Heavy Rain, Floods, Hail, Lightning, Landslides, High Winds

Events from 2007
Events from 2005

2006 -

12/31 -
TEXAS - Storms caused by the same weather system that was bringing another blizzard to Colorado pounded much of Texas on Friday as high winds, lightning and flash floods left a trail of damaged property, splintered trees and downed power lines across the eastern half of the state. Hardest hit appeared to be Limestone County, where one man was killed near Groesbeck when a tornado touched down. Between 25 and 50 buildings across Limestone County could be destroyed. "Many houses completely imploded." "This was a very, very powerful upper-level system. It was affecting weather all the way from Houston all the way to Denver." The storms were caused by a cold front interacting with a strong low-pressure system. That, coupled with plenty of moisture from the Gulf of Mexico, produced an ideal recipe for severe weather. "It was a huge upper-level low." "Plus, the brunt of the storm is still yet to hit our areas."

GAZA, PALESTINE - The Gaza Strip, home to 1.2 million Palestinians, has faced an UNPRECEDENTED RAINFALL this week that has resulting in flooding in many places. With all major bridges having been obliterated by the Israeli bombing of infrastructure this summer, the floods have literally cut off the nothern half of the Gaza Strip from the South. Completely surrounded by Israeli military forces and electrified fences, the residents of Gaza have no other route by which to bypass the flood. Gaza residents had been using makeshift dirt roads through the canyon and the (normally) shallow river that runs from east to west across the middle of the Strip. But the rains have rendered those tracks impassable. Waters have been steadily rising in central Gaza since the winter rains, heavier than usual, began several days ago.

BRITAIN - A young woman has been killed after storms wreaked havoc across Britain on Friday night. The 18-year-old woman was inside a mobile home in Cheadle, Staffordshire, when a 60ft high tree crashed on to its roof. The gale force conditions have also delayed the investigation into a helicopter crash in Morecambe Bay. Six men died in the accident at a Centrica gas rig on Wednesday evening and another man is missing presumed dead. Rescuers called off the search for the missing man after forecasters predicted high winds over the next few days. Further stormy weather and 75mph winds are predicted to hit on New Year's Eve.

12/29 -
CONGO - Weeks of flooding and landslides have left thousands of people homeless in Democratic Republic of Congo's Eastern Kasai province. Landslides are common in the region but this year's rainy season has been particularly heavy, with downpours almost every day since November. More than 6000 people have been made homeless following the latest wave of flooding and landslides this week.

SOUTH AFRICA - A heavy storm with hailstones “the size of eggs" pounded the town of Indwe in the Chris Hani district municipality in the Transkei this week, causing damage to property estimated at about R2-million. The storm, which lasted for only five minutes, felled telephone poles and street lights, smashed window panes, and damaged vehicles. Two houses in the town had their roofs blown away and about 700 others had all their window panes broken. “The extremely heavy downpour, accompanied by strong winds gusting at about 120km/h hit the area at about 2.05pm on Tuesday with hailstones the size of eggs." Such a storm had never happened in the area before. “This is VERY UNUSUAL – it was a FREAK."

12/28 -
FLORIDA - Tornadoes are RARE during a Florida winter. Even rarer are Florida tornadoes as powerful as those that hit both coasts Monday. Blame it on the El Nino dominating this winter's weather. During an El Nino, when water in the Pacific Ocean warms a few degrees above normal, winds shift high in the atmosphere and winter storms can bring rain, powerful thunderstorms and sometimes tornadoes to Florida. The twisters that hit in Pasco, DeLand and Daytona Beach were potent tornadoes seldom seen in Florida. Winds topped 120 mph, the third most powerful category on a six-level scale that measures tornadoes. Most Florida tornadoes are small twisters that hit and run quickly during summer thunderstorms, their winds rarely topping 75 mph.

12/27 -
MALAYSIA's floods crisis worsened today with more downpours that forced five relief centres to reopen in southern Johor state. Nearly 63,000 people have been forced to evacuate their homes. The death toll from the worst floods in decades stands at eight. Electricity authorities shut down power to Kota Tinggi, one of the worst-affected districts in Johor, as floodwaters rose from 30cm to 60cm last night. Major roads in the state remain closed. Crocodiles were menacing flood victims and stealing chickens from backyard coops, and pythons and cobras had also been spotted in abandoned houses.

INDONESIA - Torrential rains caused mudslides and floods in Indonesia's Aceh and North Sumatra provinces on Monday, killing at least 87 people as tens of thousands of others fled for higher ground. Rescue crews reaching remote villages fear mass graves of villagers buried under dirt, following a week of torrential rains in the region. Aerial views showed families trapped on the roofs of their homes and many houses were completely submerged in flood-ravaged parts of Sumatra.
A landslide Sunday night hit the remote highland sub-district of Muara Sipongi in North Sumatra province, which was struck by an earthquake a week ago. 27 of those who had escaped the deadly earthquake but returned to their homes were killed, and six remained missing when the landslide buried dozens of houses on the Indonesian island of Sumatra. "We have to stop evacuation efforts because it rained very hard in the area. It is still raining now." Residents had visited their homes after last week's quake despite warnings that it was still dangerous. The landslide was triggered by floods that over the past week have killed at least 70 other people and displaced around 300,000 in Aceh and neighbouring North Sumatra. Four people were killed and hundreds of homes damaged when the earthquake hit Muara Sipongi on December 18. The quake damaged 860 homes.

12/26 -
INDONESIA - A big rescue operation is under way in Indonesia to help survivors of flash floods in northern Sumatra. At least 80 people have died following heavy rains in recent days and hundreds more are still missing. In the worst-affected districts of Aceh and North Sumatra, whole villages have been inundated, with residents left stranded on higher ground. More than 100,000 people have been forced from their homes across northern Sumatra. Tens of thousands are now living in government shelters. Rain has now stopped falling over the affected regions.

MALAYSIA - THE WORST FLOODS IN 37 YEARS have displaced nearly 100,000 people amid food shortages, looting and criticism of the government's handling of the crisis. Malaysian weathermen warned the floods, which hit the southern states, could spread to the central and northeastern parts of the country if the UNUSUALLY heavy monsoon rains persisted. The floods, which followed this week's HEAVIEST RAINFALL IN A CENTURY, submerged buildings and cut off roads.

FLORIDA - A string of twisters swept through Florida on Christmas Day, leaving behind a path of damage and destruction. A tornado west of Lake City touched down shortly after eight am, cutting about a 500-yard wide path for about seven miles in a north-northeast direction. So far there's only one report of a minor injury, but 3-5 million in damages. A separate twister with winds as high as 120 miles an hour flipped over 50 planes at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach. The winds even tore the wings right off some of the planes. Gusts also tossed campers around and destroyed homes in DeLand, in West Volusia County. Near Tampa, more than two dozen homes are damaged and at least one is a complete loss from yet another tornado touchdown. Several people were hospitalized with minor injuries across the counties. (photos)

12/22 -
AUSTRALIA - about 1000 homes and other property were damaged in a FREAK hailstorm that lashed the northern New South Wales city of Armidale. A state of emergency has been declared for the city following the storm that hammered its eastern quarter for about 20 minutes yesterday afternoon. The storm left a trail of destruction in its wake, with homes unroofed, windows smashed, cars damaged, trees stripped of foliage and glass from broken windows strewn about the streets. The sheer weight of the hail collapsed the roof of a large agricultural exhibition centre.
SWEDEN - The recent torrential rain in southwestern Sweden almost caused a large loss of life on Wednesday night after a stretch of one of the country’s major roads collapsed , taking cars and trucks with it. It happened on one of Sweden’s busiest highways Wednesday night at around 7 o’clock, when a newly built stretch, around 400 metres long, collapsed. Dozens of cars and trucks fell in a pile of mud and rocks. A rescue worker at the scene said that it was a miracle that noone was killed. Police say that more than 30 people were injured. The collapse was caused by the recent downpours in the area. The road is next to the Taske River and thousands of Telia sonera telephone subscribers were cut off as fibre optic cables flew into the river. It’s expected to be some time before the road can be open again with the 15,000 vehicles that use the road diverted 50 to 60 kilometres along smaller roads. The landslide also hit a nearby railway line and a 300 metre section of track fell into the Taske river just minutes after a train had passed the spot.
PHILIPPINES - Bacolod and Talisay cities were placed under states of calamity Wednesday after flooding caused 2,167 families to evacuate, destroyed 112 houses, and damaged 3,356 others when heavy rains that poured after midnight were exacerbated by high tide. In Bacolod City, residents in several barangays were rescued from rising waters, flooded streets caused many cars to stall and in Barangay Mandalagan, where water was estimated to be as high as 5 feet at one point, a house floated down a road hitting a vehicle stuck in the water. The heavy rains were brought on by tropical depression Tomas and lasted for about three hours from midnight to past 3 a.m. It was not just a massive drainage problem that caused the flooding. "It was an UNUSUAL weather condition exacerbated by high tide and environmental changes."
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA - Heavy rain swamped New Orleans' streets Thursday, backing up traffic as pumping stations struggled to keep up. Pumping stations, closely watched since the catastrophic flooding after Hurricane Katrina in August 2005, were working, officials said. But the rain lasted so long, they couldn't keep up. The same storm that dumped snow across the West brought about 6.6 inches of rain to the New Orleans area through midday Thursday. The community of Larose, about 60 miles south of New Orleans, got an estimated 10 to 12 inches of rain. (photo)
FOG -
12/22 -
BRITAIN - Thick fog caused the cancellation of flights at London's Heathrow Airport for a fourth successive day Friday, forcing thousands of frustrated passengers to scrap or delay their Christmas travel plans. Hundreds of flights have been canceled since the fog rolled in Tuesday, affecting an estimated 40,000 people. About 160,000 people transit through Heathrow on a typical day, but nearly 200,000 are expected to travel through the airport Friday. At Heathrow the fog was expected to continue through the weekend, causing more potential delays for passengers making connecting flights. Visibility on Thursday had reached a low of 115 meters (377 feet), well below the 1,000 meters (3,280 feet) generally considered disruptive for flights. Heathrow - built on flat, grassy land and surrounded by reservoirs and canals - is particularly vulnerable to fog. Long, cool nights and calm winds have led forecasters to warn that the fog could linger into the weekend. The awful airline delays are the result of severe weather conditions. Since that is not the airline’s fault, they cannot be held liable for most of the problems that follow. But whether any of their procedures to deal with extraordinary events have exacerbated travellers’ misery is another question. The duration of the heavy fog is certainly UNUSUAL.
WIND -
12/22 -
CANADA - About 25,000 homes and businesses on B.C.'s South Coast lost power in the wake of another windstorm that blew through the area overnight and early Thursday morning. Gusts of up to 90 km/h did the most damage on Vancouver Island. Much of the South Coast, including Greater Vancouver, was spared the worst of the storm. "That low pressure area that was approaching the coast overnight moved northward. It's actually moved well up near the Queen Charlotte Islands now. The strongest winds are up there, and over north Vancouver Island." Meanwhile, there's more to come. While the immediate forecast in southwestern B.C. is for sunshine, a series of storms are lined up in the Pacific.
12/21 -
MALAYSIA - More than 21,000 people have been evacuated in Malaysia's southern Johor state after continuous rains, causing what officials say are the WORST FLOODS IN YEARS & THE HEAVIEST RAINFALL IN A CENTURY. Officials said Wednesday the situation remained critical. Heavy rain since Sunday caused rivers to overflow into villages and towns and much of the state has been brought to a standstill. “We always prepare ourselves to face the worst scenario during the monsoon season, but this year it is really bad, the worst in my experience.” A total of 126 villages with 4767 families were affected by the northeastern monsoon rains, which had inundated villages, highways and residential areas in eight of Johor's nine districts.
The flood havoc seen in Johor and other states is the result of a new weather phenomenon. And while people in Johor can look forward to improving conditions by tomorrow, those in Pahang, Malacca, Negri Sembilan and the Klang Valley should remain on the lookout, possibly up to Sunday. The heavy rainfall was brought by strong winds from the South China Sea and the western part of the Pacific Ocean, the after-effect of Typhoon Utor which hit the Philippines recently. “This is certainly not your traditional monsoon rains. This is a new phenomenon.” The station at Senai recorded 623mm of rainfall since December 1.
IRELAND - A senior Council Engineer has warned that the flooding problem is escalating in Mayo and could potentially result in the closure of the county’s main arteries. Stating that the level of rainfall in recent weeks was ABNORMAL by any standards, he cautioned that the county is now in a “touch and go situation”. Should the bad weather continue, “there is a chance that high tides could hit Westport and Ballina." The level of rainfall in the first two weeks of December was far greater than the entire month of December 2005 and , if severe weather conditions continue, the county could be virtually marooned.
RUSSIA - Four Russian geologists were killed in a massive rock slide in the Russian Far East and one body trapped under rubble and ice had not yet been recovered. The workers died in a region near the Chinese border when several tonnes of rock slid down. Three bodies were pulled out, but the body of the fourth worker remained under the rubble. "The rescuers can see his legs sticking out from under the rubble. But he is frozen solid with ice," as the local temperature had dipped to -20C.
12/20 -
SINGAPORE - Singapore on Tuesday was hit by the THIRD HIGHEST RAINFALL RECORDED IN 75 YEARS. Although heavy rainfall is expected during this period, Tuesday's rainfall was exceptionally high. The 24-hour rainfall recorded was 366 mm. This amount of rainfall recorded in one day exceeds even the average amount of 284 mm recorded for the whole month of December in previous years. The highest amount of rainfall recorded over 24 hours in Singapore was 512 mm, in 1978. The second highest rainfall recorded was 467 mm, in 1969.
TEXAS - last week three weather ingredients started to merge. As expected, a cold front dipped into North Texas on Monday, bringing cool air near the surface. Topping that is a layer of warm, moist air from the Gulf of Mexico. A third ingredient - an upper-level disturbance from Arizona and New Mexico - is topping the other two layers with cold air aloft. This UNUSUAL CONFLUENCE of three systems will trigger widespread showers and thunderstorms through today.

FLORIDA - A downpour on the 14th deluged Palm Beach with 7.63 inches of rain. It was DOUBLE THE PREVIOUS RAINFALL RECORD of 3.75 inches in 1955.
WIND-
MONTANA - Montana's WIND RECORD was blown away last week. A wind gauge on Snowslip Mountain, just east of the Continental Divide along Highway 2, clocked a gust of 164 mph Wednesday, the 13th. That's akin to a hurricane. A category 5 storm carries sustained winds of more than 155 mph. And it blew away the old state record of 143 mph set in 2002.
WASHINGTON, OREGON - Floods, landslides, winds, downed trees - the storm on the 14th was one for the record books. It was fierce and fatal: Evergreens snapped like twigs. Roadways turned into rivers. Four people died and a million and a half others were left in the cold and dark. Forecasters saw it coming, even predicted aspects of it days in advance, yet some byproducts of it were so surreal - flash floods and sinkholes, landslides and gale-force gusts - that no Doppler radar or wind gauge or statistic on a TV screen could ever fully explain it. After a wild, wind-driven tempest blasted in off the Pacific to pummel Puget Sound overnight Thursday, about 1.5 million homes and businesses in the region remained without power. Locals called it ONE OF THE WORST STORMS IN MEMORY, politicians declared it a disaster and meteorologists confirmed it was a blast for the record books. "This (kind of storm) is generally considered one in every 10 years." Winds gusted to a RECORD 69 mph about 1 a.m. at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, breaking the old mark of 65 mph set in 1993. Winds were clocked at 90 mph near Westport on the coast, while in the mountains, Chinook Pass clocked winds of 113 mph.
More than two inches of rain- 2.17 inches - was recorded at the National Weather Service office in Seattle. That BROKE THE RECORD of about an inch-and-a-quarter (1.24 inches) set on December 14th in 2002.
CANADA - Wind gusts at Race Rocks, off the Island's southwest tip, reached a RECORD 158 kilometres an hour as the third intense wind storm in a week plowed a trail of destruction through southern Vancouver Island and the Lower Mainland on the 15th. Friday morning's storm knocked out power to thousands of residents, toppled trees, and damaged buildings and cars. In the last three storms the wind has gathered over the North Pacific, whooshed across the ocean, gathered speed in the funnel of Juan de Fuca Strait and then whacked Vancouver Island with its full force. "There are tremendous wind speeds and three in one week is UNUSUAL." The wind is coming straight across the cold North Pacific and hitting land, rather than taking the more common route of dipping south and picking up tropical moisture. The storms are cutting a swath straight across Vancouver Island instead of the more usual pattern of tracking to the north coast around Prince Rupert and the Queen Charlottes. "The fact we got three blasts in a row is pretty annoying and UNUSUAL."
12/19 -
SOUTH AFRICA - The pilot of a light aircraft was killed when he flew into a block of flats in Yeoville, central Johannesburg, during a storm on Monday night. Lightning struck, there was a sound of low rumbling and the aircraft flew into the ground floor of the building, said two men who watched in horror from an outside corridor on the second floor of the block. Most of the wreckage was inside the basement parking garage, with a wing and part of the aircraft body sticking out. Residents were asleep in the building when the plane crashed into it. The pilot, who was believed to be the only person in the plane, was killed on impact. Nobody on the ground was injured although the occupants of a flat which was hit were shaken. Police suspect the heavy storm caused the crash.
AZORES - A small tornado hit the village of Lagoa on the Atlantic island of Sao Miguel, Azores on Monday, causing damage to several buildings. No injuries were reported. "The damage is quite extensive, the roof of a factory was blown off, the windows of schools were broken and many houses and cars were seriously damaged. There was severe weather instability which caused extremely strong winds.This is a RARE PHENOMENON." Poor weather was forecast for the rest of Monday and this morning. The Azores islands lie about 1,500 kilometers (930 miles) off Portugal.
BAHRAIN - FREAK rains lashed Bahrain Sunday bringing the country to a virtual standstill over 48 hours. A total of 113.6mm of rain have fallen since the beginning of the month until noon Sunday and met-men predict more of the same until Wednesday. Many Bahraini families were trapped in their flooded homes. Hundreds of homes have flooded all across the country. Saturday and Sunday were unstable - with heavy rains all around the country and wind speeds of 35 knots. "Those winds have caused a sharp drop in Bahrain's temperature from 22.5C to 10 degrees. Near record rainfall has been recorded this month, with the highest being 96.2mm in December 1974. This month's average is 13.9mm."
FIJI - The Weather Bureau is predicting more heavy rain and storms today following an overnight deluge that caused flash flooding in the central division. A report on property damage was being compiled.
WIND -
12/19 -
AUSTRALIA - Wind gusts recorded during the violent storms that swept through the northern end of the Sunshine Coast on Saturday were equivalent to the destructive gales of a category three cyclone, according to weather experts. A storm cell which passed over Double Island Point recorded gusts just a whisker below 200km/h. The sky was so black it was like midnight. Cyclone Tracy, which levelled Darwin 30 years ago, packed winds of up to 250km/h, while Cyclone Larry devastated Innisfail in March with gusts of up to 290km/h. “We’ve had fewer thunderstorms this season with less humidity around, but boy, it sure came together on Saturday."
12/18 -
AUSTRALIA - Fruit and vegetable crops have been wiped out in wild storms that lashed south-east Queensland at the weekend. Small crop growers in the Cooroy district and areas near Childers were assessing millions of dollars worth of the damage to their farms after severe hail storms struck on Saturday. Heavy rain and wind gusts up to 200km/h brought down trees and power lines, damaged buildings and ripped roofs from homes. Initial reports indicated that mango, lychee, pineapple, avocado, pumpkin, ginger, passionfruit and stonefruit crops were among those affected by the hail and wind. Golf ball-sized hailstones caused "incredible destruction" not only to crops, but to infrastructure such as sheds, farm equipment, netting and sprinkler systems. "This is a considerable setback as lychee trees, to take one example, take four years to mature enough to fruit again."
QATAR - there are all indications that Qatar has received its HIGHEST-EVER RAINFALL during the current season. Long time residents told the newspaper that they had never witnessed such a heavy rain in Qatar during the last four decades. The season's RECORD RAIN rain has virtually thrown the life out-of-gear in the Industrial area. With the minimum temperature dipping to a RECORD 10 degree Celsius and rain continuing to lash across the area, workers at several camps fell sick. The roads leading to many labour camps have gone under water. Many streets are still lying under water, making vehicular traffic extremely difficult.
NEW ZEALAND - Two South African families who immigrated to New Zealand lost three of their children in a freak landslide as they played in a river at a popular picnic spot, it was reported on Sunday. The parents watched helplessly on Friday evening as two children were hit by tonnes of rock in the Pohangina River, near Palmerston North. "The kids were not actually buried under all the gravel. It seemed like it was more like a shockwave; it must have come down very close to the kids. Maybe [the shockwave threw] them away, the pressure of the air ... A lot of stuff came down, so it might have been a few rocks hitting here and there."
U.S. WEST COAST - After weeks of relentless, record rain, hurricane-force winds, floods and heavy mountain snows, scientists are starting to wonder when El Nino will show up and provide a break in the ugly weather that's been pummeling the Pacific Northwest. A week ago, the National Weather Service said that this winter's El Nino was intensifying, and it predicted that it would last longer than expected next spring. So far, however, there's been no sign of the weather phenomenon, which usually brings milder and drier conditions to the Northwest, wetter and cooler ones to the Southwest and warmer and drier winter weather to the nation's northern tier. The nasty weather in the Pacific Northwest has left climate experts hesitant to predict that the worst is over and quietly speculating that some other meteorological force may be at work. "It could be something we haven't picked up on is happening." In the tropics, this year's El Nino was unfolding "according to script" with a warming ocean, a shift in the trade winds and drought in Southeast Asia. But the shift in rainfall patterns hasn't moved east, and the Pacific Ocean off the West Coast of the United States hasn't warmed as expected in a typical El Nino. "There are lots of puzzles when it comes to El Nino. The last six weeks have been exactly opposite of what El Nino looks like."
BIG WAVES -
12/18 -
HAWAII - a RARE winter south swell - The surf should start building sometime last night or early today and may reach advisory levels. Wave faces are expected to be in the 5- to 7-foot range with the possibility of occasional 8-foot sets at the height of the swell. The waves should peak tomorrow afternoon and slowly decrease through Wednesday. But another smaller swell may come in Thursday into the weekend. If the swell arrives as expected, it will mark just the fourth time since 1980 for winter surf on south shores. Similar south swells also have happened in 1993 and 2004. "It's UNUSUAL in December, it's more usual for our early south swells to appear around March or February instead of right in the middle of winter." And mother nature is not leaving out the north and east shores. A northwest swell could come in Tuesday night and strong tradewinds are bringing a wind swell to east shores, prompting a high-surf advisory.
12/17 -
RUSSIA - A cyclone that swept the Leningrad Region overnight on the 14th hit 197 settlements of a total of about 30,000 people. The windstorm damaged 14 electro-transmission lines, halted the work of 268 transformer stations and cut off electricity to 33 boiler rooms. The cyclone caused a flood in St. Petersburg and was moving toward Arkhangelsk. It was the 301st flood in St. Petersburg since the city foundation.
12/15 -
INDONESIA - Landslides on Indonesia's Sumatra island killed 17 people today, most of them worshippers in a mosque. Workers were searching for 11 more people missing after the landslides struck two villages in the remote area of western Sumatra. There had been heavy rain in the mountainous area that had left the ground very unstable. The nearest town to the landslides is Solok, about 900km northwest of Jakarta. The rainy season has just started in parts of Indonesia making landslides more likely.
FLORIDA - West Palm Beach received about 6 inches of rain before noon Thursday, breaking a 51-YEAR-OLD RAINFALL RECORD of 3.75 inches for the date, set in 1955. The squally weather is the result of a low-pressure trough combined with flows of moisture from the Caribbean and the Pacific Ocean, flowing toward Florida. "All those ingredients are coming together to produce this rain. It's a RATHER UNUSUAL wet pattern for this time of year."
12/14 -
SCOTLAND - rain still falling - Severe flood warnings were the order of the day in Scotland yesterday as more than 40 days of gales and rain showed little sign of letting up. The Scottish Environmental Protection Agency said that there was “serious danger to life and property” from the rivers Lyon and Tay in Perthshire, and the River Teith at Callander. There were also nine flood warnings and twenty-two flood watches in place elsewhere. Scotland has suffered the WETTEST NOVEMBER ON RECORD, and there is more bad weather to come. Worst hit has been Glasgow, which has endured the HIGHEST LEVELS OF RAINFALL ON RECORD SINCE THE FIRST WORLD WAR. The city recorded 342mm of rain last month, double the expected average, while Scotland was drenched by 244mm of rain, significantly higher than the average 166mm November total. Continuing torrential downpours have already delivered 141.5mm of rain this month, about 91 per cent of the total average for December. “It has rained every day in Scotland for more than 40 days and so far every day in December has brought wet weather. It’s not going to get any better.”
CALIFORNIA - The wet weather caused sewer lines to break and flooded roadways across the Bay Area Tuesday, but it didn't deter people from catching a glimpse of Mother Nature's awesome power: Giant waves. RECORD RAINFALL pounded San Mateo County early Tuesday morning, causing high surf advisories along the coast. The huge waves peaked at 17 feet Tuesday. The city has seen around 12 water main breaks in the past month or so.
12/13 -
U.S. NW - After a brief break Tuesday in the weather across the Pacific Northwest, another powerful storm will blast into the region. The incoming storm will be packing hurricane-strength wind gusts that will spread rain along the coast and heavy snow in the mountains of Washington and Oregon. The wintry weather is hampering search efforts for three climbers on Mt. Hood, Oregon's tallest peak. Conditions on the mountain were deadly, with high winds, heavy snow and hard ice. Strong coastal winds and rain on Monday blasted the Pacific Northwest and northwestern California as the latest storm in the parade of Pacific storms slammed onshore. Winds gusted to 83 mph at Mount Hebo, Ore., and near Westport, Wash., while gusts of 70 to 80 mph brought down multiple utility poles near Clallam Bay, Washington. By tonight local rainfall totals will reach 6 inches, winds near the coast will peak at 60 to 80 mph, high waves will batter the shore and 1 to 3 feet of snow will fall in the Cascades. The train of storms will not end on Thursday as another, more powerful storm targets the region.
SOUTH AFRICA - Three people, including a three-month-old baby, have died and more than 700 have been left homeless after severe flooding in KwaZulu-Natal. The South African Weather Service said it had been the sixth consecutive weekend it had rained in the province - and the trend is likely to continue.
SWEDEN - One of the WARMEST DECEMBERS SINCE RECORDS STARTED being taken here has meant lots of rain in the south, rather than the usual snow. There’s been severe flooding in southwestern Sweden, with landslides, trains delays and traffic problems as a result. (photo)
12/12 -
CONGO - Thousands of people have been displaced by about a week of heavy flooding in northwestern Congo. About 600 houses have been destroyed in the town of Bumba following a month of heavy rains, leaving about 3,600 people without shelter. Many houses were washed away, while some in low-lying areas were completely inundated. While seasonal flooding is common in the area, this year has been much heavier than normal. "This year the houses are under water, other years it was only the rice fields that were flooded."
SCOTLAND - Almost half of the rainfall expected for the Glasgow area for December fell last night and early today. The downpour put hundreds of homes at risk of flooding and disrupted road and rail travel – and there is more on the way, along with winds of up to 50mph. It was the second successive weekend west Scotland had been lashed by rain. 46mm (almost 2in) of rain fell in the 24 hours. "The Glasgow area normally gets around 107mm (41/4in) for all December, so it means almost half fell during the past 24 hours. That's been a lot of rain. It is going to continue right through to the weekend, with heavy periods of rain and showers. It will also be windy and Wednesday night will be particularly bad. Glasgow can expect gale force winds of 40 to 50mph." The severe weather disrupted train and ferry services yesterday with the entire country – other than Grampian – on flood alert. The torrential rain is a repeat of November's weather, which normally brings 105mm of rain. But last month Glasgow had 300mm (almost 12in) – the HIGHEST FIGURE IN 100 YEARS.
WIND -
12/12 -
CANADA - Strong winds gusting up to 115 km/h have left 190,000 people without power on B.C.'s South Coast on Monday. The force of the storm whipped around branches, uprooted trees and knocked down power lines. A B.C. Hydro spokeswoman said the severity of the storm caught the utility by surprise. "We didn't expect the winds to be as strong."
12/11 -
SCOTLAND - severe weather warnings were issued across Scotland yesterday, with rain and winds of up to 60mph hitting the west coast. Rain in west, central and southern Scotland was UNUSUALLY HEAVY, with about two inches falling in Tyndrum, Stirlingshire, Glasgow and parts of Ayrshire. The Scottish Environmental Protection Agency had 15 flood watches in place and it expected the River Lyon in Perthshire to burst its banks last night. The highest winds hit Orkney and other islands, but on the east coast, the weather remained relatively calm. A forecaster at the Met Office in Aberdeen said that WEATHER PATTERNS WERE BECOMING MORE DIFFICULT TO PREDICT and more gales and rain were expected later in the week.
KENYA & SOMALIA - ATTACKS BY CROCODILES and snakes, disease from overflowing latrines, and hunger are some of the problems plaguing hundreds of thousands of flood victims in parts of northeast Kenya and Somalia after the heaviest rains there in years. The heavy rains have cut roads linking Dadaab, a three-camp complex for 160,000 Somali refugees who have sought shelter from the conflict and drought in their country, but 100,000 of them have been displaced and have trouble feeding themselves because cooking pots were lost while firewood is scarce. The floods in the south-central area have exacerbated the problem by washing away roads and bridges. Parts of the Garissa-Dadaab road, the only one connecting the remote camp to Nairobi, has been washed away. Marooned villages in the area are reporting little or no food left, no access to clean water, and sanitation problems which have prompted fears of a cholera outbreak. Overall, the WORST FLOODING IN YEARS is threatening up to 1.8 million people in Kenya, Somalia and Ethiopia.

12/10 -
SOMALIA, KENYA, ETHIOPIA - New efforts are under way to reach about 100,000 Somali refugees in three camps cut off by flooding in north-eastern Kenya. Hundreds of thousands more people are on the move in southern Somalia, trying to escape severe flooding there. The floods, coming so quickly after a long drought, have combined with years of conflict to make this ONE OF THE WORST HUMANITARIAN CRISES IN THE WORLD. A Red Cross water engineer described the humanitarian situation in Somalia as "horrendous". "When you fly over the region, all you can see is water and the tips of some roofs. In addition to the lack of food and shelter, the terrible smell of rotting debris makes it even more difficult to cope with the floods." Floods have already killed more than 250 people in Kenya, Somalia and Ethiopia. (photo)
BRITAIN - there is more stormy weather to come at the start of this week. On the 7th a FREAK tornado ripped into houses while cars were swept away in a swollen river and thousands of homes were left without power. One woman saw the wall of her house "peeled away as if by a can-opener" and another spoke of an "evil black cloud" that snuffed out a previously bright sky. Trees were torn up, roofs ripped off and a double-decker bus was sucked into the air. One said the twister was more terrifying than cyclones she had seen in her native Queensland. "The air was humming and vibrating. It was as if something evil was in the air. There was a feeling of impending doom. Then there was a massive rumble and my windows blew in." A bus was blown into the air - "It was literally lifted off the ground and crashed down again. All the windows were blown out. Bricks were falling down pulverising the road." In north Wales, 60mph winds and high tides caused havoc as the River Dee burst its banks, flooding homes in Llangollen. And in Shrewsbury, Christmas shoppers returned to their cars to find them under water. The car park was flooded after the River Severn burst its banks following hours of torrential rain. A 350ft oil tanker was left stranded and drifting towards cliffs off Seaford, East Sussex, after it broke free from a tug in force 10 gales. A stricken lifeboat crew had to be winched to safety after becoming stranded on the tanker, which they had anchored. The boat then broke free from its mooring again and smashed into cliffs at Seaford Head. In Hampshire, three cars were swept down river as they crossed a ford at Headley, near Basingstoke. Two of the drivers scrambled to safety but one was marooned on the roof of her car. By the time rescuers arrived, the vehicles had been swept 100 metres downstream. More than 2,000 homes in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight were left in darkness after 70mph gales ripped electricity pylons from the ground. The freak weather was caused in the morning by a build-up of energy in the air which sparked heavy thunderstorms and gusty winds. It developed just hours after the Daily Express revealed THIS MONTH IS LIKELY TO BE THE STORMIEST DECEMBER IN 50 YEARS. "Our concerns now are the system coming on Sunday night to Monday."
QATAR - this December is all set to create another record for Doha with the HIGHEST RAINFALL IN THE PAST 42 YEARS, following incessant rains on the 7th. The total rainfall received this month till date has been 25mm, which is a record over the past 42 years. The country normally receives an average of 13mm rains in December every year.
CALIFORNIA - The U.S. Coast Guard and the National Weather Service issued a hazardous weather advisory Friday warning of high seas and high winds this weekend and possibly through next week. Waves of 15 to 22 feet are predicted, with sustained winds from 17 to 35 mph — “and possible gale force gusts much higher.” Beachgoers were strongly advised to stay away from the water and to avoid standing or climbing on rocks near the shoreline because of the dangerous and unpredictable force of breaking waves. “Rogue waves, or sneaker waves, are larger and more powerful waves that are mixed in with the average-size breaking surf. These powerful sneaker waves can suddenly crash onto people walking on the beach, standing on rocks or even standing on man-made jetties or break walls. These waves have the potential to pull people into the dangerous surf, hold them under the surface of the water or throw them onto nearby rocks. Sneaker waves can be generated by offshore storms or by the combination of two or more smaller waves traveling at the same speed and direction.”
12/8 -
ENGLAND - A small FREAK tornado hit a residential street in north London injuring six people and damaging homes and vehicles. The tornado struck the Kensall Rise area of northwest London and tore roofs off several houses and demolished sections of walls sending tiles, bricks and furniture flying through the streets. Live television showed a trail of destruction with trees uprooted and cars damaged by falling debris. Tornados are VERY RARE in Britain.
About 24 of the homes affected by the tornado which swept through north-west London will have to be demolished, while others remain too dangerous to enter. Up to 150 homes were damaged. "At the moment we are expecting further severe weather so we are not going to send any contractors in to shore up until we are sure the weather is not going to create further mayhem." Initial estimates suggested damage would be in the millions of pounds rather than tens of millions as caused by the tornado which struck an area of Birmingham in 2005. The last tornado which caused significant damage in London was in December 1954. (photos)
MALAYSIA - Strong winds “like a whitish cyclone” hit three housing areas, damaging 163 houses in an afternoon storm at Jelapang. The lashing rains on Wednesday started at about 4.30pm and the strong winds that followed tore off the roofs of their homes. There were no casualties. “It was white, like a smokescreen, outside my gate and it was impossible to see my neighbour’s house. One man said he saw a white form twirling horizontally from the direction of the mountains before retreating back to where it came 10 minutes later. FREAK storms were said to be a natural occurrence in this area. “They happen every year but this is the worst."
U.S. - the last front which slipped through the North Bay on the west coast on its way south and east played all sorts of havoc on its relentless march to the Atlantic seaboard. The front was noteworthy for the amazing variety of very troublesome weather that it brought to widely disparate parts of the country — beginning on Monday the 27th when football fans nationwide were treated to the UNUSUAL spectacle of snow blanketing the field in normally non-snowy Seattle. The cold and snow blasted through the Rockies and into the Plains, where deepening low pressure scooped up large quantities of warm, moist air from the south and threw it back over the frigid air on the backside of the storm which originated in northwestern Canada. Snowfalls in Oklahoma and Missouri set RECORDS FOR BOTH DEPTH AND UNSEASONAL EARLINESS as up to 18 inches of the white stuff were dumped in several locations, preceded by varying amounts of sleet and freezing rain which just added to the misery. Snow and ice extended all the way from Texas to Michigan. Ahead of the front, severe weather outbreaks of thunderstorms and tornadoes brought destruction to Alabama and Mississippi as the cold air clashed violently with unstable warm air to the east. Strong southerly winds forced Gulf air well up the eastern seaboard. The resulting temperatures in the 70s were more than a little disconcerting for someone seeking the cold and snow which should enhance the Christmastime ambiance in that part of the U.S. At the Jersey shore, wind and waves combined for a surreal scene, with the mild air making the scene more reminiscent of a September tropical storm than an early December cold frontal passage. Today the first in a succession of Pacific storms begins to affect the west coast with some moderate rain and wind which may extend into Saturday.
12/7 -
HAITI - at least three dead in Haiti flooding. Heavy rains started falling on November 22 and more than 18,700 people have been affected. The rains have caused severe destruction and bridges have been washed away and roads have been cut off, leaving many communities isolated, and livestock and crops have been lost.
12/6 -
PAKISTAN - Three days of heavy rains and snow have triggered mudslides that have blocked two key roads in Pakistan's earthquake-hit portion of Kashmir, obstructing relief operations. Harsh winter weather threatens to cut off more than 300,000 survivors of last year's earthquake. Meanwhile, diarrhea and pneumonia have killed six children in a village near the regional capital, Muzaffarabad, in the past two days. Most quake survivors have at least temporary shelter, but only a small proportion has been able to rebuild homes since the disaster. This year's early onset of winter has increased concerns for their welfare in the months ahead. Last winter, relatively mild weather and a massive relief effort staved off feared mass casualties among those made homeless by the quake. More rain and snow is expected in the quake zone in the next two days. Elsewhere in Pakistan, at least nine people have died in rain-related deaths in the southern city of Karachi and the northwestern city of Peshawar. The deaths were mostly due to electrocution or the collapse of buildings.
12/5 -
AMERICAN SAMOA - There has been extensive flooding in American Samoa today with around 100 millimetres of rain falling in a two hour period this morning. A trough extends from Tuvalu to Samoa and to the Cook islands to the south. It is almost stationary and the territory has been told to brace for continuous wet weather for the next few days.
INDIA - The 300-km long Jammu-Srinagar National Highway, which connects Kashmir with the rest of the country, was on Monday closed for the traffic after landslides triggered by heavy rains blocked it on Monday afternoon stranding over 100 vehicles.
OHIO - Business and home owners in Findlay were cleaning up from what city officials say was ONE OF THE WORST FLOODS IN RECENT MEMORY. Several main streets were closed over the weekend after the Blanchard River rose about 3.7 feet above flood level on Saturday. It was back below flood level by Sunday night. It was the fifth highest that the river has ever crested.
12/4 -
SCOTLAND - Floodgates in Perth were slammed shut last night as the town was battered by torrential rain and high winds and officials warned that the severe weather posed a “serious danger to life and property.” In Dundee high winds forced the closure of the Tay Road Bridge to all traffic last night. The bridge was closed at 11.10pm after it was lashed by gusts of wind travelling at speeds of up to 88mph. The sudden storms were caused by a deep Atlantic depression. Forecasters said 25 to 50mm of rain could fall over the next few days, with up to 75mm possible in total.
IRELAND - The weekend's torrential rain and high winds caused the death of one man, left 15,000 homes without electricity and up to 15,000 people were affected by flight cancellations and diversions at Dublin airport. A man died after being washed into the sea in Ardglass, County Down, on Saturday night. He was walking along the pier at Ardglass harbour when a high wave struck him and carried him into the sea. Gusts of up to 120km/h toppled trees and disrupted power lines and the effect of the extreme weather was widespread. Crossmolina, County Mayo, was one of the areas most seriously affected by flooding. Homes were evacuated there when the River Deel burst its banks, with damage estimated at €1 million.
MALAYSIA - Is Kelantan ready for the next "Bah Merah" (Red Flood)? This month marks the anniversary of the great deluge which, according to the state flood chronicles, has struck every 40 years since 1926. The second surge was in 1967 and saw about 537,000 or 84 per cent of the state population badly affected. Some 125,000 were evacuated while 38 people drowned. And equally worrying was the prediction by Meteorological Department officials of another big flood to affect the east coast states of Kelantan, Terengganu and Pahang by year’s end. However, it is not known whether the magnitude will be anywhere near the Red Flood or the one in 2004, where 12 people were killed and more than 11,000 displaced. The latter cost more than RM10 million in damage to property, livestock and crops. The authorities have been bracing for the start of the monsoon season which normally starts in November. 540mm of rain was expected to fall in the coming weeks, and it would only take three days of downpours to flood Kelantan. Massive floods are the annual norm in Kelantan during the peak of the monsoon season.
MIDDLE EAST, QATAR - A car stuck in a huge waterlogged area is the last thing one would expect to see in desert-dry Middle East. But that is precisely what has happened over the last couple of days and has dampened the mood at the 15th Asian Games here. The opening day of the Games Friday witnessed a RECORD DOWNPOUR and the weather department has forecast more showers and windy conditions over the next few days. Spectators, who had been waiting for the spectacular Opening Ceremony braved the weather enduring the chilly conditions, a phenomenon not common in these parts. Since the city is not geared to handle flood situations, the record rainfall paralysed normal life and tankers were called upon to drain out the waterlogged streets and residential complexes. Locals say that the city - and the country - on an average receives about four to five decent showers per year, but never in quick succession.
12/3 -
BRAZIL - Flooding and mudslides triggered by heavy rains in southeastern Brazil have killed six people and damaged hundreds of homes. Three members of a family were killed Friday in a landslide in the city of Teresopolis, 90 kilometers (55 miles) north of Rio de Janeiro. More than 300 people had their houses damaged or destroyed in Rio de Janeiro state alone. In Minas Gerais state, a 10-year-old boy on his way to school was killed by a mudslide, and other several hundred had to leave their houses because of the heavy rains. Nearly 30 cities declared state of emergency after the rain storms began on Tuesday across the southeast. Sao Paulo, South America's biggest city, came to a near standstill Wednesday after torrential storms flooded highways and caused huge traffic jams, making it nearly impossible for thousands to reach their homes or jobs.
> SCOTLAND - Stormy weather is wreaking havoc across the country - and things are set to get worse. High winds and lashing rain have caused chaos in Scotland, but that is only the beginning. Fearsome storms with gusts of up to 80mph are predicted over the weekend and into next week. The poor conditions have already caused a spate of road accidents across the country. 70mph winds are quite likely and even as much as 80mph. "I've been waiting for confirmation that Glasgow has had its WETTEST NOVEMBER ON RECORD. In terms of wind, the autumn hasn't been exceptionally unusual but rainwise it's been a bit STRANGE. The frequency of these storms is getting to be a little UNUSUAL. We've had a very wild spell of weather here and I'm afraid it will continue to be so."
PENNSYLVANIA - Friday's weather, which included severe thunderstorms that brought heavy rains, high winds and tornado warnings to Westmoreland and Indiana counties, rocked the Mon Valley with all the fury of a spring-time weather system. But the UNUSUAL weather occurred in December, puzzling some residents and weather experts.
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11/30 -
AUSTRALIA - An apiarist (bee keeper) thinks the STRANGE behaviour of his bees means heavy rain is on the way to break a drought in central Australia. The bees have put breeding on hold and have started storing food in their hives in Alice Springs. He says the bees are also using wax to seal their hives as they did in 1987-88 and 1999 when heavy, substantial rains swamped the Alice Springs area.
11/29 -
SPAIN - Several towns in the province of Pontevedra are under several feet of water following more than 24 hours of intense rainfall. The worst affected towns are Vilagarcía de Arousa, Violanova de Arousa, Meis, Cambados, Sanxenxo and Ribadumia, where emergency services are working to deal with hundreds of flooded homes, underground car parks and businesses. More than half the streets of Vilagarcía de Arousa are under water, and the electricity supply has been cut off. Main roads are closed in O Grove, Poio, and Meis Meaño, while there are also partial closures around Cambados, Sanxenxo and Noalla. It is estimated that in the 24 hour period starting at 8pm on Sunday, 57 litres per square metre fell in the provincial capital.
11/28 -
MALAWI - Floods in southern Malawi swept away two women who are feared dead. The Mwanza River burst its banks, causing severe flooding in several villages in the southern Lower Shire Valley district of Chikwawa. The flooding took villagers by surprise as there had not been rain in the area. "It must have rained in the neighboring district of Mwanza or across the border in Mozambique." The women were tending their gardens when they were encircled by water and swept down the raging river. Floods caused by heavy rain in East Africa has affected up to 1.8 million people in Kenya, Somalia and Ethiopia.
SOMALIA - Floods killed at least seven people, including five children, Sunday as the fourth week of heavy rains pounded Somalia, bringing the death toll to at least 96.
OREGON - the past month was a November to remember, with a RECORD 11.61 inches of RAIN recorded at Portland International Airport. And that is with four days to go in the month. The previous November record was set in 1942, with 11.57 inches.
UNITED KINGDOM - Experts warned people to brace themselves for more freak weather after a tornado wreaked havoc over the weekend. Horses were flung in the air, parts of roofs were ripped from buildings and vehicles thrown across the ground as the twister caused tens of thousands of pounds of damage in just four minutes. And it was predicted that FREAK WEATHER could become more common as climate change takes hold. The tornado struck in Boarhunt, a few miles north of Fareham. It was one of a series of freak weather conditions across the area over the weekend that saw thunder and lightning, strong gales and torrential rain. The conditions were caused by warm air over the sea hitting colder air inland. (photos)
11/27 -
WASHINGTON - This is Longview's RAINIEST NOVEMBER, at least since 1931, when people started keeping track. Thursday night's rainfall, which brought the monthly total to 15.04 inches by 4 p.m. Friday, also made it the SECOND-WETTEST OF ANY MONTH ON RECORD. The only rainier month was December 1933, which brought 20.13 inches of precipitation. About 6.7 inches of rain fall in a typical November.
PANAMA - Heavy rains and flooding in Panama have left at least eight people dead and damaged hundreds of homes. The rains, which began Monday and were predicted to last until Saturday, have caused rivers to overflow and bridges to collapse, cutting off several communities northwest of the capital of Panama City. The dead included two men killed in a landslide, two men who drowned, a couple killed when a tree fell on their house, and a pregnant woman who suffered a spike in her blood pressure but failed to receive medical attention because her community had been cut off. More than 200 houses have been destroyed and nearly 700 others damaged.
SCOTLAND - Flood warnings were issued for parts of Scotland last night after days of heavy rain threatened to burst river banks. In addition to surface water from more than a week of wet weather, rivers could burst their banks, flooding low-lying areas. Forecasters also said strong winds across much of Britain were likely to make rush travelling hazardous this morning.
FIJI - A family of five made it out of their home at Lakena Hill just before it was shoved by a landslide that resulted from heavy rain. Heavy rain on Friday night around the country caused flooding.
JAMAICA - Several Portland residents remain trapped in their communities following last week’s flooding in the parish, which left a number of roads blocked by mud and other debris. Motorists also remain trapped.
11/24 -
MONTENEGRO - A massive landslide in Montenegro's Tara River Canyon has clogged the waterway and caused flooding in Montenegro, prompting authorities to begin evacuating villagers late Thursday. The landslide earlier Thursday in the central county of Mojkovac — about 90 kilometers (60 miles) northeast of the capital, Podgorica — created a natural dam of mud, earth and collapsed trees that completely cut off the flow of the Tara River. "The sight is horrible. Tara is no longer flowing." Police did not know what caused the landslide, but an "entire hill had collapsed into the river."
BULGARIA - An old landslide that reactivated has left the central Bulgarian village of Momino without water supplies. The landslide has crushed part of the village's sewage system and destroyed a section of the pumping station. The landslide is very big and it would take hundreds of thousands of levs to fix. It started reactivating as early as June of 2005, but there haven't been attempts to stabilize it yet.
MALAYASIA - Barely a week after a landslide in Puchong, another has occurred in Bukit Serdang. Part of a road slid down a hillside affecting 30 residents in seven double-storey terrace houses. "Four months ago we noticed fine cracks on the floor but didn’t think much of it," a resident said. (photo)

11/23 -
CANADA - There's still no indication when the boil-water advisory for nearly a million residents of Vancouver, North Vancouver, West Vancouver and Burnaby might be lifted, following torrential rains last week.
IRAQ - Flooding in Kurdish areas in Iraq has killed at least 20 people. Thousands of houses have been destroyed in Dahuk, Arbil and Sulaimaniyah and at least 18,000 people have been displaced. Aid workers say that much of the infrastructure, including bridges and schools, has been demolished, livestock killed and fruit trees destroyed.
11/22 -
VIETNAM - Heavy rain with hailstones and cold winds hit Hanoi on the afternoon of Nov. 20, causing large-scale flooding in the capital city. Hailstones had an average diameter of 2 cm, breaking through glass windows and plastic roofs of houses. It was said that such a large-scale hail has not occurred in Hanoi for a long time. (photo)
FREAK hailstorms and whirlwinds killed at least 14 people on Tuesday in northern Vietnam's popular Halong Bay tourist area. At least 12 Vietnamese people drowned when the storms hit early on Tuesday morning. "Whirlwinds and hail sank three tourist boats and one barge in the bay." On land, one person was killed by a falling crane and another when his home collapsed in strong winds. The storm came so quickly at 07:00 that no one had time to prepare. "This has never happened here before. It came so suddenly."
11/21 -
TRINIDAD & TOBAGO - Flood victims, who were badly affected by masses of silt that covered their homes, destroyed their properties and livestock on Friday after heavy torrential rains, blocked St Lucien Road in Diego Martin to prevent the touring Minister of Works and Transport from leaving the area. Some houses were covered in as much as three feet of silt. In Le Platte Village in Maraval a five-foot deep drain was completely filled with boulders which rained down from the hills of Maraval. The boulders had come down with the flood waters from the Maraval hills and blocked off several streets and even destroyed houses. “First time in decades this ever happen. It is such a sad sight and so much cleaning up to do. Everybody is frustrated." “All my livestock that I was rearing gone with the floods, all my chicken and ducks. Everything in my house destroyed. I don’t even have a glass to drink water from. What am I to do?
SOMALIA & KENYA - One Somali refugee in Kenya told the BBC he and others were living in trees and were attacked by wild animals (hyenas and snakes). The United Nations food agency has launched a series of airlifts and food drops for more than one million people hit by floods in Somalia and Kenya. The floods have knocked out bridges and made roads impassable, so food can only be delivered by air. The floods in the Horn of Africa follow last year's droughts in the region. That left the earth unable to absorb the heavy rains, leading to flash floods in Ethiopia, as well as Somalia and Kenya. The UN has said the floods could be the WORST IN THE REGION FOR 50 YEARS. On Friday, the UN warned that a dam on the Tana, south of Garissa, was close to bursting. In Somalia, crocodiles killed at least nine people after floodwaters swept them into villages. At least 80 people in the region have died in the last three weeks. The Shabelle and Juba rivers have both flooded their banks, affecting towns and villages in a swathe of territory stretching hundreds of kilometres.
KENYA, SOMALIA, ETHIOPIA - UN aid agencies warned Friday that the "grave" humanitarian situation in Kenya, Somalia and Ethiopia was set to get worse with more heavy rains on the way. The rainy season, THE HEAVIEST FOR 10 YEARS, was predicted to last well beyond October, when it usually ends, and continue until at least the end of the year. Between 1.5 and 1.8 million people were affected.
AFGHANISTAN - Flash-flooding in a remote province in northwstern Afghanistan has killed at least 15 people, left scores missing and stranded thousands more. NATO forces pledged to send aid. Heavy rain lashed Badghis province's Balamurghad and Ghormach district on Thursday. The rains inundated many villages surrounded by mountains with little access to main towns.
MALAYSIA - Fourteen families were evacuated from their homes in Puchong following a landslide. A 75-metre-wide stretch of land behind their homes slid 25 metres down. For years, residents have been living in fear following minor soil erosion and crack marks seen in their backyard drains. Numerous complaints have been made before and the residents were assured that the earth was stable. (PHOTO)
SRI LANKA - At least 52 people were killed and 88,000 displaced during the last two weeks in landslips and flooding caused by continuous torrential rains experienced on the island. Floods had been reported in many parts of the country with low lying areas going under several feet of water. Main highways between the northwestern Kurunegala and north central Anuradhapura, the Bandaragama-Kalutara in the western province are impassable due to flooding.
COLUMBIA - A bolt of lightning killed five people at a football match in north-eastern Colombia and left another 28 injured.
UNITED KINGDOM - Gusts of up to 70 miles per hour struck in Scotland, northern parts of England and parts of Wales on Sunday. And much of the bad weather was expected to continue there during the day on Monday. Carlisle was one of the worst affected areas. It was completely cut off, with no safe roads in or out, after the storms caused severe flooding. The start of the winter storms has sparked fears of a repeat of the mass destruction to many parts of the UK caused in January 2005 by severe weather.
CANADA - Two million people were advised to boil their water on Thursday after high levels of silt ended up in two reservoirs that supply the region. As of Friday, the Greater Vancouver Regional District had lifted the boil-water advisory for about half the population of the Lower Mainland, but the other million residents of Vancouver, the North Shore and Burnaby are still being warned to avoid drinking tap water. The advisory was issued after brown, murky water showed up in the water supply in the aftermath of the powerful storm that hit B.C.'s south coast last week. Tap water in all the affected areas has been brown and cloudy since the storm and could cause gastrointestinal illness. The turbidity at the Seymour and Capilano reservoirs was continuing to drop, but another major storm could again muddy the waters.
CANADA - Officials in the region described the levels of discolouration from suspended silt as "UNPRECEDENTED" and said they couldn't guarantee that home filtration systems would prevent illness from drinking the water. The Greater Vancouver area has recently endured record rainfall, destructive winds and flooding.
JAPAN - Central Japan was hit by heavy rain and strong gusts of wind for much of Sunday. An Air Canada Boeing 767 from Shanghai to Vancouver was forced to make an emergency landing at Narita International Airport near Tokyo due to turbulence over Japan. Four cabin attendants were injured. The most serious one cut a finger of her right hand. Earlier in the evening, a Japan Airlines flight from the western city of Kobe to Haneda airport in Tokyo experienced severe turbulence, injuring one passenger and one cabin attendant. Two people were killed in a boating accident when a pleasure boat and a fishing boat collided inside Yokohama Bay.
OKINAWA - Three Marines were injured, 21 cars were tossed about and several buildings were damaged when a FREAK gust of wind hit Camp Schwab on Saturday afternoon. The severe gust occurred when a well-developed thunderstorm passed over Northern Okinawa about 1 p.m. Four fishing boats at the Henoko Fishing Port also received minor damage. (PHOTOS)
11/17 -
KENYA - Heavy rains and flooding are causing havoc in Dadaab refugee camps in north-east Kenya and further exacerbating an already precarious humanitarian situation. "What was supposed to be the short rainy season has turned into a widespread disaster affecting more than 100,000 people. Food storage facilities have been flooded, latrines have collapsed and a significant number of shelters, including one wing of the hospital in Ifo camp, have crumbled."
MONTANA - Glacier National Park’s RECORD RAINFALLS of up to 11 inches were reported in the park during the first week of November, and that rain, combined with melting snow, caused a deluge that swept culverts out of some sections of the Going-To-The-Sun road, buried other sections, blew out a horse bridge and caused lakes to top their banks. The full extent of the damage remains unknown. [Some estimates are almost 5 million dollars.] Weather has stopped road crews. Surveying much the damage will likely have to wait until spring. Photos make the damage look severe. Some show the Sun Road looking more like a waterway, with a waterfall running over the Many Glacier Hotel access bridge and the McDonald Creek overlook partially submerged. Other photos show parts of Going-To-The-Sun Road with both lanes completely washed out and covered with rocks and other debris.
WASHINGTON - a climatologist at the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration is confounded by all this rain. "It's been two FREAK weeks. It's truly remarkable. It's epic. I'm rooting for the record." So what's going on? Why is it raining so much? "It's to the point that any reason why is probably unknowable." Rain so drenching and relentless it becomes irrational. With almost a foot of rain, it's already the WETTEST NOVEMBER EVER. Since Nov. 1, the heavens have dumped 19 billion gallons on Seattle. Just the first two weeks add up to the sixth wettest month in 115 years of record-keeping. If 3-plus inches fall in the next 15 days, it will be the soggiest month of all time, besting the 15.3-inch monsoon that was December 1933.
MAINE - ONE OF THE WETTEST FALLS ON RECORD is raising concerns about possible flooding in Maine. Rainfall in October was almost twice the normal amount, and the soggy weather has persisted into November. Groundwater levels have risen, creating the kind of sloppy, muddy conditions usually associated with early spring's mud season. From January through October, Portland recorded a total of 52 inches of precipitation, the third highest level on record for that period in Maine. If wet weather continues through the end of the year, the record of nearly 66.5 inches set last year could be broken.
NORTH CAROLINA - Eleven are dead after a tornado hit on Thursday, 21 injured, 4 missing. Dozens of homes were destroyed, trees and power lines were downed in Riegelwood, N.C., leaving 13,000 people without power. There were "houses on top of cars and cars on top of houses." Over the last two days there were numerous reports of damage in Alabama, Mississippi, the Florida Panhandle and North Carolina.
The deadly tornado ripped a mile-long swath through rural Columbus County. The tornado was spawned from a severe thunderstorm that moved northwest off the Atlantic Ocean. "Possibly within 15 minutes, it went from a rotating thunderstorm into an intense tornado." (photo)
11/16 -
CANADA - High winds, pounding rains, a tsunami warning and a growing flood threat combined yesterday to give British Columbia a remarkably extreme weather day. While the threat of a huge wave striking the coast failed to materialize, winds intensified, roaring down the mountains along Howe Sound, just north of Vancouver and disrupting marine traffic in the Strait of Georgia. Before the morning was over, seven provincial highways would be blocked by debris; power lines had toppled leaving an estimated 200,000 in eight communities without electricity; ferry sailings had been cancelled; a steel building frame under construction in Vancouver had collapsed; five rivers on Vancouver Island were near flood levels and people living on two streets in West Vancouver had been evacuated from their homes because of falling trees. The storm, which lasted for several hours, was pushed by an intense frontal system over the Pacific, which created southeast winds of up to 120 kilometres an hour. Total rainfall for the day was forecast at from 80-110 mm. There were long-range warnings that more storms will soon follow. The U.S. National Weather Service says a strong Pacific storm is approaching that will bring more hazardous weather ashore early next week.
Storms battered the U.S. mid-South on Wednesday. One man died when an F-5 tornado ripped through Greensburg, Louisiana. Homes were peeled apart and debris scattered for miles in the tiny community northwest of New Orleans. Another tornado ripped through Southern Mississippi. A neighborhood in Lamar county - just west of Hattiesburg - was left in splinters. Six people were taken to the hospital. None of their injuries were considered life threatening. In Tennessee tractor trailer rigs turned over on I-40 and had to be set back upright one by one, at times backing up traffic for miles. In Montgomery, Alabama, residents battled pounding rains and intense wind. They dodged pulled-up trees and sought shelter from ripped-open roofs. The morning headlines in Texas also included more high winds.
11/15 -
COLUMBIA - A landslide triggered by heavy rains buried a mountainside adobe home in western Colombia on Tuesday, killing five children as they slept.
KENYA - Two refugees are dead and more than 78,000 people have been uprooted by flooding that engulfed refugee camps in eastern Kenya over recent days as rising waters destroyed hundreds of homes in the mainly Somali camps near Dadaab. The sudden flooding has brought a major setback to operations to settle thousands of Somali refugees who fled to Kenya in recent months to escape the conflict in their homeland. Among the fatalities reported November 13 was a three-year-old child who was caught when waters swept across the low-lying region, completely engulfing thousands of refugee shelters and leaving hundreds of huts uninhabitable.
SOMALIA - Floods caused by torrential rain in parts of southern Somalia have killed more than 23 people and displaced thousands over the past five days.
OREGON - Early storms have already brought falling trees, debris flows and landslides, and experts say the danger continues as the soggy soil will keep moving. "The incidents of storms early on has brought the water table up and weakened the soil and instabilities have already been triggered. So it's no longer a case of waiting for January or February, it here and it's stretched this landslide season out to perhaps six months."
11/14 -
KENYA - At least six people have been killed since Saturday following heavy flooding across the country. The fatalities bring the death toll to 21 since October, when the first damaging effects of the UNUSUALLY heavy rains were reported.
SOUTH AFRICA - Downpours cause epic flooding across KZN. Torrential downpours caused havoc across KwaZulu-Natal on Monday, dumping 88mm of rain in Durban. In central Durban, business owners were shocked by damage caused by the rain and subsequent flooding. "This was quite normal seasonal rainfall and it happens quite frequently. Durban experiences tropical rainfall, which can come down in buckets. However, it is UNUSUAL to get it as heavy as we have experienced."
SRI LANKA - Nearly 20 persons are feared dead caught in a landslide Sunday around 7:00 pm on the double track Gampola highway in Pusselawa area circa 150 km from Colombo. A landslide occurred for the fourth time on Sunday in Hatton town and the up-country train services were affected due to landslide on Hatton-Kotagolla railway tracks disrupting travel from Hatton to Colombo and Kandy. Meanwhile, only three feet of water remain to reach the maximum capacity in the Moussekella reservoirs, which may spill over, flooding the areas below, engineers at the dam site warned. (photos)
UNITED KINGDOM - 'Monsoon' weather in UK on the increase says leading insurance broker. The increasing frequency of FREAK WEATHER conditions in Britain has led to a rash of motor accidents caused by drivers failing to respond quickly to sudden downpours. Leading high street insurance broker, Swinton, is advising UK drivers, most of whom are not used to extreme weather conditions, to take extra care. The move comes as Swinton reports an 8 per cent rise in motor accident claims during the recent round of tropical-like deluges. Monsoon-type rain is a particular problem, with sudden torrential downpours causing localised flooding and with it, a flood of claims. Gusting winds are also a problem at this time of year, bringing down trees and power lines. “Monsoon rain conditions are now a reality in the UK. They can occur with frightening immediacy." In recent months torrential rain and heavy thunderstorms have raged across the UK. Extensive flash flooding was reported across the regions, with Devon, Cornwall, Somerset, Wales and the northwest particularly badly hit.
11/12 -
SOMALIA - Thousands fled a Somali town near the border with Ethiopia on Saturday as floodwaters submerged buildings. No casualties were immediately reported in the town of about 40,000 people, 170km northwest of the capital Mogadishu, after the Shabelle river burst its banks late on Friday. At least 47 people drowned and thousands were left homeless on Wednesday when the same river and the Juba, which both snake through Somalia, burst their banks after heavy rains. "I have never witnessed such a catastrophe. The whole town is moving out. I am not sure how many have died so far." Large swathes of farmland were submerged and food stocks washed away after torrential rain pounded the Horn of Africa country for several days, swelling the Shabelle and the Juba river further south. The rivers snake through the most agriculturally productive regions in Somalia. Aid workers expect the death toll to rise as thousands of poor farming families sleep out in the cold and get exposed to malaria and water-borne diseases.
WASHINGTON - Rain has pushed levees near breaking point: RECORD HIGH RIVER LEVELS causing concern. Weakened by age, and never designed to last for this many decades, the levees that keep King County's rivers from flooding are being worn away by record high river levels. Many of the county-maintained 119 miles of levees were built decades ago of sand and topsoil, with little if any superstructure holding them in place. They don't meet current building standards. "We don't come out of events like this without seeing problems or new damage." And another strong weather system is expected to hit Western Washington tonight.
11/10 -
NEW ZEALAND - Winds of up to 150km/h lashed Auckland yesterday, causing chaos that led to hundreds of emergency calls to police and the Fire Service, disrupted travel and closed the Sky Tower. The rain and winds were caused by an intense low which swept over Waikato and past the Coromandel Peninsula. Around 200 Auckland households are still without power this morning after the violent storm. The Coastguard was kept busy, dealing with reports of 10 yachts seen aground or drifting. Conditions were so bad that little could be done in most cases as it was not worth risking lives to save boats. Coastguard staff said they saw waterspouts forming over the Waitemata Harbour. A fierce storm also brought snow to low levels throughout the South Island on Wednesday night. In Queenstown, weather forecasters said the SNOWFALL WAS THE HEAVIEST AND LOWEST FOR NOVEMBER IN 45 YEARS of record-keeping.
CANADA - Toronto weather experts say this fall has been the "SECOND MOST MISERABLE FALL ON RECORD," with rain and cloud making September and October the most gloomy since 1970. Although the average temperature was about normal (12.2C), the lack of sunshine and the continual rain made what is normally a spectacular time of year into a boring, drab couple of months. "We've been in a funk for two months and this is uncharacteristic of this time of year." During September and October, there were only 272 hours of sunshine, 131 in September and 141 in October. According to recent averages, they'd normally see 391 hours - 208 in September and 173 in October. Back in 1970, there were only 253 hours of sunshine, making that the dullest fall on record. Records on sunshine totals have been kept since 1957. September and October recorded about 40 per cent more rainfall than normal. There were 17 wet days in September and 18 in October. That total of 35 wet days was much higher than the normal 22.
11/9 -
SOMALIA - At least 47 people drowned and thousands were left homeless after two rivers that snake through Somalia burst their banks after heavy rains.

SPAIN - this week's persistent heavy rains are causing a number of problems in Murcia and across Andalucía, where serious weather alerts remain in place. Torrential rains have been causing problems in the Murcia region; particularly in the town of Lorca, where a number of potholes have begun to open up in many town centre roads, a wall also collapsed and lumps of masonry have been falling from a number of buildings. In Marbella, dozens of homes, carparks, basements, residential estates and sporting installations were flooded, with similar scenes in the nearby towns of Mijas, Estepona, Coín, Alhaurín de la Torre and Campillos, while there was a power cut in the village of Zalea, near Pizarra. (photo)
11/8 -
WASHINGTON - RECORD RAINFALL that brought heavy flooding to the Northwest, killing at least one person, causing evacuations and damaging roads and houses, began to ease Tuesday, as high waters continued to threaten some areas. Rainfall records were set Monday across western Washington, including 8.22 inches at Stampede Pass, which broke an all-time rain record of 7.29 inches set on Nov. 19, 1962. Milder storms were expected later in the week but nothing as powerful as the storm that caused the flooding. "It's something that happens once every 10 years." Three luxury homes in Gleneden Beach were on the brink of crumbling into the Pacific. On Tuesday morning, rock-loaded bulldozers and dump trucks tried to create a break to protect the homes from the high surf.
The flooding may be THE WORST IN 50 YEARS. Flooding, mudslides and rockslides have closed mountain passes and roads at dozens of spots in Western Washington.
SPAIN - heavy rains in many areas of Spain on Tuesday hit hard in Valencia, Murcia and Andalucía, but especially on the Costa del Sol. There was flooding in Málaga city, where a normally dry river bed in the provincial capital swept ten parked cars down to the beach. The western part of the province was worst hit, most of all in Mijas, which saw rainfall of 157 litres per square metre. The rain across Málaga province yesterday has been described the WETTEST DAY IN THE PROVINCE SINCE 1989.
11/7 -
JAPAN - At least nine people have been killed and more than 10 injured when a tornado swept through the town of Saroma in northern Japan. Officials said several other people were still missing in the area, on the island of Hokkaido. The tornado hit around lunchtime, sweeping through a tunnel construction site and other areas, leaving a number of workers dead and injured. Police said workers were buried under prefabricated buildings that had collapsed at the site. Local government officials said ten buildings collapsed elsewhere in the town. Small tornadoes happen from time to time in Japan - there are about twenty each year - but this one appears to have resulted in an unexpectedly high death toll.
CANADA - A flood watch is in effect as a RECORD RAINSTORM hits British Columbia, forcing an evacuation in Chilliwack on Monday. Emergency officials in BC say they are seeing SOME OF THE MOST INTENSE RAIN EVER RECORDED. Southern B.C. has seen between 250 and 300 millimetres of rain since Thursday.
WASHINGTON - A warm, windy Pacific storm dumped heavy rain Monday on Western Washington, killing an elk hunter and prompting warnings of RECORD FLOODING on a handful of rivers. National Guardsmen were dispatched to rescue some northwest Washington residents believed cut off by rising waters. More than six inches of rain fell in 24 hours in some areas. The governor declared a state of emergency for 18 counties. Some 200 to 225 elk hunters were evacuated from 60 to 70 hunting camps. A number of rivers jumped their banks Monday, sending water over farmland, flooding some rural homes and closing many roads. A large mudslide near Skykomish, northeast of Seattle, blocked eastbound lanes of U.S. Highway 2, a major east-west route across Washington, while a mudslide earlier Monday near Tacoma delayed an Amtrak passenger train. The warm, moisture-laden storms that began during the weekend were expected to lash the region through Wednesday.
PORTUGAL - Heavy rains flooded several villages in central and southern Portugal, forcing hundreds out of their homes during the weekend and on Monday. On Sunday night rivers and creeks overflowed, isolating the village of Reguengos de Alivela and flooding over 80 houses. Residents in the small village of Burgau had to climb onto the rooftops of houses and be rescued by firefighters in a helicopter as waters from a local creek rose up to two meters (6.5 feet) high. Heavy rain fell at the weekend, flooding hundreds of houses and shops from central to southern regions as well as strong winds knocked down trees, electricity poles, cut off roads and interrupted the movement of trains. Weather services forecast heavy rain until today.
IRAQ - Rescue and recovery workers in the autonomous northern Iraqi region of Kurdistan were on Monday searching for survivors after three days of torrential rain prompted flooding in which at least 20 people are believed to have died. Sunday's flooding also caused extensive damage to property and to infrastructure in the region. In one incident, a house collapsed killing 11 of the 13 people inside, while a separate building collapse killed a woman and three men. The flooding damaged walls in schools and mosques and swept away vehicles including cars and bulldozers, while two children were reported killed Friday after the roof of their home caved in. Suspension bridges into one Kurdish village were destroyed, making it difficult for emergency aid to reach those affected.
11/6 -
INDIA - Six persons were killed and 63 injured when lightning struck a fireworks factory. It triggered a big blaze and series of explosions near Sivakasi, the country's fireworks hub. The explosions razed to the ground about 40 colony houses located near the fireworks factory at the remote Singampatti village, about 80km from Madurai. Many of the injured were trapped under the debris as the manufacturing sheds and houses collapsed. The crackers went on exploding for more than four hours.
11/5 -
INDIA - The death toll in the cyclone and floods in coastal Andhra Pradesh mounted to 29 as some districts continued to receive rains for the sixth consecutive day Friday. While the cyclone had weakened into low-pressure areas and crossed the coast four days ago, the trough and another low-pressure area over the Bay of Bengal continue to result in heavy rains in south coastal Andhra Pradesh. Hundreds of villages and several towns in Krishna, Prakasam, Guntur, East and West Godavari districts were still inundated. Continuing rains are hampering relief and rescue operations. The road and rail traffic continued to be affected by the rains in the region. Officials said 11, 325 houses were fully damaged and 28,242 houses partly damaged in the rains. About 200,000 people have been evacuated from low-lying areas and put in 525 relief camps. According to a tentative assessment, agriculture crops on 350,000 hectares were inundated. The loss is estimated to be Rs.5 billion. This is the third time this season that the state suffered loss of life and widespread damage to crops and property due to floods. Earlier, 150 people were killed and crops and property worth over Rs.20 billion was damaged due to floods in August and September.
THE NETHERLANDS - In a drama that transfixed the Netherlands, four women on horseback led about 100 horses to safety on Friday from a flood-washed temporary islet where they were stranded for three days. Nineteen horses had drowned or died of exposure since Tuesday night, when a storm surge pushed sea water into an area outside the dikes of Marrum, northeast of Amsterdam.
11/3 -
HAWAII - Heavy rains are creating problems - The downpour is creating a nightmare for drivers, especially those who use the Pali Highway. "We've never experienced mud or erosion before and it's just raining cats and dogs for the last 24 hours and the ground is saturated at this point." Heavy rains in a short amount of time caused part of the hill to slide onto the road, blocking all Honolulu-bound lanes and stretching to the other side of the highway. Officials are concerned that at any time, the hillside will give way and more mud, water and debris will come crashing down.
TURKEY - Ten more people, including seven children, have died in flash floods sweeping Turkey's impoverished southeast region, bringing the total death toll so far to 32, officials said on Thursday. The region was seeing its WORST FLOODING IN HALF A CENTURY. The new deaths occurred in the town of Batman on Wednesday evening, as rivers swelled by torrential rains flooded streets and toppled buildings, triggering a major rescue operation. More heavy rain is predicted for Turkey in the coming days.
11/2 -
TURKEY - Flooding from torrential rains killed 22 people across Turkey, including 14 who died when a minibus carrying wedding guests was swept away. Dozens of others were missing. Heavy rain and flooding were also affecting Istanbul and the Mediterranean coast.
11/1 -
ETHIOPIA - hit by new deadly floods. At least 67 people were killed and 300,000 affected after floods hit Ethiopia, for the second time this year, after the Shabelle river burst its banks due to torrential rains. There are also unconfirmed reports that crocodiles have killed two people in the floods.
TURKEY - Heavy rains across much of Turkey have disrupted traffic and brought widespread flooding in many regions Tuesday. Parts of Istanbul were cut off by rising waters and many shops and workplaces were flooded out. Many roads across the city were cut, disrupting traffic and causing lengthy delays. High winds compounded the traffic snarls, as many of Istanbul’s ferry services had to be cancelled during the storms.
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10/30 -
INDIA - Torrential rain paralysed normal life in several parts of Tamil Nadu, particularly Chennai and Nagapattinam districts, while the death toll in rain-related incidents since the onset of north-east monsoon rose to 35 on Sunday. Rain inundated most low-lying areas of the state capital and over 65,000 people have been shifted to safer places. Most of the deaths occurred due to house collapse incidents. The majority of the fishermen, who ventured into the sea braving heavy rains, have returned.
SOMALIA - Heavy rain in Mogadishu left 17 dead in the Somali capital overnight, bringing the death toll to 27 as a result of floods across the shattered African nation in the past week. The victims, mainly children and the elderly, died after their mud-walled houses collapsed under heavy rain that pummelled several Mogadishu districts late on Saturday, leaving hundreds homeless and destroying property of unknown value. Residents said that at least 61 houses were destroyed by the heavy seven-hour downpour. In August, thousands of Mogadishu residents were forced to flee to higher ground by flooding which destroyed dozens of makeshift homes. Last week, heavy rains also killed at least 10 people in the country's southern Gedo region, which was recently hit by a scorching drought that put millions on people on the verge of starvation.
WIND -
10/30 -
NORTHEASTERN U.S. STATES - Hundreds of thousands of people in the northeastern United States lacked power Sunday as utility crews scrambled to clear power lines of tree branches toppled by a windstorm. Heavy rains and winds clocked at 80 kilometres per hour knocked over power lines in Maine, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Maryland and New York state on Saturday. The area most seriously affected was Long Island, N.Y., where nearly 230,000 people were left without electricity. Crews had managed to restore power to many of those by Sunday afternoon, but then winds knocked down more wires.
10/29 -
UNITED KINGDOM - Hours of heavy rain saw the WORST FLOODING IN YEARS hit Sutherland Thursday, bringing the county to a grinding halt. "River levels have risen quickly due to the persistent rain and more is forecast."
ETHIOPIA - A river burst its banks in southeastern Ethiopia following heavy rains in highland Ethiopia, killing 15 people and displacing more than 2,000. Flooding typically occurs in Ethiopia's lowlands after heavy rains in the June-September season drench the highlands.
SRI LANKA - At least six people have been killed by torrential rain and flooding in the southern and western parts of the country.
10/26 -
PORTUGAL - A river burst its banks and swept a packed school bus off the road Wednesday after a night of heavy storms that authorities said caused the death of one person. A bus taking 52 children aged between seven and 14 to a school in central Portugal was knocked into a ditch by the current from a river that flooded surrounding countryside. Emergency workers up to their waists in fast-flowing, muddy water formed a human chain and pulled the children and three adults from the bus. In nearby Pombal, an elderly bedridden woman died when her home flooded. A woman in the same area was evacuated by helicopter after flood waters reached the first floor of her rural home. The fire department was also helping rescue stranded livestock. A school in the same area was evacuated midmorning when another swollen river burst its banks and flood levels started to rise. Three towns in central Portugal were on flood alert as river levels rose and dams approached their limits. The Civil Protection Service said it responded to 679 incidents of flooding, 335 fallen trees and 19 landslides. Dozens of roads were reported closed, mostly in central and northern areas. Trains stopped running on part of the country's main north-south rail line between Lisbon and Porto because of flooding. Trains in the southern Algarve region also ground to a halt after a tree fell on a power line and cut the electricity supply. On Monday, a German couple died in the Madeira Islands when their car was swept from a cliff and into the sea by a mudslide that occurred after days of heavy rain.
CANADA - A state of emergency has been called in a small northwestern Newfoundland community amid safety concerns, after an unexplainable landslide dumped soil into the ocean. A team of engineers was brought into Daniel's Harbour to assess the risk after a landslide last Friday morning. "As of yet, there is no idea what precipitated the landslide. It was not raining." The landslide sent between 20,000 and 30,000 cubic metres of soil, which amounts to about 2,000 dump-truck loads, into the ocean. "There were houses on the edge of the cliffside and now I guess they are even closer to the cliffside." (photo)
10/25 -
GUATEMALA - At least six persons died Tuesday, including a child, from a landslide off a mountain that buried a village of the La Democracia municipality. Pouring rains over the last few days provoked the landslide, leaving another six people injured and eight not accounted for, all belonging to the same family. The rains also provoked road interruptions, making it difficult to reach several communities in the border with Mexico. The rise of at least seven rivers in the south of the country flooded 40 villages, leaving 10 thousand homeless.
SOUTH KOREA - People in Kangwon Province yesterday suffered damage from heavy rain and strong winds in weather that was UNUSUAL for this time of year. Heavy rain warnings and alerts were issued in the province. Hyangnobong peak received 252 millimeters of rainfall; Misiryong, 260 millimeters; Sokcho, 201 millimeters; and Kosong, 87 millimeters. The rainfall was the LARGEST RECORDED FOR THE LATTER PART OF OCTOBER in the regions. Winds with a speed of 20 meters per second also struck the region, and strong wind warnings were issued. Trees and signboards on many streets were blown down. A dozen fishing vessels that were docked at harbors broke loose and many sank. High wave warnings were issued for western and eastern coastal areas, and mountainous regions in the central peninsula had gusts of wind, hailstones, thunder and lightning. Other parts of the nation also had 20-100 millimeters of rain, a great amount for autumn, from Sunday through yesterday. The rainfall relieved a drought that has lasted more than two months. "Although the mercury fell, [the temperature] is still higher than that of average years, as it has been too high this fall. But people are advised to limit their risk of catching a cold due to the sudden large temperature changes," a weatherman said.
10/24 -
INDIA - a week-end cyclonic storm and hail damaged 172 houses and ravaged farms and paddy fields belonging to 150 families in Aizawl district. 12 houses in and around Aizawl city were completely flattened, while the majority of the houses were badly damaged. Paddy crops belonging to 83 shifting cultivators' families were destroyed in nearby Phulpui village just ahead of the harvest time in November. Farms or gardens where flowers like anthurium, beans and vegetables, belonging to 66 families in nearby Durtlang village were also extensively damaged. Paddy fields were also damaged at Bungkawn. The cyclonic storm took the people by surprise as no warning was given by the MET office and the storm was UNLIKELY considering the time of the year.
10/23 -
MACQUARIE ISLAND - Erosion and heavy spring rains have caused a large landslip on Macquarie Island, in the Southern Ocean about 1500 kilometres south-east of Tasmania, killing penguins in an important colony. The fragile sub-Antarctic world heritage area has been overrun with more than 100,000 rabbits in recent years, which are stripping the island bare of its plants. About 500 square metres of soil gave way due to the combination of heavy spring rains and severe erosion caused by the rabbits. "The landslide... has come down onto an area where the penguins roost, and are active. These are large penguins, so the topsoil has come down the slope and landed on the flat surface near the ocean. The penguins have chicks in place next to the adults and a number of penguins were killed by the landslide.We can't tell how many because it's on the edge of the rookeries."
10/19 -
LOUISIANA - the Governor has declared a state of emergency for 11 parishes in northern Louisiana hit hard by stormy weather this week. The National Weather Service says the region received the most rain it's gotten in a single storm since Tropical Storm Allison in 1989. More than 200 homes were flooded or otherwise damaged in the storm. One of the hardest-hit areas was Grayson, a town in north-central Louisiana's Caldwell Parish. The weather service says the town received 17 inches of rain.
WIND -
10/19 -
AUSTRALIA - Residents of the Geelong suburb of Corio are repairing their homes after a FREAK storm ripped through the area on Tuesday night, causing hundreds of thousands of dollars of damage. Metal sheets from a carport were blown hundreds of metres away, trees uprooted and roofs damaged by a five-minute wind gust of over 100 km/h just after 10pm. The State Emergency Service described the weather event as a "mini-tornado" or a "dry microburst". Tuesday night's low pressure system was UNUSUAL because cool changes in spring usually bring good rainfall.
WIND -
10/18 -
UNITED KINGDOM - Hurricane strength winds struck Castlepoint at the weekend in a RARE three-day battering that took out power supplies and downed trees at the coastal resort. Localised storm winds started blowing in the area very late on Thursday night and only twice lulled for two hours at a time before easing overnight on Sunday. The sustained period of the windstorm was "UNCOMMON" despite the location being prone to briefer bouts of high winds. The winds in the period blew almost constantly at about 60km/h from very early Friday and reached "storm force gusting above hurricane strength" gales clocked at over 150km/h on Saturday.
10/17 -
TEXAS - At least 4 dead in flooding - Heavy thunderstorms brought torrential rains, flooding and tornadoes to Southeast Texas Monday, killing four people, ripping roofs off mobile homes, and trapping rush-hour drivers on flooded, tangled freeways. As much as 10 inches of rain fell in the Houston-Galveston area. Several tornadoes touched down.
In Louisiana, three people were hurt early Monday when strong winds blew through the fishing community of Leeville, 90 miles south of New Orleans
10/16 -
A landslide killed a child on France's Reunion Island. A child was killed Sunday when part of a cliff collapsed onto a highway on the French Indian Ocean island of La Reunion. A rock weighing 40-50 kilograms (88-110 pounds) fell onto the highway, crushing the back half of the car in which the child was traveling. In March, two people were killed when part of the cliff broke off onto the same highway.
10/15 -
CHINA - Flooding and landslides caused by torrential rains in south-western China have left at least 20 people dead or missing and 11 others injured. Heavy downpours from October 6 to 12 in the mountainous Honghe prefecture of Yunnan province triggered the flooding and landslides.
MALAYSIA - Heavy rains triggered a landslide that submerged an entire village in eastern Malaysia while a tree fell onto a railway car carrying foreign and local tourists, but no one was hurt in either incident. The monsoon rains had loosened soil on hillsides. Around 100 villagers from Sepanggar in eastern Sabah state were evacuated after elders sounded the alarm when they spotted trees swaying on a nearby hillside. Within minutes, as many as 15 houses were crushed by a mudslide. All the villagers managed to get out of their houses before the early Thursday morning mudslide. Meanwhile, 40 passengers, including 29 foreign tourists, had to walk for an hour to the nearest train station after a tree fell on their railcar in southwestern Sabah Thursday.
10/13 -
KENYA - Five Kenyan toddlers died on Thursday after being buried alive in a landslide at a heavily populated slum area near Kenya's main port. The victims, all under the age of five, were playing in a gorge near Mombasa's Mburukenge slum when the earth above them collapsed, sending a surge of mud down the slope. "We think the landslide was caused by recent heavy rains."
MALAYSIA - Landslide destroys 17 squatter houses - A total of 17 houses and a surau in Kampung Lok Bunu were destroyed by a landslide, Thursday. No one was hurt in the incident at the squatter settlement as the residents saw the hillslope collapsing at about 8am and escaped the danger in time. The landslide at the settlement of about 70 houses occupied by 107 families was the second in five years. The first in 2001 claimed three lives. The squatters were advised to move to a safer site to avoid a similar incident as the weather lately had been unpredictable.
ALASKA - Heavy rains, flooding and mudslides have isolated several Alaskan cities. While some 200 residents once evacuated are now being allowed home, the southern Alaskan city of Valdez is now isolated, as the only highway connecting it with the outside world has been washed out. Floodwaters so severely damaged a 66-mile stretch of highway that it could be closed for up to a week. In two days the area received between eight and ten inches of rain - with more than six inches of rain falling in one 24 hour period, prompting mudslides and flash flooding. The city of Cordova - south of Valdez - saw at least 22 inches of rain in only a few days. High water cut off the main highway into town and the Cordova airport is also flooded. The area also saw severe flooding in August. Seward and parts of the Kenai Peninsula also reported flooding.
10/12 -
THAILAND - Flooding level in Nakhon Sawan is the HIGHEST IN 60 YEARS, Nakhon Sawan became the latest province submerged on Wednesday after nightlong heavy rains as 17 provinces have been inundated and almost two million people affected. Most parts of Nakhon Sawan are under water, with the water level in the province now reaching two metres. The situation could worsen, as Weather Department predicted more heavy rains for the following weeks.
Bangkok is bracing for floods to hit the city as the Chao Phraya river that flows through the capital has hit a RECORD-HIGH level 220 kilometres away. Bangkokians got a preview Tuesday night as torrential rains caused widespread flooding and paralyzed rush-hour traffic as water levels reached 70 to 80 centimetres at some major intersections. Before the high waters of the Chao Phraya, which drains most of north and central Thailand, hit an already soaked Bangkok, attempts were made to divert the high volume of water to fields and 2,000 rai of land owned by the royal family. 39 people have died since August 27 as a result of the inundations.
10/11 -
THAILAND - many thousands of freehold farmlands belonging to local residents have been submerged since Monday afternoon only to save Bangkok from flooding. The move has remarkably reduced a large volume of overflow to the capital thanks to the great sacrifice by the King and his subjects in Ayutthaya, one of the hardest-hit in the flood woes. The king granted royal permission for the Royal Irrigation Department to divert excess waters overflow the Chao Phraya River basin to his vast plots of land in this central province to help absorb the deluge before it can flood Bangkok. Bangkok is expected to survive the critical period as high tide reaches its peak in the coming few days. As of Monday, the official death toll reported by the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation reached 39, while more than two million people have been made homeless or are otherwise suffering from severe effects of the flooding.
THAILAND & MYANMAR are suffering their WORST MONSOON FLOODS IN 11 YEARS.
GREECE - Flash floods caused by heavy rain swept through dozens of northern Greek villages for a second day on Tuesday damaging hundreds of homes, washing away roads and bridges and forcing rescue teams to airlift isolated villagers. The government declared a state of emergency for devastated regions in central and northern Greece. The heaviest damage was recorded near the northern city of Thessaloniki, Greece's second largest, which received more rain in the 24-hour period from Sunday than it regularly does in the whole month of October. Sections of national highways and bridges were washed away, effectively isolating dozens of villages and towns in the nearby Halkidiki area. Rail lines connecting the central Greek cities of Larisa and Volos were also washed away by the flood waters. The floods in northern Greece come just two months after the region suffered its worst-ever spate of fires which destroyed about 50,000 hectares of forests.
NEW MEXICO - A fast-moving storm dumped hail on Las Cruces and several parts of Dona Ana County overnight Monday. In less than a half-hour, the area was covered in a blanket of ice. The last time it hailed in the area was on Sept. 14. The hail, bigger than the size of a dime, created a slushy mess overnight along several streets. Hail has been known for creating dangerous road conditions. October is typically a month when severe weather is common, but forecasters said hail storms just three weeks apart is UNUSUAL.
10/10 -
THAILAND - Floods in Thailand have killed 32 people and sickened 138,000 others, many suffering from waterborne bacteria or parasites from wading through waist-deep water. Flooding has hit 43 of Thailand's 76 provinces since August, the height of the rainy season. Of the flood-hit provinces, 22 remain inundated by heavy rains related to Typhoon Xangsane.
GREECE - Torrential rains over the weekend flooded vast areas of northern Greece, causing much damage and widespread power outages. The worst-affected areas included the villages of Melissourgos, Stavro, and Olympiada, as well as locations along the Thessaloniki-Kavala stretch of the national highway.
CHINA - Four more bodies were recovered early Monday in a landslide in northwest China, bringing the death toll to 11, with one person still missing. The landslide occurred at 9:30 a.m. Friday at Gaolou Village in Huaxian County, Shaanxi Province, when more than 50,000 cubic meters of mud and rock destroyed 94 houses, burying 13 villagers. Villagers nearby have been evacuated to safety. It rained heavily for ten days in the hilly area a week before the landslide.
MALAYSIA - Heavy rains triggered a landslide at the back of a row of low-cost flats in Section 10, Wangsa Maju, forcing about 600 residents to flee their homes.
10/9 -
FLORIDA - Extremely strong winds, pelting rain and a tornado blew through Central Florida Saturday night. More than 75 people in Apopka are homeless due to a roof collapse and are getting help from the Red Cross. The severe storm was UNUSUAL for autumn. It was caused by a cold front from the north colliding with warm air with the south over Central Florida.
UTAH - RECORD RAIN - Some parts of Utah received more rain on Friday than they do normally in six to 12 months.
10/8 -
CHINA - A landslide trapped 12 villagers and destroyed almost 100 homes in a rural community in northwest China.