Northern India's Big Freeze Intensifies; Cold Wave Enters Vietnam; Freezing Lows And Heavy Snows Hit U.S., More To Come; + Everything Causes Climate Change

It’s the same tired, old rhetoric—wild extrapolations rooted in a disdain for human prosperity.

Northern India's Big Freeze Intensifies

Bone-chilling lows are persisting, intensifying even, across the likes of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh, with many regions crashing below the freezing mark.

Leh posted at -10C [14F], while Zojila Pass neared -20C [-4F].

Srinagar, Pahalgam, Qazigund, and Gulmarg all shivered well below zero (C), as did Shopian, Larnoo, and Pulwama.

Water bodies like Dal Lake in the Kashmir Valley have partially frozen over.

Looking ahead, the Indian Meteorological Department is forecasting a further drop over the weekend, with mostly dry conditions expected from December 10-14, with isolated snow in the higher reaches from December 15.

Cold Wave Enters Vietnam

Shifting further east, a rare cold front is sweeping northern Vietnam Friday, dropping temperatures in the plains to 15C (59F) and the mountains below 10C (50F). The lowlands and central regions, in particular, are unaccustomed to such a chill.

According to the National Center for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting, the cold is hitting eastern areas first, with an expansion west and across the northern plains by Saturday.

AccuWeather predicts Hanoi will see a sharp drop, with Saturday's temperatures struggling to reach 16C (61F), some 6C below the norm. The chill will then extend into central Vietnam, where thermometers could reach single digits (C).

These unseasonably cold conditions stand out in a country where winters are typically mild. Such cold waves, while not unprecedented, are rare and often disrupt daily life, agriculture, and energy demand in areas unprepared for sustained cold.

This latest chill will run until at least next Tuesday, with longer-range outlooks calling for additional outbreaks later in December.

Last month recorded four such cold waves, with lows of 7C (45F) noted in Lang Son from November 26-28.

Freezing Lows And Heavy Snows Hit U.S., More To Come

The polar front that has gripped the eastern half of the United States and also swaths of Canada, unleashing heavy snows, fierce winds, and bone-chilling lows, will persist though Friday:

GFS 2m Temperature Anomalies for Dec 6 [tropicaltidbits.com].

Erie, PA, remains among the hardest hit, with a fresh blizzard warning in effect through early-Saturday here. Snow accumulations could touch 2 feet south of I-90, with winds gusting as high as 60 mph. Travel disruptions and school closures are set to continue.

“This morning in Erie, PA 12/5/24. Day whatever, I lost track.” — Carrie on X