Tag Archives: extreme weather

Hochul declares state of emergency in New York ahead of Winter Storm Elliott

Most of New York is going to have a dreary Christmas weekend.

Gov. Kathy Hochul on Thursday declared a state of emergency for the entirety of New York in preparation for the massive storm that’s forecast to wallop the northeast over the holiday weekend.

The measure will go into effect at 6 a.m. Friday when Winter Storm Elliott — dubbed a “once-in-a-generation” weather event by the National Weather Service — is expected to bear down on the area.

“With Mother Nature throwing everything she has at us this weekend, I encourage New Yorkers who are considering traveling for the holidays to do so before Friday or after Sunday to stay safe,” Hochul said in a statement.

A so-called bomb cyclone, when atmospheric pressure drops very quickly in a strong storm, was predicted to develop late Thursday night into Friday near the Great Lakes.

Blizzard warnings, coastal flood warnings, high wind warnings, wind chill warnings and winter storm warnings are all in effect throughout New York.

A pedestrian waits at a street corner as a bomb cyclone develops late Thursday night into Friday near the Great Lakes.

A 41-year-old homeless man stands next to a donated tent near the expressway where he is living on Dec. 22, 2022 in Chicago.


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Pedestrians navigate snow-covered streets on Dec. 22, 2022 in Chicago.

Blizzard warnings, coastal flood warnings and high wind warnings are all in effect throughout New York.


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The state is placing a full commercial vehicle ban on I-90 from Rochester to the Pennsylvania Border, a roughly 135-mile stretch. Several roads in Erie County, which expects to get hit with 3 feet of snow Monday, will also be closed.

More than 5,000 flights have already been canceled ahead of the winter storm expected to bring blizzard conditions and record-setting temperature drops.

Parts of upstate New York will be slammed with snow while areas closer to the coast, including New York City, will face a drenching rain for most of Friday, forecasters said.

More than 5,000 flights have already been canceled ahead of the winter storm.
WGRZ

From Friday to Saturday, winds will likely reach up to 60 miles per hour as temperatures quickly plummet by up to 35 degrees in some regions, causing freezing, below-zero wind chills and icy road conditions.

“This is not like a snow day when you were a kid,” President Joe Biden said Thursday. “This is serious stuff.”

Other states have already felt the effects of the moving storm.

In Wyoming, highway patrol troopers responded to over 100 wrecks within 12 hours during a massive whiteout that the agency compared to Antarctic conditions.

One person died in Kansas City, Missouri after their car overturned into an icy creek, police said.

Denver hit its lowest temperatures in 32 years on Thursday, morning when the temperature dropped to minus 24.

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Runner who died during Brooklyn marathon was David Reichman

The Brooklyn Half Marathon runner who died Saturday while finishing the race amid sweltering heat has been identified as Flatbush resident David Reichman.

Reichman, who was 32, collapsed on the boardwalk at Ocean Parkway at Brighton Beach Avenue near the finish line after suffering from possible cardiac arrest, according to event organization New York Road Runners club and the NYPD.

Reichman was rushed to Coney Island hospital, where he was pronounced dead, according to the NYPD. The medical examiner will determine the cause of death.

The 22,000-runner race — from the Brooklyn Museum through Prospect Park to the Coney Island boardwalk — was held on an unseasonably hot and humid day. The temperature at 9 a.m. at Coney Island was already 70 degrees with 83% humidity, according to Fox Weather.

The event was held in person for the first time since the pandemic started. Saturday’s death marked the first fatality in the race since 2014, when a 31-year-old runner fell to the ground after crossing the finish line.

David Reichman died of a suspected cardiac arrest.
Niyi Fote/TheNEWS2 via ZUMA Press Wire
David Reichman collapsed on the boardwalk at Ocean Parkway at Brighton Beach Avenue near the finish line.
Daniel William McKnight
Police reported that four other runners also collapsed near the end of the race.
Paul Martinka

The FDNY said 16 race participants were taken to the hospital after the race, including the man who died and four others who suffered serious injuries.

One police officer told The Post Saturday that four other people collapsed near the end of the race.

“Maybe an organizer or health official should have called it” because of the conditions, the cop said.

In a statement released Saturday, New York Road Runners said it had “medical staff placed from start to finish throughout the race course, who are ready to respond immediately to the medical needs of all runners, spectators, volunteers and staff.”

“The health and safety of our runners, volunteers, partners, and staff remain the top priority for NYRR,” the group said. “In coordination and consultation with the city agency partners and weather experts, NYRR was closely monitoring weather conditions leading up to and during the race.”

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Typhoon in Philippines leaves 31 dead, thousands without power

A powerful typhoon left at least 31 people dead, knocked down power and communications in entire provinces and wrought widespread destruction mostly in the central Philippines, officials said Saturday. A governor said her island province has been “leveled to the ground.”

Typhoon Rai blew away Friday night into the South China Sea after rampaging through southern and central island provinces, where more than 300,000 people in its path were evacuated to safety in advance in a pre-emptive move officials say may have saved a lot of lives.

At its strongest, Rai packed sustained winds of 121 mph and gusts of up to 168 mph, one of the most powerful in recent years to hit the disaster-prone Southeast Asian archipelago, which lies between the Pacific Ocean and the South China Sea.

More than 300,000 people were evacuated to safety, as Rai blew away into the South China Sea after rampaging through southern and central island provinces.
AP
The typhoon that left 31 people dead caused widespread destruction throughout most of the Philippines — hitting the central area the hardest.
AP

The typhoon slammed into the country’s southeastern coast Thursday but the extent of casualties and destruction remained unclear two days after with entire provinces still without power and cellphone connection.

The national police reported at least 31 dead but did not provide other details. The government’s main disaster-response agency reported a lower death toll of 12, mostly villagers hit by falling trees because it said it had to carefully validate each death.

Officials on Dinagat Islands, one of the first provinces to be lashed by the typhoon’s ferocious winds, remained cut off Saturday due to downed power and communication lines. But its governor, Arlene Bag-ao, managed to post a statement on the province’s website to say that the province of about 180,000 “has been leveled to the ground.”

The national police reported at least 31 dead but did not provide other details, as there are many provinces still without power and cellphone connection.
AP

She pleaded for food, water, temporary shelters, fuel, hygiene kits and medical supplies. She said only a few casualties have been reported in the capital so far because other towns remain isolated.

“We may have survived, but we cannot do the same in the coming days because of our limited capacities as an island province,” Bag-ao said, adding some of Dinagat’s hospitals could not open due to damage. “Most of our commercial and cargo vessels … are now unsuitable for sea voyages, effectively cutting us off from the rest of the country.”

Typhoon Rai, at its strongest, sustained winds of 121 miles per hour and gusts of up to 168 mph – one of the most powerful in recent years to hit the Southeast Asian archipelago.
AP

Vice Gov. Nilo Demerey managed to reach a nearby province and told DZMM radio network that at least six residents died and that “almost 95% of houses in Dinagat have no roof,” and even emergency shelters were destroyed.

“We’re currently doing repairs because even our evacuation centers were destroyed. There are no shelters, the churches, gymnasium, schools, public markets and even the capitol were all shattered,” Demerey said.

Pictures posted on Dinagat’s website show low-slung houses with roofs either blown off or damaged and surrounded by tin roof sheets and debris.

In central Bohol province, the coast guard claimed personnel on rubber boats rescued residents who were trapped on roofs and trees, as waters rose rapidly.
AP

In central Bohol province, which was directly hit by the typhoon, the coast guard said its personnel on board rubber boats rescued residents who were trapped on roofs and trees, as waters rose rapidly. It released footage showing coast guard staff helping people from the roof of a house nearly engulfed by brownish floodwater to a rubber boat. They also help a villager climb down from a tree above the floodwater while another man, also wearing an orange life vest, waits for his turn.

With government contingency funds used for the coronavirus pandemic, President Rodrigo Duterte said he would look for money to help the provinces. He planned to visit the devastated region this weekend.

About 20 storms and typhoons batter the Philippines each year. The archipelago is located in the seismically active Pacific “Ring of Fire” region, making it one of the world’s most disaster-prone countries.

With government contingency funds used for the coronavirus pandemic, President Rodrigo Duterte said he would look for money to help the provinces heavily affected by the typhoon.
Getty /AP

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Three people stung to death and over 500 injured as biblical storms wash scorpions into Egyptian streets

Scorpions washed into homes by heavy rain stung three people to death and left 500 injured in Egypt.

Hail and thunderstorms along the River Nile swept the scorpions, as well as snakes, away from their usual hiding places in the city of Aswan.

Terrifying video shows scorpions try to make it into one house as the flood water rises.

Egypt is home to fat-tailed scorpions that are among the most deadly in the world and can kill humans in under an hour.

The governor of the local region Ashraf Attia said at least 503 people were hospitalized after suffering scorpion stings.

Schools have been ordered to close to protect children from the scorpions and snakes.

Professor at Agricultural Research Center Ahmed Rizk told the newspaper that heavy rains wash away scorpions and snakes.

The creatures then look to find new hiding places so they head to houses, particularly on high ground.

All of them were discharged after they were given anti-venom doses.

One of the scorpions trying to make it into a house.
Twitter

Extra doses of anti-venom have been provided to medical centers in villages near mountains and deserts.

After being stung by a fat-tailed scorpion victims experience breathing difficulties, muscle twitching and unusual head movements.

Anti-venom can prevent symptoms and can also work once they start to worsen.

Prof Rizk explained that victims have to tie a piece of cloth firmly near the bite to block the venom from reaching the heart.

Doctors have been pulled away from giving Covid vaccinations to treat scorpion stings, a local official said.

The extreme weather also caused power cuts and brought down street lamps and trees.

Egyptian weather forecasters have said rainfall is set to continue for the coming days over parts of South Sinai and the south of the country.

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Hurricane Ida live updates: all power lost in New Orleans as massive storm hits Louisiana | US news











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Hurricane Henri already flooding NYC streets, subways

Hurricane Henri kept on track to wreak havoc on New York early Sunday — but early downpours had already sparked major flooding in the Big Apple by Saturday night, shuttering subways and inundating roadways.

The tempest was on course to make landfall on Long Island or in southern New England by midday Sunday, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

But storms caused in part by moisture from Henri hit the region late Saturday bringing heavy rains and flash floods to New York City, and even forcing drivers out of their cars in Brooklyn.

Photos captured by The Post in Gowanus showed police and firefighters assisting drivers whose cars appeared to be completely stuck in more than six inches of water.

Twitter users also reported flooding in Williamsburg, as drivers navigated streets-turned-rivers by the earlier than expected rains. The deluge, along with lightning, brought the star-studded We Love NYC Homecoming concert in Central Park to a halt at around 7:30 p.m. The highly anticipated event was officially canceled about two hours later.

Firefighters respond to a scene where a car is stranded in Brooklyn ahead of Hurricane Henri on Aug. 21, 2021.
Robert Mecea
Severe flooding forced some drivers to abandon their cars.
Robert Mecea
A man pushes through knee-deep water in a flooded section of Hamilton Avenue in Brooklyn.
Robert Mecea

Close to 4 inches of rain came down over Central Park on Saturday night, with 1.69 inches falling just between 10 p.m. and 11 p.m., the National Weather Service said.

Water even made it into some subway stations. Subway officials were forced to suspend 1 trains between 14th Street and 96th Street and 3 trains between Harlem-148th Street and Penn Station shortly before midnight due to track flooding near 79th Street, the MTA said. Riders were advised to take the 4 train or the 2 train, which was rerouted onto the east side.

One tweet showed a waterfall pouring down on the tracks in Queens as the A train waited with its doors open.

Another showed even more torrential floods spewing onto the G line platform at 23rd Street in Queens as straphangers waited for the train.

An MTA rep confirmed “a water condition” at 79th Street. Service was completely out between 34th Street and 79th Street, the rep said.

“This is why I avoid the MTA like the plague, like COVID, and try to walk,” said Emily Kay, 25, who was trying to get home to Harlem shortly before 2 a.m. from the 79th Street station, where a 1 train was stopped on the track as emergency transit workers worked to fix the situation.

Pools of water flooded the path next to the platform.

“This is not convenient. We’re stuck here staring at a subway,” she said.

Hurricane Henri is expected to make landfall in New York as a category 1 hurricane.
Robert Mecea

A trains were also running express between Hoyt – Schermerhorn Street and Euclid Avenue in Brooklyn due to flooding at the Utica Avenue station.

Even more flooding is expected when Henri comes crashing into the region as a Category 1 hurricane or a strong tropical storm.

It is expected to dump up to half a foot of rain across the Northeast, with storm surges expected along the coast of eastern Queens and Long Island, the National Hurricane Center said.

All of New York City was under a tropical storm warning as of 11 p.m. Saturday, meteorologists said. Trains and flights were already being canceled ahead of the tempest.

Hurricane Henri is expected to bring 3 to 6 inches of rain in the New York area.
Robert Mecea

Hurricane conditions were expected on Long Island and from New Haven to just east of the Rhode Island-Massachusetts border.

Reports from nearby Air Force aircraft indicated Henri was moving at 21 miles per hour in the northwest direction — with winds near 75 miles per hour and gusts even faster.

Parts of New York City, northern New Jersey, Long Island and New England could see three to six inches of rain, the NHC said. Isolated areas could see as many as 10 inches.

Henri is expected to wallop Connecticut, Rhode Island and the southernmost part of Massachusetts after it passes through the New York region.



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Storm halts We Love NYC Homecoming Concert mid-performance

New York City’s “Homecoming” concert at Central Park was abruptly halted in the middle of Barry Manilow’s performance Saturday evening — as lightning storms tied to approaching Hurricane Henri descended on the Big Apple.

Concertgoers were told at 7:37 p.m. to “proceed to your vehicles and protected areas outside of the event center” as Manilow was singing his 1978 hit “Can’t Smile Without You.”

An announcer could be heard saying that the highly anticipated concert was “canceled.”

Saturday’s “We Love NYC” concert was suddenly canceled due to dangerous weather.
ROBERT MILLER
Mayor Bill de Blasio announcing the concert’s cancellation on stage.
Photo by Kevin Mazur/Getty Image

Moments earlier, Mayor Bill de Blasio expressed optimism that the show would go on. “We need everyone for a brief period of time to move to some place safe because of thunder and lightning, and then we will bring the concert back,” he said at the mic.

Hurricane Henri, a Category 1 storm, is expected to touch down east of New York City on Sunday.

People leaving the concert after it was abruptly called off.
ROBERT MILLER

Manilow made it through “Copacabana” and “Mandy” before he was cut off.
Disappointed music fans said the show could have gone on.

“It’s very disappointing. I didn’t even get to see the Killers — that’s the main reason why I came.” said Shinice Hemmings. “The concert was going so well and it was so good.”

Others were furious the show hadn’t been called off earlier.

The empty concert stage after it was stopped during Barry Manilow’s performance.
ROBERT MILLER
People leaving Central Park as Hurricane Henri approaches the area.
ROBERT MILLER

“We just got in so we’re triggered. We just got in and they’re like ‘Evacuate,’ Brandee McDermott, 26, Bay Ridge, said. “You’re deploying the national Guard yet you’re having a concert? They see the storm coming and they do nothing about it. They pretend it’s not happening.”

“We literally waited three hours and just got in now,” said Alex Maxwell, 22, of Midtown.

“This might be a metaphor … because we think the pandemic is done and then we get in here and it’s literally a storm and it’s like that’s what’s coming for us with the pandemic,” she said, referencing the Delta variant.

Additional reporting by Kerry J. Byrne



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Flight cancellation chaos – Axios

It’s been the travel week from hell for Americans across the country.

Driving the news: Low-cost carrier Spirit Airlines was at the forefront of a disastrous few days of flight cancellations.

  • It was a perfect storm of bad weather, IT outages and not enough people to staff flights — as airlines face a surge of travelers.

By the numbers: Spirit was responsible for 80% of all U.S. flight cancellations on Thursday — when it canceled more than half of its schedule, per data from Flight Aware.

  • The tally: over 1,700 nixed flights this week, with another 300 canceled as of midday, CNN reports.

What they’re saying: “There will still be cancellations over the next few days, but we can start to build back to a full operation,” CEO Ted Christie told ABC News.

American Airlines also canceled hundreds of flights this week — fallout from a weekend storm that hit Dallas, its biggest hub.

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Dubai making its own rain to beat 120-degree heat

That’s one way to beat the heat!

Officials in Dubai are using drones to artificially increase rainfall as the city grapples with oppressive heat, video this week shows.

The rainmaking technology, known as “cloud seeding,” was put into use as summer temperatures have surged past 120 degrees Fahrenheit in the United Arab Emirates city, the Independent reported.

Experts have said the technology aims to make rain form more efficiently inside clouds and in doing so, make more water come down.

Drones are used to shoot electrical charges into clouds, causing them to clump together and trigger more rainfall.

Footage shared on Sunday by the UAE’s National Center of Meteorology showed the intense showers flooding roads in addition to flashes of lightning.

The technology works by having drones shoot electrical charges into clouds.
University of Bath

Rainmaking has become common in dry countries such as the United Arab Emirates, which typically only records four inches of rain a year, the Independent reported.

“The global water shortage is worsening in many parts of the world, so the demand for fresh water is increasing,” said Linda Zou, a professor at the UAE’s Khalifa University of Science and Technology.

Rainmaking has become common in dry countries such as the United Arab Emirates.
National Center of Meteorology

“Cloud seeding could be one of the methods that can contribute to alleviating the water problem.”

With Post wires

A pilot and a United Arab Emirates (UAE) official from the national center for meteorology and seismology check salt flares attached to a plane that is fired into a promising cloud to increase condensation and hopefully trigger rainfall.
AFP via Getty Images
An explanation of how the “cloud seeding” process works.
Journal of Atmospheric and Ocean

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