Rain Elevates Flooding Threat Across Central America

Big changes are on the way for parts of Mexico and Central America this week.

Following a stretch of dry weather and record heat, a cold front will push across the Gulf of Mexico causing rain and thunderstorms to soak southeast Mexico, Guatemala, Belize and Honduras.

Much of April saw scorching heat from Villahermosa to Merida while rainfall was extremely scarce.

While April is typically warm and dry across this region, no rainfall was reported in both cities while temperatures soared well above normal.

In Villahermosa, there have been nine days with temperatures at or over 37.8 C (100 F) this month. The normal high is around 34 C (93 F).

Even more extreme is that 21 of the first 26 days of April had a temperature of 37.8 C (100 F) or higher in Merida, with a sizzling high of 110 degrees on the 25th and 26th.

This unrelenting heat will finally come to an end during the middle of the week as a cold front brings cooler air and widespread rainfall to the region.

http://www.foxnews.com/weather/2015/04/27/heat-ends-as-rain-elevates-flooding-threat-across-central-america/

These 9 States Are Running Out of Water

For many states, the rainy season is over, and most of the Western United States is now locked into a fourth consecutive year of drought. The imminent dry summer is particularly foreboding for California, where more than 44% of land area is engulfed in an exceptional level of drought. This was the highest such share nationwide and the kind of water shortage seen only once a century.

According to a study by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), “Droughts in the U.S. Southwest and Central Plains during the last half of this century could be drier and longer than drought conditions seen in those regions in the last 1,000 years.” The likelihood of such a drought is 12%, NASA scientists estimated.

Click here to see the 9 states running out of water.

Based on the most recent drought levels estimated as of the week ended April 14 from the U.S. Drought Monitor, 24/7 Wall St. identified the nine states with the most widespread severe to exceptional drought conditions. During periods of severe drought, crop or pasture losses are likely, and water shortages and restrictions are common. Relative to historical trends, severe drought is expected once every 50 years. During times of exceptional drought, these conditions are intensified and water shortages are considered water emergencies. These are the 9 states running out of water.

In an interview with 24/7 Wall St., Brad Rippey, agricultural meteorologist with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), said, “Where people live and where the precipitation falls are two completely different areas.” As a result, water needs to be transported to meet water demands in each state. States rely on a range of water sources.

1. California

2. Nevada

3. Utah

4. Oklahoma

5. Oregon

6. Colorado

7. Arizona

8. Kansas

9. Texas

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/04/27/9-states-running-out-of-w_n_7138928.html?utm_hp_ref=extreme-weather

Cyclone Pam Displaced Thousands

Officials behind humanitarian relief efforts in Vanuatu are desperately trying to connect those in need with crucial aid.

On Friday and Saturday, Cyclone Pam struck the South Pacific island country with winds of more than 185 mph, Reuters reported. The Category 5 storm has killed at least 24 people and left roughly 3,300 homeless.

But the cyclone's broader impact is much larger. UNICEF Pacific Deputy Representative Isabelle Austin said in a statement released on Sunday that about 60,000 children in Vanuatu have been affected by the devastation.

"We are particularly concerned about their health, nutrition, safety, schooling and recovery," she said.

Schools and early childhood centers have been damaged, and access to safe drinking water and sanitation has been compromised due to the storm, UNICEF reported.

While need is great, however, international aid organizations are stepping up to help those who need it.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/03/18/cyclone-pam-how-to-help_n_6886932.html?utm_hp_ref=extreme-weather

Greywater Systems to Save Water in Midst of Drought

If just one in ten Southern Californians were to install a greywater system in their home, the state would conserve as much potable water as it expects to generate through the massive $1 billion desalination plant that is about to come online in San Diego County, says Laura Allen, co-founder of Greywater Action and author of The Water-Wise Home.

So why aren’t more state and local government officials encouraging California homeowners to install residential greywater systems as a key part of reducing urban water usage throughout the state?

“Greywater” is the non-potable, moderately dirty wastewater produced by showers, bathroom sinks and laundry machines (and not toilets, dishwashers or kitchen sinks). In most households, as soon as greywater goes down the drain, it’s on its way to the municipal sewer system and, eventually, the ocean. That’s over a billion gallons of California water a day that’s used once and then disposed of forever.

But greywater can be recycled quite easily. Even though it is not safe to drink, as long as the right soaps are used, greywater is perfectly safe for plants. Greywater systems divert this ordinary household wastewater away from the sewer line and into a subsurface irrigation system that waters a home’s garden. For a homeowner with even modest home improvement skills, a simple laundry-to-landscape greywater system can be installed over a weekend (showers and sinks can be more complex) for a few hundred dollars in parts.

Yet in spite of California’s epic drought, elected officials have been slow to embrace the practice. Last week, Governor Jerry Brown issued an executive order mandating a 25% reduction in urban water usage statewide. The order targets residential lawns, inefficient appliances, car washing and other potentially wasteful culprits, but no mention is made of incentivizing the installation of residential greywater systems.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/04/08/greywater-california-drought_n_7026350.html?utm_hp_ref=extreme-weather

Tornado hits Oklahoma and Arkansas

SAND SPRINGS, Okla. (AP) — Oklahomans salvaged soggy belongings Thursday after the Plains' first tornado outbreak of 2015, expressing gratitude that casualties were low but understanding that nature's next punch could be far worse.

One person died and dozens of people were injured when tornadoes hit parts of the Oklahoma City and Tulsa areas during Wednesday's evening rush hour. The mayor in Moore, an Oklahoma City suburb devastated by a massive tornado two years ago, called the storm that hit his city a "junior tornado." But residents of a hard-hit Sand Springs, just west of Tulsa, said the storm was agonizing.

"Tornadoes mean a loss for a lot of people and their property," Lisa Reagle said as she rummaged through her father's demolished mobile home looking for photographs of him playing music with Merle Haggard.

Deidre Maxwell scoured the debris for her parents' prescription medications and any family keepsakes. She also was looking for the family car, a PT Cruiser that had been parked beside their mobile home.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/03/25/tornadoes-oklahoma-arkansas_n_6943856.html?utm_hp_ref=extreme-weather

Storm in Louisiana Blows Train Off Tracks

Several cars were blown off the Huey P. Long Bridge in Jefferson Parish, Louisiana, on Monday morning when a furious storm swept through the area.

The eastbound Union Pacific train was traveling at approximately 4 mph when the containers, which were empty, fell behind some restaurants along Clearview Parkway in Elmwood, CBS New Orleans affiliate WWL-TV reports. The area is roughly 10 miles east of New Orleans.

National Weather Service meteorologist Michael Hill confirmed to The Huffington Post Monday afternoon that no injuries were reported from the bridge incident or elsewhere in the area

"A lot of storms came through really fast, upwards of 50 to 60 miles per hour and strong, straight-line winds upwards of 70 miles per hour within those storms," Hill said of the storm system, known by meteorologists as a mesoscale convective complex.

Is Climate Change Causing Extreme Weather?

Man-made global warming is responsible for about 75% of all hot-temperature extremes worldwide in the past 100 years, according to a study published Monday in the British journal Nature Climate Change.

It is also responsible for about 18% of heavy rainfall, the study said.

Even worse, climate change will cause higher percentages of extreme weather in future decades. For example, by the middle of this century, if temperatures continue to increase, about 95% of all heat waves — and about 40% of precipitation extremes — will be due to human influence.

Man-made climate change is caused by the burning of fossil fuels such as gas, coal and oil, which release greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, warming the globe to levels that cannot be explained by natural variability.

The study's scientists used 25 climate computer models to test their theories. Lead author Erich Fischer, a climate scientist at ETH Zurich, a Swiss university, said the models "agree remarkably well on the change in heavy rainfall and hot extremes at the global scale."

http://www.usatoday.com/story/weather/2015/04/27/global-warming-climate-change-extreme-weather/26461685/

California Drought Makes Explosive Season for Wildfires

There was a time when fire season in California started around May and went through September. Now, thanks to a drought that's stretching into its fourth year, the state seems to have become a year-round tinderbox.

The long running drought has "created explosive fire conditions," said Mike Mohler, a fire captain with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE). "Five years ago without a drought in California you would still get wildland fires. But the vegetation wouldn't burn as quickly. Now there's zero moisture and you get explosive fire growth."

The drought has fed into a trend that's been developing for over the past decade, said Daniel Berlant, chief of public information for CAL FIRE.

http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/california-drought/california-drought-drives-stronger-longer-wildfire-season-n347671

Mile Wide Tornado Roars through Texas

A mile-wide tornado touched down in north-central Texas as a storm system swept through with large hail and damaging winds, the National Weather Service said, promising more severe weather on Monday.

The storm knocked out power to more than 30,000 people in Texas, according to online reports compiled from local power companies. Austin Energy reported the most affected, with 7,600 without power.

After moving through the town of Rio Vista, the tornado moved east into rural parts of Johnson County, Emergency Management Director Jamie Moore told NBC News. The tornado was about a mile wide when it was first spotted, he said.

The twister was spotted about 10:44 p.m. near Covington and near Cleburne State Park, about 25 miles south of Fort Worth, according to the weather service. "This is a particularly dangerous situation," it said.

http://www.nbcnews.com/news/weather/extremely-dangerous-tornado-spotted-north-texas-n348746

Disappearing Lake Mead

Nevada's Lake Mead, the largest capacity reservoir in the United States, is on track to drop to its lowest water level in recorded history on Sunday as its source, the Colorado River, suffers from 14 years of severe drought, experts said on Friday.

The 79-year-old reservoir, formed by the building of the Hoover Dam outside Las Vegas, was expected to dip below 1,080 feet on Sunday, lower than a previous record of 1,080.19 feet last August, according to the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation.

Predictions show that on May 31, the reservoir will have dipped again to 1,075 feet, well below its record high levels of around 1,206 feet in the 1980s, according to Bureau of Reclamation data.

Lake Mead supplies water to agriculture and about 40 million people in Nevada, Arizona, Southern California, and northern Mexico.

The water source and several other man-made reservoirs springing from the 1,450-mile (2,230-km) Colorado River, have dropped to as low as 45 percent of their capacity as the river suffers a 14th straight year of crippling drought.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/04/24/lake-mead-record-water-drought_n_7139428.html?utm_hp_ref=green&ir=Green

Sever Weather Outbreak Across Plains and South

A severe weather outbreak, including the threat of some tornadoes, is underway and will continue through Saturday across parts of the Plains and South.

Here are the latest impacts.

• About 10,000 customers in the Dallas-Fort Worth area remained without power early Saturday afternoon, according to Texas power company ONCOR.
• There were reports of at least one water rescue from heavy rains in San Antonio, Texas, Saturday morning.
• An 83 mph wind gust was measured on the roof of a stationary storm chase vehicle near Onward, Mississippi, just before 1 a.m. CDT Saturday.
• Twin tornadoes were spotted moving into Scott County, Kansas, with a picture posted to Twitter Friday at 5:24 CDT. Spotters confirmed a tornado near Luray, Kansas at 5:58pm CDT.
• There were reports of tornadoes Friday in Kansas and Texas, including a confirmed tornado south of Modoc, Kansas.
• Spotters reported a tornado near Fairport, Kansas at 5:02 p.m. CDT.
• The first reported tornado of the day touched down briefly over open country west of Novice, Texas, at 3:45 p.m. CDT. A second tornado was reported at Lake Coleman in west-central Texas at 4:05 p.m. CDT.
• A severe thunderstorm blew two 18-wheelers onto their sides on Interstate 10 near Breaux Bridge, Louisiana, Friday afternoon.

http://www.weather.com/storms/tornado/news/tornado-severe-threat-texas-kansas-oklahoma-arkansas-louisiana

Tropical Storms in April are not Unheard Of

The Atlantic hurricane season officially stretches from June through November. However, one tropical storm this century flared up in the Atlantic basin in late April.
On April 20, 2003, Tropical Storm Ana became the only tropical storm on record to form in the Atlantic basin in April.
That early in the calendar, "April Ana" didn't form from a tropical wave coming off west Africa. It formed as an area of low pressure aloft spinning near an old surface frontal boundary about 250 miles west of Bermuda.
Eventually, thunderstorms began clustering near the surface low, warming and moistening the low-mid levels of the atmosphere sufficiently enough for the National Hurricane Center to classify the storm as Subtropical Storm Ana during the early-morning hours of April 20.
Based on microwave satellite imagery, it was estimated Ana became the first April Atlantic tropical storm of record later on April 20, when it exhibited enough consolidated thunderstorms near the center.

http://www.weather.com/storms/hurricane/news/april-tropical-storm-ana-2003

Lightning Strikes World Trade Center in Spectacular Earth Day Display

Mother Nature's magnificent power was on full display when lightning struck One World Trade Center in New York City during late afternoon storms Wednesday, on Earth Day.

The New York City skyline provided the perfect backdrop as a cold front moved through the metro area, producing a few lightning strikes, said weather.com meteorologist Chris Dolce. 

As skies darkened, New York amateur photographer Max Giuliani captured the remarkable moment when the lightning bolt struck the top of the skyscraper. "Whenever there is a thunderstorm in the area, I grab my camera and hit Hudson River Park," he told the New York Daily News.

Despite how threatening Giuliani's photograph appears, a Port Authority spokeswoman told the Daily News there was no damage to the building. 

http://www.weather.com/news/news/new-york-one-world-trade-center-lightning-strike-earth-day-2015

Kansas Turnpike Tornado Shelters

Motorists traveling on the Kansas Turnpike have a way to protect themselves during severe weather by using the turnpike's storm shelters.

But trying to outrun a tornado to find one of those 30 shelters along the 236-mile route is not a good idea, AccuWeather Enterprise Solutions Meteorologist Brandon Sullivan said.

"Tornadoes are unpredictable. Trying to outrun them is very dangerous and can endanger both yourself and others around you," Sullivan said. "Often, in addition to the tornado, other hazards exist like very strong winds, torrential rainfall and large hail. None of these are conducive to trying to drive away quickly. Lastly, if traffic is backed up, when a tornado hits, being stuck in traffic is a horrible scenario."

Sullivan, who is also a storm chaser, had a harrowing experience with a tornado on May 31, 2013, near El Reno, Oklahoma. Debris hammered his Jeep Patriot as the twister pummeled houses and outbuildings.

"Thankfully, these shelters aren't widely used because the threat hasn't been imminent in some of these locations in recent years," Biehler said. "We might have employees and travelers use only one or two of the shelters along the entire roadway in any given storm season. But, no matter how little they get used, they are still an important service for our employees and travelers."

http://www.accuweather.com/en/weather-news/kansas-turnpike-tornado-shelters-severe-weather/45909908

Spring Cool Down Brings Snow to Midwest

A significant cooldown has swept into parts of the Midwest and Northeast, so hopefully you haven't put away your jacket yet after enjoying a taste of spring last week.

This flip to a cooler temperature regime is due to an upper-level trough that has dipped southward into the Midwest, dragging modified Canadian air from the northern Plains to the Northeast. This upper-level trough will make slow progress eastward which will allow the cool temperatures to remain in place.

The air mass has even been cold enough for snow in some locations.

As of Wednesday night, up to 12 inches of snow was reported in Bessemer, Michigan. Some higher terrain locations in western Pennsylvania, western Maryland and northern West Virginia have also seen a few inches of snow.

http://www.weather.com/forecast/national/news/cooler-temperatures-midwest-northeast-next-week

Downbursts, Microbursts, and Macrobursts

When severe thunderstorms impact an area, many times the weather produces damaging winds that down trees and power lines.
Often, the damage is so severe or extensive, it is difficult to fathom that anything other than a tornado produced the damage. Yet, there are straight-line wind features, called downbursts, that can be just as damaging as tornadoes.

A downburst is an area of strong, downward moving air associated with a downdraft from a thunderstorm. As the downdraft impacts the ground, the air is forced outwards in all directions while it also curls backwards. This results in incredible wind damage close to the surface of the ground, as well as horizontal rotation midway up between the ground and the base of the thundercloud.

Often, downbursts can produce straight-line wind damage over an area as small as 1 mile to as large as 250 miles from the center of the downdraft.

In fact, a downburst that spans a distance less than 2.5 miles in diameter is considered a microburst.

http://www.weather.com/storms/severe/news/downbursts-macrobursts-microbursts-tornadoes

Severe Thunderstorms in the Plains and the South

Severe thunderstorms producing large hail, damaging winds, and tornadoes will be less numerous Thursday, but will become more numerous in two separate events: Friday and Saturday, then again Sunday into Monday in parts of the Plains and South recently hammered by severe thunderstorms and locally heavy rainfall.

According to the Storm Prediction Center, there were roughly a half-dozen reports of brief tornadoes Wednesday in the rolling plains of western Texas, none of which produced any damage. Hail up to 3 inches in diameter was reported in Knox and Randall Counties. Pockets of damaging winds were also reported in parts of Mississippi, Alabama, and winds gusted to 71 mph in Philadelphia just before 3 p.m. EDT.  

Thursday

• Where: Widely scattered severe thunderstorms possible in Louisiana as well as Deep South, central and north Texas. Isolated strong storms also possible in High Plains of western Nebraska, eastern Colorado, western Kansas.
• Threat Cities: Austin | New Orleans
• Timing: Early-afternoon through the evening in Louisiana; late afternoon into the evening in Deep South, central, perhaps north Texas and High Plains. T-storms may become more numerous overnight in central/north Texas, southern Oklahoma and parts of the Rio Grande Valley.
• Severe Threats: Large hail, damaging winds, isolated tornado or two

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

Drought in California

It isn't easy to comprehend the scope and severity of the long-term drought gripping California unless you see it for yourself.

In the images above, you can see just how low the lakes have gotten and how far hope has declined among the state's residents. They've spent several years watching water levels drop with little rain or snow falling to replenish them.

Let's examine a few of the areas profiled in the gallery and dive deeper into their struggle.

Lake McClure

Located in central California, nearly due east of San Francisco, Lake McClure is shockingly low. At just 8 percent of capacity as of March, according to reports by the Merced Irrigation District, local farmers have already been told they won't be able to count on any surface water from the lake this year.

Dry lakebeds are cracking and water levels have dipped dozens of feet below normal. Houseboats have been pulled from the water, and local officials say there might not be enough water to keep them on the lake this summer, KMPH-TV reports.

"We are going to need 3 good years, 4 good years of rain to get this up so we can enjoy it," boater Joe Cuchieri told KMPH-TV.

When full, Lake McClure holds 1 million acre-feet of water; an acre-foot is the amount of water it would take to cover an acre of land with one foot of water. Currently, the lake holds about 69,000 acre-feet of water and the water elevation drops one foot every other day, according to Sierra Sun Times.

http://www.weather.com/climate-weather/drought/news/california-drought-photos-april

Mid South Severe Weather and Hail Stones in Arkansas

On Tuesday afternoon, Arkansas and Mississippi were hit with an unusual bout of hail. Golf ball sized hail was reported by storm watchers and as the storm moved South East, baseball sized hail began to fall.

In Gould, Southeastern Arkansas, a funnel cloud was reported to have been seen and on the other side of the state damage, as extensive as a a shed being blown completely away was reported.

This kind of weather also extended to other states such as Alabama and Georgia where they also experienced power outages, and one woman was taken to the hospital after being struck by lightning. Hail not characteristic for this time and also for these lower Southern states.

http://www.weather.com/storms/severe/news/severe-weather-midsouth-southeast

Asian Air Pollution Strengthens Pacific Storms

A recent study suggests that the impact of air pollution in China and other Asian countries is far reaching and is not contained within these areas. Storms occurring above the Pacific Ocean are being strengthened by pollutants in the air through thicker and taller clouds and heavier precipitation.

Asia has some of the world's highest levels of air pollution. Beijing frequently reaches hazardous levels, while New Dehli's pollution is far over the rate recommended by the World Health Organization. These tiny particles of pollution blow out into the Pacific Ocean where they interact with small droplets of precipitation. This interaction caused clouds above the Pacific to grow denser, resulting in heavier storms.

Weather patterns in one area are not contained to that area, and this has been a perfect example of this.

http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-27027876