Typhoon “Krathon” reached super typhoon strength on September 30, 2024, after leaving at least 2 people dead in the Philippines. The system is expected to slightly weaken before its center approaches Taiwan on October 2 and 3. Krathon will be the first landfalling typhoon in southwestern Taiwan since 1988, bringing strong winds and heavy rain, with up to 1 000 m (39 inches) in mountainous regions.
Destructive floods and powerful winds caused by the remnants of Hurricane “Helene” have cut off Asheville, North Carolina, leaving the city without power, communication, and road access. As of Monday, September 30, the death toll across six states has exceeded 120, with over 700 people still missing.
A fire broke out at the BioLab chemical plant in Conyers, east of Atlanta, Georgia on Sunday, September 29, 2024, releasing massive amounts of toxic smoke and prompting road closures, evacuations, and shelter-in-place orders.
Floods caused by extreme rainfall since Thursday, September 26, 2024, have claimed more than 130 lives across Nepal. On Saturday, September 28, the country saw the heaviest rainfall in 54 years after 323 mm (12.7 inches) of rainfall was recorded in just 24 hours. Around 136 people remain missing while over 3 000 people have been rescued so far.
Hurricane “Helene” made landfall near Perry in the Big Bend region of Florida at 23:10 local time (LT) on Thursday, September 26, 2024, as a Category 4 hurricane with record-breaking winds of 220 km/h (140 mph). It created massive life-threatening storm surges of up to 6.1 m (20 feet). Multiple extreme wind warnings have been issued across several counties in the Big Bend region before the arrival of the eye of the storm.
Widespread floods in West and Central Africa, caused by extraordinary torrential rains since July 2024, killed at least 1 000 people and affected 4 million. The floods destroyed 300 000 homes and displaced 500 000 people. The catastrophic humanitarian situation, aggravated by the northward passage of the Inter-Tropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ), has resulted in widespread damage to homes, schools, medical facilities, swaths of farmland, and heightening the risk of water-borne diseases, food insecurity, and malnutrition.
A strong and shallow earthquake, registered by the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) as M5.9, struck near Torishima Island, Japan, at 23:14 UTC on September 23, 2024 (08:14 JST on September 24). The agency reported a depth of 10 km (6.2 miles). The USGS reported M5.6 at a depth of 11.7 km (7.3 miles), while the EMSC reported M5.6 at a depth of 9 km (5.6 miles).
A severe snowstorm swept across South Africa on Friday and Saturday, September 20 and 21, 2024, stranding hundreds of motorists, including those on the N3 highway between Johannesburg and Durban. Many were trapped on the roads for 24 hours without access to food or water. One person has passed away after spending the night trapped in sub-zero temperatures.
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.
Typhoon “Pulasan” made landfall in Shanghai, China, on Thursday, September 19, 2024, bringing in over 300 mm (11.8 inches) of rain in just 6 hours. Around 112 000 people were evacuated, barricades were set up, and several trains and ferry services were suspended as precautionary measures.
