Earth ChangesS


Cloud Precipitation

Record-breaking rainfall floods train stations, submerges vehicles in Seoul, South Korea - 5 inches of rain in an hour - at least 8 killed (UPDATE)


Channel News Asia
Mon, 08 Aug 2022 19:46 UTC
Flooding in Seoul, South Korea on Aug 8, 2022.
Flooding in Seoul, South Korea on Aug 8, 2022.
Several areas in Seoul were left flooded on Monday (Aug 8) as heavy rain battered South Korea's capital, submerging vehicles and prompting evacuations.

Photos and videos circulating on social media showed flooded roads with commuters braving the rain, as well as water cascading down the steps of an underground train station.

Twitter user @evh5150 also said that there was a power outage in the Gangnam area. According to Yonhap news agency, up to 170mm of rain fell over the country's central region on Monday, including the capital area.

Seoul received 90.5mm of rain as of 8pm local time. The Dongjak district in southern Seoul also recorded 137mm of rain per hour, the worst rainfall in decades, added the report.


Comment: Update August 9

The Independent reports:
At least eight dead in Seoul after South Korean capital suffers worst rainfall in 80 years

Floods submerge parts of South Korean capital
Floods submerge parts of South Korean capital
Eight people have died and seven others are still missing in Seoul after it was buffeted by its heaviest rainfall in 80 years.

The torrential rain on Monday evening turned some of the South Korean capital's streets into rivers and submerged subways. It also cut off power and caused landslides in and around the city.

Four of the victims drowned in flooded buildings, two died in a landslide, one person was electrocuted and another was found beneath a bus stop that had collapsed.

The authorities said that nine people in Seoul and the neighbouring Gyeonggi province were injured as a result of the extreme weather event.

The worst-hit Dongjak district received more than 140mm (5.5in) of rain in one hour on Monday night, the highest hourly amount seen in the capital since 1942.

In total, the area saw 430mm (17in) of rain between Monday and midday on Tuesday, the country's weather agency said.


The busy Gangnam district was also badly affected, with people left stranded as buildings and stations flooded.

Lim Na-kyung, a 31-year-old mother of two, compared her experiences there on Monday night to the 1997 film "Titanic".

"I had to keep going higher and higher because the building was submerging at a fast pace...I couldn't believe that I was trapped in building with 40 other people in the middle of Gangnam district," she said.

More than 750 buildings were damaged and 52 roads were blocked as a result of the floodwater, the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters said. Almost 400 people were evacuated to schools and community centres, it added.



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Snowflake

As Europe melts, southern Africa enjoys some rare snow nearly 8 inches deep


Euronews
Mon, 08 Aug 2022 20:32 UTC
SNOWFALL confirmed
© Rolene WilliamsSNOWFALL confirmed
In sharp contrast to the heatwaves across Europe, people are skiing in Africa.

The tiny mountain kingdom of Lesotho, completely surrounded by South Africa, is the only country on earth where nowhere is fewer than a thousand metres above sea level.

While cold winters are not rare in much of southern Africa, snow is.

Inevitably, ski resorts are even rarer and at an altitude of 3,000 metres, Afriski in Lesotho's Maluti Mountains is Africa's only operating ski resort south of the equator.

Meka Lebohang Ejindu is a snowboard instructor there.


Comment: Another report - Snowfall between 5- 20cm confirmed in parts of South Africa.

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Cassiopaea

Rare blue jet atmospheric phenomenon photographed over Texas, several sighted in one night


Space Weather
Mon, 08 Aug 2022 20:10 UTC
blue jet
A blue jet emerges from a thunderhead in Big Bend National Park, photographed by Matthew Griffiths in Marfa, Texas
Seeing one blue jet is rare. Photographer Matthew Griffiths just caught several of them over the Big Bend National Park in Texas. "This is by far the best," he says:

Griffiths is an amateur photographer, primarily interested in wildlife and the Milky Way. "On July 28th, I was starting a five night West Texas road trip to capture the Milky Way," he says. "But with thunderstorms in the distance I decided to try for red sprites instead."

He ended up photographing the sprite's elusive cousin, the blue jet. First recorded by cameras on the space shuttle in 1989, blue jets are part of a growing menagerie of cloudtop "transient luminous events" such as sprites, ELVES and green ghosts. They are all elusive, but blue jets may be the hardest of all to catch.


Comment: Taking into account the recency of the discoveries, along with the various other phenomena that have been occurring with an increasing frequency, some which were only just documented in the last decade or so - such as STEVE, the dunes and white picket fence auroras - and it wo nature of our planet.


Comment: See also: And check out SOTT radio's:


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Cloud Precipitation

Flash flooding after 2 inches of rain in less than 30 minutes hits Denver, Colorado as Kentucky faces possibility of further floods

Chantal Da Silva
nbcnews.com
Mon, 08 Aug 2022 19:31 UTC
flood
Firefighters rescued at least 19 people in Denver after flash floods turned roadways into rivers Sunday night as already flood-ravaged Kentucky faced the possibility of further storms this week.

In videos and photos shared on social media, cars in Denver could be seen partially submerged, with one video appearing to show a firefighter rescuing two children from a vehicle caught up in the flooding.

The Denver Fire Department told NBC News its crews rescued at least 19 people from flooding.

Eight people were rescued from heavy flooding in an underpass at 38th Avenue under Blake Street in an incident that appeared to align with the video of the children being rescued, Lt. J.D. Chism, a public information officer with the fire department, said. The department confirmed to KUSA, an NBC affiliate based in Denver, that multiple children were rescued at the location.

Another 11 people were rescued from their vehicles on Interstate 70 at York Street, Chism said.

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Cloud Precipitation

Two dead, several rescued after flash floods in Sonora, Mexico

Richard Davies
Floodlist
Mon, 08 Aug 2022 19:16 UTC
Flood rescue in Nogales, Sonora, Mexico
© Protección Civil SonoraFlood rescue in Nogales, Sonora, Mexico, August 2022.
Heavy rain over the last few days has caused flash flooding in parts of Sonora State, Mexico, where at least two people have lost their lives.

Sonora State Civil Protection reported 2 people died and one was rescued after a vehicle was swept away by flood waters from an overflowing stream near Hermosillo. Flooded streets in the city left several vehicles stranded.

Flooding has also affected other areas of the state. Four people were rescued from flood waters in Nogales. Five people were rescued from the overflowing Cabullona River in the municipality of Agua Prieta. Civil Protection said 250 vehicles in the Cabullona Park were unable to leave due to flooding from the river. No injuries were reported and all occupants were safe.

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Cloud Precipitation

Deadly flash floods in Dakar, Senegal - 5 inches of rain in a few hours

Richard Davies
Floodlist
Mon, 08 Aug 2022 19:04 UTC
flood
At least one person died and another was severely injured after flooding caused by heavy rain in Dakar, capital city of Senegal.

Heavy rainfall struck on 05 August 2022, with around 127 mm falling in the space of a few hours. City streets were inundated in flood water over 1 metres deep, causing widespread traffic disruption.

Senegal's Ministry of the Interior said in a statement that the heavy rainfall caused the death of a man who died after losing control of his vehicle in a flooded tunnel in Mermoz. According to police, another person was rescued in serious condition and taken to hospital.

Senegal's rainy season normally runs from July to October. On 20 July this year heavy rain of over 80 mm in 24 hours caused flooding in Dakar and surrounding areas in Senegal, causing damage to roads and buildings.

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Fire

This week in volcano news: A new eruption in Iceland at Meradalir, unrest at Iwo Jima

GeologyHub
YouTube
Sun, 07 Aug 2022 14:04 UTC
Meradalir Eruption Ever Changing
Meradalir Eruption ever changing
This week, a new volcanic eruption began in Iceland at Meradalir. The fissure eruption has already began to construct a cinder cone at a higher rate than witnessed in the 2021 eruption. Meanwhile, in Japan, the Iwo Jima volcano and caldera produced a new series of explosive and shallow submarine eruptions. And, also in Japan, another island volcano was placed on a heightened alert level due to seismic unrest. This video will discuss these volcano related news stories, as told and analyzed by a volcanologist.

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Sun

Power grid shuts down as Iraq exceeds 51C in crippling heatwave

Alex Blair
Weekly Times
Mon, 08 Aug 2022 13:33 UTC
The rapid change has seen southern marshes in the southern in Dhi Qar province dry up, lining cracks for miles on end.
The rapid change has seen southern marshes in the southern in Dhi Qar province dry up, lining cracks for miles on end.
Iraq's power grid has been fried by extreme temperatures exceeding 51C, in a heatwave that's forced authorities to step in as millions swelter.

Millions were left without power on Saturday as the electricity grid failed in the southern provinces of Basra, Dhi Qar and Maysan.

Reports of mass food spoilage and illness have forced authorities to take measures to keep the population safe due to the "noticeable rise in temperatures".

Local reports say residents were battling the heat by driving around their city for the sole purpose of using the air conditioner.

On Sunday morning, the governor of Dhi Qar province announced a public holiday for state employees would be extended until the religious festival of Muharram begins on Tuesday.


(More here)
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Cloud Precipitation

Torrential rain causes flash floods in Sicily, Italy

Planet Plus Tv
YouTube
Mon, 08 Aug 2022 12:55 UTC
flood
Strong thunderstorms struck in the afternoon in the Sicilian hinterland. The most critical situation in Caltanissetta and San Cataldo where it rained heavily for about an hour starting at 3pm. In a few minutes the fire department received dozens of requests for intervention for fallen trees, blown manholes and flooded houses.

Rain, wind and hail caused many trees to fall even in the heart of the city. In particular, trees also fell on several cars in the Gurra Savarino district and in via Stazzone. Many people contacted the firefighters for the flooding of their homes in Caltanissetta in viale Luigi Monaco and via Due Fontane and in San Catalto in via Babbaurra.

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Fire

State of emergency in central Newfoundland extended to Botwood amid forest fires - worst situation since 1961


cbc.ca
Mon, 08 Aug 2022 12:34 UTC
A forest fire rages near N.L.'s Bay d'Espoir Highway on Saturday, August 6, 2022.
© Derrick BraggA forest fire rages near N.L.'s Bay d'Espoir Highway on Saturday, August 6, 2022.
The state of emergency in central Newfoundland has been extended to the Botwood area due to declining air quality.

Smoke from forest fires in the region had already prompted the Newfoundland and Labrador government to declare a state of emergency in the Grand Falls-Windsor, Bishop's Falls and Connaigre Peninsula areas.

Residents are encouraged to contact 811 or to see a health care provider if they experience any new or concerning symptoms that they feel could be related to the heat or smoke.


For information on emergency lodging, please contact the Canadian Red Cross at 1-800-222-9597.
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