2006: Germany's Warmest Year in More than a Century

K75, I´m afraid it´s not kidding...

Today is thunderstorm for a first time... I left work an earlier accord employer´s order for safety... My hubby & I put things from our garden away to garage.... I cancel evening doctor appointment and Fitness Studio to stay home... We watch from the window... Oh my God... we can see strong windstorm.... I hope it won´t damage my garden... Wait and see...

Weather Expert Predicts More Storms in Coming Winters

As a severe storm lashed northwestern Europe and gathered pace in Germany, a weather expert talked to DW-WORLD.DE about the causes behind the inclement climate.

Andreas Friedrich is a member of the German Weather Service's prediction department.

DW-WORLD.DE: The extreme low-pressure system "Kryill" will reach Germany's North Sea coast Thursday afternoon. What do you expect the consequences will be in the country?

Andreas Friedrich: We expect there will be winds that reach storm levels across the entire country, which is something that sets this low-pressure system apart. "Storm level" means wind strength 11, which is over 100 kilometer per hour (62 mph). They are expected across Germany this afternoon (Thursday), when the first storm warnings go into effect. In some areas, especially in the mountains, they will reach speeds much faster than hurricane strength.

Do you expect heavy precipitation?

Bildunterschrift: Großansicht des Bildes mit der Bildunterschrift: Satellites have tracked "Kryill" for days
Yes, that is the second element that stormy weather can take on. There will be heavy rainfall, especially in the low mountain ranges and the west, where as much as 40 liters per square meter (about 10 gallons per 10 square feet) could fall within 24 hours. That would be enough to cross the storm threshold so that people should expect floods in small and mid-sized river encatchment areas.

The German Weather Service has been under criticism for incorrect weather predictions since the 1999 storm "Lothar," which caused $6.4 billion worth of damage (5 billion euros) across Europe. Has the service become more careful about issuing warnings and how does that affect the current situation?

No, we have not changed our tactics or threshold levels. With this low-pressure system, we could give a very early warning. That is a result that was clearly forecast by weather prediction models a few days ago. There are other weather situations, particularly in the summer, when this is simply impossible. Then you cannot predict if a storm that appears to be local will spread and hit certain areas in the future or not.

Are weather phenomena like "Lothar" and other "storms of the century" a sign of climate change?

Bildunterschrift: Großansicht des Bildes mit der Bildunterschrift: The effects of the storm can alredy been seen in Blackpool, England
An individual event cannot be connected to climate change. In order to do that you need observations that span decades. But the climate models predict that if these trends are confirmed and the increase in temperature continues, winters will have heavier precipitation. This precipitation is connected to intense low-pressure situations. One could expect that these weather conditions will appear more often in the winter.

Is the "Kryill" low-pressure system nothing but hot air when compared to the hurricanes and typhoons that occur in other regions of the world?

Tropical cyclones naturally have stronger winds than this kind of non-tropical, low-pressure system. Hurricane winds can reach a speed of up to 300 kph. But what we are experiencing now is an unusual development that only occurs in central Europe every few years.

Christoph J. Heuer interviewed Andreas Friedrich (sms)
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Weather Expert Predicts More Storms in Coming Winters | Germany | Deutsche Welle | 18.01.2007
 
GalaxyAngel said:
whoa...
hopefully not goes like this... just lowest kph than 160 kph..
cross finger for you 60 kph than 160 kph thunderstorm!
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Yes over 160 kph is already here... :cool: I hope it won´t damage my fruit trees... See what happened on next day.
 
Y said:
Hmm, we are very concerned about the weather and safety
especially during the upcoming Deaf Olympics
Do you think that they probably will cancel
and postpone the event due to the weather and safety ?
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Yeah it's a good question. Still 13 more days left to find out. Hopefully it wont have to be delayed! I am buying warm long underwears just in case!
 
At least 32 Dead After Severe Storm Hits Europe

At least 32 Dead After Severe Storm Hits Europe
Hurricane force winds battered parts of Europe on Thursday, killing 29 people and shutting down railway services in Germany completely. But the North Sea coastline survived the storm without major damage.

The storms brought torrential rains and winds gusting at close to 170 kilometers per hour (105 miles per hour) to areas of southern Britain, northern France, the Netherlands, Germany and the Czech Republic.

In all, 12 people were killed in storm-related accidents in England, 10 in Germany, five in the Netherlands, three in the Czech Republic and two in France. Many of the deaths were due to traffic accidents and falling debris.

Winds of almost 170 kph were recorded later Thursday in Germany.

In Britain, however, the port of Dover re-opened Thursday evening after closing for part of the day, and the Eurostar high-speed train company whose services connect London to Paris and Brussels said its operations would return to normal on Friday, after having been suspended on Thursday.

Baby crushed by door

Bildunterschrift: Großansicht des Bildes mit der Bildunterschrift: Hurricane-force winds toppled trees and pylons

In Munich, an 18-month-old baby was crushed to death by a door that was torn off its hinges, while a two-year-old boy was killed when a brick wall collapsed on top of him in north London.

Meanwhile, a 73-year-old man was killed after a barn door fell on him in Bavaria.

German meteorologists said the storm was shaping up to be the worst in five years and authorities warned people to go outside only in exceptional circumstances. The winds led to numerous flight cancellations at Frankfurt airport.

German railway system shuts down

Bildunterschrift: Großansicht des Bildes mit der Bildunterschrift: Some travelers had to spend the night in train stations

Deutsche Bahn railway company halted services across Germany, but commuter trains were running again in large parts of the country by Friday morning to get commuters to work. The national railway system was still down, according to reports.

"We've never had a situation like this in Germany," said Hartmut Mehdorn, the CEO of Deutsche Bahn.

Germany's North Sea coast meanwhile escape major damage by the storm. Officials said that there was virtually no flooding.

DW staff (win)
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At least 32 Dead After Severe Storm Hits Europe | Europe | Deutsche Welle | 18.01.2007

This is very sad... A lot of happened in Northern than Southern Germany... I saw from window that strong windstorm... I saw the windstorm push my fruit trees and cypress trees... and scared that they might damaged them... No damage at my garden including fruit trees, italian cypress trees and glass vegetable house, we built last summer 2006.. (I already insured for windstorm). *phew*

One fruit tree and italian cypress trees were damaged in 1990... I re-planted them .... 16 years later... now... No damage *phew*...

I cancel to go fitness studio and doctor appointment to stay home because of this.
 
Oh, I'll be damned hearing already you told...

I'm sorry about 32 killed by 170 kph.. sound alike Hurriance but there!
*sheesh* Goosebumps..
Is that first time or already past happened ?
 
Saw at TV news yesterday unbelievable! - no power for a few hours in England!

Glad to know your ok here :)
 
GalaxyAngel said:
Oh, I'll be damned hearing already you told...

I'm sorry about 32 killed by 170 kph.. sound alike Hurriance but there!
*sheesh* Goosebumps..
Is that first time or already past happened ?
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No, it´s not first time...

It was happened in 1990. It did damage some of my trees and garage roof in 1990. Now not... *phew*

It´s first time after no windstorm for 16 years (1990)...
 
I got an official email at hour ago...

Heavy snowfalls expected (6 - 8 inches) today to 25th January. :eek3:
 
CyberRed said:
Mystery as hundreds of birds fall from sky in Australia

Thu Jan 11, 1:31 PM ET

SYDNEY (AFP) - Australian authorities are investigating the mysterious deaths of hundreds of birds that dropped from the sky over a small coastal town in a period of a few weeks.

Residents of Esperance in Western Australia found their suburban properties littered with the bodies of honeyeaters, wattle birds and yellow-throated miners, local media reported this week.

Michelle Crisp told the Australian newspaper she and her neighbour had counted 80 dead birds in one day. "It was like a moonscape, just horrible," she said.

"The loss of birds has been so noticeable people are saying 'We've just got no birds in the garden at all', or 'We're getting no dawn chorus,'" conservationist Graeme Hamilton told AFP Thursday.

Hamilton, chief executive of the country's main bird conservation group, Birds Australia, said he had never heard of bird deaths on the scale seen in Esperance.

"Certainly several hundred birds have been reported dead to the department of the environment but it may be up to several thousand as not every dead bird would have been reported."

He said the only possible explanations would be a sudden epidemic of disease or a natural or manmade toxic substance.

"No other animal groups seem to be affected, we're not turning up dead cats and dogs and marsupials," he said. "It's a mystery."

The states' department of food and agriculture has conducted autopsies on several birds.

"It doesn't appear to be an infectious cause. Certainly, one thing that is being considered is a toxin," said acting chief veterinary officer Fiona Sunderman.

"The birds are dying around sprinklers, water tanks, bird baths. They're seeking water and they're dying around those water points," said district nature conservation co-ordinator Mike Fitzgerald.

Esperance, surrounded by lakes, offshore islands and national parks, was renowned for its bird life.

Mystery as hundreds of birds fall from sky in Australia - Yahoo! News


That's what I am talkin' about. First in Austin, Texas and now in Sydney, Australia.
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Sounds a lot like in the movie "The Core"...yikes. In the movie, lots of birds fell from the sky and died because the core of the earth stopped spinning.
 
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