1) World’s biggest iceberg heading toward penguin-packed island off Antarctica

Courtesy Barrie360.com and The Associated Press

By Seth Borenstein, January 24, 2025

Iceberg known as A23a – Cpl Tom Cann RAF/Crown copyright 2024 via AP

The world’s biggest iceberg — a wall of ice the size of Rhode Island — is lumbering toward a remote island off Antarctica that’s home to millions of penguins and seals.

The trillion-ton slab of ice — called a megaberg — could slam into South Georgia Island and get stuck or be guided around it by currents. If it gets stuck it could make it hard for penguin parents to feed their babies and some young could even starve. Overall, however, researchers aren’t too worried about major harm from the iceberg, named A23a.

What’s happening is more spectacular than dangerous, scientists said.

It’s also a natural process happening more frequently because of human-caused climate change, said British Antarctic Survey physical oceanographer Andrew Meijers, who examined the iceberg up close in December 2023 when it drifted past the research ship RRS Sir David Attenborough.

“The iceberg itself is colossal and it stretches from horizon to horizon,” Meijers said Thursday of the 130-foot (40-meter) tall mass. “It’s a huge wall, a Game of Thrones style wall of ice that towers above the ship. With some waves breaking against it and if you get a bit of sunshine coming through, it’s really dramatic.”

For every bit of the iceberg above the water’s surface, there’s ten times more below, Meijers said.

It’s not exactly high-speed action. The iceberg is making its way at a glacial pace of one meter every three to seven seconds, much slower than one mile per hour, Meijers said.

In the next two to four weeks the iceberg will approach South Georgia where the water gets shallow, so it could wedge itself in, Meijers said. Or it could slide past.

“Large icebergs bump into the shoals around South Georgia more or less every year — it’s a kind of highway for the major icebergs,” University of Colorado ice scientist Ted Scambos wrote in an email. “This ocean current path has been known since Shackleton’s time, he said, referring to Sir Ernest Henry Shackleton who led British expeditions to the southern continent. Shackleton made the trip to the island in just three weeks. “Usually the icebergs take a bit longer (he had sails),” he said.

Eventually, this big iceberg will break up into smaller ones and melt as icebergs do, Meijers said.

At full size, it doesn’t represent much of a hazard for fishermen in the area, because they can see it. The bigger concern is penguins which are in their summer breeding cycle, Meijers said.

“South Georgia is an amazingly ecologically rich island. It’s a breeding ground for a huge number of penguins, millions of penguins and seals,” Meijers said. “There’s lots of pups and chicks and they’re all still dependent on their parents.”

The parents go out quite a way into the water and forage. Icebergs can block pathways to their food, making the adults swim farther, burning more energy, bringing back less to the babies. That “unfortunately can dramatically increase mortality rates. And it has happened in the past,” Meijers said.

That’s bad for that colony, but it doesn’t amount to a problem for overall penguin populations, Scambos said.

“The whole ecosystem in the Southern Ocean is very resilient to these events,” he wrote. “It has evolved with these icebergs being a factor for hundreds of thousands of years.”

This iceberg first broke off in 1986 but has been penned in a crowded patch of sea ice for decades until a few years ago, Meijers said.

Calving icebergs are normal, but they are happening more frequently as the climate warms and more fresh water flows into the ocean, Meijers said.

2) Arctic Blast: Polar Vortex to unleash extended deep freeze on Barrie and beyond

Courtesy Barrie360.com

By Newsroom, January 19, 2025

Residents of Barrie and surrounding areas are bracing for a relentless onslaught of bone-chilling cold, as the polar vortex—also known as the Polar Express and Siberian Pipeline —descends on the region, promising a stretch of frigid temperatures not seen in two years. Daytime highs near -15°C and overnight lows nearing -26°C are expected.

Meteorologists are raising eyebrows not just at the depth of the cold but at its persistence delivering a brutal reminder of Canadian winter’s past. Wind chills could reach -30°C, testing even the hardiest residents.

Wind Chill and Squall Warnings in effect for parts of our region

“Last winter, we barely scratched the surface of freezing temperatures, with only nine consecutive sub-zero days,” climatologist David Phillips told Barrie 360. “This time, we’re in for a marathon of cold, with no significant melting in sight and snow flurries forecast daily for the next week.”

Adding to the frosty misery, Phillips said the Great Lakes remain largely ice-free, fuelling an active lake-effect snow engine. Georgian Bay, with up to 80% open water, is expected to generate daily bursts of snow flurries.

The Polar Vortex: A Frigid Force to Be Reckoned With

The polar vortex, a swirling mass of cold air typically confined to the Arctic, has weakened, spilling its icy grip across North America. This Siberian chill has swept down from the North Pole, barrelling through Canada and into the United States, reaching as far south as Texas and Louisiana.

https://open.spotify.com/embed/show/5rdaBeLeG0FbUNYVJiDryT?utm_source=oembed

“When the polar vortex weakens, it’s like opening the freezer door,” explained Phillips. “That cold air seeps out, filling every crevice. It’s thick, it’s unyielding, and it’s here to stay—for now.”

Finding Winter’s Silver Lining

While the biting cold isn’t for everyone, winter enthusiasts will revel in the frosty conditions. Local skiers, snowmobilers, and ice fishers are gearing up to enjoy pristine snow and solid ice.

Even amid the chill, there’s beauty to be found. “I love the crunch of snow underfoot and the sight of ‘sun dogs’ or ice crystals glinting in the air,” said Phillips. “There’s something magical about watching the weather unfold, even if it means enduring the cold.”

Stay Warm, Stay Safe

Authorities urge residents to bundle up, limit outdoor exposure, and ensure they have adequate supplies. With frostbite risks elevated and wind chills biting, preparation is key.

For those dreaming of escaping south, a word of caution: the Arctic blast has no borders. From Florida to New Orleans, unseasonable cold will follow. “This polar vortex is continental in size,” Phillips warned, “so even snowbirds might find themselves wishing for warmer days back home.”

3) Why are lone homes left standing after the L.A. fires? It’s not entirely luck

Courtesy Barrie360.com and The Associated Press

By Ed Davey And Ingrid Lobet, January 19, 2025

A home stands among residences destroyed by the Palisades Fire in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, Jan. 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Noah Berger, File)Emails and videos of burned buildings in Los Angeles next to those left standing have been flying back and forth among architects, builders and fire safety specialists around the world.

For many homeowners, like Enrique Balcazar, the sometimes scattershot nature of the carnage can seem like random chance. Balcazar, a real estate agent, posted video that showed little more than chimneys remaining of most homes on his block after fire leapt through his Altadena neighbourhood. Balcazar stood on his neighbour’s destroyed classic Mustang to douse his smouldering roof, but his home was otherwise fine..

“It’s an older house and it still has the old wood sidings,” Balcazar said. “To me there’s nothing explainable in logical or scientific reason of why my house would not have burned.”

Many experts say luck does play a part. After all, wind can shift 180 degrees in a split second, pushing fire away from your house and towards a neighbour’s. But they also say there are many ways that homes can be made less vulnerable to fire.

“Because there are, say, 50 ways a fire can burn your house,” said Greg Faulkner of Faulkner Architects in California, who has focused on less combustible home exteriors for more than a decade. “If you eliminate half of those, or three-quarters of them, that’s not luck, that’s increasing your odds.”

People in fire country generally know that trees, landscaping and wood fences near homes can be a fire risk. Architects and contractors are going beyond that, using newer materials and techniques in roofing, walls and windows to keep buildings standing. The measures do add cost to the homes — around 3% to 6%, Faulkner said, or as much as 10% for the most robust protection.

Many of these experts no longer use wood siding. Where it is used, or still allowed, it needs to have a fire-resistant barrier underneath, often made of gypsum, the same material used to make drywall. That way if the wood catches fire, it takes longer for the heat to reach inside the home

But even with that, you’re still putting a combustible material on the building, said Richard Schuh, with Nielsen : Schuh Architects. “So that would be something we would avoid. Use of fire-resistant materials is critical.”

Stucco, a cement material, is a common exterior for Southern California houses and it’s fire-resistant. Reviewing AP photographs showing buildings still standing, Arnold Tarling, who has four decades experience in fire protection and building inspection in Britain, said houses with stucco walls appeared to survive the Los Angeles fires better. Yet if more of them had had a layer of gypsum beneath the stucco, it would have given more protection from the heat, he said.

Windows are a huge factor in whether a home burns down, because so much heat is transmitted through them. Double-pane windows significantly slow heat coming from the burning building next door.

“The outside layer protects the inside layer until it fails,” said Schuh. Codes in many places require one of the two panes to be tempered, which is much more resistant to heat than conventional glass, he said.

Tarling noted one intact Malibu beachfront home, surrounded by gutted buildings. He speculated that the fact that no windows faced a neighbour helped protect it because radiated heat couldn’t penetrate as easily.

In his buildings, Faulkner builds in fire shutters that can slide closed and cover the windows.

Then there’s the roof — a convenient landing pad for fire embers.

Simpler roof lines can allow red-hot embers to slide off. Spanish Mission, for example, is an iconic Los Angeles style — part of what says “Hollywood” in movies about the city, for example, as well as a reminder of its Mexican and Spanish history. That style doesn’t always have simple roof lines — the knee walls that are common on Mission-style roofs create corners.

“The embers could, just like snow, gather in that corner,” Faulkner said.

Many roofs in the U.S. are covered in asphalt. Areas that are designated as wildfire-prone in California – an ever-growing area – are required to use roofing that delays the transfer of heat to the inside of the building, called one-hour or Class A.

Still, asphalt is a petroleum product. Some building professionals prefer metal, which doesn’t burn. Metal has its own downside, though: It conducts heat. Putting a layer of gypsum under a metal roof is becoming a common practice in some areas.

Maybe as important as which material is used on a roof is whether the roof offers fire a way to get in. Here, as in so many tradeoffs, one effort to do good conflicts with another: Contractors have been more careful over the years to make sure moisture doesn’t build up in attics by making sure air circulates, using those vents that are visible on many roofs or under eaves.

But in a powerful fire, Schuh says, “if you’re on the side where the wind is putting pressure against the house, it’s also blowing the flames into the house like a blow torch,” and fire gets in through the vents.

On the other side of the house, it can create a vacuum, several experts said, sucking fire in.

But you can’t easily just eliminate roof ventilation because it will cause moisture problems, said Cesar Martin Gomez, an architect at the University of Navarra, Spain, who’s worked for 25 years in building services.

Faulkner said in some buildings he’s eliminating the need for ventilation in the roof structure by sealing the spaces. Schuh is using a cover on roof vents that can actually respond to fire with a mesh that closes.

Martin Gomez noted that in some parts of Australia, new homes are required to have water tanks. “If each home has the ability to protect itself, fire won’t be able to spread as much,” he said.

And some homes in the U.S. are now built with sprinkler systems for the outside of the house, not just the inside. It sprays water with a soapy solution to make it flow over the surface of the building, Schuh said.

“You’re adding one more layer of protection to your building, and that’s more of a priority now than ever because your insurance company may or not be around for you,” he said.

4) Southern California braces for gusty winds and heightened wildfire risk

Courtesy Barrie360.com and The Associated Press

By Canadian Press, January 20, 2025

Southern Californians are bracing for gusty winds and a heightened risk of wildfires, less than two weeks after the outbreak of deadly blazes that have killed at least 27 people and charred thousands of homes.

The National Weather Service has issued a warning of a “ particularly dangerous situation ” for parts of Los Angeles and Ventura counties from Monday afternoon through Tuesday morning due to low humidity and damaging Santa Ana winds. Gusts could peak at 70 mph (113 kph) along the coast and 100 mph (160 kph) in the mountains and foothills.

Windy weather and single-digit humidity are expected to linger through Thursday, said Rich Thompson, a meteorologist for the National Weather Service. He said the fire risk is also elevated because the region hasn’t seen rain since April.

Critical fire weather with wind gusts up to 60 mph (97 kph) was also forecast for Southern California communities stretching to San Diego on Monday and Tuesday, with residents urged to take steps to get ready to evacuate such as creating an emergency kit and keeping cars filled with at least a half tank of gas. A windblown dust and ash advisory was also issued, as high winds could disperse ash from existing fire zones across Southern California.

The warnings come as firefighters continue to battle two major blazes in the Los Angeles area, the Palisades and Eaton fires, which have destroyed more than 14,000 structures since they broke out during fierce winds on Jan. 7. The Palisades fire was 52% contained on Sunday and the Eaton fire 81% contained, according to fire officials.

Firefighters have made progress on the perimeter of the Palisades fire, which has blackened more than 37 square miles (96 square kilometres) near the Pacific coast, but there are areas in the interior that continue to burn, said Dan Collins, a spokesperson for the Palisades fire incident.

“There is always a possibility in a red flag warning something hot, or some type of burning material from the interior, could be perhaps whipped up and blown across the containment lines,” Collins said.

While firefighters are fairly confident the Eaton fire further inland will remain contained, there are concerns a new fire could break out with vegetation especially dry for this time of year, said Carlos Herrera, an Eaton fire spokesperson.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom has positioned fire engines, water-dropping aircraft and hand crews across the region to enable a quick response should a new fire break out, according to the governor’s office of emergency services.

“This proactive approach has proven to be a critical component of California’s wildfire response strategy, reducing response times and containing fires before they escalate,” the office said.

Damage estimates have continued to climb for the Palisades and Eaton fires nearly two weeks since they began. Inspectors have fanned out to check buildings and assess damages, but Collins said it is impossible to know whether the remaining structures affected in the Palisades fire are intact.

“Our damage inspection teams have to inspect every structure within the fire perimeter,” Collins said. “They’re about two-thirds of the way done.”

Fire officials said they were focused on repopulating evacuated areas, with residents allowed to return Sunday to the hillside area of Pacific Palisades known as the highlands.

Authorities said two people were arrested Saturday while attempting to enter an evacuation zone for the Palisades fire and are being investigated for impersonating firefighters. The pair were wearing turnout gear and claimed to be from an Oregon fire agency, but they weren’t, and the truck they were driving had been bought at auction, the Los Angeles County sheriff’s department said in a statement.