Storms
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Cloud Lightning

SOTT EXCLUSIVE: Worst Supercell thunderstorm in decades hits Brisbane, Australia and injures 39 people

Aeneas Georg
Sott.net
Fri, 28 Nov 2014 12:58 UTC
Supercell thunderstorm hits Brisbane
© Bureau of MeteorologyRadar image of the supercell storm that hit Brisbane.
Deja vu or what! Only a week after one of the worst thunderstorms in years hit Brisbane, then another massive storm arrives. This time a destructive supercell thunderstorm hits Brisbane. Here is a report from PressTV:

Nearly 40 people have been injured after a powerful storm hit Australia's third largest city of Brisbane.

The storm struck southeast Queensland on Thursday, with winds moving over 140 kilometers per hour, before reaching Brisbane and injuring 39 people there.

Only 12 of those injured have been hospitalized. Reports say there were about 6,000 lightning strikes.

As a result of the storm, described as being the worst in decades, a number of houses, trees and cars were damaged, while several streets were also flooded.

According to Australian officials, some 100,000 homes have also been left without electricity.

Australian Minister for Energy and Water Supply Mark McArdle said staff members with electric power distribution company Energex and Ergon were working to restore power.
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Cloud Precipitation

Up to 9 inches of rain across Central Florida

Tiffany Walden
Orlando Sentinel
Wed, 26 Nov 2014 20:43 UTC
Image
© AccuWeather
As the rain continues to fall across Central Florida, temperatures will steadily drop into the 50s by this afternoon due to a passing cold front, meteorologists say.

Some areas in Brevard and Volusia counties saw 7 to 9 inches of rain since Tuesday morning. As for Orange County, at least 6 inches have fallen in the attractions area, Windermere, Pine Hills and Bithlo. And it's not done raining yet, according to the National Weather Service in Melbourne. A flood watch remains in effect for Volusia, Brevard, Lake, Orange and Seminole counties through noon.

"[The rain] is slowly going to taper off through late morning," meteorologist Tony Cristaldi said. In Volusia County, one of the hardest hit areas Tuesday night was New Smyrna Beach with crews of Public Works working all hours to dry the streets. Five pumps were helping clear water throughout the city, with two pumps just on Columbus Avenue, which historically gets the most damage, said Holly Smith, spokeswoman for the city.
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Cloud Lightning

Perth hit by severe storms and wild weather

Simon White
WAToday
Wed, 26 Nov 2014 20:38 UTC
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© www.lukebakerphoto.com Lightning seems to threaten a plane and the BHP tower.
Perth residents have been hit by severe storms and wild weather late on Wednesday, as lightning cracked across the Perth sky.

The BoM received reports of electrical activity over Perth throughout Wednesday morning and early afternoon but duty forecaster James Ashley said that worse storm conditions would continue into the evening.

"There is lots of lightning in the metropolitan area - as people would have noticed," Mr Ashley said. "But there is also a storm south-west of Gingin that is moving south that is a bit of a concern.

"The storm that is over us at the moment isn't severe. But there is a chance the one coming could be." A severe weather warning was still in place at 5pm for the metroplitan area, highlighting damaging winds, possible flash flooding and hail.
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Cloud Precipitation

Israel sees rainiest season in center of country in 20 years - parts hit with up to 110 mm. of rain


Jerusalem Post
Wed, 26 Nov 2014 20:28 UTC
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© Skymet WeatherFloods wreak havoc in Lebanon, Israel and Palestine |
Heavy rains battered Israel from north to south on Wednesday, as part of what the Israel Meteorological Society said is the wettest rainy season in central Israel in 20 years.

Some of the heaviest rain fall was in Petah Tikva, where over 110mm of rain was recorded, while similar levels were recorded in the Negev, flooding dry creek beds and causing serious road congestion. The North saw significantly less rainfall, only between 20-50mm, the IMS said.

So far the amount of rainfall this season is far higher than average for this time of year, the IMS said, adding that over the past 75 years there have only been three years that saw more rain by the end of November.
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Cloud Lightning

'Extremely rare' weather phenomenon hits Louisiana Parish

Erika Ferrando
KPLCtv.com
Tue, 25 Nov 2014 15:35 UTC
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© KPLC ViewerRutherford Beach
Severe weather hit Southwest Louisiana Saturday night, but south Cameron Parish was hit quite a bit harder. Residents from Rutherford Beach to Sabine Pass woke up around 2 a.m. Sunday to thunderstorms and flooding.

Many residents said it was something they've never seen before, at least outside of a hurricane. It was a storm surge without the tropical storm, an occurrence so rare that there is not a name for it.

In a matter of minutes, the land was covered by water. RVs were knocked off their blocks, fences and AC units were tossed around the landscape. Authorities shut down La. 82 due to the high water and debris. Andy Patrick with the National Weather Service called the weather phenomenon extremely rare.

Video
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Cloud Precipitation

Floods across snow-hit U.S. East coast? Temperatures look set to rise 30 degrees to 70F before Thanksgiving holiday

Mia De Graff
Daily Mail UK
Sun, 23 Nov 2014 03:15 UTC
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© ReutersFlood warning: The National Weather service said a year's snowfall in Buffalo, NY, could melt by Thursday
Thanksgiving could be marred by floods as snow-hit areas across the east coast look set for a sharp rise in temperatures, the National Weather Service has warned. The big freeze saw areas such as Buffalo, New York, buried in historic blizzards, reaching a year's snowfall - 88 inches - in just five days. But that could melt in less than 24 hours if temperatures soar from 40F to 70F as predicted.

The heat wave is expected as an intense cyclone sweeps north east from the Midwest, driving warmer climes into West Virginia, Maryland, New Jersey and New York.

It could spell a moment of relief for Minneapolis after an historic stretch of freezing temperatures that has lasted 12 days - the longest since 1880.
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Snowflake

Lake effect snow: Nature's greatest snow machine

Dennis Mersereau
The Vane
Tue, 18 Nov 2014 20:22 UTC
Buffalo snowstorm
© Jeff Suhr
The above photo, taken from a plane above Buffalo yesterday by photographer Jeff Suhr, shows the brutal lake effect snow storm in effect over Western New York right now. Some areas are expecting up to six feet of snow by the end of the week. These snowstorms are among the most intense in the world, and the processes that create them are pretty spectacular.

The Great Lakes

Lake effect snow is possible in cold spots around the world, but this post will focus on the extreme weather that's often centered around the Great Lakes. The five lakes in the Upper Midwest - Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie, and Ontario - are the perfect size and in the perfect location to maximize the impact of this annual snow bonanza.

As prevailing winds are most commonly from the north and west, the southern and eastern shores of each respective lake are known as the "snowbelt" because they take the brunt of most heavy lake effect snow events.

Comment: The articles below show the effects of nature's snow machine on Buffalo, NY this week:

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Snowflake

So what happens when all this melts? 'Mother Nature is showing us who's boss' says New York Governor

M. Alex Johnson
ABC News
Thu, 20 Nov 2014 16:29 UTC
Image
If "Mother Nature is showing us who's boss," as New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said of snowfall that dumped five feet on parts of Buffalo, she's not done with the lesson.

Hard as it may be to believe, the weather in areas of upstate New York socked in by a historic mountain of snow this week will be springlike by early next week - and that means melting, which could, in turn, could cause floods, the National Weather Service warned Wednesday.

Temperatures are forecast to begin warming up on Saturday, and by Monday, they could approach 60 degrees around Buffalo and other communities that are still bracing for as much as two more feet of snow on top of the 5 feet or more that many of them are buried under. It's also expected to rain on Monday - a combination that the weather service said could trigger "major snowmelt" and "significant" flooding in small streams, as well as at least some larger creeks and rivers.
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Cloud Precipitation

Severe storms and flash flooding cause chaos in Brisbane


News.com.au
Thu, 20 Nov 2014 07:06 UTC
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© Adam Smith/News Corp AustraliaFlooding caused many residents to abandon their cars.
Video of a man doing backstroke in Brisbane's Queen Street Mall has emerged after the city suffered through one of its most devastating thunderstorms in years. Residents and businesses have been cleaning up today after a severe storm caused flooding and saw houses set on fire in south east Queensland. Damage from the storm and flash flooding includes a four metre sinkhole that opened up on Orchard Rd, Richlands.
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© Tara Croser/News Corp AustraliaA sinkhole (located behind the dirt) in Richlands.
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© Jessy Webber
During the storm yesterday afternoon more than 16,000 lightning strikes were recorded on the GPATs system, according to electricity provider Energex. Footage also emerged of a possible tornado on the outskirts of Brisbane.

While some watched in awe at nature's display from the comfort of their homes, others embraced the downpour, with one man captured doing breaststroke in Brisbane's Queen Street Mall.
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Snowflake Cold

3 feet of snow blankets Buffalo, NY area, forces the closure of a 105-mile stretch of the state Thruway

Carolyn Thompson
Associated Press
Tue, 18 Nov 2014 15:31 UTC
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© Harry Scull Jr. , APJohn Dowl waits for roadside assistance after going off the 219 in Springville, N.Y., on Nov. 17, 2014.
Parts of New York are measuring the season's first big snowfall in feet, rather than inches, as nearly 3 feet blanketed the Buffalo area Tuesday, forcing the closure of a 105-mile stretch of the state Thruway.

The Thruway Authority says white-out conditions have closed Interstate 90 in both directions Tuesday morning from the Rochester area to Dunkirk, on Lake Erie, 35 southwest of Buffalo. The National Weather Service says a foot to almost 3 feet of snow has fallen on areas south and east of the city.

Other major highways in the area are closed, numerous schools have canceled classes and Buffalo officials have issued a driving ban for parts of the city. Before the storm hit Monday evening, the National Weather Service warned that snow off the Great Lakes could pile more than two feet high around Buffalo and across the Tug Hill region north of Syracuse through Wednesday afternoon. Winds gusting more than 30 mph were making travel impossible along the Thruway. Similar conditions were expected later Tuesday and into Wednesday along Interstate 81 between Syracuse and the Canadian border.

The highest snowfall total early Tuesday was just under 3 feet in Elma, just east of Buffalo, according to weather service meteorologist Tony Ansuini. The storm was dumping 3 to 4 inches of snow per hour, he said.
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