Physical Address
Indirizzo: Via Mario Greco 60, Buttigliera Alta, 10090, Torino, Italy
Winter is coming!
Rain, snow and cold in the north of the country
The Special Weather Bulletins (BMS) issued by the National Meteorological Office (ONM) announcing bad weather are back in the national news and with them, information on the closed roads which hinder car traffic as well as the large puddles on the road and sidewalks which indicate the defects linked to road works. It’s as if winter was settling in for a long time, whereas ten days ago the weather was still more like summer. These days, Algerians have put on their winter clothes and taken back their umbrellas, to protect themselves from the harsh cold linked to snowfall and also from downpours of rain.
For today, Sunday, the weather services released their forecasts, announcing cold weather in several regions of the country. According to these same services, the north of the country should experience partly cloudy skies in the afternoon, while the east will be bathed in sunshine with showers. Frost is expected in inland areas in the morning. The wilayas of Annaba and El Tarf should in particular receive rainfall. Temperature forecasts of between 17 and 20 degrees Celsius on the coast and between 11 and 18 degrees Celsius in the interior of the country indicate a significant drop. The wind could reach 30 km/h. On the other hand, sunny weather will dominate the south of the country today, with temperatures varying between 16 and 33 degrees Celsius, and winds reaching 40 km/h. For yesterday, the National Meteorological Office had issued an alert for continued snowfall this Saturday in areas above 900 meters, with accumulations of up to 20 cm until 3 p.m. This bulletin concerned the wilayas of Bouira, Boumerdès, Tizi Ouzou, Béjaïa, Jijel, Sétif, Bordj Bou-Arréridj, Blida, Aïn Defla, Tissemsilt and Médéa. According to another bulletin, snowfall reaching 10 cm occurred in areas above 1,000 meters until 9:00 a.m. yesterday Saturday in the wilayas of Skikda, Mila, Constantine, Guelma, Souk Ahras, Oum El Bouaghi, Batna and Khenchela. Snowfall affected, on Friday and Saturday, several wilayas in the Center and East of the country, as well as reliefs exceeding 1,000/1,100 meters above sea level in the wilayas of Blida, Ain Defla, Tissemsilt and Médéa, the estimated thickness being between 5 and 10 cm.
Weather disturbances increased over the weekend across the entire north of the country. A BMS reported the continuation of violent storms in several wilayas in the east of the country, yesterday Saturday. In its special weather bulletin, the Office warns of these thunderstorms, with precipitation of up to 70 mm until Saturday midnight. The wilayas concerned by this bulletin are Boumerdès, Tizi Ouzou, Sétif, Béjaïa, Jijel, Skikda, Annaba and El Tarf. The latest updates from Civil Protection services and the National Meteorological Office (ONM) reported several roads cut due to snow. The situation continued throughout the day yesterday. The National Traffic Information and Coordination Center of the National Gendarmerie, ”Tariqi”, reported that several roads were closed on Saturday due to snow accumulations. Thus, national road 15, connecting the wilays of Bouira and Tizi Ouzou, was closed, more precisely at Fadj Tirourda, in the commune of Ifarhounen, due to accumulations of snow. National road 33 was closed, near Assoul, in the commune of Ait Boumahdi, for the same reason. The same goes for national road 15, connecting the wilayas of Bouira and Tizi Ouzou, closed, more precisely at Koul Tirourda, in the commune of Aghbalou. National road 33, connecting the wilays of Bouira and Tizi Ouzou, was closed to traffic, particularly at Tikjda, in the commune of El Asnam, due to heavy snowfall. The same source indicated that all other roads were open to traffic. The National Gendarmerie advises road users to exercise caution. Civil Protection has also launched its alert message particularly concerning users of gas heating. We know that the drop in temperature increases the risk of poisoning due to carbon monoxide leaks during the massive use of heating devices.
Lakhdar A.