Araucaria province in Chile buried in snow...but...

[Atash Hagmahani]

The town specifically mentioned is inland and around 2,700 feet elevation. Presumably snow is normal there. I think the problem is simply the amount; they're getting buried.

I think worth mentioning for purposes of planning and preparedness. It probably means that here in the PNW (mirror image of southern Chile climate-wise), we get slammed next winter too. But if you live at high-ish elevations outside of the tropics, be prepared for snow, including more than you're used to, and by the same token be prepared to be immobile. And really don't expect the federal government to come in and rescue you (like these people apparently did).

http://www.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/americas/07/20/chile.snow/index.html?hpt=hp_bn2

[Dame]

This kind of snow happens in New England.  They are generally prepared for it.

[opsec]

I remember the storm of '82 in Denver, Colorado. I skied a mile to the 7-11 store only to find the doors chained shut.

[Mike]

Jim Puplava had his long-range forcaster on the FinancialSense Newshour a few weeks ago.  She said that Volcanic activity in Sakhalin & Iceland would put dust in the arctic atmosphere.  This dust would come into play in the winter: colder than normal in the northern hemisphere.

So, "Yeah."

In my lifetime I have never been in a life-threatening winter.  In the Pacific NW we are not used to that.  Mild winters are our mental bias.  So I take this stuff seriously.

[silverseeds]

  Im not picky I will take any water I can get..... winter before last was unusually snowy. It was great. A solid snow cover all winter at high elevations.

  We got snowed in at our land once. We couldnt leave for about a week as we waited for the ground to firm up and for me to dig out the truck. We ran out of water and gas for the RVs heater. We of course had stocks of food. We were melting snow for our water. always easy to find dry wood here even in a snow storm or thunderstorm for that matter.

   We had down blankets for sleeping and wore warm clothing. We were fine despite it also being unusually cold. Im not really worried about this at all....

[Atash Hagmahani]

Just make sure you have food, water, blankets, and a means to break your way out of the snow if your whole house gets covered, so that you don't asphyxiate.

One part of the world where they are used to this is eastern Japan. Cold air comes over from Siberia, picks up moisture over the sea of Japan, and dumps huge amounts of snow. Nowadays they have equipment to dig them out, but last year it broke down and the younger people got to find out how their ancestors had to deal with it.

[opsec]

Have survival kits in your car's trunk just in case you get caught in a storm on the road. It amazes me how many people in North Dakota don't do this.