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Fri, 05 Nov 2021
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Cloud Precipitation

Torrential rain causes at least 18 fatalities in Punjab, Pakistan

floods
Torrential rain and thunderstorms on 20 August caused damage and fatalities in Punjab Province, Pakistan.

Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) reported that parts of the provincial capital Lahore recorded more than 200mm of rain in 24 hours on 20 August. Heavy rain was reported in other areas of the province, including the city of Hafizabad, which saw over 150 mm of rain during the same period.

Several houses were completely destroyed, and roofs and walls of some buildings collapsed. Local media report that at least 18 people have lost their lives in rain-related incidents. Fatalities were reported in Lahore, along with the districts of Faisalabad, Sheikhupura and Mandi Bahauddin, mostly as a result of collapsed buildings or electrocution. Heavy rainfall triggered a landslide in a coal mine in Chakwal district, killing 3 miners.

PMD has warned of more heavy rainfall in Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Sindh provinces over the coming days.


Cloud Precipitation

Another 27 people die in floods across Bihar, India - 8.1 million now affected in 16 districts

FLOODS
With two more deaths, the toll in Bihar flood climbed to 27 on Thursday as 81.79 lakh people were affected in 16 districts, Disaster Management Department bulletin said. The two deaths have been reported from Khagaria district, the bulletin said. Nearly 11.59 thousand more population were hit by flood fury on Thursday.

The calamity has affected 81,79,257 people in 1,317 panchayats of 130 blocks till Thursday against 81,67,671 sufferers till Wednesday evening, it said.

Of the 27 deaths, Darbhanga district reported 11, followed by six in Muzaffarpur, four in West Champaran and two each in Saran, Siwan and Khagaria.


Tornado2

13 waterspouts form over the Great Lakes in one day!

waterspout
© The Weather Network | Rumble
Weather in 2020 keeps making headlines. Huge water tornadoes were spotted all over Ontario lakes on Monday. Footage of the surreal Great Lakes waterspouts are being shared online and more are expected to show up this week.

According to the International Centre for Waterspout Research (ICWR), there were 13 sightings of water funnels throughout the Great Lakes region on Monday.

"We have confirmed a total of 13 waterspouts that formed over parts of the Great Lakes on Monday, August 17. Expect more on Tuesday," says a post from ICWR.


Tornado2

Day After Tomorrow, today: TEN waterspouts appear side-by-side in Gulf of Mexico!

waterspout
Multiple waterspouts were spotted swirling simultaneously off Louisiana's coast on August 20, as severe storms battered the region with hail.

This footage shot by Frank Leday in the Gulf of Mexico captures at least six of the watery vortexes spiraling skyward against a blanket of dark storm clouds.

"Wow!! Ever see 6 water spouts at once?" Leday wrote on Facebook.

The storms came as the US National Weather Service predicted two tropical depressions — one in the North Atlantic and another in the Carribean — could develop into hurricanes upon hitting the Gulf. According to US media, it would be the first instance of two separate tropical storm systems in the basin in over 60 years.


Tornado1

'Extremely rare': Two hurricanes could be in the Gulf of Mexico next week

hurricane
© Getty
File photo: Tropical storm
The historically active 2020 Atlantic hurricane season continues to ramp up, with the National Hurricane Center identifying two tropical depressions, both of which could strengthen as they head toward the Gulf of Mexico and the U.S. coastline.

KEY FACTS

The National Hurricane Center projects Tropical Depression Thirteen, over the central Atlantic, and Tropical Depression Fourteen, in the western Caribbean, will strengthen from their 35 mph sustained winds as they move toward the U.S.

There's still a great deal of uncertainty about how strong the storms could become, but it seems very likely they will become the 12th and 13th named storms — Laura and Marco — over the next day or so.

Comment: See also:


Cloud Precipitation

Floods and landslides leave 7 dead, 1 missing in Vietnam

Floods hit Nam Po district, Dien Bien province on August 18.
© Sai gon Giai phong
Floods hit Nam Po district, Dien Bien province on August 18.
Disaster authorities in Vietnam report that 7 people have died and 1 is still missing after heavy rainfall triggered flash floods and landslides.

According to Vietnam Disaster Management Authority (DMA), heavy rain, flooding and landslides have caused damage in the provinces and cities of Yen Bai, Hoa Binh, Phu Tho, Ha Giang, Hanoi, Binh Duong, Vinh Phuc, Son La, Tuyen Quang, Lai Chau, Cao Bang, Dien Bien, Quang Ninh.

Some areas of Vietnam saw more than 300mm of rain in a period 16 to 19 August, including Cai Chien in Quang Ninh Province, Cat Ba in Hai Phong and Thai Nguyen City. The heavy rain fall is associated with Tropical Storm Higos which made landfall in the southern Guangdong province of China on 19 August before moving towards Vietnam and Laos.


Fire

Pine Gulch Fire burning near Grand Junction is now 2nd largest fire in Colorado history

fire
© Rocky Mountain Incident Management Team
The Pine Gulch Fire continues to burn on the western slope, north of Grand Junction, and is steadily approaching state history. A Wednesday update on acres burned now puts it second only behind the Hayman Fire on the list of largest in Colorado history.

Currently, the fire has burned 125,108 acres, according to the Rocky Mountain Area Coordination Center. For reference, the Hayman Fire burned 137,760 acres in 2002. The Spring Creek Fire, which was second on the list, burned 108,045 acres in southern Colorado in 2018.


Arrow Down

Gigantic sinkhole swallows 21 cars in the city of Yibin, China

sinkhole
What would you do if the ground opens up and swallow your car? That's right - nothing. That's exactly what happened in what seems to be a parking lot in front of a shopping mall in China.

Caught by the country's state CCTV (embedded on top), a massive sinkhole opened up and devoured at least 21 cars. The disaster happened on the evening of August 19, 2020, Wednesday.

According to reports, 15 vehicles were recovered - most likely wrecked - from the site with zero casualties. Authorities in the country are still investigating the cause of the accident, but the current weather in the area could be the culprit.

The shopping mall is situated near the Yangtze River in Sichuan province. The province is experiencing torrential rainfalls, prompting the authorities to raise its emergency response to a maximum level.


Arrow Up

Dramatic time-lapse footage shows latest eruption of Mount Sinabung in Indonesia

Mount Sinabung erupts again
© YouTube/SCMP Clips (screen capture)
Stunning time-lapse footage shows Indonesia's Mount Sinabung erupting on August 18, 2020, sending thick plumes of ash into the air. The volcano located in North Sumatra, has erupted several times already this month. No injuries or major damage have been reported.


Comment: The volcanic activity of Indonesia's Mount Sinabung continues. Also this month: Indonesia has also seen intense seismic activity recently. From the last three days: As reported by Dr. Tony Philips recently in Space Weather Archive:
"During the next solar cycle, we could see cosmic ray dose rates increase by as much as 75%," says lead author Fatemeh Rahmanifard of the University of New Hampshire's Space Science Center.
See also: Is there a connection between cosmic rays, earthquakes and volcanic eruptions?


Seismograph

Deep M6.9 earthquake strikes Banda Sea off Indonesia

Banda Sea earthquake
© USGS
The quake was at a depth of 640km, with an estimated magnitude of 6.9.
A 6.9-magnitude quake struck eastern Indonesia on Friday (Aug 21), the US Geological Survey (USGS) reported, but there was no tsunami warning issued and no immediate reports of casualties or major damage.

In Kupang city, far south of the quake's epicentre in the Banda Sea, frightened residents ran outside as buildings and streetlights swayed.

"I was in the shopping centre when the quake hit," said resident Engky Nussi. "Many people ran outside as stuff started falling off the shelves and we were afraid something worse might happen."

The undersea tremor struck at a depth of more than 600km about 220km south of Katabu on the island of Sulawesi, the USGS said.

Deep quakes tend to cause less damage than shallow ones and USGS said there was a low likelihood of casualties and damage.

Comment: Only two days ago on Wed. 19 Aug. twin shallow 6.8 & 6.9 magnitude earthquakes hit Indonesia within 10 minutes of each other.