Earth Changes
Thousands of residents in North Dakota are forced to leave their homes after the Souris River bursts its banks and levees are breached.
Heavy rains and melting snow have raised water levels in Canadian reservoirs in the Souris River basin over the past few weeks, which has caused unprecedented water releases further south in North Dakota.
More than 12,000 residents have been ordered out of flood-threatened areas after levee defenses failed.
The Souris River is expected to hit nearly 1,563 ft above sea level by the weekend, beating the previous flood record set in 1881.
With forecasters predicting more rain, record flooding is expected to continue throughout August, affecting Nebraska, Iowa and Missouri.
Children pedal their bicycle down a flooded street after heavy rains in Valenzuela City, north of Manila on June 23, 2011.
The storm has been menacing the Philippines since Tuesday, when 11 fishermen went missing along the coast of Luzon, according to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council.
The storm was forecasted to move Saturday toward Basco, Batanes, the smallest of the Philippine provinces, the council said. By Sunday, the storm was expected to be 370 kilometers (229.9 miles) west northwest of Okinawa, Japan, the agency said.
Flash floods were reported in a number of Philippine communities, including Ligao City where one woman was reportedly washed away by floodwaters, the council said in a statement posted on its website.
Officials and state media say flash floods and whirlwinds have killed seven people, left three others missing and injured 60 in northern Vietnam.
Disaster official Tran Van Nham of Yen Bai province said Friday that authorities have recovered the body of a 20-year-old man and are searching for three people who were swept away by flash flooding while walking across a stream Thursday.
In the northern port city of Hai Phong, a woman was killed Thursday by a falling tree, another person died when a house collapsed and four others were killed when they were struck by lightning, according to a statement from the Hai Phong Department for Flood and Storm Control.
It said the whirlwinds injured 60 people, and high winds destroyed or damaged more than 900 homes.
Disaster official Tran Van Nham of Yen Bai province said Friday that authorities have recovered the body of a 20-year-old man and are searching for three people who were swept away by flash flooding while walking across a stream Thursday.
In the northern port city of Hai Phong, a woman was killed Thursday by a falling tree, another person died when a house collapsed and four others were killed when they were struck by lightning, according to a statement from the Hai Phong Department for Flood and Storm Control.
It said the whirlwinds injured 60 people, and high winds destroyed or damaged more than 900 homes.
Afternoon thundershowers caused heavy rain, resulting in several streets, backyards, and businesses to have flooding problems.
Several streets in the City of West Haven were washed out and some homes and businesses suffered minor flooding.
Richard Booth's backyard was under several feet of water.
"This is twice this year so far," Booth said. "It drowned out the garden and took over the whole backyard."
Thursday was not the first time his yard has flooded. A berm the city installed several years ago causes the water to collect there, he said.
West Spring Street was one of the hardest hit streets. There was at least a foot and half of water in the road as cars and buses tried to drive through and neighbors tried to clear out storm drains as the rain continued to fall.
7:55 a.m. update: The Steese Highway has been reopened between 152-158 miles, but travel is not advised. Many areas are one lane; the road is rough with many soft spots. If travel is necessary, please use extreme caution and be prepared for delays, crews are working on repairing the road.
Mudslides and washouts caused by heavy rain closed parts of the Steese and Taylor highways on Thursday, cutting off access to Yukon River communities at the end of each road.
Multiple mudslides blocked the 160-mile Taylor Highway from Tok to Eagle between miles 114 and 116, according to the Department of Transportation.
Washouts on the 161-mile Steese Highway from Fairbanks to Circle City closed the road at 152 Mile. Several areas of the road between miles 152 and 158 that were washed out, according to DOT.
Mudslides and washouts caused by heavy rain closed parts of the Steese and Taylor highways on Thursday, cutting off access to Yukon River communities at the end of each road.
Multiple mudslides blocked the 160-mile Taylor Highway from Tok to Eagle between miles 114 and 116, according to the Department of Transportation.
Washouts on the 161-mile Steese Highway from Fairbanks to Circle City closed the road at 152 Mile. Several areas of the road between miles 152 and 158 that were washed out, according to DOT.
Heavy rainfall and strong winds are expected in most parts of the country.
Temperatures across Turkey are expected to fall by as much as 10 degrees Celsius across Turkey over the weekend, with meteorologists predicting heavy rainfall and strong winds in most parts of the country.
Turkey will see cold and rainy weather starting on Saturday night when an expected wave of cold weather coming in from the Balkans hits the country.
İstanbul is expected to be sunny all day on Saturday and temperatures are likely to be around 28 degrees. Torrential rains are expected to hit the Marmara region, including İstanbul on midnight on Saturday and will affect the whole western Black Sea region on Sunday morning. Storms are also expected to accompany the heavy rain and officials have warned of possible thunderstorms in the region.
National Weather Service has issued a flash flood warning for northern Broome County and southern Chenango County until 2:45 a.m. Friday.
According to the NWS, a rainstorm dumped about 1 inch of rain in the immediate Binghamton area by 9:30 p.m. Thursday, with localized rainfall amounts of up to 4 inches in parts of northeastern Broome County.
Serious flash flooding as a result of the heavy rains caused the closures of several state, county and town roads Thursday night, according to the Broome County Emergency Services Office.
According to the NWS, a rainstorm dumped about 1 inch of rain in the immediate Binghamton area by 9:30 p.m. Thursday, with localized rainfall amounts of up to 4 inches in parts of northeastern Broome County.
Serious flash flooding as a result of the heavy rains caused the closures of several state, county and town roads Thursday night, according to the Broome County Emergency Services Office.
Recent heavy rain have been wreaking havoc on summer plans and that has residents keeping an eye on the rising Wolf River, but it's going to take a lot more to wash out some people in Outagamie County.
Tom Dix has had his fair share of close calls.
"We've had all the steps underwater a couple of times actually," Dix said.
Tom Dix has had his fair share of close calls.
"We've had all the steps underwater a couple of times actually," Dix said.
A 7.2 magnitude earthquake (revised down from 7.4 by the USGS) in Alaska, USA, late Thursday was the latest in a series of strong earthquakes to hit nations located along the Pacific Ring of Fire during the past week.
Among the other nations to record moderate to strong earthquakes this week include Japan, Fiji, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Indonesia, Costa Rica, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, Tonga, Samoa, Chile, Peru, Bolivia, Argentina and Antarctica.
The "Ring of Fire" is an arc stretching from New Zealand, along the eastern edge of Asia, north across the Aleutian Islands of Alaska, and south along the coast of North and South America. The Ring of Fire is composed over 75% of the world's active and dormant volcanoes.
Among the other nations to record moderate to strong earthquakes this week include Japan, Fiji, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Indonesia, Costa Rica, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, Tonga, Samoa, Chile, Peru, Bolivia, Argentina and Antarctica.
The "Ring of Fire" is an arc stretching from New Zealand, along the eastern edge of Asia, north across the Aleutian Islands of Alaska, and south along the coast of North and South America. The Ring of Fire is composed over 75% of the world's active and dormant volcanoes.
© WIKI / USGS
Pacific Ring of Fire and the earthquakes from the last 7 days.
Pacific Ring of Fire and the earthquakes from the last 7 days.
© Vincent DiSalvio / The Journal News
Vehicles were trapped in a municipal parking lot entirely flooded along with Memorial Park in Spring Valley June 23, 2011.
Vehicles were trapped in a municipal parking lot entirely flooded along with Memorial Park in Spring Valley June 23, 2011.
Scattered power outages, mostly in northern Westchester and Putnam counties, caused some schools to send students home early.
With a chance of showers and thunderstorms again today after 10 a.m., the weather service has issued a flash flood watch through tonight for the entire tri-state area. Full forecast for today and the weekend.
Downtown Nyack looked like a small version of the Mississippi Delta, with a river running down Broadway faster than cars and trucks usually travel.
"We've been hit pretty hard," Rockland Fire and Emergency Services Coordinator Gordon Wren Jr. said of the downpour that started just before 11:30 a.m. Thursday. "The ground being saturated makes matters worse. We're getting pounded."
The rain that fell so ferociously and the flooding that followed was likely the worst since Hurricane Floyd in 1999, leading Rockland County Executive C. Scott Vanderhoef to declare a state of emergency.
