Storms
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Cloud Lightning

30,000 lightning strikes and large hail as 'super-cell' storms hit New South Wales


9News
Thu, 26 Oct 2017 20:03 UTC
Heavy rain over the Gold Coast
© 9NEWSHeavy rain over the Gold Coast yesterday.
More than 30,000 lightning strikes battered the Hunter Region as intense 'super-cell' storms hit the east coast overnight.

The storms brought wind gusts of up to 90km/h and golf ball-sized hailstones to parts of New South Wales' north coast and Queensland's south-east.

In NSW, the SES attended about 250 calls for help while in Queensland emergency workers were called to 46 incidents, mainly around Toowoomba, a spokesman said.

Five centimetre hailstones were see in Gresford in the Hunter Valley, while residents in Newcastle also reported a deluge.

The showers have continued on-and-off since, with commuters being warned to watch for possible flash flooding in the CBD.

Meanwhile, the Gosford to Newcastle train line is experiencing significant delays as a result of power lines that are down. Bus service is replacing trains.

Comment: A few days ago thunderstorms created over 50,000 lightning strikes in south-west Western Australia.

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Cloud Precipitation

Great Lakes storm undergoes bombogenesis, brings down trees and powerlines in Michigan's Upper Peninsula

Jonathan Erdman
The Weather Channel
Tue, 24 Oct 2017 20:08 UTC
A tree is downed during a high wind event in Marquette, Michigan, on Oct. 24, 2017
© sageandspry/IGA tree is downed during a high wind event in Marquette, Michigan, on Oct. 24, 2017
A Great Lakes storm underwent bombogenesis early Tuesday and produced damaging winds that whipped up impressively high waves in Lake Superior.

The low-pressure system intensified from a weak area of low pressure over the Ohio Valley Monday morning to an intense low centered near Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, early Tuesday morning.

The rate of intensification - a 27 millibar drop in the surface low in 24 hours - satisfied the criterion for atmospheric bombogenesis, or a rapidly strengthening low pressure system.

Winds near the Lake Superior shoreline gusted to over 60 mph Tuesday morning and downed trees and powerlines in over two dozen locations in Alger, Marquette and Schoolcraft counties.

Wind instruments about 115 feet above the lake surface at Stannard Rock Lighthouse, about 40 miles north-northeast of Marquette, Michigan, measured a wind gust of 77 mph Tuesday morning.

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Cloud Lightning

Watch: 250-mile long lightning strike caught on satellite video

Scott Sistek
KOMONEWS.com
Thu, 26 Oct 2017 19:45 UTC
The start of a 250-long lightning strike observed over Kansas by NOAA's GOES 16 satellite on Oct. 22, 2017.
© NOAAThe start of a 250-long lightning strike observed over Kansas by NOAA's GOES 16 satellite on Oct. 22, 2017.
One of the little known dangers of lightning is that it can strike dozens of miles away from the actual thunderstorm itself.

Or in one case this week, hundreds of miles.

The new GOES 16 satellite has an advanced lightning sensor and captured a flash that started from a thunderstorm in southeastern Kansas and propagated about 250 miles across parts of Oklahoma and Missouri, according to NOAA:

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Ice Cube

Giant hail hits Formosa, Argentina damaging more than 1,000 buildings


Sott.net
Thu, 26 Oct 2017 17:07 UTC
Giant hail in Formosa, Argentina
© DeolhonoTempoGiant hail in Formosa, Argentina
A severe hail storm hit the municipality of Formosa in northern Argentina on Wednesday, 25 October, 2017.

According to the Civil Defense, more than one thousand buildings were damaged, with trees crushed by hailstones up to eight centimeters in diameter, reports DeolhonoTempo.

Boats traveling along the Paraguay River also recorded damage, mainly on the Argentine side. In some rural areas, newly germinated soybean plantations were completely destroyed.

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Snowflake

Record-breaking snowfall of 55 cms knocks out power, cancels buses in northeastern British Columbia

Andrew Kurjata
CBC News
Wed, 25 Oct 2017 12:46 UTC
Between 20 and 55 centimetres of snow had fallen throughout the Peace by Wednesday morning, making for treacherous driving conditions.
© Algie BilleyBetween 20 and 55 centimetres of snow had fallen throughout the Peace by Wednesday morning, making for treacherous driving conditions.
A record-breaking snowfall knocked out power to thousands of customers Tuesday and shut down bus routes in northeast B.C.

According to Environment Canada meteorologist Lisa West, 23.0 cm fell in Fort St. John, beating the previous daily high of 15.2 centimetres on October 24, 1933.

An additional 32 centimetres fell on the city Wednesday morning for a total of 55 centimetres.

"That came close to but didn't break the old [October 25] record of 35.6 centimetres set in 1918," West said.

All city buses in Fort St. John were cancelled until 1 pm, waiting for snow ploughs to clear the roads.

All school buses in Peace River North and South, which include Dawson Creek, Fort St. John and Chetwynd, have been cancelled. Schools remain open.
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Cloud Precipitation

Thunderstorms with hail the size of golf balls hit areas in and around Newcastle, Australia

Brodie Owen
The Herald (Australia)
Thu, 26 Oct 2017 12:09 UTC
Hail at Adamstown Heights.
© Ivan SpyrdzHail at Adamstown Heights.
Thunderstorms and hail the size of golf balls have lashed parts of the Hunter, with the severe weather not expected to ease until Friday.

The hail fell in Newcastle shortly before 4.30pm and lasted about 15 minutes.

The western reaches of the Hunter experienced hail about 4pm.

In Gresford, there were reports of hail about five centimetres in diameter, which is classified by meteorologists as "huge" hail.

Weatherzone meteorologist Craig McIntosh said the storm was "widespread" across the Hunter.

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Cloud Precipitation

2017 Hurricane season not over yet: Tropical Storm Philippe may form in the Caribbean

Doyle Rice
USA Today
Wed, 25 Oct 2017 01:28 UTC
tropical storm philippe 2017
The 2017 Atlantic hurricane season may not be over yet.

An area of showers and thunderstorms now spinning in the western Caribbean has a 50% chance of developing into Tropical Storm Philippe by the weekend, the National Hurricane Center said.

The disturbance is likely to drift across the northwestern Caribbean into Friday, then across the Florida Straits and part of South Florida on Saturday, according to AccuWeather meteorologist Dan Kottlowski.

On Sunday, it's likely to take a path parallel to the Atlantic coast of the U.S., he added.
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Windsock

Entire island of Maui loses power as severe storms slam Hawaii

Chris Dolce
Weather Channel
Tue, 24 Oct 2017 14:25 UTC
Downed power lines on Maui, Hawaii
© MECODowned power lines on Maui, Hawaii following powerful storms
Severe storms with damaging winds and heavy rainfall struck Hawaii early Tuesday morning from a storm that formed north of the islands.

The Maui Police Department tweeted early Tuesday that there was an island-wide power outage from the storms and that Maui Electric was working to restore power. Maui has a population of about 150,000.

A teenage girl suffered a leg injury when a tree fell on a bus stop along Ala Moana Boulevard late Wednesday night, according to KHON.

Flash flooding has also been reported from heavy downpours. The Maui Police Department said Haleakala Highway was closed by flooding at the intersection of Hana Highway early Tuesday.

More stormy weather is expected to affect Hawaii through the day on Tuesday, particularly in Maui and the Big Island. That National Weather Service has posted a flash flood watch through Tuesday afternoon.
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Tornado2

Powerful storm including two EF-2 tornadoes hit Carolinas leaving 66,000 without power


WCNC
Tue, 24 Oct 2017 19:55 UTC
Hickory Airport storm damage
© CityofHickoryPlanes and hangars at Hickory Regional Airport were destroyed by the storm. Hickory was one of the hardest-hit towns in North Carolina
The Carolinas are picking up the pieces after heavy rain, tornadoes, damaging winds, and flash flooding left a path of destruction Monday.

Thousands woke up Tuesday across our viewing area with no power. Duke Energy continued to lower the numbers throughout the day, however, they remained high. According to the North Carolina Emergency Management, as of 9:30 a.m. there were about 66,000 homes and businesses without power statewide.

An apparent tornado caused widespread damage in Spartanburg County, S.C., according to NBC affiliate WYFF. National Weather Service meteorologists confirmed a

The Hickory Regional Airport suffered significant damage from an apparent tornado, as well. Cars were flipped and several small airplanes were toppled over into a huge pile of debris.


Comment: The National Weather Service confirmed that two EF-2 tornadoes touched down in Cherokee County and Spartanburg County in South Carolina on Tuesday.

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Tornado2

4 tornadoes strike area around Jakarta, Indonesia


Coconuts
Tue, 24 Oct 2017 16:51 UTC
Three waterspout tornadoes appeared in Jakarta’s Pulau Seribu subdistrict on Monday, Oct 24, 2017
© Sutopo Purwo NugrohoThree waterspout tornadoes appeared in Jakarta’s Pulau Seribu subdistrict on Monday, Oct 24, 2017
As Jakarta transitions into the rainy season, most of the Indonesian capital's residents are probably worried about the possibility of epic flooding like in years past, but a series of tornadoes, one in Bekasi and three off the coast of Jakarta in the capital's Pulau Seribu (Thousand Islands) subdistrict show there are other kinds of extreme weather phenomenon we need to watch out for.

The Bekasi Regional Disaster Mitigation Task Force (BPBD) says a tornado hit several homes on Jalan Raya Pangkalan II in Jakarta's satellite city of Bekasi on Sunday afternoon.

Fortunately, there were no casualties or injuries reported. However, the BPBD says a total of 20 homes were hit by the twister causing about IDR 60 million (USD 4,436) in damages, mostly to the roofs of the buildings.

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