Ireland's Extreme Cold Warnings Extended; Heavy Snow Buries Japan; Northern Hemisphere Snow Trackers; + Failures Fueled The LA Fires, Not CO2

Ski areas in Japan are already boasting 400+cm (13+ft) snow depths, with more to come.

Ireland's Extreme Cold Warnings Extended

Ireland remains locked in an extreme cold snap, with a 'Status Orange' warning for severe low temperatures and ice extended for 15 counties through Friday morning.

Temperatures will tank below -5C (23F) for most of the country, with further snow in the northwest. Met Éireann is warning of severe frost, black ice, and freezing fog, making roads treacherous. Motorists and pedestrians are urged to take caution.

Sally Gap in Wicklow on Jan 9 [Brendan Bernie]

Granard, Co Longford, registerd a low of -8.2C (17.2F) Thursday, Ireland’s coldest temperature this week. Mullingar, Co Westmeath, dropped to -7.5C (18.5F), with Athenry, Co Galway, at -7C (19.4F).

Above the border, Northern Ireland's warnings for snow and ice persist, while the UK braces for lows as brutal as -20C (-4F).

Heavy Snow Buries Japan

Japan has been experiencing intense snowfall this season, with many Prefectures facing some of their most significant accumulations in years.

Shirakawa-go, a UNESCO World Heritage Site renowned for its traditional gassho-zukuri farmhouses, has received 110 cm (43.31 inches) of snow in less than three days, making for a total depth of 186 cm (73.23 inches).

Given the outlook, which calls for more of the same, the village is on course to break its all-time monthly snow record of 280 cm (110.24 inches), set in 2006.

Far larger totals have hit other regions...

Currently, 16 areas of Japan have a snow depth exceeding 300 cm (9.84 feet), with two surpassing 400 cm (13.12 feet), these being the Niigata resorts of Charmant and Arai, at 410 cm (13.45 feet) and 431 cm (14.14 feet), respectively.

Japan is buried, from Kyoto to Yamagata:

[jma.go.jp]

Tsuruoka in Yamagata Prefecture (Jan 10).

Looking ahead, the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) has forecast another meter (3.3 feet) hitting northeastern, central and western regions over the next 24 hours (so through to 6 AM Saturday).

Northern Hemisphere Snow Trackers

Discrepancies in Northern Hemisphere snow metrics have been noticeable of late. Different tracking systems are painting slightly contrasting pictures, but these variations are likely rooted in how the data is measured.