Storms
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Cloud Lightning

Storm waves slam Northern California causing power outages and mudslides

Terry Collins
Associated Press
Fri, 30 Nov 2012 22:22 UTC
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© Jeff Chiu / AP Dark clouds move over the Golden Gate Bridge in Marin County, Calif., Thursday, Nov. 29, 2012. The National Weather Service says that by late morning Thursday 1 inch of rain had fallen in several hours across the western side of the county. Much of Northern California is under a variety of warnings and advisories for rain, snow and high winds.
The second in a series of storms slammed Northern California on Friday as heavy rain and strong winds knocked out power, tied up traffic and caused flooding along some stretches.

The weather also may be behind the death of a Pacific Gas & Electric worker in West Sacramento who was killed after his truck crashed into a traffic signal pole during the stormy weather.

Flights were delayed at San Francisco's airport, and in the city's affluent Pacific Heights neighborhood, traffic was blocked for hours after a large tree crashed down, smashing a car and obstructing a busy street.

A flash flood watch will remain in effect for most of the San Francisco Bay Area extending to the Santa Cruz Mountains throughout the weekend. A constant barrage of downpours could lead to standing water and overflowing drains, said Diana Henderson, a forecaster with the National Weather Service in Monterey.
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Snowflake

218 inches of snow in 4 days? Mount Shasta: Is U.S. snowstorm record in jeopardy?

Nick Wiltgen
WeatherChannel.com
Fri, 30 Nov 2012 10:27 UTC
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© USGS/Lyn TopinkaA 1984 file photo of Mount Shasta in northern California.
If anyone lived on the summit of California's Mount Shasta, they'd need a mighty big shovel to dig out of the snowstorm that will bury the mountain in astronomical amounts of snow through the weekend -- amounts that could flirt with world records. The Thursday morning National Weather Service summit forecast for Shasta predicted an incredible 33 to 39 inches of snow -- just for Thursday alone. (By comparison, Atlanta, Ga., has reported 38.9 inches of snow since March 1, 1989 -- a period of over 23 years.)

But it gets crazier.

Add in another 37 to 43 inches of snow Thursday night, and additional amounts ranging from 21 to 35 inches every 12 hours through Saturday night, plus a light dusting of 11 to 17 inches on Sunday... ...and you get a storm total of 176 inches. On the low end. Add up the high end of the numbers and you get a forecast maximum of 218 inches of snow in four days!
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Snowflake Cold

Ice Age Cometh So Soon? Record-breaking snowfall in Moscow disrupts flights, wreaks havoc on roads


FoxNews.com
Thu, 29 Nov 2012 16:24 UTC
A record-breaking snowfall in Moscow has disrupted flights, created havoc on the roads, and forecasters say the storm will rage until Friday morning. Moscow's city hall said the Russian capital hasn't seen a bigger snowfall in November in about 50 years. The weather forecast service said on Thursday that a third of November's typical amount of snow had fallen in the past 24 hours, creating a 12 centimeter (4.7 inches) cover.

The roads in the capital were clogged up and about 70 flights from Moscow's largest Domodedovo airport were disrupter overnight. On Thursday, all three of the capital's airports are working normally.
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© APNov. 29, 2012: A bulldozer removes snow in Red Square in Moscow, Russia.
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Snowflake

24-hour snowstorm gives Moscow record for heaviest November snow for 50 years


The Telegraph
Thu, 29 Nov 2012 15:54 UTC
moscow snow
© AFP/GettyA woman walks between two snow covered cars in central Moscow
Moscow has recorded its heaviest November snowfall for half a century with a 24-hour snowstorm that has blanketed the city in more than four inches of cover.

Officials in the Russian capital have called in 12,000 snow-removal vehicles to help combat the effects of the snow on the city's transport system but, in spite of lengthy efforts to minimise disruption, traffic jams have been reported to stretch back several kilometres on Moscow's roads.

"I was speaking with the forecasters, and it's been more than 50 years since Moscow's seen something like this," said Deputy Mayor Pyotr Biryukov on a television interview.

Further to gridlock in the city, flights from Moscow's airports have also faced major delays overnight. The capital's largest airport, Domodedovo, experienced over 70 flight delays, but was back to regular service by 5 a.m.
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Windsock

Tornado slams into Italian steel plant - video


Sott.net
Thu, 29 Nov 2012 05:48 UTC
A freak twister rips through Europe's largest steel plant in the Italian city of Taranto, leaving one person missing and dozens injured. The tornado rolled off the sea and hit the Ilva steel works on Wednesday. The video was filmed by a university student in southern Italy.


Comment: To give you an idea how rare tornadoes are in Italy, four tornadoes in total were recorded in the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, three were recorded in the 20th century and four were recorded since 2008 alone, with two of those coming in 2012.

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Cloud Precipitation

California flood threat looms from "atmospheric river"


TheWeatherChannel.com
Wed, 28 Nov 2012 11:10 UTC
Meteorologists use the term "atmospheric river" to describe a long, narrow plume piping deep moisture from the tropics into the mid-latitudes. One type of atmospheric river (hereafter, AR) you may have heard of is the "Pineapple Express", a pronounced plume tapping moisture from the Hawaiian Islands to the U.S. West Coast.

Amazingly, according to NOAA's Earth System Research Laboratory (ESRL), a strong AR can transport as water vapor up to 15 times the average flow of liquid water at the mouth of the Mississippi River!
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© WeatheChannel.com
Suffice to say, if an AR stalls over a particular area, significant flooding can be the result. In fact, a study by Ralph et al. (2006) found ARs responsible for every flood of northern Calfornia's Russian River in a 7-year period.

That said, they're also important for western water supply considerations. According to NOAA/ESRL, 30-50% of the average annual precipitation in the West Coast states typically occurs in just a few AR events. With that in mind, one such AR is poised to soak parts of the West Coast this week. Let's get to the forecast details
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Cloud Precipitation

Panama flooding causes major devastation

Everton Fox
Al Jazeera
Wed, 28 Nov 2012 06:33 UTC
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© ReutersA collapsed road due to a landslide on the outskirts of Colon City, Panama on November 26.
Severe storms have caused widespread flooding in Panama resulting in major devastation to the west of the capital.

Parts of Panama have been declared disaster areas after days of torrential rain left many regions under water. Landslides have occurred in many places and at least three people are known to have died.

Around 1,000 homes have been flooded across the country after severe storms struck just to the west of the capital, Panama City. The Panamanian government has declared a state of emergency in the districts of Colon, La Chorrera and Capira.

Murky floodwaters surged through streets, submerging homes and vehicles. Over 2,700 people have been displaced.

Many of the homes have floodwaters up to their roofs, and landslides have blocked a number of roads. This includes the main highway that connects the two main cities of Colon and Panama City which collapsed cutting Colon off from the rest of the country.

Thundery showers do remain in the forecast, but the worst does appear to be over now. The weather system that caused the flooding is now easing and moving away to the south. President Ricardo Martinelli has toured the flooded areas and promises to help those affected.
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Umbrella

Hundreds of flood warnings still in place in UK as freezing temperatures arrive


The Telegraph
Wed, 28 Nov 2012 06:29 UTC
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© REUTERS
Ambulance workers load a stretcher into an ambulance as lifeboat crews look on in a flooded street in St Asaph.
Hundreds of flood warnings remained in place across England and Wales this morning as flood-ravaged towns woke up to another day of devastation.

Although the weather has improved for much of the UK overnight, the Environment Agency last night said there was still a possibility of more flooding and disruption for the next 48 hours.

In north Wales hundreds of people spent the night away from their homes after parts of the River Elwy yesterday burst in banks and flooded properties.

The body of an elderly woman was discovered yesterday in her flooded bungalow home in St Asaph, where she had lived for four decades.

Margaret Hughes was found by police and fire rescue officers as they searched houses flooded with deep water in the area, where more than 500 people were evacuated.
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Cloud Precipitation

Heavy rains cause floods in Zarqa, no accidents reported


The Jordan Times
Sun, 25 Nov 2012 17:24 UTC
Zarqa floods
This photo taken by Zarqa resident Mohammad Zawahreh, posted on the Jordan Weather Facebook page, shows rain flooding streets in the central city on Sunday
Amman -- Some streets in Zarqa Governorate were submerged with rainwater on Sunday after a heavy downpour caused the formation of floods, according to authorities and town residents.

Motorists abandoned their cars in the middle of the streets after rainwater inundated the vehicles, crippling traffic movement in the already-congested streets of Zarqa, 22km east of Amman, according to eyewitnesses.

"The weather became suddenly cloudy and rain started pouring heavily at around 1:00pm. Ten minutes later, some of the streets turned into streams," town resident and taxi driver, Abu Haitham, told The Jordan Times.

Authorities diverted traffic to different routes and waited for the floods to end before they started pumping out water from submerged streets and tunnels, he added.

"The rain stopped less than an hour later, but the floods continued coming from higher areas. I have never seen this much rain in my life in Zarqa," the town resident said.

Abu Rasoul, another resident of Zarqa, said that manholes in the streets were over-flooded with the heavy rain, noting that water flooded several shops, including his mini-market.

"The last time I saw such heavy rain was in the 1970s," the 70-year-old man, said.
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Cloud Precipitation

Flood warnings issued as storms cause chaos across Britain

Steven Morris
The Guardian
Sun, 25 Nov 2012 06:43 UTC
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Malmesbury under water
A 21-year-old woman was killed when a tree smashed into her tent while she was sleeping, as torrential rain and fierce winds continued to cause chaos in parts of the UK.

Two men who are also believed to have been in the tent, near Exeter city centre, were injured when the large tree toppled into their shelter. It is not yet known why the three were in the tent.

The government said on Sunday morning that almost 500 homes and businesses had been flooded, mainly in the south-west of England and the Midlands. Overnight four severe flood warnings - meaning lives are in danger - were issued for Cornwall, though by first light this had been reduced to two. Dozens of sections of roads in the west country, including the M5 and M50, were flooded .
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