Storms
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Snowman

US: 10 inches of snow in Flagstaff, I-17 closed


Arizona Daily Sun
Sat, 09 Apr 2011 18:51 UTC
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Flagstaff resident David Ellsworth took this photo in his front yard on S. Gila Dr. at 10 am on Saturday morning.
A winter storm warning remains in effect through 5 pm as a spring snowstorm that has already dropped nearly a foot of snow in areas of Flagstaff continues to move across the region.

As of 10:30 am, the National Weather Service in Bellemont said it had so far received reports of 12 inches of snow in Grand Canyon Village, 10 to 11 inches in Flagstaff, 10 inches in Parks, 7 inches in Williams, 4.5 inches in Kachina Village and 4 inches in Doney Park. Sedona received an inch of snow all in one hour.

The Arizona Department of Transportation said that the I-17 North is closed between State Route 179 and Flagstaff because of the snow. ADOT is encouraging people to avoid driving unless necessary.
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Cloud Lightning

US: Tornado causes 'major devastation' but no deaths in Iowa city

Ben Smith
CNN
Sun, 10 Apr 2011 18:41 UTC
An Iowa community was shut down much of Sunday afternoon while emergency crews remained hard at work, sifting through wreckage caused by a wave of powerful tornadoes that swept across the state overnight.


The twisters caused major damage to about 60% of Mapleton, a city of about 1,200 residents, Monona County Sheriff Jeff Pratt told reporters Sunday.

It was all part of a violent storm system that struck overnight, originating in eastern Nebraska and following a warm front across northern Iowa, according to National Weather Service meteorologist Frank Boksa.

But despite causing extensive damage, it did not lead to any fatalities, said Stefanie Bond, a spokeswoman for Iowa's Homeland Security & Emergency Management Division.
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Cloud Lightning

US: The nation's weather


Mercury News
Sun, 10 Apr 2011 18:38 UTC
A very large storm will move out of the Rockies and into the Plains, the most active weather system in the country Sunday. The particularly large storm will spread from the northern Plains through the central Rockies and into the upper Midwest.

While the spring storm will initially lack the moisture coming up from the Gulf of Mexico, it will begin to produce strong thunderstorms from Texas through Illinois as it moves eastward later in the day and on Monday. These thunderstorms will have the potential of turning severe, with damaging wind, hail, and even possibly tornadoes.

Residents in the Southeast should monitor weather conditions due to approaching severe weather.
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Cloud Lightning

US: Gaston, South Carolina pelted by baseball-sized hail, heavy rains

Kevin Ellis
Gaston Gazetter
Sat, 09 Apr 2011 18:19 UTC
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Motorists battered by pingpong- and baseball-size hail, torrential rain and wind gusts of up to 60 mph found shelter whereever they could find it Saturday afternoon, including the Kangaroo Express gas station at I-85 and U.S. 321.

"We've had three storms come through, so I've run across a lot of scared customers," said Shaquan Hill, a clerk at the store. "It's not real safe for them to be out there right now."

Hill was telling nervous customers to stay put inside the store as the third storm began rolling through Gastonia just before 7 p.m., although not everyone was heeding her warnings.

"A lot of people just feel like they need to get where they're headed," she said.
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Cloud Lightning

Eastern US: Severe thunderstorms sweep through region


TimesNewsNet.com
Sat, 09 Apr 2011 18:07 UTC
Wise - A broad line of severe thunderstorms rich with heavy rains, hail, lightning and official tornado warnings thrashed the region from Northeast Tennessee through Southwest Virginia, Eastern Kentucky deep into West Virginia on Saturday, leaving fallen trees and damaged buildings in their wake.

Sweeping southeast out of the Ohio Valley through Kentucky, the line of strong storm cells fed by warm, humid air rocked across Southwest Virginia and Northeast Tennessee from around 3 p.m. on, with tornado watches and severe thunderstorm warnings in effect through 9 p.m.

The town of Wise got belted by zero visibility rains along with an awesome display of thunder and lightning shortly before 4 p.m., but it was the city of Norton just to the southwest of Wise that bore the brunt of the storm's wrath.
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Bizarro Earth

Landslide kills 2 children in Turkey


World Bulletin
Sun, 10 Apr 2011 18:04 UTC
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A landslide caused by heavy rains killed two children trapped under the wreckage of their collapsed home, while the other four family members suffered injuries, in Erzurum on Sunday morning, Turkish Cihan news agency said.

Due to heavy rainfall in the eastern province, a landslide knocked over one wall of the family's mud-brick house, causing it to collapse. Two children died. The remaining four family members were rescued by provincial civil protection and search-and-rescue teams and taken to the local hospital for treatment.
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Cloud Lightning

US: Over Half of Iowa Town Damaged by Tornado

Grant Schulte
Associated Press
Sun, 10 Apr 2011 12:20 UTC
tornado
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A large tornado flattened a grain elevator and destroyed homes and buildings on its weekend rampage through the small western Iowa town of Mapleton. Authorities reported no serious injuries.

"It was huge, just huge," said Thomas Mohrhauser, an attorney in the town of about 1,200 people. "It just kept getting bigger and bigger."

Mohrhauser said the tornado appeared to be about a quarter-mile wide when it cut a northwest path through town Saturday evening.

Mayor Fred Standa said one side of town got hit worse than another, but overall he thought about 60 percent had been damaged. He estimated about 20 percent was "almost flat."

Reports indicated the roof was blown off a high school, power lines were downed and several homes and buildings were destroyed. Authorities said three people were treated for minor injuries at Burgess Health Center in Onawa, about 20 miles from Mapleton.
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Cloud Lightning

Virginia, US: Strong Winds, Hail, Rain Cause Power Outages

Timmy Carrico
The State Journal
Fri, 08 Apr 2011 09:08 UTC
Over 14,500 American Electric Power customers are in the dark after a severe storm on Friday evening.

Cyclone, W.Va.
© Lonnie AtwellCyclone, W.Va.
After 60 mph winds, golf ball sized hail, and heavy rains; electricity is out in many homes across the 59News viewing area.

According to Appalachian Power, at 8 p.m. more than 14,500 customers were in the dark in Virginia and West Virginia.

Mercer County had more than 1,760 customers without power, Monroe County had a total of 1,100 homes in the dark, Raleigh County had a little over 150 still without power, Summers County had 158 customers without electricity, and Wyoming County had over 550 customers still in the dark.
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Cloud Lightning

West Virginia, US: Charleston area storms produce 'lots of water and tons of debris'

Kathryn Gregory
The Charleston Gazette
Fri, 08 Apr 2011 21:39 UTC
Trees knocked down, roads flooded 2nd time in a week

Heavy rains caused power outages, flooding and damage across the Charleston area for the second time in one week on Friday.

Kimberly Earl and her husband, Cody, were in their home on Bakers Fork Road with two of their four kids when a massive tree uprooted on the hill across from their house, slamming onto their roof.

"Every time it rains," she said, "a little more of that hillside washes away."
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Bizarro Earth

Southern Thailand's flood death toll hits 59


Monsters and Critics
Sat, 09 Apr 2011 09:40 UTC
The death toll reached 59 Saturday from floods and mudslides in southern Thailand over two weeks that caused damage estimated at more than 300 million dollars, officials said.

The Interior Ministry's disaster prevention and mitigation department said 26 people had died in Nakhon Si Thammarat province, 610 kilometres south of Bangkok.

Twelve deaths were confirmed in neighbouring Surat Thani province, with additional casualties in Krabi, Phatthalung, Chumphon, Trang and Phangnga provinces throughout the southern region.

Large areas of Nakhon Si Thammarat were reported still underwater on Saturday.
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