Latest news with #storm
ABC News
18 hours ago
- Climate
- ABC News
Weather bomb threatening Australia's east coast next week to bring damaging rain, winds and surf
Forget the headlines and hyperbole of the fictitious "rain bomb", the real weather bomb — a rapidly intensifying low-pressure system — is possible along Australia's east coast next week. The winter storm may even become the first East Coast Low (ECL) in three years, and has the potential to generate a combination of heavy rain, gale force winds and damaging surf. And while New South Wales is currently the likely focus of severe weather, impacts from the system will be felt down the coast to eastern Victoria and as far north as tropical Queensland. When a low-pressure system transforms from non-existence to a formidable storm just a day later, meteorologists label it a "bomb cyclone", or a system which has experienced "bombogenesis". The expression "bomb" is due to the explosive speed of development, however its usage is restricted only to systems where the reduction in pressure exceeds a specific rate based on latitude. For the Tasman Sea, the drop in central pressure required in a 24-hour period ranges from 18hectopascals (hPa) near Tasmania to 14hPa near the Queensland-NSW border. Next week's low is predicted by modelling to deepen between 22hPa and 24hPa in a day — easily passing the weather bomb criteria. Considering the above definition is based solely on pressure, the nonsensical term "rain bomb" becomes an irrational fallacy, lacking any scientific validity. The first signs of the upcoming storm will arrive this weekend at opposite ends of the country. Patchy rain will form over north Queensland from a band of tropical moisture, while in the south, light showers will spread through Tasmania, Victoria and South Australia under a tongue of polar air. The two contrasting systems will then collide on Monday near the east coast, leading to the initial drop in pressure and increasing showers from central Queensland to Sydney. As the low becomes fully developed on Tuesday along this volatile air mass boundary, the weather will rapidly deteriorate near its centre. Another influence which could enhance the system is the current warmer than normal water temperatures in both the Coral and Tasman seas — not only a source for moisture and rain, but also a factor which will amplify the warm/cold contrast. While it looks inevitable this low will become formidable, the impacts felt along the NSW coast are highly dependent on its exact position. An intense low tracking near the coast is likely to produce a combination of heavy rain, damaging winds and powerful surf, with the worst weather near and to the south of the centre where winds are onshore (remembering winds spin clockwise around a low). Under this coastal scenario, hundreds of millimetres would trigger both flash and river flooding, although it's too early to pinpoint which catchments are at the greatest risk. Below is a five-day rain forecast map showing how much could fall if the low tracks down the NSW north coast, which shows a bullseye of around 200 millimetres, or around double the July average rainfall in 48 hours. Gales also pose a significant threat, with gusts near 100 kilometres per hour downing trees and leading to power outages along the coast and ranges. A low 200km to 400km offshore would lead to less widespread severe weather, while a position around 500km off the coast may only bring strong winds and showers but with minimal if any adverse impacts from wind or rain. What's more certain, irrespective of the low's position, is huge waves will pound the coast. Current modelling shows average heights reaching around 5 to 6 metres, including Sydney, which equates to maximum waves around 10 metres and a threat of significant coastal erosion. The upcoming Tasman Low, along with being a "bomb cyclone", has the potential to become the first ECL since 2022. The criteria used to distinguish ELCs from other Tasman lows is： With the exception of rare southern tracking Tropical Cyclones, ECLs are the most significant weather systems to impact south-east Queensland and eastern parts of NSW, Victoria and Tasmania. Surprisingly though, despite numerous flood events along the east coast during the past 18 months, none have been associated with a true ECL. Deep Tasman lows in close proximity to the coastline are notoriously difficult to forecast with precision, even only a day or two ahead. The systems stand out for their rapid development, intensity and modelling inaccuracy, especially compared to other less dynamic mid latitude weather features like high pressure systems and cold fronts. In addition, the exact location and intensity of an ECL is more critical than a typical high or low since dangerous weather is normally confined to relatively small area south of the centre. The consequence of this concentration of hazards is a minor forecast error that could be the difference between a region having no severe weather or hundreds of millimetres of rain and gale force winds. This sharp gradient of intensity was apparent during the August 1986 ECL — Sydney was hammered by an all-time record 328mm of rain in 24 hours, while just 50km north, parts of Gosford received less than 50mm.
CTV News
20 hours ago
- Climate
- CTV News
A tornado that swept through a rural town in North Dakota left at least 3 people dead
Seattle Mariners pitcher Trent Thornton (46) is helped off the field after suffering from heat exhaustion during the eighth inning of a baseball game against the Chicago Cubs, Saturday, June 21, 2025, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Erin Hooley) ENDERLIN, N.D. (AP) — Powerful winds — including a tornado — that swept across parts of the upper Midwest left three people dead and a regional airport heavily damaged, while nearly 150 million Americans were under a heat advisory or warning as the weekend warmed up in much of the U.S. A complex storm system wreaked havoc in parts of North Dakota, northern Minnesota and northern Wisconsin, with tornadoes, large hail and strong wind gusts, according to Brian Hurley, meteorologist with the National Weather Service's Weather Prediction Center. Cass County Sheriff Jesse Jahner said at a news conference Saturday that two men and a woman were killed late Friday at two locations around the town of Enderlin, about 40 miles (60 kilometers) southwest of Fargo. Thousands of households lost power. Hours earlier the National Weather Service in Grand Forks said on the social platform X that two deaths were attributed to a tornado that hit a home. Tornado confirmed Timothy Lynch, lead forecaster with the NWS office in Grand Forks, said the storm was confirmed as a tornado but crews were still working to determine its strength and highest wind speeds. He said the storm impacted the neighboring counties of Cass and Ransom. 'We still have people out investigating and gathering information on what happened. It was a pretty major event,' Lynch told The Associated Press. Gov. Kelly Armstrong said in a statement that the NWS confirmed a second tornado touched down near Spiritwood, which is about 80 miles (130 kilometers) west of Fargo. Armstrong issued a statewide disaster declaration to respond to the damage. Heavy winds also swept across localized areas of Minnesota, and the NWS reported wind gusts of up to 106 mph (171 kph) at Bemidji Regional Airport overnight. 'I cannot ever recall hearing a rushing wind like that!' Bemidji Mayor Jorge Prince posted on Facebook in the early hours Saturday. 'Emerged from our basement to find our neighborhood with lots of trees down and several homes with severe damage.' Prince also said officials were responding to many knocked down power lines and several gas line leaks. Localized torrential rain flooded the city's downtown and stalled vehicles, Beltrami County Emergency Management Director Christopher Muller said. Many Bemidji-area businesses posted on social media to say they were without power and closed for the day. Muller warned people to prepare for 'long-term power outages' because of damage to infrastructure. Hurley said that same storm moved on in a weakened state to parts of Michigan. It was expected to cross over lower Ontario, Canada, and back into the United States to hit upstate New York on Saturday night into Sunday. 'Still wind and hail threat,' Hurley said of the enhanced risk to upstate New York. 'It doesn't look like it's going to be as robust perhaps as we saw last night.' Millions face extreme heat Almost 59 million Americans were under an extreme heat warning Saturday, Hurley said, as the high temperatures combined with humidity pushed an above-average heat index for the Northern Plains and the Midwest. Parts of Nebraska, the Dakotas, Minnesota and Iowa were set to face temperatures 'easily 20 degrees above normal,' according to Hurley, with some areas reaching the triple digits. That kind of heat may be expected in July, he said, but it's rare to see in June. 'A lot of these areas have been pretty cool with rain over the last month or so, so it's going to be a little bit of a shock,' Hurley said. Cooling centers were open in cities including Omaha and Minneapolis. An additional 84 million people were under a heat advisory with the extreme weather expected to migrate east toward the Great Lakes, the Mid-Atlantic and the Northeast, where the 'heat risk category is a 4 of 4' into early next week, Hurley said. Two Major League Baseball players, Cincinnati Reds shortstop Elly De La Cruz, playing against the Cardinals in St. Louis, and Seattle Mariners reliever Trent Thornton, facing the Cubs in Chicago, got sick Saturday while playing in the extreme heat. De La Cruz stayed in the game and hit a two-run homer in the seventh, while Thornton pitched 2 1/3 scoreless innings before departing in the eighth. Alaska fires prompt evacuations Warm and dry conditions coupled with frequent thunderstorms and lightning have resulted in more than 100 fires in the state since Wednesday. 'A lot of those fires are in vast wilderness areas of Alaska where fire is allowed to take its natural course,' said Sam Harrel, an information officer with the state's Division of Forestry and Fire Protection. But some fires were threatening populated areas, prompting evacuations in the Interior region. Among them was a go order issued Friday for areas near Fairbanks, according to Harrel. A fire burning about 30 miles (50 kilometers) north of the entrance to Denali National Park and Preserve also prompted an evacuation 'due to escalating fire conditions,' the Denali Borough said via Facebook. 'Numerous structures are now imminently threatened so aircraft including Air Tankers and helicopters are supporting the fire with retardant and water drops,' the borough added. Harrel said the fire was not affecting the status of the park but the smoke could worsen air quality for visitors. The Associated Press
Washington Post
a day ago
- Science
- Washington Post
High-speed camera documents hail in midair
A high-speed camera designed to withstand hail — and calculate its every move — is helping researchers better understand the sometimes devastating phenomenon, the National Severe Storms Laboratory announced this month. Past research has documented hail after it lands. The new camera, however, provides real-time data on hail as it falls, offering a new view of its properties.
CBS News
a day ago
- Climate
- CBS News
After five straight days of 90-degree weather, Pittsburgh begins to see a slight cool down
Today should look similar to what it looked like yesterday, with a lot of dry time but storm chances returning for the afternoon. WEATHER LINKS: Current Conditions | School Closings & Delays | Submit Your Weather Photos I expect storms to develop off of what are known as "outflow boundaries" once again today. These boundaries are ripples in the atmosphere that lift conditionally stable air just enough to kick off storms. Storms develop due to hot and humid air being "buoyant" and lifting. Sometimes this buoyant air is trapped at the surface by a layer of stable air. These outflow boundaries give this air the 'lift' it needs to break through the stable layer, and that's when storms develop. Back to the outflows, they give the storm every lift or punch to get through the stable layer of air and turn into storms. When that happens, storms develop, and if conditions are there, severe storms and downpours can happen. Excessive rain risk for western Pennsylvania KDKA Weather Center Rain chances both this morning and early in the afternoon should keep highs in the 80s today and not the 90s. Morning temperatures remain in the low 70s, and today will be the sixth day in a row with temperatures remaining above 70° in Pittsburgh. I have noon temperatures in the mid-80s. Winds should be light today, coming in out of the south. Looking ahead, we should see some rain on Saturday too. Rain totals expected through early Saturday morning KDKA Weather Center Right now, model data is showing less rain & storms tomorrow than today, but this has been what model data has done over the past couple of days. Data has consistently underplayed instability coming into each day until the last moment, and then on later runs shows correctly the instability driving storms. Saturday is included under a level one out of four risk of flash flooding. That may get bumped up, depending on what is expected along with what falls today. We finally see temperatures dip below 70 degrees in Pittsburgh late Saturday or Sunday morning. Highs on Sunday should hit the upper 80s. Another round of rain and storms will be around on Monday with highs in the mid-80s. While rain chances appear low Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, with highs each day in the mid-80s. 7-day forecast: June 27, 2025 KDKA Weather Center Stay up to date with the KDKA Mobile App – which you can download here!
The Independent
a day ago
- Politics
- The Independent
French prime minister's speech interrupted by parliament leak during Paris flash floods
France's Prime Minister, Francois Bayrou, had his speech to parliament interrupted by a water leak. The leak occurred in the National Assembly's domed ceiling due to torrential storms battering Paris. Violent storms on Wednesday, 25 June, caused widespread flooding in the French capital. The assembly vice president, Roland Lescure, suspended the debate for firefighters to investigate the leak. Watch the video above.
