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German floods death toll hits 180, with 150 still missing


TheLocal.de
Sat, 24 Jul 2021 19:44 UTC
floods Germany Rhineland-Palatinate
© Boris Roessler/picture alliance/Getty Images
Germany’s Rhineland-Palatinate state was hit the worst.
The latest death toll from floods that hit western Germany this month stands at 180, with about 150 still missing, authorities said on Friday. With more rain forecast this weekend, German meteorological services called for vigilance.

In the Rhineland-Palatinate region, which was the worst hit by the storms, 132 are now confirmed dead and 766 injured, according to police.

While there are still 149 people missing in the region, "we do not assume that the final number of deaths will increase by that much", said Roger Lewentz, the state interior minister, adding that the list included people on holiday.

Comment: Death toll exceeds 150 as Germany and Belgium hit by devastating floods

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Windsock

Shanghai cancels flights as Typhoon In-Fa lashes eastern China


Al Jazeera
Sun, 25 Jul 2021 17:38 UTC
typhoon
Two international airports in the Chinese city of Shanghai have cancelled all flights and authorities banned outdoor activities as Typhoon In-Fa lashed eastern China with high winds and heavy rains.

In-Fa landed in the Putuo district of the city of Zhoushan, a major port in the eastern province of Zhejiang, at 12:30pm (04:30 GMT) on Sunday, state broadcaster CCTV said, citing the China Meteorological Administration.

The storm hit as central China is still reeling from record flooding that killed at least 58, cut off power and forced the relocation of more than 1 million people.

"We will make every effort to ensure the safety of people's lives and property, and do everything to minimise disaster losses, and strive to achieve the goal of no deaths and few injuries and economic losses," said Yuan Jiajun, Zhejiang province Communist Party secretary, during an inspection of preparations on Saturday, official media reported.

Al Jazeera's Sara Khairat reports.

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Cloud Precipitation

Thousands of homes damaged by floods in Bocas Del Toro Province, Panama

Richard Davies
Floodlist
Sun, 25 Jul 2021 15:48 UTC
Thousands of homes were damaged by floods in Bocas del Toro Province, Panama.
© SINAPROC
Thousands of homes were damaged by floods in Bocas del Toro Province, Panama.
Disaster authorities in Panama reported severe damaged after floods and heavy rain in Bocas del Toro province.

The country's National Civil Protection System (SINAPROC) said flooding had affected 27,175 people across 27 sectors in the province . Five landslides were also reported.

Flooding struck after heavy rain from 22 July. Several rivers including the Sixaola River and its tributaries broke their banks. Over 20 people had to be rescued from flood water.


Comment: At the same time nearby, heavy rainfall caused flash floods in Costa Rica.

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Cloud Lightning

Lightning strikes kill 5, injure 18 in Panna district of Madhya Pradesh, India


Newsable.asianetnews.com
Sat, 24 Jul 2021 15:34 UTC
LIGHTNING
Five persons were killed and 18 others injured in four incidents of lightning strikes in Madhya Pradesh's Panna district, the district officials said on Saturday.

According to district authorities, the incidents took place at Ureha, Pipariya Daun, Choumukha and Simrakhurd villages of Panna district on Friday.

While Ureha, Pipariya Daun and Choumukha villages reported one casualty each, two women were killed in the lightning strike at Simrakhurd, it was stated.

A 70-year-old man was struck by lightning when he ventured into a forest for grazing cattle in Simrakhurd, while another person died in Pipariya Daun and a 65-year-old man was killed in Choumukha, sub-divisional magistrate (SDM) Rachna Sharma said.

Comment: On the same day (July 23) strikes killed 3 people in the state of Assam.

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Arrow Up

Video of land rising abruptly above water in Haryana, India leaves netizens dumbstruck


DNA India
Sat, 24 Jul 2021 15:20 UTC
LAND RISE
In a shocking incident, which was captured in a video a piece of land in Haryana can be seen rising over a water body after the heavy downpours. The video has gone viral on social media. The video shows a submerged ground rising suddenly, leaving onlookers shocked.

The 1.58-second video begins with a piece of land rising abruptly from under the water. The person recording the video on his phone is heard expressing shock at the unusual sight.

People in the background are heard saying in Haryanvi that the bizarre incident might have happened after rainfall in the area. The exact location of the incident is not known yet.

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Seismograph

Shallow 6.1-magnitude earthquake hits Kermadec Islands region: USGS


Xinhua
Sat, 24 Jul 2021 10:52 UTC
quake
An earthquake with a magnitude of 6.1 jolted Kermadec Islands region on Saturday, the U.S. Geological Survey said.

The epicenter, with a depth of 11.13 km, was initially determined to be at 29.9492 degrees south latitude and 176.902 degrees west longitude.
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Cloud Precipitation

Russia's Sochi region hit by floods for second time in a month


Reuters
Sat, 24 Jul 2021 10:40 UTC
flood
Emergency sirens sounded in the southern Russian region of Sochi overnight after rivers burst their banks in heavy rain for a second time this month and flooding closed a motorway.

The sirens, heard in areas near the city of Sochi, which hosted the 2014 Winter Olympics, were a warning for residents but evacuation was not planned at this time, the emergencies ministry was cited by the TASS news agency as saying.

Earlier this month, heavy rains caused severe flooding in the same area, with roads turning into rivers for several days.


On Friday, floods also hit an area of Russia's Far East, damaging a bridge on the Trans-Siberian railway line partially suspending rail traffic on a transportation artery that is crucial for Russia's economy.
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Snowflake Cold

"Snowstorm in Africa!" South Africa smashes * an additional * 19 all-time low temperature records over the past 24 hours

Cap Allon
Electroverse
Sat, 24 Jul 2021 17:19 UTC
South Africa snowstorm


Following on from the record-smashing cold that infected Southern Africa on Thursday, the SA Weather Service (SAWS) has confirmed that a further 19 low temperature records were broken in the past 24 hours alone.

The service had warned that the country to brace for the coldest night of the year; however, it turned out to be the coldest night in recorded history for many locales, with records set 20, 40 and even 60+ years ago falling by the wayside.

Below I've compiled a few of the fallen records:

Kroonstad logged a bone-chilling -8C (17.6F), toppling the city's previous record of -7.7C (18.1F) set in 1990.

Warden's all-time low from 1989 was beaten by 0.4C, and now stands at -6.7C (19.9F).

In Kimberly, a historic -9.9C (14.2F) was recorded.

Warmbad Towoomba's -5.6C (21.9F) busted the previous low of -5.5C (22.1F) from 1964 (solar minimum of cycle 19).

While in Johannesburg, a reading of -7C (19.4F) smashed the old record of -6.3C (20.7F) set in 1995 (solar minimum of cycle 23).

You can see the full list from SAWS below:

Comment: We're entering an ice age. Its effects will likely be felt within the coming year, and its devastating consequences over the next 3-5 years.

See also:

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Light Sabers

Chimpanzees are killing gorillas unprovoked for the first time: scientists

Jackie Salo
New York Post
Thu, 22 Jul 2021 15:45 UTC
gorilla 1
© LCP
In December 2019, more than two dozen chimps went after five gorillas.
Chimpanzees have been seen killing gorillas in unprovoked attacks for the first time, scientists said.

The lethal encounters between the two species occurred as they were being observed at Loango National Park in Gabon, according to a study Monday in the journal Nature.

In the first attack in December 2019, more than two dozen chimps went after five gorillas.

"At first, we only noticed screams of chimpanzees and thought we were observing a typical encounter between individuals of neighboring chimpanzee communities," said Lara M. Southern, the study's lead author, in a statement.

"But then, we heard chest beats, a display characteristic for gorillas, and realized that the chimpanzees had encountered a group of five gorillas."

While the adult gorillas were able to escape, the infant separated from its mother didn't survive, the study said.
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Tornado1

Two killed as tornado hits Hebei province in China

ZHANG YU
China Daily
Thu, 22 Jul 2021 20:21 UTC
tornado
Two villagers were killed after a tornado hit Qingyuan district in Baoding, North China's Hebei province, on Wednesday afternoon, according to a report by Hebei Daily.

Donglyu village in the district was slammed by the tornado at around 5 pm, leaving several factories damaged. The district also experienced wind and hail for about 30 minutes.

The local government dispatched rescue teams including firefighters and utility workers to the district immediately after the tornado occurred and repaired some damaged electricity circuits and gas pipelines. Other disaster relief work continues.

Many cities in Hebei have suffered rainy weather for about three days, with some southern and western parts hit by rainstorms.

The province's meteorological bureau issued a red alert for rainstorm on Thursday morning. Some parts in Handan, Xingtai and Shijiazhuang will continue to see heavy rains. Handan borders Henan province, which has been hit hard by rain disasters in the past two days.

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