Storms
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Cloud Precipitation

10 dead after Cyclone Vardah strikes Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh, India

Richard Davies
Floodlist
Tue, 13 Dec 2016 13:12 UTC
On Dec. 12 at 3:42 a.m. EST (0842 UTC) NASA-NOAA’s Suomi NPP captured this visible image of Tropical Cyclone Vardah making landfall in eastern India.
© NASA MODIS Rapid Response/NOAAOn Dec. 12 at 3:42 a.m. EST (0842 UTC) NASA-NOAA’s Suomi NPP captured this visible image of Tropical Cyclone Vardah making landfall in eastern India.
Tropical Cyclone Vardah made landfall near near Chennai, Tamil Nadu state, India on 12 December, 2016. National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) reports that at least 10 people have died in Tamil Nadu. A further two deaths in Andhra Pradesh have been reported by local media.

Maximum sustained wind speeds of over 130 km/h were recorded, and the storm has caused severe damage to parts of the city of Chennai. Images on Social Media showed cars being lifted up by the strong winds. Over 4,000 trees have been uprooted, power lines downed and buildings damaged. Areas have seen power cuts and over 300 roads have been blocked throughout Chennai city.




Flight operations at Chennai airport were suspended, as were train services in the city. Both have since resumed.
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Tornado1

Cyclone Vardah brings heavy rains, flooding to India

Kristina Pydynowski, Adam Douty and Jordan Root
AccuWeather
Mon, 12 Dec 2016 11:35 UTC
Cyclone Vardah
Cyclone Vardah continues to threaten India with heavy rain and flooding as it moves farther inland.

Vardah intensified into a severe cyclonic storm over the Bay of Bengal over the weekend and made landfall Monday afternoon, local time.

While Vardah will weaken as it interacts with land, there will still be dangerous conditions for some. The area most susceptible to Vardah's heaviest rain will lie along the path of the cyclone as it tracks inland which includes Andhra and northern Tamil Nadu Pradesh.

Significant flooding could unfold for communities and along streams and small rivers.

Totals of 50-100 mm (2-4 inches) will be common across southeastern Andhra Pradesh and northern Tamil Nadu. Flooding issues will tend to be more localized than near the point of landfall.

Rainfall totaling 25-50 mm (1-2 inches) will spread inland across cities such as Bengaluru and Anantpur.

Strong wind gusts will continue into tonight near the center of Vardah with gusts up to 100 kph (60 mph) possible. This will be capable of tree and structure damage in some areas along with downed power lines and power outages.
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Snowflake Cold

Heavy snowfall leaves thousands of families without power in west Georgia; nearly 40 inches of snow


Agenda.ge
Mon, 12 Dec 2016 15:16 UTC
Snow
Georgia's western part is covered with a thick layer of snow as it has been heavily snowing in that area for the past several days.

Most massive snowfall was detected in the Adjara and Imereti regions, where its depth reached 100 centimeters.

A thick snow layer meant half of families in these two regions left without electricity.

Thousands of families in Adjara's Khulo and Shuakhevi municipalities and Imereti's Chiatura and Sachkhere municipalities remained without power until now. The electricity distribution company said it was unclear when the supply would restore as snow was continuing to fall and some of rural roads were blocked.
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Tornado2

Rare waterspout filmed over Lake Erie

Jessica Shepherd
mlive.com
Thu, 08 Dec 2016 18:36 UTC
waterspout
A waterspout on the shores of Lake Erie was captured on video by multiple observers Thursday, Dec. 8.

Meteorologist Reed Timmer, a Grand Rapids native, was one of those who spotted the spinning water funnel near the shores of Lake Erie in New York State.

Timmer took to his Facebook page to share footage with his nearly 1 million followers. He also shared a high resolution YouTube video of the waterspout, which was filmed by Thom Smetana and Aaron Rigsby.

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Snowflake

Freezing temperatures, snow, icy rain to hit more than 200 million in the U.S.


RT
Fri, 09 Dec 2016 18:41 UTC
Chicago skyline with icicles
© Jim Young/ReutersChicago, Illinois skyline framed by icicles.
Ready, steady, bundle up! Jack Frost is about to dance across the Northeast with a freezing polar vortex making a dramatic return to the US. Chills, snow and rain are expected to make a landfall over the weekend, likely bringing old classics like slippery roads and flight delays.

Meteorologists predict that the freezing blast will cover midwestern and northeastern states for at least five to seven days. So, getting out extra scarves and gloves might be a good idea.

This year's polar vortex, or a shift in a stratospheric weather system, is already been predicted to be just as bad as the one that developed in January 2014, when record freezing temperatures gripped the US.

"Upper-level atmosphere configuration very similar in scale & magnitude as infamous Jan 2014 #PolarVortex popularized by me and @afreedma,"meteorologist Ryan Maue said on Twitter on Tuesday alongside maps comparing the two weather systems.

More than 200 million Americans are expected to be affected by freezing temperatures, snow and rain, or a mix of both.

Comment: See also: Bitterly cold air to come in waves across US into next week

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Cloud Lightning

Lightning bolt kills five cattle in Zimbabwe

Simbarashe Sithole
Bulawayo 24News
Thu, 08 Dec 2016 09:22 UTC
lightning
Five cattle were killed by lightning at Forester farm in Mvurwi Mashonaland Central province on Monday.

It is alleged 5 beasts belonging to a farmer identified as Brooker who is one of the managers were stuck to death by lightning.

Eye witnesses said the beasts were skinned but how the meat was consumed no one knows. Efforts to contact Brooker were fruitless up to the time of this print.

Violent weather is causing serious damages around Zimbabwe in this 2016 - 2017 rain season.
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Snowflake

Blizzard blasts North Dakota with up to 19 inches of snow closing down most roads

Andrew Hazzard and Barry Amundson
Inforum
Wed, 07 Dec 2016 19:04 UTC
An exhausted man takes a break from the task of attempting to shovel his vehicle out of deep snow at a northwest Minot intersection Tuesday morning
© Kim Fundingsland/MDN An exhausted man takes a break from the task of attempting to shovel his vehicle out of deep snow at a northwest Minot intersection Tuesday morning
Eastern North Dakota's first snowstorm of the season dumped more than a foot of snow on Monday night and Tuesday in many areas, but it was the howling winds up to 30 mph to 50 mph that caused blizzard conditions across the region.

Wind driven snow depth
© Lauren Ashley Otradovec, Glenburn, NDLauren Ashley Otradovec who lives in Glenburn, ND, found this massive pile of wind driven snow when she opened her door. There is about a foot of snow on the ground after a new storm dumped a few inches but the big issue is the wind.
The highest snowfall was thought to be in Kensel where 19 inches fell through Tuesday night. The small town is about 30 miles north of Jamestown.

Grand Forks was also close to having the biggest snowfall at 13 inches by 6 p.m., said National Weather Service meteorologist Amanda Lee.

She said another inch or two could fall late Tuesday into early Wednesday.

Other high snowfall total were 12.5 inches in Hatton about 40 miles southeast of Grand Forks and 14 inches in Harvey and McHenry south and west of Devils Lake.

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Cloud Precipitation

Severe flooding due to heavy rainfall kills 14 people in Thailand


abc.net.au
Wed, 07 Dec 2016 20:05 UTC
Much of the municipal area of Nakhon Si Thammarat was flooded on Tuesday
Much of the municipal area of Nakhon Si Thammarat was flooded on Tuesday
Severe flooding due to heavy rain in southern Thailand has killed 14 people, including five students, the Interior Ministry said.

Six days of floods have affected 582,345 people in 11 of Thailand's 76 provinces, the ministry said in a statement — one person is reportedly missing, while three others have suffered injuries.

Trains have also been halted in one province off the Gulf of Thailand as the rails there were submerged under rising floodwaters.

Southern Thailand is a popular destination for visitors due to its scenic islands and beaches, and the floods are expected to put a dent in the area's tourist industry, with the high season running from November to February.


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Cloud Lightning

Lightning kills 1,735 people in 5 years across the state of Odisha, India


Prameya News7
Tue, 06 Dec 2016 12:29 UTC
lightning
Lightning has killed as many as 1,735 persons across Odisha during the last five years from 2011-12 to 2015-16, informed Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Bijayshree Routray in the State Assembly on Monday.

In reply to a question of BJD MLA Priyadarshi Mihsra, Routray said steps are being taken to create awareness to protect people and animals from the lightning attack.

The Minister too stated that the State Government has decided to instal 122 Alert Siron Towers in coastal parts of the State in order to provide advance information regarding natural calamities like cyclone and tsunami. All these towers would be installed by May 12, 2017, the Minister said.
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Cloud Lightning

Man killed by lightning strike in New South Wales, Australia


Sky News
Tue, 06 Dec 2016 12:12 UTC
lightning
The body of a foreign tourist killed by a lightning strike has been recovered by emergency services from the top of a mountain in northern NSW.

Emergency services were called to the summit of the mountain, near Murwillumbah, just before 5am on Tuesday.

The man, aged in his 20s, was camping with a friend on Mt Warning when lightning struck a tree near their tent in the early hours of Tuesday morning.

Qld police have said a nearby tree was struck by lightning and then struck the man's feet, killing him instantly.

The woman in her 20s, also an overseas tourist, has been treated for neck and head injuries at Murwillumbah hospital.
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