The weather office says more rain is expected until late tomorrow, the result of an active trough of low pressure that is currently lying over the Fiji group.

Weather officer Misaele Funaki says periods of heavy rains and squally thunderstorms can be expected in most places.

Funaki says the trough is expected to gradually move South to South East within the next two days.

'The rainy condition which we are experiencing is expected to continue today and tomorrow and gradually ease later On Sunday.'

Heavy rains have prompted the Civil Protection Department to warn people against using roads in low-lying areas prone to flooding, including in Msida, Birkirkara and Gżira.

The winds also caused some damages, including to a high tension overhead line between Bidnija and Burmarrad.

This caused the supply of electricity to be disrupted in parts of the 2 communities. Although the supply to most parts of Burmarrad has since been restored, the remaining affected parts are still without an electricity supply, and the danger posed by excessive winds mean that the power will probably remain out until tomorrow.

Enemalta said that once the gale-force winds calm down, its technicians will restore supply.

Southern California drivers slogged through a wet, slow Friday evening commute as the first of two bands of heavy rain moved through the region.

The National Weather Service said the storm could bring heavy snow to the mountains, the potential for funnel clouds along the coast, lightning and 70-mph wind gusts in mountain passes.

Officials said the region can expect strong storm activity through Saturday morning, then scattered showers followed by heavier rains Saturday night.

Numerous accidents were reported on freeways in the region, according to the California Highway Patrol. In San Pedro, the Coast Guard and Los Angeles Fire Department rescued a man whose sailboat smashed into rocks.

In the Sierra Nevada, Lake Tahoe resorts reported up to 4 feet of snow over the last 24 hours. Chains were required on many local mountain roads, where several accidents blocking roads were reported.
"A strong front will bring a four- to seven-hour period of heavy rain this afternoon into tonight," the weather service said in a statement. "Numerous showers will continue across the region through Saturday night. There will be a chance of thunderstorms at anytime from this afternoon through Saturday night."

A flash-flood watch has been issued for mountain areas that have been scorched by wildfires in recent years.

The heaviest rainfall was expected to hit Santa Barbara and Ventura counties Friday afternoon and reach the Los Angeles area in the late afternoon and last until about midnight, the weather service said.

The flash-flood watch was issued for areas that were burned by blazes such as the Station and Morris fires in the San Gabriel Mountains in 2009, the weather service said.

Those areas "will have the potential for flash flooding and debris flows," the agency said.

A winter weather advisory remains in effect until 5 pm mst Sunday.

Timing: snow showers will increase across the higher elevations later today with lowering snow levels and periods of heavy snow tonight. Lighter snow is expected Sunday.

Snow levels: around 8000 feet today, lowering to 6000 feet this evening, then lowering to around 5000 feet Sunday.

Snow accumulations: 8 to 12 inches of snow is likely above 8000 feet, with 4 to 10 inches between 6500 and 8000 feet elevation. High mountain areas will have the potential for even greater amounts.

Travel conditions: dangerous winter driving conditions are anticipated with blowing snow and poor visibility.

Precautionary/preparedness actions: a winter weather advisory for snow means that periods of falling snow will cause travel difficulties. Be prepared for slippery roads and limited visibilities. Plan extra time for travel.

For the latest road conditions and closures call the ADOT freeway management system at 1-888-411-7623 or visit their website.

A powerful winter storm dumped about a half-inch of rain on Los Angeles and forecasters say more wet, messy weather is expected.

The National Weather Service says another mass of cold air moving into Southern California could bring thunderstorms Saturday afternoon and into Sunday.

This latest storm could drop up to four inches of snow at elevations as low as 3,500 feet, causing potential traffic snarls on mountain passes.

Rain began to move into the region from the north Friday afternoon and made a mess of the evening commute. The California Highway Patrol says there were approximately 158 collisions between 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. Friday, compared with 80 for the same time period one week ago.

A flash-flood watch was issued for mountain areas that have been scorched by wildfires in recent years, but there are no immediate reports of any problems.

Two cyclones in Australia's north have caused storms and flooding, affecting mining and energy projects for companies including Rio Tinto Group and Woodside Petroleum Ltd.

Tropical Cyclone Dianne was 385 kilometers (240 miles) northwest of the Western Australian town of Exmouth and near stationary at about 11 p.m. local time, according to the Bureau of Meteorology. The storm is forecast to intensify from Category 2 to Category 3 by 11 p.m. tomorrow as it moves southwest. Flood warnings are in place for some Pilbara and Mid West regions.

The storm slowed transport at Rio Tinto's iron ore operations in the Pilbara and halted production at Woodside's Enfield oil field. A La Nina event has brought wet weather to Australia's east and north and typically increases the number of cyclones during the November to April period, according to the bureau.

Manali - Record snowfall in Himachal this year has revived more than 2,000 glaciers.

Almora's G B Pant Institute of Himalayan Environment and Development's senior scientist J C Kuniyal said apart from reviving the glaciers , this year's record snowfall would also boost the crop cycle. "It is difficult to understand the environment. As we start talking about the dry winters, record snowfall leaves stunned everyone," he said.

He cautioned that unequal snowfall remains a matter of concern. But Lahaul-Spiti has received more than 175-cm snow in first 16 days of February, breaking the earlier record of 148-cm for the month in 1998.

Britain should experience spectacular Northern Lights displays from Thursday due to a large solar storm which could disrupt communication networks, the British Geological Survey (BGS) said.

"Since February 13 three energetic solar flares have erupted on the sun and spewed clouds of charged plasma called coronal mass ejections (CMEs) out towards the earth," a BGS geomagnetic storm warning said.

"Already one CME arrived on the 14th sparking Valentine's Day displays of the Northern Lights (aurora borealis) further south than usual.

"Two CMEs are expected to arrive in the next 24-48 hours and further...displays are possible some time over the next two nights if skies are clear."

The strongest storm in four years is expected to interfere with satellites and electrical networks, with astronomers in southern China already reporting disturbances to radio communications.

The Bingiza Cyclone which hit northern Madagascar earlier this week has claimed six lives and left one person missing, with more than 15,000 people homeless and 8,530 buildings ruined, authorities said Thursday.

The Indian Ocean island's emergency office said the dead included four family members who drowned in the tropical hurricane, with gusts reaching 200 kilometres per hour.

In the south-east, home to the country's vital pepper and vanilla crops, most areas are flooded after the heavy rains. Floods are also threatening Farafangana further south.

Day temperatures dropped in most part of the state on Wednesday following a western disturbance (WD) over hilly areas in northern India, which caused mild to heavy rainfall in the state since Tuesday night.

Patna Met director Animesh Chanda said that a cyclonic circulation has formed over Bihar and its neighbourhood areas. This has resulted in rainfall activity plummeting the mercury on Wednesday.

Many districts of the state like Muzaffarpur, East Champaran, Araria, Purnia, Supaul etc received good rainfall, while other districts, including the capital, recorded 0.6 to 2.1 mm rainfall.

The Met department here has also issued warnings of thunder squall with a wind speed of 45 km to 55 per hour in many parts of Bihar in the next 48 hours.

A severe hailstorm accompanied by moderate to heavy rain lashed several parts of Araria and Purnia districts around mid-day on Wednesday causing extensive damages to the standing crops. Several panchayats under Raniganj, Bhargama and Jokihat blocks in Araria, and Srinagar, Jalalgarh and Kasba blocks in Purnia were badly hit when a severe hailstorm ripped through on Wednesday afternoon.