Storms
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Igloo

Heavy snow sends Northern Mexico into state of emergency


HispanicallySpeakingnews.com
Thu, 10 Jan 2013 20:33 UTC
Cold Weather in Mexico
© HispanicallySpeakingnews.comCold weather in Mexico.
The Mexican government declared a emergency in 21 municipalities in the northern state of Chihuahua due to heavy snow and a cold wave blamed for six deaths there.

Federal officials said that the measure, which was requested by the Chihuahua government, will allow authorities to access resources within the national emergency fund to cover food, clothing and health care needs among the affected population. Salvador Echavarria Campos, a meteorologist with Chihuahua's UEPC civil defense agency, said that the lowest temperature registered Thursday morning was minus 11 C (12 F) in the municipality of Bocoyna, in the state's mountainous region.

On Tuesday, UEPC director Luis Lujan Peña confirmed that the snow had cut off some 150 communities in the Sierra Tarahumara mountains. So far, official figures are that six people have died in Chihuahua and two others in the western state of Michoacan from causes linked to the low temperatures.
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Snowflake Cold

Snowpocalypse Russia: 'Snow tsunami' swallows streets, cars, buildings


RT
Sat, 19 Jan 2013 19:21 UTC
Image
© bigpicture.ru
On Friday, Moscow was on a verge of traffic collapse as more than 10 inches of snow fell on the city, which is more than half of January's average. Thousands of passengers were stranded overnight in the capital's major airports, as several dozen flights were delayed.

Muscovites woke up and found their cars, driveways and houses buried under a thick layer of snow, with city workers unable to get to smaller streets. Moscow's Yandex app showed traffic at level 10, the highest possible, as strong winds created blizzard conditions and built imposing snow drifts.

Additional images
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Snowflake

Europe hit by blizzards, air traffic havoc, deaths


Raw Story
Sat, 19 Jan 2013 17:25 UTC
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Extreme winter weather swept across western Europe Saturday, leaving thousands of passengers stranded at London's main international airport and claiming several lives in Spain, Portugal and France, including those of three Mali-bound soldiers.

The frigid temperatures also caused delays and cancellations on major railway lines including the Eurostar train service, and transport authorities warned of further traffic disruptions with more blizzards forecast for Sunday.

In London, thousands of passengers were forced to camp out on the floors of Heathrow Airport overnight as hundreds of flights to and from the British capital were cancelled.

"There are lots of bodies lying around in the airport. If feels like there's been a natural disaster," Jerry Meng from Los Angeles, whose flight to New York was cancelled, told British broadcaster BBC.
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Snowflake

Portions of northern India blanketed with largest snowfall in 8 years


Source
Sat, 19 Jan 2013 10:00 UTC
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The Queen of the Hills, as Shimla was fondly called by the British, recorded the highest snowfall on a single day January in the past eight years, a Met official said here Saturday. Manmohan Singh, director of the meteorological office here, told IANS that the town recorded 38.6 cm snow in the past 24 hours, the highest in the first month of the year since 2005.

"The maximum snow in a day in January was recorded was in 2005. It was 33.2 cm Jan 18," he said, adding: "On two consecutive days (Jan 17 and 18 this year) the town got 63.6 cm." Singh said snow and heavy rain in the region in the past two days was mainly due to induced cyclonic circulation with the western disturbances.

As per records of the Met office, there was no snowfall at all in Shimla for two consecutive years in January from 2006. In 2008, there was just 1 cm snow throughout the month, while it was 8.7 cm in 2009, 1.8 cm in 2010 and 8.5 cm in 2011. In 2005, there was 94.3 cm snow in January but it was spread over seven days (Jan 17, 18, 21, 22, 27, 28 and 28).
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Snowflake

'Rare' red warning for Wales issued by Met Office, up to 30cm of snow expected


BBC News
Thu, 17 Jan 2013 17:14 UTC
Met office map
© Met OfficeMet Office map showing, yellow, amber and red warning areas for heavy snowfall on Friday.
Gritters are out in force after a rare red warning for snow has been issued by the Met Office for parts of Wales.

It applies to the Heads of the Valleys and Brecon Beacons in south Wales but snow is expected across much of Wales.

Red warning areas could see up to 30cm of snow and blizzards. People are warned to avoid non-essential journeys.
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Igloo

Croatia snowfall shatters record set in 1861

Robert Felix
IceAgeNow
Thu, 17 Jan 2013 17:13 UTC
"Just want to inform you about epochal snow event in Croatian capital Zagreb (SE Europe)," says reader Mihael Krstic.

"We have new record snow depth for January set to 68cm (27 inches) beating previous 49cm (19 inches) and all of that in just 24 hours! That's biggest snowfall from 1861.

"More snow is on the way until end of the week!

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Snowflake Cold

Unique snow system headed into Western North Carolina mountains


Citizen-times.com
Thu, 17 Jan 2013 17:06 UTC
Image
© AP Photo/The Victor Valley Daily Press, James Quig
As the season's first major snowstorm barrels into the Western North Carolina mountains, weather watchers are keeping an eye on the system through Internet tools and weather balloons launched into the air.

This storm is shaping up as the first substantial snowfall in more than two years. Last year, the Asheville Regional Airport set a record with the only winter without a measurable snowfall since the airport opened in the 1960s.

"This isn't our typical system where a cold front comes through," explained Pamela McCown of the Institute for Climate Education at Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College.
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Cloud Precipitation

One dead, 900 hurt in Japan 'Bomb cyclone' blizzard


Japan Times
Wed, 16 Jan 2013 16:56 UTC
Tokyo snow
© KYODOCommuters walk carefully over snow Tuesday morning near Tokyo's JR Shinbashi Station.
The heavy snow that blanketed eastern Japan over the holiday weekend left one man dead and injured more than 900 others, while Tokyo commuters dealt with slippery streets as they returned to work Tuesday.

A low-pressure system, dubbed a "bomb cyclone" by the local media, dumped 8 cm of snow in nine hours, the heaviest snowfall in the Tokyo region since January 2006, the Meteorological Agency said.
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Cloud Lightning

Rare thundersnow in Dallas, Texas: 'How is this possible?'

Brad Sowder
KOCO
Tue, 15 Jan 2013 16:38 UTC
Dallas thundersnow map
© KOCO.com
You have seen snow, and you have seen a thunderstorm, but have you seen them at the same time? If you were in south Dallas this Tuesday morning you would have.

Thundersnow is rare. Most thunderstorms form when warm air at the surface rises, cools and then condenses. Condensation continues and forms storm clouds aloft.

When the air is cold at the surface something else has to force that air to rise. This Tuesday morning, the thundersnow in north Texas was caused by a short wave trough moving through the region.

This trough created upper-level diverging air which in turn creates converging air at the surface forcing air to rise. The snow and sleet created quite a headache for the morning commute. It also canceled many flights out of DFW.
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Snowflake

Heaviest snow in 7 years strikes Tokyo

Nick Wiltgen
wunderground.com
Tue, 15 Jan 2013 12:01 UTC
Image
© Photo credit: TOSHIFUMI KITAMURA/AFP/Getty ImagesA pedestrian looks at the falling snow while crossing the road in the Ginza shopping district in Tokyo on January 14, 2013.
The heaviest snowstorm in seven years struck Tokyo Monday, causing thousands of car accidents and disrupting train travel just as the nation celebrated a unique national holiday.

Coming of Age Day, held the second Monday of every January, celebrates those who have turned or are about to turn 20 years old. Ceremonies and parties are held in communities across Japan, and the newly-minted adults often wear traditional kimono for the occasion.

But with wind-driven snow flying in the Japanese capital Monday, getting around proved difficult. Roads were clogged with slush, and the country's extensive rail network experienced delays. The snow was the first of this winter for Tokyo.
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