Earth Changes

Storm Grace leaves trail of damage, deaths in Mexico

Global News
Sat, 21 Aug 2021 19:48 UTC

Flood rescue in Veracruz, Mexico after heavy rain from Hurricane Grace, 21 August 2021.

Storm Grace left parts of Mexico battered regions early Saturday after it swept through parts of the country, starting Thursday - with heavy winds and rain. It became one of the most powerful storms to hit the country's Gulf coast in years.

The category 3 storm had wind speeds of up to 125 miles per hour, or 201 km/h, when it slammed into the Veracruz coast, bringing down trees, damaging buildings and turning off the power for thousands.

Grace had weakened by mid-morning Saturday with it being downgraded to a tropical storm with top winds of 112 km/h. However, according to the state governor, at least eight people were killed and he urged people to seek high ground and warned several more rivers would soon flood with more rain still expected this weekend.

Comment: Hurricane Grace hits Mexico near Tulum

State of Emergency after flash floods in Steuben County, New York

Richard Davies
Floodlist
Fri, 20 Aug 2021 18:46 UTC

A car was swept away by floods in Newton MA. Newton MA Fire Dept said the vehicle was empty and no injuries were reported.
Flooding damaged an estimated 120 hom

Dozens of people were rescued or evacuated after heavy rain brought by the remnants of Tropical Storm Fred triggered severe flash flooding in parts of New York State. Flooding was also reported in parts of Massachusetts, where 2 people were rescued.

Flooding damaged an estimated 120 homes in Steuben County where stretches of road were destroyed or covered in debris. Governor Andrew M. Cuomo declared a state of emergency for Steuben County on 18 August.

Affected areas include the towns of West Union, Woodhull, Troupsburg, Tuscarora, Greenwood, Canisteo, Hornellsville, Jasper, and Addison, where 8 people were rescued from flooded homes. Shelters were set up in Corning and Canisteo to house evacuees.

More deaths reported following North Carolina floods

Richard Davies
Floodlist
Sat, 21 Aug 2021 18:39 UTC

Floods in North Canton, North Carolina, USA, August 2021.

More deaths have been reported as emergency officials carry out damage assessments after the devastating floods in Haywood County, North Carolina.

Four people have now lost their lives in the floods after officials in the county announced 2 further fatalities on 20 August. Five people remain unaccounted for, a number which has dropped considerably from the initial 35. About 200 rescuers continue searching for the missing in homes and buildings along the Pigeon River which reached record levels. More than 105 people and 23 pets have been rescued from floodwaters in western counties since Tuesday. In a statement, Sheriff Greg Christopher said:

"It is with great sadness that we announce that two additional victims of the flooding from Tropical Storm Fred have been located and recovered. Identification and family notification are underway, and more information about the individuals will be released after that process is completed.

Comment: 98 rescued, 35 missing in North Carolina floods after rain from Tropical Storm 'Fred'

Deadly flash floods in North and South Kivua, DR Congo

Richard Davies
Floodlist
Sat, 21 Aug 2021 13:56 UTC

Floods in Bukavu South Kivu Province DR Congo 19 August 2021.

One person died and 2 are missing after flash floods ripped through the city of Bukavu, capital of the South Kivu Province in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo. Flooding has also affected areas of neighbouring North Kivu Province.

Meanwhile parts of western Uganda have also seen flooding, with reports of 2 fatalities.

Democratic Republic of the Congo

Heavy rain triggered flash flooding in Bukavu on 19 August 2021. Widespread damage was reported, including houses collapsing and roads destroyed. Local media reported one person died in flood waters in Kadutu commune, while one person was missing after floods in the Panzi neighborhood of the city and another in the Cimpunda neighborhood.

Meanwhile in the neighbouring province of North Kivu, heavy rain on 20 August caused the Nyakariba river to break its banks in Rutshuru Territory. Flood water, debris and mud swamped homes and crops, affecting 200 households. Five people were injured but no fatalities were reported.

Deadly flash floods in Chihuahua, Mexico after 60mm of rain in 3 hours

Richard Davies
Floodlist
Sat, 21 Aug 2021 13:43 UTC

A short period of intense rainfall late on 19 August 2021 caused severe flooding and landslides in the state of Chihuahua in northern Mexico, where one person died and another is missing.

State Civil Protection reported 80 incidents of flooding and 9 landslides across the state capital, Chihuahua and surrounding areas during the evening and night of 19 August. Twenty-nine roads were closed due to floods around the city.

Flooding also affected the city of Cuauhtémoc, where around 30 homes were flooded and 10 vehicles left stranded on roads.

Lightning kills 14 cattle, injures 6 persons in Odisha, India

Ommcom News
Sat, 21 Aug 2021 11:46 UTC

Fourteen cattle were killed and six persons were injured after being hit by lightning at Talsur village in Lanjigarh block of Kalahandi district on Friday.

According to sources, a herder Budu Majhi was grazing some cattle in a nearby forest yesterday. He was accompanied by three minor boys and two minor girls who were also grazing their cattle.

As it started to rain in the afternoon, all of them took shelter under a tree. Suddenly, lightning struck them killing 14 cattle on the spot.

The herder Budu Majhi and five others identified as Parmeshwar Majhi (14), Damodar Majhi (10), Sanju Majhi (9), Gautam Majhi (7), and Niranti Majhi (12), were also injured in the lightning strike.

All of them were rushed by locals in an ambulance to Biswanathpur Community Health Centre (CHC). While five among them were discharged after preliminary treatment, Parmeshwar is still undergoing treatment.

Waterspout and ominous clouds hover over Baltic Sea

Yahoo! News
Fri, 20 Aug 2021 14:19 UTC

A large waterspout and dark clouds hung over the Baltic Sea just north of Kiel, Germany, on August 15.

Matthias Lohr recorded the dramatic sight. He said the waterspout lasted for about 10 minutes after he first spotted it.

Weather & Radar shared the video on Twitter with the caption, "Impressive footage of a waterspout and associated supercell over the Baltic Sea from Sunday evening." Credit: Matthias Lohr via Storyful

Rare snow in August at Utah's higher elevations as local rain records fall

Carter Williams
KSL.com
Fri, 20 Aug 2021 13:30 UTC

August snow at Snowbird

No, you aren't imagining it. That's actually snow in Utah's mountains — in August.

Snowbird Resort, located in Little Cottonwood Canyon, tweeted photos Thursday morning of modest snowfall — especially rare for August standards — as a result of the cold front passing through Utah this week. Utah Department of Transportation traffic cameras also picked up light snow in the High Uintas and other mountainous areas Thursday morning.

National Weather Service meteorologists said snow and "fall-like" temperatures are expected in areas above 9,000 feet Thursday with the trough that entered the state. Alta, also in the Cottonwood Canyons, had a forecasted high in the low 40s Thursday, according to the weather service.

The storm, which has delivered plenty of rain and, yes, smoke , cooled temperatures significantly across the state during what has been an otherwise hot summer. Some record-low temperatures were reported elsewhere in Utah Thursday, including 51 degrees in Bullfrog, by Lake Powell — snapping the record-low of 57 degrees set in 1972.

It's August and it's snowing in Colorado

Dara Bitler
NewsBreak
Fri, 20 Aug 2021 13:22 UTC

It is August 20 and the National Weather Service in Boulder is reporting heavy snow on Berthoud Pass. The snow report was posted around 2 a.m. Friday morning with a 16 degree wind chill. Originally tweeted by NWS Boulder.

Source: kdvr.com