Storms
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Cloud Lightning

Torrential rain floods Mersin, Turkey

Flooded Mersin
Flooded Mersin
Local officials urged the southern city's citizens to stay inside and refrain from driving as torrential rain inundated the roads; one woman lost her life

Torrential rain has inundated parts of Mersin, a city on the Mediterranean coast of southern Turkey.

Many streets were flooded and people were caught off guard or forced to be holed up in their home or office as a result of the unceasing rain that started on Wednesday night. Cars and public transport vehicles have also been affected by the rain.

The local council issued a statement urging local residents to stay inside. Citizens were told to refrain from driving.




Turkey's coastal city of Mersin flooded by torrential rain
Turkey's coastal city of Mersin flooded by torrential rain

Cloud Lightning

Man killed by lightning bolt under bizarre circumstances in Zimbabwe

LIGHTNING
ZimEye.com sources in Gwanda reveal that a yet to be identified middle aged man, was struck by a blow of lightning and died on the spot in Jaunda township this afternoon.

The sources sources further explain that the weather in the town was good with a clear sky since morning before a few clouds gathered followed by a light shower. It is at that moment that it started to thunder and the man was hit by lighting.

According to the sources the showers and clouds immediately cleared after the lightning strike leaving fearful residents superstitious about the circumstances of the little showers and thunder.

There is a general superstitious belief in Zimbabwe that a person can send lightning to strike an enemy when they have failed to come to terms. The "magic" wave is said to be commonly manufactured in the area around Chipinge and most parts of Manicaland.

Cloud Precipitation

Flash flooding hits Melbourne, Australia; mass road closures across Victoria

A car submerged in floodwaters on the corner of Station St and McNicol Rd in Belgrave.
© Michael CollingA car submerged in floodwaters on the corner of Station St and McNicol Rd in Belgrave.
Melbourne is still reeling from flash flooding after a severe downpour hit Victoria on Thursday afternoon, with train services delayed or suspended into the night and roads across the state remaining closed.

Torrential rain hammered Melbourne from about 3pm as roads turned into rivers and flash flooding wreaked havoc.

Major arterials were closed, leaving drivers stranded. The Western Ring Road at Plenty Rd — and dozens of other Victorian roads — remained closed in both directions as of 11.15pm on Thursday, according to VicRoads' website, while the SES had received more than 1500 calls for assistance

Metro Trains was still reporting delays across most of the network, with sections of Sandringham, Hurstbridge and Belgrave lines still suspended as of 11.15pm.




The Elster Canal flooding at the corner of Union St and Hawthorn Rd in Brighton East.
© Anthony HannaThe Elster Canal flooding at the corner of Union St and Hawthorn Rd in Brighton East.

Windsock

Powerful winds blow waterfall upward on the Isle of Skye, Scotland

An amazing video has emerged of a waterfall being blown backward by strong winds last weekend.
An amazing video has emerged of a waterfall being blown backward by strong winds last weekend.
A visitor to a popular tourist spot on a Scottish island captured footage of powerful winds causing a waterfall to flow in reverse.

The video, recorded Saturday, shows the water flowing upward at the waterfall in Loch Pooltiel, on the Isle of Skye.

The winds were caused by the powerful storm that swept over Britain during the weekend.


USA

The United States' 10 most extreme weather events of 2016

In 2016, of all the weather events to affect the nation, four stood out: a hurricane, a flood, a drought and a blizzard. These four were historic and extreme, setting numerous records and affecting large areas. Unfortunately, they caused a great deal of suffering and economic losses.

Six other storm events, which were more localized, round out the top 10.

Tornadoes were not among this year's most significant weather events. This year was, generally, a quiet year both in terms of the overall number of tornadoes and tornado fatalities.

Much more than wind, in 2016, water (or, in one case, lack of water) caused the lion's share of weather-related deaths and damages.

As seven of the top 10 weather events involved extreme rainfall, and several 1-in-1,000 year events, perhaps you could call it the year of the flood.

Without further ado, here is our rundown of the most significant and extreme weather events of 2016 in the Lower 48:

1. Hurricane Matthew (September-October)

Hurricane Matthew floodwaters
© Chris Keane/ReutersFuel tanks are seen after floodwaters rose because of Hurricane Matthew in Lumberton, N.C.

Comment: For more coverage on the extreme weather affecting the entire planet, check out our monthly SOTT Earth Changes Summaries. Last month:

SOTT Earth Changes Summary - November 2016: Extreme Weather, Planetary Upheaval, Meteor Fireballs


Cloud Lightning

Man killed by lightning on Christmas Eve in Zimbabwe

LIGHTNING
A man who was struck by a bolt of lightning in Mvurwi on Saturday has been identified as Cde Tigere, a member of war veterans association.

It is alleged Cde Tigere was struck by lightning in Forester (E) Mashonaland Central where he was heading cattle.

He was a member of ZANU PF and a vice chairperson in Mvurwi district.

His body had decomposed and they called for an emergency burial at his farm in Forester today.

Meanwhile, this is the second time lightning has caused fatal incidents after it killed seven beast on the same Estate in November.

Cloud Lightning

Lightning bolt kills 2 with 4 others critically injured in Sulawesi, Indonesia

Lightning
As many as six people from Takimpo, Buton District, Southeast Sulawesi, were struck by lightning during their vacation on Monday, December 26, 2016. Two of them, Abdul Malik and Lamuhlidin, aged 30, died from the strike.

As of now, four other victims are being treated under critical conditions at Buton General Hospital (RSUD).

Buton Police Chief, Comr. Andi Herman, said that the incident happened when the six tourists were going on a trip on top of Kampung Lama Takimpo Mountains. At around 15.30 Central Indonesian Time, the sky suddenly turned dark and rain fell heavily, which was followed by the strikes of lightning.

"Suddenly there was the thundering sound of lightning and rain. At the same moment, six of the victims were struck by lightning," Andi Herman said on Tuesday, December 27, 2016.

Windsock

Storm Urd lashes Sweden with hurricane-force winds

Storm Urd
© Johan Nilsson/TTStorm Urd hit Malmö on Monday afternoon.
The worst of the dreaded Storm Urd has passed in Sweden, and while the country escaped relatively unscathed from the dreaded Christmas bluster, it still managed to cause flooding and wreak havoc with traffic in some regions.

The Öresund Bridge between Malmö in Sweden and Copenhagen in Denmark reopened to traffic at 2.40am on Tuesday after closing at around 10pm the previous evening. Drivers were however warned to drive carefully and stay below 50 kilometres an hour on the 7.8-kilometre road bridge.

The water level in the strait separating the two countries rose to around 120-150 centimetres above average overnight, but national weather agency SMHI reported it was slowly subsiding in the morning.

SMHI downgraded its class-two weather warnings for southern Sweden to class-one in the far south and said gale-force winds were no longer expected for the rest of the Götaland region.

"The risk of strong gusts was over by around 4am or 5am," SMHI meteorologist Johan Lundgren told news agency TT.


Igloo

Snow, ice, and severe gusts of wind cripple Great Plains, leaving tens of thousands without electricity (PHOTOS, VIDEOS)

snow covered road
© Lucas Jackson / Reuters
Snow, freezing rain and up to 50 mile an hour winds continued into Monday in the Great Plains, as the harsh winter weather forced airport closings, power outages, and shut off long stretches of highway in the Dakotas.

In North Dakota, weather conditions and near-zero visibility compelled a no-travel warning, as the National Weather Service said a blizzard warning would remain in effect for much of the state through Monday afternoon.


Comment: Christmas storm forecast to dump heavy snow, blizzards in U.S. West, Plains


Cloud Precipitation

Waterfalls cascade off the iconic Uluru rock after a freak outback storm in Australia

Water begins to trickle down the side of the massive rock
Water begins to trickle down the side of the massive rock
Flash flooding closed Uluru and forced a town to evacuate after a record 232 millimetres of rain fell in a single day.

The freak desert storm damaged at least 40 per cent of homes in Kintore, about 520 kilometres west of the red centre, forcing 100 of its 400 residents to flee.

Uluru National Park was shut down at 9am on Monday but visitors revelled in the rare sight of water cascading down the sides of the massive rock the day before.

Dozens of waterfalls completely changed its complexion and put on a show for tourists who stayed out in the rain to watch the spectacle.

Photos and video from the base of Uluru showed huge pools forming below the waterfalls that lapped around raised walkways.

A thick low-lying white cloud obscured the top of the rock.


Photos and video from the base of Uluru showed huge pools forming below the waterfalls that lapped around raised walkways
Photos and video from the base of Uluru showed huge pools forming below the waterfalls that lapped around raised walkways