Storms
S


Cloud Precipitation

Heavy rainfall and flash floods kill 26 in Egypt


Al-Ahram
Sat, 29 Oct 2016 20:47 UTC
Heavy rain floods a street in the Egyptian city of Ras Gharib in Red Sea province on October 27, 2016
© Ahram ArabicHeavy rain floods a street in the Egyptian city of Ras Gharib in Red Sea province on October 27, 2016
The death toll from torrential rain and flooding in Egypt has risen to 26 people, state news agency MENA reported on Saturday, citing the health and population ministry.

A further 72 people were injured following the floods over the weekend, according to the ministry.

In South Sinai, nine people were killed and another was injured. In Upper Egypt's Sohag, eight people were killed, 23 injured, and in Beni Suef, a further five people were injured.

In the Red Sea, nine people were killed and 35 others injured.

On Saturday, Egypt's President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi ordered a total of EGP 50 million (around $5.6 million) to be allocated as compensation to the victims of the floods nationwide, while a further EGP 50 million was allocated for an urgent restoration of infrastructure in areas affected by the floods.


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Cloud Lightning

Lightning bolts kill man and 3 donkeys in Zimbabwe

Whinsley Masara
The Chronicle (Zimbabwe)
Fri, 28 Oct 2016 09:48 UTC
lightning
A man and three donkeys died after they were struck by lightning in two incidents in Matabeleland North.

A bolt of lightning fatally struck Charles Maponda (32) of Nyamandlovu in Umguza District while he was looking for firewood in a bush on Tuesday.

Maponda, a recently promoted farm employee at Waynne Manroe's Farm, knocked off duty and left alone to fetch firewood in the bush.

Mr Robert Muthethwa, who is a security guard at the Farm, discovered the badly burnt body minutes after he had been struck.

"It started to rain and there was thunder and lightning. I found Maponda in an open space. It looked like he had just been struck by lightning.
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Cloud Lightning

Lightning bolt kills woman in Tamil Nadu, India


The Times of India
Thu, 20 Oct 2016 18:33 UTC
lightning
A 55-year-old woman died when lightning struck her while she was standing in a bus shelter in a village in Tuticorin district of Tamil Nadu on Thursday.

Police said heavy thundershowers lashed many parts of the Tuticorin district on Thursday. Lakshmi, wife of Isakki of West Street of Thirumalayapuram near Kayatharu, took shelter in a bus shelter with her granddaughter Abinaya,9, and Ayyammal, 59, wife of Shanmugam of the same village.

Lakshmi died on the spot when lightning struck her. Abinaya and Ayyammal, who were injured, were admitted to Tirunelveli Government Hospital.
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Cloud Lightning

Lightning strike kills teenager in Uganda

Cissy Makumbi
All Africa
Tue, 25 Oct 2016 18:38 UTC
lightning
A primary seven candidate at Okuture primary school in Pabbo Sub County, Amuru district was on Sunday evening struck dead by lightning.

Richard Okeny, 17, was struck by lightning at around 6:00pm while digging at their garden in Pogo-ceri village.

The deceased was among 75 pupils of Okuture school preparing to sit for the Primary Leaving Examinations-PLE early next month.

The LCIII Chairperson Pabbo Sub County, Christopher Odongokara, regretted the incident and tasked parents to always be on the lookout for their children when rains threaten.

"I met up with the grieving family and we are yet to have another meeting to discuss when the burial will take place," Mr Odongokara said.

In 2014, lightning struck in Pabbo Sub County and killed a couple both aged 25.
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Ice Cube

Unusual hailstorm blankets Central Mexican city with up to 50 centimeters of ice


Yahoo News UK‎
Mon, 24 Oct 2016 18:15 UTC
mexico hailstorm
An unusual hailstorm in Central Mexico blanketed the city of Zacetecas on Sunday, October 23. Timelapse video footage of the storm hammering the city, recorded by a bystander, shows ice accumulating on the ground. According to local newspaper Excelsior, 15 buildings and several cars were damaged in floods caused by the storm.

The uploader told Storyful that "Nobody remembers in Zacatecas in the past something like that." Credit: Nicola Rustichelli


Comment: According to local newspaper Excelsior, "In 15 minutes, Zacatecas was blanketed by heavy hailstorm Sunday night, a hailstorm caused the ice reached nearly 50 centimeters" (translated by google).

Other severe hailstorms from around the world this month include: It is likely that atmospheric dust loading from increased comet and volcanic activity is contributing to these 'unusual' or 'freak' hailstorms, the cooling effect of which causes ice crystals to form.

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Ice Cube

Freak hailstorm rips through town in New South Wales, Australia


The Daily Telegraph
Sat, 22 Oct 2016 03:26 UTC
freak storm in Parkes
© John SarkissianHailstones the size of golf balls fell in Parkes.
A LARGE storm ripped through Parkes, in the state's central west overnight, bringing down dozens of trees and damaging buildings. Strong winds and hailstones, some as big as golf balls, caused major damage.

The wild weather swept through the town from about 7pm last night, with the majority of residents without power for several hours.

SES crews are today working to clean up the damage, with many residents still yet to have their power restored today.

Locals reported hailstones the size of golf balls and ferocious winds lasting for less than 10 minutes, but causing significant damage across the township.

The SES received more than 90 call-outs, including trees down, damaged roofs and other hail damage to property.


Comment: Freak hailstorm hits drought stricken Bloemfontein, South Africa

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Bizarro Earth

Hundreds of thousands evacuated as Typhoon Haima strikes southern China


RT
Sat, 22 Oct 2016 16:09 UTC
Typhoon Haima
© Bobby Yip / ReutersPeople run away from a big wave on a waterfront as Typhoon Haima approaches in Hong Kong, China, October 21, 2016 .
Hundreds of thousands of people have been evacuated as Typhoon Haima slammed into southern China after killing at least 13 people in the Philippines.

The storm struck the city of Shanwei in eastern Guangdong on Friday afternoon, forcing more than 700,000 evacuations from the region, according to CCTV News.

The tropical cyclone reached wind speeds of up to 166 kilometers (103 miles) per hour before weakening to a tropical storm.

Comment: Update: Typhoon Haima kills at least 8 in the Philippines; tens of thousands of homes destroyed

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Ice Cube

Freak hailstorm hits drought stricken Bloemfontein, South Africa

Refilwe Pitjeng
Eyewitness News
Fri, 21 Oct 2016 06:00 UTC
Bloemfontein hailstorm
© Arrive Alive official Facebook page.Hail storm in Bloemfontein on 20 October, 2016 around Langenhovenpark.

A heavy storm passed through Bloemfontein last night with hail wreaking havoc in the drought stricken area.

The hail storm caused damaged to some cars.

The thick layer of hail, which could almost be mistaken for snow, covered the streets of Bloemfontein.


People on Twitter, though, have reacted with relief and have expressed how happy they are to receiving the rain:
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Windsock

Update: Typhoon Haima kills at least 8 in the Philippines; tens of thousands of homes destroyed


The Telegraph (UK)
Thu, 20 Oct 2016 13:11 UTC
typhoon haima damage
© REUTERS/Erik De CastroA woman stands outside her house which was damaged by a fallen tree during Typhoon Haima, in Bangui, Ilocos Norte in northern Philippines, October 20, 2016.
One of the most powerful typhoons to ever hit the Philippines killed at least eight people on Thursday as ferocious gales and landslides destroyed tens of thousands of homes.

Super Typhoon Haima struck late on Wednesday night with winds similar to those of catastrophic Haiyan in 2013, which was then the strongest storm to strike the disaster-prone Southeast Asian archipelago and claimed more than 7,350 lives.

Haima then roared across mountain and farming communities of the northern regions of the main island of Luzon overnight, causing widespread destruction and killing at least eight people, authorities said.

"We were frightened because of the strong winds. There was no power, no help coming," Jovy Dalupan, 20, told AFP as she sheltered at nightfall on the side of a highway in San Pablo, a badly damaged town of 20,000 people in Isabela province.

Dalupan, her two young daughters and husband, were forced to flee to the highway along with their neighbours during the height of the storm when their shanty homes, made of plywood, were ripped apart.


Comment: Haima is now approaching Hong Kong and is the third severe typhoon to hit the city in October - the last time that happened in that month was in 1989.

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Jupiter

Jupiter spacecraft captures images of towering polar storms

Sara Hammond
Arizona Public Media
Wed, 19 Oct 2016 23:40 UTC
Jupiter storms
© NASA/JPL-Caltech/SwRI/MSSSStorms larger than half the size of Earth at Jupiter's north pole.
A spacecraft taking pictures of Jupiter with a camera that a Tucson-based scientist manages has sent back pictures of a storm that would dwarf any earthbound hurricane.

NASA's Juno spacecraft made a first pass by Jupiter in August, and its instruments were turned on just to test them. The camera pictured a storm more than half the size of Earth.

Candice Hansen of the Planetary Science Institute in Tucson says what her camera captured amazed everyone.

"We always thought we would do some science with JunoCam," she said.

Hansen says the camera's main purpose is to connect the public to the space mission by asking for online voting on what will be photographed.
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