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Cloud Precipitation

Multiple stations in Madrid are forced to close due to flash flooding as Storm Efraín batters Spain

Madrid residents have filmed hundreds of

Madrid residents have filmed hundreds of videos showing how heavy rain has flooded numerous metro stations across the city.
Several metro stations in Madrid were forced to close yesterday after being flooded with waist-high water as Storm Efrain brought a sixth day of torrential rains.

Shocking video footage circulating on social media showed a pair of stations inundated by floodwater which gushed down the stairs and collected in the main concourse.

The Spanish State Meteorological agency AEMET reported on Monday that there could be up to 80 litres of rain in just 12 hours in some areas and more than 100 litres in 48 hours, after heavy rain had already battered the parts of the country on Saturday and Sunday.


Spain has seen some of its heaviest rainfall ever this year.

Snowflake

Holy plow! Nearly 30 inches of snow in Finland, Minnesota and 27 in western Duluth after 3-day storm

A Proctor resident uses a snowblower
© Wyatt Buckner / Duluth News Tribune
A Proctor resident uses a snowblower to clear snow in front of his garage on First Avenue on Thursday morning.
An epic, three-day winter storm was winding down Thursday afternoon after leaving more than 2 feet of snow along the North Shore's highest hills, from western Duluth to Silver Bay and Finland.

The National Weather Service in Duluth allowed the blizzard warning for the North Shore to expire but is continuing a winter weather advisory for all of Northeastern Minnesota and Northwestern Wisconsin until 6 p.m.


Only light accumulations are expected in most areas, but snow may linger into Saturday as the massive storm system continues to move slowly up north and east out of the region.

So far it's the eighth largest 48-hour snowstorm on record in Duluth and 14th largest total snowstorm.

After the snow ends, a blast of cold is expected going into the week before Christmas.


Snowflake

Storm produced nearly 6 feet of snow in Alta, Utah - dangerous avalanche conditions exist

The Utah Avalanche Center issued a special
© Utah Avalanche Center
The Utah Avalanche Center issued a special avalanche bulletin for dangerous conditions Friday.
Utah's most recent storm officially brought as much as 71 inches, or just shy of 6 feet, of snow by the Alta lifts between Sunday and Friday mornings, according to updated information from the National Weather Service.

Snowbird Resort added 56 inches, or more than 4½ feet of snow, as well. Many mountains received multiple feet of new snow.


And while multiple days of heavy snow this week may be good for Utah's snowpack, it's creating dangerous conditions for avalanches, even at lower elevations near parking lots and trailheads.

That's according to the Utah Avalanche Center, which issued a special avalanche bulletin for "unusually dangerous avalanche conditions" on Friday. The bulletin applies to slopes facing northwest through east at all elevations, "where triggering avalanches is likely." The advisory remains in place through the weekend.


Snowflake

6 feet of snow hits pocket of Colorado, 12-foot-tall drifts reported elsewhere after 2-day blizzard

Snow drifts near the Interstate 76 Iliff exit on December 16, 2022
© Dakota McGee
Snow drifts near the Interstate 76 Iliff exit on December 16, 2022
Mapping from the National Weather Service shows big totals across the state following a blizzard that hit Colorado this week, between December 12 and 14.

While totals in the range of six to 12 inches were reported in the northeast, wind gusts created massive snow drifts and made travel very difficult. In some cases, drifts up to 12 feet deep were reported.

Meanwhile, the northern and southwest mountains got the deepest snow totals. In a very small pocket of the San Juans, near Silverton, more than 72 inches of snow was reported to have fallen between December 12 at 5 PM and December 14 at 5 PM. Around that tiny pocket, totals of 48 inches or more were reported. Elsewhere, some parts of the northern mountains got more than two feet during the same period.


Ice Cube

Rarely seen 'ice pancakes' form on rivers in Scotland and England

Unusual discs of frozen slush, known as
© Callum Sinclair
Unusual discs of frozen slush, known as "ice pancakes," were recently spotted on the River Bladnoch in Scotland. The rare structures were created by unusually cold temperatures in the U.K.
Dozens of eerily perfect circles of slushy ice, known as "ice pancakes," have been floating on the surface of a Scottish river after temperatures in the U.K. unexpectedly plummeted.

Callum Sinclair, project manager for the Scottish Invasive Species Initiative (SISI), spotted the stunning circular sheets of ice Dec. 9 on the River Bladnoch in Wigtownshire, Scotland. Pictures of the peculiar pancakes taken by Sinclair were shared on the SISI Twitter page on Dec. 13, along with a short video of the icy discs bumping into one another and being washed downstream by fast-moving currents.

"I've seen ice pancakes occasionally before," Sinclair told Live Science in an email. "But these were particularly interesting" because of their perfect shape, he added.


Comment: Another video record :
Pancake ice on the River Exe, Tiverton!

16 December 2022, Tiverton, Devon, UK

Pancake ice is a form of sea ice that consists of round pieces of ice with diameters ranging from 30 centimetres (12 in) to 3 metres (9.8 ft) and thicknesses up to 10 centimetres (3.9 inches), depending on the local conditions. It forms as a result of wave action on slush or ice rind.




Cloud Precipitation

Up to 169 dead, roads submerged as floods hit capital Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (UPDATES)

A road that was destroyed by heavy floods in Matadi Kibala,
© Patrick Ilunga
A road that was destroyed by heavy floods in Matadi Kibala, west of Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of Congo on December 13, 2022. At least nine people were reported dead as a result of the floods.
Floods caused by heavy rains swept parts of DR Congo's capital Kinshasa on Tuesday, in one case killing nine people when their home collapsed, an AFP reporter saw. The AFP reporter saw the bodies of nine members of a family who had died after the collapse of their home in the Binza Delvaux district.

While the official death toll from the floods is yet to be declared, in some areas, chiefs said they had recorded 15 deaths, while in others, mayors said they had already recorded 40 deaths. The most affected neighbourhoods are Mont-Ngafula and Bandalungwa, Kintambo and Ngaliema.

The compilation of different testimonies from the mayors of the 24 zones of Kinshasa indicates that the number of deaths could reach 100.


Comment: Update December 14

Floodlist reports:
At least 120 people have lost their lives after torrential rain caused widespread damages, landslides and flooding in the city of Kinshasa, the capital and largest city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Floods, landslides and sinkholes following heavy rain caused severe damages in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo, on 13 December 2022.
© Government of Democratic Republic of the Congo
Floods, landslides and sinkholes following heavy rain caused severe damages in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo, on 13 December 2022.
Heavy rain fell overnight, from 12 to 13 December 2022, causing floods, landslides and sinkholes. Several municipalities in the city were affected. Dozens of houses and buildings collapsed and vehicles were left stranded. Wide stretches of road were completely destroyed, including in Mitendi, a commune to the southwest of the city, where a sinkhole wiped out the busy N1 highway which connects Kinshasa to Matadi. The road is likely to be closed for 4 to 5 days, the Prime Minister said in a statement.

Local media said never has the rain been so deadly and devastating in the city and reported damage and fatalities in several communes (municipalities) in particular Ngaliema and Mont-Ngafula. The Ministry of Health officials reported a total of more than 140 fatalities, while the Prime Minister in a statement said at least 120 people had died. Search and rescue operations are ongoing and are likely to find more victims.

Prime Minister Jean-Michel Sama Lukonde visited some of the affected areas on 13 December. On the instructions of the President of the Republic, the Government decreed a 3-day period of national mourning.

In a statement of 13 December, the Governor of Kinshasa, Ngobila Mbaka, offered his condolences to the families of the victims and expressed sympathy with the people who have suffered. He also stressed the need to respect planning rules banning illegal construction in drainage areas and river beds and emphasised the need to keep rivers and drainage channels free of trash and debris.
  • Around 20 people died in floods in the city in late November 2015
  • At least 37 people died after floods in Kinshasa in January 2018
  • Flooding struck in the city in October 2019 where 6 people died, and again in November 2019, when around 41 people died.
  • Update December 17

    Al Jazeera reports:
    The death toll in the Democratic Republic of the Congo continues to rise following heavy rain and extreme flooding that have ravaged the country in recent days.

    At least 169 people have died as a result of destructive rains in the capital Kinshasa, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) and officials said on Friday.

    The flooding left another 30 people injured and pulverised an estimated 280 homes across the capital of some 15 million people, in which approximately 38,000 residents have been affected.


    The city's Mont-Ngafula and Ngaliema districts were the hardest hit by the downpours, officials said.

    A joint team from OCHA and the government's social affairs ministry visited affected areas on Thursday to inspect the damage.

    "Today marks the end of three day of national mourning in memory of those deceased," OCHA said in a statement.

    "The Government has confirmed that it will organize a dignified and secure burial of those who have lost their lives."

    An estimated 8.2 million people in at least 20 different nations in west and central Africa have been affected by heavy rains in recent weeks. On Friday, the UN estimated that 2.9 million people had been displaced and more than half a million homes destroyed.



    Cloud Lightning

    Moment lightning strikes near nursing home as storms hit Louisiana

    The lighting struck just outside a nursing home amid severe weather.
    © St. John the Baptist Sheriff's Office
    The lighting struck just outside a nursing home amid severe weather.
    A dramatic lightning strike that hit close to a nursing home and a church was captured from the CCTV camera of a communications tower.

    The video - filmed on December 15 - shows numerous strikes hitting the area in slow-motion in Louisiana, USA.

    The area has been victim to a wave of bad weather recently with warnings of a tornadic thunderstorm.


    Snowflake

    Snow falls in Tasmania amid unseasonably cold start to summer in Australia's south-east

    Snow on Mt Wellington near Hobart, Tasmania, on Thursday. It was the coldest December day in Hobart since 1964, reaching a maximum of just 11.5C.
    © Robbie Moles
    Snow on Mt Wellington near Hobart, Tasmania, on Thursday. It was the coldest December day in Hobart since 1964, reaching a maximum of just 11.5C.
    Residents in parts of south-east Australia may be dreaming of a white Christmas, amid an unseasonably cold start to the summer.

    Snow has been falling across the alps and on the Tasmanian highlands throughout the week, though warmer weather is on the horizon. Thursday was the coldest December day in Hobart since 1964, reaching a maximum of just 11.5C, with up to 10mm of snow falling on elevations above 1,5000 metres.

    Temperatures near Mt Wellington dipped to below freezing on Thursday, with southerly winds making it feel colder than it was.

    Melbourne has also faced unusually cold temperatures, shivering at a maximum of just 12C on Tuesday, and only hitting 17C on Thursday.

    Cold air from the south kept temperatures between one and three degrees below average on Tasmania, with the first two weeks of summer wetter than average on the east coast.


    Comment: Another report from 2 days prior: A week out from summer solstice in Australia snow and sub-zero temperatures hit the Snowy Mountains


    Tornado2

    Three killed in Louisiana as dozens of tornadoes tear across southern US

    Debris is piled up following severe weather
    © Jake Bleiberg/AP
    Debris is piled up following severe weather Wednesday in Keithville, Louisiana.
    Three people are dead in Louisiana after tornadoes tore across the American South, destroying families' homes in the midst of holiday preparations.

    The storm system which had spawned dozens of reported tornadoes from east Texas to the Florida Panhandle was expected to peter out on Thursday. But not before it exacted devastation on a number of communities where some homes were blown to pieces and residents hospitalized.

    Nikolus Little, aged eight, was found dead in Keithville, Louisiana, on Tuesday after a tornado touched down, the Caddo Parish Sheriff's Office reported.

    The child's body was discovered in a wooded area of the Pecan Farms subdivision where his home had been destroyed. His mother, Yoshiko A. Smith, 30, was initially missing but her body was later found by sheriff's deputies under debris and one street over from her demolished home.


    Arrow Down

    Malaysia landslide: at least 24 killed and 9 missing at campsite near Kuala Lumpur (UPDATE)

    Malaysian rescuers search for survivors after
    © AP/Malaysia Civil Defence
    Malaysian rescuers search for survivors after a landslide that killed at least 12 people at a campsite about 50km north of Kuala Lumpur early on Friday.
    A landslide killed at least 12 people while they slept at a Malaysian campsite near Kuala Lumpur early on Friday, officials said, as search teams scoured thick mud and downed trees for more than 20 people still missing.

    A child and a woman were found among the dead, authorities said, while one of the eight people taken to hospital was pregnant. Others had injuries ranging from minor cuts to a suspected spinal injury.

    More than 90 people were caught in the landslide, which occurred about 3am and tore down a hillside into a farm with camping facilities, engulfing the campsite about 50km north of Kuala Lumpur, the capital, the state fire and rescue department said. Fifty-nine had been found safe and 22 were still missing.

    Three people were injured while rescuers were searching for the missing, the department said.


    Comment: Update December 17

    The Independent reports:
    Malaysia landslide death toll rises to 24 as search for missing continues

    Rescue workers on Saturday recovered the bodies of one woman and two children, taking the death toll from the horrific landslide at an unlicensed campsite in Kuala Lumpur to 24.

    A landslide in Batang Kali, a popular hilly area about 50 km north of Kuala Lumpur, killed 24 people on Friday -- seven among them were children.

    Reuters reported that 94 people were sleeping at the camping site when the dirt fell from a road about 100 feet above them and covered about three acres.

    On Saturday, efforts were underway to rescue nearly a dozen trapped workers. Later, officials said that nine people are missing. Rescue workers also recovered the bodies of a woman and two children during the search operation.

    Of the 94 people who were caught in the landslide, 61 are reportedly safe and the survivors are in stable condition, according to Malaysia's health minister, Zaliha Mustafa.

    A total of 135 responders and seven rescue dogs resumed scouring through thick mud and downed trees around 8.30 am local time with the assistance of excavators, the state fire and rescue chief Norazam Khamis told reporters.

    Rescuers are still searching for survivors who may have found pockets of air to cling to amid the piles of branches, rocks, and mud, local reports said.

    Seven people were taken to the hospital on Friday, and dozens more were rescued unharmed. A mother and her toddler were found on Friday hugging each other in a heart-rending scene, rescuers told the media.

    Rescue teams worked on Saturday to comb through debris as deep as 26 feet.

    The landslide reportedly covered about three acres, and estimates suggest it may have involved about 16 million cubic feet of debris - enough to fill nearly 180 Olympic-sized swimming pools.

    While the cause of the disaster remains unknown, experts speculate it may have been due to underground water movement and unstable soil during the monsoon rains.

    "We felt the tents becoming unstable and soil was falling around us. Luckily, I was able to leave the tent and go to some place safer. My mother and I managed to crawl out and save ourselves," 22-year-old Teh Lynn Xuan, who was camping with several others at the site when the landslide struck, told Channel News Asia.

    The campground is a popular recreational site and had reportedly been operating illegally for the last two years, despite only having permission to run the farm.

    Following the disaster, the Malaysian government has ordered all campsites near rivers, waterfalls, and hillsides to be closed for a week for safety assessments.

    Prime minister Anwar Ibrahim has said RM10,000 (£1861.35) will be given to the families of those who died.