Floods
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The United States' 10 most extreme weather events of 2016

Jason Samenow
Washington Post
Tue, 27 Dec 2016 09:28 UTC
In 2016, of all the weather events to affect the nation, four stood out: a hurricane, a flood, a drought and a blizzard. These four were historic and extreme, setting numerous records and affecting large areas. Unfortunately, they caused a great deal of suffering and economic losses.

Six other storm events, which were more localized, round out the top 10.

Tornadoes were not among this year's most significant weather events. This year was, generally, a quiet year both in terms of the overall number of tornadoes and tornado fatalities.

Much more than wind, in 2016, water (or, in one case, lack of water) caused the lion's share of weather-related deaths and damages.

As seven of the top 10 weather events involved extreme rainfall, and several 1-in-1,000 year events, perhaps you could call it the year of the flood.

Without further ado, here is our rundown of the most significant and extreme weather events of 2016 in the Lower 48:

1. Hurricane Matthew (September-October)

Hurricane Matthew floodwaters
© Chris Keane/ReutersFuel tanks are seen after floodwaters rose because of Hurricane Matthew in Lumberton, N.C.

Comment: For more coverage on the extreme weather affecting the entire planet, check out our monthly SOTT Earth Changes Summaries. Last month:

SOTT Earth Changes Summary - November 2016: Extreme Weather, Planetary Upheaval, Meteor Fireballs

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Cloud Precipitation

Record breaking rain causes flooding in Northern Territories, Australia

Richard Davies
Floodlist
Wed, 28 Dec 2016 19:29 UTC
Floods in Kintore, Northern Territories, Australia, December 2016.
© Northern Territories PoliceFloods in Kintore, Northern Territories, Australia, December 2016.
Parts of southern Northern Territories and northern South Australia have seen record breaking rain over the last two days.

The rain, caused by a deep low pressure system, was described as a one-in-50-year event by Australia's Bureau of Meteorology.

Parks Australia to close the Uluru National Park on Monday 26 December, 2016. Images on Social Media showed streams of water cascading down the sides of the landmark rock. The park has since re-opened.

Elsewhere in the Northern Territories, the Walungurru district recorded 231.6 mm of rain in 24 hours between 25 and 26 December, cutting off roads and washing out tracks. The previous highest daily rainfall record was 127.2 mm set in March 2006.
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Cloud Precipitation

Deadly flooding after days of torrential rain in Valencia and Murcia, Spain

Richard Davies
Floodlist
Tue, 20 Dec 2016 15:17 UTC
Los Alcazares floods, Spain, December 2016.
© Direccion General Seguridad Ciudadana y EmergenciasLos Alcazares floods, Spain, December 2016.
Five people have drowned as torrential rain that began on 17 December caused flooding in south east Spain. Some areas have recorded more than 400 mm of rain in the last few days.

The worst hit areas are Valencia and Murcia where Schools have been closed and many roads blocked. The heavy rain is expected to move to Catalonia and the Balearic Islands over the next days and Orange level warnings have been issued.

This is the fourth deadly flood event to hit Spain since mid October this year.



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Cloud Precipitation

24,000 people displaced due to flash flood in Eastern Samar, Philippines


Global Times
Sun, 18 Dec 2016 14:49 UTC
A man uses his paddle boat to get around the flood waters in Taft, Eastern Samar.
© Robert DejonA man uses his paddle boat to get around the flood waters in Taft, Eastern Samar.
Nearly 24,000 people were displaced in central Philippine province of Eastern Samar due to flash flood brought by torrential rains, the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) said Sunday.

In a statement, the department said that as of Saturday evening, 6,650 families or 29,166 persons from 33 villages were affected by the weather disturbance.

Of the total affected population, 5,580 families or 23,816 individuals were displaced and served in 14 evacuation centers.

People force themselves to walk on the highway in Eastern Samar after floods rendered the roads impassable.
© Robert Dejon People force themselves to walk on the highway in Eastern Samar after floods rendered the roads impassable.
The department noted that on Friday, Eastern Visayas experienced moderate to torrential rains due to the effect of the tail-end of a cold front.
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Cloud Precipitation

Giant 'rivers in the sky' could cause extinction-level floods

BEC CREW
Science Alert
Thu, 15 Dec 2016 08:17 UTC
Rain cloud burst

Atmospheric rivers have claimed their first victims.

Atmospheric rivers - narrow corridors of concentrated moisture suspended in the atmosphere - were responsible for the mysterious mass die-off of wild Olympia oysters in San Francisco Bay in 2011, scientists have found.

This is the first documented case of these 'rivers in the sky' - which can hold 15 times more water than the Mississippi River - directly harming an entire population, and they're expected to increase in frequency, intensity, and unpredictability as the global climate warms.

"Extreme events are predicted to be more prevalent under climate change," the University of California, Davis team reports.

"We highlight a new mechanism by which precipitation extremes appear to affect a sensitive species, contributing to the near 100 percent mass mortality of wild oysters in northern San Francisco Bay."

If you're not familiar with the natural phenomenon of atmospheric rivers, they're relatively narrow regions in the atmosphere that are responsible for most of the horizontal transport of water vapour outside of the tropics.

These suspended moisture plumes are, on average, 400 to 600 km wide, and in California, they can deliver up to half of the state's annual precipitation in just 10 to 15 days.

While most atmospheric rivers are mild, the ones containing the largest amounts of water vapour and the strongest winds can create extreme rainfall and floods, inducing catastrophic mud slides and drops in salinity.

They have been linked to all seven declared floods on California's Russian River between 1996 and 2007, and all 10 of Britain's largest floods since the 1970s.

Comment: See also:

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Cloud Precipitation

10 dead after Cyclone Vardah strikes Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh, India

Richard Davies
Floodlist
Tue, 13 Dec 2016 13:12 UTC
On Dec. 12 at 3:42 a.m. EST (0842 UTC) NASA-NOAA’s Suomi NPP captured this visible image of Tropical Cyclone Vardah making landfall in eastern India.
© NASA MODIS Rapid Response/NOAAOn Dec. 12 at 3:42 a.m. EST (0842 UTC) NASA-NOAA’s Suomi NPP captured this visible image of Tropical Cyclone Vardah making landfall in eastern India.
Tropical Cyclone Vardah made landfall near near Chennai, Tamil Nadu state, India on 12 December, 2016. National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) reports that at least 10 people have died in Tamil Nadu. A further two deaths in Andhra Pradesh have been reported by local media.

Maximum sustained wind speeds of over 130 km/h were recorded, and the storm has caused severe damage to parts of the city of Chennai. Images on Social Media showed cars being lifted up by the strong winds. Over 4,000 trees have been uprooted, power lines downed and buildings damaged. Areas have seen power cuts and over 300 roads have been blocked throughout Chennai city.




Flight operations at Chennai airport were suspended, as were train services in the city. Both have since resumed.
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Cloud Precipitation

Floods wreak havoc on roads in northern Jamaica

Richard Davies
Floodlist
Mon, 12 Dec 2016 11:49 UTC
Stoplight in Runaway Bay, St Ann.
© Giovanni R. DennisStoplight in Runaway Bay, St Ann.
Heavy rain on 11 December, 2016, caused flooding in parts of the northern parishes of St Ann and St Mary in Jamaica. The worst hit areas were Runaway Bay and Dunbarton in St. Ann, where flood water in some roads well over 1 metre deep.

Roads have been damaged by the force of the flood water, leaving some areas cut off. Images on Social Media showed stretches of road ripped up and cars overturned and submerged in the floods. One vehicle was said to have been dragged 500 metres in the flood water. There are also some reports of damage to homes. However, no injuries or fatalities have been reported.

Flood damaged road in St Ann, Jamaica.
© National Works Agency (NWA) JamaicaFlood damaged road in St Ann, Jamaica.
Car ended up down on the entrance to the beach after it was washed about 500m from Claremont Street.
© Dr DaytonCampbell MPCar ended up down on the entrance to the beach after it was washed about 500m from Claremont Street.
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Cloud Precipitation

Severe flooding due to heavy rainfall kills 14 people in Thailand


abc.net.au
Wed, 07 Dec 2016 20:05 UTC
Much of the municipal area of Nakhon Si Thammarat was flooded on Tuesday
Much of the municipal area of Nakhon Si Thammarat was flooded on Tuesday
Severe flooding due to heavy rain in southern Thailand has killed 14 people, including five students, the Interior Ministry said.

Six days of floods have affected 582,345 people in 11 of Thailand's 76 provinces, the ministry said in a statement — one person is reportedly missing, while three others have suffered injuries.

Trains have also been halted in one province off the Gulf of Thailand as the rails there were submerged under rising floodwaters.

Southern Thailand is a popular destination for visitors due to its scenic islands and beaches, and the floods are expected to put a dent in the area's tourist industry, with the high season running from November to February.


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Cloud Precipitation

Flooding kills 13 people in central region of Vietnam


Vietnam News
Mon, 05 Dec 2016 19:47 UTC
Residents of Quang Nam Province collect property from a flooded home.
© Quang Nam PortalResidents of Quang Nam Province collect property from a flooded home.
Flooding due to heavy torrential rainfall has taken the lives of 13 people across the central region over the weekend amid fears of more rain this week.

The Centre of Flood and Storm Prevention in the Central and Central Highlands regions reported yesterday that six people from Bình Định Province were killed in the flooding, while the neighbouring Quảng Ngãi and Quảng Nam provinces lost four and three people, respectively.

A fisherman, Nguyễn Sơn, 49, from Bình Định, is still missing at sea, having been washed off a fishing vessel by high waves on November 29.

Another three residents were injured in the flooding.

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Cloud Precipitation

Flash floods kill one woman and bring chaos in southern Spain; worst rainfall in nearly 30 years


Euronews
Sun, 04 Dec 2016 19:06 UTC
A bus is half-submerged by the muddy floodwaters. Many people have had to abandon their cars in the streets, unable to finish their journeys
A bus is half-submerged by the muddy floodwaters. Many people have had to abandon their cars in the streets, unable to finish their journeys
Severe flash flooding in southern Spain has has left one woman dead and forced authorities to issue a ''red alert'', the country's highest public safety warning.

Around 100 cubic metres of rain are estimated to have fallen within 28 hours.

The 26-year old victim is said to have been in the basement of a nightclub during the deluge.

A woman and a young child look out from their balcony at the street below which is buried under floodwaters. Police in Spain said this is worst flood for nearly 30 years
A woman and a young child look out from their balcony at the street below which is buried under floodwaters. Police in Spain said this is worst flood for nearly 30 years


The Spanish Metrological Office (AEMET) reported that they were expecting 100 cubic metres to fall between 8pm on Saturday and midnight on Sunday
The Spanish Metrological Office (AEMET) reported that they were expecting 100 cubic metres to fall between 8pm on Saturday and midnight on Sunday
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