Storms
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Snowflake Cold

Storm buries parts of Ontario under nearly a metre of snow, thousands without power


Global News
Sat, 30 Nov 2024 19:37 UTC
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Thousands are without power in parts of Ontario hit hard by a blast of winter weather delivering gusty winds and heavy snow, with more to come.

Snow blowing off lakes Superior and Huron has closed a stretch of the Trans-Canada Highway, knocked out power and buried some communities under nearly a metre of snow.

Hydro One, the provincial utility, says its crews are working to restore power to more than 30,000 customers, mostly in hard-hit central Ontario.

Bracebridge and Sault Ste. Marie, two of the hardest hit areas, are digging out from around 80 centimetres of snow, with another 40 to 50 centimetres in Saturday's forecast.

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Tsunami

Egypt says 16 people missing as tourist boat sinks after being hit by large wave off Red Sea coast


Al Jazeera
Mon, 25 Nov 2024 21:23 UTC
A photo shared online by the Red Sea Governorate of Egypt shows the Sea Story luxury yacht, which authorities report capsized early on November 25, 2024
© Red Sea GovernorateA photo shared online by the Red Sea Governorate of Egypt shows the Sea Story luxury yacht, which authorities report capsized early on November 25, 2024
Sixteen people including 12 foreign nationals are missing after a tourist boat capsized off Egypt's Red Sea coast, the local government has said.

The boat, Sea Story, was carrying 44 people, including 31 tourists of varying nationalities and 13 crew on a multi-day diving trip when it sank on Monday near the town of Marsa Alam, the Red Sea Governorate said in a statement, revising an earlier report of 14 Egyptian crew aboard.

Twenty-eight people were rescued and had only minor injuries such as bruises and scrapes with none requiring hospitalisation, it said.

Red Sea Governor Amr Hanafi said that preliminary reports suggested a sudden large wave struck the boat, sinking it within five to seven minutes.

"Some passengers were in their cabins, which is why they were unable to escape," he added in the statement.
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Boat

At least 18 dead after boat capsizes during violent winds in flood-hit northern Cameroon

Amindeh Blaise Atabong
Reuters
Fri, 29 Nov 2024 13:08 UTC
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At least 18 people died when a boat carrying passengers heading to a market in Cameroon's Far North region capsized, a local administrative official said on Friday.

The accident occurred on Thursday on waterways leading to the district of Darak, an island in the Lake Chad Basin near the border with Chad, where seasonal floods have made boats the only viable means of getting around.

Mamat Zarma, divisional officer of Darak, said the wooden boat was en route when it was rocked by violent winds, causing it to capsize.

"So far, we have recovered the bodies of five women and 13 men," Zarma told Reuters by telephone, adding that the exact number of passengers onboard at the time of the accident was unknown.

He said search and rescue operations were ongoing to find other possible missing people.
Two weeks ago, a similar incident occurred in the nearby district of Goulfey, when a locally-built canoe carrying around 30 passengers capsized, killing four people and leaving others missing.
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Tsunami

80,000 evacuated, 4 dead as northern Malaysia 'completely paralysed' by severe floods (UPDATE)

Hadi Azmi
South China Morning Post
Thu, 28 Nov 2024 20:04 UTC
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Severe floods have displaced nearly 40,000 people across northern Malaysia, as heavy rains continue to pound the region, swelling the Golok River which acts as the border with Thailand to its highest level since 1997.

The northeast monsoon season, which runs from November to March, regularly floods Peninsular Malaysia. However, this year's wet season coincides with the La Niña weather phenomenon, which meteorologists warn could intensify rainfall and trigger extreme flooding into next month.

Speaking in parliament, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said that more than 37,000 people in six states have been relocated to some 330 temporary shelters as of Thursday morning.

"Kelantan recorded the highest number of victims at 30,582 people," he said, adding that the National Disaster Management Agency (NADMA) is coordinating federal and state resources to ensure the safety and welfare of flood victims.


Comment: Update November 29

The Times of India reports:
Heavy rains this week triggered widespread flooding across several Malaysian states, forcing over 80,000 people to evacuate and leaving four dead, officials said on Friday.

Disaster officials said that four people have died across the states of Kelantan, Terengganu and Sarawak. And officials at the National Disaster Command Centre confirmed that 80,589 people were moved to 467 temporary shelters across seven states.

The disaster centre confirmed deployment of search and rescue teams to assist operations in affected regions, particularly in Kelantan. The northeastern regions of Kelantan and Terengganu experienced the most severe impact.


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Snowflake Cold

North China braves cold wave, snow storms - temperatures of minus 18 degrees Celsius


China Daily
Thu, 28 Nov 2024 11:50 UTC
Heavy snow is seen at the Daqing oilfield in northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, November 27, 2024.
© CFPHeavy snow is seen at the Daqing oilfield in northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, November 27, 2024.
Starting on Tuesday, many areas in Jilin and Heilongjiang provinces in Northeast China have been experiencing a sharp temperature drop of more than 10 degrees Celsius.

In Hegang city of Heilongjiang, the cumulative snowfall from 8 am Tuesday to 8 am Wednesday notched up 49.7 mm, breaking the local historical record for single-day snowfall in November. The city's maximum snow depth has reached 48 cm.

Meanwhile, with a snow depth of 45 cm, Heihe city has broken the local record for the deepest snow accumulation since its weather observations began in 1959.

Although the snowfall in most areas of Heilongjiang has gradually weakened, widespread snowfall is expected to continue on Thursday. Moreover, temperatures across the province are expected to plummet. It is forecasted that the highest temperatures in most areas of Heilongjiang will drop between 10 to 14 degrees Celsius on Wednesday, according to local meteorological authorities.

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Tsunami

At least 12 dead, several missing, 250,000 flee homes as Sri Lanka faces massive rains, floods


Deccan Herald
Wed, 27 Nov 2024 20:46 UTC
Several children missing after tractor swept away by floods
Several children missing after tractor swept away by floods
Four persons, including two children, have died and several others remained missing while over 2.30 lakh individuals were affected across Sri Lanka due to inclement weather following a massive rain system in southwest Bay of Bengal, authorities said on Wednesday.

At least six Colombo-bound flights were diverted to other airports on Wednesday morning due to heavy rain - 75 mm in 24 hours ending at 8:00 am - and high winds experienced in most parts of the island due to the Deep Depression (heavy rain bearing system) over the southwest Bay of Bengal.

The Deep Depression is likely to move north-northwest wards closer to the east coast of Sri Lanka and intensify further into a cyclonic storm later in the day, the meteorological department said.

Army and navy troops were deployed to rescue victims and provide food and other essentials to those affected.


Comment: Update November 28

Deutsche Welle reports:
At least 12 people have been killed due to flooding and landslides in Sri Lanka, authorities said on Thursday.

Rescue teams said they had recovered the bodies of four children who were swept away by the floodwaters while they were riding on a tractor in the town of Eravur on the east coast.

Others remain missing after torrential rains, flash floods and landslides caused devastation in eastern and central parts of the South Asian country.

The powerful but slow-moving storm, which is now heading toward India, has forced more than 250,000 people in Sri Lanka to flee their homes, according to the island nation's Disaster Management Center.


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Snowflake

Mammoth Mountain in California enjoying epic early season snowfall - 2 feet in 24 hours, 5 feet for the season so far

Marc Sternfield
ktla.com
Tue, 26 Nov 2024 14:20 UTC
Snow-covered cars at Mammoth Mountain ski resort in California. Nov. 25, 2024.
© MammothSnow-covered cars at Mammoth Mountain ski resort in California. Nov. 25, 2024.
Mammoth Mountain, one of the snowiest ski resorts in North America, is getting buried in snow by an atmospheric river that has drenched northern and central areas of California with heavy rain this week.

As of Friday morning, Mammoth had measured over two feet of snow over the past 24 hours and nearly 60" season to date, resort officials said in a media release that included high-res video and photos of the snowfall.

Eleven of the resort's 27 lifts were open.

"Early-season snowfall is a major boon for destinations like Mammoth Lakes," resort officials said. "It's been an incredible start to the winter season."

Mammoth receives an average of 322″ of snow per year.

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Snowflake Cold

Super heavy snowfall hits Blagoveshchensk, Russia for 2nd consecutive day - entire winter's worth in 2 days


RT
Wed, 27 Nov 2024 13:39 UTC
The city received three months' worth of precipitation
The city received three months' worth of precipitation
Blagoveshchensk, Russia, is experiencing historic snowfall, with local authorities reporting that the two-day accumulation is equivalent to an entire winter's worth of snow—a phenomenon not seen in nearly 100 years.

The city has declared a state of emergency.

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Tornado2

Dramatic waterspout captured on camera off Normandy, France

Dean Murray
talker.news
Thu, 21 Nov 2024 12:27 UTC
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A dramatic waterspout has been captured on camera.

The meteorological phenomena was spotted on a webcam at Sainte-Marguerite-sur-Mer in Normandy on Wednesday, Nov. 20.

Webcam providers Vision-Environment commented: "WOW Huge waterspout captured by our webcam after the snowstorm passed through."

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Arrow Down

Girl missing as heavy rains in Bolivia cause landslide in capital La Paz


The Express and Star
Sun, 24 Nov 2024 13:38 UTC
Homes are flooded by the overflowing Pasajahuira River in La Paz, Bolivia
© Juan Karita/APHomes are flooded by the overflowing Pasajahuira River in La Paz, Bolivia
A landslide caused by heavy rains after a prolonged drought in La Paz, the capital of Bolivia, has flooded dozens of homes, local authorities said.

It swept away a young girl, spurred evacuations and left parts of the city without electricity.

Torrential rain on Saturday caused a river to spill its banks, dislodging mud from a southwestern La Paz neighbourhood where low-slung, shoddily built dwellings dot the hillside.

The torrent of rocks and soil surged down a narrow ravine early on Sunday, wrecking some two dozen homes and flooding another 40, said Juan Carlos Calvimontes, Bolivia's deputy civil defence minister.

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