Tag Archives: batters

World

Five million people under evacuation order in Japan as rain batters south coast

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The strongest evacuation warning, Level 5, was issued on Saturday to more than a million people across the prefectures of Saga, Nagasaki, Fukuoka, and Hiroshima, according to public broadcaster NHK.

The next-strongest warning, Level 4, was issued to 17 other prefectures, affecting more than 4 million residents.

The country’s meteorological authority, which issued the warnings, said in a statement that the rain front could stay over the country for about a week, according to Reuters.

Photographs from hard-hit provinces show residents wading through thigh-high water in flooded streets, carrying children and belongings. Firefighters and other emergency workers were also rescuing stranded residents, loading them onto inflatable boats.

Water levels are still rising in several rivers, threatening to overflow onto the surrounding roads.

Some cities on the southern island of Kuyshu recorded more than 40 millimeters (about 1.6 inches) of water in one hour on Saturday. Up to 250 millimeters (9.8 inches) could fall on the island in the 24 hours through Sunday morning, national weather officials say.

Adachi Yushi, the head of weather monitoring at the Meteorological Agency, called the rain “unprecedented” and asked people to follow evacuation orders, according to NHK.

Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga tweeted on Friday that he had set up a disaster control center to coordinate with local and prefecture authorities.

Reuters contributed to this report.

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World

Elsa batters Caribbean; Florida Keys under tropical storm watch

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A tropical storm watch was issued for the Florida Keys from Craig Key westward to the Dry Tortugas on Saturday night as Tropical Storm Elsa headed toward the state. 

Elsa, which battered the southern coasts of Haiti and the Dominican Republic on Saturday, was downgraded from a Category 1 hurricane Saturday morning. The storm has left at least three people dead. 

One death was reported in St. Lucia, according to the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency. Meanwhile, a 15-year-old boy and a 75-year-old woman died Saturday in separate events in the Dominican Republic after walls collapsed on them, according to a statement from the Emergency Operations Center.

The storm had maximum sustained winds of 65 mph and was moving in a west-northwesterly direction at about 14 mph by early Sunday, according to the National Hurricane Center.

Hurricane Elsa approaches Argyle, St. Vincent, Friday, July 2, 2021. (Associated Press)

The storm was forecast to hit Cuba next on a path that would take it to Florida early in the week. 

ELSA DEVASTATES CARIBBEAN ISLANDS AS FLORIDA BRACES FOR IMPACT

Elsa prompted Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis to declare a state of emergency in 15 Florida counties, including Miami-Dade County, where a high-rise condominium building collapsed last week. The standing portion of the building was expected to demolished “a soon as possible” amid concerns over Elsa approaching, the governor said Saturday.  

Elsa was expected to slow down and turn northwest by Sunday night or Monday when the Keys could start seeing storm conditions, the hurricane center and FOX 13 of Tampa reported. 

Elsa is then expected to move near or over parts of the Gulf coast of Florida by Tuesday, the hurricane center said. Some models show it heading into the Gulf or up the Atlantic Coast. Elsa’s ultimate trajectory remained uncertain.

An electrical pole felled by Hurricane Elsa leans on the edge of a residential balcony, in Cedars, St. Vincent, Friday, July 2, 2021. (Associated Press)

“What we don’t want to be is on the eastern side of the storm,” FOX 13 meteorologist Tony Sadiku said. “That gives us more of the impacts of wind and rain. 

If the storm moves into the southeastern Gulf as a tropical storm it will likely gain strength, but will more likely weaken if it’s torn apart while moving over Cuba, FOX 13 meteorologist Tyler Eliasen said Saturday. 

Parts of the Keys could face a storm surge of one to two feet and, along with the peninsula, could have two to six inches of rain and isolated flash, urban, and minor river flooding, the hurricane center said. Swells will increase near the Florida Keys and south Florida early next week.

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Tropical storm warnings were also in effect for the southern part of Haiti and parts of Cuba along with a watch for parts of the Cayman Islands. 

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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World

Hurricane Elsa cuts power, batters homes in Barbados

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CHRIST CHURCH, Barbados, July 2 (Reuters) – Hurricane Elsa blew roofs off homes, toppled trees and sparked flooding in the island nation of Barbados then pounded St. Vincent with heavy rain and winds on Friday, as the storm was tracking towards Haiti.

Minister of Home Affairs, Information and Public Affairs Wilfred A. Abrahams urged Barbadians to shelter in place and only leave their homes if the structures were damaged.

Elsa strengthened into a hurricane earlier in the day and was about 95 miles (153 km) west-northwest of St. Vincent, blowing maximum sustained winds of 85 miles per hour (140 kph), the U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC) said.

“The island definitely cannot handle any sort of damages at this point because we still haven’t recovered from the volcanic eruption yet,” said 20-year-old student Queriise Thomas in the community of Choppins in southern St. Vincent.

Earlier this year, heavy rains slammed St. Vincent with major flooding and landslides after a series of volcanic eruptions blanketed large swathes of the island in a thick layer of ash. read more

Thomas said intermittent heavy rain caused flooding and parts of the island lost electricity. St. Vincent’s water and sewage authority cut water supply to all residents as a precaution due to potential mudflows.

The NHC forecast 4 to 8 inches (10 to 20 cm) of rain with a maximum of 15 inches (38 cm) across the Windward and southern Leeward Islands including Barbados, which could lead to isolated flash flooding and mudslides.

A man views damage to a home after strong winds of Hurricane Elsa passed St. Michael, Barbados July 2, 2021. REUTERS/Nigel Browne

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Hurricane conditions were expected in Haiti and possible in the Dominican Republic and Jamaica by late Saturday, the agency said.

The Barbados minister said damage was reported in the south of the island including power outages, fallen trees, flash flooding and damaged roofs.

Emergency services were unable to reach people, but there were no reports of injuries or deaths.

A resident in south Barbados, 43-year-old structural engineer Greg Parris, whose home lost power around 7 a.m., said: “It was scary. Most of us, we haven’t experienced anything like this for a while.”

Elsa’s progress should be monitored by the Windward Islands, Leeward Islands, the Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, Cuba and the Cayman Islands, the Miami-based NHC said.

Little change in Elsa’s strength was forecast over the next 48 hours and some decrease in winds is possible on Monday, the hurricane center said.

Elsa’s storm surge was expected to raise water levels by as much as 1 to 4 feet above normal tide levels in some areas. Puerto Rico could receive up to 5 inches of rain, the NHC.

Reporting by Robert Edison Sandiford in Christ Church, Barbados and Kate Chappell in Kingston, Jamaica; Additional reporting by Anthony Esposito in Mexico City and Nakul Iyer in Bengaluru; Editing by Janet Lawrence and Cynthia Osterman

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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US

Biggest winter storm in years batters Cincinnati; 2 more rounds of snow on the way

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The biggest winter snow storm in years battered Cincinnati overnight, dropping at least 5 inches of snow for most areas, with some seeing more than 10 inches.And the snow is not over yet, with two more rounds expected by the end of the week. With bitter cold temperatures, the snow on the ground is not going anywhere. When all is said and done, some communities could see more than a foot of snow by the week’s end.LIVE RADAR // LATEST WEATHER ALERTS // CLOSURES & DELAYSThe big snow moved in late Monday and parked itself over Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky in the overnight hours. This system was definitely an overachiever, bringing heavy snow mainly between midnight and 3 a.m.The system brought 2 to 3 inches of snow per hour in some areas.“That is a crazy snowfall rate, one that road crews couldn’t possibly keep up with,” said WLWT meteorologist Randi Rico. “So that’s how we went from 2 to 4 inches of snow to having 8 to 10 inches of snow in some towns in the middle of the night.”SNOW TOTALS: How much snow did your community receive?And given the cold ground temperatures, that snow will likely linger through most of the week. This snowfall will be coupled with two more chances of accumulating snow this week, with no signs of melting. A SECOND ROUND OF SNOWSnow is done falling Tuesday. For the rest of the day, expect mostly cloudy skies with temperatures around freezing throughout the day.By Tuesday night, another — and possibly even more potent storm center — will ride along the arctic cold front through Kentucky bringing widespread freezing rain and sleet south of the Ohio River.Another round of snow will move in from the south beginning Wednesday afternoon. Expect this system to move in between 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. Wednesday.Heavier snow bands will focus on the area’s southernmost communities. That system will linger overnight and into Thursday morning, bringing another 1 to 3 inches of snow to the area by Thursday morning. The potential for more than 2 inches of snow exists mainly along or south of the Ohio River. “Some places that had 10 inches last night, add another 2 or 3 inches, and we’ve got a foot of snow, and we haven’t made it to Thursday,” Rico said.A POTENTIAL THIRD ROUND Cincinnati will get a break from the busy weather Friday into Saturday, before another potent storm arrives Saturday night and into Valentine’s Day.This could also be accompanied by the brutal cold we have been watching with highs in the teens Sunday and below zero for lows by Sunday night. Details of this system are still being worked out, but it could bring with it more accumulating snow. Stay tuned.

CINCINNATI —

The biggest winter snow storm in years battered Cincinnati overnight, dropping at least 5 inches of snow for most areas, with some seeing more than 10 inches.

And the snow is not over yet, with two more rounds expected by the end of the week.

With bitter cold temperatures, the snow on the ground is not going anywhere. When all is said and done, some communities could see more than a foot of snow by the week’s end.

LIVE RADAR // LATEST WEATHER ALERTS // CLOSURES & DELAYS

The big snow moved in late Monday and parked itself over Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky in the overnight hours. This system was definitely an overachiever, bringing heavy snow mainly between midnight and 3 a.m.

The system brought 2 to 3 inches of snow per hour in some areas.

“That is a crazy snowfall rate, one that road crews couldn’t possibly keep up with,” said WLWT meteorologist Randi Rico. “So that’s how we went from 2 to 4 inches of snow to having 8 to 10 inches of snow in some towns in the middle of the night.”

SNOW TOTALS: How much snow did your community receive?

And given the cold ground temperatures, that snow will likely linger through most of the week. This snowfall will be coupled with two more chances of accumulating snow this week, with no signs of melting.

A SECOND ROUND OF SNOW

Snow is done falling Tuesday. For the rest of the day, expect mostly cloudy skies with temperatures around freezing throughout the day.

By Tuesday night, another — and possibly even more potent storm center — will ride along the arctic cold front through Kentucky bringing widespread freezing rain and sleet south of the Ohio River.

Another round of snow will move in from the south beginning Wednesday afternoon. Expect this system to move in between 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. Wednesday.

Heavier snow bands will focus on the area’s southernmost communities. That system will linger overnight and into Thursday morning, bringing another 1 to 3 inches of snow to the area by Thursday morning.

The potential for more than 2 inches of snow exists mainly along or south of the Ohio River.

“Some places that had 10 inches last night, add another 2 or 3 inches, and we’ve got a foot of snow, and we haven’t made it to Thursday,” Rico said.

A POTENTIAL THIRD ROUND

Cincinnati will get a break from the busy weather Friday into Saturday, before another potent storm arrives Saturday night and into Valentine’s Day.

This could also be accompanied by the brutal cold we have been watching with highs in the teens Sunday and below zero for lows by Sunday night.

Details of this system are still being worked out, but it could bring with it more accumulating snow. Stay tuned.

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