Wild World of Weather: Flooding, drought, and a stormy cruise

NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) - In this week’s Wild World of Weather...

Stormy holiday cruise

We start off the east coast where stormy weather rocked a cruise ship over the holiday weekend.

The Carnival “Sunshine” ran into rough seas while returning to port in Charleston.

A non-tropical low-pressure system that was outlined by the National Hurricane Center as an area of interest caused the stormy weather.

Images of the ship depicted destroyed hallways filled with water and floors littered with debris.

Local passenger describes moments aboard the Carnival Sunshine Memorial Day weekend.(Daniel Taylor)

Nevada snowpack melt leads to flooding

In the desert southwest, the record snowpack from this winter is causing summertime problems.

The governor of Nevada declared a state of emergency due to snowmelt flooding across the northern portion of the state.

Temperatures are warming up as we head into the first week of meteorological summer, but the warm weather is leading to “unprecedented” snowmelt after far above-normal snowfall.

The snowmelt is causing mudslides and threatening the region’s infrastructure, rivers, and reservoirs.

Water is shown in an irrigation canal in Fernley, Nev. near Reno on March 18, 2021. A U.S.... — Water is shown in an irrigation canal in Fernley, Nev. near Reno on March 18, 2021. A U.S. appeals court has breathed new life into a rural Nevada's town's unusual bid to halt government repairs to an aging, federal irrigation canal that burst and flooded nearly 600 homes 15 years ago. The town of Fernley, area farmers and ranchers in the high desert 30 miles (48 kilometers) east of Reno say the renovation that finally began this year might help guard against another failure of the 118-year-old earthen canal.((AP Photo/Scott Sonner, File))

Storms cause flooding in West Virginia

More flooding but farther east... West Virginia experienced flash flooding this week.

The water rose for hours before cresting in Green Valley leaving residents trapped in their homes just after sunrise.

Cars and trucks in the area were inundated by floodwaters. Bridges were also submerged by what used to be small creeks.

The National Weather Center said the area of West Virginia received one to five inches of rain in just 24 hours.

One to five inches of rain over the past 24 hours has resulted in areas of flash flooding across southeast West Virginia and southwest Virginia. If you are traveling today, please use caution and never drive across a water covered road. #TurnAroundDon'tDrown. pic.twitter.com/Sd9BPavprD
— NWS Blacksburg (@NWSBlacksburg) May 29, 2023

Drought-ridden Panama

A different problem for Panama as the country experiences intense drought.

Panama’s government has declared a state of emergency as extended drought has led to decreased water levels.

A period of high temperatures and lack of rain due to the incoming El Nino could exacerbate the lack of water for human consumption and agricultural production. Two lakes, Alahajuela and Gatun, provide the majority of the country’s water supply and were mentioned in the statement.

According to the country’s Institute of Meteorology and Hydrology, the region has seen an equivalent to six months of rainfall deficit between 2022 and 2023.

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