Category 5 Hurricane Irma 2nd strongest ever in Atlantic

Source of data: Irma track and forecast tracks: National Hurricane Center

5 September, 2017. "Throughout the day this Tuesday, Sept. 5, 2017, Category 5 Hurricane Irma has increased in power again and again, and as of 2 p.m. ET, contains sustained winds of 185 mph, tying with three others as the second most powerful* Atlantic hurricane on record

The immediate threat is to the islands, and it will be a massive one to the British Virgin Islands, Anguilla and Antigua and Barbuda. We have details in our story.

Believe it or not, there's not much of a precedent for a storm this strong on the Caribbean islands. Only one Category 5 (David, 1979, much further away and to the south of Puerto Rico), and only eight Category 4 hurricanes have passed through this area since 1950. This is the most impressive hurricane I've ever seen on the Caribbean Radar.

<...> *Irma's pressure doesn't rank in the top 10, however, standing at 926 mb as of 2 p.m.; the strongest hurricane in the Atlantic as measured by pressure was Hurricane Wilma in 2005, at 882 mb, something I was lucky to blog about on AccuWeather.com."

Cat 5 Hurricane Irma 2nd strongest ever in Atlantic. (n.d.). Retrieved September 05, 2017, from https://www.accuweather.com/en/weather-blogs/weathermatrix/cat-5-hu...

5 September, 2017. Source: NASA Earth observatory Link

Reference: Hurricane Irma Strengthens : Natural Hazards. (n.d.). Retrieved September 05, 2017, from https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/view.php?id=90901

"Hurricane Irma intensified into an extremely dangerous high-end Category 5 storm with top sustained winds of 180 mph on Tuesday morning, putting it among the strongest Atlantic hurricanes ever observed. Irma's winds are the most powerful ever measured in an Atlantic hurricane north of the Caribbean and east of the Gulf of Mexico. Measurements from Hurricane Hunter aircraft found peak winds of close to 180 mph, well above the 157-mph threshold for Category 5 strength. At 11:07 am EDT, a dropsonde in Irma's eye measured a central pressure of 927 millibars, 4 mb lower than the previous pass, so Irma is still strengthening."

Reference: Category 5 Irma the 5th Strongest Atlantic Hurricane on Record. (n.d.). Retrieved September 05, 2017, from https://www.wunderground.com/cat6/category-5-irma-5th-strongest-atl...

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Reported on the scale of #France, here is the size of hurricane #Irma.

https://www.facebook.com/lameilleureinfometeo/photos/a.344721230251...

Irma reaches Barbuda   Irma reaches Barbuda

http://www.keyt.com/news/santa-barbara-s-county/massivie-storm-syst...

Massive storm system quickly rolls through Santa Barbara

"Microburst" overturned boats, toppled power lines

Santa Barbara had a microburst Sunday, bringing unexpectedly high winds and heavy rain

Microburst overturned boats, toppled power lines 

A quick-hitting storm system rolled through Santa Barbara overturning boats, leaving flooded roadways and power lines knocked down. 

Just before 3 p.m., a violent weather event rolled through Santa Barbara with massive amounts of rain and wind. 

The storm is believed to be a microburst, a sudden localized and powerful air current. Some areas in Santa Barbara were left unscathed with the majority of damage coming to the Santa Barbara Harbor and lower State Street. 

Trees were knocked over near lower State Street and U.S. Highway 101 was at a crawl as debris slowed traffic. Several downtown area visitors took shelter inside nearby businesses. 

West Gutierrez had multiple trees in the roadway and some landed on top of cars. People were advised to stay away from the area as crews worked to remove people who were trapped in their vehicles. 

Power lines were knocked down on Ortega Street and multiple businesses lost power. Some businesses were forced to close down for the remaining of the day. 

A large eucalyptus tree landed on railroad tracks, delaying Amtrak traffic. 

Multiple traffic incidents were reported as the water collected on the roadway. Several injuries were also reported. 

Boats, kayaks, and paddleboards overturned in the Santa Barbara Harbor and at least 17 people had to be rescued. The Santa Barbara City Fire Department said 56 people were tossed into the water. The Santa Barbara Harbor Patrol said all people were accounted for and remind the public of the importance of wearing a life jacket when out in the water. 

Jetskiers and private citizens also jumped in to help. Some people swam to shore on their own. A 22-foot sailboat was also overturned and was sinking into the ocean. 

Multiple people called to report a tornado, although it is not believed the weather event was a tornado. Microbursts behave in similar ways and can cause similar damage.

Hurricane Irma Live Updates: ‘Leave Now,’ Florida Governor Warns (VIDEO)

Hurricane Jose: storm 'almost category five' as it follows Irma's destructive path

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/sep/09/hurricane-jose-storm-...

The system is nearing the eastern Caribbean islands of Barbuda and Anguilla, promising further devastation in the wake of the giant Irma

Hurricane Jose has “almost” reached category five strength, with top winds of 155 mph (250kmh) as it heads towards the eastern Caribbean islands ravaged by Hurricane Irma

Jose was about 240 miles (390km) east-southeast of the northern Leeward Islands on Saturday morning and was forecast to hit the outlying Caribbean islands later in the day.

The US national hurricane centre said that “air force hurricane hunters find Jose even stronger ... almost a category 5 hurricane”.

It issued hurricane warnings for the eastern Caribbean islands of Barbuda and Anguilla, Sint Maarten, St Martin and St Barthelemy. A hurricane watch was in effect for Antigua, while tropical storm watch was is in effect for Montserrat, St Kitts, and Nevis, British Virgin Islands, and St Thomas and St John.

In the Gulf of Mexico, Hurricane Katia made landfall north of Tecolutla, Mexico early on Saturday. Katia was still rated a category one hurricane with winds of 75 mph (120kmh).

Many of Irma’s victims have already fled their devastated islands on ferries and fishing boats for fear of Jose, which is currently ranked as a category four storm that could punish some places all over again this weekend.

“I don’t think it takes a rocket scientist to know that further damage is imminent,” said inspector Frankie Thomas of the Antigua and Barbuda police.

Authorities said around 90% of Barbuda, a coral island rising a mere 125 feet (38 meters) above sea level, had been devastated by Irma.

Its 1,400 inhabitants were ordered to evacuate on Friday to neighboring Antigua, where Stevet Jeremiah was reunited with one son and made plans to bury another.

Jeremiah, who sells lobster and crab to tourists, was huddled in her wooden home on Barbuda this week with her partner and their two- and four-year-old boys as Irma ripped open their metal roof and sent the ocean surging into the house.

Her younger son, Carl Junior Francis, was swept away. Neighbors found his body after sunrise.

“Two years old. He just turned two, the 17th, last month. Just turned two,” she repeated. Her first task, she said, would be to organize his funeral. “That’s all I can do. There is nothing else I can do.”

The dead included 11 on St Martin and St Barts, four in the US Virgin Islands, four in the British Virgin Islands and one each on Anguilla and Barbuda.

Laura Strickling, who lives with her husband Taylor on St Thomas, said they had huddled in a basement apartment along with another family as Irma storm raged for 12 hours.

“The noise was just deafening. It was so loud we thought the roof was gone,” she said, adding that she and the three other adults “were terrified but keeping it together for the babies”.

“We’re obviously worried by the thought of having to do it all again with Hurricane Jose. It’s not good,” she said.

In Mexico, which is also dealing with its most powerful earthquake in a century, Katia was expected to weaken rapidly over the next day, the USNHC said. Category 1 is the NHC’s weakest hurricane designation while category 5 is the strongest. Storms of category 3 and above are defined as major hurricanes.

Veracruz state officials said in a statement that the storm could cause landslides and flooding, and urged people living below hills and slopes to be prepared to evacuate.

Luis Felipe Puente, head of Mexico’s national emergency services, said this week that Katia has “worrying characteristics” because it is very slow-moving and could dump a lot of rain on areas that have been saturated in recent weeks.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4869944/Hurricane-Irma-hits...

'We just don't know how many are dead': 10,000 people who stayed in Florida Keys to brave Hurricane Irma 'now have no water, food or power' amid fears of a 'humanitarian crisis' - but deadly storm is now downgraded to Category One

• Irma weakened to a category 1 hurricane as it hammered the Tampa Bay region with 85mph winds Monday
• Hurricane Irma had earlier punished Fort Myers and Naples after making landfall for the second time in Marco Island on Sunday at 3.30pm
• The National Hurricane Center said water levels in Naples rose 7ft in just 90 minutes with substantial flooding
• Irma arrived as a category 4 storm but had fallen to a category 2 by late Sunday afternoon 
• Irma has so far claimed five lives in Florida with three dying in car crashes  
• The storm toppled cranes, swallowed streets and left nearly four million without power on Sunday
• Six million people had been told to leave their homes in mandatory or voluntary evacuation orders
• More than 170,000 people waited in shelters statewide as Irma headed up the coast 
• The storm has already claimed at least 25 lives across the Caribbean since it took hold earlier in the week
• President Donald Trump said the US may have gotten a 'little bit lucky' after the hurricane veered from its original course

Rescuers have admitted they do not know how many people in Florida have been killed by Hurricane Irma amid fears of a looming 'humanitarian crisis'.

Up to 10,000 people are believed to have stayed in their Florida Keys homes during the storm and now have no water, food or power, officials have warned.

It comes as it emerged Irma has left nearly four million people without electricity and five dead as the destructive storm hammered the state with strong winds and threats of devastating storm surges.

Irma weakened to a category 1 hurricane as it pummeled the vulnerable Tampa Bay region with 85mph winds early Monday morning.  As of 2am, the storm was centered about 25 miles northeast of Tampa and moving north-northwest at 15 mph.

The deadly storm had earlier punished Fort Myers and Naples after coming ashore for the second time in Marco Island at 3.30pm. The National Hurricane Center said water levels in Naples rose 7ft in just 90 minutes.

Irma arrived as a category 4 storm but had fallen to a category 2 by late Sunday afternoon and was continuing to weaken as it marched up Florida's Gulf Coast.

The death toll jumped to five early Monday morning with reports a person had been found dead in a home in Florida Keys. 

But this morning, Florida Director of Emergency Management Bryan Koon said he could not confirm or deny reports of multiple deaths or extensive damage admitting: 'I don't have any numbers on fatalities at this point.' 

Hurricane Irma is currently hammering Fort Myers (above) on the west coast of Florida with 110 mph winds after making landfall for the second time on Sunday afternoon

Areas of Naples (above) are now suffering substantial flooding and swathes of the west coast are under 15ft storm surge warnings. The National Hurricane Center said water levels in Naples rose 7ft in just 90 minutes

Hurricane Irma left nearly four million people without power after the deadly storm battered Florida

Koon said about 10,000 people stayed in the Keys to ride out the storm but communications had been cut off.

He said it was likely they did not have power or water and that there would have been 'fairly significant impact to homes'. 

'It is obvious we need to get in there, assess the damage and figure out what we need to do for helping those folks,' he said.

More than 170,000 people waited in shelters statewide as Irma headed up the coast. 

Forecasters expect Irma to weaken further into a tropical storm over far northern Florida or southern Georgia on Monday as it speeds up its forward motion. The hurricane center says the storm is still life-threatening with dangerous storm surge, wind and heavy rains. 

Irma has so far claimed five lives in Florida, including two law enforcement officials involved in a car crash Sunday. Hardee County Sheriff's deputy and mother-of-one Julie Bridges and Hardee Correctional Institute sergeant Joseph Ossman crashed and died around 60 miles from Saratosa.

The storm toppled cranes, swallowed streets and left about 5 million without power Sunday as it unleashed its terrifying fury after wreaking a trail of death and destruction through the Caribbean.

Six million people were ordered to flee the path of the hurricane before it first made landfall in Florida Keys. 

Handfuls of holdout residents, having defied calls to evacuate, hunkered down as Irma tore over the Keys, ripping boats from their moorings, flattening palm trees and downing power lines across the island chain popular for fishing and scuba diving.

The Keys is now the subject of a huge airborne relief mission.

The county administrator in the Florida Keys says crews will begin house to house searches Monday morning, looking for people who need help and assessing damage from Hurricane Irma.

Monroe County Administrator Roman Gastesi says relief will arrive on a C-130 military plane at the Key West International Airport.

Once it's light out, they'll check on survivors. They suspect they may find fatalities. Gastesi says they are 'prepared for the worst.'

While southwest Florida bore the deadly brunt of Irma's wrath Sunday, the coastlines of Miami and the neighboring island of Miami Beach were heavily inundated by storm surges as hurricane winds sent two giant construction cranes crashing down.

A third construction crane toppled late Sunday at a project on Fort Lauderdale beach.

Up to half a million people to be evacuated as giant Typhoon Talim approaches south-eastern China

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4887088/Hurricane-Irma-wipe...

'For the first time in 300 years there's not a single living person on Barbuda. A civilisation has been extinguished': Hurricane Irma wiped out entire island, US ambassador reveals

• The Category 5 hurricane descended on the small island last week
• All of Barbuda's 1,800 residents were evacuated to nearby Antigua
• Some 95 per cent of the island's buildings have been destroyed
• US ambassador said Barbuda is now completely uninhabited 

The devastation caused by Hurricane Irma has left a Caribbean island uninhabited by civilisation 'for the first time in 300 years'.

All of Barbuda's 1,800 residents have been evacuated and more than 95 per cent of its structures have been damaged after the ferocious storm hit its shores last week.

The Category 5 hurricane battered the Caribbean with winds of up to 185mph leaving a trail of destruction in its wake.

Hurricane Irma has devastated the Caribbean leaving homes completely destroyed

All of Barbuda's 1,800 residents have been evacuated, leaving the island uninhabited 'for the first time in 300 years'

This satellite image shows the effects of Irma on Barbuda's Codrington Port from above  

Many of Barbuda's residents were relocated to Antigua, which did not suffer as much damage. 

The Ambassador to the US for both islands, Ronald Sanders, told USA Today: 'There’s not a single living person on the island of Barbuda — a civilization that has existed on that island for over 300 years has now been extinguished.'

Irma was 378 miles wide when it hit Barbuda, a small island of just 62 square miles - the damage is estimated to cost around $200m (£15m).

Photographs taken after the storm show homes completely flattened with debris strewn about the landscape.

'The island and the people on the island had absolutely no chance,' Mr Sanders added.

The island generates just $1bn a year and authorities are hoping the international community will provide them with aid

Batten down the hatches! As Hurricane Jose weakens another one forms; Tropical storm Maria expected to become strong Hurricane category 4 by Tuesday

EarthWindMap

With tropical storm, Maria expected to reach strong Hurricane force later today and tropical Storm Lee not far behind and both heading Northwest the recent devastation caused by Harvey, Irma and Jose may yet not be over for the Caribbean and Florida.
Following the development of Tropical Storm Lee, budding Hurricane Maria poses a significant threat to Irma-devastated areas in the northern Caribbean early this week.
Tropical Storm Maria, is located less than 600 miles east-southeast of the Lesser Antilles but that's not good because there is plenty of warm Caribbean water between which is like jet fuel for a Hurricane and presents the biggest risk to land as it continues to gain strength over the coming days.

According to AccuWeather.com people in the Lesser Antilles should be preparing for yet another impactful tropical system.
Maria will quickly track to the west or west-northwest the next few days.
Conditions are conducive for the storm to ramp up into a Category 2 hurricane prior to reaching the Lesser Antilles on Monday night and Tuesday.
This is the third tropical system to impact the area in two weeks, following major hurricanes Irma and Jose during the first week of September.
While it is unlikely that the storm will reach Irma’s intense strength by the time it approaches, the brisk pace of the storm means there is little time for preparations to be completed on the islands.
Seas will build along the east-facing beaches of the Leeward Islands as the strengthening storm approaches on Sunday and Monday.
Torrential rain and damaging winds will then increase on Monday night and into Tuesday.
Some of the islands that were largely spared from Irma’s wrath may take a direct hit from the storm, including Montserrat, Guadeloupe, Dominica and Martinique.
Residents should prepare for widespread tree damage, days to weeks of power outages and structural damage at the hands of a Category 2 hurricane.
Well-constructed homes may sustain major roof or siding damage.
"Rainfall amounts of 100-200 mm (4-8 inches) and storm surge will lead to flooding," AccuWeather Meteorologist Jordan Root said.

Source:  http://www.thebigwobble.org/2017/09/batten-down-hatches-as-hurrican...

Maximum sustained winds of 90mph and 15ft waves as Hurricane Jose strengthened Sunday to hit Jersey Shore and Long Island Tuesday

International Hurricane Centre
Hurricane Jose strengthened Sunday as it churned its way north through the Atlantic Ocean as a Category 1 storm, with maximum sustained winds of 90 miles per hour.
Tropical Storm Watch is in effect for much of the Jersey Shore and Long Island as Hurricane Jose will make its closest pass to the Tri-State region late Tuesday into Wednesday.
The centre of Jose will stay offshore so the greatest impacts will be felt right along the coast with dangerous surf, strong rip currents, beach erosion and coastal flooding.
Wave heights can top out between 10 and 15 feet.
The strongest winds will be over eastern Long Island, with gusts up to 50mph.
Farther west, including the New York City area, winds can gust over 30mph at times late Tuesday into early Wednesday.
As far as timing, some of the outer rain bands from Jose could arrive late tomorrow night, but conditions will deteriorate more significantly on Tuesday as it becomes increasingly windy and rainy. This will last through Tuesday night and perhaps into Wednesday, especially on Long Island.
Even as the storm departs later in the week, the ocean will remain rough with high surf and strong rip currents.
The storm was located about 355 miles southeast of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina Sunday and heading north at 9 mph.
The National Hurricane Center advised East Coast residents from North Carolina on up to monitor the storm's progress.
The most likely of the computer models would put the storm at least 250 miles off the coast of the New York area.
The sustained winds increased Sunday morning, but Jose is still expected to gradually weaken as it pushes northward over the next few days into less favourable atmospheric conditions.
Jose is already producing dangerous surf for Bermuda, the Bahamas, parts of the Caribbean, and parts of the US East Coast.
While Jose is projected to weaken and veer away from any direct impact on the coast, the Hurricane Center said a minor shift could bring tropical-storm-force winds to North Carolina's Outer Banks or areas to the north.
The storm formed Sept. 5 in the open Atlantic, brushed northeast Caribbean islands as a Category 4 hurricane and did a loop the loop before tracking west again toward the U.S.

Source: www.thebigwobble.org/2017/09/maximum-sustained-winds-of-90-miles-pe...

After an unseasonal heatwave with temps well above 30deg C powerful storms kill 8 and injure 70 in Western Romania as winds reach 100km/h

Photo wacotrib.com
Eight people lost their lives and almost 70 were injured as powerful storms hit Western Romania on Sunday evening.
The wind reached speeds of up to 100 kilometers per hour bringing down hundreds of trees, electricity poles, and tearing household roofs.
The most affected areas were Timis and Arad counties, in Western Romania, where six people were killed in the storm.
In Timisoara, a woman died after being hit by the branches of a tree at the city zoo.
Another man lost his life after a billboard fell on his car, according to local Mediafax. Some 27 more people were injured in Timisoara, where the wind was so powerful that it even overturned trucks on the road.
Two people were also killed in Bistrita-Nasaud county, in Northern Romania.
One of them was hit by a tree in the city's park.
In Alba county, over 15,000 households were left without electricity as the powerful wind broke the electricity lines.
Six people were also injured in Alba.
Romania has experienced unusually hot weather for this time of year in the last few days, with temperatures reaching 34 degrees Celsius in the Southern regions on Sunday.
The weather is expected to turn bad in the next few days and rain may take over the country.

Source: www.thebigwobble.org/2017/09/after-unseasonal-heatwave-with-temps.html

Typhoon Doksuri tore through Vietnam this weekend killing 4 with almost 100,000 evacuated and 123,000 homes destroyed

Photo indianexpress.com
Shaken residents in central Vietnam were piecing their homes and businesses back together yesterday after a powerful typhoon hammered large swathes of the country's coast, leaving at least four people dead.
Typhoon Doksuri tore through Vietnam on Friday afternoon, reducing structures to piles of debris and knocking out electricity and telecommunications in several provinces, in one of the worst storms to hit the country in years.
Residents woke up yesterday to find widespread destruction in normally idyllic coastal communities popular among beachgoers.
"I sat inside my house, covering my ears, I didn't dare leave as I was so scared," said Ms Mai Thi Tinh, whose restaurant in Ha Tinh province was completely destroyed.
"The power is still off so we can't do anything.
I don't know how long it will take to recover."
At least four people were killed and eight injured, according to Vietnam's Disaster Management Authority.

Photo naijatwitter.com
Some 123,000 homes were damaged, and trees and power lines were torn down in five hard-hit provinces, the disaster agency said.
"The wind was so bad that I hid under the bed.
I'm old but I'm afraid of death," said 70-year-old retired teacher Tran Ngoc Khang.
Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc visited Ha Tinh province yesterday to survey the damage.
"We have to quickly mobilise forces to repair houses and damaged schools...
We have to ensure people can get back to normal life," he said on state-run Vietnam Television. Nearly 80,000 people were evacuated as the storm bore down, while the government deployed a quarter of a million troops and a fleet of vehicles and ships.
Forecasters warned of a risk of flooding and landslides as the storm swept through the central and northern parts of the country.
Vietnam's central coast is routinely lashed by storms, especially during the tropical storm season from May to October.
Vietnam has already been hit by severe weather this year, with 140 people dead or missing in natural disasters since January, according to official figures.

Source: www.thebigwobble.org/2017/09/typhoon-doksuri-tore-through-vietnam.html

https://www.rte.ie/news/2017/0918/905534-romanian-storm/

Storm kills eight in Romania

A strong storm killed eight people and injured at least 67 in western Romania as winds of up to 100km/h also brought destruction to parts of Serbia and Croatia, officials said.

Road and rail traffic in parts of Romania was halted by fallen trees.

Several hospitals, schools and apartment buildings had roofs damaged and dozens of towns and villages were left without electricity.

Some of the casualties were people strolling outside or coming out of supermarkets, the emergency services said.

A group of tourists was stranded for an hour in a chairlift in the northern county of Maramures.

In Serbia, a man went missing on his boat on the Danube river near Belgrade and six people, including a five-year-old child, were injured by falling trees.

Arcing from power lines, caused by the high winds, triggered several wildfires.

In Croatia, flooding brought traffic to a standstill in several coastal towns.

"We can't fight the weather," Romanian Prime Minister Mihai Tudose told Antena3 TV. "The entire medical sector is focused on the injured."

He said the government would help support the communities hit by the storm.

Nicolae Robu, mayor of the Romanian city of Timisoara spoke to local TV station Digi24 as he was surveying the scene outside.

"There are dozens of trees on the ground, roads blocked, we are out of electricity and water. There are roofs torn off houses, apartment buildings. There are overturned trucks. I've never seen anything like this."

Hurricane Maria:Dominica devastated with ’90 per cent of buildings destroyed’

https://youtu.be/Acap3IrCYYk

http://www.express.co.uk/news/weather/856406/Hurricane-Maria-path-N...

• Hurricane Maria is due to make landfall in Puerto Rico later today as a “potentially catastrophic” category 5 hurricane.
• The storm is currently lashing St Croix in the US Virgin Islands with winds of up to 165 mph.
• Maria has already hit Dominica, where six people have reportedly died, and has caused widespread damage to Guadeloupe and Martinique.
• The latest GFS weather model shows Maria skirting past North Carolina and the US east coast early next week.

Bringing you the latest Hurricane Maria path updates, storm track, weather models, forecasts, tracking maps and videos as the storm heads towards the Caribbean.

Here are live updates from the the NOAA, National Hurricane Center (NHC) and the National Weather Service (NWS) as well as the most advanced weather models from around the world. All times EDT.

4.20am: 'Terrifying noises' herald Maria's arrical in Puerto Rico

Several Puerto Ricans have tweeted that "terrifying noises" are marking the arrival of Hurricane Maria.

Strong winds have been reported in Humacao on the southeast coast of the island.

4.00am: Maria's eyewall located over Vieques

The NOAA has released a special 4am update on Maria’s position and intensity.

Maria’s eyewall is currently over Vieques, with the center of the storm located about 20 miles south-southeast of Vieques and about 60 miles southeast of San Juan, Puerto Rico.

The update added: “A sustained wind of 68 mph (109 km/h) with a wind gust to 83 mph (133 km/h) was recently reported in Fajardo, Puerto Rico.

“A sustained wind of 47 mph (76 km/h) with a wind gust to 63 mph (102 km/h) was recently reported at San Juan International Airport.”

4.00am: Maria to hit Puerto Rico within hours

Keraunos, the French hurricane observatory, has said that Hurricane Maria will hit Puerto Rico within 2 to 3 hours.

Residents across the island, including those in its capital San Juan, are hunkering down ahead of the storm’s impact.

"It looks like a ghost town," 53-year-old psychiatrist Jose Torres said as he walked through the center of Old San Juan.

“We're taking more precautions this time after Irma.”

Puerto Rico avoided a direct hit from Irma, but the storm knocked out power for 70 percent of the island, and killed at least three people. Maria promises to be worse.

"We know that this hit is going to be much more devastating than the previous one," Puerto Rico's Governor Ricardo Rossello told National Public Radio.

3.30am: Dominica devastated with ’90 per cent of buildings destroyed’

Six people have died on Dominica, according to initial but unconfirmed reports.

Communications are still down on the island, which was hit by Maria on Monday night, meaning that it is impossible to verify the extent of the devastation.

WIC News understands that at least 90 per cent of the island’s buildings have been destroyed, with trees uprooted and power and communications down.

The website has also received reports of severe flooding and landslides blocking several roads.

Levi Peter, the attorney general of Dominica, spoke to Sky News this morning from London.

Hurricane Maria: 'storm of the century' devastates Puerto Rico - latest news

• Hurricane Maria pummels Puerto Rico 
• 100 per cent without power
• 'Potentially catastrophic' winds of 155mph
• Governor warns storm has force 'not seen in modern history'
• Maria has already killed at least eight as it rips through Caribbean
• Reports of 90pc of buildings destroyed on island of Dominica

Hurricane Maria pummeled Puerto Rico, bringing "catastrophic" 155mph winds and knocking out power to the island's entire population of 3.5 million.

The "monster" storm was the strongest to hit the US territory in nearly a century.

It made landfall in Puerto Rico at 11.15am BST in the southeast coastal town of Yabucoa and punished the island with life-threatening winds that have torn off roofs and sent doors flying from hinges.

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Puerto Rico governor: Power could be out for months

http://www.cnn.com/2017/09/20/americas/hurricane-maria-caribbean-is...

(CNN)Puerto Rico's energy grid took such a severe blow from deadly Hurricane Maria that restoring power to everyone may take months, Gov. Ricardo Rosselló told CNN on Wednesday night.

Roseau, Dominica, one of many towns devastated by Hurricane Maria.

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Satellite video shows eye of Hurricane #Maria moving over Puerto Rico. abcn.ws/2yeoj2J

http://www.hindustantimes.com/mumbai-news/mumbai-deluge-second-high...

Heavy rains batter Mumbai, second highest deluge recorded in September

Between Tuesday and Wednesday mornings, Mumbai received 303.7 mm, the second highest after the 318.2mm recorded on September 12, 1981

A man pushes his bike through a waterlogged street in Mumbai on Tuesday evening. 

Near-record rainfall left vast areas of Mumbai under water on Wednesday, affecting suburban train services and flights and forcing authorities to shut down educational institutions for a day in the country’s financial capital.

As many as 183 passengers had a narrow escape when a SpiceJet flight overshot a wet runway while landing at the Mumbai airport and got stuck in mud on Tuesday night, officials said. The passengers were safely evacuated but more than 50 flights had to be diverted as a result of the accident.

The latest flooding comes less than a month after the city of 20 million people was pummelled by unusually high rainfall that killed many and brought the metropolis to its knees for at least two days.

Between 8.30am Tuesday and 8.30am Wednesday, the Santacruz weather station, representative of Mumbai and its suburbs, recorded 303.7mm, and Colaba, representative of south Mumbai, recorded 210mm rain, the highest for south Mumbai this monsoon.

The city was just 14.5mm short of the all-time high 24-hour September rainfall of 318.2mm recorded on September 12, 1981. The last days’ rainfall was also the highest in a decade since the September 4, 2012 when the city received 185.3mm rain.

Mumbai’s average rainfall for September is 312.3mm, which was surpassed over the past 24 hours.

Met officials said the city has recorded 536.4mm in September. The total rainfall this season is at 2879.5mm as against the annual average of 2258mm.

A satellite imagery of the cloud cover over Mumbai on Wednesday.

“The current satellite images tell us that the thick cloud patch over Mumbai has died down and moved over parts of south Gujarat. Heavy to very heavy rainfall levels are likely to reduce to light to moderate through Wednesday,” said KS Hosalikar, deputy director general western region, India Meteorological Department (IMD).

The IMD also forecast heavy to very heavy rainfall at few places with extremely heavy rainfall in Raigad district adjoining Mumbai in the next 24 hours.

On Wednesday, residents reported waterlogging in many parts of the city, forcing people to wade through knee-deep water to reach their place for work and business.

Waterlogging was reported in Borivali, Sion, Hindmata in Dadar, Goregaon, Andheri, Kandivali, Malad, Kharghar, Mankhurd, and Bhandup.

Suburban train services – the city’s lifeline which carries 70 lakh commuters daily -- on all three lines were suspended on Tuesday night.

Though the services resumed on Wednesday, many trains were suspended due to flooded tracks while several others were running late, officials said.

Western line services, suspended between Nalasopara-Virar stations due to water logged tracks, resumed at 7 am but trains are running at least 15-25 minutes late, sources said.

Officials said Central Railway said trains were running with less frequency on the main and Harbour lines.

Some airlines issued advisories to their passengers about the weather conditions and possible delays.

As many as 56 flights have been diverted to different airports till Wednesday morning as the main runway was blocked by the stuck SpiceJet aircraft, an airport official said.

The Mumbai airport, the country’s second busiest airport, handles 930 flights per day with an average of 48 movements per hour.

Mumbai Police also issued advisories through Twitter, warning people about waterlogged streets and asking them to take alternate routes.

https://www.dabangasudan.org/en/all-news/article/flash-floods-kill-...

Flash floods kill two, block roads to eastern Sudan towns

The Bandigyo-Simsim road in El Gedaref has become inaccessible on 20 September 

Flash floods caused the death of two people in El Gedaref in eastern Sudan on Wednesday and blocked off the road leading to and from 27 villages.

The Bandigyo-Simsim road has become inaccessible. A resident in Bandigyo told Radio Dabanga that a pregnant woman died on the road, in Sidra area, as she attempted to travel to El Gedaref on a tractor.

A herder died in a flash flood the same day. “The water washed away the part of the Bandigyo-Simsim road at Khor Sidra a few days ago.

“27 villages, accommodating about 150,000 people have become isolated,” he said. The road interruptions are causing a shortage in food. Meanwhile, numbers of families were forced to leave flooded homes. The resident mentioned the proliferation of snakes and the deteriorating health environment.

An estimated 97,000 people (19,335 families) across the country have been affected by heavy rains and flash floods, according to reports from the government’s Humanitarian Aid Commission (HAC). The floods have affected 12 states: El Gezira, Central Darfur, East Darfur, Khartoum, River Nile, North Darfur, Northern State, Sennar, South Darfur, South Kordofan, West Kordofan and White Nile, the United Nations humanitarian office (OCHA) reported last week.

500,000 people were evacuated from Japan and China with heaviest rain in 40 years from Tropical Storm Talim

http://www.thebigwobble.org/2017/09/500000-people-evacuated-from-ja...

Tuesday, 19 September 2017

NASA-NOAA's Suomi NPP satellite saw Extra-Tropical Storm Talim on Sept. 18 at 0254 UTC over southwestern Japan. Credits: NOAA/NASA Goddard MODIS Rapid Response Team

Hundreds of thousands were evacuated last Sunday after Tropical Storm Talim made landfall in Japan, packing strong winds and heavy rainfall.
Nearly a foot of rain has already fallen in parts of eastern Kyushu, according to weather.com meteorologist Chris Dolce.
The torrential downpours could result in flooding and landslides.
In Kagoshima Prefecture, 230,000 people were evacuated, EuroNews.com reports.
Nearly 60,000 were issued evacuation orders in parts of Oita and Miyazaki prefectures, the Japan Times reports.
"The mountains seem about to collapse," a resident of Asakura told EuroNews.
"I think it will be okay but I am still scared."
A 71-year-old man is reportedly missing in Oita prefecture, where more than 500 people have become stranded, Xinhuanet reports.
Operators of bullet trains reported stoppages due to power outages and the heavy rain, Bloomberg reports.
The storm caused flight cancellations Saturday after bringing high winds and significant rainfall to the country's southern islands.
China Airlines, Tigerair Taiwan and EVA Airways have all cancelled flights, Focus Taiwan reports. The storm will continue to affect Japan with heavy rain and gusty winds as it accelerates northeastward according to Dolce.
Before hitting mainland Japan, Talim caused more than 18,000 homes in the city of Miyako, located about 1,000 miles southwest of Tokyo and home to 54,000 people, to lose power.
The highest 24-hour rainfall total in more than 40 years was recorded there Wednesday.
Trees were uprooted and power lines knocked down on Miyako Island and its neighbouring islands, the Ryukyu Shimpo newspaper reported to SBS.com.
The Miyako-Jima Island airport clocked a wind gust of 108 mph late Wednesday, local time, and picked up a 24-hour record rainfall of 18.86 inches, notes weather.com meteorologist Jon Erdman. Over a two-day period, Miyako-Jima picked up 20.30 inches, also a record, there, dating to 1977. Talim pushed high surf toward the coast of China, where more than 200,000 people had been evacuated from the Chinese provinces of Fujian and Zhejiang of Wednesday.
According to UNTV, the storm had already raised the tide more than 30 feet in Yuhuan, in the Zhejiang province. "We've evacuated all the people here, providing them with daily supplies," said Yongxing Community Committee of Sansha City deputy director Zhao Heng.

https://www.premiumtimesng.com/regional/south-south-regional/244053...

Flood ravages 12 Cross River communities, 3,000 farmlands destroyed

Benue flood. 

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Twelve communities in Boki Local Government Area of Cross River State have been flooded following two days of heavy rain, while more than 3,000 farmlands were equally destroyed.

The incident, which occurred between the late hours of September 18 and the early hours of September 19, has rendered hundreds of residents homeless as properties worth millions of naira were destroyed.

John Inaku, the Director General, Cross River State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), told NAN on Sunday, during an inspection of the affected areas that the economic survival of residents of the submerged communities had been seriously affected.

Mr. Inaku stated that more than 1,000 people have been displaced and are taking refuge in nearby communities.

According to him, the state government has promised to address the plight of the people

Some of the communities affected are Bago, Unu, Bagabo, Bakie, Bufua, and Kakwe-Beebo.

“The deluge of Sept. 18 and 19 has caused massive flooding in 12 communities in Cross River.

“Properties worth millions of naira were equally destroyed in the process.

“The flood also destroyed farmlands; crops such as banana, cassava, plantain, yam, cocoa and others were also affected while some bridges were washed away.

“The worst aspect of the flood is that it also destroyed streams which served as the only source of drinking water for the people, while the main access road was washed away as a result of landslide,’’ he said.

One of the victims, Bette Obi, Chairman of Cross River Forestry Commission, said that the flood had wreaked serious havoc on residents of the area.

Mr. Obi, who said his cocoa and plantain farms were destroyed by the flood, appealed to the state and federal government to come to their aid.

“As we speak, our farmlands have been washed away by flood. The streams where we fetch water for drinking has been polluted.

“We urgently need government’s assistance in our communities to ameliorate our plights,’’ Obi said.

Another victim, Gabriel Ofre, traditional ruler of Bago community, said that the flood had displaced his entire household, and that his property and other vital materials destroyed as well.

Mr. Ofre appealed to SEMA and NEMA to come to their aid, saying that residents of the area were peasant farmers, who lived on the meagre earnings from their farm produce.

Norway Floods

https://www.facebook.com/alertaperiodismoalternativo/videos/1993817...

https://globalnews.ca/news/3783019/saskatoon-weather-outlook-foreca...

Saskatoon weather outlook: over half metre of snow in Saskatchewan

Cypress Hills Provincial Park reported 35 centimetres of snow on the ground as of 3 p.m. CST. Monday. This photo was taken near Maple Creek, Sask

Over half a metre of snow falls in Saskatchewan to start October. 

Wintry October kickoff 

Snow plastered parts of Saskatchewan to start October with over half a metre falling in Cypress Hills. 

While the southwest corner of the province was hit hardest with the white stuff, resulting in travel not being recommended in the area, other regions were drenched in rain. 

© CHdestinationA
Over half a metre of snow fell in parts of southwest Saskatchewan.

This was our gauge last night after supper south of Watrous. Up to 4" in it now pic.twitter.com/B817cJWpZD 

— Brennan McArthur (@Mac_Acres) October 3, 2017

This is what fell at our farm NW of Bladworth. pic.twitter.com/sRuoZk0jJM 

— mike beckie (@skiwhiz_500) October 3, 2017

The biggest bullseye of precipitation was just south of Saskatoon in the Watrous area, where up to 72 millimetres was reported.

Heaviest rain fell in the Watrous area where 72mm fell https://t.co/wonYvl9b2U #yxe #Sask #skstorm pic.twitter.com/56ouD5yv8D 

— Peter Quinlan (@PQuinlanGlobal) October 3, 2017

Saskatoon saw minimal amounts of rain and also escaped without any light snow, which was possible into Tuesday morning, but did fall in areas just south of the city. 

All weather alerts in Saskatchewan have now been ended.

PUERTO RICO - Hurricane Maria

OCTOBER 3 2017

https://www.facebook.com/severeweatherEU/videos/2092372534319170/?h...

Severe Weather Europe

Absolute devastation in the rain forests of Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria! Video made by workers of a telecommunication company trying to reach antennas on in El Yunque National Forest to reestablish mobile phone networks. Video: Meteorología Del Caribe

Tropical Storm Nate: 22 Dead in Central America, States of Emergency Declared in U.S.

https://weather.com/storms/hurricane/news/tropical-storm-hurricane-...

At least 22 have been killed by Tropical Storm Nate in Nicaragua and Costa Rica.

A state of emergency was declared in Costa Rica ahead of the storm's arrival.

At least 5,000 are in emergency shelters in Costa Rica.

States of emergency have been declared in Florida, Louisiana and Alabama.

U.S. oil and gas companies have evacuated their production platforms in the Gulf of Mexico.

At least 22 people were killed Thursday after Tropical Storm Nate moved over Central America with clusters of heavy rain and gusty winds. In the U.S., officials in coastal states declared states of emergency ahead of the storm's arrival.

In Nicaragua, at least 15 were killed, including two women and a man working with the Health Ministry to provide aid were killed after being swept away by a flooded canal in Juigalpa, vice president and spokeswoman Rosario Murillo told the Associated Press.

Costa Rica's Judicial Investigation Organism said Thursday that there have been seven deaths in the country and 15 are missing.

Nate and the larger circulation it developed from produced heavy rain over Central America the last few days, according to weather.com meteorologist Chris Dolce. This rainfall has already caused flooding and more flooding is likely as the storm lifts northward toward Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula late this week.

(FORECAST: Tropical Storm Nate Soaks Central America)

In Costa Rica, at least 5,000 people have been driven into emergency shelters in the country, according to AP. All public schools and offices will remain closed through Friday, the Costa Rica Star reported. 

Coastal U.S. States Prepare

Nate will impact the U.S. Gulf Coast this weekend, with landfall mostly likely to occur Sunday between southern Louisiana and the Florida Panhandle. 

On Thursday, a release from the U.S. Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement said the agency would be evacuating platforms and rigs in the Gulf of Mexico ahead of the storm. Six of the 737 platforms in the Gulf were evacuated and one moveable rig was taken out of the path of the storm.

Florida Gov. Rick Scott declared a state of emergency Thursday for 29 counties in response to the storm. 

“Tropical Storm Nate is headed north toward our state and Florida must be prepared," said Scott in the release. "I have declared a state of emergency for 29 counties in Florida to make certain that state, federal and local governments are able to work together and ensure resources are dispersed to local communities. By declaring an emergency in these counties, we can also ensure that there is no hindrance in the transportation of supplies and assets.”

Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards declared a state of emergency Thursday, according to the AP. He announced 1,300 National Guard troops are being mobilized and 15 are heading to New Orleans to monitor the pumping system. A flood in early August revealed the malfunctioning pumps across the Big Easy.

"We do anticipate a direct hit in Louisiana," Edwards said in a statement obtained by the AP. "The bottom line for people is: You need to be where you want to be and in the posture you want to be by dark on Saturday."

Thursday city officials met to discuss the status of the drainage systems. Repairs have been made, NOLA.com reported, but not all of the turbine generators are fully operational yet.

Evacuations were ordered in part of St. Bernard Parish Thursday, the AP reported.

Officials in Grand Isle, a barrier island south of the Big Easy, called a voluntary evacuation for residents.

Thursday New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu announced a Coastal Flood Advisory is in effect until noon Sunday and urged residents to make a plan and stock up on at least three days' worth of supplies, according to a release. He says the city is working with local, federal and state partners to identify the risks and vulnerabilities of the city and determine how to keep residents safe.

The city has almost 40 boats and more than 20 high-water vehicles and other rescue supplies staged at fire and police stations, and four high-water vehicles and two boats that the Emergency Medical Services headquarters, states the release. The New Orleans Police Department has placed 146 barricades in flood-prone areas to keep motorists from driving into areas with high water.

Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey declared a state of emergency Thursday in order to free up personnel and resources in case responders need to be dispatched for any storm-related activity, the AP reported.

Mississippi Emergency Management Agency Director Lee Smithson said people living along the Gulf Coast should pay attention to reports from emergency officials and start making their own storm preparations.

Berlin, Germany. OCTOBER 6 2017

Severe Weather Europe

More damage photos from last night severe windstorm in Berlin, Germany.

https://www.facebook.com/severeweatherEU/posts/2094154267474330

-----------------------------------------------------
Rio Grande do sul- BRASIL OCTOBER 6 2017

severe damage caused by severe storms in the afternoon of last Sunday (01/10) in the region region. The winds of 120 km / h tore trees, downed posts, destroyed roofs of dozens of homes, covers, silos and sheds.

https://www.facebook.com/tornadosnobrasiloficial/posts/129852406694...

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4958262/Gulf-Coast-braces-H...

Hurricane Nate makes second landfall slamming into the Gulf Coast leaving thousands without power and bringing up to 11-feet of flooding

• Hurricane Nate made its second landfall near Biloxi, Mississippi on Saturday night after missing New Orelans
• It brought at least 10 inches of rain to the region and may trigger flash flooding and storm surges of up to 9ft 
• The hurricane warning for New Orleans had been changed to a tropical storm warning 
• Mayor of New Orleans Mitch Landrieu lifted a curfew on Saturday night
• Though it appears the city has been spared the worst, it could still face wind gusts as high as 55mph  
• The city erected flood gates on Saturday in anticipation of the storm as thundered through the Gulf of Mexico
• Hurricane warnings and evacuation orders are in place along the Gulf Coast in anticipation of the storm 
• Evacuation shelters are being prepares in Mississippi and experts fear the storm may trigger tornadoes 
• Nate strengthened from a Tropical Storm to a Category 1 hurricane on Friday afternoon 
• Water from the Mississippi River may rise to 11ft as a result of the storm  

Hurricane Nate made its second landfall near Biloxi late Saturday as a Category 1 storm with winds of 85 miles per hour, threatening parts of Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama with torrential rain and flooding.

The National Hurricane Center said the storm surge along the Mississippi coast could reach 11 feet, according to AL.com. 

On social media, people posted photos of flooding in Biloxi and other locations along the Gulf Coast. 

Widespread power outages were also reported throughout the coastal regions of Mississippi, Alabama, Louisiana, and the Florida panhandle. 

The center of the storm will move across the Deep South, Tennessee Valley and central Appalachian Mountains through Monday.

Earlier Saturday, Nate passed to the east of New Orleans, sparing the city its most ferocious winds and storm surge.

And its quick speed lessened the likelihood of prolonged rain that would tax the city’s weakened drainage pump system. 

The city famous for all-night partying was placed under a curfew, effective at 7 p.m., but the mayor lifted it when it appeared the storm would pass by and cause little problems for the city.  

Still, the streets were not nearly as crowded as they typically are on a Saturday night and Mayor Mitch Landrieu asked people to shelter in place. 

This satellite image obtained from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) shows Hurricane Nate just moments before making landfall Saturday evening

This enhanced infrared satellite image made available by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration shows Hurricane Nate approaching the mouth of the Mississippi River on Saturday

A handout photo made available by NASA shows the system approaching the Gulf Coast earlier in the day on Saturday

http://www.sfgate.com/news/article/2-big-wildfires-prompt-evacuatio...

http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-napa-fires-20171009-sto...

 

At least 10 people have died and at least 1,500 homes, businesses and other structures have been destroyed as more than 14 fires ravaged eight counties throughout Northern California on Monday, authorities said.

The Sonoma County Sheriff's Office reported seven fire-related deaths late Monday. In addition, two died because of the Atlas fire in Napa County, said a CalFire spokesperson. One person died as result of the Redwood Valley fire in Mendocino County.

In Sonoma County, the dead were found "in the hot spots" of the fire, an official said.

"We are a resilient county; we will come back from this,” said Sonoma County Supervisor Shirlee Zane. “But right now we need to grieve."

The vast devastation over just a few hours made this firestorm one of the worst in California history, with Gov. Jerry Brown declaring a state of emergency. Officials said the fires in Northern California have scorched 73,000 acres.

Local hospitals were treating those injured while others are unaccounted for, officials said. Additional fatalities were possible as search efforts continued.

One of the raging fires had Santa Rosa under siege Monday morning, with a large swath of the city north of downtown under an evacuation order.

The area of Fountaingrove appeared to be particularly hard hit, with photos showing numerous homes on fire. The Fountaingrove Inn, a Hilton hotel and a high school also burned. Officials said homes were also lost in the community of Kenwood and at a mobile home park off the 101 Freeway.

Coffey Park, a large Santa Rosa subdivision of dozens of homes, was burned to the ground.

“It’s fair to say it’s been destroyed,” Cal Fire director Ken Pimlott said of Santa Rosa’s Fountaingrove neighborhood.

Severe Weather Europe

OCTOBER 11 2017

*tropical weather* Ophelia

https://www.facebook.com/severeweatherEU/photos/a.1423656947857402....

*tropical weather* Ophelia is now a CAT 1 hurricane! It is still gradually moving east and approaching Azores and should likely maintain it's hurricane strength until it is located just NW of Iberian peninsula on Sunday evening. Ophelia will then track further NE towards Ireland. Still lot of time for changes, so stay tuned for updates!

California wildfires: 23 dead as winds threaten to worsen out-of-control blaze (videos)

Unprecedented wildfires raging in California’s wine country leave enormous devastation as fire agency says situation still ‘very serious’

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/oct/11/california-fires-wi...

The death toll has climbed to 23 as wildfires continue to blaze almost completely out of control in California’s wine country and firefighters expect weather conditions to take a turn for the worse.

“Now the winds are going back up and the humidity is going back down,” said Heather Williams, a spokeswoman for Cal Fire, the state agency responsible for fire protection. “We’re still not out of the woods. It’s a very serious situation.”

In the tiny wine country town of Glen Ellen, where the ground was still smoking from the flames that tore through early Monday morning, Loren Davis, of the Mountain volunteer fire department, had a blunter assessment: “It’s a shitstorm.”

He added that in 20 years of firefighting, he had never seen anything like the Tubbs fire, one of the now 23 major wildfires burning in California. He said he had been part of the first team on the scene and it was “freaking crazy” – moving so fast that they couldn’t do anything to fight it.

Residents of the Eastridge development in the Bay Area city of Fairfield were busy loading their cars on Wednesday afternoon as flurries of ash fell over the neighborhood like a dry, putrid dusting of snow. Firefighters and police officers were stationed every few blocks in the sprawling development of rolling hills, large houses and meticulously landscaped gardens, waiting for the order to declare a mandatory evacuation.

“I’m nervous,” said Annette Abrao, gesturing toward her cigarette as she stood in her driveway. Abrao, a dental hygienist, and her husband, Eddie, a landscaper, had left work early to get home and prepare to leave. Their truck held photographs and documents, while a trailer was packed with camping gear, a golf cart, and a taxidermied elk head – a memento from a 2010 hunting trip.

“We have a house full of stuff, and the things that were really important fit in a truck and trailer,” Eddie Arbao said. “What does that tell you?”

The fireline was about three miles north as of late Wednesday afternoon, said the Fairfield fire department deputy chief, Matt Luckenbach, who was on standby for the evacuation orders and has been on duty since the early hours of Monday.

Though the fire wasn’t advancing quickly yet, Luckenbach warned: “Three miles, as far as fire goes, isn’t far at all.”

On Bridle Ridge Road – one of the most vulnerable sites in Eastridge – four Fairfield firefighters joked, drank coffee and monitored the wind as they waited for the fire to approach, or not.

“It’s like the calm before the storm,” said Elliott Blanton, a probationary firefighter in his first year on the force. “Kind of exciting, but sobering too.”

Captain Mike Guerra, a 26-year veteran, said that the neighborhood was relatively protected because it was well landscaped, with few areas of tall brush.

While the state agency Cal Fire confronts the wildfire itself, the local force is positioned to protect people, homes and other structures should the fire encroach on developed areas.

“We’re not bulletproof, but we’re pretty well prepared,” Guerra said. “Waiting is the hardest part.”

Still, he added, “It’d be preferable to do all this preparation and have nothing happen.”

Many in Eastridge expressed a sense of gratitude that they had time to prepare, unlike the residents of Santa Rosa, 50 miles north of San Francisco, where entire neighborhoods were razed to the ground early Monday morning, leaving little more than charred heaps of belongings, skeletal trees and melted cars.

Bob Lando, 71, grasped a folder of important documents as he finished up packing on Wednesday afternoon. The retired lawyer said he was “holding out hope” that the winds would die down, but added: “It’s nice to be prepared.” Lando’s son had not been so fortunate: his entire stock of 2016 vintage was “vaporized” when the fire burned his winery, Lando Wines, near Santa Rosa earlier in the week.

More than 20,000 people have headed to evacuation centers across the region, with more leaving their homes as new areas are threatened.

Thirteen of the fatalities occurred in Napa and Sonoma counties, about an hour north of San Francisco, and the others in the state’s northern and eastern reaches – six in Mendocino County and two in Yuba County.

The Sonoma County sheriff, Robert Giordano, said the number of missing-persons reports had surpassed 600, up from about 200 a day earlier. But officials believe many of those people will be found, saying that the chaotic evacuations and poor communications over the past few days have made locating friends and family difficult.

He also expects the death toll to climb.

“The devastation is enormous,” he said. “We can’t even get into most areas.”

While it is not unusual for dozens of small fires to start each day in California, gusty conditions on Sunday night meant that 17 major fires quickly developed. Six additional major fires have ignited since then. Control remains minimal: the main fire burning in wine country is only at 3% containment, and the second-largest in the area is at 0%.

At least 3,500 homes and businesses have been destroyed since the wildfires started Sunday, making them the most destructive blazes in state history.

California’s governor, Jerry Brown, said on Wednesday that the federal government had pledged assistance, but pointed out that resources also were going to hurricane recovery efforts in Texas and Florida.

He was not circumspect about the context of the conflagrations. He said a warming climate had contributed to catastrophic wildfires and warned that they would continue to happen.

The impact of climate change was hard to ignore, said Will Bucklin, whose vineyard in Sonoma Valley was touched by the fire on Monday. Bucklin’s Old Hill Ranch lost several buildings and about a dozen vines, but he said he felt lucky that his home and most of the plants had survived.

“We’ve had the wettest year on record and the driest year on record within the span of three years,” Bucklin said. “This is exactly what we predicted would happen.”

Officials in Napa County say all of Calistoga, famous for its hot springs and wineries, had been ordered to evacuate.

Evacuations have also taken place in parts of the state that were previously unaffected – some residents in Solano County, abutting the San Francisco Bay estuary, have also been told to pack up.

In southern California, cooler weather and moist ocean air helped firefighters gain ground against a wildfire that has scorched more than a dozen square miles.

The Orange County fire authority captain, Steve Concialdi, said the blaze was nearly halfway surrounded and full containment was expected by Saturday, but another round of gusty winds and low humidity levels could arrive late on Thursday.

About 8,000 firefighters are working across the state, along with 73 helicopters and 30 air tankers, according to a Cal Fire spokesperson. New resources are set to pour in following a request from California, including 175 engines from neighboring states and dozens more from federal agencies.

“We know it’s going to be very fluid in the next couple days, and so we want these resources to get here as soon as possible,” said Williams of Cal Fire.

Of the present fires, the Tubbs fire, in Sonoma County, has claimed the largest number of lives – 13. But it is far from the deadliest in state history. The 1933 Griffith Park fire in Los Angeles killed 29, while 1991’s Tunnel fire in Oakland caused 25 deaths

RT shows the NOAA sat images, extensive fires. The winds changed, blowing from inland, Santa Anna winds, thus the moist fog is missing. Deadly wind shift!

https://www.rt.com/usa/406409-california-wildfires-satellite-images/

https://globalnews.ca/news/3797606/southern-saskatchewan-in-drought...

Southern Saskatchewan in drought for almost a year

Hurricane Ophelia Defies North Atlantic Hurricane Tracking (Oct 14) 

Plot of all tropical systems that tracked over/near Ireland. All but 1 had transitioned to post/extra-tropical: Hurricane Debbie in 1961.

Traditionally, Atlantic hurricanes move westward off the coast of Africa and across thousands of miles of open ocean before swinging back eastward. 

Not Hurricane Ophelia.

Hurricane Ophelia has set the record for the most easterly Category 3 hurricane in the Atlantic.

Western England, Northern Ireland and parts of Scotland will be most affected by hurricane force winds up to 130 kph by Monday, October 16.

Also, parts of England could see temperatures reach 25C on Sunday rather than the 15C average for mid-October.

Usually, by the time a former hurricane makes it across the North Atlantic, it is no longer getting it's energy from warm water and more resembles a winter storm. 

From 1851 to 2010, only 10 extratropical storms, typically the tail ends of tropical cyclones, have hit within 200 miles of Ireland.

Sources

http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-41620071

https://www.livescience.com/16016-hurricane-katia-hits-britain.html

https://media1.britannica.com/eb-media/45/76745-004-A1546E88.jpg

http://image.al.com/home/bama-media/width600/img/news_impact/photo/...

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/31/Atlantic_...

Severe Weather Europe OCTOBER 16 2017

Nearly 600 fires ongoing in north Spain and Portugal right now! Apocalyptic scenes from the zone ..

https://www.facebook.com/severeweatherEU/posts/2099649150258175?pnr...

http://www.severe-weather.eu/news/wildfires-in-spain-and-portugal/

https://chicago.suntimes.com/chicago-politics/riverwalk-remains-clo...

A spokeswoman for the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago said the riverwalk is designed to flood. Locks to Lake Michigan were opened over the weekend amid the heavy rains, said Allison Fore of the water district.

“Reversing the river system will lower the water in the channel, not cause riverwalk problems,” Fore wrote in an email. “The riverwalk was designed to flood.”

Though the Riverwalk was officially closed, that didn’t keep some people from using it as they dodged debris and the remaining high water. | Stefano Esposito/Sun-Times

Michelle Woods, riverwalk project manager for the city’s Department of Fleet and Facilities Management, agreed the riverwalk flooding “would have been worse” if the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District had not asked the Army Corps of Engineers to open the locks to Lake Michigan.

“It’s not good for the lakefront. That’s for sure. But, it also is part of protecting the rest of the city infrastructure,” Woods said.

The riverwalk was designed to withstand flooding and “performed as it was intended,” Woods said. But, city officials also anticipated that “certain portions would be submerged” from time to time during “major storm events we have a history of getting,” she said.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/wildfires-southern-alberta-ev...

A building burns in Crowsnest Pass just east of the Devon gas plant. The wildfire near Coleman was one of many in Alberta on Tuesday. (Name withheld by request)

Eight wildfires burning across a swath of southern Alberta have forced evacuations from multiple communities on Tuesday.

High winds helped fan the flames from the foothills in the west to the Saskatchewan border in the east. 

Here is a rundown of evacuations and information at this time. Watch here for updates. 

Acadia Valley

East of Calgary, near the Saskatchewan border, the municipal district of Acadia declared a state of emergency Tuesday evening, telling residents of the hamlet of Acadia Valley to leave immediately "if it is safe to do so."

That evacuation order has now been lifted and residents are permitted to return home. 

Highway 41, south of Acadia Valley, remains closed and a local state of emergency remains in effect.

Airdrie

The Sharp Hill neighbourhood southeast of Airdrie was placed under a sudden evacuation order Tuesday afternoon as a grass fire whipped up by strong winds raced toward homes.

Rocky View County said one home was destroyed by the fire. 

Sharp Hill residents are allowed to return home, but those who live in the Stagecoach Trail area are asked to meet with the Rocky View Fire Department at Stagecoach Trail and Township 264. Residents will be allowed in one by one with fire escort to assess their residences.

• Airdrie grass fire prompts evacuation as high winds push flames tow...

Coleman

Residents on the western edge of Coleman in southwestern Alberta are being told to evacuate as a fast-moving wildfire, fueled by strong winds, burns out of control. 

The Alberta Emergency Management Agency said the fire is burning in the area between the Sentinel Industrial Park and Coleman, but it's moving quickly.

A reception centre is open at the Vertical Church in Pincher Creek, located at 1200 Ken Thorton Blvd.

• Residents of Coleman ordered to evacuate as wildfire threatens town

Empress

A "serious fire" was threatening the Village of Empress, east of Calgary and north of Medicine Hat, on Tuesday. The evacuation order was lifted around 9:30 p.m. MT.

Gleichen/Strathmore

Residents living in and around Gleichen and Carseland in southeast Alberta are being evacuated as wildfires close in.

A local state of emergency has been declared and an Alberta Emergency Alert warns those living in areas surrounding Carseland and Gleichen to go to reception centres in Strathmore — at the Strathmore Civic Centre — or in Standard — at the Standard Community Hall. 

• Wildfires force evacuation in area around Gleichen

​A second fire, ignited by a train that caught fire near the Agrium Plant, was burning near Highway 910 and Range Road 264.

​Hilda

Residents of the village of Hilda, which is about 375 kilometres southeast of Calgary, have been advised to evacuate to Medicine Hat.

• Communities near Sask.-Alberta border evacuated, highway closed due...

Lethbridge

Lethbridge police are warning residents of Scenic Heights that a mandatory evacuation may be required and people may be forced to leave on short notice.

That's due to a fire burning in the coulees on the west of the city.

Ophelia Created Biggest Waves Ever Recorded off Irish Coast (Oct 19) 

The M5 buoy off the southeast coast of Ireland recorded a startling wave height of 17.81 m (58.4 feet) on Monday, October 16, 2017, the Irish Weather Buoy Network (IWBN) confirms. This is now the biggest individual wave ever recorded off the Irish coast. The same buoy also measured a record significant wave height (Hs) of 12.97 m (42.55 feet).

Record wave heights were captured by the Irish Weather Buoy Network during Ex-hurricane "Ophelia" on Monday, October 16, causing one of the five weather buoys to break its moorings.

The highest wave was recorded off the Irish coastline at 16.00 on Monday when the M5 weather buoy off the South East coast, measured a record individual wave (Hmax) of 17.81m (58.43 feet) and a record significant wave height (Hs) of 12.97 m (42.55 feet).

The M5 weather buoy subsequently broke away from its mooring and the Marine Institute coordinated the retrieval process as a matter of urgency. The M5 was recovered October 17 by the MV Puffin of Fastnet Shipping (Waterford) and brought ashore, IWBN said.

As Ophelia moved northwards, the M2 buoy to the east of Dublin also experienced a record significant wave height of 6.64 m (21.78 feet) measured at 18.00 on Monday, October 16.

Earlier in the day, at 12.00 local time, the M3 buoy, off the South West coast measured an individual wave height of 13.59 m (44.58 feet), although this was not a record wave for this buoy.

The world record for significant wave height is 19 m (62.33), confirmed December 2016 by the WMO.

The wave was recorded by an automated buoy at 06:00 UTC on February 4, 2013 in the North Atlantic ocean between Iceland and the United Kingdom (approximately 59° N, 11° W). It followed the passage of a very strong cold front, which produced winds of up to 43.8 knots (81.1 km/h / 50.4 mph) over the area.

The previous record of 18.275 meters (59.96 feet) was measured on December 8, 2007, also in the North Atlantic.

Source

https://watchers.news/2017/10/20/ophelia-created-biggest-waves-ever...

http://newsday.co.tt/2017/10/19/flood-alert-stays-in-effect-tobago-...

SWAMPED

Residents of Rochard Road, Barrackpore, woke up to their entire road covered in water on Thursday morning.

Large sections of Trinidad were swamped yesterday by flood waters which continued to rise in certain areas following over 24 hours of non-stop rainfall which began on Wednesday.

As a result, the Meteorological Service yesterday maintained its riverine flood alert for Trinidad especially as the Caroni River burst its banks shortly after midday. In its 9.12 am bulletin, the Met Office advised that as opposed to street and flash flooding, riverine flooding is more prolonged and widespread.

WATER EVERYWHERE: This photo, posted on social media yesterday, shows brown water covering all of Rochard Road in Barrackpore as large sections of Trinidad saw widespread flooding following heavy showers which started on Wednesday.

It also reported that water levels in some major rivers as well as their tributaries reached threshold levels overnight and the flood situation would be exacerbated by rainfall yesterday accompanied by gusty winds. “(With) the occurrence of high tide at 3.50 pm, the flooding situation is expected to continue for the next 12 to 24 hours in areas already affected,” the bulletin said.

SEABRIDGE AFFECTED

People living in the Caroni River Basin were asked to be on alert for high river levels and overspill. Heavy rain left many areas in Central and South Trinidad under water Wednesday night with several families marooned in their homes. In a statement yesterday, the Inter-island Transportation Company Limited (TTIT) advised that due to prevailing sea conditions with waves three metres high, the sailing of the T&T Express has been affected.

Yesterday’s 4 pm sail from Port of Spain to Tobago was cancelled and so too today’s 6.30 am sail from Tobago to Port of Spain. While sea conditions are expected to continue today, the TTIT said additional updates will be provided. The dedicated cargo vessel, MV Cabo Star will maintain its daily schedule.

The Cabo Star was still on schedule to sail from Port of Spain to Tobago at 2 pm yesterday and was expected to depart Tobago to Port of Spain at 11 o’clock last night. This decision is necessary, the release state, to ensure the safety of passengers, crew and vehicles on the sailing to/from Tobago.

RONDON VEX

Chairman of the Sangre Grande Regional Corporation Martin Terry Rondon was an angry man yesterday as he and councillors toured several flood areas in East Trinidad. “We as the authorities have to get together and follow the law and we have to be strict because at the end of the day it falls right back to sometimes one person who really cares to try to get the job done,” Rondon said.

https://weather.com/news/news/2017-10-22-typhoon-lan-tokyo-japan-ra...

buffering

Lan Bringing High Winds and Rain to Japan

Typhoon Lan creating stormy conditions for much of Japan into the first part of the new week.

00:57

Lan Bringing High Winds and Rain to Japan

Typhoon Lan creating stormy conditions for much of Japan into the first part of the new week.

Powerful Typhoon Lan made landfall in Japan early Monday local time, lashing the country's main island of Honshu with winds moving up to 105 mph. 

At least five people sustained slight injuries from the effects of the storm, the Associated Press reports.

Evacuation orders were issued by officials of five local governments Sunday for roughly 5,600 homes, NHK reports. Another roughly 376,000 home were placed under evacuation orders by 70 local governments.

"I live alone and at night it's scary, so I came here as early as I could," a woman at an evacuation center told NHK in a statement obtained by Reuters.

(FORECAST: The Latest of Typhoon Lan)

Reports of damage have also already begun rolling in. 

A train driver in Osaka Prefecture was forced to apply the emergency brake when he came across a stretch of railroad that had been caved in, NHK reports. At least one passenger was injured by the abrupt stop. 

The storm has disrupted air and road travel. Airlines canceled more than 300 flights and rail services were interrupted throughout the country, according to Reuters. A power outage caused the failure of one train.

Wind gusts could be as high as 120 mph as Lan approaches Tokyo, with higher gusts in higher elevations.  

Rare red sprites in action: Dazzling footage shows mysterious electric tendrils lighting up the sky over Oklahoma

• Red sprites are electrical bursts of light above highly active thunderstorms
• They appear as red at higher altitudes and fade to blue at lower heights
• One lucky videographer captured the phenomenon six times on October 6 

This month, people in Oklahoma have been treated to a stunning and extremely rare display - a red sprite lightning storm.

The extraordinary weather occurrence is caused by electrical bursts of light above highly active thunderstorms, and appears as jellyfish-shaped clusters of red light.

Red sprites are rarely seen, yet one lucky videographer managed to catch the display six times during a storm earlier this month over Edmond, Oklahoma. 

On October 6, videographer Paul Smith headed outdoors with his camera to capture some of the lightening forks on film, but instead he managed to capture something far more remarkable.

Sprawled out in the sky intermittently appears a spectacular series of bright red, jellyfish-shaped clusters of light, an extraordinary weather occurrence known as a 'red sprite'.

The mysterious electrical bursts occur over highly active thunderstorms around 37 to 56 miles (50 to 60 kilometres) above Earth, and are rarely observed from land or space, due to their high altitudes and millisecond durations.

The stunning sight is captured not only once, but a staggering six times by Mr Smith, who was left 'stunned' by the magnificent encounter.

Mr Smith said: 'I've always been interested in unusual weather and uncommon natural phenomenon.

The extraordinary weather occurrence appears as jellyfish-shaped clusters of bright red light, and is caused by electrical bursts of light above highly active thunderstorms

Red sprites are rarely seen, yet one lucky videographer managed to catch the display six times during a storm earlier this month over Edmond, Oklahom

Source: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-5008797/Red-sprite-l... 

Historic flooding in the mountain town of Boone, NC

https://biggeekdad.com/2017/10/flooding-in-boone/

Flooding In Boone

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W7giqSUqPqc

Fire loss total surges to 8,400 structures in Northern California

http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-wildfires-devastation-2017...

The wine country wildfires destroyed at least 8,400 homes and other buildings, authorities said Monday, a significant increase in the already staggering property loss.

Efforts continued by firefighters to gain control of the fires and by searchers looking for more victims. The death toll as of Monday remained at 42, making the fire series the deadliest in California history. The estimate of structure losses jumped from 7,700 reported over the weekend.

Officials said 5,000 firefighters remain on the lines, battling 10 different fires across Northern California.

About 100,000 people were displaced by the fires, and some evacuees are wondering whether they can stay in the region for the long term.

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At evacuation centers, many ask whether their future is in Santa Rosa

http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-santa-rosa-wildfire-future...

Sitting on a bed inside an evacuation center, Imelda Flores had nothing to do but think. Her Santa Rosa home had been spared by a massive wildfire, but her son’s caretaker wasn’t so lucky.

“I don’t know if I’ll be able to find another nurse now,” she said. “I don’t have anyone who can understand his situation.”

Her 12-year-old son, James Lopez, was born with one bad lung, a weak immune system and requires a machine to pump food into his stomach; if done improperly, it could lead to an infection. Because of his health problems, her son needs a nurse by his side at school.

Flores looked at James on the bed next to her. A blue face mask lay between them.

“I may need to go to school to personally feed him,” she said. “I may become his nurse.”

As firefighters anticipate full containment of the Sonoma County wildfires this week, residents like Flores are anxious about how they will find affordable housing while others find themselves overwhelmed at having to start over.

“We have an opportunity to move forward,” Flores said. “We didn’t lose our home, and I’m compelled to help others.”

The mother and son have been staying at the Grace Pavilion on the Sonoma County Fairgrounds for two weeks now. She said the first three days at the evacuation shelter were difficult.

“People were waking up screaming, some were crying, and some people would storm in here, desperately looking for relatives,” she said. “It was just difficult and sad.”

But amid the chaos, she said, Red Cross volunteers at the shelter helped ease her worries by providing them clothing and other essentials. She said Lopez’s doctor and nurses from UC San Francisco Medical Center came by to check on the young boy.

Though the shelter is now mostly empty, Flores said she has decided to stay longer because lingering smoke from the massive fires could endanger her son’s health.

“He is prone to getting sick,” she said. “A cold can turn into pneumonia.”

Even when things clear up, she feels she can’t let her guard down.

“He’ll still have to wear a mask a few more days,” she said.

There have been 18 large wildfires in Northern California, displacing about 100,000 people and destroying about 7,700 homes and other buildings since the blazes began Oct. 8, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.

Some fires merged as more than 10,000 firefighters struggled to establish containment lines and prevent the spread of the flames.

On Thursday, light rain helped firefighters battle the flames, which have scorched more than 240,000 acres, killed 42 people and caused more than $1 billion worth of insured losses.

In Sonoma County, the Nuns fire was reported to be 90% contained Sunday evening after burning 56,556 acres; the Tubbs fire, which is the most destructive wildfire in California history, was 94% contained after burning 36,807 acres; and the 17,357-acre Pocket fire was 87% contained.

In Napa County, the Atlas fire was 93% contained Sunday evening after burning 51,624 acres and killing at least six people.

And in Mendocino and Lake counties, the 36,523-acre Redwood fire was 97% contained and the Sulphur fire 97% after burning 2,207 acres.

Across from the pavilion at the Sonoma County Fairgrounds, Terry Andrew, 63, sat with his girlfriend, Marjorie Roush, 59, and her mother, Marjorie Sparaco, 92, at a special Red Cross shelter set up for pet owners.

The couple said their mobile homes were spared, but they couldn’t return to the Journey’s End Mobile Home Park because there is no power, gas or water. Almost all of the park’s 160 homes were destroyed.

“It was sad going in there to see the mobile home park,” Roush said.

The couple said a neighbor had alerted them about the fast-moving fire encroaching from the Napa area. They didn’t think the fire would reach deep into town until Andrew woke up and saw the flames had gotten closer.

“I didn’t think we were going to get out,” Andrew said, adding that he had to help Roush move her mother, who uses a wheelchair, from the mobile trailer into a vehicle.

At the shelter, the couple said it’s been difficult having to lift her mother to use the restroom. Sometimes, her mother yells out to them whenever they’re away.

“She doesn’t know where she’s at and when we tell her, she forgets,” Roush said.

The couple have managed to find a two-bedroom home, which they say they will move into Monday; but they had to dip into their savings, taking out $5,000 to make first and last months’ rent. They said rent will be about $2,000 a month, leaving them with only $1,000 to work with from social security benefits.

They still have to buy furniture for their home and a T.V. for Roush.

“I love T.V.,” she said.

Lying on the ground, Andrew’s dog, Homer, slept, ignoring the loud parrot from across the room.

Nearby, Forrest Smith, 53, a paratransit bus driver for the city of Santa Rosa, lay on a cot while his dog, Jazz, licked his cheek.

“She doesn’t think I’m clean enough,” he said, smiling.

Smith was living in a hotel, trying to find a new place to live when the wildfire swept through the storage unit where he kept all his belongings.

“Whatever I have is in my truck,” he said.

On the day of the fire, Smith said he and other bus drivers help evacuate people from retirement homes. Smith, alone, helped evacuate six people. Since then, he hasn’t been working much. He’s volunteered at the shelter, cleaning cots, throwing out trash and doing anything else to keep his mind from thinking about his situation.

“How am I going to find a place for me and my dog,” he said.

Outside, sitting on a folded chair, Steve Champ, 61, who has been homeless for more than 10 years, could only feel sad. Unlike other residents, he lost his bicycle and an orange tent where he slept. He had a few photos of his family in a zip-lock bag that the fire destroyed.

“I have them up here though,” he said, tapping his head with his index finger.

Champ said he doesn’t know where to even begin. Having to start over is even harder when you’re homeless.

He said he had found a new sleeping place at Coffey Park when the wildfire swept through the neighborhood. The community was left in ruins. Also gone was Champ’s tent, which he considered home.

“I didn’t have a chance to grab anything,” he said.

Unlike other residents, Champ said he will have to seek help at homeless shelters and other religious organizations.

Until then, he said: “I’ll let God guide me — all of us.”

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New Fire Danger Threatens to Worsen Most Disastrous Wildfire Season in California History

https://www.wunderground.com/cat6/new-fire-danger-threatens-worsen-...

A record-breaking heat wave will build over Southern California over the weekend and peak on Tuesday, bringing triple-digit temperatures that could set marks for the hottest temperatures ever recorded so late in the year in the Los Angeles area. Accompanying the heat will be the notorious Santa Ana winds, which will bring a multi-day period of critical fire danger, Saturday through Tuesday.

According to NOAA, the hottest temperatures ever recorded after October 23 in Southern California (along with the Weather Underground forecast for Tuesday) were:

105°F Riverside, 10/28/1915 (WU forecast for Tuesday: 100°F)
101°F LAX Airport, 11/1/1966 (WU forecast for Tuesday: 96°F)
101°F Longbeach, 11/1/1966 (WU forecast for Tuesday: 100°F)
100°F Downtown Los Angeles, 11/1/1966 (WU forecast for Tuesday: 101°F)
100°F Burbank/Glendale/Pasadena, 10/26/2003 (WU forecast for Tuesday: 99°F)
100°F San Diego, 11/4/2010 (WU forecast for Tuesday: 91°F)
99°F Bakersfield, 10/27/1906 (WU forecast for Tuesday: 90°F)

The heat wave and Santa Ana winds will be caused by a large near-record-strength dome of high pressure expected to settle in over the Great Basin, a few hundred miles northeast of Los Angeles. The difference in pressure between this high-pressure system and lower pressure over Southern California will drive gusty northeast winds over Southern California. Since these winds will originate over desert areas, they will be hot and dry. As the air descends from the mountains to the coast, the air will get hotter and drier, due to adiabatic compression—the process whereby the pressure on a parcel of air increases as it descends, decreasing its volume, and thus increasing its temperature as work is done on it.

http://strangesounds.org/2017/10/destructive-storms-hawaii-carolina...

A powerful storm hit most of the Hawaiian islands on Monday, Oct. 23 through Tuesday, Oct. 24. The powerful winds, numerous lightning strikes and heavy rain knocked out power in the entire island of Maui – at least 150,000 people.

A bit earlier on October 23, 2017, 7 tornadoes swept across North and South Carolina. At least 98 000 people lost power. Several people were injured but there were no deaths.

In overall, more than 250,000 people lost power during these two extravagant and anomalous storms.

Seasonal cyclone – Kona low – in the Hawaiian Islands

A powerful storm – Kona Low – hit most of the Hawaiian islands on Monday, Oct. 23 through Tuesday, Oct. 24. The storm started on Oahu causing multiple power outages and flooding before heading towards Lanai and Molokai.

As heavy rain and thunderstorms engulfed overnight, the power went down for Maui. Lightning strikes, strong winds and flash flooding across the islands did hit the electrical system and caused damage to the system.

Almost all Maui customers had their power knocked out.

Downed poles and storm runoff caused a major traffic jam on the Hana Highway for those headed into Kahului.

Flooding also forced residents at a Lahaina apartment complex to evacuate. Stormy weather closed campgrounds and back country camping in Haleakala National Park.

Hours of heavy rain resulted in some roads being washed out in south Maui.

Series of tornadoes hit North and South Carolina. Many injuries

7 tornadoes sightings were reported across the Carolinas on Monday, October 23, 2017. At least 98 000 customers lost power, mostly in the western part of North Carolina. Several injuries have been reported. No deaths.

Tornado destroys Hickory airport in North Carolina on October 23 2017. via Twitter

3 tornadoes were reported in North Carolina, between 14:37 – 20:45 EDT, damaging buildings in Burke County and Caldwell County.

Sudden Storm Produces Biggest Wave Ever Recorded on Great Lakes (Oct 24) 

A rapidly intensifying Great Lakes storm early Tuesday produced hurricane-force winds that whipped up a record high wave in Lake Superior.

A buoy located northeast of Munising, MI recorded a 28.8-foot wave, the highest wave any Great Lakes buoy has ever tallied. Some of the buoys have been in the Great Lakes for 30 years, according to Ed Verhamme of Limnotech.

Verhamme found the previous highest wave on a modern buoy was 27.66 feet on October 5, 2012 at the Keweenaw Peninsula buoy.

Peak winds of over 77 miles per hour in Upper Michigan downed trees and powers lines, leaving thousands of customers without power.  

A man and women got swept off Black Rocks by the waves of Lake Superior on Tuesday afternoon around 1:35 p.m. 

The low-pressure system intensified from a weak area of low pressure over the Ohio Valley Monday morning to an intense low centered near Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, early Tuesday morning.

The rate of intensification – a 27 millibar drop in the surface low in 24 hours – satisfied the criterion for atmospheric bombogenesis, or a rapidly strengthening low pressure system.

Wind instruments about 115 feet above the lake surface at Stannard Rock Lighthouse, about 40 miles north-northeast of Marquette, Michigan, measured a wind gust of 77 mph (hurricane force is 75 mph) Tuesday morning.

Sources

http://woodtv.com/blog/2017/10/24/biggest-wave-ever-on-the-great-la...

http://www.mlive.com/weather/index.ssf/2017/10/historic_three-story...

https://weather.com/storms/winter/news/2017-10-24-great-lakes-bombo...

A "Bombogenesis" "Weather Bomb" to hit the East Coast of the US lat...

Earthwindmap
A "Bombogenesis" is expected to hit the East Coast of the US later today and into Monday.
Damaging winds are expected to down trees and power lines resulting in power outages and flooding.
The Bombogenesis, Weather bomb, or Explosive cyclogenesis refers to a rapidly deepening extratropical cyclonic low-pressure area according to Wikipedia.

Throw in a very powerful jet stream into the into the mix which will be pushing tropical storm, Philippe, all the way up the Northeastern coastline and dumping moisture as the warm tropical air hits the cold air coming from the East.
According to the Weather Channel, this is an unusual and truly strong, potentially dangerous storm system for late October.

We expect to see wind gusts up to 75 mph in some areas, and they could be higher depending on the intensity and track of the storm. The potential for higher-end wind gusts will be greatest along the immediate coast and in higher-terrain locations, particularly in New England.

High wind warnings have been issued for most of Long Island and much of New England including Boston for Sunday night and Monday morning. High wind warnings have also been posted for parts of east-central New York and near Lake Ontario.

Source: http://www.thebigwobble.org/2017/10/a-bombogenesis-weather-bomb-to-...

At least five dead as severe storm hits central Europe

http://www.thejournal.ie/storm-europe-2-3670686-Oct2017/

AT LEAST FIVE people died in a windstorm that hit central Europe today, causing widespread power outages and traffic disruptions.

In the Czech Republic, falling trees killed a woman in a forest near the central city of Trebic and an elderly man on the street in Jicin northeast of Prague.

In Poland, a driver died in his car after crashing into a fallen branch on the road near the northwestern city of Szczecin, and another was killed when a branch hit his car in the western city of Opole, firefighters said.

In Germany, a 63-year-old man sleeping in a van at a camping site on Jade Bay in the north of the country drowned when he tried to escape flash floods on foot, police said. His brother, 59, survived by holding fast to a pole.

The strong winds halted traffic on dozens of railways and several roads across the Czech Republic.

The Czech Hydrometeorological Institute said it had registered the fastest gust of wind on Snezka, the Czech Republic’s highest mountain, with a top speed of 180 kilometres (112.5 miles) an hour.

In the north of the country, some rivers reached the highest flood-alert levels, and the wind also toppled a wooden Orthodox church in the city of Most.

“At present, hundreds of thousands of households are left without power,” Sona Holingerova Hendrychova, spokeswoman for the state-run power producer CEZ, said in a statement.

About 200,000 people were also grappling with power outages in western Poland.

In the northern Polish city of Gdansk, authorities decided to close cemeteries because of falling branches as crowds went to pay homage with All Saints’ Day approaching on 1 November.

In Germany, the storms caused flooding in Hamburg, where waters rose up around the city’s historic fish market and in the HafenCity and Blankenese districts.

 View of the flooded camping site at the city beach Sehestedt Source: Mohssen Assanimoghaddam DPA/PA Images

Train travel was disrupted in much of the north of the country as German rail company Deutsche Bahn said it had suspended key routes, dispatching crews to remove storm debris from tracks and repair damaged lines.

It said in a statement that routes connecting cities including Berlin, Hamburg and Hanover were likely only to return to normal tomorrow.

Earlier this month a fierce storm raged through northern and eastern Germany killing seven people.

In Austria, the organisers cancelled the men’s World Cup season-opening giant slalom at Solden scheduled for today.

LEBANON MIDDLE EAST

NOVEMBER 3 2017

"Bakhun al-Dniyeh" is a DECEMBER LIKE and HAILS cover the roads.

https://www.facebook.com/Khneisser.weather/photos/a.596174583816115...

# Direct still the # Dahniyah area witnessing a real storm as you can see in the video (the town of Sir Aldniyah) falling # very violent to HAIL now

https://www.facebook.com/WeatherofLebanon/videos/1697982380213957/?...
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Severe Weather Europe
4 hrs ·
Big time snow in Rosa Khutor, Sochi, Russia on Nov 1.

https://www.facebook.com/severeweatherEU/videos/2109379819285108/?h...

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FLOODS
Wadi Almogmus in Makkah today 2_10_2017 - SAUDI ARABIA

https://www.facebook.com/1468079846822718/videos/1784341435196556/?...

https://www.facebook.com/1468079846822718/videos/1784343238529709/?...