Earth ChangesS


Cloud Precipitation

Heavy rains flood parts of New Delhi, triggering chaos


Al Jazeera
Thu, 20 Aug 2020 18:36 UTC
Vehicles ply on waterlogged Delhi-Gurgaon Expressway near Narsingpur after heavy rains, in Gurugram
© PTIVehicles ply on waterlogged Delhi-Gurgaon Expressway near Narsingpur after heavy rains, in Gurugram
Parts of New Delhi and its suburbs submerged in water as South Asia monsoon leaves nearly 1,300 people dead.

Heavy monsoon rains have flooded parts of India's capital New Delhi and its suburbs, throwing life out of gear for millions of people, as the death toll from the annual deluge across South Asia rose to nearly 1,300.

In New Delhi's suburb of Gurgaon, dubbed the Millenium City, roads, underpasses and residential areas were flooded on Wednesday forcing power cuts in several areas. Rafts were put into action to evacuate people in some areas.

The monsoon is vital to the densely populated region, revitalising land and waterways amid scorching summers. But it also causes widespread death and destruction.

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Cloud Precipitation

At least 14 dead, 16 missing in floods and landslides in Nepal

Menuka Dhungana
The Kathmandu Post
Wed, 19 Aug 2020 18:17 UTC
bridge down
At least 14 people were killed and 16 others went missing in floods and landslides in various districts of Sudurpaschim and Karnali provinces in the last 24 hours.

Achham, a hill district in Sudurpaschim Province, has been hit hardest as gushing floodwaters from Kailash Khola entered several settlements in Ramroshan Rural Municipality causing a massive human and property loss.

At least six people died in the disaster while 11 others are missing, according to the district police.

Deputy Superintendent of Police Yogendra Singh Thapa said four bodies were recovered from Koseda area in Darna of Bannigadi Jayagad Rural Municipality while two other bodies were found at Lamatna and Seri in Mangalsen Municipality. Search was underway for the missing people until late Wednesday afternoon.

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Boat

Chongqing braces for worst flood in decades as China's Yangtze river sees record water flow - 8,660 sq km of arable land flooded


The Straits Times
Thu, 20 Aug 2020 14:36 UTC
floods
China's Chongqing province braces for the worst flood in decades as the Cuntan Station on the Yangtze River saw its highest water level since 1939 on Thursday morning (Aug 20).

According to the Chongqing Emergency Response Bureau, the water at the Cuntan station was measured at 191.51m, 0.1 meter higher than the devastating flood which left 1.5 million people homeless in July 1981.

More than 8,660 sq km of arable land in the province were flooded. The direct economic loss caused by the floods was about 2 billion yuan (S$394 million).

Its authorities upgraded its flood-control response to Level I on Tuesday, the highest rung in the four-tier emergency response system for floods.

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Tornado1

EF-2 tornado causes 'significant damage' in DeLand, Florida


ClickOrlando.com
Wed, 19 Aug 2020 14:17 UTC
damage
Severe storms, including an EF-2 tornado, ripped through Central Florida on Tuesday afternoon, causing "significant damage" in DeLand and prompting deputies to go door to door looking for possible victims, according to sheriff's officials.

A tornado warning was issued for the area as strong storms passed through the region. It expired at 4:15 p.m.

The National Weather Service visited the area Wednesday to assess the damage and determined an EF-2 tornado touched down.

The Volusia County Sheriff's Office tweeted, "Significant storm damage, Pine St, DeLand," along with several photos, one of which shows a house with a collapsed roof. Another photo showed downed power lines and trees.

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Tornado2

Waterspout whipped onshore as tornado, downing trees and spooking South Florida residents


local10.com
Wed, 19 Aug 2020 13:33 UTC
Multiple Florida residents captured video of a waterspout sliding up the coast.
Multiple Florida residents captured video of a waterspout sliding up the coast.

A massive waterspout rose up out of the sea and briefly came onshore as a tornado Wednesday, snapping trees in half and causing some anxious moments for residents on both sides of the Miami-Dade/Broward border.

The National Weather Service says the waterspout was first spotted around 1:14 p.m. off Sunny Isles Beach and came onshore around 1:20 p.m. in northern Golden Beach, becoming a tornado.

It quickly went back offshore and then dissipated, but not before its winds tore down trees, tossed around some outdoor furniture and damaged the metal gates of several ocean-facing homes. No injuries have been reported.

"I started seeing chairs flying in the air and that's when I knew something big was coming in," said Julio Grisales, who works nearby.

He tried to take cover in a garage, but the pressure from the wind kept the doors from closing.

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Attention

6 bottlenose whales dead in largest live stranding in the history of Ireland

Erika P.
The Science Times
Thu, 20 Aug 2020 12:57 UTC
whales washed up on the beach, while the other four were left stranded in shallow water.
© Irish Whale and Dolphin Group / Nicola CoyleTwo of the whales washed up on the beach, while the other four were left stranded in shallow water.
Seven northern bottlenose whales were spotted stranded on a beach in Rossnowlagh, County Donegal, on the northwest coast of Ireland. This occurrence is considered to be the largest stranding of live animals in the history of Ireland.

The Irish Whale and Dolphin Group (IWDG) attempted to help the whales, but it was too late already, as six of them have already died. Only one managed to survive and went back to the sea. Experts believe that its survival rate is low, but Sibeal Regan of the IWDG is 'cautiously optimistic.'

The authorities believed that the acoustic trauma caused by humans perhaps is the reason for the whales to be stranded on the shore.

Regan said that although the death of the six whales is unfortunate, the only consolation to that is that they are no longer suffering. For the lone survivor, she said its survival is low given that they have come up to the shore when they are naturally deep divers.

IWDG later said that they would remain on the shore just in case the whale gets stranded again.

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Windsock

Storm Ellen causes widespread damage across Ireland


BBC News
Thu, 20 Aug 2020 01:19 UTC
A person is hit by a wave crashing on the Front Strand in Youghal, County Cork
© NIALL CARSON/PA WIREA person is hit by a wave crashing on the Front Strand in Youghal, County Cork
Several roads across Northern Ireland have been blocked by fallen trees after Storm Ellen caused damage across the island of Ireland overnight.

TrafficwatchNI reported fallen trees in all six counties in Northern Ireland, with County Fermanagh worst affected.

NIE Networks is currently reporting a number of power cuts, affecting about 430 customers, some of which it has attributed to severe weather.

In the Republic of Ireland, power cuts affected at least 194,000 customers.

Southern, western and midland counties in the Republic of Ireland bore the brunt of the storm, but County Cork saw the strongest winds and coastal flooding.

In County Fermanagh, six people were rescued from two boats at Devenish Island when the vessels began breaking their moorings in the early hours of the morning.

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Fire

Pilot killed as California wildfires rage after 11,000 lightning strikes in 72 hours

David Mercer
Sky News
Thu, 20 Aug 2020 05:13 UTC
California wildfires
© GETTY IMAGESVacaville, halfway between Sacramento and San Francisco, has been worst hit so far
A pilot has been killed and thousands of people have been forced to flee their homes in California after lightning strikes sparked hundreds of fires across the US state.

Nearly 11,000 lightning strikes have been recorded in California over 72 hours, in the heaviest spate of thunderstorms to hit the state in more than a decade.

A total of 367 individual fires were ignited, with more two dozen growing into major blazes, authorities said.

A helicopter pilot was killed after the aircraft crashed while on a water-dropping mission in Fresno County, about 160 miles south of San Francisco, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CalFire) said.

Multiple fires raced through northern California's wine country, shutting down the major Interstate 80 motorway at Fairfield, about 35 miles southwest of Sacramento.

Flames leapt across the motorway, trapping motorists caught in a hectic evacuation.


Comment: First ever firenado warning in California as wildfires rage into third day

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Umbrella

Severe summer floods hit Nizwa, Oman

Chave Weather
YouTube
Wed, 19 Aug 2020 20:18 UTC
floods
Heavy rains bring floods in Niswa, Oman. August 18th, 2020.

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Cloud Lightning

Typhoon Higos lands in south China


CGTN
Wed, 19 Aug 2020 20:06 UTC
NASA-NOAA's Suomi NPP satellite snaps Tropical Storm Higos' landfall
NASA-NOAA's Suomi NPP satellite snaps Tropical Storm Higos' landfall
Typhoon Higos, the seventh typhoon this year, made landfall on the coast of Zhuhai City, south China's Guangdong Province at around 6:00 a.m. on Wednesday.

China's Central Meteorological Station issued an orange alert and expected Higos to move northwest at a speed of about 20 kilometers per hour and will gradually weaken.

The Macao Meteorological and Geophysical Bureau downgraded the typhoon signal from the highest to No. 3 as Typhoon Higos was leaving the city, and Macao's Border Gate and Zhuhai-Macao cross-boundary industrial zone reopened at around 10 a.m. on Wednesday.

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