• Record-breaking rainfall in Guangdong, China leaves 4 dead, 10 missing

    ByTeo Blašković

    Record-breaking rainfall affecting China’s Guangdong Province since Friday, April 19, 2024, pushed water levels in the Bei River, a tributary of the Pearl River, to exceed 50-year highs, causing widespread floods in which at least 4 people died and 10 others went missing. The floods caused extensive damage, including the destruction of 36 houses and severe damage to 48 others, incurring direct economic losses of nearly 140.6 million yuan.

  • Softball-sized hail causes extensive damage in Rock Hill, South Carolina

    ByTeo Blašković

    A powerful storm rolled over South Carolina on April 20, 2024, bringing strong winds, heavy rain, and golf to softball-sized hail. The storm system affected the larger areas of Lancaster and York counties but focused its most intense effects in northeast-central York County, causing significant structural damage and power outages.

  • Massive eruption at Ruang volcano forces mass evacuation, ash to 16.7 km (55 000 feet) a.s.l., Indonesia

    ByTeo Blašković

    A series of powerful eruptions took place at Ruang volcano in Indonesia’s North Sulawesi province starting at 17:08 UTC on April 16, 2024 (01:08 LT, April 17). As a result, the Aviation Color Code was raised to Red, the Alert Level to 3 of 4, and local authorities started evacuating more than 800 people living on the island as a preventive measure. The last eruptive episode at this volcano was in September 2002 (VEI 4).

  • Enhanced Risk of Severe Weather (level 3/5) for portions of southern Iowa, northeastern Missouri, and far western Illinois

    ByTeo Blašković

    There is an Enhanced Risk (Level 3 of 5) for severe thunderstorms on Tuesday, April 16, 2024, with threats for significant severe hail and tornado potential over southern Iowa into northern Missouri and west-central Illinois, the National Weather Service (NWS) warns. Additionally, elevated to critical fire weather is possible Tuesday due to gusty winds and dry conditions over parts of the southern High Plains and northeastern Montana.

  • Nearly 16 000 homes flooded in Russia, 111 200 evacuated in Kazakhstan

    ByTeo Blašković

    Catastrophic floods have submerged large areas of south-western Russia and north-western Kazakhstan since April 3, 2024. To date, floods have affected 15 641 homes and 27 993 garden plots in Russia, prompting widespread evacuations and the declaration of state emergencies in affected areas. Nearly 111 200 people were evacuated in Kazakhstan and approximately 5 500 homes were flooded.