Storm BARBARA Prompts ‘Amber Warning’ for Scotland

Storm BARBARA forecast to impact Scotland

• A spell of very strong south to southwesterly winds is expected to develop on Friday [December 24, 2016.] Gusts of 80 mph [~ 130kmph] are likely quite widely, with westerly winds gusting to 90 mph likely across parts of western and northern Scotland later on Friday and overnight into Saturday. Winds will then ease on Saturday morning. —UK Met Office

Massive Storm System Impacting Western and Central U.S.

EXTREME WEATHER EVENTS

Powerful Storm System moving across the  U.S. Dumping Heavy Snow

Massive Winter Storm is bringing heavy snow to the higher elevations of the Central Rockies, Northern High Plains and Upper Midwest, causing  temperatures to plunge substantially in the West and Central U.S., said National Weather Service (NWS).

The temperatures are forecast to plunge as much as 30 degrees below normal.

• Up to 18 inches of snow could bury Northern Minnesota and Wisconsin. 

The powerful storm system is moving across the Western and Central U.S. The storm is bringing heavy snow to parts of the Rockies and Northern Plains. The highest snow totals are expected to be in the Central Rockies where up to 24 inches of snow is expected. Further east, parts of Minnesota and Wisconsin may receive up to 18 inches of snow. Once the storm departs, bitterly cold air will follow. —NWS

U.S. Weather Hazards Map (Hazmap)  for Tuesday, December 3, 2013. Source: NWS/CRH. Map enhanced by FIRE-EARTH Blog.

A rather strong upper level low currently over the Pacific Northwest is forecast to continue dropping southeastward into the Northern Rockies by Wednesday, pushing a surface cold front south and east ahead of it. Very cold temperatures drawn in from Canada, combined with strong vertical lift, should be enough to support widespread heavy snow from the Northern and Central Rockies into the Northern Plains and Upper Midwest. Winter Storm watches, warnings, and advisories are currently in effect for much of the Intermountain West, Northern Plains, and Upper Midwest. Light to moderate snow will begin across the Northern Rockies, Northern Plains, and Upper Midwest on Monday night, and eventually spread into the higher terrain of the Central Rockies by Tuesday afternoon. At this point, it appears the heaviest of the snow accumulations should be confined to the highest terrain of the Central Rockies with storm totals ranging from 12 to 18 inches across the Wasatch range of Utah, to as much as 24 or more inches in the Central Rockies. Farther east across extreme Northern Minnesota and Wisconsin, anywhere from 10 to 18 inches of snow is possible. —NWS

Recent Extreme Weather Events

• Nor’easter Spawned by Deadly Thanksgiving Storm November 27, 2013
• Deadly Thanksgiving Storm Moves East November 26, 2013

Global Disasters/ Significant Events – Nov. 22, 2013

32 dead, dozens buried after Latvia mall collapse

At least 32 people have reportedly been killed and dozens more trapped in the rubble after the roof of a shopping mall collapsed in Riga, the Latvian capital.

More than 500 square meters of the roof collapsed at the ‘Maxima’ building in Riga in two separate stages, with the second collapse killing several rescue workers, according to reports.

“At least 70 people may still be trapped in the rubble, according to the latest data,” Riga’s mayor told reporters.

Large sections of the roof collapsed at Maxima shopping center on Priedaines Street in Riga. Photo credit:@SergioYurtaev)

Pipeline explodes killing 22 in E China

At least 22  people were killed after a leaky pipeline caught fire and exploded Friday morning in the coastal city of Qingdao in east China’s Shandong Province, officials said.

Original caption: Photo taken with a mobile phone shows the site of a pipeline explosion in Qingdao, east China’s Shandong Province, Nov. 22, 2013. A fire broke out and the blast occurred around 10 a.m. in the Huangdao District when workers were repairing a petroleum pipeline which broke and resulted in an oil leakage around 3 a.m. (Xinhua)

Fog stops ships on Houston Channel: U.S. Coast Guard

Sea fog reduced visibility to unsafe levels along the Houston Ship Channel, forcing vessel pilots to stop steering all ships early Friday (UTC), said the U.S. Coast Guard, Reuters reported.

Pilots stopped steering ships along the 53-mile (85-kilometer) channel from the Gulf of Mexico to the busiest U.S. petrochemical port, said the report.

High winds kill two, leave thousands without power in San Francisco area

“The Napa County Sheriff’s Office ordered an unknown number of people evacuated after a fallen power line sparked a wildfire that grew to between 100 and 200 acres, a dispatcher said,” Reuters reported.

There may have been some gusts in the 50- and 55-miles-per-hour range closer to the coast, but the very strongest winds, including one gust of 120 miles per hour, were in the high terrain of the Sierra Nevada,” said a meteorologist at NWS.

Dangerous Sierra Wind Storm Friday Night through Early Saturday

The National Weather Service (NWS)in Sacramento has issued a High Wind Warning: “Strong high pressure building into the Pacific Northwest
combined with a deep low pressure system off the southern California coast will bring strong east winds to the Sierra and Coastal Mountains … The strongest winds are expected Tonight.”

This post would be updated throughout the day, if additional information becomes available.