User:Rev-san/Subpages/March 2013 European snowfalls
March 2013 saw a series of heavy snowfalls, the resulting buildup of snowdrifts by high winds caused widescale disruption across Europe, causing vehicles to stuck on major highways and railways, and significant power lines to fail. Among the affected countries were France[1], the United Kingdom[1], Germany[1], Belgium[1], the Netherlands[1], Poland[2][3], Hungary[2][4][3], Slovakia[2][4][3] and Romania. In the case of Hungary, the government declared a state of emergency, and ordered military and counter-terrorism forces (TEK) to help with relief efforts.
Weather and effects in Western Europe
[edit]France
[edit]Northern France was hit by heavy snow beginning on the 11 March, wih Meteo France warning of "dangerous weather of an exceptional intensity".[5] Snowfall across Normandy, Brittany and Picardy was up to 40cm deep and drifting in 100 kmh winds. Eurostar suspended its cross-channel services between Paris and London.[5]
The storm also hit the Channel Islands, producing 8 foot high drifts on Guernsey with blizzards described as the worst since 1979 according to the Jersey Met Office.[6]
United Kingdom
[edit]The south-east of the United Kingdom was also suffered disruption from the 11 March snowfall, with motorists experiencing disruption in Kent and Sussex.[7] On 22 March the UK saw another snowfall described as the worst March snowfall in 30 years, with North-west England, south-west Scotland and Northern Ireland worst affected.[8]
Germany
[edit]Weather and effects in Central and Eastern Europe
[edit]Ukraine
[edit]23 March brought heavy snow to Ukraine with the normal monthly amount of snow falling in just 24 hours. A state of emergency was declared with the military using armoured personnel carriers to drag busses out of snow drifts.[9]
Sources
[edit]- ^ a b c d e Michael Mainville (13 March 2013). "Winter snowstorm batters northwest Europe". Yahoo! News UK website. AFP. Archived from the original on 17 March 2013. Retrieved 17 March 2013.
- ^ a b c "Hungary sends in tanks as cold snap grips Eastern Europe". Reuters UK website. Reuters UK. 15 March 2013. Archived from the original on 17 March 2013. Retrieved 17 March 2013.
- ^ a b c Nick Thorpe (15 March 2013). "Hungary uses tanks to reach snowbound motorists". BBC News website. BBC News. Archived from the original on 17 March 2013. Retrieved 17 March 2013.
- ^ a b Pablo Gorondi (15 March 2013). "Hungary: Snowstorm strands thousands in their cars". The Huffington Post website. AP. Archived from the original on 17 March 2013. Retrieved 17 March 2013.
- ^ a b Spencer, Mimosa (12 March 2013). "Snow, Ice Disrupt Transport in Paris, Northern France". Dow Jones Newswires. Retrieved 25 March 2013.
- ^ Pugh, Tom (11 March 2013). "Worst weather for 30 years: Jersey blizzards prompt potato fears". The Independent. Retrieved 25 March 2013.
- ^ Angwin, Richard (12 March 2013). "Snow hits France and UK". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 25 March 2013.
- ^ Barret, David; Robert Mendick; Patrick Hennessy (23 March 2013). "Worst March snow for 30 years brings chaos". The Telegraph. Retrieved 25 March 2013.
- ^ "Ukraine army tackles snow chaos amid Kiev emergency". BBC News. 25 March 2013. Retrieved 25 March 2013.