Extreme Temperatures
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Snowflake Cold

Record snowfall forces migration in areas of Pakistan

snow road
Food shortages caused by blockade of a main road owing to heavy snowfall in Kaghan valley have triggered migration of local people to plains of Hazara division.

The residents of upper parts of Kaghan valley continued to migrate to Balakot, Mansehra, Abbottabad and other parts of Hazara owing to shortage of food items following blockade of Mansehra-Naran-Jalkhad road.

"We have relocated our police station in Kaghan to Mahandri area of Balakot tehsil as local people have been migrating to lower parts of Hazara because of heavy snowfall and blockade of roads in the upper reaches," SHO Tariq Khan told reporters.

Mr Khan said Gattidas, Baiser, Barawai, Battakundi, upper and lower Soch and Saiful Muluk Lake posts had already been closed, and now Kaghan police station was relocated.

Hotels in the Kaghan valley have also been closed following the heavy snowfall. "Our hotels are closed since start of the snowfall and now watchman and other staff are leaving Naran because of heavy snowfall in the valley," Saith Matiullah, president of hoteliers association, Kaghan, told reporters.

He said Kaghan-Naran section of Mansehra-Naran-Jalkhad road remained closed since last week.

Comment: Pakistan government warns the country to prepare for global cooling


Binoculars

'A Waxwing Winter': Soaring numbers of rare birds invade the UK

Waxwings
© Les WilliamsWaxwings
An unusual species of bird is enjoying a winter vacation here in the UK, according to the RSPB charity.

Waxwings are a small starling-sized bird with a prominent crest and colourful markings. They only travel here from Siberia and northern Scandinavia when they experience a particularly harsh winter or if there is a shortage of food.

So many have been spotted this year, the RSPB has described it as a 'Waxwing Winter'.
They're moving across the country from east to west and they're devouring trees full of berries .... Only ever 3 or 4 years do these birds come in large numbers.

- JAMIE WYVER, RSPB
The wildlife conversation charity hopes the rare winter visitor will encourage more people to take part in its annual Big Birdwatch, the world's biggest wildlife survey.

Waxwings mostly feed on fruit.
© Les WilliamsWaxwings mostly feed on fruit.

Comment: See also: Rare waxwing birds from abroad that signal harsh winter seen across Gloucestershire, UK as temperatures plummet


Ice Cube

Snow over the top of your head in Russia: Record snowfall in some areas

Snowfall in Russia
© Via Instagram/grann_nat
In the Kuzbass Mountains it is possible to dip your head in the snow.

At the meteorological station "Central Mine" snow depth has reached 188 cm (6′-2″).

In the region of the Volga and Central Russia, average snow depth exceeds 40 cm (16 inches). In Nizhny Novgorod snow depth is 43 cm and in Tambov it is 44cm. In Samara and Kirov, snow depth has reached a half meter (19 inches)! For comparison, the normal amount of snow for this time of year is 25-35 cm (10-14 inches).

Due to frequent snowstorms in the Lipetsk region, the capital set a record in floodplain areas - 85 cm (33 inches)! Thirty-three inches. That's waist deep! Beyond the Urals there is even more snow. The region of Omsk recorded 75 cm (2½ ft) of snow (Tevriz), while the region of Tomsk reported 92 cm(3 ft) (Bakchar).

Traditionally, a large amount of snow is observed in Kamchatka and polar Yakutia. In the village Chokurdakh, the snow measures 166 cm (5′-5″). The absolute snowfall leader in Russia is the alpine weather station Sochi, with more than 220 cm (just over 7 ft).

Snowflake Cold

Cold wave paralyzes life across Bangladesh

Day-laborers around fire in Bangladesh
© Kamrul Islam RatanAs a cold wave is sweeping over different parts of the country, a group of day-labourers light a fire to protect themselves from the biting cold. The photo was taken in Kuril-Biswa Road area in the capital on Monday.
The cold wave sweeping across the country for the last several days has paralysed life. The countrymen, especially the poor people of the northern region, are suffering most due to lack of warm clothes.

According to met office sources, mild to moderate cold wave is sweeping over Rangpur, Rajshahi and Khulna divisions and the regions of Tangail, Faridpur, Madaripur, Gopalgonj, Barisal, Bhola and Srimongal.

Monday's minimum temperature at Dinajpur was 7.8 degrees Celsius while it was 9.4 degrees in Rangpur, 8.5 degrees in Syedpur, 7.2 degrees in Rajarhat (Kurigram), 7.2 degrees in Dimla (Nilphamari), 6.4 degrees in Tetulia (Panchagarh), 9.7 degrees in Bogra, 7.6 degrees in Rajshahi, 6.6 degrees in Chuadanga, 7.4 degrees in Jessore, 9.8 degrees in Khulna and 9.0 degrees in Barisal, Met office sources said.

On Friday, the minimum of 6.6 degrees Celsius temperature was recorded in Rangpur. The people of the region, mostly the poor and ultra-poor, are suffering immensely. It has been learnt from Rangpur district relief and rehabilitation office that 50 thousand blankets had been distributed among the poor in eight upazilas. More 20,000 blankets are still required for the needy.

Snowflake Cold

Global Warming? Too Much Snow Closes Ski Resorts, Amazing Light Pillars & California Drought Erased in One Storm

global warming hoax cartoon
© YouTube/Adapt 2030 (screen capture)
With over 10 feet of snow falling in the last weeks in California and Colorado, ski resorts closed from too much snow, highways completely cut off and with one storm, California filled all of its reservoirs again. So much for the doom and gloom of the IPCC telling us the drought would intensify due to CO2 warming and Gore told us our children would never know what snow is again.


Comment: As the global warming hoax spirals out of control, evidence suggests that the world is on the brink of a new ice age. See also:


Snowflake

U.S. Snowfall totals exceed 200 inches at many locations of the Sierra Nevada and Cascades; one site over 300 inches

Snow chart
Snow totals in inches for ski resorts in the Cascades and Sierra Nevada so far this season.
Snowfall has been prolific so far this month in the Sierra Nevada, which straddles the border between California and Nevada.

The feet of snow that have piled up in recent days in multiple atmospheric river events vaulted snowfall totals this season over 200 inches at the highest elevations.

Alpine Meadows, Mammoth Mountain, Mount Rose and Squaw Valley are among the locations that have seasonal snowfall totals that have topped the 200-inch benchmark through Jan. 9, according to data on each of the ski resort websites. One of those resorts, Mount Rose in the Lake Tahoe region, is reporting more than 300 inches of snow for the season.

Farther north in the Cascades of Oregon and Washington, Mount Hood Meadows and Stevens Pass have also racked up more than 200 inches of snow this winter.

Large piles of snow in the Mammoth Mountain area on Jan. 9, 2017.
© Instagram/r0d1fabLarge piles of snow in the Mammoth Mountain area on Jan. 9, 2017.

Snowflake Cold

Heavy snow collapses roofs in Oregon and Ontario

A collapsed roof at a produce warehouse on SE 4th in Hillsboro. Two people sleeping there escaped unhurt.
© Hillsboro Fire DepartmentA collapsed roof at a produce warehouse on SE 4th in Hillsboro. Two people sleeping there escaped unhurt.
Hillsboro Fire Department early Thursday said a roof had collapsed on a produce warehouse in Hillsboro on Southeast Fourth.

Five people escaped unhurt, spokesman Storm Smith said.

Workers are not allowed to sleep inside the building, but they sometimes do, he said. Smith was not able to confirm that everyone affected worked at the warehouse.
Roof collapse at produce warehouse SE 4th. 2 people sleeping there escape unhurt. pic.twitter.com/fJpEgmyn1F

-- Hillsboro Fire Dept (@HillsboroFire) January 12, 2017
Utility workers turned off water and gas service to the building because both substances were leaking inside, Smith said.
Utilities being shut off to building following roof collapse. Broken sprinkler lines & nat gas hazard. pic.twitter.com/8wkPb0ETKU

-- Hillsboro Fire Dept (@HillsboroFire) January 12, 2017

Snowflake Cold

Chaos on Scotland's roads as heavy blizzards batter the UK

Traffic cops try to help the HGV out of the jam
Traffic cops try to help the HGV out of the jam
Deep snow and sleet make conditions extremely treacherous for drivers all over the country

Scotland's roads descended into chaos today after heavy blizzards battered the country - causing a series of nasty crashes.

The dangerous whiteout arrived this morning swamping Lanarkshire before sweeping across the rest of the west of Scotland.

The heavy snow and freezing temperatures caused mayhem for drivers who encountered extremely treacherous conditions on the roads throughout the country.

A number of collisions took place in the Highlands while several other routes were closed due to ice and snow.



A car was left smashed up after it skidded into a lamppost in Lugton earlier today
A car was left smashed up after it skidded into a lamppost in Lugton earlier today

Snowflake Cold

Heavy snowfall hits Northern Japan

Snow-covered road near Shinshinotsu, Hokkaido.
© Royston ChanSnow-covered road near Shinshinotsu, Hokkaido.
Northern Japan experienced heavy snowfall on Thursday (Jan 12) as a strong cold weather front lingered over the region.

The northern island of Hokkaido, as well as in Niigata prefecture on the main island of Honshu experienced blizzard-like conditions.

Japan's Meteorological Agency issued snow storm and heavy snow warnings in the prefectures of Fukushima, Yamagata, Akita, Aomori and Hokkaido, according to AP.

The agency forecasts the cold front to continue over the weekend.

Meanwhile, local authorities have been involved in a search and rescue operation for two Japanese snowboarders who went missing in Niigata prefecture on Wednesday.


Snowflake

An overabundance of snow causes second Colorado ski resort closure in two days

Monarch mountain
Monarch Mountain
It's a snow report that would inevitably make any powder hound salivate: 20 inches in the last 20 hours, 28 inches in the last 48 and 68 inches in the last week.

It's a lot of snow - so much snow, in fact, that Monarch Mountain is the second ski resort in two days to say it can't open due to too much of that white powder.

"Monarch Pass is closed all night for avalanche control, preventing Monarch Mountain maintenance, food service and grooming crews from reaching the mountain," the resort wrote on Facebook Tuesday. "Stay tuned for information on status and conditions for tomorrow, Jan. 11."