Storms
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Snowflake

New Zealand blasted by heavy dump of summer SNOW as ex-cyclone Gita wreaks havoc and turns weather patterns on their head (VIDEO, PHOTOS)

Hannah Moore
Daily Mail
Wed, 21 Feb 2018 14:40 UTC
The Remarkables ski field in Queenstown had on average 50cm of snow on Wednesday morning.
© NZSkThe Remarkables ski field in Queenstown had on average 50cm of snow on Wednesday morning.
New Zealand's weather has taken a bizarre turn as Cyclone Gita unleashes damaging winds and rainfall on the country, with a heavy dump of snow hitting the ski fields of the South Island.

Coronet Peak has had about 10-15cm of snow at the base of its ski fields, and snow drifts of more than one metre have blanketed the Remarkables.

Ski manager Ross Lawrence told Stuff across the area there was 50cm of snow on average, but he didn't expect it to last long.

'Remember it is only February so the sun will come out again soon,' he said.

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Cloud Lightning

"Fireball": Lightning strike damages ancient Scottish castle (VIDEO, PHOTOS)


RT
Tue, 20 Feb 2018 03:59 UTC
‘Massive fireball’ lightning strike damages ancient Scottish castle
© Wikimedia CommonsCastle Maol.
An ancient castle on the northwest coast of Scotland has been heavily damaged by a lightning strike that a witness compared to a "massive fireball."

Castle Maol on the Isle of Skye was left significantly damaged by the dramatic display of nature's power. Local hotel manager Robert Ireland captured dramatic footage of the powerful strike that blasted the ancient tower.

Duncan Barwise, who was safely indoors during the violent storm, described it as "a rare and unnerving combination of lightning, thunder, violent wind, and wet snow." Local man Barwise captured before and after photos of the ruin.

Comment: The nature of lightning as we know it is changing: From a review for Earth Changes and the Human-Cosmic Connection by Pierre Lescaudron and Laura Knight-Jadczyk:
"electric universe and nemesis theories and ties them to explain how the nemesis and it's cometary swarm are effecting the Earth including the slowdown of the Earth's rotation, an increase in earthquakes, fireballs and meteors in our atmosphere, meteorite impacts on the ground, volcanic eruptions and sinkholes, global cooling, disruptions of the Gulf Stream and the jet streams, more frequent hurricanes, lightning and tornadoes, floods, droughts, strange and new types of clouds and anomalous sounds, crop failure, and pole shifts."
Also check out SOTT's monthly documentary: SOTT Earth Changes Summary - January 2018: Extreme Weather, Planetary Upheaval, Meteor Fireballs

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Windsock

Former cyclone Gita hits New Zealand; state of emergency declared in Christchurch


BBC News
Tue, 20 Feb 2018 07:02 UTC
ex cyclone Gita
Christchurch and two other districts on New Zealand's South Island have declared a state of emergency as former cyclone Gita hit the country.

Dozens of schools have been shut and roads closed on the South Island as the storm made landfall on Tuesday.

New Zealand's national airline has cancelled all flights in and out of the capital, Wellington, on North Island.

Residents were told to expect floods and winds of up to 150km/h (90mph).

The Grey District and Buller Districts on South Island have now also declared a state of emergency.

"The full impact of the storm will be felt overnight and tomorrow morning," said Christchurch Mayor Lianne Dalziel.

She urged residents in low-lying areas to evacuate, saying: "We are expecting homes to be flooded."

Comment: Earlier this month ex Cyclone Fehi caused major flooding in New Zealand's South Island.

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Cloud Precipitation

Torrential rain causes flash flooding in Limassol, Cyprus (VIDEOS)

George Psyllides
Cyprus Mail
Sat, 17 Feb 2018 15:31 UTC
Limassol
© KitasweatherLimassol flood
Overnight torrential rain in Limassol caused thousands of euros in damage, as dwellings flooded and motorists were stranded on deluged roads and parking lots along the coast.

The fire service said it had received over 200 calls for assistance, mainly to pump water from flooded homes and basements but also to free stranded drivers.

Dozens of crews worked to restore the damage caused by the floods, which affected almost all areas of Limassol.

No major problems were recorded in the district's higher regions apart from small landslides that were dealt with immediately.

In the area near the city's old port, several restaurants suffered a lot of damage from the torrents and the cars swept by the rushing water.

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Tornado2

Rare winter tornado tears a path of destruction through Uniontown, Pennsylvania (PHOTOS)

Renatta Signorini, Joe Napsha and Jacob Tierney
Trib Live
Fri, 16 Feb 2018 18:40 UTC
mess
A rare February tornado with wind gusts up to 105 mph tore a path of destruction through part of Uniontown Thursday night, ripping roofs from homes and businesses, toppling trees and leaving debris strewn in the streets.

Based on the tornado's path of damage and the circular path of the debris field, National Weather Service warning coordination meteorologist Fred McMullen determined it was an F1 tornado and not straight-line winds, said Lee Hendricks, a weather service meteorologist.

"It looked bad last night. But then, when the sun came up this morning, it was like 'wow,'" said Uniontown Fire Chief Buck Griffith.

It was the first time since 1950 that a tornado struck in the Pittsburgh region in February, and it is unusual that the tornado struck in an urban area, Hendricks said.
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Cloud Lightning

Massive explosion caused by lightning strike shakes Sunshine Coast, Australia


Central Telegraph
Sat, 17 Feb 2018 14:10 UTC
LIGHTNING
A massive explosion caused by lightning hitting powerlines on the Sunshine Coast has been caught on dashcam.

Higgins Storm Chasing shared the video overnight.

"Watch this absolutely CRAZY explosion from a lightning strike hitting power lines during the height of our storm chase!" the post reads.

"It was so blinding it took us a while to work out what had actually happened.
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Cloud Lightning

West coast of South Island, New Zealand hit by 9000 lightning strikes


RNZ
Sat, 17 Feb 2018 13:55 UTC
The West Coast has been hit by around 9,00o lightning strikes
© MetServiceThe West Coast has been hit by around 9,000 lightning strikes
The West Coast had around 9000 lightning strikes as a thunderstorm and heavy rain worked its way up the South Island.

Rain earlier in the day caused a number of slips on State Highway 6, including between Whataroa and Haast, Westport and Greymouth, and at Barrytown, but the road is now open.

MetService forecaster Cameron Coutts said most of the lightning strikes were out to sea.

He said the the heavy rain warning for Buller was lifted at 5pm, but the West Coast was in for more heavy rain on Sunday, particularly around Fiordland.

The downpours came ahead of warnings of gales and heavy rain from Cyclone Gita, expected to make its way to New Zealand early next week.
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Question

What knocked over 100 giant trees in Washington's Olympic National Park?

CRAIG SAILOR
The News Tribune
Wed, 14 Feb 2018 08:54 UTC
Downed trees in Olympic National Park
© Bill Bacchus, Olympic National ParkSplintered old growth trees block the July Creek Trail along Lake Quinault in Olympic National Park after being toppled by a mysterious windstorm in the early hours of Jan. 27, 2018.
It came in the night, snapping trees like chopsticks.

During the early hours of Jan. 27 more than 100 gigantic old growth trees fell on the north shore of Lake Quinault.

The resulting thud at about 1:30 a.m. was strong enough to register as a small earthquake, according to a seismic monitor at Quinault.

Fallen trees, their splintered trunks left pointing in the air, blocked North Shore Road and damaged utility lines along a 1,000-foot stretch. The sides of the blowdown area were about one half-mile long.

Officials from Olympic National Park knew some sort of wind event was the culprit but nearby weather stations reported only light breezes that night. Radar didn't show any storms.

University of Washington climatologist Cliff Mass investigated the mystery like, in his words, Sherlock Holmes.

The fallen trees in the affected area near July Creek were all facing south. The wind had to come from the north.

"The strong winds could not have been the result of microburst associated with a thunderstorm or strong convection," Mass wrote on his weather blog. "Weather radar showed no such feature and the lightning detection network had no strikes in the region."

Theories abounded on the park's Facebook page: Experimental military equipment, tornado, Sasquatch.

Comment: Olympic National Park's unsolved mystery: What caused over 100 trees to fall down in the middle of the night?

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Cloud Precipitation

Hailstorms cause extensive damage to crops in 984 villages across Madhya Pradesh, India


India Today
Fri, 16 Feb 2018 14:51 UTC
crop DAMAGE
Crop damage
As many as 984 villages in Madhya Pradesh were hit by recent hailstorms that caused extensive damage to crops, an official said today.

Villages in Sehore, Bhopal, Hoshangabad, Shivpuri, Ashoknagar, Raisen and other districts in the state were lashed by hailstorms between Sunday and Monday.

State Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan yesterday held a meeting here and took a review of the post-hailstorm situation. He directed the officials to estimate the crop damage in a transparent manner, a public relations department official said.

During the meeting, Chouhan was informed that 984 villages were affected by hailstorms, he said.


Comment: See also this report from the state of Maharashtra: Unusual hailstorm kills 2 and damages crops in India

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Windsock

Dust storm hits Melbourne, Australia


Triplem
Wed, 14 Feb 2018 13:18 UTC
Dust storm hitting Melbourne
Incredible footage has emerged of a dust storm currently sweeping over Melbourne.

A combination of Victoria's recent dry weather and Wednesday's strong winds have caused a significant amount of dust unearthed and displaced across the city.

A severe weather warning has been issued due to a strong cold front which will cross Victoria this morning and early afternoon.
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