China has seen record-breaking number of high-temperature days since mid-March, official says
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Reuters
3 hours ago
- Reuters
Cold weather and scant rains worry Ivory Coast cocoa farmers
ABIDJAN, Aug 4 (Reuters) - A persistent cold spell across most of Ivory Coast's cocoa-growing regions could jeopardize the development of the next October-to-March main crop, farmers warned on Monday, saying plantations need more sunshine and rain. The world's largest cocoa producer is in the middle of the rainy season, which runs officially from April to mid-November. Rains are typically abundant during this period, but last week were well below average. Farmers told Reuters the crop was developing well at the moment, cautioning that cold weather could prevent trees from reaching their maximum potential. Growers said there was a good mix of small, average and big, almost ripe pods on trees. In some regions, farmers said bean supply was very tight, but that availability would rise from mid-August. Without more rainfall and sunshine in the coming weeks, farmers said some young pods, known as cherelles, could fall from branches, affecting the crop outlook. "Plantations need more rain and sunshine," said Kouassi Kouame, who farms near the western region of Soubre, where just 1.6 millimetres (mm) of rain fell last week, 10.4 mm below the five-year average. Similar comments were reported in the southern regions of Agboville and Divo, and in the eastern region of Abengourou, where rains were well below average. Farmers there said in the next two weeks they were expecting more rain and sunshine that would boost the crop. In the west-central region of Daloa, in the central regions of Bongouanou and Yamoussoukro, where rains were also well below average, farmers said the crop was developing well for now. Farmers added that some growers had started to stockpile the few harvested beans they had, hoping to hold onto them until early October when a new marketing price will be set. They expect the price to be significantly higher than the current 2,200 CFA francs ($3.90) per kg. Farmers said the government would opt for a big price hike in order to encourage growers to vote for it in October's presidential election. "The quantities coming from the bush will increase this month. But very few farmers will want to sell," said Celestin Goli, who farms near Daloa, where 3.4 mm of rain fell last week, 16.1 mm below the average. Weekly average temperatures across Ivory Coast last week ranged from 24.3 degrees Celsius (75 degrees Fahrenheit) to 27.9 C (82 F). ($1 = 564.0000 CFA francs)
The Sun
8 hours ago
- The Sun
Shock moment tourists flee as TORNADO smashes into Italian beach sending parasols flying into the air
THIS is the shocking moment a tornado barrelled into a packed Italian beach - sending parasols hurtling into the sky as panicked tourists ran for their lives. Wild footage captured the terrifying twister tearing across the shore in Maccarese, north of Rome. 3 3 Dozens of stunned sunseekers were seen sprinting across the sand as the swirling column of wind ripped umbrellas out of the ground and flung them into the air like darts. Terrified locals and tourists clutched their bags and beach gear to their chests while desperately fleeing the chaos on Sunday. Sand and parasols swirled high above their heads, creating a dizzying vortex over the beachfront as the tornado carved through the scene. Incredibly, some beachgoers refused to budge — staying glued to their loungers even as the winds whipped towels and belongings across the sand. At least one woman suffered minor injuries, according to local reports, and required medical attention after the whirlwind struck. But the drama was far from over. Around 1pm that same day, another violent weather spectacle was caught on camera off Italy's east coast. A pair of towering waterspouts spun out of a thunderstorm near the Delta del Po, stunning locals and halting boat tours. Watch moment towering waterspout tornado slams into beach sending bathers fleeing running and hurling tables & chairs One tour boat operator paused his excursion to capture the rare double phenomenon which saw the twin columns "dance" across the sea. The Emilia-Romagna Meteo Facebook page later shared the eerie footage, showing the watery spires forming, folding, and merging during the storm. Waterspouts — tornado-like funnels that form over water — aren't unheard of in Europe, with around 500 recorded each year. But locals were warned this week to brace for more. A moderate wind warning was issued by Italy's Meteorological Service on Monday, cautioning residents of "moderate intensity weather phenomena" in the north. Heavy rain and thunderstorms are also forecast to hammer the Marche and Umbria regions through late Monday morning. Last year, a towering waterspout tornado crashed into a packed-out beach on Italy's Adriatic coast. Holidaymakers in Salento were sent into a frenzy as the massive waterspout hurtled toward the San Cataldo, Torre Specchia, and San Foca marinas. Videos showed the menacing spout churning out of dark clouds and charging at the beach, tossing deckchairs, tables and even jet skis into the air. Panic erupted as families bolted from the shoreline. One clip showed beachgoers fleeing up a flight of steps just before the spout slams into the sand, leaving a trail of wreckage behind. Bins, umbrellas, and sunbeds were scattered across the beach like toys. What is a waterspout? A WATERSPOUT is a whirlwind of air and water mist, according to the National Ocean Service. They act in the same way as land tornadoes with them causing paths of destruction and throwing around items. They can form during severe thunderstorms with high winds, strong hail and dangerous lightning. They can reach up to 330ft in diameter and can last for up to an hour, according to experts at National Geographic. A waterspout was even blamed on the Bayesian superyacht tragedy last month. A "Black Swan" sea twister off Sicily caused the yacht to capsize, say reports. Frightening footage emerged of a separate waterspout lashing the Italian coast on the same day the Bayesian sank. A beach in the Basilicata region also showed a twister tear by the sands. Blue skies ominously fade to darkness as it approaches, before holidaymakers run for their lives.
Reuters
8 hours ago
- Reuters
Beijing evacuates residents, expands storm alert as deadly floods keep city on edge
BEIJING, Aug 4 (Reuters) - Beijing had evacuated more than 70,000 residents by Monday afternoon and warned others to brace for a new round of heavy rainfall, a week after catastrophic floods killed dozens in the deadliest deluge to hit the Chinese capital since 2012. Up to 200mm (7.9 inches) of rain could hit parts of Beijing over a six-hour period from midday, weather forecasters warned. The city of 22 million people receives on average 600mm of rainfall each year. The warning comes as authorities rush to reinforce ageing flood defences, fine-tune weather forecasts and update evacuation plans amid reports of bodies being pulled from raging flood waters across the country, including at least three at a wellness camp in Hebei province. At least 44 people died in Beijing after heavy rains from July 23 to 29. Most of the dead were people unexpectedly trapped by rapidly rising waters at a nursing home in Miyun district on the city's northeastern outskirts. The fatalities led authorities to admit to shortcomings in their contingency plans for extreme weather. By noon on Monday, Beijing had placed all of its 16 districts on the highest level of preparedness, in the first citywide state of readiness since July 28, shutting parts of the Great Wall and other outdoor leisure venues and halting operations of below-ground businesses. The risk of flash floods and landslides is "extremely high", authorities said. By 2 p.m. (0600 GMT), the capital had relocated more than 70,000 residents - nearly 14,000 of them from the hilly Mentougou district in the city's west, the state broadcaster reported. In the summer of 2012, 79 people died in Beijing in the city's deadliest flooding in living memory, with the Fangshan district the worst-hit. Beijing's topography has been described by some as a rain "trap", with its mountains to the west and north capturing moist air and amplifying any ensuing rainfall as a result. As of Saturday, torrential rains that swept through "Beijing Valley", a riverside wellness retreat in the Hebei city of Chengde adjacent to Beijing, had claimed three lives, with four still missing, China's state news agency Xinhua reported. Around 40 people had gathered on July 27 for an event at the site, where organisers directed them into tents pitched on low-lying land next to a river bend, Caixin Media reported. By 2 a.m. the next morning, floodwaters had risen to knee height, forcing attendees to scramble towards the camp's only exit. The site bore similarities to Camp Mystic in Texas, where at least 28 children were swept to their deaths last month by floodwaters after the Guadalupe River burst its banks amid torrential rain. In China's southern Guangdong province over the weekend, the bodies of five people were recovered after a large-scale search operation involving more than 1,300 rescuers. The five people, who went missing on Friday night, were swept away by water following heavy rainfall in recent days, Xinhua reported on Sunday.
