Wildfires

Wildfires - Tasmania

A watch and act alert has been issued for the fire burning on Pipeline Road, Mawbanna, in Tasmania's north-west.

The Tasmania Fire Service said this fire may put Meunna, Milabena, Lapoinya, Myalla and surrounds at high risk on Sunday night. The fire will be difficult to control, and there may be embers, smoke and ash falling on surrounding areas.

The communities that may be impacted on by that fire include Rocky Cape, Sisters Beach , Boat Harbour and Muntumana and surrounding areas.

Another 50 fire tankers are being brought in from interstate and 10 command vehicles and 245 firefighters over the next few days.

Two C-17 defence cargo planes will arrive in Hobart this week with infrastructure for a fire fighters base camp to be established at Stanley in the far north-west.

Wildfires - Mississippi, USA

Multiple wildfires are still burning in various parts of South Mississippi this weekend, and weather conditions are only helping to feed the flames.

In east Jackson County, a woods fire has been burning since Thursday in the Forts Lake community. Although the fire began on private property along Grand Bature Road, it quickly spread to the surrounding marshes, threatening several homes and the Grand Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve.

A fire in Hancock County is still burning also, but officials say multiple agencies are working together and it is under control.

Storms and Floods

Tropical Storms - Roundup of Tropical Storms:

No current tropical storms.

NewsBytes:

Mississippi, USA - A severe storm system in parts of the South and Midwest United States claimed the lives of at least six people on Wednesday, bringing several tornadoes to Indiana, Illinois, Mississippi and Tennessee.

Paraguay - Flooding caused by heavy rains has forced the evacuation of more than 70,000 people in Paraguay. Authorities say the Paraguay River rose to nearly 24 feet (7.2 meters) Wednesday after weeks of torrential rains. That's near its highest level of 1983, when it reached 25.3 feet (7.72 meters). About 72,000 people have been forced out of their homes in the Paraguayan capital. But many more are expected to be affected nationwide by the swelling of the Parana and other rivers. Communities living in low-lying slums are especially at risk. Most are seeking shelter in camps on higher ground, where they're sleeping in improvised tents.

Cumbria, UK - Cumbria face their Christmas being ruined by flood waters as yet another storm, Storm Eva is predicted to hit Britain with rain and winds up to 70mph.

Storms and Floods

Tropical Storms - Roundup of Tropical Storms:

Tropical Storm Marty is located about 170 mi...275 km SSW of Zihuatanejo Mexico and about 225 mi...360 km WSW of Acapulco Mexico with maximum sustained winds...70 mph...110 km/h. Present movement...N or 360 degrees at 2 mph...4 km/h.

Typhoon Dujuan is located approximately 101 nm southeast of Taipei, Taiwan, and is tracking northwestward at 10 knots.

Strong Typhoon Dujuan (Typhoon Jenny in Philippines) is forecast to bring torrential rains and high winds across Taiwan, with landfall predicted around 15:00 GMT Monday. Almost 3,000 people, most of them tourists, were evacuated Sunday from Taiwan's Green Island and Orchid Island.

Tropical Storm Niala is located about 330 mi...530 km SSW of Hilo Hawaii and about 440 mi...705 km SSE of Honolulu Hawaii with maximum sustained winds...40 mph...65 km/h. Present movement...WSW or 245 degrees at 10 mph...17 km/h.

Tropical Depression Eleven is located about 420 mi...675 km SW of Bermuda with maximum sustained winds...35 mph...55 km/h. Present movement...W or 275 degrees at 2 mph...4 km/h.

Invest 99L is an area of disturbed weather in the North Atlantic that has the potential for tropical development.

NewsBytes:

Mississippi, USA - A flash flood emergency has been declared until 8 p.m. Sunday for the eastern part of Jackson County, Mississippi, including Pascagoula, Moss Point and Escatawpa, the National Weather Service said. Doppler radar has noted five to eight inches rainfall in the area and another two inches are expected.

Storms and Floods

Killer Mississippi Tornado - Update

A large and violent tornado tore a destructive path across two counties in east-central Mississippi, USA on Thursday, leaving one person dead and several others injured.

The National Weather Service reported the killer EF-3 tornado with 145 mph winds, tracked 68.4 miles from Kemper County across Noxubee County, before lifting as it moved over the Alabama state line into western Pickens County. The tornado was on the ground for over a hour and a half from 11:31 a.m. to 1:06 p.m. Thursday with a track of 56 miles in Mississippi and 12.37 miles in Alabama.

Numerous homes suffered significant damage. Along the entire track, thousands of trees were snapped and uprooted with dozens of power poles bent or downed.

Storms and Floods

Tornadoes Hit Southern USA

A swarm of tornadoes tore through several counties in southern Mississippi and Alabama on Sunday, injuring at least 10 people and ripping apart hundreds of homes and other buildings, including parts of the University of Southern Mississippi. The American Red Cross center in Hattiesburg, Miss., is completely destroyed.

Tropical Cyclone Haley was located approximately 500 nm south-southeast of Bora Bora, Society Islands, French Polynesia.

Storms and Floods

Tropical Cyclone Narelle

Tropical Cyclone Narelle (which is now a Category 4) is estimated to be 505 kilometres north of Exmouth and 505 kilometres northwest of Karratha and moving southwest at 12 kilometres per hour.

A Cyclone WARNING continues for coastal areas from Roebourne to Coral Bay, including Karratha, Dampier, Onslow and Exmouth.

A Cyclone WATCH continues for coastal areas from Coral Bay to Carnarvon.

Cold wave in Nepal

Cold wave in Nepal has killed so far 60 people this winter season.

Most of the victims are from the Terai districts of Nepal. Seven people died of cold in Bara and Rautahat districts yesterday night (Thursday).

Six were killed in Kailali and Kanchanpur districts and two others were killed in Jhapa yesterday only.

Strong winds also destroyed 13 houses at Khunde in Ward No. 4 and 5 of Khumjung VDC in Solukhumbu (gateway to Mount Everest).

Injured people are having treatment in local Khunde Hospital.

Avalanche in Kazbegi mountain, Georgia

Three Russian climbers reported to be killed in an avalanche disaster in Kazbegi mountains in Georgia.

A child who came along with the group was rescued and sent to hospital with frostbite.

Tornado in Batam, Indonesia

Tornado in Riau Islands city of Batam injured 200 people.

Tornado seriously injured a 10-year-old boy.

Tornado in Batam also destroyed two mosques, a government office and a gas station.

Flooding in South Island, New Zealand

Heavy rainfall caused flooding and closed roads in the South Island of New Zealand.

State Highways 94 from Lumsden to Te Anau and State Highway 73 from Cass to Arthurs Pass were closed because of flooding, washouts and slips.

Heavy storm also caused damage in Fiordland.

Flooding in Mindanao, Philippines

Flooding caused by a low pressure area (LPA) affected 3,000 people in Mindanao.

The flood affected persons are from Davao and Soccsksargen.

Butuan City is currently on Flood Alert Level 1 after a rise of two meters above sea level in Agusan river.

Tornado in Kaikoura, New Zealand

A tornado in Beach Rd, Kaikoura damaged several houses.

Twister cut power to around 250 Kaikoura homes.

China Landslide

A landslide has swept through a village in the steep, snow-dusted mountains of southern China, burying dozens of people and killing at least 16.

The landslide smothered 16 homes shortly after 8 am local time on Friday in Zhaojiagou village, and hours later more than 40 people were missing. The village is located in Zhenxiong county.

Severe weather across Mississippi and Louisiana

A statewide emergency was declared after storms rolled across Louisiana.

At least three tornadoes touched down in Louisiana Thursday morning: one near New Iberia, another in Breaux Bridge and a third near Plaquemine.

An industrial plant south of Plaquemine was damaged by a tornado.

Several mudslides reported at Natchez streets.

Floods affected Gentry High School in Indianola. Students were shifted when the classroom flooded.

There was also localized street flooding in parts of Vicksburg. Two people were rescued.

Downed trees were reported along the Natchez Trace and Mississippi Highway 547 near Port Gibson.

Wildfires

Firefighters are battling wildfires in Jackson County, Mississippi, USA.

Storms and Floods

Hurricane Sandy has made landfall on the southeastern coast of Cuba and strengthened to a strong Category 2 storm, with winds up to 175 kilometers per hour.

Tropical storm Tony forms in the Atlantic. No threat to land and the storm is not expected to endure long.

Tropical storm Son-Tinh forms in the western Pacific and makes landfall over Siargao, an island in the Philippines. A tropical storm warning has been issued with hundreds of passengers stranded as sea and air travel have been suspended in southern Philippines.

Tropical storm Murjan in the Indian Ocean strikes Somalia.

A powerful cyclone with gale-force winds and heavy precipitation is advancing upon Kamchatka in the Russian Far East.

Extreme weather wreaks havoc in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Floodwaters swept five people away in northern KwaZulu-Natal over the weekend. Three further people who were washed down the Chibide River at Silutshane, near Vryheid are still missing. The widespread rain and storms have caused chaos and misery everywhere, especially on the roads and informal settlements.

Tornado hits Neshoba County, Mississippi, USA.

Storms and Floods

Tornadoes in Mississippi and Arkansas, USA leave thousands without power. Severe storms in Mississippi and Arkansas toppled trees and damaged mobile homes, leaving thousands of residents in the dark across the states. At least seven people were injured by the storms as they crossed through Mississippi. Meanwhile, crews in Denver, Colorado, are working to restore electricity after high winds knocked down powerlines.

A satellite image of decaying typhoon, tropical storm Prapiroon, shows a massive swirl and a rarely observed “street” of mini-swirls. These vortices in the western Pacific adjacent to one another are examples of a decaying typhoon and a phenomenon known as a "von Karman vortex street".

 

Prapiroon is no threat to land, safely positioned 325 nautical miles south of Yokosuka, Japan and is headed out to sea.

Storms and Floods

The storm surge from Hurricane Isaac made the Mississippi River flow backwards for 24 hours on Tuesday.

Tropical Storm Leslie strengthens in the Atlantic and will affect Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands today.

More than 400 000 people have been left homeless and lost their property in widespread floods in Niger.

Storms and Floods

Widespread flooding along the Mississippi Gulf coast due to Hurricane Isaac. The storm has weakened to a tropical depression, but is still dumping rain along the coast. Isaac spawned several tornados along the coast.

Tropical storm Leslie forms in the Atlantic.