Turkey, Afghanistan and northwestern China now feeling the brunt of Old Man Winter

The record cold spell in Europe, the worst in some areas since the middle of the 'Little Ice Age' in the 1600s, has pushed off to the southeast into Turkey, Afghan-istan and northwestern China.

One station earlier this past week in the mountains of northern Afghanistan plunged to an all-time record low of minus-45 degrees Celsius (minus-50 degrees Fahrenheit). Wind chill factors were as cold as minus-70 degrees Fahrenheit! More than 100 people were rescued after their vehicles became stuck in deep snow in the province of Bamiyan.

The capital city of Afghanistan, Kabul, has seen its coldest winter season in decades. More than two dozen people have died of exposure to record low temperatures and the heaviest snowfalls in at least 15 years. More snow was expected in late February and early March across much of the country northeastward into northwestern China and back to the northwest into Turkey, where the winter of 2011-12 has likewise been extremely harsh with record low temperatures this February and unusually heavy snowfalls.

My good friend, Bob Felix, of iceagenow.info, reported on his website last Tuesday that Cesena in northern Italy had measured a whopping 76 inches of snow this month, the most snow there since 1929 and the most ever for the month of February.

Other record snows in Italy this February included 120 inches (10 feet) at Novafeltria, Forli, 63 inches; Ravena, 40 inches; Bologna, 38 inches and Rome at 13 inches, where schools were closed for the first time ever due to ice and snow-choked roadways.

Many people in Europe, Asia and even parts of North Africa believe that "the new Little Ice Age has already begun, years ahead of predictions."

In Romania, one of the hardest-hit regions of Europe this savage winter of 2011-12, people were finally beginning to dig out after being isolated for nearly three weeks in 225 eastern communities.

One farmer told a news agency that he was "forced to bring his pigs into his home" after digging them out of nearly ten feet of snow.

More than 650 people died during the worst blizzards to strike eastern Europe in living memory. Now, the worry of disastrous spring floods looms on the meteorological horizon in these regions. Just this week, many docks and waterfront homes and businesses were destroyed by massive ice jams along the shores of the mighty Danube River, one of Europe's major waterways.

Eastern Europe will remain colder and snowier than usual into early April. If it turns sharply warmer during the 30-day period from mid April through mid May, the spring floods could be some of the worst in the past 200 years. But, as usual, only time will tell.

NORTH IDAHO WEATHER REVIEW AND LONG-RANGE OUTLOOKS

As I expected, much like during the month of January, the second half of February has turned much wetter with a sharp increase in snowfall across the region.

On the whole, temperatures have likewise been colder than normal in recent days. I'm writing this article on Thursday, just ahead of the predicted arrival of more snow and even chillier temperatures this last weekend of February throughout the Inland Northwest. Morning lows will likely dip into the frigid teens by Tuesday and Wednesday. Afternoon highs will barely crack the freezing mark, very cold indeed for so late in the winter season.

I still believe that we will end up with a June 30 seasonal snowfall total on Player Drive near my December 2011 forecast of 63.4 inches, some 6.4 inches below our 117-year normal since 1895 of 69.8 inches. But, it's still possible that we will exceed 70 inches or even 80 inches, if March and April turn out to be colder and snowier than usual in our part of the country, as the National Weather Service currently predicts.

However, since Randy Mann tells me that "La Nina has finally died out" in the waters of the Pacific Ocean and that we are entering a milder, and perhaps drier in-between 'La Nada' sea-surface temperature cycle, I'm still expecting that the 60-day span from mid April through mid June will be warmer and considerably drier than last spring during the third coolest such period on record.

This spring should be delightful featuring a pattern of 'sun and showers' and lots of May flowers. Remember, last spring, our trees didn't have leaves until May!

The July through September summer months should be warm to hot with lots of 90 degree plus 'Sholeh Days' and even a couple of afternoons near the century mark.

Precipitation will be less than usual for the season. This should be 'good news' for the annual North Idaho Fair and Rodeo in late August, my favorite event of the year.

Cliff Harris is a climatologist who writes a weekly column for The Press. His opinions are his own. Email sfharris@roadrunner.com