Storms
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Cloud Lightning

An underrated killer: Lightning in 2016 has already taken a deadly toll across the U.S

Leigh Morgan
AL.com
Mon, 08 Aug 2016 18:56 UTC
There have been 22 deaths in 2016 caused by lightning, including two in Alabama.
© NOAA There have been 22 deaths in 2016 caused by lightning, including two in Alabama.
Thunderstorms are a part of life in Alabama in the summertime.

While they can provide a temporary cooldown from sweltering temperatures — they can also bring a danger that is often overlooked: lightning.

There have been 22 deaths from lightning in 2016, the most recent on Friday on Florida's Okaloosa Island.

In comparison, there have been 12 deaths this year from tornadoes.

Florida leads the nation with a total of six deaths from lightning. Next is Louisiana with four. Alabama, Mississippi and North Carolina have two each. Arizona, Utah, Colorado, Missouri, Tennessee and Virginia have one apiece.

Lightning map
© NOAA
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Cloud Precipitation

10 people killed as widespread flooding hits Karachi, Pakistan


Al Jazeera
Sun, 07 Aug 2016 15:05 UTC
The flooding has left 45 percent of Karachi without power
© Rehan Khan/EPAThe flooding has left 45 percent of Karachi without power
At least 10 people have been killed after torrential rain lashed Karachi.

Fifty-six millimetres of rain was reported in the Gulshan-e-Iqbal area of the city on Saturday, which was enough to bring traffic to a standstill and cause widespread flooding.

Most of the people who died were killed by electrocution or were crushed when walls or buildings collapsed on them, according to reports by the AP news agency.

The inundation left 45 percent of the city without power. In turn, the lack of electricity affected the pumping stations, disrupting the water supply to the city.

Other parts of the Sindh province have also seen torrential rain in the last few days. Thatta was hit by 116mm of rain in three days, and Hyderabad was swamped when 77mm of rain fell in just one day.


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Cloud Lightning

Lightning claims two more lives in Bihar, India; death toll mounts to 82


webindia123
Sun, 07 Aug 2016 13:59 UTC
Lightning
© MGN Online
A man and his daughter were killed when lightning struck them at Kelabari under Ismailpur police station area in Bhagalpur district today, taking the toll to 82 in the state this monsoon.

Police said here that one Ramvilas Mandal, a native of Kelabari village and her daughter Nikita Kumari died when lightning struck them during heavy downpour. Both were returning home from their field after completing agrarian work when the incident took place.

With the death of two, the toll has reached 82 in this Monsoon. Altogether 80 people lost their lives to lightning in different parts of the state earlier.
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Cloud Precipitation

Update: Hurricane Earl death toll in Mexico rises to 39

Greg Toppo
USA Today
Mon, 08 Aug 2016 01:05 UTC
Mexico landslides
The community of Coscomatepec, Veracruz, in eastern Mexico was among many towns and villages hit by landslides.
As Tropical Storm Javier formed off Mexico's Pacific Coast on Sunday, the death toll from the remnants of Hurricane Earl grew to 39.

Earl, which was briefly a hurricane before hitting Belize and the Yucatan Peninsula, dumped rain and triggered deadly landslides across parts of eastern Mexico, The Associated Press reported.

The governor of the Gulf Coast state of Veracruz, Javier Duarte, said Sunday that 11 people had died in landslides in the towns of Cocomatepec, Tequila and Huayacocotla. Officials in the central state of Puebla also reported at least one death in a landslide in the mountain town of Xaltepec.

Authorities were still searching the area for residents who were reported missing, according to a statement from the state government.

At least 28 people died in multiple mudslides in the mountainous north of Puebla state, National Civil Protection Coordinator Luis Felipe Puente said in an interview with ForoTV. He said 25 of the dead were in various parts of the township of Huaucinango and three were in Tlaola.


Comment: Six dead as Tropical Storm Earl triggers landslides in Veracruz, Mexico

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Cloud Precipitation

At least 10 dead or missing after flooding in Vietnam


Viet Nam News
Fri, 05 Aug 2016 20:12 UTC
A suspension bridge is drowned under the water in Dong Tuyen Commune.
© otofun.vnA suspension bridge is drowned under the water in Dong Tuyen Commune.
At least 10 people are reportedly dead or missing following a flood last night in the northern Lào Cai Province, authorities said this morning.

The mountainous Bát Xát District suffered the heaviest human loss with three people dead and six missing being swept away by the flood.

Updates from the Bát Xát Permanent Committee for Flood and Storm Control and Prevention as of 8am today said the people were residents from three communes of Cốc San, Tòng Sành and Phìn Ngan.

The flood also swept away another person in the tourist destination of Sa Pa District.

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Cloud Precipitation

Six dead as Tropical Storm Earl triggers landslides in Veracruz, Mexico


The Guardian
Sun, 07 Aug 2016 19:51 UTC
Soldiers help dig out damaged homes in Veracruz, Mexico. Six people died in the state when their homes were buried by landslides.
© Eduardo MurilloSoldiers help dig out damaged homes in Veracruz, Mexico. Six people died in the state when their homes were buried by landslides.
Six people died in eastern Mexico when they were buried in landslides caused by intense rainfall from the remnants of now-downgraded Tropical Storm Earl, an emergency services official said.

The six deaths involved two separate families in eastern Veracruz state, emergency services spokesman Manuel Escalera said.

He added that local authorities were continuing to monitor rising rivers and saturated soil that could trigger additional landslides.

Earl's maximum wind speed dropped to 30mph (48km/h) by Saturday afternoon, according to the Miami-based National Hurricane Center.

It was located approximately 105 miles (169km) east of Mexico City after pounding portions of Central America and crossing Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula over the past few days.


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Cloud Lightning

At least 15 killed by storms, flash floods in Skopje, Macedonia


RTE News
Sun, 07 Aug 2016 12:12 UTC
flooding skopje
© Ministry of Interior, Macedonia
Fierce storms packing strong winds and torrential rains killed at least 15 people overnight in Macedonia's capital of Skopje, police said.

Six people were missing, according to the police, while media reported that about one hundred others suffered injuries, most of them minor.

Among the dead was an eight-year-old girl, a hospital source told AFP.

Rain began falling at yesterday afternoon and lasted for 16 hours.

The freak weather included winds blowing at more than 70km/h and resulted in flash floods and landslides, local media reported.

Cars were seen swept away by the torrents, testifying to the force of the storm.



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Cloud Lightning

Lightning strikes kill two people and 80 animals in Nepal


The Kathmandu Post
Sun, 07 Aug 2016 12:00 UTC
Lightning
© MGN Online
Lightning bolts killed two people and more than 80 cattle in Makwanpur, Baitadi and Mugu districts in the last two days. At least eight people were injured.

In Sarikhet VDC-9 of Makwanpur, a thunderbolt struck a house in which a four-year-old girl died. Five others were injured in the incident. They were taken to Hetauda Hospital.

Similarly, a 13-year-old girl died after being hit by a lightning at Shrikot VDC-3 in Baitadi.

In Mugu, 80 goats and sheep were killed by lightning at Ruga VDC on Thursday night. Three people were also injured in the incident.
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Cloud Lightning

Man killed by lightning on Okaloosa Island, Florida

Wendy Victoria
The Northwest Florida Daily News
Fri, 05 Aug 2016 20:53 UTC
Lightning
A 22-year-old beach vendor died Friday after he was struck by lightning on Okaloosa Island, the Okaloosa County Sheriff's Office confirmed.

Zachary Fordem, who was working behind the Island Princess condominium when he was struck, was taken to Fort Walton Beach Medical Center with CPR in progress, according to Rich Huffnagle, Okaloosa County's beach safety division chief.

Fordem, of Freeport, was pronounced dead at the hospital later, the Sheriff's Office said.

Okaloosa Island firefighters got the call about 3:26 p.m., according to department officials. They arrived to find bystanders carrying the victim to the pool area.

"They thought they were doing all the good to carry him to the Island Princess," Capt. John Brinkerhoff said.
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Cloud Lightning

Breathtaking dashcam footage shows incredible lightning storm in Manitoba, Canada

Harvey Day
Daily Mail
Sat, 06 Aug 2016 20:41 UTC
Impressive dashcam footage has emerged of cloud-to-ground lightning strikes in Manitoba, Canada
Impressive dashcam footage has emerged of cloud-to-ground lightning strikes in Manitoba, Canada
Impressive dashcam footage has emerged of cloud-to-ground lightning strikes in Manitoba, Canada.

The shocking video was filmed on a highway on Wednesday night.

In the video the driver can be heard screaming as he cruises into the path of the lightning storm.

A low pressure system tracked across Manitoba throughout the day bringing severe thunderstorms.

The storm also delayed the Blue Bombers game, Winnipeg's Canadian football team, until late into the evening.

The shocking video was filmed on a highway on Wednesday night
The shocking video was filmed on a highway on Wednesday night
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