Archive | July 5, 2015
Severe hailstorm causes mayhem near Bishop Auckland, UK
‘never seen anything like it’
A MAN whose car was written off after an extreme hailstorm left it covered in hundreds of dents said he has ‘never seen anything like it’.
OIiver Gray, of Hunwick near Bishop Auckland, was on his way to bed on Wednesday evening when he heard the thunder and lightning.
“My wife and I looked out the window to watch the storm, it was thundering really loud and lightning, then it started to rain and that suddenly turned to hailstones,” he said.
“I’ve never seen anything like it, only on the TV, and it lasted a good 15 minutes. It was fascinating to watch, I didn’t think for a second that it would have done any damage.”
Once the hail had stopped, Mr Gray went out to check his vehicles as several neighbours came out of their houses to do the same.
He added: “Both of the cars were just absolutely covered in dents, hundreds of them.
“They looked like they’d been sat in a driving range and had loads of golf hit off them.”
The family owns a red Vauxhall Vectra, that Mr Gray uses for work and a white Vauxhall Antara that they have had for around a year.
Insurers have since visited Mr Gray to assess the vehicles and the Vectra has been written off while every panel on the Antara needs to be replaced.
“The insurer said he’s never seen anything like it, it’s going to cost around £4,000 to replace all the panels on the Antara and the Vectra is a write off. I just can’t believe it, we’ve only had the Antara for a year or so,” Mr Gray said.
The father-of-one, who works as a plumber, is not the only person in Hunwick whose vehicles were damaged by the severe hail.
He added: “Our next door neighbour has cracks in her windscreen, another neighbour has just got a brand new Mercedes that’s covered in dents, and there’s a van across the road that’s covered too. Everyone is really shocked.
“We’ve lived here for 12 years and have never seen weather like that here. I think it was just a freak storm, hopefully it doesn’t happen again.”
Courtesy of thenorthernecho.co.uk
Very rare snowfall during summer in Vorkuta, North Russia
On Sunday, July 5, the snow fell in the city. Vorkuta is located in the north of Komi Republic in the permafrost zone. It is the third largest city in the Arctic Circle. And here’s a video from the scene – summer snow in Vorkuta.
July 6, in the middle of summer, heating season will be resumed in Vorkuta because of a sharp drop in temperature. Next week, weather forecasters predict rain and snow and the air temperature around plus 5 degrees Celsius.
Courtesy of russiatrek.org
Plane crashes into a crowded beach, hits boy in California, USA
A small plane took a terrifying tumble onto a packed California beach, clipping a young boy, authorities said.
Beachgoers celebrating Independence Day scrambled for their lives on Saturday afternoon as the single-engine aircraft dropped from the sky, a cell phone video showed.
The plane hit the sand and flipped over, colliding with a 12-year-old as it rolled, according to local reports.
Witnesses claimed the plane was carrying an advertising banner, but ditched it when the plane began to struggle.
“I knew something was wrong,” Albert Perez told KUSI-TV. “I told my kids to run, pushed my wife down in the sand. It flew 10 feet over our heads. It hit the sand, flipped over, hit a kid in the head with the wing and three other people dove down. It skidded into the water. The pilot got out of the water, and the father came and picked the kid up who was bleeding from the left side of his head.”
The 23-year-old pilot was able to walk away from the crash, but the 12-year-old boy was taken to a hospital with a gash on his head, the station reported.
Carlsbad police and firefighters responded along with a hazardous materials team to check for any dangerous fluids.
Carlsbad city officials declined to provide any more information.
Courtesy of nydailynews.com
Lightning kills 2 and injures 2 others on the mountains at Brecon Beacons in Wales
Two people have died after being struck by lightning while they were on mountains in the Brecon Beacons.
A total of four people were injured in two separate strikes, including on Pen Y Fan in Powys, Mid Wales.
Two of them, including a man in his 50s, were taken by helicopter to the Prince Charles Hospital in Merthyr Tydfil in a critical condition.
It was later reported that they had died.
At least one other person was also taken to hospital, although doctors said their condition was not life-threatening.
A statement on the hospital’s Facebook page read: “As a result of two separate lightning strikes today in the Brecon Beacons, we can confirm that two people have died, another has been transferred to Morriston Hospital because of burns and one other person continues to receive treatment at Prince Charles Hospital.”
Courtesy of Sky News
Spectacular lightning strikes Disneyland in Florida, USA
Onlookers caught the moment a lightning storm struck the castle at Disney World’s Magic Kingdom
Visitors waiting for a fireworks show at Disney World’s Magic Kingdom Park experienced a different kind of light show.
An incoming thunderstorm delayed Friday night fireworks at the Disney theme park in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. The storm also brought lightning strikes directly above Cinderella’s Castle, leading to striking pictures taken by visitors.
Kelsey Carragher, a visitor to the park who took one of the photos, said guests didn’t seem to be frightened by the close bolts of lightning.
“The crowd seemed to be enjoying the lighting as much as they would have the fireworks,” Carragher said.
Shortly after the storm, Disney World was able to continue with the special Fourth of July fireworks show, which was on Friday and Saturday.
Photo By: kelseyann635
Photo By: andreapiel
Photo By: melaroo
Courtesy of edition.cnn.com
Severe heatwave causes wildfires in Spain and Portugal
More than 1,350 residents have been evacuated in Spain as a wildfire spread through a pine forest amid a lingering heat wave.
Five villages in the Aragon region were evacuated as flames devoured hills that are 230 miles northeast of Madrid, said Javier Lamban, the president of Aragon. The evacuees, who included residents of a retirement home, were transferred to nearby towns.
About 500 firefighters and almost 100 pieces of equipment, including aircraft, were fighting the flames today, which were being fanned by windy conditions.
The fire, which broke out yesterday afternoon, has already burned close to 8,000 hectares (19,770 acres) of forest in a remote area, according to Ministry of Agriculture and Environment spokesman Modesto Lobon.
Also, the fire department in the north-eastern region of Catalonia said it was combating a wildfire that had broken out in Cardedeu, 25 miles north of Barcelona, and had destroyed two houses and several cars, although no one was injured.
Weather stations across Spain had warned people to take extra precautions as a heatwave that was due to engulf much of the country for an extended period of time increased the risk of wildfires.
Spain’s meteorological agency predicts that hot weather across the Iberian Peninsula, with temperatures reaching 40C (104F), will last another week.
In Portugal, the National Civil Protection Authority said almost 100 firefighters were tackling a wildfire that broke out yesterday in the forests of Alcobertas, north of Lisbon.
Courtesy of home.bt.com
Severe heatwave kills many swimmers in Germany
As Germany sweltered in temperatures near 40 degrees, at least 12 people were reported drowned on Sunday in swimming accidents across the country, with several others still missing.
There were children and young people among the dead: in Bavaria a 4-year-old drowned in a quarry pond, while a 6-year-old was carried away by the current after swimming in the Rhine in Cologne.
In the western town of Siegen, a boy drowned in a natural outdoor pool; there were also reports of drownings in the states of Baden-Wuerttemberg, Hesse, Hamburg and Brandenburg.
The German Life-savers’ Society (DLRG) said 392 people drowned in Germany last year, mostly in rivers and lakes, so they recommend that people only swim where there are lifeguards.
The weekend was the hottest of the year, but still short of the 40.2-degree record last reached in 2003.
The Rhineland town of Bad Duerkheim registered the country’s highest temperature of the heatwave with 39.2 degrees, the German Meteorological Office reported.
Storms had resulted in two injuries on Sunday, while trees crashed onto roads and downpours led to flooded cellars.
Caravans heading to the coast caused traffic delays on the roads, as did heat damage to the motorways and rail-tracks.
Police received several calls about parents and dog-owners leaving their children and pets in parked cars to go shopping. “It is unfathomable,” one police officer in Thuringia said. Offenders were called back to their cars by megaphone.
A cold front was expected to lower temperatures in Germany on Monday before the mercury climbs back up over 30 on Tuesday. The Met Office has warned of heavy storms in the west of the country and even isolated tornadoes.
Courtesy of dailysabah.com
Boat explosion injures at least 13 in Calvert County, USA
Thirteen people were injured in an explosion on a boat in the Spring Cove Marina in Solomons.
The Maryland State Fire Marshal and the Natural Resources Police responded to the marina at roughly 6 p.m. on Saturday for a report of an explosion on a boat. When the officers arrived they discovered 13 people, including a 12-year-old and three teenagers, suffering from burns and other injuries. All were taken to various area hospitals for treatment, and are expected to fully recover from their injuries.
Police say the flash fire was likely caused by a spark from electrical connections at the bilge pump while gasoline vapors were still present in the engine compartment. Police say the fire caused roughly $2,500 in damages to the boat.
Courtesy of myfoxdc.com
Fire engulfs chemical plant in Waller County, Texas, USA
A fire at a chemical plant Saturday night lit up the sky northwest of Houston and led to a shelter-in-place order for nearby residents.
Twelve fire departments responded to the fire at the Flowchem facility located on FM 529 in Brookshire, which was eventually contained. No injuries were reported and no workers were on site when the blaze started, said Waller County Judge Trey Duhon, who was at the scene.
“We issued a code red and advised people within a few miles of this facility, from FM 362 to the Waller County line … to a shelter in place until Hazmat had a better idea of what we were dealing with,” Duhon said.
Flowchem produces chemicals that help streamline the flow of oil and other liquids through pipelines. The site stored flammable alcohol-based chemicals and soy bean oil, but the fire did not reach them and no air quality issues were reported, Duhon said.
The fire was first reported around 9:15 p.m. Saturday. The shelter in place order stood until 2 a.m.
Officials have not determined what set the blaze, Duhon said, and the Harris County Fire Marshall is investigating.
Flowchem was founded in 2001 and lists its headquarters as Houston. The company could not be reached for comment Sunday morning.
Courtesy of chron.com
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