Storms
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Cloud Lightning

Lightning bolt kills 6 family members in Zimbabwe

Nancy Siama
Zambia Daily News
Sat, 21 Nov 2015 14:29 UTC
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Six members of the same family have been burnt to death in Chienge while two others are battling for their lives at Mwabu Rural Health Post after the house in which they were sleeping was struck by lightning.

The dead are five children and an adult, identified as Jennifer Musonda, 28, Emmanuel Nyinda, three, and Musonda Chipampe, six, all of Kamasansa village in Chief Puta's area, Jennifer Musange, 16, Nancy Chanda, 11, and Anthony Mulambwa, 9, all of Kalendwe village.

Luapula Province deputy commissioner of police Webby Shula said in an interview yesterday that the incident happened on Wednesday around 23:00 hours at Kalendwe village in Senior Chief Puta's area.
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Snowflake

Record 14-inch snowfall pummels Sioux Falls, South Dakota

Katie Nelson
Sioux Falls Argus Leader
Fri, 20 Nov 2015 23:52 UTC
Snowplow in Sioux Falls, South Dakota
© AP Photo/Argus Leader,Elisha PageSnowplow in Sioux Falls, South Dakota
What was supposed to be a few inches of snow on Friday turned into a deluge that blanketed parts of Sioux Falls in more than a foot of the white stuff and caused travel headaches throughout the day.

Fourteen inches of snow were reported in the southwest quadrant of the city by Friday evening, the National Weather Service office said. On the other side of town, Sioux Falls Regional Airport recorded 7.1 inches by 6 p.m.

The numbers shattered the previous snowfall record for Nov. 20, which was measured at 3.8 inches in 1975.

Other parts of southeast South Dakota had a variety of snowfall levels. In Harrisburg, one area measured a whopping 17 inches of snow, while Huron did not see a single flake, said National Weather Service meteorologist Kyle Weisser.

Actual snowfall blew past projected levels out of the water. On Wednesday, forecasters predicted less than one inch of snow for the Sioux Falls area. By Thursday, the prediction amount had risen to between one and three inches and again to four to six inches by Friday morning.

Sioux Falls' unforeseen influx of snow is mostly due to a large snow band that was supposed to be concentrated between Sioux Falls and Sioux City but ended up drifting further north, according to the National Weather Service.

"That snow band shifted north about 10 to 15 miles (more) than we expected," meteorologist Jennifer Hacker said. "Those extreme values are really difficult to forecast."
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Cloud Lightning

Lightning strikes kill two women in Sri Lanka


Hiru News
Thu, 19 Nov 2015 14:15 UTC
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Met. department states that many areas in the island might receive thunder showers during today afternoon.

The on duty weather forecaster Nimal Bandara Ekanayaka forecasts that lightning accidents also could occur along with the thunder showers and warns the public to be vigilant.

Meanwhile two persons have been killed by lightning.

A 50 year old person has been killed by lightning yesterday while working in a paddy field in Kanthale-Agbopura- Ginipetty Palama area.

And a woman has also been killed by lightning yesterday while working in paddy field in Anuradhapura Gomarankadawala area.
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Tornado1

Severe thunderstorms bring gigantic hail, flooding rain and a tornado to Argentina

Jonathan Erdman
The Weather Channel
Thu, 19 Nov 2015 02:13 UTC
thunderstorms in Argentina
© Weather UndergroundInfrared satellite image showing the cluster of severe thunderstorms over northern Argentina on Wednesday, November 18, 2015. The most vigorous thunderstorms are indicated by the red cloud tops near Santa Fe and Rosario, Argentina.
Severe thunderstorms tore through parts of northern Argentina and southern Brazil Wednesday into early Thursday, dumping damaging hail, flooding rain, even spawning a tornado.

Hail up to the size of tennis balls pelted parts of Córdoba and Santa Fe provinces, west and northwest of the Argentine capital of Buenos Aires on Wednesday.

Comment: Just over one week ago more apocalyptic weather pounded parts of Argentina.

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Cloud Lightning

Lightning strike kills footballer, injures 8 others in Bolivia

Nick Rostron-Pike
The Sun (UK)
Thu, 19 Nov 2015 19:02 UTC
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A Bolivian footballer has been killed after being struck by lightning.

The incident, which happened during a match last Saturday, injured eight other players in the town of Villazon.

According to reports, a lightning strike hit the ground killing David Alvarez.

Villazon borders Argentina, in south Bolivia.

Local media are reporting eight other players were electrically shocked, although it's unknown how serious these injuries are.
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Cloud Precipitation

3 children die in freak hailstorm in Zimbabwe


Zimbabwe Daily
Tue, 17 Nov 2015 18:51 UTC
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Three Bulilima District pupils have died following a deadly hailstorm that hit the area on Monday. Many more pupils were stranded and their families searched for them well into the night, leading to their rescue after large hailstones pounded several villages.

Two Early Childhood Development pupils from Sevako Primary School, both girls aged six years, died in the violent weather while a third, a boy from Ndolwane Primary School whose age and grade could not be ascertained, drowned yesterday.

The Bulilima Civil Protection Committee chairperson who is also the District Administrator for Bulilima, Ethel Moyo, said the ECD pupils died on their way home from school while the other pupil drowned in a flooded pit latrine at the school.
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Cloud Precipitation

Statewide emergency declared as deadly storms kill 3 in Northwest US

Eric M Johnson
Independent Online
Thu, 19 Nov 2015 10:14 UTC
washington storm damage
About 185 000 homes and businesses remained without power in Washington state late on Wednesday, after a storm blew down trees and triggered mudslides, killing at least three people, authorities said.

Governor Jay Inslee declared a statewide emergency because of the storm, which left a wide swath of the Puget Sound region under flood watches and warnings.

In the Spokane area of eastern Washington, utility Avista warned it could take three to five days to restore services to nearly 115 000 customers without power. The city closed schools after winds up to 70 mph (113kph) tore through the area.

In Oregon, fallen trees, mudslides and floods shut down roads across the western part of the state on Tuesday night, including a 80km stretch of Interstate 84 that authorities declared impassible into midday Wednesday.

Several other highways remained closed, Washington state police said.

At least three people were confirmed to have died in storm-related accidents, authorities in Washington state said.
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Windsock

Storm Barney batters Britain with 80mph gusts and crippling floods

Nathan Rao
The Express, UK
Tue, 17 Nov 2015 15:09 UTC
Storm Barney batters Britain
© GETTY•MAGICSEAWEEDStorm Barney is battering Britain

Gusts of 80mph threatened to topple trees, close roads and bridges and cripple transport networks while heavy rain threatened further flooding. Another furious storm system is about to rip in from the Atlantic on Wednesday whipping up 80mph gales and torrential downpours.

Swathes of the country are on heightened flood alert as rivers continue to swell amid forecasts of more heavy showers. A twist in the "atrocious" weather at the weekend will see a bitter Arctic blast trigger sub-zero temperatures and snow.

A double-whammy of misery will see torrential downpours clash with freezing northerly winds sparking warnings to expect blizzards. Wintry showers are forecast widely by the weekend with a dusting of white possible even to low ground in the south.

Scotland and the north will take the brunt of the winter blast as temperatures plummet to -6C (21F) allowing several centimetres of snow to settle. The Met Office has severe weather warnings in place for wind and rain into the early hours of Wednesday.

It said the worst of the battering was due last night (Tuesday) with southern, western and central regions braced to take the brunt.
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Tornado2

Waterspout captured over Townsville, Australia


Townsville Bulletin
Tue, 17 Nov 2015 12:21 UTC
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© Townsville Bulletin/Samantha Healy
A waterspout formed off the Townsville coast this morning, with at least one or two separate funnel cloud formations also sighted over land. Townsville weather bureau forecaster Andrew Cearns said a waterspout had definitely formed but photographs taken by locals of tornado-like clouds between the airport and Yabulu were harder to confirm.

"Looking at the doppler, there were signs of strong winds moving in two different directions so there was definitely a possibility of rotation (over land)," he said. "The conditions were there. We had a southeast change coming up the coast and low level northerly winds coming in to it." Mr Cearns said the funnel-like clouds sighted over land did not appear to reach the ground.
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© Via twitter@isobelroeWater spout off The Strand.

It's been called everything from a tornado to a funnel cloud and a water spout but whatever it is, it has got Townsville talking. Pictures of the weather phenomena have been posted on social media this morning after rain fell across the city overnight. The Townsville Bulletin contacted the Bureau of Meterology for an official identification but they have not been able to confirm what took place at this stage.
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Tornado1

"Unprecedented" tornado outbreak as more than 20 touch down across western Kansas

Stan Finger
The Wichita Eagle
Tue, 17 Nov 2015 15:32 UTC
storm reports
© NOAA

Nearly two dozen tornadoes were reported around Kansas on Monday afternoon and evening, part of a rare November outbreak that spanned three states in Tornado Alley.

The outbreak was the latest on record for northwest Kansas and so many tornadoes touched down in southwest Kansas that a weather official called it "unprecedented" for that part of the state in November.

A total of 41 tornadoes were reported in Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Significant damage occurred near Pampa, Texas, and lesser damage was reported elsewhere.

Comment: One tornado ripped through the Texas panhandle on Monday night and was estimated to have been a mile wide. It reportedly leveled a Halliburton plant, causing chemical and gas leaks.

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