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- Written by: Alex Sosnowski
AccuWeather reports beginning near or just past the middle of the month, signs are pointing toward waves of frigid air moving southward across North America from the North Pole.
Much of the nation has been experiencing higher-than-average temperatures and lower heating bills so far during the cold weather season, with the exception of some bouts the past couple of weeks.
However, there are signs of a potential change on the way beginning during the second half of January.
A phenomenon known as sudden stratospheric warming has occurred in the arctic region during the past few days. The stratosphere is located between six miles and 30 miles above the ground.
Often when this occurs, it forces cold air to build in the lowest layer of the atmosphere then to drive southward.
The problem is the exact timing and location of the emergence of this cold air is uncertain. Typically, the movement of cold air begins 10 to 14 days later.
During the next week or so, a flow of milder Pacific air will invade much of the nation.
Because of the time of year, some locations – in particular, the northern part of the Great Basin and northern New England – may hold on to the cold they have now due to long nights, light winds and weak sunshine. However, most locations will experience an upswing in temperature for at least a several-day period.
According to AccuWeather.com’s Long Range Team, including Mark Paquette, “Overlaying this with other tools, we expect to see cold air spreading out from central Canada later next week into week three of January.”
It is possible the cold push will arrive in one big blast. However, it is more likely the cold will advance along in waves of progressively colder air with each wave driving farther south and east.
According to Long Range Weather Expert Paul Pastelok, “The early indications are that the initial thrust of the brutal cold will be directed over the Northwest, northern Rockies or northern Plains first, with subsequent waves reaching farther east.”
Expert Senior Meteorologist Brett Anderson stated, “Initially, the cold may seem to be run-of-the-mill or even delayed, but once the cold air engine starts, it may run for quite a while with progressively colder and colder waves of air.”
According to Expert Senior Meteorologist Jack Boston, “As the waves of cold air spread to the south and east, some energy may be released in the form of a series of storms riding the cold air.”
The storms may initially track from the Southwest to the Upper Midwest, then the western Gulf to the Great Lakes, the eastern Gulf to the Appalachians and perhaps finally northward along the Atlantic Seaboard.
Expert Senior Meteorologist Joe Lundberg added, “While a zone of high pressure off the southern Atlantic coast will offer some resistance to the cold initially in the East, most of the time in situations like this, cold air finishes the job and reaches the Atlantic Seaboard.”
So while the atmosphere may seem to be settling into a pattern like last winter for some people, meteorologists at AccuWeather.com will be watching the evolution of the winter beginning in mid-January with great interest.
Folks may want to check their supply of fuel for the second half of the winter sooner rather than later, in the event the waves of arctic air develop to their full potential.
Alex Sosnowski is an expert senior meteorologist for www.AccuWeather.com .
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- Written by: Lake County News reports
NORTHERN CALIFORNIA – Glenn County officials on Friday arrested two Bay Area men who allegedly were found to be in possession of hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of methamphetamine.
Marcos Miguel Rodriguez-Villanueva, 20, of Richmond and Carlos Alejandro Mendoza-Villanueva, 39, of Novato were arrested by Glenn Interagency Narcotics Task Force agents.
The task force reported that it responded to a request from the California Highway Patrol at 11 a.m. Friday after receiving a request from CHP for a possible drug trafficking case.
Glenn Interagency Narcotics Task Force agents took over the investigation and seized 13.1 pounds of crystal methamphetamine with a street value of approximately $200,000 along with $2,475 in cash, and arrested the two men.
Rodriguez-Villanueva and Mendoza-Villanueva were booked into the Glenn County Jail. Bail was set at $600,000 for each of them, the task force reported.
The investigation is ongoing, task force officials said.
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- Written by: Lake County News reports
NASA-funded researchers analyzing a small meteorite that may be the first discovered from the Martian surface or crust have found it contains 10 times more water than other Martian meteorites from unknown origins.
This new class of meteorite was found in 2011 in the Sahara Desert. Designated Northwest Africa (NWA) 7034, and nicknamed “Black Beauty,” it weighs approximately 11 ounces.
After more than a year of intensive study, a team of U.S. scientists determined the meteorite formed 2.1 billion years ago during the beginning of the most recent geologic period on Mars, known as the Amazonian.
“The age of NWA 7034 is important because it is significantly older than most other Martian meteorites,” said Mitch Schulte, program scientist for the Mars Exploration Program at NASA Headquarters in Washington. “We now have insight into a piece of Mars’ history at a critical time in its evolution.”
The meteorite is an excellent match for surface rocks and outcrops NASA has studied remotely via Mars rovers and Mars-orbiting satellites. NWA 7034’s composition is different from any previously studied Martian meteorite The research is published in Thursday’s edition of Science Express.
“The contents of this meteorite may challenge many long held notions about Martian geology,” said John Grunsfeld, associate administrator for NASA’s Science Mission Directorate in Washington. “These findings also present an important reference frame for the Curiosity rover as it searches for reduced organics in the minerals exposed in the bedrock of Gale Crater.”
NWA 7034 is made of cemented fragments of basalt, rock that forms from rapidly cooled lava. The fragments are primarily feldspar and pyroxene, most likely from volcanic activity.
This unusual meteorite’s chemistry matches that of the Martian crust as measured by NASA’s Mars Exploration Rovers and Mars Odyssey Orbiter.
“This Martian meteorite has everything in its composition that you’d want in order to further our understanding of the Red Planet,” said Carl Agee, leader of the analysis team and director and curator at the University of New Mexico’s Institute of Meteoritics in Albuquerque. “This unique meteorite tells us what volcanism was like on Mars 2 billion years ago. It also gives us a glimpse of ancient surface and environmental conditions on Mars that no other meteorite has ever offered.”
The research team included groups at the University of California at San Diego and the Carnegie Institution in Washington. Experiments were conducted to analyze mineral and chemical composition, age, and water content.
Researchers theorize the large amount of water contained in NWA 7034 may have originated from interaction of the rocks with water present in Mars’ crust.
The meteorite also has a different mixture of oxygen isotopes than has been found in other Martian meteorites, which could have resulted from interaction with the Martian atmosphere.
Most Martian meteorites are divided into three rock types, named after three meteorites; Shergotty, Nakhla, and Chassigny.
These “SNC” meteorites currently number about 110. Their point of origin on Mars is not known and recent data from lander and orbiter missions suggest they are a mismatch for the Martian crust.
Although NWA 7034 has similarities to the SNC meteorites, including the presence of macromolecular organic carbon, this new meteorite has many unique characteristics.
“The texture of the NWA meteorite is not like any of the SNC meteorites,” said co-author Andrew Steele, who led the carbon analysis at the Carnegie Institution’s Geophysical Laboratory. “This is an exciting measurement in Mars and planetary science. We now have more context than ever before to understanding where they may come from.”
The research was funded by NASA’s Cosmochemistry Program and Astrobiology Institute, part of the Planetary Science Division in the Science Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters.
The research also was supported by the New Mexico Space Grant Consortium in Las Cruces, and the National Science Foundation in Arlington, Va.
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- Written by: Lake County News reports
Congressman Mike Thompson (CA-5), chair of a congressional Gun Violence Prevention Task Force, on Friday announced 12 vice chairs to serve on the task force.
The vice chairs and Thompson will make up the task force’s leadership team.
“I am proud to announce our leadership team for the Gun Violence Prevention Task Force,” said Thompson. “Our vice chairs have a wide range of expertise, come from different backgrounds representing all corners of the House Democratic Caucus, and will bring unique ideas to the table as we work to reduce and prevent gun violence while also protecting the rights of law-abiding individuals without a history of dangerous mental illness to own legitimate firearms for legitimate purposes.”
Thompson was recently named by House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi to chair a congressional task force on reducing and preventing gun violence.
Thompson is a hunter, gun owner, former chair of the Congressional Sportsmen’s Caucus, and veteran who carried a military-style assault weapon during a tour in Vietnam.
He is hosting three public forums on preventing gun violence next week – in Napa on Jan. 8, Vallejo on Jan. 9 and Santa Rosa on Jan. 10.
The 12 vice chairs are:
- Rep. Ron Barber (AZ) – Congressman Barber had a 30-year career with the Division of Developmental Disabilities in the Arizona Department of Economic Security. Under his direction, the division improved services for families, while running one of the five most cost-efficient, high-quality programs in the country. After his retirement, Barber became district director for Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords. He was standing next to her on Jan. 8, 2011, when a gunman opened fire at a Congress on Your Corner event. Barber was shot twice and critically wounded. When Congresswoman Giffords stepped down to focus on her recovery, Barber ran for the seat, winning the right to succeed her in office.
- Rep. John D. Dingell (MI) – Congressman John D. Dingell is the Dean of the House of Representatives and a senior member of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce. A lifelong outdoorsman and conservationist, Congressman Dingell is an avid hunter and sportsman and member of the Migratory Bird Conservation Commission. Congressman Dingell is also one of the primary authors of the National Instant Criminal Background Check System Improvement Amendments Act of 2007.
- Rep. Bill Enyart (IL) – Bill Enyart is the retired Major General of the Illinois National Guard and served in the military for 35 years. He is a proud gun owner, enjoys hunting, and is a conservationist.
- Rep. Elizabeth Esty (CT) – Elizabeth Esty represents Newtown, Ct in Congress. In the wake of the Newtown tragedy, she has met with first responders, mental health professionals, educators, community leaders, and local elected officials in Newtown. She approaches the need for sensible gun policies as a community leader, attorney, and mother who has served as a room parent for a first-grade classroom. As a member of the Connecticut State House of Representatives, Esty advocated for commonsense legislation to reduce gun violence and keep families safe.
- Rep. Chaka Fattah (PA) – Ranking Member on House Appropriations subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and related agencies. Fattah, a major supporter of the ATF, is deeply involved in issues dealing with firearms, public safety and law enforcement. In Philadelphia, he created the successful gun buyback “Groceries for Guns” program that has removed thousands of dangerous, unwanted firearms from streets and homes of Philadelphians in exchange for grocery coupons.
- Rep. Carolyn McCarthy (NY) – Congresswoman McCarthy, a lifelong nurse, strode into a life of activism to reduce gun violence after her husband was murdered and son critically wounded in the 1993 mass shooting on the Long Island Railroad in New York. Her activism led her to Washington first to lobby members of Congress as an advocate for victims, and then as a member herself after running against her own congressman who voted against the assault weapons ban. Today she is the House sponsor of bills to ban high-capacity ammunition magazines, close the gunshow loophole, strengthen our national background check database, and ban the anonymous bulk online sale of ammunition. Later this month she will also introduce a new assault weapons ban with Congressman Ed Perlmutter and Senator Dianne Feinstein.
- Rep. Grace Napolitano (CA) – Congresswoman Grace F. Napolitano is the founder and co-chair of the Congressional Mental Health Caucus. In 2001, she secured funding to provide on-site mental health services for schools within her District, which has now expanded to 15 area schools. Napolitano introduced the Mental Health in Schools Act, authorizing funding to implement on-site mental health services for schools on a national level and each year has introduced legislation recognizing May as National Mental Health Awareness Month. In 2010, Napolitano created the Mental Health Task Force, which includes notable figures such as: Los Angeles Laker, Metta World Peace; World Championship Boxer, Mia St. John, and Dancing with the Stars celebrity, Mark Ballas to help raise awareness about mental health, rid stigma, and encourage others to seek help. Additionally, Napolitano established the 38th Congressional District Mental Health Consortium, a group of local mental health professionals in her District to help advise on mental health related issues and policy.
- Rep. Ed Perlmutter (CO) – Congressman Ed Perlmutter represents the 7th Congressional District of Colorado encompassing the northern and western suburbs of the Denver metro region. Residents of the 7th CD are diverse, moderate and middle of the road with their personal values, economics, and education. Perlmutter represented the City of Aurora, CO during the tragic movie theater shootings in July 2012. He also represented the area surrounding Columbine High School when he was serving in the Colorado State Senate. Perlmutter has extensive experience in Colorado working to create mandatory criminal background checks for all gun purchases, and during his time in the state Senate, he sponsored many crime control and victims' assistance measures.
- Rep. David Price (NC) – Congressman David Price of North Carolina is the ranking member of the House Homeland Security Appropriations Subcommittee, where he has worked to improve public safety and ensure first responders have access to the tools they need to protect our communities. As a member of the Congressional Mental Health Caucus, he has long supported robust funding for mental health services and was an early advocate for the Paul Wellstone Mental Health Parity Act, which became law in the 110th Congress. Rep. Price has also supported efforts to keep guns out of the hands of dangerous criminals and limit the sale of military-style weapons.
- Rep. Bobby Scott (VA) – Congressman Bobby Scott serves as the Ranking Member of the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security. He is a known leader of legislative efforts to reduce crime and prevent youth violence by advocating for comprehensive, evidence-based solutions. Towards this goal, he has introduced the Youth PROMISE Act. Following the Columbine tragedy, he co-led a bi-partisan effort to develop juvenile crime prevention and accountability legislation that resulted in the Juvenile Accountability Block Grant Program (JABG) legislation which was cosponsored by every member of the Crime Subcommittee on both sides of the aisle and passed into law in 2002. He has also co-led bipartisan legislative efforts to add fines and suspensions to the tools available to the ATF to enable the agency to more effectively enforce gun sale and transfer regulations and to close the gun show loophole.
- Rep. Jackie Speier (CA) – Congresswoman Speier was Legislative Counsel to Congressman Leo Ryan in 1978 when she accompanied him to investigate the People’s Temple cult in Jonestown, Guyana. Congressman Ryan was assassinated, and Speier was shot five times at close range. She still carries two of the bullets in her body. Since that time, she has been a consistent advocate of gun control, and carried assault weapons ban legislation in California twenty years ago. She supports the 2nd Amendment, but believes we cannot simply blame this crisis on violent video games or mental illness. The proliferation of military style assault weapons and assault magazines are part of the problem, and should be banned. In addition, she believes it is essential that loopholes in the background check process be closed.
- Rep. Bennie Thompson (MS) – An avid hunter, Congressman Bennie Thompson has been selected to chair the bipartisan Congressional Sportsman’s Caucus during the 113th Congress. Congressman Thompson has served as the lead Democrat on the House Committee on Homeland Security since 2007. Prior to his election to Congress, Congressman Thompson served as alderman and mayor of Bolton, Mississippi and as a supervisor in Hinds, County Mississippi.
Over the next month the task force will hold a number of meetings and hearings with different experts designed to identify the best policies to reduce and prevent gun violence.
A comprehensive set of policy proposals will be released by the task force in early February.