Seville, Other Spanish Cities, See First Snowfall In 50 Years Or More - AFP

[hatrack]

EDIT

As villages in parts of north-east Germany remained cut off from the outside world by giant snowdrifts, authorities sounded the alert in 18 regions across central and northern Spain in anticipation of further snow and icy temperatures.

More than 270 flights were cancelled at Madrid-Barajas airport, while neighbouring Portugal also struggled to cope with snowfall which caused the closure of around 50 main roads. Scores spent the night stuck in their vehicles.

The southern Spanish city of Seville, which normally enjoys temperatures in January of around 15 degrees Celsius (59 degrees Fahrenheit), shivered under its first snowfall in half a century.

So many people called friends and family to alert them to the rare snowfall that the mobile phone network in the region briefly collapsed, local media reported. Classes were cancelled for more than 160,000 children across Spain because of the ice and snow.

EDIT

http://www.terradaily.com/reports/Snow_hits_southern_Spain_as_big_freeze_sweeps_Europe_999.html

[amborin]

1. hope this doesn't make any uninformed dismiss global climate change

too many people think it's only a matter of warming

[depakid]

2. First snow day in 50 years!

I bet that a lot of people there had never even seen snow.

[amborin]

3. union of concerned scientists on snow and cold:

"WASHINGTON - January 8 - Recent heavy snow storms and cold weather have prompted some commentators to suggest that a cold winter proves global warming isn’t really happening.

Don’t let those naysayers snow you.

A few snow storms, cold snaps or even heat waves do not prove anything about climate change, because there is a significant difference between weather and climate. Weather is what we experience on any given day or even over a couple weeks. Climate describes a region’s prevailing conditions -- including such things as temperature, rainfall, wind, humidity and atmospheric pressure -- over long periods of time. Climate is a good indicator of what to expect. For example, in the Midwest, one would expect cold winters. Whereas, in a Mediterranean climate, one would expect a generally milder winter.

Climate change refers to shifts in prevailing conditions observed over decades. One such shift is a long-term rise in global average temperatures. The current cold spells are occurring against this backdrop.

Putting aside the difference between weather and climate, climate change projections show that a warming planet generates more precipitation in areas that typically experience rain or snow. Rising ocean surface temperatures already have increased the temperature and moisture content of the air passing over the United States, setting the stage for heavier snow and rain storms. An Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report found that global warming has increased the frequency of storms that dump heavy precipitation over most land regions that experience storms. Most deserts, conversely, are getting drier.

“Climate scientists aren’t at all surprised that there are more drenching rain or blizzards in certain parts of the country,” said Dr. Brenda Ekwurzel, a climate scientist with the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS). “That’s consistent with well-documented climate change trends over the past several decades. Unless we take some dramatic steps to curb global warming, we likely will see a lot more regional precipitation over the next few decades.”

Precipitation in the Northeast has increased markedly over the last century, according to the Northeast Climate Impact Assessment, a collaboration between UCS and a team of more than 50 scientists and economists. Over the past few decades, winter precipitation in the Northeast has increased 0.15 inch per decade.

The Northeast is not alone. According to Global Climate Change Impacts in the United States, released last year by 13 federal agencies, Great Lakes states are experiencing more precipitation because the lakes have less ice and more open water in the winter. The maximum seasonal coverage of Great Lakes ice decreased approximately 30 percent from 1973 through 2008. That means more lake water is likely to evaporate into the atmosphere, resulting in heavier snowstorms. "

http://www.commondreams.org/newswire/2010/01/08-2

[depakid]

5. True that- but knowing people who've never seen snow (and watching them see it for the 1st time)

Let's just say- it's a pretty cool thing!

[marmar]

4. Wow, that's hard to imagine.....

.... When I was in Seville a few years ago in late May, the temperature was about 110.