“Large parts of South Africa’s most important farming provinces have been soaked by unprecedented rain, causing floods and crop damage and adding to concern that climate change is making weather cycles more erratic.
“Many districts across six of the country’s nine provinces experienced the most rainfall on record since tracking by district began in 1921. That includes the main belt for growing corn, of which South Africa is the biggest exporter on the continent. The government has declared a national disaster…”
“Alexander Bay’s Record-Breaking Temperature During South African Heatwave…
“The South African Weather Service has confirmed a new record-breaking minimum temperature was measured on Sunday morning, 23 January, in Alexander Bay, Northern Cape. The previous record of 22.5 degrees from 16 January 1963 is replaced by 22.8 [73F] on the 23rd.”
“Tropical storm Ana has killed 36 people in Madagascar and two in Mozambique, and left most of Malawi without power in recent days…
“The storm, which formed in the east of the large island of Madagascar, triggered heavy rains that caused flooding and landslides in the capital Antananarivo… nearly 65,000 others have been left homeless…”
https://www.africanews.com/2022/01/25/cyclone-ana-at-least-36-dead-in-madagascar-and-mozambique/
“The death toll from heavy flooding following torrential rains in the southwestern Ugandan district of Kisoro has risen to nine, a humanitarian relief agency said Tuesday.
“Uganda Red Cross Society (URCS) said in an update that five dead bodies from Buzeyi village and four of Kabale and Rukeri had been reported.”
https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202201/1246947.shtml
“The carcasses of goats and sheep strewn across the scrubland of northern Kenya are testament to the devastation wrought by the once-in-a-generation floods that have hit the region.
“In just one area of Marsabit County, herders lost around 20,000 goats and sheep last week after the torrential rain…”
“The Greek islands have been completely covered in snow since Sunday in a once-in-a-lifetime weather event. Locals say that the last time this amount of snow fell on the Cyclades was decades ago.
“The heavy snowfall has caused many problems in the islands that lack the infrastructure to cope with such weather events.”
https://greekreporter.com/2022/01/24/greek-islands-snow/
“Snow blankets Greece and Turkey as wild weather system creates rare ‘snownado’…
“A rare and severe snowstorm has blanketed parts of Greece and Turkey, causing chaos on the streets of major cities and forcing the evacuation of thousands of people… The erratic winter weather comes after a summer of high temperatures and wildfires in Greece, which scientists linked to the climate crisis.”
https://edition.cnn.com/2022/01/25/weather/weather-climate-snowstorm-greece-turkey-intl/index.html
“Swathes of western, northern and southern Russia have been blanketed with record snowfall in recent days after a powerful winter cyclone swept in from the North Atlantic…
“Abnormal snowfall has been seen outside Russia, as well, with Istanbul shutting down its airport and Greece announcing a lockdown in several parts of the country.”
“Did We Miss Biden’s Most Important Remark About Russia?
“…Biden told President Vladimir Putin that Russia has something much more important to worry about than whether Ukraine looks East or West — namely, “a burning tundra that will not freeze again naturally.””
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/01/25/opinion/russia-ukraine.html
“Pakistan records unprecedented snowfall during winter…
“Malka-e-Kohsar has received 3 feet of snow and Galyat 4 feet. On the other hand, roads have been blocked in the six districts of Azad Kashmir because of snowfall and heavy showers… This winter Quetta has seen record-breaking snowfall, according to the Met Office.”
https://www.pakistantoday.com.pk/2022/01/24/pakistan-records-unprecedented-snowfall-during-winter/
“Rabi crops such as mustard, wheat, gram, and potato have been harmed by unseasonal rainfall and hailstorms in northern India during the last few days.
“The mustard crop, which was supposed to be ready in the first week of February, will now be three weeks late since harvesting will not begin until the fields dry up.”
“Parts of East Asia could see ‘rivers in the sky’ form due to climate change, bringing record-breaking levels of rainfall with them, a new study has revealed.
“Researchers created a model to investigate the behaviour of atmospheric rivers and extreme rainfall in East Asia under different climate change outcomes.”
“Typhoon Rai wrecked 1.5 million houses in the Philippines: Report.
“The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) estimates Super Typhoon Rai destroyed or damaged a “staggering” number of houses as it tore across the Philippines in December, leaving more than 400 people dead.”
“The extent of devastation to Queensland’s turtle season from ex-tropical cyclone Seth is becoming clearer, weeks after dangerous swell and high tides washed away hundreds of nests right before they were due to hatch…
““If it doesn’t improve soon it’s going to get to the critical stage of whether the population can be sustained.””
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-01-25/loggerhead-turtle-nests-destroyed-cyclone-seth/100777730
“What drove Perth’s record-smashing heatwave, and why it’s a taste of things to come…
“While the heatwave was unprecedented and extreme, for climate scientists like myself, it’s not surprising. Southwest Australia is considered a hotspot for climate change, as the long-term warming and drying trend is extremely pronounced.”
https://phys.org/news/2022-01-drove-perth-record-smashing-heatwave.html
““Record-breaking rainfall causes whirlpool next to outback South Australian highway…
“Flash flooding struck large parts of the state from mid last week as a trough parked itself over South Australia delivering what has been labelled a “one-in-100 year rain event”.”
“Extreme heat forecast to hit South America again in coming week…
“Temperatures into next week are forecast to rise into the low 40Cs once again through northern parts of Argentina, Uruguay and much of Paraguay. The heat coincides with severe drought that is currently gripping much of South America.”
“South America Heat Wave: After a waterfall of records, we got a record in the waterfalls!
“The Argentine city of Iguazù on 24th January had its hottest day in history with a maximum temperature of 40.6C [105.1F]. In Brazil also a new record at Cruz Alta with 39.2C.”
https://twitter.com/extremetemps/status/1485821264161914890
“Public calamity declared in Sucre region [Colombia] due to floods.
“Six municipalities in the department suffer alarming floods caused by the rupture of the jarillón of the Cauca River… According to information recorded by W Radio, the losses of the peasants would be total, since they stated that none of their crops survived the floods.”
“After snowy December, California suddenly turns dry, magnifying drought concern… Parts of central California have seen a record lack of precipitation so far this month…
“Years with insufficient precipitation have seen huge wildfires, widespread farming woes, domestic water rations and extreme heat… another dry winter could turn a worrying situation dire.”
https://www.washingtonpost.com/weather/2022/01/24/california-drought-outlook-record-january/
“Blueberry farmers in the flood-ravaged Sumas Prairie area of Abbotsford, B.C., are calling on the province to provide financial aid as they face a decade-long rebuilding effort.
“Hundreds of farmers in the low-lying region east of the city faced widespread flooding in late November, with acres of crops submerged in water for weeks and thousands of animals and livestock perishing in the floods.”
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/blueberry-farmers-flood-aid-1.6326272
“Anchorage’s rapid warm-up caused temperature to jump 11 degrees in one minute, turning streets to ice rinks…
“Most of Alaska saw a rapid warm-up at the end of last week. As a Chinook wind swept into Anchorage, record-high temperatures hit the city on Friday and Saturday… “it’s not uncommon in terms of a rare event, but uncommon in the intensity and the rapidity of that change.””
“Deaths of Florida’s starving manatees surge amid winter chill…
“Lush flats of seagrass they grazed on have been eradicated by a pollution-fueled ecosystem collapse. Mature males and females of nearly a half-ton and otherwise extremely resilient are perishing, taken down for good by the lethal synergy of cold and hunger…”
https://phys.org/news/2022-01-deaths-florida-starving-manatees-surge.html
“Hit by more fires, floods and tornados, Californians and other Americans struggle to pay.
“… as climate change ramps up the destructive forces of nature. The financial mechanisms meant to help disaster victims — private insurance and government relief programs — have never covered all the costs of disaster, but the pain is multiplying as the number of costly events in the U.S. rises swiftly.”
“European banks have been told to assume that real-estate assets most exposed to flood risk could lose almost half their value, as the sector’s resilience to climate change is stress-tested over the coming months.
“The ECB is factoring in a 45% slump over a single year for property values in areas that are likely to experience bad flooding…”
https://www.irishexaminer.com/business/economy/arid-40792245.html
“Extreme weather led to ‘extraordinary’ year for Scottish Water, new report reveals.
“Scottish Water said the record-breaking warm and dry weather in parts of the country last summer, along with severe storms, placed its assets and employees under huge pressure – and warned that climate change will make such conditions more frequent.”
“Plastic snowfall in the Alps…
“It is estimated that more than 8300 million tons of plastic have been produced worldwide to date, about 60% of which is now waste. This waste erodes through weathering effects and mechanical abrasion from macro- to micro- and nanoparticles.”
https://phys.org/news/2022-01-plastic-snowfall-alps.html
“Drought is affecting almost all districts of Portugal.
“With exception of a few areas in the extreme north, and the district of Guarda, the country is either in a situation of ‘light drought’ (57.7%), moderate drought (27.3%) or severe drought (8.7%). The ‘severe’ classification is confined to the south, taking in a large part of the Algarve.”
https://www.portugalresident.com/drought-affects-almost-all-districts-of-portugal/
“Life in the Arctic: the reindeer herders struggling against the climate crisis – video…
” For centuries, the Sámi people have herded reindeer throughout northern Europe. Now, warmer winters are turning the snow the reindeer dig through to find food into ice, blocking their only source of sustenance. In the last two years, 10,000 reindeer died. If this winter is bad, herders fear up to half the herd could be lost.”
“Five ways climate change increases the threat of tsunamis, from collapsing ice shelves to sea level rise…
“As the planet warms, we’re seeing more frequent and intense storms and cyclones, the melting of glaciers and ice caps, and sea levels rising. Climate change, however, doesn’t just affect the atmosphere and oceans, it affects the Earth’s crust as well.”
https://phys.org/news/2022-01-ways-climate-threat-tsunamis-collapsing.html
“There is a proven link between climate-related weather events and increased anxiety, according to new research.
“While there are already studies showing how climate change is – quite reasonably – a common cause of anxiety in people, the Mental Health and Climate Change Alliance has looked into the increase in anxiety caused by a specific weather event.”
https://www.euronews.com/green/2022/01/25/as-temperatures-rise-so-does-anxiety-new-research-finds
You can read the previous ‘Climate’ thread here. I’ll be back tomorrow with an ‘Economic’ thread.
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