“Vietnam broke its all-time record high national temperature at the weekend, the latest in a string of records to fall as the word continues to warm.
“The scorcher set the mercury soaring to 43.4C in the community of Huong Khe, a rural district in Ha Tinh Province. It’s situated in Vietnam’s north central coast region, about 240km south of the capital Hanoi. Its average temperature is in the 20s at this time of year.”
“A storm brewing in the southern Indian Ocean may form a tropical cyclone and strike southeastern Africa, AccuWeather Inc. said.
“The region has barely had time to recover from the effects of Cyclone Idai, which hit in March and killed more than 1,000 people in Mozambique, Zimbabwe and Malawi.”
“At least five people died in Durban [South Africa] on Tuesday after torrential rains triggered mudslides that crushed homes, according to emergency services… “Torrential rains damaged peoples houses [and] there were mudslides,” Garrith Jamieson, spokesman for Rescue Care told AFP.
““I can confirm five [deaths] but there are many more casualties,” he said, adding there were unconfirmed reports of “multiple” deaths in other parts of the province.”
https://mg.co.za/article/2019-04-23-flooding-in-kzn-kills-five-more-rain-expected
“At least two people have been killed after severe storms lashed Argentina. The storms hit the provinces of Chaco and Corrientes in the northeast of the country, where up to 204 millimetres of rain was recorded…
“On January 8, the Argentine city of Resistencia recorded 224mm of rainfall, which was a new 24-hour rainfall record, much higher than the previous highest of 206mm, recorded in January 1994.”
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/04/flooding-hits-northern-argentina-190422083704198.html
“At least 17 people have been killed by a landslide on Sunday in south-western Colombia, officials say. Five others were injured and several houses destroyed in the town of Rosas in the Cauca region.
“The landslide happened after days of torrential rains hit the region and authorities are continuing to search the rubble.”
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-48008471
“Over 30 forest fires were registered this year in municipalities of Chiapas, Campeche, Veracruz, Oaxaca, and Michoacán [Mexico].”
https://www.theyucatantimes.com/2019/04/more-than-30-wildfires-have-been-registered-across-mexico-so-far-this-year/
“Hurricane Michael, which struck the Florida Panhandle in October last year, has joined an elite group.
“The massive storm, which claimed 59 lives and caused approximately $25 billion in damages, is now one of only four storms to have made landfall in the United States at Category 5 intensity.”
“A month after severe March flooding swept the Midwest, the Missouri River is still running high, complicating recovery for many communities in the region. Sections of Scott Olson’s farm near Tekamah, Neb., are still underwater. Once the water goes down, Mr. Olson, 62, said he has much work to prepare his fields for planting before the end of June, after which it might be too late.
“Still, he considers himself lucky compared with other farmers in the area who lost their homes, grain storage, livestock and machinery.”
https://www.wsj.com/articles/midwest-braces-for-long-recovery-after-devastating-floods-11555858801
“Spring flooding has killed one person and forced nearly 1,700 people from their homes in Canada’s Quebec province, with waters expected to continue rising on Monday due to rising temperatures and more rain forecast for the coming days.”
“This spring in Alaska has been more like summer, or like the same season for somewhere much warmer. What it has not been like is the usual March and April above the Arctic Circle.
“The consequences are being felt in devastating effects on the local wildlife, but are taking a severe toll on humans as well… Increasingly people may be forced to choose between starving and risking the stability of the ice.”
https://www.iflscience.com/environment/alaskas-insanely-warm-spring-is-killing-animals-and-people/
“Greenland, home to the Earth’s second largest ice sheet, has lost ice at an accelerating pace in the past several decades – a nearly sixfold increase that could contribute to future sea level rise, according to a new study based on nearly a half century of data…
“…the shift is worrisome in part because of what it portends for the future, especially when combined with potential ice loss in Antarctica.”
https://www.sciencealert.com/greenland-s-accelerating-ice-loss-is-worrisome-to-scientists
“The Tass news agency reported at least 25 injuries, two of them serious, although it said there were no children among them. Local authorities said the fires destroyed 107 buildings, of which 88 were residential houses.
“The emergencies ministry put the wildfires down to unfavourable weather such as strong winds and a sudden spell of higher temperatures…”
http://tass.com/emergencies/1054698
“Firefighters worked through the night to battle a spate of blazes across Sweden – and authorities warned on Tuesday of a heightened risk of more wildfires spreading in the country this week.”
https://www.thelocal.se/20190423/wildfires-rage-in-sweden-after-easter-heatwave
“Firefighters have been tackling two massive moorland fires in record-breaking Easter temperatures, including one believed to have been sparked by a barbecue that has caused thousands of pounds-worth of damage…
“Restoration work on the moor has been wrecked, and it is feared that numerous animals including curlews, a kind of wading bird, have been killed.”
“Ireland has recorded its warmest Easter Monday on record, the Met Office has said…
“The Met Office also said records were broken in all UK regions – 25C in England, with top temperatures in Scotland and Wales reaching 23.6C and 23.5C respectively.”
“Monday was the warmest second day of Easter since records began, weather forecaster Weerplaza reported. The temperature at the De Bilt weather station near Utrecht reached 24.8 degrees…”
“Sun and warmth might seem like the perfect weather for Easter. But experts warn that Germany is far too dry, almost everywhere in the country. Normally, the lucrative cash crop known as rapeseed, or canola, blooms throughout the German state of Thuringia at the end of May. But this year, you would look in vain for the yellow blossoms that are usually turned into one of the western world’s main sources of cooking oil.
“According to Andre Rathgeber of the Farmers’ Association of Thuringia, the prognosis for rapeseed is so bad, most farmers have decided to clear the land for other crops.”
https://www.dw.com/en/german-forest-fire-risk-spikes-amid-high-temperatures-drought/a-48422025
“The holiday hotspot of Alicante in eastern Spain has experienced some of the heaviest rainfall in its history, leading to the evacuation of more than 300 people during these Easter holidays. Here are photos and videos that tell the story…
“…Sunday’s downpour saw 250 litres of rainfall for every square metre, flooding hundreds of homes and leaving cars floating in the streets like corn flakes in a cereal bowl.”
https://www.thelocal.es/20190422/in-images-easter-floods-tear-through-spains-costa-blanca
“Two weeks since the storms started, relentless rain and flooding throughout Iran has left some 2 million people facing a humanitarian crisis.
“The deluge has swamped large swaths of the country, from the mountains in the north down to the Persian gulf in the south. Twenty-five out of 31 of Iran’s provinces have been affected.”
“Caritas Pakistan has surveyed flood-affected villages in the wake of Holy Week storms, that killed 29 people and caused extensive crop and other damage, in order to respond to urgent needs. An estimated 150,000 tonnes of wheat were destroyed. Wheat is the most important staple food in Pakistan and it is grown by 80 percent of the country’s farmers…
“…flood waters are heightening the risk of people contracting dengue fever from mosquitoes.”
https://www.ucanews.com/news/pakistan-farmers-reel-from-flash-floods/85009
“Large parts of Saudi Arabia have been submerged in snowfall, sparkling wonder amazes local residents and concern among scientists.
“At one point, a hailstorm in Saudi Arabia became so severe that it triggered an icy flash flood.
“Dr Ahmad Habib, a meteorological expert at the National Center of Meteorology in the UAE, said: “It’s usually warmer in April. This isn’t familiar weather in this period.”
https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20190421-extreme-snowstorm-strikes-middle-east/
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