Storms
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Video

Extreme Weather: Anvil Cloud Lightning Sparks UFO Debate (Video)


News.gather.com
Tue, 10 Jan 2012 18:56 UTC
An extreme weather video posted to YouTube produces awe at the power of nature, but is also igniting an old debate: do UFOs hide in clouds?

It's a natural conclusion, one that even the ancients drew. Lightning from the clouds was often construed as anger from the Gods. But in the modern world, especially thanks to Steven Spielberg, such anvil-shaped clouds are thought, in some circles, to be camouflaging extraterrestrials and their UFOs.

What's interesting, and awe-inspiring, about this video is the clear blue sky surrounding the anvil hammerhead cloud. It's startling to see such fierce electrical activity on an otherwise cloudless day.

Usually, when a lightning storm erupts, the bolts from the blue come from all around, not one centrally located spot. It's a testament to the power of the natural world that the conditions are ripe for such majesty emanating from a single, threatening cloud head.
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Bizarro Earth

At least eight dead in Brazil landslide


GMA News Online
Tue, 10 Jan 2012 07:26 UTC
Image
© AP
A landslide triggered by torrential rains killed at least eight people in Rio de Janeiro state Monday and 14 others may still be buried in the rubble, local officials told Globo television.

Colonel Sergio Simoes, the head of the local fire department, said six adults and two children perished and 14 were still missing after nine house collapsed in the northern Sapucaia munipality.

Civil Defense officials said a family of five who took refuge in a car may also have died after the vehicle was buried by the mud.

Simoes said the priority for rescue workers was "to find the bodies."

Earlier in the day, Sergio Murilo, a spokesman for the Sapucaia municipality, put the death toll at three.
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Cloud Lightning

US: Torrential rain causes flash flooding in Houston


CNN
Mon, 09 Jan 2012 15:20 UTC
Image
© Kimberly CherryFlooding in Houston, Jan. 9, 2012
Dallas - Severe weather hit the Houston area Monday, flooding streets and homes and leaving thousands of people without power, emergency officials said.

Torrential rain fell across the area, causing flash flooding that left streets and highways impassable and submerged some vehicles.

"We have a lot of roadways closed, and some evacuations are going on," said Alan Spears of the Fort Bend County office of emergency management.

In the city of Richmond, rescues were conducted by boat and on foot. Spears said he believes a tornado touched down in the area.

"We had 7,000 people without power in the county," he said.

Sixty miles southeast, in Texas City, a law enforcement officer witnessed what appeared to be a tornado strike near the Mall of Midland, the National Weather Service reported.
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Snowflake

US: Alaska town tries to dig out from huge snow dump

Rachel D'Oro
Associated Press
Sun, 08 Jan 2012 20:51 UTC
Image
© AP/Erv Pett/Alaska DHS & EMIn this Saturday, Jan. 7, 2012 photo provided by the Alaska Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management, a house is buried in snow in the fishing town of Cordova, Alaska.
Anchorage - The small Alaska fishing town of Cordova is used to dealing with excessive snow - but not like this. Residents have turned to the state to help them dig out of massive snow levels that have collapsed roofs, triggered avalanches and even covered doors, trapping some people in their homes.

"There's nowhere to go with the snow because it's piled up so high," said Wendy Rainney, who owns the Orca Adventure Lodge. A storage building for the lodge - which offers fishing trips, hiking, kayaking and glacier tours - partially collapsed under the weight of the snow, she said.

"This is more quantity than can be handled."

The Alaska National Guard reported more than 18 feet of snow has fallen on Cordova in the past weeks, although the National Weather Service did not immediately have a measurement.

Officials said at least three buildings have collapsed or partially collapsed and six homes are deemed severely stressed by heavy wet snow.

The city has set up a shelter at a local recreation center, but said people leaving homes in avalanche-risky areas have been staying with other residents. Cordova spokesman Allen Marquette said the town also was ready to set up a pet shelter if necessary.
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Bizarro Earth

US: Tornadoes in 2011 Set Deadly Records

Mark Fischetti
Scientific American
Wed, 28 Dec 2011 00:00 UTC
Image
© Xpda on FlickrJoplin, Mo., after a severe May 22 tornado
Many of us may remember the jaw-dropping images of the May 22, 2011, tornado that tore through Joplin, Mo., killing 158 people and leaving an incredible 14-mile path of destruction. But that system was only one of the record-breaking tornado events this year. Data compiled by meteorologist Jeffrey Masters shows that when deaths, damage and financial losses are considered, 2011 can be called the worst U.S. tornado year on record.
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Cloud Lightning

Landslide Kills 25 at Gold Mine in Southern Philippines; More Than 100 Believed Still Buried


The Washington Post
Thu, 05 Jan 2012 00:00 UTC
Image
© ABS OBNA deadly landslide occurred in the southern Philippines around 3 a.m. on Thursday.
A landslide buried dozens of people Thursday at a small-scale gold mining site in the southern Philippines, leaving at least 25 dead months after government officials warned miners that the mountain above them was guaranteed to crumble.

The landslide struck around 3:00 a.m. (2100 GMT Wednesday), when most residents were asleep. Aside from those confirmed dead, more than 100 people are believed to be buried in the rubble in Napnapan village in Pantukan township, Compostela Valley provincial Gov. Arturo Uy said.

Army Lt. Col. Camilo Ligayo said about 120 soldiers were heading to the area to help dig for survivors and bodies.

Environment and Natural Resources Secretary Ramon Paje said he had warned residents and local officials last year of a fissure on a ridge of the mountain that geologists said was "highly susceptible" to landslides that could occur anytime.

"We were absolute that it will give in," he told The Associated Press. "It was a 100 percent warning. We told them it's just a matter of time. ... This is it. This is what happened this morning."
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Cloud Lightning

Indonesia: New Year's Day Rains Bring Floods To Cities and Villages Across Java

Dessy Sagita & Hangga Brata
Jakarta Globe
Tue, 03 Jan 2012 17:25 UTC
Indonesia flood
© JG Photo/Ali LutfiResidents salvaging belongings after the Bengawan Solo River overflowed in Solo. Floods have been reported around the country.
At least 10 areas across Java were flooded as the country welcomed what is expected to be a wet and miserable January as the rainy season reaches its peak.

Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, a spokesman for the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB), said swaths of four provinces had been flooded since late on Sunday and through most of Monday.

He said Solo, Bungo, Sragen, Klaten and Brebes in Central Java, East Java's Nganjuk and Pasuruan, Yogyakarta's Yogyakarta city and Sleman and West Java's Banjar had all been affected.

"January is the height of the rainy season for most of Indonesia, so the threat of flooding will increase," he said.

Heavy rains in Solo caused the Bengawan Solo River to burst its banks, flooding much of the city.
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Cloud Lightning

Britain battered by 106mph gales which leave two dead - and there's more to come in the next 24 hours

Chris Parsons and Gareth Finighan
Daily Mail
Tue, 03 Jan 2012 16:23 UTC
Storm bus crash
© INSCrushed: The driver of a single decker bus in Witley, Surrey, was badly injured when an oak tree came crashing down on the vehicle
Winds of up to 106mph battered Britain yesterday, bringing death and destruction as many returned to work after the Christmas holidays.

A driver was killed when a tree fell on his van. The storm also claimed the life of a man on board a tanker which was hit by a huge wave in the Channel.

Barely a single area was spared the onslaught roaring in from the Atlantic, which toppled lorries and brought down power lines.

Buildings were damaged, roads closed and trains, flights and ferries were cancelled.

The Met Office issued numerous severe weather warnings and emergency services urged motorists and pedestrians to stay indoors.
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Cloud Lightning

India: Cyclone's deadly toll climbs to 42


Courier Mail
Sun, 01 Jan 2012 16:14 UTC
Cyclone Thane
© APHit hard: A fisherman watches waves caused by Cyclone Thane.
The death toll from a cyclone that lashed India has risen to 42 people, rescue workers said.

A French national was among the victims of the storm, which hit southern India on Friday, reports said as engineers rushed to restore power supplies knocked out by the gale.

The Press Trust of India (PTI) news agency quoting Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa said the death toll from the cyclone had risen to 42 in the southern Indian state.

Cyclone Thane packing winds of up to 140 kilometres an hour lashed the coast between Cuddalore in Tamil Nadu and the territory of Pondicherry on Friday, leaving in its wake a trail of destruction.
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Cloud Lightning

Thailand: Floods halt air, rail services


Bangkok Post
Tue, 03 Jan 2012 14:39 UTC
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© THITI WANNAMONTHAAresident of Soi WatMoomPom community in Muangdistrict of Nakhon Si Thammaratcarries her belongings in a bucket as she trudges through chest-deep floodwater.
Some areas under 2m of water, Yala dries out

Heavy rain and flash flooding yesterday continued to wreak havoc in the southern region, especially in Muang municipality of Nakhon Si Thammarat. Other parts of the South were hit as well, prompting hospital evacuations, halting airline services and forcing train passengers to continue their journeys by bus. But despite some provinces struggling with rising floodwater, levels were receding in the deep South.

In Nakhon Si Thammarat, runoff from Luang and Nun mountains, triggered by steady rain over the past four days, caused unprecedented massive flooding, putting several main roads and residential communities under deep water.

The floodwater in some communities, such as Bo Sap and Ban Tok, ran as high as two metres, forcing locals to resort to using boats to get around.

Authorities were mobilised to assist flood victims and evacuate those who wanted to move to safety.
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