Storms
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Tornado1

38 killed, 53,000 displaced in Madagascar cyclone


PressTV
Sat, 11 Mar 2017 15:29 UTC
small building damaged by a tree in a street in Sambava, Madagascar, on March 8, 2017.
© AFPSmall building damaged by a tree in a street in Sambava, Madagascar, on March 8, 2017.

Nearly 40 people have lost their lives and 180 others sustained injuries since a powerful cyclone battered the island nation of Madagascar in the Indian Ocean mid-last week.

The national disaster management office in Madagascar (BNGC) made the announcement on Friday, saying that 38 people had been killed countrywide by tropical cyclone Enawo and an estimated 53,000 people displaced by storm waters.

More than 32,000 people have been affected in the capital city of Antananarivo alone, the agency said in an emailed statement.

"The damage is enormous wherever the cyclone has gone," said Thierry Venty, the executive secretary of the BNGC agency, without providing further details on overall damage and casualties.
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Cloud Lightning

Lightning bolt kills 5 in southern Tanzania


en.apa.az
Sat, 11 Mar 2017 10:24 UTC
LIGHTNING
A lightning strike on Friday killed five people, including two pupils, in Tanzanian southern region of Lindi, local official said, APA reports quoting Xinhua.

The lightning strike followed heavy rains that were accompanied by strong winds, said Shaibu Ndemanga, the Lindi District Commissioner.

Ndemanga added that three people were admitted to hospital following injuries they sustained after a roof of their house collapsed due to the strong winds.

Ndemanga said at least 53 houses were destroyed by the rains leaving at least 250 families homeless.

Comment: Other reports of recent deaths: Lightning strike kills labourer in Purulia, India

Lightning strike kills farmer in Sherpur, Bangladesh

Lightning kills woman in Tamil Nadu, India

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Tornado2

Early season tornado forms near Würzburg, Germany


The Watchers
Fri, 10 Mar 2017 08:25 UTC
Tornado near Würzburg, Germany
© Lukas HeegTornado near Würzburg, Germany March 9, 2017.
A single small cell produced an early season tornado near Würzburg, Germany on March 9, 2017. Pictures and videos of this rather photogenic twister soon started circulating social media.

According to local police reports, the tornado destroyed a lot in the Unterfrische Kürnach near Würzburg, some 20 to 30 roofs were damaged and at least two trees uprooted. Nobody was hurt.

The thunderstorm that produced it developed during the afternoon hours in the Main-Kinzig circle in Hesse and then moved on in the direction of Würzburg. It was a single small cell that later produced the tornado near Würzburg.

German Meteorological Service said it was not unexpected, but not very likely as tornadoes are not unusual at this time of the year. It is a bit early for them, but not unheard of.

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Cloud Lightning

Lightning bolt kills 2 pupils in Khulna, Bangladesh


Business News 24
Fri, 10 Mar 2017 13:15 UTC
LIGHTNING
Two female Madrasah students were killed as lightning struck them in Mundapara area of Patharkhali village under Koyra upazila of the district on Thursday.

The deceased were identified as Rabeya Khatun, 13, daughter of Didarul Gazi and Rahima Khatun, 13, daughter of Atiar Rahman. They were the students of class nine in Bedkashi Habibiya Khatun Madrasa.

Locals said that the victims were stuck by lighting on the way to their private tutor's home around 2:00pm, leaving them dead on the spot.

Bedkashi union UP Chairman Sardar Nurul Islam confirmed the matter to risingbd.com.
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Windsock

Enawo makes landfall in Madagascar as third strongest cyclone to hit island (Update)


The Watchers
Tue, 07 Mar 2017 07:58 UTC
Cyclone
© UW-CIMSS/METEOSAT-8Tropical Cyclone "Enawo" at 12:00 UTC on March 7, 2017.
Intense Tropical Cyclone "Enawo" made landfall between Sambava and Antalaha, Madagascar on March 7, 2017, as Category 4 hurricane equivalent on the Saffir-Simpson scale. It is the most powerful tropical cyclone to hit Madagascar since Gafilo in March 2004 and the third strongest on record to strike the island. Enawo is predicted to affect approximately 1.4 million people. Another tropical cyclone is brewing to the east of the country and will likely be named over the next 24 hours.

Enawo made landfall at 08:00 UTC (11:00 local time) on March 7 at 14.6 degrees north latitude and 50.2 degrees east longitude, about half way between Sambava and Antalaha. As it hit, Enawo became quasi-stationary and pounded Antalaha with strong winds and heavy rain for several hours.

At 09:00 UTC (4 a.m. EST) its maximum sustained winds were 231 km/h (144 mph) making it a Category 4 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Wind Scale. By 18:00 UTC, they dropped to 167 km/h (103 mph), which made it a Category 2 hurricane equivalent, still extremely dangerous.

Category 4 hurricane can have the following effects: Well-built framed homes can sustain severe damage with loss of most of the roof structure and/or some exterior walls. Most trees will be snapped or uprooted and power poles downed. Fallen trees and power poles will isolate residential areas. Power outages will last weeks to possibly months. Most of the area will be uninhabitable for weeks or months.

Comment: In a preliminary report, the national disaster management agency BNGRC said 468 people had been displaced in the northeastern district of Maroantsetra, and a landslip there had killed three people.

Update 10.03.17:

According to latest reports at least six people have been killed, 7 injured and more than 760 000 affected in nine regions as Enawo, the third strongest cyclone to hit Madagascar, hit the island on March 7, 2017. Towns and cities were flooded, houses, schools, hospitals and critical infrastructure destroyed and thousands of people displaced. Water and power outages are widespread in affected areas. The full extent of the damage is as yet unknown due to poor communication and difficulty reaching affected areas. The death toll is expected to rise.



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Mars

NASA reveals unusual back to back storms engulfing Mars

Mark Prigg
Daily Mail (UK)
Thu, 09 Mar 2017 23:05 UTC
Storms on Mars
Still image of clip showing a global map of Mars with atmospheric changes from Feb. 18, 2017, through March 6, 2017, a period when two regional-scale dust storms appeared. It combines hundreds of images from the Mars Color Imager (MARCI) camera on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter.
If you think the weather is bad on Earth, spare a thought for Mars.

NASA has revealed a stunning animation showing massive dust storms the size of America engulfing huge swathes of northern Mars.

The summer storms 'explode' in size, NASA says - and some can engulf the entire planet.

The latest images show the regional dust storm currently swelling on Mars follows unusually closely on one that blossomed less than two weeks earlier and is now dissipating.

Images from the orbiter's wide-angle Mars Color Imager (MARCI) show each storm growing in the Acidalia area of northern Mars, then blowing southward and exploding to sizes bigger than the United States after reaching the southern hemisphere.

'What's unusual is we're seeing a second one so soon after the first one,' said Mars meteorologist Bruce Cantor of Malin Space Science Systems, San Diego, which built and operates MARCI.

'We've had orbiters watching weather patterns on Mars continuously for nearly two decades now, and many patterns are getting predictable, but just when we think we have Mars figured out, it throws us another surprise.'

Video clip here
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Windsock

Historic wind storm in Michigan knocks out power to nearly a million people


RT
Thu, 09 Mar 2017 22:03 UTC
man clearing fallen tree
© ZUMAPRESS.com / www.globallookpress.com
Wind gusts of more than 60 miles per hour downed thousands power lines across Michigan, leaving 10 percent of its residents without power. Many schools were closed and reports were coming in of damage to numerous properties.

Crews are working to restore power after high winds hit the state on Wednesday and knocked out electrical service in Michigan and several Great Lake states.

"Near hurricane force sustained winds pounded our state for over 10 hours. This is the largest weather event in DTE's 100-year history," DTE Energy said during a press conference on Thursday. DTE said 4,000 lines were downed, and they had more than who are working to restore power.

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Fireball

SOTT Focus: SOTT Earth Changes Summary - February 2017: Extreme Weather, Planetary Upheaval, Meteor Fireballs


Sott.net
Wed, 08 Mar 2017 08:35 UTC
Fireball Illinois
Februrary 2017 continued on as January started. Massive flooding in California due to "atmospheric rivers" dumping large amounts of rain on coastal areas and snow on the Sierra Nevada. The snow melt from this caused further flooding in Nevada. Eastern Canada also experienced record snowfall, as did Iran, Kazakhstan, Afghanistan and Japan.

Wildfires broke out in Eastern Australia and New Zealand while record rainfall inundated Western Australia. Major flooding also hit several South American nations including Chile, Peru and Colombia.

There are at least 30 active volcanoes around the world right now, including a really impressive one in Guatemala. Massive earth cracks opened in Pakistan and Italy.

These are just some of the chaotic events we present in this month's Sott 'Earth Changes' video compilation.

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Tornado2

Hundreds of homes damaged as another tornado outbreak sweeps through central US


The Watchers
Tue, 07 Mar 2017 08:33 UTC
Missouri tornado damage
© Severe StudiosSmithville & Plattsburg, MO tornado damage from a drone.
NWS Storm Prediction Center has 36 preliminary tornado reports for March 6, 2017 from Kansas, Iowa, Missouri and Illinois. Most of them in occurred in Missouri where 18 injuries were reported in Jackson and St. Charles counties. A confirmed tornado touched down near Princeton and Zimmerman, Minnesota, damaging homes and downing trees. It was the earliest tornado in the history of the state. The outbreak comes less than a week after deadly tornadoes struck the Midwest.


Comment: Tornadoes and large hail hit US Midwest leaving at least 2 dead


The storms unleashed damaging winds, heavy rain, large hail and isolated tornadoes but there were no reports of casualties this time. Powerful winds extended as far south as the Ozark Mountains in Arkansas, where a post office and church were damaged, and as far north as Minnesota where NWS confirmed the earliest tornado in the history of the state.

Wind damage was reported across much of Missouri, where most of the tornadoes occurred. Baseball-sized hail was also reported in parts of the state.

At least 15 people have been injured after a tornado moved through Oak Grove, MO on Monday night. Officials said 483 homes there sustained some type of damage, along with 10 to 12 commercial buildings.

"It looks like the injuries are minimal so, based on some of the damage I've seen, it's rather amazing," Oak Grove Mayor Jeremy Martin said in a Tuesday morning press conference.


Comment: A January tornado outbreak in the US this year was the deadliest since 1969 and exceeded the entire 2016 death toll in just two days. In February a State of Emergency was declared in Louisiana as tornadoes destroyed homes and flipped trucks.

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Windsock

Powerful storm Zeus batters France, killing at least 2 and leaving 600,000 properties without electricity


The Watchers
Mon, 06 Mar 2017 05:52 UTC
storm Zeus hits France
© Francoise Blanchard/PresseOceanPowerful windstorm batters France on March 6, 2017.
Severe weather, including snowfalls and hurricane-force winds, has been affecting the central-southern and south-eastern areas of the France over the past 48 hours, causing at least two fatalities. Severe weather is forecast to continue affecting the country over the next 24 hours. The storm, named Zeus, will then exit into the Mediterranean Sea and rapidly deepen as it moves toward Italy. Severe to extremely severe wind gusts are expected this evening and tonight.

This powerful windstorm was produced by rapidly deepening cyclone coming from the British Isles toward Northern France this morning. An intense sting jet has developed within the cyclone, Severe Weather Europe reports, traveling right across Brittany, NW France.Meteo France has updated the number of departments on Orange alert to 31 this morning and urged residents to be vigilant, stay off the rooftops and secure objects that are liable to be blown away.

The departments on Orange alert, as of Monday morning, March 6, are: Cantal, Corse-du-Sud, Haute-Corse, Loire, Haute-Loire, Lozère, Puy-de-Dôme, Rhône, Allier, Charente, Charente-Maritime, Cher, Corrèze, Côtes-d'Armor, Creuse, Finistère, Ille-et-Vilaine, Indre, Indre-et-Loire, Loire-Atlantique, Maine-et-Loire, Mayenne, Morbihan, Deux-Sèvres, Vendée, Vienne, Haute-Vienne, Alpes-Maritimes, Dordogne, Gironde, and Var.

The agency said that significant damage could be caused by the wind as well as disruptions to local traffic. There is also a possibility of cuts to electricity and telephone lines, it warned.The town of Camaret, in Brittany, saw record-breaking winds of 193 km/h (120 mph) during Monday morning. Winds reaching 191 km/h (119 mph) were recorded in Ouessant, 180 km/h (112 mph) in l'Ile de Groix and 170 km/h (105 mph) in Pointe du Raz.

Comment: Some 600,000 properties lost electricity across France, according to power distributor Enedis, the highest such number since a monster storm in 1999 that left scores dead and three million households without power.

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