Storms
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Cloud Lightning

Rare California tornado damages greenhouses in Monterey Bay


Pleasanton Weekly News
Sat, 29 Dec 2012 05:33 UTC
Image
© National Weather ServiceDamage from Saturday's tornado in Watsonville is seen.
One of only 7 tornadoes to hit Bay Area counties over the last decade

A small tornado in Santa Cruz County near Watsonville last Saturday lasted only three minutes but knocked down walls of some greenhouses
and uprooted trees in its path, a spokesman for the National Weather Service
said.

The tornado started as a waterspout on the surface of Monterey Bay at 6:59 a.m., crossed over Sunset State Beach and grew to 20 yards wide with winds reaching 75 mph as it swept east to inland areas, said Logan Johnson, a weather service spokesman in Monterey.

The swirling winds crossed over a large farm, sent fiberglass and plastic sheeting flying off of the walls of some greenhouses and caused the metal support structure of one to cave in and damage crops growing inside, Johnson said.

The twister also blew out fiberglass windows in two other greenhouses and propelled debris into a field 30 to 50 yards from the greenhouses, Johnson said.
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Snowflake

Record-breaking snowfall in Montreal: 47 centimetres of snow in one day


CBC News
Sat, 29 Dec 2012 11:37 UTC
Image
© CTV NewsMontreal's massive snow clearing operation will start on Friday morning. Claudine Nicol took this photo of parked cars entombed in snow in Villeray on Thursday.
The City of Montreal said snow removal is going to take longer than expected following Thursday's record snowfall.

Michel Frenette, a spokesman for the city, said snow removal will take about nine days to accomplish.

The nine days also includes a break period for workers.

"We will stop operations on the evening of the 31st and come back 36 hours later on the morning of Jan. 2," said Frenette.

He said it is taking longer because snow blowers have to go over the same area multiple times to remove all of the snow.

Three thousand people are working to clear the snow.
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Igloo

Atlantic Canadians brace for 2nd winter wallop


CBC News
Sat, 29 Dec 2012 00:00 UTC
As much as 40 centimetres of snow expected from 'significant nor'easter'.
Image
© CBC NewsAtlantic Canada is bracing for more harsh winter weather set to hit Saturday night.
With another blast of winter weather headed for Atlantic Canada, people are being urged to prepare for a lot of snow throughout the Maritimes and up to 140 km/h wind gusts in Newfoundland.

The storm is expected to start Saturday night in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and P.E.I.

Nova Scotia may see 40 centimetres of snow by Sunday night in the province's north and the Annapolis Valley.

Meteorologist Andy Firth said the nor'easter would bring snow, blowing snow and rain to Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island, as well as southern and eastern New Brunswick.

"This is a significant nor'easter storm," Firth said from Dartmouth, N.S., on Saturday. "We have warnings out for snowfall, blowing snow and storm surges."

Firth said parts of New Brunswick and P.E.I. would see around 15 to 30 centimetres of snow.

Flurries were expected to begin over the western Maritimes on Saturday evening, with heavy snow beginning around midnight and continuing until around noon Sunday.
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Snowflake Cold

Heavy snow in South Korea breaks December record

Hwang Sun-yoon, Kwon Sang-soo
Korea Joongang Daily
Sat, 29 Dec 2012 12:51 UTC
Korean Blizzard
© NEWSISSoldiers are mobilized yesterday morning to remove snow from roads in front of tollgates near the Baekyang Tunnel in Sasang District, Busan. As snow was not cleared in time, dangerous roads caused traffic jams during rush hour. Heavy snowfall is rarely seen in the southern port city.
Yesterday's rush hour was a nightmare for a 47-year-old civil servant surnamed Roh who commutes from Gimhae to Changwon, South Gyeongsang, every day.

He left home at 6:15 a.m. and reached the Changwon Tunnel that connects the two cities in 10 minutes, but soon had to turn his car around as the tunnel was closed due to snow.

Roh then passed through Jangyu and Dongmasan IC (interchange) and finally arrived at his office in Changwon at 9:40 a.m.

It usually takes only 25 minutes if he takes the tunnel route, but it took 3 hours and 25 minutes.

On his way to the office, many vehicles were waiting for assistance after being damaged in car accidents due to the slippery roads.

"It doesn't snow much in Gimhae," Roh told the JoongAng Ilbo. "Not many drivers have tire chains. It was terrible to drive because many roads are icy due to the early morning snow."
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Snowflake Cold

Coldest winter in decades for Russia with snow as much as 5 meters (16½ ft) deep - Plows cannot reach roads to clear them


The Chosen Ilbo
Sat, 29 Dec 2012 12:35 UTC
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© ReutersA homeless woman has a charity meal distributed by volunteers in Russia's southern city of Stavropol on Dec. 25, 2012.
As temperatures plummet to -50 Celsius in some parts of Russia, thousands have been evacuated from their homes in the country's Far East and Siberia. More than 120 people have died from the severe cold -- at least seven in the last 24 hours.

Meteorologists say the country is experiencing one of its coldest winters in decades.

In the Far East region of Magadan, 300 kilometers of roads remain blocked by heavy snow. Plows and machines can not reach those roads to clear them. In some places, snow is as much as five meters deep.

Irina Bryarkina lives in the Tyva region of Siberia where temperatures have been -40 C for several days. It is so cold that many heating pipes have frozen and thousands of people have been evacuated from their homes.

Comment:
"One change to occur in 21st Century is sudden glacial rebound, over Eurasia first, then North America. Ice ages develop much, much, much faster than thought."
We're seeing it right now.

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Snowflake Cold

Record-breaking storm moves to Newfoundland


CBC News
Fri, 28 Dec 2012 06:52 UTC
Montreal blanketed by more than 45 cm of snow from storm moving east.


The winter storm that dumped a record-breaking amount of snow on Montreal is now hitting Newfoundland, with Environment Canada saying northern and central parts of the province can expect 20 to 30 centimetres.

"Heavy snow and strong easterly winds over southwestern Newfoundland this morning will spread northeastward today," Environment Canada said.

By 2:30 p.m. local time, there were snowfall accumulations of 13 centimetres in Deer Lake, seven centimetres in Gander and less than a centimetre in St. John's, according to Environment Canada meteorologist Rodney Barney.

Winter storm warnings are in effect in many parts of central and northern Newfoundland, with Environment Canada warning that "dangerous winter weather conditions" are expected in some areas.

The low-pressure system producing the storm is expected to move from southern Nova Scotia to near Cape Breton by Friday evening. The system will then track across eastern Newfoundland at night before moving to the northeast of the province on Saturday.
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Umbrella

Downpours make 2012 England's wettest year on record

Andrew Johnson
The Independent, UK
Fri, 28 Dec 2012 06:35 UTC
Image
© Christopher Furlong /GETTY
St Denys' Church suffers from flooding in the village of Severn Stoke near Worcester
Flood warnings for major rivers could hit new year travel plans

The year started with hose pipe bans and warnings of drought. It has ended as the wettest in England since records began. The Met Office said yesterday that at 1,095.8 millimetres the average rainfall across England in 2012 had already breached the previous high of 1,093mm in 2000.

With a further deluge expected over the final few days, it is also likely 2012 will be the third wettest in the UK as a whole since records began in 1910, and it still could be the wettest.

The figures came as more flood warnings were issued for the New Year period by the Environment Agency, with major rivers such as the Severn and Thames set to peak in some areas.
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Cloud Lightning

Fifteen dead in U.S. Northeast snowstorm


Russia Today
Thu, 27 Dec 2012 20:11 UTC
Image
© AFP Photo / Jeff SwensenResidents shovel snow on Mt. Washington after a winter storm blanketed the Midwest with snow.
Fifteen people have died in the powerful winter storm that triggered tornadoes in the American South and is now burying the Northeast in snow. With hundreds of flight delays, post-Christmas air travelers still remain stuck at US airports.

Since Tuesday, 15 have died in weather-related incidents across the US, including a 1-year-old and a 2-year-old who were killed in a car accident. While many of the victims lost their lives during traffic accidents caused by the rough weather, others were crushed to death by falling trees.

Throughout Indiana, the snowfall ranged from 6 to 12 inches, forcing the state to employ 350 snowplows to clear the roads.

"It's pretty bad. You get a lot of drifting out there. That's what's killing us, mainly," plow driver David White told CNN affiliate WRTV.
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Igloo

Major snow storm dumps 33cm of snow in Brockville, Canada

Dale C. Elliott
BNTV News
Thu, 27 Dec 2012 15:22 UTC
Snow in Brockville
© BNTV News
A major winter storm that hit our region overnight had people stuck on the roads, the ditch and their driveways according to Brockville Police. The region also spent the day digging out from one of the largest December snowfalls on record.

Brockville Police say if you don't have to go out today, stay at home and off the roads.

"The amount of snow that fell is only realized as people are stuck at the end of their driveways. Good Samaritans can be found stopping to help and now their vehicles are hazards on the roadway. Stay at home if you can." said Inspector Scott Fraser today.

Fraser also said that there have been no major accidents that have been reported so far.
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Igloo

Heavy snowfall halts life in Gazar


DunyaNewsTV
Thu, 27 Dec 2012 12:42 UTC
Snowing In Gaza
© DunyaNewsTv
Heavy snowfall has halted life across Gazar city. Lower areas are covered with 1 ft while the upper areas are covered by snow up to 3 ft. The Gazar-Chitral Highway has been closed for last 4 days. There is shortage of eatables in the city.The traffic is closed in Phandar, shamran, Chasi and Tebr areas of tehsil Gopis. The shortage of eatables is rising day by day while the residents are facing difficulties in the supply of fuel. People have remained closed inside in houses due to chili cold after heavy snowfall.The temperature has fallen down till -10 Degree Centigrade in the upper areas.
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