Storms
S


Cloud Lightning

Lightning kills 2 sisters in Malawi

nnnnnnn
Two sisters of the same family have died after being struck by lightning in Ntcheu District.

The two have been identified as Elica Kaiya, 31, and Tiyamike Gabriel, 19.

Ntcheu Police Public Relations Officer Inspector Jacob Khembo said reports indicate there was heavy rainfall accompanied by thunderstorm on Sunday afternoon when the two were chatting under the shade of one of their parents' houses with their two babies of three months and six months.

"They were struck by lightning while in the shade and they all fell down unconscious and were taken to Kasinje Health Centre, where they were pronounced dead upon arrival while their children were treated as out-patients," said Khembo.

Postmortem which was conducted at the health facility revealed that death was due to neurogenic shock as a result of lightning.

Kaiya and Gabriel hailed from Kaiya Village in the area of Traditional Authority Ganya in Ntcheu.

Snowflake

Heavy snow on the Sea of Japan Side - Iwamizawa sees record-high snow - 28 inches in 24 hours

A person walks through snow on Friday morning in Iwamizawa, Hokkaido.
© The Yomiuri ShimbunA person walks through snow on Friday morning in Iwamizawa, Hokkaido.
This season's strongest cold front brought heavy snowfall mainly on the Sea of Japan side of the country on Friday. The snow is expected to get heavier on Saturday, and the Japan Meteorological Agency is warning people to be careful about accidents and transportation disruptions caused by the heavy snow.

According to the agency, the amount of snow that fell in the 24 hours ending at 11 a.m. Friday was 73 centimeters in Iwamizawa, Hokkaido, the largest snowfall in the city's recorded history. Even on Honshu, Itoigawa, Niigata Prefecture, saw 58 centimeters; Shirakawa, Gifu Prefecture, saw 54 centimeters; and Ono, Fukui Prefecture, saw 53 centimeters.


Windsock

Severe summer storms leave thousands in eastern Australia without power

mmmmm
Thousands of residents in Australia's eastern state of Queensland remained without power after a "very dangerous" storm swept through the region for the second time in 12 hours, local media reported on Sunday.

Storms are expected to continue along the entire Australian east coast until Boxing Day due to an unusual weather pattern, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation said, citing the Bureau of Meteorology (BOM).

A storm cell that stretched from the Darling Downs to northern New South Wales brought heavy rain, strong winds, and hail.

Thunderstorms have downed 120 power lines, leaving approximately 57,000 customers without power, said a spokesman for Energex, a Queensland government-owned electricity company that serves 1.5 million homes and businesses in the southeastern part of the state.


Snowflake Cold

South Korea gripped by record-breaking cold wave and snowfall

A man looks on a greenhous that was destroyed
© YonhapA man looks on a greenhous that was destroyed by a snowstorm in Gunsan, North Jeolla Province, Friday.
As winter tightens its grip across the globe, South Korea has found itself in the throes of its most intense cold wave of the season. On December 22, 2023, the nation was plunged into a deep freeze, with temperatures plummeting to perilous lows and snow blanketing the landscape in a scene as disruptive as it was picturesque. The Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA) recorded some of the season's harshest conditions, with mercury levels dropping below minus 20 degrees Celsius in areas of Gangwon Province and the nation's capital, Seoul, witnessing a chilling minus 14.7 degrees Celsius.

In an extraordinary turn of events, the frigid weather forced Jeju International Airport to suspend runway operations for over seven hours, leaving thousands of travelers in limbo as 286 flights were canceled. The heavy snowfall, which reached more than 30 centimeters on Jeju Island and up to 60 centimeters in western coastal regions, created an almost standstill condition, affecting daily life and mobility significantly.


Comment: Just across the Yellow Sea recently: Rare, extreme snowfall hits Shandong cities in east China


Snowflake

Huge snowfalls in the Alps - meter of snow in 24 hours

bbbbbbbb
Stormy weather has brought hurricane force winds and some huge snow accumulations to the Alps, with ski areas in Austria appearing to see some of the most extreme weather.

The Zillertal Arena (pictured) reports it has had a metre of snowfall in 24 hours, while other ski res including Kitzbuhel and Obergurgl largely closed by hurricane force winds giving blizzard conditions.

The heavy snowfall is expected to be short lived with the forecast now for clear skies and sunny week through the Christmas Holidays and up to New Year.


Snowflake

Rare, extreme snowfall hits Shandong cities in east China

The snow-capped seaside in Rongcheng, a county-level city of Weihai, Shandong province.
© Li XinjunThe snow-capped seaside in Rongcheng, a county-level city of Weihai, Shandong province.
In a rare and extreme weather event, Yantai and Weihai cities in East China's Shandong province experienced a severe cold wave accompanied by heavy snowfall this week.

The snowfall created a unique and picturesque landscape, with netizens likening it to an Arctic expedition.

From Tuesday to Thursday, Yantai weather station received a snowfall of 28.6 millimeters, with a snow depth of 52 centimeters, breaking historical records since meteorological documentation began in 1951.

As of Friday, Wendeng district in Weihai reported a snow depth of 74 centimeters, setting a record for the deepest snow accumulation in Shandong province.


Comment: Related: Rare snowfall in southern China as deep freeze grips the north


Cloud Precipitation

Hamburg, Germany hit by heavy floods in north Europe storm

A powerful storm swept across northern Europe, bringing down trees and prompting warnings of flooding.
A powerful storm swept across northern Europe, bringing down trees and prompting warnings of flooding.
Parts of Hamburg were totally submerged on Friday after the Elbe river overflowed causing flooding in nearby streets.

The severe weather was triggered by a storm in northern Europe that brought heavy rains and strong winds.

Germany's railway authority reported travel disruption along certain routes out of Hamburg.

Source: AP


Comment: Related: High tides and storm Pia bring flooding to Dutch coastal towns


Cloud Lightning

Lightning strike kills 5 farm workers in Indonesia

nnnnnnn
Tragedy struck the rural community of Jorong Bungo Pinang, Nagari Muaro Bodi, in the Sijunjung district of West Sumatra, Indonesia, on Thursday, 21 December 2023. Five farm workers were killed when they were struck by lightning. The deceased have been identified as Bruri (44), Ade Kurniawan (35), Ilham Mardatila (20), Hariyanto (37), and Hendra Putra (40), all of whom were residents of Jorong Koto Tuo, Nagari Muaro Bodi.

Caught in the Storm

The group of seven had been returning from their fields when they sought shelter from a heavy downpour in a hut. In the dimly lit structure, one of them turned on a mobile phone flashlight, moments before the deadly lightning strike. Two of the group, Farel and Arbi, survived the incident and rushed to get help.

Comment: On the same day 2 teenagers were hit and killed by a strike in Zambia.


Cloud Precipitation

High tides and storm Pia bring flooding to Dutch coastal towns

Flooding in Den Oever.
© ANP / Hollandse HoogteFlooding in Den Oever.
The combination of high tides and strong winds brought by storm Pia led to overnight flooding in several parts of the Netherlands on Thursday night, and storm surge barriers all along the coast were closed.

The Maeslantkering, the 420 metre flood defence barrier at Hoek van Holland closed automatically for the first time because of the high water but opened again in the early hours of the morning.

In Oudeschild, on the Wadden island of Texel, the water level reached 2.7 metres above NAP, or Normaal Amsterdams Peil. NAP is equivalent to the average level of the North Sea and is the standard for measuring water levels in rivers and canals in the Netherlands.


Cloud Precipitation

Heavy rainfall floods streets, causes mudslides across Southern California

City workers close a road after a creek overflows during heavy rains in Zuma Beach on December 21, 2023 in Malibu, California.
© Apu Gomes/Getty ImagesCity workers close a road after a creek overflows during heavy rains in Zuma Beach on December 21, 2023 in Malibu, California.
Heavy rainfall on Thursday left Southern California residents dealing with hazardous road conditions due to floods, debris and mudslides.