Storms
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Snowflake Cold

Heavy snow in Uttarakhand, India leaves over 900 villages without electricity and water

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© Amar Ujala
More than 900 villages of Uttarakhand are without electricity and water as unprecedented heavy snowfall has disrupted normal life in the state over the past few days.

An official of the state government said: "The electricity and water supply is disrupted in more than 900 villages and 50 tourists are stranded in a number of places due to the closure of roads.

Traffic is blocked on around 100 highways across the state."


Windsock

Monster dust storm blankets several Australian states

A red hue blanketed much of south west Queensland on Saturday, caused by a weather system moving through from southern Australia.
© Lawren DunnA red hue blanketed much of south west Queensland on Saturday, caused by a weather system moving through from southern Australia.
Residents in several states are once again cleaning up the leftovers from a dust storm following strong winds in southern Australia at the end of last week.

A red hue blanketed much of south west Queensland on Saturday, reportedly caused by a weather system moving through from the south.

Bureau of Meteorology senior forecaster Matthew Bass said strong winds from a large trough system followed by a large high pressure system was to blame for the latest dust storm.

"As that trough moved through southern Australia, it picked up a whole lot of dust and drifted north," Mr Bass said.


Snowflake

Snoqualmie Pass in Washington walloped by nearly 3.5 feet of new snow in 2 days

deep snow
© WSDOT
Several recent snowstorms have brought feet of new snow to the Cascade Mountains.

According to the Dept. of Transportation, Snoqualmie Pass received 41 inches of snow (3.4 feet) in the 48 hours prior to Sunday morning.

The winter weather has made pass travel extremely difficult.

Snoqualmie Pass was closed for a period Saturday afternoon and again Sunday morning. Stevens Pass also closed Saturday. You can always check the latest pass conditions here.


Snowflake

14 die as heavy snowfall, flash floods wreak havoc in Balochistan, Pakistan - snow up to 4 feet deep

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Heavy snowfall and showers claimed at least 14 lives in different parts of Balochistan and suspended road and air links of the country's largest province with rest of the world on Sunday, as the unusually extreme weather system entered Pakistan.

With a strong westerly wave affecting most parts of the country, snowfall is also expected in Khyber Pakh­tunkhwa, Gilgit-Baltistan and Kashmir, besides heavy showers have been forecast for Islamabad as well as upper and central Punjab from Monday till Tuesday morning, according to the meteorological department.

Met officials said heavy snowfall in Quetta had already broken the 20-year record. "In Qilla Saifullah, the Met Office recorded three- to four-foot snow, which was [more than] double the usual one- to 1.5-foot snow," said Chief Meteo­rologist Dr Azmat Hayat Khan.


Tornado1

Eleven dead and hundreds of thousands without power as storms and tornadoes sweep across US

The trailer home of an elderly couple in Louisiana was demolished in high winds
© APThe trailer home of an elderly couple in Louisiana was demolished in high winds
At least 11 people have been killed and hundreds of thousands of homes hit by power cuts as storms sweep across parts of the US south and east, bringing snow, hail and hurricane-force winds.

More than 1,000 flights have been cancelled as unrelenting rain and gales lash seven states along the east of the country from Texas.

Forecasters warned more than 18 million people remained at risk of tornadoes and flooding, and more snow was on its way.

Golfball-sized hail and up to 5ins of snow fell on Friday night and early Saturday as the storms pushed through the southeast and Great Lakes into Maine, the National Weather Service (NWS) said.

Firefighters found the bodies of an elderly couple near their demolished trailer in Bossier Parish, Louisiana. Their home had been carried 200ft from its foundations amid 135mph winds.


Comment: More than 1,000 Chicago flights canceled due to severe winter weather


Airplane

More than 1,000 Chicago flights canceled due to severe winter weather

planes
As winter weather begins to descend upon Chicago with rain, sleet and snow, more than 1,000 flights have been canceled in and out of Chicago, according to the flight tracking service FlightAware.

As of 12:50 p.m. CT, 1,039 flights to and from Chicago O'Hare International Airport, big hubs for American and United airlines, had been canceled. At crosstown airport Chicago Midway International Airport, a big hub for Southwest Airlines, nearly 90 flights were canceled.

The National Weather Service tweeted about the severe conditions in Chicago on Saturday.


Cloud Precipitation

Heavy torrential rains kill 41 people in Luanda, Angola

floods
41 people have died following heavy torrential rains in the Angolan capital, Luanda on Friday.

The government said 12 out of 18 provinces were hit by a violent downpour which began in the early hours of Monday and caused widespread destruction.

"Here in our area it's not going well, the rain came down hard. Many houses are flooded. We have no means of transport, everything is bad.
We ask the authorities to come and see this situation. Many representatives are passing through but everything is really bad, we don't know how to do it", Hernani João Panda, a resident of Cazenga said.


Snowflake

39 tourists trapped for hours on Iceland glacier during blizzard

BLIZAERD
Iceland search crews have rescued more than three dozen snowmobiling tourists from a large glacier, after they became trapped during a snowstorm, authorities said.

Thirty-nine in the snowmobiling group were on the Langjokull glacier Tuesday when the storm abruptly moved in. Weather officials, however, said storm warnings were issued for the area before the snowmobile group arrived.

Hundreds of rescuers and dozens of vehicles were dispatched to the glacier to search for the group, officials said. Despite blizzard conditions, they were ultimately located. All 39 tourists were taken to safety early Wednesday morning.


Tornado2

Rare 'upside down waterfall' forms as vortex sends a wave spiraling back up cliff in the Faroe Islands

Samy Jacobsen, 41, was out walking along the cliffs off Suðuroy in the Faroe Islands when he spotted a whirlwind of water rising from the waves
Samy Jacobsen, 41, was out walking along the cliffs off Suðuroy in the Faroe Islands when he spotted a whirlwind of water rising from the waves
This is the incredible moment water flowed upwards - after waves were caught in a rare sea vortex.

Samy Jacobsen, 41, was out walking along the cliffs off Suðuroy in the Faroe Islands when he spotted a whirlwind of water rising from the waves.

He watched as the vortex of spray climbed up the side of the 470m sea cliff - known as Beinisvørð - and billowed on to the cliff top, on Monday.

Weather experts said it was a water spout - a spiraling pillar of air - which forms like a tornado over the water when a cliff edge spins the wind in a circle.


Cloud Lightning

'Extraordinary': Two people struck by lightning within 10 minutes of each other in Sydney, Australia

CareFlight's Rapid Response Crew was called to northwest Sydney after a woman was struck by lightning.
© CareFlightCareFlight's Rapid Response Crew was called to northwest Sydney after a woman was struck by lightning.
Two people have been struck by lightning in Sydney within 10 minutes of each other.

A woman in her 70s was struck in her chest by lightning outside her home in Arcadia, northwest of Sydney's CBD. It is believed the lightning also struck a tree.

CareFlight's Rapid Response Helicopter was called to the rural area about 5.15pm (local time) on Monday.

A CareFlight spokesperson told Yahoo News Australia the woman went into cardiac arrest and bystanders started giving her CPR.