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Cloud Precipitation

India lost crops on 18 million hectares to extreme floods from 2017-2019

Shagun Kapil
DownToEarth
Thu, 11 Feb 2021 12:11 UTC
flood
© Arnab Pratim Dutta
Madhya Pradesh hardest-hit; figures show gross underestimation of crop losses due to floods

India has suffered a huge crop loss on 18.176 million hectares (mha) of land, roughly 8.5 per cent of the total gross cropped area due to floods from 2017-2019, according to data shared by the government in the Lok Sabha February 11, 2021.

Of this, 10.68 mha was affected in 2019 alone. In 2018 and 2017, 2.515 mha and 4.973 mha of cropped area was lost in India. The intensity of extreme floods has increased in the country, affecting newer areas that were not flood-prone earlier.

The flood-prone states of Assam, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh saw extreme floods. They were also witnessed in Kerala, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Odisha, Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan due to 'excess' or 'large excess' rainfall in these states, combined with extremely heavy rainfall in a short span of time.
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Cloud Precipitation

Floods affect thousands, kill 9 in Beni and Santa Cruz, Bolivia

Richard Davies
Floodlist
Fri, 12 Feb 2021 11:02 UTC
Floods in Yapacani, Bolivia, January 2021.
© Gobierno Autónomo Municipal de Yapacani
Floods in Yapacani, Bolivia, January 2021.
Flooding has affected thousands of people in the departments of Beni and Santa Cruz in Bolivia since late January 2021. Disaster authorities report that over 35,000 families have now been affected by heavy rain and flooding across the country since the start of the year.

In a statement of 05 February 2021, Vice Minister of Civil Defence, Juan Carlos Calvimonte, said 9 people had died and 35,316 families affected across 7 departments as a result of flooding and severe weather since the start of the year. In addition, rains and flooding damaged 28,491 hectares of crops and 1,478 houses.

Severe flooding struck the city of Sucre in Chuquisaca Department on 04 January. Media reported at least 3 fatalities. Days later flooding affected thousands of families in Cochabamba on 14 January. One fatality was reported in Tiquipaya.

Comment: An earlier video report from January: Bolivia suffers devastating flooding in 7 provinces

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Ice Cube

At least 8 dead, dozens hurt in massive crash on icy Texas interstate

WKYC Channel 3
YouTube
Thu, 11 Feb 2021 16:42 UTC
Fort Worth Interstate crash
© YouTube/WKYC Channel 3 (screen capture)
A pileup involving 100 vehicles has killed at least eight people, injured dozens more and brought traffic on a slippery Texas interstate to a complete stop.

The crash happened around 6 a.m. on Interstate 35 in Fort Worth, Texas, as drivers were dealing with pockets of inclement weather across the state, including freezing rain.

Multiple people were trapped in their vehicles, the Fort Worth Fire Department reported, and rescuers had trouble reaching them because of the ice on the road.

Video is courtesy of KXAS.


Comment: Another video shows the huge pileup occurring:



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Attention

Death toll in Uttarakhand, India flash flood rises to 34, 170 still missing

Kalyan Das
The Hindu
Wed, 10 Feb 2021 19:03 UTC
SDRF men retrieving a body from Alaknanda river on Wednesday.
© The Hindu
SDRF men retrieving a body from Alaknanda river on Wednesday.
Only 10 of the 34 bodies recovered could be identified so far

Rescuers recovered two more bodies on Wednesday that took the death toll in the Chamoli flash flood to 34 till Wednesday evening.

Authorities also revised the number of missing people from 206 to 204 after two of them - workers of the Rishi Ganga project - were found safe at their residences on Wednesday.

Rescuers are still clearing the slush and boulders from the tunnel in NTPC's hydel power project in Tapovan where about 35 workers are trapped but have been unable to reach them.

Rescuers are now using drones for laser scanning of the tunnel to know the volume of slush inside and trace the location of the trapped workers. Dog squads have also been deployed inside the tunnel.

Out of the total 204 missing people, about 190 are workers working in the two damaged dam projects-- Rishi Ganga and the NTPC's Tapovan project.


Comment: Himalayan glacier bursts in India causing flash flooding & destroying dam, 150 feared dead

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Boat

4 dead, 1 missing, 60,000 displaced after floods across Java Island, Indonesia - up to 8 inches of rain in 24 hours

Richard Davies
Floodlist
Thu, 11 Feb 2021 14:21 UTC
Aerial photo taken on Feb. 10, 2021 shows the view of paddy fields submerged by floods in Karawang
© Arya Manggala/Xinhua)
Aerial photo taken on Feb. 10, 2021 shows the view of paddy fields submerged by floods in Karawang, West Java, Indonesia.
Four people have died, 1 is still missing and over 60,000 people have been displaced after heavy rain caused flooding and landslides on the island of Java, Indonesia.

West Java Province

Disaster authorities in Indonesia report that heavy rainfall from 04 February 2021 caused flooding and landslides in 8 regencies / cities in West Java Province from 07 February. As of 10 February, 156,800 people were affected, 63,700 displaced and 39,100 buildings damaged.

Subang (62,070 affected, 38,453 displaced, 19,211 homes damaged) and Indramayu (39,631 affected, 11,997 displaced, 6,250 homes damaged) are the worst hit areas. Other affected areas include Sumendang, Bogor, Cirebon, Majalengka, Karawang and Bekasi City.

Majalengka recorded 214.2mm of rain in 24 hours to 08 February, according to figures from Indonesia's meteorological agency BMKG.

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Black Cat

With 88 human deaths, 2020 saw worst-ever wildlife conflict in the state of Maharashtra, India

Vijay Pinjarkar
Times of India
Thu, 11 Feb 2021 13:09 UTC
Most human deaths were in leopard and tiger attacks.

Most deaths were caused by tiger (38) and leopard (32)attacks.
With 88 human deaths, Maharashtra witnessed the worst-ever human-animal conflict in 2020 indicating significant consequences for the economy, human health, safety and welfare, and ecosystem.

According to information received under RTI by activist Abhay Kolarkar, most human deaths were in leopard and tiger attacks. The details sought for calendar years 2017 to 2020, show that conflict almost doubled in the period.

In 2017, 54 humans were killed with the state paying Rs 4.32 crore as compensation. In 2020, the figure had risen to 88 humans for which the state government paid Rs 12.75 crore compensation.

These deaths include 32 in attacks by leopards and 38 in attacks by tigers. Most of the tiger attack cases were from Chandrapur district. In the same period, there is also a drastic increase in cattle kills from 5,961 in 2017 to 9,258 in 2020.
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Seismograph

Two more strong earthquakes strike off New Caledonia Coast, magnitudes 6.4 and 6.0 - Total of SEVEN quakes of 6+ magnitude within 24 hours


Sputnik
Wed, 10 Feb 2021 11:36 UTC
seismograph
© AP Photo
A new 6.4 magnitude earthquake was registered on late Wednesday off the coast of New Caledonia, according to the US Geological Survey (USGS).

On Wednesday, a series of tremors - with the magnitude ranging from 5.0 to 7.7 - was recorded outside the coast of New Caledonia. A tsunami alert was declared.

The earthquake was recorded at 21:23 GMT, with the tremor's epicenter located 427 kilometers (265 miles) east of the town of Vao on the island of Pines at the depth of 10 kilometers.

Comment: See also: Shallow M7.7 earthquake hits off Vanuatu, New Caledonia coasts - Tsunami warning sounded

Details of the other magnitude 6+ earthquakes here, here, here, here and here.



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Snowflake Cold

After Storm Darcy brings heavy snow, extreme freeze shuts UK schools and roads

Jane Dalton
The Independent
Thu, 11 Feb 2021 03:58 UTC
Icicles formed on the fountains of Trafalgar Square in London in the big freeze
© EPA
Icicles formed on the fountains of Trafalgar Square in London in the big freeze
Schools closed across the UK as more snow blanketed the country, with what was thought to be the deepest "extreme freeze" for a decade.

About 70 schools shut to the children of key workers and vulnerable pupils in County Durham, as many did in Essex, Suffolk and Derbyshire.

Roads as far south as Kent became impassable because of a thick sheet of ice, and the M20 - the main route across the county - was closed in both directions on Wednesday following a crash.

Forecasters warned that further travel disruption was likely, with roads too treacherous to use, and cancelled rail services.

National severe weather warnings for snow and ice have been issued for much of the UK for the rest of this week.

Met Office chief meteorologist Dan Suri said: "Weather for the rest of this week will continue to be very cold, with daytime temperatures only reaching a degree or so above freezing at best for many, and strong easterly winds continuing to make it feel even colder."


Comment: Dangerously cold temperatures pour into Europe this week

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Water

330,000 facing drinking water shortages as drought hits southern and eastern China

Amber Wang
South China Morning Post
Mon, 08 Feb 2021 08:16 UTC
China drought
© Getty Images
Farmers and experts fear the drought may damage harvests.
Hundreds of thousands of people in southern and eastern parts of China are facing drinking water shortages as a result of months of reduced rainfall, the central government says.

The Ministry of Water Resources said on Thursday that more than 500,000 hectares of arable land had been affected by the drought, leaving 330,000 people in rural areas without a sufficient supply of potable water.

Since October, rainfall in regions south of the Yangtze River had been 50 to 80 per cent lower than normal, it said.

About 2.4 million people in the provinces of Zhejiang, Guangdong and Fujian had already been affected by the drought, and concerns were growing in Guangxi, Hunan and Yunnan, the ministry said.

In Taizhou, Zhejiang, the residents of Sanmen county are dealing with their worst drought in 50 years, according to a report by state broadcaster CCTV.

Comment: Meanwhile other parts of China experienced 21 large-scale floods last year setting historical records.

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Snowflake Cold

North America's widespread and record-breaking Arctic outbreak set to intensify further

Cap Allon
Electroverse.net
Tue, 09 Feb 2021 20:26 UTC
cold map
Hundreds of COLD RECORDS have fallen across North America over the past few days, and hundreds - potentially thousands - more are expected to tumble over the coming 10-or-so days as the Arctic descends south on the back of a weak and wavy "meridional" jet stream.

"Early February brings deadliest week in the U.S. for avalanches since 1910," reads a thedenverchannel.com headline dated Feb. 8 (1910 fell during the solar minimum of cycle 14, a weak solar cycle very similar to that just experienced - cycle 24).

The article goes on, pointing out that between between Jan. 30 and Feb. 6 a total of 15 people died in avalanches across the United States. In Colorado alone, since Jan. 29, 2021, more than 500 avalanches have been reported to the Colorado Avalanche Information Center (CAIC).

Comment: U.S. avalanche death toll reaches 15 in a week - Colorado records 500 avalanches at the same time

Related: Dangerously cold temperatures pour into Europe this week

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