Hello, and welcome to November! Typically this can be a very active time for us here in Southeast Texas with cold air moving in and interacting with our warm moist Gulf air, forming a secondary severe weather season. Thankfully for us here, our tropical season is done, but that is NOT the case across the globe.

Last week, we covered tornadoes in France and a cyclone striking Bangladesh. This week we’re going to discuss Tropical Storm Nalgae hitting the Philippines, more flooding in Australia and Belize preparing for Hurricane Lisa.

Tropical Storm Nalgae:

Millions across the Philippines have been impacted by heavy flooding due to Tropical Storm Nalgae that has resulted in dozens of deaths. Although the winds were only 46 mph at landfall, the devastation was caused by the influx of water. Due to the terrain of the islands, heavy rainfall triggered mudslides and landslides. Entire towns have been inundated, causing tens of thousands of people to flee to higher ground. In this harrowing video you can see people wading through chest-high waters on the island of Mindanao.

Flooding in Australia:

It was just a few weeks ago when we last discussed flooding in Australia. In October, homes were inundated by swollen rivers, and our friends down under just cannot catch a break. Just this week there have been dozens of water rescues as heavy rainfall has brought intense flooding to New South Wales, a southeastern Australian state. The storms brought intense wind, lightning, but most of all torrential downpours that led the Jounama Dam to overflow. Evacuation orders are still in place today for many communities.

Hurricane Lisa in Belize:

Tropical Storm Lisa formed on Monday at 10 a.m., but by 10 a.m. Wednesday it had strengthened into a Category 1 hurricane as it approached the coast of Belize. Even after just 10 minutes of heavy rainfall, some roads began to flood, like the one in the video below. Over the next 24 hours, Belize will continue to see heavy downpours and intense, hurricane-force winds.

Something good:

It’s time to talk about something good in the weather world! Here in Texas we know all too well that feeling when you FINALLY get rainfall! Our friends out in the San Francisco Bay area had this feeling Tuesday when they saw nearly an inch of rain, a welcome sight for a region struggling with the drought.

Stay safe always,

Caroline