Category Archives: Extreme weather

Fears of more floods – and possibly tornadoes – as another storm hits California

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North sees strong winds while central coast at risk of ‘significant flooding’ as storm moves south toward Los Angeles

The latest in a series of wet winter storms gained strength in California early on Monday, with forecasters warning of possible flooding, hail, strong winds and even brief tornadoes as the system moves south over the next few days.

Gusts topped 30mph (48kph) in Oakland and San Jose as a mild cold front late on Saturday gave way to a more powerful storm on Sunday, according to the meteorologist Brayden Murdock with the National Weather Service office in San Francisco.

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Blizzards disrupt lunar new year travel for millions in China

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Flights and trains cancelled as heavy snow and freezing rain leave many stranded during busiest travel period

Millions of people in China have had their annual visit home for lunar new year disrupted by blizzards and freezing rain, with delayed or cancelled transport leaving travellers stranded.

Videos on social media showed people hacking away at thick layers of ice that have brought roads to a standstill as millions of people try to get home before spring festival, which starts on 10 February.

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Rain to worsen in LA as hundreds of thousands remain without power in California – live

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Up to 9in of rain had already fallen in the area and more is expected; 400,000 homes and businesses are without power around California

California is grappling with another round of strong storms this week and the dangerous potential for flash flooding, landslides, and furious winds expected to come with them.

Much like last year, when record rainfall lashed the state, the storms are attributed to atmospheric rivers (ARs), systems that have long played a role in California’s precipitation levels – both for good and for bad.

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‘Life-threatening’ storm system batters California, with flooding and high winds

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First-ever hurricane-force wind warning along coast, with millions of people under flood watches and power out for close to a million

An enormous atmospheric river-fueled storm unleashed rain and furious winds across California on Sunday, leaving destruction and hazards in its wake.

Howling winds tore down power lines and trees, and scattered debris in communities across the state, prompting officials to issue the first-ever hurricane-force wind warning along the coast. By late afternoon, streets in both northern and southern regions of California were left submerged, with far more rain on the way.

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DRC’s worst floods in decades leave tens of thousands in temporary shelter

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People in affected areas say they are still waiting for government help after more than 300 deaths and widespread devastation

Tens of thousands of people in the Democratic Republic of the Congo are living in temporary accommodation and waiting for government help after the country experienced its worst flooding in six decades.

More than 300 people have died and 280,000 households in more than half the country have been forced to leave their homes since heavy rains started at the end of November. More than 1,500 schools, 267 health centres, 211 markets and 146 roads have been damaged.

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South Sudan flooding hampers efforts to contain hepatitis E outbreak

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MSF begins vaccine drive against incurable disease, which is spread via dirty water and kills thousands of pregnant women

A push to tackle an outbreak of hepatitis E in South Sudan is being hampered by flooding that has isolated populations and turned villages into islands.

A pioneering vaccination drive has begun to protect people against a spate of cases but the true scale of the disease outbreak is unknown.

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UK heatwave plan urgently needed to save lives, say MPs

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Nature-based solutions such as parks and ponds are recommended – as is giving heatwaves names

The UK urgently needs a plan to prevent thousands of heatwave deaths a year as the climate continues to warm, a cross-party committee of MPs has warned.

More than 4,500 people died in heatwaves in 2022, the MPs’ report said, and this number could rise to 10,000 a year by 2050 without action. Heatwaves are “silent killers”, the MPs said, pushing up heart rate and blood pressure, with those over 65 and with existing health problems most at risk.

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Storms leave some Queensland residents ‘traumatised’ amid warnings of more heavy rain

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Roads are cut off, more than 20 schools closed and a town flooded after heavy rainfall inundated south-east Queensland, sparking multiple rescues

A relentless series of storms is starting to take an emotional toll on people in Queensland’s south-east as the Bureau of Meteorology warns of more heavy rain to come.

Roads are cut off, more than 20 schools are closed and a town is flooded after heavy rainfall inundated the region, sparking multiple rescues.

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Fears back-to-back cyclones may have damaged Great Barrier Reef

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Strong waves and sediment-laden freshwater pushed out from river catchments may have damaged parts of reef system, experts say

Back-to-back cyclones crossing the Great Barrier Reef have experts concerned vast flood plumes and heavy waves may have damaged parts of the world’s biggest coral reef system.

Reef scientists and conservationists went into the summer worried that an El Niño weather pattern would elevate the risk of mass coral bleaching.

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Tropical Cyclone Kirrily: disaster grants offered as tens of thousands in north Queensland remain without power

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More than 23,000 residents without electricity days after category-three storm lashed coast on Thursday

Cyclone-affected residents have been offered disaster assistance in northern Queensland, where tens of thousands of customers remain without power.

Personal hardship assistance grants have been offered to residents of the Townsville and Burdekin shires after Tropical Cyclone Kirrily crossed the coast on Thursday evening.

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Nearly 50,000 still without power in Townsville in wake of ex-Tropical Cyclone Kirrily as clean-up begins

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Outages also affecting phone networks and water supplies for about 10,000 Queensland households, premier says, as restoration efforts continue

Thousands of Townsville residents are still without power as northern Queensland begins to clean up after ex-Tropical Cyclone Kirrily.

Damaging winds and rainfall totals from 100-150mm hit regions on Thursday evening but minimal property damage was recorded.

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Weather tracker: Tropical Cyclone Kirrily brings 170km/h gusts to Queensland

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Cyclone downgraded after dense fog hits parts of the US and India while drought affects Philippines and southern Africa

Tropical Cyclone Kirrily made landfall on the coast of Queensland on Thursday night (local time). Kirrily originated as a tropical low over the Coral Sea, and gradually intensified over several days. The tropical cyclone then quickly intensified on Thursday, reaching a category 2 system by 10am AEST, and category 3 by 3pm, producing gusts of 170 km/h (105mph). As Kirrily moved inland five hours later, it left more than 34,000 homes and business without power in Townsville. However, the cyclone was quickly downgraded back to a category 1 by midnight.

Earlier in the week, dense fog developed from Montana all the way south to the Gulf of Mexico, reducing visibility on Tuesday to less than a quarter mile for many. The combination of last week’s arctic blast, followed by the introduction of warmer air from the south this week, allowed water vapour to condense closer to the surface, which is also known as advection fog. Dense fog reappeared on Thursday morning, affecting just under 99 million people from North Dakota across to central Pennsylvania, and as far south as New Orleans.

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‘Like a ghost howling’: ex-Tropical Cyclone Kirrily to bring heavy rain to Queensland as Townsville residents survey damage

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Premier Steven Miles says ‘we’re not out of the woods’ with BoM weather warnings issued as former category three cyclone downgraded

The cleanup from ex-Tropical Cyclone Kirrily has begun in north Queensland after the weather system was downgraded to a tropical low.

Damaging winds and rainfall totals from 100-150mm hit the region on Thursday evening but minimal property damage was recorded and no lives were lost.

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Tropical Cyclone Kirrily crosses Queensland coast at Townsville

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Kirrily downgraded to category-one storm by BoM after heading inland on Thursday night

Tropical Cyclone Kirrily has crossed the coast of Queensland bringing heavy rain and very strong wind gusts.

The cyclone had been updated to a category-three storm on Thursday afternoon and crossed the Queensland coast at Townsville at 10pm. But it was then downgraded first to a category-two storm and then category one as it made its way inland, the Queensland Bureau of Meteorology said.

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Snow and storms across US as 55 reported killed in winter weather

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Cold snap continues from south to Pacific north-west, with thaw not expected until next week

The deep freeze affecting millions of people across the US is continuing this weekend, as bitterly frigid air spilled into the midwest from Canada amid high winds that could make it feel like -30F (-34C) outside in some areas.

The list of severe weather events was growing as the US struggled with the intense cold and news reports said at least 55 people across 10 states had been killed in weather-related incidents over the past week or so since the cold snap hit.

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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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