Storms

Montreal - Heavy rains wash out roads in Gatineau region

Montrealgazette.com
Sat, 25 Jun 2011 17:10 UTC

© Drew Gragg, The Ottawa Citizen
Water flowing from the Gatineau River (top) into the Ottawa River (foreground) appears muddier after the heavy rains Friday.

Ottawa - Residents of Gatineau and the surrounding regions were struggling to cope Saturday after heavy rainfall and severe thunderstorms washed out stretches of highway and reportedly resulted in the evacuation of hundreds of homes.

At 4:26 p.m. Friday, Environment Canada's weather watchers issued a severe thunderstorm warning for Ottawa, Pontiac and Upper Gatineau. About 100 millimetres of rain fell over the next several hours. Authorities reported that numerous streets, many of them residential, flooded in Aylmer, Gatineau and Hull.

The Gatineau region appears to have been hardest hit by the storm. Highway 148 in Pontiac was closed in and around Eardley and Masham, with some of the four lanes on the highway near Luskville washed away. Notch Road in Chelsea was also reportedly washed out.

Heavy rains continue to disrupt flights in Philippines

Julie M. Aurelio
Globalnation.inquirer.ir
Sat, 25 Jun 2011 17:05 UTC

Manilla, Philippines - Bad weather continued to disrupt flights in and out of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport on Saturday as Topical Storm Falcon (Meari) exited the country.

As of 2:30 p.m., one international flight had been cancelled and another was delayed by nearly six hours while at least two domestic flights were cancelled because of continued heavy monsoon rains aggravated by the storm.

An advisory from the Manila International Airport Authority Media Affairs Division said Philippine Airlines flight PR 438 for Nagoya, Japan, at 2:30 p.m. was cancelled because of bad weather.

US - Heavy rains flood Omaha streets

Sam Womack, Emily Nohr and Kirby Kaufman
Omaha.com
Sat, 25 Jun 2011 16:54 UTC

Several streets north of TD Ameritrade Park are flooded after heavy rains fell early Saturday morning.

Water gushed, storm drains overflowed and water flooded some businesses in the area.

At least a foot of water surrounded Hot Shops Art Center at 13th and Nicholas Streets, said the building's managing partner Tim Barry.

He said there was also about a foot of water in the building's boiler room. Pumps were installed to dry out the bottom floor, Barry said.

"We hope and pray we don't get a three inch rain in the next couple days," he said.
Hot Shops Art Center is closed on weekends and open weekdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Barry was unsure if the shop would be open Monday.

US - Montana - Hail, heavy rain move through Billings area

Zach Benoit
Billingsgazette.com
Thu, 23 Jun 2011 16:48 UTC

© Bob Zellar/Gazette Staff
Fans huddle under an umbrella during the rain at the Scarlets-Royals game at Dehler Park on Friday. A brief thunderstorm moved through the city Friday evening.

Heavy rain and thunder cleared the way for a short burst of hail in parts of south-central Montana on Friday night, although no significant damage was reported.

The National Weather Service's Billings office issued an advisory for Stillwater and Yellowstone counties before 9 p.m. warning of strong rains, hail, lightning, thunder and wind gusts of up to 50 mph.

A short, heavy downpour started in Billings just after 9 p.m., although little hail was reported east of the West End, said Vickie Stephenson, an NWS hydrometeorologic technician.

It dropped a 0.26 inches of rain on Billings in less than an hour before moving out of the area before 10 p.m., according to the weather service.

Trained weather spotters reported hail 0.88 and 0.75 inches in diameter about four miles northwest of Laurel and three miles southwest of Billings, respectively.

Storm warning announced in Crimea

Nrcu.gov.ua
Sat, 25 Jun 2011 15:27 UTC

Rain with hail, accompanied by strong gusts of wind have caused damage to many regions of Ukraine.

Heavy Rains Continue to Flood Midwestern USA

The Telegraph, UK
Fri, 24 Jun 2011 06:54 UTC

Thousands of residents in North Dakota are forced to leave their homes after the Souris River bursts its banks and levees are breached.

Heavy rains and melting snow have raised water levels in Canadian reservoirs in the Souris River basin over the past few weeks, which has caused unprecedented water releases further south in North Dakota.

More than 12,000 residents have been ordered out of flood-threatened areas after levee defenses failed.

The Souris River is expected to hit nearly 1,563 ft above sea level by the weekend, beating the previous flood record set in 1881.

With forecasters predicting more rain, record flooding is expected to continue throughout August, affecting Nebraska, Iowa and Missouri.

Tropical storm in Philippines kills 11, forces 40,000 out of homes

CNN
Fri, 24 Jun 2011 09:12 UTC

Children pedal their bicycle down a flooded street after heavy rains in Valenzuela City, north of Manila on June 23, 2011.

Heavy rains and high winds from Tropical Storm Meari lashed the Philippines Friday, killing at least 11 people and displacing 40,000 people, an emergency management agency said.

The storm has been menacing the Philippines since Tuesday, when 11 fishermen went missing along the coast of Luzon, according to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council.

The storm was forecasted to move Saturday toward Basco, Batanes, the smallest of the Philippine provinces, the council said. By Sunday, the storm was expected to be 370 kilometers (229.9 miles) west northwest of Okinawa, Japan, the agency said.

Flash floods were reported in a number of Philippine communities, including Ligao City where one woman was reportedly washed away by floodwaters, the council said in a statement posted on its website.

7 killed, 3 missing as bad weather hits Vietnam

The Associated Press
Fri, 24 Jun 2011 06:04 UTC

Officials and state media say flash floods and whirlwinds have killed seven people, left three others missing and injured 60 in northern Vietnam.

Disaster official Tran Van Nham of Yen Bai province said Friday that authorities have recovered the body of a 20-year-old man and are searching for three people who were swept away by flash flooding while walking across a stream Thursday.

In the northern port city of Hai Phong, a woman was killed Thursday by a falling tree, another person died when a house collapsed and four others were killed when they were struck by lightning, according to a statement from the Hai Phong Department for Flood and Storm Control.

It said the whirlwinds injured 60 people, and high winds destroyed or damaged more than 900 homes.

Connecticut, US: Heavy Rains Cause West Haven Flooding Issues

Jeff Saperstone
NBC
Fri, 24 Jun 2011 06:52 UTC

Afternoon thundershowers caused heavy rain, resulting in several streets, backyards, and businesses to have flooding problems.

Heavy rain on Thursday afternoon caused flash flooding in many spots around Connecticut.

Several streets in the City of West Haven were washed out and some homes and businesses suffered minor flooding.

Richard Booth's backyard was under several feet of water.

"This is twice this year so far," Booth said. "It drowned out the garden and took over the whole backyard."

Thursday was not the first time his yard has flooded. A berm the city installed several years ago causes the water to collect there, he said.

West Spring Street was one of the hardest hit streets. There was at least a foot and half of water in the road as cars and buses tried to drive through and neighbors tried to clear out storm drains as the rain continued to fall.

Alaska, US: Heavy rains close parts of Taylor, Steese highways

Tim Mowry
News-Miner
Thu, 23 Jun 2011 07:55 UTC

7:55 a.m. update: The Steese Highway has been reopened between 152-158 miles, but travel is not advised. Many areas are one lane; the road is rough with many soft spots. If travel is necessary, please use extreme caution and be prepared for delays, crews are working on repairing the road.

Mudslides and washouts caused by heavy rain closed parts of the Steese and Taylor highways on Thursday, cutting off access to Yukon River communities at the end of each road.

Multiple mudslides blocked the 160-mile Taylor Highway from Tok to Eagle between miles 114 and 116, according to the Department of Transportation.

Washouts on the 161-mile Steese Highway from Fairbanks to Circle City closed the road at 152 Mile. Several areas of the road between miles 152 and 158 that were washed out, according to DOT.