Crazy Storm Weather and Lightning - Global

[angelburst29]

The United Nations reported that 29 people died and 22 went missing after Cyclone Ava made landfal on Madagascar.

Ava Cyclone Affects More Than 80,000 People in Madagascar
https://sputniknews.com/africa/201801101060632214-ava-cyclone-madagascar/

More than 80,000 people in Madagascar were affected by Tropical Cyclone Ava, after it made landfall along northeastern Madagascar's coast on January 5, according to UN.

Spokesman for the Secretary-General of the United Nations Stéphane Dujarric said during Tuesday's briefing that the cyclone affected some 83,000 people with 29 dead and 22 missing. The spokesman also said that 17 first aid posts were destroyed and 141 schools damaged.

Humanitarian organizations are currently providing people with medical supplies, drinking water and tents, Dujarric said.

After making a landfall along the coast of northeastern Madagascar, Tropical Cyclone Ava strengthened into a hurricane, prompting national weather service Météo Madagascar to issue red alerts and yellow alerts on the island's east coast.

The National Bureau of Disaster Risk Management reported earlier, that more that 2,000 were evacuated before the cyclone reached Madagascar. The bureau also said that according to an assessment, 989 people have been displaced due to the force of nature.

 

[angelburst29]

A devastating storm hit the northern part of Europe earlier this week, blowing people off their feet and roofs from buildings.

WATCH Deadly Storm Raging in Europe, Blowing People Off Feet (PHOTO, VIDEO) 20.01.2018
https://sputniknews.com/europe/201801201060909942-storm-europe-people-fly/

The storm that swept through the Netherlands, Germany, France and Belgium with winds, reaching some 126 mph (200 kph), caused floods, downed trees, damaged vehicles and halted transport services.

According to media reports, dozens have been injured, while the death toll has reached 11 people so far, with eight of them dying in Germany, including two firefighters. The deaths were mainly caused by falling trees and debris, while the firefighters died during clean-up efforts.

The disaster made Germany's Deutsche Bahn train operator cancel all long distances services, saying that power lines had been damaged by falling trees and debris had blocked railway tracks.

A number of domestic flights were canceled, while flights at Schiphol airport in Amsterdam were suspended after roof plates had been blown off the terminal building.

One of the most dramatic cases happened at Dusseldorf airport on Thursday. A video that immediately went viral shows a Bombardier Q400 twin-engine plane that was almost spun around by strong winds during landing.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GKBI_bVFSfs (1:25 min.)

However, the highly-skilled pilots of German Eurowings airlines managed to land the aircraft.

People on social media are sharing photos and videos, showing the devastation that the storm has caused.

The storm, named "Friederike" in Germany, is thought to be the worst since Kyrill in 2007.

 

[angelburst29]

Heavy snowfall has blocked all traffic to the Alpine resort of Davos, where the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum (WEF), which brings together heads of state and business leaders, is about to start, a Sputnik correspondent reported Monday.

Heavy Snowfall Blocks Traffic to World Economic Forum Venue (PHOTO)
https://sputniknews.com/europe/201801221060965361-heavy-snowfall-davos/

Snow showers have continued without interruption since last week, and enormous snowbanks have blocked not only roads but also the railway. Trains running to Klosters, where many WEF delegates are staying, circulated with long delays on Monday morning, but in the afternoon, railway connections were completely interrupted.

Those people who managed to dig their cars out from under the snow now have to spend hours in traffic jams.

"As avalanche risk is high, please ski on open slopes only. Streets around Davos are expected to stay accessible," the website of Davos-Klosters resort said.

On Monday, the Swiss Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research (SLF) recorded a "very high avalanche danger over widespread areas."

According to the WEF organizers, over 3,000 participants from more than 110 countries are to be in attendance, with more than 70 heads of state to take part in the global forum.

 

[angelburst29]

The biggest snowfall in years has partially paralyzed Japan's transportation system and has led to scores of injuries. Emergency services have been working overtime in the capital Tokyo.

Extreme Weather: Japan Hit by Heavy Snow, Flights Disrupted (PHOTOS) 22.01.2018
https://sputniknews.com/asia/201801221060974825-japan-tokyo-snowfall-snow/

At least 67 people have suffered various injuries due to severe weather in Japan's metropolitan area according to national broadcaster NHK.

The snowfall has prompted the country's weather agency to issue a heavy snow warning for Tokyo for the first time in four years.

The transport ministry also issued an "emergency" announcement urging people to go home early amid fears of public transport chaos and to stay indoors when possible.

Over 337 domestic flights have been cancelled, while snow also disrupted rail traffic on Monday.

People complained on social media about struggling to get around and out of Tokyo.

​Some twitter users made fun of Tokyo's difficulty to deal with the snow.

​A disaster management center in the prime minister's office has been set up to monitor the situation. According to the country's' weather agency, Japan's Kanto-Koshin region is expected to get 10 to 40 cm of fresh snow through Monday to Tuesday.

 

[angelburst29]

Heavy snowfall has blocked all traffic to the Alpine resort of Davos, where the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum (WEF), which brings together heads of state and business leaders, is about to start, a Sputnik correspondent reported Monday.

Heavy Snowfall Blocks Traffic to World Economic Forum Venue (PHOTO)
https://sputniknews.com/europe/201801221060965361-heavy-snowfall-davos/

DAVOS, Switzerland — It may be tempting fate to try to gather 60 heads of state and hundreds of global business leaders in the dead of winter in a Swiss mountain valley. This year, the World Economic Forum’s luck seems to have run out.

Heads of State and C.E.O.s in Davos Beware: 6 Feet of Snow in 6 Days JAN. 22, 2018
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/22/business/davos-snow.html

Fat, damp snowflakes have been tumbling down for the past six days, burying the town in six feet of snow, three feet of it in the last two days alone. Snow was still falling fast on Monday night, and the steep, pine-dotted slopes were so heavily laden that some neighborhoods here in Davos had to be evacuated for fear of avalanches.

Head-high snow drifts quickly piled up along the roads, leaving no place for street plows to push more snow. Sidewalks completely disappeared. Pedestrians slipped and slid in traffic between huge trucks and luxury minivans on streets carpeted with compacted ice several inches thick.

Davos is not alone in getting clobbered with snow in Switzerland this winter. Just two weeks ago, 13,000 tourists were stranded at the foot of the Matterhorn by heavy snow and rain. But the timing of the snowfall — on the eve of the World Economic Forum’s annual conference — has had an outsize impact.

By Sunday night, heavy snow had already blocked the rail line through the Alps from Zurich, and villages along the route were at the highest level of avalanche alert. Swiss Rail began unloading Davos-bound passengers from their express trains, taking them on a half-hour bus trip on back roads around the blockage and then loading them onto a crowded red commuter train that ran the rest of the way into Davos.

“What shall we do,” the mayor of Davos, Tarzisius Caviezel, said at a news conference on Monday, admitting he was at a loss for how to respond. “It’s impossible.”

There was too much snow to find places to put in the narrow, steep-sloped valley, he explained, and no easy way to take it anywhere else. That throngs of uber-wealthy conference goers and their entourages were trying to push their way toward Davos did not help. A giant purple freight truck wound up in a snow bank on Monday morning across the street from the conference center, temporarily paralyzing the already slow-moving traffic.

“We can do nothing,” Mr. Caviezel said, except wait for better weather to arrive, perhaps some time on Tuesday, and gradually dig out.

The mayor had been expected to be joined at the news conference by Ulrich Spiesshofer, the chief executive of ABB, the Zurich-based multinational. ABB makes some of the world’s brawniest electrical power equipment for the world’s harshest and most remote locations. But Mr. Spiesshofer arrived late because his car was stuck in traffic.

In perhaps the most harrowing indignity for the plutocrats who have made the World Economic Forum their favorite winter meeting ground, even the town’s helicopter pad was closed because of the snowstorm. By early afternoon, a quarter-mile trip in one of the ubiquitous black luxury minivans with plush leather seats that shuttle participants around the town took nearly an hour.

Linda P. Fried, the dean of Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health, allowed three hours at midday on Monday to travel from her hotel to the uncrowded registration center nearby and then a few blocks to the conference. But because of the gridlock, she was a half-hour late to give her speech. The topic had been the health risks that arise from climate change.

“I’ve been coming for eight years and this is the worst I’ve seen it,” she said. But she bristled when asked whether some — like perhaps President Trump — might question the incongruity of discussing global warming during a blizzard.

It isn’t accurate, people just don’t understand, that’s not the metric,” she said.

Climate scientists have long warned that rising emissions of greenhouse gases by humanity may cause weather extremes, and not just heat waves. But it is hard to link any single weather event to climate change.

Still, there were some who liked the snow: avid skiers. “I skied here as a kid,” said Anthony Couse, the chief executive for Asia at Jones Lang LaSalle Property Consultants, “and there definitely was not this much snow.”

 

[angelburst29]

TEHRAN: Iran’s Khuzestan province was suffocating for the fifth straight day on Tuesday under a cloud of dust that has hit seven times the maximum recommended limit, Iranian media reported.

Southwest Iran suffocates under dust cloud Tuesday 23 January 2018
http://www.arabnews.com/node/1231741/middle-east

Images published by the semi-official news agency ISNA showed visibility reduced to just a few meters, with the sun hidden behind a blanket of dense orange pollution and just a few brave pedestrians wearing masks.

The province in southwest Iran has suffered for years under mounting air pollution as chronic drought has combined with over-use of water supplies to dry up the region.

Between Friday and Monday, 1,300 people were hospitalized for respiratory problems in the provincial capital of Ahvaz and the other key cities of Abadan, Khorramshahr and Shadegan, said official news agency IRNA.

Atmospheric pollution hit a peak on Monday afternoon in Abadan, leading to the closure of many schools and government offices, IRNA said.

President Hassan Rouhani sent a team of experts, including environment department chief Isa Kalantari and Agriculture Minister Mahmoud Hojati, to oversee the government response over the weekend.

In a post on his departmental website, Kalantari said decades of excessive water consumption and poor policy were to blame for the increasing problems.
“We have used our water resources without looking to the future and without applying any expertise on water resources,” he wrote.

“Given that the current situation is the result of the fact that our country is semi-arid and semi-desert, we must prepare ourselves to adapt to a life with less water.”

The environmental disaster is compounded by dust storms drifting in from neighboring Iraq and Saudi Arabia, which have also increased over the past two decades.

In a bid to limit the impact, Iranian authorities say they are planting thousands of hectares of plants and trees to act as a natural barrier and replenish the soil.

Devastated by the war between Iraq and Iran in the 1980s, Khuzestan is populated mostly by Arabs who frequently complain they are ignored by the government in Tehran and see few of the benefits from the oil fields in their province.

Khorramshahr in particular saw considerable unrest during protests that hit many parts of provincial Iran over the New Year period.

 

[angelburst29]

Heavy snowfalls in Iran that began on Thursday and continued through Saturday night have brought joy to ski-lovers and a lot less fun to drivers and municipal workers.

Watch: Iran Buried Under Snow, Blocking Roads, Shutting Air Traffic 28.01.2018 (Video)
https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/201801281061131785-iran-snow-winter-airports/

Some 20 northern and western Iranian provinces have been hit with their first heavy snowfall after a month of abnormally warm winter, IRNA news agency reported Sunday.

Both of Tehran's international airports Imam Khomeini International and Mehrabad were shut down due to poor visibility and "until further notice."

​​Heavy snowfall has also caused a lot of trouble for drivers, who became stuck on highways outside of the Iranian capital. The authorities have mobilized hundreds of Red Crescent teams to aid the drivers, while some 6,600 people have been put up in emergency accommodations.

The deepness of snowdrifts in mountainous areas has reached some 1.3 meters, while the overall temperature is set to drop below —20 Celsius. According to the state gas company, it expects a rise in gas demand for certain northern provinces.

​At the same time, Tehran's mayor has asked people to aid municipality workers in snow-clearing efforts.

 

[angelburst29]

Heavy snow has struck the Moscow region, as people struggle to make their way through large snowdrifts. Local authorities efficiently cleaning away the intense falling snow have reported large traffic jams, stranded airport passengers, and dozens of fallen trees. Meteorologists warn that is only the beginning.

Record Blizzard Hits Central Russia: Moscow Under Snow Siege (Photos)
https://sputniknews.com/russia/201802041061337639-russia-blizzard-snowfall-weather-record/

According to Moscow authorities, record snowfalls such as the current blizzard occur once in a century. Current temperatures in the central region are barely above 0 degrees Celsius, not Arctic-level cold, but city residents are barely making their way through the snowy streets.

Local media reports dozens of fallen trees in some parts of the city, while some districts in the greater Moscow Region have reportedly suffered electricity outages.

Meanwhile, the number of flights delayed in Moscow airports on Saturday over bad weather conditions has reached 120, while at least 16 have been canceled.

One flight from Vnukovo, and a reported 15 others from Domodedovo were canceled.

An estimated 22 flights have been delayed at Vnukovo airport, 15 in Domodedovo, and 83 in Sheremetyevo. Some hardy citizens nonetheless are enjoying the scenic views caused by the foul weather.

Meteorologist forecast that record blizzard will continue Sunday and Monday, possibly ending with freezing temperatures and clear weather. No casualties or serious incidents have been reported since the outbreak of the snowstorm. Schools as well as other municipal and governmental offices are functioning normally.

Local municipal services mobilized snow cleaning equipment and resources to fight the consequences of the storm. Authorities recommend avoiding long walking trips around the city and its outskirts as well as planning safe travel routes in advance to avoid possible risk.

The current temperature in Moscow is hovering just above 0 degrees Celsius, as heavy snow showers continue unabated.

 

[angelburst29]

Heavy wet snow and strong wind have hit Moscow for the second day in a row, resulting in damage to power lines and trees, hazardous driving conditions, delays of dozens of flights, as well as casualties.

Snow Apocalypse in Moscow: Power Outage, Flight Delays, Casualties 04.02.2018
https://sputniknews.com/russia/201802041061344324-snow-moscow-snowstorm/

Earlier in the day, Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said that on Saturday one person was killed and several others were injured after a tree fell and electric power lines had been damaged due to the natural disaster.

"According to the preliminary data, five people have already been injured. Be careful, forecasts say the weather will worsen," Sobyanin wrote on Twitter on Sunday.

Pyotr Biryukov, Moscow deputy mayor for housing, utilities and amenities, told reporters on Sunday, that around 370 trees had fallen in the city.

The Russian capital’s emergencies services have sent out warnings to the city residents about the weather situation, Biryukov noted, calling on the residents to follow the recommendations of the authorities to ensure their own safety.

According to the Fobos weather center, on Saturday, Moscow saw over half of its monthly precipitation average. As a result, over 100 flights were delayed and 11 flights were canceled in Moscow airports on Saturday. In the early hours of Sunday, the number of delayed flights amounted to 109, while 28 flights were canceled.

The driving conditions in the city could only be described as extremely hazardous, with drivers advised to stay off the roads because of heavy snow and icy conditions.

The weather situation resulted in an emergency in the Moscow Region, too. Due to heavy snow, a lot of power lines had snapped leading to power outages affecting around 5,200 people.

 

[angelburst29]

Snow Apocalypse in Moscow: Power Outage, Flight Delays, Casualties 04.02.2018
https://sputniknews.com/russia/201802041061344324-snow-moscow-snowstorm/

Update:

A record-breaking snow storm has ravaged Moscow for the second day as some 20 thousand are without electricity in three Russian provinces, while snow levels are expected to top 62 centimeters. But of course Russians still think it’s a good thing!

Snowstorm of the Century: Moscow is on It, but Damage Grows (PHOTOS)
https://sputniknews.com/russia/201802051061353831-snowstorm-century-moscow/

Moscow authorities continue to calculate damage caused by the record-breaking snowstorm, now in its second day. According to Mayor Sergey Sobyanin, the number of fallen trees has grown from about 360 to over 2,000.

Thankfully, there has been only one man killed and several injured as a result of bad weather.

More than 150 flights were delayed in Moscow's three major airports, according to Yandex informational service. Flight dispatch services reported a total of 16 incoming flights diverted from Moscow runways.

In the Moscow and neighboring Kaluga and Vladimir Regions, at least 20 thousand people are without electricity due to damaged power lines, Lenta.ru reports.

Local meteorologists consider this epic storm to be the strongest in the history of recorded measurement. On February 4, in a 12 hour period, about 53 percent of the normal monthly precipitation fell. The expected snow layer thickness is estimated to be at least 63 centimeters.

Earlier, weather reports announced that the snow intensity will lessen on Monday. However, Mayor Sobyanin wrote on his VK page that, in light of the latest information, the heavy snow will continue. He called on Moscow citizens to refrain from using personal transport as city transiot workers and some local military units battled the weather.

Despite the inconvenience caused by heavy snow, Moscow citizens, as normal, are enjoying the anomalous weather, evidenced by some of the more interesting Instagram posts.

 

[Mr.Cyan]

Heavy rain and flooding in Jakarta


Jakarta residents evacuated as floods hit low-lying areas
http://www.straitstimes.com/asia/se-asia/jakarta-residents-evacuated-as-floods-hit-low-lying-areas

JAKARTA - Hundreds of residents in low-lying areas in Jakarta were evacuated to shelters on Tuesday (Feb 6) morning following torrential rains that caused widespread floods across the Indonesian capital and landslides in satellite cities.

In areas such as Cawang, Cililitan and Kalibata, flood waters reached as high as 2 metres.

Some residents were still stranded on the second floor of their homes in Jatinegara area, where houses were immersed in flood waters above 2-metre deep, TVone reported.

Rainfalls are forecast to be 'heavy to very heavy' on Tuesday in greater Jakarta, although it is in a declining trend, said Harry Tirto Djatmiko, the spokesman of the national weather agency BMKG.

Pointing out that Monday saw extreme rainfalls, Mr Harry said BMKG forecasts that southern part of Sumatra will be the next region in Indonesia that will likely be hit by very heavy to extreme rainfalls. The trend moved from Nusa Tenggara, Bali regions in the east, which saw extreme weather late December and early January, before moving to Java, and then Sumatra later, Mr Harry added.

Meanwhile, a woman who was trapped under a collapsed underpass near the Jakarta airport on Monday evening was pulled out from the rubble early Tuesday morning.

After a 10-hour ordeal, the 24-year-old woman, identified as Dianti, who was an employee of Garuda Maintenance Facility, an aircraft maintenance and repair company, was conscious when rescuers evacuated her from the car she was in.

She was immediately rushed to the nearest Tangerang regency hospital around 3am but succumbed to her injuries after she was transferred to Mayapada hospital.

She was driving past the underpass near the Soekarno-Hatta airport when the wall collapsed around 5pm local time on Monday.

A front seat passenger, identified as Mutmainah, was also pulled out of the rubble on Tuesday morning and was in stable condition.

"Her right stomach was stuck under a steel reinforced concrete slab about 50cm thick and 20m long. She screamed in pain when we tried to pull her," Air Marshal Muhammad Syaugi, head of Indonesia's search and rescue agency (Basarnas), told MetroTV, describing the challenges rescuers faced before they finally managed to pull her out.

 

[angelburst29]

Iowa has been hit by a powerful snowstorm resulting in a multiple car pileup.

Iowa Snowstorm Causes Massive Pileup | NBC News Published on Feb 7, 2018
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-aZAnbfIOxM (1:46 min.)

Traffic Cam video of crash on I-35 near mile marker 112 in Ames, Iowa.

Iowa DOT I-35 Crash Raw Footage 02/05/2018 Published on Feb 6, 2018
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mvC-J2eKIic (18:02 min.)

Heavy snow created icy roads and low visibilities across central Illinois on Wednesday, leading to this multiple-vehicle pileup on northbound Interstate 55 at Elkhart (north of Springfield).

Interstate 55 pileup in snow caught on camera in 4K - Elkhart, Illinois
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0pzpv9CEbuk (2:44 min.) ( Copyright )

 

[AzarHyun]

I'm not sure this is the right topic for this joke, but.. :D

It makes sense. If hell is hot and heaven is the opposite of hell, heaven would be cold. So, we seem to be approaching heaven. :)

 

[angelburst29]

Italy’s civil protection agency has sent the army to clear the streets of Rome following the first snowfall in six years. The move comes amid an Arctic blast which has claimed at least four lives across Europe.

Italy sends in army to combat Siberian ‘beast from the east’ (PHOTOS, VIDEOS) 26 Feb, 2018
https://www.rt.com/news/419848-italy-army-rome-snow/

Part of Rome experienced snow falls of up to 5cm (2 inches) after temperatures fell as low as zero degrees Celcius (32F) Monday, and are expected to drop as low as minus six by Wednesday reports The Local. Several of the city's most iconic attractions, including the Colosseum and Roman Forum, were closed Monday. The civil protection agency’s volunteer corps was also sent to assist stranded commuters at the city's railway stations.

Air, road and rail transport were all affected, with delays of up to two hours affecting commuters and tourists alike. Authorities in Rome opened several train stations to the city's homeless population to provide temporary emergency shelter from the cold, a move which Italian Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni praised online.

While residents of eastern Europe or Moscow might balk at such moderate winter temperatures causing so much chaos, Rome was almost paralyzed by just a few inches of snow. The city’s proximity to the sea usually protects it from snowfall and the Mediterranean climate generally brings milder winters to the capital than its northern European counterparts.

Rome Mayor Virginia Raggi ordered public schools to close temporarily until the ‘blizzard’ passes. Northern and central Italy are more acclimatized to snow but schools in those areas were also forced to close as temperatures plunged.

Massive snowball fights took place across the city while the iconic Bernini fountains were covered in a powdery layer. Siberian winds have been blamed as the source of the cold snap affecting large swathes of Europe.

Temperatures in Bucharest, Romania fell as low minus eight degrees Celsius Monday, with the General Inspectorate for Emergency Situations calling in 5,000 officials to help people adversely affected by the cold snap. Neighboring Bulgaria experienced snowdrifts of as much as 40cm (16 inches) in some parts.

Meanwhile, in Germany, certain parts have reported record low temperatures of minus 27 degrees Celsius (minus 16.6F). Croatia has also deployed up to 1,000 troops to clear snow in the worst-affected areas which have been ground to a halt by up to 1.5 meters (5ft) of snow, reports The State.

The Arctic storm dubbed the "Beast from the East" paralyzed Rome on Monday, crippling the city's entire transport system. However, some local residents saw a rare opportunity in the abnormal snowfall: a chance to spent time joyfully building snowmen and sledding.

Italians Make the Most of 'Beast from the East' With Snowmen, Sledding (VIDEO) 27.02.2018
https://sputniknews.com/europe/201802271062021147-italy-rome-snow-storm-arctic/

According to Rome authorities, schools and some public institutions were ordered closed on Monday, while the railway and traffic system partly shut down. Italy's civil protection agency has even deployed army servicemen to clear off the thick blanket of the snow.

However, the sudden blizzard seemed to bring a marvelous mood to locals. Despite official warnings, most of the rare snowstorm's witnesses decided to ski in famous places of Rome and to have fun in the foul weather by building snow castles and figures, even going snowshoeing and skiing, local media outlets report.

By the evening the slush-covered streets were clean of snow. However, city officials are keeping some municipal organizations closed on Tuesday for a second day. Due to the freezing temperatures, residents were warned that traffic may continue to be disrupted because of the ice that has already covered most parts of the city.

The extremely low temperatures coming in with the storm were first dubbed "The Beast from the East" by British media outlets, citing the Siberian Arctic colds as the source of the frigid temperatures. Meteorologists say that the storm has moved south and west and is expected to cover much of Europe over the next few days with freezes and blizzards.

 

[herondancer]

Just saw this on twitter. There was a tornado yesterday in ENGLAND, with SNOW on the ground. So much for the hot/cold air layer inversion thing. Another point to the EU theory of weather. It's looking more and more likely.

I don't know how to embed the video, but it's pretty impressive

https://twitter.com/severeweatherEU/status/968905070145343488