Storms
S


Cloud Precipitation

Large egg-shaped hailstones pound Shanxi, China; over 18,000 cars damaged

Hail Damage
A heavy hailstorm struck Changzhi in northwest China's Shanxi Province on Monday.

The storm lasted for over half an hour and the largest hailstones are more than 45mm in diameter, which caused huge damages to cars that parked outdoors.

Large hail

Cloud Lightning

Lightning bolt killed 3 elephants in India

Team of experts conducting post-mortem on Monday
Team of experts conducting post-mortem on Monday
Scotching reports that three elephants in Deogarh's Damdami Hill in Prabhasuni Reserve Forest died due to anthrax, investigation by a veterinary team has attributed the cause to lightning.

Prof Niranjan Sahu, who headed the team, said dehydration and putrefaction levels of the three elephants were the same. The level of dehydration five days after the death is a symptom of lightning, he said. Lightning as a cause is considered very unusual.

The investigation team found that the pachyderms - two female and a calf - were found dead in close proximity. In case of a disease, the level of dehydration and putrefaction will not be the same while the animals are not likely drop dead in the same place. Same theory applies to poisoning too.

Prof Sahu of Odisha University if Agriculture and Technology (OUAT) performed the autopsy on the three elephants at the spot on Monday in presence of RCCF, Rourkela, Lingraj Ota and Deogarh DFO, Binay Kumar Biswasi on Monday. The team also comprises Dr Sourabh Hota, Dr Haresh Kumar Dalai, both from OUAT, Sub-Divisional Veterinary Officer Dr Ranjit Samantray and Tileibani Veterinary surgeon Dr Satyabrata Mishra.

Cloud Lightning

Man in serious condition after being struck by lightning on Baby Lake, Minnesota

Lightning
A 48-year-old man was in serious condition Monday after being struck by lightning Sunday morning while fishing on Baby Lake in rural Hackensack.

The Cass County Sheriff's office was notified of the lightning strike at 10:38 a.m. When responders and medical personnel arrived they found three adult males fishing in a boat and one was struck by lightning.

Wei Wei, 48, of Iowa was transported via North Air Care to Hennepin County Medical Center in Minneapolis and Max Wei, 18, and a juvenile male were taken by North Memorial Ambulance to Essentia Health-St. Joseph's Medical Center in Brainerd.

Assisting at the scene were the Hackensack and Longville First Responders, Minnesota DNR Conservation, Minnesota State Patrol, North Memorial Ambulance and Air Care.

Cloud Lightning

Farmworker killed by lightning in Manatee County, Florida

lightning
Authorities are investigating after they say a farmworker was struck and killed by lightning in Florida.

News agencies report the Manatee County Sheriff's Office says the man was struck Monday evening.

Deputies say the 47-year-old victim, who worked at the Falkner Farm, was helping two other farmworkers load a truck when the storm began just after 5 p.m.

Authorities say all three workers were struck by lightning and taken to the hospital, where one of them was pronounced dead.

The victim's name has not been released.


Source: Associated Press

Cloud Lightning

Rare 'red sprites' burst out of supercell storm in Texas

rare red sprite over Texas
© YouTube/RT NEWS (screen capture)
Very rare 'Red Sprites' shoot out of the tops of supercell thunderstorms near Amarillo, Texas.


Comment: Red Sprites - A strange and beautiful form of lightning


Cloud Precipitation

Ferocious hailstorm causes havoc in Harbin, China

Hailstorm
A ferocious hail and rainstorm lashed Harbin City in north-east China, wreaking mayhem on the streets and disrupting traffic.

Coin-sized hailstone pellets pelted Harbin for some 10 minutes on Sunday before a heavy rainstorm moved in, causing flooding up to 20-centimeters high in some places.



Cloud Lightning

Lightning strikes kill another 6 in Bangladesh; 14 deaths in 2 days

Lightning
Lightning killed six people in Khulna, Bagerhat, Jessore, Satkhira and Jhenaidah on Sunday.

Khulna

Murad Gazi, 33 and his daughter Rajia Sultana Sonali, 7, were killed at Modbari village under Koyra Upzila of the district in the morning as lightning struck them at the balcony of their house, Officer-in-Charge of Koyra Police Station confirmed.

Bagerhat

Monoara Begum, 35, wife of Shah Alam of Kachua Village, was killed at the yard of her house also in the morning, Officer-in-Charge of Kochua Police Station Sheikh Shamser Ali said.

Jhenaidah

At 10 am, lightning killed a fire service official, Milon Miah, 28, son of Bulbul Miah of Raghunathpur village under Kaliganj Upazila of the district. Kotchadpur Fire Service Station Manager Alauddin said.

Comment: See also: Update: Lightning strikes kill 8 across Bangladesh


Cloud Lightning

Lightning bolt kills two in Nepal

Lightning
Two young women died after being struck by lightning in Makawanpur district on Sunday.

The victims have been identified as Bishnu Maya Pakhrin (17) and Khil Kumari Rumba (20) of Aambhanjyang-4 in the district.

Police said they were inside their house when the bolt of lightning struck them.

Severely injured after the lightning struck them, they were being rushed to the Hetaunda Hospital for treatment. They, however, breathed their last on the way, according to the Makawanpur District Police Office.

Pakhrin was a student of grade VIII while Rumba was of grade XII at a local school, police added.

Tornado2

Family flees as tornado forms overhead in Baker, Montana

Tornado forming over Baker, Montana
© YouTube/Travis Hafield (screen capture)
It's not the sort of thing you expect to see on your way back from a wedding reception.

Travis Hafield posted the video above to his YouTube channel Saturday, showing what appears to be either a tornado forming, or a very well-defined funnel cloud, as tornado sirens wail in the background in the Montana town of Baker.

That video does not show the funnel making contact, but Hafield posted a second video later, as he and his family fled the scene, showing what appeared to be a debris cloud at ground level, though the bottom of the tornado is not visible.

It's not clear if that is the same tornado confirmed by the National Weather Service to have moved through Baker Saturday night a little after 7 p.m. Officials in the county reported late Saturday that a second tornado was believed to have touched down, according to KX News.

Though no deaths or serious injuries have been reported, county officials reported at least two homes were destroyed, with another 10 damaged.

"I've lived here my whole life. It's the worst destruction I've seen," Fallon County commissioner Steve Baldwin told the Billings Gazette.


Cloud Lightning

Update: Lightning strikes kill 8 across Bangladesh

Lightning
Lightning strikes kill eight people and injures eight others in Cox's Bazar, Bagerhat, Patuakhali, Jhalakati and Noakhali on Saturday.

In Cox's Bazar, two people were killed in Teknaf and Ukhia upazilas.

Kamal Hossain was killed in Technaf while Siraj-ud-Doullah died in Ukhia.

Police and family members of the victims said Kamal Hossain was struck on Shamlapur sea beach while Siraj-ud-Doullah died in Chingri Khamar area.

In Bagerhat, two people were killed and two others injured in separate lightning strikes in Mollahat and Morelganj upazila in the afternoon.

Comment: Updated from this earlier reported: Lightning strikes kill 5 and injure 8 in Bangladesh