Storms
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Cloud Lightning

Deadly Cyclone Yaas hits India's eastern coast - at least 3 killed


Al Jazeera
Wed, 26 May 2021 10:25 UTC
A man wades through a waterlogged road after rains ahead of Cyclone Yaas at Digha in Purba Medinipur district in the eastern state of West Bengal
© Rupak De Chowdhuri/ReutersA man wades through a waterlogged road after rains ahead of Cyclone Yaas at Digha in Purba Medinipur district in the eastern state of West Bengal
Heavy rains and howling winds are lashing eastern India as the COVID-stricken country's second cyclone in as many weeks makes landfall, killing at least three people in Odisha state and forcing more than 1.2 million people to seek shelter.

Cyclone Yaas, packing gusts of up to 140kmph (87mph), made landfall at about 9am local time (03:30 GMT) on Wednesday, destroying tens of thousands of houses, forcing the closure of the busiest regional airport in the city of Kolkata, and bringing storm surges to coastal areas.

In Odisha, one person died in Keonjhar district's Panchapalli village and another in Balasore district after trees fell on them, local officials told Al Jazeera. In the state's Mayurbhanj district, the dead body of a 15-year-old boy was found in a pond at Jagannath Khunta village by a National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) team.


Comment: Victims of cyclone Yaas have been posting updates:





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Cloud Lightning

42 cows killed by lightning bolt that also hit farmer in China

John Feng
Newsweek
Tue, 25 May 2021 10:02 UTC
cows
A farmer in southern China lost 42 cows when he and his cattle herd were struck by lightning during a thunderstorm on Monday.

Officials in the town of Sanjia, which is in Dongfang in the Chinese province of Hainan, said the victim was knocked unconscious by the bolt of electricity, but he was not in any life-threatening condition.

Footage circulating on Chinese social media sites showed villagers and local government officials surveying the farm following the freak weather incident. The lifeless brown cattle can be seen scattered across the field while survivors remain cooped up nearby.

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Cloud Lightning

Lightning strikes kill 4 in Bangladesh


The Independent (Bangladesh)
Tue, 25 May 2021 12:05 UTC
lightning
Separate lightning strikes killed four persons, including three children, here this afternoon.

The deceased were identified as Rabiul Islam, 26, son of Enamul Hoque of Namoharma village under Debinagar union of sadar upazila, Al Amin, 12, son of Shariful Islam of Sabania village under Sundarpur union of the same upazila, Lily Khatun Khushi, 10, daughter of Biplob Ali of Hujrapur village under Rohonpur municipality of Gomostapur upazila and Shahida Khatun, 11, daughter of Nazmul Hasan of Nasimodinagar village under the same upazila.

Locals said Rabiul Islam was hit by a thunderbolt when he went to bring back cattle home and Al Amin was hit while plucking mangoes at around 3:30 pm, leaving both of them dead on the spot.

Besides, Khushi and Shahida were hit while picking up mangoes at an orchard. They died on the spot.
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Windsock

Intense sand storms hit Algeria and Saudi Arabia

Weather Events
YouTube
Mon, 24 May 2021 05:15 UTC
Algeria sand storm
© YouTube/Weather Events (screen capture)
A crazy sandstorm hit Algeria and Saudi Arabia, May 23, 2021

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Boat

Strong winds, floods and landslide affect over 10,000 in Guatemala

Richard Davies
Floodlist
Mon, 24 May 2021 12:13 UTC
Flash Floods in Quetzaltenango, Guatemala, May 2021.
© CONREDFlash Floods in Quetzaltenango, Guatemala, May 2021.
Severe weather in Guatemala from 21 to 24 May 2021 affected over 10,000 people and damaged more than 200 homes across the departments of Baja Verapaz, Izabal, Petén, Quetzaltenango, San Marcos, Santa Rosa, Sololá and Suchitepéquez, disaster officials said.

According to reports from the country's disaster agency CONRED, severe weather including heavy rain, landslides, flash floods, coastal flooding and strong winds, affected a total of 10,571 people, displaced 483, injured 1 person and damaged 217 homes.

Heavy rain on 22 May caused flooding and mudflows in the department of Quetzaltenango, leaving a total of 1,300 affected, 300 people evacuated and 50 homes damaged. Videos shared on Social Media showed dramatic images of flood waters flowing through streets in Almolonga municipality. Quetzaltenango department had seen heavy rain and flooding the previous week when 235 people were affected, mostly in San Miguel Sigüilá, 15 to 16 May.

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Snowflake

Best of the Web: Scotland shivering through coldest May in 40 years as snow falls in some areas

Paul Drury
Daily Record
Sun, 23 May 2021 11:02 UTC
Nick and Patrick Matheson, from Northumbria, went skiing at Cairngorm mountain, where fresh snow fell yesterday.
© Northpix.Nick and Patrick Matheson, from Northumbria, went skiing at Cairngorm mountain, where fresh snow fell yesterday.
Don't look out the shorts and sun cream just yet...

With just days left until the start of June, Scotland was hit by snow.

And while we all wait for summer to finally arrive, forecasters have warned we're on course for the coldest May in more than 40 years.

Srdjan Lulic found himself a bit exposed at the Cairngorm National Park, near Aviemore, Inverness-shire, as he headed out for a stroll with girlfriend Catherine Stewart, of Edinburgh.

Another driver had to clear a mound of snow from his windscreen, which had built up overnight.

Catherine said: "We'd planned on going for a walk to the summit of Ben Macdui but I think we will be limited to the lower slopes as there looks like there is a lot of snow on the higher ground.

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Windsock

Apocalyptic scenes as massive dust storm turns skies orange in southern Russia


RT
Thu, 20 May 2021 04:57 UTC
Dust storm in Astrakhan, Russia
© Global Look Press/ vk.com/ astra30Dust storm in Astrakhan, Russia
A giant wall of orange dust whipped up by strong winds has swept through southern Russia, painting the skies an eerie orange color while the gusts destroyed property and even injured some locals.

The storm ripped through Astrakhan Region, Republic of Kalmykia, known for its vast swathes of steppe, as well as Dagestan in the North Caucasus on Wednesday, wreaking havoc along the way.

Videos from Astrakhan Region on the Volga River showed deserted streets covered in thick orange mist and people running for safety. Some online commentators compared the striking images to those taken by rovers on the surface of Mars.

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Snowflake

Mountain passes in Colorado covered with May snow

Shannon Mullane
The Durango Herald
Fri, 21 May 2021 19:07 UTC
Spring Snow Blankets Colorado's San Juan Mountains
Spring snow blankets Colorado's San Juan Mountains
A wet spring storm brought rain to lower elevations and snow to the high country Friday across much of Southwest Colorado.

Snow was so heavy and unexpected in the higher elevations that it closed two mountain passes on U.S. Highway 550 and prompted a winter weather advisory for parts of the San Juan Mountains.

Both lanes of U.S. Highway 550 reopened Friday afternoon after a temporary closure over Coal Bank and Molas passes, south of Silverton, because of adverse, snowy weather conditions.

The National Weather Service issued a winter weather advisory for areas of the southwestern and eastern San Juan Mountains above 10,000 feet in elevation. The advisory, which advises drivers to use caution on the roads, is in effect until midnight Friday.


Comment: Prairies kick off 'unofficial start to summer' with heavy snow and ice

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Cloud Lightning

Lightning strikes kill four in Odisha, India


The Statesman (India)
Fri, 21 May 2021 10:07 UTC
Representational photo.
© Getty ImagesRepresentational photo.
At least four persons, including three from a family were killed on Friday afternoon in separate incidents of lightning strike in Odisha.

Three persons, including a woman and her three-year-old daughter, died as lightning struck them at Kundurugoda village under Ghatagaon police limits in Keonjhar district.

In another lightning mishap, a 38-year-old farmer from MV-64 village under Kalimela block in Malkangiri district died after being struck by lightning. The victim identified as Balai Bairagi was cultivating cropland when the mishap took place, police said.
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Boat

Heavy storm paralyzes life in Turkey's coastal cities - cruise and fishing boats sunk


Daily Sabah
Fri, 21 May 2021 09:28 UTC
damage
One of the most beautiful seaside towns of Turkey, Ayvalık in the Aegean province of Balıkesir, woke up Friday to a severe storm that paralyzed life both at sea and on land.

The severe storm that started around 6 a.m. in Ayvalık, Balıkesir, caused serious material damage in the district, Cunda Island, Sarımsaklı and Altınova.

The force of the wind exceeded 80 kph (50 mph), large cruise boats and fishing boats collapsed and sank, while the roofs of some buildings in the district were blown away and windows of many homes were broken.

A fisherman fell into the sea from a boat about to sink during the storm, but his health is in a good condition. Some 20 boats reportedly sank during the bad weather.

Municipal workers were working to clear debris, and damage assessment was underway in the district.

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