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Spanish Energy Markets Roiled Amid Chilling Temps

January 9, 2021

Spanish Energy Markets Roiled Amid Chilling Temps

A cold snap across Spain is expected to last through mid-January has resulted in natural gas prices more than doubling in the last week, according to Bloomberg.

LNG prices trading at Spain’s Punto Virtual de Balance (PVB) gas trading hub hit a record 51.55 euros ($63.13) a megawatt-hour this week, or $18.54 per million British thermal units as the nation grapples with dangerously cold weather and snowfall in Madrid.

Spain has one of the largest LNG terminals in Europe. “Surging prices, coupled with a lack of available LNG vessels for longer journeys between Europe and Asia, will probably limit cargo exports from the nation’s ports and further tighten the supply of the fuel,” Bloomberg noted.

Frigid weather in China has resulted in surging LNG prices as well. This week Beijing meteorological station recorded one of the coldest temperatures in decades this past week, sending power demand through the roof. LNG imports in China last month were at record highs as demand to heat homes has surged.

A possible theory behind the wicked cold weather could be the sudden stratospheric warming splitting the polar vortex into two, allowing Arctic temperatures to pour into Europe and Asia.

“A strong sudden stratospheric warming event (SSWE) over the Pole has temperatures spiking in the Arctic, plummeting in portions Europe and Asia.

The remnants of the Polar Vortex (PV) has also aided in unusual heavy snow in the forecast across portions of Spain in…forecast models spitting out over 12″ + of snow in the short term. While these areas of the world feel more “wintry”, it has allowed especially the northern half of the US to run much above normal in temperatures, losing our tap to cold air. Signs will need to be watched getting later into January, however, for the increased potential for cooler or colder outbreaks of air across the eastern/southern US if we can move the remnants of the PV more towards the US,” said Kirk Hinz, meteorologist with BAM Weather. 

New Jersey Nuclear Reactor Shut Down By Polar Vortex

January 31, 2019

New Jersey Nuclear Reactor Shut Down By Polar Vortex

After the Arctic polar vortex brought temperatures in parts of Canada to record lows that, in some places, rivaled the temperatures on the surface of Mars (not to mention leaving nine people dead), the infamous Arctic air has notched another milestone: It has shut down a nuclear reactor due to an extremely rare phenomenon called ‘frazil ice’.

Never heard of frazil ice? Neither had we. 

According to Bloomberg, Public Service Enterprise Group, shut a reactor early Thursday at unit at its Salem nuclear plant in southern New Jersey after screens on its intake froze over, restricting the flow of water needed to cool off the reactor, according to spokesman Joe Delmar.

A second unit at a station on the Delaware river was temporarily closed for the same reason.

Frozen

The 60-foot-tall intake screens help guard the reactor against debris like floating wood. But Under extreme conditions (like those witnesses this week), overnight low temperatures at the station can fall into the single digits (or lower), creating frazil ice – small crystals of frozen mist – which can collect on the screens, thicken, and form a cement-like coating that completely blocks the flow of water into the reactor, causing circulators to shut down.

The blockage prompted the Newark-based Public Service Enterprise Group to take the plant offline.

“We had the heaters running, we had folks out there, and we lost the four circulators within five minutes,” Delmar said. He wouldn’t say when Salem 2 is expected to go back into service.

The last time the Salem unit was shut for frazil ice was in 2010. Regular ice formations typically don’t completely block off the flow of water, but because of the frazil ice’s ability to make the reactor completely inaccessible, operations must be shut down.

 …click on the above link to read the rest of the article…

As Midwest Freezes, Aussie Heatwave Reaches Record Highs

January 30, 2019

As Midwest Freezes, Aussie Heatwave Reaches Record Highs

While Midwest America hunkers down for the coldest temperatures in a generation, temperature records have also tumbled across South Australia, with the city of Adelaide experiencing its hottest day on record.

Life-threatening cold is sweeping across Chicago…

As Australians face animal culls, mass fish deaths across the nation,  roads melting, and bats falling from trees…

Adelaide hit 46.6C, the hottest temperature recording in any Australian state capital city since records began 80 years ago, sending homelessness shelters into a “code red”, and sparking fears of another mass fish death in the Menindee Lakes in the neighbouring state of New South Wales.

In central and western Australia, local authorities were forced to carry out an emergency animal cull, shooting 2,500 camels – and potentially a further hundred feral horses – who were dying of thirst.

 …click on the above link to read the rest of the article…

Deep Freeze: Dangerously Cold Record Low Temps To Hit Chicago, Midwest

January 28, 2019

Deep Freeze: Dangerously Cold Record Low Temps To Hit Chicago, Midwest

It could be warmer above the Arctic Circle than in Chicago by Wednesday, with Bloomberg reporting that temperatures are forecast to fall in the Windy City to 20-to-25 degrees below zero Fahrenheit (minus-29 to minus-32 Celsius).

“That is pretty amazing,” said Brian Hurley, a senior branch forecaster at the U.S. Weather Prediction Center in College Park, Maryland.

Amazing indeed, as Mike Shedlock notes, Chicago could see its lowest daily ‘high’ temp ever as polar air causes dangerous travel conditions and freezes pipes.

Stay warm, a Deep Freeze Grips Midwest With Record-Breaking Low Temperatures.

Surges of cold polar air are blasting the Midwest with the lowest temperatures in years, set to last until the end of the week. Temperatures in Chicago could drop to minus 20 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 29 Celsius) for the first time since the mid-1990s.

“I cannot stress how dangerously cold it will be,” said Mike Doll, senior meteorologist for AccuWeather. “An entire generation has gone by without experiencing this type of cold in the Chicago area.”

The National Weather Service said a “potentially record-breaking push” of Arctic air will bring wind chills as low as minus 40 degrees to the Northern Plains and Great Lakes areas by Wednesday. That’s the day Chicago is forecast to see its lowest daily high temperature ever — minus 12, beating the record of minus 11 set in 1994.

 …click on the above link to read the rest of the article…

Life Threatening Winter Storms

January 16, 2019

Life Threatening Winter Storms

Parts of Canada could become the coldest spot on the planet with a winter storm coming with crazy frigid temperatures with wind chill factors in the -40oC level for some. This going to be really dangerous. Quite frankly, the human body was NOT designed to handle conditions like that. This is really very dangerous cold and not hype. Your eyes can actually freeze. Anyone who has ever been in real cold will notice that in cold weather notes your eyes will tear up, which is your body’s natural defense trying to reduce the freezing point. You better start regularly blinking your eyes to prevent them from freezing and going blind.

While your eyes can’t freeze solid, your extremities can. That includes feet, fingers, and toes. They can actually freeze to the point that the can even fall off your body, or else needing to be amputated. The human body is designed to maintain a core temperature of 98.6oF (37oC) exactly! Any deviation from that causes serious problems. When the body temperature begins to drop, that’s when hypothermia sets in. The statistics in Canada show that more than 80 people die from extreme cold, according to Environment Canada. 

People who have died from hypothermia seem to lose brain function and become completely confused. They begin taking off their clothes in their final death throes apparently assuming they are hot rather than cold.

If the migration of the North Pole is contributing to this extremely cold weather nobody really knows. We are definitely moving into Solar Minimum. Our greatest risk at this stage in the game is major volcanic eruptions that throw such much debris into the atmosphere we end up with a volcanic winter.

Weather Models Forecast Coldest Thanksgiving On Record In Northeast

November 20, 2018

Weather Models Forecast Coldest Thanksgiving On Record In Northeast

According to new weather models, the US mid-Atlantic and Northeast regions are expected to experience the coldest/earliest temperatures to the start of any winter season on record.

Weather Prediction Center: “Highs 20-35 degrees below normal” 

The culprit: a massive area of high pressure from the Arctic Circle will descend across Canada and into the Northeast, collapsing temperatures to life-threatening conditions ahead of Thanksgiving and into Black Friday.

“Very cold air will make its way into the Northeast just in time for Thanksgiving and Black Friday. Most major cities along the I-95 corridor will rival coldest maximum temperatures for the date, including New York City, Boston, Providence, and Philadelphia. Most cities will run 20 to 25 degrees below average for late November, and combined with breezy conditions, will make for brutally cold “feels like” temperatures even colder than the air temperature. This will make for an interesting dilemma for shoppers on the fence about heading out for Black Friday, with temperatures Thursday night in the single digits and teens for most. With this increased cold risk, natural gas continues to be heavily influenced by weather model forecasts through the end of the month,” said Ed Vallee, head meteorologist at Vallee Weather Consulting.

The National Digital Forecast Database (NDFD) released new weather models that indicate the blast of arctic air could affect much of the mid-Atlantic and North East regions, threatening to keep America’s consuming herd indoors, crippling shopping intentions and keeping tens of millions of Americans away from their favorite retailer of choice.

NDFD Low Temperatures For Thanksgiving  

“November is running more than 4°F below normal across the Lower 48. Unprecedented cold coming by Thanksgiving will turn this map dark purple across the Northeast,” said Ryan Maue of weathermodels.com.

…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…

Even The Penguins Are Panicking: North America Is Entering A Record-Setting Deep Freeze 

January 3, 2018

Even The Penguins Are Panicking: North America Is Entering A Record-Setting Deep Freeze 

North America is in the grip of a record-setting cold spell that’s set to culminate with the arrival of a “bomb cyclone” along the eastern seaboard late Thursday. The cold front has delivered temperatures that haven’t been seen in decades.

Already, stories about the epic cold snap have proliferated online. As we pointed out yesterday, a group of good Samaritans helped rescue a dozen elk that had crashed trough a thin patch of river ice and were in danger of freezing to death, or drowning. At the time, temperatures were below freezing across a staggering 92% of the US, with temperatures more than 20 degrees lower than their seasonal averages for this time of year.

Winter Storm Grayson, a very large and powerful winter storm is threatening the East Coast of the United States with heavy snow, intense winds, and record-setting low temperatures. Winter storm watches and warnings have been issued for many coastal regions in north Florida to Maine from Wednesday into late Thursday.

This week’s storm may end up being worse than your average nor’easter. That’s because meteorologists say it could produce a “bomb cyclone,” otherwise known as a bombogenesis, a phenomenon that occurs when a system’s central pressure drops steeply – by 24 millibars or more – in 24 hours.

If current computer models hold, that’ll start to happen somewhere off Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, and continue as the storm moves north. Hurricane-force wind warnings have been posted off the coast where ships could encounter winds of 80 miles (130 kilometers) an hour and waves as high as 26 feet on Thursday.

Already, the unusual weather patterns are causing all sorts of strange phenomena around the country. According to the New York Times, it’s too cold for many zoo penguins, which have been taken inside as a precaution ahead of the storm. Meanwhile, sharks have washed up dead on the Atlantic coast.

…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…

 

Last record-breaking winter with snow hits Canada, US, before “nobody knows what snow is”

December 29, 2017

Last record-breaking winter with snow hits Canada, US, before “nobody knows what snow is”

UPDATE: Record breaking snow falling in upstate New York. Pennsylvania.

The airport in Erie, Pennsylvania, has had a whopping 65.1 inches of snow from this lake effect event — the highest snowfall total from any event on record in Erie. (Heavy lake effect snow is produced by cold Arctic air moving over relatively mild water temperatures in the Great Lakes.) — World News, ABC (US) News

40,000 people in Cleveland lost power overnight.

New York City may have coldest New Year’s Eve since 1960s… — ABC News

Snow, Ic e, Canada, Dec 2017,

Great Lakes, via NOAA

In freak conditions, Canadians (and many people in the US too) are getting a chance to enjoy record cold for the last time before climate change makes winters unbearably mild.

Extreme cold in Toronto smashes 57-year-old temperature record

Temperatures observed at Toronto’s Pearson International Airport bottomed out at -22 C [-7.7F]  this morning. The previous record for this date was set in 1960, when it hit -18.9 C. [-2F]

Tristan Hopper does some first class bragging about the cold:

Mars and the North Pole are warmer than Winnipeg: A guide to how damned cold it is

Vancouver is as cold as Moscow, Toronto is colder than CFS Alert and a piece of the country roughly the size of Europe was under an extreme cold warning

It’s colder in Winnipeg than it has ever been in Scotland (ever)

The coldest ever in Scotland was apparently only – 27C. (-16.6F). And for southerners, “CFS Alert” is the worlds most northern inhabited place, deep into the Arctic, and beyond even where Inuits would live. Today, by the way, in midsummer the South Pole warmed up to -18C.

A swath of Canada the size of Europe was under an extreme cold warning

Alberta’s warmest place was almost as cold as Mars

…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…

And You Thought Bitcoin Was Volatile…

December 27, 2017

And You Thought Bitcoin Was Volatile…

If you are one of those people living in the Northeast who likes to keep their home temperature above freezing and waking up without frostbite, we have some bad news…

Another sudden bout of cold weather and LNG prices are soaring more than the seasonal norm.

Your heating bill may have just exploded over 300%…

Winter Storm Neptune: ‘Life-Threatening’ Storm, Cold to Hit New England

February 14, 2015

Winter Storm Neptune: ‘Life-Threatening’ Storm, Cold to Hit New England

Here’s a few updates on Winter Storm Neptune, which will hit the northeast U.S. on Friday, but the impact will be felt on Saturday and Sunday.

New England, including hard-hit Boston, will get slammed by the blizzard, says Accuweather.com.

“A storm passing through the Northeast riding a tidal wave of frigid air will evolve into a blizzard over New England before departing during the Valentine’s Day weekend,” the site says. “The worst of the storm will target the central and northern New England coast Saturday night into Sunday with wind-driven snow.”

 

Meanwhile, the “major cities in the path of the burst of snow that can cross hundreds of miles include Cleveland, Buffalo, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, Baltimore, New York City, Washington, D.C., and Richmond, Virginia,” says Accuweather.

The Weather Channel urged northeast residents to “prepare now” for the storm, which it dubbed Winter Storm Neptune. “Areas far removed from the center of the storm in the mid-Atlantic can experience life-threatening cold, the risk of power outages from high winds, and the possibility of road closures and flight cancellations,” it said.

…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…

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