Storms and Floods

Tropical Storms

In the Eastern Pacific:

Tropical storm Douglas forms and is located about 490 mi (790 km) SSW of the southern tip of Baja California.

In the Atlantic:

Tropical disturbance 91L is growing more organized - Will Bring Heavy Rains to Florida and the Bahamas. An area of disturbed weather over the warm waters of the Gulf Stream, about 230 miles east of Jacksonville, Florida (Invest 91L) has grown more organized since Saturday, and is a threat to develop into a tropical depression early this week.

Regardless of the exact track of 91L, the coast of Central Florida and the Northwest Bahamas are likely to receive heavy rains of at least 2 - 4" on Monday and Tuesday from 91L. If 91L develops into a tropical depression or tropical storm, widespread rainfall amounts of 4 - 8" will likely fall in coastal Central Florida and the Northwest Bahamas.

NewsBytes:

China - Rain hits south China, while heat scorches north - Heavy rain swept south China and will continue for the next few days, while heat waves scorched the northern regions, the National Meteorological Centre said Saturday. Yunnan, Sichuan, Jiangxi and Zhejiang provinces and Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region in southern China have experienced heavy downpour since June 17. Two people were killed in rainstorms in Yunnan on Saturday, with houses being submerged and bridges collapsed. Heavy rain also triggered landslides and flash floods in some areas. Rain will continue in Yunnan and Jiangxi, according to the weather observatory. Meanwhile, a heat wave has scorched northern China. Temperatures climbed above 36 degrees Celsius in Beijing and some parts of neighbouring Hebei Province. Beijing issued yellow warning for high temperature for Saturday and Sunday. China has a four-colour-coded warning system for severe weather, with red being the most serious, followed by orange, yellow and blue.

Canada - Flash floods lead to states of emergency in southeast Saskatchewan. The cities of Melville and Yorkton in Saskatchewan declared states of emergency Sunday due to heavy rainfall that flooded streets and overwhelmed sewer and drainage systems.

Environment Canada has issued rainfall warnings for a big stretch of southern Saskatchewan and Manitoba, including the cities of Regina and Brandon, Man. As much as 125 to 150 millimetres of rain fell throughout the weekend.

Kansas, USA - A severe storm damaged parts of western Kansas overnight, bringing a tornado, strong winds and heavy rains. The small tornado touched down about 12 miles south of Gove around 5 a.m. Sunday, damaging three buildings on a farm.

Brazil - Severe flooding caused by a week of torrential rain in southern Brazil has forced more than 50,000 people from their homes, officials said Sunday, increasing an earlier estimate almost tenfold. The emergency agency for Santa Catarina state said 40,000 people had been forced to leave their homes, while neighboring Rio Grande do Sul said 10,700 people had evacuated, revising earlier estimates as the extent of the damage became clear. On Saturday, the two states had reported a combined total of 6,000 evacuees. Images of the affected areas showed entire neighborhoods with houses covered in water up to their roofs. The floods have hit 37 towns in Santa Catarina and 59 in Rio Grande do Sul, officials said. Rio Grande do Sul reported that more than twice the average rainfall for June in the state from Monday to Friday alone. The rains continued over the weekend, though they let up slightly Sunday afternoon. The southern state of Parana was also hit by heavy rains this month, causing floods that killed 11 people and affected more than 700,000. The flooding comes as Brazil hosts the World Cup round of 16. Porto Alegre, the capital of Rio Grande do Sul, hosts the knockout match between Germany and Algeria on Monday, but has not been hit by the recent floods.