Weather Observation: Mossel Bay (27 March 2013 17h30 SAST

- SAWDOS (Click on image for larger view.)

Sunset Heiderand, Mossel Bay (26 March 2013 18h20 SAST)

 

- SAWDOS (Click on images for larger view.)

Sunset: Cape Town

Here are pics from this evening here is Cape Town. The one named MilnertonXXX Is courtesy of Madelein Murphy. Photo taken from Milnerton


SunsetNH01 is taken in Noordhoek

Moonconstantia was taken facing Constantia Berg in a northerly direction. The moon on the top right

All taken around 19h10

- Jakes

Photo: Weather Observation: Nelpruit (19 March 2013)

Tripps - @SAWDOS1 cloud to the north of Nelspruit looks like its moving south

Tropical Storm Tim

Tropical Storm Tim formed over the Coral Sea on March 13, 2013, and remained off the coast of northeastern Australia for the next four days. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra satellite captured this natural-color image of Tim on March 17. Although lacking a distinct eye, Tim still had the spiral shape characteristic of strong storms.
Unisys Weather reported that Tim’s wind speeds rose to 55 knots (100 kilometers per hour) on March 14, but by March 17, speeds had dropped to 35 knots (65 kilometers per hour).
Another image of Tim, acquired on March 14, is available from the LANCE MODIS Rapid Response site.

1. References

2. Unisys Weather (2013, March 18) Tim Tracking Information. Accessed March 18, 2013.

NASA image courtesy Jeff Schmaltz, LANCE MODIS Rapid Response. Caption by Michon Scott.

Instrument: 

Terra - MODIS - NASA

Clouds over the Southern Indian Ocean

 

Marine stratocumulus clouds stretched across the southern Indian Ocean in early March 2013. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Aqua satellite acquired this natural-color image on March 11, as a striking band of clouds ran roughly northwest to southeast over the open ocean.
Earth’s boundary layer extends upward from the land or ocean surface to roughly 2 kilometers (1 mile) in altitude, and it is the part of the atmosphere where interactions with the planet surface have the strongest effects. Patrick Minnis of NASA’s Langley Research Center explains that the clouds in this image likely formed underneath a strong inversion, in which air above the boundary layer was sinking. “The clouds in the northwest are below one kilometer in altitude,” Minnis noted, “while the remaining clouds, which are thicker and more developed, are between one and two kilometers.”
Minnis also noted that an atmospheric eddy was swirling in the east, and explains that it is “comparable to a small-scale, low-pressure system confined to the boundary layer.”

1. References

2. Earth System Research Laboratory Surface and Planetary Boundary Layer Processes. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Accessed March 15, 2013.
3. Science Daily Inversion (meteorology). Accessed March 15, 2013.

NASA image courtesy Jeff Schmaltz, LANCE MODIS Rapid Response. Caption by Michon Scott.

Instrument: 

Aqua - MODIS - NASA

USA HAM Radio Users Prep for Severe Weather Season

Severe weather season is right around the corner and that means USA HAM radio users are dusting off their gear and gearing up for the coming storms.

The Nebraska HAM radio state convention is underway at the Lancaster Event Center.

HAM radios can make contact over short distances, like inside a room, or long distances, like around the world.

That versatility make them ideal for severe weather spotting and response.

At the state convention, HAM operators are brushing up on their hobby and stocking up on new equipment.

It's all part of their commitment to being ready, if and when disaster strikes.

Lincoln Amateur Radio Club Vice President Mike Walsh says we have lots of ways to communicate, whether via cell phone, texting or email, but they're not always reliable.

Walsh says, "In a real emergency, a lot of those services are not available - they're wiped out or we've lost power or whatever. But the HAM radio community works and practices to be able to provide communication in a disaster scenario."

HAM operators must be licensed by the FCC and must also be trained to take part in storm spotting.

VIDEO AVAILABLE BY CLICKING HERE.

- 1011 News

Everything you need to know: Autumn equinox 2013

The March equinox signals the beginning of spring in the Northern Hemisphere and autumn in the Southern Hemisphere. It marks that special moment when the sun crosses the celestial equator going from south to north. In 2013, this equinox will arrive on March 20 at 11:02 Universal Time, or 6:02 a.m. Central Daylight Time for us in the central U.S.

For the remainder of the 21st century (2001-2100), the March equinox will fall on March 20 or 19. Yet it won’t first occur on March 19 until the year 2044, and it won’t happen on March 21 until the year 2102. The March equinox last took place on March 21 in 2007.

A Chinese perspective on the spring equinox
Equinox 2013 comes before sunrise March 20 for most of U.S.
2013 equinox: Sun rises due east and sets due west

If you’re curious (or confused) about the various dates of this equinox, you’re not alone. In a nutshell, it’s because the tropical year, as measured between successive March equinoxes, doesn’t have an even number of days (365.242 days). Our calendar, on the other hand, has an even 365 days in a common year and 366 days in a leap year.

The centennial year 2000 is a leap year, bringing about earlier dates for the March equinox in the 21st century (2001-2100). However, the suppression of the leap year in the centennial year 2100 pushes the dates upward again in the 22nd century (2101-2200).

Here’s what we all know about this equinox. In the Northern Hemisphere, the sun is rising earlier now, and nightfall comes later. Plants are sprouting. Winds are softening. For us in the Northern Hemisphere, people are enjoying the warmer days of spring. South of the equator, autumn begins.

What is an equinox?

The equinox is an event that happens in Earth’s orbit around the sun. Simultaneously, it happens on the imaginary dome of our sky. The imaginary celestial equator is a great circle dividing the sky into Northern and Southern Hemispheres. The celestial equator wraps the sky directly above Earth’s equator. At the equinox, the sun crosses the celestial equator, to enter the sky’s northern hemisphere.

Our ancestors didn’t understand the equinoxes and solstices as events that occur in the course of Earth’s yearly orbit around the sun. But they surely marked today as being midway between the sun’s lowest path across the sky in winter and highest path across the sky in summer.

Today, we know each equinox and solstice is an astronomical event, caused by Earth’s tilt on its axis and ceaseless motion in orbit.

Because Earth doesn’t orbit upright, but is instead tilted on its axis by 23-and-a-half degrees, Earth’s Northern and Southern hemispheres trade places in receiving the sun’s light and warmth most directly. We have an equinox twice a year – spring and fall – when the tilt of the Earth’s axis and Earth’s orbit around the sun combine in such a way that the axis is inclined neither away from nor toward the sun.

At the equinox, Earth’s two hemispheres are receiving the sun’s rays equally. Night and day are approximately equal in length. The word equinox comes from the Latin aequus (equal) and nox (night).
But, since Earth never stops moving around the sun, these days of equal sunlight and night will change quickly.

Where should I look to see signs of the equinox in nature?

The knowledge that spring is here – and summer is coming – is everywhere now, on the northern half of Earth’s globe.

If you live in Earth’s Northern Hemisphere, you’ve likely been noticing the earlier dawns and later sunsets for some weeks now.

Also notice the arc of the sun across the sky each day. You’ll find it’s shifting toward the north. Birds and butterflies are migrating back northward, too, along with the path of the sun.

The longer days bring with them warmer weather. People are leaving their winter coats at home. Trees are budding, and plants are beginning a new cycle of growth. In many places, spring flowers are beginning to bloom.

Does the sun rise due east and set due west at the equinox?

Yes, it does. And that’s true no matter where you live on Earth, because we all see the same sky.
No matter where you are on Earth, you have a due east and due west point on your horizon. That point marks the intersection of your horizon with the celestial equator – the imaginary line above the true equator of the Earth.

At the equinoxes, the sun appears overhead at noon as seen from Earth’s equator, as the illustration at right shows. This illustration (which is by Tau’olunga) shows the sun’s location on the celestial equator, every hour, on the day of the equinox.

That’s why the sun rises due east and sets due west for all of us. The sun is on the celestial equator, and the celestial equator intersects all of our horizons at points due east and due west.

This fact makes the day of an equinox a good day for finding due east and due west from your yard or other favorite site for watching the sky. Just go outside around sunset or sunrise and notice the location of the sun on the horizon with respect to familiar landmarks.

If you do this, you’ll be able to use those landmarks to find those cardinal directions in the weeks and months ahead, long after Earth has moved on in its orbit around the sun, carrying the sunrise and sunset points northward.

So enjoy the 2013 spring equinox on March 20 – an event that happens on our sky’s dome – and a seasonal marker in Earth’s orbit around the sun!

Bottom line: In 2013, the vernal equinox comes on March 20 at 11:02 Universal Time, or 6:02 a.m. Central Daylight Time for us in the central U.S. This post explains the significance of an equinox.

How to translate Universal Time to your time zone

- EarthSky

1 of the 7 New Natural Wonders of the World

Air Mercy Service ‏@AIRMERCYSERVICE - 1 of the 7 new natural wonders of the world, from 500 ft above Milnerton #TableMountain #CapeTown

In a Warming World, the Storms May Be Fewer But Stronger ( Part

Competing Forces Muddle the Picture

Although more rain and snow are falling from storms, it’s more difficult to say how global warming will affect the formation of those storms in the first place. “This would be a much easier nut to crack if the effects of warming all pointed to more frequent, stronger storms,” says Harold Brooks, a meteorologist at NOAA’s National Severe Storms Laboratory. “Unfortunately, they don’t.”

Though thunderstorms are familiar and seemingly non-threatening, severe thunderstorms—with sustained winds above 93 kilometers (58 miles) per hour or with unusually large hail—can lead to supercells, derechos, and tornadoes. Several key ingredients are required for severe thunderstorms, starting with the presence of warm, moist air near the surface and a store of potential energy once that air begins to rise. Meteorologists call this combination “convective available potential energy,” or CAPE. The higher the CAPE, the more potential an air mass has to create the towering cumulus clouds that create storms.

Lightning only occurs in areas with strong convection. This map of lightning strike frequency from May 1995 through 2011 shows where severe weather occurs around the world. Scientists are using computer models to predict if global warming will cause an increase in the number and strength of thunderstorms. (NASA image by Robert Simmon, using data from the MSFC Global Hydrology Resource Center.)

“CAPE can provide storms with the raw fuel to produce rain and hail,” says Brooks, “and vertical wind shear can pull and twist weak storms into strong, windy ones.”

Climate change should, theoretically, increase potential storm energy by warming the surface and putting more moisture in the air through evaporation, Brooks explained. But on the other hand, disproportionate warming in the Arctic should lead to less wind shear in the mid-latitude areas prone to severe thunderstorms, making the storms less likely.

In recent years, Del Genio conducted simulations to assess global warming’s impact on thunderstorms in the United States. Working with a climate model maintained by the Goddard Institute for Space Studies, he found that the number of severe storms would not change much, but the strongest storms would have even stronger and more destructive winds.

Another study, led by Robert Trapp of Purdue University, found that a doubling of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere would significantly increase the number of days that severe thunderstorms could occur in the southern and eastern United States. Cities such as Atlanta and New York could see a doubling of the number of days that severe thunderstorms could occur, the models suggested. “The increase in CAPE more than compensated for the decrease in wind shear,” Trapp says.

Detailed climate models of the United States are helping scientists determine the effect of future climate change on storms. These maps show the results of one model comparing the summer climate in 2072–2099 with the climate in 1962–1989. Convective available potential energy is predicted to rise enough to overwhelm a slight decrease in vertical wind shear, leading to an increase in severe thunderstorms, especially in Missouri and coastal North and South Carolina. (Images adapted from Trapp et al., 2007.)

However, both scientists caution that there’s uncertainty in their findings because of the meager scientific attention thunderstorms have received. Unlike tropical cyclones, which climate researchers have studied intensely since Hurricane Katrina struck New Orleans in 2005, only a handful of researchers have focused on the impact of global warming on severe thunderstorms.

Then there are problems unique to tornadoes. Beyond knowing that they require a certain type of wind shear, meteorologists just don’t know much about why some thunderstorms generate tornadoes and others don’t. (Only about 1 percent of thunderstorms generate tornadoes.) “You can’t just take the results of the modeling for severe thunderstorms and assume they apply to tornadoes,” says Del Genio.

Similar problems confound research about extra-tropical and tropical cyclones. Conventional wisdom holds that extra-tropical cyclones will be somewhat less likely in a warmer world because the differences in temperatures between the tropics and the Arctic—one of the key elements fueling extra-tropical storms—should decline.

But again, there are competing forces. At higher altitudes in the upper troposphere—above 5 kilometers (3 miles)—the air is warming more quickly at the equator than at the poles. Since upper troposphere temperatures and winds are key to the formation of extra-tropical cyclones, changes at that level could counteract changes lower in the atmosphere.

- NASA

Australia - Bureau of Meteorology confirms it's been the hottest summer on record

This summer hasn't just felt hot. It's been hot. The numbers are in, and the Bureau has confirmed this summer has been Australia's hottest on record.

Average temperatures across the country came in at 28.6°C, 1.1°C above normal, and exceeding the previous record set in the summer of 1997-98 by more than 0.1°C. A new daytime maximum temperature record was also set at 35.7°C, or 1.4°C above normal, and 0.2°C above the 1982/83 record.

The most extreme heat occurred in the first three weeks of January during an exceptionally widespread and prolonged heatwave. The highest temperature recorded during the heatwave was at Moomba in South Australia at 49.6°C.

Of the 112 locations used in long-term climate monitoring, 14 had their hottest day on record during the summer of 2012/13 – the largest number in any single summer. Record temperatures were also set in two capital cities; Sydney with 45.8°C and Hobart with 41.8°C.

A new record was also set for the number of consecutive days the average maximum daily temperature for Australia exceeded 39°C – seven days between 2 and 8 January 2013, almost doubling the previous record of four consecutive days in 1973.

Despite heavy rainfall on the east coast, compounded as ex-tropical cyclone Oswald cut a steady path down the eastern-seaboard, for most of Australia it was a dry summer.

Nationally, summer rainfall was at its lowest since 2004-05. Victoria had its driest summer since 1984-85 and South Australia since 1985-86.

This summer follows a pattern of extremely hot summers in various parts of the world over the past few years.

While the final numbers for the Southern Hemisphere summer will not be confirmed until mid-March, it was the hottest December on record for land areas of the Southern Hemisphere, followed by the hottest January. Large parts of southern Africa recorded their hottest January on record.

Hotter temperatures were also recorded in large parts of Argentina, Chile and Brazil, while temperatures in parts of Patagonia were more than 4°C above normal in January.

For further information go to www.bom.gov.au/climate/change/
Also read Hot Summer? Yes: the hottest published today on The Conversation.

- WMO  +  Bureau of Meteorology, Australia.

In a Warming World, Storms May Be Fewer but Stronger (Part 1)

Scientists Investigate How Climate Change Affects Extreme Weather

By Adam Voiland Design by Robert Simmon March 5, 2013

 

Introduction

 

Few images are as beautiful and as terrifying as a satellite view of a hurricane about to make landfall. On October 29, 2012, the Suomi NPP satellite captured an ominous nighttime view of Sandy—an enormous hybrid storm that was part hurricane, part Nor‘easter—churning off the coast of New Jersey.

Hurricane Sandy approaches the Atlantic coast of the U.S. in the early morning hours of October 29, 2012. (NASA Earth Observatory image by Jesse Allen and Robert Simmon, using VIIRS Day-Night Band data from the Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership.)

The string of city lights that stretches from Washington to Boston was mostly gone, blanketed by thick, ghostly storm clouds. One of the most brightly lit cities in the world, New York, was little more than a faint smudge through Sandy’s clouds.

In a matter of hours, that smudge of light would go dark. Large swaths of Manhattan were under water. The Rockaways were on fire. Rooftops along the New Jersey shore became temporary islands for people escaping a wall of seawater that surged inland.

Hurricane Sandy knocked out power to much of lower Manhattan, New York. (Photograph ©2012 Several seconds.)

Was Superstorm Sandy an expression of a “new normal” for our weather? Was it a storm pumped up by global warming?

“If you look at the unique set of circumstances in which Sandy emerged and you know something about meteorology and climate,” says Marshall Shepherd, director of the atmospheric sciences program at the University of Georgia, “it’s hard not to ask yourself these kinds of questions.”

Sandy is not the only recent storm to make people ask questions about climate change and weather. In 2010, an epic winter storm dubbed “Snowmageddon” dumped more than half a meter (2 feet) of snow across many parts of the U.S. East Coast. And in April 2011, tornadoes killed more than 364 Americans—the most ever in a month. The rash of twisters etched scars of destruction on the landscape so long and wide that they could be seen from space. The United States set records in 2011 and 2012 for the number of weather disasters that exceeded $1 billion in losses; most were storms.

Hackleburg High School in Alabama was destroyed by a tornado in April 2011. (Photograph courtesy Federal Emergency Management Agency.)

All of these weather events have happened as the concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere has been rising higher than it has been for at least 100,000 years. Scientists are nearly certain that the buildup of carbon dioxide has already sparked changes in Earth’s atmosphere and ecosystems. The lowest layer of the atmosphere (the troposphere) has warmed markedly, especially at high latitudes. So have the world’s oceans. Heat waves and droughts have grown more likely and more extreme. Arctic ice is melting at a record pace, and the snowy landscapes of the far north have started melting earlier each year.

Given all the change that has already take place, it’s reasonable to wonder if climate change has affected storms as well. “After the tornadoes in 2011, I was flooded with calls from reporters,” says Anthony Del Genio, a climatologist at NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS). “People wanted quick, definitive answers. The trouble is that’s not where the science is.”

Historically, research on tornadoes, hurricanes, and other types of storms has focused on short-term forecasting, not on understanding how storms are changing over time. Reliable, long-term records of storms are scarce, and the different reporting and observing methods have left many scientists and meteorologists feeling skeptical. But the study of storminess and climate has begun to mature, says Del Genio, and a consensus is emerging: for several types of storms, global warming may prime the atmosphere to produce fewer but stronger storms.

- NASA

Storms are Getting Stronger (Part 2) to be published 8 March 2013

Photo: Have a blessed day!

Ttracey van Heerden - Gorgeous morning in Midstream! Have a crime free blessed day people! Be grateful for all things u have! Amen

Photos: Severe Thunderstorm: Port Elizabeth (10 February 2013)

Jared Cassidy - @SAWDOS1 PE just before the storm hit.

Photo: Weather Observation: Grahamstown Storm (10 February 2013)

Mountain View Manor - And then came the storm — hour ago near Grahamstown, Eastern Cape

Intense thunderstorms active in parts of Kwazulu Natal since early this morning. (10 February 2013)

Image: Joslyn Walker (Click on image for larger view.)

Areas in Kwazulu Natal experience intense thunderstorms since 03h00 this morning.  The following reports were received via Twitter and Facebook.

AwsumKath @SAWDOS1 @SAWeatherServic WOW a storm that's lasted 4 hours how bizaar Queensburgh,Durban Loving the rain though. All quiet now. 9 minutes ago · reply · retweet · favorite

DavePugheParry @SAWDOS1 The skies above Bothas Hill must have a Thor tummy, it's been thundering for about 4 hours now. Donder & bliksems... 12 minutes ago · reply · retweet · favorite

ShelliLawson @SAWDOS1 storm seems to have abated in Gillitts. The most intense 5 hours I have ever experienced! Can still hear thunder but far away! 12 minutes ago · reply · retweet · favorite

RheaMorar @SAWDOS1 still raining & thunder in Chatsworth, South of Durban. 15 minutes ago · reply · retweet · favorite

edeni @SAWDOS1 Fog horns still sounding in Cape Town. Have been at it since late last night. 17 minutes ago · reply · retweet · favorite

SAWDOS1 Close up satellite image of the storm in the Durban area. Not very focused. - SAT24 pic.twitter.com/nGCg1Iwp 16 minutes ago · reply · retweet · favorite

Grayam32bn @SAWDOS1 Umkomaas 0821 it's raining hard now no wind thunder still rumbling in the west 21 minutes ago · reply · retweet · favorite

kennykzn @Grayam32bn @SAWDOS1 Dark and pouring with heavy lightning here in Doonside 23 minutes ago · reply · retweet · favorite

collbowie Very overcast heavy skies, no thunder, rain looks imminent #Centurion #reeds @SAWDOS1 26 minutes ago · reply · retweet · favorite

SAWDOS1 @KwamboCari @joswalker Absolutely great image!!! Thanks for posting - SAWDOS 24 minutes ago · reply · retweet · favorite

KwamboCari @SAWDOS1 ... “@joswalker: We have angered the gods.... pic.twitter.com/8OgwSuXN” 36 minutes ago · reply · retweet · favorite

Grayam32bn @SAWDOS1 Umkomaas 0757 we have a storm moving in from the west no wind or rain yet only thunder so far 44 minutes ago · reply · retweet · favorite

Dalegrobler @SAWDOS1 It's getting ugly over Durban. Loads of thunder hardly any rain yet. Awesome clouds. pic.twitter.com/IKUpco9x 47 minutes ago · reply · retweet · favorite

mesterinsa Thunderbolts and lightning, very very frightening since 3, get the buckets, upper Highway- *the original words* @SAWDOS1 48 minutes ago · reply · retweet · favorite

trishpp @SAWDOS1 #BothaHill 4hr #storm tantrum seems to be finally giving up. Just the hiccupping aftermath with an occasonal door slamming crash. 49 minutes ago · reply · retweet · favorite

pilotsimon208 @SAWDOS1 slowly moving out to see over Durban pic.twitter.com/51SJmhkI 49 minutes ago · reply · retweet · favorite

MandySingleton @SAWDOS1 this is crazy, thunder and lightning non stop since 4:00am in Durban, South Coast.. Not a breathe of wind so its lingering! 49 minutes ago · reply · retweet · favorite

BevWilson7 @SAWDOS1 @pigspotkzn Weather is good in Howick, close to Midmar 51 minutes ago · reply · retweet · favorite

M_Fahim_Rashid @SAWDOS1 Durban, 7:45-after 4 and a half hours of intesnse foreplay.The storm finally climaxes with a heavy downpour.longest electric storm 53 minutes ago · reply · retweet · favorite

Over45AnVibrant @SAWDOS1 storm has passed Hillcrest 54 minutes ago · reply · retweet · favorite

Clint_ZA @JennzaLynn That deep rumbling thunder is coming from Pinetown direction. Still pouring here with intense thunder and lightning cc @SAWDOS1 55 minutes ago · reply · retweet · favorite

Mandywilson_SA @SAWDOS1 very dark with almost constant rolling thunder #glenwood durban 57 minutes ago · reply · retweet · favorite

SAWDOS1 Just look at that beautiful thunderstorm cell currenly active in the Durban area. - SAT24 pic.twitter.com/8Y5GnhRN 54 minutes ago · reply · retweet · favorite

bflyhoe @SAWDOS1 longest electrical storm I have ever experienced-but love it (northdene) 57 minutes ago · reply · retweet · favorite

Dalegrobler Its dark out there on roads, plz light up them cars when driving guys. Check you following distance. @TheMercurySA @TheBallito @SAWDOS1 about 1 hour ago · reply · retweet · favorite

SAWDOS1 Assagay 07h40: Thunder still very active but rain has subsided - Dee de Souza about 1 hour ago · reply · retweet · favorite

Dalegrobler Loads of thunder around Durban no rain as yet @SAWDOS1 about 1 hour ago · reply · retweet · favorite

HRHLadybubbles @Plettbird @SAWDOS1 @MandySingleton that is lovely. We were always told God is angry when it thunders. God clapping much more positive. about 1 hour ago · reply · retweet · favorite

SAWDOS1 Ryan Nortier - A series of intense electrical storms over Eston, KZN at the moment, coming in from the west, heading SE about 1 hour ago · reply · retweet · favorite

DylanBrassel @SAWDOS1 Storm has been raging over Pinetown for 3.5 hours! Heavy rain now with big thunder. about 1 hour ago · reply · retweet · favorite

JennzaLynn @SAWDOS1 had quite a hectic storm in Pmb early this morning with heavy rain. There's still some deep thunder rumbling in the distance about 1 hour ago · reply · retweet · favorite

SAWDOS1 @pilotsimon208 Thanks. Further thunderstorms still possible in and around Durban this morning. Stay alert and stay safe. about 1 hour ago · reply · retweet · favorite

LisetteRM @faye23580 @SAWDOS1 thunder is awesome, I agree. Wonder when rain is gonna come. about 1 hour ago · reply · retweet · favorite

SAWDOS1 RT @Over45AnVibrant: raining us letting up in Hillcrest and thunder and lightning as well about 1 hour ago · reply · retweet · favorite

pilotsimon208 @SAWDOS1 radar image over Durban heading towards the city pic.twitter.com/1Jy1oA1C about 1 hour ago · reply · retweet · favorite

Plettbird @SAWDOS1 @MandySingleton my 15 month old joins in and claps her hands each time we hear thunder :) about 1 hour ago · reply · retweet · favorite

USGSted Powerful earthquake, SANTA CRUZ ISLANDS, Feb-9 21:02 UTC, 0 #quake tweets/min, on.doi.gov/TZuP78 9 hours ago · reply · retweet · favorite

Plettbird @SAWDOS1 @MandySingleton when thunder starts I tell my girls that God's clapping as He's so happy & it's time to go inside or we'll get wet! about 1 hour ago · reply · retweet · favorite

4jel @SAWDOS1 severe thunderstorm in Waterfall since 3, no letting up, thunder and lightning, lights went out but back on about 1 hour ago · reply · retweet · favorite

MrDurbanite @SAWDOS1 A bit of a rumble in the distance over morningside Durban since 4am. Very overcast, have to put a light on to see indoors. about 1 hour ago · reply · retweet · favorite

tazzimore @SAWDOS1 hillcrest westriding rain is clearing but the thunder and lightning is still huge!!#stayinginbed about 1 hour ago · reply · retweet · favorite

SAWDOS1 SA Weather Satellite Image: SAT24 06H45 SAST twitpic.com/c2de6e about 1 hour ago · reply · retweet · favorite

Satellite images of the intense thunderstorms in the Durban area - SAT24

SAWDOS1 Watch: Possible flash flooding in parts of Kwazulu Natal (Hillcrest/Assagay/Durban and surrounding areas) this mornings. - SAWDOS about 1 hour ago · reply · retweet · favorite

Just_Gail_ @SAWDOS1 massive storm rumbling in hillcrest since 3am -not letting off. Power failure as well about 1 hour ago · reply · retweet · favorite

SAWDOS1 Very intense thunderstorm with very heavy rain. 7 AM.Unusual for this time of day. Has potential of flash flooding. Assagay - Dee de Sousa about 1 hour ago · reply · retweet · favorite

SAWDOS1 Any heavy rain around or storm damage? about 1 hour ago · reply · retweet · favorite

ShelliLawson @SAWDOS1 the storm is still raging 4hrs later. Lightning overhead and not moving! Gillitts 7 am about 1 hour ago · reply · retweet · favorite

vaun1 @SAWDOS1. Rain just started in Scottburgh!! about 1 hour ago · reply · retweet · favorite

SAWDOS1 RT @ItsMarnus: So surfing is out? #Durban, 3:00- Very heavy thunder and lightning. In for a big storm. Maybe later today? about 1 hour ago · reply · retweet · favorite

SAWDOS1 @MandySingleton If it is really bad I suggest you seek professional help. about 1 hour ago · reply · retweet · favorite

SAWDOS1 @MandySingleton Learn to live with it, respect it, move indoors be safety cautious. Not abnormal to fear thunder and lightning. about 1 hour ago · reply · retweet · favorite

SAWDOS1 @MandySingleton Fear for lightning and thunder - I was born in the EC close to tornado ally I sometimes fear severe thunderstorms. about 1 hour ago · reply · retweet · favorite

Nobodylikeme0 @SAWDOS1 Major thunder and lighting storm in Hillcrest since 3 this morning. Downpour just started still with crazy thunder Any warnings out about 1 hour ago · reply · retweet · favorite

vaun1 @SAWDOS1 lots of rumbling over Scottburgh - no rain yet!! Hja d thunderstorm at 4am!! 2 hours ago · reply · retweet · favorite

justsittin_here @SAWDOS1 Hillcrest KZN: Huge electric storm & rain since 3am. Eases slightly, then BOOM! back again. Longest elec storm l've ever known. 2 hours ago · reply · retweet · favorite

Dullsweather @SAWDOS1 After all that promise, no rain yesterday but rewarded with a beautiful sunrise this AM in Dullstroom. pic.twitter.com/HH9WofM3 2 hours ago · reply · retweet · favorite

M_Fahim_Rashid @SAWDOS1 Durban, 6:00- persistent thunder from 3:00 accompanied by light rain. 2 hours ago · reply · retweet · favorite

NixKZN1 @SAWDOS1 big lightning and rain Camperdown KZN 5h30 3 hours ago · reply · retweet · favorite

Golfdizzy @SAWDOS1 big lightning and lots of rain being dumped in Pmb. Unusual for this time of the morning! 3 hours ago · reply · retweet · favorite

MandySingleton @SAWDOS1 back to bed, its moved out to sea.. 3 hours ago · reply · retweet · favorite

faye23580 @SAWDOS1 Umkomaas - thunder rumbling, still dark, but not raining. Lovely to wake up to the sound of thunder. 3 hours ago · reply · retweet · favorite

MandySingleton @SAWDOS1 @CraigPowell8 how does one get rid of an extreme fear of lightning & thunder? (had since the age of 2, extreme to put it lightly) 3 hours ago · reply · retweet · favorite

MandySingleton @SAWDOS1 South Coast, Durban being woken up to a massive storm 4:36am 4 hours ago · reply · retweet · favorite

flamingo0926 @SAWDOS1 Beeeeg Thunder and Lightning in Kloof, Beeeg Dogs in Bed under covers like little babies, (shame bless the homeless pets) xx 5 hours ago · reply · retweet · favorite

MadhatterL @SAWDOS1 Rolling thunder, lightning and now here comes the rain in Pinetown 3:30am 5 hours ago · reply · retweet · favorite

bravedaveZA @SAWDOS1 HECTIC THUNDERSTORM now hitting Upper Highway Area DBN! 5 hours ago · reply · retweet · favorite

ShelliLawson @SAWDOS1 very bad lightning and thunder, heavy rain. Gillitts hillcrest 3am. 5 hours ago · reply · retweet · favorite

M_Fahim_Rashid @SAWDOS1 Durban, 3:00- Very heavy thunder and lightning. In for a big storm 5 hours ago · reply · retweet · favorite

SAWDOS1 Thunderstorm with heavy steady rain falling over Assagay pesently. Obs. Dee de Souza about 1 hour ago · reply · retweet · favorite

Photo: SA Weather Observation: Sunrise

Nick Ferreira 43 Air School to share this photo. Sunrise in GFA. (Thanks to Christine Webber, Bathurst for supplying the image)

PHOTOS: SA Weather Observation: South Africa (4 February 2013) Part 2

Taryn Wilson - Incoming over Sunninghill

Karen Heydenrych - Looks like a big storm approaching Kyalami.

Brian S - Clouds over Sandton

Rossi Mar - @SAWDOS1 16:15 Rant&Dal, Krugersdorp. I've taken video clip, then screen shot of lightning. Started to rain 16:22.

Sam - @SAWDOS1 Sandton 16:53, windy and rumbling. No rain yet but sure it's coming soon.

Dauw Steyn - @PigSpotter @TrafficSA @SAWDOS1 M2 flooded

Graeme Parsons - @Radio702 at the Smit straat on ramp Johannesburg CBD.

Liz Stapelberg - @SAWDOS1 JHB CBD road to Henry Nxumalo street some serious water challenge this was about 2hrs ago

Charlotte Roos - @SAWDOS1: Ruimsig, scary clouds rolling in..

Nick - @SAWDOS1 blown off Edenvale library roof last night in that insane wind!

Clark Kent - Flooding on Main Reef Road, JHB via @dauwq

Mzukisi ‏@ka_Gwata - Thundershowers over Centurion cc

Jenny - @947Highveld @SAWDOS1 Paulshof 18:32

Ravi Nadasen - @SAWDOS1 no there's two rainbows !!!!

Ravi Nadasen - @SAWDOS1 Ominous looking clouds over Monte Casino

Fred Nel - Storm brewing over Pretoria

Eugene Stolk - @SAWDOS1 epic rainbow after the storm. Looking south from sandton. Taken at 18:42

Colleen Bowie - Sweet light and a rainbow, still soft rain falling #Centurion #reeds.

☀☀✈✈pilotsimon✈✈☀☀ - @SAWDOS1 this why I love storms . Took this in Midrand just now.

Cindy Steyn - @SAWDOS1 lovely seaward storm clouds in East London

€nos - @SAWDOS1 mother nature reveals it's beauty (rainbow) in Midrand

Studio 13 - @SAWDOS1 Rainbow Modderfontein

Brenda Rogerson - And just like that, the rain is gone & the clouds make way in Randburg. Calm after the storm

Martin Beetge - @SAWDOS1 Weather over East Rand

⌣̊┈̥⌣̊Carin⌣̊┈̥⌣̊ - @SAWDOS1 beautiful clouds after the rain in Greenstone, Edenvale 18:59

Pony Boy - Nice rainbow over Johannesburg.

Marius Grobbelaar - @SAWDOS1 sunset over Sudowner

Kathy Essop - @kathyessop @radio702 @SimoneBiz Ah there's the gold! Beautiful reflection from the setting sun! I luv Joburg!!

Dawid Conradie - A bunch of pictures I took in and around Rustenburg today.

Nelso Gomes - Magnificent highveld sunset 19:00 04/02/013 looking SW Sandton

Francis Proudfoot Lanham - 4 February 18h55. Beautiful rainbow over Kempton Park where we have had some downpours.

Marida Jooste - Kestell 16:40 dit was vinnig, koue ooste wind op die oomblik.

Jenni Reaper - 16h30 & it's arrived! Should rain any minute...

Susan Schutte Saayman - One hell of a storm on the way, Bonaero Park 16.10

Dullstroom Weather - @SAWDOS1 Dullstroom 21h00: Like last night storm just clipped us, 1mm rain. Lightning to the E as storm moves SE

Heinrich Schelhase - Photos were taken just before 7pm in the Robin Hills area.