Major flooding in Khasab, Oman
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© REUTERS/Borja SuarezA vehicle is swept away by water into a ravine near El Caidero
Over 3,000 people had to be evacuated in badly hit parts of Gran Canaria as Storm Therese wrought havoc, causing floods and landslides in a storm that has lasted the best part of a week.
Brits were caught up in what is one of the worst storms to hit the Spanish Canary Islands in decades. Entire communities were cut off due to flooding, with evacuated people taken to makeshift shelters.
Over 40,000 Brits are believed to live in the Canary Islands, while Gran Canaria is popular with tourists, particularly during the looming Easter holidays.
Damage from the storm has been extensive. Heavy runoff in the remote El Cadeiro area of Gran Canaria caused access to be completely cut off for one family. A drone had to be deployed by local police in order to deliver vital medicine to the isolated residents.
In a post on US social media platform Facebook, the agency said most of the deaths were due to drowning, while 31 accommodation centers nationwide are sheltering around 10,000 people, including four centers in the southern province of Inhambane hosting roughly 4,000.
According to INGD, the 2025-2026 rainy and cyclonic season has affected nearly 1 million people nationwide, killed 285, flooded tens of thousands of homes, and damaged schools, roads and agricultural areas.
In a statement, the Zimbabwe National Water Authority (Zinwa) dismissed rumours that Mtshabezi Dam had breached and caused the flooding.
"The Zimbabwe National Water Authority (ZINWA) wishes to inform stakeholders and the public that Mtshabezi Dam, which is full and spilling, is structurally safe and has not breached, as has been inferred in some social media posts and audios.
"What has been confirmed to have breached is Mtshabezi High School Dam. Information to the effect that Mtshabezi Dam has breached should thus be disregarded. Members of the public are advised not to circulate such information, as it may cause unnecessary alarm," reads the statement.
Oman Civil Defence and Ambulance Authority said seven people were rescued after a vehicle carrying 10 people was swept away in a wadi in the Wilayat of Barka, while the other three were found dead
Oman's Civil Defense and Ambulance Authority said seven people were rescued after a vehicle carrying 10 people was swept away in a wadi in the Wilayat of Barka, while the other three were later found dead.
In a separate incident, two citizens died after their vehicle was carried away by floodwaters in a wadi in the Wilayat of Al-Maawil, with their bodies later recovered.
Authorities said the deaths came as heavy rains affected parts of the country.
Oman has experienced deadly flooding in recent years, including in April 2024 when flash floods killed at least 20 people and inundated large areas.
The downpour, which began on March 18, caused rivers and streams—including the Río Botello—to overflow, inundating neighborhoods such as Los Manzanos and La Selva, located approximately 40 kilometers west of the capital Bogotá.
According to local reports, floodwaters reached levels exceeding one meter inside homes, forcing widespread evacuations as emergency teams rushed to the affected areas.
© storm_aeFlash flood warning in UAE as intense rain continue
The NCM urged the public to exercise caution, avoid valleys and low-lying areas where water may accumulate, and stay away from flood-prone locations, particularly in mountainous regions.
A rainfall accumulation alert was issued for some coastal and internal areas from 10:30am until 8:30pm, while a separate flash flood warning for mountain areas was in effect from 1:15pm to 8:30pm.
Best of the Web: Hawaii Storm: 100,000 without power amid flash floods - 15 inches of rain in 24 hours, 46 inches in 5 days - heavy snow on summits (UPDATED)
Forced evacuations as water rises at Otake camp
The storm stretch comes as the Kona low weather system drags tropical moisture over the islands, raising the threat for at least a foot of rainfall in the hardest‑hit areas.
Governor Josh Green issued an emergency proclamation on Monday. "A Kona low weather system is expected to produce prolonged heavy rainfall that could lead to flash flooding statewide, with the highest likelihood of flooding impacts across the smaller islands and urban areas," a news release from Green's office said.
Now, the website Power Outages is reporting on the failures impacting customers across the state. As of reporting on Saturday morning, there were more than 120,000 customers without power in Honolulu.
Honolulu was the hardest hit area. The East of Honolulu is reliant on power lines bringing electricity to the area from Windward Oahu. According to a report from Hawaii New Now, these transmission lines have been damaged, impacting service in the area.
Comment: Update March 15
BigIslandNow.com reports:
A powerful Kona low continues sweeping through the Hawaiian Islands, bringing strong winds and heavy flooding rainfall. The entire Big Island was put under a flash flood warning shortly after 9 p.m. Saturday, March 14, as heavy rains continued to fall.Update March 16
Hawaiʻi County officials say residents should continue to avoid all unnecessary travel because of significant risks of flash flooding and strong, locally damaging winds.
The storm produced heavy rainfall and strong wind gusts Saturday throughout large areas of Hawaiʻi Island, as well as flash floods that closed multiple sections of Highway 11 in Kaʻū. causing the county to urge residents in those areas to shelter in place.
Some areas in Kaʻū received 10 to 15 inches of rain in 24 hours. Moderate to heavy rainfall was expected to remain in place over Kaʻū through Saturday evening, leading to significant flash flooding.
SFGATE.com reports:
Hawaii saw multiple rain records fall after a slow-moving kona storm dropped major precipitation across the different islands.
The island of Maui saw the heaviest rainfall, with multiple areas reporting over 20 inches of rain and one location logging as much as 46 inches of precipitation March 10-15, according to the National Weather Service.
© Siahay Photo CornerVehicles drive through floodwater on a street in Spain after record winter storms brought the heaviest rainfall in nearly 50 years.
Between late December and mid-February, eleven consecutive storms swept across the Iberian Peninsula, bringing record rainfall, flash floods and landslides. According to Spain's national weather agency AEMET, the rainfall recorded during this period is the highest seen in 47 years, marking a dramatic shift for a country far more used to worrying about drought than overflowing rivers.
For many residents and expats living in southern Spain, the scenes have been striking. Regions famous for sunshine and dry landscapes suddenly found themselves dealing with swollen rivers, damaged roads and communities cut off from the outside world.
A chain of storms that changed the Spanish winter
The turning point came when Storm Leonardo hit the south of the peninsula, particularly Andalusia, bringing intense rain and powerful winds.
© Walter Monteros / AFPPeople rescue a man during a flood in Agua Azul, Tucumán Province, on March 11, 2026.
The region has been experiencing heavy rainfall since December, with around 800 millimetres recorded on average a month - about 70 percent of the typical annual total.
However, 170 millimetres fell within just a few hours on Sunday night, causing rivers to burst their banks and groundwater levels to overflow.
On Wednesday, Tucumán Governor Osvaldo Jaldo visited the town of La Madrid, one of the worst-affected areas, to supervise assistance being provided by the provincial government to affected families.
Comment: Related: March snowfall on Canary Islands, Spain as Storm Therese makes its way across Europe