Earth ChangesS


Kayak

Death toll from floods rises to 38 in Kenya as over 110,000 displaced

Mary Muoki
Citizen Digital
Tue, 23 Apr 2024 11:52 UTC
Residents of Ruaka in Nairobi, Kenya salvage properties after heavy rains which occurred in various parts of the country evening left roads and a number of homesteads flooded on April 23, 2024.
© Francis NderituResidents of Ruaka in Nairobi, Kenya salvage properties after heavy rains which occurred in various parts of the country evening left roads and a number of homesteads flooded on April 23, 2024.
The death toll from the ongoing floods in the country has hit 38, with the Kenya Red Cross now warning that the flood situation is moving from an emergency to a disaster level.

Over 60 families in Kirinyaga County have been rendered homeless after River Thiba burst its banks, leaving behind a trail of misery and destruction.

The affected residents were rudely woken up during the night by waters from the flooded river, forcing hundreds including children to spend the night in the cold after their homes were completely submerged. Property of unknown value was also destroyed by the floods.

"It is bad, it is a disaster. The people we find mostly getting affected are the people without alternatives, we are trying as much as possible with our teams to map out the populations at risk," Venant Ndhigila, Head of disaster Operations, Kenya Red Cross, said.

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Drought

Greece: Orange Sahara dust haze descends over Athens

George Wright
BBC
Wed, 24 Apr 2024 09:43 UTC
An orange veil descended over the Greek capital on Tuesday, cloaking the Acropolis and parliament in dust
© APAn orange veil descended over the Greek capital on Tuesday, cloaking the Acropolis and parliament in dust
A dramatic orange haze has descended over Athens as clouds of dust have blown in from the Sahara desert.

It is one of the worst such episodes to hit Greece since 2018, according to officials.

Greece had already been struck by similar clouds in late March and early April, which also covered areas of Switzerland and southern France.

The skies are predicted to clear on Wednesday, says Greece's weather service.

Air quality has deteriorated in many areas of the country and on Wednesday morning the Acropolis in Athens was no longer visible because of the dust. The cloud has reached as far north as Thessaloniki.

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Doberman

15-month-old child dead after pit bull attack in Italy


ansa.it
Tue, 23 Apr 2024 13:54 UTC
PIT BULL ATTACK
A 15-month-old boy is dead after being attacked by two Pit bull terriers in the town of Campolongo, near the southern city of Salerno, sources said on Monday.

"This morning there was an attack by a dog on a child who was in the arms of his mother, at least that is what I have been told," said Mario Conte, the mayor of Eboli, the municipality Campolongo belongs to.

"He was literally ripped from her arms and bitten.

"The veterinary service will take away both dogs, who do not belong to the family hit by the tragedy, but to another family that lives in the same residence.

"It was a ferocious attack and, even though one of the child's uncles intervened to try and free him, nothing could be done.
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Snowflake

Germany's Zugspitze sees 3 feet of Spring snow in 5 days

Julia Schneemann
SnowBrains
Mon, 22 Apr 2024 13:33 UTC
In the last 5 days, around 1 meter of snow fell at the Zugspitze. |
© Zugspitze FacebookIn the last 5 days, around 1 meter of snow fell at the Zugspitze.
Germany's tallest mountain, the Zugspitze with an elevation of 9,718 feet (2,962 meters), received 16 inches (40 cm) of snow in the last 24 hours and around 3.3 feet (1 meter) in the last five days. Snow conditions at the Zugpitze Ski Area are perfect right now, despite the resort having started preparing for the summer season.

Thanks to the resort being home to one of the last remaining German glaciers and its high altitude, the Zugspitze is open for skiing until May each year. This year the season is scheduled to end on May 1, 2024. Current snowdepth at the Zugspitze, which is measured at the measuring station at 7,382 feet (2,250 meters), is 147 inches (372 cm).

The Zugspitze ski area offers 12.5 miles (20 km) of groomed ski runs across three peaks, the Schneefernerkopf at 9,429 feet (2,874 meters), Wetterwandeck 8,852 feet (2,698 meters), and Zugspitze or Zugspitze plateau at 8,530 feet (2,600 meters). The ski area can usually be accessed from Germany as well as Austria, however, access from Austria is now closed for the winter season.

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Cloud Precipitation

Mudflows hit several settlements in Kyrgyzstan


AKI Press
Tue, 23 Apr 2024 13:27 UTC
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Several settlements in Nooken district, Jalal-Abad region were hit by mudflows in the evening of April 22.

Mudflows hit Boston and Kok-Tash villages, flooding roads and streets.

The Bishkek-Osh road was blocked partially.

The flows of mud washed away the protection facility in Boston village, posing threat to Eski Kochkor-Ata village.

The local authorities made the decision to evacuate people. Residents of 300 houses are evacuated.

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Snowflake

Kurzeme in Latvia sees thick layer of April snow

Toms Bricis
eng.lsm.lv
Tue, 23 Apr 2024 12:31 UTC
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© Māris Lācis
On Tuesday morning, the thickest snow layer was formed in Kurzeme, according to the Latvian Environment, Geology and Meteorology Center (LVĢMC).

From where LVĢMC is taking measurements, the deepest snow this morning at 9:00 was 11 centimeters in Talsi municipality Stende, while a nine-centimetre thick layer of snow had formed in Saldus in the early hours of the morning. Elsewhere in official weather watch stations, the snow cover has been thinner.

Residents from several locations in Kurzeme report as much as a 15-20 centimeter thick layer of snow.


Comment: At the same time in several nearby countries across this part of northern Europe:

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Snowflake

Tallinn in Estonia blanketed in thick April snow

Mari Peegel
news.err.ee
Tue, 23 Apr 2024 12:11 UTC
10 centimeters of snow blanketed Tallinn
© Ken Mürk/ERR10 centimeters of snow blanketed Tallinn on April 23, 2024.
Tallinn and Harju County saw a night of snow which has covered the land in a fluffy coat. The snow is still coming down Tuesday morning, with drivers who have changed their tires to the summer variety urged to leave their vehicles home.

Tuesday will be cloudy, with sleet, snow and in places rain forecast. Blizzards are not out of the question either. The precipitation is forecast to ease up moving into the evening, with clearer patches of sky possible in the west of the country. Westerlies of 4-9 meters per second are in store, 16 m/s during gusts. The temperature will rise from 0 degrees Celsius in the morning to around 4 degrees later in the day.

As the precipitation moves west, driving conditions will suffer in Northern and Western Estonia. The wintry mix can come down hard at times, while freezing rain is not out of the question either. Road surface temperatures are near-zero and precipitation can make them extremely slippery, the Transport Administration warns.

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Snowflake

Helsinki shuts down tram network after late April snowfall in Finland


Yle
Tue, 23 Apr 2024 11:31 UTC
The exceptional late spring snow meant many services were disrupted in Helsinki.
The exceptional late spring snow meant many services were disrupted in Helsinki.
Helsinki's tram network shut down completely on Tuesday, after freezing rain and snowfall iced up overhead power lines and jammed the points at various points around the network.

The freak April weather left several trams stuck along the number 15 line, and with winter maintenance machines already in storage for the summer, operators made the decision to cancel all tram services for the whole day.

Services are expected to re-start on Wednesday morning on a reduced timetable.

Many HSL bus services were also delayed or cancelled, with driving conditions described as 'very bad' by the Meteorological Institute.

Metro services and commuter trains were running normally, although K and I trains were on a reduced timetable.

"This is a very unusual situation, but this weather is also unusual," said Helsinki Region Transport (Finnish acronym HSL) press officer Johannes Laitila, who urged travellers to allow more time for their journeys.

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Snowflake

Thick snow cover returns to parts of Lithuania


lrt.lt/en/news-in-english
Tue, 23 Apr 2024 10:56 UTC
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On Tuesday morning, parts of Lithuania woke up to several centimetres of snow.

According to the Lithuanian Hydrometeorological Service (LHMT), it snowed practically all over the country on Monday.

According to the 8:00 data, the thickest snow cover was in the Panevėžys, Šiauliai, and Radviliskis districts, where it reached 12 - 17 centimetres.

The heavy snowfall resulted in a cover of wet snow on trees, wires, and various structures. It broke or bent tree branches, leaving some residents without electricity and some roads impassable.

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Fire

Multiple early season wildfires burning in British Columbia (112) and Alberta (66)


Vancouver Sun
Sun, 21 Apr 2024 10:27 UTC
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Wildfire season is off to an early start in British Columbia's central Interior and Cariboo regions.

The B.C. Wildfire Service reported several wildfires over the weekend south of Quesnel and east of Vanderhoof.

The service says the largest of the fires is the Burgess Creek wildfire, located about 45 kilometres south of Quesnel and was estimated to be about half of a square kilometre in size.

The Prince George Fire Centre is reporting two wildfires, each covering an area of about eight city blocks, about four kilometres east of Vanderhoof.

The Wildfire Service is reporting 112 active wildfires in B.C.

The B.C. government says last year's wildfire season was the most destructive in the province's history as more than 28,400 million square kilometres of forest and land burned and tens of thousands of people were forced to evacuate.

An evacuation alert is in effect for some living near the Burgess Creek wildfire, one of 118 active wildfires in B.C. In Alberta, there are 66 active wildfires, with an evacuation alert issued for Saprae Creek Estates in the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo.
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