Magnitude 5+ Earthquakes – Global
5.0 Earthquake hits eastern New Guinea, Papua New Guinea.
5.0 Earthquake hits the Ryukyu Islands off Japan.
Storms and Floods
Tropical Storms – Roundup of Tropical Storms:
In the Atlantic Ocean: Post Tropical Cyclone Ophelia is located about 220 mi…355 km SW of Mizen Head Ireland with maximum sustained winds…85 mph…140 km/h. Present movement…N or 10 degrees at 44 mph…70 km/h.
In the Western Pacific Ocean: Tropical Depression 24w (Khanun), located approximately 195 nm east-southeast of Hanoi, Vietnam, is tracking southwestward at 03 knots.
Tropical storm 25w (Lan), located approximately 220 nm west-northwest of Yap, FSM, is tracking west-northwestward at 11 knots.
Newsbytes:
Ireland – Ireland has ordered all schools to close on Monday as the country braces for an “unprecedented storm” with the arrival of Ophelia, the largest hurricane ever recorded so far east in the Atlantic Ocean. Heavy rain and storm surges are expected to lead to flooding.
Chicago, USA – Storms poured more than five inches of rain on some parts of the Chicago area Saturday as inclement weather brought damaging winds and heavy downpours flooding some areas.
La Nina – La Nina, the cooler sibling of El Nino, is likely to form over the next few months, federal government forecasters said this week. Specifically, there’s a 55 to 65 percent chance that a La Nina will develop during the fall and winter, the Climate Prediction Center said.
Wildfires
Wildfires – Portugal and Spain
Three people have been killed in Portugal as the country is hit by a record number of forest fires, and three more have died in Spain where blazes sparked by arsonists have been fanned by strong winds from Hurricane Ophelia.
In total, about 440 fires were burning across Portugal on Sunday, which is “the worst day since the beginning of the year”, according to a spokesperson for the national civil protection agency.
In addition to the three dead, about 25 people had been injured, with thousands of firefighters deployed and three motorways, including one linking Lisbon and Porto, closed.
Wildfires – California
The wildfires that erupted last weekend have killed at least 40 people and destroyed at least 5,700 homes and other structures. As of Sunday, roughly 75,000 people were under evacuation orders, down from nearly 100,000 the day before. In all, 17 large fires are still burned across the northern part of the state, with more than 10,000 firefighters attacking the flames using air tankers, helicopters and more than 1,000 fire engines.
Disease
Malaria – South Africa
Management at Kruger National Park is advising visitors to the Park about the risk of malaria and precautionary measures to be taken. Although there is some risk throughout the year, the annual high malaria season (September to May) has started, and above-average numbers of cases have been reported from areas surrounding the Park.