Storms
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Cloud Precipitation

7 die as floods hit southern France - a foot of rain in 48 hours (UPDATE)

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Three people have died and four others are missing as a result of flooding in the southern French department of Gard, French media reported.

Two children are among the missing, Franceinfo radio reported on Sunday.

On Saturday night, heavy rainfall hit the region, prompting police to begin active search and rescue operations. By Sunday evening, the bodies of two dead people were found in the car.

In addition, a 62-year-old Belgian man died after his car was washed away by the course when he tried to cross a bridge, traffic on which was blocked due to rising water levels.


Comment: Floodlist reports:
Storm Monica swept across the country from 08 March 2024 bringing extremely heavy rain. Some areas in the south recorded more than 300 mm of rain in 48 hours. Since 09 March, the rain has triggered severe flooding in the departments of Gard, Ardèche and Var.
Update March 13

The Connexion reports:
The body of a man was found yesterday evening (March 12) in the Ardèche department, three days after a hydroelectric plant worker went missing in the area.

It was discovered by hunters and relatives of the 73-year old who disappeared on Saturday evening during flash flooding.

The body was found close to a micropower station along the Eyrieux river, where the man was working during Saturday evening's storms.

Authorities believe it is most probably the body of the missing man, however rescue workers and police forces were unable to reach the location of the body last night but planned to make a fresh attempt this morning.

It now brings the death toll from the weekend's storms and high waves to seven - six in the south of France and one in the west.



Cloud Precipitation

Argentina floods: Buenos Aires streets turn into rivers after torrential rain

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Torrential rain in Buenos Aires caused flash floods and disrupted air traffic in Argentina's capital region on Tuesday.

Drone views showed the magnitude of the downpour as streets looked like rivers from Avellaneda to Lanus.

An orange alert was issued to warn citizens of "dangerous meteorologic phenomena for society, life, goods, and environment."


Boat

Parts of Western Australia flooded as more than half a year's rain falls in 24 hours

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Police have said they hold "serious welfare concerns" for seven people missing hundreds of kilometres north-east of Kalgoorlie amid heavy rain and flooding that has cut off road and rail links into Western Australia.

Two vehicles, a beige-coloured Toyota LandCruiser and a white Mitsubishi Triton, were believed to have left Kalgoorlie-Boulder on Sunday between 10am and 2pm, making for Tjuntjuntjara, Kalgoorlie Police said on Tuesday.

Both vehicles contained elderly drivers, with the Mitsubishi Triton also containing five other passengers, four of whom are children aged between seven and 17.

"Concerns are held for the occupants of these two vehicles due to serious weather conditions. It is unknown how much food and water the occupants have in their possession," police said in a statement.

Parts of WA experienced more than half a year's rain in 24 hours over the weekend, with more than 155mm of rain recorded at Rawlinna, 900km east of Perth, since 9am Friday.

The Eyre Highway has been closed since the weekend and is likely to remain out of operation for several days.


Cloud Precipitation

Severe floods in Oman as torrential rains batter governorates

Screengrab from a video shared by weather monitoring centre
Screengrab from a video shared by weather monitoring centre
Torrential rains and thunderstorms have swept through several governorates in the Sultanate of Oman, leading to severe floods and activating emergency protocols.

The North Al Batinah Governorate, particularly the areas of Liwa and Shinas, along with Buraimi Governorate's Madha, experienced intense early morning rainfall Saturday, following severe thunderstorms on Friday that triggered flowing valleys and reefs.

The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has forecasted partly cloudy to cloudy skies across most governorates, with potential thunderstorms bringing strong winds, hail, and flash floods affecting regions such as Al Buraimi, Al Dhahira, North Al Batinah, South Al Batinah, Al Dakhiliyah, Muscat, North Al Sharqiyah, South Al Sharqiyah, Al Wusta, and Dhofar.

The CAA warned of reduced horizontal visibility and advised caution.


Cloud Lightning

Lightning strike kills tour guide, wounds French tourists in Peru

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A lightning strike killed a Peruvian tour guide and injured six French citizens during a hike on the multi-coloured Vinicunca mountain, a tourist hotspot in the heart of the Andes, police said Monday.

The mountain, one of Peru's most iconic sites along with Machu Picchu, has become a major attraction in the last decade, as warming temperatures have melted its glacier caps and revealed its colours.

Police said in a statement that the lightning strike on Sunday afternoon had left the French tourists, aged 22 to 40, with "burns and injuries".

They have been hospitalised in the city of Cusco.

Vinicunca mountain, also known as the rainbow mountain or mountain of seven colours, has distinct hues striped across its slopes, the result of an accumulation of sediment over millions of years.

It rises to over 5,200 metres above sea level.

The death of the tour guide brings to five the number of people killed by lightning in the Peruvian Andes this year, according to authorities.

Source: Agence France-Presse

Cloud Lightning

Lightning strike kills 4 people in Mozambique

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Four people have died and three others are wounded after being struck by lightning in Mozambique, which is now bracing for Storm Filipo.

The lightning strikes happened in the northern town of Mogincual, in Nampula province.

Meanwhile, the southern and central provinces of Gaza, Inhambane, Sofala and Zambézia have been placed on alert for severe thunderstorms expected later on Monday.

Storm Filipo has now reached the Mozambican coast and could evolve into a severe tropical storm, before dispersing back out to sea.

Increased rainfall has already been recorded and there are fears of mudslides. Boats and vessels are being warned by Mozambique's National Institute of Meteorology (Inam) to take precautions.

Natural disasters are common in Mozambique, particularly during the rainy and cyclone season which runs between October and April.

Source: BBC

Snowflake

Five skiers found dead and one missing in Swiss Alps during snow storm

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The bodies of five missing skiers have been found in the Swiss Alps, police have said.

Local authorities are still searching for a sixth person.

A huge search and rescue operation was launched on Saturday after the group went missing near the 3,706m high Tete Blanche mountain.

They had set off from Zermatt, home of the famous Matterhorn mountain, on a ski tour towards Arolla along the Swiss-Italian border.

Five of the six skiers were found at 21:20 local time (20:20 GMT) "without any signs of life," a statement from Swiss Valais canton police said.

Authorities had previously told the BBC that the skiers were all Swiss nationals, and range in age from 21 to 58 years old.

Local police said teams on both sides of the route were alerted but severe weather was hampering the operation.

Cloud Precipitation

Heavy rains prompt La Paz authorities to declare state of emergency in Bolivia

This Sunday's rain caused the La Paz River to overflow.
© AMUNThis Sunday's rain caused the La Paz River to overflow.
Heavy rain in Bolivia's capital, La Paz, prompted authorities to declare a state of emergency, a government document showed on Sunday, after overflowing rivers destroyed many houses over the weekend.

Bolivian President Luis Arce pledged to send heavy machinery and 3,000 troops to prevent further damage, according to the document.

Heavy rains caused flooding in several neighborhoods and isolated parts of the city by cutting water, electricity and roads.

"We are deeply concerned by the difficult situation that our municipality in La Paz is going through," Arce said in a post on social media platform X.

One person died over the weekend in La Paz because of the heavy rains, while nearly 50 people have died in deluges across the country since the rainy season began in January, according to official data.

Reuters


Cloud Precipitation

Flash floods, landslides wreak havoc in Indonesia - 26 dead, 11 missing, over 80,000 flee - almost a FOOT of rain in just 6 hours (UPDATES)

Motorists drive through a muddy road following flash flooding in Pesisir Selatan Regency after days of heavy rain across the province.
© AFPMotorists drive through a muddy road following flash flooding in Pesisir Selatan Regency after days of heavy rain across the province.
Following flash floods and a landslide on the Indonesian island of Sumatra, a local official reported Saturday that at least ten people had died and ten more were missing.

In the province of West Sumatra, torrential rains caused landslides and floods in the Pesisir Selatan regency, forcing about 46,000 people to flee to makeshift shelters.

"Ten bodies were discovered. According to a statement from Doni Yusrizal, acting head of the Pesisir Selatan disaster mitigation agency, "two victims were found in Langgai village, Sutera subdistrict; seven victims were found and identified in Koto XI Tarusan subdistrict; and one other victim was found in the Lengayang subdistrict."

Doni added that bad weather had hampered efforts to search for 10 missing people.


Comment: Update March 10

Al Jazeera reports:
Flash floods and a landslide on Indonesia's Sumatra island have left at least 19 people dead and seven others missing, officials have said.

Mud, rocks and uprooted trees rushed down a mountainside and engulfed villages in the Pesisir Selatan district of West Sumatra province late on Friday following torrential rains, Doni Yusrizal, who heads the local disaster management agency, said on Sunday.

Yusrizal said rescuers recovered seven bodies in the village of Koto XI Tarusan and three others in two neighbouring villages.

"Relief efforts for the dead and missing were hampered by power outages, blocked roads covered in thick mud and debris," Yusrizal said.

Indonesia's National Disaster Management Agency said six bodies were found in Pesisir Selatan and three bodies were found in the neighbouring district of Padang Pariaman, bringing the death toll so far to 19.

The agency said at least two villagers were injured and seven others were still missing, with more than 80,000 people fleeing to temporary government shelters.

Flash floods and landslides are a common occurrence in Indonesia, where millions of people live near floodplains, especially during the rainy season.

In December, at least two people were killed when a landslide and floods swept away dozens of houses and destroyed a hotel near Lake Toba on Sumatra.
Update March 11

Floodlist reports:
Days of heavy rain on the island of Sumatra in Indonesia triggered deadly flooding and landslides which have left at least 26 dead and 11 missing.

Rescue after flooding in Padang Pariaman Regency, West Sumatra, March 2024.
© BPBD Padang Pariaman RegencyRescue after flooding in Padang Pariaman Regency, West Sumatra, March 2024.
According to BNPB, Indonesia's National Disaster Management Agency, heavy rainfall triggered flooding and landslides in a number of areas in West Sumatra Province from 07 March 2024.

By 10 March, BNPB reported at least 19 fatalities along with widespread damage to homes, forcing over 80,000 people to evacuate.

Flood waters swept through streets of Padang City, capital of West Sumatra province, impacting around 10,000 homes and displacing 3,734 people. Authorities reported flooding in 31 locations in eight sub-districts in the city area between 07 and 09 March. Landslides were reported in six locations. Figures show that almost 300 mm of rain fell in 6 hours late on 07 March 2024.

Communities in Pesisir Selatan Regency were also severely impacted. On 10 March, BNPB reported flooding had affected 25,794 families and displaced 76,178 people. At least 16 people lost their lives in the regency.

Fatalities were also reported in Padang Pariaman Regency, where severe flooding and multiple landslides have affected 2,958 people and displaced over 200.

Other affected areas include Solok City and the wider Solok Regency, Limapuluh Kota Regency, Agam Regency, Pasaman Regency and West Pasaman Regency.

Search and rescue teams have been working to find those reported missing. In the latest update of 11 March, BNPB confirmed 26 fatalities and 11 missing. BNPB reported damage to over 30,000 homes, 26 bridges, 45 buildings of worship, 25 schools, 13 roads and 5 public buildings.



Cloud Lightning

Lightning strike kills 2 people and 25 sheep in Pishin, Pakistan

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Lightning killed a man, his nephew and 25 sheep in Balochistan, the 24NewsHD TV Channel reported on Sunday.

The tragedy took place in the Pishin district of Balochistan. Heavy rains played havoc in Balochistan.

The downpour began yesterday evening, leaving main roads and streets flooded with knee-high water and submerged low-lying areas in Gwadar and adjoining districts.

Reports said heavy rains suspended traffic and blocked connecting roads in the Kech district.