Image: Typhoon INFA over China showing the lights of Tokyo where the world is gathered to celebrate youth & excellence and the unity of the nations of the world at the Olympics.
Here we see Japan again and tropical storm #Nepartak which is on route towards the Olympics.
#Nepartak is a child of #INFA's gyre and you can see an atmospheric river coming from #INFA's outflows which leads directly to her.
This weekly thread is the sequel to the daily threads published April-July in solidarity with the efforts to complete the 2nd filling of the #GERD dam under difficult circumstances.
There hasn't been a clear view of the #GERD in the past week sadly, just a glimpse.
Today's picture showing the big picture. 1. The Indian Monsoon is still sending a lot of moisture west. 2. #ArabianStorms continue on a daily basis 3. The Ethiopia Highlands rains remain intense.
Here we see a 10 day animation of PWAT over North Africa from the CMC model.
Today's 10-Day Rainfall forecasts for North Africa from July 25th through August 3rd.
GFS, ECMWF, CMC and KMA models.
48-hour #NorthAfrica rainfall forecasts (today and tomorrow from the same 4 models).
Finally for #NorthAfrica we have the long-range 16-day (GFS) and 12-day (KMA) forecasts
A 24 hour animation of clouds and storms over the Arabian Peninsula and Horn of Africa today.
This is a new plot, a ten day Ethiopian Precipitable water forecast. This forecasts the quantity of water that is in the atmosphere over the #HornOfAfrica, this is where the rainfall comes from. There is a correlation between presence of water and rainfall intensity.
This PWAT forecast from the same model (Australia's ACG model) shows a wider view including the source of the water the Indian Monsoon.
It suggests rainfall will be heaviest over the next few days and decline at the beginning of next week.
48 Hour forecasts (today and tomorrow) from the same three models.
NOTE: The ten day forecasts suggest the levels of rain over Ethiopia's Highlands will continue at their intensity of roughly 1 inch per day across the entire catchments.
Rainfall over this period in the Arabian Peninsula is as far as I am aware unprecedented and almost certainly a sign of climate change in the region.
In the Nile basin rainfall has been unusually widespread, intense, has continued through the night.
It is probable this is the reason for the unusually high flows reported by Sudan at the Merowe dam this week. There is a high risk that significant Nile flooding may occur this year, especially if this pattern continues. This has all the hallmarks of an extreme weather event.
That said I am not a meteorologist and have no access to the flow data which is a much better way to understand the level of threat this poses. @TirusewAsefa may be able to help with this.
For some time I have been concerned about the very high levels of the Aswan Dam.
Here we see satellite images, left today, and right 25th of June. I have no expertise in reading these images but they may show that the dam level has been reduced to enhance the dam's capacity to manage the flow surge which is coming Egypt's way.
The final forecast segment addresses the #MiddleEast.
July 25th 10-Day accumulated rain forecasts for the #MiddleEast from the GFS, CMC, KMA & ACG weather models.
Translation: According to a United Nations report, climate change has killed more than one million people in the past 50 years. Our world is getting warmer by the day and these heavy rains are a sign of climate change.
Ok. So here's some more content that you probably won't want to see... but again its interesting as it reveals I think the TPLF current thinking.
Matt Bryden is a "senior strategic advisor" and director at Sahan, a private intel firm which works on Horn issues.
In a former life Canadian Bryden worked for the UN. But was sacked in 2012 for "lack of professionalism and political bias .... severely undermining the credibility of the United Nations." tesfanews.net/un-chief-fired…
At SAHAN Bryden works with @RAbdiAnalyst_ who was appointed to run social media for SAHAN, with a "team of young dedicare (sic.) analysts trained in social media monitoring, targeting, grooming and exploitation."
This new publication on a U.S. publication which services Homeland Security communities, Central Govt., State and corporate provides a glimpse behind the curtain WRT US security interests views on the Tigray War.
At this link you can see who has tweeted the link. The article is relatively new and so has not yet been picked up in a significant way by the TPLF community. twitter.com/search?q=https…
Please let me enlighten you. The aid situation in Tigray is due to the TPLF not accepting an unconditional unilateral ceasefire and instead choosing to mount a multi-front military offensive against Ethiopia.
As a result Ethiopia is preparing for a defensive war on three fronts inside Ethiopian territory. 1. On the road to Gondar where the TPLF says it has taken Abbi Akray in Amhara Region. 2. On the road south from Mekele to Addis where TPLF says it has taken the town of Kodo.
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And 3. on the road which previously was the main route for bringing aid to Tigray through the Afar region where the TPLF says it has taken the town of Mille.
Last Sunday 18th July a @WFP convoy was attacked by the TPLF, and this is the reason that road is now closed.
Addi Arkay information thread: Please add references to additional information, Amharic tweets here in replies.
Addi Arkay, taken by Tigray Forces on Saturday is inside Amhara Region, on the road to Gondar [META: I can't help but think of as a reference to Gondor/LOTR.]
Searching Addi Arkay on Twitter finds a fair bit of material including this blog which is reporting in English on the conflict for a Tigrayan audience presumably. wardoone.wordpress.com
Verification of the news at Addi Arkay has been taken from sources other than @reda_getachew and pro-TPLF media would be helpful.
The TPLF is claiming it is also advancing on the other major road south to Addis Ababa - here reported in Egyptian media. dailynewsegypt.com/2021/07/25/tig…
Compared to the @AFP report cited in last thread, this report from Reuters on Saturday is better, but still suffers with some of the issues which are problematic in reporting this conflict. Including the concept of this war "erupting" rather than being started by the TPLF.
This news about Adi Arkay is important and disturbing, but it doesn't fit the story lead which carries the same angle as the @AFP piece, i.e. that Amhara is moving to a war footing.
Here is the latest reporting on the escalation in Afar side. Presumably this will be updated soon with a report on the WFP convoy attack, if it hasn't been already.
The tenor of the report is that TPLF is on a renewed offensive and it seems odd that this is not the lead framing.