“The recent winter was the warmest on record across many of Met Éireann’s weather stations, Ireland’s national forecaster has said.
“The 2018/2019 winter season was also drier than average, a summary published by Met Éireann on Tuesday said.
The Phoenix Park weather station in Dublin city had its warmest winter, since records began in 1855. Valentia island off the south west coast of Kerry had its hottest winter since the station opened in 1893. Similarly the weather station in Mullingar, Co Westmeath clocked its warmest winter since records started there in 1950.”
“The adder, Britain’s only venomous snake, has for the first time been confirmed as being active in every month of the year.
“Adders normally hibernate underground from October to March, a strategy designed to enable them to survive a cold winter, but with warmer weather have now been seen throughout the year.”
“An arctic air mass invading from Canada has blasted the United States, affecting some 220 million people on Tuesday morning, according to weather reports… bitter, record-setting lows felt all the way from Washington state to Texas…
“An all-time record low for March was set in Montana as Elk Park hit 46 degrees Celsius below zero Monday morning, the National Weather Service in Great Falls said.”
“Lee County authorities on Tuesday released the names of the victims of a monstrous tornado that killed at least 23 people, including seven in one family
“…meteorologists warned that another blast of severe weather could roar through the region in coming days.”
“Residents have been evacuated in the Thomas Fire burn scar area and roads are closed as another storm hit California on Wednesday. The night before, residents in Southern California were treated to a rare lightning display.”
“Bay of Plenty temperatures were among the highest in the country this summer, according to Niwa’s summer climate summary.
“Tauranga’s temperature was the second-warmest on record for the city, with records beginning in 1913. Above average sea temperatures around New Zealand’s coastline was the main contributor to the warmer than average summer, the report said.”
“The heatwave in Malaysia is causing fish to die, causing financial loss for nearly 100 grouper and barramundi farmers with net pens in Laguno Tujoh, Kelantan.
““We have been camping out to keep an eye on the fish after they started dying. Nearly 80 per cent of the fish are still small and sensitive to change,” said one of the farmers, 33-year-old Zailani Ariffin, on Tuesday, March 5th.”
“The Central Weather Bureau’s Southern Region Weather Center [Taiwan] recorded only 1.5 mm of rainfall in Tainan’s mid-west area from last December to February, the lowest winter rainfall since records began in the southern Taiwan city in 1898.
“The reason for the record low rainfall remains unknown.”
“North Korea’s food production fell to its lowest level in more than a decade last year as natural disasters hit the country that was already under crippling international sanctions over its weapons programme, according to the United Nations…
“According to the UN, a prolonged heat wave, along with typhoons and floods, took its toll on food harvest, resulting in a nine percent drop from 2017 to the lowest level in more than a decade.”
“Flash floods, heavy rains and snowfall have killed at least 59 people across Afghanistan during the past two weeks and left thousands homeless, with the southern provinces of Helmand and Kandahar the worst-hit, an Afghan official said on Wednesday.
“Some 5,000 people were displaced in Kandahar alone, the Afghanistan National Disaster Management Authority (ANDMA) said…”
“Seals and whales in the Arctic are shifting their feeding patterns as climate change alters their habitats, and the way they do so may determine whether they survive, a new study has found.
“Researchers harnessed datasets spanning two decades to examine how two species of Arctic wildlife—beluga whales, also known as white whales, and ringed seals—are adapting to their changing homes.”
“Climate change is already triggering devastating weather events across the planet, including prolonged droughts, flash floods and wildfires. Parts of Africa and the Middle East are experiencing erratic harvests, heavy storms and the worst drought in the past 900 years. Experts say that people here who are struggling to provide for their families are vulnerable to the influence of extremist recruits who offer them work and food.”
“Today was the warmest February day on record in parts of Croatia today as spring arrived early.
“The 28th of February 2019 will go down in history as the warmest February day since measurements begun for parts of Croatia, according to provisional temperature measurements at a number of weather stations.
“The last day of the month saw the warmest ever February day ever recorded in the central Croatian city of Sisak when temperatures climbed to 23.5 °C. There were other records across the country, including in the capital Zagreb where a high of 23.2 °C was measured at the airport.”
“It’s not really unexpected, but it’s still alarming…
“According to the Emergency Management Service of the EU agency Copernicus as of today, March 1, there have been 480 wildfires in 2019 across Europe… this corresponds to the number of fires usually recorded mid-August.”
“Europe’s freakishly warm weather during is likely to extend into the middle of March and may be evidence that human activity like burning fossil fuels is shifting the climate…
“Politicians and business leaders alike are expressing concern about damage to the economy that’s unfolding now for a trend that many had thought would take decades or even centuries to unfold.”
“Following the unusually dry summer of 2018, harvests in Germany of nearly all types of vegetables have declined by 14 percent in yields and decreased to a total of 3.3 million tons, the Federal Statistical Office announced on Thursday.
“The harvest of legumes such as lentils and beans in particular fell sharply by 25 percent to a total of 65,400 tons. Harvests of all types of cabbage only yielded 730,400 tons, which was a significant decline of 21 percent in an annual comparison.”
“Crisp prices are set to soar due to a potato shortage caused by last year’s heatwave. Brands including Walkers, Wotsits and Hula Hoops are affected by the shortage, according to trader publication The Grocer. Own-brand packets from UK supermarkets like Tesco, Asda and Morrisons are also likely to be hit by the price hike. UK farmers and growers warned of the crisis last October, after revealing that potato crops were down by one third.”
“One-quarter of city’s average annual rainfall hits Jerusalem in a single day, leading to flooding and multiple dramatic rescues throughout the capital…
“Some 1,200 trapped students were evacuated Thursday from a school in southern Jerusalem that was cut off by flooding across an access road, amid unseasonal rains in the capital.”
“Heavy rainfall and flooding sparked chaos in Amman’s streets on Thursday.
“Cars were washed away and people rescued after a deluge filled the Jordanian capital’s roads with water. Several vehicles broke down in the streets, causing traffic to stop, Amman News reported.”
“March is definitely coming in like a lion over the next few days. First, a winter storm will spread snow along a 2,500-mile path from Friday through Monday, all the way from California to Maine… Also this weekend, a ferocious, “punishing” blast of record cold air will first invade the central U.S. Saturday into Sunday, then attack the eastern and southern U.S. early next week…”
“…in the past month, four snowstorms hit the Pacific northwest in nine days and Seattle ran up the highest February snowfall totals in decades.
“In the usually arid southwest, Flagstaff smashed its single-day snowfall record and Las Vegas recorded a measurable amount of snow for the first time in a decade. The snow anomalies reached all the way to Hawaii.”
“The Russian river in wine country north of San Francisco crested at more than 46ft (14 meters) on Wednesday night, Sonoma county officials said.
“The river frequently floods in rainy weather but it had not reached that level in 25 years… the community of Guerneville, “has essentially become an island,” the Sonoma county spokeswoman, Briana Khan, said.”
“Home restaurant’s sprawling outdoor patio in Los Feliz, set under a canopy of large trees, was designed to take advantage of California’s temperate climate…”
“A bout of “extreme heat” is nearing its peak across Australia’s southeast… Adelaide and parts of western Victoria could top out at 40C both today and tomorrow. The scorching highs have come as the Bureau of Meteorology confirmed on Thursday that, nationwide, Australia had just sweated through its hottest summer on record.
“Individually, both Canberra and Hobart recorded their hottest-ever summer seasons. And forecasters have said the hot conditions aren’t letting up with heatwaves likely to be a feature of March.”
“Rivers swollen by days of heavy rain inundated portions of northern California on Wednesday, forcing hundreds of people to flee their homes. However, about half of the 4,000 people ordered to leave have refused to do so.
“”We want you to leave now,” Sonoma County Sheriff Mark Essick urged. “The roads may become impassable and you may not be able to get out.””
“The Government of Bolivia declared a national emergency…
“…as a result of floods, roadblocks and other disasters caused by heavy rains that have already left at least 25 dead and 27 missing throughout the country, said the Minister of Defense , Javier Zavaleta.”
“Sand blown from the Sahara Desert will fall on parts of United Kingdom tomorrow creating a phenomenon known as ‘blood rain’ – just one day after the dust cloud sparked a pollution alert for large parts of the country.
“The intriguing spectacle is caused when dust mixes with rain and causes the downpour to be slightly different in colour, ranging from a light orange haze to a full-blooded red.”
“Parts of Switzerland experienced the second mildest winter since records began, according to the meteorological office.
“Temperatures were one degree Celsius higher across the country compared to the 1981-2010 average, but areas south of the Alps were even more abnormal.”
“The island of Crete is today trying to recover from several days of severe flooding, which has washed away at least half a dozen road bridges in the west of the island, as well as scores of acres of farmland…
“The heavy downpours in Crete were part of an icy weather system descending on Greece, which saw record snowfalls in many inland areas and even some Aegean islands.”
“The year has brought an unusually harsh winter in Israel, with ample precipitation, strong winds, and relatively cool temperatures.At the start of the year, powerful storms hit Israel that led to extensive flooding in coastal and low-lying regions.
“Last month a dust storm swept across the country, raising an air pollution warning that recommended people avoid outdoor activity.”
“The United Nations on Thursday launched an international appeal for aid for Zimbabwe following a drought that it expects to affect around a third of the population as crop yields plummet. Seasonal rains have been patchy at best, hitting the harvest of the staple maize crop and deepening an economic crisis marked by an acute dollar crunch that has already led to shortages of medicines, fuel and food.”
“Another major winter storm will strike areas from Afghanistan to Pakistan and northern India later this week following weeks of unsettled weather. One of the strongest storms of the season caused at least 26 fatalities due to flooding in Pakistan last week.
“Flooding will once again be a concern as a storm brings heavy rain, thunderstorms and heavy mountain snowfall to the region from Thursday night into Saturday.”
“Continuing drought will further burden the already depleting groundwater resources of the country [India], according to associate professor Vimal Mishra. Nearly 50% of the country is currently facing drought with at least 16% falling in the “exceptional” or “extreme” category, according to IIT Gandhinagar scientists managing India’s real time drought prediction system.”
“Kalgoorlie [Western Australia] has smashed its February temperature record with a sweltering 45.3C on the last day of summer.
“The Goldfields city reached the top at 1.55pm, beating its previous record of 44.9C on 17 February in 2013. The Bureau of Meteorology has issued a catastrophic fire danger warning for the Goldfields and Eucla and an extreme fire warning for the Esperance Shire.”
“Extreme temperatures are expected to hit the nation’s south with a record breaking heatwave to grip South Australia, Victoria and Tasmania.
“The weather bureau has declared an extreme heatwave emergency for South Australia with authorities warning vulnerable people to stay vigilant. Tasmania firefighters will also remain on high alert with a total fire ban in place for the weekend.”
“The decrease in fish species diversity likely occurred because the cyclones and bleaching events destroyed coral tissues, causing some fish to perish while driving others to unaffected reefs. This dispersal of fishes to other reefs can have cascading effects on the recovery of damaged reefs.”
“Australia has posted its hottest summer and the first season in which temperatures exceeded two degrees above the long-term averages, according to the Bureau of Meteorology.
“With one more day to round out the season, it is clear Australia has eclipsed the previous hottest summer set in 2012-13, David Jones, manager of the bureau’s climate monitoring, told the Sydney Morning Herald and The Age.
“”It’s been extreme and certainly something we haven’t seen before,” Dr Jones said. “It’s been dry and intensely hot right through summer.””
“Temperatures are ramping up towards 40C in southern states, as code red warning weather kicks in. Parts of South Australia will hit 38C today – while on Friday and Saturday the mercury will peak at 40C.”
“Forest fires which have been raging in Riau province, Sumatra since January are worsening due to the current heatwave plaguing the region.
“The current blaze has spread to over 1,136 hectares and is growing, and smoke is beginning to blanket the area, data from the Riau District Disaster Management Agency revealed today. Indonesian authorities are currently struggling to douse the fires through methods such as water bombing, Bernama reported.”
“Two more people have been killed in a landslide in Peru, bringing to at least 50 the number of people who have died since the rainy season started in September, according to the Centre for National Emergency Operations.
“The landslide was triggered by torrential rain in the city of Huancavelica, where hospitals and schools have been inundated…”
“Sonoma County, California, officials issued a mandatory evacuation order for the Russian River area, following a massive mudslide near Monte Rio on Tuesday.
“Following relentless rainfall, the Russian River is quickly rising toward its banks and forecast to reach nearly 14 feet above flood stage by late Wednesday.”
“With more potholes piling up across the District [Washington DC], and about a third of local roads already in poor condition, the city is struggling to keep up with fixes due in large part to last year’s record rainfall.
““We lost 45 full days during our paving season due to the rain,” District Department of Transportation Director Jeff Marootian told the D.C. Council’s Committee on Transportation and the Environment earlier this week.”
“This may go down as the coldest February on record in Metro Vancouver.
“Despite the recent sunshine, the unofficial average temperature has been 0.3 degrees Celsius, and we’re days away from beating the last record set in 1989.”
“Greece’s Defense Minister Evangelos Apostolakis will travel to Crete to assess the damage after the Aegean island was hit by torrential rain and gales causing extensive damage to roads, buildings and infrastructure, the government said Tuesday.”
“In the Netherlands, three days in a row of unusual warmth have beaten the previous record by a remarkable 3C. In Belgium, the warmest February day on record has just happened with 18.8C on the thermometer.
“This is a mere 0.1C above the last record set in 1960 but records go back to 1901 and give the average February temperature of 7C.”
“The UK has broken the record for its warmest winter day for the second consecutive day, with a temperature of 21.2°C in Kew Gardens, London.
“Monday was the first time temperatures of over 20C had been reported in winter, breaking a record that had stood since 1998. It means parts of Britain have been hotter than destinations such as Ibiza.”
“Fire crews have extinguished a huge blaze on moorland in West Yorkshire. The fire, described by one witness as “apocalyptic”, started at about 19:30 GMT on Tuesday and covered about 1.5 sq km of land near Marsden.
“West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue said it was “one of the biggest moorland fires we’ve ever had to deal with”. It came as the UK broke the record for the warmest winter day for a second time and on the same day as a gorse fire on Arthur’s Seat in Edinburgh.”
“A crack along part of the Brunt ice shelf in Antarctica first appeared in October 2016, according to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (Nasa). The crack is spreading to the east. This rift, known as a Halloween crack, is set to intersect with another fissure that was apparently stable for the past 35 years but is now accelerating north at a rate of around 2.5 miles a year.
“Once these two rifts meet, which could happen within weeks, an iceberg of at least 660sq miles is set to be loosened.”
“A weekend of unseasonable warmth brought record high temperatures for February to various locations across Sweden.
“The hottest spot in the country was Karlshamn on the southeast coast, with a temperature of 15.2C on Sunday. This was comfortably higher than the previous February record of 13C, which was reached in 1934 according to SMHI.
“Other parts of the Blekinge county also reached record highs, with temperatures of 14.8C in Ronneby and 11.6C in Hanö.”
“Monday February 25th is going down in the record books as both the warmest February day ever measured in the Netherlands, as well as the highest measured temperature in the meteorological winter.
“Monday therefore broke a monthly record as well as a seasonal record, Weerplaza reports… Gilze-Rijen was the warmest place in the Netherlands on Monday with a maximum of 19.1 degrees.”
“The unseasonably warm weather in Britain is expected to continue as forecasters predict temperatures could exceed Monday’s record-breaking high. The mercury topped 20C (68F) in several parts of the country on Monday – the warmest winter day since records began. Trawsgoed in Ceredigion, west Wales, experienced the highest temperature of 20.6C…”
“Bob Ward, a director at the centre for climate change economics and policy at the London School of Economics, explained that if we have another cold snap following the mild weather, “there is a danger it will kill a lot of wildlife that has emerged early due to the spring-like temperatures.”
“With daffodils reacting earlier than normal this year, because of the weather, and animals such as ladybirds, swallows and rooks all being spotted a month too soon, it shows that the change in climate is greater than ever before.”
“Euronews Belle Donati spoke to Joseph Dutton, from the E3G climate think tank in London, who warned we should be concern about the atypical temperatures. “This is not normal, this is a sign the climate is changing,” he said. Dutton explained that the warm February spell is due to the warming of the Arctic.”
“The weekend storm saw wind gusts reach a record 72 knots or 133km/h, Prime Minister Joseph Muscat told Parliament on Monday.
“He said the storm was the worst to hit Malta since October 1982 although, luckily, no one was injured. In that 1982 storm, which was “characterised by rain,” Dr Muscat said, four people had lost their life.”
“Greek authorities on Tuesday found the body of a 61-year-old farmer missing on the Aegean island of Crete after days of cold, torrential rain and gales, state television said. Crete, Greece’s southernmost island and one of its top tourism destinations, has been hit hardest by storms battering the country over the past few days, with roads, buildings and infrastructure damaged across the island and rivers flooding.”
“Monday’s unseasonably warm temperatures [Israel] will be replaced by another storm system that’s expected to hit the country in the late hours of the evening.
Rainfalls will spread from northern Israel all the way to center of the country while Mount Hermon will be hit by snowstorms.”
“South Africa is likely to harvest 20 percent less maize in 2019 compared with the previous season after drought conditions delayed plantings in some corn growing areas, a Reuters poll of five traders and market analysts showed on Tuesday.”
“Does it seem like it’s been unusually cold the last few weeks? Well, that’s because it has. With just a few days to go, this ranks as the coldest February in downtown Los Angeles since 1962.”
“Mother Nature delivered some snowy poetic justice for those of us with friends and/or family living in Arizona (you know, the ones who constantly remind us of how warm and nice it is out there in the desert).”
“This winter could be one for the record books in Marquette, Michigan. Sunday’s storm dropped 16 inches of the stuff, marking a new daily snowfall record for Feb. 24, according to the National Weather Service, and so far this season, the area has gotten over 200 inches of snowfall… The Marquette area even has seen more snow this season than the airport in Anchorage, Alaska, which has gotten 55.9 inches so far.”
“Ferocious winds from a potent “bomb cyclone” roared across the eastern United States, and 550,000 homes and businesses were still without power Monday.
“At midday, nearly 80 million people were under high-wind warnings or advisories across parts of 14 states, according to the National Weather Service. At least 1,200 flights were canceled Monday, according to FlightAware.”
“More than 50 record highs have been set in Florida this month, but that will come to an end this week thanks to a shift in the upper-level winds and increasing chances of rain.”
“Researchers, led by Frances Moore, professor of environmental science and policy at University of California-Davis, analyzed 2 billion tweets published between March 2014 and November 2016, to determine when people turn to Twitter to talk about the weather. Unsurprisingly, they found that there are far more weather-related tweets during unusual conditions, such as an exceptionally hot day in March or one in September that’s far colder than normal.
“But, they found that there was significantly less Twitter chatter when historically unusual weather conditions repeated within a few years. If a country experiences exceptionally cold weather for more than five years in a row, these conditions were no longer considered remarkable. And, overall, people’s perceptions of normal weather are based on by experiences from the past two to eight years.”
“The UK has enjoyed the highest February temperature ever making it the warmest winter day on record.
“The thermometer reached 20.3°C at Trawsgoed in Wales.
“The Met Office say it is the first time a temperature has risen above 20°C in the winter months of December, January and February since records began.
“The previous record temperature was 19.7°C which was set in London in 1998.”
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Weekday updates on both climate change and the global economy. Stay current with what’s happening around the world with a quick scan of top news.
“The recent winter was the warmest on record across many of Met Éireann’s weather stations, Ireland’s national forecaster has said.
“The adder, Britain’s only venomous snake, has for the first time been confirmed as being active in every month of the year. 
“An arctic air mass invading from Canada has blasted the United States, affecting some 220 million people on Tuesday morning, according to weather reports… bitter, record-setting lows felt all the way from Washington state to Texas… 
“Lee County authorities on Tuesday released the names of the victims of a monstrous tornado that killed at least 23 people, including seven in one family 
“Residents have been evacuated in the Thomas Fire burn scar area and roads are closed as another storm hit California on Wednesday. The night before, residents in Southern California were treated to a rare lightning display.”
“Our new research, published today in Nature Climate Change, makes abundantly clear the destructive force of marine heatwaves… 
“Bay of Plenty temperatures were among the highest in the country this summer, according to Niwa’s summer climate summary. 
“The heatwave in Malaysia is causing fish to die, causing financial loss for nearly 100 grouper and barramundi farmers with net pens in Laguno Tujoh, Kelantan. 
“The Central Weather Bureau’s Southern Region Weather Center [Taiwan] recorded only 1.5 mm of rainfall in Tainan’s mid-west area from last December to February, the lowest winter rainfall since records began in the southern Taiwan city in 1898. 
“North Korea’s food production fell to its lowest level in more than a decade last year as natural disasters hit the country that was already under crippling international sanctions over its weapons programme, according to the United Nations… 
“Flash floods, heavy rains and snowfall have killed at least 59 people across Afghanistan during the past two weeks and left thousands homeless, with the southern provinces of Helmand and Kandahar the worst-hit, an Afghan official said on Wednesday. 
“Seals and whales in the Arctic are shifting their feeding patterns as climate change alters their habitats, and the way they do so may determine whether they survive, a new study has found. 
“Climate change is already triggering devastating weather events across the planet, including prolonged droughts, flash floods and wildfires. Parts of Africa and the Middle East are experiencing erratic harvests, heavy storms and the worst drought in the past 900 years. Experts say that people here who are struggling to provide for their families are vulnerable to the influence of extremist recruits who offer them work and food.”
“Today was the warmest February day on record in parts of Croatia today as spring arrived early. 
“It’s not really unexpected, but it’s still alarming… 
“Europe’s freakishly warm weather during is likely to extend into the middle of March and may be evidence that human activity like burning fossil fuels is shifting the climate… 
“Following the unusually dry summer of 2018, harvests in Germany of nearly all types of vegetables have declined by 14 percent in yields and decreased to a total of 3.3 million tons, the Federal Statistical Office announced on Thursday. 
“One-quarter of city’s average annual rainfall hits Jerusalem in a single day, leading to flooding and multiple dramatic rescues throughout the capital… 
“Heavy rainfall and flooding sparked chaos in Amman’s streets on Thursday. 
“…in the past month, four snowstorms hit the Pacific northwest in nine days and Seattle ran up the highest February snowfall totals in decades. 
“Dozens of towns and cities in multiple regions of the US have clinched their wettest February ever recorded. 
“The Russian river in wine country north of San Francisco crested at more than 46ft (14 meters) on Wednesday night, Sonoma county officials said. 
“A bout of “extreme heat” is nearing its peak across Australia’s southeast… Adelaide and parts of western Victoria could top out at 40C both today and tomorrow. The scorching highs have come as the Bureau of Meteorology confirmed on Thursday that, nationwide, Australia had just sweated through its hottest summer on record.
“Records have been broken for snow, rain and heat from Oregon all the way to Florida for the month of February…
“Rivers swollen by days of heavy rain inundated portions of northern California on Wednesday, forcing hundreds of people to flee their homes. However, about half of the 4,000 people ordered to leave have refused to do so. 
“Sure enough, Chiquito’s suspicions were correct: It was a tornado. 
“The Government of Bolivia declared a national emergency… 
“Record-breaking temperatures [in the UK] have put the current month on course to be the warmest February since records began, the Met Office said… 
“Sand blown from the Sahara Desert will fall on parts of United Kingdom tomorrow creating a phenomenon known as ‘blood rain’ – just one day after the dust cloud sparked a pollution alert for large parts of the country. 
“Parts of Switzerland experienced the second mildest winter since records began, according to the meteorological office. 
“The island of Crete is today trying to recover from several days of severe flooding, which has washed away at least half a dozen road bridges in the west of the island, as well as scores of acres of farmland… 
“The year has brought an unusually harsh winter in Israel, with ample precipitation, strong winds, and relatively cool temperatures.At the start of the year, powerful storms hit Israel that led to extensive flooding in coastal and low-lying regions.
“Another major winter storm will strike areas from Afghanistan to Pakistan and northern India later this week following weeks of unsettled weather. One of the strongest storms of the season caused at least 26 fatalities due to flooding in Pakistan last week. 
“Kalgoorlie [Western Australia] has smashed its February temperature record with a sweltering 45.3C on the last day of summer. 
“Extreme temperatures are expected to hit the nation’s south with a record breaking heatwave to grip South Australia, Victoria and Tasmania. 
“The decrease in fish species diversity likely occurred because the cyclones and bleaching events destroyed coral tissues, causing some fish to perish while driving others to unaffected reefs. This dispersal of fishes to other reefs can have cascading effects on the recovery of damaged reefs.”
“Australia has posted its hottest summer and the first season in which temperatures exceeded two degrees above the long-term averages, according to the Bureau of Meteorology.
“Forest fires which have been raging in Riau province, Sumatra since January are worsening due to the current heatwave plaguing the region. 
“Two more people have been killed in a landslide in Peru, bringing to at least 50 the number of people who have died since the rainy season started in September, according to the Centre for National Emergency Operations. 
“Sonoma County, California, officials issued a mandatory evacuation order for the Russian River area, following a massive mudslide near Monte Rio on Tuesday. 
“With more potholes piling up across the District [Washington DC], and about a third of local roads already in poor condition, the city is struggling to keep up with fixes due in large part to last year’s record rainfall. 
“This may go down as the coldest February on record in Metro Vancouver. 
“In the Netherlands, three days in a row of unusual warmth have beaten the previous record by a remarkable 3C. In Belgium, the warmest February day on record has just happened with 18.8C on the thermometer. 
“The UK has broken the record for its warmest winter day for the second consecutive day, with a temperature of 21.2°C in Kew Gardens, London. 
“Fire crews have extinguished a huge blaze on moorland in West Yorkshire. The fire, described by one witness as “apocalyptic”, started at about 19:30 GMT on Tuesday and covered about 1.5 sq km of land near Marsden. 
“A crack along part of the Brunt ice shelf in Antarctica first appeared in October 2016, according to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (Nasa). The crack is spreading to the east. This rift, known as a Halloween crack, is set to intersect with another fissure that was apparently stable for the past 35 years but is now accelerating north at a rate of around 2.5 miles a year.
“A weekend of unseasonable warmth brought record high temperatures for February to various locations across Sweden.
“Monday February 25th is going down in the record books as both the warmest February day ever measured in the Netherlands, as well as the highest measured temperature in the meteorological winter. 
“Bob Ward, a director at the centre for climate change economics and policy at the London School of Economics, explained that if we have another cold snap following the mild weather, “there is a danger it will kill a lot of wildlife that has emerged early due to the spring-like temperatures.”
“The weekend storm saw wind gusts reach a record 72 knots or 133km/h, Prime Minister Joseph Muscat told Parliament on Monday. 
“Greek authorities on Tuesday found the body of a 61-year-old farmer missing on the Aegean island of Crete after days of cold, torrential rain and gales, state television said. Crete, Greece’s southernmost island and one of its top tourism destinations, has been hit hardest by storms battering the country over the past few days, with roads, buildings and infrastructure damaged across the island and rivers flooding.”
“Monday’s unseasonably warm temperatures [Israel] will be replaced by another storm system that’s expected to hit the country in the late hours of the evening. 
“Mother Nature delivered some snowy poetic justice for those of us with friends and/or family living in Arizona (you know, the ones who constantly remind us of how warm and nice it is out there in the desert).”
“Ferocious winds from a potent “bomb cyclone” roared across the eastern United States, and 550,000 homes and businesses were still without power Monday. 
“More than 50 record highs have been set in Florida this month, but that will come to an end this week thanks to a shift in the upper-level winds and increasing chances of rain.”
“But, they found that there was significantly less Twitter chatter when historically unusual weather conditions repeated within a few years. If a country experiences exceptionally cold weather for more than five years in a row, these conditions were no longer considered remarkable. And, overall, people’s perceptions of normal weather are based on by experiences from the past two to eight years.”
“The UK has enjoyed the highest February temperature ever making it the warmest winter day on record.