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RTHK
2 days ago
- RTHK
Search for Texas flood victims suspended
Search for Texas flood victims suspended Volunteers clear the area around the Guadalupe River after the catastrophic floods. Photo: Reuters Emergency crews in the US suspended their search for victims of catastrophic flooding in central Texas on Sunday morning amid new warnings that additional rain would again cause waterways to surge. It was the first time a new round of severe weather has paused the search since the flooding earlier this month. Fire officials ordered search crews to immediately evacuate the Guadalupe River corridor in Kerr County until further notice, warning the potential for a flash flood is high. Search-and-rescue teams have been searching for missing victims of the July 4 weekend flooding that killed at least 129 people and left more than 170 missing. As heavy rain fell on Sunday, National Weather Service forecasters warned that the Guadalupe River could rise to nearly 15 feet (4.6 metres) by Sunday afternoon, about five feet above flood stage and enough to put the Highway 39 bridge near Hunt under water. 'Numerous secondary roads and bridges are flooded and very dangerous,' a weather service warning said. The destructive, fast-moving waters rose 26 feet (8 metres) on the Guadalupe River in just 45 minutes before daybreak on July 4, washing away homes and vehicles. Ever since, searchers have used helicopters, boats and drones to look for victims and to rescue people stranded in trees and from camps isolated by washed-out roads. The riverbanks and hills of Kerr County are filled with vacation cabins, youth camps and campgrounds, including Camp Mystic, the century-old all-girls Christian summer camp. Located in a low-lying area along the Guadalupe River in a region known as flash flood alley, Camp Mystic lost at least 27 campers and counselors and longtime owner Dick Eastland. The flood was far more severe than the 100-year event envisioned by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, experts said, and moved so quickly in the middle of the night that it caught many off guard in a county that lacked a warning system. (AP)
HKFP
5 days ago
- HKFP
Storm Danas: Hong Kong hoists third amber rain signal in 24 hrs, schools suspended Friday
Hong Kong's Observatory has raised the amber rain signal for the third time in 24 hours, with all schools cancelled for Friday. The amber rain signal is raised when there is rainfall exceeding 50 millimetres falling, or expected to fall, in an hour. The thunderstorm and monsoon signals were also in force during lunchtime on Thursday. The Education Bureau announced on Thursday that all classes at afternoon schools would be suspended for the rest of the day, though whole-day schools would continue. The steering committee on handling extreme weather, chaired by Chief Secretary Eric Chan, also declared that all day schools would be suspended on Friday. 'Due to the rainstorm and thunderstorm associated with the tropical depression Danas, the weather conditions are expected to remain bad tomorrow,' the government said in a press release. Primary, secondary, special schools, kindergartens and childcare centres will be closed, whilst Friday's secondary school admission day events will be postponed to next Monday. The Observatory said that flash floods, flooding and road congestion could occur during the coming hours on Thursday. 'The remnant of Danas is now moving southwestwards across eastern Guangdong. It may then skirt the vicinity of Dongguan to Huizhou. The active southwest monsoon to its south will generally affect the vicinity of the Pearl River Estuary today and tomorrow,' it said. 'There will be torrential rain and squally thunderstorms over the region. Under the combined effect of the torrential rain and the southwest monsoon, the weather will be relatively severe.' Heavy rain signals The amber signal was hoisted late on Wednesday, before being replaced by the red signal just after midnight. Warnings were cancelled at 1.40am on Thursday, though an amber and red signal were raised again on Thursday morning. Both were cancelled, only for the amber signal to be raised once more at 12.40pm. Danas has lashed China in recent days, with torrential monsoonal rain causing deadly landslides and flash floods. Meanwhile, since last week, a subtropical high-pressure system has been causing power grid faults and droughts. According to Reuters, meteorologists have linked extreme weather in China to climate change, with ageing flood defences and infrastructure gaps compounding the threat to people and property. The weather in Hong Kong is predicted to remain hot and unsettled over the coming week, according to the Observatory. 'Under the influence of an active southwest monsoon, there will be heavy showers and squally thunderstorms over the coast of southern China and the northern part of the South China Sea in the next couple of days,' it said.
RTHK
6 days ago
- RTHK
Europe swelters in worst early-summer heatwaves
Europe swelters in worst early-summer heatwaves Tourists descend from the Acropolis in Athens, Greece, after the site is closed off for the hottest part of the day amid a heatwave. Photo: Reuters Western Europe sweltered through its hottest June on record last month, as "extreme" temperatures blasted the region in punishing back-to-back heatwaves, the EU climate monitor Copernicus said on Wednesday. Globally, this past June was the third warmest on record, continuing a blistering heat streak in recent years as the planet warms as a result of humanity's emissions of greenhouse gases. The previous hottest June was in 2024 and the second hottest was in 2023, the Copernicus Climate Change Service said. Sweltering extremes were particularly pronounced in Europe, which is warming several times faster than the global average. Several countries recorded surface temperatures above 40 degrees Celsius, with heat of up to 46 degrees in Spain and Portugal. Millions of people were exposed to high heat stress across parts of the continent as daily average temperatures in western Europe climbed to levels rarely seen before -- and never so early in the summer. Samantha Burgess, the EU monitor's Strategic Lead for Climate, said the impact of the heatwaves in Europe was "exceptional", intensified by record sea surface temperatures in the western Mediterranean – which hit an all-time daily maximum in June. The two heatwaves – from June 17 to 22, and again from June 30 to July 2 – were linked to heat domes trapping warm air over affected regions, prolonging the stifling weather and worsening pollution and wildfire conditions. Portugal, Spain, France, Italy and much of the Balkans saw some of the hottest "feels-like" temperatures, which measure the impact on the human body by taking into account factors like humidity. Maximum feels-like temperatures north of Lisbon hit 48 degrees, around seven degrees above average and associated with "extreme heat stress", said Copernicus. Sea surface temperatures across the western Mediterranean were "exceptionally high", some five degrees above average in some areas, with temperatures surging to a record 27 degrees on June 30. The higher water temperatures reduced nighttime air cooling along the coasts, contributed to higher humidity, and harmed marine life, Copernicus said. Dangerous heat blanketed parts of the United States, while in China, 102 weather stations logged the hottest-ever June day, with some measuring temperatures above 40 degrees, according to state media. Devastating wildfires blazed across parts of Canada and southern Europe, while deadly flooding swept areas of South Africa, China and Pakistan. (AFP)
