Extreme Temperatures
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Snowflake

Record snowfall for Stockholm, Sweden; also record early snow

Snow scene
Stockholm hasn't seen this much snow in November since they started snow depth measurement in the capital 1905, 111 years ago!

And it's only 9 November!

On Wednesday morning, SMHI measured 21 cm of snow. At midday there was an unofficial listing of 30 cm (12 inches.

The previous snow depth in Stockholm in November was 29 cm, set in 1985.

Also, record early snowfall

Further, it has not snowed in Stockholm this early in the winter since SMHI statistics started in 1905.

See video:


Thanks to Andreas Forsman and Andy S for these links

Snowflake

Early snowfall hits Hokkaido, Japan

Snow covers an avenue leading to the former Hokkaido government headquarters, a popular tourist destination in central Sapporo, on Nov. 6.
© Hiroyuki YamamotoSnow covers an avenue leading to the former Hokkaido government headquarters, a popular tourist destination in central Sapporo, on Nov. 6.
Central Sapporo was covered in 23 centimeters of snow at 11 a.m. on Nov. 6, the first time in 21 years a snowfall exceeding 20 cm has been recorded in the city in early November.

A low pressure system passed over Hokkaido on Nov. 6, leading to the snowfalls in many parts of Japan's northernmost main island, according to the Sapporo Regional Headquarters of the Japan Meteorological Agency.

Before sunrise on that day, sweeper vehicles equipped with "sasara" bamboo brooms were dispatched to clear the snow from the municipal tram network. It was the first use of the special snowsweepers this season, and it came 18 days earlier than in the previous year.


An earlier-than-usual snowfall covers Sapporo, including leaves in autumn hues still on branches, on Nov. 6.
© Hiroyuki YamamotoAn earlier-than-usual snowfall covers Sapporo, including leaves in autumn hues still on branches, on Nov. 6.

Snowflake Cold

Severe weather warning issued as UK temperatures plummet

Man walks in Scotland snow
© Murdo Macleod/for The Guardian
Snow expected in the Midlands, north of England and Scotland overnight, and risk of gales in the south-west on Wednesday

Parts of Britain could get up to six inches of snow on Tuesday night as temperatures drop below freezing. The Met Office issued a severe weather warning as temperatures fell to -5C (23F) in England on Monday night.

It said snow was expected in the Midlands, the north and Scotland and that there was a risk of gales of up to 50mph developing in the south-west on Wednesday before moving along the Channel.

Frosty conditions are expected to continue until rush hour on Wednesday morning as a band of wintry weather moves slowly eastwards.

The Met Office forecaster Emma Sillitoe said: "We have had a few wintry showers, but this is the first event where more people are going to be affected. There is a frontal system moving in from the west meeting the quite cold weather we have been having over the last few days.

Snowflake

Record snow cover in Europe for the time of year?

snowfall
Check out the map of snow cover.

snow cover
"I just watched a video about the coming winter and apparently snow cover over Russia into Europe is a record for this time of year," says Andy S.

"The data only goes back to 98 so bear that in mind, however snow cover has penetrated right into NE Europe and all of Scandanavia is already completely covered."
I'd love to see a link verifying that this is a record for this time of year.

Bizarro Earth

Utah's Great Salt Lake is shrinking at an alarming rate

Great Salt Lake
© NASA Earth Observatory/Joshua StevensAcquired September 24, 2011.
The Great Salt Lake is drying up and shrinking. Both nature and man have a hand in the change.

The Great Salt Lake is largest water body in the United States after the Great Lakes. It is a terminal basin, which means the water that pours into the lake from rivers and streams has no outlet other than evaporation. This allows salts and minerals to concentrate in the lake such that it is three to five times saltier than the ocean. And yet this briny lake is a haven for more than 250 species of migratory birds who feast on the brine shrimp and flies that thrive there.

But now the millions of birds and shrimp—and the people who harvest the shrimp and extract salts and recreational fun from the lake—are faced with a problem. For more than 150 years, humans have been taking more water out of the Salt Lake watershed than is flowing into it. They are now diverting about 40 percent of the river water (which would normally fill the lake) and using it for farming, industry, and human consumption. In October 2016, the Great Salt Lake reached its lowest recorded level: 1277.5 meters (4,191.2 feet), averaged between the lake's north and south arms.

Five years of drought in the American West have contributed to the recent drop in the water line, as have higher-than-normal temperatures. But the region has seen dry cycles before, and according to scientists, there has not been a significant long-term change in precipitation in the basin. Nonetheless, the volume of water in Great Salt Lake has shrunk by 48 percent and the lake level has fallen 3.4 meters (11 feet) since 1847.

These two Landsat satellite images show recent changes in the Farmington Bay basin of Great Salt Lake. The Thematic Mapper on Landsat 5 acquired the first image (above) on September 11, 2011; the second image (below) was captured by the Operational Land Imager (OLI) on Landsat 8 on September 20, 2016. According to scientists' estimates, more than three-quarters of the lake bed is now exposed in Farmington Bay. Salt Lake City (lower right) and its northern suburbs stretch around the east side of the lake.

Snowflake Cold

Siberia already being clobbered with snow - portends harsh U.S. winter ahead

snowcover siberia
© The Weather Channel

A look at how snow in Siberia affects the U.S. and why it's looking like the eastern and central United States will have a cold, snowy winter.

Siberia is known to be one of the coldest places on the planet, but exactly how cold and snowy it gets each year has big ramifications elsewhere on the globe.

In North America, a more snow-covered Russia means that colder air will have an easier time harvesting in Siberia and departing for our continent's heartland. Early in the calendar year, the air coming from Siberia can be cold enough to bring snow to even more southern reaches of the United States if the pattern sets up correctly.

The Extent of Snow Cover

Snow is covering the ground across most of Russia, including all of Siberia - likely the greatest extent of snow cover since 1998. Below is the current snow cover in northern Asia as of Oct. 31.

Some locations, including Sakha in east-central Russia, are seeing their snowiest winter on record, with most of the snow season yet to come. Nearly 10 feet of snow fell in some places in Siberia in just three days, according to the Government of Sakha.

Snowflake Cold

Coldest October on record for Fort St. John, British Columbia

A photo of the record snowfall in Fort St. John on October 1st.
© Twitter @fsjchicA photo of the record snowfall in Fort St. John on October 1st.
While the snow that fell on Monday night put a slight damper on Halloween across the Peace Region, it also completed the theme of what ended up being the coldest October on record in Fort St. John.

Environment Canada's Ross MacDonald says that starting at around 7:00 p.m. on Monday, and continuing until midday on November 1st, a total of seven centimetres fell at the North Peace Airport weather station. MacDonald says that though the accumulations were not enough to meet Environment Canada's Snowfall Warning of 10 centimetres of accumulation in a 12 hour timeframe, the snow was heavy enough to cause a number of headaches for motorists yesterday morning.

Snowflake Cold

Heavy snowfall brings indications of a cold winter to Eastern Europe

Cold air has been pushing southwards across Eastern Europe and much of northern Asia in recent days
© Maxim Shipenkov/EPACold air has been pushing southwards across Eastern Europe and much of northern Asia in recent days
Signs that polar vortex may be heading south.

It has been an early and quite vicious start to the winter in parts of Eastern Europe. From the Baltic Sea states of Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia in the west; to Russia's Siberia in the east; and the Caucuses in the south; the end of October and early November have seen marked changes in weather patterns.

Cold air has been pushing southwards across Eastern Europe and much of northern Asia in recent days. Many climatologists believe this is a sign that changes in the polar vortex are likely to lead to a cold winter ahead.


The polar vortex is an area of low pressure, high up in the atmosphere. It is at its most intense during the winter months. There have been signs in recent years that it is beginning to weaken, and predictions for the coming winter suggest it will weaken significantly.

This weakening is likely to be the result of climate change, being linked to the decrease of Arctic sea ice in recent years.

Comment: See also: Animals slaughted due to record snowfall with five times the monthly normal precipitation in Yakutia, Russia

Heavy snowfall in northwestern Iran accompanied by lightning and thunder

Severe winter conditions strike eastern Turkey

Cold snap hits northern China, with some areas experiencing lowest October temperatures on record


Snowflake

Earliest start in 30 years for Sunshine Village ski resort in Alberta due to exceptional amounts of snow

The TeePee Town LX heated high speed chairlift at Sunshine Village
© Postmedia ArchivesThe TeePee Town LX heated high speed chairlift at Sunshine Village
Sunshine Village Ski and Snowboard Resort is opening for the season to skiers and snowboarders on Thursday, Nov. 3, the first to do so in Canada and the earliest its opened in more than 30 years.

The Wawa, Strawberry, Jackrabbit and Wolverine chairlifts, along with one magic carpet and one 8-passenger gondola will be operational beginning Thursday.

Families and kids can be part of the action as well, as the ski school will be running along with the Tiny Tiger and Kids Kampus programs as well as select on-mountain dining and retail venues.

Exceptional amounts of snow for this time of year has fallen in the alpine. Currently, Sunshine Village has a base of over 69 centimetres of natural snow.

Snowflake Cold

Heavy snowfall in northwestern Iran accompanied by lightning and thunder

Snow in Iran
Heavy snow in autumn in the northwestern province of Ardebil has colored the whole province in white and closed schools for three days.

Thick snow and freezing weather has urged the province's education department to close schools, particularly preschools and elementary schools, for three consecutive days on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, Nasimonline reported.

Ardebil province's meteorological organization director explained that in some areas such as Sareyn and Nir it snowed for more than 40 centimeters.

Ali Doulati-Mehr also pointed out that in a rare phenomenon snowfall was accompanied by lightning and thunder which had scared some of the citizens, Mehr news agency reported.

Such temperature drop and early snowfall is an indicator for a long and cold winter for the province.