Author Archives: marcia

Painting lke Picasso

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Picasso’s Genius Revealed: He Used Common House Paint

Clara Moskowitz, LiveScience senior writer
Date: 08 February 2013
Picasso's Red Armchair
Among the Picasso paintings in the Art Institute of Chicago collection, The Red Armchair is the most emblematic of his Ripolin usage and is the painting that was examined with APS X-rays at Argonne National Laboratory.
CREDIT: Courtesy Art Institute of Chicago, Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Daniel Saidenberg (AIC 1957.72) © Estate of Pablo Picasso / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York

Pablo Picasso, famous for pushing the boundaries of art with cubism, also broke with convention when it came to paint, new research shows. X-ray analysis of some of the painter’s masterworks solves a long-standing mystery about the type of paint the artist used on his canvases, revealing it to be basic house paint.

Art scholars had long suspected Picasso was one of the first master artists to employ house paint, rather than traditional artists’ paint, to achieve a glossy style that hid brush marks. There was no absolute confirmation of this, however, until now.

Physicists at Argonne National Laboratory in Lemont, Ill., trained their hard X-ray nanoprobe at Picasso’s painting “The Red Armchair,” completed in 1931, which they borrowed from the Art Institute of Chicago. The nanoprobe instrument can “see” details down to the level of individual pigment particles, revealing the arrangement of particular chemical elements in the paint.

The analysis showed that Picasso used enamel paint that matches the precise chemical composition of the first brand of commercial house paint, called Ripolin. The researchers were able to compare the painting’s pigment with those of paints available at the time by analyzing decades-old paint samples bought on eBay.

What’s more, the detailed study, which used X-rays to probe the painting’s pigment down to the scale of 30 nanometers (a sheet of copier paper is 100,000 nanometers thick), was able to pinpoint the manufacturing region where the paint was made by studying its particular impurities.

“The nanoprobe at the [Advanced Photon Source X-ray facility and the Center for Nanoscale Materials] allowed unprecedented visualization of information about chemical composition within a singe grain of paint pigment, significantly reducing doubt that Picasso used common house paint in some of his most famous works,” one of the research leaders, Argonne’s Volker Rose, said in a statement.

Art scholars think Picasso experimented with Ripolin to achieve a different effect than would’ve been possible with traditional oil paints, which dry slowly and can be heavily blended. In contrast, house paint dries quickly and leaves effects like marbling, muted edges, and even drips of paint. Still, experts couldn’t be sure house paint was the key to Picasso’s look without proof.

“Appearances can deceive, so this is where art can benefit from scientific research,” said Francesca Casadio, senior conservator scientist at the Art Institute of Chicago. “We needed to reverse-engineer the paint so that we could figure out if there was a fingerprint that we could then go look for in the pictures around the world that are suspected to be painted with Ripolin, the first commercial brand of house paint.”

The scientists detailed their findings in a paper published last month in the journal Applied Physics A: Materials Science & Processing.

from:    http://www.livescience.com/26963-picasso-house-paint-x-rays.html

Naming Nemo, th Snowstorm

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Why the Snowstorm Is Named ‘Nemo’

Douglas Main, OurAmazingPlanet Staff Writer
Date: 08 February 2013
storm from space, satellite storm photo, nor'easter from space, satellite nor'easter photo
 This image, captured at 9:01 a.m. EST on Feb. 8 by NOAA’s GOES-13 satellite, shows clouds associated with the western frontal system stretching from Canada through the Ohio and Tennessee valleys, into the Gulf of Mexico.
CREDIT: NASA.

“You must prepare now!” scream headlines from websites such as the Weather Channel. The reason: the snowstorm dubbed “Nemo” is bearing down on the Northeast.

But why this name? Isn’t it more likely to bring to mind the Disney-Pixar movie “Finding Nemo” than inspire storm preparation? And why name a storm anyway? The National Weather Service (NWS) doesn’t name snowstorms, only hurricanes and tropical storms, but the Weather Channel has decided to name “notable” winter storms this year.

Here are the justifications for naming the storm, according to the Weather Channel (TWC):

  • Naming a storm raises awareness.
  • Attaching a name makes it much easier to follow a weather system’s progress.
  • A storm with a name takes on a personality all its own, which adds to awareness.
  • In today’s social media world, a name makes it much easier to reference [a storm] in communication.
  • A named storm is easier to remember and refer to in the future.

“The fact is, a storm with a name is easier to follow, which will mean fewer surprises and more preparation,” the network added.

However, meteorologists are generally not impressed with this particular designation; weather expert Jason Samenow with the Washington Post has collected the opinions of several of the scientists, and the reactions are generally negative. Primarily, meteorologists criticize the unilateral way the network made the decision, apparently never consulting with the NWS or professional organizations. Several respondents said this action will confuse the public and the media.

“I think the preemptive decision by TWC to begin naming winter storms is, at best, a poor decision by a critical source of weather information and, at worst … a gimmick,” writes WJLA meteorologist Bob Ryan on his network’s website. “I call this a ‘preemptive’ decision because there was, from everything I have learned, no coordination of this decision to name winter storms with the National Weather Service or any of the professional groups.”

The NWS chooses not to name snowstorms because, unlike hurricanes and tropical storms, they aren’t well-defined storms following a path that can be tracked, among other reasons, said Jeff Weber, a climatologist at the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, Colo.

Weber added that he understands the rationale for the naming, and that publicity was likely a prime motivation. “It makes sense to keep the public informed, but I must admit I questioned the wisdom of having a commercial organization doing the naming,” he told OurAmazingPlanet.

The name Nemo isn’t meant to refer to “Finding Nemo,” Bryan Norcross, a TWC meteorologist who helped conceive the storm-naming last year, told the New York Times. Nemo is Latin for “no one” or “no man.” It also refers to Captain Nemo, the Jules Verne character from “Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea.”

“Captain Nemo was a pretty tough, fierce guy,” Norcross said.

from:    http://www.livescience.com/26979-nemo-name-explainer.html

 

Human Design by Randy Richmond

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Human Design

Story by: Randy Richmond

The Human Design System is a synthesis of ancient wisdom and modern science. As a tool that thousands are using, your Human Design chart reveals an optimal way for you to operate in the world as yourself. It’s like discovering the laws of physics, but at a personal and interpersonal level.

Unlike astrology, derived from only one calculation, Human Design uses two calculations thereby illuminating both the conscious and unconscious aspects of your being. For many years psychologists have been searching to define the unconscious, as clearly over time they’ve discovered people have “hidden” parts. We ourselves know that as we move through life, more and more people have commented about aspects about ourselves that we’re not aware of. Over time we’ve come to accept these aspects of ourselves even though we have no conscious access to how they operate. Your personalized chart reveals your unconscious nature, which is keyed at a point in your fetal development, as well as your conscious nature, which begins at the moment of your birth.

Taking these two data points, your conscious birthday (the one you’ve been celebrating since you were born) and your unconscious birthday (approximately three months earlier), a chart is drawn up showing the specific planetary imprinting at those times. One could ask, “Why should I care where the planets were when I was born?” In the grand scheme of things, it actually turns out to be quite significant.

Neutrinos, as one of the most frequently occurring sub-atomic particles, are penetrating us all the time. Created in the stars themselves, these neutrinos have mass. Because of that they are endowed with the ability to transfer information from the various objects they are penetrating. It’s like when the white car scrapes the red car in the parking lot; each drives off with paint from the other. Thus, the movement of neutrinos throughout our Solar System and its planets creates an informational landscape that is specific at each moment of the day as delineated by the planets’ positions. The database that is created from your two birthdays shows the exact planetary snapshot of those two crucial moments in your history.

For millennium the position of the planets has been tracked using the 360° of the zodiacal wheel. Unlike astrology, which is focused on the relationships between objects on the outside (i.e. their mathematical relationship to each other), Human Design brings the information from the outside, inside and into the body. As a new science, Human Design has established the relationship between the zodiacal wheel and another ancient study, the 64 hexagrams of the I’ Ching, which are also related to the 64 codons of our DNA. Thus, through the synthesis of ancient methods with current sub-atomic particle physics and modern genetics, Human Design shows us our unique individual place in the larger whole. Like acupuncture, which relates primal elements to meridians in the body, these 64 hexagrams relate specifically to the Nine Centers depicted in the bodygraph, as illustrated below.

photo CentersNamed.jpg

Distributed throughout the Nine Centers, these hexagrams (or “gates”) in pairs create the channels in the bodygraph connecting centers in specific configurations. When planetary imprinting activates both gates at either end of a channel, the result is called “definition.” This is very recognizable in the bodygraph, as the centers on either end of that channel, as well as the channel itself, are now colored in. Transferring both your specific conscious and unconscious data to the bodygraph creates your individualized template. The energetic system represented by the bodygraph is comprised of Nine Centers or “hubs,” each representing a particular aspect of what it means to be human. Like DNA, which determines our differentiation, the way these centers are defined shows your uniqueness or how you are differentiated from others. Four of these centers are motors and therefore the source of our energy.

The Head Center is where we find the mental pressure of inspiration that fuels the conceptualizing of the mind.

The Ajna Center, as an awareness center, is the conceptualizing system that makes sense, understands, or knows what
the inspiration from the Head Center is all about.

The Throat Centeris metamorphic taking those concepts and turning them into language and thereby creating our
ability to articulate. When this center is connected to one of the four motors through definition, physical manifestation
i.e. to act rather than just speak, is possible.

The Splenic Centerhouses our immune system. As our primary awareness center, it is focused on our survival
and serves to protect us.

Our identity and direction in life come from the G Center. Guiding us along the line of our geometry in life, it is both
movement and love.

The Heart Center(also known as the Ego Center) is responsible for establishing the vitality of communities in the world, which takes courage and will power. As one of the four motors, it is a powerful source of what drives tribal life on the material plane.

As the prime motor of the body, the Sacral Center, generates life itself as a response mechanism.

The Solar Plexus Center has two aspects. As a motor, it drives our human life and its cyclical process, as well as our sexuality. But it also contains the chemistry of our emotional system, which we interpret and live out as a wave that goes from hope to pain and back again.

The other pressure center in the body, the Root Center, is a physical pressure system. As a motor, it produces adrenaline and stress hormones that fuel our survival, sexuality, and the life force itself.

Four blood types that have evolved over time in humanity. Interestingly enough, Human Design has validated that at the genetic imprint level, there are also four types of human beings. There are specific strategies for the individual types in Human Design.

Since Human Design deals directly with our energetic systems, we begin by seeing that the four types fall into two categories: energy types and non-energy types. Together they are what makes the world operate in harmony, as each needs the other, neither being better or worse, but each essential for humanity’s development. The energy types come from two possible configurations within the bodygraph:

  • Any time the Sacral Center is defined (colored in), one is a Generator type
  • When one of the three other motors (Heart Center, Solar Plexus, or Root Center) is connected to the Throat Center through definition, one is a Manifestor type.

Individuals with either of these configurations are endowed with a consistent energy source, which becomes a driving force in their life.

The other two types of human beings are part of the non-energy category.

  • One is the Projector, whose definition configuration can range from the very simple to complex. The Heart Center, Solar Plexus, or Root Center may be defined, but not to the throat. The Sacral Center is not defined.
  • Someone with none of the centers defined is a Reflector.

Each of the four types has a specific strategy to follow that will eliminate the resistance in their life. Though there are only four strategies, each is within the context of the uniqueness of each individual’s chart.

GENERATORS: Life is about the Right Work

Want to know themselves; self knowledge; discover inner world; “know thyself”Wait to Respond, life is a response. Go to bed when you are exhausted.
Get a job; it’s about their life’s work.Can respond moment to moment.Can respond to anything. THEME: frustration. Can feel stuck or trapped.

MANIFESTORS: Looking for the Right Life

Wants to know the outside world, the resistance field, what has been in their way, what has been opposing them. Go to bed before you are tired.
Get them to ask “who do my actions impact?” They often don’t realize nor are they conscious of it. Anything they have or want, they have to go and get “it” as it doesn’t come to them; they must “do it”
Informing let’s them take advantage or have an advantage in the situation Looking for a life; into the secret of life
Need to know the outer world THEME: Anger

PROJECTORS: Looking for the Right Life to live

“Who is the Other? How do they impact me?”Don’t be the first to speak. Go to bed before you’re tired – read, watch television.
Need their own space to get away from the sacral buzz, especially when sleeping They are the natural students of mankind; need to study in detail. Need the details
Knows who the other is and whether or not the other is for them; they just recognize it Looking for a life; into the secret of life
Looks for recognition and in turn recognize the other. Who they are. THEME : exhaustion and bitterness
Annoyed at wasted energy The first conservationists Can be “cheap” and over control resources

REFLECTORS: Looking for the Right Place to be

“Who are they?” – conditioned by the environment not by an individual “How am I?-  not “Who am I?” – they are the place not the person
They are the barometers of society – the weather report. THEME: disappointment

Design of Forms:
All forms have a design and activations consistent with the bodygraph. There are cross-specie connections between humans and mammals, birds, fish, reptiles, and plants. All of these bring their own frequency of conditioning to our human process and we to theirs. We create hybrid plants, breed animals, and are beginning to clone our own species.

Splenic fear of:
18 – Authority
28 – Death
32 – Failure
50 – Responsibility
44 – The Past
57 – Tomorrow
48 – Inadequacy

Mental anxiety over:
47 – Futility
24 – Ignorance
4 – Chaos
11 – Darkness
43 – Rejection
17 – Challenge

Emotional nervousness about:
30 – Fate
55 – Emptiness
49 – Nature
6 – Intimacy
37 – Tradition
22 – Silence
36 – Inadequacy

Seven Gates of Love:
41 – Love of dreams
58 – Love of perfection
40 – Love of work
28 – Love of life
44 – Love of talent
10 – Love of self
55 – Love of loving

Table of contents    View next article

Randy RichmondRandy Richmond
Is the Chairman of the Human Design Standards Board (from 2000), and is the Registrar of the International Human Design School in charge of certification of new Human Design analysts. Randy was educated privately in the Human Design System by Ra Uru Hu in 1999 and has continued his education in all the classes taught by Ra since that time. Randy has worked in the field of alcoholism and drug addiction for 35 years. He uses the Human Design System to tailor recovery strategies with the unique definition of the individual chart. (see www.recoverybydesign.com) He is the author of Side by Side, a synthesis of the 12 Step Programs and a Course in Miracles. He is an Egyptologist with the University of Arizona and a life member of Mensa.

froom:    http://spiritofmaat.com/magazine/february-2013-mid-winter-cross-quarter-edition/human-design/

Earthquake — Santa Cruz Islands

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Very strong aftershock at the Santa Cruz islands

Last update: February 8, 2013 at 4:25 pm by By

Massive earthquake and Tsunami Santa Cruz Islands (Solomon Islands) – 13 people killed, many missing + horrifying aftershocks

Last update: February 8, 2013 at 5:25 pm by By

Most important Earthquake Data:

Magnitude : 6.1

Local Time (conversion only below land) : 2013-02-06 11:07:25

GMT/UTC Time : 2013-02-06 00:07:25

Depth (Hypocenter)  : 10 km

FOR ALL OTHER AREAS COVERED BY THIS BULLETIN… IT IS FOR INFORMATION ONLY AT THIS TIME.

Since the devastating Tsunami in 2004, people take no risk and move to higher ground, some even auto-evacuating. Honaria, the capital of the Solomon Islands, far outside the shaking area, people are currently moving to higher ground.

Update 03:24 UTC : The Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre has corrected its recent update. Australia is NOT in the warning area.
04:23 but is still on watch

During a Tsunami the first wave is not always the biggest one – stay on high ground until the authorities are calling the alert off

Update 03:12 UTC :The Solomon Islands Broadcasting Corporation cited a witness who said water was covering an airstrip in Lata

Update 03:11 UTC : The Solomon Islands Visitor Centre has spoken to ABC News 24, confirming the 90cm sea level rise in the Santa Cruz Islands.  In Lata, the provincial capital of the worst-hit area, there are no reports of damage so far.

Santa Cruz Islands typical house

Typical house in Nendo, the closest island to the epicenter – Image courtesy Mariwatmo

Update 03:05 UTC : A New bulletin from PWTC has just arrived. We bring it to you in a minute
– Evacuations are being ordered by many, many Pacific countries. Authorities are taking NO risk and are evacuating even islands and coastal areas which are not on the dangerous NOAA list !
TSUNAMI BULLETIN NUMBER 004
PACIFIC TSUNAMI WARNING CENTER/NOAA/NWS
ISSUED AT 0252Z 06 FEB 2013

THIS BULLETIN APPLIES TO AREAS WITHIN AND BORDERING THE PACIFIC OCEAN AND ADJACENT SEAS…EXCEPT  ALASKA…BRITISH COLUMBIA…WASHINGTON…OREGON AND CALIFORNIA.

… A TSUNAMI WARNING AND WATCH ARE IN EFFECT …

A TSUNAMI WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR  SOLOMON ISLANDS / VANUATU / NAURU / PAPUA NEW GUINEA / TUVALU /  NEW CALEDONIA / KOSRAE / FIJI / KIRIBATI / WALLIS AND FUTUNA /  MARSHALL ISLANDS / HOWLAND AND BAKER / POHNPEI / TOKELAU /  SAMOA / KERMADEC ISLANDS / NEW ZEALAND / AMERICAN SAMOA /  TONGA / AUSTRALIA / NIUE / COOK ISLANDS / INDONESIA /  WAKE ISLAND

A TSUNAMI WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR  MARSHALL ISLANDS / HOWLAND AND BAKER / POHNPEI / TOKELAU /  SAMOA / KERMADEC ISLANDS / NEW ZEALAND / AMERICAN SAMOA /  TONGA / AUSTRALIA / NIUE / COOK ISLANDS / INDONESIA /
 WAKE ISLAND / CHUUK / JARVIS ISLAND / GUAM / NORTHERN MARIANAS /  PALMYRA ISLAND / YAP / JOHNSTON ISLAND / MINAMITORISHIMA /  BELAU

FOR ALL OTHER AREAS COVERED BY THIS BULLETIN… IT IS FOR INFORMATION ONLY AT THIS TIME.

Update 02:57 UTC : AustraliaNetworkNews / @an_news, a very well informed news agency reports vuia Twitter that : Emergency authorities on Santa Cruz island have confirmed the tsunami has destroyed three villages on the island @ABCNews24

Update 02:57 UTC : Map 2 below is showing 3 very big balloons. These are the same earthquake of course, but they show the locations of the epicenter as reported by Geofon, USGS and EMSC. Epicenter calculation is extremely difficult. Our map shows it very good.

Update 02:51 UTC : A very interesting graph is from the Sea Level gauge at the Lata Wharf, relatively close to the epicenter. The gauge confirms the after all limited height of the tsunami. We have to say however that the currents with a tsunami of 1 meter can also be very powerful and even damage a lot of things.

Screen Shot 2013-02-06 at 03.45.16

Update 02:48 UTC : Robert Speta, one of the people collaborating with Earthquake-Report.com and meteorologist at NHK Japan made the following video. Of course this video was made shortly after the earthquake.

Update 02:44 UTC : ONE News has spoken to Charles Ngali who is in Lata Hospital in the Solomon Islands. He says he felt a series of strong earthquakes. The hospital is on high ground but he has heard that a wave passed through the airport, which is on lower ground. Most of the patients at Lata Hospital have been taken to higher ground.

Update 02:41 UTC : Tsunami travel time map as compiled by NOAA

Tsunami Travel Time Map M8.0 Santa Cruz Islands earthquake

Update 02:38 UTC : And like the M8.0 was not yet enough, the M6+ aftershocks are raging further.

Update 02:36 UTC : AFP reports that : “The information we are getting is that some villages west and south of Lata along the coast have been destroyed, although we cannot confirm this yet,” the director at Lata Hospital on the main Santa Cruz island of Ndende, told AFP.

There is much more information, maps, and updates, here    http://earthquake-report.com/2013/02/08/earthquakes-in-the-world-on-february-8-2013-m4-5-or-more/

Please consider donating to this site.  They do an amazing job!!!

Netherlands Earthquake

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Weak earthquake in The Netherlands – Zwakke aardbeving in Groningen, Nederland – Update 8 februari 2013

Last update: February 8, 2013 at 10:23 am by By

Image courtesy EMSC

Image courtesy EMSC

Most important Earthquake Data:

Magnitude : 3.3

Local Time (conversion only below land) : 2013-02-08 00:19:09

GMT/UTC Time : 2013-02-07 23:19:09

Depth (Hypocenter)  : 5 km
from:    http://earthquake-report.com/2013/02/07/minor-earthquake-the-netherlands-on-february-7-2013/

And Nemo Arrives in the Northeast

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Snows begin in Northeast U.S. as historic Nor’easter strengthens
Published: 3:17 PM GMT on February 08, 2013

Snow has begun falling from New York City to Massachusetts, where blizzard warnings are flying in anticipation of the arrival of one of the most severe and dangerous Nor’easters in U.S. history. The great storm, dubbed “Nemo”, has just emerged into the waters off the coast of Virginia, and is predicted to “bomb” to a central pressure of 975 – 980 mb by Saturday afternoon. Cold, Arctic air spilling southwards behind a strong 1038 mb high over Canada will collide with warm, moist air over the Atlantic, where ocean temperatures are unusually warm–about 5°F warmer than average over a large swath from New Jersey to Nantucket, Massachusetts. The contrast between the cold and warm air will help intensify the storm, and the unusually warm waters will pump large quantities of moisture into the air, which will be capable of feeding record-breaking snows over New England. The latest NWS forecast for Boston calls for 22 – 30″ of snow by Saturday morning, with additional snows though Saturday afternoon. Since Boston’s all-time heaviest snow storm is 27.5″ (February 17-18, 2003), Winter Storm Nemo has a chance of exceeding that. According to NWS, here are the top snowstorms since 1936 for Logan Airport:

1. February 17-18, 2003 27.5″
2. February 6-7, 1978 27.1″
3. February 24-27, 1969 26.3″
4. March 31-April 1, 1997 25.4″
5. January 22-24, 1945 22.8″
6. January 22-23, 2005 22.5″
7. January 20-21, 1978 21.4″
8. March 3-5, 1960 19.8″
9. February 16-17, 1958 19.4″
10. February 8-10, 1994 18.7″
11. January 7-8, 1996 18.2″
11. December 20-22, 1975 18.2″
11. December 26-27, 2010 18.2″

The weight of all that heavy snow on rooftops will create the danger of roof collapses. In addition to the heavy snow, the storm will bring coastal wind gusts over hurricane force, and moderate to major coastal flooding. During the peak of the storm, Friday night into Saturday morning, snowfall rates of 2 – 3″ per hour can be expected. These intense bursts of snow may be accompanied by lightning and thunder. The cites of Hartford, Providence, and Portland are all likely to get more than a foot of snow, and two feet of snow will probably fall along a swath from South Central Connecticut to Southwest Maine, with isolated amounts of 3′. Ferocious sustained winds near 50 mph will occur at the coast, with wind gusts in excess of hurricane force–74 mph. The combination of heavy snow and high winds will make travel extremely dangerous or impossible, with near-zero visibility in white-out conditions. The snow and high winds are likely to cause many power outages.


Figure 1. Predicted snowfall for Winter Storm Nemo from Friday’s 00Z run of the European (ECMWF) model. The highest snowfall amounts (> 24″) are predicted for Long Island, Southern Connecticut, and Eastern Massachusetts, including Boston. This forecast assumes that the ratio between liquid water equivalent and snow depth will be 10:1. In some areas away from the coast, this ratio may be closer to 15:1, leading to snow amounts near 36″.


Figure 2. Predicted wind speeds in knots at 7 am EST Saturday, February 9, 2013, from the 00Z February 8, 2013 run of the European (ECMWF) model. The model is predicting sustained winds of 50 knots (57.5 mph) will be just offshore of Cape Cod and Nantucket Island, Massachusetts. Multiply by 1.15 to convert knots to mph.

Serious coastal flooding expected in Massachusetts
The high winds from the storm will drive a damaging storm surge of 2 – 4′ along the coast of Eastern Massachusetts Friday night and Saturday morning. High tide Friday night will occur between 9:30 – 10 pm EST, and minor to moderate coastal flooding is expected along east and north-facing shores, when the storm surge of 2 – 3′ rides in on top of the tide. Battering waves of 8 – 17′ will hit the coast south of Boston in Cape Cod Bay, causing severe beach erosion. Of greater concern is the flooding that will occur during the Saturday morning high tide cycle, as that is the time of the new moon, which will bring the highest tide of the month. The ocean’s height near Boston varies naturally by about ten feet between low tide and high tide, so it matters greatly when the storm surge arrives, relative to the tidal cycle. Thus we speak of the “storm tide”–how high the water gets above the high tide mark, due to the combination of the storm surge and the tide. During Hurricane Sandy, on October 29, 2012, a potentially very damaging storm surge of 4.57′ hit Boston, but arrived near low tide, so the water level during the peak surge did not rise above the normal high tide mark. Fortunately, it appears that the peak storm surge from Nemo will arrive at the time of low tide early Saturday morning, and the surge will have fallen about a foot by the time the high tide arrives near 10 am EST Saturday. As of 9am EST on February 8, 2013, the latest storm surge forecast from the GFS model was calling for a storm tide of about 3.4′ above high tide (MHHW, Mean Higher High Water) in Boston on Saturday morning. This would cause minor to moderate flooding in the city, and would be approximately the 10th highest water level on record. The official top 5 storm tides since 1921 at the Boston tide gauge, relative to MHHW, are:

1. 4.82′ – February 7, 1978 (Blizzard of 1978)
2. 3.92′ – January 2, 1987
3. 3.86′ – October 30, 1991 (Perfect Storm)
4. 3.76′ – January 28, 1979
5. 3.75′ – December 12, 1992

More serious flooding is expected in Cape Cod Bay to the southeast of Boston, where the northeast winds from the storm will pile up a higher storm surge. A storm surge of 3 – 4′ is predicted from Scituate to Sandwich Harbor Saturday morning. The surge will be accompanied by battering waves 18 – 26′ feet high, and major flooding and significant coastal erosion is expected. Major coastal flooding is also expected on the east end of Nantucket Island.

Severe beach erosion is also expected along the north and northeast facing shores of Long Island, NY, where a storm surge of 3 – 5′ will combine with 4 – 8′ breaking waves. Minor to moderate coastal flooding is expected along western Long Island Sound. New York City is expecting a 2 – 4′ storm surge, which will cause mostly minor flooding, with a few areas of moderate flooding.


Figure 3. Coastal flooding hazards during the high tide cycle on Saturday morning, February 9, 2013, as predicted at 5 am EDT Friday, February 8, 2013, by the NWS Boston.

from:    http://www.wunderground.com/blog/JeffMasters/article.html

ANomalous Snow Events

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Strange Snowfalls
Published: 8:54 PM GMT on February 04, 2013

Strange Snowfalls

Although there were no spectacular snowstorms in the contiguous U.S. this past January there were a couple of interesting snow events. On January 20th the residents of Vermont were amazed to find their yards and fields covered with large snow rollers. A week later, on January 27th, giant snowflakes “the size of cotton balls” were observed near Moline, Illinois. Here is a summary of some strange snow events.

A Vermont TV station, WCAX, reports on the snow roller event that occurred in Vermont on January 20, 2013.Video still from WCAX and rebroadcast on CNN and The Weather Channel.

Snow Rollers

This rare and interesting phenomenon occurs when surface conditions are just right following a fresh snowfall. The surface snow must be light and sticky but not too wet. Strong, gusty winds in excess of 30 mph must then ‘scoop’ the fluffy snow into small balls on the surface and then blow the balls along forming small barrels. The stronger the winds and deeper the snow, the larger the barrels or ‘rollers’ become. Of course, the process is the same as making a snowman. Reports of snow rollers up to five or six feet in diameter (the “size of rolled hay bays”) have been reported in the Great Plains but cannot be substantiated.

Perhaps the largest snow rollers ever photographed were these barrels some 20” in diameter and three feet long that formed in Vermont’s Lamoille River Valley in February 1973. Photo by Ronald L. Hagerman.

For some reason New England and especially Vermont seem to be where snow roller formation is most often observed, as was the case in January. The event received national media attention being widespread and photographed by thousands in the Mad River Valley area and towns of Plainfield, Craftsbury, and St. Albans.

A beautiful shot of the recent snow roller event taken near Plainfield, Vermont in January. Photo by Janet Steward.

Giant Snowflakes

Reports of large snowflakes of 2” in diameter, as observed near Moline, Illinois on January 27th, are relatively common. Of course, these are not individual snowflakes but rather aggregates of entwined snowflakes. These aggregates normally occur when the temperature at the surface is near or just above freezing causing the wet flakes to bump into and stick to one another as they fall through the sky. Sleet often accompanies these giant flakes. The wind must be near calm in order for the aggregates to stick together.

A couple of close up images of large snowflake aggregates. One can see how these are composed of many different individual snowflakes entwined with one another. Top photo taken by Ruth Zschomler in Vancouver, Washington in 2010. Bottom photo by Thomas Niziol, the Weather Channel’s Winter Weather Expert.

Some truly extraordinary giant aggregates up to 5” (14 cm) in diameter and even larger have been verifiably observed. On January 24, 1894 ‘snowflakes’ of this size were observed in Nashville, Tennessee. In Berlin, Germany flakes up to 4” in diameter were seen on January 10, 1915. A weather observer noted:

On this occasion a large number of snowflakes had diameters of 8 to 10 centimeters (3-4″), and these giant flakes fell with both a greater speed and more definite paths than did the smaller flakes. They did not have the complicated, fluttering flight of the latter. In form the great flakes resembled a round oval dish with its edges bent upward. During flight they rocked to this side or that, but none were observed to turn quite over so that the concave side became directed downward.

There is a report from Fort Keogh, Montana of snowflake aggregates reaching a diameter of 15”/38 cm (the “size of sauce pans”) on January 28, 1887. If true, these would be the largest such ever recorded.

Giant snowflakes up to 2-3” in diameter blanket Kashgar, China during the winter of 2001. Photo by Michael Yamashita.

Colored Snow

I devoted a few paragraphs of my book ‘Extreme Weather: A Guide and Record Book’ to this phenomena and quote myself herein:

In Dr. Seuss’s The Cat in the Hat Comes Back, the Cat and his Hat’s mischievous inhabitants, Little Cats A, B, and C make a terrible pink mess in the home of two children. The Cat and the Little Cats manage to get the pink stains out of the house—and into the snow, which then becomes bright pink.

Preposterous as it may seem, it has, on very rare occasions, snowed pink. Not only pink but other unnatural shades as well. Pink snow was reported to have fallen in Durango, Colorado on January 9, 1932. Red snow coated the Alps on October 14, 1775, and again on February 3–4, 1852, over a wide area from Bergamo, Italy, to Zurich, Switzerland. Brown snow was reported on Mt. Hotham in the Snowy Mountains of Victoria, Australia, in July of 1935.

In the above cases, the coloring factor in the snow was dust which had risen into the atmosphere during desert dust storms. The dust that mixed with the snow in Europe was carried there by winds from the Sahara; the coloring in Australia originated in its interior desert.

Black and blue snowfalls have been reported on several occasions in New York State. The N.Y. State Weather Service report for April 1889 records black snow falling over Lewis, Herkimer, Franklin, and Essex Counties. Upon examination, the snow was found to contain a “sediment consisting principally of finely divided earth or vegetable mold.”

A blue snowfall was reported in many towns of western New York State during January of 1955. Yellow snow that fell on South Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, on March 16, 1879, was found to contain pollen from pine trees that were in bloom throughout states further to the south. Unfortunately, there are no known verifiable photographs documenting these rare and unusual events.

This photograph purports to be of a colored snowfall that occurred in Saaksjarvi, Finland on January 16, 2010. However, it is difficult to tell if this is actually colored snow or just a lighting effect. Photo from Flikr page by ArtemFinland.

Christopher C. Burt
Weather Historian

from:    http://www.wunderground.com/blog/weatherhistorian/article.html

Northeast to be Hit by Potent Storm NEMO

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I guess, the folks in the Northeast will not need to find Nemo.  It seems Nemo is finding them:

Dr. Jeff Masters’ WunderBlog
Historic Nor’easter poised to slam Boston and the Northeast U.S.
Posted by: Dr. Jeff Masters, 3:43 PM GMT on February 07, 2013 +18

A potentially historic Nor’easter is brewing for the Northeast U.S., where blizzard watches are up for much of eastern Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut. The storm, dubbed “Nemo” by the Weather Channel, is expected to bring heavy snows of 1 – 2 feet, coastal wind gusts over hurricane force, and moderate to major coastal flooding. During the peak of the storm, Friday night into Saturday morning, snowfall rates of 2 – 3″ per hour can be expected. These intense bursts of snow may be accompanied by lightning and thunder. The cites of Boston, Hartford, Providence, Portland, and Burlington are all likely to get more than a foot of snow, and two feet of snow will probably fall along a swath from the western suburbs of Boston to Southwest Maine. With the Nor’easter generating these heavy snows expected to bomb out with a central pressure of 972 – 976 mb, the rapid flow of air around this low pressure center will generate ferocious sustained winds near 50 mph at the coast, with wind gusts in excess of hurricane force–74 mph. The combination of heavy snow and high winds will make travel extremely dangerous or impossible, with near-zero visibility in white-out conditions. Total snowfall from the storm is likely to rank in the top ten for Boston since weather observations began at Logan Airport in the 1950s. Here is the current top-10 list for Logan Airport:

1. February 17-18, 2003 27.5″
2. February 6-7, 1978 27.1″
3. February 24-27, 1969 26.3″
4. March 31-April 1, 1997 25.4″
5. January 22-23, 2005 22.5″
6. January 20-21, 1978 21.4″
7. March 3-5, 1960 19.8″
8. February 16-17, 1958 19.4″
9. February 8-10, 1994 18.7″
10. January 7-8, 1996 18.2″
10. December 20-22, 1975 18.2″
10. December 26-27, 2010 18.2″


Figure 1. Predicted wind speeds in knots at 7 am EST Saturday, February 9, 2013, from the 00Z February 7, 2013 run of the European (ECMWF) model. The model is predicting sustained winds of 50 knots (57.5 mph) will affect Cape Cod and Nantucket Island, Massachusetts. Multiply by 1.15 to convert knots to mph.

Serious coastal flooding expected in Massachusetts
The high winds from the storm will drive a damaging storm surge of 2 – 4′ along the coast of Eastern Massachusetts Friday night and Saturday morning. Of particular concern is the flooding that will occur during the Saturday morning high tide cycle, as that is the time of the new moon, which will bring the highest tide of the month. The ocean’s height in Boston varies naturally by about ten feet between low tide and high tide, so it matters greatly when the storm surge arrives, relative to the tidal cycle. Thus we speak of the “storm tide”–how how the water gets above the high tide mark, due to the combination of the storm surge and the tide. During Hurricane Sandy, on October 29, 2012, a potentially very damaging storm surge of 4.57′ hit Boston, but arrived near low tide, so the water level during the peak surge did not rise above the normal high tide mark. As of noon EST on February 7, 2013, the latest storm surge forecast from the GFS model is calling for a storm tide of about 3.4′ above high tide (MHHW, Mean Higher High Water) on Saturday morning, which would cause only minor flooding in Boston. This would be the 10th highest water level on record in Boston since tide gauge records began in 1921. According to former NHC storm surge expert Mike Lowry, who now works for TWC, the official top 5 storm tides at the Boston tide gauge, relative to MHHW, are:

1. 4.82′ – February 7, 1978 (Blizzard of 1978)
2. 3.92′ – January 2, 1987
3. 3.86′ – October 30, 1991 (Perfect Storm)
4. 3.76′ – January 28, 1979
5. 3.75′ – December 12, 1992

More serious flooding is expected in Cape Cod Bay to the southeast of Boston, where the northeast winds from the storm will pile up a higher storm surge. A storm surge of 3 – 4′ is predicted from Scituate to Sandwich Harbor Saturday morning. The surge will be accompanied by battering waves 20′ feet high, and major flooding and coastal erosion is expected. Major coastal flooding is also expected on the east end of Nantucket Island.


Figure 2. Coastal flooding hazards during the high tide cycle on Saturday morning, February 9, 2013, as predicted at 12 pm EDT Thursday, February 7, 2013, by the NWS Boston.

I’ll have an update on the storm Friday morning.

Jeff Masters

from:    http://www.wunderground.com/blog/JeffMasters/comment.html?entrynum=2344

Punxsutawney Phil Says Spring WiIl be Early

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Spring Is Near! Punxsutawney Phil Doesn’t See His Shadow

LiveScience Staff
Date: 02 February 2013 Time: 12:35 PM ET
Punxsutawney Phil predicts the length of winter on Groundhog Day.
Punxsutawney Phil, the weather-predicting groundhog.
CREDIT: Alan Freed, Shutterstock

From the perch of “Gobbler’s Knob,” a local hillside in Punxsutawney, Penn., a famous, roly-poly rodent named Phil has predicted an early spring, or put another way, the groundhog did not see his shadow today (Feb. 2), Groundhog Day.

Every year, the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club rises early with their charge and takes Phil the groundhog, a rodent that usually lives in an enclosure in the Punxsutawney Memorial Library, to Gobbler’s Knob for the weather-prediction ceremony. This year is Phil’s 127th prognostication.

“Punxsutawney Phil, the King of the Groundhogs, Seer of Seers, Prognosticator of Prognosticators, Weather Prophet without Peer, was awakened from his borrow at 7:28 a.m. with a tap of the President’s cane,” announced the Groundhog Club. The statement went on to say, “And so ye faithful, there is no shadow to see an early Spring for you and me.

Legend has it if Punxsutawney Phil sees his shadow, six more weeks of winter weather are in store; if he doesn’t see a shadow, spring is around the corner.

How much stock should we put into Phil’s forecast? His handlers say the furball makes accurate predictions 100 percent of the time. Statistics tell a slightly different story: According to the Groundhog Club’s records, Phil has predicted about 99 long winters and 15 early springs, with nine years of records lost. Those predictions have been right only 39 percent of the time — 36 percent if you look at post-1969 predictions, when weather records are more accurate.

“He sees his shadow about 80 percent of the time and the other 20 percent he doesn’t,” Bill Deeley, who was one of Phil’s handlers, taking care of the groundhog for about 16 years, told LiveScience in 2010. “He’s pretty darn accurate,” said Deeley, who is now president of the Groundhog Club’s Inner Circle. The president is responsible for translating Phil’s proclamation of whether or not he saw his shadow.

So how did Phil become such a prestigious prognosticator?

The legend of the groundhog’s forecasting powers arguably dates back to the early days of Christianity in Europe when clear skies on the holiday Candlemas Day, celebrated on Feb. 2, meant an extended winter. The tradition was then brought to Germany, with the German twist being that if the sun made an appearance on Candlemas, a hedgehog would cast its shadow, thus predicting six more weeks of bad weather. More specifically, the legend states: “For as the sun shines on Candlemas Day, so far will the snow swirl in May …”

As some of Pennsylvania’s earliest settlers were German, they continued the tradition upon noticing a large population of groundhogs, which resemble the European hedgehog.

Phil’s kin in the wild are likely still snoozing. For these groundhogs, hibernation generally begins in October and ends in March or April (not on Feb. 2). During this deep sleep, groundhogs curl up into tight balls with their heads tucked between their hind legs. Their heartbeats slow from some 100 beats a minute to as few as 15; the body temperature drops from 95 degrees Fahrenheit (35 degrees Celsius) to 46 degrees Fahrenheit (8 degrees C); and breathing slows. This depressed state allows animals to conserve energy and live off their fat stores during the harsh winter months when food is scarce. [Sleep Tight! Photos of Snoozing Animals]

Even though pampered Phil doesn’t go into a deep sleep like his outdoor pals, the groundhog does begin to slow down on eating and activities as the days get shorter. “Our groundhog will eat 12 months out of the year,” Deeley said in 2010. “He’s like an eating machine from April until September 15,” before he starts to slow down.

from:     http://www.livescience.com/26808-groundhog-day-punxsutawney-phil-spring.html