Earth ChangesS


Cloud Lightning

Storm-related incidents kill 65 in Pakistan, including 28 by lightning strikes - April rain doubles historical average (UPDATE)

Kaneez Fatima
Fairfield Sun Times
Mon, 15 Apr 2024 11:23 UTC
vvvv
At least 41 people have died in storm-related incidents across Pakistan since Friday, including 28 killed by lightning, officials said on Monday.

Pakistan's National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) has warned of landslides and flash floods because more rain is expected in coming days.

Punjab, Pakistan's largest and most populous province, witnessed the highest death toll, with 21 people killed by lightning between Friday and Sunday.

"I have asked the NDMA to coordinate with the provinces... and for the NDMA to provide relief goods to areas where damages occurred," Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Monday.

People living in open, rural areas are more at risk of being struck by lightning during thunderstorms.

At least eight people were killed in Balochistan province, including seven struck by lightning, where 25 districts were battered by rain and some areas were flooded.


Comment: Update April 17

AFP reports:
At least 65 people have died in storm-related incidents including lightning in Pakistan, officials said, with rain so far in April falling at nearly twice the historical average rate.

People stand beside a makeshift stall set up on the bank of a stream, which is overflowing following heavy rains, on the outskirts of Peshawar, Pakistan, April 2024.
© APPeople stand beside a makeshift stall set up on the bank of a stream, which is overflowing following heavy rains, on the outskirts of Peshawar, Pakistan, April 2024.
Heavy downpours between Friday and Monday unleashed flash floods and caused houses to collapse, while lightning killed at least 28 people.

The largest death toll was in northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, where 32 people have died, including 15 children, and more than 1,300 homes have been damaged.

"All the casualties resulted from the collapse of walls and roofs," Anwar Khan, spokesman for the province's disaster management authority, told AFP on Wednesday.

Villagers whose homes were inundated with water were forced to seek refuge on higher ground, including on the shoulders of motorways, creating makeshift tents with plastic sheeting and bamboo sticks.

"In April, we have observed highly unusual rainfall patterns," Zaheer Ahmad Babar, spokesperson for the Pakistan Meteorological Department, told AFP.

"From April 1st to April 17th, we experienced precipitation levels exceeding the historical average by 99 percent," he added, citing data from the past 30 years as a comparison.

Most of the country experienced a pause in rain on Tuesday and Wednesday, but more downpours are predicted in the coming days.


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Snowflake Cold

From hot to freezing in a day in Slovenia


The Slovenia Times
Wed, 17 Apr 2024 06:46 UTC
Snow on a blooming meadow in Ljubljana.
© Nebojša Tejić/STASnow on a blooming meadow in Ljubljana.
Shorts are out and winter coats and gloves are back in in Slovenia after temperature rollercoaster brought down readings by up to 26 degrees Celsius in a single day in a new record.

After more than ten days of unseasonably warm, summer-like weather with temperatures hitting 30C and over, the country saw an abrupt change in weather on 16 April with icy temperatures, winds, rain and snow.

The weather forecast turned out to be accurate this time, but many still were caught unprepared, ending up shivering and with hands numb with cold.

The U-turn in weather also caused some damage and traffic disruption due to strong winds and snowing. Temperature dropped below freezing point in many places.

The Environment Agency's readings show that temperatures in the afternoon on 16 April were 25 degrees Celsius lower than the previous day in certain parts of the country.
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Cloud Precipitation

Heavy downpour and flash floods hit southeast Iran

Kamal Iranidoost
Mehr News Agency
Wed, 17 Apr 2024 12:10 UTC
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After torrential rains and major flooding hit United Arab Emirates on Tuesday, the same wave of severe weather arrived in Iran and hit hard the southern and southestern provinces of Bandar Abass, kerman and Sistan and Baluchestan on late on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Rivers burst their banks and dams were full of water as huge floods washed away people's properties in some areas in Kerman and Sistan and Baluchestan provinces on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, the search and rescue teams saved three people who had been announced missing in the floods earlier today in Kerman Province.

Sistan and Baluchestan which borders Sea of Oman was also hit earlier this year in March by flash floods.

The chairman of roads administration of Sistan and Baluchestan province told reporters that the floods had blocked the roads between twenty villages in the province.

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Seismograph

6.3 magnitude earthquake hits western Japan, no tsunami warning issued


NDTV
Thu, 18 Apr 2024 10:01 UTC
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An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 6.3 struck off southwestern Japan on Wednesday night, the US Geological Survey said, but there were no tsunami warnings or reports of damage.
Promoted

The USGS put the epicentre of the quake in a channel that separates the islands of Kyushu and Shikoku, about 18 kilometres (11 miles) west of Uwajima, at a depth of about 25 kilometres.

Agence France-Presse
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Volcano

Indonesia's Ruang volcano erupts, forces evacuation of 800 to nearby Islands

Heena Sharma
WION
Wed, 17 Apr 2024 13:26 UTC
Indonesia's Ruang Volcano
Indonesia's Ruang Volcano
Nearly 800 individuals have been evacuated because of the eruption of the Ruang volcano, located on the Sangihe Islands in North Sulawesi, Indonesia. It's part of the Pacific Ring of Fire, which is known for its frequent volcanic eruptions and seismic activity.

The eruptions at the Ruang volcano occurred multiple times since Tuesday (Apr 16). As the magma rose to the surface and erupted, it produced various volcanic materials, including lava flows and ash clouds. The delicate situation prompted the authorities to elevate the alert level to the second highest.

Heruningtyas Desi Purnamasari from Indonesia's Center for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation (PVMBG) reportedly told Reuters that recent earthquakes on the island triggered the eruptions. This resulted in the emission of dangerous "explosive hot clouds" reaching heights of 1.8 km.

"We must clear the island because we anticipate there could be more eruptions. No activity is allowed within four kilometres from the crater," Purnamasari said.

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Snowflake

Colorado sees nearly 3 feet of April snow after Denver hits 80-degree mark

Samantha Jarpe
kdvr.com/
Wed, 17 Apr 2024 12:47 UTC
bbbbbbbbb
While the Denver metro may have enjoyed spring-like temperatures and a few rain showers to start off the work week, other parts of the state were in a whole other boat.

The high country was forecasted to see heavy snow on Monday and Tuesday, and that's exactly what happened.

Some areas, including Cameron Pass in Larimer County, were hit with nearly 3 feet of snow on Monday and Tuesday.

According to the National Weather Service, the aptly named Never Summer mountain range, as well as the Medicine Bow mountains, saw some of the heaviest snow.

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Cloud Precipitation

Best of the Web: Dubai submerged as United Arab Emirates gets over year and a half's worth of rain in 24 hours


Al Jazeera
Wed, 17 Apr 2024 11:44 UTC
Desert City Dubai Under Water After Rains
Desert city Dubai under water after rains
Heavy thunderstorms have lashed the United Arab Emirates (UAE), dumping more than a year and a half's rain on the desert city-state of Dubai in just a few hours and flooding major highways and its international airport.

The rains began late on Monday, soaking the sands and roads of Dubai with some 20mm (0.79 inches) of rain, according to meteorological data collected at Dubai International Airport. The storms intensified at about 9am (05:00 GMT) on Tuesday and continued throughout the day, dumping more rain and hail onto the overwhelmed city.

By the end of Tuesday, more than 142mm (5.59 inches) had soaked Dubai. An average year sees 94.7mm (3.73 inches) of rain at Dubai International Airport, the world's busiest for international travel and a hub for the long-haul carrier Emirates.


Comment: This is the desert region's heaviest rainfall in at least 75 years - since 1949, when proper record-keeping began there... so, for all we know, it's the Arabian region's heaviest rainfall in the entire modern era.

Elsewhere in the region: Flash floods hit Oman - at least 18 killed

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Doberman

Toddler killed, mauled by 3 dogs at babysitter's Duncanville home in Texas

De'Anthony Taylor, Alicia Barrera, Keenan Willard and Alanna Quillen
nbcdfw.com
Mon, 15 Apr 2024 11:28 UTC
dog attack
A 1-year-old boy was viciously mauled to death Monday morning by three large dogs in a Duncanville home where he was being babysat with other children.

According to the Duncanville Police Department, officers were called to a home in the 1500 block of Lime Leaf Lane at about 10:40 a.m. after a small child was attacked by a dog.

When they arrived at the home with paramedics, police said they found the toddler unresponsive with severe injuries and immediately began performing life-saving measures on the young victim until medics arrived.

The child was rushed to the Children's Medical Center in Dallas but was pronounced dead shortly after arriving.

"This is certainly a tragedy. Our fire personnel and police personnel worked very hard to try to save this child," said Duncanville Interim Police Chief Matthew Stogner.

During a press conference Monday evening, Stogner said the homeowner was babysitting the 1-year-old, and there were three other children inside the home at the time of the attack. Only one child, who was not a resident of the household, was attacked.

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Cloud Precipitation

Tanzania floods kill 58 in 2 weeks


Myjoyonline.com
Mon, 15 Apr 2024 17:51 UTC
Visuals from the regions affected by flood
© X/@rcs1962) Asian News InternationalVisuals from the regions affected by flood in Tanzania.
Nearly 60 people have died since the start of April in heavy rains and flooding that has hit several parts of Tanzania, the government said.

The coastal region of the East African country is one of the worst affected, with floods damaging thousands of farms there, Mobhare Matinyi, the government spokesperson, said in a statement on Sunday.

"Serious flood effects are experienced in the coast region where 11 people have so far died," Mr Matinyi added.

He said, so far, 58 deaths have been recorded across the country from the flooding.

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Cloud Precipitation

Storm leaves 5 people dead and infrastructure flood damaged in Margate, South Africa

Sakhiseni Nxumalo
Times Live
Mon, 15 Apr 2024 17:32 UTC
flood
Heavy downpour in Margate saw water gushing through the streets.
Five people died in a storm that lashed Margate on the KwaZulu-Natal south coast on Sunday night.

This was confirmed by Ugu district municipality, which said search and rescue teams have been deployed.

Huge damage has been caused to water and roads infrastructure and an on-site assessment of the damages is under way.

Municipality spokesperson France Zama said a co-ordinated cleanup operation is in progress while the cost of the damage is being consolidated.

Municipality teams were on the ground to establish the extent of the damage.

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