Eastern Central Asia to Experience Severe Wind, Snow, and Cooling Weather Conditions
On December 8, influenced by an upper-level trough, moderate to heavy snowfall occurred in northern and eastern Kazakhstan, northern Kyrgyzstan, and southeastern Uzbekistan, with localized blizzard conditions. In most of these areas, snow depths reached 1 to 5 centimeters, with some regions exceeding 10 centimeters and the maximum reaching 25 centimeters. Additionally, localized sandstorms were reported in northern Kazakhstan. From December 9 to 10, under the influence of a Central Asian low vortex (Figure 1), moderate to heavy snowfall is expected in northern and eastern Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, eastern Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan, with heavy snow in some areas and localized extreme blizzard conditions. Accumulated snowfall in most of these regions is forecasted to be between 10 and 20 millimeters, with localized areas potentially exceeding 40 millimeters (Figure 2). New snow depths are anticipated to range from 5 to 10 centimeters, with some local areas possibly exceeding 20 centimeters. This will be accompanied by strong winds of 6 to 8 on the Beaufort scale, with gusts reaching 9 to 10 (Figure 3). Temperatures in most regions are expected to drop by 8 to 14 degrees Celsius, with localized decreases of more than 16 degrees Celsius (Figure 4).This weather event, characterized by extreme snowfall and strong winds, necessitates attention to the adverse impacts on local power infrastructure, transportation, oil transportation, and the livestock industry.
Figure 1 Weather Pattern Map at 08:00 (Beijing Time, same below) on December 10
Figure 2 Accumulated Snowfall from 08:00 on December 9 to 08:00 on December 11 (Unit: mm)
Figure 3 Maximum Gust Wind Speed in 6 Hours at 20:00 on December 10 (Unit: m/s)
Figure 4 24-hour Temperature Change at 2 meters above ground level as of 08:00 on December 11 (Unit: °C)
Author: Min Ying Reviewer: Zhang Bo
English reviewer:Dai Kan Issue approver:Wang Yi