Storms
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Tornado2

Tornado hits southern Turkey, injuring 38

Turkey tornado damage
At least 38 people were injured in the tornado in Turkey's southern Antalya Province late Monday, Dogan News Agency reported Tuesday.

The tornado, which moved swiftly towards the land from the sea, hit the farming fields and uprooted trees particularly in areas closer to the coastline, according to the report.

The heavy storm and rainfall left a large-scale damage in the areas. And greenhouses, houses and vehicles were destroyed. The power lines were broken which caused hours of electricity shortage.

Hail in the size of walnuts was also effective in some areas, causing great damage in crops and outer covers of greenhouses.

Several districts in Antalya province, including Finike, Kumluca, Demre, Kas and Kemer districts, were affected severely in the storm. Fires were reported in some regions.

Antalya province is an important agriculture region which is among Turkey's largest fruit and vegetable production centers.

The damage caused by the storm is more or less expected to increase food prices in the upcoming months, experts said.

Comment: A large rare tornado struck southern Turkey a couple of weeks ago on October 29, 2017. Some other rare tornadoes have formed around the planet in recent times including countries such as Netherlands, Mexico, United States, Russia and China.


Cloud Lightning

Shock horror: Lightning hits plane above Amsterdam

A KLM flight encountered poor weather while taking off from Schipol Airport in Amsterdam
© Alexander Klein / AFPA KLM flight encountered poor weather while taking off from Schipol Airport in Amsterdam
Travelling in bad weather always carries a certain level of danger - especially when you're aboard a Boeing 777 aircraft flying into an electrically-charged cloud.

In dramatic footage posted online, a bolt of lightning is shown hitting the nose of the daily flight from Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport to the Peruvian capital of Lima. Amazingly, the Boeing 777-300ER continued unperturbed, landing at Lima airport on schedule 12 hours and 40 minutes later. RT.com has contacted KLM for comment.


Lightning strikes most commonly hit a plane's extremity, such as a wing tip or the nose. As long as there are no gaps in the shell of the plane, the current will travel through the aluminum surface of the aeroplane until it escapes through the tail. However, pilots sometimes complain of electrical issues and interference with instruments following a lightning strike, according to Scientific American.

Cloud Lightning

Lightning bolt kills man on golf course in South Africa

LIGHTNING
Two men seeking shelter on a golf course during a storm were struck by lightning - which killed one of them - on Tuesday afternoon in the Free State.

They were working on a construction site on the golf course in Parys.

ER24 spokesman Russel Meiring said one of the men, in his 40s, had been moved to a nearby home when paramedics arrived.

"Paramedics assessed the patient and found that he had he showed no signs of life. Nothing more could be done for him and he was declared dead.

Tornado2

Waterspout filmed off Malta

Waterspout off Gozo
Waterspout off Gozo
Last week came to an end with some of the first bouts of severe weather to hit Malta this season, and a video shared on Facebook last Friday really helped show people what was happening just off the islands' shores.

Leandro Cassar, a diver who works at the St. Paul's Bay fish farms, was on a maintenance boat with over 15 other people when strong winds and heavy rainfall hit the islands.

"The boat was tied to the tuna cages because we were working on some maintenance there," Leandro told Lovin Malta. "At first, a large tornado passed by close to us, so I took out my phone to record it."

An impressive video of the tornadic waterspout itself (shot by a young Italian diver) also went viral, with large international Facebook groups like Severe Weather Europe and Meteo Real Time sharing it. That video has now amassed over a million views, but Leandro's video showed an even closer - and more worrying - angle to it all.


Comment: For more reports of waterspouts as well as tornadoes, hurricanes, typhoons, hail and snowstorms and lightning strikes visit our dedicated storms pages here.


Cloud Lightning

3 killed by lightning strikes in Zimbabwe

LIGHTNING
Villagers in Marondera East said they were leaving in fear of lightning strikes, following the onset of the rainy season which have so far claimed three lives in the province.

Last week, two male adults from Marondera East died after they were struck in separate incidents, shortly after a Grade Seven pupil succumbed to a bolt of lightning while cleaning the school yard in Murewa.

Marondera District Council chairperson, Patrick Chidhakwa confirmed the incidents and identified the deceased as Jonah Chihaka (25) of ward 20 and another yet to be identified herdboy from ward 37.

"It is a pity that we continue to lose lives in this area because of lightning. I am of the belief that rains mean life, but that's not it. Two people were struck by lightning in ward 20 and 37 and we are currently running around to assist with burials," he said.

Cloud Lightning

Series of thunderstorms create massive lightning display over Perth, Western Australia

Perth lightning
© ABC News: Andrew O'ConnorLightning appears to reach the sea surface as an electrical storm crosses the coast south of Perth.
Western Australia's south was treated to an evening show of light, sound and fury as a series of thunderstorms passed over the southern half of the state, producing hail, lightning and power blackouts.

The most severe storm hit Meadow Springs in Mandurah, south of Perth, about 5:30pm on Sunday.

Duty forecaster at the Bureau of Meteorology James Ashley said a hot air mass combined with moisture in the atmosphere produced the stormy conditions.

"Everything in the atmosphere lined up perfectly," he said.

"We had a good upper-level disturbance move over the area and there was just enough moisture and lift to produce some really decent thunderstorms.


Comment: See also: Electric universe: Lightning strength and frequency increasing


Cloud Grey

Iraqi government scrambles for solutions as dust storms overtake the country

Iraqis in masks
© HAIDAR HAMDANI/AFP/Getty ImagesShiite Muslim pilgrims walk through a dust storm in Najaf, southern Iraq, Oct. 30, 2017.
On Nov. 3, NASA published clear images taken by its satellites of the severe dust storm that hit Iraq recently. The climate changes sweeping Iraq are causing human casualties and economic damages. Hundreds of cases of suffocation were recorded. The Ministry of Health announced Oct. 30 that there were more than 4,200 cases of suffocation in most governorates, including 528 in Karbala. During the dust storm, the Iraqi Civil Aviation Authority canceled its flights, and Iranian flights to Baghdad and Najaf airports were also canceled. Ninevah province recorded 1,108 cases of suffocation in the camps for internally displaced persons.

The storms also affected the course of the battles between the Iraqi forces and the Islamic State (IS). On Oct. 31, the Iraqi forces were forced to postpone the campaign aimed to retrieve the city of Qaim, west of Anbar, from IS because of the lack of visibility caused by the dust storms.

While dust storms are occurring in neighboring countries such as Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and even Iran, "Iraq is one of the most affected countries by the storm, at the level of its environment, individuals' health and economy," said Amer Habib of the Technical College Musayyib in Babil province and the director of a project on organic fertilizers in Babil. "This is due to the fact that Iraq is a barren land where vegetation is scarce. Human activities have swept away orchards and agricultural lands, which also led to the decrease of the rivers' water levels and the lack of rainfall, which resulted in the drying up of huge areas of agricultural spaces."

Snowflake Cold

Arctic blast targets the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast US

peeps in coats
© KIICHIRO SATO/AP/REX/SHUTTERSTOCKYou'll need to bundle up like these folks did.
Among New Yorkers, there's a dark hypothesis about fall weather in the city, which is that there's only one "perfect" fall day with crisp sunshine and cool temperatures. For that single day, the city's harsh climate, with torrid heat in the summer and frigid cold and wintry mix events in the winter, is forgiven.

But after that day, which typically occurs in mid-to-late October, the weather turns dreary and cold. And then comes the wintry mix.

Well, that perfect day has come and gone, and the frigid air is knocking at the city's doorstep, poised to rush in overnight this Thursday, and really make itself known by Friday morning and into the first part of the weekend.

This Arctic blast means business. The frigid air mass first entered the lower 48 states on Wednesday, and on Thursday morning, air temperatures were in the single digits Fahrenheit in Minnesota, and below zero Fahrenheit in North Dakota.

By Friday morning, wind chill readings in New York City and Boston will be in the teens Fahrenheit, the coldest they've been so far this season.

Cloud Lightning

24 killed, 15 injured by lightning strikes in Huambo Province, Angola over 2 month period

LIGHTNING
Twenty-four people were killed and 15 others wounded in central Huambo province from September 17 to 6 November following heavy rains coupled with lightning strikes.

This was confirmed Thursday to Angop by the local Firefighter Department spokesperson, Francisco Muepa, underlining that the people were victims of lightning strikes.

He said 38 residences were partially and totally destroyed in above period.

The municipalities of Caála, Bailundo, Cachiungo, Chicala-Cholohanga, Ucuma, Longonjo, Londuimbali and Mungo, were mentioned as having recorded major damages.

Source: Angola Press Agency

Cloud Lightning

Lightning bolt kills 3 students in Tanzania

LIGHTNING
Three students died and one survived after being hit by lightning in south-western Tanzania's region of Songwe, local authorities said on Wednesday.

Christopher Kafuru, head of Ndyuda Secondary School, said that the killed were all pre-form one students at the school located in a small town of Mlowo in Mbozi District, Songwe Region.

Kafuru said the incident occurred on Tuesday at around 4:30 p.m. (local time) when the students were playing outside the classrooms when the lightning hit the area.

"They were four students and one of them survived the tragic incident and is the one who informed teachers on the accident," the official said, adding that the victims were rushed to the nearby hospital, and it was confirmed that the children were already dead.

Acting Songwe Regional Police Commander, Yusuph Sarungi confirmed the incident, describing the incident as the first one to happen this year.