Heavy rain that began on 19 January 2016 has caused flooding in the Manabí and Guayas provinces of Ecuador.
Manabí Province
In the province of Manabí, the heavy rain began yesterday, 19 January, 2016. Some of the worst affected areas are in the north of the province, in particular the town of Chone, where flood water in the town's streets is up to 1.5 metres deep. Houses and other buildings have been flooded and schools have been closed as a result.
The rain caused surface flooding within a few hours in the town of Chone. Local media say that since then the Garrapata river, a tributary of the Chone river, has overflowed, affecting farm land in rural areas
Surface flooding has also been reported in the provincial capital, Portoviejo. Elsewhere in the province, the cantons of El Carmen, Flavio Alfaro, Bolívar, Junín, Tosagua, San Vicente, Sucre, Jama and Pedernales have also been badly affected.
Australia's largest salt lake, Lake Eyre, has been brought back to life, drawing birds and other small mammals back to the area.
According to Australia's Bureau of Meteorology, some light rain fell around the lake on New Year's Eve, followed by heavier rains of 1 to 2 inches (25 to 50 mm) on New Year's Day and the day after.
"Additional heavy rainfall added up to between 25 and 100 millimeters (1 to 4 inches) during the first week of January over the Lake Eyre region," said weather.com senior meteorologist Nick Wiltgen.
"This is an extraordinary event - the rapid filling of Lake Eyre by local flooding is unusual and a stark contrast to the slow arrival of floodwaters from the rain in the far-off channel country of Queensland," Australian Wildlife Conservancy (AWC) chief executive Atticus Hemming told Mashable Australia. "The desert around Kati Thanda (Lake Eyre) may not flood like this again for decade."
Richard Davies Floodlist Fri, 15 Jan 2016 14:30 UTC
Flood damage in Paraná state, Brazil
The civil defence authority in the Brazilian state of Paraná, Defesa Civil do Paraná, report that heavy rain between 09 and 12 January, 2016, has caused widespread flooding in 49 municipalities of the state. The heavy rain has also caused several landslides in 5 municipalities.
According to latest figures, the floods have affected over 150,000 people, and forced over 2,000 to evacuate their homes. Five people have been injured and one is missing.
Defesa Civil do Paraná say that 74 homes have been completely destroyed, leaving 198 people homeless. A further 10,057 homes have been damaged.
A landslide in Campo Largo affected 405 people and displaced five. Landslides were also reported in Campina Grande do Sul, Fazenda Rio Grande, Santana do Itararé and Ponta Grossa.
A major highway in Mozambique has split after two bridges collapsed as a result of heavy flooding that has killed 25 people and displaces tens of thousands in the country, officials say.
Parts of the country are also without electricity after torrential rains knocked down 10 pylons, reports say.
Heavy rains have also devastated neighbouring Malawi, where 48 have been killed about 70,000 have been homeless.
The southern African states have been hit by late summer storms.
The bad weather is expected to continue for several days.
Heavy rain and storms last week in Sri Lanka have left at least 1 person dead and around 200 homeless.
Meanwhile flooding yesterday in the Maldives has left half of the island of Nadellaa under water, according to a local political leader.
Sri Lanka
The Disaster Management Centre of Sri Lanka (DMCSL), part of the Ministry of Disaster Management, has reported that severe weather, including strong winds and heavy rainfall between 05 and 07 January, has caused flooding, storm damage and landslides in several provinces of the country.
In Eastern province, flooding in on 07 January 2015 in Trincomalee district, affected over 8,000 people, destroying 4 houses and partially damaging a further 51. The municipalities of Gomarankadawala, Kinniya, Kanthale and Thambalagamuwa were all affected, with Kanthale and Thambalagamuwa the worst hit. Around 13 people were displaced in Kanthale.
Local media also reported some flooding in Ampara town, Eastern province, where some roads were blocked as a result.
Richard Davies Floodlist Tue, 12 Jan 2016 14:08 UTC
Mondego River in Coimbra, Portugal bursting its banks
Portugal's National Civil Protection Authority (ANPC) report that the Douro, Mondego and Tâmega rivers overflowed between 10 and 11 January 2016, affecting areas of Porto and Coimbra districts.
ANPC had issued warnings following a period of heavy rain and strong winds that affected the North and Central regions of the country over the last few days. The Portuguese Institute of Sea and Atmosphere (IPMA) also warned of high waves in several coastal areas of the districts of Lisbon, Setúbal, Coimbra and Leiria.
ANPC say that they have recorded over 300 weather-related incidents over the last 3 days, with around 200 of them a result of flooding. There have also been reports of fallen trees and landslides. No fatalities have been reported. Two separate landslides in Baltar, Paredes municipality, in the district of Porto forced around 10 people from their homes.
Yesterday some surface flooding had blocked roads in the districts of Porto, Vila Real, Viana do Castelo, Aveiro, Leiria and Braga.
It has been a stormy week across California with several El Niño-enhanced storms slamming the state, resulting in widespread flooding and road closures.
Southern California has been one of the areas hit the hardest by the train of storms with inches of rain falling in the major metropolitan areas of Los Angeles and San Diego.
"Drainage systems have been unable to handle the deluge, forcing partial closures of roads and major interstates, including Interstate 5," AccuWeather Meteorologist Renee Duff said.
The River Don reaches record levels and has already burst its bank in places with another three inches of rain expected before 8am on Friday morning.
More communities are expected to wake up to flood misery in the morning as further parts of Scotland reach saturation point .
The River Don in Aberdeenshire has hit its highest level on record and is expected to burst its banks in several places tonight - threatening even more properties after days of heavy rainfall brought devastation for many.
The Scottish Environment Protection Agency and Met Office have warned of another three inches of rain expected before 8am on Friday morning.
Police Scotland said it is dealing with a "major incident" across the north-east as two severe warnings of potential danger to life are issued for Kintore and Inverurie, along with 37 more flood warnings across the country.
Parts of Grandholm in Aberdeen are on evacuation alert tonight as experts monitor river levels and a rest centre has been set up at Bridge of Don Academy.
Rest centres have also been set up at Inverurie Academy, Kintore Community Hall, and Mackie Academy in Stonehaven, where flood barriers have been erected amid fears the River Carron will burst its banks overnight.
Richard Davies Floodlist Thu, 07 Jan 2016 17:52 UTC
Flooded Lana river flows past homes in the Albanian capital Tirana following a heavy rain on Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2016.
Two days of heavy rain in Albania has caused flash floods, river overflow and landslides in several parts of the country, including the counties of Tirana, Durrës, Lezhë, Shkodër and Dibër.
Civil emergency teams, including police and military personnel, carried out around evacuations in Tirana, Dibër, Durrës and Lezhë.
Yesterday the Ministry of Internal Affairs issued a warning that heavy rain and thunderstorms were expected in several areas including Tirana, Lezhë, Shkodër and Dibër. The ministry warned that people should keep travel to a minimum.
Between 05 and 07 January, 2016, around 700 people are thought to have been evacuated in total. The country's Deputy Prime Minister, Niko Peleshi, described the response as timely and no deaths or serious injuries have been reported.
Comment: Waterfalls cascade off iconic Ayers Rock in Australia after heavy rainfall