“Sunbathing is not the first thing that comes to mind when considering Siberia, the vast, sparsely populated Russian region stretching up to the Arctic that is, for much of the year, covered in snow.
“Yet recently this icy realm of birch forests and prison camps has been baking under an unprecedented heatwave – and people have been soaking up the rays on their rooftops.
““I’m Siberian-born and lived here for 60 years. I don’t remember a single spring like this,” said journalist Sergey Zubchuk.
“Europeans were not alone, it turns out, in their enjoyment of a meteorological aberration that brought them one of the sunniest springs ever recorded. From the coast of California to innermost India, temperatures have soared to unusual levels.
“Record temperatures have been registered across Canada, the Arctic and Mediterranean, and the trend is mirrored in the southern hemisphere where, despite creeping towards winter, New Zealand’s South Island continued to enjoy temperatures of up to 26C in May, about 10 degrees above the average daytime high….
“In California, where longstanding records were broken at various locations in May, governor Gavin Newsom angered locals by closing beaches as the heat drew large crowds trying to cool off…
“As a heatwave swept the Mediterranean from end to end, Israel prematurely eased its lockdown and reopened the seafront. Beaches remained shut, however, in neighbouring Lebanon, forcing sweating Beirutis to install inflatable pools on balconies and rooftops.
“Cyprus turned into a crucible, with the hottest May day ever recorded there (42.5C). Police handed out fines to islanders who stayed on the beaches — after their permitted swimming — in order to sunbathe.
“Perhaps the most brutal impact of the pandemic combined with the heat, however, was seen in India, as thousands of migrant workers were forced to walk miles on foot to return home in high temperatures — proving lethal for some. As May drew to a close, Delhi swooned under an extraordinary 47.6C, breaking an 18-year record for that month.”
“Investigators have determined that the leakage of of 20,000 tons of diesel (about 150,000 barrels) from a reservoir at a power plant in Russia’s Far North was caused by damage from thawing permafrost…
“…just the latest sign of the catastrophic effects climate change is having in the Arctic.”
“Tentative plans to fix Iqaluit’s flood-prone cemetery in Apex were recently presented during the first meeting of the city’s cemetery advisory committee…
“Since the cemetery’s opening in 2014, residents have raised concerns about having to bury loved ones in muddy, water-filled graves.”
https://nunatsiaq.com/stories/article/city-of-iqaluit-cemetery-committee-holds-first-meeting/
“May of 2020 was no ordinary month for many reasons in Westmeath [Ireland], one of which was the weather.
“Remarkably, the month saw both the hottest and the coldest May temperatures ever recorded in the 70-year history of Met Eireann’s Mullingar weather station.”
“Roman forts, roads, military camps and villas have been identified by a new analysis of aerial photographs taken in the 2018 heatwave across Wales.
“After the driest May on record, Dr Driver hopes he will be able to get back in the air as soon as coronavirus lockdown measures allow, to see if he and his teams can find more pieces of the Roman puzzle in Wales.”
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-52911797
“Germany’s Rhine River is entering dry summer months with water levels at their lowest in two decades, prompting fears of shipping disruption on Europe’s most important inland waterway.
“After spring showers failed to show in Germany, the official water level at Kaub — a key chokepoint near Frankfurt — dropped to around 1 meter on June 3.”
https://www.bnnbloomberg.ca/europe-s-most-important-river-dangerously-low-as-summer-starts-1.1446525
“One person died, another is missing and dozens were rescued amid flash flooding in the northeastern Czech Republic, rescuers said Monday.
“Several towns and villages north of the city of Olomouc, 230 kilometers (140 miles) east of Prague, were flooded by 1 meter (3.3 feet) of water following thunderstorms that were accompanied by torrential rains overnight.”
“The Northern Cape needs a whopping R22 billion for water infrastructure, while another R5 billion is needed to ensure decent access to sanitation…
“The province is one of the worst hit by an ongoing drought which has led to the death of thousands of head of livestock – the primary source of income in the area.”
“You name it, and Ethiopia has faced it in the last several weeks.
“Floods, economic crises, the everpresent coronavirus, and even locusts have hit Ethiopia, and communities already suffering from poverty are ill-equipped to respond.
“That’s especially true for Korah, a former leper community turned urban slum.”
https://www.mnnonline.org/news/ethiopian-slums-devastated-by-floods-locusts-covid-19/
“With more than 7,000, Pakistan has more glaciers than anywhere except the polar regions. But climate change is “eating away Himalayan glaciers at a dramatic rate”, a study published last year in the journal Science Advances noted.
“As glacier ice melts, it can collect in large glacial lakes, which are at risk of bursting their through banks and creating deadly flash floods downstream, in places like Hassanabad.”
https://news.trust.org/item/20200608001843-pxpub
“A 17-year-old boy from Kerala’s Kozhikode district [India], is suspected to have been washed away by the force of a stream in Koodaranji on Saturday after heavy rainfall resulted in flash floods in the area.
“The Kozhikode Police are currently searching for the missing boy. “
“Hongkongers woke to heavy downpour on Sunday with flash floods reported across the city as a red rainstorm signal was issued.
“There was flooding in Tai Po, and the section from Tolo Highway to Tai Po Kau near and around Chung Tsai Yuen is now fully closed.”
“About 45 percent of north China’s Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region has been affected by an increasing drought, local authorities said on Sunday.
“According to the regional meteorological bureau and the regional department of agriculture and animal husbandry, the drought area in the region has reached 44.36 million hectares.”
http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2020-06/07/c_139121490.htm
“Australian plant species face “imminent extinction” from invasive pathogen.
“The native guava species has nearly vanished—killed off by an invasive fungus that arrived just 10 years ago.”
“One of the strongest high pressure systems on the planet is about to move over to New Zealand, bringing freezing temperatures that could plunge as low as -15C in some parts of the south this weekend.
“The pattern is expected to coincide with another period of dry weather for Auckland – hardly welcome news for local drought-hit farmers needing rain to battle back from a 240mm deficit.”
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12338050
“Homes, roads and petrol stations in Louisiana have been flooded by heavy rain from tropical storm Cristobal.
“Strong winds and heavy rain hit the US Gulf coast as tropical storm Cristobal made landfall in Louisiana, where downpours and rising waters swamped roads and prompted evacuations.”
https://news.sky.com/video/tropical-storm-cristobal-hits-us-gulf-coast-12002843
“Dramatic video has captured a tornado over downtown Orlando on Saturday evening.
“Those nearby describe extremely windy and turbulent conditions as the storm passed through the downtown area after the National Weather Service issued a tornado warning.”
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