In case you missed it: Barry dumps heavy rain over Louisiana, Arkansas; Deadly mudslides kill over 100 in India, Nepal
A camera set up to watch the World Trade Center in New York City, New York caught the best view of the skyscraper getting struck by a powerful bolt of lightning, on July 17.
The first hurricane of the 2019 Atlantic hurricane season dumped heavy rain over Louisiana as it made landfall last weekend as a Category 1 storm. Barry, which pummeled the Louisiana coastline after coming ashore near Intracoastal City around 10 a.m. CDT on Saturday, July 13, only had a short stint at hurricane status as it quickly weakened to a still-powerful tropical storm several hours later.
The storm prompted mandatory evacuations as it moved inland with 70-mph winds on Saturday, and resulted in tornado threats, blocked-off roadways and overtopped levees in Terrebonne and Plaquemines parishes as it triggered a significant flood threat across the lower Mississippi Valley.
Despite losing further strength as it pushed farther inland, Barry continued to drench Louisiana, Mississippi and other states across its path up through the south-central, north-central and northeastern United States during the early and middle parts of the week. In Arkadelphia, Arkansas, the storm dumped 6 inches of rain in just seven hours. First responders performed multiple water rescues, and at least one dog died after floodwaters swamped a local Humane Society.
The top rain report in Louisiana occurred in Ragley, which received 23 inches.
Barry joined Bob (1979), Danny (1997) and Cindy (2005) as the only July hurricanes to make landfall along the Louisiana coast since recordkeeping started in 1851, according to Colorado State University
.
Severe flooding sweeps through Toronto area
The leftover impacts of Barry resulted in the heavy rainstorm that unloaded rain across the Greater Toronto area on Wednesday, resulting in major flooding of a number of highways and streets. Images of roads converted into rivers, vehicles leaking inches of water from inside and subway cars with rainwater dripping from the ceilings circulated on social media. A Toronto Police Twitter account posted an image of a fire truck that had caught fire, possibly due to the storm’s impacts.
Local authorities
due to the rising water levels and urged people to steer clear of shorelines, boardwalks and rivers. Fortunately for Torontonians, the storm was short-lived, the Toronto Sun reported, as the sun began to shine sometime after midday Wednesday while
had passed.
Powerful storms kill 1 in northeastern US
At least one person was killed overnight on July 17 as strong storms overtook parts of the New York City, New Jersey and Connecticut areas on Wednesday, inundating streets and knocking down trees throughout the city, according to CBS New York. Commuters traveling on a W train posted videos to social media of floodwaters pouring in from the open car doors
onto the subway floor below.
A tree struck by lightning toppled onto the roof of 21-year-old Jarrod Marotto’s vehicle as he drove in Fairfield, Connecticut. The crushing impact killed him, police reported. The storms caused traffic nightmares for motorists in places Queens and Jersey City, with drivers coming to a standstill as roads flooded. Some cars were left stranded in inches of water, according to CBS New York.
At least a couple of fires ignited during the storm - one was a transformer fire caused by a tree and utility pole falling over, and the other involved a
along the turnpike in Kearny, New Jersey.
Firefighters rushed to Jackson Heights, where a tree and utility pole toppled onto 93rd Street, and to East Elmhurst for a transformer fire, where flames were shooting from a manhole in the middle of an intersection.
In Kearny, smoke filled the air when a landfill caught fire along the turnpike. The cause was believed to be weather-related after lightning flashed across the area.
Deadly flooding, mudslides impact India, Nepal
Over 100 people were killed in parts of Nepal and northern India this week as heavy rainfall triggered flooding and mudslides across the region. The deadly conditions resulted in more than 1,400 people being rescued from flooded areas, while more than 75,000 are believed to have been displaced.
Flood affected villagers travel on boats near a submerged house in Burha Burhi village east of Gauhati India, Monday, July 15, 2019. After causing flooding and landslides in Nepal, three rivers are overflowing in northeastern India and submerging parts of the region, affecting the lives of more than 2 million, officials said Monday.(AP Photo/Anupam Nath)
Officials reported that over 6.7 people in India suffered direct impacts from flooding, which has left 90% of the famed
in the Golaghat and Nagaon districts of the state submerged, the Assam Ministry of Forest and Environment reported.
AccuWeather meteorologists predict that daily rainfall totals of 2-6 inches (50-150 mm) will remain possible through the weekend, which could trigger new flooding and hinder recovery efforts.
Kid selling cold drinks on hot day gets police attention
It’s not every day that people spot a child holding up a sign that reads “ICE COLD BEER” on a sunny day. It definitely caught the attention of residents - and police - in Brigham City, Utah, on July 16. However, it was all part of the kid’s clever marketing ploy.
Alarmed neighbors alerted police to the age-inappropriate sign, but concern quickly turned into amusement for the officers when they arrived to find that the child had written the word “root” on the sign in tiny letters just above the word “beer”.
He wasn’t selling alcohol - it was just root beer, the officers learned.
“His marketing strategy has resulted in several calls to the BCPD, but apparently, it’s paid off, as business has been good,” Brigham City Police Department posted on Facebook, along with photos of officers posing with the young businessman and his humorous sign.
Multiple AccuWeather staff writers contributed to this story.
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