World weather news

World weather news, December 2023

5th: Heavy rains and strong winds hit India's southern Andhra Pradesh state as a severe cyclonic storm makes landfall. Nine people, including a child, have died in Andhra Pradesh and neighbouring Tamil Nadu state in rain-related incidents. Authorities have evacuated thousands of people from low-lying areas in both states. Cyclone Michaung has made landfall between Nellore and Kavali in Andhra Pradesh, the state chief minister's office said. The India Meteorological Department had said that the storm will have wind speeds up to 110 km/h.
5th: A powerful atmospheric river has brought record-breaking rainfall to Washington and Oregon, causing widespread flooding and two fatalities as of today. Notable impacts include record river levels, such as the Stillaguamish River reaching a historic 6.50 m, and extensive property damage across both states. In Western Washington, the Olympic National Park recorded 220.2 mm of rain in a 24-hour period. The towns of Hoodsport and Duvall also experienced significant rainfall, each recording 180.8 mm.
8th: Scorching heat, dry lightning, and strong winds hit South Australia, causing multiple fires and extensive power outages affecting over 24000 homes. The temperature soared above 40C in some parts of the state, sparking a series of fires across the region. The extreme weather has not been confined to South Australia alone. Australia's southeast, including New South Wales, sweltered through a heatwave on the 9th. Authorities in New South Wales implemented fire bans across large parts of the state, including Sydney, due to the "very hot, dry and windy conditions" brought by warm north-westerly winds. In Sydney, the temperature at Observatory Hill reached 38.9C at 1300 h local time, almost 15 degC above the average high for December.
9th: At least six people died after tornadoes and severe storms tore through parts of Tennessee. Buildings were reduced to rubble and communities were plunged into blackouts when extreme weather battered parts of the southern US state.
12th: Heavy rainfall and thunderstorms since the 10th have led to floods and river overflows in Bolivia, particularly in the Potosi and La Paz Departments, causing at least 8 fatalities, several missing persons, and widespread damage.
17th: Near-record levels of rainfall have caused life-threatening flooding in the Australian state of Queensland, authorities say. Thousands of people in the north of the state have been urged to move to higher ground. In Cairns authorities said there was major flooding in the city's suburbs and the airport was shut. So far no deaths or missing people have been reported, but a 10-year-old girl was in a critical condition after being struck by lightning in Cairns on the 16th. Daintree Village, 120 km north of Cairns, has seen 350 mm of rain since the morning of the16th, officials said. Updated on the 18th - Extreme weather driven by tropical cyclone Jasper has dumped a year's worth of rain on some areas. Images show planes stuck on Cairns airport runway. No deaths or missing people have so far been reported. However, authorities expect the flooding to be the worst recorded in the state, and intense rainfall is expected to continue for another 24 hours. The city of Cairns has received more than 2000 mm of rainfall since the weather event began the annual average fall there is 1992 mm.
25th: The Chinese capital, Beijing, has experienced its coldest December since records began in 1951. Temperatures in the city have frequently fallen below 10C this month. It has been a year of extremes in the capital - six months ago, Beijing recorded its hottest ever June day, at just over 40C. A Beijing weather observatory recently recorded more than 300 hours of below-freezing temperatures in under two weeks, according to the China Daily news agency. The cold snap has affected provinces across China, with schools in some areas being forced to close and transport services facing difficulties.
25th-26th: At least 10 people, including a nine-year-old girl, have died in eastern Australia during severe thunderstorms on Christmas and Boxing Day. Most of the deaths were in the state of Queensland, where tens of thousands of people are still without power. Victoria and New South Wales were also hit by widespread flooding and destructive winds. The winds were so strong in places, they tore roofs off buildings, felled trees and ripped concrete-based electricity poles from the ground.

World weather news, November 2023

2nd: Northern Europe experienced severe weather, strong winds and flooding due to Storm Ciaran. Six people on the continent have been killed now by falling trees. A man in the Dutch town of Venray, a woman in Spain's capital Madrid, one person in Germany and another in the Belgian city of Ghent have died, according to police reports. In a separate incident, a five-year-old child was also killed in Ghent, after being hit by falling branches while playing outside. Early in day a falling tree killed a lorry driver in France's Aisne region. Large areas of Tuscany were also hit by flooding, leaving three people dead and six others missing, as heavy winds and rain from the storm buffeted central Italy. Cars were swept away and water levels rose on the River Arno. Hospitals were flooded, people were trapped in their cars in underpasses and rescued from their homes with rubber dinghies. Wind gusts of 129 mph were recorded on the north-west coast of France. Some of the worst damage has been reported in Finistere, in the far north-west of Spain, where gusts of 128 mph were recorded at Pointe-du-Raz. Warnings were activated throughout Spain, except for the Canary Islands, because of heavy rain, gusts of wind of up to 68 mph, with a greater incidence in the Galicia region, which was on a red alert.
4th: Over 20 individuals have died and upwards of 12,000 families have been evacuated due to severe flooding in the Somali region of Ethiopia, while the flooding also caused significant destruction to infrastructure, hindering aid to those affected.
4th: A large tornado struck the village of Lavovo, near Isperih in Bulgaria's Razgrad Province, taking the roofs off more than 100 homes and causing widespread infrastructure damage, including downed trees and electric poles. Accompanying storms inflicted further havoc across Central and South Bulgaria, with several regions experiencing power outages and flooding, prompting the declaration of a state of emergency.
7th: Air pollution in Delhi has risen to alarming levels. The air quality index for the Indian capital hit 300 today, nearly reaching the hazardous levels of 301-500. Authorities there have halted some construction, closed primary schools and will impose restrictions on the use of vehicles from next week to combat pollution.
10th: Toxic smog in eastern Pakistan has made thousands of people sick, forcing authorities to shut some cities for the rest of the week. Smog in the country's second-largest city Lahore has risen to dangerous levels. The Punjab provincial government has ordered that schools, offices, malls and parks in three cities, including Lahore, be closed until the 12th. Over the past few days, Lahore's Air Quality Index - which measures the level of fine particulate matter in the air - have hovered around the 400 mark. AQI levels at or below 100 are generally thought of as satisfactory. Lahore borders the Indian city of Amritsar.
11th-15th: Red alerts have been issued for almost 3,000 towns and cities across Brazil, which have been experiencing an unprecedented heatwave. Rio de Janeiro recorded 42.5C on the 12th - a record for November - and high humidity on the 14th meant that it felt like 58.5C, municipal authorities said. More than a hundred million people have been affected by the heat, which is expected to last until at least the 17th.
13th: Residents of India's capital, Delhi, woke up to smoky skies as air quality dropped after the festival of Diwali. People in the city burst crackers late into Sunday night despite a ban on fireworks due to high pollution levels. Delhi has been battling toxic air for weeks, with the government announcing an early winter break for schools in an effort to protect children. The problem becomes worse in winter as farmers in neighbouring states burn crop stubble. In the afternoon the AQI in Delhi was 445, with some places recording readings above 520; a figure higher than 400 is considered "severe".
17th: Parts of Alaska have experienced considerable snowfall this autumn, with the state's largest city on track to surpass its November record by some margin. The city of Anchorage, which typically receives about 5 inches of snow during the first two weeks of November, has so far recorded 37.9 inches. Several daily records have been broken, most starkly on 8 November, with 9 inches of snow within 24 hours. That was part of a larger three-day snowstorm that brought more than 20 inches in total. A state of emergency was declared in the city during this event, prompting the closure of schools, suspension of public transport, and increased efforts to find shelter for the homeless population, with four deaths reported among people living outdoors.
19th: Brazil has recorded its hottest ever temperature - 44.8C - as parts of the country endure a stifling heatwave. The record occurred in the town of Aracuai, in Brazil's south-eastern state of Minas Gerais. The unprecedented weather has been attributed to the El Nino phenomenon and climate change. Aracuai's high of 44.8C had beaten the country's previous record of 44.7C, measured in 2005.
22nd: Floods, described by the UN as a "once-in-a-century event", have killed at least 50 people in Somalia and forced almost half a million to flee their homes. The combination of two climate phenomena El Nino and the Indian Ocean dipole with unusually heavy seasonal rains have led to towns, villages, farms and pastures all but disappearing underwater. One of the worst-affected areas is Baidoa city, the regional capital of South West state. It was known as the "city of death" in the early 1990s, when about a third of the population perished during a famine.
27th: Hurricane-force winds and heavy flooding have left about 1.9 million people without power in south Russia and in parts of Ukraine. At least four storm-related deaths have been reported by local media. Ukraine says over 2000 of its villages and towns have no power after snowstorms. The storm also affected Moldova, Georgia and Bulgaria.
27th: At least 24 people have been killed by lightning and intense rain and hailstorms in India. The weather damaged houses and killed livestock across western Gujarat state. Storms are unusual in Gujarat during winter, meteorologists said, and the fierce downpour caught many off guard.

World weather news, October 2023

1st: At least 30 people have been killed in landslides caused by heavy rains in Cameroon's capital Yaoundé. Rescue efforts were hampered by floods, forcing locals to pull bodies out of the debris with their bare hands. Heavy rainfall caused the Mefou River to burst its banks, submerging several neighbourhoods.
9th: Tropical Storm Max made landfall in Mexico's southern Pacific coast today, as the country braces for a second punch from Tropical Storm Lidia, expected to hit Tuesday as a hurricane in a different part of the country. Max was located about 65 km east of the resort town of Zihuatanejo with winds of about 60 mph and was moving inland at about 7 mph. Mexico's Civil Defense office said Max was causing "torrential" rain in the states of Guerrero and Michoacan. The storm was expected to quickly weaken.
10th-11th: A hurricane described as "extremely dangerous" has made landfall on Mexico's Pacific coast. Hurricane Lidia hit Mexico as a Category 4 storm, bringing wind speeds of up to 140 mph. The storm weakened after moving inland, with the US National Hurricane Center (NHC) downgrading it to Category 2 status. Lidia made landfall by the small beach town of Las Penitas just before 1800 LT (0000 GMT/11th). By 0300 GMT/11th, the NHC said Lidia was blowing maximum sustained winds of 105 mph as it passed near the inland town of Mascota in Jalisco state. In the seaside resort of Puerto Vallarta, residents took shelter from the storm, with shopkeepers boarding up windows and piling up sandbags in case of flooding. Earlier, the city's airport announced it was closing from 2200 GMT/10th until 0800 GMT/11th.
12th: A severe drought in the Brazilian Amazon is disrupting transport, isolating communities and killing wildlife. The Brazilian government attributes the drought to climate change and the El Nino weather phenomenon, which has caused the volume of rainfall in the northern Amazon to fall below the historical average and river levels to drop to near record levels. The low water levels pose a threat to the estimated 30 million people that call the Amazon basin home. Many rivers have dried up, leaving tens of thousands of people stranded in remote jungle villages. Experts suspect that the heat wave and drought may be the cause of the high numbers of fish and river dolphins, known as boto, which have been washing up dead.
23rd: At least seven people have died after a dense "super fog" caused a huge, 158-car pile-up near New Orleans. Thick fog and smoke from multiple marsh fires mingled to reduce visibility for drivers who were commuting. Twenty-five people were injured in the crash on Interstate 55 in St John the Baptist Parish, said police, who warned the death toll could rise. Some vehicles caught fire and were abandoned, leaving a trail of burnt-out wreckage and mangled metal. The National Weather Service in New Orleans described the weather phenomenon as a "super fog". On its website, it states super fog can form when a mixture of smoke and moisture from damp, smouldering vegetation mixes with cooler air. The smoky conditions reduced visibility to less than 10 feet.
25th: An "extremely dangerous" category five storm, has made landfall in southern Mexico. Hurricane Otis touched down near the popular Acapulco resort just after midnight LT (0625 GMT). The storm's winds are forecast to reach 165 mph. The National Hurricane Center warned of "destructive waves" and heavy flooding in coastal areas, including Acapulco. Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador urged people to move to emergency shelters and away from rivers, streams and ravines. By the 27th more than two dozen people were known to have died as a result of storm.

World weather news, September 2023

2nd: Typhoon Saola made landfall in southern China after nearly 900,000 people were moved to safety and most of Hong Kong and other parts of coastal southern China suspended business, transport and schools. Guangdong province's meteorological bureau said the powerful storm churned into an outlying district of the city of Zhuhai, just south of Hong Kong at 3.30 a.m. local time. It was forecast to move in a south-westerly direction along the Guangdong coast, gradually weakening before heading out to sea. On the 1st 780,000 people in Guangdong were moved away from areas at risk, as were 100,000 others in neighbouring Fujian province. More than 80,000 fishing vessels returned to port. Workers stayed at home and students in several cities had the start of their school year postponed until next week. Trading on Hong Kong's stock market was suspended on the 1st and hundreds of people were stranded at the airport after about 460 flights were cancelled. The Hong Kong Observatory issued a No 10 hurricane alert before the storm, the highest warning under the city's weather system. It was the first such warning since Typhoon Mangkhut hit Hong Kong in 2018.
3rd: Several weather warnings have been issued across Spain as heavy rain causes major flooding across parts of the country. Maximum red weather alerts are in place in the Madrid, Toledo and Cádiz regions. Sunday's football match between Atletico Madrid and Sevilla was suspended due to the torrential rain. Residents in Madrid have been asked to stay at home due to "the exceptional and abnormal" rainfall, the mayor said. Much of the rainfall - brought by a storm - has been concentrated in coastal regions around Cádiz, Tarragona and Castelló.
4th: More than 40 people were injured in Taiwan after Typhoon Haikui ripped across the island, uprooting trees and forcing thousands to evacuate. The storm - which made landfall on Sunday (the 3rd) on the east coast - was the first to directly hit the island in four years. The storm packed winds of up to 200 km/h but there have been no reports of deaths or any major structural damage. On Monday, clean-up crews were working on restoring services after 160,000 homes lost power the previous day. Businesses, schools and other places remained closed on the island, while domestic flights and ferry services to surrounding islands were cancelled.
5th: At least one person has died in Greece, after torrential rain triggered flash floods in parts of the country. The coastal port city of Volos has seen the same amount of water falling in 24 hours that it usually gets for the whole of autumn. On the island of Skiathos, strong currents dragged away plants and vehicles as flood water rushed through the streets. Updated 7th - Further rainfalls, associated with the same weather system, have also led to flooding in Turkey and Bulgaria, with at least 10 deaths due to flooding and its effects.
5th: Torrential rain and winds caused by a cyclone have left at least 21 people dead in southern Brazil, with more flooding expected. The governor of Rio Grande do Sul said it was the state's worst-ever weather disaster. In Mucum, a town of 5,000 people, hundreds had to be rescued from their rooftops as 85% of the town was flooded, local media report. More than 300 mm of rain hit the state in less than 24 hours, triggering floods and landslides. Rescue workers have been using helicopters to reach areas cut off by flooding.
8th-9th: Hong Kong and southern Chinese cities are battling widespread flooding as the region endures some of its heaviest rainfall on record. On Friday (9th), streets and subway stations were under water in Hong Kong as officials shut schools and workplaces. Videos on social media showed people climbing on to cars and other elevated platforms to escape the waters, which have risen several metres-high in some areas, blocking off subway entrances. On Thursday, authorities had issued the black warning, which is triggered when rainfall exceeds 70 mm an hour. The Hong Kong Observatory later that night reported an hourly rainfall of 158.1 mm, the highest since records began in 1884. More than 200 mm of rain was recorded on Hong Kong island, Kowloon and the north-eastern part of the city between 1800 LT and midnight.
10th: The death toll from floods in Derna, Libya stands at more than 1,500. Much of Derna, which is home to about 100,000 people, is under water after two dams and four bridges collapsed. Up to 10,000 people are recorded to be missing in Libya after the flooding as a result of the medicane named Storm Daniel, the Red Crescent says. The storm also affected the eastern cities of Benghazi, Soussa and Al-Marj. The collapse of one of the dams to the south of Derna had dragged large parts of the city into the sea. Update - By the 14th the possible death toll had risen to 5000 with at least 10000 missing, as many victims had been washed straight out to sea. The devastation came from extreme rainfall, as 24-hour totals of 150 mm-240 mm were widely recorded in the region. One station in the city of Al-Bayda recorded a rainfall total of 414.1 mm in 24 hours, a new record for the area.
17th: The sea-ice surrounding Antarctica is well below any previous recorded winter level, satellite data shows. "It's so far outside anything we've seen, it's almost mind-blowing," says Walter Meier, who monitors sea-ice with the National Snow and Ice Data Center (USA). Antarctica's huge ice expanse regulates the planet's temperature, as the white surface reflects the Sun's energy back into the atmosphere and also cools the water beneath and near it. The ice that floats on the Antarctic Ocean's surface now measures less than 17 million sq km - that is 1.5 million sq km of sea-ice less than the September average, and well below previous winter record lows.
29th: As flash flooding swept over parts of the New York City region on Friday, residents reeled from powerful downpours and surging waters. While no fatalities have been reported, scenes of chaos emerged as residents waded through knee-deep water in search for higher ground and drivers abandoned their vehicles on overwhelmed highways. In one north Brooklyn, New York City, building, residents said raw sewage seeped into their apartments amid the torrent. JFK airport was awash with more than 8 inches of rain marking the wettest day on record there since 1948 and La Guardia airport was similarly swamped with almost 5 inches, spurring flight cancellations.
September: The world's September temperatures were the warmest on record, breaking the previous high by a huge margin, according to the EU climate service. Last month was 0.93 degC warmer than the average September temperature between 1991-2020, and 0.5 degC hotter than the previous record set in 2020.

World weather news, August 2023

1st: The oceans have hit their hottest ever recorded temperature. The average daily global sea surface temperature beat a 2016 record this week, according to the EU's climate change service Copernicus. It reached 20.96C. The hottest time of the year is normally during March. The new average temperature record beats one set in 2016 when the naturally occurring climate fluctuation El Nino was in full swing and at its most powerful. The broken temperature record follows a series of marine heatwaves this year including in the UK, the North Atlantic, the Mediterranean and the Gulf of Mexico. In Florida, sea surface temperatures hit 38.44C last week.
5th: At least 10 people have died and 18 are missing after torrential rains battered Hebei province in northern China. Officials evacuated more than half its 11.5 million people by noon (0400 GMT) from areas thought to be at high risk of landslides and floods. Storm Doksuri, which hit mainland China last week, has brought the worst rains in 140 years.
5th: A storm with hail and heavy rain has hit the southwest German city of Reutlingen. City officials have said the hail formed 30 cm drifts in some areas and snowploughs were deployed. About 250 firefighters took part in the clean-up, in the state of Baden-Wuerttemberg.
8th: A major storm swept through Scandinavia, bringing in strong winds and heavy rain that have triggered landslides and damaged infrastructure. Norway's emergency services evacuated residents from various communities, which were threatened by the landslides. The storm, which has been called "Hans," hit Sweden late on the 6th and reached Norway on the 7th, with parts of Denmark and Finland also affected. Norway's Meteorological Institute had issued a red warning for very heavy rain, floods and landslides in large parts of the country. Across the region, the severe weather has knocked out power lines, flooded villages and brought public transport to a standstill in the worst-affected areas. On the 7th the storm derailed a Swedish passenger train, injuring three people. Residents of the ski resort town of Are in northwestern Sweden were advised to stay away from the Susabacken stream, which overflowed and brought with it mud and rocks coursing through the town, causing damage to roads and houses, Sweden's crisis information website Krisinformation reported. Meanwhile in Denmark, the country's meteorological agency DMI warned of storm winds in the country's north, with police saying in a statement that rescue services' efforts to put out a wildfire near the town of Klitmoller were "hampered" by the strong winds.
8th: More than 300,000 homes and businesses in the eastern US were without power today after another storm passed over the region, killing at least two people and disrupting air travel. A 15-year-old boy was killed after a tree fell on him as he got out of a car in South Carolina, and a 28-year-old man died after he was struck by lightning in Alabama. Across the US, more than 1,700 flights were cancelled and nearly 9,000 were delayed. Golf-ball sized hail was reported in Virginia, and a flash-flood warning was put out in Maryland, according to the National Weather Service. The Knoxville utilities board said damage across its service area in Tennessee was "widespread and extensive".
15th: As of today widespread wildfires in Maui, Hawaii, 106 people are known to have died on the Hawaiian island, although many more people remain unaccounted for. The catastrophic fire, which destroyed the historic town of Lahaina within hours, has been followed by a slow and gruelling search for victims. Fuelled by a dry summer and strong winds from a passing hurricane, the wildfires on Maui raced through parched brush covering the island.
19th-20th: For the first time in 84 years, a tropical storm has made landfall in California. Tropical Storm Hilary, with maximum sustained wind gusts of 130 mph and a central air pressure of 943 mb, advanced towards the Baja California peninsula this weekend as a category 4 hurricane, before arriving as a tropical storm in southern California late on Sunday. The last time a tropical storm made landfall in southern California was in 1939, when it flooded Los Angeles and killed nearly 100 people. Meanwhile, large parts of the mid-west USA and the central and southern plains of the USA have been put under excessive heat warning going into this week as temperatures continue to reach 5-10 degC above the climatological average.
20th-21st: Before making landfall, Hilary delivered torrential rain to Santa Rosalía in Mexico's state of Baja California Sur. One person was killed by the floodwater, according to officials. Hilary weakened to a tropical storm before it came ashore on the northern end of the peninsula at around 11 a.m. PT on the 20th. The 20th was the wettest August day on record for both downtown Los Angeles and San Diego, according to the National Weather Service. They received 2.5 inches and 1.8 inches of rain, respectively. Death Valley National Park closed due to flooding, and several roads were also flooded and damaged in Las Vegas, Nevada. So far, some of the most severely affected places in the U.S. have been the normally dry desert regions of Southern California. Streets turned into rivers of mud in Palm Springs after the city received six months of rain over six hours. Flooding also closed roads in Coachella Valley, including I-10, the major highway in the region.
27th: A cruise ship broke free from moorings and collided with a freight vessel during a storm in Mallorca, Spain at about 1000 GMT as "a sudden rain and wind storm ripped us away from our dockside moorings, breaking tethering lines, water hoses, and causing the walkway to fall into the sea". Passengers on Britannia, a P&O Cruises ship based in Southampton, described "being pushed ashore by tugs whilst confined to our cabins" after the incident, in which a walkway fell away. A small number of people are being cared for onboard after sustaining minor injuries, P&O said.
30th: Hurricane Idalia made landfall near the town of Keaton Beach, in Florida's Big Bend area, at around 0745 local time. Winds then dropped to near 105 mph - down from 125 mph before Idalia made landfall. A "catastrophic storm surge" occurred along the coast of the Florida Big Bend, with "damaging winds spreading inland over northern Florida", the National Hurricane Center said. Over 240,000 people were without power in Florida. Earlier, the Florida Governor warned residents to shelter in place and take particular care of downed power lines. Idalia was downgraded to a tropical storm as it passed through Georgia, though it still brought with it powerful winds and potentially life-threatening weather.

World weather news, July 2023

: Overall, July 2023 was 0.24 degC warmer than any other July in NASA's record, and it was 1.18 degC warmer than the average July between 1951 and 1980. (NASA, 14 Aug 2023 - https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-clocks-july-2023-as-hottest-month-on-record-ever-since-1880)
6th: The world's average temperature has reached a new high for the third time in a week, unofficial records show. Data analysed by a group of US scientists shows the global average temperature on today was 17.23C. It breaks the 17.01C record set on the 3rd, surpassed just a day later when the average temperature reached 17.18C. The temperatures are being driven by human-induced climate change and the naturally-occurring weather pattern known as El Nino, scientists say.
8th: Heavy rain in India's capital Delhi has caused parts of the city to flood, leaving residents stranded and vehicles at a standstill. People have had to plough on through the floods - or sit in the water in traffic jams.
8th-12th: Crews in Vermont, USA, are assessing the damage after a storm dumped up to two months of rain on the state in a matter of days, triggering dangerous flash floods that submerged homes. The state's governor said there had been "historic and catastrophic" flooding. More than 100 rescues have taken place there since the 9th. People in Montpelier as well as nearby Berlin have been told to boil their water, amid concerns that the flooding may have contaminated drinking water. There had been concerns about several dams in the state as they neared capacity, but on Tuesday (11th) night Montpelier officials said the Wrightsville Dam was "beginning to recede" and both major rivers were "now below flood stage". An emergency order was lifted on Tuesday in the city even as some streets remained underwater after the Winooski River burst its banks.
13th: Key roads in the Indian capital, Delhi, have been flooded as water from the Yamuna river has overflowed onto them. The water level of the river has been rising since Wednesday after it breached an all-time high mark that had stood for more than 45 years. Authorities have evacuated thousands from nearby low-lying areas and have diverted traffic from arterial roads. In NW India the average precipitation so far during the monsoon since 1 June has totalled 239 mm, 145% of the average fall expected, according to the India Meteorological Department.
15th: At least 22 people have been killed by deadly flooding in South Korea, as torrential rainfall continues to batter central regions. A third day of downpours triggered landslides and caused a major dam in the central North Chungcheong province to overflow. Another 14 people are missing and thousands have been forced to evacuate their homes, officials said. Most of the casualties were reported from the North Gyeongsang province, caused by landslides in the mountainous area that destroyed homes.
16th: China has provisionally recorded its highest ever temperature in the north-western region of Xinjiang. China's Meteorological Administration said the temperature hit 52.2C in the village of Sanbao.
18th: The city of Phoenix, Arizona, USA exceeded 43C for the 19th consecutive day, breaking its all-time record of 18 straight days. In China, Beijing has registered a record 27 days of temperatures above 35C. In Japan, Tokyo Disneyland and DisneySea temporarily halted some outdoor events and shows on the 17th due to the blistering heat. Japanese authorities have also issued heatstroke warnings in 32 out of the country's 47 prefectures, as temperatures in many places rose to nearly 40C.
18th: Typhoon Talim has lashed south-eastern China and displaced 230,000, as large swathes of Asia reel from torrential rain and extreme heat. It disrupted flights and shut fishing villages and coastal tourist spots, but weakened on its way to Vietnam. Talim whipped Guangdong province with winds of nearly 140 km/h on the 17th, before making landfall in neighbouring Guangxi on the 18th.
19th-24th: On the 19 there were several very large hailstones, more than 1 0cm in diameter measured along their longest axis, recorded across parts of Italy and Croatia. One of these stones, measuring 16 cm in diameter, was recorded in Carmignano di Brenta, Italy, and broke the previous largest hail record in Europe, which was previously held by a 15 cm stone found in Romania in 2016. However, just five days later, a new record was set. At about 2100 GMT on the 24th, a 19 cm diameter hailstone was found in the town of Azzano Decimo, also in Italy. This is very close to the all-time largest hail recorded of 20.3 cm, found on 23 July 2010 in South Dakota, USA. Hailstones of this size are usually formed in supercells, which have strong rotating updrafts that are able to support their mass, keeping them suspended long enough so the hailstones can grow to these very large sizes.
19th: Red alerts for extreme heat are in place in most of Italy's main cities as a heatwave intensifies in Europe. Temperatures are expected to peak on Wednesday, with 23 cities on high alert - from Trieste in the north-east to Messina in the south-west. Wildfires are also raging across the continent, including in Greece and the Swiss Alps. The heatwave, which has swept across the country, has been described by local media as settimana infernale - or "week of hell". There has been a 20% increase in the number of patients being admitted with heat-related symptoms, such as dehydration, exhaustion, heat stroke, and confusion, according to the health ministry. A new record-high temperature of 41.8C was reportedly measured in the capital Rome on the 18th. There have also been power cuts in Palermo, Sicily's capital, as a result of high demand for air conditioning. Multiple wildfires have also swept across Greece since the 17th - including one which led to the evacuation of 1,200 children from a summer camp. The most severe fire burned in the Dervenochoria region, north of Athens. Others also continue to rage in the towns of Loutraki - near the city of Corinth - and in Kouvaras, south of the capital. The Spanish island of La Palma has also been left devastated by wildfires, which have now been brought under control thanks to cooler overnight temperatures. The fires destroyed some 3,500 hectares (8,700 acres) of land, burned around 20 houses and buildings and forced 4,000 residents to evacuate.
21st: While most of California swelters through a prolonged, extreme heatwave, Mammoth Mountain ski resort in the eastern Sierras announced that it would be extending its season into early August. Teenagers drink water in the heat in Phoenix. Dozens of cities have had streaks of days with temperatures at 90F and above. "We are stoked to announce that we're staying open," the resort, which saw its snowiest season on record this winter, announced on Instagram. Mammoth Mountain had planned to remain open through the end of July and is now planning to close on 6 August. Located along eastern Sierra Nevada, the resort often stays open into June or July but this season will be only the third to extend into August in its 69-year operating history. California's snowpack has not yet fully melted after a historic year of precipitation, following years of deep drought in the state. Winter storms brought massive amounts of snow, as well as destructive storms.
22nd: Greece is bracing for more intense heat this weekend, with meteorologists warning that temperatures could climb as high as 45C. People have been advised to stay home, and tourist sites - including Athens' ancient Acropolis - will be shut during the hottest parts of the next two days. Emergency and civil protection officials are warning of a very high risk of new blazes across the country. Western Attica - just west of Athens - is among the worst-hit areas, along with Laconia in the southern Peloponnese and the island of Rhodes. Greece's EU partners have provided help, including firefighting planes from France and Italy and more than 200 firefighters from Poland, Slovakia, Romania and Bulgaria. Neighbouring Turkey is also sending some aircraft to help.
22nd: Four people, including two children, have been reported missing in flooding caused by torrential rains in Nova Scotia, Canada. Officials say the heaviest rains to hit the Atlantic region in 50 years have triggered floods that have left thousands of homes without electricity. Three months of rain fell in just 24 hours in some areas. As of 1500 EDT the storm had produced the following rainfall totals - Bridgewater 262 mm, Keizer Meadows (Windsor Road) 257 mm, Lower Sackville 255 mm.
24th: A heatwave baking the US Southwest for weeks is set to expand into central and eastern regions. Temperature records were surpassed in several major cities over the weekend, and some 56 million Americans began Monday under extreme heat advisories. On Sunday (23rd), the city of Phoenix, Arizona, extended its streak of temperatures above 43C (110F) into a 24th day, well past the previous record of 18 days set in 1974. At least 18 heat-related deaths have occurred in surrounding Maricopa County since April, with 69 more deaths under investigation. Meanwhile, in the border town of El Paso, Texas, residents experienced a 38th consecutive day at temperatures above 38C. Two female hikers were found dead in the Valley of Fire State Park in Nevada on Sunday, amid temperatures as high as 45C. Ocean temperatures in South Florida and the Keys could reach unprecedented highs as the heatwave extends east in the coming days.
24th: At least 15 people have been killed and thousands evacuated after wildfires broke out across Algeria, the country's interior ministry says. Outbreaks of 97 wildfires were recorded across 16 provinces affecting forest, crops and farmland on Monday. Around 7,500 firefighters and 350 fire trucks were working to bring the blazes under control, authorities said. The most extensive fires, in the mountainous Kabylie region to the east of Algiers, spread to residential areas in the coastal towns of Bejaia and Jijel, fanned by high winds. Northern Algeria has been experiencing a record heatwave in recent days, with temperatures reaching 48C. Temperatures in several regions in North Africa are up to 7 degC higher than normal for the time of year. Algeria's national electricity and gas company, Sonelgaz, said it had recorded a "historic peak" in electricity consumption.
25th: Extreme weather has been battering Italy from north to south. Wildfires are raging in Sicily after weeks of record-breaking temperatures, with local media warning that the city of Palermo is "encircled" by fires. Meanwhile, northern regions are reeling from violent storms and high winds that uprooted trees and lifted roofs off buildings. In some places, tennis ball-sized hailstones injured people, damaged cars and destroyed crops. A 16-year-old girl was killed when a tree fell on the tent she was sleeping in at a summer camp near the city of Brescia, while a middle-aged woman died after also being hit by a falling tree in Lissone, north of Milan. Overnight, the regions of Lombardy and Veneto experienced torrential rainfall and extremely strong winds, which reached 100 km/h in Milan. Meanwhile, Sicily is battling wildfires that are threatening towns and cities across the island. Temperatures of more than 47.5C were recorded in Catania on Monday (24th).
31st: At least two people have died in Beijing as China is battered by one of the strongest storms to hit the country in years. Storm Doksuri has been causing widespread flooding and has led to chaos across northern China. In the capital, at least 31,000 people have been forced to flee their homes, while subway stations have been closed. While the storm - a former super-typhoon - is weakening, officials have urged people to remain indoors. Rainfall in Beijing and other cities in northern China has already reached dangerously high levels. China's Meteorological Bureau said an average of 170.9 mm of rain deluged Beijing between Saturday night and noon on Monday, the equivalent of the average rainfall for the entire month of July. The storm made landfall in Fujian Province on Friday, causing landslides and flooding before moving north towards the capital.

World weather news, June 2023

1st: Today saw potentially the lowest June temperature on record in Finland. A weather station in Lapland, Enontekiö Kilpisjärvi Saana, reached -7.7C. The last time Lapland saw a minimum temperature of -7C in June was on 3 June 1962.
3rd-5th: Torrential rainfall hit the Province of Esmeraldas in north-western Ecuador, causing floods and resulting in evacuations and damage. The Ecuador Risk Communication Management Department reports more than 650 evacuated people, 11,750 affected across six cantons and almost 1,500 rescued people. In addition, almost 3,000 houses have been flooded, and 21 educational facilities affected.
5th: Thousands of homes in Haiti have been flooded following heavy rains over the weekend, leaving at least 42 people dead and 85 injured, according to a statement released by the country's Civil Protection Agency. The intense rainfall caused several rivers throughout Haiti to overflow, which in turn sparked flash floods, flooding, rockslides and landslides. Over 13,300 people have been displaced, and at least 11 others have been declared missing throughout five of Haiti's 10 departments - West, Nippes, South-East, North-West, and the Centre.
8th: Millions of people in North America have been advised to wear N95 masks outdoors due to poor air quality levels sparked by intense wildfires in Canada. New York will begin distributing free masks today. Canada has said that people should wear a mask if they are unable to remain indoors. Officials warn that the dangerously smoky conditions are expected to persist into the weekend. Much of the smoke is coming from Quebec, where 150 fires are burning. More than 15,000 residents are expected to be forced to evacuate in the province, officials said on the 7th. It is already Quebec's worst fire season on record.
15th: A deadly tornado has swept through a northern Texas (USA town, killing three people and injuring dozens more. Perryton, which is near the Oklahoma border, appears to be at the centre of an intense storm system that has carved its way through the South. At least 30 mobile homes took a "direct hit" from the tornado and were damaged or destroyed. A further 75 people were taken to hospital. The National Weather Service (NWS) reported the tornado touched down around 1700 LT. It noted a total of seven tornado reports.
15th: At least two people have been killed and 22 injured after Cyclone Biparjoy made landfall in western India near the Pakistan border. The storm weakened after hitting the Gujarat state coast on Thursday night. It has uprooted trees, ripped out electricity poles, and damaged roads in some districts. In Pakistan more than 80,000 people have been displaced from their homes along the coastal belt in Sindh. More than 170,000 people in the two countries were evacuated from low-lying regions before the arrival of the cyclone. Cyclone Biparjoy, which means "disaster" in Bengali, first hit India's port city of Jakhau in Gujarat with winds up to 125 km/h. The India Meteorological Department has since reduced the classification of the storm from "very severe" to "severe". Authorities say heavy rainfall is expected to continue in the neighbouring Rajasthan state the next two days as the cyclone moves north-west. Cyclone Biparjoy was classified as a category one storm, the least severe on a scale of one to five, but forecasters had said it could be the area's worst storm in 25 years. At least 33 deaths were reported in Pakistan last week due to heavy rains, while seven deaths were reported in India this week amid downpours.
16th: At least 11 people were killed in Brazil's southern state of Rio Grande do Sul after an extra-tropical cyclone struck the region, according to the state's authorities. The storm on Friday caused torrential rains and helicopter searches were under way in flooded neighbourhoods to find 20 others who were missing, the government of Rio Grande do Sul said. One of the worst hit on the cyclone's trail was the town of Caraa, with a population of more than 8,000 people.
20th-21st: On the 20th the first 40°C of the year were reached in Corsica, in Sartene where 40.2C was measured. On the 21st 41.6C were recorded there, this being the highest temperature ever observed in Corsica for the month of June. The recording of temperatures above 40C is becoming more frequent and occurring earlier in France. It was extremely rare to reach this level of heat in France until the beginning of the 21st century.
22nd: Beijing has recorded its hottest June day since records began in 1961 with the temperature touching 41.1C. The city is experiencing a prolonged heatwave with extreme temperatures to persist until the end of June. Several monthly heat records have been broken around China this year, prompting fears of an energy crunch. Last month, the country's largest city Shanghai, with 25 million people living on the east coast, recorded its hottest May day in a century. On Thursday, a weather station in Beijing's north recorded a high of 41.8C. The national weather bureau issued a heat stroke alert last week - a fortnight earlier than in previous years. Local authorities in Beijing, Tianjin, and other cities in northern and eastern China, advised people to suspend outdoor work during the hottest parts of the day and to get medical help if they show symptoms of a heat stroke.
25th: Since the start of the severe weather in Chile on the 23rd, San Jose de Maipo in Santiago Metropolitan Region recorded 126.4 mm of rain. Retiro in Maule Region recorded 156.6 mm and Concepción in Biobío Region recorded 97.6 mm. Chile's disaster agency, SENAPRED, said the regions of Valparaíso, Santiago Metropolitan, O'Higgins, Maule, Ñuble, Biobío and Araucanía have all been severely affected. Roads have been cut in over 40 locations, leaving almost 10,000 people isolated. Around 2,700 homes have been damaged and 54 destroyed, displacing as many as 5,000 people. Interruptions to power supply have affected around 15,000. High turbidity and increase in the flow of the Maipo River in Valparaiso Region has interrupted drinking water supply to 53,000 people in the communes of San Antonio, Cartagena, El Quisco, El Tabo and Algarrobo.
28th: Heavy smoke from wildfires has prompted air quality warnings in midwestern US cities such as Chicago, as well as parts of Canada. Parts of Europe have also seen effects from the Canada wildfires, with hazy skies reported across Spain and intense sunrises and sunsets in the UK. Pennsylvania's department of environmental protection has declared a "code red" air quality alert for the entire state due to smoke from Canadian wildfires.
29th: At least 13 people have died in Texas (USA) due to heat-related illnesses, according to officials. Eleven of the Texas heat-related deaths occurred in Webb county, which includes Laredo. Record-setting heat in Texas has sent hundreds of people to emergency rooms in recent weeks, according to state health officials. Over the past week, several cities in Texas, including San Angelo and Del Rio, have hit or surpassed 110F. Rio Grande Village, Texas, in Big Bend National Park, was hotter than Death Valley on Tuesday, according to the National Weather Service. Rio Grande Village reached 115F, while Furnace Creek in Death Valley recorded 109F.

World weather news, May 2023

3rd: At least 115 people have died as floods and mudslides swept through northern and western Rwanda after torrential rains, with warnings that the toll could rise. Images showed houses engulfed in rivers of mud, roads cut off by landslides, and flooded fields.
2nd-3rd: Heavy rainfall affecting parts of Italy's Emilia-Romagna region, caused rivers to rapidly rise and overflow, resulting in severe floods that claimed at least two lives. The rains intensified significantly on the 3rd, prompting authorities to declare a Red alert for the region. The country's civil and rescue department reported more than 400 interventions due to flooding and landslides while ANSA reported over 250 people in Ravenna Province evacuated their homes overnight on the 3rd.
7th: Vietnam has recorded its highest ever temperature, just over 44C. The record was set in the northern province of Thanh Hoa, where officials warned people to stay indoors during the hottest times of the day. Other countries in the region have also been experiencing extremely hot weather. Thailand reported a record-equalling 44.6C in its western Mak province. Meanwhile Myanmar's media reported that a town in the east had recorded 43.8C, the highest temperature for a decade. Vietnam's previous record temperature of 43.4C was set in central Ha Tinh province four years ago. Further west, the Bangladesh capital Dhaka recorded its highest temperature since the 1960s.
8th: Auckland, which is New Zealand's largest city, has declared a state of emergency after heavy rainfall stranded cars, toppled trees and disrupted rail services. A state of emergency was declared as a precaution and disaster response services mobilised, Auckland Deputy Mayor Desley Simpson told reporters. From January to April, the Auckland region received 90% of its average total annual rainfall, with some areas receiving up to 35 mm of rain in just one hour in the current storm.
12th: Several tornadoes, described as large and extremely dangerous, wreaked havoc across various parts of Nebraska, USA, causing considerable damage, including destroying farm buildings and downing power lines. 50 Tornado Warnings were issued in the state, the most in a single day since 1998. Multiple tornadoes were observed. This weather event had severe consequences for local farming, with a commercial cattle feedlot near Uehling suffering extensive damage and resulting in the escape of several hundred cattle. Reports of significant farmstead damage continued to pour in from near Oakland into Friday evening.
14th: Extremely dangerous Tropical Cyclone "Mocha" made landfall near Sittwe, the capital city of Myanmar's Rakhine State, south of the Bangladesh border, at about 0700 GMT, with maximum 1-minute sustained winds of 240 km/h, and wind gusts up to 305 km/h. Approximately 1 million people were evacuated in Bangladesh and Myanmar ahead of the landfall. Mocha made landfall as a Category 4 hurricane equivalent, damaging and destroying homes, uprooting trees, downing pylons and cables, and creating a 3.5 m tidal surge that inundated the low-lying region. The cyclone rapidly weakened after it crossed the coastline. Just several hours before making landfall, Mocha intensified into the equivalent of a category-five storm on the Saffir-Simpson hurricane wind scale, making it one of the strongest storms ever recorded in the Bay of Bengal. While the full extent of the damage is still unknown, Sittwe residents are reporting up to 90% of the city destroyed. By the 19th the known death toll was 145 people.
17th: The Emilia Romagna Grand Prix has been called off this weekend because of major flooding in the region. Discussions on Wednesday between local authorities and organisers of the race at Imola in Italy concluded that the event could not proceed safely. There has been widespread flooding across the Emilia Romagna region. At least 19 people have been killed and authorities have warned people to move to higher ground after heavy storms wreaked havoc, causing severe flooding and landslides. People sought refuge on the rooftops of their homes after 21 rivers broke their banks, submerging entire towns.
23rd-26th: Southern Spain, including Andalusia, Murcia, and Valencia, experienced record-breaking rainfall, leading to severe flash flooding, widespread damage, and forcing many schools to close. The extreme weather event, which hasn't been seen in a hundred years, particularly affected the areas of Murcia, Almería, and Alicante, with Ontinyent recording 127 mm of rain in just twelve hours. Southern Spain was put on high alert on the 23rd, as record-breaking rainfall swept across the region, causing flash flooding and widespread disruption. The extreme weather event forced the closure of schools in over 30 municipalities, primarily in the areas of Murcia, Almería, and Alicante. Parts of the region received as much as 140 mm in just 8 hours while a weather station in La Alcayna registered 87.9 mm in just one hour. The heavy rainfall also disrupted train services between Cartagena and Murcia, and the Hospital de Rosell in Cartagena was flooded.
24th: Villages in north-east Catalonia were left flooded and streets covered in ice and large hail following a storm today. Eyewitness footage shows cars stranded in the streets of Sant Hilari Sacalm. The recent storms come as Spain registered the driest start to a year since records started.
25th: Guam residents woke up this morning to survey the damage after a long night of whipping winds and lightning storms from Mawar, a typhoon that downed coconut and mango trees and knocked out power across much of the U.S. Pacific territory. Mawar was upgraded to a super typhoon, meaning that its maximum sustained winds were at least 150 miles per hour, as the storm moved over open water. The storm had packed Category 4-level winds of about 140 miles per hour at "just prior to midnight" local time on Wednesday, as it passed over Guam. More than 30 cm of rain fell across Guam, and that amount approached 60 cm in some areas, meteorologists said. Mawar was the strongest storm to hammer Guam in years and was expected to continue to generate tropical storm-force winds before weakening on Thursday, the Weather Service forecaster warned. There were no immediate reports of deaths or injuries. But the storm was so strong that it broke wind sensors and radar equipment that send meteorological data to the local Weather Service office. Mawar also sent trees crashing down outside the building, including what a forecaster said was "our prized mango tree." Two coconut trees survived.

World weather news, April 2023

5th: At least five people have died after a tornado ripped through south-eastern Missouri, authorities said. The twister touched down just before 0400 LT in Bollinger County. Residents who emerged to survey the damage found trees toppled on cars and roofs ripped from homes. Millions of Americans from Texas to the Great Lakes region were under a tornado watch. There have been more than 80 reported tornadoes since 31 March, the National Weather Service said.
12th: Storms in South Florida brought almost 30 cm of rain in a matter of hours, causing widespread flooding, closing the Fort Lauderdale airport and turning thoroughfares into rivers. That amount of rain in a 24-hour period was a "1-in-1,000 year event", Ana Torres-Vazquez of the National Weather Service's Miami office said.
13th-14th: A powerful cyclone has hit Western Australia as a category five storm, setting a wind speed record but sparing populated areas from major damage. Severe Tropical Cyclone Ilsa struck the state close to Port Hedland, the world's largest iron ore export hub, just before midnight LT. The cyclone is the strongest to hit the region in some 14 years. One well-known local tavern and caravan park lying right in the path of the storm - the Pardoo roadhouse - suffered "great damage", its owners said. But there have so far been no reports of injury to people and all critical infrastructure was undamaged by the cyclone, the region's fire chief said. Winds of 218 km/h were recorded on Bedout Island just off the coast as the storm touched down, setting a provisional 10-minute sustained wind record for Australia. The previous record was 194 km/h - winds that were recorded when Cyclone George slammed into the country in 2007. Ships, including iron ore carriers, were reportedly moved from the Port Hedland harbour as the storm approached.
16th-17th: Severe weather, including heavy rainfall, strong wind, and severe hailstorms, wreaked havoc in southern Brazil, causing floods and damage to hundreds of homes. Rio Grande do Sul was hit particularly hard by heavy rainfall, strong wind, hailstorms, and thunderstorms, leading to floods and severe weather-related incidents. Hail up to 10 cm in diameter was recorded in Guaíba Town where nearly 100 homes were damaged. Another 200 homes were damaged in Barra do Ribeiro where city officials declared a state of emergency. At least 100 more houses were damaged in Serrinha Town.
19th: A severe heatwave has swept across much of Asia, causing deaths and school closures in India and record-breaking temperatures in China. In China, local media reported that record temperatures for April had been observed in many locations, including Chengdu, Zhejiang, Nanjing, Hangzhou and other areas of the Yangtze River delta region. Unusually hot temperatures have also been reported in south-east Asia in recent days, including in Luang Prabang, Laos, which recorded 42.7C this week, the highest reliable temperature in its history. Vientiane also recorded 41.4C, the hottest day ever for the capital, on Saturday. In Thailand, a government monitoring station in Tak in the north-west of the country recorded 45.4C on Saturday, breaking the previous high of 44.6C reached in Mae Hong Son on 28 April 2016. In Bangladesh temperatures soared above 40C in the capital, Dhaka, on Saturday, the hottest April day in 58 years, causing road surfaces to melt.
21st: Eight people were killed, 128 were injured, and 232 houses in two villages were destroyed when a large tornado swept through central Myanmar near the capital Naypyitaw at around 1810 LT. State-run MRTV television reported that two Buddhist monasteries and a small clinic were among the structures destroyed by the tornado.
27th: Spain recorded its hottest ever temperature for April, hitting 38.8C according to the country's meteorological service. The record figure was reached in Cordoba airport in southern Spain. For days a blistering heatwave has hit the country with temperatures 10-15 degC warmer than expected for April. It's been driven by a mass of very hot air from Africa, coupled with a slow moving weather system.

World weather news, March 2023

3rd: The Pacific nation of Vanuatu has declared a state of emergency as it reels from an earthquake and two cyclones in as many days. The 6.5 magnitude quake struck today, a day after category four Cyclone Judy swept through the islands. The storm caused widespread damage and flooding across the country. No casualties have been reported yet. A category three storm, Cyclone Kevin, then arrived today, bringing destructive winds of up to 130 km/h.
14th-15th: Tropical Storm Freddy led to people being swept away by raging waters, or being buried under landslides in Malawi. Blantyre, the hilly commercial capital of Malawi, has been worst affected, with residents dying in landslides and homes crumbling into flood waters. The collapse of roads and bridges has hampered rescue operations, while helicopters have had difficulty flying because of the heavy rains and strong winds, although these have now eased. Freddy has dumped the equivalent of six months of rainfall in six days on Malawi and neighbouring Mozambique. About 20 deaths have been reported in Mozambique. Freddy is one of only four storms in history to traverse the entire Indian Ocean from north-western Australia to mainland Africa. Freddy could also be the longest-lasting tropical cyclone on record, according to the World Meteorological Organization. On Sunday (12th) the storm struck Mozambique as a cyclone - for the second time in a less than a month - after battering the island nation of Madagascar in the Indian Ocean, causing severe destruction.
15th: Thousands were without power in the US as powerful storms brought rain, snow, flooding and high winds to both coasts of the US. California saw overflowing rivers and mudslides and is bracing for more, while New York and New England dig out from under up to three feet of snow. On the west coast, where a series of storms have hit California since the start of the year, saturated soils have created hazardous conditions for residents; a mudslide in Placer County caused severe damage to a home sunk nearly to its roof in mud, according to the local fire department. On Tuesday (14th) evening rivers overflowed and some roads became impassable throughout the state. Nearly 15 million people were under a high-wind warning on Tuesday as hurricane-force winds in multiple counties exceeded 90 mph.
19th: Parts of New South Wales (Australia) sweltered through the hottest March day on record today. The temperatures ranged from the high 30s C to low 40s C in many areas ahead of a cool change sweeping the state. The Bureau of Meteorology said that the highest temperature in Sydney was 40.2C at Badgery's Creek, in the city's west, while the temperature at Sydney Observatory rose to only 28.6C. Wagga Wagga recorded its hottest March temperatures yet, reaching 39.9C, breaking the previous record of 39.5C set on 7 March 1983. Records in the area go back 80 years. Temperatures hit between 0.5 and 1.5 degrees higher than previous March records in Bathurst, Orange, Dubbo and many other locations on and west of the ranges. Sunday's highest temperature in the state was 43.8C recorded at Wilcannia airport in the north-west.
22nd: At least two people have died after California was hit with another storm that brought high force winds, heavy rain, and more flooding. Over 125,000 customers are without power. Parts of the Pacific Coast highway were shut down due to flooding. The highest rainfall levels have so far occurred in the San Francisco Bay Area, where the National Weather Service recorded as much as 110 mm of rain in some regions. Part of the retaining wall on one interstate cracked on Tuesday before collapsing under pressure of heavy rain, and chunks of concrete fell down the rain-soaked hill.
24th-25th: At least 26 people have died after a tornado tore through the US state of Mississippi on Friday (24th) night. More people are thought to be trapped under the rubble of destroyed buildings. The twister caused devastation in several rural towns, where trees and power lines were torn down and tens of thousands of power outages were reported. Hail the size of golf balls and heavy rainfall were reported in several areas of the state. Sam Emmerson from the School of Meteorology at the University of Oklahoma said that the "extremely high calibre" tornado lifted debris above 30,000 ft.
31st: A series of fierce tornadoes ripped through several US states, killing at least 26 people in total. Extensive damage was reported in parts of the South and Midwest - with the states of Arkansas and Missouri declaring states of emergency. Tens of thousands were left without power. A major tornado tore through the Arkansas state capital Little Rock, flipping cars, smashing roofs and toppling trees. There were further fatalities as the storms and tornadoes tore through other towns and cities in the South and Midwest.

World weather news, February 2023

2nd: A significant widespread ice storm is still affecting parts of the U.S. South and Mid-South, but it's now slowly transitioning to rain. Despite this, the risk remains high as melting ice may still trigger the breakage of trees and tree limbs. The storm has left at least 10 people dead in Texas, Arkansas, and Oklahoma.
3rd: The US National Weather Service (NWS) say the lowest wind chill ever has been recorded in the continental US as an Arctic cold snap freezes a swathe of North America; on Mount Washington in New Hampshire the wind chill dropped to -78C. Nearly 100 million people across the north-eastern US and Canada are shivering in the frigid blast. Authorities warned frostbite could strike in less than 10 minutes. The NWS said the actual temperature on the summit of Mount Washington at 2000 LT (0100 GMT on the 4th) was down to -46F - the lowest ever recorded there. The combined effect of wind and cold is also expected to bring some of the lowest wind chill temperatures since the 1980s in the New England state of Maine, as well as in Quebec and parts of eastern Canada. Boston is under a cold emergency. Public schools have been closed in the city, as well as in nearby Worcester and in Buffalo, New York. Parts of Canada were expecting temperatures as low as -58F. An extreme cold advisory issued by Environment Canada on Friday morning blanketed the Maritimes, most of Quebec and all of Ontario, spilling into Manitoba.
4th: At least 13 people were reported dead and more than 100 homes were destroyed as of early Saturday morning, as a result of the more than 150 wildfires burning across Chile. Most of the wildfires are in Biobio and neighbouring Nuble. The Chilean government has declared a state of disaster after a devastating heatwave and strong winds sparked massive forest fires.
8th-9th: New South Wales (NSW) emergency services have carried out 42 flood rescues, including the evacuation of a nursing home, after intense rainfall caused flash flooding Wednesday night into Thursday afternoon. The Illawarra region was the hardest hit, with over 350 incidents and 21 rescues from flood water recorded since midnight. Greenwell Point north of Jarvis Bay received 379 mm within 24 hours, including 178 mm in two hours. Jonathan How, a senior meteorologist at the Bureau of Meteorology said that a contributing factor was the warm sea surface temperatures off NSW - above 26 to 27C off Sydney and Illawarra.
13th: Residents across the north of New Zealand were bracing for a rough night as Cyclone Gabrielle lashed the country with torrential rains and winds. At least 46,000 homes lost power in the storm, while hundreds of flights have been cancelled. A state of emergency has been declared in nine regions - affecting nearly a third of the 5.1 million population. In New Zealand's largest city, Auckland, authorities earlier evacuated people from 50 homes around a 30 m-high tower that was in danger of collapse, local media reported. Emergency management minister Kieran McAnulty said the government was considering declaring a national state of emergency for only the third time in the country's history. New Zealand's meteorological agency, Metservice, said Whangarei, a city north of Auckland, had received 100.5 mm of rain in the past 12 hours. Winds of up to 140 km/h battered the Northland region, while the Auckland Harbour Bridge had to be closed as it was rocked by gusts of 110 km/h. Although the cyclone has yet to make landfall, it has already toppled trees, damaged roads and downed power lines. By Wednesday (15th) four people were known to have died as a result of the storm.
19th: At least 40 people have been killed in flooding and landslides in Brazil's São Paulo state. Neighbourhoods were under water, motorways inundated and debris left after houses were swept away. In the coastal town of São Sebastião, 627 mm of rain fell in 24 hours, twice the expected amount for the month. Hundreds have been displaced and evacuated. Carnival events were cancelled across the northern coastline, which is a popular destination for wealthy tourists looking to avoid huge streetside festivities in the big cities. Latin America's largest port in Santos was also shut as wind speeds exceeded 55 km/h and waves rose to over a metre, local media reported.
21st-22nd: At least one person has died after a tropical cyclone battered Madagascar's east coast, with heavy rain and powerful winds tearing roofs off houses and triggering a storm surge. Cyclone Freddy made landfall on the 21st, weeks after another tropical storm killed 33 and left thousands without shelter. Earlier, Freddy caused some damage in Mauritius, flooding beachside hotels. The cyclone slightly weakened once it made landfall on Madagascar, with wind gusts exceeding 130 km/h. The country's meteorological service warned that torrential rains would continue along its path.
22nd: France is facing drought restrictions after its driest winter for more than 60 years. Following a month of no significant rainfall, the country is now in a state of alert. Snowfall in the Italian Alps is down by 53% and water levels in the Po basin of Italy's largest river are 61% below normal, according to researchers. Low tides in Venice have grounded gondolas and water taxis. The drought in Italy has raised questions about how to manage water crises, which experts say will become more frequent due to climate change. Meteo-France said between 21 January and 21 February there had been no precipitation at all, referring a cumulative total of less than 1mm rainfall for the whole of France. Snow cover in the Pyrenees and Alps was also significantly lower than normal during a period considered crucial for replenishing France's groundwater reserves.
22nd: Widespread disruptions are rolling across states as a fierce winter storm makes its way through the US. Blizzard conditions across the Dakotas, Minnesota and Wisconsin have forced many schools and businesses to close. More than 2,000 US flights were cancelled as of Wednesday morning. While about 75 million people in 29 states are under winter weather alerts, parts of the eastern US are forecast to experience record high temperatures. Unlike the western part of the country, parts of the eastern US will see record highs - Washington DC could hit 80F on Thursday. Orlando, Florida temperatures could hit 90F and in Louisiana, New Orleans could reach 84F. Canada is also feeling effects of the winter storm. Large parts of the country are under weather alerts, including Toronto, which is expecting 10-15 cm of snow, ice pellets and possible freezing rain. Parts of Alberta and the prairies are facing extreme cold warnings, with temperatures dropping in some regions to around -40C when wind chill is factored in. Postscript: Temperatures in Washington DC hit 81F on the 24th, a February-high not seen since 1874.
24th-25th: Snowflakes have been falling in Los Angeles, as a winter storm tightens its icy grip on southern California this weekend. San Francisco broke a 132-year record low temperature, dipping to 39F on Friday (24th) morning. Tens of millions of residents in the Golden State are under blizzard, wind and flood warnings. The storms have blacked out nearly a million properties from coast to coast. Parts of usually balmy southern California are under their first blizzard warning since 1989. A massive storm has already brought major blizzards and temperatures below freezing to much of the northern US.
26th: A winter storm that brought unprecedented snow to southern California has moved eastward, bringing with it tornadoes and powerful winds. In Oklahoma, seven tornadoes were reported to have hit the state late in the day. Footage emerged showing overturned cars and homes with collapsed roofs due to the strong winds. Officials reported at least 12 weather-related injuries. A wind speed of 114 mph was recorded in northern Texas near the border with Oklahoma.
28th: The Spanish Military Emergency Unit (UME) is currently being deployed to Mallorca to begin helping in the evacuation of people cut off and trapped in several areas of Mallorca following severe weather. The island's emergency services have dealt with a total of 335 weather-related incidents. Three thousand Endesa customers are still without power in Mallorca after the storm affected a total of 20 high-voltage lines on the island. Most of those affected are in rural areas. Snow records have been broken after Storm Juliette left its trail after 24 hours. The last time it snowed so heavily was in 2015. More than 170 mm of rain has fallen in Pollensa and high winds caused major problems. Storm Juliette tore the roof off a petrol station in Cala Ratjada, and also caused damage to boats in local harbours. Two giant sink holes brought chaos to the centre of Palma this morning. Overnight minimum temperatures this morning included -0.4C at Escorca, Son Torrella. Heavy falls of rain overnight included 117 mm at Capdepera lighthouse.

World weather news, January 2023

1st-3rd: Temperatures for January have reached an all-time high in a number of nations across Europe. National records have fallen in eight countries - and regional records in another three. Warsaw, Poland, saw 18.9C on the 1st while Bilbao, Spain, was 25.1C - more than 10 degC above average. Temperatures in the Netherlands, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Latvia, Czech Republic, Poland, Denmark and Belarus broke national records. Station records were broken in Germany, France and Ukraine. The temperature recorded in Warsaw on 1 January was 4 degC higher than the previous record for the month, and Belarus' record high was 16.4C, some 4.5 degC above the previous record. In Spain, New Year's Day temperatures in Bilbao were equivalent to the average in July, and parts of Catalonia including Barcelona are subject to restrictions on water use. In Switzerland, temperatures hit 20C, and the warm weather has affected ski resorts across the Alps which have seen a snow shortage.
8th-9th: Parts of northern India are experiencing a severe, prolonged cold wave that has thrown normal life out of gear. Dense fog has delayed more than a hundred flights and dozens of trains, causing chaos at airports and railway stations. Authorities in the capital Delhi have asked schools to extend winter holidays and cancelled classes. The minimum temperature in parts of the city dropped to 1.9C on the 8th. Other northern states have also been grappling with an acute cold wave, with temperatures plummeting to -6C in Indian-administered Kashmir. India's weather department declares a cold wave when the minimum temperature is less than 4C. The severe cold is also expected to cause health issues, especially in Delhi, which also experiences severe pollution levels during winter months. On the 8th, Delhi witnessed one of the foggiest days of the season so far, with a thick mist covering the city for several hours. Reports said poor visibility led to delays in more than a hundred flights at Delhi airport while several had to be diverted to other places. The foggy conditions continued on the 9th with vehicles seen driving slowly on the roads. Domestic airline IndiGo tweeted that flight timings were affected "due to dense fog and poor visibility" in Delhi, and advised passengers to check their flight status before leaving for the airport.
10th: At least 14 people have died in California as a fierce storm brings torrential downpours, high winds and flooding to the state. Thousands of people have evacuated their homes, while millions more are under severe weather warnings. Nearly 230,000 homes and businesses were without electricity. The National Weather Service (NWS) has described it as "the most impressive storm since January 2005". Around 90% of Californians - some 34 million people in the most-populous US state - are under flood watch, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The NWS reported that up to 14 inches (35.5 cm) of rain was dumped in the last 24 hours in the region. This new round of severe weather will bring heavy rain on already flooded rivers, damaging winds that are expected to topple trees and power lines, and heavy snow in the California mountains.
12th: At least six people have been killed by tornadoes in Alabama. Over 35 tornadoes were reported by the National Weather Services (NWS) across the southern US, putting more than 30 million people at risk. A "large and extremely dangerous tornado" caused widespread damage to Selma, Alabama, the NWS said. The storms have caused blackouts for thousands of people in four states. High winds have also caused major structural damage to buildings in Georgia and Mississippi.
16th: California has been hit by a final round of storms, bringing more rain and snow to a state already reeling from destructive flooding, heavy snowfall and at least 19 deaths. Storms have battered the state in recent weeks, flooding communities and forcing evacuations. As of today, eight million people remain under flood watch on California's central coast. One to three feet of new snow fell in parts of California's Sierra Nevada range over the weekend (14th-15th). More than 38,600 customers in the state remained without power today. Between 26 December and 9 January, parts of California saw up to six times more rain than usual, according to the NWS.
22nd: China's northernmost city, Mohe, has recorded its lowest temperature since records began. Mohe - known as "China's North Pole" - is in the province of Heilongjiang, close to the Russian border. On Sunday, its local meteorological station recorded a record-low temperature of -53C at 7 a.m. The previous coldest temperature on record in the city was -52.3C, in 1969. This time of year, it is common for the city to see average temperatures of -15C. However, the temperature is still shy of China's national record. The lowest temperature ever recorded in China is -58C, in the city of Genhe, Inner Mongolia in December 2009.
25th: Weather authorities in Japan and the Korean peninsula have issued warnings over freezing temperatures and gales that have killed at least one person, and stranded thousands. Severe cold weather has already caused fatalities, havoc and record low temperatures across the region in the last fortnight, with at least 124 people dead in Afghanistan and record lows of -53C in north-eastern China. Large parts of Japan are now in the grip of the severe cold spell, with some areas expected to experience their lowest temperatures for a decade. On Wednesday chief cabinet secretary Hirokazu Matsuno said one person had died as a result of the storm, and two other deaths were under investigation. In the Korean peninsula, temperatures of -25C were recorded near the border between North and South Korea on the 24th. In western Japan, some rail passengers were left stranded for several hours on the 24th, according to West Japan Railway, while domestic airlines said they would cancel more than 200 flights Wednesday.
27th: New Zealand's largest city has declared a state of emergency after torrential rain prompted widespread flooding and evacuations. Friday's downpour in Auckland shifted houses, stalled traffic and cut power to homes and businesses. The city is said to have received 75% of its usual summer rainfall in just 15 hours. Major roads were also blocked off by the floods, causing long traffic queues on highways, with several traffic accidents reported. The flooding also disrupted travel to and from Auckland Airport. Domestic and international flights were grounded. The city broke many rainfall records 249 mm fell compared with a previous record of 161 mm in 24 hours making this its wettest day and month on record.
30th: Torrential rain caused flash flooding in Sydney (Australia) with emergency services launching 19 rescue operations to help people trapped inside their cars. Trains were also cancelled between the city and Bankstown during peak hour with rail tracks underwater. The Bureau of Meteorology issued a severe thunderstorm warning for Sydney with more than 51 mm of rainfall recorded in just 30 minutes at Camden Airport. Other falls included 41.6 mm in an hour at Campbelltown 34 mm in 30 minutes at Parramatta and 50.4 mm in an hour at Sydney Observatory Hill.
31st: Nearly 40 million people are under a winter weather alert in south-central parts of the US, spreading from Tennessee to Texas. A mix of freezing rain, sleet and bitter cold air has already hit parts of the region and is expected to last until mid-week. More than 1,900 flights have been cancelled, with airports in Texas particularly affected.

If you have a snippet of weather news that you feel merits inclusion, then please feel free to email it to me.

Last updated 12 March 2024.