Tag Archives: Extreme Weather

More Texas Flooding; Death Toll Climbs

The Brazos River in Texas is continuing to swell, driving more families out of their homes with local officials saying that it might not crest until Friday at the earliest.

Parker County Judge Mark Riley ordered a community of RVs and trailers along the river to be evacuated after predictions the river could rise another nine feet before cresting.  Other low-lying neighborhoods in the areas around the river were also placed under mandatory evacuation.

The National Weather Service reports thunderstorms, hail and tornadoes are possible throughout the flooded regions on Thursday.  Meteorologist Steve Goss said the storms will be “intense and slow moving.”

The town of Wharton, around 8,000 residents, is being evacuated along the Colorado River due to fears of a massive rise over the banks.  Flood stage is 39 feet, with the river already at 36 feet.  Predictions of a 46 foot crest on Friday night would not only flood the homes along the river but also wash away a school.

Houston continues to be hammered by flooding.  Another victim of the flood, a 73-year-old woman, was identified Wednesday.  The San Jacinto River was three feet over flood stage and officials say that some subdivisions could be cut off for up to a week because of flood waters.

The death toll in the U.S. is now at 21 people.

The storms on Wednesday left three workers at a gas drilling rig in the Texas Panhandle wounded when a tornado destroyed the rig.

Heat Wave Kills Over 1,100 In India

A heat wave in India has left over 1,100 dead in the last month according to local officials.

Over 850 of the dead are in Andhra Pradesh state during the last two weeks.  The temperatures in both states have topped 113 degrees fahrenheit and the forecasts continue to have temperatures hovering in that range.

Government officials are running announcements on radio and television asking people to drink water and to avoid going outdoors during the hottest parts of the day.

AccuWeather says the heat wave is the most intense in years.  High peaks were as much as 10 degrees higher than the average.  High, hot, dry winds are causing dust storms that are causing problems on top of the high temperatures.

The heat has been so intense that it has melted roadways in New Delhi.

The country’s power grid has been challenged by the heat wave as people attempt to use fans and air conditioners.  Poorly maintained transmission lines contribute to overloaded grids with he massive use.

The country could see relief in a few weeks when monsoon rains are expected to begin.

Storm Death Toll Reaches 19; Dam Break Less Likely

Rains continue to fall across Texas, increasing the massive flood from major weekend storms that have left 19 people confirmed dead.

Meanwhile, engineers believe a dam on the verge of collapse because of the rising waters will be able to hold after pumping out lake water to ease pressure.  A re-evaluation found the dam more stable than believed.

“The previous reports of an imminent breech have now been… we’re standing down basically,” said Captain John Spann with the Midlothian Police Department.

A dam collapse would flood Highway 287 and likely destroy 25 homes according to local officials.

Two more bodies were found in Houston on Wednesday which raised the official death toll to 19.

The flooding in Houston continues to cause major problems.  A waste treatment plant in the city was overrun by flood waters, sending 100,000 gallons of wastewater into the flood water.  Over 700 homes have sustained some kind of damage from the rushing water.

Firefighters have reported over 500 water rescues and over 2,500 stranded vehicles.

Meanwhile, eight people in a family whose vacation home was swept away by the flood waters remain missing.  Local residents say the authorities were neglectful in their alerting residents to the problem of the Blanco river.

“Nobody was saying, ‘Get out; get out; get out,'” said Brenda Morton of Wimberley, who lives three houses down from the home that was swept away. “We’re pretty trained, so we were calculating. We knew the flood plain. People who were visiting or had summer homes, you have company from out of town, you don’t know. You don’t know when that instant is.”

Hays County Emergency Management says phone calls went out to residents and that in some areas law enforcement officers made direct notifications.

Two Killed In Midwest Tornado Outbreak

Tornadoes ripped through the Midwest Thursday leaving two women dead in the small Illinois town of Fairdale.

Geradine Schultz, 67, and Jacqueline Klosa, 69, were confirmed as fatalities by Governor Bruce Rauner.

Rockford Fire Department division chief Matthew Knott told NBC Chicago the town was “absolutely devastated” by the tornado.  Knott said of the 75 homes in the town, 17 were completely destroyed and no home was spared significant damage.

At least seventeen tornadoes were confirmed in the outbreak and weather officials are investigating others.  One tornado left a 22-mile path through Ogle County according to disaster management coordinator Tom Richter.

That twister destroyed the home of Ogle County Sheriff Brian VanVickle.  Fortunately, the sheriff’s family was out of town at the time of the storm.

One of the places heavily damaged by the storm was a small family-owned farm and zoo in Belvidere.  The Sommerfield Zoo lost two emus and a fawn.    Sheds, barns and other structures were destroyed including a $20,000 set of fencing.

“It’s amazing that’s all we lost. We’re very fortunate,” owner Tammy Anderson told the Chicago Tribune. “We’re just overwhelmed. I’m not sure where to start.”

Jerusalem Prepares For Massive Blizzard

Schools have been shut down for at least three days across Jerusalem and many government offices are closing ahead of a massive blizzard that is expected to blanket the city in snow and ice.

The Israel Defense Forces are also moving to a heightened state of alert because of the storm, sending tanks into parts of northern Israel that could face being cut off because of high snowfall on roadways.

At least 1,000 soldiers have been deployed to northern Israel and Jerusalem to assist residents during the storm.  The troops will make sure that all area hospitals will remain operational if doctors and nurses cannot make it into their offices because of the storm.

The front wave of the storm brought 45 mile per hour winds to Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, downing trees across the region.

Last year a similar storm left wide areas with electricity, water or road access for days.  The government will be shutting down major roadways ahead of the storm to avoid having vehicles trapped on the highway as they were in December 2013.

Residents have been spending the week stocking up on basic food supplies.

Tropical Storm Leaves 31 Dead In Philippines

Tropical Storm Jangmi slammed into the Philippines leaving at least 31 people dead and seven people missing.

Jangmi made landfall with winds of 40 miles per hour and gusts of 50 miles per hour.  Heavy rain fell on the southern part of the nation where the flooding took out bridges and highways.

Officials say most of the deaths took place on Tuesday when the rain created landslides and flash flooding.

Officials in Catbalogan City said that a dozen people were killed when a landslide buried two vans and six houses in the eastern part of the city.  They said that voices are being heard in the vans and that rescue efforts are progressing.

A regional civil defense official told Fox News that 10 members of a family died when their creekside house was washed into the river by flash flooding.

Strong Storm Slams California

A massive storm rolled into northern California on Thursday, knocking out power, flooding highways and toppling trees.

Strong winds contributed to the death of a 40-year-old homeless man who had been sleeping on a trail when a tree fell on him.  An elementary school student survived in what local officials called a miracle after an 80-foot tree fell on him.  He is listed in good condition at a hospital.

“It’s a big storm, as we expected, and it’s headed south with very powerful winds and heavy rainfall,” National Weather Service meteorologist Will Pi told Fox News.

Parts of Southern California that are prone to mudslides have been evacuating ahead of the storm.  At least one apartment complex was entirely evacuated because of previous slides in the area.  Lumberjacks in the San Bernardino National Forest were putting concrete weights on lumber stacks to keep them from collapsing from the high winds.

Many stores have been blocking their doors with sandbags in anticipation of flooding.

California officials are concerned about the San Bernardino Mountains because of the wildfires in the last few years that has devastated the vegetation and made the land primed for major mudslides.

The storm is also expected to dump feet of snow in the mountains and ski resort operators say they expect to have over three feet of new snow by the weekend.

Baby Of Stranded Couple Delivered During Buffalo Snowstorm

The parents of a baby girl in Buffalo are praising God for sending who they called “two angels” after the massive snowstorms stranded them before they could reach a hospital.

Bethany and Jared Hojnacki tried to rush to a hospital when Bethany went into labor early Tuesday morning.  She and her husband ended up stranded on the highway when the snow became too heavy.

The couple ended up being stranded near a woman who was a labor and delivery nurse.  Jared told CNN the nurse stayed with his wife throughout her labor and delivered the baby girl at a nearby firehouse.

Stranded at the firehouse was a maternity nurse who was able to take care of the new baby.

“It was kind of incredible,” Hojnacki said on Wednesday. “God really put the people who needed to be in the right spot for us at the right time.”

The baby was named Lucy Grace Johnacki.

Seven Dead From Great Lakes Storm

At least seven people are confirmed dead from the massive snowstorm that slammed several Great Lakes states.

The storm has dumped massive amounts of snow on New York including six feet of snow on the Buffalo area.  A state of emergency exists for 10 counties in New York.

“This storm is an extraordinarily difficult situation, with snowfall that may break records. We are prepared, but we need residents to stay off the roads so that first responders can do their work and keep people safe,” New York Governor Andrew M. Cuomo said.

“Although the sun may be shining, we are using this opening to clear roads before the snow begins falling again. This is an opportunity to be a good neighbor and check on your fellow New Yorkers to see if they need assistance, but I urge everyone to stay off the road.”

One of the deaths was a 46-year-old man found inside a buried car. A Pennsylvania man was killed when a high lift attempting to free the man’s car ended up pinning him to the car.

Forecasters say that another two to three feet of snow could hit the Buffalo area.

All 50 States Have Freezing Temperatures

All 50 states had areas below freezing on Tuesday as a polar vortex covered most of the United States.

The National Weather Service said that every state including Hawaii had some point below zero in the last 24 hours.  The National Weather Service said that this kind of cold is not normally seen until late December through February.

The National Weather Service near Buffalo said that 60 inches of snow had fallen in their region and that in Erie County experienced four weather related deaths.

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo issued a state of emergency for 10 counties who were the hardest hit by the unusual storm.  The storm was severe enough that 140 miles of the New York State Thruway along Lake Erie and Lake Ontario were closed.

Forecasters say the early season cold blast will continue through the end of the week.