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Wed, 27 Sep 2023
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Extreme weather brings winds, fierce rains to Saudi Arabia's Mecca

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Saudi Arabia's Mecca, home to Islam's holiest sites, has seen extreme storms and rain that affected pilgrims, shuttered schools and caused chaotic scenes.

Videos online on Tuesday showed pilgrims who were doing the tawaf - circling the Kaaba - getting soaked and slipping on the floor as heavy rains thrashed and carried objects around.

As the rare scenes were unfolding at the giant black cube towards which all Muslims pray, another video showed a bolt of lightning striking the iconic Fairmont Makkah Clock Royal Tower hotel, illuminating the night sky on Tuesday.

Hussain al-Qahtani, spokesman for the National Center for Meteorology, posted on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter that the storm brought gale-force winds exceeding 80 kilometres (50 miles) per hour.


Tornado2

Watch video of waterspout spinning in front of massive Canadian wildfire

A waterspout is seen spinning in front of a massive wildfire in Canada.

A waterspout is seen spinning in front of a massive wildfire in Canada.
A dramatic video recorded in British Columbia, Canada shows a swirling waterspout spinning across the water while a massive wildfire scorches the landscape in the background.

According to the FOX Forecast Center, a cold front swept through the Lillooet, Canada, area last week, following several days of hot and dry weather.

The waterspout was filmed in the pre-dawn hours of Aug. 18 in the Gun Lake area by firefighters working on the Downton Lake fire.

With the intense heat from the wildfire as an added component to the lift of the cold front, wind in the atmosphere began to twist and led to the development of the waterspout.


Attention

Bear attack hospitalizes 7-year-old boy in North Castle, New York

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A 7-year-old boy was attacked by a bear in Westchester County this morning - a rare occurrence that left the animal shot dead by authorities and the child injured.

The incident happened at 75 Hickory Kingdom Road in Bedford at around 11 a.m. North Castle Police Chief Peter Simonsen says the child was playing in his backyard with a sibling just before the attack.

The sibling was unharmed, and the child's parent rendered aid as the bear stayed close by.

"That's extremely brave," said Simonsen. "...That's what good parents do."

The child was taken to Northern Westchester Hospital with injuries that were not considered life-threatening.


Seismograph

6.2 magnitude earthquake strikes northern Argentina

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A magnitude 6.2 earthquake struck deep underground in northern Argentina on Wednesday, and there were no immediate reports of damages.

The quake occurred at a depth of 353 miles, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. The epicenter was in the province of Santiago del Estero, in northern Argentina, about 80 miles northeast of the provincial capital.

The earthquake took place a few minutes after a magnitude 5.2 earthquake struck at a depth of 55 miles in northern neighboring Chile, 35 miles east of the town of La Tirana.

Neither Argentine nor Chilean authorities reported any damages.

Reuters

Cloud Precipitation

Tropical storm Hilary: Drone footage shows people rescued by bulldozers, flood damage in California

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Video taken by a drone shows the extent of damage from flash flooding in Palm Springs and Cathedral City after Tropical Storm Hilary swept through southern California, the first tropical storm to hit the area in 84 years.

So far no deaths, serious injuries or extreme damage has been reported in California though officials warn that risks remain, especially in the mountainous regions where wet hillsides could unleash mudslides.

Rescue officials in Cathedral City, drove bulldozers through the mud-swamped streets to rescue residents trapped by the floodwaters.

Some 46 rescues were performed in the city between late Sunday night and Monday afternoon as mud and water reached up to 1.5 metres in some areas.

For more info, please go to https://globalnews.ca/news/9909049/tr...


Cloud Precipitation

Harold: Second US tropical storm in a week drenches Texas

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© NOAA
Tropical Storm Harold made landfall on the south-east coast of Texas on Tuesday, bringing more heavy rain and high winds to the southern US.

The storm has dumped up to 7in (17.7cm) of rain in some parts of the state.

By late Tuesday afternoon, the storm had been downgraded to a tropical depression, but heavy rains continued.

More than 23,000 people were without power in the Lone Star state on Tuesday night.

The Texas deluge arrived a day after historic amounts of rain flooded parts of the south-western US.


Cloud Precipitation

'Floodwater up to 3 feet high' Grand Canyon flooding forces evacuations, knocks out power

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Flooding at the Grand Canyon's south rim forced evacuations, power outages and a swift water team response to the area on Tuesday, the Arizona Department of Transportation reported.

"Travel to and from the South Rim of Grand Canyon National Park is not recommended," the National Park posted on X, the social platform formerly called Twitter, after it closed State Route 64 Tuesday just south of Tusayan due to flooded area.

The gateway town is one of the park's two entrances (the North Rim and the South Rim).

So far no fatalities have been reported, a National Park dispatcher told USA TODAY on Wednesday morning, and roads in the area were reopening.

The dispatcher said rain started falling Monday and continued through late Tuesday night.


Arrow Down

Second large sinkhole appears in Cape Town, South Africa a day after the first one

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© Lisalee Solomons
Two massive sinkholes appeared on busy roads in Cape Town on Monday, the first in Lavender Hill where a refuse compactor truck fell into the hole and the second in Montague Drive in Milnerton where a four-metre-wide hole appeared, causing major disruptions.

The City of Cape Town's water and sanitation department said on Tuesday it was attending to sewer collapses on Montague Drive and in Lavender Hill.

In Milnerton, one lane had temporarily been closed to traffic due to the sinkhole and motorists were urged to use alternative routes.

Mayco member for water and sanitation, Zahid Badroodien, said a contractor has been sent to the area to determine the extent of the damaged sewer line before the remedial work could be done.


Comment: Details of the first: Sinkhole swallows rubbish truck in Cape Town, South Africa


Cloud Precipitation

Death Valley in California got year's worth of rain in 24 hours - all-time wettest day

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Death Valley is known for breaking records when it comes to hot temperatures, but on Sunday, Tropical Storm Hilary dumped 2.2 inches of rain over the area, which breaks the record for the all-time wettest day in Death Valley.

According to the National Weather Service, that's actually the exact amount of rain they average annually.

Death Valley National Park remained closed Monday due to mud and debris flows and the threat of flash flooding. Even once the park reopens, getting around may be difficult. Park officials said the shoulders of several roads have been either undercut or washed away.


Comment: Related: Tropical Storm Hilary hitting Southern California as Southwest braces for its wrath - first such storm in 84 years


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Sinkhole swallows rubbish truck in Cape Town, South Africa

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The City of Cape Town says it is retrieving a refuse compactor truck that fell into a sinkhole after a section of road gave way on Monday morning.

The Mayco member for urban waste management, Grant Twigg, said the road in Lavender Hill had no visible signs of damage.

A woman sustained minor injuries and was transported to hospital.

Fire and Rescue Service spokesperson Jermaine Carelse said a rescue vehicle and personnel were deployed after they received a call at around 09:00.

A tow truck also responded to help recover the truck.