Seven Injured as Heavy Rains Flood Northeast Spain
Heavy Rains Injure Seven in Northeast Spain
Heavy rain battered northeast Spain, flooding streets, trapping people in cars and injuring at least seven people, officials said Saturday. [3] The downpour created hazardous conditions that left residents dealing with waterlogged roadways and vehicles stranded in rising water. [3] This event forms part of a broader pattern of severe weather affecting multiple regions, with heavy rains causing at least seven injuries in northeast Spain while severe thunderstorms, flooding and prolonged heatwaves impacted parts of the United States and Europe. [3]
Severe Thunderstorm Warning Issued in Oklahoma
The National Weather Service in Norman issued a Severe Thunderstorm Warning for northwestern Seminole County in east central Oklahoma and northwestern Pottawatomie County in central Oklahoma until 7:30 a.m. CDT. [1] At 6:47 a.m. CDT a severe thunderstorm was located near Shawnee and moving southeast at 15 mph. [1] The warning specified hazards of ping-pong ball size hail and 60 mph wind gusts based on radar indications. [1] Impacts included potential injuries to people and animals outdoors along with hail damage to roofs and siding. [1]
Ongoing Minor Flooding in Ohio River Areas
Minor flooding is occurring and forecast along the South Fork Licking River near I-70 near Buckeye Lake in Ohio until this evening. [2] At a stage of 881.0 feet the Route 79 eastbound exit is likely closed due to high water with water also encroaching onto the edge of the eastbound outer lane of Interstate 70. [2] A separate flood warning continues for the South Fork Licking River near Hebron where minor flooding is occurring and forecast until this afternoon. [5] At 7:15 a.m. EDT Saturday the stage was 11.3 feet and the river is expected to fall below flood stage late this morning and continue falling. [5] At 11.0 feet minor flooding along Ridgely Tract Road occurs. [5]
Prolonged Heatwaves Disrupt Life in Sicily
Five years after Floridia recorded Europe’s highest temperature prolonged heatwaves are emptying its streets disrupting local traditions and placing growing pressure on agriculture and beekeeping. [4] The August 2021 record of 48.8 degrees Celsius turned the Sicilian town into a symbol of Europe’s warming climate. [4] In 2024 the World Meteorological Organization certified it as the highest temperature ever recorded in continental Europe. [4] Increasingly frequent and prolonged heatwaves are driving people indoors leaving streets and piazzas deserted and prompting some residents to compare the extreme heat to a new form of lockdown. [4] Piazza del Popolo long Floridia’s social hub and lined with cafes palm trees and municipal buildings is nearly empty for much of the day. [4] The heat lingers well into the evening disrupting a cherished local tradition known as ‘pigghiari u frescu’ when families pull kitchen chairs outside their homes to catch the breeze and socialize. [4] “It’s awful because many people end up shut indoors. In a way we are all experiencing another kind of lockdown” Floridia’s culture councillor Serena Spada told Reuters. [4] “Even people with small children find themselves in this situation. Children cannot go to the park or play outside because until late afternoon temperatures are genuinely hostile.” [4] A resident described struggling to breathe during a walk and thinking “I could die here in the street with no one around to help me.” [4]
Rising Average Temperatures and Agricultural Strain
Climate scientists say individual extremes are less significant than the steady rise in average temperatures. [4] Reuters Climate Monitor data showed Floridia reached 33.3 C on August 12 2026 4.1 C above the average for the 1961-1990 historic norm. [4] “It is really the increase in average temperatures that worries us” SIAS director Luigi Pasotti said. [4] “We are no longer talking about extreme temperature peaks lasting one or two days as happened in 2021. We are talking about entire weeks even months during which temperatures remain consistently high.” [4] Night-time temperatures are climbing too leaving little respite from the daytime heat. [4] “This year in particular we are recording exceptionally high numbers of tropical nights in some parts of Sicily as well as super-tropical nights” Pasotti said. [4] In 2021 more than 3,000 beehives were lost in the area of Floridia and honey production plunged by 80 percent. [4] “The decline in bee populations and the number of beekeepers together with the loss of pollinators due to climate change and the widespread use of pesticides is leading to a reduction in biodiversity and lower quality and yields in agricultural production” agronomist Francesco Bellomi said. [4] Beekeeper Francesco Pappalardo noted “There’s much more concern about getting through the summer than there used to be. The heat can cause individual colonies to collapse and sometimes entire apiaries can be lost as happened to me in previous years.” [4]
What to watch next: Forecasters will monitor whether the South Fork Licking River near Buckeye Lake and near Hebron drops below flood stage as projected while residents in Floridia continue to face extended periods of high heat that keep streets empty and strain local agriculture and beekeeping.
