http://www.eastbaytimes.com/2017/01/09/california-storms-fill-droug...

California storms add 350 billion gallons to parched reservoirs

Storm Surge Creates Sudden "Tsunami-Like" Water Surge -- Flooding Northeast England; 1 Town under 6 feet of water in minutes

https://www.superstation95.com/index.php/world/2932

A sudden "surge" of water is engulfing parts of north east England right now.  Emergency calls started coming in around 1:00 PM eastern U.S. time today, reporting Walls of water" inundating entire towns!  Here are the emergency reports - unfiltered:

NORTH EAST NOW BEING OVERWHELMED WITH FLOOD WATERS IN THE LAST FEW MINUTES - SURGE IS MOVING SOUTH

FLOOD WATERS OVERWHELMED THE TOWN OF HORNSEA A FEW MINUTES AGO - COASTGUARD REPORTING MANY HOUSES UNDER MORE THAN 6 FEET OF WATER

WATER RUNNING DOWN THE MAIN STREET OF TOWN OF WITHERNSEA, YORKSHIRE - MAJOR EVACUATION IN PROGRESS

CITY OF HULL MARINA NOW FLOODING WITH THE RIVER HULL FLOODING IN TO THE STREETS

UPDATE 1:20 PM EST --

YORKSHIRE, LINCOLNSHIRE, NORFOLK, TYNE AND WEAR, ESSEX, SUFFOLK AND OTHER REGIONS ENACTING EMERGENCY PROTOCOLS

Based on the report immediately above, it now appears that massive areas of England are succumbing to sudden, Tsunami-like flooding in the areas shown on the map below!

SIGNIFICANT FLOODING NOW REPORTED IN WHITBY, YORKSHIRE

Earlier as Whitby began to flood. #stormsurge pic.twitter.com/9ozeerw4Be

— YorkshireCoastRadio (@YorksCoastRadio) January 13, 2017

 UPDATE 1:35 PM EST --

17 Severe Flood Warnings
91 Flood Warnings
72 Flood Alerts

UPDATE 1:41 PM EST --

SKEGNESS BEING WARNED OF IMMINENT FLOODING

Thousands of people living along the east coast of England have been told to leave their homes due to coming severe flooding, while others in towns such as Whitby are already seeing floods.

The Environment Agency has warned of "dangerous waves carrying rocks and a coastal surge" and said the Army is on standby to assist.

More than 4,500 residents in Jaywick, Essex, were told to leave their homes due to a "high risk" properties "could be flooded by sea water up to a depth of three meters" (9 feet).

UPDATE 2:57 PM EST --

WATER RISING HEAVILY IN GRIMSBY - SANDBAG TEAMS NOW ON BOTH SIDES OF THE HUMBER

East Coast & London on high Flood Alert!#Wisbech Tidal #RiverNene
At 9pm UK & 4pm Eastern USA time sea surge will be at its highest!

In Bulgaria, the first time in 60 years frozen Black Sea

Google translate

13 January, 2017. In the district of Burgas on the southern Bulgarian Black Sea froze for the first time since 1954.

The seaport city of ice was formed, with the result that stood by the court turned into ice sculptures.

In the north-east of the country, in the region of Varna, the ice can be seen along the banks of Varna lake. In this area over the past 100 years the sea froze three times - in 1929, 1942 and 1954, the newspaper "Trud".

Also, almost completely frozen Danube. Navigation on the river, in the anchor stopped at ports rose more than 20 vessels. In the north-eastern parts of the country and in the region of Burgas due to snowdrifts limited traffic, canceled classes in schools.

Last night the air temperature is kept at 20 degrees almost all over the country. Source: rosbalt.ru

frozen Danube: the betrayed fox ice [PHOTOS]

January 14, 2017

http://www.meteoweb.eu/foto/danubio-congelato-la-volpe-tradita-dal-...

https://translate.google.com/translate?sl=it&tl=en&js=y&...

Danube River, the poor fox fell into the river and remained frozen

It had no chance a fox who has had the audacity to walk on thin ice layer that covers the Danube near Fridingen, Germany

The ice has broken below its light weight and the animal was paralyzed by the ice that has trapped. A hunter who was near the stock has under his feet and has succeeded in carving and pull out the entire block of ice, including fox.

Aizawl, India records coldest day ever in recorded history!

12 January, 2017. The mercury in Aizawl dipped to a record low of 3.2 degrees Celsius, making it the coldest day in the state ever since the MeT office was setup in the region.

The maximum temperature was recorded at 23.2 degrees Celsius, while the minimum stood at 3.2 degrees Celsius on Thursday, Scientific Officer K Lalrammuana said, adding that 3.2 degrees Celsius was the lowest ever temperature recorded in Aizawl.

"(Thursday's) reading broke the record of minimum temperature of 3.7 degree Celsius recorded on January 24, 2016 while the lowest maximum temperature ever recorded was on January 21, 2016 at 19.9 degree Celsius," Lalrammuana said.

The Regional Meteorological Centre in Guwahati has predicted that the mercury is likely to go down further in the next 48 hours.

The mercury continued falling across most of north India.

Jammu and Kashmir continued to reel under intense cold wave on Friday as both Srinagar and Jammu recorded the season's coldest night so far at minus 6.3 and 3.1 degrees Celsius respectively.

"We are expecting further drop in night temperatures as the weather is likely to remain dry during the next 24 hours (till Saturday)," a Met official said.

Another spell of rain and snow is likely to take place on January 15 and 16, "said the official.

The minimum temperature was minus 12.4 degrees Celsius in Pahalgam and minus 13.6 degrees Celsius in Gulmarg on Friday.

Leh town in the Ladakh region recorded minus 14 degree Celsius as the night's lowest temperature.

Mata Vaishno Devi base camp town of Katra recorded 3.9 degrees Celsius, Batote minus 1.8 degrees Celsius, Bannihal recorded minus 4.3 degrees Celsius and Bhaderwah minus 5.4 degrees Celsius as the night's lowest temperatures. Source: thenortheasttoday.com

ICE AGE Down to -52C: Russians freeze to death as strongest-in-decades winter hits

https://youtu.be/0PeZRKbUSHc

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4132082/Spain-sees-heaviest...

Cancel your winter break! Spain sees its heaviest snowfall for 35 years as temperatures drop as low as MINUS 10C and snow storms sweep across Europe 

• Temperatures have dropped across the mainland, with frost and minus ten degrees in the mountain areas
•  Areas of southern Valencia and northern Alicante have seen up to ten inches (25cm) of snow in 24 hours
• Beaches at numerous coastal resorts have been wiped out by freak snow storms and roads cut off 
• Holiday destinations in Germany, Croatia, Italy, Corsica and Serbia are all feeling the chill after freak cold snap

Brits who headed to Europe this week in search of some winter sun were in for a nasty surprise as a snow storm swept across the continent and Spain experienced its heaviest snowfall in 35 years.

The usually sun-drenched holiday destinations in Germany, Croatia, Italy, Corsica and Serbia are all feeling the chill thanks to the freak cold snap.

People in the 'sunshine island' of Majorca woke up to find a blanket thick snow had left the isle looking more like the mountains of the Alps than the Med.

Snow even fell in the island's capital Palma, which normally enjoys January temperatures of up to 18C. 

Beaches at numerous coastal resorts - where tourists flock to escape the British weather - have been wiped out by freak snow storms. 

Snow on the beaches of Majorca where the freak weather has turned the island into a winter wonderland rather than the expected escape from the British climate

Two snowshoe hikers pass by a snow-covered tree at the Schauinsland mountain in Black Forest in Hofsgrund, southern Germany

A firefighter walks on a snow-covered road in La Porta, on the French Mediterranean island of Corsica

A sculpture of a saint is covered by snow in the village of Rastoke, central Croatia, Wednesday 

A woman scrapes the snow from her car after it was buried in a huge downfall in Amatrice, Italy

Two children play with the snow after freak weather hit in Bunyola, Palma de Majorca, in Spain's Balearics Islands

The unusual weather has caused chaos in Majorca, pictured, and in mainland Spain where roads have been cut off and schools closed

Roads have also been cut off as unusual driving conditions caused chaos, leading to delays of four hours or more.

Schools on the Costa Blanca, home to popular resorts including Torrevieja, Alicante, and Benidorm, were closed this morning because of the heavy snow that had fallen overnight.

The snow is the heaviest that has been seen in Alicante since 1983.  

Spain's Met Office has issued an alert for adverse weather conditions, especially for the southeast peninsular and areas near Castilla-La Mancha and Aragon.

Temperatures have dropped across the mainland, with frost and minus ten degrees in the mountain areas, and areas of southern Valencia and northern Alicante have seen up to ten inches (25cm) of snow in 24 hours.

The unlikely arctic conditions are down to a cold weather system sweeping in from Siberia.

The weather system has already brought bitterly cold conditions to countries including Greece, Serbia, Macedonia and Turkey, putting the lives of thousands of people under threat.

The snow is expected to last until Friday when it will give way to rain instead. 

Meanwhile, in Britain, no snow has fallen, and the UK is predicted to be warmer than parts of Spain, as temperatures rise, bring the country of of its deep freeze. 

In good news for those who opted to stay at home and brave the January weather, an area of high pressure will draw in warmer air from the Atlantic, bringing milder conditions to the UK.

More snow falls across Mediterranean countries

Much of southern Europe is experiencing its second round of snow in just under two weeks.

Thailand – More Rain to Come as Floods Leave 43 Dead, 1.6 Million Affected, 500,000 Homes Damaged

http://floodlist.com/asia/thailand-south-floods-43-dead-january-2017

The number of victims of the flood disaster in southern Thailand continues to rise as the flood situation continues in 6 provinces. However, the Thai Meteorological Department are warning of more heavy rain for the next 6 days.

Death Toll Rises

Thailand’s Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM) reported earlier today that 43 people have now died in the flood disaster that has affected 12 provinces in southern Thailand since 01 January 2017.

The Ministry of Interior says that more than 1.6 million people have so far been affected by the floods and that more than 530,000 homes have been damaged by flood water.

Flooding Remains in 6 Provinces

Of the 12 provinces affected, the flood situation continues in the provinces of Nakhon Si Thammarat, Trang, Phatthalung, Songkhla, Surat Thani and Prachuap Khiri Khan.

In Songkhla, authorities said it would take at least 10 days before the district becomes completely dry.

In Nakhon Si Thammarat, DDPM officials visited Pak Ror Bridge and Pak Rawa Sluice Gate to study the possibility of draining floodwaters into Songkhla Lake and the Gulf of Thailand to speed up flood recovery.

However, the flood situation has eased and continues to improve in Yala, Ranong, Narathiwat, Pattani, Krabi and Chumpon, according to the Ministry of Interior. This has allowed clean up operations to begin in some of the flood-hit areas.

Rain that sparked Wednesday flooding expected to linger into Thursday

Unseasonable flooding wreaks havoc on roads

http://www.chron.com/news/houston-weather/article/The-high-water-sp...

Though the calendar says winter, Wednesday arrived bearing all the traits of a soggy late-spring day in south Texas: warm air, swollen clouds, pounding interludes of rain, and flooded roadways that bedeviled motorists and frightened nearby homeowners who have seen it all too many times before.

Forecasters said showers may continue Thursday, with a 50 percent chance of thunderstorms. But the area may dry out Friday as skies clear and the sun peeks out. Friday night has a 50 percent chance of rain, dipping to 30 percent on Saturday. Sunday is expected to be dry and partly sunny. Temperatures will continue to be mild.

"Periods of unsettled weather will plague the Houston area through midday Thursday," said Melissa Huffman, a weather service meteorologist.

The serious rain began early Wednesday morning. By daybreak, some parts of central Houston were experiencing street flooding, forcing a delayed start to school. While most local bayous stayed within their banks, some drivers ended up in high water, and several freeways had to be closed briefly because of inundated portions. A few motorists had to be rescued when they became trapped by rising waters, but there were no reports of deaths or injuries.

'Hazard of life' here

By coincidence, the sudden storms forced cancelation of a symposium on flooding and storm surge protection for the Houston Ship Channel scheduled for Wednesday night. Two of the organizers of the event, Houston City Council members David Martin and David Robinson, tried to keep a lighthearted tone to discussions of the postponed gathering, at the same time recognizing just how important dealing with periodic flooding has become in the region.

Coldest temperatures in several years recorded around Alaska

18 January, 2017. A statewide cold snap is underway in Alaska. Numerous locations through the central and western Interior recorded temperatures in range of minus 40 to minus 55. The Fairbanks International Airport recorded a temperature of 50 below zero for the first time since Jan. 29, 2012. Ralph M. Calhoun Memorial Airport in Tanana observed a temperature of minus 56.

Southcentral Alaska also experienced bitter cold, with the lowest temperatures recorded since 2012 for many areas. In Anchorage, Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport dropped to minus 13, the coldest temperature recorded in Anchorage since Jan. 29, 2012 when the thermometer dipped to 14 below zero. Many areas of the bowl were even colder, with temperatures dropping as low as 18 below zero in Eagle River and in East Anchorage.

The normal low temperature for Anchorage in late January is around 11 degrees. Biting cold temps were also recorded in the Matanuska and Susitna Valleys, with the Palmer Municipal Airport dipping to below minus 20 for the first time since 2012. Inland areas of the Kenai Peninsula also dropped to well below zero, and Homer dropped below zero for the first time since December 2013.

Residents can stay bundled up — even colder temperatures are on the way for Thursday morning. Temperatures in Anchorage are forecasted to drop between minus 15 and minus 20. The Matanuska and Susitna Valleys will see lows of 25 to 35 below zero. The Kenai-Soldotna area can expect lows of minus 25 to minus 30.

Most areas will continue to see temperatures below zero through Friday morning, before temperatures begin to rise later in the day. By the end of the weekend, temperatures should rise to near normal — and may go above normal by next week Source: ktva.com

Flood disasters more than double across Europe in 35 years

19 January, 2017. Insurance firm research reveals steep increase in flash floods and says rise is in line with climate change

The number of devastating floods that trigger insurance payouts has more than doubled in Europe since 1980, according to new research by Munich Re, the world’s largest reinsurance company.

The firm’s latest data shows there were 30 flood events requiring insurance payouts in Europe last year – up from just 12 in 1980 – and the trend is set to accelerate as warming temperatures drive up atmospheric moisture levels.

Globally, 2016 saw 384 flood disasters, compared with 58 in 1980, although the greater proportional increase probably reflects poorer flood protections and lower building standards in the developing world

Ernst Rauch, the head of Munich Re’s corporate climate centre, said: “Flood events together with wind storm events are the two perils where we have the biggest increase in frequency worldwide. “In Europe, we’ve seen a steep increase in flood events related to severe convective [thunder] storms. The frequency of flash floods has increased much more than river floods since 1980.” Storm intensity had also surged in Europe and abroad, he added.

In the past month alone, 18 people have been killed by unusually intense rainfalls in Thailand, while British government advisers have warned that floods of the sort that devastated large parts of the UK last winter are becoming the new normal.

Munich Re cautions that the trend is a non-linear one, following a pattern that will be significantly determined by manmade greenhouse gas emissions. “Unfortunately this is in line with climate change,” Rauch said. “It is amazing how closely these developments fit with the outcomes of climate models.”

Eight of the 10 deadliest natural catastrophes in Europe since 1980 have taken place in the past 13 years, Munich Re’s data shows, and one of the other two incidents was not weather-related.

Phenomena such as earthquakes are included in the company’s figures, but more than 90% of the natural catastrophes logged since 1980 have been climate-related.

Worryingly, the rate of extreme weather events appears to be increasing around the world, with 750 natural catastrophes last year, compared with an yearly average of 590 in the past decade. The 30-year mean figure was 470 disasters a year.

Since the 1950s, annual precipitation has increased in northern Europe and declined in the Mediterranean, a trend that UN climate scientists expect to increase.

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s fifth assessment report also predicted with “high confidence” that northern Europe would see a rise in extreme rainfall in the decades ahead.

“We have very strong evidence that extreme rainfall events are increasing whichever way around you look at it,” said Peter Stott, the head of the Met Office’s climate monitoring and attribution team. “That’s simply a result of the physics of how the atmosphere works.”

For every degree of global warming, the earth’s atmosphere is able to hold about 6% more moisture, increasing the energy available to be fed into thunderstorms, Stott said.

The circulation of weather systems is also affected, with warmer air that has risen in the tropics descending in more northerly latitudes. For northern Europe, the result is wetter winters. In the south, the Mediterranean faces potentially arid conditions, similar to those in north Africa.

“The increase in record-breaking precipitation can only be explained by increasing temperatures caused by climate change,” said Fred Hattermann, a hydrologist and expert on regional climate impacts at the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research.

Peter Höppe, the head of Munich Re’s geo-risks research unit, said there were “many indications” that the incidence of storms and persistent weather systems was increasing because of climate change.

Even so, Hattermann’s research has found that soil moisture in Germany – a climatic border zone – has declined by up to 25 litres per square metre in the past 50 years, because of another result of global warming: drier summers. “In central Europe, the vegetation is changing,” he said. “Plants start to grow and flower earlier in the year. They start to suck up water and to transpire it.” EU scientists believe that at least half a million Europeans will be affected by floods every year by 2050, under a “high-end” 4C scenario for global warming that is eerily close to current trends. By 2080, almost a million Europeans could be affected by floods each year if the projection is realised.

Last year, Munich Re estimates that $175bn was lost as a result of natural disasters, $50bn of which was covered by insurance policies. Source: theguardian.com

Spanish tourist towns record first snowfall in decades

Freak Snowfall Brings Winter to Summer in New Zealand (Jan 22)

    

Guests at Cardrona Alpine Resort near Wanaka awoke to a winter wonderland - in the middle of summer.

Light snow began falling on Saturday afternoon, but increased to heavy falls overnight, leaving a 30-centimetre base, Cardrona marketing coordinator Matt McIvor said. The white stuff was still falling on Sunday morning.

In five years at the resort McIvor said he had never seen these conditions in January.

Freak snowfall in January has brought winter to Cardrona Alpine Resort near Wanaka.

    

"It definitely feels like winter up here. This is a powder day."

Some resort guests from Vietnam and China told McIvor they had never seen snow before.

The resort is open for summer activities, including mountain biking, carting, walking and tubing, but the record snowfall would put a stop to those today, McIvor said.

    

"I think they'll be making snowmen today."

The access road to the resort was restricted to four-wheel drive only, McIvor said.

The unusually heavy snowfall also hit The Remarkables ski area, near Queenstown, manager Ross Lawrence said.

"The quantity is not regular, but we did get heavy snow like this in the summer of 2014/15." 

SA weather: Thousands without power after wild storms cross state

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-01-20/thousands-without-power-after...

Thousands of properties are without power in South Australia, with Adelaide being the hardest hit, after a storm front crossed the state last night.

A line of thunderstorms moved across South Australia, dumping heavy rain including 58 millimetres at Leigh Creek, 49mm at Little Para Reservoir, 45mm at Edinburgh and 38mm at Wudinna.

Strong winds were also recorded, with a wind gust of 111 kilometres per hour at Adelaide Airport, while there were also 72 lightning strikes in two hours.

Some traffic lights in the city were not working this morning.

Police were directing traffic at Glynde Corner as thousands of Tour Down Under Challenge riders tested their cardio skills, ahead of the professional race later today.

Trees have fallen on powerlines, cars and houses across the city. Some businesses have not opened because they are without power.

Last night 58,000 customers were in the dark and at 5:30am today, 33,000 properties were still without power.

SA Power Networks spokesman Paul Roberts said many people would be without power for an extended period.

He said the storm had caused widespread issues and crews were working frantically to restore supplies.

"We had 72,000 lightning strikes between 7:00pm and 9:00pm in South Australia, there's been a significant damage to the electricity network, particularly for metropolitan area customers," Mr Roberts said.

He said Adelaide was hardest hit but power had gone off across the Yorke and Eyre peninsulas and in the Mid North.

The storm has been one of many in recent months that has caused electricity issues.

"We're really getting unprecedented weather, people who have been working for 35 years in SA Power Networks say they've never seen this number of storms, this intensity of storms and this frequency of storms," Mr Roberts said.

"It's been crazy since July and I hope people understand it is weather related."

The State Emergency Service's Mike Baker said crews were kept busy after receiving 300 calls for help.

"Trees or tree branches falling onto roads and cars or you know, leaning against roofs, as well as a bit of water sort of damage," Mr Baker said.

Bureau of Meteorology forecaster Julie Guerin said the rain would make its way through the Riverland this morning and move into the eastern states.

"Conditions still fairly awful up the top of the hills," she said, just before 7:00am.

"I came down the freeway from Crafers and it was a bit of a pea soup up here ... visibility is very low, the roads very slippery, a lot of debris on the roads.

"So if you are driving through the hills and coming down from there take it very easy."

There is still a severe thunderstorm warning for parts of the North West Pastoral and North East Pastoral districts.

Sahara desert hit by biggest snowfall in living memory

http://metro.co.uk/2017/01/21/sahara-desert-hit-by-biggest-snowfall...

The Sahara desert has experienced the biggest snowfall in living memory after a freak winter storm.

The red sand dunes of Ain Sefra were blaketed in one metre deep snow yesterday.

And the pictures are breathtaking.

The world’s hottest desert saw its first sprinkling in 37 years just before Christmas.

But the snow has been falling steadily and is now waist deep in some parts.

Despite the blast of frost causing transport to come to a standstill, children have been making the most of it by building snowmen and sledding down the sand dunes.

Photographer Sekkouri Kamel, 38, said: ‘It started snowing at around 1.30am this morning and is now one metre deep in some places. It’s absolutely incredible to have so much snow.’

Apart from the sprinkling before Christmas, snow was last seen in Ain Sefra on February 18, 1979, when the snow storm lasted just half an hour.

The area, known as ‘The Gateway to the Desert’ is around 1000 metres above sea level and surrounded by the Atlas Mountains.

At least 18 people have died over the last 48 hours due to tornadoes, as a violent system of storms continues to work its way across the Florida Panhandle and parts of Georgia and Alabama.

At least 14 people died and around two dozen were injured in Georgia from tornadoes early Sunday morning, following four tornado-related deaths that occurred in Mississippi on Saturday morning.

According to the Georgia Emergency Management Agency, three people died in Dougherty County near Albany, seven in Cook County near Adel, and two people died in both Berrien and Brooks counties.

http://abcnews.go.com/US/dead-georgia-tornado-outbreak-continues/st...

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4146972/100-flights-Heathro...

Thousands of passengers are left stranded as hundreds of flights are cancelled at Heathrow and City airports with toxic fog covering the UK and temperatures plummeting to -7C

• Dense freezing fog swept over UK overnight as temperatures fell as low as -7.1C and warnings were issued
• Heathrow, Gatwick and London City all face disruption today with passengers urged to check flight status
• Monday morning rush hour commuters are told to take extra care due to reduced visibility and icy roads
• Very high pollution in South East as Government officials warn elderly to avoid strenuous physical activity
• Heavy fog caused travel chaos for thousands of plane passengers in Britain today as dozens of flights were cancelled and temperatures fell below -7C overnight.

More than 100 flights were called off at London Heathrow Airport this morning, dozens more were cancelled at City and Gatwick also faced disruption as dense freezing fog enveloped southern England.

Monday morning rush hour commuters in London and the South East also faced dangerous conditions caused by icy roads and reduced visibility, after the Met Office warned that areas of dense freezing fog could hit journeys.

The coldest place overnight in the UK was Katesbridge in County Down, Northern Ireland, which dropped to -7.1C, while Benson in Oxfordshire saw -6.9C and Northolt in North West London was not far behind with -6.3C. 

Meanwhile hundreds of thousands of rail passengers suffered fresh travel misery today because of yet another strike on Southern Railway and a broken rail affecting South West Trains at Wimbledon in London.

British Airways planes on the tarmac at London Heathrow Airport this morning as dense fog caused travel disruption

Drivers face difficult conditions on the M20 in Kent, as dense fog caused travel disruption across southern England today

CITY AT THE TOP: DELAYS AND CANCELLATIONS AT THE UK AIRPORTS MOST AFFECTED BY FOG TODAY 

		ARRIVALS				DEPARTURES
	AVERAGE DELAY	% FLIGHTS DELAYED	% FLIGHTS CANCELLED		AVERAGE DELAY	% FLIGHTS DELAYED	% FLIGHTS CANCELLED
London City	137 mins	33%	67%		38 mins	21%	64%
London Gatwick	84 mins	83%	0%		42 mins	84%	2%
London Heathrow	63 mins	60%	6%		47 mins	79%	14%
Manchester	24 mins	64%	0%		39 mins	80%	3%
London Stansted	20 mins	60%	0%		55 mins	80%	0%

The UK minimum of -7.1C was colder than Iceland, Russia, Norway and Finland; with Reykjavik down to just 3.6C overnight, -1.9C observed in Moscow -3.3C in Oslo and -0.9C in Helsinki.

The Met Office has issued a severe weather warning for fog until 10.30am over the south coast from Exeter to Dover, which also covers cities in the South East such as London, Oxford, Canterbury and Winchester.

British airports made up five of the top six most delayed airports in the world this morning. Delhi was sandwiched by Heathrow, Gatwick, Stansted, Manchester and City - with the latter being the most delayed airport on earth.

Flights into City had an average delay of more than two hours, with 43 per cent of services delayed and 57 per cent cancelled. Heathrow was the next worst, with an average inbound lag of an hour and 60 per cent delayed.

Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon was one of those hit by the disruption. She had been due to attend an engagement in London today but was delayed at Glasgow Airport.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4146024/The-Latest-Floods-s...

Avalanche warnings issued and whole neighborhoods are evacuated in fear of mudslides AND wildfires as storms continue to batter California

• Ski resorts in the Sierra Nevada Mountains were closed on Sunday due to a relentless winter storm 
• There is a 'high risk' of avalanche in the region where 140mph winds and four feet of snow are forecast
• Los Angeles is subject to warnings for high surf, flash flooding and high wind due to the brutal weather
• Communities near burn zones in Santa Barbara were evacuated amid growing fears of wildfires 
• Six inches of rain is predicted in the San Francisco area as downpours continue across the western state 

Warnings for avalanches, mudslides and wildfires were issued across various parts of California on Sunday as winter storms continue to batter the state. 

Ski resorts in the Sierra Nevada Mountains were closed under the 'high danger' of avalanche and gale force winds. 

In San Francisco, rivers burst their banks and flood water poured through streets after more than 24 hours of relentless rain. 

Neighborhoods near Santa Barbara were evacuated amid concern for wildfires.

California suffered another day of brutal storms on Sunday. Above, a resident surveys the damage to her home in Duarte where gale force winds battered the region 

In Duarte, California, a mailbox survived the storm which scattered mud and debris across roads 

Rain, snow and heavy winds have been battering the state for two days and are not expected to let up until Monday 

Winds as fast as 140mph were predicted in the Sierra Nevada mountain range where up to four feet of snow is predicted. 

The National Weather Service issued a storm warning in the region to last until Monday night. 

'Snow will continue to fall over the Sierra as an intense storm moves into the region,' it said. 

'Significant amounts of snow are forecast that will make travel dangerous. Only travel in an emergency. If you must travel, keep an extra flashlight, food and water in your vehicle in case of an emergency.' 

Floodwaters swept through mountain communities in the state. Paradise Park in Santa Cruz (above) was flooded by river water 

Rain was expected to continue battering the state until late on Sunday with weather warnings issued until Monday. Above, the hillside community of Paradise Park in Santa Cruz on Sunday afternoon 

Residents in Felton, California, survey the flood damage after a day of heavy rain and strong winds 

In the San Francisco Bay area, heavy rain produced flood water and sparked fear of mudslides. 

A Flash Flood watch was issued to last until Monday. Thunderstorms which began this morning are expected to gather strength throughout the afternoon, the National Weather Service advised. 

In greater Los Angeles, mountain communities were told to expect up to six inches of rain. 

Los Angeles is subject to four separate weather warnings; high surf, high wind, flash flood and flood. 

Hillside communities near Santa Barbara were evacuated yesterday amid fear of wildfires.  

Officials say potential debris flows could restrict access for emergency responders. 

Widespread flooding, mudslides, evacuations as biggest storm in years batters California

http://www.msn.com/en-us/weather/topstories/evacuations-ordered-as-...

The third in a series of powerful winter storms unleashed a deluge in Southern California on Sunday, flooding numerous roads and freeways, setting new rainfall records and stranding some in dangerously rising waters.

Coastal areas of Los Angeles County were among the hardest hit, with Long Beach Airport setting a new all-time rainfall record, 3.87 inches

Across the region, several people were rescued from their cars and thousands lost power.

"Today was very intense," said Albright. It's not a normal event.

Since October 1, downtown L.A. has received more than 13 inches of rain -- 216% of normal rainfall for this period, which the National Weather Service said was 6.26 inches.

Storms generate 34-foot wave, a new record for Central California coast

Source: twitter.com

22 January, 2017. The latest storms to hit California have broken records.

According to the National Weather Service, monster surf on Saturday set a new wave height record for the Monterey Bay: 34.12 feet.

The previous record was 32.8 feet, set in 2008.

High surf was also reported across the Central Coast and north of San Francisco.

The powerful surf smashed the remains of a famed concrete ship, the S.S. Palo Alto, in the Monterey Bay town of Aptos. Source: latimes.com

Drenched: How L.A. went from bone-dry to 216% of normal rainfall in...

Sunday’s huge storm — which dumped nearly 4 inches of rain in some areas — is part of a wetter trend that began in the fall. Since Oct. 1, downtown L.A. has received more than 13 inches of rain -- 216% of normal for this period, which the National Weather Service said was 6.26 inches.

It’s a remarkable turnaround.  Source : LA Timeshttp://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/92403525-132.html

test

'Dream' winter conditions, except it's summer

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=1...

Whatever happened to summer? Cardrona Alpine Resort woke up to its heaviest summer snowfall in living memory yesterday, 30cm covering the base.

Cardrona Resort marketing executive Matt McIvor said: "If this had been a winter's day we would have been calling it dream conditions; it's perfect powder snow."

With latest storm, Boise surpasses all-time record for snowfall so far this season

http://www.idahostatesman.com/news/weather/article128183704.html

With an additional 3 inches by Monday afternoon, Boise claimed the No. 1 spot for snow by this date in any year since the NWS started keeping records, meteorologist Dave Groenert.

The extra inches that fell Monday put the year-to-date snowfall total at 35.5 inches, ahead of the 35.1 inches that fell between Oct. 1 and Jan. 23 in the winter of 1985-1986.

http://floodlist.com/australia/french-polynesia-tahiti-moorea-janua...

French Polynesia – 100 Homes Destroyed, Airport Closed After Flooding in Tahiti and Moorea

Flooding affected parts of French Polynesia from 22 January 2017 after a period of heavy rain.

Over 200 mm of rain in 24 hours was recorded in Thaiti-Faa’a on Tahiti island between 22 and 23 January. Further warnings for heavy rain have been issued until at least 24 January, in particular for the islands of Tahiti and Moorea which have been the worst hit so far.

More than 100 houses have been destroyed. At least 3 people have been injured, one of them seriously. All schools in affected areas have been closed.

Around 300 households have evacuated their homes, with local authorities providing tents for temporary accommodation. At one point 6,000 people were left without power.

Major roads have been damaged or blocked by landslides and the military has been drafted in to help clear roads and repair damaged facilities.

Tahiti’s international airport has been closed as a result of the flooding and will remain so until at least Tuesday. Helicopter relief and rescue operations however have not been affected.

In a statement made on 23 January, the High Commissioner for French Polynesia called on the population to comply strictly with the weather warnings and security instructions limiting travel. The High Commissioner has been in contact with the mayors and local officials of some of the affected communities including Pirae, Pape’ete, Puna’auia, Mahina and Faa’a.

Floods in French Polynesia, January 2017. 

http://www.straitstimes.com/asia/se-asia/more-than-9000-people-evac...

Floodwaters hit houses in a Perak village as three days of relentless rain in Malaysia brought floods to nine of the country's 13 states.

JOHOR BARU • Johor state was the worst hit as three days of relentless rain in Malaysia brought floods to nine of the country's thirteen states. More than 9,000 people were evacuated from their homes in Johor as at noon yesterday, mainly from Segamat and Kota Tinggi, as anxious residents hoped they would not see a repeat of the severe state floods in 2006 and 2011 which affected 40,000 people.

Segamat district, in the northern part of the state and a 21/2-hour drive from state capital Johor Baru, was the worst affected. More than two-thirds of the flood evacuees were in Segamat, and many of its roads were closed to light vehicles.

A Labis resident, Mr Chia, 59, said he hopes that this Chinese New Year will not be reminiscent of that in 2011, when he spent the festive period at an evacuation shelter.

"I remember the welfare department and volunteers bringing us mandarin oranges but nobody was in the mood to celebrate," he said.

According to Malaysia's Meteorological Department (MetMalaysia), Johor will see isolated thunderstorms in the afternoon over the Chinese New Year weekend, but no rain in the morning or at night.

While the main highways between Singapore and Kuala Lumpur were unaffected by the heavy rain, floodwaters of up to 1m high have submerged some roads in Segamat, including Jalan Jabi-Bukit Tempurung, Jalan Utama Felda Pemanis, Jalan Segamat-Kuantan (Tun Razak Expressway) and Jalan Felda Kemelah. Roads in Kota Tinggi and Kluang also saw some flooding.

Meanwhile, the floods in Selangor, Perak, Malacca, Kelantan, Sabah, Sarawak, Pahang and Negeri Sembilan brought almost 4,000 people to relief centres and shut nine schools.

MetMalaysia has predicted some rain this weekend in several places in the states along the east coast, western Sarawak and eastern Sabah in the mornings and evenings.

Rain is also on the cards in one or two places in Kedah, Perak, Pahang and Labuan, it said in a statement.

http://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/after-ice-storm-57-000-households-stil...

The images are strikingly beautiful: crystalline layers of ice coating trees, homes and power lines. But for the more than 57,000 households are still without power in New Brunswick, this week’s ice storm has been a cold and dark nightmare.

“Right now, our priority is making sure that everybody is safe,” New Brunswick Premier Brian Gallant told CTV Atlantic from a recently-opened warming centre in the province. “Everybody knows exactly what they can do to stay safe, and of course that we get everybody their electricity as quickly as possible.”

The ice storm that swept through the province began on Tuesday, with some of the heaviest freezing rain and ice hitting New Brunswick’s Acadian Peninsula Wednesday night.

A statue at the Pointe Sapin Church facing the Northumberland Strait is covered in ice in Pointe-Sapin N.B., Thursday, Jan.26, 2017.

NB Power crews work to remove a build up of ice on trees and power lines following an ice storm on Jan. 25, 2017. (NB Power)

On New Brunswick’s frozen streets, broken branches dangle from powerlines, ice-heavy trees have fallen and split, and in some cases, the weight of the accumulated ice has been enough to snap wooden hydro poles. In affected areas, falling tree limbs and ice has created a steady percussive cacophony.

At the peak of the storm, more than 133,000 households were without power in the province. Crews have been toiling non-stop to get people back on the grid, but the work is so complex that NB Power says that they can’t guarantee a restoration time at this point. More than half of affected households -- particularly those in Moncton and the Acadian Peninsula -- are still in the dark. NB Power is urging customers to remain patient.

In addition to 271 crews from NB Power, help is also coming from Maine, Quebec and Nova Scotia.

“Once we get there, we'll meet up with the supervisor from the team from that area and he’ll give us further direction,” Nova Scotia Power field supervisor Bruce Allen told CTV Atlantic as a convoy of 11 trucks headed towards the ice-caked city of Miramichi.

With widespread power outages, warming centres have been opened across the province and will keep their doors open as long as people are still without electricity.

Tired of bundling up at home, Amy Mather and her young son checked into one on Thursday.

“He's sick, so I don’t want him to get any worse,” Mather told CTV Atlantic.

At one warming centre, a Syrian refugee family were also among the dozens of people who showed up to escape the cold.

“This is their first winter,” the family’s sponsor, Wayne Mullin, told CTV Atlantic. “They arrived in February and the weather, as you recall last winter, was quite good and so they really didn't get a true taste of winter -- and they're getting it now.”

In Moncton, the local YMCA also invited in those affected by the storm.

“We opened up our doors and we said anybody that's in a situation that they have no electricity and no hot water to come down to the Y,” YMCA of Greater Moncton CEO Zane Korytko told CTV Atlantic. “They can warm up, they can come and take a hot shower and they can have a cup of coffee or tea, all on us.”

Authorities are warning people to be aware of falling ice and reminding residents of affected areas to avoid standing under telephone wires or trees. NB Power is also warning people to stay away from downed hydro lines.

http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2017/01/floods-lash-bolivia-peru-1701...

Floods lash Bolivia and Peru

Torrential downpours caused rivers to overflow in central Bolivia and southern Peru 

http://www.newindianexpress.com/nation/2017/jan/27/kashmir-witnesse...

File picture of vehicles moving towards Jammu-Srinagar highway closed due to heavy snowfall in Kashmir valley. 

SRINAGAR: The snowfall in Kashmir in last few days has broken the record of over two decades.

A Meteorological department official said Kashmir has recorded heavy snowfall this year.

He said it was the heaviest snowfall recorded in the valley since 1992.

 “We had witnessed major snowfall in 1992 and 2006 but the present snowfall has broken the record of last 25 years,” the official said.

The upper reaches of the Valley including Keran, Karnah, Gurez, Machil, Tanghdar, Uri, Gulmarg, Yousmarg, Pahalgam, Sonarmarg have witnessed heavy snowfall. The ski resort of Gulmarg has recorded more than 7 ft of snowfall while Gurez, which has witnessed at least three snow avalanches in 72 hours, has experienced about 11 ft of snowfall.

The plains including Srinagar have also experienced heavy snowfall.

Many of the inter-district roads in the Valley are disconnected and there has also been breakdown of electricity with North Kashmir being the worst hit.

As was predicted by the weatherman, the weather conditions improved today after three days of continuous snowfall.

Due to improvement in weather conditions, the air traffic at Srinagar airport resumed today after remaining suspended for three days.

An airport official said there was a significant improvement in visibility and weather conditions today.

“Due to marked improvement in visibility, all the flights took off and landed at Srinagar airport today,” he said adding an additional flight was also operated today for the stranded passengers.

However, the Srinagar-Jammu national highway, the only link road connecting Kashmir with rest of the Valley, remained closed for all kinds of vehicular traffic for the 4th consecutive day today.

A traffic police official said snow avalanches hit the highway at Shaitani Nallah while the continuous rain and snowfall triggered landslides at many places including Digdol and Chesma, hampering the efforts to make the road traffic worthy.

He said it will take some time for the Border Roads Organisation (BRO), which is looking after maintenance of the highway, to make the road traffic worthy because there is snow depth of 10-12 feet at some places.

He said no fresh traffic would be allowed on the highway unless all the obstructions all cleared and road made traffic worthy.

Due to closure of Srinagar-Jammu national highway, the prices of essential commodities have shot up here and Valley is also facing shortage of cooking gas.

Valley is totally dependent on the highway for the supplies.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/jan/26/chile-wildfires-destr...

Deadly wildfire razes entire town in Chile: 'Literally like Dante's Inferno'

An entire town has been consumed by flames in Chile as unusually hot, dry weather undermined efforts to combat the worst forest fires in the country’s recent history. 

More than 1,000 buildings, including schools, nurseries, shops and a post office were destroyed in Santa Olga, the biggest of several communities to be reduced to ashes in the Maule region.

One body was later recovered from the ruins. Two people are missing, but most of the residents were evacuated unharmed. Few will have a home to return to. 

Drone images showed entire neighbourhoods reduced to ashes. The roads are still neatly symmetrical, but the buildings in block after block lie in smouldering ruins under a hazy sky.

Even for a region that is frequently hit by earthquakes and floods, the extent of the destruction was shocking.

“Nobody can imagine what happened in Santa Olga. What we have experienced here is literally like Dante’s Inferno,” said the Carlos Valenzuela, the mayor of the encompassing municipality Constitución. “We were recovering after the last earthquake, but this tragedy has messed up everything.”

He said the smaller communities of Putú and Cabezalillo had also been damaged.

“The situation is awful. It’s the worst catastrophe we’ve had in a number of years. I believe that this surpasses any tragedy that we have had before, this is much worse than when it was the earthquake or the floods. It is a thing that does not stop, is advancing,” said Francisco Henríquez, director of Orca Chile, a civil organisation deployed in the area.

Residents expressed dismay and fury as they returned to charred livestock, collapsed buildings and blackened farm fields. Some felt abandoned by the authorities.

“When the politicians need our votes they come here, they put their face and expect us to vote for them. Now they’re not here,” Miguel Reyes, a resident of Santa Olga, told BioBioChile

But even with 5,000 firefighters, government resources have been overstretched.

More than 90 wildfires have broken out in the past few weeks and spread rapidly across vegetation that has been dried by unseasonably high temperatures. Many regions have suffered heatwaves. Santiago registered a record 37C on Wednesday.

At least four firefighters have been killed in the battle to control the blazes. Including police and civilians, the overall death toll is now seven, according to local media.

The economic impact is still to be calculated. According to the National Forestry Corporation, 238,000 hectares of forests in central and southern Chile have been burned, forcing the evacuation of at least 4,000 people and damaging farms, cattle ranches and vineyards.

President Michelle Bachelet has declared a state of emergency and called for international help in dealing with fire on a scale “never seen in the history of Chile”. Dozens of helicopters, light aircraft and a Boeing 747 “supertanker” have dumped water and flame retardants from the skies, but at least 30 fires continue to rage.

There have been successes. Penco, a town of 50,000 inhabitants, in the region of Bío Bío, was saved by firebreaks that kept the advancing flames at bay. But the threat continues.

The interior minister, Mahmud Aleuy, warned more fires might break out because weather forecasters predict several more days of high temperatures, strong winds and low humidity.

The government has pledged to investigate the cause of the fires and the effectiveness of the official response.

As well as climate change, tourist negligence and poor park management, the country’s timber and wood pulp industry may come under the spotlight.

Biologists say plantations of non-indigenous forests, such as eucalyptus and pine, help to spread the fires more quickly.

“About 42% of the forest fires are in plantation forests, which are like matchboxes,” said Mary Kalin Arroyo of the University of Chile. “They spread fire to native forests.”

Hotel Plunges into Peruvian River During Deluge (Jan 26)

Incredible footage has captured the horrifying moment when a three-story hotel was sent tumbling into a river in southern Peru during intense rainfall.

The La Hacienda hotel was located on the edge of the Sicra river in the town of Lircay in Peru’s Huancavelica region, built 200 years ago during colonial times.

The stunning collapse occurred after the area had been bombarded with heavy rains for more than 10 hours. The persistent downfall washed away the earth supporting the building’s foundations, which eventually dramatically gave away.

No one was injured in the collapse, as authorities had evacuated the 50-room hotel as weather conditions deteriorated. Several other buildings in the town were also damaged or destroyed during the deluge.

Three people were killed on January 26 when a mudslide sent a car careening into a truck in southern Peru. Hundreds of members of the Peruvian army, navy, and air force have been assisting with emergency relief efforts in the worst affected areas.

Sources

https://www.rt.com/viral/375384-hotel-collapses-river-video/

http://news.sky.com/story/peru-hotel-collapses-into-swollen-river-a...

Record-breaking snowfall wreaks havoc across Idaho

Source: idahostatejournal.com

24 January, 2017. Lots of heavy wet snow has wreaked havoc recently in Idaho and other states in the West. Locally, it’s broken some records, played a role in numerous accidents, shut down government offices and schools, and even collapsed a vacant building.

Jackie Wolfe, who works at Mickelsen Marble Inc. on Rollandet Street in Idaho Falls, said she got to work on Tuesday morning in time to hear a loud bang. It turned out to be the sound of the vacant building next door collapsing.

The snow-covered roof caved in and the walls fell outward. “Thank God there was nobody in there because it would have been a mess getting them out,” Wolfe said.

She’s glad Mickelsen Marble’s building is still doing OK, but even it has sprung a few leaks, she said. Others haven’t been so lucky.

The accumulated weight of snow has crushed an old lumber mill in Oregon, a sports complex in Alaska and a conference center in Colorado, among others. The collapses caused some injuries and at least one death, when the roof of a woman’s snow-laden porch in northern Idaho fell while she was under it, officials say.

In Washington County, Idaho, some 100 buildings have crashed down, including a grocery store in the town of Weiser, as well as its popular bowling alley and an antique shop. The only injury reported in Weiser so far is a man whose leg and hip broke when a carport collapsed, said Scott Penner, spokesman for Washington County’s disaster services.

Experts say the rare combination of greater snowfall at lower elevations and prolonged cold temperatures that allowed the snow to accumulate without melting away is partly to blame for the collapses. The combination builds up an amount of snow that exceeds building codes set for weather expected only twice a century, said Dell Winegar, president of the Idaho Onion Growers Association, whose industry has felt the pain at its facilities.

Nearly 20 buildings that store and package onions have crashed down in Idaho and Oregon, leading prices to spike from $3.50 to $6.50 for a 50-pound bag of yellow jumbo onions.

“It’s been a heartbreak for a lot of folks,” Winegar said. “It’s hard to prepare for something that has never happened before.” Storms this month have blanketed the West and kept dumping more snow on top of it.Wolfe said she shoveled her driveway on Monday night, but the blowing and drifting snow was already knee-deep again by Tuesday morning. She’s getting tired of it.

“(The snow) can turn off any time now,” Wolfe said.

The snow broke three records in the Pocatello area on Monday.

Officials with the National Weather Service forecast office in Pocatello said a new record for daily maximum rainfall was set at 0.52 inches, smashing the old record of 0.33 set on Jan. 23, 1950.

In addition, a new daily record was also set for snowfall. Weather officials say 8.6 inches fell on Jan. 23, breaking the old record of 2.8 inches set in 1993. That number also beat the greatest 24-hour record for the month of January, which was previously 8.3 inches on Jan. 8, 2005.

A post on the weather service’s website stated, “If it has to be this bad, at least we’re making the Record Books.” Source: idahostatejournal.com

'Januburied': Snow Breaks Records in the Sierra Nevada

25 January, 2017. Since the beginning of the year, California has dealt with storm after storm, each one piling up more snow on top of the last storm's snow.

It’s official – more snow has fallen in January than any other month in Mammoth’s recorded history with 246” (over 20 FEET!)  Source: weather.com

The last six winter storms — Gregory, Helena, Iras, Jupiter, Kori and Leo — all passed through California dumping feet of snow, while rainfall caused flooding in lower elevations. Some residents in the mountain West are calling this month #Januburied.

At Mammoth Mountain Ski Area, they've received more snow so far in January than any calendar month on record, as well as some recent entire seasons.

What an epic winter so far!  Here's a map of snow water content & official stats from @CA_DWR. 197% of avg for this date! #CAstorm #CAwater Source: twitter.com - NWSCNRFC

From Jan. 1-24, Mammoth Mountain received 245 and a half inches of snow. That crushes the previous monthly snowfall record of 209 inches set in December 2010.

Source: twitter.com - KirkwoodMtn

For perspective, over the last 48 snow seasons, Mammoth has received an average of 65 inches during the month of January.

The January snowfall total so far tops 11 other seasonal snowfall totals dating back to 1970. That includes the recent drought-ridden 2013-14 (238 inches) and 2014-15 (176 inches) snow seasons.

This doesn't sound like a problem for a ski resort, but on Monday, it was clear resort staff was running out of room to pile the epic snow.

In the Lake Tahoe region, it has been the snowiest January since 1952 in Tahoe City, California, with 135.5 inches. Last winter, the seasonal total from July 1, 2015 through June 30, 2016 was 140 inches, only 4 and a half inches more that what has fallen just this January.

At Squaw Valley, California, more than 8 feet of snow fell Jan. 19-24 at 8,000 feet, bringing the seasonal snowfall total to 378 inches. That snowfall total, if it was the end of the season, would be higher than four of the last six seasonal snowfall totals. We still have 4 to 5 more months to go in this year's snow season.

Some ski resorts have even had too much of the drought-busting powder, enough snow to completely bury entire ski lifts and even close the slopes.

It's not just the mountains that have shoveled and plowed away hefty amounts of snow. Reno, Nevada, has had its snowiest month in 12 years, with 18.8 inches in January.

The snow has caused significant impacts to travel through Donner Pass on Interstate 80 at times.

Blizzard conditions from Winter Storm Jupiter forced that stretch of interstate to close during the height of the storm. According to the National Weather Service in Sacramento, the last closure of that magnitude on Interstate 80 over Donner Summit was in March 2011.

The series of storms these last few weeks have brought over 300% of normal January precip to most of the state. #CAstorm #CAwx. Source: twitter.com - NWSCNRFC

In the Truckee, California area, I-80 was closed for over 12 hours during Winter Storm Leo due to road and weather conditions. According to the California Highway Patrol-Truckee in a Facebook interview, the frequency of interstate closures has been "on about par with most normal winters" even with all of the extra snow. In addition to those closures, when I-80 was open, the road was restricted to cars with chains or four-wheel vehicles with snow-tread tires.

With as many storms as California and Nevada have seen, it is no surprise that precipitation has been well above average. The California Nevada River Forecast Center says precipitation is more than 300 percent of average in much of the Golden State so far in January.

The first 24 days of January were the wettest such period on record in Bakersfield and Sacramento, California, and the second-wettest in Reno, Nevada, and San Francisco, according to the Southeast Regional Climate Center. Source: weather.com

Jan was Sydney's hottest month ever: BoM

1 February, 2017. It's official - Sydneysiders have just sweated through the hottest month on record.

The city's average maximum temperature for January was 29.6C beating the previous mark of 29.5C recorded in 1896, the Bureau of Meteorology said on Wednesday.

Last month Sydney had 11 days when the temperature topped 30C, and five days above 35C, smashing not only all previous records for the month, but for any month since records began in 1858.

"Anyone that's been feeling really uncomfortable can feel 100 per cent justified in their complaints," Bureau of Meteorology climatologist Agata Imielska told AAP.

"It's the warmest month for Sydney."

January's average minimum was 21.6C, breaking the previous January record of 21C in 1991, and the previous average minimum for any month which had been 21.2C in February 2010.

"Only three days dropped below 25C as a maximum in January 2017 and that's the equal fewest on record with January 1994," Ms Imielska added.

The climatologist says Sydney's record-breaking temperatures were due to a combination of strong westerly winds, unusually dry conditions, less-than-average rainfall and climate change.

"One factor is the ongoing warming trend - we've warmed by a degree in the past century and it's not just about averages, we see increases in these extreme temperatures as well," Ms Imielska said.

"It doesn't just go for land temperatures, it also goes for ocean temperatures. In 2016 we saw the warmest ocean temperatures on record."

The persistent heat has been aggravated by dry conditions since October caused by a high pressure system sitting over the Tasman Sea which has increased westerly winds moving over southern Australia.

"We've also had warm offshore sea surface temperatures - that also keeps conditions warmer particularly at night," Ms Imielska said.

"As a result we have seen that back-to-back heat and the lack of relief - the surprising thing is that there haven't been any really cool days."

Sydney conditions are due to heat up again over the next few days with the mercury expected to hit 37C in the city and 43C in the west on Sunday. Source: weeklytimesnow.com.au

Hong Kong just had its warmest January on record

2 February, 2017. Average temperature of 18.5 degrees highest since records began, back in 1885.

The first month of this year was the warmest January in Hong Kong since records began in 1885, according to the Observatory.
Locals experienced a record-breaking average temperature of 18.5 degrees Celsius – 2.2 degrees warmer than the normal monthly average of 16.3 degrees, the Observatory said on Thursday. Li Kin-wai, chief experimental officer at the Observatory, said it was the hottest January since records began. Guangdong cities empty during Lunar New Year as Chinese migrant workers head home for the holiday The unseasonably hot weather was down to no substantial cold surge affecting the Guangdong coast, he said.

The second-warmest January was in 1901, when temperatures averaged 18.3 degrees – much warmer than last year’s 16 degrees. Last month’s average daily minimum temperature was also warmer than usual, at 17 degrees, 2.5 degrees higher than the average daily low in January. And the month was drier than usual, with only 7.8mm of total rainfall, less than a third of the normal 24.7mm.

The record-breaking January follows a relatively toasty December, which was the third-warmest in more than 130 years.
The hottest day of the month was January 6, when sunny skies saw temperatures hit 25.5 degrees.
January also saw more sunlight than usual, with 145.1 bright sunshine hours, 2.1 hours more than the average for January.
Northerly winds brought the city dry and cool weather towards the end of the month, bringing the temperature down to 13.6 degrees on January 22, the month’s coldest day.
There was only one tropical cyclone over the South China Sea and the western North Pacific last month. Source: scmp.com

January coldest in 30 years, Slovenia

2 February, 2017. Slovenia experienced this year its coldest January in over 30 years. The average temperature in Ljubljana stood at -3.2 degrees Celsius last month, which compares to a 1981-2010 average of 0.5 degrees.

According to meteorologist Andrej Velkavrh, the cold start to the year is nothing to worry about. "If we analysed previous Januaries, we'd see that temperatures jumped up and down considerably. A cold January is a sign that the weather was stable," he told the daily Dnevnik. <...>

In itself this would be nothing special, but almost all precipitation happened in 36 hours. "At first, rain fell, then there was snow and then it rained on frozen ground. The soil practically did not soak up any water," Velkavrh also told the paper.

According to accessible data, the coldest January in Ljubljana was recorded in 1880, when the average temperature dropped to -9 degrees Celsius. Source: english.sta.si

January 2017 ranks as top 5 warmest in more than a dozen US states

The numbers represent how much above average January 2017 was based on average temperature (Image: Southeast Regional Climate Center)

1 February, 2017. Many are asking, “Where is winter?” We had a few very cold days in January in north Alabama: the stretch of days between January 6 and January 8 featured highs below freezing. Despite that bitterly cold weather, warm weather stole the headlines.

The number shown represents where January 2017 ranks in comparison to all years on record (Image: Southeast Climate Regional Center)

Huntsville had at least seven days where the high temperature was at least 20 degrees above average last month. The warmest day of the month was January 14; the high was 76. January 2017 was the third warmest January on record in Huntsville, according to climate data.

The unusually warm weather was not just happening where we live. At least a dozen states east of the Rocky Mountains logged a top-five warmest January last month. Even a few communities near the Canadian border experienced one of the warmest Januarys on record. If the first of February is any indication of what is to come for the final full month of winter, expect more warm than cold. Source: whnt.com

Temperature dips as strong winds hit UAE

February 3, 2017

Big events cancelled due to high winds, motorists cautioned as visibility drops to 100 meters in certain areas

http://gulfnews.com/news/uae/weather/temperature-dips-as-strong-win...

VIDEOS

Dubai: Motorists are being cautioned to drive carefully as visibility dips due to strong North-Westerly winds reaching up to 75-80 km/hr, kicking up blowing sand and dust over scattered areas.

A snowman on top of Jebel Jais. Thickness of the snow layer reached 10cm, states National Centre of Meteorology and Seismology.

The inclement weather affected a number of outdoor events in Dubai on Friday. The Global Village was closed on Friday while the Omega Dubai Desert Classic golf tournament was also suspended due to high winds.

The beginning of the snowfall over Jais mountain #NCMS station recorded 2.2 below zero at 9 am

The NCMS has also reported heavier snowfall up to 10cm thick on the mountain tops of Jebel Jais in Ras Al Khaimah, after temperatures reached sub-zero level on Friday morning.
CONTINUE...
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Four cars destroyed after crane falls on Shaikh Zayed Road - DUBAI

February 3, 2017

Teams from Dubai Police and Civil Defence are clearing the wreckage and redirecting traffic

http://gulfnews.com/news/uae/emergencies/four-cars-destroyed-after-... VIDEO

Four cars destroyed after crane falls on Shaikh Zayed Road
Teams from Dubai Police and Civil Defence are clearing the wreckage and redirecting traffic

A view of the construction crane that fell on Shaikh Zayed Road

Dubai: Four cars were destroyed, of which two went up in flames, after a construction crane fell in the middle of Shaikh Zayed Road due to strong winds and unstable weather, Dubai civil defense told Gulf News.

At least one person was injured.
The Dubai Metro service was also temporarily stopped on a segment of the Red Line between Jaffliya and Business Bay stations after debris that fell on the track caused sparks as a train rolled by. CONTINUE...
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Hammana ROADS Like Siberian areas. LEBANON- MIDDLE EAST
Translated

February 3, 2017

https://www.facebook.com/Khneisser.weather/photos/pcb.1007344882699...

Qatar witnesses the lowest temperature in its history

5 February, 2017. Qatar's weather station in Abu Samra recorded at early morning the lowest temperature in country's history at 1.5 degree celsius.

The new record low temperature is the lowest since the 3.8 degrees recorded in Mesaieed in January of 1964. Qatar Meteorology Department released a statement today said that the cold wave was a result of the advancement of a high-pressure area and an air mass close to regions in the country.

The statement added that Sunday dawn saw falling temperatures and decreasing wind speed, until 5:40 am when temperatures reached 9 degrees. The change in wind direction after that and a mass of cold air approaching the shore led to a prompt fall in temperatures to 7.5 degrees in thirty minutes. Source: thepeninsulaqatar.com

Drought declaration likely in Hawke's Bay as region records its driest-ever January

January saw a record low rainfall in Hawke's Bay, with temperatures reaching in to the 30s. VIVIENNE HALDANE

1 February, 2017. Hawke's Bay is teetering on the edge of adrought as January goes down as being the driest-ever on record in the region.

On average, 5.4 millimetres of rain fell in Napier and 4.3mm in Gisborne during January - the lowest amount recorded since records were kept, according to Met Service.

Local Labour MP Stuart Nash said he believed a drought would be declared soon. "I am aware they will declare a drought situation here within the next two weeks.

Federated Farmers says a drought should be declared in Hawke's Bay given the extremely dry conditions. JAN MACKENZIEC

The warm weather was being welcomed by local winemakers, but causing concern for farmers, he said.
"I was talking to a winemaker a week ago and he said the 2017 vintage is going to be outstanding. The other side of the coin is for dairy and dry stock farmers." Federated Farmers Hawke's Bay president Will Foley said the lack of rain meant it was reaching crunch time for land owners. He would be arguing for a drought to be declared at a meeting of the regional council on Thursday.
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The last drought to be declared in Hawke's Bay was in 2013.

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Helicopters fight a grass fire that spread through dry farm land near Napier on Tuesday. TOMMY LIVINGSTON/FAIRFAX NZ

Met Service meteorologist Tom Adams said the dry weather was set to last into February, with any reprieve not expected until later in the month. "It has been exceptionally dry," he said. "The first couple of weeks of February, looks like the pattern will continue."
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HOW A DROUGHT IS DECLARED

* The Ministry of Primary Industries works in conjunction with other stakeholders to determine if a drought is taking place.

* Their advice is given to the Government, which determines and declares an official drought.

Once a drought is declared, farmers have access to a range of Government support, including access to a network of charitable rural support trusts that are set up throughout the country to co-ordinate drought recovery activities.

* Assistance around flexibility with tax payments through Inland Revenue and hardship assistance provided by Work and Income is also provided. Source: stuff.co.nz

https://www.theweathernetwork.com/news/articles/bc-digs-out-from-ma...

Digging Out: 70+ cm falls on parts of B.C. See the photos

Sunday, February 5, 2017, 8:29 PM - Meteorologists are calling it one of the most significant snowfalls to hit British Columbia in February history.

Places like Hope and Chilliwack have been hit the hardest with 70+ cm reported since 3 p.m. PT Sunday.

"Roof collapses can become a concern with these accumulations," says The Weather Network meteorologist Tyler Hamilton.

Thousands remain without power across the Lower Mainland, with snowfall warnings in effect for Metro Vancouver, the Fraser Valley, and the Kootenays.

Highlights

• Snowfall warnings still widespread across the south. 
• Snow to ease into Monday. Surge of warmer air from the south may spell periods of rain and/or ice pellets depending on elevation.
• High avalanche risk for southern areas.
• In the interior, heavy snow intensifies Sunday night into Monday, affecting Alberta as well.

Wild weather swing could see record 60 degree temperatures on Wednesday followed HOURS later by 10 inches of snow in the Tri-State area

• Near-record warm weather in the Tri-State area is expected on Wednesday
• But Winter Storm Niko is going to hit the area with up to 10 inches of snow
• The storm is expected to begin late Wednesday night through Thursday
• Forecasters say Winter Storm Niko is going to make the commute difficult for those in major cities, including Boston and New York City

Wild weather over the next 48 hours could see near-record warm weather in the Tri-State area on Wednesday, followed by up to 10 inches of snow on Thursday thanks to Winter Storm Niko.

The Interstate 95 corridor in the Northeast is expected to be hit with heavy snow beginning late on Wednesday night through Thursday, as some areas could get up to six inches or more rapidly, according to the National Weather Service.

Forecasters say the storm is going to make the morning commute difficult for those in major cities, including Boston and New York City and possibly Baltimore, Washington D.C., and Philadelphia.

Much of the Tri-State area will be under a winter storm watch or winter weather advisory starting late Wednesday after experiencing record highs in the daytime as part of some wild weather over the next 48 hours

The Interstate 95 corridor in the Northeast is expected to be hit with heavy snow beginning late Wednesday night through Thursday

Forecasters say Winter Storm Niko is going to make the commute difficult for those in major cities, including Boston and New York City and possibly Baltimore, Washington D.C., and Philadelphia

Some states are expected to get up to 10 inches of snow as forecasters predict the snowfall to be heavy at times 

The National Weather Service has issued winter storm watches for part of southern New England southward into the New York City area as well as west towards south-central Pennsylvania. 

In addition, on Thursday gusty winds 'will also be on the increase across parts of the Northeast,' according to the National Weather Service.

However, like most winter storms, forecasters say the exact track and speed of this upcoming storm is still not 100 per cent certain. 

Winter Storm Niko does not appear to be a huge Northeast snowstorm, but it is expected to make travel difficult for the region as flight delays should be expected.

Boston is expected to reach a high of 32 degrees on Thursday, as it'll likely be 36 degrees in New York and 37 degrees in Philadelphia

Boston is expected to be hit with between five and eight inches of snow, as New York City could see the same amounts

Atlantic City is expected to get between three and five inches of snow, as Baltimore will only get between one and three inches of it through Thursday

But before the storm hits the region late Wednesday, the National Weather Service says it's expected to reach at least 60 degrees on Wednesday in New York City.

The record high temperature for Central Park on February 8th is 61 degrees, as the monthly average high is around 40 degrees for the second month of the year.

Officials say several cities in the region are experiencing low amounts of snowfall. 

Through February 5, Baltimore has only received 0.7 inches of snow this year, which is just over 11 inches below average for the season. 

By Thursday around 7pm (ET) temperatures in New York City will be around 24 degrees, while it will be slightly warmer in Washington, D.C. at 34 degrees

As of Wednesday evening, the above map shows the current snowcover across the country

This has been the third-least snowy start to the season on record for the city dating to 1949-1950, according to NOAA's ACIS database.

The 1972-1973 season saw zero inches of snow for Baltimore.

In addition, the last time Philadelphia saw one inch or more of snowfall was roughly one month ago, January 5-7, during Winter Storm Helena. 

For New York City, it hasn't snowed in Central Park since January 15, as Boston has only seen 1.4 inches of snow since January 8.  

Source: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4202146/Wild-weather-48-hou...

https://www.rt.com/usa/376637-southern-louisiana-tornadoes-damage/

Flipped trucks & destroyed homes: State of emergency in Louisiana as tornadoes hit 

 

Southern Louisiana, including New Orleans, has suffered severe damage after seven tornadoes battered the area, causing dozens of injuries and leaving a wake of destruction. 
Governor John Bel Edwards declared a state of emergency Tuesday morning following the onslaught that left about 10,000 homes without power and severely damaged NASA's Michaud Facility. 
New Orleans East, which was hit by Hurricane Katrina in 2005, was one of the hardest hit areas where at least 60 homes and businesses were reportedly damaged and about 25 people were injured. 
By declaring a state of emergency, the governor empowers himself and other officials to act faster to help ensure safety. This can include mobilizing law enforcement officers and the Louisiana National Guard in some cases. 

Impacted residents shared pictures of flipped cars, torn-off rooftops, broken power poles and piles of debris as the state tries to once again recover from extreme storms. 

The National Storm Prediction Center in Norman, Oklahoma, said 2.7 million people in parts of Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama would be at the highest risk of severe weather on Tuesday.

http://www.livetrucking.com/truck-driver-dies-after-being-blown-off...

Truck Driver Dies After Being Blown Off Chesapeake Bay Bridge

Winds up to 40 miles-per-hour were reported on the bridge at the time of the accident.

February 9, 2017

The driver of a semi truck has died after his rig was blown off the Chesapeake Bay Bridge by strong winds on Thursday.

According to Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel director Thomas Anderson, the truck broke through the bridge’s guardrail and plunged into the bay around 12:30 p.m. The driver was spotted standing on top of the floating rig and was picked up by a Navy helicopter around 12:45 p.m. He later died from his injuries while being transported to the hospital.

The accident happened around milepost 15 on the southbound lanes.

Winds up to 40 mph were reported over the bridge at the time of the accident and a level 1 wind restriction was in effect. After the crash, winds up to 47 mph were reported and the wind restriction was elevated to level 2, which prevents tractor trailers hauling less than 30,000 pounds from crossing the bridge.

The name of the driver has not been released.

Video footage in link

BOM confirms Perth's (Australia) coldest ever February maximum, flooding hits South West; Perth records second wettest day ever

11 February, 2017. Perth has recorded its lowest maximum temperature for the month of February since records began more than 100 years ago. The Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) confirmed Thursday's maximum of 17.4 degrees was reached just after 4:00pm. Heavy rain caused widespread flooding and power blackouts in Perth and the south-west of the state.

Source (old version of article, below updated): abc.net.au

Perth records second wettest day ever

PHOTO: Just 36mm of rain fell at South Kumminin in the Wheatbelt, but it was enough to flood some roads. (Supplied: Sheree Thomas).

11 February, 2017. Meanwhile, Perth has recorded its second wettest day ever, receiving 114 millimetres in a 24-hour period. The record was set on February 9, 1992, when the city recorded 120.6mm. The overnight rain caused flooding and traffic chaos early on Friday morning.

Perth also recorded its lowest maximum temperature for the month of February since records began more than 100 years ago on Thursday night. The BOM confirmed Thursday's maximum of 17.4 degrees was reached just after 4:00pm.

The heavy rain has caused widespread flooding and power blackouts in Perth and the south-west of the state. A tropical low which formed off the Pilbara coast earlier this week before dumping more than 200 millimetres of rain on Karratha is responsible for the wild weather. Source: abc.net.au

Record heat: Half of Australia bakes in temperatures over 100 degrees

Forecast high temperatures Saturday in Australia. (weatherbell.com)

10 February, 2017. A vast area of Australia, from the Great Sandy Desert to Sydney Harbor, sweltered under extreme heat Thursday and Friday. For some in the central part of the country, the heatwave is over; for others, it will continue into the weekend.

At least three significant records were broken on Friday.

• Sydney Airport reported its warmest February temperature at 109.2 degrees Fahrenheit. The previous February record was 108.7 degrees in 1980.
• The airport in Adelaide, South Australia, had its third day in a row of temperatures above 104 degrees, which is significant since it’s 40 degrees Celsius. Consecutive heat like this hasn’t happened since 1914 in that location — what is usually the colder, southern part of Australia.
• Mildura, Victoria, next to the border of New South Wales, reached 114.8 degrees (46 Celsius) for the second day in a row, which is also something that has never happened at that airport.
• A significant record not yet set: Australia’s Bureau of Meteorology expects a record for the entire state of New South Wales on Saturday — the hottest February day on record at 116.6 degrees in the western part of the state. It hasn’t been this dangerously hot in the region since 2013, the bureau said.

The shear extent of the heat is extreme, let alone peak temperatures, the Guardian reports:

Stephen Wood, a senior forecaster at the Bureau of Meteorology, said roughly 20 percent of Australia — an area equivalent to 1.5m sq km (roughly 580,000 square miles) — would experience peak temperatures of over [104 degrees Fahrenheit] on Saturday.

“To have such a large area of temperatures above [104 degrees Fahrenheit] and for so long is definitely unusual,” he said. “These next three days, large areas are going to suffer through the pain of it, unfortunately.”

Heat of this magnitude would put extreme stress on the U.S. power grid, but interestingly, energy experts in Australia are unconcerned. Cool heads prevail for one simple reason, ABC News Australia reports: “The high uptake of rooftop solar in the southern part of the state had reduced the overall load on the power network.” Source: washingtonpost.com

Source: cci-reanalyzer.org

With temperatures over 40C in parts of Sydney, it is now officially the hottest summer in the city’s 158 year recorded history — with 10 summer days over 35C.

10 Febraury, 2017. Source: dailytelegraph.com.au

Record highs are smashed across the central US Friday

10 February, 2017. Source: sercc.com

10 February, 2017

Description:
Map display of individual 'Local Station Perspectives' historical perspectives. Displays include displaying raw values, historical rankings, and historical percentiles. Source: sercc.com

Source: cci-reanalyzer.org

11 February, 2017. In an unprecedented wave, temperatures soared in the central part of the country Friday to a level never seen before in the month of February in some locations. While the metro came up just shy of a record high, many cities in southwest Minnesota hit daily record highs in the 50s and even some low 60s. This is in part because the snow has completely melted in many of these areas. While it was unseasonably mild in parts of Minnesota, it was HOT in other parts of the central US. Dozens of records fell from western Nebraska down to Texas and westward in to Arizona where temperatures peaked in the 90s… even too warm for them this time of year. In fact, it was the warmest February day EVER in Denver where the temperature hit 80°. Several other monthly record highs fell in Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, and New Mexico. In all, nearly 100 record highs were breached Friday making it the first true heat wave of the year. Source: fox9.com

Warmest recorded February day in Denver

10 February, 2017. Denver not only shattered a record high temperature on Friday, but it marked the warmest recorded February day ever as strong Chinook winds barreled out of the mountains and foothills and led to abnormal heating.

The temperature reached 79 degrees by 1:30 p.m. at Denver International Airport, the official reporting station for the city, the National Weather Service said.

The previous warmest temperature for any day in February was 77 degrees on Feb. 4, 1890 and Feb. 28, 2006.

Friday's mark broke the previous high for the date of 71 degrees set in 1951. The record fell when the temperature spiked to 74 degrees at 10:24 a.m., the National Weather Service said.

<...> Source: kdvr.com

70s in February: Record high temperatures surge in the Eastern U.S. (7 February)

7 February, 2017. Source: sercc.com

7 February, 2017. It does not feel like winter in the Eastern U.S. this week. Spring has already arrived in the Southeast and forecast highs are in the 70s as far north as Washington, D.C. and Baltimore, breaking records at dozens of climate-monitoring stations.

A strong, spring-like cold front is pushing east this week. Ahead of the storm, winds from the south are pumping warm air north into the Mid-Atlantic. Record highs for the date fell from Texas to Maryland Tuesday. In Washington, D.C., Tuesday’s morning temperature was 48 degrees, which sets a new record for warmest overnight low for the date. The old record was 47 degrees in 1904. At 3:31 p.m. Tuesday afternoon, Washington crushed its previous record high of 64 (set in 2008), rising to 73 degrees.

Records broken on Tuesday

Records that have already been broken or tied are crossed off. Temperatures will continue to rise through 3 or 4 p.m.

Washington D.C. — 64 degrees (1887)
Dulles Airport — 65 degrees (2009)
BWI Airport — 64 degrees (1904)
Paducah, Ky. — 66 degrees (1999)
Memphis, Tenn. — 72 degrees (1937)
Jacksonville, Fla. — 80 degrees (1904)
Houston — 80 degrees (1957)
Corpus Christi, Tex. — 83 degrees (2000)
Austin — 84 degrees (2013)
Brownsville, Tex. — 85 degrees (2013)

Monday record highs (old record)

Austin — 81 degrees (79 in 2009)
Oklahoma City — 77 degrees (73 in 2009)
Houston — 81 degrees (tie/1969)
Memphis — 73 degrees (tie/1928)

Source: washingtonpost.com

Animated map of (Unofficial) record-breaking temperature across the Globe for the last month

Important Notes:

• The source of the historical data here is the NCDC GSOD (updated through 2016 as of 16 January 2017).
• The records are defined here using GMT, with the day resetting at 00GMT (7PM EST;8PM EDT).
• These records are NOT official and differ from official records that use a longer database and local (not GMT) time.
• Only cities having an NCDC GSOD recorded history of at least 35 years are shown here.
• With the additional year of data available (2016), 284 new stations (for a total of 3287) now meet the 35 year minimum record.
• Of the now 1.2 million daily extremes in the database, approximately 70,000 were set in 2016 (~ 6%).
• Note that given the relatively short record used here (as small as 35 years), records will almost assuredly be set somewhere every day for the next several decades to centuries.
• Appreciation to R. Maue, among several others, for feedback.

Source of map: coolwx.com

Arkansas Storm creates *DRAMATIC* situation not far from Yellowstone!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dme-zxqvTTk&feature=youtu.be