Storms
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Tornado2

Roadside whirlwind filmed in Parkes, Australia

Whirlwind
Whirlwind
A passenger in a car traveling down a New South Wales, Australia, road captured footage of a roadside whirlwind throwing dirt high up into the air.

Susan Mill posted a video on the Higgins Storm Chasing Facebook group showing the whirlwind -- or "willy willy" as its sometimes called in Australia -- kicking up dirt Friday at the side of a Parkes, New South Wales, road.

"I think I would like to become a storm chaser. This was extremely exciting," Mill wrote.

Mill wrote the footage was filmed near Lions Park in Parkes.


Cloud Lightning

Lightning strikes kill five in Rajasthan, India

lighting
Five persons, including two women were killed and another one injured after being struck by lightning in separate incidents at four districts of Rajasthan during sudden rains and thundershowers, police said today.

All the victims were working in agriculture fields at the time of the incidents yesterday, they said.

In Bharatpur district, Dinesh Gurjar (25) and Sampat Mali (35) were struck down by lightning at Methna and Govindpur village respectively. Ramji (55) too was killed in a similar incident at Mathhingota village in Dholpur district, they said.

In Dhablana village of Bundi district, a woman named Bhuri Bai Meghwal (45) was killed, while another woman Panabai Meena (50) was injured after being struck by lightning, police said.

The injured was rushed to a government hospital, where her condition was stated to be stable, they said, adding a 50-year-old woman named Surjo was another victim of lightning in Piplet village of Sawai Madhopur district.

Snowflake

Record December depth of snow for Reykjavik, Iceland

Snow on bench in park
© Gúna
Residents of Icelandic capital Reykjavik woke up to 42 cm (16.5 inches) of snow this morning - the highest depth of snow in December since records began.

According to the Icelandic Met Office, the previous record was set back in 2011, when snow lay 33 cm (13 inches) deep in Reykjavik on 29 December that year.

The highest ever depth of snow recorded in in Reykjavik was 55 cm (21.5 inches) back in January 1937, and if snows continues to fall on the city, this record might also be broken - and soon.

Now at 42 cm, snow levels in Reykjavik were 32 cm just four days ago on Saturday.


Cloud Precipitation

Worst in 100 years: Non-stop torrential rains flood southern India

India floods
© Strdel / AFPAn Indian labourer pushes his cycle trishaw through floodwaters in Chennai on December 1, 2015, during a downpour of heavy rain in the southern Indian city.
Thousands of people have been evacuated and a rescue operation is under way in Southern India, which has been severely flooded after several days of non-stop torrential rains, which prompted the closure of schools and factories and flight cancellations.

The city of Chennai, capital of the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu, has been almost cut off from the outside world. According to local media, the rains have set a 100-year-old record in the city, which is home to about 6 million people.


"Heavy rain accompanied by strong winds may make the situation worse in Chennai," the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) said, adding that the rains may continue for at least four days.

Cloud Lightning

Severe thunderstorms to hit southeast Queensland - again

queesnland storm
© Penny Dahl, @pennycopterA tree fell onto a house in Collingwood Park.
Severe thunderstorm warnings have been issued for parts of southeast Queensland this afternoon, as the region continues to clean up following yesterday's wild weather.

The Bureau of Meteorology says severe thunderstorms have been detected on radar between Cooyar and Crows Nest, with damaging winds and large hailstones likely. Read the full warning here.

Residents in the path of the storm are advised to secure loose outdoor items, move their car under cover or away from trees, and seek shelter.

During yesterday's storms fallen trees blocked roads and caused damage, with one collapsing onto a home in Collingwood Park, about 30km from the Brisbane CBD, almost splitting it in two.


Cloud Precipitation

Severe snow storm warning for Iceland

iceland snowsotrm
© Mbl.is/ Halldór SveinbjörnssonTomorrow morning is looking extremely bad, weather wise.
Please be warned: tomorrow morning is looking extremely bad, weather wise. Mbl.is/ Halldór Sveinbjörnsson

Despite having already released a forecast for extreme winter weather tomorrrow, Tuesday, the Iceland Met Office has now issued a storm warning.

The storm is expected to hit Reykjavik early tomorrow morning, as well as most of South Iceland, which means that with the strong winds, snow will blow across roads. Many roads may become impassable. More snowfall accompanied by the storm is expected in the late morning and early afternoon.

People are strongly advised from travelling anywhere around Iceland tomorrow and possibly even travel within Reykjavik could become very difficult.

Snowflake Cold

Flooding and ice storms kill 14 over Thanksgiving in US Midwest

snow plough
© James Glover / Reuters
Storms in the US Midwest have claimed at least 14 lives as temperatures plunged below freezing point over the holiday weekend. Tens of thousands of homes have been left without electricity, while driving conditions are treacherous due to icy roads.

A wintry storm system that has been moving through parts of the Great Plains and the Midwest since Thursday has brought extremely cold weather to the region. Eight people have lost their lives in Texas, with a further six dying in the state of Kansas.

The icy conditions are also causing havoc for local residents. Some 78,000 people in parts of Oklahoma have been left without power after trees collapsed onto power lines, according to Oklahoma Gas and Electric Co.

Tornado2

Australian outback music festival goes wild for mini-tornado

Mini-tornado at dance festival
© Youtube/Synaptic TVRather than seeking shelter from the storm, a large group of people instead charged towards the wind gust and began dancing around it
Revellers did not run away when a whirlwind swept through a music festival in Australia on Saturday.

They instead sprinted directly towards the towering column of dust and debris so that they could dance in it.

Canadian Olivier Bonenfant filmed the incident at the Earthcore festival, which was held about 100km north of Melbourne.

He dubbed it a "doofnado" - "doof" is an Australian slang term for a dance party held in the bush.

Windsock

Storm Clodagh batters Britain with 70mph gales and huge waves lash coastline

Storm Clodagh batters the harbour wall
© Dimitris Legakis/Athena
Storm Clodagh batters the harbour wall in Porthcawl, South Wales, early this morning

Met Office issues weather warnings for whole of England and Wales as storm brings severe gales and Environment Agency warns of flooding

Britons are braced for more lashing rain as flood warnings were issued for parts of the country as Storm Clodagh wreaked havoc.

Flights were diverted, trains delayed and traffic held up on motorways at the weeknd as heavy rain and strong winds hit Scotland and the north west of England.

There is little sign of respite with the Environment Agency issuing yellow flood warnings for Wales and the north of England for Monday and Tuesday. By Wednesday, two days of rain could leave parts of north Wales under 60mm of precipitation.

The north of England could see 30-40mm of rain during the same period, say the Met Office. A spokeswoman also warned that parts of Scotland, which is on a yellow snow warning, could have 2.5cm of snow on Monday.

Cloud Precipitation

Tennis ball-sized hail pounds Oakey, Australia

Image
Sha Sha Atkins shows the size of the hail in Oakey.
Hailstones the size of tennis balls have turned the streets of Oakey white.

A freak hailstorm showered parts of the Darling Downs with hail between 3.50pm and 4.20pm this afternoon.

Hail has also been reported in Highfields and Pittsworth.

Houses and cars in Oakey have sustained damage from the hail.