Storms
S


Lightning

Cattle killed by lightning strike on farm in New South Wales, Australia

Kim Honan
abc.net.au
Thu, 23 Jan 2025 11:09 UTC
The cows were worth a considerable amount of money.
© Lisa MartinThe cows were worth a considerable amount of money.
A storm that swept through Lisa Martin and Colin Keevers' Angus stud at Tenterfield this week brought much-needed rain but left five stud cows dead.

"We were pleased to see the storm coming, but unfortunately along with the welcome 12mm of rain we actually lost five preg-tested and in-calf stud cows that were sheltering under a large gum tree," she said.

"You've heard the saying never stand under a tree.

"Unfortunately sometimes cattle, horses, and sheep elect to do that and it's not to their advantage, of course."

It was a significant loss, but Ms Martin reasoned it could have been worse.

"We're farmers and you've got to take the good with the bad, and on the bright side the rest of their mates that were in the paddock with them didn't decide to stand under that particular tree at the same time," she said.
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Snowflake Cold

Which US Southern cities had the most snow? Here are the biggest snow totals by state, some historic

Ben Noll
Washington Post
Thu, 23 Jan 2025 13:43 UTC
Satellite imagery captures the historic
© NOAASatellite imagery captures the historic winter storm early Wednesday, with a cloud shield extending over 1,500 miles from the Gulf of Mexico to southern Canada.
As historic snowfall — in some places more than double-digit totals — fell Tuesday along the Gulf Coast and in the Deep South and Southeast, meteorologists ran out of adjectives to describe what they were seeing.

"Just like hundreds of other meteorologists today, I am speechless," one wrote, sharing a video clip of whiteout conditions on Pensacola Bay Bridge in Florida. The city of Milton, Florida, reported 9.8 inches — probably the state's biggest daily snowfall on record.

In Louisiana, deep mounds of snow met the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico. In New Orleans, locals skied down Bourbon Street as the airport recorded 8 inches, smashing the daily record of 2.7 inches.

By the end of Tuesday, New Orleans had observed more snow in this single event than New York City and Anchorage did in all of December and January — and according to the data, the area around the city may have been Tuesday's snowiest place, with an estimated total of just over a foot.
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Snowflake Cold

Best of the Web: Rare snowstorm hits US south, with 4 deaths reported - 10.5 inches of snow recorded in Louisiana

Nadine Yousif
BBC
Wed, 22 Jan 2025 12:07 UTC
Rare snow blankets iconic Bourbon Street in New Orleans
Rare snow blankets iconic Bourbon Street in New Orleans
A rare winter storm is bringing snow and freezing rain to parts of the US deep south, closing highways and airports in Texas and prompting a first-ever blizzard warning in southwest Louisiana.

Four people are thought to have died from cold exposure so far - two cases are being investigated as cold-related by Austin authorities in Texas, while two deaths from hypothermia were reported in Georgia and Milwaukee.

Up in the country's north, parts of New York state are being hit by another storm, blanketed by up to 18 inches of snow.

More than 2,200 flights within the US were cancelled on Tuesday, and 3,000 more were delayed, according to online tracker Flight Aware.

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Arrow Down

Landslides and flash floods triggered by heavy rains kill at least 25 in Java, Indonesia (UPDATE)


Al Jazeera
Tue, 21 Jan 2025 12:11 UTC
In this handout picture taken
© Indonesia's disaster management agencyIn this handout picture taken and released on January 21, 2025, by Indonesia's disaster mitigation agency shows, rescuers and villagers evacuate victims of a landslide at Kasimpar village in Pekalongan, Central Java.
At least 16 people have been killed and 10 injured as a landslide struck Indonesia's Central Java province, government authorities said.

The landslide in the city of Pekalongan was triggered by heavy rains, a spokesperson for the country's disaster mitigation agency said on Tuesday. Authorities are searching for another three missing people as they warned that the rain was expected to continue for several days.

Local news outlet Kompas TV showed houses heavily damaged and partially buried by the landslide. Several cars were also seen submerged in the mud.

Roads were damaged with rubble and rocks strewn across them. The spokesperson said two bridges had also been hit.


Comment: Update January 24

Reuters reports:
Indonesian rescuers on Friday paused search efforts because of bad weather as the death toll from a landslide on Java island three days ago rose to at least 25 people, said a spokesperson for the local rescuers.

Torrential rain in the city of Pekalongan in Central Java province triggered the landslide on Tuesday, and hundreds of rescuers were deployed to the area.
Pertinent: Fatal landslides in 2024 exceptional, correlated with very high intensity rainfall events

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Tsunami

Italy: Floods and gale force winds batter Sicily as rescue efforts intensify


MSN
Sat, 18 Jan 2025 12:24 UTC
Aeolian islands cut off by bad weather, floods at Catania
Aeolian islands cut off by bad weather, floods at Catania
Sicily faced chaos on Friday as torrential rains triggered severe flooding across the island. Catania saw dramatic scenes, including fire brigade workers rescuing a man trapped in a submerged car.

The Alcantara River overflowed in Taormina, while gales toppled trees and masonry in Caltanissetta. Relentless storms cut off the Aeolian Islands, including Lipari, Vulcano, and Stromboli, forcing school closures.

Sardinia and parts of Calabria also enacted similar measures as a weather alert remained in effect. Authorities reported 315 emergency responses in Sicily, with Catania, Enna, and Ragusa hardest hit. In Randazzo, 14 people were evacuated as the Annunziata torrent rose dangerously.

Rescue operations doubled in scale as teams secured structures and cleared fallen trees. Meteorologist Antonio Sanò warned that the extreme weather, driven by a Tunisian vortex, would continue to unleash heavy rain and raise the risk of further flooding in Sicily, Sardinia, and Calabria.

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Cloud Lightning

Almost 2 million lightning strikes recorded as storms batter eastern Australia - 5 inches of rain in 24 hours

Jenny Campbell
wsws.org
Fri, 17 Jan 2025 20:07 UTC
Lightning over Sydney Harbour on January 15, 2025.
© X/@JarvFromOzLightning over Sydney Harbour on January 15, 2025.
The New South Wales State Emergency Services (NSW SES) has responded to more than 7,000 storm-related incidents across the state since Wednesday morning, as fierce storms battered large swathes of Australia's east.

Wild weather is expected to continue through the weekend, with ongoing thunderstorms on the east coast and a tropical cyclone developing just off the coast of Western Australia (WA), threatening gale force winds from Port Hedland to Exmouth in the state's northwest. Meanwhile, large areas of Queensland and WA are experiencing a severe heatwave.

With heavy rainfall expected for much of the NSW coast, numerous flood warnings have been issued. North of Newcastle, Ferndale Caravan Park residents were told to evacuate this morning due to the risk of flooding.

Wednesday's severe weather was the result of a cold front "that triggered a massive line of storms... At one stage we basically had a line of storms extending from almost the Queensland border down to Tasmania," meteorologist Christie Johnson told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC). That represents a staggering storm front spanning more than 1,500 kilometres.


Comment: See also this earlier report and other videos: Severe thunderstorms smash Australia's east coast leaving one dead - Sydney Airport shut - 200,000 homes without power - warnings over dangerous winds, lightning and hailstones

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Tsunami

Floods hit southern Brazil's State of Santa Catarina - 5 inches of rain in just a few hours, over half of normal January total


Merco Press
Fri, 17 Jan 2025 12:34 UTC
In just a few hours, more than half the volume expected for the entire month of January fell, Mello pointed out
In just a few hours, more than half the volume expected for the entire month of January fell, Mello pointed out
First responders have been working around the clock while State authorities also set up shelters as the need for improved drainage systems and flood prevention infrastructure has been highlighted. Residents were also advised to exercise extreme caution in flood-prone areas.

Camboriú Mayor Juliana Pavan declared the emergency after more than 120 millimeters of rainfall were recorded in just a few hours flooding city streets and adjacent roads such as BR-101, where the Morro do Boi tunnel is closed. Argentine tourists were reported to be arriving en masse for the second half of January as a convenient exchange rate advises against vacationing in their home country.

"It rained, in a few hours, about 130 millimeters in the cities of Itajaí, Camboriú and Balneário Camboriú. More than half the volume expected for the entire month of January," Santa Catarina Governor Jorginho Mello pointed out.

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Tornado2

Waterspout seen off Dampier, Western Australia

Rosemary Murphy
abc.net.au
Mon, 13 Jan 2025 19:01 UTC
Some locals caught a glimpse of a waterspout off the Pilbara coast.
© Michael DoddSome locals caught a glimpse of a waterspout off the Pilbara coast.
Heavy rainfall, a strange skyline and a waterspout over the ocean are just some of the weather phenomena witnessed across Western Australia's Pilbara region over the past 24 hours.

The stormy weather has delighted many locals who watched on in awe.

Dampier resident Eloise Dortch was out walking her dog on Monday morning when something caught her eye off the coast.

"I didn't know what I was looking at," Ms Dortch said.

"I saw this weird, dark trail going from the rain clouds down into ocean.

"It was there for quite a few seconds, and at the base where the spout went into the ocean you could see a flurry of water spray."

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Tornado2

Waterspout rips off roofs of floating houses in Kudat, Malaysia


New Straits Times
Wed, 15 Jan 2025 12:57 UTC
Residents of floating houses in Kudat had a rude awakening this morning when some of their houses which are built on stilts over the water at Kampung Pantai Bahagia were struck by a waterspout this morning.
© BULETIN TV3Residents of floating houses in Kudat had a rude awakening this morning when some of their houses which are built on stilts over the water at Kampung Pantai Bahagia were struck by a waterspout this morning.
Residents of floating houses in Kudat had a rude awakening this morning when some of their houses which are built on stilts over the water at Kampung Pantai Bahagia were struck by a waterspout this morning.

The 8.30am natural phenomenon caused damage to at least eight floating houses, leaving a few without their roofs.

The zinc roofs were reportedly blown off by the force of the waterspout, prompting residents to seek cover to avoid being struck by the debris flying in the strong winds.

One of the residents interviewed by Buletin TV3, Sakira Abdul Hassan said she heard a loud bang when it approached her house.

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Cloud Lightning

Severe thunderstorms smash Australia's east coast leaving one dead - Sydney Airport shut - 200,000 homes without power - warnings over dangerous winds, lightning and hailstones

Zak Wheeler and Kylie Stevens
Daily Mail
Wed, 15 Jan 2025 12:34 UTC
More than 120,000 homes across Sydney were without power after lighting strikes
More than 120,000 homes across Sydney were without power after lighting strikes
A man has been killed as severe thunderstorms smashed large regions of NSW and Sydney, bringing the airport, public transport and sporting matches to an abrupt halt.

An unstable air mass combined with an upper trough produced wild weather across large parts of the state late Wednesday, leaving behind a trail of destruction in its wake.

Damaging winds, large hailstones and heavy rainfall smashed not only Sydney but also the Hunter, the Mid North Coast, Illawarra, Central Tablelands, North West Slopes and Plains and Northern Tablelands districts.

Wind gusts exceeding 100km/h were reported at Sydney Airport, Kurnell, Scone, Murrurindi Gap, Tamworth, Merriwa, Dubbo, Mullion, Bombala, Trangie, Cowra, Walgett, Cabrumurra and Wagga Wagga.

The worst of the weather isn't over yet with severe thunderstorms and heavy rain forecast in some regions on Thursday.

More than 200,000 homes across Sydney, Newcastle and Wollongong were without power late Wednesday night due to lightning strikes with energy providers scrambling to restore electricity services.

The NSW SES was inundated with more than 1,240 calls for help with more than a third of the requests in Sydney for fallen trees, leaks, and roofs blown off buildings.

Earlier on Wednesday afternoon, a man aged in his 80s was killed after a tree struck his car while driving in 107km/h winds in Cowra in central-west NSW.

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