Storms
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Cloud Precipitation

Flood warnings issued as storms cause chaos across Britain

Steven Morris
The Guardian
Sun, 25 Nov 2012 06:43 UTC
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Malmesbury under water
A 21-year-old woman was killed when a tree smashed into her tent while she was sleeping, as torrential rain and fierce winds continued to cause chaos in parts of the UK.

Two men who are also believed to have been in the tent, near Exeter city centre, were injured when the large tree toppled into their shelter. It is not yet known why the three were in the tent.

The government said on Sunday morning that almost 500 homes and businesses had been flooded, mainly in the south-west of England and the Midlands. Overnight four severe flood warnings - meaning lives are in danger - were issued for Cornwall, though by first light this had been reduced to two. Dozens of sections of roads in the west country, including the M5 and M50, were flooded .
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Cloud Lightning

Storms claim first victim as 100mph gale winds batter Great Britain

Nathan Rao
The Express UK
Fri, 23 Nov 2012 22:59 UTC
storms great britain
Gales crash the Cornish coast at Porthleven yesterday
Britain's storms claimed their first victim last night as a man died after being trapped in his car by flood water and heavy rain 

The victim, was caught in Chew Stoke in Somerset as flood waters wedged his car under a bridge near a ford.

Emergency services were called and the man was pronounced dead at the scene.

Meanwhile Britain is braced for yet more devastating storms tomorrow, which are set to bring torrential rain and 100mph gales.

The entire country is on flood alert with hurricane-force gusts likely to fell trees and damage buildings.

Forecasters said flood-hit regions face further mayhem as a deep depression from the Continent roars in tomorrow morning.

And parts of the country that have so far escaped the worst of the downpours face a battering with virtually everywhere on standby for lashing rain.
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Cloud Precipitation

Flood warnings abound as sodden UK prepares for fresh rain

Steven Morris
The Guardian
Thu, 22 Nov 2012 03:20 UTC
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© Matt Cardy/Getty ImagesA car sits stuck in the village of Chilcompton, near Wells, Somerset.
Met Office warns of severe weather in south-west England, West Midlands, Wales and a much of Scotland, with 70mph winds

Householders, business people and motorists have been warned to prepare for flooding, gale-force winds and terrible driving conditions as another band of wet weather sweeps across the UK.

Up to 60mm (2.35in) of rain is expected to pound down within a few hours on to ground that is already sodden or flooded, and into rivers swollen by the autumn showers.

The Met Office issued severe weather warnings for south-west England, the West Midlands, the whole of Wales and a good deal of Scotland, and said winds of up to 70mph could add to the misery.

Bob Wilderspin, the Met Office chief forecaster, said: "The current unsettled spell of weather is set to continue, with further spells of heavy rain expected across the country over the next few days.
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Cloud Lightning

Hundreds of homes ravaged by deadly storms in Alabama


MSNBC.com
Wed, 21 Nov 2012 13:34 UTC
Storms that spawned at least one twister were responsible for 2 deaths, more than 100 injuries and some 400 homes and buildings destroyed or damaged early Monday in the area around Birmingham, Ala. -- less than a year after the state saw 240 lives taken by tornadoes.

More than 200 homes were destroyed, the Red Cross said, and as many were damaged.

Jefferson County appeared hardest hit, especially the town of Clay, where the National Weather Service confirmed that a tornado with 150-mph winds had struck. "We have major, major damage," said a Jefferson County Emergency Management Agency official, Bob Ammons, in reference to the region.

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Cloud Precipitation

Storm slams Pacific Northwest with record rain, wind; at least one dead


NBC News
Tue, 20 Nov 2012 11:07 UTC
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© The Spokesman-Review/Associated PressDuring a strong gust of wind, Michele Purkey's umbrella flips back as she crosses street Monday in downtown Spokane, Wash.
The heavy winds and rain that pummeled the Pacific Northwest, flooding roads and highways and leaving at least one person dead, eased on Tuesday though showers remained in the forecast for much of the Thanksgiving holiday week.

Rain and wind pounded Washington and Oregon on Monday, flooding streets, toppling large trucks and cutting power to more than 20,000 people.

Nearly 2 inches of rain fell in six hours in one Seattle neighborhood - a total that Seattle Public Utilities meteorologist James Rufo-Hill called "extraordinary."

"It was a pretty big storm for most of the city - lots of rain in a relatively short amount of time," he said, but several neighborhoods "really got drenched."

By late Monday night, 2.13 inches of rain had fallen for the day at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, shattering the record of 1.23 inches for Nov. 19 set in 1962.

Comment: There is evidence of more to come, starting at 52 seconds.


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Cloud Lightning

Train of storms barreling through Pacific Northwest through Thanksgiving

Matt Alto
Accuweather
Mon, 19 Nov 2012 12:25 UTC
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Residents and visitors of the Pacific Northwest hoping to have some dry weather for the days leading up to the Thanksgiving holiday will be out of luck. In fact, the Northwest will be the stormiest part of the nation through Thanksgiving.

A Pacific storm train of weather disturbances will continue to barrel through the Northwest in quick succession bringing bouts of rain, snow and wind. At this time it appears that no prolonged period of dry weather is on the horizon.

The series of storm systems will likely continue well past Thanksgiving and into the following weekend. These storms will bring rain, mountain snow and damaging coastal winds.

According to AccuWeather's Western Weather Expert Ken Clark, "Between the major storms, the weather is not likely to be dry, especially from the Cascades on west. Moist, onshore winds will cause showers between these major storms at just about any time".
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Umbrella

Flash-flooding in Malaga for second time in as many months as Costa del Sol goes on orange alert


Olive Press
Sun, 18 Nov 2012 07:16 UTC
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Flooding in Malaga city, Spain on November 17, 2012.
Severe weather warnings remain in place across the Malaga province after a weekend of heavy rain and thunderstorms.

The alert affects the Costa del Sol, the Guadalhorce Valley and the Axarquia.

Malaga city centre was hit particularly hard on Saturday with many flooded streets around the El Corte Ingles department store. Many traffic lights were out of order causing major delays on some roads.

The 112 emergency service reported that they attended over three hundred incidents in Malaga in a five-hour period, mainly in the capital, due to the downpour.

Comment: Spain floods: Eight die in Malaga, Almeria and Murcia

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Cloud Lightning

Tornado causes pandemonium in Algarve city, Portugal

Carrie-Marie Bratley
The Portugal News Online
Fri, 16 Nov 2012 16:28 UTC
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© The Portugal News
Unprecedented chaos tore through the Lagoa Sol urbanization (Lagoa, Algarve) today (Friday, 16 November) when a massive tornado literally ripped up the neighbourhood at around 1.30pm. Cars were tossed and flipped, trees uprooted, balconies, roof tiles and framework ripped off, windows shattered and vehicles tossed for metres.

Hundred of people have been left homeless by the freak incident in which the entire neighbourhood has been reduced to tatters, and many have been injured. Panicking parents rushed to a nearby-by school to collect their children who were in class when the tornado hit, and billboards on a nearby roundabout were mangled.

The exact extent of the damage and seriousness of the injuries are still being calculated. Abel Silva, born and raised in Lagoa, saw his ground-floor apartment destroyed in a terrifying incident which last minutes.
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Bizarro Earth

2 rare tornadoes strike Japan


Agence France-Presse
Wed, 14 Nov 2012 15:28 UTC
Two massive tornadoes swept through the western region of Japan on Wednesday. No injuries or damages were reported. Tornadoes are relatively rare in Japan and the agency has issued further warnings of strong winds, lightning and tornadoes.

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Snowflake Cold

Brutus breaks snowfall record in Helena, Montana

Dylan Brown
Independent Record
Fri, 09 Nov 2012 16:37 UTC
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Maintenance crews work to remove snow from Nelson Stadium Friday for Carroll College's final game of the season Saturday against Dickerson State. In the last 48 hours the Helena area has received about 12 inches of snow, which made for intense work to clear the stands and field.
Helena crushed a snowfall record Thursday, and was on the way to doing the same Friday as winter storm Brutus brutalized the town.

Helena saw 8.8 inches of snow Thursday. The previous snowfall record for Nov. 8 was 2.3 inches, set in 1903.

Zach Uttech, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Great Falls, said the south-west flowing air mass from Canada has created an ideal scenario for widespread snow over the region, blanketing Montana with an abundance of snow.

Total snow accumulation could hit nearly 14 inches in downtown Helena, which would put Thursday and Friday among the top for highest snowfall in a two-day period for the month of November, Uttech said. As of noon on Friday, the two-day total was 12.6 inches.
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