Category: Posts EN

Debby Crawling Along the Southeast Coast, Dumping Torrential Rainfall

Written by Team Morecast

 

Tropical Storm Debby is about to cross back onshore along the coastal Carolinas. Debby originally struck northwestern Florida as a Category One hurricane on Monday morning. The storm quickly weakened to a tropical storm but has also slowed to a crawl. Although some areas saw significant wind damage, by far the most serious and widespread impact has been from flooding.

 

 

 

 

Much of central Florida and coastal Georgia and South Carolina has seen 5-10 inches (125-250 mm) of rain this week. Smaller pockets have been deluged by 10-20 inches (250-500 mm) of rain (see map above). This torrential rainfall has lead to quickly rising creeks and streams. It has also overwhelmed smaller lakes and ponds, leading to dam failures. This tremendous amount of extra water will eventually drain into the larger rivers, leading to major flooding (see map of river gauges below). Storm surge of two to four feet has also affected the immediate coast, disallowing the rain water from draining effectively and exacerbating the flood situation. Additional heavy rains will continue to fall over the eastern Carolinas and points north, prolonging the threat for flooding. Lead photo courtesy US Dept of Agriculture.

 

Intensifying Hurricane Beryl Slams Coastal Texas with High Winds, Major Flooding!

Written by Team Morecast

 

After rolling through the Caribbean last week, Beryl temporarily weakened as it passed over the Yucatan Peninsula. However, very warm water in the Gulf of Mexico helped the storm regain hurricane status. It was still strengthening as it made landfall just south of Houston, Texas on Monday morning.

 

 

High winds contributed to a wave of power outages across southeast Texas, eventually including more than two million households. Gusts up to 70 mph (110 kph) were widespread with the Houston metro seeing localized gusts to 90 mph (145 kph). Numerous trees and powerlines and even semi trucks and RVs were knocked over. There were also at least 16 reports of cyclone-induced tornadoes from Texas into Louisiana and Arkansas.

 

 

 

The more widespread and serious hazard was and continues to be flooding. A massive storm surge was pushed into the coast as the storm arrived, up to six feet in some places. Torrential rainfall exceeding a foot was also recorded in the Houston metro (see map above). This combination has inundated hundreds of homes and businesses. It also left dozens of cars and trucks stranded, forcing water rescues. In all the storm has claimed eight lives in the USA as of Tuesday morning, on top of the Caribbean death toll of eleven.

Major Flooding Affecting Multiple Regions of China, Forcing Dam Breaches and Mass Evacuations!

Written by Team Morecast

 

A dyke has been breached on Dongting Lake, China’s second-largest freshwater lake. Dongting Lake is a major flood basin of the Yangtze River, one of China’s most important shipping channels. Six thousand residents were forced to evacuate from towns below the breach, which grew to 220 meters in length on Friday (see videos below). The regional government spent 8.5 billion yuan in 2022 to reinforce the banks of Dongting Lake. Unfortunately, the section where the breach occurred was not included in the project. More than 10,000 tonnes of sand and stone will be needed to repair the breach next week.

 

 

 

 

Elsewhere in China, at least 71 people were killed by flash flooding and landslides in Guangdong province (see timelapse video above). Another river in Hunan province reached its highest level in 70 years earlier this week, inundating thousands of homes and businesses. In all, the Chinese government has allocated more than $316 million for emergency flood relief in recent weeks. Much more will likely be needed as forecasters predict at least two more weeks of heavy rain and flooding for the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River.

Scorching Heat for the USA on Independence Day

Written by Team Morecast

 

Searing triple-digit heat affected much of the southern and western USA on the nation’s Independence Day, July 4th. Outdoor activities ordinarily associated with the holiday were hampered by the life-threatening temperatures. It’s part of a pattern of extreme heat that will persist well into next week.

 

Death Valley, CA Four-Day Forecast

 

Extreme heat advisories and warnings were issued for much of the western and southern USA. In the West, temperatures on Thursday soared well into the 40s (105-115 deg F) over the lower elevations. A few traditionally hot spots reached the upper 40s to near 50 degrees (117-122 deg F). Death Valley, international record-holder for warmest temperature, could approach the mid-50s (near 130 deg F) in the next week (see forecast above). That would threaten the highest temperature mark ever recorded since modern record-keeping began.

 

 

Temperatures further east have been lower, generally peaking in the middle to upper 30s (95-102 deg F). However, high humidity has pushed heat index values well into the dangerous range in the lower and middle 40s (105-115 deg F). Either temperatures or heat index values in this range drastically increase the likelihood of heat stroke, a potentially lethal condition.