Day: January 18, 2022

Tropical Storms – Roundup of Tropical Storms:

There are no current tropical storms.

NewsBytes:

Madagascar – Disaster authorities in Madagascar report at least 10 people have lost their lives after heavy rainfall caused floods and landslides in Analamanga Region, including the capital Antananarivo. Heavy rain struck during the night of 17 January 2022. Antananarivo recorded over 75mm of rain in 24 hours to 18 January 2022. Water authorities issued red alert warnings due to high levels of the Sisaony river, which jumped 68 cm in half an hour to reach 2.09 metres at the Andramasina station. Levels of the Ikopa and Mamba rivers are also high.

Uruguay – Residents evacuated their homes and cars were swept along city streets in Montevideo, capital of Uruguay, after torrential rain caused flash floods on 17 January 2022. The flooding was the result of “an extraordinary meteorological event” with between 90 and 150 mm of rain falling in just 1 hour early on 17 January. The city’s average monthly rainfall for January is 92 mm. The heavy rain was accompanied by strong winds which downed trees and power lines, leaving 20,000 without electricity across the region. Traffic and public transport were severely disrupted.

South Africa – Heavy rainfall has caused severe flooding in parts of Ladysmith and other areas in KwaZulu-Natal, forcing businesses and schools to close, while trapping people in homes submerged in water.

Lightning Strike Burst

The massive underwater Hunga Tonga volcano that erupted near Tonga in the South Pacific on January 14 triggered almost 7 hours of lightning as well as a tsunami. A ground-based lightning detection system recorded nearly 400,000 strikes with 200,000 occurring in a one-hour period. For comparison, a severe lightning bust in northern California might have hundreds or a few thousand strikes. The ash cloud reached at least 60,000 feet with some reports saying the initial plume reached 100,000 feet, three times the altitude of commercial airliners.