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Lightning bolt kills 5 family members in Tabora,Tanzania


Xinhua
Wed, 24 Apr 2019 18:24 UTC
lightning
At least five people of the same family were killed after they were struck by lightning in Tanzania's central region of Tabora, police said Wednesday.

Emmanuel Nley, Tabora Regional Police Commander, said the tragedy occurred on Tuesday night at Isongwa village following a heavy downpour that was accompanied by strong winds and lightning.

"The deceased were asleep when the lightning struck, damaging the wall in the process," said the police officer.

Sikonge District Council chairman Peter Nzalalila said the grisly incident has left the villagers and entire community in grief.
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Camera

Images of rare and elusive red sprites captured over central US

Brian Lada
AccuWeather.com
Wed, 24 Apr 2019 14:42 UTC
Red sprites seen over central Kansas on April 21, 2019
© Paul Smith
Red sprites seen over central Kansas on April 21, 2019.
A rare and elusive weather phenomenon was photographed last weekend in the central United States as severe thunderstorms swept across the region.

When lightning occurs, it usually either dances through the clouds of a thunderstorm or strikes the ground, but when conditions are right, a certain type of lightning bolt can extend well above the thunderstorm itself. This type of lightning is known as a "sprite."

The red color of the sprites is believed to be caused by the interaction between the sprites and nitrogen in the atmosphere, according to the University of Washington. This is why they are also known as "red sprites."

"Red sprites are short-lived, red flashes that occur about 80 kilometers (50 miles) up in the atmosphere. With long, vertical tendrils like a jellyfish, these electrical discharges can extend 20 to 30 kilometers up into the atmosphere and are connected to thunderstorms and lightning," NASA reported.

To put their size into perspective, most commercial jets fly at a cruising altitude of around 7 or 8 miles, just a fraction of the altitude of where sprites occur in the atmosphere.

This rare phenomenon was captured by nature photographer Paul Smith on two occasions over the past week when severe thunderstorms rumbled over the central U.S. Smith has been specializing in night photography since 2015, capturing mesmerizing images of the aurora, thunderstorms at night and red sprites.


Comment: With increased red sprite sightings in recent years this weather phenomenon is not so 'rare' and 'elusive' anymore. It seems that the electrical nature of our atmosphere is rapidly changing: For more, check out SOTT radio's: Behind the Headlines: Earth changes in an electric universe: Is climate change really man-made?

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Snowflake

Late heavy snowfall in the Alps and Pyrenees - 2 feet in 24 hours

Patrick Thorne
Inthesnow.com
Wed, 24 Apr 2019 14:09 UTC
snow alps
Heavy snowfall has been reported above 2000 metres in the Alps with the precipitation falling as rain on lower slopes.

About 80 ski areas are still open in the region - mostly resorts with glaciers, high altitude snowfields or some other snowsure reputation. The majority will, however, close on Sunday.

The snowfall has been heaviest in the Western Alps, particularly along the Italian border with France and Switzerland.

The biggest accumulation has been reported in the Monterosa region where up to 60cm (two feet) of snow is reported to have fallen in 24 hours on high slopes with rain in the valley.


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Cloud Precipitation

Deadly floods and landslides hit South Africa, 9 inches of rain in 24 hours - Death toll reaches 60 - UPDATE


Floodlist
Tue, 23 Apr 2019 13:30 UTC
Rescue workers on the scene of a mud slide
© Rescue Care
Rescue workers on the scene of a mud slide which caused a home in Malvern, Durban, to collapse. The bodies of four people - two adults and two children - were recovered.
Heavy rain in South Africa has caused flooding in parts of KwaZulu-Natal and Eastern Cape Provinces. Further heavy rain has been forecast.

Oribi Gorge in southern KwaZulu-Natal recorded 234mm of rain in 24 hours to early 23 April, according to weather services provider, Africa Weather. Port St Johns recorded 189mm of rain and Durban 165mm during the same period.

KwaZulu-Natal Province

Schools and roads have been closed after widespread flooding in the coastal city of Durban, KwaZulu-Natal province. The overflowing Umgeni River has prompted evacuations.

At least five people have died and dozens others have been injured after buildings collapsed during flooding and mudslides in different parts of the city.


Comment: Update: The BBC on the 24th of April reports:
Floods and mudslides in the South African city of Durban and the wider KwaZulu-Natal province have killed at least 60 people, officials say.

A six-month-old baby and a young child are among the dead.

More than 1,000 people have been displaced according to President Cyril Ramaphosa who has flown into the region to visit the affected areas.

Southern and eastern parts of the country have been badly hit by torrential rain in the last few days.

More flooding and strong winds are expected in coastal areas and a severe weather warning is still in place.

The raging floods damaged businesses, homes and at least two universities - while hundreds of people have been displaced.

The rains have led to landslides destroying property and roads
© REUTERS
The rains have led to landslides


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Arrow Down

Landslide caused by heavy rainfall kills 28 in southwestern Colombia - UPDATE

Julia Symmes Cobb and Luis Jaime Acosta
Reuters
Sun, 21 Apr 2019 09:30 UTC
Grab taken from an AFP video showing people searching for others who might be trapped under

Grab taken from an AFP video showing people searching for others who might be trapped under rubble.
Seventeen people have been killed and five injured in a landslide in the southwestern Colombian province of Cauca, the country's disaster relief agency said on Sunday.

The landslide, which was caused by heavy rains, occurred early on Sunday in a rural area of Rosas municipality, the agency said in a statement.

On Sunday evening an agency spokesman said the death toll had risen from the initial figure of 14.


Comment: Update: Reuters on the 23rd of April reports:
The death toll from a weekend landslide in the southwestern Colombian province of Cauca has risen to 28 people, the country's disaster relief agency said on Monday.

The landslide, caused by heavy rains, occurred early on Sunday morning in a rural area of Rosas municipality.

"In the last two days we have recovered 28 bodies. Rescue operations will restart in the morning," the disaster relief agency said on Twitter late on Monday.

At least five people were hospitalized and eight houses were destroyed. A portion of the Pan-American Highway was also blocked by the landslide.


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Arrow Down

Landslide triggered by rain kills at least 3 in Tanzania, several injured

Fumbuka Ng'wanakilala and Hereward Holland
Reuters
Tue, 23 Apr 2019 12:09 UTC
file

File photo
A landslide triggered by rains killed at least three people at a mine in the northern Tanzanian town of Arusha on Tuesday and left several people injured, a senior police official said.

Two people were pulled out alive after boulders and earth loosened by rain trapped workers at a quarry for construction material on the outskirts of the tourist town.

"Three people died in this incident, but we managed to rescue two people who were rushed to hospital for emergency medical attention," Arusha regional police commander Jonathan Shana told journalists.
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Arrow Down

More than 50 believed killed when mound of tailings collapses at Myanmar jade mine

Shoon Naing
Reuters
Tue, 23 Apr 2019 11:45 UTC
50 believed killed in collapse at Myanmar jade mine

50 believed killed in collapse at Myanmar jade mine
More than 50 people were feared to have been killed in Myanmar when jade miners and machinery were buried under a mound of tailings late on Monday, a member of parliament and a rescue worker said.

Three bodies had been pulled from the debris, Tin Soe, a lawmaker representing the jade-rich Hpakant area of Kachin state in the north, said on Tuesday.

Deadly landslides and other accidents are common in the poorly regulated mines of Hpakant.

A total of 54 workers for two mining companies, along with 40 machines and vehicles including backhoes and trucks, were trapped when the large refuse pile collapsed late at night on Monday, he said.
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Cloud Precipitation

13 killed, 40 injured by hailstorm in Uganda


The Observer (Uganda)
Wed, 24 Apr 2019 11:29 UTC
health
13 people have been killed and 40 others injured following a rainstorm in Buyende district.

The storm ravaged the villages of Kabugudo, Nabweyo, and Nakabembe in Kidera town council during the heavy rains which begun at 8:00 pm on Sunday night till 10:30 pm.

The storm swept away 300 homes and residents have resorted to seeking refuge at Kidera health centre IV. Survivors have been transferred to Kidera health centre IV and Kamuli general hospital respectively. Fatuma Ndibaisa who is nursing wounds at Kidera health centre IV says that the collapsing rooftop hit her on the head.

"The rains were characterised with a heavy storm and I decided to lock myself in the house, however, in no time, I saw my rooftop shaking and on my way out, it hit me on the head," she says.

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Seismograph

Strong 6.1 magnitude earthquake hits Arunachal Pradesh, India


Hindustan Times
Wed, 24 Apr 2019 03:28 UTC
Earthquake seismograph
A strong 6.1-magnitude earthquake struck India's northeastern state of Arunachal Pradesh early Wednesday, the US Geological Survey said.

The epicenter of the shallow quake was about 40 kilometres (25 miles) southeast of Along, and 180 kilometres southwest of the state capital Itanagar.

It struck at 1.45 am (2015 GMT Tuesday). Arunachal Pradesh is India's least densely populated state, but is still home to more than 1.2 million people, according to the state government's website.

China's official state news agency Xinhua said the quake was felt in Tibet, which neighbors the Indian state. New Delhi and Beijing for decades have disputed control of Arunachal Pradesh -- a dispute that remains unresolved. India considers Arunachal Pradesh one of its northeastern states, while China claims about 90,000 square kilometres (34,750 square miles) of the territory.

Arunachal Pradesh also borders Myanmar and Bhutan. USGS estimated there was a "low likelihood" of casualties and damage from the quake.
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Ice Cube

Arctic blast in Russia brings record breaking low temperatures

Cap Allon
Electroverse
Tue, 23 Apr 2019 10:10 UTC
Russia spring
© Sofia De-Janeiro @Holy_bear697 · Apr 15
Over the last few nights, temperatures in Southwest Russia have hit new record lows for the time of year.

While a slice of Northern and Western Europe basked in warm African air dragged up from the south, much of Eastern and Southern regions of the continent were descend upon by a brutal Arctic air mass from the north - this contrast serving as yet more evidence of the weak and wavy meridional jet stream associated with low solar activity.

For more on that, click here.

Below I've compiled a list of a few of the all-time cold records that tumbled in SW Russia over the Easter weekend (data courtesy of www.hmn.ru):

Comment: And in other parts of the world the erratic seasons and extreme weather also continues to increase:








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