Storms
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Sun

Sunspot Complex 1236 C7-Class Solar Flare Heading This Way


Space Weather
Tue, 21 Jun 2011 08:36 UTC
Magnetic fields above sunspot complex 1236 erupted during the early hours of June 21st, producing a C7-class solar flare and a full-halo CME. The expanding cloud appears to be heading almost directly toward Earth:

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Cloud Lightning

Atlanta, US: Falling trees disrupt power, kill Cobb woman; 16,000 residents are reportedly without power statewide

George Mathis and Christopher Seward
AJC
Sun, 19 Jun 2011 10:03 UTC
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© Jason Getz, jgetz@ajc.comAtlanta Braves fans stand under cover in the upper deck as rain falls on Turner Field during a rain delay in the top of the 5th inning of their game against the Texas Rangers Saturday afternoon in Atlanta, Ga., June 18, 2011.
The woman slammed on the car brakes, desperately trying to avoid the large tree falling into her path on Powers Ferry Road.

But witnesses told police that Shufen Yang was too late.

Whether it was heavy rain, slippery roads or unusually gloomy conditions, Yang could not get out of the way Saturday evening as the tree crashed on her 1993 Honda Accord.

The 55-year-old Marietta woman was pronounced dead at the scene, the only reported fatality resulting from a round of thunderstorms that swept through the area Saturday afternoon.

"It's one of those freak things," said Cobb County police spokesman Officer Mike Bowman. "I can't think of anything [similar] that I can recall that we've handled before."
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Cloud Lightning

US: Shocking - Tornado death rates in 2011 return to pre-1925 levels

Jason Samenow
Capital Weather Gang
Wed, 15 Jun 2011 10:12 UTC
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© (NOAA) Tornado deaths per million people in United States since late 1800s
In a briefing delivered by NOAA officials Wednesday afternoon about this past spring's extreme weather, the stunning slide above was displayed. It shows that the number of tornado deaths per million people in 2011 has shot up to levels not seen in the era of modern weather forecasting.

In fact, this year's death rate has not been matched since the 1950s and is most comparable to rates pre-1925, before effective mass communication, doppler radar and tornado warnings. Through June 7, 525 tornado deaths have occurred - the sixth most on record in a single year (with six months remaining, although most tornado deaths historically occur by mid-June).
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Cloud Lightning

US: A Spring of Extremes like no other - Weather Events Unprecedented, Scientists Say

Randolph E. Schmid
boston.com
Thu, 16 Jun 2011 09:50 UTC
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© Unknown
Washington - Tornadoes, floods, wildfires, snowmelt, thunderstorms, drought - for Americans, it was a spring to remember.

Government weather researchers said yesterday that, while similar extremes have occurred throughout modern American history, never before have they occurred in a single month, as they did in April.

The last time anything remotely like it happened was the spring of 1927, which also had many tornadoes and flooding, said Harold Brooks of the Storm Prediction Center in Oklahoma.
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Cloud Lightning

Kansas, US: Spring Hail Storm Damages Wheat Fields

Alicia Myers
Kake.com
Sat, 18 Jun 2011 00:00 UTC
Spring storms are wreaking havoc on farmers' fields in Sedgwick county. Wheat fields received the majority of damage during a recent hail storm.

For farmers, the damage has hurt their crops, and their pocketbooks.

Mick Rausch is no stranger to Spring storms, especially those that strike right in the middle of wheat harvest.

"I can remember doing wheat harvest when I was 8, 9, 10 years old," said Rausch.

Since a young age, Rausch has always hoped for a good crop.

"Farmers are eternal optimists," said Rausch.

Until the June 9th hail storm hit, Rausch had been fairly lucky.

"You've got a whole years worth of income potential out there. The thought of losing a whole year's work in a 5 minute storm, it can lead to some sleepless nights," said Rausch.

This storm, however, lasted for just under an hour.

Baseball, even softball-sized hail, left five of Rausch's un-harvested wheat fields mostly damaged.
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Cloud Lightning

Flood-Hit China Braces for More Storms


Herald Sun
Mon, 20 Jun 2011 05:08 UTC
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© Agence France-Presse
Flood-hit areas of central and southern China are bracing for more heavy rains with several major rivers already swollen after downpours that have affected millions and left scores dead or missing.

Water Resources Minister Chen Lei warned that at least 10 major rivers in the affected areas were threatening to burst their banks.

"Severe floods triggered by heavy rains will continue to threaten parts of southern China," he said yesterday in remarks posted on his ministry's website.

"There is an increasing possibility that downpours, with enhanced frequency and intensity, will continue to lash regions in the south."

Persistent rains since early June have swamped many areas across a wide swath of China and the state weather bureau today forecast continued downpours during the next three days, with the summer typhoon season approaching.

Authorities have evacuated 292,000 people from along the Qiantang river in Zhejiang province on the east coast after heavy rains caused the river to swell dangerously, official Xinhua news agency said.
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Cloud Lightning

Monsoon mayhem: heavy rains in Bengal, 7 dead


Cable News Network-Indian Broadcasting Network
Sun, 19 Jun 2011 15:15 UTC
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© Agence France-Presse/File
Kolkata: Seven people have died in 24 hours in rain-related incidents as West Bengal continued to be in the grip of monsoon's fury. Train services in Asansol have been disrupted following a landslide near Kala Pahadi.

Meanwhile, the coast guards have been searching for three trawlers and 45 fishermen who went missing in the Bay of Bengal on Friday.

Officials suspect they may have strayed into Bangladeshi waters. Indian authorities asked the Bangladesh government to give them shelter.

Meanwhile, heavy rain wreaked havoc in Orissa as well as two people were swept away in the overflowing Baitarani river. Earlier in the week, two others had died when a wall collapsed after heavy rainfall.
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Cloud Lightning

Downpour continues to lash southern China


Xinhuanet
Sun, 19 Jun 2011 15:05 UTC
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© Xinhua/Han ChuanhaoTwo travellers push a car on a flooded street in the seat of Changshan County in Quzhou City, east China's Zhejiang Province, June 19, 2011. A fourth round of heavy downpours has battered Changshan County and its neighbouring areas since Saturday evening, bringing a rainfall of more than 150 millimeters. Days of torrential rains have saturated the mountainous county, putting the residents in danger of landslides and mud-rock flows.
Hangzhouh, June 19 -- Heavy rains and ensuing floods continue to plague southern parts of China, affecting millions of people and hundreds of thousands of acres of farmland.

Latest data from the flood control headquarters of east Zhejiang Province showed that by 7:00 a.m. Sunday, 2.66 million people had been affected by continuous rainstorms in 545 townships of 50 counties under nine cities in Zhejiang. A total of 171,000 hectares of crops were destroyed and 989 enterprises were shut down, incurring 4.96 billion yuan (751.5 million U.S. dollars) in direct economic losses.

Persistent downpours caused a mudslide in Changshan County on Sunday at noon, which flushed several local homes at Longtan Village of Tianma Town, killing two and leaving one missing.
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Cloud Lightning

US: Severe Weather in Central Florida


MyFox: Orlando
Sat, 18 Jun 2011 21:13 UTC
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© MyFox: Orlando
Most of Central Florida was under severe weather alerts, Saturday night.

The National Weather Service in Melbourne issued a series of severe-thunderstorms and tornado warnings covering much of Central Florida.

Firefighters in Volusia County welcomed the rains but were less happy to see the heavy lighting that came with the rain.

According to fire officials about 25 fires started, Saturday, but were quickly contained.

At Orlando International Airport, departing and arriving fights were experiencing delays of 15 minutes or less, according to an airport spokeswoman.
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Bizarro Earth

More than 5 million affected by China flooding


CBS News
Sun, 19 Jun 2011 13:39 UTC
Beijing - More than 5 million people have been displaced or otherwise affected by flooding in eastern China that is also pushing up food prices, state media reported Sunday

.

Torrential rains have left huge areas of Hubei and Zhejiang provinces under water, with more than 1 million acres of farmland inundated, the official Xinhua News Agency said.

Almost 1,000 businesses have been forced to suspend operations and 5.7 million people have had their lives disrupted, Xinhua said in a brief report. More than 7,000 homes collapsed or were otherwise damaged and direct financial damage was estimated at almost 6 billion yuan.
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