Floods
S


Cloud Precipitation

Tropical Cyclone Jasper dumps 2 feet (624mm) of rain in 24 hours in North Queensland, Australia - 2nd heaviest daily rainfall on record for country

mmmmmm
Major flooding is occurring along Queensland's North Tropical Coast and Tablelands this morning after Tropical Cyclone Jasper dropped more than half a metre of rain in the last 24 hours.

Jasper made landfall as a category two tropical cyclone late on Wednesday, crossing the coast between Port Douglas and Cooktown in the vicinity of Wajul Wajul.

As Jasper approached and crossed the coast, bands of heavy rain and thunderstorms were driven over Qld's North Tropical Coast and Tablelands in a persistent stream of moisture-laden winds to the south of the cyclone's core.

A rain gauge at Yandill in the Daintree region picked up 624 mm of rain during the 24 hours to 9am on Thursday. This included two separate periods of very intense rain, with 3-hour rain rates reaching 148 mm between midnight and 3am, and 130 mm between 6 and 9am. If valid, Yandill's 624 mm of rain during the 24 hours to 9am on Thursday is Australia's 2nd heaviest daily rainfall on record.


Arrow Down

Heavy rain and melting snow cause flooding and landslides in Switzerland

The road between Les Valettes and Champex, near Orsieres in canton Valais, subsided after heavy rain on Tuesday December 12, 2023.
© Etat Du Valais / KeystoneThe road between Les Valettes and Champex, near Orsieres in canton Valais, subsided after heavy rain on Tuesday December 12, 2023.
The Meteonews service reported on Tuesday that up to 100 litres of rain per square metre had accumulated in affected regions. The heavy precipitation on already humid soil and melting snow have raised the levels of many watercourses. Maximum levels are expected in many places on Thursday.

The situation is particularly critical in canton Valais, especially on roads, where many incidents have been reported across the southern region.

"The situation is dangerous all over," Frédéric Favre, the head of the Department of Security, Institutions and Sport, told reporters on Tuesday.


Arrow Down

Two people found dead after house collapse due to landslide after heavy rain in Türkiye

The dead bodies of two people who were trapped under the collapse of a two-story detached house due to landslide in the northwestern province of Zonguldak have been reached.
The dead bodies of two people who were trapped under the collapse of a two-story detached house due to landslide in the northwestern province of Zonguldak have been reached.
The search for 82-year-old Perihan Çakar and her son 51-year-old Sait Çakar, who were trapped under the cave-in after a landslide caused by heavy rains in Zonguldak on Dec. 9, restarted at dawn.

After the teams determined that the cave-in area was safe, Zonguldak Municipality, gendarmerie and Turkish Coal Corporation rescue teams entered the area under the coordination of the country's Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency (AFAD).

In the area where police teams took extensive security measures, efforts were made to find the mother and son.

"On Dec. 9, a two-story house collapsed due to a landslide in the central district of Zonguldak province and two citizens were trapped under the cave-in. As a result of search and rescue operations, the dead bodies of two of our citizens were reached," AFAD said.


Arrow Down

Cliffs at risk of further movement after huge landslide in Ventnor, UK

nnnnnnnnn
© Island Echo
An area of the Isle of Wight coast where a stretch of cliff collapsed is at risk of further landslides, a council has warned.

Residents from 20 homes on Leeson Road, Ventnor, had to leave after the vast collapse on Sunday night.

Isle of Wight Council said stress fractures had been detected in the surrounding coastal area.

The road and footpaths between Shanklin and Ventnor, on the south-east coast of the island, have been closed.

One resident said: "It is a huge, huge landslip - I have never seen anything like it in the 40 years we've been here.

"There have been slips during that time... but nothing on the scale of this one, it is absolutely huge."


Cloud Precipitation

Makkah streets flooded as heavy rains lash region of Saudi Arabia

mmmmm
Heavy rains and thunderstorms hit areas of Saudi Arabia on Sunday, according to the country's National Centre of Meteorology.

Videos surfaced online showing streets in Makkah flooded as heavy rains lashed the region. The NCM has issued a yellow alert in several parts of the country.

Rains, thunderstorms and dust storms are expected to continue until Wednesday, as per the country's weather authority.

Several videos from Arab Storms show cars trying to get past flooded streets with water reaching window level near some parked vehicles.


Cloud Precipitation

Floods in Washington and Oregon after atmospheric river dumps record rain - 8.6 inches in 24 hours

Floods in Snohomish County, Washington State,
© Snohomish County Sheriffs OfficeFloods in Snohomish County, Washington State, USA, December 2023.
A powerful atmospheric river brought record rainfall to parts of Washington and Oregon states in the Pacific Northwest of the USA from 04 December 2023.

As of 05 December, two fatalities were reported. Dozens of homes have been flooded and several people rescued, including some by Coast Helicopter teams.

Rain and Rivers

The National Weather Service (NWS) in Seattle reported significant rainfall totals in various parts of Western Washington, including the Olympic National Park which recorded 8.67 inches / 220.22 mm of rain in 24 hours to 05 December 2023. Weather stations at Hoodsport and Duvall both recorded 7.12 inches / 180.85 mm during the same period.


Cloud Precipitation

Cyclone Michaung: Runway at Chennai Airport, India flooded as rain pounds city, cars washed away - death toll rises to 17 (UPDATE)

flooded Chennai airport
© Newsable Asianet NewsFlooded Chennai airport
Flight operations at Chennai airport has been affected due to the heavy rains as Cyclone Michaung is expected to cross the coastal areas of Tamil Nadu on Monday.

Several flights have been cancelled and some of them have been diverted. The entire runway and airplane parking zone of the Chennai airport are filled with water.

Heavy rain lashed Chennai through the night on Monday as Cyclone Michaung inching closer near the Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh coast.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) predicted that the city and its neighbouring districts would experience extremely heavy rain in the next 24 hours.


Comment: Update December 6

The Indian Express reports:
The death toll from Chennai's widespread deluge, caused by Cyclone Michaung, has gone up to 17 on Tuesday, police said. While the hours-long heavy rain in the city stopped on Monday night, streets remained waterlogged.

Coastal Andhra Pradesh, meanwhile, saw massive downpour on Tuesday, after Cyclone Michaung made landfall in the state, between Nellore and Kavali. Authorities in the state have moved around 9,500 people from vulnerable areas into 211 relief camps across affected districts. No casualties were reported in Andhra Pradesh.

The 17 deaths that took place in Chennai since Monday were mostly due to drowning, electrocution, collapsing walls and falling trees. Several others were injured.

Tamil Nadu authorities have moved 32,158 people to relief camps over two days.



Cloud Precipitation

Tanzania Floods: Tragedy strikes Hanang District with at least 65 fatalities after heavy overnight rain (UPDATES)

mmmm
In the early hours of December 3, 2023, the tranquil life in Katesh and Gendabi areas within Hanang District, Manyara Region, Tanzania, was interrupted by severe flooding. The overnight rains triggered mudslides and instigated the partial collapse of Mount Hanang. The aftermath - a shocking tally of at least 20 fatalities and 70 injuries, with homes, shops, business areas, and the main bus station in Katesh lying in ruins.


Comment: Update December 4

Reuters reports:
The death toll from floods and landslides in northern Tanzania following torrential rains over the weekend has risen to more than 50, with 750 acres of farmland destroyed, the president's office said on Monday.

Zuhura Yunus, spokesperson for President Samia Suluhu Hassan's office said in a statement that the landslides and floods had affected 1,150 households, or 5,600 people.

Severe flooding caused by El Nino and the Indian Ocean Dipole weather phenomena has killed hundreds of people in Kenya, Somalia and Ethiopia, and forced hundreds of thousands from their homes since seasonal rains began in October.

Update December 6

Al Jazeera reports:
At least 65 people have been killed in landslides and flooding triggered by heavy rainfall in northern Tanzania, Prime Minister Kassim Majaliwa said on Tuesday, revising the death toll of 68 given by regional officials a day earlier.

Torrential downpours over the weekend washed away vehicles and brought down buildings in the hillside town of Katesh, 300km (185 miles) north of the capital, Dodoma.

"Two more bodies were found in the ongoing search and now the death toll has reached 65," Majaliwa said.

Images broadcast on television showed debris from houses, including furniture, strewn across streets, with key roads, power lines and communication networks disrupted.

"From around five in the morning [on Sunday], I heard loud bangs outside the house. When we tried to escape, it was too late because mud, trees, and stones were rolling from the mountain," said a man named James, who lost his wife and daughter in the disaster.

Some 5,600 people have been displaced by the landslides, said Mobhare Matinyi, a government spokesperson.

Rashid Ntandu, 24, lost his house in the disaster and found shelter in a school in Katesh which has been turned into a refuge centre.

"I believe there are more bodies covered by mud," he said.



Cloud Precipitation

One dead, 11 missing in flash floods around Indonesia's Lake Toba

mmmmmmm
One person died and 11 were missing after flash floods hit near Lake Toba in Indonesia's North Sumatra province, the country's disasters agency BNPB said, with scores of people evacuated and rescue efforts underway.

Heavy rain followed by flash floods on Friday evening hit the region located on the shores of the lake, damaging dozens of houses, a church, a school and a hotel, BNPB said in a statement on late Saturday.

Lake Toba, the world's biggest volcanic lake, is a popular tourist destination for Indonesians and international visitors.


Cardboard Box

UK suffers potato shortage & price rises following 'record autumn rains'

potatoes
© Andrew Paterson/AlamyFILE PHOTO: A ruined crop of potatoes. Experts say supermarkets may have to rely on imports from as far afield as Egypt, pushing up environmental impact.
UK farmers are struggling with one of the lowest potato harvests on record after an autumn of heavy rain, raising fears about supplies for this year's Christmas dinners.

Experts are warning that supermarkets could be forced to turn to imports from as far afield as Egypt to fill potential gaps on shelves, pushing up the environmental impact of the festive meal.


Comment: The Guardian journalists are worried about the (relatively inconsequential) Co2 emissions - as world leaders fly to the UAE in their private jets for the COP28 climate summit - meanwhile, as inflation continues to push up prices, tens of millions of people in the West worry about how they're going to be able to afford the Christmas celebrations.


Fred Searle, the magazine editor of the Fresh Produce Journal, said potato planting had reduced significantly and the sector was "looking at the lowest UK crop on record this season", with an estimate that about "4.1m tonnes of potatoes would be harvested, 2m less than five or six years ago".

Comment: See also: And check out SOTT radio's: