The Dying Earth - extreme weather - 08/13/2015

This Apocalyptic-Looking Thunderstom Is About To Smash Its Way Across Britain

Dramatic satellite images show the gigantic thunderstorm that is about to smash its way across Britain.

.

Yahoo,

13 August, 2015

The apocalyptic-looking weather front has come across from France - and is sparking fears that up to 50mm of rain will fall over the next two days.

That’s roughly what we usually endure over the course of an entire month in August.

The Met Office, which released the pictures on its Twitter feed, has issued severe weather warnings for Wales and all English regions.

Torrential rain and thunderstorms are expected to hit everywhere apart from the North East today.

“An area of heavy and thundery rain over southern England will push erratically northwards during the day bringing the potential for torrential downpours in places,” the Met Office said on its Twitter feed.

“The public should be aware of a significant risk of localised disruption due to surface water flooding. Lightning and hail are likely to be additional hazards,” it dded.

“More than 30 mm of rain may fall in a relatively short space of time in some places whilst locally in excess of 70 mm is possible in just a few hours,” it ended.

AA head of roads policy Paul Watters said flash flooding could pose a risk for drives.

“The AA advises drivers to keep an ear out for local weather warnings and traffic news, and be prepared to encounter flooding,” he said.

(All pictures credited to The Met Office)

Heavy floods hit Italian coastal region

DRONE: Floods hit Argentina, 1000s evacuated over highest
water levels in 25 yrs

At least three people have died and 11,000 have had to be evacuated from their homes in the Buenos Aires province of Argentina following heavy rain. Lujan, Areco and Arrecifes rivers all overflowed causing an enormous calamity. In the city of Lujan, 70 kilometres from capital Buenos Aires, the river reached its highest level in 25 years.

NOTE: To view regional drought conditions, click on map above. State maps can be accessed from regional maps.

Siberia on fire

Wildfires rage around Lake Baikal with 5,000-plus emergency workers deployed.

Siberian Times,

14 August, 2015

Firebreaks in forests around the lake were ineffective as flames spread through the tops of trees. Picture: Baikal ATV

Huge infernos are burning 138,500 hectares in the Siberian Federal Dictrict, with the Republic of Buryatia and Irkutsk region hit the worst, with 82,700  and 47,900 hectares on fire respectively. 

These two areas border the lake, the deepest and oldest in the world. Smoke from the fires covers the city of Ulan-Ude and the eastern coast of Baikal. Bathers were caked in ash after dipping into in its cool waters. 

Ash also washed up on the lake's beaches at the peak of the summer tourism season. NASA published pictures taken by camera MODIS. 

NASA published pictures taken by camera MODIS showing that Smoke from the fires completely covered Lake Baikal. Picture: NASA

Southern Siberia now has around 146 forest fires, most of which are in the Budhist republic of Buryatia, which borders Mongolia, said the space agency

Smoke from the fires completely covered Lake Baikal, which is larger in area than the country of Belgium, and now it is almost impossible to see it from space.

One tourist described it as 'like in movies about the Apocalypse' with forests burned to cinders. Firebreaks in forests around the lake were ineffective as flames spread through the tops of trees. 

---

---

Ash also washed up on the lake's beaches at the peak of the summer tourism season. Pictures: @ssvetlana_sergeevna, @chimitabakhaeva, Vladimir Naidanov 

Head of Federal Baikal-Angara basin management Mikhail Voronov warned of long-term ecological damage to the lake. 'Baikal's cleaning capability is dramatically low, due to a small flow of water. No spring floods on Baikal for already 19 years and it's scary,' he said. 

The lake contains 20% of the unfrozen freshwater on the planet and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Other regions are suffering from wildfires too, notably the Tyva Republic, Trans-Baikal region and the Altai Republic. In the city of Chita, oficials urged residents to keep windows closed, to stay out of the open air, and use air conditioning and purification at home and work. Health experts urged Siberians to limit physical activity, alcohol and to refrain from smoking. 

---

---

---

One tourist described it as 'like in movies about the Apocalypse' with forests burned to cinders. Pictures: Vadim Sokolov, Baikal ATV, Vladimir Naidanov

The Federal Forestry Agency bemoaned the lack of aircraftto fight fires in Siberia and the Far East. Ivan Valetnik said there was now reduced aircraft patrols compared to the past. 

In April, at least 34 people died in southern Siberia as a results of wildfires. Hundreds of others were rendered homeless. Investigators at the time launched probes into the deadly fires to determine whether they could have been caused by negligence.