Storms
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Cloud Precipitation

Atmospheric river storm hits Northern California with heavy rain, flooding and mudslides

A large slide takes out a home and garage on Westside Road, Tuesday, February. 4, 2025 in Forestville, dumping in to the Russian River.
© Kent Porter / The Press DemocratA large slide takes out a home and garage on Westside Road, Tuesday, February. 4, 2025 in Forestville, dumping in to the Russian River.
The atmospheric river storm hitting Northern California brought heavy rain, flooding and mudslides to the San Francisco Bay Area on Tuesday.

In the mountains, the National Weather Service has issued two separate winter storm warnings for the west slope of the Sierra Nevada and the Tahoe basin as heavy snow is in the forecast from midday Monday to Wednesday morning.

Pacific Gas & Electric Co. reported thousands of customers were without power due to the storms.

Read more: https://www.sfchronicle.com/weather/a...


Snowflake Cold

Best of the Web: Record-breaking snowfall hits Hokkaido as cold front sweeps Japan - 120 cms (nearly 4 FEET) of snow in just 12 hours with more heavy falls forecast

Snow-covered streets in Obihiro, Hokkaido, on Tuesday
© JIJISnow-covered streets in Obihiro, Hokkaido, on Tuesday
A powerful low-pressure system is unleashing record-breaking snowfall along Hokkaido's Pacific coast, with the city of Obihiro accumulating more than 1 meter of snow in just 12 hours through Tuesday.

Heavy snowfall has persisted since Monday night, with Obihiro recording 120 centimeters in the 12 hours through noon on Tuesday, the highest on record for the city. Snow depth in the city has now surpassed 120 centimeters, a level last seen in 1972, according to private weather forecaster Weathernews.

While the cold front's impact is most pronounced in the northern regions along the Sea of Japan, the cold air mass is also pushing westward, spreading snow to the Kyushu region facing the East China Sea and the Shikoku region facing the Seto Inland Sea.

In some parts of Kyushu, temperatures have dropped below minus 12 degrees Celsius, according to Weathernews. Kagoshima Prefecture is experiencing steady snowfall, with accumulations visible on grassy surfaces in the city center. Mountainous areas have seen roads turn completely white.


Cloud Precipitation

Cyclone Elvis kills 5 in Madagascar on January 29 as another storm approaches

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Madagascar is bracing for Tropical Cyclone Faida to make landfall on its northern coast on Feb. 4, even as it deals with the aftermath of another recently dissipated storm, Elvis, that reportedly killed at least five people.

Those killed during Elvis's passage were involved in "lightning events" in Vohibato district in eastern Madagascar, according to a European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO) report. Two people were also injured.

Elvis formed over the Mozambique Channel, between Madagascar and the African mainland, on Jan. 28 and struck the southwestern coast of Madagascar a day later. It caused heavy rainfall and strong winds in the southern part of the country, with maximum sustained winds of 84 kilometers per hour (52 miles per hour). The cities of Toliara and Taolagnaro recorded rainfall levels of 196 and 178 millimeters (7.7 and 7 inches) respectively over the course of five days, The Guardian reported.

The cyclone dissipated over the southern Indian Ocean during the weekend.

Snowflake

Up to 1.2m (4 feet) of snowfall in 3 days in the Alps

Austria's Kaunertal after 40cm (16
Austria's Kaunertal after 40cm (16") of snowfall on Wednesday.
The biggest snowfall of the season to date has buried much of the Alps, setting the region up for the latter half of the season.

The biggest snowfall of the season to date has buried much of the Alps, setting the region up for the latter half of the season.

Accumulations of up to 60cm (2 feet) in 24 hours were reported with Chamonix posting the biggest 72-hour total of 1.2 metres (4 feet). Fellow French resort Flaine posted 105cm (3.5 feet) whilst La Thuile, just over the Italian border, got 80cm (32"), and Switzerland's Crans Montana 70cm (28").


Tsunami

Sicily in Italy hit by flooding after month's rain falls in 4 hours (6 inches) - including extreme hail

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Firefighters rescued residents from flooded streets and cars were washed away in the Sicilian province of Messina on Sunday after a month's worth of rain fell in just four hours.

Almost 150 millimetres (six inches) of rain fell in the area, overloading the drainage system.

City officials said in a statement that the province had experienced an "event of exceptional magnitude".

Hours of heavy rainfall caused mudslides, while vehicles parked close to waterways were dragged downstream by flood waters.

Motorway operator Anas closed two sections of the Orientale Sicula state road and diverted traffic to alternative routes after the Fiumedinisi and Agrò rivers burst their banks.


Boat

Best of the Web: More flooding and extreme rainfall hits Queensland, Australia - 39 inches of rain in 48 hours

Flooding in North Queensland brings the prospect of crocodiles entering suburban areas
© 9NewsFlooding in North Queensland brings the prospect of crocodiles entering suburban areas
One person has died in the major flooding event smashing North Queensland as residents are warned things could get worse with water and power supply being affected.

An emergency alert was issued for the Bluewater area at 2.41pm on Sunday as heavy rainfall continues across the far northern parts of the state.

Anyone in the Bluewater area is being told to leave immediately due to the emergency flood warning.

"Dangerous flooding happening now at Bluewater," the alert stated.

"Leave immediately if safe to do so or move to higher ground."

Premier David Crisafulli confirmed the death on Sunday morning.


Comment: Earlier recent report from Thursday, January 30 of the flooding and heavy rain which had already hit the the region: Residents evacuated due to flooding in far North Queensland, Australia - over 15.7 inches of rain in 48 hours


Arrow Down

Landslide closes Thousand Steps in Laguna Beach, California on January 31

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A popular and heavily trafficked beach in Laguna Beach was closed Friday morning after the cliffside that overlooks it gave way and slid to the ground below.

Details: https://ktla.com/news/california/land...


Info

A warning from the trees

How bad can a solar storm be? Just ask a tree. Unlike human records, which go back hundreds of years, trees can remember solar storms for millennia.
Tree Rings
© Spaceweather
Nagoya University doctoral student Fusa Miyake made the discovery in 2012 while studying rings in the stump of a 1900-year-old Japanese cedar. One ring, in particular, drew her attention. Grown in the year 774-75 AD, it contained a 12% jump in radioactive carbon-14 (14C), about 20 times greater than ordinary fluctuations from cosmic radiation. Other teams confirmed the spike in wood from Germany, Russia, the United States, Finland, and New Zealand. Whatever happened, trees all over the world experienced it.

Most researchers think it was a solar storm — an extraordinary one. Often, we point to the Carrington Event of 1859 as the worst-case scenario for solar storms. The 774-75 AD storm was at least 10 times stronger; if it happened today, it would floor modern technology. Since Miyake's initial discovery, she and others have confirmed five more examples (12,450 BC, 7176 BC, 5259 BC, 664-663 BC, 993 AD). Researchers call them "Miyake Events."

Tsunami

Storm Ivo strikes western France with heavy rain and winds; no casualties reported

Aerial photograph of floods in Redon, western France.
© Damien MeyerAerial photograph of floods in Redon, western France.
Drone visuals showed the extent of major flooding near the western French town of Redon on Thursday (Jan 30), as the floods were expected to reach a historic peak.

Surrounded by rivers, the town, which is home to ten thousand people, was "almost isolated" according to French media.

Flooding has persisted since storms Ivo, Eowyn, and Herminia, along with heavy rainfall, hit the region over the weekend, submerging streets and homes.

Over a thousand residents of the Ille-et-Vilaine department have been evacuated from their homes but no casualties have been reported.


Cloud Precipitation

Hawaii slammed by triple threat of severe thunderstorms, blistering wind, blizzard-like snow

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A powerful storm system is pummeling Hawaii with flash flooding, damaging wind gusts, severe thunderstorms and blizzard-like conditions on the high mountain peaks. The storm has left thousands without power, roads blocked by floods and fallen trees and grounded island air traffic.

Flash Flood Warnings persisted late into Thursday evening over Honolulu and Maui. County offices in Maui were closed on Friday due to the downpours. Crews across the state worked to reopen roads that were closed due to downed trees or flooding.

The Big Island declared a State of Emergency on Thursday afternoon.

Video from Honolulu showed heavy rain and urban flooding. One Honolulu resident shared a video on social media of what looked to be a strong river that he said was normally a dry creek.