MONUMENTAL EARTH CHANGES: Ice Age Now - Polar Vortex And Bombogenesis To Blast Over 250 MILLION PEOPLE With Arctic Air; Michio Kaku Declares "We're In The Bullseye,... All Hell's About To Break Loose,... North America Will Get Hit With A Bomb-Cyclone,... Could Mean A DEEP FREEZE,... Cause Massive Transportation Disruption"!

November 8, 2014 - NORTH AMERICA - Arctic air associated with the polar vortex will lunge into the North Central United States early next week and will expand southward and eastward to affect about 250 million people as the week progresses.

The polar vortex is a large pocket of very cold air, typically the coldest air in the Northern Hemisphere, which sits over the polar region. Occasionally, this pocket of very cold air can get dislodged farther south than normal, leading to cold outbreaks in Canada and the U.S.

The coldest weather of the season so far will extend from the Dakotas to Texas and the Interstate-95 corridor by the end of the week. The outbreak of arctic air will be long-lasting and may linger well past the middle of the month.

Heating demands will jump and people will be reaching for winter coats before venturing outdoors.

The worst of the cold will be felt from Fargo, North Dakota, and Minneapolis to Chicago and St. Louis.
According to AccuWeather Chief Meteorologist Elliot Abrams, "The arctic blast will have the greatest shock over the Central states."

People over parts of the Plains may experience a temperature plunge of 40 degrees or more following high temperatures this weekend.

The combination of cold air, wind and other conditions, including snow in part of the Midwest and northern Plains, will send AccuWeather RealFeel® temperatures plunging into the single digits and teens. Actual high temperatures may not reach the freezing mark in portions of the northern Plains and Midwest. Such cold will raise the risk of hypothermia and frostbite for those not properly dressed.

December-like cold will be felt farther along in the South and along the Atlantic Seaboard. The cold will rush into the South Central states by the middle of next week, but will not reach the Atlantic coast until later next week and into next weekend.

RealFeel Temperatures in these eastern areas will dip into the 20s and 30s and will make it uncomfortable for many outdoor activities.

According to AccuWeather.com Long Range Expert Paul Pastelok, "Temperatures will plunge to 20 degrees below average in parts of the South."

In New York City, it is possible temperatures may not get out of the 30s on one or more days from late next week into next weekend.

The action of cold air passing over the relatively warm waters of the Great Lakes will unleash bands of lake-effect flurries, snow and squalls from the Upper Midwest to the interior Northeast.

In addition to lake-effect snow, one and possibly two storms will accompany the advance of cold air.

The first storm will produce a band of snow from the northern Rockies to the Great Lakes early in the week.

A second storm could affect part of the East late next week.

WATCH: Michio Kaku - "Bombogenesis" - How the impending Arctic blast will unfold.

Despite the potential for localized snowfall, the cold air over much of the Plains to the East will advance over bare ground.

The bare ground and warm Great Lakes waters will take away some of the severity of this early season arctic outbreak.

Despite the moderation, freezing temperatures are possible in parts of the South and East that have not yet had such temperatures this season. People are urged to winterize vehicles and plumbing before the winterlike temperatures arrive.

Travel-Disrupting Snowstorm to Target Calgary, Minneapolis

As frigid air begins to push southward across the central United States next week, a swath of accumulating snow will push eastward from the Rockies, northern Plains and into part of the Midwest.

Before the snow reaches the U.S., accumulating snow will spread from central British Columbia to central and southern Alberta on Saturday night through Sunday.

A total of 8 to 15 cm (3 to 6 inches) is in store for Calgary with higher amounts in the mountains and locations to the east.

The storm will move on to affect parts of Montana and Wyoming with snow, plunging temperatures and dangerous travel conditions on Sunday through Monday. High winds will howl, causing blowing snow and white-out conditions in some areas.

Also spanning Monday and Tuesday, the storm will turn farther east and could affect some major cities in the Midwest or at least connecting highways with snow.

The swath from South Dakota and southwestern North Dakota to central Minnesota, northern Wisconsin and northern Michigan are at greatest risk for several inches of snow.

The heaviest snow zone currently encompasses the cities of Aberdeen, South Dakota, Minneapolis, and Wausau and Green Bay, Wisconsin.

However, a shift in track of the storm by a couple of hundred miles could put the heavy snow zone over Fargo, North Dakota, and Duluth, Minnesota, or to the south over Sioux Falls, South Dakota, and Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Portions of highways that may be impacted by snow and slippery travel in the Central states include interstates 25, 29, 35, 75, 80, 90 and 94.

The snow will initially melt as it falls on roads but is likely to create slushy and slippery conditions as temperatures tumble with advancing arctic air and the southward dip of the polar vortex.

Temperatures will plunge below freezing during and shortly after the storm. Parts of the northern Plains may experience temperatures dipping into the single digits and teens.

People can keep up to date on the developing snowstorm and the progress of the cold air by checking in at AccuWeather.com.

Travelers will want to make sure they and their vehicles are prepared for the snow and wintry temperatures.

A couple of days after the snowstorm affects the Midwest, another storm may bring snow to part of the East.

Which areas and how much snow falls will depend on the track and strength of the storm forecast to swing up from the Southern states later next week.

At this early stage, it appears snow is most likely to fall on parts of the southern and central Appalachians to a portion of New England.

- AccuWeather.

WAR DRUMS: Former Soviet Leader Mikhail Gorbachev Warns - Tensions Between Russian And The United States Have Pushed The World To The Brink Of A New Cold War!

November 8, 2014 - WAR - Tensions between the major powers have pushed the world closer to a new Cold War, former Soviet leader Mikhail S. Gorbachev said Saturday.

The 83-year-old accused the West, particularly the United States, of giving in to "triumphalism" after the collapse of the Soviet Union and the dissolution of the communist bloc a quarter century ago.

The result, he said, could partly be seen in the inability of global powers to prevent or resolve conflicts in Yugoslavia, the Middle East and most recently Ukraine.

"The world is on the brink of a new Cold War. Some are even saying that it's already begun," Gorbachev said at an event marking the 25th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, close to the city's iconic Brandenburg Gate.

WATCH: 'World on brink of new Cold War, some say it's already begun' - Gorbachev in Berlin (FULL SPEECH).

Gorbachev called for trust to be restored through dialogue with Moscow, and suggested the West should lift sanctions imposed against senior Russian officials over the country's support for separatist rebels in eastern Ukraine.

Failure to achieve security in Europe would make the continent irrelevant in world affairs, he said.

Gorbachev's comments echoed those of Roland Dumas, France's foreign minister at the time the Berlin Wall fell.

"Without freedom between nations, without respect of one nation to another, and without strong and brave disarmament policy, everything could start over again tomorrow," Dumas said.

"Even everything we used to know, and what we called the Cold War."

President Barack Obama appeared to share some of Gorbachev's concerns for Europe, though he blamed Moscow for the current tensions.

Paying tribute to the East Berliners who pushed past border guards to flood through the Wall on Nov. 9, 1989, Obama said in a statement Friday that "as Russia's actions against Ukraine remind us, we have more work to do to fully realize our shared vision of a Europe that is whole, free and at peace."

WATCH:  'Ironically Russia is playing peacemaker in face of US warmongering'.

- AP.

MONUMENTAL EARTH CHANGES: Monster Storm Becomes The MOST INTENSE EVER For Alaska - Former Super Typhoon Nuri's Low Pressure Analyzed At 924 Millibars; Impact Of Large Waves And Hurricane-Force Winds To Hit The Aleutian Island Chain!

Visible satellite image captured Typhoon Nuri as it churned over the West Pacific on Nov. 5, 2014. (Satellite Image/NASA)

November 8, 2014 - ALASKA - A powerful storm has moved into the Bering Sea and has become the most intense storm to ever impact the region.

The former Super Typhoon Nuri has tracked northward into the Bering Sea, located in between Alaska and Russia, and has lost all tropical characteristics.

The system has undergone rapid intensification, producing howling winds as the central pressure plummets to near record levels.

WATCH: Polar Vortex to unleash frigid air in United States after Monster Storm.

On Friday night, the Ocean Prediction Center analyzed the central area of low pressure to be 924 millibars.

This means that the storm has officially become the most powerful storm to ever move over the Bering Sea in recorded history in terms of central pressure.

Previous to this storm, the old record stood at 925 millibars from a powerful storm that moved over the Bering Sea on Oct. 25, 1977.

Nuri analyed at 924mb, eclipsing previous recorded low pressure of 925mb at Dutch Harbor in Oct '77. NWS OPC

Nuri analyed at 924mb, eclipsing previous recorded low pressure of 925mb at Dutch Harbor in Oct '77. NWS OPC

To put this in perspective, the lowest pressure recorded in Hurricane Sandy was 940 millibars.

Due to the massive size of the storm, impacts can be felt hundreds of miles away from the storm's center through much of the weekend.

Large waves and hurricane-force winds are expected to be the highest impacts with waves in some areas topping 45 feet through Saturday.

Visible satellite image captured Typhoon Nuri as it churned over the West Pacific on Nov. 5, 2014. (Satellite Image/NASA)

Waves this large can quickly turn deadly, tossing around ships sailing in the area.

Waves and swells are not expected to be nearly this high along the west coast of Alaska. However, they may still be strong enough to cause flooding and erosion in coastal areas.

The Aleutian Island Chain will likely feel the worst impacts as wind-swept rain moves in late on Friday, continuing through much of the weekend. Peak wind gusts across the islands can occasionally gust beyond 100 mph.

This storm will not only have impacts on Alaska, eastern Russia and the Bering Sea, but also the contiguous United States.

According to Senior Meteorologist Brett Anderson, "In brief, when a typhoon curves away from Asia it causes the jet stream [steering winds] farther to the east across the Pacific and into North America to buckle and amplify days later."

This is the case for the remnants of Super Typhoon Nuri as it has already curved away from Asia and is tracking northward toward Alaska.

As a result, arctic air is expected to invade the Plains, Midwest and Northeast next week. - AccuWeather.

FIRE IN THE SKY: Mars Bombarded By Once-In-8-Million-Year Mind-Blowing Meteor Storm - Spacecraft Reveal Comet Siding Spring's Flyby Effects On The Red Planet's Atmosphere!

Artist’s concept of Comet Siding Spring approaching Mars, shown with NASA’s orbiters preparing to make science observations of this unique encounter.
Image Credit:  NASA/JPL

November 8, 2014 - SPACE - Two NASA and one European spacecraft that obtained the first up-close observations of a comet flyby of Mars on Oct. 19, have gathered new information about the basic properties of the comet’s nucleus and directly detected the effects on the Martian atmosphere.

Data from observations carried out by NASA's Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution (MAVEN) mission, NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO), and a radar instrument on the European Space Agency's (ESA’s) Mars Express spacecraft have revealed that debris from the comet added a temporary and very strong layer of ions to the ionosphere, the electrically charged layer high above Mars. In these observations, scientists were able to make a direct connection from the input of debris from a specific meteor shower to the formation of this kind of transient layer in response; that is a first on any planet, including Earth.

Comet C/2013 A1 Siding Spring traveled from the most distant region of our solar system, called the Oort Cloud, and made a close approach around 2:27 p.m. EDT within about 87,000 miles (139,500 kilometers) of the Red Planet. This is less than half the distance between Earth and our moon and less than one-tenth the distance of any known comet flyby of Earth.

An artist's impression of how Mars might look from Comet Siding Spring during a close flyby of the red planet in October.  NASA

Dust from the comet impacted Mars and was vaporized high in the atmosphere, producing what was likely an impressive meteor shower. This debris resulted in significant temporary changes to the planet’s upper atmosphere and possible longer-term perturbations. Earth-based and a host of space telescopes also observed the unique celestial object.

“This historic event allowed us to observe the details of this fast-moving Oort Cloud comet in a way never before possible using our existing Mars missions,” said Jim Green, director of NASA’s Planetary Science Division at the agency’s Headquarters in Washington. “Observing the effects on Mars of the comet's dust slamming into the upper atmosphere makes me very happy that we decided to put our spacecraft on the other side of Mars at the peak of the dust tail passage and out of harm's way.”

The yellow-orange arc represents a layer of ionization in the martian atmosphere that resulted from high-speed impacts from the dust tail of Comet Siding Spring
during a close flyby in October. Scientists reported Friday the dust impacts in the upper atmosphere likely caused a spectacular meteor shower with thousands
of shooting stars per hour. Ultraviolet spectra of the martian atmosphere taken by NASA's MAVEN spacecraft show elements present before Comet Siding
Spring's flyby, in blue, and the presence of metals shed by the comet, in red. NASA

The MAVEN spacecraft, recently arrived at Mars, detected the comet encounter in two ways. The remote-sensing Imaging Ultraviolet Spectrograph observed intense ultraviolet emission from magnesium and iron ions high in the atmosphere in the aftermath of the meteor shower. Not even the most intense meteor storms on Earth have produced as strong a response as this one. The emission dominated Mars' ultraviolet spectrum for several hours after the encounter and then dissipated over the next two days.

MAVEN also was able to directly sample and determine the composition of some of the comet dust in Mars’ atmosphere. Analysis of these samples by the spacecraft’s Neutral Gas and Ion Mass Spectrometer detected eight different types of metal ions, including sodium, magnesium and iron. These are the first direct measurements of the composition of dust from an Oort Cloud comet. The Oort Cloud, well beyond the outer-most planets that surround our sun, is a spherical region of icy objects believed to be material left over from the formation of the solar system.

WATCH: Mars Orbiter Observes Comet Siding Spring.

Elsewhere above Mars, a joint U.S. and Italian instrument on Mars Express observed a huge increase in the density of electrons following the comet's close approach. This instrument, the Mars Advanced Radar for Subsurface and Ionospheric Sounding (MARSIS), saw a huge jump in the electron density in the ionosphere a few hours after the comet rendezvous. This spike occurred at a substantially lower altitude than the normal density peak in the Martian ionosphere. The increased ionization, like the effects observed by MAVEN, appears to be the result of fine particles from the comet burning up in the atmosphere.

MRO’s Shallow Subsurface Radar (SHARAD) also detected the enhanced ionosphere. Images from the instrument were smeared by the passage of the radar signals through the temporary ion layer created by the comet's dust. SHARAD scientists used this smearing to determine that the electron density of the ionosphere on the planet's night side, where the observations were made, was five to 10 times higher than usual.

Studies of the comet itself, made with MRO's High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera, revealed the nucleus is smaller than the expected 1.2 miles (2 kilometers). The HiRISE images also indicate a rotation period for the nucleus of eight hours, which is consistent with recent preliminary observations by NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope.

Five images of comet Siding Spring taken within a 35-minute period as it passed near Mars on Oct. 19, 2014, provide information about the size of the comet's
nucleus. The images were acquired by the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter.
Image Credit:  NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona

These spectrograms from the MARSIS instrument on the European Space Agency's Mars Express orbiter show the intensity of radar echo in Mars' far-northern
ionosphere at three times on Oct. 19 and 20, 2014. The middle plot reveals effects attributed to dust from a comet that passed near Mars that day.
Image Credit:  ASI/NASA/ESA/JPL/Univ. of Rome/Univ. of Iowa

MRO’s Compact Reconnaissance Imaging Spectrometer for Mars (CRISM) also observed the comet to see whether signs of any particular chemical constituents stood out in its spectrum. Team members said the spectrum appears to show a dusty comet with no strong emission lines at their instrument’s sensitivity.

In addition to these immediate effects, MAVEN and the other missions will continue to look for long-term perturbations to Mars’ atmosphere.

MAVEN's principal investigator is based at the University of Colorado's Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics in Boulder, and NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, manages the mission. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of Caltech in Pasadena, manages the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. Mars Express is a project of the European Space Agency; NASA and the Italian Space Agency jointly funded the MARSIS instrument.

For more information about NASA's Mars missions, visit: NASA on Mars and NASA's media teleconference visuals.

- NASA.

MONUMENTAL PLANETARY TREMORS: "This Week It Has Just GONE CRAZY" - Earthquakes In Nevada Intensifying, Swarm Of Over 750 Quakes Prompts New Warnings From Seismologists!

© LA Times

November 8, 2014 - NEVADA, UNITED STATES - A swarm of hundreds of earthquakes that has been striking a corner of the Nevada desert near the Oregon border for months has intensified in recent days, prompting new warnings from seismologists.

About 750 earthquakes, mostly magnitude 2.0 to 3.0, have struck the area about 50 miles southeast of Lakeview, Ore., since the swarm started in July, said Ian Madin, chief scientist for Oregon's Department of Geology and Mineral Industries.

The temblors have been growing steadily stronger with time. Six earthquakes of magnitude 4.0 or greater have struck the area since Tuesday and about 40 have struck in the last 24 hours, Madin said.

"This week it has just gone crazy," Madin said.

The swarm is beneath an uninhabited part of the Nevada desert near the Sheldon National Wildlife Refuge, but officials are telling the public, especially the almost 2,300 residents of Lakeview, to develop earthquake plans if they haven't already.

"If you are not ready for an earthquake, now is an awfully good time to get ready for an earthquake," said Alison Ryan, a spokeswoman for the department.

Scientists believe groundwater is slowly percolating along the faults and building up pressure, making movement on the faults much easier, said John Vidale, director of the Pacific Northwest Seismic Network at the University of Washington.

"It doesn't necessarily mean anything big is coming, but it does raise the risk there will be a bigger quake in the future," he said.

"Ninety-nine percent of the time nothing too dramatic happens, but every now and then there is a good pop and everyone asks why we didn't predict it."

See KPIX Video coverage here.  - LA Times.