Storms
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Snowflake

World Snow Wrap, December 31 - Powder days in Japan, the US, Canada and Europe as 2021 goes out with bang

Reggae Elliss
Mountain Watch
Fri, 31 Dec 2021 14:59 UTC
JT Holmes, letting them run in Palisades Tahoe after the storm cleared.
© Jeff EngerbretsonJT Holmes, letting them run in Palisades Tahoe after the storm cleared.
Wow, New Year's Eve and the end of 2021 and I expect many of you are happy to see the end of it, but a big Happy New Year from all of us at Mountainwatch to you.

It's fair to say 2021 is going out in a big way in the Northern Hemisphere with consistent snowfalls seeing out the year in the US and Japan while there were light to moderate falls in the European Alps last weekend. In Canada there has also been some decent falls over the past week, but it has been super cold with daily maximum temps as low as -30c. Let's check it all out:

USA

It has been a massive week across the Western US, with resorts in the Sierras, Cascades and Rockies all receiving good snow falls with big snow totals. The biggest news is the massive totals in California over the past week, where the resorts in Tahoe have had the snowiest December ever with most resorts reporting monthly totals over five metres. The big totals are thanks to two significant storms and it is a big turnaround from the first week of December when the Tahoe resorts delayed openings due to lack of snow!

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Snowflake Cold

Wind and heavy snow create 'blizzard conditions' in Fairbanks, Alaska - December record snowfall for Denali National Park


Yahoo! News
Thu, 30 Dec 2021 13:45 UTC
Fairbanks Residents Wake to Blizzard Conditions
Fairbanks residents wake to blizzard conditions as intense storm hits
Residents of Fairbanks, Alaska, dealt with "blizzard conditions" in some locations on Wednesday, December 29, as heavy wind and snow whipped the area.

The severe weather impacting Fairbanks capped what is now the city's wettest December on record, according to the National Weather Service.

Elsewhere in the state, an observation site at Denali National Park received 74.5 inches of snow during December, making a new record.

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Fish

Storm rains bushels of fish on Texarkana

Lori Dunn
Texarkana Gazette
Wed, 29 Dec 2021 13:14 UTC
FISHY
At least four locations in town reported a free-fall of fish either during or in the aftermath of two storms that blew through here Wednesday afternoon.

Among the places that pelted by fish were Discount Wheel & Tire and Tiger Stadium, both on Summerhill Road on the Texas side of town.

Arkansas-side resident Melissa Curry was the first to call the Gazette to report the strange occurrence. She and her husband were leaving their home Wednesday afternoon when they discovered as many as two dozen small fish scattered around the back yard and side yard of their Victorian home.

"There were every bit of 20 fish out here.," Curry said. "we were flabbergasted. "

Tim Brigham, manager of Discount Wheel and Tire at 3223 Summerhill Road, said he saw some fish falling during a thunderstorm that popped up Wednesday afternoon.

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Snowflake Cold

Severe blizzard hits the Republic of Bashkiria in Russia

Forces Of Nature
YouTube
Sun, 26 Dec 2021 19:41 UTC
Massive road accident with fatalities occurred in Bashkiria due to snowstorm
Massive road accident with fatalities occurred in Bashkiria due to snowstorm
Forty-two cars were captured in snow in Bashkiria, where there is a severe blizzard and visibility is limited on the roads.

A rescue operation is underway, according to the regional department for emergency situations.

The section of the M-5 highway in Bashkiria is temporarily closed to buses, trucks and taxis due to bad weather.

It is noted that cleaning equipment arrived at the scene.

The department said that on Sunday morning at this intersection, rescuers had already rescued a stuck car and three people.

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Snowflake Cold

Blizzard hits Murmansk, Russia

Is it close ?
YouTube
Mon, 27 Dec 2021 19:33 UTC
Murmansk, Russia.
Snow buries streets and cars! ⚠️ Insane blizzard with winds storm hits Murmansk, Russia.

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Snowflake Cold

Tens of thousands powerless as snow piles up in Placer, Nevada Counties in California


gooddaysacramento.cbslocal.com
Tue, 28 Dec 2021 13:17 UTC
Quinn, a golden retriever, is seen buried under a pile of snow in North Lake Tahoe, Calif. The region was inundated by snowstorms, trapping many Tahoe residents in their homes, sometimes for days.
© Mike RoggeQuinn, a golden retriever, is seen buried under a pile of snow in North Lake Tahoe, Calif. The region was inundated by snowstorms, trapping many Tahoe residents in their homes, sometimes for days.
In Nevada and Placer Counties, tens of thousands of Pacific Gas and Electric customers have been left powerless as temperatures drop and more severe weather comes our way.

One local fire district is calling for a local emergency declaration because first responders are having so much trouble getting to calls for service.

The heavy snow coming down is hitting foothill communities with a knockout punch, snapping trees and downing power lines. Snow plows were busy keeping roads clear as Nevada City and Grass Valley streets were left in the dark.

PG&E crews could be seen assessing the damage block by block.

"Just been kind of hunkered down and just been making due with what we got," Nevada City resident Jeff Ward said.

Ward decided to turn his power outage into an opportunity. His home is one of the thousands with no electricity. He decided to barbecue a makeshift meal in the snow.

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Snowflake

Record snowfall hits Japan - up to 28 inches in 24 hours


Manila Times
Wed, 29 Dec 2021 15:15 UTC
Record Snowfall Blankets Parts of Western Japan
Record snowfall blankets parts of western Japan
A powerful cold air mass has brought heavy snow on the Sea of Japan coast from the country's north to west, with some cities in northern parts of western Japan's Kansai region logging record snowfalls and transportation systems disrupted, local media reported on Monday.

According to the Japan Meteorological Agency, 68 centimeters of snow fell in Hikone city, Shiga Prefecture and 71 centimeters (cm) accumulated in Asago City, Hyogo Prefecture in a 24-hour period through early Monday, both hitting record highs.

Due to the heavy snow, a car accident caused a traffic jam of about 20 vehicles at around 6:30 a.m. local time on the Maizuru-Wakasa Expressway in Kyoto Prefecture, western Japan.

The road operator, West Nippon Expressway Co., closed both outbound and inbound lanes of the expressway until the snow was removed. The expressway was fully reopened past noon.


Comment: In addition just a day earlier: Heavy snow falls across wide areas facing Sea of Japan - up to 32 inches in 24 hours

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Snowflake

Winter storm drops 18 inches of snow on parts of Minnesota

Andrew Krueger
MPR News
Wed, 29 Dec 2021 14:25 UTC
Traffic moves along a snow-covered State Highway 210 in Brainerd on Monday.
© Minnesota Department of TransportationTraffic moves along a snow-covered State Highway 210 in Brainerd on Monday.
Snow totals reached 18 inches in parts of Minnesota on Monday morning, as a winter storm continued to drop snow and freezing rain on the region.

The National Weather Service received a report of 18 inches of snow from a spotter near St. Mathias, south of Brainerd, as of 7 a.m. A spotter near Baxter reported 16 inches of snow.

The Minnesota Department of Transportation reported snow-covered roads across most of the state as of 10:45 a.m. Monday.

The Minnesota State Patrol reported it had responded to 189 crashes on state highways between noon Sunday and 8 a.m. Monday, along with 200 vehicles that slid off roadways and eight jackknifed semis.

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Snowflake Cold

Best of the Web: Western US states hit by record freeze and record-breaking snowfall


The Guardian
Tue, 28 Dec 2021 13:11 UTC
snow
Severe weather brings record low temperatures in Seattle and huge snowfalls in California and Nevada

Severe weather sweeping parts of the US continues to bring record-breaking cold temperatures to the Pacific north-west and heavy snow to mountains in northern California and Nevada.

Emergency warming shelters were opened throughout Oregon and western Washington as temperatures plunged into the teens (below zero in centigrade) and forecasters said an Arctic blast would last for several days.

Sunday's snow showers blew into the Pacific north-west from the Gulf of Alaska, dumping up to six in (15 cm) across the Seattle area.

The National Weather Service said Seattle's low on Sunday was -6.7C (20F), breaking a mark set in 1948. Bellingham was -12.8C, which was three degrees colder than the previous record set in 1971.

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Snowflake Cold

Cold wave hits South Korea with heavy snow


Inquirer.net
Mon, 27 Dec 2021 19:45 UTC
Workers clear snow on runway at Jeju
© Yonhap via The Korea Herald/Asia News NetworkWorkers clear snow on runway at Jeju International Airport on Sunday.
Over the Christmas weekend, extreme cold with heavy snowfall hit large parts of Korea, with temperatures dropping to as low as minus 25.4 degrees Celsius in some regions and heavy snow leading to flight cancellations.

With the mercury beginning to fall from Saturday afternoon, the capital city's Sunday morning low reached minus 16 C, the coldest temperature in December in nearly 41 years. The lowest temperature ever recorded in Seoul in December was minus 16.2 C on Dec. 29, 1980.

The cold continued throughout the afternoon, with temperatures remaining under minus 7 C in the afternoon.

According to the Korea Meteorological Administration, cold wave alerts were issued in most regions in Korea over the weekend.

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