All articles tagged with #floods
Hurricane Isaias has weakened to a post-tropical cyclone but continues to threaten the southeastern United States with severe flooding and tornadoes. At least four people have died, and over 700,000 customers remain without power. Federal emergency declarations have been approved for Florida, Alabama, and Georgia, while the Energy Department authorized emergency oil exchanges to stabilize fuel supplies.
A surge of tropical moisture from the Gulf and Caribbean is driving a week-long rain event across the East Coast, with the heaviest totals expected in the Deep South. Forecasters warn of flash flooding risks in Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama, while the Northeast faces a milder impact.
Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a statewide emergency to mobilize resources ahead of what forecasters warn could be the strongest El Niño on record, with NOAA predicting a very strong event this fall and winter. The declaration enables pre-staging flood-fighting supplies, coordinating Caltrans and National Guard support, and protecting communities as heavier rains, floods, landslides and coastal erosion become more likely.
A rare September nor’easter is expected to intensify off the Mid-Atlantic coast later this week and could bring heavy rain, gusty winds and rough seas to millions along the East Coast; the exact impacts depend on how close the storm tracks to the coast, with forecasters noting September storms are unusual.
In Dana Point, California, homeowners are installing costly rock walls to hold back the sea as erosion and higher tides threaten properties, sparking a tug-of-war with the California Coastal Commission over private beachfront rights and the search for long-term coastal protection solutions.
Nepal on Wednesday raised the number of people recorded as missing from the Aug 26 floods to 6,150 (up from 5,179) after district-wide verification, as rescuers recovered 10 bodies from two hydropower tunnels in Rasuwa (Chilime and Upper Trishuli-1), pushing the national toll to about 1,446 dead and 6,669 missing.
Thursday looks mild for Minnesota with clouds easing, but Friday brings soaking rain across central/southern Minnesota into Iowa and Wisconsin, with 1–2 inches typical and a band potentially over 4 inches, especially southeastern Minnesota. A slight risk of excessive rainfall could trigger flood watches as rain lingers into Friday night; weekend highs around 70 with partial sun breaks is expected.
A World Weather Attribution team says Nepal’s devastating August flood was not caused by a single event but by a cascade of climate‑driven factors: a Langtang Lirung rock–ice collapse likely weakened by a 2015 earthquake, thawing permafrost and glacier melt that increased water and rock pressure, and unusually warm regional conditions that intensified slope destabilization. July–August temperatures are about 1.5°C warmer locally and annual temperatures around 2°C higher, with the zero-degree line rising in the Himalayas. The flood roared more than 20 miles downstream, killing at least 1,300 and leaving more than 5,000 missing. The scientists say human‑caused climate change preconditioned the disaster and warn that current early‑warning systems couldn’t have foreseen it; cutting fossil fuel pollution is needed to avert more such events.
Three people—two adults and a child—died after floodwaters swept them away near Newcomb in the Navajo Nation, New Mexico, as heavy rains triggered flash flood watches and warnings across the region. The National Weather Service warned moisture levels could reach record highs for mid-September, with alerts covering parts of New Mexico, Arizona, Colorado and Utah.
A World Weather Attribution analysis found Nepal’s August flood was not caused by a single event but by a cascade of processes intensified by human-caused climate change: warming temperatures, thawing permafrost, glacier thinning around Langtang Lirung, and meltwater that fed a rapidly advancing flood after a monumental rock-ice avalanche. A 2015 earthquake may have preconditioned the slope, and record fall snow plus a very warm July–August period (regional temperatures ~1.5°C warmer in summer, ~2°C annually) amplified melt. The combined factors produced an unprecedented Himalayan disaster, with at least 1,300 dead and thousands missing, and scientists say even early warning systems would have limited lead time. They stress urgent fossil-fuel reductions to reduce future risk.
After days of searching for six men trapped underground by catastrophic floods, rescuers at Nepal’s Chilime Hydropower Station recovered five bodies; the sixth person remains missing as the Nepali Army, with help from Indian forces and an Australian tunnel expert, continues a challenging search through silt-filled tunnels that left the area around the powerhouse completely swamped.
Environmental historian Dan Haines argues that the Himalayan floods in Nepal are driven by a mix of climate trends and human choices—unregulated development, deforestation, riverbed disturbance, and vulnerable infrastructure—so disasters occur when people live in flood paths. He urges Nepal to shift from mass tourism to high-value, lower-impact models and to strengthen disaster preparedness, including evacuation training and trust in warnings, drawing on earthquake-response lessons to reduce future devastation.
A Sunday storm dumped heavy rainfall across parts of New Jersey, Westchester and nearby areas, triggering flash floods, road closures and water rescues in towns such as Paterson, North Haledon, Haworth and Little Falls; North Haledon logged nearly 5 inches in three hours, with Bergen and Passaic counties hit hardest. Westchester and parts of Connecticut also reported flooding as the Hackensack and Saddle Rivers neared spill levels. NYC crews cleared catch basins and shelters opened, though Central Park saw less than an inch of rain. Forecasters expect a drying trend Monday–Wednesday, with rain returning Thursday.
A line of thunderstorms sweeping from Washington, D.C. to New Haven, CT prompted flood alerts for about 39 million people. New York City opened 51 weather shelters for residents at risk, especially those in basement or below‑grade units. The National Weather Service issued flood watches for portions of Maryland, Pennsylvania, Delaware and New Jersey, with NYC’s watch running 4 a.m.–noon Sunday. Forecasters warned 5–7 inches of rain could fall in Nassau and Suffolk counties and southern Connecticut, with eastern Brooklyn and Queens at higher flash‑flood risk if the rain’s setup shifts. The threat stems from a clash of cool air aloft with moist, warm air, increasing the chances of excessive rainfall and severe thunderstorms.
Massive 12-foot waves overwhelmed a Long Beach seawall, flooding about 20 beachfront homes, destroying vehicles, and prompting mandatory evacuations as crews rushed to shore up barriers and residents sought shelter.