Storms
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Ice Cube

Coming Winter storm in U.S. 'could be biggest of the season'


CBS News - DC
Tue, 11 Feb 2014 12:11 UTC
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© Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
A major winter storm is expected to barrel up the East Coast mid-week, bringing a potentially significant snowfall to the already winter weary Washington region.

The powerful Nor'easter will blow into the mid-Atlantic region sometime after dark Wednesday is forecast to dump between 6 inches and a foot of snow on the area before blowing north Thursday afternoon.

"There's even a chance of more than a foot, especially just north and west of the District," meteorologist Bill Deger said.

WUSA 9 meteorologist Topper Shutt also believes the storm has the potential to be a monster.

"This could be the biggest storm of the season," said Shutt.

A mix of rain and sleet could decrease accumulations in southern Maryland and eastern Virginia, but the immediate Washington region should primarily see snow.

A Winter Storm Watch has been issued for the entire D.C. and Baltimore metro areas from 7 p.m. Wednesday to 10 p.m. Thursday. A Winter Storm Watch means there is a potential for significant snow accumulations that may impact travel, according to the National Weather Service.
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Cloud Lightning

Storm kills 3 in Pacific Northwest U.S.


Al Jazeera
Mon, 10 Feb 2014 01:31 UTC
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© Rich Pedroncelli/AP ImagesDrought-stricken California is getting some relief as a storm system the likes of which the region has not seen in more than a year, according to forecasters.
A sizeable storm contributed to three deaths and several school closures in the Pacific Northwest this weekend, but weather officials say it will take weeks of similar weather to stave off drought in California - on the brink of a Stage 3 water emergency,

The National Weather Service says the first significant storm to hit Northern California in 14 months has produced impressive amounts of rain and snow, but forecasters cautioned Sunday that it would take weeks of similar drenching to end the state's immediate drought worries.

Parts of the northern San Francisco Bay Area saw sizable amounts of rain, along with flooding, downed trees and power outages. By late Sunday, the Sonoma County town of Guerneville had received more than 15 inches of rain since the storm moved in Thursday, while downtown San Francisco got more than 3 inches, said Bob Benjamin, a National Weather Service forecaster in Monterey.

The storm, powered by a warm, moisture-packed system from the Pacific Ocean known as a Pineapple Express, was expected to bring more rain Sunday before moving east.

In the Pacific Northwest, in central Oregon, the Deschutes County sheriff's office was investigating three storm-related deaths, including that of a 61-year-old Bend man who collapsed while shoveling snow outside his home. An elderly couple was also found Saturday buried in snow, and authorities believe they were walking through heavy snow on an unplowed driveway to their home.

Comment: San Francisco: Pineapple Express storm brings rain, flight delays

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Life Preserver

Valentine's Day Massacre: Major weather event will smash UK on Friday

Nathan Rao and Max Evans
Express, UK
Mon, 10 Feb 2014 00:00 UTC
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© NTIHeavy rain has caused devastating flooding in Ironbridge near Telford, Shropshire.

Britain is in the firing line for yet another violent storm to unleash chaos next weekend.

Forecasters have warned the entire country to be on alert for 80mph gales and torrential downpours.

A deep low pressure system is currently swirling over the Atlantic and heading straight for our shores.

Forecasters warned Britons to expect a "Valentine's Day massacre" as the frenzied storm rips into the UK on Friday night.

Weather models show a system even worse than this weekend's 'Storm Charlie', which tore across parts of the country, is forming in the Atlantic and on a direct course for Britain.

It comes as shocking new video footage emerged of reckless members of the public standing just INCHES from a cliff edge near Sennan, Cornwall as hurricane force 11 gales lashed the coast on Saturday.

The intense storm system is on course to crash into Britain next weekend pummeling regions already in flood crisis including Somerset and Berkshire, where today the Thames was threatening to burst its banks.

Waves of more than 50 feet will threaten southern coasts as the low pressure drags a colossal 'sea swell' towards land.Forecasters warned next week's 'major event' will be the third fresh Atlantic depression to hit this week after a big storm hits western Britain overnight tonight with another violent spell of weather due on Wednesday.
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Water

North Carolina DOT preparing roads for winter storm

Catherine Bilkey and Stephanie Coueignoux
WSOC TV
Sun, 09 Feb 2014 19:19 UTC
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© WSOCDOT prepares for winter storm.
North Carolina Department of Transportation crews were back on the roads early Monday morning, preparing them for the snow that is expected to fall in the coming days. They already treated some of the major roads Sunday.

Crews will be gassing up trucks and heading out on the roads all morning to pour more brine.

An NCDOT spokesperson said they have replenished their salt supply and are ready to go. Meanwhile, as people are re-stocking ahead of the winter storm, they said supplies are hard to find.

"If it gets bad, I'm just going to stay indoors because the traffic will be horrible," LaToya Patterson said.

Patterson spent her Sunday getting supplies for the storm.

"Last time I was out without a shovel, and now I have a shovel," Patterson said. "So now the only problem is finding salt."

At the Lowe's on Perimeter Parkway, shovels, generators, and gloves were laid out for customers, but salt was nowhere to be found. The store ran out after the last winter storm, and since this storm is happening so soon after, Lowe's hasn't been able to restock.
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Snowflake Cold

NYC to shiver before pre-Valentine's Day storm threat

Kristina Pydynowski
Accuweather.com
Mon, 10 Feb 2014 04:59 UTC
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Following the snow ending the weekend, a pre-Valentine's Day storm is being monitored.

A storm that moved through the Northeast early Sunday night left a fresh 1 to 2 inches of snow across the New York City area.

Frigid air is following the snow and will hold temperatures to the lower 30s on Monday. Highs between 26 and 30 F are in store for Tuesday and Wednesday with lows in the teens during the early morning hours.
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Snowflake Cold

Chicago nearing record for days below zero


CBS2 Chicago
Mon, 10 Feb 2014 07:31 UTC
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© Scott Olson/Getty ImagesWith temperatures hovering around -10 degrees steam rises from Lake Michigan January 27, 2014 in Chicago, Illinois.
With temperatures plunging below zero again overnight, Chicagoans were starting another work week in frigid conditions, and the city was approaching the record for number of days of subzero cold.

As Monday morning's temperature dipped to 3 below zero at O'Hare International Airport, Chicago now has had 20 days of below zero temperatures this winter. Temperatures were even colder in the outlying suburbs, where it was up to 14 below in Aurora and McHenry, and 13 below in Kankakee.

Only six winters on record have had more days of below zero weather in Chicago: 1884-85, 1935-36, 1962-63, 1981-82, 1874-75, and 1978-79.

The record for most days of below zero temperatures was set in the winter of 1884-85, when there were 25 such days. With more than a month left until the first day of Spring, and at least one more day of subzero temperatures this week, it's quite likely Chicago will break that record.
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Cloud Precipitation

San Francisco: Pineapple Express storm brings rain, flight delays

Victoria Colliver
San Francisco Chronicle
Mon, 10 Feb 2014 19:09 UTC
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© Paul Chinn, The ChroniclePedestrians cross California Street the rain in San Francisco, Calif. on Saturday, Feb. 8, 2014. The Bay Area is getting doused this weekend in one of the biggest storms in over a year.
Wet conditions from a Pineapple Express storm system moving through the region created slick streets, triggered a flood advisory in the North Bay and caused delays of up to two hours at San Francisco International Airport Saturday.

The rain was expected to continue through the weekend, with another burst of showers Saturday night through Sunday, but then drying out by Monday.

While rainfall totals will not be complete until the storm ends, National Weather Service forecasters said San Francisco received just under an inch of rain in the 24 hours ending 4 p.m. Saturday for a total of 1.92 inches since the storm began on Thursday.

The three-day total topped 11 inches at MountTamalpais with rain expected through Monday morning, said Bob Benjamin, a forecaster with the weather service. Rains could be heavy at times in the North Bay, he said, but should be light to moderate in the East Bay and on the Peninsula.
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Cloud Lightning

100 dead birds washed up on Chesil Beach, UK


Dorset Echo
Mon, 10 Feb 2014 15:34 UTC
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© Izzy Imset SCENE: Dead birds laid out on Chesil Beach.
A huge amount of dead birds have washed up on Chesil Beach.

Some of the 100 or so seabirds have been found alive but the majority are dead or in distress.

Storms have washed them onto the beach.

Birds such as razorbills, guillemots and two kittiwakes have been found.

Five dead puffins, which are species of European conservation concern, have also been washed up.

Some of these birds were covered in oil, and those found alive are exhausted and need time to recover, says Dorset Wildlife Trust.

Concerned conservation officers have been able to rescue some of the stranded birds. A trapped razorbill, stuck inside an empty metal cage filled with shingle to stabilise the shoreline was freed by Angela Thomas, Assistant Warden at the Chesil Bank and Fleet Nature Reserve.

She said: "The force of the waves had emptied the shingle from the metal cage, but somehow a razorbill had become trapped inside - it was hard to get it out, and we had no idea how it got in there. It would not have escaped without our help, so we're glad we managed to spot it."
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Cloud Lightning

Recent storms have killed at least 5,000 sea birds on French coast


thisfrenchlife.com
Mon, 10 Feb 2014 15:14 UTC
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© Xavier Leoty/AFPPhoto taken on February 10, 2014 shows the bodies of puffins washed up on a beach in Sainte-Marie-de-Re, western France, after heavy storms
Storms decimate puffin colonies on French coast

The Atlantic storms that have buffeted Europe in recent days have killed at least 5,000 sea birds on the French coast, half of them puffins.

Most of the birds whose bodies have been washed up on beaches between the Pyrenees and Brittany died of exhaustion or starvation as a result of days of gale-force winds which made it impossible for them to fish, officials with the national Bird Protection League (LPO) told AFP.

"It started a fortnight ago but there has been a big increase in the numbers over this weekend," said the LPO's Olivier le Gall.

Photo taken on February 10, 2014 shows the bodies of puffins washed up on a beach in Sainte-Marie-de-Re, western France, after heavy storms

After puffins, guillemots have been the species most affected, followed by razorbills and kittiwakes.

Although most of the bird deaths were caused by the weather conditions, the LPO said there had also been some caused by pollution as a result of cargo ships taking advantage of the inclement conditions to dump noxious gases at sea.
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Snowflake Cold

Worst snowstorm in decades hits Japan: Eleven dead


Yahoo News
Mon, 10 Feb 2014 14:35 UTC
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© APPeople hold umbrellas as they walk on the street covered with snow in Tokyo. At least 27 cm accumulated, the highest snowfall in the capital since 1969.
Eleven people died, more than a thousand were injured and tens of thousands lost power when the worst snowstorm in decades hit Tokyo and areas around the Japanese capital before heading north to blanket the tsunami-hit Pacific coast.

Flights were still backed up at Tokyo's Haneda international airport on Monday and the lobby was packed with anxious travelers, with some flights overbooked.

As much as 27 cm (10.6 inches) of snow fell on Tokyo by late Saturday, the most in 45 years, Japan's Meteorological Agency said. Back streets in outlying neighborhoods remained choked with snow and frozen slush on Monday morning, forcing commuters in heavy boots to pick their way carefully to work.
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