Storms
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Cloud Lightning

UK: floods hit the North following rain, gales . . . and even a tornado


The Daily Mail, UK
Wed, 30 Nov 2011 04:36 UTC
Sitting atop his taxi surrounded by flood waters, this man was one of hundreds caught out as Scotland, northern England and Northern Ireland were hit by heavy rain yesterday.

This scene was captured in a car park in Greenock, Scotland as some parts of Scotland were battered by a fortnight's rain in just 24-hours.

The deluges forced roads to close and train cancellations, while several schools were forced to close due to the rising waters.
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© unknownStranded: A man sits atop his taxi in Greenock, Scotland after heavy rain caught him unawares
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© PAFireman study the debris left by a fallen chimney that injured a pensioner after a cloud-burst and sudden strong winds hit the Heaton Moor at around 2.25pm today
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Cloud Lightning

South Africa: Heavy downpour kills eight


IOL Daily News
Mon, 28 Nov 2011 16:01 UTC
Durban Storm debris
© Wendy Knowler and Puri Devjee/INL SAThe heavy downpour last night saw massive amounts of debris wash on to the shore from Country Club Beach to Blue Lagoon.
At least eight people were reported dead, about 700 houses had been destroyed and thousands had been left displaced in KwaZulu-Natal, following last night's heavy downpour, the eThekwini Disaster Management Unit said on Monday.

According to the SA Weather Bureau, 62.6mm of rain fell last night in Durban, which had already recorded 209.6mm for November, almost double its average.

The acting head of the eThekwini Emergency Control and Disaster Management Unit, Vincent Ngubane, said deaths had been recorded at Umlazi, Newlands East and Chatsworth.

The official death toll is eight, but the numbers could rise as emergency operations begin.
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Cloud Lightning

New winter storms threaten Sweden

Rebecca Martin
The Local
Mon, 28 Nov 2011 15:42 UTC
Sweden storm
© Beatrice Murch/File
The storm that battered Scandinavia over the past few days has lulled, but as parts of southern Sweden are still battling to get their power grid back online, forecasters warn that new fronts of strong winds are predicted to hit the region mid-week.

"We'll get an area of rain and strong winds. It will be windy but not of the same calibre as yesterday," said Emil Björck, meteorologist at the Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute, SMHI, to daily Aftonbladet.

Forecasters are predicting a Tuesday characterized by mild weather, followed by strong winds hitting the region by Wednesday. This time, cooler temperatures might mean that the precipitation will arrive as snow, the first flakes of the winter for most parts.
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Cloud Lightning

Sweden: Storm 'Berit' leaves 80,000 without power


The Local
Mon, 28 Nov 2011 15:38 UTC
Swedish storm
© Johan NIlsson/Scanpix
Some 80,000 households remained without electricity in southern Sweden on Monday morning in the wake of the weekend's storm.

The low pressure front which caused the storm has passed Scandinavia, with its epicentre now close to St. Petersburg in Russia as it continues its march eastwards.

Winds battered several areas of southern Sweden with heavy rains in places.

"The wind is still hard locally," said SMHI's duty meteorologist Thomas Fyrby to the TT news agency early Monday.

The major power companies continued the battle to repair their battered power grid on Monday with the worst affected being Eon's subscribers in the far south, mainly in Skåne, where around 60,000 lacked power.

"I dare not say when all this will be repaired," said Jan-Erik Olsson at Eon's press office.
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Bizarro Earth

US: Rare Storm System Track Circa NOV 2004 Aims Southern California This Week


The WeatherSpace.com
Sun, 27 Nov 2011 22:34 UTC
Rare Storm
© The WeatherSpace.com
TWS' Southern California Weather Authority has issued a Special Weather Statement for an inside slider storm system that could potentially be interesting for the Southwestern United States on Thursday and Friday.

The SCWXA Special Weather Statement (viewed here) went into effect this morning at 7:45 a.m. Pacific Standard Time. The statement outlines a concern for strong winds and possibly a storm system combined in a rare flow into Southern California.

TWS Senior Meteorologist Kevin Martin calls the event a once in a decade event and is watching it closely. "The storm system is going to come in from the north, through the interior of the country," said Martin. "This means that it will generate cold air with it across the Great Basin and shove that southward in the form of Santa Ana Winds. Furthermore, this storm system will bring moisture into it from the Pacific so we are looking at a rare combo of Santa Ana Winds and Thunderstorms across the Southland."
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Cloud Lightning

Canada, British Columbia: Extreme Weather, Flooding Batter Metro Vancouver


The Edmonton Journal
Sun, 27 Nov 2011 00:00 UTC
rain, floods
© Wayne Leidenfrost/PNGHeavy rain causes a traffic hazzard for drivers along 12th Avenue in Vancouver.
A rainfall warning remained in effect in Metro Vancouver and much of British Columbia into Saturday. Extreme weather is expected to batter most parts of the province throughout the weekend according to warnings issued by Environment Canada.

The Canadian Avalanche Centre issued extreme avalanche warnings for several places including The Kootaney Boundary, Whistler Backcountry and the South Coast Inland. Parks Canada has issued a statement cautioning people to stay away from back country slopes. Skiers and snow boarders are urged to stick to designated trails.

The main cause of the turbulence across the province is a very strong Pacific system wrapped across the North-central coast of B..C combined with an intense warm front that is spreading copious moisture across the province, said Environment Canada meteorologist Greg Pearce.

The full brunt of this weather system is being felt by the Central Coast and North Vancouver where wind speeds are expected to reach speeds of up to 110 kilometres per hour.
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Cloud Lightning

Canada: Gale-force winds slam southern Alberta

Meghan Grant
CBC News
Sun, 27 Nov 2011 17:49 UTC
Calgary enacts Municipal Emergency Plan
calgary windstorm
© Brian BrennanBlown over trees on Second Avenue northwest come dangerously close to power lines.
Gusting winds, hitting as high as 130 km/h in some areas, are wreaking havoc in southern Alberta Sunday.

Gale-force winds, which hit 68 km/h in Calgary at 3 p.m. according to Environment Canada, have triggered the city's Municipal Emergency Plan.

Winds in the city reached up to 91 km/h earlier in the afternoon.

Officials have shut down the downtown core to traffic and pedestrians and have suspended LRT services in that area.

Sgt. Kevin Cain of the Calgary police said windows at TD Square downtown have been blown out, roofing material and debris is flying off downtown buildings and a roof was ripped off at a home in the 100 block of Slopes Grove S.W.
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Cloud Lightning

Death Toll Reaches 17 in Sri Lanka Storm, 33 Missing


ColumboPage
Sat, 26 Nov 2011 13:34 UTC
storm Sri Lanka
© skywatch-media.com
Heavy rains along with gusting winds that lashed the southern coastal areas of Sri Lanka Friday killed 17 people and left 33 fishermen missing, the National Disaster Management Centre (DMC) said today.

The DMC officials said 17 people have been confirmed dead and 30 fishermen who ventured out to sea are missing.

Another three people are missing in Monaragala and Anuradhapura districts after heavy rains overflowed reservoirs and streams.

The DMC figures as of this morning reported 33,957 people belonging to 8,359 families have been affected due to the adverse weather condition prevailing in the country.

Matara District of Southern coast has sustained the most damage from the gale force winds, the Assistant Director of DMC, Pradeep Kodipilli said.
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Bizarro Earth

Mudslides in Southern Italy kill 3 people


USA Today / Associated Press
Wed, 23 Nov 2011 14:36 UTC
Torrential rain battered eastern Sicily on Wednesday, where mudslides have killed at least three people and muddy torrents have swept away cars and washed out bridges, authorities said.

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Info

Could Electrical Sprites Hold the Key to Extraterrestrial Life?

Amy Shira Teitel
Universe Today
Tue, 22 Nov 2011 20:01 UTC
Sprites
© University of Alaska FairbanksFull color image of a red lightning sprite.
In 1989, meteorologists discovered sprites. Not the spirits, elves, or pixies that pepper Shakespearean comedies but their equally elusive electrical namesakes. Lightning sprites are large scale electrical discharges inside the clouds above storms that make the upper atmosphere glow, sort of like a fluorescent lightbulb.

Meteorologists have already determined that sprites likely aren't unique to Earth. In fact, this elusive form of lightning might be common throughout the solar system. Now, researchers at Tel Aviv University are asking whether the presence of sprites on other planets could indicate the presence of organic material in their atmospheres.

Though not an uncommon phenomena, sprites are incredibly hard to find and observe. They can only be captured with highly sensitive high speed cameras. Sprites occur in the Earth's Mesosphere, layer between the stratosphere and the thermosphere - about 50 km (31 miles) to 90 km (56 miles) high. At this altitude, the gases that make up our atmosphere are much thinner and unable to hold heat from the Sun making the average temperature a chilly 5°F (-15°C) to as low as -184°F (-120°C).
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