More snowstorms on the way for eastern US

The winter of 2014-2015 continues to bring further bouts of extreme weather, with southern states set to experience the worst of the next storm system.

People across New England are facing extreme cold as they attempt to dig themselves out of another major snowfall, following Sunday’s storm.
More than 1,800 flights across the northeast, but mainly at Boston and New York, were cancelled as heavy snow and strong winds, gusting to 100kph, swept across the region.

A total of 116cm of snow has fallen on Boston this month, making it the snowiest month on record, beating January 1975’s 110cm. This is also the third snowiest winter on record with 227cm.

The cold is also likely to break some records. Boston’s midday temperature on Sunday was minus 8C but the wind made it feel more like minus 29C. There is unlikely to be any let-up in the cold in the next 10 days.

At 0800GMT (0300EDT) on Monday, the temperature in the city had fallen to minus 18C and similar night-time values are expected in the coming days. The all-time record low for February is -28C, and that could be at risk of being broken.

Further snow is also expected in the coming days. Next Monday and Tuesday the city is expected to be hit by another 20 to 30cm of fresh snow.

In the shorter term, it is the turn of more southern states to experience their first major snow of 2015. An area from Kansas to the mid-Atlantic states will experience a swathe of heavy snow, totaling 20 to 30cm during Sunday night and Monday.

On the southern edge of the snow there is expected to a mix of snow and rain plus the risk of highly disruptive freezing rain. The area affected will extends from Oklahoma through Arkansas, northern Mississippi, northern Missouri, Tennessee to Georgia and the Carolinas.  Source: Al Jazeera
16/2/15
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Related:

• Rekordwinter in den USA: Neuer Schneesturm lähmt Boston...

Heavy snow batters northern Italy

Friday was a hard day for northern Italy, where many cities woke up covered in snow and had to cope with major traffic disruption and severe inconvenience for the population...

Freezing temperatures, heavy snows and strong winds caused icing highways, blocked rail lines and temporary closure of the Bologna airport. Authorities ordered many schools to remain closed.

"Indeed precipitations were intense in some northern regions, namely Emilia Romagna, Liguria and Piedmont," Colonel Guido Guidi, weather and climate expert of the Italian Air Force, told Xinhua.

Not only many areas were under a thick blanket of snow, but strong wings and coastal storms also added to the scourge of bad weather.

Water city Venice was flooded by tides which reached a height of 124 cm above sea level, according to local reports.

Strong winds toppled trees and made some parts of buildings and infrastructures collapse. Aid squads had to intervene and rescue dozens of people in difficulty across northern Italy.

Civil authorities warned residents in various towns to move to the highest levels of their homes and park vehicles as high as possible, after flooding claimed numerous victims in the past months.

Three elderly people in Lombardy region, of which the capital is Milan, were reported to have died on Friday after suffering heart attacks while removing snow from their homes. Five others were suddenly taken ill.

Guidi underlined, however, that the precipitation was regular.

"We are talking about snow in the winter season. Some Italian media have named this wave of bad weather as 'big snow' but if we look at 1929, when a lot of snow also came down, we can find exactly the same words on the then media reports," he noted.

"Friday's weather was the result of a pipeline of cold air coming from Siberia and the Arctic," a climatologist of the Institute of Biometeorology of the national Research Council (IBIMET-CNR), Marina Baldi, explained to Xinhua.

Baldi expected the weather to improve from Sunday, when the Azores anticyclone, a large-scale circulation of winds typically found south of the Azores in the Atlantic Ocean, whose effects include clearing skies, will move toward east.

She agreed with Guidi that the wave of bad weather was "not exceptional" but in line with the variability and temperatures experienced in the past, while also mentioning a certain influence of climate change on the milder winters and summer heatwaves registered over the last 10-15 years.

"For the next decades, we can expect an increase of extreme weather events and torrential rainfall within short timespans in Italy, with consequent more frequent flooding," Baldi concluded.
  Source: Xinhua - globaltimes.cn
7/2/15
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Decades-old snowfall record broken in Sweden

While Nordic Noir may be all the rage as a dramatic genre, it refers to a mood, a style, not the colour. In the winter, Scandinavia is anything but black. Snow is guaranteed to fall every year.

This year even more so; a 50 year old snowfall record has just been broken in the northern Swedish city of Lulea, which sits just 109km south of the Arctic Circle.

While heavy snow in February is not unusual in Lulea, on Tuesday, the city airport measured 113cm, breaking the previous record, from 1966, by 2cm.

The month started with 83cm on the ground but 20cm more fell on the first day of February and 10cm more on the following day.

This was at the end of a week when Scandinavia was under the winter storm centre around which all of Europe’s weather seemed to circulate.

Still, a Swedish record from 1926 stands; on February 28 that year, a snow depth of 327cm was measured in Kopparasen, north of the Arctic Circle.

It's about to warm up now throughout Scandinavia. Lulea has been near its average daytime high of minus 10C but will be up to 0 Celsius for the weekend, and a few days beyond, and with a bit more snow.
  aljazeera.com
5/2/15
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Japanese town buried under six feet (1.8 metres) of snow

Parts of northern Japan were dug out on Tuesday from nearly six feet (1.8 metres) of snow after a massive winter storm dumped record amounts.

Around 50 troops were pressed into action in Hokkaido to shovel paths to snow-blanketed houses in Rausu on the eastern tip of the island.

The town was the worst-hit part of Japan when a major snowstorm whacked into the country at the weekend.

The meteorological agency which gave the snowfall figure warned of strong winds and further snowfall still to come in the region.

"We are telling our residents to stay home if possible," a town official told AFP by telephone.

"It's quite dangerous to go outside in this storm," the official said, adding that there had been no immediate reports of injuries or damage.

The snowfall on Monday forced railway operators to cancel nearly 100 train services, affecting some 4,660 passengers, according to local media.

The severe weather comes as the US city of Boston was suffering with its own record snowfall of 40 centimetres (1.3 feet) on Monday, forcing the postponement of a victory parade for Super Bowl winners the New England Patriots and spelling travel misery.  
AFP
timesofindia.indiatimes.com
3/2/15
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Related 2014:

• 5 die, over 600 injured as heavy snow hits eastern Japan. -Issued the first heavy snowfall warning for central Tokyo in 13 years(video)

• Second Japan snow storm leaves thousands stranded as toll rises to 23....

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Related USA:

•  L'offensive hivernale a déjà causé la mort de 11 personnes aux Etats-Unis...

Millions stay at home as massive blizzard hits US

A massive blizzard has hit the US Northeast, halting thousands of flights and closing hundreds of schools.
Officials warned that the storm could dump as much as 90cm of snow on the region. 

New York, New Jersey, Connecticut and Massachusetts declared states of emergencies as tens of millions of people were urged to stay at home with transport systems suspending services.

Aer Lingus has cancelled four flights between Ireland and North America today due to the storm.

The flights affected are EI 105 from Dublin to New York at 10.50am and EI 137 from Dublin to Boston at 2pm, as well as the return services - EI 104 from New York to Dublin and EI 136 from Boston to Dublin.

Yesterday one return flight between Dublin and New York was cancelled. Aer Lingus said customers affected by the cancellations had been notified.

The potentially historic storm poses the latest challenge to New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, who has been under fire in recent weeks from police who criticised his support of public protests about white police violence against black men.   
         
The National Weather Service issued a blizzard warning for New York City and surrounding areas between coastal New Jersey and Connecticut, forecast to worsen overnight.
The blizzard knocked out a number of entertainment events. The New York Knicks and Brooklyn Nets called off their games and Broadway performances were cancelled.   
        
The United Nations headquarters gave itself a day off and schools across the east coast dismissed students and cancelled classes, with those in Boston staying closed until Thursday.................http://www.rte.ie/news/2015/0126/675582-new-york-snowstorm/
27/1/15
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Related:

• Storms threatens the northeast US with historic snow...

Snowstorm hits west Canada, leaving thousands without power

Thousands of residents in Canada' s western province of British Columbia (B.C.) remained without power on Tuesday, one day after a winter storm swept through the region, BC Hydro spokeswoman said.

The heavy snowstorm has left up to 40 centimeters of snow in some areas and highway and schools closed. Monday was supposed to be the first day back to class after the winter break.

Closed roads and icy conditions made the work to restore power difficult, BC Hydro spokeswoman Simi Heer said.

As of Tuesday morning, more than 2,000 customers in west coast area and more than 1,000 residents in the Interior were left without electricity.

Nearly three dozen warnings remained in effect on Tuesday about winter storms, rainfall, snowfall and extreme cold across the province, except for the South Coast and Metro Vancouver.

Meanwhile, several highways are closed because of the storm, according to the Ministry of Transportation's DriveBC website. The ministry warns that moderate snow and high winds are increasing the avalanche hazard.
 Source:Xinhua - globaltimes.cn
7/1/15
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Related:

• Un froid polaire s'abat en ce moment sur l'Amérique du Nord ...

• As Toronto braces for another deep freeze, Mayor John Tory has asked the city to open its warming centres – a response to the recent deaths of two homeless men in as many days....

Heavy snow kills 3, disrupts travel in Japan

TOKYO: At least three people have died in heavy snow that has blanketed swathes of Japan, reports said Thursday (Dec 18), with up to two metres lying in some places and more forecast.

Two elderly women were killed on the northernmost island of Hokkaido, Kyodo News reported, with one hit by a snow-plough and another buried when a warehouse collapsed under the weight of fallen snow. Police said a man died in a traffic accident on snow-bound roads in Hiroshima.

There was also widespread disruption to travel, with around 100 domestic flights cancelled, adding to the 450 that were grounded on Wednesday, including some international routes, officials and media said. Reports said the famous bullet train network was also struggling to stick to its timetables.

The mountain town of Tsunan, near the Sea of Japan (East Sea) coast, was smothered in 185cm of snow, with parts of Hokkaido getting as much as 70cm in 24 hours, the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) said.

The snow is accompanied by strong gusting winds of up to 140km/h, which is causing tidal surges and sparking warnings to stay away from the water's edge.

• Forecasters said a powerful low pressure system off the eastern coast of Hokkaido was bringing much of the misery, and warned there was more to come. Parts of northern Honshu could expect up to 80cm of snow by breakfast time on Friday, the JMA said.

- AFP/rw - channelnewsasia.com

18/12/14

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Related (February 2014):

• 5 die, over 600 injured as heavy snow hits eastern Japan. -Issued the first heavy snowfall warning for central Tokyo in 13 years(video)

• Second Japan snow storm leaves thousands stranded as toll rises to 23....

Dozens of trekkers cut off by snowfall near Mount Everest

KATHMANDU - Dozens of foreign hikers and Nepali guides returning from a trekking trip to the base camp of Mount Everest have been cut off by heavy snowfall, a police official said on Sunday.

They have been forced to stay in four hotel resorts in the Gokyo area near the world's tallest peak, which has been battered by heavy snowfall following freak rains in the last 24 hours, police officer Chandra Dev Rai said from Salleri, the nearest town.

Gokyo lies in Solukhumbu region where Mount Everest is located and is a popular destination for hikers. Tens of thousands of trekkers and climbers visit the Solukhumbu region in northeast Nepal every year.

"There is chest-deep snow in the area. There is no report of any casualty so far. If the snowfall continues for long the tourists need emergency rescue," Rai told Reuters by phone.

Most mountainous areas in Nepal have experienced snowfall due to rains which are not common during this time of the year.

Weather officials in Kathmandu said the bad weather could continue for a couple of days, worsening the plight of the trapped tourists who could face a food shortage.

D.B. Koirala, chief of the Himalayan Rescue Association Nepal, said he had not received any SOS call from the hikers.
 [jpost.com by Reuters]
14/12/14

China on yellow alert for blizzards

China's weather observatory on Sunday issued a yellow alert for heavy snow that is to hit the country's northeast provinces.

The National Meteorological Center (NMC) forecasted that heavy snow will freeze Heilongjiang, Jilin and Liaoning provinces until Monday afternoon and some of the regions will see blizzards.

The NMC advised residents to stay indoors and asked local authorities to brace for the heavy snow.

China has a four-tier color-coded weather warning system, with red representing the most severe weather, followed by orange, yellow and blue. 
[xinhuanet.com]
1/12/14

Over 400 trekkers rescued after Nepal mountain disaster

Over 400 people have been rescued in Nepal after a popular trekking route was hit by a major blizzard and avalanches earlier this week, the Trekking Agencies' Association of Nepal (TAAN) said Sunday.

“A total of 407 [181 Nepalis and 226 foreigners] have been rescued so far,” TAAN said in a statement citing Nepal’s Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation.

The bodies of 15 Nepalis and 17 foreigners have been recovered and seven people are still unaccounted for, the trekking association said.

Nepal's worst mountain disaster occurred in the Mustang and Manang districts on Tuesday when the region was hit by an unseasonal snowstorm. Rescuers could only begin search efforts on Wednesday after the severe weather cleared.

Trekkers from all over the world travel to the Annapurna circuit of the Himalayas in October to hike the 150-mile route around the mountain which takes some three weeks to finish.
http://indian.ruvr.ru
19/10/14
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Related:

• 39 rescued from snowstorm hit area in Nepal 

• Nepal Annapurna: Search ends for surviving trekkers...

39 rescued from snowstorm hit area in Nepal

Rescuers have evacuated 39 foreign tourists and Nepalese stranded in mountainous districts three days after severe snowstorm triggered avalanche and killed more than two dozen trekkers in western Nepal, officials said on Friday.

According to Nepal Army, six are seriously injured and they have been brought to capital city for the further treatment. Half- dozen dead bodies have been recovered on Friday.
Rescue efforts were halted for some hours on Friday after a block in snow hit area in Manang and Mustang districts. Eight critically injured Israeli nationals have been to Ciwec Clinic at Kathmandu while two Chinese nationals are admitted at Nepal Army hospital and they will be discharged on Sunday, Nepal Army said.

On Thursday, 117 foreign tourists and Nepalese were evacuated from the affected area.
Sources: Xinhua - globaltimes.cn
17/10/14

Iran: près de 14.000 personnes bloquées par des chutes de neige

Près de 14.000 personnes ont été bloquées sur les routes du nord de l'Iran à la suite de fortes chutes de neige, un épisode rare pour la saison, ont annoncé lundi les services de secours iraniens.

"Depuis hier (dimanche), nos équipes ont porté secours à près de 14.000 personnes bloquées par la neige", a déclaré le porte-parole du Croissant rouge iranien, Hossein Derakhshan, cité par l'agence officielle Irna. Les services météorologiques iraniens avaient annoncé samedi l'arrivée du mauvais temps dans les provinces de la mer Caspienne et sur les contreforts du mont Alborz, mettant en garde contre la possibilité de violents orages et de pluies diluviennes.      


Un hébergement d'urgence
Selon le porte-parole, 32 personnes ont été blessées, en majorité dans des accidents de la circulation, et 1.600 autres ont bénéficié d'un hébergement d'urgence.

 Ce mauvais temps coïncide avec les vacances du Nouvel an iranien, qui célèbre l'arrivée du printemps et voit chaque année des millions d'automobilistes prendre la route. 
http://www.rtl.be/info/monde/international/1080262/iran-pres-de-14-000-personnes-bloquees-par-des-chutes-de-neige
31/3/14
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• Northwest Saudi Arabia enjoys rare snowfall

• Snow in June: Russia’s Siberian town in absolute anomaly (PHOTOS, VIDEO)

• Σπάνιο φαινόμενο: χιόνισε στη Σαουδική Αραβία

Northwest Saudi Arabia enjoys rare snowfall

Rare snowfall in the north-west of Saudi Arabia on Sunday drew local residents and visitors to scenic mountainous areas to enjoy the spectacle.
Snow fell intermittently from dawn in the city of Tabuk near the Jordanian border, coating nearby mountains and roads with a sheet of white.

Local residents and visitors travelled up to 200 kilometers to Mount Allouz. Tabuk’s traffic police warned drivers against travelling up the steep and slippery mountain roads. Security, traffic and health services were on standby to organize traffic on icy roads. Two people died and another was injured in a jeep accident.
http://english.cntv.cn/program/asiatoday/20140217/105577.shtml
17/2/14 
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Rare snowfall in the north-west of Saudi Arabia on Sunday drew local residents and visitors to scenic mountainous areas to enjoy the spectacle.

Rare snowfall in the north-west of Saudi Arabia on Sunday drew local residents and visitors to scenic mountainous areas to enjoy the spectacle.

Rare snowfall in the north-west of Saudi Arabia on Sunday drew local residents and visitors to scenic mountainous areas to enjoy the spectacle.

Tokyo records heaviest snowfall in 45 years (video)

At least 11 people are dead and more than a thousand injured in accidents after heavy snow hit eastern Japan. 

Japan’s weather agency says 27 centimeters of snow fell in Tokyo on Saturday, the heaviest in the capital in 45 years. 

35 centimeters fell in Sendai and 44 centimeters in Fukushima on Sunday morning. The weather cleared in Tokyo on Sunday, but transport systems continued to be disrupted.

More than 100 domestic flights and 219 international flights were cancelled in Haneda airport, and a number of train services were also cancelled. The weather system is moving to northeastern Japan and dumping snow on the region’s Pacific side. Forecasters warn of heavy snow in Tohoku, and very strong winds in the Kanto and Tohoku regions.
 cntv.cn
10/2/14
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• 5 die, over 600 injured as heavy snow hits eastern Japan. -Issued the first heavy snowfall warning for central Tokyo in 13 years(video)

5 die, over 600 injured as heavy snow hits eastern Japan. -Issued the first heavy snowfall warning for central Tokyo in 13 years(video)

TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Heavy snow hit eastern Japan on Saturday, disrupting transportation systems and leaving five people dead and over 600 people injured in snow-related accidents, a Kyodo News tally showed.
The Japan Meteorological Agency issued the first heavy snowfall warning for central Tokyo in 13 years. Snow accumulation reached 26 centimeters there, the heaviest snow in the Japanese capital since February 1994 and the fourth largest snowfall since World War II, the agency said.
Several universities in Tokyo delayed the starting times of their entrance examinations for the new academic year that begins in April.

• Snowfall marked a record 30 cm in Chiba and 16 cm in Yokohama.

Temperatures in many cities in the Kanto region centering on Tokyo stayed below zero during the day and the agency issued a blizzard warning for Chiba Prefecture and parts of Kanagawa Prefecture.
At Tokyo's Haneda airport, Japan Airlines Co. and All Nippon Airways Co. suspended all domestic flights from noon and 3 p.m., respectively, affecting about 98,000 people.
The Tokaido and Sanyo bullet trains operating in central and western Japan fell behind schedule as they operated at reduced speed, affecting about 180,000 travelers, the operators said.
Sections of expressways, including the Shin-Tomei and Chuo expressways, were also closed due to the snow. Tokyo Electric Power Co. said 48,000 households in the Kanto region were without power Saturday night due to heavy snow.
Tokyo Skytree, the world's tallest broadcasting tower at 634 meters, was closed from 11 a.m. due to strong winds, its operator said.

February 08, 2014(Mainichi Japan)

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Snowy Sochi Olympics: 16,000,000 cubic feet of snow stored for games

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There should be no worries of a snowless Winter Olympic in Russia’s Sochi, as the organizers of the event made sure to stockpile 16 million cubic feet of snow for the competitions.
Though it has been a record warm winter for Moscow, the organizers of the Sochi Olympics can guarantee that there will be enough snow for the athletes in any weather at the Black sea resort of Sochi in Russia.

There will be four different forms of technology used to ensure snowy Olympics in 2014. First of all, eight vaults have been storing snow for over a year under special blankets made from isothermal fabric to keep it from defrosting. The containers are located along the Olympic slopes of the Roza Khutor ski resort on Aibgy Mountain, which will host the event.
Second, there are hundreds of snow cannons scattered around the slopes. They use water from the mountain lakes to make artificial snow. 

In addition, a special kind of snow salt is being used as a kind of glue for when and if the snow melts. And finally, mountain gutters gather snow falling at the highest peaks and transport it down to the slopes. 

Of course technology is also being utilized by competitors going for gold.
“We are trying to figure out which lubricants are going to provide maximum acceleration in the Sochi snow so that later we could share our findings with the services that are to prepare the equipment for the Russian ski athletes at the Olympic Games,” skier Aleksandr Schastnykh told RT’s Thabang Motsei.

• For more, watch the report by RT’s Thabang Motsei.

http://rt.com
4/1/13 
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Turkey closes the Bosporus Strait for navigation due to bad weather

Turkish authorities have blocked the Bosphorus for ships heading north because of strong winds and snowfall, said Wednesday the GAC transport company.

According to the report, vessels lesser than 200 meters in length are only allowed to pass through the strait. Ferry services across the Bosphorus has also been cancelled due to the bad weather.


Turkish newspaper "Hurriyet" writes that heavy snowfall in Istanbul on Wednesday led to the cancellation of a number of flights.

According to another report, two aircraft flying from Istanbul to Kharkiv and Isfahan were forced to make an emergency landing after they were hit by lightning.
ruvr.ru
11/12/13
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• Turkey’s “new Bosporus”: risks and benefits / Ο νέος Βόσπορος ως κλειδί για την κυριαρχία των ΗΠΑ στη Μ.Θάλασσα.

• Πώς η Τουρκία Βαδίζει στο Δρόμο του... Μεταξιού

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Snow in June: Russia’s Siberian town in absolute anomaly (PHOTOS, VIDEO)

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A layer of snow on the second day of summer has put the citizens of the Russian city of Kemerovo completely out of humor.
Meteorologists say the anomaly occurred because a cyclone brought cold Arctic air from Kara Sea region into Siberia dropping, temperature to lows typical for summer north of the Arctic Circle.

Bloggers were at a loss when commenting the issue.
“Snow in Kemerovo TODAY? That’s hardcore. The weather must’ve forgot it’s June.”
“With a sense of terror has just learnt it’s been snowing in Kemerovo. What’s next?”
“Tornado in the US. Floods in Czech Republic. SNOW in Kemerovo!”
The city in South Siberia is situated on 55°22'17.58" north latitude but even for that region -2 Celsius on June 2 morning is over the top. The region has seasonal inland climate, which means really cold winters and very hot summers.
This spring has been sort of cold in the Kemerovo Region, which witnessed snow in early May and an emergency extension of the heating season. No wonder that people have been waiting for warm summer days just like for manna from heaven, but instead got snowflakes.
But the locals are full of determination to recalculate sowing season schedule and plant kitchen gardens as usual and against all odds, probably because over 70 percent of Russia’s territory is the area of risk farming and people are used to encounter hardships of the kind. 
http://rt.com
2/6/13

Image from vk.com/typical_kmr

Image from vk.com/typical_kmr

Image from vk.com/typical_kmr
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PHOTO:siberia-weather.blogspot.com

 

Russian Firefighter Hit By Snow Falls Down a Ladder (VIDEO YT)-Snowpocalypse Russia: Snow 'tsunami' swallows streets, cars, buildings (PHOTOS RT)

1.Russian Firefighter Hit By Snow Falls Down a Ladder

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2. Unrelenting snowfalls have caused unprecedented travel chaos in Russia. Over the past week the country has seen scores of traffic accidents, flight delays, and in some cases, the complete isolation of some remote settlements and towns.

Norilsk (Photo from bigpicture.ru)

Norilsk (Photo from bigpicture.ru)

­As more than 10 inches of snow fell in Moscow – more than half of the average snowfall for the whole of January – the already congested city is on the verge of a traffic collapse. Traffic measuring portal Yandex reported Grade 10 (out of 10) jams on Friday, as strong winds created blizzard conditions and built imposing snow drifts.
More than 12,000 de-icers and snow sweepers are out on the streets, working around the clock.
As the city has come to a standstill the chair of the Duma’s transport committee has called for local transport officials to face legal sanctions for failing to cope with the winter weather.
“Until local bureaucrats face the wrath of the law, winter will always be a surprise occurrence. They will continue to do nothing, as people suffer,” Mikhail Bryachak told Kommersant FM radio.
Several dozen flights have been postponed at the city’s major airports, with thousands of passengers stranded, many having to stay overnight.

Norilsk (Photo from bigpicture.ru)

Norilsk (Photo from bigpicture.ru)

Norilsk (Photo from bigpicture.ru)

While in the large population centers in western Russia the snowstorms have caused inconvenience, further east they have been life threatening.
The polar circle city of Norilsk has seen snowfall build to a height of more than 10 feet, and entire apartment blocks have been barricaded by snow overnight, requiring city workers to dig passageways through the snow banks.
Meanwhile, icicles up to three feet in length have formed off every building ledge, breaking at random and causing a lethal hazard for pedestrians below.
Nearly two hundred people have died throughout Russia as a direct result of weather-related accidents and hypothermia this season, according to official statistics, although the extreme conditions have likely contributed to many more fatalities.
However, meteorologists have promised some good news: the stormy conditions are expected to recede over the weekend.

Moscow (Reuters / Sergei Karpukhin)

Norilsk (Photo from bigpicture.ru)

Norilsk (Photo from bigpicture.ru)

Norilsk (Photo from bigpicture.ru)

Norilsk (Photo from bigpicture.ru)

Norilsk (Photo from bigpicture.ru)

Norilsk (Photo from bigpicture.ru)

Norilsk (Photo from bigpicture.ru)

Norilsk (Photo from bigpicture.ru)

Norilsk (Photo from bigpicture.ru)

A traffic jam at the Moscow Ring Road. Heavy snowfalls have caused traffic problems in the city on January 18, 2013. (RIA Novosti / Maxim Blinov)

Russia snowed under. (World Wide Daily Snow and Ice Cover Map, Source: NOAA)

Σπάνιο φαινόμενο: χιόνισε στη Σαουδική Αραβία

Οι κάτοικοι της πόλης Ταμπούκ στα βόρειο-δυτικά της Σαουδικής Αραβίας ήρθαν αντιμέτωποι με το χιόνι, ένα πολύ σπάνιο φυσικό φαινόμενο για αυτή την περιοχή. 

Στα βίντεο που μεταδίδει το διαραβικό τηλεοπτικό κανάλι «Al Arabiya», παρουσιάζονται οι εικόνες των αυτοκινήτων, που με δυσκολία περνούν μέσα από τους χιονισμένους δρόμους.


Για να δούνε αυτό το σπάνιο φαινόμενο, στο Ταμπούκ ήρθαν οι κάτοικοι των γειτονικών πόλεων.
Στην περιοχή έχουν μεταφερθεί επιπρόσθετες μονάδες αστυνομίας και των υπηρεσιών έκτακτης ανάγκης για την διασφάλιση της ασφάλειας.
http://greek.ruvr.ru/2013_01_10/100678523/
10/1/13
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• Residents enjoy rare snowfall in northwest Saudi (+VIDEO)

Residents of Tabuk are enjoying the rare snowfall that has hit the northwestern region of Saudi Arabia.
People have been spotted parked around the mountain region which has been covered by a sheet of white snow.
Cars have crowded the roads leading to Mount Alluz. The area is teeming with visitors from several cities in the region who have traveled to get a glimpse of the unexpected snowfall.
Traffic patrol, security as well as emergency services have been deployed in the area to assure safety.
Saudi officials have warned residents to avoid the valleys and areas affected by flooding.
Snowfall has also hit the region bordering Jordan, especially the villages of Tafha, Nagira and Ghouson. 
 http://english.alarabiya.net/articles/2013/01/10/259727.html
10/1/2013
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• Deadly storms blanket parts of Mid-East in snow (VIDEO BBC)

11 January 2013 Last updated at 04:39 GMT Help


The worst storms to hit the Middle East in a decade have claimed several lives and left large parts of Israel and Jordan blanketed in snow.

Across the region, many schools are shut and thousands of homes are without power.

The freezing conditions have brought misery for thousands of Syrians living in refugee camps in northern Jordan, Turkey and Lebanon.

James Kelly reports.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-20981607

11/1/13 ---------------

• Saudi Arabia covered with snow in coldest winter for 20 years (11-1-2008)

ABU DHABI, January 11 (RIA Novosti) - Northern parts of Saudi Arabia are covered with snow with schools, mosques and administrative bodies paralyzed, local media reported Friday.

The oil-rich kingdom is being hit with subzero temperatures and snow storms with freezing winds of up to 50 km/h (30mp/h). Some regions have been experiencing problems with water supplies as pipes have frozen, and livestock has died from the cold.

The Saudi Gazette reported late in December that the winter was expected to last 89 days, with temperatures reaching below zero. National media said the winter is the coldest in the country for 20 years.

Morning and afternoon prayers are being combined in many mosques because of the morning cold and some schools will reopen later than scheduled.

The bad weather is fun for children and teenagers, however, who have been making snowballs and building snowmen with enthusiasm.
http://en.rian.ru/world/20080111/96210251.html
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