Storms
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Cloud Grey

Dust storm in north Oklahoma shuts down interstate and causes multiple car wrecks

Justin Juozapavicius
Associated Press
Fri, 19 Oct 2012 00:00 UTC
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The rear of a car sits on top of another following a crash on Interstate 35 on Thursday, Oct. 18, 2012, near Blackwell, Okla. A massive dust storm swirling reddish-brown clouds over northern Oklahoma
Tulsa - A massive dust storm swirling reddish-brown clouds over northern Oklahoma triggered a multi-vehicle accident along a major interstate Thursday, forcing police to shut down part of the heavily traveled roadway amid near blackout conditions.

In a scene reminiscent of the Dust Bowl days, choking dust suspended on strong wind gusts shrouded Interstate 35, which links Dallas and Oklahoma City to Kansas City, Mo. Video from television station helicopters showed the four-lane highway virtually disappearing into billowing dust on the harsh landscape near Blackwell, plus dozens of vehicles scattered in the median and on the shoulders.

"I've never seen anything like this," said Jodi Palmer, a dispatcher with the Kay County Sheriff's Office. "In this area alone, the dirt is blowing because we've been in a drought. I think from the drought everything's so dry and the wind is high."

The highway patrol said the dust storm caused a multi-car accident, and local police said nearly three dozen cars and tractor-trailers were involved. Blackwell Police Chief Fred LeValley said nine people were injured, but there were no fatalities.
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Boat

Winter floods are on the way to Devon and Cornwall


thisisnorthdevon.co.uk
Sat, 20 Oct 2012 03:16 UTC
Devon cornwall winter floods
© Northcliffe Media
The soggy aftermath of Britain's record-breaking wet summer will increase the risk of winter floods, say experts.

Months of monsoon-like weather has left the ground unusually waterlogged for the time of year.

Under the present conditions, any spell of heavy rain might be enough to cause further serious flooding like that which swamped many homes and businesses this summer in the Westcountry and across Britain.

In contrast to last winter's drought, November to April is traditionally the wettest time of year, when soils around most of the country are close to saturation. Much of the land in the Westcountry remains usually waterlogged for the time of year - putting areas of the region under further risk of flooding.

Homeowners and businesses have been warned to prepare for more flooding misery in the region. About a month's worth of rain has already fallen in Devon and Cornwall during the first half of October.

Helen Chivers, of the Exeter-based Met Office, said: "The ground is very saturated following the unusually wet summer. Therefore at the moment there is a heightened risk of flooding.

"But things can change very quickly and we are expecting a lot of dry weather over the next week."

She said the Met Office does not expect an "unusual" period of rain over the month.

Average rainfall nationwide in November is 144mm.
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Cloud Lightning

Blustery storm system sweeps through Arkansas and Mississippi - Tornadoes leave thousands without power


NBC News
Thu, 18 Oct 2012 06:45 UTC

Thousands were left without power after a blustery storm system swept through Arkansas and Mississippi on Wednesday night, with initial reports saying it spawned at least five tornadoes.

Five people near Anguilla, Miss., were injured after their mobile home was completely destroyed, NBC station WLBT in Jackson, Miss., reported. A mother and her four children were inside the home, one child having received what appeared to be serious injuries, Sheriff Lindsey Adams told WLBT. The family was taken to a local hospital.

Not far from the scene, another mobile home was blown off its foundation and into a field. A woman was found inside and taken to a hospital with numerous injuries, WLBT reported.

In Conehatta, Miss., a suspected tornado downed dozens of trees and power lines, and damaged several structures, the Storm Prediction Center reported.
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Cloud Grey

Powerful winds leave thousands without power in Denver area


Associated Press
Thu, 18 Oct 2012 09:05 UTC
It could be midday Thursday before electricity is restored to everyone who lost power in the Denver area after powerful winds. Xcel Energy Inc. says the blackouts affected about 50,000 customers in Denver, Fort Collins and Greeley starting at 10 p.m. Tuesday. Crews restored service to most by midday Wednesday.

About 5,500 were still without power Wednesday evening, and the company said it could be noon Thursday everyone's service is restored. The National Weather Service said gusts of up to 60 mph were reported in the Denver area and the northeast Colorado plains Tuesday night.

Gusts of 46 mph were reported in the northern Colorado town of Loveland on Wednesday. Fort Morgan, Akron and Holyoke in northeastern Colorado reported 40 mph gusts. The Weather Service issued a high wind warning for much of northeastern Colorado, with sustained winds of up to 40 mph and gusts of up to 60 mph possible.
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Bizarro Earth

Commuter hell as flood chaos sweeps Dublin, Cork

Conor Feehan and Niall O'Connor
Herald.ie
Wed, 17 Oct 2012 15:27 UTC
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Chaos reigned this morning after the country downpours and high winds lashed overnight. Torrential rain and high winds caused havoc in Dublin and Cork -- but conditions were expected to improve by this evening. Heavy rain from around 3am was too much for the drainage systems to cope with, causing water to build up on several major roads, particularly in south and west Dublin.

And it was a similar story in Cork this morning where city streets were under as much as two-feet of water as high tide blighted the city.

Impassable

In Dublin, AA Roadwatch reported serious flooding around the Tallaght area, with the road impassable at the Jobstown Inn, and from the Old Bawn junction on the N81 Tallaght Bypass down to the M50 junction.

Several cars stalled on the N81 after driving through flooded areas. Traffic in the area was heavy inbound during morning rush hour as motorists queued to try to negotiate the floods by driving one-by-one on the higher footpaths beside the affected roads.

Further west on the N81 there was heavy flooding from Brittas to Tallaght.
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Blue Planet

Hurricane Paul to hit Baja California coast Tuesday afternoon

Miguel Llanos
NBC News
Tue, 16 Oct 2012 09:53 UTC
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© NASA/AFP/Getty ImagesThis satellite-based image shows Hurricane Paul early Tuesday.
Hurricane Paul was expected to make landfall Tuesday afternoon along a lightly populated area of Mexico's Baja California.

Early Tuesday, the Category 2 hurricane was about 70 miles south of Cabo San Lazaro and was moving north-northeast at 21 miles per hour with maximum wind speeds of 105 mph, the U.S. National Hurricane Center reported.

Up to 10 inches of rain in some places could trigger flooding or mudslides, the center said, warning the storm would cause dangerous coastal waves.

Mexico issued a hurricane warning from Santa Fe northward to Punta Abreojos on the country's western Baja peninsula, the center said. On the east coast, a hurricane warning stretched from Mulege to San Evaristo.

While Paul was expected to weaken once it makes landfall, it should stay over Baja California for up to 36 hours, the hurricane center said.

The storm is not expected to hit the tourist resorts of Los Cabos.

Some rain from Paul should even make it to south Texas on Tuesday, weather.com reported.
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Cloud Lightning

"Rare" for October: Tropical Cyclone Anais rages in the Indian Ocean

Bill Read
Click2Houston.com
Mon, 15 Oct 2012 08:46 UTC
Tropical Cyclone Anais is estimated to have a maximum wind of 115 mph as of early this morning, which is equivalent to a category 3 hurricane in the Atlantic Ocean. The southwestern Indian Ocean is prone to tropical cyclones but what makes Anais so rare is that it is occurring in October, which is early springtime in the southern Hemisphere.
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The peak period for tropical events in this part of the world is normally during our winter months of January-March. Anais is forecast to move southwest in the general direction of Madagascar for the next five days and weaken as it moves into cooler waters and unfavorable winds.
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Snowflake Cold

Snow causes havoc across eastern Australia -- Video


Abc News
Fri, 12 Oct 2012 12:01 UTC

The Bureau of Meteorology says snow falls have occurred right along the Great Dividing Range and as far north as Queensland's Granite Belt.

At its height, snowfalls of 15 centimetres and wind damage cut roads and rail access to the upper Blue Mountains for more than six hours.

In the Blue Mountains, 300 cars were stranded by the mountain road closures.

But the SES's Jennifer Finlay says most of the 550 calls for help came from further to the south.

"The Illawarra south coast got hit pretty hard with lots of trees down a bit of roof damage, fortunately nothing too severe," she said.

Endeavour Energy reconnected more than 2,000 properties to power on Friday afternoon, but hundreds of outlying properties between Mount Victoria and Medlow Bath and in the Megalong Valley will not get power back until Saturday.

With temperatures predicted to get down to 3 degrees Celsius overnight, the company has urged people in areas where the power is out to check on neighbours who live alone.

Comment: Note how the meteorologist claims "it's not unprecedented" because there were similar conditions in 2008. Well that's alright then! Nothing to worry about!

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Snowflake

Arizona October Snow? Strong fall storm headed for northern Arizona


KTAR.com
Thu, 11 Oct 2012 16:55 UTC
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A strong fall storm moving into Arizona on Thursday is expected to drop up to three inches of snow in the higher elevations. The National Weather Service said the greatest likelihood of severe storms will be from Thursday evening through Friday morning. Daytime temperatures Friday will be about 15-20 degrees cooler than earlier this week.

Up to three-quarters of an inch of rain is expected in some areas, with the possibility of tornadoes.

Forecasters said snow levels could drop to as low as 7,500 feet on Friday. The Kaibab Plateau, San Francisco Peaks and the White Mountains could see between one inch and three inches of snow.
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Cloud Lightning

Southern California storm will bring severe weather outbreak


TheWeatherSpace.com
Mon, 08 Oct 2012 20:19 UTC
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A storm system will hit Southern California on Wednesday and Thursday, ejecting into the plains by Friday and Saturday with widespread severe thunderstorms expected out there.

Over at the Southern California Weather Authority we name the Pacific Storms that come into the region, a novelty since 1998-1999. This is Pacific Storm Adam, a category three system for Wednesday into Thursday.

Pacific Storm Adam will hit the Point Conception areas on Wednesday, and Los Angeles overnight Wednesday into Thursday, bringing locally heavy rain in spots under the thunderstorms that form.

Hail, funnel clouds, and waterspouts will also be a concern along with resort level snows for any cells that pass those areas.

After the system moves out on Thursday night, it will quickly eject into the plains where severe thunderstorms will be likely between then and Saturday across a large area.

These storms will contain large hail, damaging winds, and even tornadoes.
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