February 6, 2016 - SCOTLAND - The wind is so strong in Scotland that water is getting blown back up waterfalls, seemingly against the laws of gravity.
Footage shared by a cottage rental firm based in Mull, Scotland shows 90
mile per hour winds stopping a waterfall on the Isle of Mull dead in
its tracks earlier this week.
The extraordinary winds are a product of Storm Henry, the latest
windstorm of the season, which has prompted severe weather warnings and
caused thousands of power outages this week.
WATCH: Waterfall doubles back, Isle of Mull.
While Henry's waterfall-stopping powers were certainly impressive, the
strongest recorded wind of the UK/Ireland windstorm season so far
occurred on Jan. 29, when Storm Gertrude produced a blustery gust that
reached speeds of 105 miles per hour. - Discovery.
UK weather conditions left lampposts swaying violently in gale force winds
February 1, 2015 - ENGLAND -
Britain's Highways Agency said the violent swaying of lamp posts in a
video taken by a motorist driving in high winds was an example of
"vortex-shedding."
Bob Hill posted a video on YouTube showing
lamp posts swaying violently in the wind while he was driving Wednesday
on M62 near Lofthouse, England.
The Highways Agency posted a
comment explaining why the posts were swaying while other tall objects
in the background, including other lamp posts, didn't move at all.
"This video shows 'vortex-shedding' -- when the natural frequency of a
lamp column matches the speed of the wind. It only happens at certain
wind speeds and is a fairly rare event," the comment read.
March 08, 2014 - NEW ZEALAND - The satellite image above shows the powerful storm that brought gale
force winds and 36 hours of heavy rainfall to New Zealand, triggering
what has been described as a 100-year flood in the city of Christchurch.
NASA’s Terra satellite captured this image of a powerful storm swirling
off the coast of New Zealand on March 4. The storm has caused what has
been reported as a 100-year flood in the city of Christchurch. (Source:
NASA)
The city has been beset by flooding before, as well as a devastating magnitude 6.3 earthquake in 2011 that killed 185 people.
Police help rescue a woman trapped in her flooded house. @Lacey_Wilson
Authorities warned residents to consider the floodwaters contaminated. It's unclear how many homes were flooded. One account puts the number at up to 100.
WATCH: New Zealand storm.
The storm is seen swirling off the coast of New Zealand in this 24-hour animation of MTSAT-2 images.
Krystal
Merrick and Dan Evans from the NZRT-12 Emergency Response/Rescue Team
travel up the Heathcote River flooding waters along Riverlaw Terrace in
their new rescue boat, donated from the lotteries ministry travel with a
Red Cross member from RC23 team.
Photo: Joseph Johnson/Fairfax NZ
Residents are being warned of health risks from contaminated
floodwaters now pouring through homes, businesses and streets in
flooding described as a one-in-100 year event. The gale-force blast
that wreaked havoc across Canterbury yesterday has eased, but heavy rain
overnight has caused widespread disruption and despair. Mayor Lianne
Dalziel said the storm had "quickly escalated" from a one-in-50 to be
graded a one-in-100-year event. Worst affected suburbs were St Albans,
Avondale, New Brighton and Woolston. Householders needing emergency
repairs could call 0800 777 846 to go through the Fletchers EQR
emergency repair process. Dalziel is urging employers to stagger finish
times to help the city reduce peak traffic loads. The gale-force
blast that wreaked havoc across Canterbury yesterday has eased, but
heavy rain overnight has caused widespread disruption and despair.
Mayor Lianne Dalziel said the storm had "quickly escalated" from a
one-in-50 to be graded a one-in-100-year event. Worst affected suburbs
were St Albans, Avondale, New Brighton and Woolston. Householders
needing emergency repairs could call 0800 777 846 to go through the
Fletchers EQR emergency repair process. Dalziel is urging employers to
stagger finish times to help the city reduce peak traffic loads.
Information on cancellations and closures can be found here.
RESIDENTS HELPLESS AS HOMES INUNDATED
Homes
in Woolston have been swamped as the Heathcote River breached its banks
before high tide this morning. Residents watched helplessly as water
crept up and eventually invaded their homes. In Sheldon St, Mike Barber
maintained a brave face as he waded through waist deep water carrying
belongings from the property he rented. Inside, the home's carpets were
covered by at least 30cm of water. Valuables were perched above the
water on tables and beds. Barber said he and his flatmate's belongings
were uninsured. "You've just got to get on with it. There's not a lot
you can do." Meanwhile, Warrington St and surrounding areas were
blocked off by floodwaters with many residents evacuated. Residents
said they were frustrated by the lack of support they have received from
authorities following flooding events last year. Water is also nearly
waist-deep in Thornton St where homes have flooded. Council land
drainage operations manager Mike Gillooly said last night that shops on
Edgeware Rd and at the intersection of Hills and Shirley roads had been
sandbagged, but sandbags had not been used at many houses. "There's a
lot of people out there in distressed situations. This is a significant
event. "We've deployed sandbags where we think they'll be some use . . .
but sadly for a lot of people we just can't go out and sandbag every
house."
MAD RUSH: Residents shovel swiftly to save this Exeter St, Lyttelton, home from water damage. Julia Sugarman
POWER OUTAGES MAY WORSEN
About
3500 homes remained without power at 4pm - most in Banks Peninsula,
although some pockets of Christchurch and surrounding areas were also
experiencing outages. Lines company Orion said winds were easing, but
flooding, slips and water-logged ground in the hills was preventing
access to parts of the electricity network. Access issues were likely to
continue for the next few days. It was not known how long it would
take to restore power, but it was likely some homes would be without
power overnight. Orion said many customers may face days without power
and asked people to prepare accordingly. Orion had been forced to cut
supply to two kiosks on its network today because of floodwaters. The
move was for vital for safety reasons and to limit damage to
infrastructure, the company said. People were advised to prepare for
further possible power outages, particularly around the Avon and
Heathcote rivers. Anyone who saw a fallen power line was warned to stay
clear and call Orion on 0800 363 9898 immediately.
BUSINESSES BATTLING
Children
played in the water as streets turned into a pool near the Warrington
shopping centre. Supreme Chinese Restaurant owner Lim Huang was the
only business owner in the centre. His restaurant had stayed dry, but no
customers would venture there for the day. ''We can't open without
customers,'' he said. Damage was visible outside Schroeder's Tavern
with bits of wood and gravel all over the terrace. In Woolston, the
Tannery was open, but most of the carpark was flooded. Brewery co-owner
Zak Cassels said water started coming inside the door the night before,
but staff had it draining away in time. The Tannery was quieter than
usual but still ''reasonably busy,'' he said. Parts of Edgeware Rd were
closed and several shops had to pile sandbags in front of their doors.
Beckenham Post Shop and Pharmacy owner Grant Kilday said water had
risen to about 12 centimetres of water in the shop. ''Things are
floating around here like a duck pond,'' he said. He had called the
council, the fire brigade and his insurance and was waiting for help.
He said the shop was the only one standing in the neighbourhood after
the quakes. ''We survived the quakes but we are just undergoing the
flood now.'' Kilday hoped to be able to reopen tomorrow. Peter Timbs
Meat on Edgeware Rd had about six inches of water throughout the shop.
Owner Peter Timbs was not too worried as the council had reacted swiftly
and had send someone to pump water out of the shop. ''There's water
right through the shop, but fortunately it's clean,'' he said. At the
Westfield Riccarton mall, it was business as usual. A spokesperson said
a few retailers had to open a bit later this morning, but it was
business as usual otherwise. ''It's a typical day here at the moment.''
CASCADING: Flooding down Canterbury St in Lyttelton reaches new highs.
Joseph Johnson/Fairfax NZ
INSURANCE CLAIMS POUR IN
AA
Insurance said it had received about 20 claims for flood and
storm-related damage in Christchurch and expected that number to more
than double by the end of the day. Customer relations head Suzanne
Wolton said it was too early to estimate the cost of the damage. Most
damage was water-related and included flooded houses and garages,
damaged roofs and vehicles that had become stuck in water. Wolton urged
customers to make any necessary claims as soon as possible, especially
if emergency repairs were needed to make homes watertight. In the
meantime, residents were advised to check their property and secure
anything that could cause damage to another part of the property or a
neighbours' property. "During a storm we generally have a number of
claims related to trampolines and other outdoor equipment flying over to
the neighbours' and damaging their property, or creating havoc on your
own property," Wolton said.
WORST FLOODING IN 40 YEARS
Council
land drainage operations manager Mike Gillooly said the storm was the
"worst since 1975". "That was a 100-year rainfall event. We know [this
is] more than a 50-year event. It's very significant." He said all
floodwater should be treated as contaminated. Anyone who came in
contact with contaminated water should wash their hands and remove and
wash any clothing that got wet. The council was "continually analysing"
the full effect of the storm and hoped to have more data available
within a few hours, he said. A Fire Service spokesman said firefighters
had received about 300 calls for help in Canterbury overnight and had
about 40 jobs in the queue at 8.30am. Almost all of the calls were
related to flooding, including people needing help evacuating or
weather-proofing their homes. "They were doing evacuations through the
night. A lot's just going to people, reassuring people." Police have
rescued a number of people stuck in cars and helped evacuate homes.
Acting Inspector Glenn Nalder said police had also found vehicles
floating in water on Barrington St. At 4.40am, two cars collided on
Johns Rd when one vehicle "aqua-planed" on surface water. Nalder said
police were not issuing a blanket warning to stay off the roads but
advised against unnecessary travel.
RAINFALL HEAVIER THAN EXPECTED
The
Christchurch City Council said the rain was much heavier than expected
and up to 100 houses were believed to have been affected by
floodwaters. High tide was expected to hit Kerrs Reach about 10.15am,
causing the Heathcote and Avon rivers to spill their banks in places.
MetService forecaster John Law said Banks Peninsula had experienced the
most rainfall over the last 24 hours, with almost 150mm recorded in
Lyttelton. The amount of rain was less further west, with 72mm recorded
at Christchurch Airport. The wild weather had been brought by
southwesterly winds and a low pressure system off the east coast of the
South Island. The system was still hanging out, meaning more wind and
rain was in store for Canterbury. Severe weather warnings of gales and
heavy rain were expected to remain until 2pm today, when the wild
weather was forecast to ease. "Unfortunately we've still got more to
come. It will start to ease off, but it's another 20 to 50mm on top of
what we've already seen." North Canterbury could get even more, with
MetService forecasting a further 50 to 80mm for the region north of
Oxford, including the seaward Kaikoura Range.
HAZARDOUS DRIVING: Hillside slips along Evans Pass above Sumner.
Lee Buhagiar
WORSE THAN 'FRIGGING EARTHQUAKES'
"Woolston resident Christina Binnema said this morning's flooding of her Smith St property was the worst she had seen in 30 years. "It's worse than the friggin' earthquakes." She said her sleepout and garage were flooded and all the contents damaged. "I walk off my back deck and straight into two to three inches of water." Water was creeping up to Louise Oskam's front door on Fifield Tce in Opawa this morning. "My neighbours, who've been here 35 years, said it's the worst flooding they've ever seen." She had lived on the street for about two years and had seen the road on other side of the Heathcote River flood about "half a dozen times". "It's just such a surprise to see this side of the river flood." Oskam was preparing her 7-year-old daughter Bethany for possible power cuts or an evacuation. "[She] is really excited about it all. She said 'what if it gets higher, will we have to get my boat out of the garage'.
CONSTANTLY FLOODING SINCE EARTHQUAKE
Debs Sinclair said she had been trying to get someone to check the water
that comes up on her land since the February 2011 earthquake. "I had
EQC out in the early days, but nothing happened. I'm trying basically to
get a proper inspection done." Her Hargood St property had been
constantly flooded since the quake, with water and silt stuck under the
house. "There's water there all the time. There was water there when it
was 30 degrees the other week." The house was green-zoned, but deemed
TC3. "It is going to get worse. I had to get someone to pick me up [for
work], I wouldn't have got the car out this morning."
WATCH: One-in-100-year flood swamps Christchurch.
'AT A LEVEL WHERE LIVES WOULD BE LOST'
Early this morning Burwood-Pegasus Community Board chairwoman Andrea Cummings urged people to stay home today and not go to work or school. "It's at that level where lives would be lost." She had opened her home at 58 Waratah St as an unofficial welfare centre and took in an elderly neighbour and her cat after their Hulverstone Dr home was "inundated" with water. She waded through waist-deep water to reach the woman, whose home had been red-zoned. "She will lose most of her possessions. She's safe and warm and her family know. We couldn't get her out to her family across the city because of the flooding." However, an elderly man living nearby refused to leave his home overnight, despite warnings from emergency services that they might not be able to rescue him if the flooding got worse. "The emergency services were saying last night they can't come and rescue you if you get your car flooded or whatever unless there's a danger to your life." Cummings' husband experienced a "very very dangerous" drive home from an overnight shift at Lyttelton Port this morning. "Lyttelton is just basically one big mud field. Redcliffs had a collapsing [hillside] because of the rain, the tunnel road has slips all along it," she said. "It's definitely scary out there. It's at the level where we have to look after each other like we did after the February earthquake." - Stuff.
December 07, 2013 - EUROPE - Hundreds of people in Britain mopped up flooded homes on Friday after a powerful storm that scoured northern Europe with hurricane-force gusts kicked up the biggest tidal surge in 60 years, swamping stretches of shoreline.
The rising seas prompted evacuations along the eastern English coast, with 1,400 properties flooded and at least a half-dozen communities at great risk of exceptionally high tides and large waves.
Blackpool Main Promenade under flood water following high tide and a
tidal surge as severe gale force
winds hit the area, in Blackpool,
England, Thursday Dec. 5, 2013. (PA / John Giles)
In London, the Thames Barrier -- a series of huge metal plates that can be raised across the entire river -- closed for a second time in as many days to protect the city from the surge.
Environment Secretary Owen Paterson said there would be "exceptionally high tides" on Friday and Saturday, though they were not expected to reach Thursday's levels, when water swamped seaside promenades and flooded homes. In the town of Hemsby in eastern England, several houses fell into the sea as waves eroded cliffs.
Britain's Environment Agency said that sea levels late Thursday in some areas exceeded those in a 1953 flood in which hundreds died. But flood defenses and evacuation warnings meant that only two people were killed in storm-related accidents.
Accidents linked to the storm that roared across Europe Thursday have killed at least eight people, from Britain to Sweden, Denmark and Poland.
Traffic ground to a halt on icy highways and train service was canceled in large parts of Sweden. Tens of thousands of people lost electricity. Strong winds knocked down the city of Vaxjo's Christmas tree.
Scores of flights were canceled at airports in Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Germany and Poland. More than 1,000 people spent the night at Copenhagen airport where 200 flights were canceled Thursday and about 70 on Friday.
People take photos on Blackpool's main promenade as severe gale force
winds hit the area, in Blackpool, England, Thursday Dec. 5, 2013. (AP
Photo/PA, John Giles).
Strong winds threatened a collection of Viking ships recovered from the bottom of a Danish fjord in the 1960s and put on exhibition. Museum workers boarded up the expansive windows of the Viking Ship Museum in Roskilde 40 kilometers west of Copenhagen amid fears water from the fjord would rise and shatter the glass.
Police in Denmark ordered the evacuation of people in the towns of Frederikssund and Frederiksvaerk, 40 kilometres northeast of Copenhagen, because of imminent flooding. The towns lie on the Roskilde fjord, which has seen water levels rise noticeably.
Hamburg airport, where almost all flights were canceled late Thursday, was open for business on Friday but cautioned that there would be cancelations because of wind and snow. Trains northward from Hamburg to Denmark and some other destinations were canceled.
Tidal floods that hit Hamburg in the early morning were akin to those that drenched the city in 1962, causing the worst flooding in living memory. But higher and better coastal defenses along the North Sea these days meant the impact of this week's storm on the city was negligible, with no reports of major damage or loss of life.
Waves lash against the ferry pier on the North Sea coast in Dagebuell,
northern Germany, Thursday, Dec. 5, 2013. (AP Photo/dpa, Carsten Rehder)
A further tidal surge is expected to hit Hamburg Friday evening.
Soccer club Werder Bremen, whose game Saturday against German champion Bayern Munich had been in doubt, announced on Twitter Friday morning that flood water hadn't topped a levee near its stadium and the match would go ahead.
Meanwhile, wind farms in Germany reaped benefits from the storm.
According to European Energy Exchange AG, an energy trading platform, production of wind energy in Germany surged in recent days.
At 1 p.m. local time, the country's vast network of on- and offshore wind turbines produced 25,205.8 MW of electricity -- the equivalent of 25 nuclear plants and almost 35 per cent of the country's total energy output that hour. - CTV News.
