“At least six people have died and nearly 50,000 evacuated in Malaysia after monsoon rains pounded the country’s east coast, authorities said, causing what residents described as the worst flooding in half a century…
“Heavy rains continued to batter the region on Friday, swelling the number of people abandoning their homes to more than 47,000, officials said.”
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/1/9/six-dead-nearly-50000-evacuated-in-malaysia-floods
“Very heavy rains have lashed most parts of Karnataka [India] during the last 48 hours.
“More heavy showers are expected in the next 48 hours and light to moderate spells thereafter till 11th January and a break will follow. These exceptionally heavy rains are unprecedented…”
“There are nearly 4,000 glaciers lying up high in various regions of Afghanistan, but the climate change is severely threatening these highly important sources of water, according to international organizations and experts…
““Almost 14 percent of the total area of Afghanistan’s glaciers was lost between 1990 and 2015, a direct result of climate change, and a reduction that can only be expected to continue,” according to a report published by the Afghan Analysts Network.”
https://tolonews.com/node/169105
“A team of Chinese scientists have wrapped a section of a remote glacier in blankets to slow its melting amid rising temperatures due to global warming.
“The method can prevent masses of ice from melting too quickly by blocking solar radiation and heat exchange on the glacier’s surface, the researchers have concluded following a five-month experiment.”
“Exceptionally cold weather sweeping through China has caused a huge increase in power demand in the world’s largest energy consumer and hampered transportation…
“Cities such as the eastern port city of Qingdao recorded the lowest temperature in history and the capital city Beijing had coldest day since the 1960s on Jan 7.”
“The Bureau of Meteorology has revealed 2020 was Western Australia’s second-hottest year on record, trailing behind only 2019, and the fourth-hottest for the country as a whole.
“Daytime temperatures in WA were 1.54 degrees Celsius above average and night-time temperatures were 0.95C above average.”
“Warmer temperatures bring record water levels: Two of the largest rivers in British Columbia run through Prince George. Currently, both are running very high.
“Typically, large ice chunks form on the rivers, however, with the recent warm temperatures, precipitation, and high groundwater, levels are creating historical flows.”
https://ckpgtoday.ca/2021/01/08/warmer-temperatures-bring-record-water-levels/
“U.S. weather and climate disasters hit an all-time high in 2020 with 22 separate catastrophes that cost more than $1 billion each.
“The previous record for most billion-dollar weather and climate disasters was 16, which occurred in 2011 and 2017, according to a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) announcement on Friday.”
“Hundreds of families displaced after tornado rips through Texas City overnight.
“The storm blew through Texas City around 6 p.m on Wednesday night and left a trail of damage behind. Strong winds ripped the sides off of a convenience store and displaced around 400 residents at a nearby apartment complex according to Texas City officials.”
“Drought is an insidious climate threat… It may not grab extreme weather headlines… but drought during 2020 and heading into 2021 is a looming story likely to grow in importance…
“Dry conditions are tightening their grip on the Southwest, including fire-prone Southern California.”
https://www.washingtonpost.com/weather/2021/01/07/drought-expands-north-america/
“2020 was the hottest year on record for Europe, EU scientists say.
“Data from the Copernicus Project shows that average temperatures last year outstripped the previous record set in 2019 by 0.4C.”
“Greece is forecast to experience some of its highest January temperatures of the last 50 years, the meteo weather service of the National Observatory of Athens said on Friday.
“Temperatures will be as much as 15 degrees Celsius [27F] higher than normal for this time of year.”
https://greece.greekreporter.com/2021/01/08/warmest-january-in-50-years-expected-in-greece/
“Heavy rain in Albania over the past three days has flooded thousands of acres of fields, blocked roads and forced authorities to evacuate scores of people, officials said Friday.
“The government’s emergency committee said more than 5,000 hectares (12,350 acres) were inundated…
“Rain is forecast to continue over the next three days.”
http://www.therepublic.com/2021/01/08/eu-albania-floods/
“A regional train on Thursday hit a landslide that had engulfed the railway track near Spoleto in Umbria [Italy] after recent torrential rain.“
“Massive sinkhole swallows cars in Naples, Italy: A 50 metre wide sinkhole opens up outside the l’Ospedale del Mare hospital in Naples, Italy. January 8th 2021.”
Video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pCxbkOyYiAA
“Spanish natural gas prices surged to a record as the nation grappled with unusually cold weather that even brought a rare snowfall to Madrid.
“The day-ahead price on Spain’s PVB gas trading hub has more than doubled since the start of the year and is near the record-high rates for liquefied natural gas in Asia…”
“Storm Filomena created havoc across Spain’s Costa del Sol last night when millions of litres of rainfall flooded city centres and cut off roads. Power cuts added to the misery…
“All throughout the night, the electricity came on then went off, potentially damaging computers, internet routers and home equipment.”
https://www.euroweeklynews.com/2021/01/09/storm-filomena-wreaks-havoc-on-the-costa-del-sol/
“Unprecedented flooding in Morocco has blocked roads and wreaked havoc, causing the municipal council of the economic capital [Casablanca] to hold an emergency meeting.
“Reports say locals who had their properties including vehicles destroyed have filed a number of complaints.”
“The flooding of rivers and overflowing of dams in the southern parts of Namibia is said to be the biggest since the 1990s…
“This is according to the National Hydrological Services (NHS), which announced That trees of the Namibia Industrial Development Agency were under water and the damage would be extensive.”
https://www.namibian.com.na/97771/read/Flooding-in-south-biggest-since-the-90s
“Four family members were Thursday swept away after being marooned by heavy rains along Mutirikwi River in Chiredzi [Zimbabwe].
“They were part of the eight people belonging to two Chiredzi families that were were trapped midway when water levels rose while they were crossing.”
https://www.newzimbabwe.com/latest-four-family-members-swept-away-in-flooded-river/
“Kenya needs $62bn (£46bn) to mitigate and adapt to the climate crisis in the next 10 years, according to a government document sent to the UN framework convention on climate change. It equates to almost 67% of Kenya’s GDP…
“Food security, warns the report, will worsen because Kenyan farmers are almost entirely weather-dependent.”
“Last year was the joint hottest globally and by far the warmest year recorded in Europe, making the years from 2015 onwards the warmest six on record.
“Global average temperatures tied with 2016 at 0.6°C above the long-term average – despite the absence of an El Niño event, a climate phenomenon that has a warming effect. There was an El Niño in 2016.”
You can read the previous ‘Climate’ thread here. I’ll be back on Monday with an ‘Economic’ thread.
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