German-speaking Swiss mop up from heavy rain [The Local.ch; 2 June 2013]

Aerial shot of flooding in Wittnau in the canton of Aargau from RTS video. (Screenshot)

Northern, central and eastern Switzerland mopped up on Sunday following torrential rain that triggered flooding in regions from Bern to Graubünden, leading to road closures, flooded basements, landslides and the evacuation of some residents.

Numerous rivers and lakes spilled over their banks over the weekend after as more than 200 litres of rail fell per square metre in eastern Switzerland starting on Friday.

Meteonews said Amden, a municipality in the canton of Saint Gallen, received as much as 250 litres over the weekend, a record for the country.

The rain subsided on Sunday but the level of water bodies remained dangerously high in various locations.

In the capital city of Bern, emergency workers placed barriers along the Aar River to minimize flooding, the ATS news service reported.

In the canton of Lucerne, a landslide in Werthenstein closed a rail line west of the city of Lucerne.

Mud and gravel buries sections of rail ines in the canton of Zurich between Rütli and Jonas (Saint Gallen) and also at Wald in the Töss Valley, ATS said.

Flooding of the Greifen and Pfäffikon lakes, in the canton of Zurich, was also reported, while the Rhine flooded its banks in Basel and elsewhere.

Various other lakes such as Constance, Zurich, Lucerne and Walenstadt were expected to see their levels to rise to a peak level late on Sunday, said MeteoSwiss, the national weather office.

Meanwhile, the heavy precipitation forced the closure of several mountain passes.

The Gotthard Pass closed on Saturday because of avalanche risks, Viasuisse said in a press release.

The San Bernadino pass in the canton of Graubünden closed due to snow, along with the Jaun pass in Fribourg.

Another landslide in the Oberalp pass in Uri closed the road, ATS said.

The rain was caused by a depression coming from Poland which hit eastern Switzerland early Friday.

Western Switzerland was largely spared the heavy rain, although the northern Jura region and the Fribourg pre-Alps were exceptions.

MeteoSwiss said the worst affected areas of the country received between 50 and 100 millimetres of rain from Friday morning until Saturday afternoon.

Snow fell in mountain regions above 1,600 metres, the national weather office said.

The persistent rain followed a wetter than usual May with less sunshine than average in many part of Switzerland.

The full extent of the damage caused by the flooding is not expected to be known for several days as cantons assess the situation.

Meanwhile, the forecast calls for warmer weather through this week, although thunderstorms are expected in many regions on Wednesday and Thursday.

Snow in June: Russia’s Siberian town in absolute anomaly (PHOTOS, VIDEO)

A layer of snow on the second day of summer has put the citizens of the Russian city of Kemerovo completely out of humor.

Bloggers were at a loss when commenting the issue.

“Snow in Kemerovo TODAY? That’s hardcore. The weather must’ve forgot it’s June.”

“With a sense of terror has just learnt it’s been snowing in Kemerovo. What’s next?”

“Tornado in the US. Floods in Czech Republic. SNOW in Kemerovo!”

The city in South Siberia is situated on 55°22'17.58" north latitude but even for that region -2 Celsius on June 2 morning is over the top. The region has seasonal inland climate, which means really cold winters and very hot summers.

This spring has been sort of cold in the Kemerovo Region, which witnessed snow in early May and an emergency extension of the heating season. No wonder that people have been waiting for warm summer days just like for manna from heaven, but instead got snowflakes.

But the locals are full of determination to recalculate sowing season schedule and plant kitchen gardens as usual and against all odds, probably because over 70 percent of Russia’s territory is the area of risk farming and people are used to encounter hardships of the kind. 

Source

Flooding in the Alps

Heavy rain has caused widespread flooding in Austria and Switzerland. It has combined with melting snow to produce extreme conditions. People have been evacuated from their homes and there are reports of several deaths.

One of the worst affected areas is in Austria where a worker helping with the clear up operation was swept away near city of Salzburg. Two other people are missing.

A third person has been reported missing in the province of Vorarlberg.

Roads have been closed and we have heard from a PlanetSKI reader that the Austrian ski resort of Salbaach has been cut off as the road is deemed impassable.

Many roads in the Alps have been shut, including the one between Hopfgarten and Westendorf, due to mud slides.

Ski resorts are also now being pounded by heavy rain.

MeteoSwiss says the flood levels in St Gallen only happen once in 100 years.

Reports say four people are missing, feared dead, in Switzerland and Germany.

The army in Germany is on stand-by.

Rivers are at dangerously high levels as heavy rain continues to fall.

For a montage of pictures of the flooding and the efforts people are making to save their homes and possessions then see here.

Although there is danger in the Alps the most threatened areas are lower down as some of Europe's largest rivers are fed from the smaller ones coming down from the Alps.

For the latest information as rivers burst their banks and people are evacuated see this story on the BBC.

Prague, the Czech Republic is on high alert.

Flood barriers have been deployed and volunteers are filling sandbags in the city, the river Vltava reached its peak level in Prague during Monday morning.

The Prime Minister, Petr Necas, has called a special cabinet meeting to co-ordinate the emergency plan.

There are many flood alerts on the Danube and parts of Central Europe are bracing themselves.

Homes have been evacuated across southern Germany, the Czech Republic, Austria and Switzerland.

There have also been flood alerts in SW France and the Pyrenees.

We will bring you further news on the flooding, in the Alps and elsewhere, later on PlanetSKI.

Forecasters say the rain should ease off on Monday.

Once again at altitude this means more snow is falling and adding to the huge amounts still remaining.

Source

Flood waters from Czech dams bear down on Prague [BBC News; 3 June 2013]

Footage shows animals at Prague zoo being moved to higher ground, and submerged emergency vehicles, cars and homes in other parts of Europe

The authorities in the Czech Republic have been forced to open dams in the south of the country, releasing huge volumes of water towards Prague.

The River Vltava, which flows through the capital, is rising and levels are expected to peak on Tuesday morning.

Severe floods caused by days of heavy rain have left at least seven people dead in the Czech Republic, and two others in neighbouring Austria.

Germany has drafted in the army to help reinforce flood defences in the south.

In the Bavarian town of Passau, floodwaters have now reached a level not seen since the 16th Century, making much of the town inaccessible.

Charles Bridge closed

In the Czech Republic, a nationwide state of emergency is in force. Around 3,000 people have been forced to leave their homes across the west of the country.

On Monday morning, the River Vltava was flowing at 2,800 cubic metres per second - 10 times its normal volume - through Prague's historic centre.

As a precaution the city's metro system and central sewage treatment plant were closed, metal flood defences were erected and sandbags built up along the banks of the Vltava.

The Charles Bridge - normally packed with tourists - has been closed and tigers at the city's zoo were even tranquilised and moved out of an enclosure thought to be at risk.

By Monday evening, the people of Prague had thought the worst was behind them, reports the BBC's Rob Cameron in the capital.

But then Prime Minister Petr Necas announced unexpectedly that a system of nine dams called the Vltava Cascade was dangerously full, and the pressure would have to be relieved.

At 20:00 local time (18:00 GMT) the floodgates on several dams were opened.

Our correspondent says the Vltava in Prague is now rising again, the situation exacerbated by several swollen tributaries.

Firemen and soldiers are raising the city's flood defences again to cope with the extra volumes of water on the Vltava, which has already burst its banks in several places.

North of Prague, further downstream, the River Elbe is rising to levels approaching those seen in 2002, the last time Europe experienced similar floods.

Seventeen people were killed in the Czech Republic then and the cost of the damage across the continent was estimated at 20bn euros (£17bn).

Disaster zone

Main roads in many areas of central Europe have been closed and rail services cut. Thousands of homes are without power.

In Austria, the meteorological service said two months of rain had fallen in just two days.

Floods across Central Europe

Austria Two people have died and several are missing in the west of the country

Germany Evacuations have taken place in Saxony while Bavaria is forecast more heavy rain

Czech Republic Seven people have died and Prague is on high alert. Troops have been called in to erect flood defences

A man was found dead near Salzburg after being swept away as he worked to clear a landslip, and another man who had been listed as missing was found dead in the western state of Vorarlberg. Three people remain missing.

More than 300 people were moved from their homes in Salzburg and the neighbouring Tyrol as the army worked with the civil authorities to clear landslides and make roads passable. Parts of the Pinzgau region, which includes Taxenbach, have been declared a disaster zone.

'Extremely dramatic'

In Germany, the army said it had sent 1,760 soldiers to southern and eastern areas to help local authorities reinforce flood defences.

The Bavarian towns of Passau and Rosenheim declared states of emergency, as forecasters warned of continuing heavy rain and a high risk of flooding from several rivers, including the Danube.

Water levels in Passau, which the Danube is joined by the Inn and Ilz rivers, were at their highest since 1501 and might rise further, the DPA news agency said.

Much of the city is inaccessible on foot and the electricity supply has been cut as a precaution. Inmates at a prison in danger of being flooded have also been moved.

"The situation is extremely dramatic," Herbert Zillinger, a spokesman for Passau's crisis centre, told the Associated Press.

Towns and cities in Saxony, Thuringia and Baden-Wuerttemberg have also been inundated by flooding, and the army has been deployed to help with the emergency effort.

In northern Saxony, water levels on the River Mulde were said to be particularly high.

A large area of Eilenburg north-east of Leipzig was evacuated, reports said, with 7,000 people being taken to emergency shelters.

Shipping was halted on parts of the Danube and Rhine rivers in Germany, and the entire length of the Danube in Austria. The rivers are used heavily to transport commodities such as grain and coal.

An emergency taskforce has been set up by the federal government, and Chancellor Angela Merkel plans to visit affected areas on Tuesday.

The European Union has said it stands ready to help the three countries as they tackle the devastating floods.

Slovakia's Prime Minister Robert Fico also warned that there was a risk of flooding as water moved down the Danube, which flows through Bratislava.

"We are getting bad news from Germany and Austria. We have to do all we can to protect... the capital," he said.

The head of Hungary's National Disaster Authority, Gyorgy Bakondi, said 400 people were working on flood defences in the capital, Budapest, where he said the level of the Danube might reach or even exceed the height seen in 2002.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/saskatchewan/story/2013/06/03/sk-torn...

Unusually early Tornado activity in Maple Creek, South Saskatchewan, Canada.

Drought and deluge evident on the Mississippi.

"Just five months ago, the Mississippi River was suffering from a severe drought. The river's bottom was actually bone dry in Memphis.  Since then, the river has shot up 45 feet."

Missourians Grapple with Mississippi River Flooding

I just took a measure here in Wisconsin at 6:55 am DST. By my measure the Sun was at Azimuth 53 in the NE and Altitude 40, Per Skymap it should have been Azimuth 73 and Altitude 17.

This is fully 20 degrees too far to the NORTH and fully 20+ degrees too high in the dome! I have had these readings pretty consistently, during sunny days, which are few and far between in our lingering cold spring here.

Massive dust storms hit southeast Colorado, evoking "Dirty Thirties"

Dirt is almost all that people can talk about these days in communities along U.S. 50 and 287.

Photos of fierce dust storms rolling across the state's Eastern Plains are showing up on Facebook and local TV news, harking to the Dust Bowl years that devastated southeastern Colorado in the 1930s.Farmers and ranchers are tolling their losses. People are praying for rain.

It's the inevitable result of three seasons of extreme drought in the area — D4 this year, the worst on the U.S. Drought Monitor scale, and no relief in sight, said state climatologist Nolan Doesken.

"The first year, it was very dry, but there was still reasonable vegetative cover," he said. "That started deteriorating last year, with more and more bare ground."

For miles on either side of U.S. 287 between Kit Carson and Lamar, the earth is brown and bare during a season that should be bursting with green native grasses and wheat. Even weeds aren't growing. Failed crops mean vast swaths of land with no roots to anchor parched topsoil.

Read more:Massive dust storms hit southeast Colorado, evoking "Dirty Thirties...http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_23420681/massive-dust-storms-hit-...

This video shows the wobble

Source: http://youtu.be/U8r6v8D_qUg

The cover-up has resorted to marginalizing its own mythology of severe weather causality. 

The term "Derecho" emerged in the wake of last year's swath destruction across the northeastern half of the U.S. on June 29th that defied precident.

====================================================================================

(Courtesy of Astrogal50)

D.C. Derecho:  Midwest to
East Coast Destructive Storms

Before Friday, June 29th, you may have never heard of the term "Derecho".  I'm sure by now, you're well aware of what it means.... and it's probably something you wish you never knew about or had to experience.

A large cluster of thunderstorms developed Friday afternoon on June 29th in Eastern Iowa and continued to intensify, as it marched East into Northern Illinois and Indiana.  A derecho is defined as a long lived wind storm that can travel for hundreds of miles with damage generally following a straight path.  This is where the term "straight line winds" come from.  The powerful thunderstorms travel very fast and as they accelerate, the storms sometimes tend to "bow".  That can result in wind gusts between 60 and 100 mph.  Take a look at a graphic, from the, showing the over 600 mile radius the derecho traveled. 

Looking back at weather records, D.C. hasn't experienced a significant Derecho event before the Friday occurrence.... 

The 2012 D.C. Derecho will definitely make the record books.  It was unlike something many of us have seen, but will remain infamous in our memories.

====================================================================================

A similarly powerful storm plowed across the same region on June 12, 2013, producing 3 tornadoes in the mid-Atlantic region alone, but since not as destructive as last year's Derecho, the storm's intensity was considered "low end".

http://www.theatlanticwire.com/national/2013/06/derecho-dc-storm-ph...

http://www.latimes.com/news/nation/nationnow/la-na-nn-rains-winds-d...

http://baltimore.cbslocal.com/2013/06/13/violent-afternoon-storm-de...

2012 Derecho

2013 Derecho

6:17 am in Wisconsin, Sun WAY too far North. Skymap says it should be at Azimuth 68, but it is at Azimuth 43, a full 20 degrees too far North!

Britain's weather has now got so bad even the Met Office is worried: Forecasters to hold meeting over floods, droughts and even snow in May
Met Office has called extreme weather meeting for next week
Experts to discuss if it is result of climate change or just typically British
Meeting sparked after UK suffered its coldest spring for 50 years
'We have seen a run of unusual seasons in the UK,' Met Office says

After summer floods and droughts, freezing winters and even widespread snow in May this year, something is clearly wrong with Britain's weather.

Concerns about the extreme conditions the UK consistently suffers have increased to such an extent that the Met Office has called a meeting next week to talk about it.

Leading meteorologists and scientists will discuss one key issue: is Britain's often terrible weather down to climate change, or just typical?

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2341484/Floods-droughts-sno...

SPOILER ALERT: THEY'LL BE DISCUSSING THE WOBBLE!

A very dramatic notice posted by someone in Sweden. The Sun rising way too early! The wobble has gotten quite extreme!

....................

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10151499075874366&set=a...

WHY IS THE SUN RISING IN THE SKY OVER STOCKHOLME RIGHT NOW!! its been rising since about 1.20am its only 1.50am in the morning in sweden,its not suppose to Rise untill 3.30 in the morning,Watch now as it rise here, its a live click the link to see and look at time/clock at the topr right of the webcam. Pole shift/earth wobble?? cam..http://www.webbkameror.se/webbkameror/sandhamn/sandhamn_3_640.php

Heavy snow blankets the Siberian town of Nadym a day after the temperatures reached +30 Celsius, forcing residents to swap shorts for fur coats.

At euronews we believe in the intelligence of our viewers and we think that the mission of a news channel is to deliver facts without any opinion or bias, so that the viewers can form their own opinion on world events.

Copyright © 2013 euronews

* http://news.sky.com/story/1103914/siberia-scorching-sun-to-snow-sto...

Just one day after basking in temperatures of 30C, residents of a Siberian town were shocked to suddenly find themselves in the middle of a snow storm.

Nadym had been enjoying days of tropical weather before people were quickly forced to change their t-shirts and shorts for coats and scarves.

Sub-zero conditions are normal for the region through the long winter but are rare for June, when the sun gives people a brief but hot summer.

Amateur footage filmed in the town showed snow pouring down and covering streets, cars and parks - with people wrapped up and battling with the bitter cold.

Temperatures can drop as low as -50C in a Siberian winter, with the town of Oymyakon often recording the lowest numbers.

Weather Report from Nadym (Надым)

Nadym (Надым) weather report provides observations from the weather station, updated hourly. The table features wind speed, dewpoint, visibility and atmospheric pressure measurements as well as a detailed temperature graph. A log of weather variations over the past 18 days is also shown covering separate daytime and nighttime observations. The weather station is near Labytnangi, Russia.

Floods live. 250 evacuees in Haute-Garonne (france), the Lourdes Grotto submerged

The point at 12:30. 250 people were evacuated in Karnataka on Tuesday in the towns of St. Beatus, Bagneres-de-Luchon, rooms Pratviel and Fos. In the latter town, a bridge was washed away, animals have drowned in torrential floods.
Several lines were cut: the RN125 Labroquère to the Spanish border, the RD46, the RD618A and RD27C in Bagneres-de-Luchon. On the A64, the ramp to the RD645 is closed to store trucks. Passes of Ares Menté, Bales, Peyresourde and gate are subject to filtering to restrict traffic to only emergency and residents.
Many schools are closed: the high school and college Luchon, the College of St. Beatus schools Cierp-Gaud, Beatus, Fos and Saint-Mamet.
An emergency device was triggered by the prefecture of Haute-Garonne, which calls for greater vigilance.

In the Hautes-Pyrenees, the Massabielle Grotto in Lourdes was closed, submerged by the waters of the Gave. Hotels in Paradise Avenue closed their terrace. A camp was evacuated in Loures Barousse. A Arreau Neste topped 2.92 meters, flood level reference 1997.

Following strong storm precipitation that falls on the area since Monday, Lourdes was placed Tuesday in flood warning. Camping Luchon, he was evacuated. Several roads were cut.

Authorities fear joint flood Pike and One. Road Superbagnères is cut by a major mudslide.

Translated with google

Source in French

Meteorologists continue the cover-up despite the pending announcement: is it arrogance or is the announcement not an open secret in the UK as it is in the US?

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/stand-by-for-another...

After leading meteorologists and scientists met in Exeter to 'discuss the recent extreme weather' (code for discussing the effects of the wobble), they have decided to continue mis-leading the public as to the true cause of climate change by naming the culprit as 'Atlantic multi-decadal oscillations', a natural cycle which has supposedly occurred in the 1950s and 1880s previously.

They then go on to pick a few possible reasons for this out of a hat and such as melting Arctic ice or a disturbed jet stream, before predicting a further 5-10 years of wet summers.

Now, are they truly unaware of the upcoming announcement which will surely leave them with egg on their faces when the public quickly connects the presence of Planet X with today's weather anomalies, or are they maintaining the UK's active participation in the cover-up over the years and is it a co-incidence that their 5-10 year prediction of rain seems to mirror the Zeta information that there will be continuous drizzle after the poleshift, starting to lift only after 5 years?

Baked Alaska: Crazy weather swings from ice to fire

In Alaska, houses are built to keep warm air in and cold air out, not the other way around. So with a record-setting heat wave scorching the state, residents are sweltering amid temperatures soaring past 90 degrees Fahrenheit. 

Southcentral Alaska hit four all-time highs yesterday (June 17), ranging between 88 F in Seward to 94 F in Talkeetna, according to the National Weather Service's Alaska forecast office. In the southeastern portion of the state, Skagway, a popular cruise ship port-of-call, reached 83 F, almost as warm as St. Thomas in the Virgin Islands. Just about every part of the state was warmer than average yesterday, the NWS said. 

The blazing hot temperatures are just the latest records to fall this year in Alaska. Residents also endured history-making cold temperatures throughout spring and flooding and evacuations caused by the never-ending winter. A mass of Arctic air stuck over the state for weeks this spring was responsible for the chilly weather. It finally fell prey to the warming effects of 18 hours of sunlight at the end of May. 

"Eventually, the sun is going to win out, and once it did, boy, did things change in a hurry," said Michael Lawson, a meteorologist with the NWS Alaska forecast office in Anchorage. 

Marine layer loses 
While Interior Alaska and towns near the Alaska Range regularly see high temperatures in the summer, extreme heat rarely flares up in Alaska's coastal communities, which are cooled by marine breezes. But a high-pressure ridge parked over Southcentral Alaska is pushing refreshing afternoon sea breezes offshore. 

"It's really much rarer for places in Southcentral Alaska to get as hot as they've been getting," Lawson told LiveScience. "This ridge has been so strong the sea breeze hasn't been getting a chance to cool us down." 

The heat wave will continue for the rest of the week, the NWS forecasts. The unusually strong, high-pressure system is intensifying over mainland Alaska, continuing the heat wave. Interior and Southwest Alaska will reach upwards of 90 F, and Southeast and Southcentral Alaska will see highs in the upper 70s and 80s F. 

A year without a spring 
Yet just a month ago, Alaska was in the grips of a never-ending winter, with late-season snowstorms and record-low temperatures in mid-May. The wild weather swing has wreaked havoc on the annual ice melt along rivers, causing ice jams and flooding. The town of Galena was evacuated late last month due to flooding from an ice dam on the mighty Yukon River. The Nenana Ice Classic, a betting contest on the Nenana River's ice breakup, set a record for the latest-ever crack and cave in of the ice. 

"It was an incredibly rapid transition," Lawson told LiveScience. "Literally, our spring was about five days before we jumped into summer-type weather." 

A persistent low-pressure trough that remained stuck over the state brought wave after wave of cold Arctic air into Alaska, Lawson said, keeping temperatures lower than normal for most of the winter. 

This week's warm weather could bring more flooding from melting snow and ice at higher elevations, the NWS has warned. A red flag fire warning, which signals dangerously dry air and possible strong winds, was also issued over the weekend for much of the state because of drier conditions caused by the hot air mass. A forest fire broke out east of Fairbanks on Monday evening (June 17), prompting temporary road closures. A 30,000-acre fire is also burning in Southwest Alaska.

Source

http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/06/18/19026098-baked-alaska-cr...

NBC News just did a 30 second video report on how 63% of polled Americans said that their GPS has led them astray of late.  They of course did not even try to explain why that is (wobble) when it is supposed to be so accurate being created and still used by the military.  They just said older generations of people still carry maps and an atlas.  Good advice for all I'd say!

http://www.nbcnews.com/video/nightly-news/52246284/

@Wayne,

unfortunately for the elite hunkering down at Atchison, Kansas, this will all be well under water, and likely well before the Pole Shift. Atchison, Kansas is right on the Missouri River, in the part of Kansas destined to be part of the new inland bay in the US.

http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2013/06/20/canmore-flooding-alberta-he...

The town of Canmore is under a local state of emergency as heavy rainfall continues to drench the tiny mountain community.

The rain, which has been falling steadily since Thursday evening, has forced road closures on major highways near Canmore, Banff and Kananaskis.

People living near Cougar Creek have been evacuated, as the swelling river erodes the riverbank and inches closer to homes.

The town says on its website that power is also out across the community

People are being asked to stay away from the river banks of Cougar Creek, as the rising water may have made them unstable.

Several videos and photos from Canmore show homes on the banks of Cougar Creek threatened by the powerful surge.

Parks Canada has closed the Trans-Canada Highway at the Norquay interchange, after heavy rain caused a mudslide around 1:00 a.m. Thursday morning. The slide, which occurred two kilometres west of the interchange, affects westbound traffic only.

According to park officials, no one was hurt by the debris.

The following additional road closures are in effect:

• Highway 1 eastbound at Norquay overpass
• Highway 1 and 1A in both directions west of Exshaw
• Highway 1 at Canmore eastbound and westbound due to flood waters from Cougar Creek
• Highway 1 from Highway 1X (exit 114) to Canmore
• Bow Valley Trail
• Icefields Parkway (Hwy 93 North) is now closed from Lake Louise to the Jasper border
• Hwy 40 to Canoe Meadows in Kananaskis is closed due to mud slide

The City of Calgary has issued a state of emergency, as water levels on the Bow and Elbow Rivers climb dangerously high. The city has begun to deploy sandbags and temporary dams.

Calgarians are reminded to stay away from underpasses, which can flood quickly, as well as keeping a safe distance from river banks.

The city projects flood water will exceed levels of the massive flooding in 2005 in Calgary.

An emergency has been declared in Turner Valley due to a sour gas leak.

High River, south of Calgary, has also declared a state of emergency, as the Highwood River rises quickly and begins to overflow.

Residents in the Wallaceville area are being encouraged to evacuate and campers in George Lane Park are being told to leave as well.

A critical alert for flooding has also been issued in Black Diamond by the Government of Alberta, and mandatory evacuations are in effect.

Search and rescue staff are looking for two missing adults south of Black Diamond at Highway 22 and Highway 541, after a trailer collapsed.

The STARS air ambulance responded at 10:30 a.m. and is now on scene.

The City of Lethbridge has also declared a state of emergency, to ensure all resources will be available for the Lethbridge River Valley and area.

Environment Canada has issued a heavy rainfall warning for much of southwestern Alberta, including Canmore, Banff, Calgary, Airdrie, Crowsnest Pass, Nordegg, Okotoks and Rocky Mountain House.

The weather agency says the downpours have already produced over 70 millimetres of rain and another 100 millimetres could fall by Friday.

Flooding may force 100,000 from west Canada homes

SOURCE-Picture

Sun bathers, reptiles emerge in Alaska heat as wildfires spread

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (Reuters) - With a heat wave gripping Alaska, strange things have been happening under the midnight sun.

Anchorage residents, who a month ago shivered through an unseasonably cold spring and a surprise May snowstorm, have donned swimsuits and depleted stores of fans to ward off record heat in the state's largest city.

Temperatures have run as much as 20 degrees Fahrenheit above normal, with daytime highs in Anchorage climbing into the 80s in recent days, and the sudden onset of atypical warmth has been blamed for unleashing wildfires and flooding alike.

Moose have been spotted near lawn sprinklers around Anchorage and at least one invaded someone's kiddie pool. Pet reptiles, normally confined to heated indoor spaces because of Alaska's cold outdoors, are making rare public appearances.

Park managers at Goose Lake, one of Anchorage's few outdoor swimming spots, had to eject a pet iguana named "Godzilla," along with some pet snakes and a turtle that patrons brought to the crowded sandy shoreline, said Doreen Hernandez, the city aquatic superintendent who has been working at the site.

Pets are not allowed at Goose Lake for health reasons, although she conceded that the rule is usually applied to dogs.

"We don't have a sign that says `No Snakes,'" she said.

Heat records have been broken around the state, with an all-time record high of 96 degrees reached on Tuesday in Talkeetna, the tiny town famous as the jumping-off site for Mount McKinley expeditions. The previous record high there was 91 degrees.

SIZZLING SOLSTICE

The heat spell has come at the peak of Alaska's summer, just before the solstice, a time of nearly round-the-clock daylight as the sun barely grazes the horizon overnight.

In Valdez, operators of the Trans-Alaska Pipeline marine terminal halted oil-tanker loading for 4 1/2 hours late Monday night and early Tuesday morning as a precaution after temperatures at the terminal hit 92 degrees.

"Our systems aren't used to operating in that heat," said Katie Pesznecker, a spokeswoman for operator Alyeska Pipeline Service Co.

Meteorologists blame the anomaly on rapid shift in atmospheric wind patterns. The system that brought cold air from the north during the spring changed suddenly, sending in hot air from the south and southeast.

The rapid heat-up caused considerable flooding of mountain streams, said Tom Pepe, an Anchorage-based meteorologist for the National Weather Service.

"You get big pieces of ice that jam up small parts of rivers,"

Flooding along the Yukon River late last month caused severe damage in several Native Alaskan villages, most notably the Athabascan community of Galena, where nearly all residents were evacuated by aircraft.

Property damage along the river was estimated at $10 million, said Tony Luiken, a state emergency management spokesman. The governor has declared a disaster.

The heat wave also has stoked numerous wildfires, many ignited by dry-lightning strikes fueled by ample dry brush.

A lightning-sparked wildfire straddling the Tetlin National Wildlife Refuge and Wrangell-St. Elias National Park tripled in size in one day, and was last measured at more than 25,000 acres, the National Park Service said on Wednesday.

Rainstorm wreaks havoc in western Switzerland

A violent storm packing winds of up to 130 kilometres an hour, hail and heavy rain swept through western Switzerland on Thursday uprooting trees, disrupting transport and sparking flash flooding.

Traffic at Geneva’s airport was disrupted and numerous streets were turned into rivers from the heavy rain, the ATS news agency reported.

Skyguide said air traffic at Geneva airport was suspended for 20 minutes while the storm passed through.

Traffic was also delayed on Swiss Federal Railways trains between Geneva and Lausanne.

In 15 minutes, as much as 20 millimetres of rain fell in the Geneva region, the weather service of the Swiss broadcaster SRF reported.

The storm, coming a day before the official start of summer,  marked a dramatic change in weather following a four-day heatwave that saw temperatures well above 30 degrees.

Local news media website ArcInfo.ch reported heavy damage in various parts of Neuchâtel from hailstones measuring up to five centimetres in diameter.

Vehicle and building windows were smashed and vineyards were damaged, the website reported.

Trains came to a standstill between Neuchâtel and Chaux-de-Fonds and Neuchâtel and Val-de-Travers following a mudslide.

At least a dozen other municipalities sustained damage from the storm as it tracked toward the French border.

In Biel, in the canton of Bern, dozens of people were injured as strong winds devastated a campsite for the Swiss federal  gymnastics festival for the second time in a week, cantonal police said.

Police, firefighters, ambulance attendants and Swiss army members responded to deal with the situation, according to media reports.

The exact number of injured people could not be immediately confirmed.

Tents were thrown in the air and many people were trapped beneath debris, the SDA news service reported.

Last Thursday, strong winds forced cancellation of the opening ceremonies of the festival, involving 60,000 athletes from across the country. 

Malcolm Curtis (news@thelocal.ch)

http://www.thelocal.ch/20130620/rainstorm-wreaks-havoc-in-western-s...

http://thewatchers.adorraeli.com/2013/06/21/polar-blast-hit-new-zea...

Severe weather and polar blast hit New Zealand

Posted by Chillymanjaro on June 21, 2013

New Zealand was hit by the large low pressure system bringing destructive storms that have swept over the country in the last 24 hours, damaging houses, roads and seawalls, as well as closing dozens of schools and leaving thousands without power. Luckily, fierce storm is now showing signs of ease. 

Polar blast dumped record early season snow in New Zealand. Heavy snow has fallen in parts of the South Island, cutting off some communities. Areas like North Canterbury and inland parts of northern Southland and Otago have already had some big snow totals.

The deep Antarctic air swept across the country backed by the band of torrential showers - many with hail, thunderstorms and damaging winds. Hail was unusually heavy for Auckland area. A thunderstorm that moved through from the Tasman Sea also caused multiple power outages around the county.

Damaging gales are persisting across areas around Cook Strait, including parts of Wellington. Swells of up to 10 meters have been reported in Cook Strait. Number of houses were losing roofs, windows were breaking and other structural damage was reported. Wellington recorded near record winds of 200 km/h, uprooting trees, downing power lines and ripping off roofs. Severe weather conditions disrupted and canceled flights across the country, with more delays expected as gale force winds are predicted to wallop the lower North Island.

A tornado has been seen in the Waikato community of Paterangi, south of Hamilton on June 20, 2013. Huge size of the wintry blast moving in can still produce tornadoes and squalls in western New Zealand.

Bands of clouds over east coasts of the both NZ islands captured by MODIS satellite on June 21, 2013 (Credit: LANCE/MODIS/Worldview)

Authorities warned people to remain indoors due to the aggressive nature of the storms coming in from the Tasman Sea, as part of the polar blast hitting New Zealand. Storm-force southerly winds brought down trees and slips in many Wellington suburbs. Driving conditions around the region are treacherous and motorists are urged to stay off the roads unless absolutely necessary.

According to WeatherWatch, the eastern side of both islands will still be in the firing line of a very cold southerly flow that will bring more wintry showers and snow on the hills. After the next 48 hours, an unfavorable weather conditions are expected to move away from the country.

* 160,000 people affected by floods in Xinjiang, China [ReliefWeb; 21 June 2013: View Original; News.Xinhuanet; 2013-06-21]

URUMQI, June 21 (Xinhua) -- Hailstorms and torrential rain-triggered floods have left about 160,000 people affected in the southern part of northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, local authorities said on Friday.

As of Thursday afternoon, the floods have affected more than 101,000 people in Aksu Prefecture and led to nearly 3,000 of them being relocated. About 12,000 hectares of croplands have been damaged, 1,638 houses toppled and 6,197 houses damaged by the floods, according to the regional civil affairs department.

Hailstorms have stricken 19 towns in Kashi Prefecture, leaving 60,000 people affected in the area, said the prefecture's flood control and drought relief headquarters.

The hail has also injured 84 people and killed 89 heads of livestock and 11,200 domestic birds in the prefecture.

Relief supplies such as quilts, tents as well as food have been sent to the areas. Relocation of the affected people is under way.

Floods in China leave thousands stranded [WSB Radio; 21 June 2013]

Floods in China's northwest Gansu province have left at least 10,000 people stranded and damaged infrastructure. The floods were the result of heavy rainfall Wednesday night. By Thursday morning 11 villages were suffering power outages and thousands of residents were left stranded by torrential floodwaters. Meanwhile, neighbouring Xinjiang province was hit by a rare mid-June snowstorm.

* Ecuador: Drought DREF operation nº MDREC007 [ReliefWeb; 12 June 2013]

Summary: Ecuador’s southern region has gone for four months without rain. The province of Loja is the most affected province due to this drought. Given this situation, on 8 May 2013, during a meeting with the provincial Emergency Operations Centre (EOC), a contingency plan was presented for an immediate response to provide water for human consumption and use in the agricultural and livestock activities in the affected cantons of Zapotillo, Celica, Chaguarpamba, Olmedo, Paltas, Calvas, Sozoranga, Espíndola, Catamayo, Macará and Puyango.

Considering that the provincial economy is completely based on agricultural and livestock, the rainfall that is 72 per cent below normal has caused losses in the corn, peanut, and bean crops and there is a high scarcity of food and foliage for cattle. According to the forecast report from the National Institute of Meteorology and Hydrology (INAMHI), rain is not expected in upcoming days; clouds with misty rain in the evening and fog are expected.

As part of its response plan, the Ecuadorian Red Cross (ERC) has conducted, in coordination with the National Secretariat of Risk Management and the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Aquaculture and Fishing (MAGAP), a Damage Assessment and Needs Analysis (DANA) in the most vulnerable communities located in the cantons of Zapotillo, Paltas, Célica and Macará. A total of 1,025 directly affected households have been identified

* Ecuador: Drought (as of 11 Jun 2013) [ReliefWeb; 11 June 2013]

* Springtime melt in Greenland: Late start, rapid spread [NSIDC: National Snow & Ice Data Center; June 21, 2013]

Surface melting of the snow and ice of the Greenland Ice Sheet had a slightly late start, but quickly spread over a significant area, extending over more than 20% of the ice sheet in early June and reaching above 2,000 meters (6,500 feet) elevation in some areas. Small melt lakes have begun to form on the ice sheet, as seen by the new USGS/NASA Landsat-8 satellite.

Overview of conditions

After the annual re-calibration of the melt algorithm in mid March (see March 18 post), very little melt was detected until May. A few southern coastal areas began melting in mid-May, followed by inland higher-elevation ice and all remaining coastal areas about June 3, when warmer conditions arrived. Surface melting reached the “Saddle” region of the ice sheet (located where the pale bluish band extends from the east to the west coastal zones in Figure 1) on June 11 and 13. Only the central eastern coast remains relatively melt free.

Conditions in context

At this point, the pace of melt is well above average, but well behind the early, intense start seen in the record 2012 season (see February 5 post).

After a spike in melt area in early June, cooler conditions have brought the melt area near the average extent of ~20% of the ice sheet.

Rising temperatures

Cool conditions in April and May shifted to warmer-than-average weather along both coasts in early June, which initiated more widespread melt on the ice sheet. This shift roughly coincided with a larger change in the Arctic Oscillation from near-neutral conditions to slightly positive, and a shift from generally easterly and northerly winds to southwesterlies. The sea ice on both sides of Greenland remained at near-normal extent through the period.

A report from the field

With summer beginning, many Greenland researchers are now in the field, and reporting back on observed surface melting conditions. Thomas Mote from University of Georgia, who is in the Kangerlussuaq area with Asa Rennermalm of Rutgers University, reports indications that there was a fairly warm late winter, a cool spring, and heavy snow in May. This area has experienced strong melting, but much of it is the melting of the late spring snowfall. There is word of a 1-kilometer (0.6 mile) long meltwater lake about 7 kilometers (4 miles) inland on the ice east of Kanger. They did observe some fairly large meltwater streams and moulins.

http://saskatoon.ctvnews.ca/atchison-stay-away-from-the-river-1.133...

Atchison: Stay away from the river

ater levels on the South Saskatchewan River have officially peaked, according to the City of Saskatoon. The river is currently higher than it’s been in 100 years.

On Saturday, the Saskatchewan Water Security Agency began releasing water from Gardiner Dam at a rate of 2,000 cubic metres per second to deal with inflows into Lake Diefenbaker that are 12 times the normal rate of 500 cubic metres per second.

By mid-afternoon Sunday the river through Saskatoon had risen about 30 centimetres above the level seen during 2005.

Granted this article does not reveal the "True" Cause, but another good example of extreme weather in Alaska.  The words wobble and "drunken driver" describing the jet stream are prominently displayed.  

WASHINGTON (AP) - The jet stream, the river of air high above Earth that generally dictates the weather, usually rushes rapidly from west to east in a mostly straight direction. 

But lately it seems to be wobbling and weaving like a drunken driver, wreaking havoc as it goes. The more the jet stream undulates north and south, the more changeable and extreme the weather.  

The most recent example occurred in mid-June when some towns in Alaska hit record highs. McGrath, Alaska, recorded an all-time high of 94 degrees on June 17. A few weeks earlier, the same spot was 15 degrees, the coldest recorded for so late in the year.

http://www.komonews.com/news/national/96-in-Alaska-Weather-extremes...

In the east of the Netherlands it was around 0 near the ground during the night, only occurred once before at the end of June in 2000 since they started to measure in 1901.

http://tinyurl.com/pj23zzb

http://twitpic.com/cz7tuh

Abnormal Percentages of Rainfall along East in June

http://www.accuweather.com/en/weather-news/east-us-poised-for-flood...

NASA launches IRIS sun-watching probe - June 28

Replay Video Share

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NASA says the satellite's mission will be to examine a little-studied region of the sun in the hopes of improving space weather prediction.

"What is NASA trying to learn with this new satellite, which will be positioned exactly over the Equator at the same time each day? This is exactly what a scientist would need in order to ascertain a change in the Earth wobble!  The satellite hugs the Earth, hugs the Equator in fact, so the angle of view toward the Sun should change only for the slow passing of the seasons.  But during the daily Earth wobble, the angle of view toward the Sun changes as the N Pole is first pushed away from Planet X, then later compensates by bouncing back. The daily Figure 8 pattern also has the Earth first leaning to the right, then the left, a pattern that is overlaid over the polar push pattern.

"Since the wobble is palpable, measurable from the surface of the Earth by those measuring the Azimuth and timing of their sunrise and sunset, why does NASA need a satellite to give them details about the Earth wobble? More than the severity of the wobble can be ascertained, though the satellite will give this in exacting detail, showing and documenting trends. The magnetic blast coming toward Earth from the N Pole of Planet X will be measured, giving an early alert on the trend of steady increase expected to eventually devastate mankind’s electronics and satellites.  After the announcement, NASA may admit the true use of this satellite, but we doubt it."

ZetaTalk Chat Q&A for June 8, 2013

Historic, dangerous heat wave scorches western USA

All-time record temperatures are possible in Las Vegas, Reno and Flagstaff.

(Photo: Matt York, AP)

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

• The heat wave is forecast to last at least through Monday
• Death Valley could reach 129 degrees, just a few degrees below the world heat record
• Dry thunderstorms will only intensify the wildfire threat

A blistering, potentially historic and record-breaking heat wave is beginning today in the West, and is forecast to last at least through the weekend.

Excessive heat warnings and watches have been issued today by the National Weather Service for most of Arizona, Nevada, California and parts of Utah. They are in effect through Monday.

"An excessive heat warning is issued when temperatures are forecast to reach dangerous levels that will stress the body if precautions are not taken," the weather service warns.

"Heat stroke symptoms include an increase in body temperature, which leads to deliriousness, unconsciousness and red, dry skin," according to a weather service online report. "Death can occur when body temperatures reach or exceed 106-107 degrees."

Infants and children, the elderly, as well as those with chronic medical conditions such as chronic kidney disease, asthma, hypertension and diabetes are at increased risk for heat-related illness, according to Robert Glatter, emergency room physician at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York. He says to prevent the adverse effects of heat-related illness, stay in a cool air-conditioned environment with access to plenty of cool fluids, mainly water.

The cause of the heat wave is a "massive and unusually strong high-pressure system" over the region, the weather service reports.

Extreme heat is supposed to hit the West on Friday and it could cause major travel woes for much of the country, whether you're flying, driving, or taking a train.

"Daytime temperatures will soar well into triple digits, and overnight lows will struggle to drop into the 70s and 80s," notes weather service meteorologist Mary Beth Gerhardt in a Weather Prediction Center report.

Notoriously hot Death Valley in California is forecast to reach 129 degrees, not far off the world-record high of 134 logged there exactly one century ago.

In some cities, record highs for any date throughout the year could be equaled or breached, says AccuWeather meteorologist Alex Sosnowski. Cities that could set all-time high temperature marks include Flagstaff, Ariz., Las Vegas and Reno, he adds.

An all-time record of 117 degrees could be broken Saturday in Las Vegas.

In Las Vegas Thursday afternoon, two Elvis impersonators and a performer costumed as the iconic "Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas" sign said they still planned to keep up their routine of working the tourist corridor in the broad daylight and turning in for the evenings, heat notwithstanding.

"We'd much rather fight with the sun than fight with the drunk people," Elvis impersonator Cristian Morales said.

We're having a heat wave: Triple-digit heat out West: That's blazing hot

Utah isn't immune from the heat,either: Temperatures are expected to reach as high as 115 degrees in St. George, Utah, through the weekend.

"It's hard for us to say everyone should stay indoors when it's really hot," says David Heaton, the Southwest Utah Public Health Department public information officer. "There are always going to be folks going out during the day in hiking conditions. If you're going to go out, use caution, stay hydrated and watch for signs of heat exhaustion."

Little relief is in sight across the baked region: "A few isolated thunderstorms containing minimal precipitation will be possible along the higher elevations of the Rockies and Great Basin," according to Gerhardt. "Instead of providing relief from the heat this weekend, these dry storms will only enhance the fire weather threat across a very hot and dry region."

The National Weather Service is calling for temperatures to approach 120 degrees in Phoenix over the weekend. Phoenix has only been in the 120s three other times in history, according to Weather Channel meteorologist Chris Dolce.

Improbable as it might seem, the heat reminds Phoenix resident Anders Berg of his home in Sweden, where temperatures aren't likely to be much above 65 degrees this weekend. "It's like if it's a snowstorm in Sweden," he said. "You stay inside; you don't go out." The heat, like the bitter cold, isn't something to acclimate to, he said, but rather something to avoid.

While the West bakes this weekend, most of the East will see a humid, showery weekend, with heavy thunderstorms and an increased threat for flooding, AccuWeather forecasts.

Contributing: The Associated Press; Zach St. George, The Arizona Republic; Brian Passey, The Spectrum in St. George, Utah.

Ashawn Rabb runs through a fountain of water at the Red Ridge Park water park on June 27 in Las Vegas. A high pressure system stalled over the West is bringing high heat to a region used to baking during the summer. Julie Jacobson, AP

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Source  

June again too cold 

France: an autumnal weather yesterday afternoon

june 29 2013

The week that we live in is, it has not escaped you, very cool ... while we are closer to the middle of summer ... Even the eastern regions that have previously been saved (after the short episode of intense heat of mid-month) experienced in all respects horrible weather .  This last week of June is at the scale of France, the coolest month!

This cool for late June recalls the episode of bad weather experienced in late June 1981, when the maximum temperature did not exceed 11 to 14 ° C, with a gray sky and heavy rain.


A context weather season

With a depression centered on northern Europe, the cloudy and unstable returns concerned most of the country, sparing the Atlantic coast. These clouds, driven by a north wind chilled directly down the pole, have earned us this persistent gloom, whose highest point is reached since last Friday and now Saturday.



Temperatures below 10 ° C to seasonal averages

Friday afternoon, the regions extending from Midi-Pyrenees in the Franche-Comté and Rhône-Alpes, Auvergne or even Alsace, Lorraine and the Ile-de-France experienced weather conditions actually fall with a very low ceiling (stratus ubiquitous rain and moderate wind from the north-west). Temperatures struggled to reach 15 to 18 ° C over many cities.

Weather conditions are a far cry from the summer ...

Rise in temperature from Sunday

On Sunday, with the direction of the current in the west and southwest Monday, temperatures begin to rise: between Friday and Monday, we will win in places more than 10 ° C. .. In feit we simply rejoin the middle of the season ...

Source in French

translated with google

Just for the record the temps from a year ago

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/06/29/phoexix-heat-wave_n_352138...

Phoenix, Las Vegas Bake In Scorching Heat

DEATH VALLEY, Calif. — Scorching heat blistered the Southwest on Saturday, where highs between 115 and 120 degrees were expected for parts of Arizona, Nevada and California through the weekend.

Forecasters said temperatures in sunbaked Las Vegas could match the record of 117 degrees Saturday. Phoenix also was expected to hit that mark, matching the record for June 29 set in 1994. And large swaths of California sweltered under extreme heat warnings, which are expected to last into Tuesday night – and maybe even longer.

Dan Kail was vacationing in Las Vegas when he heard that the temperature at California's Death Valley could approach 130 degrees this weekend. He didn't hesitate to make a trip to the desert location that is typically the hottest place on the planet.

"Coming to Death Valley in the summertime has always been on the top of my bucket list," the 67-year-old Pittsburgh man said. "When I found out it might set a record I rented a car and drove straight over. If it goes above 130 I will have something to brag about."

The forecast called for Death Valley to reach 128 degrees Saturday as part of a heat wave that has caused large parts of the western U.S. to suffer. Death Valley's record high of 134 degrees, set a century ago, stands as the highest temperature ever recorded on Earth.

check out the photo of the sun in this article

http://www.mnn.com/earth-matters/climate-weather/blogs/you-know-its...

Redditor Mohayat lives in Kuwait and snapped this amazing photograph of a traffic light literally melting under the hot summer sun.

 

 

Here is the current weather and forecast for Kuwait.

 

Vertical jet stream across N. America. 

http://www.ssec.wisc.edu/data/geo/index.php?satellite=west&chan...

http://squall.sfsu.edu/gif/jetstream_init_00.gif

Incessant rain leaves thousands water logged in Cox's Bazar [Dhaka Tribune; 1 July 2013]

Hundreds of people have been marooned in rainwater while houses, shrimp farms, crops land and salt beds have been inundated as major thoroughfares in the district have been submerged in torrential rain

Fishing boats and trawlers in the North bay have been advised to remain close to the coast on Sunday

The incessant downpour over the past few days has hit people in Cox’s Bazar hard, with many rendered homeless and the threat of landslides looming in the area. 

Hundreds of people have been marooned in rainwater while houses, shrimp farms, crops land, salt beds have been inundated as major thoroughfares in the district have been submerged in torrential rain.

AKM Nazmul Huq of Cox’s Bazar metrological office said all fishing boats and trawlers in the North bay have been advised to remain close to the coast and proceed with caution till further notice.

Light to heavy rain and south-southeasterly gusty or squally winds are likely to persist in the flood-hit areas over the next two days, he warned.

Meanwhile, 50 villages of Moheshkhali upazila, Cox’s Bazar sadar, Ukhia, Teknaf, Ramu, Chokoriya and Pekuya were flooded as rainwater broke embankments.

In Ramu upazila, more than 20 villages were submerged, with the water level of Bakkhali river increasing, leading to erosion across the region.

Likewise in Ukhia, around 200 dwellings were damaged and many shrimp farms near Naf river in Teknaf were flooded.

Shrimp cultivators Akkas, Altaj Ali, Hafez Zaker, Farid Alam of  Palongkhali union claimed that over Tk30m of losses were incurred as around 60 shrimp farms on a 3,000-acre land went under tidal water.

Rohingya refugees living illegally on different hills owned by the forest department were among those marooned in the rainwater.

The areas most affected in Cox’s Bazar are Poschim Palongkhali, Nolbonia, Tajlimar Khola, Rohmoterbil, Dhamonkhali and Balukhali areas under Palongkhali union, Machkariya, Modhurchora, Hajipara, Malvita Para, Ukhia Sadar, Boruapara, Ghilatoli, Hijlia, Tuturbil under Rajapalong union, Purbo Rotna Boruapara, Sadrikata, Poschim Rotna under Rotnapalong union, Kumarpara, Chowdhurypara, Mohajon Para, Uttor Boro Bil under Holdiapalong union and Pinijir Kul, Painashiya, Jaliyapalong, Sonar Para, Uttara Nidania, Chepotkhali and Monkhali under Jaliyapalong union. Administrators of Chakoriya upazila have been urging people to move to safer locations.

Gias Uddin, sub-engineer of Teknaf Water Development Board (WDB) said new cracks have developed in the 65-kilometre-long flood control dyke of the upazila, due to the effect of landslides and tidal incursions.

Teknaf upazila Chairman Sharif Mia said: “Low-lying areas have gone under rainwater, thus leaving thousands of people under 22 villages marooned.”

Locals alleged that officers of the local municipality and WDB have not taken measures to mitigate suffering by people affected.

Cox’s Bazar Deputy Commissioner Ruhul Amin said they have advised the upazila nirbahi officer to distribute food among the flood-affected people.

All kinds of necessary steps will be taken to rein in the fury of flood, he added.

@ Poli - Although muddled by the cover-up, the seismic event off the U.S. east coast on June 13 registered on DART II tsunami station 44402.  Thanks for posting.

Massive storm dumps nearly 2 feet of hail in New Mexico

Photo courtesy: Santa Rosa Fire Department

Drought and deluge in the U.S.

After Severe Drought, Wettest Spring in 40 Years (July 5)

After scorching temperatures and drought conditions devastated the nation’s crop production last year, farmers across the Midwestern farm belt are now dealing with the reverse side of Mother Nature – too much rain.

Meteorologists say the region experienced the wettest spring in 40 years, with rainfall in portions of the Midwest 8 inches above normal. From January to June, Illinois – the second largest corn and soy producer – had its wettest six months in history, with 28.7 inches, which is 8.9 inches above average.

Soggy farmland has pushed back the planting season, and some farmers have given up planting entirely. Farmers worry that wet soil will prevent corn and soybeans from developing the deep roots, about two to four inches, needed to fully grow. Oversaturated soil prevents roots from getting oxygen, and ideal moisture is located directly below the seed, not in the topsoil.

Much of the nation’s corn crop is sowed by July, however according to the US Department of Agriculture in its June acreage report, released last week, 91 percent of corn has yet to germinate, compared with 100 percent during the extreme drought the same time a year ago.  

Miles of algae in Qingdao turns China sea green

Tuesday, July 9, 2013

Spectacular waterspout in Florida: photos and stunning video!

Last night a spectacular waterspout has enchanted thousands of Americans between Oldsmar and Safety Harbor, Florida. The spectacular waterspout has also touched down at Courtney Campbell, causing considerable damage to strong winds (up to 130km / h), which uprooted trees and damaged roofs. Truly breathtaking images photos and videos that we publish accompanying the article:

http://www.meteoweb.eu/2013/07/spettacolare-waterspout-in-florida-f...

http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=auto&tl=en&a...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=VXcY5MjCC-Y

Western China Floods Impact 1.6 Million (July 12)
A collapsed bridge over the Panjiang river is seen in Qinglian, Jiangyou city, southwest China's Sichuan Province, Tuesday, July 9, 2013. One sedan car, three minivans and one SUV fell into the torrent when the Qinglian bridge broke apart.

Floodwaters surging through Himalayan foothills in western China have swept bridges, houses and hillsides into roiling brown torrents, leaving at least 31 people dead and 166 missing Thursday, as heavy rains buffeted many parts of the country.

Flooding in the western province of Sichuan was the worst in 50 years for some areas, with more than 220,000 people forced to evacuate.

Nationwide, at least 46 people have died due to the violent weather since Sunday, according to figures from the Ministry of Civil Affairs and the official Xinhua News Agency. Thousands of homes have been destroyed or damaged and transportation has come to a virtual standstill in hard-hit areas.

Many of the casualties in Sichuan were from a massive landslide that struck a scenic resort outside the city of Dujiangyan, killing 18 people and leaving 107 missing. An entire hillside collapsed onto clusters of holiday cottages where city dwellers escape summer heat, a survivor told Xinhua.

"The noise was like thunder and went on for two or three minutes. My first thought was that I too would be buried," Gao Quanshi, 47, was quoted as saying. Phone lines were cut, so villagers had to trek to nearby government offices to call for help, he said.

Images from the scene showed a valley filled with mud and rocks, with only the tops of trees sticking through. Drenched rescuers wearing helmets and life jackets worked mostly with hand tools to prevent harming any survivors still trapped beneath.

A total of 352 tourists had been rescued from the area as of Wednesday night, Xinhua said. Overall in Sichuan, there were at least 31 people dead and 166 missing, said the provincial department of civil affairs.

A mudslide in Sichuan's Aba prefecture left three people dead and 12 others missing, Xinhua said.

Mudslides and flooding are common in China's mountainous areas, killing hundreds of people every year, but in some areas the current floods are already the worst in half a century. Reports said the 94 centimetres (37 inches) of rainfall that fell on Dujiangyan over 40 hours beginning Monday was the heaviest since records began being kept in 1954.

Also in the west, more than 2,000 people were rescued after being trapped for several hours Wednesday in a highway tunnel between Dujiangyan and Wenchuan — the epicenter of the Sichuan earthquake five years ago that left 90,000 people dead or missing.

Bridges have been closed and train service suspended in some parts of the province.

In nearby Beichuan county, flooding destroyed buildings and wrecked exhibits at a memorial for earthquake victims.

The flooding also caused the collapse of an almost 50-year-old bridge in a neighbouring county, sending six vehicles into the raging waters and leaving 12 people missing.

The region lies in the foothills of the Tibetan Plateau, where mountains rise sharply from the densely populated Sichuan basin. Fast-running rivers quickly overflowed their banks, flooding scores of towns and parts of the provincial capital of Chengdu, where the waters rose to the second floor and covered the tops of cars.

In Chengdu, stone bridges and brick houses along river banks were swept away, including one in which the residents were taking shelter, while others crumbled into the saturated earth already rent with fissures from the magnitude-8.9 2008 earthquake.

In the northern province of Shanxi, at least 12 workers were killed Tuesday when a violent rainstorm caused the collapse of an unfinished coal mine workshop they were building.

Another three people were drowned in a car in Hebei province outside the capital, while an additional 11 people were reported dead or missing in Yunnan province, Beijing, Inner Mongolia and Gansu province.

Source

http://www.montrealgazette.com/news/Worst+flooding+west+China+count...

                Comment by lonne de vries 17 hours ago           

While the Northeast is burning up, Texas and Oklahoma recorded their all-time lowest temperatures for July 15. And in parts of Alaska, the readings were warmer Monday than parts of Texas. Alaska's eastern interior was in the low 80s, while Abeline, Texas, recorded a cool 68 degrees.

Temperatures in the Northeast are five to ten degrees above normal, with New York City experiencing the highest above-normal temperatures of any place in the country. The hottest summer in U.S. history _ an average 73.83 degrees for the season _ occurred during the Dust Bowl in 1936. The 2011 and 2012 summers tied for second hottest but were only one-tenth of a degree cooler than the record.

source.

http://o.canada.com/2013/07/16/saskatchewan-storm-photos-tornadoes-...

Saskatchewan storm brings hail, multiple tornadoes

Tornadoes, hail reported as large cell sweeps through

It was a wild day of weather yesterday in parts of Saskatchewan as a large storm cell made its way through the province.

Much of the southern part of the province were put on alert with tornado and severe thunderstorm watches through the afternoon and evening. Although it wasn’t quite as “Oklahoma-style” as Weather Network chief meteorologist Chris Scott predicted on Twitter, it sure packed a wallop.

Environment Canada has confirmed three tornadoes touched down during the storm — one southeast of Regina near Kronau and Gray, one west of Yorkton and one north of Humboldt, reports the Star Phoenix.

There are reports of four other possible, but unconfirmed, tornadoes, including heavily-photographed funnel near Hague.

The storm also brought large hail, in some places ankle deep, and frequent lightning.

a video montage of crazy weather across the world

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=L0i2aTSZ...

Millions are affected by heat wave,  heat to exceed 90 in nearly all states.  Health concerns loom.

http://www.today.com/video/today/52506974/http://www.today.com/vide...

TODAY   |  July 18, 2013

Forecast: 90 degrees or above in 47 states

Nearly every state in the U.S. is forecasted to experience temperatures in the 90s or above, as doctors issue warnings about heat stroke.