Tornado Kills Four in Antalya as Storms Hit Turkey and Greece

Four construction workers died on Tuesday when a tornado formed during an especially intense thunderstorm in Antalya, a coastal city in south-west Turkey. Heavy rain and strong winds are expected to keep affecting parts of south-eastern Europe and Turkey over the next few days.

An area of low pressure over the region has allowed powerful thunderstorms to form. Authorities in Greece and Turkey have issued severe rainfall and flood warnings. A further 100-150mm of rain, nearly 4-6in, is forecast this week for central Greece and western Turkey, with locally higher totals possible.

Cyclone in eastern India

Farther east, Cyclone Arnab came ashore over the Indian regions of Odisha and Andhra Pradesh. Gusts passed 85mph (140km/h), and some areas received more than 200mm of rain. More than 180,000 people were evacuated, and energy and transport infrastructure suffered widespread disruption. The cyclone will weaken as it moves north in the coming days, though it will still bring heavy rain to parts of northern and central India.

Pacific storms

In the western Pacific, Typhoon In-fa was upgraded to a super typhoon on Wednesday. Its sustained winds reach 150mph (240km/h), with gusts above 185mph (296km/h). The storm is moving north-west and is expected to avoid Guam, which was hit by Typhoon Champi earlier this month. In-fa is expected to affect the Mariana Islands, which have already been battered by four super typhoons this year.

Across the Pacific, Tropical Storm Vance has been affecting western Mexico. It has since weakened to a tropical depression but brought heavy rain and dangerous coastal conditions. Sinaloa, Durango and Nayarit recorded 50-100mm of rain, and some areas more than 150mm. The downpours are expected to cause flooding and landslides. Storm swell is creating dangerous surf and rip currents off the coast.

Source: The Guardian