Extreme Temperatures
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Snowflake Cold

Blizzards in western China leave thousands of livestock dead and roads covered in deep snow

Yaks
Blizzards in Tibetan areas of western China have left thousands of head of livestock dead and roads covered in up to 45cm of snow.

Local authorities had sent veterinarians, medicine and animal feed to the hard-hit areas in Qinghai Province's Yushu Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, the Xinhua News Agency reported.

Villages in the area are above 5,000 metres and workers are seeking to clear roads to ensure the delivery of supplies, a task made more difficult by high winds and drifting snow.

Mainly ethnic Tibetan villagers in the area depend heavily on livestock, mainly Yaks, goats and sheep, for their livelihoods and to feed their families.

Snowflake

Heavy snowfall damages over 50 percent of fruit orchards in Bhadarwah, Jammu and Kashmir

File photo
File photo
About 50 per cent fruit orchards were damaged due to recent snowfall in this picturesque valley and adjoining areas in Doda district of Jammu and Kashmir, a senior government official said on Saturday.

Bhadarwah, along with Kellar, Bhallesa, Dessa, Chatroo and Marmat, experienced heavy snowfall
between Wednesday and Friday.

"Nearly 50 percent of the fruit trees have suffered irreparable losses in the latest snowfall," Bhadarwah horticulture development officer Rohan Kumar said, quoting preliminary information received from the field staff.
Putting the loss suffered by the orchards in the snow-bound areas to about 100 crore, Kumar asked the farmers not to let snow accumulate on trees.

"We appeal to the farmers not to let snow accumulate on trees and remove it as early as possible," he said.

The meteorological department has predicted another spell of snowfall from February 12.

After Kashmir, Chenab valley comprising Doda, Kishtwar and Ramban is the leading fruit producer in the state with Bhadarwah contributing 65 per cent of the yield, including apple, pears, walnut and persimmon.



Comment: Related article: Heavy rains and hailstorms lead to massive crop damage in Punjab and Haryana, India


Snowflake Cold

Record cold of minus 24.4 C grips Hokkaido, Japan

People walk in Sapporo on Friday as the
© KYODOPeople walk in Sapporo on Friday as the temperature dropped to minus 12 degrees.
A cold wave brought by an air mass of record-low temperatures gripped Hokkaido on Friday, causing traffic disruptions on the northernmost Japanese mainland.

As temperatures plunged below minus 20 C in some parts of the region, the Japan Meteorological Agency also predicted snowfall on Saturday in eastern Japan, with central Tokyo expected to see 5 to 10 centimeters.

The agency said a cold air mass of minus 24.4 C, the lowest since it began compiling data in 1957, was hovering about 1,500 meters above Sapporo, the capital of Hokkaido, where the mercury dropped to minus 12.5 C in the morning.


Snowflake Cold

World Snow Wrap - Massive snow totals in the US and Europe

Clearing Carson Spur on Route 88
© Stephen Ziehlke/CaltransClearing Carson Spur on Route 88, the road to Kirkwood, yesterday.
USA

After a week of fine, spring-like weather, the snow returned to Californian with a big bang last week, two storms in five days dropping metres of snow across the Sierras. The resorts around Lake Tahoe reported some huge snow totals with Homewood topping the count with 2.5metres, Kirkwood had 2.4metres and Squaw Valley 2.2metres. Mammoth Mountain also scored big time with 3.35 metres (11 feet) at the Summit.

Not surprisingly, the conditions were some of the best of the winter, with Tuesday and Wednesday the stand-out days. That was the story across many US resorts as the storms tracked inland with resorts in Utah reporting two metres in 72 hours. Jackson Hole also turned on with a metre of dry snow in three days and there was also 60-100cms in Colorado. It has been a good week, cold temps ensured quality snow and there were many reports of cold, blower pow across the western states. After a couple of days of sunshine, the snow returns to the Pacific Northwest and California tomorrow with two storms tracking through the Cascades and Sierras. Another 1.5 metres snow is forecast for both regions by Monday. That system will move eastward, dropping snow across Utah on Saturday, Idaho and the Tetons on Sunday while Colorado should see decent snowfalls on Monday.

Snowflake Cold

Adapt 2030 Ice Age Report: USA cold warning - DMI Greenland ice feed cut - Pakistan record snow

record snow in Pakistan
© YouTube/Adapt 2030 (screen capture)
Superfreeze 2.0 grips the USA, record snow in Pakistan with runoff expected to fill long dry riverbeds, 3000 years dry and Danish Meteorological Institute (DMI) removes Greenland Ice Mass Budget because of too much ice growth. Arctic ice continues to rebound to 2004-2013 levels.


Comment: Pakistan receives record snowfall in winter - heaviest in 48 years


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Flights cancelled, roads closed as heavy snowfall hits Indian-controlled Kashmir

Fresh snowfall cuts off Kashmir
Fresh snowfall cuts off Kashmir
Heavy snowfall Thursday hit Indian-controlled Kashmir, leading to closure of roads and cancellation of flights, officials said.

The snowfall has been going on since Wednesday afternoon.

A government spokesman said some areas in upper reaches received over 20 inches of snow. Srinagar city, the summer capital of Indian-controlled Kashmir also recorded 5 inches of snow.

"The upper reaches have been receiving snowfall since yesterday, while as plains were lashed with snow. However, early today the snow began in plains as well and is going on incessantly," an official at Srinagar meteorological department said.


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Pakistan receives record snowfall in winter - heaviest in 48 years

snow
Pakistan's northern and northwestern parts have witnessed record snowfall last month which would help raise the water table in the country, officials said.

"During the last one month the country's northern hilly areas received heavy snowfall -- up to six to seven feet," Abdul Wali Yousafzai, a senior officer in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa irrigation department told Anadolu Agency

This is the heaviest snowfall in 48 years, he added.

According to the met department, the country's northern mountains received heavy snowfall in January and the first week of February.


Snowflake Cold

Canadian Prairies: Record cold causes burst pipes, 31K calls for roadside assistance

cold weather
Dangerous, record-breaking cold has settled into the Prairies, causing water pipes to burst and cars to become frozen in place. Meanwhile, more than 31,000 weather-related calls for roadside assistance have been logged over the past few days.

Keep reading for the impact of the storm so far, followed a look at the Prairies, in photos.

Cars frozen in place after water pipe bursts


Snowflake

This is what more than 6 feet of fresh snow looks like at a Tahoe ski resort

Sierra-at-Tahoe ski resort near South Lake Tahoe.
Sierra-at-Tahoe ski resort near South Lake Tahoe.
Squaw Valley Alpine Meadows ski resort got more than six feet of snow over the course of the weekend's snowstorm.


Snowflake Cold

Snowstorm batters northern Japan

Heavy snowfall at New Chitose Airport in Hokkaido
© ReutersHeavy snowfall at New Chitose Airport in Hokkaido
A massive winter storm has pounded Japan's northern island of Hokkaido on Tuesday with authorities warning of high waves, blizzard conditions and traffic disruption.

Hokkaido Railway Company on Tuesday decided to cancel more than 100 train services on the island following the cancellation of 102 a day earlier.

Some traffic accidents took place on Monday as a low pressure system brought heavy snow and blizzard conditions to the island, according to daily newspaper Hokkaido Shimbun.