Storms and Floods

Tropical Storms – Roundup of Tropical Storms:

There are no current active tropical storm systems. 

NewsBytes:

Florida, USA – Life-threatening flash flooding swept across swaths of Pensacola, Florida early Friday morning as deadly severe thunderstorms dumped several inches of rain and brought a possible tornado, leaving one person dead and parts of the region buried under feet of water. Flash Flood Emergencies covered over 100,000 people, stretching from Pensacola through Warrington and Myrtle Grove as spotter reports to the National Weather Service indicated flooded roads and homes with waters still rising in some areas. The NWS estimates some areas have received 8-15 inches of rain over just several hours.

Serbia and Bosnia – Days of torrential downpours have caused flooding in Serbia and Bosnia, forcing authorities to declare a state of emergency in many areas on Friday, with the rain not expected to let up for another day. In Serbia, 1,300 rescuers and 22 boats were deployed to evacuate dozens of people in various locations. Near the southwestern city of Kraljevo, a river tore away a bridge. In central Serbia, rescuers had to evacuate 12 people from their homes in Kragujevac due to the Lepenica river bursting its banks, while 22 people were rescued from a village near the town of Jagodina. Smaller rivers also burst their banks, cutting roads and power lines.

India – A severe flash flood struck Sikkim amid heavy rains, with about 3,000 tourists estimated to be stranded in the affected areas due to closure of highways. The Pegong area in North Sikkim has been particularly affected, leading to the complete closure of National Highway no 10. The torrential rains have also led to landslides in parts of the state, which further exacerbated the situation. Lachung and Lachen. The flood situation has worsened in Assam in Lakhimpur, Dhemaji and Dibrugarh districts. Total number of flood-affected population has gone up to 30,000. Due to incessant rains, Urban areas of Kamrup, Cachar and Nalbari districts too remain waterlogged. Lakhimpur district was badly hit by excess rains in the hills of Arunachal Pradesh. Erosion caused by Brahmaputra and its tributaries has flooded riverside areas in several districts.

Environment

Plastic Waste Creates Flood Risk

A devastating 2005 flood that killed 1,000 people in the Indian city of Mumbai was blamed on a tragically simple problem: plastic bags had blocked storm drains, stopping monsoon flood water from draining out of the city.

Now a new report, attempting to quantify this problem, estimates that 218 million of the world’s poorest people are at risk from more severe and frequent flooding caused by plastic waste. Researchers found that found that communities in Cameroon, Nigeria, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Ghana, Bangladesh and Indonesia had experienced more severe flooding due to plastic waste blocking drainage systems in the last few years.

New York is Sinking

New York City is sinking—satellite data show that the metropolis is plunging 1 to 2 millimeters on average each year. Some of this is natural, such as residual effects of land settling after the last ice age, and some is caused by people withdrawing groundwater. But the immense weight of the Big Apple’s buildings is also playing a role, according to a study published this month in the journal Earth’s Future.

With the land slowly sinking, the threats already posed by rising sea levels and intense storms just get worse. The city’s 1,084,954 buildings weigh about 1.68 trillion pounds, the researchers estimated—almost double the weight of all of humanity combined. Depending on the underlying types of soil, bedrock and other factors, buildings have the potential to sink as much as 600 millimeters, or almost two feet.

Storms and Floods

Tropical Storms – Roundup of Tropical Storms:

In the Southern Hemisphere: Tropical Cyclone 11s (Freddy) is located approximately 175 nm southeast of Europa Island, is tracking westward at 01 knot.

Newsbytes:

Brazil – Dozens of houses were damaged and hundreds of people were displaced after severe flooding swept through the municipality of Bandeirantes in the north of the state of Paraná, Brazil. Flooding struck in the early house of 05 March 2023 following torrential rainfall. The municipal government reported over 150 mm of rain in a short period. The volume and intensity of the rain caused rivers to break their banks, flooding wide areas of Bandeirantes. Around 250 homes were damaged and over 700 people were displaced. Roads are impassable and schools have been closed.

Storms and Floods

Tropical Storms – Roundup of Tropical Storms:

In the Southern Hemisphere: Tropical cyclone 11s (Freddy), located approximately 467 nm north-northwest of Learmonth, Australia, is tracking west-northwestward at 07 knots.

Tropical cyclone 12p (Gabrielle), located approximately 478 nm east-southeast of Cairns, Australia, is tracking southeastward at 13 knots.

Tropical cyclone 13s (Dingani), located approximately 1137 nm east-southeast of Diego Garcia, is tracking west-southwestward at 13 knots.

Environment

Floods leave river polluted in Bosnia

In Bosnia and Herzegovina, the downpours have left an iconic river choked with rubbish.

The Drina river, revered by rafters for its emerald colour and the stunning route it cuts through the mountains, has been polluted with waste from riverside landfills. Plastic bottles, rusty barrels, old tyres and even the odd fridge freezer covered the width of the river outside the town of Visegrád. The waste has accumulated behind a barrier built by a Bosnian hydroelectric plant a few kilometres upstream.

Storms and Floods

Tropical Storms – Roundup of Tropical Storms:

In the Southern Hemisphere: Tropical cyclone 05s (Darien), located approximately 845 nm east-southeast of Diego Garcia, is tracking south-southeastward at 11 knots.

Newsbytes:

Australia – Authorities say impassable roads are hampering their response to a “significant flooding” situation in the Northern Territory township of Timber Creek, near the West Australian border, which is being described as a one-in-50-year event with 30cm water flowing through some building in the town. An emergency response is being impeded by heavy rainfall and flooded roads, as a result of former Tropical Cyclone Ellie tracking inland after making landfall late on Thursday night as a category one system.

Storms and Floods

Tropical Storms – Roundup of Tropical Storms

In the Southern Hemisphere: Tropical cyclone 05s (Darien), located approximately 240 nm west of the cocos islands, has tracked southwestward at 03 knots.

Storms and Floods

Tropical Storms – Roundup of Tropical Storms:

In the Northwest Pacific Ocean: Tropical depression 26w (Nalgae), located approximately 545 nm east-southeast of Manila, Philippines, is tracking westward at 07 knots.

Storms and Floods

Tropical Storms – Roundup of Tropical Storms:

In the Eastern Pacific Ocean: Hurricane 07e (Frank), located approximately 866 nm south of San Diego, is tracking northwestward at 11 knots.

Tropical Storm 07e (Georgette), located approximately 1329 nm south-southwest of San Diego, is tracking westward at 08 knots.

In the Northwest Pacific Ocean: Tropical depression 06w (Songda), located approximately 206 nm southwest of Kunsan AFB, South Korea, is tracking north-northeastward at 04 knots.

In the Southern Hemisphere: Tropical cyclone 01s (One), located approximate315 nm west-southwest of Cocos Island, is tracking west-northwestward at 07 knots. This is the final warning for this system.

Environment

China – Hot and Wet

Heatwaves in northern and central China drove up electricity demand to record levels as millions switched on air conditioners to escape the sweltering conditions, while floodwaters in the south submerged villages and trapped city residents.

Earthquakes

Magnitude 5+ Earthquakes – Global

5.5 earthquake hits San Juan, Argentina.

5.1 earthquake hits southeast of the Loyalty Islands.

5.0 earthquake hits southeast of the Loyalty Islands.

Wildlife

Australia Loses Bee Hives to Floods

Australia’s crucial crop pollination industry is experiencing a worker shortage of its own due to the widespread flood damage to thousands of beehives. It’s estimated recent floods in New South Wales and Queensland destroyed 8,500 hives and some of the hives that survived unscathed were now being attacked by small hive beetle which targets weakened hives and slimes them out.

Storms and Floods

Tropical Storms – Roundup of Tropical Storms:

In the Southern Hemisphere: Tropical cyclone 21s (Charlotte), located approximately 412 nm west-northwest of Learmonth, Australia, is tracking south-southwestward at 06 knots.

Tropical cyclone 22s (Halima), located approximately 388 nm south-southeast of Diego Garcia, is tracking west-southwestward at 03 knots.

Newsbytes:

New Zealand – Tokomaru Bay, North Island, has been hit hard by heavy rainfall overnight, which has cut off the main bridge in the township and flooded schools, homes and a marae. Locals at the East Coast town of 450 people, an hour’s drive north of Gisborne, said it was the worst weather they had experienced since Cyclone Bola in 1988. Up to 300mm of rain fell in the Tairawhiti Gisborne area overnight, leading to a state of emergency being declared this morning.

Storms and Floods

Tropical Storms – Roundup of Tropical Storms:

In the Eastern Pacific Ocean: Tropical storm 18e (terry), located approximately 1563 nm south-southeast of San Diego, is tracking west-northwestward at 12 knots.

Tropical storm 19e (Sandra), located approximately 1124 nm south of San Diego, is tracking west-northwestward at 06 knots.

Storms and Floods

Tropical Storms – Roundup of Tropical Storms:

In the Atlantic Ocean: Sub-tropical Storm Wanda is located about 935 mi…1500 km w of the Azores and about 850 mi…1365 km se of Cape Race Newfoundland with maximum sustained winds…50 mph…85 km/h. Present movement…ese or 105 degrees at 16 mph…26 km/h.