After a relatively warm and dry start to the season, winter is picking up again with the return of cold, rain and snow. The National Office of Meteorology (ONM) issued a special weather report (BMS) this Friday, January 20, 2023, warning of snowfall which will affect several wilayas in the center and east of the country from tomorrow.
In its BMS, Météo Algérie predicted “snowfall, from Saturday afternoon, on the reliefs exceeding 800 meters in altitude in the center and east of the country”. Noting that “the snow will locally gain lower altitudes from the evening”.
According to the same source, the wilayas concerned by this level 2 alert and orange in color are: Boumerdes, Tizi-Ouzou, Bejaïa, Jijel, Skikda, Annaba, El Tarf, Souk Ahras, Guelma, Constantine, Mila , Setif, Bordj Bou Arreridj, Bouira, Médéa, Blida, Aïn Defla, Tissemsilt, Oum El Bouaghi, Batna, Khenchela and Tebessa.
Regarding the validity of this weather alert, the services of the ONM indicated that “this bulletin runs from Saturday, January 21, 2023, at 3:00 p.m. to Sunday at 3:00 p.m. at least”. As for the thickness of the snow, Météo Algérie indicated that “it will vary between 10 and 20 cm”.
Bad weather: several national roads cut due to snow
The snowfall caused the closure of several roads. In a press release made public this Friday on his Facebook page Tarikithe National Gendarmerie took stock of the roads cut off to traffic due to snow.
In the wilaya of Tizi Ouzou, the snowfall caused the closure of wilaya road No. 253 linking the wilayas of Béjaia and Tizi Ouzou, precisely at the Col de Chellata, commune of Iferhounène. But also, the closure of the national road (RN) n ° 30 at the level of the locality of Tizi N’Koulène, commune of Iboudraren. As well as the RN n ° 33 at the level of the locality Aswel, commune of Ait Boumahdi.
In addition to the wilaya of Tizi Ouzou, the National Gendarmerie also took stock of the roads cut in the wilaya of Bouira. Indeed, at the level of this wilaya, the snowfalls caused the closure of the national road (RN) n ° 15 connecting between the communes of Aghbalou (w. of Bouira) and Iferhounène (w. of Tizi Ouzou), more exactly at the level of the locality of Tirouda.
There is also talk of the closure of RN 33 linking the communes of Bouira and Ouacif (W. of Tizi Ouzou), at the level of the locality of Tikjda and Tirourda, commune of El Asnam.
