Extreme Temperatures
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Snowflake

Deep snow is forcing bison onto Interior Alaska roads

Tim Ellis
ktoo.org
Mon, 07 Feb 2022 14:00 UTC
A half-dozen bison looking for food wandered into the driveway of Elena Powers’ home on Spruce Road in the agricultural area south of Delta Junction last month.
© Elena PowersA half-dozen bison looking for food wandered into the driveway of Elena Powers’ home on Spruce Road in the agricultural area south of Delta Junction last month.
Bison have been spending their winters in the farmlands near Delta Junction for decades. But this year's deep, icy snow pack has forced the animals to forage at farms and travel on roadways. And that's put both the bison and drivers at risk.

A video making the rounds on YouTube illustrates what can happen when vehicles encounter bison on a roadway. It shows how, with no other way to get around the vehicle except through deep snow off the sides of the road, the bison charged and trampled over the top of a car.

The car was seriously damaged, but the driver reportedly was OK. Neither he nor the person who recorded the video could be reached.

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Nine killed in 3 days after more than 100 avalanches hit Austria (UPDATE)


The Guardian
Mon, 07 Feb 2022 13:21 UTC
Rescue helicopters stand on a street near the Gammerspitze summit in Tirol after an avalanche killed a 58-year-old local man.
© ReutersRescue helicopters stand on a street near the Gammerspitze summit in Tirol after an avalanche killed a 58-year-old local man.
Nine people died in three days during which more than 100 avalanches struck Austria, authorities said Sunday, as heavy snowfall followed by warmer weather made for unusually dangerous conditions.

Most of the avalanches hit the western Tyrol region and Friday alone saw five fatalities, rescue services said.

Police said that one incident had claimed the lives of a group of Swedish skiers going off-piste with a mountain guide in the zone around Ischgl, near the Swiss border.

The guide and four of the group were swept away with just one member surviving. He managed to call for help and was airlifted out by helicopter.


Comment: Footage of a recent avalanche in the country:



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Snowflake Cold

Bhutan witnessing heavy snowfall resulting in extremely cold conditions with one area hit by first snow in 64 years


The Nation Thailand
Sun, 06 Feb 2022 11:17 UTC
snow
Bhutan's high altitude dzongkhags including low altitude dzongkhags like Punakha, Wangduephodrang, Trashiyangtse, and Trongsa have been witnessing heavy snowfall since yesterday resulting in extremely cold conditions in these dzongkhags.

Punakha has experienced its first snowfall after decades.

On the account of the first snowfall after a decade in Trongsa, the Dzongkhag administration declared a holiday today. All the offices and financial institutions under Trongsa Dzongkhag will remain closed today.

Trashiyangtse also experienced its first snowfall after a decade.

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Snowflake Cold

Heavy snow blankets Sea of Japan coast - 31 inches of snowfall in 24 hours


NHK WORLD-JAPAN
Sat, 05 Feb 2022 13:32 UTC
snow
A strong winter pressure pattern and a cold air mass above Japan have brought heavy snow, especially along the Sea of Japan coast from Hokkaido down to the Chugoku region.

Some areas of Niigata and Nagano prefectures got more than 80 centimeters of snow in the 24 hours through Sunday morning.

As of 9 a.m. on Sunday, snow accumulation of 342 centimeters was recorded in the town of Tsunan in Niigata Prefecture, and 262 centimeters in the village of Nozawaonsen in Nagano Prefecture.

In the city of Sapporo in the country's northernmost prefecture of Hokkaido, 108 centimeters of snow was on the ground. The last time the city saw snow deeper than one meter was in March 2014.

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Two skiers killed in second deadly avalanche in Austria


Reuters
Sat, 05 Feb 2022 19:21 UTC
An avalanche warning sign is seen
© REUTERS/Leonhard FoegerAn avalanche warning sign is seen next to the slope at Schlick 2000 ski resort near Neustift im Stubaital, Austria February 6 2020.
Two skiers were killed by an avalanche in western Austria, police said on Saturday, hours after another avalanche in the same province killed five people on an unusually dangerous day in the Alps after heavy snowfall followed by warmer weather.

Emergency services found the bodies of the two Austrian skiers, a woman aged 61 and a 60-year-old man, at 00:40 a.m. on Saturday (2340 GMT on Friday) after their relatives raised the alarm when they could no longer be contacted, police said.

The pair had set out in the Tyrol region on Friday afternoon and the man told a contact by phone at 3:30 p.m. (1430 GMT) that they had reached the 1,868-metre (6,129-ft) Breitegg peak. That was their last contact.

Comment: Five dead and one hurt after avalanche in Austrian Alps

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Avalanche kills one in Russia's Sakhalin region


TASS
Sat, 05 Feb 2022 19:15 UTC
avalanche
An avalanche has killed a mining company worker in the Poltavskaya River area in Russia's Far Eastern Sakhalin region, a spokesperson for the East Mining Company told TASS on Saturday.

"One person has been taken to the hospital, his condition remains unknown. Another person recovered from under the snow is dead," the spokesperson said.

Four workers were dismantling a pipe at the Solntsevsky coal mine when the avalanche came down. Two workers got buried under the snow, one of them died.

A criminal case has been opened into safety violations following the incident, the regional branch of the Russian Investigative Committee said.
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Snowflake Cold

Huge US winter storm leaves over 330,000 without power and 9,000 flights cancelled


Al Jazeera
Fri, 04 Feb 2022 22:00 UTC
snow
A winter storm that dumped sleet and heavy snow on a wide swath of the central United States this week has left hundreds of thousands of homes and businesses without power.

More than 330,000 customers were without power from Texas, Arkansas, and Tennessee up through Ohio and into New York, Poweroutage.us showed on Friday, after an ice storm downed power lines and trees across the area.

Freezing rain and snow weighed down tree limbs and encrusted power lines, and brought rare measurable snowfall and hundreds of power outages to parts of the southern state Texas.

Power restoration could take days, said Gale Carson, the utility's spokeswoman. "It's not going to be a quick process," she said.

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Five dead and one hurt after avalanche in Austrian Alps

Siba Jackson
Sky News
Fri, 04 Feb 2022 20:52 UTC
Austrian and Swiss helicopters were deployed.
© ReutersAustrian and Swiss helicopters were deployed.
Five people have died and one has been injured after an avalanche in the Alps near the Swiss-Austrian border.

The avalanche happened in the Austrian town of Spiss, close to the Swiss border in Tyrol province, the local emergency control centre confirmed on Friday afternoon.

The fifth victim was initially reported as missing. A sixth person suffered minor injuries.

The identities and nationalities of the six people have not yet been revealed, and it is not yet known whether they were skiing or taking part in another activity.
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Snowflake Cold

Major winter storm creates travel chaos across U.S. with 5,000 flights cancelled


CBS Evening News
Wed, 02 Feb 2022 11:36 UTC
snow
A massive winter storm is bringing snow, rain and ice to more than a dozen states, causing thousands of flight cancellations. Janet Shamlian takes a look.

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Ice Cube

Cold-stunned alligator spotted in Florida state park with fish in its mouth

Michael Hollan
Fox News
Tue, 01 Feb 2022 14:48 UTC
When a cold-blooded animal is exposed to cold temperatures or water, it can be become cold-stunned.
© Robin AustinWhen a cold-blooded animal is exposed to cold temperatures or water, it can be become cold-stunned.
Nobody likes eating when they're cold.

Visitors at a state park in Florida witnessed an unusual sight over the weekend. While it's not uncommon for Floridians to see alligators, they're usually moving around.

Robin Goff Austin shared photos to Facebook of a gator she spotted at Myakka State Park. The large animal was sitting near the river's bank, staying still and holding a fish in its mouth.

"The gator just laid there. He didn't move the whole time I watched him and taking pictures. He never moved," Austin told Fox 13 in Tampa. "I guess gator was cold. Caught this fish and kind of didn't know what to do with him at the time."
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