Earth ChangesS


Hardhat

Hailstorms in Europe have increased 267% in the past five years: Chaucer

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Climate change is seen as a driver of higher frequency of damaging hail storm events according to specialty re/insurer Chaucer, who highlights a 267% increase in European hail storms in the past five years.

Hail and other severe weather perils have been causing increasing amounts of insurance and reinsurance market loss over the last few years.

There have been repeated years of damaging hail impacts across countries such as France, Germany and Italy, some of which have driven losses through to the reinsurance layer of the industry.

It's the increasing frequency that has made these challenging in the space and like in the United States reinsurance capital has retrenched higher, to avoid more of these types of losses, while also providing less sideways or aggregate protection as well.

Having analysed the European Severe Weather Database, Chaucer said that the number of hailstorms has jumped 104% to 11,808 storms last year (year-ending June 30th 2024), up from 5,785 in 2022/23.

Snowflake

Arctic air brings early snow to Scotland's mountain tops

Mountain ranger Ruari Macdonald in snow at CairnGorm Mountain ski centre near Aviemore on Wednesday
© PETER JOLLY/NORTHPIXMountain ranger Ruari Macdonald in snow at CairnGorm Mountain ski centre near Aviemore on Wednesday
Some of Scotland's highest mountains have had the first autumn dusting of snow.

The Cairngorms, Glen Coe and Lochaber have been among upland areas to see wintry showers.

Strong north-westerly winds have brought colder air from the Arctic across the UK.

BBC Weather said snow over Scottish mountains was not uncommon in September during the transition into the colder winter months.

Nights are expected to feel chilly and rural areas could have ground frost.

BBC Weather said by Friday and into the weekend, there would be another change in wind direction to a south-westerly.

It added that this wind direction tended to bring in more seasonally average temperatures - around 16 to 20C for mid-September.

Doberman

10-month-old mauled to death by dogs in Telangana, India

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In a tragic accident, a 10-month-old boy was mauled to death by dogs in the Bodan constituency of Nizamabad on Monday, September 9.

The incident occurred when the child's mother left him near a bus stand to use the washroom. Upon her return, the infant was missing, prompting her to file a missing person report with the police. Following a search operation, the police recovered the body parts of the deceased.

After an extensive search operation, the police recovered the remains of the boy, confirming that the stray dogs had eaten parts of his body. The body parts were sent to a hospital for postmortem examination to determine further details of the horrific attack.

Fire

Animals flee huge wildfire in Bolivia as national emergency declared

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Animals fled raging forest fires in Bolivia as a national emergency was declared on Saturday, 7 September.

Environment minister Alan Lisperguer said 3.8 million hectares had been affected to date.

According to Inpe, Brazil's space research agency that monitors fires, Bolivia has seen the largest number of wildfires since 2010 with at least 3 million hectares (7.5 million acres) burned in 2024 alone.

It comes amid the peak fire season in South America, which usually spans throughout August and September.


Lightning

Lightning strike kills 2, injures 7 in Marilog, Philippines

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© Marilog PNP
TWO INDIVIDUALS died while seven others sustained injuries following a bolt of lightning that struck a nipa hut around 1 p.m. in Sitio Mawato, Barangay Bantol, Marilog District, on Tuesday, Sept. 10.

Captain Hazel Tuazon, the spokesperson of the Davao City Police Office, identified the deceased as Emma Ansang Bansilan, 49, both farmers and residents of Purok 1 of the same barangay.

The injured were identified as Arlyn Urayan Dalagma, 49, farmer, a resident of Purok 6, Malakiba (severely injured); Lito Genando Ansang, 60, farmer, a resident of Sitio Banayan, Barangay Malamba; Jerry Embac Ogaw, 44, farmer, a resident of Purok 6, Barangay Bantol

Rowena Ambit Larisa, 46, farmer, a resident of Purok 6, Barangay Bantol; Joel Cabanda Ansang, 30, farmer, a resident of Sitio Banayan, Barangay Malamba; Noeme Nord Altubar, 58, farmer, a resident of Purok 4-A Muslim Village, Brgy Bantol; Mila Cervantes Monoy, 20, farmer, a resident of Sitio Banuayan, Barangay Bantol.

Initial investigation revealed that the victims were harvesting rice when a sudden downpour forced them to seek shelter in the nipa hut owned by Lito Genado Ansang. While inside, a strong lightning bolt struck the shelter, injuring several people.

Two victims were declared dead on arrival by responding 911 personnel. The injured victims were transported to the Southern Philippines Medical Center.

Comment: On the same day a lightning strike also claimed 2 lives in Odisha, India while another bolt killed 3 in the state of Uttar Pradesh.


Snowflake

Are we in for a big winter? Heavy rain and snow in the Pyrenees and Alps - up to 27.5 inches of early snowfall recorded

Passo Stelvio
Passo Stelvio on September 9, 2024.
The recent heavy snowfall and rainfall in Europe represents a significant boost for the snow industry and mountain tourism in Europe. The intense Isolated High Level Depression, which has crossed Western Europe, has resulted in considerable snow accumulations for this time of the year.

Recent weather events in the mountainous regions of Europe, especially in the Alps, seem to anticipate a winter of heavy snowfall. The heavy precipitation and heavy snowfall forecast for the coming months is excellent news for both the winter sports industry and the accumulation of water reserves.

According to data provided by Meteo France, the Alps have recorded accumulations of between 10 and 70 cm of snow on their highest peaks and the Pic du Midi in the French Pyrenees has been dyed white. The "premature" arrival of snow is particularly noticeable in the French and Italian regions, notably the Mercantour and Haute-Maurienne valleys in France as well as the Italian Alps and the Apennines, from the Ligurian coast to Reggio Calabria, where up to 20 cm of snow has been recorded on the highest peaks.


Snowflake

Zululanders feel the chill as snow blankets Drakensberg, South Africa

Snow covers Sani Pass as Zululanders get cold, wet Monday
Snow covers Sani Pass as Zululanders get cold, wet Monday
JUST as many Zululanders thought spring was firmly in their sights, winter returned with a chill today (Monday).

With Brackenham dropping to as low as 12.4 degrees Celsius, Richards Bay CBD 17 and eSikhaleni a more mild, yet still cold 17.8 degrees, the mercury failed to rise above 11 degrees in eShowe, while Hluhluwe reached 15 and Mtubatuba 14.

The cold temperatures brought rain across much of the Zululand region.

Elsewhere in KwaZulu-Natal, snow not only capped the Drakensberg mountain range, it covered Sani Pass in a thick white blanket, as seen in a video shared across social media platforms.


Lightning

2 teenagers killed by lightning strike in Madhya Pradesh, India

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© ReutersRepresentational picture of lightning strike
Two teenagers were killed, probably by a lightning strike, while playing on the terrace of a house in Mhow town of Madhya Pradesh's Indore district on Monday amid heavy rains, police said.

Kishanganj police station in-charge Kuldeep Khatri said as per preliminary information, the teenagers, Sarthak and Ankit, both aged 15, were playing on the terrace in the evening.

At around 5.30 pm, when it was raining heavily, house occupants heard a blast-like sound after which they rushed to the terrace. They found both of them lying severely injured, he said.

A police team along with an ambulance reached the spot and took the boys to the Mhow Civil Hospital, where doctors declared them dead, Khatri said. The police officer said it is suspected that a lightning struck the terrace.

PTI

Tsunami

At least 18 dead amid flash floods sweeping various regions in Morocco - a years' worth of rain in 2 days (UPDATES)

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Flash floods in southern Morocco have caused widespread devastation, with the destruction of several homes and many reported missing.

Details from several news reports show that in Tata, 12 people are missing due to the flood that swept through the area.

The region also witnessed the collapse of at least seven houses.

In Douar Smougen, within the Marrakech-Safi region, 12 people have also been reported missing due to floods, while in Tiznit two people have died and two others were rescued.

Tafraout also witnessed the death of an elderly person due to the floods
, and authorities in all affected regions continue search and rescue operations.


Comment: Update September 9

AFP reports:
Moroccan authorities on Sunday said that 11 people died and nine were missing in flooding caused by an "exceptional" climate phenomenon in southern areas.

Interior ministry spokesman Rachid Khalfi said authorities recorded an initial "toll of 11 deaths" after "heavy thunderstorms" that hit "17 prefectures and provinces in the kingdom".

Among the victims, seven died in the province of Tata, some 740km (460 miles) south of Rabat, and two in Errachidia, almost 500km east of Marrakesh, according to Khalfi.

He said one of the victims had foreign citizenship, without providing further details.

Khalfi also said "the volume of precipitation recorded in two days is equivalent to that which these regions normally experience during an entire year".

The floods also caused the collapse of 40 homes and damaged 93 roads, and "affected electricity, drinking water and telephone networks", he added.

Usually arid areas in southern Morocco and Algeria have been drenched in floods caused by massive rainfall since Friday, officials told Agence France-Presse on Sunday.

Areas in southern Morocco have been affected "by an extremely unstable tropical air mass", the spokesman for the Moroccan General Directorate of Meteorology, Lhoussaine Youabd, said.

This "led to the formation of unstable and violent clouds" that caused massive rainfall, he said, describing the phenomenon as "exceptional".

As a result, the Ouarzazate region received 47mm of water in three hours, and Tagounite, near the Algerian border, some 170mm, according to the Moroccan weather service.
Anadolu Ajansı reports:
Death toll from floods in southeastern Morocco rises to 18

Interior Ministry reports 4 people still missing, infrastructure suffered extensive damage

The number of people who died in floods caused by heavy rainfall in southeastern Morocco has risen to 18, local authorities said Monday.

In a statement, the Interior Ministry said fatalities were caused by severe storms and floods.



Cloud Lightning

Super Typhoon Yagi hits Vietnam killing 155, with 141 missing - 17 inches of rain in 24 hours (UPDATES)

Water is whipped up by high winds onto the shore of Phuong Luu lake as Super Typhoon Yagi hits Hai Phong
© NHAC NGUYENWater is whipped up by high winds onto the shore of Phuong Luu lake as Super Typhoon Yagi hits Hai Phong
Super Typhoon Yagi uprooted thousands of trees and swept ships and boats out to sea, killing one person, as it made landfall in northern Vietnam on Saturday, after leaving at least 23 dead through southern China and the Philippines.

The typhoon hit Hai Phong and Quang Ninh provinces, packing winds exceeding 149 kilometres (92 miles) per hour, Vietnam's National Centre for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting said.

In the Hai Duong province, a man was killed when heavy winds brought down a tree as the storm approached landfall, according to state media.

In Hai Phong, AFP reporters encountered streets filled with fallen trees, metal roofing and broken signboards that had been ripped off properties.


Comment: Update September 9

Al Jazeera reports:
At least 59 people have been killed in Vietnam amid landslides and floods triggered by Typhoon Yagi, according to state media reports.

The typhoon was Asia's most powerful storm this year and made landfall on Vietnam's northeastern coast on Saturday, after causing havoc in China and the Philippines.

Among the victims were six people, including a newborn baby and a one-year-old boy, who were killed in a landslide in the Hoang Lien Son mountains of northwestern Vietnam.

Their bodies were discovered on Sunday, a local official told the AFP news agency.

Other victims included a family of four who were killed after heavy rain caused a hillside to collapse onto a house in mountainous Hoa Binh province in northern Vietnam, state media reported.

On Monday morning, a passenger bus carrying 20 people was swept into a flooded stream by a landslide in mountainous Cao Bang province.

Rescuers were deployed, but landslides blocked the path to where the incident took place.

In Phu Tho province, rescue operations were continuing after a steel bridge over the engorged Red River collapsed.


Reports said 10 cars and trucks, along with two motorbikes, fell into the river.

Three people were pulled out of the river and taken to hospital, but 13 others were missing.

The Vietnamese government said the storm disrupted power supplies and telecommunications in several parts of the country, mostly in Quang Ninh and Hai Phong in the northeast.

The weather agency on Monday warned of more floods and landslides, noting that rainfall had ranged between 208mm and 433mm (8.2 inches to 17 inches) in several parts of the region over the past 24 hours.

"Floods and landslides are damaging the environment and threatening people's lives," the National Centre for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting said in a report.

Yagi weakened to a tropical depression on Sunday, but several areas of the port city of Hai Phong were under half a metre (1.6 feet) of water and there was no electricity.

At Ha Long Bay, a UNESCO World Heritage Site about 70km (43 miles) up the coast from the city, the disaster management authority said 30 vessels sank after being pounded by strong wind and waves.

The typhoon also damaged nearly 3,300 houses, and more than 120,000 hectares (296,500 acres) of crops in the north of the country, the authority said.
Update September 11

The Associated Press reports:
A flash flood swept away an entire hamlet in northern Vietnam, killing 30 people and leaving dozens missing as deaths from a typhoon and its aftermath climbed to 155 on Wednesday.

Vietnamese state broadcaster VTV said the torrent of water gushing down from a mountain in Lao Cai province Tuesday buried Lang Nu hamlet with 35 families in mud and debris.

Only about a dozen are known so far to have survived. Rescuers have recovered 30 bodies and are continuing the search for about 65 others.

The death toll from Typhoon Yagi and its aftermath has climbed to 155. Another 141 people are missing and hundreds were injured, VTV said.