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CNN —Torrential downpours and flooding have killed at least 15 people and four others remain missing in Chongqing, southwest China, state-run news agency Xinhua reported Wednesday, citing local authorities. More than 85,000 Sichuan residents have been displaced, state-run broadcaster CCTV reported Tuesday. At least 400 emergency teams have been dispatched to help rescue and relief operations in the area, according to state media. Chinese leader Xi Jinping has ordered authorities to “give top priority” to keeping residents safe and minimizing losses, according to Xinhua. This summer has already seen heavy rain, with four people killed and three missing in Sichuan last week after landslides triggered by rainstorms and flash floods, Xinhua reported.

Persons: Xi Jinping, “, ” Organizations: CNN, Xinhua, China’s Ministry of Emergency Management, National Climate Center Locations: Chongqing, China, floodwater, China’s, Sichuan, Xinhua, Henan, Northern China

☆ China beats its own record for hot days over six months
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-03 | by ( Nectar Gan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Hong Kong CNN —China has registered the highest number of hot days over six months since records began, according to authorities, as the country confronts another record-breaking summer of blistering heat. The national average was calculated from the number of high temperature days recorded by weather stations across the country. Northern China, a heavily populated region with hundreds of millions of residents, has been particularly hard hit, with more heat waves expected in coming weeks. So far this year, Shijiazhuang, the capital of Hebei province, has seen 17 high temperature days, followed by Beijing’s 14 days. As the climate crisis intensifies, scientists say dangerous, record heat waves are set to become more frequent and more severe.

Persons: Beijing’s, Sheng Jiapeng, Zhou Bing, El Nino, ” Zhou Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, National Climate Center, Museum, China News Service, Climate Center, China Meteorological Administration, Times, El Nino, El, Xinhua Locations: Hong Kong, China, Northern China, Shijiazhuang, Hebei province, Beijing, Sichuan

☆ Intensifying Rains Pose Hidden Flood Risks Across the U.S.
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-26 | by ( Raymond Zhong | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

As climate change intensifies severe rainstorms, the infrastructure protecting millions of Americans from flooding faces growing risk of failures, according to new calculations of expected precipitation in every county and locality across the contiguous United States. The calculations suggest that one in nine residents of the lower 48 states, largely in populous regions including the Mid-Atlantic and the Texas Gulf Coast, is at significant risk of downpours that deliver at least 50 percent more rain per hour than local pipes, channels and culverts might be designed to drain. “The data is startling, and it should be a wake-up call,” said Chad Berginnis, the executive director of the Association of State Floodplain Managers, a nonprofit organization focused on flood risk. The new rain estimates, issued on Monday by the First Street Foundation, a nonprofit research group in New York, carry worrying implications for homeowners, too: They indicate that 12.6 million properties nationwide face significant flood risks despite not being required by the federal government to buy flood insurance.

Persons: ”, Chad Berginnis Organizations: Texas Gulf, Association of, First Street Foundation Locations: United States, New York

☆ Three die, farmland and trees damaged as storms sweep across China
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BEIJING, June 11 (Reuters) - Three people died in eastern China after strong winds toppled a shipyard crane, authorities said on Sunday, as storms caused damage across the country, including large swaths of farmland. In Nanjing, the capital of Jiangsu province in eastern China, large trees were felled on Saturday, crushing vehicles and blocking roads, local media reported. The measures include 275 million yuan for prizes to family farms and cooperatives to encourage high yield, CCTV reported. On Friday, heavy rain hit parts of southwest China, including Guangxi, engulfing roads and partially submerging buildings. ($1 = 7.1273 Chinese yuan renminbi)Reporting by Ellen Zhang and Martin Quin Pollard; William MallardOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Hailstorms, Ellen Zhang, Martin Quin Pollard, William Mallard Organizations: Twitter, CCTV, Liaoning Meteorological Service Centre, Thomson Locations: BEIJING, China, Wuhu, Nanjing, Jiangsu, Liaoning, Wafangdian, Henan, Guangxi, rainstorms, Guangdong, Hainan, Hubei, Guangzhou

☆ Hurricanes of Data: The Tiny Craft Mapping Superstorms at Sea
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-09 | by ( Porter Fox | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +35 min

The Tiny Craft Mapping Superstorms at Sea Shortly after dawn on Sept. 30, 2021, Richard Jenkins watched a Category 4 hurricane overrun his life’s work. That August, a sister ship, SD 1031, successfully entered Tropical Storm Henri, but only in its early stages. Hurricane research, modeling and forecasting requires many terabytes of data for every square mile the storm passes through, including vitally important sea-level data from inside a storm. The next day, the depression was upgraded to a tropical storm and officially given the name Sam. And four months later, Tropical Storm Megi killed more than 150, wiped out several villages with landslides and displaced more than a million people.

CNN —Heavy rain caused flooding and landslides on Tuesday in western Rwanda killing at least 109 people in the Western and Northern Provinces, according to state media Rwanda Broadcasting Agency (RBA.) The Rwanda National Police warned that due to heavy rains, the roads Mukamira-Ngororero and Rubavu-Rutsiro are temporarily unavailable. Police officers are available to direct traffic,” the Rwanda National Police said in their twitter account. The Rwanda Meteorology Agency had warned in its forecast for May that many parts of the country will receive more rainfall than average this month. Last year, 205 people died from disasters across Rwanda, MINEMA said in its Disaster Effects Situation Report.

☆ Great Wall of China: Six sections with beautiful views
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-07 | by ( ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +13 min

Whether you’re planning to visit the Great Wall for the first time or the 50th, the following destinations are sure to make your trip to China even more worthwhile. The juxtaposition of its ruins against the rammed-earth Great Wall makes Bataizi a unique place to spend a morning or afternoon. Laoniuwan (aka the Old Ox Bend Great Wall)Laoniuwan, where the Great Wall and the Yellow River meet. Alex SherrAs the locals say, Laoniuwan is where the Great Wall and the mighty Yellow River shake hands. The piled-stone wall at Dushikou is unique, as many other sections of the Great Wall close to Beijing were constructed using kiln-fired bricks.

Persons: CNN —, I’ve, Alex Sherr, ”, Alex Sherr Mutianyu, you’ll, William Lindesay, Pan, Zuoyun, You’ll, Simatai, Yatou’s, Emperor Jiajing, Lamb Organizations: CNN, Tourism, UNESCO, Northern Barbarians Locations: Beijing, China, Turtle, Gansu, Sitan, Jingtai County, City, Jingtai, Lanzhou, Gansu province, Turtle City, Lanzhou Zhongchuan Airport, it’s, Mutianyu, Jiankou, Xizhazi, Bataizi, Datong, Shanxi province’s, Zuoyun, Zuoyun County, Laoniuwan, Pianguan County, Xinzhou, Shanxi province, Inner Mongolia, marveling, Pianguan, Tangjiazhai, Beijing’s Miyun, Miyun, It’s, Dushikou, Chicheng, Hebei province, Hebei, Liuliqiao

[1/3] Don Cameron stands next to one of his flood capture projects on his Terranova Ranch in Helm, California, U.S., January 25, 2023. Today, California water experts see Cameron as a pioneer. Terra Nova's basins are filled with 1.5 to 3.5 feet of water, Cameron said Wednesday. California Governor Gavin Newsom signed an executive order on March 10 making it easier for farmers to divert floodwaters onto their lands until June. "We're at the beginning of a lot of momentum for groundwater recharge programs," said Gosselin, of the state groundwater office.

☆ Cruise robotaxis blocked a road in San Francisco after a storm downed trees and wires
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-22 | by ( Lora Kolodny | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

General Motors ' self-driving vehicle unit Cruise acknowledged that some of its cars stalled out on city streets in San Francisco following rainstorms that downed trees there on Tuesday night. After that, another tree on Polk and Clay streets fell into the street. In response, he said, the San Francisco Fire Department had blocked off Clay between Polk and Jones streets with caution tape. He said the driverless Cruise vehicles did not appear to detect and avoid the caution tape and bus wires properly, and instead became "tangled in them." Cruise has permits to test and deploy autonomous vehicles in San Francisco all hours of day and night, excluding heavy rain."

It’s a sunny day in early January, and Steven Yeun is happy to be out of the house. He’s wearing trail sneakers, brown pants, a shaggy mohair cardigan and sunglasses. With some actors, sunglasses serve as armor when they’re out in public, but Yeun, 39, shows no such guardedness. It’s a sunny day in early January, and Steven Yeun is happy to be out of the house. He’s wearing trail sneakers, brown pants, a shaggy mohair cardigan and sunglasses.

☆ A United Airlines flight plunged within 800 feet of the Pacific Ocean on the same day severe turbulence injured 25 people, data shows
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-13 | by ( Chris Panella | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

A United Airlines flight plummeted to just 800 feet above the Pacific Ocean late last year, data shows. The incident occurred the same day 25 people were injured from extreme turbulence on a Hawaiian Airlines flight. United Airlines said in a statement that after the pilots landed the plane at San Francisco International Airport, they filed "the appropriate safety report." The incident came on the same day that a Hawaiian Airlines flight from Phoenix to Hawaii experienced extreme turbulence that injured dozens of people. According to the Hawaiian Airlines pilot, a cloud suddenly "shot up," causing severe turbulence.

☆ California assesses damage after days of deadly storms
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-16 | by ( Rich Mckay | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Jan 16 (Reuters) - Authorities in California were set to assess damage on Monday after a wave of storms killed at least 19 people, swept away scores of homes and forced thousands to evacuate. Small rainstorms lingered early on Monday from San Francisco through central California and a few inches of snow fell on the foothills of the Sierras, the National Weather Service reported. "It's coming to an end as we speak," said meteorologist William Churchill on Monday morning at the National Weather Service (NWS) Weather Prediction Center in College Park, Maryland. The Russian River, swollen with floodwater following a chain of winter storms, flows past the town of Guerneville, California, U.S. January 15, 2023. Then most of the state will have sunny days and at least a 10-day spell of dry, cool weather.

☆ End to storms is near but California braces for two more atmospheric rivers
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-14 | by ( Daniel Trotta | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/4] A road sign is seen next to a country highway on agricultural land amid flooding from the Salinas River, in Salinas, California, U.S., January 13, 2023. The latest storm, the season's eighth, is expected to begin dumping heavy rain on California from early on Saturday, the National Weather Service's Weather Prediction Center said. The ninth and final atmospheric river of the series is due to make landfall on Monday and last a couple of days. Among the waterways of concern, the Salinas River in northern California flooded roads and farmland on Friday, when 24,000 people were urged to evacuate. In southern California, officials will release water on Saturday from Lake Cachuma, which provides drinking water near Santa Barbara, as the chronically low lake has filled to capacity.

☆ Explainer: Why weeks of rain in California will not end historic drought
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-12 | by ( Daniel Trotta | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

But the state's water infrastructure, mostly built in the 20th Century when the population was barely half of today's 40 million, is ill-equipped for the new situation. On Dec. 14, the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California declared a drought emergency for all 19 million people in the region. Despite a deluge that by one estimate has been expected to dump more than 20 trillion gallons (80 trillion liters), the state's major reservoirs remain well below their historic average. INFRASTRUCTURE DEFICITThe state's infrastructure, largely a network of cement canals, lacks the capacity to capture excess stormwater. Even as the Colorado River basin faces its own drought, and the atmospheric rivers provide no relief, the Colorado River suffers more from overuse than from a lack of precipitation.

It would turn into a nightmare as their 5-year-old son, Kyle, got swept away in raging flood waters while his mom drove him to school. San Luis Obispo Sheriff's Office via TwitterKyle was lost to a succession of unrelenting rainstorms that have pummeled California over the last two weeks and contributed to 17 deaths. As water poured into her car, Lindsy told Kyle to unbuckle his car seat so they could escape. Nearby homeowners fetched rope and managed to rescue Lindsy, who was closer to the bank. “We continue to hope for the best,” said Grace Norris, a San Luis Obispo sheriff’s spokesperson.

[1/4] Traffic navigates around downed tree limbs along 19th Avenue after a new bout of rainstorms threatens to flood San Francisco, in California, U.S. January 4, 2023. Governor Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency on Wednesday, and state officials urged Californians to avoid travel during the storm. Crews in San Francisco spent the night cleaning up debris from felled trees that blocked roadways. The area lies in the heart of the Sonoma Wine Country, a tourist magnet just north of San Francisco. Nearly 100 flights were canceled at San Francisco International Airport on Wednesday, and an additional 15 had already been canceled on Thursday.

☆ California braces for powerful atmospheric river storm
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-04 | by ( Emma Newburger | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

An aerial view shows the damage after rainstorms caused a levee to break, flooding Sacramento County roads near Wilton, California, U.S., January 1, 2023. Another atmospheric river storm is threatening California with flooding, landslides, and power outages on Wednesday as millions of residents recover from several destructive storms, one of which caused a levee breach this weekend. Flood watches are in effect across Central and Northern California, where the ground has become more saturated and vulnerable to flooding and rapid runoff. San Mateo County, located south of San Francisco, declared a local state of emergency and activated its emergency operations center. In south Sacramento County, responders are attempting to repair part of a 34 mile levee system along the Cosumnes River, which protects land made up mostly of vineyards and cattle ranches, before the storm is set to arrive on Wednesday.

☆ Photos show record California floods led to boat rescues, mudslides, and breached levees. More rain is coming.
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-02 | by ( Morgan Mcfall-Johnsen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

An atmospheric river dumped record rainfall across Nothern California on New Year's Eve. A car is partially submerged on a flooded road after heavy rains in San Francisco, California, December 31, 2022, in this screengrab obtained from a social media video. Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu Agency via Getty ImagesOakland saw its wettest day on record on Saturday, and San Francisco was just shy of its record. Another person died after being pulled from the waters, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. In Tahoe, the atmospheric river dumped snow onto roadways that left some drivers stranded and prompted authorities to close major roadways.

☆ Malaysia floods force tens of thousands to evacuate
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-21 | by ( Mei Mei Chu | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

At least two people have died as floods hit five states this week, and authorities have set up hundreds of relief shelters as the number of people displaced grows. [1/5] Residents are rescued by a boat from the flood relief centre as the flood water rise and partially submerged the building at Dungun, Terengganu, Malaysia December 21, 2022. More than 70000 were forced into relief centres, with numbers rising in Kelantan, Terengganu and Pahang, according to local media. REUTERS/Stringer 1 2 3 4 5Videos on social media showed brown water gushing into fields and streets, submerging cars and causing rivers to breach their banks. Reporting by Mei Mei Chu; Editing by Kanupriya KapoorOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Farmers in both are fighting a losing battle to save the soil that produces our food. By contrast, there's not enough water in the vast Yangtze basin, which produces a third of China's crops. Soil erosion could lead to a 10% loss in global crop production by 2050, according to the UN's Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). Similarly, other measures such as digging thousands of new wells and encouraging farmers to switch crops to boost yields have limited impact. Options include not tilling soil to reduce erosion, and planting off-season cover crops to prevent erosion and nutrient loss.

Sea level rise will flood huge swaths of the country and submerge billions of dollars’ worth of land, according to a new report. The analysis indicates that sea level rise could reduce the value of that private land by more than $108 billion by the end of the century. Risk isn’t evenly distributedClimate Central found that, unsurprisingly, the effects of sea level rise aren’t evenly distributed across the U.S. In Galveston County, Texas, more than 4,200 buildings that are currently above sea level will be at least partially underwater. While sea level rise is one of the major impacts of the climate crisis, it’s not the only one.

☆ Water's edge: the crisis of rising sea levels
▼ + stars: | 2014-09-04 | by ( Reuters Graphic | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +20 min

But sea levels have been rising for 100 years in Baltimore.”ROCKET SCIENCEThe irony is evident at Wallops Flight Facility. Yet this bastion of climate research has been slow to apply the science of sea level rise to its own operations. Reviewers from state and federal agencies criticized the 348-page document for failing to adequately take rising sea levels into account in the project design and impact, or to temper future plans for expansion. Joshua Bundick, Wallops’s environmental planning manager, explained that he distilled the issues “down to only the highest points,” and sea level rise wasn’t among them. The cost to American taxpayers of repeated destruction of the parking lot and causeway from rising sea levels would only increase, Fish and Wildlife officials said.

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