Weird Weather...............

Rain apocalypse slams Mexico: Rare twin storms leave 34 dead

September 17, 2013 – MEXICO – Authorities scrambled to rescue people stranded in flooded homes in Mexico’s resort of Acapulco Monday after twin storms slammed opposite coasts in a rare one-two punch that has killed 34 people. Hurricane Ingrid weakened to tropical storm strength as it made landfall on the northeastern coast in the morning while the Pacific coast reeled from the remnants of Tropical Storm Manuel, which dissipated after striking on Sunday. Thousands of people were evacuated as the two storms set off landslides and floods that damaged bridges, roads and homes. The last time the country was hit by two tropical storms in the span of 24 hours was in 1958, officials said. Never before has it been struck by a hurricane and another storm at the same time. “More than two-thirds of the national territory has been affected,” Interior Minister Miguel Angel Osorio Chong told a news conference. At least 12 people died when a landslide hit a bus and workers removing earth that had previously fallen on a road in the eastern state of Veracruz, a civil protection official said after federal officials reported 22 deaths elsewhere. At least 15 people have died in the southwestern state of Guerrero where Acapulco is situated, said national civil protection Chief Luis Felipe Puente. Six more people died in the central states of Hidalgo and Puebla and one in the southern state of Oaxaca. Guerrero state officials reported six deaths in a road accident, but Puente did not include them in his account. Around 50 towns were affected in Guerrero, with some 238,000 people seeing various levels of damage to their homes, Puente said, adding that dozens of shelters had opened for some 20,000 people. The highway linking Acapulco to Mexico City was closed due to landslides while the resort’s airport was shut down, with some 100 people stranded on the terminal’s second floor. Authorities hoped to reopen both later Monday.

With waters rising as high as three feet (one meter) in some neighborhoods, soldiers used boats to pluck around 100 people who took refuge on upper floors or the roofs of homes. The flooding brought out crocodiles, complicating the rescue work, officials said, while Manuel’s remnants were still producing rain. Those rescued were taken to an auditorium that was converted into a shelter. At least 11 deaths were reported in Acapulco, including a family of six whose home was crushed by a landslide.
...............................................................................

Heavy torrential rains kill 2 in southern Ukraine

September 17, 2013 – UKRAINE – Two people were killed after heavy rains hit southern Ukraine’s Odessa region over the weekend, a local official said Monday, APA reports quoting Xinhua. The ensuing floods drowned some 4,000 farm animals and poultry, and destroyed or severely damaged more than 450 houses, causing an estimated loss of 21 million U.S. dollars, an official of the press service of Odessa regional administration told Xinhua. Around 600 residents have been evacuated in central Odessa, the worst-hit region. -APA

...........................................................................................................

Scotland experiences four seasons in a day: lashed by 100 mph wind gusts

September 16, 2013 – SCOTLAND - Scotland experienced all four seasons in one day yesterday, as the first storm of autumn swept across the country, bringing chaos to the country’s roads. Torrential rain, accompanied by gale-force winds, gave way to sunny periods, before the wet weather returned. The Cairngorms were hit by gusts of 100 mph, with snow anticipated last night, and the Forth Road Bridge was closed to high-sided vehicles after wind speeds of 69 mph were recorded. However, not everyone was bemoaning the gales. The weather was perfect for Scottish Windfest, at Barassie Beach in Troon, where windsurfers and kitesurfers were competing. Last night, the Met Office issued a blanket “yellow” warning, forecasting blustery winds continuing into today. They said high-altitude jetstream winds from the Atlantic pushing 200 mph – almost twice the usual – triggered the storm. It brought torrential rain yesterday morning, which flooded Nitshill Road and Thornliebank Road, in the south of Glasgow, with motorists in Dumfries suffering the worst driving conditions in the country with heavy spray on main roads.

The weather also caused severe disruption to Caledonian MacBrayne’s ferry timetable on the west coast, where dozens of sailings were either delayed or cancelled. Worst affected were the routes between Oban, Coll and Tiree, the new link between Ardrossan and Campbeltown, and the Tarbert to Portavadie crossing. A spokesman for Cal Mac said: “Ferry services across the network have been badly affected by high winds. “The bad weather is expected to continue into Monday and ferry travellers are advised to check our website (www.calmac.co.uk) for the latest information. Traffic Scotland warned motorists of high winds on the Skye, Friarton, Tay and Erskine bridges. And there was rail disruption on west coast northbound routes, after a tree fell on to overhead lines between Lockerbie and Carstairs. The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa) issued flood warnings in Ayrshire and Arran, Dumfries and Galloway and west central Scotland. The CairnGorm funicular railway was closed all morning yesterday as 100mph winds blasted the area, but it was opened by midday. Paul Nixon, CairnGorm’s customer manager, said: “We’ve just been keeping a close eye on the weather today, making sure that visitors can come back down. “We’re expecting some snow tonight, but it’s unlikely to lie and will be restricted to the very top of the mountain. “This sort of weather usually does mark the start of winter for us really. In the past there has been skiing in October, and people are anticipating a very good season.” Tom Morgan, of the Met Office, said: “Scotland is only half-way there with the severe wind problems. –The Scotsman

ALL NEWS FROM:  http://theextinctionprotocol.wordpress.com/