[NYTr] Storms lead to chaos in New York; Worldwide Weather Woes

[All the News That Doesn't Fit]

BBC Wednesday, 8 August 2007, 17:18 GMT 18:18 UK 
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/6937459.stm

Storms lead to chaos in New York

Torrential rain and heavy winds have caused havoc in the New York area,
flooding subway and overground railway lines and delaying flights.

Trees were uprooted, smashing into cars and blocking streets, roofs
were torn off houses and power cuts reported.

The storms led to tornado and flash flood warnings, but gave way later
to hot, humid weather.

A woman died when her car got stuck in an underpass and was hit from
behind, city Mayor Michael Bloomberg said.

Many workers stayed at home, as transport officials advised commuters
to avoid the morning rush hour.

Every subway line going into the central Manhattan area was subject to
delays during the rush hour. Rail routes to the city from neighbouring
New Jersey were also affected.

Flights from John F Kennedy airport were delayed by up to an hour and a
half, and from LaGuardia by about an hour.

Temperatures were expected to rise above 38C (100F) during the day.

                           ***

CNN - Aug 8, 2007
http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/08/08/nyc.weather/index.html?eref=rss_topstories

Storms kill one, disrupt travel around New York City

Wednesday 08 August 2007

NEW YORK (CNN) -- One person was killed Wednesday as strong winds and
heavy rainstorms tore through New York City in the early morning,
wreaking havoc on travel and local transit.

 Mayor Michael Bloomberg said a woman died after her car became stuck
in high water under an overpass on Staten Island and it was hit by
another car.

Five people were injured throughout the city, most by falling trees and
flying objects, when what was possibly a tornado swept through Brooklyn
shortly before 7 a.m., Bloomberg said.

The Sunset Park neighborhood in Brooklyn lost as many as 40 percent of
its trees, according to Commissioner Joe Bruno of the city Office of
Emergency Management.

 Many of them fell on vehicles and homes.

"I saw the tree coming down and I ran back inside," said one man who
had gone outside when his car alarm starting sounding.

"It sounded like a freight train coming through," he added. "I never
thought this would happen in Brooklyn. ... Kansas maybe, but not here."

One official said as many as 150 trees were reported down in the city.

 Bloomberg said he had visited a Nissan dealership in Brooklyn that
lost part of its roof and saw several churches missing parts of their
roofs or windows.

Flash flood warnings were briefly issued in New York City and
surrounding areas after a strong thunderstorm moved through around 7
a.m., dumping up to 3 inches of rain in less than an hour over
Manhattan and western and central Long Island.

Bloomberg said some area beaches might have to be closed later because
of sewage mixing with storm runoff.

The National Weather Service issued a tornado warning for about 25
minutes, until 7:15 a.m. ET, after Doppler radar reported a strong
rotation in the area that includes JFK International Airport.

The extreme weather caused delays of up to an hour and a half at JFK
Airport -- which got 3.47 inches of rain -- and at LaGuardia
International Airport -- which got 2.54 inches of rain and some
flooding on the roads in and around the airport. The runways were not
affected, a Port Authority spokesman said.

Ground transportation was disrupted, too.

"Due to severe flooding throughout the subway system, there are
extensive delays on all subway lines," said a statement from the Metro
Transit Authority. "Customers are advised when at all possible to use
bus service."

The Long Island Rail Road had delays of up to 30 minutes systemwide,
officials said.

PATH train service across northern New Jersey and the Newark Light Rail
system was also disrupted.

PSEG electric company in New Jersey reported about 3,000 scattered
power outages, and Con-Ed reported 6,000 outages in New York City and
Westchester. advertisement

A heat advisory remains in effect for the New York City metro area,
where the combination of high humidity from the morning's rainfall and
afternoon temperatures in the 90s will create heat indices around 100
degrees.

Heat advisories and warnings extended south to Florida and west into
Kansas.

                                   ***

CNN - Aug 7, 2007
http://www.cnn.com/2007/TECH/science/08/07/weather.extremes/index.html?eref=rss_world

Around the globe, 2007 is on track to be a year of extreme weather

UNITED NATIONS (CNN) -- Extreme weather has plagued the globe this
year, a U.N. agency says, causing some of the highest temperatures on
record.

 The World Meteorological Organization said "global land surface
temperatures for January and April will likely be ranked as the warmest
since records began in 1880," according to the United Nations.

WMO said temperatures were 1.89 degrees Celsius (3.4 degrees
Fahrenheit) higher than average for January and 1.37 degrees C (2.45
degrees F) higher than average for April.

The agency found that climate warming was unequivocal and most likely
"due to human activities such as the burning of fossil fuels."

Here are some of the extreme instances the United Nations cites:

Four monsoon depressions, double the normal number, caused heavy
flooding in India, Pakistan and Bangladesh. On Monday, floodwaters
receded in parts of South Asia, but the death toll rose to 347,
officials said.

Millions remain displaced and homeless, and authorities fear waterborne
disease could spread. Indian officials say more than 1,200 people have
died in their country alone since monsoon season began in June.

England and Wales have experienced their wettest May-to-July period
since record-keeping started in 1766. In late July, swollen rivers
threatened to burst their banks. At least eight people died during
weeks of torrential rain, and thousands were without tap water.

 Late last month in Sudan, floods and heavy rain caused 23,000 mud
brick homes to collapse, killing at least 62 people. The rainfall was
abnormally heavy and early for this time of the year.

In May, swell waves up to 15 feet high swept into 68 islands in the
Maldives, causing severe flooding and damage. Also in May, a heat wave
swept across Russia.

Southeastern Europe did not escape the unusual weather. The area
suffered record-breaking heat in June and July.

An unusual cold southern winter brought wind, blizzards and rare
snowfall to various parts of South America, with temperatures reaching
as low as 7 degrees below zero Fahrenheit (-22 degrees Celsius) in
Argentina and 0 degrees Fahrenheit (-18 Celsius) in Chile in July.
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In June, South Africa had its first significant snowfall since 1981, as
almost 10 inches (25 centimeters) of the white stuff fell in some parts
of the country.

And in the United States, temperatures climbed into the triple digits
this week in Midwestern states.