Storms
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Tornado2

12 tornadoes seen in a day near Sochi, Russia

Plane makes harrowing landing in Sochi as tornadoes rip through Black Sea nearby
Plane makes harrowing landing in Sochi as tornadoes rip through Black Sea nearby
In a harrowing video, an airplane was seen landing in Sochi, Russia, with three tornadoes right behind it.

The infamous tornadoes of the Black Sea are known to be violent and up to 12 tornadoes were seen off the coast on the very same day.

This is the second week in a row when these destructive vortexes of violently rotating winds have ripped through Black Sea.

The entire daring incident was caught on camera .


Comment: See also this report from last week: Irregular waterspout spotted on Black Sea near Sochi, Russia

From August of last year: Multiple waterspouts form off coast near Russian resort city Sochi where tornadoes are very rare occurrence (PHOTOS, VIDEOS)


Tornado2

Tornadoes and microbursts: Weather opposites, but equally destructive

Damage in N.D.G. Park following microburst rain storm
© John Mahoney / Montreal GazetteDamage in Montreal's Notre-Dame-de-Grâce Park following microburst rain storm.
In Lachute, where on Tuesday one resident saw part of their rooftop torn away like a sheet of paper and another found their trampoline wrapped around a nearby tree, they learned what a tornado can do.

In Montreal, where on the same day high winds punched a 20-block path of destruction through the neighbourhood of Notre-Dame-de-Grâce, we learned what a microburst can do.

Meteorologically speaking, the phenomena are utterly different. But when it comes to their capacity for destruction, they are chillingly alike.

Environment Canada meteorologist Max Desharnais said Wednesday that his office was able to determine that N.D.G. had been hit by a microburst simply by the grim symmetry of the destruction left in its wake.

"Based on the signature of the damage - (fallen) trees laid out in one direction - that's a microburst," he said. "It's a unidirectional signature. ... With a tornado you'll have a roof literally peeled off and a visible signature of rotation."


Cloud Precipitation

Monsoon floods brings Mumbai to a standstill

Heavy rain, flooding paralyze India's financial hub
Heavy rain, flooding paralyze India's financial hub
Heavy monsoon rains brought India's financial capital to a halt on Tuesday, with authorities struggling to evacuate people with the scheduled high tide adding to the chaos.

Incessant rain flooded several parts of Mumbai and paralyzed train services used by millions of commuters daily, with many stranded at stations and hundreds of others walking home through waist-deep water on railway tracks.

Poor visibility also forced airport authorities to divert some flights while most were delayed by up to an hour.

Thousands, some abandoning their water-logged cars, waded through waist-deep water to reach home after some parts of the city received as much as 297.6 millimeters (11.72 inches)of rainfall. Children were sent home early from school.


Arrow Down

Update: Death toll increases to 17 in China landslide

landslide
The death toll has risen to 17 people with 18 still missing, after a landslide at Nayong county in southwest China's Guizhou Province Monday morning, local authorities said Tuesday.

As of 4:30 p.m. Tuesday, 25 people had been found, of which 17 were dead and eight injured. The injured are being treated in a local hospital and in stable condition, according to a press conference at the scene.

The landslide occurred at about 10:40 a.m. Monday in Zhangjiawan township, affecting 34 households. More than 600,000 cubic meters of rock and mud fell 200 meters and hit a village.

Over 2,000 people, including police, firefighters and medical staff are at the scene and more than 90 emergency vehicles, 20 life detectors, 17 diggers and eight drones.

Comment: See also earlier report with video: Two dead, 25 missing after landslide in Bijie, China


Cloud Lightning

Turkey unprepared as Istanbul battered by 3rd mega-storm this summer (VIDEOS)

Istanbul flooding
© Ozan Kose / AFP
Istanbul is in the teeth of a major storm with winds reaching up to 75kph (47mph) and torrential downpours flooding streets and choking the city's major transport arteries.

Climate scientists warned earlier this month that Istanbul residents should prepare for far more flooding in the future as recent climate dynamics indicate the increased likelihood of 'supercells' forming, which have caused major flooding in the city twice already this summer.

Tornado1

'This is a nightmare event': Levee breached south of Houston in 800 year flood event

flooding in Houston
© Nick Oxford / Reuters
Officials of Brazoria County, Texas have urged residents in the Columbia Lakes area, South of Houston, to evacuate immediately following a breach of the levee at the Brazos river.

'This is a nightmare event,' Brazoria County Judge Matt Sebesta said of the levee failure.

The Brazos River has risen to historic heights as a result of storm Harvey and caused the levee to fail Tuesday, a scenario that authorities feared.

More heavy rain is expected through Wednesday, raising concerns that other levees are at risk.

Houston's Addicks dam began to spill over Tuesday.

Bizarro Earth

Flood of a lifetime: Dramatic scenes across Texas as Hurricane Harvey stalls over the state dumping record-setting precipitation

Hurricane Harvey
An aerial photograph reveals the huge swathes of flooded land in Houston, Texas on Sunday. Hurricane Harvey blustered through the town on Friday and Saturday, bringing with it unprecedented downpour and triggering life-threatening floods.
The flood of a lifetime has hit Texas after the violent winds of Hurricane Harvey began to die down, with the state expecting another 50 inches to pour down upon the region in record-setting precipitation.

The destructive path of the hurricane began to take shape on Sunday, with a striking collection of aerial photographs laying bare its damage for the first time.

Highways lay submerged in water where abandoned cars bobbed alongside rescue boats taking residents to safety, as Galveston County estimates up to 1,200 people had to be rescued from the 'life-threatening' waters.

At least five people are dead and dozens are injured after 130mph winds and unprecedented floods swept through the southeast pocket of the state on Friday and Saturday.

There is even more rain on the way - a record-setting 50 inches - and emergency response teams have been stretched to their limit as the state was hit with 11 trillion gallons of water, according to reports.

Cloud Lightning

Lightning strike kills man in Gulf Shores, Alabama

Lightning
A powerful lightning strike in Gulf Shores on Saturday has claimed the life of a 24-year-old man from Birmingham.

Family and friends confirm 24-year-old Taylor Harsh of Mountain Brook died as the result of the lightning strike.

Five other men where on the beach at the time with Harsh.

Shortly after 3 P.M. Saturday it was only but a spot on the local radar, a storm system had formed over Oyster Bay and it was heading South.

"We leave, when we hear thunder we leave," said Carol Cordon who lives across the street from where the fatal strike to place.

Cloud Precipitation

Louisiana braces for Harvey's rain

Storm Harvey
Rescue boats help flood victims in Houston, Texas after Tropical Storm Harvey.
New Orleans officials on Monday ordered city facilities and schools closed as the state braced for Harvey's rains and wind. And the city's mayor issued a warning. "Based on the weather, and out of an abundance of caution, I am recommending that everybody stay home tomorrow," Mayor Mitch Landrieu said Monday afternoon.

The outer bands of Harvey, which remains a tropical storm, are expected to shower New Orleans with heavy rains days after the storm flooded Houston and pummeled east Texas, forecasters say. New Orleans is under a flash-flood watch and could see localized flooding, according to CNN meteorologist Taylor Ward.

The city could see 4-8 inches of rain over the next 48 hours, he said. "If all goes well, we won't see catastrophic flooding like in Houston," Ward said. "We'll only see minor flooding."

Comment: Houston declares flash flood emergency, unprecedented 1.2m rainfall - UPDATES


Cloud Lightning

Tropical low headed toward Carolina coast likely to grow stronger becoming a tropical storm

August 2017 tropical storm carolina coast
© National Weather Service
A tropical low headed toward the coast of the Carolinas on Monday and Tuesday could grow stronger, becoming a tropical storm.

A tropical storm watch was issued for the North Carolina coast Sunday evening.

The National Hurricane Center on Sunday reported that an elongated area of low pressure, previously over northeast Florida, had emerged over the western Atlantic and was about 60 miles east of the coast of Georgia.

Showers and thunderstorms associated with the system increased and became better organized, meaning the low will likely become a tropical depression or storm Sunday night or Monday before it merges with a cold front. If it becomes a storm, it will be called Tropical Storm Irma.