Storms
S

Passenger films incredible tornado swirling above a river from aeroplane window over Council Bluffs, Iowa

John Hutchinson
Daily Mail
Tue, 09 Aug 2016 16:37 UTC

Tornado on the ground in Council Bluffs, Iowa

This is the moment a passenger filmed a tornado from her aeroplane window as the aircraft she was travelling in, came in to land.

The tornado swirled over Council Bluffs, Iowa, on Thursday and could be seen from Omaha, Nebraska, on the other side of the Missouri River

Erika Morral captured the waterspout stretching to the sky above a body of water, as the aircraft made its descent.

The tornado swirled over Council Bluffs, Iowa, on Thursday and could be seen from Omaha, Nebraska, on the other side of the Missouri River.

Forecasters had warned of storms with damaging winds in parts of southwest and west central Iowa and east Nebraska last week.

It is not known exactly which airport the plane was coming into, but Eppley Airfield is three miles north-east of Omaha, and handles around 75 flights each day.

Waterspouts are like tornadoes, but gather over water rather than land.

They are created by swirling air currents. Waterspouts are common in the tropics, but can occur anywhere in the world where there is a body of water and stormy weather.

Comment: See also this footage taken at ground level: Waterspout forms over Lake Manawa, Iowa

New record set as three more tornadoes touch down in Manitoba, Canada

Jim Bender
Winnipeg Sun
Tue, 09 Aug 2016 09:09 UTC

Thirteenth tornado of season touches down in Waywayseecappo, flipping bus and putting Manitoba over the top

Manitoba may have unofficially set a rather dubious weather record.

With three more tornadoes touching down on Monday, this year's total has reached a total of 13 to date, Environment Canada meteorologist Terri Lang confirmed Tuesday.

The highest previous total Lang could find was nine back in 2013.

While early reports said there were actually four tornadoes in Manitoba on Monday, the fourth could not be confirmed, Lang said.

"Sometimes, what people think are tornadoes are land spouts," she said. "And there were a lot of land spouts, not tornadoes, last year."

There were only eight confirmed tornadoes in Manitoba last year, Lang said.

So, why the sudden increase this year?

"It's been a very active year, with more moisture than there was last year," Lang said. "And with that moisture, there is more positive feedback. When the moisture in the ground evaporates, it causes more storms. Crops are also growing better here, which is also giving off more moisture this year than last year when it was very dry.

"Plus the overall patterns from the Gulf of Mexico this year, it's just been too much."

So, whether Manitoba gets even more tornadoes this year will depend on that moisture.

Comment: A couple of weeks ago an "exceptional" storm ripped through Southern Manitoba. The EF 1 tornado produced a "swath of 10 to 20 kilometres wide of straight-line wind damage affecting a significant part of the region" Environment Canada said, with some of the winds gusting up to 140 km/hr.

Lightning bolt kills four students in Uganda

Martin Okudi
All Africa
Wed, 10 Aug 2016 09:05 UTC

Four students of Adjumani Secondary School in Ciforo Sub-county, Adjumani District have been confirmed dead while three others sustained injuries after they were struck by lightning on Tuesday afternoon.

Mr Buni Stephen Aju, the school's deputy head teacher, identified the deceased as Isaac Chandiga, who was in Senior One, Robert Manza, Richard Edema, and Nail Majak, all Senior Two students.

"We have five lightning arrestors on different structures... but if such a heartbreaking incident can occur within the school premises, then I strongly doubt the functionality of the lightning arrestors," Mr Buni said.

Mr Ismail Yabaga, the head boy elect of the school, who witnessed the incident, said the lightning struck one of the trees near the school laboratory and it affected most of the students nearby.

Several dead after heaviest snow in two decades hits Lesotho, Africa

Pam Wright
The Weather Channel
Mon, 08 Aug 2016 18:15 UTC

A winter storm dumped more snow on Lesotho, a high-altitude kingdom surrounded by South Africa, in late July than has been seen in any snow event since 1996.

According to Traveller 24 News, at least eight tourists were airlifted as a result of the storm and the deaths of several shepherds in the Joe Gqabi District Municipality were attributed to the heavy snow that fell on July 27.

Stefan Grab, a professor at the University of the Witwatersrand in South Africa, told NASA's Earth Observatory it has been at least two decades since a storm of this magnitude hit the area, but noted that things are very different today because of how quickly the snow melts at altitudes above 5,900 feet and how infrequently the area receives any snow compared with years past.

News reports did not say how much snow fell in the country, but it was more than enough to cover the higher elevations.

"This particular snowfall was an extreme event, but it's only extreme in the context that we haven't had something like this in a long time," said Grab in the report. "In the first half of the 20th century, or certainly in the 19th century, these were very common."

According to the government's website, Lesotho is a high-altitude, hilly kingdom completely surrounded by South Africa. With typically short winters, Lesotho is comparable in size to Maryland and tends to have mild winters. In recent years, the kingdom has suffered a severe drought, which may be a contributing factor in the infrequency of heavier snowfalls.

Waterspout seen in Sai Kung, Hong Kong

Coconuts - Hong Kong
Mon, 08 Aug 2016 20:10 UTC

The skies of Sai Kung were briefly graced with a waterspout (think tornado, but over water) earlier today while the Hong Kong Observatory's Thunderstorm Warning was in place.

At around 4:55pm, Hongkongers spotted the dramatic funnel-shaped column of water rotating over the surface of the sea.

A witness told Apple Daily she was at Pak Sha Wan Pier when the sky suddenly changed colour. "One of the clouds began spinning rapidly, like during a Typhoon 3, and formed a tail [the waterspout]. There was thunder and lightning... the entire process took around 15 minutes."

A spokesperson for the HKO told Apple Daily that the phenomenon came from a funnel cloud, which are sighted mostly during the wet 'n' wild (at least, temperature-wise) summer months in Hong Kong. According to the HKO, waterspouts and tornadoes are seen in Hong Kong once every one to two years.

Comment: Nearly 5,000 cloud-to-ground lightning strikes recorded in 3 hours over Hong Kong

Nearly 5,000 cloud-to-ground lightning strikes recorded in 3 hours over Hong Kong

South China Morning Post
Tue, 09 Aug 2016 16:51 UTC

In three hours of thunderstorms on Tuesday, lightning flashed close to 5,000 times in the city, according to the Hong Kong Observatory.

This included Hong Kong's 18th highest occurrence of cloud-to-ground lightning detected in a hour since records began in 2005, as heavy rain pelted down after a week of sweltering temperatures.

According to Li Yuet-sim, acting senior scientific officer of the Observatory, cloud-to-ground lightning was recorded 4,884 times between 11am and 1.59pm.

A total of 3,242 instances of cloud-to-ground lightning were detected between noon and 12.59pm, which is the 18th highest in an hour since records began, Li said.

She added that the highest was about 13,000 cloud-to-ground lightning strikes in an hour, recorded on September 9, 2010.

An amber rainstorm warning signal was issued between 12.30pm and 1.30pm, while a thunderstorm warning was in force 11.00am to 3.30pm.

Comment: See also: Hong Kong hit by 10,000 lightning flashes within 12 hours

17,000-ton oil rig blown ashore by heavy storm in Western Isles, Scotland

news.com.au
Tue, 09 Aug 2016 16:34 UTC

A 17,000 tonne oil rig has been swept ashore after being hit by severe weather and heavy winds in the Western Isles in Scotland.

Police rushed to cordon off the popular surf beach in Dalmore after fumes could be smelt coming from The Transocean Winner rig, reports The Mirror.

There is a risk that the structure, which is carrying 280 metric tonnes of diesel, could be damaged and leak its cargo into the sea.

The drilling rig became detached from the Alp Forward tug boat during severe weather conditions overnight.

HM Coastguard said: "The Maritime & Coastguard Agency's counter pollution branch and the SOSREP have both been monitoring the situation since yesterday evening and the local authority, police and Marine Scotland have all been kept informed."

According to former crew members the Transocean Winner carried out its last project at the end of July and was on its way to Malta to be broken into scrap, reports The Mirror.

4 die in lightning strikes in Odisha, India

Business Standard.
Tue, 09 Aug 2016 16:14 UTC

At least four persons died and two others injured in lightning strikes in two places of Balasore district today, police said.

Of the four, Ajit Das (18) and his grandfather Mahendra Das(58) died at Gabgaon village under Chandipur police station while Basanti Singh (12) died at Ganeswarpur under Remuna block.

Jaleswar police said one Jogeswar Jena in Mahisamunda village under Jaleswar Block also died in a lightning strike.

The bodies have been sent for post-mortem.

Source: Press Trust of India

Lightning strikes kill three in Uttar Pradesh, India

The Hindu
Tue, 09 Aug 2016 16:00 UTC

Three persons were killed in a lightning strike in Uttar Pradesh even as light to moderate rains lashed several areas in the state today.

Gayatri (60), Doodnath (65) and Ramjanm Rajak were killed after being hit by lightning in different parts of Ballia district yesterday, police said.

Sawayajpur recorded 5 cm of rainfall followed by Babatpur and Shahjahanpur (4 cm each), Misrikh, Turtipar and Bhatpurawaghat (3 cm each), the regional meteorological department said.

Heavy rain is likely at isolated places in western part of the state and thundershowers may occur at few other places tomorrow, it said.