Tag: storm

Deadly storm cuts power to nearly 2 mn people in Russia, Ukraine

  MOSCOW, Nov 27, 2023 (AFP) – Almost two million people in Russia and occupied Ukraine were left without power on Monday, after hurricane force winds and heavy rains cut electricity lines and caused widespread flooding. Huge waves crashed over beachside areas of Russia’s Black Sea coast, video from social media showed, as wind speeds reached over 140 kilometres (about 90 miles) per hour in some places. At least four people were killed during the […]

Storm leaves thousands without power in Crimea

MOSCOW, Nov 27, 2023 (AFP) – Over 400,000 people in Crimea were left without power on Monday, after hurricane force winds and heavy rains battered the Russian-annexed peninsula over the weekend. One local official said a man on the peninsula’s southern coast was killed, according to early reports, while wind speeds of over 140 kilometres per hour (about 90 mph) were recorded in some places. “The man went out to look at the waves and, […]

Ten dead as Storm Ciaran batters Western Europe

BRUSSELS, Nov 3, 2023 (AFP) – At least 10 people were killed as Storm Ciaran battered Western Europe with record winds of up to 200 kilometres per hour, causing travel mayhem with closed ports and flight and rail disruptions. Three people died in Tuscany, Italian authorities announced on Friday, reporting record rainfall and the declaration of a state of emergency. Tuscany governor Eugenio Giani said the three dead included an 85-year-old man who was found […]

Seven dead as Western Europe hit by record winds of Storm Ciaran

BRUSSELS, Nov 2, 2023 (AFP) – Seven people were killed as Storm Ciaran battered Western Europe on Thursday, bringing record winds as high as 200 kilometres per hour, floods, blackouts and major travel disruption. In the Belgian city of Ghent, a five-year-old Ukrainian boy and a 64-year-old woman were killed by falling branches. Falling trees had earlier killed a lorry driver in his vehicle in northern France’s Aisne region, and French authorities also reported the […]

Northwestern Europe on high alert as storm Ciaran approaches

By Jurgen HECKER with Clarisse LUCAS in Rennes, and AFP bureaus PARIS, Nov 1, 2023 (AFP) – Much of northwestern Europe went on high alert Wednesday as a storm dubbed Ciaran threatened to bring gale-force winds and extreme rainfall to the region. Three French departments — Finistere, Cotes-d’Armor and Manche — will be placed on red storm alert, the highest level, at midnight (2300 GMT), national weather agency Meteo-France said. Meteorologists warned that the Ile-de-France […]

Typhoon Saola slams southern China after battering Hong Kong

HONG KONG, Sept 1, 2023 (AFP) – Typhoon Saola roared ashore in southern China early Saturday as a weakened but still dangerous threat that has lashed Hong Kong and forced millions to hunker down for one of the region’s strongest storms in decades. Tens of millions of people across Hong Kong, Shenzhen and other southern Chinese megacities had braced for the menace of a cyclone rated as a super typhoon. And while it delivered a […]

‘Extremely dangerous’ Hurricane Idalia makes landfall on Florida coast

ST. PETERSBURG, United States, Aug 30, 2023 (AFP) – Hurricane Idalia slammed into northwest Florida as an “extremely dangerous” Category 3 storm early Wednesday, as officials warned of catastrophic impacts including storm surges of up to 16 feet (about five meters). Authorities in the southern US state described Idalia and its potentially deadly high surging waters as a once-in-a-lifetime event for Florida’s northwest coast, ordering mass evacuations and issuing flood alerts. The US National Hurricane […]

Florida orders evacuations ahead of ‘extremely dangerous’ Idalia

GAINESVILLE , United States, Aug 29, 2023 (AFP) – Residents along Florida’s west coast were under orders to evacuate Tuesday ahead of Hurricane Idalia’s arrival, as forecasters said the storm was strengthening over an exceptionally warm Gulf of Mexico and would likely become “extremely dangerous” before landfall. Idalia, which the US National Hurricane Center (NHC) said had become a Category 1 hurricane overnight, was churning Tuesday morning hundreds of miles off Florida’s southwest, and bringing […]

Tropical Storm Idalia forms near Mexico, heads to Florida

MEXICO CITY, Aug 27, 2023 (AFP) – Tropical Storm Idalia formed Sunday in the Caribbean, buffeting southeastern Mexico with wind and rain, as forecasters predicted it will strengthen to a hurricane before reaching Florida later in the week. The storm, which is not forecast to make landfall in Mexico, will travel across the Gulf of Mexico before reaching northwest Florida, the US National Hurricane Center said. Idalia will create “increasing risk of life-threatening storm surge […]

Hundreds flee floods as super typhoon brushes past Philippines

MANILA, Aug 27, 2023 (AFP) – More than a thousand people fled their homes as floods unleashed by Super Typhoon Saola swept through mainly rural villages in the northern Philippines, rescue officials said Sunday. Saola brushed past the northeast of the main island of Luzon overnight Saturday and continued south just off the Pacific coast packing winds of up to 185 kilometres (115 miles) per hour, the state weather bureau said. No casualties or substantial […]

Saudi storm brings lightning, fierce winds to Mecca

RIYADH, Aug 23, 2023 (AFP) – Fierce storms closed schools Wednesday in Saudi Arabia’s Mecca region, home to Islam’s the Grand Mosque, which was lashed by heavy rains and wind overnight, witnesses said. As pilgrims tried to circumambulate the Kaaba, the giant black cube towards which all Muslims pray, a bolt of lightning struck the iconic Fairmont Makkah Clock Royal Tower hotel, illuminating the night sky late Tuesday. The storm brought gale force winds exceeding […]

Filipino communities in US Southwest alerted; Hurricane Hilary precautions advised

The Philippine Consulate in Los Angeles is urging all Filipinos in Southern California, Southern Nevada, and Arizona to be prepared for the potential impact of Hurricane Hilary. Consul General Edgar Badajos issued this caution as the hurricane was downgraded to Category 1. Stay informed, check local advisories, and ensure your safety measures are in place. In case of emergency, call the Consulate’s hotline: (213) 2689990. Southern California is under a first-ever tropical storm warning as […]