NHC says Erin to become hurricane this week in the Central Tropical Atlantic
The storm is located about 2,020 miles (3,255 km) east of the Northern Leeward Islands, packing maximum sustained winds of 45 mph (75 kmh).
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The Independent
an hour ago
- The Independent
Residents evacuate amid urgent warnings glacial lake will flood city
Juneau, Alaska 's capital, is bracing for what authorities warn could be record-breaking floodwaters, as a glacial outburst from the Mendenhall Glacier threatens sections of the city. Residents in affected areas have begun evacuating, heeding urgent warnings. The deluge, caused by rainwater and snowmelt accumulating behind a basin dammed by the Mendenhall Glacier, began escaping the ice dam Tuesday morning. Flooding is anticipated to continue into Wednesday, impacting homes situated along the Mendenhall River and near Mendenhall Lake. The Mendenhall Glacier, a popular tourist attraction, lies about 12 miles (19 kilometers) from Juneau, a city of 30,000 people. Its proximity means that many properties on the city's outskirts are directly in the path of the glacial outburst. The National Weather Service predicts the flooding will peak between 8am and noon Wednesday. Nicole Ferrin, a meteorologist with the service, said: "This will be a new record, based on all of the information that we have." Flooding from the basin has become an annual concern since 2011, and in recent years has swept away houses and swamped hundreds of homes. Government agencies installed temporary barriers this year in hopes of protecting several hundred homes in the inundation area from widespread damage. The flooding happens because a smaller glacier near Mendenhall Glacier retreated — a casualty of the warming climate — and left a basin that fills with rainwater and snowmelt each spring and summer. When the water creates enough pressure, it forces its way under or around the ice dam created by the Mendenhall Glacier, enters Mendenhall Lake and eventually flows down the Mendenhall River, as it did Tuesday. Before the basin began overtopping, the water level was rising rapidly — as much as 4 feet (1.22 meters) per day during especially sunny or rainy days, according to the National Weather Service. The city saw successive years of record flooding in 2023 and 2024 — with the river last August cresting at 15.99 feet (4.9 meters), about 1 foot (30 centimeters) over the prior record set a year earlier — and flooding extending farther into the Mendenhall Valley. This year's flooding was predicted to crest at between 16.3 and 16.8 feet (4.96 to 5.12 meters). In 2024, nearly 300 homes were damaged. A large outburst can release some 15 billion gallons of water, according to the University of Alaska Southeast and Alaska Climate Adaptation Science Center. That is the equivalent of nearly 23,000 Olympic-size swimming pools. During the 2024 flood, the flow rate in the rushing Mendenhall River was about half that of Niagara Falls, the researchers say. City officials responded to concerns from property owners this year by working with state, federal and tribal entities to install a temporary levee along roughly 2.5 miles (4 kilometers) of riverbank in an attempt to guard against widespread flooding. The 10,000 'Hesco' barriers are essentially giant sandbags intended to protect more than 460 properties completely during an 18-foot (5.5-meter) flood event, said emergency manager Ryan O'Shaughnessy. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is at the start of what is expected to be a years-long process of studying conditions in the region and examining options for a more permanent solution, such as a levee. The timeline has angered some residents, who say it is unreasonable. Outburst floods are expected to continue as long as the Mendenhall Glacier acts as an ice dam to seal off the basin, which could span another 25 to 60 years, according to the university and science center researchers.
Reuters
3 hours ago
- Reuters
Typhoon Podul slams into southern Taiwan, hundreds of flights cancelled
TAIPEI, Aug 13 (Reuters) - Typhoon Podul hit Taiwan's sparsely populated southeast coast on Wednesday packing winds of up to 191 kph (118 mph), as a large swathe of southern and eastern parts of the island shut down and hundreds of flights were cancelled. Taiwan is regularly hit by typhoons, generally along its mountainous east coast facing the Pacific. Podul slammed into the southeastern city of Taitung around 1 p.m. (0500GMT), Taiwan's Central Weather Administration said. "Destructive winds from typhoon expected. Take shelter ASAP," read a text message alert issued to cellphone users in parts of Taitung early on Wednesday. The alert warned people of gusts above 150 kph (93 mph) in the coming hours. Nine cities and counties announced the suspension of work and school for Wednesday, including the southern metropolises of Kaohsiung and Tainan. In the capital Taipei, home to Taiwan's financial markets, there were blustery winds but no impact. Authorities are also working to evacuate those whose homes were damaged by a July typhoon that brought record winds and damaged the electricity grid in a rare direct hit to Taiwan's west coast. The government said more than 5,500 people had been evacuated ahead of the typhoon's arrival. All domestic flights were cancelled on Wednesday - 252 in total - while 129 international ones were axed too, the transport ministry said. Taiwan's two main international carriers China Airlines ( opens new tab and EVA Air ( opens new tab said their cancellations were focused on routes out of Kaohsiung, with some flights from the island's main international airport at Taoyuan stopped as well. After making landfall, the storm is expected to hit Taiwan's much more densely populated western coast before heading for China's southern province of Fujian later this week. As much as 600 mm (24 inches) of rain was forecast in southern mountainous areas over the next few days, the Central Weather Administration said. More than a year's rainfall fell in a single week this month in some southern areas, unleashing widespread landslides and flooding, with four deaths.
The Independent
8 hours ago
- The Independent
Residents in Alaska's capital urged to evacuate over flooding from melting glacier
Hundreds of residents in Alaska 's capital of Juneau have been urged to evacuate over an imminent glacial flood threat. On Tuesday, Juneau officials said on Facebook that there was a glacial outburst at Suicide Basin, a side basin of the Mendenhall Glacier above Juneau, according to the National Weather Service. As the Mendenhall Glacier recedes in a warming climate, the basin has released glacier lake outburst floods that have caused an overflow of water along Mendenhall Lake and River every year since 2011. 'The basin is releasing and flooding is expected along Mendenhall Lake and River late Tuesday through Wednesday,' Juneau officials wrote in Tuesday's post. 'Residents are advised to evacuate the potential flood inundation area.' The Anchorage Daily News reported that more than 1,000 residents and businesses were placed under the evacuation alert. The National Weather Service has issued a flood warning until Thursday at 8 a.m. local time. The Mendenhall River is currently at 9.85 feet, and the major flood stage for the river is 14 feet. The service warned the river will crest at 16.6 feet at around 4 p.m. Wednesday. This forecasted flooding could break a record, which was set when the Mendenhall River crested at 15.99 feet in August 2024. Alaska Governor Mike Dunleavy has issued a disaster declaration in response to the imminent glacial flood threat. 'By issuing this declaration before the flood occurs, we can position state resources and personnel in advance to support local and tribal governments in their efforts to protect lives, homes, and essential services,' Dunleavy said in a statement. 'Our goal is to act early to reduce impacts and preserve community safety.' The imminent record-breaking flood this summer follows two years of severe flooding, according to a press release from Alaska's Department of Military and Veterans Affairs, which announced Dunleavy's declaration. After last year's devastating flooding, which damaged homes and public infrastructure, two miles of flood control barriers along the Mendenhall River were installed. 'I really do feel like we are prepared this year,' Juneau Manager Katie Koester told The Washington Post. 'I'm really hoping that we'll have a success story by Thursday.'
