Storms
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Bizarro Earth

US: Huge Snowstorm Targets Seattle & Northwest


OurAmazingPlanet
Tue, 17 Jan 2012 16:33 UTC
Severe Winter
© NOAA/NASA.Data from the National Weather Service's Hydrologic Remote Sensing Center shows the estimated snow depths on January 17, 2012. Using ground based sensors, satellites, and aircraft reconnaissance (where available), the analysis from NOHRSC provides highly detailed estimates of snow cover, depth, and other characteristics.
Now is the time to stock up on toilet paper, bread and milk, denizens of Seattle. The Emerald City could be hit with up to two winter's worth of snow in the next 48 hours.

That means it's time to say goodbye to this year's wimpy winter - snow, sleet and ice are all forecast for the Pacific Northwest. In Seattle, the weather will be particularly nasty. By Thursday (Jan. 19), Seattle could see up to 1.5 feet (0.5 meters) of snow, according to the National Weather Service.

If 7.6 inches (19 centimeters) falls, it would be the city's snowiest day since 1985. The city's snowiest day since record keeping began was Feb. 1, 1916, when 21.5 inches (55 cm) fell. That record will likely stand, but this week's storm could still leave a mark.

"With the possibility of significant snowfall, we are urging residents to be prepared," Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn told the Seattle Post-Intelligencer.
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Cloud Lightning

US: Hurricane-force winds expected to pummel central Oregon Coast early Wednesday

Stuart Tomlinson
OregonLive.com
Tue, 17 Jan 2012 15:18 UTC
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© Austin EnvironmentalWindthrow, where strong winds snap trees off close to the ground, was evident around Astoria in December 2007.
For the first time since the Great Coastal Gale of '07 - and only the second time in its history - the National Weather Service in Portland has issued a hurricane force wind warning for the Oregon Coast.

The warning extends from Cascade Head north of Lincoln City, south to Florence and out to sea 60 nautical miles and is in effect from 4 a.m. to 1 p.m. Wednesday.

The Great Coastal Gale of '07 raked the Oregon Coast on Dec. 1-3, 2007, and brought with it the strongest wind gusts since the Columbus Day Storm of October 1962.

The storm snapped off hundreds of trees, and included wind gusts well in excess of 100 mph, with the strongest recorded gust of 129 mph at Bay City. The storm, really two systems that stretched over three days, included heavy rains and extensive flooding.

Steve Todd, meteorologist-in-charge of the National Weather Service in Portland said the storm's center is expected to make landfall over the mouth of the Columbia River, setting up a tight pressure gradient that could generate up to 100 mph winds.
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Snowflake

Canada: Snow Flurries and Cold Weather Set to Continue Across Metro Vancouver

Evan Duggan
The Vancouver Sun
Mon, 16 Jan 2012 00:00 UTC
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© Ian Lindsay/PGNWinter's grip provides a 2-5cm blanket of snow that briefly made some city streets slippery Monday, January 16, 2012 in Vancouver, B.C. More of the white stuff in the forecast.
A blast of winter weather in Vancouver on Monday was just a taste of what is still to come.

Metro Vancouver experienced sun, rain, ice, snow and everything in between over the last few days, with more snow and colder temperatures expected to persist throughout the week.

The snowfall in downtown Vancouver on Monday morning was "just a little puff," according to Environment Canada meteorologist David Jones. He expected another five to 10 centimetres of snow to fall on Metro Vancouver overnight, with 15 to 20 cm of fresh snow for the Fraser Valley by this morning.

Another big dump of snow could come Wednesday, riding a storm front from Washington state that prompted the National Weather Service in Seattle to announce a winter storm warning for several parts of the state today.

"That front will flirt with the border area," Jones said. "Does it pull to the north and hammer us, or does it remain to the south? Right now it's not clear."
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Snowflake

European ski resorts in 'lockdown' after freak snowfalls cut road, rail and air links

Allan Hall
DailyMail.Co.Uk
Thu, 12 Jan 2012 11:04 UTC
  • 1,000 British skiers trapped in Alps after severe snowfalls
  • Falling trees and rocks blocking many routes
  • Avalanche warning raised to stage three, or 'considerable risk'
  • Holidaymakers advised to stay indoors
British holidaymakers are in a race against time to get out of Austrian ski resorts before more snowfalls arrive at the weekend.

Many have become stranded since the weekend because of the heaviest snowfalls in Alps in the past 30 years.

Some holiday makers are four days overdue to be back home and back at work due to the weather. As much as 18ft has fallen over the past few days.
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© Getty ImagesClearing up: A resident in Ischgl, Austria, contemplates the enormous task of clearing the snow from his roof
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Igloo

US: First winter blast hits Northeast, Midwest


MSNBC
Thu, 12 Jan 2012 10:12 UTC
Cold fronts moving in from the north on Thursday made for the first winter blast across the Midwest and Northeast, with parts of Connecticut seeing their first snow since October and snow-starved Chicago expected to get hit later in the day.

"This is a pretty potent storm and covers a wide area," TODAY's weather and feature anchor Al Roker warned.

Up to 3 inches fell overnight in Connecticut, the first since an early October snowstorm, NBC Connecticut reported.
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© Seth Perlman/APSpringfield, Illinois, on Thursday saw its first significant snow in nearly 11 months.
Kansas City, Mo., also saw about an inch of snow overnight as a system moved into the Midwest.

The Weather Channel said winter was making "a roaring comeback" across the country after weeks of mild weather.

Up to 8 inches of snow was forecast for Chicago, and even more for neighboring northwest Indiana, NBC Chicago reported.

New England should see 6-9 inches in many areas, and isolated areas could get a foot, Roker forecast.

Parts of Rhode Island and Massachusetts saw slushy snow early Thursday, making for a messy commute.

Areas as far south as Nashville, Tenn., could also see a bit of snow Thursday.
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Video

Extreme Weather: Anvil Cloud Lightning Sparks UFO Debate (Video)


News.gather.com
Tue, 10 Jan 2012 18:56 UTC
An extreme weather video posted to YouTube produces awe at the power of nature, but is also igniting an old debate: do UFOs hide in clouds?

It's a natural conclusion, one that even the ancients drew. Lightning from the clouds was often construed as anger from the Gods. But in the modern world, especially thanks to Steven Spielberg, such anvil-shaped clouds are thought, in some circles, to be camouflaging extraterrestrials and their UFOs.

What's interesting, and awe-inspiring, about this video is the clear blue sky surrounding the anvil hammerhead cloud. It's startling to see such fierce electrical activity on an otherwise cloudless day.

Usually, when a lightning storm erupts, the bolts from the blue come from all around, not one centrally located spot. It's a testament to the power of the natural world that the conditions are ripe for such majesty emanating from a single, threatening cloud head.
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Bizarro Earth

At least eight dead in Brazil landslide


GMA News Online
Tue, 10 Jan 2012 07:26 UTC
Image
© AP
A landslide triggered by torrential rains killed at least eight people in Rio de Janeiro state Monday and 14 others may still be buried in the rubble, local officials told Globo television.

Colonel Sergio Simoes, the head of the local fire department, said six adults and two children perished and 14 were still missing after nine house collapsed in the northern Sapucaia munipality.

Civil Defense officials said a family of five who took refuge in a car may also have died after the vehicle was buried by the mud.

Simoes said the priority for rescue workers was "to find the bodies."

Earlier in the day, Sergio Murilo, a spokesman for the Sapucaia municipality, put the death toll at three.
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Cloud Lightning

US: Torrential rain causes flash flooding in Houston


CNN
Mon, 09 Jan 2012 15:20 UTC
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© Kimberly CherryFlooding in Houston, Jan. 9, 2012
Dallas - Severe weather hit the Houston area Monday, flooding streets and homes and leaving thousands of people without power, emergency officials said.

Torrential rain fell across the area, causing flash flooding that left streets and highways impassable and submerged some vehicles.

"We have a lot of roadways closed, and some evacuations are going on," said Alan Spears of the Fort Bend County office of emergency management.

In the city of Richmond, rescues were conducted by boat and on foot. Spears said he believes a tornado touched down in the area.

"We had 7,000 people without power in the county," he said.

Sixty miles southeast, in Texas City, a law enforcement officer witnessed what appeared to be a tornado strike near the Mall of Midland, the National Weather Service reported.
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Snowflake

US: Alaska town tries to dig out from huge snow dump

Rachel D'Oro
Associated Press
Sun, 08 Jan 2012 20:51 UTC
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© AP/Erv Pett/Alaska DHS & EMIn this Saturday, Jan. 7, 2012 photo provided by the Alaska Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management, a house is buried in snow in the fishing town of Cordova, Alaska.
Anchorage - The small Alaska fishing town of Cordova is used to dealing with excessive snow - but not like this. Residents have turned to the state to help them dig out of massive snow levels that have collapsed roofs, triggered avalanches and even covered doors, trapping some people in their homes.

"There's nowhere to go with the snow because it's piled up so high," said Wendy Rainney, who owns the Orca Adventure Lodge. A storage building for the lodge - which offers fishing trips, hiking, kayaking and glacier tours - partially collapsed under the weight of the snow, she said.

"This is more quantity than can be handled."

The Alaska National Guard reported more than 18 feet of snow has fallen on Cordova in the past weeks, although the National Weather Service did not immediately have a measurement.

Officials said at least three buildings have collapsed or partially collapsed and six homes are deemed severely stressed by heavy wet snow.

The city has set up a shelter at a local recreation center, but said people leaving homes in avalanche-risky areas have been staying with other residents. Cordova spokesman Allen Marquette said the town also was ready to set up a pet shelter if necessary.
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Bizarro Earth

US: Tornadoes in 2011 Set Deadly Records

Mark Fischetti
Scientific American
Wed, 28 Dec 2011 00:00 UTC
Image
© Xpda on FlickrJoplin, Mo., after a severe May 22 tornado
Many of us may remember the jaw-dropping images of the May 22, 2011, tornado that tore through Joplin, Mo., killing 158 people and leaving an incredible 14-mile path of destruction. But that system was only one of the record-breaking tornado events this year. Data compiled by meteorologist Jeffrey Masters shows that when deaths, damage and financial losses are considered, 2011 can be called the worst U.S. tornado year on record.
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