The torrential rains and landslides during April in northern Pakistan’s resulted in the deaths of more than 140 people and left widespread destruction. It is the second spell of heavy rain this spring in the area and experts say that heavy deforestation and rapid erosion of mountainsides exacerbated the damage.
According to leading environmentalist Malik Amin Aslam, “While climate change is causing the enhanced intensity of rainfall, deforestation is unfortunately abetting the mass scale damage”
As we move into the new week, a dip in the jet stream, or trough, will move into the southwestern U.S. This pattern has repeated itself several times in recent months resulting in many heavy rain and flooding events for parts of Texas.
By midweek the trough will slide into western Texas. Plenty of moisture will once more be transported into Texas from the Pacific Ocean aloft and from the Gulf of Mexico at the surface. The result will be more locally heavy rain and thunderstorms for a significant portion of the Lone Star State.
dohboi wrote:When I use it, the streamflow data seems to go away outside of TX.
LCRA has opened floodgates at Mansfield Dam and Tom Miller Dam. Floodgate operations along the Highland Lakes are underway in response to rain that fell in the upper basin over the last several days.
The Highland Lakes are full and passing excess inflows at all dams. Soils are saturated from widespread rains of about 1 to 2 inches over the Highland Lake watershed the night of May 29-30. Creeks and rivers flowing into the Highland Lakes have risen significantly and are expected to continue to flow at a high rate over the next several days. In accordance with U.S. Army Corps of Engineers protocols for operation of Mansfield Dam, LCRA has initiated floodgate operations. Forecasts and operational plans for the Highland Lakes dams are likely to continue to change with the changing conditions and with significant additional rainfall in the forecast.
At Mansfield and Tom Miller Dams - On Monday, May 30 LCRA opened three floodgates at Mansfield Dam in addition to ongoing releases of water through hydroelectric generation to release excess flood water from Lake Travis. One floodgate was opened at Mansfield Dam every two hours beginning at 5 p.m. (5 p.m., 7 p.m. and 9 p.m.). Downstream at Tom Miller Dam, LCRA opened three floodgates to pass the water released from Mansfield Dam.
At Buchanan and Inks Dams - At 4 a.m. on Monday, May 30, the partially opened gate in the 14-gate section of Buchanan Dam was fully opened to pass increased inflows due to overnight rains. Downstream at Inks Dam, the additional releases from the floodgate caused Inks Lake to gradually rise to about two feet above the spillway of Inks Dam, as it is designed to do during period of heavy flow. Inks Dam has a designated spillway, but no floodgates.
At Wirtz and Starcke Dams - At 8 a.m. on Monday, May 30, LCRA partially opened one floodgate at Wirtz Dam to pass inflows from the Llano River and Colorado River. The additional releases from Wirtz Dam prompted LCRA to partially open one floodgate downstream at Starcke Dam shortly after at about 8:30 a.m.
The releases from Mansfield and Tom Miller dams will flow downstream gradually over the next week and are not expected to worsen current flooding along the Colorado River downstream of Austin. Intense thunderstorms developed over much of Texas Thursday night through Friday morning, May 26-27, with some areas in the lower Colorado River basin receiving 8 to 11 inches of rain. The rain caused flooding along the lower Colorado River downstream of Austin. By Sunday morning, flood levels along the river had started to fall from Bastrop to Columbus. River levels are forecast to continue to rise at Wharton and Bay City over the next few days as floodwaters from the recent rains flow downstream. See the River Levels and Forecasts section below for the latest updates.
Unscheduled releases from the Highland Lakes dams may occur at any time to safely move floodwaters downstream. People should exercise caution and avoid being in the water near the dams at all times.
LCRA encourages the public to be alert to local conditions and be prepared to take protective actions. When flash flooding occurs, avoid unnecessary travel. If you must travel, don't drive into flooded roadways. Remember "Turn around, don't drown."
dohboi wrote:Again, stay safe. Can we ask what part of Texas you're in?
FORT HOOD, Texas (KWTX) Three soldiers who were in an Army truck that overturned at a low water crossing near Lake Belton died Thursday, three were rescued and a search is still underway for six others, Fort Hood said early Thursday evening.
Rescue crews responded at around 11:20 a.m. Thursday after the light medium tactical vehicle overturned at the Owl Creek Tactical low-water crossing and East Range Road, the post said.
“Three confirmed deceased Soldiers were recovered from the water downstream from the vehicle,” the post said.
“The search is ongoing for six Soldiers from the 3rd Battalion, 16th Field Artillery Regiment, 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division,” the post said.
The driver escaped unharmed, but the truck was left almost submerged.
Many of the most important sites in the French capital sit right off the river, including the National Assembly, the French Foreign Ministry and the Eiffel Tower.
As of Thursday afternoon, Paris’s two most famous museums were not taking any chances with the priceless treasures they hold.
The Louvre Museum — the storied home of the Mona Lisa and the largest art gallery in the world — began evacuating certain pieces from its collections held underground. The museum stretches directly along the Seine for several city blocks.
The works in vulnerable locations will be evacuated to higher levels as the Louvre responds to rapidly rising floodwaters in the French capital, according to the famed museum
Directly across the river, on the Left Bank, sits the Orsay Museum, a 19th-century train station that now holds the world's most extensive collection of Impressionist and post-Impressionist art.
On Thursday, the Orsay closed early and said in a statement that a “crisis management team” had been organized to move some of its most important pieces if the river rises above 18 feet.
“The museum has already transferred a good part of its reserves in outside storage buildings, as part of a prevention plan,” the statement said.
Some experts have estimated that by Friday, the Seine could rise by 18.4 feet.
The downpours are forecast to continue through the weekend, following days of heavy rains that have proved deadly in France and Germany.
France is to declare a state of natural disaster for the areas worst affected by flooding, French President Francois Hollande told French media Thursday -- a move that will release emergency funds to local authorities.
Meteo-France, France's national meteorological service, said the worst-affected waterway was the Loing River, a tributary of the Seine.
Waters from the Loing flooded the streets of Nemours, a town about 80 kilometers (50 miles) south of Paris, on Thursday.
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