"Weather on scene deteriorated to a point that made the rescue impossible, " the Coast Guard said in a statement issued Friday.

CNN: More than 120 rescued from Ike's floods

Reports by hunters of a specific turning point in weather predictability since the 1990s coincide with recent meteorological analyses.

UNESCO: Weathering uncertainty in the Arctic

Much ado has been made of weather-resistant cameras, but it's all a moot point if the memory card dies, isn't it?

ENGADGET: Panasonic preps SD cards that survive heat, water and X-rays, will probably outlast you

"We've got to the point where it's stopped being a casual joke about the weather to genuine desperation and 'is it ever going to stop', " Mr Gerrard told BBC News.

BBC: Devon farmers 'despair' over rain and poor harvest

The weather service has tentatively classified the Moore twister's wind speeds as an EF4 on a 5-point scale.

NPR: Oklahoma Twister Tracked Path Of 1999 Tornado

On a windy point called Arnavutkoy, on the European side of the Bosphorus, clusters of weather-beaten fishermen hurled their fishing lines deep into the channel.

NPR: Dolphins Dodge Danger in the Bosphorus Strait

British weather is often seen as a drawback but a marketing campaign is hoping to use the nation's favourite talking point to attract foreigners.

BBC: Can you advertise British weather to tourists?