Earth ChangesS


Fire

State of emergency declared as Yosemite National Park burns in California

Chave Weather
YouTube
Mon, 25 Jul 2022 12:50 UTC
The fire near Jerseydale, Mariposa County, California, on July 23, 2022.
© AP/Noah BergerThe fire near Jerseydale, Mariposa County, California, on July 23, 2022.
Fast moving wildfires hit Yosemite National Park in California on July 24th 2022.

A state of emergency has been declared due to the danger in the area.

Over 6,000 residents have been evacuated as the Oak Fire spread.

The fire has affected Mariposa County most severely.

Power outages have occured as electricity supplies are affected.

Planes are being used to fight the blaze, as firefighters struggle to contain the fire.

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Snowflake

Snow blankets parts of Lesotho, Eastern Cape in South Africa

Malibongwe Dayimani
News 24
Sun, 24 Jul 2022 12:32 UTC
Snow at Semonkong Lodge in Lesotho.
Snow at Semonkong Lodge in Lesotho.
Snow has turned the eastern parts of Lesotho and the Eastern Cape into a winter wonderland.

The SA Weather Service said snow was evident over the eastern parts of Lesotho as well as the southern Drakensberg or north-eastern high ground of the Eastern Cape.

Although the measurements of snow could not be immediately confirmed on Sunday, forecaster Lelo Kleinbooi added the office had expected flakes to be about 1cm over high-lying areas or mountain peaks and up to 6 to 8cm over the southern Drakensberg.

Kleinbooi said there were prospects of more snow this coming Saturday over the southern Drakensberg during the later parts of the day, especially if the expected systems are favourably positioned for it.

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Snowflake

Rare, heavy snow falls in NW China's Gansu province


CGTN
Sun, 24 Jul 2022 11:59 UTC
snow
Some mountainous regions in northwest China's Gansu Province are now covered by four to five centimeters of snow. Due to the high altitude of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, snowfall is recorded almost every year after the start of summer. The neighboring province of Qinghai has also seen snow since July 17.

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Fire

Resort evacuated as wildfire destroys homes in Lesbos, Greece


The Guardian
Sat, 23 Jul 2022 11:40 UTC
A police officer tries to extinguish the wildfire burning in the village of Vatera, Lesbos.
© Alexandros Avramidis/ReutersA police officer tries to extinguish the wildfire burning in the village of Vatera, Lesbos.
Tourists and residents have been evacuated from a popular resort on the Greek island of Lesbos after a wildfire destroyed homes in the beachside village of Vatera.

Firefighters deployed seven planes and a helicopter to tackle the blaze, with reinforcements expected to arrive from northern Greece.

The fire broke out at 10am local time (0800 BST) on Saturday and is burning on two fronts, one heading towards Vrisa village and another inside Vatera.

The West Lesbos mayor, Taxiarchis Verros, ordered the evacuation of the busy beach resort as a precautionary measure, acting on the advice of the fire brigade, Athens news agency reported.

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Sun

Most of France on drought alert, farmers forced to reduce water use by 50% in some regions, harvest also threatened by recurrent heatwave


The Local (France)
Mon, 25 Jul 2022 11:17 UTC
Doubs river France Drought 2022
© Fabrice COFFRINI / AFPThe bed of the Doubs river in eastern France, which has dried up
Almost all of France is now on drought alert, with restrictions on water usage as the country battles an exceptionally dry summer.


Comment: It's exceptional, but it's not unprecedented, there have been others years where similar dry conditions have been recorded.


After record breaking heatwaves and forest fires across the country, most of France is now on drought alert.

Drought is impacting almost the entirety of the country from east to west. Of the 96 French mainland départements, 86 are currently on some level of drought alert, meaning there are restrictions on water usage in place.

There are four levels of alert, beginning with least to most severe: vigilance, alert (yellow), heightened alert (orange), and crisis (red).

Comment: An agrometeorologist details how the government figures conceal just how badly affected the production of wheat in France has been by the drought and heatwaves:
[Thread] Reassuring messages are circulating on the estimate of NATIONAL wheat production. "Only" -5.8% compared to 2016-22 (Agreste). This national figure hides the reality of #[drought] : the figures are much worse at the departmental level. Explanations

See also: Video shows explosion and fire at Hoover Dam in US

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Windsock

Massive sandstorm in northwest China plunges towns into darkness


South China Morning Post
Fri, 22 Jul 2022 11:32 UTC
sand
A massive sandstorm darkened towns and villages in northwest China as it swept through the Haixi Mongol and Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture in Qinghai province on July 20, 2022. Video showed the storm rising ominously on the horizon before it moved into populated areas, blotting out the sunlight as winds recorded at 53km/h (33mph) whipped up clouds of sand.

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Tornado2

Tornadoes in east China's Jiangsu affect thousands


CGTN
Thu, 21 Jul 2022 14:58 UTC
TORNADO
At least one person was killed, and 25 were injured after tornadoes hit 11 villages in Lianyungang City in east China's Jiangsu Province on Wednesday. As of 6:00 p.m. on Wednesday, 2,272 people have been affected and 3,148 homes damaged. Local authorities responded speedily through emergency rescue and resettlement operations.


Comment: Another tornado hit the outskirts of Shangqiu in Henan Province on July 22:




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Fire

Sakurajima volcano erupts on the island of Kyushu in western Japan on 24 July

Aİ World Disasters
YouTube
Sun, 24 Jul 2022 13:38 UTC
erupt

A volcano on Japan's major western island of Kyushu, called Sakurajima, erupted at about 8:05 p.m. (1105 GMT) on Sunday, the Japanese Meteorological Agency (JMA) said, but media said there were no immediate reports of damage.

There were reports of volanic stones raining down at a distance of 2.5 km (1.5 miles) from the volcano, NHK public television said. The eruption alert level has been raised to 5, the highest, with some areas advised to evacuate, it added.

Sakurajima is one of Japan's most active volcanoes and eruptions of varying levels take place on a regular basis. In 2019 it spewed ash 5.5 km (3.4 miles) high.

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Boat

Heavy storms batter Russian resort of Sochi, vehicles swept away by floodwater


massnews.com
Sun, 24 Jul 2022 13:18 UTC
flood
Flash floods sweep cars in Sochi, a Black Sea city.

In Southern Russia, torrential rains are still wreaking havoc. They have caused flash floods which disrupt lives and cause significant damage. Officials in the city that hosted the Winter Olympics activated an emergency alarm system Saturday night. They advised residents to take shelter inside, but also be available for evacuations.

Around 11pm, emergency sirens could be heard in Sochi as storms continued to batter the city for the second consecutive day. This caused more chaos and flooding.

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Cloud Precipitation

Flash floods in Yemen leave 9 dead


ABC News
Sun, 24 Jul 2022 13:05 UTC
flood
Heavy seasonal rains drove flash floods through Yemen and left at least nine people dead, official media reported Sunday.

The casualties were reported in the capital of Sanaa and the southwestern province of Dhamar, where it began raining late last week, the Houthi-run Sanaa Radio said.

Both Sanaa and Dhamar are held by the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels who have been warring since 2014 with the internationally recognized government which is aided by a Saudi-led coalition.

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