[Andie/TX]

The heaviest snowfall in almost 50 years is hitting parts of Britain as Arctic weather brought nationwide chaos.
The Telegraph
By Martin Evans
Published: 8:05PM GMT 05 Jan 2010

As the country was plunged into one of its worst winters for decades, the Met Office issued an emergency weather warning for all counties of the UK.

The South, including London and the Home Counties, were expected to bear the brunt of the snowfall with emergency services warning they are already struggling to cope with the increasingly bitter conditions.

Forecasters predicted that more than one foot of snow could fall in less than 24 hours in most southern areas leading to widespread chaos and disruption for millions.

The residents of Hampshire and Wiltshire were expected to be the worst hit, with as much as 16 inches likely to be dumped by the end of tomorrow.

Residents and commuters in London, which ground to a halt last February following heavy falls, were warned to expect a covering of several inches by the morning rush hour.

On the roads drivers were advised not to venture out unless their journey was absolutely essential, as councils warned they could run out of grit if the conditions failed to improve.

The Met Office claimed the amount of snow forecast could be the biggest single fall since the notorious winter of 1962-63, when some areas of the country were blighted by snow and ice for more than three months.

During that winter the south saw more than a foot of snow, while blizzards in some parts of Wales led to drifts of over 18 feet.

A Met Office spokesman said they had issued a so-called "flash warning" because of the substantial quantity of snow which was expected to fall across the south in a short period of time.

The spokesman said: "This kind of warning is very rare. It's the level of alert we put out for the floods in the Summer of 2007."

Forecasters have warned of little respite over the next week as freezing temperatures will continue to grip Britain.

On Tuesday, up to eight inches of snow fell in parts of the country. It brought chaos to schools, businesses and the transport networks.

Scores of rail services and flights were cancelled as temperatures struggled to get above freezing. The overnight temperature on Dartmoor in Devon fell to minus 9 on Monday night.

More than 1,000 schools were closed across Scotland, the north of England and Wales.

Police, fire and ambulance services were preparing to put into place contingency plans in order to maintain their operations through the worst of the weather.

In some hard-hit areas however emergency services admitted they were losing the battle against the bad weather.

The Manchester Constabulary issued a plea to the public to only dial 999 where there was a life threatening emergency or a crime was taking place.

And the North West Ambulance Service also declared a major incident due to the weather.

A spokesman for the service said: "We are unlikely to be able to reach patients with minor injuries or symptoms. We are having to stringently prioritise all of our 999 calls and dispatch our resources to life-threatening cases only. We would like to stress the urgency for people to stay indoors unless it is absolutely necessary.

"The driving conditions are extremely hazardous and we would like to ensure that the risk of injury on the roads is reduced as much as possible."

Ambulance services across the south were monitoring the worsening weather situation with some turning to 4x4 all terrain vehicles in order to reach patients.

South Central Ambulance Service which covers Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Hampshire and Oxfordshire was last night contacting staff to ask them if they can stay overnight near their ambulance stations.

In London many ambulances were also fitted with special equipment which provide extra grip for tyres in slippery conditions.

Prime Minister Gordon Brown said the Government and all the services were doing everything possible to keep the country moving throughout the worsening weather.

He said: "The weather is taking a turn for the worse. We are doing everything possible to keep disruption to a minimum. The Highways Agency has kept the vast majority of major road networks running. We are in close contact with local authorities and it is a situation we will keep a very close eye on."

There were also fears that gas supplies could begin to run low if the icy conditions continue for sometime as forecasters have predicted.

Figures obtained by the Conservatives suggested under the current levels of usage, supplies would only last for another week.

Major sporting fixtures also fell victim to the weather with both Carling Cup semi final football matches between Blackburn Rovers and Aston Villa and Manchester City and Manchester United, postponed.

Elsewhere supermarkets reported a surge in panic-buying as shoppers tied to stockpile food supplies.

http://www.telegraph...n-50-years.html

[Andie/TX]

In China--

The authorities in Beijing have closed schools and mobilised thousands of people to help clear roads after the heaviest snowfall for nearly 60 years.

Up to 30cm (12 inches) of snow fell in China's capital and its neighbouring port city of Tianjin over the weekend.

Thousands of travellers have been left stranded at Beijing's international airport, and more than 30 highways across northern China are closed.

Officials have ordered residents into work groups to clear the snow and ice.

Heavy snowfall has also led to flight cancellations and delays in South Korea.

Not over yet

The snowfall over the weekend in Beijing was the most the capital has seen since 1951, according to local media reports.

Even as the snow continued to fall, volunteers were mobilized, and took to the streets with snow-shovels in an attempt to clear it.

It's the heaviest snow in over half a century, over 33cm in some parts of the capital. The city is still functioning, but roads and airports are feeling the pressure.

Some 2 million schoolchildren were given the day off, because of the weather. But it looks like they'll be back at their desks on Tuesday.

The BBC's Quentin Sommerville in Beijing says the cold snap is halting normal activities in an area already used to heavy weather, but is not yet as bad as the 2008 freeze which caused huge power outages and transport breakdowns.
BBC News



SE Europe-
This was emailed to Robert Felix on IceAgeNow.com

The Arctic cold and record snow across most of the northern hemisphere is really beginning concern me!! To add to my concern is the forecast of a major snowstorm that will be the result of a massive and potent storm system that is currently brewing in the Mediterranean Sea.

Arctic air is literally being sucked down from the north and feeding this monster over the relatively warm waters. The storm is predicted to track up towards the northeast as a major snowstorm for most southeastern Europe. This event could rival the one experienced during the winter of 1977-'78.

German news is already warning of a major paralyzing blizzard to begin Friday and last through the weekend and is urging people to stay home and stock up on their emergency supplies. When all is said and done most of Germany will be buried under snow ranging from 20 to 60 cm with snow drifts several meters high!!

That is a pretty rare occurrence! After that the overall weather pattern does not change much and the possibility exists of more such snow events taking place over the coming weeks. This still relatively young winter looks like it is shaping up to be record breaker for snow and cold!! I feel the worst is yet to come.

[Andie/TX]

DUBLIN, Ireland Jan 1 (Reuters) -

All flights to and from Dublin were suspended on Friday after heavy snowfall on New Year's Eve which also disrupted bus and rail services in the Irish capital.

"We hope to resume operations at 1030 (GMT)," a spokeswoman for Dublin Airport said.

Dublin is the home base of Ryanair, Europe's biggest low-cost airline, and former state carrier Aer Lingus.

The airport's website showed some flights due as late as 1500 GMT have been cancelled.

Dublin Bus said on its website that no local bus services would be operating on Friday until further notice due to the harsh weather and Irish Rail also reported disruptions at major stations.
Reuters

[Andie/TX]

Mongolia 29 Dec 09 -

Five men died after a snow storm battered the country on December 23-26. Two of the men, both animal herders, were found frozen to death. Also, 2,222 sheep and goat were killed in the storm. The government classified the phenomenon as “highly severe”.

The sudden snow storm trapped more than 40 rural herder families and 34,000 animals. Total snowfall was 50-60 cm on average, and as high as one meter in parts of Khovd province, thus preventing animals from going into their pasturelands.

http://ubpost.mongol...=4205&Itemid=36

[Flatiron]

Andie/TX, on 06 January 2010 - 02:35 PM, said:

In China--

The authorities in Beijing have closed schools and mobilised thousands of people to help clear roads after the heaviest snowfall for nearly 60 years.

Up to 30cm (12 inches) of snow fell in China's capital and its neighbouring port city of Tianjin over the weekend.

Thousands of travellers have been left stranded at Beijing's international airport, and more than 30 highways across northern China are closed.

Officials have ordered residents into work groups to clear the snow and ice.

Heavy snowfall has also led to flight cancellations and delays in South Korea.

Not over yet

The snowfall over the weekend in Beijing was the most the capital has seen since 1951, according to local media reports.

Even as the snow continued to fall, volunteers were mobilized, and took to the streets with snow-shovels in an attempt to clear it.

It's the heaviest snow in over half a century, over 33cm in some parts of the capital. The city is still functioning, but roads and airports are feeling the pressure.

Some 2 million schoolchildren were given the day off, because of the weather. But it looks like they'll be back at their desks on Tuesday.

The BBC's Quentin Sommerville in Beijing says the cold snap is halting normal activities in an area already used to heavy weather, but is not yet as bad as the 2008 freeze which caused huge power outages and transport breakdowns.
BBC News

Didn't Beijing get their "biggest snowstorm in decades" back in November? Or maybe that was their biggest snowstorm that early...either way, quite a winter for China, Europe, and the U.S. already, without a doubt.

[Andie/TX]

Flatiron, on 06 January 2010 - 04:26 PM, said:

Didn't Beijing get their "biggest snowstorm in decades" back in November? Or maybe that was their biggest snowstorm that early...either way, quite a winter for China, Europe, and the U.S. already, without a doubt.

You know, I honestly don't think they check the records. They just check their memory which is not the best reference.
Either way, this cold period has affected the entire Northern hemisphere.

When it's over it will be very interesting to see how the real stats stack up.

[Andie/TX]

From the UK Met Office

Areas affected: UK

General evolution: Cold to very cold air remains in place over much of the UK with subzero temperatures and hard-frozen ground/snow/ice widely. During today and overnight into Tuesday a frontal system moves south across the UK, expected N Scotland 1200 today, across N Wales/N England by Midnight and E Anglia-S coast of England by 1200 Tuesday. An unstable NE airflow with embedded showery troughs follows on behind.

UPDATE: A new low pressure centre that models were treating with much uncertainty now looks set to develop over the English Channel Tuesday afternoon/evening. This will have a considerable influence of distribution of snowfall from then onwards.

Forecast: Outbreaks of snow move down through Scotland today and through N England/N Wales overnight and S England/S Wales by Tuesday morning. There is a possibility that this will fall as sleety rain close to coasts, but cold surfaces mean that there is a risk of dangerous sheet-ice forming in such circumstances.

Snow accumulations will vary from slight to significant: expect anything from a covering to 10cm or more. Either way, roads will again become difficult and dangerous. In Eastern areas (and possibly more widely), snow showers running in behind the frontal system will augment the accumulations, perhaps pushing them to 15cm or more during tomorrow. Winds will pick up later, with drifting of snow expected to add to the problems. In addition, a Polar disturbance moves S down the W Seaboard of the UK on Tuesday, bringing a period of heavy snowfall as it moves through Northern Ireland.

UPDATE: Prolonged snowfall is now expected to affect southern parts of England and South East Wales later Tuesday into Wednesday, with Central Southern England worst affected. Over 20cm of snow likely here especially over higher ground.
If you need to travel then please check the latest advisories and keep a winter travel kit in your vehicle.

[epiceast]

Why keep making new threads instead of using the old ones? Alarmist. Anyway I pretty much summed up the last thread with a couple of pictures.

[Andie/TX]

That's why these are all lumped together. I don't write these, just thought it would add to the big picture that the US isn't alone in the rough winter.



Why not post some in ES yourself instead of complaining ?






.

[Andie/TX]

Something you don't see everyday.... 100% of the England and Scotland covered in snow.


 snowball UK.jpg (115.84K)
Number of downloads: 0
NASA MODIS

[aslkahuna]

Andie/TX, on 08 January 2010 - 02:09 PM, said:

Something you don't see everyday.... 100% of the England and Scotland covered in snow.


snowball UK.jpg
NASA MODIS

Something you see even less of-almost all of England and Scotland having clear skies in January!

Steve

[Andie/TX]

Yeah, have you ever been there in February ? The North of Scotland may be the coldest place I've ever been to. The air off the north sea goes through the thickest coats on the planet !

[MikeBC]

Wow, everywhere in England is covered with the snow. I think they will be like that much more often this decade then last thanks to lower sunspots.

[Andie/TX]

This must have been some snowstorm
______________________________________________________________


18 Jan 10 - "Rescue workers evacuated thousands of rural residents from parts of northwestern China after extreme cold and blizzard conditions killed four people and left half a million snowed under," says this article on MSNBC.

Storms in China's far western Xinjiang have flattened or damaged about 100,000 homes and killed more than 15,000 head of livestock since Sunday night. Temperatures in parts of Xinjiang are forecast to plunge to minus 45 degrees by midweek.

In neighboring Mongolia, nearly 800,000 animals have been lost, with many transport routes blocked by heavy snow.

MSNBC

[epiceast]

153mm of qpf fell since the start of winter in Moscow(about 6 inches), almost all of it in snow.
64cm(record snow depth for february 22)
they are in the middle of a storm cycle (about 30mm)
72cm is the record snow depth for february(78 is for march). February record snowdepth will probably happen.
So i am guessing that would be about a 100 inch winter of snow?