posted February 11, 2008 02:38 AM
# Snow Cuts off Villages in Algeria –– 26 Feb 06 - Heavy snow has cut off villages and
clogged key arteries leading away from the Algerian capital Algiers for several days,
national police said on Sunday. Djelfa, which had 70cm, was "totally paralysed", the
Algerian Press Agency reported.At least 60cm of snow blanketed villages near Djelfa and Medea, respectively 270km
and 80km south of Algiers. Only donkeys and mules could ply the roads around the villages.
Snow is unusual in the north African country, but last winter saw snowfalls of more than
two meters in several parts of the north-east.
This is second year for record breaking snow and cold in Algeria. http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=85&art_id=qw1140990843347B242
# Snow causes heavy economic losses in Sichuan, China - 24 Feb 06 -
Recent snow storms in Southwest China's Sichuan Province caused 30.5 million
U.S. dollars of direct economic losses, latest official statistics show.
It snowed for 50 straight hours in the counties of Xuanhan, Dazhu and Daxian
between Feb 16 and Feb 18. The snow reached 60 cm deep in the mountainous
areas. This amount has rarely been seen in the past two decades, experts said.
The snow struck 5,533 hectares of cropland and destroyed another 800 hectares.
In Shimian County, three consecutive days of snow left 500 livestock dead. http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2006-02/24/content_4223728.htm
# Heavy snow continues in Liaoning province - 25 Feb 06 -- A thick blanket of snow
covered northeast China's Liaoning Province Saturday, and most parts of the province still
expected heavy snow or blizzard conditions.
The snow closed Shenyang's Taoxian International Airport and five of the province's total
10 expressways.
On Saturday morning, the snow in downtown Shenyang measured at least 15 centimeters. http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2006-02/25/content_4225833.htm
Visitors ignore extreme risks of advancing glaciers
12 Jan 06 - The New Zealand Department of Conservation is worried that someone will be killed as giant chunks of ice fall from rapidly advancing glaciers. The risk of ice collapse at the face of the Fox and Franz Josef Glaciers is high and visitors are ignoring warning signs.
Both glaciers are advancing at the rate of about three feet (one meter) per week.
See Expanding Glaciers
* Record Freeze Destroys 30 percent of Russian Crops - 20 Feb 06 - Record cold
has destroyed 3.5 to 4 million hectares of winter crops this winter, says Alexei Gordeyev,
Russia's agriculture minister. This accounts for 30 percent of Russia's winter crops and
10 percent of its vineyards. "This is the worst winter in the past 28 years, since the winter
of 1978-1979," he said. In the Krasnodar Territory, the whole crop of plums, apricots
and berries was also destroyed.
Russia’’s president Putin has instructed the Agriculture Ministry to import fruit from Central
Asian nations to prevent price hikes.
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2006-02/20/content_4205533.htm
* Snow Cyclone Hits Sakhalin, Kurile Islands - 27 Feb 06 - A powerful snow cyclone hit
Sakhalin and Kurile Islands overnight, closing airports and seaports in the Far Eastern Russian region.
Cargo vessels had to leave the harbors of the port of Korsakov on Sakhalin to avoid damage.
The Sakhalin regional road department said 135 bulldozers and snow-cleaning vehicles were
dispatched to clean the roads.
http://www.itar-tass.com/eng/?&sw=780
*
Massive Blizzard in Newfoundland - 27 Feb 06 - An intense blizzard dumped 70cm (27 inches)
of snow on Newfoundland Saturday afternoon, blocking many roads, shutting the island’s international
airport for several hours and paralyzing the capital city of St John’s.
Wind gusts up to 80mph blew the snow into drifts up to five feet (1.5 meters) high, burying cars and
blocking shop windows. An additional 10-15cm of snow is expected on Monday.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/weather/world/news/27022006news.shtml
* Fierce blizzard in Newfoundland - 25 Feb 06 - A fierce blizzard has shut down much
of St. John's, forcing people to abandon vehicles on roads blocked by snow. The storm
dropped as much as 15 centimeters of snow in one hour early Saturday. By mid-afternoon,
the city had received about 48 cm of snow, with no letup in sight.
http://www.cbc.ca/story/canada/national/2006/02/25/johns-storm060225.html
* Cold Weather Kills 100 in Indonesia - 20 Feb 06 - Earthweek: A Diary of the planet tells
of a severe chill in Indonesia where temperatures have dropped to 41 as opposed to the typical 68,
leading to cold-related ailments that have killed more than 100 people.
http://www.earthweek.com/Earthweek.pdf
* Massive Crop Loss in Ukraine - 20 Feb 06 –– More than 30 percent of winter wheat
and 50 percent of winter barley in the Ukraine will have to be re-seeded, head of the Agro-
Meteorological Dept. at Ukrainian Weather Centre Tetyana Adamenko said Friday.
There has also been a considerable loss rate of winter rye, which is uncharacteristic for this
crop of rather high frost-resistance.
The crop losses are registered nearly all over the territory of the country.
http://www.agrimarket.info/showart.php?id=33562
* Death toll climbs to 56 in Moscow roof collapse - 23 Feb 06 - The concave,
snow-covered roof of a large Moscow market collapsed on Thursday, killing at
least 56 people and trapping many in the rubble. Rescue workers with sniffer dogs,
metal cutters, and hydraulic lifters were searching for survivors trapped under
twisted metal and concrete as smoke billowed from the market’s ruins. Moscow
is undergoing one of its harshest winters in a generation.
See http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/11514381/
See also http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/11514381/
* See photos of Jerusalem blanketed in a foot of snow - 19 Feb 06
http://www.virtualjerusalem.com/leisure/jewishleisure_article.php?article_id=1494
* Record Snowfall in Austria - 12 Feb 06 - An Austrian man died as teams struggled to
clear snow from roofs after record snowfalls, local authorities said. Some 20,000 people
- including 14,000 firefighters and 2,600 troops - were mobilized nationwide after up to
three feet (90 cm) of fresh snowfall.
http://www.breitbart.com/news/na/060212180913.lsz3qpad.html
* State of Emergency Declared in Germany after Heavy Snowfall - 10 Feb 06 - Having
already endured the heaviest snowfall in a decade, and with up to three feet (one meter) of new
snow is expected within hours, officials in southern Germany have issued a state of emergency.
Firefighters, army personnel and volunteers are working frantically around the clock to remove
tons of snow from roof in all of Bavaria.
Walter Preis, who is supervising snow clearance work in the region of Passau, said he has never
seen anything like this before. "This situation is really exceptional," he said. "We always have a lot
snow here, but this year it's been snowing non-stop since mid November and that is why massive
layers of snow have built up."
Several roofs have collapsed under heavy snow during the past weeks, killing 16 people. Hundreds
of school children in the town of Kopfing, however, were lucky. They got a warning shortly before
the roof of their school collapsed, and the school was immediately evacuated.
http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,2144,1899332,00.html
* Europe's Winter Death Toll Rises As Temperatures Dip Again - 6 Feb 06 - Polish and
Ukrainian authorities revised upwards the human toll from the freezing weather that has gripped
eastern Europe as temperatures plummeted yet again. As of mid-January, 738 people had
succumbed to the intense cold, the Ukrainian health ministry said.
In Poland, the cold has 233 people since October. "Last week alone, 19 people died of cold.
That's an exceptionally high number," said police spokeswoman Grazyna Puchalska. "The toll
has already exceeded the total number of deaths from cold last winter, when 190 people died.
And winter is not over yet," she added.
Temperatures plunged to -26C (-15F) in northeastern Poland at the weekend, while the chill
returned to the Ukraine with the mercury slipping below -31C (-24F) in the northern Sumy region.
Parts of Russia were even colder. In Kamchatka, temperatures fell to -47C (-52 F), while
temperatures in parts of the Magadan province reached -52C (-61F).
http://www.terradaily.com/reports/Europes_Winter_Death_Toll_Rises_
As_Temperature s_Dip_Again.html
* Record Low Temperatures in Greece - 8 Feb 06 - The temperature dropped to a record
low -25C in Ohiro, northern Greece overnight. Large parts of the national road network are
covered with ice, and lakes and rivers are frozen.
Some of the lowest temperatures this winter were recorded in most of the prefectures in central
and western Macedonia. In Florina, northwest Greece, where temperatures plunged to -18C, the
snow is more than 50cm deep. In Meliti, the temperature dropped to -24C.
In Kastoria, northwest Greece, the lake is still frozen and the thermometer dropped to -17C.
At the same time, Kozani reported-13C, Veria -11C, Serres -8C and Thessaloniki -6C.
http://www.mpa.gr/article.html?doc_id=566307
* Siberian winds bring snow to China and Korea - 7 Feb 06 - Icy winds originating in Siberia have
brought heavy snow to South Korea and northern China over the last two days. Up to 18 cm (7.1 inches)
of snow has fallen across South Korea since Monday morning, while in China, the snow has been falling
since Sunday across much of the north, including around the capital Beijing, closing several ‘super’
highways and causing delays at airports in Wuhan, Lanzhou and Shenyang.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/weather/world/news/07022006news.shtml
* New Siberian cold wave hits Russia Georgia – Buildings collapsing beneath the snow - 2 Feb 06 –
Temperatures plunged to record lows in the far eastern part of Russia yesterday, sweeping as far as Moscow .
In Sochi, a normally balmy resort city on the Black Sea coast, 14,000 inhabitants were without electricity
Thursday after a major snowfall.
Down the Black Sea coast in Georgia the roofs of four houses collapsed under the snow in Kutaisi.
A shopping center collapsed on Thursday, and part of the city court collapsed on Wednesday.
In the western part of Georgia, heavy snow blocked roads and cut off villages from the outside world.
The snow measured between 1.5 and two meters deep (4.9 to 6.5 feet), with more falling. A train from
Tbilisi to Kutaisi became stuck overnight. Passengers could only get off after dawn when enough of the
track had been cleared for the train to proceed to the next station.
The temperature on Thursday night was forecast to fall to -56C (-69F) in the Magadan region. The
previous lowest temperature in the area was -53C (-63F). Temperatures were forecast to fall
to -48C (-54 F) in western Siberia and -36C (-33F) in the city of Murmansk .
The cold in Murmansk disrupted shipping in the White Sea and blocked trains carrying oil to western
Russia, ITAR-TASS news agency reported.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20060202/sc_afp/russiageorgiaweathercold_06020213500 1
*
Bitter cold kills 589 in Ukraine - 03 Feb 06 - Some 589 people have died after bitterly cold
weather swept through the Ukraine over a 15-day period. The heating system in the city of Alchevsk
failed on January 22, leaving hundreds of buildings, including schools and hospitals, without heat. The
Emergency Situations Ministry said the breakdown was primarily the result of long-term neglect of
Alchevsk's heating pipes. "About 70 percent of Ukraine's heating system is worn out and needs to be
renovated, while about a quarter of it is in critical condition and must be replaced immediately," the
2 February issue of the "Kyiv Post" quoted Vasyl Kvashuk from the Emergency Situations Ministry
as saying.
Gas consumption in the Ukraine has increased dramatically as the inefficient heating systems have
failed to cope with the conditions.
(A good reason not to depend on the government to take care of you, don't you think?)
This information from http://www.metoffice.co.uk/
and from Radio Free Europe, Radio Liberty, out of Prague , Czech Republic .
*
Cold and Snow in Spain - 30 Jan 06 - For the third day yesterday, Spain remained under the icy grip
of winter. Utiel recorded the coldest temperature in 35 years, 17ºC.
Many roads were covered with snow or ice; schools were closed in Alcoy due to the snow; ice on the
runways at Manises disrupted flights, and Montgo Mountain in Javea had a considerable amount of snow
on its peak.
http://www.thinkspain.com/news-spain/10439
* Northeast China province freezing - 4 Feb 06 - The local meteorological center
issued an orange alarm Thursday that the temperature in Shenyang, Tieling, and Fushun
would fall to minus 29 Celsius Friday, the lowest this winter.
http://english.people.com.cn/200602/04/eng20060204_240207.html
* Record Snow in Portugal - 30 Jan 06 - Snow is usually a rare vision in this south
European country because of its Mediterranean climate. However, many Portugese
towns have seen record snow this month, including Leiria, Santarém, Évora, Setúbal,
Portalegre, Sesimbra, Palmela, Fátima, Pombal, Abrantes, Torres Novas and Ourém.
Snow has fallen in seaside towns like Figueira da Foz, in central Portugal , and reached
record south locations such as Algarve . Highways and roads have been closed in much
of central and south Portugal . Lisbon , the Portuguese capital, received snow for the first
time in more than half a century - since 1954.
http://onlyidol.com/index.php/2006/01/29/rare-snow-storm-in-portugal/
*
Snow closes roads in Spain - 30 Jan 06 - In neighboring Spain , snowfall forced the
closure of 22 mountain roads, and forced delays at national airports such as Valencia ,
Oviedo , Santiago and Granada .
http://news.scotsman.com/international.cfm?id=150032006
*
11,000 Turkish villages cut off by snow
Hungry wolves prowl the streets - 27 Jan 06 –
Some 11,000 small villages and enclaves have been cut off from road transport and several hundred
are without electricity or telephone services, as heavy snow and cold winds keep a tight grip on Turkey.
Hungry wolves failing to find food in the mountains have reportedly started prowling the streets of
Gevaç in Van province. (This sounds almost medieval, doesn’t it?) People said they were worried
about three separate wolf sightings; most made sure they were at home before darkness set in. They
said if officials left some food in areas far from residential neighborhoods, the wolves would not bother
people.
As snow continued to fall on Istanbul , roads leading to several suburbs on the European side of the
Bosporus, which cuts through Istanbul , were blocked. In parts of Istanbul , snow depth had reached
28 cm. Some 3,000 municipal employees worked round the clock to clean up the snow. The Turkish
Red Crescent provided food and blankets to around 1,200 people who remained in their cars.
Snowfall was continuing in the Beylikdüzü, Bakırköy, Eminönü and Boğaz regions of the city on
Thursday, with officials warning that the precipitation would be followed by ice.
Severe storms in the Marmara Sea are preventing ships from entering the region, with one ship sinking
in Şile.
In Ankara , the country's capital, the mayor said that if natural gas were disrupted (a real fear), residents
would be left without any heating fuel.
Officials are forecasting more freezing weather.
http://www.turkishdailynews.com.tr/article.php?enewsid=34175
* White Chaos Heads West - 29 Jan 06 - The heavy snow and freezing air that swept across
western Russia, Balkans, Greece and Turkey last week has spread further west, bringing chaos with it.
- France was hammered by heavy snow and wind Saturday.
- In Spain, very heavy snowfalls blocked roads and cut off 20 villages north of Madrid.
- In Italy, 70cm of fresh snow fell in the mountains surrounding Turin, blocking many roads.
- In Austria, heavy snow caused a town hall roof to cave in.
- And in Poland, an exhibition hall’s roof collapse killed at least 60. (See article below.)
http://www.bbc.co.uk/weather/world/news/29012006news.shtml
* Greek Power Grid Failing - 26 Jan 06 - As snow continued falling across Greece yesterday,
a record amount of electricity was consumed in Attica, while a growing number of villages were
left in the dark as Greece’s power grid struggled with the wintry conditions, the Greek Kathimerini
reported.
Parts of the Ionian islands of Cephalonia and Ithaca suffered a blackout for a second straight day.
Villages on the islands of Evia, Icaria, Naxos and Chios were among the areas without electricity
http://www.focus-fen.net/index.php?catid=124&newsid=81474&ch=0
* Heavy snow creates mayhem in Europe - 29 Jan 06 - Frigid weather has left more people
dead and injured throughout Europe, as snow sweeping south paralyzed transport in France,
Switzerland and Italy.
Temperatures plunged to -35C in some parts of Poland during the last week. Eight people froze
to death late Friday, bringing the toll this winter to 199, police said.
In Romania, temperatures were forecast to drop to -25 C over the weekend, and five more people
died. Some 55 Romanians have perished of cold this winter.
Snow warnings were issued across two thirds of France, the airport in the second largest city,
Lyon, was paralyzed by snow, and the airport in Toulouse was forced to shut down for two hours.
Rail traffic was hampered in southern France, Switzerland and northern Italy, cutting some Alpine
villages off altogether.
http://www.zeenews.com/znnew/articles.asp?aid=271920&sid=WOR
* Death Toll Rises to Sixty Six - 29 Jan 06 - With temperatures dipping as low as minus 25C
(minus 13F), few - if any - more survivors are expected. Transport Minister Jerzy Polacek told
TVN24 television that the roof was covered with than 18 inches of icy snow, which police blamed
for the collapse.
http://interestalert.com/story/siteia.shtml?Story=st/sn/01290008aaa064b3.ap&Sys=siteia&Fid=
WORLDNEW&Type=News&Filter=World
(Also see article below.)
* Snow-covered Roof in Poland Collapses: Seven Confirmed Deaths, 500 Still Trapped
- 28 Jan 06 - The snow-covered roof of a trade hall in southern Poland collapsed Saturday with
as many as 500 people inside, killing at least seven and injuring at least 50, authorities said.
Rescue vehicles lined the streets of Katowice, about 200 miles south of Warsaw. Katowice has
been hit with the heavy snow plaguing much of eastern and central Europe this winter.
On Friday, the roof of a town hall in the southern Austrian village of Mariazell collapsed under snow.
On Jan. 2 the snow-covered roof of a skating rink in the German town of Bad Reichenhall
collapsed, killing fifteen.
http://cnn.netscape.cnn.com/news/story.jsp?idq=/ff/story/0001%2F20060128%2F1527624679.
htm&sc=1103&ewp=ewp_news_0106roof_collapse&floc=NW_1-T
* Migratory Birds Leaving Ukraine to Escape Snow -25 Jan 06 - Severe cold and snow
in Ukraine's southern Crimea peninsula has prompted migratory birds to leave for Turkey,
increasing the risk of new domestic outbreaks of bird flu, Ukraine's Agriculture Ministry said
on Tuesday. Bird flu, which has killed four people in Turkey so far, continues to be a serious
concern, with the wild migratory birds believed to be the main infectors of Turkish poultry.
http://www.turkishdailynews.com.tr/article.php?enewsid=34019
* Record low temperatures affect Czech nuclear power plant reactor - 23 Jan 06 -
Part of the Czech Republic's Temelin nuclear power plant was disconnected from the electricity
grid for five hours following a failure caused by the sharp drop in temperature.
"The external temperature affected the functioning of a sensor on a transformer. The automatic
system reacted by reducing the power of the reactor and stopping the turbine," said spokesman
Milan Nebesar. The temperature at Temelin, in the south of the Czech Republic, fell to around
minus 20C (minus 4F), he added.
Temperatures hit record lows in parts of the Czech Republic on Sunday night, dropping to minus
30C in the north.
http://www.breitbart.com/news/2006/01/23/060123162049.ytw6iw9u.html
* Winter tightens its grip on eastern Europe - 23 Jan 06 - The cold blast widely
reported across Russia last week has now spread further south to many eastern European
countries from Lithuania to Turkey, where there are many reports of hypothermia and
weather-related deaths.
Heavy snowfall and freezing temperatures today in Ankara and Istanbul , Turkey , have
caused major traffic problems.
In northern Romania , temperatures fell to -25C, and heavy snowfall blocked roads
and railways. Now the main fear is of gas shortages, as the gas supply is currently
half the normal levels in some parts.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/weather/world/news/23012006news.shtml
*
Heavy snow paralyzes two expressways in China’s Anhui Province - 20 Jan 06 -
East China’s Anhui Province has issued three emergency warnings against heavy snows,
which keeps falling, said sources with the provincial meteorological department.
The continuous snow has paralyzed two expressways which run through the province,
and transportation in these sections has been suspended.
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2006-01/20/content_4080051.htm
* Record low creates hole in ozone layer - 22 Jan 06 - Frigid temperatures in
Europe and a record low stratospheric temperature of minus 86.8 Celsius above
the Netherlands has created a mini hole in the ozone layer, says the Dutch national
weather service.
http://science.monstersandcritics.com/news/article_1078083.php/Cold_temps_create Dutch_ozone_hole
* Record Snow in Tokyo - 22 Jan 06 - The snow forced Narita airport,
Tokyo's main international gateway, to close one of its two runways to serve
as an emergency aircraft parking apron. Some 10,000 passengers were
forced to stay overnight at its terminals.
Until Saturday, the Tokyo area had been spared the season's record snowfall
which has claimed the lives of more than 100 people, mostly in northern Japan
and Sea of Japan coastal areas.
Mito, Ibaraki Prefecture, saw its heaviest January snow since 1909, the Japan
Meteorological Agency said.
http://www.tmcnet.com/usubmit/2006/01/22/1304144.htm
* Scores die in record Russia freeze - 20 Jan 06 - Russia's coldest winter in a generation
killed seven more people overnight, lifting the death toll in Moscow to 123 and putting huge
pressure on the Soviet-era heating and power network.
"The Moscow energy system has never sustained such a load," said Anatoly Chubais, chief
executive of state electricity monopoly Unified Energy System.
http://edition.cnn.com/2006/WEATHER/01/20/russia.cold.reut/index.html
* Coldest temperatures in Moscow since 1927 -21 Jan 06 - In Moscow, temperatures
dropped minus 24 Thursday - coldest on that date since 1927. The severe cold - nationwide
the worst in a quarter of a century - has killed at least 40 people and strained Russia’s crumbling
infrastructure.
The big freeze extended to neighboring countries, killing four people in Estonia, one in Moldova
and knocking out power anddelaying trains in Poland.
http://cnn.netscape.cnn.com/news/story.jsp?flok=FF-APO-1103&idq=/ff/story
/0001%2F20060121%2F1301906351.htm&sc=1103&photoid=20060120MOSB106
* Vicious winter storm in Norway - 21 Jan 06 - A vicious winter storm battered the
Arctic north of Norway on Friday, causingstructural damage and disrupting transport
and electricity supplies. Friday’s storm brought conditions that were extreme even for
that region, with the wind chill factor falling below -40E°C. In Tromsøø, northern
Norway, 20,000 homes lost electricity for a while when the winds brought down
power lines. In the south and west of Norway, roads were blocked by heavy snow.
Neighbouring Denmark also suffered from snow, with Copenhagen’s international
airport suspending some flights due to ice-covered planes. The Storebæælt bridge,
linking the Danish islands of Funen and Zealand, was also closed due to ice.
Meanwhile, in Japan, Tokyo saw the heaviest snowfall in five years, causing flight
cancellations and causing delays to the famously reliable bullet train services.
*
Extreme cold in Norway – 17 Jan 06 - The storm that lashed the northern
county of Finnmark was just the beginning of grim winter weather battering Norway .
Meteorologists warn that temperatures will drop to -10C (14F) to -25C (-13F),
and in concert with the winds will mean bitter cold for northern Norway . A warning
of extreme weather for such a large stretch of the coast is very rare.
http://www.aftenposten.no/english/local/article1200781.ece
Meanwhile, in Oslo , meteorologists predict as much as 15 cm of snow overnight
and on Wednesday.
http://www.aftenposten.no/english/local/article1200346.ece
*
Extreme cold in Russia – 19 Jan 06 - In Moscow , the air temperature sank to
minus 30C Wednesday. In the area of the famous North Caucasus spas, temperatures
dipped to minus15 degrees, and the temperature at the major Black Sea resort of Sochi
dropped to minus 5, quite bizarre for the area, while temperatures have dipped below
minus 50 in Siberia . The current cold snap is something experts say normally happens
only once in a generation. Since the start of the winter, the extreme weather has claimed
more than 100 lives in Moscow .
http://www.tass.ru/eng/level2.html?NewsID=2803649&PageNum=0
* Extreme cold in Estonia - 17 Jan 06 – Weather forecasters have warned that
temperatures in Estonia will drop quickly over the next few days - as low as minus
35C. The freezing weather could last more than five days.
http://www.baltictimes.com/hot1.php?art_id=14415
* Big Freeze Leads to City Power Cuts - 17 Jan 06 - Record cold temperatures in Moscow
sent officials into a panic Monday, with electricity suppliers ordering power cuts at factories across
the city amid fears that surging demand could lead to a wider power blackout.
The city's big freeze, forecast to reach close to minus 30C on Tuesday, came as a cold front rolled
in from Western Siberia bringing expectations of 50-year lows. Temperatures in Moscow stood at
about 12 to 20 degrees lower than usual, meteorologists said.
Even before temperatures plummeted, five people froze to death in Moscow over the weekend,
bringing the total number of those who have died of hypothermia since October to 105.
http://www.moscowtimes.ru/stories/2006/01/17/001.html
*
Record cold in Siberia - 16 Jan 06 - Western Siberia endured record low
temperatures over the weekend, dipping to minus 58F and lower in the Tomsk region.
In the Novosibirsk region, temperatures plunged to minus 40F - the lowest in 100 years.
Temperatures were also expected to fall to minus 40 in the city of Krasnoyarsk , where
celebrations for the Russian holiday known as Old New Year's Eve were canceled because
of the cold. In the Komi-Permyatsky region, temperatures dipped to minus 49F.
http://www.upi.com/NewsTrack/view.php?StoryID=20060116-044254-8689r
*
Winter eyes Japan once again - 16 Jan 06 - It looks as though more heavy
snow will hit Japan at the end of the week as an area of low pressure skirts across
the country, with much colder air digging in from the north.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/weather/world/news/16012006news.shtml
*
Ten feet of snow forces UN to suspend relief efforts in Pakistan
8 Jan 06 - All roads into the Kaghan and Siran Valleys in the Northwestern Frontier Province
are blocked with up to nearly ten feet (three meters) of snow in some sections, the UN said late
Friday. The Pakistan Meteorological Department warned of more snowfall over the next 72 hours.
Days of heavy storms dumped up to 10 feet (3 meters) of snow in some areas of Kashmir and
northwestern Pakistan, forcing the suspension of helicopter flights and aid deliveries.
http://www.pakquake.com/un-suspends-operations-in-two-quake-hit-areas.html
*
Death toll in Japan climbs to 71; troops dispatched for snow removal
- 9 Jan 06 - The death toll from snowstorms in Japan rose to 71 on Monday, according to police and news reports. Also on Monday, Japan 's military dispatched nearly 200 troops to the northern Akita state to help residents dig out, a day after about 100 troops were sent to the hard-hit central states of Nagano and Niigata .
The snow has piled up more than three meters deep in some of the worst-hit areas of Niigata prefecture, northwest of Tokyo .
Some 42 locations across Japan have seen record snowfall for January. The village of Sakae was isolated by up to 10.4 feet of snow. More snow is expected in northern Japan on Tuesday.
http://www.cbc.ca/cp/world/060109/w010928.html
Thanks to Charlie Worton for this info
* Coldest night in New Delhi in 70 years - 8 Jan 06 - Temperatures fell to 0°C in New Delhi
yesterday, well below average for this time of year but not quite cold enough to beat the record
of -1°C set in 1935.
India’s Kashmiri Valley has seen temperatures plummet to -6.3°C, with reports of the Dal Lake
freezing in Srinagar City. The area has also seen heavy snowfall.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/weather/world/news/08012006news.shtml
Haryana state's Karnal city, which adjoins New Delhi, also shivered at 0.1°C, eight degrees below
normal for this time of year.
Nearby Churu felt the icy sting as the mercury tumbled six degrees Celsius to minus 3°C (26.6°F)
in the remote desert township, the weather office reported, adding that it was last this cold in 1974.
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/afp_asiapacific/view/187217/1/.html
* Asia Low Temperatures - 7 Jan 06
Tompo, Russia -62
Tulihe, China -40
Pyongyan, N. Korea -4
Seoul, S.uth Korea 10
Nagano, Japan 14
(from weather.com)
.
* Vicious Blizzards in China - 6 Jan 06 - Nearly 100,000 people in the Xingjian region of western
China have had to evacuate after houses collapsed under the weight of snow following vicious blizzards.
Temperatures dipped to -36°C (-33°F) in the vast desert territory, and up to two feet (60 cm) of snow
was reported in some spots.
Chinese meteorologists say China as a whole is experiencing its coldest winter since 1986, with
December’s average temperature some 1.5°C below average. Three more ‘winter freezes’ are
expected before the end of January alone.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/weather/world/news/06012006news.shtml
*
The blizzards have stranded 224,800 people and killed 9,234 head of livestock, the official Xinhua
News Agency said. An additional 300,000 head of livestock were threatened with starvation.
http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/World/2006/01/06/1382485-ap.html
* Winter is usually a harsh season for Xinjiang's 19.6 million people. Last year floods
caused by melting snow destroyed 10,000 houses in the region, and in early 2001,
devastating blizzards killed 130,000 livestock.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20060106/wl_afp/chinaweathersnowxinjiang_06010613010 5
*
Asia hit by deep snow, sub-zero weather - 6 Jan 06 - Large parts of Asia shivered under
record low temperatures and snowfall in an unusually severe winter.
In the province of Shandong, heavy snow has cut off roads and grounded aircraft. In South
Korea, the thermometer dipped well below freezing in some northeastern parts of the country
while snow hit southwestern regions.
In northern Pakistan, many tents sheltering families next to their earthquake-shattered homes in
the Himalayan foothills collapsed beneath the heavy snow. In India, a Kashmiri man was killed
when the roof of his brick-and-wood house caved in due to the snow.
http://msnbc.msn.com/id/10736309/from/ET/
*
Thousands trapped in China snow - 6 Jan 06 - Almost 250,000 people in northwestern
China have been trapped by heavy snowfall. Temperatures have plummeted to -43C, and
snow is blanketing large parts of Xinjiang province. Almost 100,000 people have been
evacuated after their homes collapsed under heavy snow. More than 5,000 people are
being treated for frostbite, four of whom had to have limbs amputated.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/4586558.stm
*
Heaviest snowfall on record in Japan - 6 Jan 0600 – Thirteen feet (4 meters) of snow
has almost buried Niigata, Japan, leaving 57 people dead and paralyzing transport. Snowdrifts
bury the ground floors of houses and almost cover the street lamps. The snow brought the
high-speed bullet trains connecting Akita with Tokyo to a halt. "If the snow continues to fall,
we will have to think about calling in the armed forces to help out," said a spokesman in Akita City .
The snowiest part of the year is yet to come.
http://today.reuters.co.uk/news/newsarticle.aspx?type=worldNews&storyid=2006-01-06T114914Z_01
_MCC637299_RTRUKOC_0_UK-WEATHER-JAPAN-SNOW.xml
* Ice rink collapses beneath snow - 3 Jan 06 - At least 11 people were killed
and 18 injured by a collapsed ice rink roof in Bad Reichenhall , Germany . Heavy
snowfall clogged roads and delayed the arrival of heavy equipment used to move wreckage.
Loud creaking had been heard just before the accident. Bad Reichenhall, a town of some
15,000 people, is on the border with Austria and about six miles from the city of Salzburg.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/10596709/
* China Preparing for Cold Snap
02 Jan 06 - Already enduring its coldest winter in 20 years, China is preparing for a cold snap
that will see temperatures drop by as much as 16C (29F).
Wang Bangzhong, a deputy director with the China Meteorological Administration, said temperatures
across China have been 1.5 degrees lower than the historical average throughout December.
Northern China, where temperatures are already as low as minus 20C, will feel the brunt of the cold
front, which is sweeping in from Mongolia and western Siberia. Snow is forecast in Beijing, where
temperatures are expected to plunge 10 degrees.
http://www.breitbart.com/news/2006/01/02/060102044332.yp07id4u.html
* Unexpected cold leads to natural gas rationing in Scotland - 1 Jan 06 -Amid escalating
concerns about dwindling supplies and soaring prices, the Department of Trade and Industry
is preparing to trigger contingency plans designed to limit consumption of gas and electricity.
Scotland on Sunday can reveal that the government has revised its official estimate of how cold
the winter is likely to be since an assessment was completed in October, and the demand on UK
fuel supplies is now expected to be much greater.
http://scotlandonsunday.scotsman.com/politics.cfm?id=1242006
Lindaland
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