“Saudi Arabia: Unprecedented hailstorm blocks roads in Al-Baha.
“The city of Al-Baha in western Saudi Arabia has been transformed after a heavy hailstorm hit the region on Monday, dropping as much as one metre of hailstones in some areas…
“The severe weather in the region also included heavy rain and flooding which resulted in road closures.”
“The Jeddah governorate and several other parts of the Makkah province [Saudi] continued witnessing a dust storm, leading to almost no horizontal visibility on the coastal parts of the region on Tuesday.
“Many motorists were forced to discontinue driving due to poor visibility. Jeddah and other parts of the Makkah region had witnessed dust storm on Monday also.”
“Two people have been found dead after torrential rainfall caused flooding in southern Israel, authorities said Tuesday.
“Heavy rains and high winds since Monday have caused rivers to flood near two key north-south highways, while several roads are blocked near the Red Sea resort of Eilat.”
https://english.alarabiya.net/News/middle-east/2023/04/11/Two-found-dead-after-flooding-in-Israel-
“Pakistan struggles with compounding crises, 6 months after deadly floods.
“Millions of people in Pakistan still lack access to safe drinking water six months after extreme floods devastated the country. The lasting effects of the floods compounded with the extreme economic crisis Pakistan is dealing with, as well as the refugee crisis, have resulted in Pakistan being in sore need of humanitarian aid.”
https://www.wbur.org/hereandnow/2023/04/12/pakistan-crises-flooding
“Now, 50 more tankers to curb water woes of city [Ranchi, Jharkhand, India].
“…according to the ward councillors, water crisis is intensifying in a number of areas, including Hindpidhi, Ratu Road, Madhukam, Azad Hind Nagar, Harmu, Kishoreganj, and Swarna Jayanti Nagar, and the water tankers provided by RMC are insufficient to meet the demand.”
“Heatwave in India: Delhi govt issues these guidelines for schools amid weather predictions.
“In the wake of heatwave predictions this year by the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) in the national capital Delhi, the state government issued guidelines on school preparedness… These guidelines come as summer vacations in Bengal government schools are preponed by three weeks [due to a current heatwave].”
“Thailand: Forest fire threats national park.
“A wildfire on Khao Tabaek mountain in Thailand’s Nakhon Nayok province, which began on April 10, has spread to a border area of Khao Yai National Park, the park chief Chaiya Huayhongthong has said… Meanwhile, more hotspots were detected in the northern region…”
https://en.vietnamplus.vn/thailand-forest-fire-threats-national-park/251468.vnp
“Saigon heat wave pushes dangerous UV levels.
“The ultraviolet index in Ho Chi Minh City has risen to dangerous levels amid a scorching heat wave. Data from Weather Online, a U.K.-based meteorological services firm, shows the index is expected to climb to the ‘very high’ level of 12 from now until April 19.”
https://e.vnexpress.net/news/news/saigon-heat-wave-pushes-dangerous-uv-levels-4592285.html
“China Prepares For Another Summer Of Power Shortages [Yunnan has already exceeded 40C/104F]…
“Throughout August last year, China had to extend orders for industries to shut down production as heatwaves and extreme drought in its southwestern regions boosted electricity demand while reducing hydropower production in the largest hydropower-generating province.”
https://oilprice.com/Energy/Energy-General/China-Prepares-For-Another-Summer-Of-Power-Shortages.html
“Cyclone Ilsa rapidly intensifies as it approaches landfall in Western Australia.
“A massive cyclone swirling off Australia’s western coast will likely make landfall as a category 5 storm – the strongest on the national scale – according to the country’s official forecaster… with wind gusts in excess of 285 kilometers per hour (177 miles per hour).”
“Flood-stricken farmers are preparing their properties for another drought despite years of relentless rain [NSW, Australia].
The end of the La Nina weather event was officially declared in September last year, bringing dry spells across the country… “The flood was the biggest flood I’d ever seen in my life,” farmer Scott Brown told A Current Affair.”
“The Australian town where water insecurity is felt more than some communities in Bangladesh.
“Imagine living in a first-world country and being too frightened to drink tap water. This is the reality for Indigenous residents in the north-west New South Wales town of Walgett… After years of drought and water shortages, Walgett relies on water pumped from the Great Artesian Basin, an ancient underground aquifer.”
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-04-13/walgett-nsw-water-insecurity-worse-than-bangladesh/102212784
“People facing tough times as water cuts continue [Fiji].
“Thousands of people living in the Lami-Suva-Nausori corridor continue to feel the full effects of the water disruptions due to low levels at the Waimanu River. Many people have had no water for days, and many have been seen waiting for water trucks with buckets on the roadside late into the night.”
https://www.fijivillage.com/news/People-facing-tough-times-as-water-cuts-continue-8rx54f/
“More records of highest temperature, this time from Vanuatu.
“On 10 April the Bauerfield Int. Airport on Efate Island, which serves the capital Port Vila, rose to 33.8C [92.8F] which beats the April record of 33.5C set on 10 Apr 2009 and was shy of the 34.0C of Lamap Malekula on 19 Apr 2013.”
https://twitter.com/extremetemps/status/1645698198822961152
“Peru has been with weeks of abnormal warmth and dozens of records beaten.
“This month the trend is accelerating due to the coastal Nino and more monthly records fell: 31.5C [88.7F] Camay; 30.8C Fonagro; 29.5C Chaparra; 20.8C Huancavelica (altitude 3676m).”
https://twitter.com/extremetemps/status/1645828049655529478
“Argentina drought starting to hit jobs as govt scrambles to stem revenue losses…
“In February, public revenues tumbled 8.3% year-on-year to 1.6tn pesos (US$7.6bn), mainly due to a 73% drop in export income. To help support farmers and soften the blow on tax revenues, the federal government established a preferential exchange rate, dubbed the “soy dollar”, for shippers and producers to boost grain exports.”
“As rising temperatures affect Alaskan rivers, effects ripple through Indigenous communities.
“Streamflow is increasing in Alaskan rivers during both spring and fall seasons, primarily due to increasing air temperatures over the past 60 years, according to new CU Boulder-led research… Indigenous communities use rivers for vital transportation and sustenance, whether frozen in ice or as free-flowing water.”
https://phys.org/news/2023-04-temperatures-affect-alaskan-rivers-effects.html
“California has so much snow that flood danger will last through the year…
“A clearer picture of California’s flood risk is beginning to emerge… The Tulare Lake basin and the San Joaquin River basin remain the areas of top concern, as record-deep snowpack in the southern Sierra Nevada is expected to send a cascade of water down into the San Joaquin Valley as it melts.”
“Runoff from mega snowpack cuts sidewalks into ravines, leaves roadways ‘bubbling’ [Utah].
“Areas up and down the Wasatch Front were seeing flooding on Wednesday morning – most of which was due to debris blocking storm drains and causing Utah’s ample spring runoff to back up. Some neighborhoods had extreme damage…”
“Utah Shatters Snowpack Records, but Its Drought Remains.
“Unprecedented winter storms may provide temporary relief for the state’s water problems… Utah’s snowpack has reached the highest amount ever documented since state records began in the 1930s. Last week, the snow on the ground hit 201 percent of its normal level for this time of year.”
“US considers imposing Colorado River water cuts to western states.
“The federal government on Tuesday laid out options for saving the Colorado River in an effort to prevent it from falling to critically low levels and put an end to months-long negotiations between the seven western states and Indigenous nations that rely on it as a dwindling resource.”
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/apr/11/colorado-river-proposed-water-cuts
“Early-season heat dome bringing record warmth, fire danger to Lower 48…
“Climate historian Maximiliano Herrera described the episode as “arguably the greatest heat wave in the first half of April in the Lower 48” on record… Records from the heat dome have already been shattered in parts of the West. On Tuesday, Phoenix and Tucson set records at 99 degrees, Las Vegas spiked to 93 degrees, Denver had its earliest 85 degree reading on record…”
https://www.washingtonpost.com/weather/2023/04/12/record-warmth-fire-weather-lower48/
“Record-breaking rain in Fort Lauderdale causes flooding, closes airport… As of 11 p.m. Eastern time, area totals ranged from just under 20 inches to a whopping 25.46 in the Shady Banks part of Fort Lauderdale…
“There is no precedent for anywhere close to as much rainfall falling. Only six days in Fort Lauderdale history have logged double-digit rain totals… A rainfall event of this magnitude in Fort Lauderdale has just a 0.1 percent chance of occurring in any year — or was a 1-in-1,000-year rainstorm.”
https://www.washingtonpost.com/weather/2023/04/12/fort-lauderdale-flooding-florida-weather/
“The number of tornadoes during the year’s first three months has set a record [US].
“According to the Storm Prediction Center, the preliminary count of tornadoes during January, February and March for 2023 stands at 410 as of Tuesday. This puts it ahead of the previous record-holding year for the same period of 2017 by 12.”
https://www.foxweather.com/extreme-weather/2023-tornado-record-first-3-months
“Insurance woes plague efforts to cut growing wildfire risks [US].
“For centuries if not millenia, people have used controlled fire as a vital tool to curb wildfire risks by preemptively burning dry timber and other fire fodder… But in the United States, spiking insurance costs and wary providers now present an existential threat to such efforts, according to officials and groups trying to promote “good fire.””
“Bubble trouble: Climate change is creating a huge and growing U.S. real estate bubble.
“Homes constructed in flood plains, storm surge zones, regions with declining water availability, and the wildfire-prone West are overvalued by hundreds of billions of dollars, recent studies suggest, creating a housing bubble that puts the U.S. financial system at risk.”
“There are 2 “hot spots” in Europe: SW (Spain) and Northeast. 33.6C [92.5F] at Murcia and historic 27.6C at Barcelona Fabra Observatory, warmest April day ever.
“Unusual warmth in Finland with 18.1C at Rauma-ties the earliest 18C in Finland. 18/20C also in NW Russia and Baltic countries.”
https://twitter.com/extremetemps/status/1646203948880085008
“All basins in the grip of drought in Türkiye.
“Speaking at the meeting on Drought Management Plans in the eastern Black Sea, Meriç, Ergene and Marmara Basins, Afire Sever, general director of Water Management, warned that meteorological droughts of varying severity are observed in all basins around the country in terms of soil water storage.”
https://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/all-basins-in-the-grip-of-drought-in-turkiye-182315
“Tunisia drought threatens ‘catastrophic’ grain harvest.
” A severe drought in North Africa has left Tunisian farmers bracing for a catastrophically poor harvest, imperilling food security in the cash-strapped country. At a time when the global cereals market has been disrupted by the Ukraine war, Tunisia’s domestic grain production has also withered under a lack of rainfall that has killed off crops.”
https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20230413-tunisia-drought-threatens-catastrophic-grain-harvest
“South Sudan, the world’s newest country, has been grappling with extreme weather events for almost half of its independent history.
“Devastating floods in South Sudan have displaced millions of people, subsequently worsening the country’s ongoing conflict and food security crisis. The U.N. estimates that around two-thirds of South Sudan’s population of 10 million will not have enough to eat during the lean season in 2023…”
https://mashable.com/video/south-sudan-floods-world-newest-country-climate-crisis
“UN chief urges ‘massive international support’ for drought-hit Somalia.
“Food security experts say life remains “extremely critical” for more than 6 million hungry people in Somalia’s historic drought. The country also faces insecurity as it battles thousands of fighters from al-Qaida’s East Africa affiliate, al-Shabab.”
“Climate models warn of possible ‘super El Niño’ before end of year.
“Climate models around the globe continue to warn of a potential El Niño developing later this year – a pattern of ocean warming in the Pacific that can increase the risk of catastrophic weather events around the globe. Some models are raising the possibility later this year of an extreme, or “super El Niño”…”
“Climate change is fuelling the spread of viral diseases in plants.
“Warmer and wetter weather has increased the spread of plant viruses in the past few decades, and climate change is expected to result in more outbreaks in the future.”
You can read the previous “Climate” thread here. I’ll be back tomorrow with an “Economic” thread.
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Hello Panopticon
A word on natural disasters and insurance following the longread and the ‘ controlled bushfires’ on the situation in the US.
In the Netherlands, after the 1953 flood disaster, no one! is insured against damage caused by dike breaches from so-called ‘ primary flood defences’ These are sea dikes of dikes of major rivers. This is because the damage would be unaffordable. Damage from ‘secondary defences’ a canal or small river are insured.
No one actually knows that, of course, and so the 2021 flooding in the Ruhr and Geul region also caused what was probably the biggest natural disaster of the past decade in Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands.
Especially in Germany and Belgium, hundreds died! that summer and entire villages and towns were wiped out.
The Geul that caused massive damage in one of the best-known Dutch tourist centres with billions in damages and then a complex discussionverzekeriungsdiscussion ensued with much suffering for the ‘insured’ and much legal inequality.What was insured, and what was not? It was also unclear what they had to go to the government for and what to the insurer for. Water damage caused by secondary defences, i.e. by an incident at a canal, stream or river or by local precipitation, can be insured. The rest not etc etc….
In the end, an unsatisfactory compensation scheme was created in the Netherlands. The Insurers’ Association now wants to get rid of the uncertainty surrounding the dichotomy between primary and secondary flood defences. The insurers now propose that from 1 January 2025, Dutch people should be able to insure against any flood, whatever the cause. But it is inevitable that such flood insurance will also affect the insurance premium. To reduce the amount at the individual level as much as possible, insurers must cooperate and risks must be covered internationally!!!! In this context, insurers want to set up a vehicle in which the government also participates. Especially as the risks of flooding from extreme weather are only increasing.”
Well we’ll see if that ever gets off the ground! I have a hard head in my opinion.
By the way, a similar problem exists in the Netherlands and France where it concerns subsiding clay soils that cause huge poring problems with cracks in foundations and walls. This affects millions and millions of houses.
I write about it regularly so I will probably come back to it at some point 🙂 It’s an interesting ‘ climate issue’ that you also saw reflected in the article about ‘ controlled fires’ to prevent worse.
Thanks for your update
https://www.verzekeraars.nl/publicaties/actueel/zijn-overstromingsrisico-s-verzekerbaar
Zip, you are welcome and thank you for your thoughts and insights.
The subsidence issue was not one to which I had paid much attention until last year’s record-breaking heatwave brought it to the fore in the UK, although the numbers are nothing like the ones you mention for France and the Netherlands:
“Sinking UK – last summer’s record-breaking heatwave leads to surge in insurance payouts for subsidence… Of the 23,000 subsidence claims made during the year, the majority -18,000- were in the second half of the year following the summer heatwave.”
https://www.abi.org.uk/news/news-articles/2023/3/sinking-uk–last-summers-record-breaking-heatwave-leads-to-surge-in-insurance-payouts-for-subsidence
Reporting here from South Florida…Fort Lauderdale area…what a disaster we are experiencing… unimaginable amount of rainfall here causing a collapse in some neighborhoods and even shutting the Fort Lauderdale Airport for at least 24 hours or more due to the water buildup and impassable roadways.
Local TV coverage covering the situation and forecast of more rainfall today.
Some areas saw 25 inches and made worse because the ground saturated from previous days of rainfall.
Needless to say, not one mention of climate change or global warming at all.
Even though it was pointed out it could have been a one in a thousand years event!
Can’t spook the people of the truth ….
Vince, thank you for the “on the ground” intel. That is staggeringly anomalous rainfall you’ve just had and all the more remarkable given that most of central and southern Florida is in moderate to severe drought.
Here is a first the weather channel is reporting that a disaster was declared in Utah due to melting snow. They never recall this ever happening before so i bet this spring/summer will be full of new firsts
Heather, that’s for sure, especially with three years of La Nina now over.