Earth ChangesS


Fire

California's McKinney fire has destroyed nearly 90 homes and is only 40% contained

Susannah Cullinane and Cheri Mossburg
kesq.com
Sat, 06 Aug 2022 12:14 UTC
Sheriff's deputies leave a home where a body was found.
© Noah Berger/APSheriff's deputies leave a home where a body was found.
California's McKinney Fire has destroyed nearly 90 houses and is only 40% contained a week after breaking out in the Klamath National Forest, with hot and dry conditions expected to continue through the weekend.

The blaze, the largest wildfire in California so far this year, erupted on July 29 in the forest near the California-Oregon border and grew rapidly, fueled by winds from thunderstorms.

As of Sunday morning, the fire had burned over 60,200 acres and the perimeter was 40% contained, according to InciWeb, a US clearinghouse for fire information. More than 3,500 fire personnel are involved in battling the fire.

Of 274 structures inspected so far, 87 homes and an additional 47 structures — including garages and commercial buildings — have been destroyed, according to an initial damage assessment released by the Siskiyou County Office of Emergency Services.

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Cloud Lightning

Dozens injured and 17 missing after lightning strike triggers huge fire at Cuban supertanker port

Maryam Zakir-Hussain
The Independent (UK)
Sat, 06 Aug 2022 10:15 UTC
A huge blaze raged through the night afte
© REUTERSA huge blaze raged through the night after a second tank was hit on Friday evening
Dozens of people have been injured and 17 firefighters are missing after lightning struck fuel storage tanks at a supertanker port in Cuba, sparking explosions and ferocious fires.

The blaze broke out during a thunderstorm on Friday night in the city of Matanzas and raged uncontrollably on Saturday despite fire crews' battling to quell it.

The official Cuban News Agency said a lightning strike set one oil tank on fire at Matanzas Supertanker Base and the blaze later spread to a second fuel storage container.

At least 67 people have been injured in four explosions and 17 firefighters remained unaccounted for, according to Cuban state-run television. Civilians had already been evacuated from the area.

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Cloud Precipitation

Severe storm and flash flood hits Jazan, Saudi Arabia


YouTube
Fri, 05 Aug 2022 11:54 UTC
flood
A sudden event! A massive storm and severe torrential rain swept the city of Jazan, Saudi Arabia.

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Cloud Precipitation

Flash floods bury cars and strand tourists in Death Valley - 2nd major flooding in a week


The Guardian
Sat, 06 Aug 2022 10:56 UTC
Cars are stuck in mud and debris from flash flooding at The Inn at Death Valley in Death Valley National Park.
© APCars are stuck in mud and debris from flash flooding at The Inn at Death Valley in Death Valley National Park.
Flash flooding at Death Valley national park closed all roads into the park, buried cars and stranded about 1,000 people on Friday.

A deluge brought "nearly an entire year's worth of rain in one morning" into the famously hot and dry park in the California desert. At least 1.7in (4.3cm) of rain fell in the Furnace Creek area; the park's average annual rainfall is 1.9in (4.8cm).

About 60 vehicles were buried in debris and about 500 visitors and 500 park workers were stranded, park officials said. There were no immediate reports of injuries and the California transport department estimated it would take four to six hours to open a road that would allow park visitors to leave.

It was the second major flooding event at the park this week. Some roads were closed on Monday after they were inundated with mud and debris from flash floods that also hit western Nevada and northern Arizona hard.


Comment: Details of the earlier event: Flash floods close roads into Death Valley National Park

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Cloud Precipitation

Flash floods in Tyrol, Austria

World Is Dangerous
YouTube
Fri, 05 Aug 2022 09:38 UTC
Severe weather leads to mudslides and flooding in Tyrol – Austria
Severe weather leads to mudslides and flooding in Tyrol, Austria
Footage of storms and flash floods in Austria today, August 5th: Tyrol, Pflersch, Gerlos, etc.

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Cloud Lightning

Three people dead after lightning strike near the White House

Peter Hermann, Jason Samenow and Paul Duggan
Washington Post
Fri, 05 Aug 2022 08:54 UTC
lightning
Three people, including a Wisconsin couple celebrating their 56th wedding anniversary, have died after a lightning strike Thursday evening in Lafayette Square, just north of the White House, D.C. police said Friday.

Four people — two men and two women — were critically hurt in the strike just before 7 p.m. in the center of the park, in a grove of trees about 100 feet southeast of the statue of Andrew Jackson, fire department spokesman Vito Maggiolo said at a news briefing Thursday night. The U.S. Secret Service and the U.S. Park Police rendered aid to the victims, assistance that fire officials credited with all the victims' initial survival.

Among those who died were Donna Mueller, 75, a retired teacher, and her husband, James Mueller, 76, who owned a drywall business for decades before retiring, according to one of their daughters-in-law, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to protect her privacy.

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Fire

Sutton Fields: Dramatic pictures show UK wind turbine on fire


BBC News
Thu, 04 Aug 2022 15:06 UTC
fire wind turbine england
© Lewis ScottSmoke from the fire can be seen across the city, August 3, 2022
Firefighters have been tackling a blaze at the top of a wind turbine in Hull, with smoke being seen across the city.

Pictures showed the gearbox section on fire, with the blades also affected. Eyewitnesses described seeing burning debris falling to the ground.

The 410ft (125m) tall turbine is on Oak Road in the city, near the Croda chemicals manufacturing site.

Humberside Fire and Rescue said crews attended after receiving "multiple calls" about the blaze.

Comment: Fires and failures are more common to wind turbines than the public seems to be aware of:

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Tornado2

Waterspout destroys homes on small Maryland island

Julia Kahen
New York Post
Fri, 05 Aug 2022 14:53 UTC
waterspout maryland smith island
© TwitterThe waterspout was caught on camera destroying homes on Smith Island, Maryland
Waterspout touches down on small Maryland island, destroying several homes

A shocking waterspout devastated a small Maryland island on Thursday evening.

Videos show the tornado rapidly swirling over the Chesapeake Bay toward Smith Island.

Residents Katherine Donaway and Tiffanie Woutila, who took the videos, can be heard repeatedly shouting "Oh no!" as they watch the violent scene unfold in front of them. As the waterspout reached the island, debris can be seen flying up into the air as it made contact with a building.

Houses were pulverized and debris littered front lawns after the waterspout passed through the unassuming island.

No serious injuries have been reported yet.

Comment: Fox News reports:
Maryland governor Larry Hogan warned residents to stay inside in a statement on Twitter.

"Please stay off the roads in affected areas - especially anywhere tree-clearing crews need to work," he said.

Governor Hogan also noted that there were more than 50,000 power outages reported in Maryland.

The National Weather Service had issued a statement warning of 45 mile per hour winds and possible hail.

Smith Island - which makes up the communities of Tylerton, Rhodes Point, and Ewell - has a population of less than 300 people. It is the only island without a bridge connected to the mainland.



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Cloud Precipitation

More deadly floods hit Yemen

Richard Davies
Floodlist
Fri, 05 Aug 2022 11:20 UTC
Flash floods in Ma’rib, Yemen, July to August 2022.
© IOM YemenFlash floods in Ma’rib, Yemen, July to August 2022.
More severe flooding has caused damage and fatalities in parts of Yemen, in particular in Hajjah and Al Jawf governorates over the last few days.

Heavy rain and flooding struck in several districts of Hajjah Governorate from 03 August 2022. The city of Hajjah recorded 24.6 mm of rain in 24 hours to 03 August, 2022.

The districts of Al Mahabishah, Ash Shahil, Qafl Shamer, Khayran Al Muharraq and Aslem were all affected. Homes and farms were damaged and several roads were cut, leaving villages isolated. News reports quoting local officials said 9 people died in floods in Hajjah. Severe weather in the neighbouring Saada Governorate also took its toll and 2 people lost their lives in lightning strikes.

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Cloud Precipitation

Best of the Web: Up to a foot of rain in less than 12 hours slams Illinois, another exceptional deluge

Matthew Cappucci
Washington Post
Tue, 02 Aug 2022 10:35 UTC
Illinois gets a foot of rain
Illinois gets a foot of rain
If it seems like a barrage of extreme rain events has been wreaking havoc across the country over the past week, you're not imagining things. The latest resulted from an overnight deluge in central and southeastern Illinois, with some areas registering 8 to 12 inches of rain in less than 12 hours.

It's the third 1-in-1,000-year rain event in the Lower 48 states in about a week.

The National Weather Service office in Lincoln, Ill., has received about 20 reports of flooding, mostly due to water inundating roads and intersections. Television affiliate WAND in Decatur, which is about 35 miles east of Springfield, reported cars submerged in high water with emergency crews involved in rescues. Minor flooding of several rivers has also occurred.

Flash-flood warnings have affected a large swath of central and southern Illinois from around Springfield to southeast of Effingham. That's where months' worth of rain has fallen because of a parade of thunderstorms. Many of them were "training" or repeatedly moving over the same neighborhoods.

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