Storms with heavy rains doused the drought-parched US south on Friday, prompting alerts for floods and tornadoes as Post-Tropical Cyclone Olga headed for the Gulf of Mexico coast.
The US National Hurricane Center said that Olga, in the Gulf of Mexico south of Louisiana, would contribute to rainfall that could total 20cm in spots by today.
Neither it nor Tropical Storm Pablo, far out in the Atlantic, was expected to reach hurricane strength.
The US National Weather Service said a cold front moving into the South would collide with Olga to produce rain and possibly worse through much of the weekend.
The powerful storm spawned multiple reported tornados in southwestern Alabama on Friday evening.
The service said a “confirmed large and dangerous” tornado was on the ground in Mobile County.
It was one of several twisters reported on Friday night.
There were no immediate reports of injuries.
WKRG showed viewer-submitted images of homes with damaged roofs and uprooted trees as well as possible tornados in the air.
Alabama Power reported about 2,000 people were without power in the county.
Parts of the central Gulf Coast and Lower Mississippi Valley and western Tennessee Valley could receive as much as 20cm through yesterday morning, forecasters said.
Streets were flooding around New Orleans and metro Birmingham, where about 7.5cm of rain fell Friday morning, and more rain was on the way.
With scores of high-school football games already rescheduled because of the weather, the University of Alabama canceled its homecoming pep rally, bonfire and parade because of the forecast.
Olga had maximum sustained winds of 80kph and was centered about 443km south-southeast of Lake Charles, Louisiana, on Friday night.
It was moving north-northeast at 27kph.
The storm was expected to be a depression over Michigan by this morning.
Officials said Tropical Storm Pablo was a small storm that was moving east-southeast about 460km southwest of the Azores.
No coastal tropical cyclone watches or warnings were in effect.
LIKE FATHER, LIKE DAUGHTER: By showing Ju-ae’s ability to handle a weapon, the photos ‘suggest she is indeed receiving training as a successor,’ an academic said North Korea on Saturday released a rare image of leader Kim Jong-un’s teenage daughter firing a rifle at a shooting range, adding to speculation that she is being groomed as his successor. Kim’s daughter, Ju-ae, has long been seen as the next in line to rule the secretive, nuclear-armed state, and took part in a string of recent high-profile outings, including last week’s military parade marking the closing stages of North Korea’s key party congress. Pyongyang’s official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) released a photo of Ju-ae shooting a rifle at an outdoor shooting range, peering through a rifle scope
India and Canada yesterday reached a string of agreements, including on critical mineral cooperation and a “landmark” uranium supply deal for nuclear power, the countries’ leaders said in New Delhi. The pacts, which also covered technology and promoting the use of renewable energy, were announced after Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney hailed a fresh start in the relationship between their nations. “Our ties have seen a new energy, mutual trust and positivity,” Modi said. Carney’s visit is a key step forward in ties that effectively collapsed in 2023 after Ottawa accused New Delhi
Gaza is rapidly running out of its limited fuel supply and stocks of food staples might become tight, officials said, after Israel blocked the entry of fuel and goods into the war-shattered territory, citing fighting with Iran. The Israeli military closed all Gaza border crossings on Saturday after announcing airstrikes on Iran carried out jointly with the US. Israeli authorities late on Monday night said that they would reopen the Kerem Shalom crossing from Israel to Gaza yesterday, for “gradual entry of humanitarian aid” into the strip, without saying how much. Israeli authorities previously said the crossings could not be operated safely during
Counting was under way in Nepal yesterday, after a high-stakes parliamentary election to reshape the country’s leadership following protests last year that toppled the government. Key figures vying for power include former Nepalese prime minister K. P. Sharma Oli, rapper-turned-mayor Balendra Shah, who is bidding for the youth vote, and newly elected Nepali Congress party leader Gagan Thapa. In Kathmandu’s tea shops and city squares, people were glued to their phones, checking results as early trends flashed up — suggesting Shah’s centrist Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) was ahead. Nepalese Election Commission spokesman Prakash Nyupane said the counting was ongoing “in a peaceful manner”
RSS