Five people have been killed in landslides and floods caused by heavy rains in Surigao provinces, authorities reported Friday.
Police found the bodies of Nenita Corpuz, 57 and Julie Culapu, 47 in Barangay Pantukan, Carrascal town in Surigao del Sur, around 7 p.m. Thursday.
Police said that Corpuz and Culapu were visiting their rice farms amid heavy rains when they were buried by a landslide.
In Surigao del Norte, Carlio Benocilla, 26 and Raymund Bonotan, 25 were also killed in a landslide in Barangay Masgad in Malimono town in Surigao del Norte.
Storms
Scotland was battered by a triple whammy of hurricane-strength winds, torrential rain and driving snow today forcing the closure of schools and causing problems on roads and communications.
The far north and north west bore the brunt of the weather as the storm tore in from the Atlantic this morning.
And tonight Strathclyde police advised drivers not to travel unless absolutely necessary.
One amateur weather station at Ness on the Isle of Lewis recorded a Hurricane gust of 91mph with more heavy weather expected tonight.
Schools and many businesses in the Western Isles closed at lunchtime to prepare for the high winds and heavy rains.
While the Northern Isles and Hebrides were facing winds of up to 90mph the central belt experiencing winds of 60-70mph on Thursday evening.
The far north and north west bore the brunt of the weather as the storm tore in from the Atlantic this morning.
And tonight Strathclyde police advised drivers not to travel unless absolutely necessary.
One amateur weather station at Ness on the Isle of Lewis recorded a Hurricane gust of 91mph with more heavy weather expected tonight.
Schools and many businesses in the Western Isles closed at lunchtime to prepare for the high winds and heavy rains.
While the Northern Isles and Hebrides were facing winds of up to 90mph the central belt experiencing winds of 60-70mph on Thursday evening.
There was a lightning flash and I almost dropped my camera. Who knew thundersnow existed?
Unusually cold weather hit most of the northern Mexican state of Chihuahua on Wednesday bringing temperatures of 8 degrees to the region.
© ABC: Cam Hook
Flash flooding surrounds cars at Camberwell Junction
Flash flooding surrounds cars at Camberwell Junction
About a dozen people have been rescued from floodwaters in Mildura, in Melbourne's south-east near Geelong, and the State Emergency Service (SES) is responding to 1,400 calls for help.
Crews helped a woman and her two young children when their car became trapped in a flash flood at Mildura.
Firefighters have rescued a girl who was clinging to a tree branch after being swept away at Ashwood, in Melbourne's east.
And at Mulgrave, the fire brigade was called to assist a disabled man in a wheelchair who got stuck in water up to his hips.
Coldest Weather In Years Hits The Valley
Baby it's cold outside! Arizona is being hit with extreme cold and it's only going to get colder.
With a daytime high of just 44 degrees, Phoenix recorded its coldest daytime high in more than 25 years and set a daily and monthly record for a cold high temperature.
A rare hard freeze warning (widespread temperatures below 28 degrees) is in effect for the Valley from late tonight into Thursday morning.
CBS 5 chief meteorologist Chris Dunn says tonight's lows could make it the coldest night in more than 20 years in Phoenix.
"Most areas will likely see overnight lows in the 20s, but Sky Harbor hasn't registered a temperature colder than 29 degrees since December 23, 1990," said Dunn. On that day the mercury dipped to just 26 degrees. Thursday morning's record low is 28 degrees last set in 1922
Expect another chilly day on Thursday with Dunn's forecast high of just 50 degrees. The normal high for early February is 70 degrees. Temperatures will warm into the 60s this weekend.
Baby it's cold outside! Arizona is being hit with extreme cold and it's only going to get colder.
With a daytime high of just 44 degrees, Phoenix recorded its coldest daytime high in more than 25 years and set a daily and monthly record for a cold high temperature.
A rare hard freeze warning (widespread temperatures below 28 degrees) is in effect for the Valley from late tonight into Thursday morning.
CBS 5 chief meteorologist Chris Dunn says tonight's lows could make it the coldest night in more than 20 years in Phoenix.
"Most areas will likely see overnight lows in the 20s, but Sky Harbor hasn't registered a temperature colder than 29 degrees since December 23, 1990," said Dunn. On that day the mercury dipped to just 26 degrees. Thursday morning's record low is 28 degrees last set in 1922
Expect another chilly day on Thursday with Dunn's forecast high of just 50 degrees. The normal high for early February is 70 degrees. Temperatures will warm into the 60s this weekend.
© AFP: Torsten Blackwood
Scott Torrens (left) and his children look to where their roof once was in Mourilyan, south of Innisfail
Scott Torrens (left) and his children look to where their roof once was in Mourilyan, south of Innisfail
The towns of Tully, Mission Beach, Cardwell, Silkwood and Innisfail bore the brunt of the monster storm's 285kph winds but there are no reports of deaths or serious injuries.
Buildings were destroyed, roofs were ripped off houses, and trees were shredded as the monster storm slammed ashore about midnight. More than 180,000 homes remain without power.
The cyclone is continuing to weaken but there is now heavy rain and damaging wind gusts in excess of 90kph, which are expected to extend to the Northern Territory border including Longreach and Mount Isa overnight.
Comment: The cyclone remains active over land and is making its way further into the rural townships of northern Queensland. Have a look at the current satellite image.
© BOM
It looks like a graphic from a Discovery Channel programme about a distant ice age. But this astonishing picture shows the world as it is today - with half the Northern Hemisphere covered with snow and ice.
The image was released by the National Oceanic And Atmospheric Association (NOAA) on the day half of North America suffered in the grip of a severe winter storm.
The map was created using multiple satellites from government agencies and the US Air Force.
Stretching from the west coast of Canada to the eastern shores of China, the white stuff has rarely been shown covering this much ground.
The image was released by the National Oceanic And Atmospheric Association (NOAA) on the day half of North America suffered in the grip of a severe winter storm.
The map was created using multiple satellites from government agencies and the US Air Force.
© NOAA
A new satellite map from the government agency NOAA shows the size of the snow cover on regions going from the West coast of Canada to the East of China.
A new satellite map from the government agency NOAA shows the size of the snow cover on regions going from the West coast of Canada to the East of China.
© Jesse Allen / GOES Project Science Office
This image, a still taken from the animation, shows the storm at 4:31 p.m. Eastern Time on February 1. In the image, the storm measures about 2,000 kilometers (1,240 miles) from west to east. The storm formed when cold Arctic air pushed south from Canada while moist air streamed north from the Gulf of the Mexico. The animation shows clouds building over New Mexico and Texas early in the day. As the system develops and moves northeast, the storm grows and becomes more organized. By the end of February 1, the storm was a sprawling comma that extended from the Midwest to New England.
By 9:00 a.m. Eastern Time on February 2, the National Weather Service reported that 21 states from New Mexico to New Hampshire had received at least 5 inches (13 centimeters) of snow. Wisconsin, Illinois, Missouri, and Oklahoma declared states of emergency. According to news reports, one in three Americans were affected by the storm.
Comment: This event appears to be closely related to the recent Cyclone Yasi in the northern parts of Queensland. Take a look at the latest satellite imagery to appreciate the size of the storm cell.
For readers outside of Australia - the state of Victoria is located in the South-East corner of the country.