Extreme weather

rip through sth

move forcefully and rapidly through sth.

take (a) hold

become very strong and difficult to remove or stop.

sweep sth away

(often passive) (of floods, a tornado, etc.) completely destroy sth.

wreak havoc (on sth)

cause a lot of damage, destruction, or confusion.

be/get caught up in sth

become involved in sth undesirable.

come to terms with sth

gradually accept a difficult or unpleasant situation.

in the grip of sth

experiencing sth unpleasant that cannot be stopped.

cave in (on sb/sth)

(of a roof, wall, etc.) collapse and fall.

lose your life

be killed. loss of life N.

wipe sth/sb out

(often passive) destroy or get rid of sth/ sb completely.

head for sth

move towards a place. SYN make for sth.

catch sb unawares

happen in a way that sb was not expecting and was not prepared for.

come to a standstill/halt

slowly stop completely. SYN grind to a standstill/halt.

tow sb/sth away

(of a driver or car) pull another car using a rope or chain.

run low

If your supply of sth is running low or you are running low on sth, you only have a little left.

at risk (of/from sth)

in danger of sth unpleasant or harmful happening (put lives at risk).

be snowed in

be unable to leave a place because of heavy snow.

be cut off

be unable to leave a place or receive visitors or services from outside.

turn sb away

refuse to allow sb to enter a place.

for the foreseeable future

for the period of time when you can predict what is going to happen, based on present circumstances.

thick and fast

happening very quickly and in large amounts or numbers.