Wild World of Weather: Typhoons, flooding and smoke

NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) - A U.S. territory was struck by a super typhoon this week, severe storms caused flooding across the world and wildfire smoke made for a hazy stretch across parts of the U.S.

Flooding in Italy leads to evacuations

Major flooding has led to mass evacuations in Italy. At least 36-thousand people have been evacuated from the northern Italian region of Emilia Romagna.

Mud covered-fields and inundated vineyards were left behind after the floodwaters receded.

The region’s Civil Protection Agency says the deadly flooding has killed at least 14 people. Cinemas and museums are functioning as evacuation centers as 16 percent of the region’s territory has been evacuated.

Ash covers Italian City

The most active volcano in Europe erupted again on Sunday. Mount Etna spewed grey ash across the area as it came to life.

Ash was scattered onto the city of Catania - the largest city in Eastern Sicily. The airport was forced to shut down due to the conditions.

At least one other town on Mount Etna’s inhabited slopes was blanketed in ash.

School roof collapses in Thailand

Severe weather led to a deadly roof collapse in Thailand.

A thunderstorm moved through a region of Northern Thailand about 185 miles north of Bangkok bringing strong winds. These winds collapsed a metal roof onto a school building. Six people were killed in the collapse, including four children.

The roof fell on the school’s activity center where students had been seeking shelter from the rain. Officials say eighteen people were hospitalized following the tragic incident.

Guam struck by Super Typhoon Mawar

The eastern Pacific tropical season has been well underway and the latest storm is bringing major impacts to an American Territory.

The small island of Guam was in the path of the super typhoon Mawar on Wednesday. High winds, heavy rains, and dangerous storm surge battered the island as the Category 4 storm moved through.

Sustained winds reached 155 miles per hour before the storm approached Guam, but it weakened slightly as it went through eyewall replacement right before reaching the island. Mawar continues to churn in the northern Pacific.

Wildfires continue to ravage Canada

Back in our neck of the woods - Canadian wildfires have been bringing smokey conditions to the states.

Fires continue to burn out of control in Alberta and are producing heavy smoke in the atmosphere. More than 10-thousand people have been forced to evacuate and there is extensive damage to homes and businesses in the region.

Air quality alerts were in place across the US this week as states like Minnesota, Nebraska, Illinois, Wisconsin, Utah, Washington, and Colorado have all reported seeing smoke from the fires.

High water rescue in Idaho

Farther south, flash flooding led to water rescues in Idaho. Young children and a mother had to be saved by the Idaho Falls fire department after their apartment was impacted by the flooding.

Excessive rain caused the waters to rise rapidly into the family’s basement apartment. Footage at the scene depicts a firefighter carrying two small girls out of the window to safety.

The Weather Prediction Center released a mesoscale discussion highlighting the area for flooding potential as training and slow-moving storms move through the area.

The fire department issued a warning to the community to avoid flooded areas.

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