Thursday 14 May 2015

Floods in Wellington, New Zealand - 05/14/2015

New Zealand:Evacuations after heavy rain, floods and slips in Wellington region

Stuff,


14 May, 2015

State Highway 2 has been closed.
State Highway 2 has been closed.


With roads turned into rivers, major highways blocked and trains cancelled, getting home tonight is a major challenge for thousands in the Wellington region. 

And some of those homes are flooded


The region was hit by a deluge of rain overnight causing slips and flooding, 















with 117.4mm falling in Paraparaumu and 96mm in Lower Hutt in the last 24 hours.

Residents are being advised by Civil Defence to stay out of floodwaters because of potential sewage contamination and electrical danger.
State Highway 1 has re-opened but is restricted by flooding. SH2 is closed northbound between Ngauranga and Melling, and southbound at Petone.

Motorists wanting to reach Hutt Valley from Wellington need to use SH1 as far as Porirua and then take SH58 over Haywards Hill. Kapiti residents in Wellington have been advised to seek alternative accommodation in the city.

All commuter train services across the Wellington region have been cancelled and Wellington Railway Station is closed.

Schools, businesses and homeowners have all been affected, with 18 homes evacuated.

man swept under a bridge in floodwaters in Paraparaumu was helped to safety by bystanders. Another person has reportedly been rescued from the Waikanae River.




Melbourne weather: Snow’s falling, winter is unofficially here

Herald Sun,

13 May, 2015

THE ski season kicked off early and snow fell at Kinglake and Mt Dandenong as Melbourne received a premature taste of winter today.

As of 10am it was 7C in Melbourne, but with the wind it feels like 2C or 3C, the Bureau of Meteorology says.

Forecaster Dean Stewart said it wasn’t so unusual to get cold bursts like this.
It’s a bit of a shock to the system I guess, when you get a bit of snow at the Dandenongs,” he said. “The last time it snowed there was in August.”

Rain clouds roll into Melbourne. Picture: Tony Gough
Rain clouds roll into Melbourne. Picture: Tony Gogh

Mt Buller received 3cm of fresh snow overnight and flurries continued today, with snow forecast down to 800m. More snow is expected over the coming days, although the official ski season does not begin until the Queen’s Birthday weekend.

It plummeted to minus 6C in the Mt Hotham and Falls Creek area.

Mr Stewart confirmed there had been a couple of storms in Melbourne this morning but the risk of further storms this afternoon appears to have contracted.
However, more hail and thunder were on the cards.

Caller Glenn told 3AW it was snowing in the Kinglake town, 46km northeast of the CBD just before 6am while the white stuff was also reported at Mt Dandenong, 35km east of Melbourne.

Melbourne is set for a top of 13 degrees and a very high chance of rain, especially this morning, and snow falling on peaks above 600 meters.

Local hail and thunder is also possible, mainly this morning, and south-westerly winds will peak at up to 40kmh.

Melburnians have turned to social media to share their snow photos.

An East Bentleigh resident posted a picture of Cedric Bradley, 3, who made a hail person following the hail dump in their neighbourhood.

Battling the elements in William St CBD. Picture: David Smith
Battling the elements in William St CBD. Picture: David Smith

Traffic has also been affected, with trams and trains running late and cancelled.
Due to heavy peak-hour traffic on Sydney Rd in Melbourne’s north, some route 19 trains were terminating before the scheduled stop at Flinders St, with delays, according to Yarra trams.

The Frankston Line has also experienced delays, and commuters on the Cranbourne line were held up due to a medical emergency at Caulfield.

Melburnians woke to a bitterly cold Autumn day. Picture: Hamish Blair
Melburnians woke to a bitterly cold autumn day. Picture: Hamish Blair

Weather Service: Anchorage's last winter unofficially least snowy on record

Alaska Dispatch News,

13 May, 2015

This past winter was unofficially the least snowy on record in Anchorage, the National Weather Service Alaska Regional Office declared Wednesday.

We’re pretty confident in this prediction,” NWS posted on Facebook.

We’ve never had more than half an inch of snow fall past this date at Anchorage’s official measuring station.”

Only 25.1 inches of snow fell during the 2014-15 winter season, NWS reported. That beat the previous low-snowfall record set in 1957-58, which saw 30.4 inches of snowfall.

The year with the heaviest snowfall on record was 2011-12, when 134.5 inches of snow were recorded.

The seasonal average is 74.5 inches, according to NWS.

Seasonal snowfall is recorded through June 30, making the pronouncement unofficial until that date.

But seriously, who cares about winter records in June … when the sockeye are running?” NWS said.

US battered by severe storms and tornadoes

US battered by severe storms and tornadoes

Euronews,

12 May, 2015

Towns in the US Great Plains have been battered by a series of tornadoes, leaving a trail of destruction in their wake. Six people have died as the severe storms ripped through the area on Sunday night.

In Arkansas a young couple were killed protecting their 18-month-old baby when their mobile home flipped over.

Surveying the damage in Nashville from Sunday's EF-2 tornado with .

In Texas, the governor declared a state of emergency due to severe storms and flooding. The residents of Van experienced a killer tornado which ripped up trees, power lines and destroyed homes.

Standing outside what remains of her home, Kimberli Shane described the moment the tornado hit.

Horrifying. We didn’t hear the sirens. My son came in. This is his room or it was his room.”

As search and rescue efforts continue at least eight people remain unaccounted for in Van.

Just some of the tornado damage in

LATEST: At least 2 dead, 8 unaccounted for after tornado roars through Van, Texas


The same day that Winter Storm Venus dumped record-breaking snowfall on South Dakota, it was also hit by tornadoes.

The power of the tornado, you could just hear it, I mean, it was like it was just trying to suck you from inside out,” explained resident Marc Mora. “I mean just the pressure, your ears and everything are popping. But it was — it’s something I don’t wish on anybody. That was a scary moment there.”

Since last Tuesday an estimated 137 tornadoes have touched down in the US.


Clean up efforts will be hampered as flooding is expected to continue through mid-week.


Meanwhile there has been flooding in Nairobi, Kenya

Heavy rains in Nairobi cause flooding and destruction





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