Record Snowfall Buries Russian Town, Storm Harry Floods Mediterranean

Emergency service personnel in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, a town on Russia's Kamchatka peninsula, have been working tirelessly amidst a record-breaking snowfall event that left the region buried under more than six feet of snow in some areas. The extreme weather, which unfolded last week, has caused significant disruption, stranding residents and burying vehicles under massive snowdrifts.

Unprecedented Snowfall in Far Eastern Russia

The town of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, located on the east coast of the Kamchatka peninsula, experienced an extraordinary meteorological event when it received over 1.8 metres of lying snow in places. This record snowfall was accompanied by strong winds, which caused extreme drifting of more than 10 feet against buildings and cars, effectively cutting off roads and entrances.

The extreme conditions were driven by a combination of two key factors:

Strong Pacific low-pressure systems that dragged moist air from the tropics northwards.
A clash with cold Arctic air already present over the region, creating what meteorologists refer to as an atmospheric river event.

While atmospheric rivers are more commonly associated with heavy rainfall in regions like California, their occurrence as snowfall events is rarer and, for the Kamchatka peninsula, particularly impactful.

Timeline and Impact of the Snowfall

The heavy snow began falling in the early hours of Monday, 12 January, with snowfall rates reaching 2-5cm per hour at times. It continued until Tuesday evening, depositing 2-3 feet of snow across the area. As one system passed through, another approached, bringing additional snowfall from Wednesday afternoon until Friday morning, which added another 2-3 feet widely across the region.

The consequences have been severe:

Cars were quickly buried in snowdrifts, forcing residents to dig tunnels through the snow to locate their vehicles.
People were observed sledding from roofs as snow piled up against buildings.
Tragically, two individuals lost their lives when a buildup of snow fell from a rooftop.
The process of clearing roads and building entrances has continued well into this week, highlighting the scale of the challenge.

Storm Harry Unleashes Historic Flooding in the Mediterranean

Meanwhile, in the Mediterranean, a slow-moving area of heavy rain associated with Storm Harry caused a historic rainfall event in north-east Tunisia on Tuesday. Several areas recorded their highest rainfall totals since 1950, with the coastal city of Sayada receiving 242mm of rain – approximately five times the average for January and about 70% of the yearly average. Near the capital, Tunis, 206mm was recorded.

The downpours led to flash flooding, with debris as large as cars being carried through streets. The impact included:

Four reported deaths in the town of Moknine, close to Sayada, including a woman who drowned inside her home.
Roads and transport links submerged, cutting off some communities entirely and hampering emergency response efforts.
Schools and courts among the buildings closed due to the disruption.

Severe rainfall also affected neighbouring regions of Algeria, where two further flooding-related deaths were reported, and Libya, which experienced damaging winds in addition to the heavy rain.

Widespread Damage Across Italy and Sardinia

Storm Harry continued to wreak havoc across eastern parts of Sardinia, Sicily, and south-west Italy between 18-21 January. In Ogliastra, Sardinia, rainfall amounts were five times higher than the January average in just three days, with 548mm recorded in Genna Tuvara and 489mm in Villagrande Bau Mandara.

Similar extreme rainfall was observed in Sicily and Calabria, Italy, with San Sostene receiving 570mm in 72 hours. The extreme weather caused extensive damage to roads, buildings, and infrastructure, leading to flooding, landslides, and the evacuation of dozens of families from their homes.

These concurrent extreme weather events in Russia and the Mediterranean underscore the increasing volatility and impact of global weather patterns, challenging emergency services and communities alike.