Floods
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Cloud Lightning

Widespread floods in Kenya kill 15 as 50,000 left homeless


The Citizen
Sat, 12 May 2012 16:21 UTC
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Nairobi - Seven school children are among 15 people who have drowned in the last two days as heavy rains continue to wreak havoc across the country. They were swept away by floods on their way to school, many of which have been ordered closed.

This came as more than 50,000 people in three villages in Elgeyo-Marakwet County were asked to leave their homes for fear of landslides.A team of geologists from the Ministry of Lands toured Kittony, Embobut and Kakisoo villages and directed residents to leave as the heavy rains had eroded the grounds, raising the chances of a landslide.

Two years ago, 15 people were killed in Kittony village and many other injured in a landslide.

Relief agencies warned on Thursday the heavy rains had displaced more than 50,000 people, and destroyed property worth millions of shillings.

In Malindi, about 90 families that had been marooned by floods in Madunguni since Tuesday were rescued on Thursday by the provincial administration and the Red Cross.An 11-year-old class four pupil drowned after a motorcycle taxi he was riding on was swept away by a swollen river in Hamisi district.
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Hourglass

Icelandic volcano warming up for eruption: Small glacier flood continues at Katla

Jón Frímann
jonfr.com
Fri, 11 May 2012 15:52 UTC
This is going to be a short blog post. As I am going to be short of table and a cheer for few more days.

It seems that Katla volcano is warming up for a eruption. As I did mention in last blog post. But there is more to this. As the glacier flood that started on the 28. April 2012 continues according to a email that I got from an geologist working at Iceland Meteorological Office. But that suggests two things. That there is currently an ongoing melting of glacier taking place in Katla volcano, or there is a slow drainage taking place from some area in Mýrdalsjökull glacier. But given increased conductivity following this it is clear that this water has been in contact with magma. But that can be seen with the increased conductivity in the water.

There have not been many earthquakes following this events. But from the earthquakes that have happened. It seems that most likely source for current events is close to or the same area that erupted in July 2011. But at the moment this is just speculation based on limited data. It has not been confirmed so far.
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Cloud Lightning

Flash floods kill 27 in Afghanistan- scores missing


Terra Daily / AFP
Tue, 08 May 2012 09:08 UTC
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© AFPResidents move their belongings to higher ground after flooding in the Nahr-i Shahi district of Balkh province on February 21, 2012. Some 40 houses were damaged in overnight flooding in Nahr-i Shahi district of Balkh province.
At least 26 people were killed and more than 100 missing after flash floods hit a wedding party and three villages in northern Afghanistan, an official said Monday.

Most of the victims were women and children as the floods, caused by heavy rains, swept through areas of Deh Mardan district in Sari Pul province, said Fazlullah Sadat, head of the provincial disaster management authority.

"We have found 26 bodies mostly women and children -- and more than 100 others are still missing," he told AFP.

Wedding parties are traditionally large and joyous occasions in rural Afghanistan, but 21 people from one gathering were among the victims, he said.

"This is a human tragedy. We have a lot of human losses," said Sadat.
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Snowman

Farmers worry that May snow and freezing temperatures could bring crop failures to Britain


The Telegraph, UK
Sun, 06 May 2012 09:11 UTC
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© Mark Hamblin/2020VISION / Rex FeaturesSnow is expected over higher ground in Scotland and northern England as Britain braces itself for a chilly May Bank Holiday
Parts of Britain will be colder than the Arctic this weekend as rain and even snow threaten to put a freeze on millions of families' May Bank Holiday plans.

Beach trips and barbecues are likely to be off the agenda as forecasters predicted the mercury could plunge as low as 26F (-3C) in places on Saturday.

Holidaymakers were advised to go skiing rather than sunbathing and seaside resorts warned of multi-million pound losses and deserted beaches.

Farmers and gardeners, battered by drought and floods, have also been warned that crops and plants could be killed by widespread frosts.

Flooding continued today as the Met Office said rain hit many parts and the Environment Agency issued 19 flood warnings and 61 alerts. East Anglia, the Midlands and the South were worst hit.

Showers will hit the south coast on Saturday, a wider area of the south on Sunday, and most areas on a washout Bank Holiday Monday, with further widespread rain next week.
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Cloud Lightning

Wettest April in 100 years - Sodden Britain braces for more floods


Agence France-Presse
Wed, 02 May 2012 12:04 UTC
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© AFPA man and his dog were killed as they tried to cross a flooded ford in Hampshire, in southeast England, on Monday, while in Northamptonshire in central England, 1,000 holidaymakers were evacuated from a caravan park.
Southern England and Wales were on high flood alert Tuesday, with thousands of homes at risk from a deluge that has killed one person after Britain's wettest April in over 100 years.

Rivers were being closely monitored as flood defences held back muddy water from over 25,000 homes, the Environment Agency said. A total of 40 warnings of expected flooding and 152 alerts for possible floods were in place Tuesday.

"There is still a risk of flooding across many parts of England and Wales with particular focus on Somerset, Dorset and Devon," the agency said Monday evening, ahead of a night of thunder and heavy showers.

Forecasters the Met Office said Tuesday that heavy rain was starting to ease but "there will still be a good deal of standing water and a continued risk of localised flooding since river levels remain high".
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Cloud Lightning

Ferocious storm closes wettest April ever in UK


Daily Mail, UK
Mon, 30 Apr 2012 06:42 UTC
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The return of the floods: The River Severn turns Tewkesbury Abbey into a virtual island after days of heavy rain in an unwelcome reminder of the devastating floods of 2007
It is the wettest April on record, the Met Office says - and the rain is set to continue.

Despite the drought and the hosepipe ban, much of England and Wales was braced for flooding today as further heavy rain continued to wreak havoc across the country.

And, as if Britons needed confirmation of just how wet it has been, newly-released figures show the month so far has seen 'well above' average rainfall across the UK, with 97mm recorded - 140 per cent of the long-term monthly average.

Tewkesbury in Gloucestershire, which was devastated by flooding in July 2007, was on alert with the Environment Agency setting up an incident room there along with two others in the Midlands and another in the Wessex area.

Stretches of the Severn were at risk of bursting their banks following weather which will be an unwelcome reminder of Tewkesbury's flash floods in 2007, which claimed the lives of three people and left 350,000 people in the county without a supply of clean drinking water.
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Cloud Lightning

Flash Floods Wreak Havoc in Kenya, Seven Children Drowned in National Park

Monicah Mwangi
The Star
Fri, 27 Apr 2012 16:54 UTC
kenya flood
© KIPLANG'AT KIRUIA man in Narok town tries save his chair from floods.
Weeks after the long rains season started, Kenyans are feeling its effect as floods wreak havoc in most parts of the country. A church retreat turned tragic when seven youths drowned because of flooding at Hell's Gate National Park in Naivasha.

Already the floods-prone area of Budalangi has received floods alert after River Nzoia broke its banks. In Kisumu, heavy rains rendered hundreds homeless and destroyed a key road linking the city to Kisii town.
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Cloud Precipitation

Severe Gales and Massive Downpours to Batter Britain Over Weekend

Nathan Rao
The Daily Express
Fri, 27 Apr 2012 11:41 UTC
Essex tornado
The impact of the tornado that ripped through a hamlet in Essex
Torrential rain driven by 60mph winds is set to wreak havoc across Britain this weekend.

Weather experts warned last night a combination of severe gales and massive downpours would bring flash flooding and travel chaos.

The worst spell is expected on Sunday lunchtime with up to two inches of rain - the monthly average - falling by the afternoon. The Environment Agency said it was poised to issue "severe flood" warnings in the South, indicating "danger to life".
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Umbrella

Drought-hit areas of England told to prepare for floods


Guardian.co.uk
Thu, 26 Apr 2012 12:44 UTC
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© Matt Dunham/APA man tries to shelter under a copy of the Financial Times as he runs through a heavy rain shower in London.
Heavy rain leads the Environment Agency to issue eight flood warnings and 22 flood alerts across southern England

No sooner had 20 million people in southern and eastern England been banned from using hosepipes than the heavens opened, and now parts of the country have been told to prepare for flooding.

April has seen day after day of wet and chilly weather, and heavy rain on Wednesday morning led the Environment Agency to issue eight flood warnings and 22 flood alerts across southern England.

Paul Mott, forecaster at MeteoGroup, the weather division of the Press Association, said the weather was set to remain wet: "It's going to stay unsettled over the next seven days with frequent showers and persistent rain.

"Sunday looks to be a washout with up to an inch of rain falling across England and Wales."

Nick Prebble at MeteoGroup said: "Throughout April we have seen 175% more rain than would be normal, totalling 94.3mm (3.7in)."

However, the environment secretary, Caroline Spelman, said the rain would not avert the drought and water companies were right to impose a hosepipe ban.
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Cloud Lightning

Women Forced to "Break the Law and Walk Barefoot" During Tehran Floods


France 24
Fri, 20 Apr 2012 00:00 UTC
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© Azin Haghighi/Facebook
Still reeling from a torrential downpour that flooded much of Tehran earlier this week many in the Iranian capital have lashed out at local authorities, blaming them for not being sufficiently prepared for severe weather. The storm left much of the northern and eastern parts of the city completely water logged, including entire subway stations, forcing people of both sexes to hike up their pant legs and take of their shoes despite an Islamic law forbidding women to show their bare feet in public. Tehran, which is usually spared from the kind of flooding regularly seen in other parts of northern Iran, was taken by surprise on Sunday by the extensive damage caused by the heavy rainfall. The city's public transport system was completely flooded, and a number of vehicles were even swept away by the water. Violent gusts of winds also caused electrical shortages in several neighbourhoods, leaving residents in the dark for up to seven hours.
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