Storms and Floods

Tropical Storms - Roundup of Tropical Storms:

In the Western Pacific Ocean: Tropical depression 26w (Fengshen), located approximately 620 nm east-northeast of WFO, Guam, is tracking westward at 12 knots.

Tropical depression 27w (Kalmaegi), located approximately 447 nm east of Manila, Philippines, is tracking west-northwestward at 08 knots.

NewsBytes:

South Africa - The extent of severe storms and a tornado that hit parts of KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) between Richmond and Pietermaritzburg on Tuesday is yet to be determined, but two human casualties and 20 injuries had been reported by Wednesday morning. Many animals were reported to have been injured or killed in the area and power lines are also down. Numerous houses and public infrastructure were also damaged.

Italy - Heavy rain, hail, thunderstorms, and winds of more than 100 kilometres per hour hit many parts of southern Italy on Tuesday. Schools across many parts of the southern regions announced closures for Tuesday, and the Civil Protection Department warned drivers of the risk of falling trees and swollen rivers. While no injuries have been reported so far, there are widespread reports of damage to homes, businesses, electricity supplies and farmers' crops across all four regions. A tornado was reported off the coast of Siracuse, Sicily. In Basilicata, the coastal town of Metaponto was also reportedly hit by a tornado while nearby Matera suffered serious flooding.

Venice, Italy - Venice, Italy’s famous city of canals, is as much on the front line of climate change as anywhere else, and now that line is under water. On Tuesday, rains helped bring the seasonal high tides known as acqua alta to near record levels, just seven centimeters short of what was seen during the historic floods of 1966. Flooding in Venice during the northern autumn season is a normal and expected occurrence, but high tide data from recent years shows the fingerprints of rising sea levels. St. Mark’s Square at the city center has gone from flooding four times a year in 1900 to over 60 times annually in recent years. The famous Basilica of the same name also flooded Tuesday for just the sixth time in twelve centuries - the fifth time was in 2018.