Storms
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Cloud Precipitation

Parts of Trinidad swamped by flood waters after 24 hours of non-stop rainfall

Rochard Road in Barrackpore as large sections of Trinidad saw widespread flooding following heavy showers which started on Wednesday.
This photo, posted on social media yesterday, shows brown water covering all of Rochard Road in Barrackpore as large sections of Trinidad saw widespread flooding following heavy showers which started on Wednesday.
Large sections of Trinidad were swamped yesterday by flood waters which continued to rise in certain areas following over 24 hours of non-stop rainfall which began on Wednesday.

As a result, the Meteorological Service yesterday maintained its riverine flood alert for Trinidad especially as the Caroni River burst its banks shortly after midday. In its 9.12 am bulletin, the Met Office advised that as opposed to street and flash flooding, riverine flooding is more prolonged and widespread.

It also reported that water levels in some major rivers as well as their tributaries reached threshold levels overnight and the flood situation would be exacerbated by rainfall yesterday accompanied by gusty winds. "(With) the occurrence of high tide at 3.50 pm, the flooding situation is expected to continue for the next 12 to 24 hours in areas already affected," the bulletin said.


Windsock

Typhoon Lan poised to strike Japan with intense wind & rain

Typhoon Lan
© NASA
Typhoon Lan, a storm with an eye 50 miles wide, is expected to lash parts of Japan with intense wind and rain, the country's meteorological office has warned. Currently west of Okinawa, the typhoon is travelling north towards mainland Japan.

According to forecasts by the Japan Meteorological Agency, the "large" storm will barrel across the nation on Sunday before subsiding on October 23.

NASA imagery reveals the huge scale of the typhoon, with pictures taken by the Suomi NPP satellite revealing powerful thunderstorms swirling around an eye 50 nautical miles in diameter.

The US space agency stated that on October 20, Lan's wind speed reached a whopping 115 miles per hour. It clarified in a later tweet that the weather system has not been designated a "super storm".

Extreme rainfall, described as "walls" of precipitation, were 3-D mapped by the Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland earlier this week.


Windsock

More incredible wind speed events across our planet

Hold tight! The wave was so steep that the anchor pointed up at an acute angle before it plunged down the wave again in angry seas when storm Ophelia hit Ireland
Hold tight! The wave was so steep that the anchor pointed up at an acute angle before it plunged down the wave again in angry seas when storm Ophelia hit Ireland
Almost unheard of second hurricane about to hit the UK in a week. Forecasts are for 100 mph winds with storm Brian. Last weeks Ophelia dragged dust storms from the Sahara with it, darkening the skies over the isles. Storm Brian is dragging massive hail storms with it blanketing Spain inches deep. This is an indication of the intensification of the grand solar minimum as our jet stream begin to step further out of place. Incredible winds in Canada blowing trains off the tracks and earlier in the month 120 KPH winds blasted New Zealand. Next year will be a 4x amplification in extreme weather over the last six months of 2017. Are you ready?


Boat

Tanker battling gigantic waves off the coast of Ireland during storm Ophelia caught on camera

Hold tight! The wave was so steep that the anchor pointed up at an acute angle before it plunged down the wave again in angry seas when storm Ophelia hit Ireland
Hold tight! The wave was so steep that the anchor pointed up at an acute angle before it plunged down the wave again in angry seas when storm Ophelia hit Ireland
An awe-inspiring video has emerged online of a tanker battling brutal, raging seas when storm Ophelia hit Ireland on Monday.

The shocking footage was filmed from an Italian tanker in the sea outside Cork harbour in the south of Ireland.

The video, captured by Cataldo Gianluca, shows the enormous tanker dwarfed by towering mountains of surging water.

The powerful wave grows larger but the tanker ploughs on, riding so high on the steep wave that the nose of the ship points upwards at an alarmingly acute angle.

The video, shared on Twitter, then cuts out at but the tanker survived the plunge back down the wave and managed to weather the storm.


Cloud Lightning

Lightning bolt kills family of three in Rwanda; total of 18 fatalities in 2 weeks

LIGHTNING
As the rainy season sets in, entities charged with safety have called on the public to be conscious of lightning and also re-echoed extra safety precautions.

Incidents of lightning strikes have been experienced in different parts of the country, with Police recording a number of human and livestock deaths.

In the last two weeks, lightning has claimed 18 people in different parts of the country.

Recent among those was at Gitega Cell, Rurembo Sector in Nyabihu District, where lightning struck and killed a mother and her two children at their home.

The victims were identified as Albertine Nyiransengimana, 28, and her two children James Uwihirwe, 6, and Obed Habineza, 2.

Windsock

Storm Brian: UK braced for gale-force winds and transport disruption

Storm Brian
© WXCHARTS.EUStorm Brian approaching UK
The UK is facing gale-force winds and possible flooding from Storm Brian - days after three people died in Ireland in the aftermath of Hurricane Ophelia.

Gusts of up to 70mph are predicted from Saturday morning, with forecasters warning of the potential for flooding, power cuts and transport disruption.

Strong wind warnings are in place across much of Britain, including Wales, south England and the Midlands.

Six flood warnings are in place across England, urging "immediate action".

It comes after three people were killed and hundreds of thousands of people - mostly in the Irish Republic - were left without power after the remnants of Ophelia battered the British Isles.

Strong winds and high seas have already reached the western coast of Ireland.

Gusts could reach 130km/h (80mph) there, Irish weather agency Met Éireann said.

Cloud Lightning

Elephant killed by lightning bolt in Kruger National Park, South Africa

The carcass of the elephant quickly attracted a crowd.
© LowvelderThe carcass of the elephant quickly attracted a crowd.
South Africa has been hit by some unusually violent weather of late. Recent storms surged through the country claiming at least 16 lives and leaving in their wake a trail of flooded homes and damaged infrastructure. But while Durban residents battled the deluge, further north, in the Kruger National Park, the stormy weather proved fatal for one of the reserve's tusked inhabitants.

Tourists out on a morning game drive earlier this month were met with the grim sight of a mutilated elephant carcass lumped in the middle of the road near Satara rest camp. While many speculated that the animal had been killed by poachers, evidence suggested otherwise. "It is suspected that the animal was hit by lighting," Reynold Thakuli, general manager for media, public relations and stakeholder relations of South African National Parks (SANParks) told us via email. "On inspection nothing more was picked up suggesting another cause of death. This follows a violent storm the previous night."

Wildlife officials were quick to arrive on the scene and the massive carcass was hoisted onto a truck and hauled away for further investigation. "The tusks were removed, registered and stored according to the SANParks Standard Operating Procedure," explained Thakhuli.


Cloud Lightning

Six cattle killed by lightning strike in Malanda, Australia

Six dairy cattle were struck by lightning at Malanda.
© Michael BrownSix dairy cattle were struck by lightning at Malanda.
A dairy farmer is counting his losses after six cows were killed by suspected lightning strikes at his Far Northern property.

Malanda cattleman James Johnston was searching for his missing cattle before milking when he stumbled on the carcasses on yesterday morning.

"They just looked like a dead cow, but I didn't cut them open. Dad said the insides would have been cooked," he said.

"We just found them dead in the paddock and we just kept milking. There was quite a lot of lightning around."

The four Illawarra and two Holstein cows were found within about five metres of each other.

Mr Johnston said lightning was the only explanation.

Cloud Precipitation

Typhoon Lan bears down on Japan

Typhoon Lan
© NOAATyphoon Lan
Typhoon Lan with heavy rains and destructive winds is expected to hit southern Japan on Sunday when the nation holds a national election, forcing officials in Okinawa to stage voting a day early on some remote islands.

The Category 1 typhoon, located east of the Philippines on Friday morning and moving north, is expected to gain strength as it comes some 200 km (125 miles) east of Japan's southern island of Okinawa by Sunday, the Japan Meteorological Agency said.

"It will likely rain very heavily in the Nansei island chain (in southern Japan), in the Pacific side of western and eastern Japan from the 21st to 23rd. There is a chance it will rain violently in some regions," the agency said in a statement.

According to the Tropical Storm Risk web site, the typhoon will likely strengthen to category 3, but weaken again by the time it brushes past Tokyo on Monday.

Local authorities in Okinawa have decided to move the voting date to Saturday for some remote islands.

Cloud Precipitation

Severe flood after highly localised torrential rain hits Cadiz, Spain

flood
Emergency teams in Southern Spain carried out flood rescues on 18 October, 2017, after torrential rain in parts of Andalusia.

Severe flooding was reported in parts of Cadiz province, along with some surface flooding and rockfalls in parts of Malaga province.

According to Spain meteorological agency AEMet (Agencia Estatal de Meteorología) Grazalema in Cádiz recorded 111.4 mm of rain in 24 hours between 17 and 18 October. El Bosque in Cádiz recorded 96.0 mm.

Images on Social Media showed flood water raging through streets of Jerez de la Frontera in Cadiz.