Storms
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Bizarro Earth

California declares State of Emergency after trio of storms pound the State - 4 dead as a result


RT
Tue, 24 Jan 2017 19:05 UTC
los angeles flooding
© Lucy Nicholson / ReutersCars drive through rain on a flooded street in Los Angeles, California, U.S., January 22, 2017
California Governor Jerry Brown declared a state of emergency as a trio of severe storms pounded the state with flash floods, mudslides and raging rivers. At least four people died as a result.

Flood watches and warnings were in effect in Southern California as downtown Los Angeles received nearly 4 inches of rain, inundating roadways, toppling trees and raising fears of damaging mudslides.

Flooding

"WHOA! Take a look at this image of the 110 Freeway at the Carson Street overpass in Carson," tweeted CBSLA. "Stay dry, and safe!"


A couple living in Seal Beach, south of Los Angeles were at home when the rain began to fall. They watched as water began to fill the mobile home community, and water crept over the step leading up to their home.

"It just started seeping in," Emily Earhart told AP. "We started getting towels and realized it wasn't going to do it."

Comment: California really seems to be getting hit hard right now by Mother Nature:

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Cloud Lightning

Three cows killed by lightning bolt near Maryborough, Australia

Jessica Black
The Courier
Mon, 23 Jan 2017 18:41 UTC
Three cows were killed by lightning near Maryborough last week.
Three cows were killed by lightning near Maryborough last week.
Three cows were killed by lightning during a violent storm near Maryborough late last week.

Moyreisk farmer Neal Smith found his cows dead and in a triangle formation at the centre of a paddock on Saturday morning.

"There were no marks at all, I was just mystified," Mr Smith, whose family have farmed at Moyreisk for six generations, said.

"I've never seen three cattle all dead more or less together within 12 metres of one another in a triangle.

"They were on a bit of a slope and I saw one with its feet up in the air and I thought normally they're well dead when they have their feet up in the air, and I found two more and I thought 'what's gone on?'."
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Cloud Precipitation

Spanish holiday hotspots hit by earthquake AND monster hailstone storm in worst winter for 50 years

Lily Waddell
Daily Star (UK)
Mon, 23 Jan 2017 17:04 UTC
RUMBLE: The holiday hotspot was rocked by an earthquake at 3am
© BENIDORMNEWS/DAVEMCQUEENRUMBLE: The holiday hotspot was rocked by an earthquake at 3am
Freak weather including hurricane force winds, an earthquake and hailstones the "size of golf balls" wreaked havoc in the Costas as the Spanish holiday hotspots face the worst recorded winter for more than 50 years.

Benidorm, Alicante, Costa Blanca and Majorca were hit with snow last week as the sunny destinations were in the freezing firing line for the bitter blizzards.

Now Benidorm has been rocked by the rumblings of an earthquake at 3am as hurricane force winds and torrential rain battered the Costa Blanca.

The town of Altea was struck with powercuts as the storm raged.
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Cloud Precipitation

Widespread flooding, mudslides, evacuations as biggest storm in years hammers California

Matt Hamilton, Frank Shyong, Adam Elmahrek and Howard Blume
Los Angeles Times
Mon, 23 Jan 2017 11:01 UTC
The storm pummeling Southern California Sunday was likely the strongest to hit Southern California since 2010, officials said, and brought with it a slew of complications for residents.
The storm pummeling Southern California Sunday was likely the strongest to hit Southern California since 2010, officials said, and brought with it a slew of complications for residents.
The third in a series of powerful winter storms unleashed a deluge in Southern California on Sunday, flooding numerous roads and freeways, setting new rainfall records and stranding some in dangerously rising waters.

Forecasters had predicted this storm would be the strongest and several years, and it didn't disappoint. While earlier storms produced periods of heavy showers, this one delivered several hours of sustained pounding rain, with damaging results.

Coastal areas of Los Angeles County were among the hardest hit, with Long Beach Airport setting a new all-time rainfall record, 3.87 inches. The intense rain was too much for local roads. Sunday afternoon, both the 110 Freeway in Carson and the 710 Freeway in Long Beach were shutdown due to extreme flooding that left cars stranded like islands in a lake.

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Tornado2

Tornadoes leave at least 19 dead as severe storm outbreak pummels the U.S. South

Eric Chaney and Ada Carr
The Weather Channel
Sun, 22 Jan 2017 08:48 UTC
Tornado damage
© APTornado damage
A deadly outbreak of severe weather that has killed at least 19 people began to impact Florida Sunday, downing power lines that sparked a 50-acre brush fire in Citrus County.

A tornado that tore through Albany, Georgia, left at least 4 dead. The town of roughly 77,000 people saw significant damage with trees and power lines downed and blocking streets in the Radium Springs area, WALB reports. A child was reportedly trapped by a tree during the storm.

In a Facebook live video, County Commission Chairman Chris Cohilas described the town as looking as if a nuclear bomb went off.

"We need a lot of help," he said in the video. "This is really bad."


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Tornado2

Death toll from extreme US storms surges to 18, tornado warnings still in place


RT
Sun, 22 Jan 2017 17:01 UTC
US tornado damage
© lonology / Instagram
At least 18 people have been killed and scores more injured after severe storms lashed the southern US states.

Fourteen people were killed in Georgia, and four people died in Mississippi as a result of the adverse weather.

The deaths occurred as a direct result of severe weather according to State Emergency Management officials.

Georgia's Gov. Nathan Deal has declared a state of emergency Sunday morning for seven counties in the state.

"These storms have devastated communities and homes in SouthCentral Georgia, and the state is making all resources available to the impacted areas," Deal said in a statement.


Comment: The responsible storm system is unusually strong for winter and much more characteristic of spring. North Little Rock, set a record for its lowest January pressure. See also:

Study: Tornado outbreaks are increasing - but scientists don't understand why

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Cloud Precipitation

Dangerous flooding hits California, Arizona; several rescues reported

Sean Breslin
The Weather Channel
Sat, 21 Jan 2017 17:00 UTC
Cabins and vehicles were swept away by floodwaters at the El Capitan Canyon Resort & Campground, Friday, Jan. 20, 2017.
© Mike Eliason/SBCFireCabins and vehicles were swept away by floodwaters at the El Capitan Canyon Resort & Campground, Friday, Jan. 20, 2017.
Heavy rainfall brought dangerous flooding to parts of Southern California and Arizona, and in some areas, people were trapped and needed rescue.

Near Phoenix, firefighters from several agencies worked together to save two men who were trapped in a wash, according to the Associated Press. Each of the two men was lifted separately out of the vehicle that got stuck in the rushing waters, and neither were injured in the ordeal, the report added.

The men were only identified by a Maricopa County Sheriff's Office spokesperson as a father and a son, the AP also said.

Displaced vehicles and cabins are seen near the creek at the flooded El Capitan Canyon Resort & Campground, Friday, Jan. 20, 2017.
© Mike Eliason/SBCFireDisplaced vehicles and cabins are seen near the creek at the flooded El Capitan Canyon Resort & Campground, Friday, Jan. 20, 2017.
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Cloud Lightning

Watch lightning strike Sutro Tower 4 times in San Francisco

Michelle Robertson
SF Gate
Sat, 21 Jan 2017 10:01 UTC
lightning struck Sutro Towers
© Jesse @sfjes
"Lightning never strikes twice," goes the old saying, but last night, lightning struck Sutro Towers at least four times.

Twitter user @sfjes caught the flashes of light on video, and the sight is electrifying, to say the least.

The Twitter user reports that he was standing only a few hundred feet from the tower, which stands between Twin Peaks and Mount Sutro. He reported witnessing seven to eight lightning bolts strike the famed San Francisco landmark.

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Tornado2

At least 4 dead as tornado rips through Hattiesburg, Mississippi


RT
Sat, 21 Jan 2017 22:41 UTC
Hattiesburg tornado damage
© @starkville_computers / Instagram
A vicious tornado ripped through Hattiesburg in Mississippi killing at least four people and causing widespread structural damage.

The tornado prompted Mayor Johnny DuPree to sign an emergency declaration as dozens of firefighters continue to search for casualties from the devastating storm.

Homes and buildings have been decimated, trees uprooted and numerous cars, and even a large truck, were flipped over. The Mississippi Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) said at least four people are known to have died.

The tornado caused damage across a three-county area, according to local news outlet the Hattiesburg American, quoting Lee Smithson of MEMA.


Comment: Study: Tornado outbreaks are increasing - but scientists don't understand why

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Igloo

Freak snowfall brings winter to New Zealand resorts in summer!


Stuff
Sun, 22 Jan 2017 00:44 UTC
Snowfall in Summer
© Ewan MackieGuests awoke to 30 centimetres of fresh snow on Sunday morning.
Guests at Cardrona Alpine Resort, near Wanaka, have woken to a winter wonderland - in the middle of summer.

Light snow began falling on Saturday afternoon, but increased to heavy falls overnight, leaving a 30-centimetre base, Cardrona marketing coordinator Matt McIvor said. The white stuff was still falling on Sunday morning.

In five years at the resort McIvor said he had never seen these conditions in January.
Snowfall in Wanaka
© Ewan MackieFreak snowfall in January has brought winter to Cardrona Alpine Resort near Wanaka.
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