Storms
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Bizarro Earth

US: Tornadoes and Floods ... and Now Hurricane Season

hurricane season
The spring of tornadoes and floods has made Mississippi and Alabama more prepared for the summer hurricane season, rather than stretching their resources too thin, emergency directors said Friday.

The tornadoes that hit Alabama on April 27 - part of a four-day outbreak that killed more than 300 people in the South and Midwest - showed an emergency preparedness gap created by the state's largest deployment ever of National Guard troops to Afghanistan and Iraq, said Art Faulkner, director of the Alabama Emergency Management Agency.

The National Weather Service said 58 tornadoes touched down in Alabama, killing more than 230 people and injuring thousands. Put together, emergency management officials say the twisters left a path of destruction 10 miles wide and 610 miles long, or about as far as a drive from Birmingham to Columbus, Ohio.

Cloud Lightning

US: Rare twisters stun Massachusetts survivors

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© Elise Amendola/Associated PressTony Esposito surveys the rubble of his home in Monson, Mass., on Thursday, one day after it was destroyed by a tornado. Esposito said no one was injured at his home.
First tornado fatality in more than 60 years for New England state as survivors assess damages

Massachusetts remained under a state of emergency Thursday after the state was hit by a rare tornado outbreak that left four dead and more than 200 injured.

They were the first tornado deaths in the state in more than 60 years.

In all, as many as 19 different communities sustained damage as the storm front moved across the state late Wednesday afternoon, according to Mass. Gov. Deval Patrick.

Patrick declared a state of emergency Wednesday evening, only hours after the storm system tore though the central and western parts of the state. In response to the disaster declaration, the National Guard called up approximately 1,000 troops to assist in rescue and response efforts.

Fish

US: Thousands lose power in Midlands storm

South Carolina--The vegetable refrigeration units were off, the greenhouse was dank and warm, and hundreds of tilapia were belly-up Friday morning when City Roots urban farm co-owner Eric McClam discovered his new business had no electricity.

An overnight storm with winds gusting to 60 mph ripped tree branches and popped transformers across the Columbia area, leaving up to 53,000 SCE&G customers in the dark, a utility company spokesman said Friday.

That peak of discomfort had eased by late Friday afternoon to 11,300 customers in Richland and Lexington, including McClam's three-acre farm in the Rosewood neighborhood near Jim Hamilton-L.B. Owens Airport. About 1,100 were in apartment complexes off I-20 and Broad River Road, according to a South Carolina Electric & Gas Co. website that tracks outages.

Umbrella

Canada: Large hail pounds western Manitoba

hail manitoba
© Brady Strachan/CBCHail larger than a quarter pummeled Souris on Thursday
Clusters of thunderstorms with extensive lightning and large hail are hitting some areas hard.

"These thunderstorms are tracking east-northeast at 50 km/h and have a history of producing hail the size of golf balls in Melita and Souris earlier this morning," stated a warning issued by Environment Canada at noon.

"Brandon and communities west and south of the city are in the direct path of the strongest thunderstorms in this cluster and should prepare for large hail."

House

Canada: Lake Manitoba swallowed homes - residents

manitoba storm damage
© CBCMany homes and cottages along the south shore of Lake Manitoba have been severely damaged by Tuesday's violent storm
Residents along Twin Beach Road worked hard to protect their properties from flooding, but their efforts proved no match for a storm packing 90 km/h winds on rain-swollen Lake Manitoba.

The storm hit on Tuesday, damaging numerous properties in the Rural Municipality of St. Laurent - Twin Lakes Beach, Laurentian Beach, Delta Beach, and Sandpiper Beach.

David Sawicky said Wednesday he had to wade into rising floodwaters at his home to rescue his father and his dog.

Still, Sawicky said, he didn't expect the damage to his property to be that bad.

Bell

Rain, snowmelt combine to increase flood threat in the US

Torrential rainfall and record snowmelt are contributing to a slow-motion flood disaster along the Missouri River and its tributaries in the northern Rockies and northern Plains.


Umbrella

India: Heavy rains lash Punjab, Haryana

Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh were lashed by heavy rains and high velocity winds last night, disrupting power supply at many places.

After receiving showers yesterday morning, rains and thunder squall with a wind speed of over 45 kmph hit Chandigarh last night.

Power supply was disrupted at many places in the city and it took a few hours before it could be restored. Many low-lying areas were water-logged and trees could be seen uprooted this morning.

Some residents here also complained that their electrical appliances were damaged due to excess voltage from trees falling on power lines.

Cloud Lightning

Heavy Rains, High Winds in Manitoba Damage Homes, Force Residents to Flee

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© (CBC)A resident in Twin Lakes Beach, in the RM of St. Laurent, wades through high waters to save belongings during Tuesday's flood and storm.
Heavy rain and extreme wind have caused extensive flooding and wind damage around Lake Manitoba and in southwestern parts of the province.

The Manitoba government says 16 people had to be rescued Tuesday, including one person who had to be lifted out by helicopter in the Rural Municipality of St. Laurent.

So far, 238 people who evacuated from the area have registered with the Red Cross.

Several roads have been washed out or overtopped with water and the government says they will have to be inspected before evacuees can return.

More than 700 seasonal and permanent properties have been on mandatory evacuation notices around Lake Manitoba due to flooding.

Cloud Lightning

US Kansas: Quick Flooding Prompts Evacuations in Manhattan

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© NBC Action News.comJUNE 2, 2011: Skytracker flies over Manhattan, Kansas, where flooding of the Wildcat Creek prompted the evacuation of hundreds of residents
Heavy rain that quickly pushed creeks out of their banks in north-central Kansas chased hundreds of people from their homes for several hours Thursday, turning parts of the region into a maze of closed roads.

In Riley County, police ordered about 200 people to evacuate houses and apartment complexes before dawn Thursday in a low-lying area along Wildcat Creek in Manhattan. Several inches of rain that began falling Wednesday night swelled the creek and raised the Kansas River.

Flooding along Wildcat Creek isn't unusual, but police Capt. Kurt Moldrup said Thursday's episode was "the worst flooding that we've seen in this area." The creek began receding by midday and most roads reopened, allowing residents to go home to their houses, apartments and vehicles, many of them damaged by water.

The American Red Cross opened a shelter at St. Thomas More Church, but it appeared unlikely that many people would need to stay there Thursday night.

Cloud Lightning

Rains, Snowfall Keep Mercury in Check in North India

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© WikipediaStates in the North and North Central Zones of India, as defined by the Indian Government.
In Punjab, Patiala saw a heavy downpour of 53 mm, with the minimum settling at 19 deg C, down six notches. Amritsar received a rainfall of 13.8 mm and the minimum dropped to 18.2 deg C, down five degrees. Ludhiana received 18.8 mm of rains, and the minimum settled at 18.8 deg C, seven degrees below normal. Ambala was the wettest place in Haryana after being lashed by 47.4 mm of rains. The minimum there settled at 18.3 deg C, down seven degrees, while it recorded a high of 31.9 deg C, nine degrees below normal.

In Himachal Pradesh, the higher reaches received another spell of snowfall while the mid and lower hills were lashed by heavy rains, causing a sharp fall in minimum temperatures. Keylong in tribal Lahaul and Spiti district received 18 cm of snow while Rohtang, Kunzam, Saach and other mountain passes received moderate snowfall. The Rohtang Pass (13,050 feet), which opened for tourists yesterday, was blocked for a few hours but it was cleared as the snow melted. The hill state received widespread rains with Nadaun being the wettest in the region with 80 mm of rains. The minimum temperature dropped to 10 degree in Shimla.

Some parts of Rajasthan also witnessed moderate rainfall. Churu, Pilani and Bikaner received 19mm, 8 mm and 6 mm rains respectively. Kota was the hottest place in the desert state with a maximum temperature of 41.4 deg C, followed by Barmer (41.3), Bikaner (38.5), Ajmer (38.4). The state capital Jaipur recorded 36.2 deg C.