Earth ChangesS


Sun

Drowning deaths soar to 40 in France as Europe buckles in peak of heatwave

Paul Kirby, Hugh Schofield, Davide Ghighlione
BBC
Tue, 23 Jun 2026 13:28 UTC
Although public bathing has been allowed at the Canal Saint-Martin in Paris, the government has warned of swimming in unsupervised areas
© ReutersAlthough public bathing has been allowed at the Canal Saint-Martin in Paris, the government has warned of swimming in unsupervised areas
Forty people have drowned in heatwave-related deaths in France since last Thursday, Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu has said, as temperatures hit record levels in several major cities and the heatwave reaches a peak in several European countries.

"It's not something to be taken lightly, going swimming in unsupervised areas during a heatwave," sports and youth minister Marina Ferrari told French radio.

France, along with Spain and Italy, have been hardest hit by the heatwave so far.

France saw its hottest June day on record on Monday and its hottest ever night on Monday night, with a minimum average of 21.6C according to Météo France, and with well over half the country on red alert.

Meanwhile, in Spain temperatures are set to peak above 40C in some areas, with red alerts in Andalusia in the south, and Cantabria and the Basque Country in the north, on the third day of a national heatwave.
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Lightning

Lightning strikes claim at least 11 lives in Jharkhand, India in 24 hours

Senjo M R
rediff.com
Mon, 22 Jun 2026 12:15 UTC
Kindly note that the image has been posted for representational purposes only.
© ANIKindly note that the image has been posted for representational purposes only.
At least 11 people, including three women and a 10-year-old girl, were killed in lightning strikes across Jharkhand over the last 24 hours, police said on Monday.

Four deaths were reported from Khunti district, two from Ramgarh, while one person each was killed in Lohardaga, Deoghar, Jamtara, Sahibganj and Giridih districts, a police official said.

In Khunti district, four people were killed in separate incidents on Sunday.

Two persons died after being struck by lightning near Deo ground in Maranghada police station area while they were heading towards a nearby forest, the police said.

Among the deceased were a 16-year-old boy and a 42-year-old man, identified as Sukhram Munda.
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Ice Cube

South Pole falls below -70C again

Cap Allon
Electroverse.substack.com
Tue, 23 Jun 2026 11:01 UTC
mmmmm
On June 22, the low at the South Pole Station registered a biting -71.3C (-96.3F). That makes eight days this month with a minimum below -70C (-94F).

For several weeks now, a stark, colder-than-average air mass has sat over Antarctica, with temperatures in parts of the continent running more than 20C below the long-term average.

Most of the cold has remained locked over the ice sheet.

But in recent days, lobes of that cold air have been spilled north into South America.

Santa Catarina, Brazil, opened winter with hard frost and subzero readings. Bom Jardim da Serra fell to -7.3C (18.9F), the state's lowest temperature of the year so far. Urubici dropped to -3.8C (25.1F), with Urupema at -5.2C (22.6F).

Central Chile is facing lows of -4C (24.8F) this week. In Argentina, the national weather service has issued cold alerts for parts of Neuquén, Mendoza, San Luis, Córdoba, San Juan, La Rioja, Catamarca, Tucumán and Jujuy.
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Fire

Wildfire in Utah prompts evacuation order for hundreds of people

Thao Nguyen
USA Today
Mon, 22 Jun 2026 21:58 UTC
wildfire Eureka utah
© Utah Fire InfoThe Iron Fire in Utah’s Juab County was first discovered Saturday, June 20, authorities said. The fire that is about 70 miles southwest of Salt Lake City and forced the evacuation of hundreds of people in the small town of Eureka, June 21, 2026
Crews struggle to contain massive wildfires in Utah and Nevada

A fast-growing wildfire in west-central Utah forced evacuations in a small town southwest of Salt Lake City, as state and local officials warned of dangerous fire conditions fueled by dry weather, gusty winds and low humidity.

The Iron Fire is burning in Juab County, rural county about 70 miles southwest of Salt Lake City, and was first reported at around midnight local time June 20, authorities said. The fire was initially detected north of Eureka, a small town with a population of about 1,000, and had burned more than 1,000 acres across Juab, Utah and Tooele counties, according to Utah Fire Info, a multiagency operation coordinating wildfire response.
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Wolf

Campers wake to screams as jackals attack 11 on Sea of Galilee beach in Israel

Curtis Deacon
Yahoo! News
Mon, 22 Jun 2026 12:56 UTC
mmmm
A family camping near the Sea of Galilee in Israel experienced a frightening ordeal when a child's screams alerted others to a jackal attack during the night. Eleven people were bitten or injured, and officials said they were concerned that at least one of the animals involved may have been infected with rabies.

What happened?

According to The Times of Israel, three of the victims were minors, including a 12-year-old who was bitten on the face. While the injuries were not considered severe, one of the jackals displayed strange behavior, raising concerns that the animal may have had rabies.

"We were all sleeping in the tent; it was night. Suddenly, while we were asleep, my daughter Alice screamed: 'It hurts! It hurts!' She was really screaming. I quickly turned on the light, and her whole face was covered in blood. I was terribly scared," Yelena, the mother of the child who was bitten, told the Times.
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Lightning

Lightning strike kills 3 farmers in Savar, while another bolt kills 3 students in Narsingdi, Bangladesh


tbsnews.net
Mon, 22 Jun 2026 12:40 UTC
mmmmm
Three people were killed after lightning struck an agricultural field in Savar yesterday (21 June) evening while they were working there, police and local residents said.

The incident occurred around 5pm in the Konda area of Bongaon union, confirmed Bhabanipur Police Camp in-charge sub-inspector Md Imran Hossain.

Two of the deceased were identified as Din Islam, 45, and Dulal, 60. Authorities were yet to confirm the identity of the third victim as of filing this report.

According to police, the three men were working on farmland when a thunderstorm swept through the area and lightning struck them.

Comment: On the same day 3 students were hit and died elsewhere in the country:
Three madrasa students were killed in a lightning strike while performing ablution in Narsingdi's Monohardi.

Another student was seriously injured during the incident. The incident took place at Panchkandi Madinatul Ulum Madrasa in the upazila during Maghrib prayers on Sunday (June 21).

The students who died in the lightning strike are Zahirul Haque (15), Abu Raihan (14) and Abu Zafar (15). Their homes are in Hossainpur, Kishoreganj. They all studied at the said madrasa.

Shibpur Upazila Health and Family Planning Officer Dr. Mohammad Mostanshir Billah said, when four people injured in the lightning strike were brought to the hospital, we found three dead and one is undergoing treatment.


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Lightning

Lightning strike kills over 300 sheep in Kyrgyzstan


AkiPress
Sun, 21 Jun 2026 12:54 UTC
mmmmm
A lightning strike killed more than 300 sheep in the mountainous area of Jalal-Abad region in a single herd of about 1,000 animals, Turmush reported.

According to local shepherds, the incident occurred on June 18 at the Sary-Kyr summer pasture (jailoo) in the Urumbash area of Suzak district.

The shepherds said the flock was struck by lightning while grazing in the mountains, resulting in the immediate death of over 300 sheep based on preliminary estimates.

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Tsunami

Rescue operations underway in flood-hit regions in China's Guizhou, Guangxi - 8 inches of rain in just 16 hours


Bastillepost.com
Sun, 21 Jun 2026 14:14 UTC
Rescue operations underway in flood-hit regions in China's Guizhou, Guangxi
Rescue operations underway in flood-hit regions in China's Guizhou, Guangxi
Multiple areas in southwest China's Guizhou Province and south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region on Saturday experienced intense downpours, with residents trapped and transportation networks disrupted.

In Mawei Town, Dushan County, Qiannan Buyi and Miao Autonomous Prefecture, Guizhou Province, sudden heavy rainfall struck on Saturday.

Monitoring data showed that from 06:00 to 22:00, cumulative rainfall at five meteorological stations in Mawei Town exceeded 200 millimeters. The torrential rain caused river water levels to surge rapidly, resulting in widespread road flooding and numerous fallen trees blocking passages.

In response to the flooding, local authorities immediately mobilized personnel to clear fallen trees, mud, and debris, quickly reopening blocked rural roads. Meanwhile, rescue teams used inflatable boats to conduct door-to-door hazard inspections and safely evacuating 600 residents in an orderly manner.


Comment: A day earlier elsewhere in the south, specifically Hubei Province: Severe flooding due to heavy rainfall in Wuhan, China

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Cloud Lightning

Netherlands saw 188,000 lightning discharges this weekend; KNMI calls it exceptional


NL Times
Sun, 21 Jun 2026 13:42 UTC
mmmmmm
A storm system that developed after the recent heat produced more than 188,000 lightning discharges across the Netherlands, a level the Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute (KNMI) described as exceptional in its records. The storms have resulted in one death, as well as multiple fires.

The KNMI said its lightning archive shows only a few recent storms have exceeded 100,000 discharges. A spokesperson told NOS, "The energy in the air was exceptionally high."

The institute stated that it cannot link the storm strength directly to climate change. It said trends in thunderstorms, hail, and wind gusts are "much more uncertain than previously thought." The agency added that there is no clear basis yet to say whether lightning will increase in the Netherlands.

It did, however, confirm an increase in heavy rainfall days. In the second half of the 20th century, the Netherlands averaged about five per year. In this century, that is about nine per year. KNMI expects this trend to continue, especially in summer.

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Arrow Down

Two pilgrims killed as heavy rainfall triggers landslide in Gujarat, India


Times of India
Sat, 20 Jun 2026 14:32 UTC
mmmmm
Two pilgrims were killed and four others were injured after a landslide triggered by heavy rainfall sent large rocks and debris crashing onto a road near Maachi village on the Pavagadh hill route early Friday morning.

According to officials, the victims were travelling to the revered Mahakali temple atop Pavagadh hill when a portion of the hillside gave way. Several pilgrims were trapped under the falling rocks and debris. Passers-by rushed to the scene and began rescue efforts before teams from the local administration and emergency services arrived to carry out relief and evacuation operations.

All four injured persons were shifted to a hospital in Halol for treatment. Officials said two of them were discharged after receiving medical care, while the remaining two continue to undergo treatment.

The deceased were identified as Praveen Parmar, 52, and Gunvantsinh Parmar, 40, both residents of Kheda district.

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