Floods
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Cloud Precipitation

Storm Eva brings fresh flooding fears for Cumbria, UK


BBC News
Wed, 23 Dec 2015 13:23 UTC
Cumbria floods
© Aidan GreavesThe River Eden burst its banks in Appleby, Cumbria, UK

Rain and winds of up to 70mph could continue to batter northern England in the run up to Christmas, it is feared.

Storm Eva could bring further misery to Cumbria, where some areas are dealing with the aftermath of flooding for the third time in a month.

Appleby, Glenridding, Keswick and Kendal were all hit after rivers burst their banks on Tuesday.

An Environment Agency spokesman said: "We are monitoring the situation closely."

The spokesman added: "There is currently the possibility for further unsettled weather during the festive period which could lead to some disruption in the north of England.

"We will issue further flood alerts and warnings if required."

Roy Ashley, whose garage business and home in Appleby have been damaged once again, said the flooding had destroyed lives.
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Arrow Down

Gigantic 6 kilometre earth crack opens up along Route III in Paraguay


Strange Sounds
Mon, 21 Dec 2015 14:48 UTC
Earth crack
How can you drive on this road in Paraguay?
About 6 km of road have been swallowed by a giant crack along Route III between the districts of Yby Yaú and Azotey in Paraguay.

This giant fissure in the gound is the result of torrential rains and the overflowing of creek Guireño on December 10, 2015. Apocalyptic.

Here an amazing aerial video showing the extent of this apocalyptical disaster.


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Cloud Precipitation

Public told to prepare for risk of further flooding as more rain heads for West Wales

Lee MacGregor
Carmarthen Journal
Mon, 21 Dec 2015 13:53 UTC
Flooding in Wales
The River Teifi has burst its banks in Llechryd, closing the A484 through the village.
Natural Resources Wales is urging people to prepare for the risk of further flooding across much of Wales.

A band of heavy rain is expected to hit West and North Wales tonight - the same areas where we issued nine Flood Warnings and 22 Flood Alerts during the weekend.

The Met Office has issued a yellow, be aware, warning for rain in Carmarthenshire tomorrow.

Over the weekend, several rivers in West Wales burst their banks, including the Towy in Carmarthen.

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Cloud Precipitation

Death toll increases to 45 in storm-hit Philippines


newsinfo.inquirer.net
Sun, 20 Dec 2015 10:52 UTC
Floods Philippines
© AFP/NOEL CELISResidents ride on a truck over floodwaters to evacuate to higher ground in Candaba, Pampanga, north of Manila on Dec 18, 2015.
The death toll from two storms which battered the Philippines rose to 45 Sunday as several towns remained under water and rain kept falling in northern regions, disaster monitoring officials said.

The rain was caused by a cold front, dragged into the country by Typhoon Nona (international name Melor) and Tropical Depression Onyok which hit the Philippines in succession last week.

Floods almost three meters deep covered some riverside areas north of the capital Manila as heavy rain kept falling, civil defense offices said.

"Our home has been flooded up to the waist. It has been flooded for over two days," said Mary Jane Bautista, 35, in the industrial town of Calumpit 50 kilometers north of the capital.

Her family and several others were forced to take refuge on nearby high ground — in front of a church where their only shelter is the awning over the entrance.

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Cloud Precipitation

Heavy rain causes flooding in Johannesburg, South Africa

Genevieve Quintal
news24.com
Fri, 18 Dec 2015 14:20 UTC
Floods south Africa
MV under water by BP garage on O'Reilly Merry Street, Benoni
Heavy rain has caused flooding in the Benoni area, on Johannesburg's East Rand on Thursday, paramedics said.

Numerous collisions were reported, most of them minor, because of the rain and flooding, ER24 said.

No injuries were reported.

The N12 highway was affected as well as the Snake Road off-ramp and O'Reilly Merry Street.
Heavy rains caused flooding on the N12 in Benoni. Fortunately no-one was injured. pic.twitter.com/PbdrYOB7uM

— ER24 EMS (Pty) Ltd (@ER24EMS) December 17, 2015
Floods
© Pauli Van WykBridge over troubled waters. Voortrekker road On N12 to Benoni
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Cloud Precipitation

Torrential rains flood Ashkelon, Israel setting new record

Sue Surkes
Times of Israel
Thu, 17 Dec 2015 12:19 UTC
deluge causes Ashkelon street collapse
© Police spokesman's departmentAn Ashkelon street collapses under the weight of a massive rainstorm in November

Schools and roads engulfed as downpour drowns coastal city with 92 millimeters in a single hour

Nearly 10 centimeters of rain fell in only one hour Thursday in the southern coastal city of Ashkelon, flooding schools and kindergartens, bringing chaos to roads, and setting a new meteorological record for rainfall in a single hour.

Local police and firemen were out in force in kayaks, rubber rafts and all-terrain vehicles to bail out drivers and pedestrians stranded by the torrential downpour.

Two lanes collapsed on Ben Yehuda Street, and Bialik and Hatayassim streets were deluged and had to be closed.

Reports came in of flooding at the city's Beit Hehezkel and Neve Dekalim schools and at several city kindergartens. Staff at Barzilai hospital mopped up rainwater that had seeped in and continued work as normal.

The Israel Meteorological Service reported from its Ashkelon station that 112 millimeters of rain fell between 7 a.m. and noon Thursday, while the the station of the Local Towns Association — which is automated and measures rainfall constantly — registered 118 millimeters.

Of that rain, a national record of 92 millimeters fell in 60 minutes — breaking the previous record for a downfall in an hour of 88 millimeters, set by Haifa University in October 2008. Ashkelon now also has the dubious honor of holding first place for the most rain in half an hour — 67 millimeters.

Comment: Last month heavy flooding in Israel led to a road collapse and submerged cars, whilst two Egyptian children drowned in floods in Jordan.

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Cloud Lightning

Massive floods and sinkhole close roads in Washington


Daily World
Wed, 16 Dec 2015 13:45 UTC
Sinkhole
© Grays Harbor CountyA sink hole that developed on South Bank Road south of Elma may take the county several weeks to repair. The sink hole comes right up to the road, leaving about a 20-foot drop-off from the shoulder, said County Engineer Russ Esses.
County road crews have been busy over the last few days, repairing damage from relentless rain storms over the past week.

The county's main concern at this point is a portion of South Bank Road South of Elma just east of Lambert Road, where a failed pipe has caused a sinkhole that opened at the edge of the road, County Engineer Russ Esses told The Daily World Monday afternoon. He said the county called in a contractor to open up the damaged pipe and stem flooding caused by the pipe's failure, but until the Chehalis River level drops and repair work can commence, the road will remain closed.

There is a detour on local access roads, but Esses said it's not suitable for log truck traffic or heavy hauling.

"Right now, we're waiting for the river to drop," Esses said. "We're hoping ... to get the road open in the next few weeks."

Comment: The weather has been getting out of control in the U.S. Also see:

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Cloud Precipitation

Dozens killed as more floods hit the Democratic Republic of Congo

Richard Davies
Floodlist
Mon, 14 Dec 2015 16:19 UTC
Rain in Congo
© EPARain in Congo
Torrential rain between 11 and 12 December 2015 has caused deadly floods and landslides in eastern and western parts of Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Local news reports claim that 18 people have died in eastern South Kivu and 9 in western Bas Congo provinces.

Floods have already resulted in over 30 deaths in Kinshasa and other areas of the country since late November.

South Kivu Province

On 12 December 2015, AFP reported that at least 18 people during torrential rains and floods on Friday 11 December to Saturday 12 December 2015 in Bukavu in South Kivu province in the east of the country.

WMO reported that, during a 24 hour period between 06 and 07 December 2015, 136.9 mm of rain fell in Bukavu. No records are available for more recent rainfall in the country.

At least 6 houses collapsed after torrential rain triggered floods and landslides. There are fears that some are still trapped under the rubble and that the death toll could rise further. One death has been reported as a result of electrocution. Radio Okapi, the UN backed news outlet in DRC say that around 50 houses have been damaged which could leave hundreds homeless. Ibanda and Panzi districts in Bukavu are thought to be the worst affected.


Comment: See also: Flooding in Congo capital kill at least 31 in three weeks

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Windsock

Typhoon Melor: Three people dead as storm slams into the Philippines


The Guardian, UK
Tue, 15 Dec 2015 04:11 UTC
typhoon Melor
© Charism Sayat/AFP/Getty ImagesWaves spill over a wall in the city of Legaspi in Albay province, south of Manila, as typhoon Melor approached the city.

Millions left without power as typhoon's heavy rain and strong winds pound the Bicol peninsula and Romblon islands

Typhoon Melor carved through the central Philippines on Tuesday, bringing heavy rain and strong winds that left millions without power and at least three people dead, officials said.

One person died of hypothermia while two others drowned in floods in the fishing town of Catarman in Northern Samar province in the Visayas region south of Manila, municipal disaster officer Jonathan Baldo told DZMM radio.

The storm toppled trees and cut electricity to at least seven provinces, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) said.

Christmas lanterns and lights, tin roofs and branches littered the streets of the city of Legazpi, which was battered by strong winds.

People who fled from their coastal homes spent a sleepless night in evacuation centres, sprawled on classroom tables and chairs as flying debris swirled around outside.
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Bizarro Earth

Earth's day is getting longer - Rotation is slowing down

Jennifer Pascoe
University of Alberta
Fri, 11 Dec 2015 03:10 UTC
Scientists reveal that the rotation of Earth's core holds a clue to understanding global sea-level rise.

Mathieu Dumberry
© University of Alberta
Scientists are studying past changes in sea level to make accurate future predictions of this consequence of climate change, and they're looking down to Earth's core to do so.

"In order to fully understand the sea-level change that has occurred in the past century, we need to understand the dynamics of the flow in Earth's core," says Mathieu Dumberry, a professor in the Department of Physics at the University of Alberta.

The connection is through the change in the speed of Earth's rotation. Meltwater from glaciers not only causes sea levels to rise, but also shifts mass from the pole to the equator, which slows down the rotation. (Picture the Earth as a spinning figure skater. The skater moves his or her arms in to spin more quickly or out to slow down.) The gravity pull from the Moon also contributes to the slowdown, acting a little like a lever brake. However, says Dumberry, the combination of these effects is not enough to explain the observations of the slowing down of Earth's rotation: a contribution from Earth's core must be added.
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