Floods
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Boat

Six people killed as floods wreak havoc in 4 counties of Kenya

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Six people have lost their lives following heavy downpours witnessed in major parts of the country.

Three of the victims include an 85-year-old grandmother and two candidates of the just completed KCPE exams who died after they were swept away by heavy torrents in Elwak Mandera County.

Another victim died after a house collapsed in the Kisauni area of Mombasa County on Thursday night while the other two victims died in Kwale and Meru counties.


Cloud Precipitation

Flooding, hail and rain in Saudi Arabia

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Netizens took to social media to share terrifying videos of flooding, washing out roads and damage from the storm in Dammam

It's time yet again to dust off that Burberry trench! It's looking like a wet weekend for residents of Dammam, Saudi Arabia who saw torrential rain, hail and flooding yesterday.

The rain in Saudi Arabia saw government authorities issued public warnings and have advised residents to stay indoors and avoid flooded areas - with Dammam being hit particularly hard. On November 2, the city experienced a substantial amount of rainfall, including hail showers, which resulted in public disruptions.


Cloud Precipitation

Five killed as floods hit Italy's Tuscany region

Italian firefighters work in flooded streets in the
© Vigili del FuocoItalian firefighters work in flooded streets in the Tuscany region, Italy, November 3, 2023. Several people died and went missing in the central region of Tuscany as Storm Ciaran battered western Europe.
Five people have been killed after rivers burst their banks following torrential rain in the central Italian region of Tuscany, local authorities said on Friday, as Storm Ciaran continued to lash western Europe.

There had been fears that the River Arno could flood the historic city of Florence after nearby towns were swamped, but Tuscan regional president Eugenio Giani said the high water point had passed in mid-morning without major incident.

A bridge collapsed near the city of Pistoia, killing two people. Another person died in the town of Rosignano.


Comment: Related: Storm Ciarán: 'Major incident' declared as storm batters parts of UK, Channel Islands and France - wind gusts of 110mph


Question

Is the jet stream changing?

Researchers at Mainz University are investigating the jet stream to assess how its decadal variations could affect the occurrence of weather extremes in Europe.
Jet Stream
© Georgios FragkoulidisWind velocity and streamlines at an altitude of about 10 kilometers above the Earth's surface on the onset of a Western Europe heat wave (23 August 2016).
Heavy precipitation, wind storms, heat waves — when severe weather events such as these occur they are frequently attributed to a wavy jet stream. The jet stream is a powerful air current in the upper troposphere that balances the pressure gradient and Coriolis forces. It is still not known whether the jet stream is really undergoing changes at decadal timescales and, if so, to what extent.

"There are various theories as to what we can expect from the jet stream in future. However, these are all based on highly idealized assumptions," said Dr. Georgios Fragkoulidis of the Institute of Atmospheric Physics at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU). "Although it is quite clear that carbon dioxide emissions make a direct contribution to the global mean temperature, changes in the atmospheric circulation are highly uncertain due to the chaotic processes that govern its evolution."

Windsock

Storm Ciarán: 'Major incident' declared as storm batters parts of UK, Channel Islands and France - wind gusts of 110mph

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Storm Ciarán has hit the UK and the Channel Islands and forecasters have warned lives could be at risk.

Strong winds and heavy rain are barrelling across southern England, with gusts of more than 110mph (160km/h) recorded in northern France and the Channel Islands.

Major incidents have been declared in parts of England with hundreds of schools shut and train services suspended.


Cloud Precipitation

Severe rainstorms flood the streets of Milan, Italy

A man looks at a flooded street in Milan, Italy on Tuesday after a storm caused the Seveso river to burst its banks. Lake Como also overflowed in the storm that brought heavy rainfall and strong winds.
© Paolo SalmoiragoA man looks at a flooded street in Milan, Italy on Tuesday after a storm caused the Seveso river to burst its banks. Lake Como also overflowed in the storm that brought heavy rainfall and strong winds.
The Italian city of Milan woke up this Tuesday with water up to its neck.

The heavy rains that accompanied a violent storm overflowed the Seveso River at dawn, causing extreme flooding in the north of the town, with cars swept down the streets. No victims have been reported in the region.

Local authorities are working to adapt to extreme weather by building more detention basins to retain part of the water volume of flooding rivers. However, the basins need work, Marco Granelli is Milan's municipality security counsellor and he says, "We have not had such big flooding since 2014, this means we have to work on the basins, Milan's one is ready, we are testing the pumps and it will enter into action in November, but the rest of the Lombardy region is lacking detention basins."


Boat

Flood sweeps away 3 people in central province of Vietnam

A house inundated in floods in central Ha Tinh
© VnExpress/Duc HungA house inundated in floods in central Ha Tinh Province on Oct. 30, 2023.
Two women and a child in Ha Tinh Province in central Vietnam were swept away by flood on Monday, two of their bodies have been found drowned and one is still missing.

Around 10 a.m. on Monday, Tong Thi Trang, 33 and Nguyen Thi Hoa, 31, in Ha Linh Commune were on their way home through a rainstorm after work in Ha Linh Commune, Huong Khe District when they got swept away by the flood.

At 3 p.m., the women's relatives called the police when the two did not return home.


Cloud Precipitation

Tropical Storm Pilar slamming portions of Central America with up to 10-15 inches of rain

Tropical Storm Pilar
Tropical Storm Pilar
Central America is currently being hit with heavy rains from Tropical Storm Pilar, following deadly Hurricane Otis.

El Salvador has declared a State of National Emergency as the strengthening storm threatens the Pacific Coast of Central America with over a foot of rain, which could trigger mountain landslides.

"Coming up against the Pacific coast of Mexico, an oddball situation with Otis which turned into a deadly, destructive Category 5 at landfall," FOX Weather meteorologist Amy Freeze said. "And all of a sudden, we're watching Pilar under a microscope."

Tropical Storm Pilar is about 175 south-southwest of San Salvador, El Salvador, moving east-northeast at 3 mph. Maximum sustained winds are 50 mph and tropical-storm-force winds stretch out 70 miles.


Cloud Precipitation

Torrential rain and flooding hits parts of Saudi Arabia and adjacent Oman and Qatar

Several areas in Saudi Arabia including Al Baha have been experiencing torrential rain.
Several areas in Saudi Arabia including Al Baha have been experiencing torrential rain.
A Saudi man was able to save a family trapped in their car by flooding resulting from heavy rain.

An online video showed the man using a bulldozer in the successful rescue that was reportedly carried out in Al Makhwah governorate in Al Baha in south-western Saudi Arabia.

In the footage, the volunteer rescuer is seen positioning the bulldozer to head off the family's car from being swept away by the strong flood.

He eventually manages to escort the car with the riders inside to safety. People, who happened to be on the scene, greeted the rescuer for his good deed.


Comment: Similar recent scenes form nearby countries in the region:



Additionally, see these other recent reports from the Middle East:


Cloud Precipitation

Flooding ongoing across eastern and southern Trinidad

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Flash floods were reported in various parts of Trinidad after thundershowers around midday on Wednesday.

A Ministry of Rural Development and Local Government (MoRDLG) told Newsday no major incidents were reported to the disaster management units of respective regional corporations during yesterday's downpour. However, Newsday's sub-editor, Warren La Platte and his roommate were flooded at their Beaulieu, Trincity dwelling.

For La Platte, it was the first time having his home flooded. He said the rains began around 1.30 pm and, within half an hour, water started entering the apartment from the inundated street. He averages there was around five inches of water inside the house. He said damages are still being assessed.