Extreme Temperatures
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Snowflake

Travel chaos as heavy snowfall strikes Turkey


rappler.com
Tue, 06 Jan 2015 19:59 UTC
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© Adem Altan/AFP A person walks with an umbrella on a snow-covered road in Ankara, on January 6, 2015.
Heavy snowfall descended on large parts of Turkey on Tuesday, January 6, snarling road and air traffic and leading to closures of schools, reports said.

In the northern province of Karabuk, a school bus went off the road and turned over on to its side in slick conditions caused by snow, leaving a student dead and 18 others injured, the Dogan news agency reported.

The snowfall also seriously disrupted road traffic across Turkey and caused trouble with the electricity network causing some power cuts, particularly in the northern parts of the country.

Turkey's national flag-carrier Turkish Airlines cancelled 44 international and domestic flights in and out of Istanbul and some other cities including the capital Ankara.

In mega-city Istanbul, the authorities appeared to take every precaution including closing down schools. But the snow has so far failed to appear in the city in the quantities predicted.

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Snowflake

Sub-zero cold wave set to lash Saudi Arabia with snow and wind

Galal Fakkar
arabnews.com
Tue, 06 Jan 2015 19:40 UTC
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© ReutersIn this photo taken on Jan. 9, 2013, residents of Tabuk enjoy the snow after a heavy snowstorm in the desert. A snowstorm is forecast to hit parts of the Kingdom, including Tabuk, on Wednesday.
A wave of bitterly cold weather accompanied by wind, sub-zero temperatures and snow is expected to hit the Kingdom on Wednesday and last until Sunday, the Presidency of Meteorology and Environmental Protection (PME) said on Monday.

The extreme cold is forecast strike the north and northwest areas of the Kingdom as a result of storms coming from Europe and America. The inclement weather is expected to move across the entire country.

Hussain Al-Qahtani, spokesperson of the PME, said this would be the coldest weather for the year. The northern areas would be struck first, including Tabuk, Turaif and Al-Jouf, where sub-zero temperatures and light snow is expected. The PME also expects wind that would limit visibility.

The temperatures would likely drop in Madinah, Jeddah and Makkah, accompanied by strong winds. The cold wave would reach its peak on Thursday in Hail, Qassim, the Eastern Province and Riyadh.
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Igloo

Snow forecast across 2,000 miles of U.S.


CBS News - St. Louis
Tue, 06 Jan 2015 01:52 UTC
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© CBS News
In addition to some snow and heavy rain, bitterly cold temperatures have begun moving into parts of the U.S. and will be staying put for at least part of this week.

Snow is possible across a 2,000-mile stretch of the U.S. and meteorologist Megan Glaros of CBS station WBBM says that millions of people will deal with brutally cold weather - with wind chills as low as 50 degrees below zero for part of the northern Plains.

Here are some questions and answers about the weather:

Q: What's The Forecast?

A: The Midwest will see the tail end of a storm that could leave as many as 6 inches of snow in Chicago by early Tuesday. The National Weather Service has issued a wind chill advisory until noon Monday for the Chicago area, due to wind chills of 15 to 30 below overnight, CBS Chicago reported.

After that, Arctic temperatures like those seen in North Dakota and Minnesota will rush in. Parts of those states were expecting wind chills of between 25-50 degrees below zero through Monday morning.

It'll be a similar story in New York, where rain showers will give way to cold air. By Thursday, "New York City will be lucky if it hits 20″ for a high and could see lows near 10 degrees, according to Michael Musher with the National Weather Service's Weather Prediction Center.

In Boston, strong wind is ushering in the cold - and gusts will top out between 40-50 mph this afternoon resulting in some isolated pockets of tree/powerline damage in the region, WBZ-TV meterologist Danielle Niles reports.

Atlanta will see temperatures dip to about 15 degrees Monday and Tuesday.

Comment: Ice ages can start at any time and quickly. See:Fire and Ice: The Day After Tomorrow

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Snowflake Cold

150,000 customers without electricity in the Montreal area


cbc.ca
Mon, 05 Jan 2015 16:17 UTC
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© CBCA Hydro-Québec pole teeters as freezing rain casts the province in ice.
As of 4 p.m. ET on Sunday, more than 150,000 Hydro-Québec customers were without electricity on and around the island of Montreal after freezing rain encased southern Quebec in ice.

The power failures began on Sunday afternoon and affected small pockets around the greater Montreal region.

However, by late afternoon the blackouts were widespread across Montreal, the Montérégie (South Shore and areas west of the island of Montreal), the Richelieu Valley and elsewhere in southern Quebec.

Hydro-Québec spokeswoman Elaine Beaulieu said many of the power failures are due to fallen branches.

"Our crews are presently patrolling to find out where the power outages are and trying to restore the power as soon as possible. It's mainly due to the weather conditions," Beaulieu said.

Some Hydro poles and wires seemed to bow to the weight of the ice. Tree branches snapped and fell to the sidewalks and roads below in the Montreal region as the day wore on.

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Snowflake

Indo-Tibetan Border Police sound high alert after early heavy snowfall on Himalayan border


The Tribune (India)
Sat, 03 Jan 2015 20:21 UTC
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© Sanju PantHeavy snowfall at an ITBP camp on the China border in Pithoragarh.
The ITBP, which guards the high-altitude Himalayan border posts with China, has sounded a high alert as moderate to heavy snowfall has been reported in the region in the last 24 hours.

The snowfall continued in the higher reaches of this part of the Himalayas today, ITBP sources said here. "The snowfall has broken records of recent years. After 2005, dense snowfall used to occur in this part of the Himalayas after January 15, but this year it has started early," said Kedar Singh Rawat, an ITBP officer.

According to ITBP sources, while 120 cm snowfall was recorded at Joligkong Ridge, near the China border in the Vyans valley of Dharchula subdivision, the last border post at China border at Nabhidhang received 90 cm snowfall in the last 24 hours. "The snowfall, which started ahead of the Garbiyang post of the ITBP, witnessed 40 cm to 80 cm snowfall in the last 24 hours," said Rawat.

In Munsiyari, the peaks of Panchachuli, Rajrambha, Chiplakedar and Hansling received heavy snowfall in the last 24 hours. Weather Department sources said snowfall in higher reaches and rainfall in lower valleys would continue for the next 24 hours.
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Arrow Down

Pope embraces false prophets of doom - Why I'm disassociating myself from the Vatican and church

P Gosselin
NoTricksZone
Sun, 04 Jan 2015 18:59 UTC
Vatican
© NoTricksZone
I'm Catholic and this Sunday I'm announcing that I'm disassociating myself from the Vatican and its pope. I urge other skeptic Catholics to consider doing the same. This is not a step I've taken lightly.

I'll be opting out of Germany's Kirchensteuer (Church Tax) and will not attend any services in the future. With their latest planned encyclical they are indicating that they have shifted back to the Dark Ages of bad-weather witches, superstitions and Medieval indulgences. Worse, they are openly subscribing to nutty end-of-times theories.

This comes on the heels of a recent announcement that Pope Francis intends to issue an encyclical on climate change. I am not renouncing Catholicism, rather I am solely renouncing my recognition that the Vatican and Pope are the faith's administrator and moral compass. It's the last straw in an unending string of corruption, child sexual abuse and scandals that have raged within the Catholic Church in recent times.
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Snowflake Cold

Brutal arctic cold to blast Midwest and East U.S.

Alex Sosnowski
Accuweather
Sat, 03 Jan 2015 17:17 UTC
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In a pattern fitting for January, waves of cold air will flow into the Midwest and East with brutal blasts of arctic air poised to sweep southeastward next week.

Following a large storm that bring snow and ice to a large part of the Upper Midwest and interior Northeast this weekend, multiple blasts of cold air will follow.

The first blast will have many people shivering as they head back to work and school in the Midwest early next week.

Another batch of arctic air set to move during the middle to second half of next week is likely to bring the lowest temperatures of the season so far to parts of the Midwest and much of New England and the mid-Atlantic.

With the frigid air moving in, temperatures may hold in the single digits around Chicago and the teens around Chicago or lower on multiple days next week.
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It is possible temperatures fail to climb above zero F on one or more days in northern New England. Highs may be in the single digits across upstate New York and central New England with night time lows well below zero.

Highs will be in the 20s on multiple days from Boston to New York City and Philadelphia. Atlanta is likely to have highs in the 40s most days next week, despite sunshine.

Gusty winds accompanying the arctic outbreaks will produce much lower AccuWeather RealFeel® Temperatures. Because of this the air will be beyond painful, reaching dangerous and life-threatening levels in much of the Midwest and Northeast for those who spend a significant amount of time outdoors without proper protection.

Comment: See: Feeling chilly? It's good for you!

See also the thread on our forum on cold therapy.

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Snowflake

Freezing temperatures and snow in Greece, Turkey and the Balkans

Everton Fox
Al Jazeera
Wed, 31 Dec 2014 14:45 UTC
greek snow
Icy weather and heavy snowfall has hit a large part of Greece, resulting in many roads closing in northern and central Greece, as well as near the capital.
Cold air has made its way across much of Europe over the past week bringing snow to many parts. The snow was probably most welcome when it made its way across the Alps, finally allowing the long awaited ski-season there to get underway.

The wintry weather has since dug further south. It now extends across the Balkans into Greece, Turkey and the Hungarian Plain.

There has been widespread travel disruption in Greece with snow forcing the closure of several roads, especially in the north and over the central mountains. Athens hasn't been as badly affected, but there has been a healthy dusting of snow across the nation's capital.

Comment:

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Ice Cube

Death toll now exceeds 150 in India cold wave


DPA International
Wed, 31 Dec 2014 06:11 UTC
cold_new delhi
© Money Sharma, EPA
New Delhi - More than 150 people have died in a cold wave sweeping across northern and eastern India and dense fog disrupted air and rail services, reports said Tuesday.

Sixteen more people died in intense cold or fog-related accidents in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh on Monday, taking the region's death toll for the month to 140, the Times of India said.

Temperatures reached a low of 0.5 degrees Celsius in the state's Sonbhadra district.

Twelve more cold-related deaths were reported from the eastern state of Bihar, national capital Delhi and neighbouring Haryana state, reports said.

Thick fog at the Delhi airport led to delays of about 100 flights and cancellations of 16 more, broadcaster NDTV reported. About 100 trains were running late due to low visibility.

Winters in India are brief, beginning in December and ending by February, but cause many deaths in the country that is better prepared for its long, hot summers.
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Ice Cube

New Year's Eve temperatures to drop below freezing for majority of U.S.

Brian Lada
AccuWeather
Tue, 30 Dec 2014 14:28 UTC
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Those headed out to celebrate New Year's Eve may want to bundle up as arctic air affects much of the nation. The worst of the cold will focus on the Rocky Mountains and northern Plains, but temperatures are forecast to dip below freezing across a majority of the nation on Wednesday night.

"Temperatures will plunge well below zero from portions of the Dakotas and northern Minnesota at night through the end of 2014," said AccuWeather.com Senior Meteorologist Alex Sosnowski. AccuWeather.com RealFeel® Temperatures will be even lower, dropping below zero in cities such as Denver and Chicago.

Florida will be one of the only spots in the entire country to evade the freezing weather with lows in the 60s in Orlando and Miami. Folks headed to outdoor venues to ring in the new year, such as Times Square in New York City, will want to dress warm to stay protected from the cold weather.

Comment: Cold yet?
Temperature map 12/31/14:
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