Rockies get hit.

http://www.weather.com/storms/winter/news/spring-snow-rockies-colorado-utah-wyoming-denver

CSP said the first bus was carrying crew members for the performer Twin Shadow, while the other tour bus was carrying crew members of the country band Thompson Square. They were not traveling together, but both were heading to Denver to perform.

The fog was part of an overall system that brought snow into Denver and the rest of the Rockies region. We're not just talking about the mountains either. Salt Lake City saw 5.8 inches of snow late Tuesday night through Wednesday.

While roads in the city of Denver remained mainly wet due to warm ground temperatures and air temperatures in the low-mid 30s, 4.1 inches of snowfall was measured at the airport by Friday morning before precipitation turned to rain in the city.

Unfortunately, heavy snow and whiteout conditions contributed to a pileup of at least 60 vehicles on a stretch of Interstate 80 between Laramie and Cheyenne, Wyoming Thursday. Cheyenne had picked up 5.2 inches of snow through midnight Thursday night and up to 9 inches of snow was measured in Laramie, Wyoming as of early Thursday evening. Poor conditions lasted into Friday afternoon, leaving I-80 shutdown well over 20 hours.

Nepal Earthquake

http://news.discovery.com/earth/weather-extreme-events/nepal-quake-devastates-vast-region-photos-150425.htm

A massive earthquake killed more than 1,200 people Saturday as it tore through large parts of Nepal, toppling office blocks and towers in Kathmandu and triggering a deadly avalanche at Everest base camp. Officials said at least 1,170 people are known to have died in Nepal, making it the quake-prone Himalayan nation's worst disaster in more than 80 years. But the final toll from the 7.8 magnitude quake could be much higher, and dozens more people were reported killed in neighboring India and China.

"The death toll has reached 1,170," Nepal police spokesman Kamal Singh Bam told AFP, adding that rescue efforts were still underway.

Emergency workers fanned out across the Himalayan nation to rescue those trapped under collapsed homes, buildings and other debris. Offers of help poured in from governments around the world, with the United States and the European Union announcing they were sending in disaster response teams.

"Deaths have been reported from all regions except the far west. All our security personnel have been deployed to rescue and assist those in need," Bam told AFP. The Red Cross (IFRC) said it was concerned about the fate of rural villages close to the epicenter of the quake northwest of the capital Kathmandu.

Droughts getting worse in California

http://www.news10.net/story/weather/2015/04/24/drought-update/26246487/

Nearly half the state is now covered by top-level drought, and the dry conditions continue to put the state on a worrisome path.

The U.S. Drought Monitor increased the top-level Exceptional Drought status to 47 percent of the state, and 67 percent of the state is now in Exceptional and Extreme Drought status. The area that saw an increase in drought conditions includes portions of the Northern Sierra.

Areas in Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Arizona, Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas are also showing extreme drought areas. This has been a very bad year for the snowpack, and it's starting to show with droughts spreading through the West.

            Compared to the Midwest drought, the West has virtually no chance of seeing the status improve until the next rainy season, which typically starts in October. The drought in Oklahoma, Texas and Kansas can see improvement with steady storms in spring, summer and fall. If you add some decayed tropical systems, it could turn around very quickly.

Weak Hurricane season suspected

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2015/04/25/kostigen-quiet-hurricane-season/26233039/

Forecasters say this year's hurricane season may be among the tamest on record, with predications indicating activity could be half of the norm.

The U.S. typically experiences about six hurricanes and 12 named storms each year. Tropical storms are named when wind speeds reach 39 miles per hour. Storm systems achieve hurricane status when winds reach 74 mph or greater. The 2015 hurricane season begins May 15 in the Pacific Ocean and June 1 in the Atlantic.

Colorado State University predicts just seven named storms will brew during the 2015 Atlantic hurricane season. Of those, just three will become hurricanes. North Carolina State University predicts four to six named storms will form in the Atlantic, with one to three becoming hurricanes. The National Hurricane Center does not make seasonal hurricane landfall predictions.

Super intense winds in Europe

http://www.voanews.com/content/reu-hurricane-strength-winds-europe-kill-three/2701661.html

HAMBURG—

At least three people in Germany were killed on Tuesday when hurricane-force winds lashed across northern Europe in one of the most severe storms in years that also canceled flights, disrupted road and train traffic, and hit port operations.

The Dutch meteorological office issued a code red warning for the low-lying country's northern and coastal provinces, as gusts of up to 120 kph (75 mph) battered the Netherlands, causing damage estimated at several million euros.

Storms hit Bangladesh

http://www.cctv-america.com/2015/04/06/at-least-36-dead-dozens-hurt-as-storms-lash-bangladesh

Separate tropical storms that have swept through parts of Bangladesh have left at least 36 people dead and scores injured.

Media reports Monday said that the casualties have been recorded since Saturday and that most deaths took place in the northern district of Bogra.

The Bengali-language Prothom Alo newspaper reported that at least 20 people died in Bogra while five people died in Dhaka and the rest in other northern areas as well as in the southwest of the country.

The newspaper says the storms have also uprooted trees, damaged electricity distribution lines, while hundreds of homes, shops and schools have been flattened in parts of the South Asian nation.

Bangladesh usually experiences such storms and tornadoes in April as the summer approaches.

Deadly Storm hits South America

http://www.skynews.com.au/news/world/sthamerica/2015/03/29/dozens-killed-in-south-american-storms.html

The death toll has reached three dozen and is expected to rise in extreme storms along Pacific coastal regions of South America, reports say.

At least 25 people had died during intense rains, landslides and high waves in Ecuador, officials said on Saturday.

Lightning strikes on a police school in the capital Quito injured 52 people, 15 of whom required hospitalisation.

The extreme weather also caused heavy economic damage to farmland and the fishing industry, including boats smashed against rocks and piers, reports said.

In the northern Chilean desert region of Atacama, rare heavy storms caused flash floods and mudslides that killed at least 11 people and destroyed many homes and roads.

As we go on opening up the routes, there could be a rising death toll, said Ricardo Toro, director of the Office of National Emergencies.

He said there were at least 19 people officially listed as missing, and more than 5000 had been displaced by the destruction.

Canada hit hard

http://www.weather.com/storms/winter/news/canada-massive-snowfall

"Parts of Atlantic Canada have been hit by three separate winter storms in about one week's time, from the weekend of March 14-15 through last weekend," said weather.com meteorologist Jon Erdman. "Halifax, Nova Scotia, appears to have set an all-time March snow depth record, topping out at 93 centimeters (36.6 inches) from March 19-20. This is just 1 centimeter from tying the all-time record snow depth of 94 centimeters on Jan. 24, 1971, according to Environment Canada."

Tornado destroys Trailer homes.

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2015/03/25/oklahoma-tornado-tulsa/70462144/


An "extremely dangerous" and "life-threatening" tornado swept through eastern Oklahoma early Wednesday evening, killing one person and destroying several mobile homes west of Tulsa, authorities said.

he fatality occurred at Riverside Park Mobile Homes near Sand Springs, where several other residents were injured, the Emergency Medical Services Authority announced about 8 p.m. CT, The Tulsa World reported. One other resident was taken to a nearby hospital in critical condition.

Tornadoes and floods strike

http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/storms-bring-rain-floods-tornadoes-missouri-kentucky-n335076

The devastation in Kentucky came as a dangerous storm swept through, causing flash floods. As many as 12 tornadoes were reported in parts of Colorado, Kansas, Missouri and Oklahoma, but there were no immediate reports of major damage, according to Weather.com.

Five tornadoes were confirmed in Missouri Thursday night band Friday, including an EF-2 that struck near Pomona in the southern part of the state, the National Weather Service said.

Kentucky was soaked by up to 5 inches of rain, leading to flash flood warnings in Louisville, where cars were inundated as roads turned into rivers and officials conducted more than 100 water rescues, according to Weather.com.

"The main hazard from the flooding is to drivers, especially in the dark," Weather Channel meteorologist Michael Palmer said. "There is the potential for people to drive into flooded areas, getting stuck and then being swept away."

Drought attacking Midwest

http://host.madison.com/news/state-and-regional/drought-expands-across-large-section-of-nation-s-crop-region/article_45971432-c0ad-5fc0-a52a-f32d3429760f.html

Drought conditions expanded last month amid weather that was warmer and drier across much of the western U.S., but spring rain in the agricultural Midwest could improve conditions for farmers preparing for the corn and soybean growing season.

Some areas of Iowa, Illinois and Kentucky saw rain last week, and additional rain could move across the same area this week. But abnormally dry areas are beginning to reflect the lack of moisture from last fall and recent months, said Brian Fuchs, a climatologist at the center.

ata shows that drought conditions now cover 22 percent of the land used in U.S. corn production and 18 percent of soybean land. That's a spike compared to early March, when only 6 percent of corn-growing areas and 5 percent of the soybean region.

Tornado

http://www.srh.noaa.gov/jan/?n=2015_1_3_tor

During the afternoon of January 3rd, a strong upper level low was moving through the central Plains and a cold front began to move into the region. Across the Lower Mississippi River Valley, peak heating and upper 60s to low 70s dewpoints contributed to decent instability in the developing warm sector in advance of the front. Strong low level wind shear and winds aloft were in place, which made a favorable environment for tornadoes. This helped to support widespread thunderstorms along with a few supercell storms.

In addition to the severe storms and tornadoes, widespread flooding occurred in southeast Mississippi where 3-5 inches of rain fell. Record amounts of moisture for the month of January were observed in the evening weather balloon sounding at the Jackson International Airport, where precipitable water value of 1.74 inches tied the record last set on January 3, 1973. This led to widespread heavy rainfall and flooding. Water coRose Hill Damage covered some roads and water was entering homes near Bay Springs, with one road washed out nearby.

Snow and Ice

http://www.foxnews.com/weather/2015/02/16/bitter-cold-follows-fresh-new-england-snowfall-as-south-prepares-for-winter/

Freezing cold temperatures hit most of the U.S. Monday as New England began digging out of its fourth winter storm in a month, while the mid-Atlantic region and parts of the south were hit with their own blast of snow and ice.

Snow swirled sideways in Kentucky and the typically bustling state capital of Frankfort came to frozen halt Monday. Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear urged people to stay home if possible. The state was expecting anywhere from anywhere from 6 to 15 inches of snow by Monday evening.

Forecasters say a snowstorm could bring 6 to 9 inches to parts of Arkansas, Missouri and Tennessee. Freezing rain was forecast for northern Mississippi and 2 to 4 inches of snow and sleet is possible in north Georgia.

Road crews struggled to make progress as the dry, powdery snow quickly piled up thanks to the frigid temperatures over the weekend that kept the ground and roads cold. Arkansas, where temperatures plummeted from the 70s on Saturday to highs in the 30s a day later, had nearly 30,000 people without power at the peak of the storm.

Icy Storm

http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/02/17/us-usa-weather-idUSKBN0LK1I020150217


At least six weather-related highway deaths were reported in Tennessee, Virginia and North Carolina. Police worked through the night to clear a 12-mile (19-km) backup of vehicles on icy Interstate 40 near Nashville.



(Reuters) - The aftermath of a deadly winter storm paralyzed much of the eastern United States on Tuesday and forecasters warned of the worst cold in two decades from another arctic front this week.
The storm dumped snow and spread ice from New England into the Carolinas after battering the Midwest and Ohio Valley. Temperatures hit -30 Fahrenheit (-34 Celsius) in Saranac Lake, New York, according to the National Weather Service.
States of emergency were declared from Mississippi to the District of Columbia, and the federal government shut down in Washington after about 5 inches (13 cm) of snow. School was called off in West Virginia, the Washington, D.C., area, parts of Kentucky and much of North Carolina.

In Maine, two 15-year-old boys spent a night out in sub-zero (-18C) weather when their snowmobile bogged down but were unharmed after taking shelter in a shed. The intense cold forced the Pittsburgh Zoo to shut down until Friday.

Syracuse , NY

http://www.syracuse.com/weather/index.ssf/2015/03/weather_channel_syracuse_had_one_of_5_worst_winters_in_america.html



Syracuse came in fifth on the worst winters list, just behind Dallas. Yes, that Dallas, the one in Texas that had an average temperature in February of a bone-chilling 45.7 degrees. That was a whopping 4.2 degrees below normal. Syracuse had 5 feet of snow in February.The combination of low snowfall in the West and cold temperatures in the east meant that the tiny village of Copenhagen, downwind of Lake Ontario, was the snowiest place in America through early March.

California Droughts

http://www.nbcnews.com/science/environment/california-drought-early-months-2015-will-be-critical-n278641

Californians could be forgiven for asking that question after two big storms in December brought record rain to the north and mountain snow to Southern California that dusted palm trees in some lower-elevation towns. The start of a new year, however, has the state back in a dry stretch, and experts wonder what's in store for the critical few weeks ahead.

"We must necessarily plan for the worst but hope for the best," said Jeanine Jones, deputy drought manager with the California Department of Water Resources. "We are only now entering the normally wettest part of our winter season, and what happens -- or doesn't -- in the next six weeks or so will tell us a lot about the likely outcome of the water year."

"A worst-case scenario for us would be a repeat of last year's very dry hydrology -- fourth driest year on record in terms of statewide runoff," said Jones. "A best-case scenario would be a series of storms that provides the snowpack to refill the major reservoirs, but not with a timing that causes flooding problems."

"In the coming weeks we need more snowpack accumulation in the Sierra Nevada and Cascades Ranges to help replenish reservoir storage later in the season," said Jones.

Winter holds eastern U.S. in icy grip with record lows

http://www.usatoday.com/story/weather/2015/02/20/winter-weather-cold-snow-record-temperatures/23728379/

A bitter, record-setting cold air mass kept its icy grip on much of the central and eastern U.S. on Friday, bringing subzero temperatures and showing no sign of relief next week for winter-weary residents from Florida to New England.

At least 72 record low temperatures were set Friday morning, all the way from Marquette, Mich. (minus 26 degrees) to Miami (42 degrees).

In Minnesota, the community of Cotton posted an overnight low of minus 42 degrees, without the wind-chill factor, the National Weather Service reports. In western Pennsylvania, temperatures dipped to minus 18 degrees in some areas.

"An eddy of the polar vortex is leading to the coldest weather of this recent cold spell, creating a deep layer of bitterly cold air, along with gusty winds," said meteorologist David Hamrick of the weather service's Weather Prediction Center.

Lynchburg, Va., plummeted to minus 11 degrees Friday morning, setting a new all-time record low, the Weather Channel reported. Flint, Mich., tied its all-time record low of minus 25, while Cleveland set an all-time February low of minus 17.

Chicago Cold Temperatures

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/breaking/chi-bitter-cold-ties-with-record-low-temperatures-from-1930s-20150219-story.html


Feb 19th 2015

Chicago set two record-low temperatures Thursday, as the thermometer began to slide back toward subzero cold, but Chicago Public Schools announced they will be back in session Friday.

he temperature at O'Hare International Airport dropped to 8 below zero early Thursday, beating the record of minus 7 for this date set in 1936. And the high only made it 4 degrees at O'Hare, setting the record for the coldest high for the date, besting a high of 9 degrees in 1936.

The coldest places Thursday morning included minus 13 in Aurora, Harvard and Island Lake, minus 12 in DeKalb and minus 11 in Mundelein, Union, Waukegan and West Chicago. Wind chills ranged from minus 28 in Fox Lake and Wilmette to minus 32 in DeKalb.

Tornadoes in the South

http://www.weather.com/safety/tornado/news/tornadoes-severe-storms-mississippi-south-georgia-alabama-florida

  Storms hitting Mississippi Alabama  Florida and Georgia causing damage in January. At least 1,600 customers were without power in Chatham County late Sunday afternoon due to the storm, according to utility Georgia Power.

 A line of severe storms hit the South Saturday and Sunday, spawning at least 10 confirmed tornadoes, damaging homes and injuring an infant.

The National Weather Service in Birmingham confirmed that an EF0 tornado damaged trees and buildings near Hamilton, in west Alabama, around sunset Saturday. An EF2 tornado, which touched down early Sunday morning and had maximum estimated winds of 120 mph, was confirmed in Crenshaw County.

New England gets hit the worst.

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2015/02/02/storm-moves-into-northeast/22730879/

   New Englanders still giddy from their football team's Super Bowl glory sobered up quickly Monday as the second monster storm in a week roared into the region, canceling flights, closing schools and shuttering many businesses.

   With 34.1 inches of snow since last Tuesday, it's now the snowiest week — seven-day period — in Boston since modern weather records began in 1891, the Weather Channel reported.

Boston and much of the region were forecast to see a foot of snow or more before the latest storm ends late Monday or early Tuesday.

The 34.5 inches that fell in Worcester, Mass., made last week's snowstorm the biggest in that city's history.