Canada Still Hasn’t Seen 20C; Freezing March Across Scandinavia; Deadly Norwegian Avalanches; Monthly Lows Fall In Argentina; + Snow Strikes Northern China

Canada Still Hasn’t Seen 20C

Canada is still waiting on a temperature reading of 20C (68F), with 2014 the last year said benchmark was reached so late.

The forecast says it could happen this week, but a powerful Colorado low will be the dividing line.

According to The Weather Network, Wednesday could see southern Ontario close in on 20C reading; however, the likes of southern Manitoba, for example, will be stuck in winter, grappling with blowing snow and blizzard conditions.

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It’ has been almost’s been 50 days since Winnipeg, Manitoba logged a temperature above freezing.

That cold is set to persist this week, with snow and even blizzards pushing in Tuesday. This April snowstorm means business, concludes The Weather Network — expect more than a foot to accumulate across pockets of NW Ontario and SE Manitoba.


Freezing March Across Scandinavia

Record-breaking cold has gripped Scandinavia in recent weeks.

March 2023 in Finland was exceptionally cold, particularly in the north where average temperature anomalies for the month held as much as -5.2C below the multidecadal norm:


Likewise in Sweden, March 2023 was historically cold, and also very snowy.

Temperature anomalies held -5C below in the North of the country:



Deadly Norwegian Avalanches

Staying in Scandinavia, at least four people have died in Norwegian avalanches following weeks of heavy snowfall.

Authorities are now warning people to stay away from the mountains.

A sieres of avalanches took place in the Troms region of Norway on Friday: Two people died when an avalanche hit a house on Reinøya; another died in the avalanche in Lyngen; while the fourth confirmed death occurred in Nordreisa.

Boats from Redningsselskapet (Norwegian Sea Rescue Society), as well as other small boats aided in the search and rescue attempts after one avalanche swept animals and buildings into the sea. The search for more victims here also continues.

Boats from the Norwegian Sea Rescue Society were among those to help in the rescue. Photo:  Redningsselskapet.
Boats from the Norwegian Sea Rescue Society were among those to help in the rescue. Photo: Redningsselskapet.


Following the tragedies in Troms, the Norwegian Water Resources and Energy Directorate (NVE) is urging people to avoid the mountains. Prime minister Jonas Gahr Støre echoed the calls: “The situation is serious and still unclear. It is now very important to follow advice from the authorities and aid corps not to go out to areas with danger warnings. There is a significant risk of avalanches in several parts of the country,” said Støre.

The situation across Norway, particularly the north, is “highly unstable,” warns the NVE. The threat level has been raised to 4, or extremely high.


Monthly Lows Fall In Argentina

While heat has dominated much of Argentina of late, Autumn has now hit with a record-breaking bang.

Santa Cruz City set three March low temperature records in a row to close out last week, all besting the old mark of -4C (24.8F) set in 1972. Similarly in Trelew, March 31 brought a low of -1.7C (28.9F) which broke the locale’s March record of -1.6C from 2002.

Practically all of Patagonia crashed below 0C (32F) over the weekend, with the cold now extending into April, and also extending northward, too, into the likes of Uruguay, Paraguay, Bolivia and southern Brazil.


Snow Strikes Northern China

Northern China, namely the country’s Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, has been enduring unseasonable snows. A further intensification is expected in the coming days as a fierce cold wave plunges unusually-far south.

To close out the month of March, Lhasa, for example, saw its largest March snow since 2009 (solar minimum of cycle 23).

And looking ahead, the local meteorological bureau is expecting further heavy rains, snows and also an intensification to the cold this week and have advised northern citizens accordingly, to take precautions.

Areas including the Bayannur City, as well as the central and eastern part of Ordos City are forecast blizzards, with precipitation totals here set to break historical benchmarks.

While further north, record-breaking snowfall is already blanketing an extremely wide area. This April, more than 15 stations have busted daily precipitation records, with some spots logging more than 20cm (8 inches) of snow, which is astonishing and also in great contrast to the south’s warmth.

[Jim Yang, on Twitter]
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