Storms
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Tsunami

New Zealand's North Island braces for more rain amid widespread flooding


abc.net.au
Sun, 15 Feb 2026 11:25 UTC
Flooding in Otorohanga, New Zealand.
© RNZ: Marika KhabaziFlooding in Otorohanga, New Zealand.
New Zealand's weather bureau has issued a warning for heavy rain and strong winds across the country's North Island tonight.

The warning comes a day after floods caused power outages, road collapses and home evacuations.

Authorities said a man was killed yesterday after his car became submerged in floodwaters on a highway.

MetService said there was a "threat to life from dangerous river conditions, significant flooding and slips" as a deepening low-pressure system east of the North Island brings heavy rain and severe gales.

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Tsunami

Italy's Calabria seeks state of emergency amid flooding


The Local (Italy)
Sat, 14 Feb 2026 09:59 UTC
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Italy's southern Calabria region has asked that a new national state of emergency be called after days of heavy rains pounding the area caused flooding and mudslides, authorities said Saturday.

Italy had already declared a state of emergency last month for Calabria, at the foot of Italy's boot, and the islands of Sicily and Sardinia after Storm Harry wreaked havoc on seaside roads and homes.

In the past 48 hours, Calabria has faced a new spate of weather-related problems, including "violent gusts, cloudbursts, storm surges and a wave of bad weather that has caused landslides, flooding, swollen rivers and collapsed embankments in various areas of our region," Calabria's president, Roberto Occhiuto, said in a statement.

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Tsunami

Heavy rain and strong winds continue battering Portugal, causing major flooding and damage

Lurdes C. da Silva
The Herald News
Thu, 12 Feb 2026 18:42 UTC
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Swathes of Portugal were on high alert on Thursday as heavy rain and strong winds battered the country, causing major flooding, forcing evacuations and disrupting transport.
Swathes of Portugal were on high alert on Thursday as heavy rain and strong winds battered the country, felling trees, disrupting transport and forcing evacuations.

Part of the A1 motorway between Portugal's north and south collapsed on Wednesday night near the medieval city of Coimbra after a levee broke underneath.

'Atmospheric river' over Portugal

In Portugal, a weather phenomenon known as an "atmospheric river" - a wide corridor of concentrated water vapour carrying massive amounts of moisture from the tropics - brought new downpours, affecting the north to a greater extent, where authorities have evacuated about 3,000 residents.

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Windsock

Storm Nils batters southern France, leaves 850,000 homes without power

Necva Tastan Sevinc
Source
Thu, 12 Feb 2026 19:23 UTC
In Alps, authorities raise avalanche risk to level 5, highest warning, describing situation as exceptional and unseen in 17 years
storm nils france
A truck driver died and nearly 850,000 households were left without electricity as Storm Nils battered southern and southwestern France with violent winds, flooding and avalanches on Thursday.

The man was killed in the Landes department near the town of Mees after a tree branch fell onto his truck, BFMTV reported.

France's national weather agency, Meteo-France, placed four departments, Savoie, Aude, Gironde and Lot-et-Garonne, under red alert for risks ranging from avalanches and high winds to severe flooding.

Power grid operator Enedis said around 850,000 homes were without electricity as of early morning, including 485,000 in Nouvelle-Aquitaine and 318,000 in Occitanie, the regions hardest hit by the storm.

Overnight, wind gusts reached up to 162 km/h (101 m/h) in Biscarrosse in the Landes region. Gusts of 157 km/h were recorded in Lege-Cap-Ferret (Gironde), 132 km/h in Millau (Aveyron) and 125 km/h in Toulouse, levels described by forecasters as unprecedented for the month of February in some areas.
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Tsunami

Severe flooding in the city of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on February 9 and 11

Nature in Fury
YouTube
Tue, 10 Feb 2026 11:39 UTC
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On Monday, February 9, 2026, Rio de Janeiro entered stage 3 of alert due to severe storms that caused widespread flooding, landslides on Avenida Niemeyer, and serious accidents involving electric shocks in Copacabana. Public transportation collapsed, with trains and BRTs affected, forcing passengers to wade through flooded areas such as Bonsucesso.

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Tornado1

'Monstrous': Cyclone Gezani hits Madagascar, leaving at least 31 dead

Lyndal Rowlands and News Agencies
Al Jazeera
Wed, 11 Feb 2026 09:45 UTC
Trees were uprooted and some districts left without power
© AFPTrees were uprooted and some districts left without power
At least 31 people have been killed as Cyclone Gezani left a trail of destruction in Madagascar.

Authorities issued red alerts for several regions warning of possible floods and landslides as the storm made landfall late Tuesday with wind speeds of more than 195km/h (121 mph). It then roared across the large island of 31 million people, many of whom live in poverty and have inadequate shelter from storms.

The National Office for Risk and Disaster Management said building collapses caused some of the at least 31 deaths, and at least 36 other people were seriously injured as Gezani made landfall in the eastern city of Toamasina. The agency said four people were missing and more than 6,000 people were displaced from their homes.

Madagascar is especially vulnerable to cyclones blowing in off the Indian Ocean and was battered by another deadly cyclone less than two weeks ago.

"It's monstrous. Everything is devastated, roofs have been blown off, floors are flooded, the walls of solid houses have collapsed," a resident of Toamasina, which has a population of 400,000 people, told the AFP news agency by telephone when communications briefly returned.

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Snowflake Cold

Six all-time cold records broken in one day as death toll from record snow climbs to 46 in Japan

Rishav Kothari
The Watchers
Tue, 10 Feb 2026 11:59 UTC
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At least six locations in Japan recorded record-breaking cold on the morning of February 9, 2026, as temperatures fell below -3°C (26.6°F) for the first time since 1984. The death toll from the record-breaking snowfall since January 20 has climbed to 46 as of February 10.

Record-breaking cold has struck parts of Japan following deadly heavy snowfall since late January.

At least six all-time cold records were set on the morning of February 9, as temperatures in Tokyo fell below -3°C (26.6°F) in February for the first time in 42 years, reported Sayaka Mori, broadcast meteorologist at NHK.

"Narita and Haneda Airports both logged their coldest mornings on record, with sub-zero temperatures covering over 90% of Japan," Mori said.

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Windsock

Near-record chill hits Bermuda as storm puts thousands in the dark

Jonathan Bell and Stefano Ausenda
The Royal Gazette
Mon, 09 Feb 2026 09:11 UTC
All bundled up: after the mercury dropped to 45.1F this weekend, Scott Holder of the Bermuda Book Store wrapped up to survey conditions in Hamilton yesterday
© Jonathan BellAll bundled up: after the mercury dropped to 45.1F this weekend, Scott Holder of the Bermuda Book Store wrapped up to survey conditions in Hamilton yesterday
Thousands lost power as storm-force winds also delivered a plunge to unprecedented, near-record low temperatures over the weekend, with the deepest chill witnessed on the island in decades.

Instead of a typical winter gale, the punishing storm, likened by Bermudians to a winter hurricane, led to several flight cancellations, stopped buses Saturday night and halted the ferry service.

The Bermuda Weather Service reported that gale-force winds and 0.34 inches of precipitation, including rain and hail on Saturday. Bermuda spent the weekend under a severe weather warning, with gale-force gusts expected to linger into today.

The Causeway remained open, but the Ministry of National Security urged drivers to avoid non-essential travel.
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Tsunami

Flash floods kill at least 3, displace hundreds in northwest Syria

Lina Altawell
Anadolu Agency
Mon, 09 Feb 2026 20:44 UTC
Severe flooding has devastated displacement camps after heavy rains swept through the area, destroying shelters and worsening conditions for displaced families.
Severe flooding has devastated displacement camps after heavy rains swept through the area, destroying shelters and worsening conditions for displaced families.
Flash floods triggered by heavy rainfall have killed at least three people and displaced hundreds of families in northwest Syria, creating "difficult humanitarian conditions" across multiple areas, Alekhbariah TV reported, citing a Syrian ministry statement issued on Monday.

The Ministry of Emergency and Disaster Management said several regions experienced sudden flooding from early Saturday through late Sunday night, damaging civilian communities and 22 displacement camps west of Idlib.

Two children were killed after being swept away by floodwaters in a rugged valley in the al-Assaliya and Ain Issa areas of the Turkman Mountain region in rural Latakia.

A volunteer with the Syrian Arab Red Crescent was killed, and six others were injured, including five Red Crescent volunteers, in a traffic accident involving the team traveling to respond and provide assistance to residents affected by the floods in the Turkman Mountain area.

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Snowflake

Best of the Web: Storm blasts Hawaii with 70-mph winds, 30 inches of rain and a foot of mountain snow

Jesse Ferrell
Yahoo! News
Mon, 09 Feb 2026 20:16 UTC
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Snow on the summit of Mauna Kea
A storm moved over Hawaii this past weekend, causing flooding, knocking down trees and power poles and dumping a foot of snow on the island's mountaintops.

On Monday morning, every spot in the state was under a flood watch, with widespread wind advisories and winter storm warnings on the mountains of Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa.

AccuWeather Meteorologist Alex DaSilva said that a stalled front draped across the Hawaiian Islands, combined with a slow-moving area of low pressure, led to major flooding and near-hurricane-force wind gusts.

Hawaiian Electric warned customers to prepare for extended power outages Sunday night, after power was restored to 45,000 customers lost power earlier in the day. As of Sunday night, 19,000 customers were still in the dark.

Winds gusted over 70 mph on the islands of Maui and Moloka'i, with gusts over 60 mph on Oahu, Lanai and the Big Island. Rainfall amounts exceeded 30 inches at Laupahoehoe on the Big Island, with 23.22 inches at Waikamoi on Maui.

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