Storms
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Cloud Precipitation

Flash floods hit East, Central Trinidad

Kim Boodram
Trinidad Express
Fri, 29 Dec 2023 13:52 UTC
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As heavy flash floods hit several parts of the country yesterday afternoon, firefighters were called to rescue people stranded in a car at Eleanor Street in Chaguanas.

Flooding was reported in East and Central Trinidad after rain descended around 2 p.m. for more than an hour, with lesser showers eventually creeping to other parts of the country.

Heavy street and some residential flooding was reported in Chaguanas and environs, and the Churchill-Roosevelt Highway in Tunapuna, including along the Priority Bus Route, Macoya and Maracas, St Joseph.

Around 3 p.m., the Fire Service was called out after a vehicle attempting to enter Eleanor Street from Chaguanas Main Road stalled in the flooded roadway.

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Cloud Lightning

Saudi Arabia: Lightning strikes 4 dead at landmark mountain

Ramadan Al Sherbini
Gulf News
Fri, 29 Dec 2023 12:57 UTC
Screenshots of corpses of the victims.
© X@EsmailBaherScreenshots of corpses of the victims.
The incident happened at Jabal Thawr near Mecca

Lightning struck an area famed for a mountain near the Saudi holy city of Mecca, killing four people, according to social media reports.

A fifth person was hurt by the lightning that struck the five while they were at the Jabal Thawr or Mount Thawr famous among Muslims for housing the Ghar or Cave of Thawr.

An online video showed the dead bodies of four people lying on the ground allegedly after their death due to the lightning.

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Windsock

Massive California waves injure some onlookers and bring flooding, treacherous beach conditions up the West coast

Elizabeth Wolfe, Robert Shackelford and Cindy Von Quednow
kake.com
Fri, 29 Dec 2023 12:15 UTC
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A powerful offshore storm is driving towering waves into the California coastline, triggering flooding and warnings of dangerous and damaging swells after several people were injured by a wave along Ventura beach on Thursday.

The wave crashed over a barrier along the southern California beach, tossing a wall of fast-moving water at a group of onlookers who rushed to escape the deluge, witness video shows. Seawater quickly knocked some people off their feet and pummeled cars as drivers tried to speed away.

Nearly 20 people were briefly swept away in the incident and eight people were taken to the hospital, Ventura officials said.

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Tornado2

Tornado damages homes in Greater Manchester as Storm Gerrit batters Britain


Guardian
Thu, 28 Dec 2023 13:22 UTC
Damage to properties caused by a localised tornado in Stalybridge, Greater Manchester
© Ioannis Alexopoulos/LNPDamage to properties caused by a localised tornado in Stalybridge, Greater Manchester
Thousands of homes without power and rail travel in chaos after strong winds, heavy snow and rain

A major incident has been declared in Greater Manchester, where a "localised tornado" has swept through the Tameside area, damaging about 100 properties and leaving thousands of homes without power.

Storm Gerrit, the latest named storm to reach the UK, has also caused heavy snow, high winds and rain in parts of Scotland, where fallen trees, branches and other debris have brought down power lines.

Flood waters have risen in areas across the UK, with 20 warnings in place for expected flooding in North Yorkshire, East Yorkshire, Cumbria and the Midlands.

A further 124 flood alerts, where flooding is possible, are in place in England, particularly in the north and west. There are nine flood warnings and 18 flood alerts in Scotland, and one flood warning and 17 alerts in Wales.

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Boat

Severe floods hit Europe, inhabitants evacuate their homes on Christmas Day


Euronews
Tue, 26 Dec 2023 13:17 UTC
The Saale river has flooded between Halle and Roepzig. Pic: AP
© APThe Saale river has flooded between Halle and Roepzig, Germany.
On Christmas Day, residents in parts of Germany were forced to evacuate their homes due to heavy rains and saturated ground, resulting in widespread flooding and high water levels. Particularly affected were areas in the regions of Thuringia and Lower Saxony.

Footage from the village of Windehausen in Thuringia depicted homes, fields, and streets submerged in floodwaters, with displaced individuals seeking refuge at an emergency shelter. Bodo Ramelow, the governor of Thuringia, cautioned from the shelter on Monday that it might take several days before people could safely return home.

He stated, "They will only be able to return when the cellars have been pumped out, when the electricity is back on, and when the connection to the sewage system has been restored."

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Boat

Floods in Democratic Republic of Congo kill at least 62 people (UPDATE)


Africanews.com
Wed, 27 Dec 2023 12:55 UTC
The hourslong rainfall in the district of Kananga in Kasai Central province destroyed many houses
The hours-long rainfall in the district of Kananga in Kasai Central province destroyed many houses
Flooding triggered by heavy rains in central Congo killed at least 22 people, including 10 from the same family, a local official said Tuesday.

The hours-long rainfall in the district of Kananga in Kasai Central province destroyed many houses and structures, the province's governor, John Kabeya, said as rescue efforts intensified in search of survivors.

Five more deaths were confirmed later on Tuesday in addition to the initially reported death toll of 17, he said.


Comment: Update

Reuters reports:
At least 40 more people have died in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, local authorities said, after heavy downpours overnight Tuesday unleashed floods and landslides that left residents digging through the mud to find bodies.

In the city of Bukavu, onlookers gathered to watch on Wednesday as a group of men hauled a car out of the mud to recover a woman's body from underneath, a Reuters witness said.

At least 20 people died in Bukavu and at least 20 more were killed in the village of Burinyi, 50 kilometers from Bukavu, according to officials in the two places.

Bukavu resident Yvonne Mukupi, who was able to stay clear of the deluge, said her neighbor was swept away by the flood waters.

"We have managed to recover three bodies under the trees, but others have not been found yet," she said.

Poor urban planning and weak infrastructure make communities like Mukupi's more vulnerable to extreme rainfall, which is becoming more intense and frequent in Africa because of warming temperatures, according to United Nations climate experts.

"When rain falls, the main waterway gets clogged sometimes because of the waste, so it gets flooded and it affects the houses," Bukavu official Emmanuel Majivuno Kalimba told Reuters at the scene, as residents worked to salvage belongings from their damaged homes.

The overnight devastation follows the deaths of at least 22 people in Kasai-Central province on Tuesday when a landslide swallowed houses, churches and roads, killing entire families and leaving people homeless.


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Cloud Lightning

Australia: Child among 10 killed after severe summer storms hit country's east

Kathryn Armstrong
BBC
Wed, 27 Dec 2023 12:37 UTC
Roofs were torn off homes and electricity poles ripped from the ground in Queensland
© ABCRoofs were torn off homes and electricity poles ripped from the ground in Queensland
At least 10 people, including a nine-year-old girl, have died in eastern Australia during severe thunderstorms on Christmas and Boxing Day.

Most of the deaths were in the state of Queensland, where tens of thousands of people are still without power.

Victoria and New South Wales were also hit by widespread flooding and destructive winds.

Further thunderstorms have been forecast but conditions are expected to improve over the next day.

The winds were so strong in places, they tore roofs off buildings, felled trees and ripped concrete-based electricity poles from the ground.

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Snowflake Cold

Heavy snowfall cripples life in Turkey


Hurriyet Daily News
Mon, 25 Dec 2023 15:39 UTC
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A messy mix of snow and rain wreaked havoc in parts of the country, as roads were closed to traffic in the province in the eastern and southeastern Anatolian region due to heavy snowfall and blizzards causing low visibility.

Transportation was severely disrupted in the provinces of Tunceli, Hakkari, Kars and Sivas, with some vehicles stranded on the roads.

In the southeastern province of Hakkari, roads to 34 villages are inaccessible.

While the intermittent snowfall in the district increased its effect at night, the snow thickness reaching 30 centimeters in the center prompted the municipal teams to take action in Hakkari. The teams who worked hard to open the roads said they were ready 24/7 in case of a negative situation.

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Cloud Precipitation

Flooding in many parts of the Netherlands


Netherlands Times
Tue, 26 Dec 2023 15:19 UTC
Water filled a floodplain along the Waal River in Varik, Gelderland. 26 December 2023
© NL TimesWater filled a floodplain along the Waal River in Varik, Gelderland. 26 December 2023
The rainy Christmas Day has caused significant inconvenience throughout the Netherlands. The problems are mainly in Overijssel and Gelderland, but also in Drenthe and Noord-Brabant where people were troubled by flooded basements, roads, and cycle paths. Prime Minister Mark Rutte said authorities were on top of the high water situation despite the national holiday.

"The high water is causing nuisance in various parts of the country. We are closely monitoring the situation and taking measures where necessary," Rutte wrote on X. "I wish everyone in the Netherlands dealing with the unpleasant consequences of the heavy rainfall a lot of strength." He went on to thank infrastructure workers at Rijkswaterstaat, regional water board staff, those tasked with protecting the dikes, and emergency services personnel for "working so hard, even during the holidays."

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Boat

More than 25,000 people seeking shelter at 241 flood relief centres in East Coast states of Malaysia

Sharifah Mahsinah Abdullah, Zatul Iffah Zolkiply, Paya Linda Yahya, Hidayatidayu Razali
The New Straits Times
Tue, 26 Dec 2023 14:50 UTC
Children wade through floodwaters in Bandar Kuala Berang, Kuala Terengganu, followiing heavy rain.
© NSTP/GHAZALI KORIChildren wade through floodwaters in Bandar Kuala Berang, Kuala Terengganu, followiing heavy rain.
The flood situation in the East Coast states has taken a turn for the worse with thousands of residents evacuated from their homes and seeking shelter at 238 flood relief centres.

According to https://infobencanajkmv2.jkm.gov.my website, a total of 25,816 people from 7,493 families are seeking shelter at 238 flood relief centres in Kelantan, Terengganu and Pahang as of 2.30pm today.

In Kelantan, a total of 15,119 people from 4,567 families are seeking shelter at 91 flood relief centres in eight districts namely Gua Musang, Jeli, Kota Bharu, Kuala Krai, Machang, Pasir Mas, Pasir Puteh and Tanah Merah.

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