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Husband of 2-time Olympic champion Justyna Kowalczyk killed in avalanche in Switzerland


AP
Thu, 18 May 2023 12:53 UTC
The heartbreaking last picture of Kacper Tekieli at the top of Jungfrau, which he had sent to his wife and son, writing “I love you kitties”, and she had shared on social media after his death.
The heartbreaking last picture of Kacper Tekieli at the top of Jungfrau, which he had sent to his wife and son, writing “I love you kitties”, and she had shared on social media after his death.
The husband of two-time Olympic champion Justyna Kowalczyk was killed Thursday in an avalanche in the Swiss Alps, the Polish Mountaineering Support Foundation said.

Sports climber Kacper Tekieli, who was 38, last posted on Facebook on Tuesday from Konkordia Hut in Fiescherthal, Switzerland.

"He was most wonderful," a post on Kowalczyk's official Facebook page said in Polish, followed by "He was the most beautiful person in the world" in English.

Tekieli was a climbing instructor who climbed in the Himalayas on the Makalu, the fifth highest mountain in the world, and on Broad Peak, as well as in the Alps. He married Kowalczyk in 2020. The couple have a 20-month-old son.

Kowalczyk, a cross-country skier who won gold medals at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics and the 2014 Sochi Games, has retired from competition.
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Snowflake

Late spring SNOWFALL in New Hampshire covers parts of Granite State in three inches of the white stuff

Stephen M. Lepore
Daily Mail
Fri, 19 May 2023 10:54 UTC
It may be just a month until summer starts, but no one told that to the mountains in New Hampshire, which saw a thick coating of snowfall at some of its highest elevations on Thursday
It may be just a month until summer starts, but no one told that to the mountains in New Hampshire, which saw a thick coating of snowfall at some of its highest elevations on Thursday
It may be just weeks until summer stars - put parts of New Hampshire are still seeing midwinter weather, with a thick blanket of snow covering areas of the Granite State.

The Mount Washington Observatory noted the absurdity of seeing the white stuff this time of year in a Facebook post after the beauty spot was given a thick coating.

'The calendar might read mid-May but the White Mountains will feel more like late March Weds into Thurs morning,' the observatory said.

Clarksville, New Hampshire - a town about two hours east of Montreal - also saw visible snowfall on Thursday, although it did not lay on the ground.

Areas at 4,000 feet above sea level saw a possibility of three inches of snow Wednesday going into Thursday.

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Snowflake Cold

UK's unusual winter and spring: Colder, wetter, with less sunlight hours - BBC meteorologist

Tomasz Schafernaker
Daily Mail
Sun, 14 May 2023 21:38 UTC
bbc weather
Tomasz says people often ask if the jet stream — a core of strong winds around five to seven miles above the Earth’s surface, blowing from west to east — is to blame
May is normally when my garden starts to come into its own. I dust off the outdoor furniture, sit out and enjoy my collection of sub-tropical plants, from palm trees to yuccas.

This year, however, I'm feeling as deflated as my enfeebled plants. My BBC weather colleagues and I often exchange stories about how our gardens are doing. Like mine, theirs have been nipped by all the sharp frosts we've had this spring.

Meanwhile, people are stopping me in the street, asking when spring will finally arrive. And what have we done to deserve such cold, gloomy weather dragging on so long?

Comment: See also:

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Snowflake Cold

Four in a row: Winters in Alaska have been on the colder side

Suzanne Downing
mustreadalaska.com
Sat, 13 May 2023 13:29 UTC
MMMMM
So much for being the canary in the global warming mine. If the past four winters in Alaska seemed colder than usual, it's because, well, they were.

According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the winter of 2023 continued the chill set in 2019, with temperatures in Alaska averaging 11.8 degrees, just .2 degrees above average. The three previous winters were all below the average temperature.

In October, NOAA had predicted warmer-than-average winter for western Alaska. Old Farmer's Almanac also predicted winter would be "much milder than normal, with the coldest periods in mid- to late November, early December, and late January." The publication predicted snowfall would be below average. That was wrong. In fact, much of Alaska saw historic snowfall over the winter, and in Anchorage, a new record was set for the snow still remaining on the ground in April. The snow continued into the first week of May, with more than 100 inches falling this past winter.
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Snowflake

Snow falls in Spain after long drought and early heat wave


Reuters
Fri, 12 May 2023 12:42 UTC
Snowfall surprises Spain after an early heat wave
Snowfall surprises Spain after an early heat wave
Snow fell in parts of northern Spain on Friday after months without any rain and high temperatures which made it feel more like summer than spring.

The freak snowfall happened in La Raya, a mountainous area of Asturias, while hailstones and heavy rain fell in Mediterranean parts of Spain including Catalonia and Valencia after months without a drop of precipitation.

Spain has registered the driest start to a year since records started, the Spanish state weather forecaster AEMET said on Wednesday, with less than half the average rainfall during the first four months of 2023.

So far this year, Spain has recorded 11 hotter-than-normal days, more than twice the number typically observed during a full year.

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Snowflake

Thousands lost power after heavy, wet May snow in Teller County, Colorado

Ashley Portillo
koaa.com
Thu, 11 May 2023 12:08 UTC
mmmm
Thousands of people were without power on Thursday in Teller county after heavy and wet snow hit the area. Throughout the day, about four to six inches of wet, heavy snow fell across the county, making for a snowy and slushy commute for many.

At one point, more than 8,000 customers with Core Electric Cooperative were without power. Teller County offices also shut down because of the snow.


Comment: Elsewhere in the state:
Crews at Arapahoe Basin worked to clear inches of snow from the parking lot following an overnight storm.



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Snowflake

Cold snap brings snow to Bolivia

Dan Collyns
CGTN
Fri, 12 May 2023 11:29 UTC
Snow, rain, fog and low temperatures prevail in Cochabamba, Oruro, La Paz and Potosí
© Bolivian PoliceSnow, rain, fog and low temperatures prevail in Cochabamba, Oruro, La Paz and Potosí
Parts of Bolivia were covered in snow on Monday, May 8, after a fierce cold snap hit the political capital La Paz and its neighboring city El Alto.

Colder weather was expected, but few expected such a downpour of snow and hail. It created havoc on the streets of La Paz and El Alto.


Comment: At the same time in neighboring Peru: Hundreds of passengers stranded after heavy snowfall in Cusco

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Snowflake

Best of the Web: US winter of 2022-2023 'historic' as 'all western states see record snowfall'

Christian Freuer, EIKE, Translated, edited by P. Gosselin
Watts Up With That?
Tue, 09 May 2023 00:00 UTC
US has had an historic winter.
The western US has had an historic winter. From record-breaking cold spells to unprecedented amounts of snow, this has been a memorable cold season - and one that runs counter to the prophecies of the AGW party.

Starting with the cold - and according to data from the warmth-addicted NOAA - the US has set 7 all-time low temperature records so far this year (through April 24) compared to just one heat record, while 321 monthly lows have fallen in April alone (also through April 24) compared to 66 heat records.

Highest April 1st snow cover recorded this year

Regrading snow, in the official books going back to 2001, the largest area ever covered with snow/ice in the western US at the beginning of April so far was 2019's 1,030,820 sq km, but this year that figure was far exceeded, with satellite imagery showing that more than 1,149-960 sq km of the West was covered with snow and ice on 1 April.

By comparison, the average snowpack in the western US at the end of March is 242,000 square miles.
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Snowflake

Winter arrives early in New Zealand with up to 20 inches of snowfall

Kiwi Brains
SnowBrains
Thu, 11 May 2023 12:44 UTC
QLDC Roundshot Webcam
QLDC Roundshot Webcam
Heavy snow falls reached the south island of New Zealand, with snow falling to around 400m (1312ft) on Wednesday, May 10, 2023. State Highway 94 was closed on Wednesday evening at Mount Hamilton, between The Key and Centre Hill, but reopened again at 10:15 p.m. It is still recommended to carry snow chains in the area.

Ski resorts near Queenstown received between 20-50cm (8-20 inches) of snow. New Zealand's south island is home to many spectacular ski resorts, such as The Remarkables, Coronet Peak and Cadrona

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Sun

Record-breaking heat wave blasts Southeast Asia

Subel Rai Bhandari
rfa.org
Wed, 10 May 2023 11:52 UTC
Visitors cool off at an amusement park in Hoi An, Vietnam.
© SeongJoon ChoVisitors cool off at an amusement park in Hoi An, Vietnam.
Record-breaking heat has blasted Southeast Asia over the past several weeks, causing deaths and hospitalizations, schools to close and farmers and business-owners to suffer economic losses.

In Vietnam, the temperature hit a record 44.2 degrees Celsius (111.5 F) on Sunday. In Myanmar's central Magway region, it soared to 46 C (114.8 F).

Thailand's capital of Bangkok had its hottest day on record on Sunday, when the heat reached 41 C (105.8 F), while in Laos, the temperature broke last month's national record to hit 43.5 C in Luang Prabang.

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