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Attention

Teen dies in flash flood at waterfall in Tamil Nadu, India

The visual showed the level of the waterfall rising and water gushing out vigorously.
The visual showed the level of the waterfall rising and water gushing out vigorously.
A 16-year-old boy died after being washed away in flash floods that hit the Old Courtallam Waterfalls in Tamil Nadu's Tenkasi district on Friday. The incident happened in the evening when several people were bathing in the waterfall. The flash floods took them by surprise after water began to gush out as the level of the waterfall rose.

A search operation was launched to find the missing teenager. A few hours later, his body was recovered from between rocks, a few metres away from the waterfall.

The teenager had gone to the waterfall with his relatives to take a dip.

Visuals showed people running out of the waterfall frantically as its level began swelling.


Fish

Rare deep-sea angler fish found near Cannon Beach, Oregon - 1st time for the state

Rare deep-sea angler fish found near Cannon Beach(Seaside Aquarium)
© Seaside AquariumRare deep-sea angler fish found near Cannon Beach.
A rarely seen deep-sea fish was found on a beach just south of Cannon Beach, the Seaside Aquarium announced Saturday.

According to the aquarium, the angler fish - a Pacific football fish - was found by local beachcombers, and is the first football fish reported found on an Oregon beach. Previously, 31 specimens have been reported found, spread across New Zealand, Japan, Russia, Ecuador, Chile, and in the U.S. - in Hawaii and California.

The fish live in complete darkness around 2,000 to 3,300 feet below the surface.

The aquarium said that, like other angler fish, football fish attract prey using light that shines from a phosphorescent bulb on their forehead, and eat anything that can fit into their mouths.

Only females actively hunt. The males are 10 times smaller than females, which they fuse themselves onto. They lose their eyes and internal organs and get all their nutrients from their female partners. In return, they provide females with a steady source of sperm. How males find females in the pitch dark is not yet known.


Cloud Precipitation

Flood kills at least 80 in Faryab province, Afghanistan

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Recent floods in the Faryab province of Afghanistan have resulted in a significant loss of life, with at least 80 reported deaths, 5 injuries, and 5 individuals missing, according to local sources.

The floods, which occurred last Friday, have devastated several districts, including Bulcharagh, Pashtunkot, Khwaja Sabzposh, Qaisar, and Almar, leaving dozens dead and wounded, as reported by local media outlets in Faryab province.

This comes despite earlier statements by Esmaeil Muradi, the spokesperson for the governor in Faryab, who had informed the press on Saturday that the floods on Friday had resulted in 18 deaths and 2 injuries.

However, the latest reports indicate that the floods in Faryab have claimed the lives of at least 80 individuals, injured five, and left five others missing.


Comment: On the same day in another part of the country just to the south of Faryab province: Flood again wreaks havoc in Afghanistan, another 50 killed in Gor province


Seismograph

Shallow magnitude 6.0 earthquake near Aleutian Islands, Alaska

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A very strong magnitude 6.0 earthquake occurred in the North Pacific Ocean near Amukta Island island, USA, in the early morning of Sunday, May 19, 2024 at 12.35 am local time (GMT -9). The quake had a very shallow depth of 30 km (18 mi) and was not felt (or at least not reported so).

No significant damage or impact is expected from this quake and no particular alert was issued.

Cloud Precipitation

Germany: Floods hit large parts of Saarland

Many roads, including the A620 Autobahn in Saarbrücken, were inundated and closed
© Harald TittelMany roads, including the A620 Autobahn in Saarbrücken, were inundated and closed
Large parts of the German state of Saarland were hit by flooding on Friday. Fortunately, no one has been injured so far, an Interior Ministry spokesman said.

The ministry spoke of a "widespread flooding situation" with a focus on the southeastern part of the state. In the cities, the situation was tense in the state capital of Saarbrücken, in Saarbrücken-Russhütte, in Eppelborn, Neunkirchen, Gersweiler, St. Wendel, Saarlouis and Merzig.

In some places, residents had to be moved from apartments in isolated streets. Some nursing homes, such as one in Marpingen, also had to be evacuated.

Severe rain warnings were in effect for much of the west of the country on Friday, but Saarland ended up bearing the brunt of the downpour.

Due to the severe flooding in Saarland, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz canceled a European Parliament election campaign appointment planned for Saturday in the state. Instead, he will visit parts of Saarland with state Premier Anke Rehlinger to get an idea of the situation on the ground, regional government spokesman Julian Lange said.


Cloud Precipitation

Flood again wreaks havoc in Afghanistan, another 50 killed in Gor province

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Flood has once caused devastation in Afghanistan. At least 50 people have died due to flash floods at many places due to heavy rains in Afghanistan's Gor province. A Taliban official gave this information on Saturday. The official said the death toll was based on preliminary information and could rise. Abdul Wahid Hamas, a spokesman for the governor of Gor province, said dozens of people were missing.

People suffered harm

Abdul Wahid Hamas said thousands of houses and properties were reported damaged in various areas, including the capital Firoz Koh, following Friday's floods. Hamas also reported that the province had suffered significant financial losses due to the destruction of hundreds of hectares of agricultural land due to the floods.


Snowflake Cold

Cold air blob makes 'full tour' of Alaska, prolonging winter weather

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Climate Specialist Rick Thoman said it hasn’t been a typical El Niño winter. Instead, there’s been what he calls a lot of “yo-yo weather.”
A strong parade of storms has been making its way through the northern Pacific Ocean, and the location of the jet stream has produced colder storms for Unalaska and the Aleutian region this spring. That's according to Rick Thoman, a climate specialist at the International Arctic Research Center with the University of Alaska Fairbanks.

"Over the last six weeks, say, the Aleutians have been on the north side of the prevailing storm track, and so on the cold side of the storms," Thoman said. "If the jet stream was say 500 miles farther north, it would still be stormy, but it wouldn't be nearly as cold."

Cold air from above the North Slope brought another round of wintery weather to Western Alaska, the Eastern Aleutians, Kodiak Island and into Southcentral Alaska as well, according to Thoman.

"That was basically a blob of cold air that came down from the high Arctic from north of the North Slope, and it moved southwest through the Bering Strait down through the eastern Bering Sea, and is now actually moving into the western Gulf of Alaska," he said.


Boat

Flash flooding hits eastern France

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A red weather warning - the highest level - has been issued for eastern France after torrential rain and flash flooding hit several towns.

The département of Moselle - along the border with Germany and Luxembourg - has been placed under the highest level of weather alert for flooding.

The alert was issued after 66mm of rain fell in a single morning, causing flooding in several towns that swept away cars and inundated houses.

At 1pm, local emergency crews said they were responding to more than 1,000 calls from 177 different towns and villages and had carried out 400 rescue operations.


Cloud Precipitation

At least 4 dead in Houston after 'exceptionally' strong storm hits Texas: Mayor

A damaged building is shown in the aftermath of a severe thunderstorm that passed through downtown, May 16, 2024, in Houston.
© David J. Phillip/APA damaged building is shown in the aftermath of a severe thunderstorm that passed through downtown, May 16, 2024, in Houston.
At least four people died Thursday after an "exceptionally" strong storm hit Houston, according to Mayor John Whitmire.

Wind gusts reached 78 mph in the area.

Preliminary investigations indicate falling trees caused two deaths and a fallen crane caused one, according to officials.

Urging residents to stay home, Whitmire said the city was in "recovery mode" and schools will be closed in the Houston area on Friday.

More than 788,000 customers are without power in Texas on Friday morning.


Cloud Precipitation

Heavy floods cause chaos in northern Italy

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The rain impacted areas of northern Italy including Milan, Varese and Cremona.

Over 100 firefighters used dinghy boats to evacuate people following the floods.

Travel services were also severely disrupted.


Comment: See also: Flooding hits the city of Milan, Italy