Sunday, February 26, 2012

2012 European cold wave

 This following from Wikipedia is the best compilation I have seen of what has happened to Europe, North Africa and Russia since the Arctic Blast from Siberia hit them all first on January 27th, 2012. 

Cold wave - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

2012 European cold wave

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
link =
 This article may be expanded with text translated from the corresponding article in the German Wikipedia. (February 2012)
Early 2012 European cold wave
Europe land surface tempature anomaly.jpg
A map of the land temperature in Europe between January 25 and February 1
Starting date 27 January 2012
Region affected Europe and North Africa
Effects
Number of deaths 590 [1]
Records
Minimum temperature −39.2 °C (−38.6 °F)
Date 2 February
Location Kuusamo, Finland
The 2012 European cold wave is a deadly cold wave that started on 27 January 2012 and is bringing snow and freezing temperatures to much of the European continent. Over 550 deaths have been reported.[1] Particularly low temperatures hit several Eastern European countries, reaching as low as −35 °C (−31 °F). The heaviest snow was recorded in the Balkan region, and in Northern Europe, as low as −39.2 °C (−38.6 °F).

Contents

 [hide] 

[edit] Countries affected

[edit] Effects

[edit] Eastern, Northern and Western Europe

The northern half of Europe was affected primarily by greater cold and - except for a period of early snow - low precipitation. The snowfall of the third week of January was up to 1 m (3.3 ft) of snow in a few days, particularly affecting Slovakia and Bulgaria. On Sunday, January 22nd, heavy snowfall in northern Námestovo caused an ice rink to collapse under the weight of the snow. In Kuusamo, in the hills of eastern Finland, temperatures of −39.2 °C (−38.6 °F) were recorded on February 2nd, the lowest temperatures in Europe. The village Kvilda in Sumava (Czech Republic) recorded temperatures of −38.1 °C (−36.6 °F) on February 3rd, the lowest temperatures in Central Europe.
Ukraine was especially affected by the onset of cold weather[2][3], at the end of January, the temperatures fell below −30 °C (−22 °F), at the time the snow was at least 30 cm (12 in), on February 3rd over 100 cm (3.3 ft), and by the end of the first week of February, over 130 cm (4.3 ft) was recorded. The Ukrainian government announced that many of the public safety issues it was encountering were related to alcohol abuse in the context of the dangerously cold weather.
The Baltic states also recorded temperatures down to −30 °C (−22 °F). Moscow announced that, since the beginning of the last week of January, night temperatures ranged down to −25 °C (−13 °F).
The Mediterranean coast of southern France was covered in deep snow by the end of January. Corsica was buried under 40 cm (1.3 ft) of snow, and at times there were as many as 14,000 homes without electricity.
In early February, heavy snow pile-ups hit the Helsinki region. Belgium also was surprised by the snowfall. At the same time, the snow reached the British Isles, causing interruptions at London-Heathrow airport where up to 10 cm (3.9 in) of snow impeded many scheduled flights. In Germany, from Magdeburg down, the Elbe-Havel canal became entirely impassable due to ice, as well as the Main-Danube Canal at certain points. The island Spiekeroog had to be sent supplies via aircraft for only the second time in its history: the ferry was unavailable due to heavy ice conditions in the North Sea on February 7th 2012. On the Lake(?) on February 7th, catamaran speed-boat traffic between Friedrichshafen and Konstanz adjusted due to icing of the Constance passenger ship port until further notice. This port hadn't been frozen to a similar extent since the winter of 1962-1963.

[edit] Mediterranean Sea, Danube and Balkan

Italy, the Balkans and the Danube were in addition to cold weather also affected by heavy snowfall; Erfrierungsopfer also report the majority of countries of this area, as well as extensive traffic delays and economic consequences. The cold wave covered the Maghreb in the western Mediterranean, as well as the Aegean, the Turkey and the Levant in the eastern part of the Mediterranean area. Bologna reported on 3 February 25 cm (9.8 in) of snow and Rome solid snow, Fabriano/brands on 7 February, snow up to 80 cm (2.6 ft). Even Turkey, Spain and Portugal fell to low temperatures in early February, the temperature sometimes considerably below the freezing point; snow fell in Mallorca not seen since 1956, and even in Algiers, Algeria, in southern Tunisia in Gabes, it snowed for the first time in 70 years, on 6 February in Tripoli, Libya. In Italy, there was extensive power outages, phased up to 120,000 people were without electricity as well as traffic congestion, where the military are used for snow removal had, in Rome, broke before the weekend of 4/5 February, the traffic completely together. Until the second week of February reigned throughout northern and central Italy tiefwinterliche conditions, particularly in the brand , in Umbria , the Abruzzi and Emilia-Romagna. In Rome, collapsed after the snowfalls of 11-12 February again along the road, at the Fiumicino airport 2,000 passengers had to spend the night in the airport building.

[edit] Europe

Wiki letter w.svg
 Please expand this article.
More information might be found in a section of the talk page. (February 2012)
Winter in Bucharest February 2012.ogv
View of a street in Bucharest on February 13
  •  Armenia – Zvartnots and Shirak international airports are closed due to heavy snowfall.[4]
  •  Azerbaijan – On 8 February, temperature in Baku dropped to −14 °C (7 °F) breaking a 42-year-old record.[5] Baku international airport also suffered a serious problems and had to cancel some flights.
  •  Belarus – Early in the day on 30 Januray, subzero cold spread widely, data accessed by AccuWeather showed.[6] According to meteoinfo.by, on the night Feb 11 - Feb 12 in Brahin temperature dropped to −34.3 °C (−29.7 °F). According to National Agency BielTA, from the January 1st, more than 180 people died in domestic fires. Total number of casualties remain unknown.[7]
  •  Bulgaria – Nearly 150 cm (4.9 ft) of snow has fallen, with one man dying of hypothermia as his car was covered in snow.[8] Meteoalarm issued snow warnings for western Bulgaria, wind warnings for central parts and rain warnings for eastern areas of the country.[9] Temperatures have been consistently under −10 °C (14 °F) for more than a week with a low reading of −30 °C (−22 °F) on two different occasions in Knezha. The wall of the Ivanovo dam in southern Haskovo Province broke, flooding the village of Biser and killing 11 people in addition to inflicting serious infrastructure damage. At least 16 other deaths have been reported throughout the country due to frostbite or exhaustion.
  •  Croatia – As of 6 February, 3 people died,[10] with concerns of many villages being cut off, especially near Vrgorac.
  •  France – On the 6 February, BBC News reported 4 deaths, and 43 regions in France on high alert for 'exceptional' weather conditions. On 11 February, the Six Nations Championship game between France and Ireland, was postponed shortly before kick-off, due to the pitch freezing, as temperatures plummeted beneath −10 °C (14 °F).

Piazza del Popolo, Rome under the snowfall
  •  Italy – Rome experienced a rare intense snowfall, and many of Venice's canals have frozen over, the heavy snowfall occurred also in the Appennines.[11] On 6 February, the Italian rail network may face legal action, due to many passengers being stranded on trains over the weekend. Temperatures plummeted to −21 °C (−6 °F) on 7 February, in the north of the country. At least 54 people have died [12]
  •  Georgia – On the 7 February Georgian press reported that the country was experiencing the coldest winter in nearly 50 years, with important water bodies, such as Mtkvari and Tbilisi sea freezing over. [13]

Tisza River near Szeged, Hungary
  •  Greece – Many homeless people froze to death and a dam on the Evros river burst due to pressure. Temperatures also plummered to −25 °C (−13 °F) in the northwest city of Florina.
  •  Latvia – The lowest temperature was recorded at the Strenči meteorological station, hitting −34.2 °C (−29.6 °F) on 5 February.[14] For several days not a single meteorological station reported a temperature above −20 °C (−4 °F). Because of the severe cold wave, some regions in Latvia experienced a shortage of power supply,[14] an increased number of domestic fires were reported.
  •  Malta – The lowest temperature at grass level was measured at Zebbug. The temperature was that of −2.4 °C (27.7 °F). It was measured on Wednesday. 8 February.
  •  Netherlands – A cold wave was registered in the Netherlands, with a low of −18.9 °C (−2.0 °F) in De Bilt, the lowest recorded since 1956 [15], and a national low of −22.8 °C (−9.0 °F) in Lelystad, the lowest temperature recorded all over the Netherlands since 1985. [16]. A homeless man was frozen to death on February 2. [17] People have been ice-skating on the canals of Amsterdam.
  •  Poland – Early in the day on 30 January, subzero cold spread widely over Belarus, Ukraine, Romania, Bulgaria, Serbia and eastern Poland, data accessed by AccuWeather.com showed. [6] From the January 1st 2012, 103 people froze to death. Fire and Rescue Service reported 360 domestic fires during one night (Feb 11 - Feb 12), and almost 12000 fire accidents this year. Reports state 107 people died in flames with 550 more suffer various degrees of burns. Due to carbon monoxide poisoning 24 people died.[18]

Winter of 2012 in south of Bucharest, Romania
  •  Romania – At least 80 people have died.[19] In some areas, the bitter cold followed heavy falls of snow, among them the late-week dump of 5 m (16 ft)[6] On the 11 February, the Danube was reportedly completely frozen over.

Winter in Volgograd Oblast, Russia
  •  Russia – European Russia experienced widespread subzero cold.[6] The Ministry of Health and Social Development stated on 13 February that the cold had killed 215 people since 1 January.[20]
  •  Serbia – Sjenica set −32 °C (−26 °F), early on the morning of 9 February. In Serbia at least 50,000 villagers have been trapped by heavy snow and blizzards in mountainous areas.[21] Gas supplies are running low.[22] On the 8 February, electricity consumption broke a record, standing at 162.67 million kWh, so the government mandated a shutdown of all non-essential industries and decorative lightning. [23] The death toll has risen to 20. [22]
  •  Spain – Palma, Majorca registered the most important snow episode[clarification needed] since 1956.[24]
  •  Catalonia – Heavy snowfall and winds of 175 km/h (109 mph) were reported in Portbou as temperatures dropped to −23 °C (−9 °F).
  •  Turkey – On the 31 January, heavy snow blanketed Istanbul, covering the Blue Mosque. 102 flights were cancelled at Ataturk International Airport. Nearly 140,000 people made homeless by the 2011 Van earthquake, were reported as struggling to cope with temperatures of −4 °C (25 °F) and over 30 centimetres of snow.
  •  Ukraine – More than 100 homeless people have died as temperatures dropped as low as −35 °C (−31 °F).[21] Gas supplies are running low.[11] The cold led to more than 600 people being treated for frostbite and hypothermia within three days, according to officials. Nearly 24,000 people sought shelter during the same three days, the BBC reported. In western Ukraine, Rivne and Ivano-Frankivsk dipped to −28 °C (−18 °F).[6] Ukrainian health officials stated (on February 16) 151 people had died because of the cold[25], with alcohol regularly a contributing factor[25], the highest number in Europe.[2]
  •  United Kingdom – The Met Office issued a severe weather warning as heavy snow fell across much of the country on 4 February, disrupting roads and flights.[26] Temperatures fell to −11.8 °C (10.8 °F) in the early hours of February 8.[27] More heavy snow fell overnight in England on 9-10 February. On the night of 10–11 February, the temperature in England[specify] fell to −15.6 °C (3.9 °F), the coldest temperatures since Boxing Day in 2010.[28]

[edit] Africa


Winter in Algeria
  •  Algeria – The north of the country awoke to a blanket of snow. The average temperature at this particular time of year being 9 °C (48 °F).
  •  Libya – On the 6 February snow fell down in Tripoli which is a very rare event.[29]

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b "Frost Europe reaps 590 people" (in arabic). al Jazeera. 6 February 2012. Retrieved 11 February 2012.
  2. ^ a b Homeless suffer in icy Ukraine as temperatures sink, BBC News (10 February 2012)
  3. ^ UN to give $100,000 to help Ukrainians suffering from severe cold, Kyiv Post (17 February 2012)
  4. ^ "Snow to continue in Armenia well into night".
  5. ^ "Мировые СМИ пишут о небывалых морозах в Азербайджане" (in Russian).
  6. ^ a b c d e "Europe cold wave turns deadly". AccuWeather. 2012-01-3. Retrieved 2012-02-07.
  7. ^ "Lowest temerature of the past 50 years in Belarus" (in Polish). Retrieved 2012-02-12.
  8. ^ "One dead as heavy snow hits southeast Europe". France24. 26 January 2012. Retrieved 26 January 2012.
  9. ^ "MeteoAlarm warnings for Bulgaria". Meteoalarm. Retrieved 26 January 2012.
  10. ^ "Snijeg prijeti novim kolapsom,hladnoća odnijela treću žrtvu" (in Croatian). 6 February 2012. Retrieved 6 February 2012.
  11. ^ a b BBC news - Freezing Europe hit by Russian gas shortage
  12. ^ "Maltempo: 54 morti dall'inizio di febbraio" (in Italian).
  13. ^ "Tbilisi Sea freezes for the first time in 50 years" (in (Russian)). Itar-Tass. Retrieved 2012-02-07.
  14. ^ a b Elektroapgādes traucējumi tikai 50 mājsaimniecībām tvnet.lv (Latvian)
  15. ^ http://www.knmi.nl/klimatologie/lijsten/koudegolven.html
  16. ^ http://www.nu.nl/binnenland/2732434/laagste-temperatuur-in-27-jaar-gemeten.html
  17. ^ http://www.metronieuws.nl/nieuws/zwerver-doodgevroren-in-wageningen/IWIlbb!3Y7fGK49dbA8Ak9PAy3wuQ/
  18. ^ "Cold wave brings more deaths" (in (Polish)). Retrieved 2012-02-12.
  19. ^ http://www.romanialibera.ro/actualitate/europa/europa-ingheata-590-de-morti-in-urma-valului-de-frig-253337.html
  20. ^ Cold kills 215 people in Russia since Jan. 1, Kyiv Post (13 February 2012)
  21. ^ a b BBC news - Cold weather death toll passes 100 in Ukraine
  22. ^ a b [1]
  23. ^ [2]
  24. ^ Diario de Mallorca. "Palma vive la nevada más importante desde 1956 - Diario de Mallorca". Diariodemallorca.es. Retrieved 2012-02-07.
  25. ^ a b Ukraine's death toll from cold spell reaches 151, Kyiv Post (16 February 2012)
  26. ^ "Heavy snow falling across much of UK". BBC News (BBC). 4 February 2012. Retrieved 4 February 2012.
  27. ^ "UK freezes as night-time temperatures fall". BBC. 8 February 2012. Retrieved 8 February 2012.
  28. ^ "Coldest night of the winter so far". Met Office. Retrieved 11 February 2012.
  29. ^ "Snow in Tripoli, but little chance in Malta".

[edit] end quote from wikipedia

Temperatures are obviously getting better in Europe as you can see by the following map

for February 26th 2012 (today)

Europe temperature map  end quote from Weather.com
Along the top of the map are the co-ordinates of temperatures in both Celsius on top and Fahrenheit on the bottom with what different colors mean. Obviously, with temperatures this high during the day in most places snow is now melting during the day and likely the worst is over in most places.

  

 

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