© Mainichi/Shin Sato
A man shovels snow in the city of Yokote, Akita Prefecture, northern Japan, on Dec. 27, 2018.
A man shovels snow in the city of Yokote, Akita Prefecture, northern Japan, on Dec. 27, 2018.
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Extreme Temperatures
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© REUTERS/Adnan Abidi
A man rides his bicycle in front of the India Gate shrouded in smog in New Delhi, India, December 26, 2018.
A man rides his bicycle in front of the India Gate shrouded in smog in New Delhi, India, December 26, 2018.
Senior government officials said the main reasons for the surge in the amount of toxic smog trapped over New Delhi were unusually cold air, including fog, and slow wind speeds.
Click here for an interactive Reuters graphic on the link between Delhi's pollution and falling temperatures and wind speeds.
The World Health Organization said this year India was home to the world's 14 most polluted cities. New Delhi was ranked the sixth most polluted.
Indian Army rescues over 2800 tourists
"Heavy snowfall left many tourists stranded around 17 Mile & Nathu La, Sikkim. Indian Army offered spontaneous help to people providing warm clothing, shelter, hot meals, medical aid & carrying out physical rescue missions," ADG PI, Indian Army's public information wing said in a statement.
Chicago resident Cooper Bluhm, 18, slashes through some powder on Bell on Aspen Mountain on Friday morning.
Snowmass Ski Area has received 89 inches of snow in November and December as of Friday, according to Aspen Skiing Co. That's more than double the 43 inches for the same two months last season. More snow is forecast for the Aspen area Sunday night, just before 2019 rolls in.
Aspen Highlands has collected 97 inches of snow this November and December compared with 45 inches for the two months last year. That's an increase of 110 percent.
© Xinhua/Su Yang
Aerial photo taken on Dec. 30, 2018 shows the view of snow-covered Gan's Grand Courtyard, an ancient architectural complex, in Nanjing City, capital of east China's Jiangsu Province.
Aerial photo taken on Dec. 30, 2018 shows the view of snow-covered Gan's Grand Courtyard, an ancient architectural complex, in Nanjing City, capital of east China's Jiangsu Province.
In central China's Hunan Province, high-speed trains linking the capital city of Changsha to Guangzhou and Shenzhen suspended operation. All the passenger bus services in the city were suspended due to the snowstorm.
In the neighbouring Hubei Province, some 10,000 subway staff in the capital city of Wuhan began to clean up the snow since 4 a.m. on Sunday at 206 stations and laid sacks and carpets to ensure safety.
The size of the hail that fell in Sydney
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The Meteorological Agency says the winter-type weather pattern has strengthened, bringing with it a cold air mass.
A village in northern Yamagata prefecture had experienced nearly two meters of snow by Saturday.
The snow is expected to continue through Sunday, mainly in coastal areas.
© DMI Polar Portal.
Greenland Ice Sheet SMB through 2017-18 (top) and 2018-19 (bottom) shown as blue lines. Grey lines show the 1981-2010 average and red shows the record low of 2011-12.
Greenland Ice Sheet SMB through 2017-18 (top) and 2018-19 (bottom) shown as blue lines. Grey lines show the 1981-2010 average and red shows the record low of 2011-12.
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Using daily output from a weather forecasting model combined with a model that calculates melt of snow and ice, scientists from the Danish Meteorological Institute (DMI) calculated the "surface mass budget" (SMB) of the Greenland ice sheet.
When you look at the blue lines on the above graphs, it is quite evident that the Greenland Ice Sheet surface mass budget is far, far higher than the mean.
Comment: Another indication of above average cover for both ice and snow in 2018 for part of this region can be gleaned from this report: Global cooling: Excessive spring snowfall results in non-breeding year for shorebirds in north-east Greenland - 1 meter deep snow
© K.M. Cannon/Las Vegas Review-Journal @kmcannonphoto
Centennial High School basketball players, from left, Kalyn Miller, 15, Teionni McDaniel, 16, and Jessenia Lawson, 15, play in a light snow before their team's game at the Las Vegas Holiday Classic Tournament at Centennial High School in Las Vegas, Thursday, Dec. 27, 2018.
Centennial High School basketball players, from left, Kalyn Miller, 15, Teionni McDaniel, 16, and Jessenia Lawson, 15, play in a light snow before their team's game at the Las Vegas Holiday Classic Tournament at Centennial High School in Las Vegas, Thursday, Dec. 27, 2018.
The National Weather Service says snow wasn't in the forecast Thursday but it was reported in the valley around mid-day. None of it stuck in the lower elevations.
Meteorologist Ashley Wolf told the Las Vegas Review-Journal that a cold front and abnormally low-hanging clouds combined to produce the strange weather. She says the dryness underneath the clouds had a cooling effect, despite the temperature being above 50 degrees.
Squaw Valley Alpine Meadows
Resorts on all sides of Lake Tahoe reported snowfall ranging from 6 inches to 18 inches of new snow by Christmas morning after a system rolled through the region Christmas Eve and through the night.
"It was a good shot in the arm for winter in general," said Mt. Rose Ski Tahoe spokesperson Mike Pierce.
"Not that we were thin, but it put that nice fresh coat (of snow) on everything — making Tahoe shine and look spectacular."
The fresh snow allowed Mt. Rose to open new terrain on Christmas Day, including many previously-closed runs on the Slide Side.
Comment: See also: Sikkim: Indian Army rescues over 2800 tourists stranded near Indo-China border after heavy snowfall