Storms and Floods

Tropical Storms - Roundup of Tropical Storms:

There are no current tropical storms.

Newsbytes:

Paraguay - The authorities in Paraguay's capital Asuncion on Wednesday (Jan 24) declared a state of emergency for a month after the Paraguay River burst its banks, leaving at least 20,000 people homeless. The unseasonal high waters have washed over many poor neighbourhoods built along the banks. Many of the displaced have been moved to higher areas of the low-lying capital. Hundreds more of the displaced were setting up makeshift camps in plazas of the capital and on any small unoccupied spot they could find. Forecasters said heavy rains in recent weeks were behind the river's rise.

Paris, France - The French capital looks more like a city of water than a city of lights. On Tuesday, during Paris's annual spring fashion show, the river Seine started overspilling its banks and gushing into neighboring streets as a result of weeks of rain. Paris isn't the only place in the flood zone: at least 15 French departments across the north and east of the country are on alert for more flooding, even as a break from heavy rain is in the forecast. The flood levels in Paris are expected to continue to rise until Saturday. Rats are being flooded out of the River Seine and wreaking havoc on the streets as Paris suffers its worst flooding in a century. The Louvre museum has been closed and artworks have been emptied from its cellars for the first time since WW2 as rain continues to pelt the French capital. More than 250,000 pieces of art were removed from the world famous museum over fears torrential rain would cause the city’s waterway, the River Seine, to burst its banks. The Arc de Triomphe was also closed yesterday over fears the rainfall could make the 50 metre high monument in the iconic Champs Elysees unsafe. But a terrifying consequence of the extreme weather has been the plague of rats that has run riot across the city after escaping the river’s banks. Videos posted online by people in Paris show the scale of the problem, with the giant rodents seen scampering through streets and climbing into rubbish bins.