Ryan Woo and Liz Lee Reuters Wed, 13 Dec 2023 19:10 UTC
People play with snow amid snowfall in Beijing, China December 13, 2023.
Snow, blizzards and plunging temperatures swept northern China in what could be one of its most severe cold snaps in December, spurring authorities in the capital to halt train services, shut schools and tell people to stay home.
A mass of cold air drifted into Beijing from the west, the second cold wave this week. City officials have issued the second-highest alert for blizzards through Thursday, the only such warning yet in the country.
To avert chaos threatened by what was expected to be a "long-lasting" round of snowfall, the city of nearly 22 million shut all schools from Wednesday and moved classes online. Businesses were told to offer employees flexible working conditions and staggered commutes.
"We'll try not to travel," said a 36-year-old Beijing resident surnamed Liu, whose child's school had closed as snow fell for the second time since Monday.
The Meteonews service reported on Tuesday that up to 100 litres of rain per square metre had accumulated in affected regions. The heavy precipitation on already humid soil and melting snow have raised the levels of many watercourses. Maximum levels are expected in many places on Thursday.
The situation is particularly critical in canton Valais, especially on roads, where many incidents have been reported across the southern region.
"The situation is dangerous all over," Frédéric Favre, the head of the Department of Security, Institutions and Sport, told reporters on Tuesday.
Rachael Bunyan Daily Mail Tue, 12 Dec 2023 12:05 UTC
Caio Henrique de Lima Goncalves, 21, (pictured) was playing for his Uniao Jaiirense team in a cup fixture in the southern state of Parana when he was jolted by the lightning strike on Sunday
A footballer has been killed and six others injured after a lightning bolt struck a pitch in Brazil during a cup match.
Caio Henrique de Lima Goncalves, 21, was playing for his Uniao Jaiirense team in a cup fixture in the southern state of Parana when he was jolted by the lightning strike on Sunday.
He was rushed to hospital after collapsing on the pitch on Sunday but he later died of his injuries, police in Santo Antonio da Platina said.
Chilling footage recorded moments after the lightening strike shows the pitch littered with stricken players and officials desperately racing to get them to safety and medical treatment.
The stormy weather continued as the officials carried the collapsed players off the pitch, with the threat of a second lightening strike seeming possible at any moment.
Branches and trees are breaking under heavy snow even in the Slovak Paradise national park in northeast Slovakia.
The village of Hrabušice should start removing fallen trees in the most visited gorge of Slovak Paradise, Suchá Belá, on Monday.
It has been closed since Thursday last week.
At the beginning of last week, there was a plan to replace the ladders in the gorge, but the weather complicated the situation and it is now uncertain.
Overnight snowfall across much of northern China prompted road closures and the suspension of classes and train service on Monday.
A red alert for a blizzard was in effect until mid-morning in Zhengzhou, the capital of Henan province, and schools were closed there and in two other cities in Henan, state broadcaster CCTV reported. The Zhengzhou airport was also closed until 11 a.m.
A total of 134 road sections in 12 provinces, including 95 on highways, were closed as of 7 a.m. because of snowfall and icy conditions, CCTV said. Several trains in two parts of Shanxi province were suspended.
It was the first significant snowfall this year in much of China, outside of mountainous areas and in the northeast near the border with Russia's Siberia.
A thin layer of snow blanketed rooftops and parked cars in downtown Beijing. The roads were mostly clear and workers swept remaining snow from the sidewalks. The Beijing Public Transport Group said that 187 bus routes were suspended on Monday morning. Some subway lines were adding additional trains during the morning rush hour, CCTV said.
Heavy rains and thunderstorms hit areas of Saudi Arabia on Sunday, according to the country's National Centre of Meteorology.
Videos surfaced online showing streets in Makkah flooded as heavy rains lashed the region. The NCM has issued a yellow alert in several parts of the country.
Rains, thunderstorms and dust storms are expected to continue until Wednesday, as per the country's weather authority.
Several videos from Arab Storms show cars trying to get past flooded streets with water reaching window level near some parked vehicles.
Comment: A tornado... in Ireland... in winter! We're definitely in a 'new climate normal'...
Serious damage was caused property and cars in Leitrim Village this lunch time when a tornado struck.
A freak weather event this lunch time has caused serious damage to property and cars in Leitrim Village.
With Storm Fergus descending on the country this afternoon, there was serious thunder and lightning witnessed at about 12.30pm in the Carrick-on-Shannon area.
Reports then came in of a tornado ripping through Leitrim Village at about 12.40pm, causing damage to properties, knocking trees and walls as well as damaging cars.
Comment: Report from 2 days earlier: Schools, train service and roads closed as heavy snow blankets northern China