Extremal snowfall on March 13–14, 2021, in the South Kazakhstan

Явление аномального снегопада 13–14 марта 2021 г. на юге Казахстана
Terekhov A.G. Abayev N.N. Tillakarim T.A.
2021 Space Research Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences

Sovremennye Problemy Distantsionnogo Zondirovaniya Zemli iz Kosmosa
2021 #18 Issue 4 279 - 284 pp.

The product Snow Depth FEWS NET with a daily renew and spatial resolution of 1 km was used to monitor the snow cover of Kazakhstan in the 2020–2021 season. In February–March 2021, there were regular incursions of warm air into Siberia, which passed through the Kazakhstan territory and caused frequent precipitation. Within the framework of these meteorological processes, one event of heavy snowfall in the South Kazakhstan distinguished by its power. During March 13–14, 2021, in the area of the Karatau Range (2176 m), there was a heavy snowfall. The Karatau Range is a low, 500-ki-lometer northwestern spur of the Tien Shan mountains (7439 m), wedged into the zone of dry steppes and semi-deserts of South Kazakhstan and separating the valleys of the Syrdarya and Talas rivers. According to the product Snow Depth FEWS NET, more than 2.5 cubic km of water fell in the form of snow. Within 2 days, the average depth of the snow cover in the Karatau Range area increased from 0.8 to 48.5 cm. This snow depth updated the previous long-term seasonal maximum of 43 cm (February 4, 2005). The long-term maximum snow depth of 13 cm on March 13–14 (2003) was exceeded almost 4 times. The anomalous phenomenon in the area of the Karatau Range indicates a potentially high climatic variability of this area. Usually, atmospheric fronts run along the ridge and do not bring a significant amount of precipitation. The increase in the frequency of events of the transition of atmospheric fronts through the ridge, as a result of the interaction of atmospheric transport in the South Kazakhstan with the Siberian Anticyclone, can dramatically increase the climatic norm of snow content of the Karatau Range in future.

Abnormal snowfall , Climate variability , Karatau range , Snow Depth FEWS NET , Snow depth monitoring , Tian Shian mountains

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Institute of Information and Computing Technology, MES RK, Almaty, 050010, Kazakhstan
RSE Kazhydromet, Almaty, 050022, Kazakhstan
Al-Farabi Kazakh National University, Almaty, 050040, Kazakhstan

Institute of Information and Computing Technology
RSE Kazhydromet
Al-Farabi Kazakh National University

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