Storms and Floods

Tropical Storms - Roundup of Tropical Storms:

Tropical cyclone 06p (Ula), is located approximately 122 nm southeast of Pago Pago, American Samoa and is tracking west-southwestward at 06 knots.

Tropical Depression Nine-C is located about 1070 mi...1720 km SSW of Johnston Island and about 1770 mi...2850 km SW of Honolulu Hawaii with maximum sustained winds...35 mph...55 km/h. Present movement...NW or 315 degrees at 3 mph...6 km/h.

NewsBytes:

Britain - Update - Many homes remained flooded and without power on Thursday, after heavy rain and strong winds battered northern Britain. Storm Frank spread on Tuesday and Wednesday, damaging property and affecting roads and rail services in England, Scotland and Northern Ireland. The government-affiliated Environment Agency said more than 6,700 homes in the north of England were flooded during the last week as river levels reached all-time highs. Flood warnings remained in place in England, Scotland and Northern Ireland on Thursday.

USA - Update - The death toll from flooding in Missouri rose to 14 Wednesday, and at least two rivers rose higher than during devastating floods in 1993, officials said, but the region was bracing for more flooding.

El Nino set to continue in early 2016

The current strong El Nino brewing in the Pacific Ocean shows no signs of waning, as seen in the latest satellite image from the U.S./European Ocean Surface Topography Mission (OSTM)/Jason-2 mission.

El Nino 2015 has already created weather chaos around the world. Over the next few months, forecasters expect the United States to feel its impacts as well.

The latest Jason-2 image bears a striking resemblance to one from December 1997, by Jason-2's predecessor, the NASA/Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales (CNES) Topex/Poseidon mission, during the last large El Nino event. Both reflect the classic pattern of a fully developed El Nino.

The images show nearly identical, unusually high sea surface heights along the equator in the central and eastern Pacific: the signature of a big and powerful El Nino. Higher-than-normal sea surface heights are an indication that a thick layer of warm water is present.

El Ninos are triggered when the steady, westward-blowing trade winds in the Pacific weaken or even reverse direction, triggering a dramatic warming of the upper ocean in the central and eastern tropical Pacific. Clouds and storms follow the warm water, pumping heat and moisture high into the overlying atmosphere. These changes alter jet stream paths and affect storm tracks all over the world.

Storms and Floods

Tropical Storms - Roundup of Tropical Storms:

Tropical cyclone (tc) 06p (Six), located approximately 282 nm east-northeast of Pago Pago, is tracking south-southeastward at 13 knots.

NewsBytes:

Britain - Winter storm Frank battered the north and west of the U.K., causing chaos to transportation and leaving thousands of people without electricity or facing more flooding in what’s been the wettest December on record for parts of the country. Areas in southern Scotland and Cumbria in northern England were expecting to get another 100 millimetres (4 inches) of rainfall after Storm Frank made landfall, according to the Met Office. Winds exceeding 60 miles (100 kilometres) an hour hit towns and cities from Northern Ireland to Edinburgh overnight and were forecast to continue into Wednesday afternoon. As much as 70 millimetres of rain had fallen on parts of Scotland before 9 a.m. local time, the BBC reported. Homes were evacuated in Aberdeenshire in the northwest as the River Dee burst its banks, while Dumfries in the southwest was also at risk of inundation. Among the disruptions to travel on major roads, a stretch of the motorway linking Scotland with England was shut in both directions due to flooding, according to Traffic Scotland.

USA - The Mississippi River is coming, and so are the Arkansas, the Red, the Ohio and the Missouri. The water on the Mississippi River is already so high that Missouri has closed interstate highways. Governor Jay Nixon activated the National Guard to stave off disaster. And the floods only stand to get worse. Warmer-than-usual weather through December has precipitation falling as rain. Some areas have seen 5 to 10 inches (12 to 24 centimetres) above normal flowing into the rivers instead of being locked up as snow and ice on solid ground until spring. Flooding on the lower Mississippi may become severe enough to force the opening of the Bonnet Carre Spillway protecting New Orleans, according to the Lower Mississippi River Forecast Centre. Today, the Missouri River is at a major flood stage, and it’s pouring into an already swollen Mississippi, forecast to reach its second-highest crest at St. Louis around the start of the new year. All of that water will join the Ohio and together flow toward some of the most densely packed industrial river fronts in the country. The floodwaters are forecast to reach New Orleans in the third week of January.

Storms and Floods

Tropical Storms - Roundup of Tropical Storms:

No current tropical storms.

NewsBytes:

Oklahoma, USA - The National Weather Service says “disastrous” flooding will occur in eastern Oklahoma, where some areas received up to a foot of rain over the weekend. The state department of transportation says high water has caused the closure of some roads in counties in the southern and eastern part of the state.

Britain - Hundreds of people have been evacuated from their homes in York after the city’s two rivers burst their banks, flooding houses, shops, businesses and threatening historical buildings. The River Ouse is up to four metres above its typical level but will not peak until tomorrow afternoon, while the River Foss is hitting record heights in urban areas.

Missouri, USA - A state of emergency has been declared by Governor Jay Nixon in response to widespread flooding in Missouri. At least eight deaths are connected to the high waters in the state. More rain and additional flooding is expected through Monday. River levels are expected to rise over the next few days.

Storms and Floods

Tropical Storms - Roundup of Tropical Storms:

No current tropical storms.

NewsBytes:

Texas, USA - Eight people have died in a tornado that hit Garland, Texas, raising the death toll to 26 in a week of storms in several US states. Five people in cars were blown off a motorway in Garland, near Dallas. Another three bodies were found in nearby towns. Two people were found dead at a petrol station in Copeville, and a third was killed in Blue Ridge.

Britain - Heavy rain has caused flooding in northern England, leading to evacuations of thousands in Lancashire and Yorkshire. At least 2,200 homes have been evacuated in York, with six severe flood warnings in the area. The Met Office has issued hundreds of flood alerts and warnings - more than 30 of them severe. The River Irwell and River Roch have both overflowed, causing flooding in Salford, Manchester city centre and Rochdale. Houses have been evacuated in Mytholmroyd, West Yorkshire, and in Ribchester and Whalley, Lancashire.

South America - Update - The widespread floods have forced nearly 140,000 people from their homes in Paraguay, Argentina, Uruguay and Brazil following days of torrential rains that drenched a region where the countries border each other. Paraguay is the hardest hit with at least 100,000 evacuating according to the National Emergency Department. Argentina's state-run news agency Telam reports that 20,000 people suffered the same fate in that nation, while Uruguay's National Emergency System says some 9,000 were displaced by rivers that overflowed their banks. The civil defense department in the southern Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul says at least 7,000 people had to leave their homes.

Storms and Floods

Tropical Storms - Roundup of Tropical Storms:

No current tropical storms.

NewsBytes:

Myanmar - Dozens of people are missing and feared dead after a landslide struck a remote jade mining region in northern Myanmar, the second such incident in a month. According to rescuers, one body was pulled from the rubble and at least 30 people were missing. A Nov. 21 landslide in the same region killed more than 100 people. The area is home to some of the world's highest-quality jade.

Britain - Almost 150 flood warnings have been issued as up to 120mm of rain is set to fall in the north of England – worsening situation in areas already saturated by winter storms. Troops were called in to assist in Cumbria as rain from Storm Eva started to drench northern Britain.

Alabama, USA - Several people were trapped underneath rubble late Friday as another tornado touched down in north-central Alabama in the latest wave of severe weather that’s hammered the South during Christmas week.

Storms and Floods

Tropical Storms - Roundup of Tropical Storms:

No current tropical storms.

NewsBytes:

Britain - Heavy rain brought more flooding and road disruptions to Lancashire at the weekend. The Met Office has issued a yellow alert because downpours are expected to return tomorrow.

Cyprus - Cyprus was hit by heavy rain on Saturday causing floods in the Larnaca district and in the lower regions of Troodos. No fatalities were reported, although numerous people had to be rescued by the emergency services.

Kenya - Floods have left a trail of damage in various regions. Two people have drowned in Migori County as floods continue to wreak havoc. Numerous homes were flooded, leaving more than 300 hundred families displaced.

Storms and Floods

Tropical Storms - Roundup of Tropical Storms:

No current tropical storms.

NewsBytes:

Singapore - Heavy rain triggered flooding in several areas of Singapore Saturday afternoon. Flash floods at Lorong Buangkok made traffic impassable.

Britain - Flooding caused by stormy weather has claimed life of an elderly man in Britain. A number of houses have been flooded as rivers burst their banks making roads impassable across the North of England, Scotland and Wales. Dozens of highways and main roads have been closed Saturday due to landslides or flooding.

India - Update - At least 383 people have died in the flooding in the South Indian states of Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh, and the union territory of Puducherry. As of Sunday morning, December 6, 2015, at least 300 people died in Tamil Nadu followed by 81 in Andhra Pradesh and two in Puducherry. Chennai was hit by heaviest rainfall in a century. Chennai received 1,049 mm of rainfall in November, the highest since receiving 1,088 mm in November 1918. At least 350,000 people have been rescued by multiple agencies which include army, police and the National Disaster Response Force.

Storms and Floods

Tropical Storms - Roundup of Tropical Storms:

No current tropical storms.

NewsBytes:

India - The death toll in the Chennai floods has risen to 300. Government is undertaking extensive relief efforts to assist flood victims.

Britain - Britain is back on storm alert with 80mph gales and torrential downpours threatening a weekend of weather mayhem - with up to a month's worth of rain expected to fall over the next two days.

Storms and Floods

Tropical Storms - Roundup of Tropical Storms:

Typhoon 27w (In-Fa), located approximately 158 nm west-southwest of Pohnpei, is tracking westward at 10 knots.

Invest 90E is an area of disturbed weather in the East Pacific that has the potential for tropical development.

NewsBytes:

India - India has deployed the army and air force to rescue flood-hit residents in the southern state of Tamil Nadu, where at least 71 people have died in the floodwaters.

Saudi Arabia - Heavy rain and flash floods in Saudi Arabia along its Red Sea coast has killed five people.

Britain - A new storm system brings gusts of 80mph that topple trees, close roads and bridges and cripple transport networks while heavy rain threatened further flooding. Temperatures in some areas plunged to -6C bringing snow and arctic gales.

Storms and Floods

Tropical Storms - Roundup of Tropical Storms:

Invest 99E is an area of disturbed weather in the East Pacific that has the potential for tropical development.

NewsBytes:

China - At least 16 people have been killed and 21 are still missing after landslides buried homes in China on Saturday night. Heavy rains have been lashing China, triggering flooding and landslides across the country. The central province of Hunan experienced the worst winter flooding in 50 years. According to the state news agency Xinhua, the flooding has forced thousands to flee the area and 8,200 people have had to resettle since most of their homes were destroyed by the floods. These floods have damaged crops, caused blackouts and road closures, affecting 87,000 people.

Sri Lanka - Around 19,916 persons belonging to 6,310 families in Jaffna, Mullaitivu, Killinochchi, Trincomalee, Puttalam and Gampaha districts have been affected by floods while around 2,600 persons have been displaced, Disaster Management Centre sources said.

Britain - Hundreds of people were forced to leave their homes across northern Britain yesterday as raging rivers burst their banks. More than 70 flood warnings and 111 alerts were issued as a month’s worth of rain fell in a day. Rivers overflowed in a deluge of up to 100mm of rain. Areas of the Welsh coastline were battered by huge waves.

Storms and Floods

Tropical Storms - Roundup of Tropical Storms:

No current tropical storms.

NewsBytes:

Britain - Communities in northern England were warned to prepare for significant flooding which could endanger life with a month's worth of rain forecast to fall as the tail of hurricane Kate hits Britain.

India - Seven more persons lost their lives in rain-related incidents in Tamil Nadu, taking the death toll to 55 as the North East Monsoon continued to pound the area.

Storms and Floods

Tropical Storms - Roundup of Tropical Storms:

Post Tropical Cyclone Kate is located about 430 mi...690 km SSE of Cape Race Newfoundland with maximum sustained winds...70 mph...110 km/h. Present movement...ENE or 60 degrees at 26 mph...43 km/h.

NewsBytes:

Britain - Floods have hit York after heavy rains. The River Ouse, which has a history of overflowing following heavy rain, has flooded parts of York. Roads running alongside the river were submerged as the water lapped up against the surrounding buildings. There are 27 flood alerts in place across the country.

El Niño - The strength of the present El Niño compares with the two strongest recorded – in 1997-98 and 1982-83 – both of which brought devastating droughts to Australia and Southern Africa.

Storms and Floods

Tropical Storms - Roundup of Tropical Storms:

Tropical Cyclone Chapala (tc) 04a, located approximately 163 nm east-southeast of Mukalla, Yemen, is tracking westward at 09 knots.

NewsBytes:

Britain - Airports across Britain suffered disruption on Monday as heavy fog led to delays and cancellations for a second day. Flights to and from London airports were being affected, while foggy conditions in the capital and Europe were causing problems to airports across Europe.

Portugal - Several people were left homeless in Albufeira on Sunday evening following flash floods which struck southern Portugal around lunchtime.

Malaysia - The heavy and continuous downpour in the Klang Valley today has resulted in flash floods and landslides in several areas in Malaysia.

Disease

Tuberculosis Outbreak at British School

Nearly 200 people have tested positive for a tuberculosis infection following an outbreak at a school in Devon.

Public Health England, which released the results on Wednesday of screening that took place over the summer term at Teign school.

Many of those who tested positive are receiving treatment for latent TB infection to prevent the development of the disease in the future. Health authorities stressed they do not have the disease and are not infectious.

Storms and Floods

Tropical Storms - Roundup of Tropical Storms:

Tropical storm 17w (Atsani), located approximately 316 nm north of Ujelang, is tracking west-northwestward at 02 knots.

Tropical storm 16w (Goni), located approximately 64 nm east of Rota, is tracking northwestward at 12 knots

Invest 94E remmains an area of disturbed weather in the East Pacific that has the potential for tropical development.

NewsBytes:

Britain - Flood warnings have been issued for parts of Staffordshire and Lancashire as heavy rain continues to cause disruption across swaths of the UK.

Niger - At least four people have died and more than 20,000 have been affected by floods in Niger caused by weeks of heavy rain.

Storms and Floods

Tropical Storms - Roundup of Tropical Storms:

Post Tropical Storm Hilda is located about 275 mi...440 km S of Hilo Hawaii and about 400 mi...645 km SSE of Honolulu Hawaii with maximum sustained winds...30 mph...45 km/h. Present movement...WSW or 250 degrees at 14 mph...22 km/h.

Tropical Storm 15w (Molave), located approximately 873 nm east of Misawa, Japan, and is tracking east-northeastward at 22 knots.

Tropical Depression 16w (Sixteen), located approximately 297 nm east-southeast of Andersen AFB, is tracking westward at 05 knots.

Tropical Depression 17w (Seventeen), located approximately 326 nm southwest of Wake Island, is tracking northward at 05 knots.

Invest 94E is an area of disturbed weather in the East Pacific that has the potential for tropical development.

NewsBytes:

Britain - Brighton has been hit by flooding following heavy rain today, hitting the city's station and shops. Floods did temporarily disrupt trains elsewhere in Sussex, with services halted between Eastbourne and London, along with services between Lewes and Wivelsfield. Kent was also affected by the flooding.

Myanmar - Myanmar was evacuating parts of Hakha on Wednesday after mudslides wiped away hundreds of houses and torrential rain threatened further damage in the worst floods to hit the country in decades. The government in Hakha, the capital of impoverished Chin state in northwest Myanmar, was moving nearly 4,000 people to safety after landslides caused by rains destroyed 375 houses. At least 103 people have been killed and more than one million "critically affected" by the flooding, according to the government. Five out of six townships in Hakha, population 50,000, had been hit by landslides and another 900 houses were in danger of being damaged. Myanmar has halted all rice exports.

Pakistan — Update - The floods across Pakistan have over the past month left at least 202 people dead and injured 157 others affecting nearly 1.5 million people.

Storms and Floods

Tropical Storms - Roundup of Tropical Storms:

Tropical Storm Hilda is located about 240 mi...390 km se of Hilo Hawaii and about 450 mi...725 km se of Honolulu Hawaii with maximum sustained winds...45 mph...75 km/h. Present movement...W or 270 degrees at 5 mph...7 km/h.

Tropical Storm 15w (Molave), located approximately 715 nm east-southeast of Misawa, Japan, and is tracking east-northeastward at 14 knots.

Invest 93E remains an area of disturbed weather in the East Pacific that has the potential for tropical development.

NewsBytes:

Britain - Torrential downpours are to soak Britain as a month's rainfall causes flooding. Up to 5cm of rain is expected to fall over 36 hours on Thursday and Friday, interrupting the summer holidays for millions of families. Motorists were warned about dangerous flash floods as severe weather warnings were issued for most parts of England and Wales.

Storms and Floods

Tropical Storms - Roundup of Tropical Storms:

Tropical Storm Hilda is located about 270 mi...435 km se of Hilo Hawaii and about 480 mi...770 km se of Honolulu Hawaii with maximum sustained winds...45 mph...75 km/h. Present movement...NW or 305 degrees at 5 mph...7 km/h.

Tropical Storm 15w (Molave), located approximately 435 nm east of Yokosuka, Japan, and is tracking east-northeastward at 13 knots.

Invest 93E remains an area of disturbed weather in the East Pacific that has the potential for tropical development.

NewsBytes:

China - At least 26 people remain missing after a landslide in China's northwest Shaanxi province. About 1 million cubic metres of mud buried dormitories and homes owned by the Shaanxi Wuzhou Mining Company in Shanyang county early on Wednesday. Officials said 14 people had been rescued, the operations had been greatly hampered by heavy rain. Fifteen dormitories and three residential buildings were buried, trapping at least 40 people initially.

Britain - Parts of Scotland and Northern Ireland have been having an unusually cool and wet summer so far. Some crops are failing and animals are being brought in from the fields early. There has even been snow on the mountains.

North Korea - Flooding in Democratic People's Republic of Korea has claimed the lives of at least 21 people and left nine others missing. Torrential rainfall between August 1 and 5 triggered flooding in South Hwanghae, South Hamgyong and North Hamgyong provinces. According to the State Committee for Disaster Management, more than 690 houses have been completely destroyed affecting about 3,400 people.

Nepal - At least nine people have died due to landslides in Doti and Gulmi districts, according to the Nepal Police.

Colorado, USA - Parts of Colorado are getting pounded with immense rain, including one city that had flood waters sweeping away vehicles.

Drought

Britain 'running out of wheat'

The spate of bad weather in Britain which saw the Isles suffer drought, then floods and now prolonged cold weather is expected to impact this autumn's wheat harvest. Britain will become a net importer of wheat for the first time in a decade this year because of the bad weather.

More than two million tonnes of wheat had been lost because of last year's poor summer. The prolonged cold weather would also hit this autumn's harvest. But the shortage was unlikely to affect the price of bread because of the global nature of the market and the fact that only 10% of the price of bread is attributable to wheat.

Storms and Floods

Snowstorm in Kiev, Ukraine

A state of emergency has been declared due to heavy snowfall in Kiev, the capital city of Ukraine.

Kiev received 20 inches of snow in a 24-hour period. This is what Kiev usually receives per month during this season.

Winter Storm in Britain Continues.

Numerous roads in many regions became impassable after snow on Friday and Saturday. For Sunday the Met Office has warned that lying snow in many areas will melt on roads and pavements by day, refreezing by night to give icy patches. Some places, mainly in eastern England, will continue to get light snow, possibly up to a couple of inches. Also, snow blowing off fields in strong to gale force winds will affect some roads, especially over high ground.

Up to 18,000 properties in Northern Ireland, 10,000 in Scotland and 2,000 in Wales have been without power overnight despite efforts by energy firms to reconnect them. Weather warnings also remain in place across much of the UK after two days of wintery conditions. Two people are known to have died - one in Lancashire and one in Cornwall.

U.S. Snowstorm takes aim at Plains, Midwest

Baseball-sized hail and an early spring snowstorm forced the cancellation of more than 100 flights at Denver International Airport and closed several roads Saturday as it moved eastward, dumping more than a foot of snow in some places.

The major early spring storm brought heavy snow, severe thunderstorms and floods as it moved east across the United States on Saturday, closing highways, forcing flight cancellations and causing a pileup involving dozens of vehicles. Blowing and drifting snow closed several roads in Colorado, including Interstate 70 in both directions east of Denver to the Kansas state line.

Other News:

Three soldiers have died after struck by lightning Saturday afternoon at Upper Orakzi agency in Pakistan. Five others were injured.