Storms
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Dangerous long-duration ice storm looming for 1000-mile swath of central U.S.

Alex Sosnowski
Accuweather
Wed, 11 Jan 2017 15:48 UTC

People from Texas to Ohio are bracing for a long-duration ice storm that could turn destructive and cut power to hundreds of thousands from Friday to Sunday.

A shallow layer of cold air in the atmosphere will accompany a storm over the central United States. The storm will produce a swath of freezing rain along a 1,000-mile swath. As the chilled rain falls on cold surfaces, it will freeze into a glaze of ice.

Untreated sidewalks, streets and highways can turn into a skating rink as a layer of clear, smooth ice forms. The heaviest rain can wash away ice-melting compounds as the storm progresses.

Preceding the main ice storm will be a period of freezing rain and sleet that affect travel in northern Illinois and southern Wisconsin during Wednesday night. "Travel is likely to be hazardous for hundreds of miles along Interstate 35, I-40 and I-70 in the Central states from Friday to Sunday," according to AccuWeather Meteorologist Brett Rossio.

People traveling across the country may want to consider a more southern route. Where temperatures remain below freezing and rain falls at a heavy rate, the ice will continue to accrue for a few days. Ice of 1/4 to 1/2 of an inch thick can occur over a broad area. The thickness of the ice will become substantial enough to weigh down trees and power lines.

Interstate 80 remains closed as blizzard dumps 10 feet of snow on Sierra, California

Jenna Lyons
San Francisco Chronicle
Tue, 10 Jan 2017 10:05 UTC

The CHP Turckee office shared this photo of a patrol vehicle parked next to a snow hill along I-80.

A section of Interstate 80 was closed all day Tuesday as dangerous blizzard conditions blasted through the Sierra, bringing several more feet of snow, officials said.

The National Weather Service in Reno issued a blizzard warning about 3:50 a.m. for the Greater Lake Tahoe area, including Lake Tahoe, Truckee, Incline Village and the Nevada town of Stateline.

Intense snowfall rates, near zero visibility and swift winds prompted the weather service to issue the fairly uncommon warning, said Scott McGuire, a meteorologist with the agency.

"Right now, it's kind of a life-threatening situation and people should definitely not attempt to travel in the Sierra," McGuire said. "It's very rare for us to issue a blizzard warning. This storm is definitely a notch above a typical winter storm."

Lightning bolt kills two in Chivhu, Zimbabwe

Jairos Saunyama
The Zimbabwe Daily
Tue, 10 Jan 2017 10:43 UTC

Two family members from Chivhu were fatally struck by a bolt of lightning two weeks ago soon after disembarking from a local bus.

Although Mashonaland East provincial police spokesperson, Inspector Nobert Muzondo was unreachable for comment yesterday, sources at the provincial police headquarters said the incident occurred on December 24.

They identified the deceased as Georgina Sigudhu (32) and Orlens Nyabadza (age not given), of Chirume Village, under Chief Mutekedza.

Sources said the two were struck by a bolt of lightning and died on the spot as they walked home.

Officers from Masasa Police Station later attended the scene and took the corpses to Chivhu Hospital for post-mortem.

Iconic 1,000yo California Pioneer Cabin tree falls victim to winter storm at Calaveras Big Trees State Park

RT
Mon, 09 Jan 2017 22:23 UTC

The powerful winter storm affecting California has claimed its oldest victim; the iconic Pioneer Cabin Tree, which is thought to be up to 1000 years old, was felled yesterday.

Photos of the fallen icon, captured by park volunteer Jim Allday, were posted to the Calaveras Big Trees Association Facebook page, accompanied by the caption: "The Pioneer Cabin tree has fallen! This iconic and still living tree - the tunnel tree - enchanted many visitors. The storm was just too much for it."

Floods force hundreds of evacuations along northern Nevada mountains

Daily Mail
Mon, 09 Jan 2017 11:55 UTC

A Santa Clara County Roads and Airport Department worker responds to the scene of downed tree and mudslide on Summit Road in the Santa Cruz Mountains, Calif., Sunday, Jan. 8, 2017.

A massive winter storm that could be the biggest to slam the region in more than a decade prompted the evacuation of hundreds of homes in northern Nevada and triggered flooding and mudslides that blocked major highways and stranded motorists in Northern California.

Crews in California cleared trees and debris Sunday following mudslides caused by steady rain accompanying the system that could dump 15 inches in the foothills of the Sierra and heavy snow on the mountain tops before it's expected to move east early Monday. Forecasters warned a second storm is expected to hit the already drenched area Monday night.

In Nevada, emergency officials voluntarily evacuated a total of 400 homes affecting about 1,300 residents in a south Reno neighborhood Sunday afternoon as the Truckee River began to leave its banks and drainage ditches started to overflow south of U.S. Interstate 80.

Sparks firefighters monitor the rising Truckee River, Sunday, Jan. 8, 2017, where it runs near the Grand Sierra hotel-casino along a line that divides the cities of Reno and Sparks, Nev.

Update: Floods in south Thailand leave 21 dead with over a million affected

Richard Davies
Floodlist
Mon, 09 Jan 2017 11:31 UTC

Thailand’s DDPM carry out flood rescue and relief operations in Chumphon, January 2017.

Thailand's Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM) report that 21 people have now died in the floods affecting southern provinces of the country.

At least 11 provinces are in emergency situations as a result of flooding which has affected over 1 million people. Thai Meteorological Department have forecast further heavy rain until Tuesday, 10 January.

Nakhon Si Thammarat airport closed from 06 January and will possibly re-open today, 09 January. Thai news agency NNT said that the province of Nakhon Si Thammarat has suffered its worst flood crisis in 30 years with 300,000 people affected and seven people dead.

Unusually heavy rain for this time of year, influenced by low depression and the strong northeast monsoon, has caused widespread flooding in southern provinces of Thailand since 01 January, 2017.

Lightning bolt kills man in Dowa, Malawi

Bright Malenga
Malawi 24
Mon, 09 Jan 2017 11:00 UTC

A 48-year old man has died in Dowa district after being struck by lightning.

Dowa Police Spokesperson Richard Kaponda said the man Zithera Alick on Tuesday went to his garden that is located near Chithowa hills to cultivate.

According to Kaponda, whilst there heavy rains started pouring down in the area and Alick went under a big rock to seek refuge.

Snow and ice covers ground in 49 of 50 states across US

Chris Dolce
The Weather Channel
Sun, 08 Jan 2017 10:25 UTC

Snow and ice covered the ground in 49 of 50 states this weekend in the wake of Winter Storm Helena.

An analysis of snow cover across the Lower 48 showed that only Florida had no snow or ice on the ground Saturday into early Sunday morning, according to the National Operational Hydrologic Remote Sensing Center (NOHRSC).

It should be noted that in this depiction of snow cover, sleet accumulations may be shown as well. This is the case for parts of the South after Winter Storm Helena.

The NOHRSC analysis says that 66.4 percent of the Lower 48 was covered by snow or ice as of Sunday morning. That's the highest coverage so far this winter season in the U.S.

Some of the deepest snowpack across the nation was in the northern Plains, Great Lakes snowbelts, northern Maine and the mountain West.

If you are wondering about Hawaii, yes, there was snow on ground there too. This satellite image shows the snow-capped volcanic peaks of Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa on the Big Island on Saturday.

Comment: A frigid US: Average temperature 11F

Extraordinary dashcam video captures lightning bolt blasting truck in Russia

RT
Sat, 07 Jan 2017 15:57 UTC

Amazing video footage of a lorry being blitzed by a powerful bolt of lightning as it traveled down a highway in Russia has been filmed by a passing driver's dashcam.

The shocking incident took place on a busy stretch of road running alongside the Black Sea on the highway between Krasnodar and Sochi.

The bolt struck the vehicle during a spell of heavy rainfall and rumbles of thunder.

The footage was recorded from a car traveling in the opposite direction from across the road barrier. Several trucks and cars were traveling beside the unfortunate truck when it was suddenly struck from above.

Rossiyskaya Gazeta are reporting that, despite the violent blast that took place so close to the recording vehicle, the dashcam car's driver managed to avoid a collision and safely brought the car to a halt. However, the status of the truck driver is not known.

Heavy snowfall, icy weather grip Italy, Greece and Turkey

Jan M. Olsen
Yahoo! News
Sat, 07 Jan 2017 15:02 UTC

Heavy snowfall in Italy

Heavy snowfall and below-freezing temperatures continued to sweep the European continent Saturday, causing more than a dozen deaths, grounding airplanes and crippling ferries in Italy and Turkey.

At least 10 people have died in the cold that has gripped Poland in recent days, included seven men ages 41 and 66 who died Friday, authorities said. A 51-year-old died of asphyxiation with carbon monoxide from a malfunctioning heater.

Temperatures in Poland dropped below -20 degrees Celsius (-4 F) on Saturday, and weather forecasts said they would sink more overnight.

A man died also died Saturday in Belgium when his truck slid off a highway.