Aleutians Cyclone Undergoes Bombogenesis; Multiple 90-MPH Gusts Reported

The latest in a series of potent non-tropical cyclones intensified explosively Tuesday night as it began moving through Alaska's Aleutian Islands. The storm has already brought measured wind gusts exceeding 90 mph at several locations in Alaska, causing considerable damage.

The storm, whose origins can be traced at least as far back as eastern China, brought rain and mountain snow to Japan earlier this week before racing northeastward over the northwest Pacific Ocean toward the Aleutians, a chain of islands extending so far west that some of them are in the Eastern Hemisphere.

As it approached the far western Aleutians, it began undergoing a period of rapid intensification, as measured by its minimum central pressure – a key factor in determining the winds that a cyclone (tropical or non-tropical) can produce.

Source: http://www.wunderground.com/news/aleutians-low-pressure-bombogenesis-alaska-november-11-2015

Hurricane Kate Becomes Fourth Hurricane of 2015 Atlantic Hurricane Season

Hurricane Kate became the fourth hurricane of the 2015 Atlantic hurricane season early Wednesday morning while passing well north of Bermuda.

National Hurricane Center specialist Eric Blake said Kate was the latest-in-season tropical cyclone to become a hurricane so far northwest in the Atlantic Ocean on record.

Kate is racing northeast, caught up in the jet stream and will soon become a "post-tropical" cyclone over the north Atlantic Ocean. 

Source: http://www.wunderground.com/news/tropical-depression-twelve-tropical-storm-hurricane-kate-atlantic-2015

Snow in Denver Causes Dozens of Flight Cancellations, Schools Closed, and Roads Slick

According to National Weather Service storm reports, at least a foot of snow was reported in Red Mountain Pass, Trout Lake, Columbine Pass and areas near La Plata.

More than 50 flight cancelations were reported Wednesday at Denver International Airport, according to FlightAware. Several school districts in eastern Colorado have canceled classes Wednesday as blowing snow conditions have become dangerous for drivers.

DIA crews are equipped with over 300 units designed for roads and parking lots, as well as airside snow removal equipment, according to KUSA. Airline passengers should arrive at least two hours before departure time.

Kyle Lester, director of maintenance operations with the Colorado Department of Transportation, told local media, "We’re ready to keep the roads open and safe, with our crews working around the clock until the storm has passed."

The airport officially received 2.3 inches of snow from this system, officials at the hub said.

Source: http://www.wunderground.com/news/winter-storm-snow-impacts-west-plains

Tornado Watches in Three States as Severe Thunderstorms Break Out; Damage Reported in Iowa

At least two tornadoes have been reported, one of them damaging buildings in an Iowa town, as severe thunderstorms continue to break out across parts of the central U.S. A tornado watch is in effect for parts of three states as a classic November storm system brings powerful wind energy and unstable air together to spawn dangerous thunderstorms over the nation's heartland.

In addition to the severe thunderstorm risk, the area of low pressure has generated blizzard conditions in parts of the High Plains and a large area of strong winds not associated with thunderstorms in the Plains that will spread east through late this week.

Source: http://www.wunderground.com/news/severe-weather-forecast-november-10-11-2015

Chapala to make landfall in Yemen as first hurricane-strength cyclone on record

Cyclone Chapala is tracking west through the Arabian Sea, targeting Yemen as the first hurricane-strength storm to make landfall there since records began. While the storm’s winds will certainly pack a punch as the storm comes ashore in the early morning hours  Tuesday, its rainfall may prove deadly — the cyclone is forecast to dump at least five years’ worth of rain over the mountains near the vulnerable port city of Al Mukalla.

Chapala has benefited from extremely warm water in the Arabian Sea, maintaining its strength as the equivalent of a Category 3 hurricane, after peaking as a strong Category 4 on Friday. The storm has generated more energy than any other tropical cyclone on record in the Arabian Sea.

Source: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/capital-weather-gang/wp/2015/11/02/chapala-to-make-landfall-in-yemen-as-first-hurricane-strength-cyclone-on-record/?postshare=1981446485706135

Tornadoes Cause Destruction, Flooding Continues in Texas; 6 Dead, At Least 2 Missing

Six people have been reported dead, and at least two are missing as severe weather sweeps across the Gulf Coast.  

Houston police discovered two bodies believed to be weather-related deaths. One body was found in a flooded ditch and the other was located in a wooded area that had previously been in high water, according to city spokesman Michael Walter.

"A large weather system moving through the region has been producing heavy rainfall and severe thunderstorms since Friday," said weather.com meteorologist Quincy Vagell. "Record rainfall has caused flooding across Texas, and the storms have spawned numerous reports of tornadoes over parts of several states."

Source: http://www.wunderground.com/news/severe-weather-impacts-southern-plains-texas

The official death count from the strongest hurricane ever measured in the Western Hemisphere: zero.

Two days after Hurricane Patricia made landfall, packing winds of 165 mph, the toll appears to be limited to flooding and wind damage to houses, power outages and small mudslides that briefly blocked some roadways.

For the Mexican government of President Enrique Peña Nieto, it was a rare bit of good news in a year in which it has sometimes seemed that everything that could go wrong, did. Peña Nieto has been hammered by criticism over his handling of the disappearance of 43 college students and the prison escape of drug cartel leader Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman, and his administration has been beset by corruption scandals.

But this time, Mexico — and Peña Nieto — benefited from what appears to have been a successful emergency response and extraordinary good luck. Patricia, at one point the strongest hurricane ever measured in the Western Hemisphere, struck land in a relatively remote stretch of Mexico’s Pacific coast and quickly petered out as it hit the coastal mountains.

Source: http://www.latimes.com/world/mexico-americas/la-fg-mexico-patricia-manzanillo-20151025-story.html

Another Flood Threat Might Be Brewing for the South-Central States

One of the hardest hit areas was Corsicana, Texas, which saw more than 20 inches of rain late last week into the weekend. With the recent rains, Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport has now seen 46.64 inches of rain in 2015, making it the seventh wettest year on record there.

A southward dip in the jet stream will move from the West into the southern Plains late this week into the weekend.

As the storm system moves east, heavy rain may once again impact parts of the southern Plains and lower Mississippi Valley Friday through this weekend, including Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas and Louisiana.

Depending on how this weather system evolves, we could see multiple rounds of rain across the same areas. Of course, that scenario would lead to the potential for more flooding. Conversely, if the weather system moves along progressively, that would reduce the threat of flooding.

Source: http://www.wunderground.com/news/three-weather-stories-eastern-rain-wind-south-flooding

Gulf of Mexico Development Possible; Flood Threat Regardless

We're getting late in the 2015 Atlantic hurricane season, but one area of disturbed weather over the Gulf of Mexico in the week ahead will be monitored closely for potential tropical development. Even if this system does not develop into a tropical cyclone, we are still concerned about a heavy rain and flood threat in parts of the South starting late this week.

Regardless of tropical development, this atmospheric pattern should set up a significant surge of deep, tropical moisture into parts of the western Gulf coast, southern Plains and possibly the Lower Mississippi Valley late in the week ahead.

Bands of locally heavy rain may trigger flooding, and persistent onshore winds may lead to some coastal flooding, high surf and rip currents, as well, by the latter half of the week ahead.

Source: http://www.wunderground.com/news/gulf-tropical-development-possible-oct2015

Hurricane Olaf Strengthening in the Eastern Pacific Ocean

Hurricane Olaf, the 11th eastern Pacific hurricane of the season, is located over 1,900 miles west-southwest of the southern tip of Baja California.
Olaf is moving steadily to the west and should continue to strengthen, thanks to a favorable environment.

Although Olaf may become a major hurricane early this week, it does not pose an immediate threat to land.

Source: http://www.wunderground.com/news/tropical-depression-nineteen-e-tropical-storm-hurricane-olaf-eastern-pacific

Flooding Concerns Linger Across South Carolina Following Additional Weekend Rain

Rain is the last thing residents wanted to see in South Carolina, a state still coping with the consequences of unprecedented rainfall over the past week. 

While this weekend's round of rain was not as prolific as what occurred this last weekend, some locally heavy rain has fallen.

Early Saturday morning, a round of rain pushed slowly through the Columbia, South Carolina, metro area with rain rates up to 1 inch in 15 minutes reported by the National Weather Service, prompting a flash flood warning for parts of Richland County.

Source: http://www.wunderground.com/news/south-carolina-rain-returns-forecast

Blowing Dust Leads to Traffic Pile-Ups in Washington; Strong Winds Spreading Across the Plains

Blowing dust from strong winds contributed to two major pile-ups in southeast Washington Saturday, leaving many injured one possibly dead. The weather system responsible for kicking up the dust is now heading east, where it will bring strong winds to the Plains and Midwest into Monday.

The National Weather service reported that a total of 20 cars were involved, and that the accident led to one death and multiple injuries. Visibility was very low due to blowing dust where the pile-up occurred between the towns of Prosser and Paterson.

Source: http://www.wunderground.com/news/strong-winds-plains-midwest-northwest

1 Killed by Flooding in Spartanburg, South Carolina

One person was killed Thursday morning in Spartanburg, South Carolina, after several cars were submerged in floodwaters underneath a bridge.

Coroner Rusty Clevenger confirmed the death of 56-year-old Sylvia Arteaga of Spartanburg, who died when she was driving beneath an overpass outside the city limits and the inside of her car flooded "to capacity," reports AP. Several cars were submerged by flash floods.

"Locally heavy rain in the Spartanburg, South Carolina area late Wednesday and into early Thursday prompted reports of flash flooding," said weather.com meteorologist Linda Lam. 

"Rain has fallen in this area every day since last Thursday and more rain is expected through Monday. Extremely heavy rainfall is possible this weekend with more than six inches of additional rain expected, leading to a potentially dangerous situation."

Source: http://www.wunderground.com/news/south-carolina-flooding-impacts

Life-Threatening Flooding Expected in East Coast States Even Without Hurricane Joaquin

Despite a forecast that shows Hurricane Joaquin increasingly likely to miss the Atlantic coast of the U.S., several East Coast states are bracing for potentially unprecedented rainfall and life-threatening flooding as a complex weather pattern promises to deliver tropical downpours to an already soggy region.

Right through this weekend, deep tropical moisture from the Caribbean Sea and the western Atlantic will be involved in this soaking setup as a front stalls near the East Coast. This situation is serious with historic and potentially life-threatening rainfall possible in some locations, especially in parts of South and North Carolina.

Significant impacts are likely in portions of the East, regardless of how close Hurricane Joaquin tracks to the United States, due to the large-scale weather pattern taking shape. This will include flash flooding, river flooding, gusty winds, high surf, beach erosion and coastal flooding.

Source: http://www.wunderground.com/news/soaking-weather-pattern-east-flooding

Confirmed EF2 Tornado Hits Johns Island, South Carolina

A confirmed tornado hit an area just west of Charleston, South Carolina, overnight, damaging houses and downing trees. No injuries were reported in the twister.

The National Weather Service confirmed the tornado was of EF2 intensity on the Enhanced Fujita Scale early Friday evening. Two homes were majorly impacted, including one that lost most of its roof and external walls. 

"One of the low-pressure systems associated with the ongoing coastal event spawned storms that developed a reported tornado," said weather.com meteorologist Ari Sarsalari.

The hardest hit areas were Johns Island and West Ashley, according to the Associated Press. The tornado damaged homes and downed traffic lights in the area. More than 3,400 homes and businesses were without power early Friday morning, NBC News reported.

Source: http://www.wunderground.com/news/tornado-south-carolina-east-coast-system-impacts

Hurricane Marty Brings Flood Threat to Mexico Coast; Hurricane Warning Issued

• Marty strengthened into a hurricane Monday evening and is located about 140 miles west of Acapulco, Mexico, as of Monday night.
• Hurricane Marty is expected to slowly move to the east-northeast or north toward the southern coast of Mexico.
• The center of Marty may stall and then turn west off the Mexico coast midweek while weakening due to increased wind shear.
• A hurricane warning has been issued for a portion of the Mexico coast from Tecpan de Galeana to Lazaro Cardenas. A tropical storm warning is also in place from Acapulco to east of Tecpan de Galeana and a tropical storm watch is in place from west of Lazaro Cardenas to Punta San Telmo.

Source: http://www.wunderground.com/news/tropical-depression-seventeen-e-tropical-storm-hurricane-marty-mexico-eastern

After a Possible Record Warm September the Warmth May Persist Into October

Warm temperatures have dominated much of the U.S. so far in September and many cities are on track to see a record warm September.

If you have been enjoying the summer-like conditions then you may be in luck as much of the contiguous U.S. may have to wait a little longer than usual for fall to set in as there are indications this trend of above-average temperatures will persist into at least the beginning of October.

Typically temperatures become cooler as September progresses, but above-average temperatures may very well last through the end of the month which may allow many of these locations to set records.

Hot temperatures started this month in much of the Plains, Midwest and East and this was followed by a taste of fall. However, above average temperatures returned this past week.

Numerous record highs and record warm lows have been set from the Plains into the Midwest and Northeast last week. A few of these latest records include Fargo, North Dakota, which set a new record warm low temperature of 69 degrees on September 15, Marquette, Michigan, where a new record high of 81 degrees was reached on September 16, Amarillo, Texas, which tied their record high of 97 degrees on September 17 and Burlington, Vermont, where a new record high of 86 degrees was set on September 17.

Source: http://www.wunderground.com/news/record-warm-september-into-warm-october

Tornado Warning Credited With Saving Lives At Missouri Football Game

A tornado warning likely saved lives on Friday night, as a tornado impacted the area near Freeman, in west-central Missouri, including a school football game was just about to begin.

The National Weather Service office in Kansas City surveyed the damage on Saturday and rated the tornado an EF-1 with estimated winds of 86 to 100 mph. The tornado formed around 6:57 p.m. and dissipated around 7:12 p.m. The path of the tornado was 5.3 miles long and approximately 100 yards wide.

A tornado warning for the area, west-central Cass county and northeastern Miami county, was issued at 6:32 p.m. as law enforcement officials and trained spotters had reported a tornado near Louisburg, Missouri. This dangerous storm was moving east at 30 mph and the tornado warning was in effect until 7:15 p.m.

According to the National Weather Service, officials at Cass Midway High School were able to evacuate about 250 people from the football field into an underground shelter 10 minutes prior to the 7:00 p.m. kickoff time. The school is located just northwest of Freeman, Missouri in west-central Cass county.

Source: http://www.wunderground.com/news/freeman-missouri-tornado-cass-midway-football-field-safely-evacuated

Japan Floods, Landslides Leave At Least 7 Dead, 15 Missing; First Victims of Joso Levee Breach Found

Two men were found dead Sunday in the Japanese city of Joso, where the Kinugawa River had breached a levee Thursday and flooded a large area. Seven people are now confirmed dead and 15 remain missing in the wake of torrential rains associated with former Tropical Storm Etau that dumped unprecedented rainfall on parts of eastern and northern Japan Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.

The threat of rain largely failed to materialize Sunday in the Greater Tokyo area, giving search and rescue teams a few more days of favorable weather to look for the 15 missing in Joso, a city in Ibaraki Prefecture about 30 miles northeast of downtown Tokyo. However, rain is in the forecast later this week across much of Japan.

(MORE: Mount Aso Volcano Erupts in Western Japan)

Dramatic helicopter rescues unfolded on live television in Japan on Thursday as water breached that levee, leaving scores of residents trapped on the roofs or upper floors of their homes.

Source: http://www.wunderground.com/news/tropical-storm-etau-japan-flooding-landslides

El Niño reaches 'strong' intensity, will dramatically reshape world's weather

The periodic climate cycle in the Pacific Ocean known as El Niño has reached "strong" levels, according to scientists at the Climate Prediction Center (CPC) in College Park, Maryland. The event commenced in March and is forecast to have its peak influence on U.S. weather this winter, before subsiding next spring. It ranks as the 2nd- to 3rd-strongest such event on record for this time of year, as measured by the ocean temperature departures from average and other metrics, forecasters said Thursday.

It's possible that the ongoing event, which should peak in the next several months, will eclipse the mother of all El Niño events, which occurred in 1997-98, as well as another monster El Niño that occurred in 1982-83.

That is not assured, however, as it's not quite there yet.

“By any measure, '97 is stronger” so far, said Mike Halpert, the deputy director of the CPC, during a conference call with reporters.

Source: http://mashable.com/2015/09/10/el-nino-strong-intensity/#De8hrnvDiqkL