This home's foundation has been
wrecked by shifting earth
The disaster hasn't caused any injuries, but a half-dozen homes are threatened.
Martha Foley has an update.
Storms
This home's foundation has been
wrecked by shifting earth
The disaster hasn't caused any injuries, but a half-dozen homes are threatened.
Martha Foley has an update.
© Wikimedia Commons
Destruction from a tornado in Joplin, Mo., May 23, 2011.
Destruction from a tornado in Joplin, Mo., May 23, 2011.
John Harrington Jr., a professor of geography at Kansas State University, notes that severe tornadoes are not unheard of historically. But when the events happen frequently such as the the destruction of Joplin, Mo., the outbreak of multiple tornadoes in Alabama, and yesterday's northeast outbreak in Massachusetts, it becomes a warning that there are changes afoot in the jet stream.
"The fact that this is happening all in one year and in a relatively short time frame is unusual," Harrington said in a Kansas State press release.
The jet stream in the upper atmosphere flows from west to east and tends to meander over the southern states during the winter and the northern states in the summer. Tornadoes tend to strike most during the spring and fall shifts of the jet stream.
© AccuWeather
This radar snapshot was taken at 10:30 a.m. EDT Wednesday, June 1, 2011. The system in question is affecting Daytona Beach from the east.
This radar snapshot was taken at 10:30 a.m. EDT Wednesday, June 1, 2011. The system in question is affecting Daytona Beach from the east.
An area of disturbed weather in the Atlantic will bring heavy, gusty thunderstorms to part of the Florida Peninsula this afternoon and evening.
The feature, which started out as a cluster of thunderstorms over the Great Lakes this past weekend, blew off the mid-Atlantic coast Memorial Day morning.
That feature has now turned southwestward and will cross the Florida Peninsula from northeast to southwest this afternoon and evening.
Areas from Daytona Beach and Cape Canaveral will be impacted first. Next, Gainesville, Ocala and Orlando would be in the path of the stormy weather this afternoon. Finally, the Tampa, Sarasota and Fort Myers areas are fair game for some of the thunderstorms later today.
Springfield sees worst of severe weather, nearby areas hit as well
Springfield - At least two tornadoes left at least four people dead, caused numerous injuries and damage Wednesday in this western Massachusetts city, scattering debris, toppling trees and frightening workers and residents before racing east.
Gov. Deval Patrick declared a state of emergency and the National Guard called up about 1,000 troops, NBC News reported.
Scott MacLeod, a spokesman for the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency, confirmed the four deaths Wednesday night but said there were no details about the circumstances.
He said two people died in Westfield, one in West Springfield and one in the town of Brimfield.
The first tornado touched down at about 4:30 p.m. local time in Springfield, the third largest city in the state, Chris Vaccaro, a spokesman for the National Weather Service, said.
"There was a tornado on the ground and reports of widespread damage in Hampden, Massachusetts, and also reports of damage in Springfield," Vaccaro said.
Much of the damage was in Springfield's South End neighborhood near Interstate 91 and the Connecticut River. Heavy winds could be seen churning the Connecticut River and hail, heavy rain and thunder hammered the area.
Springfield - At least two tornadoes left at least four people dead, caused numerous injuries and damage Wednesday in this western Massachusetts city, scattering debris, toppling trees and frightening workers and residents before racing east.
Gov. Deval Patrick declared a state of emergency and the National Guard called up about 1,000 troops, NBC News reported.
Scott MacLeod, a spokesman for the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency, confirmed the four deaths Wednesday night but said there were no details about the circumstances.
He said two people died in Westfield, one in West Springfield and one in the town of Brimfield.
The first tornado touched down at about 4:30 p.m. local time in Springfield, the third largest city in the state, Chris Vaccaro, a spokesman for the National Weather Service, said.
"There was a tornado on the ground and reports of widespread damage in Hampden, Massachusetts, and also reports of damage in Springfield," Vaccaro said.
Much of the damage was in Springfield's South End neighborhood near Interstate 91 and the Connecticut River. Heavy winds could be seen churning the Connecticut River and hail, heavy rain and thunder hammered the area.
© Unknown
The National Weather Service predicts wet and gusty weather as tradewinds blow rain over leeward areas from the windward side and afternoon heating creates the possibility of thunderstorms as cold, moist and unstable air moves over the state.
Forecasters say thunderstorms and lightning are possible, especially in the leeward areas of the Big Island.
A winter weather advisory is in effect for Mauna Loa and Mauna Kea summits, where 1 to 3 inches of snow is expected.
Dramatic footage filmed from a helicopter by Australia's Channel 7 shows a series of powerful waterspouts near the coastal suburb of Terrigal, on Australia's New South Wales coast. Several powerful columns of swirling air could be seen blasting along the water's surface near the coastline. Channel 7 claimed the spouts reached heights of up to 600 metres (nearly two thousand feet), but dissipated as they neared land. The natural wonders came as strong winds and heavy rain also lashed other parts of the state, causing flash flooding and traffic chaos in Sydney.
© Associated Press
Rising water from the Missouri river laps up against sandbags placed around a home in Fort Pierre, S.D., on Sunday.
Rising water from the Missouri river laps up against sandbags placed around a home in Fort Pierre, S.D., on Sunday.
More rain fell Sunday on soaked Montana communities after more than a week of floods in the region, with the National Weather Service predicting up to 3 inches before it tapers off Monday. Previous storms brought as much as 8 inches to some areas of the state.
For the second straight weekend, forecasters blanketed much of the central and eastern regions of Montana with flood warnings.
Gov. Brian Schweitzer Sunday sent 36 National Guard soldiers to Roundup, a town northwest of Billings in central Montana that remained inundated by several feet of water for a fourth day.
© Joe Raedle / Getty Images
Kevin Chew prays by his father's casket Saturday in Seneca, Mo. Raymond Chew Sr., 66, died of injuries sustained in the tornado.
Kevin Chew prays by his father's casket Saturday in Seneca, Mo. Raymond Chew Sr., 66, died of injuries sustained in the tornado.
That makes this the deadliest year for tornadoes since 1953, based on an assessment of figures from the National Weather Service.
If the death toll does stand at 139, it would place this year's tornado death toll at 520. Until now, the highest recorded death toll in a single year was 519 in 1953.
Slovakia was suffering from widespread flooding Saturday after heavy rains across the country, reported officials.
Flooding was reported in the southern city of Hnusta and nearby village of Klenovec. The northern city of Spissky Stiavnik had seen its main square and several homes in the city centre flooded.
However, there were, as yet, no weather-related deaths or injuries reported.
Flooding was reported in the southern city of Hnusta and nearby village of Klenovec. The northern city of Spissky Stiavnik had seen its main square and several homes in the city centre flooded.
However, there were, as yet, no weather-related deaths or injuries reported.
© Valentina Abinanti / Polaris
Joplin, Missouri after the tornado that hit on May 22.
Joplin, Missouri after the tornado that hit on May 22.
Joplin, Mo., was prepared. The tornado warning system gave residents 24 minutes' notice that a twister was bearing down on them. Doctors and nurses at St. John's Regional Medical Center, who had practiced tornado drills for years, moved fast, getting patients away from windows, closing blinds, and activating emergency generators. And yet more than 130 people died in Joplin, including four people at St. John's, where the tornado sucked up the roof and left the building in ruins, like much of the shattered city.
Even those who deny the existence of global climate change are having trouble dismissing the evidence of the last year. In the U.S. alone, nearly 1,000 tornadoes have ripped across the heartland, killing more than 500 people and inflicting $9 billion in damage. The Midwest suffered the wettest April in 116 years, forcing the Mississippi to flood thousands of square miles, even as drought-plagued Texas suffered the driest month in a century. Worldwide, the litany of weather's extremes has reached biblical proportions. The 2010 heat wave in Russia killed an estimated 15,000 people. Floods in Australia and Pakistan killed 2,000 and left large swaths of each country under water. A months-long drought in China has devastated millions of acres of farmland. And the temperature keeps rising: 2010 was the hottest year on earth since weather records began.
Comment: It would appear that there is a pattern emerging. One that will not be turned around nor easily understood by our presenty accepted scientific minds.
Forget About Global Warming: We're One Step From Extinction!