Thunderstorms

IMD predicts moderate thunderstorms, lightning in some parts of Tamil Nadu

IMD has issued an advisory to stay indoors and avoid any travel if possible, ensure children and animals are inside

After hurricanes now solar storms may cause disruption in US power grids

A severe solar storm is headed to Earth that could stress power grids even more as the US deals with major back-to-back hurricanes, space weather forecasters said on Wednesday. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration issued a severe geomagnetic storm watch for Thursday into Friday after an outburst from the sun was detected earlier this week. Such a storm could temporarily disrupt power and radio signals. NOAA has notified operators of power plants and orbiting spacecraft to take precautions. It also alerted the Federal Emergency Management Agency about possible power disruptions, as the organization copes with the devastating aftermath of Hurricane Helene and gears up for Hurricane Milton barrelling across the Gulf of Mexico toward Florida. Forecasters do not expect the latest solar storm to surpass the one that slammed Earth in May, the strongest in more than two decades. But they won't know for sure until it's just 1 million miles (1.6 million kilometers) away, where

Hurricane Beryl's cascade of crises in Texas a sign of storms to come

Beryl ripped through Texas last week and dropped up to 15 inches of rain in some areas, causing flooding. Storm winds knocked out power to over 1.3 million households and businesses

Power outages could linger for days after storms batter Texas again

Power outages scattered across storm-weary Texas on Wednesday could linger into the weekend after storms flooded streets in Houston for the second time this month and ripped off roofs in Dallas, leaving a teenager dead and injuring others. The teen was killed on Tuesday at a construction site while working on a home that collapsed, and three people at a campground were shocked by a downed power line. The severe weather left more than 1 million homes and businesses without electricity at one point. Electric utility Oncor said power in the Dallas area should be restored by Friday for most customers, but some outages will continue into the weekend. More than 1 million homes and businesses were without electricity across Texas at one point, but by Wednesday afternoon, the lights had come back on for about 70 per cent of those customers. Houston was flooded and damaged just weeks after a storm walloped the area, killing eight people. The 16-year-old worker was killed northeast of the c

22 dead in Memorial Day weekend storms that devastate several US states

A series of powerful storms swept over the central and southern US over the Memorial Day holiday weekend, killing at least 22 people and leaving a wide trail of destroyed homes, businesses and power outages. The destructive storms caused deaths in Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas and Kentucky and were just north of an oppressive, early season heat wave setting records from south Texas to Florida. Forecasters said the severe weather could shift to the East Coast later Monday and warned millions of people outdoors for the holiday to watch the skies. A tornado watch was issued from North Carolina to Maryland. Kentucky Gov Andy Beshear, who earlier declared a state of emergency, said at a Monday press conference that five people had died in his state. The fifth death was a 54-year-old man who had a heart attack while cutting fallen trees in Caldwell County in western Kentucky, the governor's office said. The death toll of 22 also included seven deaths in Cooke County, Texas, from a Saturday .

16 people killed in floods in Afghanistan's Baghlan, Badakhshan provinces

According to local officials in these provinces, 500 houses have been completely or partially destroyed in the floods

Severe storm forming in Bay of Bengal, likely to make landfall on Sunday

A deep depression over the Bay of Bengal is likely to concentrate into a cyclonic storm by Saturday evening and make landfall on May 26 night along the adjoining coasts of West Bengal and Bangladesh, the Met office said. The cyclone is likely to make landfall with a wind speed of 110-120 km per hour, gusting to 135 kmph, it said. The Met office has warned of extremely heavy rainfall in the coastal districts of West Bengal and north Odisha on May 26-27. Extremely heavy precipitation may hit parts of northeast India on May 27-28. Storm surge of up to 1.5 metre is expected to inundate low-lying areas of coastal West Bengal and Bangladesh at the time of landfall. The weather office warned fishermen not to venture into the sea in north Bay of Bengal till May 27 morning. The Meteorological Department issued a red alert for West Bengal's coastal districts of South and North 24 Parganas on May 26 and 27, where extremely heavy rain is likely in some places. The weather system - a deep ..

More bad weather could hit Iowa, where 3 tornadoes caused severe damage

For block after block through the small city of Greenfield, Iowa, the destructive power a tornado that ripped apart more than 100 homes in just one minute is evident in the muddy, shattered mess left behind. All along the mile-long swath Thursday was the deafening clamour of heavy equipment scooping up the splintered homes, smashed vehicles and shredded trees. But on either side of that path, picturesque houses and lawns seem untouched, and one might be hard-pressed to believe a twister packing peak winds of 175-185 mph (109-115 kph) had ravaged the community of 2,000, killing four people and injuring at least 35. More than 202 homes were destroyed by a series of tornadoes that raked the state on Tuesday, Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds said Thursday at a news conference. Most were in and around Greenfield. The count does not include businesses or other buildings destroyed or damaged, like Greenfield's 25-bed hospital. The havoc spun by the tornado now shows on the faces of people still ...

Tornado devastates Iowa town, killing many as storms rip through Midwest

Multiple people died on Tuesday and at least a dozen were injured when a powerful tornado tore through a small Iowa town, carving a bleak landscape of destroyed homes and businesses, shredded trees, smashed cars, and widely strewn debris. The tornado destroyed much of Greenfield, a town of about 2,000 around 55 miles (88.5 kilometers) southwest of Des Moines, during a day that saw multiple tornadoes, giant hail and heavy rain in several states. We do have confirmed fatalities, Iowa State Patrol Sgt. Alex Dinkla said at a news conference on Tuesday night. He said authorities were still determining the total number but thought they had accounted for all of the town's residents. Dinkla said there were at least a dozen injuries amid widespread devastation in Greenfield, including at the community's small hospital. Patients there had to be transferred to other facilities in nearby cities. Authorities said they would only allow residents to enter Greenfield until Wednesday morning and ..

Friday's thunderstorm caused an 11 GW electricity load crash in North India

According to reports from state load despatch centres in North India, electricity demand fell by half in just 30 to 55 minutes when the storm hit

Rain, thunderstorm in parts of Rajasthan due to western disturbance

Rain and thunderstorms were witnessed in many areas of Rajasthan due to the impact of a western disturbance during the last 24 hours, the local weather office said on Saturday. During this, Gogunda (Udaipur) recorded a maximum rainfall of 75 mm, followed by 34 mm in Ajmer's Bhinay, 18 mm in Buhana of Jhunjhunu and Chhoti Sadri of Pratapgarh and 15 mm in Pugal of Bikaner, it said. Similarly, several other districts including Bikaner, Dausa, Alwar, Tonk, Chittorgarh, Bhilwara, Ganganagar, Hanumangarh and Churu and Sikar also recorded rainfall, the weather departments said as it predicted light to moderate rain with thunderstorms in some parts of Bikaner, Jaipur, Ajmer, Bharatpur, Kota and Jodhpur divisions on Saturday also. Thunderstorm activities are likely to continue till May 14, due to which the maximum temperature may fall in most parts.

Severe storms kill 3 as tornadoes tear through central, southeastern US

Severe storms tore through the central and southeast U.S. late Tuesday and Wednesday, spawning damaging tornadoes, producing massive hail, and killing two people in Tennessee and one person in North Carolina. A storm that rumbled across northeastern Tennessee brought high winds that knocked down powerlines and trees. Claiborne County Sheriff Bob Brooks said a 22-year-old man was in a car struck by one of the trees. Wednesday afternoon, a tornado emergency the weather service's highest alert level was issued for an area south of Nashville including the towns of Spring Hill, Chapel Hill and Eagleville. The National Weather Service had previously reported a likely tornado on the ground in nearby Columbia, about 45 miles (72 kilometers) south of Nashville. People in Columbia were injured and homes were damaged, according to Lynn Thompson, assistant director of Maury County 911. Thompson told The Associated Press that he could not provide any further details: We're getting overloaded .

Six die as heavy rain, thunderstorms lash southern districts of West Bengal

Six people died in thunderstorms in south Bengal on Monday, as heavy rain drenched Kolkata and other districts in the region, parched under the scorching sun for several days, officials said. A Disaster Management Department official said six people, including a married couple, died in different districts of south Bengal, including in Nadia, Purulia and Purba Bardhaman district. Suburban train services on the Sealdah-Canning line of Eastern Railway's Sealdah division were affected for over an hour, as plantain leaves fell on an overhead electric traction wire during a thunderstorm, an official said. Train services were affected from 8 pm to 9.15 pm, he said. A few Kolkata-bound flights from other destinations had to be diverted due to bad weather, Airports Authority of India (AAI) sources said Inclement weather forced three incoming flights to Kolkata two from Delhi and one from Bagdogra to be diverted to other airports, they said. A Kolkata to Ranchi flight had to return to th

Flights cancelled, offices and beaches closed: Heavy rains lash Dubai again

Dubai's MeT department has issued an orange alert for Friday; educational institutions asked to shift to online classes, while companies directed to allow work from home for their employees

Parts of Central US hit by storms, tornadoes strike in Kansas, Iowa

Strong storms caused damage in parts of the middle U.S. Tuesday and spawned tornadoes in Kansas and Iowa, including one that left two people hurt. An EF-1 tornado touched down shortly after 6 a.m. near the northeastern Kansas town of Richland, the National Weather Service said. The twister reached speeds of up to 100 mph (161 kph) and was on the ground for about 20 minutes, the service said. Two people were injured when their RV flipped over during the tornado. Details about the injuries were not immediately available. Buildings and trees also were damaged in the neighbouring town of Overbrook. In central Iowa, a barn was demolished and other buildings were damaged after a tornado touched down in a rural area of Dallas County. The weather service also reported ping pong ball-sized hail in Bloomfield, just north of the Missouri line. There were no immediate reports of injuries. The weather service said the central U.S. was under threat of severe weather through Tuesday. Thunderstorm

Troubling weather roars through US states, spawning potential tornadoes

Thousands of homes and businesses were without power Tuesday as severe weather roared through several states, causing at least one death and spawning possible tornadoes. In West Virginia, about 140,000 customers were without electricity Tuesday afternoon, or about 14% of all customers tracked in the state by poweroutage.us. Meanwhile, a spring snowstorm was expected to drop more than a foot of snow in Wisconsin. One of the hardest-hit areas was northeastern Oklahoma, where a strong weather system containing heavy rains produced three suspected tornadoes. The storms were also blamed for the death of a 46-year-old homeless woman in Tulsa who died inside a drainage pipe, police said. Tulsa Fire Department spokesperson Andy Little said the woman's boyfriend told authorities the two had gone to sleep at the entrance of the drainage pipe and were awakened by the flood waters. National Weather Service meteorologist Robert Darby said up to 1.5 inches (3.81 centimeters) of rain fell in Tulsa

Several people hurt in Texas crash as severe storms hit central US

Multiple people were hurt Monday in a pileup involving as many as 30 vehicles at an intersection south of Midland, Texas, as high winds blew dust that was making visibility difficult, the Texas Department of Public Safety said. Texas Highway Patrol Troopers and Upton County Emergency personnel responded to the crash along State Highway 349 around 4:50 p.m. The National Weather Service had issued warnings about blowing dust and damaging winds for Monday afternoon in the area. Motorists were urged to use caution when traveling in West Texas. Northeast of Midland in Texas, Oklahoma, Missouri and Illinois, severe storms with possible tornadoes, hail and flooding rain were moving through on Monday evening. Tornado warnings were issued in multiple locations in Texas, Oklahoma and Missouri. It wasn't immediately known if any damage had occurred or if anyone was hurt. The National Weather Service was busy issuing severe thunderstorm warnings throughout those states and Indiana. Northwest

Natural calamities pushed disaster damages above $100 billion in 2023

In the US, homeowners are already struggling under rising insurance premiums

Winter storm to bring snow, winds, ice and life-threatening chill to US

Brutally cold weather could prove a deadly challenge Saturday amid a continuing wave of Arctic storms that has hammered much of the country with blinding snow, freezing rain and whipping winds. Governors from New York to Louisiana declared states of emergency ahead of predicted snow and bone-chilling temperatures. In St. Louis, the National Weather Service bureau warned of rare and life-threatening cold. The fierce weather blitzed campaign schedules in Iowa, the leadoff GOP caucus state. With a blizzard warning covering most of the state, Nikki Haley, Ron DeSantis and former President Donald Trump all shuffled their schedules ahead of Monday's presidential vote. Near-record cold in Kansas City will make for a frigid NFL playoff game Saturday night, when the Chiefs host Miami. Fans will be allowed to bring in blankets and first-aid stations were set up at Arrowhead Stadium. On Sunday, fans in Buffalo will contend with up to a foot (30 centimeters) of snow and fierce winds as the Bill

Sprawling storms hit US with tornado, cities buried under feet of snow

A sprawling storm hit the U.S. South, with tornado warnings and high winds that blew roofs off homes, flipped over campers and tossed about furniture in Florida on Tuesday, while another storm buried cities across the Midwest in more than a half a foot of snow, stranding people on highways as it headed to the Northeast. The weather has already affected campaigning for Iowa's Jan. 15 precinct caucuses, where the snow is expected to be followed by frigid temperatures that could drift below zero degrees (minus 18 Celsius). It forced former President Donald Trump's campaign to cancel multiple appearances by Arkansas Gov. Sarah Sanders and her father, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, who had been scheduled to court Iowa voters on Trump's behalf Monday. White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said at Tuesday's briefing that winter storms continue to be a threat across the country. We are closely monitoring the weather, and we encourage all Americans to do the same, she said. TH