Storms
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Snowflake

US: Christmas brings Northeast blizzard, bitter cold in Midwest


The Associated Press
Tue, 26 Dec 2017 12:00 UTC
Snowy Road
© Darren Calabrese/The Canadian Press via APPedestrians walk down the centre of the road in Moncton, N.B., as a winter storm blows through Atlantic Canada on Christmas Day, Monday, Dec. 25, 2017.
The good news for many in the Northeast and Midwest was that it has been a white Christmas. The bad news was that a blizzard swept into parts of New England and bitter cold enveloped much of the Midwest.

Even the usually rainy Pacific Northwest got the white stuff. The National Weather Service says it's only the sixth time since 1884 that downtown Portland had measurable snow — only an inch or two — on a Dec. 25.

A blizzard warning was issued Monday for portions of Maine and New Hampshire, with forecasters saying snow of up to 10 inches (25 centimeters) and wind gusts up to 50 mph (80 kph) could make travel "dangerous to impossible."

Most businesses were already shuttered on Christmas Day in New England. One of the few open was The Tobacconist cigar shop in Tewksbury, Massachusetts, where area-resident Dwayne Doherty said he welcomed the fresh blanket of snow.
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Snowflake

Record-shattering 53 inches of snow in 30 hours for Erie, Pennsylvania

Matt Rosenberg
Trib Live
Tue, 26 Dec 2017 13:13 UTC
snow
© Jill McCormick
OK, this is taking "White Christmas" a bit too far.

The National Weather Service in Cleveland reported the lake-effect snowfall that inundated Erie over the weekend and Christmas — and continues to fall — can now count itself as the most intense in Pennsylvania history.

Erie received 34 inches of snow on Christmas Day, not only breaking the all-time city Christmas record of 11 inches but also breaking the all-time daily snowfall record, which was 20 inches on Nov. 22, 1956.

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Snowflake

Upwards of 20 inches of overnight snow slams Petoskey, Michigan

Aaron Parseghian
9and10news
Mon, 25 Dec 2017 12:40 UTC
snow
Emmet County, specifically Petoskey, is continuing to deal with the winter storm.

Downtown Petoskey saw near whiteout conditions all day.

Some that live in the area woke up to upwards of 20 inches of snow overnight.

It was a lot more than many wanted to deal with, others are excited to see the snow piling up.

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Cloud Lightning

Thundersnow reported around Boston

Dan Glaun
Mass Live
Mon, 25 Dec 2017 11:45 UTC
Thundersnow
The National Weather Service has confirmed that today's snowstorm has featured thunder and isolated lightning strikes in the Boston area.

"Thanks for all your reports of thunder snow this morning," the NWS said on Twitter. "We have seen the lightning on lightning detection, mainly in clouds but a few cloud to ground near and W/NW of Boston."

WCVB reported that multiple lightning strikes were detected on radar around. 9:30 a.m. near Needham, Wellesley and Newton.

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Cloud Lightning

Lightning kills 80 people in Cambodia during 2017

Mu Xuequan
Xinhua
Mon, 25 Dec 2017 11:39 UTC
lightning
Eighty Cambodians, mostly rural residents, were killed by lightning strikes in 2017, down 26 percent from the 108 deaths in 2016, a disaster control spokesman said on Monday.

Besides the fatalities, thunderbolts also injured 63 others this year, down 40 percent from the 105 injuries last year, said Keo Vy, the spokesman for the National Committee for Disaster Management.

He said although the fatal numbers from lightning strikes had declined, lightning was still the leading cause of deaths among fatalities from natural disasters.

"The weather this year was much better than that of last year," he told Xinhua.
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Windsock

Severe weather and high winds leave over 72K in Poland without power on Christmas Eve


RT
Sun, 24 Dec 2017 15:55 UTC
Wind sock
© Global Look Press
A seven-year-old child was killed and over 70,000 people were left without electricity on Christmas Eve in Poland, which was hit by winds of up to 95kph early on Sunday.

A tree fell on a moving car in Koscierzyna County on Poland's Baltic Sea coast. A seven-year-old boy was killed in the accident. His father, who was driving the vehicle, was hospitalized, Fakt24 website reports.

The severe weather has affected 10 out of 16 voivodeships in Poland, with strong winds bringing down trees, damaging buildings, and crippling power lines. As a result, over 72,000 Poles were left without electricity on Christmas Eve, the Government Security Center said. The worst situation is currently in Pomeranian Voivodship, where 53,000 were affected by the blackout.
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Cloud Precipitation

Massive flooding hits Cagayan de Oro, Philippines following Storm Vinta (UPDATE: More than 130 dead)

Pamela Jay F. Orias
Sun Star
Fri, 22 Dec 2017 14:52 UTC
Flood in Cagayan de Oro
Flood in Cagayan de Oro
Massive flooding, reminiscent of the deadly 2011 Tropical Storm Sendong, hit this city Friday morning, December 22, after Tropical Storm Vinta (international codename: Tembin) battered Mindanao Thursday night.

The City Disaster Risk Reduction Management Department (CDRRMD) placed the city on red alert Friday morning as the Cagayan River reached its critical level.

"It was like Sendong all over again, but only this happened in the morning," a resident said.

Sendong (international codename: Washi) ravaged Northern Mindanao and Caraga regions on the night of December 16, 2011, leaving more than 1,200 people dead -- at least 900 bodies were found in Cagayan de Oro.


Comment: UPDATE 12/23/2017:
Philippines tropical storm: More than 130 dead after flooding

Dozens of people are said to be missing, while power and communication lines are down, complicating rescue efforts.

Mudslides and flooding triggered by a tropical storm in the Philippines have killed 133 people, officials have said. [...]

Most of the deaths were in the provinces of Lanao del Norte and Lanao del Sur, and on the Zamboanga Peninsula, Romina Marasigan from the government's disaster response agency said.

In the fishing village of Anungan, more than 30 people were swept away by flash floods. Sibuco town mayor Bong Edding said five bodies had been recovered so far.

"The floodwaters from the mountain came down so fast and swept away people and houses," Mr Edding said.

"It's really sad because Christmas is just a few days away. But these things happen beyond our control."

Mr Edding blamed the tragedy on years of logging in the mountains near Anungan.


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Snowflake Cold

Tropopause freeze anomaly & sparkler electrical storms in South Australia


Adapt 2030
Thu, 21 Dec 2017 15:56 UTC
Tropopause anomaly
© YouTube/Adapt 2030 (screen capture)
Serious disturbance in the Tropopause where a segment of the atmosphere has dropped super cooled air to the surface of our planet. USA set for all time record cold of -21C in Louisiana and on into Mexico and across the SE USA. Arctic sea ice recovering to nearly the baseline of 1981. Also temperature measurements are being used to still push the CO2 global warming narrative.


Comment: Spectacular 'spider lightning' display turns Adelaide sky pink (VIDEO)

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Snowflake

Record snowfall for Calgary, Canada


Calgary Herald
Wed, 20 Dec 2017 20:08 UTC
Road conditions worsen in Calgary
Road conditions worsen in Calgary
As much as 31 centimetres of snow fell across Calgary since Tuesday afternoon, creating commuter headaches and leaving roads and sidewalks dangerously icy.

Data released by Environment Canada indicate southern portions of the city bore the heaviest brunt of the storm, receiving almost twice as much snow as Calgary's northern areas before it tapered off late Wednesday morning.

The storm also broke the day's previous snowfall record of 11.7 cm set in 1953.

Calgary's snowfall was part of a larger system that blanketed much of southwestern Alberta in snow, with the hamlet of Beaver Mines west of Pincher Creek getting as much as 60 cm of precipitation.

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Attention

Killer whale calf is found dead after being blown 25 yards onto land after Storm Caroline on Shetland, Scotland

Phoebe Southworth
Daily Mail
Thu, 21 Dec 2017 19:22 UTC
A killer whale calf is believed to have died in agony after being blown ashore by the ferocious 90mph gales of Storm Caroline
A killer whale calf is believed to have died in agony after being blown ashore by the ferocious 90mph gales of Storm Caroline
A killer whale calf is believed to have died in agony after being blown ashore by the ferocious 90mph gales of Storm Caroline.

Tragic images show the young orca's body on a grassy Shetland shoreline almost three weeks after the storm hit.

The three-metre long whale is thought to have died of dehydration or been crushed by its own body weight after becoming stranded.

It was discovered by a member of the public on the west coast of Shetland's main island at least 25 metres from the shoreline

The orca was probably separated from its mother by the weather, according to the Hillswick Wildlife Sanctuary

Hillswick, the island's only wild animal rehabilitation centre, reported the beaching to the Scottish Marine Animal Strandings Scheme (SMAS) who have carried out a post-mortem.
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