Extreme Temperatures
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Tsunami

Flooding, high winds, snow disrupt roads, flights as storm sweeps Israel

Pesach Benson, Yanir Yagna
The Jerusalem Post
Tue, 13 Jan 2026 12:43 UTC
Snow falls atop Mt. Hermon in northern Israel on January 13, 2026.
Snow falls atop Mt. Hermon in northern Israel on January 13, 2026.
Heavy rain, strong winds, and localized flooding struck Israel overnight and into Tuesday as a winter storm swept across the country, disrupting transportation, causing property damage, and prompting multiple emergency rescues.

Meteorological officials said the system is expected to gradually weaken later in the day, with unsettled weather continuing through the end of the week.

Rainfall totals varied widely, with some of the heaviest precipitation recorded in northern and central areas. Majdal Shams, in the northern Golan Heights, reported about 60 millimeters of rain, while Jerusalem received 41 millimeters. Haifa recorded 27 millimeters and Tel Aviv 22 millimeters.

Snow fell on Mount Hermon, accumulating to roughly 15 centimeters overnight, leading authorities to keep the ski site closed to visitors until at least Thursday.

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Snowflake

Blizzard conditions along Sea of Japan - 1.29 meters (4.2 feet) of snow dumped


NHK
Sun, 11 Jan 2026 20:02 UTC
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Blizzards are affecting parts of northern to western Japan, mainly on the Sea of Japan side. Weather officials are warning that the severe conditions will peak through Monday morning.

The Japan Meteorological Agency says a strong winter pressure pattern and a cold air mass are bringing the heavy snow and winds.

A maximum instantaneous wind speed of 115.2 kilometers per hour was recorded on Miyake-jima, one of the Izu Islands, during the three hours through 6 p.m. on Sunday. Tottori Airport saw a wind speed of 98.28 kilometers in that period, while Kanazawa City recorded 88.92 kilometers.

Snowfall is intensifying mainly in the Tohoku to Hokuriku regions, parts of which were experiencing blizzards. Some areas received 10 to 20 centimeters of snowfall during the same period.

Accumulation had reached 1.29 meters in Uonuma City, Niigata Prefecture as of 6 p.m. Tadami Town in Fukushima Prefecture recorded 95 centimeters, Hokkaido's Otaru City saw 56 centimeters, while Yonezawa City in Yamagata Prefecture got 33 centimeters.

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Snowflake Cold

Snowstorm paralyzes life in Moscow, heaviest in 56 years


en.apa.az
Fri, 09 Jan 2026 13:39 UTC
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Heavy snow in the Russian capital has paralyzed life, APA's Moscow bureau reports.

The snowy weather brought by the "Francis" cyclone has been prevailing in the Russian capital for several days. As a result, the snow depth in Moscow has exceeded 65 centimeters.

Although central streets have been partially cleared of snow, a tense situation has arisen in the surrounding districts. The Moscow city hall announced that 130,000 workers and 15,000 pieces of equipment have been mobilized to clear the streets of snow. However, continuous snowfall has hindered the clearing of streets and roads.

Numerous videos of people being stuck on streets and roads have circulated on social media.

Traffic on the Moscow Ring Road has been paralyzed.

Due to the heavy snow, entry to Moscow from regional directions has been blocked. The traffic jam on the Yaroslavl Highway has reached 20 km, and people have been stuck in traffic for more than six hours.

Meteorologists reported that the snow will continue until late today. It was noted that more than half of the monthly precipitation norm will fall on January 9. Snow was observed with strong winds. An orange weather warning was issued for Moscow due to the snowstorm.


Comment: The Business Standard reported on January 11
Russia's capital Moscow on Friday experienced the heaviest snowfall in 56 years, with 42 percent of the monthly average precipitation recorded in just 24 hours.

"The snowstorm that hit central Russia on Friday brought record-breaking snowfall, paralyzing ground and air traffic across the region," said Evgeny Tishkovets, a leading specialist at the Phobos Weather Center, a private weather forecasting service.


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Snowflake

High avalanche danger follows huge snowfalls in the Alps and Pyrenees - over 5 feet of snow in 3 days


snow-forecast.com
Sun, 11 Jan 2026 12:42 UTC
Switzerland's Glacier 3000 was already posting the world's deepest snow at 3.8m (13 feet) before the storm.
Switzerland's Glacier 3000 was already posting the world's deepest snow at 3.8m (13 feet) before the storm.
After three days of snowfall in the Alps and Pyrenees (with rain, sleet and gales in the mix for many areas), several resorts are claiming totals of more than 1.5 metres (five feet), and many 50-100cm (20-40"). For quite a few areas it was the first significant snowfall since late November or early December last year.

Saint Sorlin d'Arves is the French Alps is posting the most over 72 hours, with 165cm (5.5 feet). Switzerland's Saas-Fee say they've had 1.4m (just under five feet) and a number of resorts including Chamonix, Les 2 Alpes, St Gervais Les Arcs and La Thuile in Italy say they've had 1m or more. Ski areas in the Pyrenees have also reported up to 90cm (3 feet) of snowfall.

As a result of the combination of snow and weather factors the avalanche danger is now very high in many areas of France and Western Italy and Switzerland, among others. An off-piste ski touring avalanche fatality was reported in the Aosta Valley on Saturday.

In Switzerland the Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research (SLF), issued the "high" danger level (level 4 out of 5) saying the highest danger is in Valais, southwestern Switzerland, and in the eastern part of the northern slopes of the Swiss Alps. Skiers are advised to avoid skiing off-piste in these areas.

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Cloud Precipitation

Germany braces for more heavy snowfall as Storm Goretti hits northern Europe

Jon Henley and Deborah Cole
The Guardian
Fri, 09 Jan 2026 20:58 UTC
France and Germany battered by strong winds and plunging temperatures, as schools closed and travel disrupted
snow storm germany goretti
© Daniel Reinhardt/AFP/Getty ImagesWorkers clear snow from the platforms at Hamburg's main railway station during heavy snowfall on Friday.
Germany is expecting heavy snowfalls of up to 20cm after record winds of more than 210kph left almost 400,000 homes in France without electricity, as Storm Goretti battered north-western Europe.

No major or widespread damage to property was reported in France on Friday but one man was seriously hurt after slipping from his roof while trying to replace fallen tiles and 27 others suffered minor injuries, several requiring hospital treatment.

France's national weather service, Météo-France, had issued severe weather warnings urging residents to remain home. Gusts of 213kph (132mph) and 216kph (134mph) were recorded overnight at Gatteville and Val-de-Saire in Normandy.

Windspeed records were also broken in Brittany, and a gust of 148kph (92mph) was registered at the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris. More than 380,000 homes mainly, in Normandy and Brittany, were without power on Friday lunchtime.

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Sun

Australia evacuates towns as dangerous heatwave triggers blazes

Attracta Mooney, Steven Bernard and Nic Fildes
Financial Times
Thu, 08 Jan 2026 12:05 UTC
Australia’s firefighters have been grappling with blazes in several areas of Victoria
© Peter Cookson/Little Yarra CFAAustralia’s firefighters have been grappling with blazes in several areas of Victoria
Australia has been hit by an intense heatwave as temperatures soar above 40C, sparking warnings of "extreme fire danger" and risks to life.

The country's Bureau of Meteorology said more than half of Australia was in the grips of extreme heat, especially South Australia and Victoria, with temperatures forecast to reach up to 47C in inland areas.

Firefighters were grappling with blazes in several areas of Victoria on Thursday and a number of towns near Seymour were evacuated as responders struggled to contain outbreaks. A segment of the Hume Highway, the main road between Melbourne and Sydney, was also closed due to fire threats.

Friday "is going to be the peak fire danger day, especially for Victoria", said Sarah Scully, a meteorologist at the Bureau.

High temperatures, strong gusty winds and "dry lightning", where thunder storms had little rain, all increased the risk of fires, she added.

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Snowflake Cold

Red alert for polar cold in Spain: the European country recorded record temperatures of up to -17 °C


noticiasambientales.com
Wed, 07 Jan 2026 13:19 UTC
Red alert for polar cold in Spain.
© EuronewsRed alert for polar cold in Spain.
The beginning of January was marked by an intense and persistent cold in much of Spain. Thus, the red alert was activated in Parameras de Molina, in Guadalajara, due to exceptional lows, as well as orange and yellow warnings, which extended across wide regions of the interior.

During the early morning of the Day of the Kings, thermometers dropped abruptly. In mountain areas, values close to −17 °C were reached. Meanwhile, Molina de Aragón recorded some of the lowest temperatures in Spain.

This winter scenario was not an isolated event. On the contrary, it is part of a succession of increasingly frequent extreme episodes. Thus, the cold once again tested infrastructures and daily routines.

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Snowflake Cold

Record cold hits eastern Türkiye as temperatures drop to −39.7°C


ilkha.com
Sun, 04 Jan 2026 13:00 UTC
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Eastern Türkiye has been hit by severe winter conditions as temperatures plunged to record lows, with one district recording the coldest temperature in the country this season, according to official data.

The Gole district of Ardahan province registered a temperature of minus 39.7 degrees Celsius overnight, making it the coldest location in Türkiye, the Turkish State Meteorological Service reported. The extreme cold created hazardous conditions across several eastern provinces, freezing water bodies and significantly disrupting daily life.

Altinyayla district in Sivas province recorded the second-lowest temperature at minus 33.8 degrees Celsius, while Yavuzlar village, also in Gole district, followed closely at minus 33.2 degrees Celsius.

In Ardahan, the intense cold led to widespread ice formation and heavy frost. Windows of homes, vehicles, and businesses froze over, while roads turned dangerously icy, making transportation difficult. Ponds and streams across the city developed thick layers of ice as residents struggled to cope with the harsh conditions.

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Snowflake

Rare heavy snowfall piles up on Maunakea, Hawaii - up to 10 inches fell overnight

Michelle Broder Van Dyke
SpectrumLocalNews.com
Mon, 05 Jan 2026 14:37 UTC
A photo taken Jan. 5, 2026, at 8:45 a.m. shows heavy snow at the summit of Maunakea.
© University of Hawaii at Hilo’s Center for Maunakea StewardshipA photo taken Jan. 5, 2026, at 8:45 a.m. shows heavy snow at the summit of Maunakea.
While most of the state of Hawaii is experiencing wet and cold weather, on Hawaii's tallest peak, Maunakea, it's below freezing, creating a thick blanket of snow.

Overnight on Monday, the summit area of Maunakea on Hawaii Island received 8 to 10 inches of snowfall, according to Nahua Guilloz, who is the director of stewardship programs at the University of Hawaii at Hilo's Center for Maunakea Stewardship.

"It is currently still snowing on the summit," wrote Guilloz, who emailed Spectrum News Hawaii on Monday at 11:25 a.m.

Because of the snow and ice, the road to the summit is closed. The Maunakea Stewardship's utilities crew is working to clear the snow with a snow blower, two snow plows and a front-end loader.

"There is still forecasted a lot of rain for today and overnight, so we expect that there will be more snow to clear tomorrow," Guilloz added.

Hawaii Island's summit reaches into the sky at 13,500 feet above sea level, and it usually snows there a few times each year.

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Snowflake

Oswego County in New York state pounded with 4 feet of snow in 24 hours: 'It's absolutely nuclear'


Syracuse.com
Fri, 02 Jan 2026 20:29 UTC
A car is buried in snow in Sandy Pond, Oswego County, where 3 to 4 feet of snow have fallen in the past 24 hours.
© Jennifer HarveyA car is buried in snow in Sandy Pond, Oswego County, where 3 to 4 feet of snow have fallen in the past 24 hours.
The lake effect snow machine that dropped record snow on Syracuse three days ago has turned its attention to Oswego County.

As much as 4 feet of snow has fallen on several towns in Oswego County since New Year's Day, and it's still coming. Businesses have closed and residents have been trapped inside, according to posts on social media.

Pulaski, Sandy Creek and Orwell appeared to be the hardest hit. Some local fire departments have been unable to respond to emergencies.

Most firefighters at the Ringgold Fire Department can't get out of their driveways, and the two firefighters who did make it couldn't get the engine out because 3 to 5 feet of snow blocked the bay doors, said Justin Crowl, first assistant chief.

"It's a tough time for volunteer fire departments right now," Crowl said. "This snow really hitting us, just adds on top of the stress."
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