Storms
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Tornado2

'We lost count at 40' - Dozens of waterspouts seen off San Juan Islands, Washington

Scott Sistek
komonews.com
Thu, 12 Oct 2017 17:36 UTC
Double waterspouts form in Washington's Birch Bay on Oct. 11, 2017.
© Bryce BynumDouble waterspouts form in Washington's Birch Bay on Oct. 11, 2017.
Dozens of waterspouts were spotted over a 90 minute period in the waters off Whatcom County and the San Juan Islands Wednesday morning as thunderstorms swirled in the area.

"We lost count at 40 of them, at least," said John Evich, who was out crabbing Wednesday morning.

Evich said he and his crew spotted the first one around 8 a.m. as he left Blaine heading toward Alden Bank near Orcas Island.

"The very first one started in the center of Birch Bay," he said. He called a bunch of his fishing friends to go look for the waterspouts -- essentially tornadoes over water -- but they hadn't left port yet.

"At that point, we kept crabbing, and then saw another one -- then another one build up right next to it," Evich said. He said the two combined into one waterspout and then wiped each other out.
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Cloud Lightning

Lightning bolt kills one pupil and injures 7 others in Zimbabwe

Tendai Rupapa
Chronicle
Fri, 13 Oct 2017 13:45 UTC
lightning
A grade seven pupil at Jekwa Primary School in Murehwa was killed, while seven others were seriously injured after being struck by a lightning bolt on Wednesday.

The injured pupils are admitted at Nhowe Mission Hospital.

The deceased, Esnath Tanaka Musodza (14), who had sat for most of her Grade Seven examinations, was fatally struck while studying within the school premises.

The injured pupils — Tilda Chideya (14), Shyline Mukwati (14), Chipo Gova (13), Tinotenda Sinzau (12), Rejoice Kativhu (12) and Kimberly Kadzere (13) — were also in the school yard when the bolt of lightning struck.

In a statement yesterday, the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education sent a condolence message to Esnath's family.
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Cloud Precipitation

Cumbria in the UK hit by a month's rain in 24 hours


News and Star
Thu, 12 Oct 2017 19:19 UTC
Roads are almost unusable for most vehicles
Roads are almost unusable for most vehicles
The Met Office has issued a yellow weather warning for Cumbria throughout most of tomorrow as the county braces itself for more heavy rain.

The warning came as the county continued to be affected following a day of disruption when torrential rain battered much of the county, with two flood warnings and 15 flood alerts currently still in force across the county.

The latest forecast is predicting up to 80mm of rain tomorrow on the county's high fells.

At Honister in the Lake District, records showed the area was hit by a month's worth of rain in 24 hours, with 200mm falling in that time. Elsewhere, schools were forced to close and key routes became impassable as roads turned into rivers.

It was particularly bad on the A595 - the key route connecting east and west Cumbria.

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Cloud Lightning

Huge damage after deadly supercell thunderstorm hits three South African provinces

Ismail Akwei
africanews
Thu, 12 Oct 2017 01:17 UTC
Durban flooding
© Thoko Mubere/Storm Report SA.Flooding on the South of Durban on 10 October 2017.
South Africa is recovering from the deadly storm that hit parts of Gauteng and spread to KwaZulu-Natal and the Eastern Cape killing at least nine people.

The "supercell thunderstorm" started on Monday in Gauteng and wreaked more havoc in KwaZulu-Natal on Tuesday where two patients of a hospital died after a wall collapsed on them. Others including a baby and a schoolgirl were found dead in the waters.

The storm was characterized by a rotating updraft amid strong winds and flash flooding like a tornado, the South African Weather Service explained.

Thousands of homes were flooded, trees fell and the ships were grounded at the Durban port which was closed on Tuesday after ships were drifting away, local media report.

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Cloud Lightning

Lightning strikes claim 75 lives in the Indian state of Karnataka this year

Kiran Parashar K M
The New Indian Express
Wed, 11 Oct 2017 13:38 UTC
Lightning killed over 700 in seven years in Karnataka
Lightning killed over 700 in seven years in Karnataka
Rain after the drought was a welcome relief for the state this year. However, it also led to tragedies. Lightning strikes have claimed as many as 75 lives to date this year. Maximum deaths in the state have been reported from Mysuru (12), Haveri (7), Dharwad and Kalaburagi (6).

On an average, more than 100 people are dying every year in the state due to lightning strikes since 7 years. As many as 711 people have died in past seven years. Recent deaths of six members in Periyapatna of Mysuru district and Koppal have triggered panic among the villagers. According to National Crime Records Bureau, every year around two thousand people die due to lightning in the country.

chart
The experts say that more number of people die in the villages as they are mostly working in the fields. Also whenever there is rain, they take shelter under the trees. As trees are good conductors of electricity, people who take shelter under them are vulnerable. Even in cities, those taking shelters under trees are vulnerable to lightning strikes.
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Tornado2

Mini-whirlwind forms suddenly over hotel pool in Lindos, Greece

Ben Hooper
UPI
Tue, 10 Oct 2017 13:13 UTC
Parasols were sent hundreds of feet up into the air after a mini tornado hit a Greek holiday resort
© South West News ServiceParasols were sent hundreds of feet up into the air after a mini tornado hit a Greek holiday resort
A mini tornado surprised guests at a hotel in Greece when it formed in the facility's large outdoor pool and sent parasols flying into the air.

Vacationer Ian Henderson recorded video Saturday at a hotel in Lindos showing guests evacuating the pool as the whirlwind forms and spits water into the air.

The whirlwind picks up speed in the water before heading poolside, where it threw parasols, towels and personal belongings into the air.

Witnesses said the unusual weather event lasted only a few moments.

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Cloud Lightning

Tropical storm Ophelia poised to tie a hurricane season record more than a century old

Jenny Staletovich
Miami Herald
Tue, 10 Oct 2017 19:55 UTC
tropical storm ophelia
© Orlando Sentinel
The feverish 2017 hurricane season doesn't seem to be letting up: on Monday, Tropical Storm Ophelia formed in the central Atlantic and is expected to become a hurricane this week.

While the storm poses no threat to land, it could become the 10th consecutive storm to grow to hurricane strength - a streak of intense systems that will tie a record last set in the late 1800s. It comes in a season that has already produced five major hurricanes, including three ferocious Category 5 storms, and 15 named storms.

The amount of accumulated cyclone energy - a measure of the intensity and longevity of storms - is also 254 percent higher than average with seven weeks left in the season, said University of Miami Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science hurricane researcher Brian McNoldy.

"We had 15 named storms last year, but things got named that weren't really things people would remember," he said. "There's some heavy hitters this season."
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Cloud Lightning

St. Elmo's Fire: Pilot records rare atmospheric phenomenon during Abu Dhabi - Istanbul flight


Daily Sabah
Mon, 09 Oct 2017 06:34 UTC
Turkish pilot records st elmo's fire
Turkish Airlines pilots on board an Istanbul-bound plane recorded a rare atmospheric phenomenon known as St. Elmo's Fire, as they tackled strong thunder clouds at 40,000 feet.

According to reports, the incident took place on the Airbus 330 type aircraft which departed from Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.

The moments St. Elmo's Fire ripped through the plane were recorded by pilot Emre Çıngar, who uploaded the video to his social media accounts.

St. Elmo's Fire, which is a type of a continuous electric spark occurs during thunderstorms when the ground below is electrically charged and there is high voltage in the air between the cloud and the ground.

Flights have devices created to reduce the accumulation of electrical charge.


Comment: See also: Electric universe: Lightning strength and frequency increasing

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Ice Cube

Giant hail damages cars as freak hailstorm hits Corrientes, Argentina


Sott.net
Tue, 10 Oct 2017 06:12 UTC
Cars damaged after freak hailstorm hit Corrientes in Argentina
Cars damaged after freak hailstorm hit Corrientes in Argentina
A freak hailstorm produced orange-sized hail as it hit Corrientes and surrounding areas in Argentina on Sunday, October 8, 2017.

The violent storm caused massive damage to up to 20 cars traveling on the Posadas-Corrientes road between Scorza Cué and Ita Ibaté (Route 12) according to infobae as well as some localized flooding.

There were no reported injuries but images of the cars showing broken glass and shocking dents soon began to circulate on social media networks.

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Cloud Precipitation

Freak hailstorm wreaks havoc in Johannesburg, South Africa

Siviwe Breakfast
The South African
Mon, 09 Oct 2017 21:04 UTC
Giant hail storms wreaked havoc around Gauteng
© tbotouch67 via TwitterGiant hail storms wreaked havoc around Gauteng
Massive damage to property as Joburg is hit by heavy storm.

Strong winds, heavy rain and massive hail stones wreaked havoc in Johannesburg and surrounding areas on Monday afternoon.

The storm caused massive damage to property, uprooting trees and damaging vehicles. Several roads were left almost impossible to navigate as they were flooded.

A warning for severe afternoon thunderstorms was issued by the SA Weather Service on Monday morning. Motorists and residents were urged to take extra caution.

The storm tested a lot of structures and many came second best.

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