ICE AGE NOW: Global Cooling Continues Relentlessly - Heavy Snowfall Paralyses Daily Life In Sivas, Turkey; 60% Of Lake Erie Freezes In Two Days With Record Snow And Cold In Canada; And 5 Stunning Natural Sculptures From This Winter Across The Globe! [VIDEOS]

Heavy snowfall in Sivas, Turkey.
© Turan Temel

February 23, 2016 - EARTH - The following articles constitutes several of the latest reports on heavy snowfall, low temperatures and snow storms as global cooling continues across the Earth.

Heavy snowfall paralyses daily life in Sivas, Turkey

Central Turkish province of Sivas, which had been witnessing spring weather conditions in the middle of the winter for a while, took heavy snowfall, paralyzing daily life across the city.

Snowfall which has begun with blizzard in the late hours continued until the morning hours of Saturday. Following the snowfall the snow has reached 50 centimeters in depth across the province. As walking on the pavement has nearly become impossible since the thick snow layer also many cars have stayed under the snow drift.


WATCH: Heavy snowfall paralyses daily life in central Turkish province of Sivas.

Many people, who intended to reach their working place, had difficulty while clearing their car from the snow banks. People shovel up the ways of their working place. Heavy blizzard also causes traffic congestion at the main highways, it is seen many vehicles hardly moved on the roads.

Local residents who had been witnessing spring weather since days said they encountered 50 centimeters when they woke up in the morning. - Cihan.

60% of Lake Erie Freezes in Two Days with Record Snow and Cold in Canada

Record one day snow total of 51.3 cm in Ottawa, Canada as well hundreds of cold records shattered and snow records broken. Lake Erie magically 60% frozen in a single weekend, right out of movie The Day After Tomorrow.

Temperatures in Windsor, Ont., for instance, dipped to - 17 C on Sunday.

On Friday, satellite imagery showed three per cent of the shallowest of the Great Lakes to be covered in ice. By Sunday, it was 64 per cent covered, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).


WATCH: 60% of Lake Erie Freezes in Two Days.

- Adapt 2030.

Amazing ice: 5 stunning natural sculptures from this winter

Lake Superior. © RadiantSpiritGallery/YouTube

As winter wanes and spring creeps in for much of the northern hemisphere, we checked out some impressive images of ice, particularly surrounding the world's largest - and coldest - lakes.

Whether it's ice stacking on Lake Superior in the US, car-shaped icicles in Canada, or floating blocks on Lake Baikal in Russia, mother nature has put on quite a show this season.

Lake Superior, USA

As sheets of ice crashed on the shore of the great Lake Superior in Duluth, Minnesota, they stack up like broken glass, creating a beautiful and somewhat hypnotic scene.


WATCH: Lake Superior ice stacking.

Lake Baikal, Siberia

With temperatures dipping to -19 degrees Celsius (-3 Fahrenheit) and strong winds, a block of ice can be seen floating across the frozen lake as though it's just off to meet another block further along.


WATCH: Baikal ice.

Cornwall, Ontario, Canada

An ice imprint of a car's front bumper was all that was left behind in Ontario after the mysterious vehicle moved on. That, or as the video narrator notes, it could be a "top secret ice coating", like James Bond's Aston Martin Vanquish in Die Another Day.


WATCH: Cornwall ice.

Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, USA

This ice "sculpture" was co-created by humans who ignored warnings and parked on what they thought was a frozen lake during Winterfest in the US city of Lake Geneva, Wisconsin.


WATCH: Lake Geneva ice.

New York, USA

In an unspecified part of New York, YouTube user Jeff McCaskey recorded the effects of the changing weather on a local "ice fountain" tower, ultimately resulting in its collapse due to the weight of the ice.


 WATCH: Ice fountain time-lapse.

- RT.

ICE AGE NOW: "It's UNCOMMON To See This Much Ice" - 18 Ships Stranded And Stuck In Frozen Lake Superior; Huge Ice Chunks Stacked Some 8 FEET DEEP!

The Canadian Coast Guard Ship (CCGS) Samuel Risley is shown in this aerial photo near Whitefish Bay on Lake Superior
northwest of Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario April 7, 2015. (Reuters / Kenneth Armstrong)

April 9, 2015 - NORTH AMERICA - Huge ice chunks stacked some 8 feet deep on Lake Superior have left 18 freighters stuck. The U.S. and Canadian Coast Guards have gotten involved, sending Canadian icebreakers and American vessels to to help the ships break free from Whitefish Bay.

Mark Gill, director of Vessel Traffic Services for the U.S. Coast Guard at Ste. Saint Marie, Michigan, told NPR's Melissa Block that the ice has created a traffic jam on the water. "Imagine an interstate highway where you've got a north and a south bound lane," Gill said. "And there's a bridge that passes over a waterway, and that bridge is out, so traffic going north, traffic going south, can't move until that bridge is repaired — that's kind of what we're up against here."

Gill says weather is partly to blame. "Two weeks ago in Lake Superior, the lake was roughly 75 percent covered in ice," said Gill. "[With] warmer temperatures, that ice has begun to break free from the shore line, and then we had a wind event last week where the westerly winds took all of that free-floating ice and has packed it into the eastern end of Lake Superior."

Rescuers’ main task is to break a path within the ice for the ships to use, spokeswoman for the Canadian Coast Guard,
Carol Launderville, said in a Tuesday statement.

It is uncommon to see this much ice along the shipping route between Michigan, USA, and Ontario, Canada.
The shipping season on the Great Lakes began in March.

Harsh spring weather has caused up to 18 American and Canadian ships to become stranded in ice-covered Lake Superior, with coastguards working
on a rescue operation. One of the freighters has been damaged by the crushing grip of the ice.

That ice has gotten packed pretty densely. "Whitefish Bay is 100 percent covered with ice that is three feet thick," said Gill. "The ice in Lake Superior has pressed up against this firm ice edge in Whitefish Bay and has started to roll up on itself, and it's created a roughly 35 square mile field of ice. Some of the chunks that have come out of Lake Superior are pickup truck-sized. And those chunks that are that size are stacked on top of each other, they've reached a thickness of eight feet."

Gill says as a result, six east bound ships and 12 west bound ships, carrying mostly iron ore and coal, are blocked. "They're waiting in a holding pattern while we clear a path to get them through this field of ice." So far, two of those ships have started to make their way out of the ice with the help of a Canadian Coast Guard ship. A Canadian "arctic breaker" has been brought down to join the effort as well.

Gill told NPR that the ships have to clear a path for the freighters to get out of the ice. "It's not so much a breakup," he said. "You're picking through it till you find openings, and you're kinda shoving pieces away as you make your way through. By working side to side, you open it up, so that the ships that are kind of following you into it. You're literally creating an open space, and then sliding forward, and then an open space, and sliding forward."

United States Coast Guard ships break up ice in eastern Lake Superior on Tuesday. Kenneth Armstrong/Reuters/Landov

A satellite view of the ice on Lake Superior. NOAA Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory

Canadian icebreaker Pierre Radisson on Wednesday set out to join other rescue ships to help break the ice in Whitefish Bay, according to the US Coast Guard.

The work can be dangerous, says Gill. "It's very tedious," he said. "And it's risky, cause at night, you can't see, and so you're almost at the behest of Mother Nature there as she blows her winds on it. Some of the pieces are jagged. One of the ships took a hole in one of its ballast tanks."

But Gill says for the most part, all parties involved have managed to keep their calm through the entire ordeal. "Time is money for these vessels, so they want to know when they're moving. Generally, it's calm, cool, and collected," he said. "Occasionally people's frustration gets the better of them and they get some flare-ups. But for the most part, it's civil." - NPR.

ICE AGE NOW: Great Lakes Ice Cover Over 88 PERCENT - More Than This Time Last Year!

Great Lakes total ice cover: 88.3%. © Detroit Free Press

March 5, 2015 - NORTH AMERICA - How rough a winter has it been on the Great Lakes? Ask the crew of the freighter Arthur M. Anderson — whenever they make it back to port.

The 767-foot bulk carrier, due in port a week ago, was only just west of St. Ignace in northern Lake Michigan as of Monday afternoon, making its way to its winter layover port in Sturgeon Bay, Wis. The Anderson — famously the last ship to receive communication from the freighter Edmund Fitzgerald before it sank during an intense storm on Lake Superior in November 1975, killing all 29 crew members — was stuck in ice west of the Mackinac Bridge all day Sunday. A U.S. Coast Guard icebreaker had to free it, the boatnerd.com reported.

That's after the Anderson spent more than two weeks battling through ice in southern Lake Erie, for a trip from Conneaut, Ohio, to Gary, Ind., that typically takes two days. The freighter became frozen in place off Conneaut on Feb. 19, in deep, pressure-ridged lake ice stacked upon itself by winds. A U.S. Coast Guard cutter escorting the ship couldn't break it out, and two additional cutters from the Canadian Coast Guard were sent to assist. The Anderson sat locked in ice for two days before being freed.

It's the second straight tough winter for Great Lakes shipping, and the lakes altogether were 88.3% ice-covered as of Sunday — more than the 86% ice cover on the lakes on March 1, 2014, amid a winter with record snowfall and near-record frigid temperatures.

"Last winter, we had a little bit of a warm-up near the end of February, before we got another cold blast. This winter, we've had consistently cold temperatures," said George Leshkevich, a physical scientist with the Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory in Ann Arbor.

Last winter's Great Lakes ice cover peaked at 92.5% on March 6 — the second-most since 1979. A flirtation with the documented record of 94.7% in 1979 may not happen this year, Leshkevich said.

"We're close to the time when we could expect the ice to start deteriorating," he said. "But if we keep getting cold temperatures, that could change. I hate to make forecasts like that, because you can be so wrong."
The overall ice-cover number is being held down by about 25% open water in Lake Ontario, and Lake Michigan, which is only 71.2% covered by ice. But Lake Superior was at 94.1% ice cover as of Sunday, with Huron and Erie at about 96%.
There's only a moment for Great Lakes haulers to catch their breath before a new shipping season begins next week, when the first cement boat gets underway March 12, said Glen Nekvasil, vice president of the Lake Carriers Association, a shipping trade group.

"I think they will need some ice-breaking assistance," he said. "It's always easier to keep going in ice than it is to get started. The traffic in the shipping lanes helps keep them from freezing. But now that the ships are in port, when we get going again, it will be tougher to get going."

After a second straight difficult winter for freight haulers, the Lake Carriers Association is appealing to the U.S. and Canadian governments to put more ice-breaking boats on the Great Lakes in the winter.

"We need adequate ice-breaking resources here on the Great Lakes," he said. "The economy doesn't know the weather; it still needs the products."  - Detroit Free Press.

WATCH: Ohio firefighters rescue horse from frozen lake.

ICE AGE NOW: 4,750 Square Miles Of Great Lakes Freezes Overnight, Total Ice Cover 82 PERCENT - 4 Of 5 Great Lakes About To Be FROZEN OVER!

Great Lakes ice cover continues to grow rapidly, now surpassing the amount of ice at this time last year.  © NOAA

February 20, 2015 - NORTH AMERICA - The recent arctic blasts have caused the ice cover on the Great Lakes to increase rapidly. As of Tuesday, Feb. 17, the amount of ice on the Great Lakes is more than the same date last year.

The total ice cover on the Great Lakes is now rated at 82.3 percent as of Tuesday. On the same date last year, the Great Lakes had 81.6 percent total ice cover.

The Great Lakes ice cover has grown over 5 percent in the past 24 hours. That's about 4,750 square miles of ice overnight. At that pace of ice growth, the Great Lakes would be almost totally iced over in the next four days.

The blast of arctic cold tonight through Friday will certainly help ice continue to grow.

The cold will come with a 10 mph to 20 mph wind, which could temporarily break up and reduce some ice. But the light wind days in the next 10 days also look very cold.

So it's going to be very interesting to watch the ice expand in the next few weeks.

From the bitter cold weather I'm expecting to head our way, combined with several days of light winds, I think we will surpass last year's total ice cover on the Great Lakes. In fact, I'm wondering if we could see the Great Lakes almost totally ice up by the end of February.

Here's how each lake stacks up against last year at this time:

Lake Superior 88.8% now - 90.9% last Feb. 17
Lake Michigan 56.9% now - 65.1% last Feb. 17
Lake Huron 91.9% now - 92.7% last Feb. 17
Lake Erie 95.5% now - 95.0% last Feb. 17
Lake Ontario 78.5% now - 31.5% last Feb. 17

This image shows the amount of ice cover currently on the Great Lakes on the left, and last year on Feb. 17, 2014 on the right. The gray shaded areas represent
some amount of ice. The only open water is shaded in blue.  © Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory/Mark Torregrossa

This image shows the amount of ice cover currently on the Great Lakes on the left, and last year on Feb. 17, 2014 on the right. The gray shaded areas represent some amount of ice. The only open water is shaded in blue.

Notice the big surge in ice amount on Lake Ontario, which has over double the amount of ice from last year.

Let's hope for a very clear day sometime next week. We'll be able to look at the high resolution satellite photo, and maybe see all ice. - MLive.

4 of 5 Great Lakes about to be frozen over

Corky Boyd writes:

Composite image of the East and West NATICE products for the Great Lakes, see links below for originals

The latest NATICE graphics show Lake Erie totally covered with 9/10+ ice, Lakes Superior and Huron are nearly totally covered with 9/10+ and Ontario about 80% covered with 7/10+. It is likely Superior and Huron will join Erie with total coverage of 9/10+ in today or tomorrow's report.

It is possible Ontario could do the same as it is experiencing near or sub-zero temperatures tonight.

The NATICE daily reports are posted about 5:00pm EST. Link is here:

http://www.natice.noaa.gov/products/great_lakes.html

If you have trouble pulling up the ice charts, here are direct links to the West and East areas for Feb. 18:

http://www.natice.noaa.gov/pub/special/great_lakes/2015/charts/composite_east/el150218color.jpg
http://www.natice.noaa.gov/pub/special/great_lakes/2015/charts/composite_west/wl150218color.jpg

It is an unusual event for 3 of the lakes to freeze over, which only happens once every 6 to 8 years. Four or more freezing is a most unusual event.

- WUWT.

ICE AGE NOW: Great Lakes Ice Makes A Leap After January Cold Snap - Far Above The Normal Annual Maximum, With Another Month Of Growth Left!

Amazing shot from our Life on #LakeErie Photo Contest: Fortress of Solitude by @LakeErieSurfer

February 4, 2015 - NORTH AMERICA - Ice cover on the Great Lakes has made quite a leap after the first, week-long cold snap of the season.

As of Thursday, ice covered 34.1 percent of the Great Lakes, up from just 5.6 percent on Jan. 1, and 10.8 percent on Jan. 5 — the first day of a polar plunge that gripped most of the eastern U.S. for days to come.

Animation of ice cover on the Great Lakes from Jan. 7 to Jan. 14 (NOAA)

“Last year, the Great Lakes were 21.2 percent ice-covered on Jan. 14, making this year’s ice cover 13 percent higher to date,” writes weather.com. “If you recall, below-average temperatures were persistent from mid-January onward in the winter of 2014, leading to the second highest ice coverage on record at 92.2 percent on March 6, 2014.”

Satellite image of Lake Erie on Jan. 9, 2015 shows the lake’s mostly ice-free water peeking through the clouds. (NASA)

By Jan. 14, Lake Erie had iced over. Thin ice can be seen in the eastern half of the lake, while thicker ice had formed over the western half. (NASA)

(NOAA)

The ice breaking tug Breaker cuts through Lake Erie.

Lake Erie in winter on approach to Buffalo.

Sunset on Lake Erie.

Lake Erie’s ice cover has sky-rocketed this month, and is now about 88 percent covered in ice. Just a couple weeks ago, it was ice-free.

Last year, Erie’s climb was slightly more gradual, starting in December and then shooting up twice after Polar Vortex I and II in January. It seems this year Erie is getting it done in one shot.

According to our winter weather expert Wes Junker, more cold might be in store behind a potent winter storm late next week. “After the storm pushes through, colder weather is expected to filter in,” Junker writes. “By the end of the two week period, temperatures could take a plunge as a strong upper level ridge develops over Alaska and northwestern Canada.” - Washington Post.

Satellite photo shows Michigan in white after weekend snowstorm coats region

The Great Lakes region covered in snow and ice Monday, Feb. 2, 2015. A weekend snowstorm dropped more than a foot of snow across some locations.
(Courtesy UW-Madison SSEC)

Who says you can't wear white after Labor Day?

Sunshine prevailed for most of the afternoon Monday, Feb. 2, providing us with a spectacular view of our Great Lakes with little in the way of cloud cover.

The remnants of the weekend snowstorm aren't too difficult to spot, considering a blanket of white stretches from the Midwest into Michigan and farther east to Canada. Lake Erie is about covered, too, as most of its surface has frozen over.

The Great Lakes still are relatively ice-free as a whole. An early onset of cold temperatures last winter brought Lake Michigan's ice cover to 36 percent one year ago today, compared to 26 percent currently, according to the Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory.

Even more strikingly, Lake Superior's ice coverage this year is 30 percent compared to 77 percent just last season.

West Michigan could get a new shot of snow Tuesday night into Wednesday, with 1 to 3 inches forecast. A blast of colder air soon will follow for the rest of the state, holding high temperatures into the teens. - MLIVE.

Once again, Great Lakes ice far above normal

Great Lakes ice cover has been above normal five of the last seven years, and seven of the last thirteen years. It is already far above the normal annual maximum, with another month of growth left.

Many experts claim the exact opposite, because their career depends on lying about the climate.

- Real Science.

ICE AGE NOW: Great Lakes Ice Makes A Leap After January Cold Snap - 34.1 PERCENT Covered In Ice, Up From 5.6 On January 1; 13 PERCENT Higher Than The Same Date Last Year!

Animation of ice cover on the Great Lakes from Jan. 7 to Jan. 14 (NOAA)

January 16, 2015 - GREAT LAKES, NORTH AMERICA - Ice cover on the Great Lakes has made quite a leap after the first, week-long cold snap of the season.

As of Thursday, ice covered 34.1 percent of the Great Lakes, up from just 5.6 percent on Jan. 1, and 10.8 percent on Jan. 5 — the first day of a polar plunge that gripped most of the eastern U.S. for days to come.

“Last year, the Great Lakes were 21.2 percent ice-covered on Jan. 14, making this year’s ice cover 13 percent higher to date,” writes weather.com. “If you recall, below-average temperatures were persistent from mid-January onward in the winter of 2014, leading to the second highest ice coverage on record at 92.2 percent on March 6, 2014.”

Amazing shot from our Life on #LakeErie Photo Contest: Fortress of Solitude by @LakeErieSurfer

Satellite image of Lake Erie on Jan. 9, 2015 shows the lake’s mostly ice-free water peeking through the clouds. (NASA)

By Jan. 14, Lake Erie had iced over. Thin ice can be seen in the eastern half of the lake, while thicker ice had formed over the western half. (NASA)

The ice breaking tug Breaker cuts through Lake Erie this morning.

Cool shot of Lake Erie in winter on approach to Buffalo post attending

Lake Erie : Ice - Sunset

This year’s January cold snap set off an upward spiral in ice cover over the lakes, particularly for Erie, the shallowest lake in the network.

Lake Erie’s ice cover has sky-rocketed this month, and is now about 88 percent covered in ice. Just a couple weeks ago, it was ice-free. Last year, Erie’s climb was slightly more gradual, starting in December and then shooting up twice after Polar Vortex I and II in January. It seems this year Erie is getting it done in one shot.

Long-term outlooks suggest more chilly blasts are on the way, which means ice cover records could be in play this year.

According to our winter weather expert Wes Junker, more cold might be in store behind a potent winter storm late next week. “After the storm pushes through, colder weather is expected to filter in,” Junker writes.

“By the end of the two week period, temperatures could take a plunge as a strong upper level ridge develops over Alaska and northwestern Canada.” - Washington Post.

ICE AGE NOW: Ice Visible on Lake Superior - Several Weeks Ahead Of Schedule?!

A thin layer of ice visible on Lake Superior in Ashland, Wisc., Nov. 15, 2014. @clkoval/Twitter

November 16, 2014 - WISCONSIN, UNITED STATES - Cold temperatures and snow across the Great Lakes in November is certainly nothing out of the ordinary, but this morning, a layer of ice was visible on parts of Lake Superior in Ashland, Wis.

While this may not seem unusual given the current stretch of unseasonably cold temperatures, it is actually several weeks earlier than normal.

The first sightings of ice on Lake Superior and the Great Lakes overall usually occur during the beginning to middle of December. However, a perfect combination of last season's record ice coverage, cooler summer temperatures, and an early blast of arctic air this fall has allowed for areas of ice to form earlier than normal for the second year in a row.

PHOTO: Ice, on average, usually begins to form in shallow parts of the Great Lakes

Last winter featured relentless, record breaking cold leading to the second highest ice coverage on record for the Great Lakes as a whole.

Lake Superior also set a record for the longest length of time that ice was observed on the lake. In 2013, ice was first observed on Nov. 25, and it did not all melt until early June 2014.

PHOTO: Ice coverage on Lake Superior for the 2013-2014 season

The extent and longevity of the ice coverage were both equally impressive. It is also important to note that this year the ice is being observed about 10 days earlier that last year's record-breaking season. However, an early start to ice formation does not mean another record breaking ice coverage season is on the way. The overall winter pattern over the next few months will ultimately determine where this year's ice coverage will go.

Post by NOAA Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory.

After a summer that lacked much intense heat for the region and the early arrival of long lasting arctic air, it is not taking much kick off some ice forming on Lake Superior once again.

Post by Extreme Photography.

Post by Extreme Photography.

The overall weather pattern will continue to favor below normal temperatures across the Great Lakes region for at least the next seven to 10 days -- perfect conditions to help add to the ice in place that's already setting up a wintry scene. - ABC News.

ICE AGE NOW: A Year Without Summer - Minnesota Still Has Snow On The Ground From Last Winter?!

June 24, 2014 - MINNESOTA, UNITED STATES - There is still snow on the ground in southern Minnesota.

Chris Kuball, ABC 6

You read that correctly. ABC 6 Meteorologist Chris Kuball tweeted a photo of a snow pile, that looks more like a rock, at Marcusen Park in Austin, Minnesota, Monday morning.

The park is a dumping site for snow in the area, Kuball says, and on June 23 there was still a pile of snow that was about 10 feet tall, 50 feet long and 30 feet wide, Kuball said in a Facebook post.

Check out this then-and-now photo:

Kuball says the bottom of the snow pile was undercut by last week's flooding.

Marcusen Park isn't the only place in Minnesota where there's still snow - the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport has a little snow left:

Kuball was surprised that the snow pile is still there. He told BringMeTheNews that the snow piles usually melt away by this point in June. For some comparison: In 2011, a giant snow pile that reached the top of the light posts in the Sear's parking lot in St. Paul melted by June 8.

How long these snow piles stick around depends on how much snow the area gets and how warm the spring is, Kuball notes. Austin, Minnesota, got somewhere around 60 inches of snow this winter, Kuball says, and temperatures were cooler than average for much of April and May.

Because of the cooler-than-average spring, snow and ice seemed to stick around Minnesota a little longer this year. Despite record-setting heat in Duluth over Memorial Day weekend, ice was still floating on Lake Superior, which gave Melissa Ellis and her friend Brigitta Keyler an idea for a photo (to the left), that went viral.

Chunks of ice were floating around Lake Superior until the beginning of June, which wasn't really a surprise because of the record-setting winter Minnesotans endured this year. More than 90 percent of the Great Lakes' surface was covered in ice during this past winter, WCCO reports.

In April, there were sure signs of spring when the "Granddaddy" snowman, built by a Minnesota farmer, started to melt. The current status of the snowman is not known.

Minnesota isn't the only Midwestern state that's seen the long-lasting effects of the harsh winter. Michigan's Rocks National Lakeshore, located on Lake Superior, still had snow piles on June 16. - BMTN.

ICE AGE NOW: A Year Without Summer - Surprise Late-Season Snow Storm Clobbers The U.S. Rockies, With The Summer Solstice Just Right Around The Corner?! [STUNNING PHOTOS]

June 19, 2014 - ROCKIES, UNITED STATES - The summer solstice is right around the corner, but winter isn't going down without a fight this year: A bizarre June snowstorm hit Glacier National Park in Montana and parts of Utah and Idaho this week, leaving many residents and visitors in the northern Rockies wondering what season it is.

Sperry Chalet in the northern part of the park was blanketed with over a foot (0.3 meters) of snow.

Glacier National Park saw almost 4 inches (10 centimeters) of rain and more than a foot (0.3 meters) of snow, according to the National Weather Service.

"Weather in northwest Montana and weather in Glacier [National Park] can be so variable, but it's always somewhat exciting, somewhat "wow," somewhat challenging to get this kind of weather this time of year," Denise Germann, a spokeswoman for Glacier National Park, told ABC Montana.

Now, as the snow melts and rivers spill over their banks, the area is at risk for flooding.

Yesterday (June 18), the National Weather Service issued a flood warning for the northern Rocky Mountains and a winter storm warning for elevations above 6,500 feet (1,980 m). Park officials were on high alert and were prepared to issue an evacuation. Flooding in some areas has already forced the park to close campgrounds and paths.

A surprise late-season snow storm pummeled Montana's Glacier National Park and parts of Utah and
Idaho on June 17. Glacier National Park is notorious for its unpredictable weather.
Credit: Glacier National Park

Here the snow is just beginning to fall. The snow storm delayed the opening of the popular
Going-to-the-Sun Road in the park. Credit: Glacier National Park

Snow plows were called in to clear out some of the snow pack. Visitors to the park were forced to hole
up in lodges and cabins until they could be dug out. Credit: Glacier National Park

Snow was not the only danger. Rain at lower elevations caused Divide Creek in Glacier National Park
to swell and spill over its banks. Credit: Glacier National Park

St. Mary Campground flooded and park officials were forced to close the area. Credit: Glacier National Park

The weather is expected to clear up in a few days, but flood watches are still in effect and the
snow plows still have work to do. Credit: Glacier National Park

Like the icebergs still lingering in Lake Superior, the unexpected snowstorm is a reminder of the year's harsh winter. The park is a popular summer destination for tourists, and those visiting the park were forced to seek shelter in lodges while snow plows swept the area and began clearing the snowpack.

The surprise storm has slowed down the opening of the Going-to-the-Sun Road, a 50-mile (80 kilometers) drive that takes visitors through the park and around the area's mountainsides. The attraction is one of the park's biggest tourist draws, but the trail is currently closed, with no estimation of when the upper sections will be cleared of snow, park officials said.

Forecasters predict around 3 to 6 inches (8 to 15 cm) of additional rain and 4 to 8 inches (10 to 20 cm) of additional snow in the mountains. The weather is expected to clear up over the weekend, according to the National Weather Service. - Live Science.

ICE AGE NOW: Undeniable Evidence Of A Magnetic Polar Migration & Precursors To A Monumental Pole Shift - Barbecues Covered With June Snowfall In Churchill, Manitoba; DNR Warden Spots Icebergs On Lake Superior; Snow And Rain In Chile Strand Nearly 10,000; Don’t Be Fooled By Warm Weather - Chicago Lake Temps Remain Dangerously Cold; And Record Cold June Morning On The Canadian Prairies! [PHOTOS+VIDEOS]

June 09, 2014 - EARTH - If you are still skeptical that our planet is entering a new Ice Age, perhaps you need to get your head out of the proverbial sand and examine the following stories, and consider for a moment that we are currently in the month of June. A magnetic polar migration is now in full effect and we are witnessing the evidence of it.

Barbecues Covered With June Snowfall In Churchill, Manitoba

A barbecue needs a little shovelling on Thursday in Churchill, Manitoba
Submitted by Crystal Ballard / Global News

Northern Manitoba was blanketed with snow in early June as an unseasonal storm hit the region Thursday night and continued Friday.

A snowfall warning continued for Brochet, Tadoule Lake and Churchill, Man., on Friday morning. The same warning ended for Lynn Lake, Leaf Rapids and Pukatawagan, Man.

Environment Canada issued the warning earlier Thursday, saying 10 to 20 centimetres of snow was expected in areas that are usually well into spring weather by June.

Churchill got 10 to 15 cm of snow on Thursday, Environment Canada said, and more was expected. The port city was forecast to get a mix of snow and ice pellets on Friday with accumulations near 10 cm and another two to four centimetres of snow overnight.

Tadoule Lake was expected to get the highest snowfall accumulation, with another 15 cm forecast to fall Friday and overnight. In the Brochet region, heavy snowfall was expected only in southern areas, near the community of Brochet and south.

A plow clears snow from a street in Churchill, Manitoba on Friday morning.
Submitted by Crystal Ballard / Global News

The snow is forecast to taper off Saturday as the system weakens and moves over Hudson Bay.

Environment Canada warned that visibility may be suddenly reduced at times in heavy snow. - Global News.

DNR Warden Spots Icebergs On Lake Superior

 (Credit: Wis. DNR)

It may be June, but a Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources warden discovered some icebergs still afloat in Lake Superior near Madeline Island on Friday.

DNR Marine Warden Amie Egstad spotted the floating ice – which was covered in resting seagulls – while doing a routine check of commercial nets in the largest of the Great Lakes.

 (Credit: Wis. DNR)

“There was this big iceberg along with other ice packs and bergs floating around backside of Madeline Island area east towards Saxon Harbor,” Egstad said.

According to a National Geographic report, the summer temperatures of the Great Lakes are expected to be colder this year because more than 90 percent of the lakes had been covered in ice during this past winter. - Global News.

Snow And Rain In Chile Strand Nearly 10,000

Heavy rain and snow has been affecting several regions of Chile since last Friday, directly affecting more than 3500 people.

Another 10,000 Chileans are currently stranded due to flooding or covered roads, according to officials.

Most of the affected are in the Biobio and Los Lagos regions where 12 homes were destroyed and another 140 left uninhabitable.

The system also left more than 27,000 people without power.

In Valparaiso, four people are still missing since Saturday afternoon. Search and Rescue officials were out looking for them but were forced to returned due to poor conditions.

En Aluca, a landslide covered six cars and stopped traffic on a major highway for nearly six hours.

The official emergency agency, ONEMI, also stated that the roads connecting much of the Chilean Andes to Argentina were closed off, with the exception of the Antofagasta road which reopened early Sunday.

Officials also indicated that they would remain vigilant of the situation and co-ordinating with outside organizations to help those affected. - The Weather Network.

Don’t Be Fooled By Warm Weather - Chicago Lake Temps Remain Dangerously Cold

With beautiful weather on tap for the weekend, lots of people will be boating on Lake Michigan.

But after two deadly accidents on the water last weekend, the Chicago Fire Department is reminding people of the hazards of cold water.

CBS 2′s Mai Martinez reports.

“There’s still a lot of cold water in Lake Michigan,” warns Ron Dorneker, deputy district chief for the Chicago Fire Department’s Marine and Dive Operations.

How cold? In the middle, it’s just 38 degrees. Off Navy Pier, a quick check showed 60 degrees.

“Anything below 70 degrees, the medical community terms it as cold water,” Dorneker says.

And that can be dangerous.

“You lose body heat 25 times faster in water than you do in air temperature,” Dorneker says.

Even in warmer parts of the lake, like the popular play pen area, fire department divers found the water to be a chilly 64 degrees on Friday.

“The first minute is critical, so when somebody goes in the water that is below 70 degrees, you have a gasping reflex, and if you’re submerged underwater when you have that gasping reflex, you’re going to inhale water, and that’s going to cause a drowning,” Dorneker says.

It’s best to stay out of the water, and if you end up in it, don’t panic, he says.

“If you fall in, fall onto your back, don’t let your head submerge under the water, try and get control of your breathing. Try to get out of the water as soon as possible,” he says.

If you do find yourself in trouble on a boat, the Fire Department says it’s important to be able to call for help, but you can’t always count on your cell phone.

A better backup plan is a simple ship-to-shore radio.

The Fire Department says boaters should also have a backup ship-to-shore radio in case the boat loses power and they need to call for help.

They also say it’s important that more than one person knows how to operate the boat in case there’s an emergency. - CBS.

Record Cold June Morning On The Canadian Prairies

Of course, there's nothing unusual about record cold.

"We're a couple weeks shy of the official start to summer, but we won't be offended if you don't quite believe us," says the weather network.

Saturday morning (June 7) saw temperatures hovering around zero - yes, zero - degrees (32 F), as overnight temperatures plunged to uncomfortably cold levels.

Thanks to Argiris Diamantis and Terry Homeniuk for link

Here's more proof that even Canadians are surprised at the change in climate patterns...summers 2 weeks away and its still a winter wonderland!!!

Snow in June? Warning issued for northern Manitoba

Thanks to John Topal for this link

 - Ice Age Now.