Storms
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Snowflake

Heavy snowfall at the end of April continues in the Alps - meter of snow in 3 days

Stubai Glacier
The snowy end to April in the Alps shows no sign of abating with a number of resorts posting up to a metre of snowfall in the last three days.

The latest big falls come after Gstaad's Glacier 3000 ski areas reported a 1.5m (five foot) accumulation in a similar period last week.

At the start of this week it's Austria's Stubai Glacier (pictured top earlier this week) in Tirol region, which has had over a metre of snowfall and is now posting Europe's deepest snow up high at 5.65 metres (nearly 19 feet), one of the deepest snowpacks reported all season. It's staying open to late May.

Switzerland's Engelberg, also open into May, is the latest to report nearly a metre (97cm) of snowfall in 72 hours and reports its snow 4 metres deep on the glacier.

Around 30 ski regions remain open in the Alps for the final week of April with around half of them planning to stay open into May.


Cloud Precipitation

Softball-size hail smashes windows, destroys homes in the Carolinas: 'All hail broke loose'

The balls of hail were as big as softballs.
© X / @kristinnleslieThe balls of hail were as big as softballs.
Severe thunderstorms brought a massive hailstorm to the Carolinas on Saturday, blasting out windows, tearing down fences and leaving yards covered in enough ice to create the appearance of a fresh blanket of snow.

A Severe Thunderstorm Warning was in effect for Rock Hill, Fort Mill and Tega Cay in South Carolina on Saturday at 4:45 p.m. ET. The warning included the potential for winds of up to 70 mph and huge hail.

Warnings were also in effect for central North Carolina through Saturday night into early Sunday morning. During the severe thunderstorms on Saturday and Sunday, the National Weather Service in Wilmington, North Carolina, received hail reports ranging from quarter to golf ball size.

Teams with the National Weather Service office in Greenville-Spartanburg, South Carolina, conducted surveys on Monday in Rock Hill and York to assess the damage from Saturday's severe thunderstorms.


Snowflake

Germany's Zugspitze sees 3 feet of Spring snow in 5 days

In the last 5 days, around 1 meter of snow fell at the Zugspitze. |
© Zugspitze FacebookIn the last 5 days, around 1 meter of snow fell at the Zugspitze.
Germany's tallest mountain, the Zugspitze with an elevation of 9,718 feet (2,962 meters), received 16 inches (40 cm) of snow in the last 24 hours and around 3.3 feet (1 meter) in the last five days. Snow conditions at the Zugpitze Ski Area are perfect right now, despite the resort having started preparing for the summer season.

Thanks to the resort being home to one of the last remaining German glaciers and its high altitude, the Zugspitze is open for skiing until May each year. This year the season is scheduled to end on May 1, 2024. Current snowdepth at the Zugspitze, which is measured at the measuring station at 7,382 feet (2,250 meters), is 147 inches (372 cm).

The Zugspitze ski area offers 12.5 miles (20 km) of groomed ski runs across three peaks, the Schneefernerkopf at 9,429 feet (2,874 meters), Wetterwandeck 8,852 feet (2,698 meters), and Zugspitze or Zugspitze plateau at 8,530 feet (2,600 meters). The ski area can usually be accessed from Germany as well as Austria, however, access from Austria is now closed for the winter season.


Strawberry

Food shortages and price hikes threaten the UK as extreme weather havoc strikes

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Farmers in several regions of the United Kingdom have been unable to grow crops including potatoes, wheat, and vegetables throughout the crucial spring season due to record rains. The crops that have been sown are of lower quality, with some decaying in the soil.

The ongoing rainy weather has also resulted in a high death rate for lambs on the UK's hills, and some dairy cows have been unable to be moved out onto grass, resulting in less milk production.

Agricultural groups have stated that the UK will become increasingly dependant on imports; however, comparable wet weather in European countries such as France and Germany, along with the drought in Morocco, may result in less food to import.

Cloud Precipitation

71 percent of crops damaged due to rains and flood in 2023-24 Maha season in Sri Lanka

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Due to the heavy rains and floods that affected the country during the 2023/24 Maha season, 68,131 hectares of land cultivated with vegetables and other crops have been destroyed.

The Department of Agriculture says that the amount of land where crops were damaged is 71 percent of the total cultivated land without paddy cultivation.

In addition to this, 100,000 hectares of paddy fields cultivated during the Maha season of that year were also damaged due to heavy rains and floods.

The Department of Agriculture also mentions that this situation affected the rapid increase in the price of vegetables in the first quarter of this year due to the large amount of damage to the vegetable crops due to the continuous rains received for about four and a half months last year.

Boat

Kenya Red Cross on high alert as estates, roads flood in Nairobi

Kenya is among countries in East Africa that experienced heavy rains in since January to April 2024.
Kenya is among countries in East Africa that experienced heavy rains in since January to April 2024.
The Kenya Red Cross has mobilized tactical teams to aid in search and rescue efforts in various parts of Nairobi affected by Saturday's heavy rainfall.

Households along the Ngong River bore the brunt as the river overflowed, causing significant damage to properties. Red Cross teams are conducting needs assessments in these areas to provide assistance.

"Last night's downpour has severely impacted hundreds of households along the Ngong River. The situation is dire, with water encroaching onto properties," the Red Cross warned.

The Red Cross said it was closely monitoring other affected areas, including Fuata Nyayo, Kibra, Mukuru Kwa Njenga, Kayole Soweto, Lavington, and Kawangware.


Cloud Lightning

Lightning strike kills 17-year-old boy in Kara-Suu district, Kyrgyzstan

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A 17-year-old boy was killed by a lightning strike in Kara-Suu district of Osh region, sources said.

The incident happened in Bash-Bulak village of Kara-Suu district yesterday, April 21.

The head of Bash-Bulak rural municipality Islam Ermamatov confirmed this information.

"The boy was taken to the hospital, but he died," he said.

The boy's funeral is taking place today, April 22.

Snowflake Cold

Fresh April snow and black ice: the onset of winter is causing chaos in parts of Germany

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Winter conditions in April: Snow, hail, black ice and heavy rain caused numerous accidents in traffic on Saturday. For this Sunday, the German Weather Service (DWD) announced heavy snowfall in the low mountain ranges - and also warned of black ice. In Bavaria in particular, there could be traffic disruptions and the risk of tree damage due to the high snow loads. In the Free State it could snow heavily in the morning, especially in the north and in the Alps, even down to lower altitudes.

In East Westphalia-Lippe, a number of trees snapped under the weight of snow on Sunday night. As the police reported, this created around 20 danger spots. Local fire brigade helpers removed the fallen trees and cleared the streets. In Extertal and Leopoldshöhe, drivers drove their vehicles off the road in snow and slippery conditions and ended up in a ditch. Nobody got hurt. In the early hours of the morning, several centimeters of snow had fallen in parts of Ostwestfalen-Lippe, and even ten centimeters in Horn-Bad Meinberg, a police spokesman said.


Boat

Best of the Web: China issues 'once in a century' flood warning for Guangdong's Bei River zone - April rainfall records already broken in many places

Shaoguan is one of the areas hardest hit by the rising waters
© WeiboShaoguan is one of the areas hardest hit by the rising waters
Residents in the southern Chinese province of Guangdong are on high alert for flooding, with authorities forecasting water flows in a major river to hit "once-in-100-year" levels on Monday morning.

The provincial flood and disaster prevention department said on Sunday afternoon that floodwaters in the Bei River, a southern tributary of the Pearl River, were expected to peak at 37.3 metres (122 feet) by 1am, or about 5.8 metres above the warning line.

Warning levels had already been exceeded at 20 monitoring stations along the waterway by Saturday evening.

Northern and western Guangdong have been battered by intense rainstorms since Friday, breaking rainfall records for April in many places.

The cities of Qingyuan, Shaoguan, Huizhou and capital Guangzhou have been particularly hard hit, prompting flood alerts and rainstorm warnings for three days in a row.


Windsock

Shocking collapse of a mosque's minaret during a severe storm in Çankırı, Türkiye

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In Çankırı, the strong wind resulted in toppling trees, shattering apartment windows, and even causing the collapse of a minaret at Bademlik Mosque.