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Winds devastate Cape 6/23/2009 7:35:14 PM Cape Town - Gale-force winds devastating the Cape nearly ran a bulk carrier aground at Blouberg Beach on Tuesday, as the south coast of the country stood in line for a drenching over Wednesday and Thursday. The Doceriver bulk carrier almost ran aground on Tuesday when it dragged its anchor in rough seas, coming as close as half a mile to shore, Cape Town harbour master Ravi Naicker told News24. Naicker said that they managed to get the engine started and headed out to sea. Three other vessels at anchor were told to head out to sea to ride out the storm as the Western Cape braces for rough seas and heavy rains on Wednesday and Thursday. Cold, wet, windy Meanwhile the Western Cape is expected to clear early on Wednesday morning and the intense frontal system causing the wet and windy conditions would move on to the Eastern Cape and Lesotho, said SA Weather Services senior forecaster, Jacqueline Reit. "Very cold, wet and windy conditions are expected over the high-lying areas in the Western and Northern Cape provinces." Snowfall was also possible on the mountains of the Western, Northern and Eastern Cape, and the system would cause rough seas and "destructive wave heights" between Cape Agulhas and Port Alfred on Wednesday and Thursday. But an e-mail doing the rounds apparently from someone at the City of Cape Town was false, Reit said. Reports of 12-16m swells were exaggerated. Reit predicted swells between 7m and 9m. Continuous rain in Cape Town The coast could expect relief from Friday as conditions cleared from Cape Agulhas upwards. The City of Cape Town, while just outside the region worse hit, would still experience "almost continuous rain" on Wednesday.   The National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) warned sea users to exercise extra caution. "Sea users are encouraged to wear and correctly and securely fasten life-jackets at all times while at sea but don't launch your craft to go to sea unless you absolutely have to," said Ian Klopper, NSRI helicopter rescue commander. People were encouraged to save the Sea Rescue Emergency number, specific to their area, on their phones. To find out Sea Rescue Emergency numbers, call the NSRI Headquarters during office hours at (021) 434-4011. Click here to read the rest of the story...

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Biggest storm is yet to come 6/24/2009 8:13:51 AM Cape Town - The last in a series of cold fronts that have hit the Western Cape since Monday, will arrive on Thursday and is expected to bring the worst weather of the week, says meteorologist Byron Drew. "Although no cold front is expected to hit the Western Cape on Wednesday, it will still rain heavily and the wind speed will increase," he said on Tuesday. "The most rain is expected on Thursday. It should rain in the whole province, although the southwestern part of the Western Cape will be affected the most." More than 20mm of rain fell on several places along the West Coast, the Swartland and in Cape Town on Tuesday morning. Dams full Due to the rain, Cape Town's dams are also full, with the new Berg River Dam in Franschhoek being more than 100% full. National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) spokesperson Craig Lambinon said two witnesses said they thought they saw a man jump from a lobster boat into the water at Hout Bay at about 16:00 on Tuesday, but the NSRI, police and rescue services launched a search without finding anything. "We found the lobster boat, but nothing else. We are monitoring the situation." Swells of 9m are expected at Cape Point on Wednesday. Snow Drew said that snow could fall on higher lying regions of the western and northern Cape. By Tuesday afternoon, it was still too overcast to see whether it had snowed in Ceres, said Didi Greef of the Matroosberg Nature Reserve. "Everything is still covered by clouds, but it feels good and cold enough for snow." Despite the wet roads, senior Cape Town traffic official Moegamat Mustapha and provincial traffic spokesperson Xenophone Wentzel, said there had been no serious accidents that resulted in people being killed, apart from an accident on Tuesday morning where a road worker was hit and killed by a Bellville taxi. No evacuations Wilfred Solomons-Johannes, spokesperson for the city's disaster management, said 868 people living in 100 shacks were experiencing discomfort late on Tuesday afternoon, but no-one had yet been evacuated. Drew said the weather would begin clearing up after Thursday. "The good news is that we will have a sunny weekend." - Reporting by Marlene Neethling, Shantel Moses and Janine Fortuin Click here to read the rest of the story...

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A storm is in the brewing...

Ah, finally some decent cloud build up! Looks like this could build up into a big thunderstorm around the Windhoek area.

Rainbow over my house

Now here's a rainbow you dont always get to see.

Lightning kills man

Durban - Lightning struck dead a man in his home and left at least three of his family members seriously injured during another round of severe thunderstorms that struck KwaZulu-Natal this weekend, the province's Social Development MEC Meschack Radebe said on Saturday.

 

The man had been inside his home in Bhamshela on the North Coast on Friday night when lightning hit. His family were also struck and were presently being treated at hospital.

Dozens of homes had been damaged and some people had been left homeless.

Radebe said he would visit the area on Sunday to assess the damage and address the community.

The storm was predicted by the weather bureau earlier this week and Premier Sbu Ndebele had made an announcement about it.

The prediction came after 16 lives were claimed in another freak storm last weekend.

Among the victims were a family of four struck dead by lightning inside their Ndwedwe home.

Trees were uprooted, roofs caved in, walls and houses collapsed, cars washed away, and in some areas water mains had burst.

The province had been put on a state of alert with experts predicting more storms in the weeks ahead.

Ndebele had warned residents to store extra canned food so that when the storm hit they would not be left "high and dry".

Last weekend's disaster alone affected 12 736 people and cost an estimated R108 million in damages.

Interesting story from News24

More news at www.news24.com Read the story online: http://www.news24.com/News24/South_Africa/News/0,,2-7-1442_2448423,00.html Sent by: Brent Six dead in KZN storm Jan 04 2009 11:05:02:453AM At least six people have been killed during a storm that ravaged various parts of KwaZulu-Natal, the province's Social Development MEC Meshack Hadebe says. Durban - At least six people were killed during a storm that ravaged various parts of KwaZulu-Natal, the province's Social Development MEC Meshack Hadebe said on Sunday morning. "It is huge. At least 10 areas have been devastated and more than 2 000 families were affected," he told Sapa. He confirmed that a family of four had died in Ndwedwe. Another person was killed in the Dalton area and another in Vryheid. Premier Sbu Ndebele told Sapa the damage was extensive and that he, together with Hadebe, would be visiting the affected areas. Hadebe said he was due to visit Camperdown and then Ndwedwe, while Ndebele was expected to visit the Copesville and Imbali area of Pietermaritzburg. "Once we visit these areas to assess the damage, we will compile a report and then decide whether to declare any of them disaster areas," Hadebe. Struck by lightning Police spokesperson Muzi Mngomezulu said the family from the Malangeni area of Ndwedwe were inside their home when "the lightning entered". "All four were struck by the lightning and died. Another person was also struck by lightning inside a house in KwaKhulusi." Spokesperson for the local government department, Lennox Mabaso, said once verification had taken place, they would release the exact number of people killed in the storm. News editor of the Witness newspaper Stephanie Saville said Saturday night's storm destroyed homes, blew away factory roofs and uprooted trees in Pietermaritzburg. Witness printing plant The newspaper's printing plant in Willowton had most of its roof torn off. Managing director Piet le Roux said in a statement: "The press will be out of commission for some time, but we're just grateful that no one was injured." Plans were being made for the Witness, Ilanga, Daily Sun, as well as numerous weekly titles, to be printed with the assistance of Media 24 in Johannesburg, and Africa Web Press and Independent Newspapers in Durban. "The Witness hasn't missed the publication of an issue in 163 years of existence, but we would ask that our readers be patient, as deliveries may be later than usual through this period. "We plan to be fully operational again as soon as possible," said Le Roux.

Interesting story from News24

More news at www.news24.com Read the story online: http://www.news24.com/News24/South_Africa/News/0,,2-7-1442_2425779,00.html Sent by: Brent CT winds 'strongest in 30 years' Nov 13 2008 12:50:57:297PM While more heavy rain is forecast for parts of the Western Cape, the fierce gales - caused by the strongest low pressure system in 30 years - are subsiding. Cape Town - While more heavy rain is forecast for parts of the Cape south coast, the fierce gales that have battered Cape Town and other parts of the Western Cape over the past two days are subsiding, the SA Weather Service (SAWS) said on Thursday. "There is still rain forecast along the south coast for today (Thursday), with the possibility of heavy showers in the region between Helderberg and George," Cape Town Weather Office forecaster Lethando Masimini told Sapa. The situation would improve on Friday, although there remained a possibility of more rain in this region, he said. Gale-force winds and rain first struck the Western Cape on Tuesday, ripping off roofs, flooding homes, closing roads, washing away bridges and damaging crops. Call for national funding The scale of the damage in some Boland areas has prompted the Democratic Alliance in the region to call on Transport Minister Jeff Radebe for national funding. "Abnormally high rainfall over the last two days has brought the rivers between Worcester and Romans River down in flood; washing away over 20 bridges and marooning thousands of people, mainly farm workers," DA provincial transport spokesperson Robin Carlisle said on Tuesday. Rivers had burst their banks, and there was wide-scale damage to vineyards. "Three years of massive damage caused by flooding have exhausted the province's resources and flood damage funding. Only national [government] can assist with this new wave of flood damage, which will certainly not be limited to the Worcester area," he said. Low pressure system The heavy storms have been blamed on a slow-moving low pressure system, which caused temperatures to drop and brought heavy rain. Called a "cut-off low" by forecasters, it was reportedly the strongest to hit the Western Cape in almost 30 years. In Cape Town, off-the-scale winds closed the harbour on Wednesday, a harbour official, who declined to be named, told Sapa. Instruments which read and record wind speeds of up to 70 knots (almost 130km/h), "went off the graph" several times between midnight and noon on Wednesday, the official said. A spokesperson for Cape Town Disaster Management, Charlotte Powell, told Sapa damage in the Cape Town area from the storm included dozens of torn-off roofs, damage to vehicles from up-rooted trees and some localised flooding. There were no reports of deaths or injuries, she said.

Lightning strikes church

Burundi - Three people were killed and 22 injured when lightning struck a church in southwest Burundi, local authorities said on Monday.

"Yesterday morning, heavy rain and lightning poured down on Burambi town. A flash of lightning struck a Protestant church killing three people," the governor of Bururi province, Beatrice Havuginoti, told AFP.

Seven of the 22 people injured in Sunday's dramatic lightning flash were seriously hurt.

Dozens of homes were also destroyed as well as schools in Burambi and the neighbouring village of Buyengero, Havuginoti added.

Torrential rain since the start of the central African country's rainy season in September had already claimed ten lives and destroyed hundreds of properties.

 

This story was found on News24

Afternoon Thunderstorm in Windhoek

Finally a great downpour yesterday. My house got some 25 millimeters which is just great! That saves us having to water for a couple of days. Theses pictures here were taken outside Denu Distributors yesterday afternoon.

First Thunderstorm of the new season 2008/2009

Finally a break in the heat with some cloud cover Saturday afternoon, along with a light thunderstorm. Sunday was overcast all day, with some good lightning in the evening.

This lightning picture was taken Saturday afternoon. (The day the Sharks beat the Bulls 14-9 in the 2008 ABSA Currie Cup - YeHA!)

N.Y. Man Struck By Lightning At Gas Station

Man Knocked Out, Suffered Blistering

POSTED: 10:25 am EDT October 3, 2008

UPDATED: 11:22 am EDT October 3, 2008

 

BARKER, N.Y. -- William Hall got a real shock when he went to fill up his gas tank -- he was hit by a bolt of lightning.

The western New York man was putting gasoline into his pickup truck Wednesday at a Niagara County convenience store when he was struck by lightning.

The bolt knocked out the 44-year-old Hall for a few minutes and caused some blistering, but otherwise he was OK.

His wife was sitting in the truck but wasn't injured.

One of the store's surveillance cameras shows the lightning bolt hitting the parking lot while another shows Hall toppling over next to the gas pump after being struck.

Hall returned to the store Thursday to finish filling up his truck.

 

Unusually Late Thunder Storm in the Windhoek Area

Between 01H00 and about 04H30 this morning (22 May 2008) Windhoek experienced a bit of a thunderstorm, which is extremely unusuall for this time of the year! Not that it rained that much in Pioneers Park, we only had about 2.5mm, but I'm sure some other areas got a bit more than that. Time from lightning to thunder was about 5 to 7 seconds. At the rate the clouds are looking today we might just get some more rain later on. Also the temperatures for this time is a bit strange. It should be alot colder than what it is. Winter has not really started either. It is a bit chilly when the sun goes down, but the days are still pretty warm. You can still get away with going to work without a jersey. As for the late thunderstorm, no-one can really recall one for this time off the year...

Pink Lightning Bolt

This pink lightning bolt was taken on the same night as the other couple below here. I just forgot to add this one in. There was a story that this specific lightning started a fire at a house in one of the eastern suberbs of Windhoek, however I could not confirm this story.

Pink Lightning

Here are some great pink lightning shots. This storm was just east of us during the late evening. This storm was close by as you can see from the lightning pictures. Most of the thunder was between 1.5 to 3.0 seconds after the lightning bolt, puting the storm pretty close by to us!

Blue Lightning Pictures

New Lightning Pictures from this 2007/2008 season here in Windhoek, Namibia.

Must say this season was not to bad for the rain part. Lightning however could have been a bit more though. Well here are some more lightning action pictures. Enjoy!

Circular Lightning

A cool lighnting shot taken in a northerly direction. This specific strom is close by and made for some great lightning viewing. I have been a bit busy this lightning season. So there are quite a few new lightning pictures which will be showing up here - enjoy!

 

Poor Rain Season for Namibia

Unfortunately we are headed to the end of the rain storm season. Winter
is looming around the corner and we have had just about no rain yet.
This has to be one of the poorest rain seasons I can remember, in fact I
can't remember it being this bad ever. Since January we have only had
about 25mm, which is basically nothing. There was a lot more rain in the
north than what we got here in the Central Area. There are still a few
optimistic people that think the rain season will be late this year, but
I have my doubts. The grass which should have spread a lot this rain
season is barley alive. Watering is not as effective as rain water,
because there are so many chemicals in our recycled water. So it looks
as if we may be in for a long cold winter. There are still a couple of
clouds that build up in the afternoons which mostly give one false hope
for a bit of rain.
With the weather changing all over the planet, who knows what to expect.
Saw last week the US had freezing weather when they were supposed to be
in Spring Time. I recon that changes are going to become more noticeable
a lot quicker than everyone thinks. So with all this, I have not got the
huge amount of lightning pictures I was looking so forward to this
season. Pretty sad hey?

Tornadoes touch down across America

Tornadoes hit the American Midwest yesterday. Quit a few people have been killed, amongst those killed were 5 school kids. I was looking at some pictures on CNN News and it definitely looks like a war zone out there. The area is still in danger of more tornadoes. Above is a map of the danger areas. Sincere condolences to those who have lost loved ones.

Abnormal Weather in Namibia

More weather blues as far as rain goes for Namibia. Since Saturday last weekend we have had a major drop in air temperatures! This is unheard of in the month of February. Usually the temperatures are in the mid thirties. There are floods in Angola, which is where most of our rain actually comes from, but as you can see in the insert (Left), there is little to no air movement to bring some of that moisture south to Namibia. Another front is also expected (as you can see) which is said to mess things up even longer! So... half way through February, things look a bit on the bleak side when it comes to some exciting thunderstorms, usually in full swing this time of the year. The rain season so far, has been extremely poor. The cool abnormal weather was welcomed by most, who struggle to handle the hot summer conditions here in Namibia. The cool weather lasted almost all week. Temperatures were as low as 11 degrees Celsius.

Thunderstorm Blues

January has been a bad month for good thunderstorms in the Windhoek
area. Most days have shown good promise for some awesome lightning, but
unfortunately I have no spectacular lighting pictures for January. Most
of the storms were out of the Windhoek area. Sunday night was pretty
spectacular with one to two lightning bolts every second, for about an
hour or so. Unfortunately it was too dark for the trusty old camcorder
to get any pictures of lightning, and the main part of the storm was too
far away. The clouds were constantly lighting up from within, making for
a great show. Let's hope that changes during February.

Cloud to Cloud Spider Lightning

These pictures were taken just before Christmas 2006. The full set is available frame by frame at the Lightning Storm Pictures Web site.

The 2 sets are available in Microsoft PowerPoint for download. Both of the lightning sets acually were about 1 second in real time!

Massive storm build up

Currently there is a huge storm build up over the Windkoek area. Conditions look as if we may be in for a night storm. Lightning is getting closer!

TOP-10 MYTHS OF LIGHTNING SAFETY

TOP-10 MYTHS OF LIGHTNING SAFETY
1. MYTH: Lightning Never Strikes the Same Place Twice
TRUTH: Lightning often strikes the same place repeatedly, especially if it's a tall pointy isolated object. The Empire State Building used to be used as a lightning laboratory, since it is hit nearly 25 times a year. Places prone to lightning are places to avoid when thunderstorms are nearby!

2. MYTH: If it's Not Raining, Or If Clouds Aren't Overhead, I'm Safe from Lightning
TRUTH: Lightning often strikes more than three miles from the thunderstorm, far outside the rain or even thunderstorm cloud. 'Bolts from the Blue', though infrequent, can strike 10-15 Miles from the thunderstorm. Anvil lightning can strike the ground over 50 Miles from the thunderstorm, under extreme conditions. Lightning in clouds has travelled over 100 miles from the thunderstorm.

3. MYTH: Rubber Tires Protect You from Lightning in a Car by Insulating You from the Ground
TRUTH: Lightning laughs at two inches of rubber! Most cars are reasonably safe from lightning. But it's the metal roof and metal sides that protect you, not the rubber tires. Thus convertibles, motorcycles, bicycles, open shelled outdoor recreational vehicles, and cars with plastic or fibreglass shells offer no lightning protection. Likewise, farm and construction vehicles with open cockpits offer no lightning protection. But closed cockpits with metal roof and sides are safer than going outside. And don't even ask about sneakers! ☺

4. MYTH: A Lightning Victim Is Electrified. If You Touch Them, You'll be electrocuted.
TRUTH: The human body doesn't store electricity. It is perfectly safe to touch a lightning victim to give them first aid. This is the most chilling of lightning myths. Imagine someone dying needlessly, for want of simple CPR or mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, when their chance of survival was 90%!

5. MYTH: If Outside in a Thunderstorm, Go Under a Tree to Stay Dry
TRUTH: Being underneath trees is the second leading activity for lightning casualties – enough said?!

6. MYTH: I'm In a House, I'm Safe from Lightning
TRUTH: While a house is a good place for lightning safety, just going inside isn't enough. You must avoid any conducting path leading outside, such as corded telephones, electrical appliances, wires, TV cables, plumbing (including plastic pipes with water in them), metal doors or window frames, etc. Don't stand near a window to watch the lightning. An inside room is generally best.

7. MYTH: When Playing Sports and Thunderstorms Threaten, It's Okay To Finish the Game before Seeking Shelter

TRUTH: Sports is the activity with the fastest rising rate of lightning casualties. No game is worth death or life-long severe injury. All people associated with sports should have a lightning safety plan and stick to it strictly. Seek proper shelter immediately when lightning threatens. Adults are responsible for the safety of children!

8. MYTH: Structures With Metal, Or Metal On The Body (Jewellery, Watches, Glasses, Backpacks, Etc.), Attract Lightning

TRUTH: Height, pointy shape, and isolation are the dominant factors controlling where a lightning bolt will strike. The presence of metal makes virtually no difference on where lightning strikes. Mountains are made of stone, but receive many strikes each year. When lightning threatens, take proper protective action immediately. Don't waste time shedding metal off your body, or seeking shelter under inadequate structures. But while metal doesn't attract lightning, touching or being near long metal objects (fences, railings, bleachers, vehicles, etc.) is still unsafe when thunderstorms are nearby. If lightning does happen to hit it, the metal can conduct the electricity a long distance (even over 100 yards) and still electrocute you.

9. MYTH: If Trapped Outside and Lightning Is About To Strike, Lie Flat On The Ground
TRUTH: This advice is decades out of date. Better advice is to use the 'Lightning Crouch': put your feet together, squat low, tuck your head, and cover your ears. Lightning induces electric currents along the top of the ground that can be deadly over 100 Feet away. While lying flat on the ground gets you as low as possible, which is good, it increases your chance of being hit by a ground current, which is bad. The best combination of being low and touching the ground as little as possible is the 'Lightning Crouch'. But the 'Lightning Crouch' should be used only as a last resort. Much better would be to plan outdoor activities around the weather to avoid thunderstorm exposure and to have proper shelter available.

10. MYTH: Go near a tall pointy isolated object when thunderstorms threaten, to be within the 45° "cone of protection"
TRUTH: The "cone of protection" is a myth! While tall pointy isolated objects are statistically more likely to be struck by lightning, it's not nearly reliable enough to rely on for safety. Lightning can still strike you near the tall object. Besides, the lightning electricity will likely spread out along the surface of the ground and can still kill you over 100 Ft from the "protecting" object. Also, if you are close to or touching the tall object, you can be electrocuted via side flash or contact voltage. NO PLACE OUTSIDE IS SAFE NEAR A THUNDERSTORM! In lightning safety, a "myth" is not as good as a mile ☺. Distance and proper shelter is your best protection from lightning.

This list is for information only. No guarantee of lightning safety is stated or implied for this list. For a full description of personal lightning safety, see the Lightning Safety Group recommendations