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Cloud Lightning

Hurricane Irma takes out electricity, damages rooftops in Caribbean

Amanda Batchelor
local10.com
Wed, 06 Sep 2017 16:13 UTC
Hurricane Irma leaves path of destruction in Guadeloupe
Hurricane Irma leaves path of destruction in Guadeloupe
Hurricane Irma has caused serious damage to rooftops and knocked out all electricity on the French islands of Saint Martin and Saint Barthelemy, the Associated Press reported Wednesday.

France has requisitioned planes and sent in emergency food and water rations.

The regional authority for Guadeloupe and neighboring islands said in a statement Wednesday that the fire station in Saint Barthelemy is under more than 3 feet of water and no rescue vehicles can move.

They said the government headquarters in Saint Martin is partially destroyed and the island is in a total blackout.

Electricity is also partially down on the larger island of Guadeloupe, where the threat receded, despite the danger of heavy flooding.

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Attention

Category 5 Irma becomes most powerful hurricane ever recorded in Atlantic Ocean


The Guardian (UK)
Wed, 06 Sep 2017 04:53 UTC
Hurricane Irma
© Ricardo Rojas/ReutersA member of the emergency operations committee monitors the trajectory of Hurricane Irma in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.


Leeward Islands of Antigua and Barbuda braced for category 5 storm, which then heads for Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, Haiti, Cuba and Florida

The most powerful Atlantic Ocean hurricane in recorded history bore down on the islands of the north-east Caribbean on Tuesday night local time, following a path predicted to then rake Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, Haiti and Cuba before possibly heading for Florida over the weekend.

At the far north-eastern edge of the Caribbean, authorities on the Leeward Islands of Antigua and Barbuda cut power and urged residents to shelter indoors as they braced for Hurricane Irma's first contact with land early on Wednesday.

Officials warned people to seek protection from Irma's "onslaught" in a statement that closed with: "May God protect us all."

The category 5 storm had maximum sustained winds of 185mph (295kph) by early Tuesday evening, according to the US National Hurricane Center (NHC) in Miami.

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Attention

'Potentially catastrophic' Hurricane Irma will likely impact Florida

Stephen Ruiz, David Harris and Christal Hayes
Orlando Sentinel
Tue, 05 Sep 2017 19:23 UTC
hurricane Irma 9.5.17
© RAMMB / CIRA @ CSU
Hurricane Irma is continuing to strengthen as it moves through the Atlantic as a daunting Category 5 storm, now with 185 mph winds.

Irma has become one of the most powerful storms in history with the National Hurricane Center calling it "potentially catastrophic." It's tied with Hurricane Wilma as the second strongest storm that's formed in the Atlantic Ocean on record, both just behind Hurricane Allen in 1980, which had wind speeds of 190 mph.

Gov. Rick Scott activated the Florida Air and Army National Guard Tuesday morning, with 100 members called up immediately and all 7,000 members told to report for duty Friday morning. He also suspended all tolls starting at 5 p.m. Tuesday.

The governor asked President Trump to declare a pre-landfall emergency for Florida, which would free up federal funding to help the state defend itself against the huge storm. Among possible emergency measures would be shoring up beach dunes, building emergency berms and planning for potential evacuations, according to a news release from the governor's office.

"Our state emergency management officials are working with our federal and local partners to prepare for any potential impacts from this dangerous storm," Scott said. "And it is crucial that we have access to every available resource to protect our families and communities."
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Attention

Hurricane expert Maue: Extrapolating scale, Hurricane Irma could be a "Category 6"

Anthony Watts
Watts Up With That?
Tue, 05 Sep 2017 00:00 UTC
hurricane irma

Dr. Ryan Maue said this morning:
Hurricane #Irma is still intensifying. Now up to 155-knots (180 mph) Extrapolating Saffir-Simpson scale, 158-knots would be Category 6.
saffir-simpson scale hurricane classification
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Cloud Lightning

Hurricane Irma intensifies, now Category 4 storm threatening Cuba and Florida

Bob Henson
Weather Underground
Mon, 04 Sep 2017 20:36 UTC
hurricane Irma 9.5.17
© RAMMB / CIRA @ CSU
Dangerous Hurricane Irma was intensifying as it approached the northern Lesser Antilles Islands on Monday morning, and island residents in the path of Irma need to rush preparations to completion as the storm heads west-southwest at 14 mph. A NOAA hurricane hunter aircraft in the storm found that Irma's central pressure was steadily dropping Monday morning, reaching 944 mb at 11 am EDT. Irma's top sustained winds are estimated at 120 mph, and winds may not yet have fully responded to this pressure drop. Update: Based on Hurricane Hunter measurements, NHC raised Irma's top sustained winds at 5:00 pm EDT to 130 mph, making it a Category 4 storm. Irma is expected to be a major Category 4 hurricane when it passes very close to the northern Lesser Antilles Islands on Tuesday, near Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands on Wednesday, and the Turks and Caicos Islands and Hispaniola on Thursday. As of 5 pm EDT Monday, Hurricane Warnings are in effect for the northern Leeward Islands, and Hurricane Watches are up for the U.S. and British Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico.

Tropical storm-force winds are expected to begin affecting the east coast of Florida and the Florida Keys on Friday night (Figure 1 below). An evacuation decision for the Florida Keys may have to come as early as Tuesday, since the Keys require 3+ days to evacuate. As of 5 pm EDT, far southeast Florida, including Miami, was in the 5-day cone of uncertainty for Irma.
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Cloud Lightning

Huge storm system quickly rolls through Santa Barbara, California


keyt.com
Sun, 03 Sep 2017 15:55 UTC
Santa Barbara had a microburst Sunday, bringing unexpectedly high winds and heavy rain
Santa Barbara had a microburst Sunday, bringing unexpectedly high winds and heavy rain
Microburst overturned boats, toppled power lines

A quick-hitting storm system rolled through Santa Barbara overturning boats, leaving flooded roadways and power lines knocked down.

Just before 3 p.m., a violent weather event rolled through Santa Barbara with massive amounts of rain and wind.

The storm is believed to be a microburst, a sudden localized and powerful air current. Some areas in Santa Barbara were left unscathed with the majority of damage coming to the Santa Barbara Harbor and lower State Street.

Trees were knocked over near lower State Street and U.S. Highway 101 was at a crawl as debris slowed traffic. Several downtown area visitors took shelter inside nearby businesses.

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Cloud Lightning

Two struck dead by lightning bolt in Tamil Nadu, India


The Hindu
Sun, 03 Sep 2017 12:46 UTC
Lightning
Two persons were killed and another person was injured when lightning struck them at Puliyankudi in Mudukulathur block in the district on Sunday.

The victims, R. Dhanasekaran (33), L. Thirunavukarasu (26) and P. Nagaraj (45), all hailing from Puliyankudi, took shelter under a tamarind tree after it started raining when the lightning struck them, police said.

Dhanasekaran, who was working abroad and returned to the village recently, and Thirunavukarasu, who was employed at a petrol pumping station at Abiramam, died on the spot, the police said.

Nagaraj, who suffered injuries, was admitted to the government headquarters hospital here after given first aid at the local government hospital. He was working as a clerk in a primary agriculture cooperative credit society, the police said.

Mudukulathur police have registered a case under Section 174 of the Cr PC.
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Cloud Lightning

Man yells in panic as lightning bolt blasts tree at Bryson Lake Lodge, Quebec

Scott Campbell
Daily Mail
Mon, 04 Sep 2017 11:09 UTC
In the dramatic clip a bolt strikes the towering timber with an explosive flash breaking off several branches and just missing the hut
In the dramatic clip a bolt strikes the towering timber with an explosive flash breaking off several branches and just missing the hut
This is the moment that a lightning bolt blasted a tree sending tons of wood smashing onto the roof of a Canadian hunting lodge.

In the dramatic clip a bolt strikes the towering timber with an explosive flash breaking off several branches and just missing the hut.

But suddenly the tree splits and heavy blocks of wood rain down towards the lodge below.

When the splintered timber hits, the building's roof is completely smashed as the man filming the video can not help but swear and yell in shock.

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Cloud Lightning

At least 8 killed by lightning bolt in the Democratic Republic of Congo


News 24
Tue, 05 Sep 2017 11:01 UTC
Lightning
At least eight people have died after a bolt of lightning struck a small-scale goldmine in the Democratic Republic of Congo, an official said on Monday.

"Thirty people were struck, including seven who were killed instantly and an eighth who died of their injuries in hospital," local official Christophe Ikando told AFP.

The lightning strike occurred in the northeastern town of Dungu in the Haut-Uele province, near the border with South Sudan, under heavy rains that battered the area where the victims were mining for gold.

According to human rights groups, such strikes are common in the gold-rich eastern region.

In 2016, a primary school was struck by lighting, killing three pupils and severely injuring a teacher.
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Cloud Lightning

Lightning strike kills student on motorbike in Cambodia

Khouth Sophak Chakrya
The Phnom Penh Post
Tue, 05 Sep 2017 10:55 UTC
Lightning
A medical student was struck and killed by lightning in Stung Treng on Sunday as he was driving his motorbike, which then spun out of control and injured two passengers on a motorbike travelling in the opposite direction, officials said yesterday.

Nhem Heang, Stung Treng district traffic police chief, identified the victim as Phuoy Narim, a 22-year-old ethnic Jarai. Narim was a sophomore at Stung Treng Provincial Medical School but lived in Kaleng commune in Lumphat district in Ratanakkiri.

"The forensic police examining the body at the site claimed that victim died of lightning, not [due to] the traffic accident because the body had a burnt mark on the neck and his hair was burned as well as the victim's helmet," Heang said.

The victim was travelling on National Road 7 when he was struck and his uncontrolled motorbike hit and injured a couple, Pheoun Ven, 45, and Sok Deoun, 42, from Kratie province.
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