Storms and Floods

Tropical Storms

In the Eastern Pacific:

Hurricane Gil is roughly 1700 miles ESE of the Big Island of Hawaii. The system is holding max sustained wind speeds of 60kts and is on a west track (270°) at 8kts.

High pressure to the north will keep Gil on a West-WSW track for the next few days, while the storm weakens very slowly.

In the Western Pacific:

Tropical storm Jebi weakened as it made landfall in northeastern Vietnam Saturday morning, but authorities fear associated heavy rain may trigger dangerous flash floods.

Jebi is forecast to weaken to a tropical low pressure event sometime Saturday afternoon, with wind speeds forecast to ease to 37 km/h by 1200 GMT.

It has caused heavy rains in northern Vietnam, with the rainfall estimated at between 200 millimeters and 300 millimeters Saturday and Sunday in some provinces.

Other News:

Flooding in Sudan has claimed the lives of at least ten people and left more than 2 000 fails homeless. Khartoum, Red Sea, Sinnar and North and South Darfur have been affected by the floods which have also blocked the main road between Khartoum and the Red Sea.

An EF2 tornado hit the Arlington area of Jacksonville, Florida, USA late Thursday afternoon, the National Weather Service reported. At least one person was injured from falling debris and around 20 buildings were damaged.

Flash flooding in the Bagh and Chitral regions in Pakistan have claimed the lives of at least four people and left two missing. Flash floods triggered by heavy rainfall have washed away about 45 houses in Chitral. Flood damage has been reported from about 150 houses. Flood water also washed away a bridge between Chitral and Boni.

Floods in southern Burma's Karen and Mon states have worsened in recent days and are now affecting more than 37,000 people.