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© APCars are stuck in mud and debris from flash flooding at The Inn at Death Valley in Death Valley National Park.
A deluge brought "nearly an entire year's worth of rain in one morning" into the famously hot and dry park in the California desert. At least 1.7in (4.3cm) of rain fell in the Furnace Creek area; the park's average annual rainfall is 1.9in (4.8cm).
About 60 vehicles were buried in debris and about 500 visitors and 500 park workers were stranded, park officials said. There were no immediate reports of injuries and the California transport department estimated it would take four to six hours to open a road that would allow park visitors to leave.
It was the second major flooding event at the park this week. Some roads were closed on Monday after they were inundated with mud and debris from flash floods that also hit western Nevada and northern Arizona hard.
Four people — two men and two women — were critically hurt in the strike just before 7 p.m. in the center of the park, in a grove of trees about 100 feet southeast of the statue of Andrew Jackson, fire department spokesman Vito Maggiolo said at a news briefing Thursday night. The U.S. Secret Service and the U.S. Park Police rendered aid to the victims, assistance that fire officials credited with all the victims' initial survival.
Among those who died were Donna Mueller, 75, a retired teacher, and her husband, James Mueller, 76, who owned a drywall business for decades before retiring, according to one of their daughters-in-law, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to protect her privacy.
© TwitterThe waterspout was caught on camera destroying homes on Smith Island, Maryland
A shocking waterspout devastated a small Maryland island on Thursday evening.
Videos show the tornado rapidly swirling over the Chesapeake Bay toward Smith Island.
Residents Katherine Donaway and Tiffanie Woutila, who took the videos, can be heard repeatedly shouting "Oh no!" as they watch the violent scene unfold in front of them. As the waterspout reached the island, debris can be seen flying up into the air as it made contact with a building.
Houses were pulverized and debris littered front lawns after the waterspout passed through the unassuming island.
No serious injuries have been reported yet.
Comment: Fox News reports:
Maryland governor Larry Hogan warned residents to stay inside in a statement on Twitter.
"Please stay off the roads in affected areas - especially anywhere tree-clearing crews need to work," he said.
Governor Hogan also noted that there were more than 50,000 power outages reported in Maryland.
The National Weather Service had issued a statement warning of 45 mile per hour winds and possible hail.
Smith Island - which makes up the communities of Tylerton, Rhodes Point, and Ewell - has a population of less than 300 people. It is the only island without a bridge connected to the mainland.
Best of the Web: Up to a foot of rain in less than 12 hours slams Illinois, another exceptional deluge
Illinois gets a foot of rain
It's the third 1-in-1,000-year rain event in the Lower 48 states in about a week.
The National Weather Service office in Lincoln, Ill., has received about 20 reports of flooding, mostly due to water inundating roads and intersections. Television affiliate WAND in Decatur, which is about 35 miles east of Springfield, reported cars submerged in high water with emergency crews involved in rescues. Minor flooding of several rivers has also occurred.
Flash-flood warnings have affected a large swath of central and southern Illinois from around Springfield to southeast of Effingham. That's where months' worth of rain has fallen because of a parade of thunderstorms. Many of them were "training" or repeatedly moving over the same neighborhoods.
© Mustapha Sule LamidoFlood damage in Jigawa State, Nigeria, August 2022
Heavy rain from around 01 August 2022 triggered floods in several parts of Jigawa including the Local Government Areas (LGAs) of Kiri Kasamma, Dutse, Hadejia, Kafin Hausa, Guri, Auyo and Jahun.
Local media reported fatalities in Kiri Kasamma and Kafin-Haus. Several other people have been injured and hundreds of homes damaged or destroyed. Wide areas of farmland and crops have also suffered damage.
© ReutersThe Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) has predicted more rains in Sindh, including Karachi, from August 5 to 9.
The worst affected is the southwestern province of Balochistan, where the death toll has reached 150, with 15 deaths reported in the last 24 hours, according to disaster management authority officials.
The heavy downpour continued to batter several districts of Balochistan, destroying houses, roads and bridges, destroying crops and sweeping away livestock. The recent deaths were reported in Zhob, Qilla Saifullah, Kohlu, Naushki and Lasbela areas of Balochistan that endured flash floods.
© KYODOHouses are flooded in the town of Oe in Yamagata Prefecture on Thursday
The Mogami River in Nagai, Yamagata Prefecture, spilled over its banks in the early hours of Thursday, according to the land ministry. Footage from NHK and other clips shared on social media showed flooded houses along rivers, cars partially submerged and roads filled with mud in parts of Yamagata and Niigata prefectures.
The Yamagata Prefectural Government also reported that a bridge on a prefectural road had collapsed.
In Kitakata, Fukushima Prefecture, a bridge used by East Japan Railway (JR East)'s Banetsu West Line collapsed due to heavy rain on Wednesday night.
Farmer Vanga Ravi (48) died in his farm land in Ponagallu village in Regonda mandal and Katam Raghupathi Reddy (25), also a farmer, was struck by lightning while he was with his parents in their fields in Shatrajpalli village in Malhar mandal. While Arepalli Varamma (56) was felled by lightning while she was working in the fields in Gopalapuam village in Chityala mandal.
© Teton County Search and RescueA Teton Helitack helicopter flew search and rescue team members to the site of the lightning strike on Tuesday.
A second adult sustained major injuries when a lightning bolt hit the backpackers at their camp.
The lightning strike fatality was the first in Wyoming in 2022 and the ninth in the U.S., TCSAR said, citing the National Lightning Safety Council.
The man who died and the person who sustained major injuries were part of a group of 14 adults on an organized wilderness trip, according to TCSAR's press release Wednesday.
TCSAR was notified of the lightning strike incident at 6:25 p.m. Tuesday and mobilized a response. An interagency helicopter from Teton Helitack was requested and flew three volunteers to the site on Tuesday evening.
Comment: Details of the earlier event: Flash floods close roads into Death Valley National Park