Extreme Temperatures
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Snowflake Cold

Heavy snowfall wreaks havoc in Odessa, Ukraine


Reuters
Tue, 19 Jan 2016 18:00 UTC
Snow in Odessa
Snow in Odessa
Heavy snowfall is wreaking havoc in Ukraine's port city of Odesa. At least two homeless people have died after a snowstorm hit the southern city. Three others are in the hospital after suffering from hypothermia and frostbite.

Local authorities are now deploying tents that provide heating for the homeless and those caught up in the snowstorms. The freezing weather saw heavy snowfall forcing the international airport to cancel over a dozen flights this week.

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Snowflake Cold

Moscow has already received twice the average amount of snow for January


The Moscow Times
Tue, 19 Jan 2016 17:36 UTC
Snowfall in Moscow
© Sergei Porter / VedomostiSnowfall in Moscow
Russia's weather center issued an orange weather warning on Tuesday as heavy snowfall threatened to disrupt traffic in Moscow.

Warning of rising wind speeds as a weather front moved into central Russia from the south, the Hydrometeorological Center of Russia said 12-15 centimeters of snow was expected to fall on Tuesday, the TASS news agency reported.

The new alert follows a week of heavy snowfall in Moscow. Since the start of the month 77 centimeters of snow has fallen in the capital — more than twice the average for January, TASS said.

The storm follows an outlandishly warm start to the Russian winter, with temperatures in the capital dropping below zero only in late December.

More than 18,000 machines and 60,000 people have been deployed in the city to clear snow, according to TASS.
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Snowflake Cold

Italy in the grip of ice and snow: Minus 18 degrees Celsius recorded in places


ANSA
Mon, 18 Jan 2016 20:33 UTC
Snow in Italy
© ANSASnow in Italy
Civil protection authorities issued a fresh weather alert for southern regions on Monday as much of Italy remained in the grips of heavy ice and snow.

"In the next few hours a low-pressure area arriving from the Atlantic will hit Sardinia before extending across southern regions during the day tomorrow, with rain and snowfall at low altitude and stronger winds," the warning said. Rain and snow were forecast in Basilicata, Calabria and Sicily in particular.

The civil protection department also issued a yellow warning for localised hydrogeological and hydraulic risk in Sicily, Calabria, Molise, much of Puglia and parts of Abruzzo. Central and southern regions have born the brunt of the recent cold snap, with temperatures dipping to -18 degrees Celsius in some places. Schools remained closed on Monday in dozens of municipalities in the central Abruzzo region including the coastal city of Pescara due to heavy snowfall.

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Snowflake

Heavy snowfall causes transport chaos in Japan; 250 people injured


The Japan Times
Mon, 18 Jan 2016 13:18 UTC
heavy snow in Tokyo
© KYODOChildren walk to school amid heavy snowfall in Chofu, western Tokyo, on Monday morning
Heavy snow in eastern and northeastern Japan wreaked havoc with transportation systems and injured about 250 people Monday as central Tokyo was blanketed with 6 cm.

At least 40 people were sent to hospitals in Tokyo alone, and another 30 were reported injured in Saitama Prefecture, police and fire departments across the region said.

Over the 24 hours through 6 p.m. Tuesday, up to 100 cm of snow is forecast to fall in Hokkaido and the Hokuriku region, 70 cm in the Tohoku and Tokai areas, 50 cm in the Chugoku region, and 40 cm in the Kanto and Koshin regions, according to the Meteorological Agency.

The low-pressure system responsible for the snow was predicted to remain through Tuesday, especially along the Sea of Japan coast.

The land ministry urged people to prepare for heavy snow in the affected areas and refrain from going out unless necessary. Snow tires and chains for cars were also recommended.

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Snowflake Cold

Blizzards wreak havoc in Romania and Bulgaria, ports closed

Radu Marinas and Tsvetelia Tsolova
Reuters
Sun, 17 Jan 2016 17:18 UTC
Bucharest, Romania, Sunday, Jan. 17, 2016.
© Associated PressA man clears snow during a blizzard outside the Gara de Nord, the main railway station in Bucharest, Romania, Sunday, Jan. 17, 2016.
Heavy snowfall and strong winds closed Romania's Black Sea ports including the main port of Constanta, and shut dozens of roads while snowstorms and torrential rains cut electricity to hundreds of towns in Bulgaria, authorities said on Sunday.

Blizzards dumped up to half a metre of snow in 12 hours in Romania, disrupting trains and forcing authorities to shut down all schools in Bucharest and nearby counties.

There were no reports of victims but emergency services said they were prepared to intervene, with about 6,000 policemen, gendarmes and firefighters currently involved in various missions across the country, the interior ministry said.

Snowfalls are not expected to ease until Monday in Romania and forecasters predict temperatures will fall to below minus 18 degrees Celsius next week.

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Snowflake Cold

Severe situation in northern Bulgaria because of snow, floods and strong winds


The Sofia Globe
Mon, 18 Jan 2016 16:11 UTC
Flooding Bulgaria
Flooding Bulgaria
Strong winds in northern Bulgaria, causing blizzards and snow drifts, hampered traffic in northern Bulgaria on January 18, with many roads closed.

Heavy snowfall and rains in several parts of Bulgaria at the weekend led to declarations of states of emergency in some municipalities, as serious winter weather conditions also hit Bulgaria's neighbouring countries Turkey, Greece, Romania and Serbia.

The state of emergency that had been declared at the weekend in Bulgaria's Smolyan municipality was lifted on the morning of January 18 but partial emergencies remained in place in the municipalities of Rudozem, Devin and Dospat.

The head of Bulgaria's Road Infrastructure Agency, Lazar Lazarov, said on the morning of January 18 that roads in western Bulgaria were passable provided that vehicles were prepared for wintry conditions but traffic in north-eastern Bulgaria still had difficulties.

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Snowflake Cold

Bosporus Strait closed to tankers due to heavy snowfall, Turkey

John Morley
Platts
Mon, 18 Jan 2016 15:54 UTC
Winter view to Bosphorus, Istanbul
Winter view to Bosphorus, Istanbul
The Bosporus Strait has closed to tankers Monday afternoon due to heavy snow in the region, local port agents said.

"Authorities have notified [us] that the Bosporus traffic has been closed on January 18 at [4.06 pm local time] due to heavy snowfall," Boutros Maritime and Transport said.

According to local agents, there were seven tankers due to pass through the Bosporus in a northbound direction Monday, and 13 due to pass through going South.

The Bosporus and the Dardanelles together form the only commercially navigable transit route between the Black Sea and the Mediterranean.
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Snowflake Cold

Heavy snowfall grounds hundreds of flights in Istanbul, Turkey

dominique soguel
ABC News
Mon, 18 Jan 2016 15:44 UTC
Istanbul's Süleymaniye Mosque
© Sabah / Metin ArabacıThe view of Istanbul's Süleymaniye Mosque from the Galata Bridge that crosses the Golden Horn.
Heavy snowfall has swept northwestern Turkey, grounding hundreds of flights, disrupting ground transport and closing schools in Istanbul.

Turkish Airlines announced the cancellation of 250 international and domestic flights to and from Istanbul's Ataturk and Sabiha Gokcen airports on Monday.

The airline also canceled at least 149 flights scheduled for Tuesday.

The snow began Sunday evening and is expected to continue until Tuesday night, according to Turkey's General Directorate of Meteorology, which also warned of heavy rainfall and a risk of flooding in southern Turkey.
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Fire

Brutal cold gripping midwest U.S. to sweep east with snow squalls; 10-20ºF below normal

Kristina Pydnyowski
Accuweather
Sun, 17 Jan 2016 17:43 UTC
Brutal cold gripping the Midwest this weekend will sweep into the East to start the new week, ushered in by snow and localized squalls in the Northeast.

The new arctic blast will be the harshest the Midwest and East has experienced so far this season. According to AccuWeather Chief Long-Range Meteorologist Paul Pastelok, "The arctic deep freeze will last two to three days in most places."

Parts of eastern North Dakota, Minnesota and northeastern Iowa will not see temperatures climb above zero until Tuesday, making for a total of 72 hours of subzero readings since the weekend started.

Temperatures will dangerously drop under 10 below zero F Sunday and Monday nights in and around Minnesota with some communities near the Canadian border registering lows under 20 below zero F.

AccuWeather RealFeel temperatures will be life-threatening if people venture out without being properly dressed from the northern Plains to the Ohio Valley.
Cold outbreak
The cold will not be as brutal when the arctic air grips the eastern U.S. early this week, but will still hold temperatures 10-20 degrees below normal Monday into Tuesday.

Subfreezing highs and biting winds will encompass the Northeast and mid-Atlantic both Monday and Tuesday, a stretch the I-95 corridor in the mid-Atlantic has not dealt with yet this winter.
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Snowflake Cold

Winter shows teeth in Greece: Bridge collapses, snow, strong winds and rainfall

Robert Felix
Ice Age Now
Sun, 17 Jan 2016 23:57 UTC
Greece bridge collapse
© thetoc.gr
Bad weather collapses bridge. Snow down to the lowlands, cold, strong winds and rainfall for today, Sunday and Monday.

There was intense snowfall with strong winds in Kozani.


The bad weather collapsed a bridge in Diava Kalambaka.


As transmitted by trikalaola.gr, eyewitnesses of the collapse of the bridge were the Deputy Head of Trikala, Mr. Christos Michalakis and Thessaly Regional Councillor, Mr. Boutinas.

Comment: An ice age cometh:

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