Storms and Floods

Tropical Storms - Roundup of Tropical Storms:

No current tropical storms.

NewsBytes:

Texas, USA - At least three tornadoes have been confirmed in Cool, Tolar and Stephenville areas in Texas injuring four people and damaging several buildings.

Jakarta, Indonesia - Rainwater causing overflow at the Ciliwung, the longest river in the capital, early on Tuesday has led to flooding in at least five districts of East and South Jakarta, forcing hundreds of residents to abandon their inundated houses and move to more secure ground. Flooding also affected the South Jakarta districts of Tebet, Pasar Minggu and Pancosan. Meanwhile, in East Jakarta, flooding occurred in Jatinegara and Kramatjati districts, with the subdistricts of Kampung Melayu and Bidara Cina being worst hit.

Storms and Floods

Tropical Storms - Roundup of Tropical Storms:

Tropical cyclone 11p (Winston), located approximately 90 nm west-northwest of Suva, Fiji, is tracking westward at 16 knots.

Tropical cyclone 13s (Uriah), located approximately 1080 nm south-southeast of Diego Garcia, is tracking south-southeastward at 04 knots.

NewsBytes:

Fiji - Tropical Cyclone Winston has made landfall on the island of Viti Levu in Fiji. The storm, which is the most powerful ever to hit the island nation, was tracked moving through the narrow waterway ocean in between the country's main islands of Viti Levu and Vanua Levu. The capital city, Suva, is without electricity. Tropical Cyclone Winston was packing winds of 180 mph with gusts over 220 mph -- the equivalent of a Category 5 hurricane -- according to the Joint Typhoon Warning Centre. It is the strongest storm on record to make a direct hit on the main islands, which are home to a majority of Fiji's 900,000 people and are smaller than Connecticut.

South Africa - Harding - Three more people have died in lightning strikes in KwaZulu-Natal, bringing to 10 the number of people killed in one week, the provincial co-operative governance and traditional affairs department said on Saturday.

Texas, USA - Volunteers with Texas Search and Rescue are picking up their search efforts for two children lost during a major flood along the Blanco River.

Wildfires

Wildfires - Thailand

Wildfires are raging in Uthai Thani national park, Thailand. The fires reportedly broke out on Saturday and spread quickly to at least three spots. It is assumed that plant collectors or hunters might have set bonfires in the course of their activities and left the park without putting them out. The ongoing dry season also provided favorable conditions for the wildfires.

In an effort to prevent wild fires and smog that happen every year in the dry season, Thailand and Myanmar have agreed to increase cooperation in tackling the problem. Thailand has asked the Myanmar military officers to urge Myanmar people living along the Thai-Myanmar borders to stop burning forests and mobile plantations in order to prevent smog during the dry season.

Wildfire - Texas, USA

A wildfire near Canadian River, Texas is now 95 percent contained. It has already burned 1,750 acres. The authorities closed down the section of U.S. 287 between Dumas and Amarillo as they work to contain the flames.

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:

Tropical Cyclone Chapala (tc) 04a, located approximately 82 nm northeast of Socotra Island, Yemen, is tracking westward at 07 knots.

NewsBytes:

Texas, USA - The death toll rose to six in Texas as more bodies were recovered on Saturday after another band of strong storms and heavy rain spawned three tornadoes and dangerous flooding in the waterlogged state. It was the second day of turbulent weather in Texas, where at least four people died Friday in flood waters in central Texas. The storms and suspected tornadoes, which forecasters say were caused by an upper-level disturbance from Mexico, socked an already-sodden swath of Texas that was still drying out from the remnants of Hurricane Patricia.

Storms and Floods

Tropical Storms - Roundup of Tropical Storms:

Tropical Cyclone Chapala (tc) 04a, located approximately 245 nm east-northeast of Socotra Island, Yemen, is tracking westward at 09 knots.

NewsBytes:

Texas, USA - Strong storms and heavy rains thundered across central and southern Texas Friday, causing floods that trapped school buses and other vehicles. The formation of several short-lived tornadoes is suspected.

El Nino's Global Weather Havoc Intensifying

Weather shifts believed caused by a strengthening El Niño in the tropical Pacific are gaining momentum around the world, according to officials.

Drought in parts of Brazil, northern South America and the Caribbean are reportedly draining rivers and sparking wildfires.

The head of Colombia’s environment ministry says El Niño has caused “a rise in temperatures of between 5 and 6 degrees Celsius (9 to 10.8 F) in some regions of the country.”

Flooding from East Africa’s “short rains” are washing out roads and destroying crops in Kenya and Somalia, but the destruction is not as severe as during the 1997-98 record El Niño because there isn’t an accompanying warming of the Indian Ocean as seen back then.

The aid agency Oxfam warns that once the short rains end later this year, a protracted drought is likely to bring famine to some of the most impoverished areas of Africa.

The strengthening El Niño is also being blamed for the explosive development of Category-5 Hurricane Patricia off Mexico.

NOAA predicts a 95 percent chance the ocean warming will linger into next year, but says it will peak during the northern winter.

Storms and Floods

Tropical Storms - Roundup of Tropical Storms:

Tropical Storm Olaf is located about 1030 mi...1660 km ENE of Honolulu Hawaii and about 890 mi...1435 km ENE of Hilo Hawaii with maximum sustained winds...70 mph...110 km/h. Present movement...NE or 40 degrees at 12 mph...19 km/h.

NewsBytes:

South Africa - A lightning storm in KwaZulu-Natal province, South Africa has claimed the lives of two women.

Middle East - Stormy weather in Israel has claimed the life of one person and left thousands without power. A 20-year old worker died in Pardes Hanna when a wall collapsed at a construction site because of the strong winds. The Airport Authority briefly closed Sde Dov Airport in Tel Aviv due to the weather conditions. Similarly, severe weather in Egypt's Mediterranean city of Alexandria has claimed the lives of six people, including two children.

Texas, USA - Heavy rains fuelled by the meeting of two storm systems, one the remnants of Hurricane Patricia, pounded southeastern Texas, triggering flash floods in Houston.

Storms and Floods

Tropical Storms - Roundup of Tropical Storms:

Typhoon Champi is located approximately 876 nm northwest of Wake Island, and is tracking northeastward at 22 knots.

Hurricane Olaf is located about 905 mi...1460 km E of Honolulu Hawaii and about 740 mi...1190 km E of Hilo Hawaii with maximum sustained winds...90 mph...150 km/h. Present movement...NE or 35 degrees at 8 mph...13 km/h.

NewsBytes:

Mexico - Hurricane Patricia caused less damage than feared on Mexico's Pacific coast on Saturday, but hammered an isolated part of the shoreline dotted with luxury villas and fishing villages, where the storm and its 165 mph (266 kph) winds landed. Thousands of residents and tourists fled the advance of the storm, one of the strongest in recorded history, seeking refuge in hastily arranged shelters. There were no early reports of deaths and it appeared major damage was averted as Patricia missed tourist centres like Puerto Vallarta and the major cargo port of Manzanillo. However, the storm carved through small rural villages, ripping corrugated metal roofing off modest brick homes and uprooting trees, with the forceful winds sucking the leaves off them.

In its march north, Patricia was likely to make matters worse in Texas, which saw heavy rains overnight from a separate storm system that caused flooding powerful enough to knock over a freight train. Officials said moisture from Patricia would increase the intensity of rains swamping parts of the state by Sunday. Patricia has since weakened to become a post-tropical depression.

Wildfires

Wildfires - Texas, USA

A state of emergency was declared in Bastrop County after wildfires continue to spread in the area. More than 4 200 acres have been scorched to date. State and local resources have been dispatched to contain the wildfires and ensure the safety of the surrounding communities.

Storms and Floods

Tropical Storms - Roundup of Tropical Storms:

Tropical Storm Nora is located about 1375 mi...2215 km ESE of South Point Hawaii with maximum sustained winds...40 mph...65 km/h. Present movement...WNW or 285 degrees at 15 mph...24 km/h.

Tropical Cyclone Three is located approximately 600 nm south-southeast of Karachi, Pakistan, and is tracking west-northwestward at 04 knots.

Invest 96E is an area of disturbed weather in the East Pacific that has the potential for tropical development.

NewsBytes:

Texas, USA - Up to 10 inches of rain has fallen overnight in parts of Texas Hill Country, South Texas, triggering flash flood warnings, road closures and the cancellation of classes in schools.

Storms and Floods

Tropical Storms - Roundup of Tropical Storms:

Tropical Storm Kilo is located approximately 309 nm east-southeast of Misawa, Japan, and is tracking north-northwestward at 17 knots.

NewsBytes:

Japan - Japan advised almost 3 million people to evacuate after heavy flooding this week killed three people and left 16 people missing in the eastern region. At least 27 people have been injured across 10 prefectures since floods inundated parts of eastern Japan. Rescue teams in Osaki city battled to save residents Friday after a section of a levee containing the Shibui River broke.n some areas during the past two days, residents were forced to their rooftops, desperately awaiting rescue by military helicopters. The raging brown floodwaters spawned from Tropical Storm Etau, which has dumped more than 60 centimetres (2 feet) of rain over some areas since Monday.

Texas, USA - One person died and another remains missing after heavy rainfall triggered floods in the San Antonio area on Thursday.

Wildfires

Wildfires - Texas and California, USA

A major wildfire at Possum Kingdom Lake, Texas, an area that fires devastated in 2011, has been mostly contained and has caused no damage to structures.

Firefighters are making progress against a 1,500-acre wildfire burning in a remote area of eastern San Diego County.

Storms and Floods

Hail and Tornadoes in Texas, USA

Six people are confirmed dead and as many as 100 injured as grape-fruit sized hail and tornadoes hit. One tornado ripped through a picturesque lakeside North Texas town, resulting in multiple fatalities and destroying or damaging homes. The death toll could climb higher as at least fourteen people are unaccounted for. Three tornadoes have been reported to have struck. The twisters damaged areas 5km east of Granbury that have about 110 homes. Another tornado hit the small town of Millsap, about 80km west of Fort Worth. Roof damage was reported to several houses and a barn was destroyed, but no injuries were reported. Hail as large as grapefruit also pelted the area around Mineral Wells.

Tropical cyclone Mahasen

Mahasen hit Bangladesh's southern coast, killing at least five. Hundreds of thousands of people in Bangladesh and Myanmar [Burma] were ordered Wednesday to move to safety as the cyclone barrelled towards low-lying coastal areas. A U.N. agency is warning that more than 4 million people could be in danger. Cyclone Mahasen buffeted Bangladesh's low-lying coast on Thursday, bearing down on the ports of Chittagong and Cox's Bazar, as tens of thousands of people huddled in shelters. Winds of up to 100 kph (60 mph) lashed the coast and whipped up waves, with an expected 2.1 metres (seven foot) storm surge and heavy rain likely to cause widespread flooding.

Tropical storm Alvin forms about 700 mi (1125 km) S of Manzanillo, Mexico. Alvin is the first tropical storm of the Eastern Pacific season and is expected to become a hurricane by Friday.

Severe Storms in England

Up to 3 inches of snow fell in Princetown in Dartmoor, Devon, Rhayader in Powys, and Newcastle-on-Clun in Shropshire – while Pembrey, Carmarthenshire, had 3 inches of rain in the 24 hours. The southern coast was hit hardest last night with police in Devon and Cornwall reporting slates coming off roofs and trees blocking roads, as rain lashed across much of the country. In Devon and Cornwall hundreds of homes were left without electricity. Residents were also bracing themselves for floods – with 14 separate alerts in place across the two counties.

Mudslide in Wrexham, Wales

Heavy rain has caused flooding and a mudslide in Wrexham. About 3ft (90cm) of mud was swept down a hillside road at Minera. There were 13 flood alerts in place across Wales today.

Deadly Landslide in Fujian, China

A landslide in Xiamen in southeast China's Fujian Province has claimed the lives of three people, including two children. Torrential rainfall caused the landslide at the Qianpu Flea Market in Xiamen early today.

Storms and Floods

Flooding in Nicosia, Cyprus

A thunderstorm caused basement flooding, trapped motorists in their cars in capital city of Cyprus Nicosia. Hailstorm and street flooding was also reported in Strovolos, Dasoupolis and Lakatamia.

Lightning in Dabel, Germany

A lightning strike in Germany has injured at least 39 people with eight in serious condition. About 500 people were at the fairground in Dabel, east of Schwerin celebrating a Father’s Day party when the lightning struck. Most of the people suffered burns and shocks.

Other News:

Hailstorms have damaged over 200 houses with tin- roofed and asbestos walls in Mizoram, India. A landslide caused by heavy rainfall has also blocked roads in Kolasib town.

A tornado touched down in Bakersfield, California, USA for the first time since 1999.

Storms caused heavy rain, hail and street flooding in Temple area of Texas, USA.

Recent flash floods in Somalia have killed seven children and displaced 50,000 others, the UN says. Flash foods have also made thousands homeless in the Middle Shebelle area of southern Somalia.

Flash floods kill nine people, displace 25 000 others in western Uganda.

Storms and Floods

Landslide in Kiambu County, Kenya

A landslide in Kenya's Kiambu county has killed three girls. The landslide occurred after heavy rainfall and has also blocked access to Kijabe Mission Hospital in Kiambu district.

Flash flooding in Houston, Texas, USA

Recent floods in Houston, TX has caused huge power outages. Several roads are closed in Harris County and Fort Bent County.

Other USA News:

An emergency declaration for flooding in North Dakota has been approved by President Obama.

A disaster has been declared for Kansas following a recent snowstorm.

Storms and Floods

Violent Storm Kills Six In Argentina

Six people were killed after torrential rain and powerful winds battered Buenos Aires, knocking out power, downing trees and damaging homes. More than 155 mm (six inches) of rain fell between midnight on Monday and 7am on Tuesday. That is a record for rainfall in April in the Argentine capital.

Mudslide in Arusha, Tanzania

A mudslide in Arusha, Tanzania has claimed 13 lives. Four people are still missing. The mudslide occurred at a gravel mine in the Moshono area of northern Tanzania.

Storm and Tornado in Torda, Serbia

A storm which spawned a tornado in Torda, Serbia has damaged more than 100 buildings. The tornado damage is estimated in the millions of dollars.

Avalanche in Italian Alps

An avalanche in the the Ortles region of the Italian alps has claimed the lives of three skiers.

Other News:

Landslide in Papua New Guinea kills mother and five-month-old baby. The mother was found holding tightly onto five-month-old baby under the rubble of their house.

Hail storms in Hitchcock, Texas, USA damage seven police cars.

Wildfires

Wildfires - Texas, USA

Two major wildfires are burning north of Houston, Texas.

Storms and Floods

Tropical Cyclone Haruna

TC Haruna has now killed 10 people in Madagascar.

The cyclone destroyed around 70 percent of the southwestern city of Morombe.

This tropical disturbance is forecast to bring more rain in southern Madagascar in the coming two days.

Unusual Landslide in Spain

Heavy rains in recent weeks have caused a major landslide in Subiza, Spain that has devastated rural roads, farms and caused serious damage to two electrical towers that are at serious risk of falling.

The landslide is located on the southeast slope of Mount of Forgiveness, towards Bells, and therefore did not affect any house in the small town of Basin, of about 190 inhabitants. The dimensions of the land mass, which dragged stones and vegetation as a result of heavy rainfall, are calculated at 800 meters long and 700 wide.

Winter Storm hits Europe

Central Europe has been swept by a powerful cyclone.

Snow caused chaos on roads in Austria, with the situation particularly grave in the east. Heavy trucks cannot cope with the icy slopes; traffic jams stretch for many kilometers. Every hour new accidents are recorded at police stations. Local officials urge drivers to put chains on the wheels.

Cold weather and snow have also descended upon Croatia: frosts have hit resorts on the Adriatic coast, the seafronts and yachts are covered with snow and ice. Local services are toiling around the clock clearing streets. According to weather forecasts, the cyclone has no intention of letting up on the Balkans.

EF-1 tornado with estimated winds of 104 mph tore a damage path 4.5 miles long across parts of Sabine County, Texas, USA just after 1 p.m Friday.

Wildfires

Wildfire in Manor City, Texas, USA. Wildfire is burning south of U.S. 290 and west of the Texas 45 toll road. The region is under a fire danger because of the extremely dry conditions.

Storms and Floods

Surprise snow and heavy rainfall over the weekend have led to flash flooding in some areas of southern England.

A tornado hit La Marque, Texas, USA, causing damage to the local fire station.

Nigeria's worst flooding in at least half a century has killed 363 people since the start of July and displaced 2.1 million people, the Nigerian emergency agency has reported. Nigeria often suffers seasonal flash floods after heavy tropical rain, but the sheer scale of the devastation this year has shocked people and images of towns and cities under water have filled TV screens.