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Big snow flakes fell early Friday evening, turning Downtown Boise into a giant snow globe for people on their way home from work. The snow caught many people off guard, including this bicyclist heading down Idaho Street between 8th and 9th around 5:45 p.m. Across the Treasure Valley, tree branches heavy with wet, snow-covered leaves fell on power lines, causing scattered power outages. This is the earliest measurable snowfall in Boise since recordkeeping began in 1898, according to the National Weather Service. At 10 p.m., the Weather Service said 1.7 inches of snow had fallen. The previous earliest recorded snowfall...

A heavy spring snowstorm moved across Colorado on May Day and was expected to dump up to 16 inches of snow in the high country. Wintry weather was blamed for a rash of minor accidents that closed westbound Interstate 70 for about 90 minutes just west of Denver on Thursday. "There's a lot of slide-offs, fender-bender types," State Patrol Master Trooper Ron Watkins said. "There's nothing like serious injuries or anything, but it caused the road to be closed." Watkins said up to 40 cars were involved in minor accidents on U.S. 36 near Lyons, 30 miles northwest of Denver....

It's just as you suspected - this has been the snowiest winter ever in the Ann Arbor area, or at least since 1880 when record-keeping started. And it's not over yet. That's because we're not even into April, a month that normally averages almost 2.5 inches of that pesky white stuff. If this winter continues the way it's been going, we could be in store for more than that. Consider this month. Normally in March, we get about 8.3 inches of snow, said Dennis Kahlbaum, a University of Michigan weather observer. So far in March, with more than a week...

MONTREAL (Reuters) - Several dozen schools were expected to remain shut this week in the Canadian province of Quebec over fears their roofs may collapse under the weight of near record amounts of snow, officials said on Monday. Administrators at Montreal's French-language school board said only 73 of the roughly 200 schools shut since Friday will reopen on Tuesday. Some of the others may not open until after the four-day Easter weekend, which begins Friday. "The objective, of course, is to open the maximum of schools but at the same time to proceed carefully because we want there to be...

Ottawa recovers from near-record snowfallThe Red Cross has set-up cots in the Ottawa airport for the hundreds of people stranded there today, after more than 50 centimetres of snow fell on the capital city during this weekend's massive storm. Meteorologist Paul Delannoy happened to be stuck at the airport, waiting for his wife's flight to arrive. He spoke to CTV Newsnet Sunday afternoon. "There's hardly anything moving at the Ottawa airport," he said. "There are people sleeping everywhere, piles of suitcases and lots of people waiting for in-coming passengers who aren't coming." Ottawa now has had 410.7 centimetres of snow...

Record snow buries Columbus By MATT LEINGANG, Associated Press Writer 52 minutes ago Snow plows and clean-up crews were to continue working overtime Sunday to dig out of a record-setting snow storm that buried Ohio's capital city and many parts of Ohio and Indiana. The heavy winter storm dumped more than 20 inches of snow on Columbus on Saturday, while blizzard conditions shut down highways and stranded air travelers in the region. The storm eventually swept into the East Coast, battering Pennsylvania and New Jersey with a line of thunderstorms. By early Sunday, tens of thousands were left without electric...

Milford Police: We're Enforcing LawMILFORD, N.H. -- Milford police are pulling over drivers who do not brush snow off their vehicles. Police said they have pulled over 300 drivers in the past couple of weeks. Every driver was given a written or verbal warning except one who was given a court summons because he had only cleared half his windshield. "People are surprised," Capt. Stephen Toom said. "They weren't aware of the law. And that's part of the reason we're doing it, is to make people aware of the law." New Hampshire passed the law in memory of Jessica Smith...

Drought, snow affect one sixth of arable land (Xinhua) Updated: 2008-02-24 18:33 BEIJING - Drought and snow has affected about 22.9 million hectares of China's arable land, more than one sixth of the total. A severe drought that began last winter had affected 11.1 million hectares in north China, said the State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters on Sunday. Meanwhile, in south and east China, freezing temperatures and heavy snow and sleet hit 11.8 million hectares, according to the Ministry of Agriculture. More than one sixth of China's arable land, which stood at 121.8 million hectares in mid-2006, has...

Heavy snowfall left about 200 villages cut off across Greece Monday and forced airport authorities to cancel dozens of flights. Civil defense authorities were on alert, and problems with power and water supply were reported across the country as Greece was gripped by the second day of a winter storm. Schools and universities were shut throughout the greater Athens area and in many other parts of Greece. About 200 villages, most on the southern island of Crete, were cut off by the heavy snowfall. Between four to six inches of snow blanketed the center of Athens, an unusual occurrence in...

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) - Heavy snow and slush has forced officials at Kansas City International Airport to close and cancel numerous flights. Airport spokesman Joe McBride says the runways were closed around 6:30 a.m. Sunday when testing showed conditions were too slick to safely operate planes. The airport sees about 440 flights a day. Four inches of snow had fallen at Kansas City International as of 10 a.m. Forecasters predict snow will continue well into the afternoon.

China has had its hardest winter in decades, with even the southern provinces blanketed in snow, sleet, ice, and fog for the last several weeks. The lengthy winter storms and unusually cold temperatures have brought China to a standstill, as the central government got caught unprepared for it: Chinese weather experts have admitted that they were not properly prepared for the snow storms that have left hundreds of thousands stranded. The cold weather seen in recent weeks has been the worst to hit central and southern provinces in decades. Officials have blamed freak conditions, but on Monday the head of...

In Idahna, Ore., there is so much snow, residents' roofs are starting to collapse. The mayor has requested that Oregon Governor Ted Kulongoski declare the area a state of emergency and send help. Eighteen inches of snow fell in the last 24 hours on top to 6 feet of snow already there, Idahna Mayor Karen Clark said Sunday. There is literally nowhere to put the snow. "We have buildings with snow on them in danger of collapsing. Snow around doors in danger of bursting, some homes have already sustained damage," Clark said. The town does not have the resources to...

Tanks sent to deice storm-affected highways (Xinhua) Updated: 2008-02-03 19:30 CHAOHU, Anhui -- The Chinese army has sent out tanks to clean the icy expressways in eastern Anhui Province. Tanks roll on the Beijing-Zhuhai Expressway to deice the snow- and ice-covered road surface as soldiers shovel snow in Chenzhou, Central China's Hunan Province, February 3, 2008. [Xinhua] Two tanks have finished their work Sunday, deicing 110-km surface of two expressways in the province, said military sources here Sunday. Traffic on the Hefei-Anqing and Hefei-Wuhu expressways had suffered heavy snow in the past week with thousands of vehicles stranded. The tanks...

CRAIG STEPHEN'S THIS WEEK IN CHINA The repercussions of China's big chill Commentary: Investors may want to weather-proof By Craig Stephen Last update: 6:00 p.m. EST Feb. 3, 2008 HONG KONG (MarketWatch) -- As the weather in China sends investors and the general population diving for cover, watch out for opportunities in the big chill. Blame it on the weather. That would seem the obvious response to the chaos in China as the country grinds to a halt under the worst freeze and snow in 50 years. The current La Nina cycle, characterized by unusually cold ocean temperatures in the...

Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao has urged people to "have faith" that some of the worst snow storms in 50 years can be overcome, state media says. Mr Wen called the extreme weather a "severe natural disaster" as he travelled to Hunan province, one of the worst-affected. The weather has caused travel chaos and left thousands of people stranded. One woman has been trampled to death in the southern city of Guangzhou, in a stampede to board a train. Another southern city, Chenzou, has reportedly had no power for a week, and many of its 4m resident have also been...

BEIJING, Feb. 2 (Xinhua) -- As of midnight Friday, the People's Liberation Army (PLA) of China had deployed 306,000 soldiers to combat the effects of the snow in the southern parts of the country, a military source said. About 1.07 million militia and army reservists were participating in the weather relief effort, the PLA's emergency response group told Xinhua. The PLA currently has 2.3 million troops. Irregular tactics, including shooting power lines with submachine guns to shatter the ice, and resorting to tanks to crush ice on the road, were used frequently by soldiers. In the southern city of Guangzhou,...

Death and chaos in blizzard Britain Daniel Foggo EMERGENCY services were at full stretch yesterday coping with the devastation caused by a blast of wintry weather that stranded hundreds of motorists, cut power to thousands and brought havoc to shipping. At least one person died as a result of the weather that brought sub-zero temperatures, gales and blizzards across large parts of Britain. A 20-year-old mother was killed near Aberdeen after the car she was travelling in with her young daughter and boyfriend flipped over on an icy road on Friday night. She was cut from the wreckage and pronounced...

/begin my translation Snow-covered Taklamakan Desert Snow-covered Taklamakan Desert in Xinjiang Autonomous District of China on Jan. 19. National Weather Observatory located in the middle of the desert announced that it had the record snowfall in recent five years which started the day before. [Luntai(Xinjiang Autonomous District, China) = Xinhua/Newsis] /end my translation

128 Million Square Kilometers Were Covered By Snow At China Source:China Meteorological News Press According to CMA meteorological satellite remote sensing monitoring for snow cover, up to January 28, the total area covered by snow at 15 provinces (autonomous regions and municipalities) is 128.21 million square kilometers. More than 90% of Shanghai, Jiangsu, Anhui, Henan, Hubei and Shannxi were covered by snow. The depth of snow cover at central Anhui and south Jiangsu is 30~45 cm and some areas even reached 50 cm. China suffered rare and sustained low temperature, rain, snow and freezing weather since January 10. Experts said...

Battle with heaven - therein lies endless joy Armored car crushes down ice covered the road at Lujiang section of He'an Highway in Lujiang, east China's Anhui Province, Feb. 1, 2008. An armonred car was ordered to deice thick ice covered the road due to continuous icy weather in recent days. (Xinhua Photo) Armored car crushes down ice covered road at Lujiang section of He'an Highway in Lujiang, east China's Anhui Province, Feb. 1, 2008. An armonred car was ordered to deice thick ice

China says snow storms have killed 60, caused US$7.5 billion in damage By CHRISTOPHER BODEEN,Associated Press Writer AP - Saturday, February 2 BEIJING - Snow storms that have battered many parts of China over the last three weeks have killed at least 60 people and caused billions in damage, the Civil Affairs Ministry said Friday. ADVERTISEMENT The storms have already crippled transportation during China's biggest holiday travel season, leaving people stranded in cars on frozen highways, without heat and lights in homes and fighting each other for rare train seats. The freakish weather is China's worst in five decades and...

A major rescue operation is under way after 130 cars became stranded by a blizzard on a remote road in the north of England. Motorists were caught out by heavy snowfall that hit parts of County Durham and Cumbria. They were left stranded in their cars on the A66, around five miles outside of Bowes, near Barnard Castle, County Durham, because of the worsening weather. Among those rescued from the road, which was closed between Scotch Corner and Brough, was a group of 40 pensioners. The decision to close the road was taken by the Durham and Cumbria forces after...

JERUSALEM - A rare snowstorm swept the Middle East on Wednesday, blanketing parts of the Holy Land in white, shutting schools and sending excited children into the streets for snowball fights. The weather in Jerusalem topped local newscasts, eclipsing a government report on Israel's 2006 war in Lebanon. Men in long Arab robes pelted each other with snowballs in the Jordanian capital, Amman, and the West Bank city of Ramallah, seat of the Palestinian government, came to a standstill. "I'm originally from Gaza where snow never falls," said Bothaina Smairi, 28, who was out in Ramallah taking photographs. "The white...

China Snow Crisis Shows Vulnerability Wednesday January 30, 5:03 am ET By Elaine Kurtenbach, AP Business Writer Impact of China's Snow Crisis Spreads, Highlighting Weaknesses of Booming Economy SHANGHAI, China (AP) -- China's financial capital saw fresh snowfall Wednesday as the impact of unusually wintry weather deepened, highlighting the vulnerabilities of the country's booming economy. Heavy snows in recent days have stalled shipments of food and fuel, complicating authorities' efforts to combat a spike in inflation. "The snowstorm came at the worst time," Jing Ulrich, chairman for China equities for JPMorgan Securities. "In the first quarter, we're going to see...

GUANGZHOU, China (Jan. 28) - Snow and ice storms have stranded hundreds of thousands of people - most of them migrant workers hoping to leave for the Chinese New Year - and more blizzards threatened Monday to wreck what for many is a rare chance to see family. The government pledged Monday to increase the output of gasoline, coal and power to ease shortages amid the severe winter weather, which has forced rationing in some areas, the Xinhua News Agency said.

BEIJING, China (CNN) -- Chinese workers and army soldiers were racing to sweep snow-covered highways and unclog railway routes for millions of travelers trapped by cold weather. More than 67 million people have been affected by the weather and economic losses are expected to reach as much as $3 billion, Chinese officials say. Blizzards have snapped power lines and destroyed houses and farmland, prompting fears of food and energy shortages. Twenty-four people have died and some 827,000 people have been evacuated in 14 different provinces, the Ministry of Civil Affairs said Monday. In the past week, the snowstorms have hit...

...ACCUMULATING SNOW CONTINUES TONIGHT... .SNOW WILL CONTINUE ACROSS SOUTH CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST WISCONSIN TONIGHT. A BAND OF HEAVY SNOW IS LIKELY FOR DODGE...WASHINGTON AND OZAUKEE COUNTIES WHERE UP TO 12 INCHES OF SNOW COULD FALL BY TUESDAY MORNING

Hallie Faust, 5, of Palo Alto, Calif., plays during a rare snowfall in Saratoga, Calif., Monday, Jan. 21, 2008.

York County, S.C. -- Despite the threat of another winter storm overnight Friday, voters in York County are ready for the first-in-the-south primary Saturday. The election commission there is making back-up travel plans to guarantee precinct captains get to the polling places. Voters seem adamant about getting to the polls and voicing their opinions. "We need a president who's gonna turn the situation around that we have," said voter Shelli Rainey. "I think we all need a good Republican, a good Democrat, whoever wins it. You know we need some good leadership in this country," said voter Danny Artis. The...

There have been a number of deaths and considerable damage to crops in the Middle East as temperatures in the region have fallen to exceptional lows. Local reports say that 10 people died in Saudi Arabia after snowfalls. In Syria, temperatures have dropped to minus 16 degrees Celsius. There has been widespread damage to crops in Syria, Jordan and Israel. There has also been snow in the Iraqi capital Baghdad for the first time in living memory. The Middle East is a region used to extremes of temperature - but not ones like these. Kuwaiti meteorologists are eagerly watching thermometers...

Blizzard Warning West Slope Northern Sierra Nevada (California) URGENT - WINTER WEATHER MESSAGE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SACRAMENTO CA 613 AM PST THU JAN 3 2008 ...A SERIES OF POWERFUL STORMS EXPECTED TO HIT THE INTERIOR OF NORTHERN CALIFORNIA LATE TODAY THROUGH SUNDAY... .THE FIRST IN A SERIES OF STRONG STORMS IS FORECAST TO IMPACT INTERIOR NORTHERN CALIFORNIA LATE TODAY INTO FRIDAY MORNING BRINGING RAIN...WIND AND MOUNTAIN SNOW. A SECOND EVEN MORE POWERFUL STORM IS FORECAST TO MOVE THROUGH THE AREA WITH HEAVY SNOW AND DANGEROUSLY HIGH WINDS ON FRIDAY. THE POWERFUL WINDS AND HEAVY SNOW ARE LIKELY TO CREATE WHITEOUT...

http://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/14948423/detail.html DENVER -- Blowing snow and avalanche danger forced the Colorado Department of Transportation to close Interstate 70 from just west of Denver all the way to Vail. It is expected to remain closed until at least noon. Snip New Year's Eve temperatures at midnight were expected to range from 8 degrees in Denver to 3 degrees below zero in Vail to 30 below zero in Alamosa

Major Storm Causes Swath of BlackoutsBy CARRIE ANTLFINGER Associated Press Writer December 23. 2007 2:10PM Joshua Crowe, 28, uses a push broom to get his car out of the snow on Saturday Dec. 22, 2007, in Wichita, Kan. Parts of Kansas have been blanketed with snow for the second weekend in a row. (AP Photo/The Wichita Eagle, G. Marc Benavidez) MILWAUKEE Highways were hazardous for holiday travelers Sunday and thousands of homes and businesses had no electricity in the Midwest as a storm blew through the region with heavy snow and howling wind. At least eight deaths had been blamed...

OKLAHOMA CITY - Another wintry blast was forecast Friday for the nation's midsection, where 355,000 homes and businesses were still without power, while the Northeast dug out from heavy snow before it gets a second hit Saturday. Crews in Oklahoma, Kansas and Missouri worked overtime to get power back before the second storm hits later Friday. The system could complicate restoration efforts to the some 355,000 homes and businesses in Oklahoma, Kansas and Missouri still without power after the first storm darkened 1 million customers at its height earlier this week.

PORTLAND - The first major winter storm to sweep across Maine this season was farther out to sea than expected, reducing snowfall totals, but there was still plenty of the white stuff to clean up on Tuesday, officials said. Portland tied the record for the date set in 1890 with 8.5 inches of snow on Monday, according to Bob Marine of the National Weather Service. Elsewhere, Marshfield in Washington County had 18 inches of snow, Lakeville in Penobscot County 17 inches, Island Falls in Aroostook County 16, Brassau Lake near Moosehead 15.7, Farmington 14.7 inches and Andover 13, the weather...

Global Warming Vote on Snowy Day in Washington: Senate committee debates expensive climate change bill as two inches of snow blanket D.C. Nothing inspires taking on the “planetary emergency” of global warming like the first snow of the winter in Washington, D.C. As two inches of snow accumulated outside the U.S. Capitol, the Senate’s Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee debated “historic” global warming legislation sponsored by Sens. John Warner (R.-Va.) and Joe Lieberman (I.-Conn.). “We look around right now and see the snow on the trees – standing out here and say ‘Where is global warming when you need...

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) ―- Snow and ice plastered a wide area of the Midwest on Saturday, disrupting campaigning by presidential hopefuls, making highways hazardous and closing Des Moines' airport. The National Weather Service posted winter storm and ice warnings across parts of Nebraska, Iowa, Minnesota, Wisconsin, the eastern Dakotas, Illinois and northern Michigan, although some warnings were lifted by midday. Six to 16 inches of snow was forecast in parts of Minnesota. Much of Iowa was hit by snow, sleet and freezing rain. Officials decided to close Des Moines International Airport after a United Airlines plane slid off a...

GRAY, Maine -- The National Weather Service is calling for significant snow for the mountains and foothills of western Maine and New Hampshire Friday into Friday night. By the time the snow tapers to snow showers on Friday night, forecasters said they expect 4 to 8 inches will have fallen across the mountains, with 3 to 6 inches in the foothills.

Denver did a fair impersonation of Chicago Wednesday. It was the windy city all over the place as a late spring storm moved into Colorado, bringing high winds to much of the state including the Front Range, and measurable snow to mountain locations. Gusts of up to 55 miles per hour swept across Denver and the Front Range, kicking up dust and causing difficult driving for high-profile vehicles. The high winds caused some flight cancellations at Denver International Airport. 2 to 4 inches of snow was forecast for some locations. Snow fell along the Continental Divide and at the Eisenhower...

If you havent seen this powerful documentary, better watch or download it ASAP before Google pulls it again. It explains how Carbon Dioxide actually trails global temperature increase and does not lead (cause)it. I know it's been posted here before, but Google keeps pulling it.

Colder air is now moving in...the rain has shifted southward. The threat of flooding will diminish overnight. The Flood Watch remains in effect through Midnight. The Problem spots that we are watching due to Ice Jams are the following: Mettawee River-Granville Canajoharie Creek Mohawk River...Especially Ft. Plain Area A Heavy Snow Warning is in Effect for the Capital Region from 10AM Friday 'til 2pm Saturday. A Winter Storm Watch in Effect for the Adirondacks. A storm system will be developing on the North Carolina and the Virginia Coast around Daybreak. Snow will break out near Kingston around 7am and slowly...

Snow-laden western New York braced for another wintery onslaught Wednesday as storms closed schools, menaced motorists and knocked out power in communities from the Midwest to the Northeast. The storms were blamed for at least one death in Ohio. New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer activated elements of the state Army National Guard to assist in removing the massive amounts of snow in Oswego County on Lake Ontario and to prepare for other missions as needed. Last Thursday, the governor declared a state disaster emergency for Oswego County and other areas battered by lake-effect snows since Feb. 2. ............. U.S. House...

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF NORTHEAST GEORGIA...PIEDMONT NORTH CAROLINA...WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA AND UPSTATE SOUTH CAROLINA.

It's been snowing all day in Anchorage and it's still coming. A combination of snow, fog and ice contributed to more than 100 cars becoming stuck in ditches and snow berms across the city. The Anchorage Police Department said accidents occurred at a pace of a collision every 10 minutes today. A snow advisory remains in effect and the job of digging out is only beginning. Midtown resident Linda Rinard just returned from vacation. "I just flew in at 9:00 a.m. from Las Vegas; two weeks and sunny Las Vegas," she said. Sherri Stein picked up Rinard from Ted Stevens...

DENVER - A fleet of small planes canvassed snow-covered roads in Colorado on Sunday, searching for stranded travelers after a powerful winter storm piled drifts up to 10 feet high across much of the Plains. National Guard troops have rescued 44 people from the storm, which buried the foothills west of Denver with more than 2 feet of snow. More than 650 people spent Saturday night in shelters, officials said. The storm that had once stretched nearly from Canada to Mexico was still dumping snow Sunday from Minnesota to Kansas. Colorado Gov. Bill Owens, who declared a statewide emergency for...

As if Colorado residents don't have enough snow to dig out from, one resident is offering more for a price on eBay. Starting bids were holding steady Friday at 99 cents for snow from "Blizzard I and Blizzard II" being offered by Mary Walker. She and husband, Jim, got the idea for selling snow after shoveling mounds from two storms a week apart that together dumped more than 4 feet along the Front Range. "I figured eBay has ghosts and all sorts of weird stuff, so why not snow?" said Walker, who teaches business workshops on employee communications. How much...

A major snowstorm blew across Colorado toward the Plains on Wednesday, canceling hundreds of airline flights for holiday travelers and shutting down major highways in parts of four states. The National Weather Service posted blizzard warnings for most of eastern Colorado and adjoining sections of Nebraska and Kansas. A day earlier, the storm had pummeled New Mexico with up to a foot of snow. Two feet of snow was possible in the foothills just west of Denver, with 2 to 3 feet a possibility farther north. Up to 20 inches could accumulate on the Plains of eastern Colorado and wind...

A seven-year-old German Shepherd-Timberwolf mixed dog named Shana is quite a canine hero in Alden as the story spreads of her efforts to save her owners during the October surprise storm.

CHICAGO - The season's first major snowstorm marched across the Plains and Midwest on Friday, slopping up highways, shuttering schools and knocking out power to more than 2 million homes and businesses. A plane slid off a runway in Chicago, and at least three deaths were blamed on the storm, which was moving northwest through Illinois, Michigan and Wisconsin on a path to Canada. Fifteen inches of snow was reported in Peru, 80 miles west of Chicago, and Kenosha, Wis., had more than 16 inches. Charles Parker, 38, happily operated his snow blower in Milwaukee. "I just got this baby...