Welcome to June! This month kicks off Atlantic hurricane season and marks the beginning of meteorological summer. Mother Nature must have gotten the memo, because we have summer temperatures here in Houston and our first tropical storm of the season in the Gulf (not a threat to Texas). Last edition of the blog we discussed devastating Cyclone Mocha and the wildfires across Canada. This week we’re talking about flooding in Spain and Super Typhoon Mawar.

Flooding in Spain:

The only way to get out of a drought is to get rainfall, but unfortunately drought-stricken areas are prone to flooding due to the hard dry ground not being permeable to rainfall. This has been causing issues across Spain this week. Heavy downpours dropped inches of rainfall over a short period of time, which flooded streets, cars and basements. The heavy rainfall caused schools and day care facilities to close due to the risk of commuting.

Ahead of the flooding rainfall, many across southeast Spain saw an ominous warning. Take a look at this time-lapse from the Corvera region of Murcia, a province in southeastern Spain. This is what I call a “SLC” or “scary-looking cloud,” and for good reason! This is a shelf cloud, also known as an arcus cloud associated with a cumulonimbus thunderstorm. If you see these moving in, make sure you have a place to shelter because they bring very bad weather.

Super Typhoon Mawar:

Last week many across the world watched in horror as Super Typhoon Mawar approached Guam. A super typhoon means winds are sustained above 150 mph, which made Mawar the strongest storm this planet has seen so far this year. Thankfully Super Typhoon Mawar took a small turn before hitting the island head on, however, the center of Mawar did pass directly through the northern side of Guam. This happened on May 24, bringing 140 mph winds, 25-foot storm surge, and flooding rainfall. This led to widespread power outages, destroyed homes and stripped trees.

After passing through Guam, Typhoon Mawar continued through the Western Pacific and is now bringing strong winds and heavy rainfall to Japan over the last 72 hours. At least 10 people have been injured in Japan where they are seeing heavy rainfall rates. Japan is at risk of landslides, flooding and high waves.

Something Good:

I love traveling and finding the best time to visit different cities. For example if you’re headed to D.C., try to plan your trip during the Cherry Blossom bloom. If somebody was coming to Texas, I’d suggest visiting during bluebonnet season. One dream of mine is to go to New York City for the “Manhattanhenge.” This is a phenomenon that happens twice a year when the sun sets in alignment with the street grid of Manhattan. It makes for the most spectacular photos and draws enormous crowds. This year the gorgeous sunset glowed behind the cityscape on Memorial Day evening. Check out the view below, and add this to your bucket list!

Stay safe always,

Caroline