Storms
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Cloud Lightning

Storms cut power to 55,000 homes in western, northern France


RFI
Fri, 07 Feb 2014 00:00 UTC
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© Reuters/Regis DuvignauPart of the Luno cargo ship on the seawall at Anglet.
Winds of up to 120 kilometres cut off power to some 55,000 households and rain flooded shops and homes in north and west France overnight Thursday. The storms, which started in mid-December, are set to continue for at least a week.

Coming on the heels of storm Petra, storm Qumaira has brought gale-force windsto 36 departments north of a diaganol from Charente-Maritime in the west to the Ardennes in the east.

Worst hit was Brittany, France's far west, which has suffered the worst effects of a series of storms for over a month.

There two towns, Quimper and Morlaix, were flooded with over 100 shops and dozens of homes affected by waters as high as 60 centimetres.

Thousands of homes suffered power cuts, 25,000 in the Loire, 12,000 in Normandy and 10,000 in the Paris region.

Apart from the flooding, damage to property was not as bad as expected, mostly limited to fallen trees blocking roads.
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Cloud Precipitation

Ireland: Eight weeks of rain, now Atlantic storms


Irish Independent
Sat, 08 Feb 2014 00:00 UTC
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© Irish Independent
Met Éireann has forecast gusts of 130 km and heavy and prolonged showers all weekend.

Coastal counties of Munster, Wexford and Galway are the areas most at risk of flooding today as gusty winds and heavy showers sweep across the country.

All parts will be subjected to widespread heavy and prolonged blustery showers with some thundery downpours.

Some areas of the country suffered minor flooding after last night's heavy showers.

There is some minor flooding on the Tramore Rd approaching Musgrave Park in Cork City.

In Co. Tipperary, many areas remain closed due to flooding including Convent Rd, Dry Bridge, Old Bridge and the Quays in Clonmel, with local diversions in place.

The Athlone Rd is closed until next Friday due to flooding at Anglers Rest.

Roads are very wet in Galway City and winds are quite strong but there have been no reports of any tress down or flooding.

There is a lot of excess surface water in and around Dungarvan in Co. Waterford but there are no reports of any flooding.
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Snowflake

Winter storm for South, East next week could signal a pattern change

Alex Sosnowski
Accuweather
Sat, 08 Feb 2014 05:28 UTC
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A large, slow-moving storm may affect the Southern and Eastern states next week with snow, ice and rain. However, the storm may ultimately be a pattern changer.

Into the first part of next week, dry air will work to inhibit snow in the Northern states, but in the South, a storm forecast to brew could cause major problems.

According to Southern Weather Expert Dan Kottlowski, "Lingering cold air and plenty of moisture could lead to an extended period of snow and ice in portions of the South next week."

The setup could bring a couple of days of precipitation over the Gulf Coast states to Tennessee

and the Carolinas. Some of that precipitation will fall as snow and ice over the interior.

"A number of communities over the interior South may have more significant, longer-lasting ice and snow when compared to the storm from late January," Kottlowski said.

The details will unfold over the next several days on exactly where and how long the snow, ice and rain will occur.
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Snowflake

Homes buried as severe snow strikes Austria


BBC
Fri, 07 Feb 2014 15:24 UTC
Large parts of Europe have been hit by severe weather, with snow, rain and high winds causing disruption in several countries.

Houses in Austria were buried under a thick blanket of snow, as the BBC's Rebecca Donovan reports.

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Igloo

Record snowfall buries Italian village


BBC
Fri, 07 Feb 2014 13:55 UTC
Record snowfall in the north of Italy has left some people trapped in their homes.

Villagers in Madesimo had to dig their way out of their properties after several days of wintery weather.

Rebecca Donovan reports.

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Galaxy

Best of the Web: Signs of Change in January 2014

HawkkeyDavis Channel
YouTube
Fri, 07 Feb 2014 04:35 UTC
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Dazzling green fireball filmed above Belgium, January 2014
Mysterious booms across the US, often occuring in and around earthquakes - A series of unusual earthquakes in Australia - More 'strange sky sounds' - More meteor fireballs raining down - Massive sinkholes swallowing houses, cars and people - Storm after storm battering the UK and Western Europe, bringing massive waves, widespread flooding and landslides - Mass whale stranding in New Zealand - Polar Vortex (twice!) freezing most of the US in ice age conditions and making it colder than Mars - Major flooding in Florida, while hurricane-force winds smash into Oregon and the Carolinas - Tonga flattened by most powerful cyclone to hit the region half a century - A strong earthquake hit Puerto Rico - 100,000 people affected by major flooding in the Philippines, while another 40,000 were displaced by heavy rainfall in Indonesia - Bats falling out of the sky as wildfires rage in Australia's record heatwave - 'Winter wildfires' raging across snow-covered US - An eerily quiet Sun that hasn't been seen since the 17th Century - Several volcanic eruptions in Indonesia causing multiple deaths and the evacuation of thousands - Another strong earthquake in New Zealand - More mass animal deaths, including a whole pod of pilot whales off the coast of Florida - Record-breaking snowfall across the US...

2014 has stated with a bang, literally, with a surge of loud booms being heard and felt throughout much of North America. But then again, didn't the last few years start this way? This video includes strange and extreme weather, geological and cosmic events, covering most of the month of January. Things aren't looking good for certain few heavily populated areas...

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Windsock

America's changing tornado patterns‏

Dylan Goforth
Tulsa World
Thu, 06 Feb 2014 12:00 UTC
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© NOAAOklahoma's tornado count well above average in 2013, NOAA says.

Oklahoma's 79 tornadoes in 2013 was the second-greatest total in the nation, according to preliminary data released Wednesday by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

The total topped the state's average of 57 tornadoes per year between 1981 and 2010, according to NOAA data. But the number didn't eclipse the 145 reported in 1999, the most since officials began recording tornado data in 1950.

Kansas, Texas and Florida annually average more. Only Texas, with 81 tornadoes in 2013, had more than Oklahoma last year.
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Fish

No end in sight: Fierce winter storms bring severe flooding in UK & Ireland


Source
Thu, 06 Feb 2014 10:59 UTC
uk flood
© BBC News

Dramatic footage shows how unusually fierce winter storms have brought severe flooding to several coastal areas in Southern England. Ireland is also suffering severe flooding.

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Cloud Precipitation

Floods sweep Cork and Tipperary, Ireland

Claire Simpson
The Irish News
Wed, 05 Feb 2014 08:57 UTC
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Around 19,000 people in the republic were without power last night as floods swept through counties Cork and Tipperary.

Several streets in Cork city were under water after the river Lee overflowed its banks - the fourth time in just four weeks that parts of the city were flooded.

Some shops that had been flooded just 24 hours earlier, were hit by rising water again.

At the height of the flooding, one of the city's main streets, Oliver Plunkett Street, was under several feet of water.

Cobh and Kinsale in Co Cork, and Clonmel in Co Tipperary were also badly flooded.

Towns in eastern and southern counties, particularly Waterford and Wexford, were battered by hurricane-force winds and high waves last night.

Heavy rain and strong gusts of rain also hit the north, with eastern counties particularly badly hit.
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Windsock

Wave measuring more than 70 feet hits Cornwall, UK

WBJ Lock
West Briton
Wed, 05 Feb 2014 08:32 UTC
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© www.surfhog.com
A wave measuring more than 70 feet was recorded off the coast of Penzance this morning as the Cornish coastline was battered by gale-force winds and heavy rain.

A buoy set close to Penzance triggered a reading of 74.8 feet at 3.00am this morning, according to Cornwall-based surf website www.surfhog.com

It confirms the world's largest waves were off the coast of the Duchy this morning - higher than the swell off the coast of Nazare, Portugal, and dwarfing the 6ft surf that lapped against Australia's Bondi Beach.

West Cornwall has seen widespread flooding and destruction after a series of devastating storms blasted the coast.

In comparison big wave surfer, Devon-born Andrew Cotton, is believed to have ridden the 'biggest ever wave' in Nazare Portugal which stood at 80 feet.

According to surf forecasting website, Surf Storm, the largest waves on the face of the planet today have been crashing into the Cornwall, though most are unsurfable due to strong winds and large tides.

Emergency services have all issued a co-ordinated warning to only travel if absolutely necessary.
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