In a rarity,  more than 300 homes and almost an entire town was destroyed by an apparent tornado.  The tornado destroyed 80 percent of the homes in a German settlement Colonia Neufeld in Caazapá and about 70 percent of the homes in the settlement of Loma Hovy were destroyed.  Paraguay’s meteorology agency has not confirmed that the damage was from a tornado but said wind were between 90 and 125 miles per hour.  No fatalities or injuries were reported after the storm.

https://weather.com/news/news/paraguay-tornado-impacts

Raleigh North Carolina has experienced record setting rainfall for the past few days causing major flooding in the Raleigh area.  A body was found in the Neuse River near Raleigh on Tuesday April 25.  Transportation officials said that there have been over 100 road closures throughout the state.  One of the hardest hit areas is Crabtree creek which is just north of downtown Raleigh.  Water rose over 17 feet in 24 hours, entering businesses and homes.  The National Weather Service issued a flash flood emergency for Wake County, NC due to the numerous flooded roads.  According to the Associated Press around 2,700 people were without power as of Tuesday morning.

https://weather.com/news/news/raleigh-north-carolina-flash-flood-25apr17

Unusually warm temperatures are expected throughout the Ohio Valley, Mid-Atlantic, and Northeast in the remaining days of April as they reach into the high 80’s.  Some cities may be 10 – 20 degrees (F) above average for this time of year, and Washington DC and Philadelphia could record their first 90 degree day of the year already.  A northward “bulge” in the jet stream is the cause for this unusual warmth

In the western mountains, residents will be experiencing snow, especially in Colorado, Wyoming and northern New Mexico.  Although it is not uncommon for Colorado to have snow during April (usually accumulates about 7 inches during the month of April), the state has only gotten 0.1 inches so far, so the incoming 7 inches will be a lot to handle in the next couple days.

Severe thunderstorms are forecast along Central and Southeast for the weekend and heavy rain may potentially lead to flooding in the Central Plains and Midwest.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/weather/2017/04/25/crazy-april-weather-way-summerlike-warmth-east-snowy-west/100880182/

The storm happened  today in the morning .  Several homes southwest of Adair saw downed trees and debris scattered over their properties.  No injuries or deaths have been reported.  62 homes are  still without power due to the storm and have lost power for about 10 hours.

Sources: http://www.kjrh.com/news/local-news/storm-causes-damage-in-adair

I know this isn’t exactly a natural hazard, but it is about the effects a large natural hazard like Cyclone Debbie can have on the ecosystems they hit.

The Great Barrier Reef has had a rough few decades, and it just can not seem to catch a break. Runoff pollution from the heavy rains of Cyclone Debbie flooded into parts of the reef, smashing corals and eroding away an already dying ecosystem.

The flood water created a “brown veil of sludge” which drifted 18.5km out to sea, as well as over parts of the Reef. The sediment in this sludge is known to “harm coral and sea grass by restricting light.” The sediments also carry “large loads of harmful nitrogen”. This kills off the plant life, which in turn will kill off any animal life who relies on the ecosystem to survive. Scientists say that state and federal governments need to take action to rebuild the river banks and mouths to prevent further flooding, and do whatever they can to build up the Reef.

https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2017/apr/11/run-off-pollution-from-cyclone-debbie-flooding-sweeps-into-great-barrier-reef

Pre-monsoon rains have caused landslides that have cut Mizoram, India off from the rest of the country. These landslides blocked the National Highway 54, successfully preventing people from entering the state. The landslides are the result of a week long constant rain, which is not even part of the typical monsoon rains. Landslides occurred in the southern part of Mizoram, a north eastern state whose capital, Aizawl was also impacted by these landslides. The damage thus far includes downed communication lines, and a collapsed three story building. No news on any deaths or injuries.

These landslides are clearly a result of the lack of cohesion of whatever kind of sediment surrounds the state of Mizoram. THis article though leaves me with several questions. What I am most curious about is where exactly this city is located, and what the topography of the region is. I wonder if there was a way this could have been prevented and if events like these are typical in this area. I know that many places in India are extremely poor, and there is probably a good chance that the people in this state can not afford to put into place many mitigation efforts even if they know that they need them. Lastly I do not even want to think about the implications this event has on the incoming monsoon rains and what kind of damage they will no be able to cause because of the already weakened, saturated soil. We will just have to see what events transpire after this one.

http://indianexpress.com/article/india/landslides-after-heavy-pre-monsoon-rain-in-mizoram-4627437/

Today, April 25th, 2017, torrential rain triggered widespread flash flooding that swamped homes and businesses, shut down roads and stranded vehicles.  Over 100 roads are officially closed off across the state; some of them were reopened by the afternoon.  Crabtree Creek was among the hardest hit areas, which accumulated over 17 feet of water since Monday morning.  Students of Vernon Malone Career and College Academy and Southeast Raleigh High School were evacuated by 10:00 AM.  About 2,700 Duke Energy customers are without electricity according to the Associated Press.

This flash flood has has rainfall which exceeded that of Hurricane Matthew In early October of 2016 for the Raleigh metro area.  The rain was supposed to end by late Tuesday, as the low-pressure system moves up the East Coast.

https://weather.com/news/news/raleigh-north-carolina-flash-flood-25apr17

Violent storms and flash flooding will strike the south-central United States from late Friday to through Sunday and may hit some neighborhoods at night.  The storms happening at night drastically increases the vulnerability of the people in those areas.  These storms could include heavy rain, large hail, tornadoes, and high winds.  “The most dangerous aspect from this particular severe weather event will be for powerful, nocturnal thunderstorms Friday night and Saturday night,” according to AccuWeather Storm Warning Meteorologist Richard Schraeger.  Some locations from the southern plains to the middle and lower Mississippi valley will be hit by excessive rainfall that could cause flash flooding.

http://www.accuweather.com/en/weather-news/central-us-violent-storms-flash-flooding-may-strike-at-night-adding-to-dangers-this-weekend/70001492

Climate change is altering the state of the arctic faster than we are expecting and evidence is showing that it is currently being pushed into a new state. This source reported that temperatures are steadily rising and also ice is melting onto the land and into the sea. It also reported that if we continue global warming and even if we try to keep it below the expected threshold, then we are still looking at permanent damage. This is going to result in a drastic change in sea heights and they will rise dramatically.

http://www.livescience.com/58830-climate-change-altering-arctic-faster.html

April 20th marked the hottest April day for New Delhi since 2010 with temperatures reaching 109.8 F at Safdarjung Airport and 112.8 F at the Indira Gandhi International Airport.  The heat is expected to fade a bit early this week but will return later in the week.  Temperatures of 100-105 F are expected in New Delhi through Thursday.  Heat waves happen every year in India but the early onset and persistence of this heat wave is very worrisome.  Millions of residents and animals are at risk of dehydration, heat exhaustion, and heat stroke.  Real relief from the heat isn’t expected until early June when the Monsoon season arrives.

http://www.accuweather.com/en/weather-news/india-heat-to-briefly-fade-in-new-delhi-after-city-endures-hottest-april-day-since-2010/70001464