ICYMI: Five must-read stories of the week
Digital Reporter
Friday, May 2, 2014, 6:16 AM -
Another week has buzzed by and now it's time to dive deep and bring your attention to the most popular (and bizarre) stories that made headlines this week.
TORNADOES FROM SPACE: Space tornadoes: The perspective you need to see
Since we're all bound to miss a few things during the daily grind, here's this week's edition of The Weather Network's In Case You Missed It: Five must-read stories.
5. Historic floods hit Florida
The same storm that generated dozens of deadly tornadoes in the U.S. South has swamped parts of Alabama and the Florida Panhandle with torrential rain. Over 600 mm of rain fell in just 24 hours resulting in road wash-outs, evacuations and extreme structural damage.
These photos reveal the true scenes of destruction and show how quickly conditions deteriorated across the region.
Wow. Pensacola this morning after over 14" of rain. (Courtsey @ExtremeStorms ) pic.twitter.com/ZtPWXnFDaG
— Keith Carson (@KeithCarson) April 30, 2014
In addition to the flooding rain, 9,000 lightning strikes were recorded in 15 minutes in Pensacola, Florida Tuesday night.
For those of us looking to get away from the hustle and bustle of the city for a short time, but don't want to give up all the perks of our urban lifestyle, Parks Canada will soon have us covered.
Sometime this year, as many as 50 different national parks and historic sites across the country should have WiFi hotspots installed, and as many as three times that number are expected to be online over the next three years.
What are your thoughts on the topic? Let us know in the comments section of this article.
3. The no. 1 reason to visit Newfoundland in May
Icebergs!
"When it comes to viewing icebergs, this is one of the best places in the world."
That's according to the provincial website of Newfoundland and Labrador.
While the icebergs arrive from the Arctic every spring, the awe and magic of these freshwater formations remains new to residents year after year.
#Iceberg season has begun! Pictured here is 1 of 8 in Griquet today! pic.twitter.com/oQSbF3kPZp
— Thresa Burden (@ThresaBurden) April 30, 2014
Officials say the best time to view icebergs are during the spring and early summer months, with the "bergs" most plentiful in April and May.
Get more details on where to view the icebergs here.
2. It's a bird, it's a plane, it's a...Beer blimp?
It was fun while it lasted, but officials Tuesday confirmed that the final resting place of the AWOL Budweiser beer blimp was a neighbourhood tree. Labatt Breweries found the 21-metre promotional blimp that broke free from a tether in New Brunswick on Sunday and later crashed in the woods northeast of Saint John.
Company spokesman Wade Keller says information from a local resident helped locate the crash site.
Want to see footage of the rogue blimp? We have it here.
WATCH: Dolphins save diver from shark
Budweiser blimp #hockeystreet pic.twitter.com/ymzLeox1yh
— Erin Tarantino (@erincandy) April 26, 2014
1. El Nino is coming: Epic event ahead?
We are seeing a surge in the number of headlines about the developing El Nino, with many proclaiming that this will be a "Super El Nino" or an "epic event."
As we head into the summer, forecast confidence is high that an El Nino pattern is developing. However, will this pattern really become as extreme as many are saying?
Dr. Doug Gillham releases all of the details in his latest article.
The image looks at how current sea surface temperatures compare to long term averages. In the circled region of the Pacific Ocean near the Equator, sea surface temperatures are near to slightly above average.
