Weekly Weird News for 30 December 2022

Ice and lights

Hello everyone and welcome to the last Weekly Weird Newsletter of 2022. I reached back a little farther to catch stories I missed on vacation last week. And, if I manage it, there should be some extra posts coming up within the week with more weird fun. Speaking of vacation… I managed to miss the polar vortex in the US by being out of the country. Some of the weirdest stuff in this edition is related to the wacky weather. Let’s start there.

Once in a generation winter storm wallops US and Canada

The worst of the ice, snow, and cold hit the Great Lakes area. 

In Port Stanley, Ontario, 90- to 100-kilometer winds blowing across Lake Erie left bizarre natural ice formations along the pier. They were spooky.  https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/london/port-stanley-ice-formations-1.6698982

Lakefront houses in Fort Erie froze over. The homes that were encased in ice are likely damaged. https://www.theguardian.com/world/video/2022/dec/28/canada-drone-footage-shows-row-of-lakefront-houses-frozen-over-video

The ice features drew onlookers but authorities noted the situation was dangerous as the warming temperatures causes the ice to become unstable. https://toronto.citynews.ca/2022/12/28/fort-erie-ontario-crystal-beach-ice/ and https://www.washingtonpost.com/weather/2022/12/29/lake-erie-canada-frozen-homes-ice/ (Also accessible here.)

The extreme cold, ice and snow caused at least 28 deaths in Buffalo but they are still counting as they check homes and cars. In total, in the US and Canada, the death toll is over 90. Power outages were widespread. https://www.washingtonpost.com/weather/2022/12/26/buffalo-blizzard-deaths/

The storm, named “Elliott” by the Weather Channel, intensified into a bomb cyclone where the pressure bombs out or drops rapidly and generates incredible wind. The system, coupled with a high tide, cause serious coastal flooding along the Mid-Atlantic. https://www.wunderground.com/article/storms/winter/news/2022-12-23-winter-storm-elliott-bomb-cyclone-midwest-northeast-winds-snow

Extreme weather but no mention of cause

A Media Matters piece reflected on the attention major news outlets rightly paid to the extreme weather that occurred across the globe last year. But these sources failed to mention the events were made worse thanks to global warming. https://www.mediamatters.org/cable-news/how-2022s-best-extreme-weather-segments-point-way-forward-national-tv-news-extreme

Was this latest deadly winter storm related to climate change? Possibly. Climate change is disproportionately affecting the higher latitudes causing a disturbance that ripples across the planet. Even if this latest event can’t be attributed to burning fossil fuels, it does show that we are incredibly vulnerable to disruption and dangers of extreme weather-related events which are certainly coming more often and at a greater intensity than ever before. https://www.forbes.com/sites/ericmack/2022/12/24/why-winter-storm-elliott-is-more-new-normal-than-once-in-a-generation/?sh=1beb5cdb38b2

Light pillars in PA

The frigid temps plus ice crystals in the air caused a phenomenon called “light pillars” to appear in western Pennsylvania. The ice crystals extend a beam of light from the sources of light on the ground. https://www.wtaj.com/weather/weather-headlines/pillars-of-light-seen-in-somerset-county/

Darting lights over Wisconsin

As long as we are talking about lights in the sky, two other stories, interpreted as UFOs made the news this past week. I usually steer clear of such stories but these were important to call attention to. In the first instance, many witnesses in rural Wisconsin saw lights move rapidly across the sky. Some thought it was owls, others took the darting lights to be mysterious craft. The lights were seen on subsequent nights flying across the cloudy skies. UFO proponents called them “compelling” and mysterious “light anomalies”.  https://nypost.com/2022/12/19/bright-lights-in-wisconsin-raise-speculation-of-ufo-sightings-report/

But, their characteristics suggested something more down to earth. Mick West, the nemesis of every mystery-mongering UFO fan, showed that the lights were definitively a result of a holiday light show and pinpointed the location. Then he followed up by contacting the local authorities who confirmed that the Holy Cross light show was the source.  https://nypost.com/2022/12/21/wisconsin-ufo-sightings-may-have-been-local-christmas-lights-show/

Lights over Las Vegas

Oh, but the ufologists didn’t like that very much. Bah, humbug, they said. The reception was less enthusiastic, however, for a similar phenomenon that happened on the Las Vegas strip when people also reported weird lights in the sky above a club. It was confirmed by the local weather service that the lights were a reflection of ground lights in the same manner as the light pillars noted in the earlier story in PA. The tiny ice crystals acted like mirrors. People were able to match up the colors of the sky lights to that of large casinos nearby. https://ktla.com/news/ufo-over-the-las-vegas-strip-more-likely-a-rare-weather-phenomenon/

New movie coming to Netflix about the Hill’s abduction case

If you still want to believe in aliens, Netflix wants you as a customer. They have partnered with the Obama’s production company to produce a movie based on the story of Betty and Barney Hill who claim to have been abducted by a UFO in 1961 on a lonely New Hampshire road. https://www.whats-on-netflix.com/news/netflix-eyes-white-mountains-movie-adaptation-from-higher-ground-productions/

Salty heart

Transportation workers in Humpreys County, Tennessee found an adult male human heart in a road salt pile inside a storage barn. It was desiccated due to the salt so it could have been there a while. Police have no leads on finding other remains or leads to what happened. Homicide is suspected. https://www.wkrn.com/news/national/human-heart-found-in-transportation-department-salt-pile-in-tennessee/

World Cup witchcraft

Did witches help Argentina win the World Cup? According to them, they did. They interpret behaviors of star players as evidence they are affected by a curse. They use herbs, candles, prayers, stones, and spells to protect their players or remove the “negative energy” from the athletes. The more participants the better in order to increase their power. Communicating by Twitter, they pool their efforts. Superstitions run high in the sport and in Argentina where witchcraft is mainstream. Of course, the odds were even that their team would win and correlation does not equal causation. But they will continue to believe they had some say in the effort to win - it’s a way to bind the community together and feel as if they have control over an important event.  https://www.nytimes.com/2022/12/17/world/americas/argentina-world-cup-witches.html

New Year prophecies create fear and panic

Faith healers in Ghana traditionally make New Year prophecies which often cause people to worry. But officials are trying to crack down on the anxiety-producing proclamations. Ghanaian pastors say it’s freedom of religion. But the prophecies about shootings or calamity don’t actually come true any more than by chance or self-fulfillment. The attention the religious men get for their statements must be exhilarating and the people who hear them believe they have been given a gift. Instead, it’s a harmful sham. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-64102094

Plagued by fruit flies

A North Carolina neighborhood adjacent to a produce warehouse is plagued by swarms of fruit flies. The problem has been ongoing for over a year. The city planners can’t enforce the nuisance ordinance because the facility is outside the city limits. While the cold temps kill off some of the flies, they get into houses and into mouths. https://www.wral.com/they-get-in-my-mouth-fruit-fly-invasion-tormenting-people-in-nc-town/20647040/

Fishy pa-rump a pum pum

A low-frequency noise bothering coastal residents of Tampa, Florida has been pinpointed. A large population of black drum fish are mating this time of year. Their vocals resonate and, in large enough numbers, the fish sounds can travel into homes near shore. Residents claim even their windows rattle. Experts say the time of year, times of day, locations, and sightings of the schools of fish all point to them as being responsible for the noisy nights. https://www.fox35orlando.com/video/1159744

Car overturns inside garage

Still trying to wrap my head around this one… a car overturned inside a garage. Police were called to a Virginia residence after a woman was injured in an overturned car. We can only guess that she pulled in too quickly and ran over something that caused the car to flip over. Bet you can’t do that trick twice.  Nor would you want to. https://www.arlnow.com/2022/12/27/just-in-vehicle-overturns-in-homes-garage-injuring-woman/

(Don’t) Put a tiger in your tank or trunk

Police in Mexico pulled over a car for a minor offense. When the couple inside tried to elude officers, they were blocked and the car was searched for suspected drug smuggling. It’s not clear if drugs were found but hidden among the bags in the trunk were guns and a tiger cub. The baby was removed and sent to a shelter. Officials say it’s common to smuggle exotic animals along with drugs.  https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-64108019

I wish you all a happy new year. We could sure use it!

Thanks for reading!