Weekend Showers to Add to Record Rainfall for Seattle/Long-Awaited Rain For Santiago By The Weekend

http://www.accuweather.com/en/weather-news/seattle-rain-aplenty-this-week/25990310



Cooler weather and rain showers will be the resounding theme for Seattle this weekend.
The city set a new record for the wettest February-to-April time frame on Thursday. A total of 19.29 inches had fallen to that point, breaking the 1972 record of 18.97 inches for the same time period.

With temperatures trending slightly below normal, the air will feel cooler around the city as highs reach the low to mid-50s.

http://www.accuweather.com/en/weather-news/long-awaited-rain-for-santiago/26169573




In what has been a very dry and warm winter for Chile, some relief is likely to come for the end of the week and into the weekend.
Santiago, Chile, with being in the Southern Hemisphere, is normally dry during the time from October through April, but this year has been exceptionally dry.
Santiago has only seen 0.01 of an inch (0.3 mm) of rain since October 1. This compares to a normal rainfall amount of 48.7 mm of rain for the same time.
This lack of rain has already caused some issues with crops and also some problems with wildfires. Just last week, the port city of Valparaiso, just to the west of Santiago, saw thousands of people left homeless due to the rapidly spreading fire.

This recent lack of rain does look to come to a welcome end though, as a powerful storm off to the south and west will move onshore in southern Chile Thursday, and eventually push far enough into Chile to bring rain to Santiago.With this rainfall for the end of the week, we could see a trend growing towards more rain for the area. El Nino is looking to setup over the waters of the Pacific. During such a pattern, wetter than normal weather comes into Chile, which has seen a lack of rainfall for nearly five years now.
Chile also has seen problems with power production, as hydroelectric power supplies nine out of every 10 residents in central Chile. The lack of rain has forced many to rely on more expensive fossil fuels, according to Reuters. But this change in pattern could yield some needed rain.
According to the Chilean Weather Service, 2004-2013 was the driest 10 year period in the last 150 years. Chile is also home to the driest desert in the world, the Atacama Desert.

Northeast, Midwest: Cool Weather for End of April/ Dallas: Falling Temperatures This Week

http://www.accuweather.com/en/weather-news/northeast-midwest-cool-weather/26144332



Although people will be getting ready to turn their calendars over to May, a slow-moving low pressure system will delay any prolonged warmth over the Northeast and Midwest.
The same system responsible for severe thunderstorms in the Plains this weekend will transition eastward in the upcoming days and stall out over the Midwest. This will result in several days of cloudy, cool and wet weather from Minnesota to New Jersey.
Those from New York City to Washington, D.C. and westward to Chicago will make good use of their umbrellas with over 2 inches of rain possible through the end of the week.

Flooding may occur due to the several inches of rain on the way with the greatest risk of flooding coming on Wednesday across the East. While cool, cloudy and wet weather plagues the Northeast and Midwest, thunderstorms are forecast to rumble across the Southeast on the southern side of the system.
Thunderstorms are expected to track across the Southeast on Monday and Tuesday with storms having the potential to produce severe weather both days.
Monday appears to be the worst of the two days in terms of severe weather with large hail, damaging winds and even tornadoes possible.

http://www.accuweather.com/en/weather-news/dallas-temperatures-to-slide-h/26188615



After a stretch of warm weather in Dallas, below-normal temperatures are on the horizon for the city.
Following a strong system bringing severe weather to the Mississippi Valley, dry and cooler air will fall into place, dropping temperatures throughout the week.

After reaching the middle 80s on Monday, highs on Wednesday and Thursday are forecast to only reach the lower 70s. Highs in the lower 70s are more common and average for the end of March. Overnight temperatures are expected to dip down into the 50s, a few degrees below normal for late April.
Dry conditions are also expected to persist through much of the week with the only chance for a shower coming on Thursday night.

North Carolina cleans up from twisters; Midwest, South brace for wild weather/North Carolina Tornadoes Injure 15 People, Damage Hundreds of Homes

http://www.cnn.com/2014/04/26/us/us-midwest-south-severe-weather/

Meanwhile, much of the central United States is bracing for even more severe weather in the form of tornadoes, damaging winds and hail.

Multiple twisters touched down in an area east of Greenville, North Carolina, to Beaufort County, on Friday evening, the National Weather Service reported.

A tornado that struck Whichards Beach in Beaufort County injured 16 people and damaged or destroyed 150-200 homes, reported the Pasquotank-Camden Emergency Management, quoting the National Weather Service. The twister was rated an EF-3, with winds estimated at 150 mph. Emergency management official said that ended the streak of days without an EF-3 tornado at 158 days.

John Pack, spokesman for the Beaufort County Emergency Management, estimated more than 200 homes in that county sustained major damage, and at one point at least 2,500 homes didn't have power.

He told CNN that staffers at the National Weather Service, county volunteer fire crews and more than 100 electrical crews were working to assist residents.

In Pasquotank County, three tornadoes touched down, destroying 13 homes and causing major damage to 17 homes, the Pasquotank-Camden Emergency Management said. The weather service said those were EF-2 and EF-1 twisters.

NC Dominion Power reported 3,100 customers losing power in Pasquotank County. Elizabeth City Public Utilities said approximately 4,000 city customers lost power.

In nearby Perquimans County, the story was similar.

A spokesman for that county's emergency management agency, Tom Ponte, told CNN a preliminary assessment showed the storm damaged 38 homes and left about 1,770 residents without power.

According to Ponte, the county is opening a shelter for residents displaced by the storm and roads are being cleared by the county fire department, with assistance from the North Carolina Department of Forestry.

The National Weather Service's Storm Prediction Center, which monitors severe weather across the United States, said severe weather will move over other parts of the United States over the next three days. That's all due to a storm that's moving eastward from the Rockies.

CNN meteorologist Matt Daniels predicts a slight risk of severe storms Saturday evening from central Texas into southeast South Dakota. This may include damaging winds and large hail, but does not rule out a few tornadoes.

On Sunday, most of Arkansas and neighboring areas -- including Shreveport, Louisiana, and Springfield, Missouri -- face the highest chance of severe weather, though states as far north as North Dakota, and southeast to Georgia, also could be in harm's way.

The SPC said it may upgrade Sunday's threat level from moderate to "high risk." This would be the first "high risk" threat this year -- a warning that is typically issued only a few times a year.

The danger zone shifts farther east on Monday, with Memphis, Tennessee, and Tupelo, Mississippi, among the cities most likely to get hit.

There is also a slight risk of storms stretching into the Midwest, north Georgia and the western Carolinas. These storms could produce damaging winds, large hail and tornadoes (some could be strong) throughout the day.

And yet more severe weather looms for Tuesday.

The Storm Prediction Center notes that these threats come in a year that has been -- so far -- one of the quietest for tornadoes in U.S. history. Already, the country has set a record for going the longest into a new year without a tornado fatality.

http://www.accuweather.com/en/weather-news/tornadoes-touch-down-across-no/26131954

At least 15 people were transported to the hospital on Friday evening after a tornado struck in Beaufort County, N.C., an emergency management official said Saturday.
There were also an undetermined number of "walking wounded" who went to the hospital, Beaufort County Emergency Coordinator John Pack told AccuWeather.com.
"The good news is that nobody died. That's remarkable in itself," Pack said.
The National Weather Service at Newport/Morehead City, N.C. reports that an EF-3 tornado was confirmed along Whichards Beach in Friday night's storm.
The tornado was an EF-0 when it touched down near Chocowinity but grew in strength to an EF-3 with an estimated wind speed of 150 mph by the time it reached Whichards Beach, the weather service said.
Areas affected by the Beaufort County storm were areas east of the town of Washington, N.C. A state of emergency was declared late Friday evening restricting travel in the affected areas from dusk to daylight except for residents who can prove they live there, Pack said.
At least 200 homes were severely damaged or destroyed, Pack said.

North Carolina Emergency Management assisted with damage assessments on Saturday to determine if the severe weather event will meet the threshold of a disaster declaration, Gov. Pat McCrory said.

Southern soaker heads northward Monday/Solomon Islands Flooding: At Least 16 Dead, Thousands of Homes Destroyed

http://www.weather.com/newscenter/nationalforecast/

- The bulk of the rain shifts east of the Mississippi River Monday, but some showers will hang back into Oklahoma and northern Texas. Rainfall across eastern Tennessee, Alabama, northern Florida, Georgia and the Carolinas could be in the 1-to-3-inch range with a few spots possibly nearing 5 inches.

- Severe thunderstorms, capable of producing damaging wind gusts and a few tornadoes, will develop from the Carolinas to northern Florida on Monday. A few severe thunderstorms could also pop in Tennessee.

- Highs will mainly peak in the 60s and 70s with 80s across the southern tip of Texas and 80s to low 90s across the Florida Peninsula.

- The rain and thunderstorms slowly shift off the Carolina and Georgia coasts Tuesday and shift southward through the Florida Peninsula.

- Scattered showers, though, could linger behind the storm Tuesday into Wednesday from the lower Mississippi Valley into the Southeast.

- Thursday and Friday will be beautiful days with highs mainly in the 70s and lower 80s, except reaching into the middle 80s to low 90s in the southern Plains.

Midwest | View Regional Video

- As low pressure quickly moves from the lower Ohio Valley to Lake Erie Monday, a soaking rain of a half inch to over 1 inch will target southern Missouri, central and southern Illinois, Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio and southern Lower Michigan. Parts of Kentucky may even pick up 2 inches.

- A few severe thunderstorms may pop in the Ohio Valley, capable of producing hail, damaging wind gusts and an isolated tornado.

- Showers will linger to the west of the storm Monday across the Plains and Upper Midwest.

- Highs will range from the 40s and 50s north to the 50s and 60s south.

- Scattered showers could linger behind the storm in the mid-Mississippi and Ohio Valleys Tuesday into early Wednesday.

- Warmer air will overspread the region in the upcoming week, starting will the Plains Tuesday.

- A cold front then drops southward across the region Wednesday and Thursday with limited showers.

Northeast | View Regional Video

- Rain overspreads the Mid-Atlantic States and New York Monday and New England Monday night. Rainfall of a half to 2 inches is possible.

- Highs will be mainly in the 50s with some 40s in the mountains and across northern Maine and 60s around Tidewater Virginia.

- The rain will taper off and end from southwest to northeast across the region Tuesday.

- By midweek, the region could be mostly dry, except for a few snow showers in the mountains near the Canadian border and a few showers in the Virginias.

- As warmer southwest winds take over Thursday, much of the region will see highs in the 60s with some 70s in the Virginias but only 40s and 50s in Maine.

- A showery cold front arrives Friday.          

http://www.weather.com/news/solomon-islands-flooding-20140405

At least 16 people are dead in the Solomon Islands after torrential rain from a slow moving tropical cyclone caused rivers to burst their banks and send a torrent of water rushing downstream into low-lying, highly populated areas.
Water from the Matanikau river destroyed bridges, homes and other infrastructure as it inundated the downtown area of the Solomon Islands' capital of Honiara, Al Jazeera reports. Homes and bodies could be seen floating amongst the debris carried away by the floods.
At least 40 people were reportedly still missing, but officials had little hope that they would be found.
"The last report we had was there are 16 in the mortuary and at least 40 still missing, most of them children and it's very unlikely they'll be found alive," Save the Children's emergency manager Graham Kenna told Al Jazeera.
Red Cross secretary general in the Soloman Islands Joanne Zoleveke told Al Jazeera that the river burst its banks rather unexpectedly, despite days of heavy rain, catching people off guard in the city of some 70,000 people.
"We were watching the river but never expected it to rise so fast. It took us by surprise. That is why there are deaths," Zoleveke told Al Jazeera.
Tragic tales of individuals being swept away by the powerful currents were all too common.
"My staff has witnessed a child being swept away by the floodwaters," World Vision's Emergency Response Manager Lawrence Hillary told Al Jazeera. "They are devastated by what they have witnessed."

However, flooding wasn't just limited to the city of Honiara. Surrounding areas in the country's main island of Guadalcanal also experienced record flooding.
"We were starting to receive phone calls also from outside of Honiara as far as the northern part right in the middle of the Guadalcanal Plains of people having to resort to climbing over roofs... to seek shelter from the flooding rivers around them," Yates told Australia Network News.
In one such case, the Solomon Star reports that the body of a student who fell into a river on Thursday was recovered all the way out at sea on Saturday.
Solomon Islands' government spokesman George Herming told the Associated Press that up to 15,000 people are homeless after their homes were flooded or destroyed. Thousands flocked to 16 evacuation centers on higher ground, the New Zealand Herald reports.
Worse yet, with so many people coalescing in evacuation centers, emergency workers fear the lack of sanitation services and fresh water could lead to an outbreak of disease in camps.
Officials in New Zealand and Australia have already pledged funds to aid those in the Solomon Islands, but with so many still missing, the recovery effort is only just beginning.

Two people rescued after flash-flooding in Broken Hill/ Remote Vanuatu residents call for more early cyclone warning systems as climate changes

http://www.weatherzone.com.au/news/two-people-rescued-after-flash-flooding-in-broken-hill/34130



Two people have been rescued in Broken Hill in far-west New South Wales after they became stranded by flash-flooding overnight.

The State Emergency Service says a four-wheel-drive vehicle was stuck in a creek in the city's north at about 8pm.

The controller Steve Moore says the driver and passenger were pulled from the vehicle and transported in an ambulance.

"[Water] can be deceptive, I believe they'd already been through this creek once before on their four wheel drive expedition," he said.

"They then decided that it was safe to come back and the water had just come up that bit extra.

"The gentleman that become stuck in the creek phoned triple-0 and two of our crews attended the scene along with the ambulance.

"Our members were able to assist them from the vehicle and then retrieve the vehicle after everyone was safely out."

http://www.weatherzone.com.au/news/remote-vanuatu-residents-call-for-more-early-cyclone-warning-systems-as-climate-changes/33549



There's growing concern on the South Pacific island nation of Vanuatu about the effects of climate change.

This week's report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change highlighted the impacts of rising sea-levels and ocean acidification as a result of global warming caused by human activity.

Vanuatu's climate youth ambassador and CARE field officer Mala Silas says climate change is also bringing about increasingly erratic weather patterns that are hitting remote island communities hard.

Ms Silas says last month's Cyclone Lusi that swept through Vanuatu, killing 10 people, has raised concerns the world's changing climate could mean more severe storms more often.

She's just returned from examining the impact of Cyclone Lusi on remote Futuna Island and says it's highly vulnerable to the effects of climate change.

Ms Silas says locals are concerned about the impact on agriculture, on which they rely for income from exports as well as for their own food supply.

She says the residents of Futuna urgently need better communication systems, as the current radio network is inadequate and the mobile network is all but non-existent in some villages.

Ms Silas says more effective early warning systems would allow locals to respond to imminent cyclones by preparing shelter and storing food before they're hit.

severe weather outbreak/ extreme heat and snow

http://www.weather.com/tv/tvshows/americas-morning-headquarters/severe-weather-tracker-page



True to form for early April, a severe weather outbreak is in progress in parts of the Midwest and South.
Severe thunderstorms dumped golf-ball size hail in the city of St. Louis around midday Wednesday; there were many reports of hail at least one inch in diameter in the metropolitan area, in some cases enough to completely cover yards in hail. Flash flooding caused motorists to become stranded in parts of the city.
Hail up to baseball size was reported in parts of eastern Kansas Wednesday evening. Windshields were busted out at the Kansas Star Casino near Mulvane, Kan.
Early Thursday morning, a brief tornado touched down in the St. Louis metro area, damaging approximately 100 homes


http://www.weather.com/news/extreme-weather-around-the-world-20130111




The latest such example is from the Middle East, where flooding rains this week were followed by rare snow on Thursday.

• Several inches of snow accumulated in Jerusalem and the West Bank on Thursday, according to reports from The Associated Press. The snow, reportedly the most in a decade, had significant impacts on transportation.
• Prior to the snow, heavy rainfall led to flooding in parts of the Middle East.

Threat Remains Limited Until Thursday and Friday/Seattle rain showers

http://www.weather.com/tv/tvshows/americas-morning-headquarters/severe-weather-tracker-page




Additional surges of cold air the first half of the new week will likely keep thunderstorm potential low and pinned to the Deep South or Gulf Coast. Most of this activity will also fail to turn severe.

However, a return of warm, moist air into the South and a jet stream-level disturbance may trigger severe thunderstorms Thursday and Fridayanywhere from Texas to Missouri to the Carolinas and northern Florida, along with areas in between.

There were only four tornadoes in the U.S. in the first 23 days of March this year. Dr. Greg Forbes, severe weather expert at The Weather Channel, says March 2014 appears likely to finish with a below-average number of tornadoes. The 10-year average (2004-2013) for the entire month of March is 96 tornadoes.

http://www.accuweather.com/en/weather-news/seattle-rain-showers-to-return-1/24781707

After a dry and mild start to the week, showers return to the Seattle area for midweek.

Temperatures will remain in the mid-50s throughout Tuesday and Wednesday with overnight lows hovering in the low 40s.

Another storm system moving from the Pacific into the Northwest will bring a return of showers Tuesday through Thursday.

Any precipitation could worsen the landslide potential in the region, where the ground is heavily saturated from rains earlier in March. Some of those rains have been blamed for a deadly landslide at Oso, Wash., about 30 miles from Everett.

In addition, snow levels along the Cascade Range will remain below pass level as the storm moves in.

Severe Weather threat returns saturday/ Winter Weather watch

http://www.weather.com/news/tornado-central/severe-weather-tracker-page





 Saturday, a new weather system will increase the threat of strong to severe storms in the south-central states, including portions of east Texas, southeast Oklahoma, western Louisiana and southwest Arkansas. Large hail and damaging winds are the main threats from any severe storms that develop.

 All tornado warnings, along with other relevant tweets from The Weather Channel and local National Weather Service offices in current threat areas, will appear here.  Information updates automatically; no need to reload or refresh your browser. Time stamps on the left are in Eastern time; subtract one hour for Central time and two hours for Mountain time. For complete warning information and radar links, look below our live ticker.


http://www.wunderground.com/news/winter-weather-watch-2013-2014-20131002








Vulcan strengthens today as it heads toward the East Coast. Western/northern New York to Interior and northern New England with the potential to see 12"-18" (locally 24"+ in the mountains). Snow this morning across northern IN and southern MI (including Detroit). Rain to snow later this morning for the Cleveland area. Heavy snow for the Buffalo/Rochester, NY area. Both of these cities are under a blizzard warning and wind gusts could reach 50 mph. The I-95 corridor from Washington DC to just south of New York will likely be all rain (some severe weather for the Mid-Atlantic). From New York to Boston it should start as all rain PM Wednesday night then change quickly to snow by Thursday morning with some accumulations possible (especially around Boston). A few areas from PA/NY border to northern MA/southern NH and eastern Me could see a period of freezing rain by evening.  Strong winds on the backside of the system will create near blizzard conditions across parts of Upstate New York through Interior New England Wednesday night into Thursday morning as temperatures crash to zero or below with even lower wind chills!

The UK government is playing both sides of the climate conflict/California Drought: Desperate Farmers Turn to 'Water Witches' For Help

http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2014/mar/03/uk-government-playing-both-sides-climate-conflict



Most conflicts have their profiteers – the black market traders exploiting shortages and arms dealers who play both sides for personal gain. If the latter don't actually create conflict by flooding a region with weapons, they'll readily perpetuate existing conflicts.

History's most famous profiteer is probably the fictional, archetypal American capitalist Milo Minderbender, from Joseph Heller's acidic satire on world war two, Catch-22. He strikes deals with the Germans and, in search of financial return, organises for his own airbase and comrades to be bombed.

In a twisted parallel to Minderbender's amoral machinations, the UK government is playing both sides of the climate conflict.

Rather than being flooded by military hardware, when water deluged swaths of England last month, years of ideologically driven policy on austerity was seemingly ditched when the prime minister, David Cameron, declared: "Money is no object in this relief effort. Whatever money is needed, we will spend it." He went beyond his own environment secretary in linking the floods to climate change.


http://www.weather.com/news/california-drought-desperate-farmers-turn-water-witches-help-20140303

 

 Winter Storm Titan may have dumped record snow and rain on California, but the much-needed precipitation still hasn't fully eased the state's worst drought on record. And with water at a premium, California's farmers have been hit particularly hard by measures aimed at conserving what little water the state has remaining.

So farmers are turning to an unusual, some might say, mystical, resource to help find any water lost to the naked eye: dowsers, also known as water witches.
Practitioners of dowsing use rudimentary tools - usually copper sticks or wooden "divining rods" that resemble large wishbones - and what they describe as a natural energy to find water or minerals hidden deep underground.

Severe storm limited through Friday/ Severe Storms to Hit Friday From Atlantic City, NJ to Jacksonville

http://www.weather.com/news/tornado-central/severe-weather-tracker-page



A few strong to locally severe thunderstorms are possible Wednesday ahead of a cold front from South Texas to the northern Gulf Coast to parts of north and central Florida. A brief damaging wind gust is the only threat with any isolated severe storms in parts of the Sunshine State.

http://www.accuweather.com/en/weather-news/severe-thunderstorms-to-arrive-1/23537266



After severe thunderstorms caused damage over the Central states Thursday night, the next stop will be the East Coast from Atlantic City, N.J., to Jacksonville, Fla., on Friday.
The storms over the Central states on Thursday were responsible for more than 300 initial reports of severe weather, including more than a dozen possible tornadoes and hundreds of high wind or wind damage incidents.

Threat ramps up as temperatures warm up/ uk and ireland braced for more severe weather

http://www.weather.com/news/tornado-central/severe-weather-tracker-page



No severe thunderstorms are expected across the United States Monday. However, there have been and will be a few thunderstorms in parts of the middle and lower Mississippi Valley. Some of the thunderstorms have been accompanied by freezing rain in eastern Missouri and central Illinois, in association with Winter Storm Rex.
With a major pattern shift in the works bringing warmer weather to the central and eastern U.S., strong to severe thunderstorms will become more of a concern by Thursday and Friday.


A very strong low-pressure system will bring the potential for strong thunderstorms beginning Thursday and continuing into Thursday night in the Ohio Valley, mid to lower Mississippi Valley, and the Gulf Coast states. There will be plenty of wind energy with this system, but it remains unclear whether enough unstable air will be pulled north to bring widespread severe weather.
On Friday, strong to potentially severe thunderstorms may sweep into the East Coast states from Georgia to Pennsylvania and New Jersey and points in between. Again, questions remain about whether the atmosphere will be unstable enough for widespread severe weather.


http://www.euronews.com/2014/02/14/uk-and-ireland-braced-for-more-severe-weather-this-weekend/

 

Residents across the UK and Ireland are braced for more heavy rain and strong winds over the weekend. Forecasters have warned of continued severe weather conditions.
Parts of southwest England have been under water for weeks after the country’s wettest January in nearly 250 years. Areas around the River Thames to the west of London have also been hit by severe floods.
British Prime Minister David Cameron has promised to do “whatever it takes” to help those affected. His government is under fire from critics for a slow initial response to the floods which have forced thousands of people from their homes.
“We have another weather front coming in and that will rise the river levels in parts of the country, but we are doing everything we can we are fighting on every front,” said Cameron.
“The military are in there, sandbags are being deployed, we’ve got the biggest pumping in our country’s history on the Somerset levels. Everything that can be done will be done to protect people,” Cameron added.
Prince William and Prince Harry worked with British soldiers to help flood victims in the village of Datchet near Windsor Castle in Berkshire after the Thames burst its banks earlier in the week.

Three killed in flooding, as heavy rains lash Italy/ Winter storm Pax

https://theextinctionprotocol.wordpress.com/2014/02/03/three-killed-in-flooding-as-heavy-rains-lash-italy/

An Italian woman watched aghast as her seven-year-old daughter and two other female relatives were swept to their deaths Sunday when an overflowing river in Sicily engulfed their car, media reported. Rain and windstorms have unleashed across the Italian island of Sicily in recent days, leading to swollen rivers and causing widespread flooding. The family members were all traveling in the same small Lancia hatchback before dawn when it was grabbed by the rushing waters in eastern Sicily. The woman and three other occupants made it out and to the safety of the riverbank, but her daughter and two other women remained trapped inside and drowned. Elsewhere on the Italian island, a four-wheel-drive vehicle was also picked up by a raging river, but both occupants were rescued in an operation involving a helicopter. The incidents occurred as Italy suffered a bout of foul weather over the weekend that has unfurled rain and windstorms across the country, making rivers surge and causing widespread flooding. Heavy snowfall in the Italian Alps has disrupted communications and electricity supplies, and resulted in the suspension of some train services with neighboring Austria. The meteorological conditions were expected to last into Tuesday. –Inquirer

 

http://www.weather.com/news/commuter-conditions/winter-storm-pax-snow-ice-atlanta-columbia-charlotte-raleigh-20140210 

 

  

Texas, Monday into early Tuesday: The first area of icy precipitation has already developed across parts of Texas, where some light freezing rain and freezing drizzle have been reported near and to the southwest of Dallas-Fort Worth. This light precipitation may linger into Tuesday morning around Dallas, but with temperatures poking above freezing at times, impacts will be limited to a few slick spots mainly on bridges and overpasses.

Britain grapples through worst torrential rainfall in 248 years/Quarter of Slovenian homes in the dark after ice, blizzards cut power

https://theextinctionprotocol.wordpress.com/2014/02/07/britain-grapples-through-worst-torrential-rainfall-in-248-years/

Britain announced emergency funding Thursday to cope with devastating floods after what officials said had been likely the worst spell of winter rainfall in at least 248 years. Prime Minister David Cameron’s government has faced criticism for its handling of a crisis that has left swathes of the country under water, with a key railway line washed away. Several people had to be rescued from deluged homes on Thursday while more storms are expected this weekend. Across the English Channel, France’s western tip was placed on alert for flooding as high tides wreaked havoc along Europe’s Atlantic coast. Pickles said the winter was the “wettest since George III was on the throne,” referring to Britain’s monarch from 1760-1820. He added that flood victims have “literally been through hell and high water.” Britain’s Meterological Office released figures confirming Pickles’ assessment. For southern England, “regional statistics suggest that this is one of, if not the most, exceptional periods of winter rainfall in at least 248 years,” it said in a statement. Parts of the region received five months of rainfall between December 12 and January 31. The rainy winter has set records tumbling, being the wettest combined period of December and January across the United Kingdom since 1910, the Met Office said. It was also the windiest December since 1969, based on the occurrence of winds over 69 mph. For England alone it was the wettest December to January since 1876-1877 and the second wettest since rainfall records began in 1766.

 

https://theextinctionprotocol.wordpress.com/2014/02/05/quarter-of-slovenian-homes-in-the-dark-after-ice-blizzards-cut-power/ 

 

A quarter of households in Slovenia were left without electricity on Monday after a weekend of blizzards and very low temperatures wreaked havoc on power lines and roads, the national STA news agency reported. Leading daily newspaper Delo described it as the worst devastation in living memory. More than 40 percent of schools were closed and only about a third of those were due to reopen on Tuesday, STA said. It said the power cuts had affected more than 250,000 people, or one in four families, in the country. This prompted the government to ask for help from the European Union’s civil defense team in the form of power generators for the affected areas, the government said on its website. STA said generators were being urgently dispatched from Austria, Czech Republic and Germany. Farming Minister Dejan Zidan said ice and snow had damaged 500,000 hectares of forest, or roughly a half of Slovenia’s total forest area. –Reuters

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Winter Storm Warning/Rain and High Tides

http://www.google.org/publicalerts/alert?aid=8f330ede9337d7ea&hl=en&gl=US&source=web

Winter Storm Warning remains in effect from 9 pm this evening to 6 pm CST Saturday.

• Snow will develop late this evening and increase in intensity after midnight with a period of heavy snow possible during the mid to late morning hours of Saturday. The snow will end by early Saturday evening. Some sleet and freezing rain may mix with the snow south of a line from Ottawa to Joliet to Midway Airport.
• Storm total snow accumulation 6 to 10 inches. Storm total ice accumulation up to one tenth of an inch, south of a line from Ottawa to Joliet to Midway Airport.
• Snowfall rates of one to two inches per hour are possible mid morning Saturday.
• Snow covered roads and low visibilities will make travel hazardous from late this evening through early Saturday evening.
• Travel through Chicago O`hare and Midway Airports could also be significantly impacted.

http://news.sky.com/story/1204446/weather-rain-and-high-tides-are-risk-to-life

Further warnings are in place along the length of the River Severn amid fears it could burst its banks.
Flood barriers have already been installed in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, and Bewdley, Worcestershire, as the water level rises.

The Environment Agency warned against all non-essential travel amid fears drivers could become stranded, while Gloucestershire Police urged people to stay away from river banks.

Winter Storm Leon Forecast, Vehicles crash in blinding snow squall

http://www.weather.com/news/weather-forecast/winter-storm-leon-snow-ice-gulf-coast-carolinas-20140127





Winter Storm Leon will affect a long swath of the Deep South over the next couple of days – including places better known for their beaches, balmy breezes and hurricanes. This will include some of the areas affected by Winter Storm Kronos just last week – but it includes millions of people farther east as well.

The National Weather Service has issued winter storm watches, warnings and advisories from central and southeast Texas eastward along the Gulf Coast and into Georgia, most of South Carolina, central and eastern North Carolina and far southeast Virginia. For Houston, it's the second time with a winter storm warning in just five days.
For Charleston, S.C. and Savannah, Ga., an ice storm warning is in effect, starting Tuesday afternoon in Charleston and Tuesday night in Savannah.


http://www.syracuse.com/news/index.ssf/2014/01/i-81_closed_in_oswego_county_as_vehicles_crash_in_whiteout_snow_squall.html





This is the third time this month I-81 has been closed because of bad weather
The state Department of Transportation shut down the highway at about 10 a.m. today between Exit 37, Sandy Creek, and Exit 36, Pulaski. An alert from the DoT said the closure could last four hours.
The southbound lanes of I-81 were closed Jan. 10 because an ice jam threatened the bridge over Sandy Creek. Both directions had been shut down Jan. 6 because of heavy lake effect snow and high winds.

A fast-moving snow squall was predicted to drop 2 to 4 inches of snow in some areas of Oswego, Jefferson and Lewis counties.