Extreme Temperatures
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Snowfall blankets southern Jordan

Bahaa Al Deen Al Nawas
Jordan Times
Tue, 21 Jan 2020 19:11 UTC
Tafileh witnessed heavy snowfall on Tuesday
© Al RaiTafileh witnessed heavy snowfall on Tuesday
The Education Ministry's "abrupt" decision to cancel school on Tuesday following the circulation of videos of snowfall in the south on social media drew public criticism.

The ministry published the announcement at 7:56AM, after many teachers and students had already left their homes to begin the school day at 9am, as per the government's previous announcement on Monday.

"The decision did not consider those who left before 8am and waited in the cold for transportation, nor many of the students who left because their parents did not know about the decision," Ahmad Ameer commented on the ministry's official Facebook page.

"This decision should have been taken yesterday [Monday], as most students left and came back home. It was confusing," another comment said.

Petra witnessed heavy snowfall early in the morning, according to a Facebook post by the Petra Development and Tourism Region Authority (PDTRA), which noted that the site was open to tourists as usual.

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January brings record snowfall to Shuswap ski area, British Columbia - 56 inches in 9 days

Lachlan Labere
Keremeos Review
Tue, 21 Jan 2020 15:29 UTC
A crew removes downed trees from Larch Hills cross-country ski area trails.
© Larch Hills Nordic SocietyA crew removes downed trees from Larch Hills cross-country ski area trails.
Plenty of snow is usually a good thing for the Larch Hills cross-country ski trails, but January's snowfall and the accompanying downed trees has been a challenge for those who maintain the area.

"It's been really difficult," said Larch Hills Nordic Society president Ed Bouma. "I would say we've probably removed between 700 and 800 trees so far, and they're still coming down."

Bouma says it won't be until the summer when trees downed on some of the trails that aren't trackset can be removed.

Volunteers with the necessary experience have been assisting with the tree removal - a job that is not without risk. For example, while two people were cutting up two trees near one another on Larch Hills Road, another tree fell between them.
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Storm Gloria batters south of France - 'Most intense' winter storm to hit the region since 1982


The Connexion
Tue, 21 Jan 2020 16:00 UTC
storm gloria
Roads are closed, public transport disrupted, and power supplies cut in southern France after Storm Gloria, the most intense winter "Mediterranean weather episode" since 1982, hit France last night.

Heavy rain of up to 200mm, 1.5 metres of snow and ice, and strong winds of up to 110kph, hit last night in the Pyrénées-Orientales (Occitanie) area (Monday January 20).

Roads including the A9 motorway are closed today (Tuesday January 21), including between France and Spain from Perpignan-Nord. The RD914 between Cerbère and Banyuls is also shut, as is the RN 116.

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Storm Gloria hits eastern Spain, dumping huge amounts of snow and battering coast with record-high waves

Luke Andrews
Daily Mail
Mon, 20 Jan 2020 20:18 UTC
At least a foot of snow covers a driveway, gate and trees in Biar, Alicante. It is several kilometres inland from the coast
At least a foot of snow covers a driveway, gate and trees in Biar, Alicante. It is several kilometres inland from the coast
Spain's Costa Blanca and Valencian coastline have been pummelled by a vicious storm this morning, shutting Alicante airport, flooding homes and blanketing areas with at least a foot of snow.

Flights to London, Newcastle, Bristol, Edinburgh and other major cities were cancelled as the airport shut for the day, forcing holidaymakers to either travel to a different airport or sit tight until the dangerous weather moved on.

Towering waves have been pictured slamming into the coastline while, in Denia, seawater was filmed gushing through the streets of the city.

Snow drifts have also built up inland as a seven-hour shower in Villena, Valencia, left the city's 35,000 inhabitants cut off after up to three inch piles of the white stuff blocked roads.

A red alert was issued for Storm Gloria yesterday, before it smashed into the region, warning it would bring heavy rain, snow, up to 75mph winds and waves that could reach eight feet in height.


Comment: Spain just recorded its highest ever coastal wave: 14.2 meters, in Mallorca.


Comment: Videos of the giant waves on the island of Mallorca:





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Newfoundland 24-hr time lapse video of blizzard

Robert W. Felix
Ice Age Now
Mon, 20 Jan 2020 19:42 UTC
storm
Only 30 seconds long, but what a story it tells.

Time lapse, 24 hrs, Snow. Blizzard St. John's, Nest Camera, Newfoundland. January 18, 2020

Thanks to Don Wikening for this video.


Comment: Another impressive time lapse film of the event:



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Seven hikers missing in avalanche after heavy snowfall in Nepal

Binja Gurubacharya
The Australian
Tue, 21 Jan 2020 13:59 UTC
Nepal rescuers call off search for trekkers
Nepal rescuers call off search for trekkers
Special Nepalese army and government rescue personnel are searching for four South Korean trekkers and their three Nepali guides missing since since an avalanche swept across popular mountain trekking route .

The avalanche hit part of the Mount Annapurna trekking route on Friday after heavy snowfall earlier in the week. All other trekkers who were in the area have been safely rescued and flown to safer areas, Department of Tourism official Mira Acharya said.

South Korea's foreign ministry said the missing trekkers are two women in their 30s and 50s and two men in their 50s and are teachers who were staying in Nepal for volunteer work.

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Avalanche at Lake Tahoe ski resort kills one

David K. Li
nbcnews.com
Fri, 17 Jan 2020 13:14 UTC
At least one skier is dead and another is injured
At least one skier is dead and another injured
An avalanche in Northern California killed one skier and seriously injured another Friday, following heavy snow fall in the Sierra Nevada Mountains, authorities said.

The disaster unfolded at 10:16 a.m. at the Alpine Meadows Ski Resort's Subway ski run near Lake Tahoe, officials said.

"We have one confirmed fatality, and we have another victim with serious injuries," Placer County Sheriff's Sgt. Mike Powers said.

Following an hours-long search by deputies, skiers with the Tahoe Nordic Search & Rescue and dogs specially trained for avalanche searches, first responders ended their operation about 1 p.m.

"After a thorough search, SAR volunteers and avalanche dogs confirmed no further victims," the sheriff's department said.

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Snowmobiler dies after buried 6 feet by avalanche in Farmington Canyon, Utah

Alyssa Roberts
kutv.com
Mon, 20 Jan 2020 12:59 UTC
avalanche
An 18-year-old died after being caught and buried in an avalanche in Farmington Canyon on Saturday afternoon.

The male was with his father riding snowmobiles in the Farmington Lakes area when the avalanche was unintentionally triggered, according to sheriff's officials and the Utah Avalanche Center.

His father called 911, sheriff's officials said. Statement from his father can be found HERE.

The Davis County Sheriff's Office Search and Rescue team found him buried in at least six feet of snow with an avalanche transceiver and probe and with his airbag deployed.

Because there is "no transition from the steep slope above to the flat area of the lake," snow and debris piled up "very deeply," according to the avalanche center's website.

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Jackson Hole resort in Wyoming reports record snowfall - 11 feet in 15 days

Patrick Thorne
Inthesnow.com
Fri, 17 Jan 2020 13:00 UTC
It has snowed 11 feet in Jackson Hole in January, with more on the way
© Jackson Hole Mountain ResortIt has snowed 11 feet in Jackson Hole in January, with more on the way
With more than 3.3 metres (over 11 feet) of snow blanketing the Tetons since January 1, 2020 conditions at Jackson Hole Mountain Resort in Wyoming are reported to be some of the snowiest of all time.

340cm (134 inches) of snow fell on the upper mountain in the first fortnight of the new decade and the resort's current base depth of 2.3 metres (91 inches) make this January the deepest ever in the resort's history.

"We're in the flow," stated Jackson Hole Mountain Resort Vice President of Operations Tim Mason. He went on to note, "I'm impressed by the virility and sustained nature of this storm cycle, and how our staff have responded to it. We have worked tirelessly to ensure the parking lots are ploughed, buses are running, and the mountain opens in a timely and safe manner. Not to mention the skiing has been incredible; this is a January for the record books."


Comment: Related: Snoqualmie Pass in Washington buried under 6.7 feet of snow in 6 days - Nearly 10 feet since Jan 1st, 11.8 at Stevens Pass

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Winter blunderland: Numerous crashes on roads as storm blankets central US with snow, ice

Mark Puleo and Kevin Byrne
Accuweather
Sat, 18 Jan 2020 15:51 UTC
The scene of a crash in the Town of Bovina Jan. 17, 2020.
© Outagamie Co. Sheriff's OfficeThe scene of a crash in the Town of Bovina Jan. 17, 2020.
Blizzard warnings and winter storm warnings heralded the arrival of icy roads that would plague residents across the central Plains throughout the day on Friday. After a slick blanket of snow and ice latched itself to roadways, travel hazards and mishaps quickly followed.

Snow accumulations reached up to 7 inches in parts of Iowa by Friday night and 1-5 inches in parts of central Nebraska, western Iowa and spots of Missouri. According to the National Weather Service office in Kansas City (Missouri), some roads were rendered 'nearly impassible' by the precipitation Friday morning.

"Tomorrow morning there could be ice on untreated roads as temperatures drop well below freezing around sunrise. Drive safely tomorrow especially when off the beaten path," the office warned Friday night in a tweet.

Friday evening in Iowa, a pickup truck on I-80 in Western Iowa slid off the road and came hurtling toward a delivery truck, a state trooper and the truck driver. A video had been captured of the incident from the inside of the delivery truck.

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