With rivers in the Midwestern United States already full from thawing winter snow cover, severe rainfall in late April added to the troubles for the region. The National Weather Service predicted in February that the region was primed for flooding, and so far it has lived up to the advanced billing. On the afternoon of [...]
Signal: flooding
4 feet of rain hits Thailand in one week
Normally the end of March brings dry weather to tropical Thailand. In 2011, however, a powerful storm settled over the Malay Peninsula, bringing up to 1,270 millimeters (50 inches) of rain in little over a week. The intense rain flooded 8 provinces, killing 13 and affecting 842,324 people as of April 1, said the government [...]
“Staggering” rains hit the Philippines
Heavy rains hit central and southern parts of the Philippines last week, triggering floods and landslides which killed at least nine people and affected up to 150,000 others. In Tacloban, Leyte, a staggering 397mm of rain fell in the 24 hours to midnight last Thursday. The deluge submerged the city and sparked a landslide which [...]
Fingerprint of human influence found in exteme rains and flooding
..two studies in this week’s Nature conclude that climate warming is already causing extreme weather events that affect the lives of millions. The research directly links rising greenhouse-gas levels with the growing intensity of rain and snow in the Northern Hemisphere, and the increased risk of flooding in the United Kingdom. Insurers will take note, [...]
Red River floods predicted for 3rd year in a row
Volunteers shoveled heaps of sand and carefully maneuvered around humming machinery Monday inside a warehouse dubbed “Sandbag Central” in Fargo, where officials hope to pile up 3 million sandbags as the eastern North Dakota city prepares for a third major flood in as many years. Efforts are starting early to prepare for flooding along the [...]
World coal prices at record levels on Queensland floods mining losses
The biggest floods in Queensland, Australia, in half a century are turning into a windfall for U.S. coal mining companies anticipating record profits and the highest exports in 15 years. Shipments from the U.S. are poised to rise 8.8 percent this year to about 86.5 million tons, the most since 1996, the Energy Department in [...]
Heavy rain more frequent for Europe, wet spells longer
Analysis of the duration of wet spells (consequent days with significant precipitation) in Europe and associated precipitation is performed over the period 1950–2008 using daily rain gauge data. During the last 60 years wet periods have become longer over most of Europe by about 15–20%. The lengthening of wet periods was not caused by an [...]
Flood years now 8 times more frequent in N. Australia
The extreme rain events that have caused flooding across northern Australia may become an increasingly familiar occurrence, new research suggests. The study uses the growth patterns in near-shore corals to determine which summers brought more rain than others, creating a centuries-long rainfall record for northern Australia. “This reconstruction provides a new insight into rainfall in [...]
2010 extreme weather in China cost $75 billion, 4800 lives
Song Lianchun, chief of the National Climate Center, said extreme weather last year caused the deaths of more than 4,800 people and resulted in direct economic losses of more than 500 billion yuan ($75 billion). He said 2010 was a freakish meteorological year for China, with severe weather hitting the country with a frequency and [...]
Video: Jeddah floods turned roads into rivers, as cars float away
The record breaking floods in Jeddah, January, 2011, turned roads into raging rivers.
