Storms
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Snowman

New Zealand: Severe Weather Warning Issued

Natasha Burling
News Talk ZB
Wed, 13 Jul 2011 03:28 UTC
A severe weather warning has been issued for more rain and snow that's set to batter the country today.

MetService is forecasting more heavy snow to nearly sea level in South Westland and Fiordland.

Snowfalls will affect all the main alpine passes and some roads in Southland and Otago.

Motorists are being advised to take extra care and check road conditions before travelling.

Heavy rain is also forecast for the Tararua Ranges today with 100 to 140 millimetres expected.

Warnings for severe gales in parts of Gisborne, Hawke's Bay and Wairarapa have been lifted.
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Cloud Lightning

US: Storm caused power loss for 868,000 in Chicago area, service restored to 502,000

Liam Ford, Ruth Fuller and Annie Sweeney
Chicago Tribune
Tue, 12 Jul 2011 10:06 UTC
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© Terrence Antonio James/TribuneComEd workers repaired downed lines in the alley behind Ozark Avenue near Montrose Avenue in Norridge.
Commonwealth Edison Co. reported substantial progress in restoring power lost in Monday's storms but that still left hundreds of thousands without electricity in sweltering heat. The utility warned it could take days to get everyone back on line.

A record 868,000 homes and businesses were left without power by the storms that ripped through the area at 75 mph--the highest number of outages in 13 years. But by 6 a.m. that had been reduced to 369,200.

The majority were in the northern suburbs, where 207,300 were still in the dark and without air conditioning. About 71,000 were west of the city, 60,000 in Chicago and Maywood and 30,000 in the south suburbs.

In total, power had been restored to 502,600 customers, said ComEd spokeswoman Tony Hernandez.

The last time a storm left a comparable number of customers without power was in 1998, when 865,000 customers lost power in one storm.

ComEd spokesperson Tony Hernandez told WGN radio's John Williams Monday afternoon that "this is going to be one for the record books."
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Cloud Lightning

US: Richmond County, North Carolina: Lightning kills 20 cows

Kelli Easterling
Daily Journal
Fri, 08 Jul 2011 07:12 UTC
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© Unknown20 of Wesley and Sammy Anderson’s Angus cows were killed by lightning on Wednesday afternoon
A lightning storm Wednesday afternoon claimed the lives of 20 Angus cows belonging to Wesley and Sammy Anderson, of Ellerbe.

The cows congregated underneath a tree when the storm rolled in, and were killed when lightning struck and traveled through the group.

"We're fourth generation farmers, and my dad and I don't ever remember seeing anything like this," said Sammy. "I've heard of cows being hit standing in ponds, but not this many - and I've never seen it myself."

Sammy said that it's normal for cows to congregate under trees during storms.
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Cloud Lightning

Scotland: Homes and cars flooded in Edinburgh downpour

Angie Brown
BBC
Fri, 08 Jul 2011 05:09 UTC
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© BBCWitnesses said cars in Balcarres Street were bobbing about in the water
Homes, businesses and cars have been hit by flooding during a heavy downpour across Edinburgh.

Witnesses have been reporting cars floating in deep rivers running down roads in Morningside, Colinton and Oxgangs.

One resident in Balcarres Street said her ground-floor-flat had been ruined following the flash flood at 1440 BST.

Emergency council teams have been deployed in a bid to help firefighters deal with the "huge volumes of water".

A resident in Balcarres Street added that the fish in her pond in her front garden had been washed away in the flood water.

A 31-year-old witness said: "I have never seen anything like it. There was such a huge volume of water in Balcarres Street that buses were trying to plough through it and the wake was causing the cars at the side of the road to crash into each other.

"There is also a car showroom in the street, which has been flooded."
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Cloud Lightning

US: New Mexico Rains Douse Flames But Fuel Flood Fears

Dennis J. Carroll
Reuters
Mon, 11 Jul 2011 17:59 UTC
The monsoons arrived on schedule in northern New Mexico on Monday, bringing with them the promise of containing a monster wildfire that has broken records in the state.

But they also brought potential peril from flash floods, wind bursts and lightning, with possible flooding made worse by the ground-clearing fires.

"It's such a Catch-22 with the rains," said Arlene Perea, a fire information officer. "The rains are welcome, but we know there are some problems with it."

The National Weather Service on Monday put out a flash-flood watch for the fire area through at least Wednesday. Forecasters said showers and thunderstorms were expected, with hail, lightning and winds up to 45 miles per hour.
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Bizarro Earth

US: Rare, Severe 'Derecho' Windstorm Hits Midwest

Brett Israel
OurAmazingPlanet
Mon, 11 Jul 2011 12:55 UTC
Uprooted Tree
© Derrickr_Smg / lockerz.comWoah! A derecho uprooted a huge tree in Chicago, Ill.
A severe storm is sweeping across the Midwest today with winds so strong that it has a special name: derecho.

A derecho (from the Spanish adverb for "straight") is a long-lived windstorm that forms in a straight line - unlike the swirling winds of a tornado - and is associated with what's known as a bow echo, a line of severe thunderstorms. The term "derecho" was first used over a century ago to describe a storm in Iowa. Across the United States, there are generally one to three derecho events each year.

The Midwest derecho has wind gusts between 60 and 80 mph (97 to 129 kph), according to the Weather Channel. Iowa, Wisconsin, Michigan and Illinois have all reported severe winds. These severe winds are the main cause of damage from the storm, said Rose Sengenberger, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Romeoville, Ill., but added that people should be on the lookout for other dangerous weather.

"With any long-lived storm, there is also the threat of lightning and heavy rain," Sengenberger told OurAmazingPlanet.
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Cloud Lightning

US: Flood waters ruin more than homes in devastated Plymouth, PA

Erin Moody
The Times-Tribune
Sun, 10 Jul 2011 19:49 UTC
Almost everything Gavin Ayers, 13, and Gabriella Napersky, 11, had left of their father who died 10 years ago was in boxes in the basement of their Coal Street home. Gavin hoped to one day wear his old sweaters and loved to read notes written in his father's hand.

But after floodwater from last Sunday's storm seeped into the basement and soaked those boxes, he doesn't know how much can be saved.

"We're trying everything because you can't get those words back. All of his love letters, clothes, cards, things like that, because I saved everything he ever gave me," Gavin's mother, Georgeann Ayers, said.

Most of the sweaters are wool, and she is doubtful they will survive. Pictures, old report cards, school projects and baby items that the newest addition to the family, 1-month-old Gabe, would have used, were destroyed by the water. The family moved in less than a year ago and most of their belongings were still in boxes in the basement.

A week after a storm dumped at least a half foot of rain in the area, officials are still struggling to get a handle on the total amount of families - at least 300 - and total cost of the damages - several million dollars and climbing.
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Cloud Lightning

Rains drench north India; 7 die in rain-linked incidents


PTI
Sun, 10 Jul 2011 20:05 UTC
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Monsoon showers lashed large parts of north India today, including the national capital, even as seven people were killed in different rain-related incidents.

In Uttarakhand, five persons were washed away in flash flood in Nainital district, while two children, including a girl, were killed in Azamgarh (Uttar Pradesh) after being hit by lightning in separate incidents.

Heavy showers resulted in traffic snarls, water logging and power outages at several places. High humidity was recorded across the region with the Met predicting more rains in the days to come.
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Cloud Lightning

Pakistan: Floods and rains play havoc in Balochistan


Nation
Sun, 10 Jul 2011 03:48 UTC
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Three persons including two women were killed and dozens others injured in rain related incidents in different localities of Balochistan. Rains adversely disrupted the power supply and communication links in several areas of the province.

According to sources heavy monsoon showers were received in several districts of Balochistan including provincial capital Quetta, Zhob, Barkhan, Loralai, Musa Khel and others.

In Barkhan streams flooded due to heavy rainfall, swept away a vehicle resultantly two women including mother and a daughter were drowned. The locals and relatives on self assistance basis recovered the bodies of both.
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Cloud Lightning

Heavy Downpours Leave 12 Dead, 4 Missing in South Korea

Zhangjin
CRIENGLISH
Sun, 10 Jul 2011 23:22 UTC
Heavy downpours drenched South Korea 's southern and central areas over the weekend, leaving at least 12 people dead and four others missing, said the disaster control center on Sunday.

The latest round of seasonal rains started on Friday. According to Seoul's weather agency, more than 400 millimeters of rain pounded South Jeolla Province, especially the Qunsan area, with 300 millimeters rainfall on Sunday alone.

Several rain-triggered landslides took place in South Jeolla, North Jeolla and South Gyeongsang Provinces, leaving four elders and two children dead.

A 68-year-old woman and two of her grandchildren were killed on Sunday when a landslide destroyed their home in Miryang, South Gyeongsang Province. The landslide also killed two other old women, aged 92 and 86, who lived in a mountain hermitage.
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