“Researchers investigating the 2018 storm [in Argentina] found one hailstone likely measured between 7.4 and 9.3 inches across, potentially setting a new world record. The current record belongs to a hailstone that measured 8 inches across, or about the size of a volleyball, that fell near Vivian, South Dakota.
“”It’s incredible,” said Matthew Kumjian, associate professor in the Department of Meteorology and Atmosphere Science at Penn State. “This is the extreme upper end of what you’d expect from hail.””
https://phys.org/news/2020-04-gargantuan-hail-argentina-world.html
“The Iguazu River, which feeds the falls, is running at just 13% of its usual flow, according to Iguazu National Park officials. The nearby Parana River, similarly, is at its lowest level in 50 years, leaving ships stranded, hydropower production slashed and government officials in northeast Argentina worrying about whether water for drinking and hand-washing will hold out during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Little new rain is expected for months.”
https://news.trust.org/item/20200429153139-3cqyt
“Brazil plans to deploy its armed forces to fight deforestation and fires in the Amazon jungle, Vice-President Hamilton Mourao said on Wednesday (April 29), in an effort protect the world’s largest rainforest where destruction has surged since last year…
“From January to March, deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon rose 51 per cent from a year ago, according to preliminary satellite data.”
“The temperature in Las Vegas nearly reached 100 degrees Wednesday afternoon, which would have been the first time on record that’s happened in April.
“Instead, the high was 99, tying the record but falling short of the forecast high of 101.”
“The winter season in 2019-20 was strange in several respects…
“A number of cities in the East, including Asheville, North Carolina; Atlanta; Baltimore; Louisville, Kentucky; and Raleigh, North Carolina, had their mildest winter on record… But that wasn’t the case everywhere.”
https://weather.com/safety/winter/news/2020-04-28-winter-season-recap-2019-2020-snow-cold
“Villages in an Alaska region are preparing for possible evacuations because of an increased possibility of spring flooding.
“The state’s emergency operations center is monitoring melting ice on rural rivers in the Yukon–Kuskokwim Delta, KYUK-AM reported Tuesday.”
https://www.thehour.com/news/article/Alaska-villages-prepare-for-possible-flooding-15233854.php
“A damaged bridge in Waibau [Fiji], a landslip in Sawani, Dilkusha, Narere and more flooded areas because of poor drainage were some of the results of the heavy rain experienced nationwide.
200 millimetres of rain [8 inches] was recorded in Koronivia, 160mm in Suva, 170mm in Navua and 150mm in Nausori.”
https://fijisun.com.fj/2020/04/30/rain-damages-bridge-causes-landslip-and-floods-homes/
“Farmers in Northland and Hawke’s Bay are still facing a drought that appears to be deepening as the country heads into winter.
“As of April 21, the New Zealand Drought Index map shows that meteorological droughts, and in some places, severe droughts, continue to affect the Coromandel Peninsula, while extremely dry conditions and droughts continue in Hawke’s Bay and Northland.”
“Melbourne has had its wettest April since 1960 and its wettest start to the year since 1924, as unseasonably low temperatures brought snow to the state’s ski resorts.
“More rain has fallen on the city in the first four months of the year than in the whole of last year…”
“A giant sinkhole has appeared in a suburban Melbourne park after torrential rain which along with a cold blast is set to spread to Sydney and Brisbane.
“The 12-metre wide and five-metre deep hole on the corner of Childers Street and Park Cresent in Kew, east of of the city, opened up at about 3.15pm on Wednesday.”
“Several parts in North Jakarta are at risk of tidal flooding as the water level at a nearby floodgate rose following hours of heavy rainfall on Wednesday afternoon, inundating at least 20 community units (RW) across the capital…
“Water levels in residential areas ranged from 10 to 90 cm deep.”
“Heavy rain has caused flooding in parts of Aceh and Central Kalimantan…
“…affecting hundreds of households and forcing residents to seek shelter. Floodwater inundated at least 2,000 houses in Pidie Jaya regency of Aceh on Tuesday evening.”
“Unseasonal rains with thunder-showers and gust swept across across several villages of Amreli, Rajkot, Bhavnagar and Botad [India], leaving a trail of destruction on Wednesday.
“It is feared that the unseasonal rain and heavy winds might might have destroyed the mango crop and onions.”
“At least 116 people died due to floods caused by torrential rains in Kenya, local media reported on Wednesday.
“The floods in the eastern African country have affected some 29 counties, leaving 100,000 households displaced, Devolution Cabinet Secretary Eugene Wamalwa announced Wednesday.”
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/africa/kenya-116-people-killed-over-ongoing-floods/1823240
“The first generation of desert locusts in Kenya has matured and is ready to breed, according to a United Nations agency. Desert locusts normally mature and start laying eggs from two to four months.
“This means that the first generation of locusts bred in the counties of Samburu, Isiolo, Wajir Mandera and Marsabit could begin mass breeding.”
https://allafrica.com/stories/202004300075.html
“Morocco’s total cereal production for 2020 is expected to stand at about 4.1 million tonnes, one-fourth lower than the previous year’s «already weather-stricken harvest and about 50 percent below average», the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) said.”
https://en.yabiladi.com/articles/details/92895/drought-high-temperature-affect-morocco-s.html
“The Czech Republic is facing its worst drought in 500 years, experts said on Wednesday, with its environment minister describing a long stretch of bone-dry weather as “simply catastrophic”…
“Last year’s drought-affected around 99.5 percent of the Czech Republic, causing crop damage estimated at nine to 11 billion koruna (350-427 million euros, $408-500 million), according to the Agrarian Chamber.”
https://guardian.ng/news/catastrophic-drought-hits-czech-republic/
“From delaying Arctic expeditions to canceling climate summits, the coronavirus pandemic is hindering global progress on fighting climate change and raising fears over a long-term hit to scientific research budgets.”
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