Lebanon Storm: Snow Reaches Shores, Temperature Drops

Lebanon has been since Thursday in the grip of storm “windy”, with snow reaching shores and temperature significantly dropping in the third storm to hit the country this year.


Heavy rains fell on the coast as snow blanketed mountains and reached areas only 300 meters above sea level and the shores in some coastal regions.
 
Education Minister Elias Bou Saab ordered a closure of private and public schools on Friday and Saturday. For his part, Health Minister Wael Abou Faour announced that nurseries will close on Friday.

The storm Windy “still dominates over the Mediterranean Eastern basin and it is expected to recede on Saturday,” the National News Agency quoted the Meteorology Department at Beirut's Rafic Hariri International Airport as saying.

The weather in Lebanon is expected to be partly cloudy and chilly with rains and snow at 600m, especially in the South, according to the Meteorology Department.
 [almanar.com.lb]
20/2/15
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Related:

• Palestinian Authority forms 'central operation rooms' to deal with snowstorm

Palestinian Authority forms 'central operation rooms' to deal with snowstorm

The Palestinian Authority on Thursday formed several “central operation rooms” in the West Bank to deal with the snowstorm.

The PA also urged Palestinians to remain indoors and avoid driving their vehicles in the snow.

Municipality and Civil Defense workers were put on high alert and hospitals beefed up their medical staff in anticipation of the snowstorm.

The PA said that its emergency teams were also ready to open all major roads that could be blocked by the snow. 
  [jpost.com]
19/2/15
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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...

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...

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