Storms
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Cloud Precipitation

Evacuations and rescues after storm triggers floods in Western Cape, South Africa

Floods in Cape Agulhas, South Africa, May 2021.
Floods in Cape Agulhas, South Africa, May 2021.
A heavy storm in the Western Cape, South Africa, caused flooding in some parts of the province from 05 May 2021.

Areas of Overberg district have suffered some of the worst of the flooding. Around 90 mm of rain fell in Cape Agulhas in 24 hours to 06 May 2021, while 122 mm fell in Struisbaai during the same period.

Several people were evacuated from their homes in Cape Agulhas municipality of the district. One person was reported missing at Stormsvlei, where several people had to be rescued from flooded homes and vehicles. Other rescues were carried out in Riviersonderend.


Tornado2

Triple waterspout action off New South Wales, Australia

water spouts
WATER spouts off the coast at Old Bar, near Taree on NSW's North Coast, were matched by a brief but intense storm with hail, as the Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) predicts a cold snap and widespread rain for the remainder of the week across the east coast of NSW.

The weather event was short and sharp this afternoon (May 4) with Jason Fitzgerald of Port Macquarie capturing some of the triple water spout action off Old Bar beach.

At one point, five water spouts had formed and were seen offshore as far north as Harrington.


Cloud Lightning

Lightning kills 15 head of cattle in Macon County, Alabama

cows
Lightning associated with a band of thunderstorms that moved through Central Alabama last night struck and killed 15 head of cattle in Macon County.

Macon County Emergency Management Agency Director Frank Lee says it happened in the Milstead community, near Macon County Road 30.

Lee says the family cattle farm is owned by Michael Sims.

He says a report will be forwarded to the National Weather Service office in Birmingham.

Cloud Lightning

First documented case of rare red sprites in New Zealand

Rare red sprites captured in Kāpiti
© Brendan GullyRare red sprites captured in Kāpiti.


A Kāpiti photographer has captured a rare weather event, so rare it's the first time Metservice has documented the case.


Brendan Gully captured red sprites from the Kāpiti Coast last week during a thunderstorm capturing them not once, but three times.

"I was really stoked to have finally captured them in New Zealand and it was a bit of a relief too," Brendan said.

A landscape photographer who specialises in storms and likes to capture natural phenomena and scenes that are fleeting, Brendan has been chasing storms and red sprites for a few years.

"I started photography in 2015 and it was the storm-chasing that led me to get my first camera.

"I've had a decent number of attempts at them in the past, but just not had the right luck on the day."

Red sprites are rare bolts of red lightning that are rarely seen from the ground due to their high altitude.

They form between 50-90km above the Earth and only last a few milliseconds.

Comment: With the surge in sightings of rare or novel atmospheric phenomena in recent years it seems the electrical nature of our weather and changing atmosphere is becoming more apparent:


Cloud Lightning

Intense lightning display hits Dammam, Eastern Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia lightning
© YouTube/START (screen capture)
Night Turns Into Day ⚡️⚡️ Scary Storms And Lightning Hits Eastern Saudi Arabia, Dammam


Tornado2

After being pummeled, Southeast US faces the threat of more storms and tornadoes

A damaged tree sits on the side of Elvis Presley Drive in Tupelo, Mississippi, Monday
A damaged tree sits on the side of Elvis Presley Drive in Tupelo, Mississippi, Monday
After a calm night, Tuesday is expected to bring severe weather to the Southeast US, which has already been pummeled by deadly tornadoes.

A storm system moved out of Oklahoma and Texas -- where more than 36,000 people were without power early Tuesday morning, according to PowerOutages.us -- and into the Lower Ohio Valley and Tennessee area. The evening brought diminished downpours and wind gusts, but daybreak threatens to bring severe weather again.

Large hail, damaging wind gusts and tornadoes are forecast to impact the areas from the Ohio River Valley down to the Gulf Coast.

As the day progresses, the heat and humidity that accompanies the month of May in the Deep South will help to reinvigorate the atmosphere and areas along the Gulf Coast from East Texas to the Florida Panhandle could see strong to severe storms pop up until the arrival of the severe gusts that come with the advancing front.

Areas from Central Louisiana, Alabama, Georgia, and Mississippi are more likely to see impacts from hail and damaging straight-line winds rather than tornadoes. But tornadoes are still possible.

These can be just as damaging to a region already reeling from storms hitting the state over the past few days.


Snowflake

Snowstorm hits Newfoundland in May

snow
Snow flurries swept across north and west Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada, on May 3.

Andre Arani recorded this footage of the heavy snowfall seen south of Gros Morne National Park.

The footage shows a squirrel having a meal, seemingly unbothered by the large snowflakes accumulating on its fur, and other adorable critters. Arani told Storyful this video was recorded after a "long stretch of mild conditions."

NTV news meteorologist Eddie Sheerr reported that the area will see "periods of light snow and flurries," and said there should be some sunny breaks.


Credit: @earthspace101 via Storyful

Cloud Lightning

Lightning strike kills 12 cows in Nigeria

lightning
Herdsmen on Sunday evening of May 2, ran away from Urhodo-Ovu community in Ethiope-East Local Government Area of Delta State as thunder strike killed 12 of their cows.

The herdsmen and the cows were in their settlement when the incident occurred minutes after the heavy downpour, DAILY POST gathered.

Indigenes and residents of the community especially farmers were, however, happy over the incident.

At the time of filing this report, the 12 dead cows were still lying fallow on the ground.

The incident caused serious tension amongst the herdsmen as they quickly moved their belongings and ran away from the community for fear of being struck dead by the same thunder.

Cloud Lightning

Lightning strikes kill 10 people and 19 cattle in Maharashtra, India

lightning
A bike-borne man and his nephew are among 10 people killed due to lightning-related incidents in different parts of Marathwada in the 24-hour period ending on Monday morning.

As per the official data, Parbhani district reported three such deaths, followed by two deaths each in Aurangabad and Osmanabad districts, and one each in Hingoli, Jalna and Beed districts.

Moreover,19 heads of cattle were also killed in lightning strikes at various places in the past few days.

Sunil Shinde (39) and his nephew Sunil Trigote (38), both residents of Chikalthana, were struck by lightning while they were travelling on a two-wheeler in the Jaipur-Shivar area of Aurangabad district.

Comment: On the same day a bolt of lightning killed 2 farmers in Bangladesh.


Snowflake

Storm drops half foot of May snow on Colorado Rockies

A few inches of wet, sloppy snow fell early Monday in the foothills west of Denver.
© Chris SpearsA few inches of wet, sloppy snow fell early Monday in the foothills west of Denver.
You've heard the old saying that April showers bring May flowers, right? That is true to an extent but May also brings plenty of snow to Colorado, especially in the higher elevations outside of Denver.

Snow started falling late Sunday in the mountains west of Denver and became more widespread overnight as colder air filtered into the region. That lowered the snow level to just above 6,000 feet.

The snow was heavy and wet due to air temperatures hanging around the freezing mark. Thankfully most roads were just wet or a little slushy in the foothills, but in elevations above 9,000 feet snowpacked roads have been reported.