Storms
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Umbrella

US, Colorado: More severe weather for the Front Range


The Gazette
Thu, 14 Jul 2011 12:45 UTC
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© Helen H. Richardson / The Denver PostMonica Savage of Ft. Lauderdale takes pictures of an approaching storm near Denver International Airport.
More severe weather hit the Denver area and eastern Colorado Thursday, unleashing heavy rain on already-soaked areas and adding to the debris and mud that closed canyon roads west of Boulder.

A rock slide closed a lane of a highway in the mountains west of Boulder, where crews were still trying to clear mud from roads after up to 1.3 inches of rain pounded the area Wednesday night. State transportation officials said most of the rocks were small and no one was injured.

Some roads were closed again Thursday afternoon and an evacuation center was reopened at a YMCA. A flash flood warning was issued for the area where a wildfire burned away vegetation on thousands of acres last fall.

Two large surges of flood water in Boulder Creek Wednesday night prompted warnings to people to get to high ground. No serious flooding occurred.

Several counties in north-central Colorado and the Denver area were under a severe thunderstorm watch Thursday. Sheets of rain swept through Denver and the suburbs as evening rush hour started. Cars were partially submerged in spots where water backed up and water gushed through normally dry gulches.

Property owners were still assessing the hail damage from Wednesday night's storms.

State Farm Insurance said it expects to get about 6,500 auto claims and 4,000 home claims. Damage includes broken windshields and roof and siding damage.
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Cloud Lightning

Severe weather hits the Netherlands


Radio Netherlands Worldwide
Thu, 14 Jul 2011 04:30 UTC
The Dutch national weather centre (KNMI) is warning of severe gusts of wind and heavy rainfall affecting large areas of the Netherlands today. Winds have already wreaked havoc across the country and caused delays at Schiphol Airport.

Twenty flights were cancelled Thursday, according to an airport spokesperson. Further delays are expected as the stormy weather continues.

Southern, central and eastern areas of the Netherlands have been put on yellow alert. Coastal areas have been on yellow alert since Wednesday evening. Yellow alerts are issued when 25 to 50 mm of rainfall is expected with wind gusts of up to 80 kilometres per hour.

In The Hague, the danger of those gusts became all too apparent after a 51-year-old woman was hosptialised in critical condition after a being hit by a wind-swept tree. A 19-year-old boy was also injured in the accident.

Winds are threatening to send a 60 meter tall chimney on the Rotterdam Keileweg to the ground. Police have cleared out a radius of 100 metres around the area in case the tower collapses.

Conversely, the ANWB automobile association says traffic has so far not been too badly affected by the unseasonal weather.
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Igloo

US: Hail storm damages 40 planes, strands passengers


Associated Press
Thu, 14 Jul 2011 11:47 UTC
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© Unknown
More than 100 flights have been cancelled at Denver International Airport after hail damaged about 40 planes and stranded about 1000 passengers overnight.

Airport spokeswoman Laura Coale said on Thursday that all damaged planes had to be evaluated, slowing operations. She says an unknown number of planes have been taken out of service because of damage.

Frontier Airlines says it expects more cancellations on Friday.

The airport was pummelled by three-quarter-inch hail for about 15 minutes on Wednesday night.

Among those stranded at the airport was Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker. He tweeted that he slept on the floor of a conference room after airport staff got him a blanket and pillow.

The airport didn't distribute cots and blankets to all passengers because airlines didn't request help. About 200 people typically spend the night at the airport.

Comment: More info from MSNBC:



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Arrow Down

England, Dorset: Beach-goers warned to stay away from landslide in Britport

James Tourgout
Britport News
Thu, 14 Jul 2011 20:27 UTC
landslip in britport
The massive landslip along the coast between Eype and West Bay
Beach-goers and fossil hunters have been warned to keep away from a massive landslip at West Bay.

Councils and coastguards sealed off the coast between West Bay and Eype after the landslide from the cliff to the waterline.

Now they are warning people to beware of the danger amid fears more earth may collapse.

West Dorset District Council technical services manager Steve Woollard said: "We have put up warning signs on both sides of the beach leading up to the landslide and also at the end of the Esplanade at West Bay.
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Newspaper

US, Colorado: Landslide spills debris, sediment into Dillon water supply

Caddie Nath
Summit Daily News
Thu, 14 Jul 2011 20:18 UTC
mudslide in Dillon colorado
© Summit DailyA portion of the mudslide that's causing some trouble for Dillon's water supply in Straight Creek.
Town will pull from Lasky Gulch while Straight Creek clears

A landslide crashed into Straight Creek on U.S. Forest Service land last week, threatening Dillon and Dillon Valley's primary water supply.

But the town and the valley will be able to pull clean drinking water from the high Lasky Gulch for at least a few months while waiting for the sediment from the slide to clear.

"The immediate concern was the question: Was it a large enough slide to where it could deposit enough material to create a blockage on Straight Creek?" Dillon town manager Devin Granbery said. "There would be a potential for the build up of water behind a blockage and then a release. and there was a potential for damage to property and life safety issues there."

A release of water from a behind a landslide dam could also damage the Dillon and Dillon Valley diversion plants downstream, which pull water from the creek to be filtered for drinking water.
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Bizarro Earth

US: Largest landslide in New York history creeps down Adirondacks

Zach Howard
Reuters
Thu, 14 Jul 2011 10:58 UTC
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© Reuters/Andrew KozlowskiThe edge of a landslide in Keene Valley, New York is shown in this May 17, 2011 handout image.
A mile-wide landslide that is unleashing hundreds of millions of tons of debris in New York's Adirondack Mountains is the largest in the state's history, but also one of its slowest.

Geologists say an 82-acre piece of earth on Little Porter Mountain in Keene Valley, New York, is creeping downhill at a rate of between just six inches and two feet per day, dragging boulders, trees and house foundations along with it.

Andrew Kozlowski, associate state geologist at the New York State Museum, said the uncommonly lazy slide was triggered by excessive groundwater from this year's heavy snows and rain.

The slide began May 6 and could last considerably longer, from a few months to many years, he said.

"That's the side of a mountain that's in full motion right now," Kozlowski said. "This thing isn't even close to being at equilibrium yet. There's every indication that this is going to continue to move for some time."

The landslide's mass is at least hundreds of millions of tons, he said. Measuring 0.8 of a mile wide, it is the largest landslide in New York history, he said.
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Cloud Lightning

Alberta, Canada: Suspected Tornado hits southwest

Clara Ho
Calgary Herald
Thu, 14 Jul 2011 10:48 UTC
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© Grant Black, Calgary HeraldA slab of shingles rests on the lawn of a home on Val Gardenia Place S.W. on Wednesday evening after a fierce summer storm damaged several homes on the Calgary cul-de-sac.
The fire department received numerous reports Wednesday evening of what looked like a tornado hitting homes on the western edge of the city.

Environment Canada could not confirm whether a tornado had actually touched down, but dark swirling clouds and high winds that ripped through roofs and eavestroughs on the 300 block of St. Moritz Drive S.W. forced residents to take shelter.

Fire spokesman Brian McAsey said calls started pouring in shortly before 8 p.m. about funnel cloud sightings and homes being damaged, including a call about part of a roof torn off a home.

Another house was believed to be hit by lightning, he said, adding there were also reports of flooding and manhole covers being blown off -but no reports of injuries.

Area resident Long Ren was home with his wife and daughter when he saw the trees moving around "crazily" in his backyard.

"Suddenly I saw a lot of stuff blowing into the sky and realized it could be a tornado," he said.
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Bizarro Earth

New Zealand: 'Snow and ice everywhere' across south

Jared Morgan and Alana Dixon
The Southland TImes
Thu, 14 Jul 2011 10:45 UTC
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© BARRY HARCOURT/The Southland TimesON TOP OF THE WORLD: Te Anau builder Tony Rayfield thinks he still has the best job in the world regardless of the weather. With the Murchinson Mountains as a background, where in the world would you rather be.
Snow is falling intermittently in Invercargill while heavier dumps are beginning to affect roads and other services across the south.

However, most of the white stuff so far appears to be confined to the Fiordland region and the eastern coast of Southland and the Clutha district.

Warren Dickie, who farms on the Clinton-Matarua highway, said today's snow was not yet as bad as last year's big snow in September. ''Its just a bit cold and slippery, isn't it," he said.

Earlier this morning the snowfall had just been a light dusting on the ground but things changed quickly: "It's definitely ... a lot worse."

If the snow hung around as predicted for the next few days it could become more of a problem, he said.

Motorists appear to be heeding calls to be careful on southern roads, with no incidents reported to emergency services so far.

Te Anau police report a fresh cold snap this morning, with "snow and ice everywhere''.
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Cloud Lightning

US, Idaho: Severe Thunderstorms Move Through Upper Snake River Plain


Local News 8
Tue, 12 Jul 2011 22:27 UTC
A severe thunderstorm warning remains in effect until 315 pm mdt for north central Bonneville county, At 248 pm mdt, national weather service doppler radar continued to indicate a severe thunderstorm with hail up to 1 inch in diameter. This storm was located near Iona, or 8 miles northeast of Ammon, moving northeast at 20 mph. Locations that could be affected include, rural northern Bonneville county, Precautionary/preparedness actions, Stay tuned to this broadcast for the latest updates and information. To report severe weather only, call 1 800 8 7 7 1 9 3 7.

Severe Thunderstorm Warning: The NWS in Pocatello has issued a severe thunderstorm warning for: central Bingham county in southeast Idaho, this includes the city of Blackfoot, Until 330 pm mdt. At 242 pm mdt, national weather service doppler radar indicated a severe thunderstorm capable of producing quarter size hail, and damaging winds in excess of 60 mph. This storm was located near Gibson, or near Blackfoot, and moving northeast at 15 mph. Locations that could be affected include, Blackfoot, Rose, Precautionary/preparedness actions, This is a dangerous storm. If you are in its path, prepare immediately for damaging winds, destructive hail, and deadly cloud to ground lightning. People outside should move to a shelter, preferably inside a strong building but away from windows. Stay tuned to this broadcast for the latest updates and information. To report severe weather only, call 1 800 8 7 7 1 9 3 7.
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Bizarro Earth

Typhoon Ma-on Poses New Threat to Japan

Jason Samenow
The Washington Post
Wed, 13 Jul 2011 14:00 UTC
Typhoon Ma-On
© Joint Typhoon Warning CenterSatellite image of Typhoon Ma-on at 10:00 a.m. ET.
Still in the midst of its long recovery from the earthquakes and tsunami of early March, Japan must now keep a watchful eye on typhoon Ma-on, rapidly intensifying in the western Pacific. The storm could impact the disaster-ravaged country early next week.

The Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) reports this morning that Ma-on, about 655 miles east-southeast of Iwo-Jima, has shown "steadily improving organization" over the past six hours, with convection "consolidating around the core" and the emergence of an eye.

The storm's current peak winds are 75 mph, equivalent to category 1 hurricane.

The storm is expected to remain within a tropical airmass with low wind shear and warm sea surface temperatures as it continues west through the northern Philippines Sea. Consequently, significant intensification is forecast over the next 72 hours, with peak winds predicted to reach 125 mph by Saturday morning, equivalent to a category 3 hurricane. JTWC cautions there is no reason to expect signficant weakening until the storm makes landfall.
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