Tuesday, June 25, 2013

Extremely rare: hail falls in Singapore, floods, strange weather prompts British weather summit

Hail reported in western end of Singapore

"Residents in the western end of Singapore are reporting incidences of hail. Hail is a form of solid precipitation and consists of irregular lumps of ice. Mr Lucas Ho, 28, playwright and teacher said: "The torrent came in a five-minute burst; something was clanging on my windows and I went to my front door to see what was going on. I never thought I'd see hail in Singapore." There is no indication at the moment if the hail stones are related to the haze."



You have to know that hail is rare in a place where the news article has to explain what it is. Singapore has only had hail once or twice in the past. Ever. This article explains why-



"A severe hail storm along with damaging winds and heavy rain was seen across Singapore Tuesday afternoon. This is an extremely rare event for the island nation that only lies two degrees from the equator and never experiences temperatures below the freezing mark through a good portion of the lower atmosphere. Therefore hail of any size is a extremely rare event."



They mentioned the "haze" in Singapore. The island nation has been experiencing a heavy haze of late. People are wondering if the haze and the hail are related.



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Indonesia plans air tactic as Singapore haze worsens

"Air pollution in Singapore soared to record heights for a third consecutive day, as Indonesia prepared planes and helicopters Friday to battle raging fires blamed for hazardous levels of smoky haze in three countries. The blazes in peat swamp forests on Indonesia's Sumatra island have sent massive plumes of smog across the sea to neighboring Singapore and Malaysia, both of which are growing impatient with Indonesia's response to the problem that occurs nearly every year."



"Singapore is suffering its worst haze in history. Singapore's main index for air pollution hit a measurement of 401 at midday Friday, exceeding previous highs of 371 on Thursday and 321 on Wednesday, both of which were record readings. Those measurements were classified as "hazardous" and can aggravate respiratory ailments. Plagued by the stifling smell of burning vegetation that crept even into homes and offices in this wealthy city-state, residents flocked to pharmacies to buy protective face masks after Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong urged people to remain indoors as much as possible."



"I don't know if it's just my imagination but even indoors, my throat is starting to feel weird," said business manager Tan Joa-Quim. "I want a mask but my company has a limited supply, which we prioritized for the older and less healthy staff, and a lot of shops have sold out."

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Weird weather has been occurring on the other side of the world also. In Alaska, they are experiencing a heat wave.

"The jet stream, the river of air high above Earth that generally dictates the weather, usually rushes rapidly from west to east in a mostly straight direction. But lately it seems to be wobbling and weaving like a drunken driver, wreaking havoc as it goes. ... The most recent example occurred in mid-June when some towns in Alaska hit record highs. McGrath, Alaska, recorded an all-time high of 94 degrees on June 17. A few weeks earlier, the same spot was 15 degrees, the coldest recorded for so late in the year."



Terrible rains have caused flooding in northwestern India , killing 1000 people so far.



"Home Minister Sushikumar Shinde told reporters that the death toll will exceed the figure of 1,000 given on Sunday by the Uttarakhand government. More bodies were being found as troops and disaster rescue teams cleared debris from buildings and houses destroyed by flood waters, Shinde said. The unprecedented heavy rains triggered landslides and floods in the Ganges River last week, washing away thousands of houses and roads and cutting communication links in large areas of Uttarakhand."



"Unprecedented" rains, and that in a country that experiences monsoon every year...



Britain's weather has gotten drunk, too, going crazy and forgetting what season it is. After their coldest spring in 50 years, they are now dealing with this-




"Britain's weather has now got so bad even the Met Office is worried: Forecasters to hold meeting over floods, droughts and even snow in May. Britain's weather has now got so bad even the Met Office is worried: Forecasters to hold meeting over floods, droughts and even snow in May. The photo caption says: "Wintry: A blanket of snow covers Teesdale in County Durham on the first Bank Holiday in May this year, an event which has helped spark a Met Office summit."



God is in control of the weather. Though satan can be the originator of some weather disasters, (Job 1:9-12, 19), he can only do so at the Lord's permission. Ultimately, all weather is in the hands of the Creator.



"The Lord sitteth upon the flood; yea, the Lord sitteth King for ever." (Psalm 29:10)



"For he commandeth, and raiseth the stormy wind, which lifteth up the waves thereof.... He maketh the storm a calm, so that the waves thereof are still.." (Psalm 107:25, 29)



God sends earthquakes, cold, snow, and fire. (Isaiah 29:6, Psalm 78:47, Job 37:6)



He controls the lightning and sends the wind. (Jeremiah 10:13, Exodus 10:19)



While every natural disaster is not a punishment from God, "God does use weather catastrophes -- even resulting in deaths, or the destruction of beasts or property -- but with a purpose: to unsettle the apathetic, to punish and judge, to alter our course of action, or to instill the fear of God." (Source ).



The Book of Revelation is an orderly progression of promises from long ago being fulfilled: the UNcreation. God will dismantle all the world's systems, including weather.



(Revelation 6:12-13; Revelation 8:7-8; Revelation 11:19; Revelation 16:8; Revelation 16:18, 21; Revelation 6:12-14)



The creation should make you think of the Creator. I say "should" because it says so in Romans 1:20,



"For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse."



In the next verse it says that people who consciously or subconsciously know that God exists when they see creation, refuse to acknowledge Him,



"For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him," (Romans 1:21a)



and eventually they "they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator,"



(Does 'Mother Earth', 'Gaia' or 'the weather gods' sound familiar?). Worship Him who created the creation!



Whether you are admiring a gorgeous sunrise, a calm sea, a snow capped mountain, or a powerful tornado or even hail at the equator, thank God for His creation, which is cursed with sin now, but will be restored to its perfection at the end of time. And what a day that will be!




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