its relief mission for Pakistan flood victims that began last summer.
The worst fire in Israel’s history has killed 31 and forced the evacuation of 12000. The fire is burning out of control. Arson has not been ruled out.
An elk hunter in Bend, Oregon, injured when he fell off of his horse, survived for four days on a small bag of beef jerky. A father and son found the man alive when they spotted a red backpack in the snow.
12-4- The first heavy snow of the season causes 325 cancelled flights in Chicago.
2,000 evacuated in Bosnia because of heavy rain and melting snow and 11,000 evacuated in Kosovo.
Snow has collapsed part of a roof at a nuclear power plant in France.
The death toll from the fires in Israel is up to 41. Turkey, Greece, Cyprus and Britian send in air support to help fight it. Israel has no heavy air tankers for this use. Only 7% of the country is forested so this fire is felt as deep national loss. Two are arrested on suspicion of arsin.
12-5- Flooding and landslides in Venezuela the last two weeks have killed 32 and forced 5,000 evacuations. The number affected is 1.5 million.
Two teens have been arrested for the fire in Israel that has burned 32 square miles and five million trees. They have been charged with negligence and not arson. “The youths had smoked a water pipe and drunk coffee and left the scene without making sure the fire they started was properly extinguished.” (I think they were smoking more than a water pipe.) Two other men were arrested last week on suspicion of deliberately lighting secondary fires.
12-6- The Arizona Game and Fish Commission has voted to support congressional action that declares gray wolves are restored and removing them from the federal endangered list.
One hundred and forty souls are missing in the latest mudslides in Columbia.
A shark attack again near a resort in Egypt’s Red Sea. An elderly tourist was killed instantly when her arm was torn off while she was swimming.
Attackers clubbed 23 fur seals to death at a New Zealand breeding colony. “….You have to question the state of mind of someone who can carry out such a cruel and abhorrent attack.” (You think? The attackers should be clubbed to death.)
12-7- A homeless man has been sentenced to a year in prison for starting the Hardy Fire in Flagstaff last summer burning 280 acres very close to the main part of the city. He was camping and built a small fire for food and coffee. Investigators claim he dumped hot coals on the ground before leaving the site. (At least the poor soul has a roof over his head now.)
Bitterly cold weather normally experienced in January claws at the Eastern Seaboard.
Two Florida cities have set record lows for this date, Fort Lauderdale 40 degrees and Bero Beach, 31 degrees. Lows must drop into the hight twenties for several hours for citrus precautionary measures to take place.
Venezuela President Hugo Chavez has forced privately owned hotels to help shelter thousands of flood victims.
In Rome the bodies of two American balloonists in their gondola were discovered in the net of a fishing boat yesterday. They disappeared two months ago while competing in a race over the Adratic Sea during a fierce storm.
A team of American shark experts are headed to Egypt to help determine the cause of an unusual series of shark attacks in the Red Sea. Shark attacks in this region are extremely rare. There are accusations that tourist boats are illegally dumping meat into the water to attract sharks for passengers wanting to photograph them. (I thought only Americans were this stupid.)
12-8- Lake affect snow buries one western New York town under four feet of snow. In Randolph, New York are banned from driving after the area received forty inches of snow. Two feet of snow has fallen in northeast Ohio.
The bodies of 36 victims have been recovered from last Sunday’s mudslides in Bogota, Columbia and 90 remain missing. One hunderd and six thousand people have been displaced by weeks of heavy rain!
According to an Oregon woman two does and a buck attacked her barking dog named Daisey. Despite head wounds and a chest puncture the little bastard is expected to make a full recovery.
12-9- In the entire United States, Arizona had the worst outbreak of West Nile virus this season, one in five severe cases overall. There were a 159 confirmed cases reported through November 30th.
12-10- A Pollution Advisory is issued for Maricopa County and a no burn day is declared. (kiss my ass. Why don’t you call it a mandatory no drive day?)
Australia declares 45 communities along the country’s east coast disaster areas from flooding and heavy rains. Homes are submerged, crops ruined and four people have been killed. Four inches of rain fell in one night in the town of Queanbeyan, the most in thirty years. Record drought conditions are replaced with flooding misery.
Henry Coetzee, an acclaimed outdoorsman who wrote about testing himself against nature, is presumed dead after a crocodile grabbed him from his kayak in the Congo. He was leading an American expedition sponsored by Eddie Bauer outdoor clothing and equipment.
12-11- As Arizona’s Bald eagles prepare to breed 21 areas in the state will be closed to campers, hikers, hunters and boaters. Seven of these sites are along the Verde River. The Federal Aviation Administration has established a minimum altitude of 2,000 feet for air traffic above bird habitats state wide.
Engineers report that neighborhoods north of last June’s Schultz fire in Flagstaff could see more damaging floods for five years. In the burned areas summer storms washed away topsoil over bedrock on steep slopes making severe flooding more likely.
A strong storm slams the Midwest. There are blizzard conditions in parts of South Dakota, Iowa and Minnesota. White out conditions stop snow plows and drivers are told to stay off roads. Wind chills in North Dakota dropped temperatures to 30 below zero!
Scotlands transport minister has resigned after winter storms shut down airports, trains and Scotland’s busiest highway. Stewart Stevenson said “I could have done much more to ensure the members of the public who were caught up in a difficult and frightening set of circumstances were better informed of the situation.” (I think the poor guy is being just a little hard on himself.)
20,000 miles of highways affected by record Colombia floods. Two hundrd are dead and there is massive crop damage.
12-12- A record high of 79 degrees in Phoenix breaks a 60 year old record.
Snow collapses the inflatable roof of the Minnesota Metrodome. Nearly two feet of snow has fallen in the upper Midwest. A Blizzard Warning is in affect for Chicago, all of Iowa and southern areas of Wisconsin. Wind gusts in Chicago of 50mph sent temperatures to zero,
Record rainfall reported in the Northwest causes mudslides and swells rivers placing towns in Washington and parts of Portland, Oregon under a flood threat. Seattle- Tacoma International Airport set a record rainfall for the date of 1.42’’ breaking a record set in 1955.
Heavy rains and strong winds across the Middle East after weeks of unseasonably warm and dry weather that caused epic fires in Israel. In Egypt 12’ waves closed the port of Alexandria, the country’s largest.
12-13- Another record high of 82 degrees in Phoenix breaks the old record set in 1938! (Look out, the dust bowl is returning!)
70 motorists are trapped in their cars for as long as 12 hours in northwest Indiana. 16’’ of Lake Effect snow has fallen. (What did they do when they had to pee? Don’t eat the yellow snow as Frank Zappa once sang.)
The entire Midwest is under a deep freeze after weekend storms. 1600 flights have been cancelled in Chicago. Eleven deaths have been weather related. Snow even blankets Tennessee, Atlanta has a 19 degree low and southern Florida prepares for a hard freeze.
Drought, that began last spring, plagues farmers in the South. The Department of Agriculture has declared disaster areas in 16 states. Some of the driest regions are in portions of Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas, Alabama, Georgia and Florida.
A man in rural New Mexico is mauled to death by a pack of wild dogs.
12-14- Heavy rains that poured on western Washington state last weekend have left 20 rivers flooded or at flood stage. The most damage came from mudslides that blocked rail service and closed roads. One meteorologist said the system was a “plume of very moist, warm Pacific air”. (meaning no snow.)
In Florida dozens of helicopters hover over vegetable crops, moving back and forth in the early morning hours, to push warmer air over the plants. Farmers pay twenty five hundred dollars per hour for the flights in the hope their crops will be saved from a killing freeze.
In Apple Valley, California fears that wind turbines could kill protected Golden eagles have halted progress of the federal government’ push to increase renewable energy on public lands. This will stall six billion dollars for wind farm developments. (But I ask, where is the fucking money coming from?)
12-15- Documents released show that eight greyhounds died while being transported across country to Arizona in September. The dogs, to be later used for racing, died from heat exhaustion near El Paso. The couple transporting the dogs traveled through Tucson with the dead dogs but never stopped to seek care for the remaining live dogs. One of the haulers said he didn’t want the remaining dogs to be quarantined. (Oh, but the virtues of greed!)
Tornadoes are rare in Oregon, only three confirmed in the last ten years, but one has struck the town of Aumsville destroying three homes.
Twenty seven degree low in Orlando, Florida. (I hope Minnie is keeping Mickey’s ears warm.) Fourteen degrees for a low in Atlanta breaks a 1917 record.
Motorists in Ontario, Canada are trapped in their vehicles for 25 hours due to heavy snow. Some were airlifted out while others waited for snow plows and tow trucks. People who were getting low on fuel would turn their motors off and bundle with other people in their vehicles. They traded off to conserve fuel. (I think I would just start walking or shoot myself!)
12-16- A Winter Weather Advisory is issued for Arizona including Flagstaff, the Rim country, Graham and Greenlee Counties from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Ten inches of snow expected in higher elevations.
Black ice conditions reported in Atlanta Georgia, Mississippi and Alabama.
Florida citrus growers report ice damage but the exent of the freeze is not known.
12-17- Dense fog blankets the “Valley of the Sun.” I knew we were in trouble when I looked at my weather station readings at 5 a.m., 39 was the temperature, the dew point was 39 degrees and the humidity was 90%. Actually I was amazed since we received so little rain the night before, but you talk about “white knuckle” driving across the desert and into work.
Ice spreads across the South as a weather system moves up the East Coast. There were 1,000 traffic accidents reported on icy roads.
Heavy snowfall cancels 800 flights and major delays in Germany, the Netherlands and Switzerland. Germany received the most snow with 8’’ on the ground.
The United Nations is sending 6 million dollars to aid flooding and landslide victims in Colombia.
12-19- A Winter Storm Watch begins today in Arizona above 7500’ through the 21st of this month.
A series of storms are bearing down on California and could produce the most rain in ten years. A spokesman for the National Weather Service said “This is one big mother and it’s going to have a lot of waves in it.”
70 mph winds in western Washington last night disrupted electric service to 112,000 people.
Arctic conditions in Europe have closed London’s Heathrow Airport and the Frankfurt Airport in Germany has cancelled 40% of flights. Lady Gaga cancels her concert in Paris because of snow. (What a fucking shame!) Britain has received more snow than any year since 1981.
12-20- Upper elevation forests in Arizona and New Mexico are in trouble according to a University of Arizona study. Catastrophic fires and insects have claimed 18% of the timber in the last twenty four years. A century of forest mismanagement is to blame but a decade of drought and warmer temperatures are also factors and the “future looks bleak” according to one researcher.
Areas of California have received eight inches of rain and Flood Warnings, Mudslide and Avalanche Warnings are posted. Portions of the Pacific Coast Highway are closed due to rock slides. L.A. and Hollywood have received four inches of rain.
Flood Warnings have been issued for western Kane County and Washington County in Utah, including the cities of St. George and Washington. The National Weather Service also warned of possible ice jam flooding in southern Hall County, Nebraska.
Twenty states have issued Weather Advisories.
This is the third day of major travel delays in Europe due to snow and cold. Britain is on track for the coldest December in 100 years.
This has been the worst year in a “generation” for human casualties due to natural disasters. Worldwide, 250,000 people have died this year. Some scientists blame global warming.
12-21- A State of Emergency has been declared in Mohave County, Arizona. People are being evacuated due to flooding washes and rivers and a dam may fail upstream on the Virgin River in Utah. A Flash Flood Watch has been issued for Maricopa County.
The coldest temperature ever recorded on this planet was -128.56 degrees in Vostok, Anctartica on July 21st, 1983. ( Hard to imagine when it is at least two hundred degrees warmer here in July.)
The first day of Winter and the shortest day for the entire year.
ONE FOOT OF RAIN in Santa Barbara, California in the last four days and twenty miles of the Pacific Coast Highway is closed due to rock and mudslides. THIRTEEN FEET of snow has fallen at the Mammoth Ski Resort.
The Colorado mountains may receive eight feet of snow from this system. Zion National Park is closed in Utah. Triple A sets a record for 25,000 calls for auto assistance in one day.
12-22- TEN INCHES of rain in Mohave County, Arizona in the communities of Beaver Dam and Littlefield. Six homes washed away, some were newly constructed and the owners hadn’t moved in yet.
Dozens are trapped by flooding in California. Virtually the entire state has been affected by rain. Parts of downtown Los Angeles under three feet of water. A swift water rescue team has saved 25 people from the homes in Laguna Canyon. A rain soaked hillside collapsed on the busy I-10 transition road in the Panoma area blocking three lanes of traffic. Downtown Laguna Beach is closed due to flooding. In Riverside a surge of floodwater swept through a homeless camp near the banks of the Santa Ana River. The fifty “campers” lost all of their possessions in the flood.
The Center for Biological Divesity intend to sue the Obama administration to force it to restore gray wolves across 48 states. Biologists for this Arizona based group argue that there is enough habitat to support thousands of wolves.
12-23- With only a tenth of an inch of rain last night I was surprised to see dense fog on The Land this morning. I could not leave for work until it began to get light, and even then, the visibility was about one hundred and fifty feet. By the “weather bug” reading inside the house I should have known before I stepped foot out the door; 49 degrees was the temperature, the dew point was 49 degrees and the humidity was a saturated 95%!
There was a possible micro-burst last night in Glendale, Arizona. Property damaged and block fences blown over.
More rain woes from almost a week of rain in California; Silverado Canyon in Orange County hit the hardest from yesterday’s rains. Runoffs and mud force 30 people to be evacuated. Now contaminated water is the problem for many beach cities in California. The rain has washed trash, pesticides and bacteria into waterways, prompting Health Warnings. (Our fucking polluted environment. Mother Earth cannot even wash herself clean.) Rescuers will begin searching for four people who went hiking in the rain in the San Gabriel Mountains four days ago. They are presumed to be stranded and hopes are they hunkered down and found shelter. Sea World closed yesterday as waters rose in the nearby San Diego River. Amtrack services were suspended from San Diego to San Juan Capistrano because of musdslides and high water. Also, in San Diego, the first floor of the Premier Inn was flooded forcing guests to the second floor. Lifeguards were sent in to rescue them. (?)
Travel delays from snow and cold ease in Europe today.
12-24- On Mnt. Charleston, Nevada police are going door to door urging the three hundred residents to evacuate. Several snow slides may lead to a major avalanche. Residents are without power due to downed power lines from rain and snow.
Atlanta, Georgia may have the first snow in seventeen years for Christmas as the Midwest snow storm heads south. Five hundred flights are being cancelled for tomorrow.
Shortages of de-icing fluid strands Christmas fliers in Europe. Many spend Christmas eve camped in airports. The United States sends the fluid to France to help.
“Restoring a policy by the George W. Bush administration, the top Interior official gives the Bureau of Land Management the authority to protect pristine areas of the West. ( I’ve been hunting BLM land long before the Bush administration and the abuse of overgrazing by cattle is sickening. Cow shit everywhere, water holes defecated in, and every plant obliterated by the mindless creatures abound. Just read some Edward Abbey to see his views on fucking BLM!)
12-25- Blizzard Warnings with eleven to sixteen inches of snow expected are issued for New York City, Long Island, New Jersey and Connecticut.
What causes and defines a Nor’easter: Winds from the northeast whip across the Coastal plains opposite the jet stream. It is a predictor of weather to come. Between October and April the chances of nor’easter conditions creating a storm are 100%!
A rare white Cristmas today with one inch of snow on the ground in Nashville and Louisville, Tennesee.
More rain in Columbia claims twelve in mudslides bringing the year’s death toll from heavy rain to 290.
A bus runs off a rainy, foggy road and plunges 1100’ in Ecudo, Equador killing twenty five and injuring twenty three.
12-26- “Arizona may leave part of it’s annual share of Colorado River water in Lake Mead next year, taking a calculated gamble that giving up some water will help it avoid deeper cuts later”. This is in hopes that the lake will stay full enough to avoid automatic cutbacks. Arizona would pass up billions of gallons of water next year but it would “barely be missed.”
A powerful winter storm blasts from the South to the Northeast. Thousands of flights cancelled due to posted Blizzard Warnings. Twenty inches of snow expected in Philadelphia. Amtrack cancels rail service from New York to Maine. Bus companies cancel routes all along the East Coast. A Snow Emergency is declared in Boston and all parking along major roads is banned.
Icy rains close Moscow’s busiest airport. Three hundred thousand people and fourteen hospitals are without power.
12-27- A dry autumn has pushed almost all of Arizona into abnormally dry or moderate drought conditions again. 95% of the state is affected except the extreme northwest corner of the state.
“Monster blizzard wreaks havoc from the Carolinas to Maine.” Thousands of travelers are stranded. New York City, eastern New Jersey and western Long Island the hardest hit. New York’s three largest airports closed overnight with 2,000 flight cancellations.
Strange weather in Austalia with summer snow in the southern state of Tasmania and heavy rains across eastern Australia. ELEVEN INCHES OF RAIN fell in 24 hours and a State of Emergency is declared in New South Wales.
Food relief shelters for Pakistan’s flood victims close after a suicide attack kills 45 people outside a World Food Program distribution center. All four centers in the Bajur district feed 300,000 people. ( I remember writing in Blue Duck Weather a couple of months ago that Osama bin Laden urged Pakistan’s population not to accept aid from western countries. So this is how you strike back and kill your own to make a statement? Ruthless and sad.)
12-28- Severe Weather Alert issued for all of Arizona. Snow level may drop to 2000’ with wind gusts up to 60mph. We may be seeing the coldest temperatures in years after the storms subside later this week.
Two duck hunters overturn their boat in the frigid waters of Lake Mary, near Flagstaff Arizona. The air temperature was 32 degrees. Fortuantely they were rescued by helicopter in thirty minutes. ( Just maybe my duck cousins turned the fucker’s boat over, eh?)
Maricopa County residents ignored a fire ban on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. The result was some of the highest particulate pollution levels in six years. (Right On!)
Eight homeless people in New Orleans try to escape the cold in an abandoned warehouse. They build a fire in a barrel but it gets out of control and all eight burn to death. ( I have given this much thought. How do you not escape a burning building early enough if it was at ground level? My guess is they finally became warm and went to sleep. Carbon monoxide probably got them, I hope rather than flames.)
There is 30’’ of snow on the ground in parts of the Northeast. Flights may not be back to normal until after January 1st. The mayor of New York City is being accused of not doing more to avoid weather caused travel delays. One third of all flights connect or depart from New York City. (Give me a fucking break! The mayor, or anybody else, has no control of the weather. This is just one more example of how we want the government to take care of our problems and then we cuss them for being too big and enforce too many regulations. Should they have threatened to shoot us if we decided to travel with dire weather forecasts at hand?)
12-29- The National news reports Blizzard Warnings for Arizona. 60 mph winds recorded at Doney Park near Flagstaff.
70mph winds recorded in San Francisco.
Flooding and rising rivers prompt evacuations in Australia. In one town the entire population of 300 is airlifted to higher ground. In some towns the only things visible above the water is the top of stop signs and rooftops.
For a third straight day air travelers are stranded in Moscow airports after icy rain and blackouts. People are desperate with lack of information and food and fights break out.
12-30- The average temperature on The Land today was an ooshy 38.50 degrees. The wind blew like hell and there were morning and afternoon wind chill recordings by yours truly. 47 degrees this morning plus 12mph winds equaled 37 degrees. This afternoon 48 degrees plus 17mph winds equaled 40.
I-40 closed from snow from Kingman to New Mexico. I-17 closed north at the Sedona exit. Blizzard Warnings in Southeast Arizona. Two inches of rain reported in Carefree. Snow level dropped to 2500’. Flurries were reported in north Phoenix and Mesa at 1:30 p.m. 40mph winds at Sky Harbor International Airport.
Winds slam California with 40mph winds in Los Angeles. A woman camping with her seven year old grand daughter at a wildlife perserve in Sonoma County was killed when a hundred foot tall oak tree fell on her tent. A snow boarder is missing near the Alpine Meadow Ski Resort at Lake Tahoe. She was last seen boarding through ski boundary signs near the top of an advanced slope. (I heard later in the day her body had been recovered.)
The Nevada side of the Sierras has wind gusts of 100 mph and a foot of new snow. Avalanche Warnings are posted.
Four days after a massive blizzard some New York City streets are still not plowed.
Flooded communities in eastern Australia could be under water for more than a week. Clean up costs will be billions.
12-31- With a low of 27 degrees and a high of 46 today at The Land the average temperature was 36.50 degrees. A Freeze Warning is issued for Phoenix beginning tonight at 9:00 p.m. until tomorrow morning at ten.
I thought it was cold here but Talking Trees and Antelope Hill in New Mexico had an average temperature of 2 degrees below zero!
A fire ban is issued for Maricopa County today. (Yeah right, on New Year’s Eve?)
At one p.m. today RyDuck reported from his secluded location in Colorado 33 degrees and six inches of powder on the ground.
Rare winter tornadoes kill three in Arkansas and three in southern Missouri today. One meteorologist sais that with temperatures in the seventies earlier this week mixed with cold air coming in from the west. Nationally 39 people were killed by tornadoes this year.
A snowstorm causes a 100 car pileup near Fargo, North Dakota.
Near Cairo, Egypt floodwaters swept a bus with 77 school girls and teachers off a highway and into a deep trench. Fifteen died, most of them students. The dead included an ambulance driver who had rescued twenty before floods swept him away. (This person is a hero of the highest degree!)
200,000 affected by relentless flooding caused by days of rain in eastern Australia. The flood zones are larger than the state of Texas.
What a month is has been for weather! With that we will leave you with this month’s listening pleasure, “Rain And Snow” by Brandon Rickman. Thank you for choosing Blue Duck Weather as your reminder that Mother Nature will love you and the next day she will kill you.
Until next month remember Pioneer took bullets. Settlers took land.
The Honorable, Distinguished, Professor MR. Blue Duck.
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