Earth Changes
© NASA Earth Observatory
Satellite image of Rub’ al-Khali on May 29, 2018, just three days after Tropical Cyclone Mekunu had moved ashore over Oman.
Satellite image of Rub’ al-Khali on May 29, 2018, just three days after Tropical Cyclone Mekunu had moved ashore over Oman.
Tropical Cyclone Mekunu rolled over the country of Oman back in May, bringing huge downpours of rain - about 11 inches - to the capital city of Salalah. The nearby desert of Rub' al-Khali, the world's largest sand desert, also received significant precipitation.
So much so that NASA's Operational Land Imager captured images of hundreds of tiny lakes that formed in the ripples of the sand dunes, in an area known as the Empty Quarter. The satellite took the images three days after the storm.
A cyclone like Mekunu usually happens about once every two years, but it's rare for the country of Oman to bear a huge brunt of rain and wind like it did in May. This type of phenomenon has not occurred in the region for 20 years, according to Al Arabiya.
The Minister for the Interior, Mr Ambrose Dery, toured of some flood areas in the Accra Metropolis, including Odawna, Dome, Kissieman, Kwabenya, Madina, and communities in Tema. He called on management of National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) to carry out a needs assessment of the flood situation.
He said government, together with other stakeholders, would take immediate steps and strategies to see how best to resolve the situation and address the challenges.
Images on Social Media showed streets in the Greater Accra Region under 1 metre of water, leaving cars submerged and buildings damaged.
Comment: In the neighboring country of Ivory Coast at least 15 people died after severe flooding hit.
© National Weather Service - Seattle
Noctilucent clouds is a fancy term for "night clouds," which are exactly what they sound like: clouds that are visible when the sky is still mostly dark. The clouds are composed of ice crystals located in the Earth's upper atmosphere, where they become visible during what is known as "astronomical twilight.'
According to local news agency KGW8, the noctilucent clouds became visible between 3AM and 4AM local time, when they appeared to be wispy, white, and bright. Due to how thin they are, the clouds - which are the highest in the atmosphere - aren't visible once the sun is up.
© Representational image
The frequent incidents of tiger attacks in Sindewahi had caused concern at the highest level with Forest Minister Sudhir Mungantiwar directing the officials to provide relief to the people as early as possible.
The frequent incidents of tiger attacks in Sindewahi had caused concern at the highest level with Forest Minister Sudhir Mungantiwar directing the officials to provide relief to the people as early as possible.
"We have trap camera pictures of the animal, where he is clearly seen at the spot, where the dead bodies were lying. In the second and third cases, the tiger was captured from about 200 metres away. But in the fourth and fifth cases, it has been clearly identified," Singh told The Indian Express. "A committee had been formed as per the protocol of the National Tiger Conservation Authority to mull the mitigation and we will soon submit the report to Principal Chief Conservator of Forest (Wildlife) suggesting the mitigation, which could be capturing the animal," he added.
Sources
© Associated Press
Heavy rains also flooded roads in northern areas of Minnesota, causing some sections to collapse
Heavy rains also flooded roads in northern areas of Minnesota, causing some sections to collapse
The body of a 75-year-old man was recovered about 60 feet (18 meters) from his pickup truck in a ditch along a flooded road Sunday in White River, the Ashland County Sheriff's Office said Monday. Sheriff's officials said the investigation was ongoing but that the death was flood related.
Heavy rains also flooded roads in northern areas of Minnesota, causing some sections to collapse. In parts of Michigan's Upper Peninsula, where up to 7 inches (18 centimeters) of rain was reported, swollen waterways washed away roads, leaving behind large chunks of concrete and asphalt, making some streets impassible.
'The majority of us can't even get home. Roads are collapsed. Bridges are collapsed. Roads are covered in water. Whatever roads aren't collapsed it depends on how heavy of a vehicle you drive whether or not you are able to drive on those roads,' Tom Cowell, who lives in Chassell, a community on a peninsula in Lake Superior, told local television station WLUC.
'This is a pretty wild experience that we are having here,' he said.
© Luc Gnago/Reuters
A woman sits between her belongings and the debris after flood in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, June 19, 2018
A woman sits between her belongings and the debris after flood in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, June 19, 2018
Hundreds have been forced to leave their homes due to severe flooding in the economic capital, Abidjan.
At least 15 people have died and hundreds have been forced to leave their homes due to severe flooding in Abidjan, the economic capital of Ivory Coast, the country's interior minister said.
"Torrential rains triggered severe flooding across Abidjan yesterday night and killed 15 people, washed away houses and displaced hundreds of families," Sidiki Diakite told journalists on Tuesday.
About 115 people have been rescued and are in shelters.
"I broke the ceiling and called my neighbour for help. He came to bring the children out of the roof," said Kadidiatou Diallo, one of the survivors.
Emergency agencies continued the search for more casualties on Tuesday as the heavy rains persisted and the armed forces had been deployed to assist the effort, the minister said.
Adapt 2030 Ice Age Report: Australia land of sunshine freezes, frost 1500 miles south of the Equator
© AAP IMAGE
In the early hours of Sunday morning Australia's south east was swept with feverishly cold temperatures
In the early hours of Sunday morning Australia's south east was swept with feverishly cold temperatures
Sources
The rain in Istanbul inundated roads, causing havoc in the city. Some cars were even submerged in torrential downpours that followed lightning flashes across the city.
İncirli underpass in Istanbul's Bakırköy district was submerged under water, with firefighters running to help people stuck in their cars.
The General Directorate of Meteorology said early on June 17 in its warning that the thundery showers would continue for at least three hours in Istanbul. It called on citizens to be careful and take measures against possible "flash flooding" in its statement.
Comment: This is the 3rd major flooding event for Turkey in 6 weeks, see also:
Flash flood strikes again in Ankara, Turkey - 2nd such event in 2 weeks
Unexpected flood hits Ankara, Turkey - vehicles float down streets
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