Earth ChangesS


Cloud Lightning

Deadly storm kills at least 104 in India's Uttar Pradesh


Daily Times (Pakistan)
Thu, 14 May 2026 11:01 UTC
The incident involved a young man who was reportedly swept away by strong winds on Wednesday. He was carried nearly 300 metres before crashing into a field, suffering fractures in both his arms and legs.
The incident involved a young man who was reportedly swept away by strong winds on Wednesday. He was carried nearly 300 metres before crashing into a field, suffering fractures in both his arms and legs.
A powerful storm swept through India's northern state of Uttar Pradesh, killing more than 100 people and causing widespread destruction across several districts, officials said on Thursday.

The violent weather system brought intense rain, hail and strong winds, damaging homes, uprooting trees and disrupting daily life in India's most populous state.

According to state authorities, at least 104 people were killed in around a dozen districts, with the worst-hit areas located near the city of Prayagraj. Rescue officials said dozens more were injured as emergency teams responded to incidents across the region.

The storm also injured at least 59 people, damaged 87 homes and killed 114 livestock, adding to the scale of losses faced by affected communities.

Officials said many fatalities were caused by collapsing walls, falling trees and debris thrown by high-speed winds.

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Snowflake Cold

Best of the Web: Europe's mid-May cold trough digs deep: ENSO swamps the attribution machine

Cap Allon
Electroverse.substack.com
Thu, 14 May 2026 10:02 UTC
Keraunos puts the cold pool at 500 hPa at -32C (-26F) over western and central Europe on May 14.

For May, that ranks as the fourth-coldest such setup in 30 years of record-keeping. The benchmark remains May 2012, with ERA5 reanalysis coming up with -33C (-27F).

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© [Keraunos]
A deep upper-level trough is locked over the continent, with blocking over the North Atlantic allowing polar air to drive far south. That cold air aloft is steepening lapse rates, destabilizing the atmosphere, and turning mild spring air at the surface into showers, hail, thunder, mountain snow and frost risk.

The cold is already showing up.

In Croatia, Puntijarka on Zagreb's Medvednica has recorded May snow for only the sixth time since observations began in 1981.
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Tornado1

Rare tornado strikes the city of Zhangping, China

Global Disasters News
Facebook
Tue, 12 May 2026 19:25 UTC
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Seismograph

4.6-magnitude earthquake strikes Iran's capital Tehran


India Today
Wed, 13 May 2026 14:29 UTC
tehran city view
© ReutersA view of Tehran, Iran
A 4.6-magnitude earthquake struck near Tehran on Tuesday at a depth of 10 kilometres, Iranian state media reported. No casualties or damage were immediately reported in the Tehran-Mazandaran border region.

A 4.6-magnitude earthquake struck Iran's capital, Tehran on Tuesday, Iranian state media reported, citing the country's seismological centre. The quake hit at a depth of 10 kilometres, with tremors felt in the border region between Tehran and Mazandaran provinces. There were no immediate reports of casualties or damage.

Red Crescent teams in Tehran, Mazandaran, Qom and Alborz provinces were placed on alert following the earthquake. Iran's state broadcaster IRIB reported that no injuries or major financial damage had been recorded an hour after the tremor.

Comment: For all those jumping up and down about "Iran testing nukes":
iran may 2026 earthquake
© Union Public Service Commission


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Attention

Black bear attack leaves man dead in northern Saskatchewan, Canada - 2nd such death in North America within a week

Tavi Dhillon
Global News
Tue, 12 May 2026 11:11 UTC
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A 27-year-old man was fatally attacked by a black bear in northeastern Saskatchewan on Friday, according to the province's Ministry of Community Safety.

Following the attack 85 kilometres northeast of Points North Landing, the province says the bear was euthanized by a civilian while waiting for officials to arrive at the scene. The bear's body was then transported hundreds of kilometres south to a Saskatoon veterinary college, where the bear was subject to a necropsy - a post-mortem exam.

"The investigation is in its early stages and there is no further information available at this time," the ministry said in a statement for Global News.

A wildlife human attack response team and conservation officer services are investigating the attack, alongside RCMP and the provincial coroners service, it added.


Comment: Details of the earlier incident: 'He was a warrior': South Florida man killed in bear attack in Montana, father says

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Tsunami

12 hospitalized after torrential rains trigger severe floods in northern Turkiye


AP
Wed, 13 May 2026 10:12 UTC
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At least 12 people were injured after devastating flooding and torrential flows struck the Havza district following heavy rainfall in Samsun, Türkiye. (May 12, 2026 )
Torrential rains have triggered severe flooding in a district near Turkiye's Black Sea coast, inundating homes and businesses and sweeping away cars. At least 12 people were hospitalized with minor injuries, the state-run Anadolu Agency reported.

The heavy rainfall late on Tuesday caused rivers in the Havza district of Samsun province to overflow, sending waters rushing down streets, carrying vehicles and debris.

Anadolu said the basement and ground floors of several properties were submerged. Video footage showed a driver standing on top of a truck waiting to be rescued from the flood.

Anadolu said none of the injured were in serious condition. Some reached the hospital on their own while others were assisted by medical teams.

Firefighters, police, and disaster teams were deployed to rescue stranded residents and to clear debris.

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Tsunami

Thousands displaced as Eastern Cape floods worsen as rain continues in South Africa - at least 10 killed across the country (UPDATE)

Sandy McCowen
algoafm.co.za
Thu, 07 May 2026 18:03 UTC
With the Keurbooms River flowing strongly, approximately 70 people have become stranded in the area. Photo: GRDM
© GRDMWith the Keurbooms River flowing strongly, approximately 70 people have become stranded in the area.
Heavy rains, flooding, rough seas and snow have caused widespread disruption across the Eastern Cape and Garden Route, with thousands of residents evacuated, roads closed and emergency shelters overwhelmed as disaster teams race to respond to the severe weather crisis.

More than 2,000 flood victims are currently being accommodated in 25 emergency shelters across Nelson Mandela Bay, where overcrowded facilities are housing families, elderly residents, women and children displaced by persistent flooding.

Humanitarian organisations and disaster management teams have issued urgent appeals for donations including long-life milk, cereal, drinking water, nappies, baby wipes, toiletries, blankets and mattresses as relief operations intensify.

"More than 2,000 flood victims are currently being accommodated in 25 emergency shelters across the Nelson Mandela Bay Metro," Gift of the Givers spokesperson Ali Sablay said.

"Gift of the Givers drop-off centres have been set up at the Nelson Mandela Bay Business Chamber, Boardwalk Mall and the Engen garage next to the Chief Dawid Stuurman International Airport."


Comment: Update May 12

AP reports:
South Africa declares natural disaster as flooding kills at least 10

At least 10 people are dead with many homes destroyed in flooding caused by torrential rains across six provinces in South Africa that have hit informal settlements especially hard.

South African authorities have declared a natural disaster for the flooding, thunderstorms, high winds and even snowfall that have affected parts of the Western Cape, North West, Free State, Eastern Cape, Northern Cape and Mpumalanga provinces since May 4.

The declaration enables the government to use emergency funds and other resources to respond.

Cape Town was badly affected, and the Western Cape provincial government has ordered the temporary closure of schools and parts of the city's Table Mountain tourist attraction.

Local officials there on Tuesday said at least 26 informal settlements around the city had been affected by flooding, with over 10,000 structures damaged.

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa on Monday expressed "deep sadness" over the loss of at least 10 lives due to the severe weather as winter in the Southern Hemisphere begins.

He said authorities are "making the best use of science to pre-empt some of these events and to respond to the aftermath."

Experts have said severe floods across Southern Africa are intensifying, driven by extreme weather patterns. Mozambique, South Africa and Zimbabwe experienced unusually heavy rains in recent months, with the region's worst flooding in years.

In January, South Africa declared a national disaster over torrential rains and floods that killed at least 30 people in the north, damaged thousands of homes and washed away roads and bridges.


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Tsunami

Severe flooding hits Mexico City

Rio Negro
rionegrotur.com.ar
Tue, 12 May 2026 18:45 UTC
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Mexico City authorities issued a warning Monday night that heavy rains could cause severe flooding.

Several areas of the city are currently underwater.

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Snowflake

Winter makes a comeback in May - videos shows snow in eastern Switzerland


Bluewin.ch
Tue, 12 May 2026 17:54 UTC
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Snow in May
The ice saints live up to their name this week. Rain, dense clouds and strong winds dominate at the start of the week. On Tuesday night, the snow line even dropped to medium altitudes.

For example, in Walenstadtberg, a village in the St. Gallen municipality of Walenstadt, snow fell from the sky early on Tuesday morning, as the video of a blue News reader reporter shows. Walenstadtberg lies at an altitude of around 800 meters above sea level.

It also snowed in Fischenthal ZH:

It will remain cool in the coming days: According to MeteoNews, the night to Wednesday will be partly cloudy to clear in many places. This will allow the air to cool down unhindered, which is why temperatures will drop significantly in the early hours of the morning.

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Snowflake

May snowfall strikes the mountains of Croatia, strong thunderstorms, heavy rain and hail hits Zagreb area


Croatia Week
Tue, 12 May 2026 17:35 UTC
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Severe storms swept across parts of northern Croatia on Tuesday, causing widespread disruption, damaging infrastructure and bringing unusual May snowfall to higher elevations.

Emergency services were called into action across Zagreb and Zagreb County after strong thunderstorms, heavy rain and hail hit the region.

According to Croatia's Civil Protection Directorate, the County Emergency Centre 112 received around 250 calls from residents reporting various weather-related incidents.

In Zagreb, one person was reported injured during the storm.

The severe weather also disrupted public transport in the capital. Due to damage to the overhead power network, several tram lines were forced to operate on altered and shortened routes.

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