Storms
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Umbrella

Severe summer floods hit Nizwa, Oman

floods
Heavy rains bring floods in Niswa, Oman. August 18th, 2020.


Cloud Lightning

Typhoon Higos lands in south China

NASA-NOAA's Suomi NPP satellite snaps Tropical Storm Higos' landfall
NASA-NOAA's Suomi NPP satellite snaps Tropical Storm Higos' landfall
Typhoon Higos, the seventh typhoon this year, made landfall on the coast of Zhuhai City, south China's Guangdong Province at around 6:00 a.m. on Wednesday.

China's Central Meteorological Station issued an orange alert and expected Higos to move northwest at a speed of about 20 kilometers per hour and will gradually weaken.

The Macao Meteorological and Geophysical Bureau downgraded the typhoon signal from the highest to No. 3 as Typhoon Higos was leaving the city, and Macao's Border Gate and Zhuhai-Macao cross-boundary industrial zone reopened at around 10 a.m. on Wednesday.


Windsock

Satellite imagery shows devastation to US Midwest crops a week after derecho

Satellite imagery shows devastation to corn, soy crop in Iowa
© University of Wisconsin's Cooperative Institute for Meteorological Satellite StudiesSatellite imagery shows devastation to corn, soy crop in Iowa

The storm leveled fields of corn, damaged agricultural buildings and had wind gusts of 80-100 mph in some places


Last Monday, a derecho (widespread windstorm) sped through parts of the upper Midwest. We first wrote about this last Tuesday, after wind gusts in parts of Iowa reached and exceeded 100 miles-per-hour. A week later, 75,000 Iowans are still without power.

The image at the top of the article shows brown scars, meaning that the blown-over crops are dying and are not coming back up. This is a devastating blow, partially because Iowa has led the U.S. in corn production for more than two decades in a row. For so many in the Midwest, this is their livelihood and with fall harvest not that far away.

Millions of acres of corn and soybeans were impacted by the storm, according to the Iowa Soybean Association. The damage is still being assessed, so it's not known exactly how much of the crop is destroyed.


Comment: Powerful derecho storm wreaks havoc across US Midwest leaving 1.1 million without power


Boat

Sichuan Province in China braces for yet more severe flooding - likely worst for 70 years

floods
Three Gorges Dam braces for 'No. 5 Flood' days after 'No. 4 Flood' struck

Sichuan Province, which sits on the upper reaches of the Yangtze River, on Monday (Aug. 17) braced for some of the worst flooding seen in over 70 years, likely to bring the "No. 5 Flood" downstream to the beleaguered Three Gorges Dam.

After the "No. 4 Flood" of the year passed through the Three Gorges Dam on Saturday (Aug. 15), the Changjiang Water Resources Commission (CWRC) issued an orange flood warning for the Jialing River and its tributary Fu River on the upper reaches of the Yangtze in Sichuan Province on Sunday (Aug. 16). It predicted that the latest bout of flooding will likely form the "No. 5 Flood" of the year and could come only two or three days after the previous one.

The peak of the No. 4 flood on the Yangtze River passed through the Three Gorges Reservoir at around 8 a.m. on the 15th. The water inflow reached 62,000 cubic meters per second, which was higher than the previous three floods this year.


Umbrella

Summer storms hit Ibri, Oman

floods
High winds and flooding in the state of Ibri, Oman. August 16th, 2020.


Boat

Almost 15 million affected, around 850 dead due to this year's monsoon in India

Flooded streets and submerged houses after heavy rainfall, in Warangal district on Sunday.
© PTIFlooded streets and submerged houses after heavy rainfall, in Warangal district on Sunday.
Flooding has worsened in Telangana state in southern India. Meanwhile the neighbouring state of Andhra Pradesh has also seen flooding over recent days.

Almost 15 million people have been affected and around 850 people have lost their lives as a result of this year's monsoon in India, according to figures from the Ministry of Home Affairs Disaster Management Division (DMD).

Telangana

Flooding that began in Telangana last week has now affected the districts of Jayashankar Bhupalpally , Hyderabad, Mulugu, Bhadradri Kothagudem, Warangal urban, Warangal rural, Karimnagar, Mancherial, Komaram Bheem, Nirmal and Peddapalli.

The Godavari river is still above the danger mark at Bhadrachalam and Dummugudem in Bhadradri Kothagudem district.


Windsock

Huge dust storm sweeps through Arizona

A dust storm can be seen on Sunday, Aug. 16, 2020 on Interstate 10 near Picacho Peak, Arizona.
A dust storm can be seen on Sunday, Aug. 16, 2020 on Interstate 10 near Picacho Peak, Arizona.
A massive dust storm engulfed homes and highways in Arizona on Sunday, as the temperature in Phoenix soared to a record 46C (115F). Bronze-coloured plumes blanketed Picacho Peak, causing low visibility on roads between Tucson and Casa Grande. The conditions brought traffic to a halt.


Cloud Lightning

Lightning sparks fresh wildfires across California

wilfires california lightning
© AP Photo/Noah BergerSmoke from a wildfire, one of several that comprise the Deer Zone fires, billows over unincorporated Contra Costa County, Calif., on Sunday, Aug. 16, 2020
A rare summer thunderstorm brought lightning that sparked several small blazes in Northern California on Sunday and stoked a huge wildfire that has forced hundreds of people from their homes north of Los Angeles.

More than 4,500 buildings remained threatened by the fire burning toward thick, dry brush in the Angeles National Forest. Firefighters already battling the blaze in steep, rugged terrain with scorching heat faced more hurdles when hundreds of lightning strikes and winds up to 15 mph (24 kph) pushed the flames uphill.

"We set up a containment line at the top of the hills so the fire doesn't spill over to the other side and cause it to spread, but it was obviously difficult given the erratic wind and some other conditions," said fire spokesman Jake Miller.

Comment: More spectacular clips from the crazy weather/fires in California:








Tornado2

Massive tornado-like waterspout seen over Bristol Channel, UK

Bristol Channel waterspout
© Arthur RichardsThe rare weather event was spotted over the Bristol Channel at the weekend
An enormous tornado-like waterspout has been caught on camera swirling over the Bristol Channel.

The rare weather event, spotted near Portishead on Sunday afternoon, happens when strong gusts of wind rotate from the base of a cloud all the way down to the water below.

The phenomenon was spotted by a number of social media users, including Dr Arthur Richards, who tweeted footage from Somerset at around 4pm.

The spiralling cloud was visible for around 15 minutes, according to onlookers, and appeared to create a spray from the sea.


Comment: Also this month:


Cloud Lightning

Rare August thunderstorm gives intense lightning display across San Francisco's Bay Area

Lightning streaks across the Bay area
© Huxley Dunsany, Twitter: @Huxley_DLightning streaks across the Bay.
It's a rare sight for thunder and lighting to rock the Bay Area. As the skies sparked Saturday night and through Sunday morning, it's not a surprise that many of you got out your phones and cameras to capture the spectacle.

We've collected some submissions from KQED listeners, readers, and staff, as well as some great shots from around the Bay Area social media-sphere.

Enjoy the odd weather while you can: San Francisco, Oakland and San Jose are expected to get sunny by Sunday afternoon, though there is still a chance of thunderstorms Sunday night, according to the National Weather Service.