Storms and Floods

Tropical Storms - Roundup of Tropical Storms:

In the South Pacific: Tropical cyclone (tc) 07p (Seven), located approximately 190 nm east of Niue, is tracking southeastward at 13 knots over the past six hours.

Newsbytes:

Jakarta, Indonesia - Torrential rains in the Indonesian capital have overwhelmed drains and flooded roads and thousands of homes. The disaster mitigation agency says more than 50 areas are flooded in Jakarta with waters up to 1.5 metres (4.9 feet) high in East Jakarta. It said the city’s drains couldn’t accommodate the runoff and rivers also overflowed. The city, which has about 30 million people in its greater metropolitan area, says it has reduced the number of flood prone areas since then by dredging rivers and other measures.

Texas, USA - Residents in San Antonio were picking up the pieces Monday after severe overnight storms ripped through south-central Texas, damaging more than 150 homes. The National Weather Service confirmed Monday that at least four six tornadoes hit San Antonio. Five minor injuries were reported, the Associated Press said.

La Niña Ends

The La Niña ocean cooling in tropical Pacific has ended, according to the U.S. Climate Prediction Centre (CPC). Climate experts there also say a fresh El Niño warming may soon return. La Niña appeared last year for the first time since 2012, but was among the weakest and shortest on record. “Even though it was fairly weak and short-lived ... it did leave impacts,” said CPC Deputy Director Mike Halpert, pointing to unusual cold in Alaska, western Canada and the U.S. Northern Plains in December and January.