Storms and Floods

Tropical Storms - Roundup of Tropical Storms:

No current tropical storms.

NewsBytes:

USA - Widespread flooding in Louisiana and Mississippi has damaged thousands of homes and the risk of more flooding played out Sunday as rain-filled rivers rose over banks. In northwest Tennessee, more than a dozen homes were evacuated late Saturday after heavy rains breached a levee, according to emergency officials. Flood warnings were in effect across the region as many rivers remained dangerously high. Also of concern was another line of thunderstorms that was expected to hit parts of Oklahoma, Arkansas, northern Louisiana and northern Mississippi Sunday night. Hail and tornadoes were possible, forecasters said. In Louisiana, emergency officials said more than 4,958 homes were damaged. That number is expected to rise as more reports come in from areas still battling floodwaters. Mississippi reported that 185 homes were damaged by floodwaters and about 650 homes sustained minor damage.

Brazil - Parts of Brazil have gone from a state of drought to intense flooding after torrential downpours hit southeastern areas of the country. At least 20 people have died in the high waters and mudslides in and around Sao Paulo. Five are still missing. Sao Paulo's fire department said 18 of the victims were killed in mudslides and the other two drowned in the floodwaters that hit more than 10 cities in the outskirts of the metropolitan area over recent days. Rio de Janeiro has also been badly hit. Authorities have declared a state of crisis after massive downpours flooded parts of the city late on Saturday. The deluge left cars, buses and local residents stranded, as streets turned into murky rivers. The rains are now easing, but further spells of wet weather are likely throughout the week, before it turns drier next weekend.

Storms and Floods

Tropical Storms - Roundup of Tropical Storms:

No current tropical storms.

NewsBytes:

USA - This Saturday Louisiana was hit by even more thunderstorms, after already having experienced flooding from storms that hit previously this week. The flooding was so bad that 1,100 people were rescued from high water levels and 2,500 homes were damaged. Fourteen inches of rain deluged Clarksdale, Mississippi, and 12 inches fell in Greenville, authorities said. The towns sit on or near the Mississippi River. Meanwhile, storms and flooding prompted calls for residents to move to higher ground in Louisiana and forced the shutdown of some New Orleans schools. Fears of levee breaches grew. Nice people have now been reported to have dies in the floods.

Storms and Floods

Tropical Storms - Roundup of Tropical Storms:

No current tropical storms.

NewsBytes:

Indonesia - A landslide struck a hotel in the Cianjur district in West Java, Indonesia claiming the lives of three people and injuring several others. Earlier, landslide in Sukaremi sub-district of Cianjur killed two people, bringing the death toll to five.

UAE - Heavy rainfall lashed most areas of the UAE on Wednesday causing severe flooding in Dubai and Abu Dhabi. The Dubai Police has recorded at least 253 traffic accidents and received 3,200 calls in a span of seven hours from 6 am to 1 pm. Floods in Hatta swept away a car, claiming life of a 7-year-old boy. His other two brothers managed to escape. Flights at Abu Dhabi airport were suspended for several hours on Wednesday. A hailstorm also lashed Abu Dhabi. Schools have been closed since Wednesday. Heavy rain associated with thunder and strong winds swept across Jebel Ali, Fujairah, Sharjah and Al Ain. The National Centre for Meteorology and Seismology recorded 294 millimetres of rainfall on Wednesday near Al-Ain.

USA - Heavy rains slammed parts of the Southeast for a second straight day Thursday, part of a series of storms that has killed four people, flooded homes and wrecked highways. Flash-flood watches were in effect from eastern Texas through Louisiana and up into the Mississippi River Valley -- including Arkansas, Tennessee, Missouri and southern Illinois. Some bayous and creeks near Shreveport are expected to crest at levels not seen since 1991. In Mississippi, officials warned of flash flooding. Gov. Phil Bryant declared a state of emergency.

Storms and Floods

Tropical Storms - Roundup of Tropical Storms:

No current tropical storms.

NewsBytes:

Oman - Severe weather in Oman has claimed the lives of at least three people. Two people due to flooding rivers in Al-Muthabi and Al-Rustaq. Another person died of a lightning strike in Al-Muthaibi. Torrential rain has lashed Oman for the past three days.

USA - A slow-moving storm continued to dump drenching rain over portions of the South on Wednesday, leading to dangerous and life-threatening flooding across the region. Evacuations were underway in Louisiana, where the governor declared a state of emergency and authorized the state's National Guard to assist with rescues from heavy flooding. Thousands of people were without power, several school systems closed and dozens of roads were blocked off Wednesday in Texas and Louisiana due to the storm.

England - Severe flooding has caused widespread disruption across parts of central England, with rail passengers stranded and many schools shut. British Transport Police formed human barriers in front of the main concourse at London Euston after trains between Rugby and Milton Keynes were cancelled. Passengers were warned people could be killed as some had fallen from earlier trains on Wednesday. A total of 46 flood warnings are in place across England and Wales.

Kenya - Flash floods floods in Kapsoya in Eldoret in Kenya have wreaked havoc on local residents, driving many from heir homes trying to avoid being swept away by the floodwaters.

Angola - At least 24 people, many of them children dies with dozens more missing after a flash flood swept through a market in the southern city of Lubango. The Capitao river was swollen with more than 24 hours of torrential rains.

Storms and Floods

Tropical Storms - Roundup of Tropical Storms:

Tropical cyclone 14p (Yalo), located approximately 327 nm southwest of Papeete, Tahiti, and is tracked southeastward at 10 knots.

NewsBytes:

Freak Waves - In Hawaii, a pair of gigantic, back-to-back swells generated waves large enough to overtake beach parks, wash across roadways and damage oceanfront properties. In an unprecedented move, state officials shut down a 12-mile stretch of Kamehameha Highway, on the north shore of Oahu, in response to ocean surges that washed over the roadway. In addition to flooding, several areas experienced severe coastal erosion. A 30-foot stretch of beach on the north shore of Oahu reportedly disappeared overnight. Despite numerous beaches being closed, lifeguards were kept busy, rescuing dozens of people and issuing hundreds of warnings. In Los Angeles a large wave swept four people off a Los Angeles County jetty as high surf pounded much of the California coast, leaving one man dead and his three companions seriously injured.

Tornadoes, USA - Whipping northward at interstate speeds, multiple rounds of severe thunderstorms raced from the Carolinas to New England on Wednesday and early Thursday. The springlike round of severe weather - which extended unusually far north for February - took one life in South Carolina and at least four in Virginia, making Wednesday the latter state’s deadliest tornado day since the notorious Super Outbreak of April 27, 2011. Three people, including a two-year-old boy, were killed in hard-hit Waverly, VA, and another man died in Appomattox County.

Bangladesh - Severe weather in Bangladesh has claimed the lives of 10 people and injured at least 25 students. Six people died when a trawler capsized in Dhaleshwari River in Naraynganj. In Narsinghdi, two sisters died when a wall collapsed on them during the storm. Two other people died in Moulvibazar.

South Africa - In Diepsloot near Fourways, Johannesburg, a primary schoolgirl was swept away by flash floods while trying to cross a low level bridge between Extension 1 and 7. Severe thunderstorms lashed northern Johannesburg yesterday afternoon.

Storms and Floods

Tropical Storms - Roundup of Tropical Storms:

Tropical cyclone 14p (Yalo), located approximately 334 nm west-southwest of Papeete, Tahiti, and is tracked southeastward at 08 knots.

Tropical cyclone 11p (Winston), Final advisory has been issued on Tropical cyclone Winston which is located approximately 367 nm northeast of Kingston Island. Winston is already exhibiting signs of being subtropical, with the mid-level warm core weakening and the wind field expanding. The system is forecast to complete subtropical transition, but is expected to maintain gale-force winds.

NewsBytes:

Fiji - The death toll in Fiji has jumped to 42 amid fears for remote areas and islands yet to be reached by relief teams, days after a devastating cyclone. Cyclone Winston, thought to be one of the strongest storms to hit the Southern Hemisphere, left 8,500 sheltering in evacuation centres. Teams are still being deployed. Officials said they met "grim images of devastation" on reaching Koro island. The Red Cross has warned that the toll could still rise further. The powerful cyclone, which struck last weekend, brought winds of over 320km/h (200mph), torrential rain and waves of up to 12m (40ft), flattening many buildings in parts of the main Viti Levu island and Koro islands. It has been described by the Fiji Broadcasting Corporation as the worst to ever hit the country. The damage in remote outlying areas - so far seen only from the air - is reported to be especially bad. Pictures taken from Koro on Tuesday showed battered and demolished homes on the island. Communication with many smaller and remote islands in the Pacific nation of 900,000 people have been down since the cyclone hit.

Southern USA - Three dead as tornadoes hit southern US - At least 7 tornadoes lashed Louisiana, Mississippi and Florida Tuesday, destroying homes and businesses. The deaths occurred when mobile homes were destroyed in Louisiana and Mississippi, officials said. A powerful storm system swept across the East Coast on Wednesday, killing four people in Virginia and knocking out power to tens of thousands of homes and businesses in the region. A day earlier, the system spawned about two dozen tornadoes along the Gulf Coast, damaging hundreds of homes in Louisiana, Mississippi and Florida. Three people were killed and dozens were injured.

Storms and Floods

Tropical Storms - Roundup of Tropical Storms:

No current tropical storms.

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Java - Two university students died after they were swept away by a West Java river while taking selfies. The flash flood at an irrigation dam in Sukabami district's Sukasari village washed away the students.

Mauritius - A torrential rain warning is in effect in Mauritius as widespread flooding has been reported on the island. According to Mauritius Met Service, Pointe aux Canonniers saw the highest rainfall of 86 mm between 07:00 to 09:00 am this morning. Heavy downpours have also been reported in Nouvelle Decouverte, Mon Loisir Rouillard, Queen Victoria, Domaine les Pailles, Champs de Mars, Bagatelle dam, Vacoas and Beau Bassin. Active clouds associated with the tropical disturbance have been influencing the local weather causing widespread heavy thundery showers over the whole island.

USA - Snow, strong winds and floods threatened to snarl travel and shutter schools Tuesday as the Northeast braced for another winter storm. The wintry weather, which was due to hit just as New Hampshire residents cast their primary votes, followed a batch of snow and blizzard-like conditions Monday. More than 30 counties across Pennsylvania, West Virginia and northern Ohio were under a winter storm warning at 5:30 a.m. ET Tuesday, according to the National Weather Service.

Storms and Floods

Tropical Storms - Roundup of Tropical Storms:

No current tropical storms.

NewsBytes:

Georgia, USA - A tornado touched down at an Army post in southeast Georgia at about 4:55 p.m Wednesday evening, Fort Stewart emergency officials confirmed. The storm damaged numerous houses, displacing forty to fifty people.

South Africa - Heavy rainfall accompanied with hail claimed the life of an elderly woman and damaged houses in the Eastern Cape Province, South Africa. The hailstorm caused damage in Mount Frere and Mount Ayliff on Wednesday night.

Storms and Floods

Tropical Storms - Roundup of Tropical Storms:

No current tropical storms.

NewsBytes:

Australia - Port Lincoln is experiencing severe flooding after being hit by the remnants of Cyclone Stan more than 3,200km away. The city located on the Eyre Peninsula in the Australian experienced strong rainfall after ex-Cyclone Stan crossed the South Australian border last night. The rain has hampered drivers and businesses with reports that there was 50mm of rain recorded at 9am with an additional 20mm recorded at lunchtime.

Atlantic Ocean - Global Weather Oscillations says the 2016 - 2017 Atlantic hurricane season will be the strongest in over 4 years. GWO has issued the most accurate predictions of any organization over the past 7 years, and says - unlike the past three hurricane seasons that were dominated by hostile atmospheric conditions that subdued hurricane activity since 2013, and during the 2015 El Niño season - The next few years will be in a “Climate Pulse Hurricane Enhancement Cycle” that will provide very favourable conditions for development of tropical storms and hurricanes.

Argentina - An invasion of poisonous snakes washed downriver in recent floods forced authorities to close beaches to summer holidaymakers in northern Argentina, officials said Monday. Floodwaters in the Rio Plata and Rio Parana carried a species of water lily and with it countless crawling, slithering creatures, south to beaches at the mouths of those rivers near Buenos Aires.

United Kingdom - Village suffers 'biblical' non stop rain for 81 DAYS and even the livestock are 'depressed'. Rain has fallen every day in the Welsh village of Eglwyswrw since October 26 and residents, farmers and their animals are all fed up.

Australia - Darling Downs residents have been warned to brace for a massive storm and 'super cell' expected to reach the region tomorrow, bringing with it damaging weather conditions. Higgins Storm Chasers have issued a warning with a surface and upper trough bringing large hail, up to 8cm in diameter, damaging winds over 90 km/hr, heavy rain with flash flooding and frequent lightning. The system will peak on Friday as a very potent storm set up.

USA - Winter storm in Midwest; tornadoes punch Deep South - Heavy snow and high winds continued to sweep across much of the Midwest with near-blizzard force on Tuesday, causing highway closures in Nebraska and flight cancellations in Colorado. Nasty weather also hammered the South, with tornado warnings issued in Mississippi and Alabama. At least two tornadoes hit Mississippi.

Ethiopia - 'Fish Rain' in Dire Dawa. Unusual fish-rain occurred on Sunday at 11; 30 pm in Dire Dawa City Eastern part of Ethiopia for a few minutes both in rural and urban areas. This typically happens when a cyclone offshore sucks up water from the ocean along with fish and deposits the moisture as rain over land.

Storms and Floods

Tropical Storms - Roundup of Tropical Storms:

Tropical cyclone 08s (Corentin), located approximately 1247 nm east-southeast of La Reunion, is tracking eastward at 07 knots.

NewsBytes:

USA - The massive snowstorm that affected most of the East Coast finally ended Sunday morning, leaving in its wake 1-3 feet of snow over major cities, at least 18 storm-associated casualties and severe coastal flooding.

While the snow has stopped, the weather warnings continue. High winds will create blowing and drifting snow in some areas, the National Weather Service warns. And while New York City lifted a police-enforced travel ban on Sunday morning, many authorities are asking citizens to refrain from driving for another day as efforts to clear off the roads continue.

The snowfall totals were striking, setting records in some jurisdictions. At the D.C. National Zoo, 22 inches of snow fell; at JFK airport in New York City, 30 inches; in the western suburbs of D.C., 36 inches were recorded; in Shepherdstown, W.V., more than 40 inches. The 26.8 inches recorded in New York's Central Park is the second-highest total ever recorded — falling short of the record by just 0.1 inches, CBS reports.

Farther south, the storm's greatest impact wasn't in inches of snowfall but quarter-inches of ice. Hundreds of thousands of people lost power as ice and high winds combined to rip down power lines, and many roads were made perilous by the icy conditions.

At least 29 deaths have been attributed to the storm by the Associated Press, including a Kentucky transportation worker who died while plowing highways, a teenager who was hit by a truck while sledding behind an all-terrain vehicle and two people who died of hypothermia in Virginia. Most of the deaths were from car crashes on snowy or icy roads. Four were caused by overexertion while shovelling snow.

Taiwan - Severe weather and snowstorms in Taiwan have claimed the lives of at least 85 people, mostly from hypothermia and the onset of cardiovascular diseases. Taipei recorded the lowest temperature in 44 years at -4°C. At least 41 people died in Taipei and 10 in New Taipei. Others 35 died in Taoyuan in northern Taiwan.

Japan - winter weather and heavy snowfalls have claims at least 5 lives in Japan and injured more than 100 others. Flights were cancelled and the speed of the bullet trains was reduced for safety. Amami Island, located some 380 kilometers southwest of Kagoshima City, received snowfall for the first time in 115 years.

China - China renewed its orange alert, its second most serious weather warning on Sunday, with at least four deaths reported. In the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River, the lowest temperatures could reach minus 12 degrees Celsius (10.4 degrees Fahrenheit) from Sunday to Monday. Zhejiang, Fujian and Guangdong provinces are forecasted to approach or even drop below the lowest levels on record while parts of central and eastern China were 6 to 8 degrees Celsius (11 to 15 degrees Fahrenheit) lower than the average historical level.

South Korea - An estimated 90,300 people were stranded on the southern island of Jeju, according to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, and around 1,400 people are staying in the airport. Since Saturday about 1,200 flights were canceled although the airport resumed operations as of Monday noon local time. Its capital Seoul was hit Sunday by the coldest winter in 15 years, with the lowest temperature recorded at minus 18 degrees Celsius (minus 0.4 degrees Fahrenheit).

Hong Kong - The typically subtropical Hong Kong experienced its coldest weather in nearly three decades, leading to the shut down of all kindergartens and primary schools on Monday. On Sunday, the average minimum temperature dropped to 3.3 degrees Celsius (38 degrees Fahrenheit) over the city, where there is no central heating in most buildings. Firefighters had to help over a hundred trapped people at the peaks, 64 of which were sent to the hospital with many exhibiting signs of hypothermia.

Storms and Floods

Tropical Storms - Roundup of Tropical Storms:

Tropical cyclone 08s (Corentin), located approximately 976 nm east-southeast of Port Louis, Mauritius, is tracking southeastward at 13 knots.

NewsBytes:

USA - Winter storm Jonas has prompted multiple states across the Mid-Atlantic United States to declare a state of emergency. The storm has claimed the lives of at least ten people; six in North Carolina, one each in Arkansas, Kentucky, Tennessee and Virginia. Emergency has been declared in Delaware, Georgia, Kentucky, Maryland, New Jersey, North Carolina, Virginia, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, West Virginia and Washington, D.C. The top snowfall from winter storm Jonas has been recorded in Redhouse, Maryland; a total of 28.5 inches as of Saturday morning. The storm also brought coastal flooding which caused major road closings Saturday morning From Atlantic City to Cape May.

Storms and Floods

Tropical Storms - Roundup of Tropical Storms:

Tropical Cyclone Victor is located approximately 112 nm southwest of Tonga, and is tracking southwestward at 10 knots.

Tropical cyclone 08s (Corentin), located approximately 866 nm south of Diego Garcia, is tracking southward at 08 knots.

NewsBytes:

USA - Snow started to fall in Washington early Friday afternoon. The city, along with Baltimore, may get more than 61 centimetres, according to the National Weather Service. New York and Long Island may see as much as 46 centimetres. A paralysing winter storm forced the cancellation of thousands of flights, knocked out power to homes and threatened Washington with one of its heaviest snowfalls on record as it moved up the US East Coast. Grocery store shelves were emptied in preparation for the storm, which was dubbed "Snowzilla" by The Washington Post's weather team. Schools and government offices in Washington were all closed, with public transportation scheduled to shut down late Friday until early Monday.

Storms and Floods

Tropical Storms - Roundup of Tropical Storms:

Tropical Cyclone Victor is located approximately 473 nm east-southeast of Suva, Fiji, and is tracking westward at 09 knots.

Niue, Tonga and the Cook Islands were pounded by high surf and blustery winds as outer bands of Category-1 Cyclone Victor lashed the islands. High winds had downed some coconut palms and blown off shed roofs. The massive storm churned the South Pacific for several days before losing force over cooler waters northeast of New Zealand.

Tropical cyclone 08s (Corentin), located approximately 911 nm east of Port Louis, Mauritius, is tracking southward at 10 knots.

NewsBytes:

USA - A large winter storm that is expected to bring heavy snowfall to the U.S. Mid-Atlantic region on January 22 and 23. Washington, D.C., and New York City were under blizzard watches January 21, 2016 and states of emergency were declared in Virginia, Maryland and North Carolina ahead of a blustery weekend storm expected to slam the East Coast with up to 2 feet (60 cm) of snow.

Storms and Floods

Tropical Storms - Roundup of Tropical Storms:

Tropical cyclone 06p (Ula), is located approximately 259 nm east-northeast of Kingston Island, and is tracking southeastward at 13 knots.

Hurricane Pali is located about 650 mi...1045 km SSW of Johnston Island and about 1320 mi...2125 km SW of Honolulu Hawaii with maximum sustained winds...85 mph...140 km/h. Present movement...SSE or 160 degrees at 7 mph...11 km/h.

NewsBytes:

USA - Workers with the U.S. Army Corps of engineers opened the Bonnet Carre Spillway to drain water from the Mississippi River on Sunday, Jan. 10, 2016, in Norco, Louisiana. The Mississippi River water levels are rising because of heavy December rain in the Midwest. The opening of the Bonnet Carre Spillway helps relieve pressure on the New Orleans-area levees by making sure the water doesn’t flow faster than 1.25 million cubic feet per second through the city - which is enough to fill the equivalent of the city's Superdome in less than 2 minutes.

Wildfires

Wildfires - Australia

A large, out-of-control, bushfire is threatening homes and lives in the communities of Harvey, Waroona and Preston Beach, south of Perth.

The fire, which was sparked by lightning in Lane Poole Reserve and is burning on both sides of the South Western Highway, is moving fast in a south westerly direction. The fire has so far burnt more than 21,000 hectares.

Emergency warnings are in place for the area bounded by Willowdale Road, Johnston Road, Forrest Highway, Dorsett Road, Williamson Road, Mayfield Road and Nanga Brook Road, including the Waroona townsite, in the Shire of Waroona.

Residents in Prestons Beach and east of South Western Highway are advised it is too late to leave and that leaving now would be deadly.

People are advised to actively defend their homes or if in Prestons Beach, seek shelter at the beach if defending the home is not an option.

Wildfires USA - Record

For the first time in U.S. history, wildfires charred more than 10 million acres across the nation in 2015.

That bests the previous mark of 9.87 million acres set in 2006, and it's the first time wildfire acreage burned has crossed the 10-million acre threshold.

Beyond local impacts like bad air quality and ecological issues, wildfires also emit large amounts of carbon dioxide, rather than those trees sucking carbon out of the air. This year’s intense wildfire season turned California’s forests into carbon polluters. In Alaska, scientists have raised concerns that wildfires could send vast reserves of carbon locked in the soil up in smoke.

Storms and Floods

Tropical Storms - Roundup of Tropical Storms:

Tropical cyclone 06p (Ula), is located approximately 178 nm southwest of Suva, Fiji, and is tracking northwestward at 05 knots.

Invest 90C is an area of disturbed weather in the Central Pacific that has the potential for tropical development.

NewsBytes:

Australia - Newcastle, New South Wales has faced its wettest January day in 154 years after torrential rain batters the east coast. "Newcastle experienced the most rainfall on a January day since records started back in 1862," The Daily Mail has written quoting the Bureau of Meteorology. Around 200.6 millimetres of rainfall has been recorded in Newcastle in last 24 hours.

California, USA - A series of storm systems impacting the West Coast has closed and flooded highways in California and iced over parts of Oregon and Washington, where a plane skidded off a runway in Spokane. While wet conditions are normal for the area this time of year, the amount of precipitation being received is unusual. Heavy rains have flooded numerous highways and at least one business in California. Highway 101 was closed southbound about 4 miles south of the Santa Barbara/Ventura County line, due to a mudflow. Cal Trans crews were on the scene Tuesday afternoon working to clear the debris and reopen the highway. Cal Trans reports partial flooding of numerous highways at various points Tuesday, including Interstate 10, the 405, the 110 and the 105.

Storms and Floods

Tropical Storms - Roundup of Tropical Storms:

Tropical cyclone 06p (Ula), is located approximately 206 nm southeast of Suva, Fiji, and is tracking southwestward at 12 knots.

A state of emergency has been declared for Tonga as TC Ula intensifies.

NewsBytes:

Uruguay - Update - The number of displaced persons in Uruguay following the floods that struck four provinces on the country's west coast has risen to 23,571, the National Emergency System, or Sinae, reported Saturday. Of the 23,571 displaced persons, 11,002 are in Artigas province, 6,708 in Paysandu, 57 in Rio Negro province and 5,804 in Salto. Heavy downpours recently caused the Uruguay River to overflow and in particular its Cuareim tributary, which runs through the northern city of Artigas, and up to now the floods have left two people dead, officials said.

USA - Update - The worst of the dangerous, deadly winter flood is over in the St. Louis area, leaving residents of several water-logged communities to assess damage, clean up and figure out how to bounce back -- or in some cases, where to live. Farther south, things were getting worse: Record and near-record crest predictions of the Mississippi River and levee breaks threatened homes in rural southern Missouri and Illinois. Two more levees succumbed Friday, bringing to at least 11 the number of levee failures. The flood, fueled by more than 10 inches of rain over a three-day period that began last weekend, is blamed for 22 deaths. Searchers were still looking for five missing people -- two teenagers in Illinois, two men in Missouri and a country music singer in Oklahoma. President Obama has declared Missouri a disaster area, opening up federal funding and FEMA co-ordination.

Storms and Floods

Tropical Storms - Roundup of Tropical Storms:

Tropical cyclone 06p (Ula), is located approximately 297 nm east of Suva, Fiji, and is tracking westward at 10 knots.

NewsBytes:

USA - Floodwaters started to recede in the St. Louis area Friday, enabling major roads to reopen after unseasonable, record-setting winter storms swamped the region. But in other areas of the Midwest, the worst was yet to come. Crests are expected in the coming days for swollen rivers in southern Missouri, southern Illinois, and then Arkansas, Tennessee and other southern states. Two more levees failed Friday, bringing to at least 11 the number topped by high water. While St. Louis itself stayed mostly dry thanks to a floodwall, its suburbs were water-logged. The biggest problems came from the Meramec River — a tributary of the Mississippi — which at points topped the 1993 record by 4 feet. Hundreds of homes and business were evacuated in Pacific, Eureka, Valley Park and Arnold, Missouri. Damage was just starting to be assessed.

Storms and Floods

Tropical Storms - Roundup of Tropical Storms:

Tropical cyclone 06p (Ula), is located approximately 122 nm southeast of Pago Pago, American Samoa and is tracking west-southwestward at 06 knots.

Tropical Depression Nine-C is located about 1070 mi...1720 km SSW of Johnston Island and about 1770 mi...2850 km SW of Honolulu Hawaii with maximum sustained winds...35 mph...55 km/h. Present movement...NW or 315 degrees at 3 mph...6 km/h.

NewsBytes:

Britain - Update - Many homes remained flooded and without power on Thursday, after heavy rain and strong winds battered northern Britain. Storm Frank spread on Tuesday and Wednesday, damaging property and affecting roads and rail services in England, Scotland and Northern Ireland. The government-affiliated Environment Agency said more than 6,700 homes in the north of England were flooded during the last week as river levels reached all-time highs. Flood warnings remained in place in England, Scotland and Northern Ireland on Thursday.

USA - Update - The death toll from flooding in Missouri rose to 14 Wednesday, and at least two rivers rose higher than during devastating floods in 1993, officials said, but the region was bracing for more flooding.

El Nino set to continue in early 2016

The current strong El Nino brewing in the Pacific Ocean shows no signs of waning, as seen in the latest satellite image from the U.S./European Ocean Surface Topography Mission (OSTM)/Jason-2 mission.

El Nino 2015 has already created weather chaos around the world. Over the next few months, forecasters expect the United States to feel its impacts as well.

The latest Jason-2 image bears a striking resemblance to one from December 1997, by Jason-2's predecessor, the NASA/Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales (CNES) Topex/Poseidon mission, during the last large El Nino event. Both reflect the classic pattern of a fully developed El Nino.

The images show nearly identical, unusually high sea surface heights along the equator in the central and eastern Pacific: the signature of a big and powerful El Nino. Higher-than-normal sea surface heights are an indication that a thick layer of warm water is present.

El Ninos are triggered when the steady, westward-blowing trade winds in the Pacific weaken or even reverse direction, triggering a dramatic warming of the upper ocean in the central and eastern tropical Pacific. Clouds and storms follow the warm water, pumping heat and moisture high into the overlying atmosphere. These changes alter jet stream paths and affect storm tracks all over the world.

Storms and Floods

Tropical Storms - Roundup of Tropical Storms:

Tropical cyclone (tc) 06p (Six), located approximately 282 nm east-northeast of Pago Pago, is tracking south-southeastward at 13 knots.

NewsBytes:

Britain - Winter storm Frank battered the north and west of the U.K., causing chaos to transportation and leaving thousands of people without electricity or facing more flooding in what’s been the wettest December on record for parts of the country. Areas in southern Scotland and Cumbria in northern England were expecting to get another 100 millimetres (4 inches) of rainfall after Storm Frank made landfall, according to the Met Office. Winds exceeding 60 miles (100 kilometres) an hour hit towns and cities from Northern Ireland to Edinburgh overnight and were forecast to continue into Wednesday afternoon. As much as 70 millimetres of rain had fallen on parts of Scotland before 9 a.m. local time, the BBC reported. Homes were evacuated in Aberdeenshire in the northwest as the River Dee burst its banks, while Dumfries in the southwest was also at risk of inundation. Among the disruptions to travel on major roads, a stretch of the motorway linking Scotland with England was shut in both directions due to flooding, according to Traffic Scotland.

USA - The Mississippi River is coming, and so are the Arkansas, the Red, the Ohio and the Missouri. The water on the Mississippi River is already so high that Missouri has closed interstate highways. Governor Jay Nixon activated the National Guard to stave off disaster. And the floods only stand to get worse. Warmer-than-usual weather through December has precipitation falling as rain. Some areas have seen 5 to 10 inches (12 to 24 centimetres) above normal flowing into the rivers instead of being locked up as snow and ice on solid ground until spring. Flooding on the lower Mississippi may become severe enough to force the opening of the Bonnet Carre Spillway protecting New Orleans, according to the Lower Mississippi River Forecast Centre. Today, the Missouri River is at a major flood stage, and it’s pouring into an already swollen Mississippi, forecast to reach its second-highest crest at St. Louis around the start of the new year. All of that water will join the Ohio and together flow toward some of the most densely packed industrial river fronts in the country. The floodwaters are forecast to reach New Orleans in the third week of January.