storm

Storm Leonardo unleashed more than 40 centimeters (about 16 inches) of rain in 24 hours across parts of the Iberian Peninsula, killing one person in Portugal, forcing thousands from their homes in southern Spain, shutting schools and canceling trains. In Portugal’s Alentejo region, a man in his 60s died after being swept away as he tried to drive through floodwaters near a dam in the municipality of Serpa, a spokesman for the national civil protection authority said. “A vehicle was found with one occupant, so there is one…

LISBON — Portugal braced for another bout of heavy rain and gale-force winds as nearly 200,000 homes and businesses remained without electricity days after Storm Kristin swept the country, killing five people, officials said. The national weather agency, IPMA, placed all of mainland Portugal on alert through Monday for persistent downpours accompanied by gusts up to 100 km/h. With rivers already swollen and soils saturated, authorities warned that the new system could bring flash flooding in urban areas, as well as…

More than 4,000 U.S. flights were canceled and power outages stretched from Texas to Tennessee as a sprawling winter storm barreled across the eastern two-thirds of the country, threatening crippling ice, heavy snow and life-threatening cold through the weekend and into next week. Forecasters warned of snow, sleet and freezing rain across a vast area from the Southern Plains to New England, with the National Weather Service urging residents to “take this storm seriously” and prepare for an “astonishingly long swath” of snow…

Arctic blast and sprawling winter storm set to sweep U.S., threatening crippling ice, travel chaos and power outages Snow has begun falling across parts of Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas in a frosty prelude to a major winter storm expected to merge with bitter Arctic air and engulf much of the United States this weekend from the Rockies to the Eastern Seaboard. Forecasts warn of heavy snow, sleet and freezing rain coupled with dangerously low temperatures that could upend travel and trigger widespread power failures. At least 14…

A massive winter storm is bearing down on the United States with a hazardous mix of freezing rain and heavy snow threatening some 160 million people through the weekend, prompting states of emergency across at least 14 states and Washington, D.C., and warnings of “catastrophic” icy conditions. The National Weather Service said the sprawling system could bring catastrophic ice accumulation capable of downing trees and power lines, leading to long-duration power outages and making travel extremely dangerous or impossible. The…

Storm Goretti battered northern Europe with heavy snow and gale-force winds, knocking out power to hundreds of thousands of homes, closing schools and suspending rail services across France, Britain and Germany as the region endured a week of freezing weather. Emergency crews from the Atlantic coast to the North Sea scrambled to clear downed trees, restore power and keep key corridors open after Goretti slammed into Britain yesterday and moved eastward overnight. France absorbed some of the worst of the impacts as the storm…

KOLKATA, India — Lionel Messi’s much-hyped tour of India lurched into chaos at Kolkata’s Salt Lake stadium after his appearance at a ticketed fan event ended abruptly, triggering unrest in the stands and on the pitch. Police detained the chief organiser, pledged refunds for ticket holders and said the mishandling would not go unpunished. Messi had been scheduled to spend 45 minutes at the event but departed after roughly 20 minutes. Tickets were priced from about 3,500 rupees (approximately €33), more than half the average…

JERUSALEM — Israeli authorities entered the shuttered East Jerusalem compound of the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees, raised Israel’s flag and began seizing equipment in a raid they said was ordered over unpaid municipal taxes — a move the United Nations condemned as a violation of international law. The Jerusalem municipality said tax collectors entered the U.N. Relief and Works Agency’s compound to recover 11 million shekels (€3 million) in property taxes after “repeated requests” and warnings. UNRWA, which Israel has…

At least 11 people, including a 3-year-old child, a 12-year-old boy and a 16-year-old girl, were killed and 14 others wounded when gunmen stormed an illegal shebeen in Saulsville township, west of Pretoria, police said Friday. Police said at least three attackers entered the unlicensed drinking venue and opened fire on a group of people. No arrests have been made and the motive remains unknown, authorities said. “Illegal and unlicensed liquor outlets are a major hotspot for mass shootings,” police spokesperson Brig.…

JAKARTA — The death toll from floods and landslides triggered by a rare tropical storm in the Malacca Strait climbed past 600 on Monday as Indonesia, Thailand and Malaysia struggled to reach tens of thousands of displaced people and account for the missing. Officials reported 435 deaths in Indonesia, 170 in Thailand and three in Malaysia. Separately, Cyclone Ditwah in the Bay of Bengal killed 153 people in Sri Lanka, with 191 others missing and more than half a million affected nationwide, authorities there said. Rescue…