The National Weather Service has issued avalanche warnings for the Sierra Nevada Sunday after a winter storm dumped heavy snow on the region.
The backcountry avalanche warning for the Lake Tahoe area stretches south into the Sierra along the California-Nevada line from noon Sunday until 7 a.m. Monday, as blizzard conditions with gale-force winds could trigger widespread avalanche activity.
Two feet (61 centimeters) of snow was reported at Mammoth Mountain. And more than a foot (30 cm) fell in the upper elevations around Tahoe.
High avalanche risk in Alps amid heavy snow in Austria, Germany and Switzerland; 2 dead
Authorities warned Sunday of a high risk of avalanches on the northern side of the Alps, after heavy snowfall in recent days created dangerous conditions across parts of southern Germany, Austria and Switzerland.
Authorities in Austria closed some roads and train lines because of avalanche risks, while airports in the region have seen delays as workers struggled to clear the large amount of fresh snow and de-ice planes.
Enormous amounts of snow in Tauplitz, Austria (896 m) today, January 7. Report: Herbert Lemmerer / Aktuelle Wetterwarnungen für Österreich
Thousands of hectares affected by snow in Sonora, Mexico
The heavy snowfall left by the fifth and sixth winter storms of the season, as well as the extreme cold, generated frost damage in thousands of crops throughout the state of Sonora.
In Guaymas, Cajeme, and Navojoa, which encompass the valleys south of Sonora, agricultural producers are analyzing possible damage in 12 thousand hectares of crops.
Agricultural producers from northern Sonora still haven’t quantified the damage because the impact of the winter storms will continue over the next days
Heavy snow paralyses the region of Istanbul, Turkey
Istanbul and the region of Thrace in Turkey’s northwest were hit by heavy snowfall and strong wind which caused flight delays and cancellations. Blizzard and snowfall disrupted life in Thrace, with access to 50 schools in the region being blocked due to snowstorms.
The snow reached a height of 30 centimeters in Kırklareli. Heavy snowfall was expected to continue in Thracian provinces of Tekirdağ and Kırklareli and Istanbul’s western parts until the afternoon of Jan. 4.
Meteorology officials have also warned many eastern provinces of dangers of icing, frost and avalanches.
17 provinces blocked by snowstorm in Iran
Snow swept across 17 provinces of Iran on Friday – West Azarbaijan, Ardebil, Isfahan, Alborz, Tehran, Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari, North Khorasan, Fars, Semnan, Zanjan, Qazvin, Qom, Kordestan, Gilan, Lorestan, Mazandaran, and Markazi.
British Columbia storm pounds province with snow, rain, smashing records – up to 74 cms (29 inches) of snow in 24 hours
The storm that moved across B.C. over the past 72 hours has left many areas of the province cleaning up on Friday.
Whistler Blackcomb says it saw a new snowfall record for the month of December, with 384 centimetres of fresh snow falling during the month. This beat a previous record set in December 1994, by four centimetres.
The Trans-Canada Highway remains closed between Revelstoke & Golden due to extreme winter weather. Ministry of Transportation crews conducting avalanche control work. @DriveBC estimates highway re-opening at 8pm. @GlobalOkanagan pic.twitter.com/Je6jlCgLYp— Klaudia Van Emmerik (@KlaudiaGlobal) January 3, 2019
Whistler Blackcomb says about 74 centimetres of snow hit the mountains between Wednesday afternoon and Thursday this week, which also caused some chaos on Highway 99 for drivers trying to get to the village.
Major winter storm slams central Italy – 6 feet of snow
An example from Gamberale, Abruzzo, central Italy in intense Adriatic sea-effect snow on January 4. Report: Concetta Menna / Meteo Da Correggio:
Heavy snowfall disrupts life in Kashmir, India
Normal life in Indian-controlled Kashmir was disrupted by heavy snowfall that lashed the region on Saturday, January 5, 2019.
Heavy snow and strong winds hit Poland
High winds lashed the country’s northern regions, while snow paralysed much of southern Poland on January 3, 2019.
Some 1,600 customers were left without electricity at one point after fierce winds toppled trees and disrupted power supplies. No injuries were reported.
Meanwhile, rescuers have stepped up avalanche warnings for Poland’s southern Tatra mountains.
Scientists are seeing signs that global weather patterns toward the latter half of January and into February may shift significantly to usher in severe winter weather for parts of the U.S. and Europe, which is currently still under the effects of a strong north Atlantic ridge and an Arctic outbreak across the Balkan peninsula and Mediterranean. Yes, I think severe winter has already begun. Now let’s wait until the polar vortex suddenly splits. It will be terrifying!
The possible changes are being triggered by a sudden and drastic warming of the air in the stratosphere, some 100,000 feet above the Arctic, and by a resulting disruption of the polar vortex.
This is happening right now in Slovakia:
When this area of low pressure at high altitudes near the pole is disrupted, it can wobble like a spinning top and send cold air to the south. In this case, it could split into three pieces, and those pieces would determine who gets hit the hardest.
Here heavy snow in Greece today, January 4, 2018:
Blizzard conditions in Castel del Monte, Puglia, south of Italy on January 4, 2018 with intense Gregale winds and Adriatic sea-effect snow:
What’s next?
Polar vortex projections show it’s likely to split into possibly as many as 3 “sister vortices,” spilling cold air out of the Arctic and concentrating it in spots across Eurasia and North America.
- In the past, polar vortex splits have been associated with major snowstorms, including 2010, when the Mid-Atlantic region was buried by blizzards.
- A sudden stratospheric warming event and polar vortex disruption was associated with several March snowstorms in the Northeast last winter, as well as the “Beast from the East” cold spell in Europe.
- Such events can have major ramifications for energy markets, leading to natural gas price spikes, for example.
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