Extreme Temperatures
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Fire

Let's talk about...California Wildfires

California Wildfires
© Off-Guardian
Unprecedented wildfires have swept the Los Angeles area over the last few days, destroying neighbourhoods and threatening landmarks.

The BBC is helpfully keeping a running tally of the number of celebrities whose homes have burned down.

This is the first time in recorded history that wildfires of this scale have occurred in California in January, according to an expert quoted in the New Scientist:
"While Santa Ana fires are nothing new in southern California, this type of explosive fire event has never happened in January before, and it's only happened once in December," says Crystal Kolden at the University of California, Merced.
There has been no official word on what started the fires as yet, although officials from the California Fire Service claimed that 95% of wildfires in California are started by humans.

Ice Cube

Watch: Avalanche of snow, ice crashes off roof in Louisville, Kentucky

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People across Louisville, Kentucky are still digging out from the snow dumped by Winter Storm Blair. Watch the moment all the snow and ice became just too heavy on the roof of an office building.


Snowflake Cold

Best of the Web: Emergency in 7 US states, 63 million at risk from winter storm Blair

Kansas City blanketed in snow
Kansas City blanketed in snow
In the US, winter storm Blair is bringing the "heaviest snowfall" and coldest temperatures in over a decade.

The National Weather Service (NWS) has issued alerts for more than 30 US states, spanning from Kansas to the East Coast, warning of "whiteout conditions" and roads becoming impassable.

Up to 250 million people across states are in the storm's path, facing dangerously low temperatures and hazardous travel conditions. Around 63 million people in the US are under some kind of winter weather advisory. This disruptive storm has covered roads with snow and also brought snowfall —even thundersnow — to several cities such as Kansas and Kentucky that typically don't see much at all, prompting the National Guard to come to the aid of stranded motorists.

School closures, flight disruptions and trees falling over are only to be expected. On Sunday, Virginia state police alone reported at least 135 crashes, thankfully without any fatalities.

Winter storm Blair is the result of an 'Arctic outbreak', which results from a polar vortex — a 'very cold air mass that typically originates in the Siberian region of Asia, crosses over the north pole into Canada and pushes south and east into the lower United States,' the NWS explains.


Snowflake

Rare snow blankets Sahara dunes in Northern Africa on New Year's Day

Algerian photographer Karim Bouchetata captured video of snow falling over parts of the Sahara Desert on New Year’s Day.
© Karim BouchetataAlgerian photographer Karim Bouchetata captured video of snow falling over parts of the Sahara Desert on New Year’s Day.
Algerian photographer Karim Bouchetata captured video of snow falling over parts of the Sahara Desert on New Year's Day. A storm system moving through Europe helped to deliver the cold air across northern parts of the continent

For the second time in two years, a blanket of snow covered parts of the Sahara Desert in northern Africa, creating a rare and unexpected sight.

On New Year's Day, Algerian photographer Karim Bouchetata captured video of snowflakes falling over Ain Sefra, a town in western Algeria about 30 miles east of the Moroccan border.

The video showed dunes blanketed in fresh snow, but streets appeared to remain passable as the snow cover melted on warmer surfaces.


Snowflake Cold

Adapt 2030 Ice Age Report: Are We Looking at Grid Down In Two Weeks?

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Massive waves pound two continents along 10,000 miles of coastline at the same time a Day After Tomorrow super freeze event is poised to settle in over power producing states that will require record electrical consumption with ZERO possibility for these states to export power to record demand areas.


Snowflake

Colorado mountains get up to 36" of snow over the past 72 hours

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Another snowstorm has hit Colorado over the past few days, with the highest totals being 36 inches.

According to mapping from the National Weather Service, the Park Range was hit the hardest, with some areas receiving up to 36 inches of snow over the past 72 hours.

The map also shows that other peaks in the Central and Northern Mountain ranges got between six and 24 inches of snow in the past 72 hours. Mountains on the Western slope saw six to 24 inches of snow, with some getting as much as 30 inches.

Winter outdoor recreationists should also be aware that the Colorado Avalanche Information Center has issued avalanche warnings for many of Colorado's mountains, including the Park Range, Elkhead Mountains, Front Range mountains, the Gore Range, the West Elk Mountains, Ragged Wilderness, and the Ruby Range. An avalanche watch is in place for the northern portions of the Elk Range and the Sawatch Range.

Find more information and updates from the National Weather Service here.


Snowflake

4 feet of snow in 24 hours in Kashmir, India

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Over the past 24 hours, a significant snowfall event has brought brought cheers to farmers and snow lovers even as life has come to a standstill in many parts of Kashmir region and mountainous areas of Jammu region.

This much-awaited snowfall, the heaviest in South Kashmir in several years, has dumped big snowfall across the region, mainly on mountain passes in South Kashmir.
Sinthan Top connecting Kishtwar in Jammu with South Kashmir, emerged as the snowiest spot in, with a heavy 4 feet of snow. This heavy snowfall has made it inaccessible for the time being.

Margan Top, another high-altitude mountain pass connecting Warwan Valley to South Kashmir, received a hefty 4 feet of snow.


Snowflake

Snow reaches Athens' north as cold front impacts Greece

Hellenic Police has ordered that all types
© AMNAHellenic Police has ordered that all types of vehicles must be fitted with snow tires or chains in affected areas of Greece during snowy weather, or drivers could be fined.
Greece braced for adverse weather conditions this weekend, some of Athens' northernmost suburbs covered in snow since the early hours of Saturday.

Mountainous areas on Evia and Lesvos islands were also in white on Saturday morning, local media reported.

The former was expected to bear the brunt of the weather. According to the Greek National Meteorological Service (EMY), heavy rain and thunderstorms are forecast on the islands of Evia, Sporades, Cyclades, Dodecanese, and Crete, as well as heavy snowfall at high altitudes in East Macedonia, Evia, Attica, and Crete.


Comment: Related: Greece hit by Storm Elena: Torrential rainfall causes flooding


Snowflake

Huge Christmas snowfall in the Alps - over 3 feet in 24 hours

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Ski areas in the Alps have reported up to a metre (over three feet) of snowfall on higher slopes in the last 24 hours.

The new snowfall come after temperatures dropped on Thursday evening, sometimes getting down as low as -20C over the weekend.

With some resorts reporting up to 60cm (two feet) at the end of last week too, it means 5 day total accumulations of up to 1.5 metres (five feet) have now been recorded at some high altitiude areas.

The sub-zero temps have also been reported down to the valley floor, with some low-lying resorts reporting up to 75cm of snowfall down to 1,000m altitudes.


Snowflake

Huge snowstorm leaves tens of thousands without power in Bosnia

Parked buses covered in snow in Sarajevo, Bosnia.
© APParked buses covered in snow in Sarajevo, Bosnia.
Harsh winter weather has caused havoc across the Balkans, with snow drifts shutting motorways and halting trains.

A huge snowstorm has left tens of thousands of homes in Bosnia without power on Christmas Eve and caused traffic chaos.

The blizzard has wrought havoc across the Balkans, with snow drifts closing motorways in Croatia and also affecting travel in Serbia.

Movement of heavy vehicles has been banned in the three countries and trains were halted in parts of Bosnia.

Bosnia's state power company said the situation was "extremely hard" in some areas, as heavy snow brought down distribution lines.