EXTREME WEATHER: Powerful Windstorm Hits British Columbia - Knocks Out Power, Cancels Ferries And Closes Schools!

A BC Hydro crew repairs a downed power line on Thursday morning in Metro Vancouver. (GP Mendoza/CBC)

March 10, 2016 - BRITISH COLUMBIA - Powerful winds downed trees and power lines, closed schools and forced BC Ferries to cancel several sailings along the South Coast of B.C. on Thursday morning.

At 10 a.m. PT BC Hydro was reporting about 110,000 customers on the Lower Mainland, including Metro Vancouver, the Fraser Valley and the Sunshine Coast were without power.

More than 10,000 customers were also without power on Vancouver Island during the height of the storm.

BC Hydro was reporting about 110,000 customers were without power on Thursday morning. (BC Hydro/Google Maps)

The power outages also knocked out power to several traffic lights, creating delays for morning commuters. Check with @CBCTraffic on Twitter for updates.

The winds began Wednesday night and appeared to have subsided by Thursday morning. But then a new wind warning issued at 6 a.m. PT said strong southerly winds with gusts up to 90 km/h were occurring over much of Metro Vancouver and the Western Fraser Valley this morning.

Exposed coastal sections of East Vancouver Island, the Southern Gulf Islands and the Sunshine Coast were also seeing southeast winds of 60 to 80 km/h as a deep low pressure centre moved north of Vancouver Island, according to Environment Canada.

Still seeing a lot of power outages and debris/trees blocking traffic. Please be very careful this morning! #CBC

— CBC Vancouver (@CBCTraffic) March 10, 2016

Be safe out there this morning, still several warnings in place for the passing #BCstorm https://t.co/9EJTt2zawK pic.twitter.com/iuA0lenwI7

— EC_BCweather (@EC_BCweather) March 10, 2016

Winds are expected to ease to southwest 40 gusting to 60 km/h later this morning.

DriveBC was reporting Highway 101 on the Sunshine Coast was closed by a fallen tree near Mercer Road at 8 a.m. A tree was also reported to be down on Highway 1 near 208 Street in Surrey.

#BCHwy1 EB Tree down after 208th St in Right Lane. @MainroadLM is on route. Drive Safely. pic.twitter.com/bMsvWz53UR

— Lower Mainland Dist. (@TranBC_LMD) March 10, 2016

BC Ferries was also reporting that the wind was delaying the departure of some sailings on the Duke Point-Tsawwassen route on Thursday morning.

#BCFHeadsUp#QuadraIsland - #CortesIsland vessel cancelled first round trip due to weather
7:50 xCortes CANCELLED
9:05 xQuadra CANCELLED ^dg

— BC Ferries (@BCFerries) March 10, 2016

Sailings on several shorter routes, including the Powell River-Comox and Campbell River-Quadra Island routes, were also cancelled because of the wind, early Thursday morning.

Harbour Air was reporting that some float plane traffic was affected by the winds.

Select routes are being affected by wind this morning. Pls check https://t.co/xANpvtlKpM for your up to date flight status

— Harbour Air Seaplane (@HarbourAirLtd) March 10, 2016

School closures
The power outages have also cancelled classes at some schools, including some in Coquitlam, Surrey, Mission and Abbotsford and one in West Vancouver.

Parents are advised to check their district websites for more details.

In Surrey the closed schools included:

• Elgin Park Secondary
• Clayton Heights Secondary
• Fraser Heights Secondary
• Hazelgrove Elementary
• Bothwell Elementary
• Pacific Heights Elementary
• Chantrell Creek Elementary
• Prince Charles Elementary
• Royal Heights Elementary
• East Kensington Elementary
• Coast Meridian Elementary

There are some other Surrey schools without power, but remain open, said a statement from the district.
In Abbotsford the following schools are closed for the day:

• Ten Broeck Elementary
• Clearbrook Elementary
• Dr. R.Bondar Elementary
• South Poplar Elementary.
• King Elementary is also now closed; parents asked to come and pick up children if possible.

In Mission the following schools were closed:

• Hillside Elementary School
• Hatzic Elementary School
• Hatzic Middle School
• Riverside Technical College

The Coquitlam School District website said, "Power is currently out at some schools in the Mary Hill and North Port Coquitlam/Victoria Drive region.  We currently do not have an estimated time for the return of power.  All parents should ensure the care and safety of their children in getting them to school.

"All SD43 schools are open today and starting classes at regularly scheduled times until further specific school closure updates are made. As always, it is at the discretion of parents as to whether they send their children to school."

All #SD43 schools are open today and starting classes at regularly scheduled times until further specific school closure updates are made.

— School District 43 (@sd43bc) March 10, 2016

Collingwood School in West Vancouver was reporting that its Wentworth Campus would be closed until the power is restored. The Morven campus was operating normally.

High watersThe municipality of Delta reported localized flooding in the Boundary Bay Spruce Grove waterfront areas, where the tide was expected to peak around 6:16 a.m. PT.

#DeltaBC crews are assisting residents w/ sandbags & pumps in flooded areas. Water going over wall in #Tsawwassen: pic.twitter.com/aJlYTj3MHw

— Corporation of Delta (@CorpDelta) March 10, 2016

The B.C. River Forecast Centre issued a High Streamflow Advisory for Central Vancouver Island including the Somass River and smaller tributaries in the region. - CBC.

EXTREME WEATHER: Severe Storms Hit Eastern Australia As Emergency Services Put On Alert - Heavy Rainfall, Extreme Flash Flooding, And Dangerously Damaging Wind Gusts Forecast!

Storms pass over the Sunshine Coast, Brisbane and the Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia, heading south towards New South Wales on Friday.
Reproduced with the permission of the Bureau of Meteorology.   © Bureau of Meteorology

May 1, 2015 - AUSTRALIA - South-east Queensland hit by a deluge, forcing events to be cancelled, and parts of northern NSW warned to expect damaging winds and heavy rainfall

The east coast low battering Queensland is moving south toward New South Wales, with heavy rain and dangerous winds set to hit the northern rivers, mid north Coast and northern tablelands over the weekend.

Queenslanders have been experiencing wind gusts in excess of 100km/hr and extreme flash flooding on Friday, according to the Bureau of Meteorology (Bom).

The rugby league Anzac Test between Australia and New Zealand at Suncorp Stadium on Friday night has been postponed due to the bad weather.

The Australia-New Zealand Test will now be played on Sunday at 4pm, with the City-Country match going ahead at 2pm.

All tickets purchased for Friday's match will be valid for the rescheduled match, however those unable to attend will be given a full refund.

Rain had earlier forced organisers to call off the trans-Tasman curtain-raiser - the women's Test between Australia's Jillaroos and New Zealand's Kiwi Ferns - although that will now also be rescheduled for Sunday.

That east coast low is expected to cross the state border early on Saturday morning, when the rainfall in Queensland will begin to decrease and the focus will turn to NSW.

"We're going into the most intense period of rainfall in the next six to 12 hours [in NSW] and with that we'll also see those strong winds too," a Bom spokesman said on Friday afternoon.

Rainfall of around 150 to 200mm is expected for northern NSW during that time, with the possibility of localised falls of more than 350mm.

People living along the coast from the Queensland border as far south as Port Macquarie would be hit with the heaviest rain and strongest winds, with very heavy surf also predicted, according to a statement from the Bom.

#Breaking: urgent very dangerous #QLDstorm warning for #Brisbane and #MoretonBay - detail: http://ab.co/1HcI5d6
  ABC Emergency

The State Emergency Service (SES) said it was bracing itself for the impact. "We've moved a lot of resources up into the north of the state in the last few days," an SES spokeswoman said, adding they had already had about 300 calls related to the weather up there.

The SES said there were certainly concerns, considering the damage caused by the last east coast low, but they were prepared.

A particular concern is for the NSW Hunter region. Although the rainfall is only expected to be around 50mm by the time the weakened pressure system hits there, it could still be a headache for the SES.

"It's already very soaked there, so the rainfall they're looking at ... generally isn't that much, but on that already soaked catchment area in the rivers there, that could cause some more damage," she said.

"We've still got some outstanding jobs that our people have been working madly on for over a week now, so that is an area we're very concerned about seeing how it all pans out."

Thunderstorms are also possible along the NSW coast, as far south as the Illawarra region, which could result in localised heavy rainfall.

The SES asked people in NSW to prepare themselves by moving cars away from trees, staying away from flood waters and having their home prepared in case of power outages.

There should be an easing trend in the rain on Sunday morning, before a respite begins on Monday, with warm and sunny conditions predicted for next week.

Thunderstorms and heavy downpours hit south-east Queensland, earlier creating dangerous conditions for peak-hour traffic.

Motorists were being warned to drive carefully through the torrential rain and to be aware of rising floodwaters.

Thunderstorms, generated by a low system, were first detected near Caboolture, north of Brisbane, earlier Friday afternoon dumping up to 100mm of rain in an hour.

Train services have been suspended between Petrie and Caboolture because of water on the tracks, while there's minor flooding in low-level areas.

The wild weather forced the cancellation of the Urban Country Music festival, which was to feature Lee Kernaghan, Cloud Control and British India.

Festival organisers say the weather damaged the Caboolture site and there were safety concerns for the public.

Up to 200mm of rain has been recorded on the Sunshine Coast since Thursday and forecasters are expecting a total of up to 400mm in some areas.

The Bureau of Meteorology's latest forecast warns of damaging winds, heavy rainfall, abnormally high tides and dangerous surf in Wide Bay and Burnett, southeast coast, Darling Downs and granite belt districts.

The premier, Annastacia Palasczuk, said the government would remain in constant contact with the bureau and warned residents to be cautious on Friday night.

"Stay out of floodwaters, make sure you are safe, and once again can I stress to families if you do not have to go out this evening, stay indoors, and just enjoy the night at home," she said.

Australia has had its coolest April since 2006 but rainfall was still below average across the nation, despite heavy rain in NSW and South Australia.

April 2015 was 0.68C below the long-term national average - the coolest result since 2006 and the 18th-coolest since reliable records began in 1910.

Rainfall was 12% below average nationally even in the wake of the ferocious east coast low that battered NSW last week, a major cloud band that dumped rain across much of SA and southern NSW. - The Guardian.

EXTREME WEATHER: Major Coastal Storm Hits British Columbia, Canada - Dumps Significant Rainfall; Leaves Thousands Without Power; Triggers Avalanche Warnings!

Snow fallling on the Coquihalla highway at the summit at 10 a.m. PT Sunday. (DriveBC)

January 19, 2015 - BRITISH COLUMBIA, CANADA - Avalanche warnings are in effect throughout the B.C. Interior today as the coastal storm that brought significant rainfall overnight moves inland and turns to snow.

The storm was accompanied by strong winds that left at one point left 25,000 B.C. Hydro customers without power. Vancouver Island was the hardest hit.

There were also power outages in parts of the Lower Mainland and the Sunshine Coast.

Power to many areas was restored by noon, although areas of Central and North Saanich were without power until 6 p.m. PT according to B.C. Hydro.

A wind storm knocked out power to 25,000 customers on Vancouver island Sunday morning. (B.C. Hydro)

Environment Canada says the storm will generate another 25 mm of rain in the Fraser Valley Sunday bringing the total rainfall in the valley from the storm to about 50 mm. It says localized flooding in some areas is possible.

Heavy snow is forecast for highway passes in B.C. with the Coquihalla Highway expected to receive up to 30 cm of snow by Monday morning.

The Pacific frontal system moving across the B.C. Interior will also bring 10 to 15 cm of snow to Roger's Pass and a further 10 to 15 cm to Alison and Kootenay Passes along Highway 3 today.

The Kootenay Pass shown here on a DriveBC camera was closed for three hours Sunday morning for avalanche control. (DriveBC)

An Avalanche Canada map of the province shows avalanche danger ratings ranging from "considerable" to "high" throughout B.C.

The Trans-Canada Highway west of Revelstoke is closed until noon for avalanche control and the Kootenay Pass was closed for three hours for the same reason Sunday morning. - CBC News.

FIRE IN THE SKY: Mysterious Fireball Light Burns Bright Across The Skies Over Australia?!

August 06, 2013 - AUSTRALIA - Experts believe a mysterious bright light in the sky north of Noosa was probably caused by the sun's light on a jet's contrail.

 Willem Bruinsma snapped this burning light in the sky at Noosa National Park. Willem Bruinsma.

The phenomenon appeared to be soaring across the sky for at least 20 minutes, just after sunset on Sunday.

Owen Bennedick, of Wappa Falls Observatory, said it was likely to be an atmospheric event, as a meteor usually lasted a maximum five seconds.

He added that the presence of any comets at the time would have been well documented. - Sunshine Coast Daily.

FIRE IN THE SKY: Major Solar System Disturbance - Bright Meteor Lights Up Eastern Coast Of Australia!

June 14, 2013 - AUSTRALIA - There have been multiple reports of a bright burning light in the sky over Toowoomba and the Darling Downs last night.

A meteorite may have been spotted crashing to earth this evening. © NASA

Witnesses reported seeing a bright white ball falling to earth about 6pm. It is understood the object may have been a meteor or space junk.

Several people contacted The Chronicle this morning to report the sighting.

On Facebook, witnesses spoke of a "spectacular" light display that at first appeared to be a shooting star.

• Shallon Garton: "I saw what I thought was a shooting star but way bigger driving back to Highfields from Esk."
• Stuart Shields: "Yes, saw it on my way home from Highfields last night was pretty spectacular."
• Christine Walker: "We saw it here in the Lockyer Valley just after dark. No time to grab the camera though"

There have also been reports of a bright light or flashes over the Sunshine Coast and the mid north NSW coast. - Toowoomba Chronicle.

DELUGE: Torrential Rain and Flash Flooding Hits Sunshine Coast - Once Every 100 Years Flooding Pounded Homes!

Hundreds of abandoned cars are being recovered and businesses and residents are counting the cost today of a once-in-a-century weather event that hit the Sunshine Coast. Almost 400mm of rain pounded the region Thursday afternoon and evening with Kawana, Mooloolaba, Alexandra Headland and Maroochydore the worst hit. The tourist strip received 130mm of rain in an hour, which turned roads into rivers and inundated 200 homes and dozens of businesses.

The Bureau of Meteorology said almost 130mm of rain fell at Kawana in just an hour. "Those sort of rainfalls, when it occurs in one hour, we'd expect that to have a frequency of occurrence of once every 100 years or greater," a bureau spokesman told the ABC. At one point, emergency crews had to evacuate adults and children from a Mooloolaba child care centre after its bottom floor flooded. The deluge hampered SES efforts to respond to 594 requests for assistance. By Friday morning 397 jobs were completed with 197 outstanding. Queensland Fire and Rescue Service performed four swift water rescues from Mooloolaba and completed 110 requests for assistance. Queensland Police Service responded to 81 calls related to flooding, 31 due to traffic hazards and 15 crash-related. Tony Spinks was still scratching his head this morning as he inspected the damage to his IGA X-press store on  Alexandra Parade. ``I am 42 and have lived in Alexandra Headland all my life and have never seen a weather event like this,'' Mr Spinks said. ``The water came in from the front and back. It was a metre over the road in front of the shop ... the storm water drains just couldn't cope. It was radical.'' An estimated $8000 worth of stock was ruined and a $10,000 computer system destroyed. The IGA will be closed for at least a few days. Mr Spinks said a number of businesses along the tourist strip were badly affected. Sunshine Coast Council's Local Disaster Coordinator Andrew Ryan said the rain had a significant impact from Coolum to Caloundra. ``The highest rainfall totals over 12 hours were recorded at Parrearra Weir with 384mm, Bundilla with 359mm and Sugarbag Road with 325mm, and created havoc in many areas as flash flooding hit commuters, houses and businesses alike,'' Mr Ryan said.

``Flash flooding on the Nicklin Way ground traffic to a halt and rising water threatened vehicles, with some people trapped for up to four hours. ``Many vehicles were abandoned on roads across the affected areas and as weather conditions eased and flood waters receded last night, police were making arrangements for those vehicles to be moved clear of the roadways. ``A number of vehicles were left along the median strip of the Nicklin Way as people sought refuge from flood waters.'' Major roads have reopened, 32 roads remain closed and 112 are open with caution. Council staff and members of Queensland Fire and Rescue are helping assess the extent of damage to infrastructure and private property, and determining where people need help to dispose of damaged goods or other personal assistance. Only two schools in the North Coast Region - Goodwood State School and Alloway State School - were closed today. Mountain Creek Outside Hours School Care (OHSC) service is also closed this morning. All other schools on the Sunshine Coast and in the Wide Bay-Burnett are open. About 400 millimetres of rain fell across the coast in about six hours on Thursday evening, causing flash flooding and sparking swift water rescues. Motorists were forced to abandon their cars as flooding hit major roads, and water went through about 200 homes at Mooloolaba. Sunshine Coast businesses have also been flooded. The heaviest downpours were between Maroochydore and Caloundra. On Thursday, terrified motorists climbed on top of their cars, roads turned to rivers and hundreds of homes and businesses were swamped on the Sunshine Coast overnight. Emergency Services, council disaster management teams and SES volunteers were stretched to the limit as torrential rain and flash flooding wreaked havoc. Long-time locals said they had never seen a deluge like the one that dropped up to 385mm of rain in less than 24 hours. - Courier Mail.

WATCH: Scenes from the Sunshine Coast.

EXTREME WEATHER: Flash Flood Warning for the Queensland Coast in Australia - From Rockhampton to New South Wales!

A flash flood warning has been issued for the Queensland coast, from Rockhampton to the New South Wales border.

The Bureau of Meteorology issued a severe weather warning for Tuesday, predicting that 150mm of rain could fall in some areas in a 24-hour period. It warned that Gladstone, Bundaberg, Hervey Bay, Maryborough, Gympie and the Sunshine Coast may experience localised flash floods. A surface trough off the Capricorn coast is producing the heavy rainfall. It is expected to intensify and move south along the Wide Bay and southeast Queensland coasts on Tuesday. - 9 News.

It was an anxious night for towns from Rockhampton to the NSW border on flood alert. Residents who saw their homes inundated last year would take little comfort in weather warnings predicting intense rain in some areas, leading to flash flooding. The coastal strip is expected to be drenched with 24-hours of rainfall of up to 150mm today and tomorrow. Heavy falls are expected to develop along the Capricornia coast and inland areas between Gladstone and Brisbane, with Gladstone, Bundaberg, Hervey Bay, Maryborough, Gympie and the Sunshine Coast in the line of fire. Beaches on the Gold and Sunshine coasts that had been packed a week ago as the state sweltered through a heatwave were abandoned yesterday. Weather bureau forecaster Matthew Bass said it was difficult to predict exactly which places would get the heaviest falls.

"The position of (a low pressure system) coming through is the critical thing,'' Mr Bass said. "I expect the hardest-hit places will be near the coastal ranges on the Sunshine Coast and Gold Coast hinterland.'' A flood warning has been issued for coastal rivers and streams from Noosa to Caboolture and adjacent inland catchments. Emergency Management Queensland last night was warning people to avoid driving, walking or riding through floodwaters. Mr Bass said a low forming offshore from Gladstone, and combining with two other weather systems extending from off Cairns to the southeast, would be good news for parched southeast Queensland backyards.
Dayboro, northwest of Brisbane, had the best of the rain in the 24 hours to 9am yesterday with 102mm, but most suburbs received relieving showers. Wivenhoe Dam was at 74.9 per cent after being boosted with 39mm. Falls also were recorded to 100mm inland from Home Hill, Innisfail and Mackay in north Queensland while rain continued on the Sunshine Coast, with falls to 40mm. Southeast temperatures will rise from today, with storms possible today, tomorrow and Thursday. Showers and thunderstorms will continue today from the tropics south. - Courier Mail.

EXTREME WEATHER: Severe Storm Warning for South East Queensland, Australia - Strong Winds and Heavy Rainfall is Expected!

Severe thunderstorms are producing strong winds and heavy rainfall in and around the Sunshine Coast in Queensland's south-east.

The Bureau of Meteorology has issued a severe thunderstorm warning for people in Moreton Bay, the Sunshine Coast, Somerset and and the south Burnett region. Senior forecaster Janine Uasa says the storms are moving north-east and much of the activity is near Caloundra, Landsborough, Maleny and Beerwah. A more general thunderstorm warning is also current for the central coast and Whitsundays, Central Highlands and Coalfields, Capricornia and Wide Bay. - Yahoo Australia.

Severe thunderstorms are likely to produce damaging winds around Queensland over the next several hours. Locations which may be affected include Emerald, Biloela, Blackwater, Rolleston, Baralaba and Springsure. Emergency Management Queensland advises that people should: Move your car under cover or away from trees. Secure loose outdoor items. Seek shelter, preferably indoors and never under trees. Avoid using the telephone during a thunderstorm. Beware of fallen trees and powerlines. For emergency assistance contact the SES on 132 500. The next warning is due to be issued by 12:30 pm. If severe thunderstorms develop in the Southeast Queensland area (east of Dalby from Rainbow Beach to Stanthorpe), a more detailed Severe Thunderstorm Warning will be issued to people in this area. - The Chronicle.