Death toll from Texas floods reaches 80; Trump plans visit
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South China Morning Post
42 minutes ago
- South China Morning Post
Cloud seeding conspiracies swirl after deadly Texas floods
In the aftermath of devastating floods in Texas, social media users have spread misinformation that cloud seeding is to blame. Meteorologists have been quick to debunk the claim, but the rumours underline how weather can be a magnet for conspiracy theories. There was no evidence that weather modification activities caused the extreme rainfall in Texas, which triggered flash flooding on Friday and has claimed at least 100 lives Days before the deluge that brought over a foot of rain, the US National Weather Service warned of locally heavy precipitation in parts of Texas and the Southwest brought by monsoonal moisture, as well as remnants of a tropical storm that made landfall in Mexico the week prior. But on social media, prominent accounts with large followings amplified claims suggesting that the Texas floods may have been caused by cloud seeding, a form of weather modification. A man surveys damage left by a raging Guadalupe River in Kerrville, Texas. Photo: AP By now, it is a familiar pattern: an extreme weather event occurs, and unfounded theories about its cause quickly emerge and spread online. Often, those claims crumble on closer scrutiny of the facts. Similar conspiracies that cloud seeding caused damaging floods across the United Arab Emirates popped up last year – assertions that meteorologists quickly debunked. 'I understand why emotions are running high and people are scrutinising cloud seeding to see if it's to blame,' said Augustus Doricko, Rainmaker Technology Corp. chief executive officer. 'Categorically, it's not.'
RTHK
2 hours ago
- RTHK
Yellow alerts stay up for heatwave and storms
Yellow alerts stay up for heatwave and storms Shanghai residents put cooling gel sheets on foreheads amid a yellow alert for heat. File photo: Reuters The national observatory on the mainland renewed yellow alerts on Tuesday, warning of high temperatures and rainstorms in several regions of the country. During the daytime, parts of regions between the Yellow and Huaihe rivers, the Jianghan Plain, areas south of the Yangtze River, southern China, Chongqing, Guizhou and Xinjiang will experience scorching weather with temperatures reaching over 35 degrees Celsius, according to the National Meteorological Center. High temperatures ranging from 37 to 39 degrees are expected in some of the regions – with certain local areas even set to experience temperatures above 40 degrees, the centre said. It recommended that people take protective measures to prevent excessive sun exposure. It also renewed a yellow alert for rainstorms on Tuesday, saying heavy rains and rainstorms were expected to hit parts of Zhejiang, Fujian, Sichuan, Chongqing, Guizhou, Inner Mongolia, Shaanxi, Shanxi and Yunnan until Wednesday morning. China has a four-tier weather warning system, with red representing the most severe warning, followed by orange, yellow and blue. (Xinhua)
RTHK
7 hours ago
- RTHK
Texas flood toll passes 100 as more bodies recovered
Texas flood toll passes 100 as more bodies recovered Search teams continue searching for flood victims in the aftermath of deadly flooding in Kerr County, Texas. Photo: Reuters The death toll from catastrophic flooding in Texas rose to more than 100 on Monday, as rescuers continued their grim search for people swept away by torrents of water. Among the dead were at least 27 girls and counsellors who were staying at a youth summer camp on a river when disaster struck over the Fourth of July holiday weekend. Forecasters have warned of more flooding as rain falls on saturated ground, complicating recovery efforts involving helicopters, boats and dogs, as the number of victims is expected to rise still. US President Donald Trump is planning to visit Texas on Friday, the White House said, as it slammed critics claiming his cuts to weather agencies had weakened warning systems. "Blaming President Trump for these floods is a depraved lie, and it serves no purpose during this time of national mourning," Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters. She said the National Weather Service, which The New York Times reported had several key roles in Texas unfilled before the floods, issued "timely and precise forecasts and warnings." Trump has described the floods that struck in the early hours of Friday as a "100-year catastrophe" that "nobody expected." The president, who previously said disaster relief should be handled at the state level, has signed a major disaster declaration, activating fresh federal funds and freeing up resources. Kerr County in central Texas has been hardest hit of the counties devastated by the floods, with 56 adults and 28 children killed, according to the local sheriff's office. They include the 27 who had been staying at Camp Mystic, an all-girls Christian camp that was housing about 750 people when the floodwaters struck. In a terrifying display of nature's power, the rain-swollen waters of the Guadalupe River reached treetops and the roofs of cabins as girls at the camp slept. Blankets, teddy bears and other belongings were caked in mud. Windows in the cabins were shattered, apparently by the force of the water. Volunteers were helping search through debris from the river, with some motivated by personal connections to the victims. "We're helping the parents of two of the missing children," Louis Deppe, 62, told AFP. "The last message they got was 'We're being washed away,' and the phone went dead." Months' worth of rain fell in a matter of hours on Thursday night into Friday, and rain has continued in bouts since then. (AFP)
