Extreme Temperatures
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Snowflake

Monster blizzard Nemo headed for U.S. Northeast

Matt Daniel
EarthSky Org
Fri, 08 Feb 2013 01:59 UTC
Blizzard_1
© Kelly Keene
A significant snowstorm is expected, which can be compared to the 1978 blizzard. Snowfall could exceed two feet (.6 meters) in some areas.

The northeastern United States is preparing for a monster storm, which many are calling Nemo, expected on February 8, 2013. It could easily produce over two feet of snow (.6 meters) and wind gusts over 60 miles (96 km) per hour, causing zero visibility and bringing cities to a standstill.

In many ways, we are looking at an historic storm that could paralyze cities such as Boston, Providence, and Hartford. We're expecting blizzard conditions in eastern and southeastern Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Northeastern New Jersey, Long Island, southeastern Maine, and New York City.

Moderate to major coastal flooding is also possible. Two storm systems will phase together to create a large pressure gradient that will result in winds sustaining around 35-50 mph with gusts over 74 mph. Tonight is the last night to get ready for a significant snowstorm that can be compared to the 1978 blizzard.
Blizzard
© Google/NWSBlizzard warnings are in effect for parts of the Northeast.
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Snowflake

New England blizzard - one for the books? Major winter storm on its way

Denise Lavoie and Holly Ramer
Christian Science Monitor
Thu, 07 Feb 2013 08:56 UTC
New England blizzard: Forecasters are predicting more than 2 feet of snow in New England, and blizzard conditions, including high winds, blowing snow, and coastal flooding. A major winter storm heading toward New England may not be one for the record books, but even some of the nation's snow-hardiest people should proceed with caution, according to at least one expert.
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The National Weather Service forecasts blizzard conditions in New England by late Friday afternoon.
As much as 2 feet of snow could fall on a region that has seen mostly bare ground this winter, the National Weather Service said. That's exciting for resort operators who haven't had much snow this year.

The storm would hit just after the 35th anniversary of the historic blizzard of 1978, which paralyzed the region with more than 2 feet of snow and hurricane force winds from Feb. 5-7.

"This has the potential for being a dangerous storm, especially for Massachusetts into northeast Connecticut and up into Maine," said Louis Uccellini, director of the weather agency's National Centers for Environmental Prediction.
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Snowflake

Powerful storm to dump foot of snow this weekend on U.S. East Coast as region braces for coastal storm


Daily Mail UK
Wed, 06 Feb 2013 09:02 UTC
A powerful coastal storm could dump as much as a foot of snow on areas of the East Coast this weekend. Though metropolitan areas along the East Coast have enjoyed a relatively mild winter with less than half of the average snowfall, a mix of snow, wind, and rain could change all of that come Friday and Saturday. Meteorologists say that a weather system from the Midwest will meet with one from the South, creating a storm that will deliver wind, snow, and rain.

The Weather Channel reports that the Midwestern storm pattern, which passed through Chicago and Milwaukee, will mix with wetter weather coming from New Orleans, Louisville, and even Atlanta. By Thursday night, forecasts predict that the clipper system will travel from the Great Lakes region to the East Coast, passing through cities like Philadelphia, New York, and up towards Boston.
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Ice Cube

Snowiest winter in 100 years paralyzes Moscow


RT.com
Tue, 05 Feb 2013 13:42 UTC
Image
© RIA Novosti / Denis Tyrin
The snowiest winter in a century has hit the Russian capital, causing Muscovites to get stuck in traffic jams 3,500km in length on Monday evening - the distance from Moscow to Madrid.

­Since the beginning of the winter, over 2 meters of snow has fallen on the Russian capital, the Moscow mayor's aide in housing and public utilities Pyotr Biryukov told Interfax. Snowfall is expected in Moscow for four or five more days, he added.

On Monday, 45,000 community services employees and 15,000 units of equipment were attempting to cope with 26 cm of snow - nearly a fifth of the average annual fall.

The latest snowfall has become a nightmare for drivers with the capital's commuters trapped in gridlock.

Many of those who left their workplace in the evening had to spend five to 10 hours getting home. The average speed of vehicles was no more than 7-9 km/h. The number of road accidents - 3,000 - was much higher than during an ordinary day, with minor accidents quadrupling, according to Channel One TV.
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Ice Cube

New satellite image shows the unusually frigid and snowy conditions that blanketed much of Great Britain

Andrea Thompson
Yahoo News / Our Amazing Planet
Wed, 30 Jan 2013 10:02 UTC
Unusually frigid and snowy conditions blanketed much of the island of Great Britain in snow earlier this month. The winter wonderland was spotted from above by NASA's Terra satellite on Jan. 26. The snow started falling mid-month when a storm system blowing in from over the North Atlantic combined with unusually chilly conditions ushered in by a pattern called the Scandinavian Block, according to Accuweather.com. This high-pressure pattern sits in place over Scandinavia and funnels cold air toward the United Kingdom from over the Baltic and western Russia, according to the U.K. Met Office.
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© NASA
As of the afternoon of Jan. 21, Redesdale Camp, Scotland, was the nation's leader in snowfall, with 11 inches (29 centimeters), Accuweather reported. Earlier Accuweather reports said 8 inches (20 cm) had fallen in Sennybridge, Wales, and 6 inches (15 cm) in Dunkeswell, in the southwest of England. The snows closed many schools and forced flight cancellations and delays at London's Heathrow Airport.
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Igloo

Heavy snowfall closes dozens of roads in Turkey


Anatolia News Agency
Sun, 27 Jan 2013 19:32 UTC
Snow in Turkey
© aabadoluajansi
Meric-Ipsala road in the Thrace region of Turkey has been shut down to motor vehicle traffic on Sunday due to heavy snowfall which began in Edirne province.

Aside from the Meric-Ipsala road, 37 village roads have also been shut down to traffic due to heavy snowfall in the region.

Road crews are working to open the Meric-Ipsala road to traffic again on Sunday.

Snow thickness at Uludag, one of the favorite skiing centers of Europe, reached 215 centimeters on Sunday.

The Weather Department of the north-western province of Bursa said that they expected snowfall at Uludag on both Sunday and Monday.
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Igloo

Snow and ice blanket Germany


Spiegel Online International
Tue, 22 Jan 2013 13:13 UTC
Snowing in Germany
© Spiegel Online InternationalA commuter train battles snow to reach Munich's airport.
Winter weather threw travel across Germany into turmoil early this week. Snow blanketed much of the country, causing hundreds of cancelled flights and road closures. Conditions began to improve on Tuesday, but not before skiers at ice skaters could have a little fun.

Jack Frost continued to bite at Germany's nose on Tuesday, with snow still falling across many parts of Germany on Tuesday, following heavy snowfall on Sunday and Monday, the German Weather Service (DWD) reported.

The service said that 3.5 billion tons of snow fell in the country on Sunday alone. With winter weather continuing, that figure could rise to 6 billion tons by Wednesday.

Winter weather conditions led to frustrating travel conditions across the country. At Frankfurt's airport, Germany's largest, about 543 or 1,190 planned flights were cancelled Monday, according to German news agency DPA. In Munich another 200 flights were grounded. Delays affected air traffic at every German airport as crews de-iced planes and snow-removal equipment was used to clear gates.
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Snowflake

Shimla, India, witnesses 8-year record breaking snowfall in a single day

Bhawani Negi
Hindustan Times
Sat, 19 Jan 2013 16:39 UTC
Shimla snow
© Unknown
The "Queen of Hills" was witness to the record breaking single day highest snowfall in the month of January in the last eight years.

The heavy snowfall continued on second consecutive day on Friday till late night and recorded a total of 63.6 cms of snow in two days in Shimla.
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Snowflake Cold

Temperatures drop to record low as arctic blast sweeps Canada, U.S.

Michel Comte
AlterNet
Thu, 24 Jan 2013 16:16 UTC
cold weather
© Unknown
Arctic air sweeping through Canada and parts of the United States sent temperatures plunging to record lows on Wednesday with a wind chill of minus 40 degrees (Celsius and Fahrenheit).

Canada was the coldest nation in the world at the start of the day with with temperatures as low as minus 43.1 degrees Celsius (-45.6 Fahrenheit) in the Northwest Territories, according to public broadcaster CBC.

In Ottawa, buildings cracked in the cold, making sounds like the crash of a wrecking ball.
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Snowflake Cold

The Big Chill: Unusual stratospheric phenomenon is bringing frigid cold to U.S.


ClimateCentral.org
Wed, 23 Jan 2013 07:32 UTC
An unusual event playing out high in the atmosphere above the Arctic Circle is setting the stage for what could be weeks upon weeks of frigid cold across wide swaths of the U.S., having already helped to bring cold and snowy weather to parts of Europe.This phenomenon, known as a "sudden stratospheric warming event," started on Jan. 6, but is something that is just beginning to have an effect on weather patterns across North America and Europe.

While the physics behind sudden stratospheric warming events are complicated, their implications are not: such events are often harbingers of colder weather in North America and Eurasia. The ongoing event favors colder and possibly stormier weather for as long as four to eight weeks after the event, meaning that after a mild start to the winter, the rest of this month and February could bring the coldest weather of the winter season to parts of the U.S., along with a heightened chance of snow.
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© Weatherbell Forecast high temperatures on Monday, Jan. 21, from the GFS computer model.
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