I am an Assistant Editor and Severe Weather & Science Journalist at The Watchers, specializing in real-time severe weather coverage, geophysical event reporting, and research-driven scientific analysis. You can reach me at rishav(at)watchers(.)news.
Around 300 – 400 mm (11.8 – 15.7 inches) of rain fell in the Emilia-Romagna Region of northern Italy in 48 hours between Tuesday and Thursday, September 17 – 19, 2024. Triggered by the Storm “Boris” (also known as Cyclone “Boris”) the rains caused intense flooding, forcing around 1 000 people to evacuate and move to shelters.
The Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, in northwestern China, saw 5 to 10 times the monthly average rainfall in August 2024, transforming the desert landscape into a beautiful lush green scenery. Similarly, satellite images of Africa’s Sahara show a visible increase in vegetation compared to 2023. The unusual rains, expected to bring 500% of typical monthly rainfall to some regions, have even filled normally dry lakes in the Sahara.
Heavy seasonal rains since late July 2024 in the Niger River’s inland Delta in Mali have led to severe flooding in Chad, claiming at least 341 lives and affecting around 1.5 million people. 1.17 million of those affected live in just 8 of the 23 affected provinces.
A big eruption took place at Lokbatan mud volcano in Azerbaijan’s Baku at 15:19 local time (LT) on September 17, 2024. The eruption occurred in two phases with the second phase starting at 16:19 LT.
Floods struck Libya’s Sabha city and mountain valleys after heavy rainfall on September 14 and 15, 2024. Following the death of 2 individuals due to the floods, the government issued an order to form and emergency response team, and declared a state of emergency for the affected region.
Mali has reported around 374 flood incidents in 2024 since the start of flood season. Significant flooding has been observed in the region since July, causing extensive damage, collapsing almost 30 000 buildings and claiming at least 64 lives as of September 16.
Satellite images of the Sahara show a visible increase in vegetation compared to 2023, this has been caused by the increased precipitation over the region linked to the recent northward shift of the Inter-Tropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ). The increased rain over the Sahara desert has led to the growth of visible vegetation in certain areas….
Typhoon “Bebinca” triggered over a dozen tornadoes across China’s Jiangsu and Shangdong provinces on Tuesday, September 17, 2024. Numerous tornadoes were observed in Sihong, Lanlin, Linyi, Xuzhou and other parts of both the provinces.
Wildfires have engulfed northern and central Portugal, leading to widespread destruction and the deaths of at least seven people. With over 5 000 firefighters and international assistance mobilized, authorities are struggling to contain the infernos that have burnt thousands of hectares of land as high temperatures and winds exacerbate the situation.
Typhoon “Bebinca” struck Jiangsu province in China on Monday, September 16, 2024, with gust speeds of 151 km/h (94 mph), making it the strongest typhoon to hit the province since records began.
