MONUMENTAL EARTH CHANGES: Climate Chaos - El Nino Is So Last Year, Here Comes La Nina To Wreak More Havoc?!

January 7, 2016 - EARTH - As the effects of the most severe El Nino in almost 20 years still reverberate around the world, preparations are already under way for La Nina.

Indonesia is set to distribute water pumps to farmers and assessing its rice stockpiles in anticipation of the weather event materialising in October, Agriculture Minister Amran Sulaiman told reporters in Jakarta today (Jan 6).

La Nina, sometimes thought of as El Nino’s opposite, typically brings more rainfall to the region, threatening crops with flooding and delaying harvests.

Australia says El Nino has peaked and there’s a chance of its counterpart occurring in the second half of the year.

El Nino has hampered cocoa crops in Ivory Coast, curbed the monsoon in India and forced the Philippines to import more rice.

Indonesia deployed planes last year for artificial rain to help alleviate drought conditions that restricted palm oil output and exacerbated forest fires that engulfed the region in haze.

Based on the 26 El Nino events since 1900, about 50 per cent have been followed by a neutral year with 40 per cent by La Nina, Australia’s weather bureau said yesterday.

PALM OIL

“We’ll anticipate early, like we did on drought,” Mr Sulaiman said.

Palm oil output may stagnate or fall about 3 per cent this year, according to Mr Bayu Krisnamurthi, the head of the government-appointed Indonesia Estate Crop Fund for Palmoil.

El Nino is a warming in the equatorial Pacific Ocean, while La Nina is a cooling of the waters. Each can impact agricultural markets as farmers contend with too much or too little rain.

A large part of the agricultural US tends to dry out during La Nina events, while parts of Australia can be wetter than normal.

The previous La Nina began in 2010 and endured into 2012.

Conditions typically last between 9 months and 12 months, while some episodes may persist for as long as two years, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Both La Nina and El Nino tend to peak during the Northern Hemisphere winter. - Today Online.

ICE AGE NOW: Scientists Balk At "Hottest Year" Claims - Says NOAA And NASA Ignored Satellites Showing 18 Year "PAUSE"; "We Are Arguing Over The Significance Of Hundredths Of A Degree"; The "PAUSE" Continues!

January 16, 2015 - EARTH - Scientist across the globe are balking at recent claims by NOAA and NASA that 2014 was the warmest year on record. Here are  a few quotes from them, undermining global warming theories as well as dispelling warnings about runaway emissions:

The global warming establishment and the media are crowing about 2010 being in a tie for the “hottest year” ever. The UK Guardian headline sums up the media’s promotion:

UK Guardian: ‘Hottest Year’ Claim: 2014 officially the ‘hottest year’ on record US government scientists say - ‘NASA and NOAA scientists report 2014 was 0.07F (0.04C) higher than previous records…The global average temperatures over land and sea surface for the year was 1.24F (0.69C) above the 20th century average, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and NASA reported. The scientists said 2014 was 0.07F (0.04C) higher than the previous records set in 2005 and 2010.’

But scientists and climate skeptics are countering that the claims of “hottest year” are based on immeasurable temperature differences that are based on hundredths of a degree differences.

Climate Depot’s Marc Morano issued this statement: “There are dueling global datasets — surface temperature records and satellite records — and they disagree. The satellites show an 18 year plus global warming ‘standstill and the satellite was set up to be “more accurate” than the surface records. See: Flashback: 1990 NASA Report: ‘Satellite analysis of upper atmosphere is more accurate, & should be adopted as the standard way to monitor temp change.’

Any temperature claim of “hottest  year” based on surface data is based on hundredths of a degree hotter than previous “hottest years”. This immeasurable difference is not even within the margin of error of temperature gauges. The claim of the “hottest year” is simply a political statement not based on temperature facts. “Hottest year” claims are based on minute fractions of a degree while ignoring satellite data showing Earth is continuing the 18 plus year ‘pause’ or ‘standstill’. See: The Great Pause lengthens again: Global temperature update: The Pause is now 18 years 3 months (219 months)

Claiming 2014 is the “hottest year” on record based on hundredths of a degree temperature difference is a fancy way of saying the global warming ‘pause’ is continuing.”

End Morano statement. (Morano was former staff of U.S. Senate Environment & Public Works Committee and producer of upcoming documentary Climate Hustle. He also testified in West VA on the climate school curriculum. )

Even former NASA global warming chief scientist  James Hansen, the leading proponent of man-made global warming in the U.S., conceded in 2011 that the “hottest year” rankings are essentially meaningless. Hansen explained that 2010 differed from 2005 by less than 2 hundredths of a degree F (that’s 0.018F). “It’s not particularly important whether 2010, 2005, or 1998 was the hottest year on record,” Hansen admitted on January 13.

Climatologist Dr. Judith Curry, former chair of the school of earth and atmospheric sciences at Georgia Institute of Technology, had this to say about 2014 being the ‘hottest year’: “The ‘warmest year’ is noticeably missing in the satellite data sets of lower atmospheric temperatures,” Curry wrote on January 16.

Curry predicts another decade of a global warming ‘pause’ or ‘hiatus’. “I’ve made my projection – global surface temperatures will remain mostly flat for at least another decade,” she eexplained

“With 2014 essentially tied with 2005 and 2010 for hottest year, this implies that there has been essentially no trend in warming over the past decade. This ‘almost’ record year does not help the growing discrepancy between the climate model projections and the surface temperature observations,” Curry told the Washington Post.

Curry continued: “Berkeley Earth (temperature analysis) sums it up well with this statement: ‘That is, of course, an indication that the Earth’s average temperature for the last decade has changed very little.’

Climatologist Dr. Pat Michaels, mocked the notion of the “hottest year.”   “Whether or not a given year is a hundredth of a degree or so above a previous record is not the issue. What IS the issue is how observed temperatures compare to what has been forecast to happen,” Michaels said.

Michaels continued: “John Christy and Richard McNider, from University of Alabama (Huntsville) recently compared climate model projections to observed lower atmospheric temperatures as measured by two independent sources: satellites and weather balloons. They found that the average warming predicted to have occurred since 1979 (when the satellite data starts) is approximately three times larger than what is being observed.”

Climatologist Dr. John Christy, professor of atmospheric sciences, University of Alabama-Huntsville, noted satellites do not agree with “warmest year” claims. “The satellite and balloon data of the deep atmosphere have 2014 in a cluster of warmish years well below the hottest two of 1998 and 2010″, Christy said.

Christy continued: “With the government agencies reporting that the surface temperature as highest ever, we have a puzzle. The puzzle is even more puzzling because theory (i.e. models) indicate the opposite should be occurring – greater warmth in the deep atmosphere than the surface. So, there are just many very basic and fundamental aspects of the global climate we have yet to comprehend.”

Climatologist Dr. Roger Pielke Sr., professor of atmospheric science, Colorado State University, downplayed the accuracy of the surface temperature record. “There remain significant uncertainties in the accuracy of the land portion of the surface temperature data, where we have found a significant warm bias. Thus, the reported global average surface temperature anomaly is also too warm.”

“More generally, we need to move beyond just assessing global warming, but examine how (and if) key atmospheric and ocean circulations, such as El Nino, La Nina, the Pacific Decadal Oscillation, etc. are changing in their intensity, structure and frequency. These are the climate features that determine if a region has drought, floods, and so forth, not a global average surface temperature anomaly,” Pielke added.

Astrophysicist Dr. Dr David Whitehouse declared “talk of a record is scientifically and statistically meaningless.’ “The addition of 2014 global temperature data confirms that the post-1997 standstill seen in global annual average surface temperature has continued,” Whitehouse wrote on January 16.

“According to the NASA global temperature database 2014 was technically a record ‘beating’ 2010 by the small margin of 0.02 deg C. The NASA press release is highly misleading saying that 2014 is a record without giving the actual 2014 figure, or any other year, or its associated error.”

“In reality of course it is no record at all as the error of the measurements is about +/- 0.1 deg C showing NASAGiss’ statement to go against the normal treatment of observational data and its errors. Talk of a record is therefore scientifically and statistically meaningless,” Whitehouse added.

“It is clear beyond doubt by now that there is a growing discrepancy between computer climate projections and real-world data that questions their ability to produce meaningful projections about future climatic conditions,” Whitehouse concluded.

Another analysis noted: NASA Hottest Year Claims Not Supported By The Data: NASA admitted in 2011 that “hottest year” differences were “smaller than the uncertainty in comparing the temperatures of recent years.”

Via the website ‘Not A Lot Of People Know That: “Nowhere does their (NASA 2015) press release tell us that it only beat the previous record by a tiny, effectively unmeasurable 0.02C. Nor do they mention that the error bars are many times greater, or even tell us what they are. This is all very strange because in their (NASA) report on 2010 Global Temperatures, NASA said:

“Global surface temperatures in 2010 tied 2005 as the warmest on record, according to an analysis released Wednesday by researchers at NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS) in New York. The two years differed by less than 0.018 degrees Fahrenheit. The difference is smaller than the uncertainty in comparing the temperatures of recent years, putting them into a statistical tie.”

Meteorologist Dr. Ryan Maue of Florida State University ridiculed the same “hottest year” rankings in 2010 and NASA’s Hansen’s admission that it “was not particularly important” which year was declared the “hottest.” “Well, then stop issuing press releases which tout the rankings, which are subject to change ex post facto,” Maue demanded in a January 14, 2011 commentary at WattsUpWithThat.com.

Other prominent scientists have said that temperature rise since 1850 has been very small.

See: Top Swedish Climate Scientist Says Warming Not Noticeable: ‘The warming we have had last a 100 years is so small that if we didn’t have climatologists to measure it we wouldn’t have noticed it at all’ – Award-Winning Dr. Lennart Bengtsson, formerly of UN IPCC: ‘We Are Creating Great Anxiety Without It Being Justified’. Dr. Bengtsson announced his skeptical climate views in 2014.

Nobel Prize-Winning Physicist Dr. Ivar Giaever, declared his dissent on global warming and noted that the temperature rise over the 20th century was “so little. It is not even fever.”  Giaever won a Nobel Prize for physics.

“.8 degrees we will be discussing in global warming. .8 degrees if you ask people in general they will think it is 4 or 5 degrees they don’t know it is so little. It is not even fever,” Giaever said.

“I am amazed that the temperature can be so stable,” Giaever explained. ‘The temperature (of the Earth) has been amazingly stable, and both human health and happiness have definitely improved in this ‘warming’ period.’

“I don’t see that co2 is the cause of all this problem,” he added.

Related Links: 
It’s Official – There are now 66 excuses for Temp ‘pause’ – Updated list of 66 excuses for the 18-26 year ‘pause’ in global warming Eco-Activists Warn 2014 Could Be Hottest Year On Record – Satellites Disagree
‘Hottest Year’ Update: NASA & NOAA ignore satellite data which reveal 2014 ‘well below’ hottest claims
Even ignoring satellite data Year-to-date ‘record’ temps are 0.21C *below* climate model projections
New paper finds excuse #66 for the ‘pause’: There’s no pause if you look at only at the warmest & coldest day of the year – Published in Environmental Research Letters
2014 might be 0.01C warmer than 2010!

No Record Temperatures According To Satellites – BBC put up a deliberately apocalyptic picture while telling us the world is on course for the warmest year on record. What they failed to tell us was that the more accurate satellites, which monitor atmospheric temperatures over nearly all of the globe, say no such thing.  Figures from UAH are out for November, and these show a drop from the  October anomaly of 0.27C to 0.33C. This means that at the end of November, this year is only in a tie for 3rd with 2005, and well below the record year of 1998, and 2010.

Flashback: 1990 NASA Report: ‘Satellite analysis of upper atmosphere is more accurate, & should be adopted as the standard way to monitor temp change.’

2014 ‘Warmest ever’? ‘Conflicting Reports’ – Surface temps show it may be warmer by ‘a couple hundredths of a degree Celsius’ — A Fancy Ways of Saying Temp Standstill Continues! - ‘As a result of data and computational uncertainty,  none of the surface compilations will 2014 be statistically different from 2010′ – ‘The three major groups calculating the average surface temperature of the earth (land and ocean combined) all are currently indicating that 2014 will likely nudge out 2010 (by a couple hundredths of a degree Celsius) to become the warmest year in each dataset (which begin in mid-to-late 1800s).’ – ‘The two satellite datasets ‘show that 2014 is nowhere near the warmest (in data which starts in 1979), trailing 1998 by several tenths of a degree Celsius. This difference is so great that it statistically clear that 2014 will not be a record year…The super El Niño of 1998 set a high temperature mark that will likely stand for many years to come, or at least until another huge El Niño occurs.’ – ‘If you want 2014 to be the “warmest year ever recorded” you can find data to back you up, and if you prefer it not be, well, you can find data to back up that position as well. In all cases, the former will make headlines.’

Study using dozens of models Claims: ‘Warming Climate Can Be Slowed in a Decade’ by cutting CO2

Climate Depot Note: If future temps continue to flatline or even cool, warmists can claim climate policy is responsible. They are already doing it! See: It’s Official — Temperature ‘Pause’ Caused By Climate Policies?! Medieval witchcraft lives! UK Energy Minister: Government policies ‘may have slowed down global warming’
AP’s Seth Borenstein publishes pure propaganda: Climate change has made Earth ‘hotter, weirder…downright wilder’

Climate Depot’s Morano comment: ‘AP’s Borenstein can be trusted to shill for UN’s climate summit in Lima Peru, which I will be attending and speaking at. Borenstein relies on Michael Oppenheimer (who is the UN scientists on the payroll of Hollywood stars) and Climategate’s Michael Mann. Borenstein ignores tide gauges on sea level  showing deceleration of sea level rise and ignores satellite temperatures which show the Earth in an 18 year ‘pause’ or ‘standstill’ of global warming. Borenstein tortures data in order to claim more weather extremes. We are currently at or near historic lows in tornadoes and hurricanes. Even droughts are on long term declines and floods show no trend. We know not to expect more from Borenstein.’ See: ‘Long sad history of AP reporter Seth Borenstein’s woeful global warming reporting’

- Climate Depot.

ICE AGE NOW: Overwhelming Evidence Of Global Cooling, Despite NOAA And NASA Claims About Global Warming - Temperatures Forecast To Plummet To -15C In Scotland; "Siberian" Winter Temperatures Predicted To Hit Denmark; Grand Rapids Sets New Record Low Temperature; Lake Erie Is Freezing Up Extremely Fast!

January 16, 2015 - EARTH - Despite claims by NOAA and NASA that Earth just experienced it's hottest year on record in 2014, evidence is mounting that the planet is actually undergoing an overwhelming period of global cooling.

Temperatures forecast to plummet to -15C in Scotland

A car buried under 4-6 inches of snow in Tyndrum, Stirlingshire. © Getty

Weather Channel UK meteorologist Liam Brown warned: "We should prepare for freezing temperatures and very icy conditions for the coming days, and probably much of next week too.

Blizzards swept across the country yesterday - as Scots were warned that the worst of the wintry weather was yet to come.

The Met Office have issued "be aware" warnings for wind, ice and rain for much of central and southern Scotland for today.

Travel chaos is set to continue as severe gales of up to 80mph hit the country, while heavy rain and a thaw caused by slightly milder temperatures could lead to localised flooding.

Snow is forecast to return from tomorrow, when the mercury will fall again - and by early next week temperatures could plummet to a teeth-chattering -15C.

Weather Channel UK meteorologist Liam Brown warned: "We should prepare for freezing temperatures and very icy conditions for the coming days, and probably much of next week too.

"There is a risk of some more widespread snow early next week. We can also expect some of the lowest temperatures of the winter so far.

"Temperatures below -10C are quite likely in Scotland, perhaps as low as -15C."

Yesterday's snow, ice and fierce winds forced schools to close and caused widespread travel disruption.

Commuters across the country faced difficult journeys to work - even though gritters had been out in force throughout the night.

There were long delays on the A9 after two lorries got stuck in heavy snow at Blair Atholl, Perthshire.

And the A82 was closed at Invergarry, Inverness-shire, after a lorry and a car collided.

The snowgates on the A82 were closed for a time at Tyndrum, Perthshire, and in Aberdeenshire the A93 Glenshee to Braemar, B974 Banchory to Fettercairn and A939 Ballater to Corgarff roads were shut.

More than 20 minor collisions were reported in the Highlands.

The weather warnings prompted ScotRail to cancel all trains from Glasgow to Fort William, Mallaig and Oban, between Helensburgh and Dumbarton Central, from Kilwinning to Largs and Ardrossan, and between Kyle and Dingwall from 6pm last night to 6pm today.

Flights at Aberdeen and Orkney airports were delayed or cancelled and CalMac had to cancel ferries on many routes.

But there was some good news for residents of Coll when they finally received a delivery of vital supplies after being cut off by raging seas for a week.

Paula Smalley, who runs Tigh na Mara guesthouse on the island, said: "The ferry finally got in around 10am and brought bread, milk, fruit and vegetables. We were lucky as by the afternoon the weather had worsened again."

Nearly 100 schools and nurseries in the Highlands and Moray were closed after the area was badly affected by overnight snow. Eight schools in Perth and Kinross, five in Shetland and three in Stirlingshire were also shut by the weather.

Meanwhile, 1100 households in Shetland were left without power after lightning struck a main line.

The rest of the UK also suffered severe weather, with "thundersnow" reported in south Wales and homes being damaged by mini-tornadoes in London, Cornwall and Wales.

In Northern Ireland, more than 100 schools were closed.

The AA had been called out to 8200 breakdowns across the UK by mid-afternoon yesterday and patrol officers rescued 57 motorists whose cars got stuck.  - The Daily Record.

'Siberian' winter temperatures predicted to hit Denmark

Wednesday offered "blink and you'll miss it" snow, but the real winter wallop may be coming as early as this weekend. Photo: Søren Bidstrup/Scanpix

Storm-strength winds are once again hammering parts of Denmark on Thursday and winter is set to truly make its presence felt next week.

After a beautiful blanket of snow hit parts of Denmark on Wednesday and then disappeared again in about an hour, many were left wondering if and when true winter conditions will set in.

Meteorology institute DMI predicts that winter will truly make its presence felt as early as this weekend, with temperatures falling below the freezing point Saturday night and then remaining there for much of the next week.

The national forecast calls for rain to turn to snow on Sunday, with small amounts predicted through the middle of next week. By late next week, DMI's forecast is short and to the point: "Cold, windy and snow showers."

But those who might welcome some snow and cold should perhaps be careful what they wish for.

DMI warns that cold biting temps might stick around all the way until April due to conditions in the stratosphere that a senior researcher says could bring lingering "Siberian temperatures" to Denmark.

"What's happening in the stratosphere right now is a strong indicator that in the coming period we will primarily experience winds from the east bring low, Siberian temperatures," Bo Christensen told Jyllands-Posten.

So yes, it seems that winter is coming to Denmark after all.  - The Local.

Grand Rapids sets new record low temperature

If you were up and outside at 5:30 this morning, you experienced the coldest temperature in 18 years for Grand Rapids.

The temperature briefly dipped to -13 in Grand Rapids at 5:25am. That's the coldest temperature in Grand Rapids since February 4, 1996 when the temperature fell to -17.

Kent City thermometer (Photo: Robert)

This is the second day in a row with record cold temperatures. The previous record for today was -6. The average low this time of year is 18... above. 


WATCH: Records set in West Michigan.



- WZZM13.

Lake Erie's sudden freeze of January 2015

NASA/NOAA satellite image from above the Great Lakes taken just after 1:30 p.m. Monday

Lake Erie was less than six percent frozen last Tuesday with ice covering only a sliver of the lake's western basin.

But, after a week with frigid temperatures in the single digits, heavy lake-effect snows and high winds, Lake Erie is freezing up fast.

Nearly 60 percent of the lake waters were frozen today, according to graphs by the Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory (GLERL).

Most of the western half of the lake is already under ice coverage.

In some areas - the western basin, along the U.S. and Canadian shorelines, near Long Point, Ont. and close to Buffalo - it's nearly 100 percent iced over, according to GLERL charts.

As Lake Erie iced, so too have the Great Lakes at large.

Just a week ago, more than eight percent of the surface area of all of the lakes was frozen.

But by Monday, nearly one-quarter of the Great Lakes were under ice. 

Iced-covered lakes generally choke off the possibility of lake-effect snow such as the events that pummeled areas of Western New York last week at rates of three inches or more of snow per hour.

When the lakes freeze, it robs opportunity for cold unstable air masses to suck up lake waters through evaporation and then drop the moisture, usually in the form of heavy snowfall, over land areas east of the lakes.

The middle of Lake Erie from just east of Cleveland to about Sturgeon Point remains wide open this morning, according to data from GLERL.

Here's a look at how the cold snap of the last week has helped accelerate the average ice concentration on both lakes Erie and Ontario as well as a look at figures for the entire Great Lakes since New Year's Day:

DAY HI/LO @ Buffalo Lake Erie Lake Ontario Great Lakes

Jan. 1 32/20 0.7% 0.5% 5.7%
Jan. 2 33/22 1.4% 1.1% 6.9%
Jan. 3 48/22 2.7% 1.3% 8.8%
Jan. 4 55/28 0.8% 0.9% 8.3%
Jan. 5 28/9 3.6% 0.9% 10.8%
Jan. 6 18/10 5.6% 1.0% 11.6%
Jan. 7 17/2 17.1% 1.9% 14.2%
Jan. 8 15/5 25.9% 3.3% 18.7%
Jan. 9 19/9 31.2% 3.4% 15.2%
Jan. 10 18/5 51.5% 4.2% 19.8%
Jan. 11 31/14 55.9% 12.3% 22.5%
Jan. 12 31/15 57.6% 12.2% 25.2%

On Jan. 13, 2014, Lake Erie was 63 percent frozen and Lake Ontario was just 5.9 percent covered in ice. The Great Lakes, as a whole, was 19.6 frozen.

Last winter, the Great Lakes started taking on significant ice buildup in December 2013 but the coverage waxed and waned until the middle of January when it quickly accelerated its freezing.

By March 6, the Great Lakes were 92.2 percent ice covered - the highest concentration since 1979. - The Buffalo News.

MONUMENTAL EARTH CHANGES: NOAA And NASA Experts - 2014 Was The Warmest Year ON RECORD; Global Average Is The Highest Since 1880; Average Temperature Up 1.24 Degrees Fahrenheit?!

January 16, 2015 - EARTH - 2014 was the hottest year on record across the globe, US scientists have confirmed.

Last year ranked as the Earth's warmest since 1880, according to two separate analyses by NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

The ten warmest years on record, with the exception of 1998, have now occurred since 2000, said scientists.

A sculpture called "We're fryin' out here" at a beach in Sydney

Parts of the world experienced record temperatures, including most of Europe and some of Australia, and the US.

The Met Office has already announced that 2014 was the hottest year for the UK in records dating back to 1910.

Data from the US released in November suggested 2014 was on course for record temperatures

In November, preliminary data from the US suggested that 2014 was likely to break temperature records. - BBC.

EXTREME WEATHER: "Catastrophic" Monster Wildfires In Victoria And South Australia - Dozens Of Homes Destroyed; Worst Outbreak Since 1983; Severe Heat Conditions; Mass Evacuation Underway; Police Declares Major Emergency!

An out-of-control fire has been raging in Victoria's west, threatening the lives of Moyston, Rocky Point and Willaura North residents,
while emergency warnings have also been issued for fires in the Adelaide Hills and South East.

January 3, 2014 - AUSTRALIA - Firefighters are battling out-of-control bushfires threatening homes in South Australia and Victoria.

Police have declared a major emergency and told residents that their lives are at risk.

South Australia's fire chief said the blazes in the Adelaide Hills, northeast of Adelaide city, were the worst since the Ash Wednesday bushfires in 1983.

WATCH: One resident described the sound of the bushfires like the "roar of a jet engine"

Those fires left 75 people dead and caused devastation across parts of Victoria and South Australia.

"At the moment, we have a fire which is extremely dangerous and it is burning under extremely adverse conditions," South Australia fire chief Greg Nettleton was quoted as saying.

Temperatures soar in south-east Australia

"Right at this moment, residents in the Adelaide Hills are being confronted by a fire which hasn't been seen in the hills since the 1983 bushfires of Ash Wednesday," Mr Nettleton said.

Crews have also been fighting bushfires in Victoria but all warnings have now been downgraded as a cold front moves into the area.

Temperatures soar in south-east Australia

"Hopefully tomorrow and the next few days the fire danger will ease as this cold front passes through Victoria," a spokesman from the area's fire authority told ABC news.

'Incredibly scary'
So far about five homes have been confirmed destroyed but authorities said that dozens more were feared lost.

South Australia Premier Jay Weatherill urged residents in the areas at risk to leave immediately or prepare to stay and defend their homes.

"If you have decided to stay the fire could become incredibly scary and it could make you change your mind and leave.

Dozens of dogs and cats were killed after fire destroyed a kennel and cattery in the Adelaide Hills

Residents of Moyston in Victoria's west were told earlier that it was too late to leave as firefighters battled an out-of-control
blaze pushing towards their town, with nearby Maroona also threatened.

High temperatures and strong winds have hampered firefighters' attempts to battle the blazes

Residents were told to leave immediately

"It could be a catastrophic decision to leave late."

So far these are the biggest bushfires of the Australian summer, reports the BBC's Jon Donnison in Sydney.

Australia faces such fires every year but environmentalists say global warning is making their occurrence more frequent.

The Australian Bureau of Meteorology says the country experienced its hottest year on record in 2013.

The 1983 disaster killed more than 70 people in South Australia and Victoria and destroyed thousands of homes and buildings.

In 2009, the devastating "Black Saturday" wildfires killed 173 people and destroyed more than 2,000 homes in Victoria. - BBC.

ICE AGE NOW: Increasing Signs Of Global Cooling - Large Volumes Of Methane Being Released In The Arctic Ocean, Due To Melting Of Permafrost On The Seafloor Of The Kara Sea!

Kara Sea is a section of the Arctic Ocean between Novaya Zemlya and the Yamal Peninsula on the Siberian mainland.
Siberian permafrost extends to the seabed of the Kara Sea, and it is thawing.  © NASA

December 30, 2014 - ARCTIC OCEAN - Researchers from Norway and Russia have found significant amount of the greenhouse gas methane is leaking from an area of the Arctic seabed off the northern coast of Siberia.

According to the team's report in the Journal of Geophysical Research: Biogeosciences, the melting of permafrost on the seafloor of the Kara Sea is releasing previously-sequestered methane.

"The thawing of permafrost on the ocean floor is an ongoing process, likely to be exaggerated by the global warming of the world´s oceans," said study author Alexey Portnov at Centre for Arctic Gas Hydrate, Climate and Environment (CAGE) at The Arctic University of Norway.

Permafrost is considered soil that has been permanently frozen for at least two years and is usually much thicker on land where temperatures can stay far below the freezing point for months on end.

"Bottom water temperature is usually close to or above zero. Theoretically, therefore, we could never have thick permafrost under the sea," Portnov explained.

He added that 20,000 years ago, during the last ice age, the sea level dropped nearly 400 feet.

"It means that today´s shallow shelf area was land. It was Siberia. And Siberia was frozen," Portnov said. "The permafrost on the ocean floor today was established in that period."

When the last ice age ended around 12,000 years ago, the Kara Sea became submerged by water - kicking off a slow thaw of the previously-terrestrial permafrost. While previous research has shown that this permafrost extends down around 330 feet, the new study has found evidence of methane leaking from much shallower depths - between 66 and 100 feet.

"The permafrost is thawing from two sides," Portnov said. "The interior of the Earth is warm and is warming the permafrost from the bottom up. It is called geothermal heat flux and it is happening all the time, regardless of human influence."

Using mathematical models based on expected conditions, the study team concluded that the maximal possible permafrost thickness would take around 9000 years to thaw. If Arctic Ocean temperatures were to increase due to global warming, the process would accelerate, the researchers noted.

"If the temperature of the oceans increases by two degrees as suggested by some reports, it will accelerate the thawing to the extreme," Portnov said. "A warming climate could lead to an explosive gas release from the shallow areas."
In addition to containing methane in seafloor sediments, permafrost also serves to stabilize ice-like structures called gas hydrates that form under high pressure and low temperatures.

"Gas hydrates normally form in water depths over 300 meters (980 feet), because they depend on high pressure," Portnov said. "But under permafrost the gas hydrate may stay stable even where the pressure is not that high, because of the constantly low temperatures."

Gas hydrates typically contain large volumes of gas and their release would generate massive sinkholes like those currently being formed by melting permafrost on the Siberian mainland. - Red Orbit.

ICE AGE NOW: Mini-Ice Age 2015-2035 - How The Media Mis-Directs You From Natural Influences On The Climate!

December 23, 2014 - EARTH - Many stories in media outlets seem to purposely misdirect and cloud the possibility of natural influences that drive Earth's climate.

Our Sun does have a major influence on heating and cooling as it has had over the last several million years, but now every event seems to have a Man-Made stamp on it.

I have dissected this Guardian Unlimited article to what the authors claim and what observed science says. The graphs and information should open your eyes even further to the misdirection that is taking place.

WATCH: How Media Mis-directs You From Natural Influences on Climate.

- Adapt 2030.

MONUMENTAL EARTH CHANGES: Antarctica Iceberg Six Times The Size Of Manhattan In Open Ocean, Tracked By Scientists - Covers About 255 SQUARE MILES, Up To 500 Meters Thick!

April 25, 2014 - ANTARCTICA - Scientists are monitoring one of the largest icebergs in existence, after it broke off from an Antarctic glacier and began to head into the open ocean.

The B-31 Iceberg as it separated from a rift in Antarctica's Pine Island Glacier NASA/REUTERS

The iceberg covers about 255 square miles, making it roughly six times the size of Manhattan - and is up to 500 meters thick.

Known as B31, glacial crack that created the iceberg was first detected in 2011 but the iceberg separated from Antarctica's Pine Island Glacier in November.

NASA glaciologist Kelly Brunt said that the iceberg is not currently presenting a danger, but needs to be continually monitored.

"It's one that's large enough that it warrants monitoring. There is not a lot of shipping traffic down there. We're not particularly concerned about shipping lanes. We know where all the big ones are."

She added that scientists are especially interested because it originated in an unexpected location.

"It's like a large sheet cake floating through the Southern Ocean."

Scientists say the iceberg has floated across Pine Island Bay, a basin of the Amundsen Sea, and will likely be swept up soon in the swift currents of the Southern Ocean. - Telegraph.

ICE AGE NOW: "The Day After Tomorrow" - Signs Of Cooling Are Evident On A Global Scale!

February 11, 2014 - EARTH - Since the late 1990s, we've seen a rather remarkable absence of warming in the Pacific Ocean and the North Atlantic to depths of 2,000 meters, some 6,800 feet. Only the South Atlantic and the Indian Oceans have continued to show some slow warming to those depths.

Poster for the 2004 movie "The Day After Tomorrow"

If history repeats itself, and there is no reason to believe that it will not, it is my opinion that even the South Atlantic and the Indian oceans will soon begin to cool, perhaps for the next several decades or more.

The summer sea icepacks are increasing in size in both the Arctic regions and many areas surrounding the Antarctic continent. Ships have frequently been trapped by extremely thick ice exceeding 10 to 12 feet in places in both polar regions. Ironically, this included a ship filled with global warming scientists and friends earlier in the Antarctic summer.

Land masses tend to experience changes in temperature on a global scale much quicker than the vast oceans that cover two-thirds of the planet. We've seen such a dramatic cooling in the past six to eight months in both South America and North America. The winter of 2013 in parts of Argentina, Chile, Uruguay, Paraguay and southeastern Brazil was the coldest in more than a century with 'rare' snowfalls in many areas that hadn't seen such events in modern times.

The current winter of 2013-14 across the Northern Hemisphere has been the harshest in living memory in many areas east of the Mississippi River deep into the heart of Dixie. Just this past week, parts of Arkansas and Tennessee had record snows and morning lows in the single digits. Jonesboro, Ark., has never seen such a harsh winter season. It's been "more like a normal winter in Chicago," according to clients in this part of the Razorback state.

Winter wheat and other crops have suffered "significant damage from winterkill in areas without protective snowcover."

Not only have crops east of the Rockies been killed by an extended period of record low temperatures this bitter winter of 2013-14, but in the drought-parched Far West in California, a full week of sub-freezing temperatures in early December cost the Golden State's citrus industry at least $441 million in damage.

Citrus Mutual reported in early February that frigid readings as low as 18 degrees produced hard freezes that resulted in more than $260 million in damages to navel oranges alone. Mandarin oranges and grapefruit had losses of $157 million and lemons suffered approximately $24 million in damages.

There were likewise losses in winter grains, citrus and vegetable crops this winter in parts of Oklahoma, Texas and Mexico. The Florida citrus crops and vegetables have thus far been spared any major cold weather damage, but the harsh season isn't over yet.

The record early February coldwave across the U.S. deepened this past week. This resulted in critical shortages of propane, which is the main source of heat for nearly 6 million households in the country.

For many people on fixed incomes, the sky-high utility bills this harshest winter in decades has led to a rather desperate situation of choosing between 'heating' and 'eating.' After deducting higher medicare and other insurance costs in 2014, most retirees have seen their net incomes lowered by at least 5 percent. No wonder the stock market plummeted this past week. There's less money for non-essentials. If this is 'global warming,' I'd hate to see 'global cooling!' - CDA Press.

MONUMENTAL GEOLOGICAL UPHEAVAL: "We Have Passed The Tipping Point" - Massive Antarctic Glacier Uncontrollably Retreating, Study Suggests; Covers OVER 2 MILLION Square Kilometers; The Collapse Of The Entire Ice Sheet Would Raise Global Sea Level By 16 FEET!!

January 20, 2014 - ANTARCTICA - The glacier that contributes more to sea level rise than any other glacier on Antarctica has hit a tipping point of uncontrollable retreat, and could largely collapse within the span of decades, a new study suggests.

A NASA satellite image snapped Nov. 13, 2013, shows open water between Pine Island Glacier and its massive iceberg. 
NASA Modis

Pine Island Glacier accounts for about 20 percent of the total ice flow on the West Antarctic Ice Sheet — an amalgam of glaciers that covers roughly 800,000 square miles (2 million square kilometers) and makes up about 10 percent of the total ice on Antarctica. Many researchers think that, given the size of Pine Island Glacier, its demise could have a domino effect on surrounding glaciers and ultimately — over the course of many years — lead to the collapse of the entire ice sheet, which would raise average global sea level by between 10 and 16 feet (3 and 5 meters).

The glacier is not only massive, but also one of the least stable of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet ice flows. In the past 40 years, its melting rate has accelerated due to relatively warm ocean currents that have seeped underneath its base and lubricated its flow seaward. As it slips into the ocean, the glacier's ice shelf — the part that floats on water and extends beyond the glacier's base — disintegrates through a natural process called calving, exposing yet more of the glacier to warm waters. Last year, an iceberg larger than the city of Chicago broke off into the surrounding Amundsen Sea.

'We have passed the tipping point'Many researchers have tried to predict the future behavior of this important glacier using mathematical models but, given the complicated nature of glacial dynamics, all of these attempts have been limited and prone to error. Precipitation, wind patterns, atmospheric temperatures, oceanic currents and the shape of bedrock underneath the glacier are only some of the numerous factors that control glacial growth and retreat. Models predicting glacial behavior are therefore very complicated and always prone to some degree of error.

Researchers based at the French National Center for Scientific Research in Grenoble have now developed state-of-the-art models that, while still limited, provide the best estimates yet of the future behavior of Pine Island Glacier, they say. The team has found that the glacier's grounding line — the point where glacier and its ice shelf meet — is about to retreat over an oceanic trench that would increase the amount of water that seeps underneath and melts the glacier. Their models suggest that this would cause the glacier to uncontrollably retreat about 25 miles (40 kilometers) over the next several decades, potentially raising global sea levels by more than 0.4 inches (1 centimeter).

Retreat may slow once the glacier passes the trench, the researchers report, but it will not likely regain stability or enter a positive-growth phase.

"Whatever it will do, we are already engaged in a big change," study co-author Gael Durand told LiveScience. "We have passed the tipping point."


Uncertainties remainEric Steig, a glacial geologist at the University of Washington who also studies Pine Island Glacier but was not involved in this study, thinks the study provides the best models yet of this particular glacier's dynamics. Still, he points out that the models make the assumption that melting rates will increase in the near future and that, while this is likely, it is not necessarily a given.

Last month, Steig and colleagues published a paper in the journal Science reporting that Pine Island Glacier's retreat slowed significantly in 2012 due to oceanographic changes related to La Niña. While this seems to have been an anomalous event, Steig says that the 40 years of data gathered on the glacier may not be enough to make accurate predictions about its future behavior, and about what is normal or anomalous for its flow.

"I actually think it's a good assumption that the melt rate will stay high," Steig told LiveScience. "But my confidence that that is right is extremely low and the reason that it is low is that it depends strongly on what happens elsewhere."

For example, La Niña — a weather pattern related to El Niño that brings cold-water masses up the coast of South America, into the central equatorial Pacific, and eventually along the coast of Antarctica — originates as far away as the equatorial tropics, and has a significant impact on the behavior of the glacier. Future work will need to take these distant global factors into account in predicting the behavior of the glacier.

Still, despite these shortcomings, Durand is convinced the glacier has little chance of regaining stability.

"We showed that it will need a very large decrease of the melting condition below the ice shelf and that the oceanographic conditions would need to be much colder than it was before it started its retreat [to maintain stability]," Durand said. "What will come next is an open question, but to recover to its 1990s position is unlikely."

The study findings were detailed earlier this month in the journal Nature Climate Change. - NBC News.

EXTREME WEATHER: Australian Open Halted Because Of Extreme Heat - It's So Hot In Melbourne, That People Are Frying Eggs On The Tennis Courts!

January 17, 2014 - AUSTRALIA - Having already taken enough heat for not stopping matches earlier, blistering temperatures finally halted play on Day 4 of the 2014 Australian Open as a high temperature of 110 degrees Fahrenheit was recorded nearby.

Kei Nishikori of Japan wraps an ice pack around his head during a break in his first round match against
Marinko Matosevic of Australia at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne,
Australia, Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2014.(AP Photo/Aaron Favila)

The Extreme Heat Policy was enacted at Melbourne Park just before 2 p.m. Thursday, suspending all matches on outer courts until the early evening and requiring the closure of the retractable roofs at Rod Laver and Hisense arenas before play could continue on the show courts.

It was the first time since 2009 play had been halted due to heat at the Australian Open.

"This heat is roughly on par with what was in place in early June in Phoenix," said weather.com senior meteorologist Jon Erdman. "The MLB's Arizona Diamondbacks would have the roof closed and air conditioning on when playing home games in similar conditions."

For Maria Sharapova, playing at Rod Laver Arena, the call came too late. The rule dictates the roof can't be closed until the end of a set in progress, so she was forced to finish a grueling third set against Italian Karin Knapp under the blazing sun.


WATCH: Heat Makes Pro Athletes Cry.

"Everyone knows there is no tiebreaker in the third set (at the Australian Open), so once you start that set, you're going to be out there until you're done," she said after closing out the 3 1/2-hour match, 6-3, 4-6, 10-8.

Other players wilted in the heat. American Varvara Lepchenko received medical treatment during her match against 11th-seeded Romanian Simona Halep, lying flat on her back during a changeover as trainers rubbed iced on her body.

"At first I didn't understand what was going on but then my legs, my arms started to get heavier. I couldn't focus at one point and started feeling dizzier and dizzier," she said.

She continued but only won one more game in a 4-6, 6-0, 6-1 defeat.

"They definitely should have just not started the matches in the first place," she said. "And the same goes for a couple of days ago when I played my (first) match."

The heat wave began Tuesday when the temperature peaked at 42C (108F). The tournament referee did not halt play then because the Extreme Heat Policy also takes into account other factors, such as humidity and wind speed.

The distinction is lost on the players, who have grumbled all week about the conditions which some have described as inhumane and dangerous. On Tuesday, Canadian Frank Dancevic blacked out and hallucinated during his match, while China's Peng Shuai vomited and suffered cramps.

No. 25-seeded Alize Cornet of France sobbed on court Thursday after her draining 6-3, 4-6, 6-4 victory over Italian Camila Giorgi, then blasted officials for not halting play sooner.

Weatherman reports on the heat wave.

"On Tuesday, I don't know why they didn't stop matches," she said. "It was an oven. An oven. It was burning. Why today and not Tuesday?"

Play finally got under way again on outer courts shortly after 6 p.m. local time, but 14 matches were later suspended again due to lighting.

The heat hasn't just affected players - it's also kept fans away. Total attendance was just 53,226 on Thursday, down from Monday's high of 63,595.

The unshaded seats on the outer courts were virtually empty Thursday, with spectators congregating under trees or in the upper reaches of stands where temporary covers provided a little relief.

New Zealander Helen Naylor escaped the sun after watching fellow Kiwi Marina Erakovic play for a bit on Court 13.

"Even the seats are really hot - God knows how (the players) are running around out there."

Relief is as least in sight. Friday will be another scorcher, with an expected high of 44C (111F), but Saturday it will only reach 23C (73F). That may feel downright chilly by comparison. - TWC.



You know how hot it is at the Australian Open? A photographer pulled out a pan and a couple of eggs and attempted to fry them on the boiling court on Thursday.

Temperatures are so high, you can literally fry eggs on the boiling court. Twitter.

Lucky for us, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga was in a spirited mood after his second round win over Thomaz Bellucci and snapped this picture of the photographer attempting to make some breakfast inside the Hisense Arena.

The roof was actually closed at Hisense because of the ridiculous heat in Melbourne, but that didn't stop this guy from showing us exactly how hot it is on court for some of these players.

Friday looks like the last day temperatures will reach triple digits, with a serious cold front blowing through Melbourne after that to help cool off the courts and help the players survive these nasty conditions. - Yahoo Sports.

EXTREME WEATHER: Dry Lightning Sparks 256 Fires Amid Heatwave In Victoria, Australia - Total Fire Ban Across The State As Temperatures Are Expected To Exceed 46C!

January 15, 2014 - AUSTRALIA - Crews have worked throughout the night extinguishing hundreds of fires in the driest parts of Victoria sparked by dry lightning from electrical storms.

Electrical storm in Craigieburn last night. Photo: Supplied.

CFA state duty officer Scott Purdy told 3AW radio crews responded to 256 fires between 5pm and 12am.

The Mallee and Wimmera received the most strikes as electrical storms hit the region and continued to other parts of the state including the central Victorian towns of Castlemaine, Daylesford, Woodend, Macedon, and metropolitan Melbourne.

There are still 22 fires burning in the Mallee. Waterbombing helicopters are monitoring the region and central Victoria to identify strikes before conditions worsen later in the week.

The CFA fears more dry lightning, which means lightning with not enough rain to combat its effect, will hit the state today.

The CFA battled several grass fires yesterday, with the most serious at Kangaroo Ground which is now under control.

There is a total fire ban across the state.

Hot night

Victorians endured a hot night and are facing another scorcher today.

The temperature stayed in the 30s for most of the night, dipping to 29.3C just after 5am - close to the January record of 30.6C in 2010.

The Bureau of Meteorology revised today's forecast for Melbourne from 39C to 41C after the mercury came close to 43C yesterday.

Firefighters battles a blaze at Penny's pine factory.  Photo: News Limited.

The bureau said the heat would increase quickly this morning, and Melbourne should be close to 40C soon after midday.

Temperatures will continue to peak above 40C tomorrow and Friday, with wind gusts of up to 100km/h expected to create dangerous fire conditions on Friday.

The heat was expected to reach 45C in parts of the state yesterday, but Mr Russell said Avalon, southwest of Melbourne, was among locations sweltering in temperatures exceeding 46C.

Police probe arson as houses saved

Waterbombing helicopters and dozens of fire trucks contained the blaze at Kangaroo Ground, north of Melbourne, that was believed to have been started by a bonfire.

Police are also investigating whether a fire bug was responsible for another fire at Little River.

Residents whose homes came within metres of the raging Little River grassfire said fire bugs had been a constant concern in the area.

A cluster of households in Little River, 51km southwest of Melbourne, were told to evacuate as several fire crews aided by waterbombing aircraft battled to control the fast-moving inferno.

Smoke billows from the Little River fire. Photo: News Limited.

At Kangaroo Ground an army of 31 fire trucks and three waterbombing aircraft battled to control a bushfire on difficult terrain as the inferno spread in several directions.

At Little River Stephen Baines said he returned home from work to find fire trucks screaming down the road and his neighbours being evacuated as firefighters tried to halt the flames at Bulban Rd.

"It was bloody scary," Mr Baines said.

He said the community suspected arson with the fire occurring exactly a year after grass fires in the same area which police believe were sparked by fire bugs.

"Mate this one was deliberately lit, just like the last one.

"We're all keeping an eye out," he said.

Victoria Police arson chemists have been at the scene trying to determine whether or not the blaze was suspicious.

Historic home damaged by fire

Heronswood historic homestead was engulfed by flames yesterday afternoon after a grassfire spread through the Mornington Peninsula suburb of Dromana.

The CFA said the home's freestanding cafe had been destroyed in the blaze, but the main house which dates back to 1864, suffered only minor damage.

CFA incident controller David Gibbs said the property's heritage farm and gardens were unlikely to have been damaged by fire.

Flames first reached the property and popular tourist attraction at around 5.45pm, but a water bomber soon put out the blaze.

Visitors to the house who were on site at the time were not injured by the fire, but the nearby freeway was closed.

The remains of the cafe at Heronswood. Photo: News Limited.

Power cut 'for planned maintenance'

Meanwhile, a power company cut off thousands of sweltering customers.

SP AusNet pressed ahead with planned blackouts to ­almost 1000 properties in 14 towns to carry out "essential bushfire mitigation" maintenance, robbing householders of aircon, fans and running water for up to six hours.

Upwey, Cockatoo, Glenrowan West and Thoona were hardest hit by the power pole replacements along with other upgrades.

"We couldn't do the work any earlier because we were doing other critical maintenance. We don't take the ­decision lightly and we do apologise," said spokesman Jonathon Geddes.

AEMO says there is enough reserve supply for today's heat, barring an "extreme" event.

SP AusNet expected more "planned outages" to affect about 190 customers in towns including Wangaratta and Narre Warren East today.

Beryl Wooller from Thoona in the state's northeast, said: discovered the power was out when she got up to water the garden at 7am yesterday. "Surely it was not that desperate? The power poles were not going to fall down".

"I have a freezer and fridge stacked full of food. If we had known we would have planned to get out for the day and put off the weekly shop," Mrs Wooller said.

Despite SP AusNet saying residents were sent letters two weeks ago, some claimed they were not notified. Others said they did not receive an SMS advising works were being brought forward several hours to avoid the hottest part of the day.

Left: Waterbombing was used to combat the fire at Kangaroo Ground. Right: Beaufort firefighter Robin Hill cools off.
Photo: Jay Town / News Limited

Acting Premier Peter Ryan said the company had advised the work was urgent.

"If they put the work off and it is of an urgent nature and then some disaster occurs then of course there is the obvious commentary to be made," Mr Ryan said.

Thousand of customers in Bayswater were affected by a heat-related network fault for less than an hour from 2pm yesterday.

More than 1000 customers in Powercor and Jemena areas including Port Fairy, Point Cook, Stawell, Coburg and Somerton also suffered outages in stifling conditions.

The Australian Energy Market Operator expects Victoria's daily electricity consumption to exceed 10,000 megawatts from today until Friday - 50 per cent more than a typical January weekday - as millions crank up the air conditioning. - Herald Sun.

EXTREME WEATHER: Victoria, Australia Buckles Under The Most Unrelenting Heatwave - High Threat To Power Supply; Temperatures Reach 44C; On Course To Peak Above 40C For FOUR Consecutive Days, For The First Time In 100 YEARS!

January 15, 2014 - AUSTRALIA - Engineers are racing to repair a crippled power generator and prevent statewide blackouts as Victorians brace for a new high in the record heatwave.

People sunbath at St Kilda Beach earlier this week. Picture: Getty Images Source: Getty Images

Melbourne is set to sizzle through 44C on Thursday as temperatures are on course to peak above 40C for four consecutive days, for the first time in 100 years.

Heart attacks are expected to soar between 5am and 11am as the heat escalates the danger for the most vulnerable.

As demand for power stretches capacity this week, the Australian Energy Market Operator signalled it may cut the amount of electricity provided to Victoria to prevent the entire system failing.

A State Government warning that up to 100,000 homes and businesses could be blacked out during Wednesday's peak failed to eventuate.

Basel Khalil, Ali Khouzam and Moe Kheb keep cool at Elwood Beach earlier in the week.
Picture: Getty Images Source: Getty Images

But the energy regulator said it would continue to closely monitor power use in the coming days.

At Gippsland's Loy Yang, power station crews were battling to repair a broken generator needed to produce a quarter of the plant's electricity.

The Government was on Wednesday advised the generator should be fixed by midmorning on Thursday, otherwise the state could again come under threat of widespread power cuts.

A bat cools off in the Yarra River. Source: News Limited

While a normal January day sees Victoria using 6600MW, the state is forecast to exceed 10,000MW each day these week, peaking at 10,300 MW on Thursday.

Premier Denis Napthine urged Victorians to use their power as efficiently, warning that authorities may still be forced to cut electricity in the coming days.

"With those two hot days to go, we're going to be very, very much in the high electricity usage stage," Dr Napthine said.

"It's up to all Victorians to do their bit and … make sure we use our electricity wisely."

Extra paramedics have been called in this morning as cardiac arrests jumped 40 per cent across Melbourne the past two days.

Ambulance Victoria operations manager Paul Holman said crews were being called to more than 80 heat-related call-outs a day, including 27 cardiac arrests across Melbourne on Tuesday and Wednesday.

"It is not the daytime temperature that is the concern, it is the overnight temperature when the body does not get time to recover," he said.

The last string of extreme days during February 2009 claimed 374 Victorians.

Victoria's Chief Health Officer Dr Rosemary Lester said eight of the state's nine districts are now covered by heat health alerts, with the greatest fears for the elderly, children and those with chronic medial conditions.

"We know there are serious consequences from extreme heat and that can be increased hospitalisations and, unfortunately, increased deaths," Dr Lester said.

The Bureau of Meteorology has revised its projection from 41C to 44C after computer modelling signalled temperatures would climb even higher.

Mildura and Horsham are forecast to reach 44C, while Ouyen and Swan Hill are set to soar to 45C despite light winds later in the day.


WATCH: Threat to power supply as Victoria buckles under a heatwave that won't let up.

Up to 4pm on Wednesday, Ambulance Victoria paramedics treated 62 cases of heat exhaustion or heat stroke and five cases of children locked in cars.

Two girls, aged five years and 18 months, were found in a car unattended outside a Cobram shopping centre.

Senior Sergeant Mary-Jayne Kane said the mother had been spoken to and was on Wednesday afternoon still under investigation.

"It's a warning to people: don't leave your children in cars in the heat," she said.

Meanwhile hot and bothered commuters faced a third day of peak-hour train pain with 15-minute delays affecting services across the entire metropolitan train network.

The Cranbourne and Pakenham lines suffered major peak-hour delays on Wednesday night while the Sunbury line was partly suspended following a lightning strike.

Buses replaced trains between Mordialloc and Frankston. - Herald Sun.