Storms and Floods

Tropical Storms

In the Atlantic Ocean:

Tropical Storm Humberto is located about 1070 mi (1720 km) WSW of the Azores.

Remnants of Ingrid dissipating over the mountains of eastern Mexico, about 50 mi (75 km) W of Ciudad Victoria, Mexico. Heavy rainfall and flooding still possible.

In the Western Pacific:

Tropical storm Usagi is located approximately 552 nm south-southeast of Kadena Air Base, Okinawa, Japan. Usagi is forecast to strike Taiwan as a typhoon at about 16:00 GMT on September 21.

Mexico Floods

State of emergency in more than 20 towns in eastern Tamaulipas state after Tropical Storm Ingrid hit the area. Emergency funds also going to western Guerrero state, where Tropical Storm Manuel caused severe flooding. The two almost simultaneous storms have affected two-thirds of the country. At least 47 people have died in flooding and landslides.

Tropical Storm Manuel made landfall on Sunday near the port of Manzanillo, on Mexico's Pacific coast. It caused devastation in the resort town of Acapulco, where at least 21 people were killed in flash floods and landslides. Four thousand people are still in shelters. Thousands of tourists cannot get home as the airport remains closed.

Acapulco residents tried to get out of flooded areas however they could. 40,000 tourists were stranded in the city as the airport is still closed after a power cut and two main highways leading out of the city remain flooded. Manuel dissipated over south-western Mexico on Monday.

But residents of eastern Mexico were hit by Hurricane Ingrid, which was downgraded to a tropical storm shortly before it made landfall on Monday morning near the town of La Pesca. More than 20,000 people were evacuated in the state of Veracruz. Twelve people died when a landslide near the town of Altotonga buried workers trying to clear a road from debris and passengers waiting in a bus to pass. At least 20 highways and 12 bridges were damaged. In Guerrero, 9,000 people remain in shelters after their homes were flooded. Residents living along the river Panuco have been evacuated as it is feared it could break its banks later on Tuesday.

More than 2,000 tourists have been airlifted by the army from Mexico's resort of Acapulco, following deadly floods caused by Tropical Storm Manuel. But many more tourists and local residents remain stranded in the city and along the west coast after landslides blocked main roads. Manuel was almost immediately followed by Hurricane Ingrid, causing widespread devastation in the east of the country. It was the first time since 1958 that two powerful storms hit Mexico within 24 hours.

There are fears that remote hillside communities may be particularly affected. Mexicans are now hoping for a break in the weather to give them a chance to regroup and allow rescuers to operate more freely. But there seems to be no let up in the rain and powerful winds for the time being.

What’s left of Tropical Storm Ingrid promises to dump five inches of rain or more in the mountains west of Eagle Pass in Mexico. The possibility of rain and flooding along the Rio Grande in Eagle Pass conjured up memories of the record flooding in June. That storm dumped more than 13 inches of rain in a 24-hour span. FEMA denied Eagle Pass federal aid because not enough houses were damaged in the June floods. Officials said more than 500 homes were damaged. FEMA has a minimum requirement of 801 homes – regardless of the size of the entity applying for aid. As of now, the remnants of Ingrid have been damaging to interior Mexico and not along the border.

NewsBytes:

Lightning strikes in Odisha, India have claimed the lives of at least 11 people and injured 15 others. A flash of lightning hit a stone quarry at Kaipadar near Khurda, leaving four labourers dead. Another lightning at Kusumati village near Jatni claimed two lives. At least four people died in lightning at Choudwar and Jagatpur. Similarly a farmer died due to lightning in Sundargarh district. Lightning has claimed nearly 200 lives in Odisha in last eight months.

A small tornado touched down in Boca Raton, Florida, USA. No injuries were reported.