Storms
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Cloud Grey

Oklahoma tornadoes destroy 50 mobile homes, kill 1, injure 3


RT
Thu, 26 Mar 2015 02:39 UTC
tornado
© newsdaily.comOklahoma tornado wreaks devastation.
At least one person is dead and three others injured after deadly tornadoes tore through parts of Oklahoma on Wednesday. Two twisters were reported, with severe storms and hail also slamming the state.

One of the tornadoes originated near Tulsa before shredding through a mobile home park near Sand Springs. One person was killed during the event and several others were injured, with fire departments and rescue workers currently combing through the grounds and seeking any wounded survivors.

"Right now, rescue efforts are continuing and officers are aiding the injured and helping those who need immediate medical care," Maj. Shannon Clark of the Tulsa County Sheriff's Office said to CNN.

Reports suggest that almost the entire park and its 50 mobile homes were destroyed by the tornado, though the amount of damage done to each home varies, local News On 6 reported. Of the three people confirmed to be injured, two of them are in critical condition.


Comment: The accumulation of cometary dust in the Earth's atmosphere influences the frequency and intensity of weather phenomenon, especially tornados, hurricanes, cyclones, rainfall, snowfall and lightning, as they are all manifestations of the same electric phenomenon at different scales or levels of power.

For more information and to better understand how weather works:Earth Changes and the Human-Cosmic Connection, Pierre Lescaudron

FYI: Tornado Safety

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Snowflake

Snowstorm paralyzes transportation system in Oslo, Norway


newsinenglish.no
Thu, 26 Mar 2015 14:08 UTC
Image
Bus in Oslo.
Oslo's bus system shut down, trams weren't running, some trains stood still and Norway's gateway airport at Gardermoen, north of Oslo, finally had to close. Warnings had been issued about Thursday's snowstorm, but it proved to be more than transport systems could handle.

The blizzard that began during the night and built up during the morning had dumped more than 40 centimeters of snow on the southern coastal town of Arendal by midday. Some areas reported more than 60 centimeters and it was still coming down. Streets that did get cleared were covered with slippery snow again within minutes.

At Oslo's main airport at Gardermoen, the snow was falling so thick and fast that the airport's army of plows were out in force trying to keep the runways clear, but without much luck. "And when we have plows on the runways, planes can't land or take off," airport spokesman Joachim Wester Andersen told Norwegian Broadcasting (NRK).
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Cloud Lightning

Tornadoes hit Oklahoma, killing one person and injuring others

Justin Juozapavicius
Yahoo
Thu, 26 Mar 2015 10:20 UTC

TULSA, Okla. (AP) — The slow start to the nation's tornado season came to a violent end Wednesday, when tornadoes raked Tulsa during its evening rush hour, killing one person and injuring others.

Tulsa County Sheriff's Capt. Billy McKelvey said one person was killed in a mobile home park near suburban Sand Springs that was nearly destroyed Wednesday amid severe weather. It wasn't yet clear whether it was a tornado or straight-line winds that hit the park, which McKelvey said could accommodate 40 to 50 trailers. McKelvey said he believed at least 15 people were hurt, but he did not have an exact number yet.

"It could have been much worse," he said.

Tornadoes were seen elsewhere in Oklahoma, as well as in Arkansas, but no injuries were reported from those.

A small tornado swept across parts of Moore, an Oklahoma City suburb where 24 people died in a top-of-the-scale EF5 tornado in 2013. Other twisters formed along a line from southwest of Oklahoma City to east of Tulsa, and some touched down in the Ozark Mountains of northwestern Arkansas.

Until Tuesday, when a waterspout formed over an Arkansas lake, the U.S. hadn't had a tornado in more than a month.
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Cloud Precipitation

Worst hailstorm in 40 years destroys avocado crop in Mexico


freshplaza.com
Wed, 25 Mar 2015 14:56 UTC
Image
Hailstones.
The most severe hailstorm in 40 years has hit the Mexican state of Michoacan, destroying avocado crops in some of the country's (and the world's) most productive municipalities.

The most affected Michoacan municipalities are Ziracuaretiro, San Juan Nuevo, Tancítaro and Uruapan.

It is estimated that more than 17,000 hectares have been seriously affected, and that the production of other fruits, such as blackberries and blueberries, has also been lost.

The extent of the destruction has been such that it has endangered the health of avocado trees in Tancítaro, which grows almost 20% of Michaoacan's total annual production, which in turn represents 85% of Mexico's total production.

"In Tancítaro, there will no longer be any production this season, as the trees will not recover and flower again until November," explained the delegate of the Secretariat of Rural Development (Sedru), Andrés Ciprés Murguía.

In San Juan Nuevo and Uruapan, the damage was not as great as in Ziracuaretiro, as due to their warmer climates the fruit was already in a more advanced development stage.

"We were informed that the hailstones were the size of ping-pong balls, and that even some people were injured," stated Andrés.
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Attention

Bogota, Colombia covered in 60 cm (24 inches) of snow and ice from hail storm

Rico
Qcostarica
Tue, 24 Mar 2015 00:00 UTC
Bogota hail 2
Colombia's capital Bogota was surprised on Sunday by a major hail storm that covered the south of the city with a 60 centimeter (24-inch) layer of icy snow.

The excessive hail caused a number of emergencies across the city.

The most affected were Santa Isabel, La Fragua and El Restrepo.

The Bogota Fire Department reported that rainfall "generated water depths of between 15 and 20 inches accompanied by ice". However, no cases of gravity are presented.

The first census said at least 500 homes were affected. Late into the night Sunday, backhoes worked on the streets to remove the ice.


Comment: Extreme weather events continue to unfold. Here are two other recent extreme hail storms of note, but in Australia:

Giant hailstones fall in Queensland, Australia

Large hailstones kill horses, birds and ravage cotton crops in northern New South Wales, Australia

Despite mainstream media and science lack of coverage and connecting the dots for such events, the earth's weather is rapidly shifting and will continue to impact humans in increasing numbers.

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Cloud Precipitation

Large hailstones kill horses, birds and ravage cotton crops in northern New South Wales, Australia

Emma Brown
abc.net.au
Mon, 23 Mar 2015 22:02 UTC
Image
A woman holds a huge piece of hail at Narrabri from a super cell storm.
Just weeks before picking, severe storms have wreaked havoc on north-western New South Wales cotton crops.

Large hailstones pounded the Narrabri region and winds close to 100 kilometres an hour ripped at crops and pulled at tiled rooves.

The cotton crop of the Narrabri Community Education Trust farm has suffered extensive damage, but farmer Rob Eveleigh, who helps manage the crop, said other growers around it may have lost everything.

He said the 60 hectares of cotton was being grown as a fundraiser for local schools.

"It's probably in the order of 25 to 30 per cent damage which is a big loss obviously. That's the profits," he said.

"I know not too far away from there there's growers who lost whole crops.

"It's just one of those thing. If you're in farming, you just have to take it on the chin and move on."
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Cloud Lightning

Lightning bolt kills six boys in Odisha, India

Subrat Das and Lelin Kumar Mallick
The Telegraph (India)
Thu, 19 Mar 2015 17:03 UTC
Image
© Telegraph School students get treatment at Capital Hospital after lightning struck them at Jaripada village in Khurda district.
Tragedy struck young cricket enthusiasts ahead of India's crucial World Cup tie against Bangladesh as lightning killed six youths at Jaripada village in Khurda district, 70km from here. The youths were playing a cricket match when the incident occurred.

Thirteen others were injured in the incident, which happened when a thunderstorm, accompanied by lightning, hit the area.

As the storm hit the area, the youths, in the age group between 14 and 20, took shelter in an under-construction building at the village. But, the lightning struck there, killing three of them on the spot. Three others died on way to Tangi hospital.

The injured have been admitted to hospitals in Khurda and Bhubaneswar. "The condition of the injured is stable, and they have been referred to private hospitals in Khurda and Bhubaneswar," said a doctor of Tangi hospital.

Around 30 people, including children, were watching the match when the thunderstorm, accompanied by lightning, struck. The deceased have been identified as Bibhuti Parida, 19, Rahul Naik, 15, S.K. Okil, 14, Ajit Behera, 15, Shahrukh Khan, 20, and Santosh Pradhan, 15.
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Cloud Lightning

Car explodes after freak lightning strike ignites nearby gas mains in Canberra, Australia

Tegan Osborne and Ruby Cornish
ABC News
Wed, 18 Mar 2015 02:57 UTC
car hit by lightning in Australia
© Sarah GroubeThe car was hit by lightning above a gas rupture on Dryandra Street, O'Connor.
A man has escaped serious injury after his car burst into flames following a freak lightning strike near a gas main in Canberra's north.

The fire began after lightning struck on Dryandra Street in Canberra's north during a short thunderstorm over the ACT about 8:00am.

Shortly after the lightning strike a car on the street burst into flames.

Firefighter Danny Brighenti said crews at the scene were initially puzzled by the blaze, which kept reigniting.

"They believed there was a ruptured fuel tank which was causing the car to reignite," he said.

He said on closer inspection, once the fire died down, it was revealed a gas main had ruptured near the car.

Nearby resident Sarah Groubes: "As we turned around the corner onto Dryandra Street we just saw this fireball on the side of the road."

Commander Brighenti said the cause of the gas leak was unclear.

He said scenarios in which cars were struck by lightning were rare, and it was possible a tree nearby was actually struck.

He said it was also unclear whether the car that caught fire was parked or moving along the road at the time of the lightning strike.

"On arrival the person had got out of the vehicle, but the car was heavily involved in fire with the surrounding trees and bushes," Commander Brighenti said.

"They're not injured ... but the car is totally destroyed."

A mountain bike and an iPhone inside the car were also destroyed.

Comment: Elsewhere today, six teenagers were tragically killed in India by lightning after "great bolts of lightning cut through the sky", and
six construction workers were killed after being struck by lightning in South Africa.

See also: SOTT Exclusive: Solar System grounding:Transformer explosions and electrical anomalies

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Cloud Lightning

Lightning bolt kills 6 construction workers in South Africa


iol.co.za
Wed, 18 Mar 2015 18:09 UTC
Image
Six construction workers are dead after being struck by lightning on the N8 outside Botshabelo near Bloemfontein on Wednesday, said paramedics.

Five others were injured, said ER24 spokesman Chitra Bodasing.

The men, between the ages of 20 and 40, took refuge under a structure when it began to rain and the lightning struck.

"ER24 paramedics and other services arrived on scene and found the patients lying in and around the structure," said Bodasing.

The six were declared dead on the scene while the five sustained minor injuries.

They were treated on scene before being transported to a local hospital for further treatment.
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Cloud Lightning

Heavy rain and high winds pummel Portland, Oregon, leaving thousands without power

Teresa Blackman
KGW.com
Wed, 18 Mar 2015 00:40 UTC
landslide portland oregon
© KGWA landslide in NW Portland.
Heavy rain and high winds combined to create problems in the Portland and Vancouver metro areas Sunday.

Area residents reported trees down, along with some power lines. On Sunday, Portland General Electric reported 45,000 customers without power. The number dropped to about 1,700 by 5 p.m. Monday.

Pacific Power and Clark Public Utilities no longer reported widespread outages due to the storm Monday afternoon.

In Vancouver, crews responded to more than 30 reports of downed trees or large branches that were blocking streets, including the busy East Mill Plain Boulevard.

"Crews concentrated on quickly cutting up and clearing out a big fallen tree so traffic could get through safely on the busy arterial, a major route for emergency services," said Loretta Callahan, a spokeswoman for the Department of Public Works. "Meanwhile, Operations Signal crews spent the day restoring traffic signals that were entirely out of service or operating in flashing red due to windstorm power outages and surges."
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