Storms
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Cloud Precipitation

Rare tropical cyclone Chapala to bring eight years of rain in two days to Yemen, Oman

Peter Hannam
The Sydney Morning Herald
Fri, 30 Oct 2015 15:38 UTC
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A rare intense tropical cyclone has formed in the Arabian Sea and is forecast to dump eight years of rain in about 48 hours on typically arid regions of the Arabian Peninsula.

Cyclone Chapala has already generated sustained winds of 95 knots (175 km/h), according to the Joint Typhoon Warning Centre. It was also producing significant wave heights of more than seven metres. Eric Holthaus, a US meteorologist, estimates the storm will dump as much as eight times the annual rainfall of coastal regions of Yemen and Oman. These regions typically collect just 100-130 millimetres of rain a year.
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© Joint Typhoon Warning CentreThe projected path of Chapala indicates it will reach Yemen on Monday.
The port city of Salahah, in Oman, may face a coastal storm surge of as much as 4.5 metres, Mr Holthaus said, adding that it is likely to be heavy deluge and flooding that may pose the bigger threat.

"Tropical cyclones are an extreme rarity near the Arabian Peninsula," Mr Holthaus said. "Since reliable records begin in 1979, there have been only two hurricane-strength storms to make landfall in Oman, and the only storm to hit Yemen topped out with winds at a paltry 35 miles per hour [56 km/h], barely tropical storm strength."

Cyclone Chapala is the latest in a year of extreme weather.


Comment: For the latest in extreme weather from across the globe, see SOTT's Earth Changes Summary for September:


SOTT Earth Changes Summary - September 2015: Extreme Weather, Planetary Upheaval, Meteor Fireballs

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Cloud Lightning

Lightning strikes kill three farmers in India


The Hindu
Thu, 29 Oct 2015 16:40 UTC
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The monsoon rain claimed three lives in Karur and Perambalur districts on Wednesday. All of them were killed by lightning strikes.

While one incident was reported at Padalur in Perambalur district, another was at Lalapet in Karur district. Sources said lightning hit when S. Chidambaram (50) and his mother Chinnammal (70) were harvesting onion at a field in Padalur when they were struck by lightning.

Passersby shifted them to the nearby Primary Health Centre where both of them were declared brought dead. The victim, who was killed by lightning in Lalapet, was identified as Meera alias Saradha (40). She was working in a betel field when tragedy struck her.
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Cloud Precipitation

Thunderstorm floods roads, schools in Kuwait; flights suspended

Meshaal Al-Enezi
Kuwait Times
Wed, 28 Oct 2015 21:11 UTC
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Floodwater in Kuwait
A thunderstorm hit the country early yesterday, leading to the suspension of schools and universities and flooding in some areas and roads. The Interior Ministry cautioned motorists from the possible continuation of the thunderstorm, calling on people in Kuwait to contact the police and fire directorate's emergency teams in case of emergencies.

Officials from Kuwait University and the Ministry of Education released statements regarding the suspension of studies at schools and universities due to the bad weather conditions. The measure also took into consideration the safety of students and teaching staff at educational facilities.

The Kuwait Meteorological Center warned that the weather would remain unstable and cloudy, with moderate to strong southeasterly wind with speeds of 25-50 km/h, causing rising dust and low visibility of less than 1,500 m in some areas and a chance of rain that might be thundery at times.

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Cloud Lightning

Lightning bolt kills 3 in Zambia


Zambia Daily Mail
Wed, 28 Oct 2015 17:26 UTC
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Three people including a 10-year-old child of Chipepa village in Senior Chief Mwata Kazembe's area in Luapula Province, died on Independence Day after lightning struck them at a fishing camp.

Luapula Province commissioner of police Hudson Namachila identified the victims as John Chinyimba, 36, Good Kwempe, 41, and Mwelwa Katuba, 10, all of Chipepa village in Mwansabombombwe district.

Mr Namchila said the three met their fate at 18:25 hours.

"The three are believed to have died after lightning struck them at Nkalamo fishing camp in Luapula Province,'' Mr Namachila said.
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Cloud Precipitation

Massive storm hits Chinchilla, Australia; golf-ball-sized hail reported


abc.net.au
Wed, 28 Oct 2015 16:09 UTC
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© Derek BarryLarge hail and destructive winds hit Chinchilla this afternoon.

The entire population of more than 5,000 people in the Queensland town of Chinchilla are without power and roofs have collapsed on several houses and community buildings after a severe hail storm.

The Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) said golf-ball-sized hail and destructive winds tore through the town, in the state's Western Downs, on Wednesday afternoon.

Ergon Energy said it hoped to restore power to some of those properties overnight.

The main evacuation centre was among the buildings damaged, but Western Downs Mayor Ray Brown said the building was not needed because those affected had found alternative accommodation.

Chinchilla Christian School will be closed on Thursday due to the extent of damage.

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Cloud Precipitation

3 successive hail storms hit Western Australia's eastern Wheatbelt, wreak havoc, destroy crops

Tara de Landgrafft
abc.net.au
Mon, 26 Oct 2015 16:18 UTC
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Hailstorm ruins crops
Crops have been destroyed in Western Australia's eastern Wheatbelt this weekend with a night of successive hail storms.

Three separate bouts of hail hit the town of Southern Cross and the surrounding farming district on Sunday night, wreaking havoc on crops ripe for harvest.

It was the second hail storm in as many weeks to dash the hopes of farmers at the end of what had been a relatively good season.

Agronomist Gary Kenwood of Southern Cross owns the only farm supply store in town.
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Umbrella

Waterspout of over 100m high filmed off Vietnam

Linh Nhat
Vietnam Net
Tue, 27 Oct 2015 16:04 UTC
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Tornado of over one hundred meters frightens Vung Tau tourists
This is the second time a waterspout has been seen in Vung Tau. The first was reported in May in the sea of Long Hai.

In August, a waterspout was also witnessed in the Hai Phong northern port city and the southern province of Kien Giang.

A waterspout is an intense columnar vortex that occurs over a body of water. They are connected to a towering cumuliform cloud or a cumulonimbus cloud. In the common form, it is a non-supercell tornado over water.

Waterspouts have a five-part life cycle: formation of a dark spot on the water surface, spiral pattern on the water surface, formation of a spray ring, development of the visible condensation funnel, and ultimately decay.

Ms. Le Thi Xuan Lan, from the Hydro-meteorological Observatory of the Southern Region, said that in Vietnam, this phenomenon usually occurs at the beginning and during the rainy season and more in the south than the north, particularly in the sea of Rach Gia - Kien Giang - Tho Chu. However, waterspouts in Vietnam are not too strong.

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Snowflake

Heavy snowfall hits large swath of north China


cctv-america.com
Mon, 26 Oct 2015 14:20 UTC
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Heavy snow hits large swath of north China
Heavy snow has blanketed a large swath of north China on Monday, Oct 26th, disturbing traffic but bringing beautiful winter scenery.

A snowstorm hit Mohe, China's northernmost county in Heilongjiang Province, from early morning on Monday.

The depth of snow reached 8 centimeters (3.14 inches) by 17:00 and the heavy snow brought the visibility down to less than 100 meters (328 feet) as well. Vehicles have to slow down on snow-covered roads, while the local sanitation department dispatched snowplows to clear up the roads.

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Cloud Precipitation

Tens of thousands of Israelis remain without power following heavy storm


Jewish Telegraphic Agency
Mon, 26 Oct 2015 20:10 UTC
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© Emunah OsterDowned trees block roads in the central Israel city of Kfar Saba following a storm that left tens of thousands of households without power a day later, Oct. 25, 2015.
Tens of thousands of Israelis remained without power a day after a severe storm passed through the country and caused the death of a construction worker.

Most of the homes without power on Monday, a day after the lashing rain and strong winds blew through the country, are in central Israel, where traffic and street lights are not working, causing dangerous traffic tie-ups.

Hundreds of trees and large branches remain on the ground, as well as felled billboards and power lines. Debris from private homes and building sites also is littering the streets.

The worker, 20, was killed Sunday in the central Israeli city of Pardes Hanna when the heavy winds blew down a wall at the site where he was working.
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Cloud Lightning

Lightning strikes kill 2 in South Africa

Jeff Wicks
News24
Mon, 26 Oct 2015 19:52 UTC
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Two women were killed in two separate lightning strikes during a storm near Harding in KZN on Sunday night.

Two other women were seriously injured and were treated by paramedics who responded to the emergency.

KZN EMS spokesperson Robert McKenzie said that the emergency call centre had received multiple reports of lightning strikes at the Jali Informal settlement.

"From the initial incident we had a 51-year-old woman who was killed when lightning struck her home. She sadly sustained fatal injuries and was declared dead at the scene. Several other people who were inside the house managed to escape unharmed," he said.
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