Storms
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Snowflake

Summer and winter are clashing, delivering tornadic weather and feet of snow to US

WEATHER
A clash between summer and winter across the central US is causing an autumn outbreak of snow where the air is colder and severe storms, along with tornadoes and flash flooding, where it's warmer.

There's a "big temperature contrast across the country as a battle of the seasons commences," said the Weather Prediction Center.

Cooler-than-average temperatures have infiltrated the West, while above-average temperatures are occupying the East.

Between the two competing air masses is where the extreme weather will battle.

Autumn severe weather is very similar to severe outbreaks we see in early spring -- as colder air clashes with oncoming warming, says CNN meteorologist Chad Myers.

"The shorter fall severe weather season occurs when the warm air of summer is pushed away by the incoming colder air of winter."

Snowflake

Winter weather arrives early, foot or more of snow in high country of Colorado

Clouds lift from the West Needles on Tuesday morning to reveal the snow-covered San Juan Mountains north of Durango.
© Jerry McBride/Durango HeraldClouds lift from the West Needles on Tuesday morning to reveal the snow-covered San Juan Mountains north of Durango.
Mountain passes turn icy; Wolf Creek Pass closes for five hours

Winter may be a couple of months away, but Southwest Colorado got its first taste of cold and snow Tuesday, with reports of over a foot of snow in the high country.

Scott Stearns, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Grand Junction, said an official inch count of how much snow fell in the mountains north of Durango will not be available until Wednesday.

"We usually get a lot of reports the morning after the snow occurs," Stearns said.

Snow reportedly started falling just after midnight Tuesday, with the Colorado Department of Transportation reporting 6 inches of snow on mountain passes as early as 5:30 a.m.

"Our plow drivers were out plowing the surface of the roadways, and they've been after it throughout the day," said CDOT spokeswoman Lisa Schwantes.


Cloud Precipitation

Severe hailstorm strikes the city of Misurata, Libya

hail
An abnormally large hail and hurricane hit Libya on October 9, 2021, namely the city of Misrata, which is the third largest city in Libya. The thunderstorm was accompanied by heavy torrential rain, hail and squally winds.

During the day, 30 mm of precipitation fell in the city, according to eyewitnesses in social networks, gusts of wind broke trees, the minaret of one of the mosques fell, and several cars were damaged by falling trees. But the greatest damage was caused by hail. The diameter of the hailstones falling from the sky reached 15 cm. They easily pierced the roofs of houses and damaged cars; in total, about 100 cars were damaged in the city.


Snowflake

The sting of spring: Late snowfall covers parts of South Island, New Zealand - up to a foot of snow

Snow has fallen in Tekapo overnight
© Tekapo TourismSnow has fallen in Tekapo overnight
The Manuherikia and Maniototo regions of Central Otago felt the full sting of a spring storm yesterday which brought heavy rain, snow and severe gales to the southern region.

Residents awoke to blanket of snow and motorists were warned to take care on State Highway 85 between Omakau and Kyeburn and in Moa Flat Rd, and Danseys Pass Rd was closed because of snow.

The depth of snowfall differed with about 10cm reported in Naseby and almost three times that in St Bathans.

There was also widespread snow on the hills throughout Central Otago and above Queenstown and Wanaka.


Snowflake

Storm system dumps autumn snow across the West, including Montana, Nevada, California

snow
Snow in Bozeman, Montana
From Montana to Nevada, snow fell in the western U.S. from Oct. 10-11, creating some very early winter wonderlands.


Source: ACCUWEATHER

Cloud Lightning

Lightning strikes killed 2,800 in the last 11 years in Bangladesh

lightning
Lightning strikes — electric discharges between the atmosphere and the ground — have killed no fewer than 2,800 people in the last 11 years in Bangladesh, according to government data.

The government is planning to launch a project at a cost of Tk476 crore to save people from the deadly natural phenomenon and reduce the toll, State Minister for Disaster Management and Relief Dr Md Enamur Rahman told a press conference at the secretariat on Tuesday.

Under the project, the government will buy devices that will give a warning 40 minutes before a lightning strikes, he said.

In addition, shelters will be set up to avoid fatalities during lightning strikes.

Rahman said Bangladesh suffers from 16 categories of disasters at present. Lightning strike was added to the list in 2015.

Comment: Read also this pertinent report from a neighbouring country: Yearly lightning deaths in India more than doubled between 1968 and 2019 - from 1,000 to 2,500


Cloud Precipitation

5 killed and nearly 120,000 evacuated as heavy rain lashes Shanxi, China - 60 coal mine operations suspended - 190,000 hectares of crops damaged (UPDATE)

floods
Nearly 55,000 people have been evacuated and 60 coal mines have suspended operations after heavy rain lashed China's coal-rich Shanxi province, local authorities said Friday.

Recent rain in large parts of the province has led to rising water levels and flooding in multiple local rivers, according to the provincial emergency management department.

Local authorities have suspended operations in 372 non-coal mines, 14 hazardous-chemical enterprises, over 1,000 construction projects, and 166 scenic spots.

The province has also issued a Level III emergency response for natural disasters and allocated 20 million yuan ($3.09 million) to support disaster relief efforts in severely impacted areas.


Comment: Update: Floodlist reports on 11 Oct:
Floods in Shanxi province in northern China have forced more than 120,000 people from their homes.

Local media reported 5 people died on 05 October 2021 after continuous rainstorms battered Shanxi Province. Since then floods and landslides have been reported in 76 districts and cities. China's state news agency Xinhua reported 17,000 homes severely damaged or destroyed. A total of 1.76 million people have been affected, as of 10 October. Emergency management departments have distributed relief supplies including tents, bedding and clothing.

The heavy rain has also caused severe damage to crops and infrastructure. Local emergency management reported around 190,000 hectares of crops have been damaged. A section railway track was washed away by floodwaters in Qixian county on 07 October.

Shanxi is a major coal producing province. The local government said it has suspended output at 60 coal mines due to the severe weather conditions. This comes at a time China is facing an energy shortage which has caused power cuts.

Unusually heavy rain has been falling in this relatively dry region from 02 to 07 October. Media, quoting the provincial meteorological bureau, said over 60 weather stations in the province reported record high accumulated precipitation figures for this period, with some area seeing 3 times the normal average rainfall. Levels of rivers have increased, including the Yellow River, China's second-longest river. A dyke breach along the Fenhe River, a tributary of the Yellow River, caused severe flooding in Yuncheng.

Earlier this month around 50,000 people were displaced by floods in neighbouring Shaanxi Province from 02 October, mostly in areas around Hanzhong City.

China's Ministry of Emergency Management (MEM) recently released figures for natural disasters in the first three quarters of 2021.

MEM said a total of 94.94 million people were affected by various natural disasters, including earthquakes, floods and typhoons. A total of 792 people were dead or missing; 5.262 million people were displaced; 157,000 houses destroyed and 1.751 million damaged. Massive floods hit Henan Province after 600mm of rain in 24 hours on 20 July 2021. By early August more than 300 fatalities had been reported.



Cloud Lightning

Thunderstorms, torrential rain and floods in Yemen

floods
Thunderstorms, strong rain and torrential rain sweeping the city of Abyan and Shabwa!


Comment: Also recently in the same country: One dead as rain, floods hit south Yemen city


Cloud Precipitation

First fire, now water: Storm hits Greek island Evia

FLOODS
Merely weeks after destructive fires devastated the Greek island of Evia (Euboea), a storm front barreled through Sunday, flooding homes and tearing up roads.

Dubbed Athena by Greek meteorologists, the storm caused "huge damage" to the road network near the coastal villages of Agia Anna and Psaropouli, a regional official told state broadcaster ERT.

"Dozens of homes have flooded ... torrents burst their banks (even though) the rain only lasted a couple of hours. This is a sign of a very tough winter to come," deputy central Greece governor for Evia George Kelaiditis told the channel.

There were no immediate reports of people trapped in homes or cars, he added.


Snowflake

Runners rescued after early snowstorm halts ultramarathon in Davis County, Utah - 18 inches of snow reported

Members of the Davis County Sheriff’s Office helped 87 stranded runners during the DC Peaks 50 ultramarathon on Saturday in Utah.Credit...
© Davis County Sheriff's Search and RescueMembers of the Davis County Sheriff’s Office helped 87 stranded runners during the DC Peaks 50 ultramarathon on Saturday in Utah.Credit...
Some trail runners participating in an ultramarathon Saturday morning were rescued from the mountains in Davis County after a snowstorm hit the area.

At about 9:30 a.m., the Davis County Sheriff's Office was notified about an "emergency situation" involving 87 runners. They faced extreme weather, including 12-18 inches of snow and almost white-out conditions.

The race was suspended, and the sheriff's office's search and rescue team responded on foot, ATVs and snowmobiles to help the runners get down the mountain safely.

Race organizers worked with the search and rescue volunteers to make sure all registered participants were accounted for, and the rescuers covered the entire course. All the runners were off the mountain by 2:45 p.m.

Farmington Canyon was closed to all non-emergency vehicles during the process.