Storms
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Cloud Precipitation

Dozens killed as more floods hit the Democratic Republic of Congo

Richard Davies
Floodlist
Mon, 14 Dec 2015 16:19 UTC
Rain in Congo
© EPARain in Congo
Torrential rain between 11 and 12 December 2015 has caused deadly floods and landslides in eastern and western parts of Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Local news reports claim that 18 people have died in eastern South Kivu and 9 in western Bas Congo provinces.

Floods have already resulted in over 30 deaths in Kinshasa and other areas of the country since late November.

South Kivu Province

On 12 December 2015, AFP reported that at least 18 people during torrential rains and floods on Friday 11 December to Saturday 12 December 2015 in Bukavu in South Kivu province in the east of the country.

WMO reported that, during a 24 hour period between 06 and 07 December 2015, 136.9 mm of rain fell in Bukavu. No records are available for more recent rainfall in the country.

At least 6 houses collapsed after torrential rain triggered floods and landslides. There are fears that some are still trapped under the rubble and that the death toll could rise further. One death has been reported as a result of electrocution. Radio Okapi, the UN backed news outlet in DRC say that around 50 houses have been damaged which could leave hundreds homeless. Ibanda and Panzi districts in Bukavu are thought to be the worst affected.


Comment: See also: Flooding in Congo capital kill at least 31 in three weeks

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Windsock

Typhoon Melor: Three people dead as storm slams into the Philippines


The Guardian, UK
Tue, 15 Dec 2015 04:11 UTC
typhoon Melor
© Charism Sayat/AFP/Getty ImagesWaves spill over a wall in the city of Legaspi in Albay province, south of Manila, as typhoon Melor approached the city.

Millions left without power as typhoon's heavy rain and strong winds pound the Bicol peninsula and Romblon islands

Typhoon Melor carved through the central Philippines on Tuesday, bringing heavy rain and strong winds that left millions without power and at least three people dead, officials said.

One person died of hypothermia while two others drowned in floods in the fishing town of Catarman in Northern Samar province in the Visayas region south of Manila, municipal disaster officer Jonathan Baldo told DZMM radio.

The storm toppled trees and cut electricity to at least seven provinces, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) said.

Christmas lanterns and lights, tin roofs and branches littered the streets of the city of Legazpi, which was battered by strong winds.

People who fled from their coastal homes spent a sleepless night in evacuation centres, sprawled on classroom tables and chairs as flying debris swirled around outside.
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Snowflake

NOAA: Winter storm warnings-watches issued for 15 U.S. states

Robert
Ice Age Now
Mon, 14 Dec 2015 22:12 UTC
NOAA map snow
© NOAA
Heavy snow warnings for parts of Colorado, Nebraska, Wyoming, Idaho, Utah, South Dakota, Montana, North Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, New Mexico, Arizona, Michigan and Maine.
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Tornado2

Rare winter tornadoes touch down in East Texas, surprising residents and damaging 50 homes

Kiri Blakeley
Daily Mail, UK
Sun, 13 Dec 2015 16:05 UTC
texas tornado damage
© KETKThere are reports of at least 50 homes damaged in Lindale, Texas, including the one pictured here. Residents in the area said that there were no storm warnings and alerts were not sent out

Rare December tornadoes surprised East Texas on Saturday afternoon, damaging 50 homes, destroying a bridge and injuring two people.

At least one tornado, probably two, touched down around 4pm in Lindale, about 90 miles southeast of Dallas, according to KETK.

The mayor has issued a declaration of disaster for the city.

'We saw these clouds and these little tornadoes that were shooting down and then one hit the ground. We saw it hit the ground, witness Melissa Malone told the outlet. 'From there we called 911 and immediately alerted them and the sirens started going off.'

Eyewitness Autum Green spotted the twisters forming on Iron Mountain Road in Lindale and captured them with her cell phone.

'It was kind of cool watching it build up, but I was really scared,' Green said, adding that she normally gets weather alerts, but none came with the tornado.

'On the movie Twister where they had the two tunnels come through, they twirled around each other, that's what it looked like,' she said.

The National Weather Service did not send out warnings and people in Lindale were caught completely unawares, reports the outlet.

Comment: Another 'rare' winter tornado in the United States, just a few days after another one battered homes in Battle Ground, Washington. Last month another 'rare' tornado hit a Californian town, a massive mile wide tornado reportedly leveled a Halliburton plant and a tornado outbreak of more than 20 touched down across western Kansas, which was called "unprecedented" by a weather official.

Meanwhile other 'rare' tornadoes continue to strike all over the planet this year, including Northern Ireland, England, Australia, Hawaii and India.

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Tornado1

Over 700,000 flee as powerful typhoon Melor slams Philippines


Yahoo News
Mon, 14 Dec 2015 14:29 UTC
Typhoon Melor
© JAY DIRECTO / AFP - Getty ImagesMeteorologists from the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration monitor and plot the direction of Typhoon Melor in suburban Manila on Monday
More than 700,000 people in the central Philippines fled to safer areas for fear of giant waves, floods or landslides as Typhoon Melor slammed into the archipelago nation Monday, officials said.

Melor brushed the northern tip of Samar, a farming island of 1.5 million people, early Monday with winds gusting up to 185 kilometres (115 miles) per hour, the state weather bureau said. There were no immediate reports of casualties or damage.

Samar was among areas devastated in 2013 by Typhoon Haiyan, when giant waves wiped out entire communities and left 7,350 people dead or missing.

Authorities warned that Melor's powerful winds might whip up four-metre-high (13-feet) waves, blow off tin roofs and uproot trees. They said heavy rain within its 300-kilometre diameter could trigger floods and landslides.

In Albay province in the southeast of Luzon island, almost 600,000 people were evacuated due to fears that heavy rain could cause mudslides on the slopes of nearby Mayon Volcano, according to the national disaster monitoring office.

Residents carrying bags of clothes and water jugs clambered onto army trucks in Albay's Legazpi City as authorities sounded an evacuation alarm, according to an AFP photographer at the scene.

Comment: A couple of months ago Typhoon Koppu brought massive flooding to the Philippines

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Cloud Precipitation

Communities on high flood alert along River Shannon, Ireland


newstalk.com
Mon, 14 Dec 2015 12:17 UTC
Floods Ireland
© RollingNews.ieSwans glide by a sandbag barrier on The Strand in Athlone Town, in the ongoing battle against the rising waters of the Shannon River.
The ESB will not increase the amount of water flowing through the Parteen Weir today.

It says the level of water in Lough Derg increased marginally in the past 24 hours and is warning that flooding is likely in communities along the River Shannon.

Residents in parts of Athlone say Christmas is on hold as they try to keep rising waters from flooding their homes.

It is raining heavily in the town this morning, and it is thought 100 houses are at risk.

Keith Walsh is one of a dedicated team of volunteers manning pumps around the clock.

He says houses in The Park area would be flooded were it not for a team effort.


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Windsock

Strong winds blow train off tracks in Texas

Dee Duren
News on 6
Sun, 13 Dec 2015 14:34 UTC
Wind blows train off tracks
© Lufkin Police Dept
The Lufkin, Texas Police Department shared a photo on its Facebook page Sunday morning after winds blew a train off the tracks as it crossed a highway. An update says it will take at least 48 hours to upright the 64 rail cars.

Police advised drivers to avoid Loop 287 near 103 West and 69 North "as straight-line winds blew a train off the tracks."

The highway is shut down. The cars were believed to be empty when a gust of wind took them off the tracks around 7 a.m.
Wind blows train
© Lufkin Police Dept
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Cloud Lightning

Large upper atomspheric lightning caught on camera in Darwin, Australia

Frankie Lucena
spaceweather.com
Sun, 13 Dec 2015 18:42 UTC
Blue Jet (Transient Luminous Event)
© William Nguyen Phuoc Blue Jet (Transient Luminous Event)
Details:

This photo was taken by William Nguyen Phuoc in Darwin, Australia on Dec. 8 2015. This looks more like a Gigantic Jet than a Blue Jet but either way it is an amazing event.

A timelapse video of this event shows all the lightning activity before and after the event. You can view it here:

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Cloud Lightning

Lightning bolt kills 6 and injures another 6 in Eastern Cape, South Africa


sabc.co.za
Sun, 13 Dec 2015 17:35 UTC
lightning
Six people have been killed and six others were injured after they were struck by lightning at Nkanya village in Elliotdale outside Mthatha in the Eastern Cape.

This happened during a severe hail storm that hit the area late on Saturday.

Provincial Health Spokesperson, Siyanda Manana, says the deceased had just returned from the cemetery after a funeral service when the incident happened.

"People who had attended a funeral were struck by lightning. Two died on arrival at hospital. Four died at the casualty and then six were admitted in hospital. They are in a stable condition at the moment at Madwaleni hospital."
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Windsock

Intense Alaska storm ties strongest on record

Renee Duff
Accuweather
Sun, 13 Dec 2015 09:10 UTC
A potent storm approaching western Alaska this weekend has tied the strongest recorded storm to impact the region.
Alaska forecast
This storm comes a little over a year after ex-Super Typhoon Nuri became the most powerful system on record to cross Dutch Harbor, Alaska, which is located in the Aleutian Islands, with a central low pressure of 924 millibars (27.29 inches of Hg).

The intensity of a storm is measured by the central pressure, with lower pressure equating to a stronger system.

Previous to Nuri, the old record stood at 925 millibars (27.32 inches of Hg) at Dutch Harbor, Alaska, from a strong storm that hit on Oct. 25, 1977.

To put this in perspective, Hurricane Katrina made landfall at 920 millibars (27.17 inches of Hg).

This storm raced to the northeast and pounded the western Aleutian Islands with hurricane-force winds on Saturday evening, rapidly intensifying in the process.

Winds have gusted to 122 mph (196 km/h) at Adak Island, Alaska, on Saturday night.

Further strengthening is forecast to occur once the storm enters the Bering Sea, potentially breaking the intensity reached by ex-Super Typhoon Nuri in November of 2014.


Comment: See our latest Earth Changes Summary for more extreme weather events across the globe:

SOTT Earth Changes Summary - November 2015: Extreme Weather, Planetary Upheaval, Meteor Fireballs

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