Friday, December 30, 2016

Weekly wrap-up: Plane disappears over Lake Erie amid snowy conditions; Christmas Blizzard ravages north-central US

By Kevin Byrne, AccuWeather staff writer
By Brian Lada, AccuWeather meteorologist and staff writer
December 30,2016, 10:02:13AM,EST
 
 A blizzard created hazardous travel across the north-central United States on Christmas Day as it unleashed howling winds and nearly 2 feet of snow in parts of the region.
The storm resulted in stretches of major interstates, such as interstates 90 and 94, being closed across Wyoming, North Dakota and South Dakota. Snow and ice also caused many roads in northwestern Minnesota to be closed for a time as well.
northdakotablizzard
Photo/North Dakota Highway Patrol

Bismarck, North Dakota, received a daily record snowfall of 10.5 inches on Sunday.
Typhoon Nock-ten, locally known as Nina, made landfall over the Philippines on Christmas Day, stranding thousands of holiday travelers and causing at least seven fatalities.
The typhoon caused widespread damage on land, toppling trees and cutting power to five entire provinces in the Philippines. The powerful storm also sunk a cargo ship off the coast during the height of the storm, the Associated Press reported.

typhoon_nock_ten
A passenger jeep navigates a flooded street caused by rains from Typhoon Nock-Ten in Quezon city, north of Manila, Philippines, on Monday, Dec. 26, 2016. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)

Record warmth made it feel like summer in Texas through the holidays. Houston set a record high of 83 F on Tuesday, surpassing the old record of 81 set in 1971. On Wednesday, temperatures reached the 80s for the fifth consecutive day, tying the city's previous record for December days with 80-degree temperatures.
Foggy conditions hindered travel across the United Kingdom during the middle of the week. A deadly pileup involving up to 20 vehicles occurred near Oxfordshire, located in South East England on Wednesday. Numerous flight delays were also reported at London's Heathrow Airport and London City Airport.
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A powerful earthquake struck southern Chile on Christmas Day, causing the ground to crack and some roadways to crumble. The magnitude-7.6 quake also lead to a tsunami warning, but the warning was later canceled with no tsunami occurring.
A series of smaller earthquakes shook parts of central California and Nevada on Tuesday night and Wednesday morning with over 40 earthquakes measuring between 2.5 and 5.7 on the Richter scale.
A small plane departing from Burke Lakefront Airport near Cleveland, Ohio, went missing late Thursday night, according to the Associated Press.
Six people were on board when it disappeared over Lake Erie. Weather had prevented a boat search overnight, but aircraft were assisting. Lake-effect snow showers were around Thursday night.
A nor'easter dumped several feet of snow across northern New England from Thursday into Friday, creating hazardous travel and leaving thousands without power.
Naples, Maine, about 30 miles northeast of Portland, received at least 27 inches of snow. Parts of Maine had intense snowfall at a rate of 3 inches an hour.
Thundersnow was reported throughout northeastern Massachusetts, including around Boston.
A round of strong storms moved through Melbourne, Australia, on Thursday, forcing cars to navigate heavy flooding around the city. The flooding resulted in numerous road closures and water rescues.
Several AccuWeather meteorologists and staff writers contributed content to this article.
 

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