Storms
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Bizarro Earth

Canada: High Winds Disrupt Travel, Knock Out Power

Cindy E. Harnett & Sandra McCulloch
Vancouver Sun
Thu, 03 Mar 2011 21:41 UTC
Surfer
© Les Bazso, PNG, Postmedia News, With Files From Vancouver SunKiteboarders at Crescent Beach take advantage of southeasterly gusts of 70 to 100 km-h.
A wind storm forced the cancellation of ferries and seaplanes and took out power to tens of thousands of Vancouver Island homes Wednesday but did not pack the punch expected by meteorologists.

Environment Canada had forecast sustained southerly winds of 70 to 100 km/h, with peak gusts from 100 to 140 km/h. The predictions were off by about 20 km/h, said Environment Canada meteorologist Dave Wray.

"It was definitely one of the stronger storms of the season but it wasn't busting any kind of records," Wray said. "The system was just a little further offshore and north than expected."

The strongest winds on the coast were on Solander Island, off the northwest tip of Vancouver Island, where gusts were clocked at 90 knots (160 km/h).

In Greater Victoria, the storm's peak time was between 5 a.m. and 7 a.m., with sustained winds of 50 km/h and gusts of about 70 km/h. By mid-morning the warm, southeasterly winds had driven the temperature up to 9.4 C
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Cloud Lightning

New Zealand: Massive Dust Storm Hits Quake-hit Christchurch


Terra Daily
Wed, 02 Mar 2011 00:00 UTC
Image
© Agence France-PresseA cyclist wears a protective mask in Christchurch on Wednesday, March 2. Strong winds whipped up huge dust clouds in earthquake-hit Christchurch as officials defended the devastated city's building standards.
Strong winds whipped up huge dust clouds in earthquake-hit Christchurch Wednesday, as officials defended the devastated city's building standards.

Gusts of 70 kilometres per hour (44 mph) buffeted emergency crews in the ruins of New Zealand's second largest city, hampering the search for bodies amid fears of masonry dislodging and trees toppling.

"In some places it was difficult to stand up, you'd look across the city and see these enormous clouds of dust blowing down the main avenues -- it's been a terrible day," mayor Bob Parker said.

The winds stirred an estimated 200,000 tonnes of silt and sand pushed up from the ground after the power of the February 22 quake loosened the bond between soil particles in a process called liquefaction.

Search and rescue teams donned respirators and dodged flying sheets of corrugated iron as they raked through the wreckage, while supplies of facemasks were rushed to Christchurch for residents.

The death toll from last week's 6.3-magnitude tremor stood at 160 Wednesday, climbing toward a final tally that police expect to exceed 240.

About 400 relatives of the dead visited the city's worst-hit sites in what Parker said was a difficult and emotional trip that he hoped would bring them some closure.
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Cloud Lightning

Australia: 5000 lightning strikes during storms


BigPond News
Wed, 02 Mar 2011 08:37 UTC
Image
© UnknownFive thousand lightning strikes danced across southeast Queensland skies overnight.
Five thousand lightning strikes danced across southeast Queensland skies overnight but the thunderstorms were not as severe or damaging as the weather bureau expected.

The thunderstorms produced 5000 lightning strikes since 11pm (AEST) on Tuesday, with more than 16,000 homes losing power, electricity company Energex said.

The worst hit suburbs were in Brisbane's north and around Logan.

'Most of the lightning strikes went all the way to the ground,' an Energex spokeswoman told AAP.

Only 418 homes still waiting to be reconnected at 6am (AEST) on Wednesday, she said.

More storm activity could be on the way for Brisbane, Ipswich, Gold Coast and Sunshine Coast later in the evening, the Bureau of Meteorology warns.
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Cloud Lightning

US: Storm Damage and Tornado, South Carolina

Storm Team 7
News Channel 7
Tue, 01 Mar 2011 17:12 UTC
Experts from the National Weather Service say the damage caused in Greenwood was not caused by a tornado.

National Weather Service experts from Greer are inspecting storm damage in Greenwood County Tuesday after a Monday afternoon storm caused damage throughout the Upstate.

The experts are visiting the Dyson and Ninety Six areas of the county to determine what kind of storm caused damage Monday afternoon into the evening.
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Cloud Lightning

US: Missouri Region Assesses Damage After Powerful Storm Moves Through

Kim Bell
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
Tue, 01 Mar 2011 17:03 UTC
St Louis storm damage
© Robert Cohen / St. Louis Post DispatchRhett Butler took a machete to his neighbor's tree as he worked to remove branches from his home in the 2800 block of Madison Avenue in Granite City.
Residents and local authorities spent Monday assessing damage from a severe storm that slammed into the St. Louis area late the night before.

The brief and swift-moving storm packed winds up of to 70 mph, hail, sleet and lightning. Across the region, roofs were peeled off, tree limbs and power lines downed and signs twisted and toppled.

The National Weather Service had several unconfirmed reports of funnel clouds, including at 11:14 p.m. five miles northeast of Gray Summit; at 11:27 p.m. near Concord Village, causing power flashes; and at 11:34 p.m., near St. Louis' Lafayette Square neighborhood.
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Cloud Lightning

US: Storm Leaves Thousands without Power in Chattanooga, Tennessee

Joan Garrett, Kelli Gauthier and Carey O'Neil
Times Free Press
Tue, 01 Mar 2011 16:25 UTC
In about 30 minutes, Monday's storm surged across Hamilton County, leaving behind about 37,000 homes without power. Chattanooga's Public Works Department was called to remove 48 downed trees and the back half of a downtown building collapsed.

By about 8 p.m. Monday, EPB officials reported that 20,000 homes were without power.
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Cloud Lightning

US: Damaging Winds, Heavy Rain Pound Midwest, Move into Southeast

Dave Alsup and Tristan Smith
CNN
Mon, 28 Feb 2011 15:46 UTC
Midwest storm damage
© CNNSevere weather in the Chattanooga area of Tennessee left buildings damaged on Monday.
Severe weather descended on the Southeast Monday, killing at least one person, reducing homes to rubble and leaving drivers stranded in flooded streets as the storm system moved northward up the East Coast.

One man was killed in Tennessee after being pinned by a trailer that was lifted by strong winds, said Sgt. Chris Guess, a spokesman for the Franklin County Sheriff's Office. A woman in the home was taken to a hospital with back and leg injuries, he said.

The winds also downed trees and caused significant damage in the northern part of the county, northwest of Chattanooga, Guess said, adding that the sheriff's office could not yet confirm whether the destruction was due to a tornado.
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Cloud Lightning

US: Storm brings mix of heavy rain, high wind, and snow to Northwest Oregon


Northwest Cable News
Mon, 28 Feb 2011 15:41 UTC

The National Weather Service issued a Flood Advisory, a Wind Advisory and a Winter Weather Advisory for the Portland and Vancouver Metro areas through 2 p.m., Monday as a powerful storm created heavy rains and winds that transitioned into snow above 500 feet.

The rain was mixed with snow in some parts of the metro area as low as 500 feet - including the West Hills, Gresham and Estacada.
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Cloud Lightning

Tens of Houses Flooded Due to Heavy Rains in Indonesia's West Sumatra


BNO News
Mon, 28 Feb 2011 15:32 UTC
Sumatra flood
© Berita
Indonesian authorities on Monday informed that tens of houses were flooded due to heavy rains during the weekend in Agam District in West Sumatra, the Antara news agency reported.

"Incessant heavy rains which have fallen since Saturday until early Monday have caused the flood inundating tens of houses in Pasa Durian Manggopoh, Lubung Basung sub district," said Is Faimal, a local official.

In addition, the Batang Antokan River located in Pasa Durian began to overflow on Sunday noon and continued on Monday. The floodwaters reached a height of 50 centimeters.
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Sun

Magnetic Storm in Progress as Solar Wind Stream Hits Earth


Spaceweather.com
Tue, 01 Mar 2011 14:31 UTC
A solar wind stream hit Earth's magnetic field during the early hours of March 1st, sparking a G2-class geomagnetic storm, in progress. High latitude sky watchers should be alert for auroras.

Michael F. Jones sends this picture from Chugach State Park near Anchorage, Alaska:

Image
© Michael F. JonesPhoto details: Nikon D3, 800 ASA, 30s exposure
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