Tornadoes kill ‘VNV*,’ injure many more in central Oklahoma
Having declared a Tornado Emergency for parts of the Oklahoma City metropolitan area on Friday, the National Weather Service (NWS) warned early Saturday that “Life-threatening” flash floods were hitting much of central and SE Oklahoma and issued Flash Flood Warnings for five additional states.
Gov. Mary Fallin declared a state of emergency. “This has been a very large storm that hit a lot of communities,” she told reporters.
“An extremely unstable air mass has developed across much of Central & Eastern Oklahoma,” the weather service had earlier warned, describing weather conditions as “particularly dangerous.”
“This will likely result in rapid development of severe thunderstorms this afternoon and evening.” NWS said on Friday.
At least five tornadoes touched down in Oklahoma, including a mile-wide twister west of Oklahoma City, causing extensive damage. The tornado-ravaged city of Moore was hit again by a tornado, and experienced widespread flooding.
The tornadoes overturned trucks, tractor trailers and cars on I-40, downing utility poles and tossing livestock on the road, eyewitnesses said.
There were tornadoes on the ground and aloft also in the following places: Oklahoma city, Joplin, Missouri and St. Louis, Missouri.
The storm system also dumped at least 6 inches of rain across most of Oklahoma and Canadian counties, stranding thousands of frightened motorists in flood water.
“Another tornado touched down Friday night 7 miles northeast of Moscow Mills, Mo., about 50 miles northwest of St. Louis. In St. Charles County, 24 houses were severely damaged or destroyed, said Mike O’Connell, communications director for the Missouri Department of Public Safety.”
The storm system knocked out power lines and left at least 250,000 customers without electricity across the Midwest.
“On Thursday, storms in Oklahoma and Arkansas killed at least three people, including Scott County, Arkansas, Sheriff Cody Carpenter, whose body was recovered early on Friday, said a spokesman for the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission,” said a report.
Severe Weather Threat Shifts East on Saturday
Another round of severe weather on Saturday is expected, said the NWS Storm Prediction Center in Norman, Oklahoma, with Ohio and Mississippi River Valleys being the areas for greatest concern. Large hail, damaging winds and isolated strong tornadoes are all possible.
SPC confirmed a total of 36 tornado reports in AR, OK, IL, ND, KS, IA and MO on Thursday and Friday, as of posting.
*[NOTE: VNV stands for a “variable number of victims.” It is an unspecified number, often more than 5 and less than 250, used for reporting the number of disaster deaths, which would otherwise be denied by the state Office of the Chief Medical Examiner.]
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State of Emergency Declared in Missouri
Powerful storm system brings heavy rain, severe flooding, straight-line winds, and tornadoes to Missouri, following days of extreme rains that have prompted Flash Flood Warnings across much of the state.
“Much of Missouri is experiencing dangerous severe weather tonight, on the heels of several days of heavy rain,” said Gov. Nixon. “I urge Missourians to closely monitor weather conditions, so they can take shelter or move to higher ground if needed. The risk of severe weather remains with us well into tomorrow. The state of Missouri will continue to work closely with local officials to help protect lives and property from these storms.”
- Parts of more than 200 roads were shut down due to widespread flooding.
- Multiple tornadoes were spotted moving east across the St. Louis area Friday night, with reports of severe damage, said a report.
- A massive tornado touched down near Bridgeton, causing extensive damage near Harvester, MO, and injuring several people, eyewitnesses reported.
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State of Emergency Declared in San Miguel County, NM, due to Large Wildfire
Gov. Martinez has declared a State of Emergency in San Miguel County and activated the State Emergency Operations Center after Tres Lagunas fire threatened cabins and vacation homes, and closed a highway, prompting dozens of evacuations near Pecos, NM.
The fast-moving wildfire in New Mexico’s Santa Fe National Forest, located near the communities of Pecos and Tres Lagunas, about 25 miles east of Santa Fe, has consumed at least 2,000 acres and is threatening the Santa Fe and Las Vegas watersheds.
The National Weather Service is forecasting Critical Fire Weather conditions throughout the State and has declared a Red Flag Warning for the northern half of New Mexico through Saturday.
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Average CO2 at Mauna Loa: Last 5 days of preliminary daily average CO2
May 30: 399.99 PPM
May 29: 400.20
May 28: 400.27
May 27: 400.29
May 26: 400.45
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Apparent Temperature for Friday May 31, 2013
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Melbourne, Australia hit by flash floods after record rainfall
Record rainfall in Australia’ s second largest city Melbourne triggered widespread flash floods. The city received cumulative rainfall of 48.4mm between 9:00 am Friday and 8:00 am Saturday, the largest amount in a June day since 1904.
The one-day record almost equaled the average rainfall for the month June, currently 49.2mm, Australia’s BOM reported.
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Flooding kills at least 2, affects 16,000 others in Xinjiang , NW China
Heavy flooding triggered by extreme rain events in NW China’s Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region has killed at least two people and affected thousands of others, according to local authorities.
- About 2,000 residents have been relocated.
- Some 700 homes have been damaged or destroyed .
- More than 13,000 livestock lost.
- Thousands of hectares of crops in Kashgar Prefecture destroyed.
- “The flooding also destroyed local roads, bridges and underground power lines in the region,” said a report.
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Iraq Body Count, May 2013
Some 1,045 people were killed in Iraq during May, most of whom were civilians, U.N. reported. According to Iraq Body Count Org, the civilian death toll for may was 883.
In April more than 700 people were killed, according to U.N. figures; Iraq Body Count reported 561 civilian deaths.
[GW Bush, Tony Blair, Obama and the rest of their criminal gangs will be brought to justice, before the global collapse shifts into full gear.]
DISASTER CALENDAR – June 1, 2013 —
SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,015 Days Left
Mass die-offs resulting from human impact and the planetary response to the anthropogenic assault could occur by early 2016.
- SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,015 Days Left to ‘Worst Day’ in the brief Human History
GLOBAL WARNINGS
Global Disasters: Links, Forecasts and Background
Fire Earth 