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Finnish Lapland braces for worst spring flooding in 20 years


YLE News
Sat, 12 May 2018 16:26 UTC
Tornionjoki river is rising quickly
© Risto Koskinen / YleTornionjoki river is rising quickly
The Finnish regions of Lapland and Saimaa are likely to see flooding in the coming weeks, as warm temperatures set spring thaws in motion. The Finnish Environment Institute's leading hydrologist Bertel Vehviläinen says that current data point to the worst flooding in 20 years.

"Lapland sees flooding every spring, so this year is no exception in that respect, but it will be unusually fierce. Water levels may not reach record levels, but they will be very high," he says.

He reports that things are at their worst right now in the popular ski resort municipality of Kittilä, where water levels will pass the flood lines within the next 24 hours. The local ELY centre predicts that flooding there could rise to 70 centimetres past the damage threshold at its peak.

Vehviläinen predicts that flooding in Kittilä will cause roads north of the area to be closed and may necessitate limited evacuation.

Record flooding is also forecast for Lapland largest city of Rovaniemi, where flooding is expected to peak half-way through next week. The city last saw major flooding in 1993 and 1997.
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Cloud Precipitation

Severe thunderstorms with large amounts of hail and heavy rain hits Germany


The Local Germany
Fri, 11 May 2018 10:50 UTC
Hamburg floods
© DPAOne of the houses near Hamburg that had to be evacuated with a car sunken into the ground beside it.
After heavy storms hit regions of the country on Thursday, the fire services responded to some 2,000 emergencies, ranging from streets filled with water to flooded basements.

Just as German meteorologists predicted, heavy rain, wind and hail hit much of the country on the public holiday. Though no injuries were reported due to the weather, northern Germany was particularly hard hit by the storms.

Fire brigades in the north of the country had their work cut out, responding to close to 2,000 calls mainly in Schleswig-Holstein and in the Hamburg area.

On Friday morning in Oststeinbek, a municipality east of Hamburg, cellars full of water were still being pumped. Oststeinbek's historic water mill was also washed out. A few houses had to be evacuated in the vicinity and some of the house's walls had even collapsed. In neighbouring Havighorst, an underground car park was flooded in up to three metres of water.


Comment: Severe storms affected other parts of Europe this week also:

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Bizarro Earth

Wild winds, record rainfall and cold temperatures hit Australia

Christiane Barro
The New Daily
Fri, 11 May 2018 16:12 UTC
Flash flooding has wreaked havoc across Hobart
© Twitter/Andrea RathjenFlash flooding has wreaked havoc across Hobart.
Extreme weather events have broken historic rainfall records, caused wild winds and prompted unusually cold conditions across most of Australia on Friday, with more yet to come.

Parts of Gippsland in eastern Victoria are bracing for a month's rain - as much as 100mm - on Saturday as the low pressure system that made Friday a sodden, wind-lashed taste of winter does its worst.

New South Wales and the ACT are also beginning to feel the effects of the complex system, as it brings damaging westerly winds to the NSW ranges and the Illawarra.

Tasmania

The island state's capital was brought to a standstill on Friday as record-breaking rainfall caused schools to shut down, legal proceedings to halt and businesses to be evacuated.

In the 24 hours leading up to 9am on Friday, Hobart experienced its wettest day since 1960 with the CBD and surrounding suburbs receiving more than 120 millimetres of rain.

Sarah Sitton, extreme weather meteorologist from the Bureau of Meteorology, told The New Daily that by Friday morning, Mount Wellington had recorded 236 millimetres.

"That was the second-highest-ever May rainfall in a single day for Tasmania. It was the highest rainfall that's ever been recorded at Mount Wellington," Ms Sitton said.

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Cloud Precipitation

Thousands forced from their homes in British Columbia due to historic flood

Roshini Nair and Tina Lovgreen
CBC News
Thu, 10 May 2018 13:09 UTC
Flooding in the north of Rock Creek in the Boundary region of the B.C. Interior
© Brady Strachan/CBCFlooding in the north of Rock Creek in the Boundary region of the B.C. Interior.
Thousands of British Columbians have been forced from their homes by what some officials are calling a once-in-200-years flood.

Swollen rivers in B.C.'s Interior have spilled their banks, leaving valleys dotted with small lakes and changing what is normally the province's prime ranch country into otherworldly, mirrored paddy fields.

In some places, roads have been washed out and the ground under electricity poles has been so eroded that power lines have come down.


Comment: Last week a similar situation arose on the other side of the country: By the numbers: The record-setting flood in New Brunswick, Canada - due to snow melt

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Cloud Precipitation

Cars swept away as flash flood hits Hobart, Australia


SBS News
Fri, 11 May 2018 12:53 UTC
Flooding in MacQuarie Street.
Flooding in MacQuarie Street.
Wild weather has caused flash flooding in Hobart's CBD, with cars swept away and emergency crews responding to hundreds of calls for help.

Police say the CBD has been hit hard, forcing the closure of many roads and with more heavy rain expected on Friday, motorists are urged to stay off city roads.

Streets turned into fast-flowing rivers, with water surging inside homes and businesses.


Comment: Hobart city recorded more than 100mm of rain in a single day for the first time ever in May - doubling the previous record.



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Cloud Precipitation

Severe hailstorm hits Thessaloniki, Greece

Tasos Kokkinidis
Greek Reporter
Thu, 10 May 2018 16:50 UTC
flood
Fire service crews are searching for a person who was swept away by flash flooding in Thessaloniki, northern Greece following a hailstorm on Thursday.

The incident happened at the Sykies neighborhood of the Greek city.

Local sites report that the storm that struck on Thursday lunchtime and created huge problems.

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Cloud Precipitation

Floods in Tuscany, Italy after 50 mm of rain in 3 hours

Richard Davies
Floodlist
Wed, 09 May 2018 14:35 UTC
Floods in San Polo, Tuscany, Italy, 08 May 2018.
© Region of Tuscany GovernmentFloods in San Polo, Tuscany, Italy, 08 May 2018.
Homes and businesses were flooded yesterday in Tuscany, Italy, after an intense storm dumped over 50 mm of rain in about 3 hours.

The storm hit during the afternoon of 08 May, 2018, flooding areas near Sinalunga (Siena province), San Polo in Chianti (Florence) and Volterra (Pisa).

In San Polo, local civil protection said that two small rivers - the Robiana and the Ema - overflowed, and that roads, houses, shops and other businesses were damaged by the flood water that reached over 1 metre deep. Further damage was caused by a landslide which blocked a road just outside the town.

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Cloud Precipitation

Dozens killed after dam break in Kenya, where record flooding continues

Richard Davies
Floodlist
Thu, 10 May 2018 14:06 UTC
Tana River floods, Kenya, May 2018.
© Kenya PoliceTana River floods, Kenya, May 2018.
The flood situation continues in Kenya, with more deaths reported after a dam broke its banks killing at least 38 people.

The Patel Dam in Solai, Subukia Sub-County, Nakuru County, broke its banks at around 21:00 on Wednesday 09 May, 2018.

In a statement made soon after the dam break Governor Lee Kinyanjui said, "The water has caused huge destruction of both life and property. The extent of the damage is yet to be ascertained. The County Government of Nakuru, Kenya Red Cross and the local leadership are coordinating rescue operations....We assure residents that we are doing our best to evacuate affected families to safety and assist victims get medical attention."


Comment: Latest toll is 41 dead from this latest calamity, bringing the death toll from flooding in Kenya in the last two months to about 170.

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Arrow Down

18 dead following massive landslide after heavy rainfall in Western Province of Rwanda

Richard Davies
Floodlist
Tue, 08 May 2018 09:30 UTC
Floods and landslides in Karongi, Western Province, Rwanda, May 2018.
© Rwanda Red crossFloods and landslides in Karongi, Western Province, Rwanda, May 2018.
At least 18 people have died in a landslide in Western Province of Rwanda.

Heavy rain triggered a massive landslide in Rwankuba sector of Karongi district in Western Province, late on Sunday, 06 May, 2018. Dozens of homes were destroyed. Rwanda Red Cross says that at least 300 people are homeless. The Red Cross added that around 12 people have been injured.

The country's Ministry of Disaster Management and Refugee Affairs (MIDIMAR) said that at least 18 people died in Karongi. Minister De Bonheur Jeanne, along with the Governor of Western Province, joined the population of Rwankuba sector for the funeral of 15 victims today, Tuesday 08 May, adding that three other victims were buried yesterday.
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Info

Ice Age Farmer Report: Kilauea erupts, floods in Ankara and Israel, deep winter greenhouse


Ice Age Farmer
Mon, 07 May 2018 09:22 UTC
flood
Lava in the streets of Hawaii, and rivers in the streets of Ankara. The signs of the modern Grand Solar Minimum intensify each day. Are you preparing?


Sources
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