Storms
The tornadoes that hit Alabama on April 27 - part of a four-day outbreak that killed more than 300 people in the South and Midwest - showed an emergency preparedness gap created by the state's largest deployment ever of National Guard troops to Afghanistan and Iraq, said Art Faulkner, director of the Alabama Emergency Management Agency.
The National Weather Service said 58 tornadoes touched down in Alabama, killing more than 230 people and injuring thousands. Put together, emergency management officials say the twisters left a path of destruction 10 miles wide and 610 miles long, or about as far as a drive from Birmingham to Columbus, Ohio.

Tony Esposito surveys the rubble of his home in Monson, Mass., on Thursday, one day after it was destroyed by a tornado. Esposito said no one was injured at his home.
Massachusetts remained under a state of emergency Thursday after the state was hit by a rare tornado outbreak that left four dead and more than 200 injured.
They were the first tornado deaths in the state in more than 60 years.
In all, as many as 19 different communities sustained damage as the storm front moved across the state late Wednesday afternoon, according to Mass. Gov. Deval Patrick.
Patrick declared a state of emergency Wednesday evening, only hours after the storm system tore though the central and western parts of the state. In response to the disaster declaration, the National Guard called up approximately 1,000 troops to assist in rescue and response efforts.
An overnight storm with winds gusting to 60 mph ripped tree branches and popped transformers across the Columbia area, leaving up to 53,000 SCE&G customers in the dark, a utility company spokesman said Friday.
That peak of discomfort had eased by late Friday afternoon to 11,300 customers in Richland and Lexington, including McClam's three-acre farm in the Rosewood neighborhood near Jim Hamilton-L.B. Owens Airport. About 1,100 were in apartment complexes off I-20 and Broad River Road, according to a South Carolina Electric & Gas Co. website that tracks outages.
"These thunderstorms are tracking east-northeast at 50 km/h and have a history of producing hail the size of golf balls in Melita and Souris earlier this morning," stated a warning issued by Environment Canada at noon.
"Brandon and communities west and south of the city are in the direct path of the strongest thunderstorms in this cluster and should prepare for large hail."

Many homes and cottages along the south shore of Lake Manitoba have been severely damaged by Tuesday's violent storm
The storm hit on Tuesday, damaging numerous properties in the Rural Municipality of St. Laurent - Twin Lakes Beach, Laurentian Beach, Delta Beach, and Sandpiper Beach.
David Sawicky said Wednesday he had to wade into rising floodwaters at his home to rescue his father and his dog.
Still, Sawicky said, he didn't expect the damage to his property to be that bad.
After receiving showers yesterday morning, rains and thunder squall with a wind speed of over 45 kmph hit Chandigarh last night.
Power supply was disrupted at many places in the city and it took a few hours before it could be restored. Many low-lying areas were water-logged and trees could be seen uprooted this morning.
Some residents here also complained that their electrical appliances were damaged due to excess voltage from trees falling on power lines.

A resident in Twin Lakes Beach, in the RM of St. Laurent, wades through high waters to save belongings during Tuesday's flood and storm.
The Manitoba government says 16 people had to be rescued Tuesday, including one person who had to be lifted out by helicopter in the Rural Municipality of St. Laurent.
So far, 238 people who evacuated from the area have registered with the Red Cross.
Several roads have been washed out or overtopped with water and the government says they will have to be inspected before evacuees can return.
More than 700 seasonal and permanent properties have been on mandatory evacuation notices around Lake Manitoba due to flooding.

JUNE 2, 2011: Skytracker flies over Manhattan, Kansas, where flooding of the Wildcat Creek prompted the evacuation of hundreds of residents
In Riley County, police ordered about 200 people to evacuate houses and apartment complexes before dawn Thursday in a low-lying area along Wildcat Creek in Manhattan. Several inches of rain that began falling Wednesday night swelled the creek and raised the Kansas River.
Flooding along Wildcat Creek isn't unusual, but police Capt. Kurt Moldrup said Thursday's episode was "the worst flooding that we've seen in this area." The creek began receding by midday and most roads reopened, allowing residents to go home to their houses, apartments and vehicles, many of them damaged by water.
The American Red Cross opened a shelter at St. Thomas More Church, but it appeared unlikely that many people would need to stay there Thursday night.

States in the North and North Central Zones of India, as defined by the Indian Government.
In Himachal Pradesh, the higher reaches received another spell of snowfall while the mid and lower hills were lashed by heavy rains, causing a sharp fall in minimum temperatures. Keylong in tribal Lahaul and Spiti district received 18 cm of snow while Rohtang, Kunzam, Saach and other mountain passes received moderate snowfall. The Rohtang Pass (13,050 feet), which opened for tourists yesterday, was blocked for a few hours but it was cleared as the snow melted. The hill state received widespread rains with Nadaun being the wettest in the region with 80 mm of rains. The minimum temperature dropped to 10 degree in Shimla.
Some parts of Rajasthan also witnessed moderate rainfall. Churu, Pilani and Bikaner received 19mm, 8 mm and 6 mm rains respectively. Kota was the hottest place in the desert state with a maximum temperature of 41.4 deg C, followed by Barmer (41.3), Bikaner (38.5), Ajmer (38.4). The state capital Jaipur recorded 36.2 deg C.





