Global storm activity of 2009
Encyclopedia
Global storm activity of 2009 profiles the major worldwide storms, including blizzards, ice storms, and other winter events, from January 1, 2009 to December 31, 2009. Wintery storms
are events in which the dominant varieties of precipitation
are forms that only occur at cold temperatures, such as snow or sleet
, or a rainstorm where ground temperatures are cold enough to allow ice to form (i.e. freezing rain
). It may be marked by strong wind, thunder and lightning (a thunderstorm), heavy precipitation
, such as ice (ice storm
), or wind transporting some substance through the atmosphere
(as in a dust storm
, snowstorm, hail
storm, etc.). Summer storms including flooding, severe thunderstorms and extratropical cyclone
s (which can occur in summer or winter) are also included in this list to a certain extent.
As this occurred a heat wave and/or unforeseen monsoon
weather also hit parts of Australia in 2009 and 2010. Victoria, the scene of horrific bushfires the year before, had a far colder summer, with hot weather arriving more than a month later than usual in 2009. August 17 saw a dust storm at Laguna Mar Chiquita as a major drought hit Argentina
, and flooding and hailstorms
hit southeastern Australia and Queensland in March 2010. The lack of winter precipitation in parts of China, however, contributed to a severe drought
in the southwest. Bolivia
, Venezuela
, Mali
, Mauritania
, Morocco
and Spain have also seen periods of drought in 2009 and 2010. On between May 12 and 26, both Mauritania
, the Sénégal River Area and neighbouring parts of both Senegal
and Mali
faced both a drought and famine in 2010.
A storm (from Proto-Germanic *sturmaz "noise, tumult") is any disturbed state of an astronomical body's atmosphere, especially affecting its surface, and strongly implying severe weather
.
Storms are created when a centre of low pressure
develops, with a system of high pressure
surrounding it. This combination of opposing forces can create winds and result in the formation of storm clouds, such as the cumulonimbus
. Small, localized areas of low pressure can form from hot air rising off hot ground, resulting in smaller meteorological disturbances such as dust devils
and whirlwind
s.
, Midwestern United States
and Northeastern United States. Greater Toronto Area
saw about 7–10 cm, with higher amounts towards the Niagara region. The storm is strengthening over the Atlantic, and could become a blizzard
. Northeastern United States
saw about 10–20 cm. The Atlantic provinces were in a Blizzard
for New Year's Day, with 49 cm recorded in Charlottetown
, Prince Edward Island
and 25 cm in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Blizzard warnings and storm surge
warnings were posted as winds were sustained more than 60–80 km (40–50 mi), out of the North. Newfoundland and Labrador
saw about 15–25 cm of snow, with blowing snow. Another 15–20 cm could fall through the province, as another low comes in.
–Liechtenstein
border, killing an Italian tourist, when his car skidded into a tree due to black ice on the nearby road.
Yet another winter storm developed and brought about 10–25 cm across Alberta
, Saskatchewan
and through the Northern Great plains
. 10–20 cm also fell through Northern Ontario, with freezing rain
, ice pellets
(sleet) and rain to the south. Northeastern United States
can expect ice and snow, with rain down south. Traveling will not be easy.
On the west coast, Vancouver
could get 5–10 cm of wet snow, with heavier accum. towards in the interior of British Columbia
, likely 10–20 cm.
, Ontario
recorded about 13 cm. Niagara region saw snow mixing with ice pellets and Freezing rain. Eastern Ontario and Southern Quebec
saw amounts of 15–30 cm. Similar amounts fell in New England
. The Atlantic provinces saw snow to start then mixing, and rain was reported in some areas.
and the North West Frontier.
and through the Great plains. Midwest U.S. and Southwestern Ontario could see amounts of 5–25 cm. Many areas are reporting heavy amounts of snowfall.
On the west coast, up to 120 mm could fall in some areas, as a low pressure area comes in. These latest storms have caused flooding in many areas. Due to excessive snow melt courtesy from the large amounts produced by the December Snow storms, along with heavy rain fall lead to epic flooding. More than 18 rivers went beyond Major Flood stage and a couple went over Record Stage. These floods led the closure of I-5 in Centralia when the Chehalis and Skookumchuck Rivers overflowed. This was the second time in two consecutive years when that Section of I-5 was closed due to flooding.
region and the U.S. Northeast. Areas of Toronto
recorded between 15–25 cm, with 10 cm in Windsor, Ontario
, & higher amounts towards the Lakes. Some areas reported more than 20 cm of accumulation. This same storm affected Northeastern United States with 10–30 cm, and the Atlantic provinces of Canada. Some areas have reported freezing rain
and ice pellets
, and even rain mixing in. U.S. Southeast saw mostly rain.
A potentially severe winter storm is in the developing stages and had already brought more than an inch of ice to many areas in the United States. This system will move across the Midwest into the Northeast. Many places are expecting a major ice storm and areas to the north are expecting significant snowfall accumulations. Over 2 million people were without power throughout the Midwest and North East United States. About 500,000 people in Kentucky
were left Powerless. Ice was thick as 8 cm in some areas. There were 23 Deaths, with 6 deaths in Texas
. Regions of Southern Ontario
received between 5–20 cm, with 20–30 cm in Eastern Ontario
and Southern Quebec
. Similar amounts fell in the Atlantic Provinces, with some rain/snow mixing in at times, as some areas got above the 0 C (32 F) mark.
On January 21, heavy rain cause worst floods in 40 years in Brunei Darussalam. Heavy rains started late on Tuesday in the oil-rich capital of Bandar Seri Begawan, causing flash floods and landslides, interrupting power supply and shutting some telephone lines. About 145.8 millimetres of rainfall was recorded during the 24-hour period from 8 am Tuesday to 8 am Wednesday, according to the weather department, which expects more rain in the coming days but not as heavy as on Tuesday. Two casualties were reported.
A warm, moist Mediterranean cyclone began to move (unusually?) northwards over France, against a cold continental high pressure ridge, causing the cyclone to discharge its moisture as snow over large areas of western Europe. The system was vigorous enough to produce a winter-time tornado in Málaga
.
On February 1 and 2, heavy snow fell overnight across large parts of the United Kingdom, causing widespread disruption to transport and education. London received its heaviest snowfalls in 18 years. Many roads, including the M25 London Orbital motorway
, were blocked in the morning rush hour, whilst train services are disrupted and many airport runways closed. Transport for London
suspended all London Buses
and the London Underground
was severely disrupted. Hundreds of schools were forced to close.
Temperatures fell below seasonal averages with Chesham
, Buckinghamshire
recording -10 degrees Celsius at night.
Airports were affected included London's Heathrow and Gatwick airports. Charles de Gaulle Airport and Orly Airport
were affected.
Spain, Germany, Portugal and Ireland were also affected. In Ireland, snowstorms disrupted road and rail transport, including the M50 and M1. Dublin Airport
and Cork Airport were severely disrupted, as were ferry services in the Irish Sea throughout February 2.
Ireland was affected in a similar way to the UK. In the Republic, the South and East were the worst affected. Due to black ice, driving was very treacherous, with ice and snow blocking many major routes such as the M1 and M50. Dublin Airport and Cork Airport were seriously affected, with many flights to Britain and Europe delayed and cancelled. The major rail routes across Ireland were closed down, as a result of bad ice and snow. Temperatures across Ireland fell below average everywhere, with temperatures of -8 and -9 degrees Celsius recorded in places.
The snow was a result of wind blowing across from West Siberia, and reacted with the low pressure system approaching across from the Atlantic. This created unusually large amounts of snow, which fell across England, Wales and Eastern Ireland. This weather type is rare in Ireland, and is normally confined to small amounts; however, the total amount of snowfall in this storm was the highest since 1981.
A winter storm developing over the Gulf states and through the Gulf of Mexico
, is bringing widespread Heavy Rain to the South Eastern States of the US. Up to 100 mm is possible in some areas. Coastal areas of North Eastern United states can expect snowfall of up to 6 inches (15 cm) in some areas, local amounts may be higher. Atlantic Canada will see strong winds and snowfall amounts of 15–30 cm (6–12 inches).
A small weather system carrying snow that developed in North France reached South East England
and the Midlands
which brought 20–30 cm (8–12 inches) of snow in some parts of Gloucestershire
. Further snow came in from the south and east throughout the week. The worst places affected was the Forest of Dean
and The Cotswolds. On 6 February a few small towns in Devon
reported around 55 cm (22 inches) of lying snow (Okehampton
). The Severn Bridge
, the main link between England and Wales closed due to falling ice for the first time. Some 321 schools in Buckinghamshire
, 300 schools in Gloucestershire
and 307 schools in Wales
also closed on the 6th.
on the 6th
A winter storm from the Atlantic reached southern Britain and the Midlands on 9–10 causing heavy rain and flooding. Across the midlands and further north, it was cold enough for it to fall as snow. Coupled with the strong winds, it made blizzard
conditions. The Met office issued an extreme winter storm warning for many counties in Great Britain. Meanwhile a temperature of -18 °C was recorded in the Scottish Highlands
— the coldest UK temperature since 2003. Smaller outbreaks of snow occurred across parts of the north and east of England on 12–13 February.
A major storm developing over Texas
is affecting many communities in North America. Areas like Oklahoma City
were hit hard with heavy rain, hail and a tornado
in western Oklahoma City. There have been numerous spottings of funnel clouds. Heavy rain continues through Texas and Kansas
, which will extend into Missouri
, Arkansas
and Louisiana
. Areas of Michigan
, Illinois
and SW Ontario
could see pop-up thunderstorms, but likely not as severe. Northern Ontario will see mostly an ice-rain event. While areas to the South could see 25–50 mm (1–2 inches).
with strong winds gusting to 100 km in some areas. Bitterly cold conditions, strong winds and heavy snowfall caused a blizzard
through parts of Newfoundland. Some areas of Newfoundland received between 20–40 cm. Local areas and local drifts were locally higher.
A winter storm that developed over Colorado
brought messy weather across the Great plains, Midwest U.S., the Great Lakes
and Northeast United States. Some areas had a messy mix of snow, ice and rain. Toronto
had seen about 10 cm. South Western Ontario saw between 1–10 cm. Northern Areas of Ontario
and Quebec
received between 10–25 cm. Eastern Ontario
received between 10–20 cm. The northeast saw local amounts of over 15 cm. From Midwestern sections of the U.S. to the Southern Lakes messy mix was reported with rain at times. Southern United states saw heavy amounts of rainfall, Thunderstorms and Tornado warnings were issued in some areas.
The Atlantic provinces are seeing heavy snowfall and some mixed precipitation. Areas could exceed 10 cm. Newfoundland
could get more heavy snowfall.
, which picked up mositure from the Gulf, dumped about 5–20 cm across the Midwest, and the Great lakes
area. Areas like Windsor
saw close to 15 cm, Toronto
saw about 5–12 cm. Eastern Ontario
and Southern Quebec
could see slightly higher amounts as a coastal low develops, and gives heavier snow. Northeastern United States are seeing snow, mix precipitation and rainfall. The heavier snowfall is towards New England and Maine.
Atlantic Canada is seeing blizzard
like conditions. 15–40 cm is possible is some areas. Winter storm warnings and snowfall warnings are in place.
A major winter storm which brought up to 16" of snow to parts of West Tennessee and Arkansas and up to 7" of snow to parts of Georgia (including the Atlanta area), Alabama (including Birmingham) and Mississippi gathered strength and moved northeastward, in the process crossing the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area before impacting the greater New York and greater Philadelphia areas. The storm was a large, widespread storm, with snow totals exceeding 8 inches (203.2 mm) across most of the tri-state area. as well as 3–7 inches north of Rockland County, as well as scattered amounts of 17–20 inches in New Jersey and Pennsylvania.
On March 1 to 2 A heavy dust storm
hits N.E. China and parts of Mongolia
. It then parses over the Bo Hai Sea and the Yellow Sea
, finally dispersing over North Korea
and South Korea
in the 4th
on March 13.
, Sakhalin Island and Primorsky Krai
in Russia far east on March 22.
canceled more than 400 planes departing and arriving. On Friday, March 27, the storm impacted Kansas
, northwestern Oklahoma
, and the Texas Panhandle
, with 12 to 24 inches (609.6 mm) of snow and blizzard conditions. Some areas around Pratt County, Kansas and Kiowa County, Kansas received 28" of Snowfall. Snow Drifts reached 10 feet (3 m) high in Dalhart, Texas
. On Friday night and into Saturday, March 28, the storm system impacted the Kansas City
area and northern parts of Missouri
, before moving into the Quad Cities
area, Northern Illinois
and Southern Wisconsin
on Saturday night. Numerous areas here saw between 4 and 8" of snow. Waukegan, Illinois
, saw around half a foot from this late-season winter blast.
was expected to hit the Maritime Provinces on Easter
. 15–30 cm of snow is expected in most areas, and Halifax and southern areas were to see heavy rain.
had died by this date in Mongolia. Snow also fell on Russia's Sakhalin
island.
Province.
, killing 24 people as it did so.
stage in Mauritania
due to heavy sandstorms and high winds.
province issued an emergency tropical storm warning to 20,000 fishing vessels in the South China Sea
as Typhoons Morakot and Goni, approached China's Guangdong
Province. Heavy storms hit the cities of Guangzhou
,
Zhuhai
and Haikou
. More than 953,000 residents and more than 35,000 boats were evacuated back to shore in the eastern and southeastern provinces of the People's Republic of China
as Typhoons Morakot approached A fishing boat capsized with nine fishermen missing. 3 people died in the China and 462 died in Taiwan
.
brought rain to Southern California. A flash flood
warning was issued for Central and Eastern San Diego County as a result of the rain. Later on, the system moved north and started to move towards the east coast on Sunday, August 23. The remaining thunderstorms lingered around in Central and Eastern San Diego County until Friday, August 28 before finally moving towards the east coast.
hit the Bering sea
, Choris Peninsula
and parts of the Aleutian islands on September 2. A heavy storm hit parts of the Beaufort Sea
and parts of the Chukchi Sea
on September 4.
Heavy rain and floods on the 4th also lead to both cars were under water and bales of wheat
are floating down the swolen river past Mr A.J. Duncan's farms at Muirden Farm, Turriff
, Aberdeenshire
. Both Oxbridge and Publican spring barley planting was at risk if the flood waters did not clear quickly.
On the 8th unusually heavy rain hit Argentina
, and storms hit Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay, killing 14 or 15 people (reports varied). Tornados his Argentina to. A town official in Santa Rosa
, Paulo Alvez appealed for help for both the town of Santa Rosa and El Progreso
.
Arkansas witnessed heavy flooding on the 7th and 8th.
and parts of the Aleutian islands on October 1.
A heavy and rainy cyclone hit the Bering sea
and parts of the Chukchi Sea
on October 3. 21 people were confirmed dead following rainstorms and landslides in Sicily
. A fishing boat was damaged at sea off the coast of Sicily. Austria saw heavy flooding, with lesser levels in the Czech Republic
, Poland, Slovenia
, Slovakia
, Romania
, Moldova
and southern parts of Ukraine
. Two Ukrainians and a Moldovan died in the storm.
5 days of unusually heavy rain left 205 dead, 125 injured and 750,000 homeless in southern India by October the 5th. Indian and Sri Lanka
n medical teams managed to save many lives across Tamil Nadu
and Kerala
states.
were absorbed by a newly formed low-pressure system just north of it, similar to how Typhoon Kujira
's remains were absorbed. The low-pressure system slowly began to intensify as it crossed the Pacific Ocean. Several wind and flood watches/warnings were issued on October 17 in advance for the expected arrival of the winter storm. A high wave advisory was issued for the entire western seaboard. Just before midnight of October 18, the powerful winter storm struck California
with gale-force winds and torrential rainfall. In Northern California
, the rainfall was seemingly endless. The San Francisco Bay
area suffered the most damage, from 40-foot (12 m) high waves and reported gusts of 85 mph (140 km/h). A rare storm warning was posted for San Francisco Bay and subsequently, wind gusts were clocked at 75 mph (125 km/h) on Angel Island. Because the storm stayed stationary, it began to weaken, but soon afterward it moved east and then south. As it moved south, brought moderate rain to some parts of California before moving towards the east coast. It caused heavy rainfall while it was moving towards the eastern seaboard. The winter storm moved off the eastern coast of the United States and into the Atlantic Ocean early on Saturday, November 7, 2009, and dissipated completely in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean on Wednesday, November 11, 2009. The damage that the storm did to the west coast from Sunday, October 11, 2009 to Friday, October 15, 2009 is currently estimated at about $1.5 billion (2009 USD).
Heavy snow fell in parts of Pennsylvania between the 15th and 16th. State College, Pennsylvania saw ten inches (254 mm) of wet snow, causing a very memorable Penn State homecoming game, and breaking numerous records, such as earliest recorded snowfall, most severe October snowstorm, and most snow in the month of October. Moderate snow fell between the 15th and 18th in the Northeast US as far as the suburbs of New York City, with light snow being reported in the city itself. Boston
suburbs saw moderate, wet snow fall on the morning of October 16, in spots accumulating up to 0.5 inches (12.7 mm). The area was then hit on October 18, when in the afternoon, heavy rain turned to heavy snow and almost white-out conditions. The ground was too warm for any significant accumulation, but up to 2 inches (50.8 mm) were reported at spots between Boston and Lowell
. It all melted by October 20.
had been stranded by heavy snowfalls in Ali prefecture. The week-long snowfall had accumulated to about 30 centimetres in Pulan County in Ali, with some areas reaching as much as 1 meter depth, according to Xing Xiuyin, head of an armed police detachment stationed in the Tibet
an region. 30 soldiers and two snow-clearing machines were sent on the way to Ali, according to Xing Xiuyin.
Thousands of people were trapped as heavy snow fell in Tibet's Lhunze County
, but rescue services managed to minimize the casualties and damage to homes. The rescue services also managed to provide shelter and emergency fodder
for 200 head of cattle. By October 13, snow was reported by Chinese authorities to be falling in both Qinghai
and Heilongjiang
Provinces.
27,000 lightning
strikes and heavy rainstorms hit parts of Spain in just over 12 hours on 16 October.
On October 16 the cold weather in Poland kills 4 people and the Czech power company CEZ Group
declared a state of emergency in 8 regions due to the wide spread reports of fallen power lines. The town of Jablonec nad Nisou
was mostly blacked out
by a power outage
. Heavy snow was reported in Poland, the Czech Republic
, Slovakia
, Liechtenstein
and the Austrian province of Styria.
. It was very windy in the places that it hit, but the storm only stayed there for two days. The storm left and traveled towards the east coast after that day. The only affect the storm had on Southern California was bringing a cloudy day with very cold temperatures.
Territory on October 31, as the cold windstorm moved from the Sea of Okhotsk
to the coast of the Kamchatka Peninsula
, bringing heavy snow and rain to the region that meteorologists expected to last another 24 hours. They also warned that temperatures would fall by up to 15 degrees and that weather conditions could make traveling difficult as snowfall in the Vladivostok
area had already significantly impeded travel by larger vehicles. The city administration's official Yevgeny Kolpinets told the Russian news agency Itar-Tass that the inclement weather had stopped bus traffic in the city, but luckily no energy supply service problems had been reported. Weather forecasters expected more cyclone-generated snow fall over the next few days.
in Harbin
, Heilongjiang
, China, experienced unusually heavy snow.
The festival was first started in 1985 and had never before seen such heavy snowfall. Harbin is China's tenth-largest city with a population of about 4,500,000, so planned electricity rationing would hit this usually busy city hard, as would the planned rationing in Beijing
. The worst snowstorms in Northeastern China since 1949 claimed 40 lives, destroyed thousands of buildings and destroyed almost 500000 acre (202,343 ha) of winter crops, according to the Civil Affairs Ministry
. The snowfall was the heaviest in the provinces of Hebei
, Shanxi
, Shaanxi
, Shandong
and Henan
since the founding of the People's Republic of China
in 1949.
On November 4, Tropical Storm Ida
hits Nicaragua
and later the Gulf of Mexico
. The Lower Mississippi River Forecast Center puts out a flood alert on the Mississippi River
By November the 7th, a storm waning was also out in Pinar del Río
, in western Cuba
, as it headed out of Central America
and in to southern Mexico
. Winds of 70 mph (110 km/h) were forecast for Yucatán Peninsula
and Yucatán Channel
. Heavy rain was reported in parts of Haiti
. A rainfall of 3 to 10 inches (254 mm) is predicted by local authorities and the Lower Mississippi River Forecast Center for both the Yucatán Peninsula and western Cuba. By the 10th, it had virtually died out and was only a bad storm in New Orleans and Pensacola
. 35-45 M.P.H. winds and heavy rain battered the rest of Florida
‘s Gulf Coast and Alabama
's Dauphin Island. The remnants of the storm then caused some more snow to fall in the southern parts the Great Plains
on region the 11th and 12th.
On November 10, heavy rain and intermittent snow hit the Cheviot Hills
, Pennines
, Dee Valley in Wales
and The Wash
. Light snow fell in the Grampian Mountains and Aberdeenshire
. Passing sleet
was also recorded in Lincolnshire
on the 10th. A flood watch
was put on the River Tay
and the River Dee
. Minor surface flooding had already occurred in parts of Lincolnshire and Cumbria
after the previous two days flooding.
11 November 2009, saw snow and/or rain storms menacing Hungary, Iceland
, India's part of the Himalayas
(rain and snow), parts of Indonesia
(rain only), north western Iran
, northern Iraq, Mount Fuji
in Japan and in Armenia
. Yet more snow storms hit the People's Republic of China
, disrupting traffic across the northeastern provinces, Beijing
and Tibet
on November the 10th and 11th. Most of Bulgaria
's poor drainage
systems and second-rate storm drain
s failed during the day's heavy rain and windstorms. Snow was also present in most of the mountain regions.
Heavy snowfall in China caused school building collapse
s and the deaths of 38 people on the 18th.
, according to the state's Civil Defence Department. 4 others were killed in Argentina and Uruguay. 22,000 people were evacuated in each nation as heavy rain made the rivers between Uruguay and Argentina to overflow its banks.
's weather became rather unusual. From November 12 to December 30, Iceland's abnormally warm and dry November weather gave way and December became very snowy with the town of Akureyri
receiving 35 cm of snow over the night of December 1–2. Snow fell and blizzard
s occurred intermittently throughout a windy December.
On December 12, heavy snow hit Dimmuborgir
, Iceland
.
on November 18, leaving the main road impassible for most vehicles. Over 200 people in Cockermouth
were rescued from their homes by the emergency services.
On the Isle of Man
, there were brief power cuts on the 18th, in Ballaragh and Laxey
but Manx Electricity restored power to all affected properties by the afternoon.
On the 20th, all services on the West Coast Main Line
were still temporarily suspended after a landslip between Carlisle
and Penrith
. The West Coast Main Line was flooded between Carlisle
and Carstairs
and was closed as a result. Services were reduced between Edinburgh
and Glasgow
and also Edinburgh and Dunblane.
In Workington
, the collapse of Northside Bridge carrying the A597 road and the condemnation of Calva Bridge carrying the A596 resulted in a 40 miles (64.4 km) journey from Northside to the town centre. Network Rail
are constructed a temporary railway station, Workington North
, to help Northside residents get into and out of town. The 170 members of the Royal Engineers
from 170 (Infrastructure Support Unit) installed a temporary footbridge upstream of Calva Bridge, which opened as scheduled, on the 5th December 2009.
As a result of the loss of all road and footbridges in Workington
on November 19, it was announced that a new ailway station, Workington North
, would be built on wasteland leased for two years from Allerdale Council
. The station was scheduled to open by 28 November with services provided by Northern Rail
. Workington North opened on 30 November 2009.
The government pledged £1,000,000 to the reconstruction of the shattered town, but deemed any new (permanent) road or a (temporary) rail bridge unnecessary and only allowed the army engineers to build a temporary foot bridge at state expense to begin with. Northern Rail
, Network Rail
and a local contractor all helped in the building of Workington North
. The Department for Transport
announced that it would fund the service until 31 December 2009, at a cost of £216,000. All trains between Workington
, Workington North, Flimby
and Maryport
would be free of charge until 31 December 2009.
Heavy sandstorms hit Mauritania
on Nov 22.
County Fermanagh
was hit by heavy rain on November the 23rd. Many roads were flooded or hit by landslides. The B36 Dernawilt Road between Enniskillen
and Killyfole was one of many that were affected by the storm. Both Lough Erne
and the Colebrooke River
were put on flood alert.
A mini-tornado
tore through Maypole Lane in the Derbyshire
village of Littleover
the next day, November 24. Derbyshire Fire and Rescue Service
reported moderate damage in the Village
on the 24th. A small waterspout
was reported off the coast of Aberdeenshire
.
25 November saw fierce winds rattling Dublin Airport
and parts of the east coast of Ireland, leading to the diversion of ten aircraft—seven aircraft to Shannon Airport
and three aircraft to Manchester Airport. Some of the affected aircraft were transatlantic flights from destinations such as Chicago
and New York.
(JTWC) reported that an area of convection had persisted within a monsoon trough about 880 km, (545 mi) to the southeast of Guam
.
The typhoon later weakened to a category four, before re-strengthening to a category five on November 27, remaining quasi-stationary for more than two days. It weakened to a tropical depression on December 2, after sending bursts of moisture into the jet stream
. The storm dissipated on December 3.
Territory from the Yellow Sea
. Weather forecasters correctly predicted snow, gale
-force wind and temperatures between 0 to −2 °C, with one night's temperature drop reaching −25°С. Over the next week the daytime temperature was predicted to be between 2°С to -10°С, with a nighttime temperature between −24 and −25 °C. The wind speed was expected to be between 0 and 11 m/s (39.6 km/h). Both ice and avalanche
warnings were issued for a week (to December 2) as heavy snow was predicted for both Primorsky Krai
and Amur Krai, but significantly less than expected actually occurred over the week and the storm finally cleared up on 30 November, rather than on December 2.
A powerful storm (probably the earlier one from Primorsky Krai) stalled in the Gulf of Alaska
on November 25. On the 26th, its wind field produced high tides on the western seaboard. The storm weakened significantly on the 27th and moved towards Southern
California
, bringing heavy rainfall starting early in the morning and causing strong winds. The storm left Southern California and moved on to batter the east coast during the afternoon of Sunday, November 29, 2009. A heavy and snowy cyclone
hit the Aleutian islands on November 30.
By November 27 heavy rain was moving over the Irish Sea
is set to give some heavy rain then turning to snow over parts of the Peak District
, with altitudes above 1000 feet (300 m), dropping over 2 inches (5.1 cm) of snow in some places. This is the usual snowfall for parts of Scotland
, including the West Highlands and the East Highlands.
In the U.K., Cumbria
's Workington North Temporary Station was official opened on 30 November 2009.
On the 30th overmore than 100 people died as heavy rain flood Jeddah
, Saudi Arabia
. The poorly designed and built local infrastructure and mismanagement of city works construction have been blamed, as well as the effects of Global Warming
.
and turned to snow giving about 1 foot (30 cm) on some hilltops and mountains across Scotland
.
On 2 December, thousands of acres of Irish
farmland remained underwater, floodwaters were still rising in some County Galway
villages and roads in County Clare
and Galway were still impassable. Floods were still in situ across the UK and both bus and train services were disrupted in Essex
, Cumbria
and Pembrokeshire
. The River Severn
and River Derwent
were put on flood watch
by the Environment Agency
.
, Canada was hit by both a cold front and two extreme cold weather warnings between December 3 and January 1. A strong arctic front moved through Alberta from the northwest, bringing from 4 inches (101.6 mm) to 1 foot (10 cm to 30 cm) of snowfall. Winds gusted to 50 mph (80 km/h), causing whiteout and blizzard conditions across most of Alberta. The southern half of the province got the worst of the storm. The winds blew the snow into massive drifts and snow banks up to 10 feet (3m) in height. Numerous communities in Calgary
were completely snowed in for three days, from December 5 to 7. Numerous cars and trucks were abandoned, with many buried up to their roofs in snow.
and disrupts travel in general Canada.
, Wisconsin
and New York, as well as Canada. Although the initial storm had virtually subsided by December 11, further snow was expected to fall.
A weak disturbance that started overnight on December 6 stalled over the western United States and intensified rapidly. Heavy downpours began early in the morning of December 7 and continued non-stop until the evening, triggering flash-flood watches. The storm dropped as much as 4.5 in (110 mm) of rain in Cuyamaca, San Diego, causing blackouts in some locations. This storm was followed by a small semi-tropical winter storm which started overnight on December 10 and then stalled over Southern California
and intensified, causing heavy downpours. In addition to 4 inches (101.6 mm) of rain, this storm gave pea
-sized-hail
and gusty winds before weakening and moving away from Southern California on December 13.
Heavy snow hit Wisconsin
, New York
, Washington, D.C. and parts of Maryland
on the 10th and 14th. Heavy rain hit parts of Arizona
on the 11th.
Overnight, five Eurostar
trains were stuck in the Channel Tunnel
, trapping 2,000 people for 16 hours after electrical failures due to cold temperatures. Many schools in England were closed on the 9th. During the December 2009 European snowfall, four Eurostar trains broke down inside the Channel Tunnel, after leaving France, and one in Kent on 18 December. Although the trains had been winterised
, the systems had not coped with the conditions. Over 2,000 passengers were stuck inside failed trains inside the tunnel, and over 75,000 had their services disrupted. All Eurostar services were cancelled from Saturday 19 December to Monday 21 December 2009. An independent review, published on 12 February 2010, was critical of the contingency plans in place for assisting passengers stranded by the delays, calling them "insufficient".
The cold weather began in earnest on December 10, with temperatures in Braemar
, Aberdeenshire
reaching a low of −4.9 °C on the 10th, −7 °C on the 11th, and −8.9 °C on the 12th. This was the beginning of the "Big Freeze". Between December 11 and 16, cold air from the north and east brought subzero temperatures to many northern parts of the UK and the southern county of Oxfordshire
, along with dense fog.
between December 14 and 21.
Wintery showers of rain, sleet, and heavy snow affected East and South-East parts of the United Kingdom. On 18 December, heavy snowfall caused widespread disruption and travel chaos across large parts of Lancashire
, South East England
, East Anglia
, the East Midlands
and Yorkshire and the Humber
, forcing schools to close early for the upcoming Christmas holiday and cutting power supplies in some areas. The heaviest snowfall in 20 years also caused temperatures to fall as low as -16 C in the Scottish Highlands.
More heavy snow showers followed on December 18. Heavy overnight snow caused widespread disruption across England in the South East, East Anglia, the East Midlands, Yorkshire, and the Humber. Five Eurostar
trains were stuck in the Channel Tunnel
after electrical failures due to cold temperatures, trapping 2,000 people for up to 16 hours. Many schools in England were closed on December 18.
Heavy snowfall and sub-zero temperatures killed at least 290 people across Europe. Temperatures fell to as low as -33 C in Germany, suspending and cancelling flights and stranding thousands of Christmas passengers. As many as 40% of flights from Paris's two airports, Orly
and Charles de Gaulle
, were cancelled. Berlin Tegel Airport, Amsterdam's Schipol Airport, and Frankfurt International Airport
were forced to close due to ice on the runway.
Heavy snow fell in both the Russian teritorries of Krasnodar Krai
and in the Russian Far East
on December the 18th. The Far Eastern storm had heavy snow flurries occurred across the Sea of Okhotsk
, Cape Lopatka
, Avacha Bay
, Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky
, Volcanoes of Kamchatka
, which a UNESCO World Heritage Site in the Kamchatka Peninsula
's Central Range Mountains on December the 18th.
On December 20, 3 people froze to death in Steiermark, Austria, while blizzards hit S.W. Norway. December 21 and 22 saw 20 cm of snow fall in Moscow and nearby towns Temperatures of as low as −20 °C killed 47 people in Poland on December 20. In northern Italy, some locations recorded the lowest temperature since 1985, with one low reaching −17 °C (1.4 °F). Finland, the UK, Belgium, and the Netherlands also recorded record low temperatures.
In the United Kingdom, many major motorways, including the M25
, M4
, M40
and M1
, were brought to a standstill due to snow drifts, cold, and ice, leaving many towns gridlocked. The UK's Highways Agency
tried to grit the M11
and M1, only to have a gritter van skid off the M11 and into a deep snow drift. Some people were able to travel from London Victoria Station to Ashford International railway station
courtesy of a steam train
hauled by Tornado
. Widespread transport disruption to roads, railways, buses, and airports affected much of England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
In Zagreb
, Croatia
, around 50 passengers were injured when a train travelling from Sisak
to Zagreb failed to stop due to black ice
on the rails and hit a buffer at the city's main railway station
. One person suffered life-threatening injuries, while some 40 others required medical attention. A homeless man froze to death in southern Kosovo
during a localized snowstorm. In Bosnia and Herzegovina
, 3 people were found dead from hypothermia
in Sarajevo
and Teslić
.
brought blizzard conditions to the northeastern
and mid-atlantic
United States, as well as Nova Scotia
in Canada on the 16th of December. Washington, D.C. received nearly two feet (over 60 cm) of snow, setting a city record for December snowfall. New York City and southern New England
were forecast to receive over a foot of snow. The snow covered most of New England
, disrupting travel in New York
and Pennsylvania
as local record low temperatures are recorded as snow falls in Florida
on the 17th. Seven people were killed as a result of the storm.
19 December 2009 also saw a meeting of both metrological, provincial and government
al officials from across Eastern Siberia and the neighbouring provinces of Northeast China
on how to cope with any future severe storms in southern Sakhalin Island and Heilongjiang
Province. 8 people had died on the island by this date
, with the highest amounts seen north and east of Transylvania County. This was the most snow seen in the region since 1996. Two feet of snow was recorded on Mt. Mitchell. National Guard units were mobilized to help stranded drivers and clear roads. Red Cross and National Guard shelters were opened in Buncombe, Madison and McDowell counties to accommodate travellers stranded by miles-long backups on the congested and debris-strewn I-40 and I-26. Hundreds of trees and limbs fell under the weight of the snow, blocking roads and leaving tens of thousands without power or phones. On December 22, blizzard conditions also struck Washington, D.C. Snow fall would be widely spread across the north eastern USA and most of the Eastern Seaboard
.
On December 20 snow near the city of Hanover
caused miles-long traffic jams on the Autobahn.
There had been road 50 accidents reported on the stretch of Autobahn, which only has 5-6 accident a day in normal weather. The trains running between Warsaw
and Poznań
were delayed by at least an hour due to snow drifts on the tracks and fallen power lines. The Polish Meteorological Institute predicted the weather would not change for the next few days and temperatures would stay at -10C for the next couple of days. Poland, northern Germany, Scandinavia
, Lithuania
and Hungary would all see at least some heavy snow in places that day. Light snow was reported in most parts on continental Europe
and the UK by the 22nd. Twenty-three football matches and two horse races were called off in the UK.
, heavy December snowstorms killed 2,000 cattle and 2 people. The worst was between December 21 and January 3.
, south western Ukraine
, Düsseldorf
, Frankfurt
, Bosnia, Serbia
, Paris, the Netherlands and London.
On December 22, a blanket of heavy snow fell upon large parts of Japan and South Korea
, causing the deaths of 10 Japanese and 3 South Korean people. Snow was piled up to 184 cm high in parts of Niigata
. Up to 650,000 homes and businesses lost electricity, and local trains were also halted by the power outage. In Fukui
, two nuclear power
plants automatically shut down due to technical problems caused by the unusually heavy snowfalls. South Korea deployed several thousand troops to clear highways and remove snow from the roofs of weak buildings after up to a metre of snow had fallen over the past two weeks. Although the storm certainly affected North Korea
as well, no reports are available.
Also on the 22nd, snowstorms hit Leicestershire
and Warsaw
. At the same time, a Winter storm hit Moscow, Saint Petersburg
, and parts of Tannu Tuva, while a Siberian cyclone started up over Yakutia and headed for Khabarovsk Krai
.
and Midwest. It has claimed 21 lives, canceled hundreds of flights and knocked out power across most of West Virginia
. The storm stalled and spun around itself for a few days before continuing northeast. Many parts of the Great Plains experienced heavy snowfall, while places further north such as Chicago
and Ottawa
received freezing rain. As the snow and rain subsided on the 27th, it left record rainfalls in Texas
to the Upper Midwest. The storm dumped 23.9 in (60.7 cm) of snow in Grand Forks, North Dakota
, and 18 in (45.7 cm) near Norfolk, Nebraska
. In the East, higher temperatures and rains have started melting and washing away last week's record-setting snowfalls, threatening the region with flooding. The National Weather Service
also of flooding in parts of the South and Midwest, and winter weather advisories
were in effect in sections of Nebraska
, Illinois
, Indiana
and Michigan
through the Sunday. A man drowned after slipping in to the Kennebec River
, near Moosehead Lake
in Maine
.
Over 30 inches (78 cm) of snow fell in South Dakota
. Several inches of snow also fell in Las Vegas, Nevada
. In Southern Ontario
, snowsquall
s fed into a cold front
behind the main low pressure center of the storm to produce a rapid drop in temperatures on December 28.
, Khabarovsk Krai
, Sakhalin Oblast
and Kamchatka Krai. The weekend saw a migratory cyclone bringing a warm spell and snowstorms reaching Primorsky on the Friday. Heavy snow badly disrupted life in Vladivostok
in December as sleet and gale-force wind occurred on Primorsky Krai's south coast. Over two days, temperatures rose from -4 °C up to -2 °C. On the night of December 26 the strengthening cyclone
began drifting to the southern coast of Primorsky and over Sakhalin Krai. Snow also fell in Amur Oblast
. President Vladimir Putin
visited Vladivostok on the 25th.
Heavy snowfall also began in Saint Petersburg
, Russia. By 26 December the city was under 35 cm of snow, creating the most December snowfall seen in the city since 1881. A snowstorm also occurred in parts of the Barents sea
.
On December 30 an emergency warning about the passage of another powerful cyclone was issued to all the territories and population centres along Russia's Pacific Coast. The gales, heavy snowfall, blizzards and a sharp fall in air temperatures hit the Sea of Okhotsk
and the surrounding territories of Primorsky Krai, Sakhalin Oblast, Khabarovsk Krai and Magadan Oblast
. The Far Eastern territorial centre of the federal Ministry for Emergency Situations and Civil Defence (E.M.E.R.C.O.M.) warned that the cyclone would produce snow banks, icy conditions on roads, as well as snow bringing down phone and power transmission lines in Primorsky territory. The temperatures reckoned to have fallen near the expected −7 °C. The temperature was that which usually occurs in a Siberian cyclone, when it reaches the Russian Far East
. Forecasters said there was a strong possibility of heavy snowfall and blizzards along the eastern districts of the Khabarovsk Krai, in parts of the Sakhalin Island and on the southern Kuril Islands
December 31 and January 1.
The last week of 2009 saw an Arctic storm bearing down on Sakhalin Island, and local officials told people not to drive their cars outside any city limits and banned the rather dangerous practice of ice fishing
, due to the purported death of a Nivkh fisherman
, until the storm had passed. Nonetheless, dozens of cars were buried in snow and in one village, rescuers dug out 56 cars, freeing 74 passengers and giving aid to those who were haplessly trapped. People in cars that remained stuck were being provided with both water, bread and fuel via snowmobile. The towns of Korsakov
and Poronaysk
were worst hit, and parts of the local taiga
forests of fir and birch had been entirely up-rooted and buried by the blizzard conditions.
was flooded by a heavy rainstorm on December the 25th.
Parts of England again suffered repeated power cuts, and Scotland experienced fresh snowfall overnight on 26–27 December with the worst affected area being Perthshire
, where between 12 and(-) fell.
Temperatures dropped to -18 C in parts of the Highlands overnight on 28–29 December, with Braemar
recording Britain's lowest temperature of the winter. Fresh travel warnings were issued on 29 December as the wintry conditions continued to cause problems on Scotland's roads.
The runway of Inverness Airport
was briefly closed because of snow and ice, and ScotRail
reduced services to and from Glasgow Central because of the severe conditions.
The snow and icy conditions were good for the Scottish ski
industry, which said the weather helped it to experience its best start to the season for several years.
Warnings of heavy snow were issued for Wales, the Midlands, north-west England, eastern and southern England, and Yorkshire and Humber. More snow began falling across parts of Wales and central and northern England on the evening of 29 December, with Wales recording the heaviest of the snow showers where some rural areas were cut off by of up to 30 centimetres (11.8 in). Snow was also reported in parts of the West Midlands region
and Yorkshire
.
In Italy, December 30 saw hundreds of homes in Tuscany
evacuated because of flooding and Spain's rescue services were on yellow danger alert after flash floods destroyed roads and landslides swept railways away. Transport Links between Almeria
, Granada
, Málaga
and Sevilla were severed. Drought-blighted Andalusia
has had its fifth day of rain, and Portugal was on orange flood alert. Authorities said the rain had destroyed millions of Euros worth of agricultural produce. The harbours were closed and the Madeira
archipelago islands were also under threat of both flooding and gale force winds, as 110 km/h whipped up six metre high waves.
during December 28. Various weather forecasts suggested that one would spread valley rain and mountain snow across Northern California
and drop up to half an inch of rain across the northern Sacramento Valley
over the next few days. The National Weather Service
issued a Winter Weather Advisory
warning for the Mount Shasta
area, where forecasters expected 1 to 3 inches (76.2 mm) of snow in town and up to 10 inches (254 mm) above 5000 feet (1,524 m). The second cold front, and its related storm, would bring more rain and high country snow to the north state by New Years Eve or New Years Day.
The blizzards began New Year's Eve
lasted until January 3. It was at its worst on December 31, when an avalanche
derailed
a diesel locomotive
fitted with a railway snowplough off its railway tracks. The storm continued through 1 January, when three workers sent to repair the damage were swept away by the howling blizzard
that was ripping through Sakhalin Island according to the RIA Novosti news service. One worker was found alive and rescue teams retrieved the body of a second Sunday morning. Things got desperate enough that 140 soldiers were ordered to help dig the train out from beneath 350000 cubic feet (9,910.9 m³) of snow. A local man, Andrei Sukhonosov, trying to return home to the city of Tamari was on the buried train.
Authorities and rescue services in Sakhalin Oblast
were put on alert and warned of a high risk of avalanche
s on the island's numerous hills and mountains. Another avalanche warning was in effect on the 2nd, for Sakhalin Island, due to hazardous levels of snowfall during yet another Siberian snow cyclone and blizzard
, emergency officials said. The authorities in Primorsky and Khabarovsk Krai
were also put on alert, just in case things got ant worse. The last two Russian Far East
ern storms dissipated in the Gulf of Alaska
on January 5 and 6 respectively.
, a medium-sized nor'easter
formed in Texas
and brought moderate snow to the western portion of the state on December 29. In anticipation of the event Texas Governor Rick Perry
activated his resources ahead of the winter storm. It then moved through the Southeast and brought heavy rain and freezing rain to higher altitudes. Some snow was reported in Clayton, Georgia
but did not accumulate. It then moved quickly up the East Coast of the United States
, bringing freezing rain and sleet to the Mid-Atlantic
and moderate to heavy snow to the Tri-State Area (New York, New Jersey, Connecticut). 5 inches (12.7 cm) at the most was reported in White Plains
4.5 inches (11.4 cm) in Hartford. It then brought about 2 inches (5 cm) to Boston
and southeastern New England
. Overnight January 1, it strengthened explosively over water and looped back around to create a blizzard
in northern New England. Up to 19 inches (48 cm) was on the ground in Lubec, Maine
by Sunday, and on Saturday it moved to southern New England. 13 inches (33 cm) fell in Lexington, Massachusetts
making that the most fallen in southern New England in the season. Boston received 9 inches (23 cm). The storm moved into the Labrador Sea
by Sunday afternoon, leaving behind a pattern where multiple storms within the broader low undergo cyclogenesis to track north of Newfoundland.
Sportscotland Avalanche Information Service (SAIS) issued warnings about conditions on Scottish mountains on December 30. However, three people died in three large avalanches. Two climbers were killed as a result of an avalanche on Ben Nevis
, while a man was airlifted from Liathach
, a mountain in Torridon
, after getting into trouble, and died in hospital.
Continued icy weather in Scotland on New Year's Eve
led to the cancellation of Hogmanay
celebrations in Inverness
amid concerns over public safety. New Year celebrations in other parts of Scotland went ahead as planned. North-east Scotland experienced fresh snowfall during the afternoon and evening of 31 December. For a second time that week Inverness Airport
was closed forcing several hundred passengers to make alternative arrangements. In Batley
, West Yorkshire
2500 gallons (11.4 m³) of water leaked into the local gas network, leaving 400 homes in Dewsbury
and Batley without gas during sub-zero temperatures. The final homes were reconnected on 7 January.
December 31 to January 5 saw heavy flooding in southern Spain and heavy snow in northern Spain.
Winter storm
A winter storm is an event in which the dominant varieties of precipitation are formed that only occur at low temperatures, such as snow or sleet, or a rainstorm where ground temperatures are low enough to allow ice to form...
are events in which the dominant varieties of precipitation
Precipitation (meteorology)
In meteorology, precipitation In meteorology, precipitation In meteorology, precipitation (also known as one of the classes of hydrometeors, which are atmospheric water phenomena is any product of the condensation of atmospheric water vapor that falls under gravity. The main forms of precipitation...
are forms that only occur at cold temperatures, such as snow or sleet
Freezing rain
Freezing rain is the name given to rain that falls when surface temperatures are below freezing. The raindrops become supercooled while passing through a sub-freezing layer of air, many hundred feet , just above the surface, and then freeze upon impact with any object they encounter. The resulting...
, or a rainstorm where ground temperatures are cold enough to allow ice to form (i.e. freezing rain
Freezing rain
Freezing rain is the name given to rain that falls when surface temperatures are below freezing. The raindrops become supercooled while passing through a sub-freezing layer of air, many hundred feet , just above the surface, and then freeze upon impact with any object they encounter. The resulting...
). It may be marked by strong wind, thunder and lightning (a thunderstorm), heavy precipitation
Precipitation (meteorology)
In meteorology, precipitation In meteorology, precipitation In meteorology, precipitation (also known as one of the classes of hydrometeors, which are atmospheric water phenomena is any product of the condensation of atmospheric water vapor that falls under gravity. The main forms of precipitation...
, such as ice (ice storm
Ice storm
An ice storm is a type of winter storm characterized by freezing rain, also known as a glaze event or in some parts of the United States as a silver thaw. The U.S. National Weather Service defines an ice storm as a storm which results in the accumulation of at least of ice on exposed surfaces...
), or wind transporting some substance through the atmosphere
Earth's atmosphere
The atmosphere of Earth is a layer of gases surrounding the planet Earth that is retained by Earth's gravity. The atmosphere protects life on Earth by absorbing ultraviolet solar radiation, warming the surface through heat retention , and reducing temperature extremes between day and night...
(as in a dust storm
Dust storm
A dust / sand storm is a meteorological phenomenon common in arid and semi-arid regions. Dust storms arise when a gust front or other strong wind blows loose sand and dirt from a dry surface. Particles are transported by saltation and suspension, causing soil to move from one place and deposition...
, snowstorm, hail
Hail
Hail is a form of solid precipitation. It consists of balls or irregular lumps of ice, each of which is referred to as a hail stone. Hail stones on Earth consist mostly of water ice and measure between and in diameter, with the larger stones coming from severe thunderstorms...
storm, etc.). Summer storms including flooding, severe thunderstorms and extratropical cyclone
Extratropical cyclone
Extratropical cyclones, sometimes called mid-latitude cyclones or wave cyclones, are a group of cyclones defined as synoptic scale low pressure weather systems that occur in the middle latitudes of the Earth having neither tropical nor polar characteristics, and are connected with fronts and...
s (which can occur in summer or winter) are also included in this list to a certain extent.
As this occurred a heat wave and/or unforeseen monsoon
Monsoon
Monsoon is traditionally defined as a seasonal reversing wind accompanied by corresponding changes in precipitation, but is now used to describe seasonal changes in atmospheric circulation and precipitation associated with the asymmetric heating of land and sea...
weather also hit parts of Australia in 2009 and 2010. Victoria, the scene of horrific bushfires the year before, had a far colder summer, with hot weather arriving more than a month later than usual in 2009. August 17 saw a dust storm at Laguna Mar Chiquita as a major drought hit Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
, and flooding and hailstorms
2010 Victorian storms
The 2010 Victorian storms were a series of storms that passed through much of the Australian state of Victoria on 6 March and 7 March 2010. One of the most severe storms passed directly over Greater Melbourne, bringing lightning, flash flooding, very large hail and strong winds to the state's capital...
hit southeastern Australia and Queensland in March 2010. The lack of winter precipitation in parts of China, however, contributed to a severe drought
2010 China drought and dust storms
The 2010 China drought and dust storms were a series of severe droughts during the spring of 2010 that affected Yunnan, Guizhou, Guangxi, Sichuan, Shanxi, Henan, Shaanxi, Chongqing, Hebei and Gansu in the People's Republic of China as well as parts of Southeast Asia including Vietnam and Thailand,...
in the southwest. Bolivia
Bolivia
Bolivia officially known as Plurinational State of Bolivia , is a landlocked country in central South America. It is the poorest country in South America...
, Venezuela
Venezuela
Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
, Mali
Mali
Mali , officially the Republic of Mali , is a landlocked country in Western Africa. Mali borders Algeria on the north, Niger on the east, Burkina Faso and the Côte d'Ivoire on the south, Guinea on the south-west, and Senegal and Mauritania on the west. Its size is just over 1,240,000 km² with...
, Mauritania
Mauritania
Mauritania is a country in the Maghreb and West Africa. It is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean in the west, by Western Sahara in the north, by Algeria in the northeast, by Mali in the east and southeast, and by Senegal in the southwest...
, Morocco
Morocco
Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...
and Spain have also seen periods of drought in 2009 and 2010. On between May 12 and 26, both Mauritania
Mauritania
Mauritania is a country in the Maghreb and West Africa. It is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean in the west, by Western Sahara in the north, by Algeria in the northeast, by Mali in the east and southeast, and by Senegal in the southwest...
, the Sénégal River Area and neighbouring parts of both Senegal
Senegal
Senegal , officially the Republic of Senegal , is a country in western Africa. It owes its name to the Sénégal River that borders it to the east and north...
and Mali
Mali
Mali , officially the Republic of Mali , is a landlocked country in Western Africa. Mali borders Algeria on the north, Niger on the east, Burkina Faso and the Côte d'Ivoire on the south, Guinea on the south-west, and Senegal and Mauritania on the west. Its size is just over 1,240,000 km² with...
faced both a drought and famine in 2010.
A storm (from Proto-Germanic *sturmaz "noise, tumult") is any disturbed state of an astronomical body's atmosphere, especially affecting its surface, and strongly implying severe weather
Severe weather
Severe weather phenomena are weather conditions that are hazardous to human life and property.- Examples Include :Severe weather can occur under a variety of situations, but three characteristics are generally needed: a temperature or moisture boundary, moisture, and , instability in the...
.
Storms are created when a centre of low pressure
Low pressure area
A low-pressure area, or "low", is a region where the atmospheric pressure at sea level is below that of surrounding locations. Low-pressure systems form under areas of wind divergence which occur in upper levels of the troposphere. The formation process of a low-pressure area is known as...
develops, with a system of high pressure
High pressure area
A high-pressure area is a region where the atmospheric pressure at the surface of the planet is greater than its surrounding environment. Winds within high-pressure areas flow outward due to the higher density air near their center and friction with land...
surrounding it. This combination of opposing forces can create winds and result in the formation of storm clouds, such as the cumulonimbus
Cumulonimbus cloud
Cumulonimbus is a towering vertical cloud that is very tall, dense, and involved in thunderstorms and other inclement weather. Cumulonimbus originates from Latin: Cumulus "Heap" and nimbus "rain". It is a result of atmospheric instability. These clouds can form alone, in clusters, or along a cold...
. Small, localized areas of low pressure can form from hot air rising off hot ground, resulting in smaller meteorological disturbances such as dust devils
Dust Devils
Dust Devils is an independently published role-playing game set in the Old West, written by Matt Snyder. It was voted the 2002 Indie RPG of the Year; it also won the Best Synergy of Game and Rules category, as well as placing in the Best Production and Most Innovative Game categories.The game uses...
and whirlwind
Whirlwind (atmospheric phenomenon)
A whirlwind is a weather phenomenon in which a vortex of wind forms due to instabilities and turbulence created by heating and flow gradients. Whirlwinds occur all over the world and in any season....
s.
December 30-January 1
An Alberta clipper is affecting regions around the Great LakesGreat Lakes
The Great Lakes are a collection of freshwater lakes located in northeastern North America, on the Canada – United States border. Consisting of Lakes Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie, and Ontario, they form the largest group of freshwater lakes on Earth by total surface, coming in second by volume...
, Midwestern United States
Midwestern United States
The Midwestern United States is one of the four U.S. geographic regions defined by the United States Census Bureau, providing an official definition of the American Midwest....
and Northeastern United States. Greater Toronto Area
Greater Toronto Area
The Greater Toronto Area is the largest metropolitan area in Canada, with a 2006 census population of 5.5 million. The Greater Toronto Area is usually defined as the central city of Toronto, along with four regional municipalities surrounding it: Durham, Halton, Peel, and York...
saw about 7–10 cm, with higher amounts towards the Niagara region. The storm is strengthening over the Atlantic, and could become a blizzard
Blizzard
A blizzard is a severe snowstorm characterized by strong winds. By definition, the difference between blizzard and a snowstorm is the strength of the wind. To be a blizzard, a snow storm must have winds in excess of with blowing or drifting snow which reduces visibility to 400 meters or ¼ mile or...
. Northeastern United States
Northeastern United States
The Northeastern United States is a region of the United States as defined by the United States Census Bureau.-Composition:The region comprises nine states: the New England states of Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont; and the Mid-Atlantic states of New...
saw about 10–20 cm. The Atlantic provinces were in a Blizzard
Blizzard
A blizzard is a severe snowstorm characterized by strong winds. By definition, the difference between blizzard and a snowstorm is the strength of the wind. To be a blizzard, a snow storm must have winds in excess of with blowing or drifting snow which reduces visibility to 400 meters or ¼ mile or...
for New Year's Day, with 49 cm recorded in Charlottetown
Charlottetown
Charlottetown is a Canadian city. It is both the largest city on and the provincial capital of Prince Edward Island, and the county seat of Queens County. Named after Queen Charlotte, the wife of George III, Charlottetown was first incorporated as a town in 1855 and designated as a city in 1885...
, Prince Edward Island
Prince Edward Island
Prince Edward Island is a Canadian province consisting of an island of the same name, as well as other islands. The maritime province is the smallest in the nation in both land area and population...
and 25 cm in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Blizzard warnings and storm surge
Storm surge
A storm surge is an offshore rise of water associated with a low pressure weather system, typically tropical cyclones and strong extratropical cyclones. Storm surges are caused primarily by high winds pushing on the ocean's surface. The wind causes the water to pile up higher than the ordinary sea...
warnings were posted as winds were sustained more than 60–80 km (40–50 mi), out of the North. Newfoundland and Labrador
Newfoundland and Labrador
Newfoundland and Labrador is the easternmost province of Canada. Situated in the country's Atlantic region, it incorporates the island of Newfoundland and mainland Labrador with a combined area of . As of April 2011, the province's estimated population is 508,400...
saw about 15–25 cm of snow, with blowing snow. Another 15–20 cm could fall through the province, as another low comes in.
January 2–4
January 2 saw a blizard hit the SwissSwitzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
–Liechtenstein
Liechtenstein
The Principality of Liechtenstein is a doubly landlocked alpine country in Central Europe, bordered by Switzerland to the west and south and by Austria to the east. Its area is just over , and it has an estimated population of 35,000. Its capital is Vaduz. The biggest town is Schaan...
border, killing an Italian tourist, when his car skidded into a tree due to black ice on the nearby road.
Yet another winter storm developed and brought about 10–25 cm across Alberta
Alberta
Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...
, Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan is a prairie province in Canada, which has an area of . Saskatchewan is bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, and on the south by the U.S. states of Montana and North Dakota....
and through the Northern Great plains
Great Plains
The Great Plains are a broad expanse of flat land, much of it covered in prairie, steppe and grassland, which lies west of the Mississippi River and east of the Rocky Mountains in the United States and Canada. This area covers parts of the U.S...
. 10–20 cm also fell through Northern Ontario, with freezing rain
Freezing rain
Freezing rain is the name given to rain that falls when surface temperatures are below freezing. The raindrops become supercooled while passing through a sub-freezing layer of air, many hundred feet , just above the surface, and then freeze upon impact with any object they encounter. The resulting...
, ice pellets
Ice pellets
Ice pellets are a form of precipitation consisting of small, translucent balls of ice. Ice pellets usually are smaller than hailstones. They often bounce when they hit the ground, and generally do not freeze into a solid mass unless mixed with freezing rain...
(sleet) and rain to the south. Northeastern United States
Northeastern United States
The Northeastern United States is a region of the United States as defined by the United States Census Bureau.-Composition:The region comprises nine states: the New England states of Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont; and the Mid-Atlantic states of New...
can expect ice and snow, with rain down south. Traveling will not be easy.
On the west coast, Vancouver
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
could get 5–10 cm of wet snow, with heavier accum. towards in the interior of British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
, likely 10–20 cm.
January 5–7
A major winter storm is developing near the Gulf. It is slowly moving north, and it will be a complex of two lows. TorontoToronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
recorded about 13 cm. Niagara region saw snow mixing with ice pellets and Freezing rain. Eastern Ontario and Southern Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
saw amounts of 15–30 cm. Similar amounts fell in New England
New England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
. The Atlantic provinces saw snow to start then mixing, and rain was reported in some areas.
January 8
Four died on January 8 during a heavy blizzard in the Pakistani state of Jammu and KashmirJammu and Kashmir
Jammu and Kashmir is the northernmost state of India. It is situated mostly in the Himalayan mountains. Jammu and Kashmir shares a border with the states of Himachal Pradesh and Punjab to the south and internationally with the People's Republic of China to the north and east and the...
and the North West Frontier.
January 9–11
A storm brought 5–15 cm across the Canadian PrairiesCanadian Prairies
The Canadian Prairies is a region of Canada, specifically in western Canada, which may correspond to several different definitions, natural or political. Notably, the Prairie provinces or simply the Prairies comprise the provinces of Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba, as they are largely covered...
and through the Great plains. Midwest U.S. and Southwestern Ontario could see amounts of 5–25 cm. Many areas are reporting heavy amounts of snowfall.
On the west coast, up to 120 mm could fall in some areas, as a low pressure area comes in. These latest storms have caused flooding in many areas. Due to excessive snow melt courtesy from the large amounts produced by the December Snow storms, along with heavy rain fall lead to epic flooding. More than 18 rivers went beyond Major Flood stage and a couple went over Record Stage. These floods led the closure of I-5 in Centralia when the Chehalis and Skookumchuck Rivers overflowed. This was the second time in two consecutive years when that Section of I-5 was closed due to flooding.
January 17–19
A major winter storm swept across the Great LakesGreat Lakes
The Great Lakes are a collection of freshwater lakes located in northeastern North America, on the Canada – United States border. Consisting of Lakes Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie, and Ontario, they form the largest group of freshwater lakes on Earth by total surface, coming in second by volume...
region and the U.S. Northeast. Areas of Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
recorded between 15–25 cm, with 10 cm in Windsor, Ontario
Windsor, Ontario
Windsor is the southernmost city in Canada and is located in Southwestern Ontario at the western end of the heavily populated Quebec City – Windsor Corridor. It is within Essex County, Ontario, although administratively separated from the county government. Separated by the Detroit River, Windsor...
, & higher amounts towards the Lakes. Some areas reported more than 20 cm of accumulation. This same storm affected Northeastern United States with 10–30 cm, and the Atlantic provinces of Canada. Some areas have reported freezing rain
Freezing rain
Freezing rain is the name given to rain that falls when surface temperatures are below freezing. The raindrops become supercooled while passing through a sub-freezing layer of air, many hundred feet , just above the surface, and then freeze upon impact with any object they encounter. The resulting...
and ice pellets
Ice pellets
Ice pellets are a form of precipitation consisting of small, translucent balls of ice. Ice pellets usually are smaller than hailstones. They often bounce when they hit the ground, and generally do not freeze into a solid mass unless mixed with freezing rain...
, and even rain mixing in. U.S. Southeast saw mostly rain.
January 25–29
January 2009 Central Plains and Midwest ice stormJanuary 2009 Central Plains and Midwest ice storm
The January 2009 ice storm was a major ice storm that occurred over parts of Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, West Virginia, and Kentucky. The storm produced widespread power outages for over 2 million people due to heavy ice accumulation...
A potentially severe winter storm is in the developing stages and had already brought more than an inch of ice to many areas in the United States. This system will move across the Midwest into the Northeast. Many places are expecting a major ice storm and areas to the north are expecting significant snowfall accumulations. Over 2 million people were without power throughout the Midwest and North East United States. About 500,000 people in Kentucky
Kentucky
The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
were left Powerless. Ice was thick as 8 cm in some areas. There were 23 Deaths, with 6 deaths in Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
. Regions of Southern Ontario
Southern Ontario
Southern Ontario is a region of the province of Ontario, Canada that lies south of the French River and Algonquin Park. Depending on the inclusion of the Parry Sound and Muskoka districts, its surface area would cover between 14 to 15% of the province. It is the southernmost region of...
received between 5–20 cm, with 20–30 cm in Eastern Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
and Southern Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
. Similar amounts fell in the Atlantic Provinces, with some rain/snow mixing in at times, as some areas got above the 0 C (32 F) mark.
On January 21, heavy rain cause worst floods in 40 years in Brunei Darussalam. Heavy rains started late on Tuesday in the oil-rich capital of Bandar Seri Begawan, causing flash floods and landslides, interrupting power supply and shutting some telephone lines. About 145.8 millimetres of rainfall was recorded during the 24-hour period from 8 am Tuesday to 8 am Wednesday, according to the weather department, which expects more rain in the coming days but not as heavy as on Tuesday. Two casualties were reported.
February 1–2
Málaga
Málaga is a city and a municipality in the Autonomous Community of Andalusia, Spain. With a population of 568,507 in 2010, it is the second most populous city of Andalusia and the sixth largest in Spain. This is the southernmost large city in Europe...
.
On February 1 and 2, heavy snow fell overnight across large parts of the United Kingdom, causing widespread disruption to transport and education. London received its heaviest snowfalls in 18 years. Many roads, including the M25 London Orbital motorway
M25 motorway
The M25 motorway, or London Orbital, is a orbital motorway that almost encircles Greater London, England, in the United Kingdom. The motorway was first mooted early in the 20th century. A few sections, based on the now abandoned London Ringways plan, were constructed in the early 1970s and it ...
, were blocked in the morning rush hour, whilst train services are disrupted and many airport runways closed. Transport for London
Transport for London
Transport for London is the local government body responsible for most aspects of the transport system in Greater London in England. Its role is to implement the transport strategy and to manage transport services across London...
suspended all London Buses
London Buses
London Buses is the subsidiary of Transport for London that manages bus services within Greater London, UK. Buses are required to carry similar red colour schemes and conform to the same fare scheme...
and the London Underground
London Underground
The London Underground is a rapid transit system serving a large part of Greater London and some parts of Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire and Essex in England...
was severely disrupted. Hundreds of schools were forced to close.
Temperatures fell below seasonal averages with Chesham
Chesham
Chesham is a market town in the Chiltern Hills, Buckinghamshire, England. It is located 11 miles south-east of the county town of Aylesbury. Chesham is also a civil parish designated a town council within Chiltern district. It is situated in the Chess Valley and surrounded by farmland, as well as...
, Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan home county in South East England. The county town is Aylesbury, the largest town in the ceremonial county is Milton Keynes and largest town in the non-metropolitan county is High Wycombe....
recording -10 degrees Celsius at night.
Airports were affected included London's Heathrow and Gatwick airports. Charles de Gaulle Airport and Orly Airport
Orly Airport
Paris-Orly Airport is an airport located partially in Orly and partially in Villeneuve-le-Roi, south of Paris, France. It has flights to cities in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, the Caribbean, North America and Southeast Asia. Prior to the construction of Charles de Gaulle Airport, Orly was...
were affected.
Spain, Germany, Portugal and Ireland were also affected. In Ireland, snowstorms disrupted road and rail transport, including the M50 and M1. Dublin Airport
Dublin Airport
Dublin Airport, , is operated by the Dublin Airport Authority. Located in Collinstown, in the Fingal part of County Dublin, 18.4 million passengers passed through the airport in 2010, making it the busiest airport in the Republic of Ireland, followed by Cork and Shannon...
and Cork Airport were severely disrupted, as were ferry services in the Irish Sea throughout February 2.
Ireland was affected in a similar way to the UK. In the Republic, the South and East were the worst affected. Due to black ice, driving was very treacherous, with ice and snow blocking many major routes such as the M1 and M50. Dublin Airport and Cork Airport were seriously affected, with many flights to Britain and Europe delayed and cancelled. The major rail routes across Ireland were closed down, as a result of bad ice and snow. Temperatures across Ireland fell below average everywhere, with temperatures of -8 and -9 degrees Celsius recorded in places.
The snow was a result of wind blowing across from West Siberia, and reacted with the low pressure system approaching across from the Atlantic. This created unusually large amounts of snow, which fell across England, Wales and Eastern Ireland. This weather type is rare in Ireland, and is normally confined to small amounts; however, the total amount of snowfall in this storm was the highest since 1981.
A winter storm developing over the Gulf states and through the Gulf of Mexico
Gulf of Mexico
The Gulf of Mexico is a partially landlocked ocean basin largely surrounded by the North American continent and the island of Cuba. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United States, on the southwest and south by Mexico, and on the southeast by Cuba. In...
, is bringing widespread Heavy Rain to the South Eastern States of the US. Up to 100 mm is possible in some areas. Coastal areas of North Eastern United states can expect snowfall of up to 6 inches (15 cm) in some areas, local amounts may be higher. Atlantic Canada will see strong winds and snowfall amounts of 15–30 cm (6–12 inches).
A small weather system carrying snow that developed in North France reached South East England
South East England
South East England is one of the nine official regions of England, designated in 1994 and adopted for statistical purposes in 1999. It consists of Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, East Sussex, Hampshire, Isle of Wight, Kent, Oxfordshire, Surrey and West Sussex...
and the Midlands
English Midlands
The Midlands, or the English Midlands, is the traditional name for the area comprising central England that broadly corresponds to the early medieval Kingdom of Mercia. It borders Southern England, Northern England, East Anglia and Wales. Its largest city is Birmingham, and it was an important...
which brought 20–30 cm (8–12 inches) of snow in some parts of Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire is a county in South West England. The county comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the flat fertile valley of the River Severn, and the entire Forest of Dean....
. Further snow came in from the south and east throughout the week. The worst places affected was the Forest of Dean
Forest of Dean
The Forest of Dean is a geographical, historical and cultural region in the western part of the county of Gloucestershire, England. The forest is a roughly triangular plateau bounded by the River Wye to the west and north, the River Severn to the south, and the City of Gloucester to the east.The...
and The Cotswolds. On 6 February a few small towns in Devon
Devon
Devon is a large county in southwestern England. The county is sometimes referred to as Devonshire, although the term is rarely used inside the county itself as the county has never been officially "shired", it often indicates a traditional or historical context.The county shares borders with...
reported around 55 cm (22 inches) of lying snow (Okehampton
Okehampton
Okehampton is a town and civil parish in West Devon in the English county of Devon. It is situated at the northern edge of Dartmoor, and has an estimated population of 7,155.-History:...
). The Severn Bridge
Severn Bridge
The Severn Bridge is a suspension bridge spanning the River Severn between South Gloucestershire, just north of Bristol, England, and Monmouthshire in South Wales, via Beachley, a peninsula between the River Severn and River Wye estuary. It is the original Severn road crossing between England and...
, the main link between England and Wales closed due to falling ice for the first time. Some 321 schools in Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan home county in South East England. The county town is Aylesbury, the largest town in the ceremonial county is Milton Keynes and largest town in the non-metropolitan county is High Wycombe....
, 300 schools in Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire is a county in South West England. The county comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the flat fertile valley of the River Severn, and the entire Forest of Dean....
and 307 schools in Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
also closed on the 6th.
February 6–12
About 3,000 people were killed as a storm complex paced over HaitiHaiti
Haiti , officially the Republic of Haiti , is a Caribbean country. It occupies the western, smaller portion of the island of Hispaniola, in the Greater Antillean archipelago, which it shares with the Dominican Republic. Ayiti was the indigenous Taíno or Amerindian name for the island...
on the 6th
A winter storm from the Atlantic reached southern Britain and the Midlands on 9–10 causing heavy rain and flooding. Across the midlands and further north, it was cold enough for it to fall as snow. Coupled with the strong winds, it made blizzard
Blizzard
A blizzard is a severe snowstorm characterized by strong winds. By definition, the difference between blizzard and a snowstorm is the strength of the wind. To be a blizzard, a snow storm must have winds in excess of with blowing or drifting snow which reduces visibility to 400 meters or ¼ mile or...
conditions. The Met office issued an extreme winter storm warning for many counties in Great Britain. Meanwhile a temperature of -18 °C was recorded in the Scottish Highlands
Scottish Highlands
The Highlands is an historic region of Scotland. The area is sometimes referred to as the "Scottish Highlands". It was culturally distinguishable from the Lowlands from the later Middle Ages into the modern period, when Lowland Scots replaced Scottish Gaelic throughout most of the Lowlands...
— the coldest UK temperature since 2003. Smaller outbreaks of snow occurred across parts of the north and east of England on 12–13 February.
A major storm developing over Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
is affecting many communities in North America. Areas like Oklahoma City
Oklahoma city
Oklahoma City is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma.Oklahoma City may also refer to:*Oklahoma City metropolitan area*Downtown Oklahoma City*Uptown Oklahoma City*Oklahoma City bombing*Oklahoma City National Memorial...
were hit hard with heavy rain, hail and a tornado
Tornado
A tornado is a violent, dangerous, rotating column of air that is in contact with both the surface of the earth and a cumulonimbus cloud or, in rare cases, the base of a cumulus cloud. They are often referred to as a twister or a cyclone, although the word cyclone is used in meteorology in a wider...
in western Oklahoma City. There have been numerous spottings of funnel clouds. Heavy rain continues through Texas and Kansas
Kansas
Kansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...
, which will extend into Missouri
Missouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
, Arkansas
Arkansas
Arkansas is a state located in the southern region of the United States. Its name is an Algonquian name of the Quapaw Indians. Arkansas shares borders with six states , and its eastern border is largely defined by the Mississippi River...
and Louisiana
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
. Areas of Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
, Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
and SW Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
could see pop-up thunderstorms, but likely not as severe. Northern Ontario will see mostly an ice-rain event. While areas to the South could see 25–50 mm (1–2 inches).
February 16–20
A major storm affected NewfoundlandNewfoundland and Labrador
Newfoundland and Labrador is the easternmost province of Canada. Situated in the country's Atlantic region, it incorporates the island of Newfoundland and mainland Labrador with a combined area of . As of April 2011, the province's estimated population is 508,400...
with strong winds gusting to 100 km in some areas. Bitterly cold conditions, strong winds and heavy snowfall caused a blizzard
Blizzard
A blizzard is a severe snowstorm characterized by strong winds. By definition, the difference between blizzard and a snowstorm is the strength of the wind. To be a blizzard, a snow storm must have winds in excess of with blowing or drifting snow which reduces visibility to 400 meters or ¼ mile or...
through parts of Newfoundland. Some areas of Newfoundland received between 20–40 cm. Local areas and local drifts were locally higher.
A winter storm that developed over Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
brought messy weather across the Great plains, Midwest U.S., the Great Lakes
Great Lakes
The Great Lakes are a collection of freshwater lakes located in northeastern North America, on the Canada – United States border. Consisting of Lakes Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie, and Ontario, they form the largest group of freshwater lakes on Earth by total surface, coming in second by volume...
and Northeast United States. Some areas had a messy mix of snow, ice and rain. Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
had seen about 10 cm. South Western Ontario saw between 1–10 cm. Northern Areas of Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
and Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
received between 10–25 cm. Eastern Ontario
Eastern Ontario
Eastern Ontario is a subregion of Southern Ontario in the Canadian province of Ontario which lies in a wedge-shaped area between the Ottawa River and St. Lawrence River...
received between 10–20 cm. The northeast saw local amounts of over 15 cm. From Midwestern sections of the U.S. to the Southern Lakes messy mix was reported with rain at times. Southern United states saw heavy amounts of rainfall, Thunderstorms and Tornado warnings were issued in some areas.
The Atlantic provinces are seeing heavy snowfall and some mixed precipitation. Areas could exceed 10 cm. Newfoundland
Newfoundland and Labrador
Newfoundland and Labrador is the easternmost province of Canada. Situated in the country's Atlantic region, it incorporates the island of Newfoundland and mainland Labrador with a combined area of . As of April 2011, the province's estimated population is 508,400...
could get more heavy snowfall.
February 21–23
An Alberta ClipperAlberta clipper
An Alberta clipper is a fast moving low pressure area which generally affects the central provinces of Canada and parts of the Upper Midwest and Great Lakes regions of the United States. Most clippers occur between December and February, but can also occur occasionally in the month of November...
, which picked up mositure from the Gulf, dumped about 5–20 cm across the Midwest, and the Great lakes
Great Lakes
The Great Lakes are a collection of freshwater lakes located in northeastern North America, on the Canada – United States border. Consisting of Lakes Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie, and Ontario, they form the largest group of freshwater lakes on Earth by total surface, coming in second by volume...
area. Areas like Windsor
Windsor, Ontario
Windsor is the southernmost city in Canada and is located in Southwestern Ontario at the western end of the heavily populated Quebec City – Windsor Corridor. It is within Essex County, Ontario, although administratively separated from the county government. Separated by the Detroit River, Windsor...
saw close to 15 cm, Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
saw about 5–12 cm. Eastern Ontario
Eastern Ontario
Eastern Ontario is a subregion of Southern Ontario in the Canadian province of Ontario which lies in a wedge-shaped area between the Ottawa River and St. Lawrence River...
and Southern Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
could see slightly higher amounts as a coastal low develops, and gives heavier snow. Northeastern United States are seeing snow, mix precipitation and rainfall. The heavier snowfall is towards New England and Maine.
Atlantic Canada is seeing blizzard
Blizzard
A blizzard is a severe snowstorm characterized by strong winds. By definition, the difference between blizzard and a snowstorm is the strength of the wind. To be a blizzard, a snow storm must have winds in excess of with blowing or drifting snow which reduces visibility to 400 meters or ¼ mile or...
like conditions. 15–40 cm is possible is some areas. Winter storm warnings and snowfall warnings are in place.
March 1–4
On March 1 to 2 A heavy dust storm
Dust storm
A dust / sand storm is a meteorological phenomenon common in arid and semi-arid regions. Dust storms arise when a gust front or other strong wind blows loose sand and dirt from a dry surface. Particles are transported by saltation and suspension, causing soil to move from one place and deposition...
hits N.E. China and parts of Mongolia
Mongolia
Mongolia is a landlocked country in East and Central Asia. It is bordered by Russia to the north and China to the south, east and west. Although Mongolia does not share a border with Kazakhstan, its western-most point is only from Kazakhstan's eastern tip. Ulan Bator, the capital and largest...
. It then parses over the Bo Hai Sea and the Yellow Sea
Yellow Sea
The Yellow Sea is the name given to the northern part of the East China Sea, which is a marginal sea of the Pacific Ocean. It is located between mainland China and the Korean Peninsula. Its name comes from the sand particles from Gobi Desert sand storms that turn the surface of the water golden...
, finally dispersing over North Korea
North Korea
The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea , , is a country in East Asia, occupying the northern half of the Korean Peninsula. Its capital and largest city is Pyongyang. The Korean Demilitarized Zone serves as the buffer zone between North Korea and South Korea...
and South Korea
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
in the 4th
March 7
On the 7th, heavy rain induced floods killed 52 in Bolivia, 19 in Peru, and 16 in Ecuador, said news reports.March 13
Snow storm strands 2 busses, 53 cars and 83 people on the Ust-Kamenogorsk-Georgiyevka highway in KazakhstanKazakhstan
Kazakhstan , officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a transcontinental country in Central Asia and Eastern Europe. Ranked as the ninth largest country in the world, it is also the world's largest landlocked country; its territory of is greater than Western Europe...
on March 13.
March 22
Heavy snow and ice hits the Sea of OkhotskSea of Okhotsk
The Sea of Okhotsk is a marginal sea of the western Pacific Ocean, lying between the Kamchatka Peninsula on the east, the Kuril Islands on the southeast, the island of Hokkaidō to the far south, the island of Sakhalin along the west, and a long stretch of eastern Siberian coast along the west and...
, Sakhalin Island and Primorsky Krai
Primorsky Krai
Primorsky Krai , informally known as Primorye , is a federal subject of Russia . Primorsky means "maritime" in Russian, hence the region is sometimes referred to as Maritime Province or Maritime Territory. Its administrative center is in the city of Vladivostok...
in Russia far east on March 22.
March 26–28
A major blizzard hit Denver and other counties around the area on Thursday, March 26. Parts of the Front Range saw 18 inches (457.2 mm) of snow and schools around Denver were closed early. Denver International AirportDenver International Airport
Denver International Airport , often referred to as DIA, is an airport in Denver, Colorado. By land size, at , it is the largest international airport in the United States, and the third largest international airport in the world after King Fahd International Airport and Montréal-Mirabel...
canceled more than 400 planes departing and arriving. On Friday, March 27, the storm impacted Kansas
Kansas
Kansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...
, northwestern Oklahoma
Oklahoma
Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
, and the Texas Panhandle
Texas Panhandle
The Texas Panhandle is a region of the U.S. state of Texas consisting of the northernmost 26 counties in the state. The panhandle is a rectangular area bordered by New Mexico to the west and Oklahoma to the north and east...
, with 12 to 24 inches (609.6 mm) of snow and blizzard conditions. Some areas around Pratt County, Kansas and Kiowa County, Kansas received 28" of Snowfall. Snow Drifts reached 10 feet (3 m) high in Dalhart, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
. On Friday night and into Saturday, March 28, the storm system impacted the Kansas City
Kansas City Metropolitan Area
The Kansas City Metropolitan Area is a fifteen-county metropolitan area that is anchored by Kansas City, Missouri and is bisected by the border between the states of Missouri and Kansas. As of the 2010 Census, the metropolitan area has a population of 2,035,334. The metropolitan area is the...
area and northern parts of Missouri
Missouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
, before moving into the Quad Cities
Quad Cities
The Quad Cities is a group of five cities straddling the Mississippi River on the Iowa–Illinois boundary. These cities, Davenport and Bettendorf and Rock Island, Moline, and East Moline , are the center of the Quad Cities Metropolitan Area, which, as of 2010, had an estimated population of...
area, Northern Illinois
Northern Illinois
Northern Illinois is a region generally covering the northern third of the U.S. state of Illinois.-Economics:Northern Illinois is dominated by the metropolitan areas of Chicago, Rockford, and the Quad Cities, which contain a majority of Illinois' population and economic activity, including...
and Southern Wisconsin
Wisconsin
Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...
on Saturday night. Numerous areas here saw between 4 and 8" of snow. Waukegan, Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
, saw around half a foot from this late-season winter blast.
April 12–13
A late major winter storm coming from New EnglandNew England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
was expected to hit the Maritime Provinces on Easter
Easter
Easter is the central feast in the Christian liturgical year. According to the Canonical gospels, Jesus rose from the dead on the third day after his crucifixion. His resurrection is celebrated on Easter Day or Easter Sunday...
. 15–30 cm of snow is expected in most areas, and Halifax and southern areas were to see heavy rain.
June 2
Another 15 people and 10,000 head of cattleCattle
Cattle are the most common type of large domesticated ungulates. They are a prominent modern member of the subfamily Bovinae, are the most widespread species of the genus Bos, and are most commonly classified collectively as Bos primigenius...
had died by this date in Mongolia. Snow also fell on Russia's Sakhalin
Sakhalin
Sakhalin or Saghalien, is a large island in the North Pacific, lying between 45°50' and 54°24' N.It is part of Russia, and is Russia's largest island, and is administered as part of Sakhalin Oblast...
island.
July 11
July 11 saw heavy storms flood the Chinese city of Shuzou, in JiangsuJiangsu
' is a province of the People's Republic of China, located along the east coast of the country. The name comes from jiang, short for the city of Jiangning , and su, for the city of Suzhou. The abbreviation for this province is "苏" , the second character of its name...
Province.
July 17
On July 17, flooding caused by heavy rain and hailstorms hit Nanaimo village, and it‘s environs as bad weather sweeps over most of MongoliaMongolia
Mongolia is a landlocked country in East and Central Asia. It is bordered by Russia to the north and China to the south, east and west. Although Mongolia does not share a border with Kazakhstan, its western-most point is only from Kazakhstan's eastern tip. Ulan Bator, the capital and largest...
, killing 24 people as it did so.
July 24
On July 24, the Dakar RallyDakar Rally
The Dakar Rally is an annual rally raid type of off-road automobile race, organised by the Amaury Sport Organisation...
stage in Mauritania
Mauritania
Mauritania is a country in the Maghreb and West Africa. It is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean in the west, by Western Sahara in the north, by Algeria in the northeast, by Mali in the east and southeast, and by Senegal in the southwest...
due to heavy sandstorms and high winds.
August 5–6
August 5 and 6 saw the Maritime affairs department in HainanHainan
Hainan is the smallest province of the People's Republic of China . Although the province comprises some two hundred islands scattered among three archipelagos off the southern coast, of its land mass is Hainan Island , from which the province takes its name...
province issued an emergency tropical storm warning to 20,000 fishing vessels in the South China Sea
South China Sea
The South China Sea is a marginal sea that is part of the Pacific Ocean, encompassing an area from the Singapore and Malacca Straits to the Strait of Taiwan of around...
as Typhoons Morakot and Goni, approached China's Guangdong
Guangdong
Guangdong is a province on the South China Sea coast of the People's Republic of China. The province was previously often written with the alternative English name Kwangtung Province...
Province. Heavy storms hit the cities of Guangzhou
Guangzhou
Guangzhou , known historically as Canton or Kwangchow, is the capital and largest city of the Guangdong province in the People's Republic of China. Located in southern China on the Pearl River, about north-northwest of Hong Kong, Guangzhou is a key national transportation hub and trading port...
,
Zhuhai
Zhuhai
Zhuhai is a prefecture-level city on the southern coast of Guangdong province in the People's Republic of China. Located in the Pearl River Delta, Zhuhai borders Jiangmen to the northwest, Zhongshan to the north, and Macau to the south. Zhuhai was one of the original Special Economic Zones...
and Haikou
Haikou
Hǎikǒu , is the capital and most populous city of Hainan Province, in the People's Republic of China. It is situated on the northern coast of Hainan, by the mouth of the Nandu River...
. More than 953,000 residents and more than 35,000 boats were evacuated back to shore in the eastern and southeastern provinces of the People's Republic of China
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
as Typhoons Morakot approached A fishing boat capsized with nine fishermen missing. 3 people died in the China and 462 died in Taiwan
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
.
August 21–28
A stream of moisture that emerged from the Gulf of CaliforniaGulf of California
The Gulf of California is a body of water that separates the Baja California Peninsula from the Mexican mainland...
brought rain to Southern California. A flash flood
Flash flood
A flash flood is a rapid flooding of geomorphic low-lying areas—washes, rivers, dry lakes and basins. It may be caused by heavy rain associated with a storm, hurricane, or tropical storm or meltwater from ice or snow flowing over ice sheets or snowfields...
warning was issued for Central and Eastern San Diego County as a result of the rain. Later on, the system moved north and started to move towards the east coast on Sunday, August 23. The remaining thunderstorms lingered around in Central and Eastern San Diego County until Friday, August 28 before finally moving towards the east coast.
September 2–8
A heavy and rainy cycloneCyclone
In meteorology, a cyclone is an area of closed, circular fluid motion rotating in the same direction as the Earth. This is usually characterized by inward spiraling winds that rotate anticlockwise in the Northern Hemisphere and clockwise in the Southern Hemisphere of the Earth. Most large-scale...
hit the Bering sea
Bering Sea
The Bering Sea is a marginal sea of the Pacific Ocean. It comprises a deep water basin, which then rises through a narrow slope into the shallower water above the continental shelves....
, Choris Peninsula
Choris Peninsula
The Choris Peninsula is a cape in Alaska. It is located in the east of the Kotzebue Sound on the Chukchi Sea coast.The Choris Peninsula is a small landhead pointing southwards. Off its southern tip lies Chamisso Island....
and parts of the Aleutian islands on September 2. A heavy storm hit parts of the Beaufort Sea
Beaufort Sea
The Beaufort Sea is a marginal sea of the Arctic Ocean, located north of the Northwest Territories, the Yukon, and Alaska, west of Canada's Arctic islands. The sea is named after hydrographer Sir Francis Beaufort...
and parts of the Chukchi Sea
Chukchi Sea
Chukchi Sea is a marginal sea of the Arctic Ocean. It is bounded on the west by the De Long Strait, off Wrangel Island, and in the east by Point Barrow, Alaska, beyond which lies the Beaufort Sea. The Bering Strait forms its southernmost limit and connects it to the Bering Sea and the Pacific...
on September 4.
Heavy rain and floods on the 4th also lead to both cars were under water and bales of wheat
Wheat
Wheat is a cereal grain, originally from the Levant region of the Near East, but now cultivated worldwide. In 2007 world production of wheat was 607 million tons, making it the third most-produced cereal after maize and rice...
are floating down the swolen river past Mr A.J. Duncan's farms at Muirden Farm, Turriff
Turriff
Turriff is a town and civil parish in Aberdeenshire in Scotland. It is approximately above sea level, and has a population of 5,708.Turriff is known locally as Turra in the Doric dialect of Scots...
, Aberdeenshire
Aberdeenshire
Aberdeenshire is one of the 32 unitary council areas in Scotland and a lieutenancy area.The present day Aberdeenshire council area does not include the City of Aberdeen, now a separate council area, from which its name derives. Together, the modern council area and the city formed historic...
. Both Oxbridge and Publican spring barley planting was at risk if the flood waters did not clear quickly.
On the 8th unusually heavy rain hit Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
, and storms hit Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay, killing 14 or 15 people (reports varied). Tornados his Argentina to. A town official in Santa Rosa
Santa Rosa de Calchines
Santa Rosa de Calchines is a town in the center of the province of Santa Fe, Argentina. It has 5,629 inhabitants per the...
, Paulo Alvez appealed for help for both the town of Santa Rosa and El Progreso
El Progreso
The municipality of El Progreso is located in the Honduran department of Yoro. Ramón Villeda Morales International Airport of San Pedro Sula is located west of the city. To the east of the city is the mountain range of Mico Quemado ....
.
Arkansas witnessed heavy flooding on the 7th and 8th.
October 1–5
A heavy and snowy cyclone hit the Kedrovaya River in Primorsky KraiPrimorsky Krai
Primorsky Krai , informally known as Primorye , is a federal subject of Russia . Primorsky means "maritime" in Russian, hence the region is sometimes referred to as Maritime Province or Maritime Territory. Its administrative center is in the city of Vladivostok...
and parts of the Aleutian islands on October 1.
A heavy and rainy cyclone hit the Bering sea
Bering Sea
The Bering Sea is a marginal sea of the Pacific Ocean. It comprises a deep water basin, which then rises through a narrow slope into the shallower water above the continental shelves....
and parts of the Chukchi Sea
Chukchi Sea
Chukchi Sea is a marginal sea of the Arctic Ocean. It is bounded on the west by the De Long Strait, off Wrangel Island, and in the east by Point Barrow, Alaska, beyond which lies the Beaufort Sea. The Bering Strait forms its southernmost limit and connects it to the Bering Sea and the Pacific...
on October 3. 21 people were confirmed dead following rainstorms and landslides in Sicily
Sicily
Sicily is a region of Italy, and is the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. Along with the surrounding minor islands, it constitutes an autonomous region of Italy, the Regione Autonoma Siciliana Sicily has a rich and unique culture, especially with regard to the arts, music, literature,...
. A fishing boat was damaged at sea off the coast of Sicily. Austria saw heavy flooding, with lesser levels in the Czech Republic
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....
, Poland, Slovenia
Slovenia
Slovenia , officially the Republic of Slovenia , is a country in Central and Southeastern Europe touching the Alps and bordering the Mediterranean. Slovenia borders Italy to the west, Croatia to the south and east, Hungary to the northeast, and Austria to the north, and also has a small portion of...
, Slovakia
Slovakia
The Slovak Republic is a landlocked state in Central Europe. It has a population of over five million and an area of about . Slovakia is bordered by the Czech Republic and Austria to the west, Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east and Hungary to the south...
, Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
, Moldova
Moldova
Moldova , officially the Republic of Moldova is a landlocked state in Eastern Europe, located between Romania to the West and Ukraine to the North, East and South. It declared itself an independent state with the same boundaries as the preceding Moldavian Soviet Socialist Republic in 1991, as part...
and southern parts of Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
. Two Ukrainians and a Moldovan died in the storm.
5 days of unusually heavy rain left 205 dead, 125 injured and 750,000 homeless in southern India by October the 5th. Indian and Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
n medical teams managed to save many lives across Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu is one of the 28 states of India. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu lies in the southernmost part of the Indian Peninsula and is bordered by the union territory of Pondicherry, and the states of Kerala, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh...
and Kerala
Kerala
or Keralam is an Indian state located on the Malabar coast of south-west India. It was created on 1 November 1956 by the States Reorganisation Act by combining various Malayalam speaking regions....
states.
October 11–18
Late on October 11, the remains of Super Typhoon MelorTyphoon Melor (2009)
Typhoon Melor was the second category 5 typhoon in 2009...
were absorbed by a newly formed low-pressure system just north of it, similar to how Typhoon Kujira
Typhoon Kujira (2009)
Typhoon Kujira was first reported by the Joint Typhoon Warning Center on April 28. It is the fourth depression and the first typhoon of the season.The disturbance dissipated later that day however it regenerated early on April 30 within the southern islands of Luzon...
's remains were absorbed. The low-pressure system slowly began to intensify as it crossed the Pacific Ocean. Several wind and flood watches/warnings were issued on October 17 in advance for the expected arrival of the winter storm. A high wave advisory was issued for the entire western seaboard. Just before midnight of October 18, the powerful winter storm struck California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
with gale-force winds and torrential rainfall. In Northern California
Northern California
Northern California is the northern portion of the U.S. state of California. The San Francisco Bay Area , and Sacramento as well as its metropolitan area are the main population centers...
, the rainfall was seemingly endless. The San Francisco Bay
San Francisco Bay
San Francisco Bay is a shallow, productive estuary through which water draining from approximately forty percent of California, flowing in the Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers from the Sierra Nevada mountains, enters the Pacific Ocean...
area suffered the most damage, from 40-foot (12 m) high waves and reported gusts of 85 mph (140 km/h). A rare storm warning was posted for San Francisco Bay and subsequently, wind gusts were clocked at 75 mph (125 km/h) on Angel Island. Because the storm stayed stationary, it began to weaken, but soon afterward it moved east and then south. As it moved south, brought moderate rain to some parts of California before moving towards the east coast. It caused heavy rainfall while it was moving towards the eastern seaboard. The winter storm moved off the eastern coast of the United States and into the Atlantic Ocean early on Saturday, November 7, 2009, and dissipated completely in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean on Wednesday, November 11, 2009. The damage that the storm did to the west coast from Sunday, October 11, 2009 to Friday, October 15, 2009 is currently estimated at about $1.5 billion (2009 USD).
Heavy snow fell in parts of Pennsylvania between the 15th and 16th. State College, Pennsylvania saw ten inches (254 mm) of wet snow, causing a very memorable Penn State homecoming game, and breaking numerous records, such as earliest recorded snowfall, most severe October snowstorm, and most snow in the month of October. Moderate snow fell between the 15th and 18th in the Northeast US as far as the suburbs of New York City, with light snow being reported in the city itself. Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
suburbs saw moderate, wet snow fall on the morning of October 16, in spots accumulating up to 0.5 inches (12.7 mm). The area was then hit on October 18, when in the afternoon, heavy rain turned to heavy snow and almost white-out conditions. The ground was too warm for any significant accumulation, but up to 2 inches (50.8 mm) were reported at spots between Boston and Lowell
Lowell, Massachusetts
Lowell is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, USA. According to the 2010 census, the city's population was 106,519. It is the fourth largest city in the state. Lowell and Cambridge are the county seats of Middlesex County...
. It all melted by October 20.
October 12–13
On 12 October 2009, Just over 200 herdsmen and 1,000 heads of livestockLivestock
Livestock refers to one or more domesticated animals raised in an agricultural setting to produce commodities such as food, fiber and labor. The term "livestock" as used in this article does not include poultry or farmed fish; however the inclusion of these, especially poultry, within the meaning...
had been stranded by heavy snowfalls in Ali prefecture. The week-long snowfall had accumulated to about 30 centimetres in Pulan County in Ali, with some areas reaching as much as 1 meter depth, according to Xing Xiuyin, head of an armed police detachment stationed in the Tibet
Tibet
Tibet is a plateau region in Asia, north-east of the Himalayas. It is the traditional homeland of the Tibetan people as well as some other ethnic groups such as Monpas, Qiang, and Lhobas, and is now also inhabited by considerable numbers of Han and Hui people...
an region. 30 soldiers and two snow-clearing machines were sent on the way to Ali, according to Xing Xiuyin.
Thousands of people were trapped as heavy snow fell in Tibet's Lhunze County
Lhünzê County
Lhünzê County, is a county of the Shannan Prefecture located in the south-east of the Tibet Autonomous Region,-Settlements:*Sangngagqoiling*Yümai...
, but rescue services managed to minimize the casualties and damage to homes. The rescue services also managed to provide shelter and emergency fodder
Fodder
Fodder or animal feed is any agricultural foodstuff used specifically to feed domesticated livestock such as cattle, goats, sheep, horses, chickens and pigs. Most animal feed is from plants but some is of animal origin...
for 200 head of cattle. By October 13, snow was reported by Chinese authorities to be falling in both Qinghai
Qinghai
Qinghai ; Oirat Mongolian: ; ; Salar:) is a province of the People's Republic of China, named after Qinghai Lake...
and Heilongjiang
Heilongjiang
For the river known in Mandarin as Heilong Jiang, see Amur River' is a province of the People's Republic of China located in the northeastern part of the country. "Heilongjiang" literally means Black Dragon River, which is the Chinese name for the Amur. The one-character abbreviation is 黑...
Provinces.
October 15–16
On 15 October 2009, Germany, Austria and Poland were hit by heavy snowstorms. One person died after falling in an Tyrolian lake by accident.27,000 lightning
Lightning
Lightning is an atmospheric electrostatic discharge accompanied by thunder, which typically occurs during thunderstorms, and sometimes during volcanic eruptions or dust storms...
strikes and heavy rainstorms hit parts of Spain in just over 12 hours on 16 October.
On October 16 the cold weather in Poland kills 4 people and the Czech power company CEZ Group
CEZ Group
CEZ Group is a conglomerate of 96 companies , 72 of them in the Czech Republic. It is involved in the electricity generation, distribution, and trade. CEZ Group operates also in Albania, Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Germany, Hungary, Kosovo, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia and...
declared a state of emergency in 8 regions due to the wide spread reports of fallen power lines. The town of Jablonec nad Nisou
Jablonec nad Nisou
Jablonec nad Nisou is a town in northern Bohemia, the second largest town of the Liberec Region. It is known as a mountain resort in the Jizera Mountains, an education centre, and a centre of world-production of glass and jewellery...
was mostly blacked out
Power outage
A power outage is a short- or long-term loss of the electric power to an area.There are many causes of power failures in an electricity network...
by a power outage
Power outage
A power outage is a short- or long-term loss of the electric power to an area.There are many causes of power failures in an electricity network...
. Heavy snow was reported in Poland, the Czech Republic
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....
, Slovakia
Slovakia
The Slovak Republic is a landlocked state in Central Europe. It has a population of over five million and an area of about . Slovakia is bordered by the Czech Republic and Austria to the west, Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east and Hungary to the south...
, Liechtenstein
Liechtenstein
The Principality of Liechtenstein is a doubly landlocked alpine country in Central Europe, bordered by Switzerland to the west and south and by Austria to the east. Its area is just over , and it has an estimated population of 35,000. Its capital is Vaduz. The biggest town is Schaan...
and the Austrian province of Styria.
October 29–30
Between October 29 and 30 a very powerful winter storm battered the west coast of the USA, although it did not affect Southern CaliforniaSouthern California
Southern California is a megaregion, or megapolitan area, in the southern area of the U.S. state of California. Large urban areas include Greater Los Angeles and Greater San Diego. The urban area stretches along the coast from Ventura through the Southland and Inland Empire to San Diego...
. It was very windy in the places that it hit, but the storm only stayed there for two days. The storm left and traveled towards the east coast after that day. The only affect the storm had on Southern California was bringing a cloudy day with very cold temperatures.
October 31
Heavy snowfall hit Russia's PrimorskyPrimorsky Krai
Primorsky Krai , informally known as Primorye , is a federal subject of Russia . Primorsky means "maritime" in Russian, hence the region is sometimes referred to as Maritime Province or Maritime Territory. Its administrative center is in the city of Vladivostok...
Territory on October 31, as the cold windstorm moved from the Sea of Okhotsk
Sea of Okhotsk
The Sea of Okhotsk is a marginal sea of the western Pacific Ocean, lying between the Kamchatka Peninsula on the east, the Kuril Islands on the southeast, the island of Hokkaidō to the far south, the island of Sakhalin along the west, and a long stretch of eastern Siberian coast along the west and...
to the coast of the Kamchatka Peninsula
Kamchatka Peninsula
The Kamchatka Peninsula is a peninsula in the Russian Far East, with an area of . It lies between the Pacific Ocean to the east and the Sea of Okhotsk to the west...
, bringing heavy snow and rain to the region that meteorologists expected to last another 24 hours. They also warned that temperatures would fall by up to 15 degrees and that weather conditions could make traveling difficult as snowfall in the Vladivostok
Vladivostok
The city is located in the southern extremity of Muravyov-Amursky Peninsula, which is about 30 km long and approximately 12 km wide.The highest point is Mount Kholodilnik, the height of which is 257 m...
area had already significantly impeded travel by larger vehicles. The city administration's official Yevgeny Kolpinets told the Russian news agency Itar-Tass that the inclement weather had stopped bus traffic in the city, but luckily no energy supply service problems had been reported. Weather forecasters expected more cyclone-generated snow fall over the next few days.
November 3–18
On November 3, the Harbin Snow Festivalin Harbin
Harbin
Harbin ; Manchu language: , Harbin; Russian: Харби́н Kharbin ), is the capital and largest city of Heilongjiang Province in Northeast China, lying on the southern bank of the Songhua River...
, Heilongjiang
Heilongjiang
For the river known in Mandarin as Heilong Jiang, see Amur River' is a province of the People's Republic of China located in the northeastern part of the country. "Heilongjiang" literally means Black Dragon River, which is the Chinese name for the Amur. The one-character abbreviation is 黑...
, China, experienced unusually heavy snow.
The festival was first started in 1985 and had never before seen such heavy snowfall. Harbin is China's tenth-largest city with a population of about 4,500,000, so planned electricity rationing would hit this usually busy city hard, as would the planned rationing in Beijing
Beijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
. The worst snowstorms in Northeastern China since 1949 claimed 40 lives, destroyed thousands of buildings and destroyed almost 500000 acre (202,343 ha) of winter crops, according to the Civil Affairs Ministry
Ministry of Civil Affairs of the People's Republic of China
The Ministry of Civil Affairs of the People's Republic of China is a ministry under the jurisdiction of the State Council of the People's Republic of China, responsible for social and administrative affairs. It was founded in May 1978, and the current Minister is Li Xueju...
. The snowfall was the heaviest in the provinces of Hebei
Hebei
' is a province of the People's Republic of China in the North China region. Its one-character abbreviation is "" , named after Ji Province, a Han Dynasty province that included what is now southern Hebei...
, Shanxi
Shanxi
' is a province in Northern China. Its one-character abbreviation is "晋" , after the state of Jin that existed here during the Spring and Autumn Period....
, Shaanxi
Shaanxi
' is a province in the central part of Mainland China, and it includes portions of the Loess Plateau on the middle reaches of the Yellow River in addition to the Qinling Mountains across the southern part of this province...
, Shandong
Shandong
' is a Province located on the eastern coast of the People's Republic of China. Shandong has played a major role in Chinese history from the beginning of Chinese civilization along the lower reaches of the Yellow River and served as a pivotal cultural and religious site for Taoism, Chinese...
and Henan
Henan
Henan , is a province of the People's Republic of China, located in the central part of the country. Its one-character abbreviation is "豫" , named after Yuzhou , a Han Dynasty state that included parts of Henan...
since the founding of the People's Republic of China
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
in 1949.
On November 4, Tropical Storm Ida
Hurricane Ida (2009)
Hurricane Ida was the strongest landfalling tropical cyclone during the 2009 Atlantic hurricane season, crossing the coastline of Nicaragua with winds of 80 mph . The remnants of the storm became a powerful nor'easter that caused widespread damage along coastal areas of the Mid-Atlantic States...
hits Nicaragua
Nicaragua
Nicaragua is the largest country in the Central American American isthmus, bordered by Honduras to the north and Costa Rica to the south. The country is situated between 11 and 14 degrees north of the Equator in the Northern Hemisphere, which places it entirely within the tropics. The Pacific Ocean...
and later the Gulf of Mexico
Gulf of Mexico
The Gulf of Mexico is a partially landlocked ocean basin largely surrounded by the North American continent and the island of Cuba. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United States, on the southwest and south by Mexico, and on the southeast by Cuba. In...
. The Lower Mississippi River Forecast Center puts out a flood alert on the Mississippi River
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America. Flowing entirely in the United States, this river rises in western Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for to the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains...
By November the 7th, a storm waning was also out in Pinar del Río
Pinar del Río
Pinar del Río is a city in Cuba. It is the capital of Pinar del Río Province.Inhabitants of the area are called Pinareños.Neighborhoods in the city include La Conchita, La Coloma, Briones Montoto and Las Ovas.-History:...
, in western Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
, as it headed out of Central America
Central America
Central America is the central geographic region of the Americas. It is the southernmost, isthmian portion of the North American continent, which connects with South America on the southeast. When considered part of the unified continental model, it is considered a subcontinent...
and in to southern Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
. Winds of 70 mph (110 km/h) were forecast for Yucatán Peninsula
Yucatán Peninsula
The Yucatán Peninsula, in southeastern Mexico, separates the Caribbean Sea from the Gulf of Mexico, with the northern coastline on the Yucatán Channel...
and Yucatán Channel
Yucatán Channel
The Yucatán Channel is a strait between Mexico and Cuba. It connects the Yucatán Basin of the Caribbean Sea with the Gulf of Mexico. The strait is across between Cape Catoche in Mexico and Cape San Antonio, Cuba and reaches a maximum depth of .-References:...
. Heavy rain was reported in parts of Haiti
Haiti
Haiti , officially the Republic of Haiti , is a Caribbean country. It occupies the western, smaller portion of the island of Hispaniola, in the Greater Antillean archipelago, which it shares with the Dominican Republic. Ayiti was the indigenous Taíno or Amerindian name for the island...
. A rainfall of 3 to 10 inches (254 mm) is predicted by local authorities and the Lower Mississippi River Forecast Center for both the Yucatán Peninsula and western Cuba. By the 10th, it had virtually died out and was only a bad storm in New Orleans and Pensacola
Pensacola
Pensacola is a city in the western part of the U.S. state of Florida.Pensacola may also refer to:* Pensacola people, a group of Native Americans* A number of places in the Florida:** Pensacola Bay** Pensacola Regional Airport...
. 35-45 M.P.H. winds and heavy rain battered the rest of Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
‘s Gulf Coast and Alabama
Alabama
Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...
's Dauphin Island. The remnants of the storm then caused some more snow to fall in the southern parts the Great Plains
Great Plains
The Great Plains are a broad expanse of flat land, much of it covered in prairie, steppe and grassland, which lies west of the Mississippi River and east of the Rocky Mountains in the United States and Canada. This area covers parts of the U.S...
on region the 11th and 12th.
On November 10, heavy rain and intermittent snow hit the Cheviot Hills
Cheviot Hills
The Cheviot Hills is a range of rolling hills straddling the England–Scotland border between Northumberland and the Scottish Borders.There is a broad split between the northern and the southern Cheviots...
, Pennines
Pennines
The Pennines are a low-rising mountain range, separating the North West of England from Yorkshire and the North East.Often described as the "backbone of England", they form a more-or-less continuous range stretching from the Peak District in Derbyshire, around the northern and eastern edges of...
, Dee Valley in Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
and The Wash
The Wash
The Wash is the square-mouthed bay and estuary on the northwest margin of East Anglia on the east coast of England, where Norfolk meets Lincolnshire. It is among the largest estuaries in the United Kingdom...
. Light snow fell in the Grampian Mountains and Aberdeenshire
Aberdeenshire
Aberdeenshire is one of the 32 unitary council areas in Scotland and a lieutenancy area.The present day Aberdeenshire council area does not include the City of Aberdeen, now a separate council area, from which its name derives. Together, the modern council area and the city formed historic...
. Passing sleet
Rain and snow mixed
Rain and snow mixed is precipitation composed of rain and partially melted snow. This precipitation can occur where the temperature in the lower part of the atmosphere is slightly above the freezing point...
was also recorded in Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire is a county in the east of England. It borders Norfolk to the south east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south west, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire to the west, South Yorkshire to the north west, and the East Riding of Yorkshire to the north. It also borders...
on the 10th. A flood watch
Flood watch
Flood alerts are issued by weather agencies to alert residents that flood conditions are a possibility for their area.-Types of flood alerts:...
was put on the River Tay
River Tay
The River Tay is the longest river in Scotland and the seventh-longest in the United Kingdom. The Tay originates in western Scotland on the slopes of Ben Lui , then flows easterly across the Highlands, through Loch Dochhart, Loch Lubhair and Loch Tay, then continues east through Strathtay , in...
and the River Dee
River Dee, Wales
The River Dee is a long river in the United Kingdom. It travels through Wales and England and also forms part of the border between the two countries....
. Minor surface flooding had already occurred in parts of Lincolnshire and Cumbria
Cumbria
Cumbria , is a non-metropolitan county in North West England. The county and Cumbria County Council, its local authority, came into existence in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972. Cumbria's largest settlement and county town is Carlisle. It consists of six districts, and in...
after the previous two days flooding.
11 November 2009, saw snow and/or rain storms menacing Hungary, Iceland
Iceland
Iceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population...
, India's part of the Himalayas
Himalayas
The Himalaya Range or Himalaya Mountains Sanskrit: Devanagari: हिमालय, literally "abode of snow"), usually called the Himalayas or Himalaya for short, is a mountain range in Asia, separating the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau...
(rain and snow), parts of Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
(rain only), north western Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
, northern Iraq, Mount Fuji
Mount Fuji
is the highest mountain in Japan at . An active stratovolcano that last erupted in 1707–08, Mount Fuji lies about south-west of Tokyo, and can be seen from there on a clear day. Mount Fuji's exceptionally symmetrical cone is a well-known symbol of Japan and it is frequently depicted in art and...
in Japan and in Armenia
Armenia
Armenia , officially the Republic of Armenia , is a landlocked mountainous country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia...
. Yet more snow storms hit the People's Republic of China
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
, disrupting traffic across the northeastern provinces, Beijing
Beijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
and Tibet
Tibet
Tibet is a plateau region in Asia, north-east of the Himalayas. It is the traditional homeland of the Tibetan people as well as some other ethnic groups such as Monpas, Qiang, and Lhobas, and is now also inhabited by considerable numbers of Han and Hui people...
on November the 10th and 11th. Most of Bulgaria
Bulgaria
Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
's poor drainage
Drainage
Drainage is the natural or artificial removal of surface and sub-surface water from an area. Many agricultural soils need drainage to improve production or to manage water supplies.-Early history:...
systems and second-rate storm drain
Storm drain
A storm drain, storm sewer , stormwater drain or drainage well system or simply a drain or drain system is designed to drain excess rain and ground water from paved streets, parking lots, sidewalks, and roofs. Storm drains vary in design from small residential dry wells to large municipal systems...
s failed during the day's heavy rain and windstorms. Snow was also present in most of the mountain regions.
Heavy snowfall in China caused school building collapse
Structural failure
Structural failure refers to loss of the load-carrying capacity of a component or member within a structure or of the structure itself. Structural failure is initiated when the material is stressed to its strength limit, thus causing fracture or excessive deformations...
s and the deaths of 38 people on the 18th.
November 10–13
The resent floods on the 10th and 11th had killed 8 in Brazil's Rio Grande do SulRio Grande do Sul
Rio Grande do Sul is the southernmost state in Brazil, and the state with the fifth highest Human Development Index in the country. In this state is located the southernmost city in the country, Chuí, on the border with Uruguay. In the region of Bento Gonçalves and Caxias do Sul, the largest wine...
, according to the state's Civil Defence Department. 4 others were killed in Argentina and Uruguay. 22,000 people were evacuated in each nation as heavy rain made the rivers between Uruguay and Argentina to overflow its banks.
November 11 - December 30
After a rather snowy November 11, IcelandIceland
Iceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population...
's weather became rather unusual. From November 12 to December 30, Iceland's abnormally warm and dry November weather gave way and December became very snowy with the town of Akureyri
Akureyri
Akureyri is a town in northern Iceland. It is Iceland's second largest urban area and fourth largest municipality ....
receiving 35 cm of snow over the night of December 1–2. Snow fell and blizzard
Blizzard
A blizzard is a severe snowstorm characterized by strong winds. By definition, the difference between blizzard and a snowstorm is the strength of the wind. To be a blizzard, a snow storm must have winds in excess of with blowing or drifting snow which reduces visibility to 400 meters or ¼ mile or...
s occurred intermittently throughout a windy December.
On December 12, heavy snow hit Dimmuborgir
Dimmuborgir
Dimmuborgir is a large area of unusually shaped lava fields east of Mývatn in Iceland. The Dimmuborgir area is composed of various volcanic caves and rock formations, reminiscent of an ancient collapsed citadel...
, Iceland
Iceland
Iceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population...
.
November 14
A blizzard and about half a foot of snow fell on the 1,040 m high Peak Chekhov, near Yuzhno, Sakhalin Island, on November 14, 2009.November 18–25
Many properties were flooded in AmblesideAmbleside
Ambleside is a town in Cumbria, in North West England.Historically within the county of Westmorland, it is situated at the head of Windermere, England's largest lake...
on November 18, leaving the main road impassible for most vehicles. Over 200 people in Cockermouth
Cockermouth
-History:The Romans created a fort at Derventio, now the adjoining village of Papcastle, to protect the river crossing, which had become located on a major route for troops heading towards Hadrian's Wall....
were rescued from their homes by the emergency services.
On the Isle of Man
Isle of Man
The Isle of Man , otherwise known simply as Mann , is a self-governing British Crown Dependency, located in the Irish Sea between the islands of Great Britain and Ireland, within the British Isles. The head of state is Queen Elizabeth II, who holds the title of Lord of Mann. The Lord of Mann is...
, there were brief power cuts on the 18th, in Ballaragh and Laxey
Laxey
Laxey is a village on the east coast of the Isle of Man. Its name derives from the Old Norse Laxa meaning 'Salmon River'.The village lies on the A2, the main Douglas to Ramsey road. Laxey Glen is one of the Manx National Glens, with Dhoon Glen being located close by...
but Manx Electricity restored power to all affected properties by the afternoon.
On the 20th, all services on the West Coast Main Line
West Coast Main Line
The West Coast Main Line is the busiest mixed-traffic railway route in Britain, being the country's most important rail backbone in terms of population served. Fast, long-distance inter-city passenger services are provided between London, the West Midlands, the North West, North Wales and the...
were still temporarily suspended after a landslip between Carlisle
Carlisle railway station
Carlisle railway station, also known as Carlisle Citadel station, is a railway station whichserves the Cumbrian City of Carlisle, England, and is a major station on the West Coast Main Line, lying south of Glasgow Central, and north of London Euston...
and Penrith
Penrith railway station
Penrith railway station is located on the West Coast Main Line in the United Kingdom. It serves the town of Penrith, Cumbria and is less than one mile from its centre...
. The West Coast Main Line was flooded between Carlisle
Carlisle railway station
Carlisle railway station, also known as Carlisle Citadel station, is a railway station whichserves the Cumbrian City of Carlisle, England, and is a major station on the West Coast Main Line, lying south of Glasgow Central, and north of London Euston...
and Carstairs
Carstairs railway station
Carstairs railway station in South Lanarkshire, Scotland, is a major junction station on the West Coast Main Line , situated close to the point at which the lines from London Euston to Glasgow Central and Edinburgh diverge...
and was closed as a result. Services were reduced between Edinburgh
Edinburgh Waverley railway station
Edinburgh Waverley railway station is the main railway station in the Scottish capital Edinburgh. Covering an area of over 25 acres in the centre of the city, it is the second-largest main line railway station in the United Kingdom in terms of area, the largest being...
and Glasgow
Glasgow Queen Street railway station
Glasgow Queen Street is a railway station in Glasgow, Scotland, the smaller of the city's two main line railway termini and the third-busiest station in Scotland. It is between George Street to the south and Cathedral Street Bridge to the north, at the northern end of Queen Street adjacent to...
and also Edinburgh and Dunblane.
In Workington
Workington
Workington is a town, civil parish and port on the west coast of Cumbria, England, at the mouth of the River Derwent. Lying within the Borough of Allerdale, Workington is southwest of Carlisle, west of Cockermouth, and southwest of Maryport...
, the collapse of Northside Bridge carrying the A597 road and the condemnation of Calva Bridge carrying the A596 resulted in a 40 miles (64.4 km) journey from Northside to the town centre. Network Rail
Network Rail
Network Rail is the government-created owner and operator of most of the rail infrastructure in Great Britain .; it is not responsible for railway infrastructure in Northern Ireland...
are constructed a temporary railway station, Workington North
Workington North railway station
Workington North railway station was a temporary railway station in Cumbria, United Kingdom, constructed following floods which cut all road access to Workington town centre from north of the River Derwent...
, to help Northside residents get into and out of town. The 170 members of the Royal Engineers
Royal Engineers
The Corps of Royal Engineers, usually just called the Royal Engineers , and commonly known as the Sappers, is one of the corps of the British Army....
from 170 (Infrastructure Support Unit) installed a temporary footbridge upstream of Calva Bridge, which opened as scheduled, on the 5th December 2009.
As a result of the loss of all road and footbridges in Workington
Workington
Workington is a town, civil parish and port on the west coast of Cumbria, England, at the mouth of the River Derwent. Lying within the Borough of Allerdale, Workington is southwest of Carlisle, west of Cockermouth, and southwest of Maryport...
on November 19, it was announced that a new ailway station, Workington North
Workington North railway station
Workington North railway station was a temporary railway station in Cumbria, United Kingdom, constructed following floods which cut all road access to Workington town centre from north of the River Derwent...
, would be built on wasteland leased for two years from Allerdale Council
Allerdale
Allerdale is a non-metropolitan district of Cumbria, England, with borough status. Its council is based in Workington and the borough has a population of 93,492 according to the 2001 census....
. The station was scheduled to open by 28 November with services provided by Northern Rail
Northern Rail
Northern Rail is a British train operating company that has operated local passenger services in Northern England since 2004. Northern Rail's owner, Serco-Abellio, is a consortium formed of Abellio and Serco, an international operator of public transport systems...
. Workington North opened on 30 November 2009.
The government pledged £1,000,000 to the reconstruction of the shattered town, but deemed any new (permanent) road or a (temporary) rail bridge unnecessary and only allowed the army engineers to build a temporary foot bridge at state expense to begin with. Northern Rail
Northern Rail
Northern Rail is a British train operating company that has operated local passenger services in Northern England since 2004. Northern Rail's owner, Serco-Abellio, is a consortium formed of Abellio and Serco, an international operator of public transport systems...
, Network Rail
Network Rail
Network Rail is the government-created owner and operator of most of the rail infrastructure in Great Britain .; it is not responsible for railway infrastructure in Northern Ireland...
and a local contractor all helped in the building of Workington North
Workington North railway station
Workington North railway station was a temporary railway station in Cumbria, United Kingdom, constructed following floods which cut all road access to Workington town centre from north of the River Derwent...
. The Department for Transport
Department for Transport
In the United Kingdom, the Department for Transport is the government department responsible for the English transport network and a limited number of transport matters in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland which are not devolved...
announced that it would fund the service until 31 December 2009, at a cost of £216,000. All trains between Workington
Workington
Workington is a town, civil parish and port on the west coast of Cumbria, England, at the mouth of the River Derwent. Lying within the Borough of Allerdale, Workington is southwest of Carlisle, west of Cockermouth, and southwest of Maryport...
, Workington North, Flimby
Flimby
Flimby is a village in the Borough of Allerdale in Cumbria, England. Historically within Cumberland, it forms part of the civil parish of Maryport.Flimby railway station is on the Cumbrian Coast Line...
and Maryport
Maryport
Maryport is a town and civil parish within the Allerdale borough of Cumbria, England, in the historic county of Cumberland. It is located on the A596 road north of Workington, and is the southernmost town on the Solway Firth. Maryport railway station is on the Cumbrian Coast Line. The town is in...
would be free of charge until 31 December 2009.
Heavy sandstorms hit Mauritania
Mauritania
Mauritania is a country in the Maghreb and West Africa. It is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean in the west, by Western Sahara in the north, by Algeria in the northeast, by Mali in the east and southeast, and by Senegal in the southwest...
on Nov 22.
County Fermanagh
County Fermanagh
Fermanagh District Council is the only one of the 26 district councils in Northern Ireland that contains all of the county it is named after. The district council also contains a small section of County Tyrone in the Dromore and Kilskeery road areas....
was hit by heavy rain on November the 23rd. Many roads were flooded or hit by landslides. The B36 Dernawilt Road between Enniskillen
Enniskillen
Enniskillen is a town in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland. It is located almost exactly in the centre of the county between the Upper and Lower sections of Lough Erne. It had a population of 13,599 in the 2001 Census...
and Killyfole was one of many that were affected by the storm. Both Lough Erne
Lough Erne
Lough Erne, sometimes Loch Erne , is the name of two connected lakes in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland. The lakes are widened sections of the River Erne. The river begins by flowing north, and then curves west into the Atlantic. The southern lake is further up the river and so is named Upper...
and the Colebrooke River
Colebrooke River
The Colebrooke River is a river in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland. Its source is in the Sliabh Beagh mountains where its known as the Many Burns....
were put on flood alert.
A mini-tornado
Tornado
A tornado is a violent, dangerous, rotating column of air that is in contact with both the surface of the earth and a cumulonimbus cloud or, in rare cases, the base of a cumulus cloud. They are often referred to as a twister or a cyclone, although the word cyclone is used in meteorology in a wider...
tore through Maypole Lane in the Derbyshire
Derbyshire
Derbyshire is a county in the East Midlands of England. A substantial portion of the Peak District National Park lies within Derbyshire. The northern part of Derbyshire overlaps with the Pennines, a famous chain of hills and mountains. The county contains within its boundary of approx...
village of Littleover
Littleover
Littleover is a large suburb of Derby, England situated between Rose Hill, Normanton, Sunny Hill, South Derbyshire and Mickleover about three miles south west of Derby city centre.-History:The history of the name of Littleover is simple...
the next day, November 24. Derbyshire Fire and Rescue Service
Derbyshire Fire and Rescue Service
Derbyshire Fire and Rescue Service is the statutory fire and rescue service for the county of Derbyshire, England.-History:The Fire Services Act 1947 created two brigades for Derbyshire - the County Borough of Derby Fire Brigade and the Derbyshire Fire Service. In 1974, local government...
reported moderate damage in the Village
on the 24th. A small waterspout
Waterspout
A waterspout is an intense columnar vortex that occurs over a body of water and is connected to a cumuliform cloud. In the common form, it is a non-supercell tornado over water. While it is often weaker than most of its land counterparts, stronger versions spawned by mesocyclones do occur...
was reported off the coast of Aberdeenshire
Aberdeenshire
Aberdeenshire is one of the 32 unitary council areas in Scotland and a lieutenancy area.The present day Aberdeenshire council area does not include the City of Aberdeen, now a separate council area, from which its name derives. Together, the modern council area and the city formed historic...
.
25 November saw fierce winds rattling Dublin Airport
Dublin Airport
Dublin Airport, , is operated by the Dublin Airport Authority. Located in Collinstown, in the Fingal part of County Dublin, 18.4 million passengers passed through the airport in 2010, making it the busiest airport in the Republic of Ireland, followed by Cork and Shannon...
and parts of the east coast of Ireland, leading to the diversion of ten aircraft—seven aircraft to Shannon Airport
Shannon Airport
Shannon Airport, is one of the Republic of Ireland's three primary airports along with Dublin and Cork. In 2010 around 1,750,000 passengers passed through the airport, making it the third busiest airport in the Republic of Ireland after Dublin and Cork, and the fifth busiest airport on the island...
and three aircraft to Manchester Airport. Some of the affected aircraft were transatlantic flights from destinations such as Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
and New York.
November 21-December 3
Early on November 21 the Joint Typhoon Warning CenterJoint Typhoon Warning Center
The Joint Typhoon Warning Center is a joint United States Navy – United States Air Force task force located at the Naval Maritime Forecast Center in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii...
(JTWC) reported that an area of convection had persisted within a monsoon trough about 880 km, (545 mi) to the southeast of Guam
Guam
Guam is an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States located in the western Pacific Ocean. It is one of five U.S. territories with an established civilian government. Guam is listed as one of 16 Non-Self-Governing Territories by the Special Committee on Decolonization of the United...
.
The typhoon later weakened to a category four, before re-strengthening to a category five on November 27, remaining quasi-stationary for more than two days. It weakened to a tropical depression on December 2, after sending bursts of moisture into the jet stream
Jet stream
Jet streams are fast flowing, narrow air currents found in the atmospheres of some planets, including Earth. The main jet streams are located near the tropopause, the transition between the troposphere and the stratosphere . The major jet streams on Earth are westerly winds...
. The storm dissipated on December 3.
November 25–30
On November 25, a cold cyclone tracked into Russia's PrimorskyPrimorsky Krai
Primorsky Krai , informally known as Primorye , is a federal subject of Russia . Primorsky means "maritime" in Russian, hence the region is sometimes referred to as Maritime Province or Maritime Territory. Its administrative center is in the city of Vladivostok...
Territory from the Yellow Sea
Yellow Sea
The Yellow Sea is the name given to the northern part of the East China Sea, which is a marginal sea of the Pacific Ocean. It is located between mainland China and the Korean Peninsula. Its name comes from the sand particles from Gobi Desert sand storms that turn the surface of the water golden...
. Weather forecasters correctly predicted snow, gale
Gale
A gale is a very strong wind. There are conflicting definitions of how strong a wind must be to be considered a gale. The U.S. government's National Weather Service defines a gale as 34–47 knots of sustained surface winds. Forecasters typically issue gale warnings when winds of this strength are...
-force wind and temperatures between 0 to −2 °C, with one night's temperature drop reaching −25°С. Over the next week the daytime temperature was predicted to be between 2°С to -10°С, with a nighttime temperature between −24 and −25 °C. The wind speed was expected to be between 0 and 11 m/s (39.6 km/h). Both ice and avalanche
Avalanche
An avalanche is a sudden rapid flow of snow down a slope, occurring when either natural triggers or human activity causes a critical escalating transition from the slow equilibrium evolution of the snow pack. Typically occurring in mountainous terrain, an avalanche can mix air and water with the...
warnings were issued for a week (to December 2) as heavy snow was predicted for both Primorsky Krai
Primorsky Krai
Primorsky Krai , informally known as Primorye , is a federal subject of Russia . Primorsky means "maritime" in Russian, hence the region is sometimes referred to as Maritime Province or Maritime Territory. Its administrative center is in the city of Vladivostok...
and Amur Krai, but significantly less than expected actually occurred over the week and the storm finally cleared up on 30 November, rather than on December 2.
A powerful storm (probably the earlier one from Primorsky Krai) stalled in the Gulf of Alaska
Gulf of Alaska
The Gulf of Alaska is an arm of the Pacific Ocean defined by the curve of the southern coast of Alaska, stretching from the Alaska Peninsula and Kodiak Island in the west to the Alexander Archipelago in the east, where Glacier Bay and the Inside Passage are found.The entire shoreline of the Gulf is...
on November 25. On the 26th, its wind field produced high tides on the western seaboard. The storm weakened significantly on the 27th and moved towards Southern
Southern California
Southern California is a megaregion, or megapolitan area, in the southern area of the U.S. state of California. Large urban areas include Greater Los Angeles and Greater San Diego. The urban area stretches along the coast from Ventura through the Southland and Inland Empire to San Diego...
California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, bringing heavy rainfall starting early in the morning and causing strong winds. The storm left Southern California and moved on to batter the east coast during the afternoon of Sunday, November 29, 2009. A heavy and snowy cyclone
Cyclone
In meteorology, a cyclone is an area of closed, circular fluid motion rotating in the same direction as the Earth. This is usually characterized by inward spiraling winds that rotate anticlockwise in the Northern Hemisphere and clockwise in the Southern Hemisphere of the Earth. Most large-scale...
hit the Aleutian islands on November 30.
By November 27 heavy rain was moving over the Irish Sea
Irish Sea
The Irish Sea separates the islands of Ireland and Great Britain. It is connected to the Celtic Sea in the south by St George's Channel, and to the Atlantic Ocean in the north by the North Channel. Anglesey is the largest island within the Irish Sea, followed by the Isle of Man...
is set to give some heavy rain then turning to snow over parts of the Peak District
Peak District
The Peak District is an upland area in central and northern England, lying mainly in northern Derbyshire, but also covering parts of Cheshire, Greater Manchester, Staffordshire, and South and West Yorkshire....
, with altitudes above 1000 feet (300 m), dropping over 2 inches (5.1 cm) of snow in some places. This is the usual snowfall for parts of Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, including the West Highlands and the East Highlands.
In the U.K., Cumbria
Cumbria
Cumbria , is a non-metropolitan county in North West England. The county and Cumbria County Council, its local authority, came into existence in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972. Cumbria's largest settlement and county town is Carlisle. It consists of six districts, and in...
's Workington North Temporary Station was official opened on 30 November 2009.
On the 30th overmore than 100 people died as heavy rain flood Jeddah
Jeddah
Jeddah, Jiddah, Jidda, or Jedda is a city located on the coast of the Red Sea and is the major urban center of western Saudi Arabia. It is the largest city in Makkah Province, the largest sea port on the Red Sea, and the second largest city in Saudi Arabia after the capital city, Riyadh. The...
, Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia , commonly known in British English as Saudi Arabia and in Arabic as as-Sa‘ūdiyyah , is the largest state in Western Asia by land area, constituting the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and the second-largest in the Arab World...
. The poorly designed and built local infrastructure and mismanagement of city works construction have been blamed, as well as the effects of Global Warming
Global warming
Global warming refers to the rising average temperature of Earth's atmosphere and oceans and its projected continuation. In the last 100 years, Earth's average surface temperature increased by about with about two thirds of the increase occurring over just the last three decades...
.
December 1–2
On December 1 and 2 heavy rain fell in the British Isles, and into the night, the rain band hit the cold airCold wave
A cold wave is a weather phenomenon that is distinguished by a cooling of the air. Specifically, as used by the U.S. National Weather Service, a cold wave is a rapid fall in temperature within a 24 hour period requiring substantially increased protection to agriculture, industry, commerce, and...
and turned to snow giving about 1 foot (30 cm) on some hilltops and mountains across Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
.
On 2 December, thousands of acres of Irish
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
farmland remained underwater, floodwaters were still rising in some County Galway
County Galway
County Galway is a county in Ireland. It is located in the West Region and is also part of the province of Connacht. It is named after the city of Galway. Galway County Council is the local authority for the county. There are several strongly Irish-speaking areas in the west of the county...
villages and roads in County Clare
County Clare
-History:There was a Neolithic civilisation in the Clare area — the name of the peoples is unknown, but the Prehistoric peoples left evidence behind in the form of ancient dolmen; single-chamber megalithic tombs, usually consisting of three or more upright stones...
and Galway were still impassable. Floods were still in situ across the UK and both bus and train services were disrupted in Essex
Essex
Essex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England, and one of the home counties. It is located to the northeast of Greater London. It borders with Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent to the South and London to the south west...
, Cumbria
Cumbria
Cumbria , is a non-metropolitan county in North West England. The county and Cumbria County Council, its local authority, came into existence in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972. Cumbria's largest settlement and county town is Carlisle. It consists of six districts, and in...
and Pembrokeshire
Pembrokeshire
Pembrokeshire is a county in the south west of Wales. It borders Carmarthenshire to the east and Ceredigion to the north east. The county town is Haverfordwest where Pembrokeshire County Council is headquartered....
. The River Severn
River Severn
The River Severn is the longest river in Great Britain, at about , but the second longest on the British Isles, behind the River Shannon. It rises at an altitude of on Plynlimon, Ceredigion near Llanidloes, Powys, in the Cambrian Mountains of mid Wales...
and River Derwent
River Derwent, Cumbria
The Derwent is a river in the Lake District of the county of Cumbria in the north of England. The name Derwent is derived from a Celtic word for "oak trees"....
were put on flood watch
Flood watch
Flood alerts are issued by weather agencies to alert residents that flood conditions are a possibility for their area.-Types of flood alerts:...
by the Environment Agency
Environment Agency
The Environment Agency is a British non-departmental public body of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and an Assembly Government Sponsored Body of the Welsh Assembly Government that serves England and Wales.-Purpose:...
.
December 3 - January 1
TorontoToronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, Canada was hit by both a cold front and two extreme cold weather warnings between December 3 and January 1. A strong arctic front moved through Alberta from the northwest, bringing from 4 inches (101.6 mm) to 1 foot (10 cm to 30 cm) of snowfall. Winds gusted to 50 mph (80 km/h), causing whiteout and blizzard conditions across most of Alberta. The southern half of the province got the worst of the storm. The winds blew the snow into massive drifts and snow banks up to 10 feet (3m) in height. Numerous communities in Calgary
Calgary
Calgary is a city in the Province of Alberta, Canada. It is located in the south of the province, in an area of foothills and prairie, approximately east of the front ranges of the Canadian Rockies...
were completely snowed in for three days, from December 5 to 7. Numerous cars and trucks were abandoned, with many buried up to their roofs in snow.
December 4–7
Between December 4–7 a heavy snow storm hits CalgaryCalgary
Calgary is a city in the Province of Alberta, Canada. It is located in the south of the province, in an area of foothills and prairie, approximately east of the front ranges of the Canadian Rockies...
and disrupts travel in general Canada.
December 6–14
The December 2009 North American snowstorms were a meteorological event in North America that started on December 11. The snowstorms brought record amounts of snow to the Midwest and contributed to deaths of 16 people. The storms affected a number of US states, including ArizonaArizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
, Wisconsin
Wisconsin
Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...
and New York, as well as Canada. Although the initial storm had virtually subsided by December 11, further snow was expected to fall.
A weak disturbance that started overnight on December 6 stalled over the western United States and intensified rapidly. Heavy downpours began early in the morning of December 7 and continued non-stop until the evening, triggering flash-flood watches. The storm dropped as much as 4.5 in (110 mm) of rain in Cuyamaca, San Diego, causing blackouts in some locations. This storm was followed by a small semi-tropical winter storm which started overnight on December 10 and then stalled over Southern California
Southern California
Southern California is a megaregion, or megapolitan area, in the southern area of the U.S. state of California. Large urban areas include Greater Los Angeles and Greater San Diego. The urban area stretches along the coast from Ventura through the Southland and Inland Empire to San Diego...
and intensified, causing heavy downpours. In addition to 4 inches (101.6 mm) of rain, this storm gave pea
Pea
A pea is most commonly the small spherical seed or the seed-pod of the pod fruit Pisum sativum. Each pod contains several peas. Peapods are botanically a fruit, since they contain seeds developed from the ovary of a flower. However, peas are considered to be a vegetable in cooking...
-sized-hail
Hail
Hail is a form of solid precipitation. It consists of balls or irregular lumps of ice, each of which is referred to as a hail stone. Hail stones on Earth consist mostly of water ice and measure between and in diameter, with the larger stones coming from severe thunderstorms...
and gusty winds before weakening and moving away from Southern California on December 13.
Heavy snow hit Wisconsin
Wisconsin
Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, Washington, D.C. and parts of Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
on the 10th and 14th. Heavy rain hit parts of Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
on the 11th.
December 8–16
Light snow began to fall in the Grampian Mountains on December 8. On the 8th more heavy snow showers followed on the 18th. Heavy overnight snow caused widespread disruption across England in the South East, East Anglia, the East Midlands and Yorkshire and the Humber. East Winds brought further snowfalls in the northern half of the UK.Overnight, five Eurostar
Eurostar
Eurostar is a high-speed railway service connecting London with Paris and Brussels. All its trains traverse the Channel Tunnel between England and France, owned and operated separately by Eurotunnel....
trains were stuck in the Channel Tunnel
Channel Tunnel
The Channel Tunnel is a undersea rail tunnel linking Folkestone, Kent in the United Kingdom with Coquelles, Pas-de-Calais near Calais in northern France beneath the English Channel at the Strait of Dover. At its lowest point, it is deep...
, trapping 2,000 people for 16 hours after electrical failures due to cold temperatures. Many schools in England were closed on the 9th. During the December 2009 European snowfall, four Eurostar trains broke down inside the Channel Tunnel, after leaving France, and one in Kent on 18 December. Although the trains had been winterised
Winterization
Winterization refers to the process of preparing something for an upcoming winter.The term is most commonly used in respect to aquatic play features, fountains, and the like, which must be drained and sealed up so that water inside does not freeze, causing breakage of the pipes in the fountain, or...
, the systems had not coped with the conditions. Over 2,000 passengers were stuck inside failed trains inside the tunnel, and over 75,000 had their services disrupted. All Eurostar services were cancelled from Saturday 19 December to Monday 21 December 2009. An independent review, published on 12 February 2010, was critical of the contingency plans in place for assisting passengers stranded by the delays, calling them "insufficient".
The cold weather began in earnest on December 10, with temperatures in Braemar
Braemar
Braemar is a village in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, around west of Aberdeen in the Highlands. It is the closest significantly-sized settlement to the upper course of the River Dee sitting at an altitude of ....
, Aberdeenshire
Aberdeenshire
Aberdeenshire is one of the 32 unitary council areas in Scotland and a lieutenancy area.The present day Aberdeenshire council area does not include the City of Aberdeen, now a separate council area, from which its name derives. Together, the modern council area and the city formed historic...
reaching a low of −4.9 °C on the 10th, −7 °C on the 11th, and −8.9 °C on the 12th. This was the beginning of the "Big Freeze". Between December 11 and 16, cold air from the north and east brought subzero temperatures to many northern parts of the UK and the southern county of Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire is a county in the South East region of England, bordering on Warwickshire and Northamptonshire , Buckinghamshire , Berkshire , Wiltshire and Gloucestershire ....
, along with dense fog.
December 14–21
A major blizzard killed 11 people in RomaniaRomania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
between December 14 and 21.
Wintery showers of rain, sleet, and heavy snow affected East and South-East parts of the United Kingdom. On 18 December, heavy snowfall caused widespread disruption and travel chaos across large parts of Lancashire
Lancashire
Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...
, South East England
South East England
South East England is one of the nine official regions of England, designated in 1994 and adopted for statistical purposes in 1999. It consists of Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, East Sussex, Hampshire, Isle of Wight, Kent, Oxfordshire, Surrey and West Sussex...
, East Anglia
East Anglia
East Anglia is a traditional name for a region of eastern England, named after an ancient Anglo-Saxon kingdom, the Kingdom of the East Angles. The Angles took their name from their homeland Angeln, in northern Germany. East Anglia initially consisted of Norfolk and Suffolk, but upon the marriage of...
, the East Midlands
East Midlands
The East Midlands is one of the regions of England, consisting of most of the eastern half of the traditional region of the Midlands. It encompasses the combined area of Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Rutland, Northamptonshire and most of Lincolnshire...
and Yorkshire and the Humber
Yorkshire and the Humber
Yorkshire and the Humber is one of the nine regions of England and formally one of the government office regions. It covers most of the historic county of Yorkshire, along with the part of northern Lincolnshire that was, from 1974 to 1996, within the former shire county of Humberside. The...
, forcing schools to close early for the upcoming Christmas holiday and cutting power supplies in some areas. The heaviest snowfall in 20 years also caused temperatures to fall as low as -16 C in the Scottish Highlands.
More heavy snow showers followed on December 18. Heavy overnight snow caused widespread disruption across England in the South East, East Anglia, the East Midlands, Yorkshire, and the Humber. Five Eurostar
Eurostar
Eurostar is a high-speed railway service connecting London with Paris and Brussels. All its trains traverse the Channel Tunnel between England and France, owned and operated separately by Eurotunnel....
trains were stuck in the Channel Tunnel
Channel Tunnel
The Channel Tunnel is a undersea rail tunnel linking Folkestone, Kent in the United Kingdom with Coquelles, Pas-de-Calais near Calais in northern France beneath the English Channel at the Strait of Dover. At its lowest point, it is deep...
after electrical failures due to cold temperatures, trapping 2,000 people for up to 16 hours. Many schools in England were closed on December 18.
Heavy snowfall and sub-zero temperatures killed at least 290 people across Europe. Temperatures fell to as low as -33 C in Germany, suspending and cancelling flights and stranding thousands of Christmas passengers. As many as 40% of flights from Paris's two airports, Orly
Orly Airport
Paris-Orly Airport is an airport located partially in Orly and partially in Villeneuve-le-Roi, south of Paris, France. It has flights to cities in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, the Caribbean, North America and Southeast Asia. Prior to the construction of Charles de Gaulle Airport, Orly was...
and Charles de Gaulle
Charles de Gaulle International Airport
Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport , also known as Roissy Airport , in the Paris area, is one of the world's principal aviation centres, as well as France's largest airport. It is named after Charles de Gaulle , leader of the Free French Forces and founder of the French Fifth Republic...
, were cancelled. Berlin Tegel Airport, Amsterdam's Schipol Airport, and Frankfurt International Airport
Frankfurt International Airport
Frankfurt am Main Airport , or simply Frankfurt Airport, known in German as Flughafen Frankfurt am Main or Rhein-Main-Flughafen, is a major international airport located in Frankfurt, Germany, southwest of the city centre....
were forced to close due to ice on the runway.
Heavy snow fell in both the Russian teritorries of Krasnodar Krai
Krasnodar Krai
-External links:* **...
and in the Russian Far East
Russian Far East
Russian Far East is a term that refers to the Russian part of the Far East, i.e., extreme east parts of Russia, between Lake Baikal in Eastern Siberia and the Pacific Ocean...
on December the 18th. The Far Eastern storm had heavy snow flurries occurred across the Sea of Okhotsk
Sea of Okhotsk
The Sea of Okhotsk is a marginal sea of the western Pacific Ocean, lying between the Kamchatka Peninsula on the east, the Kuril Islands on the southeast, the island of Hokkaidō to the far south, the island of Sakhalin along the west, and a long stretch of eastern Siberian coast along the west and...
, Cape Lopatka
Cape Lopatka
Cape Lopatka is the southernmost point of Kamchatka Peninsula, Russia, with the rural locality of Semenovka at its southernmost point. Cape Lopatka lies about north of Shumshu, the northernmost island of the Kuril Islands...
, Avacha Bay
Avacha Bay
Avacha Bay is a Pacific Ocean bay on the southeastern coast of Kamchatka Peninsula, Russia. It is long and wide , with a maximum depth of 26 m....
, Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky
Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky
Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky is the main city and the administrative, industrial, scientific, and cultural center of Kamchatka Krai, Russia. Population: .-History:It was founded by Danish navigator Vitus Bering, in the service of the Russian Navy...
, Volcanoes of Kamchatka
Volcanoes of Kamchatka
The Volcanoes of Kamchatka are a large group of volcanoes situated on the Kamchatka peninsula. The Kamchatka River and the surrounding central side valley are flanked by large volcanic belts containing around 160 volcanoes, 29 of them still active...
, which a UNESCO World Heritage Site in the Kamchatka Peninsula
Kamchatka Peninsula
The Kamchatka Peninsula is a peninsula in the Russian Far East, with an area of . It lies between the Pacific Ocean to the east and the Sea of Okhotsk to the west...
's Central Range Mountains on December the 18th.
On December 20, 3 people froze to death in Steiermark, Austria, while blizzards hit S.W. Norway. December 21 and 22 saw 20 cm of snow fall in Moscow and nearby towns Temperatures of as low as −20 °C killed 47 people in Poland on December 20. In northern Italy, some locations recorded the lowest temperature since 1985, with one low reaching −17 °C (1.4 °F). Finland, the UK, Belgium, and the Netherlands also recorded record low temperatures.
In the United Kingdom, many major motorways, including the M25
M25 motorway
The M25 motorway, or London Orbital, is a orbital motorway that almost encircles Greater London, England, in the United Kingdom. The motorway was first mooted early in the 20th century. A few sections, based on the now abandoned London Ringways plan, were constructed in the early 1970s and it ...
, M4
M4 motorway
The M4 motorway links London with South Wales. It is part of the unsigned European route E30. Other major places directly accessible from M4 junctions are Reading, Swindon, Bristol, Newport, Cardiff and Swansea...
, M40
M40 motorway
The M40 motorway is a motorway in the British transport network that forms a major part of the connection between London and Birmingham. Part of this road forms a section of the unsigned European route E05...
and M1
M1 motorway
The M1 is a north–south motorway in England primarily connecting London to Leeds, where it joins the A1 near Aberford. While the M1 is considered to be the first inter-urban motorway to be completed in the United Kingdom, the first road to be built to motorway standard in the country was the...
, were brought to a standstill due to snow drifts, cold, and ice, leaving many towns gridlocked. The UK's Highways Agency
Highways Agency
The Highways Agency is an executive agency, part of the Department for Transport in England. It has responsibility for managing the core road network in England...
tried to grit the M11
M11 motorway
The M11 motorway in England is a major road running approximately north from the North Circular Road in South Woodford in north-east London to the A14, north-west of Cambridge.-Route:...
and M1, only to have a gritter van skid off the M11 and into a deep snow drift. Some people were able to travel from London Victoria Station to Ashford International railway station
Ashford International railway station
Ashford International railway station serves Ashford in Kent, England. Services are provided by Southeastern, Southern and Eurostar.International services use platforms 3 & 4, whilst domestic trains use the original platforms 1 & 2, and a new island built when the Channel Tunnel opened...
courtesy of a steam train
Steam locomotive
A steam locomotive is a railway locomotive that produces its power through a steam engine. These locomotives are fueled by burning some combustible material, usually coal, wood or oil, to produce steam in a boiler, which drives the steam engine...
hauled by Tornado
LNER Peppercorn Class A1 60163 Tornado
60163 Tornado is a main-line steam locomotive built in Darlington, England. Completed in 2008, Tornado was the first such locomotive built in the United Kingdom since Evening Star, the last steam locomotive built by British Railways, in 1960...
. Widespread transport disruption to roads, railways, buses, and airports affected much of England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
In Zagreb
Zagreb
Zagreb is the capital and the largest city of the Republic of Croatia. It is in the northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the Medvednica mountain. Zagreb lies at an elevation of approximately above sea level. According to the last official census, Zagreb's city...
, Croatia
Croatia
Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...
, around 50 passengers were injured when a train travelling from Sisak
Sisak
Sisak is a city in central Croatia. The city's population in 2011 was 33,049, with a total of 49,699 in the administrative region and it is also the administrative centre of the Sisak-Moslavina county...
to Zagreb failed to stop due to black ice
Black ice
Black ice, sometimes called glare ice or clear ice, refers to a thin coating of glazed ice on a surface.While not truly black, it is virtually transparent, allowing black asphalt/macadam roadways to be seen through it, hence the term "black ice"...
on the rails and hit a buffer at the city's main railway station
Zagreb Main Station
Zagreb Main Station is the central railway station in Zagreb and the largest railway station in Croatia. It is located in the center of Zagreb, on King Tomislav Square....
. One person suffered life-threatening injuries, while some 40 others required medical attention. A homeless man froze to death in southern Kosovo
Kosovo
Kosovo is a region in southeastern Europe. Part of the Ottoman Empire for more than five centuries, later the Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija within Serbia...
during a localized snowstorm. In Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina , sometimes called Bosnia-Herzegovina or simply Bosnia, is a country in Southern Europe, on the Balkan Peninsula. Bordered by Croatia to the north, west and south, Serbia to the east, and Montenegro to the southeast, Bosnia and Herzegovina is almost landlocked, except for the...
, 3 people were found dead from hypothermia
Hypothermia
Hypothermia is a condition in which core temperature drops below the required temperature for normal metabolism and body functions which is defined as . Body temperature is usually maintained near a constant level of through biologic homeostasis or thermoregulation...
in Sarajevo
Sarajevo
Sarajevo |Bosnia]], surrounded by the Dinaric Alps and situated along the Miljacka River in the heart of Southeastern Europe and the Balkans....
and Teslić
Teslic
Teslić is a town and municipality in north-central Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is situated in the central part of the Republika Srpska entity. Teslić is located on the Usora River.-History:...
.
December 16–19
A powerful nor'easterNor'easter
A nor'easter is a type of macro-scale storm along the East Coast of the United States and Atlantic Canada, so named because the storm travels to the northeast from the south and the winds come from the northeast, especially in the coastal areas of the Northeastern United States and Atlantic Canada...
brought blizzard conditions to the northeastern
Northeastern United States
The Northeastern United States is a region of the United States as defined by the United States Census Bureau.-Composition:The region comprises nine states: the New England states of Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont; and the Mid-Atlantic states of New...
and mid-atlantic
Mid-Atlantic States
The Mid-Atlantic states, also called middle Atlantic states or simply the mid Atlantic, form a region of the United States generally located between New England and the South...
United States, as well as Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the most populous province in Atlantic Canada. The name of the province is Latin for "New Scotland," but "Nova Scotia" is the recognized, English-language name of the province. The provincial capital is Halifax. Nova Scotia is the...
in Canada on the 16th of December. Washington, D.C. received nearly two feet (over 60 cm) of snow, setting a city record for December snowfall. New York City and southern New England
New England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
were forecast to receive over a foot of snow. The snow covered most of New England
New England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
, disrupting travel in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
and Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
as local record low temperatures are recorded as snow falls in Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
on the 17th. Seven people were killed as a result of the storm.
19 December 2009 also saw a meeting of both metrological, provincial and government
Government
Government refers to the legislators, administrators, and arbitrators in the administrative bureaucracy who control a state at a given time, and to the system of government by which they are organized...
al officials from across Eastern Siberia and the neighbouring provinces of Northeast China
Northeast China
Northeast China, historically known in English as Manchuria, is a geographical region of China, consisting of the three provinces of Liaoning, Jilin and Heilongjiang. The region is sometimes called the Three Northeast Provinces...
on how to cope with any future severe storms in southern Sakhalin Island and Heilongjiang
Heilongjiang
For the river known in Mandarin as Heilong Jiang, see Amur River' is a province of the People's Republic of China located in the northeastern part of the country. "Heilongjiang" literally means Black Dragon River, which is the Chinese name for the Amur. The one-character abbreviation is 黑...
Province. 8 people had died on the island by this date
December 20–22
On December 20, nearly a foot and a half of snow fell in parts of Buncombe County and around other parts of North CarolinaNorth Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
, with the highest amounts seen north and east of Transylvania County. This was the most snow seen in the region since 1996. Two feet of snow was recorded on Mt. Mitchell. National Guard units were mobilized to help stranded drivers and clear roads. Red Cross and National Guard shelters were opened in Buncombe, Madison and McDowell counties to accommodate travellers stranded by miles-long backups on the congested and debris-strewn I-40 and I-26. Hundreds of trees and limbs fell under the weight of the snow, blocking roads and leaving tens of thousands without power or phones. On December 22, blizzard conditions also struck Washington, D.C. Snow fall would be widely spread across the north eastern USA and most of the Eastern Seaboard
Eastern seaboard
An Eastern seaboard can mean any easternmost part of a continent, or its countries, states and/or cities.Eastern seaboard may also refer to:* East Coast of Australia* East Coast of the United States* Eastern Seaboard of Thailand-See also:...
.
On December 20 snow near the city of Hanover
Hanover
Hanover or Hannover, on the river Leine, is the capital of the federal state of Lower Saxony , Germany and was once by personal union the family seat of the Hanoverian Kings of Great Britain, under their title as the dukes of Brunswick-Lüneburg...
caused miles-long traffic jams on the Autobahn.
There had been road 50 accidents reported on the stretch of Autobahn, which only has 5-6 accident a day in normal weather. The trains running between Warsaw
Warsaw
Warsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River, roughly from the Baltic Sea and from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population in 2010 was estimated at 1,716,855 residents with a greater metropolitan area of 2,631,902 residents, making Warsaw the 10th most...
and Poznań
Poznan
Poznań is a city on the Warta river in west-central Poland, with a population of 556,022 in June 2009. It is among the oldest cities in Poland, and was one of the most important centres in the early Polish state, whose first rulers were buried at Poznań's cathedral. It is sometimes claimed to be...
were delayed by at least an hour due to snow drifts on the tracks and fallen power lines. The Polish Meteorological Institute predicted the weather would not change for the next few days and temperatures would stay at -10C for the next couple of days. Poland, northern Germany, Scandinavia
Scandinavia
Scandinavia is a cultural, historical and ethno-linguistic region in northern Europe that includes the three kingdoms of Denmark, Norway and Sweden, characterized by their common ethno-cultural heritage and language. Modern Norway and Sweden proper are situated on the Scandinavian Peninsula,...
, Lithuania
Lithuania
Lithuania , officially the Republic of Lithuania is a country in Northern Europe, the biggest of the three Baltic states. It is situated along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea, whereby to the west lie Sweden and Denmark...
and Hungary would all see at least some heavy snow in places that day. Light snow was reported in most parts on continental Europe
Continental Europe
Continental Europe, also referred to as mainland Europe or simply the Continent, is the continent of Europe, explicitly excluding European islands....
and the UK by the 22nd. Twenty-three football matches and two horse races were called off in the UK.
December 21 - January 3
In MongoliaMongolia
Mongolia is a landlocked country in East and Central Asia. It is bordered by Russia to the north and China to the south, east and west. Although Mongolia does not share a border with Kazakhstan, its western-most point is only from Kazakhstan's eastern tip. Ulan Bator, the capital and largest...
, heavy December snowstorms killed 2,000 cattle and 2 people. The worst was between December 21 and January 3.
December 21–22
On December 21 blizzards disrupt New EnglandNew England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
, south western Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
, Düsseldorf
Düsseldorf
Düsseldorf is the capital city of the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia and centre of the Rhine-Ruhr metropolitan region.Düsseldorf is an important international business and financial centre and renowned for its fashion and trade fairs. Located centrally within the European Megalopolis, the...
, Frankfurt
Frankfurt
Frankfurt am Main , commonly known simply as Frankfurt, is the largest city in the German state of Hesse and the fifth-largest city in Germany, with a 2010 population of 688,249. The urban area had an estimated population of 2,300,000 in 2010...
, Bosnia, Serbia
Serbia
Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...
, Paris, the Netherlands and London.
On December 22, a blanket of heavy snow fell upon large parts of Japan and South Korea
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
, causing the deaths of 10 Japanese and 3 South Korean people. Snow was piled up to 184 cm high in parts of Niigata
Niigata Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located on the island of Honshū on the coast of the Sea of Japan. The capital is the city of Niigata. The name "Niigata" literally means "new lagoon".- History :...
. Up to 650,000 homes and businesses lost electricity, and local trains were also halted by the power outage. In Fukui
Fukui Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region on Honshū island. The capital is the city of Fukui.- Prehistory :The Kitadani Dinosaur Quarry, on the Sugiyama River within the city limits of Katsuyama, has yielded the Fukuiraptor kitadaniensis and Fukuisaurus tetoriensis as well as an unnamed...
, two nuclear power
Nuclear power
Nuclear power is the use of sustained nuclear fission to generate heat and electricity. Nuclear power plants provide about 6% of the world's energy and 13–14% of the world's electricity, with the U.S., France, and Japan together accounting for about 50% of nuclear generated electricity...
plants automatically shut down due to technical problems caused by the unusually heavy snowfalls. South Korea deployed several thousand troops to clear highways and remove snow from the roofs of weak buildings after up to a metre of snow had fallen over the past two weeks. Although the storm certainly affected North Korea
North Korea
The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea , , is a country in East Asia, occupying the northern half of the Korean Peninsula. Its capital and largest city is Pyongyang. The Korean Demilitarized Zone serves as the buffer zone between North Korea and South Korea...
as well, no reports are available.
Also on the 22nd, snowstorms hit Leicestershire
Leicestershire
Leicestershire is a landlocked county in the English Midlands. It takes its name from the heavily populated City of Leicester, traditionally its administrative centre, although the City of Leicester unitary authority is today administered separately from the rest of Leicestershire...
and Warsaw
Warsaw
Warsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River, roughly from the Baltic Sea and from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population in 2010 was estimated at 1,716,855 residents with a greater metropolitan area of 2,631,902 residents, making Warsaw the 10th most...
. At the same time, a Winter storm hit Moscow, Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg is a city and a federal subject of Russia located on the Neva River at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea...
, and parts of Tannu Tuva, while a Siberian cyclone started up over Yakutia and headed for Khabarovsk Krai
Khabarovsk Krai
Khabarovsk Krai is a federal subject of Russia , located in the Russian Far East. It lies mostly in the basin of the lower Amur River, but also occupies a vast mountainous area along the coastline of the Sea of Okhotsk, an arm of the Pacific Ocean. The administrative center of the krai is the...
.
December 22–28
Starting on December 22, a large winter storm began moving across the Great PlainsGreat Plains
The Great Plains are a broad expanse of flat land, much of it covered in prairie, steppe and grassland, which lies west of the Mississippi River and east of the Rocky Mountains in the United States and Canada. This area covers parts of the U.S...
and Midwest. It has claimed 21 lives, canceled hundreds of flights and knocked out power across most of West Virginia
West Virginia
West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian and Southeastern regions of the United States, bordered by Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Ohio to the northwest, Pennsylvania to the northeast and Maryland to the east...
. The storm stalled and spun around itself for a few days before continuing northeast. Many parts of the Great Plains experienced heavy snowfall, while places further north such as Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
and Ottawa
Ottawa
Ottawa is the capital of Canada, the second largest city in the Province of Ontario, and the fourth largest city in the country. The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario...
received freezing rain. As the snow and rain subsided on the 27th, it left record rainfalls in Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
to the Upper Midwest. The storm dumped 23.9 in (60.7 cm) of snow in Grand Forks, North Dakota
Grand Forks, North Dakota
Grand Forks is the third-largest city in the U.S. state of North Dakota and the county seat of Grand Forks County. According to the 2010 census, the city's population was 52,838, while that of the city and surrounding metropolitan area was 98,461...
, and 18 in (45.7 cm) near Norfolk, Nebraska
Nebraska
Nebraska is a state on the Great Plains of the Midwestern United States. The state's capital is Lincoln and its largest city is Omaha, on the Missouri River....
. In the East, higher temperatures and rains have started melting and washing away last week's record-setting snowfalls, threatening the region with flooding. The National Weather Service
National Weather Service
The National Weather Service , once known as the Weather Bureau, is one of the six scientific agencies that make up the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration of the United States government...
also of flooding in parts of the South and Midwest, and winter weather advisories
Winter Weather advisory
A Winter Weather Advisory is issued by the National Weather Service of the United States when a low pressure system produces a combination of winter weather that presents a hazard, but does not meet warning criteria. A Winter Weather Advisory is similar to significant weather advisory, but a...
were in effect in sections of Nebraska
Nebraska
Nebraska is a state on the Great Plains of the Midwestern United States. The state's capital is Lincoln and its largest city is Omaha, on the Missouri River....
, Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
, Indiana
Indiana
Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...
and Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
through the Sunday. A man drowned after slipping in to the Kennebec River
Kennebec River
The Kennebec River is a river that is entirely within the U.S. state of Maine. It rises in Moosehead Lake in west-central Maine. The East and West Outlets join at Indian Pond and the river then flows southward...
, near Moosehead Lake
Moosehead Lake
Moosehead Lake is the largest lake in the U.S. state of Maine and the largest mountain lake in the eastern United States. Situated in the Longfellow Mountains in the Maine Highlands Region, the lake is the source of the Kennebec River. Towns that border the lake include Greenville to the south and...
in Maine
Maine
Maine is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east and south, New Hampshire to the west, and the Canadian provinces of Quebec to the northwest and New Brunswick to the northeast. Maine is both the northernmost and easternmost...
.
Over 30 inches (78 cm) of snow fell in South Dakota
South Dakota
South Dakota is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is named after the Lakota and Dakota Sioux American Indian tribes. Once a part of Dakota Territory, South Dakota became a state on November 2, 1889. The state has an area of and an estimated population of just over...
. Several inches of snow also fell in Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...
. In Southern Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, snowsquall
Snowsquall
A snowsquall is a sudden moderately heavy snow fall with blowing snow and strong, gusty surface winds. It is often referred to as a whiteout and is similar to a blizzard but is localized in time or in space and snow accumulations may or may not be significant.-Lake effect snow:When arctic air...
s fed into a cold front
Cold front
A cold front is defined as the leading edge of a cooler mass of air, replacing a warmer mass of air.-Development of cold front:The cooler and denser air wedges under the less-dense warmer air, lifting it...
behind the main low pressure center of the storm to produce a rapid drop in temperatures on December 28.
December 23 – January 1
December 23 to 26 saw heavy snow hit both Primorsky (Primorye) KraiPrimorsky Krai
Primorsky Krai , informally known as Primorye , is a federal subject of Russia . Primorsky means "maritime" in Russian, hence the region is sometimes referred to as Maritime Province or Maritime Territory. Its administrative center is in the city of Vladivostok...
, Khabarovsk Krai
Khabarovsk Krai
Khabarovsk Krai is a federal subject of Russia , located in the Russian Far East. It lies mostly in the basin of the lower Amur River, but also occupies a vast mountainous area along the coastline of the Sea of Okhotsk, an arm of the Pacific Ocean. The administrative center of the krai is the...
, Sakhalin Oblast
Sakhalin Oblast
Sakhalin Oblast is a federal subject of Russia comprising the island of Sakhalin and the Kuril Islands.The oblast has an area of 87,100 km² and a population of 546,695...
and Kamchatka Krai. The weekend saw a migratory cyclone bringing a warm spell and snowstorms reaching Primorsky on the Friday. Heavy snow badly disrupted life in Vladivostok
Vladivostok
The city is located in the southern extremity of Muravyov-Amursky Peninsula, which is about 30 km long and approximately 12 km wide.The highest point is Mount Kholodilnik, the height of which is 257 m...
in December as sleet and gale-force wind occurred on Primorsky Krai's south coast. Over two days, temperatures rose from -4 °C up to -2 °C. On the night of December 26 the strengthening cyclone
Cyclone
In meteorology, a cyclone is an area of closed, circular fluid motion rotating in the same direction as the Earth. This is usually characterized by inward spiraling winds that rotate anticlockwise in the Northern Hemisphere and clockwise in the Southern Hemisphere of the Earth. Most large-scale...
began drifting to the southern coast of Primorsky and over Sakhalin Krai. Snow also fell in Amur Oblast
Amur Oblast
Amur Oblast is a federal subject of Russia , situated about east of Moscow on the banks of the Amur and Zeya Rivers. It shares its border with the Sakha Republic in the north, Khabarovsk Krai and the Jewish Autonomous Oblast in the east, People's Republic of China in the south, and Zabaykalsky...
. President Vladimir Putin
Vladimir Putin
Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin served as the second President of the Russian Federation and is the current Prime Minister of Russia, as well as chairman of United Russia and Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Union of Russia and Belarus. He became acting President on 31 December 1999, when...
visited Vladivostok on the 25th.
Heavy snowfall also began in Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg is a city and a federal subject of Russia located on the Neva River at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea...
, Russia. By 26 December the city was under 35 cm of snow, creating the most December snowfall seen in the city since 1881. A snowstorm also occurred in parts of the Barents sea
Barents Sea
The Barents Sea is a marginal sea of the Arctic Ocean, located north of Norway and Russia. Known in the Middle Ages as the Murman Sea, the sea takes its current name from the Dutch navigator Willem Barents...
.
On December 30 an emergency warning about the passage of another powerful cyclone was issued to all the territories and population centres along Russia's Pacific Coast. The gales, heavy snowfall, blizzards and a sharp fall in air temperatures hit the Sea of Okhotsk
Sea of Okhotsk
The Sea of Okhotsk is a marginal sea of the western Pacific Ocean, lying between the Kamchatka Peninsula on the east, the Kuril Islands on the southeast, the island of Hokkaidō to the far south, the island of Sakhalin along the west, and a long stretch of eastern Siberian coast along the west and...
and the surrounding territories of Primorsky Krai, Sakhalin Oblast, Khabarovsk Krai and Magadan Oblast
Magadan Oblast
Magadan Oblast is a federal subject of Russia in the Far Eastern Federal District. Its administrative center is the city of Magadan....
. The Far Eastern territorial centre of the federal Ministry for Emergency Situations and Civil Defence (E.M.E.R.C.O.M.) warned that the cyclone would produce snow banks, icy conditions on roads, as well as snow bringing down phone and power transmission lines in Primorsky territory. The temperatures reckoned to have fallen near the expected −7 °C. The temperature was that which usually occurs in a Siberian cyclone, when it reaches the Russian Far East
Russian Far East
Russian Far East is a term that refers to the Russian part of the Far East, i.e., extreme east parts of Russia, between Lake Baikal in Eastern Siberia and the Pacific Ocean...
. Forecasters said there was a strong possibility of heavy snowfall and blizzards along the eastern districts of the Khabarovsk Krai, in parts of the Sakhalin Island and on the southern Kuril Islands
Kuril Islands
The Kuril Islands , in Russia's Sakhalin Oblast region, form a volcanic archipelago that stretches approximately northeast from Hokkaidō, Japan, to Kamchatka, Russia, separating the Sea of Okhotsk from the North Pacific Ocean. There are 56 islands and many more minor rocks. It consists of Greater...
December 31 and January 1.
The last week of 2009 saw an Arctic storm bearing down on Sakhalin Island, and local officials told people not to drive their cars outside any city limits and banned the rather dangerous practice of ice fishing
Ice fishing
Ice fishing is the practice of catching fish with lines and fish hooks or spears through an opening in the ice on a frozen body of water. Ice anglers may sit on the stool in the open on a frozen lake, or in a heated cabin on the ice, some with bunks and amenities.-Locations:It is a popular pastime...
, due to the purported death of a Nivkh fisherman
Fisherman
A fisherman or fisher is someone who captures fish and other animals from a body of water, or gathers shellfish. Worldwide, there are about 38 million commercial and subsistence fishermen and fish farmers. The term can also be applied to recreational fishermen and may be used to describe both men...
, until the storm had passed. Nonetheless, dozens of cars were buried in snow and in one village, rescuers dug out 56 cars, freeing 74 passengers and giving aid to those who were haplessly trapped. People in cars that remained stuck were being provided with both water, bread and fuel via snowmobile. The towns of Korsakov
Korsakov (town)
Korsakov is a town in Sakhalin Oblast, Russia. It is the administrative center of Korsakovsky District. Population: 35,079 ; The town is located some south from Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, at the southern end of Sakhalin Island, on the coast of the Salmon Cove in the Aniva Bay.-History:Little is known...
and Poronaysk
Poronaysk
Poronaysk is a town in Sakhalin Oblast, Russia, located on the Poronay River some 288 km north of Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk. It is the administrative center of Poronaysky District. Population: 17,400 ; 17,954 ; 25,971 ....
were worst hit, and parts of the local taiga
Taiga
Taiga , also known as the boreal forest, is a biome characterized by coniferous forests.Taiga is the world's largest terrestrial biome. In North America it covers most of inland Canada and Alaska as well as parts of the extreme northern continental United States and is known as the Northwoods...
forests of fir and birch had been entirely up-rooted and buried by the blizzard conditions.
December 25–30
About 60% of the Italian city of VeniceVenice
Venice is a city in northern Italy which is renowned for the beauty of its setting, its architecture and its artworks. It is the capital of the Veneto region...
was flooded by a heavy rainstorm on December the 25th.
Parts of England again suffered repeated power cuts, and Scotland experienced fresh snowfall overnight on 26–27 December with the worst affected area being Perthshire
Perthshire
Perthshire, officially the County of Perth , is a registration county in central Scotland. It extends from Strathmore in the east, to the Pass of Drumochter in the north, Rannoch Moor and Ben Lui in the west, and Aberfoyle in the south...
, where between 12 and(-) fell.
Temperatures dropped to -18 C in parts of the Highlands overnight on 28–29 December, with Braemar
Braemar
Braemar is a village in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, around west of Aberdeen in the Highlands. It is the closest significantly-sized settlement to the upper course of the River Dee sitting at an altitude of ....
recording Britain's lowest temperature of the winter. Fresh travel warnings were issued on 29 December as the wintry conditions continued to cause problems on Scotland's roads.
The runway of Inverness Airport
Inverness Airport
Inverness Airport is an international airport situated at Dalcross, north east of the city of Inverness in Highland, Scotland. The airport is the main gateway for travellers to the north of Scotland with a wide range of scheduled services throughout the United Kingdom and Ireland, and limited...
was briefly closed because of snow and ice, and ScotRail
ScotRail
ScotRail was a brand name used for all Scottish regional and commuter rail services, including some cross-border services, from 1997 to 2004....
reduced services to and from Glasgow Central because of the severe conditions.
The snow and icy conditions were good for the Scottish ski
Ski
A ski is a long, flat device worn on the foot, usually attached through a boot, designed to help the wearer slide smoothly over snow. Originally intended as an aid to travel in snowy regions, they are now mainly used for recreational and sporting purposes...
industry, which said the weather helped it to experience its best start to the season for several years.
Warnings of heavy snow were issued for Wales, the Midlands, north-west England, eastern and southern England, and Yorkshire and Humber. More snow began falling across parts of Wales and central and northern England on the evening of 29 December, with Wales recording the heaviest of the snow showers where some rural areas were cut off by of up to 30 centimetres (11.8 in). Snow was also reported in parts of the West Midlands region
West Midlands (region)
The West Midlands is an official region of England, covering the western half of the area traditionally known as the Midlands. It contains the second most populous British city, Birmingham, and the larger West Midlands conurbation, which includes the city of Wolverhampton and large towns of Dudley,...
and Yorkshire
Yorkshire
Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...
.
In Italy, December 30 saw hundreds of homes in Tuscany
Tuscany
Tuscany is a region in Italy. It has an area of about 23,000 square kilometres and a population of about 3.75 million inhabitants. The regional capital is Florence ....
evacuated because of flooding and Spain's rescue services were on yellow danger alert after flash floods destroyed roads and landslides swept railways away. Transport Links between Almeria
Almería
Almería is a city in Andalusia, Spain, on the Mediterranean Sea. It is the capital of the province of the same name.-Toponym:Tradition says that the name Almería stems from the Arabic المرية Al-Mariyya: "The Mirror", comparing it to "The Mirror of the Sea"...
, Granada
Granada
Granada is a city and the capital of the province of Granada, in the autonomous community of Andalusia, Spain. Granada is located at the foot of the Sierra Nevada mountains, at the confluence of three rivers, the Beiro, the Darro and the Genil. It sits at an elevation of 738 metres above sea...
, Málaga
Málaga
Málaga is a city and a municipality in the Autonomous Community of Andalusia, Spain. With a population of 568,507 in 2010, it is the second most populous city of Andalusia and the sixth largest in Spain. This is the southernmost large city in Europe...
and Sevilla were severed. Drought-blighted Andalusia
Andalusia
Andalusia is the most populous and the second largest in area of the autonomous communities of Spain. The Andalusian autonomous community is officially recognised as a nationality of Spain. The territory is divided into eight provinces: Huelva, Seville, Cádiz, Córdoba, Málaga, Jaén, Granada and...
has had its fifth day of rain, and Portugal was on orange flood alert. Authorities said the rain had destroyed millions of Euros worth of agricultural produce. The harbours were closed and the Madeira
Madeira
Madeira is a Portuguese archipelago that lies between and , just under 400 km north of Tenerife, Canary Islands, in the north Atlantic Ocean and an outermost region of the European Union...
archipelago islands were also under threat of both flooding and gale force winds, as 110 km/h whipped up six metre high waves.
December 28 - January 3
At least two of the Russian Far East storms stacked up over the Gulf of AlaskaGulf of Alaska
The Gulf of Alaska is an arm of the Pacific Ocean defined by the curve of the southern coast of Alaska, stretching from the Alaska Peninsula and Kodiak Island in the west to the Alexander Archipelago in the east, where Glacier Bay and the Inside Passage are found.The entire shoreline of the Gulf is...
during December 28. Various weather forecasts suggested that one would spread valley rain and mountain snow across Northern California
Northern California
Northern California is the northern portion of the U.S. state of California. The San Francisco Bay Area , and Sacramento as well as its metropolitan area are the main population centers...
and drop up to half an inch of rain across the northern Sacramento Valley
Sacramento Valley
The Sacramento Valley is the portion of the California Central Valley that lies to the north of the San Joaquin-Sacramento Delta in the U.S. state of California. It encompasses all or parts of ten counties.-Geography:...
over the next few days. The National Weather Service
National Weather Service
The National Weather Service , once known as the Weather Bureau, is one of the six scientific agencies that make up the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration of the United States government...
issued a Winter Weather Advisory
Winter Weather advisory
A Winter Weather Advisory is issued by the National Weather Service of the United States when a low pressure system produces a combination of winter weather that presents a hazard, but does not meet warning criteria. A Winter Weather Advisory is similar to significant weather advisory, but a...
warning for the Mount Shasta
Mount Shasta
Mount Shasta is located at the southern end of the Cascade Range in Siskiyou County, California and at is the second highest peak in the Cascades and the fifth highest in California...
area, where forecasters expected 1 to 3 inches (76.2 mm) of snow in town and up to 10 inches (254 mm) above 5000 feet (1,524 m). The second cold front, and its related storm, would bring more rain and high country snow to the north state by New Years Eve or New Years Day.
The blizzards began New Year's Eve
New Year's Eve
New Year's Eve is observed annually on December 31, the final day of any given year in the Gregorian calendar. In modern societies, New Year's Eve is often celebrated at social gatherings, during which participants dance, eat, consume alcoholic beverages, and watch or light fireworks to mark the...
lasted until January 3. It was at its worst on December 31, when an avalanche
Avalanche
An avalanche is a sudden rapid flow of snow down a slope, occurring when either natural triggers or human activity causes a critical escalating transition from the slow equilibrium evolution of the snow pack. Typically occurring in mountainous terrain, an avalanche can mix air and water with the...
derailed
Derailment
A derailment is an accident on a railway or tramway in which a rail vehicle, or part or all of a train, leaves the tracks on which it is travelling, with consequent damage and in many cases injury and/or death....
a diesel locomotive
Diesel locomotive
A diesel locomotive is a type of railroad locomotive in which the prime mover is a diesel engine, a reciprocating engine operating on the Diesel cycle as invented by Dr. Rudolf Diesel...
fitted with a railway snowplough off its railway tracks. The storm continued through 1 January, when three workers sent to repair the damage were swept away by the howling blizzard
Blizzard
A blizzard is a severe snowstorm characterized by strong winds. By definition, the difference between blizzard and a snowstorm is the strength of the wind. To be a blizzard, a snow storm must have winds in excess of with blowing or drifting snow which reduces visibility to 400 meters or ¼ mile or...
that was ripping through Sakhalin Island according to the RIA Novosti news service. One worker was found alive and rescue teams retrieved the body of a second Sunday morning. Things got desperate enough that 140 soldiers were ordered to help dig the train out from beneath 350000 cubic feet (9,910.9 m³) of snow. A local man, Andrei Sukhonosov, trying to return home to the city of Tamari was on the buried train.
Authorities and rescue services in Sakhalin Oblast
Sakhalin Oblast
Sakhalin Oblast is a federal subject of Russia comprising the island of Sakhalin and the Kuril Islands.The oblast has an area of 87,100 km² and a population of 546,695...
were put on alert and warned of a high risk of avalanche
Avalanche
An avalanche is a sudden rapid flow of snow down a slope, occurring when either natural triggers or human activity causes a critical escalating transition from the slow equilibrium evolution of the snow pack. Typically occurring in mountainous terrain, an avalanche can mix air and water with the...
s on the island's numerous hills and mountains. Another avalanche warning was in effect on the 2nd, for Sakhalin Island, due to hazardous levels of snowfall during yet another Siberian snow cyclone and blizzard
Blizzard
A blizzard is a severe snowstorm characterized by strong winds. By definition, the difference between blizzard and a snowstorm is the strength of the wind. To be a blizzard, a snow storm must have winds in excess of with blowing or drifting snow which reduces visibility to 400 meters or ¼ mile or...
, emergency officials said. The authorities in Primorsky and Khabarovsk Krai
Khabarovsk Krai
Khabarovsk Krai is a federal subject of Russia , located in the Russian Far East. It lies mostly in the basin of the lower Amur River, but also occupies a vast mountainous area along the coastline of the Sea of Okhotsk, an arm of the Pacific Ocean. The administrative center of the krai is the...
were also put on alert, just in case things got ant worse. The last two Russian Far East
Russian Far East
Russian Far East is a term that refers to the Russian part of the Far East, i.e., extreme east parts of Russia, between Lake Baikal in Eastern Siberia and the Pacific Ocean...
ern storms dissipated in the Gulf of Alaska
Gulf of Alaska
The Gulf of Alaska is an arm of the Pacific Ocean defined by the curve of the southern coast of Alaska, stretching from the Alaska Peninsula and Kodiak Island in the west to the Alexander Archipelago in the east, where Glacier Bay and the Inside Passage are found.The entire shoreline of the Gulf is...
on January 5 and 6 respectively.
December 29–31
Following the deadly 2009 North American Christmas winter storm2009 North American Christmas winter storm
The 2009 North American Christmas blizzard was a winter storm and severe weather event affecting the Midwestern United States, Great Plains, Southeastern United States, Eastern Seaboard and parts of Ontario. The storm started on December 22, was reported to have claimed at least 21 lives, and...
, a medium-sized nor'easter
Nor'easter
A nor'easter is a type of macro-scale storm along the East Coast of the United States and Atlantic Canada, so named because the storm travels to the northeast from the south and the winds come from the northeast, especially in the coastal areas of the Northeastern United States and Atlantic Canada...
formed in Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
and brought moderate snow to the western portion of the state on December 29. In anticipation of the event Texas Governor Rick Perry
Rick Perry
James Richard "Rick" Perry is the 47th and current Governor of Texas. A Republican, Perry was elected Lieutenant Governor of Texas in 1998 and assumed the governorship in December 2000 when then-governor George W. Bush resigned to become President of the United States. Perry was elected to full...
activated his resources ahead of the winter storm. It then moved through the Southeast and brought heavy rain and freezing rain to higher altitudes. Some snow was reported in Clayton, Georgia
Clayton, Georgia
Clayton is a city in Rabun County, Georgia, United States. The population was 2,019 at the 2000 census. The city is the county seat of Rabun County and is located in the Blue Ridge Mountains.-History:...
but did not accumulate. It then moved quickly up the East Coast of the United States
East Coast of the United States
The East Coast of the United States, also known as the Eastern Seaboard, refers to the easternmost coastal states in the United States, which touch the Atlantic Ocean and stretch up to Canada. The term includes the U.S...
, bringing freezing rain and sleet to the Mid-Atlantic
Mid-Atlantic States
The Mid-Atlantic states, also called middle Atlantic states or simply the mid Atlantic, form a region of the United States generally located between New England and the South...
and moderate to heavy snow to the Tri-State Area (New York, New Jersey, Connecticut). 5 inches (12.7 cm) at the most was reported in White Plains
White Plains, New York
White Plains is a city and the county seat of Westchester County, New York, United States. It is located in south-central Westchester, about east of the Hudson River and northwest of Long Island Sound...
4.5 inches (11.4 cm) in Hartford. It then brought about 2 inches (5 cm) to Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
and southeastern New England
New England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
. Overnight January 1, it strengthened explosively over water and looped back around to create a blizzard
Blizzard
A blizzard is a severe snowstorm characterized by strong winds. By definition, the difference between blizzard and a snowstorm is the strength of the wind. To be a blizzard, a snow storm must have winds in excess of with blowing or drifting snow which reduces visibility to 400 meters or ¼ mile or...
in northern New England. Up to 19 inches (48 cm) was on the ground in Lubec, Maine
Lubec, Maine
Lubec is a town in Washington County, Maine, United States. The population was 1,652 at the 2000 census. Lubec is the easternmost town in the contiguous United States . However, the Aleutian Islands in Alaska extend into the eastern hemisphere, and if territories are included, Point Udall in the...
by Sunday, and on Saturday it moved to southern New England. 13 inches (33 cm) fell in Lexington, Massachusetts
Lexington, Massachusetts
Lexington is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 31,399 at the 2010 census. This town is famous for being the site of the first shot of the American Revolution, in the Battle of Lexington on April 19, 1775.- History :...
making that the most fallen in southern New England in the season. Boston received 9 inches (23 cm). The storm moved into the Labrador Sea
Labrador Sea
The Labrador Sea is an arm of the North Atlantic Ocean between the Labrador Peninsula and Greenland. The sea is flanked by continental shelves to the southwest, northwest, and northeast. It connects to the north with Baffin Bay through the Davis Strait...
by Sunday afternoon, leaving behind a pattern where multiple storms within the broader low undergo cyclogenesis to track north of Newfoundland.
Sportscotland Avalanche Information Service (SAIS) issued warnings about conditions on Scottish mountains on December 30. However, three people died in three large avalanches. Two climbers were killed as a result of an avalanche on Ben Nevis
Ben Nevis
Ben Nevis is the highest mountain in the British Isles. It is located at the western end of the Grampian Mountains in the Lochaber area of the Scottish Highlands, close to the town of Fort William....
, while a man was airlifted from Liathach
Liathach
Liathach is one of the most famous of the Torridon Hills. It lies to the north of the A896 road, in the Northwest Highlands of Scotland, and has two peaks of Munro status: Spidean a' Choire Leith at the east of the main ridge, and Mullach an Rathain at the western end of the mountain...
, a mountain in Torridon
Torridon
Torridon is a small village in the Northwest Highlands of Scotland. However the name is also applied to the area surrounding the village, particularly the Torridon Hills, mountains to the north of Glen Torridon. It lies on the shore of Loch Torridon.Torridon is on the west coast of Scotland, ...
, after getting into trouble, and died in hospital.
Continued icy weather in Scotland on New Year's Eve
New Year's Eve
New Year's Eve is observed annually on December 31, the final day of any given year in the Gregorian calendar. In modern societies, New Year's Eve is often celebrated at social gatherings, during which participants dance, eat, consume alcoholic beverages, and watch or light fireworks to mark the...
led to the cancellation of Hogmanay
Hogmanay
Hogmanay is the Scots word for the last day of the year and is synonymous with the celebration of the New Year in the Scottish manner...
celebrations in Inverness
Inverness
Inverness is a city in the Scottish Highlands. It is the administrative centre for the Highland council area, and is regarded as the capital of the Highlands of Scotland...
amid concerns over public safety. New Year celebrations in other parts of Scotland went ahead as planned. North-east Scotland experienced fresh snowfall during the afternoon and evening of 31 December. For a second time that week Inverness Airport
Inverness Airport
Inverness Airport is an international airport situated at Dalcross, north east of the city of Inverness in Highland, Scotland. The airport is the main gateway for travellers to the north of Scotland with a wide range of scheduled services throughout the United Kingdom and Ireland, and limited...
was closed forcing several hundred passengers to make alternative arrangements. In Batley
Batley
Batley is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees, in West Yorkshire, England. It lies southeast of Bradford, southwest of Leeds and north of Dewsbury, near the M62 motorway. It has a population of 49,448 . Other nearby towns include Morley to the northeast, Ossett to the southeast...
, West Yorkshire
West Yorkshire
West Yorkshire is a metropolitan county within the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England with a population of 2.2 million. West Yorkshire came into existence as a metropolitan county in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972....
2500 gallons (11.4 m³) of water leaked into the local gas network, leaving 400 homes in Dewsbury
Dewsbury
Dewsbury is a minster town in the Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees, in West Yorkshire, England. It is to the west of Wakefield, east of Huddersfield and south of Leeds...
and Batley without gas during sub-zero temperatures. The final homes were reconnected on 7 January.
December 31 to January 5 saw heavy flooding in southern Spain and heavy snow in northern Spain.
The storms' victim count.
The death count finally stood at-| Nation | Fatalities |
|---|---|
| Saudi Arabia | 100 (estimate) |
| Bolivia | 52 |
| Peru | 19 |
| Ecuador | 16 |
| India | 205 |
| Italy | 1 |
| N. Korea | 1 (unconfirmed) |
| Poland | 119 |
| Czech Republic | 1 |
| Pakistan | 29 |
| Slovakia | 1 |
| Hungary | 1 |
| Taiwan | 462 |
| The PRC | 84 |
| Romania | 11 |
| USA | 60 |
| Russia | 11 |
| UK | 27 |
| France | 1 |
| Portugal | 1 |
| Mongolia | 55 |
| Haiti | 5 |
| Austria | 3 |
| Mexico | 9 |
See also
- Winter stormWinter stormA winter storm is an event in which the dominant varieties of precipitation are formed that only occur at low temperatures, such as snow or sleet, or a rainstorm where ground temperatures are low enough to allow ice to form...
- Winter storms of 2008–2009
- Winter of 2009–2010 in EuropeWinter of 2009–2010 in EuropeThe winter of 2009–2010 in Europe was unusually cold. Globally, atypical weather patterns brought cold, moist air from the north. Weather systems were undergoing cyclogenesis from North American storms moving across the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and saw many parts of Europe experiencing heavy...
- 2009 West Africa floods2009 West Africa floodsThe 2009 West Africa floods are a natural disaster that began in June 2009 as a consequence of exceptionally heavy seasonal rainfall in large areas of West Africa....
- Global storm activity of early 2011
- Global storm activity of early 2010Global storm activity of early 2010The global storm activity of early 2010 includes major meteorological events in the Earth's atmosphere from January 1 through to the last day of April, including winter storms , hailstorms, out of season monsoon rain storms, extratropical cyclones, gales, microbursts, flooding, rainstorms and other...
(Jan'-May 2010) - East Asian snowstorms of late 2009
- 2010 Northern Hemisphere summer heat wave
- Global storm activity of 2008Global storm activity of 2008Global storm activity of 2008 profiles the major worldwide storms, including blizzards, ice storms, and other winter events, from January 1, 2008 to December 31, 2008...
- Global storm activity of 2010
- Winter of 1946–1947 in the United Kingdom
- Winter of 1962–1963 in the United Kingdom
- February 2009 Great Britain and Ireland snowfallFebruary 2009 Great Britain and Ireland snowfallThe snowfall across the British Isles in February 2009 was a prolonged period of snowfall that began on 1 February 2009. Some areas experienced their largest snowfall levels in 18 years. Snow fell over much of Western Europe. The United Kingdom's Met Office and Ireland's Met Éireann issued severe...
- Winter of 1990–1991 in Western EuropeWinter of 1990–1991 in Western EuropeThe winter of 1990–1991 was a particularly cold winter in Western Europe, noted especially for its effect on the United Kingdom, and for two significantly heavy falls of snow which occurred in December 1990 and February 1991. Sandwiched in between was a period of high winds and heavy rain which...
- Cyclogenesis
- Jet streamJet streamJet streams are fast flowing, narrow air currents found in the atmospheres of some planets, including Earth. The main jet streams are located near the tropopause, the transition between the troposphere and the stratosphere . The major jet streams on Earth are westerly winds...
- Arctic oscillationArctic oscillationThe Arctic oscillation or Northern Annular Mode/Northern Hemisphere Annular Mode is an index of the dominant pattern of non-seasonal sea-level pressure variations north of 20N latitude, and it is characterized by pressure anomalies of one sign in the Arctic with the opposite anomalies centered...
- North Atlantic oscillationNorth Atlantic oscillationThe North Atlantic oscillation is a climatic phenomenon in the North Atlantic Ocean of fluctuations in the difference of atmospheric pressure at sea level between the Icelandic low and the Azores high. Through east-west oscillation motions of the Icelandic low and the Azores high, it controls the...
- Pacific-North American teleconnection patternPacific-North American teleconnection patternThe Pacific-North American teleconnection pattern is a climatological term for a large-scale weather pattern with two modes, denoted positive and negative, and which relates the atmospheric circulation pattern over the North Pacific Ocean with the one over the North American continent.The positive...
- El Niño-Southern OscillationEl Niño-Southern OscillationEl Niño/La Niña-Southern Oscillation, or ENSO, is a quasiperiodic climate pattern that occurs across the tropical Pacific Ocean roughly every five years...
- Gulf StreamGulf StreamThe Gulf Stream, together with its northern extension towards Europe, the North Atlantic Drift, is a powerful, warm, and swift Atlantic ocean current that originates at the tip of Florida, and follows the eastern coastlines of the United States and Newfoundland before crossing the Atlantic Ocean...
- European windstormEuropean windstormA European windstorm is a severe cyclonic windstorm associated with areas of low atmospheric pressure that track across the North Atlantic towards northwestern Europe. They are most common in the winter months...
- Global storm activity of 2006Global storm activity of 2006Global storm activity of 2006 profiles the major worldwide storms, including blizzards, ice storms, and other winter events, from January 1, 2006 to December 31, 2006...
- Global storm activity of 2007Global storm activity of 2007Global storm activity of 2007 profiles the major worldwide storms, including blizzards, ice storms, and other winter events, from January 1, 2007 to December 31, 2007...