Category: Posts EN

Catastrophic Flooding Shuts Down Southern Cal as Hilary Roars North

Written by Team Morecast

 

History was made over the weekend as Hurricane Hilary moved north just off the Baja California. The storm weakened rapidly as expected. However, Hilary still managed to make landfall in the L.A. Basin Sunday night as a tropical storm, the first since 1939. Gusty winds affected the immediate coast but by far the most widespread and severe impacts have been from heavy rain.

 

 

Prolonged southerly flow has pumped copious moisture from the tropical Pacific into the Southwest US, especially southern California. Rainfall of 3-6 inches (75-150 mm) has been common over the high deserts and mountains with amounts of 1-3 inches (25-75 mm) in metro Los Angeles. The 4-5 inches (100-125 mm) recorded around Palmdale are close to the yearly average for the area. The heaviest bands were producing up to one inch per hour at times in places like Burbank and Palm Springs.

 

 

 

 

This torrential rainfall has led to widespread flash flooding as well as mud and rock slides. Major highways and interstates across the region have been damaged, closing off whole communities. Additional major flooding will spread north through Nevada and into the Northern Rockies. Lead photo courtesy Flickr contributor David O.

Devastating Tornadoes Level Towns Across the Midwest USA

Written by Team Morecast

 

The worst severe storm outbreak since 2021 struck the Midwest U.S. on Friday. At least 65 tornado reports have been tallied so far by the Storm Prediction Center across eight states (see map below). So far nine deaths have been attributed to the storms with dozens more hospitalized.

 

 

The outbreak was widely anticipated by forecasters in the days leading up to Friday. The SPC (Storm Prediction Center) issued a rare “High Risk” severe storm outlook for the first time in more than two years. Storms developed first from Iowa into Missouri and Arkansas in the midday before sprinting east across the Mississippi River. The severe storms continued well into the overnight, a particularly dangerous situation as the lack of daylight visibility increases the risk that people will be caught off guard.

 

 

 

The worst tornadoes struck the northern Little Rock metro area and the city of Wynne, Arkansas. Little Rock is the capital of Arkansas and the state’s largest city. A devastating tornado rolled across the northern suburbs a little after two p.m. local time (see video above). Two hours later, another strong tornado touched down in the smaller city of Wynne. Officials there described “total destruction” through the heart of downtown, including the high school where dozens were trapped. Other severe tornadoes struck Iowa, Tennessee, Illinois, and Indiana (see video of damage above). The roof of the Apollo Theater in Belvidere, IL collapsed due to strong winds, leaving one dead and dozens more seriously injured. Lead photo courtesy Flickr contributor Lane Pearman.

Latest Winter Storm Brings Rare Tornado to Los Angeles

Written by Team Morecast

 

The stormy late-season pattern continues in the western U.S. The latest storm brought more flooding rains and mountain snows. It also spun down a rare tornado in the L.A. Basin, damaging buildings and cars. On a positive note, the abundant rainfall has refilled numerous lakes and reservoirs in the region that had been decimated by drought in recent years. Springtime snow melt will bring additional flooding potential and lake replenishment.

 

 

The tornado, rated EF1 after a survey by the National Weather Service damage assessment team, was the strongest to hit the Los Angeles metro area in forty years. Tornadic winds up to 110 mph (177 kph) tore roofs from a dozen buildings and destroyed several cars (see video above). It was the second tornado to hit southern California in the past week. The same system brought damaging winds to mountain communities just south of San Francisco after rapidly intensifying just offshore (see video below). At one point more than 700,000 Californians were without power due to the storm.

 

 

The active weather pattern has actually been beneficial for many parts of California and neighboring states. Snowpack statewide is running nearly twice as much as normal and some ski resorts are making plans to remain open through July. Indeed, some resorts have gotten so much snow that lifts are unable to run (see video below). One station near Lake Tahoe in the Sierra Nevada range has reported 677 inches (17.2 m) of snowfall this winter.

 

Brutal Heat Wave Torches Northern and Central Argentina

Written by Team Morecast

 

The hottest summer on record in portions of Argentina has not ended with the calendar start of autumn on 1-March. The first ten days of March saw temperatures soaring up to 10 degrees C warmer than average. Record highs have been recorded again and again across the country. The hot, dry weather has sparked numerous wildfires, burning nearly 250,000 acres (100,000 hectares) of forest and farmland since the beginning of the year.

 

 

Years of below normal rainfall set the stage for unusual heat coming into the summer. The three-years-long La Niña also contributed to below normal rainfall and above normal temperatures. However, the heat wave this summer is unprecedented. The capital city of Buenos Aires has seen highs exceeding 30 deg C (86 deg F) every day since 28-February, including their hottest March temperature ever this past Monday. Numerous other cities and towns have seen record highs exceeding 40 deg C (104 deg F).

 

 

Corn, soybean, and wheat crops have taken catastrophic losses up to 30% due to the heat and wildfires. This will exacerbate economic woes in a country already seeing one of the world’s highest rates of inflation, more than 100% according to the latest figures. Farmers project losses up to $14 billion.