Category Archives: Extreme weather

Threat of another cyclone looms for Queensland as heavy rain continues across Australia’s north

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Damaging weather and heavy rain pummels Darwin as BoM forecasts another cyclone could cross Queensland’s east coast from Tuesday

Queensland residents face the threat of another cyclone reaching their shores within days as intense rain continues across Australia’s north.

A tropical low building in the Coral Sea is expected to turn towards the coast from Sunday, with the system most likely becoming a tropical cyclone by Monday.

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More than 160 elephants die in Zimbabwe, with many more at risk

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Drought in Hwange national park was the cause of most of the deaths, and wildlife experts fear the climate crisis could make such events look normal

At least 160 elephants have died as drought conditions hit Zimbabwe, and with hot, dry weather likely to continue, conservationists fear there could be more deaths to come.

The elephants died between August and December last year in the 14,651 sq km Hwange national park, which is home to endangered elephants, buffalo, lions, cheetahs, giraffes and other species. At least six other elephants have recently been discovered dead outside the park in suspected poaching incidents.

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Perth bushfires: lives and homes under threat as heatwave worsens blazes near Chittering

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Fire breaks out at RAAF base as firefighters battle four significant blazes in the Wanneroo and Chittering areas

A potentially dangerous fire has broken out at an RAAF base as soaring temperatures and windy conditions cause havoc for firefighters north of Perth.

The blaze broke out on Saturday afternoon near the entrance to RAAF base Gingin, a facility primarily used for pilot training, as large parts of the state faced heatwave warnings.

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Weather tracker: Tornadoes and floods sweep parts of US

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Storm Finn tracks north-east from Texas towards the east coast, while EU report confirms 2023 was warmest year

Increasingly cold conditions have swept western parts of the US this week, while tornadoes and flooding have inundated eastern areas.

An area of low pressure named Storm Finn tracked north-east from Texas towards the east coast early this week. As a result, tornadoes hit south-eastern states, at least 12 of which were in Florida and caused significant damage to many homes.

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‘Brutal’ Arctic blast expected to bring frigid temperatures to North America

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Extreme cold warning issued in Canada as US forecasters warn of wind chills in Texas and major snow in midwest and east coast

A “bitter” blast of cold Arctic air is set to bring dangerously frigid temperatures to swaths of North America, forecasters have warned.

In Canada, frigid Arctic air is being pushed from the Northwest Territories down into the province of Alberta, where Environment Canada has issued an extreme cold warning. The largest city, Calgary, could see temperatures plummet to -34.6F (-37C) on Friday, reaching a daytime high of -23.8F (-31C). This would mark the coldest January day in two decades for the city. Over the weekend, strong winds could make temperatures feel closer to -58F (-50C). In these conditions, experts say exposed skin can succumb to frostbite in less than a minute.

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UK weather: Storm Henk flooding misery to continue beyond weekend

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1,800 properties estimated to have flooded in England, as forecasters warn of colder weather on the way

The misery and chaos caused by flooding in England is set to continue until at least Monday, according to authorities.

In its latest update, the Environment Agency estimated that more than 1,800 properties had flooded after the heavy, intense downpours brought by Storm Henk.

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Charity criticises ‘crazy’ rules for flood defence funding in England and Wales

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The National Flood Forum says flooded communities face future misery if they can’t make a business case for help

People affected by this month’s floods will face the same problems in future because their communities cannot access government support, campaigners have warned.

Small towns and villages affected by floods in England and Wales can ask for flood defences and mitigation through their council or the Environment Agency (EA), but are being turned down because they cannot make a business case, according to the National Flood Forum.

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Weather tracker: Beijing experiences its coldest December since 1951

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Weather observatory records period of more than 300 hours in which temperatures remained below freezing

Beijing experienced its coldest December since records began in 1951, after a cold wave hit much of China. Temperatures fell below -10C, alongside heavy snowfall and blizzard conditions. Northern and north-eastern parts of the country experienced the coldest temperatures, as icy air moved south from the Arctic, with some areas plunging to -40C.

The Beijing weather observatory recorded a period of more than 300 hours in which temperatures remained below freezing, which is the longest for December since records began 72 years ago. The cold snap forced the closure of many schools and businesses in the Chinese capital, owing to travel disruption and the stress from added heating demands. Temperatures have risen into the new year but Beijing remains cold, with maximum temperatures reaching just above freezing so far.

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Warnings over further flooding after Storm Henk batters England – live

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Environment agency says ‘significant surface water and river flooding impacts are possible’ on Friday

The highest rainfall totals recorded on Thursday were 35.2mm at Otterbourne in Hampshire, with a wide range of 20-30mm across much of the southern counties of England.

The Environment Agency said the impact of surface water and river flooding would continue to be “significant” across parts of England over the next five days.

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UK weather: hundreds of flood warnings in place after heavy rain

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Warning of ‘significant’ impact of surface water and river flooding across England, as showers forecast for Friday

Hundreds of flood warnings are in place after widespread heavy rainfall across the UK.

Homes across the Midlands were inundated on Thursday while parts of southern England including Gloucestershire were also submerged. On Friday morning, 302 flood warnings were in place in England, as well as 13 in Wales, with forecasters predicting showers could continue.

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Government to subsidise $79 flights to Cairns from across Australia to kickstart cyclone recovery

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Qantas and Jetstar to offer special airfares, with accommodation deals to come, as Queensland premier insists region is ‘open for business’ after Cyclone Jasper

Images of Tropical Cyclone Jasper’s devastating impact on far north Queensland may have driven away tourists during peak season.

But the Queensland premier, Steven Miles, insists the region is “open for business”, making a $5m pitch to lure visitors back.

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‘Very daunting’: small NSW-Queensland border town pulls together after being cut off by flood waters

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Tyalgum residents hit by devastating flooding in 2022 have stepped up to support each other again after being isolated for nearly two days

Residents of a small town near the New South Wales-Queensland border still grappling with the fallout from major flooding in 2022 have banded together to support each other after the community was again hit by severe weather.

Tyalgum, a Tweed Shire village of about 500 people in north-eastern NSW about 70km from the Gold Coast, was cut off by flood waters for nearly two days over the New Year’s period.

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Disaster relief nonprofit chosen for Queensland flood cleanup before Australian defence force

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State government says group has specialist skills and appropriate agency is chosen at federal level

The Australian defence force was not deployed after storms hit the Gold Coast because it was determined other agencies would be better suited to the clean-up task, according to the Queensland disaster coordinator.

Acting deputy commissioner, Shane Chelepy, told media on Monday afternoon that the state response to continued thunderstorms and flooding has been bolstered by 50 cleanup workers from a veteran-led not-for-profit, Disaster Relief Australia.

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Weather tracker: rain batters Argentina and DRC as fog shrouds India and Pakistan

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Turkey also affected by fog, with 10 killed and 57 injured in serious road crash involving three buses

During the Christmas period, parts of South America experienced intense showers and thunderstorms, resulting in substantial rainfall in various regions. On Monday, more than 100mm of rain fell in the Catamarca province in Argentina, which led to flash floods. A sudden surge in river water levels then caused the collapse of a pedestrian bridge, which was the only link between the towns of Rincón and Pomán. While many other roads in the region were damaged and houses were flooded, no casualties were reported.

The unique topography of Catamarca aided the formation of a near-stationary convective shower over Pomán, unleashing several hours of torrential rain and causing catastrophic flooding.

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Weather tracker: South Africa flash floods kill six with people still missing

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Catastrophic rains on Christmas Eve led to key infrastructure damage in western parts of country

Catastrophic rains and flash floods in South Africa have led to at least six deaths, with more people still missing. The western parts of the country have experienced extremely unsettled weather over the last few days, with frequent spells of heavy rain.

On Christmas Eve the city of Ladysmith to the north-east of Lesotho experienced flash flooding after a sudden deluge during the evening. Amateur weather stations in the area suggested about 60mm of rain fell within an hour, while in a three-hour period there was about 80mm of rainfall. The average rainfall in Ladysmith for the whole of December is just over 100mm.

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UK drivers warned about very windy and wet weather due to Storm Gerrit

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Met Office expects potentially hazardous conditions on the roads in all four nations, with only central UK escaping a wind warning

Drivers have been warned of potentially hazardous conditions as Storm Gerrit hits the UK on Wednesday.

A number of yellow wind and rain warnings are in place across much of the UK and wintry hazards are likely, forecasters have warned.

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Australia news live: only 54.3% of Virgin flights and 66.3% of Qantas flights on time last month, transport minister says

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‘Very disappointing results, it is no wonder that so many Australians remain fed up with our major airlines,’ Catherine King says. Follow today’s news updates live

‘Very, very clear’ renewables are the cheapest form of energy, Bowen says

Renewable energy is the cheapest form of energy, including its storage and transmission costs, the energy minister told ABC RN.

Its conclusions this year are unimpeachable and very, very clear.

The cheapest form of energy is renewable energy, even including the costs that go with renewable energy around storage and transmission.

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Shock and dismay as Cyclone Jasper defies expectations to inundate far north Queensland

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It was supposed to be a run-of-the-mill category two – but flooded streets and cut-off communities show an intensity that nobody saw coming

A lifelong resident of Machans Beach, just outside Cairns, Euan Williams had seen plenty of cyclones before. Once ex-Tropical Cyclone Jasper passed over the community on Wednesday last week as a category-two storm, that confirmed it. It wouldn’t amount to much.

“Being locals, a cat two’s sort of like a run of the mill cyclone,” he said.

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Cairns airport closed as Queensland premier declares ‘serious weather emergency’ amid record flood fears

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Floods exceeding 1977 levels expected, Steven Miles says, as heavy rain leaves 10,500 homes without power

Cairns airport has been closed in anticipation of record flooding in the far north Queensland city as the state premier, Steven Miles, declared a “serious weather emergency” in the wake of ex-Tropical Cyclone Jasper.

On Sunday afternoon Miles said flood levels in Cairns were expected to exceed the previous record of 1977 and there were “significant concerns” for many communities in the far north.

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Marles will ‘make right decision in Australia’s interest’ over deploying navy vessels to Red Sea, Farrell says – as it happened

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Up to 49 tonnes of illicit drugs prevented from reaching Australia

Australian federal police and international law enforcement partners have prevented up to 49 tonnes of illicit drugs from reaching Australia throughout the past financial year.

The AFP cannot overstate the amount of harm that 29 tonnes of methamphetamine could have caused to the community if it had not been intercepted by law enforcement.

On average, close to 12,000 Australians are hospitalised from methamphetamine, cocaine and heroin use every 12 months.

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