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Coldest winter in 1,000 years on its way

Published time: October 04, 2010 03:20
Edited time: October 22, 2010 17:34

After the record heat wave this summer, Russia's weather seems to have acquired a taste for the extreme.

Forecasters say this winter could be the coldest Europe has seen in the last 1,000 years.

The change is reportedly connected with the speed of the Gulf Stream, which has shrunk in half in just the last couple of years. Polish scientists say that it means the stream will not be able to compensate for the cold from the Arctic winds. According to them, when the stream is completely stopped, a new Ice Age will begin in Europe.

So far, the results have been lower temperatures: for example, in Central Russia, they are a couple of degrees below the norm.

“Although the forecast for the next month is only 70 percent accurate, I find the cold winter scenario quite likely,” Vadim Zavodchenkov, a leading specialist at the Fobos weather center, told RT. “We will be able to judge with more certainty come November. As for last summer's heat, the statistical models that meteorologists use to draw up long-term forecasts aren't able to predict an anomaly like that.”

In order to meet the harsh winter head on, Moscow authorities are drawing up measures to help Muscovites survive the extreme cold.

Most of all, the government is concerned with homeless people who risk freezing to death if the forecast of the meteorologists come true. Social services and police are being ordered to take the situation under control even if they have to force the homeless to take help.

Moscow authorities have also started checking air conditioning systems in all socially important buildings. All the conditioners are being carefully cleaned from the remains of summer smog.

Comments (118)

jp 03.11.2010 13:12

Look if you want to save the world buy energy efficient LED light bulbs, the current one can use as little as 1.5w compared to inferrior quality 60-50 watt bulbs. But 2 things can come of this. The english lightbulb manufacturing sector might collapse causing a run on the banks and the last food supplies Like rice as lightbulbs are britain only export income. Or your next door neighbour may use 25 times the amount of light blbs as before, so you would have to properly spy on them and if they are, only use candles and compost your old light bulbs. They are holistic and good for your aura and the sleep ghost. If you want to survive maybe knock your neighbour over the head with a hammer and buy a chicken for once and reclaim some braincell protein

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Robert Alan-Haven 22.10.2010 12:08

At last - it is starting to dawn on some observers - forget the scientists, they will always find duality and argue about it, a kind of intellectual masturbation. Just look at what's happening and apply intelligence to the observations. Never mind the causes for a moment. Global warming is clearly happening. We only have to look at the retreating glaciers, the shrinking Arctic ice cap, the huge ice sheets breaking away from Antarctica, the melting of the Greenland ice cover. Never mind statistics and scientific opinions - we can see this all on our TV screens, computer screens, through satellite photography, and so on. In the northern hemisphere the catastrophic effect on the Gulf Stream is starting to be recognised - it should have been headlines years ago! As the Gulfstream declines, global warming will make Northern Europe, and the UK, much, much colder from hereon, not warmer. And this winter will be the first to really emphasize that; but there will always be many who prefer to keep their heads in the sand, or should I say the snow!

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Meslin 14.10.2010 19:00

On Oct 05 at 19:19, I sent a comment on that topic; referring from something learned from Mister Carl Sagan (notorious US astronomer). I asked RT or other commenter to check on it. I double-checked on my information but no-one else did. Consequently many silly statements have been published on a subject which require competent scientists' advises or even affirmations. Now, we have the knowledge on such serious subject to tell the virtual truth; not just joking about it. Best Regards...Jean-Claud e Meslin

+1

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