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CONFIDENTIAL

thunderstorms extending above the freezing level, which is usually near 10,000 feet. Visibility is usually good except during showers. The prevailing winds aloft to at least 55,000 feet are westerly, and their mean speeds do not exceed 50 knots.

In winter, intense migratory lows and associated fronts cause extensive, multilayered stratiform cloudiness (50% to 85%), low ceilings, poor visibility, and moderate to severe icing conditions. The freezing level is frequently at or near the surface during this season but occasionally may be near 7,000 feet in the south. Thunderstorms are rare even in frontal zones, and turbulence is seldom severe. Cold, dry, easterly winds from the interior of Asia occasionally produce clear skies for several days in the northeastern and eastern approaches. Fog, snow, and haze are the primary restrictions to visibility. The predominantly westerly winds aloft reach maximum mean speeds of about 50 knots near 30,000 feet in the southern and western approaches.

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APPROVED FOR RELEASE: 2009/06/16: CIA-RDP01-00707R000200070024-2