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England
Labour Dominates Local Elections
The governing Conservative party faced a sizable defeat in Thursday’s local elections in England, losing 450 council seats. Labour, which hasn’t lead the country for 14 years, won in areas the party hadn’t held for decades. This news comes as a general election, for which a date has not been set, must be held before January and could come as soon as next month. The local elections are a grim sign for Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak. In power since October 2022, Sunak has struggled to boost the Conservative party’s chances, with Labour consistently polling 20% points ahead in opinion polls. The election is one of the worst Conservative performances in local government elections of the last 40 years.
This map depicts the result of England’s local elections. Click on the map to learn more.
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Graphic Source: Daily Mail
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United States
Deadly Texas Flooding
A young boy has died and hundreds of people have been rescued from flooding as heavy storms have struck the state of Texas. The five-year-old child was with his parents in a vehicle that got caught in a flood near Fort Worth. The three attempted to escape the vehicle but were swept away in the swift-moving water. The adults were eventually rescued but the boy’s body was found later in the water. Areas of the greater Houston metropolitan area received upwards of 23 inches (53 cm) of rain over the past week. The San Jacinto River, which runs through Houston and averages a level of 45 feet (13.7 m), crested at a level of 58.8 feet (17.9 m) on Saturday and currently remains in a flood stage at 54 feet (16.5 m).
This map depicts the extent to which the west fork of the San Jacinto River overran its bank due to flooding driven by strong storms over the weekend. Click on the map to learn more.
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Graphic Source: ABC 13
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United States
Tick Season Begins
Entomologists and health officials are issuing warnings about the risks of tick-borne diseases as a waming climate causes tick season to start early. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) warn that the number of people diagnosed with tick-borne diseases rose to 62,551 in 2022, the last year for which there is reliable data. That’s an increase from an average of around 33,000 per year during the previous decade, though reporting protocols were revamped in 2022. Warmer temperatures have both extended the season and expanded the range for various tick species in the United States. Ticks carry a variety of diseases, and different species carry different types. The most well-known, Lyme disease, is carried by the Blacklegged tick, which is prevalent across the eastern half of the US, and the Western blacklegged wood tick, which lives primarily alond the Pacific Coast. The CDC recommends insect repellents, long-sleeved shirts, long pants, high socks, and boots, when venturing outside into woods or areas with tall grass.
This map is from a series of maps depicting home ranges of a variety of US-based tick species that provide guidance on the health risk associated with each one. Click on the map to learn more.
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Q: What is the driest of the Earth’s continents?
A: Antarctica
Antarctica is almost entirely desert with most places seeing very little rain or snow. A place of extremes, it is also the world’s coldest, windiest, and highest continent. While very little precipitation falls, the continent is covered by an inland ice sheet formed by years of snowfall kept solid by the frigid climate. The ice sheet can measure up to three miles thick in some places and contains 90% of the world’s total surface fresh water, but the inaccessiblity of that water qualifies Antarctica as the Earth’s driest continent.
Source: British Antarctic Survey
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Q: Where in the world will you find the world’s most powerful whirlpool?
Stay tuned for the answer to today’s question in tomorrow’s DailyGeo.
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