More hurricanes to come from Atlantic

MIAMI — The Atlantic hurricane season got off to an early start and will likely stay busy, producing a few more storms than originally predicted, which could come early before tapering off, U.S. forecasters said Thursday.

Forecasters said warmer-than-normal sea surface temperatures and wind patterns that favor storm formation mean chances are higher for an above-normal season. However, that is tempered with the expected development of an El Nino weather pattern over the Pacific may suppress storms later in the season.

The season so far has produced four tropical storms and two hurricanes. Twelve to 17 tropical storms were expected with as many as five to eight hurricanes, compared to a normal Atlantic season that produces about a dozen named storms, forecasters said. A couple could become major hurricanes with winds of 111 mph or higher.

Last year was one of the busiest seasons on record with 19 named systems, including Irene, one of the costliest storms in U.S. history.

No respite from rain, floods in Philippines

(CNN) -- The death toll from five days of heavy rains and floods in the Philippines jumped to 60 on Friday, disaster officials said, with the forecast calling for even more showers across the main island of Luzon.

Most of the deaths were from drowning, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council said. Others died from electrocution or in landslides associated with the rain and floods.

While it is the summer monsoon season in the Philippines, the rain and flooding were exacerbated by recent Tropical Storm Haikui, the Philippines weather service said. Haikui made landfall on the east coast of China early Wednesday.

The disaster council forecast rain over most parts of Luzon, home to the country's capital of Manila, on Friday. Rain in north and central Luzon may trigger flash floods and landslides, it said.

No sign of NZ volcano blowing its top

MAGMA may have been present in this week's eruption on Mt Tongariro in New Zealand and it is high up in the mountain, but there is no indication that a much bigger eruption is about to occur. 

 
Scientists are continuing to monitor Mt Tongariro, which erupted on Monday for the first time in more than a century and a separate eruption on White Island, the first since 2001.
GNS Science vulcanologist Nico Fournier told AAP the discovery that there was a bit more magma in edifices on Mt Tongariro increased the likelihood of a more magmatic eruption but it was too early to assign a probability to it.
"It could range from explosions to simple lava flows but at this stage we don't have evidence that there is magma very close to the surface," he said.
There may have been magma involved in the eruption on Monday but if it was it was in very small amounts.

Heavy rain as Ernesto makes landfall in Mexico

VERACRUZ, Mexico (AP) — Tropical Storm Ernesto made landfall Thursday near the oil port city of Coatzacoalcos, killing two people as it moved inland and began weakening after drenching Mexico's flood-prone southern Gulf region.

Ernesto came ashore after spinning across the far southern Gulf of Mexico in waters dotted with oil rigs operated by the state oil company. The government closed its largest Gulf coast port, Veracruz, and the smaller ports of Alvarado and Coatzacoalcos.
In neighboring Tabasco state, two fishermen drowned when the stormed passed through the area, Gov. Andres Granier told reporters.
Granier said the storm's strong winds ripped rooftops from several homes but residents refused to evacuate, fearing their possessions might be stolen. "People have chosen to stay in their homes and we are helping them," he said.

Tropical Storm Ernesto skirts Mexican Gulf coast, kills three

Reuters – 5 hours ago

 

 

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Tropical Storm Ernesto crossed the coast of the Gulf of Mexico on Thursday, sending wind gusts and showers across the state of Veracruz, home to some of Mexico's busiest ports and oil installations.

The storm, with maximum sustained winds of 50 mph (85 kph), made landfall in the early afternoon close to the port city of Coatzacoalcos. Ernesto was heading west over southern Mexico at a speed of about 10 mph (17 kph), the U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami said in its 5 p.m. EDT (2100 GMT) advisory.
Mexico's government downgraded a hurricane warning for the coast of Veracruz to a tropical storm warning. The hurricane center said it expects further weakening as Ernesto moves over mountainous terrain in the next day or two. However, torrential rain and flooding was expected in Veracruz and authorities reported three deaths.

Toward the flood disaster of serious UN inspections

 (Korea Anju AP) - North Korea will again be rolling heavy rain Sunday and Monday against large areas of farmland and a large number of buildings have been water flooded, many people with their livestock and climbed to the roof to escape the flood. The plan of United Nations personnel Tuesday to North Korea flood inspections in order to understand the disaster severity.

4 killed by landslides in Yunnan's Pu'er city

Heavy rain in Pu'er city in southwest China’s Yunnan province has triggered landslides. So far, 4 people have been confirmed dead, 14 are missing and 30-thousand have been forced to evacuate. Bridges and a number of houses have also been destroyed. One river has seen its flow reach 800 times that of normal.

SE China braces for Typhoon Saola

Taiwan has issued warnings of torrential rain and gale force winds for most of the island, as Typhoon Saola approaches. The Typhoon is expected to move towards southeast China’s coastal regions. Forecasters say rainstorms and gales are likely to affect the provinces of Fujian and Zhejiang on Thursday and Friday.

Saola is the ninth typhoon this year, following close behind Typhoon Vicente which swept over southeast China in recent days.

Typhoon Saola causes flooding in Philippines

Typhoon Saola has sent waves as tall as palm trees crashing over sea defenses and causing widespread flooding in the Philippine capital, Manila, forcing residents to wade through waist-deep water.

The US embassy compound was among buildings forced to close Wednesday because of the surging torrents of brown water. Fierce wind and heavy rain from the slow-moving, offshore typhoon had killed at least 10 people by Tuesday after displacing 145,000 others.

Typhoon Saola has now moved away from the Philippines after lashing two-thirds of the nation since Sunday.

Taiwan on alert as typhoon Saola approaches

Taiwan has issued warnings of torrential rain and strong winds for most of the island as slow-moving, Typhoon Saola, approaches.

The typhoon could bring up to 1,000 millimetres of rain to parts of Taiwan over the rest of the week.

The storm is likely to skirt the northern tip of the island on Thursday, though there's a chance it could also make landfall. Heavy rain has hit the capital, Taipei.

Coal mine flooding traps 12 in north China

TAIYUAN, Aug. 1 (Xinhua) -- Twelve people were trapped after a coal mine flooding Wednesday morning in north China's Shanxi Province, according to local authorities.

Death toll from Xinjiang mudslide rises to 16

XINYUAN, Xinjiang, Aug. 1 (Xinhua) -- The death toll from a mudslide that buried an iron ore mine in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region Tuesday morning has climbed to 16, local authorities said Wednesday.