Meteorology, meet eschatology

Be Alert! News Briefs for January 8, 2007 Alert Focus: Creation Groans / Pestilence / Birth Pangs Romans 8:22 For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now. Colossians 1:16-17 For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities--all things have been created through Him and for Him. He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. Psalms 65:7 Who stills the roaring of the seas, The roaring of their waves, And the tumult of the peoples. A number of theories abound as to the cause of extreme weather pattern variations and phenomena witnessed currently across the globe and in the recent past. Some subscribe to the global warming theory that suggests man has been the main cause of these changes with his industrial machines and abuse of nature. Others suggest a combination of factors including long term natural trends and that man is just attributing to the problem. I believe that what we are seeing is clearly foretold in the Word of God as the whole creation groaning and birth pangs of the planet itself as the return of Christ draws ever more near. Along with this we are seeing hints of more specific events such as signs in the heavens, giant hail and blood red rain (events that all took place in 2006), as if now the creation is doing small test runs before the coming of the Lord's wrath. However, no matter what one believes about these events, one thing is quite clear: The majority of human beings sense that something is very, very wrong with our planet. As you will see in this first article, the secular press mentions "the end of the world" and then uses the phrase "meteorology, meet eschatology. What is most shocking and truly sad is that you will here this kind of talk in the secular media but you still won't hear it in the seeker driven churches. The leadership sees this sort of thing as "negative" and it won't appeal to those who are looking for love and community to "fill those holes in their life". These shepherds have become so stupid (God's word, not mine) that they can't see danger of any sort staring them right in the face. Of course, this is because of their lust for prestige, honor and money that set them in the direction of this numbers game to begin with and the fact that any bible teaching has been replaced with psychology. It is to their judgment that the world is acting with more wisdom then they. What I have all found interesting is the names and slang that the world uses and gives things is sometimes more "spot on" than we realize. For example in the late 1980's the slang word "bad" became popular in the U.S. meaning something that was hip, cool, essentially "good" in the world's eyes. However, in all stark biblical reality, the majority of things people called "bad", really were bad by the Lord's definition because they were prideful, worldly etc... I wonder if the same is true with El Nino? The Peruvian fishermen gave the name El Nino which means "The Child" referring to the Christ child, to the phenomena because they noticed it showed up around Christmas time in the eastern Pacific Ocean off the South American coast. The Bible tells us that the real Christ, the Lord Jesus Christ (not a baby) is the one who "stills the seas" and the nations. It was also through Christ that everything was made, in heaven and earth and through Him all things hold together. The boundaries of the oceans were made by Christ. Considering all the last days prophecies and promises concerning meteorological events that the Bible speaks of I would suggest that this El Nino phenomena that has and continues to wreak so much havoc on the earth has everything to do with the soon return of our Lord Jesus Christ and therefore it's given name isn't that far off from being accurate to the true source of this occurrence. It is quite ironic that the world had no idea when they named it. BE/\LERT! March in January! Or Is It Mayday? It's Nice Out There, But Global Warming Dampens the Fun THE WASHINGTON POST - By Joel Achenbach - January 7, 2007 -- Never has good weather felt so bad. Never have flowers inspired so much fear. Never has the warm caress of a sunbeam seemed so ominous. The weather is sublime, it's glorious, it's the end of the world. January is the new March. The daffodils are busting out everywhere. It's porch weather. Put on a T-shirt and shorts, fire up the grill, blast "Rastaman Vibration" into the back yard. Everyone out for volleyball! The normal high for this time of year is 43 degrees; yesterday's high at Reagan National was a record-breaking 73. And yet it's all a guilty pleasure. Weather is both a physical and a psychological phenomenon. Meteorology, meet eschatology. We've read the articles, we've seen the Gore movie, we've calculated our carbon footprint, and we're just not intellectually capable anymore of fully enjoying warm winter weather. Just ain't right. Ain't natural. Cherry blossoms during the NFL playoffs? Run for your lives. "Amazing, but it makes me think we might not be here too much longer, because of global warming," said Laura Ingoldsby, a grad student getting ready for a jog on the towpath at Fletcher's Boathouse…. At the U.S. National Arboretum, horticulturist Scott Aker has been keeping an eye on a Magnolia zenii: "The buds are ready to pop." They mow the meadows in winter when the ground freezes solid, but it's still soft out there. Last year's petunias are still going strong in Aker's yard -- and there's no serious winter in sight. Bulletin: A Washington Post editor nearly drove into a black bear Friday night in Prince William County. Official word from the authorities: "Oh yeah, it's so warm, they can't hibernate." Bulletin: British scientists say there is a 60 percent chance that 2007 will be the warmest year on record. Bulletin: Ski resorts are struggling to open in the Alps…. What if those climate models are wrong, because they're insufficiently dire? Everyone's suddenly shifting from models to observations. Look: Big ice shelf breaking off an Arctic island. Look: Greenland melting faster than the Wicked Witch of the West. Listen: Scary quotes from experts. "Is it really a broadly based area that's seeing particular change? The answer is yes," says Ted Scambos, a glaciologist with the National Snow and Ice Data Center in Boulder, Colo. "From Europe, the East Coast, north to the Arctic and across to Siberia, there's a very large swath of the Northern Hemisphere for the months of September, October and November that [were] exceedingly warm . . . " So it's bad. Except for one thing. What you might call, at the moment, the Denver factor. Denver got four feet of snow in December. The third big storm blew in Friday. Snowdrifts of 10 feet! An automobile-snuffing avalanche in a mountain pass west of town! In Denver, January is still January. Because what we are experiencing and what Denver is experiencing are both part of a thing called weather, not climate. Climate change is real, but it's a background phenomenon, the cicada-song white noise on the horror-movie soundtrack, distinct from the thuds and screams and moans of specific weather events. "It's very dangerous to blame climate for weather," says Richard Alley, a professor of geosciences at Penn State University. But he doesn't let climate change off the hook when discussing our warm winter. "No, we didn't cause it, but we made it more likely," he concludes. It's like rolling loaded dice in a craps game. But Dennis Feltgen, a National Weather Service meteorologist, says climate change isn't the culprit. It's El Nino. Warm water in the tropical Pacific, changed wind patterns, lots of balmy air blowing our way from the southern United States. "We're in an El Nino, which has absolutely nothing to do with global warming," Feltgen says. "It keeps a lot of the cold air locked up in Canada, and makes the West Coast of the United States stormy, which we've seen, and makes the southern one-third of the country wetter than normal." And for some, El Nino is dandy. "Keeps the hurricanes away and the cold winter away. I'm all for it," said Colin Offner, golfing happily at Hains Point. Bulletin: Cooler weather is imminent. The weather will be almost normal, briefly, before all hell breaks loose again. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/06/AR2007010601215_pf.html All Time High: 70 Degree Temps Blanket NYC Thousands Flock To Central Park To Enjoy The 28th Straight Day Of Above Normal Temperatures WCBS-TV2 NEW YORK - January 7, 2007 -- ... The National Weather Service reported the temperature in Central Park at 12:51 p.m. was 70 degrees, shattering the previous record of 63 degrees set back in 1950. Temperatures appeared to peak at about 71 degrees, and stayed consistent at 70 until about 4 p.m. when it began to dip back into the upper 60s. By 4:30 it was still 68 degrees out in Central Park. "The stretch of unseasonably warm weather is unprecedented and will be above normal for almost 30 days in a row now. Our normal is 38," CBS 2 Meteorologist John Bolaris said. ... http://wcbstv.com/topstories/local_story_005210450.html Blue Mountain lays off 1,300 TOTONTO STAR - Isabel Teotonio and Nick Kyonka, staff reporters, Roberta Avery - January 7, 2007 -- Ontario's largest ski resort has laid off 1,300 workers after closing down its ski operations in the middle of the winter season for the first time in the resort's 65-year history. "We're trying to make the best of things so that guests who still come to Blue will have a good time, but it's pretty tense," said Kelly O'Neil, a spokeswoman at Blue Mountain Resort, yesterday. Officials said they had no choice after a run of unseasonably warm weather that has some wondering if winter will appear this year at all. In Toronto, yesterday's high hit a record 11C, smashing the previous Jan. 5 high of 10.1C set in 1997. ... http://www.thestar.com/News/article/168483 Half dozen homes destroyed or damaged by possible tornado ASSOCIATED PRESS - January 7, 2007 -- ATLANTA -- A line of severe thunderstorms moved across north Georgia on Sunday night, spawning possible tornadoes, damaging some houses and downing trees and power lines.... Up to 4 inches of rain fell earlier in parts of Alabama, where a flash flood warning was issued for six counties. http://www.accessnorthga.com/news/ap_newfullstory.asp?ID=85674 2 Killed by Reported Tornado in Louisiana ASSOCIATED PRESS - January 5, 2007 -- NEW IBERIA, La. -- Powerful storms killed at least two people, flooded streets and ripped apart homes as they swept from Louisiana through South Carolina on Friday. Much of the worst damage was in Louisiana's Iberia Parish, where what appeared to be a tornado hit the New Iberia area just before 4 p.m. Thursday. ... http://www.wtopnews.com/index.php?nid=104&sid=1023643 Bush Looking at Global Warming Ideas ASSOCIATED PRESS - By Ben Feller - January 4, 2007 -- WASHINGTON -- President Bush on Thursday welcomed German Chancellor Angela Merkel's proposal to prod the Middle East peace process and said he was open to new ideas to combat global warming. "I believe there is a chance now to put behind us the old stale debates of the past," Bush said at a joint White House news conference with the German leader. It was a reference to past differences between Bush and European allies on the Kyoto accords, an international agreement to reduce pollution that causes global warming. It has not been ratified by the United States. He also praised her for her efforts to put the so-called quartet- the United States, the EU, Russia and the United Nations - at the center of a revived Israeli-Palestinian peace effort. … http://apnews.myway.com/article/20070105/D8MEPIO01.html Scientists Say 2007 May Be Warmest Yet ASSOCIATED PRESS - By Raphael G. Satter - January 4, 2007 -- LONDON -- A resurgent El Nino and persistently high levels of greenhouse gases are likely to make 2007 the world's hottest year ever recorded, British climate scientists said Thursday. Britain's Meteorological Office said there was a 60 percent probability that 2007 would break the record set by 1998, which was 1.20 degrees over the long-term average. "This new information represents another warning that climate change is happening around the world," the office said. The reason for the forecast is mostly due to El Nino, a cyclical warming trend now under way in the Pacific Ocean. The event occurs irregularly - the last one happened in 2002 - and typically leads to increased temperatures worldwide. … http://apnews.myway.com/article/20070104/D8MEFCCO0.html Warm winter wreaks havoc USA TODAY - By Andrea Stone - January 4, 2007 -- Bill Weigle's tree service in Lyndeborough, N.H., usually delivers five to 10 cords of firewood a day this time of year. He's sold only one in the past two weeks. Business is "dead," Weigle says. "I've never seen it like this … I feel like the Maytag man." This winter's curiously warm weather across the Northeast and much of the Midwest has played havoc with more than seasonal businesses. In Washington, D.C., springlike temperatures have faked out flora, causing dogwoods and daffodils to bloom. "There's been weird weather all across the United States," says Kevin Trenberth, a senior scientist at the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Colorado, which was walloped by two major snowstorms last month. He blames an El Niño warming pattern in the Pacific for dry and warm conditions elsewhere. "Another big player is what we call the 'long-term trend,' " said Heidi Cullen of The Weather Channel. "That's a euphemism for global warming."…. The balmy temperatures have smashed records. International Falls, Minn., which averages a high of 13 degrees this time of year, hit record highs of 41 degrees Wednesday and 37 Thursday. Buffalo has had more than three weeks of above-average temperatures, and all-time highs are likely Saturday in New York City and Richmond, Va. The warm wave has had a silver lining for consumers and taxpayers. Electric heating bills were down 7.35% for Pepco customers in Washington and its Maryland suburbs. In Syracuse, N.Y., acting Public Works Commissioner Jeff Wright says the city could shave as much as $1 million off the annual $3.2 million snow-removal budget. … http://www.usatoday.com/weather/climate/2007-01-04-warm-weather_x.htm?csp=34 Record snowfall buries Anchorage KTUU NBC 2 ANCHORAGE, ALASKA - by Jason Moore - January 3, 2007 -- Anchorage, Alaska -- It snowed all day in Anchorage Wednesday. A combination of snow, fog and ice contributed to more than 100 cars becoming stuck in ditches and snow berms across the city. The Anchorage Police Department said accidents occurred at a pace of a collision every 10 minutes today. A snow advisory remains in effect and the job of digging out is only beginning…. Today was a record snowfall day for the Anchorage area. The National Weather Service has recorded 9.6 inches at its forecast offices as of 5:15 p.m. However, a lot more snow has fallen in other parts of town. The following amounts have been recorded around Anchorage over the last 24 hours, as of 5:15 p.m. today: O'Malley and Hillside - 22.0 inches Mid-Hillside - 17.0 inches Upper DeArmoun - 17.0 inches Abbott Loop Road - 15.0 inches Glen Alps - 12.0 inches Eagle River - 4.5 inches So far, Anchorage has accumulated 57.60 inches of snow this winter, a new record for snowfall as of Jan. 3. Snow advisories are in effect until 9 p.m., but the Southcentral region should be seeing an end to the snow later tonight. http://www.ktuu.com/Global/story.asp?S=5889112 Big Avalanche Knocks Cars Off Colorado Pass ASSOCIATED PRESS - By Robert Weller - January 6, 2007 -- DENVER -- A huge avalanche knocked two cars off a mountain pass Saturday on the main highway to one of the state's largest ski areas, shortly after crowds headed through on the way to the lifts, authorities said. Eight people were rescued from the buried vehicles and all were taken to area hospitals, said state Patrolman Eric Wynn. Details of their conditions were not available. "Our crews said it was the largest they have ever seen. It took three paths," Stacey Stegman of the transportation department said of the massive slide on U.S. 40 near 11,307-foot Berthoud Pass, about 50 miles west of Denver on the way to Winter Park Resort.... The avalanche hit between 10 a.m. and 10:30 and was about 100 feet wide and 15 feet deep, Stegman said. The area usually has slides 2 to 3 feet deep because crews trigger them before more snow can accumulate, said Spencer Logan of the Colorado Avalanche Information Center. ... http://apnews.myway.com/article/20070107/D8MG3KU00.html 3rd Snowstorm Looms for Hard-Hit Plains ASSOCIATED PRESS - By Jon Sarche - January 5, 2007 -- DENVER -- The third snowstorm in as many weeks swept into Colorado on Friday, further hampering efforts to restore power to rural homes and rescue thousands of cattle stranded by last week's blizzard. Several school districts canceled classes Friday because of blowing snow in the region, where the last storm had whipped up 10-foot drifts and shut down highways. In Kansas and Nebraska, about 10,000 homes were still without power after more than a week, and the new storm was headed their way after dumping nearly a foot of snow in the foothills west of Denver. In hard-hit southeastern Colorado, no more than 1 inch of new snow was expected, but the high wind was making road clearing difficult. Agriculture officials, meanwhile, were still trying to figure out how deal with the carcasses of thousands of livestock that were killed by the blizzard or starved, said Jery Bailey, emergency management director in Haskell County, Kan. … http://apnews.myway.com/article/20070105/D8MF9LH81.html Balmy eastern U.S. could cool off soon: forecasters REUTERS - January 4, 2007 -- NEW YORK -- A stretch of unusual warmth in the central and eastern United States that has slashed fuel demand and left New England ski resorts barren of snow could end by mid-January, forecasters said on Thursday. "It seems like we've had fall forever," said Dale Mohler, senior meteorologist for private forecaster AccuWeather. "But winter may finally be on the way." Weather watchers said that an arctic air mass is likely to form over western Canada next week and seep into the U.S. Midwest before spreading into the East and Southeast by mid-January, possibly locking in a colder pattern. …http://today.reuters.com/news/articlenews.aspx?type=topNews&storyid=2007-01-05T032626Z_01_N04329483_RTRUKOC_0_US-WEATHER-USA-JANUARY.xml&src=rss&rpc=22 More than 20,000 RI students kept home after illness report ASSOCIATED PRESS - By Justin M. Norton - January 4, 2007 -- CRANSTON, R.I. -- Rhode Island officials canceled school for the rest of the week for more than 20,000 students because of a suspected case of meningitis and the death of a second-grader from encephalitis. Health experts are trying to determine whether the cases are connected…. The case of suspected meningitis was reported late Wednesday in an unidentified student at Hopkins Hill School in Coventry. Health investigators are looking into whether the latest case is related to mycoplasma, an infection blamed for encephalitis that killed a Warwick student and sickened two other children in the last few weeks. Mycoplasma pneumonia, or "walking pneumonia," is common but very rarely progresses to a serious case of meningitis or encephalitis. Meningitis is an inflammation of membranes protecting the brain and spinal cord, and encephalitis is an inflammation of the brain…. The closing of the schools affected students in three communities south of Providence: 11,500 in Warwick; 6,000 in Coventry; and 4,000 in West Warwick. There has been an unusually high incidence of pneumonia in the three communities, Gifford said. … http://www.boston.com/news/local/rhode_island/articles/2007/01/04/ri_health_officials_close_schools_in_three_towns/ FAIR USE NOTICE: This blog contains copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We are making such material available in our efforts to advance understanding of religious, environmental, political, human rights, economic, democracy, scientific, and social justice issues, etc. We believe this constitutes a 'fair use' of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml. If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use', you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.