Storms
S


Boat

Storm Iota death toll rises to 40 in Central America as Honduran leader pleads for help

Gustavo Palencia, Ismael Lopez
Reuters
Fri, 20 Nov 2020 13:26 UTC
Vehicles are submerged at a plot flooded by the
© Jorge CabreraVehicles are submerged at a plot flooded by the Chamelecon River due to heavy rain caused by Storm Iota, in La Lima, Honduras November 19, 2020.
Authorities in Central America recovered more bodies on Thursday from landslides triggered by hurricane Iota, which battered the impoverished region this week, the second deadly storm to roar through this month.

The number of reported deaths rose to more than 40 across Central America and Colombia, and the toll is expected to rise as rescue workers reach isolated communities. Most of the deaths occurred in Nicaragua and Honduras.

Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez issued an urgent plea for international help.

"We are in a situation of great calamity and we need the world to help us rebuild our country," he told a news conference.

The strongest storm on record to hit Nicaragua, Iota struck the coast late on Monday as a Category 4 hurricane. It inundated low-lying areas still reeling from the impact two weeks ago of Eta, another major hurricane that killed dozens of people in the region.

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Snowflake

Storm dumps up to 16 inches of snow in 24 hours on Tahoe-area ski resorts


KTVU
Wed, 18 Nov 2020 14:05 UTC
The upper mountain at Squaw Valley received 16 inches of fresh snow overnight, the National Weather Service said Wednesday.
© Brandon SkinnerThe upper mountain at Squaw Valley received 16 inches of fresh snow overnight, the National Weather Service said Wednesday.
The strongest weather system so far this season brought a healthy supply of snow to the Sierra, with multiple ski resorts in the Lake Tahoe-area receiving over a foot in a 24-hour stretch.

Heavy snow developed over the mountains on Tuesday afternoon and snow showers continued into Wednesday morning, causing traffic delays for unprepared drivers while producing solid snow totals.

On the upper mountains at Squaw Valley and Alpine Meadows, 16 inches fell as the resort prepares to open both mountains on Nov. 25.

"The storm came in wet and dropped heavy, saturated snow that is perfect for this time of year, as it creates a strong base layer that thoroughly coats the ground," Public Relations Specialist Alex Spychalsky said in a release.

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Snowflake Cold

Power plant in Russia's Vladivostok halts operation due to snow cyclone


TASS
Thu, 19 Nov 2020 13:43 UTC
SNOW
Over 90,000 residents of the city are left without electricity

The Vostochnaya Combined Heat and Power Plant (CHPP) in Vladivostok has halted electricity generation because of heavy ice with wind, press service of the Russian Energy Ministry told TASS on Thursday.

"The Energy Ministry exercises special control over power supply in the Primorsky Region: a portion of power transmission line turned off due to heavy snow with wind; Vostochnaya CHPP halted electricity generation, and power supply to a portion of consumers has been disrupted," the press service says.

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Cloud Precipitation

Airbus damaged by hail near Rio De Janeiro

Jay Singh
Simple Flying
Thu, 19 Nov 2020 12:14 UTC
hail damage
An Azul Linhas Aereas Airbus A320neo performing a domestic flight on November 15th, 2020, in Brazil had to divert after suffering a hail strike that affected certain instruments onboard the aircraft. The aircraft safely landed at Rio de Janeiro's Galeão Airport, though the aircraft faced some visible damage.

The incident

On November 15th, an Airbus A320neo for Azul performing flight AD 4194 from Curitiba to Rio de Janeiro's Santos Dumont Airport ran into a hail storm on approach, according to a report in the Aviation Herald.

While descending and approximately 20 nautical miles (~37 kilometers) out from the airport at 4,500 ft (~1,372 m), the crew decided to abort the approach due to a nail strike. After climbing, the aircraft diverted to another airport in Rio, Galeão Airport, and landed there safely.
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Cloud Precipitation

Hailstones 'as big as tennis balls' batter Pietermaritzburg, South Africa

Nivashni Nair
Times Live
Wed, 18 Nov 2020 11:43 UTC
Hailstones as large as tennis balls battered Pietermaritzburg on Wednesday afternoon.
Hailstones as large as tennis balls battered Pietermaritzburg on Wednesday afternoon.
Pietermaritzburg residents ran for cover when hailstones as large as tennis balls battered the KwaZulu-Natal capital on Wednesday afternoon.

The sudden hailstorm started at 3pm and within minutes had damaged property and vehicles.

Wykeham Collegiate pupils watched the downpour from indoors before running out to play as soon as the hailstorm ended.

"The temperature in Pietermaritzburg was scorching today, so the girls were thrilled with the excitement of the afternoon storm which saw hailstones the size of golf and tennis balls raining down," said Wykeham marketing co-ordinator Jackie Clausen.

She said the school would assess the damage to property and vehicles on Thursday.

"But today we are just enjoying some lighthearted fun," Clausen said.

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Attention

Adapt 2030 Ice Age Report: Global grain shortages begin to manifest


Adapt 2030
Thu, 19 Nov 2020 06:08 UTC
Sahel food growing region
© YouTube/Adapt 2030 (screen capture)
Several consulting and agribusiness firms have stated the same facts after the Global Grains Geneva meetings, we have reached the point of no surplus on the planet for corn, soybeans and wheat. The world needs to find 24 million new acres to grow grains moving forward. What we grow is what we have from this point forward. Sainsbury closes all deli counters for fish, meats.


Comment: As well as natural disasters devastating crop growth, the insane response to the coronavirus crisis and losing value of currency in Western nations in particular, have made the production, availability, purchasing and distribution of food - a MAJOR global issue the likes of which we haven't seen in generations.

See related articles:

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Cloud Lightning

Lightning bolt kills 3 people in western Indonesia


Xinhua
Wed, 18 Nov 2020 20:22 UTC
lightning
Three people have been killed by a lightning in Indonesia's western province of South Sumatra, a local official said Wednesday.

The three victims who were residents in Ogan Komering Ulu district were hit by the lightning at a farm in Karang Lantang village on Tuesday afternoon, the district's mitigation agency head Amzar Kristofa was quoted by state news agency Antara as saying.

The victims' bodies had been taken to their homes for burials, said Kristofa, adding the lighting also struck a number of trees in a plantation area.

The agency's head has called on the local community to increase their awareness during the seasonal transition period.

"If the rain is accompanied by lightning, it is better to enter the house instead of taking shelter under a tree, particularly in an open area as the risk of being struck by lightning is high," Kristofa said.
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Cloud Precipitation

Storm Eta ravaged more than 22,000 hectares of crops as it passed through Guatemala


Fresh Plaza
Wed, 11 Nov 2020 12:01 UTC
flattened
According to data from Guatemala's Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, and Food (MAGA) that was gathered up to November 9, the Eta tropical depression damaged 22,155 hectares of crops in 63 municipalities of 9 of the country's departments.

The Directorate for Regional Coordination and Rural Extension stated that the monitoring process continued in the departments of Jutiapa and Santa Rosa. Alta Verapaz registered damages in 16 municipalities, Peten and Quiche, in nine municipalities each; there were damages in eight municipalities of Huehuetenango, in seven municipalities of Chiquimula, five of Izabal, four of Zacapa, four of El Progreso, and one municipality of Jalapa. The storm affected banana, plantain, cassava, lemon, potato, güisquil, and different types of vegetables, among many other crops.
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Snowflake

Series of powerful storms boost early season snowpack in the Teton Mountains - up to 68 inches fell in 9 days

Alan Smith
Buckrail
Mon, 16 Nov 2020 13:48 UTC
snow
A series of powerful winter storms brought heavy snowfall to the Tetons over the past week. Through the first week of November, snow cover in the mountains was very light, but that changed in a hurry over the past seven days.

From November 9 through 16, the Rendezvous Bowl Plot at Jackson Hole Mountain Resort recorded 60 inches of snow, and if you go back to November 7, that total expands to 68 inches. The Rendezvous Bowl Plot eclipsed its average November snowfall (which is 59 inches) in just one week.

Heavy snow fell in the valley as well, with one-week totals ranging from 1-2 feet. Impressive for mid-November!

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Cloud Lightning

'We will never forget this year': Hurricane Iota roars through Caribbean coast just devastated by Eta

Gabriela Selser
USA Today
Tue, 17 Nov 2020 11:47 UTC
The category five storm crossed over Nicaragua's eastern coast on Monday evening
© ReutersThe category five storm crossed over Nicaragua's eastern coast on Monday evening
In a one-two punch, Hurricane Iota roared ashore as a dangerous Category 4 storm along almost exactly the same stretch of Nicaragua's Caribbean coast that was devastated by an equally powerful Hurricane Eta 13 days earlier.

Iota had intensified into an extremely dangerous Category 5 storm during the day Monday, but the U.S. National Hurricane Center said it weakened slightly as it neared the coast late Monday and made landfall with maximum sustained winds of 155 mph. It hit the coast about 30 miles south of the Nicaraguan city of Puerto Cabezas, also known as Bilwi.

People hunkered down in Bilwi even before the hurricane arrived, already battered by screeching winds and torrential rains.


Comment: A video report on the situation in Colombia from Al Jazeera:
Hurricane Iota is gaining strength as it heads towards Central America.

It is causing severe flooding in Colombia, where at least three people have died and hundreds forced to leave their homes, just a week after Hurricane Eta devastated the region.

Al Jazeera's Raheela Mahomed has more.

Video of a gigantic wave crashing onto the shore of San Andrés island:



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