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Hurricane Idalia has now become a Category 4 hurricane, and it is now making landfall in Florida with extremely heavy rain, winds over 130 mph, and storm surge up to 12-16 feet. Every single county in Florida is under some kind of watch or warning, whether it is a hurricane warning, a tropical weather statement, or a marine advisory, and 10 counties are under evacuation orders. Tampa International Airport has suspended all operations through today and tomorrow as Tampa takes on some of the worst of the storm, but Florida's "Big Bend" region is receiving the brunt of the hit. Over 71,000 people are already out of power as Idalia moves in, and streets have been flooded with the extreme rain and huge storm surge. Entire towns have already been inundated, and there is a lot more to come. Idalia is the first major hurricane to make landfall this season, after a slow start through June and July, and the season is sure to pick up as it goes into its most dangerous month. The hurricane is not just hitting Florida, though. It is also dumping rain and bringing strong winds to southern Georgia as it weakens to a Category 2, and it will soon lash the Carolinas as well. Over half of Georgia, most of South Carolina, and half of North Carolina are also under flood watches as the powerful storms roll through. After hitting the Carolinas, Idalia will then curve east and go back into the Atlantic Ocean, where it could even restrengthen, loop back around, and hit Florida again on its east coast, according to some meteorologists.
On another note, India's Chandrayaan-3 rover, Pragyan, has taken the temperature and discovered various elements after India became the world's first country to land a vessel on the south pole of the moon on August 23. India has named the landing site "Shiv Shakti Point," which means "the point of the power of Shiva." Their rover has discovered aluminum, calcium, iron, chromium, titanium, manganese, silicon, and oxygen, as expected, but they have also confirmed to have found sulfur on the lunar surface. They are now hunting for hydrogen, and will continue to research on the lunar surface for the next two weeks.
Lastly, the massive wildfire in Greece has now become the largest fire ever recorded in the entire European Union as it reached its 11th day of burning. 20 people are dead because of that one wildfire, and 1 other person is dead from another Greek fire. The fire has burned over 200,000 acres (81,000 hectares), and over 475 firefighters are fighting the flames with the help of six planes and four helicopters, as well as another 100 vehicles on the ground. Greece is in a record heatwave this month, where extreme heat and arid conditions combined with human negligence and deliberate arson have caused over 87 ongoing wildfires. Over 350 firefighters and 12 aircraft have arrived in Greece from various EU countries as the wildfires show no sign of stopping, with only sunny days and hot weather ahead.
Quote of the Day: Life isn't about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself. (George Bernard Shaw)
Word of the Day (Merriam-Webster): Oxymoron (noun)- An oxymoron is a combination of words that have opposite or very different meanings, such as “cruel kindness” or “open secret.” In broader usage, oxymoron can also refer to something (such as a concept) that is made up of contradictory or incongruous elements.
In a Sentence: Her favorite Shakespeare play, Romeo and Juliet, is filled with clever wordplay, including oxymorons such as “sweet sorrow” and “heavy lightness.”
wow. awesome as always