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Mon, 04 Dec 2023
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Cloud Precipitation

Cyclone Michaung: Runway at Chennai Airport, India flooded as rain pounds city, cars washed away

flooded Chennai airport
© Newsable Asianet News
Flooded Chennai airport
Flight operations at Chennai airport has been affected due to the heavy rains as Cyclone Michaung is expected to cross the coastal areas of Tamil Nadu on Monday.

Several flights have been cancelled and some of them have been diverted. The entire runway and airplane parking zone of the Chennai airport are filled with water.

Heavy rain lashed Chennai through the night on Monday as Cyclone Michaung inching closer near the Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh coast.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) predicted that the city and its neighbouring districts would experience extremely heavy rain in the next 24 hours.


Cloud Precipitation

Tanzania Floods: Tragedy strikes Hanang District with over 50 fatalities after heavy overnight rain (UPDATE)

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In the early hours of December 3, 2023, the tranquil life in Katesh and Gendabi areas within Hanang District, Manyara Region, Tanzania, was interrupted by severe flooding. The overnight rains triggered mudslides and instigated the partial collapse of Mount Hanang. The aftermath - a shocking tally of at least 20 fatalities and 70 injuries, with homes, shops, business areas, and the main bus station in Katesh lying in ruins.


Comment: Update December 4

Reuters reports:
The death toll from floods and landslides in northern Tanzania following torrential rains over the weekend has risen to more than 50, with 750 acres of farmland destroyed, the president's office said on Monday.

Zuhura Yunus, spokesperson for President Samia Suluhu Hassan's office said in a statement that the landslides and floods had affected 1,150 households, or 5,600 people.

Severe flooding caused by El Nino and the Indian Ocean Dipole weather phenomena has killed hundreds of people in Kenya, Somalia and Ethiopia, and forced hundreds of thousands from their homes since seasonal rains began in October.



Binoculars

Cattle tyrant bird native to South America turns up in Corpus Christi, Texas in November - never before seen in North America

The cattle tyrant is a flycatcher bird native to South America that has never been sighted north of Panama, until now.
© Raul Alonzo / Texas Standard
The cattle tyrant is a flycatcher bird native to South America that has never been sighted north of Panama, until now.
Over the years, there have been many efforts to revitalize downtown Corpus Christi as a means of drawing in tourists. And, driving down Schatzell Street one Saturday afternoon in November, you might think that's been a roaring success when you see a group of people walking around with cameras and binoculars.

But they're actually here to see another tourist to the area - one that's never before been seen in North America: the cattle tyrant, a flycatcher bird native to South America.

It's an unusual sight to be sure. The cattle tyrant had to have traveled nearly 3,000 miles and crossed several borders to make it to its current stake-out spot near a sushi restaurant and parking garage in downtown Corpus. And ever since it was identified, scores of birders from all over have made the trip to catch a glimpse of it.


Hardhat

Giant hailstones pummel parts of Queensland, Australia

The storms battered southeastern Queensland as a precursor for what is to come.

The storms battered southeastern Queensland as a precursor for what is to come.
Australians have been warned to brace themselves for another week of wild weather as hail storms batter the east coast while a tropical cyclone is on its way.

The Bureau of Meteorology has predicted a high chance of Tropical Cyclone Jasper developing into a category 3 weather system by Tuesday or Wednesday as it moves towards Queensland from the South Pacific Ocean.

However parts of southeastern Queensland have already been smashed by giant hailstones on Monday as thunderstorms reportedly appeared out of nowhere.

Residents from Gympie claimed golf ball-size hail had pelted down just after midday across the region.



Fire

Mount Marapi: Eleven hikers killed as volcano erupts in Indonesia

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Eleven hikers have been found dead near the crater of Indonesia's Mount Marapi volcano after it erupted over the weekend, rescuers say.

Twelve others are missing and the search was suspended on Monday after another, smaller eruption.

There were 75 hikers in the area during the main eruption on Sunday but most were safely evacuated.

Marapi spewed a 3km (9,800ft) ash cloud into the air, dimming the sky and blanketing surrounding villages in ash.

It is among the most active of Indonesia's 127 volcanoes and is also popular among hikers. Some trails reopened only last June due to ash eruptions from January to February. Marapi's deadliest eruption occurred in 1979, when 60 people died.

Three people were rescued near the crater on Monday before the search was suspended. They were "weak and had some burns", said Abdul Malik, head of the Padang Search and Rescue Agency.


Seismograph

Magnitude 6.9 earthquake strikes off southern Philippines - 7th mag. 6+ in area within 30 hours

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A magnitude 6.9 earthquake struck off the coast of the southern Philippines, following a series of strong quakes in the same area. Early morning on Monday, the 6.9 magnitude earthquake jolted the southern Philippines early Monday, the United States Geological Survey said.

Yesterday, a magnitude 6.6 earthquake and a deadly magnitude 7.6 quake Saturday struck in the same region.

At least two people were killed and several were injured after Saturday's quake, according to AFP news agency.

Saturday's quake triggered tsunami warnings across the Pacific region and sent residents along the east coast of Mindanao fleeing buildings, evacuating a hospital, and seeking higher ground.

Comment: For details of the other quakes, see: 7.6-magnitude earthquake strikes the Philippine Sea, 5 aftershocks of mag.6 or greater


Cloud Precipitation

One dead, 11 missing in flash floods around Indonesia's Lake Toba

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One person died and 11 were missing after flash floods hit near Lake Toba in Indonesia's North Sumatra province, the country's disasters agency BNPB said, with scores of people evacuated and rescue efforts underway.

Heavy rain followed by flash floods on Friday evening hit the region located on the shores of the lake, damaging dozens of houses, a church, a school and a hotel, BNPB said in a statement on late Saturday.

Lake Toba, the world's biggest volcanic lake, is a popular tourist destination for Indonesians and international visitors.


Black Cat

Leopard mauls 13-year-old boy to death in Indian district of Bijnor, 18th human kill there in 9 months

Stock image of leopard
© Getty
A 13-year-old boy was mauled to death by a leopard at a sugarcane field on Thursday.

The attack occurred around 1.30pm at Sabdalpur Rehra village in Bijnor district. Notably, this is the 18th human kill in a leopard attack in nine months in Bijnor. The last incident was on November 3, when a big cat killed another boy.

The forest department claimed that more than 40 leopards have been trapped and relocated since the attacks began in February.

On Thursday, Alfez along with friends went to a sugarcane field, 500m away from the village. Once they reached, a leopard suddenly appeared and dragged him away. Alfez's friends then screamed for help. Farmers working nearby started looking for the boy.

Attention

Elephants claim 3 lives in 4 days in Indian district of Sundargarh - 18 killed there in 11 months

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Residents of villages in Sundargarh district are living in fear as elephants, in search of food, have reportedly claimed three lives in the past four days, bringing the total number of human deaths to 18 in the past 11 months. The ongoing paddy harvesting season has escalated the human-elephant conflict, with incidents reported across various forest divisions.

On November 29, Hiralal Behera (25) was killed by a wild elephant while attempting to protect his standing crops near Gargarbahal village in Bargaon range. The following evening, Mangri Munda (58) lost her life when a wild elephant attacked her house at Bhaluadihi in Patmunda under the Koida range. Additionally, the death of a woman in a suspected elephant attack inside the Satabhaya forest of Birmitrapur range on November 29 is pending confirmation with the autopsy report.

Fire

Eruption on newly formed island caught on camera off the coast of Iwo Jima, Japan

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Newly released aerial footage captured by the Japanese coast guard showed a volcano exploding on a new island formed off the coast of Iwo Jima.