GLOBAL WEATHER SUMMARY

FEBRUARY 2014

EUROPE

The village of Muchelney has become an island. Cars stand idle; locals canoe across the flooded plain or take a police boat down the road-turned-river connecting them to what they now call the “mainland.” About halfway, a silver sedan bobs in the water, its roof barely protruding. It has been there for five weeks. Even by Britain’s rain-soaked standards it has been a wet winter. For several parts of the country, it was the wettest January on record, and it is still raining. Large swaths of southern England remain on flood alert. Muchelney and the adjacent hamlet of Thorney, about 120 miles southwest of London, are among the hardest hit areas — though it took the government awhile to realize this.

ASIA

A strong storm moving up the eastern coastline of Japan brought some heavy snowfall Saturday into early Sunday for areas that typically don't see much in the way of snow. Tokyo, Japan is difficult to see snow due to the high peak of Mount Fuji just to the west of Tokyo, blocking a lot of the storms moving in from the west, and most storms coming in from the south and east are to warm. This storm was similar to storms that Nor'Easters as this storm developed quickly as it pushes just off the coastline. This brought Tokyo and other cities in eastern Japan some heavy, rare snowfall. Tokyo has seen 8.7 inches (22 cm) of snow from this storm, and it looks like some of the heaviest snowfall seen was in Matsumoto where 19.2 inches (49 cm) of snow fell. With Tokyo being right near the coastline, a snowfall like this is something rarely seen.

Middle East

 

Heavy rainfall and occasional thundershowers associated with fresh winds and hailstorm are set to dominate Muscat, Oman's weather. A trough of low pressure is set to enter the skies of the governorates of Muscat, Musandam, North and South Al Batinah, A'Dakhiliyah, North and South A'Sharqiyah, as well as in Al Hajar Mountains and adjoining areas, bringing a spell of bad weather. Moderate to rough seas are expected in the Sea of Oman and coasts of Musandam with a noticeable temperature decrease across most governorates of the Sultanate.

 

RUSSIA

 

A spell of mild winter weather is disrupting events at the Sochi Olympic and Games organizers are concerned about the outlook with temperatures forecast to rise further this week.

 

UNITED STATES

 

Parts of the Eastern United States on Friday fended off freezing rain and snow as a powerful winter storm lumbered through the Great Lakes, driving thunderstorms eastward.

The National Weather Service predicted the storm would affect the Upper Midwest, Great Lakes and the Northeast, with blizzard conditions in Minnesota and Iowa and strong winds across a portion of the Great Lakes and Ohio Valley. Severe storms with wind and large hail were possible from Boston to Miami, said CNN meteorologist Sherri Pugh.

 

Three cows and a calf died and several homes sustained minor damage when severe weather rolled through Putnam County Fl Sunday afternoon. The Putnam County Emergency Management Agency believes the damage is a result of straight line winds. Nickel sized hail was also reported, according to the National Weather Service.

Hollister fire department Chief Robert Davenport said two barns were destroyed during the storm that hit the area just before 2 p.m. At least 15 firefighters responded to the area of Red Oak Lane to clear the roads of heavy debris and assess damage.

 

Jim G. Munley, jr.
http://www.jimmunleywx.com