Снежный апокалипсис в Европе: метровые сугробы в Италии, снег даже на Канарах

Reviews of weather events, natural disasters, astronomical phenomena and wildlife around the world

Heavy snowfalls and low temperatures have hit Europe and even the north of the African continent. Austria, Germany, France, Switzerland, Italy, Spain, Greece, Bosnia and Herzegovina and other countries have suffered from extreme winter weather.

A severe snowstorm has disrupted normal life in the Italian region of Abruzzo in the province of L'Aquila. Traffic has been disrupted throughout the region due to the bad weather. The epicenter of the winter storm was the commune of Campo di Giove, located at an altitude of 1,064 meters. Footage published on social networks shows the streets of Italian cities covered in snow. The snow level is so high that even doorways are blocked. The height of the snowdrifts in some places exceeds 1 m (40 inches), and this is in populated areas, and in mountain forests and on passes it approaches 2 m (80 inches). Local residents complain that even leaving their homes is problematic, and they have to literally dig their way out.

Heavy snowfalls in the French Alps have left almost 50,000 homes without power. Power lines were broken when trees fell and were unable to withstand the weight of the snow that had accumulated on them. The departments of Ain, Savoie, Haute-Savoie and Isère in the southeast of the country were the most seriously affected.
A ski lift motor failure left 240 people trapped at the Super Devoluy ski resort. The department's prefecture reported that none of the skiers were injured: they were all evacuated by helicopter.
The previous evening, the national meteorological service Météo-France introduced a high level of weather danger. Due to heavy snowfalls in the Alps, a warning was issued about the increased risk of avalanches.

Extremely low temperatures and snow were recorded even in northern Africa: in Morocco, Tunisia and Algeria. And also in the Canary Islands, which belong to Spain, but are geographically part of the African continent.
A strong storm brought heavy rainfall, strong gusts of wind, snow and hail to the Canaries. Mountain roads were blocked by snow on the islands of La Palma and Tenerife. Because of this, 20 employees of the Roque de Los Muchachos Observatory were trapped in snow on top of a mountain. The access road to the scientific complex located on the peaks of Garafia is closed and at the moment the observatory is isolated from the outside world.

2024 has become a year of climate shocks for Europe and despite the near end of the year, extreme weather conditions show no signs of abating.

#snow
#Spain
#Italy