Volcanos, Tsunamis, hurricanes, earthquakes, mudslides, tornados, heat waves, cold waves, dry spells, wet spells, rogue waves, even the animal kingdom is experiencing changes. What is going on?

The recent volcanoes in Alaska have done more damage to the environment than 100 Anwar drillings.

Eruptions Continue From Volcano on Alaska Island

Published: January 15, 2006

HOMER, Alaska, Jan. 14 (AP) - Eruptions from the Augustine volcano continued early Saturday on an uninhabited island near the entrance to Cook Inlet about 180 miles southwest of Anchorage.

The volcano, which began erupting Wednesday after a 20-year lull, had erupted at least eight times by Saturday morning, and scientists at the Alaska Volcano Observatory said they expected more eruptions over the next days or weeks.


"I see no reason they would stop," said Stephanie Prejean, a seismologist with the United States Geological Survey.

On Friday, plumes of ash from the volcano had drifted across Cook Inlet and into Homer, 75 miles to the northeast, halting air travel and closing schools in parts of the Kenai Peninsula.

In Seldovia, 15 miles north of Homer, the city manager, Kurt Reynertson noticed a fine dusting of ash on cars, but he said, "That's the only way I was able to pick up that there was ash falling."

The ash cloud could pose a health risk, especially for people with respiratory problems.

Alaska Airlines canceled 28 flights into Anchorage and Fairbanks on Friday and early Saturday, and Charlie Franz, chief executive of South Peninsula Hospital in Homer, said extra filters were being installed in the hospital's ventilation system.

"Just don't go out if you don't have to," he said. "I think that's probably the best advice people can get."

The volcano, a 4,134-foot mountain, erupted for 44 minutes on Friday, starting shortly before 4 a.m. and sending a plume 34,000 feet high, more than six miles.

A second eruption followed at 8:47 a.m. and lasted about four and a half minutes. The Alaska Volcano Observatory said it sent up a plume at least 30,000 feet high. One pilot's report put the plume at 52,000 feet, or nearly 10 miles high.

Pilots reported lightning in the plume, said an observatory spokeswoman, Jennifer Adleman. Lightning is created in ash plumes when particles rub together and generate a static charge.

The volcano erupted in 1976 and again in 1986, when ash from a seven-mile-high column drifted over Anchorage and kept flights out of the skies over Cook Inlet.

Anchorage received 0.12 inches of ash in the 1976 eruption and less than 0.04 inches in 1986. About 0.2 inches fell on Homer in both eruptions.

It's always something.

I was reading about some strange happenings elsewhere.

http://www.greatdreams.com/stigmata.htm

Mystical Stigmata

To decide merely the facts without deciding whether or not they may be explained by supernatural causes, history tells us that many ecstatics bear on hands, feet, side, or brow the marks of the Passion of Christ with corresponding and intense sufferings. These are called visible stigmata. Others only have the sufferings, without any outward marks, and these phenomena are called invisible stigmata.

I. FACTS

Their existence is so well established historically that, as a general thing, they are no longer disputed by unbelievers, who now seek only to explain them naturally. Thus a free-thinking physician, Dr. Dumas, professor of religious psychology at the Sorbonne, clearly admits the facts (Revue des Deux Mondes, 1 May, 1907), as does also Dr. Pierre Janet (Bulletin de l'Institut psychologique international, Paris, July, 1901).

St. Catherine of Siena at first had visible stigmata but through humility she asked that they might be made invisible, and her prayer was heard. This was also the case with St. Catherine de' Ricci, a Florentine Dominican of the sixteenth century, and with several other stigmatics. The sufferings may be considered the essential part of visible stigmata; the substance of this grace consists of pity for Christ, participation in His sufferings, sorrows, and for the same end--the expiation of the sins unceasingly committed in the world. If the sufferings were absent, the wounds would be but an empty symbol, theatrical representation, conducing to pride. If the stigmata really come from God, it would be unworthy of His wisdom to participate in such futility, and to do so by a miracle.

Remember Mount Pinatubo caused a cooling effect of the whole earth because of the volcanic dust?

I think something like that caused the ice age.

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

Flooding, mudflows lead to state of emergency
By Seattle Times staff and news services

Gov. Christine Gregoire declared a state of emergency Friday after nearly a month of rainy days has left millions of dollars of destruction from flooding, mudflows and landslides.

In her proclamation, Gregoire said the rain has caused more than $7.3 million of damage to transportation infrastructure in King, Pierce, Clallam, Skagit, Pacific, Grays Harbor, Lewis, Thurston, Jefferson, Mason, Kitsap and Spokane counties.

Gregoire's signature means the process to get federal funding — should the state request it — would be speeded up for these counties, said spokesman Lars Erickson.

"It also puts everyone on elevated alert — that we have emergencies we might have to deal with, and the governor expects you're going to be ready to address those," spokeswoman Holly Armstrong said.

Oregon Gov. Ted Kulongoski also made an emergency declaration Friday.

In addition to the destruction, the unrelenting water has produced a deluge of whining and renewed jokes about Seattle's dreariness. Still, Seattle isn't even Washington's wettest city, let alone the rainiest city in the country.

If Seattle's wet streak — which stood at 26 days Friday — exceeds the previous record of 33 consecutive days, set in 1953, it won't even be a blip in the national weather record books. No place compares with the achievement of Hawaii, where Kaneohe Ranch on the island of Oahu recorded 247 consecutive days of rain from Aug. 27, 1993, through April 30, 1994.

"Hawaii has some amazing rainfall statistics," said Jim Ashby, a climatologist with the Western Regional Climate Center in Reno, Nev.

Seattle had 0.57 of an inch of rain Thursday for a total of 12.41 inches since Dec. 19, when the city started on the path toward its own record, which it could match on Jan. 20 or beat on Jan. 21. Friday, another rainy day, was the 26th successive day of rain.

Ashby noted that rainy days in Hawaii are different from those with precipitation in the Pacific Northwest.

"It's not quite as overcast and dismal. You get some sun between," he said.

The wettest city in Washington? Centralia, which is about halfway between Seattle and Portland, set the Washington record for consecutive days of precipitation with 55 between late 1996 and early 1997.

Snow could have contributed to the record and "some of those days were just a hundredth of an inch," Ashby said.

Rivers around the Seattle area were still at or near flood conditions on Friday, although National Weather Service flood watches in Clallam, Grays Harbor, Jefferson, King, Lewis, Mason, Pierce, Skagit, Snohomish, Thurston and Whatcom counties were set to expire at the end of the day. No new mudslides have been reported, but officials have said ground saturation levels continue to make more slides possible.

BNSF Railway reopened its tracks to passenger trains Friday, 48 hours after a Wednesday landslide halted both Amtrak and Sound Transit's Sounder train service between Seattle and Everett.

In West Seattle, 7,500 customers lost power for a few hours early Friday morning after gusting winds and rain toppled a tree, which then knocked down a power line.

"The ground was so saturated that the tree's roots couldn't hold it in wind gusts," said Sharon Bennett, Seattle City Light spokeswoman.

The state Department of Transportation reported one new weather-related road closure. State Route 508 in Lewis County in Onalaska, which is a few miles south of Centralia, was closed Friday morning because of what officials are calling "severe settling," due to heavy rains. A detour was in place.

The Mount Baker Ski Area was closed Friday because of high avalanche danger. Ski area managers said the combination of deep snow, warming temperatures and rain raised the avalanche danger.

Condo owners along Lake Sammamish, about 12 miles east of Seattle, have seen water lapping at their doorways this week. Lakeside property owners are used to losing their docks underwater, but this year's heavy storms have rainwater pouring into the lake from every side. The Sammamish Slough is not big enough to handle the overflow.Seattle Times

It hardly rained at all today. Yeehaw! Party down, dudes!

$7.6 mil ain't nothin'. Gregoire & Co. have been boasting of a 1.45 billion "monster surplus" (the press terms it) owing to all the tax increases and a better economy.

I've told you guys it's miserable here, with mudslides shutting the trains down and flooding wherever it can. Feel like we're livin' on the edge. New Orleans had a big levee (that broke) and we have a little one (that ain't broke yet, but sometimes they have to spring so it doesn't break. Eeeeeek.).

Weird Winter Weather Across U.S.


Jan. 13, 2006 — Sunshine and 57 degrees. Can this really be Chicago in January?

Today will be the 22nd straight day of above-normal temperatures in parts of the Midwest. In the Northeast, New Yorkers will likely trade sweaters for short sleeves. The normal temperature in New York City for this time of year is 38 degrees, but today's forecast is 54. Boston's normal is 36 — today's forecast is 56. And in Washington D.C., the normal temperature is 42 degrees. Today, try 62.


"The good thing about these warm temperatures, it saved us an awful lot of money," said Phil Flynn, energy trader for Alaron Trading Corp.

Bernie Rayno, meteorologist for Accuweather, explained the warm-weather phenomenon.

"The reason for the warmth across the United States is a westerly flow," Rayno said. "In a westerly flow, the air comes from the Pacific and as it comes down from the eastern side of the Rockies, it warms and it dries. And that's the air mass that we've been under."

That warm air is then propelled straight across the country by the current jet stream — what's called a strong "Pacific jet."

But the pleasant weather isn't being felt everywhere in the U.S. There are record rains in Seattle, bizarre winter wildfires in Colorado, and drought so bad in Arizona that water reservoirs are running dangerously low.

"The pattern we're in right now is somewhat strange, leaving some areas quite wet, some areas quite dry," said Bob Glancy of the U.S. Weather Service.

Put simply, the West has been cut in two by a powerful jet stream that's sending all of the precipitation north — leaving almost nothing for southwestern states.

The result is a total drenching of Oregon and Washington — wreaking havoc on homes and hillsides. In the process, the rains also have nearly broken the region's rainy day record.

"I've had enough!" said Seattle resident Helene Cho. "I don't care about the record!"

Northern Colorado is getting that rain in the form of a massive snowfall. But the southern part of the state is getting nothing, resulting in unusual winter wildfires.

Arizona is also worried about wildfires. Phoenix hasn't had a single drop of rain since Oct. 18. Last year was the exact opposite.

One piece of potentially good news: Forecasters say the storm track may change soon, shifting more moisture to the south.

Weird Weather

Attack of the Giant Ice Balls




In January 2000, Spain came under attack from an unknown assailant. Giant chunks of ice dropped from cloudless skies and crushed car hoods, punched through rooftops and windshields, and slammed into the shoulder of an elderly woman. In a 10-day period, 15 basketball-sized ice balls weighing up to 8 pounds pelted southern Spain.

At first, Spanish authorities deemed the mysterious mass the work of passing aircraft - likely frozen excrement from the lavatory or perhaps condensed ice sliding off the wing - and sent the offending ball to the laboratory to be examined. But then the ice balls kept falling, and new theories emerged: Perhaps it was something extraterrestrial like stray ice from a passing comet, or perhaps a byproduct of some strange new meteorological condition? Was it a hoax? Is it a hoax?

Jesus Martinez-Frias, a senior scientist at the Center for Astrobiology in Madrid, raced all over Spain collecting the chunks of ice preserved by witnesses and brought them back to the lab for analysis. Martinez-Frias and his team found that the ice balls did not contain human excrement or the trademark blue disinfectant used in airplane toilets. They also discovered that the ice balls did not fall from an airplane¹s fuselage because the sites did not correspond with known flight paths.

They also found there was nothing extraterrestrial about them. Martinez-Frias and his co-workers discovered that the ice had the chemical signature of this world¹s hailstones.

Of course, after the story broke, a couple of merry pranksters made fraudulent ice balls- one out of salt, the other taken from a restaurant freezer- which were easily identifiable as imposters not only because of their chemical signature, but also because they lacked the trademark onionskin layering of hailstones.

Most hailstones are the size of peas and weigh a fraction of an ounce; sometimes they reach the size of baseballs. The largest hailstone on record in the United States weighed in at 27 ounces - nowhere close to the 6 to 8 pound monsters that dropped on Spain. The really big hailstones usually accompany ferocious thunderstorms that produce tornados.

Hailstones are formed by winds known as updrafts that blow upward in thunderstorms. The droplets of supercooled water - water that is at a temperature below freezing, but not yet ice - are carried upward where they hit ice crystals, freezing them instantly and causing the ice ball to grow. Hailstones cycle between the updraft to the top of the cloud, the descent along the outer edge of the cloud, and back up again. The hailstones grow with each revolution until they become too heavy for the updraft to lift anymore, and they fall out the bottom of the cloud.

Which is why, what scientists are now calling megacryometeors are so puzzling. If megacryometeors really are big hailstones, the updrafts would have to be extremely strong. And you would expect that they would be accompanied by the storm of the century, but instead they have fallen from cloudless skies.

Since the deluge of megacryometeors that rained on Spain in January 2000, the Martinez-Frias team has studied and followed this phenomenon; and they have found that this phenomenon isn¹t unique to Spain. Argentina, Australia, Austria, Canada, Colombia, The Netherlands, New Zealand, and the United States have reported a megacryometeor event. In all, there have been more than 50 confirmations, and the researchers believe that is only a small fraction of the actual number. The ice balls are getting larger too: 25 and 35 pounders are frequently reported. Recently, Brazil reported a 440-pound behemoth.

So what's the deal - really big hail or something else?

Global warming might be to blame: The researchers found a meteorological anomaly on the days preceding the megacryometeorological events; ozone levels were unusually low over southeastern Spain, which allowed more solar radiation to reach the troposphere, thereby cooling the lower stratosphere.

Another meteorological team found that the lower stratosphere was unusually moist during the 10 days the ice balls fell. They speculated that the nuclei of the ice ball could have been lingering jet contrails that then descended through a nearly saturated atmosphere.

There have been detractors. Some meteorologists and hail experts have denounced the theories posed by Martinez-Frias, stating that formation of hail without thick highly-visible clouds is an impossibility.

However, in the summer of 2002, Martinez-Frias and fellow researchers proposed a novel mechanism for generating what one would constitute as hail on a clear day.

Perhaps megacryometeors is the work of a master prankster; perhaps it's the byproduct of global warming. I'm sure we¹ll soon find out. After all, the sky is rising - say scientists in California.

The answer is simple...Judy!

IT'S ALL THAT FRACKING BUSH'S FAULT!

AS SOON AS WE SIGN THAT DAMN KYOTO TREATY...EVERYTHING RETURNS TO NORMAL!

Drought and fires here

It was raining cats and dogs outside.

I stepped in a poodle.

Clinton did it.

Ya mean da poor frogs?


It's called the Greenhouse effect.

It was raining cats and dogs here. Now they have been replaced by snowing Polar Bears and Penquins.

That fracking Bush!




Does this mean the the evolution from a tadpole to a frog is going to change?

Probably they will devolve back into tadpoles.

You're an idiot.

Any reason why you have no sense of humor?
Is it a libural thingy?

Anyone that has seem a tadpole morph into a frog has witnessed evolution.

WEIRD WEATHER-


Across the East, a strong cold front produced a broad area of showers and thunderstorms across the southern Ohio Valley, the Tennessee Valley and the middle and lower Mississippi Valley.
A few of these storms become strong to severe with gusty winds, large hail and even a few isolated tornadoes.

For example, quarter-size hail was reported in Eudora, Mississippi. A strong wind gust destroyed a mobile home near Monette, Arkansas.

Strong, gusty winds damaged a store and brought numerous power lines down across Jonesboro, Arkansas.

Small to moderate-size hail fell across Bogalusa, Louisiana as a storm pushed through. Penny-size hail fell across Trotwood, Ohio and also across Ferdinand, Indiana. Heavy downpours accompanied this activity. Rainfall amounts of up to one inch fell across these regions.

Farther east, partly to variably cloudy skies with dry and mild conditions dominated across the Northeast and the Mid-Atlantic.

Lows dropped into the 20's, 30's and 40's across the Northeast and the Great Lakes; 30's and 40's across the Mid-Atlantic; and 40's and 50's across the Ohio and Tennessee Valleys, the Gulf Coast, and the Southeast.

Across the western two-thirds of the country, scattered rain and mountain snow showers continued across the Pacific Northwest, far northern California, and portions of northern Idaho and far western Montana. Snow levels were high with this system. Snow levels ranged from 5000 to 6000 feet across the Pacific Northwest.

Snowfall totals of three to eight inches were observed across the highest elevations. Rainfall across the lower elevations was mainly restricted to the coast and was up to half an inch. For example, Tacoma, Washington reported 0-point-36 inches of rain. Strong, gusty winds were observed along the coasts of Oregon and Washington.

Winds gusted to 25 to 35 miles-per-hour across these areas, with isolated higher gusts. For example, Hoquiam, Washington reported a wind gust of 40 miles-per-hour. Elsewhere, high pressure brought partly cloudy skies with dry conditions to the central and southern Rockies, southern California, the Desert Southwest and the Great Plains.

Lows will drop into the teens and 20's across the northern Plains, and the northern and central Rockies; the 20's and 30's across the central Plains and the southern Rockies; and 30's and 40's across the southern Plains, the Pacific Northwest, the Intermountain West, and California.


My daughter and her family flew to Park City, UT last night for a ski trip and said that it was the roughest plane ride that she ever had. The turbulance was so great that the pilot kept changing altitudes.

Could it be roumors of wars and catastrophes like in the bible?



Or could it just be sattelite communications? Yes, I think so. It's as simple as that.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2087-1938132,00.html

Arizona could have its driest winter season in centuries

PHOENIX (AP) — As much of Arizona enters an 11th year of drought conditions, the state could experience its driest winter season in centuries.

And that has officials worried about agriculture, water supplies and the threat of wildfires.

Arizona's mountains are virtually bare, with snowpack conditions worse than they were at the same time in 2002 — a year that set records as one of the driest in five centuries.

Rural areas are bracing for water shortages by early summer if rains don't come.

January and February typically bring much of the snow needed to refill reservoirs and keep rivers and forests healthy.

But a stubborn weather pattern has been steering every storm north of Arizona so far this winter.

The Salt and Verde rivers' watersheds received just 0.14 of an inch of rain in November and December, and none has fallen in Phoenix since Oct. 18.

"I've never seen anything like this," said Larry Martinez, water supply specialist for the federal Natural Resources Conservation Service. "It's quite shocking to a lot of folks who depend on the snow. There could still be a miracle turnaround; don't underestimate Mother Nature. But the trend doesn't look good for us right now."

Farmers who draw on smaller rivers and reservoirs could run short this year. The lack of rain will increase the demand for water early in growing seasons, which will further weaken supplies.

Poor range conditions could tighten grazing allotments, squeezing ranchers who have yet to recover from earlier dry years.

Meanwhile, some experts are already predicting one of the worst wildfire seasons in years around Arizona with a lethal combination of drying trees and dried-out grass and shrubs.

The state Department of Water Resources had begun meeting with local leaders under a drought plan produced two years ago by a governor's task force.

That process, led in part by a newly appointed statewide drought coordinator, is expected to take on added importance as rural communities seek guidance in creating drought and conservation blueprints.

The main effect of the dry winter in the Phoenix metropolitan area is an increase in water consumption, say city water departments.

Mesa increased its use of Central Arizona Project water by 17% in November and 26% in December.

Whether cities will be forced to dip into other reserves depends on the weather for the next two or three months. Forecasters are predicting warm, dry conditions.

USA TODAY

There was supposed to be a 30% chance of rain today and it's sunny and 65. Would be nice to have Seattle weather for a week or two. Hopefully the pattern shifts south.

Good thing we live in an age where a lot of water is brought in pipes and canals rather than direct from ground to user.

And Mexico

Posted 1/12/2006 3:07 PM

State could have its driest winter season in centuries

PHOENIX (AP) — As much of Arizona enters an 11th year of drought conditions, the state could experience its driest winter season in centuries.
And that has officials worried about agriculture, water supplies and the threat of wildfires.

Arizona's mountains are virtually bare, with snowpack conditions worse than they were at the same time in 2002 — a year that set records as one of the driest in five centuries.

Rural areas are bracing for water shortages by early summer if rains don't come.

January and February typically bring much of the snow needed to refill reservoirs and keep rivers and forests healthy.

But a stubborn weather pattern has been steering every storm north of Arizona so far this winter.

The Salt and Verde rivers' watersheds received just 0.14 of an inch of rain in November and December, and none has fallen in Phoenix since Oct. 18.

"I've never seen anything like this," said Larry Martinez, water supply specialist for the federal Natural Resources Conservation Service. "It's quite shocking to a lot of folks who depend on the snow. There could still be a miracle turnaround; don't underestimate Mother Nature. But the trend doesn't look good for us right now."

Farmers who draw on smaller rivers and reservoirs could run short this year. The lack of rain will increase the demand for water early in growing seasons, which will further weaken supplies.

Poor range conditions could tighten grazing allotments, squeezing ranchers who have yet to recover from earlier dry years.

Meanwhile, some experts are already predicting one of the worst wildfire seasons in years around Arizona with a lethal combination of drying trees and dried-out grass and shrubs.

The state Department of Water Resources had begun meeting with local leaders under a drought plan produced two years ago by a governor's task force.

That process, led in part by a newly appointed statewide drought coordinator, is expected to take on added importance as rural communities seek guidance in creating drought and conservation blueprints.

The main effect of the dry winter in the Phoenix metropolitan area is an increase in water consumption, say city water departments.

Mesa increased its use of Central Arizona Project water by 17% in November and 26% in December.

Whether cities will be forced to dip into other reserves depends on the weather for the next two or three months. Forecasters are predicting warm, dry conditions.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Copyright 2006 The Associated Press.

Phoenix has always been a water hog. Per capita they use a lot more water than we do. They should have been planning to save water years ago. Time to let those lawns die and put in cactus and mesquites.

http://www.globalwarming.org/

Jumping to Conclusions: Frogs, Global Warming and Nature
World Climate Report, January 11, 2006

Celebrities Causing Frogs to Croak?
FoxNews, January 13, 2006

I know that you wish you could pipe water from the Great Lakes down to your desert. Maybe if you offered to trade some sunshine, they would take you up on it.

About this time of year it would be a good trade for all.

I think you would have a lot of takers.

that is cool. I'd like to say I shot it.

Stolen. (Meaning: I'm stealing it. Consider it done.)



How 'bout if you've witnessed a bee evolve into a hornet?

http://www.israelnn.com/news.php3?id=96453

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/4508964.stm

Gotta wonder how much point there is to worrying about local levees and $1.6 million spent on "studies" and nothing else.

A wanabee hornet.

Point taken.

A good deal of Florida should take notice.

About levies?

That's neat!
Daytona Beach now borders North Dakota. Won't have to look for 'Sharks' anymore!

Weather events should not be confused with climate.


It has been said that the difference between weather and climate is that climate is what we expect and weather is what we get. Meteorologists consider climate to be the long term manifestation of either the condition or the course of the weather, and climate is defined by the statistical collection of weather conditions for a given region during a specified interval of time, usually several decades (see the Glossary of Meteorology, American Meteorological Society, 1986, or National Climate Data Center U.S. Climate Normals for more details). Given this definition of climate and its distinction from weather, a single weather event, or even a spell of unusual weather, may be unprecedented and still well within the bounds of "normal" climate variability. Weather and climate records in the U.S. have only been collected for a little over 100 years, which is too short a period to determine whether or not the events of this winter were so far outside the range of normal variability as to be caused by human intervention in the earth's climate. Such an event or group of events, by itself, is not an indication of a climatic trend, even if many years from now hindsight indicates that it was part of such a trend. Link

Where'd they put the Cubans and retired New Yawkers?

Yawcuba?

Bitter Cold in Moscow Leaves Two Dead

Jan 17 12:52 PM US/Eastern


MOSCOW


Two people died of exposure and 14 more were hospitalized in a single day as temperatures plunged in the Russian capital, city emergency medical authorities said Tuesday. Temperatures dropped from about freezing Monday afternoon to minus-28 Celsius (minus-18 Fahrenheit) overnight as a cold wave hit after inflicting record-low temperatures across Siberia.

Electricity monopoly RAO Unified Energy System of Russia said Tuesday that the sharp drop in temperature had caused no supply disruptions in Moscow. But NTV television reported that power was cut off to nearly 30 towns and villages in Ryazan region southwest of Moscow, and that there were also problems in the Volga River region of Samara.

Chief executive Anatoly Chubais has threatened to reduce supplies to nonessential points if temperatures stay below minus-25 C (minus-13 F) for three days or more. NTV reported that in Moscow, the first items to be shut off if necessary would be electric-lit advertising billboards.

The national meteorological office RosHydroMet has forecast the current cold front to keep temperatures at or below present levels at least until Friday.

Russian media reported that police were under orders to make an exception to their usual practice of evicting homeless people from the subway, building entrances and other shelters.

The Interfax news agency reported that 107 people had died of exposure in Moscow since October.

Prosecutors opened a criminal investigation into alleged negligence by prison officials in the Russian Far East village of Takhtamygda, where the heating system broke down and the more than 800 inmates had to use makeshift wood-burning stoves to keep warm for more than a week, the ITAR-Tass news agency reported Tuesday.

Investigators said prison officials had failed to obey instructions to keep a backup pump engine for the heating plant. Source