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Two killed in separate avalanches in the Rockies, Alberta

Bill Kaufmann
Calgary Herald
Sat, 15 Mar 2025 13:46 UTC
Emergency crews respond to an avalanche near the Lake Louise Ski Resort on Friday, March 14, 2025.
© Alberta RCMPEmergency crews respond to an avalanche near the Lake Louise Ski Resort on Friday, March 14, 2025.
A 34-year-old Calgary woman was one of two people killed in separate avalanches Friday in the Rockies west of Calgary.

RCMP say they received an alert at 4:16 p.m. about an avalanche that occurred near Mount Black Prince in Peter Lougheed Provincial Park of Highway 742, impacting four backcountry skiers.

"An avalanche occurred which carried a 34-year-old female resident of Calgary, a distance before she was buried in the snow," RCMP said in a press release.

"An SOS beacon was sent out, notifying emergency responders, and despite diligent best efforts of the other three skiers to provide medical attention, the female was declared deceased by first responders.

"RCMP send their condolences to the family and friends of the deceased."

In an incident report, Avalanche Canada said the woman was caught in a snow slide she might have triggered that was 100-metres wide, carrying her 50 to 80 metres down the slope.

Friends and family identified the woman killed in the avalanche as Minetta Norrie, a Calgary Board of Education elementary school teacher who they described as an extremely experienced backcountry skier and outdoor enthusiast.
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Snowflake

Great Wall of China blanketed in March snow

huaxia
Xinhua
Sun, 16 Mar 2025 13:36 UTC
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Snowflakes blanketed the Jinshanling section of the Great Wall on Saturday in Chengde, north China's Hebei Province, as the region experienced a sharp temperature drop in early Spring.

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Snowflake

Best of the Web: Over a meter (40") of snowfall in 24 hours at Californian Ski Area with 10 resorts getting at least 2 feet

Patrick Thorne
snow-forecast.com
Fri, 14 Mar 2025 12:03 UTC
California's Bear Valley reported the second most snowfall in the last 24 hours - 32
California's Bear Valley reported the second most snowfall in the last 24 hours - 32"
California has had some huge snowfalls, as forecast, over the last 24 hours.

China Peak has recorded the largest accumulation, with 42" (105cm) falling within 24 hours between Thursday and Friday.

Bear Valley, pictured above yesterday, reported the second most snowfall in the last 24 hours - 32" (80cm).
"We received 32" - almost 3 FEET of fresh snow overnight! All upper mountain lifts are spinning! Grizz chair will be on delay this morning as our team conducts avalanche mitigation. Get ready for the best riding of the season!!!" the resort posted on social media.
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Snowflake

Surprise heavy snowfall hits Côte-d'Or, France


evrimagaci.org
Thu, 13 Mar 2025 16:02 UTC
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On Thursday, March 13, 2025, residents of Côte-d'Or were greeted with the unexpected sight of heavy snowfall blanketing the region. Starting early in the morning, around 5 AM, snow started falling across various areas, leaving many surprised by the abrupt shift from spring-like conditions to winter weather. Motorists and residents shared pictures of the snow on social media, capturing the beauty and chaos it brought.

Reports indicated significant accumulation, with places like Semur-en-Auxois measuring nearly 10 cm on the ground and Bligny-le-Sec reaching up to 15 cm. Such levels of snow were reminiscent of winter, which the region hadn't experienced for some time. This sudden snowfall led to complications for drivers, especially as thick flakes continued to fall throughout the morning, making travel hazardous.

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Snowflake Cold

Heavy snowfall blankets parts of Xinjiang, China disrupting traffic in key areas


bastillepost.com
Sun, 09 Mar 2025 12:19 UTC
Heavy snowfall blankets parts of Xinjiang, disrupting traffic in key areas
Heavy snowfall blankets parts of Xinjiang, disrupting traffic in key areas
Heavy snowstorms battered parts of northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region on Saturday, disrupting road traffic and prompting swift emergency responses from local authorities to ensure public safety.

Starting early Saturday, heavy snow blanketed the Kanas scenic area in Altay Prefecture, northern Xinjiang, covering houses, roads, and infrastructure. Local traffic police responded by managing vehicles at key intersections and using patrol vehicles to escort tourists out of the area safely.

Due to hazardous conditions, traffic control measures were imposed from 15:00 on roads leading to the scenic area.

Blizzards also struck the region's Ili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture. On the Guozigou expressway section of northwestern Xinjiang, snowfall had persisted since Friday evening, covering roads with a thick layer of snow.

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Snowflake

Winter storm drops up to 3 feet of snow in Northern Arizona - creates numerous problems on roads

Dave Zorn
gcmaz.com
Sat, 08 Mar 2025 12:02 UTC
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Arizona snowstorm paralyzes Interstate 40, dumps over 2 feet of snow
Better late than never. Mother Nature brought feet of snow and travel headaches to Northern Arizona Friday.

Williams picked up two feet of snow Friday, as did Arizona Snowbowl, which received 36 inches of snow in two days. Mormon Lake, Parks and Ash Fork picked up 16 inches of snow while the Flagstaff Airport and Munds Park measured 13 inches of snow.

Downtown Flagstaff saw nine inches and Doney Park saw eight inches, although higher elevations saw more. Interstate-40 saw many slide offs and accidents in and around Williams, which left many people stranded for several hours.

There were several vehicles stranded due to an accident on Highway 89 near Grey Mountain Friday night. The National Weather Service forecasts a warming weekend into Monday, then a small storm is expected to move in Tuesday with a possible larger one Thursday.

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Snowflake

Michigan's Upper Peninsula socked with 12-hour blizzard that piled up 2 feet of snow

Tanda Gmiter
MLive
Thu, 06 Mar 2025 14:46 UTC
A Houghton-area home after the Wednesday-Thursday storm moved through.
© Brad BarnettA Houghton-area home after the Wednesday-Thursday storm moved through.
The Upper Peninsula just got socked with an early spring snowstorm and it was one of those events where the snow just kept falling ... and falling. But across one stretch of the U.P., long-lasting blizzard conditions on Wednesday and Thursday brought howling winds topping 60 mph and up to 24 inches of snow.

The National Weather Service in Marquette said that area experienced nearly 12 hours of blizzard conditions, as measured at the nearby Marquette/Sawyer Regional Airport.

The NWS Marquette office also broke a daily snowfall record on Wednesday, with 20.8 inches of snow. That topped the previous March 5 record of 15.8 inches set in 2021.

Across the area, residents and visitors have been sharing photos and videos on social media of big snow drifts against buildings, and huge snow piles lining the driveways of homes.

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3 helicopter skiers presumed dead after avalanche in Alaska backcountry

Thao Nguyen
USA TODAY
Wed, 05 Mar 2025 12:24 UTC
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Three men flown by helicopter to the Alaska backcountry for a skiing trip are presumed dead after they were caught in a massive avalanche, authorities said Wednesday.

The avalanche happened Tuesday afternoon in the Chugach Mountains near Girdwood, a small resort town about 40 miles southwest of Anchorage, according to the Alaska Department of Public Safety. The department said state wildlife troopers were alerted of the avalanche shortly after 5 p.m. local time.

A preliminary investigation revealed that three heli-skiers were swept away by the avalanche at around 3:30 p.m., according to the department. Guides from a commercial heli-skiing operation attempted to locate the skiers using avalanche beacons to identify their location.

The beacons estimated that the skiers were likely buried in snow between 40 feet to nearly 100 feet deep, the department said. The guides were unable to recover the skier's bodies due to the depth.
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Snowflake

Close to 50 cms (19.6 inches) of snow in March fell overnight in mountainous regions of Gangwon Province, South Korea

Lee Jung-joo
Korean Herald
Mon, 03 Mar 2025 12:53 UTC
A cafe in Gangneung, Gangwon Province, is covered in snow on Monday.
© YonhapA cafe in Gangneung, Gangwon Province, is covered in snow on Monday.
South Korea was hit by heavy rain and snow from Sunday night to Monday, causing travel disruptions and safety concerns, with more snow and rain forecast nationwide starting Tuesday morning.

According to the Korea Meteorological Administration, heavy snow was observed overnight in Seoul, Gyeonggi Province, Gangwon Province and the Chungcheong provinces.

Monday's heavy snowfall resulted in several accidents in different parts of the country, though no injuries or deaths were reported as of 11 a.m. Four reports were made to officials regarding stranded vehicles, leading to the rescue of 10 people. Eleven traffic accidents were also reported and 51 additional safety reports were made to officials regarding accumulated snow.

As of 11 a.m., 53 ferry services were canceled and 10 flights were grounded. Thirteen national parks remain closed to the public while 13 roads have been closed off to prevent further safety incidents.

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Avalanche traps 42 workers under snow near India-Tibet border - 7 killed (UPDATE)


Al Jazeera
Fri, 28 Feb 2025 15:05 UTC
Rescuers carry workers after an avalanch
© State Disaster Response ForceRescuers carry workers after an avalanche near Mana village in Chamoli district of India's Uttarakhand state on February 28, 2025
More than 40 construction workers are trapped under the snow due to an avalanche near India's border with Tibet.

Blizzard-like conditions caused the avalanche on Friday at a camp near the mountain village of Mana in the Himalayan state of Uttarakhand.

It initially trapped 57 workers who were clearing out snow from the camp. Fifteen of them were rescued while 42 are still missing, said Ridhim Agarwal, an official from the state's disaster relief force.

Disaster response teams are trying to reach the trapped workers at the high-altitude camp, which had been under an avalanche warning since Thursday evening, according to Indian media reports.

However, the treacherous weather is hampering their efforts, said Deepam Seth, the state's top police officer.


Comment: Update March 2

The Statesman reports:
The death toll in the Uttarakhand avalanche disaster has risen to seven after rescue teams recovered three more bodies of Border Roads Organisation (BRO) workers on Sunday.

The victims were buried under a mass of glacier and snow near Mana village, ahead of the Badrinath shrine. One worker remains missing.

According to the Uttarakhand State Disaster Management Department, the three recovered bodies belonged to BRO workers trapped under the avalanche at Mana.

"The death toll of BRO workers in the Mana avalanche has reached seven, as three more bodies were discovered by rescue teams on Sunday. The deceased workers were from Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, and Himachal Pradesh," said Vinod Suman, Secretary, State Disaster Management.

The bodies of all seven victims have been sent for post-mortem to Joshimath, and arrangements will be made to transport them to their respective hometowns.


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