http://www.thenewstribune.com
28 January 2012

It has been so cold for so long in Anchorage that the chill has settled into the bones of daily life.

At Skinny Raven, $189 ankle-length down Skhoop ski skirts sell briskly. Plumbers who unfreeze pipes and thaw washing machines are too busy to talk.

Meteorologists agree: January is on track to be one of the most frigid months on record in Alaska history, according to the National Weather Service.

The average temperature in Anchorage for January so far is 2.7 degrees.

That’s chillier even than the legendary winter of 1989, when the Daily News reported a freeze so deep that the Anchorage Police Department couldn’t start 21 of their patrol cars one January morning.

Meanwhile, trails are lonely, and so many people have dead car batteries that the wait for a tow truck can be 3 to 4 hours, says Cristina Esteban of Vulcan Towing. This month, the calls have almost exclusively been for cold-sapped batteries.

The usual ways of burning off youthful energy outdoors have been stymied too.

Anchorage Junior Nordic League practices have been canceled all but two nights in the past two weeks because the weather has been colder than the organization’s minus-4 cutoff, said Junior Nordic coach Ellen Toll.

Perhaps most distressingly for elementary school students and their teachers, recess is often held inside.

Indoor recess is “the bane of every teacher’s life and every child’s life,” said Denali Montessori principal Ruth Dene.

At Government Hill Elementary on Friday, proof of the desperation of the situation could be found in a classroom of first- graders practically vibrating with unspent energy while running in circles, smashing markers into a Dry Erase board and jumping up and down during their 20-minute indoor recess.

There have only been four days of outdoor recess for Government Hill students this month, said principal Brian Singleton.

“We have had more indoor recess this year than I’ve ever seen in my career,” said Singleton.

The school district mandates indoor recess at minus 10, but schools factor in wind chill and whether kids are dressed appropriately. (In Fairbanks, outdoor recess is canceled when it’s 20 below or colder.)

Some are unfazed.

Winterberry Charter School made a “community decision” to try to get kids outside at least for 10 minutes or so each day, said principal Shanna Mall. It’s good for morale and learning.

“Our policy, really, is ‘We weather the weather whether we like it or not,’ ” she said.

They watch kids to make sure they’re warm enough, she said.

Toll has been hitting mostly-empty trails each day during the cold freeze. It’s not about bad weather, it’s about wearing good clothes, she says.

David Bass and his wife Annie Feidt woke up to a temperature of minus 9 Friday and headed to Alyeska Ski Resort to ski anyway.

Bass spoke Friday by cellphone from the top of Alyeska, sporting a frozen beard and what his wife described as “snotsicles” that gave him the tusked look of a walrus.

Their response to the cold snap was a shrug.

Bass and Feidt are dedicated skiers, hitting Anchorage trails on even the most frigid nights.

“The conditions are actually great right now,” he said.

Source

http://www.express.co.uk
January 28,2012

HEALTH chiefs issued a nationwide alert yesterday warning of a killer freeze on the way.

Dubbed the “Beast from the East”, the weather system is set to roar in from Siberia bringing widespread snow and freezing temperatures.

Older people in particular were warned to take extra care to keep warm as night-time temperatures are expected to plunge as low as -9C (16F), sending death rates soaring.

The Department of Health took the rare step of issuing a Level 2 cold weather health warning for the whole of England, running from 6pm tomorrow until 9am on Tuesday.

The alert was triggered because it is likely temperatures will remain below 2C for 48 hours or more.

A Department of Health spokesman said: “There is a 60-70 per cent chance of all regions having temperatures low enough to give rise to significant health risks.

Low temperatures can especially be dangerous for the young and the elderly or those with chronic disease.”

Age UK’s charity director Michelle Mitchell said: “Winter deaths figures are shocking. Around 3.5million older people live in fuel poverty and one in three over-60s live in houses which fail the decent-home standard.”

Forecasters warn temperatures could fall as low as -9C in the North and -7C in the South over the next week, with the chance of snow falling even in London.

During the day temperatures will struggle to rise above 2C (36F) with icy roads taking a long time to thaw, making driving conditions treacherous.

The Met Office has severe weather warnings for cold today across Scotland, northern England, Wales and the South-west.

Forecaster Dan Williams said: “It is looking pretty cold, and this is likely to be prolonged. Temperatures are looking lower than average for the time of year and rain falling on cold surfaces will lead to widespread ice.

“People should bear this in mind and be prepared for disruption.”

The cold snap is the result of cold air moving in from Russia meeting mild air arriving from the Atlantic and “battling” over the UK.

Forecasters warn the bank of cold air will be prevented from moving on by the warm front, making the cold weather persist. An Atlantic system carrying rain will meet the Siberian air, bringing the risk of heavy snowfall over large parts of Britain, from Scotland down to Cornwall.

Mr Williams said: “This is why people are talking about a weather battleground forming over the country. If the cold system wins, which looks likely, the cold conditions could set in at least until the middle of next month.”

He said Scotland, the North and central England should all be prepared for snow next week, with London and the South-east likely to get a dusting by Tuesday.

“It is certainly looking very cold over the next few days,” he added.

“It is looking like continuing into February. We would advise people to keep an eye on things. This is going to be an interesting period of weather.”

The AA warned motorists to take extra care. Spokesman Luke Bosdet said: “A lot of drivers may have been lulled into a false sense of security by the very mild winter. It is important to expect the unexpected and be extra careful on the roads because there could be black ice.”

Last year Britain ground to a halt as one of the coldest winters on record caused transport chaos and supplies of salt ran low.

Alastair Kight, of grit-spreading firm GRITIT, said businesses and councils were ready this time for the big freeze.

“As a nation we are better prepared and are not going to see a situation like last year where we ran out. We are well prepared for the cold snap to last three or four weeks.”

Parts of the country had a taste of things to come yesterday with more than two inches of snow falling over the Pennines.

Source

http://www.voanews.com
January 26, 2012

Parts of eastern and central Europe were hit hard by blizzards and frigid temperatures for a second day Thursday, which killed at least one person, and left many trapped in vehicles.

Romania, Bulgaria and Kosovo were especially hard hit, with some areas being covered with about two meters of snow.

Romania deployed army troops and tanks to help rescue stranded passengers and to clear the roads. Prime Minister Emil Boc said his priority would be to help people trapped in a bus on the border with Bulgaria. One man was found dead in his car near the capital, Bucharest, and a woman was hospitalized with a severe case of frostbite. A train with 123 passengers has derailed in southern Romania, but no one was injured.

Bulgaria has issued Code Red, the highest weather alert, for the entire country, including a ban on movement of heavy vehicles. Several major ports on the Black Sea were closed.

Some areas in the Balkans lost power Thursday and many schools and businesses were closed. The heavy snow also disrupted air traffic throughout eastern Europe.

Weather officials said the snow would ease by late Thursday, but that temperatures will fall below freezing.

Source

http://www.arirang.co.kr
January 23, 2012

It is the first day of the Lunar New Year here in Korea.

If you’re planning to head out or stay outdoors today, make sure you’re ready for bone-chilling weather conditons, because the whole country is under extremely cold temperatures this morning, with most of Korea either under cold wave watches and warnings!

Today is close to to degrees colder than yesterday,.. with Seoul expected to plunge down to negative degrees Celsius, but it’s going to feel colder with the strong winds blowing all across the country.

And all of the continental regions will mostly stay down in the negatives mark all throughout the day, while southwestern cities like Gwangju and Mokpo will receive snow, so drive safely and bundle up!

As for traffic conditions roads will be congested with those returning to Seoul beginning around 10 a.m. this morning.

Drivers may have to spend more than an additional hour. to the time spent going to their hometowns as some 380-thousand cars are expected to hit the road.

Source

http://afr.com
05 Jan 2012

Australia experienced its first cooler than average year for a decade in 2011, defying an established trend to higher temperatures, according to the Bureau of Meteorology.

Source

http://en.skiinfo.com
January 18, 2012

It’s now a month since snowfall began in the Alps and it has hardly let up since, with the biggest accumulations over that period now approaching 6 metres (20 feet) and reports from some resorts that this is the snowiest January in 30 or even 60 years.

Although snowfall is on going across the region it is Austria that has had the snowiest week and St Anton where snow depths have passed the 5.5m mark.

All the snow is not necessarily good news for those travelling while it is falling and finding roads and rail lines blocked, some resorts cut off and on arrival slopes closed due to high avalanche danger. But in the longer term it bodes well for the rest of the season.

In Italy has seen good snowfalls in the past week bringing up to 1.8m (six feet) of snow in some cases although for most resorts accumulations have been on the area of 30-60cm (1-2 feet). Val Gardena reports 75cm (2.5 feet) however and nearby Arabba 40cm. Cervinia over on the West bordering Zermatt in Switzerland has had another 50cm of snow, as has another Aosta Valley ski area, Monterosa. Cervinia now has the deepest snowbase in Italy with 3 metres (10 feet), Arabba over to the east in the Dolomites has 2.8m (9 feet).

Pyrenees

Conditions remain largely good in the Pyrenees with Spain’s Baqueira Beret reporting the region’s deepest snow with 1.6m. In Andorra VallNord ski areas have up to a healthy 1.4m. On the French side Piau Engaly has 1.5m (five feet).

Scandinavia

There are healthy snow depths at most Scandinanvian resort’s with Norway’s Røldal topping the snow depth table at 275cm (nine feet). Coastal Voss is not far behind with 2.1m (seven feet). Here’s a list of all snow depths in Norway.

Scotland

Scotland is suffering its second thaw of the winter although so far temperatures are only a few degrees above freezing. The Lecht has suffered the most with only a few runs still open and some of them thin in places, but like the other four centres, which also have diminished snowpacks and on-going operational difficulties at times because of the strong winds that have been prominent in the area for six weeks now, remains open. Cold weather is forecast to return at the weekend when conditions should improve, especially if the wind finally drops.

Source

http://www.9news.com
Jan 18, 2012

BECHAR, Algeria – Snow fell Tuesday in the Sahara Desert in western Algeria.

A 24-hour cold spell brought snow and rain to the region.

Strong wind blew the snow across roads and buildings in the province of Bechar.

Meteorologists predicted a return of good weather Wednesday.

People who live in the region said the snow was good for the palm trees because it killed parasites.

Bechar is located in the northern Sahara, about 36 miles south of the Moroccan border.

Source

http://www.cbc.ca
Jan 18, 2012

Cold, blustery weather is blowing into much of Ontario and Quebec, leaving behind frigid temperatures that have shattered records across Alberta.

On Wednesday, dozens of communities across the province were hit with temperatures below –30 C, and 13 of them were hit with record lows. In the town of Hendrickson Creek, Alta., it was a bone-chilling –41.4.

The frigid temperatures prompted Canada Olympic Park to cancel lessons and close the ski area.

“It gets a little bit too cold and for the safety of our guests and our staff we just feel it’s not necessary to open on that [cold] a day,” said Dale Oviatt, who works at Canada Olympic Park.

CBC Edmonton meteorologist Stephanie Barsby said the cold arctic air is sinking from north to south.

“So in fact, northern Alberta will see improvement before southern Alberta will,” Barsby said.

At the Edmonton airport, temperatures dipped to –34.4 Wednesday, but Barsby said things should improve in the days to come. The city was expected to see small temperature gains over the next couple of days and a big jump going into the weekend — but with that comes some snow, Barsby said.

The story was similar across much of the Prairies, with temperatures hovering around –25 or below in many parts of Saskatchewan and Manitoba.

In northern Manitoba, the bitter cold forced Via Rail to delay its train service from Churchill to Winnipeg on Tuesday night, leaving it 16 hours behind schedule Wednesday.

Via Rail spokesman Malcolm Andrews said that nighttime temperatures around –30 — which felt more like –50 with the wind chill — caused the delay. Via Rail’s service to and from Churchill rarely gets delayed by cold weather, he added.

The cold, blustery weather is blowing east into Ontario and Quebec. Ontario residents near the lower Great Lakes were expected to see temperatures in the –4 to –6 range, while in Ottawa and Montreal the forecast called for a frostier –12, CBC meteorologist Johanna Wagstaffe reported Wednesday.

“The story today from pretty much coast to coast is winter has arrived,” Wagstaffe said.

By early Wednesday, a fierce freezing rain and wind storm that rolled through Quebec had left more than 80,000 homes and businesses without power. By late Wednesday afternoon Hydro Québec said 10,000 customers remained without power, most of them in Montreal.

Conditions were forecast to be clear for most of Ontario and Quebec, with the chilly temperatures expected to linger for the next couple of days.

“There are some snow squall watches towards Lake Superior, but it’s mainly a mix of sun and cloud. Watch for those snow squalls, though,” said Wagstaffe.

Warm front moves through Maritimes

Farther east, the Maritimes were expected to see showers and enjoy the last of the warm front before temperatures take a 15-degree plunge in the evening.

“We’re still looking at fog across the Maritimes, which is seeing the last of the warm air.… but that cold front is quickly sweeping east,” Wagstaffe said.

On P.E.I., islanders were in store for a wild temperature swing. Highs on Wednesday were forecast to hit 6 C, before plummeting to –12 overnight.

Snow in Vancouver, Victoria

Both Victoria and Vancouver saw snow Wednesday morning, making a messy morning commute for many.

The blustery winter weather prompted officials to close many schools in the province’s capital, and BC Transit had to take detours on several bus routes early Wednesday. Environment Canada forecast a low of –7 for Victoria overnight, with a chance of flurries through the night and early in the morning.

In the Fraser Valley, winds had “eased somewhat” but were expected to remain gusty through Thursday, Environment Canada said.

The Central Coast and the North Coast were still under an “arctic outflow” warning and could see windchill values of –20 and below, the federal weather agency said.

The wintry weather is also taking a toll in the Northwest Territories, leaving serious damage to the Inuvik airport’s roof overnight. The high winds and blowing snow even sent a hot tub drifting down the main street in Inuvik.

Source

http://www.planetski.eu
January 14, 2012

We never thought we would say that but it is what everyone out here in The Alps thinks. We just want some clear skies so we can go skiing. There is snow pretty much everywhere as you can see in the PlanetSKI snow report that comes direct from The Austrian Alps.

Here in The Tirol it is looking pretty good – still not the clear blue skies we want but the forecast is hopefull.

In Obergurgl there was a dusting of snow on Friday morning as the temperature dropped again. The wind came in again though closing many lifts.

Clear blue sky is set to come and we can hopefully enjoy the meters of fresh snow that have fallen since the New Year.

Much of snow has been blown off the piste and they are icy but that actually suited out content editor, James Cove, who is in the Austrian resort.

He was skiing with members of the US women ski team including a potential new star; 16-year old Mikaela Shiffrin who is already being compared to Lindsey Vonn after she took a bronze medal earlier in the season.

She came 3rd last December in Lienz in Austria.

The youngest US skier to make the podium for 30 years or so.

We will bring you a Chairlift Chat vidoe interview with Mikaela Shiffrin later and some video of her skiing as James Cove tried to keep up!

The snow though is good across Austria.

The snow has come at a cost with resorts cut off for a while and a huge effort has gone on in the past few weeks to keep things running.

It was nothing like as bad as some sections of the British press portrayed with scare stories about resorts cuts off and avalanches threatening, but it was a massive snowfall and it did cause huge problems.

Now though we have had some of the best, if not the best conditions, of the winter. Especially here in Austria.

It is the same across The Alps.

PlanetSKI reporter, Jane Peel, has been in Tignes and will be posting a piece soon on the work done to keep things open as she spends a day with the avalanche patrol.

In the meantime she has been skiing in the nearby resort of Sainte Foy.

“It’s been blue skies and sunshine all week. This picture below was taken on the empty, beautifully groomed pistes of Sainte Foy, just a few kilometres down the mountain from Tignes. The snow conditions and lack of crowds made for some excellent fast carving practice for both skiers and boarders,” she said.

The avalanche danger has actually been remarkably small considering the amounts of snow and the high winds.

Overall it is surprisingly stable though of course extreme danger does exist off piste and everyone should check local conditions before heading into the backcountry.

As the temperature warmed up there was a wet snow avalanche in France that went across the piste. See a video of it here.

In Chamonix skiers are on the Vallee Blanche including a group that was with Robbie Fenlon, a mountian guide used by one of our partners at PlanetSKI, BASS Chamonix.

“We skied the Vallee Blanche today Jan 13th.The access arete is well equiped. Although there are some crevasses the route passes easily through the Salle a manger. The exit from the glacier is easy and the the forest track is easily skiable to the carpark in Chamonix.All in all it is the safest i have seen it in many years. Very skiable for our clients,” said Robbie Fenlon.

For a round up of the snow in Europe and North America, where there has finally been some in the USA, read on…….

Source

http://www.haaretz.com
January 13, 2012

Israel was hit by considerable rainfall early Friday morning, with snow fall reported in Mount Hermon as well as in all of the Golan Heights.

According to weather forecasting firm Meteo Tech, Tel Aviv experienced 22 mm of rain in just over an hour, with Safed seeing 40 mm and the Golan Heights reporting 36 mm of rain.

Even more impressive figures arrived from the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology. In Haifa, where Army Radio said 87 mm of rain were registered.

Another chilly, but beautiful, outcome of the stormy night was snow, reportedly falling fast and thick all over the Golan Heights and Mt. Hermon, where Army Radio said over a meter of snow was reported.

The stormy weather isn’t expected to leave Israel, with forecasters expecting a wet and cold weekend, as storms drift toward the country’s center and south.

Source