Japan
FRANCE BRACES FOR BLACKOUTS, FIRES-UP OLD COAL POWER PLANTS TO COPE
A host of European nations are on the brink of a full blown energy crisis after ill-conceived ‘green ideals’ –which included a suicidal under-investment in cheap and reliable fossil fuels– are coming back to bite the continent’s placating politicians.
Last week, French natural gas pipeline operator GRTgaz warned that French gas stockpiles are much lower at this point in the year than they have been in the past, and as a result, run the risk of being depleted before the winter is done — a disaster that could make last year’s deep freeze in Texas look tame if a sudden cold snap sends demand soaring, reads a recent oilprice.com article.
“We’ll probably be close to zero toward the end of March, and we remain vigilant on that topic,” GRTgaz chief Thierry Trouve said in a presentation in Paris Thursday. Over the weekend, France began temporarily allowing electricity producers to burn more coal after the nation’s grid operator warned of coming outages.
It’s the most precarious situation for French gas inventories since 2018’s “Beast From The East” sent temperatures plunging across Europe. The big difference today, though –other than gas prices being far higher– is that it’s been a relatively mild winter for Central/Western Europe –with the continent’s cold confined to the East and Southeast– meaning something else is responsible for the continent’s energy shortage: An illogical demonizing of oil, gas, and coal (including a carbon emissions cap which limits French coal plants to 700 hours production annually), in favor of failing renewables.
France’s energy problems have also been exacerbated by the lower-than-usual capacity at the country’s nuclear power plants–many of which have been closed over “safety fears” as President Macron seeks to “modernize” the nation’s nuclear power system. Nuclear would appear to solve the AGW Party’s “climate crisis”, yet they aren’t going for it. Why? Because that’s not the solution they’re after. They want the upshot of their fabricated global warming fears to be a complete overhaul of civilization: a “Great Reset”, i.e. the biggest wealth/power transfer in the history of mankind designed to stamp us peasants deep into the dirt once and for all.
France’s drawdown in nuclear capacity only further raises the risk of blackouts caused by the LNG shortages. And even if no cold snap arrives in February or March and blackouts are averted, Europe’s energy woes will create serious political problems due to spiraling energy inflation. Gas and electricity bills in the UK, for example, are set to rise 50% in April–and they won’t stop there.
JAPAN’S SNOWIEST WINTER HELPS DRIVE NORTHERN HEMISPHERE SNOW MASS HIGHER
Heavy snow has been buffeting much of Japan this winter — it’s been one for the record books for many locales. And looking ahead, further flurries are forecast which is leading to weather officials issuing additional advisories and warnings.
The Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) has said a stormy pattern combining with a brutally frigid air mass will continue to bring snow and exceptional cold to locales along the Sea of Japan –and elsewhere– after record accumulations were noted over the weekend.
Maibara City, located in the western prefecture of Shiga, logged 62cm (2ft) in just 24 hours through Sunday morning; while Sapporo City, in the northern prefecture of Hokkaido, saw 60cm (1.97ft) — both are the regions’ highest 24hr totals since records began (in 2001 and 1999, respectively). Maibara also busted its 48hr. As did nearby Sekigahara.
A host of European nations are on the brink of a full blown energy crisis after ill-conceived ‘green ideals’ –which included a suicidal under-investment in cheap and reliable fossil fuels– are coming back to bite the continent’s placating politicians.
Last week, French natural gas pipeline operator GRTgaz warned that French gas stockpiles are much lower at this point in the year than they have been in the past, and as a result, run the risk of being depleted before the winter is done — a disaster that could make last year’s deep freeze in Texas look tame if a sudden cold snap sends demand soaring, reads a recent oilprice.com article.
“We’ll probably be close to zero toward the end of March, and we remain vigilant on that topic,” GRTgaz chief Thierry Trouve said in a presentation in Paris Thursday. Over the weekend, France began temporarily allowing electricity producers to burn more coal after the nation’s grid operator warned of coming outages.
It’s the most precarious situation for French gas inventories since 2018’s “Beast From The East” sent temperatures plunging across Europe. The big difference today, though –other than gas prices being far higher– is that it’s been a relatively mild winter for Central/Western Europe –with the continent’s cold confined to the East and Southeast– meaning something else is responsible for the continent’s energy shortage: An illogical demonizing of oil, gas, and coal (including a carbon emissions cap which limits French coal plants to 700 hours production annually), in favor of failing renewables.
France’s energy problems have also been exacerbated by the lower-than-usual capacity at the country’s nuclear power plants–many of which have been closed over “safety fears” as President Macron seeks to “modernize” the nation’s nuclear power system. Nuclear would appear to solve the AGW Party’s “climate crisis”, yet they aren’t going for it. Why? Because that’s not the solution they’re after. They want the upshot of their fabricated global warming fears to be a complete overhaul of civilization: a “Great Reset”, i.e. the biggest wealth/power transfer in the history of mankind designed to stamp us peasants deep into the dirt once and for all.
France’s drawdown in nuclear capacity only further raises the risk of blackouts caused by the LNG shortages. And even if no cold snap arrives in February or March and blackouts are averted, Europe’s energy woes will create serious political problems due to spiraling energy inflation. Gas and electricity bills in the UK, for example, are set to rise 50% in April–and they won’t stop there.
JAPAN’S SNOWIEST WINTER HELPS DRIVE NORTHERN HEMISPHERE SNOW MASS HIGHER
Heavy snow has been buffeting much of Japan this winter — it’s been one for the record books for many locales. And looking ahead, further flurries are forecast which is leading to weather officials issuing additional advisories and warnings.
The Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) has said a stormy pattern combining with a brutally frigid air mass will continue to bring snow and exceptional cold to locales along the Sea of Japan –and elsewhere– after record accumulations were noted over the weekend.
Maibara City, located in the western prefecture of Shiga, logged 62cm (2ft) in just 24 hours through Sunday morning; while Sapporo City, in the northern prefecture of Hokkaido, saw 60cm (1.97ft) — both are the regions’ highest 24hr totals since records began (in 2001 and 1999, respectively). Maibara also busted its 48hr. As did nearby Sekigahara.
The JMA is cautioning that more snow is expected through Monday, particularly in the prefectures of Shiga and neighboring Gifu. And due to the severity of the system even places along the Pacific Ocean in Eastern Japan, including the greater Tokyo area, are expecting snow later in the week, perhaps by Thursday.
As reported by nhk.or.jp, “larger-than-usual snowfall” has been building ACROSS swathes of Japan this winter, including in the mountainous areas of Niigata and Nagano. Totals there reached 3.54m (11.6ft) in Tsunan Town,Niigata and 2.71m (8.9ft) in Nozawaonsen Village, Nagano — again, both figures are the most for the respective municipalities in decades.
Residents of snowy locations need to be on the alert for possible power outages, avalanches and other snow-related accidents, concludes the nhk.or.jp article; many areas in Japan have received greater-than-average amounts of snow this winter, and people have died during clearing efforts. Folk should stay away from the eaves of buildings even, if the snow lets up. They should also form groups of two or more people and take thorough safety measures when engaging in snow-removal work.
Japan’s snowy winter is also aiding Northern Hemisphere snow mass in its march above the 1982-2012 average:
SCORES MORE DIE IN DELHI AS INDIA’S COLD WAVE BRINGS REGIONS’ THEIR FIRST SNOW SINCE 1958
As covered on Friday, Delhi, in line with the majority of India, is suffering one of its coldest winters on record, which is impacting the nation’s poor and homeless the most. Over the weekend, scores more people are reported to have died, with a telling picture (that I won’t share here) doing the rounds of a homeless Delhi man sitting next to a rotting corpse.
Starting back in late-2019, an increasing number of cold weather records have been falling across India; and in correlation, Delhi’s homeless deaths have been rising. According to official government figures, a record 152 people died owing to ‘winter surges’ in 2020-21, but that number has already been surpassed in 2021-22 after at least 176 perished in January, 2022 alone.
Local campaigners claim these numbers are in reality far higher, due to what they call an “absence of statistics”. They also complain that lifeless corpses are often discarded on the pavements where they can remain for a days before being collected.
With regards to this season’s persistent cold, Aarti Khosla, head of ‘Weather Forecasts’, a climate information program, says the extreme chill is partially due to La Nina; however, the impacts of low solar activity cannot be ignored.
Record snow has been accompanying India’s record cold. In Bhutan and across the State of Himachal Pradesh, accumulations rose northwards of 50cm (1.64ft) over the weekend, with snow also falling at unusually low levels. According to local reports, the former Bhutanese winter capital ‘Punakha’ (1,250m/4,100ft) just received its first snow since 1958.
Across northern India, entire regions remain cutoff due to the recent snowfall with 500+ roads blocked, including 149 in Shimla zone, 115 in Lahaul and Spiti, and 51 in Mandi, where also temperatures remain well-below the seasonal average.
A car stuck in snow in Shimla on Sunday. [Tribune: Amit Kanwar]
ELSEWHERE
California’s historic December snowfall had trapped two people at their Sierra County cabin since Dec 6 — only last week were the couple airlifted out, according to the California Highway Patrol reported.
The CHP released video of their Valley Division helicopter approaching the remote cabin (embedded below), which sits at 4,000 feet elevation along Rock Creek about a mile from Union Hill.
https://youtu.be/Q2p2HpsNFEw
The trapped pair had called the sheriff’s office saying that they were running out of supplies after almost two months. The deep snow and downed trees that kept them from leaving also prevented emergency officials from getting to them on the ground, so the helicopter was called in, reports the burlington-record.com.
Despite the strong winds, the helicopter was able to land, and the pair and their dog were taken to a landing zone where sheriff’s deputies picked them up.
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