Storms
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US: Oahu, Kauai Remain Under Flash Flood Watch

KITV News
Thu, 03 Mar 2011 00:00 UTC

Heavy Rain, Thunderstorms Possible Through Friday

Forecasters with the National Weather Service say the threat of thunderstorms and heavy rains for Kauai and Oahu remain through Friday.

Heavy showers and thunderstorms rolled through Kauai Thursday, prompting a flood advisory and severe thunderstorm warning. The advisories were canceled Thursday afternoon. There were no reports of major flooding.

Kauai and Oahu remain under a flash flood watch through Friday afternoon. A developing storm to the west of the state has brought moist and unstable air from the tropics over the Hawaiian Islands, according to the NWS. A cold front associated with the storm is expected to bring more heavy rainfall to Kauai and Oahu Friday.

US: Flooding Rains Threaten Indiana

The Indy Channel.com
Fri, 04 Mar 2011 22:45 UTC

Indianapolis -- More heavy rain is expected to overspread Indiana on Friday night and into the day on Saturday, heightening the flood threat across the region.

A strong low-pressure system with ample moisture will move through the area. More than 2 inches of rain could fall in central Indiana.

Several flood watches and warnings were issued as rain began falling Friday morning.

The heaviest rain is expected to fall from Friday night through Saturday morning.

There could be a couple of rounds of thunderstorms as the storm system moves through the area. The storms are not expected to be severe, but they will include very heavy rain.

Rainfall of 2 inches or more will likely again cause street flooding, because the ground is saturated and there is no place for the water to go.

River flooding, which is still ongoing in central and southern Indiana after last week's heavy rains, are expected to be worsened by the latest round of heavy rain.

As the storm system pulls away late Saturday, there could be some snow showers or snow flurries, but they will be short-lived.

US: Heavy Rain to Pummel Tri-State This Weekend

Rich Davis
Evansville Courier & Press
Thu, 03 Mar 2011 10:27 UTC

© Denny Simmons / Courier & PressMost of Waterworks Road in Evansville is now underwater because of the slowly rising waters of the Ohio River. More rain this weekend may cause the river to rise above flood level in Evansville, according to the National Weather Service in Paducah, Ky.

A storm system could bring some heavy rain to the area the first half of the weekend.

Rainfall amounts of 1 to 3 inches will be possible the next two days, with the heaviest downpours tonight and Saturday morning, according to the National Weather Service in Paducah, Ky.

Since the ground is still saturated from recent rains, runoff could cause sharp rises in area streams.

Meanwhile, the Ohio River has reached the 40-foot flood stage at Owensboro, Ky.

The river is forecast to reach the 42-foot flood stage at Evansville by Sunday.

U.S.: Forecasters warn of flash floods in Midwest

MSNBC.com
Fri, 04 Mar 2011 11:18 UTC

'Widespread rains' expected to sweep across parts of the Midwest and South

© Al Behrman/APA high water barricade blocks a public landing along the Ohio River, Thursday in Cincinnati. The parking lot for the landing normally extends past the trees surrounded by water. The Ohio River is not expected to reach flood stage.

Heavy rain and thunderstorms were hitting parts of the Midwest Friday, with meteorologists warning flooding was likely in parts of several states.

The complex storm system means severe storms in parts of eastern Oklahoma, and heavy rainfall from the Lower Mississippi Valley on east, The Weather Channel reported, with the possibility of some snow following on its heels over the weekend and into next week.

Central and northern New York would likely see a mix of rain and snow because of the system, The Weather Channel said, before rain would hit northern New England.

A series of systems bearing rain and snow was expected to start moving across the Pacific Northwest and Northern California, the forecasters said.

'Widespread rains'

The National Weather Service issued flash flood watches for parts several states.

Canada: High Winds Disrupt Travel, Knock Out Power

Cindy E. Harnett & Sandra McCulloch
Vancouver Sun
Thu, 03 Mar 2011 21:41 UTC

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

New Zealand: Massive Dust Storm Hits Quake-hit Christchurch

Terra Daily
Wed, 02 Mar 2011 00:00 UTC

© 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.

Australia: 5000 lightning strikes during storms

BigPond News
Wed, 02 Mar 2011 08:37 UTC

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.

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.

US: Missouri Region Assesses Damage After Powerful Storm Moves Through

Kim Bell
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
Tue, 01 Mar 2011 17:03 UTC

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.

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.