• Level 5 emergency alert issued after devastating floods hit Japan’s Ishikawa Prefecture

    ByRishav Kothari

    Heavy torrential rains struck the Ishikawa Prefecture in Japan on Friday and Saturday, September 20 and 21, 2024, leading to severe flooding in the region, and prompting the highest level of flood alert. Wajima City recorded 318.5 mm (12.5 inches) of rainfall between Friday and Saturday, while Suzu recorded 226 mm (8.9 inches) of rain within the same period. One person was killed and more than 10 remain missing, as of 12:00 UTC today.

  • Flash floods in Alcalá del Júcar, Spain drag 15 cars into a river

    ByRishav Kothari

    Heavy rains in the higher regions of Spain’s Albacete Province caused the Júcar River to overflow, leading to severe flash floods in Alcalá del Júcar on Wednesday. The floods dragged 15 cars into the river, but fortunately, no casualties or injuries were reported. “It had been raining heavily for a while, but as soon as…

  • Storm Boris floods Italy, Emilia-Romagna sees over 300 mm (11.8 inches) of rain in 48 hours

    ByRishav Kothari

    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.

  • Desert turns green in China after Ningxia sees 5 times the average rainfall in August

    ByRishav Kothari

    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.

  • Tropical Storm “Pulasan” moves over Okinawa and heads toward Shanghai, China

    ByTeo Blašković

    Tropical Storm “Pulasan” — described as disorganized but still impactful, passed over Okinawa, Japan on Wednesday, September 18, 2024, bringing varying wind speeds to different parts of the region. The storm is now heading towards Shanghai, marking the second storm to hit the city in under a week, following Typhoon “Bebinka”.