Winter Doth Come Early
As we move through time, it becomes increasingly clear that the defeat of global warming is here. This year, like the years before it, Autumn is being shoved aside by midwinter. Summer quickly collapsed this year into a sharp September freeze, and temperatures have remained 4 °C to 7 °C below normal across vast regions of Russia, including Kemerovo, Tomsk, and Altai, through the first 8 days of October. The early-season cold gripping Siberia shows no sign of easing. Now in mid-October, Arctic air is crushing Autumn.
Alberta: Deep Freeze Sets 121-Year-Old Record
The most brutal cold struck Alberta, where Thanksgiving Day (Oct 13) delivered historic lows. Red Deer plunged to -12.7C (9.1F), making for the coldest Thanksgiving reading ever recorded in books dating back to 1904. Hendrickson Creek tanked to -21.8C (-7.2F), smashing its previous record of -18.5C (-1.3F) from 2017.
Other parts of Alberta saw long-standing records fall: Edson: -12.4C (9.7F), breaking -10.7C (12.7F) set in 1992. Jasper: -9.9C (14.2F), breaking -8.3C (17.1F) from 1930. British Columbia Interior: 115-Year-Old Record Falls. The cold then rolled westward into British Columbia’s interior, where Quesnel endured its chilliest Oct 14 since records began back in 1910 with a reading of -9.1C (15.6F). Tatlayoko Lake posted -12.3C (9.9F), and Prince George plunged to -11.3C (11.7F), both well below their October averages. Puntzi Mountain dropped to -15.7C (3.7F), obliterating the old record of -9.4C (15.1F) from 1969.
China To -22.6C (-8.7F) As Early Arctic Blast Hits
A powerful cold front has slammed into northern China, sending temperatures crashing to mid-winter levels. On the morning of October 13, the town of Tahe in Heilongjiang province plunged to -17.6C (0.3F), with an automated weather station in the region posting an even colder -22.6C (-8.7F). Such cold is extraordinary for the first half of October.
Heavy October snow is already burying India’s northern reaches, with Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand hit hard. Roads were blocked, power lines down, and apple orchards were reporting extensive damage with temperatures crashing below freezing, as low as -5C (23F) across the higher valleys.
This is not a localized cold event. More than half a meter of snow has buried Vitosha Mountain near Sofia — exceptional early-season totals for Bulgaria. Rescuers warn of deep snow, poor visibility, and unstable terrain, adding that access by snowmobile or ATV is difficult, and even helicopter rescues may be hampered. Visitors are urged to avoid the mountain, dress for subzero conditions, and inform someone of their route.