More Drought Relief Headed to California This Week

The frequency of rain will steadily increase throughout the first half of the week across the Pacific Northwest with much of the rain falling along and west of the Cascades.

Heavy downpours can cause travel disruptions along the Interstate-5 corridor, including in Seattle, Tacoma and Olympia, Washington; and Portland, Salem and Eugene, Oregon.

The bouts of heavy rain could also lead to flash flooding over upslope regions of the Cascades with snow falling over the higher elevations of the mountains.

Snow levels should remain above pass level, good news for those trying to drive through Stevens Pass or Snowqualmie Pass.

http://www.accuweather.com/en/weather-news/parade-of-storms-to-soak-the-w/38592165

Northeast Roadways Slick for Morning Commute

A major storm is set to impact the Northeast through Thursday, bringing substantial snow to inland areas, heavy rain and tropical storm-force winds to the coast and a wintry mix in between the two.

The storm began early Tuesday morning along the mid-Atlantic coast and will continue to spread inland and northward through Wednesday.

Heavy, wet snow can lead to downed trees and power lines. Meanwhile, interstates in upstate New York and northern New England may become snow covered, making for treacherous travel conditions.

http://www.accuweather.com/en/weather-news/live-blog-northeast-roadways-s/38706452

Quake strikes western China

A strong earthquake that hit a sparsely populated, mountainous area of western China killed at least four people and injured 54 others, including schoolchildren in a stampede, officials said Sunday.

The US Geological Survey said the magnitude-5.9 quake hit Saturday about 20 miles from the county of Kangding in Sichuan province. China’s seismological agency put the magnitude at 6.3.

The four dead included a woman in her 70s who was struck by a falling window pane, the official Xinhua news agency and state broadcaster CCTV said, citing Chen Yunbing, a doctor at the region’s Ganzi People’s hospital.

A stampede at a primary school in Tagong town during the quake injured 42 children, according to Xinhua.

A total of 30 homes collapsed and 2,630 suffered serious damage, the Sichuan information office said.

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/nov/23/two-dead-in-china-earthquake

Morocco hit by floods killing 32 people and leaving hundreds stranded

Near the southern city of Guelmim alone, 24 people died, with 11 bodies recovered from a valley which is normally a dry riverbed but had been turned into a raging torrent by flooding.

TV footage showed swiftly running waters from the Oued Talmaadart cutting across a highway, leaving cars stranded in the middle and people taking refuge on top of their vehicles.

In several cases, the waters swept away old inter-city taxis and the local press added that many of the dead and missing came from the same families caught in vehicles carried downstream.

The army and national police rescued 214 people, including 40 by helicopter. Two French nationals were also rescued.

Other footage showed overturned 18-wheeler trucks by the side of a road under several inches of water as other vehicles slowly drove by.

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/nov/24/morocco-flooding-32-killed-stranded

Brisbane storm: why was it so bad?

Supercell storms are the most serious thunderstorm events Australians experience, and they are dangerous for a number of reasons.

They last for a relatively long time and can maintain intense power for many hours.

They also have what forecasters call highly organised circulation – a continuous, strong updraught which means supercell storms can exert control over the surrounding atmosphere.

Thursday’s supercell event was proof of how powerful and destructive they can be, producing wind gusts of 140km/h, which is equivalent to a category 2 cyclone.

http://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2014/nov/28/brisbane-storm-why-was-it-so-bad

Children rescued from snow pile

Two children trapped in a snow pile in the Hudson Valley for several hours survived thanks to an air pocket in the heavy snow, New York police said Friday.

The two cousins — boys aged 11 and 9 — were building a snow fort Wednesday night near their apartment complex in Newburgh, when a plow operator clearing a parking lot unknowingly pushed snow over them. A search was called that night after the boys’ parents became alarmed.

The boys were found conscious and suffering from exposure at about 2 a.m. Thursday, after an officer spotted a shovel and a small boot in the snow. Police say they were buried in about 5 feet of snow and had trouble moving their arms and legs.

http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2014/nov/28/children-rescued-snow-new-york

Wild weather to continue to batter eastern Australia in lead-up to Christmas

Unusually tumultuous weather has swept parts of eastern Australia over the past week, with meteorologists warning that further storms, hail and rain are likely to return in the lead-up to Christmas.

A severe thunderstorm battered Sydney on Sunday, leaving more than 10,000 homes without power as large hailstones rained down on parts of the city. Flights from Sydney airport were cancelled while the Tropfest short film festival was delayed after its venue in Centennial Park was evacuated.

http://www.theguardian.com/weather/2014/dec/08/wild-weather-continue-batter-eastern-australia

California drought 'not caused by global warming', official study finds

A report issued on Monday by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said natural variations – mostly a La Niña weather oscillation – were the primary drivers behind the drought that has now stretched to three years.

The study’s lead author, Richard Seager of Columbia University, said the paper has not yet been published in a peer-reviewed scientific journal. He and NOAA’s Martin Hoerling said 160 runs of computer models show heat-trapping gases should slightly increase winter rain in parts of California, not decrease.

“The conditions of the last three winters are not the conditions that climate change models say would happen,” Hoerling said. But he said La Niña, which is the cooler flip side of the warming of the central Pacific ocean, can only be blamed for about one-third of the drought. The rest of the causes can be from just random variation, he said.

Some outside climate scientists criticised the report, saying it did not take into effect how record warmth worsened the drought. California is having its hottest year on record, based on the first 11 months of the year and is 4.1 degrees warmer than the 20th-century average, according to the National Climatic Data Center.

http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2014/dec/08/california-drought-not-caused-by-global-warming-official-study-finds

Five dead and thousands evacuated in severe southern France floods

The worst flooding in years in southern France has claimed five lives and forced more than 3,000 people to evacuate their homes, officials said on Sunday.

The latest victim was a 73-year-old man who died of heart failure in Rivesaltes, in the Pyrénées-Orientales region, while trying to force his car through a dip in a road that was flooded.

Along the banks of the Agly river in the same region, the government said about 2,800 people were evacuated by late afternoon on Sunday.

The flooding was considered more serious than the deadly overflows seen in 1999, with the government saying it would evacuate residents within 200m of the river. Another 560 people had already left their homes in Canet, Argelès-sur-Mer and Barcarès, on the Mediterranean coast.

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/nov/30/five-dead-thousands-evacuated-severe-southern-france-floods

Huge dust storm engulfs Queensland town of Bedourie

A huge dust storm has rolled into the small Queensland town of Bedourie, engulfing the residents in dust.Located in arid far-western Queensland on the edge of the Simpson desert, the town is no stranger to the storms.

“We do get them from time to time but that was a big one,” den Ronden told Guardian Australia.

http://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2014/dec/05/huge-dust-storm-engulfs-queensland-town-of-bedourie-in-pictures

Bolivia after the floods: 'the climate is changing; we are living that change'

Those who could grabbed their children and animals and ran as the river burst its banks and its rain-swollen waters rushed 50m into their homes and fields. Not all of Capaina’s 140 inhabitants, however, were quick enough.

Dilma Mamio Cartagena spent most of that day standing on a bench, shivering and praying. With the water rising and her ears filling with the cries of petrified children and animals, the 76-year-old watched her pots and pans float away as snakes slid around her.

http://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2014/dec/08/bolivia-floods-climate-change-indigenous-people

Freezing Fog, Rain Causes Destruction in Central Europe

A moist air mass associated with a storm system over the Mediterranean lifted north, interacting with the cold air. The result was areas of snow and freezing rain. Elsewhere, the increase in moisture helped produce thick fog, which froze to objects resulting in widespread icing.

With temperatures hovering just below freezing and ample moisture in the atmosphere, ice continued to build on trees and power lines causing them to snap to the ground.

http://www.accuweather.com/en/weather-news/photos-freezing-fog-rain-creat/38385334

Weekly Wrap-Up: Heavy California Rainfall Causes Sinkhole, Mudslides

Earlier in the week, a storm system delivered an average of 1-3 inches of rain across California, but some areas saw higher or lower amounts. Enough rain fell to cause isolated urban-style flooding, as well as mudslides.

Rainfall from the storm was 2.53 inches at San Diego, 2.96 inches at Sacramento and 3.58 inches at San Francisco.

In the Bay Area, a large sinkhole formed in San Francisco's Richmond section. A normal rainfall total for the entire month of December is 4.03 inches.

http://www.accuweather.com/en/weather-news/weekly-wrapup-heavy-california/38502248

Magnitude-6.6 Earthquake Rocks Central America

A major earthquake struck early Monday just off Panama's coast near its border with Costa Rica.

The 6.6-magnitude temblor was centered 20 kilometers (12 miles) east-southeast of Punta de Burica, Panama, the U.S. Geological Survey said. It had a depth of 20 km (12 miles) and occurred at 3:54 a.m. local time.

There were no immediate reports of casualties or damage from the region, La Prensa Panama reported on its Twitter feed, citing government officials.
http://www.accuweather.com/en/weather-news/breaking-magnitude67-earthquak/38648588

NYC: Impending Winter Storm to Bring Flood Threat

New York City will escape substantial snow from an impending winter storm but not its heavy rain, wind and flood threat.

Enough warm air will surge in with the storm to bring mostly rain to New York City, the coastal areas and the nearby northern and western suburbs.

Rain will reach the city toward dawn on Tuesday, becoming heavy as the day progresses. Some flooding may result, especially across low-lying and poor drainage areas.

http://www.accuweather.com/en/weather-news/impending-winter-storm-to-brin/38556004

More Than One Million Evacuated as Deadly Hagupit Lashes Philippines

As many as 24 people died due to the typhoon, now a tropical storm, government and disaster relief officials said.

Twenty-one of those people died in Borongan, Samar, according to the Philippine Red Cross.

Earlier updates from the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) said there were two other deaths as a result of Hagupit and that more than 1 million people are being served inside and outside of evacuation centers.

http://www.accuweather.com/en/weather-news/typhoon-hagupit-barreling-thro-1/38439268

Tropical Depression Brings Downpours to Philippines; More Threats Looming

Rounds of tropical downpours threaten to cause flooding across the Philippines this week with the danger also spreading to Vietnam.

Despite struggling to develop into a tropical cyclone as it passed Guam and moved across the Philippine Sea, Tropical Depression 21W formed just off the coast of the southern Philippines on Wednesday.

The downpours will spread in an east-to-west fashion across the nation's Visayas Islands, Mindanao and southern Luzon, dropping a general 50 to 100 mm (2 to 4 inches).

Such rain could trigger localized flash flooding, especially in low-lying and poor drainage areas.

Cities in the path of the tropical low's drenching rain include Tabaco, Tacloban, Dumaquete and Iloilo. The capital city of Manila will escape the majority of the downpours.

http://www.accuweather.com/en/weather-news/tropical-flooding-downpours-ta/37961921

Black Friday: Patchy Ice, Snow May Slow Early-Morning Surge of Shoppers

Icy spots are likely early Friday morning in the wake of the Wednesday snowstorm in parts of the mid-Atlantic and New England. In these areas, melting and refreezing of piles of snow can lead to areas of black (clear) ice. Cities to watch out for icy spots include Boston; Portland, Maine; Albany, New York; Hartford, Connecticut; Harrisburg, Pennsylvania; and Martinsburg, West Virginia.

Most road surfaces should have dried off around New York City, Philadelphia and Washington, D.C., in the wake of the Wednesday storm, but icy spots are possible in the northern and western suburbs created from the piles of snow left behind.

Early morning shoppers on Friday may encounter slippery roads, parking lots and sidewalks on their travels from Michigan to Minnesota and Montana. Snow in this swath on Friday will bring a general coating to an inch or two.

http://www.accuweather.com/en/weather-news/black-friday-forecast-icy-northeast/37965060

Flood Waters Rage in Morocco; More Rain to Come

In the wake of deadly flooding across southern Morocco, more rain and potential new flooding issues are on the horizon.

The death toll from the floods stood at 32 on Monday, according to the Associated Press.

Eleven bodies were recovered from the Oued Talmaadart alone. Oued Talmaadart is located near the city of Guelmim and is normally a dry riverbed that turned into a raging waterway due to the flooding.

A slow-moving storm system that sat offshore of Morocco Friday through the weekend was responsible for the rounds of rain.

http://www.accuweather.com/en/weather-news/watch-raging-flood-waters-kill/37913825

Snow to Bring Holiday Travel Delays for Plains and Midwest

A fast-moving snowstorm will sweep through the Plains and Midwest through the middle of the week, but its impacts come during the busiest travel time of the year.

People from the Dakotas to the Tennessee Valley who plan on taking to the road for the Thanksgiving holiday may need to set aside alternative travel plans.

Although the storm will zip across the country's midsection into Wednesday and likely not last too long, a quick burst of snow could still bring significant travel delays.

http://www.accuweather.com/en/weather-news/snowstorm-to-bring-risky-holid/37939699