Storms
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Cloud Lightning

Pastor killed by lightning bolt at church camp in Adelaide Hills, Australia

Nelson Groom
Daily Mail, UK
Sat, 23 Jan 2016 18:26 UTC
Kris Guglielmucci was working at a church camp when he was fatally struck by a bolt of lightning
Kris Guglielmucci was working at a church camp when he was fatally struck by a bolt of lightning
A young pastor and father has been killed by lightning during a freak storm at a church camp.

Kris Guglielmucci, 39, from Adelaide, was struck and killed by lightning at Cornerstone College oval as a wild storm battered the city just after 2:30pm on Friday, reports The Advertiser.

The father of four has been honoured in a touching tribute from the Victory Church, which is offering counselling to the 100 high school students and 20 leaders who attended the camp.

'Kris was a much loved member of our staff and church and our hearts go out to Lisa and the children during this time,' the statement reads.

'Our priority now is to care for the children who attended Summerfest, the amazing youth leaders of Victory Youth and our church family.'

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Snowflake

Winter storm Jonas: Massive U.S. East Coast blizzard advances north


BBC news
Sat, 23 Jan 2016 02:59 UTC
winter storm jonas
© US National Weather Service/Graphics/AFP
A massive blizzard bringing more than 2ft (61cm) of snow and punishing winds is advancing up the US East Coast.

More than 50 million people across more than a dozen states have been warned to stay at home as it moves north.

The nation's capital, Washington, could lie under a record 30in (76cm) of snow by the time the storm passes on Sunday.

Eight people have been killed, six states have declared states of emergency and thousands of flights have been cancelled.

The weather system affects a huge swathe of the country, from Arkansas in the south to Massachusetts in the north-east.

Supermarkets ran out of food amid a rush for supplies before the first snowflakes fell on Friday.

In summary:
  • More than 6,000 flights have been cancelled for Friday and Saturday
  • The US federal government closed down at noon on Friday
  • President Barack Obama is remain at the White House, officials said
  • States of emergency declared in Tennessee, North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, the District of Columbia and parts of other states
  • Eight people have been killed in car crashes in Tennessee, North Carolina, Kentucky and elsewhere
  • Washington's transport system - the second busiest in the US - will close all weekend
  • Many events, including two sold-out concerts by singer Garth Brooks in Baltimore, have been postponed
Washington's mayor, Muriel Bowser, said this was a major storm with "life and death implications".

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Snowflake Cold

About 80 settlements in south Ukraine remain without power following heavy snowfall


TASS
Thu, 21 Jan 2016 14:39 UTC
LIGHT IN DARK
© Stanislav Krasilnikov/TASS
Seventy-two settlements in the Kherson Region, five in the Mykolaiv Region and one settlement in the Odessa Region currently remain without electricity

A total of 78 settlements in three regions in Ukraine's south remain without electricity, the press service of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine said on Thursday.

"On Wednesday specialists from utility companies completed works on restoring electricity to settlements that were left without power as a result of complicated weather conditions - gusts of wind, snowfall and icing," the press service said.

Seventy-two settlements in the Kherson Region, five in the Mykolaiv Region and one settlement in the Odessa Region currently remain without electricity. Repair works are underway.

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Snowflake Cold

Very low temperatures and heavy snowfall in Mongolia; mass death of livestock


AKIpress
Wed, 20 Jan 2016 15:06 UTC
Mongolia
Yurt in snow storm
Frost-cold-winter Mongolia is experiencing very low temperatures and heavy snowfall since early-November 2015, locally named dzud (or jute, mass deaths of livestock in winter). According to the National Emergency Management Authority, snow has covered 90 percent of the total territory with conditions getting more severe, ReliefWeb reports.

Based on the latest assessment report released from the Mongolian government in early-January 2016, 50 districts in 16 provinces are currently categorized as experiencing dzud, while 120 districts in 20 provinces are on the edge of entering dzud condition.

Some local level governments have already declared dzud in their respective districts as part of the early warning and preparedness measures.

The Information and Research Institute of Meteorology, Hydrology and Environment has indicated that based on the weather forecast, continuous snowfall, snowstorms and temperatures are expected to persist on average of below -25 degrees Celsius (-13°F) during daytime and -38 degrees (-36°F) during night in the coming weeks. These will further affect more than 965,000 people, especially vulnerable herders living in the affected districts.
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Snowflake

'Historic' blizzard expected to hit US east coast on Friday

David Lawler
The Telegraph (UK)
Thu, 21 Jan 2016 00:10 UTC
Snow ploughs in Philadelphia after 2010 'Snowpocalypse'
© AP
Snow ploughs in Philadelphia after 'Snowpocalypse' storm hit US in 2010
National Weather Service warns of "life-threatenting conditions" and "impossible" travel in Washington, with snow also expected in Baltimore, Philadelphia and New York

A blizzard of historic proportions is expected to hit Washington, Baltimore and other East Coast cities beginning on Friday, with snowfalls of more than two feet predicted in some areas.

The National Weather Service has issued a blizzard watch for the Washington area, warning that "potential life-threatening conditions are expected Friday night into Saturday night."

"Travel is expected to be severely limited if not impossible during the height of the storm," the warning reads.


Coupled with the snow - which meteorologists say could be as much as 30 inches deep in Washington - will be high winds that may reach more than 50 miles per hour.
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Snowflake Cold

Blizzards wreak havoc in Romania and Bulgaria, ports closed

Radu Marinas and Tsvetelia Tsolova
Reuters
Sun, 17 Jan 2016 17:18 UTC
Bucharest, Romania, Sunday, Jan. 17, 2016.
© Associated PressA man clears snow during a blizzard outside the Gara de Nord, the main railway station in Bucharest, Romania, Sunday, Jan. 17, 2016.
Heavy snowfall and strong winds closed Romania's Black Sea ports including the main port of Constanta, and shut dozens of roads while snowstorms and torrential rains cut electricity to hundreds of towns in Bulgaria, authorities said on Sunday.

Blizzards dumped up to half a metre of snow in 12 hours in Romania, disrupting trains and forcing authorities to shut down all schools in Bucharest and nearby counties.

There were no reports of victims but emergency services said they were prepared to intervene, with about 6,000 policemen, gendarmes and firefighters currently involved in various missions across the country, the interior ministry said.

Snowfalls are not expected to ease until Monday in Romania and forecasters predict temperatures will fall to below minus 18 degrees Celsius next week.

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Snowflake Cold

Severe situation in northern Bulgaria because of snow, floods and strong winds


The Sofia Globe
Mon, 18 Jan 2016 16:11 UTC
Flooding Bulgaria
Flooding Bulgaria
Strong winds in northern Bulgaria, causing blizzards and snow drifts, hampered traffic in northern Bulgaria on January 18, with many roads closed.

Heavy snowfall and rains in several parts of Bulgaria at the weekend led to declarations of states of emergency in some municipalities, as serious winter weather conditions also hit Bulgaria's neighbouring countries Turkey, Greece, Romania and Serbia.

The state of emergency that had been declared at the weekend in Bulgaria's Smolyan municipality was lifted on the morning of January 18 but partial emergencies remained in place in the municipalities of Rudozem, Devin and Dospat.

The head of Bulgaria's Road Infrastructure Agency, Lazar Lazarov, said on the morning of January 18 that roads in western Bulgaria were passable provided that vehicles were prepared for wintry conditions but traffic in north-eastern Bulgaria still had difficulties.

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Snowflake Cold

Bosporus Strait closed to tankers due to heavy snowfall, Turkey

John Morley
Platts
Mon, 18 Jan 2016 15:54 UTC
Winter view to Bosphorus, Istanbul
Winter view to Bosphorus, Istanbul
The Bosporus Strait has closed to tankers Monday afternoon due to heavy snow in the region, local port agents said.

"Authorities have notified [us] that the Bosporus traffic has been closed on January 18 at [4.06 pm local time] due to heavy snowfall," Boutros Maritime and Transport said.

According to local agents, there were seven tankers due to pass through the Bosporus in a northbound direction Monday, and 13 due to pass through going South.

The Bosporus and the Dardanelles together form the only commercially navigable transit route between the Black Sea and the Mediterranean.
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Snowflake Cold

Heavy snowfall grounds hundreds of flights in Istanbul, Turkey

dominique soguel
ABC News
Mon, 18 Jan 2016 15:44 UTC
Istanbul's Süleymaniye Mosque
© Sabah / Metin ArabacıThe view of Istanbul's Süleymaniye Mosque from the Galata Bridge that crosses the Golden Horn.
Heavy snowfall has swept northwestern Turkey, grounding hundreds of flights, disrupting ground transport and closing schools in Istanbul.

Turkish Airlines announced the cancellation of 250 international and domestic flights to and from Istanbul's Ataturk and Sabiha Gokcen airports on Monday.

The airline also canceled at least 149 flights scheduled for Tuesday.

The snow began Sunday evening and is expected to continue until Tuesday night, according to Turkey's General Directorate of Meteorology, which also warned of heavy rainfall and a risk of flooding in southern Turkey.
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Tornado1

Deadly tornadoes rip through central Florida


The Guardian, UK
Sun, 17 Jan 2016 17:03 UTC
florida tornado damage
© APIn this photo provided by the Sarasota County Government, damage from a storm surrounds a vehicle Jan. 17, 2016, in Sarasota, Florida

Couple killed but son and grandchildren escaped injured after twister destroys home as state officials report damage in other areas

Severe weather sparked a pair of tornadoes that ripped through central Florida before dawn on Sunday, officials said. A couple was killed and their son and four grandchildren were injured when one of the twisters destroyed their mobile home.

"I'm amazed to see anybody got out of this alive," said Manatee County sheriff Brad Steube during a news conference.

Steube said that the victims of the tornado in Duette were asleep in their mobile home when the tornado struck. Steven Wilson, 58, was killed immediately, while his wife, Kate, died from a heart attack after being taken to a hospital.

Their son, also named Steven Wilson, crawled out of the wreckage and helped his four children out of the home. The children are between the ages of six and 10.

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