ABC News Australia - 2.22.13

Photo: The passenger train arrived back in Coffs Harbour after the ordeal. (ABC)

Following a destructive storm that brought heavy rains and high winds, 100 people were trapped on a train in New South Wales for 17 hours. First the train was stopped by fallen trees on the tracks, then it hit floodwaters and then it was stopped for a third time by a landslide.

To read this story, visit ABC News Australia.

RT.com - 2/23/13

A woman is rescued from flood waters by a resident standing on top of her car during heavy rain in Chalandri suburb north of Athens February 22, 2013. (Reuters/John Kolesidis)

Unusually heavy rains have caused floods in Greece and southern Italy with torrents of water strong enough to carry away vehicles. One woman died of shock after being trapped in her car surrounded by raging waters.

In Athens a woman in her 20s died of a heart attack prompted by a shock when she became trapped in her car by floodwaters. Another woman was rescued from her stranded vehicle as streams of water overturned several nearby vehicles.

To read the rest of this story, visit RT.com.

Wunderground.com - 2/22/12, Dr. Jeff Masters

Figure 1. Departure of temperature from average for January 2013, the 9th warmest January for the globe since record keeping began in 1880. Colder than average conditions occurred in the Western U.S., northern Canada, and northern Russia. The Southern Hemisphere was record warm over land for the second month in a row, with record high monthly temperatures observed over northeastern Brazil, much of southern Africa, and northern and central Australia. No land areas in the Southern Hemisphere were cooler than average. Image credit: National Climatic Data Center (NCDC).

January 2013 was the globe's 9th warmest January since records began in 1880, said National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's National Climatic Data Center (NCDC) on Thursday. January 2013 global land temperatures were the 13th warmest on record, and global ocean temperatures were the 8th warmest on record. January 2013 was the 335th consecutive month with global temperatures warmer than the 20th century average and the 37th straight warmer-than-average January.

ABC News Australia - By Chrissy Arthur and Nicole Bond, Updated 2/20/13

While more rain is forecast for parts of south-east Queensland today, one region in the state's far west will apply for a drought declaration due to prolonged dry conditions.

Diamantina Mayor Geoff Morton says there has not been decent rain since last March.

To read the rest of this story, visit abc.net.au.

Nick Wiltgen Published: Feb 19, 2013, 7:36 AM EST weather.com

West Coast Satellite

 

Winter Storm Q will lay down a swath of significant snowfall from the mountains of California all the way to the Midwest over the next several days.

 

As the upper-level dip in the jet stream, or trough, swings ashore in the West Coast Tuesday, the first significant snow from Winter Storm Q will sweep into California.

 

For more information and a video click here.