Winter’s WorstOne of the most bitter Siberian...

Winter’s Worst

One of the most bitter Siberian cold fronts in decades plunged a wide area of Europe into an early winter deep-freeze with temperatures dropping to 49 degrees below zero Fahrenheit in parts of Russia. At least 50 people have frozen to death from southern England to Moscow. Icy winds blowing across the Ukraine downed trees and power lines, cutting off power to several Black Sea communities. The wintry mess also caused a 160-mile-long traffic jam in metropolitan Paris.

Across the Atlantic, a sharp cold snap hit Mexico where snow fell in some areas for the first time in 120 years. The cold is blamed for at least 60 deaths and for extensive losses of winter produce crops.

Super Typhoon

The U.S. territory of Guam was hammered by the highest winds ever recorded from a typhoon or hurricane. The official wind instrument at Guam’s Anderson Air Force Base measured a gust of 236 mph just as it was being knocked down by super typhoon Paka’s peak winds. The storm generated 40-foot waves that pounded the coast, sending seaside residents rushing for higher ground. Thousands were made homeless, and all of the island’s power plants were severely damaged by the storm.

Meteorite Fall

A meteorite may have triggered a fire that killed four small children in central Colombia, according to Bogota’s El Espectador. The newspaper quoted witnesses, including the children’s father and local firefighters, as saying that “fireballs” had been spotted raining down from the sky in the improverished area of Huila province where the children perished. No evidence of a meteorite was found in the house, but a 10-inch hole was discovered in its zinc roof, along with traces of sulfur-like substance.

Earthquakes

A magnitude 4.6 tremblor along the southern coast of Peru sent residents rushing out of shaking buildings in Pisco, but caused no significant damage. Earth movements were also felt in southern Mexico, the Aleutian Islands, central and northern Japan, Tajikistan, Albania and Alabama.

Christmas Cockroaches

Children in northeastern Australia are hoping Santa will bring them the latest pet craze int he state of Queensland--giant cockroaches nearly three inches long. The whopper roaches are 30 times heavier than the typical Australian house cockroach, are wingless and eat only dead leaves. Queenland Museum insect curator Geoff Monteith, who discovered a colony of the giant roaches six months ago, said that Macro-panesthia rhinoceros are very robust, and kids can pick them up and cuddle them by hand, then put them back in a box.

Additional Sources: U.S. Climate Analysis Center, U.S. Military Typhoon Warning Center at Guam, U.S. Earthquake Information Center and the World Meteorological Organization