Storms
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Cloud Lightning

Torrential Rains Pound Taiwan Leaving Six Dead and Thousands Homeless

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At least six people have been killed after flooding hit Taiwan.

Torrential rain brought floods to counties in numerous parts of the country, forcing thousands of people to evacuate their homes.

Taiwan's Central Emergency Operation Centre said more than 7,000 people were moved, with the help of the military, according to Reuters news agency.

The flooding caused landslides, as well as power cuts and water shortages to tens of thousands of homes.

The emergency centre said flooding had caused power cuts to more than 87,000 homes and water shortages to 12,000.

While it was reported that six people had died, a further two were said to be missing.

Cloud Lightning

Baseball-sized hail hits Dallas, Texas area


Cloud Lightning

A 'once in 50 years' storm: More flood misery as UK set to be hit by 70mph winds and month's worth of rain in next 24 hours

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© NASAStorm brewing: Terra satellite took this stunning image of the 70pmh Atlantic storm
Britain is braced for yet more flood misery as a "once in 50 years" storm is set to hit the UK tomorrow.

Flood warnings have been issued in parts of England and Wales with a month's worth of rain and winds of up to 70mph expected in the next 24 hours.

After a dry period of respite for many parts of Britain yesterday, the wet weather is set to return this evening and get worse going into tomorrow as a slow-moving area of low pressure brings thundery showers and strong winds.

The Met Office has issued a new warning of wet and windy weather with periods of persistent heavy rain for parts of Wales and south-western England from late today until Saturday.

The Weather Channel also predicted up to 110mm of rain in 48 hours, with a 50 per cent chance of a once-in-50 years 80mm downpour in just 12 hours.

Forecaster Leon Brown reportedly said: "There's a 50 per cent possibility of extreme downpours seeing over 80mm of rain in 12 hours in south and east Wales, which is a once-in-50 years event.

Bizarro Earth

Massive landslide closes highway in Costa Rica

Ruta 32, the route that connects San José with Guapiles and Limón, is once again closed due to a landslide occurring at kilometre 30 in the area of the Zurquí, some 10 km east of the tunnel. The road is expected to remain closed for most of the day today Thursday, as work crews clean up the debris strewn across the road.
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© Unknown
The Consejo Nacional de Vialidad (CONAVI) says it is in the process of removing some 6.400 cubic metres of mud and other materials that coves some 8 metres (25 feet) of roadway.

Igloo

Freak Snow Storm in Swiss Valley

Swiss Valley of Engadin
© Austrian Times
The freak weather conditions continued in Europe this weekend when residents living in the Swiss Valley of Engadin awoke to discover the entire region blanketed in snow.

As these local webcam pictures show Engadin which is protected by high mountains on all sides and is famous for its sunny climate is usually packed with guests at this time of year enjoying the landscapes and outdoor activities.

As the rest of the country struggled to cope with massive rainfall totalling in some areas over 60 meters per square metre, over a height of 1,500 metres towns and villages had to tackle snow.

Some high Valley roads were closed temporarily because of the snow.

For the rest of the week weather experts in Switzerland predicted similar extremes with more snow predicted and rain at least until Wednesday.

Bizarro Earth

Southern half of Western Australia braces for second cyclonic 125km/h blast

Strong winds battered South-West coastal communities of Western Australia as a dangerous storm front approached overnight.

The intense storm packing dangerous winds of up to 125km/h - consistent with a category two cyclone - is expected to persist into the early hours of thismorning.

Last night Cape Naturaliste and Cape Leeuwin have already recorded gusts of up to 96km/h, while winds at Busselton Airport have touched 87km/h.

Closer to the metropolitan area, Rottnest Island was also being buffeted with persistent gusts above 80km/h.


Cloud Lightning

Rare tornado hits Venice

At around 11am today, a tornado hit Venice in Italy. Initial reports indicate that trees were damaged, market stalls overturned and some buildings were damaged. No injuries have been reported,

One of the worst hit areas was the Sant'Elena island where an open air market was in progress. The tornado caused terrified shoppers to dash for cover.

A water bus ticket office had its roof ripped off by the tornado which some reports stated was a waterspout. A number of boats were capsized.

Around one hundred trees on Certosa Island were knocked down by the tornado and the outdoor dining area of the island's restaurant was completely destroyed.

On Sant'Erasmo island, the roofs were removed from around a dozen houses, according to reports from emergency services in the area. In the interests of safety, the cemetery on Sant'Erasmo island has been closed.

Here are two videos of today's tornado:


Comment: Here's a third video, from up close;




Cloud Lightning

Freak Hail Storm Hits Durban, South Africa

Durban hail storm
Readers sent in their cellphone pictures of the aftermath of the hail storm. Sean Herd-Hoare lies on an icy hail bed in Durban North.
A freak hailstone storm caught Durban off guard on Friday night with unconfirmed reports of damage to roof tiles, gardens and uprooted trees.

Chris Hoare, in Durban North, said hail got caught in verges and gardens, and was as much as "six inches thick". His son and friends took pictures of themselves playing in the hail. However, some suburbs like Glenmore and Westville escaped the storm.

Cloud Lightning

Even More Rain Forecast for Flooded Florida Gulf Coast

Western Florida is forecast to receive more rain on Monday. About 15 inches of rain fell in Pensacola over the weekend, driving people from their homes and flooding roads.


Cloud Lightning

Month's worth of rain is expected to fall in South-East in the next 24 hours after non-stop deluge across swathes of England overnight

More than a month's rain fell in just 12 hours and flood alerts remain in place with forecasters warning more wet weather is on the way.
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© UnknownGet out your brollies! The outlook for Britain over the next few days shows wet weather in the South East and London and the North of England while Wales and the West Country will be affected on Wednesday
The heavy rain continues to hit parts of England and Wales with 44 flood alerts in place and flood warnings issued for two West Sussex locations and another in Surrey

Yesterday the Met Office warned homeowners to brace themselves ahead of the the deluge, which began in earnest about 6pm last night and brought nearly three inches of rain by tea-time.

Earlier today it raised its warning level for London and the South East of England, including Bournemouth, to amber, the second highest level and in Shoreham 2.6ins fell in just 12 hours.

The atrocious conditions hit London, Hampshire, Kent, Surrey, West Sussex, Buckinghamshire, West Berkshire and the Isle of Wight. Forecasters have also said that the weather is unlikely to get much better over the next couple of weeks with more rain expected over the weekend. (Additional pictures here.)