Italy Concerned Over Mild, Dry Winter

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A man walks in a field near Cavalese, in the Italian Alps, 12 January 2007. The lack of snow across Europe has affected ski resort workers, layed off by their employers and disrupted World Ski events. In Italy, the world free-style ski championships, due to take place January 22-27, have been scrapped, with temperatures around 10 C (50 F) -the norm for May, not January- at the venue of Campo Imperatore. Photo courtesy AFP.

by Staff Writers
Rome (AFP) Jan 15, 2007
Italian officials and weather experts raised fears Monday that an exceptionally mild and dry winter will hurt agriculture. "We are developing medium-term scenarios in case of an absence of precipitation," said Guido Bertolaso, head of Italy's civil protection service, after a meeting here.

December was the warmest in Italy since records began in 1860, though lower temperatures are predicted next week.

The absence of snow has already hurt the winter ski season, and the Italian Agriculture Confederation fears a drought similar to that of 2003, which caused some five billion euros (6.5 billion dollars) in losses, notably in the agricultural sector.

"We must act locally but think globally against climate change because it is a planetary phenomenon that requires a maximum of effort," said Franco Prodi, director of the National Research Center in Bologna.

"It is obvious that the weak precipitation is of concern," added Prodi, a brother of Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi.

Bertolaso said a cold wave would be disastrous for fruit trees that are already flowering.

earlier related report
2006 Warmest Year On Record In US, Sixth Warmest In World
Washington (AFP) Jan 09 - 2006 was the warmest year on record in the United States and the sixth warmest in all the world, the National Climate Data Center (NCDC) said Tuesday. The average temperature last year in the United States, excluding Alaska and Hawaii states, was 12.8 degrees Celsius (55 Farenheit) or 1.2 degrees C (2.2 F) above the 20th century yearly average. It was also 0.04 degrees C (0.07 F) higher than 1998, the previous hottest year in US history, the Data Center said.

The Center did not link December's unusually high temperatures in the United States to global warming, which most scientists blame on industry-generated greenhouse gas emissions that have been increasing over the past 30 years.

It also did not evaluate what impact last month's warming trend the El Nino phenomenon -- a periodic shift in warm Pacific Ocean currents that affects climate worldwide -- might have had.

December 2006 began with its normal chill in the United States, but temperatures rose in the second half, especially in the northern part of the country.

By the end the month became the fourth warmest December on record, and 2006 the warmest year on record.

Source: Agence France-Presse

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Ice storms, Snow, Floods, Tornado Wallop North America Killing Scores

Chicago (AFP) Jan 14, 2007
Freezing rain, snow, sleet, flash floods and at least one tornado walloped the United States this weekend, killing at least 13 people in accidents on slick roads as a storm front blanketed much of the country, local media and authorities said.

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