Earth ChangesS


Cloud Lightning

Storm Ivar leaves 55,000 homes without power in Sweden


thelocal.se
Thu, 12 Dec 2013 08:51 UTC
Tens of thousands were left without electricity on Friday morning after a storm nicknamed Ivar swept in over the north. Pre-schools and schools will remain shut until Monday.

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© TTStorm waves near Östersunde on Thursday night.
The winds damaged roofs, forced police to close off roads and the Höga Kusten bridge, while one man was taken to hospital with serious damage to his torso after a tree fell on top of him. The hospital in Öresund said the man's injuries were serious but not life-threatening.

By morning, about 55,000 homes were without electricity in the county of Norrland. Customers of energy companies Eon, Härjeåns Nät, Fortum, and Jämtkraft have all been affected, including several schools and pre-schools in and around Ånge and Fränsta. Pupils will be allowed to return by Monday.

Police in the town of Östersund counted at least a hundred incidents related to the storm.

"There was a lot of pressure for a while," duty officer Hans Ängquist told the TT news agency. He said that by 2am the storm had abated and the police returned to regular duties.

A spokesman for Västernorrland regional police said residents were well prepared for the storm, but it had nonetheless caused a lot of damage to powerlines, roofs, and cars.

Energy company Eon has sent out a shoal of workers to repair the damaged power lines.

"In total, we have 300 people who are either out there now or going out tomorrow," Eon spokeswoman Louise Gudmundson told TT.
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Snowflake

Winter storm pummels Middle East

Rana Moussaoui
newsinfo.inquirer.ne
Fri, 13 Dec 2013 08:10 UTC
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A Syrian refugee man holds his son near his tent as a heavy snowstorm batters the region, in a camp for Syrians who fled their country’s civil war, in the Chouf mountain town of Ketermaya, Lebanon, Wednesday, Dec. 11, 2013. The United Nations refugee agency says it is “extremely concerned” for hundreds of thousands of Syrian refugees scattered across the region amid a snowstorm with high winds and torrential rains
A bruising winter storm brought severe weather to the Middle East Thursday, forcing the closure of roads and schools and blanketing already miserable Syrian refugee camps with snow.

The nearly three-year-old conflict in Syria has killed an estimated 126,000 people and displaced millions, including more than two million who have fled across the borders and thousands who are living in makeshift camps.

Footage posted online by activists showed war-battered areas of Syria shrouded in snow, and at least two children have died from the cold, according to a spokesman for the opposition National Coalition.

Bad weather also delayed the first-ever international UN airlift, set to leave the Kurdish region of northern Iraq for Qamishli in northeastern Syria.

"When it will start is difficult to say - I think the authorities in Qamishli are going to check conditions at the airfield on Friday," UN refugee agency (UNHCR) regional spokesman Peter Kessler told AFP.

Heavy snow in Turkey forced the cancellation of scores of flights and caused major disruption to road and sea traffic.

In tent camps across Lebanon, thousands of Syrian refugees huddled on muddy floors under plastic sheeting that provided little relief from the icy winds.
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Cloud Lightning

Freak storm to batter Britain: 100mph winds and downpours to cause chaos

Nathan Rao
The Express, UK
Fri, 13 Dec 2013 07:49 UTC
Another freak storm is set to sweep Britain next week as our topsy-turvy weather continues.

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© GETTYForecaster warns 'we are heading into an unsettled period'
Torrential rain and 100mph gales are expected to topple trees, bring down power lines and damage buildings.

And forecasters warn that this time there will be no let-up until Christmas.

As parts of the country were still struggling yesterday to clear up the damage caused by last week's storm and devastating tidal surge, there were reports of 80mph winds next week with 100mph storm-force gusts likely to lash areas of the North.

After a few days of relatively calm, foggy weather, Leon Brown, forecaster for The Weather Channel, said a shift in the jet stream would turn things more unsettled over the weekend.

He warned Britain could feel the full brunt of the storm by Wednesday with gales continuing until Christmas.

"There is a 30 to 40 per cent risk of severe gales for central and southern Britain on Thursday as a deep area of low pressure tracks east to Scotland," he said.

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© SWNSMist shrouds countryside near Ashford as a few days of calm weather precede next week’s big storm
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Bizarro Earth

'Imagine America without Los Angeles': Expert warns Southern California isn't ready for major earthquake


CBS
Wed, 11 Dec 2013 22:48 UTC
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© David K. Lynch
A leading earthquake expert has issued a dire warning to Californians about the expected impact of a major disruption to the San Andreas fault line.

The title of Dr. Lucy Jones' lecture this week to the American Geophysical Union in San Francisco was titled "Imagine America without Los Angeles."

As KCAL9′s Dave Bryan reports, Jones, a Science Advisor for Risk Reduction at the U.S. Geological Survey, says when the "Big One" hits Southern California, the damage could be much greater, and could last much longer, than most of us ever imagined.

"Loss of shelter, loss of schools, loss of jobs and emotional hardship. We are risking the ends of our cities," she said during the presentation.

According to a USGS study called the "Shakeout Report," when a high-magnitude earthquake rocks the San Andreas fault, the damage will go far beyond the collapsed buildings and freeways seen in the 1994 Northridge earthquake.
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Question

Underground pipeline explodes into fireball in Oakland


KVTU News
Tue, 10 Dec 2013 12:51 UTC
Fire!
© KTVU.com
Crews have shut off the flow of gas to a 4-inch pipeline that ruptured in a neighborhood in the Oakland hills Tuesday morning, sparking an underground fire that burned for hours and caused the evacuation of nearby homes.

The one-alarm fire was reported at Golf Links Road and Fontaine Street at 8:24 a.m., Oakland fire Battalion Chief Lisa Baker said.

Flames could be seen coming up through cracks in the roadway. No injuries were reported.

Six homes were evacuated, and residents of other homes nearby were advised to shelter in place, Baker said. A hazardous materials team was called to the scene.

PG&E crews shut off the flow of gas at 11:37 a.m.

James Gouig, 36, who lives at that intersection with his cousin, said he was at home when he heard a knock at the front door.

At first he was annoyed because he thought it was a salesperson, he said. However, the person at the door turned out to be a neighbor telling him his front lawn was on fire.
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Cloud Precipitation

At least 2 dead in Rio de Janeiro as heavy rains cause widespread flooding, traffic chaos


Associated Press
Wed, 11 Dec 2013 13:09 UTC
flood Brazil
© Guardian
Torrential rains caused chaos and at least two deaths in Rio de Janeiro on Wednesday. Traffic was snarled, airports temporarily closed and commuter trains halted after flood waters engulfed many parts of the city.

Firefighters said two bodies were found in a river on the poor northern outskirts of Rio.

The federal government said it would send in police to counter some looting that was reported, and the Rio state government asked for assistance in providing water, food and cots for some 2,000 families that were driven from their homes by flooding.

Some people took to the streets in jet skis to rescue neighbours from homes surrounded by water. Commuters were seen standing atop buses as water rose to the windows. Sirens warning citizens to be alert for mudslides rang in more than 40 poorer neighbourhoods.
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Igloo

Heaviest snowstorm since 1953 hits Israel


European Jewish Press
Thu, 12 Dec 2013 12:29 UTC
Snow in Israel
© European Jewsih PressThe snow at the Knesset, Israel's parliament, in Jerusalem.
Jerusalem --- The heaviest winter snowstorm in December since 1953 hit Israel, including Jerusalem, Wednesday night and Thursday, prompting school closures and blocking access routes to the Israeli capital.

The stormy weather was expected to persist into the weekend, with snow reaching elevated areas as far south as the Negev Desert on Friday.

Snow began falling on Mount Hermon in the north. Snow is expected later in the week in areas of northern Israel and the Galilee, as well as in high elevations in central Israel.

The Jerusalem municipality sent out an alert that school studies in the capital were canceled. Courses at the Hebrew University campus on Mount Scopus were also called off for the day.
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Cloud Lightning

Tourists warned to stay indoors as Canary Islands are battered by wind and heavy rain - 'highest ever severe weather alert'

Sarah Gordon
The Daily Mail, UK
Thu, 12 Dec 2013 12:38 UTC
Holidaymakers in the Canary Islands have been warned not to go out after the popular holiday destination was hit by dangerously high winds and rain. The government issued itshighest ever severe weather alert for the Canaries as a storm hit yesterday, leaving the southern part of Tenerife under water.

The gale force winds and driving rain are expected to continue battering the Canaries until Friday and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) has warned British tourists to follow local safety advice.

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Dark days: The Canary Islands have been hit by heavy rain and strong winds, prompting warnings for tourists and locals to stay inside
The FCO said: 'A severe weather warning has been issued for the Canary Islands, with gale-force winds and heavy rain expected to affect the area until Friday 13 December. Some airport and port services are disrupted. Local authorities advise that tourists and residents remain indoors.'

Local press has reported that around 30,000 people on Tenerife have been left without electricity, while the emergency services in the capital Santa Cruz received around 140 call-outs in just four hours overnight.
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Phoenix

Incredible images show Northern Lights illuminating Iceland's night sky

Dion Dassanayake
The Express, UK
Tue, 10 Dec 2013 11:30 UTC
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© CATERSIncredible images have shown the beautiful Northern Lights illuminating Iceland's night sky
The breath-taking images pictures were taken by a school bus driver who said that witnessing the natural phenomenon was like a "dream."

Kristin Jonsdottir, 27, lives on a farm near the fjord of Borgarfjorour, which she said is the perfect place to take pictures of the aurora borealis because of a lack of light pollution.

Ms Jonsdottir said she had to practice taking pictures of the Northern Lights for a number of years as the light levels of the aurora change rapidly.

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© CATERSThe photographer of the jaw-dropping pictures said witnessing the aurora was like a "dream"

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© CATERSKristin Jonsdottir said the spot the photos were taken was perfect due to a lack of light pollution
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Snowflake Cold

Rare snowstorm near Syria-Lebanon border brings havoc, disrupts aid


Russia Today
Wed, 11 Dec 2013 22:42 UTC
lebanon snow storm
© AFP Photo / STRA Syrian refugee shovels snow outside her tent in the makeshift refugee camp of Terbol near the Bekaa Valley town of Zahleh in eastern Lebanon on December 11, 2013.
At least two people were killed and 14 injured as the first snowfall of the season hit Syria and Lebanon. High winds and freezing temperatures affected refugee camps and disrupted international aid. More severe weather is expected this winter.

The storm, named 'Alexa,' took the lives of two people and injured 14 others in Lebanon, Ya Libnan reported, citing Red Cross Secretary General George Kettaneh.

The winter storm caused transportation chaos in the region and grounded the UN humanitarian airlift, which was scheduled to bring food and supplies from Iraq to the northeastern Kurdish areas of Syria. Tens of thousands of people are isolated in those areas, waiting for the aid to arrive.

"Qamishli airport (in Syria) has suspended all flights due to weather conditions, snow and poor visibility," UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHR) spokesman Dan McNorton told Reuters. "We're not going to be able to make those flights happen until the weather improves."

The storm is estimated to last until Saturday, with temperatures plummeting below seven degrees Celsius in mountainous regions of Lebanon.

"I don't know if this tent will hold up, it's just a few flimsy pieces of metal holding it up," refugee Abu Suleiman told AP. He resides in the Lebanese town of Marj, located near the border with Syria.

In the northeastern Lebanese town of Arsal, temperatures hovered just above zero degrees Celsius. A member of the town's municipal council, Wafiq Khalaf, said that refugees were "shivering with cold, especially the ones in tents."

"At the moment there is more than 10 centimeters of snow on the ground, but more is expected," he told AFP.
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